My fingers dripped in sweat as I wiped my forehead. The hot dry sun boiled my face as I galloped alongside Anna on the rough uneven trail. The thumping of the horse hooves on dried dirt as I grew up being so used to.
    “So uh Pennie how are ya doin?” Anna murmured.
I swung my head facing her confused. “What’s it to you?!” I questioned
    “Nothing nothing, sorry it’s just you’ve been in the family fer a while now and I believe we should get better acquainted.
    “Fine I guess A lil chit-chat out’a pass the time till we get to this damn place.”
    “Well how’d you end up in the gang?” Anna asked.
    “It’s a  long story.” I avoided the question.
    “Don’t worry we all gotta past Pennie, and it’s fine if you choose to keep that to yourself.” There was a silence.
    “I lived with my ma and pa” I spoke regretfully. On a farm, it was… more of a prison. Everyday just same old same old, wake up, feed the pigs, cows, chickens, work in the muddy field just begging for an escape, a release, something new. But we didn’t have any money, ate the same crap we fed to our livestock.
    Anna stared at me with a blank face. “Sounds awful.”
    “Oh wait it gets much better, how bout the fact that our poor lil farm was raided by bandits, killed my ma and pa without them even taking a shot to defend themselves, kidnapped me and sold me for ransom.”
I can’t believe I just said that, I thought as I tried to keep back the creeping tears. I faced forward and spoke. “I’m sorry, I guess I just had to tell someone, keeping a weight like that hurts after a while. Like a wound that doesn’t heal” Anna kept quiet. She didn’t say a single word for a response. I kept my thoughts to myself from then on until we arrived at the farm. This is my first time doing this routine so i did not know what to expect at the farm. I watched at the trees as they danced in the wind and packs of wolves hunting as we both galloped behind the rest of the gang. I could feel anxiety slowly flowing in my head. I didn’t know much about anyone. especially Walter i’ve only talked to him about a few times. he's always talkin about the next job, where we were gonna hit next. As we went through the open fields I saw a farm up ahead. There was a huge family house, near that a red barn with hay bales sticking out the front. but strangely no one in sight. I rode my horse to the hitching post, got off, and looked around. My mouth became dry of anxiety as Walter the leader of the gang menacingly strolled towards me. He stood leaning over as his eyes crept over and met mine.
"Ahh Pennie my newest protege, how are ya darlin." He exaggerated.
I tried not to look at his old scarred face and spoke. "I'm fine." I responded almost choking on my breath. Walter suddenly grabs my shirt and forces my face to meet his.
"Listen here darlin when I speak to you, you look me in the eyes is that clear!?"
"Yes. Yes sir." I spoke grasping for my breath. My feet met the dry, cracked dirt as Walter steadily loosened his grip.
"Now Pennie I want you to know somethin bout me and this lil family of ours."
"Yes sir?"
"Me, Jen, Anna, Pete, and everyone else, we believe in survival of the fittest, which means we're all willin to do whatever we gotta do to survive." Walter walked from left to right stomping his feet. He stopped, pulled out a revolver from his holster, and walked towards me again. "Now darlin what I wanna know is if yer willin to do the same" He said holding his six shooter.  I froze with anxiety. Gazing at the shiny iron in his hand. Walter rapidly sprung his hand up pointing the revolver at my head. "Well are ya darlin!?"
"Yes sir" I whispered fearfully. Walter steadily flipped the revolver handle pointing me and placed the it in my hand.
"Good, I knew you wouldn't disappoint." He said with a raspy tone. I heard the cawing of crows as the both of us walked into the farm house. Walter peaked into a bedroom.
"Jake. Pete. Take him outside front of the barn" Walter whispered.
I could see in the room Jake and Pete picking up a tied up, blindfolded man. Walter forcefully grabbed my hand rushing me out the front door I could see the whole gang grouped together in front of the barn surrounding the tied up man on his knees. Walter took me over to the barn in front of the man and just said. "Do it." He wants me to kill the man. An innocent farmer. I heard the man shake as he mumbled through the cloth closing his mouth.
"I can't. I can't do it" I whimpered.
Walter brushed up against me walked in front and brought his hand across my face. I dropped to the dust.
"Look what ya made me do now. That's what ya get for not listenin darlin!" Walter yelled as he then took out a revolver and shot the man's leg. I heard agonizing screams as the man fell. "Now Pennie you got two options, either let this man suffer a long painful death as he bleeds out or end his pitiful life now.
The tears dripped down my cheek as I stood up and pulled out my revolver. "I'm sorry" I whispered to the man as I aimed at his head and pulled the trigger. My ears rang as the smoke from the revolver cleared.
"Good darlin good. Now everyone were spendin the night here at this nice man's house" Walter said repusively.
"Hey Pennie c'mon lets go" Anna called out as she walked into the house. I walked slowly to the house looking back at the corpse that I had left for the crows. I picked a bedroom and locked myself in. I couldn't stay with these people, these monsters anymore. I thought. I had to leave tonight I just had too. Just sneak out, take my horse, and ride as far away from here as I could. But that man... That poor man. What If he had a family and I just... Killed him. I thought as the tears rapidly came out drenching my cheeks.
I just layed in the bed as the sun set and everyone went to sleep. I pushed my room door as it creaked open. I swiftly made my way downstairs and outside to the porch. I looked over the rail and saw a figure moving in the barn. I thought to myself maybe if I just make a run for it to my horse fast enough the person in the barn wouldn't notice. So I did. I bolted down the porch steps as fast as a wolf and to the hitching post. I got on my horse and was ready to ride away, when suddenly I heard a voice behind me.
"Pennie?"
My heart jumped and my mind filled with fear to the sound of the whisper. I got off my horse and turned to find Anna pointing a revolver at me. "What are you doin?" I glared at the gun in her hands. "Well?" Her voice grew louder.
"I'm leavin Anna. I can't stay here" I whispered.
"Ugh Pennie you know I can't let you do that."
"Please Anna just go back in the house and forget you saw anything."
"If I go back in there and they find out I let you go they'll kill me Pennie" She spoke distressed.
"If we stay here with them they'll eventually get us killed Anna."
"I'm not leavin with you and I'm not lettin you go Pennie." Tears came from her eyes as she struggled to keep her gun steady. "Now I'm gunna put away my gun Pennie and yer gunna come with me back in the house and were gunna forget this ever happened. Ok?" I watched as Anna holstered her revolver and spoke. "Ok." Anna turned facing the porch and started walkin. I took out my revolver pointed it at the back of her head and pulled the trigger. I saddled up on my horse and rode off as I looked back at the corpse in front of the house. "I'm sorry."