Awaken.

At the command, my eyelids flicked open instantly. Sitting the upper half of my body upright, I rise out of the cot and onto my feet. Already the sun burned bright through the window above me, covering the room in golden rays of light.

Get your gun.

Grabbing the revolver on my nightstand, I attached it to the holster to my side. But as soon as I did, the door swung open, revealing a man with a grin that stretched from ear-to-ear. As he stood in the doorway, his name— previously unknown—came to me.

"Nash," I greeted. Yes, he was my oldest partner, the man I could rely on when things got rough. Or at least that was what I was told.

"You ready for a train loot?" He stepped forward, clutching the silver-plated buckle on his belt with his fingers.

I raised my eyebrow, not recalling anything about a train loot. "There's a train coming in today?"

With the flick of his wrist, he pulled out a watch from inside his pocket. "Arriving right at nine," he said before snapping the lid shut. "So if you want to catch it before it pulls in, we'll have to head out right now."

"Since when have I ever said no to a train loot?" My hand moved to the side of my hip. "Gather up the boys and have them ready to go. We ride out shortly."

"Yes, ma'am." He winked, tipping the brim of his hat. As he turned on his heel, I could only stand and watch as he headed out the door.

Get your hat.

Going back to the task at hand, I lifted the black hat hanging by my bedside and fastened it over my head. Glancing at the square-shaped mirror hanging on the wall, I tilted the brim over my eyes, nearly covering them. In a matter of seconds, I had transformed into the most fearsome outlaw that had ever roamed Copper Springs, The Lady in Black.

Go outside and climb on the horse.

Now that I was ready to go, I walked out of the cabin me and my men called home. As I passed by them, I noticed their blinking eyes staring off into nowhere- their frames remaining at a standstill. Yet, I did as I was instructed and continued forward towards my stallion, Muerto. He was as black as the night with equally dark mane that flowed in the wind whenever he galloped.

"Well? What are y'all waiting for?" I looked towards my men as I swung one leg over Muerto's back. "We've got a train to rob."

Their eyes instantly lit up before they all gave a loud whoop. After clambering onto their horses, they pulled the rags wrapped around their necks over their faces. Blues, greys, and browns. These rags came in several shades, but not black. That color only belonged to me.

Gallop.

"Gallop," I repeated out loud, tugging at Muerto's black mane. Before I could even blink, he dashed off, kicking up clouds of red dust behind us. Riding ahead of everyone else, I led the way out of the canyon, aptly named Hell's Canyon due to the blood-red spires and formations that surrounded it. It was also the appropriate hideout for a roaming gang of outlaws like ourselves. No townsfolk would ever dare to venture out here.

So as the dirt beneath us changed from red to brown and a clear view of the desert could finally be seen, my eyes spotted the outline of the town in the distance. It was nothing more than a speck on the horizon.

"The train's coming from the west!" Nash rode up beside me.

"This way!" I called to the men behind me before steering Muerto to the left. Keeping my gaze straight ahead, I saw nothing but the endless stretch of sand and dry shrubs spread over it.

Keep riding.

I heard the train before I saw it. The blare of the horn rang out from somewhere in the distance, and the low rumble from the wheels shook the ground beneath us. From underneath me, Muerto quickened his pace, almost throwing me off him from the sudden jerk.

It didn't take long before the train came into sight. There, barreling down the tracks towards the town, was a massive beast made of steel and iron. Sunlight reflected off the side of it and created a looming shadow, making the machine look even larger than it was.

Stop the train.

"We gotta stop the train!" I shouted over the roaring locomotive. "There is no way we can jump onto it! It's going too fast!"

"I've got some rope!" A man- Smokey Dan was his name—permanently covered in grime and ash exclaimed. "I can ride to the front and tie up the engineer!"

"Good idea!" I nodded. "The rest of us will climb inside and grab the loot!"

As Smokey Dan raced off towards the front, the men and I rode alongside the speeding train. Even though we weren't right beside it, I had to hold my hat at the risk of losing it to the sheer gust of wind the train created. Glancing up at the machine towering over me, I noticed a couple of smiling faces looking out the windows.

One of the passengers even pointed at me.

All of a sudden, a screech pierced the air as the train started to slow down. It took a couple of minutes before it came to a complete halt, but once it did, a new command was given.

Climb inside.

"Alright, boys." I looked over my shoulder at them. "We're going inside."

Hopping down off our horses, we pulled out our guns and climbed onto the platform with ease. With a swift kick to the door, Nash barged inside the cart followed by the rest of us.

"Everybody take a seat!" He aimed his shotgun at the various passengers. "This is a stickup!"

The passengers hurriedly took their seats. Despite the end of a barrel pointed straight at them, the smiles on their faces remained.

"Wow!" A woman with several wrinkles gasped. "They look so real!"

"See, I told you this would be cool." A man with a strange haircut nudged the woman with dyed hair beside him. She only nodded in response, never taking her eyes off of us.

Ask for their wallets.

I stepped forward, holding my gun in the air. "Hand over your wallets." Unlike Nash, I did not yell or raise my tone. My words came out low and steady, somewhere between a whisper and a snap. "What are y'all waiting for? Put 'em in the bag." I gestured to the man- Rusty Owens- carrying a potato sack down the aisle.

"Wait, what?" A man with rimmed glasses frowned and turned to the woman with bronze streaks in her hair beside him. "They're allowed to do that?"

She sighed, rubbing her temple. "Yes, Peter. That's what makes this place fun." The woman rose to her feet and looked around at the other passengers. "Don't worry, everyone. They will be returned. It's only part of the show."

I whirled around and trained my revolver on her. "Returned? Oh, honey. You must have gotten me confused with someone else." I leaned in closer to her, just inches away from her scowling face. "I'm the Lady in Black. What I take, I never return. Now hand over your wallet before I shoot you dead."

The woman let out a sort of snarl before reaching for her leather purse. But before she could hand me her wallet, the man beside her suddenly sprung up from his chair, forming a wall between me and the woman.

"Get away from her!" The gun in his hand trembled as he aimed it at me. From beside him, the woman rubbed her temple once again.

"For God's sake, Peter! She's not going to hurt me!"

"Alright, alright." I slowly started to back away, lowering my gun. "There's no need to be rash."

Trip him.

As soon as I had cleared enough distance between us, I stuck out my foot and swept it across the wooden floorboards. My boot struck his shin, not hard, but hard enough to send him off balance. He tumbled to the floor with a grunt. But before he could even pick himself back up, Nash and Fast Fingers Weston scooped him up and had him back in his seat. I didn't even need to tell them. It was as if they already knew what to do.

"As I was saying." I swaggered further down the aisle, teetering my revolver over the edge of my shoulder. "This ain't a request. Hand over your wallets!" The sharp change in my tone seemed to have an effect on the passengers. They quickly searched through their bags and pockets before practically tossing their wallets into the bag.

"Thank you. Thank you," Rusty Owens said as he made his way down the aisle.

Once all the passengers had handed over their wallets, we headed towards the back door that led into the next cart. With a tip of my hat, I grinned and said, "Pleasure meeting you all. I hope you enjoy your stay in Copper Springs."

As my eyes scanned the seats of passengers, my attention went to the man I had just tripped. He was staring at me like all the other passengers were. But unlike the other passengers, he was not looking at me with raised eyebrows or widened eyes. This was something else entirely.

But what it was, I quite literally turned my back on as I strode into the next cart with my revolver by my side. Much like the last cart, the passengers scurried to their seats as I said, "Hand over your wallets and put 'em in the bag."