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Honorable Discharge

August 4, 2017 by Summer Writing Contest 25 Comments

This story is by Chris Murphy and won an Honorable Mention in our 2017 Summer Writing Contest. You can find all the Summer Writing Contest stories here.

Chris has been writing since receiving an Etch-A-Sketch on Christmas Day in 1974. For over four decades, his writing efforts have won the adulation and praise of his tiny circle of family and friends and a few strangers. He now regularly writes for a marketing firm in Houston, Texas, but has his sights set on more creative outlets.

Honorable Discharge

Any man who says they can survive the Black Hills in January for more’n three weeks is either a liar or a Lakota Sioux. I was neither. One look at my war-torn face told my story. I was a survivor. After two wars and a stint in the U.S. Cavalry, I figured I could survive a South Dakota winter. Three icy weeks in the Hills changed my mind.

Fortunately, the roan I’d bought in Rapid City knew her way home, even in the dark. The sounds from the saloon led me the rest of the way. No surprise to find the tavern bustin’ at the seams. When the snows start fallin’, most folks just hunker down and drink ‘til spring. ‘Course the biggest problem with a full saloon in a gold-rush town was the high odds of findin’ trouble, ‘specially the kinda trouble I wasn’t lookin’ for.

The trouble I was huntin’ came in the form of my former commanding officer, Colonel Hamilton Gresham, Commander of Company E, 7th U.S. Cavalry, retired. Latest word had him headed west with his new company of killers to make his mark on the world. After Company E’s actions at Wounded Knee, I knew his mark would be made in Lakota blood. I aimed to stop him, along with my nightmares.

I moved across the crowded saloon to a spot near the end of the bar. The barkeep knew his trade, had my drink in my hand before I could roll a smoke. The whiskey was rough but it chased the cold from my bones. A quick glance around the room showed I hadn’t drawn much attention. This far from Washington, I figured none of the town’s tin pans had ever heard of the “heroes” of Wounded Knee. With any luck, they’d see me as a fellow gold-digger and leave me alone.

I was on my third round when my luck went south. “Hey! Where’d you get them scars?”

I took a drink and waited to see if the fella starin’ at my face was sober enough to take a hint.

He wasn’t. “Hey! I asked you a question! Where’d you get them scars from?”

“Bear.” I finished my whiskey and slid the empty glass towards the barkeep.

The drunk staggered towards me, his eyes locked on my war wounds. “Yeah?  What kinda bear?”

I tossed a coin onto the bar and growled, “Kind that don’t like people.”

He shook his head. “No, I mean what kinda bear? Grizzly bear? Black bear?” My interrogator backed up a step and pointed at my face. “What kinda bear did that?”

A voice from my nightmares responded from the crowd. “If memory serves, it was a Yankee bear.”

Silence fell across the room like a blanket when I spun around to face my former commander, the sight of my .45 clearin’ the space between us.

“Captain Austin.” He was reclinin’ in full uniform in the farthest corner of the saloon, his crossed legs restin’ on a tabletop. “It’s been a while.”

If my eyes could kill, he’da been dead in his seat.

He smiled. “I hear you’ve been scouring the Black Hills for me.”

My response was the sound of my gun’s hammer cockin’ into place.

The smile faded a bit. “You’ll be wanting to put that gun away, Captain.” He gestured towards the crowd with a wave of his left hand. “A rope is hardly the proper vehicle for your exit from this world.”

“Ain’t my exit you should be worryin’ about.”

He slowly lowered his feet to the floor and stood up. “Don’t tell me you’re still upset about that Lakota business.” He put his arms behind his back and shook his head. “Three years is a long time to hold a grudge, Matthew. Especially by someone who earned a fairly prestigious medal for his role in that business.”

I spat. “Medals don’t change nothin’.”

“Yet you still accepted it.” He sighed. “I always knew you had a soft spot for those savages, Captain, which is why I never considered you for recruitment in my new company of heroes.” He took a few steps toward me. “It’s a shame, really. You always were one of my best officers.” The smile disappeared and he gave a little nod.

The pistol barrel in my back explained the gesture. I turned to see my “drunk” interrogator reachin’ for my weapon, grinnin’ like he’d struck gold. I cursed under my breath as ten armed men moved out of the crowd to join Gresham.

The Colonel motioned toward the saloon exit. “After you, Captain.”

The wind was howlin’ when we stepped into the middle of the snow-covered street. The only source of light came from the full moon since the saloon windows had filled up with townsfolk eager to watch me die.

Gresham stood in the center of his recruits, their weapons trained on me. “I have a question before we end this, Matthew.” He raised his voice so I could hear him over the wind. “Knowing me as you do, why would you think you would find me living in the Black Hills among savages?”

I smiled. Doubt he saw it considerin’ he was watchin’ the first of his men fall with a Lakota arrow stickin’ outta his right eye. The howlin’ exploded into battle cries as Sioux warriors attacked from every direction. Gresham and his new “heroes” didn’t last long.

The Colonel was layin’ in the street surrounded by corpses and a squad of angry Sioux with a half-dozen of their arrows stickin’ outta him, his breath comin’ in ragged gasps. I pulled my .45 outta the drunk’s lifeless hand and removed six custom-made cartridges from my gun belt.

I stood over him as I thumbed the cartridges into the cylinder. “Never said I was lookin’ for you in the Hills, Colonel.” His eyes were saucers when I pointed my gun at his head. “And as for that medal …”

I cocked the hammer.

“… you can have it back.”

Filed Under: 2017 Summer Writing Contest, Drama, Historical Fiction, Hot

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Comments

  1. lucille kadura says

    June 29, 2017 at 9:49 am

    Great short story

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:27 pm

      Thank you, Lucille! Appreciate the kindness.

      Reply
  2. Bob Ross says

    June 29, 2017 at 10:07 am

    Loved it!!!!

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:28 pm

      Thank you, sir. You’re very generous.

      Reply
  3. Cindy Arbaugh says

    June 29, 2017 at 11:22 am

    Great story, kept me totally engaged.

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:28 pm

      Thank you for the love, Cindy!

      Reply
  4. Sandra Hild says

    June 29, 2017 at 11:37 am

    Felt like I was transported back in time to that wintry saloon and the scene of a movie played in my mind. Good writing when a new reality takes over and I can take a journey painted for me to follow.

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:29 pm

      Thank you, Sandra! I really appreciate the feedback and the love.

      Reply
  5. Marcia Ross says

    June 29, 2017 at 11:39 am

    Perfect ending!

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:29 pm

      Thank you, Marcia! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Kathyoestreich Oestreich says

    June 29, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    A good read, awesome!

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:30 pm

      Thank you, Kathy O! You’re the best!

      Reply
  7. Sandi Jones says

    June 30, 2017 at 7:22 am

    Held my interest from the very beginning, great story!!

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:30 pm

      Thank you, Sandi! Really appreciate your feedback.

      Reply
  8. Renette says

    July 2, 2017 at 8:46 pm

    Hi Chris,

    Great job on the visual, like others a movie scene played out in my head.
    Curious which theme you were writing this for?
    Nice work!

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      July 3, 2017 at 1:34 pm

      Hi Renette! Thank you for the kind feedback this was based on the Medal of Honor winner walks into a bar prompt; action/thriller genre.

      Reply
  9. Anna Savastano says

    July 5, 2017 at 9:33 am

    Wow! Great story, I was engaged all the way through.

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      Thank you, Anna! I appreciate your feedback.

      Reply
  10. Gretna Bohn-Hayden says

    August 4, 2017 at 10:59 am

    You done good. We were all watching the same movie! Thank you.
    Gretna (aka Neon Grandma)

    Reply
    • Chris Murphy says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      Thank you, Neon Grandma (love the name). Really appreciate the kindness.

      Reply
  11. Mary says

    November 7, 2018 at 3:54 am

    Just found this story and I loved it. Great sense of atmosphere. Loved the character and voice. Pace and suspense. great.

    Reply
    • Chris says

      December 20, 2018 at 8:02 pm

      Wow, thank you, Mary. Really appreciate you reading this and leaving your feedback. Very glad you enjoyed it.

      Reply
  12. Bill says

    June 2, 2020 at 3:59 pm

    Outstanding story. Dug that bit of PTSD starting off. Well done.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The Winners of the Summer Writing Contest | Creative Writing says:
    August 15, 2017 at 3:25 pm

    […] Tim Grahl The Melting Pot by James Hardesty The Speech by Nicholas Killham Chester by John MacIlroy Honorable Discharge by Chris […]

    Reply
  2. HONORABLE DISCHARGE - AUGUST 2017 - My Blog says:
    August 1, 2020 at 11:24 am

    […] I entered the following in a short story contest in the summer of 2017. This one earned an honorable mention and is published on Short Fiction Break. […]

    Reply

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