The Story of our Gang.

The Vultures originally started when settlers first started moving West. At the time there was no official Law, and some less then honorable characters soon found the caravans easy pickings to those with a little time, horse, and guns. As time went on gangs were formed to be more effecient at holding up wagon trains, the more outlaws that hit a caravan, the more stuff they could haul off.

The Vultures first leader was Father Torque. He was a scout for one of the big wagon trains. One day while he was ahead of the group checking out an abandon campsite, the wagons were attacked by a ruthless gang lead by William Rathbone. Torque's wife and child were brutally murdered by Rathbone's gang when they tried to protect their belongings. When Torque got back to the wagons it was too late. The Outlaws had made off with their stolen goods. That day Torque vowed revenge. He formed The PoleCats, a gang devoted to protecting the innocent, and hunting down the Outlaw gangs.

Eventually The Law moved West and started a feeble attempt to clean things up, but it just wasn't good enough. Often lack of evidance was used as an excuse not to go after particularly nasty Outlaws. Bribes and threats were used to good effect at keeping The Law off of the really clever gangs. Father Torque continued his pusuit of the gangs, but now he had a new enemy, Lawmen. Certain "Civilzed" Judges thought that all gangs were evil, and sought to punish them all. Since The PoleCats never attempted to hide their actions, they became easy targets. Farther Torque was sickend by this misguided meddling. He retiered from The PoleCats and handed leadership over to Ben Edison.

Ben soon was the victum of a set-up by Torque's old nemis gang. Now lead by Adrian Ripburger. Ripburger had taken over an eqquestrian equipment company, formerly run by Ben's friend, M.X.Corley. Ripburger murdered Corley, then had The PoleCats blamed for the incident. Through all this Ben met Moreen Corley, Malcolm's daughter. Ben found out that Moreen also had a gang, The Vultures. It had just been started as a horse racing gang. Together Ben and Mo were able to defeat, and eventually kill, Ripburger. After the battle what was left of The PoleCats merged with The Vultures and formed one gang. They took on The PoleCats' purpose and The Vultures' name.

Many years of Law dodging and crime fight followed. The Vultrues next Leader was Quohog. A young bartender at the time of The Corley incident, he was spurred to join The Vultures after one of his friends was murdered at a party for saying that, quote, "Ripburger blows horses!". The weapon that was used in the murder was the sawed off shotgun. A diabolical tool designed by Ripburger before he died. It was discovered that Ripburger's gang lived on lead by Bob Graham. The Vultures started in pursuit of him, but a young ex-marshall beat them to the punch. James Anderson singlehandedly beat almost all of Graham's gang, including Graham himself, but a few escaped to grow and raid once more.

The whole Western gang sceen was shaken up by Graham's fall, and many new gangs formed to fill the void.

Welcome to the world of Outlaws, were evil lurks around every bend in the trail, and any rock or cactus might hide an Outlaw. This is the world we live in. Defend it, or violate it, there is no middle ground.

Tails From The Vultures' Nest

Part 1

The wind was cold against Jerec's face. He stared out into the black night. How long had he been riding now? three hours, four maybe? it seemed an eternity. But the wait would soon be over. Up ahead the dark sprawling shapes of buildings blocked the clear night sky. A large ranch, just as the scout had reported. Jerec held up his hand. "Time to dismount" he said quietly to the two riders behind him. They all got down from their horses and tied the rains loosely around tree branchs.

They were standing in a small grove of trees, not three hundred yards from the ranch. "Ok, Let's get moving" he said. Slowly, and carefully Dayzed and Quohog followed Jerec across the noman's land that stood between them and tonight's target. In an hour's time they had picked their way across the mostly barren terrain. Now they were just outside one of the corral fences. "Hold on to your butts" he said. "This could get interesting fast if there are anywhere near as many gards as Colt_ said there were". "Quohog, you go first". Jerec and Dayzed watched intently as Quohog slipped though the rail fence. Next it was Jerec's turn, then Dayzed. "Now comes the fun part" said Dayzed. "Yeah" echoed Quohog. "We sneak arcoss this whole ranch, crawling with gaurds, without being seen".

Somewhere in the distance a cayote howled. The eerie sound almost sent shivers up Jerec's spine. Then came a sound off to the left. First the jingle of spurs, then a drunken voice broke into song. "MY BONNY LIESH OVEH THE OCSHEAN. MY BONNY LIESH OVEH THE SHEA"... "Sh*t" wispered Jerec. "Let's try to slip around to the other side of this shed". "MY DADDY LIED OVEH MY"... "Can't go that way" said Dayzed. "There's a dog right around the corner". "MAMMY, AND THATSH HOW TEY GOTSH LITTLE"... *UMPH* "Don't f*ckin move mister" hissed Jerec-- his specially modified, long chamber 10 ga. single barrel shotgun shoved into the drunken outlaw's belly--"or I'll blow your f*ckin guts out your back".

Before the disheveld looking cowboy could responed Quohog slaped his hand over the formerly musical mouth. "Great, now what do we do with him?" ask Dayzed. "Well" started Jerec, "A drunk would not work well as a hostage, let's just hog tie him and leave him here". "It looks out-of-the-way enough". After a brief, but futil struggle on the part of the outlaw he was left lying under the rail fence.

"We're running late" urged Dayzed. "It will be light before we know it and we have miles to cover". "You're right as always" replied Jerec. "Let's go". Gingerly the moved along the same path the drunk had come just minutes before. "That's it" said Quohog. "Over to the right, that has to be the shed Colt_ was talking about". "Yeah" said Jerec. "And it has just as many gaurds as he said too". "I count six" said Dayzed. "Two on watch in front, one at each corner, this isn't goin to be easy".

The three darkly clad gunslingers were hiding in the shadows, just across what appeared to be the main path through the ranch. "Ok, here's how we do this" said Jerec. "I'm gonna sneak around back of the shed. Quohog, you stay here with Dayzed. Dayzed, when you hear my shotgun, start picking off the gaurds. Quohog, you race across the road and plant the charges. Is everyone clear on this?" "Not quite" said Dayzed. "How do we get out of here?" "The stable is right over there on our left" offered Quohog. "As soon as the gaurds are down, you two hot-foot it over there and grab our rides. Then get back here to pick me up on the way out". "Ok, here goes nothing" whispered Jerec.

He slipped around the barn on the right and dissapeared. Dayzed checked his long barreled .44 rifle one more time. Quohog looked over the fuses on his TNT. About one minute later they saw Jerec at the peak around the front corner of the barn on their right. He looked right, then left, then stooping, ran quickly across the road and hit the dust softly on the other side. He got up almost immetiatly and began moving towards the back of the shed directly across the road.

Just then Dayzed caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to the left and saw a mean looking outlaw moving quickly down the road towards Jerec. "Oh no" moaned Quohog. "That b*st*rd spotted Jerec". " 'fraid so" replied Dayzed. "Well, Jerec said it could get interesting fast....and it just did"

Jerec meanwhile was doing his best to be fast a silent at the same time. He was crawling in a prone position toward the back of the shed from the right side. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. Just ahead of him was the biggest rattlesnake he had ever seen. It was pointed away from him at the moment. Jerec pondered for a split second, then pulled his 8 in. bowie knife out of its leg sheath and slowly moved it at the--as of yet unawear--snake.

Just then the breeze picked up and the snake rustled with the wind. Jerec breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled softly to himself. The "snake" was only a snake skin, probably shed long ago.

Back across the road Dayzed and Quohog watched the heavily armed outlaw stalking Jerec. "We gotta do something" hissed Quohog. "This whole thing could fall a part if we do" retorted Dayzed. "He's not ready to fire yet, he doesn't even have his gun out. Let's give it about 5 more seconds". Just as Dayzed finished speaking the outlaw across the road wiped out a .44 long colt pistol and started to rise it.

Jerec heared a faint sound behind him. The sound of metal brushing against leather. In a flash he rolled to his right and turned on his back to face his attacker.

Dayzed saw the gun come out and in a split second had his rifle up.

Jerec rolled and the startled outlaw quickly ajusted his aim. That one and a half second span was all it took Dayzed to swing his rifle and fire one shot.

Jerec saw the swarthy looking man point the biggest gun he had ever seen at him. Then a half second later the right side of the outlaw's face just exploded. The gunman stagered for a second, then dropped dead right beside Jerec. Jerec didn't have even have time to move before he heard a series of sharp cracks--that would be Dayzed's rifle he thought--then wild yells, frenzied screams, and the report of several guns going off.

Dayzed didn't even see Jerec's stalker go down. He knew he had killed him and swung his rifle back to the shed where the guards were only now starting to show signs of reaction. Three rifle shots later and Dayzed had felled two of the shed's gaurds. Beside Dayzed, Quohog drew his own pistol and started exchaging fire with the outlaws across the road.

Jerec jumped to his feet. The guards didn't know he was here, so now was the time to strike, while they were busy with Dayzed and Quohog. He moved behind the shed, then glanced around the corner to his left. Two gaurds crouched beside the road. Both were reloading their pistols as fast as they could. "Not smart" though Jerec. "They both emptied their guns at once. Oh well, their loss". Without even giving it a second thougt Jerec rised his shotgun and fired right between them. They both jerked and screamed in agony. "I was right to set the coke for wide" thought Jerec. "Two in one shot". Calmly he reached into his bandolier and took out another shotshell. "Double ought buckshot, nasty stuff" Jerec thought to himself.

"Go now" yelled Dayzed as he smacked Quohog on the back. Dayzed saw two heads pop up and swivle to follow Quohog as he crossed the road at a dead run. "These guys are real amutures" thought Dayzed as he shot both of the heads.

Jerec saw Quohog racing across the road. "Now part two" he yelled at Dayzed. By this time there were yells coming from all over the ranch. Outlaws were stumbling out of bunk houses half dresed and even less awake. But they all had guns so they had to be taken seriously.

Dayzed headed for the stable with Jerec close behind. On his right a door started to open and Dayzed put a rilfe round into it, levered the action on his rifle and put another shot into it for good mesure.

Jerec heard a loud bang just to his right and felt the searing hot burn of a bullet go across his left arm. He swung his right arm to the right and fired a shot point blank into the window were the shot must have come from. He heard a satistfying scream and hurried to catch up with Dayzed.

Back at the shed Quohog was putting the last sticks of TNT around the shed. "Lucky for me those morons only go after moving targets" he thought. Then caught his breath as he heard a sound behind him. "Don't move" a gruff voice said. "I won't hesitate for a second to let a meddling little varmit like you have a full blast from my sawed off". Quohog felt sick.

The sawed off shotgun was the most cowardly tool of destruction ever invented. Any fool could blow someone away from moderately close range with it. It took no skill to use and thefore very little responsiblity was gained along the way as with other guns. Pistols and rifle took time, practice, and dedication to get the hang of and usually only lawmen had all that to work with. But the sawed off, someone could just pick that up and go start killing with it right away. It didn't need aimed, the spred on it was imense. And with all the pellets packed into one of those 8 ga. shotshells, just about anyone who was hit was so torn up that they would die of internal bleeding if not from the initial shock.

"Now you just play it real cool you little punk" said the outlaw, "the game is all over now that I have you. Get a move on towards that barn you varmit". Draggin his feet as much as possible Quohog reluctenly started moving for the stable that Jerec and Dayzed had just gone into.

Dayzed looked around in the dark. There, in the three stalls just to his left he saw what he wanted. Just then Jerec came into the barn. "You got um yet?" he called out. "I'm working on it" replied Dayzed. "Over here, help me get these three out". Jerec moved over to were Dayzed was leading the first horse out of it's stall. All of a sudden a shadow fell across the door way to the barn and an obnoxious voice said: "Stop were you are, I have your buddy".

"F*ck" muttered Jerec. He and Dayzed spun around to face the gloating gunman in the door way. "Make one more move and you compadre gets it, you lowlife scum sucking punks. Now put your guns down real slow like". "Don't do it!" screamed Quohog. "Your little buddy is mighty spunky" said said the shadow, "Maybe this will teach him a lesson, a permenant one..."

with that the outlaw drew back the hammer on his shotgun. "Wait!" yelled Jerec. "Ok, we give up". Jerec steped in front of Dayzed and slowly bent to lay down his shotgun. Just as Jerec bent down Dayzed started to pull up his rifle. The outlaw was watching Jerec to make sure he put the shotgun down and never saw the gun that shot him. With one quick motion Dayzed brought his rifle up and fired. Bull's eye, right between the outlaw's eyes. He dropped in his tracks.

"Thnaks" panted Quohog, I owe ya one Dayzed. "Aw forget about it, let's just get the h*ll out of here" said Dayzed as he mounted his horse. "You aint goin nowhere!" shouted a voice from outside the barn. "Get um boys!". Without ferther ado outlaws began rushing into the barn from the front and the rear.

"Cover me Dayzed!" yelled Jerec as he grabbed Quohog. Dayzed twisted in the sattle and levered off a quick volly of shots that stoped the back group in it's tracks. Jerec's shotgun thundered as he spured his horse out the front doors. The barn and the outside night sky were lit like a fireworks display by the raging gunfire.

Quohog started the fuse on a stick of dynamite as he and Jerec galloped out or the barn doors. Dayzed shoved his now empty rifle into the saddle-side scabbard and pulled out his pistol. He charged the firing outlaws in the door way with a barrage of shots.

Jerec also put away his shotgun and brought out his custom made .50 cal. revolver. Oulaws ran out after him on every side. One stood in a door way half way down the road, aiming a rifle at Jerec. "Man are these guys ever stupid" he thought to himself as he felled the fiend with two pistol shots. "That guy just siloetted himself perfectly agains the light coming out of the bunk house. Couldn't have been an easiers shot".

As they rushed past the shed on their way out Quohog tossed the lighted stick of TNT on the pile that he had set there earlier. Dayzed followed close behind, evey now and then turning back to pick off another pursuer with his pistol.

As the three approached the main gate two gaurds lifted guns and fired. Jerec yanked the rains to late and his horse stumbled with the bullets. Quohog and Jerec were tossed head-long into the gaurds. Jerec was on his feet in a flash and had his bowie knife out. One quick stab, one less gaurd. Quohog let fly with a right handed roundhouse to take down the other.

Dayzed slowed as he got to them. "Get the gate, quick!" he said. Jerec rushed to the gate and swung it open. Quohog sniped the fuse short on his last stick of dynamite, lit it, and heaved it at the angry mob following them.

Jerec and Quohog both grabed onto a starrup as Dayzed spurred his horse out into the desert plains. Behind them they heard a small explosion and as they watched they saw bodies tossed high in the air. Seconds later they heard the mamoth explosion that maked the end of another stash of sawed off shotguns.

As they made their way back to their hand picked, Corley bred horse they heard the sound of vultures srhieking and heard the sound of dark wings against the night sky. "I guess there will be some feast for them tomarrow" Jerec remarked, somewhat morbidly as the three Vulture riders dissapeared into the dusk.

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