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-Joe was a lawman. He got shot. Comes with the trade.

Those were the words that came out of Maddox´s mouth. Cold and harsh, much like himself. Maddox walked in and sat down. Mayer was drawn to follow. It felt strange no one else had come to pay tribute to the deceased.

Maddox seemed to be thinking. Remembering. Maybe praying. Here, high on the Acoma meseta, one felt closer to God, or maybe closer to a friend that had passed away. The silence inside was almost eerie, and the candles flickered in the humid air, and the light made strange reflections on the star he wore on his chest. It was dark and silent. Yet, he was full of peace, something he had not felt for a long time.

Maddox knelt down and rested his hands on the bench in front of him. He did not look like someone used to kneeling. As a lawman he always walked with his head up. But he did kneel now. And he hang his head down. He did it for his friend Joe. One of the old guys. Memories that he could never forget came rushing back.

I don't believe in God or shit like that, so as much as I respected that man (so far), I was not going to get on my knees. I just stood there, watching in silence. Shit, it was hard to see a man like that sufferin' so much.

I didn't know what to do, so I put my eyes away from that vision, and then I saw it. Jesuschrist's face*, cryin', staring at me with dead eyes. Fuck, I can't say it was a religious experience, but it suddenly put my head upside down. All the suffering I had caused over the years came down all of a sudden, a heavy burden I just could not take any more.

Maybe... Maybe it was time to change thing up. Maybe it was time for redemption... And maybe that guy, and makin' things legal, I could finally get the life I always wanted.

Mayer´s eyes were fixed on a crucifix hanging inside. The face staring at him, penetrating into his soul...

Once again he saw the face of the young boy he had shot in cold blood. That had been a turning point in his life, but it was not enough to leave a path... A man had to start a new one. And there, inside San Esteban church in San Acoma, he felt there was a path that would take him closer to God. A path of light to get away from the darkness around him. 

But... what if the darkness was already inside him? How can you save a man from himself?

Maddox stood up, and slowly walked to the side altar. In silence, he led a candle and glanced one more time at the coffin. Then he led a few more. One for each of his old friends. Not too many of them left anymore.

As he walked out, he passed Mayer. He looked at the stranger, and uttered: -Wanna join? I´ll buy you a drink.

Without waiting for an answer, and without looking back, he left the church. Maddox was not too keen on company. He was used to walking his own path. The path of the Law was a lonely road. But he made an exception.

After all, the gringo had paid his respects to Joe. Others had not even shown up. The least I could do was buy him a drink before I left San Acoma.

When a group of rowdy outlaws went on a terror in a Texas town, shooting out the lights and windows, killing several citizens, the town quickly requested help from the Texas Rangers to come and quell the "riot." When Pat Dooling arrived and stepped off the train, the town officials immediately looked around for the other rangers. "I'm the ranger," said Dooling. "Did they only send ONE ranger?" the town folk asked. To which, Dooling responded: "you've only got one riot, haven't you?" He soon quelled the riot and boarded the next train.

I said nothing and started walking following Maddox, silently accepting his offer. Maybe I just needed another spirit* to calm my mind and my soul...

There were no Cantina at the mesa of San Acoma, at least not any visible. But it was clear this was not the first time Maddox was here, and he calmly walked into one of the larger adobe buildings. Inside, he was greeted with a silence, but he made his way to a small archway that lead to an interior patio and from there to a fairly large cave-like area with four tables.

Mayer could not help to notice that two of the tables were hexagonal, and had a green cloth and a light directly above. Poker tables. Another thing he noticed was how the few locals that were in the private area saw the star on Maddox´s chest, quickly finished their drink and left uttering some curses in Spanish.

Maddox did not mind, nor was he going to sit down and wait to be attended. So he grabbed a bottle of tequila and a fairly clean glass, and a coffee pot and a cup for himself.

A single light on the table made strange reflections on his face. His blue eyes seemed to look somewhere far away, to a distant past. Then he smiled faintly and shook his head.

- It's a great life, ya know? If you were some cheap gunsel with a big name running out in front of ya, they'd all be buying you drinks, rubbing up against you, fixing up what they're gonna tell the kids and the ones who weren't there. But if you're a lawman, you're a disease. They need you, but they hate you.

-Too complicated, amigo. I just like to keep things simple -I stared at Maddox, wondering if he'd mind me taking a glass of that tequila-. You can't be a brother-keeper and a whore, you can't be in both sides. And sometimes it ain't easy to choose which side of the law is the right one... Me, I just play cards. You risk your life in every hand, but at least not your freedom.

Maddox pushed the tequila bottle to Mayer. He nodded silently as he listened to the gambler. –Life ain´t always simple I guess. A man makes his own choices. I know I´ve made mine. Then he pointed at the star on his chest, and added: -some of us carry the law all our lives. Hard and clean.

An awkward silence fell over the table as Maddox remembered Joe Wilmot.  

-I once knew a gambler, he said all of a sudden. –Name was Lucas. He lived life on his own terms. Made his choices. He did become a deputy, but he was not a lawman in his heart. Not really. Still, we did many towns together. But we ended up on different sides of the invisible line that separates lawmen from the rest. That unbreakable line that guides the life and death of those who have sworn to uphold the law. 

Lucas… Lucas Decroix. The name was familiar to Mayer. They had met a long time ago, and Lucas had taught Mayer the different tricks. Also he told some stories of how he had helped certain lawmen friends of his to pacify different towns, such as Canyon City and Claremont.

-Lacroix? Lucas Lacroix? -I knew it was him. It had to be him. But I just wanted to make sure we were talkin' 'bout the same man.

Damn, that was a long time ago. Western America was smaller than I though.

-Yes, that´s him, Maddox said and drank his coffee. His blue eyes gazed at the stranger next to him. Lucas had been a good friend, but it had all ended. Maddox did not trade, nor bend the Law. Not for a friend, not for his kin, not for himself. Ever.

-You knew Lucas?, he asked a bit surprised himself for bringing up the conversation. Maybe, somewhere deep inside, he still cherished memories of the times they had. Maybe it was the air up in the mesa, or the eerie presence of San Acoma. Maybe he just wanted to talk to someone.

-I met him a long time ago -I said-. He taught me some gamblin' tricks, you know... He was good -I smiled. He was really a decent man, at least-. Guess you were the lawman in his Canyon City and Claremont stories.

- Yeah, I guess it was me. Canyon City, Claremont, even here in San Acoma. We did a few towns back then. We used to be … friends, ya know?

The lawman´s blue eyes were cold and empty, hiding all emotion. –There was trouble between us, he said wiping away the painful memory as he finished his coffee. –But you ´re right. He knew his cards. The last I heard he was running a casino in a small town in Arizona. Or a brothel.

Maddox stood up. It seemed he was done talking. –We all have to make our choices. And take our chances. He ended up on the wrong side of the law. I could´ve let it go. Just once. For a friend. But you can´t play with it like that. There is no “just once”. First it might be a friend… or money in your hand… or maybe you get scared… and then it becomes one more “just once”. Soon you don´t know who you are. You can´t break the rules, son. That´s where it ended for Lucas and me.

-Life ain't very different from gambling, ya know. We all know the rules, we all know we can pay with our lives if we broke 'em. But sometimes the game pushes you too hard, you're broke and at the edge of bankrupt and... Hey, why don't use that ace under your sleeve? It goes well, you take your money back (maybe even something more, enough to get a whore for tonight). It ain't a bad idea for a extreme situation, but, what if you get used to it? You stop bein' a gambler a become a cheater. And that, my friend, means you ain't gonna finnish your days enjoying your well-earned money retired in a peaceful farm in Colorado.

Damn, I never though I could have this kind of conversation with a complete stranger.

Maddox was about to leave the dark and cool adobe house. It had been no doubt an interesting conversation. There was something about San Acoma...

- A man gets caught in his own doing. You can´t change what you are. We all live and die by our words and actions. And the choices we make.

The lawman seemed tired. Almost sad. But he always stood tall. With a nod, he said goodbye. But before he went, he added: -That town where Lucas opened his casino... it´s called Sabbath.

Fall 1886

Choctaw Lee rode south… Him and Jack Dekker knew it was best to get as much as distance as possible. To get far away, and let things cool down. Keep a low profile. They rode from Delaware all the way down to Arizona, and to the Mexican border, stopping in different towns and places on the way, taking on all sorts of small jobs. But they never staid too long in one place.

Now the two had arrived into a Cantina not far away from the sacred town of San Acoma on a mesa. They had no plans to go visit there, but the rumor was that a few of the close by cantinas and saloons were places where the wealthy looked after guns for hire.

There were four tables in the small cantina, and all of them were occupied. Choctaw was leaning on the bar thinking what to order, while Jack Dekker had gone upstairs to visit the girls.