Editing Queen of Hearts: 'Bloody Mary'

It was a brilliant day outside Duskany, Texas, and Mariposa was enjoying every moment of it. The breeze was brisk and yet not too forceful just enough of an excuse to cuddle up on her man's arm as they strolled down main street. He smiled down at her, and she up at him, admiring the strong line of his jaw and glittering green eyes. They were so deeply in love, and last night he had proposed! The ring glittered on her finger in the early morning sunshine.

Nothing could be more perfect.

Mariposa sashayed down the street, rubbing up against her man again as a group of children ran laughing past. Something ground into her hip, something cold and hard. Her man tensed and his hand slipped into his duster. Mariposa felt confusion. Was it a gun? Her man had never been the violent sort, why would he carry?

She never got the chance to ask.

Mariposa felt something wet slap against her shoulder. She looked down to see nothing but a red splash over the beautiful sundress her fiance had bought her. The first, panicked thought was that her precious ring was gone. Already in shock she looked around to see her arm, severed at the shoulder lying some feet behind her. Blood pumped from the socket, and she felt weak. She dropped to her knees and crawled after her arm. Clutching it to her chest she turned to see a scene right out of hell. Everything had gone red, as if the sun itself has been dipped in blood. Her fiance had pulled a gun, all silvered and shining. 

Another man stood in the darkened front of the local bar. A mad grin spread across his face. In one raised hand he held some kind of cannon, smoke spilled from the barrel like blood spilled from Mariposa. She knew in that instant that her man would make everything right. Clutching her arm to her chest she sobbed, and watched as her love was gunned down, the madman raising another Gun, all black and gold in his left hand and firing with supernatural accuracy.

Bullets ripped through the flesh of her husband-to-be, time seemed to slow for Mariposa. The madman who had blown her arm off slowly stepped towards her fiance. She could see the malicious gleam in his eye, something inhuman. 

Mariposa felt something, a presence beside her. A man squatted next to her, seemingly unaffected by the displacement of time. He seemed terribly out of place, an ancient English gentleman in a black tuxedo and bowler hat. He gazed around with mild interest and tsked.

"A shame. And I thought he would go so far." He watched as slowly, ever so slowly the madman tried to tug the silver gun out of a death grip. "Though I suppose these days there's no tellin' who can wield a gun properly any more."

At that moment he seemed to notice Mariposa. "I say Miss, you look to be in a spot of trouble." he reached into his button down coat and withdrew a pack of cards. He spread them, and offered them to Mary.

Something was happening to the killer. He held three guns now, cradling them like something precious. He flesh twitched, and his eyes rolled but Mariposa had only eyes for the deck of cards.

She reached out, taking one. The sensation of it sliding out of the deck and into her hands was indescribable. She turned it over and there was the Queen of Hearts. Her mouth opened in a gasp as electric sensations trembled up from the card into her one good arm. She looked up at the british man, she knew him now, "The Dealer", but he was gone. She looked down at the card but it was gone.

In its place a Gun was fitted into her hand. It felt like it belonged there. She had never held one of the repulsive things before but now it felt as if her entire life had been empty. Looking down at the Gun, Bloody Mary inscribed on its side in flowing red script. 

Her other arm was gone. As if the gun had TAKEN her arm. She felt it was only right. Mariposa felt the gun pulling her arm, rising towards the murderer, the person who killed her man. He was thrashing and drooling, standing there staring at the sky.

She pulled the trigger, of her own free will she killed a man.

She left the guns, she left the body of her man, she left her old life behind her.

Bloody Mary clutched in one hand Mariposa walked into the sunrise.

-Tech Priest Naile