ROPE GULCH (M+/M+) PART 12 2025-07-15

[blackbound]

PART 6

"Sheriff, I think our prisoner is a little too... excited... for a public hanging."

Romeo looked up at his deputy, surprised. His face was entirely blank.

"I can take care of it, sheriff."

"No, actually, I have something else for you to do... let me get our prisoner out of the way first, though."

He grabbed Will by his bound feet and dragged him into the prison room, closing and locking the door just in case.

- * -

Having explained to Rodney what was expected of him and seen him off, Romeo re-opened the cell door. This time, no surprise awaited him - the prisoner was still tightly bound, and still overexcited.

So that's how they're playing, Romeo thought. These guys are some kinky fuckers. I get why Maurice picked this job for me. Well, I'm going to make my own fun.

Romeo wasted no time undoing Will's pants. He had brought some thin rope that he wound around the scrotum. Spitting into his hand, he started to manipulate the man's cock, which finally got a reaction out of him.

"You'd have had to learn a LOT more if you wanted to best me, boy. You'll get what's coming to you, and then I'll take down Roberts."

He brought the writing prisoner to the point of no return, then let go. There were several grunts of frustration as he came with no additional stimulation.

He removed the rope and stowed the spent member back in Will's pants.

"Time to get you ready for the gallows."

- * -

Having removed all ropes but the ones binding his hands, Romeo helped his prisoner stand. He undid the belt gag and pulled the rag out of his mouth.

"Some liquid courage?" he asked. Will nodded.

Romeo picked up and opened one of the whisky bottles. He took a swig - it was some alcohol-free replacement. He held the bottle to the prisoner's mouth, allowing him to swallow greedily.

Will cleared his throat. "Let me face God with open eyes so I can walk backwards into hell," he rasped, slurring his words slightly.

Romeo hesitated. "Ok. But any funny business and you'll regret it." A lame threat, he thought, what was he going to do to a condemned man?

Silence from the prisoner. Romeo sighed and untied the blindfold from behind, then put both hands on his shoulders and started to propel him forward.

A small group of townsfolk had assembled outside to watch the hanging. Romeo steadily led the prisoner towards the gallows. Despite some staggering, he did not hesitate as he ascended the steps, handing him over to the executioner, who had seemingly materialized out of nowhere. A hood hid his face.

The deputy handed a letter to Romeo, then stood Will on the trapdoor and fastened the noose around his neck.

Romeo descended back down to ground level, and unfolded the letter.

The crowd was quiet, waiting for him to act. He cleared his throat and, reading from the letter, announced:

"By the power invested in me by the people, I hereby sentence to death by hanging William Fury. May God have mercy on his soul."

He nodded to the executioner, who pulled the lever. The trap door opened, and Will descended, the noose tightening around his neck.

Romeo observed the stunt with rapt attention as a gasp rose from the audience. There was clearly some mechanism below the trap door that had slowed Will's descent so he wouldn't break his neck, but the "botched" hanging looked incredibly real. He watched as the prisoner struggled to breathe, futilely fighting his bonds.

Two shots rang out. Romeo whipped around to see what was transpiring.

A woman screamed, and the townsfolk started running in panic, jostling him.

When he turned back around, there was only half a rope hanging from the gallows. Will had disappeared; the executioner had been shot dead.

Romeo cursed. Had he been outmaneuvered for the second time that day? Where the fuck was his deputy? Will couldn't have gotten anywhere, he must've dropped down into the gallows' base, and his hands were still tied.

He growled and stalked toward the base. Walking to its side, he could see that the back was open.

He rounded the corner - there was the prisoner, almost out of his bonds again. He saw Romeo and turned to flee.

Romeo unhitched his whip and cracked it, catching Will around the throat and yanking him to the ground. He flipped the dazed man over and knelt on his back. Pulling the loosened ropes up to his elbows, he bound them as brutally as he could, pulling and re-tightening them repeatedly until they touched and Will's arms stuck out comically to the side, useless to him.

He knew he couldn't leave the man in that bondage for too long without causing serious pain or damage. Once more he applied a blindfold, then yanked him to his feet by his hair. "This ain't coming off for the rest of your life, boy," he hissed.

He removed the whip from around Will's throat, rolled and stowed it, then shoved the groaning prisoner in front of him.

As they emerged, four men were already waiting.

- * -

@CaptiveDan @Xtc @DeeperThanRed @Red86 @Pup Wingletang @CowboyStud @gag1195 @Bradstick

[gag1195]

A thrilling couple of chapters! I am interested where the twist comes in. Obviously, it won't be so easy for the hanging to go off without a hitch... My money is on a Rodney double-cross. We didn't see what happened when Will was out there in the main sheriff's office. The two could easily be in cahoots and the "lock-in" as a quick an easy way to remove Rodney from the scene without slowing Will's escape too much... And now Rodney is conveniently missing during the botched hanging...

[Red86]

Love how everyone is actually staying in charter so well!

I was curious to see how you played out the hanging part to be as real looking as possible without actually harming Will. But I did suspect the rope being shot, so it would break. Saw that several times in old western movies. Though as someone who is familiar with firearms, I often have to call the movie magic BS. Trying to hit a moving target like a 1/2" or even a 5/8" rope at a distance with either a pistol or a rifle of those times, your more likely to hit the person your trying to save then to hit the rope. Obviously I feel as though in this scenario, the rope was pre cut and the weight of the "fall" is what broke the rope at just the time of the shots, which were probably blanks. That's probably how it was set up in the movies to. Okay I'll stop trying to debunk old movie magic and how the rope actually broke here

Nice job Romeo did once again in recapturing his prisoner. But sounds like it was all in vain with our 4 new arrivals. I think it's safe to assume it Mr Roberts henchmen. One of who I also suspect could be the deputy, like Gag1195 said above me. Let's see if Romeo can pull this off without being captured himself!

[blackbound]

A thrilling couple of chapters! I am interested where the twist comes in. Obviously, it won't be so easy for the hanging to go off without a hitch... My money is on a Rodney double-cross. We didn't see what happened when Will was out there in the main sheriff's office. The two could easily be in cahoots and the "lock-in" as a quick an easy way to remove Rodney from the scene without slowing Will's escape too much... And now Rodney is conveniently missing during the botched hanging...

It certainly seems like Will locked Rodney in to be able to ransack in peace. And now he's missing, but Romeo did send him to go do something, so who knows...

But I did suspect the rope being shot, so it would break. Saw that several times in old western movies. Though as someone who is familiar with firearms, I often have to call the movie magic BS.

Good call on this one It is a roleplay after all, so you gotta have those tropes. But yeah, even if Wary is into noose play, I'm pretty sure he wants his neck intact after, so it was all rigged special effects. The guns, as stated, are all modified paintball guns. Unlike you, I'm very unfamiliar with firearms so I'm not going to pretend to go into how exactly they work.

Nice job Romeo did once again in recapturing his prisoner. But sounds like it was all in vain with our 4 new arrivals. I think it's safe to assume it Mr Roberts henchmen. One of who I also suspect could be the deputy, like Gag1195 said above me. Let's see if Romeo can pull this off without being captured himself!

Perusing the cast of characters that Romeo got at the start might give you a hint

[blackbound]

PART 7

Rodney had wondered when the Fury Gang would make an appearance. Well, this was probably them.

He kept holding his prisoner by the hair, interposing him between the thugs and himself.

There was three of them, two tall, one a head smaller, dressed up in full cowboy gear. Brown leather boots, jeans, open shirts under leather vests, gloves, hats, bandannas round the neck - as if they were trying to mock his own appearance. They were armed, but none had drawn their revolver yet.

In front of them was a fourth man on a wheelchair. Rodney squinted - it appeared his hands and feet were bound to the device with leather straps. His mouth stood open, drool running from it; his eyes were unfocused.

Some people were watching from the windows; there was also an older teenager peeking out from behind a barrel. Nice touches, he thought.

"Good day, sheriff. We come to negotiate in peace. I'm Pete Fury, these are my brothers, Bo and Frank."

Romeo said nothing.

"We come to plead for the release of Mr. Will. You see, this boy here" - he waved his hand at the wheelchair - "is Mr. Will's brother, and he ain't quite right in the head. And if you were to hang poor Mr. Will, then this boy wouldn't have anyone to care for him anymore."

"I thought Will was Roberts' errand boy's brother?"

There was a brief pause. "Well, you see, Sir, Mr. Louis is on the road a lot running Mr. Roberts's business. Now, we've been taking care of the boy, but we've got other things to do as well. You don't want him on your conscience, do you?"

Romeo deliberated to win some time, still mentally cursing Rodney. Where the hell was he?

"That's a nice sob story and all, but the law's the law. I'm sure Roberts can find someone."

"Mr. Roberts," Pete interrupted.

"You can tell Roberts to sod off and stop sending his thugs. Now leave and don't come back."

"Well," said Pete. "We tried."

His hand went to his gun. Romeo had anticipated that, and his whip snaked out while he shoved Will to the ground; he needed both hands. Pete yelped as its tip stung his hand - fortunately, he was wearing the gloves - and dropped the gun.

Frank brought up his gun just as Romeo did the same.

"Well, sheriff. You can't kill us all at once. How about you drop that gun of yours."

"You're right," Romeo replied, lowering the gun and pointing it at Will's head. "But I can take him to hell with me."

Frank spat. The other two were immobile, Pete nursing his hand.

A shot rang out from behind the three; everyone, including Romeo, flinched.

There was Rodney! He had one hand pressed to his side, which was bloody; blood also ran from his mouth. Apparently he had escaped an ambush and arrived in the nick of time.

Frank dropped his gun as Romeo raised his. All three put their arms up. Behind them, Rodney slowly sank to his knees, but kept the gun pointed.

"You there," Romeo addressed the teenager. "Want to earn five dollars?"

The kid nodded, wide-eyed.

"Go get me some rope. Quick as you can."

He nodded and slipped away.

"Alright, you two." He gestured at Pete and Frank. "Slowly take off those bandannas and blindfold yourselves. Any stupid tricks and we won't hesitate to shoot. And Will here gets it first."

When they hesitated, he put his boot on Will's neck, started to put weight on it.

That spurred them into action. He had them both lie down and put their hands behind their backs just as the kid arrived with three lengths of rope.

"Good man." The teen beamed. "Wait behind that barrel, you'll get your five dollars once I've secured these villains."

He tossed two of the ropes to Bo.

"Tie 'em up. Make it good."

He approached to watch Bo's work. To his credit, his ropework was solid.

Romeo glanced at Rodney, who seemed to be on the edge of consciousness. None of the gang had noticed, but he'd better finish this right quick.

"Ok, now blindfold yourself and lie down."

Bo did as asked and Romeo quickly bound his hands as well, checking to make sure the others were securely tied and decided he was good for now.

Just then, Rodney collapsed. Leaving his now four captives lying in the sand, he picked the man up and helped him stumble to the office, placing him on his bed.

"I'll be right back with you, Rodney."

"I'll be fine, sheriff," Rodney gritted, before losing consciousness.

- * -

Romeo collected gear from the wardrobe and headed back out. As expected, the captives were trying to get loose with little to no success.

He fired his gun into the ground between them; all struggling ceased.

Flipping a silver coin to the teen, he asked, "you wanna earn another five?"

The boy nodded again.

"Run up to the Roberts house and tell Mr. Louis to come fetch his brother."

The young man hesitated.

"Make it fast and I'll give you ten."

That did it, and the kid sprinted away.

- * -

A man approached from one of the houses.

"Thank you, sheriff. These thugs have been terrorizing the town for months."

"That's my job," Romeo replied. "You know your way around a gun, Sir?"

The man nodded.

"Then I could use your help in securing these prisoners. You just hold the gun to their heads as I work, and if they even twitch, you pull the trigger."

"Yes Sir."

- * -

With the man's aid, Romeo locked each of the Fury gang into a portable stock. The hinged wooden device closed around each neck, with the hands trapped in front. When all three were restrained, he also applied slave gags to each, trapping the blindfolds underneath, and shackled their legs.

He turned to Will, who had been flopping uselessly on the ground. The man was in obvious pain by now, the veins on his arms visible from the brutal stress bondage. The gun to his head was barely necessary; he put up no resistance as Romeo clapped him in hand and leg shackles and gagged him.

"Four down, two to go," he announced. He marched Will into his cell first, forcing him to the ground and hogtying him again, then locked him in before returning for the others.

There was only one other cell for the other three; it would have to do for the moment. Using their own belts, he attached each to a different side of the cell by their leg shackles.

He locked up the office from inside, then finally went to see about Rodney.

- * -

It turned out that the blood on Rodney's clothes wasn't his; he had indeed been ambushed and received a nasty blow to the head, but the other had fared far worse.

Romeo filled him in on what had happened.

"You left the wheelchair kid out alone?" Rodney asked. He seemed dismayed.

"I sent a boy for Louis to get him. Hang on."

He peeked out the door. The wheelchair was gone.

He frowned. What was that smell?

Gun drawn, he unlocked the office's two doors as little as possible and stuck his head outside.

A wave of heat hit him. Something was burning.

He went outside to look.

The entire gallows was on fire. At a safe distance in front of it, the head of the kid that had helped him was lying on the sand, cloth tied tightly over the mouth.

- * -

@CaptiveDan @Xtc @DeeperThanRed @Red86 @Pup Wingletang @CowboyStud @gag1195 @Bradstick

[Red86]

Well Romeo has pulled it off again! I guess the hanging will be delayed as the gallows has been set on fire. I hope the older teen gets more then the 10 he was promised for his troubles now

Whatever is Mr Roberts going to do now his henchmen have been captured as well. What ace(s) is he hiding up his sleeves

[gag1195]

The stakes! The excitement! Romeo's competence on full display! I cannot wait to see what happens next!

[blackbound]

Well Romeo has pulled it off again! I guess the hanging will be delayed as the gallows has been set on fire. I hope the older teen gets more then the 10 he was promised for his troubles now

Whatever is Mr Roberts going to do now his henchmen have been captured as well. What ace(s) is he hiding up his sleeves

Just Loum and Rui left... will they prevail against the force of nature that's Romeo? Who knows!

The stakes! The excitement! Romeo's competence on full display! I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Stakes, you say

[Bootmark]

Great story. Hits all my trigger points. Looking forward to the next chapter.

[blackbound]

Great story. Hits all my trigger points. Looking forward to the next chapter.

Thanks! Chapter coming later today.

[blackbound]

PART 8

No, not lying. He had been buried up to his neck. How the hell had they accomplished that? Rodney was annoyed at himself. He should've confronted Louis right then and there instead of going for Rodney.

He untied the cloth. The kid's mouth had been stuffed full of silver coins - thirty of them.

It was deathly quiet as he worked to free the teenager. The kid shied away from him as soon as he was out, would not answer any questions. Eventually Romeo had to back off, let him collect his bounty, and watched him run away.

- * -

Back inside, Rodney was already up and refused to rest further, insisting he had to prepare food. "We're also going to need to feed Will," he noted, and Romeo was struck with a pang of guilt - it had been a while since the man had been given food or drink.

He still wouldn't go easy on the reticent prisoner, though. Once the stew was done, he grabbed a bowl and headed to Will's cell. He noticed with some pleasure that he had stopped resisting and was just dozing in his strict hogtie.

He tapped Will's side with his boot hard enough to wake him.

"Feeding time for the animal!"

He tied a noose knot around Will's neck, connecting it to the leg shackles and pulling his head back, then removed the gag and placed the bowl of stew in front of him. Grabbing his head, he pushed it down into the bowl far enough so his lips touched the food, the noose tightening around his neck, strangling him. He let go again and the head came back up, allowing him to breathe more freely.

"Enjoy!" he said, locking the cell again.

There was commotion and protests from the other cell.

"Sorry, gang, you've all been bad boys. No lunch for you! If you behave, we might give you some dinner!"

- * -

He returned half an hour later to retrieve Will's bowl - he'd eaten it all - and to remove his noose. He replaced the gag, then surveyed his work so far - four fine specimens under his control.

Time to plan the takedown of the other two.

- * -

Despite his earlier protestations that he was fine, Rodney had returned to bed and was fast asleep. Romeo spent the afternoon considering his options, eventually deciding on a plan with several backups, just in case.

In the evening, he ungagged the Fury gang, undid the belts, and placed a chunk of bread into the restrained hands of each. "You'll have to feed each other, I guess," he said.

He made no move to remove their blindfolds, enjoying the unfolding spectacle as they tried to figure out their positions relative to each other and trying to get their stocks out of the way enough to be able to take clumsy bites out of the bread.

When they were done, he made them sit against the bars, one on each side of the cell. He gave them to drink before reapplying the slave gags and tethering their necks to the bars with the belts.

Finally, he fed Will as before, watching him strain against the throttling noose this time as he had to dip his head to reach the bowl. "Just a little preview, my friend," he said. "Or is it a recap?"

He got no reply. Feeling generous, he gave him to drink anyway before locking the gag back onto his face and shutting them away for the night.

He ate himself, then went to bed; he was so exhausted he fell asleep without undressing.

- * -

He awoke to the sight of four ginning faces.

"Morning, sheriff," rasped Will.

- * -

@CaptiveDan @Xtc @DeeperThanRed @Red86 @Pup Wingletang @CowboyStud @gag1195 @Bradstick @Bootmark

[Red86]

So cruel to that boy, buring him up to his neck. Atleast he was well.paid for his troubles

Romeo is such a natural at this game. Wary probably loved every min of his captivity time. But it seems as though Romeo's time on top could be taking a turn. 4 "grinning" faces doesn't sound to good for him. Can't imagine how those 4 got free

[gag1195]

Can't imagine how those 4 got free

I certainly have a Rodney shaped theory as to how those restrained and locked prisoners escaped....

[Red86]

I certainly have a Rodney shaped theory as to how those restrained and locked prisoners escaped....

I share that same theory! But we also know how @blackbound loves to taunt us with his twists and turns. So while it's definitely plausible, maybe even highly likely it's indeed Rodney who released them, I don't know if I'd be willing to place a monetary bet on it

[blackbound]

@Red86 @gag1195 what would be his motivation for a betrayal, though?

[Red86]

@Red86 @gag1195 what would be his motivation for a betrayal, though?

Oh, now you want us to try and debunk this further

Okay, so maybe they've been playing with Romeo all along. Make him think he's successful and get his confidence levels through the roof. Only to break him down and capture him before he can claim full success. There's also Romeo's manager. I feel as though he could have knew more then he told Romeo. Perhaps this was just a setup all along!

Idk, I'm honestly spit balling this. You are the master mind behind this. We just have to wait until you reveal your plans to us

[DeeperThanRed]

One thing is for sure - Romeo made quick work of gaining some enemies with good rope skills in his short stay as a sheriff!

[blackbound]

Idk, I'm honestly spit balling this. You are the master mind behind this. We just have to wait until you reveal your plans to us

Fortunately for you, I'm also nice and will do so today.

One thing is for sure - Romeo made quick work of gaining some enemies with good rope skills in his short stay as a sheriff!

They're only enemies if they can get out!

[gag1195]

@Red86 @gag1195 what would be his motivation for a betrayal, though?

Oh, now you want us to try and debunk this further

Okay, so maybe they've been playing with Romeo all along. Make him think he's successful and get his confidence levels through the roof. Only to break him down and capture him before he can claim full success. There's also Romeo's manager. I feel as though he could have knew more then he told Romeo. Perhaps this was just a setup all along!

Idk, I'm honestly spit balling this. You are the master mind behind this. We just have to wait until you reveal your plans to us

There's lots of reasons why Rodney would betray his sheriffs- money, power, the chance to be the one in control instead of taking orders... Also security- If the sheriffs keeps sticking their noses and the law into the illegal business, it stands to reason that the deputy would also get taken down. If the deputy was on the take, he'd survive the rotating sheriffs. He'd keep himself safe by betraying his sheriff.

Even if Rodney ends up being good/just incompetent, I cannot wait to see what else happens in this story!

[blackbound]

There's lots of reasons why Rodney would betray his sheriffs- money, power, the chance to be the one in control instead of taking orders... Also security- If the sheriffs keeps sticking their noses and the law into the illegal business, it stands to reason that the deputy would also get taken down. If the deputy was on the take, he'd survive the rotating sheriffs. He'd keep himself safe by betraying his sheriff.

All of these are definitely motivations, but none are supported by the text Naturally, being me, I snuck it in and hoped nobody would notice.

[blackbound]

PART 9

Romeo hadn't even gotten to fight back. The combined strength of his four attackers had left him all but immobile as they dragged him to the cells and restrained him against the bars with leather strips, his legs apart and arms stretched out to either side. His mouth had been stuffed with bandannas that were held in with another tightly-tied leather strap, then covered with several additional pieces of cloth. Will leered at him while cutting the buttons off his shirt, exposing his chest. He placed the knife tip against the sheriff's skin just below the Adam's apple and drew it down to his bellybutton, taking great care not to injure him; his hair stood on end nevertheless.

They made sure he could see them wheeling in the young man in the wheelchair, who seemed much more lively than the day before. He'd wondered what they'd done to Rodney - that question was now answered as he approached the boy and reached into his mouth, retrieving a device that had gagged him while at the same time making him appear disabled. The younger man started to cry as Rodney untied his bonds, finally engulfing him in a bear hug, glancing guiltily at Romeo ever so often. Romeo steamed at the deviousness of the plan by which he had been tricked. If he'd only taken in the wheelchair...

"Isn't that a lovely reunion," sneered Pete. "Now get the hell out of here before we bury you and your brother in the desert head down."

With a last look in Romeo's direction, the two left. His betrayal was complete.

- * -

They let him stew for a while while they ransacked the supplies, eating and drinking with reckless abandon.

"Well, sheriff," said Pete, approaching him and grabbing his face, forcing him to tilt his head this way and that. "I think it's time for you to find out where your predecessor went. You've put up a good fight, but this town is Mr. Roberts', and none of you pissants will change this."

They pulled a bag over his head and released him from his bonds, only to wrestle him to the ground and tightly bind his hands in front.

They manhandled him outside and attached his bonds to a longer rope; he quickly figured out why as it went taut and pulled him off-balance, forcing him to walk, then jog, blindly as he was pulled inexorably along by a horse.

He lost count of how many times he stumbled and fell, only for the horse to stop and the jeering thugs helping/forcing him back on his feet and the journey to resume; but, finally, they had arrived.

- * -

He tried to swing at his captors when they untethered him from the horse, but simply managed to unbalance himself, falling to the hard ground. They left him there as they worked; he could hear the sounds of hammering.

He reached up to pull the bag from his head, only to be halted by a strong pair of hands. Rope tightly wrapped his waist, trapping his hands against his body.

Some time passed, then a lasso tightened around his neck, dragging him. He had to scramble with the heels of his boots to keep up; fortunately, he didn't have far to go.

The bag came off his head; he found himself lying between four equidistant pegs driven deep into the ground. He knew what was coming, but the ruthless efficiency of his captors gave him no chance to resist, and within a few minutes, he found himself tightly spreadeagled to the stakes. The sun was just rising, but he could already feel the impending heat. He screamed into his gag; nobody would ever hear him, of course.

Will's boot forced his head to one side; there was another group of four stakes, the ropes holding a skeleton.

"The fate of all who would cross Mr. Roberts," Pete stated. "Goodbye, sheriff."

They rode off as he struggled.

- * -

@CaptiveDan @Xtc @DeeperThanRed @Red86 @Pup Wingletang @CowboyStud @gag1195 @Bradstick @Bootmark

[Xtc]

Finally catching up on my reading of this tale. I should complete it tomorrow.

[gag1195]

Okay, so my motivations might have been incorrect, but I was still technically correct that Rodney would betray Romeo... I call that a point in my favor!

The (hopefully fake) skeleton tied to the stakes is also a great touch! How will Romeo get out of this one? Perhaps Rodney has a change of heart and mounts a rescue?

[Red86]

There's lots of reasons why Rodney would betray his sheriffs- money, power, the chance to be the one in control instead of taking orders... Also security- If the sheriffs keeps sticking their noses and the law into the illegal business, it stands to reason that the deputy would also get taken down. If the deputy was on the take, he'd survive the rotating sheriffs. He'd keep himself safe by betraying his sheriff.

All of these are definitely motivations, but none are supported by the text Naturally, being me, I snuck it in and hoped nobody would notice.

It took me a little bit but I can't believe I missed one text that could have shed some light on the motivation. @blackbound you are definitely sneaky with your text at times or atleast leaving out certain key details, even if tiny ones. I should have picked up this sooner. Not revealing it in this comment as not to spoil it for @gag1195 but we were kind of on the right track. Just the motivation was definitely off

**Edit, my post was written before you commented to but I was delayed in posting mine**

[Red86]

PART 7

"You left the wheelchair kid out alone?" Rodney asked. He seemed dismayed.

Such a tiny detail and I completely missed it! But you threw me for a loop not including Tino in the character list at the beginning. Should have been a red flag early on. Even if you said other characters would be joining in!