BILLY STEELE: KID RANGER, CHAPTER THREE

BILLY STEELE: KID RANGER

By Ronald "Spell" Binder

A scourge of the most horrific and unimaginable plague spread throughout the American frontier of the late 1800s.

Nothing so vicious as this gathering would be witnessed by human kind until thirty years into the next century when Hitler’s storm troopers were rallied before they committed their hellish atrocities throughout the free world.

In a forbidden, desolate canyon near Billy Steele’s Paradise Valley home, the accursed Trinity Of Terror-The Dark Skull, The Wolf Man and Don Diablo, addressed their new, and even more powerful outlaw army.

The three masked monsters, the murderers of Billy’s parents and robbers of his legacy, presided over their hooded Legion Of The Lawless horsemen disciples. But at this festival of evil, the Legion Of The Lawless welcomed new members. The Trinity Of Terror planned to finalize their overthrowing of the United States. This grotesque gathering was like a grand meeting where great men would try to better the world. But at this ghoulish gathering, those with the most bestial instincts plotted to ravage the golden West and its virtuous pioneers.

The Dark Skull’s cape swirled in the wind, as his hideous mask shined its grotesque light on his new, wild bunch recruits. Joining his outlaw army were the West’s most evil and infamous legends: Jesse James, his brother Frank, and their gang had brought many powerful gattling guns to use in the uprising. The grisly, bearded "owl hoots" had stolen these sleek, machine guns from a US Army train and murdered innocent soldiers in the process.

The Dalton gang, notorious bank robbers and whose faces were on wanted posters from the Rio Grande to Death Valley pledged their blood soaked pistols to the Trinity Of Terror’s reign of treason. These infamous outlaw families often blood feuded with each other, with the same ferocity employed by modern day warring street gangs, over the title of undisputed championship of evil and other turf wars. But when they relinquished their souls to The Dark Skull, the mangy Dalton’s even promised to watch the backs of their most hated rivals, The James Brothers in the heat of battle.

Standing alone between the scruffy, elder outlaw gangs was a new generation of killer, a young outlaw, Billy The Kid. At 15 years of age, he was but three years older than Billy Steele. But the outlaw, formerly known as William Bonny, radiated arrogance, and an unbridled lust for blood in every fiber of his being. This teen took to killing with a zeal and poise while swinging a six-gun that would not be seen until fifty years into the next century when a singer named Elvis swiveled his hips with a microphone in his hands. Billy The Kid adorned himself in fancy duds and holsters, and kept his gun shiny and cold, and always loved the taste of sweet satisfaction when he pumped hot lead into someone’s back. When the spit from Frank James’ tobacco soiled his new vest, Billy The Kid instantly drew his gun and pointed it at the elder outlaw angrily. In a bizarre twist, The Dark Skull played peacemaker between the young and old outlaws.

Belle Starr was perhaps the most vicious and deadly outlaw of them all. The raven-haired, red-lipped bandit queen and her viciously armed male followers wanted more than mere stolen wealth. Belle wanted power. Some say Belle’s outlaw destiny was a crusade for female empowerment during a time when women were ruled by the stronger sex.