Skip to playerSkip to main contentSkip to footer
  • 7/12/2025
Transcript
00:01:32Crunchy, creamy, cookie, candy, cupcake.
00:01:35Okay, everybody. Let's take it from the top.
00:01:49The stage is set.
00:02:01The night moist with apprehension.
00:02:03Alone in her chamber, the prince prepares to take her own life.
00:02:16It is far better to nourish worms than to live without love.
00:02:31She reaches for the poisoned chalice.
00:02:34Meanwhile, the wicked...
00:02:35Malvolio plots his ascension to the throne.
00:02:47While her aging father lies gravely ill.
00:03:03Hark.
00:03:05Who goes there?
00:03:16Tis I, the much-anticipated hero, returning...
00:03:20To rescue his emotionally unstable maiden.
00:03:32Unhand her, you jailers of virtue, or take her away from me.
00:03:44The bitter sting of my vengeance.
00:03:48The sting of my vengeance.
00:03:50The bitter sting of my vengeance.
00:03:52The bitter sting of my vengeance.
00:03:54The bitter sting of my vengeance.
00:03:56The bitter sting of my vengeance.
00:03:58The bitter sting of my vengeance.
00:04:00My...the...
00:04:02Dr. Marks?
00:04:04Dr. Marks, I'm...
00:04:14I'm not getting anything from you.
00:04:16People, we've talked about this.
00:04:18Acting is re-act.
00:04:20Acting.
00:04:22Victor, you were wooden!
00:04:24There, I said it.
00:04:26Mr. Timms?
00:04:28You were good.
00:04:30Perhaps a little too good.
00:04:32What's that, Victor?
00:04:34You were good.
00:04:36Perhaps a little too good.
00:04:38What's that, Victor?
00:04:40You were good.
00:04:42You were good.
00:04:44You were good.
00:04:46You were good.
00:04:48What's that, Victor?
00:04:50You were good.
00:04:52You were good.
00:04:54You were good.
00:04:56You were good.
00:04:58You were good.
00:05:00My character's undefined?
00:05:02That's absurd.
00:05:03I know who I am.
00:05:04I'm the...
00:05:14I'm the guy.
00:05:16The protagonist.
00:05:17The hero.
00:05:18Every story needs a hero.
00:05:20The hero.
00:05:21The hero.
00:05:22I'm the one who's a hero.
00:05:23The hero.
00:05:24The hero.
00:05:25The hero.
00:05:26The hero.
00:05:27The hero.
00:05:28The hero.
00:05:29The hero.
00:05:30I mean, who else is better qualified to bask in the adulation of his numerous companions...
00:05:35onions
00:05:45here is chapter one of the
00:06:01100,000 word novel style retelling
00:06:04of Rango, 2011. Hashtag Hashtag Chapter 1. The Lizard in the Glass Box. The sun hung like a
00:06:12judgmental eye in the desert sky, casting its relentless glare across the arid land. But miles
00:06:18away from the heat and dust, in the air-conditioned quiet of a suburban home, a small, glass terrarium
00:06:23held a world of its own, a world of fantasy, theater, and control. Within it lived a chameleon
00:06:29with no name, no history, and no real purpose, save for the one he invented each day. The
00:06:35terrarium was his stage. Plastic trees reached toward a painted backdrop of a Hawaiian sunset.
00:06:41A miniature palm bent over a pond made of aluminum foil, and a headless barbie lay dramatically
00:06:46across a rock as the eternal damsel in distress. The Lizard stood atop a wooden branch, decked
00:06:52in a crimson curtain he had fashioned into a cape, holding aloft a headless wind-up fish
00:06:56like a mighty sword. His eyes, one pointed toward the ceiling light, the other fixed on
00:07:01an invisible audience, gleamed with imagination. And so the mysterious stranger strode into
00:07:07the saloon, his boots echoing like thunder in the hearts of the wicked. He intoned in
00:07:12a mock western drawl. They said he came from the Badlands, or maybe from Hollywood. Wherever
00:07:18he came from, justice followed. With dramatic flair, he leapt from the branch and somersaulted
00:07:24into a cardboard box painted to resemble a jail cell.
00:07:27No, senor.
00:07:28Poor favor, no shoot, he said in a raspy bandito accent, before flipping rolls again to the
00:07:34hero. Justice doesn't negotiate with bandits. A cricket watched him from the corner of the
00:07:41tank, motionless, unimpressed. He stopped suddenly, turning both eyes toward the ceiling,
00:07:47pensive.
00:07:48You see, he muttered to himself, his voice now more theatrical and wistful, the hero cannot
00:07:53exist in a vacuum. He needs conflict. He needs an audience. Without conflict, he is but a
00:08:01shadow backslash, a whisper. A rumble shook the terrarium. The lizard's eyes shot wide open.
00:08:08The world beyond the glass had shifted. The house was moving. A car engine roared outside
00:08:14the artificial paradise. Gravity tilted. The water dish sloshed. The plastic palm tree toppled.
00:08:22Before he could react, a jolt hurled him through the air. He slammed against the glass wall,
00:08:27dazed, limbs sprawled like a broken puppet. The terrarium cracked open with a final snap,
00:08:33and light exploded into his world like divine wrath. The chameleon tumbled into the void,
00:08:38the scenery of his imaginary realm shattering around him. The bobby arm spun in slow motion.
00:08:45The wind-up fish spiraled into the air like a torpedo lost at sea. And the lizard, clumsy,
00:08:50confused, color-shifting wildly, fell from fantasy into the unknown. Out the window he flew. Time
00:08:58slowed. He saw the asphalt rushing up to meet him. A car horn screamed. Tires screeched. The world erupted
00:09:06into chaos. And then, impact. Not death. Not yet. Just dust. Silence. The chameleon lay motionless on the
00:09:16burning pavement. Bits of aquarium gravel and plastic leaves strewn around him like debris
00:09:20from a crashed spaceship. He blinked once, twice. The sun above him was real now. Not painted. Not
00:09:29imagined. Real. And hot. He stood slowly, his arms trembling, his back arched like a survivor dragging
00:09:36himself from wreckage. His entire world, his play, his kingdom, was gone. And for the first time in
00:09:43his life, he was utterly, terrifyingly alone. No glass. No script. No audience. Only the desert.
00:09:52And it stared back. Would you like to continue with Chapter 2, The Road to Nowhere? Absolutely.
00:09:58Here's a rewritten version of Chapter 1 of Rango, 2011, in my own words, preserving the spirit and
00:10:05cinematic richness of the original while adding some fresh depth and texture.
00:10:10Hashtag Hashtag Chapter 1 Castaway of the Stage
00:10:13High above the scorched horizon, the sun burned like a watchful god, unblinking and unmerciful.
00:10:20But far from the brittle breath of the Mojave, nestled inside a quiet suburban home, life unfolded in
00:10:25a different realm, a tiny glass kingdom untouched by wind, dust, or consequence. Inside this
00:10:31artificial world lived a chameleon, nameless and unseen, yet endlessly dramatic. His terrarium was
00:10:38a theater, a diorama of delusions and dreams. Plastic trees posed against a sun-kissed backdrop,
00:10:44a foil pond shimmered with imaginary currents, and a decapitated Barbie sprawled across a rock like a
00:10:49silent opera star awaiting her cue. The lizard stood center stage, cloaked in a crimson curtain fragment,
00:10:55eyes cocked in different directions, one scanning the ceiling for divine inspiration,
00:11:00the other locked on an audience that existed only in his head. In he walked, he declared,
00:11:04voice deep and drawling, a stranger from nowhere, with a past he wouldn't talk about and a stare
00:11:09that made rattlesnakes nervous. He struck a pose atop a makeshift jail cell made from a cardboard box,
00:11:15switching personas with wild theatricality.
00:11:18I, caramba! Don't shoot, senor! he cried, curling into a cowering bandit before snapping upright again
00:11:25as the stoic hero. Justice always hits its mark. A lone cricket, his only spectator, blinked once.
00:11:33Maybe.
00:11:34The lizard froze mid-monologue, his tone shifting to something softer, almost philosophical.
00:11:39But what is a hero without conflict? he mused aloud, pacing across his glass stage. What is a tale without
00:11:47an audience? A tree falling in a forest, unheard. A whisper lost to the wind. And then the universe
00:11:55answered him. A low rumble trembled through the floor. His stage quaked. The water dish sloshed.
00:12:02The plastic palm tree collapsed like a felled soldier. The lizard's eyes darted, one panicked,
00:12:07the other spinning wildly. The room outside, the real world, was moving. With a sickening lurch,
00:12:14the terrarium tilted, and time seemed to dissolve into a blur. The lizard was airborne. His tiny body
00:12:21ricocheted against the walls of his collapsing world. A crack snapped through the glass, and with it,
00:12:27everything he knew shattered. The sunlight punched through like a fist. And then he was falling.
00:12:33Out the window, out of comfort, out of control. Bits of his constructed paradise spiraled through the
00:12:39air. The barbie's arm, the wind-up fish, the palm tree leaf. He tumbled in a flailing kaleidoscope of
00:12:46limbs and scales and panic. Then gravity did the rest. A burst of heat. A honk. A screech of tires.
00:12:54And then, asterisk impact. Asterisk. Dust settled. Silence returned. He lay crumpled on the blistering
00:13:03asphalt, glass beads and plastic wreckage around him like the aftermath of a dollhouse disaster.
00:13:09His skin flickered with a confused shimmer of fear and disorientation. He blinked at the harsh,
00:13:15unpainted sky. It was real. All of it. The heat. The smell of tar. The emptiness. He staggered upright,
00:13:23dazed and trembling. His world gone, replaced by something vast and uncaring. No walls. No props.
00:13:31No script to follow. Only the wide-open desert, and the crushing weight of being truly, terrifyingly
00:13:38alone. And the desert stared back. Would you like me to continue with Chapter 2,
00:13:43The Road to Nowhere in the Same Style? Here is Chapter 2 of the Novel-Style Retelling of Rango,
00:13:492011. Hashtag Hashtag Chapter 2. The Road to Nowhere. The desert shimmered under the molten gaze of the
00:13:58sun, stretching in all directions like an endless sea of sand, rocks, and silence. Heat waves danced
00:14:04atop the asphalt ribbon that cut through the landscape, the road so dry it seemed to crackle
00:14:09with every gust of wind. This was no place for a lizard raised in a glass box. This was the land of
00:14:15survival, of hunger, of creatures with teeth and no patience. The chameleon stood awkwardly on the
00:14:21shoulder of the highway, still dazed. His back ached from the fall, and his throat was already dry.
00:14:28He looked behind him, no sign of the car that had carried him here. Just tire tracks and fading dust.
00:14:34He turned his bulging eyes ahead. Nothing but open road. He blinked. All right. Think. This is just
00:14:43an act. A performance. All great stories begin with tragedy. The hero is lost, stripped of everything.
00:14:52Its classic structure. He took a tentative step forward. The pavement scorched his bare feet.
00:14:58Note to self. Find footwear. He limped along, weaving between cracks and blistering patches of tar.
00:15:06Every few minutes, he paused to swat invisible flies or mutter lines to himself, auditioning for a role
00:15:11only he understood. The stranger rides into town. No name, no past. They say he once tamed a cyclone
00:15:19with his bare hands. They say he shot a man just for chewing too loud. They say. A piercing cry
00:15:26interrupted his monologue. He looked up. A red-tailed hawk circled above him, its massive wings cutting
00:15:33through the sky like blades. Its shadow glided across the sand, slicing the light in two.
00:15:39The lizard froze. They say he was eaten by a bird. Panic took hold. He darted toward the edge of the road,
00:15:47limbs flailing, mouth dry. His body shifted colors wildly, green, then brown, then a desperate,
00:15:53sweaty gray, as he threw himself behind a dead cactus. The hawk screeched and swooped, but passed
00:16:00overhead for now. He waited. Ten seconds. Twenty. Silence returned. He stood slowly, panting.
00:16:09Okay. That was close. Very close. But the hero doesn't die in Chapter Two. No, sir. He endures.
00:16:18Still trembling, he walked on, now cutting across the open desert, the heat rising from the earth,
00:16:23in translucent veils. The world out here wasn't plastic and paint. It was sharp and blistered and
00:16:29alive. He passed bleached bones half-buried in the sand, saw vultures turning in the distance.
00:16:36The occasional scorpion skittered away at his footsteps. It was a long time before he saw anyone
00:16:42else. Or anything, really. But eventually, like a mirage shimmering in the distance, there came a
00:16:48figure. Small, twitchy, strange. A desert armadillo, flattened by the waist like he'd
00:16:54been run over, slowly creaked across the road, dragging half his body behind him on a wheeled
00:16:59board. He carried a look of serene wisdom on his face, as if he saw more than just the desert
00:17:05around them. The chameleon rushed toward him.
00:17:08Excuse me, he called, his voice cracking. Hey, senor armadillo, I, uh, I seek guidance.
00:17:16The armadillo blinked slowly, his eyes heavy-lidded and full of some deep cosmic exhaustion.
00:17:22You are lost, he said in a voice that felt like sandpaper against the soul.
00:17:27Yes, Rango said. I was in a car, but then I wasn't, and now I think I may be destined for
00:17:33greatness, but also I think I might die of dehydration first. The armadillo turned toward
00:17:38the horizon, as if ignoring the lizard's frantic babbling.
00:17:42There is a town, he said slowly, his snout rising slightly. Far beyond the hills. Dirt.
00:17:49That's what they call it. Dirt. The chameleon echoed. Sounds. Charming. It is where you must
00:17:57go. Every path has its purpose. The armadillo creaked forward again, wheels squeaking faintly.
00:18:04Be careful, amigo. The desert. She will chew you up, swallow your hope, and spit out your bones.
00:18:11And just like that, the armadillo rolled on, disappearing behind a rock as if he had never
00:18:16been there. The lizard stared into the horizon. The heat was thicker now, the air humming with
00:18:22tension. Well, he whispered to himself. If the town is called Dirt, how bad can it really be?
00:18:29He squared his shoulders, took a shaky breath, and trudged forward toward the unknown. Toward his
00:18:35destiny. Toward Dirt. Would you like to continue with Chapter 3, Welcome to Dirt? Great. Here's
00:18:43Chapter 2, The Road to Nowhere, written in the same richly cinematic, novel-style tone.
00:18:48Hashtag Hashtag Chapter 2, The Road to Nowhere. The sun ruled the sky without mercy, a molten tyrant
00:18:56casting its fury across an endless sea of sand and stone. Heat waves shimmered off the asphalt like
00:19:02illusions, and the only sound was the distant hum of cicadas, singing hymns of survival in a world that
00:19:07forgot how to be kind. The chameleon stumbled along the edge of the road, his limbs twitching like a bad
00:19:13marionette show. Dust clung to his scales. His once theatrical cape, a shred of red curtain,
00:19:19now trailed behind him like a wounded flag. There was no applause, no laughter, no spotlight,
00:19:27only the wind, dry and indifferent, carrying whispers he couldn't understand. He trudged forward,
00:19:33mouth parched, eyes scanning in all directions, none of them hopeful. His tongue lolled from his mouth.
00:19:39His thoughts flickered, scrambled by heat and fear. Was this the third act? Or the intermission?
00:19:47Had the play ended, or just begun? Asterisk, asterisk. Each step felt like it led to nowhere,
00:19:53and still, he walked. Because the only thing more terrifying than being lost was standing still.
00:20:00A rusted road sign loomed ahead like a tombstone. He squinted. The words were sun-bleached,
00:20:06unreadable. Beneath it, a squashed armadillo lay with its legs curled toward the sky like a tragic
00:20:12dancer frozen mid-performance. Its glassy eyes stared at nothing, yet somehow, everything.
00:20:18The chameleon approached the corpse slowly, reverently.
00:20:22A fellow traveler, he muttered, cut down before the climax. He crouched beside the armadillo and
00:20:29gently poked it. To his astonishment, it twitched, then spoke.
00:20:34Careful, amigo, the armadillo rasped, its voice graveled like crushed rock.
00:20:39This road. It bends in ways you ain't ready for.
00:20:43The chameleon jerked back, his eyes rotating like gyroscopes.
00:20:48You're alive.
00:20:49In a manner of speakin', said the armadillo.
00:20:52Most folks are too busy dyin' to notice they're already gone.
00:20:57The lizard blinked. Once. Twice.
00:21:00I, I fell. Out of the sky. Through a window.
00:21:04It was. Dramatic.
00:21:07The armadillo gave a weak chuckle.
00:21:09Ain't it always. Where am I?
00:21:12Between where you were. And where you're goin'd.
00:21:15The cryptic words dangled in the air, catching on the breeze.
00:21:19The chameleon sat beside the dying armadillo, more confused than ever, and looked down the
00:21:24road that stretched into a liquid blur of heat and distance.
00:21:28Is there a town?
00:21:29There's always a town, the armadillo said with a slow blink.
00:21:33Just gotta keep movin'.
00:21:36Watch for signs. Not all of em' are made of metal.
00:21:40The chameleon nodded, unsure if he was talking to a sage or a heat-induced hallucination.
00:21:45Either way, it felt important.
00:21:47With a final raspy breath, the armadillo rolled onto its side, and the desert fell silent again.
00:21:53The lizard stood. He tightened the ragged cape around his shoulders like it meant something.
00:21:59Maybe it did. Maybe it would.
00:22:02And so, with trembling legs and no name, the chameleon stepped back onto the melting road.
00:22:07One foot in front of the other.
00:22:10Toward a town. Toward a story. Toward the next scene.
00:22:13The desert said nothing. But somewhere far ahead, something was waiting.
00:22:19Would you like me to continue with Chapter 3, Dirt?
00:22:23Here is Chapter 3 of the novel-style retelling of Rango, 2011.
00:22:29Hashtag, hashtag, Chapter 3. Welcome to Dirt.
00:22:32The desert was a test of faith, an unrelenting gauntlet of heat, dust, and whispers that never spoke words,
00:22:38only doubts. The chameleon had been walking for what felt like days, though it may have only been hours.
00:22:45Time in the Mojave twisted with the wind, turning seconds to hours, and each footstep into a question.
00:22:51Asterisk, why are you here?
00:22:53What are you doing?
00:22:54Who do you think you are?
00:22:56Asterisk.
00:22:57He wasn't sure he had answers anymore.
00:23:00His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.
00:23:02His scales itched beneath the crust of dry air and caked dust.
00:23:07His vision doubled, then tripled.
00:23:09The horizon shimmered like glass in a furnace.
00:23:12Every rock looked like a chair, every shadow like a friend, every cactus a cold drink.
00:23:18Then he saw it.
00:23:20A crooked wooden arch, barely standing, its boards warped and sun-bleached.
00:23:24Hanging from it, a splintered sign, dirt, hand-painted in chipping black letters, with one T dangling by a single nail like a broken tooth.
00:23:33Beyond the sign, the town emerged from the land as if it had been forgotten by time.
00:23:39Buildings leaned on each other like tired drunks.
00:23:42The streets were nothing but coarse sand and dry footprints.
00:23:45Dust hovered like ghosts in the air.
00:23:48Doors creaked open just enough to watch newcomers pass.
00:23:51The chameleon stood at the threshold, swaying slightly.
00:23:55Behold, he rasped, throwing his arms wide in mock grandeur.
00:24:00Civilization, or something that vaguely resembles it.
00:24:04He took his first step into town.
00:24:07The silence followed him.
00:24:09Shutters cracked open.
00:24:10Beady eyes peered out.
00:24:12Muffled whispers rose from dark corners.
00:24:15Children, lizards, prairie dogs, beetles, darted behind barrels.
00:24:20A blind mole dog sniffed the air.
00:24:23Someone spat.
00:24:24A banjo stopped mid-strum.
00:24:27He walked slowly down the center of the street, all eyes on him.
00:24:31He was acutely aware of his reflection in a dusty window, limping, covered in grime, a lizard far from home with a sunburned ego and no plan.
00:24:39At last, he reached the saloon.
00:24:41It was a rickety two-story building with batwing doors that swung lazily in the breeze.
00:24:47A faded painting of a cactus-sipping whiskey decorated the outer wall.
00:24:51The chameleon hesitated.
00:24:53Then he squared his shoulders, flared his nostrils, and strode through the doors like a man with nothing to fear.
00:25:00Inside, the room went dead silent.
00:25:02Every face turned to him, horned toads in ragged hats, owls with one eye and scars down their beaks, crusty insects sipping rotgut from thimbles.
00:25:11The piano player, a tarantula with a bowler hat, lifted one leg off the keys and froze.
00:25:17The chameleon coughed and puffed out his chest.
00:25:19Good afternoon, fine citizens, he said with forced bravado.
00:25:24I, uh, I am but a humble wanderer, a traveller, mysterious stranger.
00:25:31A grizzled badger squinted at him.
00:25:34What's your name, stranger?
00:25:36The lizard blinked.
00:25:38Name.
00:25:38For the first time in his life, he realized he didn't have one.
00:25:42Not really.
00:25:43Not out here.
00:25:45Not in this real world.
00:25:47He looked around.
00:25:48On the shelf behind the bar sat a bottle labeled Cactus Rango, cheap spirit, half empty.
00:25:54He grinned.
00:25:55Rango, he said, lifting his chin.
00:25:58The name's Rango.
00:25:59A murmur rolled through the crowd.
00:26:02The mood shifted slightly.
00:26:04A fly whispered, ain't heard that name round here before.
00:26:08The bartender, a gruff crow with grease on his feathers, narrowed his eyes.
00:26:12You some kind of gunslinger?
00:26:14Rango laughed, a theatrical, confident, overcooked laugh.
00:26:19Gunslinger?
00:26:20Huh.
00:26:21You bet.
00:26:22I've tangled with outlaws, outsmarted bandits, and stared down death itself without blinking.
00:26:28I once killed a man.
00:26:30With a harmonica.
00:26:31The bar erupted in curious stares and dubious muttering.
00:26:35But something in his performance, something in the ridiculous certainty of it, captivated
00:26:40them.
00:26:41He took a step forward, warming to the spotlight.
00:26:44Yes, folks, I've crossed burning dunes and freezing rivers, battled sandworms the size
00:26:49of steam trains, and dined with banditos so mean they spit nails.
00:26:53A scrawny lizard whispered to a friend, maybe he's the one who can fix this town.
00:26:58Another said, we need someone.
00:27:01Anyone.
00:27:01The bartender wiped a glass slowly.
00:27:05If you're so tough, Rango, maybe you can help us.
00:27:09Rango's smile faltered.
00:27:11Help?
00:27:11How?
00:27:12The door slammed open.
00:27:14A leathery-looking rodent burst in, panting.
00:27:17It's the water.
00:27:19The water wagon never came.
00:27:21That was the last of it.
00:27:23A sudden, heavy silence fell.
00:27:26Tension thickened.
00:27:27Every creature turned to look at Rango.
00:27:29The newcomer's eyes locked on him.
00:27:32You.
00:27:33You look like a man who handles trouble.
00:27:36Rango's throat tightened.
00:27:38Well, I mean, I.
00:27:40I've been known to handle a thing or two, occasionally, under certain circumstances, when encouraged.
00:27:47The bartender leaned in.
00:27:49Our waters disappearing.
00:27:51People are scared.
00:27:52And if you really are what you say you are, maybe you're the answer.
00:27:57The weight of their stares pressed down on him like the sun outside.
00:28:01Rango gulped.
00:28:02Then he smiled, thin, trembling, but still performing.
00:28:06Of course, he said.
00:28:08I am the answer.
00:28:10And just like that, with nothing more than a lie and a name he stole from a bottle, the town of dirt embraced him.
00:28:16Not as a stranger, but as their new sheriff.
00:28:19Would you like to continue with Chapter 4, Sheriff Rango?
00:28:24Absolutely.
00:28:26Here's Chapter 3, Dirt, continuing in the same novel style, cinematic tone.
00:28:32Hashtag, hashtag, Chapter 3, Dirt.
00:28:34The road unraveled like a half-buried ribbon beneath the scorching breath of the desert.
00:28:40As the chameleon walked, the world around him grew stranger, more alive, more menacing.
00:28:45Joshua trees loomed like sentinels twisted by time.
00:28:49Buzzards circled above, patient and pessimistic.
00:28:53Somewhere in the distance, a windmill creaked in the wind, the sound dry as bone.
00:28:57Every so often, he would stop and gaze down the road behind him, half-hoping to see a car, a sign, a rescue, something.
00:29:05But there was nothing.
00:29:07Just the long silence of a land that didn't care who you were, only whether you'd survive.
00:29:12And then, miracle, a town.
00:29:15It rose out of the heat haze like a hallucination at first.
00:29:18Jagged rooftops, crooked chimneys, and a water tower that tilted like it had a secret.
00:29:22The place looked stitched together from old wood and broken promises, sun-bleached and swaying slightly in the wind.
00:29:29A wooden archway greeted him, nailed with a crooked sign.
00:29:33Welcome to Dirt.
00:29:35He blinked.
00:29:36Dirt.
00:29:37That was the name.
00:29:38Not a metaphor.
00:29:40Not a warning.
00:29:41Just dirt.
00:29:43The chameleon stepped under the archway and into the main street, his feet kicking up dust that hadn't been disturbed in days, maybe weeks.
00:29:50Saloon doors creaked open and shut with phantom wind.
00:29:54Rusted spurs clinked in the distance.
00:29:56The town felt like an old western in its final reel, faded, quiet, full of ghosts.
00:30:02Then, movement.
00:30:04A prairie dog in a sheriff's badge watched from the shade of a building, chewing a toothpick.
00:30:09An owl in a stovepipe hat perched on a barrel, eyes narrowed.
00:30:13A cactus-skinned toad peeked from behind a curtain.
00:30:16And then, voices.
00:30:18One.
00:30:19Then, another.
00:30:20A murmuring crowd gathered, heads cocked, eyes squinting.
00:30:24They didn't get strangers in dirt.
00:30:27Not anymore.
00:30:28Not unless they were lost, dying, or both.
00:30:31The chameleon straightened his spine, cleared his throat, and adopted the voice of a man who knew exactly what he was doing, even if he didn't.
00:30:39Names.
00:30:40Ah.
00:30:40He hesitated.
00:30:42What was his name?
00:30:43He'd played so many characters in that glass box back home, but none of them were real.
00:30:49None of them were him.
00:30:50Then it came to him.
00:30:51A spark of inspiration.
00:30:54An echo from one of his old imaginary tales.
00:30:57Rango, he said at last, drawing out the syllables with theatrical flair.
00:31:02Just Rango, the crowd murmured.
00:31:06Whispers rippled like wildfire.
00:31:08Where you from, stranger?
00:31:10Asked a grizzled mole with a star-shaped scar under one eye.
00:31:14Rango squinted into the middle distance.
00:31:16From the other side.
00:31:19Of the horizon, he replied slowly, mysteriously.
00:31:23Been riding the wind.
00:31:24Following fate.
00:31:26It was nonsense.
00:31:27Beautiful, cinematic nonsense.
00:31:30And it worked.
00:31:31A hush fell over the crowd, not out of suspicion, but awe.
00:31:35The chameleon, once a forgotten actor trapped in a terrarium stage, had walked into a real
00:31:40town with real problems.
00:31:42And with nothing more than a name and a voice, he had taken his first step into legend.
00:31:47The sheriff's office stood empty.
00:31:50The law was gone.
00:31:51The town was desperate.
00:31:53And dirt had just found its new leading man.
00:31:56Would you like me to continue with Chapter 4, The Stranger Becomes the Sheriff?
00:32:00Here is Chapter 4 of the novel-style retelling of Rango, 2011.
00:32:07Hashtag, hashtag, backslash, asterisk, backslash, asterisk, chapter 4.
00:32:11Sheriff Rango.
00:32:12The badge was heavier than he expected.
00:32:15It gleamed dully in the desert light.
00:32:17A little tin star scratched from age, but still carrying an unmistakable weight.
00:32:22A symbol of authority, of expectation, of something the chameleon had no experience with whatsoever.
00:32:27But when they pinned it to his chest, right in the middle of his cracked Hawaiian shirt,
00:32:32he stood a little taller.
00:32:33The townsfolk of dirt had cheered.
00:32:36Some clapped.
00:32:37Others simply watched, their hope brittle and measured.
00:32:40And Rango, caught in the gravity of his own fiction, smiled and gave a slow nod.
00:32:45Well then, he said grandly, looks like order has returned to this fine establishment.
00:32:51The townspeople gave him a tour of the settlement, such as it was.
00:32:55A handful of lopsided wooden buildings, a windmill that creaked like a dying man,
00:33:00a bank built from old cigar boxes, and a water tower, bone dry and leaning like it had given
00:33:05up the fight.
00:33:06Drought had wrung this place dry.
00:33:08Every corner of dirt was cracked with thirst.
00:33:11It didn't take long for the stories to begin.
00:33:14Coyotes took the last water wagon.
00:33:16No, it's Rattlesnake Jake.
00:33:19He's back.
00:33:21Maybe it's the spirits.
00:33:23Maybe it's the mayor.
00:33:24At the center of it all was the mystery.
00:33:27Where was the water?
00:33:28They had a schedule, the townsfolk explained.
00:33:31Every Wednesday, the water came, rationed and watched like gold.
00:33:36But now, even that was gone.
00:33:38Stolen.
00:33:39Vanished.
00:33:40No explanation.
00:33:42No mercy.
00:33:43You ever solve a mystery, Sheriff?
00:33:45Asked Beans, the tough-as-nails desert iguana who had been suspicious of him from the start.
00:33:51She was lean, sun-scorched, and sharp-eyed, and she wasn't buying Rango's act.
00:33:55Not completely.
00:33:57Rango adjusted his new badge.
00:33:59Mysteries.
00:34:00Huh.
00:34:01I once solved the case of the ghost goat in Guadalupe Gulch.
00:34:05Turned out to be a miner with a bed sheet and a drinking problem.
00:34:09Beans stared flatly.
00:34:10He cleared his throat.
00:34:13So, yes.
00:34:14Yes, I have.
00:34:15She narrowed her eyes.
00:34:17Then you won't mind, Takin, a look around.
00:34:20Follow the clues.
00:34:22Ask the right questions.
00:34:24Of course, Rango said.
00:34:26It's all part of the job.
00:34:28In truth, he had no idea what he was doing.
00:34:31Not even a little.
00:34:33But the town was desperate.
00:34:35And somehow, his performance was working.
00:34:38They believed him.
00:34:39The way he walked.
00:34:41The way he talked.
00:34:42The drama in his voice.
00:34:44In a town starving for hope, illusion could be as powerful as truth.
00:34:48So he began the investigation, or at least, pretended to.
00:34:53He inspected the empty water tower with a thoughtful hum.
00:34:57He sniffed the cracked pipeline that led from the mountains beyond.
00:35:00He poked around the bank, asking questions that sounded like they meant something.
00:35:04He gathered a posse of townsfolk, waffles the horned toad, dock the half-blind rabbit, and
00:35:10spoons the old mouse with more beard than sense.
00:35:13They didn't know much, but they looked up to him like he knew everything.
00:35:16That night, he stood on the porch of the saloon, looking over the town.
00:35:21The stars were brighter here than anywhere he'd ever been.
00:35:24Cold light spilled across the sand, silver and pure.
00:35:28The heat had broken, but the air was still dry enough to crack your lips.
00:35:31Rango sat in an old rocking chair, turning the sheriff's badge over in his fingers.
00:35:37What am I doing?
00:35:38He whispered to himself.
00:35:40He was an actor.
00:35:41A pet.
00:35:43A nobody.
00:35:44And yet, for the first time in his life, someone had given him something to protect.
00:35:49He could feel it now, the first tug of responsibility, of something real beneath the costume.
00:35:55Then Beans appeared beside him, arms crossed.
00:35:57You know, she said, if you're just pretending to be something you're not, it'll catch up
00:36:03with you.
00:36:03It always does.
00:36:05He didn't answer right away.
00:36:07Instead, he looked up at the stars and muttered,
00:36:10What if pretending is the only thing I've ever been good at?
00:36:13There was silence between them.
00:36:15The wind rustled.
00:36:17A dry weed rolled by.
00:36:19Then Beans said softly,
00:36:21Sometimes pretending is how you find the real thing.
00:36:24And she walked away.
00:36:26Rango watched her go.
00:36:28The wind whispered through the town,
00:36:30A soft ghost of things yet to come.
00:36:32He clutched the badge in his hand.
00:36:34Tomorrow, he decided, the act would continue.
00:36:38But maybe, just maybe, it could become something else.
00:36:42Something true.
00:36:43Would you like to continue with Chapter 5, The Mayor?
00:36:47Of course.
00:36:48Here's Chapter 4, The Stranger Becomes the Sheriff,
00:36:51Continuing the Novel Style, Cinematic Retelling of Rango, 2011.
00:36:55Hashtag Hashtag Chapter 4, The Stranger Becomes the Sheriff
00:37:00Inside the saloon, time creaked as slow as the ceiling fan.
00:37:05A dozen eyes followed every motion of the stranger,
00:37:08now calling himself Rango.
00:37:10The room smelled of dust, old whiskey,
00:37:12and the kind of fear that didn't wear boots,
00:37:14but still walked around heavy.
00:37:16He stepped through the double doors like he belonged there,
00:37:18like he'd been walking desert towns and outdrawing outlaws
00:37:22since before the sun learned to burn.
00:37:24A piano sat in the corner, keys chipped and silent,
00:37:27its player long gone or long buried.
00:37:29The bartender, a crusty-horned toad with eyes like flint
00:37:33and a towel draped over one shoulder, squinted.
00:37:36You lookin' for trouble, stranger?
00:37:38Rango hesitated.
00:37:40His throat was dry.
00:37:42His feet ached.
00:37:43His heart thumped loud in his chest like an over-acted monologue.
00:37:47But this was a stage, wasn't it?
00:37:50A new one.
00:37:51A real one.
00:37:52The audience had gathered.
00:37:54The script was his to write.
00:37:56I'm not lookin' for trouble, he said, stepping closer.
00:38:00But if trouble comes lookin' for me...
00:38:03He let the words hang.
00:38:04Paused.
00:38:05Tilted his head like he was listening for thunder.
00:38:09It better pack a lunch.
00:38:11A pause.
00:38:12Then someone chuckled.
00:38:13Another snorted.
00:38:15A few whispered.
00:38:16The horned-toed bartender blinked.
00:38:19Well, shoot, he muttered.
00:38:21Ain't heard words that slick since the mayor still had teeth.
00:38:24That's when a heavy silence dropped over the saloon.
00:38:28A single shadow filled the doorway.
00:38:30Everyone froze.
00:38:32It was Bad Bill.
00:38:33A Gila monster with a face like a cracked tombstone,
00:38:36scars like battle trophies,
00:38:38and a six-shooter that had whispered death
00:38:39across more towns than most folk could name.
00:38:42He stepped into the room slow,
00:38:44like the floor owed him something.
00:38:46You talk a big game, Bad Bill drawled,
00:38:48voice thick with menace.
00:38:50You got teeth, stranger?
00:38:52Or just tongue?
00:38:54Rango swallowed hard.
00:38:56His eyes jittered in opposite directions
00:38:58before he snapped them back into place.
00:39:00Well, he said carefully,
00:39:02that depends.
00:39:04You a skin as a critic?
00:39:06Or as a corpse?
00:39:07Gasps.
00:39:08Someone dropped a glass.
00:39:10The piano player,
00:39:11summoned by fate or drama,
00:39:13struck a single uneasy note.
00:39:15Bad Bill didn't laugh.
00:39:17Instead, he reached for his belt.
00:39:19Rango panicked.
00:39:21He flailed sideways,
00:39:23knocking into a barstool,
00:39:24which clattered into a nearby table,
00:39:26which dominoed into a chair,
00:39:28and somehow, in the chaos,
00:39:30a lantern swung from its chain
00:39:31and crashed into Bad Bill's head.
00:39:33The outlaw hit the floor hard.
00:39:35Silence.
00:39:36Rango blinked.
00:39:37He was still standing.
00:39:40Breathing.
00:39:41Alive.
00:39:42A beat.
00:39:43Then, as if delivered by the winds of destiny,
00:39:45someone in the crowd whispered,
00:39:47He took down Bad Bill,
00:39:49with one move.
00:39:50Applause.
00:39:51Not quite.
00:39:52But murmurs of awe began to ripple again.
00:39:55Maybe he is the one.
00:39:58What a shot.
00:39:59Didn't even touch his gun.
00:40:01Fastest I ever seen.
00:40:04And then,
00:40:04the doors creaked again.
00:40:06Another shadow entered.
00:40:08This one older, rounder,
00:40:10and rolled in like a storm cloud
00:40:11in a bowler hat.
00:40:13The mayor.
00:40:14A desert tortoise
00:40:15with a spine curved from years of secrets
00:40:17and a voice like silk
00:40:18stretched over gravel.
00:40:19He looked at Rango
00:40:20with an expression
00:40:21that wasn't quite trust,
00:40:23but wasn't doubt either.
00:40:24Mr. Rango,
00:40:25he said slowly,
00:40:27we're a town in need of hope.
00:40:29And it appears,
00:40:30you've brought us a flicker.
00:40:32Rango's throat tightened.
00:40:34I just
00:40:35happened to be in the neighborhood.
00:40:37We need a sheriff.
00:40:39The room held its breath.
00:40:41Rango looked around.
00:40:43At the hopeful eyes.
00:40:44At the broken walls.
00:40:46At the pieces of a town
00:40:47one good lie might keep standing.
00:40:50He nodded.
00:40:51I'll do it,
00:40:52he said.
00:40:53And just like that,
00:40:54the lizard who had never been anything real
00:40:56became the most real thing dirt had left.
00:40:59A sheriff.
00:41:00A symbol.
00:41:01A story that wasn't finished yet.
00:41:04Would you like to continue with Chapter 5,
00:41:06Water and Whispers?
00:41:08Here is Chapter 5 of the novel-style retelling of Rango, 2011.
00:41:14Hashtag, hashtag, Chapter 5, The Mayor.
00:41:17The next day,
00:41:18the town of dirt seemed even more desperate.
00:41:21The sun hung heavy in the sky,
00:41:22and the streets, once a little less than dusty,
00:41:25now seemed to shimmer with heat waves,
00:41:27the landscape distorting into surreal shapes.
00:41:30The usual hum of idle chatter
00:41:31had been replaced with anxious whispers,
00:41:34and the air felt thicker,
00:41:35charged with the sort of expectation
00:41:37that often preceded a storm.
00:41:39Rango sat behind the sheriff's desk in the saloon,
00:41:42tapping the edge of his badge against the wood.
00:41:44The seat felt too big for him,
00:41:46too solid,
00:41:47and he shifted uncomfortably.
00:41:49His costume,
00:41:50a mismatched assortment of clothing
00:41:51he'd scavenged from the townsfolk,
00:41:53was hanging off him like a child playing dress-up.
00:41:56The novelty was beginning to wear off,
00:41:58and the weight of the badge
00:41:59seemed to sink deeper with each passing minute.
00:42:02Beans entered,
00:42:03her expression unreadable.
00:42:05The mayor wants to see you,
00:42:06she said,
00:42:07voice as hard as the ground beneath their feet.
00:42:10Mayor?
00:42:11Rango asked, blinking.
00:42:13What do I need with him?
00:42:15I don't know, sheriff,
00:42:17she said,
00:42:17her tone flat.
00:42:18But when the mayor calls,
00:42:20you answer.
00:42:21Or else.
00:42:22Or else.
00:42:24Or else the town forgets who's in charge,
00:42:26she muttered.
00:42:27And that's not a good thing.
00:42:29Rango nodded,
00:42:30understanding that in dirt,
00:42:32there was more power than just the law.
00:42:34Sometimes it was about what people believed,
00:42:37who they feared,
00:42:38and who they respected.
00:42:39He straightened up in his chair,
00:42:41adjusting the dusty sheriff's hat
00:42:43that kept slipping over his eyes.
00:42:45Lead the way,
00:42:46he said,
00:42:47trying to match her seriousness.
00:42:49Beans didn't say another word
00:42:50as she turned on her heel
00:42:51and headed toward the mayor's office.
00:42:54Rango followed,
00:42:55trying to appear calm,
00:42:56though his nerves had already begun
00:42:58to twist inside him.
00:42:59The mayor's office was located
00:43:01at the far end of town,
00:43:02a crumbling building
00:43:03that once may have been proud,
00:43:05but now slouched with the weight of its years.
00:43:07The wooden planks creaked beneath their feet
00:43:09as they approached the door.
00:43:11Beans knocked once,
00:43:12firmly,
00:43:13and then pushed it open
00:43:14without waiting for a response.
00:43:16Inside,
00:43:17the office was dim,
00:43:19lit only by a few rays of sunlight
00:43:21that cut through the dust in the air.
00:43:23A large desk sat in the center,
00:43:25covered in papers
00:43:25that were half-buried
00:43:26under piles of gold coins,
00:43:28mementos,
00:43:29and maps
00:43:30that had seen better days.
00:43:31Behind the desk,
00:43:33in a chair that was too large for him,
00:43:35sat the mayor.
00:43:36He was an iguana,
00:43:37tall,
00:43:38with a long,
00:43:39gaudy scarf
00:43:39wrapped around his neck,
00:43:40and a large pair of gold spectacles
00:43:42perched atop his snout.
00:43:44He looked out of place
00:43:45in the otherwise bleak surroundings,
00:43:47but the air of authority about him
00:43:49was undeniable.
00:43:51Sheriff Rango,
00:43:52the mayor said,
00:43:53his voice smooth like silk
00:43:55but laced with something colder,
00:43:56more calculating.
00:43:58I'm so glad you could join me.
00:44:00Please,
00:44:01come in.
00:44:02Have a seat.
00:44:03Rango hesitated,
00:44:04but then walked forward,
00:44:06trying to hide the unease
00:44:07creeping into his chest.
00:44:09He took a seat in the chair
00:44:10across from the mayor,
00:44:11adjusting his badge
00:44:12for the third time.
00:44:13The mayor smiled,
00:44:15showing a row of sharp teeth.
00:44:17You know, sheriff,
00:44:18you've caused quite a stir here in dirt.
00:44:21The townsfolk are talking,
00:44:22saying you're the one
00:44:23who can solve all our problems,
00:44:25the one who can restore order.
00:44:28Rango smiled nervously,
00:44:30unsure of how to answer.
00:44:32Well,
00:44:32I try my best.
00:44:34It's all part of the job,
00:44:35right?
00:44:36The mayor's smile widened.
00:44:38Indeed.
00:44:39But,
00:44:40you see, sheriff,
00:44:41we have a problem here.
00:44:43A very big one.
00:44:44Water's running low,
00:44:45our crops are dying,
00:44:47and there's a certain individual
00:44:48who's been causing trouble
00:44:49around these parts.
00:44:51We've tried everything
00:44:52to bring peace,
00:44:53but
00:44:53nothing works.
00:44:55The mayor leaned forward,
00:44:57his eyes narrowing.
00:44:58And that's where you come in.
00:45:00I need someone with your
00:45:02talents.
00:45:03Someone who can handle the chaos,
00:45:05the threats,
00:45:06and restore the peace.
00:45:08Rango's heart beat faster.
00:45:10What kind of threats
00:45:11are we talking about?
00:45:13The mayor's eyes flicked
00:45:14toward the window for a moment,
00:45:16then back to Rango.
00:45:17His gaze was cold,
00:45:19sharp as a knife.
00:45:20Rattlesnake Jake,
00:45:22he said,
00:45:23his voice barely above a whisper.
00:45:25He's been terrorizing the town,
00:45:27stealing water,
00:45:29destroying what little
00:45:30we have left.
00:45:31No one's been able
00:45:32to stop him.
00:45:34No one except you.
00:45:35Rango's stomach dropped.
00:45:37Rattlesnake Jake.
00:45:39The name alone
00:45:40sent a shiver down his spine.
00:45:42The stories about him
00:45:43were legendary,
00:45:44brutal,
00:45:45fast,
00:45:46and merciless.
00:45:47A snake so deadly
00:45:48that he could kill
00:45:49with a flick of his tail.
00:45:51Rattlesnake Jake's
00:45:52causing all this?
00:45:53Rango asked,
00:45:55trying to sound confident,
00:45:56but his voice trembled
00:45:57despite himself.
00:45:59The mayor nodded.
00:46:00He's the reason
00:46:01the water's gone missing.
00:46:03He's been using the drought
00:46:04to his advantage,
00:46:05threatening the nearby towns,
00:46:07and now he's setting
00:46:08his sights on dirt.
00:46:10Rango shifted uncomfortably
00:46:11in his seat.
00:46:13He had no idea
00:46:14how to handle a snake,
00:46:15let alone a deadly one.
00:46:17He was an actor,
00:46:18a performer.
00:46:19But he couldn't back down now,
00:46:21not when the town
00:46:22was depending on him.
00:46:24So,
00:46:25Rango said,
00:46:26trying to steady his nerves,
00:46:27you want me to stop him?
00:46:28The mayor's smile returned,
00:46:31but this time,
00:46:32it didn't reach his eyes.
00:46:33Yes.
00:46:34And if you succeed,
00:46:36well,
00:46:36I'm sure there will be
00:46:37a very generous reward
00:46:38waiting for you.
00:46:40Rango's mind raced.
00:46:42He didn't know
00:46:42how to stop
00:46:43Rattlesnake Jake.
00:46:45He barely knew
00:46:46how to be a sheriff.
00:46:47But what he did know
00:46:48was that if he failed,
00:46:50it wouldn't just be
00:46:51his reputation on the line.
00:46:52It would be
00:46:53the town's survival.
00:46:55He stood up,
00:46:56his chest puffing out
00:46:57despite the doubt,
00:46:58twisting in his gut.
00:46:59I'll take care of it.
00:47:01I'll stop Rattlesnake Jake
00:47:03and bring water back to dirt.
00:47:05The mayor's expression
00:47:06didn't change,
00:47:07but there was a flicker
00:47:08of something else,
00:47:10something darker,
00:47:11behind his cold,
00:47:12calculating eyes.
00:47:13I knew I could count on you,
00:47:15Sheriff Rango,
00:47:16the mayor said smoothly.
00:47:17And as Rango turned
00:47:18to leave the office,
00:47:20he couldn't shake the feeling
00:47:21that this was more
00:47:22than just a job.
00:47:23There was something else
00:47:24going on here.
00:47:25Something bigger.
00:47:26Something that didn't add up.
00:47:29Would you like to continue
00:47:30with Chapter 6,
00:47:32Rattlesnake Jake?
00:47:33Absolutely.
00:47:35Here's Chapter 5,
00:47:36Water and Whispers,
00:47:37continuing the rich,
00:47:39cinematic style
00:47:39of the retelling.
00:47:41Hashtag, hashtag,
00:47:42Chapter 5,
00:47:44Water and Whispers.
00:47:45Dirt was thirsty.
00:47:47The sun hung like a slow-burning fuse
00:47:49in the sky,
00:47:50scorching the earth
00:47:51until it cracked wide open
00:47:52with the heat.
00:47:53The wind kicked up
00:47:54tiny tornadoes of dust
00:47:55that danced through the streets,
00:47:57swirling around the sheriff's office
00:47:58like lost souls.
00:48:00The buildings looked like
00:48:01they were sinking into the earth,
00:48:02their frames sagging,
00:48:04the paint peeling like old paper.
00:48:06Every surface was dry,
00:48:07and every corner carried
00:48:09the sharp scent of decay.
00:48:11The one thing this town
00:48:12had no shortage of
00:48:13was stories.
00:48:14And stories,
00:48:15when left untended,
00:48:16had a habit of turning
00:48:17into legends,
00:48:18or worse,
00:48:19lies.
00:48:20Rango sat at his new desk,
00:48:22which was little more
00:48:23than a wooden crate
00:48:24with a badge
00:48:24slapped onto it,
00:48:26pretending to be
00:48:26something important.
00:48:28His boots were propped up
00:48:29on the table,
00:48:30and his hat,
00:48:31large and clumsy
00:48:32on his small head,
00:48:33tilted at a rakish angle.
00:48:35He had the air of someone
00:48:36who didn't know
00:48:37exactly what he was doing,
00:48:38but was sure
00:48:39it would work out.
00:48:40The door swung open
00:48:41with a creak,
00:48:42and in walked
00:48:43the town's unofficial
00:48:44mysterious figure,
00:48:45Beans.
00:48:46She was a prickly porcupine
00:48:48with eyes like burnished gold
00:48:49and a sharp edge
00:48:50to her every movement.
00:48:52Her coat was long,
00:48:53dust-covered,
00:48:54and worn at the edges,
00:48:55as though it had once
00:48:56been something finer
00:48:57before the world
00:48:58had taken its toll.
00:48:59She stood there
00:49:00for a moment,
00:49:01taking in Rango's office
00:49:02with a mixture
00:49:03of curiosity
00:49:04and disdain.
00:49:05What's this?
00:49:06she asked,
00:49:07voice dry
00:49:08as the desert air.
00:49:10A lizard in charge?
00:49:11We really are desperate.
00:49:14Rango didn't flinch.
00:49:15Instead,
00:49:16he tipped his hat,
00:49:17standing up
00:49:18with an exaggerated
00:49:19gesture of confidence.
00:49:21I'm the law
00:49:21in this town,
00:49:22ma'am,
00:49:23he said,
00:49:24his voice a little
00:49:24more gravelly
00:49:25than he intended.
00:49:26And if you're looking
00:49:27for someone to rescue
00:49:28this place from itself,
00:49:29you've come to the right
00:49:30guy.
00:49:32Beans arched an eyebrow.
00:49:34A guy?
00:49:35You're a lizard.
00:49:36Details,
00:49:37Rango replied,
00:49:39waving a hand dismissively,
00:49:40though his stomach
00:49:41churned a little.
00:49:42The weight of the badge
00:49:43felt like it had
00:49:44doubled in size.
00:49:46Let me guess,
00:49:47she said,
00:49:48folding her arms.
00:49:49You're here
00:49:50for the water.
00:49:51Rango's head snapped up.
00:49:53Water?
00:49:54Yeah.
00:49:55You know,
00:49:56the most valuable thing
00:49:57this town's got left,
00:49:58she said,
00:49:59stepping forward
00:49:59and leaning
00:50:00against the doorframe.
00:50:01You're the new sheriff,
00:50:03but you don't even
00:50:03know about that,
00:50:05do you?
00:50:06Rango opened his mouth
00:50:07to retort,
00:50:08but she cut him off.
00:50:09You might want to start
00:50:11asking the right questions.
00:50:13People like you,
00:50:14outsiders,
00:50:14they always show up
00:50:16just when the wells
00:50:16run in dry.
00:50:18The door slammed
00:50:19shut behind her,
00:50:20leaving Rango alone
00:50:21with his thoughts
00:50:22and the silence
00:50:23of the office
00:50:23that suddenly felt
00:50:24a lot heavier.
00:50:25He could hear
00:50:26the distant sounds
00:50:27of the townsfolk
00:50:27going about their lives,
00:50:29talking,
00:50:30arguing,
00:50:30or maybe just trying
00:50:31to survive,
00:50:32but something was missing.
00:50:34Water.
00:50:34A wave of unease
00:50:36washed over him.
00:50:37Had he made a mistake?
00:50:39Was he just a player
00:50:40in someone else's story?
00:50:42The sound of the door
00:50:43creaking open again
00:50:44broke his thoughts,
00:50:45and he turned to see
00:50:46the mayor's shell-shocked figure
00:50:47shuffling inside.
00:50:49His hat was pulled low
00:50:50over his face,
00:50:51and his hands were clasped
00:50:53tightly in front of him.
00:50:54Sheriff,
00:50:55the mayor said
00:50:56in a cracked voice,
00:50:58it's the water.
00:51:00It's gone.
00:51:01Rango's heart
00:51:01skipped a beat.
00:51:03Gone.
00:51:04It's been disappearing
00:51:05for days.
00:51:06Weeks, maybe.
00:51:07And the worst part,
00:51:09the worst part is,
00:51:10nobody's been able
00:51:11to figure out why.
00:51:12It's just vanishing.
00:51:15The sheriff stood up,
00:51:16the weight of his new title
00:51:17sinking in.
00:51:18You're telling me
00:51:19this town's been living
00:51:20without water?
00:51:22Not for long,
00:51:23the mayor murmured,
00:51:24his eyes vacant.
00:51:25There's a well
00:51:26on the edge of town.
00:51:28It's the only thing
00:51:29keeping us alive.
00:51:30But lately,
00:51:32he hesitated,
00:51:33his voice wavering,
00:51:34lately,
00:51:35the water's been
00:51:36draining faster
00:51:37than we can fill it.
00:51:39Rango's mind raced,
00:51:40his thoughts snapping
00:51:41like gears
00:51:42in the machinery
00:51:42of the universe.
00:51:44This wasn't just
00:51:45some wild desert town
00:51:46on the edge of nowhere.
00:51:48This was a place
00:51:48with a secret,
00:51:49a hidden truth
00:51:50buried beneath the dust
00:51:51and the rusted tin roofs.
00:51:53And if he was going
00:51:54to be the sheriff,
00:51:55he'd have to dig deeper
00:51:56than anyone expected.
00:51:58I'll find out
00:51:59what's going on,
00:52:00Rango said,
00:52:01his voice steady now,
00:52:02more certain.
00:52:03And if someone's
00:52:04stealing your water,
00:52:05his eyes narrowed,
00:52:06a flicker of something
00:52:07dangerous creeping
00:52:08into his gaze.
00:52:09They'll regret it.
00:52:11Would you like to continue
00:52:12with Chapter 6,
00:52:14The Thief in the Shadows?
00:52:16Here is Chapter 6
00:52:17of the novel-style
00:52:18retelling of Rango,
00:52:192011.
00:52:21Hashtag,
00:52:22Hashtag,
00:52:23Chapter 6,
00:52:24Rattlesnake Jake.
00:52:25The sun had dipped
00:52:26below the horizon,
00:52:27and the desert began
00:52:28to cool,
00:52:29but the air still held
00:52:30the dry heat of the day.
00:52:32Rango stood outside
00:52:33the saloon,
00:52:34hands on his hips,
00:52:35looking out over
00:52:35the town of dirt,
00:52:36his mind a tangled
00:52:37mess of doubt
00:52:38and uncertainty.
00:52:40His new role as sheriff
00:52:41felt increasingly
00:52:42like a heavy costume,
00:52:43one that he was
00:52:44struggling to wear
00:52:44without letting it
00:52:45swallow him whole.
00:52:47Beans had left
00:52:47hours ago,
00:52:48taking the last
00:52:49of the town's
00:52:50few remaining supplies,
00:52:51and he was left
00:52:52to confront the
00:52:52looming task ahead,
00:52:54Rattlesnake Jake.
00:52:55Rango had heard
00:52:56the stories,
00:52:57of course.
00:52:58Who hadn't?
00:52:59Jake was a legend,
00:53:00a rattlesnake
00:53:01whose venom
00:53:02was as fast
00:53:02as his strikes.
00:53:04He was said
00:53:04to slither through
00:53:05the night,
00:53:06leaving nothing
00:53:07but dust and fear
00:53:08in his wake.
00:53:09No one had ever
00:53:10dared face him
00:53:11directly.
00:53:12No one had ever
00:53:13even tried.
00:53:14But Rango wasn't
00:53:15exactly equipped
00:53:16for this kind
00:53:17of challenge.
00:53:18Sure,
00:53:19he'd been in plenty
00:53:19of sticky situations
00:53:20before,
00:53:21mostly involving
00:53:22poorly thought out
00:53:23pranks or failed
00:53:24dramatic performances,
00:53:25but never anything
00:53:26like this.
00:53:27No,
00:53:28this was different.
00:53:29This wasn't just
00:53:30a matter of bluffing
00:53:31his way through a crowd.
00:53:32This was life
00:53:33or death.
00:53:34The stakes had shifted,
00:53:35and Rango suddenly realized
00:53:37that the stage
00:53:37he was playing on
00:53:38had gotten far more
00:53:39dangerous than he'd
00:53:40anticipated.
00:53:41Sheriff.
00:53:43Rango turned,
00:53:44startled by the voice.
00:53:46Beans was standing
00:53:46in front of him again,
00:53:48her posture tense,
00:53:49her face creased
00:53:50with concern.
00:53:51She hadn't bothered
00:53:52to take off her sun hat,
00:53:53and her eyes flicked
00:53:54around nervously,
00:53:55as though she were
00:53:56expecting something,
00:53:57someone,
00:53:58to leap out
00:53:58of the shadows.
00:54:00Beans,
00:54:00what's the situation?
00:54:02Rango asked,
00:54:03trying to sound
00:54:04authoritative,
00:54:05even though his voice
00:54:06wavered slightly.
00:54:07She looked at him,
00:54:08her expression unreadable,
00:54:10before glancing
00:54:11over her shoulder.
00:54:13Jake's got a hideout
00:54:14on the outskirts
00:54:14of the canyon,
00:54:16not far from here,
00:54:17but not close enough
00:54:18for any of the townsfolk
00:54:19to try their luck.
00:54:21Rango nodded,
00:54:22squaring his shoulders.
00:54:24I'll go after him.
00:54:25I'll bring him back.
00:54:27Bring him back.
00:54:29Beans shook her head,
00:54:30a grim smile
00:54:31curling her lips.
00:54:32You don't bring Jake back.
00:54:34You either kill him,
00:54:36or you're never seen again.
00:54:38Rango blinked.
00:54:39Kill him.
00:54:40No, no, no, no.
00:54:42That's not what
00:54:43we're doing here.
00:54:44I'm a sheriff,
00:54:45not a bounty hunter.
00:54:47Beans raised an eyebrow.
00:54:49Then you're gonna have
00:54:50to be a lot more
00:54:51than a sheriff
00:54:52if you plan on facing Jake.
00:54:54Rango opened his mouth
00:54:55to argue,
00:54:56but the words
00:54:57caught in his throat.
00:54:59He hadn't signed up
00:55:00for this.
00:55:01He hadn't signed up
00:55:02for any of it.
00:55:03The badge,
00:55:04the town,
00:55:05the water crisis,
00:55:06and certainly not
00:55:06the most notorious
00:55:07snake outlaw
00:55:08in the West.
00:55:09But somehow,
00:55:10the pressure of the moment
00:55:11had overtaken him.
00:55:13I'm not here
00:55:14to die,
00:55:14Beans,
00:55:15he said quietly,
00:55:16his voice hardening.
00:55:18I'm here to fix things.
00:55:20I'm not walking away
00:55:21from this town.
00:55:22Beans sighed,
00:55:23her tough exterior
00:55:24cracking just slightly.
00:55:25You better not walk away,
00:55:28sheriff.
00:55:28But you're gonna need
00:55:29more than just that badge
00:55:30of yours
00:55:31if you're gonna take on
00:55:32Rattlesnake Jake.
00:55:34Without another word,
00:55:35she turned and gestured
00:55:36for him to follow.
00:55:38Rango hesitated
00:55:39for only a moment
00:55:40before falling
00:55:41into step beside her.
00:55:42The two of them
00:55:43headed out of town,
00:55:44leaving behind
00:55:45the comfort
00:55:45of the saloon shelter
00:55:46and the brittle dust
00:55:47of dirt.
00:55:48As they made their way
00:55:49into the dry scrublands,
00:55:51the moon rose high above,
00:55:52casting long,
00:55:53eerie shadows
00:55:54on the cracked earth.
00:55:55Rango's heart beat
00:55:56faster with each step.
00:55:58This was real now.
00:56:00There was no turning back.
00:56:02Jake's not a man
00:56:03to negotiate with,
00:56:04Beans said,
00:56:05breaking the silence.
00:56:06If you even get close to him,
00:56:08you'll know what I mean.
00:56:10He doesn't talk.
00:56:11He doesn't reason.
00:56:13He strikes,
00:56:14and that's it.
00:56:15You'll be lucky
00:56:15if you don't end up
00:56:17like the others.
00:56:18Rango's grip tightened
00:56:19around his makeshift rifle,
00:56:21his mind racing.
00:56:22This wasn't what
00:56:23he signed up for.
00:56:25But then again,
00:56:26he had never truly
00:56:26signed up for anything.
00:56:28The badge had been
00:56:29thrust upon him,
00:56:30his role had been
00:56:31chosen for him,
00:56:32and now the town
00:56:33was looking to him
00:56:34to save them.
00:56:35I've been in sticky
00:56:36situations before,
00:56:37Rango said,
00:56:38trying to sound confident.
00:56:40But this,
00:56:41this is a little more
00:56:42sticky than I expected.
00:56:44Beans gave him
00:56:45a sideways glance.
00:56:47Well, Sheriff,
00:56:48you better find a way
00:56:49to handle it.
00:56:50You're the law now,
00:56:51whether you like it
00:56:52or not.
00:56:53And if you fail,
00:56:54it won't just be you
00:56:55paying the price.
00:56:57Rango nodded,
00:56:58his throat dry.
00:56:59He hadn't been scared
00:57:00like this since his days
00:57:01of performing on the stage,
00:57:03where the risk of failure
00:57:04felt like an overwhelming
00:57:05weight.
00:57:06But this was different.
00:57:08There were real lives
00:57:09at stake.
00:57:10Real people.
00:57:11They reached the canyon's
00:57:12edge by midnight.
00:57:14The landscape around them
00:57:15was jagged and harsh,
00:57:17the rocks casting
00:57:17looming shadows
00:57:18that seemed to shift
00:57:19as if they had a life
00:57:20of their own.
00:57:21The dry air tasted metallic,
00:57:23sharp with a tang of danger.
00:57:25I'll wait here,
00:57:27Beans said,
00:57:27her voice low.
00:57:29You go in alone.
00:57:30Alone,
00:57:31Rango repeated.
00:57:33His nerves were buzzing
00:57:34like a live wire.
00:57:36Are you sure that's...
00:57:38Go,
00:57:38she said sharply.
00:57:40I'll keep watch.
00:57:41He swallowed hard,
00:57:43but his feet
00:57:43were already moving,
00:57:45carrying him
00:57:45toward the mouth
00:57:46of the canyon.
00:57:46The rocks underfoot
00:57:48crunched with every step,
00:57:50the silence around him
00:57:51unnerving.
00:57:52Every sound felt
00:57:53like it was amplified,
00:57:54his footsteps,
00:57:55his breath,
00:57:56even the beating
00:57:57of his heart.
00:57:58The cave was just ahead,
00:57:59a dark,
00:58:00yawning mouth
00:58:01in the rock.
00:58:02Rango hesitated
00:58:03before stepping inside.
00:58:05The moment he did,
00:58:06the temperature dropped.
00:58:08The stench of decay
00:58:09filled his nostrils,
00:58:10old bones,
00:58:11dust,
00:58:12and something else
00:58:12that made his skin crawl.
00:58:14He couldn't tell
00:58:15if it was the air
00:58:16or his own fear,
00:58:17but something
00:58:18didn't feel right.
00:58:19Then he heard it.
00:58:21A hiss.
00:58:22The ground seemed
00:58:23to tremble.
00:58:24Rango froze,
00:58:25his hand tightening
00:58:26around his rifle.
00:58:28Then,
00:58:28out of the shadows,
00:58:29slithered the most
00:58:30terrifying creature
00:58:31he had ever seen,
00:58:33Rattlesnake Jake.
00:58:34The snake was enormous,
00:58:36far larger than anything
00:58:37Rango had imagined.
00:58:39His scales were slick,
00:58:40shining in the moonlight
00:58:41that filtered through
00:58:42the cracks in the cave.
00:58:43His eyes glowed
00:58:45an eerie yellow,
00:58:46fixed on Rango
00:58:47with unblinking malice.
00:58:48The rattle at the end
00:58:49of his tail shook ominously,
00:58:51sending a shiver up
00:58:52Rango's spine.
00:58:54Rango's mouth went dry.
00:58:56He could feel
00:58:56his heart racing,
00:58:58the overwhelming fear
00:58:59pushing him back a step.
00:59:00But he stood his ground.
00:59:02Stay back, Jake,
00:59:04Rango said,
00:59:05his voice trembling
00:59:05but defiant.
00:59:07I'm not here to hurt you.
00:59:09I just want the water back.
00:59:11Jake didn't respond.
00:59:12Instead, he struck.
00:59:15Would you like to continue
00:59:16with Chapter 7,
00:59:17The Showdown?
00:59:19Absolutely.
00:59:20Here's Chapter 6,
00:59:21The Thief in the Shadows,
00:59:23continuing the novel-style
00:59:24retelling of Rango, 2011.
00:59:27Hashtag, hashtag,
00:59:29Chapter 6,
00:59:30The Thief in the Shadows.
00:59:31The sun had long since
00:59:33dipped below the horizon,
00:59:34leaving behind a sky
00:59:35bruised purple and orange,
00:59:37fading slowly into the night.
00:59:38The air was thick
00:59:40with the dry,
00:59:40oppressive heat
00:59:41of the desert,
00:59:42but there was
00:59:42a different kind
00:59:43of weight now,
00:59:44the kind that came
00:59:45with secrets,
00:59:46with something,
00:59:47someone lurking
00:59:48just out of sight.
00:59:50Rango stood
00:59:50by the edge of the well,
00:59:52his eyes scanning
00:59:53the cracked earth.
00:59:54The moon hung above,
00:59:56pale and watchful,
00:59:57casting long shadows
00:59:58across the town.
00:59:59He had been out here
01:00:00for hours,
01:00:01waiting.
01:00:02The stillness
01:00:03of the desert
01:00:03pressed in around him
01:00:05like the weight
01:00:05of the whole world.
01:00:07There was something
01:00:07unnatural about the way
01:00:09the wind moved tonight.
01:00:10Too quiet,
01:00:11too still.
01:00:12Beans had been right.
01:00:14There was something
01:00:15off about the water.
01:00:16And for a town
01:00:17that relied on it
01:00:18more than anything,
01:00:19for a town
01:00:20whose very survival
01:00:20was measured in drops,
01:00:22the situation was far
01:00:23from just an inconvenience.
01:00:25If the water
01:00:25was truly vanishing,
01:00:27someone was taking it.
01:00:29But who?
01:00:29And more importantly,
01:00:31why?
01:00:32He adjusted his hat,
01:00:33which had become
01:00:34increasingly uncomfortable,
01:00:35and shifted his weight
01:00:36from one foot
01:00:37to the other.
01:00:38The air felt thick,
01:00:39heavy,
01:00:40as though even the desert
01:00:41itself was holding
01:00:42its breath.
01:00:43Suddenly,
01:00:44a rustle broke the silence,
01:00:45like the movement
01:00:46of a shadow
01:00:47sliding through the dirt.
01:00:48Rango's head snapped
01:00:50toward the sound,
01:00:51his eyes narrowing.
01:00:52He didn't flinch,
01:00:53didn't move,
01:00:54but every nerve
01:00:55in his body
01:00:55was alert now,
01:00:57alive with the awareness
01:00:58that something was coming.
01:00:59The sound came again,
01:01:01closer this time.
01:01:02Rango's hand
01:01:03hovered near his side,
01:01:04where his six-shooter
01:01:05rested in its holster.
01:01:07He didn't draw it yet,
01:01:08but he was ready.
01:01:10Something in the back
01:01:11of his mind
01:01:11whispered that this
01:01:12wasn't just any thief.
01:01:14This was something bigger,
01:01:16something more dangerous.
01:01:18A shape appeared
01:01:18from behind the weathered walls
01:01:20of a nearby shack.
01:01:22It was a figure
01:01:22cloaked in shadow,
01:01:24moving fast
01:01:24and fluid like a predator.
01:01:26It didn't speak,
01:01:27didn't make a sound,
01:01:28just approached
01:01:29with an eerie,
01:01:30predatory silence.
01:01:32Rango took a step back,
01:01:33his eyes locked
01:01:34on the figure.
01:01:35He waited.
01:01:37He could feel
01:01:37the tension building
01:01:38in the air,
01:01:39the anticipation
01:01:40like a thunderstorm
01:01:41ready to break.
01:01:42Then,
01:01:43in one swift motion,
01:01:44the figure lunged.
01:01:46But Rango was faster.
01:01:48He spun,
01:01:49drawing his gun
01:01:50with the practiced grace
01:01:51of someone
01:01:52who had done it
01:01:52a thousand times.
01:01:54The figure froze
01:01:55in its tracks,
01:01:56eyes wide
01:01:57with surprise.
01:01:58Rango's finger
01:01:59hovered over the trigger,
01:02:00but he didn't pull it.
01:02:02Not yet.
01:02:03The figure was too quick,
01:02:04too clever,
01:02:05to be just a common thief.
01:02:07Who are you?
01:02:08Rango's voice
01:02:09cut through the night
01:02:10like a blade.
01:02:11The figure didn't answer
01:02:13immediately.
01:02:14Instead,
01:02:15it pulled back slightly,
01:02:16as if weighing its options.
01:02:18For a long moment,
01:02:19there was only silence,
01:02:21the tension hanging thick
01:02:22in the air.
01:02:23Then,
01:02:24slowly,
01:02:24the figure spoke.
01:02:26You shouldn't be here,
01:02:27it said,
01:02:28its voice low and rough,
01:02:29like gravel scraping
01:02:30against stone.
01:02:32Rango tightened his grip
01:02:33on the gun.
01:02:34I'm the law around here,
01:02:36so why don't you start talking
01:02:37before I decide
01:02:38whether to shoot first
01:02:40and ask questions later?
01:02:41The figure laughed,
01:02:43a low,
01:02:44bitter sound.
01:02:45You think you can just
01:02:46waltz in and fix this town?
01:02:48It scoffed.
01:02:49You think you can stop
01:02:50what's already been set in motion?
01:02:53Rango's heart skipped.
01:02:55There was something about
01:02:56the way the figure spoke,
01:02:57something cold,
01:02:58calculating.
01:03:00This wasn't some
01:03:00desperate bandit.
01:03:02This was someone with a plan,
01:03:04someone who knew
01:03:04exactly what they were doing.
01:03:06I don't care about your plan,
01:03:08Rango said,
01:03:09his voice steely.
01:03:10All I care about
01:03:11is the water.
01:03:13So tell me
01:03:13what you've done with it.
01:03:15For a long time,
01:03:16the figure didn't answer.
01:03:18Instead,
01:03:19it stepped back
01:03:20into the shadows,
01:03:21its outline barely visible
01:03:22against the darkened landscape.
01:03:24Then,
01:03:25with a final,
01:03:26chilling laugh,
01:03:26it spoke one last time.
01:03:28You'll find out soon enough,
01:03:30Sheriff.
01:03:31But by the time you do,
01:03:32it'll be too late.
01:03:34The figure vanished into the night,
01:03:36leaving Rango standing alone
01:03:37in the eerie silence of the desert,
01:03:39the weight of its words
01:03:40settling over him
01:03:41like a cold fog.
01:03:42He stood there for a long time,
01:03:44staring into the darkness,
01:03:46his gun still drawn,
01:03:47but his mind racing.
01:03:48This wasn't just about
01:03:50missing water anymore.
01:03:51It was about
01:03:52something bigger,
01:03:53something darker,
01:03:55and for the first time
01:03:56since he'd stumbled into dirt,
01:03:57Rango felt the full weight
01:03:59of what it meant
01:03:59to be the sheriff.
01:04:01This town was dying,
01:04:02and whoever was behind it
01:04:04had just sent him a message.
01:04:06Would you like to continue
01:04:07with Chapter 7,
01:04:09The Storm's Coming?
01:04:10Here is Chapter 7
01:04:11of the novel-style retelling
01:04:13of Rango,
01:04:142011.
01:04:14Hashtag Hashtag Chapter 7
01:04:18The Showdown
01:04:19The darkness in the cave
01:04:20swallowed Rango whole
01:04:22as Rattlesnake Jake lunged,
01:04:24his massive,
01:04:25slithering form
01:04:25cutting through the air
01:04:26like a dark streak of lightning.
01:04:28The hiss of his rattles
01:04:29was deafening,
01:04:30a harsh warning
01:04:31that rang in Rango's ears
01:04:32like a death knell.
01:04:34Rango barely had time to react.
01:04:37He instinctively raised his rifle,
01:04:39aiming it toward
01:04:39the massive serpent,
01:04:40but the snake was too fast,
01:04:42too close.
01:04:43With a swift flick
01:04:44of his tail,
01:04:45Jake knocked the weapon
01:04:46from Rango's hands,
01:04:48sending it skittering
01:04:48across the rocky floor.
01:04:50Rango stumbled backward,
01:04:52his heart pounding,
01:04:53every muscle in his body
01:04:54screaming for him to run.
01:04:56But he couldn't.
01:04:57He had no choice now.
01:04:59He was already
01:05:00too deep in this.
01:05:01You think you can stop me?
01:05:03Jake's voice
01:05:04was a low, raspy hiss
01:05:05that seemed to come
01:05:06from everywhere,
01:05:07reverberating off
01:05:08the walls of the cave.
01:05:10The sound slithered
01:05:11into Rango's skull,
01:05:12sending chills
01:05:13down his spine.
01:05:14I'm not here to stop you,
01:05:16Rango said,
01:05:17trying to steady his breath,
01:05:18his legs shaking.
01:05:20I'm here to negotiate.
01:05:22Jake laughed,
01:05:23the sound sharp and mocking.
01:05:25Negotiate?
01:05:26With me.
01:05:27The snake's eyes
01:05:28glinted in the darkness,
01:05:29gleaming like twin embers.
01:05:31There is no negotiating.
01:05:33There's only survival.
01:05:35And right now,
01:05:36you are not the one
01:05:37meant to survive.
01:05:39Rango's mind raced.
01:05:40There had to be
01:05:42a way out of this.
01:05:43There had to be a way
01:05:44to stop Jake
01:05:45without becoming
01:05:46another victim
01:05:46of his venomous fangs.
01:05:48His gaze darted
01:05:49around the cave,
01:05:50looking for anything,
01:05:51anything,
01:05:52that could give him
01:05:53an advantage.
01:05:54His eyes landed
01:05:55on a pile of loose rocks
01:05:56nearby.
01:05:58It wasn't much,
01:05:59but if he could
01:05:59somehow get close enough,
01:06:01he could use it
01:06:01to his advantage.
01:06:03He didn't have
01:06:03the luxury
01:06:04of long,
01:06:05drawn-out plans.
01:06:06This was a fight
01:06:07for his life.
01:06:08Without warning,
01:06:09he darted toward the rocks,
01:06:11his legs carrying him
01:06:12faster than he thought possible.
01:06:14The moment his feet
01:06:15hit the ground,
01:06:16Jake struck again,
01:06:17his rattles echoing
01:06:18like a drumbeat
01:06:19in the air.
01:06:20Rango barely avoided
01:06:21the attack,
01:06:22twisting to the side
01:06:23at the last second.
01:06:24His heart was in his throat
01:06:26as he scrambled
01:06:26for the rocks,
01:06:27praying he wasn't
01:06:28too late.
01:06:29His fingers closed
01:06:30around a jagged stone,
01:06:32and with a quick glance
01:06:33over his shoulder,
01:06:34he hurled it straight
01:06:35at Jake.
01:06:36The stone hit
01:06:36Jake's square
01:06:37in the head,
01:06:38momentarily disorienting him.
01:06:40The snake hissed,
01:06:41recoiling for a split second,
01:06:43and Rango seized
01:06:44the opportunity.
01:06:45He lunged forward,
01:06:47grabbing the rifle
01:06:48that had been knocked aside
01:06:49and pulling it close.
01:06:51Jake's yellow eyes
01:06:51locked onto him,
01:06:53furious now,
01:06:54his body coiling
01:06:55as if preparing
01:06:56to strike again.
01:06:57But this time,
01:06:58Rango was ready.
01:06:59He aimed the rifle
01:07:00with shaky hands,
01:07:02his knuckles
01:07:02white from the grip.
01:07:04You want the water,
01:07:05Rango said,
01:07:06his voice trembling
01:07:08but resolute.
01:07:09Then you'll have to go
01:07:10through me first.
01:07:12Jake didn't answer.
01:07:13Instead,
01:07:14he struck again,
01:07:15faster than before,
01:07:17his body a blur of motion.
01:07:19But Rango had learned something
01:07:20in this short,
01:07:21harrowing confrontation.
01:07:23He could read
01:07:23Jake's movements now,
01:07:25anticipate them
01:07:26just enough
01:07:26to stay one step ahead.
01:07:28The snake's fangs
01:07:29came within inches
01:07:30of Rango's face,
01:07:31but he dodged,
01:07:32side-stepping
01:07:33at the last moment
01:07:34and firing a shot
01:07:35into the air.
01:07:36The loud crack
01:07:37of the rifle
01:07:37echoed through the cave,
01:07:39momentarily confusing
01:07:40the snake.
01:07:41In that fleeting moment
01:07:42of hesitation,
01:07:43Rango made his move.
01:07:45He jumped to the side,
01:07:47aiming the rifle
01:07:48toward the base
01:07:48of Jake's coils
01:07:49and firing again.
01:07:51The bullet hit,
01:07:52sending a burst of dust
01:07:53and rock into the air.
01:07:55Jake writhed,
01:07:56but it wasn't enough
01:07:57to stop him.
01:07:58You can't kill me,
01:07:59little lizard,
01:08:00Jake sneered,
01:08:01his tongue flicking out
01:08:02to taste the air.
01:08:03I'm a force of nature.
01:08:05You're just a fool
01:08:06in a sheriff's costume.
01:08:08But Rango's fear
01:08:09was starting to subside,
01:08:11replaced by a cold determination.
01:08:13He had nothing left to lose,
01:08:15and he was more
01:08:16than just a fool now.
01:08:17He was the sheriff of dirt,
01:08:19and he had a job to do.
01:08:21The snake lunged again,
01:08:22this time with lightning speed.
01:08:24But Rango,
01:08:25his body now moving on instinct,
01:08:27ducked low
01:08:28and fired once more,
01:08:29aiming straight
01:08:30for Jake's throat.
01:08:31The shot struck true.
01:08:33Jake's body convulsed,
01:08:34and for the first time,
01:08:35the venomous snake faltered,
01:08:37his movement slowing
01:08:38as if the very force
01:08:39of the bullet
01:08:39had stunned him.
01:08:41Rango kept his aim steady,
01:08:42eyes narrowed in concentration,
01:08:44as Jake collapsed in a heap,
01:08:46his rattles still twitching.
01:08:48Rango stood,
01:08:49breathing heavily,
01:08:50the weight of the moment
01:08:51sinking in.
01:08:52He had done it.
01:08:53He had faced
01:08:54Rattlesnake Jake
01:08:55and survived.
01:08:56But as he stared down
01:08:58at the defeated serpent,
01:08:59something felt off.
01:09:01He wasn't sure what it was.
01:09:03Perhaps it was the way
01:09:04the snake's body coiled
01:09:05like a dying wind,
01:09:06or the faint glint
01:09:07of something in his eyes
01:09:08as he lay there.
01:09:09There was no satisfaction
01:09:11in the victory.
01:09:12No triumph.
01:09:14Just the sinking feeling
01:09:15that the true fight
01:09:16had only just begun.
01:09:18The sound of footsteps
01:09:19echoed from the entrance
01:09:20of the cave,
01:09:21and Rango turned,
01:09:22ready for whatever
01:09:23came next.
01:09:24Beans appeared
01:09:25in the dim light,
01:09:26her face grim
01:09:27as she surveyed
01:09:28the scene.
01:09:29Is he?
01:09:29She began,
01:09:30her voice trailing off
01:09:32as she looked
01:09:32at Jake's twitching form.
01:09:34He's done,
01:09:35Rango said quietly,
01:09:36lowering the rifle.
01:09:38But this isn't over.
01:09:40Beans raised an eyebrow.
01:09:42What do you mean?
01:09:43Rango stepped away
01:09:45from Jake's lifeless body,
01:09:46the reality of what
01:09:47he had just done
01:09:48settling in.
01:09:49This town isn't
01:09:50just about the water.
01:09:52There's something else
01:09:53going on here,
01:09:54and I think the mayor
01:09:55knows more than
01:09:56he's letting on.
01:09:58Beans didn't say
01:09:59anything at first,
01:10:00just watching Rango
01:10:01with a mixture of skepticism
01:10:02and something else,
01:10:04something like fear.
01:10:05Finally, she spoke.
01:10:07You're in deeper
01:10:08than you think, Sheriff,
01:10:09she said softly.
01:10:11You've just taken
01:10:11the first step,
01:10:13but the road ahead,
01:10:15it's going to be
01:10:15a lot darker
01:10:16than you ever imagined.
01:10:18Rango's heart
01:10:19skipped a beat.
01:10:20The mayor,
01:10:21the water,
01:10:22the lies.
01:10:23It was all starting
01:10:24to make sense
01:10:25in a way that felt
01:10:26too dangerous to ignore.
01:10:28I guess I'm ready for it,
01:10:29Rango said,
01:10:30his voice steadying.
01:10:32Whatever comes next?
01:10:33The two of them
01:10:34stood there in the cave,
01:10:35the wind howling outside,
01:10:37the weight of the night
01:10:38heavy on their shoulders.
01:10:39And deep down,
01:10:41Rango knew that
01:10:41the battle for dirt
01:10:42had only just begun.
01:10:44Would you like to continue
01:10:45with Chapter 8,
01:10:47The Truth Unveiled?
01:10:48Here's Chapter 7,
01:10:50The Storm's Coming,
01:10:51continuing Rango's journey
01:10:52through the strange
01:10:53and dangerous
01:10:54world of dirt.
01:10:56Hashtag,
01:10:56Hashtag,
01:10:57Chapter 7,
01:10:58The Storm's Coming.
01:10:59The morning broke cold,
01:11:01the kind of cold
01:11:02that didn't belong
01:11:02in the desert.
01:11:03The winds had shifted
01:11:04overnight,
01:11:05bringing with them
01:11:06an unsettling chill
01:11:07that made the hairs
01:11:08on Rango's neck
01:11:09stand on end.
01:11:10The sun hadn't
01:11:11fully risen yet,
01:11:12but it hung low
01:11:13in the sky,
01:11:14casting a faint,
01:11:15eerie light
01:11:15across the town.
01:11:17It felt like a prelude,
01:11:18something was coming,
01:11:19something big,
01:11:20and Rango could sense
01:11:21it in the pit
01:11:22of his stomach.
01:11:23Beans was already
01:11:24waiting outside
01:11:25the sheriff's office
01:11:25when Rango stepped
01:11:26into the dusty street,
01:11:28his boots dragging
01:11:29in the soft sand.
01:11:30She was leaning
01:11:31against the wall,
01:11:32arms crossed,
01:11:33staring out at the horizon
01:11:34as if expecting something,
01:11:36or someone,
01:11:37to appear.
01:11:38Her eyes flicked to him
01:11:39when he approached,
01:11:40but she didn't say
01:11:41anything at first.
01:11:42There was an unspoken
01:11:43tension between them,
01:11:45an understanding
01:11:45that something had changed
01:11:47in the past twenty-four hours.
01:11:49You're still here,
01:11:50Rango said,
01:11:51his voice hoarse,
01:11:52the weight of last night's
01:11:53encounter pressing down
01:11:54on him.
01:11:55He didn't know
01:11:56what to make of it,
01:11:57who that figure had been,
01:11:58or why they seemed to know
01:12:00so much about him already.
01:12:01But the warning was clear.
01:12:03This wasn't just about water.
01:12:05It was about control.
01:12:07And Rango hated the feeling
01:12:08of being a pawn.
01:12:10Beans shrugged,
01:12:11but there was something
01:12:11hard in her movements,
01:12:13something that spoke
01:12:14of a weariness
01:12:14she wasn't ready to share.
01:12:16I'm not going anywhere
01:12:17until I know
01:12:18who's been stealing the water.
01:12:20Right.
01:12:21Rango nodded,
01:12:23glancing over at the well
01:12:24that had become
01:12:25the heart of the town's troubles.
01:12:27Any ideas?
01:12:28Beans didn't answer immediately.
01:12:31Instead,
01:12:31she pushed herself
01:12:32off the wall
01:12:33and stepped closer,
01:12:34her eyes narrowing
01:12:35as she studied him.
01:12:36You're looking at this wrong,
01:12:38Sheriff,
01:12:38she said slowly,
01:12:39as though choosing
01:12:40each word with care.
01:12:42The water isn't just disappearing.
01:12:44It's being drained.
01:12:46But it's not just the well.
01:12:47It's the whole town.
01:12:49The desert has a way of
01:12:50taking back
01:12:52what doesn't belong.
01:12:53And I think
01:12:54someone's making it happen.
01:12:55Someone who knows
01:12:56exactly what they're doing.
01:12:59Rango's gaze
01:12:59followed hers
01:13:00to the barren horizon,
01:13:01where the earth
01:13:02seemed to stretch on forever,
01:13:04empty and unforgiving.
01:13:05The town had been built
01:13:06on the bones of the land,
01:13:08and now,
01:13:09it seemed,
01:13:09the land was starting
01:13:10to reclaim
01:13:11what was rightfully its own.
01:13:12You think it's
01:13:13some kind of curse?
01:13:15He asked,
01:13:16the words tasting
01:13:16strange in his mouth.
01:13:18Beans gave him
01:13:19a sharp,
01:13:20sideways glance.
01:13:21It's not a curse.
01:13:23It's something worse.
01:13:25Someone's been tapping
01:13:25into the veins
01:13:26of the desert itself,
01:13:28siphoning it all
01:13:28for themselves.
01:13:30And you think
01:13:31I can stop them?
01:13:32Rango asked,
01:13:34a bitter laugh
01:13:34escaping his throat.
01:13:36The weight of the badge
01:13:37on his chest
01:13:38felt heavier than ever,
01:13:39a symbol of responsibility
01:13:40he wasn't sure
01:13:41he could bear.
01:13:42I think you're
01:13:43the only one
01:13:44who's willing to try,
01:13:45Beans replied.
01:13:46Before Rango could answer,
01:13:48a low rumble
01:13:49filled the air,
01:13:50distant but unmistakable.
01:13:52It wasn't thunder,
01:13:53not exactly.
01:13:54The earth vibrated
01:13:55with a power
01:13:56that seemed to ripple
01:13:57through the very bones
01:13:58of the town.
01:13:59The ground shuddered
01:14:00beneath their feet,
01:14:01and for a moment,
01:14:02everything went still.
01:14:04Rango's hand
01:14:05instinctively
01:14:06went to his gun.
01:14:07What was that?
01:14:09Beans didn't look worried,
01:14:10but there was something
01:14:11dark in her expression.
01:14:13That's not good.
01:14:14That's a warning.
01:14:16Rango felt the hairs
01:14:17on the back
01:14:17of his neck rise.
01:14:19Whatever it was,
01:14:20it wasn't just
01:14:21a random tremor.
01:14:22It was something
01:14:23deliberate,
01:14:24a signal,
01:14:25and it wasn't
01:14:26meant for him alone.
01:14:27The sky overhead
01:14:28darkened
01:14:29in the blink of an eye.
01:14:31A gust of wind
01:14:31kicked up the dry earth,
01:14:33carrying with it
01:14:34the unmistakable scent
01:14:35of something ancient,
01:14:36something primal.
01:14:37The air seemed
01:14:38to crackle with energy,
01:14:39as if the very desert
01:14:41itself was waking up.
01:14:43Storm's coming,
01:14:44Beans said quietly,
01:14:45and not the kind
01:14:46you're used to.
01:14:48Rango's eyes
01:14:48scanned the town,
01:14:50now bathed
01:14:50in an eerie half-light.
01:14:52The streets
01:14:53were empty,
01:14:54not a single soul
01:14:55in sight.
01:14:56The silence
01:14:57stretched on,
01:14:58growing thicker
01:14:58with every passing second.
01:15:00The first drop of rain
01:15:02splashed
01:15:02on the dusty ground,
01:15:03but it wasn't
01:15:04the refreshing
01:15:05kind of rain.
01:15:06This was something else.
01:15:08The drops
01:15:09were thick,
01:15:09like oil,
01:15:10and they spread
01:15:11across the ground
01:15:11in dark patches,
01:15:13slowly creeping
01:15:14toward the center
01:15:14of town.
01:15:15Get inside,
01:15:16Beans snapped,
01:15:17grabbing his arm
01:15:18and pulling him
01:15:19toward the sheriff's office.
01:15:21Rango stumbled a little,
01:15:22his heart pounding
01:15:23in his chest.
01:15:24This wasn't just a storm.
01:15:26It was a message.
01:15:28Someone was sending it.
01:15:30The doors of the sheriff's office
01:15:31slammed shut behind them
01:15:32as the rain began to pour,
01:15:34its oily tendrils
01:15:35creeping through the cracks
01:15:36in the walls and the floors.
01:15:38The town was alive now,
01:15:39alive in ways
01:15:40Rango hadn't yet understood,
01:15:42and whoever was behind
01:15:44it was closer than ever.
01:15:46Do you feel that?
01:15:47Rango asked,
01:15:48his voice barely a whisper
01:15:50as he watched the rain
01:15:51snake its way inside.
01:15:53I do,
01:15:54Beans replied,
01:15:55her voice grim.
01:15:56This is just the beginning.
01:15:58The storm is the least
01:15:59of our problems.
01:16:01And as the rain fell,
01:16:02relentless and thick,
01:16:04Rango felt the weight
01:16:04of the town's fate
01:16:05pressing down on him.
01:16:07The storm had arrived,
01:16:08but so had the enemy.
01:16:10And the worst part,
01:16:12they were already inside.
01:16:14Would you like to continue
01:16:15with Chapter 8,
01:16:16The Enemy in the Shadows?
01:16:18Here is Chapter 8
01:16:19of the novel-style retelling
01:16:21of Rango, 2011.
01:16:24Hashtag, hashtag,
01:16:25Chapter 8,
01:16:26The Truth Unveiled.
01:16:28The morning sun
01:16:28cracked over the horizon,
01:16:30painting the desert landscape
01:16:31in shades of orange and pink.
01:16:34It was a stark contrast
01:16:35to the dark, heavy feeling
01:16:36that had settled in Rango's chest
01:16:38after the events of the night.
01:16:40Rattlesnake Jake's body was gone,
01:16:42his remains stripped of any trace
01:16:43of what had happened,
01:16:44as if the desert itself
01:16:45had swallowed his defeat.
01:16:47But the victory hadn't come
01:16:49with any sense of relief.
01:16:51Rango felt the weight
01:16:52of the town's hopes
01:16:53pressing harder now.
01:16:54There was no time
01:16:55for celebration,
01:16:56no time to bask
01:16:57in a job well done.
01:16:58There were questions,
01:17:00far too many questions,
01:17:02and they weren't going
01:17:03to answer themselves.
01:17:04Rango stood on the outskirts
01:17:06of dirt,
01:17:06his gaze fixed on the town
01:17:08that seemed both too small
01:17:09and too large
01:17:10for his newfound responsibility.
01:17:12The desert breeze
01:17:13lifted the sand,
01:17:14swirling it around his boots,
01:17:15and the distant cry
01:17:16of a coyote echoed
01:17:18through the empty streets.
01:17:19The town felt abandoned.
01:17:21Even after Jake's defeat,
01:17:23there was a quiet desperation
01:17:24that hung in the air,
01:17:26thicker than the dust.
01:17:27Beans was already
01:17:28on her way to meet him,
01:17:30her silhouette appearing
01:17:31in the distance,
01:17:32a stark figure
01:17:33against the vast emptiness.
01:17:35She had insisted
01:17:35on keeping watch
01:17:36while Rango took care of Jake,
01:17:38but now the aftermath
01:17:39had come,
01:17:40and they both knew
01:17:40there was more to do
01:17:41than just clean up the mess.
01:17:43Rango met her by the saloon,
01:17:45his eyes narrowing
01:17:46as she approached.
01:17:48I got word from the mayor,
01:17:49Beans said,
01:17:50her tone clipped.
01:17:51He wants to see you,
01:17:53and I think you know
01:17:54what that means.
01:17:55Rango's stomach churned
01:17:57at the mention of the mayor.
01:17:59The man had been too calm,
01:18:01too collected
01:18:01throughout all of this.
01:18:03There was something off about him,
01:18:05something that didn't sit right.
01:18:07But Rango wasn't ready
01:18:08to face him just yet.
01:18:10He still had too many
01:18:11unanswered questions,
01:18:13and it wasn't just about Jake.
01:18:15It was about the water,
01:18:16the rationing,
01:18:17and the way the town
01:18:18seemed to be teetering
01:18:19on the edge of collapse.
01:18:21But Beans was right.
01:18:22He had to face the mayor.
01:18:23He had to understand
01:18:25where the cracks were
01:18:26and why the town
01:18:27was slipping through them.
01:18:29Lead the way,
01:18:30Rango said,
01:18:31his voice firm.
01:18:32Beans didn't hesitate.
01:18:34She turned and led him
01:18:35toward the center of town,
01:18:36the pair moving
01:18:37through the dusty streets
01:18:38with purpose.
01:18:39The saloon was quiet,
01:18:41the windows darkened,
01:18:42and a few stray figures
01:18:43shuffled through the alleyways.
01:18:45There was a sense
01:18:46of desolation in the air.
01:18:47People were going
01:18:48through the motions,
01:18:49but no one really believed
01:18:50in the future anymore.
01:18:51Dirt was hanging
01:18:52by a thread,
01:18:53and the moment
01:18:54that thread snapped,
01:18:55there would be nothing left.
01:18:57The mayor's office
01:18:58was located
01:18:58in a small building
01:18:59at the center of town.
01:19:01The door was open,
01:19:02and as Rango stepped inside,
01:19:04he was greeted
01:19:04with the cold,
01:19:05sterile smell
01:19:06of polished wood
01:19:07and dry paper.
01:19:08The mayor was behind
01:19:09his desk,
01:19:10shuffling through papers
01:19:11with an almost practiced
01:19:12disinterest.
01:19:14His round glasses
01:19:15glinted in the sunlight
01:19:16that filtered
01:19:16through the cracked window,
01:19:18and his expression
01:19:19remained as unreadable
01:19:20as always.
01:19:21Ah, Sheriff,
01:19:22the mayor said,
01:19:23not looking up.
01:19:25I trust the situation
01:19:26with Mr. Jake
01:19:27has been handled?
01:19:29Rango stood still,
01:19:30his eyes scanning the room,
01:19:32looking for any sign
01:19:33of the truth
01:19:34that had been
01:19:34so carefully concealed.
01:19:36The mayor's calm demeanor
01:19:37was grating,
01:19:38and Rango had never liked
01:19:39the way the man
01:19:40seemed to have
01:19:40everything under control,
01:19:42even when it was clear
01:19:43that dirt was
01:19:44on the brink of ruin.
01:19:45Jake's dealt with,
01:19:46Rango replied,
01:19:47his voice low.
01:19:48But there's something
01:19:49I need to know,
01:19:50mayor.
01:19:51There's something
01:19:52about the water,
01:19:53about the supply.
01:19:55I've seen the way
01:19:56you've been hoarding it.
01:19:57What are you really
01:19:58doing with it?
01:19:59The mayor's fingers
01:20:00paused over the papers
01:20:01for a moment,
01:20:02then he adjusted
01:20:03his glasses
01:20:04and looked up.
01:20:05His eyes were steely,
01:20:07his expression unchanged.
01:20:09Sheriff,
01:20:10he said,
01:20:10his voice smooth
01:20:11and measured.
01:20:12I'm afraid
01:20:13you've misunderstood.
01:20:14The water
01:20:15is a limited resource.
01:20:16There simply isn't
01:20:18enough for everyone.
01:20:19My priority
01:20:20is to ensure
01:20:21the survival
01:20:21of the town,
01:20:22which means
01:20:23making hard decisions.
01:20:25Hard decisions.
01:20:26Rango echoed,
01:20:28his suspicion growing.
01:20:30Is that what you call it?
01:20:31Hoarding the water
01:20:32while people starve
01:20:33in the streets.
01:20:35The mayor leaned
01:20:35back in his chair,
01:20:37the wooden legs
01:20:37creaking beneath his weight.
01:20:39You have a lot
01:20:40to learn about leadership,
01:20:42Sheriff.
01:20:42You're not here
01:20:43to solve every problem.
01:20:45You're here
01:20:46to enforce the law.
01:20:47And the law
01:20:48is simple.
01:20:49We ration what we have,
01:20:50and we make sure
01:20:51that those who deserve it
01:20:52get their share.
01:20:53Rango's anger flared,
01:20:55but he held it in check.
01:20:57And who decides
01:20:58who deserves it?
01:20:59You.
01:21:00The mayor smiled,
01:21:01a thin,
01:21:02humorless smile.
01:21:03I'm the mayor.
01:21:05It's my job
01:21:06to make those decisions.
01:21:07And as for your
01:21:08little performance
01:21:09with Jake,
01:21:10well,
01:21:11that was commendable.
01:21:12But it won't
01:21:13change a thing.
01:21:13This town
01:21:14is falling apart,
01:21:16and nothing
01:21:16can fix that.
01:21:18Not you.
01:21:18Not me.
01:21:20Nothing.
01:21:21Rango's blood boiled.
01:21:22This wasn't about rationing.
01:21:24This wasn't about survival.
01:21:27The mayor's words
01:21:28were nothing more
01:21:28than a smoke screen.
01:21:30He was covering up
01:21:31something bigger.
01:21:32Something darker.
01:21:34Then what's really
01:21:35going on here?
01:21:36Rango asked,
01:21:38his voice sharp now,
01:21:39where's the water
01:21:40really going?
01:21:41And why do you need
01:21:42to control it so badly?
01:21:45For the first time,
01:21:46a flicker of something,
01:21:47something close to annoyance,
01:21:49crossed the mayor's face.
01:21:50He stood up slowly,
01:21:52smoothing his jacket.
01:21:53I suggest you keep
01:21:55your focus,
01:21:56Sheriff.
01:21:56Your role is to
01:21:57protect the town,
01:21:58not question authority.
01:22:00Rango's hand
01:22:01twitched at his side,
01:22:03his mind working furiously.
01:22:05He was being fed lies,
01:22:06and it was clear now.
01:22:08The mayor had been
01:22:09hiding something
01:22:09far more sinister
01:22:10than water rationing.
01:22:12The question was,
01:22:13what?
01:22:14I'm not done here,
01:22:16Rango said,
01:22:17turning toward the door.
01:22:18I'll get to the bottom of this,
01:22:20whether you like it or not.
01:22:22Beans,
01:22:23standing just outside the door,
01:22:24gave him a knowing look
01:22:25as he exited.
01:22:27I told you
01:22:27he was hiding something.
01:22:29The mayor's not the only one
01:22:31who knows
01:22:31what's really going on here.
01:22:33Rango nodded grimly.
01:22:35I know.
01:22:36And I'm going to find out.
01:22:38I'm not leaving this town
01:22:40until I have answers.
01:22:41The two of them
01:22:42walked away
01:22:43from the mayor's office,
01:22:44but Rango could feel
01:22:45the weight of his own resolve
01:22:46pressing down on him.
01:22:48There was more at play
01:22:49here than water.
01:22:50There were secrets,
01:22:51and Rango was determined
01:22:53to uncover them.
01:22:54As they moved
01:22:55through the streets,
01:22:56a sudden thought hit him.
01:22:57Could the mayor be working
01:22:59with someone else?
01:23:00Someone more dangerous?
01:23:02Someone who didn't want
01:23:03the town to survive at all?
01:23:05Rango didn't know,
01:23:06but he was about to find out.
01:23:08And as the sun set over dirt,
01:23:10casting long shadows
01:23:11across the town,
01:23:12he knew one thing for sure.
01:23:14The real battle
01:23:15was just beginning.
01:23:17Would you like to continue
01:23:17with Chapter 9,
01:23:19Unlikely Allies?
01:23:21Here's Chapter 8,
01:23:22The Enemy in the Shadows,
01:23:23continuing the novel-style
01:23:25retelling of Rango, 2011.
01:23:28Hashtag, hashtag,
01:23:29Chapter 8,
01:23:30The Enemy in the Shadows.
01:23:32The night seemed to press in
01:23:34from all sides,
01:23:35thick with the weight
01:23:36of the storm
01:23:36and the secrets it carried.
01:23:38Rango sat at his desk
01:23:39in the sheriff's office,
01:23:41his fingers drumming
01:23:42absently on the wood.
01:23:43The rain had turned
01:23:44into a deluge,
01:23:45each drop a heavy reminder
01:23:47that the town of dirt
01:23:48was drowning,
01:23:49not in water,
01:23:50but in something far darker.
01:23:52Beans was pacing
01:23:52the small room,
01:23:53her boots clicking sharply
01:23:55against the wooden floor
01:23:56as if she could outrun
01:23:57the thoughts
01:23:57that swirled in her head.
01:23:59She was restless,
01:24:00but Rango could see
01:24:01the sharpness in her eyes,
01:24:02the same look she had
01:24:03when something
01:24:04or someone
01:24:05had her cornered.
01:24:06What do we know,
01:24:07Beans?
01:24:08Rango's voice was low,
01:24:10strained.
01:24:11His mind kept circling back
01:24:13to the words
01:24:14that shadowed him,
01:24:15the cryptic message
01:24:16from the figure
01:24:16in the night.
01:24:17What's really happening here?
01:24:20Beans stopped pacing
01:24:21and turned to face him,
01:24:22her expression set
01:24:23in a hard line.
01:24:25We know that this town's
01:24:26been built on a lie,
01:24:27a lie that's older
01:24:28than anything
01:24:29in these bones,
01:24:30Sheriff.
01:24:31The water,
01:24:32it's never been just water.
01:24:34It's been the lifeblood
01:24:35of this place,
01:24:36but it's more than that.
01:24:38It's a currency,
01:24:39a weapon.
01:24:40Rango frowned,
01:24:41not fully understanding.
01:24:43A weapon?
01:24:45Yeah.
01:24:46Beans walked over
01:24:46to the window,
01:24:47her eyes scanning
01:24:48the horizon,
01:24:49though the storm
01:24:50had turned everything outside
01:24:51into a hazy blur.
01:24:53The desert isn't
01:24:54just a backdrop.
01:24:55It's part of the deal,
01:24:57the trade.
01:24:57This town owes its survival
01:24:59to something much darker
01:25:00than a mere well.
01:25:02It's an agreement
01:25:02that goes way back.
01:25:04Someone's been collecting,
01:25:06siphoning the life
01:25:07of this land
01:25:07and turning it
01:25:08into something else.
01:25:09Something unnatural.
01:25:11Rango stood up,
01:25:13his boots scraping the floor,
01:25:14his thoughts racing.
01:25:16And now someone's
01:25:17making their move.
01:25:18Exactly,
01:25:19Beans replied,
01:25:20her tone sharp.
01:25:22Someone who knows
01:25:23how to bend
01:25:23the desert's rules.
01:25:25Someone who's ready
01:25:26to make their play.
01:25:27The storm raged outside,
01:25:29the wind howling
01:25:30like a living thing,
01:25:31but inside the office,
01:25:33the air felt
01:25:33suffocatingly still.
01:25:35Rango took a deep breath,
01:25:36the taste of dust
01:25:37and metal heavy
01:25:38on his tongue.
01:25:39They want to take everything,
01:25:41he muttered
01:25:42under his breath.
01:25:43The water,
01:25:44the land,
01:25:45all of it.
01:25:46Beans didn't answer
01:25:47immediately.
01:25:48Instead,
01:25:49she walked over
01:25:50to the old map
01:25:50pinned to the wall
01:25:51and ran a finger
01:25:52along its surface,
01:25:53tracing the faded lines
01:25:54of roads and landmarks
01:25:55that had once meant
01:25:56something to the people
01:25:57of dirt.
01:25:58It's not just about
01:25:59the water,
01:26:00she said finally.
01:26:01It's about control.
01:26:03Whoever's behind this,
01:26:04they've been watching,
01:26:05waiting for the right moment
01:26:06to pull the strings.
01:26:08Rango took a step forward,
01:26:10his boots heavy
01:26:11on the floor.
01:26:12And what's their plan?
01:26:14What do they want?
01:26:15Beans' eyes were dark,
01:26:17clouded with the weight
01:26:18of the knowledge
01:26:18she'd been carrying
01:26:19for so long.
01:26:20I don't know yet,
01:26:22but they've already begun.
01:26:24The storm isn't just a storm,
01:26:26Sheriff.
01:26:27It's a signal.
01:26:28It's a sign
01:26:29that the game's
01:26:30about to change.
01:26:31The wind howled again,
01:26:33louder now,
01:26:34as if in response
01:26:35to her words.
01:26:36Rango's gaze moved
01:26:37to the window,
01:26:38the glass rattling
01:26:39as the storm's fury
01:26:40intensified.
01:26:42But it wasn't the wind
01:26:43or the rain
01:26:43that unsettled him.
01:26:45It was the sense
01:26:46that something was moving
01:26:47out there in the darkness,
01:26:48something that wasn't
01:26:49just the desert
01:26:50or the storm.
01:26:51It was something alive.
01:26:53A sound broke
01:26:54through the storm's roar.
01:26:56Soft at first,
01:26:57a faint scraping noise,
01:26:58like something,
01:26:59or someone,
01:27:00moving just outside the door.
01:27:02Rango's hand instinctively
01:27:04went to the handle
01:27:04of his gun.
01:27:05His breath held tight
01:27:07in his chest.
01:27:08Beans froze,
01:27:09her eyes wide.
01:27:11Someone's here.
01:27:12Rango nodded slowly.
01:27:14His eyes never left the door.
01:27:16The figure from the night
01:27:17before had warned him,
01:27:18but now it was clear.
01:27:20The enemy wasn't just
01:27:21some faceless threat.
01:27:22They were already here,
01:27:24watching,
01:27:25lurking in the shadows.
01:27:26The sound came again,
01:27:28louder now,
01:27:28like the slow drag
01:27:29of boots on the dirt.
01:27:31Then,
01:27:32a soft,
01:27:32almost imperceptible knock.
01:27:35Knock.
01:27:35Knock.
01:27:36Rango's hand
01:27:37tightened around his gun,
01:27:39and for the first time
01:27:39in his life,
01:27:40he didn't feel like
01:27:41the hero of his own story.
01:27:43He felt like a man
01:27:44standing on the edge
01:27:45of something much bigger
01:27:46than he could control.
01:27:47The rain had stopped,
01:27:49but the air was thick
01:27:50with something else now,
01:27:51something far worse
01:27:52than a storm.
01:27:53Beans stepped forward,
01:27:55her voice a low whisper.
01:27:57Who's out there?
01:27:58Another knock.
01:27:59Rango didn't hesitate.
01:28:01He pushed the door open
01:28:03with a creak,
01:28:04the wind immediately
01:28:05filling the room
01:28:06with the scent
01:28:06of rain-soaked earth.
01:28:08But there was no one
01:28:09standing in the doorway,
01:28:11just a small object
01:28:12lying in the dirt.
01:28:13It was a rock,
01:28:14round and smooth,
01:28:15with something
01:28:16embedded inside it.
01:28:18A scrap of paper,
01:28:19barely visible
01:28:20in the dim light.
01:28:21Rango picked it up,
01:28:23his fingers brushing
01:28:23against the stone's
01:28:25cold surface.
01:28:26He unfolded the paper,
01:28:28and as he did,
01:28:29a chill ran down his spine.
01:28:31It was a symbol,
01:28:32a strange,
01:28:33twisted mark,
01:28:34like the winding
01:28:35of a serpent,
01:28:36a shape he'd seen before,
01:28:37but never understood.
01:28:39Beans,
01:28:39he said,
01:28:40his voice steady
01:28:41despite the unease
01:28:42gnawing at him.
01:28:43This is it.
01:28:45This is what
01:28:45they've been hiding.
01:28:47Beans looked at the paper,
01:28:48her face pale.
01:28:50I knew it.
01:28:51I knew it wasn't
01:28:52just about the water.
01:28:54Rango looked up,
01:28:55his eyes hardening.
01:28:57It's a warning,
01:28:58and it's only the beginning.
01:29:00Would you like to continue
01:29:01with Chapter 9,
01:29:03The Secrets in the Sand?
01:29:04The Secrets in the Sand?

Recommended