The bullwhip snapped through the air like ozone burning the air after a vicious lighting strike. It wrapped itself around Jonah Hex's neck. With a muscled tug, it jerked him completely off his horse. He fell to the ground in a cloud of dust as his animal tore up chunks of earth all around him.

"Let's kill that ugly bastard! " barked the man known as Rogers. He snapped closed the lethal .10 gauge shotgun he held in his burly fists.

"Sounds okay to me, " said the bald-headed man with the bullwhip. He was affectionately known as Curly. He let loose with another SNAP of the whip. It ripped a large wound in Hex's back.

Suddenly, appearing out of the dust, a squat fat man appeared. He ran over to Hex, lying crumpled on the ground, and put up both his fists.

"You two idiots! " said the fat man. "Don't you know who this is? "

"No, " said Curly, snapping the whip. "Are we supposed to? "

"This is Jonah Hex, " replied the fat man. "Mr. Rosalyn has sent for him personally. "

"Well hell, Doc, " said Rogers. "We were instructed not to let anyone armed onto the grounds. And this feller here is armed to the teeth. "

The fat man, named Doctor Barnes, was the personal physician to Mr. Rosalyn. He bent down next to Hex, inspecting the nasty bullwhip wound.

"I'll be able to fix this up, " he said.

"You'd better be, you sawbones, " spat Hex. "Or there's going to be hell to pay. "

"Listen to that mouth on him, " said Rogers. His finger was itchy on the trigger. "Are you sure I can't blast him? "

"I'd give you one try, you bastard, " said Hex. "And then I'd bury you six-feet under. "

Rogers looked at Jonah Hex. He saw the scarred visage that stared back at him. He took note of Hex's disfigured eye, looking like a yellowed hard-boiled egg, peering out of the mass of scar tissue. And he could see the way Hex gritted his teeth through the gaping mass of melted blemishes that stretched down over his jaw.

Rogers dropped the shotgun to his side. There was no way in hell he was going to test this ugly bastard's word. No sir. He didn't want to die.

Barnes took well care of Hex's wound. It wasn't as bad as it had appeared outside in the yard. The bullwhip had sliced through Jonah's shirt and opened up a flesh wound. But it wasn't anything a few stitches, along with some whisky, couldn't help.

"Come with me, " said Barnes. "I'll introduce you to Mr. Rosalyn. "

Hex followed the sawbones through the large mansion. He was led to an open room where the sunshine burned down through a window. In the middle of the great splash of warmth, a lone man lay in a bed.

"Hex, " said Mr. Rosalyn. "It's good to see you. "

Jonah took a seat near the bed. "Your men were ready to try and kill me, " he said. "Lucky for them your sawbones showed up and stopped it. I would've planted both of them. "

"I know you would have, Mr. Hex, " said Rosalyn. "And I'm most appreciative for you not hurting them. They were only doing what I asked. " He sucked in a large gasp of air. "Now, I hope you'll do what I ask of you. "

"That's why I'm here, " replied Hex. He pulled a cigar out of his breast pocket. He lit up and lifted the match close to his bad eye. He stared at it for a second before hushing it out. "You mentioned something about a bounty? "

"Yes, " said Rosalyn. "My only son, Billy, has been kidnapped. He's been gone for nearly six months. I want you to find him and bring him back to me. " And then, almost as an afterthought: "I will pay you handsomely. "

Hex grunted. "Six months? Why has it taken you so long to try and find him? "

"Oh, I've tried countless times. I've had the Pinkerton Agency and other bounty hunters try to track him down. Nobody could find him. " Rosalyn eyed him. "I think you can, though. You come highly recommended. "

"Six months is a long time, " Hex told him. "He might already be dead. " He puffed on his cigar. "Anything you can tell me that might help me find him? "

"He's blond, " replied Rosalyn. "And he has a distinctive scar on the inside of his right wrist. You won't be able to miss it. "

"The trail will be pretty cold, " said Hex. "But I'll do my best to try and find your boy. "

"I know you will. " Rosalyn looked Hex directly in the face. He didn't blink looking at the disfigured features. "You're the best, Mr. Hex. I trust you'll find my boy. "

Hex exhaled a gun-metal hued smoke ring. "Don't go trusting me too far, " he said.

Black Oak, Arkansas

2 Weeks Later

"Come see the fight of the century! It's man versus beast! "

The barker, whose name was Frederick Bacon, stood with his arms out. He looked into the eyes of every paying customer that had come to see his spectacle.

Bacon turned around. He motioned towards a little boy that stepped out into the shadows. He was wearing nothing but a ragged pair of jeans. In the corner across from him, a snarling dog stared at him with foam spitting from its jaws.

"Will this boy be able to stay 5 minutes in the ring with the beast? " Bacon asked the crowd. "Shall we see with our own eyes? "

Amongst the crowd, old and young men began to wager their bets. Even the Black Oak sheriff, Big Jim Dandy, was in on the action. It was no true surprise that the dog was the heavy favorite. These people had come to see blood.

It was no match. The little boy ran around the saw-dust covered floor of the makeshift arena. If he was to stand a chance, it was to let the dog attack him and then do his best to pry apart its jaws until the bones broke.

But the poor little boy never stood a chance.

The dog quickly jumped atop him. And its bared fangs ripped into the boy's neck. A geyser of flesh and blood erupted into the fetid air.

Bacon looked disgusted. He pulled out a pistol and shot the dog as it ate on the boy's remains.

"This is sick! " cried a woman from the crowd.

"Possibly so, " said Bacon, "but it's for your entertainment. " He smiled a sickly grin.

He watched as the crowd began to disperse. As always, it appeared to leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth. But Bacon didn't care. Once again, he'd pulled in a nice sum of cash. It was a shame that the little boy had died, but he was easily replaced. The dog would be much harder. He gave a little thought to finding a dog that wasn't so damned mean &

And that's when Jonah Hex appeared out of the shadows.

"Yes sir? " asked Bacon. He looked at Hex's features. His skin crawled as he stared into Jonah Hex's rotten eye.

"I'm looking for a boy, " said Hex. "I'm hoping maybe you or one of your boys has seen him. "

"If I can be of any help, " replied Bacon.

"He's blond and has a distinctive scar on the inside of his right wrist, " Hex told him.

"No, " said Bacon. "He doesn't sound familiar. "

"Mind if I ask any of the other boys? "

"Go ahead, " said Bacon. He looked around Hex as the gravedigger came to retrieve the boy's corpse. He would cart him over to the mortician's office.

Hex nodded. He went and talked to the boys, but none of them admitted to seeing Billy. But there was something in a little Spanish boy's eyes that alerted Hex. The boy knew something, but was too afraid to say anything. He smelled with the stink of fear.

At midnight, a fat and heavy sickle moon cut across the bible black sky.

Sancho was only ten years old. He was the best boy in Bacon's insane child versus dog sideshow. He'd managed to stay alive for nearly a year. But he knew his time would come. It eventually came for everybody under Bacon's thumb.

However, he didn't know how close he was coming to that time just now.

He snuck into Jonah Hex's hotel room. It was located on the first floor, and Sancho had no trouble prying open the window. He slipped inside the room, bathed in the moonlight, and looked about.

Suddenly, he heard the hammer being cocked on a pistol.

"Not smart to go breaking into someone's room, " said Hex, "especially not when that someone is armed to the teeth. "

"Senor, " said Sancho. "I'm sorry for disturbing you. But I know of this Billy you asked for. If you'll come with me, I'll show you. "

"If you're dicking around with me, " said Hex. "I'll bury your scrawny little ass six-feet deep. You won't have to worry about any mangy dog getting you. "

"I'm sincere, senor, " Sancho told him. "Please, come with me. "

Hex followed the boy out of the room. The town was as silent as a graveyard as the two made their way through the shadows along main street. Finally, Sancho ground to a halt outside the township's mortician office. He beckoned for Hex down an alley, and he made his way through an open window in the back of the establishment.

"He is here, senor, " said Sancho. He wound his way through the empty caskets scarring the room. He turned towards Hex, and motioned for him to stop. "If you have a match, senor, please, light it. "

Jonah did as he was asked. He stuck a cigar between his lips and fished out a match. He snapped it to life on a hardened thumbnail. He lit the tobacco and then shone the light around the room.

"This is who you're looking for, " said Sancho. He motioned down towards a casket that contained the dead body of the boy who had been mangled by the dog. The mortician had seemingly done his best to cover up the wounds, but had still managed to fail. The gaping wound in the boy's throat was evident in the flickering light of Hex's match.

"Look here, " said Sancho. He turned over the boy's right wrist. There was a scar running across it.

Hex bent down. He held the match to the boy's hair roots. He was definitely blonde beneath the brown mop of hair.

"I'll be damned, " said Hex.

"Exactly, " said a voice from behind them. "You're one meddlesome son-of-a-bitch, Jonah Hex. "

Hex turned around. Standing behind him bathed in the shadows, was Bacon. And the bastard was holding a Colt Dragoon pointed at him.

"So sad to see you go, Sancho, " said Bacon. But I really have no choice. "

And with that, he shot the little boy straight between the eyes. Sancho reeled backward as bone and brains shot into the tepid air.

"Now, " Bacon said to Hex, "you're next. " He pointed his gun at a nearby open coffin. "Climb in, Mr. Hex. It's time for you to end up six-feet under. "

Jonah did as he was told. The coffin was a tight fit, and Hex knew he'd have little air supply once the lid was closed on him.

"Goodbye, Mr. Hex, " said Bacon, snarling. "It hasn't been a pleasure. "

Bacon closed the coffin lid shut, using the butt of his Dragoon to drive the nails through the wood.

Inside the coffin, Jonah waited until he heard Bacon leave before he began to smash his way out. He used his feet and fists to crack open the wood. Bacon hadn't accounted for Hex's strength.

Jonah climbed out of the coffin. He stood there for a second, raking in his ragged breath. Then he left the mortician's office. Behind him, he left Sancho's corpse. He figured that the undertaker would do a better job with the riddled body than he could.

"Sorry Sancho, " Hex said to the dead body, "but going after Bacon isn't going to be child's play. "

By the light of the liquid moon, Hex found Bacon's camp overlooking a steep ravine. He saw Bacon bent over a dying campfire. He quietly stole his way towards the man as he drew his pistol from its holster.

"The game is over, " Hex told the startled man. "You're not going to abuse these children anymore. "

"You're alive! " was Bacon's first response. Then he regained his composure. "Don't you understand what you're doing? Leaving these children to the beasts will keep them off the streets! It will keep the little bastards from becoming outlaws in the future. " He flashed a toothy grin. "And it will put a bounty hunter like you out of business. "

Hex motioned with his pistol towards the rocky bluffs. "Get up and move over there, " he told Bacon.

The lanky showman stood up. He moved over toward the deep incline. Then he screamed as Hex's pistol roared to life. The bullet tore through Bacon's kneecap. Blood and bone exploded into the air. Bacon, crippled, fell over backwards. In a vain attempt, he grabbed at the ledge as his body dangled over the abyss.

"Help me! " he cried. "Help me, you ugly bastard! "

Jonah was silent as he moved over towards the ledge. Then, without blinking an eye, he crushed his booted foot down on Bacon's hands. The showman lost his grip and fell down into the shadows. His scream followed him down into the darkness before a loud SPLAT announced his arrival on the rocky butte below.

"You never did have a good grip on things, " Hex muttered. He went back to his horse and saddled up. As he rode off into the night, Bacon's campfire slowly went out.

And then it was as dark as a whore's asshole.

"The boy is dead, " Hex told Barnes. "Tell Mr. Rosalyn he's gone where the son doesn't shine. "

"I'm sorry to hear that, " Barnes replied. "Mr. Rosalyn died during your trip, too. I'm glad that he wasn't alive to hear of his son's death. "

"Yeah, well, the boy is buried in a small town called Black Oak in Arkansas. I'm sure they gave him a good burial. "

"Yes, " said Barnes. "I'll have to send someone to retrieve his body. He'll need to be buried in the family cemetery. " He chewed on his cigar, rolling it back-and-forth in his fat jaws. "I'll go to see about your money. "

Barnes disappeared into the mansion. When he came back out, a fistful of dollars in his meaty fist, he could make out Hex's shadow as he rode over the far horizon.

"Blood money, " Barnes said to himself, fanning out the bills. "It's nothing more. "

And in the distance, Hex disappeared into a boiling red sun that was dipping below the earth. Slowly, his shadow dancing across the wide expanse of plains, he simply vanished.

NEXT: Mexican bandits await Jonah Hex as he crosses the border on a deadly deal. And there's an old villain, waiting in the shadows like a fat spider for the fly, which wants Jonah Hex dead &