Ghost Town Page 10

  ‘Let me in now you bastard!’ screamed Bart.

  ‘Eli!’ shouted the sheriff, ’Open the door and let Flanagan in to see his boys!’

  Eli lifted the trap door in the church and then unlocked the church door and opened it, he walked out.

  ‘Down there Flanagan,’ said Eli pointing at the trap door.

  ‘Let me see!’ he said.

  Bart walked slowly to the trap door passing the sobbing frightened women and children, as he got closer he looked down into the basement and saw the three tangled bloody bodies of his sons.

  ‘Crampton!!!Crampton!!!’ Bart spun round to see the door being shut and locked by Eli.

  ‘Crampton!!! I am going to kill you!’ he screamed.

  Bart drew his gun and clipped the harmonica like slide in place in one swift movement, he then fired at the church door the powerful handgun chipping lumps of wood out of it leaving gaping holes in the thick wooden door, the screaming was getting louder and more hysterical.

  Crampton moved to the side of the church Eli was stood behind him. he drew his guns and started blasting the windows and oil lamps, wood splintered and cracked at the force of bullets as they destroyed everything in their path, glass smashed and the lamps exploded into flames from the force of the bullets, Crampton emptied both 20 round revolvers in about 20 seconds, they sounded like hand held Gatling guns. Once the guns were spent they were still hot as Crampton crouched down to reload them. The church was blazing now the sound of people banging on the church walls and door in the last hope of a chance to live. Crampton opened up again firing low into the wooden walls below the blazing windows cutting anyone down who was still alive on the other side.

  Eli Mindel was not afraid to kill people, but even he watched Crampton in horror and eventually lowered his head at the human carnage.

  Crampton crouched down again to fill his guns up which took him about a minute he stood up again and backed off to admire his handiwork.

  Elber, Edie and company were watching the horrific slaughter from the graveyard they couldn’t see where the gunshots were coming from but the mayor said it sounded like Crampton’s guns. They could feel the heat on their faces coming from the burning church, the screaming had stopped now the only sound they could here was the crackling fire. Elber saw the mayor moving.

  ‘Everyone get down now,’ said Elber.

  All five of them ducked down behind the wall again.

  The other mayor Dalton was starting to come around as he lay in the street, he could feel the extreme pain coming from his shoulder and he managed to sit up. The church was still burning the flames reaching into the sky, he walked towards the burning door. There was a couple of crashes and the sounds of wood cracking and splintering then the doors of the church opened still burning and four figures walked out onto the veranda down the steps and into the street. All four had Stetsons and frock coats the length of which hung down to their silver spurs, they walked slowly into the centre of the street and faced the mayor. One stepped forward his eye was missing his face was studded with pieces of glass and he stared at the mayor. The mayor knew it was Bart Flanagan and his three sons stood behind him. His one black liquid eye was watching the mayor his mouth opened in a snarl.

  ‘What do you want? What do you want? Screamed the mayor

  ‘We are here until we get everything we want and we won’t leave without it!’ said Flanagan.

  ‘And what is it you want?’ said the mayor, ‘The gold is locked in the safe!’

  Joe Flanagan stepped forward and he opened his coat ready to draw, both his knees were a bloody pulp, he stood with his deformed arms at an angle.

  ‘We don’t want your fucking gold anymore Dalton we want Crampton and that little snake Mindel!’ hissed Joe.

  Isiah stepped forward he too had a black bloody hole in his skull where his eyeball used to be, the mayor couldn’t help but notice the large gash in his neck too and how it gaped open every time he moved his head. Finally, it was Bo who stepped forward the chest of his coat covered in blood and bullet holes, plus a large gash in his neck from Crampton’s silver spur.

  Their white faces and black marble like eyes staring at the mayor, they all drew their guns and Flanagan stepped forward again. Light erupted from the church and all the souls of the dead started to stream out onto the street, the four demon Flanagan’s turned and opened their mouths and a death defying scream erupted from them forcing the tortured souls back into the church. Bart took his eyeball from his pocket.

  ‘I will be watching you mayor,’ he said holding his eye up, ‘You have one hour.’

  Bart walked back to the burning church his sons holstering their guns. He turned around before he walked back into the burning inferno.

  ‘One hour mayor and then we are coming for you!’

  Sequence 9. The Deal

  Mayor Dalton made his way back to his house he went inside to his office and tried to strap up his shoulder as best he could to stop the bleeding, at least the bullet had gone straight through.

  Outside by the graveyard wall Elber stood up then Edie and the rest followed.

  ‘Well that was a sight for sore eyes,’ said Elber, ‘I have seen some evil spirits in my time but Bart Flanagan takes the biscuit with that performance, it looks like we have one hour before all hell breaks loose.’

  Samuel had returned from checking on Anna and was listening to Elber.

  ‘Elber there is also going to be a slight change to this timeline,’ he said looking at the mayor.’

  ‘Why what’s happened?’ said Elber.

  ‘Is my fault Elber,’ said the mayor, ‘I warned Anna off and told her to hide in the railway station and that I would see her later, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her again.’

  Ritchie came and put his arm around his grandfather to comfort him.

  ‘I understand grandfather,’ he said.

  ‘How will Anna make any difference anyway?’ said Edie.

  ‘Well very shortly in the original timeline Anna would have been murdered in her house,’ said Elber.

  They heard the familiar footsteps and spurs walking down the street again.

  ‘Everybody down,’ whispered Elber.

  Crampton walked down the burning street carrying his saddlebag, with Eli Mindel tagging on behind, he made his way to the mayor’s house.

  ‘And that is Anna Daltons would be murderer mayor,’ said Elber.

  ‘Oh, my god!’ exclaimed the mayor, ‘And I thought it was Bart Flanagan.’

  The other mayor was sat in his office drinking a whiskey, he heard the front door open and the clink of the spurs walking toward the office door, Crampton had told Eli to wait outside and keep watch. He walked straight in the office put his bag down, he grabbed a glass and sat down at the desk in front of the mayor, he poured himself a whiskey and drank it off in one go and looked at him.

  ‘You’re not supposed to be here Dalton,’ said Crampton, ‘It should be that pretty wife of yours,’

  ‘What do you mean?’ said the mayor cringing with pain as he lifted his glass up and nervously took a sip.

  ‘You haven’t got a clue what’s been happening, have you?’ said Crampton.

  ‘I know that Bart Flanagan and his boy’s want you and Mindel at the church within the hour and they didn’t look very happy,’ said the mayor.

  ‘You were all for getting rid of them for good this morning Dalton?’

  ‘Yes, and I told you to try and solve it without any more bloodshed and loss of life, look outside now Crampton the town is totally destroyed and most of our innocent hard working community are dead thanks to you and that so-called preacher of yours.’

  ‘You haven’t got the combination for the safe either, have you?’ said Crampton.

  ‘Eh! No! what are you talking about?’

  ‘You don’t even know where your wife is do you?’ said Crampton.

  ‘My wife! Why? Where is she?’

  Crampton stood up realizing what was happening and
clicked the triggers forward on his revolvers.

  ‘Sorry Dalton you’re the wrong fucking mayor!’ he said.

  ‘Huh?’ said the mayor.

  He drew his guns and fired six shots into the mayors body the force of the shots pushing him and the chair backwards to the floor, Crampton went around the table to the mayor who was still breathing.

  ‘I thought we had an agreement Crampton,’ he coughed and spluttered as the blood filled his mouth.

  ‘I told you earlier mayor our arrangement is now null and void,’ said Crampton.

  ‘What do you mean, you never said nothing?’ he coughed again the blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

  ‘I know,’ said Crampton, ‘Not to you anyway.’

  He pulled the hammer back with his thumb and shot the mayor in between the eyeballs blowing his brains onto the carpet.

  ‘Eli!’ shouted Crampton.

  Eli came running in from outside.

  ‘Take Daltons body upstairs somewhere and make sure it is hidden out of sight, we don’t want the other mayor to see it.’

  ‘Yes sheriff.’

  ‘And when you have done that search what’s left of this fucking town for his wife and when you find her bring her to me and don’t harm her.’

  ‘Yes sheriff,’ said Eli, he picked the dead mayor up and carried him over his shoulder to the stairs.

  ‘By the sound of them gunshots I have the feeling you have just been shot mayor,’ said Elber, ‘And I think Crampton will be coming for you next.’

  ‘Well we have less than an hour to wrap things up now,’ said Samuel, ‘Or we will be back to square one.’

  ‘So, what do you want us to do Samuel?’ said Elber.

  ‘I want you and Edie to go up to the Dethrock mines I have a funny feeling that is where you will find the sheriffs double dead,’ said Samuel, ‘I suspect that when the other sheriff and Mindel rode out of town at 2pm, Mindel had his orders from the timeline sheriff to kill him when he was least expecting it and riding behind him like he was it would have been the perfect cowardly opportunity for Mindel.’

  ‘I think I would have been a bit nervous with that too, knowing Crampton’s quick draw technique,’ said Ritchie.

  ‘Crampton knew from experience that getting rid of his other self would give him the freedom to go where he pleased in town without the danger of bumping into his double. He learned this from his experience of the time loop so he did the same thing with Mindel in the church and finally when he knew he was talking to the wrong mayor a few minutes ago he shot him too.’

  ‘So, we are all free to walk about now without fear of our other selves?’ said the mayor.

  ‘Correct mayor,’ said Samuel, ‘But I would like you Amos and Ritchie to stay here and watch your house for Crampton and Mindel coming out.’

  ‘And what about you Samuel,’ said Elber.

  ‘I am off to make a deal with the devil,’ said Samuel.

  Elber watched Samuel head towards the flaming church, the spiral of light towering above it.

  *****

  Samuel floated towards the burning church and entered the fire, he followed the aura of spiralling white light that reached into the night sky and at the very top was a red vortex like cloud that seemed to be holding the aura down. As he rose upwards he notice all the souls of the men, women and children of the town of Dethrock, they were floating around him some came close to him as if asking for help. He noticed Amelia and Jake Reynolds with their two children holding hands and waiting to go through the light at the top of the aura which the Flanagan’s were holding down. Samuel felt so sorry for the Reynolds a whole family wiped out in one day because of the greed of a few men. He looked at them as he rose up the tears in their eyes said it all and the least he could do was try and free them.

  The light started to turn red he knew he was close to the Flanagan’s now, Samuel couldn’t be harmed but he was still frightened of the unknown like he was when he was a little child.

  ‘What do you want future boy?’ roared a voice above him.

  ‘I want to talk to Bart Flanagan!’ said Samuel.

  ‘You are a soul spirit from the future!’ said the voice, ‘How is that?’

  ‘It’s a long story!’ said Samuel, ‘But yes I am from the future, I want to speak to Bart Flanagan I may have something of interest to tell him and maybe we could make a deal!’

  ‘And why would Bart Flanagan want to make a deal with you, future boy?’

  ‘Well I may have information concerning something that you want!’ said Samuel.

  ‘You don’t have anything that I will ever want future boy, so go back down to your earth spirit friends, I don’t have any quarrel with you or them I just want Crampton and Mindel then I will release the Dethrock souls and you can all go back to where you came from.’

  ‘So you are Bart Flanagan?’ said Samuel.

  ‘Very clever future boy!’

  ‘I could draw one or both of them out into the open for you, we have something that he wants!’ said Samuel.

  ‘And what would that something be?’

  ‘I have the combination to the safe in the bank that holds the towns gold!’ said Samuel.

  ‘Very good future boy and what is the information that you have for me?’

  ‘It concerns the murder of your wife!’ said Samuel.

  Everything went silent for about one minute then Samuel automatically rose up further into the red cloud and before him the four Flanagan’s stood in line.

  Bart Flanagan came forward to Samuel his white face, pieces of broken glass studded his features and the gaping hole where his eyeball used to be, he stared at Samuel for a few seconds with his remaining black marble like eye.

  ‘Okay future boy what have you got for me?’

  ‘The night your wife was murdered two horses rode into town, Anna Dalton was suspicious and went to the stables and she found an earring by one of the horses.’ Said Samuel.

  ‘Whose horse?

  ‘Crampton’s.’ said Samuel.

  Bart Flanagan seemed to stagger backwards from where he stood like he had been hit by a lead weight and lost his balance, his three sons came forward to aid him, Samuel thought this was very unusual, what with Flanagan being a spirit himself, but they were not killers and they hadn’t killed anyone. Samuel remembered when he knew he could never touch or hold his wife Josephine again and how sad he felt himself. Even souls have feelings he thought even evil ones.

  ‘I take it you have seen the earring future boy? So describe it to me,’ said Bart.

  Samuel described the leaf like earring and the indent.

  ‘No diamond in the indent?’ said Bart.

  ‘No whatever jewel was in there had been taken out,’ said Samuel.

  ‘The future boy is telling the truth Father; the diamonds are in Crampton’s guns I have seen them!’ said Isiah.

  ‘So, all this time Crampton and Mindel were the two low life pieces of shit that murdered, raped and robbed my pregnant wife, all these years showing his fucking concern for her death and how he had telegraphed the Marshall and his deputy’s. He lied through his teeth with that low life bible puncher and know I am going to make them both suffer for what they did to her!’ screamed Bart.

  ‘I have a plan Bart,’ said Samuel, ‘But I need your cooperation and I promise you will get them both and you can do whatever you want to them.’

  Bart Flanagan stared at Samuel again, his three sons gathered round him while he spoke to them, after a few minutes Bart spoke.

  ‘So, you have come to make a deal with Bart Flanagan future boy?’

  ‘Yes!’ said Samuel.

  ‘I want to know everything that has been said and what you have been up to since you got here!’ said Bart.

  ‘I will tell you everything,’ said Samuel, ‘Let’s start.’

  ‘Very well future boy you have a deal, but I want them two bastards alive me and my sons have a bone to pick with them literally! So, what is it you want?’

/>   *****

  Eli Mindel left the mayors house and walked down towards the bank, he took a quick look around, dead bodies were still laying in the street where they had fallen, Jake Reynolds body was still at the side of the locked safe in an unrecognisable state. Eli went out of the back open door and walked towards the station.

  Anna was still crouched down in the corner she had probably been here for about an hour so she thought. She heard a noise outside which caused her to stand up, she was hoping it would be William coming back to get her, she hid the revolver in her coat pocket and waited.

  Whoever it was had now entered the station office, she could hear footsteps walking towards the door of the mail room and the door opened. Eli had lit a lamp and as he walked in he saw her standing in the corner.

  ‘Oh, Eli thank god!’ she said, ‘I thought it was one of them Flanagan’s, did William send you to get me?’

  ‘Yes he did ma’am, don’t worry he told me where you were and I told him I would take you back to him,’ said Eli.

  *****

  Samuel arrived back to the rest of the group.

  ‘How did it go Samuel?’ said Elber.

  ‘Everything went well Elber considering the situation,’ said Samuel, ‘Bart Flanagan and his boys have no grievance with any of us, he just wants Crampton and Mindel, how did you get on at the gold mine?’

  ‘Me and Edie found the sheriff as you said Samuel, multiple gunshot wounds in the back,’ said Elber.

  ‘What about the Dalton house?’

  ‘The preacher left the house about 10 minutes ago,’ said the mayor, ‘I suspect he has gone looking for Anna, I think I will go and see what he is up to.’

  ‘No mayor I need you here to lure Crampton out into the open,’ said Samuel.

  ‘But what about Anna?’

  ‘Anna will be fine mayor even if Mindel does find her.’

  ‘So we are going to use the mayor as bait?’ said Elber.

  ‘That is correct my friend, the mayor as the combination for the safe and Crampton wants it.’