Ghost Town

by Michael Collins

  *****

  Samuel floated straight upward through the church he saw the sheriff and preacher leaving the church, behind the altar he also noticed the preacher who had just been murdered by Crampton, he knew straight away that this was the preachers other self from the timeline and he had been taken out of the equation so he could not interfere with their plans. He decided he would have a look around and see if he could see something that may help, he saw four men riding into the town this looked like the Flanagan’s that he had been told of earlier, one of them went over to the mayor’s office, Samuel identified him as Bart Flanagan. He made his way to the bank there was a few people inside signing documents.

  ‘Just sign here please mister Logan,’ said Emilia Reynolds, ‘This will ensure that your claim is safe and will pass to your family in the event of your untimely demise.’

  Logan quickly signed the form with an X, Emilia folded it up and put it to one side till she finished with the others. Samuel glanced out of the window he thought he saw the preacher walking past. Emilia stood up and got all the signed papers together she went into the back safe room.

  ‘More signed documents for you father, ‘She said, she put them on his desk and went back to the cash counter.

  ‘Thank you, Emilia,’ said her father lighting a cigar up.

  Samuel watched Jake Reynolds pick the papers up and go over to the huge black safe, he started to turn the dial, Samuel watched until he heard the safe click and Jake opened it. He put the papers on the bottom shelf with the rest, there was plenty room in the safe and on the top shelf were bundles of dollar bills. He closed the safe and went back to his desk.

  Samuel went back outside again on to the street, the sheriff was speaking to the three Flanagan sons, Samuel noticed the huge guns in the sheriff’s holsters. Samuel went across to the sheriff’s office he noticed the preacher who he had seen earlier standing on the veranda outside he was holding a rifle.

  Inside the office was a whiskey bottle on the table and a glass, the jail cell itself was empty there was a bunk inside the cell with a straw mattress. Samuel looked through the rusty bars in the window he could see up the Dethrock valley hills towards the gold mines.

  Sheriff Jethro Cramton entered the office, Samuel spun round forgetting that the sheriff couldn’t see him, he sat down at his desk and put his feet up tilting his Stetson back with his finger. Eli Mindel followed him in and shut the door.

  ‘Did you take care of him or should I say me Eli?’ he laughed at his own wit.

  ‘Yes, sheriff I shot him in the back he didn’t see it coming either, he was very dead when I left him,’ he said.

  ‘Very good Eli. Did you get all the gold?’ said Crampton.

  ‘Most of it sheriff,’ said Eli, ‘I stored it last night.’

  ‘I hope no one saw you,’ he said.

  ‘Nope I was very discreet sheriff,’ said Eli.

  ‘What about the saddlebags?’

  ‘All in place like you told me sheriff.’

  ‘Good you know what to do now don’t you?’

  Eli nodded and started to leave.

  ‘Somethings not right sheriff,’ said Eli.

  ‘And why do you think that Eli?’

  ‘Oh, it just feels like I have been here before,’ he said.

  The sheriff stared at him, Eli didn’t like it when he did this to him and felt uncomfortable.

  ‘Just do what I tell you Eli and everything will be okay,’ said Crampton.

  Eli left the office, the sheriff watched him leave. He stood up and walked to the window and watched Eli cross the street. After a few moments, he turned around as if he was listening, his eyeballs searching for something, Samuel wondered if Crampton could sense his presence, the sheriff smiled to himself pulled his hat forward and went towards the door, then he turned around.

  ‘I know there is someone in here,’ he said, ‘I know you are watching me, I can feel your presence whoever you are, I take it you have found the loop?’

  He turned and left the office slamming the door behind him.

  Samuel stood there gobsmacked he couldn’t believe what had just happened, somehow the sheriff knew he was there, he wondered if he had seen him, butterflies were in his stomach as he went to the window, the sheriff popped his head in front of the glass pane and smiled, Samuel jumped back in shock. After a few moments, he went back to the window and saw him walking towards the mayor’s office.

  ‘Oh, my god,’ thought Samuel, ‘The sheriff and preacher are both in the loop too.’

  Sequence 5. The Time Loop

  Samuel went back to the underground dynamite storeroom; the mayor was still there sat huddled in the corner.

  ‘That was quick!’ said the mayor.

  ‘Time means nothing when you are in this time loop mayor,’ said Samuel, ‘It is the same for me in the blue haze,’

  ‘So, what did you manage to find out?’ said the mayor.

  ‘Well I do know that the sheriff and that skinny little preacher are in the time loop and up to no good,’ said Samuel, ‘I found the other preacher dead behind the altar in the church he had been knifed through the temple, Crampton and Mindel didn’t want to risk meeting their own selves otherwise the time sequence starts all over again and that also goes for you too mayor.

  ‘How can that be?’ said the mayor.

  ‘Well you told me he was the only one apart from yourself with access to the entrance in the graveyard.’

  ‘Err yes that’s correct.’

  ‘So somehow they got down here and it must have been before you,’ said Samuel.

  ‘You say the last time you saw the sheriff was when he went into the saloon?’ said Samuel.

  ‘Yes, that’s right,’ said the mayor.

  ‘He could have been wounded himself in the saloon explosion and when he came round he saw the town burning and decided to go and get the gold for himself knowing the town situation was futile,’ said Samuel, ‘But he must have come down here after the church massacre or he wouldn’t have been in the loop in the first place and he wouldn’t have been able to get back, now had he come down earlier he could have collected the gold and been miles away with it, but they couldn’t because they were trapped like you.’

  ‘I see!’ said the mayor.’ Couldn’t he have come down through the church trapdoor beforehand though? He could have moved it then.’

  ‘Yes, but why would he do that? How was he to know there was going to be a time loop blocking his path? And if what you say is true mayor, he was obviously planning to take the gold.’

  ‘So, what do we do next?’ said the mayor.

  ‘Me and you are going up there together mayor,’ said Samuel.

  ‘What about your friend on the other side?’

  ‘We have to find out a little more yet mayor,’

  ‘How long will the light shield be there Samuel?’ said the mayor.

  ‘Until we get retribution on the perpetrators to the massacre mayor, once that is done the spirits of the dead will leave taking the light shield with them, the Flanagan’s are the ones that are holding them in the church, you have seen them driven back yourself mayor, the spirits are afraid of them and until the Flanagan’s get what they want the shield is here to stay.’

  ‘So, what do you suggest Samuel?’ said the mayor.

  ‘I think it’s about time we paid Bart Flanagan and his boys a visit.’ said Samuel.

  ‘What!’ exclaimed the mayor.

  They went to the trap door and waited for the sheriff and the preacher to leave the church, the mayor put his pocket watch forward to 12:10pm.

  ‘Okay,’ said Samuel, ‘We wait till 2pm then we go to the saloon, I want to do the talking I will tell you what to say.’

  *****

  At 2pm they made their way to the saloon, they passed the sheriff who was riding out of town with Eli Mindel, he looked at the mayor in surprise.

  ‘Afternoon Dalton,’ said the sheriff.

  ‘Good afternoon to you too,’ said the m
ayor.

  Crampton stopped and looked at took his watch out of his waistcoat and opened it, he looked at the mayor quizzically.

  ‘It’s a bit early for prayers don’t you think mayor? Plus, the preacher is coming with me,’ said Crampton.

  ‘I don’t need the preacher to pray sheriff,’ said the mayor.

  Samuel was watching from behind the mayor, he was certain Crampton knew he was there, he told the mayor to mention the church lamps.

  ‘Plus, I was just checking on the church lamps, they can be a bit of a fire hazard you know.’

  The sheriff looked at the mayor as if trying to weigh him up.

  ‘Well done Dalton, good thinking,’ said Crampton, ‘Good day to you.’

  The sheriff rode on Samuel was watching him as he went on his way, the sheriff turned around to look again but he wasn’t looking at the mayor.

  They walked into the saloon it was empty apart from the Bart Flanagan and his sons sat round the table talking.

  ‘Well look whose just walked in pa?’ said Isiah, ‘If it ain’t the town mayor.’

  ‘Mayor Dalton!’ said Bart, ‘Have you come to tell me you have decided to give me my gold?’

  ‘Afraid not Bart,’ said the mayor, ‘But I do want to know what you are going to do if we don’t.’

  ‘Bart Flanagan stood up.

  ‘Is this some kind of fucking joke Dalton?’ said Bart, ‘I told you what I am going to do earlier.’

  ‘Does that mean destroying all the town and killing innocent men, women and children?’ said the mayor.

  ‘What in god’s name are you talking about Dalton? said Bart, his three sons stood up to join him, ‘What the fuck do you take me for Dalton, I just want what is mine for me and my boys, we don’t kill women and children, all I want is my rightful claim to what should have been our gold, so go and get it now!’

  Samuel was still stood behind the mayor telling him what to say, he was probing and testing Bart Flanagan pushing him to the limit, he knew he was putting the mayor on the spot and in probable danger but he needed to see how Flanagan reacted. The mayor himself was feeling a bit uneasy too talking like this, but he had an idea now of how the situation would end if Bart Flanagan drew his guns and shot him, in other words he would be back in the dynamite store to relive it all over again he thought.

  ‘And what if we refuse to give you what you want?’ said the mayor.

  Bart Flanagan pulled the gun out of his breast holster and clicked the harmonica bullet clip in place, he pulled back the hammer with his right thumb, the mayor jumped back in shock.

  ‘That would be a very foolish thing to do Dalton on your part, think very carefully before you act,’ said Bart, ’I will be fucking watching you mayor.’

  The mayor had his hands in the air nodding his head.

  ‘I think you understand me now Dalton,’ he said, pulling the clip out of the gun and sitting down again, his three sons sat down again with their father as the mayor made his way to the bar for a drink.

  When they finally got back outside he looked at Samuel.

  ‘Phew that was a close one Samuel,’ he said, ‘I hope you learned something from the encounter, because I certainly did?’

  Eli Mindel was back from the gold mines and was walking across the road in the direction of the bank carrying saddlebags.

  ‘Wait for me in the church,’ Said Samuel, ‘Keep out of sight.’

  The mayor made his way to the church, Samuel followed Eli round the back of the bank he saw him place the saddle bags next to the large wood container he opened one up as if to check and Samuel saw the dynamite.

  Samuel made his way back to the church.

  Dalton was stood on the veranda by the church door he had heard movement behind him, it was Crampton he had come from round the back of the church.

  ‘What are you up to Dalton?’ he said.

  ‘I might ask you the same thing Crampton,’ he said.

  ‘How did you get into the loop?’ said Crampton, ‘And who is your friend? I know you can see him Dalton and I can sense him.’

  ‘I found the loop by accident when I came back to the grave and my friend here is from the future, ‘he said, ‘I came back for the gold Crampton just like you, but when I got here it was gone and I couldn’t get back through the shield.’

  The only way you can go back is to rid the town of the evil Flanagan’s,’ said Crampton.

  Samuel was listening and watching.

  ‘And how do you plan to get back Crampton?’

  ‘Today is the day I get rid of the Flanagan’s once and for all then I can get back to the real world,’ said Crampton, ‘Like you I have lived and died this day over and over again and so far, I have been unlucky, but the time loop makes you remember your mistakes so eventually I should get it right and hopefully today will be that day. We are on the verge of life and death here Dalton and as soon as we are able to pass back through that light shield again we revert back to mortal human beings.

  ‘Why not just get rid of the Flanagan’s instead and stay in Dethrock it would change the timeline and you could live forever in this loop,’ said the mayor, who was beginning to understand everything that Samuel had told him.

  ‘Because I want the gold Dalton and I want to enjoy it in the real world, I don’t want to be stuck in this town for all eternity, and in a few hours’ the Flanagan’s will grant me my wish.

  ‘And what about our partnership?’

  ‘You have served your purpose mayor and from this moment on our partnership is null and void,’ Crampton put his hand in the holsters to click the triggers forward.

  ‘So, you had it all planned all the time Crampton, everything was orchestrated by you and your sidekick?’

  ‘Of course,’ he said, ‘I have had a lot of help from the preacher, he has been going down to our secret store through the night and bringing the gold to the bottom of the grave steps, plus some dynamite which I thought would come in handy.’

  ‘So, that accounts for the empty boxes then at the bottom of the grave steps?’ said the mayor.

  ‘You are right again mayor,’ said Crampton, ‘And now if you will excuse me I have an appointment with time and I don’t want to be late.’

  Crampton drew both his guns in a flash, he fired them both simultaneously the force and sounds of the bullets knocking the mayor back into the church he staggered backwards as the 12 bullets entered his body. Crampton re holstered his guns took his hat off and swept his long black hair back.

  ‘I will see you and your friend shortly mayor,’ he said laughing.

  Mayor Dalton was back in the store it was 8pm, he jumped up with the shock of just being shot and felt his chest for wounds but there wasn’t any as he expected. He made his way back to the church, as he got to the secret door Emilia Reynolds was walking towards him, behind her were the men, women and children as usual their arms were outstretched as if begging to him, the ghostly entourage stopped.

  ‘Help us!’ she said, ‘Help us!’

  *****

  Back in the passage under the church Elber, Edie, Ritchie and Amos were waiting patiently for Samuel to return, it seemed like he had only been gone a few minutes when he came back through the light shield.

  ‘The sheriff knows!’ said Samuel to Elber.

  ‘He knows what?’ said Elber.

  The other three looked at Elber wondering what the hell was happening.

  ‘The sheriff is somehow in the time loop,’ said Samuel pointing at the flickering light shield, ‘This light shield was generated by all the spirits of the dead in Dethrock and it takes you back about 8 hours before the actual event occurred.’

  Elber was listening intently.

  ‘The sheriff is trying to manipulate the timeline for his own means,’ said Samuel, ‘Once he disposes of the Flanagan’s the light shield should disappear, this will release the spirits in turn allowing him to come back through the timeline, the thing is he thinks he will be going back to his own timeline of 1850, when
in reality he will be coming back into our timeline of 1950.’

  ‘We have to stop him,’ said Elber, ‘Can we go through now?’

  ‘Yes, but if you do you will be stranded there until you free the spirits or none of you will get back to your own timeline,’ said Samuel, ‘You could of course walk away now and just leave it as it is while you can. I really think you should explain this to your friends before you decide to go through that light shield and what the consequences could be.’

  Sequence 6. The Bank

  After 20 minutes Elber had explained everything to Edie, Amos and Ritchie plus all the consequences and danger of what could happen to them once they go through into the loop.

  They spoke amongst themselves and It didn’t take them long to come to a decision, they had come all this way together so they decided they would all finish it together.

  They stepped through the light shield one at a time and were introduced to the mayor in the dynamite store. They were all made aware that they couldn’t return till the task was complete. Elber brought them all up to date with the time sequences and watch settings and what they would be dealing with just like Samuel had explained to him. While he was doing this the mayor went down to the general store to see Janay and get some adequate clothing for the group to make them look less conspicuous, rather than use the main street he went down the backs of the buildings to allay any suspicion from other people and mainly bumping into himself.

  ‘The rear of the church will be the base meeting point for us all, this is so we don’t run into Crampton and the preacher, Samuel believes that their timeline begins in the church itself,’ said Elber, ‘Now if disaster should strike any us you will find yourselves back in the dynamite store in the passageway below and the time will be 8pm again, this will occur until the situation in Dethrock is resolved, there is no turning back now and we are committed, in fact if we don’t succeed we are trapped here forever.’

  The mayor came back with the clothes and hats.

  ‘Right put these clothes on and try and blend in with the town folk, try not to draw suspicion to yourselves especially if you are near the sheriff or preacher,’ said Elber.