Ghost Town

by Michael Collins

  The made their way to the mayor’s house.

  ‘Oh by the way mayor you know that sending Anna down to the station like you did will disrupt the timeline, I know what your plan is,’ said Samuel smiling.

  ‘Samuel, there are more important things in life than gold and I am willing to take that chance,’ said the mayor.

  Bart Flanagan raised his head above the barrels and watched the mayor go into his house, he smiled to himself.

  *****

  Eli took Bo and Isiah into the church and sat them on the pews, he put the saddlebags down which contained their weapons, the turret rifle he propped against the pew.

  ‘Be back soon Sheriff need to go to the mayors house I have just seen something weird,’ said Eli.

  Crampton looked at him puzzled.

  ‘Don’t forget what you have to do Mindel I don’t want any more cock ups I want to go back tonight whatever it takes,’ said Crampton, ‘I will be in the saloon in 15 minutes.’

  ‘Okay sheriff,’ he said and he ran out of the church.

  Crampton turned to his prisoners Isiah’s shoulder was still bleeding through his coat.

  ‘Nice you could make it,’ said Crampton, ‘I have been waiting for you, your brother Joe was here earlier and he fell through the trap door.’

  He lifted the door so they could both see down into the basement, Joe was laid there in the same position his body a was tangled bloody mess.

  ‘You bastard Crampton, my pa will be coming for you,’ said Bo.

  ‘Funny that’s what your brother said before I blew his fucking knee caps off.’ Said Crampton.

  Crampton pulled the knife out of his boot sheaf and grabbing Isiah by the hair he plunged it into his right eye scooping it round and popping it out like a peach stone, Isiah screamed out as Crampton pulled his head back and cut his throat to the bone, Isiah’s head flopped back and a fountain of blood gushed out. Bo was covered in his brother’s blood he was struggling and screaming to get his hands free. Crampton still had hold of Isiah’s hair and dragged him to the trap door sticking the knife in his stomach as he threw him through the trap door head first.

  Bo kicked out at Crampton even though his arms were still tied behind his back. Crampton kicked him hard in the groin, Bo keeled over and fell on his side moaning in agony. Crampton lifted his foot up and goose stepped it back down into Bo’s neck, the Star of his spur gouging into Bo’s throat as the blood drained from his body Crampton drew his guns and shot him in the chest, Bo’s body was jerking and exploding as 6 bullets hit their target at point blank range. Crampton kicked Bo down the cellar and once again slammed the trap door shut, he noticed Isiah’s eye on the floor he walked over and kicked it towards the corner of the church, he sat down on the pew and reloaded his guns.

  Crampton heard footsteps running on the church veranda and door swung open, it was Eli and he was totally out of breath.

  ‘Sheriff! Sheriff! Dalton thinks we did it!’ screamed Eli gasping for breath.

  ‘Did what!’

  ‘Murdered Flanagan’s wife!’ said Eli.

  ‘Now just calm down a bit Eli and tell me what you heard,’ said Crampton.

  ‘I was listening at his window he was talking to Anna, she said she heard horses running past her house on the night Bart’s wife was murdered, she went to the stables later and found a gold earring near your horse and it belonged to Bart Flanagan’s wife!’ said Eli.

  Crampton stood up his face was red.

  ‘I fucking knew she would be trouble!’ screamed Crampton, ‘They have no proof Eli that gold earring could be anybody’s.’

  ‘But what about the diamonds?’ said Eli looking at Crampton’s guns

  ‘Damn!’ said Crampton, ‘You know what you have to do Eli, go do it now.

  Anna Dalton ran into the railway station she noticed the mail room door was open and went inside the room was empty and she shut the door. There was a small window about 6inch square near the ceiling she crouched down in the corner clutching the gun. Then she heard the first explosion the flash from it lighting up the room from the small window.

  *****

  In 1850 most of the gold in the Dethrock valley had been mined, this of course would have been noticed by the sheriff on his visits to the mine in my story, he would have realized the output was slowing down and that the mines of Dethrock were almost done. In my research, I found out that the licencing laws, taxes and any gold claims found after 1850 had to be done legally and this happened between 1850 and 1855 this eventually became the law. The documents that were signed in the bank for their shares were legal papers. When I looked into this the only thing that was wrong was only one copy for each person. If I had been in their shoes in the 1850s and probably knowing what I know now I would have wanted a duplicate copy.

  My story states that 80 kilos were locked in the safe, now to put that in perspective in 1850 that would be worth $57,000, £46,846 not a great amount but today in 2016 it would be roughly worth $3,304,000. £2,715,430 MC

  Sequence 8. The Flanagan’s Return

  Eli Mindel left the church and made his way to the stables, the sheriff had told him to open the doors to let the horses bolt before destroying the building. Mindel was quite confused at this request from Crampton who at a whim could slaughter innocent people without a care in the world and yet when it came to horses his conscience wouldn’t allow him to do it.

  Next door was the blacksmiths, directly across the road was the gun shop and next to this was the undertakers. Eli kept his head down as he saw the mayor leaving the railway station and walk up the street. Eli new what order he was going to do it and he lit the first fuse he then run to the next one and lit it, after getting across the road to the gun shop he waited for the first two explosions.

  He didn’t have to wait long, the whole town erupted with the first two explosions, the mayor who was halfway home hit the deck when he felt the blast. Mindel lit the next two fuses and ran further up the street to the town houses. The dynamite was put in place and without any remorse for the innocent people Mindel lit the fuses.

  Crampton was walking down the street towards the saloon the whole town was starting to burn now as two more explosions blew the town houses up, women and children were screaming and the injured and dying were laying in the street. Crampton reached onto his holsters and clicked the triggers forward ready. He walked into the saloon it was empty, tables and chairs were scattered about due to the recent activity and half a dozen body’s lay dead under the window which Eli had shot, he could hear Eli outside shouting to all the women and children to go to the church for safety. Crampton went over to the bar opened the saddlebag and placed a stick of dynamite with the fuse cut short on top of the bar and at the side of it he laid a single match. He helped himself to a bottle and 2 glasses, he poured the drinks and waited.

  Bart Flanagan had seen Crampton go in the saloon he was still hiding amongst the barrels across the road. He started running towards the saloon, he was surprised to see the mayor again in the street, Bart had just seen him go into his house.

  ‘What the fucks going on in this crazy town!’ he screamed.

  He ran past the mayor towards the saloon.

  ‘Where are my son’s Crampton you fucking bastard!’ screamed Bart as he ran towards the saloon brandishing his gun.

  He ran through the doors and Crampton had his back to him.

  ‘Where are my boys Crampton!’

  Crampton drunk his whiskey and filled his glass up again.

  ‘Turn around Crampton!’ said Bart pointing his gun at him.

  ‘Now you wouldn’t shoot a man in the back would you Bart?’

  ‘No but in your case I could make a fucking exception!’

  Crampton slowly turned to face Bart, shards of glass still peppered over his face and thin lines of blood ran down his neck onto his white shirt collar. In a way Crampton was thinking about letting Bart shoot him and he would wake up again in the church with Mindel and he could relive the timeli
ne again this time securing the combination for the safe by keeping Jake Reynolds alive, each new timeline was becoming a chore for Crampton because some memories were lost and others retained, plus he had the added pain of Dalton who was on to him now.

  ‘Where are my son’s Crampton?’ said Bart, the harmonica gun pointing at the sheriff’s chest.

  ‘They are in the church Flanagan.’

  ‘Let’s hope they are okay Crampton for your sake.’

  ‘Would you like a drink?’ he said.

  ‘No! I want to see my boys!’

  ‘And what about the gold Bart? have you lost interest in your so called fucking legacy that you think is righteously yours?’ said Crampton.

  ‘Well to what I have heard Crampton you can’t get the gold either,’ said Bart.

  ‘Yes, that is a bit of an annoying problem at the moment Flanagan,’ said Crampton, he was just about to make a move and let Flanagan shoot him so he could relive the timeline again.

  ‘I know where you can get the combination!’ blurted Bart

  ‘You what?

  ‘You heard me Crampton!’ said Bart.

  ‘In that case, perhaps we can come to some agreement,’ said Crampton.

  ‘Not until I see my sons!’

  ‘You drive a hard bargain Flanagan, but I am afraid I can’t let you do that till I get the combination,’ he said, Crampton turned around to the bar picked his whiskey up and drank it off, he put the glass down picked up the dynamite and match striking it as he turned around, he lit the short fuse.

  ‘Wha! Are you fucking crazy Crampton?’

  He threw the dynamite at Flanagan’s feet and leaped over the bar Flanagan dived behind an over turned table as the explosion wrecked the saloon bar. Flanagan screamed out as splintered chair leg had hit him in the eye and embedding itself in his eye socket.

  Crampton stood up as the dust was settling again and walked around the bar to Flanagan, he was wriggling about in agony on the floor.

  ‘You are fucking crazy Crampton!’ he screamed.

  Crampton got hold of the splintered chair leg and twisted it in Bart’s eye socket, his screams filled the empty saloon.

  ‘Who has got the combination?

  ‘Fuck you Crampton!’ hissed Flanagan.

  Crampton twisted the splinter a little more.

  ‘Alright! alright I will tell you!’ he shouted.

  ‘Who?’ said Crampton.

  ‘I overheard the mayor who I thought was talking to someone about the combination but when I looked there was only him there!’ he said.

  Crampton new straight away what Flanagan meant.

  ‘Then he went into his house saying he was going to write it down!’ continued Flanagan.

  Crampton realized now that the mayors so called friend from the future was in the bank before the robbery and had memorised the combination for the safe.

  ‘Thankyou Flanagan for being so cooperative you have been very helpful, it seems there still maybe be a glimmer of hope to finish this today.’ Said Crampton.

  He went back to the bar again and took another stick of dynamite out of the saddle bag as he walked to the back door, he lit the fuse and threw it close to Flanagan.

  ‘Oh! By the way your sons are in the church Flanagan and they are dying to see you,’ said Crampton laughing as he ran out of the back door.

  Flanagan jumped up onto his feet and grabbed the harmonica gun, the chair leg splinter still painfully stuck in his eye socket and started to run for the swing doors as the explosion blew him out onto the street, the mayor was running towards him and also watching was Ritchie and Amos.

  ‘Good lord Amos it is like a blooming war zone in this street,’ said Ritchie.

  *****

  After blowing up half the town and setting the other half on fire as inconspicuously as possible Eli Mindel was now getting all the women and children together and leading them to the church, he had seen Crampton go into the saloon followed by Flanagan.

  Eli Mindel had first met Crampton in 1844 in San Francisco just before the gold rush where they became very good friends, after 12 months or so Crampton had moved on looking for a gold claim with William Dalton leaving Eli behind in the city. When he was a young man Eli was an avid church goer and never missed his Sunday mass. As far as being a preacher goes he wasn’t, so when he came looking for gold with the rest of the immigrants in 1846 he thought that being dressed like one would make him more acceptable to a potential community, fortunately he found his way to the Dethrock valley and the rest is history.

  Samuel floated out of the mayor’s house after giving the safe combination to the mayor who wrote it down, he saw Elber and went over to him and Edie who were outside the bank.

  ‘Where is Ritchie and Amos?’ said Samuel.

  ‘They were over by the saloon the last time I saw them,’ said Elber.

  ‘We all need to stick together now until this timeline ends, I think it is near its conclusion now,’ said Samuel, ‘As soon as the light shield starts to vanish we all need to be near at hand.’

  ‘Where is the mayor?’ said Elber.

  ‘He is in his office I have just given him the combination for the safe, he wrote it down and put it in his pocket.’

  ‘I suggest we all keep out of direct sight, it’s all going to kick off shortly Crampton and Flanagan are in the saloon,’ said Elber.

  ‘Just be careful all of you if one of you gets killed you will go back to the beginning of the time line so be careful, once we go back through the light shield you will become mortal again. Elber? You go and find the other two and bring them here.’

  ‘On my way, Samuel,’ said Elber.

  Bart Flanagan was blown out of the saloon by the force of the explosion and landed on the dusty street, he got up and pulled the splinter out of his eye socket pulling his eye out with it. He made his way up to the church shouting for his sons. Eli Mindel was stood on the church veranda the church now full of the towns women and children. Most of the town was in flames or destroyed by now, the bank, sheriff’s office and the mayors house were the only ones standing. The saloon had been completely destroyed with the explosion but miraculously one side wall still stood, the mayor was walking up the street towards the church. Bart Flanagan was almost at the church he was staggering up the street. Eli Mindel went inside the church and locked the door, women and children were screaming, Bart had both his revolvers out at the ready.

  The mayor watched him go to the door and start banging on it with his guns.

  ‘Open this fucking door preacher! Open this fucking door now I want to see my boys, preacher can you fucking hear me!’

  The mayor heard a shot behind him then a thud in his right shoulder as the bullet shattered his clavicle, he felt the blood running down his chest as he fell to the ground losing consciousness.

  Elber, Edie, Ritchie and Amos were watching events from the edge of the graveyard ducking down behind the wall.

  Ritchie saw his grandfather get shot and fall in the street and he was just about to run over and help him when Elber stopped him.

  ‘No Ritchie that is the mayor’s other self, he is supposed to get shot in the timeline, just leave him he will be okay, besides your grandfather is here,’ said Elber.

  The mayor was walking towards them he was sweating and out of breath.

  ‘Grandfather! Said Ritchie, ‘You’re okay.’

  ‘Yes, son I am fine,’ said the mayor, ‘Just been sorting a few things out.’

  They heard the rattling of spurs coming up the main street towards the mayors injured body lying in the street, it was Crampton. His long black hair blowing in the wind, the long black frock coat and black Stetson showing his silhouette as he walked.

  ‘Everybody down behind the wall.’ Whispered Elber, ‘Don’t let him see us, you too mayor.’

  All five of them crouched down behind the wall, Samuel went to do a check of the town, or what was left of it.

  Crampton walked up to the mayor and stopped, he push
ed his body with his foot, after a few seconds and satisfied he was out, he made his way to the church.

  Samuel floated down to the railway station to check on Anna she was still in the mail store sat in the corner clutching the gun that the mayor had given her, she was shaking and had been crying, there was no one else in the station. Samuel knew that the timeline for Anna would be disrupted due to the mayor keeping her alive, but Samuel thought he probably would have done the same thing had it been his wife Josephine.

  Samuel was beginning to wonder where the other sheriff had got to because since the timeline had begun Crampton seemed to have had a free run of the town without bumping into himself. After 10 minutes of watching over Anna he floated back to the mayor’s house, the timeline mayor was out so he thought he would have a good look round hoping to find something. After another 10 minutes or so he could see nothing out of the ordinary. He then went to the sheriff’s office but that too was empty.

  Crampton walked towards the church Bart Flanagan was still banging on the locked church door the front of the church was lit up from the burning town, hysterical screaming and crying was now coming from the inside. Crampton stopped at the church steps and clicked the triggers forward on his guns.

  Four of the towns men came running out into the street with guns at the ready one of them was Ben Royce.

  ‘What the hell are you and Mindel doing to our town sheriff! Release our families from the church at once!’ he yelled.

  Crampton spun around and shot all four of them in the chests before they even fired their guns. They just looked at Crampton in surprise as their legs buckled beneath them and they fell to the ground.

  Flanagan turned around at the sound of the guns.

  ‘What have you done to my sons Crampton? why are all the women and kids inside the church?’ shouted Bart.

  ‘Well your sons are a bit tied up at the moment Flanagan and the women and children are all about to start praying,’ said Crampton, ‘Would you like to go in to see your boys Flanagan they are in the basement.’