The Son of Earp Box Set - Books 1-3

by Chuck Buda

  Chapter 24

  Silence.

  Nothing moved.

  Even the breeze had dissipated.

  James scanned the street for signs of the gunslinger. He was all alone and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. An electric charge hung in the air.

  He licked his dry lips with an even drier tongue. James noticed the sweat on his forehead and upper lip. His eyes darted back and forth for movement.

  Nothing.

  “I’m here.” James croaked to the emptiness.

  He waited and still nothing stirred.

  James decided to speak up this time. “I said, I’m here.” He looked around. “Show yourself or forever be banished from this town.”

  Silence.

  James wanted to look up at Sheriff Morgan but was too paranoid to tip his hand. He took a shaky step forward.

  “I’m not afraid of you, gunslinger.” He heard the quaver in his voice.

  A disturbance formed up the street. Crackling static broke the silence. Small flashes of light popped several times and then a shape took form within the flashes. The shape was hazy at first and then filled slowly with color. It was the gunslinger.

  James gulped. The much anticipated confrontation had arrived. He felt a need to empty his bladder but chose to ignore it. The black eyes felt like they cut holes through James’ soul. A shudder ran down his spine.

  “I told you I would come back for you, James.” The haunted gunslinger’s creaky voice was barely above a whisper. James heard it all the same.

  The gunslinger swung his long, leather duster open and tucked the tails behind his six shooters. The gnarled, bony hands perched upon the handles. The shiny silver of the guns glinted in the sun.

  “You’re scared.” The words sounded in James’ head. The gunslinger’s lips never moved.

  “I’m not scared.” James spoke defiantly.

  “Sure you are. I feel your blood pumping through your veins, kid.” Again, the words in his head, as if he had spoken them himself.

  “What do you want, gunslinger?”

  “I want what everyone wants. Respect.”

  “You’re dead so how are people supposed to respect you?”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, James. I am very much alive.”

  James narrowed his eyes. “Well if you’re alive then how come you disappear?”

  The gunslinger laughed out loud. The laugh sounded like sand gurgled in its throat. “I like to travel around, man.”

  “Suppose I say you have our respect now. Will you leave these good people alone?”

  The gunslinger’s wide smile faded. He took two steps forward, the spurs clinking beneath him. He played with his thin, black mustache. “Don’t reckon these people are that good, James. And respect is just a start.”

  James was confused but he wanted to show the gunslinger that he was in control. He cleared his throat. “What else then?”

  “Revenge, James. Revenge.”

  “Revenge for what?”

  The gunslinger placed his hands back on his pistols. He lifted them and spun them around his bony fingers like lightning. Before James knew it, the guns had been re-holstered. The gunslinger’s smile spread.

  “Do you believe, James?”

  “Believe in what?”

  “The afterlife.”

  James reflected on his days in church. It had been awhile since he had last gone to services. He wished he had been going all along. It might have provided an extra barrier of protection.

  “I believe in heaven. And hell.”

  The gunslinger adjusted his hat. “Don’t know about heaven. I ain’t seen it.”

  James swallowed a lump. He thought about yanking the wool blanket down but he needed to know more. He wanted to understand the gunslinger. The reason behind his trouble. He tried to stare at the coal black eyes.

  “You were lucky last time we met. Do you remember?”

  “I remember you missing me a bunch.”

  The gunslinger’s expression revealed his anger. “Trust me. You were lucky.”

  James shrugged. He tried to remember all the words he wanted to use to distract the gunslinger. His mind was blank. All he could do was react to the evil that stood opposite him.

  “Well, you called me here. Against my busy schedule. What can I do for you, James?”

  “You can leave this town. Now. And never come back.”

  The gunslinger smiled again. “Not gonna happen, James. You see, I got to make things right.”

  “Make what right?”

  “I have to settle a score.”

  “Seems to me if you’re dead that the score has already been settled.” James took a step forward. His courage returned as the conversation continued.

  “It’s not that simple.”

  James took another step toward the gunslinger.

  “I wouldn’t get closer, son. You’re liable to get hurt.”

  “I’ll take my chances.”

  “I’ve grown impatient with your wise mouth, boy. You gonna back up your attitude today? Or are you gonna keep running your mouth like a ten cent whore?”

  James laughed this time. He found the challenge funny, but it was mostly nervousness.

  “I didn’t make a joke.”

  James stopped laughing.

  “That’s right, kid. I’m in control here.” The words were spoken in his mind again. A chill forced him to shiver.

  James watched the gunslinger. His fingers wiggled above his shiny six shooters. The black, soulless eyes revealed nothing. James focused on the hands. It was his only chance. The gunslinger’s eyes were too dark to show intent. And his wrinkled, skeletal skin was almost expressionless.

  The gunslinger pulled the guns from the holsters and aimed at James in a fraction of a second. The bullets screamed at James quicker than a blinking eye. His only defense was to drop to the dirt.

  Two shots sailed high. One from each gun.

  The gunslinger laughed. The barrels danced in unison as his belly laughter consumed him.

  James spit dust from his lips. He lifted his head to the gunslinger. James wondered why the Sheriff had not returned fire. He figured the Sheriff knew it was useless anyway.

  “You’re a coward, James.” The words in his head.

  James stood up and faced the menace. “If I’m such a coward then why am I still standing here.”

  The gunslinger stopped laughing. “You can still be dumb and a coward.”

  James took a few steps backward and slipped behind the blanket-covered mirror.

  “You can’t hide from me, James. I know how to find you.”

  “Let’s see if you can find yourself out of this.” James shouted as he whipped the wool blanket from the mirror. The reflection of the gunslinger filled the mirror.

  Chapter 25

  The people were everywhere. Carson held on to Sarah’s dress as tightly as he could. It wasn’t easy though. Because of his height, Carson’s face brushed across elbows and knuckles. And a few smelly rumps when his head was leaned too far forward.

  Carson wanted to get outside to help James but he didn’t know how he could do it without Sarah noticing. He had no choice but to go along for the ride since Sarah was around him every minute of this day.

  He was still upset with James. Carson knew James had tried to ditch him again. He overheard the conversation in the brothel between Sarah and James. Since that point, his anger swung from James to Sarah and back. Although, he appreciated how Sarah stuck up for him against James. So, Carson found it hard to stay mad at her for too long.

  The saloon was so quiet and Carson wondered why it was like church services. He tried to look around as best he could to see if people were praying. But it seemed that folks just kept quiet. Part of him wanted to shout out to break the awkward silence but he was afraid of how everyone would react toward him. Carson knew that folks didn’t like him because he was so stupid.

  The dirty man next to him glared down into Carson’s face. His
wrinkled faced snarled, revealing a few gaps in his mouth where teeth should be. Carson tucked his face into Sarah’s dress and pulled himself tight against her waist. After a few moments, Carson looked over his shoulder at the cranky man who was no longer paying any attention to him. Relieved, Carson loosened his grip on Sarah.

  They were stuck in the middle of the crowd and all the bodies pressed together. Carson looked down at his feet. A shiny coin stared up at him from the dirty floor. Excited with his find, Carson bent down and scooped up the lost treasure. He rolled the coin through his fingers, enjoying the sensation. The smoothed edges reminded Carson of the edges of a deck of cards. Rubbing his finger along it soothed him. He suddenly wished he were playing poker with James.

  Above Carson, the mob shifted forward a bit and Sarah moved too. He was about to scramble for Sarah’s dress when he realized that this might be his chance to escape. If he could sneak away then he could help James. And then all would be forgiven. Carson wouldn’t be mad at them if he got to join the adventure.

  Carson remained crouched down. He looked up in Sarah’s direction but she was cloaked by other people. So Carson half crawled and half duck-walked through the legs and skirts towering over him. His hand clutched the coin while his index finger stroked the smooth edge.

  He reached the rear of the saloon within a few minutes. A long blue dress covered the lower portion of the back door. Carson started to crawl under the dress, between the legs of the woman above. He only made it a few inches before the legs clamped shut around his ribs and squeezed. Carson wanted to scream out in defiance of this restraint but he remembered that the room was silent. So he wiggled to the right and bit down on the woman’s calf. She raised her leg up off the floor in reaction to the bite. Amazingly, the woman refrained from crying out in pain even though her boot stomped back down to the floor. In that brief moment, Carson shimmied forward and pushed the back door open with the crown of his head.

  Carson crawled a few more steps before turning to watch the saloon door close behind him. The woman in the blue dress scowled at him and shook an angry fist in his direction. Carson grinned and then stuck his tongue out right before the door clicked shut.

  The mid-day sun was hot and Carson felt the top of his head heat up. He scratched his dirty blond hair with the coin and then stood up in the alley. Garbage was piled up behind the saloon along with barrels of ale and bourbon. As he stood, Carson noticed how quiet it was outside too. Besides the bustle of the traffic in the street, he usually heard some birds singing or dogs barking. Creatures of all sizes joined the cacophony of life. But not today. An eerie silence draped over the town and it made goosebumps rise on Carson’s forearms.

  The clock tower chimed.

  Carson jumped as the sound startled him back to the present. He looked left and right. Which way should he go? If he went left then he would come into the street behind the gunslinger’s spot. If he went right then he would be in front of the gunslinger. And that scared Carson. He squeezed his penis through his pants to stop himself from peeing from the fright of being this close.

  Dong!

  Carson scrambled to the left and ran through the gap between the buildings. The street was empty in front of him.

  Dong!

  He slid his back down along the saloon’s outer wall and tried to catch his breath.

  Dong!

  Carson leaned his head slightly around the corner to face the clock tower. James stood in the middle of the street before the clock. Behind him was the mirror covered with a blanket.

  Dong!

  Carson tucked his head back behind the wall. He started to hyperventilate as the seriousness of this adventure became all too real.

  Dong!

  A little pee trickled out as Carson’s fear rose to a crescendo. He noticed his hands shaking on his knees and he felt like he was going to black out.

  Dong!

  Carson stroked the edge of the coin and his mind eased a bit. He took a deep breath and thought about all the times he and James talked about fighting bad guys.

  Dong!

  He scrambled along the porch boards in front of the saloon.

  Dong!

  Carson jumped behind a support beam on the saloon’s porch. He caught the horrified looks on the faces in the saloon doorway staring at him. Carson clutched the post and leaned to the side to keep his eyes on the action.

  Dong!

  Now the moment had arrived, he thought. This was his chance to help James and become a hero. Just like James’ daddy.

  Dong!

  His fear abated and he imagined himself punching the gunslinger with his forehead like James did to that bad man in the saloon the other day.

  Dong!

  Chapter 26

  James ducked behind the mirror. He glanced around the side to see if the gunslinger had disappeared. The apparition stood motionless with a blank expression upon its face. James was surprised that the mirror didn’t trap the gunslinger. But it apparently had some sort of effect as the ghost stared motionlessly.

  The black eyes never blinked. The wrinkles along its eyes contracted as it squinted at its reflection.

  Bang! Bang!

  Quicker than a blink, the gunslinger raised his pistols and fired two shots into the looking glass. As the shards tinkled to the dirt below, James covered his head and lowered himself to the earth. Before he could raise his head, James heard the creaky laughter.

  “You fool.” The gunslinger croaked gravelly.

  James looked up as the gunslinger took several steps in his direction. Each time the spurs jingled, James flinched like a child watching fireworks. He panted, each exhale puffing little clouds of dust from the soil.

  “A man doesn’t lie down when he finds himself in a fight.”

  James lost his cool and sprang to his feet. He watched the gunslinger closely, while he slowly moved his arm toward his pistol.

  “Go ahead, James. Reach for that piece.”

  James halted. How did the ghost know he was reaching for his gun? Could this thing read his mind? Or did it have the ability to see everything in its surroundings, like some sort of soothsayer? James was befuddled and his mind went blank as to how he should react.

  “Choosing to die like a man is admirable.”

  “I’m not choosing to die.”

  “What would you call it then? If you chose to live, James, then you wouldn’t have been here at all.”

  The gunslinger had a point, James reasoned. He started to second guess his cockamamie plan and the bravado that led him here. A drop of sweat fell from his brow.

  “Now I must make an example of you, James. Like your foolish Mayor. It is one thing to avoid my presence. But it is another to question it. Or mock me.” The words oozed out like runny eggs in a skillet. The syllables lingered upon the thick air.

  “Go ahead, demon. Show the town how tough you are. It must be rewarding to gun down unarmed old men or boys. You must be proud.” James taunted the ghost. For the first time in recent memory, James referred to himself as a boy. He figured if it helped reinforce his point then he could demean himself temporarily.

  “I am not a demon. Nothing possesses my soul…boy.” The gunslinger lowered his weapons, placing the six shooters back in his holsters. But he kept his hands hovered above them nonetheless. “Your Mayor may not have been armed with a gun, but he was armed with the knowledge of his involvement.”

  James screwed up his face. He didn’t understand what knowledge had to do with anything. His mind raced to figure out how he could defeat the evil entity. Thoughts of his very survival kept getting in the way. What good could he do if he were dead, he asked himself.

  “How about we make a deal?”

  “I don’t make deals, James.”

  “There is a first time for everything.”

  The gunslinger chuckled.

  “Maybe there’s a way where everyone can win?”

  “It’s too late for compromise, James. I lost everything. And now I have com
e back to avenge the wrongs done to me.”

  James slowly brushed sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve. He didn’t want to make any sudden movements. Movements that might cause the gunslinger to draw down on him.

  “I’ve learned that it’s never too late. For anything.”

  “Spare me your youthful wisdom, boy. You grow sparse whiskers and yet you preach to me about the ways of the world? You’re pathetic.”

  James’ temper flared. His fear evaporated when the apparition called him pathetic.

  “You know what’s pathetic?” He waited to get a response but none came. “A ghost that picks on innocent people like a bully.”

  The gunslinger chuckled again. “If you only knew the past, James, you might wonder who was the one being bullied.”

  James stepped toward the gunslinger. “Well, the way I see it, there’s three types of people in this world. Bullies who pick on the weak. People who stand up to the bullies. And cowards.”

  The black eyes grew darker. The sides of the gunslinger’s mouth twitched, making the razor-thin mustache dance upon its upper lip. “What did you say?”

  “I’m just wondering which one you are.”

  “Are you calling me a coward…little boy?”

  “You tell me what you are.” James stared right into the black eyes. His heart hammered in his chest and he wanted to club this sonofagun in the skull with the handle of his six shooter. “You say you aren’t the bully because someone had bullied you. And you aren’t the type to stand up to the bullies. Cause if you did then you’d probably still be alive. Or at least, your soul wouldn’t come back here for revenge.” James looked at his boots and then coyly raised his head back up. “That only leaves one thing, don’t it?”

  The gunslinger shook and twitched. Its bony hands clenched and unclenched with rage. “Do…not…call…me…a coward.”

  James felt his tongue, dry and stuttering inside his mouth, try to utter the word. He wanted to kick this fight off but some deep recess of his mammalian brain overrode his urges in order to stay alive. The internal struggle waged between his brain and his tongue. Eventually, his tongue would win out.