Authors: Eric Barkett
Jonathan gave Obadiah a tight squeeze then shoved the boy to the ground. Picking himself up he stumbled off the street where Nadi and Beth helped him.
“Foolish gunslinger, ain’t no way you are faster than me,” Jonathon laughed.
Jed removed his hat without a word, ran a hand through his hair, and firmly perched it on his head. He just stood there, reading the vampires body. Stocky built as Jonathon was, the bloodsucker would move as fast as he needed. Faster than a man of his size could. Jonathon knew what he was doing, his holster hanged right where his hand lay. Jed dismissed any chance that Jonathon would cheat or do anything other than stand motionless and draw. One could expect that from an opponent who had no doubt about their skill, no matter how unnatural it was.
Feet spread the same distance as his shoulders, Jed stretched his hands. Most men got fluttering nerves moments before the draw. Not for the gunslinger. Icy cold he was prepared to do what had to be done. The small crowd waited in hush tones, none doubting the inhuman speed of the vampire.
As the stare down continued, Jonathon’s eyes narrowed and his smile waned. Each man mentally ready for the next moment. The iron hanging by his side was loose in the leather and his palm brushed against its handle. Jed kept his hands immobile as his fingers stopped their twitching. Then he released one final breath.
Both reached at the same moment. An unremarkable moment only distinguished by the sudden, random decision to draw. Their hands flew to the smooth grip of their gun. Simultaneously, two shots rang in the dry desert air.
Jonathon blinked. Something wasn’t right. He glanced down at his holster. His piece was sitting there, hugged by the leather. Jed cocked the hammers of his two smoking barrels. The twin shots had flown true and Jonathon sagged to his knees. Before the vampire could heal, Jed emptied both barrels. As the shots echoed after Jed clicked empty, Jonathon sprawled on the dirt.
Ross hobbled to the vampire, a wooden stake in hand. The sheriff was seemingly determined to take final credit for killing the vampire. Savagely he slammed the stake in its heart. Jed let his spent casing tumble to the ground. He faced the others, his icy coolness dissipating. Several deep breaths were spent calming his bounding heart, breathes the gunslinger welcomed gladly. While there was not time during a showdown for nerves, having some after meant you were alive.
Shock was written on Beth’s face. It dissolved to form a smile. “Impressive,” she whistled.
Obadiah was holding onto his hat, blinking several times, and considering of his own now inadequate draw speed.
“Stop gawking,” Jed said nonchalantly. “We have a job to do.”
As they mounted, Jed strode over the burning body of Jonathon. The unnatural fire burned brightly, but no smoke drifted from the blaze. He waited until the fire died, leaving behind only ashes. Poking around, Jed found the silver bullet Jonathon had confiscated from him. Jed juggled the bullet, satisfied that it had not been destroyed. He hurried back to the horses.
Obadiah lounged in his saddle. “I’m okay,” he said breathing heavily through his mouth, a bloody cloth against his nose. One could tell his nose had been broken and reset by Nadi. Poor kid, it probably would never be the same.
Flicking the reins, Jed led them out to the low cheering of the crowd. It startled the others, the unexpected vocal encouragement as they rode.
Ross spurred his horse to ride beside Jed. The sheriff stared ahead, not making eye contact. “That was some nice shooting,” he complimented grudgingly.
Jed tipped his hat. “Much obliged.”
Ross was torn whether to keep silent or say what was on his mind. Clearing his throat, Ross said, “You ain’t as bad as I thought.”
Jed took that as an offhand apology for Ross’ hostile behavior. Nothing better was coming. Ross slowed his horse, moving to the back.
Obadiah rasped, “That was about the nicest thing I ever heard…from him.”
“That will be the nicest thing anyone hears from him,” Jed predicted.
They were fast approaching the mining camp, which from what they could tell was barren. They rode past it at a fast trot. The assault was simply planned. Ride in like the devil himself and pour hot lead plus a couple of sticks of dynamite on any and every bloodsucker in sight.
In a furious gallop they burst past the winding path, directly in view of the coal mine. Boy led the pack, powerful leg muscles bounding forward. Standing guard one of the vampires twirled around, jaw dropping in surprise. Obadiah pegged him with the Winchester, slamming the lever of the rifle back and forth as he expertly fired from his bouncing ride. Ross pulled the reins. His horse reared over the stunned vampire and Ross emptied his Colt.
Pandemonium reigned for the miners outside. The sudden shots made them drop their work and scatter. Jed rode through them, counting on the men to avoid running them over. The brown building Douglas used as an office directed him like a beacon. Sitting his Kruger’s chamber was a gleaming silver bullet, one that had Douglas’ name. A bullet whipped by Jed. A vampire was firing wildly, his aim horrible and all the shots went astray.
Jed yelled, “Kill the vampires!” Personally he ignored the bloodsucker. The miners stood confused and unsure. Jed pulled his horse up short to light the fuse of dynamite. He tossed the red stick at the office building just as a vampire wielding a rifle stepped out. The thunderous cloud of smoke knocked him back. The explosion kicked the miners into action.
A miner swung at one of the guards from behind with a pickaxe. The iron point punctured its chest. Others joined in the assault, eagerly beating the fallen vampire with their tools. More men were exiting the mine, completely confounded at the situation. Yet they swiftly weighed the gist of the situation and rushed with a yell.
Only a couple of vampires were standing guard and they ran up to the office building. They looked beaten. The sun sapping any desire to fight a rising horde of furious humans. Douglas appeared from the office, standing tall at the ruined porch. He stared Jed straight in the eye for a brief moment. Swiftly he retreated running around back of his office. Jed kicked his horse forward. Boy ran up the low rise, on the other side Douglas and his vampires were entering a small cave. The gunslinger pulled up short, peering into the pitch blackness of the narrow entrance. He swung off Boy. Up close he could tell it was not natural. Douglas had people mine this opening. Further in and as far as Jed was able to see, were wooden planks on the side and ceiling, just like a mine entrance.
Jed heard Beth approach. “What is in there?”
She answered, “He has a coffin inside.”
“Is that it?”
“I think so. I never went in. I hate living as a vampire and do not want to act like one.”
Then Obadiah rode to them. “Everything is under control back there.” A loud cheer rose up from the miners. “They are just making sure the vampires are dead.” He seemed a little queasy as he spoke. Jed could only imagine what excessive vengeance the miners were taking on the bodies. “What about Douglas? Are we going in after him?”
“To hell with that,” Jed snorted. He lifted the remaining dynamite from the saddle. “Douglas can rot in there.” Pulling out a fuse line Jed lit it with a match. As the black wire sparked and burned, he tossed the pack of dynamite deep past entrance. Everyone ran back, sitting far from the blast zone. They waited a long minute in silence.
Beth asked, “Jed, how long did you set the fuse?”
Before he could answer, the dynamite exploded in a blast of smoke and rock. Jed raised his eyes, the cave entrance was no more. A noticeable sunken area marked where the entrance laid. He stood upon the caved mound, pressing against the rock with the heel of his boot. The rocks and dirt seemed set and not budging. A successful cave in.
He clapped his hands together. “That should be the end of that.”
Obadiah rubbed the back of his head, a frown darting across his face. “That’s it? We just leave him in there?”
Jed patted his young partner on the shoulder. “Maybe in a month we will dig them out and finish him.” He took a glance back. A lot of rock would need to be removed. “Then again, maybe not.”
Taking a step forward, Beth stated in a sigh of relief, “It is finished.”
Looking down from atop the hill, a miner called out, saying, “Hey Mr. Ethan. The sheriff says there is a problem.”
Jed let loose a drawn out sigh. “That lasted long.” He shouted, “Be right there.”
Several hundred people milled, unsure what to do. The few wounded were being tended by Nadi. They left a wide space in front of the mine shaft. Ross was standing at the opening, leaning against the side for support, gun in hand.
“I saw one go in,” he growled.
The shaft was lit by lanterns, so it was not pitch black, like Douglas’ cave. Also the main room appeared quite wide, where tons of coal had been mined.
Jed readjusted his hat, saying, “Okay, Obadiah you’re with me. We are going in.”
However, the gunslingers were not the only ones entering, Beth followed after them. Jed did not say anything. Tracks of rail for mine carts led deep into the rock. The ceiling was high enough to fully stand up. Shortly after entering, they discovered a diverging path with rail tracks branching to the right, still lit by sparsely placed lamps.
Jed tapped Obadiah on the shoulder and pointed to the right. They would have to split up. Nodding, Obadiah walked carefully down the hall.
Beth waited a minute to whisper, “Is it a good idea to have Obadiah by himself?”
“He will be fine.” Truthfully, Jed was assuming the vampire would be going deeper underground. Obadiah was probably searching in the safest area.
Soon they came across two more off shoots from the main path. He told Beth to check the other paths, but not stray too far. Moving forward, now alone, Jed headed deeper into the mine. The mine was vast and he passed various different paths. A gut feeling told him further down and he ignored the sensible decision that only a large manhunt could find anyone in the cool, cramped enclosure. With flickering shadows as his only company, the gunslinger went onward.
Suddenly, he stopped. Slowing his on breathing and hear rate, he strained his ears to pick up any noise. Someone was digging. Running off the main path, Jed hurried to the noise. By the dim light, a man was running his hands over the rocks of a dead end. The dead end was a large area, heavily mined. He must have heard the gunslinger, because he turned around. Snarling the vampire destroyed the nearest lantern. Half the area was cast into the dark. Then a rock crashed into the other lamp, destroying it.
Jed remained motionless by the closet lamp. Holstering his Kruger, he grabbed the lamp. He was loathe to waste a silver bullet on a simple vampire, so he kept his Colt Peacemaker out. Taking slow careful steps he approached the darkness. It could be unnerving walking into the dark, knowing the entire time your enemy saw every move you made. When the vampire attacked it would be fast and swift, Jed knew.
Vampires had a propensity to be silent when walking. A natural or unnatural ability generated from their curse. Jed could not walk that quiet, and he had trained for years on the art. The lamp had a dim candle and lighted a small radius of ten short feet, unable to cover the whole dead end. This vampire was cautious, not rushing the fight.
Jed spun around abruptly, facing the opposite direction. Again he twisted facing the left now. Taking several steps he circled somewhere else. He was hoping to spur the vampire into action with unexpected and apparently nervous actions.
The vampire lunged forward, crossing the distance outside of the light in mere moments. Instinctively, Jed swung the lantern forward. Thin bony fingers gripped his throat, preparing to throttle the gunslinger. The lantern crashed against the vampire, breaking the glass case and the kerosene fuel ignited. The flames caught clothing, and the vampire yelled and released Jed. Firing, the gunslinger reached the stake awkwardly stuffed in his belt. Swinging wide, the blow was blocked. The vampire punched Jed, rattling the teeth in his gums, and fled trying to douse the flames on its arm.
He fired at its back, then gave chase. The new darkness prevented him from seeing an open passage, cleverly concealed along the rock wall. Jed ran out to the main path. Beth was there and she threw the ambushed vampire on the ground, whereupon Obadiah fired his barrels. The thing spazzed under the hail of bullets
Rubbing his sore jaw, Jed gave thanks, grateful for their timing. Eager to get back to fresh air, the trio left after finishing off the vampire. Everyone was waiting expectantly for them. When they stepped outside, a loud cheer rose. Discomforted, Jed briefly raised his hand in recognition. Ross had a begrudging…Jed was not sure what feature crossed his face. Perhaps it was a smile, though it bore more resemblance to a sneer. Obadiah’s grin reached from one ear to the other and his face was as red as his hair.
Inevitably, the cheering died off and inevitably one man called out posing a question. “What happens to the mine?” he asked.
Beth stepped up answering, “I shall continue running the mine, but there will be changes. The way you have been treated is unacceptable. You all have my sincerest and humblest apologies for what has happened here. I’m sorry Douglas could not be stopped earlier. However, I shall do my best in ensuring you all are compensated for your trouble I was unable to stop.”