Ghosts of Pinkerton 0001: Vampire and the Frenchman by Andy Dejong

Author:Andy Dejong [Dejong, Andy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy, upload
ISBN: 9798438480891
Amazon: B09WKL5QH9
Publisher: Independently published
Published: 2018-03-24T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 12

Twist of Fate

They traveled as far as the sun took them before night fell. The fight had taken a toll on their bodies, forcing them to stop earlier than wanted. The adrenaline rush from their escape had all but vanished. The flat patch of dirt where they stopped had a pile of split wood—an axe still embedded in one piece—scattered about next to a circle of burnt logs and sticks. Cole kicked at a pot, the contents already scavenged.

Jasper eyed faint sets of footprints going every which way. He lit a lantern and shone the light across the ground. They were small footprints from a child, and the other sets likely belonged to the parents. Something else had left tracks—something he didn't recognize—whoever had stopped here for the night had left with a suddenness, possibly in a struggle.

After hours of being slung across a horse and getting jostled, Gilles had yet to wake. Whatever happened to him at the village had a lasting effect. Only time would tell if this sleep was permanent. Not a one of them had an answer for what would happen.

Jasper thought the chaos demon had possessed Gilles. Angus said different. He said it wasn't a possession because Gilles would've only been unconscious for a moment before the chaos demon took control and killed them all. What likely happened, he said, is that the demon sapped all the energy out of Gilles, probably saw him as the weakest, and attacked him first. The demon was only trying to slow them down. Wolves thinned out herds by plucking the weakest from the group. Never a pretty sight. Angus had the most knowledge about chaos demons, but Jasper had a suspicion he was wrong, or even worse, hiding something.

The demon should've chosen Jasper to go after, not Gilles. He wouldn't forget that. The few hours ride from the village gave Jasper plenty of time to dwell in his own mind, where things weren't always as they seemed. They could've fought right there, and it wouldn't have mattered if he won or lost. The others would've been just fine finishing off the villagers on their own. If the demon had beaten Jasper, it might have gone on to kill the others, but it was a risk worth taking. Now, however, he had to settle until they reached Bannack. Once there, he would split off from the group and fight by himself whether Gilles ever woke up again or not. What would happen after was up to the others. They controlled their own destinies. Nothing mattered now. Darkness consumed all things. Jasper shook his head and made a fire, hoping busy hands would clear the cobwebs from his head. The other two prepped the tents.

Angus managed to subdue a couple of rabbits. He didn't use a gun, so who knows how he went about it—they didn't ask. A rotisserie was fashioned over the open flames. The rabbit meat tasted fine, not great, but edible. Cole grabbed what was left of the jerky and bread and passed the food around.

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