The Son of Earp Box Set by Chuck Buda

Author:Chuck Buda [Buda, Chuck]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chuck Buda
Published: 2020-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

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 hadn’t trapped 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 on 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 had referred to himself as a boy. He figured, if it helped reinforce his point, 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.

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