Ghost Town
by Rob Warr
Chapter 5
Centerville Bank: Est 1885
The sign was as faded and deteriorated as the other signs, but it was obvious that this sign had at some point in time been very professionally done and no doubt expensive. The gold around the edges might've been just paint, but that color was associated with wealth and money and must've been quite impressive in it's day.
"I wonder if they have an ATM machine," Will Joked.
"Yeah, but it's made of wood," Jamie said cracking up.
Dickie giggled nervously, glad for some comic relief.
The front of the bank was as impressive as the sign, the window edged in gold leaf and the panes in the door were leaded glass, the colors now dulled, but still colorful. Obviously the bank had spared no expense on the outside, and once inside the boys saw the same had been true there as well.
The floor, unlike all the other businesses they'd been in so far was of stone or marble, and though dusty, was still in great shape. Faded red velvet ropes hung from golden metal uprights, their bases of black stone that contrasted with the grey of the floor. There were three teller's windows, all with bars of that same gold material separating them from the customers, with only a small square opening at the bottom.
On the other side of the wall, barely visible through the openings were a couple of doors, leading to bank officials' offices and the vault, who's door was now wide open.
"Hey, wonder if there's any money left in the vault?" Jamie asked excitedly, "it'd be antique by now."
"Yeah, we should check," Dickie agreed.
"I..." Doug was about to say he didn't think they'd find any money when suddenly with a roaring and flashing of lights the scene before them changed.
The floor now glistened, as did the gold of the bars and uprights, and the leaded glass window of the front doors were alive with color now. Slowly, forms began to appear, first tellers behind the gleaming golden bars of the teller's windows, then customers, dozens of them, appearing so fast that the boys had to scamper to one corner to avoid them. Even though they knew they couldn't actually interact with them, the coldness associated with contact was enough to make them weary of the phantoms.
"I want my money, NOW!" a man dressed in a dark suit screamed at the teller on the other side of the counter.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Peters, but the bank has strict limits as to how much money you can withdraw in one day..."
"I don't care what your limits are, I want my money, NOW! All of it, and if I have to I'll take it by force," he screamed, pulling a revolver from his coat and pointing it at the teller.
"Screw this!" the teller said throwing up his arms, "I quit, here, take all the money," he said opening his cash drawer and pushing a pile of bills toward the man.
"That's better, let's see...one hundred eighty seven dollars, that's mine. The rest belongs to these other folks," the man said snatching up just his portion of the money and moving aside.
The teller, who had recovered somewhat was suddenly joined by a large man in a suit who had come out of one of the offices to see what the commotion was. The two huddled for a few moments out of earshot then the teller resumed his position at the window, stuffing the money back in his cash drawer.
"Next!" he cried in an almost frightened voice.
A woman, dressed in so many garments the boys wondered how she survived the heat, was next in line, and she seemed almost as agitated as the first customer had been.
"Forty two dollars and twenty nine cents, that's what's mine," the woman barked out, "and ifn' I don't get it, I'm gonna clobber someone with an iron skillet."
The teller moaned, then quickly counted out the money, but before handing it over he insisted the woman sign a receipt that he'd quickly scrawled out. The woman inspected the receipt, signed it, then grabbed up her money and turned to go, her petticoat and voluminous dress creating a whirlwind as she quickly exited.
"What the heck...?" Will whispered.
"I think it's called 'a run on the bank'," Doug replied, "everyone is afraid the bank will go under and they want their money...now! It could break the bank if everyone pulls out their money, and that's probably another reason the town failed."
More people came then, men, women, even kids, and eventually the inevitable happened, the bank ran out of money. After that all hell broke loose, guns were fired, men broke into the offices and vault, fists were thrown, there were threats of hanging the bank manager and his employees, but before that could happen, the Sheriff finally showed up.
Looking a bit hungover and as if he hadn't slept in days, the man pulled his gun, fired once into the air to get their attention, then began barking out orders for the men to leave or he'd have to arrest them all. There were some who challenged him, but eventually the crowd dissipated and only the Sheriff and bank employees were left behind. The door was locked then, the shades drawn, and the bank manager sadly proclaimed that the bank was finished.
The boys weren't sure if this was all they were meant to see there, but when they tried the door, it was unlocked and they gratefully spilled out onto the wooden sidewalk.
The streets lay empty and still beneath the full moon and starlit night sky, and a cold wind suddenly rolled up the street, stirring up dust devils as it went.
"I wonder if we're free to go now," Doug said softly, the chill creeping into his bones now.
"Only one way to find out," Will said, and they all headed toward the Jeep.
However, before they could climb in, things changed once more.
Moonlight was replaced by daylight, and the street, which had been empty before was now full of people. At the far end of the town, dozens of wagons were lined up, the horses pulling them snickering and waiting impatiently for their masters.
"What will happen to the town?" Mr. Gideon cried out to the crowds gathered around his store now.
"Who cares, it can die like everything else around here," someone yelled back, "Now! Move out of the way, we're taking what we need to survive and ain't no one gonna stop us."
"You can't..." Ike Gideon protested, but suddenly the crowd surged forward and he was pushed aside. He went down hard and the boys lost sight of him, sorry to see that he was being abused and robbed as well. They caught sight of him one more time as he forced his way inside, then a few minutes later they heard a shot gun blast, followed by screams, and more gunfire, then eventually quiet.
"That crazy bastard blowed away four people with that shot gun of his," a man said as he staggered out of the store covered in blood, "but they got him, shot him fulla' holes. The bastard won't hurt no one else," the man said before falling onto the dusty sidewalk, his fate unknown.
The crowd surged for some time then, sacks of goods were commandeered and loaded on the wagons until it seemed there was nothing left except a few canned goods and dry goods items.
As the four boys watched, the wagons began to move, slowly at first, then gathering up speed as they disappeared into the distance at the far end of town. Riding off into the sunset now, leaving behind a lonely and desolate town.
They dared not enter the store now as they did not want to view the corpses of Ike Gideon or the others, but they needn't have worried, their bodies had long ago been removed and given a Christian burial. Those events and those persons were merely shadows of what had occurred so long ago in this dusty little town.
"So..." Doug said rolling his eyes toward the quickly fading sky.
"I guess we know what happened to the town now," Will finished.
"They killed that nice man at the store..." Jamie muttered.
"Yeah, I guess he went a little crazy when they were robbing his store," Dickie observed.
Suddenly night claimed them again, the full moon and stars replacing the fading sunlit sky.
"Back again," Doug noted, "I wonder if we're done..."
Then suddenly, as if in answer to Doug's question, a light appeared in the window of room 19 above the Branch Water Saloon.
"Look, it's the same room...where, you know?" Jamie said pointing.
Doug sighed, "Come on, I guess we're being directed to our next stop, "he sighed, not really sure how he knew this, but quite sure it was true.
Inside the saloon, the same lady greeted the boys and told them to go on up. "The boys are expectin' you. Have a nice talk with them and then you can go home," she promised, then returning her attention to the bartender, who was back as well, she grabbed a glass and threw back it's contents.
The door to room 19 was closed now, any damage done by the Sheriff that night seeming to be repaired now. Doug considered knocking, but decided that since they'd been summoned here, that wasn't necessary.
However, he was still a bit nervous as he grasped the doorknob, and a bit surprised to find it no longer delivered a bone chilling jolt when touched. Slowly, the door swung open and the boys stepped into the room and the warm glow of two kerosene lamps on either side of the big brass bed.
"Howdy," Malachi said from a chair beside the bed. His brother Evan rested on the bed, stretched out and looking cozy, both boys now fully dressed.
"Hello," Doug stammered, at a loss for words as he stared into the handsome boy-ghost's eyes.
"Sorry about makin' you see all that," Malachi said, "but was important that our story be known, the true story."
"Yeah, most folks still think we was killers and bad people. We know you don't think so," Evan added as he sat up and took his brother's hand.
"Only thing we was guilty of was lovin' one another too much," Malachi said sadly, "Oh sure, maybe I went too far killing both them cowboys, but they was mean, both of em, and they'd a killed us when they was done with us, I know that for a fact."
"But why curse the whole town?" Doug asked, almost pleading for the answer to the question that had been plaguing him all along.
"We didn't, not all of em. Just the ones that hated on us and the ones that cheered when we was hanged," Malachi frowned, "we didn't hurt no younguns either, that was all made up in their heads. Only those what deserved it, and we really didn't do anything to them. They just started their own troubles, and thought bad thoughts, and that's what ended them."
"But the whole town just up and left cause of the curse," Will said, didn't that bother you?'
Evan laughed bitterly, "We wasn't around no more, so wasn't no big thing for us. Was only when we came back...that we found the place was empty."
"But why did you come back?" Doug wondered.
"Because we can't move on till we settle things here."
"And we're helping you do that?" Jamie said brightly.
"Yes," Evan said, "someone had to know what really happened before we could move on and be happy."
"Heaven?" Dickie wondered.
Malachi shrugged, "Don't know ifn' I believe in heaven, but that place where we're gonna go, well, we can be together there forever. Might be heaven, might be hell, but wherever we wind up as long as we're together that's all that matters."
Evan squeezed his brother's hand and stared at the four boys before him, "Time is running out even though it's been slowed some to give us more time, midnight approaches and our time here will end."
"What can we do to help?" Doug cried out in anguish.
"Tell our story, that is all we ask," Malachi said sadly, "don't let the lies stand."
"But to who?" Will asked, not sure he wanted to go around spreading a story about incest, attempted molestation, and murder."
"You will know when, and where the time is right," Evan asked, "and when the truth is revealed, we will be free. Meanwhile, we will reside here, where it all began."
"Wait, so you mean it might be a long time in the future that we tell...?" Doug began, but suddenly the two brothers began to fade away, then the kerosene lamps fizzled out and the boys were left in the dark.
Twin flashlight beams lit up the room, but there was no sign of the two brothers. Their was no sign of life now, only dust and deterioration, loneliness and gloom.
"Let's get out of here. I think we can go home now," Doug said suddenly feeling drained.
"Hey, my watch is working again," Will said excitedly, "and it's only 10 p.m. We can still make it home by 11 o'clock curfew."
"If the Jeep starts," Jamie muttered.
"It will, I'm sure of it," Doug said.
Downstairs, the bartender and saloon gal were nowhere in sight and the saloon lay in ruins just as it had when they'd first entered.
On the street, the moonlight and stars lit up the dusty street and abandoned buildings, but it seemed to be focused mostly on the Jeep, which actually seemed to glow.
Pausing at the door of the Jeep, Doug looked at the town once more, memorizing the scene before him, somehow sure this would be his last glimpse of what once was. Then sighing, he climbed in, buckled up and started the engine.
The other three boys cheered as the engine sprang to life, but somehow Doug felt a little sad. Will, noticing his mood, laid a hand on his shoulder, "What's up? Maybe we can come back sometime..."
Doug nodded, "Except I don't think this place will be here when we do."
Will was quiet for a moment before he answered, "Yeah, I kinda get that feeling too."
"Let's go," Jamie said impatiently, "I never been so anxious to get home in my life."
"Yeah, me either," Doug agreed as he switched on the headlights, made a U-turn and headed up the dusty street.
Their parents seemed unaware that anything out of the unusual had happened to their boys, but they did notice that they seemed to be closer after that Halloween night. The two older boys seemed to be more protective of their younger brothers and made quick work of the bullies that had harassed them. Without actually laying a hand on any of them, the two older boys had made it known what would happen to them if they bothered their little brothers again, and the bullies backed down quickly. One of them, in fact, later became friends with Jamie.
When the boys gathered, they often discussed their experiences of that night, wondering when 'the time' would come to reveal what they knew. It was obvious none of them was ready to discuss what they'd seen and heard that night, yet, but knowing that their doing so would free the two brother to 'move on' made them anxious to get it done.
In the meantime they did some research. Unsurprisingly, there was little information at the local library and this was years before the internet, so the boys really didn't find out much of any use. A return to the town also proved fruitless, as there was nothing there now but a road that ended in a sallow field, a gate and NO TRESPASSING sign barring their way.
A year passed, things changed for the boys in many ways. Doug and Will were now unofficially boyfriends, and Jamie had found there were other boys his age that enjoyed a little fun with no clothes on. Dickie wasn't excluded from the fun either, however, he had taken an interest in girls as of late and would no doubt soon be moving on.
On Halloween night, one year from that night they had stumbled upon the ghost town once called Centerville, the boys made one more visit to the site of the ghost town, which surprisingly was there once again. Reluctant at first to risk being trapped again, the boys debated for sometime whether to proceed, but suddenly a pair of headlights approaching from behind ended their discussion.
"Someone's coming," Doug muttered.
"No duh," Jamie said nervously, "hope it's not the cops."
"Why, we're not breaking the law, are we?" Dickie wondered.
"It's not the law," Will said, "I recognize that pickup, that's Matt Downing, and I bet Ted Wilson is with him."
The 4x4 pickup pulled up beside the Jeep, and sure enough Ted Wilson stuck his head out the passenger window and smirked, "Hello ladies, out for a drive on this wonderful night?'
"I got your ladies right here," Will laughed, grabbing his package though he was sure the other boy couldn't see him do so.
"That Matt over there?" Doug asked, trying to see past Ted.
"Hey," Matt called, "you guys headed to the ghost town too?"
"Nah, been there, done that," Doug said, knowing full well that he was making the right decision, and the odd thing was, the other three in his Jeep knew it too, "knock yourselves out, and have fun," he said grinning.
Ted frowned, "Why, is it haunted or something?"
"You still believe in ghosts?" Will laughed.
"No, course not," Ted scoffed, "I ain't scared if that's what you're asking. Just a bunch of old rotting buildings and dust, nothing to be scared of."
"Yeah, exactly," Doug said with a sinister laugh, "be sure to check out the saloon, and the rooms upstairs."
"Why, what's up there?" Ted asked, looking nervous now.
"You'll see, and guys, call me tomorrow and tell me how you liked it, okay?"
"Maybe," Matt said, "see ya, losers," he said as he peeled out, churning up gravel and dirt.
"Jerk," Jamie fussed.
"Do you think the ghosts will appear for them?" Will asked softly.
"Yeah, I think so. I think they'll keep trying till they find someone to tell their story."
"So, it's not our job anymore?" Will said sounding a bit relieved.
"I don't know, maybe we're not the first, or the last. I just hope Matt and Ted don't shit their pants," he added with a laugh.
Jamie and Dickie laughed, too, but Will seemed somber, though he did eventually smile.
"What shall we do now?" Doug asked the three.
"DQ!" Dickie suggested, and Jamie shouted his approval.
"DQ it is then," Doug said, and they were off, tearing up the dirt and gravel road at top speed.
"Hey, is that a light up there...over the saloon?" Ted asked as they drove slowly up the street of the abandoned town.
"Yeah, isn't that the place Doug said to check out? I wonder if they were here before and left that light on to spook us."
"Dunno, let's go see," Ted suggested, suddenly feeling as brave as he'd professed to be earlier.
Parking the truck directly in front of the Branch Water Saloon, the teenage boy switched off the ignition and reached under the seat for the flashlight he kept there.
"Come on, I'm in the mood to go ghost huntin'," Matt joked, unaware that he was about to find all the ghosts he could handle. But that's a story for another time.
The End, or is it???
Happy Halloween everyone
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