The Rifters by M Pax

Author:M, Pax [M, Pax]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: urban fantasy, science fiction, steam punk, fantasy
Publisher: M. Pax
Published: 2018-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

hapter

Haw Shot needed to learn some respect. Earl contorted his face into his worst sneer. For the first time since leaving the war, he wished for a loaded gun then sneered at himself. What good would bullets do against a phantom?

His wit would be the better weapon. Earl stood taller. No matter how many heads Hawley gathered, Earl had more smarts.

The shadows bounced, becoming inkier, having nothing to do with the lowering sun. Not fully dark, this spook had special powers indeed, for it materialized in the sole patch of natural light remaining inside the cell block, a block of two cages rarely visited by worse than disorderly drunks.

Shadows left the recesses, gathering in the pool of light. The black sparked with a dim glow of green slowly brightening until the green matched the glare of the sun, then Haw Shot fully materialized. This time, he sported three heads, his own on one shoulder, Susan’s on the other, and the birdman’s in the center. Earl’s throat tightened, but he stood his ground.

“Haw, haw. You ready for some fun?”

Earl couldn’t help but roll his eyes. “You have no room for another head.”

“Hell on hot sand, I’ve plenty of room for plenty more.”

“There’s the issue of me being locked in here.”

“Ain’t a problem.” Haw Shot’s green-glowing hands wrapped around the locking mechanism and squeezed. The metal creaked, squealed, and popped, crumbling into flakes, which sifted to the ground like Hell’s snow. With a theatrical wave, Haw Shot aimed his fingers at the door, wiggling them. Electric arcs of green pulsed at the hinges until the cell swung open. “Come out and play, Bart.”

Earl studied the jewel embedded in the ghost’s neck, the stone of energy the birdman had created with his gyroscope. The power it emitted crackled and pushed Earl away. Cautiously, he sidled out of its reach and out of his cell.

“It’s a great night for killing. Haw, haw. The moon is bright, the stars twinkling, cold as dead woman’s kiss.”

Wow, an image Earl needed to expel from his mind. More than that, he had to clear his name of murder and get away from Haw Shot. No way would Earl hang. No way would he return to San Quentin. He cleared his throat and yelled, “Lou, I need you. Get your behind in here.”

“How pathetic.” Haw Shot’s heads bounced, his belly laugh threatening to dislodge them to the floor. His meaty fingers clasped around Earl’s throat, not feeling like mist and shadow.

Earl gulped, kicking at Haw Shot’s knees. His boot swept through air to connect with the wall. The sting in his toes sprung tears in his eyes. How could the ghost touch him and Earl not be able to touch it? Was that a smirk on the birdman’s face? Earl poked at its eyes, his fingers sinking into fleshy, gooey moistness. The birdman squawked, and the phantom let go. Well, that was something. “Duly noted,” Earl muttered under his breath. He could affect the thing from the rift, but not the ghost from this world.

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