Chapter 14
Caleb clutched the heavy rusted key in his fist, feeling its jagged edges bite deep into his palm. The moment the key touched his skin, the burning star on his chest flared with a blinding white light that lit up the entire ghost town like a flash of lightning.
The ghostly cavalry let out a collective, hollow sigh that sounded like a rushing wind, their forms beginning to fray and dissolve into the thick fog. The burned captain stared up at Caleb with wide, shocked eyes before he too melted away into gray mist, his horse vanishing beneath him.
Caleb turned sharply and kicked open the swinging doors of the Lucky Star Saloon, rushing through the dim interior straight toward the back room. The two little sisters were already standing there beside the open trapdoor, their yellow dresses fading slowly into translucent shapes of light.
“You’re letting them go?” Caleb asked, pausing at the threshold.
“You broke the circle, mister,” the older girl said, her voice echoing as if coming from very far away. “The debt’s paid in full.”
Caleb didn't hesitate. He dropped to his knees beside the open trapdoor and looked down into the dark pit. Jonah was standing at the bottom, looking up through the gloom with a look of profound surprise on his gaunt face.
“Caleb?” Jonah called out, his voice sounding clear and human for the first time. “What are you doing?”
“Ending it, brother,” Caleb said.
He grabbed the heavy wooden trapdoor and hauled it upward, slamming it shut over the pit with a thunderous crash. He inserted the rusted iron key into the ancient keyhole set deep in the wood and turned it. With a loud, final click that echoed like a gunshot across the barren landscape, the lock engaged permanently, sealing Jonah and the dark abyss away forever.
When Caleb stood back up, the back room of the saloon was completely transformed. The rotting wood was gone, replaced by clean, sun-bleached pine that smelled of fresh sawdust. The air was warm, dry, and clear.
May you like
He walked slowly back out to the front porch. The Lucky Star Saloon sign above his head no longer creaked; it hung straight and silent in the still desert air. The street was empty, stretching out toward real, distant mountains under a bright, cloudless blue sky.
The two little girls were sitting side by side on the wooden barrel near the steps. They looked different now—their yellow dresses were clean, their bare feet were whole and uninjured, and they were smiling softly, sharing the piece of bread between them like ordinary, happy children.
