Chapter 15
Caleb stood on the porch of the Lucky Star Saloon, the warm morning sun beating down on his shoulders. He reached up with a trembling hand to touch his chest. The branded silver star was gone. In its place was only the worn, smooth fabric of his dark trench coat, completely free of blood, burn marks, or pain.
He looked down at the two little girls sitting on the wooden barrel. They finished their bread, dusted their hands off together, and hopped down to the dirt street. For the first time since he had arrived in this forsaken place, they looked light, unbound, and at peace.
“Where are you going?” Caleb asked softly, taking a step down the stairs.
The older sister turned back and looked up at him, her eyes bright and clear, completely devoid of the glassy, ancient emptiness they had held before.
“Home, mister,” she said with a bright, genuine smile. “The road’s finally open.”
The two sisters turned hand-in-hand and began walking down the dusty western street toward the distant horizon where the sun was rising in a brilliant burst of gold and amber. Caleb watched them go, shading his eyes against the intense glare until they disappeared over the crest of the hill, swallowed not by fog or darkness, but by the natural, beautiful light of a new day.
Caleb took off his black cowboy hat and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He looked back one last time at the Lucky Star Saloon. The doors were wide open, welcoming the warm breeze, and the interior was empty, clean, and silent. There were no traps, no whispers, no ghosts lingering in the corners.
May you like
He stepped off the porch and walked out into the middle of the dusty street where he had first knelt before the children hours ago. He looked down at his hands—they were steady, strong, and unburdened. He didn't pick up his revolver; he left it holstered at his side, knowing he would never need to draw it in anger again.
The desert wind whispered softly through the tumbleweeds, carrying the scent of sage and clean rain from the mountains far away. Caleb turned his back on the ghost town and began walking down the open road, following the path the little girls had taken toward the sunrise, leaving the past buried securely in the dust behind him.
