Faerie Tales; Short Stories

"ghost town" a western a/u

I was supposed to write something based off of a prompt for my writers group, and here's what I got for the prompt "ghost town" I also had to fit this in under 1k words, so here it is, 995 words long XD

Slayte slouched over, taking off her cowboy hat, and wiped her umber face with her glove. The scorching sun bore down on her, and she panted as she struggled to work up the strength to move on. As far as she could see, the sandy dirt just continued on and on. A stark black silhouette stood out in the bright desert, and as Slayte squinted, she could make out what looked to be a small town. Confused, she opened her map and compass. Nothing was around for miles. This could be her big break! She could be free from the law out here, considering it wasn't even on the map. So she continued towards it.

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A tumbleweed bounced across Slayte's path, rolling to a stop at a sign that said, Silverton Springs. The name had been crossed out and replaced with a warning that read KEEP AWAY! Slayte shrugged this off. It was normal for towns to scare outsiders away. She tilted her hat down, and made headway towards the town's Saloon, watching for the inhabitants of this strange town.

She stumbled through the swing doors, exhausted and dehydrated. Sitting down on a barstool, she waited for a bartender to come to her. And sure enough, one did. Her strawberry blonde hair and pale skin was a startling difference compared to Slayte's.

Slayte took off her hat, her long silky hair falling past her shoulders.

"Some rum please."

The bartender dipped her head and returned with a glass.

"You've been on the run." She noted.

"Haven't we all? What's it to you?" Slate sighed.

"Well, I was like you once, and even though I hardly know you, I have a deal to propose." The bartender smirked.

"Go on."

"You need a place to hide, a place where you can be free, anything you imagine. I can offer that to you as long as you help pull your share of the weight."

"Why would I do that?" Slate laughed.

"The law doesn't need to know you're here, do they? Just think about it and come back tomorrow."

Slayte shrugged, setting the glass down on the counter. "How much?"

"It's on the house." The redhead smiled.

Slayte turned around and walked out the door, pondering the offer. Honestly, it sounds like a threat. She thought as she turned the corner to venture into the streets. But gruff hands grabbed her and pushed her into an alley.

"Hey!" she yelled.

An older boy with white hair shushed her.

"Look, I need to warn you of something. My name's Montana."

Slayte looked at him in boredom, so he continued.

"This town is cursed mate, some even believe by the devil himself." He whispered.

"I don't believe in fairytales," Slayte replied.

"There's a train that passes through tomorrow. Get on it and don't look back. Or else you'll be stuck here forever." Montana warned.

"You folks and your insanity. Listen, kid, I don't see any train tracks for miles. Here, look at my map." She pulled open her map and gasped lightly. Silverton Springs now appeared on the map, but still no railroad. I probably missed it before, she thought.

She tossed the map to Montana, but it passed right through him before he was whisked away with the breeze. Slayte stood there, mouth agape.

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That night Slayte couldn't fall asleep, as she thought about the abnormalities of her day. Soon enough dawn came about, and Slayte got dressed and headed back to the saloon.

The redhead was there, almost as if she knew Slayte would come in at that exact moment. The sun was up fairly high in the sky, and the air held an eerie stillness to it.

"So what do you say?"

"No, I don't think I'll take the offer."

"What?" The bartender glared, her eyes turning red.

"Uh, I'll be on my way." Slayte said, stuttering a bit.

"I think you might want to rethink that."

Suddenly the room was filled with people, playing cards, drinking beer and all sounded distant, yet joyful.

"We understand you." One said.

"You'll never be an outcast here. You could have family, friends!" Spoke another.

"You'll be loved." Montana said, making his way to her.

Slayte felt as if she was being lured into an endless sleep, and it felt comforting.

"You just have to say yes." The redhead finished, her eyes now glowing.

A whistle sounded in the distance. Slayte barely heard it, her thoughts too focused on this paradise. She turned to the redhead, the sun's light casting a shadow on the bartender. Slayte snapped out of her daze when she noticed the shadow had thorns twisted in a crown upon her head, and wings embodied her. When Slayte looked back to the redhead, everything was normal. The thundering of the train was now within the town walls.

"Yeah, I don't think so." Slayte muttered before backing away slowly.

"No." The redhead hissed.

Suddenly the ground began to shake, and cracks opened up in the floor and walls, emitting a bright red light. Slayte whipped around and ran for it, a cloud of ash and rocks closing in on her.

Train tracks now appeared on the outside of the buildings, but the train had just finished passing through. Using what strength she had, along with some newfound adrenaline, she ran after the train. Hands formed out of the dust and grabbed for her, but she dodged them, pushing herself. She was so close, she could almost grab the caboose's rail.

Just

a little

more.

She grasped the chain and pulled herself onto the train, heaving and coughing. She pulled out her map again, and there was the railroad. But Silverton Springs had vanished.

She turned to look back to look at the dust storm, the town. But she was met with a tumbleweed blowing to the west across even flatland.