By Owen Lean
Mateo turned away from his unwanted companion for a moment as a girl in brown pigtails pushed the saloon doors open with all the confidence of one who didn’t think she was remotely out of place in the establishment. He raised an eyebrow before he noted the Pony Express bag on her shoulder.
“You got a package for me mister?” she said to the barman.
“Certainly do, Laura.” The barman pulled out a small package from behind the bar and handed it to her. “Straight to Dodge please.”
“Yessir!” She saluted.
Dodge, Mateo thought to himself, seemed everyone was talking about Dodge City recently… Maybe that was where the action was heading these days. Worth considering for a desperado like himself.
“Mr Suarez.” the man who’d bought him the whisky he’d been drinking tried to regain his attention.
“Yeah…” Mateo said. “Randall, wasn’t it? While I appreciate your generosity, I fail to see how your offer is in my interests.”
“I’ve seen what you can do, Suarez,” Randall’s eyes fixed on his. “The way you command respect. The Miner’s Alliance… they’re not your people. They never will be.”
“I don’t have a people, Randall. I have a wallet and the people who fill it. And you aren’t going to fill it better than Mr. Farnum, are you?”
“In the end, it’s about more than just land and gold,” Randall replied earnestly. “It’s about standing against the real darkness in this world. You’ve seen them, haven’t you?”
Mateo snorted. “Ha. If that’s your best argument, I think we’re done here.”
“Think on it, Mateo,” Randall urged, rising from his seat. “The offer stands. The 108 Righteous Bandits could use someone like you. Someone with your… capabilities.”
“Then the 108 whatever-you-ares are going to need to increase their budget. And if you ain’t going to do that, then you are always going to be wasting your time.”
The saloon doors opened again, Mateo’s posse entering whilst Laura the Pony Express rider left with a glance towards Blind Mary. Mateo shook his head, if that girl thought Mary was strange, god forbid she met any of the things that awaited on the express route. Mateo raised his head in a nod towards Tsurugi, who unceremoniously snatched the chair out of Randall’s hand and sat down without even looking at him.
Randall made one last look towards Mateo, presumably trying to make some kind of point with his silence, and turned to leave.
Mateo watched him go, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He turned back to his drink, thoughts churning. In Deadwood, nothing was ever as simple as it seemed. But Randall’s words were lost the moment Tsurugi refilled Mateo’s glass of cheap whiskey and the two friends toasted the night ahead, finally a chance for some real action…
* * *
“Chikushou!” Tsurugi cursed in Japanese as he spat his tobacco onto the ground. “We’ve been hired to do nothing!”
Mateo sighed as he watched Baker Andrews finish applying the white makeup to Kim Lloyd. Whilst he was as bored as his colleague, he had to admit it looked pretty good. “Relax.” He said. “If this whole scheme of theirs works then we’re getting paid to do nothing. Isn’t that the dream?”
“No,” Tsurugi said plainly. He fidgeted with the handle of his unnecessarily large sword.
“Ooh.” The third member of the posse said. “The magic’s startin’ now guys.” Blind Mary adjusted the dial on her goggles and pointed to where pale blue lights were starting to float from Felix Cutler’s hand to surround the pseudo-ghosts. “Don’t worry, it ain’t real ghosts… just the huckster’s trickery. Shame you can’t see it as I do… it’s beautiful.”
“Am I going to have to listen to this crazy kid all damn night?” Tsurugi grimaced and felt the leather that tightly wrapped the handle of his sword again.
“Try it, Baka.” Blind Mary said without looking as a mechanical locust that had been sitting on her shoulder rose menacingly as it swiveled to face him.
“Ok. Ok.” Mateo raised his hands. “Enough. This plan will inevitably go skyward, and when it does, you guys get to have your fun.” He gritted his teeth. The Aims family had also stayed out of the costumed shenanigans and were hanging back a short distance from them. From what he could see Silas and Fred were of a similar mind to Tsurugi – but ‘Ma’ seemed less bothered.
“Shut the hell up.” she gestured as if she was about to clip them around the ears like kids. “Tonight, we are getting the mine back, and if these idiots’ plan works, then that’s fine by me.”
Mateo never expected himself to be empathizing with a lady who by the looks of it was old enough to be Methuselah’s grandmother but apparently, it was that kind of night.
There was the sound of footsteps and Mateo heard Kim speak up “Ok, play up the spooky stuff. Someone’s a-comin’.”
Sure enough, the mine workers were trudging down the hills, pickaxes and lanterns in hand, looking about as enthused with the prospect as a mule stuck in a mud pit.
“Whatcha think they gonna do? Make ‘woooo’ noises?” Blind Mary giggled.
To Mary’s disappointment but the horror of the workers, the Miner’s Alliance plan was significantly better than that.
With a flick of Felix’s cards, a sudden, acrid fog swirled up around their feet and an intermittent pale light flashed across the thugs. They stood perfectly still in the light and then moved closer just a bit when the light shone off them – giving an impression of undead miners moving only when they weren’t being perceived by the workers. In those bursts of darkness, they screamed out threats in shrill tones.
“GET OUT!”
“OUR MINES!”
“VENGEANCE!”
Mary was laughing hysterically as she saw the faces of the mine workers erupt into fear as they witnessed the scene, then her face suddenly changed and she hurriedly adjusted her goggles.
“Wait… what in tarnation is that…”
Mateo couldn’t see through the fog and half-light but knew well enough that if some other supernatural mayhem was taking place her goggles would pick it up bright as day. “What is it?” He was about to say, but before he did a sound like a gong rang out and a shockwave blew away the fog and apparitions, shining bright light over the Miner’s Alliance. At the center of it all, her arms outstretched, stood a woman with short black hair. She was dressed in a traditional chinese qipao, long and tapered with a closed neckline.
“Be not afraid.” A booming voice rang out. A muscular man in a blue sleeveless tunic walked out into the light.
“How to Zoo..?” Tsurugi pronounced a name he had only heard. Seeing Mateo’s puzzled expression, he added, “The warrior they call the Mad Monk.” Tsurugi grinned. “Finally, some fun.”
“You need not fear these feeble attempts to scare you away,” The Mad Monk continued. “See how their paltry illusions fall away. Look at their faces, the cosmetics are melting in the gaslight. They are not abominations from beyond the grave but mere men, and quite pathetic excuses for men at that.” He laughed. “The 108 Righteous Bandits have arrived now my friends, and the evil that these ruffians attempt to spread shall NOT stand!”
The workers hesitated, their eyes darting between the retreating fog and the imposing figures now illuminated by the bright light.
Frank Bryant stepped forward – “Ain’t no evil doing happening here. I found the ghost rock in these hills, my Miner’s Alliance ain’t giving it up without a fight. The Sioux and their paperwork be damned!”
Tsurugi unsheathed his offensively large sword with a fluid motion, the blade gleaming in the light. “Get ready,” he said, his voice a low growl.
“Wait,” Mateo interjected, holding up a hand. “Let’s see what they do first.”
Right on cue, Buzz Crover stepped forward at the Mad Monk’s side, his voice steady despite the tremor in his hands. “You done plenty evil Byrant, just ask anyone who was there where your goons broke up my bar. You hide behind your costumes and your hired thugs, but you ain’t nothing but cowards.”
The lady in the Qipao, eyes sharp and calculating, scanned the crowd of miners and thugs alike. “We are here to protect you,” she declared. “The legends you’ve heard are true. We fight for justice, and we will not let fear rule this place.”
There was a murmur of agreement from the workers, a few stepping forward tentatively, pickaxes held defensively. Mary, meanwhile, had switched her goggles to a different setting, her eyes wide with amazement. I can’t make it out from here, but that musclehead ain’t bluffing. There’s some serious power emanating from him.
“You foreigners ain’t scaring us off,” Kim yelled out. “You think we’re here alone.”
The Mad Monk waved his words away. “We stand against these deceivers not for glory or gold, but for the people of Deadwood. Together, we can drive out this darkness.”
“Together,” Yasmin echoed, her voice firm and resolute.
Tsurugi turned to Mateo. “NOW? Can we hit them now?”
“Not qu…” Mateo started but was cut short as ‘Ma’ Aims ran past screaming “KILL THEM ALL!!!!” The Aims matriarch fired her six-shooters wildly, her sons in hot pursuit. Mateo blinked twice. “Ok. Now.” He drew his gun and they jumped into the fray.
“Yatto!” Tsurugi snarled, launching himself towards Buzz with a swift, lethal grace. His sword arced through the air, only to be deflected by the clumsy parry of a man he hadn’t spotted until then. “Daomei!” Tsurugi exclaimed at the drunken master.
“Tsurugi.” Daomei Wang grinned back with a nod and delivered a swift kick, sending the sword flying from his foe’s hands.
The battlefield erupted into chaos. Mateo and his posse joined the Aims family and Miner’s Alliance, guns blazing and fists flying. Mateo’s revolver barked, and the workers turned and ran – the ghosts may have been fake, but the bullets flying were very real. Tsurugi, momentarily disarmed, ducked under Daomei’s next swing and retrieved his sword with a quick roll, his eyes narrowing as he assessed his opponent.
Daomei Wang moved with a fluid unpredictability, weaving and stumbling in a way that belied his true skill. He ducked under another swing from Tsurugi, countering with a flurry of quick jabs that kept his larger opponent off balance. “You’re fast,” Tsurugi admitted, a thin smile creeping across his face as he lunged forward, his sword a blurred circle of steel.
Buzz Crover stood defiant as Frank Bryant charged through the melee, his face a mask of rage. Bryant, a wrench in his hand, swung wildly, but Buzz caught the weapon. “Your boss owes me a new bar.” He spat and the two men grappled for dominance amidst the pandemonium.
Blind Mary, perched on a rock, once again adjusted her goggles as she watched the battle unfold. A swarm of mechanical locusts buzzed around her, “Not yet sweetlings, let’s enjoy the show.” She twirled her hair and kicked her feet as she awaited the perfect moment to unleash metallic havoc. The ground trembled beneath them, but the combatants barely seemed to notice. Mateo stopped though, looking around for the source of the tremor when it came again. His eyes darted until they came to rest on ‘Ma’ standing by the entrance of the mine, straining as if she heard something above the noise of the fight.
“Floooooreeeence” a raspy voice echoed through the tunnel.
“The Hell,” Ma said. “Amos? Amos is that you, you useless…”
“Floooooreeeeence.” a figure staggered out of the mine toward her. His arms outstretched, tattered clothes hanging off him.
“MARY!” Mateo shouted, “Could use your eyes right about now.”
Mary’s head darted towards them and her hand went to the dial on her goggles “Oh buttfudge…” she said, then called out to the old woman “That ain’t no costume Ma!!”
It was to no avail though. Ma had clearly got far too much to say to her husband to care if he was dead or alive. She hobbled towards him waving her fist “Amos, you no-good, yellow-bellied, lily-livered scoundrel! You low-down, ornery son of a mule! You worthless sack of horse dung! I ain’t forgot how you left us, you spineless, flea-bitten varmint! You two-timing, snake-in-the-grass coward! How dare you show your face around here, you rotten, foul-smelling, piece of buzzard bait! You ain’t nothing but a deadbeat, good-for-nothing, filthy hog slop! I’ll give you the hiding you deserve, you dirt-eating, scurvy-infested, wretched excuse for a man! OUCH!”
The corpse of her husband had launched at her and sunk its teeth clean into her neck. The fight came to an immediate halt as both sides stared at the jet of blood that flew from the old woman’s jugular.
Frank Bryant stared from the headlock Buzz had him in. “What the Hell…?”
As if to answer his question the ground shook a third time and without further warning a host of undead miners burst from the earth, skin hanging off their rotten flesh.
“To be continued,” Tsurugi said to Daomei and turned, swinging his sword to decapitate one of the zombies before it had time to crawl out of the earth.
“Ma! Get back!” Silas and Fred shouted, rushing to their mother’s aid, but the horde of undead was too thick. The Mad Monk, seeing the peril, thrust his fist forward, sending a wave of energy that pushed the undead back momentarily.
“Put aside your grievances!” He commanded the battlefield. “Protect the living, drive back the dead!”
Mateo caught his eye and nodded, and turning to Frank shouted “You heard him, ain’t nobody fighting for a mine full of zombies.”
“Give me yer gun then Suarez.” Frank yelled back.
Mateo looked at him in disgust at the suggestion of such a thing and instead levelled it at a walking dead that was clumsily aiming an old Springfield. Suarez’s bullet went clean into its temple and it dropped to the ground. “Take his!” he said.
“Ok, boys. Now’s the time.” Mary said, jumping down from her rock into the middle of the battle. “Show them that ol’ Plum Creek spirit!” She commanded. As she raised her arms into the air a whole cloud of mechanical locusts flew out from her screaming backpack into formation before her, becoming a whirling steel twister that began to plow into the undead horde – a fountain of rotten sinews flying from it as the locusts stripped the flesh from their bones. A wild cackle came out of Blind Mary’s mouth as she watched the display, clapping her hands with glee. “MORE!” she screamed. “MORE!!”
Tsurugi and Daomei stood back to back, turning in a circle as they sent the attackers back into the ground with fist and steel. Mateo meanwhile kept outside the fray, dropping the zombies one by one with each carefully aimed headshot. A hand rested on his shoulder and the Mad Monk said “My friend, protect Yasmin. She needs to focus.”
Mateo saw Yasmin Tian take a deep breath, centering herself amidst the chaos. Her eyes closed for a brief moment, and when they opened, they were filled with a serene determination.
With both hands, she drew a series of intricate symbols in the air with a piece of red cinnabar chalk, each stroke leaving a faint, glowing trail that lingered momentarily before fading.
She began to chant rhythmic cadences in Mandarin, her voice steady and clear, each syllable resonating with power.
Mateo nodded and focused on the zombies climbing the hill towards her as her chant grew in intensity, a thick, luminous smoke billowed forth from her qipao, swirling around the undead miners.
Yasmin’s voice rose to a crescendo as she called out “Great Zhong Kui, guardian of the living, hear my plea! Drive these malevolent spirits back to the abyss from whence they came!”
At her command, the smoke and symbols surged outward, expanding in a wave of purifying light. The undead miners recoiled as the energy washed over them, their grotesque forms writhing in agony and disintegrating in the light.
Mateo wiped the sweat from his brow, his eyes scanning the now-still landscape. The Miner’s Alliance, shaken but alive, began to lower their weapons as the Aims brothers knelt by the corpse of their mother. The Righteous Bandits slumped in exhaustion, their battle-weary faces illuminated by the dying embers of Yasmin’s ritual.
The Mad Monk surveyed the scene with a solemn nod. “Mr. Bryant. Let us put our differences aside for the night, tend to the wounded, honor the fallen.”
“Agreed.” Frank nodded. “But this is far from over.”
“No,” The Mad Monk said. “I wouldn’t expect it would be,” he said, with a brief look at Mateo.
* * *
“He’s expecting us,” Mateo said to the man guarding the opium den at the back of the Bai Long Tea Shop, who nodded them in.
Hao-T’e Zui was waiting for them in his room at the back and bade them sit down. Mateo and Tsurugi did, Mary on the other hand, adjusted her lens and briefly took a hesitant step back.
“Are you okay, young one?” The Mad Monk asked.
“Yes, Mr. Monk, Your aura is very pretty,” she said and sat down, moving her head around as she apparently took in whatever was emanating from their host.
The Mad Monk frowned for the briefest of moments before continuing.“You three fought very well.” He said, beginning to pace the room, “I see why Randall found you so intriguing.”
“Cut to it,” Tsurugi said. “If you aren’t beating Farnum’s offer…”
“Ah! And there is the proverbial rub, isn’t it, tomodachi. You say you wish me to offer you more money than Farnum, but I know there is something more important to the three of you than simply material gain.”
“I think we’re done,” Mateo said standing up.
“The thrill!” The Mad Monk exclaimed, grinning widely. “That’s what it’s truly about is it not? I saw the way the three of you came alive when our real enemies emerged from the mines this evening. There is no real excitement in intimidating barmen and muscling around simple folks is there? But turning back the hordes of darkness, feeling the monsters of the world tremble beneath your might – THAT, that is the stuff of legend is it not? And do we not all long to be legends?”
Mateo didn’t reply but listened. He looked back to the seat he had risen from.
“Side with me my friends.” Hao-T’e Zui’s hands opened as he spoke. “And I will see you are paid your due, but more importantly, you will write yourself into the histories that will be told for generations to come.”
Mateo looked at his colleagues. And then wordlessly, sat back down.
* * *
Laura took one final look at the clock in the corner of the cabin at the Scout’s Rest Ranch as she packed up the last of her deliveries onto her horse. Ten to three in the morning. She’d wait til the hour, then she had to leave – she’d waited for her long enough.
Dodge City was a long ride, into what used to be known as the ‘Disputed Territories’ during the way and who knew what horrors were on the trail.
“Heading to Dodge I hear.” A voice came from behind her, and she turned to see a girl two years her elder, with a pair of goggles fixed tightly over her eyes, leaning cross-armed against the wall.
“Mary!” Laura cried. “Dagnabbit, what kept you? I was about to leave.”
“Undead in the mines.” Blind Mary replied calmly, her tone so very different from the act she usually portrayed. “A lot of folks are heading down to Dodge, you know where to head when you arrive?”
Laura nodded. “Dog Eye Saloon. Ask for Suzy Winger, but not till after…”
“After you make your deliveries of course.” Mary smiled. “Always the professional.”
“And you?”
“I’ve no doubt my ‘posse’ will head there soon enough. First, I need to check in with Speakman. I’ve found the Blue Haired King, we need to plan the next step. If we can get him there, I just hope the Star Chamber will be enough. Goodnight Laura.” She said, and without another word, turned and walked back in the direction of town.
“Goodbye, Mary,” Laura said and mounted her horse. As she rode out of town she stole one last look back to where Mary had gone. “Stay safe, Sis.”