Ghost Town II
by Rob Warr
Chapter 3
"Malachi, Malachi, shush, don't cry," Evan soothed as he planted a kiss on his brother's forehead, then to Jamie and Dickie, "you are kind to want to comfort him. I thank you for that."
"I just wish we could do more," Jamie said, "this whole situation sucks."
"If that means it's bad then, yes...it sucks," Evan said giving Jamie a sad smile, "but it is our life, and we are destined to live it out this way."
Jamie and Dickie both had the same thought then, did the brothers know at this point how their lives would end? Were they aware of the future, or only of the present and past?
"Have you ever thought of leaving this town?" Dickie suddenly asked as he sat down on the other side of the bed.
"That is our plan, once we have enough money saved we are going to go to California. I hear it is nice there, and that there are many opportunities for employment that don't involve sex," Evan said sounding a bit more upbeat at the prospect.
"How much more money do you need?" Jamie asked, though he had no idea how the boys could raise it, and though he could probably give them whatever amount they needed, current funds wouldn't do them much good in the 1800's, not to mention he wasn't sure if he could change the past.
"Another 100 dollars and we will be set," Evan said smiling, "but at 2 dollars per customer, that will take some time."
"We could both do it then," Malachi suggested as he wiped at his eyes, "that way we could get the money twice as fast."
"NO!" Evan almost shouted, "I will not have you sell your body to those men. It is bad enough I must, but I am stronger and I can take it."
"I'm strong," Malachi insisted, but he didn't put up much of a fight.
"Besides," Evan continued, "you contribute your share by working at the Hotel and the other odd jobs you perform. You work hard and I appreciate that fact."
Malachi sighed, "As you wish, brother."
"The Sheriff, huh?" Dickie muttered, almost to himself, "you'd think the Sheriff would cut you guys some slack since he's...um, one of your customers..."
"The Sheriff is only one of the somewhat important men in this town who require my services. The Mayor, the Baptist Preacher, the owners of several businesses, all come to me when they need pleasure they can't find with women."
"Wow, you'd think they'd be falling all over themselves to make sure you guys were well taken care of," Jamie mused, "instead of hassling you."
"Hassling, what do you mean? We are pretty much left alone. We have a profitable agreement with the Saloon owner, and The Sheriff and other officials look the other way."
So, Jamie thought, they don't know about the future at this age. Well, he wasn't about to press the issue or reveal anything. The boys had enough on their plates as it was.
"Oh, okay...I see," Jamie said, but he didn't, not exactly. Maybe once the boys had gotten older, became young men, the old perverts of the town had no further need of them and turned against them. Maybe they'd found other young boys to sodomize by then.
"I wish we could help," Dickie said sincerely, "but all this happened a long time ago, right?
However, it seemed Evan and Malachi were no longer listening, or were unable to see or hear the two boys from the future.
"Move over, brother, I am done for the evening, and I have saved my last dance for you," he chuckled.
"Dance?" Malachi chuckled, "Oh, that. Well, then lead on, I am yours to do with as you wish..."
"Gosh," Dickie whispered to Jamie, "I think they're gonna do it."
"Yeah, lets get out of here and give them some privacy, we have some thinking to do."
"Aww, I wanted to watch," Dickie protested, but only mildly as he was led out the door and into the hallway.
"You're a real perv," Jamie teased.
"Nope, just a horny teenage boy."
"Let's go to the Jeep, if we can, and grab a Dew, I'm parched after all this."
As they stood leaning against the Jeep, the town once more stood dilapidated and rotting, the weathered wood planks of the sidewalk completely gone in some spots and broken in others. A slight breeze blew up the street stirring up dust, and eventually creating a little whirlwind that settled at their feet for a second before moving on.
"That was weird," Dickie said, referring to the whirlwind.
"Yeah, reminds me of a short story I read once about a whirlwind that actually had intelligence and personality."
"Stop, that's all I need to hear right now. Maybe someday you can tell me the rest, but I'm already spooked enough as it is."
"Yeah, so...it's pretty obvious that these versions of Malachi and Evan don't know they're gonna be hanged when they're older, so what good is all this background info?"
"Hmm, maybe we can prevent the whole thing from happening that way," Dickie suggested.
"Change time?"
"Well, maybe. Who knows. I mean, what are the odds we'd even be able to see past events? Who says we can't change a thing or two?"
"But how? It seems like most times they can't even see us or hear us."
"Unless they're just ignoring us," Dickie said.
"Hmm..." Jamie said draining his can of Mt. Dew and crushing the can in his hands, "I wonder..."
"What?" Dickie said finishing his can as well, then handing it to Jamie to crush with his much stronger hands, "Thanks, Hulk," he chuckled.
"Welcome, little buddy," Jamie said grinning, "but to answer your question about what I was thinking...I wonder what would happen if we told the brothers what went down in that other timeline. Maybe they could get out of town before that ever happened, or...avoid the Saloon for awhile."
"I wish we knew the exact day," Dickie said frowning, then he brightened, "Actually, we did know, it was in that newspaper we read...but damn, I can't remember the date or anything, can you?"
"Fraid not, my memory isn't that good. I do remember the year, though, 1889."
"Wait, wait, I remembered something, too. The day they were hanged was Halloween, October 31st."
"Duh!" Jamie said slapping himself on the forehead, "we should've remembered that right away, after all, that's the only day the town appears."
"Yeah, so we can at least warn them about what happens that day. And I'm guessing they weren't held very long before they were tried and hung...like a week at most."
"Yeah, now...the question is: will the younger versions of the brothers believe us and take precautions?"
"All we can do is try," Dickie sighed, "I don't know what else to do, or why we're here when they're young."
"That's it, you're brilliant," Jamie said grabbing Dickie and kissing him full on the lips.
"I am, thanks, but...what am I brilliant about?" Dickie said blushing a bit.
"Why else would we be here...in this time line, where the boys are young, unless we were supposed to warn them about the future?"
"Oh, yeah...I guess that makes sense," Dickie said, "and by the way, thanks for the kiss. I needed that."
"I'll give you more than a kiss once we figure this thing out and get home," Jamie said winking.
"We could rent a room at The Hotel," Dickie teased.
"No thanks, too many bad memories there, not to mention, ghosts."
"Yeah, so...where do we go now?"
"Hmm, seems we've been everywhere but the bank so far, why not give it a try?"
It seemed that Jamie had indeed chosen the right place to explore next, for as they approached the building it began to morph until it stood as it had looked way back in it's heyday. The rest of the town had changed as well, and this was the first time the boys had ever seen this happen on this scale. Always before there had been no changes until they stepped inside a building, but now they were seeing Centerville as it had been when it was a vibrant bustling community. Horses were hitched to posts in front of watering troughs, wagons and buckboards moved slowly up the single street, and men, women, and children walked up the now fully restored sidewalks as they went about their daily lives.
"Wow, this is awesome. Do you think my phone would capture this?"
"Dunno, try," Jamie said, "worst that can happen is you wind up with a blank video or pic."
Dickie nodded and pulled out his cellphone only to find it was completely dead. He grimaced as he tried to turn it on.
"I don't get it, it was fully charged. Try yours"
Jamie did, only to find his phone was dead as well. "Well, I guess that answers your question. I guess cell phones don't work in the 1800's he joked."
"Yeah, makes sense. Hey, where's the Jeep?" he asked in alarm as he glanced back where they'd left the vehicle.
"I...damn, I don't know. If I lose that damn thing I'll never hear the end of it. But...I have a feeling it will be there when we're done, when all this is over."
"I hope so, I'd hate to have to walk home from here, and with no cell service we couldn't even call for a ride."
"Don't sweat it, for now. Let's go see what's shaking at the bank."
The bank was busy, with at least three people in line at each of the four windows. At the far end of the counter, waiting patiently in line were the brothers, both looking to be a few years older than Jamie and Dickie had last seen them, but unmistakably them.
"Look, they're older, maybe 16 or so now," Dickie said excitedly, "I wonder what they're doing here."
"Making a deposit or withdrawal, I'd guess," Jamie concluded, "I doubt they're taking out a loan," he added with a chuckle.
"Maybe they finally got the hundred dollars and they're ready to pull out..."
"Hmm...if so, then all that other stuff wouldn't have happened, the stuff in the future."
"Yeah, I guess that was a dumb comment."
"Nah, I just wish it was true. I'd love to see them get the hell out of this rotten town."
The boys finally made it to the teller's window, and the man looked at them with what Jamie thought was disdain. However, it was evident he recognized them for he called them by name, then politely, if not stiffly, asked them how he could be of service.
"We'd like to deposit some money," Malachi said, "here's our bank book," he said producing a small blue book which the teller took and opened until he found the page he needed.
"All right, how much? It says you have a balance of fifty two dollars and fifty cents at the moment..."
"Malachi produced a small bag then and dumped the contents onto the counter and pushed it toward the man. There were paper bills as well as change, and the man quickly began counting it.
"I get ten dollars and seventy five cents, that what you get?"
"Yes, exactly," Malachi said with a nod, "Please add this to our savings account."
The man just nodded and wrote the figure into the book, initialed it, then stamped it with the bank's official stamp to prove it was valid.
"There you go, anything else?"
"No, sir, that's all. Thank you," Malachi said softly, then leaning in to whisper to the man, he said something which caused the teller to blush and frown.
Then Malachi winked and took his brother by the arm and led him out the door, Jamie and Dickie quickly following.
Outside, the day was warm and sunny, and the town was still a buzz with activity and as pristine as it had been before. The two brothers kept close to one another and talked softly, but managed to say howdy to just about everyone they passed. And...to Jamie and Dickie's surprise, no one seemed to treat them unkindly and always returned their greeting.
"Hmm...I certainly get a whole different vibe from these folks now than I did when we were here three years ago."
"Yeah, I guess this was before the town turned on them. Maybe something happened that turned the town against them. Maybe someone got caught with his dick in Malachi's ass and he blamed Malachi for it."
"Hmm...maybe. Let's see if they can see us or hear us, follow me," Jamie said as he hurried ahead, then stopped directly in front of the two brothers, who halted as soon as they were a foot or so away.
"What strange clothing," Malachi said noting the boys blue jeans, tee shirts and hoodies.
"And what manner of footwear is that?" Evan said noticing their athletic shoes, Nikes for Jamie, Reeboks for Dickie.
"So, you can see us..." Jamie surmised.
"Of course, we're not blind. I'm Malachi, this is my brother, Evan. Are you new in town?"
"I guess you could say that, but just visiting, that's all."
"Oh, are you visiting a relative? for we know most of the people here..." Evan asked.
"No, we're just out for the day, you might say. Just seeing what the town has to offer..." Jamie said thinking fast.
"Not much," Malachi chuckled, "It's rather a boring place, actually."
"Oh, so far...we've not been bored," Dickie chuckled.
Malachi raised an eyebrow, "Do I know you? You look familiar. I think..." he said looking confused, "when I was younger perhaps..."
"How could that be?" Evan said frowning, "they couldn't be the same boys...they would be older by now..."
"Yes, true..." Malachi said, still looking the two over.
"What did you say your names were?"
"I didn't, but I'm Jamie, and that's Dickie."
"Dickie?" Malachi laughed, then when he saw the look on Dickie's face he sobered, "Sorry, Dickie is an unusual name. It sounds like what we called a body part when we were younger..."
"Very funny," Dickie said, but he was grinning now.
"I'm sorry, I meant no insult."
"That's okay, Dickie has heard it all by now. His real name is Richard, but he hates that name, so Dickie it is."
"Ah, I see. Well, it's a fine name. And where do you two reside, when you're not visiting, on a ranch or farm nearby, or perhaps in another city? Did you come by railroad?"
"No, we..." Jamie almost said 'drove here', but at the last minute he changed it to, "we rode in on the stage."
"Ah, I see...except there is no stage due for two more weeks," Malachi said accusingly.
"Well, okay...train then..." Dickie put in.
"I see, so why the lie?" Malachi said accusingly.
"Look, is there some place we can go and talk? I think you'll want to hear what we have to say, even if you don't believe it at first."
"What do you think, Evan, can we trust these two?"
"I think so, brother. I have a strange feeling about them, and that we were meant to meet them."
"Very well, let's take a walk. There is a creek just outside of town, that's where we were heading. Perhaps you'd like to join us for a swim."
"But we don't have swimsuits..." Jamie protested, then groaned at his stupidity.
"What's a swimsuit?" Malachi said looking confused, "The only swimsuit we got is the one were born with, our birthday suits," he said grinning.
"Skinny dipping?" Dickie said trying the idea on for size, "sure, I'm in."
The walk to the creek took about fifteen minutes along a dusty road then down a well worn path. They could smell the creek water before they could see it and the temperature seemed to drop noticeably the closer they got.
"Some of the local boys come here to swim," Evan explained, but I doubt any will be here on a school day."
"Uh, school. Why aren't you two in school?" Jamie asked.
"We have gotten all the learning we need," Evan insisted, "now it is time to earn our way in the world."
They arrived at the creek then and both Jamie and Dickie were surprised at how nice this spot was. The water looked crystal clear and the bottom could be seen near the shore, consisting of fine rocks and gravel, no mud. There were tall trees surrounding the swimming hole, which Jamie estimated to be about fifty feet in diameter. The creek then narrowed at each end as if this particular spot had been dug out and widened by nature for just such a use.
A rope swing with a board tied to the end and several knots along its' length hung from a limb a good twenty feet from the ground, and both Jamie and Dickie wondered who'd been brave enough to climb the tree to attach the rope.
"Wow, it's nice here," Jamie commented, then something occurred to him, they'd came here on Halloween, October 31st, and the weather had been cool, but not cold. But now, it seemed they were in the middle of summer, with bright sunshine and temperatures in the upper 80's or low 90's. But he supposed the ghosts were able to represent any time period, day, month or year, and he just needed to put it out of his mind and go with it.
Evan and Malachi had already started undressing as Jamie came back to the present, or wherever they were, and his eyes immediately went to the two brothers' bodies as more of them came into view.
"Well, are you going to join us?" Evan chuckled, "There's no one here but us four, so don't be shy."
"I'm there," Dickie said practically tearing off his clothes.
Jamie laughed, "In a hurry, Dickie?"
"Yeah, that water looks great," he said, but it wasn't the water he was ogling, it was the brothers, who were naked now.
Jamie followed Dickie's lead, taking a bit longer to undress and folding his clothes on the grassy bank on top of his shoes and socks.
"Come on," Evan said leading the way once everyone was naked, "it's not deep till you get closer to the other side. The smaller kids and those who can't swim usually stay on this side and as far out as the middle, but only the bravest go all the way over to the other side."
On the other side there were tall rocks and another rope swing, Jamie noticed, and a trail that led up a small hill before disappearing into the woods.
"Wow, this water is cold..." Dickie said shivering a bit as he waded in till he was waist deep.
"The creek is fed by a spring, that's where the town gets it's water."
"Good thing the town is upstream or you'd have to drink water that all those hot sweaty bodies washed off in," Dickie joked.
"And more than that," Malachi said giving Evan a knowing look.
"So, you boys wanted to talk to us about something?" Evan said once they were assembled in the water.
"Yes, but I don't know where to begin, or how much to tell..." Jamie frowned.
"Well, I find starting at the beginning is usually best, and then to tell the truth, I think we can handle that."
Jamie sighed, "I hope so, it's sounds crazy even to me, and I'm living it..."
So he began, Dickie jumping in from time to time to cover things Jamie had forgotten or overlooked. As they spun the tale, the two brothers listened impassively, stopping to ask a question occasionally, but giving no sign as to how much of the story they believed, if any.
"And now, it's summer, right? Only we came here on Halloween night, October 31st, and it was cold enough for jackets when we first arrived..."
"Your story is somewhat disturbing, yet I feel it has a ring of truth about it," Evan said frowning.
"We've known for a while now that some of the townspeople frown upon us and say things behind our backs. The town is full of hypocrites who condemn us for what we do and how we live, yet who willingly obtain the favors of my brother without a thought as to whether it's right or wrong," Malachi added.
"The Sheriff, among them," Evan confirmed, "but as I grow older and become more of a man, the men of this town seem to be coming to me less and less often, perhaps seeking younger boys to dally with."
"Perverts," Dickie said, the word like acid on his tongue, "They're nothing but perverts who play with little boys and yet condemn you for just loving one another."
Evan looked at Dickie with genuine affection in his eyes, "You too love someone, do you not?"
"Well, I guess you could say that Jamie and me are sort of like...boyfriends," he said blushing.
Both brothers smiled then, and Malachi said, "Then that explains why it is you two who were able to pass through the veil and come to us. Only true love can do so."
"What? You mean you know all about this stuff...?" Jamie asked.
"Yes, but we wanted to make sure you were the ones. When you visited us the first time, you were not ready yet, but now it seems you have grown, and your love along with it. What you have seen tonight was of course only shadows of what once was, and even now as we speak, Evan and I are long ago dead. Our spirits dwell in a sort of in between world, never able to pass through until our souls are set free."
"But, how?" Dickie asked as he wiped some water off his chest.
"That, we are not sure of. Only that it must be done on this night, All Hallow's Eve and by two male lovers. The others who came with you, before, they were strong in their love, but they lacked something, perhaps the innocence that the two of you share. I do not know, and it is possible that even you may not be able to break the curse, but that is why you came here, is it not?"
"Yes, we were...um, drawn here somehow. It's hard to explain, really, but it just seemed right."
"And when we saw the town was here," Dickie added, "we knew we had to try to do what our brothers couldn't."
Evan smiled, "Your brothers are strong, but you two are stronger. I don't know how I know that, I can just feel it."
"I feel it, too," Malachi nodded.
"So...Dickie and I were thinking, maybe instead of trying to clean up your reputation and telling the real story, what if we make sure that thing with the cowboys never happens?"
Evan looked interested, and Malachi moved a bit closer until he was almost touching the two boys from the future. A hand laid gently on Jamie's shoulder did not produce the numbing cold he might have feared, and in fact Malachi's hand felt warm and soft.
"Please, tell us more," Malachi said, "how can we change our destiny?"
"Well, the easiest way would be for you two to get out of town, now. Go somewhere, anywhere, away from this one horse town."
"But we still do not have as much money as we need," Evan said frowning, "perhaps in a month or so..."
"Whatever you have, take it and scoot, walk if you have to, just get out of here. If it was possible I'd give you a ride in my Jeep, but I'm sure it doesn't exist right now, though I sure hope it shows up later..." Jamie said.
"Jeep?" Evan said looking puzzled, but Jamie's description of the vehicle just had Evan looking more puzzled.
"Think of it as a wagon that powers itself without horses. Sort of like the engine on a train, only instead of steam it uses a liquid that burns, gasoline..."
"Ah, I see...well, not really, but that's not important right now," Evan said, "Malachi, what do you think of this plan?"
"I have always said I will do whatever you decide is best, but I must say the plans sounds like a good one, if...it will work, that is."
"It can't hurt to try," Dickie put in, "worse thing that happens is you can't leave the city limits, like maybe there'll be some invisible barrier or something."
Jamie rolled his eyes, "You've definitely been reading too much science fiction."
"Well, considering all the shit that's happened so far, how is that so weird?"
"True," Jamie said, "and I have to admit, this plan seems almost too easy to work."
"Exactly, but it's the only plan we got right now, so I say we give it a try."
The boys put the plan aside for the time being and just concentrated on being boys, splashing and diving and playing grab-ass, which inevitably resulted in four very hard cocks. But despite their desire to sample the goods of the two brothers/ghosts, both Jamie and Dickie were reluctant to try anything. Instead he and Dickie paired off as did the two brothers for some oral fun on the grassy bank.
However, just watching the two brothers pleasure each other was a real turn on, and both Jamie and Dickie came hard, filling each others' mouths with their hot sticky cum. Afterwards, the two couples lay entwined and before long they were dozing off.
Jamie awoke first, surprised that he'd fallen asleep and even more surprised that the brothers, who were actually ghosts, had done so as well. But he supposed anything was possible after what he'd witnessed so far in this weird old town.
Dickie stirred next and rolled onto his side, opened his eyes then slowly sat up, "Holy shit, how long did we sleep?'
"Dunno, without my phone I have no idea what time it is, or if any of that matters here. I mean, it's obviously still daytime, when it should be nighttime, and it's warm when it should be cold."
The brothers roused then, and as if on cue both rose and walked a short distance away and began draining their bladders.
"Ghost pee?" Dickie whispered to Jamie, just as he felt the urge to do so as well.
"Yeah, me too," Jamie said, and he and Dickie found a spot and hosed down the base of a tree.
The four got dressed in relative silence and started the short walk back to town, but neither of the brothers seemed in a talkative mood. Jamie thought about the plan, what there was of it, and wondered if Dickie hadn't been correct when he suggested the two might not be able to leave the town. That would pretty much end any hope of this plan working, and he was fresh out of ideas.
Back in town, things seemed to have slowed down a bit and only a half dozen or so of the townsfolk could be seen on the street and sidewalk. Piano music came from the open doors of the Saloon, but it was the typical rinky tink music one associated with such places and times.
"You have given us much to think about, and we thank you, but we must consider it further," Evan said once they were in front of the Saloon.
"Fine, but the sooner the better, I'm not sure how old you guys were when all that happened before, but it couldn't have been more than a couple years."
"I'm 17, Malachi a year younger, so we got some time, I reckon."
"But don't you see, if you don't do it now, while we're here, then you'll have to wait one more year for Halloween night for someone to try to help you again."
Speaking of night, suddenly the scene changed once more from bright sunlight to darkness and moonlight, and the town was once again transformed into the wreck and ruin of present day.
"Shit, we're back to night again," Jamie spat, "but neither Malachi or Evan reacted to his statement.
Instead they walked into the saloon and were just going up the stairs when Jamie and Dickie caught up to them.
"Holy shit, I don't think they can see us now," Dickie said, "and what the hell was with the town changing? It looks new in here."
"I don't know, I can't begin to guess how things work here or who's in charge, but we need to follow the two and see if we can talk to them again."
But the two were nowhere in sight now, for they had almost flown up the stairs, but the sound of a door closing convinced Jamie and Dickie they'd be in their room.
"Knock, knock," Jamie said verbally accompanying his knocking on the door Malachi had said was his and his brother's room.
No sound came from within, but just as Jamie was about to knock again, the door opened slowly and Malachi's face appeared in the crack, "Yes, what do you want?" he said rather curtly.
"It's me, Jamie, from before..." Jamie said feeling stupid.
Malachi looked confused, "From before?"
Jamie sighed, "Can we come in?"
Evan had appeared then as well, and he gave the two boys a cursory look before telling his brother to let them in, thinking one or both might be potential clients.
"Come on then, sit if you wish. We have a bottle of whisky if you'd like a drink..."
"No, we're fine," Jamie said, "you really don't remember us, do you?"
"Should we?" Malachi asked, squinting at the two as if trying to remember, then suddenly a flicker of recognition appeared in his eyes.
"You are trying to help us, aren't you?"
"Yes, yes," Jamie said excitedly, "we want to help you escape a horrible fate, but to do that you have to get out of this town, now...tonight."
Evan looked amused, "You sound as if you can foresee the future."
"In a way, we can, because we are from the future, or at least that's where we live, and maybe we're just seeing the past and it's really not here..."
"That might explain your odd clothing, and your speech," Evan said looking thoughtful, "But surely wizards and demons can't travel through time."
"We're neither, we're just teenage boys who came here once with our brothers and tried to help you then, but we failed. Now, we're back without our brothers, older and wiser, and trying to do what they couldn't."
"My, my, that's quite a story," Evan said taking a swig of an amber colored liquid from a glass and grimacing.
"Get out of town," Dickie said feeling a bit exasperated, "that's the only way you'll keep from being hanged."
Malachi looked interested, but not the least bit worried, "Hanged, for what? We've committed no crime."
"Yet," Dickie said, "but you will, even though it might be considered self defense, it was still kinda iffy."
Evan sighed, "What are you talking about?"
So...Jamie related the story, non stop, not allowing any interruptions till he'd gotten it all out.
"Well, as fanciful as it sounds, I could certainly believe the good people of this town, including The Sheriff, would turn on us. And these cowboys, you say we killed them, both of them?"
"Yes, shot them with their own guns, and...well, shot one of em's dick off."
"That sounds like something we'd do," Malachi chuckled.
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