Calvin kept his eyes forward as Team Bootknife approached the Hobo Lord’s palace. Hobos to his left and right stared at the team of Six-Guns and their partner witches, but Calvin noted that Logan didn’t look at them. Having never been in a situation like this, he could only adopt his teacher’s mannerisms. He tried not to show it, but Calvin did not entirely feel safe here.

  The palace of the Hobo Lord stood before them, a collection of large crates jammed together haphazardly, with rugs draped over for insulation. It seemed as good a house as a Hobo could ask for, to Cal. One of the Hobos stood in front of it, a tall unshaven man sporting a jagged scar across his cheek.

  “Hey Frenchie,” Tinker, their guide, nodded, “These are the Gradymen the Lord sent for. We’re gonna go and see him.”

  Frenchie shook his head, crossing his arms. “No dice. Lord Albatross is meeting with a messenger. I’ll brief the Guns.”

  This immediately struck Logan as odd. He knew Hobos, apparently better than this Hobo thought he did. Hobo Lords conducted business themselves, in person, particularly with members of Grady’s Posse. There’s no way a self-respecting Hobo Lord would host a gunslinger-sorcerer in his Jungle and not meet him in person. The Bootknife didn’t wear his suspicion on his face, however.

  Tilting his head, Tinker touched his finger to his chin. “Well, that can’t be right.”

  “It’s fine.” Logan waved a hand, “Just fill us in and we’ll be on our way. I’m a busy man.”

  The boys gathered around, each one focused on the scarred Hobo in front of them. Elise remained silent, she didn’t want to cause any distractions. She did not share John’s opinion about Logan, herself finding the Bootknife to be refreshing. The Coven conducted themselves primly and properly. She hated how it often stifled real discussion or forced boring small talk. Logan was always straight to the point. She enjoyed watching how uncomfortable it made people at times.

  “So the letter probably mentioned this.” Frenchie shrugged, “But I’ll give it to you straight.”

  The boys all watched him curiously. Logan focused on his body language as he spoke.

  “Five nights ago a passenger train marked 25 came into the station from the North long after sundown. The trains don’t run that late, so a few of the Hobos here got curious. I think they were trying to go South, so they hopped on. We had a few guys blow in from Atlanta and we asked them about train 25. It was odd how late it ran.”

  Logan nodded, “They didn’t see it, huh?”

  “Right. No number 25. No passengers either. Four Hobos gone, off the map. That train has shown up every night since. None of us wanna touch it.”

  Opening his mouth, John started to speak. “Could th-“

  Logan cut him off, “What does your Lord think about this.”

  “Lord Albatross says he has seen this once before. A… Ghost. This is some cursed spirit engine, taking its unlucky riders to Hell.”

  Logan read genuine fear on the man’s face. It was enough to stay his suspicion, at least for the moment.

  “Do ghost trains even exist?” Asked a bewildered Calvin. “I read a book about a ghost pirate ship, but I thought spirits were from living beings, not machines.”

  “Us Hobos know they exist.” Added Tinker, “We seen them. They say when a Hobo gets real sick, the train comes to take him to heaven.”

  Frenchie shook his head, “This is different. It shows up every night, waiting for victims. We need your help, Gradyman.”

  “I dunno about the Hobo superstition.” Logan waved his hand, “But the Posse knows about ghost trains. Locomotive Phantom Phenomena. LPPs show up from time to time. Had one they dispelled in Boston a couple decades ago, when I was coming up just like you. We can handle it.”

  ^^^

  “How do you deal with an LPP?” Asked John, as they sat on a bench at the station.

  The sun sank into the Western horizon, casting an orange glow over the train station. Team Bootknife sat on some benches, waiting for nightfall. Elise chewed on a soft pretzel, sharing one that Calvin had bought.

  “Easy peasy.” Logan leaned back, “Girlies will deal with it. We just board and let them work their magic. Free eats.”

  The young Calhoun looked to his partner witch for a moment. She smirked at him.

  “Phantom objects like trains are considered Spectral Constructs. Some spirit is behind the haunting. It must have a connection to trains, maybe it was killed by one or on one. We wait for the train to arrive, find the spirit behind it and conduct a dispel ritual.”

  “Can you and Mavis do this?” John raised an eyebrow.

  “Sure!” beamed the red-haired witch sitting next to Buster, “We practice those a lot! It takes a few minutes.”

  “Like I said, free eats.” Logan yawned.

  “You don’t trust the hobos though.” Standing up, John stretched out. “I saw how you looked while they were talking.”

  This statement peaked the interested of the witches, who hadn’t minded the behavior of the Hobos too closely. Elise brushed some hair from her face.

  “Yeah, they’re lying about something.” Logan crossed his arms behind his head, lounging on the bench.

  If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  “So what’s the deal?”

  “I dunno what it is yet. But I suspect that it has something to do with the missing Hobos. I don’t think a train carried them off.”

  John tapped his chin, “You think they killed those Hobos and, what, made up a train story to clear their name?”

  “Hey! There’s a bit of brain knocking around in that big head of yours.” Logan chuffed.

  “Do you think there’s a train at all?” Asked Calvin, now semi-convinced.

  “They could’ve conjured one, yeah. Or maybe there was one before and its harmless, so they’re using it as a scapegoat.”

  “So we wait for it anyway.” nodded John, himself beginning to understand Logan’s tactic, “Prove or disprove it.”

  “Ring-a-ding-ding…” he answered sardonically.

  Calvin took another bite of his soft pretzel, enjoying the salty dough. He smiled at Elise as he offered her another bite, which she took. She answered his smile with jeer.

  Swallowing, Cal turned to Logan, “What if there’s no train, though?”

  “Then you five will stay here while I go back into the Hobo Jungle and have a word with the Lord. He can’t be wasting Posse resources on bullshit like this. Then we leave.”

  “Not gonna get to the bottom of the missing Hobos?”

  “Fuck no.” Logan waved a hand dismissively, “Hobos go missing all the time. If it ain’t supernatural, it ain’t my problem.”

  Yet again, John found himself struck by Logan’s disinterest in the general populace. He wondered what could have made his teacher this way.

  Night fell quickly, bringing with it a chorus of insects. The electric lamp above them kept them lit, buzzing faintly with electricity. Calvin listened carefully, hoping to catch the rhythmic chugging of a locomotive engine. A few hours passed, boredom slipping through Calvin’s defenses. He looked over to catch Buster snoring on the bench next to him. The Rodeo Clown hadn’t even made it to nightfall, sitting there with his mouth wide open. Calvin wondered if he might catch a few bugs.

  It came softly, sliding through the sounds of the summer night; the unmistakable sounds of a train pulling itself along the tracks. Logan sat up, himself half believing the train would be fake. The sound grew louder as their phantom train approached the station.

  “Look alive, Six-Guns.” Logan barked, waking Buster with a jolt.

  “Our train is right on time.”

  “There really WAS one!” gasped Mavis, “Let’s go see it.”

  A chill ran up Calvin’s back as he was now confronted with the reality of a ghost. The Posse had confirmed that they were real, that spirits would be on the menu for him. It just hadn’t hit him yet that he may have confront a phantasmal entity. He was now facing that fact, and it made him shiver.

  “Quit shakin’ like a dog.” Logan smacked his back, “You a Six-Gun, ain’t you?”

  “I… I am.” Cal nodded.

  “What are you?” Logan raised his voice.

  “I’m a Six-Gun.”

  “What? Can’t hear you!”

  “I’M A SIX-GUN!” Calvin shouted.

  “Thought so.” Logan smacked him again on the back, “Tighten up. This is our job. We gotta look down the ghoulies.”

  Calvin breathed out, letting the Bootknife lend him some confidence. He stepped out to the station platform to see it, the phantom train.

  It appeared to be a normal passenger train, much like the one they came in on. It looked a little different, to Calvin, but he didn’t know enough about trains to tell if it was a different make or not. All the lights in the passenger cars were on, casting an amber glow onto the platform. A haunting fog had rolled in with the train, appearing to originate from underneath the cars. The plate on the side of the engine read in clear numbers ‘025’.

  Calvin inhaled slowly, closing his eyes, and put himself into a Resolute state. When he opened his eyes, they shone green in the darkness. He could see the deviation in the currents. This train leaked a sickening magic onto the world around it.

  “This is… a ghost?”

  “Yeah.” Logan stepped in front of him, “Let’s get on.”

  The team remained quiet, stepping onto the nearest passenger car. Within the train, the interior looked completely normal. Calvin found this oddly creepy, nothing seemed particularly off about the whole thing, save for the odd fog and the magic it was leaking.

  Logan stepped into the aisle. “Go on, girls. You can begin.”

  Nodding, Elise closed her eyes. Calvin watched as her magic flared, a bright purple sunburst in the currents. Her hair floated about around her as she focused her power. The sight of it always enchanted Cal, she was so beautiful when she did that. Resolve was so tightly controlled within the Six-Gun, Calvin rarely witnessed displays like that from his comrades. But with the witches, their magic brewed like a gathering storm.

  “She’s trying to locate the spirit.” Explained Logan, “Give her time.”

  Propelled by some unseen force, all the doors immediately shut. This made Calvin jump, startling him. He felt the shift as the train started to pull away from the station, carrying Team Bootknife with it.

  “Hey… Logan…” John contained his anxiety.

  The Bootknife appeared unphased, “Easy. Let the girls work. No big deal.”

  His focus was elsewhere. The train didn’t seem threatening to him, and this was the problem. He expected more from it. Now, his expectations shifted to more the sinister end of the spectrum. He did not expect what came next, however.

  A Critical Moment rang through the minds of the Six-Guns in the rolling train car, as a pistol cleared leather nearby.

  The shot rang out, but not before Logan dipped left, avoiding the bullet which screamed over his head. Behind him the window shattered as the shot punched through, showering Logan in shards of glass. His own pistol left its holster, pointed at the aisle. His eyes traveled to his boys, who had all ducked for cover behind the booth seats. Even Elise had broken her search, now crouched next to Calvin.

  “Hey now!” A voice cut the tension, “My bad! Hand must’ve slipped!”

  Logan felt the Resolve of a Six-Gun, he could see the currents obstructed by a Resolve Stall near the doorway of the passenger car. It was very clear to him that their mission had just become extremely dangerous. That was no friendly Gun.

  Standing, Logan regained himself. He could detect a shot coming his way in time, and he knew this hostile Gun would understand that as well. There was no need to duck for cover.

  “Oh, we got a brave one!” A man stood in the doorway, dressed in the Western garb of Grady’s Posse. His jeans were ripped up and down, exposing the white cotton strands, and his hat held several playing cards tied up with string. Each one was punched with a bullet hole. The grin on his face betrayed a malice which Calvin hadn’t seen since the fateful night he was marked.

  “This train your gig?” Logan didn’t bite on his games, “Snatch up people with some kind of familiar?”

  “Oh, ho ho!” The enemy Gun let out a greasy laugh, “We got a country boy Sherlock Holmes! What if it is, huh? That would suck for you…”

  “It would suck for YOU, actually.” Logan maintained a stoney look as he lit up a cigar, striking the match on his hat.

  “Cause now you got some company.” Logan released his Resolve, letting a wall of energy flood the car.

  As Calvin had witnessed before, Logan’s Resolve was like sharpened steel. It put Calvin on the backfoot automatically. He wasn’t a sorcerer to be trifled with, when he set his mind to fight. The enemy Gun appeared unphased, but Calvin could see his face tighten a bit.

  “Company, huh?”

  “Care for a good time?” Logan took up a mocking tone.

  The enemy answered with a smirk “I’m your Huckleberry…”

  From their spots the boys could feel the air become heavy with the latent resolve of two Six-Guns intent on killing one another. The power of this intent, the gravity of the murderous Resolve, was almost too much for the young Guns. They hadn’t been prepared for this. It was almost as bad as their introduction to Elias Crickett, but even then, there was never any true killing intention.

  Everything went cold for Calvin as he peered around the seat to watch the exchange. His hands shook, his breathing became unsteady. Any fear of the phantom train had collapsed into unabating terror of the enemy Gun in the passenger car. He could feel for the first time since his Trial in the cave, the icy grip of Death. The feeling was unmistakable.

  Only Logan Denton stood between Calvin and his death.