Chapter 3：Elliot 3

I stood, after everything went dark and could see my body fall over the edge of the plateau. The two fancy dressed men turned on their heels and walked back to a carriage, leaving the two dirty looking men to take the supply wagon back to Deadwood. I followed them to the wagon and not knowing what to do, I jumped in the back of the wagon that had brought me here. It was a day ride back to Deadwood, I figured, that's how long it took to get here, so I sat back and thought.

I thought about what had happened, they killed me! I know they did, I saw my body fall to bottom of the canyon. What was I going to do now? John Carlston still needed to be stopped. I thought if there was anything I could do to stop him. I wasn't sure if there was seeing as I was dead. I wished inside that there was something, anything, I could do.

"What?" I asked out loud knowing that the men in front couldn't hear me. Then I saw him.

He was of perfect appearance and he had wings like an angel. I blinked my eyes, then rubbed them thinking this couldn't be real. "I am real, I promise, Hendrick."

"How..." I began then realized how, he was an angel, of course he knew my name. "What do you mean, there is?" I asked after a moment.

"I am Mumiah, Angel of Rebirth. I am here to grant you one week to bring a stop to the man that has claimed not just yours but the lives of many." He said very straightforward.

"How will I stop him? Are you going to bring me back to life?" I asked.

"In a way of sorts. If you agree, I will take you where you can learn of him, to plan and stop him and the company he keeps." He offered his hand and I placed my hand in his.

Suddenly, we were standing in an abandoned mining camp. "You have agreed to be the man to stop John Carlston and company. In your revolver, you will find six golden bullets. These bullets will only last the week and are the only means you should use to stop Carlston."

I pulled my gun from its holster and swung the cylinder out, there inside was six golden bullets. I threw the cylinder back in and reholstered my revolver. "Where do I go now?" I asked the angel but he was gone.

I looked around and noticed a beautiful brunette woman walking into a supply barn with a tiny little girl. I followed her inside and I thought I would find an empty barn but instead, the barn was full of people.

"Miranda?" I heard a young woman say as she approached the brunette with a smile.

I watched as the two women hugged and the tiny little girl who had come in with Miranda looked at me. "Hi, you're new," she said and the barn went silent and everyone was looking at me.

I took a deep breath and swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yes, I am. My name is Detective Hendrick Elliot Benedict, I came to investigate allegations that Mr. John Carlston has committed murder in order to claim land for mining."

"Allegations, my..." the young girl who had greeted Miranda shouted. "My husband, Stephen and I can both prove that Carlston kills for land."

"Stephen? Stephen Phillips?" I mutter, the fact sinking in that the barn was not full of the living but rather, the dead.

"Yes, Mr. Benedict, Marisol and Stephen here are some of the reason I wrote you, urging you to come help." Miranda spoke eloquently and educated.

"You're the one who wrote me?" I asked.

"Yes, you see, my husband is John Carlston's business partner. I overheard them one night talking of murder and mentioned the Phillips. I wrote to you and hid the letter so that a friend would find it, instead of my husband, and that night he killed me. I needed you to be able to put a stop to them both, but seeing as how you must've gotten on John's bad side, we may never see him stopped." Miranda finished, clearly upset at this news.

"Ma'am, yes, I crossed John Carlston, and no, I can't say that I lived to tell the tale. But I assure you, he will be stopped. Within the week, I will stop them both and the henchmen that they employ." I informed the barn loudly.

There was a moment of silence then a roar of laughter. "I'm sorry, Mr. Benedict, but how do you expect to stop them when you are dead, like us?" Miranda asked politely.

"I will stop them because of the angel, Mumiah, the Angel of Rebirth, who has granted me one week to stop them so that they can hurt no more people like you. And I will not fail." I vowed to the crowd.

"That is a mighty promise, Mr. Benedict, but if what you say is true then I will help as much as I can." Miranda said softly.

I began making my way through the crowd, asking questions about Carlston and Edwards. I had done this once before but with the living. The dead, however, knew quite a bit more about Carlston and his dealings. Especially Miranda, she told me how her and Charles were married and how he had met Carlston.

She even confided in me what happened to her, how John convinces Charles to kill her so that he could be free. We spent most of the night talking about everything in Deadwood, then it was time to put this new knowledge to the test and find Carlston. But first, I would have to find his henchmen.