Chapter 5：Elliot 5

When I woke, it was dark outside and I was still in the stable, though not alone. It seemed the entire barn of the dead had simply moved to the stable where Robert had disappeared. Was that what happened? Did he really just vanish? And what happened after that? I couldn't remember. All I could remember was the pain. This horrible pain in my chest like a flaming, hot dagger stabbed into my heart. The searing pain was so great that I must have passed out.

"Elliot?" I heard Miranda say, "Are you awake?"

I sat up and looked over at her, "Yes, ma'am. What is the time?"

"Only just after dusk, are you alright? How do you feel?" Miranda answered.

"Good, I was afraid I had lost a day," I breathed a sigh of relief. "What is the next item on the agenda? David, the second henchman?"

"Yes, but Elliot, we need to talk," Miranda spoke sternly and it made me stop. "Take the night off, recoup from earlier, you may be alive but you will need your strength when you go against John."

"But, Miranda, I only have 6 days to find and stop him."

"Actually, you have five," she said solemnly.

"What do you mean?" I asked, Miranda looked sincere and concerned.

"While you were sleeping, the Angel, Mumiah, came and told me that everyday a bullet will disappear whether it kills an enemy or not, that would be up to you. But every time a bullet disappears, a part of your soul will die with it." Miranda explained sweetly, I thought I had seen a tear in her eye.

It did explain it. When I had shot Robert, a part of my soul died when the bullet disappeared. But the fact that one will disappear everyday, regardless if I shoot it or not, that I did not know.

I looked at Miranda and could see the worry in her smooth face, "Alright, I will rest tonight, but we go hunting for David in the morning."

"Fine, I will accept that answer, stay here," she said then she walked away, back toward the others. They all seemed to listen to every word she said, nodding. All at once, they all dispersed and Miranda walked back to me.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Well, we may not be able to do much, but we can search for David, Charles, and John while you rest. And what's even better, you don't have to worry about us getting caught." She smiled a beautiful smile, perhaps the first since I had met her. I nodded my head in agreement because she was right, none of them could get caught because none of them could be seen by the living but me. Of course, I wasn't really alive, either.

I got up and went to the inn, going into my room, I could see that someone had come in and ransacked the place. All of my notes were gone and my clothes were sprawled out everywhere. I was actually tired so I just pushed everything off of the bed and laid down. I closed my eyes and that was it.

When I opened my eyes, Miranda was sitting at the edge of the bed. She was looking at me and I could see something in her eyes. I felt a warmth inside me swell, but then as sudden as it started, the tiny, little girl named Arya spoke up and broke the moment.

"Mr. Benedict, are you better now?"

"Yes, Arya, honey, I am," I said and looked at Miranda. "Are we ready to go find David?"

She nodded her head and stood up. Arya waved goodbye and took her leave, leaving Miranda and I alone.

"Are you sure you are up for this already?" Miranda asked.

"David is always at the Gem Theater, he has his favorite working girls there so he spends his time there." Miranda said, obviously disgusted by the notion.

"If you want to stay here, I can take care of David alone. You don't have to go to that place," I tried to reassure Miranda, seeing how uncomfortable she seemed to be with the Gem.

"No, what will happen once you shoot him? You passed out the last time, each bullet kills you a little at a time. I would rather be there to keep an eye on you if nothing else." She insisted.

"Alright, but if you get too uncomfortable..."

"I will be fine," she said as she spun on her heels and walked to the door.

Within a few minutes, we were walking into the Gem Theater where there were definitely working ladies there along with most of the single men in town. Some were playing cards, a few with women on their laps. Some were sitting at the bar, but the one I was looking for was playing on the piano. I began to walk toward him but was stopped by one of the ladies.

"Hey, there, handsome, would you like some company, tonight?" the young lady asked. She smelled good, her perfume, very sweet. She ran her hand under my duster and I felt a chill run up my spine. I heard Miranda sigh and walk away.

I grabbed the girl's hands and lowered them from me. "No, I don't, thank you," I said sternly. I walked past her and up to Miranda, "Are you okay?" I whispered as quietly as I could without being heard.

"Let's get this done, Mr. Benedict," she said in a short tone. She was angry with me and I didn't understand, but I knew I had a job to do.

I strolled across the theater over to the piano, leaning on it I asked, "Do you know one called, 'Kill me slowly'?"

David looked up at me and as soon as our eyes met his fingers froze. "No...it's not true...it can't be...you're dead!"

I took a seat next to him on the bench, "Are you sure I'm dead, cuz I feel right as rain and alive." He was still frozen in fear as I said, "Let's go someplace more private. So we can talk this out like men."

"Hell, nah, man...I heard what you done did to Robert, you killed him." David said quietly, I presume so he wouldn't look yellow.

"How do you know I killed him? Did you see his body dead? Did you see me kill him?" I asked knowing he hadn't seen the body because it vanished when I shot him. "Do I need to announce a challenge for a duel? Let everyone see how yellow you really are?" I said quietly.

His eyes met mine and I knew he would follow me to avoid the embarrassment. I stood and he followed behind, out of the back door and into the alley. Once we were far enough from the Gem I turned to look at him. His face was pale and he was sweating. I decided I would try to make this quick, so I pulled my gun but before I could aim and pull the trigger, he jumped at me and started wrestling me for it.

He grabbed my hand and squeezed the trigger, shooting the bullet into the ground. I knew I had to be quick, before the searing pain set in. I hooked my foot behind his knee and pulled him down to the ground, where I could knock the gun from his grasp.

It landed about twelve foot away but the pain was beginning. Suddenly, Miranda picked up the gun and tossed it to me in time for me to shoot David just as he was above me. He vanished and the sharp, burning pain hit me like a wave hitting a cliff.

I couldn't breath. I couldn't even cry out, the pain swallowed me like a fog of red that blanketed me in a wet, fire that seared my whole body. The pain was too much, in my head, I was screaming. Screaming for it to stop, screaming for the end. But when it wouldn't come, my world suddenly went black.