The Thing in the Pit Read online

  “Okay, folks, this is an interesting letter, a little short on details. How long have you known Potter?”

  "I have been working for him for six weeks." Said Harris.

  “How many other people in town do you know?”

  “No one, I’ve been busy and we keep to ourselves.”

  “So, you been here for six weeks and you don’t know any people yet, never had anyone over for dinner or anything?”

  “No, Tommy and I work on that barn every day. Dana and Sarah are here with Betty.”

  "Okay, so I could say Potter is the only one who knows you."

  "Yes, you could say that."

  "Harris, do you trust Potter?"

  “Yes, I guess. I don’t have any reason not to, he has helped me with work.”

  “So, he is also your friend.”

  “Yes, he is, and this morning I went over there and he did not answer the door.”

  “This morning he did not answer the door. Have you checked on him?”

  “Not since this morning.”

  "Okay, well, it would be a good idea to give him a call. Let's see if he is okay."

  "Okay." Harris called Fred, again, and again no answer. Colt studied Harris as he called him. Harris worried, he called again, and again, but no answer.

  "Harris, why don't we just go over there see if he is okay?"

  “Okay, I would like to do that.”

  “Harris, I am scared.” Said Betty

  “Mrs. Blackstone, your husband is safe with me. We won’t be long, I promise.”

  “Okay, I am going to try to watch some television. Please don’t be gone long. Colt, you can call me Betty? Do you have a place to stay tonight?”

  ‘Oh, I thought I would hike down to this Adderley place, sleep on the porch, ha-ha. Since I had that dinner, I’m convinced staying here would be much better.” Colt smiled. Harris hugged Betty “Love you, babe, we’ll be back soon.”

  “You hurry, and be careful, and call the police if anything happens.” Colt and Harris headed outside. Harris started over to his truck. “Let me step over to my car for a moment Harris. You come too.” They walked over to his car and Colt opened his trunk. There was an AR-15, and a box. Colt opened the box and there were four silver plated Colt .45s. He took one out and handed it to Harris. “It’s loaded”

  “You sure we need guns?”

  "Harris, I am not sure about anything over at Potter's. That's why we’re loaded up. You have an excellent weapon there, my friend. It's killed six vampires and two werewolves. Love my silver, Harris, love my silver." Now, Harris was not sure about Colt. He was joking about werewolves and vampires, or was he.

  Triple Deuces

  Harris and Colt drove slowly up to Potter’s place. There was no sign of him, no lights anywhere. Harris found that strange because it was near dark, and he always had porch lights on. Harris shut off the engine in his truck. "Wait, let's just sit here a minute and see if anything moves or we hear anything." Said Colt.

  "Okay, he usually has lights on."

  “I see the barn I thought I saw something move out there.”

  “That’s it, the other end or the back end of it, is where we found the letter and the underground rooms. Then, I have cleared two fields and beyond that, there is a fence. The ground starts to break, and it’s in that hollow, that’s where they say it’s haunted.”

  “Okay, who are they?” Asked Colt

  “Well, Fred told me to keep the boys out of there and that’s the land that’s described in the letter.”

  “I am going to focus on the barn, and you go and knock on Fred’s door to see if he answers.” Harris got out of his truck and headed for Fred’s door. He left the gun in his truck. He knocked on the door, nothing. He walked around looked in the windows. He could not see anything. Colt got out of the truck. “Let’s go out and have a look around the barn,” said Colt.

  “Okay, Fred is always here.”

  “You forgot something.” Colt said as he handed the 45 to Harris. They walked out to the barn looking for any movement. They did not hear anything or see anything.

  “Colt, you want to go in the barn and look around? I have keys.”

  “Yes okay, but be careful Potter might shoot us for trespassing.”

  Harris unlocked the barn and stepped in. Colt noticed something, a flash of light at the edge of the far field. He did not say anything to Harris. He believed several spirits were close to them. Fred turned on the light and then saw a note. It was from Fred:

  Harris, I have to take care of some urgent business, will be back in two days. I hope you still want to work here and if you do, just go about your work as you always did. I don't want to open the shaft. Leave it as it is until I get back. You are welcome to work as usual, or you can take a couple days off.

  See you soon, Fred.

  "WELL, NOW WE KNOW FRED left town. You must have found something. He has already headed out of town." Colt grinned.

  “Probably just business but it seems funny. He could have called me or came over and told me.”

  “Well, I agree, so, over here this platform. That’s the cover for the pit right?”

  "Yes, that's it. There are crates out there stacked up with various dates on them."

  "Okay, we will have a look, for now. I want to look around this room. Tragic events stain this place Harris. It has a bloody past. What I am going to do is spend some time trying to find out all I can about this place. Potter, Adderley, Forsyth, and anyone else connected to this property. I don't think I have a long time to research. I don't like your family, or you, being around here. So, why don't we go back to your place? I will start in the morning. I may have to go to the courthouse, I would feel better if you stayed with Betty and the kids."

  "Okay, did more happen than what's in the letter?"

  "I don't know, but whatever happened, left this place stained."

  Colt did not tell Harris, but at that moment it called him. Beyond the field, it was a nagging at him, a constant urge to go out there. Something calling for him. The two men walked back up to Harris’s truck, and they drove back to his house. “Harris, is there a watering hole in the camp, I could use a drink?”

  “Yeah, Triple Deuces, I have not been in there.”

  “Triple Deuces, they run a card game?”

  “They shot and killed a man for cheating at poker several years ago. When he fell to the floor he dropped his cards, he had three deuces.”

  “This place is full of legends, or several folks are full of shit. Colt laughed. I don't want to drink and raise hell, but I need to talk to people who have been around here. A good place to meet them is a honky-tonk. People will talk with a few beers in them, especially lonely women.”

  “Colt, I need to just tell you now, I don’t mix well with alcohol. If I start drinking, I’ll kick somebody’s ass. You better go alone.”

  “No problem. I’m glad you told me, you stay home with your family. You are a good man Harrison Blackstone, a good man. You have a beautiful family. Tommy may look like his mommy but he is just like his Daddy.”

  "I love my boys and little Sarah. I will do anything to keep them safe. Betty Ann is way more woman than I deserve. She has taken so much to keep us together. I will not let her down again."

  "I understand. Like I said, you are a good man." The men went in the house and sat down at the kitchen table. Betty came over to the table.

  "Okay, what went on?" Betty asked.

  “Nothing honey. Fred left a note, he is out of town for a couple days.” Said Harris.

  "Oh, and he did not tell you before he left? After finding that letter? He just left? Had he mentioned going out of town before?"

  “No, honey, he did not. He did write for me to work if I wanted, or take a couple days off.”

  “Take a couple days off? Stay away from there, period!”

  “Now honey, we need the money. I want to finish. Then, maybe we can find another little town.”

  “Tommy is never to
step foot on that man’s land again, or anywhere near it. The same goes for Dana and Sarah. If you think I will ever go over there, well you know better.”

  “Mrs. Blackstone, would you mind if I talked to the children for a few minutes, before Sarah’s bedtime?” Colt asked.

  “I don’t mind Colt, but easy on the ghost stories, okay.”

  "Oh, of course. I hope I can get Sarah to talk about the dreams she has been having."

  "Sarah could you come in here please," said Betty. Sarah came into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She was smiling and happy that Colt was there. Colt smiled.

  Sarah, I am going to be here with you tonight, is that okay?

  Yes, Colt Justice, I am happy. Maybe he won’t come around.

  Show me, honey, remember what he looks like. Sarah concentrated for a moment. Then Colt got a picture in his mind of a gray, thin shape. It was tall, and it had black holes for eyes. It may have been at Sarah's window. "Sarah, have you ever told mommy or daddy about your dreams.?" Colt asked.

  "No, the dreams scared me, but not anymore."

  “Why are you not scared baby?” Asked Betty

  "Because, Colt Justice is here, and he will shoot that son-of-a-bitch with silver bullets."

  “Sarah! What are you saying? You say you’re sorry to Mr. Justice right now!”

  “Sorry Colt,” Sarah smiled. Harris and Colt grinned.

  “Sarah, honey, you bet I’d shoot him if he tried to hurt you or your family.”

  “Yes, right through the heart.” Said Sarah. This time Harris did not grin, he looked at Colt’s surprised face.

  “Okay, enough, you need to get to bed baby,” said Betty. Sarah hugged Harris and kissed him on the cheek. She smiled and winked at Colt. Then she went off to bed. Betty and Harris had no idea that Sarah had just given Colt his first big break. Colt would know what creatures you have to shoot through the heart with a silver bullet. He also realized how much trouble this family was in. He would find out what he could, but he would stay close. They were going to need his help. Colt decided he would talk to the boys another time.

  “You know; I am going to have a busy day tomorrow. I think I will talk to Dana and Tommy another time. I need to get an early start. Goodnight folks. Remember, if you need me, you holler.”

  “Goodnight Colt.” Said Harris. Colt got in bed thinking about what Sarah said. Shoot it through the heart with a silver bullet. He did not think this was a werewolf or a vampire. Her description got him to thinking about a Shapeshifter. Shapeshifters are dangerous the family should be aware of that. The first two questions that come to mind were how many are there? And who are they mimicking? They often capture children and women for breeding. Sometimes they kill them. It did not make sense the town would be full of shifters. Triple Deuces that was eating at him as well. There was something about it. When Harris mentioned the name, he had a flash, but not enough. He was feeling like at some point, it had some connection with that barn. Colt drifted off to sleep. He woke up, and it was 4 a.m. Sarah called to him. He looked out his window and there it was. A gray figure, slender, with holes for eyes, and it was wanting him to follow it. He got up as quietly as he could, slipped on some clothes and shoes. He expected it would head to Fred’s barn, but instead, it was heading to town. He got in his Lincoln and slowly followed the creature into town.

  It headed for Triple Deuces, which still had lights on. He was not going in there unarmed. It was too late to be going in any way. So, he was just sitting there in his car. Suddenly he looked out his driver's side window, and he was face-to-face with this tall, slender creature. Up close, it had red hair and a blue tint to its eyes. They changed to gray, then back to blue. It looked to be a young boy, maybe seventeen or eighteen.

  The creature waved for him to follow, then it faded. Colt felt the hair raise on the back of his neck. He decided he would do his research from his Mac book, using Harris's connection. He also decided to sit there in the parking lot of Triple Deuces and see what happened. He waited until dawn and the same three cars were in the lot. An old Mustang, a Chevy truck, and a Jeep. Nobody had entered or left since 4:30 a.m. The bar never closed. Colt went inside the bar at 7:30 a. m. He walked over and sat down at a table. A few minutes later, a waitress came over. "Good morning.' She said.

  “Good morning. Could you bring me a pot of coffee?” Colt noticed her name tag, Shawna. She was twenty-seven years old. A tall, fuller figured brunette, with big, brown eyes. She reminded him of Tammy.

  “Sure, I will be right back. Cream? Sugar?”

  “No, Shawna, just strong, black coffee. I’m Colt Justice” Colt said and smiled. She came back over and she sat down at the table.

  “A pleasure to meet you Colt. If you want some breakfast, I can fix up anything you would like. Usually, everyone who comes in here is either passes out or wants coffee. You are new in town, right?”

  “Yes, I am here on some business. I’m looking to buy some land for a client.”

  "Oh, what land?"

  “Potter’s place. My client sent me here to make him an offer.”

  “Fred Potter owns almost everything here, almost the whole town.”

  “Does he own this place?”

  “I don’t think he owns all of it, but I think he does own part of it. I have only been here for three weeks, but I have heard people talking about Potter. I know he owns the grocery store, the hardware, and he owns that property out past his house, and that huge barn.”

  “You been here for three weeks? How do you like it here?”

  “It’s okay, not many people around. Potter accepted my application to rent one of those older homes across town. He helped me out, did not want a deposit, rents it to me for $100 a month until I can get on my feet. He did not check my credit or want references. Jobs are so hard to find. I think the other three girls working here rent from him too. He also owns the new subdivision that’s under construction.”

  “Potter come in here a lot?”

  “Not often. I have seen him once or twice.”

  "I went to his house yesterday. There was a note saying he would be back in town in a couple days. If you happen to see him in here, would you give me a call?" Shawna wrote his cell number down.

  “You married?” Shawna asked.

  “Nope, are you married?”

  “No, handsome. You want to talk sometime.”

  "Thank you, honey, sure that would be good. Let's have dinner."

  "Okay, I would like that." Shawna smiled but then the bartender motioned for her. So, she had to get going. "Don't be a stranger Colt Justice, see you around"

  “Call me. I will be in town a while.” Shawna headed for the bar. The bartender stared at Colt. The bartender was a six-foot tall, three-hundred-pound thug. Colt dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the table. He got up and went to his car. He ignored the thug staring at him and was glad he did find out some information. Shawna could be the source he was looking for. He drove through town looked around at the homes and the new construction. He drove over to Potter's place. He did not see the crates Harris told him about. He decided to take a walk out past that fence.

  It was a bright, beautiful day with puffy clouds and a cool breeze blowing. The fields were clear of brush and saplings. The lush green field beyond the fence invited a closer look. Harris mowed the field over to the edge. It was a walk of a mile or so to get to the edge of the fields. He looked down into the hollow, but thick brush kept him from seeing much. He had a flash again. This time, it was the barn. It was that thug from the bar. They beat three men to death and dropped their bloody bodies down that shaft.

  "Hey, do you want to go fishing?" Danny asked. Startled Colt looked at Danny,

  “Fishing? You know a good place?”

  “Yes, follow me.” Danny started to step down in the hollow.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea. This is private property. We need to get permission.”

  “I said follow me!!” Danny grabbed at him. Colt pulled his pisto
l. Danny was at the edge of the hollow. “I said follow me!!” Danny repeated. Colt took aim.

  "Listen to me, I don't have to follow you. In fact, I will put you out of your misery."

  The shape of the tall, young, red-headed boy faded. The creature appeared gray and no eyes.

  Colt said again, “I don’t have to follow you!”

  The creature lunged at him and Colt fired, then he fired again. The creature collapsed, Colt had shot it through the heart. It rolled over-the-hill. He went back to his car and headed back to the Blackstone’s house. Colt wished it was over that easily, but he knew this was going to be tough. The question? Are they tough enough for this? It might be better to support Betty and talk Harris into leaving. He thought about it, and he wanted Sarah as far as possible from this place. She did not need to see what he was seeing. What just happened would probably make it worse instead of better. Betty had saved him some breakfast. They had wondered where he went and if he was even coming back since he was gone when they got out of bed.

  “I saved you some breakfast, Colt,” said Betty

  "Thank you, Mrs. Blackstone. This is delicious, you are a wonderful cook."

  “Call me Betty, Colt, and you are welcome. I thought you might have left last night.”

  “Oh, no, I just need to get around town and talk to people see what I can find out. If it’s okay, I would like to use your Internet to research today.”

  “That will be fine. Better than me and the kids being here by ourselves. I’m scared Colt.”