Callie's Haunting

"Trapped! We're trapped and it's-"

"All my fault, I know Cody you've been saying that for the last ten minutes." Hickok finished.

The group was still in Callie's old room which was now completely dark. The little light that had been in the room had left with Callie's spirit, the only light left was that of the full moon.

"I'm going downstairs." Hickok said.

Kid rose from his place beside Lou and walked to the door with his friend. "Why?"

"Because we left all of our supplies downstairs, we need some light and I'm hungry." Hickok walked out of the room.

Jimmy walked down the stairs slowly, his ears straining to hear the slightest noises. After stumbling around the ground floor for a few minutes he finally found the saddlebags and the lanterns beside them. Hickok was poking around the pockets of his bag looking for a match when he suddenly heard a scratching noise from behind him. He turned quickly whispering first Kid and Cody, then Callie's names, but there was nothing there. Finally finding a match he lit the lantern. In the dim light the room was no different then when the group had entered it earlier in the day.

Hickok bent and picked up the bags and lanterns and as he was adjusting the weight on his shoulders the room began to change. No longer was it dusty and in need of repair. It looked like it must have when Callie had lived. The wallpaper was bright and the windows intact. The furniture clean and polished, as were the floors. Hickok stared at the scene before him in awe. He slowly closed his eyes, not quite sure if this was a trick of the light and at the same time praying that it was. It was then the smells assaulted him. It smelled like fried chicken and freshly baked biscuits.

The sounds of someone singing and talking came from the kitchen and it was a few minutes before Jimmy realized it was Callie that he heard. He dropped the bags and placed the lanterns down before walking towards the voices he heard. He stood mutely watching the scene before him. It was Callie and someone who Jimmy thought was her father, just finishing up their supper and talking at the table.

"Did you like your dinner?" Callie asked as she rose from the table.

"It was very good, you're going to make Samuel a very good wife."

Callie sighed, "I want to talk to you about that. You know I don't love him, why do you keep insisting that I marry him?" She said as she put an apple pie down on the table.

"Callie you will marry him. I will not hear any more of you saying otherwise."

Callie looked into her lap, "I won't. I'm going to marry Joseph, and I would like your blessing."

"No!" Callie's father pounded the table with his fist, "By God you will marry who I say or else! I don't want to hear another word about it. Samuel has traveled a long way for this and I will not have you ruin it." He looked around for the knife to slice the pie. Callie retrieved it from the counter top and gave it to her father.

"I will marry who I want." She said as she left the room. She stopped briefly looked at Jimmy and mouthed "Keep watching." Then left.

Callie's father was outraged, he began yelling Callie's name and when she didn't return he stormed out of the room after her with Jimmy right behind him. Jimmy followed him to her room where her father began to bellow her name while he banged on her now closed door. Then as quickly as it began everything stopped and Jimmy found himself in the dark hallway alone.

Jimmy was startled when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder. He quickly grabbed his colt and cocked it, he would have shot if Kid hadn't began crying out for him not to shoot.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Jimmy asked as he holstered his gun again.

"Sorry. What are you doing out here in the dark?"

"You didn't see what happened?"

"No, why don't you tell us." Kid lead the way back into the room. Once there Jimmy told him and Cody what had happened downstairs. After the tale was told, the group of men heard Lou stirring, immediately Kid was at her side.

"What happened?" She asked groggily.

"You fainted, how are you feeling?"

"Fine, what do you mean I fainted?" She said as she sat up.

Kid explained everything that had been happening from the time they came into the room until the present. As the group sat silently they heard an argument coming from downstairs.

"Here we go again." Jimmy muttered. "Well I guess I'm gonna find out what this is about." He rose and walked to the door.

"Are you sure this is the same thing that had happened before?" Kid asked.

"Pretty sure."

"Then I'm going too." Lou said as she got off the bed to follow, "Are you two staying up here?"

Kid shook his head, "Wherever you go, I'll be right behind you."

"Don't I know it." Lou muttered, then asked more loudly "Cody?"

"I ain't staying by myself."

The four friends made their way quietly down the stairs. Once again the house was lit, although dimly and it looked as if it had just been thoroughly cleaned. The arguing sounded as if it were right outside the front door. Suddenly the front door opened and Callie was thrown into the house. The riders stood huddled together watching with wide eyes as her father came in crazed with rage. The smell of alcohol trailing behind him.

"He's drunk." Kid whispered.

"How could you?!" He bellowed, "How could you try to sneak out of the house?!" He grabbed Callie by her hair and dragged her into the family room. "Get up and explain yourself!"

Callie was crying and between sobs somehow managed to explain where she was going. "I was leaving. . . to get married. Joseph. . . he's, . . . he's waiting for me. Please let me go father." She pleaded.

"What!? After I told you you were to marry Samuel!"

"Please! I don't love him." She rose and faced her father, "Let me go to Joseph, let me marry him."

"I will not! You will either marry Samuel or you will not marry anyone." He began stalking her like a lion to his prey. Callie backed herself away from him and found herself in the kitchen. Jimmy and his friends following closely behind them.

"What are we gonna do?" Cody asked.

"Nothing they're both dead, remember." Kid answered.

"This is too strange." Lou added as the father and daughter began again.

"Why are you walking away from me child? Surely you aren't afraid of me." Her father teased.

"You're drunk, and right now I don't know what you are capable of. Let me leave."

"No, you are going to marry who I say!"

"I would rather die then marry him!" Callie said in a rush. She then faked going around the kitchen table, when her father followed she ran the other way through the riders, out of the room and straight into a young man who was standing just inside the front door. The group followed her.

"Callie, what's wrong?" He asked.

Callie eyes opened wide, "Joseph! You have to leave." She began pushing him out.

"Not until you tell me why you're still here." He said as he grabbed her shoulders.

Just then her father stormed in on the young couple. "Out! Get out of here!"

Joseph began to step toward Callie's father arms outstretched, "Mr. Forrester, my name is Joseph Reynolds-"

"I know who you are." He interrupted, "Now get out of my house!"

Joseph glanced at Callie who was beside her father then continued "I want to marry your daughter, I love Callie and she loves me, surely you don't want to stand in the way of your daughters happiness."

"I said leave!" Callie's father then pulled out the knife he had taken from the kitchen table.

Seeing the knife Callie began to scream, "Joseph! Please just go!" Callie yelled. By this time Joseph knew Callie wasn't safe.

"I'm not leaving without you." He lunged to pull her behind him.

Her father blinded by both rage and alcohol thought Joseph was attacking him. He leaped and thrust the knife into Joseph's chest. The young man fell in a heap.

"NO!" Callie screamed and ran to her love. She caressed his face and cried as he died in her arms. She then turned to her father. "You killed him! I hate you!" She ran and attacked him with her bare hands.

Her father who was stunned when Joseph fell and died was surprised when his daughter attacked him. He raised the knife again and stabbed his daughter, Callie cried out in pain, but her father didn't stop. She began to plead and try to get away from him but still her father continued in his blind attack. When it was over, her father stood on the porch and Callie lay on the ground lifeless and covered in blood.

The group was once again left in darkness.

"Oh my Lord." Lou whispered, "Did we just see what I think we saw?"

"Uh-huh" Kid whispered, "We just witnessed a double murder."

"My question is why?" Hickok said over his shoulder as he went to get the lanterns from the family room.

Cody followed his friend, "Why what?"

"Why we saw it? Why did Callie feel like she had to show us his?" Jimmy said as he lit each lantern.

"Well for one thing I never really had a choice" Callie's voice answered. The room was lit with a soft glow and Callie appeared slowly, looking as alive as any of the others standing in the room with her. "I told you, I'm cursed to relive my death over and over."

"And Joseph's too." Lou added. She then realized something that had been said when they were told the story. "Didn't Teaspoon say Joseph was missing?"

Kid nodded, "That's right, we all assumed he left town because he was heartbroken."

Cody picked up where Kid ended, "Or because he was tied somehow to Callie's murder."

"Okay so what do we do now?" Hickok asked, when he received no response he continued, "Who's gonna believe us if we told what we saw?"

Cody shrugged, "Teaspoon might."

Kid shook his head slowly, "Teaspoon might believe we saw what we did, but he'll need some kind of proof to show that Joseph is dead."

"Like a body you mean." Lou said as she sat on the covered sofa.

Kid sat beside her, "Exactly." The group then looked at Callie, who had been suspiciously quiet throughout the exchange.

"I don't know what my father did with his body." She said answering their silent question. "The last thing I remember was feeling a horrible pain and sadness, then the next thing I knew I was in my bedroom right after my funeral." She said sadly.

"Do you remember when your father died?" Jimmy asked.

She nodded and said softly, "Yes."

"Was he murdered?"

Again she answered softly, "Yes."

Kid questioned her. "Did you kill him?"

Callie looked at the four friends with hurt in her eyes. "I told you before I didn't kill him. He was my father, no matter what he did to me I loved him. Maybe it was wrong but I did love him. It was his guilt and his sadness that kept me trapped here after my funeral. Actually- " she added as an afterthought, "-It was my sadness too."

"Your sadness?" Lou asked. "Why?"
"Because this was where Joseph died, and a part of me blamed myself for it. I thought we'd never be together again, that is not until-" She stopped abruptly.

"Until what?" Kid asked anxiously.

When Callie stayed silent, Lou pleaded. "Callie please."

The group was amazed to see her begin to cry, finally after a few minutes she answered them. "I thought I'd never see him again until the night he killed my father."

Jimmy sat on an old chair, "You mean to tell us that Joseph's ghost killed your father?"

"Yes. I was so very happy to see him again. I truly believed he had come to take me with him to wherever it was I was supposed to be. Joseph said that if my father was gone, his sorrow couldn't bind me here any longer." She paused as she looked at the four living beings listening to her story.

"He was wrong. By killing my father Joseph trapped me here alone with father's spirit. Now he's even more controlling than he was in life, and as punishment we were to relive our murders. Now the only time I see Joseph is when he comes to rescue me. Now I need your help. I thought maybe you would know a way to end all of this."

"Any ideas Cody?" Jimmy looked up at his friend.

Cody raised both eyebrows, "Why are you askin' me?"

"Because, you're the one who's always reading those ghost stories."

"Oh." Cody stood silently thinking, finally after a few minutes he seemed to come up with an answer. "Well there's two things that explain ghosts n the stories I've read. The first being, that the spirits don't realize they're dead so they haunt. That could be the reason Callie's father is still here."

"So what's the second?" Lou asked.

"The second is that the spirit has some kind of unfinished business. Which could be why both Callie and Joseph are stuck here."

"What kind of unfinished business?"

Cody faced Lou, "Well let's see-" He paused to put his thoughts in order. "Callie is here because she wanted to marry Joseph and live in peace, which she never had the chance to do. And Joseph's remains were never found, maybe we need to find his body so he can finally rest in peace, and if he can then Callie will be able to too."

"So you're telling us we've got to somehow convince Callie's father he's dead, then find Joseph's bones and give him a proper burial." Kid said.

Cody nodded. "That would be it in a nutshell. Now I'm no expert so I could be wrong."

"Well that should be easy." Jimmy said sarcastically. "Doesn't it Callie?" When she didn't answer him Jimmy looked over to where she was standing. Callie was gone.

"Where'd she go?" Cody asked.

"Maybe it was something you said." Jimmy teased.

"Ha-ha Jimmy. We should try to get some sleep. That way we can be up a daybreak to start our search." Cody answered.

The group agreed and went silently upstairs not realizing that they were being watched from the deepest shadows of the house.

Once upstairs they went about figuring out where they were going to sleep. Cody and Jimmy decided they would sleep downstairs in the family room leaving Kid and Lou to share Callie's bedroom. And although Kid swore he was gong to sleep on the floor both Jimmy and Cody doubted it.

It wasn't long after the group had fallen asleep that the thudding and moaning began. Jimmy was becoming increasingly annoyed at the sounds but Cody seemed to be sleeping through it. About a half hour later the room began to get cold, with his eyes closed Hickok felt around for anything he could put over his blanket for warmth. After a few minutes he found his jacket and put it on. While trying to once again get comfortable, Jimmy briefly opened his eyes. Standing before him was the figure of a man.

At first Jimmy thought it was Cody but when he looked over to the small sofa, Cody was still fast asleep.

"Kid?" He asked.

The figure leaned over and Jimmy was assaulted by different smells. The smells of sweat mixed with alcohol, and the strongest smell was of decay.

"Leave this house!" Was all the figure said before it vanished.

To Be Continued...Chapter VII