RANKED 1st BY VOTERS IN CHARACTER CREATION CONTEST #121!
Date | Story: | View | Read the... |
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11/02/22 | The Phantom vs. Goldenrod | (Blog) (Forum) | Disclaimer |
Rating | Rating explanation |
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T | Gun violence. |
The Phantom had not left the Skull Cave more than a few minutes before when a shot whizzed past his head and sent splinters and bark flying off of a nearby tree. He immediately dove from the back of his horse, and rolled to a standing position behind another tree. "Hero! Run!" he called, and the horse did so.
Drawing his pistols, he waited silently. It was only a minute until he heard, "Phantom! Are you dead, man?"
A couple of shots rang out, and bullets chopped into the tree he was standing behind. As the mystery man clearly knew his position, he saw no reason to remain quiet. "Who are you?" he called out before ducking low, and shooting a couple of times in the direction the shots came from.
"Name's Goldenrod!" the man called back, shooting once.
The shot landed in the jungle floor near The Phantom's foot. He raised an eyebrow, and drew his foot in closer behind the tree. "I've heard of you," he called out, firing back, still unsure of Goldenrod's position. When the gunshot faded, he added, "What does an assassin want in Bangalla?"
Goldenrod laughed. "Ha! Today, I'm no mere assassin." Another shot buried itself in the tree, and when the noise died, he shouted, "Today, I'm a Ghost hunter!"
"Ghost hunter?" The Phantom called back, sounding amused. "If you know who I am, surely you've heard that I'm immortal? I am the Ghost Who Walks!"
"And I'm the assassin who balks!" growled Goldenrod, sounding much closer than before, and the two shots that rang out sounding closer too.
Phantom dropped low, spinning around the other side of the tree, and firing three shots. One of them clipped Goldenrod in the leg. The assassin, who Phantom saw had wild blond hair, mutton chops, and a thick blond mustache, had fired back at the same time, and the shot grazed Phantom's left shoulder, knocking him backwards, and causing him to drop his gun from that hand. He scrambled behind another tree as Goldenrod did the same, holding his leg as he went.
Leaning heavily with his back against the tree, Goldenrod called out, "How do bullets affect you, 'Phantom?' What does a ghost need with M1911 .45's?" He cocked his head forward, straining to hear anything after all the shots so far.
"They're something the living can understand," came a whisper from his left.
Goldenrod jerked his head back against the tree in surprise, a shot whizzing by his head, and another burying itself in his left shoulder. A gold colored Glock nine millimeter fell from that hand. He dropped low, and shot twice from an identical gun in his other hand. He was fairly sure he hit the ghost in his stomach, but The Phantom was already on the move.
The assassin forced himself to his feet, and moved around the other side of the tree, only to find himself looking down the barrel of three rifles. He chuckled ruefully, dropping the other gun, and raising his hand. "I hope you don't mind if I only raise the one." Nodding his head sideways towards the wounded arm, he said, "I can't move it. You guys must be part of the world famous Jungle Patrol?"
Another member of the Patrol gathered up the assassin's guns as they led him away. "Hey," said Goldenrod, sounding weaker than before, "hold onto those. I'll be wanting them... back." He then fell out on the jungle floor, managing to land on his right side, and roll to his back. The men escorting him immediately trained their guns on him.
Raising his right hand slightly, he said, "Relax, men. I'm... I'm not going... anywhere. How... how did you guys find me an..." he trailed off as he saw a white horse with a saddle trot by without a rider. It lowered its head toward Goldenrod and nickered loudly as it passed. He recognized it as the horse The Phantom was riding, and he chuckled weakly. As the Jungle Patrolmen helped him up, he muttered, "Like fuggin' Lassie, that one."
Meanwhile, The Phantom had picked up his other gun, and holstered both as Hero trotted up to him. With some difficulty he clambered into the saddle, coughing up some blood once he was mounted, and grabbing his stomach due to the pain. Drawing his hand back, he saw the blood on it, and said to one of the Jungle Patrol, "Find my son."
The man nodded, and ran off to follow The Phantom's order.
Patting his horse, he said, "Back to the Skull Cave, Hero."
***
A couple of months later:
The Phantom stood before the grave of his father, contemplating silently as he looked at the M1911's that were in his hands. Finally, he holstered them, knelt on one knee, and swore the Oath of the Skull. "I swear to devote my life to the destruction of piracy, greed, cruelty, and injustice, in all their forms, and my sons and their sons, shall follow me."
Still kneeling, he put on the rings, drew the guns again, held them towards grave, and said, "And father, I will find your killer, and bring him to justice. Goldenrod recovered enough from his gunshot wounds to make his escape, but he will not remain escaped for long. I swear it."
Please let me know what you think, and thanks! -cb | Originally Presented In: CCC #121. |
Story and original characters owned by Chris Bishop, copyright 2022.
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