BEHIND the SPLINTERED DOOR

I don't know how long I've been walking in this infernal heat. I gave up counting days ago. I did have a fast horse but somehow in our head long and reckless flight he managed to find a prairie dog hole to step into. Snapped his leg plumb in two. If I hadn't used the last of my bullets to put him down I might shoot me one of those incessant buzzards that keep circling overhead. If they come for me they're not going to have an easy time of it I can tell you that. I do need water and food though and I need it fast. I don't know how much longer I can hold out. They say that there's water in some of the cactuses but so far I haven't even seen enough tumbleweeds to keep each other company.

At least, I haven't seen hide nor hair of that posse that was chasing me. What was I thinking? It looked like a perfect set up, the small backwards town, nobody around but farmers and ranchers. How was I to know that it wasn't the first time they'd been robbed and that they were willing to fight to the last man to protect their meager assets? I was lucky to get out of there in one piece. I got the gold though, for all the good it does me now.

I've got to get out of this sun! Already my lips are cracked, my throat is parched and I've got one hell of a sunburn going. Plus, I'm pretty damned hungry and exhausted. If I could just find a cool place to lie down for a bit. I can see a clump of mesquite up ahead a little ways. Maybe if I'm lucky it'll give me just enough of the shade I need to get some rest and figure out my next move.

Well, I made it to the clump of mesquite and crawled beneath it for a nice little nap. I had to evict a mean looking Mohave Green rattlesnake and a couple of even nastier looking scorpions before I could get comfortable. Right now though they are the least of my worries for off in the distance I can see a cloud of dust headed my way. Somebody's coming and they're coming hard and fast! Is it the posse? Have they found me? Is this the end of the trail for me? Damn, I wish I wasn't out of bullets!

As the dust cloud drew nearer I could see what appeared to be an all black stagecoach pulled by six fiery black horses and curiously with no driver. Maybe this is my ticket out of here. I don't know how they came to be here but I ain't asking too many questions. Just as they were about to pass I jumped out from my hiding place in the mesquite and grabbed the lead horse's reins. The horses immediately calmed down and I began making an inspection of my find.

I walked around and around the coach and I couldn't help but admire its fine workmanship. It was probably the nicest looking and best made stagecoach I had ever seen. And was that filigree and trim real gold? Boy, it sure looked like it. I opened the side door and climbed inside. As soon as I did the horses took off running at top speed again. It took a few minutes for me to collect myself and for my eyes to adjust to the pitch black interior but when I did I noticed a black robed and hooded figure sitting back in a corner.

It startled me right at first and I blurted out "Hello there! Man it's a good thing I came along when I did. Looks like those horses had got away from you. No telling what would have happened if I hadn't been there to save the day. Where are you going and what happened to your driver?" At first I got no response. But then a deep voice that seemed to emanate from all around me said: "I do not need a driver as my horses know exactly where they are going and if you had not so impudently stopped them we'd be there by now".

I was taken aback and stated: "Now hold on there partner, There's no need to be uncivil. I didn't mean any harm. I'm just a weary traveler whose horse broke his leg a ways back. All I need is a ride to the next town up ahead and then I'll be out of your hair".

The voice said: "I'm afraid that won't be possible. You see although you and I are destined to eventually have our day of reckoning now is not your time and where I am headed to you can not go.....yet". Before the voice could say anymore I replied: "Look, I don't know who you are or what your game is but you can't leave me out here in the middle of nowhere! And I'll tell you something else, if you think I'm getting out of this stage before you get to the next town you've got another think coming".

We continued on in silence for a bit and I noticed that the horses were speeding up. As the horses began to run faster and faster everything outside the coach became a blur. I could however make out what appeared to be a chasm of some sort dead ahead and it looked like if we didn't stop soon we would go right over the edge. I began to panic but at the last minute a narrow road opened in front of us which seemed to wind deeper and deeper until all I could see was blackness. The road eventually entered a long dark tunnel.

The tunnel started angling downward and it seemed like the further we went the hotter it got. After many hours of this the coach suddenly came to an abrupt stop. The hooded figure quickly jumped out and ran through a massive open door into the room beyond. I tried to catch up but by the time I reached the huge door it was unceremoniously slammed in my face.

I began kicking and pounding on the door while yelling: "Open up! Let me in!" After awhile the same voice I had heard earlier yelled: "Go away! You do not belong here! It is not yet your time to be here!" This only made me more determined to get inside, (I don't like anyone telling me what I can or cannot do). I pounded and kicked for awhile longer and then I came up with an idea. I remembered that the road was at an incline so I led the horses and coach up the hill a little bit. I set the brake on the coach and unhitched the horses. I then released the brake and the coach rolled rapidly downhill and slammed into the door splintering it into thousands of pieces.

Behind the splintered door was a massive cavern and everywhere I looked there were large bonfires on which demons were roasting human beings and eating them. At the head of the room on a huge throne sat the hooded figure from the stagecoach. As soon as he saw me he stood up and threw off his hood. I could see that it was none other than Satan himself and boy was he mad. He began hissing and screaming at me: "You! I told you that you did not belong here but you defied me and look what you have done to my door! Don't you realize that you have broken down the great door to hell? Don't you realize that now that you have seen Hell I cannot allow you to leave here? You fool! You wanted to be here so bad that now I must insist that you stay!" He then directed a number of the demons to capture me and bring me to him.

Well, I'll tell you right now I wasn't about to stick around and see what happened next so I turned and ran as fast as I could back to the horses. I jumped on the back of the lead horse but before I could get going very far I looked back just in time to see four of the demons jump on with me. I also saw the rest of the horde of demons fall upon the remaining horses and begin devouring them, (I guess they don't get much diversity in their diet so horse meat is a delicacy to them).

Of the four demons that had jumped onto my horse the first three were more interested in eating my horse than they were in eating me. The fourth demon was another matter entirely. The look in his eye told me that I was Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner all rolled up in one. It wasn't long till the horse could go no further so I jumped off and began running with the fourth demon right on my heals.

I was just a couple of steps from the daylight at the mouth of the tunnel when the demon jumped upon my back and began biting me. I cannot begin to describe the searing pain he inflicted with each bite. I was able to stumble into the sunlight and when I did so a wondrous thing happened. The minute the sun's rays fell on the demon's body he began burning. Oh, he continued biting me but with a little less enthusiasm as he had before.

Because he was on my back I had a difficult time reaching him but I was eventually able to reach back with my head and get a hold of his ear with my teeth. I was amazed to find that the demon tasted just like country fried chicken. I hadn't eaten anything since long before this ordeal had begun and I guess I got a little carried away because before I knew it there was nothing left of the demon but a little wishbone.

As usual after any large meal I soon found myself becoming drowsy. I located another clump of mesquite and climbed underneath for another long nap. I don't know how long I slept but I awoke with a start. Off in the distance I could see a large dust cloud headed my way. Someone was coming and they were coming hard and fast!