Chapter Text
Title: Seven against the Darkness
Author: Josette Grover
E-Mail: jgrover@tm.net or josette_g98@yahoo.com
Fandom: Real Ghostbusters/Magnificent Seven/Buffy: The Vampire Slayer/Poltergeist: The Legacy (Epilogue One)
Genre: Slash
Rating: PG for language and mentions of m/m relationships.
Pairings: (Real Ghostbusters) Peter/Egon, (Magnificent Seven) Buck/JD among others mentioned.
Archive: WWOMB, Beyond Canon
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters, I'm just having fun playing with them, and I'll put them back when finished with them.
Synopsis: An emergency e-mail message sends the Ghostbusters running to an abandoned Ghost town to help the owners.
AN: Sentences in single italic marks are thoughts. Words in // // are spoken telepathically.
AN II: This is alternate Universe Buffy, splitting off from Canon during the Season III finale, Graduation II. The Sunnydale Hellmouth is currently closed after the Mayor's Ascension attempt, the High School was destroyed but Willow and Buffy were killed in the battle. Giles left Sunnydale after the battle, taking Xander with him to England. They both currently do paranormal research for Angel investigations, the Council, and others.
Angel opened Angel investigations the summer after Graduation. Cordelia works with them as a receptionist, Doyle gets visions from the PTB, and Wesley works with Angel and Spike. The Scourge never showed up in LA, Doyle didn't sacrifice himself for the others, and Cordelia never became Angel's seer. Spike moved to Los Angeles with Angel, so he wasn't captured by the Initiative or Chipped. In addition, for those Buffy fans that like Dawn, sorry, she will not be appearing in this universe.
AN III: This takes place in first season P: TL, when William Sloan was still with the Legacy and Philip is still part of the group.
AN IV: This story breaks Magnificent Seven Canon after the events of Love and Honor, and the events of the show after that episode do not take place in this universe.
The converted firehouse that is both home and business for the four men known as the Ghostbusters is strangely silent for just past noon. It had been an easy bust that morning, and the four men were now taking the time to catch up on household duties.
A bell chimes at the computer and the familiar voice saying 'You have Mail." Can be heard over the sound of Peter Venkman cursing at the computer.
"If you did not wait until the last moment to type up your paper, you would not make so many typing errors." Egon says smugly, as only somebody who has got his paper typed, proofread, and ready for mailing can be. "Which account is the recipient? Our corporate account or our individual accounts?"
"I still say putting up the web page was a mistake. Look at how many false alarms we've gotten, not to mention crank e-mails." Peter says, gratefully putting away his work and clicking on the new mail folder.
"And look at how many paying jobs we have received since putting up the website, homeboy." Winston says smugly from his perch on the couch. "Is this what you were looking for Ray?" he says, holding a small wrench over the shoulder of the shoulder of the youngest Ghostbuster. Ray is sitting cross-legged on the floor, performing the monthly maintenance check on the team's proton packs.
"It's our corporate account guys, and it looks like it's been carbon copied to our personal accounts too." Peter says, his fingers clicking across the keyboard with the precision a concert pianist would envy.
TO: GHOSTBUSTERS@GHOST.COM
CC: PETERV@GHOST.COM
RAYST@GHOST.COM
WINSTONZ@GHOST.COM
SPENGLER@GHOST.COM
Subject: Strange Lights in a ghost town
Gentlemen, I and some friends of mine own a perfectly preserved Ghost Town called Four Corners. It has come to our attention that there have been strange lights reported in the vicinity.
Hearing this, I undertook the task of driving out there and spent the night to try to observe these manifestations. I was found wandering the desert three days later with no memory of what had happened to me. Doctors could find nothing wrong with me to explain my disorientation and lack of memory.
Would you be willing to come out to Four Corners and investigate this phenomenon? I would be willing to pay handsomely to find out what had happened that night, just for my peace of mind if nothing else.
Please contact me when you receive this missive so that we might be able to discuss payment for your services.
Sincerely,
Ezra P. Standish
"Interesting, what information do you have on this place, Four Corners?"
"Located an hour from Denver." Peter says, opening a search engine. "It's the only privately owned Ghost Town in existence. It was abandoned over a hundred years ago after the deaths of the seven peacekeepers that had patrolled the town. Legend says that the last peacekeeper called down a curse on the town that drove all the townspeople out. It's perfectly preserved, down to food left on tables by the townspeople as they fled the town."
"Any information on why they fled the town?"
"Oh wow, this is great. I've heard about this place." Ray says from his spot on the floor. "The townspeople claimed they had been forced out of town by the ghosts of their former lawmen who were enraged they had been killed in an ambush that was led by a townsperson. One report, "Ray looks up from the book in his lap, "claims that one of the men, the sheriff it says here, set fire to the jail. The flames refused to die out for over a week, yet caused no damage to the jail or adjacent property. The man responsible for the ambush was tried by the town and found guilty of causing their deaths, but it didn't appease the ghosts. Legend says that the town lynched him and his ghost supposedly is kept prisoner by the lawmen. The manifestations settled down after the townspeople fled, but has flared up briefly over the years."
"Peter, please e-mail Mr. Standish and tell him we accept his job. Fax him a copy of our standard contract for his signature and arrange for a retainer."
"On it Spengs, sounds like the lawmen were mighty pissed to find themselves dead, and let the town they protected know it. But to manifest over a hundred years later? If that is indeed what got Mr. Standish?"
"There have been legends of spirits powerful enough to keep others from trespassing on their property. Winston, make sure that all our gear is in proper working order, I have a feeling that this is not going to be a easy job."
"I don't suppose it's going to be possible for me to talk them into dispersing peacefully, is it?" Peter says, looking up at Egon with hooded eyes.
"Peter, what is it?"
"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this. Something's not right. I'm missing something here, something about the legend doesn't ring right." Peter mutters as he turns his attention back to the computer.
TO: EZPSTANDISH@FOURCORNERS.NET
FROM: GHOSTBUSTERS@GHOST.COM
Subject: Your message.
I've talked it over with my partners, and we have agreed to come out to Four Corners and investigate your little town.
We normally charge one thousand, five hundred dollars as a retainer fee.
Please give me a fax number and I will send out our standard business agreement for your signature and we will call you to make arrangements for payment and travel.
Sincerely,
Dr. Peter Venkman, Ghostbuster
"Is there anything known about the owners of the property?"
"According to the property tax records, the property is owned by seven men, a Chris Larabee, Josiah Sanchez, Nathan Jackson, John Dunne, Vincent Tanner, Buck Wilmington, and our client, Ezra Standish. The seven men live in Denver, where they are employed as ATF agents. The seven men have been a team for just over four years, they acquired the property through unknown means a little over three years ago."
"They acquired the property through unknown means three years ago?"
"Seems the state government was going to take the property and turn it into a development when suddenly these seven men came forward with deeds to the property. The state fussed, but the seven were able to show that they had title to the property and they, or somebody acting in their behalf, had been paying the taxes on it for the past fifty years. Hmm, interesting."
"What is it, 'Gon? I know that look. You've found something weird, haven't you?"
"I found a copy of the deeds the owners filed three years ago. According to this, one of the men, Mr. Dunne obtained the land twenty years before he was born."
"What?????"
"That got your attention, did it Tex?" Peter grins at Ray. "All right Egon, what's going on there? And what do you mean, Mr. Dunne got the land before he was born?"
"According to bank records, an account was set up in the name of JD Dunne to pay property taxes on the land he owns in Four Corners forty-nine years ago. The names of the other six men are on the account. The deeds were all filed with the court the same day, but a search of Mr. Dunne's records show a home birth twenty-one years ago today."
"Well, 'Gon, that's simple. It was his father that opened the account, wasn't it?" Peter's voice trails off as Egon shakes his head.
"I wish it were that simple, Peter, but Mr. Dunne's records list his father as unknown. According to this, he was a home birth, as was the other six gentlemen. Another interesting fact, there are no birth records for any of their parents. It's as though they never existed before their children were born."
"Are you telling us these men just appeared from nowhere, homeboy? That's a little hard to believe."
"No, there are plenty of records for each men. School records, vaccinations, medical records, and so on, but still, this is unsettling."
"Okay 'Gon, let's take them one at a time. Starting with our client."
"Ezra P. Standish, middle name unknown. Supposedly born July 4, 1975, to Maude Standish in Virginia. Spent most of his life traveling with his mother, who has been married five times although none of these men could have been his father. Graduated at sixteen with honors and enrolled at Yale where he graduated with honors with a dual major of Psychology and Business. He worked with the Atlanta police department before joining the FBI. Four years ago, he was transferred to the Denver branch of the ATF, under the command of Mr. Christopher Larabee."
"Doesn't Hammerhead from our psych classes teach at Yale? Wonder if he had Standish for any classes?"
"Hammerhead?" Winston asks in disbelief.
"Dr. Philip James. He got the nickname Hammerhead in school from a prank he pulled while very, very intoxicated."
"Isn't he the guy who climbed up the water tower naked and was ringing the bells with his head?"
"That's the guy. He was a fraternity brother of mine." Peter says smugly, "Who's next 'Gon?"
"Christopher Larabee, son of Marcus Larabee and his wife, Anna, both deceased. He entered the military at the age of eighteen and was a navy seal for ten years before leaving the service. He was a homicide detective in Denver when his wife and young son were killed in a car bomb while Mr. Larabee was in Mexico extraditing a prisoner with his partner Buck Wilmington. He left the police department after the death of his family and joined the ATF. Four years ago he was tapped to lead a special team of agents and his former partner was the first person chosen for the team."
"His former partner?"
"Buck Wilmington, father unknown, Mother deceased. He remained with the Denver police department after Larabee's family died and was the first person to join Larabee's team."
"Standish, Larabee, and Wilmington," Winston asks, ticking the names off on his fingers, "who's next?"
"Josiah Sanchez, parents deceased. His next of kin is a younger sister Hannah. A former anthropologist and profiler, he was working with the Kansas City police department along with Nathan Jackson. Both men's work came to Larabee's attention and he offered them places with his team."
"And Jackson?"
"Wait a second, I know this guy."
"You sure, Winston?"
"Yeah, I met him over in 'Nam. He was the closest thing to a preacher there was out there and he counseled the younger boys. I remember him talking about his family. His father used to be a preacher, but Josiah refused to follow in his dad's footsteps. He said he had too many problems with the church over their viewpoints and that it really tore his father apart when Josiah refused to follow his dad into the ministry. Damn near killed Josiah when he got the letter that his father had died while we were still over there. Seems they had said some pretty harsh things to each other before Josiah left and never got the chance to apologize to each other."
"Okay, who's up next, 'Gon? We have Standish, Larabee, Sanchez, and Wilmington."
Egon starts to speak, then is interrupted by the chiming of the computer signaling the arrival of new mail. Peter turns his attention back to the computer and begins to read the message aloud for the others.
TO: GHOSTBUSTERS@GHOST.COM
FROM: EZPSTANDISH@FOURCORNERS.NET
SUBJECT: RE: your message
Gentlemen, here is the number where you can send your document for my signature. I am authorizing my bank to wire five thousand dollars to you by the end of the day if you can give me an account number for them to deposit it into for travel expenses and retainer.
Please let me know when you will be arriving and I will have somebody there to pick you up and bring you to Four Corners.
Sincerely,
Ezra P. Standish
"Okay, what are we planning on taking with us?" Winston asks briskly as he picks up the phone. "And will we be driving or taking Ecto-3?"
"It is too far to drive, and I fear time is of the essence Winston. Please tell the airport to have Ecto-3 ready for take-off tomorrow morning and have a flight plan filed for Denver. I want to get there before dark so we have time to set up our equipment. I doubt that Four Corners has electricity, so we will need to bring some portable generators with us."
"Make a list of what we need to bring Egon, and we can start getting it together. Meanwhile, let's get back to our client and his friends. Who's next?"
"Nathan Jackson, parents deceased. Worked with the Kansas City police department in the forensics unit. His work got Larabee's attention and he brought them both to Denver to join the newly formed team."
"That leaves Tanner and Dunne."
"Correct, Vin Tanner, father unknown. His mother died when he was five and he spent eight years in the foster care system before running from an abusive foster home. He spent the rest of his teenage years on the street and joined the army right out of high school. He ended up in a Ranger unit as a sniper. He received a college degree in Criminal Justice while in the service and was diagnosed as dyslexic. Upon leaving the service, he became a U.S. Marshal and came to Larabee's attention during a case both agencies worked on. Larabee immediately had Tanner transferred to his team."
"And Mr. Dunne?"
"John David Dunne, more commonly known as JD. Father unknown, mother deceased. He graduated school at the age of sixteen and went on to college where he received a degree in criminal justice and ended up joining the Boston Police department. He came to the attention of the ATF and transferred shortly after the death of his mother."
"Are they all former police officers?"
"Everybody but Mr. Tanner has a background in local law enforcement before joining the team," Egon says as the fax machine and computer chime simultaneously. Less than a minute later, the telephone rings as well.
"That was the bank, five thousand dollars was transferred to our account from a bank in Denver." Ray says, hanging up the phone.
"The airport just sent us a copy of our flight plan," Winston says from the fax machine. We can leave as soon as Ecto-3 is loaded in the morning and as soon as we can get Petey's butt out of bed. The flight will take about five hours, so we'd better get a hotel room in Denver and go out to Four Corners early in the morning."
"I'll e-mail Mr. Standish back tonight and let him know when we plan on arriving."
The next morning arrives much too early for Peter Venkman's comfort. He is dragged out of bed by the others, stood under a cold shower, dressed in clean clothes, and shoved into the back of Ecto-1 without ever having once opened his eyes or made a noise that vaguely resembles human speech.
"Think Petey will sleep all the way to Denver?" Winston asks, grinning over his shoulder at the snoring lump in the backseat.
"Not for a lack of trying, anyway." Egon says, pushing his glasses back up on his nose with one hand as he checks Peter's seatbelt with the other. Peter shifts in his seat, ending up sleeping against the window for the ride to the airport.
Arriving at the airport, they head for the hanger where Ectos 2 and 3 are kept. A mechanic grins and waves them on as Ecto-3's loading door opens for Winston to drive up into the belly of the airplane.
Mechanics quickly tie Ecto-1 down as Winston turns around in his seat to watch the show.
"Peter, come on, we're at the airport and you need to get out of the car. Peter, you really need to wake up. You can't stay in the car." Egon unfastens Peter's seatbelt and pulls him away from the window, slapping his face lightly to wake him up.
"Go way Egon, it's still dark out."
"That's because you haven't opened your eyes yet, Peter. We need to move, you cannot stay in the car during take-off."
"Come on homeboy, time to get your butt moving. You can go back to sleep after we get in the cockpit."
Peter mutters something that would be very rude if it had been understandable and opens his eyes, seeing the dark belly of the airplane around him.
"Jeez guys, what time is it?"
"It is after ten, we had a little trouble getting you out of bed this morning."
"Well, let's get this show on the road then. The sooner we get airborne the sooner we get the hell back on the ground."
"You don't like my flying, Petey?" Winston asks, throwing one arm over Peter's shoulders as they head for the staircase leading up to the cabin of the airplane.
"It's not flying that bothers me, it's the take-off and landings." Peter grumbles as he settles into the first row of seats in the cabin. He looks out the window as the plane begins to taxi down the runway and closes his eyes as they take to the air. Once they level out Peter rushes to the bathroom and can be heard being violently ill.
Ten minutes later, the door opens and a very pale Peter Venkman leans against the doorframe. Egon and Ray immediately help him back to his seat where he closes his eyes, counts to ten in a number of languages, and takes a deep shuddering breath.
"Sorry guys, I thought I was finally over it, but I lost it when we took off."
"No Peter, I am the one who should be saying sorry. It is way too soon for you to be flying again after the accident. I shouldn't have insisted on flying to Denver."
"It's a little far to drive, 'Gon. I'll be fine. Just give me a little time."
"How's Petey doing?" Winston asks as Ray steps into the cockpit.
"About as well as can be expected, he had his eyes closed the entire time we were taking off, and threw up the minute we leveled out. Egon's with him right now."
Five hours later, they are circling the airport when the tower relays a message to them. "Mr. Dunne will meet us at the hangar and will direct us to a hotel. We leave for Four Corners early tomorrow morning." Winston relays to the others.
"Sounds good to me, Winston. You can get a nap while we talk to Mr. Dunne about what's going on out there."
A young man is waiting for them at the hanger doors as Ecto-1 emerges from the belly of the plane. Peter opens one door and the kid slides into the seat next to him. Giving quick directions to the hotel, the car makes its way to the hotel.
"Can you tell us what we might expect to find out there, Mr. Dunne?" Egon asks as the four men gather around the table in the outer room of the suite. They had ordered from room service and Winston had quickly eaten before heading to bed.
"It all started a couple of weeks ago. Four Corners borders on Chris' ranch, he noticed strange lights in the sky coming from that direction so he rode out that direction the next free day we had. He found nothing wrong, but still noticed the lights at night.
Since they only appeared at night, we decided to spend the night in out there. It wasn't the first time we had spent time out there, we usually spend a couple of days out there at least once a month. But the next morning, Ezra was nowhere to be found. We immediately started looking and found him three days later, wandering the desert. We got in contact with you when Ezra couldn't remember what had happened to him."
"Is there anything unusual about Four Corners? I've read a little about it in some of the occult journals. According to some of them, it's supposed to be haunted by the spirits of the lawmen who were killed. Could they be behind the lights you saw?"
"No gentlemen, I can say with all certainty that the ghosts that inhabit the town are not behind this." JD says, grinning.
"We'll be ready to leave tomorrow morning at nine, Agent Dunne. Can you draw us a map to Four Corners?"
"I can do better than that, Dr. Spengler, I'll meet you here at nine and drive out to Four Corners with you."
"Thank you, Agent Dunne. Will the others be there as well?"
"Yep, we're all be meeting you there." JD says as he leaves the hotel room. Standing outside the closed door, he calmly adjusts his bowler hat over one eye and gives the gunfighter dressed all in black and the tall figure dressed in buckskin with a sawed-off rifle a familiar two-fingered salute before all three men disappear from view.
Winston is yawning into his morning cup of coffee when there is a knock at the hotel room door. Walking to the door, Winston recognizes the young man from yesterday and opens the door, waving him into the room.
"Good morning Mr. Zeddemore, are the others awake?"
A muted yell from the bedroom has JD standing up, reaching for his gun. Winston smirks, recognizing the bellow.
"They are now." He says, grinning and holding the pot up to his guest.
"No, none for me thanks. What was that, anyway?"
"Egon waking Venkman up."
"I take it this has happened before?"
"Oh yeah, Venkman never wants to get up in the morning."
JD looks up as the bedroom door opens and Ray walks out smirking.
"How'd you wake him up this time, homeboy?
"Dumped the ice bucket down his pants."
"Good morning Agent Dunne." Egon says, exiting the bedroom as the shower turns on. "What are our plans for today."
"That depends on whether you want to come back to the hotel tonight or plan on spending the night in Four Corners."
"Since you say that the ghost town is normal during the day, we should spend at least one night there."
"Okay, the others will meet us in Four Corners. If we arrive before noon, it will give you at least eight hours of sunlight to set up your equipment." 'And the sooner this is over, the sooner the boys will wake up. I don't care about the damn prophecy, Hellmouth, or anything else. I want our children to wake up.' And with that thought, JD closes his eyes and concentrates, calling up the image of his brother.
//Nathan, we're on our way, or we will be as soon as Peter gets some breakfast. He's even worse to wake up in the morning than Ezra. How are the boys? //
//They're still asleep.' Nathan replies, looking across the room of the clinic to the seven men asleep in their beds, as they had been for the last two weeks. //
Nathan gets up from the chair he had been sitting in, crossing the room to stand between the first two beds. Buck Wilmington is asleep in the first bed; only the steady rise and fall of his chest letting the casual observer know he's still alive.
'Never thought I'd miss Buck's snoring.'
Nathan turns his attention to the bed on his other side. The young man sleeping under the covers looks almost exactly like the brother he'd just been talking to. A slightly different haircut, a few more pounds on his thin frame, and they could be identical twins.
"One thing never changes. JD never could keep weight on. Damn kid eats like a bird, both of them."
"Cussing out our youngest again, brother?" Nathan looks up as a shadowy figure flows through the closed door, reforming on the other side.
"Nope, just wondering if JD is ever going to be able to keep weight on."
"Not a chance, brother, not a chance. What do you want me to do first?"
"I've got water warming on the stove for their baths, 'Siah. If you want to get clean bedding from the closet, we'll get them washed and their bedding changed before Ez brings up their lunches."
Less than an hour later, all seven ATF agents are washed, lying in clean bedding, and Josiah looks up from brushing Ezra's thick hair when the door opens and Ezra and Buck walk in, carrying trays with food for the children.
Putting the tray down, Ezra comes over and, taking the brush from Josiah's hand, begins fussing over his 'son's' hair.
"Really Josiah, just because you don't care about your appearance, that's no reason to brutalize my child's appearance. We Standish's must keep up our appearance, after all. Come on love, open your eyes, it's time to eat."
Ezra's eyes open on the bed, but the green eyes are cloudy. Always staring straight ahead, he allows himself to be sat up, fed, and laid back down in the bed. His 'father' stands over the bed, stroking his hair.
"Go back to sleep son, it will all be over soon, one way or the other."
A whistle can be heard from the roof and Vin lowers himself through the open window, shutting it behind himself at Nathan's glare.
"Dammit, I've told you to use the door, I don't want the boys to get a chill."
"Don't see how, you got them all bundled up like mummies."
"They on their way?"
"Three miles out." Vin says, collapsing the telescope and putting it in the pocket of his bearskin coat.
JD grins as he sees Vin crawl through the open Clinic window, imaging the glare the tracker is getting from Nathan.
"How much further to Four Corners?"
"A little less than three miles. You can see the town the minute we get over this hill."
"Winston, stop the car when we reach the top. I want to see what the town looks like before we get there."
Ecto-1 stops at the top of the hill and all five men pile out of the car. Three of the men stretch their legs after the long car ride while the fourth Ghostbuster turns his attention to the town below.
"Oh wow, Four Corners looks just like the pictures. You'd swear that it was still the nineteenth century, not the twenty-first. How much work did you have to do to restore it?" Ray asks, bouncing as he takes the binoculars from Winston.
"None, it's been very well-preserved. I hope you gentlemen don't mind, I have a stop to make before we get into town."
"Where are we going?"
"The graveyard."
"Cool."
JD grins, 'Was I ever this young?' he asks himself, looking at the youngest Ghostbusters with ancient eyes.
//Hell yes, you were greener than grass, as white as milk, and as tender as a baby's bottom when you first came into town. You still are. // Buck hoots.
//Shut up Buck //
//See you in a couple of minutes, kid. And remember, I don't like roses on my grave. //
//Bite me, Buck. //
//Later, kid, later. //
The hearse pulls in front of the carefully tended graveyard.
"Have there been any disturbances reported in the graveyard?" Egon asks, raising an eyebrow as his PKE meter begins buzzing in the back of the car. He'd set it on standby mode, to alert him at the first sign of paranormal activity, so he'd have a complete chronicle of all paranormal activity as they approached the Ghost town.
"Not this one, but we have seen lights in the graveyard up there." JD points up the road to another plot of land.
"You have two graveyards in Four Corners?"
"This is a private plot." JD says, getting out of the car and pulling a bag from the back. "We take turns coming out to this one at least once a week, the other one gets a visit every other month or so."
"What is so special about this plot?" Egon asks, getting out of the car and pulling his PKE meter from the back of the car. The wands extend and the device starts beeping excitedly.
'You mean besides the fact that this is where we're buried? Nothing much.'
"This is the final burial place of the town's protectors. We refused to allow them to be buried beside the others. The town didn't protect them in life, we wouldn't allow them to be protected by them in death."
"Allow them to be protected by them in death?"
"A lot of the disturbances in Four Corners seem to be directed at the old cemetery. This one has never been touched."
"What's up, 'Gon?"
"I'm getting some very strange readings here. You say this cemetery has never been touched?"
"Never has."
"I wonder what readings I might get from the other cemetery?"
"Residual readings?" Peter asks, looking over Egon's shoulder.
"No, whatever it is, it is very active here."
JD ignores them momentarily as he opens his bag, pulling out several small objects out and placing them on the carefully kept graves. A new black bandana is draped over Chris's cross, a toy train and flowers placed on the two beside his.
"Egon, look." Ray says, grabbing his arm and pointing at the graves.
"What is it, Raymond?"
"The names, look at the names."
Egon Spengler looks at the closest grave and blinks, the name on the grave is that of the man riding with them. Walking carefully around the kneeling man, he looks at the other graves finding familiar names on all but two of them.
"Mr. Dunne? Are you ready to go?" Egon asks as JD stands up, dusting his knees off and touching his fingers to his lips and reverently touches each name on the headstones.
"Yes Dr. Spengler, I'm ready. I can come back later. You said something about wanting to visit the other graveyard?"
"If it's not too much trouble. I would like to see what readings I get from the other site."
JD heads up the road towards the other graveyard, following the four men. Catching up, he unlocks the gate and allows them inside, handing Winston the lock.
"You not coming in?"
"No, I refuse to step inside that place unless I have to. Lock the gate behind you when you're ready to leave. I'll be down in the other cemetery."
"Something's strange, 'Gon. I don't like it all, the way he reacts to this graveyard. Look at this one compared to the other one."
"The grass needs mowing here, the markers could use some work, and the place generally looks neglected." Peter says, looking around the overgrown graveyard. "This place gives me the creeps, no wonder he doesn't want to be around here."
"The readings are different here, but just as strong."
The four Ghostbusters lock up behind themselves and walk back down to the car, finding their host leaning against the stonewall of the cemetery. Getting back in the car, the four Ghostbusters look around as they roll into the town of Four Corners.
"You can park your car down by the livery stable." JD says, pointing towards a building at the other end of town. A door on the second floor of a building opens, and a tall figure dressed in black steps out onto the landing.
"Chris, these are the Ghostbusters. Egon Spengler, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore, and Peter Venkman.
"Gentlemen, thank you for coming to Four Corners."
"Shit, get down." JD yells, pushing Winston and Ray down to the ground, covering them with his body as a bright flash of light races through town. He sees Chris do the same for Egon and Peter as the energy flashes through the spot where the four Ghostbusters had been standing.
Egon immediately pulls out his PKE meter, aiming it at the direction the energy blast had taken.
"Well that was a new one." Ezra says sarcastically, opening the saloon doors. "Care to come inside Gentlemen, or do you wish to stay outside on the ground?"
"Ez, hush or I'll shoot you myself." Buck says, holding out a hand and pulling JD to his feet before pulling the younger man into a bear hug. "How in heaven did you know that was going to happen?"
"I have no idea."
"Has that ever happened before?" Egon asks, slowly moving around the car, PKE meter beeping away.
"No." the man introduced as Chris says, eyes narrowing as he looks over the town. "Things are getting worse here. It's a good thing we called you in when we did."
Ray opens the back door of Ecto-1, pulling out their bags and equipment. Grabbing an armful, Winston follows Chris and the dark haired tracker towards the hotel.
Peter shuts the livery doors behind Ecto, watching in amusement as Egon wanders the street, busily taking readings of his surroundings. JD, who's making sure he doesn't walk into anything, is trailing him.
"Yo, 'Gon. Put down the meter for a minute. The others are at the hotel. I want to hear what's going on."
"What? Oh yes Peter, certainly. Just one more reading." Egon mumbles, never looking up from his meter.
Peter smirks at JD and grabs Egon by the elbow, dragging him down the street towards the hotel. Winston grins from the window.
"Peter's on his way with Egon and JD." He announces to Ray.
"He still taking readings?"
"Yep."
The door opens and Peter comes in, a frowning Egon following right behind him. The reason for Egon's displeasure becomes apparent when they see Peter holding the PKE meter just out of his reach.
"Story now, more readings later."
"Yes of course, Peter, I want to hear their story too. But really, there was no need to grab the meter from my hand."
" 'Gon, you nearly took a tumble into a horse trough because you weren't watching where you were going." Peter says patiently, grinning at the expression on Egon's face. "Getting a face full of water wouldn't have done either you or the meter much good."
"Okay, let's start out with the basics. We all haven't been fully introduced. I'm Chris Larabee, this is Vin Tanner (the long-haired man dressed in jeans and a blue flannel shirt), Josiah Sanchez (the tall man dressed in black slacks and an open necked shirt), Buck Wilmington (the tall man dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that had grabbed JD in a bear hug), and Ezra Standish. Nathan is working in the clinic right now, you'll be meeting him later."
"Mr. Standish, can you tell us a little more about what happened to you?"
"Like I said in my letter, I was coming back from Chris's ranch one night when I noticed strange lights coming from this vicinity. Since I had the next few days off, I came out the following night. I don't remember anything after that, just looking up to find myself on the back of Josiah's horse and the others dismounting at Chris's ranch."
"You can't imagine how relieved I was when Ezra asked us what was happening. Those were the first words we had heard since we found him."
"Knew it was too good to last." Buck mutters, wincing as JD swats him on the arm.
"Be serious Buck. This is important business."
"I know it is kid, but you gotta admit the look on Josiah's face when Ezra asked him what had happened was pretty funny. He looked like he had been hit upside the head with a board."
"I thought that the angels were singing when I found Ezra wandering. I knew my prayers had been heard when Ezra spoke."
"And the doctors could find nothing wrong with you to indicate what had happened?"
"Not a thing. I was slightly dehydrated, and they kept me overnight in the hospital for observation, but other than that, nothing." Ezra says, lying through his teeth.
//Brother, you could charm the birds out of the trees. //
//I hate lying to them, but I don't think they could handle the entire truth right now. //
//The fact that we're ghosts who called the Ghostbusters. The fact that Four Corners is sitting over an interdimensional gateway that must be protected or closed, or the fact that we're not ATF agents, the children are, and the children are currently in Nathan's clinic in a coma? //
"JD?"
"Yes Ray?"
"Is it possible to get a tour of the town? I'd like to see the Sheriff's Office."
"You want to see the Sheriff's Office? Why?"
"I brought along a book on haunted ghost towns, and a chapter in it deals with the legend of the Four Corners Sheriff's Office."
"There's a legend about the Sheriff's Office?"
"You don't know about it? Legend has it that the Ghosts of the town's protectors were furious over their deaths at the hands of a townsperson. The Sheriff's ghost supposedly set fire to the jail with the prisoner in it and it burned for over a week without any damage to the jail or any surrounding property."
The Ghostbusters are surprised at the reaction this statement brings. JD Dunne turns bright red as Buck Wilmington shakes one finger in his face, while Ezra and Vin howl with laughter. Meanwhile, Chris shakes his head.
"Well, at least it wasn't that damn dynamite this time."
"Sure Ray, I'll show you the Sheriff's office. But I can tell you the story's a bunch of hooey. The office has never burned; it's built out of six-inch thick concrete blocks. The only things in there made of wood are the bunks, the desk, and the chairs. And they sure wouldn't haven't burned for over a week."
"I am going to take readings of the town. Winston, can you get the generator running before dark? We will need power for the equipment, as well as a couple electric lights."
"Sure Egon, it shouldn't take more than a couple hours."
"Wow, I would love to be able to spend a couple days in a place like this. Wouldn't that be neat, Peter. Spending a week roughing it without cell phones, noise pollution, automobiles . . ."
"Running water, flush toilets, electricity, central heating..." Peter says sardonically, rolling his eyes at his friend's exuberance "You may like it, Ray, but give me a hotel with all the amenities any day."
The four Ghostbusters exit the hotel, Winston heading for the livery and Ecto, Peter and Egon taking readings, while Ray follows JD towards the jail.
Ray stops in his tracks as he sees the soot covering the whitewashed walls. JD looks in the direction the other man is staring and rolls his eyes.
"They're from the lights that nearly nailed us earlier. I've been cleaning them off the walls every morning since the lights first started showing up." JD grabs a small pail, dunks it in the horse trough, and wipes the marks off the wall. Pulling a set of keys from his pocket, JD opens the door with a screech of protest from the hinges. Ray stands in the middle of the room, trying to take in everything at once, while JD walks to the desk, pulls a bottle of oil from one of the drawers and oils the hinges.
Ray walks over to the wall, touching the yellowed wanted poster in awe as JD settles behind the desk. It's just like the book described it, wanted posters on the wall opposite the door as you come in, an empty gun cabinet under it for their rifles. A locked drawer underneath is where the ammunition would have been kept.
"Oh wow, this is just how the book described it."
"So what does the book say happened anyway?" JD asks, leaning back in the chair.
"According to the book," Ray says, pulling up a chair and sitting down, "The sheriff's ghost was enraged because the peacekeepers were betrayed and set fire to the jail with the prisoner inside. The jail was supposed to have burned a week straight, burned so hot it was impossible to go near it, then the flames just disappeared as quickly as they appeared. When the fire finally died, the townspeople entered to find everything untouched inside, except for the prisoner who had snow-white hair and never said a word about what had happened during the fire. The traveling judge for the area arrived in town a month after the ambush; he was tried, convicted of their murders by masterminding the assault, and hung from the gallows outside by an angry mob of townsfolk who were being driven out of Four Corners by the angry ghosts of the peacekeepers. A separate legend claims that some of the townsfolk happened to see lights in the jail windows, looked through the window, and saw the ghosts of the murdered peacekeepers laughing at the prisoner in his cell surrounded by ghost fire as he begged for mercy. The legend also says the jail is covered in soot from the fire, and no matter how often it was cleaned off, the soot always returned."
"Damn good story, but I've never heard anything about it before now," 'and I was there.'
"The book claims it found old pictures that were supposed to be taken after the ambush." Ray says, opening the book to a spot and handing it across the desk to JD.
"That's not the Seven," JD says, pointing to a picture of dead bodies that had been mistakenly identified as some of the peacekeepers. "They're members of the gang that attacked u . . .the town." JD corrects himself automatically. "We've turned the old Newspaper office into a mini-museum if you'd like to see the history of the town."
"Neat, it's not often you get so see a Ghost town so well preserved, let alone a history of the town."
Meanwhile, Peter and Egon are busy taking readings throughout the village. They pause outside the jail, watching Ray talking with JD hands waving as he talks, grin and continue on. Egon heads back to the hotel as soon as Winston radios he has electricity set up in one room, immediately turning on the computer so he can compare the various readings he's gotten from the town.
Ray enters the old newspaper office and stops in his tracks. He walks over to the first display case and stares at a yellowed newspaper.
"Every newspaper from the first issue printed until the last one before the town was abandoned is displayed here." JD says, lounging in the doorway. "In addition, they've all been put on microfilm, we've got a set here and the Denver Library has a set in their old history files. The paper was printed every week from the time Mary started the paper to a week before the townspeople left. We found the diary she kept when we were putting everything together last summer."
"Is it here?"
"Right over here."
Ray rushes across the wall, staring at a yellow bound journal sitting in the middle of a display case. He stops, staring at a penny dreadful novel in the next case. Seven men are shown on horses, and he stares at the man beside him then back at the novel in disbelief.
"That's the peacekeepers for Four Corners?"
"Yep, the nickname the Magnificent Seven was coined by a two bit author named Jock Steele and it stuck." JD says, pretending to ignore the look of shock on Ray's face as he realizes that five of the other six men on the cover look exactly like the men he met earlier today, except for the still missing Nathan who he suspects will look like the seventh man in the picture.
An hour later the four Ghostbusters are settled in their hotel room waiting for the sun to go down and the paranormal activity to start while Ray tells the others what he found earlier in the museum.
"Did the journal say anything about what supposedly drove the townspeople off, Ray?" Egon asks, pushing up his glasses as he eats one of the MRE's they had brought in their supplies.
"According to the newspaper publisher's notes," Ray says, looking at the shorthand notes he took in the museum. "The town water supply had dried up, forcing townsfolk to send wagons to a river ten miles away daily for water. Most of the surrounding farmers had been wiped out by the gang that ambushed the seven, the few that were left was wiped out by a tornado that came through the area, a tornado that hopped right over the town. The drought that had been plaguing the area was the final straw for the farmers, they left the area in droves. A smallpox epidemic broke out a day after the lynching, a quarter of the town's population died in that epidemic. The final blow was the railroad's decision not to build a stop at the town."
"That doesn't sound like anything that could be blamed on the peacekeeper's ghosts. Sounds more like coincidence to me, and the townsfolk's guilty consciences blamed it on vengeful ghosts."
"That's what she thought, and said in her journal." Ray says, "But then it started getting worse. According to her, all the events could be explained scientifically and she thought that the others were just jumping at shadows. But then there was stuff she couldn't explain, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, it couldn't be explained away by science. She mentions it in her journal, desperately trying to find a scientific explanation. The journal stops in the middle of a word."
"What kind of stuff?"
"The trouble started immediately after the bodies of the seven where buried. Their coffins were repeatedly dug up after burial, until the second graveyard was prepared just for them. Then the day after the last burial, two new graves were beside them. The crosses say 'Adam Larabee' and 'Sarah Larabee'. They were Chris Larabee's wife and young son, who had died in a fire a couple years before the seven started working together. Mary and her father in law Judge Orin Travis immediately made a trip out to the burned out remains of Chris's ranch. The graves there had been dug up." Chris, who had been listening quietly outside the hotel room smiles, and holds out his hand to a dark haired young woman. A young boy, as dark as his mother, wraps himself around his dad's leg.
"What next?"
"According to Mary, lights began to appear in the middle of the night. They flashed through town every night for two weeks . . ."
"Like the lights that have been reported for the last two weeks?"
"Do you think there's a connection, Egon?"
"Possible, I'll know more after I get some readings tonight. Does the journal say when the lights first started appearing?"
"Yes, Mary says that they first appeared the night of the ambush, which according to her journal, is a week from tomorrow."
"Does the fact the anniversary of the ambush is coming up have anything to do with the lights appearing now?"
"It very well could be, Winston. Ray, how many years will it have been?"
"It will be a hundred and twenty-five years next week. Does that have anything to do with it, Egon?"
"It could be, there are phenomenon out there that appear and disappear on a certain schedule. The legend of Brigadoon comes immediately to mind, the fabled city that's supposed to appear every 200 years."
"There's something else you should know, I don't know how important it is but I have the feeling it means something."
"What is it, Raymond?"
"Well, not only do our clients have the same names as the seven peacekeepers of Four Corners, they look exactly like them too."
"You're kidding me Homeboy, right?"
"Nope, I saw an old novel in the newspaper office. It's not just a slight resemblance, they look exactly like the seven peacekeepers."
"Reincarnation? Past life memory?"
"Possible, I'll have to think about it after this situation. According to the local weather forecast, dusk will be in an hour."
"How do we want to handle this, do another sweep of town just after dark to see if any of the readings have changed."
"Exactly Peter, then we'll find a place to watch and see if the lights appear again tonight. Hopefully the sensors we've place around town will pick something up."
"I vote for the jail."
"You just want to see if that legend's true and the ghosts of the peacekeepers are going to appear." Peter says, reaching over and ruffling Ray's hair.
"Hey Peter, if we have time, do you think we can perform a séance with Lady Jasmine after we get home and see if we can summon one of the peacekeeper's ghosts to find out what really happened? If the lights and other disturbances around the town doesn't turn out to be them?"
"You're not going to let it go until you find out one way or the other what happened, are you?"
"Nope, maybe I'll write a book debunking the legend if I find out what really happened. JD says the Denver library has a copy of all the town papers on microfilm, I'll see if I can get a copy of the papers concerning the ambush and its aftermath for my research."
"Sounds like there might be a paper in there for a psych journal. The effects of a guilty conscience on the population resulting in mass hysteria and the fleeing of the town because they thought a curse had been laid upon the town."
"Damn Petey, sounds like both you and Ray are both going to be doing some writing when we get home."
Egon stands up and walks to the window, watching as their clients settle in the saloon across the street. Ezra's behind the counter like he's done it before sliding glasses down the bar to the others. Chris and Vin settle at a table in the front of the saloon watching the sun duck behind the hotel as it begins to set. Meanwhile, Buck and JD are lighting kerosene lamps while the missing Nathan eats at the bar.
"Wonder how they keep everything fresh without refrigeration?" Winston asks absentmindedly as he stands and stretches before pulling his pack on and walking out the front door.
"I asked JD about that since he says they spend a lot of time in Four Corners when they can get away from work, and he said they have a icehouse behind the saloon they use to keep meat and vegetables fresh. They do their cooking on an old wood cook stove in the saloon's kitchen. I asked why they didn't use a generator for electricity and they said they didn't need it, Four Corners has never had electricity, and they like being able to get away from the hustle and bustle of modern electricity. JD also said that Ecto's the only car they've had in town. Unless you know the hidden road that we took, it's almost impossible to find the town unless you know where to find it."
Ray watches in disbelief as Josiah walks to the pump behind the saloon and calmly begins to draw water.
"Ray, I thought you said the town's water supply had dried up, and everybody had to truck in water from the river?" Peter asks, watching as Josiah brings the water to the back of the saloon. Ezra takes the water with a smile and places it on the stove to heat so they can wash dishes.
"I did. But they had been experiencing droughts for a couple of years previously. The water table could very well have dipped below the level of the pipes and once the region got some rain, the water level could have risen again so they could use the well."
"And the townsfolk, still feeling guilty about the deaths, could have blamed the well drying up on the curse, and not the water level falling."
"Where do they get the ice for the icehouse? Do they bring it in along with their food?"
"JD told me they usually come out once after winter's started with their horses and cut ice from the river. It usually takes them a couple days to gather enough ice for the following year."
"That is so neat, I would love to be able to see something like that."
"Maybe if everything turns out okay," 'and the children wake up' "You can come back again this winter and watch us cut ice." Chris says, coming up behind the Ghostbusters.
"Can I? That would be so neat. I've always wanted to live like this for a while. Peter though, he hates roughing it."
"Damn straight, I've gotten used to my creature comforts." Peter says, ruffling Ray's hair, "I like getting up, turning on the light, having running water when I want it, heat at the turn of a knob, being able to cook without having to use wood or coal, and being able to listen to the radio or watch television."
"We have a solar operated radio, a day in the sun usually charges the battery for about ten hours of play. As for the other things? If you've never had it, you usually don't know what you're missing." Chris says, shrugging.
Ray exits the hotel, stopping to take a deep breath.
"Smell that air, Peter. It's clean air, you can't get that in New York."
"I'm a city boy, Ray," Peter says; mock complaining, "All this clean air is going to kill me. I can't live without exhaust fumes, blaring car horns, and urban sprawl."
Ray and Peter head off in opposite directions, PKE meters in their hands as they take readings. They meet up outside the hotel an hour later and dump their readings into the computer, which begins to compare the readings from earlier today.
"The program's going to take a couple hours to run." Egon says, turning away from the computer at Ray's shout.
"Guys, I've got something coming in from the south side. Let's get outside and see what's going on."
The four Ghostbusters exit the hotel at a run, passing Chris who's sitting outside the door. The legs of the chair hit the porch with a thump as he quickly stands up. The slight glow in the distance tells him what had caused the sudden exit. Egon holds his PKE meter out, getting readings as the glow comes closer while Ray, Peter, and Winston power up their packs.
"Incoming." Chris yells to the others. The other six men run from the Saloon as the lights come over the hill and speed through town. The lights flash through town for over an hour before disappearing as quickly as they appear.
"Was there anything different about the lights than there was before?" Egon asks, heading back to the hotel room to dump his readings into the computer.
"Yeah, they only lasted for a couple of minutes before, they lasted, what an hour tonight?" JD asks, looking at his wristwatch.
"And they've never flashed back and forth through town before. They usually flew through town and vanished." Vin adds.
"So the display we witnessed upon arriving earlier today is what normally occurs?"
"Yeah, except for the fact it was the middle of the day when they appeared, that was what we normally see at night." Chris says, picking his hat up off the porch and putting it back on his head.
"Are these the same lights you witnessed Mr. Larabee, that brought you to Four Corners to investigate?"
"No, those lights were in the sky, not ground level and they stayed in place, they didn't move like these did."
"And when did the moving lights first appear?"
The seven look at each other. "About a week ago?" JD hazards a guess.
"Yeah, a week to ten days." Vin agrees.
Ray drops his proton pack in the corner of the room before stretching and yawning.
"Egon, do you need me to stay up and help you look over the data?"
"No Raymond, why don't you get some sleep? I do suggest that at least one of us be awake in case something happens. I'll take first watch while the data runs."
"Okay Homeboy, wake me in four hours for the next watch."
"I can't believe I'm so tired, it's only ten o'clock." Ray says, yawning as he settles into bed.
"I told you all that clean living was bad for you, Ray." Peter says teasingly, "See, I grew up on carbon monoxide and fast food, and I'm wide awake and feeling good. But get some clean air in you, and you're out like a light."
Ray's response is a muffled snore.
The next morning Ray looks up from his spot on the hotel porch when Vin comes past with a horse and wagon.
"Want to come with me, Ray? I'm going to the river to catch some fish for a cookout tonight."
"Cool, we really don't have anything to do. The sensors are all set to catch anything that might happen. Winston, I'm going to the river with Mr. Tanner to catch some fish for a cookout tonight."
"Take your proton pack and a radio with you." Winston orders, "Since there's no interference out here, we'll be able to contact you if anything happens here. And if something happens out there, I want you to get his skinny white ass straight back here," Winston tells Vin, "He's got a curiosity bump a mile wide and takes too many chances. He's the kind who'd be trying to pet the nice kitty while the lion was busy eating him."
"You've got it." Vin says, "We should be back in a couple of hours. Nathan and Chris are picking greens to cook the fish in tonight."
Ray clambers into the wagon with a helping hand from Vin.
"Hold on," Nathan calls from the door of the Clinic. "Put some of this on or you'll burn to a crisp before you get back." Nathan walks down the stairs with a jar of salve that he, Vin, and Nathan slather on every inch of flesh not covered by clothing. Nathan then grabs a wide brimmed cowboy hat and slaps it on Ray's head.
"There, now you're ready to go." He says, watching as the wagon goes down the street.
"How do you plan on keeping the fish fresh until you're ready to cook them?"
"I've got a washtub in the back. We'll just pop them in water until we get back to clean them."
"Where are your fishing poles?"
"I don't use poles. I catch the fish by hand."
"Cool, I've never seen anybody catch a fish by hand. I've heard of it, but I've never seen anybody do it."
"I had a friend teach me when I was younger. I have a fishing spear I've used too, but if you're as accident prone as JD it's safer to leave it here."
"Probably," Ray says, blushing, "Peter calls me an accident looking for a place to happen sometimes."
"Ahh, you're just young." Vin says calmly, "You don't look before you leap, that's all. You don't mean to get into trouble, it just happens, and no matter how much your friends complain they're always going to bail you out."
They arrive at the river twenty minutes later and lift the tub from the back of the wagon. Walking to the river, Vin rolls up his jeans and, handing his boots to Ray, wades into the water.
"What do you want me to do?"
"I'll throw the fish onto the bank. Dump them into the tub before they flop back into the water." Vin says, bending down and, with a quick movement, tosses a fish towards the bank.
"Cool!!" Ray says, quickly walking over to grab the fish. He drops it into the tub. An hour later, the tub is full.
"Are we going to be able to eat all those?"
"Trust me, they won't go to waste. What we don't fry tonight we'll put on ice, stick them in a barrel of brine, or salt for this winter. Take your boots off and come in, I'll show you how to fish barehanded."
"So you guys really are self-sufficient. You don't find it too much trouble to spend time out here during the winter?"
"Nah, as long as we can keep warm and fed, we're pretty good. We don't have to get out unless we want to. We stock up on supplies during the spring and summer, we have a huge garden that we can in the fall and there's a couple local farmers who are glad to sell us cattle they've butchered."
"Really? Don't you ever get lonely out here?" Ray scrambles to his feet, pulling off his boots and rolling up the legs of his jumpsuit. He walks into the water and Vin shows him how he does it.
"This is as close to heaven as we're probably ever going to get." Vin says seriously, his eyes darkening. "We've got a radio to listen to when we need some noise, Ezra's got a library of books in the old schoolhouse. I wouldn't want to live any other way, and if it wasn't for the job, we'd probably live out here year-round."
"This is so cool." Ray says as they walk to the bank. The tub of fish is placed in the back of the wagon and they make their way back to town.
CONTINUES