Chapter 13: The Dark Office
Midnight. The mob had dispersed, leaving Silas Pendelton’s company office in an eerie, ringing silence. The air still carried the scent of woodsmoke from earlier [more…]
Category: Fast Food
Chapter 12: The Collapse of the Syndicate
The broadsides hit Gulch City like a thunderclap. Express riders, spurred by Montgomery’s urgency, delivered bundles of the *Denver Daily Gazette* special edition throughout the [more…]
Chapter 11: The Five Thousand Broadsides
The midnight stagecoach to Denver rattled and swayed, a claustrophobic box on wheels. I sat in the corner, clutching Arthur’s signet ring, the cold metal [more…]
Chapter 10: The Cold Lamp in Gulch City
The Eagle Creek cabin felt colder than ever. Arthur lay on the cot, his face peaceful, the rough blanket covering him. I sat beside him, [more…]
Chapter 9: The Mountain Grave
My hands were raw, bleeding, and numb from the cold. Gideon Hawley, his face streaked with dust and tears, stood beside me, his pickaxe rising [more…]
Chapter 8: The Dynamite on the Pass
Arthur left the cabin before the first hint of dawn, the air so cold it burned in my lungs. I watched him go, a silent [more…]
Chapter 7: The Four Thousand Dollar Lien
The next morning, a notice was nailed to our cabin door. It was formal, emblazoned with the Gulch City District Court seal. My fingers fumbled [more…]
Chapter 6: The Broken Shaft Ledger
A frantic messenger pounded on our cabin door just before dawn. “Avalanche in Shaft Seven!” he yelled, his breath pluming in the icy air. “Twelve [more…]
Chapter 5: Winter Supplies and Frozen Wages
The General Mercantile smelled of stale coffee, dried beans, and unwashed wool. I shivered, not just from the cold seeping through the gaps in the [more…]
Chapter 4: The Cabin on Eagle Creek
Arthur and I moved our meager belongings in the fading autumn light. My single worn trunk, Arthur’s box of books, a kerosene lamp, and two [more…]
