ASHES
OF THE DEAD:
BUCKET
OF BLOOD
A
novel by
Jake
Miller
Kindle
eBook edition
Ashes
of the Dead: Bucket of Blood. Copyright © 2014 by Jake Miller.
All
Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations
embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This
is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead (or
undead), events or locations is entirely coincidental.
Cover
design by Andrew Kightlinger.
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Ashes of the Dead on Facebook
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visit the Ashes of the Dead blog
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II
The Virginia
City Mining Company had built a deep open pit that scarred the land and filled
the air with a haze of dirt and dust that hung loosely over the work site,
polluting the lungs of men who worked sixteen hours a day extracting gold,
silver and platinum from the ground. Mules worked to their death hauling loads
of freshly split rock out of the mine, and broke their whip-marked backs to
remove these precious metals from the earth. The open pit was encircled by a network
of walkways and wooden stairs that descended deep into the mine, spiraling
around until they disappeared into tunnels that spider-webbed out of the open
pit where the men worked deep underground. The men who worked in this mine
lived in a camp composed of makeshift shelters and tents. For them, poor living
conditions were well worth the consistent paycheck that was spent on liquor and
female companionship. For many people in town the miners were nothing but
trouble, men who would drink and fight, often earning themselves a night in the
local jail. Until they sobered up, paid a small fine and went back to work. For
others in town, the economic boom was well worth the trouble. The town had
grown quickly, and with it came all of the evils that followed men with money.
A gangly young
man came sprinting out of one of the many tunnels with a worried look on his
face. He threw down the lantern that had guided his way out of the darkness and
continued running up a series of wooden stairways. He turned a sharp corner and
nearly slipped, but caught himself on a roughly built wooden railing. The next
set of stairs he jumped up two at a time, using the railing to pull himself
upwards. In his other arm, he carried a long object wrapped in a dirty piece of
cloth. He reached the edge of the open pit and continued running down a
boardwalk that ended near a small makeshift structure.
He stopped just
outside of the small office and placed his hands on his knees, desperately
trying to catch his breath.
“Mr. Richards--,” he said, nearly out of
breath and panting loudly, gripping a stitch in his side. But no one answered.
“Mr. Richards!”
he yelled, carefully holding out the long object.
The young man
waited outside for a few moments, finally catching his breath from the steep
run out of the mine. He stood upright as the wooden door cracked open and a
tall dark man stepped out, neatly dressed and well groomed. His hair was
slicked to one side and he wore a gray and black tailored suit, with a gold
chain attached to a handcrafted watch that rested in his jacket pocket. He was
noticeably rich, and carried himself like any man would who owned a gold mine.
This was Jack Richards, a powerful land baron who made his living stepping on
people and pushing himself to the top. He only cared about himself, and money.
But mostly money.
“What boy?” he yelled
at him, pulling out and checking the gold watch, like he was already late for
something.
“Mr. Richards.
Sir. They--, they found something. In the mine.”
Aaron handed
the object to Jack, who promptly unwrapped it, already pissed that he was pulled
away from something he thought was more important. It was a human femur. He held it out farther away when he realized
what it was, like it would give him a disease. He twisted it around and
examined it at a distance.
Another man stepped
out from inside the office. He was much younger than Jack with clean-cut hair
and a blonde beard, flecked with orange. This was Clay, Jack’s right-hand man
and second in command. He made sure that everybody did their job, and if they
didn’t, he made sure that they were punished accordingly. Clay took the long
bone and held it carefully, holding it up to the light and rotating it around
in his hands.
“This is human.
Where did they find this?” Clay asked.
“In the new
shaft on the North side of the pit. Where we found all that silver last month,”
Aaron said.
Jack took the
femur and covered it with the small piece of cloth and tucked it under his arm.
“Who else knows
about this?” he questioned.
“Just a few of
us. But--, the whole area is covered in bones sir. Must be Indian,” Aaron
speculated.
Jack glanced
over to Clay, shooting him a knowing look.
“Alright son. Don't
tell anybody else about this. Keep your mouth shut.”
Aaron looked at
both of them for a moment, like a well-trained dog expecting a treat for good
behavior. Then he spun on his heels, nearly tripping over his own feet and ran
off back to the mine. Jack turned to Clay and handed him the femur with a deep
furrow in his brow.
“You know what
to do. Move the remains. Keep digging.”
Jack moved back
towards the office, but paused in the doorway. “Nobody finds out,” he demanded. Then disappeared back
into the dark office, slamming the thin wooden door behind him.
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