(Table of contents) (See previous)
EXT. DUSTY GULCH – EVENING
We’re back outside the Dusty Gulch Hotel. WIDOW can be seen through the saloon doors at the bar counter, looking much less agonized. Meanwhile, MOREAU is getting her picture taken by a photographer outside. She is handed her photo, disappointed to find that DR. HARE accidentally photobombed her while he was lurking in the background for clues, walking around with a metal detector.
MOREAU runs to him, whispering:
MOREAU
You! Put that away! We don’t need to attract any more attention?
HARE pushes a button. The metal detector swiftly folds up into a compact case.
HARE
Do you have any better ideas?
DIRECTOR D.
(Off-screen)
Over here!
DIRECTOR D. is searching behind a nearby trading post. He’s looking at the base, where an old handkerchief is laying. Not just old–its threads are coated with a strange, dark substance, similar to the one found by the ship’s mast.
DR. HARE picks it up with a cloth and puts it in a bag.
HARE
I’ll test it when we get back to the ship.
DEPUTY
Howdy there!
All three jump into place. DIRECTOR D. begins to whistle.
MOREAU
Good evening, sir.
DEPUTY
You were just looking at the ground earlier. Somethin’ wrong?
HARE
Eh, we just found someone’s old handkerchief. We were going to see if it belonged to anyone at the hotel.
The DEPUTY takes a closer look.
DEPUTY
That looks…filthy.
MOREAU
Have you seen anything like it before?
DEPUTY
We’ve seen it in places ever since people started getting sick. The owner probably don’t want it no more, but you should be careful.
(con’t)
Wait–
(con’t)
That belongs to the Mustachio gang! I’ve seen it on the girl who’s with them before!
(con’t)
Mind if I take it back to the Marshall?
DIRECTOR D.
How about we bring it over tomorrow? We wanted to meet with him.
DEPUTY
How come?
MOREAU
We’re doing a little…investigative work of our own into this strange sickness.
(She points to HARE)
Our doctor here is trying to make an elixir.
HARE
Yup. I know all ‘bout elixir making. All the elixirs.
DEPUTY
Pff. Hope you’re better than that other guy…
(con’t)
Sounds good. The station is in Diamond Plains.
The DEPUTY leaves. The three sigh with relief.
HARE
That was close, and you basically blew half our cover anyway.
MOREAU
They might trust us more. Mind if I see that?
HARE
Weren’t you arrested at the 1893 World’s Fair?
MOREAU
I wasn’t born there.
INT. DUSTY GULCH HOTEL – EVENING
WIDOW is sitting alone, tossing darts at a board. She seems to be getting most of her hits at or near the bulls-eye. A couple men at another table are cheering her on.
CAPTAIN CRAWFISH comes downstairs after a good nap, passing a group competing at who can get the most accurate long-range spit into the spitoon. He joins WIDOW at the counter, joining her in the game of darts. It seems both are of similar skill.
CRAWFISH
Ye heard anything?
WIDOW
People are getting sick here. The one place that isn’t affected is a place called “Rock Ridge”.
(con’t)
But it’s not safe to go there with the gang’s activity.
She shoots. Bulls-eye.
CRAWFISH
That’s two hints.
He shoots. Bulls-eye. WIDOW prepares her next dart.
MOREAU, HARE, and DIRECTOR D. ENTER.
MOREAU
You see, she and I are from the same place, which isn’t affected by the timeline.
WIDOW completely misses her shot, and it nearly strikes one of the guys by the spitoon.
WIDOW
What are you telling them?
DIRECTOR D.
Hare was just curious how she’s not affected by the strange goop.
CRAWFISH
‘Strange goop’?
HARE
Pipe down, we’ll talk in our room.
FADE TO:
EXT. DUSTY GULCH HOTEL – MORNING
A rooster crows just as the five explorers leave the hotel, all still bleary eyed.
CRAWFISH
(yawns)
G’mornin’.
HARE
Couldn’t this wait until a bit later? I don’t think the Marshall expects us at the crack of dawn.
DIRECTOR D.
It’s a long way, and we want to get there before the sun is beating down on us again.
WIDOW shudders. MOREAU giggles.
They head south, following a river and crossing over train tracks until they arrive at the town of Diamond Plains. With it still being early, they stop at a diner called Ruby’s Saloon for breakfast. CRAWFISH has a good time talking with some gunslingers at the bar, who teach him how to play a game of cards.
CRAWFISH
Hah! This will be good while I’m out at sea!
GUNSLINGER #1
You a sailor?
CRAWFISH
Just a…mere fisherman.
They head to the Marshall’s station after, with a clock tower chiming for 11AM nearby. HARE’S ears twitch, and he notices a man who is working on the tower coughing. He discreetly puts on his green goggles, zooming in. There seems to be more of that corrosive goop near the worker.
HARE
Huh…
INT. MARSHALL’S OFFICE – MORNING
The small cell inside the office to temporarily hold prisoners is empty, with the walls looking like they were patched up recently. The MARSHALL is snoring at his desk next to an empty bottle.
DEPUTY
Hey, you. Wakey-wakey.
The DEPUTY gives him a nudge. The MARSHALL wakes up suddenly, looking a bit confused.
DEPUTY
The foreigners are here to see you.
MARSHALL
Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Deputy. I’ll handle it from here.
The DEPUTY leaves. There’s not enough room for all five to sit, so they just stand around the MARSHALL’S table. HARE tosses the bagged handkerchief onto his desk.
HARE
I took a bit of the corroded stuff off for my own research.
DIRECTOR D.
You sure you still want that?
MARSHALL
It’s evidence the Mustachio gang was in that area, but I didn’t ‘pect them to be so…careless.
(con’t)
Must’ve been from Sunday.
MOREAU
That’s the day before we arrived.
MARSHALL
Another…wave, I don’t quite know what to call it, passed through the county.
FLASHBACK to a few days ago, back in Dusty Gulch. The photographer has a nice line of customers, and the hotel saloon is full for lunch. On the outskirts, EL MUSTACHIO GRANDE and a couple members of the gang, including a woman with a yellow scarf, lurk as they’re about to target the hotel.
Suddenly, the sky goes dim. The ground begins to quake.
EL MUSTACHIO
An earthquake? Now?!
The camera at the photography stand topples to the ground. Several of the people who were once standing excitedly in line have fainted or are bent over.
EL MUSTACHIO
Wha–
He hears a high pitched ring. His vision goes red. MUSTACHIO puts his hands to his ears, and the other two members of the gang cower in a similar fashion. The BANDIT GIRL opens her eyes in shock, looking down and seeing her bandanna crumbling. Edges of buildings, some recently renovated and repaired, begin to show signs of wear.
The BANDIT GIRL tosses her scarf off.
BANDIT GIRL
Move it! Let’s go!
The three outlaws run off as the chaos simmers down.
End of FLASHBACK. Back to the MARSHALL.
HARE
I heard Rock Ridge is the safest area.
MARSHALL
…Yer a funny looking one, aren’t you?
HARE
I get that a lot.
MARSHALL
Rock Ridge is where the mines are. Problem is, it’s also where the bank is, and it’s a pretty rough area. I would be cautious about heading there. The sickness will probably spread there soon anyhow.
DIRECTOR D.
We’ll make sure to be cautious.
CUT TO:
The five are leaving the police station. A PONY EXPRESS RIDER is outside, shifting through letters.
PONY EXPRESS RIDER
Diamond Plains, Diamond Plains…Rock Ridge, Dos Cactos…
CRAWFISH
Hey! How far is it from ‘ere to Rock Ridge?
PONY EXPRESS RIDER
On foot, you’ll be there before the days’ end. The train here circles around to it, a bit of a long ride but it’ll be shorter than walking.
DIRECTOR D.
Train sounds good. They’ll probably have food onboard. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!
The RIDER has to calm her horse from fleeing the instant he says that.
FADE TO:
Deep in the mines of Rock Ridge, where none reach after no valuable materials were found decades ago, a blue tulip grows under a beam of sunlight. Even though there are no other flowers around, it blooms with a vibrant and healthy color, untouched by the sands of time. On the walls surrounding it, filtering the light, are growths of clear crystals…
END OF EPISODE 2.
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