Chapter One
The Change
The day was hot, as it always is in the sunny town of Goldfield, Nevada. The year is 1908 and the town is booming with the discovery of gold within the mines of this isolated and desert ridden city. Men work in the mines fervently axing away any dirt that might be hiding any treasure. Working for Goldfield Consolidated Mining Company was never an easy task (Even though the reward might have enticed some) men often died when working in the under belly of these mines.
One man however say fit to rule the community with iron will…that man was George Wingfield a local tyrant who with the help of a friend and ran the Goldfield Hotel and Goldfield herself. A man about thirty years of age stands to wipe sweat off his brow, he sighs and looks at the sun high in the sky…having gotten a muscular build since working there, he is 6'2 black hair and blue eyes.
A man his age and slight less bulky build but still muscular comes up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder. The blue eyed man turns to face his companion, a man with slicked back hair and a beard and mustache smiles at him and cocks his head to one side. "The day is hot as the sun beating down on us now." The muscular man looks at his companion with a raised eyebrow he shakes his head and chuckles softly.
"You know as well as I that it won't cool or rain till nightfall." The slicked back haired man laughed. "Why most you be so down Zacharias? Today smells of change to me…can you feel it?"
The man called Zacharias shook his head at his companion's optimism. "The only thing I feel his a pain in my back neck and arms from hold this pickaxe all day." He said picking up said object. They both heard shouting and knew they had best be working, doing just that they both set off down the lone mineshaft. "Nicolai I having a family to care for cannot afford to be an optimist such as yourself."
Nicolai sighed he knew his friend had his mother younger brother and sister to care for their father having ran off with a prostitute soon after their little brother had been born. Such responsibility's left no time for fun and mayhem for the two best friends. "I understand just as well, but I feel as though..." Zacharias turned to look at his friend their faces illuminated by the lanterns that hung by string to the walls of the mine. "Something might change."
Nicolai looked at his friend in time to see playful smile spread across his face. "Well my friend, is the change good or bad?" As Nicolai began to answer a wailing sound pierced the hot air. Nicolai pulled his father's pocket watch from the underside of his pants to see that it was nearly five thirty in the afternoon. Chuckling he looked at his friend and smiled a big toothy grin. "Well my friend time to change and head back to the inner city."
Twenty minutes later the two companions set off toward Goldfield eager to get home and rest after a hard day. The sun had nearly sunk beyond the horizon by the time they arrived in city. Laughing at a stupid joke his friend at just said Zacharias was surprised to see a man in a dark grey suite walking up to him. No longer laughing both men took sight of the other man and put up their guard. The man was heavy set with a long brown beard a wrinkled brow and tight squared shoulders.
The men stop a few feet from each other sizing each other up. Having no patience in his system left the heaving set man spoke. "One of you boys Zacharias Bagani?" He asked his voice gruff and scratchy from yelling orders all day. Nicolai and Zacharias looked at one another before Zacharias stepped forward to speak with the man. As Nicolai kept an eye on his friend a beautiful sound caught his attention.
The most beautiful woman he had ever seen was standing a mere eight feet away laughing with her friends as another fellow attempted to entertain them. Even under the growing sunset her skin looked to be a dazzling oppaline white her long shining brown hair cascading down her back like a silky river her dress a stunning sky blue and white highlighting her skin. Nicolai swallowed roughly as he gazed at her, feeling his eyes upon her they lock gazes for a slit second.
Enough time for Nicolai to see her magnificent hazel brown eyes.
As she turned away a cry sounded in front him and looked to see his companion fall to his knees. Nicolai rushed to his side and the city lights from buildings around them began to alight for night had fallen upon them. Dropping beside his friend Nicolai raised his head once to see that the heaving set man had gone. Turing to his fallen friend what his saw startled him. Zacharias was sobbing as if his vary heart had been ripped out of him. "My brother, my friend what causes you to cry so?"
Zacharias didn't answer instead sobbed harder. "Please my friend tell me so I can help." He choked out he hated to see his friend in so much pain. "Th-Their gone!" Zacharias heaved in between his sobs. Nicolai swallowed the lump in his throat. "M-my family all of them…f-fire! GONE!" he screamed the last word at the top of his lungs and collapsed on Nicolai and sobbed his heart out.
Not knowing what else to do Nicolai cried with his friend as the woman with brown eyes looked on with pity…no one noticed a man with pitch black eyes watched for a moment and then disappear into nothing.
