Chapter 4
Monday, September 7th, 1885
Hill Valley, California
7: 01
The DeLorean reappeared over empty desert land, almost 101 years in the past. Marty and Jennifer leaned forward to peer out the windows. "Doesn't look much different from 1855," Marty commented. "Still a dust bowl."
"I be Hill Valley itself will be different. After all, from this vantage point in time, it's been 30 years since we've last been here." Feeling revitalized from being out of the sun, Doc landed the DeLorean behind an old natural rock formation. "The first order of business is to change our clothes. We can't go there in the garments we're wearing now."
"Do we have any 1885 clothes?" Jennifer inquired as everyone got out. "In 1855, we used some bulky old coats because we were there all of 10 minutes."
"We do indeed. Before embarking on this temporal journey, I packed us a kit." Doc opened the trunk of the car and removed 2 futuristic canister bags and an old gym bag. He turned a knob on one of the future bags, opening it. "In fact, we have clothes from a range of time periods - 1885, 1955, 1967, 1974, 1993, and 2015. That should cover most time periods. I also have a history book from the future, in case he event Biff is planning to alter is historically significant."
"Anything else, Emmett?" Mysteria asked.
"And where'd you get all this stuff, Doc?" Marty inquired.
"There's extra food and water, a first-aid kit, my sleep-inducer, a pair of walkie-talkies, and Marty's hoverboard in the gym bag. I wanted your hoverboard in case you needed to make a quick getaway and neither of us was around. As for getting these clothes, I simply visited a store in the future that specialized in this. I traded some of my old junk for it."
"Cool. What do we have to put on?"
Doc pulled out a serape, 2 pairs of pants, 2 dresses, a coat, and 2 cowboy hats from the first bag. From the second he located 4 pairs of boots. "They were all vacuumed-packed," he responded to everyone's disbelieving looks. "They expand upon exposure to air." He handed the right size clothing to the proper people. "If you prefer, girls, you can simply change your shoes and put the dresses on over your own clothes."
Jennifer looked at her brown dress. "This thing looks pretty hot. I think I'll change."
"Me too," agreed Mystie. Everyone located more private places nearby and changed.
Marty and Jennifer were the first to return to the DeLorean. Marty admired Jennifer's dress. "You look pretty good in brown. It matches your hair."
"Thanks. You look pretty cowboy yourself."
"Yeah, I feel like Clint Eastwood," Marty agreed, pulling an imaginary gun.
Doc and Mysteria joined them. "I'm glad we're out of the 19th century back home. This thing itches," Mysteria said, scratching her neck.
"It's only for a few hours." Doc straightened his coat. "You know, when I was a little kid, I always wanted to be a cowboy. Even after I read Jules Verne, I didn't completely abandon my childhood dream. I felt I could invent things that would make life easier and capture the bad guys."
"So instead of 'fastest gun', you'd be the 'fastest brain'," Jennifer grinned, adjusting the layers of fabric that graced her waist.
"Using your brains in confrontations makes more sense than just blindly using brawn."
"Except when it comes to soulless vampires," Marty said, looking over the vast scrubby desert. "Man, it's going to be an awful long walk to Hill Valley from here."
"I doubt Biff landed much nearer, considering his time machine was located in the woods. Besides, who says we're walking."
Marty and Jennifer's eyes widened. "You mean it? Another ride?" Marty asked, excited.
"It would take hours if we walked. How long did it take you to walk to Hill Valley in 1955?"
"3 and a half hours," Marty nodded, not caring if Doc had a point. He just wanted a second chance to 'fly'. "And we've got no time to lose. C'mon, Doc, let's go!"
"I want to see if I can carry you piggyback first. You nearly strangled me when we put the Time-Tracer on VAMPIS." He spread his wings through pre-cut slits in his clothes and motioned for Marty to get on. Marty climbed on, making sure his arms weren't around Doc's throat in a death grip. Doc flapped his wings and tried for liftoff. After a few tries and shifts by Marty, Doc could get them both airborne. "Well, I guess - Hold on! I almost forgot!" He shrugged Marty off and went back to the DeLorean. He pulled out a suitcase from under the front seat and opened it up. It was filled with cash!
"Holy shit, Doc, where'd you get all that money?"
"Mostly from past and future bank accounts," Doc said, scanning the various pouches. "I have to be prepared for all monetary possibilities. The 1885 money I obtained from the Blast From The Past store, like the clothes." He pulled out a sheaf of notes from the proper pocket and stuffed it in his own pants. After retrieving his sleep-inducer, he let Marty back on. Jennifer climbed onto Mysteria, and the vampires took to the sky.
Monday, September 7th
8: 37 P. M.
Doc and Mysteria slowly descended towards the railroad tracks below. Marty had his face in the wind, enjoying the night air. "Why are we going down?"
"We can't fly into Hill Valley. We'll have to walk along the railroad tracks until we arrive."
"My back's starting to hurt, too," Mysteria added.
"Sorry," Jennifer apologized. "Thanks for the ride, though. I wish I could fly like you."
"Not like we could let you walk," Doc said. They landed carefully beside the tracks. The teens slid off as the vampires folded up their wings. Doc cracked his back and sighed. "That's better." Then, for some reason, he started throwing dust on himself.
Marty had a guess at what he was doing. "Would we be that dirty if we'd walked?"
Doc nodded. "This way people won't get suspicious. They'll probably wonder why we don't have horses, but we can easily explain that away."
"Boy, Emmett, you've planned this whole trip out," Mysteria noted, throwing some dust on her clothes.
"If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have even gone on our first time trips."
"What happened to our horses?"
"This is rattlesnake country," Doc shrugged.
"Rattlesnakes?" Jennifer repeated, looking around nervously. "I hate snakes. They creep me out."
"If you don't bother them, they won't bother you," Doc promised. They started walking, Jennifer still fidgeting.
They hadn't been walking for 2 minutes when Doc and Mystie both heard approaching hoof beats. "Wagon coming," Doc announced. "Single file."
"You sound like bank tellers," Marty teased as they moved to hug the rail.
The wagon came into view and pulled up beside them. "Aye!" the driver called in a thick Irish accent. "Would you like a ride?"
The Time Trippers looked up. The hay wagon was currently occupied by 3 people - a man, a woman, and a baby. The man, who had thick red hair and a bushy mustache, was smiling in a friendly way at them. Doc couldn't help but notice his face looked a bit Martyish.
The woman, with frizzy brown hair, seemed less sure about picking up strangers. "How'd you come to be out here without horses?" she inquired, bouncing her baby on her knee.
"Some rattlesnakes spooked our horses. They threw us and ran off," Doc smoothly lied. "We would appreciate a ride, Mr.-?"
"Seamus McFly," the red-haired man introduced himself. Marty's eyes widened in shock. "This here is my wife Maggie and our son William."
"William here was the first McFly born here in America," Maggie added, very proudly. "Whose kin are you?"
Marty nearly blurted out his real name, but managed to stop himself just at the right moment. "Man, this is weird. I just bumped into my own past. Again! Think, McFly. . . ." "Eastwood," he decided. "Clint Eastwood."
"Uh - John Wayne," Doc said, following Marty's lead.
"Barbara Stanwyck," Mysteria introduced herself, with a small curtsey.
That left Jennifer with the unenviable position of last. "Lucille Eastwood," she blurted, on the spot. "Clint's my brother."
Maggie looked at them a bit nervously. "Should we, Seamus?" she inquired of her husband. "Ever since Sheriff Strickland was killed, I've been a bit nervous of strangers."
Doc and Marty held up their hands. "We don't have guns on us. We had to sell them to get the horses," Marty made up. Doc nodded his agreement and approval of the story.
"It's the right to do, Maggie," Seamus said. "We'd want someone to do it for us. And anyways, I've never heard of a outlaw band that had women in it."
"We'll get off as soon as we get to town, Mrs. McFly," Mysteria promised.
"All right. You'll have to ride in the back, though."
"Much obliged, ma'am," Doc said politely, tipping his hat. The Time Trippers climbed into the back of the hay wagon along with the hay. "Excuse me for prying, but why are you heading into Hill Valley? Especially at so late an hour?"
"Joe Statler asked for a bundle of hay for his horses," Seamus said, flicking the reins. The wagon moved off again. "He sent a man over personal, and promised to pay twice as much if we could get it to him." Doc nodded.
Marty leaned on Doc as they bumped over the dirt. "Good grief, Doc, these are my ancestors!" he thought to his friend, still in shock. "It feels so strange to actually meet them. My great-grandfather is younger than me now. That's twice that I've met my family in the past."
"I hope this meeting doesn't have an effect on the space-time continuum," Doc thought back worriedly. "I wouldn't want you to stop existing as a result of this. It's hard enough just wondering what Biff's up to."
"I don't want to stop existing either. At least they're friendly. If we're lucky, a ride into town won't screw up the future."
"At least, not before Biff does," Doc amended.
After a half-hour's drive, the McFlys drove past the train station. Wondering what had happened in the 30 years since they'd visited, the Time Trippers looked around. Hill Valley had built up a little since their trip to 1855. Wooden buildings graced a dirt main street, with people heading for a place to stay for the night. By the station itself was a shanty town and bathhouse for the Chinese railroad workers. Right across the street was the McFly's destination - Honest Joe Statler's Horses.
The McFly's pulled their wagon in. A portly man in a waistcoat came to meet them. "Hello, Seamus. Have you got my hay? I'm sorry about the late call from Harry, but one of my trainers didn't check to see if we had any more bales. I'd be happy to put you up for the night."
"Thank you kindly, Joe," Seamus said. "Your hay's in the back."
The Time Trippers hopped off as Joe's employees came to unload the hay. Joe looked at the riders curiously. "These people simply needed a ride to town, Joe. Mr. Eastwood, Mr. Wayne, Miss Stanwyck, Miss Eastwood, this is Mr. Joe Statler."
"Howdy," Marty greeted him.
"Do you 4 need horses?" Joe asked eagerly. "I've got the best horses in all of Hill County! I've got thoroughbreds, roans, stallions. . . ."
"The first-ever used car salesman," Mysteria whispered to the others, making them giggle.
"I don't think we'll need horses," Doc said. "We're looking for someone right here in Hill Valley. Clint and I are vigilantes. Some outlaw burned down both our homesteads. The man who did it was kin to the sheriff, so he got off. We're looking to deliver real justice."
"Look out for yourselves," Seamus warned. "Itching for a gun fight can lead to a graveyard. It's best not to let yourself get carried away."
"My husband gives good advice, and you'd do well to take it," Maggie added. "That's what happened to his brother."
"Poor Martin," Seamus nodded sadly. He noticed that as he said that, 'Clint' went as white as a ghost. "Are you all right, Mr. Eastwood?"
"Yeah," Marty said hesitantly. "Yeah, I'm fine." "Holy shit, this keeps getting weirder and weirder. And Biff hasn't even shown up yet!"
"We should get going," Doc said, sensing Marty's unease. He was thankful there were no relatives of his to bump into at this time. "And don't worry, Mr. McFly. If we can, we'll deliver our outlaw to your sheriff. Who is he?"
"Sheriff Jackson Strickland. He recently took over for his father, shot dead in the line of duty."
The 4 couldn't help but smile. "He must be Strickland's dad," Marty mumbled. "Figures." Louder, he said, "Thanks for the ride. Maybe we'll see you sometime again in the future."
"Good luck," both McFlys wished them. The Time Trippers nodded and started walking down the dirt road that currently passed as main street. Rickety wooden shops lined the streets, ranging from a smelly meat market to an undertaker's. "The undertaker looks dead himself," Doc thought with a slight shudder. All of the shops were empty, since everyone who could had gone home.
As they approached the future town square, Marty saw a structure ahead. "Hey, look! The Clock Tower's up!"
"It looks pretty unstable," Jennifer commented, scanning the rough wooden framework.
"This is the early days of it's existence," Doc reminded her. "They haven't got concrete yet." He smiled at the familiar landmark. "That brings back memories."
Mysteria cocked her head. "Guys, I think we should move out of the way," she said. "There's a bunch of horses being ridden at a mad gallop straight towards us."
"Maybe it's Biff and Sheriff Jackson," Marty guessed as everyone stepped onto the porch of the saloon. "Wouldn't it be great if he got arrested for horse theft? We could go destroy his time machine, take him back, and make him forget it all."
"I doubt we'll be that lucky."
"If they don't have riders, we should say they're ours," Jennifer suggested.
Doc shook his head. "They have riders. I can here someone urging on their horse. It could be a gang of desperados."
"Rattlesnakes, desperados, the fact Biff's here. . .I don't like the Old West."
"You grew up with a far too romanticized picture of it," Mysteria told her. "I actually lived a few days on the Oregon Trail with a friend. Believe me, that was worse than being in a settled town."
"Give me the 1980s any day," Jennifer mumbled.
The wild-riding band galloped into town, scattering the few remaining people on the street. The gang thundered past the shops, but pulled up short at the saloon. Their leader, a dirty, unshaven man with evil eyes, glared at the Time Trippers. "Well, lookie what we have here."
One of his gang laughed. "I wouldn't mind riding those fillies!"
Doc and Marty's eyes narrowed. "My girlfriend is not a 'filly'," Marty snapped.
"Neither is my fiancee," Doc growled.
Another gang member smirked. "I'd say he was the runt of the litter," he joked to his friends, pointing at Marty.
"I'd like to know what the old-timer could do to us," the first snickered. "Teeth as straight as that have to be store bought."
"Are you going to introduce yourselves, or are you just going to insult us for the rest of the night?" Mysteria wondered.
The leader gave her a sickening smile. "Buford Tannen's the name, ma'am," he said, tipping his hat.