“How many times do I have to tell you, there are no such thing as ghosts!”
“I know what I saw, Juliet. If it wasn’t a ghost, what was it?”
“I’m sure there is a rational explanation.”
“Maybe, but there is no rational explanation for who Shawn saw in the bathroom. I’m telling you, there is something seriously creepy about this town.”
Before Juliet could make another attempt to convince Gus that the events of the day, while strange, could not possibly be paranormal, a loud knock on the door interrupted their argument. Juliet sighed, walking towards the sound, and swinging open the hotel door. Her breath caught. Staring straight at her was the barrel of a gun: long and silver with an ivory handle, and undoubtedly deadly. Before there was any time to react, the woman behind the weapon: a brunette around thirty years old, scandalously clad in leather and a steely cold expression, cocked the gun. The two women behind her: a younger dirty blonde wearing high rise jeans and a crop top, and an unusually tall woman with stunning red hair, each had an equally terrifying fire in their eyes.
Before Juliet could open her mouth, the woman with the gun stared her down, asking with fierce intensity, “Where is Shawn Spencer?”
12 Hours Before:
“Gus! Gus, get in here! I found it!”
Gus ran into the other room of the Psych office. “You found my signed poster of Rupert Grint?!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I threw that away weeks ago.”
“YOU WHAT?!”
Shawn ignored his best friend’s fury and continued, “I found the perfect place for our best buds vacation.”
“Do you even know how much that cost me, Shawn?”
“No, no, dude, that’s the best part. It will barely cost a thing. It’s close enough to drive there, and room and board costs practically nothing.”
“I was talking about the poster.” Gus pouted, realizing that complaining was getting him pretty much nowhere. He leaned in to see what Shawn was looking at on his lap top. “Oh, Hell no. We are not spending the weekend in a town called Purgatory. Nuh uh, no ghosts for me.”
“Oh c’mon, buddy, it’s just a name! And besides, how could we not visit a town called Purgatory?”
“Shawn, do you remember the last time we visited a creepy small town full of only white people? We almost got killed in a creepy remote cabin in the woods. Not happening.”
“Well, that’s too bad, because Jules is already on her way here, and I told her to bring you some extra crisp bacon.”
Gus’s eyebrows rose at the mention of food, but his expression soon tightened again. “Wait a minute… You said this was a guys only vacation. Why is Juliet coming?”
“Oh, did I forget to mention? It’s guys, plus their girlfriends. But since you don’t seem to have one of those at the moment, I guess it’s just me, you, and Jules. Hey, look, there she is now! C’mon buddy!”
Gus sighed, following Shawn reluctantly as he ran towards Juliet’s lime green buggy parked outside. As much as he absolutely did not want to spend the weekend being a third wheel in a creepy town called “Purgatory”, anything was better than being left alone to putter around with Lassiter and Henry all weekend.
-----
The irony of the situation was evident to everyone in Juliet’s lime green buggy as soon as they drove into Purgatory. When asked if he wanted to participate in the weekend vacation, Lassiter had strongly stated, “I would rather join a hippy cult full of vegans.” However, the Old West obsessed detective would have absolutely loved Purgatory. While it wasn’t as drastic as Old Senora, Purgatory seemed to still have a strong hold on the spirit of the Old West. Every other person there seemed to be sporting a cowboy hat and a gun on their belt. Even the local bar, Shorty’s, presented itself to be much more like a saloon than a regular bar.
Gus shuddered. “Man, I told you this place would be no good. I’ll bet these people have never seen melanin before.”
“Nah, it’ll be fine man!” Shawn stated. “C’mon, let’s go grab a drink.”
As the three walked into Shorty’s, Shawn headed straight for the bathroom, claiming that the slurpee he had consumed on the drive had gone right through him, making both Gus and Juliet wrinkle their noses.
“This place gives me the creeps,” Gus admitted to Juliet as they walked up to the bar.
“Shawn does seem to pick some unusual vacation spots,” Juliet agreed, “But I’m sure it’s fine.”
Gus nodded, half listening, as a strange figure across the bar caught his eye. The man looked all too familiar, but Gus struggled to place him, looking the man up and down, from his cowboy boots, to his unflattering handlebar mustache. Suddenly, something clicked. When he and Shawn had thought that Old Senora was being haunted by the “Ghost Rider”, Gus had done some research on the Old West. This man, as impossible as it seemed, was a spitting image of none other than the fastest gunslinger of the West: Doc Holliday.
----
Shawn whistled joyfully as he walked towards the bathroom. Sure, Gus was complaining. Sure, Juliet seemed a bit creeped out by the mysterious town of Purgatory as well. But to Shawn, this weekend had the perfect recipe for a vacation: a best friend, an amazing girlfriend, and a little bit of mystery. However, as Shawn walked over to the urinal, he noticed something that made him jump. With their back to him, was the unmistakable form of a woman, with familiar curly dark hair. Before Shawn could react, she turned around, and the half delighted, half batshit crazy smile was unmistakable.
“Yang.”
“Hi Shawn!”
Story Notes:
All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Set before the Psych musical, and before the season three finale of Wynonna Earp.
Set before the Psych musical, and before the season three finale of Wynonna Earp.