A Week From Sundown

     The Town of Prairie Ditch is a quaint little western town. They have the occasional gunfighter drifting through, the ranch hands herding the cattle to market stop by to wash the dirt down their gullet with warm beer, and they have Sam, the piano man who could play any tune you would like to hear in the local saloon. Tonight, no one from "The Ditch" is going to visit NightLand. Instead, Nightland is coming to visit them...

     The fog rolled into "The Ditch" right in time with the setting sun. Prairie Ditch wasn't on a prairie at all. No one knew why it was called that, most everyone who has lived there a while just shortened it to "The Ditch." Not that "The Ditch" was meant to be a disparaging name. To be honest, the town didn't sit in a ditch either. But there were hills on both sides of it, and you kind of rode down hill into town from one direction so people kind of imagined it was a ditch of sorts I guess.

     Anyway, that's where the fog came in from, it flowed down the hill from the west and blanketed the entire town almost as if it were waitin' for the sun to set. The people outside noticed of course. But hardly anyone was outside, which is a good thing when you stop and think about it. At least after what happened, everyone thought it was a good thing. The ones that were inside I mean.

     You'll have to bear with me, I'm not a regular story teller like old man Jason was, I'm just a card player. Old man Jason won't be telling no more stories though. He was outside that night the fog rolled into town you see.

     I had been sittin' at the tables since about noon that day, mostly by myself. "The Ditch" wasn't the kind of town where you could get a card game up anytime you wanted. I didn't much care though, I had just come off a good run of luck up in Southland, about a days ride from here. Got run out of town though. Said I was cheating. Well I don't cheat. Damn sore losers anyway. Anyone who rides into town and takes their money, they think is a cheatin'. That town was wide awake compared to this slumber mill. But I was likin' the peace and quiet, and I could get along for a few weeks on what I had won.

     Finally though, A few ranchers started drifting in, and a few of the shop keepers who didn't have a nice wife waitin' at home for 'em. Not to mention the local regulars who no one had a clue as to where they got money to drink with all evenin'. So I managed to get a small game goin', just five card draw is all. A few dusty cowpokes leaned up against the bar drinking and talking quiet like. Some regulars sat at the other end and a few sat at the tables, around twelve or fifteen of us all together I guess.

     It was my deal. I shuffled real good like I always do and was goin' to deal the cards when one of the shop keepers sittin' at a table across from us came over and asked if he could join in. We said sure, fine, come ahead, pull up a chair. But then he said he didn't have no money but he was rattlin' somethin' around in his hand. "Well then what you goin' to play with?" we all asked him and he plunked a hand full of bullets down on the table. Six of them to be exact.

     Now, we all had bullets 'cause we all had guns of course. It wasn't like bullets was somethin' special or nothin' like that. So we told him they wasn't worth much and he said, "Oh yes they is! These here are special bullets."

     "Well now," I said lookin at them a little closer, "what's so special about them six shiny bullets mister?"

     "They's magic Mr. Shark!"

     "What? How'd you know my name?" I asked him.

     He said, "Cause I seen ya up in Southland, that's how. Seen 'em run you out of town too! Took all their money you did!"

     And with that little bit of enlightenment, the other three gentlemen gathered up their money and left the table, scowling at me real unfriendly like.

     "Now look at what you done!" I said. "You run off my competition! Took me all damn day to get them there boys interested in a little friendly game of poker!"

     "That's ok, that's ok, I'll still play!" said the fat little man as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Then he slid the six magic bullets over to me and asked, "How much you give me for 'em?"

     They sure did sparkle and shine, even in the dim light of the saloon. I picked one up and looked at it. It was cold to the touch, colder than it had any right to be sittin' there on the table in the evening heat.

     "Where'd ya get these?" I asked the shop keeper.

     "A man came through town a week ago needin' some supplies, didn't have no coin and I don't allow credit you know, least not to strangers. Gave me them for what he got, which wasn't much."

     "I ain't never heard of nothin' like no magic bullets. What good are they, they won't fit in my guns." I pushed them back over to the man and took a pull from my beer.

     He slid them right back over to me and said, "They'll fit any gun!"

     I looked down at 'em again and then looked up at the man real mean like. "What, you think I don't know what kind of bullet will fit in my own guns?"

     "The man said so! I mean, the man I got em from said they would fit any gun, I swear he did!"

     I picked up one of the bullets and held it between my thumb and finger in front of the shop keepers face, real close so he had to look cross-eyed to focus on it. "That look like a Colt forty-five slug to you mister?"

     He didn't say nothin', so I put the slug back in the pile and slid them back. Before they could even stop rolling around on the table the damn guy scooped them up and dropped them right back down in front of me again!

     Mr. Shop keeper was making a nuisance out of himself. He was looking around real nervous and a little sweat broke out on his upper lip.

     "Look Mr. Shark, I don't want the damn things. That man was, well, that man was real strange like. He made me wonder if maybe the devil or somethin' wasn't ridin' with him. If them is real magic bullets, they're worth a lot more than what he took in trade. Why would someone do that? And he said something else too."

     That's right about when we heard it the first time. A dog or something let out a howl like nothin' I had ever heard. Kind of like a howling snarl, or a growling howl, I don't know how to explain it. A snarowling maybe. Kinda' between the two.

     Both of us had swung our heads around and looked out the swinging saloon doors, but the shop keeper snapped his head right back, quick like.

     "The man said something else is what I was tryin' to tell ya!" He said urgent like. "He said we'd be a needin' these here magic bullets! Said we'd be a needin' 'em a week from sundown!"

     I got two guns and I had my right one, the one I'm good with, drawn out fast and pointed true! I had enough of the little fat man and although I wouldn't have shot him, I wanted to scare him quiet. And he was for a short spell. He held his fat, sweaty palms up flat like he could stop a bullet with 'em, got up and backed away.

     As he backed away he got his nerve back up and said, "Keep 'em, I don't want 'em, don't even have a gun. Remember what I said!" And he was backing away all the while he spoke, towards the saloon doors. "The man said we would be a needin' em a week from sundown, and that would be right now! It's been just a week come tonight!"

     Everyone in the saloon was watchin' him now, cause he kinda raised his voice a little bit at the end there. So while he had everyone's attention, backing towards the door and all, he didn't see what we saw. He didn't see the thing that came through the swinging doors, not that it would have mattered.

     It was over for the shop keeper real quick. The thing spun him around by the shoulder, raked his claws down across his belly and his guts came pouring out and splattered all over the floor at his feet. Before his knees could even buckle, the thing took another swipe with it's other clawed arm and his head came loose and flopped back over his shoulder only hanging on by the barest thin strip of flesh. With his head hanging upside down on his back and his dead staring eyes looking accusingly at us, he started to collapsed.

     He never hit the floor though, the beast wrapped a massive arm around him and roughly carried him back outside. Everyone in the place was stunned senseless. No one moved as they watched the swinging saloon doors slowly stop swinging. Then all at once, all hell broke loose. Everyone started yellin' and ran back away from the front doors and gathered around the back tables where I just happened to be sitting.

     I just sat there, stupid like, everyone else was raising a racket that would wake the dead. "What the hell was that... looked like a bear to me... that wasn't no damn bear... It was a wolf thing... that wasn't no damn wolf... poor old Thomas, that's his guts laying up there you know... what's it going to do with him... we have to get out of here.... we got to go kill the bastard... I ain't goin' out there... chicken shit... chicken shit hell, old Thomas just got gutted quicker than I could slice an apple in two with a brand new buck knife..."

     Several of the locals had their guns out and was waving them around. Two of them got brave. They crept up towards the front and looked out into the street. "It's eatin' him right out in the street! The damn thing is eatin' Thomas!"

     While they was trying to decide what to do, I looked back down at the silver bullets Thomas had given me. Might need a little magic here tonight I thought. What the hell. I put my right gun back in it's holster and took out the one I had on my left hip. I can't shoot left handed, I just always felt better carrin' two guns is all.

     I knew the bullets wouldn't fit, I could tell just lookin' at 'em. But I emptied the cylinder anyway dumpin' my bullets on the table. I picked up one of the magic bullets and started to put it in my Colt, and I'll be damned if it didn't change shape just as I thought it was jammed up and wouldn't fit. It dropped in all by it's self, almost like it crawled in.

     While I stared in amazement at the silvery magic bullet sitting snugly in the cylinder, the two men lookin' out the front made their move. They rushed outside and started shooting at the creature that had killed Thomas the shop keeper. An unholy howling noise arose from above the sound of the gunfire followed by some real savage growling and then a man was screamin'. One of 'em immediately came running for his life back into the saloon. In a blurring motion almost to quick to follow, the beast was through the door and on him. The man had made it halfway to the back of the saloon before the thing grabbed him by the head with one huge clawed hand and gave it a squeeze, crushin' it like a rotten apple under a worn boot.

     A man standin' next to me rushed forward to help his friend, shootin' his gun as he went. The bullets didn't seem to hurt the creature much, but it sure got it's attention. It let go of the dead mans head and snatched the second man with both it's hands and snapped his back like a twig, killing him too. Then it tossed him at us. The dead man flew through the air and landed in the middle of my damn table, knocking my gun with the lone silver bullet in it out of my hand to the floor. The rest of the silver bullets and the ones I had emptied out of the chamber flew every where.

     While all this was goin' on, another one of them damn things come crashin' through the saloon doors. Now there was two of them! Everyone with guns opened up then. Damnedest shootout I ever seen! Gun smoke so thick it brought tears to your eyes! I pulled my own iron too but some damn fool ran into me just then and knocked it out of my hand. It landed on the floor next to my other gun and they both went spinnin' outa sight.

     Well the creatures was goin' crazy about then, grabbin' folks and just tearin' them apart like they was cooked chicken. You know how easy cooked chicken comes apart don't ya? Well that's what I'm a tellin' ya! Me, I'm down on the floor lookin' for my weapons, crawlin' all over 'cause they kept gettin' kicked around, people fallin' like split firewood all over the place. I did find some of the loose bullets though and I stuffed 'em in my pocket.

     One guy looked down at me crawlin' on the floor and said, "Get up ya damn coward!"

     "I ain't no damn coward!" I yelled. "I'm lookin' for my guns!" Then I finally spotted one. I dove for it and came up off the floor spittin' lead. I emptied the Colt right into one of them damn things and it hardly even phased 'em. I was empty and had to reload.

     I fumbled with the spare bullets in my gun belt but I was havin' trouble gettin' 'em out. Then I remembered the one's I put in my pocket. Two of them was the silver lookin' magic bullets, but I loaded them up anyway. One of them things was comin' at me and I didn't have no choice.

     I took real careful aim and shot it in the head. It kept a comin'. I backed up a little and did it again, got him right in the head, I know I did! It still kept a comin'. I was up against the wall now. There wern't goin' to be no more backin' up. I reckon I thought I was goin' to die right about then. But I had time for one more shot, so I took it.

     Well, I'll tell ya, I ain't never had no Colt forty-five buck in my hand like mine did just then. It about broke my wrist! BOOM! And this time, when the bullet tore into that monster thing, it blew a big old hole the size of my fist right clean through it's gut!

     The thing was knocked right into the air and landed ten feet away, squirmin' and a blattin' like a shot cow. There was still one of them things left standin' and it watched the one I shot layin' there, floppin' around and such. And then this smoke like stuff started commin' out of the hole I blowed into it. It come a pourin' out and then it drifted over to the saloon doors and got sucked right outside.

     Now I would have to say, if I had seen my friend just die like that I would be pretty upset too. So I guess I can't blame the creature that was left for comin' at me like it did. Thing was, I was to busy watchin' his buddy die so I wasn't ready for it. By the time I seen him a commin' I could only get off one quick shot. It musta' been the other magic bullet I had loaded up. BOOM! I thought the explosion from my Colt blew the barrel clean apart! But it didn't. What it did do is blow the things clawed hand right off. Good thing too, because that's the arm it was swungin' at me. With nothin' but a stump of an arm to hit me with, it was only like gettin' thrown off a horse. A big horse!

     Well, if I had wings, I would have kept right on a goin'! But I didn't. So after I flew across the room and hit the wall, I fell to the floor. I lost my gun somewhere when the thing hit me, but I must still be carrin' a little bit of that luck from Southland 'cause I landed almost on top of my other gun, right there next to my left hand. I tried to get it with my right hand but I couldn't move it. I think I broke my shoulder when I hit the wall. Or maybe it was the creature who done it when he swatted me, I don't know.

     I guess I was kind of dazed. All I could think about was how bad a shot I was with my left hand. I didn't think about it for long though. The creature was commin' to finish me off. I picked up the Colt. It felt stupid in my hand, like it didn't know what to do. I was in a lot of pain, but I lifted the gun and aimed it as steady as I could. I pulled the trigger. Click!

     Damn! This was the one I had emptied! I let my arm fall to my lap. I was a goner. The thing was comin' for me, kickin' tables out of it's way, swattin' at the few people that still was on their feet. I looked at the empty Colt,... and real sudden like, the thing turned cold in my hand. Cold, just like those magic bullets did! Then it came back to me. There was one of them magic bullets in the gun. I had put it in the Colt just before the table got tipped over!

     I lifted it up again and pulled the trigger. Click! I could barely hold it up I was hurtin' so bad, and I damn sure couldn't hold it steady. But I aimed again and fired just the same. Click!

     "Come on!" I hollered. I had to let the gun down again for a second, I just couldn't keep it held up, I didn't have the strength! I gathered my wits and flung my hand up once more. I pulled the trigger, three times. Click! Click! Click!

     I couldn't do it! I was finished. And either the magic bullet was a dud, or it was the last one in the chamber and lined up right now for a shot. But I didn't have the strength to lift the heavy Colt up again. It laid in my lap, useless. The creature was right in front of me now. I was going to die.

     The beast stopped at my feet. It reared up to let me have it. It was going to strip my belly open just like fat old Thomas, I knew it was. Well, I couldn't lift my Colt, but I had one last chance. Maybe if I just winged it...

     I pointed the hunk of iron as best I could. It kinda laid in my lap and was aimed between my feet right at the creatures leg. The creatures arm came swingin' down... I pulled the trigger...

     BABOOM!

     The deadly Colt jumped in my hand and spit that lone magic bullet straight and true! The Creatures leg disappeared. I mean it simply blew into so many tiny pieces that it just went away, right before my eyes. The thing started hopin' around on one leg, holdin' the injured one up off the floor just like a barefoot boy what stepped on a bee! And then it happened just like it did with the last one. Gouts of smoke like stuff came pourin' out his stump of a leg. He toppled over like a dead tree in a wind storm. The smoke emptied out of the things leg and drifted out the door.

     'Cept I realized later that it wasn't smoke, it was the fog. Some how the fog got into them people. Wait! I didn't tell you about that yet did I?

     Well, after the second one went dead on the floor, what people that was left came crawling out of their hidey holes. Six of us in all that was left. We was standin' there, looking at the creatures, tryin' to figure out just what the heck they was, and they started changin'. They turned right into people, right there in front of us!

     "Damn stranger!" said one of them. "You done shot old man Jason! That's him layin' dead there!"

     "What? No I didn't! I shot some damn rabid animal is what I shot!" I answered back.

     "And his wife!" someone else shouted, pointin' at the other dead thing that had changed back into an old woman.

     Turns out, anybody who was outside when the fog rolled in to "The Ditch" that night changed into one of them things. There was two or three others we found out later, it's hard to tell. At least we think there was. There was twelve more town folk who was killed that night, not countin' the six or eight in the saloon. And two came up missin'...

     The town Doc fixed me up. The next day, I was recuperatin' in the hotel room I had rented when the Doc came in. He brought me my guns.

     "You can wait a couple of days till you get your strength back of course," he said.

     I said, "What do you mean Doc?"

     "What I mean is, the town folks said they would be just as happy if you moved along just a quick as you could. They just don't feel right with the man who killed old man Jason and his wife sittin' up here in the hotel like nothin' ever happened."

     "But they was monster things when I shot 'em!" I yelled.

     "I know they was stranger! I know it same as I know they was friends of mine. I don't know what happened. No one does. But you gotta leave soon as ya can. I brought you your Colts. Found some funny silver bullets on the floor of the saloon too. We put 'em in this here gun," he said, and he handed me one of them.

     I opened the cylinder and there were three of them left, three magic, silver bullets.

     A couple of days later, I was fixin' to leave. It was kinda hard strapin' on my guns with one arm all gimpy like, but I managed. I put the colt with the three silver bullets in my right holster. My right arm would be useless for a spell. The silver bullets were special. I wanted to make sure I didn't waste them so I made that gun hard to reach.

     I wanted to make sure if I ran into another foggy night some time later on, that I had a little magic left. Even so, I know the next time it goes all foggy like it did that night in Prairie Ditch, I'm gonna lock myself in some nice small, tight little room with no damn window. And I won't be comin' out till sunrise...