[M] Western Wanderers: Town Under Siege

[V]

They hid behind a rise so that no one could see them approach, there wasn't much to the place. Long ago left alone in a wreck for the conditions to destroy. No more than ten buildings were built in the small town, the largest an unused tavern that had taken the most of the beatings over the years. The cowboy looked for signs of life or something to mark the building the men were using for their business. But from the distance Joe couldn't spot which one they had been using.

"Bastards have covered their tracks pretty well," he said, "can you see anything Jo?"

There was ample cover for them if they wanted to approach, rises and falls in the earth, a few fences and stone walls and a couple of tin sheds. All ready to be used. And the sun was still stuck behind the hills at the towns back so they were in the shadows.

"Reckon they'd be in the big building, myself," pointing to the Ghost Town Tavern. "Nice and big for storage. How about you?"

[Kris]

The place felt... strange... maybe it was because Jo find it hard to pick anything with her magical abilities. They stalked as best as they could. Hiding and looking up every once in a while.

It was then that Joe decided on approaching the said big building.

"I don't like this, Joe", Jo said. She closed her eyes and opened them too quickly, "I don't sense anything around here... I don't know... We need to handle it carefully".

She started to walk for the building slowly, "So what exactly are we looking for? The missing kids? The bad guys? Something else?... Can we even handle them on our own?!"

[V]

"Something to end this." He said ominously.

No one approached them, they didn't see anyway but Joe was still cautious as he walked. Silently he stepped up the three stairs to the main building careful to not make a sound. The doors pushed inward so he only rested his hand on the handle, steadily it swung inward. In the narrow gap he put one of his guns and pried the door open with it.

Joe watched the room from behind his weapon, ready to fire if needed. But it seemed free, there was a staircase but it seemed to be empty. Joe shrugged to her and took a step inside.

The floorboard squeaked as his foot hit it.

A piano began to play, a soft note at first before building into a sorrowful tune. Joe traced the noise to the back corner all in darkness. It was then he saw a figure movement slightly. The song played for several moments before a sharp note was struck.

The figure rose, a large coat covering most of it's body. "I told you to leave me alone." It's voice wasn't natural, it was full of malice from the coldest of days.

He began to walk over in slow deliberate steps. Joe recoiled as the man hit sunlight revealing a face without flesh, a face made of bones with eyes that moved and teeth that chattered. The skeleton man stopped, "you ain't one of mine... who are you?" Joe saw his hands moving quick to his side where an old rifle waited.

"Jo! He's a bloody walking dead man!" He cried and fired a single shot as he moved back through the entrance.

[Kris]

Looking at this rotting man made Jo realized two things; The medallion was nearby and that human was foolishly enough to get himself involved with it.

His appearance would explain the fact she couldn't sense anything around here and the fact everything was dead.

She felt no pity for the said man, in fact she was somewhat disgusted. Not because of the sickening look of this monstrous being, but rather because of the fact he probably sold his very soul to get himself more power. Humans with no magical potential shouldn't be handling the medallion on their own.

She tried to recall of the day she lost her necklace. She didn't saw the people clearly, but knew there were two of them that stole the jewel from her and none of them suffered the loss of flesh, which meant that the medallion was stolen by warlocks... Or maybe there was more to it....

When a human holds the medallion, nothing bad happens to him at first; in fact he gets more powerful and some even gain magical abilities or just natural talents, like music aptitude.

However, when the medallion is far from his reach, his human body cannot handle the loss of power, and the humanic normal, magicless vessel that he is, cannot handle the stream of powers without the mediator which is the jewel, or just any magical or powered up item to be used as a catalyst. The flesh and skin is degenerate and peeled off, bones break, teeth drop offs and the rest of the limbs turned to follow as long as time goes by without immediate magical treatment or the restore of the medallion.

Some said that even the very human's soul itself is lost forever, making this the ultimate tool of the devil. People of all ages and times tried to destroy said object that nobody knew of its origin or creator. All that tried suffered a terrible death, or just failed miserably, mainly because evil hearted ones always wanted to have their hands on said item.

It was then entrusted with Jo's clan: "The twin silver moons", where it was said to be protected by the most powerful of mages. Jo never realized why they choose her as an hire and not her older cousin for example, who was much more powerful and respected than her. As much as she hated to admit, among her clan she was considered a disgrace. Not only have her powers awaken late of age, but she had such a low control over them that she was placed with a seal, so she could never cry out for her most powerful spells. Considering her age and the basic skills she WAS allowed to use, she was pretty weak, compared to other witches and warlocks.

So why her father choose her?

She, who was nothing but a mistress child, not even a real noble. She who had always acted her way, so shamelessly and dishonoring. She caused her old man so much troubles, but he always took the blame upon himself and never pointed a finger at her. He was there, comforting and loving, even when everyone called her names and laughed at her.

She wanted to believe that he just wanted to test her with this task, despite others thinking it was just his nice way to get rid of her. Regardless, she couldn't have failed him. That is why she was so willing to go to the end of the earth to pursue said item, despite the hardship and the fact she knew very little of the outside world.

Upon asking for help, no one agreed to follow, no matter how much gold she promised. She found herself weeping outside when it was Joe that suggested his hand and a nice smelling handkerchief for her to whip off her tears. She smiled so widely, and from that day onward she swore never to cry in front of him, but rather act as proudly and as strongly as she could.

It was great traveling with him because... up until now... no one have treated her the same way he did. He didn't ask question about her past and just accepted her the way she was.

She straighten up her gaze, summoning flames to her hands as she turned to look again at this skeleton man. Despite his advanced disintegrating, he was still very dangerous.

"Be careful, Joe", Jo said with a low voice as she tried to hide her fears, "He's been infected with the medallion. He's not an easy foe. Be careful not to touch him too, or make any physical contact with him. I can't explain how, but to other humans, a touch with that thing can be contagious... You saw yourself... There is no one alive outside...".

She tried to pull Joe with her back into the doorway, "Bullets... don't work on him... In fact not even woods, iron or any other metal... Only holy water or.... Silver...". The best idea was to get away, but she knew Joey was too stubborn and might try to fight the thing off, just to protect anyone else who might be 'wise' enough to try the same and challenge the fiend.

But she knew there was no way for them to leave even if they could... They needed information, which, so it seemed, only this man could provide.

Without even understanding what she was doing, she subconsciously reached her hands into her pocket, feeling the silver idol of the wolf inside. Her eyes widen with a surprise as she recalled of the little object made of silver and an idea popped into her mind.

"Try to make him busy... to buy me some time... I've got an idea...", she smiled as she tried her best to whisper to Joe her plan, "We can't let him run freely like that. Other humans must never know of the secrets of the medallion. He might tell us more of the children or about the ones that took my pendent..."

Still holding the little idol in her hands she began to chant, hoping Joe will start to question the skeleton man, and just in case she started to ask him herself, "You! What happened to you?! Are you by any chance related to someone named "Jonathan Carswell"?! Do you know where the missing children are?! And most importantly, who let you to touch the medallion?!"

She fired her question, one after another, trying to buy time for her and Joe.

[V]

"Yeah, yeah, I can see that," he grunted looking at the useless hole his bullet made, if he just hit the right spot perhaps. Maybe if he took out the monster's eyes it wouldn't be able to see them. Joe aimed but he felt a strong tug and his shot went wild as the witch pulled him outside.

"Distracting is what I do best..." he muttered retreating from the building.

"You! What happened to you?!" The walking dead man ignored the question as he emerged from the tavern building his eyes were on the one that had shot at him. Slowly he reached for his weapon when Joanne's second question struck him, "Are you by any chance related to someone named "Jonathan Carswell"?!" He growled and turned toward her, he heard her chants below the questions now.

"They said 'Jonathan', the called me 'Jonathan, I am 'Jonathan," he said as if he didn't fully remember, "I am The Carswell!" He screamed at her rising his hand with the rifle.

"Dammit!" Growled Joe and he fired once more calling the beast back to him. The bullet hit below the right eye and ricochet off the bone. Carswell slowly turned back toward Joey - he could now see how far he was gone, no longer human was the truth of it. Jonathan's brain no longer worked properly and perhaps it was only out of sheer hate and spite that kept him on his feet.

"Do you know where the missing children are?!"

"They are gone.... only way to sustain.... sent men to get more days ago."

Bloody hell! The men in the town must have abandoned him, did that creep back in the warehouse beat Jo in their 'game'? Did he send us out here to die? Explains why they never decided to follow their own horses, and why his own didn't want to come back this way. Joe thought wildly as he took steps backward from the lumbering skeleton.

"And most importantly, who let you to touch the medallion?!"

"Those Monsters!" He growled, "promised power, promised wealth, promised respect. Gave me death!" Carswell could have said more beyond this point but Joey didn't hear over the rifle shot. The shot should have gone wide the way he was waving his gun about but it didn't. What followed was the shatter of glass.

Blood came quick and he fell to one knee. One revolver lost in the shrubbery with his hand covering the wound. It was coming out so quick and the pain was immense. Joe was sure he cried out but he couldn't think on anything. Suddenly something loomed above him and suddenly Joe could hear with great clarity. The soft dirt crumbling underneath feet made of bone, the soft hum of magic holding together a dead body, the roar as something lifted him from his crouch.

Joe cried out in pain as he was lifted off his feet, Jonathan Carswell was a huge man standing a full head above Joe. Dizzy he stared back into the skeleton's face. Beneath the man's hat he looked into dark eyes. There was a great deal of sadness in them as if the man knew what he was doing but couldn't stop his own actions. There was a strange sense of fury there too, and only now that his bony fingers ran down Joe's cheek could he fully reveal what happened.

"They brought with them secrets, one an impure man and the other a seductress woman," whispered Jonathan, "an enchanter who took control of my body and whispered the lies into my mind. For a single moment I held the Jewel in my hand before the two of them left. I ordered my men, to purchase a train ticket for each of them - at great expense for they wished to cross over the Wasteland."

"My men... I've killed them all..." He croaked. "Follow those two.... kill them.... for me..." His finger left Joe's cheek and the monster returned free of the humanity inside the cowboy.

Joe was suddenly aware once more of the blood gushing from his wound. A sharp fist smashed into his ribs and he felt something break within. He slumped forward without resistance, broken and beaten. Carswell looked down at him for a moment before throwing Joe away.

From the ground he looked up as the creature turned. Jo was still chanting, creating their silver bullet. But she wouldn't have time, he would get there before then. Dammit. He tried to rise but he didn't have the strength.

Dammit, going to let another person die.

Inside his shirt pocket he felt flames burst into life, burning through his shirt and scorching his chest. Half his shirt was gone in unnatural smoke before the picture frame fell free. Smashed glass filled the frame with each crack ran a thin line of his blood making a mosaic of the image beyond. Marigold and her family were on fire and their image was disappearing. Through the glassy eyes full of tears he watched as the frame melted when the picture was no more. The glass dissolved leading only a puddle of silver in the dirt.

Something urged him to reach out and touch it. Despite the pain he rolled over so his hand dipped into the substance. Nothing happened at first.

But then, all of a sudden, his chest felt at ease. His broken ribs healed and his organs healed.

-Wipe the ointment over your wound- Spoke a voice in his head, there was a compelling in the voice and he did as instructed. -That is the best I can do, your body should heal in time as long as your aren't pushed to that limit again.-

-He touched you, I have stopped the process for now but eventually it will start again. It will kill you in time. Stay with her, she may one day be able to completely fix you.-

-But you must stand now. Or she will die and the amulet will be lost-

The voice faded away and Joe opened his eyes, he didn't know how long they had been closed but it had felt like a long time. Jonathan was still walking toward Joanne.

Grunting, his body was as stiff as the time he fell from his horse and couldn't rise from his aching back. But this time, Joe had to get up. Dammit. He could only manage to one knee. "Hey!" He snarled lifting his fallen revolver from the dirt. He shot once.

It took a moment but Jonathan's hat fell from his head. And then the skeleton began to turn back toward him. Joe slowly pulled himself to his feet.

There was no way he could survive another attack, or another bullet. He just hoped Joanne would finish he spell in time.

Joe also hoped she'd pick up the gun this time because he couldn't fire accurately. One was in his hand, the other in-between Joanne and Jonathan.

[Kris]

Don't touch him!

She screamed.

At least she hoped she could scream that.

The moment the fiend touched Joe everything was lost. His fate was sealed, he was as good as dead.

The town's folks, the poor children... and now Joe...

She wanted to cry but she promised herself never to in front of him. She just continued to focus on her spell, feeling how the silver idol is reformed into something else.

She felt the present of Carswell as he approached her, but she remained unbothered. At lease she will die along with Joe... But she will take that THING to hell with her if she could.

The spell was done and she felt the weight of two silver bullets in her hands.

She opened her eyes to see the scenario in front of her. She couldn't spot Joe, but she felt a little change around her, magical type of change. Paying little attention to it, she looked around again and noticed Joe's gun not far from her. Quickly she dashed for the thing and picked it up, while quickly inserting one of the bullets inside.

"THIS IS FOR JOE, YOU BASTARD!", she aimed carefully and shot.

She missed.

Quickly she insert the next bullet into the hand gun, but the fiend just slammed at her, making her lose her grip over it and the gun was sent flying across the room, away from her, with the precious bullet inside.

She looked up with horror at the fiend. She won't be infected by his touch like Joe, but he was still powerful enough to kill her. Her eyes widen as she waited for her death, and hoped it will be a fast one without much of a pain.

[V]

"Come on!" He croaked, "No! Come for me!" His voice was weak and the dead man wasn't interested in him any longer. "Don't," he said as it descended toward Joanne. Slowly he took a step toward them, even though he knew he couldn't help.

Bang! The shot went off and for a moment he rejoiced but then Joe realised something was wrong because Jonathan was still moving toward Jo. He saw the fiend crash into her and the gun fling from her hands.

The gun landed no more than ten steps away.

Joanne was pushed to the side and the fiend was quickly followed ready to attack and brake her like it had done him.

"No, not again!" He screamed, more at himself than anything, something to push himself onward. Joe wouldn't be too late this time, he was not ready to lose another person he loved to a monster. This would not end the same way as the death of his child.

Suddenly he was running, though his legs couldn't cooperate properly and he was exhausted. And he had tears streaming down his face, his memories mixed with the present and he saw himself carrying her bloody, bruised body through the rain.

Joe fell beside his gun and lifted it up aiming for the dead man's head, "Hit dammit..." He sobbed. And he shot the second silver bullet.

[Kris]

Jo felt the grip of the fiend across her neck, her hands twisted as she tried to grasp for air.

Damn... damn it all...

Her vision was turning blurry. She knew that if Joe was dead that she wanted to go with him, but it was so painful to die.

And then, when everything seemed lost... another gunshot was heard.

Her eyes widen up. It could only mean one thing....

"You're alive!", she smiled widely as she spotted Joe on the ground, his wounds were healing too. She paid little attention to it at first, being more nervous about the monster that groaned and swirled, trembling as it tried to keep himself steady.

Slowly the silver'd effect took over and his entire body simply collapsed to the ground and crumble to ashes, his last words carried by the wind: "Tell Marigold... I'm sorry....".

It was over.

The first thing Jo did was to dash for Joe and crouched down beside him. Thinking that his wounds were too serious and she might hurt him if she hugged him, she just stayed a little away from him as she wiped away any treacherous tears that might slip on her face, "How?!", she sobbed, "How?!"

She felt his wounds recovering, but the infection was still there. It will burst out one of these days. She knew she needed to find someone to cure him before that.

"Here cowboy, use my hands", She helped him to get up and leaned his arm over her shoulders as she pulled him outside of the building.

"We need to tell Marigold the awful news about the children... and probably about the fate of her husband too.... I also suspect that the bad guys are no longer in town..."

[V]

"Thanks," he replied as she helped him up, they staggered to the door because his legs could barely hold him up. "I don't think we'll ever see Marigold, something tells me she's already moved on. Left like the bandits. She saved me twice over."

"We could probably just return to the town, gather our stuff and some supplies then leave." Joe no longer cared about this place, the damned area had already cost them so much already. He just wanted to leave.

"His bony hands had you by the neck," he whispered as they reached the doorstep. He couldn't go much further yet so he leaned up against the door frame. Joe could seen the red markings of a hand there, he looked at the markings now and more tears left his eyes. He turned away and rested his head on the door frame. The wood was a cold comfort, amongst the dead feeling inside.

Joe gave one sharp sob before looking at the ground.

Joanne helped him outside not long after that and set him down not to far from where their horses still stood. Somehow they hadn't run or broke free from terror and they also knew the danger had passed. His back was too post and his hand played in the dirt. Jo sat next to him.

"Do you think there would be any food about here?" He asked quietly, "don't think I could make the journey back otherwise."

He should feel ecstatic, overjoyed, happy that they survived - happy that she was alive. But he didn't feel at all. He felt hollow inside.

Joe felt dead.

[Kris]

"Just... just stay here...", Jo said and lifted up his hands with her own shaking hands. She kissed his hands and took one of his two pistols, opened one of his hands, and closed the thing with it, "You hold on to this... You better not be dead when I come back".

She took the other one just to make Joe eased about the fact that he was leaving her alone with the task of going back to town. Otherwise he probably wouldn't have allowed her to go back. But she promised herself not to use it, seeing enough death for one day.

***

She rode back to town, all the while she thought about all that Joe said and how he looked. She never knew how painful it was for him to experience this.

But...

Maybe it was not just the pain of death that the creature inflected on him. She heard those tales about people having flashbacks of events, seeing their life passing before their eyes before dying.

Maybe Joe experience this? Maybe he saw something that he never wished to see again in his life...

She reached for the streets and looked all around for Marigold, who, as Joe anticipated, wasn't at her house anymore. In fact, no one knew who this woman was.

She sighed. She hoped to at least have the lady's help since the two of them hadn't had much of coins to spend and she needed to save whatever that had on her.

"Hi, Ma'am", she heard a voice which was oh so familiar to her. Looking around she recognized the merchant that was robbed the day the two of them got into town.

"You are... Howard", Jo said slowly but before she could say anything else, the man just shoved a bag to her which was big but it looked like she could carry it on her small back.

"Take it!", He urged her.

She narrowed her eyes, her blue orbs lighting with a spark of suspicion in them.

"Don't worry, I don't plot anything. A woman came by earlier. She paid for that and said it was all over.... That the bad guys are gone... I... I also wish to apologize... about my behavior earlier... You two saved my life... I shouldn't have treat you like I did".

Jo nodded and twisted her mouth, "It's... all right old man... Thanks".

"Speaking of which, where is the young man-"

"He's around!", Jo said at once, not letting him having the slight chance to think that she was alone.

"Lucky bastard he is", he chuckled, "You take good care of him, aye?"

Jo nodded.

"Good, Good. That woman. Said her name was "Marigold". She said it will take you two days ride to next town if you still heading west. She said make sure to head out only once you are fully restored. Dangers await ahead".

Jo nodded again. She was about to leave when the old man uttered something slowly, more to himself than for her to hear, "You know... I have this feeling... that I should have known this woman... This... "Marigold"... I think... I should know her... or that I knew her for a long time... But... Something about me also tells me to forget..."

Jo smiled, "Then forget".

And with that she rode back for Joe.

***

It took her a while to get back and the first thing she did was to hand him the water bottle which was inside the bag. Looks like they were set for the next coming days. There was even some cloths inside too and even a soap.

"I want to ask... about what happened to you... But I get the feeling that now is not the time for any questions...", Jo said slowly as she tended his wounds, "But you will tell me, okay?", she asked but it was more as if she stated a fact.

"We will continue, okay? I got to find this medallion... And what's more... We need to find a necromancer to treat you. Miraculously you survived death, but the infection is still within you", she picked up his hands and kissed them, "Don't worry cowboy, I won't let you die so soon", she smiled.