Enyeto's Chronicle Session Seven

I can barely see through the rain, this constant downpour has made tracking our companions extremely difficult. The Lunger is doing a little better, some rest after the last attack seemed to be what he needed. At least instead of leaning over in his saddle looking like a corpse, he is sitting up in his saddle looking like a corpse. Running Bear caught up to us as we had started breaking down camp, that whore must have been something special, I’ve never seen a more cheerful Cherokee in my life.

Gunshots break us from our search for muddy tracks, someone is in trouble to the North, maybe our companions, maybe not. I have no time to come up with a plan, Running Bear is galloping towards the shots, followed closely by the gunfighter. I spur my horse to follow but I don’t get far. A wounded man stumbles from the undergrowth, no not wounded… Tex has started firing from his horse, these are not men. I dismount and grab my rifle, opening up on the deadman in front of me and taking his leg off at the knee… he is still coming and there are more, lots more. About the time I see Tex put one down permanently with a well placed headshot, the Pastor appears beside me and starts firing. I again take aim at another dead man, but this time I aim for his head, and if he had a face, it was now lost in the mud. 

It’s quiet other then my heart beating in my ringing ears. I hear shouting from the direction the Pastor came from. Sounds like Dalton and Joe, I start running towards them, almost mistakenly leveling my rifle at Running Bear, I’m choking down my fear but my actions aren’t hiding it as well. Bodies are everywhere, these boys have been in one hell of a fight, they all look exhausted, the energy in my body brings guilt to the surface, they could have used a hand sooner. My eyes fall to the Dandy Man and my heart sinks, why I don’t know, I barely know him, but I have shared bread with him. I’m starting to develop attachments to these men, I must keep that in check, for all our sakes. 

There is a cabin, not far from here, it is decided that we get there quick and see what we can do for Henry. We come upon a sad looking one room shack, there is a horse barn, so at least the beasts will be comfortable tonight. As everyone starts unloading gear and rubbing down horses, I move Henry to a small bed in the corner of the cabin. He is in really bad shape but I need to take care of our horses. Taking off the saddles of the horses in silence, not much small talk within the group right now, they all look like hell. The Dandy Mule is bad tempered, tried to bite me, but we have to get this gear off him. I approach the bad tempered Joe and con him into taking on the Mule.

The cabin is a bit more welcoming the second time in, someone has started some bacon and everyone is tending to their weapons. I see the Pastor at Henry’s bedside, he looks frustrated, his many prayers are going unanswered and I can tell we are losing Henry. I set my knife in the fire as I have done before and make my way to the bedside. I want to encourage the Pastor but I doubt he will listen to a “heathen”. He has fought all night and is exhausted, even the simplest of Prayers need a good deal of focus to them, and this is no simple task. Looking around the room, I see no way of doing this without an audience, but it has to be done. As I pray to the great Spirit to look down on me and find me worthy, through my sacrifice of pain. I take my knife and place the searing metal to my left cheek, right under my eye, to the cheek that is still swollen and bruised from the beating I took in the bar. Searing pain courses through my body and I feel power exiting my hands into Henry. 

My comrades are shocked, some like the Pastor, are looking at me like I am one of these walking dead men. Someone breaks the silence finally, discussing where we will rest and who will pull watch. The pain has given me new energy and I move to the porch for first watch, content with being alone away from the worried and condemning gazes. Dalton and Tex move to the horse barn and shut themselves inside. Rifle in hand I focus my senses into the darkness around me. As I get close to falling asleep on watch I feel a hand on my shoulder, it’s Running Bear, I didn’t even hear him approach, it’s time I hit the sack.

I wake to yelling, or I was dreaming of yelling and evil things, or I’m waking to evil things, I can’t tell for a few moments. Once I get my bearings I see the cabin is alive with movement. I look to Henry who praise be to the Creator, seems to be stable, I still question why I have grown so attached to him as I join the others at the windows. It’s pitch black, Running Bear sees things approaching from the woods. Without asking, I send power from myself and into my comrades, they can now see in the dark, well everyone but the Preacher, I don’t want to damn his soul to whatever hell he believes in. Dead men everywhere, an army of rotting, intestine dragging men have surrounded us. I hear Dalton and Tex open up into the masses and hear Dalton give a victory shout as he drops the closest creature. I’m grabbing a table and baring the door to the cabin, turning the table on its side I jam it into place against the door with my body. Father Matt and Joe take one front window, Running Bear the other, and the Dog is covering the back window. 

I barely brace myself against the door when the gunshots from inside the cabin start. Running Bear needs my shotgun more then I do, I shout to him and toss it over, I will retrieve it when I move to join him. Then I lock eyes at one of the beasts through the back window, my blood turns to ice, I have never been surrounded by such creatures and felt such raw evil like this, like a dead pool of water dragging me deeper to my doom. I’m frozen, full of more fear then I have ever been in. My ears are ringing, in a daze I look at the Pastor as he stabs through the window at one of the creatures and Joe opens up with his shotgun with a grin. The thought crosses my mind that I have no intention from leaving this door, they must not get in, I… We… must not become these beasts, Running Bear needs ammo. I slide my gun belt towards him, he sees the fear in my eyes, but he doesn’t hesitate to kill two more creatures… well… to kill them again. 

I hear Dalton open up with his shotgun and give out another shout, that’s when I see Henry. He is stumbling towards Dog and mumbling words I can’t hear over my ringing ears. He mindlessly shoots his pistol into the wall and grabs hold of Dog. As I lean against the barrier I aim my rifle at Henry, my prayers and sacrifice failed, he has turned. Dog wrestles him to the ground and I see that Henry is just delirious and fearing, but hasn’t lost his soul yet. I take aim at the dead faced man through the back window and prepare to give him some peace, that’s when I hear her voice. Everything stops, the creatures aren’t pushing against the barrier, in shame I realize they never did. I have cut down many men and been in many battles, but I have never felt this fear before. She speaks again and I’m full of dread, it’s the voice  of the beggar lady from town, the Witch. The Pastor rebukes her by yelling “God Save You” or some other holy roller saying, which snaps me out of my fearful thoughts. I shake my head at him, apparently we are both shit at dying, this land is Cursed!!!