Monsters, Kaijus And Cosmic Beings

Sundown (Part 1)



The setting sun was a bleeding wound on the horizon as the stranger, clad in worn leather and bearing the dust of the trail, rode into Tranquility. It was a town that had seen better days. The buildings were in disrepair, the townsfolk on edge and the saloon, typically a hub of life, was filled with a tense silence rather than raucous laughter.

Sheriff Linda Callahan was the first to lay eyes on the stranger. With the posture of a weathered statue, she watched his arrival from the edge of the veranda, the weight of recent events shadowing her hardened features. Her deep brown eyes narrowed, half in curiosity, half in suspicion.

The stranger dismounted his horse, a black creature as enigmatic as its master, and sauntered into the saloon. A hush fell over the crowd. His eyes scanned the room, landing on the Sheriff. There was a quiet intensity about him that was both thrilling and terrifying. His voice, when he finally spoke, was a low, grating rumble.

"I hear you folks have been having trouble."

The sheriff scoffed, "Ain't none of your business, stranger."

"Matter of fact, it is." The stranger paused, letting the tension marinate in the silence. "The business of blood, I reckon."

The room was as quiet as a crypt as his words hung in the air. The stranger tipped his hat at the Sheriff, then made his way upstairs to an unoccupied room, leaving the saloon in his icy wake.

Over the next few days, the bodies continued to pile up. Each corpse drained of blood, a pair of puncture wounds on the neck - the unmistakable mark of a vampire. Callahan couldn’t shake off her suspicion of the stranger. His too-knowing gaze, his cryptic words, the way he seemed unphased by the carnage around them.

One night, when the moon was concealed by ominous clouds, she found the stranger on the outskirts of town, digging through the dirt. "Ain't no gold around here," she remarked, her hand instinctively resting on the handle of her revolver.

"Not lookin’ for gold, Sheriff," he replied without turning, his hands unearthing a wooden box. "There's a parasite among you, feeding off your kin."

“You mean a vampire,” she spat the word out, disbelief lining her tone.

“Indeed. And I intend to rid you of it."

A gust of wind howled, carrying whispers of dread as the stranger revealed the contents of the box - a silver knife, a wooden stake, a vial of holy water, and a crucifix. He turned to the Sheriff, his face half cloaked by shadow.

"One of your own is a monster, Sheriff, or is harbouring one. And you and I are going to find them."

The stranger's words hung in the air, cold as the desert night. The coyotes cried out, a mournful chorus echoing in the distance. The town of Tranquility was anything but tranquil, and Sheriff Callahan felt a chill that had nothing to do with the wind.

Little did she know, the real horror was yet to unfold. As the clock tower chimed midnight, the sinister tale of the vampire of Tranquility was only just beginning.

****



The following week was a flurry of activity. The stranger, who had taken to being called Drake, worked alongside Sheriff Callahan, earning a grudging respect from the town and the Sheriff herself. A band of outlaws, the Dalton Gang, had decided to take advantage of Tranquility's weakened state. The unexpected resilience from Drake and Callahan, however, had them scampering out of town with their tails between their legs.

Yet, the more Sheriff Callahan observed Drake, the more her suspicions began to take form. His uncanny strength and heightened senses didn't escape her vigilant gaze. One particular encounter still played vividly in her mind.