When he turned around, it was Top Hat Man who held his neck. The man’s face changed, his eyes went red, and his jaw grew. Hollister watched as the fangs descended from his mouth. Without warning, Jonas was dropped to the ground as there was a loud explosion and the vampire went flying sideways. Chee had shot the man in the head with the Henry and he catapulted off the porch, landing in the street. Of course the bullet didn’t kill him, but he screamed in agony, clutching at his head as he rose to his feet, charging at Hollister.
Hollister drew his Colt and started shooting. Hitting a moving target in the heart is not easy. It requires some luck, but the fourth bullet took the creature in the right spot and he moaned in pain again as he staggered backward and collapsed in a heap of dust, the top hat rolling in the dirt.
Jonas staggered back into the office and slammed the door shut. “Jesus Christ!” he said, trying to calm his breath and keep his heart from slamming out of his chest. He reloaded the Colt, nearly dropping the bullets as his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
“Please, mister,” he heard a voice behind him, and turned to find Billy’s mother standing there, tears streaming down her face. “You got to help him.”
Hollister didn’t know what to do. His training and instinct told him he needed to go find the boy, but his encounter with Top Hat had left him shaken.
“What’s your name?” he asked her.
“Dowding. Joann Dowding. Please. You got to fetch my Billy,” she said.
“Why did he run away?”
“I don’t know… he…” she stammered, unable or unwilling to get the words out.
“Because he’s a damn retard,” Rebecca interrupted the woman.
“He is not… you leave my Billy be!” The woman started crying again and Hollister didn’t know what to do to make her stop.
“Your stupid retard is going to get us all killed,” Rebecca went on. She was still in her corner, leaning against it. Her eyes were wild and unfocused and Hollister was pretty sure she had lost whatever command of her faculties she might have once possessed. He had seen it happen to soldiers in combat many times. The tense, uncertain atmosphere drove them over the edge.
“If you go after that retard… we all…” She was cut off by the appearance of Sally, who stepped in front of her, pointing the big Colt at her head.
“Rebecca, you need to shut your hole. You call that boy a name again… you open your mouth at all and I’ll shoot you myself,” Sally said.
“You whore! Don’t you point a gun…” Rebecca stood up, and while Chee kept his post at the port in the window, Hollister moved to step in. Just as he was about to put himself between them the Colt went off with a loud bang, and the wall next to Rebecca’s head exploded, with wood chips flying everywhere. Rebecca and several of the others screamed. Then it was silent a moment as the smoke cleared. Rebecca stared at Sally and the barrel of the gun, which hadn’t moved, a stunned expression on her face. But the sheriff’s wife was finally quiet.
“I have had enough of you and your mouth,” Sally said. “You’re a bitch and a bully. We are through listening to you. This woman is worried for her child and you’ll not say another word about it. Is that clear?”
“You filthy whore…” Rebecca spat, the shock from the gunshot fading.
“That’s right, I’m a whore. I ain’t filthy, but I’m a whore. And I think you know your husband was my best customer. I expect every one of us that has been shut up in this jail with you for the last four days can see why. But I ain’t like you, so I been too polite to mention it. But you say another word about anything, and I’ll go upside your head with this Colt. Do you understand?”
Rebecca had nowhere to go. She was pinned into the corner by Sally. Looking in vain around the room, she tried to find an escape and saw none. Finally she turned and faced the wall, her shoulders slumped, sobbing. Sally lowered the weapon and returned to her spot on the floor, a couple of the younger children scrambling to sit next to her. Hollister decided he liked the fact they had Sally on their side.
He returned to Chee, still at the window, apparently not having noticed the entire episode. Or not caring. Hollister couldn’t decide.
“What are we going to do?” Chee asked.
“I’m going after the kid,” Hollister said.
“I’ll come with you.”
Hollister shook his head. “No. You’ve got to stay here and protect these people. If Billy hadn’t run off, I think we probably could have lasted here until sunrise. Either way, you should be able to hole up here. Once the sun comes up, you double-time it to the train.”
Hollister checked the loads in his pistol. Chee handed him one of his ammo belts.
“All forty-five caliber, so they’ll fit your gun. Those are the bullets loaded with silver and holy water. It will slow them down until you can finish them with wood,” Chee said.
“I can see you’ve given this a lot of thought,” Hollister said, wrapping the belt around his shoulder.
“Yes, sir,” Chee said.
“All right, you have your orders. Try to keep everyone alive. If I don’t come back, send a wire to Pinkerton and have him order the army back here.”
“Sir. You really should let me go with you, I…”
Hollister held up his hand.
“Don’t worry Sergeant,” he said. “I think I’ve got some help out there already.”
“You think she can be trusted?” Chee asked. He could not believe the major would be so willing to put his life in the hands of someone he didn’t know. Especially one who was… supernatural at the very least.
“She helped us with the Utes, she killed at least three of those critters, and maybe more by now. Something tells me she needs or wants something from us. I don’t know what it is, but if she wanted us dead she would have killed us in Torson City.”
Chee could not argue the point.
Hollister was ready to go, he pulled both of the Colts. He looked at the door a moment, then at Chee.
“One thing, Sergeant. When I come back, if I do come back, you use your coin. First thing. And if I don’t have my coin or if I don’t want to switch ’em with you… and I’m not… if I’m no longer me, you shoot me down. No hesitation. Do you understand?”
Chee was staring out the port, keeping his eyes on the street. Finally he glanced at the major.
“Yes, sir,” he said. “I understand.”
And with that, Hollister disappeared into the night.