2. The Bank Job

Dandridge

You spent a few days in Barlow Station, helping the town recover from the attack of vampires. Fortunately, the dead were few, although some of them rose later that night. One of those who rose was the Marshal Delilah Dillon! Fortunately, you arrived just in time to send her to hell!

The posse rides into the town of Dandridge late one night after a long night on the trail. The lights of the town mean a soft bed, warm meal, and shot of whiskey after a few days of sleeping on the dirt next to a campfire. The town seems quiet and peaceful when they arrive. You can hear that a train idles at the train station.What do you do?

Ruby is dusty and saddle sore upon arrival, not to mention thirsty and cranky. The sound of a train at the station jangles her nerves as it reminds her of the undead train days ago. She still has nightmares about it.

Upon entering the city she slides off the back of Kane's horse with something approaching grace. At least the days on horseback have taught her something. She massages her legs and then unstraps her small steamer trunk from the horse. She pats it on the flank for a job well done.

"Right to the saloon. I need a drink, a warm meal, another drink, some good music, and yet another drink."

Dirt’s eyes linger on the train, even as he pats Blossom’s neck for a job well done. The nights since the rescue had been filled with visions of the law-woman, and her twisted snarl as she lunged at them in undeath.

"You a drinking man, Padre? Looks like we’re heading to drink our fill." he says, but he knows he won’t do it; at least not while the train idled and the mechanical noise travelled on the air.

"Aw that was cruel, having to dispatch Delilah, poor woman. She would have made a great law woman."

Finally arrived at a place to rest, Kane dismounts after Ruby, a little saddle sore himself.

"I hear that. I'll join ya once I get my horse to the stables. As he looks for the building, the sound of the idling train reaches his ears and it sends a ripple of fear through him. He wonders when he will stop thinking of that nasty business every time he hears a train.

Dirt sighs a sigh that says he agrees. He feels guilty then, as he realizes he can’t remember where she was fixing to be the Law at. Was it here at Dandridge or somewhere further down the track? He supposed it didn’t matter much any more, except for the fact that those folk might be waiting on word about Delilah for a while.

The Reverend James Turner has been quiet on this ride, this journey to yet another town. This one looks untouched so far by the undead, and the old preacher eyes the cooling engine on the tracks after peeling his surreptitious gaze away from Ruby Reyes' immoral treatment of her sinfully shapely thighs.

"I do not touch the drink of the devil, sir," he says to Briggs, failing to add, "anymore."

Still, he accompanies the others and tries to take stock of the town. The mood, the train that's put in, whether there is a general supply store that might sell dynamite...

"Well, I hope you don’t mind witnessing a little sin, Padre." Dirt goes on, sounding a little thin and tired. Surely the priest wouldn’t, or else he’d surely be out of a vocation.

"You never been out this way, Ms. Reyes? Figured you might have passed through places like this when it came to your trade."

The town is quiet, eerily so, save for a piano in the saloon.

The Copper Spur is Dandridge’s prime— and only—social gathering spots. It serves as the town’s saloon, boarding house, and simple restaurant. It’s the oldest and biggest building in town.

You've entered the town from the south near the stables and the saloon.

"Looks like a church there." Dirt notes, and then tries to recall what damn day it was. Might be that the town was so quiet on account of Sunday service!

Still, there was someone playing in the saloon, and so he heads up to the doors. He peeks a look in, with a hand on each of the doors, about to push in.

Kane takes the opportunity to grab a pinch from his pouch and load a cheek with it, turning away from Ruby who had taken such offence to his habit.

"I could eat a horse and drink a town right now." Turning to Dirt he says, "Could be, right enough. Feels mighty quiet. Could be a good thing, or a bad thing. I s'pose we'll find out soon enough."

Looking through the window of the saloon, Dirt sees that the player piano plays independently, through some wind up gearworks. The piano is splattered with blood.

The source of the blood might be on the floor. Lumps lie there, and as you get a better angle, you see there are bodies. Still, blood soaked bodies.

Turner knows that the preacher here is Amos Adams, a middle aged man who never managed to get the church construction completed.

Ruby looks through the window as well and her breath catches in her throat. "Not again," she whispers. "Did the bloodsuckers strike here first? But why not take them like they did last time? We have to check on them." Cautiously Ruby opens the saloon door and steps inside.

As Ruby is about to enter, Dirt sees movement. Of the bodies, five figures appear to feasting on the bodies.

"Stop!" Dirt calls out with an urgent whisper! "Something inside, and I think we know what!" he says, pulling his weapons free.

"How long do those wind ups play for?" he asks, trying to get a bead on how long ago this place might have been hit.

Kane is about to follow when Dirt shouts his warning. "Dang! Not again! How many of them inside Dirt? Anyone still alive? I can run around the back? If there is a back entrance or window."

Ruby freezes with her hand on the door, then slowly pulls her hand back. "Can't get no damn breaks around here!" she whispers angrily. "At least we have the element of surprise. I say we draw steel and just kick in the door, pieces blazing!"

"Might be best to burn the place down and gun down any that make it outside." Dirt adds with a grimace. But then they didn’t know, as Kane suggests, if there are survivors hiding somewhere.

"We hit em hard and we hit em fast last time, and that worked a treat! Same again!" he adds, with a resigned sigh!

"Yep I agree. You on board, Rev?"

Kane spits a gob of tobacco onto the ground and hefts his Big 50, ready to get down to some more vampire slayin'.

The Reverend hefts Delilah's shotgun and nods, grimly.

"Straight to hell, we blast these creatures. Back to the pits with them! To Satan's brimstone-filled bowels!"