He Goes On All Fours - A Western Monster Romance

The Truth is Revealed

He lived in a small town not too far from here called Esperanza. There's nothing left there now, but it used to house around 100 souls. Antonio had a wife, Anna, and a small boy, Esteban. They didn't have a lot of money, but they were happy with what they did own. My great grandfather worked a quiet job in a local shop, and his wife stayed at home to take care of their son. They could have continued living a peaceful, quiet life...but then he comes round. A mysterious gringo with nothing but a map in his hands. He goes from door to door, asking for help and talking about how whoever helps him would be compensated. All he needed was a hand or two and some tools, so he says. Nobody wanted to help the man, after all strangers don't come around often. There was something strange about the whole thing, but Antonio didn't see it. This man now comes to his door, sweaty and begging for some assistance. Saying things like 'you're my last hope', and so on. Antonio offers him some water, gives him some food from his own shop...and asks what he needs. The stranger says he has reason to believe there's a fortune in the nearby mountains. He says he can't go on his own. Needs someone to help him with some tools, and in return he will share the fortune. Antonio doesn't know how to take it at first, but he begins to think about his family and how they can profit from whatever is up there, if it is true. He thinks to himself 'it doesn't hurt to check, does it'. And so they two men shake hands, take some horses and equipment, and ride off to the mountains. Anna starts to notice her husband's withdrawal the next few days. He comes home late, very tired and dirty as if he's been running around in the desert. Whenever she asked what he doing,  he would always say "Just wait, cariño. I have a surprise for you..."

Jesús stopped for a moment, bringing himself back to reality as he looked down at the carpet beneath his dirty boots. He stared at the design on it for a moment, mulling over what to say next as he slowly raised his head. The outlaw stared right past the two quiet souls in front of him, at a painting of an older gentleman with a serious look plastered on his visage. He could feel the resentment building up inside, but made sure to keep his emotions under control before continuing.

"Then he stopped coming home. People in town noticed when Antonio's shop wasn't open that something was wrong. They all start to search for him, but find nothing. It isn't until a few days later when the sun is hot that someone notices birds flying over something in the distance." Jesús rubbed his rough palm with his thumb, shaking his head as he let out a short laugh.

"And what do you know. The son of a bitch Antonio was dead and half eaten. A hole to his head was all anyone needed to know that he was murdered. No one ever did see that strange white man who had stumbled into Esperanza again...but another town not too far from there began to thrive soon after. A town that was said to have been founded by a white man who got lucky in the mountains."

Colt felt a trickle of sweat begin to slide down his forehead, but he made no attempts to wipe it. He swallowed hesitantly, unsure of what to say as his grip tightened on the arms of his chair. Jesús didn't care for the silence, after all his story was far from over. What followed after was sure to bring some sort of reaction from the other.

"Anna knows the stranger who came into town is to blame for her husband's death, and she makes sure her son knows it, too. He grows up with hate in his heart...and the anger passes on from generation to generation. My father always cursed the man who founded Graveflat. He would spend endless nights drinking and smoking just to forget the fact that he can't do anything about it- until one day he decides he'll take matters into his own hands. I remember my brother and I were sitting outside when my father came to us one day and said he loved us very much...he said he was going to make the men pay for what they did to his grandfather. And that we wouldn't have to live in poverty anymore." Jesús felt his voice crack as he stopped to regain his composure. He could see it before him again- his father's bullet ridden body trailing behind his own horse as it dragged him into town just a few days after.

"That hijo de puta got killed. I vowed from there on to do whatever I could to avenge my family. I sent letters to the new man in Graveflat. Threats if he didn't do as I wished. Instead, I was met with silence and a band of masked men who attempted to kill me and my family." Jesús touched the side of his face where a knife had been plunged in deep. At times, he could still experience the pain he felt when he first got it.

"Esperanza was no longer safe. My brother and I decided it best to go on the run and wait. And so we did. We robbed, we killed, and we began to grow...and then he came along. Like a predator sniffing the blood of a wounded prey."

Ezekiel perked to attention, and he almost began to smile at the mention of him.

"I was in another town at the time with my boys. We were prepared to rob the local bank the next day, but things changed when Ezekiel confronted me. He said he could sense my misery and told me about what he could do- for a price."

The two men simultaneous relived the moment in their head. The creature was still wearing the same human skin it had on now, but it was much more different and livelier back then. It had come to him one late night in a saloon, brandishing a cocky grin and harnessing a rather deadly pair of pistols.

Colt's eyes floated over to the creature beside him, and though the other stared back with some affection, the younger man's face was expressionless.

"There are stories of beings who wear the skin of animals and humans. They go around pretending to be something they're not and target those who are angry. My father once told me about them...he said they make deals with humans in exchange for souls. Well, that was what I promised Ezekiel. I promised him a whole town full of souls if he would grant my wish."

Colt felt his breathe suddenly stop as he shot up. The chair he was on nearly fell back until Ezekiel managed to grab a hold of it.

"What right have you to come in here and claim what isn't yours? Now, I am sorry your family had been troubled but what makes you think my own family has something to do with it? This is all just speculation! And to make a deal t-to take souls in a town that isn't yours?!"

"But it is." It was now Jesús's turn to spring to attention, and he approached the pale and somewhat panicked man with an air of authority. The Mexican did not break eye contact as he spoke his truth.

"This town is yours just as it is mine. Your great grandfather and mine worked together to bring it to life and it will-."

Colt cut him off mid sentence with an exasperated groan of anger. He barged out of the room and didn't bother to look back even when Ezekiel was calling for him. Jesús rested a rough hand on the weapon resting by his hip, spitting on the floor as he focused on the monster in front of him.

"Should I go or you."

Ezekiel didn't stay for another second and immediately went after Colt. He hoped things would calm down between the two, but it wasn't looking too well at the moment.