GuNNhead

“You’re not going anywhere ‘Red’ Reed Thomson.” She draws another gun.
“M’am, you’re mistaken in my identity, and you’re doubly mistaken if you think it’s proper to pull a man’s own gun on him.” He puts his hands in the air. “But I don’t mean any harm, but I suggest you give it back. Season?” He looks over to her.
“He’s not lyin, Mags.”
“Yeah, and how would you know.”
“Because, when I was a young girl, he saved me. I knew I’d never forget his face, and especially not that gun of his you’re holding.”
“…Fine. It’s too gaudy for me anyway.” She holds the gun out to him.
“Thank’ya kindly.” As soon as he grabs it, he spins it around to hold it properly, turns, and fires into the darkness of the church doorway. With a fresh bullet hole between her eyes, the lipless and bloody Mrs. Astaire falls onto her husband and the sheriff. Kurt hands Maggie the sheriff’s gun.
“Find someone who can use this.” He walks through a space formed in the crowd, down mainstreet, and towards the gunsmith’s.

A few follow him, mostly of the older crowd. As Season catches up with him, more begin to follow them. The group of people start walking the few houses towards the gunsmiths, when it explodes.

The flames light enough of the surrounding area to see hundreds of the undead walking towards the small town. Kurt simply stands there for a few seconds in disbelief, processing. For the entire crowd, panic begins to set in. Kurt runs into the sheriff’s beside the gunsmith’s, and picks his holster up off the floor. Most scatter into their houses for their guns and safety with their loved ones. Others follow Kurt and Season into the late sheriff’s office. Maggie is one of them, with her saloon being the closest to the approaching hoard of the undead.

Inside, emotions rise again from those inside.
“Why is this happening?” Random townsfolk are confused.
“I don’t know, dammit!” Kurt’s still trying to think, and put his holster on.
“You have to know something! How did you solve this in your town?” Maggie still has questions, while Season calms down those in the back, also trying to think of a plan.
“They were drawn to my gunfire, but I never let em get too close. They’re here because of the fireworks, draws em in like bugs.”
“What are you– you damn old fool, it was your gun. The handle, it’s made of a rare red gem that wards off evil, or invites it in. It’s worth a fortune, at least six times your wanted poster.”
“Bah, Native legends say these rocks protect the ones who possess it, that’s all, some horsecrap like that. My father was a miner, he died in a cave-in when I was young; left me this gun. He made this here red stone into the handle of his favorite one.”
“Don’t you know anything more about the stone?”
“A private investor hired the mining company my dad worked for, they wanted the stones. But after only a couple of months there was nothing more being found. But the investor still paid, with full directional instructions, and so they kept digging. One day, they dug too far down.”
“Stop this, this isn’t getting us anywhere, if he knew anything, he’d have told us. We need to think of a plan.”
“No, no, it’s him, it’s not those damn fireworks, they’re following him!” A few in the crowd have formed some opinions.
“That doesn’t make sense, I’ve had this gun my entire damn life, this just started happening the past few days you damn morons. Everybody shut up and stop talking to me, I need to think. Shit!” He punches the wall. He pauses, and punches it again. He starts feeling the wall, and eventually finds what he’s looking for, sliding a panel open to reveal a huge cache of weapons.
“That sheriff was one crazy bastard.” He smiles.

Kurt walks in closer to the late sheriff and gunsmith.
“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there cowboy, where do you think you’re going?” Maggie holds her gun on him. He smiles, but more gunfire comes from Season. The ladies work in tandem, and the deceased boy’s parents, now members of the undead, fall to the ground on the path from the graveyard. When they turn back to Kurt, he has the Sheriff’s gun drawn, and the key to the gunsmiths.
“Now let’s talk about this like civilized adults.”
“Who the fuck are you and what’s going on?” A voice shouts from the assembled onlookers.
“I’m Kurtis Kelvin. Your town is about to be under attack, and I don’t know why or much else than that. If you have a gun and know how to use it, shoot them in the head. We’re going to the gunsmith’s so we have a fighting chance.”

Inside the gunsmith’s, Eric is hiding. But he’s been hearing someone else already inside the house. Trying his best to be brave, he gets out of the cupboard, and picks up a gun from the workbench. He lights a lantern and inspects the gun, making sure it’s loaded. Holding both, he makes his way around the house. From the workshop’s door, there are the stairs in front of him. He hears a commotion outside, and decides to check upstairs first. Three other rooms are on this floor, the storage room is the only door on his left, across from that is the powder room, and beside that is the bedroom. All of the doors are slightly open. Being a little creeped out by the bedroom, he checks the storage room first, even though it is a little further down the hall. He opens the door, holding the lantern ahead of him with his left hand; keeping his gun is in his other hand at the ready. He then slowly enters the room, and checks behind the door to make complete sure. He goes to check the powder room, and enters and leaves using the same process, leaving both doors wide open. Just the bedroom left. He takes a deep breath, and begins to open the door. Halfway through, he sees what was making the noise. There is a person leaning over the bed. He lifts the lantern higher, and they turn around.

“M-ma Perkins?” He lowers his gun slightly. “I thought you just came to lock up? Did you need– oh, that’s some pretty bloodied gauze on your hand there, do you–”

A gunshot goes off in the distance, and she lunges at him. Startled, he tries to step back, but stumbles on a loose floorboard. Hitting the ground, his gun slams out of his hand, he hits his head on the floor, and the lantern smashes at the foot of a door. The lantern’s trajectory has unleashed its flames inside the gun powder room. Eric does not get up, he has been knocked unconscious. In seconds Ma Perkins is at his throat, biting it open with her teeth, and feasting on his flesh.

“Alright, then so be it, I solved this once. Let’s get in there, and get me a gun so I can get my own back… Hold on. I see something.” He creeps away down along the backs of buildings. On his way, he picks up a shovel, bringing it around up off the ground into a swinging position. He takes his one swing against this darkened figure in the night, walking along a path. Spinal disembowelment from behind with a shovel. With his swing of the shovel, he hits the zombie from behind, cutting through the spine, exploding its intestines onto the ground, eviscerating it. When it drops to the ground, he uses the shovel to remove its head.

Season comes running up behind him.
“What the shit — oh shit it’s old Gus!” But another person has seen this act as well:
“Stop right there.” It’s Maggie, her own gun drawn, and pointing at Kurt.
“Hold on, Mags,” shouts Season. She draws her gun as well.
“He just needs to get back in his cell and wait for morning.”
“He ain’t what you think he is, I know it.”
“Oh, I know what he is–”
“All y’all freeze, now!” The sheriff emerges from the celebration after the fireworks; a third gun drawn.
“Unless y’all folks count this shovel, I’m unarmed here.”
“The man has a point, Maggie, just put the gun down and we’ll get this sorted.”
“Alright, I’m a patient girl, I can wait. He is going back in jail, righ–” A gunshot. Nobody else fires. Season’s gun smokes. A small boy, now headless drops dead behind Kurt. A stunned silence.
“Well?” Season speaks up. Some of the townfolk are drawn to the situation’s gunfire.
“Alright. Dammit. Alright. I was just plannin on doin this myself, but it appears my hand has been forced by circumstance. I dunno where the apprentice is, but if Old Gus and that kid came back from the dead like I just saw they did, we’re gonna have to take some precautions. I already told Eric I need a favor of him, but I don’t think we have time to be searchin for the boy. He went by the graveyard not long ago. The Gunsmith is right in here.” He walks up the stairs to the church, and addresses the small group of people now gathered. Guns have been holstered.
“People, it seems we have here a big problem that I don’t know quite how to describe, delicately or otherwise, but we have a situation that requires a select few of us to bear arms in mass amounts, this here little town is in for something serious. I’m gonna get the preacher and the gunsmith, then we’ll get the mayor to officialize this.” He opens the door, and has his neck bitten open by father Astaire. As it is feasting, the young Miss Vicky bursts from the background of the crowd to the sheriff’s side. Kurt rushes to stop her, but Mr. Broming tumbles from the doorway, grabbing her and biting her flesh as well. Season fires a shot, taking out the Gunsmith.
“I never liked you, you judgmental piece of shit.” Maggie shoots the zombified pastor in the head, realizing what is happening, and finally getting a clear shot now that it was distracted. The bodies fall down the steps. Season nods at Kurt, and shoots the dying Sheriff and Miss Vicky in the head.