Butch Cavendish watched the cave entrance. The sun would be down soon and they would be free to feed. The Rangers were trapped in the canyon and they were only waiting to die.
"As soon as the sun goes down, I want you two to find the Rangers," Butch commanded.
"Who put you in charge?" one of the outlaws asked.
"I've always been the leader of this gang," Butch growled. "Totanka may have been in charge for a while but he's gone now."
The remaining outlaws nodded in agreement.
"Besides," Butch continued, "Totanka thought too small. We'd be attacking that little town forever if it were still up to him. Now as I was saying, you two find the Rangers and watch them as soon as the white hat takes his watch. Then we'll attack. I want him shot full of bullets. No one feeds on that one."
"Why?"
"Because he killed Totanka with a gun. If he has that ability then his very blood might harm us. He is dangerous and he must be eliminated."
As the sun went behind the canyon wall the Rangers were settling in for the night. Dan decided to have a two-man watch. Each man was given his assignment. John and Jeb were given the first watch and the rangers were ordered to get some sleep.
Sleep didn't come easy for the Rangers. The previous night's events still had them spooked. Those that did sleep did not sleep well.
John and Jeb were both watching the horizon. The final rays of daylight were disappearing and stars were becoming visible. Darkness fell and the two Rangers struggled to adjust their eyes to the light.
Jeb heard the sound of gunfire. Dozens of weapons were being fired. Then he saw John fall. He rushed to his side knowing the other Rangers would already be moving. Butch Cavendish moved forward with lightning speed. He sunk his teeth into Jeb's neck before the Ranger could react.
The other Rangers didn't fare better. Rifles and sixguns were fired at the outlaw band but they had no effect. One by one the Rangers fell victim to oncoming attack. Dan was the last to fall.
Once the attack was complete the outlaws fled south through the lower canyon passage. It was time to find a new feeding ground.
Tonto rode his horse silently. He had been tracking the betrayer for weeks. Totanka had destroyed their entire tribe and Tonto had dedicated himself to capturing him. The Spirits had led him to a small white man's town and there he sensed that Totanka had been destroyed. Yet there were others. Tonto could sense the army that Totanka had created and it was his duty to stop them as well.
Tonto was a shaman. He had been trained to assist the Kemo Sabe or "Hunter of the Dead." Totanka had once been among the hunters but in a moment of weakness he had allowed a female vampire to seduce him. He returned to his people with the years of training and killed them all. Only Tonto remained and he had been left for dead. Now Tonto had to act as shaman and hunter. He was very much alone.
Tonto had followed the others to a canyon. Horse tracks told him that humans were nearby as well. Vampires couldn't ride horses. Horses were afraid of them.
He continued his journey and found the horses alone. He moved into the canyon and found the entrance blocked. He knew the enemy lay on the other side. So he left his horse and began to ascend the rubble. He reached the other side just after nightfall.
Cautiously he approached the cave. The Spirits told him the undead were near. He entered the cave and found the remains of Joseph Collins. He removed a wooden stake from his pouch and pierced the dead man's heart. He couldn't take a chance. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He searched the cave for any sign of the vampire gang. He was interrupted by the sound of gunfire.
He knew the humans were fighting for their lives and he had to hurry. He ran furiously toward the firefight but knew he was too late when the gunfire was silenced. He still moved hoping to catch a few stragglers. The vampires were long gone by the time he arrived.
He removed another stake from his pouch and struck Jeb's lifeless form. He moved onto John and John let out a soft moan. Tonto leapt backwards. He summoned the Spirits and looked at the fallen ranger. He expected to see a vampire but what he saw he never expected.
John Reid woke up in the mouth of a cave. He glanced at the sun and it appeared to be around noon. A full canteen lay next to him. He lifted it to take a drink. He recognized the canyon walls. So he knew where he was but he didn't know how long he had been out. He remembered being shot but when he examined his body he found no evidence of a wound. His shirt was missing and his pants were full of bullet holes but there was no evidence on his body that a bullet had ever struck him.
A lone Indian came into view. Instinctively, John reached for his pistols but they weren't there.
"I mean no harm, Kemo Sabe," the Indian said. "Tonto's here to help."
"Where are the other Rangers?"
"They walk with Spirits."
John bowed his head. "Where are the bodies?"
"In canyon. I dig graves."
"Show me."
The two walked into the canyon. "How long have I been out?" John asked.
"A day."
"One day? That's impossible. I was shot. A man cannot heal that fast."
"I called the spirits. They healed."
John looked at the Indian with disbelief. He wanted to say more but he didn't know what to say.
They reached the lower part of the canyon. Tonto had dug an eight foot pit large enough to hold all of the Rangers.
"I suppose you dug this in one day," John said in disbelief.
"Yes, Kemo Sabe."
"Why do you call me, Kemo Sabe? What does that mean?"
"When sun falls behind the hills then you know all.""Don't tell me you're a medicine man."
Tonto smiled. "Shaman. Come, we bury your dead then we speak of things to come."
One by one they carried the bodies to the pit. John separated their possessions. The dead Rangers had families and he knew they would want them. Dan's body was the last one they found. Dan had a wife and a son. John didn't want to face them or any of the families.
Dan was wearing a black leather vest. John had bought it for him when they had found the silver mine. Tears filled his eyes as he removed it. He wanted to keep it as reminder of his brother. Something he would always keep with him. Carefully he folded it and set it aside.
The six rangers lay side by side in the pit.
John took one last look at his friends. "Let's get this done. Where's your shovel?" he said.
"No shovel. Stand back!" Tonto replied. Silently, he summoned the Spirits. He crossed his legs and his body levitated above the pit. Slowly the dirt started flowing into the pit. What should have taken hours took the Shaman a matter of minutes.
"How did you do that?"
"I did nothing. I called Spirits. They moved earth."
"Who are these Spirits? And 'Kemo Sabe'? What is going on?"
"Come, Kemo Sabe! We prepare. The sun fall soon."
They spent the remainder of the day in the cave. Despite John's persistence, Tonto didn't answer anymore questions. He had John sit in the cave mouth while he chanted over him. Just before sunset he led John back to the grave. He placed several wooden stakes around the grave and seated himself beyond it.
John had replaced his shirt with the spare in his pack. He strapped his on his gunbelt and made sure his pistols were loaded. He hadn't fired a single shot the night before. He sat next to Tonto. He assumed this was some ritual to honor the dead. He remained silent and watched the grave.
Jeb was the first to claw his way through the earth. "Hi, John."
John's eyes became enlarged. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His dead friend was standing in front of him. Then his friend became a monster.
Jeb rushed him with fury and anger. On impulse John grabbed his sixguns and fired. Jeb was reduced to a pile of dust. Tonto watched in confusion. He had never seen a vampire slain with a gun.
Samuel Slade was next. He pulled himself from the soft grave dirt and smiled. John pulled the trigger and it struck the mark. The bullets had no effect. Samuel stepped forward. He didn't notice Tonto grabbing the wooden stake. With precision he pierced Samuel's heart and Samuel was dusted.
John's mind raced as Nathaniel and James rose. Jeb had fallen after the first bullet but Samuel had taken a similar hit and kept coming. What was the difference in the first bullet. Then he remembered. The first bullets in his weapons were silver. The bullets in his gun that night in Agua Dulce were silver. He knew the secret but the silver bullets were in his pack in the cave.
John holstered his pistols as Tonto tossed him a stake. He thrust it at James as Tonto dispatched Nathaniel. They were so buy they didn't notice that Michael has risen. Michael grabbed Tonto and tossed him into a boulder. Tonto fell to the ground looking beaten and broken. He wasn't moving.
John knew he was in trouble. He needed to get to the cave and Michael was standing in his way. Desperately he fired at Michael's ankles and he fell. So they could be hurt by lead. He rushed up the hill heading for the cave. Michael was already moving before he could reach his pack. By the time John grabbed the wooden box from his pack, Michael was already on him.
Michael tackled him and they rolled into the cave. They continued rolling until they hit the body of Joe Collins. Frantically John reached for any weapon. Luckily his hand fell on the wooden stake Tonto had left in Joe's body. With all the strength he could muster he shoved the stake into Michael's heart. The dust covered John's body.
John rushed back to his pack and reloaded his pistol. There was only one Ranger left in that grave and he hoped that Dan didn't rise like the rest of them. By the time he made it to the grave Dan was already up and standing over Tonto.
"Dan!" he called. "Your fight's not with him."
"Are you saying I should be fighting you, little brother?" Dan said as he turned to face him. "So you've started killing Rangers now."
"You're not a Ranger anymore, Dan," John replied sadly. "I don't even think you're human."
Dan rushed him and John fired. The bullet struck between Dan's eyes. Dan kept coming. John fired again striking Dan's shoulders. He slowed down but he didn't stop.
John waited patiently and when Dan was on top of him he placed a final bullet into Dan's heart. A sudden wind carried Dan's remains into the canyon.
John fell to his hands and knees and vomited. He kept that position for a long time. He breathed heavily and he cried.
Tonto woke. His body was wracked with pain. He summoned the Spirits once more and slowly his body began to heal. "Now, Kemo Sabe," he said, "I tell all."
For the rest of the night Tonto told him about vampires. He told him how he saw the aura around him that marked him as a "Hunter of the Dead." The Spirits had chosen him. John's battle tonight had made it official.
When Tonto had finished John looked over at him and said, "I killed my brother tonight."
"The creature you killed was not brother."
"I know, but he looked liked him. He sounded like him. Seven Rangers died in this canyon and now I'm going to make it eight. Do you have a knife?"
Tonto handed him his blade and John cut a mask from Dan's leather vest. He pulled it around his face and said "John Reid died in this canyon with the others. Dan used to call me a name. He meant it as a joke because I never really fit in with the other Rangers. He called me the Lone Ranger and from now on that's who I'll be."
"We still have others to face," Tonto stated. "The outlaws that kill brother ran south."
"We'll go after them but first I need to see an old friend."
John reloaded his pistols and replaced the bullets in his gunbelt with silver ones. As the sun rose over the horizon the two companions began to climb out of the canyon. On the other side the Ranger's horses were still waiting with Tonto's. John carefully separated the Rangers possessions to each horse. Then he mounted up and they made their way to Agua Dulce.
Next Issue: The Lone Ranger gets a horse. We learn more about Totanka as the Lone Ranger and Tonto visit the Wokani.