Chapter 1: Blue moon

The world ended centuries ago, or at least that was supposed to be the case. Perhaps it truly did for those that survived the eldritch catastrophe. But life continued on, leaving the old world behind into a new harsh reality. But still, nothing had change, from West to East kingdoms rose and new societies were forged. Knights, hunters, rangers, all heroes stepped up to inspire new legends to be told around the campfires, to aspire to be. Along all of those, however, also came the raiders, the villains, the sinners, the Stranger and the Doctor.

In a forgotten land there was a town, once a bustling stop for traders turned obsolete by construction of a new road. Tragedy struck the sleepy place, came the first frozen night. The children rejoiced, they had never seen snow before. But in the storm, there be monsters. Creatures of the unknown that preyed upon the untainted minds. A cruel curse, all those under the age of five were spirited away. All those who were pregnant suffered miscarriage, the town could no longer hear the joyous sound of children.

No one remembered the name of the place nor did they care. The town was now destined to perish as its residence slowly faded away with nothing to replace them. End Of The Line was now its name.

But on one night, right before another frozen night, a caravan rode on to the dying town carrying something most valuable.

Johnathan Reid excused himself from the roadside inn.

"I appreciate the hospitality, but we should go on our way."

The matron, Madam Mandrake, expressed her concern for the group.

"Are you sure? I can make enough space for your people, the frozen night is going to be upon us soon. The road won't be safe."

"It's alright, we will rest at the Blind's stop." John reassured the worried woman.

Bidding goodbye, the caravan continued their journey to End Of The Line. The other travellers watched on, wondered if this group was brave or stupid. The Blind's stops were an option, areas that had wards against the horrors. But still, it would be infinitely better to squeeze in here, the frozen night was coming fast.

Madam Mandrake was bothered by this, but was it out of worry for the caravan? The answer was no. Less people just meant less meat for her clan. No matter, there were still plenty of food cramped right here in this death-trap. Rest well lambs, her children would be ready for them all after the night had passed. And the caravan? They would surely perish, there was no way to reach a Blind's stop carrying all those cargos.

"Have some drinks to warm yourselves up." She handed the mugs to the weary travellers.

In the corner sat two figures in cloaks, silent, watching, waiting. Outside the window, another lone traveller could be seen passing by with a coach, but he did not stop at all.

Meanwhile, contrary to Madam Mandrake's expectation, the caravan was moving at a steady rate. This would be more than enough to reach the nearest Blind's stop before night fall. That was because they were not carrying the usual cargos, this time they only had one.

"Maybe we should have stopped at the inn." Still, Johnathan expressed his worry.

"We were told that the inn was managed by an old man, that woman was not old nor a man." The head of security, Kevin Reid, replied. An event might lead to another which would put this Madam Mandrake to be in charge of the inn. But still, something was not right. The Reid caravan had survived this long because of his intuition and Kevin could feel something was off. Besides, their cargo was too valuable, he did not want to take a risk.

Suddenly, the scout came up to him, the youngest brother Logan Reid had news.

"There's a traveller behind us, just one man and one coach."

"I shall go and great him." It was Johnathan's duty as the caravan leader. He was accompanied by his brother Kevin. The two slowed down slightly for the caravan to pass by. Right behind him was a coach just like what the scout had said. This man, however, was unlike anyone they had ever seen.

Wearing a long brown coat of unknown design, the rider also had a wide-brim hat. His hair and moustache were well trimmed but had hint of grey. Someone who had seen many summers, but still his eyes were still sharp as razor.

The man tipped his hat. "Howdy, gentlemen, this caravan belongs to you two I presume."

"Yes, I am the leader, Johnathan Reid and this is my brother Kevin."

The security chief remained silent and cautious. He noticed that the man's hands, covered in white gloves, were shaking slightly.

"I am Frank Holliday, but you can call me Doc." The man introduced himself.

"Do you by any chance, a medical practitioner?" The nickname had attracted Johnathan's attention. This meeting may prove to be a good fortune in disguise.

"As a matter of fact, I am, or at least I used to be a dentist. Now I mostly transport medical supplies around the country. You know, the more delicate ingredients." Doc answered. "Your group is also going to End Of The Line, I presume."

Hearing that made Johnathan rejoiced, but before he could say a single word, his brother stepped in. "Yes, but we will have to rest at the next Blind's stop to fix a wheel. You should go on ahead."

"I see, safe journey for you all then." Tipping his hat, Doc rode past the caravan.

As he passed by, everyone turned to look at this strange man. This clothing was of high quality, but it was not what the nobles wore. Some of them had heard of the dessert land to the far West, perhaps this Doctor came from that exotic land.

"We might need his help." Johnathan disagreed with his brother's decision. "She is in a lot of pain, what if…"

"You really trust that man? Brother mine, do you know how sought-after medical supplies are. They are the raiders' favourite, they need to be protected by knights. But a single man? That's too suspicious." Kevin explained himself. "Maybe that man is speaking the truth, but still, I can't risk it. She can hold it, we are not far away."

A part of him was not convinced, but Johnathan could understand his brother's caution. The wasteland was a dangerous place and thanks to Kevin they survived this long. It was not long before the caravan reached a small cabin with a stone circle around, the Blind's stop.

The group hurried up to tie the horse next to the building, the carriages and coaches would have to be left outside but that would not matter. Now, to the transfer their only and most precious cargo. By the time the group finished their work, snow started to fall. Johnathan watched the first flake with fright, he then retreated back into the cabin.

The frozen night was now upon them.

Meanwhile, not that far away in another Blind's stop, the Doctor settled down alone. Lighting up the old cabin, the man found a comfortable spot next to the fireplace to rest. He dragged the sleeping bag and some blanket in to make a cosy bed for himself.

But most importantly was his record player.

A curious item excavated in a Runeland, no one knew where this machine came from. The Doctor had won it through a card game and it had served him well. The device also came with several discs and combined together, they created music. The tunes were so unfamiliar and yet strangely resonating. The language used was nearly similar to that the Doctor was raised with slight difference. So did this machine came from the old world or another land altogether? It did not matter.

"Careful, careful."

The Doctor reminded himself as he took out his favourite disc. He had to try his best to keep his hands still, he did not want a single scratch on the record. Doc carefully placed it on the machine and finally he could breath a sign of relief. His hands used to make him a renown doctor, gambler and dentist. But the alcohol had taken it all away.

The sound of strange instrument played as the Doctor laid back onto his bed. He pulled the blanket over and readied his canteen.

Outside a snowstorm might be going on, along with it monsters, horrors that escaped mankind comprehension. But the Doctor did not care, there he was with his alcohol and music, all warm and comfortable.

"This is the life."

The man only hoped that there would be a good barber at the End Of The Line, his beard was getting unkempt.

'Blue moon, you saw me standin' alone

Without a dream in my heart, without a love of my own.'

The vocal, belonged to soulful man, eased the Doctor's heart. He had collected many record but this song still remained his favourite. Listening to it countless time, the song called 'Blue Moon' was still fresh as new. Doc had memorised every melody, every line. Taking a swig from the canteen, the Doctor sang along.

The music soon lured the Doctor into what seemed to be a deep sleep. But it was not to be. Aside from the melodies, the sound of crackling fire, wind betting on the window, there was something else. A person was knocking on the door.

The frozen night was already here, how could someone still be outside! The Doctor left his cosy station, stopping the music and picking up an old revolver from his gear. It had been too long since he last fired this weapon, his hand was now shaking more than ever.

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"Please, is anyone in there!" Someone called out from the other side of the door.

Breathing heavily, the Doctor placed his unstable finger next to the trigger. Grabbing onto the lock, it was nerve wrecking. Readying himself, the Doctor opened the door to find… a young man on the other side, shivering from the cold.

"Thanks Atlas, there is someone here, I thought I was going to freeze to death!"

The Doctor could tell this young man was not a threat, it was one of his many talents. Judging from the charger on his wrist with the clean and proper look, this person was a mage. He could not use his magic inside a stone ring, however.

"Thank you, kind stranger, I owe you a debt of gratitude. My name is William."

"No need to sweat it, I am Frank Holliday, but you can call me Doc." The Doctor introduced himself. "What business does a mage like you have outside in this frozen night?"

"How do you know I am a mage!" William exclaimed in surprise. "You must be a very perceptive man, Mr. Doc."

"Just Doc is fine." The Doctor could tell that reaction was genuine. He knew that mages were only book smart and this one seemed to fall right into that stereotype. Noticing the young man was still shaking with cold, the Doctor offered him a drink out of his canteen.

The mage, accepted it without any suspicion. Taking a sip, the young man coughed violently, surprised by the powerful alcohol within.

"That should help you warm up." Taking back his canteen, the Doctor took a big swig. "You still haven't answered my question."

"Oh right, sorry." William replied. "I send word from about the death of Bobby Reid to his nephew's caravan. He passed away by… slipping on a bar of soap and hit his head on a the water pump."

"Now that's unfortunate, but still, what with the rush. It's the frozen night out there." The Doctor asked. The name 'Bobby Reid' seemed to ring a bell but the alcohol was muddling with his mind.

"This is an emergency, Bobby is the only doctor in this region. Apparently, the wife of the caravan's head is pregnant for long enough and she is coming here for medical help." William explained his mission.

Now that seemed like a series of unfortunate events. The Doctor just remembered, all the supplies he was carrying was for a 'Bobby Reid'. Still when they reached the town, he could help for a tidy fee. There was no need to worry… And yet…

"Are you alright, Doc?" William asked, unnerved by the intense expression in front of him.

The Doctor rushed to the window and pulled the curtain. "You managed to reach here without encountering any monsters?"

"Yes." The mage replied, he had a bad feeling about this.

While the beasts of the unknown liked to be unseen, they could not hide from the Doctor. But in the snowstorm, there was no sign of any horrors.

"The monsters, their favourite preys are untainted minds, especially that of a baby." He reached the conclusion with grim implications. "They are all flocking over to the caravan now, the Blind's protection won't hold."

"But… but how? The stone rings are to repel monster, right?" William asked in fear.

"That's true, but not this many."

As he finished his sentence, William rushed to the door. The Doctor immediately held the young man back.

"Are you crazy!"

"I… I can't, I won't let them die." The young man broke free and ran out into the snow.

The Doctor watched on in horror, what a fool that mage was. His magic would not even affect the monsters in the slightest. Grumbling, the Doctor retreated back to his bed. Lying down, he noticed something was off, it was the silence. Doc had forgotten to put the music back on. Standing up, the Doctor took a swig from his canteen to find it was already empty.

He reached out to the record player, his hand shaking uncontrollably.

"Damn it."

Outside, in the freezing cold, William rushed forward with a protective barrier. He was moving too slow, however, and time was of the essence. Gritting his teeth, the mage channel his power into a new spell. An overwhelming boost to his legs, he dashed through the snow. It came at a cost as his barrier was at an all time weak. The cold would surely kill him.

Still, the mage trudged on, he would not let the caravan perish. Bobby had been his only friend and the young man would not fail him.

It was too late, however. When William reached the cabin it was surrounded by a ring of fire. Outside were monsters, all of them once human, their bodies infected with a snowflake pattern ever expanding. Their eyes long gone, the creatures were a mockery of humanity, starved and cold.

One of them braved the fire only to be stabbed.

"Die, crawl back to hell where you belong."

Kevin dug his sword into the creature's flesh. But it was no use, normal steel could not harm envoys of the unknown. More of them passed through the flame, their charred skin soothed by the blizzard. The retired knight fought back valiantly but it was a lost cause since the very beginning.

The mage watched on in horror as Kevin was overwhelmed and devoured by the forever hungry monsters. They soon turned to the cabin, time was running.

"Divine Atlas, please watches over my leap of faith." William chanted under his breath.

Inside the once peaceful cabin laid a lone woman, being torn apart by pain. She could feel it, the life within her was being called out by something hidden in the snow. Next to her was Johnathan, who had made his way back in after suffering a fatal blow. His body was now cold, still, the woman held onto her husband's hand.

A desperate scream rang out, it sent a horrifying signal. Kevin had finally fallen, she was the only one left.

But the woman did not fear for her life at all. This was not the first time she was surrounded by the envoys of the unknown. As a young girl, she had survived the impossible. The unknowns no longer scared her, but she lamented for her child.

"Oh, how cruel." The woman cried out. "You will never get to walk the land I have walked on, breath the air that I breathed, live the life that I lived, enjoy the happiness that I had."

The door opened slowly as the creatures made their way in. Hollow spectres of starvation, they devoured anything in the frozen night. But this time was different, they waited patiently for a new acolyte to be born.

But before their touch could infect the child, the roof came crashing down as William landed.

Knowing that his magic would not work, the mage stabbed his hand into the ground and casted a violent shockwave. The floor burst sending wooden planks crashing into the malnourished forms. They collapsed through a wall, broken it down. William casted a protective barrier around the woman.

"Again?" She said weakly.

Once again in her time of darkness someone arrived to help. But she could tell unlike the last time, this mage here could only slow the tide. Mustering up strength, the woman grabbed the machete from her dead husband's grip.

It was not for self-defence, but to set her child free. So that it could not be touched by the unknown. "I'm sorry, my child."

But fate had another plan. As the mage was being overwhelm by the horde a light shined in the dark. Followed by a sound the woman had heard from a time long past. The roar of thunder shook the frozen night.

One of the monster's head was blown off, it shattered into ice.

On horseback came the Doctor with a rifle in his hands. Ejecting the spent round, he fired again into the horde. To shoot on a horse meant forgoing all accuracy, the Doctor shaking hands did not help either. But still, the horde was clumped up and its members brittle enough. The bullet pierced through two of them, shattering them into snowflakes. He fired again and again and again, some hit some missed completely.

His ride was coming to an end, however, the cold was simply too much.

"One last time, for me."

The Doctor mustered to his steed. With a final show of power, the horse leapt through the fire wall before collapsing. Stroking its mane one last time, the Doctor whispered sadly.

"Goodbye, old friend."

With the final bullet in his rifle, the animal cries of pain were smothered.

The horde all turned back, this man was a threat, his steel capable of cutting them down. They all jumped at him, but some were smashed away by wooden planks, controlled by the mage. Dropping the rifle, the Doctor pulled out a double barrels gun and fired twice.

Buckshot shredded the horde, tearing them apart. But from the dark, many arrived to help their brethren.

The Doctor ejected the empty shells to load in fresh ones. He tried to jam them in quickly but one was stuck behind and fell onto the snow. As Doc reached down to pick it back up, he spotted something lurking.

"Be careful!" He called out but it was too late.

A single monster had snuck around the cabin and it was now on top of the woman. It easily broke through the barrier and reached for her stomach.

No time to waste, the Doctor pulled out his old revolver and fired with lighting speed. The mage was amazed to see a man that fast. Even though he was watching closely, William could not process the Doctor's speed.

But it was for naught, the bullet whizzed through the air and missed the target completely. The Doctor looked at his hand, still shaking.

"Nooo!" William casted shockwave, sending a plank at the monster.

But it was the woman who seized the moment. Using the machete, she stabbed creature and threw it over her head. It immediately sprang back. Turning around, the monster lobbed a plank crashing into the William. The mage was sent flying.

The Doctor fanned the hammer, quickly firing three shots but they all miss.

The monster jumped onto the woman, who had stood up with great effort. Hearing the thunder had given her strength. She was determined that her child would live, no not just live but be happy. The woman anticipated the monster leapt and slashed at it mid-air. But seeing that her machete was of normal steel, the creature was unharmed.

The wick was burning fast. The Doctor took aim carefully, his hand still shaking. He fired but once again the bullet missed its mark.

How could this be? Had his skill deteriorated that much? The answer was yes. The Doctor turned to William, struggling to get up, his head leaking blood. In front of him, the monster pushed down the woman, ripping the machete from her hand. Still, she did not give up, clutching a piece of glass the woman jammed it into the creature's face. It cut into her hand, blood dripping down her arm.

But the monster was unharmed still.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it…" The Doctor muttered, clutching his head.

Behind him, the other monsters were making their way through the wall of fire, screeching out for his flesh.

"Damn it all."

Picking up a piece of glass, the Doctor stabbed his own hand. The pain was piercing but for that brief moment, there was no shaking. His eyes flared a cold look of a killer. Doc Holliday shot the monster in an instant, faster than a blink of an eye.

Loading the shotgun with special shells, the Doctor turned and fired at the incoming.

A blaze of fire exploded from the barrels, consuming the monsters with a fiery blaze. Behind the flame wall more monsters stood, waiting to be sent into the grinder. Loading his shotgun and revolver, the Doctor threw William a pouch with medicine.

"Patch yourselves up and get to her side, she is going into labour soon. I will give you instructions on what to do."

William nodded then wrapped bandages around his head. The man in front of him was not the person he had met in the cabin, snuggling by the fire. The Doctor turned back into the incoming and bellowed out his declaration of war.

"All you beasts come on in, Doc Holliday will see to you now!"

This frozen night was marked by sounds of thunder and smells of gunpowder. The infinite horde stopped by a single man of mythical status. Alcohol and time had washed away this man but tonight he once again whole. Every shot rang true, every bullet fatal. When he ran out of rounds, the Doctor pulled out a knife and cut the monsters with surgical precision.

The battle raged on and on until, finally, the sun appeared in the horizon. The snowflakes melted away along with the horde. The fight was over, the Doctor had prevailed.

He was exhausted, his mind clouding, threatening to collapse on the spot. But then he could hear a cry. It belonged to a healthy baby girl, freed from the darkness. William held onto the child, tears streaming out of eyes. The young man slowly faded away, the adrenaline that had kept him awake was now spent.

The Doctor grabbed the child in his arm as William collapsed.

"I'm sorry, the smell of gunpowder and blood must be unbearable."

Soon, the baby stopped crying, sucking on its thumb. That was then the Doctor realised that it had returned. Once again, his hands were shaking. The baby seemed to like it, however, the gentle rhythm luring it to sleep.

"Um… Blue moon, you knew just what I was there for. You heard me saying a prayer for…" The Doctor tried to sing a lullaby but there was no need for that, the baby was already fast asleep.

He motioned toward the woman who had been lying still. The Doctor could see, however, that she was still alive, her breathing stable. Sitting down, he put the baby into her arms. Before he could stand up, the woman grabbed his hand.

"Thank you…" She said gently.

Two simple words that the Doctor had heard countless times before. But this time, it struck him hard and deep. Before he knew it, a single drop of tear was running down his cheek.

Outside, the final flake had melted away completely under the bright sun.