People stood up to gawk at the Six-Gun being led through the shantytown, and children ran up alongside him. Some had anxious faces, knowing that his appearance meant there was a supernatural threat. Others appeared relieved, understanding that the solution to their problem had finally arrived. What consistently caught Joe’s attention was the energy coming off of some of the men patrolling the town. They were soldiers, they had that energy which told Joe they had taken their own oaths. The Bonus Army, he knew it had to be true. At once he understood why the mood of this place was so bright.

  “Hey, uh, why do you have two witches with you?” One of the guards asked Joe. “Thought it was supposed to be one to one, are we really in that much trouble?”

  Joe heard the concern on the man’s voice. He decided to extinguish it. “Oh nah, you ain’t. I got two because the little one is in training. She’s studying Silver here.” He gestured to Winona. “This is an easier job, so they let the young ones come and shadow.”

  Winona knew he was lying about the nature of their task, but she followed his lead. Ivy looked a little confused, but a glare from her sister witch kept her quiet.

  “Wow, well hey that’s… that’s good news…” The guard sighed with relief. “I get it now.”

  The guards took him to the largest of the connected dwellings, where two more guards stood. They stiffened up as they met with the guards leading Joe. The Six-Gun and his witches were led inside and met with the Hooverville’s leader, Major William Somner. The former United States Army officer was now a prominent member of the Bonus Army. He looked the part of the settlement’s leader, sitting at an old wooden desk with peeling paint. He had on a secondhand suit, with a stained green tie. The color green had become an icon of the Bonus Army, its members often sporting green armbands or bandanas. Somner wore it proudly. He looked to the visitors.

  “Sir, the Six-Gun you requested.” One of the guards barked. All of them were standing stiff, at attention.

  “Thank you, men.” Somner nodded, “You may get back to your posts. I’m going to talk to our guests.”

  The guards cleared out swiftly, leaving Tornado Joe and the women with the leader of the Hooverville. Joe could see in him an intense pride and compassion for the residents of his settlement. Buried beneath that, he could see the horrors of the trenches. He understood at once he was dealing with a war veteran, the man’s eyes told him what they had seen half the world away. Joe felt the veteran studying him in turn.

  “Thank you for so swiftly answering our call for help.” Somner spoke in his low tone. “This has become a seriously concerning issue for the people here.”

  “Two deaths already, is that right?” Joe asked.

  Winona let Joe do the talking, and Ivy took a mental note of how she acted in these scenarios.

  Somner sighed. “Three now, we found another body this morning. It happened last night.”

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  “Any connection between victims?” Joe asked, pacing listlessly about the office. “Skinwalkers are often deliberate about their targets. Usually aim to assume the identities of the victims.”

  “My men haven’t been so thorough, but we know all the victims are all ladies.” Somner watched him. “I’m concerned one of the women here is actually a Skinwalker waiting for her next victim.”

  “Can I see this newest body?”

  “Do you have to?” Somner’s eyes held a pitiful look.

  Joe didn’t answer, only stared him down from the shadow of his hat.

  After a long moment, Somner sighed again and stood. “Come with me”

  The body was covered in a blanket, laid out in a shed. The police would not come to Somner’s Palace, so they had to dispose of the bodies themselves. Winona floated outside, watching her Gun work. Ivy stayed close, holding her arm. She had never seen a human corpse before.

  Joe lifted the blanket, studying the cadaver silently. Somner smoked a rolled cigar, standing in the dirt yard nearby. Joe’s eyes traveled over the woman’s mangled body. Skinwalkers did not eat their victims, like Wendigos. They killed for sport, but it was said they sapped the magical energy from their victims. The biggest source of information on Skinwalker behavior was the Navajo Native American tribe, and they did not give away their information to the Six-Guns. They were reluctant to tell anybody exactly what they knew about Skinwalkers, and it was up to the Six-Guns to study their behavior with every encounter to establish patterns and learn weaknesses.

  Joe could see this Skinwalker was particularly interested in the faces of its victims, at least the one laying in front of him. The facial tissue was heavily torn, there were no longer any recognizable features. She looked like a bear had attacked her and tore her face to shreds. The blood covered the blanket. Joe lifted her arm, identifying deep gashes from claws similar to panthers. He yanked open her clothes, revealing the slashed skin underneath.

  “Does he have to look at her…erm…” Ivy whispered, trying to gather her thoughts.

  Winona shushed her. “Let the Gun work.”

  Joe found what he was searching for. Nestled in a particularly deep wound in the woman’s gut was a tuft of thick black fur. This appeared to be paw fur from a big cat, a panther by the color. This confirmed to him that they were indeed dealing with a Skinwalker. Often, people called Six-Guns in to defeat some magical threat, only for the Gun to find it was something natural or a strange person whose habits appeared to the uninitiated to be supernatural. It was still good to deal with human threats, but it required a different approach. Before preparing for battle, Tornado Joe had to determine that he was in fact dealing with a Skinwalker. The fur had confirmed it. He was still curious about the face, but he was more interested in exterminating the threat before another person could be victimized.

  “Alright.” He covered the body and walked out of the shed. “It’s time to start the hunt.”

  Somner watched from his spot, still smoking.

  Joe addressed the floating witches, “You two, set up a Blue barrier around the Hooverville. It should be easy, just use the park fence as a border. I’ll prep my rounds.”

  Somner dropped his cigar and stamped it with his shoe. “I’ll have the place evacuated so you can work unhindered.”

  “No.” Joe shook his head, “That can’t happen. Don’t say anything to anyone.”

  “What if they are caught in the crossfire?” Somner looked horrified.

  “If people leave, the Skinwalker will be alerted. The barrier will stop it from leaving, but it will know that it’s cornered and hide too effectively. If you are going to corner a Skinwalker, you have to take it by surprise before it manages to hide as a cockroach or something.”

  Ivy gasped “They can do that?”

  “If they have enough time they can split themselves into a colony of insects, yes. But they need time and privacy to make the shift” Joe answered.

  “This is ridiculous!” Somner barked, “There’s children here, Six-Gun! You would put them at risk!”

  Joe shot him a glance, those blue eyes the cold color of Arctic waters.

  “The Skinwalker could be hiding as a child, Major.”