[@Song Book] [@Dark Light]

With the swiftness of a frightened housecat, Anna dove under a nearby table, her eyes darting fearfully across the room as the straw-bodied beasts advanced towards the patrons. Almost instinctively Hardwick pulled back his trenchcoat and drew his revolver from its holster, and with shaky hands swung it to point directly at the straw man bearing down on him. He breathed deeply. The creature regarded him with its grotesque painted face as his fingers squeezed down on the trigger.

[b]*BANG*[/b]

The gunshot pierced through the screaming inside the tavern, and for a fleeting moment Hardwick's face was perfectly illuminated by the muzzle's flash - every worried crease given depth, every scar visible in perfect clarity, every tell-tale sign of a man who had been wearied by the horrors of the unknown unmistakable to all who looked on.

But the moment passed as quickly as it came, and any attention shifted to the smoking barrel of the gun and the reeling straw man, stunned by the hot lead that had slammed into its shoulder. The creature let out a raspy, guttural growl that reminded Hardwick of a cross between the rustle of dry wheat and a combine harvester. Slowly, it stood back up to its full, terrifying height and resumed its advance.

[b]*BANG*[/b]

The second shot pierced the monster's chest, but other than a jerk from the impact there was no change to its terrible, methodical movements. Hardwick swore.

[b]*BANG BANG BANG BANG click click*[/b]

[color=0072bc]'Son of a bitch!'[/color] Yelled Hardwick. No matter how many times he fired into the straw man, it refused to slow down - and as the last bullet left its chamber and embedded itself into the creature's leatherbound face, it finally caught up to him. With inhuman strength, the straw man picked him up and regarded him with those terrible, painted eyes one last time before hurling the detective across the tavern and into the opposite wall.