Many many thanks to Kiss316 for beta reading this. She is awesome.

Warning: Swearing. Violence, The Miz

Phenomenal One

"Daniel, I'm not going with you to investigate a bunch of dogs hanging around the cemetery," AJ told him, standing up and heading to the door. He was too tired for this nonsense.

"They aren't dogs, unless you know of a type of dog that only appears at night and has glowing red eyes," Daniel said quickly, willing AJ to believe him. He hadn't wanted to bring up that particular bit of information; Mizanin had already laughed in his face and was starting to use it against him. He barely contained his relief when AJ stopped, turned around then sat back down, staring intently at Daniel.

Running a hand through his hair, AJ refrained from looking over at the Saint of Killers. "Glowing red eyes? You're sure?" he asked finally. As little as two days ago, he wouldn't have believed the mayor.

But now there was a melted corpse high up in the mountains.

"Yes, I saw them myself when I was coming back from Dillon late one night. I went back the next day but there was nothing there. I heard from a couple of other people that they have seen them too, but only at night."

"Why didn't tell me about the red eyes in the first place?" AJ asked.

"I didn't want you to think I'm crazy." Daniel leaned forward with his elbows on the desk. "I don't like the idea of them out there, so close to town. So far as I know they haven't left the cemetery but that doesn't mean they won't. I would investigate them myself but my wife made me promise not to go alone. She's expecting our first child," Daniel explained with pride.

"Congratulations," AJ said absently, exchanging looks with the Saint. 'Demons?' he asked silently.

The Saint frowned. "Maybe. Not necessarily. You should check it out though."

"Why did you come to me? Isn't there a sheriff in town whose job it is to look into stuff like this?" AJ asked with just a hint of sarcasm. 'If not demons, what else could it be?'

"I already made the mistake of telling Mizanin about them. He accused me of making it up to make him look foolish by asking him to investigate it," Daniel shrugged, trying not to let his dislike of Mizanin sidetrack him.

"But there are lots of other guys in town you could ask," AJ asked Daniel, stalling for time.

"Boy, there are other nasty things in this world besides demons," the Saint said. "You just haven't met them, yet."

"I saw how you handled Cactus Jack. You don't lose your cool under pressure, even without a gun." Daniel said, oblivious to the conversation AJ and the Saint were having.

'You and I are going to have a conversation about these other nasty things,' AJ promised the Saint. He would go check out the cemetery but he didn't want it to look like it was only because he was a helpful citizen. He was going to get something out of this. "Okay Daniel, I'll go with you, but only if you get the sheriff off my back," AJ bargained, bring his full attention back to Daniel. In all honesty, AJ more than willing to take care of the Sheriff permanently but he was trying to maintain a low profile. Suddenly dead (or missing) sheriffs tended to draw attention.

Not surprised, Daniel nodded. He wasn't very optimistic though. "Like I said, he thinks I'm out to get him and he won't listen to me. But I'll do what I can." He didn't tell AJ that the reason he had been so late coming back to Bannack that night was because he had been talking to County Commissioner Shane McMahon to see if there is anything they could legally do to get Mizanin removed. He didn't want the sheriff to get wind of what Daniel was trying to do.

Sighing AJ said, "All right, Mayor, I'll come. When do we want to do this?"

"Tonight," Daniel said immediately. "I'll meet you at the west edge of town after sundown. That should give us enough time to get there before it's completely dark."

"Okay, see you then." Grabbing his saddlebags AJ left the mayor's office and went back to hotel to grab some sleep, thoughts full of what might be at the cemetery waiting for them. He noticed a beautiful blond woman standing outside the courthouse giving him a dirty look, but AJ didn't give her a second thought. He just wanted a nap.

The west horizon was still faintly glowing when Daniel arrived at the meeting place. The town was dark with most of the population in bed. AJ had his rifle, a belt of ammunition and a full canteen. Daniel too was armed with a rifle. He was also carrying a lantern. Without talking, they headed out of town to the new cemetery which was a little over a mile to the west. The old cemetery on the hill above Bannack had filled to capacity a couple of years earlier.

Finally, AJ broke the silence. "Why do you suppose dogs are appearing in the new cemetery and not the old one? And why now?" he asked. There was no wind, but the dry night air was cool.

Daniel pursed his lips as he thought about it. "You know? I'm not sure. You think that maybe something buried there is attracting them?" he asked. They walked around the base of a hill, turning north and the last lights of Bannack were hidden, giving them a sense of isolation.

"Something or someone," AJ said. He had asked the Saint about possibilities and it seemed logical. "Did anyone die around the time the dogs started appearing?"

"I'd have to check. Bannack doesn't have a real undertaker right now, but we're hoping to get that changed."

"How many dogs did you see?" AJ asked.

"Four or five I think. My horse was having a panic attack at the time so I couldn't get an accurate count," Daniel said.

'If they are demons, it sounds like there's a lot more than one or two,' AJ said asked the Saint of Killers. 'Should I be concerned?' He could kill two at once, but if there were more…

"That might be a problem," the Saint replied reluctantly, not wanting to admit that AJ really could use a partner. Reigns and Ambrose weren't in a position to help. And Randy wasn't going near the Skinwalker if the Saint had anything to say about it. "But I have confidence you'll think of something."

'Thanks.' AJ shot him a nasty look, which did nothing to faze the Saint.

They walked on. The dead grass crunched under their boots and the crickets sang enthusiastically. Venus flickered brightly in the west. They saw the vague shape of the cemetery ahead of them in the dark. As they got closer, they could see the wooden grave markers in neat rows surrounded by a fence meant to prevent coyotes and other scavengers from digging up the corpses. There was quiet, lingering sadness that seemed to cling to the area. It was completely still.

"No dogs with glowing red eyes," AJ observed as they entered the cemetery gate. The Saint lurked nearby, his hat and coat blacker than the night.

"They were here, I swear!" Daniel insisted. "I'm not crazy."

"Well, let's check it out since we came all this way," AJ suggested. He wasn't sure if he felt relieved or disappointed.

Daniel lit his lantern up to provide some light. They walked among the markers for a while, but nothing stirred. The cemetery was completely deserted. Outside of the fence there were two places of recently disturbed dirt without markers. As he studied them, AJ knew that was going to be his fate one day, if he was lucky. If not, the buzzards would have a feast. Finally, they ended up near the center of the cemetery, next to a grave marked R. Lynch. "I'm sorry I wasted your time, Allen," Daniel said, sounding discouraged.

AJ shrugged. "Just get the sheriff to lay off me and we'll call it good." The last faint glow of the summer sun faded from the sky.

"Sure. But do me a favor and don't tell anyone that we came here. If Mizanin gets wind of it, he'll keep telling everyone I'm crazy. I can't stand the guy when he's being smug," Daniel admitted. "Or any other time for that matter."

AJ chuckled. The sound died in his throat when a low growl came from the far end of the cemetery. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. A pair of red eyes appeared in the dark from behind the furthest grave marker. "Shit," he said, hefting his rifle to point in the direction of the eyes. "Looks like you aren't crazy. Get ready Daniel," he said.

At his side, Daniel hung the lantern on a crosspiece of the marker and raised his rifle, pointing it at the eyes. They heard another growl, coming from behind them. Daniel pivoted to cover that one, putting his back against AJ's. Another set of red eyes joined the pair AJ was covering. They were staying out of range of the lantern's light, making it hard to judge what their true appearance might be. But if they were dogs, they were easily the size of timber wolves. One set of eyes disappeared, only to reappear off to the right.

"What are they?" AJ asked, keeping the butt of the rifle firm against his shoulder. He was asking the Saint, but Daniel answered him too.

"I don't know."

"They're not demons, nor are they hellhounds." The Saint knew what those looked like, having personally encountered those nasty things before. "I don't believe you'll need the Walkers."

"Well that's helpful," AJ muttered. He felt Daniel at his back. The man was steady, which was a good sign. "How good of shot are you, Daniel?" he asked, just to keep the conversation going.

"You don't have to worry about me," Daniel promised.

Several more sets of eyes joined the ones they could already see. The growling became louder. "How many you got?" AJ asked, not taking his eyes off the creatures in his field of vision.

"I got four," Daniel said, his voice was tense but he wasn't panicking. "You?"

"I got six," AJ reported. "Do you want to engage or get the hell out?" AJ knew he could fight, but Daniel had a wife with a kid on the way and he might not want to risk his life.

But Daniel stayed firm, the warmth of his back seeped through AJ's coat in the cool air. "I'm good. Let's take these bastards down."

"I just hope they die like anything else." One of the creatures stalked closer. Black as pitch, the only thing that could distinguish its location was its red eyes as it moved between the grave markers. It growled again, louder. AJ took a deep breath to steady himself, placed his finger on the trigger and exhaled.

BOOM

AJ's rifle roared in the quiet night, the whip-crack report echoed off the hills and the butt kicked hard into his shoulder. The red eyes fell sideways and were extinguished.

"That did it," the Saint said.

"They can be killed," AJ told Daniel as he racked another bullet in the chamber.

"Thank fucking god," Daniel said, and for some reason the Saint snorted. But AJ didn't have a chance to ask because the rest started circling them. Aiming carefully, Daniel fired. AJ could feel the rifle kick Daniel's shoulder back into his. "Got it," Daniel reported. "This keeps up and we'll be just fine."

As if they could understand what Daniel had just said, the dogs all charged at once. Both AJ's and Daniel's rifles fired, dropping two more. Out of the corner of his eye AJ saw one leap at Daniel from the AJ's left side as Daniel was still racking the next bullet. At the same time, one from the right came at AJ.

"Look out!" the Saint warned. But AJ turned to the dog on the left, pointed the rifle and fired. He killed it but didn't have time to turn and rack another bullet into the chamber of his own rifle before the dog to his right was on him. He got an arm up just in time to protect his neck but cried out as he felt the sharp teeth sink deep into his right bicep. The weight of the creature dragged him down to one knee. Swinging the rifle around, he clubbed the beast in the head with the stock. The beast let go, staggering back. Blood poured down AJ's arm. Daniel fired right above him and killed the dog before it could attack again.

"Didn't think you were the heroic type," the Saint said but AJ ignored him.

"You okay?" Daniel asked, turning and firing off another shot, killing another one. The remaining dogs seemed to be hesitating.

"Give me one second," AJ told him. He quickly fished a bandana out of his pocket. The wooden grave marker he crouched next to creaked ominously as AJ leaned into it. He gripped a corner of the cloth in his teeth, holding back a groan as he wrapped the other end around the bandana on his upper arm and tightened it. Air hissed between his clenched teeth. He awkwardly finished tying the knot and released the cloth. Blood was already seeping through the makeshift bandage, but at least it would slow the bleeding down. He didn't want blood running down his arm and coating his hand. It would make it too slippery to hold the rifle steady.

"How are you doing, Allen?" Daniel asked, not turning to look at what AJ was doing. He gripped his own rifle tightly, trying to see where the next attack would come from.

"Another one. Its over there, to your left," the Saint told him. His black coat and hat were darker than the moonless sky. His eyes glowed faint as starlight.

"Shit." Panting, he looked around for his rifle and saw it lying nearby in the dry grass, illuminated by the lantern. He winced as he reached for it. Grabbing the rifle off the ground, AJ aimed at the pitch black dog-like figure charging through the cemetery. He pulled the trigger just as it leaped at them. The thing howled and landed with a thud three feet in front of him. It snarled in hatred as it continued to crawl towards him even as it died. For several long seconds, the only noise in the cemetery was their breathing. Even the air was completely still. Both Daniel and AJ looked for more targets but there was nothing there anymore.

The rest of the dogs had disappeared.

"Are they gone?" AJ asked, breaking the silence as he lowered his rifle.

"Yep, at least for now," the Saint said, turning his head to look over the grave markers to the cemetery entrance. It remained empty.

"God I hope so," Daniel Bryan said fervently, not hearing the Saint. "I don't see any more, do you?"

"No," AJ answered. His arm ached horrible as he climbed back to his feet. Daniel handed AJ his canteen and AJ gulped down about half the water. "Thanks," he said.

"I saw what happened. You saved my life," Daniel told him. He picked up the lantern and walked over to one of the bodies of the dogs. He touched it with the toe of his boot. "The damned thing must weigh over a hundred pounds," he observed.

"Well, at least they weren't demons," the Saint said. If they had been demons, AJ and Daniel would have been dead. The Saint knew AJ had gotten very, very lucky.

'Think they'll be back?' AJ asked.

"I don't know. Probably." The Saint wasn't too worried about them, though. They didn't seem to be inclined to leave the cemetery and they could be killed by conventional weapons. It was the Skinwalker he was concerned about.

AJ and Daniel gathered their gear and slowly walked back to town. As they approached the dark houses, Daniel said, "I'll try to find out who was buried there recently. Maybe that will shed some light on why those things keep appearing." He turned to AJ and held out his hand. "Thank you Allen. I owe you. Get that cleaned up and get some rest."

"Is there a doctor in town?" AJ asked.

Daniel looked resigned. "No. We're trying to get one of those too. Meet me at my office later. You and I need to talk," Daniel told AJ before heading to his house at the edge of town. A small light burned in the window.

As he made his way up the deserted Main Street, AJ's arm throbbed. He hoped those things weren't venomous.

"You wouldn't die even if they were," the Saint reminded him. "You'd just be very sick for a while."

"You're such a comfort," AJ told him snidely.

The Saint grinned and AJ shuddered. He saw Jack's saloon was still open and decided to stop in and see if there was any word about the posse. It had been less than a day, much too early for any news but you never knew. Jericho might have gotten lucky. The saloon was quiet this late/early in the morning. Only a couple of determined drinkers remained, doggedly putting away as much alcohol as they could afford.

Jack looked up from wiping an empty table down and his eyebrows rose when he saw AJ's bedraggled state and bloody arm. "Its closing time, gentlemen," Jack told the remaining occupants. They grumbled but didn't argue with Gentleman Jack. They got to their feet and staggered out the door.

"You're up rather late," Jack said he went behind the bar and pulled the bottle from underneath, pouring a shot for AJ. He pushed the glass towards AJ.

Taking the glass, AJ nodded his thanks. "How's it going, Jack?" he asked politely. He could tell Jack was bursting with curiosity.

"I am having a better night than you I would surmise by the amount of blood on your clothing. What were you doing to get yourself in such a state?" Jack wanted to know as he gathered some clean rags, and another bottle of cheaper alcohol.

"The mayor asked me to do something with him." AJ said. He sat down on a bar stool and massaged his eyes. He should go to bed, he thought. But he still needed to tend to his arm.

"He asked you to fight a bear?" Jack guessed. He came around the bar and approached AJ.

Picking up the shot glass, AJ laughed wryly. "No, dogs. Out by the new cemetery." He downed the booze and set the shot glass down and brushed his hair out of his face, wincing as pain shot up his arm. He jerked in surprise when Jack reached out to the blood-soaked bandage.

"Steady on, old boy. That needs attention or would you rather lose the use of your arm?" Jack asked pointedly. Warily, AJ settled down and Jack started to untie the knot. "So, you said it was dogs. Were you able to tell if they were rabid?" he asked, trying to keep AJ's attention off the wound.

He glanced at the Saint who shook his head. AJ breathed sigh of relief. "No, they weren't," he said, shuddering at the thought. An outbreak of rabies was something everyone feared.

"That's good. But they must have been right vicious buggers." Jack gently removed the bandage, made a long slice to AJ's tattered shirt sleeve with his pocket knife and examined the deep bite on AJ's bicep. Blood started pouring down his arm again.

"Yeah." AJ didn't mention the blood red glowing eyes. Turns out, he didn't need to.

"Was Mayor Bryan right? Did they truly have red eyes?" Jack wanted to know as he poured some alcohol on one of the rags.

For a second, AJ was startled. "How did you know?" he asked.

Jack gave AJ a smile that was fairly enigmatic. "I've heard the same rumors. Mizanin thinks the mayor is making up stories but if I understand your reaction to my question, they did have red eyes." He pressed the alcohol-soaked rag firmly to the bite wounds.

Bemused, AJ nodded. His jaw tensed as he tried not to squirm away from Jack's hands. Fuck, that hurt!

Jack held the rag there for a while, and then removed it, looking at the deep gashes in AJ's arm carefully. Pouring more alcohol onto the bloody rag, Jack smiled. "My friend, I don't believe those are dogs. I've heard stories about them before I came to Bannack. Back in Mother England, they are known as barghest." He applied the rag to AJ's arm again.

Making a fist with his other hand and biting down hard on a knuckle, AJ squeezed his eyes shut for a few breaths. Getting control of the pain, he finally managed to ask, "Barghest?"

"Ah, yes." Jack was finally satisfied the bite had been cleaned as much as possible and set about wrapping one of his clean rags around AJ's bicep. "They are said to appear in packs when there is a powerful curse on a place or person. And they will continue to appear until the curse is lifted."

"Curse? Really?" AJ protested. He glanced over at the Saint, who shrugged. "That's not what I signed up for."

"Well, if you want to stop the barghest, you need to uncover the reason for their appearance." Finishing tying the rag firmly into place, Jack stepped back. "There are you are, right as rain."

AJ inspected the bandaging. It was immaculate. "Thanks, Jack. I appreciate it."

Jack smiled and gathered up his bloody rags. "Get some rest Allen. Oh, and by the way, there is no news from the posse, if that's what you were coming in for."

Surprised, AJ nodded, thanked Jack one more time, grabbed his rifle and gear and left the saloon. The street was completely deserted. The stars shone brilliantly down and the crickets sang as AJ neared the hotel. He stopped abruptly as he saw the blond woman he noticed earlier walking towards him holding a lantern. She was alone.

"Evening, ma'am," he said, intending to go around her to enter the hotel.

"Mr. Jones?" she asked. She had a thick French accent.

"Can I help you?" AJ asked politely, his southern manners coming to the forefront. He didn't want to help her, he was tired and in pain. But according to AJ's father and the lessons he taught with a belt, AJ had no choice but to offer it.

"Behind you," the Saint warned.

Immediately AJ swung around, raising the rifle. "Are you fucking kidding me?" he asked when he saw who it was.

"Where were you Mr. Jones?" the Sheriff stepped closer. He had a hand on his revolver but AJ had the drop on him.

"I don't see how that is any of your business," AJ told him. He kept the rifle pointed straight at the Sheriff. "I wasn't breaking the law," he added with dripping sarcasm.

"I told you not to leave town. And now you're threatening me with a firearm," Mizanin said. "You're under arrest."

"Oh this is not a threat," AJ promised. He was about pull the trigger when the woman stepped in front of the sheriff and walked towards AJ, deliberately keeping her body between AJ's rifle and the sheriff.

"My husband will arrest you," she told AJ firmly.

Behind her, Mizanin smirked and AJ truly wanted to shoot him. But he could not shoot an unarmed woman. His upbringing would not allow it. He sighed and lowered the rifle.

She took the rifle from him with a smile that bordered on a sneer. "Thank you, Mr. Jones. You now know what happens when you think you are better than my husband."

.

The Wolf sat down on its haunches and examined the scene in front of him. The pines trees towered overhead in the dark. Glimpses of stars could be seen through the gaps in the branches. The corpse at the base of one of the trees had been there at least a day. Animals and insects had been working on it but Corbin still recognized the smell of Cactus Jack's unwashed clothes. Whatever had killed the crazy man had done it slowly, given the amount of dried blood had been splashed liberally about. He didn't smell gunpowder. Cactus Jack's killer hadn't used a gun.

First the Dudleys, then Cactus Jack. Two thugs and a crazy man. The only common denominator was all of them had interacted with AJ Styles recent enough to still have his distinctive scent on them. Corbin's ear turned to catch the sound of bats as he thought about the implications.

What was unnerving to Corbin was the smell of something unbelievably old on Cactus Jack's corpse. Dusty as ancient history, it smothered the smell of blood and urine. He knew what it was. Corbin was about to get up and go back to town to collect the other half of his payment when the blow sent him flying through the air and slammed into a tree trunk. He yelped like a frightened pup as he felt several ribs break on impact. He slid down the tree, the rough bark catching his fur. He landed at the base, the stirred up scent of pine filling his sensitive nose even as his mouth filled with blood.

Baron painfully turned his head. His attacker was a black form in the dark. It was a huge, human shaped figure. But he knew it wasn't human, it was the Skinwalker.

"Why are you here, puppy?" a voice rumbled. The figure moved closer and Corbin heard it inhale.

With wrenching dismay Corbin remembered that he too had interacted with AJ Styles recently, just as huge hands reached out and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.

TBC