Everyone was dead, well mostly. Winslow was still alive but dying (three bullets center mass life expectancy very poor). I told you I killed them all, figured I didn't need to go into the hows and whys, combination of bullets and fire magic. Aside from Winslow they all were pretty much unarmed, so not exactly a challenge, and even then Winslow without the benefit of being up close to slice my neck, was a pretty poor shot, he even killed one of his own men in the attempt, he did unfortunately put a round through my abdomen, though it felt like it passed through (sadly I've become used to being injured so I could tell, I will say this of bullets at least they don't stick in you like damned arrows would). Winslow as all people do when they are dying was trying to stop himself from dying/trying to kill me. Which was laughable, but understandable.
"You are a demon." His voice was wavering, he should have been saving his last bits of strength, but he wasn't.
"Yep, pretty much, hundreds of years old steal the life from others to extend my own, I'm the definition of a demon in the common belief system. Which is kind of sad now that I admit that. But there is one thing I'm better at than anyone else save one entity I don't entirely understand and that's killing to survive, before you were born Winslow I'd been killing people like you for hundreds of years, and there you sit a testament to my ability to murder. The years move on and I get better at this, I'm a better shot, I'm a better magic user, and I've found ways to kill with necromancy that would turn your hair white, so go on call me all the bad names as you lay dying because I'm exactly the monster you call me." He made one last effort to sit up to take a shot at me, and then collapsed the last of his life force expended his ragged breath came out as a grunt. So that was that, I came clean about what I have become and the person I came clean to was dying from my actions so he couldn't exactly tell anyone. It was cleansing. I felt lightened.
I was also richer, the cultists despite being a bunch of stupid cannibals who believed a made up story. Had quite a lot of money in their pockets. And I still had my luggage! About the only thing I lacked was my novel, but with my money and choice of transportation I was sure even that too could be replaced. And so I set off back from town a new man. I didn't bother to burn the barn down, I'm sure whoever owned it was in for quite a shock, but I'm just a passing drifter anyway, no connection to the events I involve myself in and therefore no real reason to ever be suspected. There are times I wonder if I have become a demon, or if someone will come looking for me that's on the right side of the law. I'm sure that's coming and I'll kill them to, because the one thing I believe in above all else, is me!
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