Cold Iron Blood

California, 1876. Captain Silas Hatcher survived four years of war. He rode west to find his brother and leave the killing behind. He found Micah dying in a monster's jaws. Now, Silas is one of them. A vampire, cursed with an unrelenting Thirst and a predatory Instinct that whispers from the shadows of his mind. The sun that once warmed him would burn him to ash. The discipline that kept him alive through Sherman's March is all that stands between the man he was and the monster he's becoming. But discipline can be a weapon too. Armed with cavalry steel, silver bullets, and the Cold Iron will that carried him through hell, Silas begins a bloody campaign against the ancient vampire who murdered his brother. He'll need allies: a fugitive scientist with forbidden knowledge, a deputy who won't stop hunting him, and a broken young man with nothing left to lose. Vane rules Cinder Creek from the shadows. His power is centuries deep. His connections reach from San Francisco to the Old World. Silas has two weeks of unlife and a revolver. It'll have to be enough. WHAT TO EXPECT:- Literary prose- Atmospheric Gothic Western setting- Military-authentic tactical thinking- Complex antagonists- Psychological horror- Character progression- Long-term story, over 100k word backlog Updates: Tuesdays and Fridays