Starlo leaned back with his feet kicked up on the desk, careful not to let his hat fall over his eyes. He’d landed a pretty good job all things considered, taking night watch in a small town like hometown, but even if things were peaceful most nights, he wasn’t about to sleep on the job or anything. Not only would captain Undyne have his hide, but he couldn’t help but feel like Cole would be disappointed if he found out. Sheriffs gotta be ready for action on a moment's notice!

Starlo laughed to himself as he took his feet off the desk and leaned over the paperwork. Ok so maybe he wasn’t a sheriff or anything just yet… ‘Cadet North Star’ didn’t have the same ring to it, but he had everyone cheerin’ for him back in Eastwood, so by god he’d work himself to the bone if that’s what it took! With a swig of coffee, he leaned over the forms and got working, the hours droning by with the ticking of the wall clock.

Around midnight, the tedium started to wear on him as he leaned back once more with a sigh. He missed the days of getting up to ‘no good’ with his buddies from high school. He always knew life was going to settle down eventually. That he’d have to get serious and be responsible, and all that nonsense, but there was something missing that used to make every day feel like an adventure. Maybe that’s why he took this job, was he just trying to rekindle that sense of purpose? Starlo shook his head, what kinda cowboy stressed over things like this, and besides, it’s not like things being peaceful was all that bad right?

He had just settled back into the rhythm of work, when Undyne's voice blared over the radio. She’d been on patrol ever since a local call about a slashed tire earlier tonight. She said it was probably just local hoodlums, something she could handle on her own, but now as the radio crackled, Starlo could hear the tension in her voice.

“Cadet Starlo, wake up! I need back up on the double!”

Starlo jumped forward in his seat, switching on the receiver, responding in kind, “10-4 captain, this is Starlo. What’s your status?”

Undyne cut in stepping on Starlo's transmission, making her response fade in and out as the signal competed, “--- time, teachers house — dark — hurry!”

Starlo thought quickly. Teacher’s house? Shit he hadn’t had the time to meet all the residents yet, but considering that one of the teachers lived in an apartment, maybe she meant the lady that lived at the far north side of the town. His breath caught, didn’t she have a kid? He barreled out the door, dashing through the moonlit streets. He couldn’t explain it, but a pit of dread welled up in his gut, like something terrible was waiting on him, and a sheriff was nothin’ without his intuition.

He rounded the last corner leading up to the 2 story house hidden away in gloom as the treeline obscured the moon's glow. The car out front had a noticeable tilt as it leaned on steel rims where the tires were punctured, and the front door was cracked open with gouts of black smoke pouring into the night sky. Starlo’s first thought was fire, consuming the house from within, but it struck him, the aching silence in the night. He drew closer listening, no crackling or heat from wood being consumed, and as he stared into the dark, he swore he could see something dancing about within. It dawned on him that it had no smell, no acrid odor burning his eyes. It was as though the darkness of the night was trying to swallow up the sky itself, and with it every living thing in this house.

He reached for the door before jerking back, nerves overtaking him for a moment. He paced for a moment, justifying to himself. Something like this was probably way over his head. He should call for back-up. Whatever is going on, probably got Undyne, aint no reason she wouldn’t be hollerin at the top of her lungs louder than daylight if she wasn’t out for the count, and besides, he was just a cadet after all wasn’t he?

No. No he was the back-up wasn’t he. He looked at the gun on his hip, steel resolve gripping his heart, stilling him. What else is a sheriff but the last man standing. When justice needs to be done, the man who stands and stares danger in the face. Besides, could he ever look Cole in the eyes again if he ran away now? Heart slamming against his chest, he swung the door open and marched into the unknown.

At first Starlo tried feeling his way around, trying to avoid stumbling into furniture or walking into walls, but seconds drew into minutes, as the front room of this house extended far further than should have been possible. He wandered through the unfathomable darkness against all doubt and fear, until a shrill howl cut across the expanse, prompting him to draw his gun at the ready. His eyes adjusted to the darkness slowly, as he saw the revolver that had somehow taken the place of his pistol. His standard issue blues were replaced with a brown poncho, leather boots and gloves, and the brim of his hat extended further than before, shadowing his eyes.

He marveled at the sight for a moment as though he had stepped right out of a movie, but Undyne’s distant shouting drew his focus. He sprinted forward to the source, revolver at the ready when he spotted the captain, donned in full armor lunging glowing spears at the embodiment of terror itself, A creature of pure blackest night, darkness that shone against the darkness itself, with skeletal limbs wielding a sword of the devils own making.

Starlo was damn sure the world had gone completely mad, but as the beast lunged forward, streaming across the ocean of shadows, he supposed that it didn't really matter any more. Undyne reeled back and launched another volley of spears, that the creature juked mid flight before it crashed into her, lifting her off her feet as it crumpled part of her armor. The thing seemed to finally see Starlo as it shifted its trajectory, aiming to dart over his head. He could hear the distant shouting of kids further off, and it dawned on him. This thing was trying to make a getaway, with the captain in tow!

Starlo dove as he drew a bead on the living terror as it swooped low overhead. He could see a door behind him in the distance, and at that speed it would be a matter of seconds before it got away. He was just a cadet, just a regular guy who’d taken up a mantle for a more exciting life. What if he missed, what if he hit Undyne instead, what if he wasn’t cut out for this? The shot rang out across everlasting darkness, loud and true, finding its mark, as the monstrosity went careening into the void-like ground.

In a flash Undyne freed herself from it’s grip, regaining her bearings as Starlo approached, cheering for ‘the little cadet that could’, but the sheriff had eyes on the demon which proceeded to reform itself before them, little worse for the wear. Once more he leveled his revolver at the beast, sternly issuing it the law ultimatum, “so, are ya gonna come quietly, or do we get to do this the hard way.”

Once more it roared, fury coursing through the air as the gale force of its hatred was strong enough to push him back several feet. Sheriff North Star grinned, “The hard way it is.”

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Pub: 10 Mar 2026 03:05 UTC

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