Red, a widower and grizzled veteran of the modern age, is tasked with protecting a small rural town in Texas from any and all threats. Joining his night watch is Rory (a clownish drunk), Bev (a hardened sharpshooter and mother of three), and Casey (a teenager and budding psychopath). Their patrol is interrupted by an odious messenger-- The Forgiveness, a political party / zealous religious cult known for their cruelty, is heading their way, looking for blood and converts.
In this bloody neo-western, Red has to prepare his town for the impending massacre. That means he needs to shake hands with shady arms and drug dealers in Dallas, make some home-made napalm, and deal with the ghosts of his past as he bargains with his God for survival.
Crimson Stain is the first entry in the Lesser Evils series, a collection of novelettes that take place in the dystopian universe established in The Least of 99 Evils. Welcome to the New States of America: Washington DC's been burned to the ground. The President is elected by a lottery machine. Political parties have turned into street gangs. The Coasts have been nuked and the flyover states have been entirely walled-in. Have a nice stay.
