Arthur and Dutch stood outside the small cabin, a lantern illuminating the door. "I gotta warn ya Dutch, she's a little skittish so…"
Dutch scoffed "As if I would draw my gun on a young girl. What do you take me for Arthur?"
Arthur held up his hands in surrender "I ain't sayin' you would, I jus' figured I'd let you know, that's all." Arthur knocked on the door and called out "You still in here, kid?" There was a sound of something heavy dropping on the ground and a small curse as Arthur opened the door and stepped inside, Dutch following behind him.
"Kid?" The girl had fallen off of the small bed and was now laying on the floor "Y'alright?" She sat up slowly shaking her head a little
"Yeah, I just fell off the bed I think, you scared me." A shadow moved from behind Arthur.
"Arthur can be scary sometimes, can't he?" The voice was deep and gruff sounding and the girl startled.
"Dutch I told you not to scare her." Dutch merely hummed in acknowledgment as he took in the girls appearance and the bag that sat at the foot of the bed"
"You said you found her in the barn with that horse?"
Arthur nodded "Yeah, don't think she had been there long though, that jacket of hers felt too warm."
Dutch tilted his head a little, studying the jacket in question. "You were right about one thing, she is dressed kinda funny." The girl looked down and blushed in embarrassment "What's your name, Miss?"
The girl looked at Dutch then back to Arthur "Heather…"
Dutch nodded "Where did you come from, Heather?"
Heather fidgeted with the zipper on her jacket and whispered "You wouldn't believe me…"
Dutch blinked and took a step forward to hear her better "What?"
"I said you wouldn't believe me."
Arthur closed the door to the cabin as Dutch crouched down in front of her. "Why wouldn't I believe you?" Dutch looked bigger in the firelight, like a looming shadow cast over a small animal. "Miss?"
Heather startled a little again before answering "Because I don't believe it myself."
Dutch looked at her "You aren't with the O'Driscolls are you?"
"Dutch!" Arthur exclaimed "Does she look like she runs with them? Look at her!"
Dutch turned his head "I am lookin', and all I'm seein' is some girl who just so happens to be up here, with some crazy horse, who's dressed funny. What am I supposed to think?"
Arthur opened his mouth to speak but was cut off. "I don't run with them. I wouldn't run with them even if it was my only option." Arthur and Dutch both turned to her but it was Dutch who spoke first
"But you know about them?"
Heather nodded "I know about them…I also know about you."
The air in the room grew thick with tension and Dutch stood up and went to go stand by the fire a few feet away.
"Just tell us where you came from kid, that's all we're askin'." Arthur's voice was gentle, but a little demanding and Heather nodded and sighed.
"I'm...I'm from a different time...the future." That got the attention of Dutch quickly. "You're from where?" His tone was harsh, though laced with confusion.
"Th-The future....a little over a century from now…"
Arthur laughed "You're kiddin', good one kid, real good!" When the girl didn't respond Arthur stopped "Wait you're serious…"
She nodded and motioned over to the bag at the foot of the bed. "You can look through that bag if you don't believe me." Arthur started towards the bag as Heather looked up at Dutch "There's also this…" She reached behind her on the bed and pulled something out from under the pillow and slid it across the floor towards Dutch.
"That's so you think I won't try to kill you in your sleep or anything…" Dutch picked up the object, slowly turning it over in his hands.
"Is this a gun?"
Heather nodded "Made by Smith & Wesson, it's loaded...so be careful." Dutch studied the oddly shaped barrel and the engravings on it.
".380...what does that mean?" Heather smiled and walked over holding her hand out for the gun.
"It stands for the caliber it uses. .380 is the caliber made between a .22 and a .9mm"
Arthur was digging his way through the bag when he cried out "Ow! What the hell?"
He pulled out an ax and a knife safely in its sheath "The hell kinda ax is this?" He held it up to the light to study it better. One side had a regular ax blade, while the other had a nasty pick-ax like point
"Sorry, forgot about that…be careful its sharp…"
He grunted and set the ax down and gently removed the knife out of its sheath. "Hey Dutch, there's an engravin' on this knife here...1942 to 2017...Dutch I don't think she's lyin'...."
Dutch shook his head "No...No son I don't think she is either…" Heather reached into her back pocket
"There's one more thing, to prove what I'm telling you is true."
She pulled a flat rectangular object out of her pocket and pushed a button on the side illuminating the room with light. "It's called a cellphone." Dutch jerked back at the sudden light, reaching down to the gun at his hip. "It's not dangerous, see look." Her fingers swiped across the screen and new images with smaller images popped up on the screen.
"I...I need to go lie down...I haven't slept in three days…"
Arthur came over and put his hand on Dutch's shoulder. "What are we gonna do with the kid?"
Dutch glanced at Arthur "She comes with us. Come on Miss."
Heather went over and grabbed her bag, putting her things, except for her gun, inside. She concealed her pistol in the waistband of her pants, hooking the clip of the plastic holster over her belt, and followed Dutch and Arthur outside into the snow. She looked over to the barn hearing a commotion "Reaver, is he okay?" Dutch turned a little pale at the sound of the horse's name.
"I spooked him earlier, Arthur tried to calm him down but…"
Heather nodded "I understand, he doesn't like people. I'll go calm him down." Before Dutch or Arthur could stop her she was already headed for the barn and had slipped inside.
"Well." Arthur said looking at Dutch "What do you think?"
Dutch shook his head "I don't know, son. I don't know."