Chapter - 18
Jacob hummed to himself as he made his way home, a small, pleased smile playing on his lips. He held a small pouch in his hand, feeling the smooth texture of the fabric and the slight weight of the surprise he had picked up for Eliza. While passing by the general store earlier that day, something had caught his eye. Among the shelves of mundane items and daily necessities, a beautiful bracelet had stood out. The bracelet was simple but elegant, adorned with delicate green stones that glimmered in the light. Its subtle design and the way the green stones would complement Eliza's eyes had immediately made him think of her, and he decided to buy it on the spot.
"El, I'm home," Jacob called out as he made his way towards the front porch. It was the afternoon, and Eliza would normally be sitting on the swing with a book in her hands. The sight of the empty swing gave him pause, but he thought little of it as he continued towards the house, assuming she might be in the kitchen.
"El, where are you, love? I've got a surprise for you," he called out again as he opened the front door.
The click of a revolver loading stopped Jacob in his tracks.
"Hello, Jacob. It's been quite a long time, lad." Jacob's heart skipped a beat as a familiar, chilling voice spoke from behind him.
Jacob turned slowly, his pulse quickening. There, sitting at the dining table in their lounge, was Koen. The man who had once given him a taste of freedom and taken him under his wing. The man Jacob had ultimately betrayed. Koen sat there, a revolver casually resting on the table in front of him, his eyes cold and calculating.
"Take a seat, Jacob," Koen continued, gesturing to the chair opposite him.
Jacob's mind raced, but he forced himself to stay calm as he silently took a seat. His eyes never left Koen's, searching for any sign of what might come next. "Where's Eliza?" he asked.
Koen smiled, a slow, almost predatory smile. "We'll get to that in a minute. First, why don't we discuss something more important," he said, his tone casual yet menacing.
Jacob's jaw tightened as he thought of Eliza getting hurt. "Koen, I swear, if you've touched a single hair on her..." He began, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and fury.
Before Jacob could finish, Koen interrupted him, leaning forward with a cold stare. "Why did you do it, Jacob? Why did you betray us? Do you know, we searched for weeks, thinking something might have happened to you. We thought the law might have caught you. We were reckless in trying to find our lost brother and because of that, the Pinkertons easily found our trail. They attacked us. We lost Jonah, and most of the gold, as Nathan and I barely escaped with our lives."
Jacob took a deep breath, the weight of Koen's words hitting him hard. "I'm sorry, Koen. I didn't think it would end up like that. I'm truly sorry for Jonah's loss. For all his faults, he was still like a brother to me."
Koen's eyes narrowed, his fury barely contained. "Imagine my surprise when I found out that someone named Jacob Turner, matching the description of my lost friend, was said to live here. I've been observing you for sometime now. You've made quite a life for yourself."
Jacob saw the fury in Koen's eyes deepen with each word. He tried to calm him down. "Koen, I only took my share, nothing more. I needed to get out, Koen. We both know that life wasn't going to end well for any of us. I needed to protect Eliza."
Koen's face twisted with anger. "It wasn't your share. It was the gang's," he shouted, the venom in his voice palpable.
Koen stood up, his revolver now pointed directly at Jacob. "And now you're going to see the consequences for crossing Koen de Vos."
Jacob's heart pounded in his chest as he slowly rose from his seat, Koen motioning him towards the door. The cold steel of the revolver never wavered from Jacob's back as they stepped outside.
Outside, Jacob's worst fears materialized before him. Eliza knelt on the ground, her hands bound, sobbing uncontrollably. Nathan stood behind her, a rifle trained on her head.
"Hello, old friend," Nathan called out with a twisted grin.
Jacob's heart plummeted. He had never felt such terror as he did at that moment, looking at his crying wife. "Koen, you don't have to do this. She has nothing to do with this," Jacob pleaded, his voice breaking.
Koen's eyes were cold and merciless. "Oh, but Jacob, she has everything to do with this. This woman was the reason you betrayed me. I'm not going to let her live."
Jacob's desperation grew. "Koen, please, kill me instead. Just, please, let her go. She's pregnant, Koen. Please, let her go."
Koen's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Oh, she's pregnant," he repeated, turning to look at Eliza. Jacob thought he saw a flicker of hesitation in Koen's eyes, hoping it might be enough to spare her.
"Well then," he said, and suddenly, two bullets rang out in quick succession. One struck Eliza in the face, the other in her stomach. Jacob could do nothing else but watch, as she collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Smoke curled from Koen's revolver. "Thanks for telling me, Jacob. That's why I shot twice, just to make sure," Koen sneered.
Jacob's world shattered. He lost his mind in a torrent of rage and grief. He pounced on Koen, knocking him to the ground. In a flurry of movement, he wrestled the revolver from Koen's hand and began firing wildly, each shot fueled by his agony and fury. Koen's body jerked with each impact until it lay still, riddled with bullets.
Suddenly, a sharp pain seared through Jacob's left shoulder as Nathan's rifle cracked. The force of the shot sent Jacob sprawling to the side, but he ignored the pain, driven by a singular need for vengeance. He rolled over, raised the revolver, and fired. The bullet found its mark, hitting Nathan squarely in the head. Nathan crumpled to the ground, dead.
Gasping for breath, smeared with Koen's blood, Jacob's mind slowly cleared. He crawled towards Eliza's lifeless body, his heart breaking with each movement. "No, no, no," he muttered, disbelief and sorrow intertwining in his voice.
He knelt beside her, gently lifting her head into his lap. "Noooo!!!" Jacob wailed, his cries echoing in the stillness of the afternoon. "Please, God, please don't do this to me, please!!" He clutched her body to his chest, his tears mingling with the blood on his hands.
Jacob rocked back and forth, consumed by his grief, his world reduced to the profound loss of the woman he loved.
1912, Willow Creek, America
Jacob took a deep drag of the cigarette as he stood in the silent saloon, revolver in his hand. Dead bodies were strewn around him, including the sheriff's. The acrid smell of gunpowder lingered in the air, mingling with the scent of spilled whiskey. Blood pooled on the wooden floorboards, reflecting the flickering light of the few remaining oil lamps.
He knew it wouldn't be long before the rest of the lawmen came barrelling in, guns blazing, ready to kill him. Jacob didn't want to run anymore. There was no escape from the ghosts of his past, no solace in the life of a fugitive.
With a resigned calmness, he continued smoking his cigarette, savoring each drag as if it were his last. His mind wandered to Eliza, her laughter, her touch, and the promise of a future that had been stolen from him.
The saloon doors burst open with a loud crash, and Jacob didn't flinch. His eyes remained fixed on the doorway as numerous men with rifles filtered in. Shouts filled the room, commanding him to drop his weapon, to surrender.
Jacob simply took another drag of his cigarette, the ember glowing brightly in the dim light. He met their eyes, one by one, with a steely gaze that spoke of a man who had nothing left to lose.
"Drop it, Jacob!" one of the lawmen shouted, his voice taut with tension.
Jacob exhaled a plume of smoke, letting the cigarette dangle from his lips. He didn't move, didn't speak. His silence was his final defiance, his acceptance of the inevitable.
The first shot rang out, followed by a barrage of gunfire. Bullets tore through Jacob's body, each impact a punctuation mark to his story. He fell to the ground, his cigarette slipping from his lips, extinguished in a pool of blood.
As he lay there, his vision dimming, the chaos around him faded. Jacob's thoughts drifted back to Eliza one last time. A faint smile touched his lips as he imagined her beside him, their hands intertwined, free from the world that had torn them apart.
His breath came in shallow gasps, and he whispered her name one final time. "Eliza..."
And with that, Jacob's eyes closed, his life slipping away in the silent saloon of Willow Creek.