The next morning..
Arthur's journal,
We have been running for weeks. We found shelter and have been resting here in some old abandoned mining town while we wait for the thaw—hardly the spring I've been hoping for.
Arthur closed his journal after finishing his entry. He frequently writes in it—his thoughts, his experiences, and most importantly, his memories.
Arthur walked out of his room into the main room of the cabin. He saw Dutch and Hosea sitting in front of the fireplace. Neither of them greeted him, and he didn't bother to say good morning either, as they were too focused on their conversation. Arthur decided to go outside.
He was immediately met with the blinding white snow, the still gray sky, and again a snowstorm. He walked over to the cabin to the right of his own. As he walked inside, he heard the conversation begin as he closed the door behind him. "-up with you boys, because I thought you liked action." It was Micah, again blabbering about things Arthur honestly didn't care to hear. Inside were Bill, Lenny, and Micah. "-couple of days on the lam and you lot have all turned yella," Micah continued. Arthur flicked his finger towards the bottle in Micah's hand, which Micah handed over as he kept on talking. Micah then looked at Lenny. "Apart from you, of course."
"Shut up, Micah," replied Lenny in an annoyed voice, the cigarette between his gloved fingers. Micah ignored Lenny's irritation and continued. "I ain't never seen so many long faces." Just then, Javier, who had been standing outside by the fireplace of the small cabin, came inside. "I guess... I guess folks miss them... that fell." said Bill, also smoking a cigarette.
Micah looked at Bill as they sat across from each other. "Well, when I fall, I don't want no fuss." Lenny then joined the conversation. Arthur just watched the three, even Javier was observing their exchange. "When you fall, there'll be a party." Bill laughed, and Arthur had to stifle his own laugh at that. Lenny wasn't lying though; he would definitely organize a party if Micah died. "A party..." Micah mumbled, placing his bottle on the ground. Arthur took a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it with a match struck against the wood of the chair. "Probably," laughed Bill. Even Lenny was laughing. Just then, Micah stood up. Arthur put out the match and watched Micah. "That funny, huh?" asked Micah in a mocking tone.
Bill looked at Micah, who now stood towering over him. "Sure," Bill said. Just then, Micah punched Bill in the jaw, knocking Bill's hat off. Bill, being Bill, of course, stood up in anger. Lenny jumped off his place, and Arthur did too, as Bill wanted to attack Micah. Arthur and Lenny held Bill back. Micah then turned around and started speaking. "Maybe I don't feel like being laughed at by the likes of you two."
Then Dutch burst into the cabin. "Stop it!" he said in a stern voice. "Now, you fools, punching each other when Colm O'Driscoll's need punching hard. You wanna sit around waiting for him to come find us?" Arthur stepped aside from Dutch and walked outside. "All of you, we got work to do. Come on." Dutch then walked outside, and Arthur looked back at him, his cigarette still between his lips, as he started to question Dutch. "Are you sure about this, Dutch?"
"Yes." Micah followed after Dutch.
"Folks been through a lot recently; we hardly been back on our feet yet." Arthur's voice was a bit muffled by the cigarette, but Dutch could understand him just fine.
"And the last thing we need is to get bushwhacked by Colm O'Driscoll. Let's go." He tapped Arthur's shoulder and guided him towards the horses.
"I know you hate him, Dutch." Arthur started, but Dutch immediately cut him off.
"He's here for us."
Arthur didn't believe it. "I doubt that."
Dutch was quick with his response. "No, you're just doubting me." He said it firmly, with a hint of accusation.
Arthur felt a little stung. "I would never doubt you, Dutch. You... you always said revenge is a luxury we can't afford." Arthur put his cigarette back in his mouth as Dutch continued speaking, taking a gun from his horse's saddle and handing it to Arthur.
"This is the right call, Arthur. Take this." Arthur took the gun from Dutch, inspecting it as Dutch kept speaking. "And this is about more than revenge for business long ago." Dutch quickly turned around, took a rope from his horse's saddle, and gave it to Arthur too, who took it without complaint.
"They were talking about trains and detonators. Here. Colm always had good information." Arthur inspected the rope too and looked back at Dutch.
"Come on," said Dutch. He walked back to his horse and mounted it, and Arthur did the same with his horse.
"And you think now is the right time to hit a train?" asked Arthur, putting the gun and the rope on the saddle before mounting his horse.
"Now you may fancy living on deer piss and rabbit shit. I'm getting too old for that life." Arthur took his last hit of his cigarette before throwing it in front of him, into the thick snow. "Mr. Matthews, Mr. Smith, Mr. Pearson, would you please look after the place? There are O'Driscolls about."
With that, Dutch urged his horse to start moving, and the rest followed Dutch on their way to rob a train.
"Southwest, right, Arthur?" asked Dutch from in front of Arthur, the group in a full gallop.
"Yeah, he said follow the main trail southwest. They're camped near some lake."
Dutch was pleased with that. "Okay, let's go find these bastards before they find us, and rob this score they're planning." With that, their little trip to Colm O'Driscoll's camp began.
A little while later, they stumbled across tracks.
"What's that?" Arthur asked, looking at the ground.
"Tracks... horses, quite a few of 'em. Far as I can tell, the only fools out here are us and them... they must be this way." explained Dutch. The group followed the tracks.
"You good, Dutch?" asked Arthur, trotting next to him. Dutch side-glanced at him.
"Of course. Listen, I know you don't think much of my ideas recently, but this is the right move."
"Okay… you know I got your back." replied Arthur truthfully. The group went into a canter.
"I learned a long time ago that you hit Colm O'Driscoll, wait for him, and people you love will die." There was evident venom in Dutch's tone as he pronounced 'hit.' Definitely happy about it.
Arthur sighed. "This feud between you and him needs to be put to rest, one way or another."
Dutch let out a snort mixed with a chuckle. "It will be. Some things I can forgive, others I can't forget. What he did to Annabelle, I can't do either."
"You killed his brother, Dutch," Arthur said, to get some sense into Dutch's thick skull.
"Yes, I did. And I hope the bastards'll be reunited soon enough. That's how this'll end. See that smoke? Let's cut up here and take a look. They said it was near the lake, so we must be close."
They went further up the hill until Dutch stopped. "Hold up here," he said, and they all came to a halt. Arthur turned his horse too, as Dutch looked at the group.
"Alright, gentlemen, this is it." He clapped his gloved hands together before leaning forward on the saddle. "Are we goddamn ready?" he asked.
"Ready." came the unanimous response.
"Good. Now, Mr. Morgan and I are going to head up here a little, see if we can't get a sense of the layout of the camp. Mr. Williamson, Mr. Bell, you two take up a hidden position just outside the camp. Mr. Summers, Mr. Escuella, you two hold position here. Let's go."
Everyone dismounted, and Arthur followed Dutch further up the hill until they reached an edge. They crouched down and took out their binoculars.
Inside the binoculars, they saw the camp. "There they are…" said Dutch as they both focused on two horses, one of which a person was saddling up. "That's definitely them." replied Arthur as he saw one person come from behind a building and another person coming from another building too, going towards where the two horses stood.
"Colm?" Arthur asked.
"I think so." replied Dutch. When the person turned towards the horse that stood alone, they saw it was indeed Colm. "Yeah… that's him." Colm mounted his horse, and Arthur then noticed two people on horseback coming close behind the building, not from where Colm came.
Colm was talking to the two people on horseback by his side before he waved his arm at the other person, the one who was saddling his horse. The person went towards Colm, and they seemed to be in a conversation.
"Who's he talking to? He don't seem very happy," said Dutch.
"No…" agreed Arthur with Dutch. Just then, they saw Colm grab the person by their collar and give them two slaps across their face—one on the left side, one on the right side. Then he let go of the person, and no one seemed to react when Arthur looked around. The person then ran to his horse and mounted it.
"They leaving?" asked Dutch.
"Seem to be. Should we go get 'em?"
"No, Colm can wait. Best to get some of them outta here."
Dutch continued suddenly, "And much less to rob him and his score if he never finds out about it. Come on, let's get down there." With that, both put their binoculars away and stood up.
They walked to where their horses stood, with Lenny and Javier too. "Don't forget to grab your rifle from your horse." ordered Dutch, and Arthur immediately walked to his horse to take the rifle.
Dutch addressed the two other boys waiting. "You boys be ready to pick them off from up there." Dutch ordered, meaning where Arthur and Dutch had previously been watching the inside of the camp.
"Sure thing." replied Javier.
Arthur walked towards Dutch. "Good, come on, let's go." With that, both walked to a narrow pathway that led down to the camp. "We'll circle around to the far side and go down that way, same as Micah and Bill." Dutch continued, "Like you said, revenge is a luxury we can't afford."
"Yeah, I just wasn't sure you agree with me." replied Arthur.
Arthur walked towards Dutch. "Good, come on, let's go." With that, both walked to a narrow pathway that led down to the camp. "We'll circle around the far side and go down that way, same as Micah and Bill," Dutch continued. "Like you said, revenge is a luxury we can't afford."
"Yeah, I just wasn't sure you agreed with me." replied Arthur.
"Arthur. Arthur, have you completely lost faith in me? Our needs right now are supplies, equipment, and a way out of here. Everything else, including Colm, can wait."
"Okay." replied Arthur once again.
"There are enough of those bastards down there to deal with as it is. Now come on." said Dutch determinedly, and they walked into the narrow pathway. They had to take a few turns. Once they got down to the ground level of the camp, the camp was on their left side. They decided to walk through the trees that were scattered around on the right side of the camp.
"Maybe I should take the lead on this. They're going to be gunning for you." suggested Arthur as he walked behind Dutch.
"They ain't got me yet." replied Dutch stubbornly. Arthur secretly rolled his eyes. Why was Dutch so stubborn? "No, but the way our luck's been running..."
"Hush, let's get down first." Arthur was internally screaming at Dutch. Why was he like this? Yes, Dutch was a good man, but this... Why? Why was Dutch now going to literally attack Colm's gang, then next to a train robbery? They were supposed to lay low. This was going to turn into a bloodbath, and Arthur wasn't really looking forward to it today.
"Follow me, let's head to that building in front." said Dutch. Arthur sighed quietly. They crouched down and walked towards what seemed to be a sort of hall, even though the wooden walls were half broken. They walked into the 'hall' and moved to where Micah and Bill were standing underneath a building.
"Okay, let's get in cover." said Dutch. Arthur complied and stood by a wall in a hidden stance, his rifle in his hands, holding it with both hands as he watched two men.
"So, what are we doing? I can take this if you want." asked Arthur in a whisper, making sure not to attract attention from the two men.
"Just take the call. You wanna take the lead? Go."
"Okay." replied Arthur. He steadied his rifle, aimed at the closest of the two men in the open cabin, and aimed at his head. His finger hovered over the trigger, and then he pushed the trigger. A bang was heard, followed by screams.
Immediately, Colm's gang went into defensive mode, and Dutch's gang did too. "Come on, let's move!" yelled Dutch, and they went out from their hiding spot to another area for better access to the whole camp. Arthur ran a bit ahead, and suddenly he heard a bullet whizz close past his ear. He looked around and saw one man on a tower. Arthur aimed and shot the person in the head, the limp body falling forward from the height to the ground with a soft thump.
They kept shooting as more of Colm's gang kept coming. Then, they heard no more gunfire.
"I think that's all of them!" informed Bill.
"Search the bodies, strip everything we can from them!" ordered Dutch. Arthur walked to the closest body and looted their belongings. Some items were valuable and could fetch a good amount of money if sold in a town.
Arthur heard Bill talking to Dutch while he was looting a few more bodies. "You recognize any of them, Dutch?" Arthur heard Bill ask.
"Of course not. Colm doesn't give a damn about his men. All he cares about is numbers. If you can shoot a gun, ride a horse, and kill without thought, you're in."
Arthur found some opened miracle tonic, some money, ammunition, and opened Guarma rum.
"Think how long some of you have been with me? I imagine Colm doesn't even know half the names of these fools. Keep looking! We need everything we can get off of these bastards!" continued Dutch.
On one person, Arthur found a silver clamp buckle. Not really good, probably worth $1.
But money is money, and if Arthur sold his whole collection of different items, he could definitely reach up to $50. And hunting is always very rewarding too. Easy to make the most money.
"Ah shit! Look out, more of those bastards coming outta the trees!" yelled Dutch in warning. Arthur looked toward the trees and saw Dutch was right. He first looted the person he was standing over, then ran to join the others, who were hiding behind a few boxes that provided them some shelter.
Once Arthur was close, Dutch noticed him. "What do you think, Arthur? Should we hold ground here, or go at them?"
Arthur assessed the situation. It was better to defend while they stayed put. At least here they had more proper cover. If they were to charge at the scattered people in the trees, they could easily be killed.
"Reckon we're better holding here." The people from the trees just ran towards them, making them easy targets. The enemies were fully exposing themselves, which made aiming and shooting simple.
"Alright, pick 'em off as they come outta the trees!" ordered Dutch to the rest of the gang.
"Don't lose them in the trees." Arthur heard Micah say, and he rolled his eyes. But Micah wasn't wrong; the O'Driscolls were darting in and out behind the trees, making them harder to hit. Some were foolish enough to walk out into the open, right on the road, displaying themselves fully.
Suddenly, the O'Driscolls were being incredibly stupid. They kept running into the open, right towards them. Seriously, who trained these idiots? They were basically asking to be shot, exposing themselves and making for easy targets. Damn fools.
"The cowards are running away. Good work, boys." praised Dutch with a chuckle. Arthur watched as they retreated deeper into the forest.
"Back to the camp. We'll get what we need and clear out." Dutch ordered. Arthur fought the urge to loot all those bodies scattered around. Eventually, he gave in and looted them, despite it being against Dutch's orders. Money is money. He couldn't just let it sit there. If he was lucky, some of them might have had gold or jewels. Some could potentially be worth a lot.
He found some cigars, ammunition, a silver emblem ring, a silver buckle band, cigarettes, health cures, chewing tobacco, and more. The only item he could sell that would earn him decent money was the health cures, but he needed it more for himself.
Arthur walked towards the middle of the camp where the rest stood with the horses. Since when were the horses here? Whatever.
"Good work, boys. Now, let's tear this place apart. Bill, you go search that wagon over there. Micah, search that building. Arthur, you take that building to the left. Alright, men, quick!" Dutch gave them all their orders, and Arthur headed to the building Dutch had assigned him.
"Find those detonators, explosives, anything you can. Let's go." Dutch added quickly as he mounted his horse.
In the building, Arthur found some canned food, crackers, and more chewing tobacco. He spotted a chest and opened it to find a potent health cure and some canned sweetcorn. Then he looked around and saw a larger chest labeled "DYNAMITE."
Arthur opened the chest and glanced backward, seeing Bill approaching. "Here… this looks good. What do you think, Bill?" Arthur picked up the dynamite and handed one to Bill, who took it.
"Looks fine…," Bill said, sniffing it, "...smells good."
Arthur took another small wooden box and handed it to Bill, who accepted it. "Come on." Arthur walked outside with Bill trailing behind him.
"Did we get everything?" asked Dutch.
"Think so, boss," replied Micah, holding a large paper roll as he walked toward Dutch. "Found this in one of them." Micah handed the paper to Dutch, who gratefully accepted it and unrolled it.
Dutch read it and said, "Oh yeah, interesting. This is something about the train they were gonna rob. A Mr. Leviticus Cornwall. Mount back up, let's keep moving."
"Alright, let's get outta here. Proud of you boys! All of you. Not a man down." Dutch said, as Arthur passed the group and rode behind him. "Good work, fellers." Arthur heard Micah say.
Yet Dutch immediately started talking again.
"Not bad for some starving down-and-outs. They can pummel us as hard as they like, but we will always get back up and fight. That's who we are. Outlaws for life, fellers."
Arthur looked away from Dutch's back. "Wait until we have John, Mac, Charles, and Sean back riding with us. I believe... I know... they will all be back."
The name "John" caught his attention sharply. He snapped his eyes back at Dutch, bewildered and frustrated. How could Dutch just accept him so easily? John had left them for a whole damn year, abandoning them when they needed him most. And now he's back like nothing ever happened? Like he never betrayed the gang?
Arthur's sense of betrayal ran deep. While Dutch and some of the others seemed willing to welcome John back without much hesitation, Arthur struggled to understand why. The memory of John's absence, the hardships they faced in his absence, and the feeling of abandonment weighed heavily on him. Was he the only one who still felt the sting of his leaving? Everyone seemed to act like it was all water under the bridge, but for Arthur, it was far from that. John had left the gang to fend for itself, and now they were just supposed to move on? It felt like nothing mattered anymore.
They were like brothers, and it felt like John had thrown that away as if it were nothing. That hurt more than his absence actually. It wasn't just the fact that John had been gone; it was the way he had discarded their bond, like it was dirt.
But maybe John really had a reason. Arthur knew he needed to talk to John. He had been avoiding him, not wanting to see him, as it would only remind him of that painful time. Still, he needed to understand why John had left, why he had abandoned their bond. Did John really think that after a year away, Arthur would just hug him and give him a cake for coming back? John was such a fool.
But he wouldn't know more if he didn't ask John. John was now injured; he could keep him around, making John answer his questions. What was John going to do, run away with a bad leg? John was helpless, and it might make things better for Arthur to talk to him, knowing John wouldn't be able to leave.
"You didn't get Colm, but this hit will hurt him a lot more than any bullet in the head." Arthur said, his words stumbling out. He didn't mind; anything to get away from the thoughts of John right now.
Dutch replied, thankfully, "Especially when we rob this train, too."
Arthur chuckled at that. "Yeah, I guess we'll see about that."
"Oh indeed we will." Dutch said with a grin.
"You know.. he'll come after us."
"Oh, of course he will, just like all the rest. But we're going to stay a step ahead of them, make sure we always know where they are before they know where we are. We allowed ourselves to get a step behind in Blackwater. That won't happen again." Dutch said with a very determined voice.
He suddenly addressed the gang, switching his mood entirely. "Alright, dig in, fellers. Let's make some ground."
They cantered for a while when Dutch suddenly slowed down. What now, Arthur thought. Every time, couldn't they just go back to camp? He needed sleep, and a good conversation with John—if Abigail wasn't clinging to him 24/7.
"Hey, you see that feller? Wasn't he at the camp with Colm?" Dutch asked. Arthur quickly looked around and saw the brown, orange, or whatever color horse that had indeed been there. It was the boy Colm had smacked. The boy saw them and panicked, turning around.
"Leave him to me." Arthur said with a grin. This was going to be fun, actually…
"Alright, we're heading back. Just bring him back alive. He could be useful." Dutch instructed.
"Okay, you got it." Arthur replied before breaking into a gallop and running after the boy. He remembered he had a rope and pulled it from his saddlebag. Luckily, he could ride a horse without holding the reins—his legs were enough to guide the horse. Once he had the rope ready, he urged his horse to go faster.
"You got the wrong feller!" yelled the O'Driscolls, and Arthur rolled his eyes. He readied his lasso, aimed at the boy once he was close enough, then threw it. The rope caught the boy, who fell off his horse. The horse, panicked, bolted away. Arthur slowed his horse to a complete stop and dismounted.
"Shit, no!" the O'Driscoll yelled. Arthur walked over to the boy, turned him around, and tied his wrists and ankles, making escape impossible.
"You're coming with me." Arthur said with a grin, genuinely enjoying the moment.
"Please, please, you don't need to do this." the boy pleaded.
He then picked the boy up and threw him onto the back of his saddle, giving his horse a gentle nudge on the rump.
Arthur still didn't have a name for this horse, but he was definitely going to keep it. It was already proving to be super loyal.
"Please, just let me go." the boy begged. Was this kid dumb? Asking to be freed after being caught was definitely not going to work. Did some people genuinely lose their sense of logic?
Arthur mounted his horse. "What's your name, boy?" he asked, turning his horse around.
The boy replied in an angsty tone, "I don't know!"
Arthur raised his eyebrows. He didn't know his own name? What a fool.
"You don't know your name?"
"It's Kieran." the boy muttered.
Arthur wasn't quite satisfied with the boy's answer, or rather, Kieran's answer. "Kieran what?"
"Duffy. Kieran Duffy."
Duffy? What a foolish name. Arthur couldn't help but smirk. "Well, I ain't gonna lie to you, Kieran Duffy. This is a real bad day for you."
Kieran's voice trembled as he asked, "Where are you taking me?"
Arthur smirked wider to himself. "Somewhere you ain't gonna like." He relished in scaring people, the looks on their faces as if they were going to shit their pants out of fear. He had met someone who pissed themselves in fear, but never shit though. Why the fuck was he thinking about this? His thoughts were interrupted by the boy.
"Why? What are you gonna do to me?" Why was he so talkative though?
"Something you ain't gonna like. So I'd advise you to save your breath for screaming." He liked the reaction his words had on the boy.
"No, please!" Kieran begged, his voice shaking with fear.
Arthur didn't answer, and it was silent for a very long time. Arthur was glad the boy had shut his mouth; otherwise, he would have seriously knocked the person out. The quietness was actually relaxing—the sounds of the snowy wind, the crunch when the horse galloped through the high snow. Though… that was later interrupted.
"I-I'm no use to you." Why the fuck did he have to talk now? Why?
"You better shut your mouth, you little shit, or I will shut it for you." Arthur snapped. That, luckily, made the boy go silent again.
The O'Driscoll made a grunting sound. "Take it easy, you're gonna break my ribs." Silence. "C'mon, just name your price." the boy tried again.
Arthur remained silent.
"Oh God, please no!" Arthur's under-eye twitched in irritation.
"Are you trying to test me, is that it? Because I will break every bone in your body." Arthur growled, his patience wearing thin.
That at least made the boy apologize. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry… okay?"
"Not one more goddamn word, am I clear?" Arthur growled.
"Okay, okay!" Kieran replied quickly, his voice shaking.
"That's two bones right there. Here we are, you sack of shit. Let's introduce you to the boys." Despite his earlier threats, the boy managed to keep quiet for now. He dismounted his horse and took the boy on his shoulder.
"Don't hurt me, please." Kieran pleaded again. Goddammit.
"Oh, don't worry. They're real nice." Arthur walked towards the main building, and the door opened. Outside stepped Dutch.
"Ha, you found the little shit, did you?"
"Yep." replied Arthur, dropping Kieran on the ground. The boy made a little grunt sound.
"I got him." Arthur said, anticipating Dutch's question before he could ask. Arthur took his knife out of its holster and cut the rope on Kieran's ankles.
"Very good," Dutch said as he now stood in front of Arthur, a satisfied look on his face. "Welcome to your new home... hope you're real happy here."
Arthur then pulled the boy up, having not cut the ropes on his wrists—that would be stupid. "You want me to make him talk?" Arthur asked once Kieran stood on his feet. He had one hand on the rope at Kieran's wrists and one on Kieran's shoulder.
"Oh no, now all we'll get is lies." Dutch responded.
Dutch then turned his body slightly sideways. "Uncle. Mr. Williamson. Tie this maggot up someplace safe."
Bill took over, grabbing Kieran as Arthur let go. Uncle then took hold of Kieran from the other side. Dutch resumed talking. "We get him hungry first. I got a saying, my friend... we shoot fellers as need shooting... save fellers as need saving... and feed 'em as need feeding. We're gonna find out what you need." Dutch looked at Kieran with a face full of disgust, and surprisingly, Kieran did not utter a single word.
Dutch's mood suddenly changed, and he laughed. "I can't believe it, an O'Driscoll in my camp." He turned around and walked to the door of the cabin while Bill and Uncle walked away with Kieran.
Kieran then decided to talk, catching Arthur's attention. "I ain't no O'Driscoll, mister. I hate that feller."
Arthur rolled his eyes. That was the most bullshit he had ever heard.
"Oh, whatever you say, son." Dutch replied, clearly not believing Kieran. He then turned his gaze to Arthur. "Well done, Arthur." He opened the door.
"I'm just sorry we missed out on Colm." Arthur said quietly.
"Oh, there's time enough for that. Now, I gotta figure out if we can hit that train." With that, Dutch walked inside and closed the door behind him.
Arthur let out a deep sigh. He looked at the sky and saw it was getting darker. Deciding he was too tired to do anything more, he headed to his bed, eager for some rest.