"Are you okay?"
The words had startled him.
"Mhm." he mumbled absentmindedly, gazing at the building that once housed the man that had destroyed his life.
Edgar Ross.
It had been a little over 5 years since he had shot Edgar and his brother Phillip along the lakeside of Don Julio.
He sighed bitterly
He hadn't meant to kill them both. He was purely after Edgar but unfortunately for him Philip had decided to investigate the four shots that rang out. The four shots that went through Edgar Ross's chest like knife through a butter.
Two more shots were later heard by a man traveling nearby, according to the papers.
He thought he would get over it, he had killed men before while defending his home and he had killed men after for much lesser reasons. But he had never truly stopped feeling the weight of it. Edgar had it coming to him for what he did to his family and the many others he likely used to do his work but Phillip was different. He hadn't done anything but being cautious after hearing gunshots. But that wasn't Phillips burden to carry anymore.
"You don't seem like it" said a comforting voice, the voice of his fiance Martha.
He rubbed his face and broke his gaze with the FBI building. "I'm just thinking about something" he said after a delay. "Something that doesn't much matter anymore I suppose".
"You know, for the four years i've known you you've managed to stay a riddle the whole time" she replied in a teasing tone. A tone Jack knew well as it reminded him of his mother Abigail very much.
Maw.
He chuckled. "Hell, I reckon I don't fully understand myself yet".
They had been going on a quick trip to the general store to buy a few items for the cattle at Beecher's Hope, after being convinced to start ranching again by Martha they had been making an happy living selling cattle, chickens, and their accompanying resources.
While Jack had dropped a few steps behind Martha to smoke a cigarette a police officer had walked by eyes staring at Jack. When the stare was returned the officer had quickly positioned his view to the left side of the town where the saloon lie.
Although he felt uneasy, thinking logically he was able to reassure himself that the awkward experience meant nothing. However just as he pulled up his match to meet the cigarette in his mouth behind him was a high pitched whistle that rang out.
As he put down his match and was halfway through turning his head to see the source of the noise he felt himself unwillingly and forcefully stumble back against the window of the shop as he felt a pang of pain shoot through his upper waist.
He heard a cacophony of noises as gunshots, the sound of glass breaking, and high pitched screaming all came out at once. Dropping down behind crates and a wagon he looked around seeing a mixture of blood, their supplies, glass, and Martha sitting against the wall holding her shoulder.
Martha.
"GET BEHIND HERE" Jack bellowed out in a panic, fearing for her life.
Then, another whistle. The rain of bullets stopped.
"I THINK WE GOT HIM" he heard a man cry out in the distance.
He heard the set of footsteps approaching as him as he fumbled his hands to his waist readying the rusty Schofield Revolver in his holster waiting for the opportune moment to shoot.
Just as Jack saw the shadows of two men rapidly moving towards the wagon he shot himself up hammering down on the barrel of his revolver. The first man's face was quickly opened, releasing a spray of blood into Jack's face. Because of the blood momentarily blinding him he was unable to shoot the second man as the pain of his movement caught up to him. Jack fell down back below the crates as he screamed out in pain. And just like before he hears yelling and the thunderous reprisal of gunshots.
After wiping his face he took a second to gather his senses. He looked over to see Martha with an anguished look on her face as she held onto her shoulder, blood staining the fabric around it.
"ARE YOU OKAY?" he yelled out moving closer to his fiance.
"W-what's going on?" She cried out behind sniffling and tears
"I DON'T KNOW BUT WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE". He waited until the bullets splitting the wood in front of them were as few as possible before he grabbed Martha and dashed into a nearby alley narrowly missing the front end of a bullet shot by the man on the other side of the crates.
Pulling a sobbing Martha and himself against the brick wall he went to reload his gun only to notice the large bleeding gunshot on his waist. It was only then that the full extent of the situation hit him. Reloading his gun and then grabbing Martha by the arms he started to make a plan.
"Martha!" He said in a stern voice but the only reply is her sobbing. Slightly shaking her he tried to get her attention again
"MARTHA!" Finally getting her attention.
"WHAT?!" She spit out behind the tears.
"We need to get down the alley where our wagon is at, do you understand?!"
She nodded in agreement as a police officer took a shot from around the corner but missed. Jack pushed her back and shot the officer in the arm causing him to stumble enough to get a clean shot through his head.
"Come on!" Jack bellowed out as he did his best to run along the alleyway firing a shot down the side of a building hitting another policeman before continuing down the narrow path.
As he ran a deep familiar voice cried out "Mr. Marston!". Being caught off guard by the voice instead of pointing his gun at the source of the noise he just turned his head. Just as he realized who had called out his name he felt his breath being sucked out of his chest as he violently fell to the ground blood pouring out of the bullet wound through his upper rib cage.
Martha, pulled down by Jack as he fell let out an anguished scream. Two men walked towards the couple as Jack struggled to force out pained breaths. When he looked up he saw the a man take his revolver and then pointrd thr harsh edges of a high powered pistol pointed at his head
"Archer, let me." A young voice said in a seemingly alarmed tone.
Archer.
Jack had met the man many years ago while being held captive by the government and despite his hospitable nature he had hated the man with a deep passion. He also knew he had been the lapdog to Edgar Ross and had a part in his father's murder.
The other face however, was unknown to Jack. He looked to be in his early twenties and had deep black hair and very pronounced cheekbones.
"I told you to address me as Mr. Fordham" Archer replied, keeping the gun pointed at Jacks head.
"I don't have time for this right now" the younger man replied sternly. "Go take her back to the wagon, we can deal with her later. I'm here for Jack." he said while pointing at Martha and shifting his pistol at Jack.
Sighing, Archer walked behind and yanked Martha by the arms.
"Just a reminder that I'm the one in charge here". He said bitterly as he brought Martha behind the building.
Ignoring Archer the man continued.
"So" the unknown man said in a malicious tone. "You're Jack Marston?"
"Y-yes" Jack coughed out along with blood.
"W-why d-oes it m-matter to you?" He replied.
"My name is James Ross and 5 years ago you killed my father!" He yelled aggressively. "And now I'm here to avenge him." he said, pushing his gun against Jacks head.
Jack, struggling to stay conscious replied "Edgar R-ross dd-eserv-ved anyth-th-ing he got a-and more!"
"Edgar wasn't my father you fool im the son of Phillip Ross!" He angrily cried out.
Jack was left speechless and unable to reply.
"Say hi to your father in Hell for me" James said mockingly
"T-thi-s won-t ma-ke you f-feel better" Jack quickly interjected, losing his voice.
Looking even angrier than before James replied in a teasing tone.
"Why don't you shut up before I give you an even worse death than the one coming?" James said.
"Be-because I kn-ow what y-youre doing." After a few coughs Jack continued
"Thi-s wont cha-nge the past".
"Thats where youre wrong!" James said in retaliation
"I regre-t wh-what I did a-and you will t-too. Y-your fat-ther wouldnt hav-ve want-ted this." Jack barely manages to get out.
James looked down at Jack visibly anguished and opened his mouth to say something but closed it soon after.
"I can't do this..." James replied solemnly "My father would want more". He said as he loosened his grip.
Jack let out a sigh of relief
"Listen, I can probably get you out of here and to a doct-"
His sentence was cut short as a bullet pierced through the side of his head spilling his brains out onto the floor. Jack let out a weak cry in surprise as he grabbed James's gun and pointed it over only to see Martha shaking, covered in blood, and holding the pistol pointed at James.
"WH-" Jack couldn't finish he was saying before coughing up more blood.
Martha ran to Jack and dropped to her knees to hug him
"We need to get to the wagon" she said, audibly shaken.
He managed to stand up with her aid and looking at James's corpse Jack muttered "God D-damnit".
"What's wrong?"
"H-". Jack decided to not tell her as to spare her the same guilt that he had to deal with
"N-nothing" he said.
"Let's go" she insisted. assisting Jack in getting to the wagon. On the way he passed Archer with his face caved in and a bloodied brick by his side. As they got near the wagon they both heard yelling coming from the scene of James and Archers deaths. Knowing that he wouldn't get out of it alive Jack knew he had to make the same sacrifice his father did all those years ago.
Paw.
"Y-you need to g-go without me" He said.
"What?" Martha replied in surprise and sadness
"Yo-u n-need to g-go th-theyre n-not he-re for y-you". Jack let out with his limited breath. "Im no-t going to m-make it".
"Jack I can't go without you! Please stop being an idiot and get on!" She begged.
Conserving his breath and holding back tears he helped her get on the wagon. "P-please".
Crying, she grabbed the reins. "Please don't do this Jack" she cried.
"I l-love y-you now GO!" he yelled out, causing the horses to pull forward. As Martha rode into the distance behind him someone yelled "THERE HE IS!"
Jack did his best to get behind the nearest cover which happened to be the small booth next to the docks. He managed to pick off one of the officers but more appeared from the side of a nearby building causing him to rush as fast as he could down the docks and against the barriers at the end.
Jack took more shots as officers started lining the pathway to the edge of the docks until he ran out of ammo. Having no other weapons and no ammo he did the only thing he could.
"I S-SURR-E-nder" He yelled out, throwing his gun into view off the officers.
"COME OUT AND PUT YOUR HANDS UP!" one of the officers barked.
"A-as you w-wish". Jack stepped up from behind his cover and started stumbling back from the gun as officers swiftly but cautiously began to swarm around him.
Struggling to walk Jack leaned against the railing next to the get off point for ferries. He slowly made his way to the area without railing.
"Stop where you are!" One officer commanded him.
"It's not like theres any boats or anything" Another jested.
Still with hands up, bleeding in multiple places, and barely able to stand Jack stepped onto the area directly in front of the entrance point and in one last act of defiance stepped back, letting himself fall into the water.
He struggled for the first few seconds underwater but soon realized there's no reason to fight his fate. He gave in and lets himself sink into the water. His last moments of consciousness were spent seeing the sun shine down into the water mixing with his blood as two men look down into yelling something he can't understand.
As he felt his chest feel like it was about to burst and his vision go black he finally decided. He was okay.