Disclaimer: I own nothing! (Unfortunately) Everything belongs to Rockstar!
A/N: Okay, I hope you guys enjoyed chapter one, here is chapter, I know where it's going but I'm not sure how I'm going to get to it so please bear with me. Please read and enjoy! (Also I don't have bad grammar, I'm just making it sound more like the west)
Poisonous dynamite
Chapter 2. Old friends and wild horses.
The emotions that were swelling inside of John made his heart ache and his stomach twist-so much so that by the time he reached MacFarlane's ranch he was a complete mess. He had collapsed onto his stallions neck, his teary eyes staining it's golden coat. His mount must have sensed his negative emotions, for he froze on the spot and folded his ears back. John's vision became blurred and his hearing became nothing more than a high-pitched ring and that's when everything went black…
John awoke early in the morning, his head pounding like a horses hooves. He found himself lay on his back on a dirty bed in a rough-looking room which was barley furnished.
"Well, you're alive" As soon as the sound of the feminine voice registered in John's mind, a part of him awakened. Bonnie MacFarlane.
"Miss….Miss MacFarlane?"
"Who else?" John groaned as he made an attempt to sit up slightly. "Take it easy, John" Bonnie rushed over to him and threw herself onto the bed next to him.
"W…What happened, how did…I get here?"
"You came here on your horse-" John gave her a questioning look, as if to say where is he? Bonnie chuckled, "Your horse is fine, He's hitched outside. My father found you on the bridge, you'd fainted or something', so we brought you here"
"How long have I been here?"
"A few hours, It was late when you came"
"I'm starting to regret it"
"John" Bonnie's voice was serious, yet sympathetic. "I know why you came"
"You do?"
"I do, I read about it…John I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through, but you're always welcome here, you can stay as long as you want"
"Thank-you, Miss MacFarlane. I just…Couldn't stay at the house"
"I understand"
"I blame myself for what happened…" Images of seeing his family's pale bodies lying in blood and dust locked themselves into his mind, making John teary. "It…..it was my fault-"
"John, don't blame yourself!"
"I do! I should have just let them kill me, I should have let them put a hundred bullets in my chest! Then they would have left my family alone…Then Abigail and Jack would-" A few tears began to roll down John's scarred face, Bonnie couldn't bear to see him like this, John was a good man, A very good man. He didn't deserve this, not one bit. "-They would still…be alive" Every part of John wanted him to erupted with tears and aggression, but he restrained himself, he knew it wouldn't help, so instead he threw his head onto his lap and quietly cried. Bonnie had never been in a situation where she had to comfort a man that had lost his family, his whole family. She just settled for resting a steady hand on his weakening shoulder. "I'm gonna to avenge them, Miss MacFarlane!" John raised his head to reveal his teary, red face. "I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch that killed them! I'll track him down, even if it takes me forever! I'll find him! I'm gonna make him pay!" Bonnie truly didn't know what to say, Should she encourage him? Try and talk him out of it? Calm him down? Her mind was spinning.
"Do what you have to do, John"
"I will" John began to rise, forgetting how dizzy he was until he almost fainted back onto the bed.
"But first, I suggest you get some rest, that was quite a hit you took"
"Thank-you, Miss MacFarlane, I really appreciate it. You're a good person"
"Thank-you, John. Now, rest"
****
After a few hours of rest, John could truthfully admit that he was feeling better- About his hit to the head, the images of his deceased family still haunted him. But he put on a brave face as he made his way through buzzing ranch. And there she was, Miss MacFarlane, gently grooming a mud-infested colt.
"Mornin', Miss MacFarlane, How are ya today?"
"Fine and dandy" She replied quickly, she was clearly focusing on removing dry patches of dirt from the colt's dapple grey coat. "More importantly, John, How are you, you feelin' alright?"
"I've been better, Miss MacFarlane, I can't deny that" What John was trying to say was: No, Miss MacFarlane, I'm not okay, My family are dead. I still blame myself for what happened. Haunting images of what happened and seeing them lying dead in blood and dust cause me to cry myself to sleep. But the worst part is, is that I have no idea who the bastard is that killed them. But I'll find him! And I'll kill him!
"How's your head?" Bonnie interrupted him from his dark thoughts.
"My heads fine, Thank-you"
"Listen, John, I was planning on headin' out near Cholla springs to see if I can break-in some more horses for the ranch, Do wanna join me, maybe take your mind off things?"
"Yeah, I'll join you, Miss. It'd do me some good"
"Thanks, John. Meet me by the barn in a minute and we'll go then"
"No problem, Miss MacFarlane" John gave her a lazy wave before dragging himself back to his cabin. His stallion was pawing the ground desperately searching for fresh grass. John had to admire him in a way, He never has to worry about anything, even when John is galloping towards outlaws firing hundreds of bullets towards him, he still seems calm. John ran a hand down the mounts smooth neck as it nickered happily.
"What I would give to swap lives with you, my friend" John threw himself onto his mount and cantered it over to the barn.
"You ready, Mr. Marston?"
"Sure am"
"Well, lets go" John had expected to see some of the rancher workers accompanying them, But it was just him and Bonnie, Breaking in some more horses was clearly more of a leisure act than an imperative one. They both dug their heels into their mount's side until they were traversing the dusty roads in a forward canter. "It's nice of you to join me, John. Especially after all you've been through"
"It's the least I could do, Miss MacFarlane. After all, you're letting me stay at your ranch"
"Well, that's the least I could do. You're a good man, John, you don't deserve anything that's happened to you"
"Thank-you, Miss MacFarlane. But, sometimes I tell myself things happen for a reason"
"What reason could anyone have to do this to you, John?"
"They wanted all of the gang members dead. They forced me to do it for them. So when I'd done their dirty work, they came after me. Hundreds of them. I…I killed them all. So killing my family was their revenge" The rest of the ride was filled with an awkward silence. All John could do was look at Bonnie-Without her noticing. There was something about her, something that made him feel…..happy? A feeling John couldn't explain without a drink in his hand. So he decided to assume it came from all of the kind things her and her father had done for him. The sun began to beat down harder until both of their heads were bathed in sweat.
"There's a herd! Look at them, They're beautiful. Come on, let's see if we can get some!" Their horses made a bumpy transition into a flat-out gallop along the rough terrain. Bonnie forced her skewbald mare to follow two jet-black stallions while John went after a timid grey mare.
"Come on! Faster!" John grunted and growled to encourage his stallion to move faster. They drew closer and closer to the mare and John began frantically swinging his lasso rope. It only took John one attempt to successfully capture the mare with his rope. She began rearing, bucking and half-jumping. John slid of his mount and threw himself onto the mare. It began to aggressively buck and kick. John wrapped his legs around the mare and held onto a chunk of it's mane. "Whoa, whoa! Easy!" It was no use, the mare still continued to kick with her nostrils flaring. "Clam down now" With one final rear the wild mount clamed down and was successfully broken. John ran a hand down the rough-coated neck, soothing the mare even more. "Good girl" The sound of thundering horse hooves filled the horizon as Bonnie galloped towards him on her mount while leading a gorgeous stallion.
"Brilliant, you got the mare! Great work!"
"My pleasure, Miss MacFarlane. It was fun!"
"She's a fine animal" John whistled his horse and switched mounts. He and Bonnie began leading their new horses in a steady trot.
"Thanks for helping me out, John. I really appreciate it"
"Least I could do, Miss" Bonnie began to struggle with the rope leading her new stallion.
"He's a feisty one!"
"Do you want a hand, Miss-" The rope snapped, the stallion reared and took off into the darkening distance.
"He's getting' away!"
"I'll get him! YAH! MOVE! MOVE!" John pounded his mount with kicks until he was galloping at maximum speed. It was dark. Very dark. John could hardly see where he was going and it was pretty much impossible to identify the camouflaged stallion. "Steady boy!" John called out, hoping that he might calm the wild animal. He failed. The wind felt like knives against John's face, he had to use his mount's neck to shelter his face. But finally he caught up with the run away stallion. John crouched on his horse's back, preparing to jump. He pushed off his mount and smacked down onto his target. The stallion bucked and jumped several times before finally stopping suddenly. "Don't try that again!" John warned. By now it was pretty much pitch black, his only choice was to gallop back in a strait line. He continued to ride the wild mount just in case. "Miss MacFarlane? Where are you?" Soon she appeared.
"I'm here, John. You caught the stallion! Thank-you so much" They slipped more rope around it's neck and mounted their own horses and continued to ride towards Armadillo.
"Careful. That one is wild"
"I will, don't worry" She chuckled. "Well done, John. That was a brave thing to do"
"Anytime, Miss. Anything to help you with your ranch"
"Thank-you" There was silence during the ride to Armadillo, but not awkward silence, a silence of happiness, like John and Bonnie were just enjoying each others company. It may have been late, but Armadillo's saloons were never quiet. They erupted with the clatter of beer glasses and the shouts of drunk men loosing at poker and blackjack. There was something that caught John's attention, a man dressed in an army uniform entered the bar. And that's when John knew that he was the man that killed Abigail and Jack. It was time for John to avenge his family!
A/N: Okay, here's chapter 2. Sorry it took so long. But I'm starting chapter 3 VERY, VERY soon! And I know where I'm going with it so it shouldn't take too long. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you're not sure about some of the equine language I've used, feel free to ask the meaning.
