The Next Day...
It was in the afternoon and everyone was busy working and keeping the camp intact. Dutch and Arthur stood on the balcony of the huge mansion overlooking the camp while Artemis rested by the now dried up campfire.
"So I gotta lead from Bronte" Dutch said, smoking one of his signature cigars.
"What is it?" Said Arthur, his condition was getting worded as the days passed. His skin was pale and there was reddish pink areas under his eyes.
"The trolley station in town, Bronte said that it had a fair amount of cash stored in there" Dutch said as smoke expelled from his mouth.
" I don't know Dutch, Bronte has been acting fairly nice towards us aren't you the least bit suspicious" Arthur said
"Oh Arthur why can't we have a person that's nice to us for once without you thinking they're up to something"
"Because Dutch, we are bad people all of us and good things don't happen bad people"
"Oh Arthur when are you gonna learn..." Dutch cut himself off from his own sentence as he was distracted by looking at Artemis.
"What's wrong" Arthur asked
"Oh nothing, come with me to say hello to our new guest" Dutch said with a smile on his face.
"HA, lumbago my pa had lumbago. Wouldn't lift a finger after that so I had to become the man of the house" Artemis joked. He was talking to an older gray bearded man, this was Uncle.
"Oh no I can feel his pain, lumbago is a slow and painful death my brother, it was a couple of times I was on the verge of death but I was able to push through" Said Uncle
"Some times I wish you didn't" Said Arthur as he walked up, his condition was getting worser as the days passed. His skin turned into a pale white and he had pinkish red areas underneath his looked up at Arthur with a look of disgust. "Excuse me" Uncle got up and angrily stormed off. Dutch suddenly walked up.
"Oh Arthur what did you do to him this time" Dutch said
"Nothing I was just joking around with him" Arthur said.
"Oh whatever but Artemis I've been meaning to ask you something, would you like to tag along with as on our score"Dutch calmy asked
"Score? What score" Artemis said confused
"Oh you haven't heard we're going to rob the bank in town" Dutch said, suddenly Arthur pulled him to the side
"Dutch we can't just pull this poor sap into our mess" He said
"Why not that's what we did with everyone else in this camp" Said Dutch
"Yeah but they were already doing bad on their own, we don't anything about Artemis he could be a dentist for all we know" Arthur said. As the two talked Artemis quietly listened to their conversation.
"I can assure you I'm not" Artemis said
"How do we know you ain't lying?"
"Arthur remember back in Saint Denis when I saved you, I had my bandana on, you think I would be riding around in a place like Saint Denis with a bandana and risk getting shot!"
"He does have a point Arthur" Said Dutch
"Ok then what were you doing then" Arthur questioned
"The gunsmith, I was robbing some secret backroom card game they had going on, got at least a couple thousand dollars" Artemis said
"Oh yeah I did hear about that place being robbed in the newspaper this morning, good job kid" Said Dutch as he placed his hand on Artemis's shoulder. As he embraced Artemis Mary Beth let out a loud scream. A horse was making its way into the camp. On top of the horse was a headless corpse. After a few seconds Artemis noticed that the corpse's head was resting in its own hands. This was shocking, he had never seen such savagery before.
"It's Kieran" Mary Beth cried. As Dutch stared at his mutilated companion in shock, he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and tapped Arthur's shoulder, getting his attention. "Look, there in the tree line" Dutch said as he pointed into the trees. Suddenly thousands of men armed with rifles and pistols spilled out from the surrounding forrest, all firing at the camp.
"EVERYBODY TAKE COVER" Dutch screamed. Artemis immediately dove to the ground, avoiding the gunfire. He crawled to the nearest tree and took cover behind it. He took out his two revolvers. He cocked both guns and came from behind cover and fired a shot from each killing two men.
"Women and children inside, rest of you hold your ground" Dutch shouted. The the women and a young boy rushed inside the mansion, Arthur rushed inside to make sure everyone was safe while everyone else stayed outside to defend their O'Driscolls where what Dutch called them and Artemis immediately saw them as enemies. In the past Dutch and the O'Driscolls leader were on good terms until something bad happened and they had a falling out, they were at each other's throats every since.
Artemis fired away with his two revolvers, killing men left and right. He made his way to the path leading into camp where a wagon was heading towards him at full speed. He shot the driver and the wagon tipped over onto it's side. He holstered his guns and picked up a shotgun from one of the dead bodies. More O'Driscolls entered the camp, one ran towards him head on but he shot turning the stomach stoping them in their tracks. He wanted them to suffer for what they did to that poor boy Kieran. Even though he never met him he felt like no man should go through that much pain.
More and more O'Driscolls more out from the forest, it was too many of them. "We're getting overwhelmed! Fall back to the house" John, the man with scars on his face said. Artemis fired a couple of more shots from the shotgun before dropping it and running back into the house with the others. Artemis ran into the house to see Dutch.
"Everyone stay calm we need something in front of that door" Dutch said.
"Artemis, help me move this bookshelf" Arthur shouted. Artemis ran over to Arthur and they pushed the bookshelf in front of the door.
"Good, now everyone get these windows covered quickly. John you take those windows over there, Charles you take the side windows there and Arthur and Artemis you take the windows in the back, now go" Dutch said. Artemis and Arthur ran into the room nearest by the back door. Artemis ran in and stood by the window, smashing the glass with his elbow. Artemis fired out the window at the O'Driscolls, not even missing a shot. That's when he heard a loud scream, it sounded like some type of war cry. He peeked out the window and saw the blonde woman taking on the O'Driscolls head on. She fought with savagery, stabbing them several until their blood spewed onto her face. One O'Driscolls snuck up behind her and grabbed her. She began to struggle, trying to get free but their grips were too tight.
"That's Mrs. Adler!" Arthur shouted
"Oh that's her name, she's in trouble we gotta do something" Artemis said back.
"Hang on wait we gotta clear out more of these bastards" Arthur said. Artemis nodded and continued to shoot at the O'Driscolls but the more they waited to save her the more she suffered.
"Goddamnit!" Artemis shouted. He jumped through the window and ran to Mrs. Adler, shooting the O'Driscolls off her one by one. Then he heard a click, he was out of ammo. But he couldn't give up now, he pistol whipped the O'Driscolls that was holding Mrs. Adler, knocking him to the ground. He then turned around to meet a punch to the ground, sending himself to the ground. The O'Driscoll that knocked him down took out a knife and brought it down to stab him. He blocked the knife with his hands and tried to turn it on his attacker but it was no use. The O'Driscoll brought the knife down more and it was now inches away from Artemis's neck. As Artemis closed his eyes and excepted his fate, suddenly the O'Driscoll's throat was ripped open with a knife and the blood splashed onto his face and neck.
Artemis pushed the O'Driscoll's body off of his to Mrs. Adler. She thought back onto the first time he saw her. She was beautiful, he laid there on the ground and admired her beauty.
"What are you staring at! Are you gonna get up of what" Mrs. Adler said in her thick southern accent. Artemis then snapped out of his trance and got himself to his feet.
"Sorry, but thank Mrs. Adler" He said nervously
"Please call me Sadie and you're welcome" She said. Arthur, Dutch, John and Charles came running up.
"What the hell were you thinking kid you almost got yourself killed" Arthur said angrily.
"Hey if it wasn't for him I'd be dead" Sadie said, sticking up for Artemis.
"All that matters is that you too are safe" Said Dutch. "Now let's start cleaning this place up"