Redemption: Episode 1-Prologue
Authors Note: unfortunately, I do not own either Red Dead Redemption or Red Dead Redemption 2. Everything in those games belong to Rockstar Games.
Chapter 1: Dawn of a New Era
He couldn't help but feel a bit of fear. Everywhere he looked was darkness, as if he was wondering outside on a moonless night without a lantern to help him see what was in front of him.
Was this Hell? he thought as he tried to find anything in the darkness.
Suddenly, he heard a faint voice calling out from a random direction. Getting his bearings, he followed the voice towards its source. As he got closer he began to hear it a bit more clearly: "—thur? Arthur? C'mon, Arthur, wake up!"
Arthur slowly began to open his eyes. As his eyelids rose, he quickly shut them again, flinching at the sudden brightness that pierced the darkness. Blinking until his eyes began to adjust to the sudden brightness, the man felt a figure loom over him and looked up.
John looked relieved when his brother-figure's eyes began to look up towards him. "You alright?"
"Just dandy." groaned Arthur, suddenly feeling incredibly sore, as if he had been laying down for hours.
John snorted at the older man's words and began helping him up. "C'mon. Don't die on us just yet." he teased.
"Oh, very funny." the gang's enforcer said. As he was pulled up he asked what had happened to Barkley.
"He's over there, back with the rest of the horses." John answered.
As Arthur looked at where the horses were he suddenly noticed something. "What the—the sun's up?"
Indeed, the sun was currently rising over the mounds and hills that made up Twin Stack Pass. If both men had to guess from the sun's position it was just after ten o'clock.
"What the hell?" John said, disbelieve clear in his voice. He was so busy checking on Arthur that he didn't notice that night had suddenly turned to day. But now that Arthur pointed it out he was taken back with surprise.
Before they could say anything further both of them heard the collective groans of their gang from within the wagons and quickly went over to check on them. Both Arthur and John breath a sigh of relief when they discovered that everyone was alright and had already started to wake up.
Hosea was the first one to speak. "Oh my...what happened?"
"I wish I knew, old man." Arthur said, helping the old man onto his feet before moving to see how Dutch was doing. "You alright, Dutch?"
"I'm—I'm fine, Arthur." groaned the dark-haired gang leader, starting to get up on his own legs.
"At least one of us is feelin' alright." was Sean's response as he wandered towards the men holding his head with his left hand. "I feel as if I had one too many cases of beer. Damn, near tripped outta the wagon when John woke me."
"How's that different from every other day?" retorted Arthur.
"Oh! Funny English! Real funny."
"Will you two knock it off," said Hosea, "and will someone please explain what is going on?"
"I think everyone wants to know that." Pearson said, as everyone in camp began to gather around the eldest members of the gang. They all noticed Arthur and quickly stated how relieved they were to see he was alright but then the conversation turned towards the mystery of what had happened to them that caused them to suddenly black out during the night.
Dutch, after regaining his bearings looked around the camp before addressing everyone. "Everyone. Now I know that we all want answers. Believe me, I want answers as well. But the important thing is that we are okay. Arthur, thank God, is none the worse even after almost getting his ass whooped by his own horse." he said, drawing chuckles from some of the gang.
Arthur rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. Making light of a situation and even throwing some humor out towards the crowds was one of the ways Dutch often did to diffuse tension among the various members of their "family". While he was not used to being the butt of a joke, he was willing to endure his pride a bit if it meant everyone would calm down.
"But now that the storm is over," continued Dutch, "it is time for everyone to get back to work."
"Get back to work, but remember stay out of trouble." Hosea added, although he somewhat doubted that it would stay that way for too long. Even if they managed to evade the law for now, with the personalities of some of the gang, like Bill or Sean, chances were that trouble would eventually find them and they would inevitably have to deal with it.
As people began making their way towards their wagons to unpack their supplies, Trelawny approached Arthur. "Pardon me, Arthur, but would be willing to escort me back to Valentine."
"Why?" asked Arthur.
"Oh, I just want some pleasant company. And, by no consequence, if the inn at Valentine gives me any grief about me not staying in my room last night and decided to take my luggage perhaps you could persuade them to give them back to me." the sharp dressed man said.
Arthur grumbled but agreed to escort Trelawny. As they both approached the horses Arthur heard his name being called and turned to see Sean coming up to them. When he reached them, the Irishman asked if he could follow them into Valentine. "Pearson told me that we needs more canned goods. Apparently, the ones we have now are spoiled rotten." he explained.
Arthur shot the young man a confused look. "But we just got those supplies two days ago?"
"Perhaps, but when he opened those cans—phew!" Sean recoiled, making a face as he recalled the god-awful stench that came from one of the cans that the camp cook had opened. He had never smelt anything so bad in his life. "Smelt as if those perishables went bad over a hundred years ago."
Arthur frowned when he heard this. He was one of the people who had gotten those supplies from the general store in Valentine and the store clerk had assured him that all of the food was fresh. It seems, though, he had been lied to.
"Well gentlemen shall we ride?" asked Trelawny. He had already mounted Gwydion, his brown leopard coated Appaloosa.
Both men agreed with the English con man and soon both of them mounted their horses and rode out of the camp. As they began following the railroad tracks towards Valentine Sean notice something odd.
"Look at all the weeds on the tracks." he called out. Stopping for a moment, all three of them observed the large amount of weeds that sprouted inside the track bed, some of the stalks almost two feet in height.
"Those weeds weren't there the other day," recalled Arthur.
Trelawny wasn't so certain. "You're sure, Arthur?"
"Sure, I'm sure."
"Do ya think maybe that storm last night might've caused this?" Sean asked.
"Maybe…" Arthur wasn't an expert when it came to plants, that was more Hosea's or Charles' specialty, but he was confident that weeds don't normally grow two feet overnight. Looking at his two companions he said, "C'mon. We'll stop by the station and ask them about them weeds."
The three men proceeded down the dirt roads leading towards the livestock town. Five minutes later, as they reached where the road crossed the tracks towards Valentine, all three of them saw something that instantly made them stop their horses.
What was supposed to be a small but bustling livestock town that was nestled within the gentle hills had been transformed into little more than a ghost town. Where there were once dirt lanes and roads that lead into the small settlement had been absorbed back into nature as grass, flowers and small shrubs reclaimed what they could. The once bright woods and planks that made the majority of the buildings had lost their sheen and had rotted in several places. The station, the heart that had provided materials, food and people to Valentine, had fallen to ruin with broken windows and rotten wood.
Sean could hardly believe his eyes. "What the…"
"Is—Is that…" Trelawny almost didn't want to say it but his mouth opened before he could stop himself. "Valentine?!"
Arthur didn't say a thing. He just sat there, his jaw clench tight, but his eyes were wide with disbelief.
For a few moments nobody did anything. The three men sat on their horses just looking at the desolate town, unable to turn their gaze away from the sight. Eventually Sean broke the silence by asking with a shaky voice, "Wh-What should we do, Arthur?"
Arthur didn't say a word. Both Trelawny and Sean noticed that their friend seemed to be completely still, almost frozen, by the sight in front of him.
Slightly irritated by the man's silence, the Irishman spoke louder this time. "Arthur!"
Startled by the man's outburst, Arthur jumped slightly in his saddle before he realized what his friends had asked him. Quickly apologizing the man looked back at the town for a second before turning back towards the two. "Let's take a look around, find out exactly what happened here." he said.
The three began riding down the semi-visible dirt road towards the main street of town. As they passed the decrepit buildings they could feel their spines tingle. Whether it was from fear or excitement they were not sure. Perhaps both.
As they reached the middle of the street, Trelawny noticed the hotel that he had stayed in—or rather what used to be the hotel. There were several large areas where the paint has peeled off, the windows broken—whether by nature or by a person he couldn't be sure—and the right side of upper deck had collapsed. "Oh my…"
Arthur, seeing the Trelawny's face drop, tried to lighten the mood. "Well…least you don't need to worry about the hotel personnel giving you any grief with you staying with us last night."
Suddenly, a noise broke the relative silence of the area. Arthur looked in Sean's direction and he pointed towards the saloon. Pulling out his revolver, as he dismounted from Barkley he told Trelawny to stay with the horses while he and Sean investigate the noise. After entering through the front doors, revolvers drawn, both men cautiously moved through the building. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they heard the noise again.
"Sounds like it's coming from upstairs," muttered Arthur.
Quietly walking up the stairs the two men waited for a moment before they heard the noise again. "It's comin' from over there." whispered Sean, pointing at one of the guest bedrooms.
Silently, they both stepped towards the door and Sean took cover on the right side of the door. Both men waited a moment before Sean gave Arthur a small nod. Stepping back, the brown haired outlaw kicked the door in. As he stepped into the room the man was met with the shrieks of a young man and woman.
"Oh, uh, sorry," Arthur muttered, his face red when he noticed the position both of them were in. Why is it that everytime he came to this saloon he somehow walks in on two people in bed? He wondered if maybe it was karma playing a sick joke on him, as he placed his gun back in its holster.
The young couple straightened their clothes before standing to attention as Sean came up from behind the corner. The woman noticing the pistol in Sean's hand, shrieked again and quickly hid behind the young man. "Don't shoot us!" she pleaded.
"Yeah, man," the young man said. Reaching into his right pocket he pulled out a small, leather-bounded case. "Here...I'll give you all of my money. Just don't hurt us." However, before he could reached into the case to pull the money out Arthur stopped him.
"Calm down, kids. We're not interested in your money." he promised, giving Sean a look to put his gun away. As the Irishman holstered his weapon, Arthur looked back at the two and noticed their strange attire.
The young man's clothes, while similar to his own, were much more darker with words printed in a style that he has never seen before. There was also a picture of a white dog tailored on the upper-left area of the shirt. Arthur also noticed that the young man didn't wear boots like he did but rather some different type of footwear with some strange material on the bottom. Looks a little bit like glass. Arthur wondered before dismissing the thought. No one in their right mind would put glass on the bottom of a person's footwear.
As he turned his gaze towards the young woman Arthur felt his face heat up. Unlike the dresses that he was used to seeing women wear, the young woman's outfit left very little to the imagination. The dress—if it could be called a "dress"—neglected to cover the woman's arms, the front of it was cut in a way that gave everyone a very good view of her cleavage, and the skirt of the entire outfit had an opening which showcase the woman's long legs and her strange footwear, the heels of which were so thin and long Arthur wondered how the woman was still able to stand—nevermind walk—with those on her feet.
For a few seconds nobody said anything. Then the young man nervously asked, "So...wha-what do you want?"
"Well, for starters, how about some information." replied Arthur. "What are you kids doing here?"
Slightly shakened, the young man admitted that he and his girlfriend had attended a party in the woods the other night with a few of their friends and had gotten pretty drunk. Somehow, in their drunken state, they had wandered away from the party and had stumbled into the town and eventually found refuge in one of the saloon's guest rooms. "We decided it would be a good place to hold up for the night. It had a roof, four walls, and nobody around. Now looking back...it probably wasn't the best idea. Our friends are probably looking for us."
Although the story was interesting—and hilarious in Sean's mind—it still didn't answer the question on both men's minds. "So that answers our first question. But what happened to Valentine?" pressed Arthur.
"Valentine? Why do you want to know what happened in February?" the woman asked, confusion written across her face. Suddenly, her face became fearful again. "Your not stalking us are you?"
"No, we have not been...stalking you." Arthur said, sharing a confused look with Sean who mouthed the word "stalking". Shrugging his shoulders at the outlaw, he looked back at the pair. "What does that have to do with Valentine?"
Seeing the looks both men gave each other, the man came to a realization. "You're not talking about Valentine's Day, are you?"
"Valentine's Day?!" exploded Sean. "Are you daft, lad?!"
Before either Sean or the young man got into a shouting match, Arthur jumped in and asked,. "Look, we just want to know what happened to the town?"
"The town?" asked the woman, who had started to step out from behind her man. Suddenly, realization hit her. "Oh, wait...you guys were talking about this place. Huh? Never knew it had a name."
"Well of course it has a name. Now, can you please tell us what the hell happened to Valentine and why this place looks abandoned?"
Before either of them could say anything the two outlaws heard Trelawny shout "Arthur! Sean! Get over here!"
Reacting quickly, both men ran downstairs and out the saloon's doors with their guns raised. They were relieved to see that Trelawny seemed fine though he appeared quite pale. As Arthur approached him he noticed that Trelawny was also gripping something very tightly in both of his hands. "What's going on, Trelawny?" he asked.
However, the man didn't respond.
"Josiah?" When the man still didn't respond Arthur began to worry. Something was obviously wrong with the con man but what it was Arthur wasn't sure of.
It wasn't until Arthur laid his hand on the Englishman's shoulder that he finally got a reaction from his fellow gang member. However, he was not expecting for the man to shove what was in his hands into his face. He barely had time to grab the thing, sputtering a "What the hell!?"
"Read it, Arthur." said Trelawny, his voice suddenly very quiet and meek. When the outlaw just stood there the man said, with more volume, "Read it, Arthur!"
Deciding to do as he was told, Arthur looked at what the con man had given him. It looked like an ordinary newspaper. "The New Hanover Gazette" he read. Before he could look at the newspaper more Trelawny startled him when he suddenly gripped Arthur's right arm with a surprising amount of strength.
"Look at the date, Arthur! The date!" the man said frantically, pointing a shaking finger to the area.
Arthur, unsure of what was going on, looked where his friend was pointing.
Meanwhile, the red-haired thief noticed, as he leaned against one of the rotting support beams of the saloon, the two young people coming downstairs. "Where are you two headin'?"
"Back to the party. It's probably over by now but our ride is still there." the man stated.
Before Sean could say anything else, Arthur suddenly came up to them with a strange look that Sean's never seen before. He watched as the Van der Linde gang's enforcer shoved the newspaper that Trelawny had given him in the young man's face. "Is this true?" he roared.
The two were startled by the man's tone. "I'm sorry, what is—" the woman asked before she was interrupted.
"The date? Is the date true?!" pressed Arthur. Sean looked behind the man and noticed that Trelawny was also watching the scene, his face almost entirely pale.
Confused and a bit frightened, the young couple looked at the date before looking back up. "No, this isn't the correct date." the young man said.
"Your sure?" Tension began to leave Arthur's shoulders and a little color began to return to Trelawny's face.
However, the young man changed all that.
"Yeah, this is last month's issue." he said.
If he lived to be a hundred, Sean would never forget the looks on both men's faces when they heard that. The paleness quickly returned to Trelawny and, for a moment, it seemed as if the con man was going to fall over before catching himself. Arthur, meanwhile, looked as if his whole body was shaking, his face dropping. But what really caught Sean off guard was the haunted look that had taken over the man's eyes.
For a few seconds no one did anything. Then Arthur grabbed the newspaper out of the man's hands and began making his way over to the horses. "Sean, Trelawny is riding with you. You put him on Ennis before tying Gwydion to your saddle, then follow me."
Sean was surprised by the man's actions. "What? Arthur, what's this abo—"
"Now's not the time, MacGuire! We have to go back and see everyone."
"But what's—"
"Now!" the brown-haired man roared, climbing onto Barkley.
Unsure of what was going on, the red-haired Irishman gave the young couple an apologetic look before doing as he was told. After securing his lasso around Gwydion's neck and attaching the other end to Ennis' harness Sean helped Trelawny sit on the back of his saddle before pulling himself up.
Together, the men rode out of town, leaving behind the stunned pair.
"What the hell was that all about?" the young man asked.
His partner only shook her head and sighed. "I honestly don't know, Babe. I honestly don't know."
The ride back to camp was silent. Sean didn't know what was going on but he did know that both men were definitely spooked and it had something to do with that bloody newspaper that Trelawny had found. Sean snorted as his eyes wandered towards the piece of paper that Arthur gripped in his right hand. Sometimes he wished that he could read just so that he knew what exactly got these men all stirred up.
As they approached the trees bordering the camp Sean heard the sound of a loaded shotgun followed by his beloved Karen's voice shouting, "Who's there?"
"It's us, darlin'." called Sean.
Before Karen could return the sentiment Arthur raced passed her and headed straight for camp. Shooting Karen an apologetic look, Sean followed the man towards the hitching area.
Arthur wasted no time. As soon as he stopped his horse, Arthur began shouting for Dutch before spotting the man sitting in his tent. Stomping towards the gang leader Arthur paid no attention towards the curious looks he got from the rest of the camp as he made his way.
Placing his book down, Dutch stood up as Arthur approached him. "Arthur what's wrong?" Looking back towards the horses he was surprised to see Sean helping Trelawny off of his horse, the English con man looking almost as pale as a sheet. "What's Trelawny doing back here? Did you fellas run into trouble in Valentine?"
Arthur snorted before forcing a small laugh from his mouth, making Dutch—and the rest of the camp, who had gathered around to see why Arthur was acting so strange—feel uneasy, before saying, "Oh there's trouble alright. But not in Valentine—because there ain't no Valentine left!"
"What?" Hosea asked, concern clear in his voice.
"You heard me, old man. We went down there and the entire place was half-rotted and abandoned. Ain't nobody was living there anymore."
"Are you crazy, Morgan?" Bill asked. "Ain't no way a town becomes abandoned overnight."
"As much as I hate agreeing with him, Bill's right, for once." muttered John. Bill looked over at the man with a surprised look on his face before returning his attention back towards Arthur.
Before anyone else could say anything Sean spoke up in Arthur's defense. "Well, if he's crazy then so is me and Trelawny 'cause we saw what he saw—the place looked like a ghost town, with neither hide nor hair of anyone livin' there anymore." Trelawny, although still pale and silent, nodded his head.
As everyone tried to process this, Arthur surprised them once again when he said, "The place was abandoned, Dutch. But...the thing is, Bill's also right—Valentine didn't just become abandoned overnight." Lifting his right hand, he showed Dutch the newspaper he held. "Look at this."
Grabbing the newspaper out of the man's hand, Dutch's eyes roamed across the edition before his eyes suddenly caught what both Arthur and Trelawny saw. Wide-eyed he looked up towards the outlaw. "What is this?" he whispered.
"That—" Arthur said, pointing a finger at the newspaper in his father-figure's hands. "Is apparently last month's edition of the New Hanover Gazette. Me and Sean ran into a couple and they told me it was last month's goddamn newspaper. And Dutch"—looking directly in the man's eyes—"they weren't lying."
Dutch became pale as Arthur spoke. Looking back at the newspaper he quietly muttered, "But...then that means…"
"Oh, for crying out loud! What are you guys talking about?" Uncle yelled. The rest of camp shared the man's sentiment.
Both men looked over the group that had gathered around them. Seeing the questioning looks on their faces, Dutch sighed before sparing one last glance at the newspaper. "You lot had better sit down for this."
"Why? What does it say, Dutch?" Hosea asked.
Breathing deeply, the gang leader looked up, a strange look overcoming his eyes before he spoke.
But nothing could prepared them for what came out of his mouth.
"If what Arthur says is true...then, we're no longer in June of 1899. We're in May…May of 2019."
Hi everyone! Sorry it took a few days longer than I planned to update this fic. I had some stuff to take care of, among other things.
Still, I hope you all enjoy this piece and please let me know what you think of it by reviewing, even if it's a few words.
Until next time.
Trainman-Captain Writer
