"Dutch, we can't do this," Arthur advised. "We barely have any ammo. And now you want us to go against a whole army?"
Dutch kept an eerie composure. "Then where do we go?"
"I don't know…." he admitted in a sigh.
"Valentine. It might still be open and will give us a few days -" Hosea begun, only for Dutch to break through his suggestion.
"Is it open?" he inquired with a stare between Hosea and Arthur.
Again, Arthur shrugged and replied with a less tolerant sigh, "I don't know!"
Below them Captain Allerton directed his men into newfound positions, sparing as much time as he could. After the suicide of his fiance in their apartment, above a merchant in the heart of Wisconsin, and the sudden black and red rumor about intimacy with his sister days before, he never invested a minute in proving innocent. He enlisted in the army, assigned down in the godless southerland lands, his mother always claimed too sinful for redemption, and yet his duties was a peacemaker to the lingering tribes. So long as they accepted the desolation of their land, humiliation of their origins and surrendered their homes, it was just that. Peace. And to him, that was boredom. While there was the occasional freedom fighter or rabble rouser - those Allerton was quick to remind of their place - he felt deceived. He had heard his father tell to many stories of his days as a high - rank officer during the Mexican - American War, of the blood shed, the gore, the screaming and his father cornering stupid men who refused to surrender.
Now Alerton felt fulfilled. His own stupid men were cornered. He granted them a moment to quarrel among each other and possibly conceive a quick plan, for his own morbid delight.
"We're not going to spend a whole day on you. By orders of the United State government we are here to cease and desist any violations and terminate any trespassers." His voice tinkled, aggravating Dutch farther into impulsion.
He staggered closer to the edge before Hosea and Arthur could restrain him. While the rest of the gang flocked towards the noise, they stood with attention only on the Gatling gun.
"There is no government left, son. You're free," Dutch surmised. "Now let my boys go along with yours."
"You are on government property!" Allerton retorted. "We will shoot if you do not cooperate."
"There are women -" Hosea begun, only to be interrupted yet again.
"Surrender your weapons now…." The captain's words disappeared underneath the sound of a single shot. His eyes peaked from Dutch, onto the erupting pain in his stomach, as if rats had burrowed into his stomach and begun to feaster on his insides. When they stopped gnawing, they turned into flames slowly channeling through his body. Blood saturated his coat. While his mind processed the reality of his pending death and the quick shock from it, he could still hear the call.
"Fire."
He tumbled from his saddle, missing a wave of bullets coursing towards the fort.
"Micah….." Arthur sneered and his stare floated towards the arm man, near the far end of the overlook. His gaily smile spoke his culpability. "What have you done?"
Beneath them wood crackled. Splinters from it sprinkled across the ground, where Susan, Pearson and Uncle cowered. They were the only ones Arthur could see below as he balanced his attention between them and loading his bolt action shotgun . He disarmed one soldier aiming at Dutch and disposed of four advancing closer in a quick snap.
"Shouldn't they be fighting the undead instead of the living!" he called across his companions.
"I think it's too late to ask them that," Hosea retorted before pulling the trigger to hit the gut of an incoming soldier.
"Dutch, what do we do?" Lenny called.
"Keep firing son! Arthur, John make sure the women are in the cabin! Keep your head down!" Dutch directed.
Arthur took lead with John trailing behind. Their bodies were tossed as they tumbled down the steps. Another round of shots were being fired from the Gatling gun, breaking the fort's structure farther. The south outlook above the front entrance stood on it's last column, crumbling at the far right. A fallen piece of lumber had claimed Pearson's legs. Susan attempted to heave it off with what little strength she had between screeching orders.
"Susan," Arthur interjected and shooed her off. "Get the women in the cabin!"
"Will you get this off of me!" exasperated Pearson. "Hurry up, Mr. Morgan!"
Arthur took the right side, while John took the left and on his count of three they lifted the beam. Still Pearson's position saw no avail in their action. Another wave of shots were fired. The gate was down. Like a vandalized bee hive, the army broke through in fury. Instead of skill they fought with anger and impulsion.
"Get down!" Arthur directed and shoved John to the side.
Pearson continued to screech.
"Calm down, Pearson!" And Arthur clambered to his feet.
Strauss wobbled by, clutching his shoulder where blood oozed from. "Mr. Morgan, Mr. Morgan."
He hauled him forward, with one hand and pulled the triggered of his pistol with the other. "You'll be fine. Just get to the cabin! Uncle, come and help us get this off Pearson."
Again they heaved, Pearson cried and yet now Arthur moved quick enough to pull him out from beneath. Upon his removal, the exposure of his legs cause a choke in Uncle. Though blood saturated his torn pants, the wounds were cleared. His legs were mangled and swollen. He could move them, but just like they were prior to the accident, he didn't put in the effort. Pearson's cries and implorement only persisted until Arthur forced Uncle and John to get him up and into safety. Selfishly, Arthur saw it as his own avail.
"Arthur, I gotta find Abigail," John remarked before adding Pearson's weight to his shoulders.
"She's probably safe with Susan and the others!" he snapped, absently. "Go on and get Pearson out of here!"
John followed his direction just like Susan and Strauss, with a dreary obedience.
A familiar scream broke through the air, approaching from the entrance. The last support lifting the outlook up had crumbled due to another round of rushing bullets. Wood crackled at the encounter, before the beams split apart and descended upon entering soldiers. The moment was fleet, still Arthur saw Dutch, Bill, Javier and Lenny tumble to the ground, producing a soft thud. The ruins followed. He called for them as his picked his way towards. Bill moaned but refused help. Arthur ignored Micah. Javier sprung to his feet. Lenny peeked his head out while tending to his wounds. Dutch and Hosea though were unseen.
Arthur clambered over the desolation, kicking at collapsed logs small enough to fling and his calls for them turned into pleas the longer they went on. "Dutch! Hosea! Hosea!"
More soldiers were coming forth, with a sudden shift in attention. Their guns were aimed to the east, shooting at something beyond Arthur's sight. His confusion made him forget Dutch and Hosea in that moment. He stood there, only staring, waiting for the answers to his curiosity. Javier, fighting to his far left side, stumbled over his accent.
"Undead!"
"Goddamn it," Arthur whispered as they fell into view.
The scurvy figures with skin peeling from their discolored bodies pounced towards the men. Young boys, just a year or so out of short pants, forced by their own government into seclusion and certain death were now being feasted on people they once swore to protect. He saw the flashing lights from the Gatling gun, killing both the undead and the men. For the time he let himself consider the morbidity of it, Arthur's stomach churned. The shout of his name, dim in his ears, retrieved him.
"Dutch," he breathed and aided the man upwards.
Arthur murmured in agony. Blood and ash freckled his face.
"You okay?" Lenny inquired, before being waved off.
"Just keep shooting," he assured. "Arthur, where's Hosea?"
"I don't know, but we'll find him."
"And the women? Jack?" The others?
"Pearson's leg ain't looking too good and Strauss got a bullet in the shoulder, but they're in the cabin with the rest. Going to be fine."
"Good."
"No, not good yet. All this shooting has brought the undead."
"That might not be the worst thing."
"Well sure that saves us from getting shot at, but not from being eaten. We need to get out of here, Dutch."
Dutch whimpered upon readjusting himself. "We need to find Hosea first."
Too occupied by their conversation, the undead who went amiss by soldiers drew closer. The fallen beams slowed them, but didn't stop them. The only thing that did was bullets coming from behind both men, which stole their attention and shifted their stares to the north wall. Sadie stood with a rifle firm in grasp.
"Mrs. Adler," Dutch said with a low chortle, while the sight left Arthur staggered. "Shouldn't you be with the others?"
"Someone needed to remind you two this isn't a social hour," she retorted. "Seems you forgot we got a whole army trying to kill us along with those things."
"Well, thank you for that," moaned Dutch with Arthur aiding him to his feet. "Now, I recommend you get back to the cabin with the rest."
"Cabin? You boys ain't going to survive another hour out here," she chided.
Arthur looked at her with a restrained smile. He knew her simply as the grieving widow Dutch accepted into the gang out of pity, never with the intent of using her to their benefit or expecting her to cling to them as long as did. Her character had shifted. She was passionate and still managed to be reasonable.
He liked her and what mattered in that moment, he agreed with her. "She's right, Dutch. We can't stay here. This fort's going to be overrun by undead and we'll be one of them."
"What about Hosea?" he reminded.
"We'll come back," assured Arthur. "But right now, we gotta get out of here. We mount the horses and ride away."
"To where?"
"Valentine. It's all we got."
I have finally returned my readers, you beautiful bastards! I was struggling with writer's block and well that slapped harder than my mom when she saw me do anything at all. I had a dark childhood...But I have finally returned after a few weeks of drinking, re writing, hating myself, drinking some more, knitting my cats matching sweaters, and now... I'm not too impressed with this chapter! I will probably come back to revise this one in the future when I have sometime, that or burn my whole computer and never write again! And yes, to one of my reviewers, my dumbass totally forgot to mention Sadie in the last few chapters. My intention is to have her build throughout this similar to the real story, so she does exist. Anyways my sweet readers, please follow, favorite, review, do drugs, whatever tickles your pickle! I love you guys. Until next time!