WHERE LOYALTIES LIE
Jack and Carlos returned to Reyes's palace late in the afternoon. The day had been a hot one, and the heat hadn't quite started to fade, so both men were drenched in sweat as they led their horses on the cobblestone path to the stable. Once their horses had been put away, they walked up the stairs in the back of the palace and made their way to Reyes's meeting room. Neither of them spoke, as they were both exhausted from the ride in the hottest day of the year.
While he was walking with Carlos, Jack couldn't help but feel very nervous. He was afraid that Reyes would somehow find out that Jack had secretly decided to side with the rebels, and would turn him in to the law, or worse, kill him on the spot. He knew that there was no real reason to suspect anything right now, but he also knew that Reyes, though evil, was smart and could very easily read people. His anger toward Reyes was also growing; although Jack had no problem killing and robbing, he didn't enjoy seeing an entire country with millions of innocent people suffer the way it was suffering.
Jack pushed all of these thoughts into the back of his mind when he entered the meeting room. He didn't want to risk showing even the slightest emotion or ill thought in front of Reyes. He knew that if he made one wrong move, even the slightest one, Reyes might be able to tell that something was awry. He knew he would eventually have to completely betray Reyes, but he didn't want to do it unless he had no other choice. He wanted to keep up the deception for as long as possible.
Reyes was sitting at his desk when Jack and Carlos entered the room. He looked up and flashed a smile at the two men. "Hola!" he said enthusiastically. "How did it go?"
"It went very well, Presidente Reyes," Carlos said. "The rebels wanted Jack's help getting money, but Jack didn't give them much. Isn't that right, Jack?"
"Uh...yeah," Jack said. "I told them I could only give them 100 pesos."
Reyes laughed. "Excellent work, mi amigo! I'm very proud of you. Now, Carlos, go and make preparations for the arrival of General Gonzalez. I will stay here and tell Jack what I want him to do next."
"Voy a hacer eso," Carlos said, leaving the room. Jack was left alone with Reyes.
"So, Jack, do you like Mexico so far?" Reyes asked casually.
"It's nice," Jack commented half-heartedly, avoiding eye contact with Reyes. "So what's the next thing you want me to do for you?"
"I received word that the rebel influence is growing in Chuparosa. I need you to put a stop to this and convince the Chuparosans to have faith in their government."
"OK, sounds fair to me," Jack said.
"Jack, is something wrong? You do not seem bien today."
"No, nothin' is wrong, President Reyes. I'm just...tired, that's all." Reyes looked at him skeptically, and Jack did his best to not look nervous. He looked Reyes in the eye with as much confidence as he could muster and tried to relax. The only problem was that Reyes was looking very intimidating; he had a slightly thicker build than Jack, and there was just some air about him that was absolutely terrifying to Jack. Reyes noticed how hard Jack was trying to keep a calm demeanor and hardened his gaze.
"Are you sure you're alright, Jack?" he asked.
"Yes, President Reyes," Jack responded emotionlessly.
Several seconds later, Reyes locked eyes with Jack and said, "You've had a long day. Sleep well. You will leave in the morning." As Jack started to leave, Reyes added, "And Jack, do not forget why you are doing this. Do not forget the consequences you will face if you cross me. I do not care if you are the son of John Marston; you will be killed if you do not do exactly what I say. Now get out of my sight."
Chills surged through Jack's body as he walked to his room. He was afraid that something like this was going to happen, and now that it had, he knew he had to keep his guard up. Reyes will probably be watching my every move now, Jack thought. I gotta be more careful. Once Jack reached his room, he tiredly climbed onto the bed, removed his hat and his guns, and slowly fell asleep.
The next day, Reyes watched Jack ride away from the balcony, his eyes narrowed at the young man who looked like he had something to hide. Reyes vowed to get to the bottom of this suspicion of his. Once Jack had ridden out of sight, Reyes left the balcony and went down to his telegrapher, intending to send a notice to Escalera to keep an eye on Jack while he was in Nuevo Paraiso.
The telegrapher gave Reyes a worried look when he stepped into the office. "I'm glad you're here, President Reyes," he began.
"I don't have time for your nonsense," Reyes interrupted. "I need you to send a telegraph. Send it to..."
"President Reyes, lo siento for the interruption, but..."
"Do not interrupt me again!" Reyes roared. "This better be good!"
"President Reyes, our tax collection wagon was robbed in Chuparosa last night! 10,000 pesos was taken and the wagon driver was killed."
Reyes howled with rage. "Damn that Jack Marston! He's a dead man! Send some of our troops in Escalera to Chuparosa. Tell them to kill Jack Marston and bring his head back to my desk." The telegrapher hurriedly tapped out this message, which was received before Jack had even left Mexico City. Twenty Mexican Army soldiers rode out soon after the telegraph had been received.
Unaware of the threat ahead of him, Jack pressed forward toward Nuevo Paraiso. He wasn't sure of what he would do once he reached Chuparosa; he certainly didn't want to do what Reyes had told him to do, but at the same time he had to do something to keep his time occupied. He figured he would just talk to Cole about everything again, tell him everything that's happened since he reached Mexico. Jack also figured he could try to talk Cole into joining the rebels again, and hoped that this time would be more successful than the last time.
Jack didn't reach Nuevo Paraiso until after sunset. He stopped and made camp just south of Escalera. As the day's heat dissipated and the night's cold set in, Jack lit a camp fire. He pulled out a bottle of tequila and stared deeply into the fire, watching it flicker and pop, and reflected on everything he had done in the last few weeks. He had avenged his father's death by killing Edgar Ross, he had taken the lives of several lawmen, an oil miner in Plainview, a few Mexican soldiers, and a wagon driver in Chuparosa. For some reason, Jack couldn't help but feel guilty for killing all these men, with the exception of Edgar Ross. Tears welled up in Jack's eyes as he recalled the horrendous attack on Beecher's Hope, the image of his father lying dead outside the barn in a pool of blood. Rage built up in Jack and he threw his half empty tequila bottle at the fire, causing it to flare up and grow.
Jack spent the remainder of the night in a miserable state, and after several hours of futilely trying to sleep, he saddled up and set out for Chuparosa long before the sun began to rise. Though he could barely see, Jack pressed onward, wanting to be with the only person he could relate to. He finally reached Chuparosa in the early afternoon, and luckily for him, Cole was playing poker outside the cantina.
Cole smiled when Jack approached him. "What brings you back into town, stranger?" he asked casually. "Sit down and play a round of poker with us."
"I ain't much of a poker player," Jack said. "How much longer you gonna be?"
"Boys, I'm sorry but I gotta go," Cole said. "Gracias por jugar." Jack and Cole walked to the center of town.
"So, what are you doin' back in town?" Cole asked. "Did His Highness send you back here?"
"He did," Jack said. "I'm supposed to be tellin' the people here to have faith in their government."
Cole scoffed. "That Reyes is a piece of work, isn't he?"
"That he is," Jack agreed.
As Jack and Cole continued their conversation, the Mexican Army soldiers Reyes had sent listened in. They all agreed that, in their eyes, Jack was a traitor to Mexico and needed to be dealt with. Before they did anything, however, they decided to listen in more. The more they could learn from Jack before killing him, the better.
"So, you ever think about joinin' the rebellion?" Jack asked.
"I told you, I feel like I'm obligated to protect Chuparosa," Cole said. "I tell you what, if the army ever shows that they pose a direct threat to Chuparosa, I'll join in on the rebellion with you."
"Alright then," Jack said. He sighed and kicked his boot at the dirt.
"Somethin' wrong, Jack?" Cole asked. "You seem a bit distracted."
"I don't know, I guess lately I been feelin' somewhat guilty about killin' people," Jack said. "Somehow killin' made me happy, and I'm upset that it makes me happy. I don't want to feel this way anymore, but I feel like it's in my blood. You know, my father ran with a gang when he was my age. It's how he learned to shoot. And to ride horses, read, write. Dutch was a good teacher. And I suppose they weren't all bad; they gave the money they took to the less fortunate. But they did kill and I just feel like I was destined for the same kind of thing."
"Jack, I don't know much about your destiny, but I do know that it's more than just killin' and robbin' folks," Cole reassured. "I think you can really make a good name for yourself."
"It's too late for me now," Jack said. "I sealed my destiny when I killed all those lawmen on my ranch. They came for me after I killed Edgar Ross, and instead of goin' I…I shot 'em all. Except for Fordham and maybe a couple others that got away."
"Wait, you never told me this. God, Jack, you're really in a world of trouble."
"Real assuring," Jack sniped sarcastically. "Thanks."
"I'm sure there's a way you can redeem yourself. Your father seemed to do that well enough."
"He gave his life to redeem himself. You sayin' that's what I have to do?"
"Well, not necessarily, but I am saying that that might be the way. I know that's not what you want to hear, and to be honest I don't like that idea either, but…" Cole abruptly stopped talking and quickly whirled around. He darted his head quickly back and forth, scanning the scene and looking for what had caught his attention.
"What are you doing?" Jack asked.
"Shh! You hear that?" The atmosphere was eerily still as Jack and Cole both tried to find what had happened. With the exception of the low whistle of the wind, there was no sound and there were no Chuparosans around.
"No, I can't hear anything," Jack said.
"That's the problem," Cole said quietly. Cole's hand hovered over his revolver, prepared for anything that might come his way. Noticing this, Jack also prepared to draw his revolver in case anything went awry. After almost a minute, the two men still couldn't figure out why the town was so quiet, why there were no people. Not even the businessmen of town were in their little makeshift shacks.
And then, from out of nowhere, a single shot rang out.
And all hell broke loose.
A lantern hanging just behind Jack exploded and burst into flames. Jack and Cole quickly rolled out of the way and into cover as the Mexican Army soldiers opened fire at the two men. Both of them quickly drew their revolvers and began returning fire. "What the hell are they doing?" Cole asked. "I thought you were feigning being on their side!"
"I was! I guess Reyes is smarter than I thought," Jack responded. Within several seconds, many of Chuparosa's residents grabbed their guns and began fighting back. Although most residents sided with Jack and Cole against the army, there were others who decided to side with the army. Gunshots were exchanged and bodies quickly fell in what was quickly becoming the most violent gunfight in Chuparosa's history.
Jack was panicking at the sight of so much violence and death, and noticing this Cole instructed Jack, "Breathe steady, Jack! Breathe steady and remember why you're fighting! You don't want to die here, do you?"
"I don't know," Jack responded. "I might."
"Now's not the time to be suicidal, boy!" Cole yelled. A bullet whizzed past and Cole shot down the sender of the bullet. "Come on, you got the skills. Hone 'em! If you don't want to protect yourself, protect these innocent folks that are fighting your fight." Jack took several deep breaths and focused on defending the citizens of Chuparosa. Though gun smoke filled the air and impaired his vision, he fired three shots from his revolver and three army men fell dead. Elated, Jack continued to fire back and soldier after soldier fell dead. Just two minutes after the first shot had been fired, it was all over.
Panting slightly, Cole said, "There you go, Jack. You just experienced a real gunfight. This will be one for the papers, for sure. Wonder what they'll make of it back in the States?"
Jack stared at the aftermath of the massacre. Dozens of bodies lay strewn about, most of them still clutching their guns as if they were still alive and capable of fighting. Most of them were Mexican Army soldiers, but as Jack looked closer he could see that many Chuparosans had been slain as well. Jack gasped when he saw a woman covered in blood and bullets laying in front of the cantina. It didn't look like she had been armed.
Cole watched Jack scan the scene, and said, "Ugly, isn't it?"
"I…I never…"
"Yeah, I couldn't talk after my first massacre either. God, you never get used to it either. Wonder why the army just decided to attack you like that."
"Reyes knows," Jack said, shaking. "He knows. And now he's gonna send the law after me. I'm no longer safe here."
"What you gonna do now?" Cole asked.
"My fate is sealed," Jack said sadly. "We was talkin' about redemption earlier. Maybe I can redeem myself of all those men I killed if I do what I can for this rebellion while I still have a body that ain't dead. These Chuparosans are all dead because of me, so now it's time I make it up to them. I need to see Valentia. It's time I join this rebellion full time.
"I'll ride with you," Cole said. "The army is now a threat to my town. It's time we eliminate this threat once and for all."
"It ain't gonna be easy. The rebels don't have much."
"Yeah, but you know what they got now? They got us, Jack. They got the son of John Marston and the son of Landon Ricketts. With us, they got a chance. It ain't gonna be easy by any means, but Jack, I know we can do it."
