Chapter 26

I wasn't really the best horse rider. I could do the basics, but I never went very fast just in case something happened. The speed I was currently going was way out of my comfort zone, but it wasn't nearly quick enough. My focus was completely on getting to Beecher's Hope as fast as possible. I couldn't let anything happen to the Marstons, I just couldn't. The idea of my own flesh and blood orchestrating an attack on their home made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't just sit with Archer and hope for the best, I had to step in.

"Catherine, please I'm begging you to stop!" Archer wasn't very far behind me any more. He was a much better with a horse than I and it didn't take him long to catch up.

I offered the man I was supposed to marry no response, instead I urged my horse to go faster. I was thankful that Archer had confided in me what was going to happen, but the fact that he was just going to stand by and let this happen blew my mind. It absolutely changed how I thought of him. I shook my head and refocused on the matter at hand. Archer was not important right now, no matter how many times he called for me to stop. The Marston family had done so much for me, and I could never repay them for the things they've done. This was something I had to do, for them.

The smell of rotting flesh broke me out of my thoughts and I fought to keep the rising bile in my throat down. I brought my wrist to my nose and tried to block out the stench, but it was impossible it seemed. I was very close to Beecher's Hope and this smell did not bode well. Gunshots were firing all around the property and left my ears ringing.

All of a sudden, they stopped.

Fear took control of my body. Why did the shooting stop? Did they do the unthinkable? Again, I urged my horse to pick up the pace. My heart thudded in my chest as I finally was at the Ranch. Dead soldiers littered the ground, strengthening the putrid smell of death I'd smelled earlier. Out of the corner of my eye, I found a group of them surrounding the barn, my Uncle standing in middle of them all. I directed the horse that way when I heard the barn doors slam open from the back. Relief flooded off of my shoulders in waves.

Jack and Abigail were escaping. They would be safe.

The relief didn't last long, as I quickly put the pieces together of what would happen next. Panic was controlling my movements now as the barn doors started to open from the front. I slid down from the horse and began to run towards men who I knew would have no problem shooting me if I got in their way. John appeared out of the barn and began to shoot at the soldiers and I begged my legs to run faster. I could feel my dress tearing from the constant stepping on it, but I didn't care. I was so close to John, if I could just throw myself in front of him maybe he would be saved. I had been noticed by the soldiers and my uncle by now. If I truly tried, perhaps I could make it to John by leaping.

Just as I made the motion to do so, arms wrapped themselves around my waist and held me tightly against my will. Before I could fight out of their grasp, bullets began flying again. "JOHN!" I screamed so loud my throat burned. I clawed at the hands keeping me captive as tears began running down my face. These monsters had just murdered John right before my eyes. I watched as John Marston fell to his knees, taking deep, labored breaths. His body was covered in bullet holes, not an inch of him wasn't covered in blood. "JOHN!" I screamed again. Finally, I managed to claw my way out of the man's arms and I ran to John with as much speed as I could. Seeing John Marston take his final breath broke me in every way imaginable. Not caring who saw, not caring that his blood would cover me, I kneeled down beside him and hugged his lifeless body tightly. "No, no. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen!" I cried into his shoulder. "You deserved so much better than this, John Marston."

"Catherine Annabelle Ross what the hell do you think you're doing?!" My uncle's voice held such a calm tone to it. He grabbed me by the elbow and yanked me away from John, making his body fall backwards onto the ground. The grip on my elbow was tight enough that I knew my uncle was livid with my actions. The grip he had reminded me of the day he'd lost his temper with me after my initial meeting with John in the church. He wanted to hurt me, but I didn't care.

I yanked my elbow out of his hand. "Don't you touch me, you murderer!" I hollered at him. "Don't you ever put your hands on me again!"

The rage boiled in his eyes at my words and I knew that if there weren't countless witnesses, he would be unleashing it on me. "You insolent little brat! Watch how you speak to your superior!" The calm tone remained, but I could almost feel how much he wanted to hurt me.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves, you killers! This man had done everything he could to right his wrongs!" I was yelling at the soldiers now. I was stepping so far out of line that I couldn't even tell you where the line was. The Catherine Ross that stood by and let people walk all over her was nowhere to be found at this point in time.

"He was a murderer! He deserved what he got!" One of them called back.

"Then I cannot wait for the day that you get what you deserve."

After I'd spoken, Uncle Edgar grabbed me by the elbow once more. "We are going home this instant." His face was beet red and his brows were tightly drawn together.

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" I tried to protest, but his grip was much stronger this time. He dragged me away from John's body by force, leaving no room for argument. I wanted nothing more than to scream more at my uncle for murdering the man that had tried so hard to be good, but what more could I say? Instead, I let the anger I felt stay buried inside for now.

"Archer, what the hell is she doing here? I told you to make sure she stayed away from this!" Uncle was angry at Archer as well, who looked torn on how to react. His eyes switched from looking at me, to my uncle.

"Forgive me." At first, I thought Archer was apologizing to me. When I looked at him, I found that it was a foolish hope. Of course, he was apologizing to Uncle. I would never be as important to him as my Uncle was. I looked down at my left hand where the ring Archer gave me sat. It wasn't until that moment, when I saw the blood on my hand, that my anger started to bubble up again. John Marston was dead and Archer was apologizing to my Uncle?

"John is the one who deserves your apologies, Archer. Not him." I was pushing my luck, even through my anger I knew this.

"John Marston got what he deserved, you idiot." Uncle bit out at me. "I'm taking you home this moment." Before I could protest any further, he dragged me to the horse he'd ridden here. Even though I didn't want to be anywhere near this man, I also didn't want to smell the stench of the dead bodies any longer. And so, I went home with my uncle.

"Get in the house." Uncle Edgar demanded.

"You're not my father. I'm going to my home." I was not stepping foot in his house ever again. I didn't want anything to do with him.

"You are going to be punished in the way I see fit. Now, get inside the damn house!" Before I could protest, he opened the door of his home and threw me inside.

I heard the sounds of footsteps coming into the mud room, but I ignored them. I was not letting this horrible, horrible man push me around any longer. I picked myself up off of the floor as he slammed the door shut. "Go ahead and hit me, Uncle. I know you want to. Hitting me won't change that John Marston was a better man than you could ever dream of being!" My anger had returned ten fold.

Without a word, he hauled off and smacked me so hard across the face I thought he might knock one of my teeth out.

"Edgar! What the hell, man? Don't put your hands on my daughter!" I heard my father's voice from behind me. Why was my father here?

"Your stupid daughter has made a mockery of this whole family, Philip! She needs to be punished!" Uncle Edgar fired back.

I wiped my mouth and found fresh blood now sitting on top of the dried blood of John Marston. "And you killed my best friend's father!" I shot at him without even thinking about the words I was saying. "I think it's an even game at this point, dear uncle."

"I beg your pardon?"

The entire house had gone quiet at my words. "You heard what I said. Not only did John Marston save my life, he also gave me the only friend I've ever had."

"You little tramp. How could you do this to this family? To Archer? Imagine what would become of us if people knew this information!" Uncle was so angry his words were sputtering.

"I'm not ashamed of being friends with Jack Marston."

"You are never seeing him again, rest assured." Uncle's face was red all over again. His fists were clenching and shaking at his sides.

"Philip, why don't you take Catherine home? Get her cleaned up?" Aunt Emily's voice came out of nowhere.

"Yes, get her out of my sight. I can't stand to look at her, she's such a disappointment." Uncle Edgar plainly wanted to take his anger out on me, but once my aunt had stepped in, he seemed to remember that my father was present.

"The feeling is mutual, Uncle." I spat.

"Catherine, that's enough!" My father intervened, placing his hands on my shoulders. "We are leaving. Edgar, you and I will talk later." Father gave me a slight push. "Let's get going, young lady. You have a lot of explaining to do."

I really hated killing John, it made me cry all over again. But I have to keep canon. Cat has found the strength to stand up to Edgar, but is it fleeting or will she keep it? Edgar has found out about Jack. Where do things go from here? Stay tuned! :D