So, y'know, there's only 2 more chapters after this… then it's an epilogue chapter, but yeah. Well, I might not include the epilogue… but maybe I will. We'll see how chapter 16 pans out.
Now, onwards with The Assault on Shady Belle…
Shady Belle, LE
12th July, 1902
No-one spoke on that ride. Through the dark night, with the waning moonlight reflected on the leaves, all black in the early morning. Nothing could be heard except the coyote's wails and the gang's hoofbeats.
Anna didn't know the gang too well, but what little she did know was that they weren't hardened killers. They weren't like her in that respect – they were kind to each other… maybe not Alice MacKenzie and Aiden McKneil, but the rest of them… they were a real family.
But as they road down the winding dirt road that led them towards the abandoned, hick-filled, former plantation house, she realized she wasn't riding with the same people. They were all hard-faced, riding fast and not sparing their horses.
Rune led the ride from the front, Near on his right. Behind them rode most of the gang; Luca and Lana, Alice and Ellie, then Night's Hawk and Anna, and right at the back was Aiden, cantering behind them with his Lancaster repeater drawn in his strong hand.
Anna had been dreaming of this. The day she'd finally kill the Brotherhood. Isaiah, Gareth, Titus, Lot, The Dogkeeper… she'd murder every single one of them. She didn't care if it damned her to Hell – she'd find them down there and kill them again.
Rune came to a halt and the rest of the gang followed suit. He dismounted, hitching his horse, Copper, to the trees and drawing his Springfield rifle from his saddle. Near grabbed his carbine repeater (as did Lana hers), Luca, his Litchfield, Alice, her double-barrelled shotgun while Ellie grabbed her semi-auto shotgun. Night's Hawk and Anna both drew their bows, following the march down to Shady Belle.
"I'm fixing to kill these inbred sons of bitches!" Luca growled.
"Keep your head, son," Near warned Luca.
"No, embrace that fire, brother," Rune hissed. "We'll rain hellfire on these bastards!"
"We didn't come here for revenge…" Near reminded Rune.
"It's justice, not revenge." Rune muttered to himself, "I'm seeing it clear now…"
Gareth Maxwell was sitting on the steps of the house, rubbing the brown beard he'd been growing on his jaw for a few months. In the moonlight, he saw a line of nine folk, all marching down the dirt path towards him, rifles in hand.
"Titus! Lot!" Gareth barked as he pushed himself off the stairs and grabbed his worn shotgun, pumping a shell into the chamber as he eyed the outsiders.
He recognized two of them – the red-haired Scotswoman who'd almost blinded Titus and the dark-haired mick that'd given him a hiding. Gareth walked forwards with his own men, leaning his shotgun on his shoulder.
"What're bunch of carpet-baggers doin' round these parts?" Gareth drawled as he eyed them approach. A dark-haired man Gareth recognized as D'Angelo took a step forwards, only to be held back by an old man – a black man.
"We've come for our man," The man in the centre of the gang, right at the front, came to a halt a few metres away, clasping his rifle in both hands. "We want Matty Donnelly back!"
"Matty Donnelly…" Gareth tapped his lip in thought. "Ain't ringin' no bells…"
"Hand him over," the man called back.
Gareth sniggered to himself, casting his eyes across each of them until glimpsing a woman at one end. A slim woman, standing half a foot shorter than the man speaking and… nice, he supposed? Maybe that was the word – she had a nice face.
The doors opened from Shady Belle and Gareth's smile immediately vanished. He hung his head as his father, Isaiah walked out.
Isaiah had heard of the infamous Rune Brody who'd supposedly killed hundreds of redskins some years ago. If nothing else, Isaiah had a begrudging admiration for the man – after all, he had done the same work, even if he had become misguided. That being said, Isaiah wasn't much in the habit of admiring carpet-baggers.
A drop of rain splattered onto Isaiah's cheek. He looked up to hear the thunder rumble and smiled.
"You the leader of this gang?" Rune asked.
Isaiah looked back to Rune, head cocked to the side. A pack of dogs started growling. Isaiah looked to his right and saw the four dogs that padded forwards, canine teeth bared as the man with a scarred face moved forwards, his messy, uneven braids sticking to his cheeks as he let out small barks with a twisted grin. The biggest dog was a black shepherd bitch, followed by a mastiff brown bitch. Then there was the bloodhound, all grey and shaggy, and lastly, there was a rottweiler, which had leapt in front of his master and was barking viciously, jumping forwards and backwards.
Ellie clutched her shotgun tightly. Anna's fingers stroked the raven-feather fletching of her arrow.
"Y'all the bastards been givin' me trouble?" Isaiah asked. "'Cos I got a hell of a lotta trouble…"
"So you are the leader of these hicks?" Rune's blue-grey eyes scanned each of the Crusaders with contempt.
Isaiah snickered. "Y'all see here, boys, that there's some real Yankee pride…" Isaiah crossed his arms.
Rune glanced to the old black man on his left before he looked back to Isaiah. "I don't have no Yankee accent."
"Sure ya do." Isaiah smirked. "I killed me a lotta Yankees… recognize 'em anywhere, no question."
Rune's jaw clenched. "I want our man back," Rune hissed through his teeth.
"Too bad," the Dogkeeper grinned, "m'dogs wan'him as'ell…" A half-crazed cackle clawed its way out of his lips. The young man on Rune's other side took a step forwards, shifting his repeater into his right hand. Gareth mimicked the movement and they all waited, ready to take aim.
"Whatever dispute you have with us… no matter what harm we have done you… what you did to Ava," Rune struggled with the words, his brow stitching itself together in anger and sorrow as he let out a yell, "there are rules!" He cried out suddenly, pointing at Isaiah. "There are things that you just do not do!"
Isaiah licked his lips as he searched the gang for anyone who might pose a credible threat. His eyes lingered on the girl at the end for a moment… a pretty face, with lovely dark blonde hair… Isaiah liked blonde hair. He liked to imagine what her hair was like around her cunt – maybe he would find out once this fight was done. Isaiah's eyes roved over her lithe body, her ample bosom, her ass… well, he wasn't one to engage in sodomy, but perhaps God would pardon him this one indiscretion… after all, he didn't want a bastard running around… Gareth was disappointing enough.
"Did you hear me?" Rune hissed. Isaiah turned back to him, frowning slightly.
"Well, damn your rules…" Isaiah said, clasping his gunbelt buckle. "And damn you."
Rune licked his lips, turning to his gang before speaking once again. "If you do not bring Matty Donnelly out here right now, we're going to have a problem."
Isaiah grinned, his eyes flitting back to the blonde woman at the end. "And what do I care if we have a problem?" He scoffed.
"'Cos there's gonna be a lot of folk dead out here if we do," Rune replied.
Isaiah's mouth twitched into a curious smile. "This is my state, Brody. My land, my home. My daddy died for it, I bled in the mud for it… if y'all think all my boys died only for me to yield to some…" Isaiah scoffed. "Some crusty bunch of injuns and dagos and greaser, nigger-loving paddies like y'selves…" Isaiah let out a chuckle. He turned around to see the doors to the balcony of the plantation house open, and the rest of his gang sully outside, rifles and repeaters at the ready. "God's on our side, Brody. The real God."
"Okay…" Rune sighed, hanging his head.
Aiden flexed his fingers at the white grip of his Cattleman revolver and dragged his right foot across the dirt. Near pushed up the brim of his brown leather hat, brown eyes settling on the men on the balcony as he tightened his hand around his carbine repeater. Lana popped the loop of her holster off of the steel hammer of her revolver. Alice clicked back the hammers of her shotgun. Luca clicked the lever of his Litchfield repeater, chambering a round. Anna's fingers gently grazed the feather fletching of an arrow in her quiver. Night's Hawk's hand rested on the birch wedge of the tomahawk that hung at his belt, his fingers closing around the steel head.
Rune looked up at Isaiah. "Give him my regards."
Rune drew his revolver and took aim, firing a bullet that soared through Isaiah's shoulder and pinned him to the ground. Aiden drew first, fanning his revolver at two men while Luca and Near began to fire from the hip, walking forwards as they unleashed a barrage of bullets upon several members of the Brotherhood, sending the rest scrambling for cover.
Aiden grabbed Rune out of the way of a bullet and both ducked behind an old wagon. Aiden holstered his revolver before pulling his Lancaster from his back and dashing to join Luca and Near.
"Lana!" Rune shouted over the gunfire, "Take the girls and flank them 'round the back!" Rune loaded another round into his rifle. "These bastards ain't getting away…"
Alice pulled Ellie towards Lana, all three of them skirting around the swamp water, keeping low and pausing every now and again to make sure no-one noticed them.
Anna kept low and ran around the gunfire, pulling her bow over her shoulder in one fluid motion and leaping forwards to grab onto the vines that hugged the wooden walls of the house like liana in the jungle. She climbed like a like a spider on a web, with each limb testing a vine's strength before she would fully pull herself up.
While everyone was fighting, Night's Hawk hooked around the other side of the manor, bow drawn as he stalked through the darkness, leafy green eyes alert and darting across every shadow.
As soon as he saw one grey-haired man clad in a dishevelled confederate uniform run around, carbine repeater drawn, Night's Hawk drew his arrow back fully, finding the anchor as the fletching grazed the corner of his lip and soared forwards, shooting almost completely through his throat. He ran forwards, wrenching the arrow from the man and continuing on.
Around the front of the house, Near let out a yell as a bullet whizzed into the kneecap of his bad leg. He dropped his rifle and fell down, hand clutching the blood that pumped out of his leg.
Aiden grabbed Near's arm and dragged him into one of the many trenches that sat in front of Shady Belle.
"Near, you're…" Aiden looked at the knee – he didn't have a damn clue what he was doing. "You're okay, don't you worry… give me your arm-" Aiden tried to lift Near, but the old man slapped Aiden's hand away.
"Get off, I ain't no damn Nancy…" he groaned.
"Aiden!" Rune shouted from the wagon. "Leave him- you look inside, Luca, meet up with the women and check there!"
Aiden nodded, taking his repeater and handing it to Near, giving him a slap on the shoulder and drawing both of his revolvers, running inside the plantation house as Luca made his way around the house.
In the distance, shotguns fired and Luca smiled to himself – Alice and Ellie had decided to make their move.
Aiden kicked open the door, fanning his revolver as he glanced around. "Matty!" He shouted, swapping to his steel Packenbush, emptying the cylinder into the legs of a Crusader that come down the stairs. "Matty! Where are you, you little Irish bastard…" Aiden grunted as he made his way upstairs, reloading his revolvers.
He'd loaded one when a Crusader flew down the stairs, throwing Aiden against the wall and fumbling for his knife. Aiden headbutted the man one, two, three times and then drew his own knife and burying it deep into the man's side with a yell.
All was silent up on the second story of the house. Aiden wiped his knife against his thigh before drawing his Cattleman revolver. He glanced to a set of double doors and closed a hand around the handle, finding it was locked. There was a massive crack and a hole appeared in the door next to Aiden's head. He fell backwards, landing hard on his back and scrambling away behind the wall as the shotgun cracked a second time.
"Shit…" Aiden rolled away towards another doorway and fell through it as the shotgun cracked again. He looked up to see himself on a stained yellow carpet, by a small table and a set of double doors, leading to the room he was shot at from.
"I'm-a kill all y'all!" the man from inside shouted.
Aiden pushed himself to his feet and kicked open the doors, taking aim and firing a round into one man's head and another's heart. There, tied to a pastel-yellow armchair in the corner, was Matty. He was bloodied and beaten with one eye swollen shut and a chunk of his lip torn away, but he was alive.
"Matty, you-" Aiden ran over and holstered his gun, pulling out his knife to cut the ropes from Matty's wrists.
"Yous took your time, McKneil…" Matty groaned.
Aiden forced a smile. "Just seeing how well you can take a beating…"
"Oh, aye? And?"
Aiden looked at Matty, watching the skin starting to peel away, exposing his dried gums and teeth. "I've seen better…"
"Have you, fuck!"
One of Matty's hands came free, but a second later, Aiden was thrown forwards. His face smashed into the wooden wall and he fell onto the ground, groaning as he looked around, dazed.
Titus grabbed Aiden by the scruff of his neck and threw him across the room. Aiden hit a table and rolled along the floor, shaking his head and slowly rising to his feet.
"Y'all got a score with me," Titus grunted. "Shouldn't have hit me in that saloon, Paddy…"
"I'll do a lot worse now!" Aiden went to draw his revolver, but a tin ashtray was chucked across the room, hitting him in the eye. Aiden groaned, firing his gun wildly as Titus grabbed Aiden's hand, smacking it against the wall until his revolver clattered across the floor. Aiden drew his Packenbush revolver, which clicked empty. Aiden was thrown through the door he'd come through and stood up, his bones aching and lips soaked with blood. "I beat you once, you goddamn animal…" Aiden wiped his mouth and raised his fists.
"I'll be sure to leave a part o' y'all for Lot…" Titus raised his own fists. "Carve you up like the whore…"
Aiden rushed forwards, trying to tackle Titus, but the man was like a brick wall. He just stood there, a hulking mass of muscle. He swung a fist at Aiden, who tried to catch it with both hands, gritting his teeth as Titus swung his arm around, throwing Aiden back into the room.
He stumbled backwards, grabbing an old gas lantern and throwing it at the man, but missing horribly. Aiden ran towards the knife, which lay by Matty's feet, but he was caught by the scruff of the neck and thrown onto the floor. Titus grabbed him by the throat and began to squeeze.
"She squealed when I was inside her," Titus snarled, "split her open. Y'all gon' squeal as well?" He leant closer and then let out a mighty roar of pain, reeling back from Aiden.
Matty was clambering onto Titus' back, plunging Aiden's knife into his shoulders over and over again while cussing and cursing loudly. Aiden groaned, his head spinning until his eyes caught the bright glint of his Packenbush revolver a few feet away. He began to crawl towards the gun, looking over to see Matty and Titus wrestling with the knife.
"You bastard…" Matty grunted as he tried to push the knife away from his chest. A moment later, Titus let out a grunt, and the knife slowly slid into Matty's chest, making his let out a pained gasp as he looked down to see the knife drive further into him.
Titus tore the knife from Matty and threw him to the ground, where the young man looked down at the blood on his chest and frowned, looking up at his friend, somewhat confused.
"Matty," Aiden groaned, "stay with us, y'hear?"
"Well, Paddy," Titus drawled as he walked towards Matty, brandishing the knife, "y'know, I gotta say…" he grabbed Matty's hair and raised his broken face, whispering into his ear. "The pleasure's all mine."
Matty's good eye grew wide and before he could open what remained of his mouth, Titus slid the knife across his neck, freeing a thick coat of scarlet blood. Matty's face quickly became pale as his eye lost focus and he slowly fell to the floor, his hand trying desperately to close the wound in his neck until he fell still.
The breath vanished from Aiden's lungs as he saw Matty's shirt become consumed by blood. It came closer to him, touching his fingers as he took a shaking breath. The knife glinted and Aiden's hazel eyes flitted towards the revolver that lay just out of reach. He scrambled forwards as Titus leapt for him. His fingers brushed the grip of the gun. Titus' hand clasped his ankle. He dragged the gun back with him. Titus flipped him over. Aiden cocked back the hammer. "Goddamn you-" He pulled the trigger.
A click. Another click. A third.
Titus grinned at the revolver and pointed the knife, still wet with Matty's blood, at Aiden. "Well, how 'bout that?" He chuckled. He pulled back the knife as Aiden fumbled with a bullet from his belt.
An arrow soared through the room and plunged into Titus' heart. A second stuck into his shoulder, a third in his throat. He fell back, wheezing for a moment before falling silent. Aiden looked back to see Anna standing there, nocking another arrow as she walked inside the room, looking around. "Damn hillbillies…" She muttered to herself. Her eyes on Matty's remains. "Matt…"
Aiden looked over to Matty's body, resting his hands on his bloodied neck and trying not to whimper as he wiped away the sweat from his forehead with his wrist. "I tried," Aiden gave out a shuddering breath, "I swear, I tried…"
Anna swallowed hard. She wouldn't let this get to her. She knew this would happen. It didn't change things – she'd gone there to kill Isaiah and that's what she was going to do. Aiden's hand grabbed a fistful of Matty's red hair. Matty had been seven years older than Aiden (give or take), but in a lot of ways, he was like a little brother. Always with a smile on his face, Matty'd never lost the kid in him.
Rune watched as they corralled the living together. Isaiah Maxwell and his son, Gareth, and the Dogkeeper, inconsolable as his dogs lay strewn across the mud, blown apart by shotgun shells.
The doors kicked open and Aiden stormed out, walking towards Gareth, who was barely a man, and grabbing him by the neck, forcing him to his feet.
"Son, what're ya-" Near began, but Rune sat him back down and followed Aiden with Luca, drawing their revolvers.
Aiden marched Gareth up the stairs and threw him into the largest bedroom, where Rune and Luca saw the body of Matty on the floor.
"Matty…" Luca murmured, holding his forehead before covering his mouth in utter shock. First Ava, then Parker, now Matty… Luca turned and walked straight out of the room, seemingly unable to bear another burden.
Rune's hard, pale eyes fixed on the body of a man he'd helped raise. Someone he'd taken in. Ira, Holt, Ava, Parker, Matty… all of them had believed in him. And even when they'd come here to rescue him…
Rune's jaw clenched. He faced Aiden and pointed at Gareth. "Deal with him," he growled as he drew his revolver. "Bring him outside. Alive!" Rune walked down the stairs as Aiden grabbed Gareth by the neck and punched him in the face before kneeling him beside Matty's corpse.
"Clean it up," Aiden snarled.
"Wha- I don't…" Gareth spluttered, but Aiden grabbed the back of his neck and forced his face into Matty's blood.
"He's one of us," Aiden's hand clenched around Gareth's neck as he hissed into his ear, "I want to look our family in the eye and say you cleaned up every drop of his precious blood!"
"I don't-" Gareth sobbed. Aiden kicked him to the wall and drew his knife.
"You do it or I'll rip your damn heart out, boy."
Gareth's lip quivered as he pulled off his yellow neckerchief and began to rub at Matty's blood. Seeing this… it just made Aiden angrier. He wanted him to disobey – he wanted to hurt him. He kicked him across the room again and grabbed him by the throat as he moved the knife closer. "Y'know what happens to folk who shoot at us?" He moved the tip of the knife closer to Gareth's eye.
Rune was beating Isaiah so much that his knuckles may have started to dislodge. The skin had cracked and Isaiah was covered in blood, his cheek split open. He looked to see Anna standing there, eyes fixed on the man he beat. Rune dropped Isaiah to the ground and pointed at Anna.
"Come here," Rune ordered her. She stayed still, shoulders tensed up. "Come here!" Rune barked.
Anna took a few tentative steps forwards and Rune pulled out his black knife, offering it to her. She gripped the knife and approached the gang leader. "I've spent years hunting you," she said quietly. "Every day, I'd say your name to myself and imagine killing you." Her hand closed around his throat. "I want you to feel all the pain I've felt…"
Isaiah let out a small scoff. "Have we met?" He sneered.
Anna's hand clenched around the knife as she leant in, searching his small eyes for any semblance of recognition. The bastard didn't even remember her. No… no, death was too good. Over in a second – she would hurt him until he remembered her. She'd visit her wrath upon him, ten times the pain he'd given her. "I won't give you peace," she muttered, pulling the knife away from his throat. "You killed my family, I…"
Isaiah grinned at her, showing his broken teeth, covered in blood. "You're a coward…" he murmured.
Isaiah's smile quickly evaporated as he heard yelling come from the house. He looked up to see his son being dragged by his hair through the doors by the young Irishman. As Gareth was thrown down next to him, Isaiah could clearly see that his son was missing an eye.
"Pa," Gareth cowered next to him.
"You…" Isaiah's voice began to tremble in rage. "You goddamn ingrates-"
"Your whole gang," Rune said loudly, "your little fortress, the Davenports…" He held out his hands. "What good did it do?"
Isaiah licked his lips before spitting the words at Rune. "I know that God will greet me in heaven, Brody. But y'all? No… no, y'all are all common scum-"
"We are outlaws who-"
"Y'all're killers, Brody! That's all y'all are – all any of y'all are…"
Rune tore his gun from his holster, wrapping his hand around the bloodied hilt and pressing the barrel to Isaiah's forehead, breathing heavily. He was close… so close to blowing a damn hole in the man's head. But that would make him a killer, wouldn't it? Killing a man with his hands tied – a prisoner. He… he could keep his temper.
Rune holstered his gun. "I am a man… seeking something… an idea that-"
"Don't matter," Isaiah chuckled, "all of us are wanted men. Only difference is that I am on a holy crusade-"
"No, no you ain't…" Rune shook his head.
"-like the knights before me-"
"No, you ain't…" Rune's voice grew a little louder.
"And you are low-down criminals-"
"Shut up!"
"-of the basest form, y'all gon' burn in hell-"
"Shut up!" Rune's hands locked around Isaiah's neck. "You're as rotten as the rest of them!" Rune hissed at the man's face. "The law, the Pinkertons, the Davenports- you're all goddamn bastards!" He yelled. "You've taken my son, my daughter, now you'll try to damn us? Damn me now!" Rune's hands squeezed even tighter. "Damn me now!" He shouted once again.
Anna had imagined Isaiah's death every night for years. But this wasn't… this wasn't even an execution, it was a murder. But as she saw the light leaving his eyes, Anna just felt as though… as though it was the last part of her life. Her family, her brothers – it was all slipping away from her so quickly. She took a step forwards, only to be pushed back by Luca.
Gareth tried to move forwards to do… well, to do anything he could, but a swift punch from Alice kept him in place. The look on his face; pain, horror and utter helplessness. Was that how Anna had looked, all those years ago?
Isaiah dropped to the floor, lifeless, as Rune slowly rose back up to his full height, sweeping his sweated hair back from his face.
"I'm gon' kill y'all for that…" Gareth sobbed as snot dripped from his nose.
"Revenge, boy," Rune said breathlessly as he drew his revolver once again, "ain't nothing good ever come outta revenge…" He cocked back the hammer and raised the revolver at the boy's head.
"Rune!" Near barked, limping in front of Gareth. "What're you doing?"
"What do you think?"
"We don't kill boys-"
"He's old enough."
"We don't kill boys."
"Near, let him do this," Aiden said sternly.
"You'd protect them?" Rune scowled.
"This ain't how we do things," Near insisted.
"How many of us have they killed?" Rune shouted.
"That don't make it right!"
"Now you defend them? Now you-"
"I'm defending a kid, Rune!"
"-You betray me?"
Rune raised his revolver squarely at Near's chest. "I'm firing this gun, old man, so you best step clear outta the way."
Near was calm and collected. He didn't move at all apart from the shaking of his shorn head. "I ain't moving, Rune."
Luca looked to Rune. "Let's think-"
"You're standing against me, brother?" Rune asked quietly, eyes intently set on Near, who shook his head.
"I ain't never gon' stand 'gainst ya, Rune, but… I ain't gon' let you shoot a kid, that's for sure."
Rune's eyes flitted to the rest of the gang. Three of them had died in a single day… that was enough, surely? If folk were going to die, it wasn't going to be more of his own. "Truss the boy up," Rune ordered the gang. "Near, do what you will with the boy- Aiden!" He pointed over to the Dogkeeper. "Bring that one with me."
In the depths of the bayou, there was always sound. Crickets and madmen howling with the gentle rippling of water. A thick fog was evermore present there. Flies buzzed around, sticking to the sweat upon one's neck.
Rune and Aiden ambled forwards on their horses, dragging the Dogkeeper along by his feet on the end of a rope. They'd been riding for about half an hour.
They hitched the reins of their horses to a tree and cut the rope from the Crusader's feet, pulling him up to his feet and marching him forwards in Aiden's lantern light into the bayou. "Keep walking…" Rune pushed the Dogkeeper forwards.
"Where are you taking me?"
"Shut the hell up!" Rune snarled, pushing the Dogkeeper forwards until they came to a thick sludge of mud and grass. In the water, reflected in the lanternlight, were two pairs of eyes. Aiden took a step back, hand on the hilt of his revolver as his breath was caught in his throat.
"No…" the Dogkeeper turned around to run past Rune but was pushed back towards them. "I'll tell y'all anything- it was the Davenports. They told us a hundred dollars for each of y'all heads-"
"I don't want to know anything," Rune replied calmly as he began to walk back to Aiden.
"I thought we didn't do revenge," Aiden said quietly. Rune turned around to face him, confused and frustrated.
"You don't think well, do you, son?" Rune growled, pointing to the Dogkeeper. "He is our enemy! If we don't kill him, he will surely kill us- you think he's the type to walk away?" Rune spoke lowly in Aiden's ear. "Think about Matty. About Ava, Parker…" Rune gritted his teeth upon saying the name. "If he gets out of here alive, you're pissing on their memories…"
Aiden swallowed hard as he turned back to the Dogkeeper and drew his Cattleman revolver. "That's it, boy," The Dogkeeper yapped, "yeah, just shoot me! I set my dogs on your mick, didn't I? Just… just shoot me in the head now!"
That was enough. Aiden raised his revolver and shot the Dogkeeper in the kneecap, letting him fall to the water and watch it turn red as the water rippled once more. The eyes became brighter as the Dogkeeper looked up at the two men.
"Please," the Dogkeeper cried, "please, not the gators…"
"C'mon, son," Rune said, taking the lantern from Aiden, "Matty can rest now."
Aiden turned away from the sobbing Dogkeeper and followed Rune back to the road, hearing the splashing and crying and hissing echo across the swamp. "We done now, Rune?" Aiden asked hollowly, knowing the answer.
"Absolve the bullet and its the gun, brother," Rune mounted Copper, "but condemn he who first pulled the trigger."
So… another lengthy chapter. Only a couple more left.
This one kinda got away from me, but there we are… another bloody chapter done. So, leave a review with your thoughts and feelings and the like… any general verbal insults are kinda expected at this point… three main characters in three chapters… unless we're counting Isaiah, Titus and the Dogkeeper, then it's six characters… who called me 'Rouge R. R. Martin' again?
Yeah, I don't know when the next chapter will be up… weekend, most likely? I just graduated uni, so… I'm struggling to find a job for now. Anyway, keep tuned and you can expect at least 3 more chapters coming.
R.