So, the final chapter! It's about what you might expect but I think I succeeded at showing a different side of it all. Y'know, similar situations, different characters, new viewpoints and the like.

I don't know when I'll put out the next instalment – I planned on doing the next Star Wars instalment and I don't want to fall behind on that because I've already fallen behind on a bunch of other stories (it happens). But the Star Wars stories are meant to be around this length, and I feel like I'll be able to push myself to finish that fairly quickly so… let's say end of April is when I'll put out the next part of the West series.

Yeah, that's doable.

A massive thank-you to everyone. Motordog, So hard to choose usernames, Terrific Acorn, Lawrence Cartwright, you guys are fantastic readers and reviewers and I'm so happy to have you along for the ride.

Those of you that are fairly new, it's great to have you aboard. 2 weeks is enough time to catch up (I hope) on the previous 3 instalments and this one. It's not necessary but I think we can all agree that you get so much more out of the story when you catch small references (my personal favourite is when they met a man dressed in purple and Aiden says to Luca 'Look, Luca, he stole your clothes.')

Anyway, on with the final chapter!

24th September, 1905

Bayou Nwa, LE

A gunshot cracked through the clicking of the bayou as Rune Brody stood outside the wooden shacks, shouting loudly.

"Get the hell out here, Harper!"

Behind Rune, in a line, was the gang, absent Charlotte, Abuela, Near and Enzo. A door opened and Elias walked out, a semi-automatic shotgun in one hand as he exited his shack with Tahoma Grudge (armed with a pump-action shotgun) and Ambrosia, who clenched her hands around her bolt-action rifle, eyes on Aiden.

"What's the meaning of this, comrade?"

"This?" Rune holstered his revolver. "What did you tell the Pinkertons, comrade?"

"The Pinkertons?" Elias frowned. "I told them nothing. Told them I'd never betray my fellow man…"
"So they just… happened upon my friends, here?" Rune gestured to Aiden and Jay.

"I don't know anything about that."

"Of course you don't…" Rune growled.

Elias took as step forwards. "I give you forty percent of my business, and you stand there making accusations?"

"Well…" Anna stepped forwards, "I suppose you'd keep that forty percent if we all died, wouldn't ya?"

Elias tapped a finger against the barrel of his shotgun. "I didn't tell them nothing. I've got a witness to back me up-"

"I don't wish to hear your false witness," Rune hissed.

"That's the problem, Brody…" Elias pointed a finger. "You don't want to hear."

"Shut up."

"You accuse me, I try to explain why I'm innocent, and you tell me to shut up?"

Rune took a step forwards, his jaw clenched as his grey-blue eyes examined them all. "Okay…" Rune said slowly. "Let's talk then."

Elias nodded. "Have your men wait outside."

Rune disappeared into one of the shacks with Elias, leaving the two factions outside, eying each other carefully. Aiden fixed his eyes on Ambrosia, his hand tightening around the double-barrelled shotgun.

"I don't like this…" Aiden murmured to Luca.

"Nor do I," Luca replied.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Jay asked.

"Shut up, Jay," Aiden muttered, "I don't wanna talk to you."

"Sulkin', sour-face?" Alice asked.

"You can shut it too."

"Ooh, maybe you need a night with your horse…" Alice rolled her eyes.

There were two gunshots from inside the shack. Tahoma and Ambrosia turned to look at the door and seconds later, Ambrosia's jaw cracked in two from Anna's bolt-action. Tahoma turned to run and an arrow soared forth from Night's Hawk's bow, arcing through the sky and piercing his neck.

The door opened and the young moonshiner, Raven, was thrown out into the mud. "Sir, I'm-" the boy began, but Rune put his revolver to the boy's head and blew a hole into his scalp.

"Take the shine," Rune ordered the gang, "take the money and burn the stills! Luca, Sam, go give the gators an early breakfast…"

The gang set about carrying out Rune's orders and Aiden pulled the leather strap of his shotgun across his chest as he walked over to watch the woman, Ambrosia, crawl away. Rune reloaded his revolver and glanced over to Aiden. "You want that one?" Aiden opened his mouth to respond and heard a gunshot as Elijah fired a bullet into her head. Rune wiped Elias' blood from his cheek and grinned at Elijah. "Quite the killer, aren't you, Father?"

"When it's mercy," Elijah replied tersely.

Rune scowled and watched as the gang moved around. "Working hard, or hardly working, son?" Rune asked Aiden.

"What was that about?" Aiden frowned, watching Elias' corpse be carried out of the shack by Sam.

"A bastard ingrate liar, same Davenport and Herridge," Rune replied simply.

"And you murdered him?"

"No, no, I killed him – there's a fine difference, son."

"If you say so…"

"I do!" Rune said, offended. "What, you think I planned this?"

"Why not? You seemed to plan everything else…"

"You seriously can't see that he sold us out?"

"No."

"Well, he did." Rune and Aiden entered the shack, picking up clay jugs of shine and carrying them out towards a wagon.

"Why did you kill him?"

"You saw him holding that shotgun?"

"He went for it?"

"I never kill a man without reason, son, you know that."

"Well, sure… I guess…"

Rune scoffed. "Who else would?"

"I mean… why're you so determined to believe someone set us up?" The set the jugs on the wooden bed of the wagon.

"So the Pinkertons just bumped into you and Jay?"

"We've been killing lawmen and robbing banks for seven years, Rune. Phillipa Herridge was still alive last time I checked, and we killed her daddy – maybe them Pinkertons have been on us all this time."

"And maybe Elias told them where to find you," Rune replied. "Anna had a point – with us dead, he keeps forty percent of his shine money."

Aiden scoffed. "Maybe…"

"He's dead now, son. He ain't a threat to the gang no more." They began to walk back to the shack to get more jugs of shine, pausing as Lana and Ellie emerged, carrying iron lockboxes. "See, son, I told you that I would protect us."

"Meaning?" Aiden frowned.

"Meaning I did that for us. To protect us," Rune explained as he entered the shack, with Aiden dawdling behind him. He turned around to see Aiden standing there, frowning. "What?"

"I thought you said you killed him 'cos he went for his gun?"

Rune sighed and set down the jug. "I never said that…"

"I ain't gonna argue goddamn specifics with ya, Rune."

"He was a threat, Aiden," Rune said sharply. "I promised all of you that I would protect us, and that's what I'm doing. That's what I've always done." Aiden kept his hazel eyes locked on Rune, examining him intently. "What?"

"Folk keep dyin', Rune."

Rune set down the jug and took a step towards Aiden. "Killing ain't some dishonourable thing," he growled. "What Herridge did to your land, that was dishonourable. What the Brotherhood did to Ava and Matty, that was dishonourable!"

Aiden nodded, walking past Rune and picking up a jug of moonshine. "I hope you're right about this…" He turned and lugged it back out to the wagon.


Agent Buck Bayfield crouched down, peering through his binoculars to see the Rune Brody gang carrying clay jugs and putting them down in a carriage, along with several strongboxes.

"It's the whole bloody gang…" Bayfield muttered.

"Then let's take them!" Finch hissed.

"No…" Bayfield replied. "I count ten, at least, and the six of us?" Buck scoffed. "We've not the firepower to take them down…"
"Convenient," Finch replied.

Bayfield straightened up and walked across the muddied road to Agent Edgar Ross, who lit a cigar and puffed on it, watching the gang through his binoculars. "Sir, I'm afraid that… Elias Harper has been killed-"

"So I see, agent." Ross lowered his binoculars.

"I do not think it would be wise to move right now. It's regrettable, but we haven't the men…"
"We're all Pinkertons here, agent." Ross said "You can speak plainly?"

"Sir?" Bayfield frowned.

"It's criminals killing criminals. Hardly making our job more difficult."

Bayfield licked his lips. "They're still people, sir."

"I'd say they renounced that right when they robbed and murdered, or… would you rather risk the lives of you and your men for those common scum that would kill you?" Ross said simply, turning to walk back to his horse.

"That doesn't make this right," Bayfield stated.

Agent Ross turned around, a surprised smile on his lips as he chewed on his cigar. "If I were concerned with right and wrong, I'd have joined the police," he said, digging a thumb inside his vest pocket. "Keep to the line, Agent. This ploy of yours was rather impressive…" Ross mounted his horse and pulled on a pair of leather gloves. "Using a small fish to lure out a bigger one… Quite the fisherman, aren't you?"

"There was no plan, sir," Bayfield said, "I don't believe in using live bait."

"But you do believe in throwing back the smaller fish?" Ross raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Agent Finch and I had a rather interesting chat today."

Bayfield glanced over his shoulder at Martin Finch and narrowed his eyes. "'Interesting', sir?"

"Indeed. Shall I let you in on a little secret?" Edgar Ross leant down from his horse. "There are no small fish." He straightened up and turned his horse away. "I give you leave to command your unit, Agent Bayfield. I've business across state."

"Sir?"

"A trail to Mount Hagen," Ross said. "When I return, I expect to hear that all the gang are being hunted. Not just the ringleaders…"

Bayfield clenched his jaw. "Yes, sir."


Avery sat in the office, scratching at where his stubble used to be. Christ, he felt horrible in the suit – he hadn't buttoned up his shirts for years. And there he was, sat in a fine office with a cup of coffee, listening to a clock tick as sunlight bled through the lace curtains.

The door clicked open and a man entered. Tall and gruff, with a bushy greying beard and a plump belly and a large, gruesome scar carved across his face and behind a black leather eyepatch, similar to Gareth's.

"So you are alive…" He said in a grizzle English accent.

"Mr. Cooper…" Avery marvelled at the old man. "I'd have thought you'd drank yourself to death…"

"Not while I'm of use…" Thomas Cooper sat down. Avery went to pick up his cup of tea, knocking it slightly. He cursed to himself and Cooper let out a single chuckle. "Still getting used to it?" He asked, tapping his eyepatch. "How would you like revenge on them who did it?"

"Brody gang?" Avery asked, glancing to Gareth. "Where are they?"

"We don't know… but we could give you and Gareth some resources to find out."

"Why would 'we' care?" Avery asked.

Thomas stroked his beard as he leaned back in his chair. "My employer considers them to have wronged him personally."

"Personally?"

"I am employed by Signor Martelli. You know him?"

Gareth nodded. "He was my uncle's brother-in-law…"

"Making you and him family," Thomas nodded. "Signor Martelli prizes family above all else."

Avery didn't believe him for some reason. "So… what, he wants me to take revenge because… of loyalty?"

"Rune Brody and his gang killed Mrs. Davenport who, yes, was a Davenport, but she was a Martelli first." Thomas took a cigarette from a steel case and lit it, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

"Avery Davenport, are you familiar with the term 'vendetta'?"

And that's where I'll leave it. I know, it's cruel, but I feel like that's best. I know, Thomas Cooper is still alive – why wouldn't he be? The old guy probably will never die. Just kidding – everyone's going to die because (as some of you know) I'm a bloodthirsty writer.

Now, as I said before, the next instalment will hopefully be up in 2-3 weeks, which gives y'all time to reflect on what you've read. We're going to be in the 5th phase, that's crazy. I seriously can't be more proud of this story, it's my little baby.

Please review and so on – ALSO, I'd love to hear your theories on what's going to happen. I can tell you some things, such as it's going to include Saint Denis (as confirmed last chapter), and there's going to be at least one major setpiece akin to the Tragedy at Shady Belle and the Riverboat Massacre.

Also, if you can say what you think about the Pinkerton POV, that'd mean a lot – most of you seem to have liked it, so I'm considering making it a more prominent storyline, like I have in this phase.

When I start the sequel, I will post an alert/update in this story letting you all know, but I will also write a lil' reflection on this chapter, so… keep an eye out for that.

Okay, I'll stop talking because you guys have stuff to get on with. Remember to stay inside, wash your hands regularly, eat well and stay safe. I wish you all the best and will see you soon!

R.