Chapter 14: Charles

"Ouch!" Sam yelped.

Miss Grimshaw sighed. "I know it hurts, Miss Burke, but we're almost done," she said.

Sam was getting her stitches out today. Her wounds had finally healed up enough to where they could be taken out. She was going to have scars, but at least they were going to look badass. Besides, how many people did Sam know who'd survived a bear attack? Well, in all fairness, she didn't know anyone who'd been attacked by a bear, but who cared? She survived an attack, thanks to Arthur and Hosea. Miss Grimshaw was working on the last set of stitches in Sam's shoulder when Grimshaw started talking again.

"So, you and Arthur, huh?" Miss Grimshaw asked Sam.

Sam blushed a little. "Maybe. I dunno."

The older woman gave Sam a knowing smirk. "Oh come now, Miss Burke. You know he likes you, and you like him. It's goin' to happen eventually."

"What's gonna happen eventually?"

"You two are gonna...you know...form a relationship."

Sam laughed, then she grimaced from having a difficult stitch removed. "I think that's already happened, Miss Grimshaw, although we haven't actually kissed yet."

"Oh? Why not?"

"We keep getting interrupted. First the O'Driscolls, then a bar fight, then the girls spying on us."

"And this all happened yesterday?"

"Yes," Sam confirmed.

Susan let out a puff of air. "Well, don't worry. It'll happen soon enough."

Miss Grimshaw got the last stitch out and Sam sighed in relief. She looked down at herself and pouted. Well, at least her nipples were intact, but she wondered what Arthur would think of her once he saw her naked...if he saw her naked. Ever. The thought made her blush and she reached for her newly stitched up bra that Grimshaw had been kind enough to fix. Sam put it on and grabbed fer white waitress shirt.

"Thanks for this, Miss Grimshaw," Sam said gratefully.

"You're welcome, dear," she replied as they both got up from behind the girl's cart.

Sam walked around and looked for Arthur. He was nowhere to be seen. Damn. "Ah, Sam. How are you today?" Charles said as he approached her.

"I'm fine, how are you?" Sam replied.

"Good. I was thinkin' about huntin' for some bison today. You think you're up for that?"

Sam rolled her shoulder and only winced slightly. "I think so. I'm just glad I was able to get my rifle fixed."

"Good. There's some over on the plains, I believe. I saw a couple a long way off earlier. Let's mount up." The two walked to their horses and got on, then they trotted out of camp. "You know, it was before my time, of course, but my mother used to tell me stories of how her tribe moved with the bison. They lived almost as one. Where the bison went, my people went. They were the center of all life...we couldn't survive without 'em. They provided us with everything...food, clothing, shelter, tools. There was a lot of respect."

"That's pretty amazing," Sam said in awe. "Having that kind of relationship with an animal, I can definitely see where the respect comes in."

Charles gave her a warm smile. "Let's try over here to the left." They both turned slightly to the left and as they got on top of a small hill, Sam saw the bison and grinned. "Over there, you see them all? Incredible, aren't they? We should only kill one of them." They slowed to a stop. "I'll keep 'em ringed in and you see if you can bring one down. Okay? Clean as you can."

Sam pulled out her rifle and nodded. She watched Charles go and she took a deep breath. "Okay Sam, you got this."

As Charles chased after them, Sam turned to the left and started Orion to a fast gallop. She banked over a hill and aimed her tie, trying to hit a bison in the head. She fired a bullet into the ground. Shit. She took another shot and a bullet grazed a bison's nose. Shit! The third shot hit clean in the bison's head and it went down. Charles regrouped to join her.

"Well done," he said.

"Ah, I missed the first shot," she complained, rolling her shoulder. It still hurt but it wasn't unbearable.

"That's okay. You just need practice with that rifle, is all. Arthur or I can help out with that."

Sam nodded at Charles. "So now what?"

"Alright, skin and butcher it. Take the horns, too. It can all be used."

Sam approached the dead animal and awed at its size. "Damn, this fucker is huge."

She heard Charles laugh as she bent down to skin it. She sliced the belly open and started pulling back the skin, slicing under as she went. Eventually she got the skin off nice and clean, then she went for the horns. As she cut them off, she pocketed them into her brand new satchel that Mr. Pearson had made for her. She rolled up the fur and tied it up, then she tried to pick it up and...she couldn't. "Damn."

"Need help?"

"Yes, please."

Charles laughed, dismounted and walked to her. He picked up the pelt with ease and loaded it onto Orion. "There you go."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." Charles looked off in the distance with a frown.

"You okay?" Sam asked.

"Mount up. I wanna...go check something' out."

"Okay, sure." Sam got on Orion and the two galloped off. "What's up?"

"I thought I saw some scavenger birds over here...just wanted to see what attracted them."

As they cut across the plains and Sam saw where the birds were, she instantly felt her heart sink. "Oh no..."

There were three dead bison left to rot. "No, look," Charles said in a broken voice. "Bison. Shot and left for dead, it looks like."

"This is awful. Who would do this, and why?"

"I don't know but I see tracks heading in this direction," Charles said as he pointed them out. "I say we follow 'em."

"Alright, let's go." The two headed southeast across the Heartlands and Sam frowned, her heart heavy. "I don't suppose it was an animal that did this?"

"No, they'd been shot," Charles spat out. "I just don't know why anybody would just leave them there to rot like that." They turned east to the main road. "Look, another dead bison. On that hill to the right. Come on." They headed up to the hill to another dead creature and Sam's heart sank even lower, but her emotions of rage started building up. "Shot and left for dead again, but this one looks fresher."

Sam spotted smoke from a nearby campfire. "There's a camp here. Should we go check it out?"

"Sure."

Sam got off her horse and went over to the abandoned campsite. She saw the logs were merely embers, so it wasn't that old. "I'm no expert, but I'd say this fire is still kinda fresh," she said as she marched back to Orion.

"Bison's been dead for maybe half a day, I'd reckon that's how old that fire is."

"So, now what?" Sam asked as she mounted up.

"They could still be in the area. Let's get up higher, see if we spot anything." They started going up the hill. "This way. We should have a good view from up here."

As they got to the hill, Sam saw smoke off in the distance and pointed. "There. See that smoke?"

"Yeah. Could be another camp."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Let's go have a chat with these fuckers."

The two went down the hill and headed a bit northeast. "Bastards. Just killing for fun!"

"I know. It's atrocious."

As they got closer, Sam spotted more dead animals. "Look, more dead bison. It has to be them. Come on!"

"Charles, wait!" Charles increased his speed and Sam did her best to keep up. They got close to the campfire and they both dismounted. Sam watched Charles march angrily towards the two men who were sitting by the fire of the camp.

"Did you fools shoot those bison?" Charles asked in a low voice.

"What's your problem?" one of the men asked.

"I said, did you fools shoot those bison?!"

The other man stood up. "Calm down, you black or red bastard, whatever the fuck you are." Soon both men wee standing and Sam felt an urge to reach for her rifle.

"Did you shoot them?!" Charles demanded.

"Yeah, we did. We shot them bison and we will shoot you too, if you don't get."

"What business is it of yours what we-"

Charles pulled out his sawed off shotgun and shot the first man dead, making Sam jolt back. Holy shit. The other bent down and held his hands up. "It's that business of mine!" Charles yelled at the still living man.

"Good god, you're crazy!" he yelled. Sam had never seen Charles become do unhinged and it scared her. She peeked over at the dead man and gulped. "Look, I got a family...a family. Don't shoot me."

Sam put a hand on Charles' shoulder and he tensed up. "Charles, just take a breath, okay? Calm down."

"I can't calm down!" Charles snapped at her.

Sam released her grip. "Just, let he talk to him first. Okay? See if I can get some answers."

"...Alright. Be quick about it."

Sam sighed in relief and walked over to the frightened man. She bent down at her knees and looked him straight in the eye. "Why did you kill those bison?"

"I-I don't know what you're talkin' about!" the man yelled.

Sam lowered her head, raised it, then grabbed the man by the throat and punched him in the face, making him groan out. "Why did you kill those bison?"

"To make it look like it was Indians."

Sam stood up as she let go of the man. "You what?!"

"We was paid to make it look like it was Indians! I'm sorry, please don't-"

An anger Sam never felt before came over her and before she knew it, she'd pulled out her rifle and aimed it at the man. He held his hands up, pleading for his life. "Please, don't kill me," he sobbed.

Sam's breathing was heavy as her eyes narrowed deeply. She had never wanted to kill someone, but she sure as shit did now. She kept her finger on the trigger, daring herself to pull it. "Just kill him, Sam!" Charles barked out.

Suddenly Sam blinked. What was she doing? She wasn't a killer. She lowered the gun, but her glare didn't let up. "Get out of here. Now!"

The man got up and started running away. "Why did you do that?!" Charles shouted.

Sam turned to Charles with a sad face. "I'm sorry, Charles, but I'm not a killer. And maybe he'll go tell his friends about what happens to people like him."

Charles bowed his head, his knuckles clenched tightly. "I've seen enough of this. I'm heading back."

Charles left the campsite and mounted up before Sam could protest. She looked at the gun in her hands and immediately started to cry. What was this world doing to her?


Arthur galloped into camp after having done a robbery with Javier. They made a decent score and Arthur went to go put money in the pot when Kieran, the O'Driscoll they'd had tied up for weeks, stopped him.

"Please," Kieran said.

Arthur chuckled. "You got some speakin' to do of your own...about that old gang of yours," Arthur said.

Kieran lowered his head. "I said...I told you...I don't know nothin'."

"That's what I thought."

"Woa, hold your horses there..." Dutch said as he approached with Bill. "It seems the cat has got our friend here's tongue. I was thinkin' Mr. Williamson could have a word."

Bill closed in on Kieran with a sneer on his face. "You ready to talk, boy?" he asked Kieran.

"I told you mister, I told all of you. I don't know nothin', okay? They-They ain't no friends of mine. I just ridden with them for a while," Kieran explained.

"Horseshit! You see, we heard that part so how about you tell the truth. Dutch, what do you want me to do?"

"Hurt him so the next tone he opens his mouth...it is to tell us what is goin' on!" Dutch shouted. Bill went to punch bit Kieran cringed back and Bill stopped. "Ah...who am I kiddin'? One of O'Driscoll's boys couldn't open his mouth but he'd tell a lie. Screw it. Let's just have some fun," Dutch said, leaning in close to the boy's face before looking at Bill with smile and a snip motion of his fingers. "Geld him."

"Oh yeah!" Bill said excitedly as he rushed to the fire where the stew was being cooked.

"What's he doin'? Where' he goin'?" Kieran asked in a panic.

"Ooooh, don't worry," Dutch said as he dropped the boy's pants. "They're only balls, boy. Just gonna cause you trouble. You know, in Imperial Rome, eunuchs was among the happiest and most loyal of courtiers."

"No, no, no, no...you're kiddin' me, right?" Kieran pleaded while Bill came back over with hot tongs.

"Of course."

"You sick bastards!" Kieran shouted, almost crying as Bill snapped near his nuts.

"What the fuck is going on here?!" Arthur heard Sam screech behind him. Uh oh.

All the men looked at Sam and Dutch laughed. "What ever is the matter, Miss Burke?"

Sam looked as if she was seething with rage and Arthur didn't like the look of it. In fact, it was almost scary. "Are you about to burn his fucking junk off?!"

Dutch and Bill laughed but Arthur didn't. He knew they weren't actually going to geld the boy, but Sam didn't know that. Arthur walked to Sam and started whispering.

"No, we're just tryin' to scare him to get information, that's all..."

Sam scoffed in disgust. "You're all a bunch of fucking savages, I swear to God," she said angrily before walking away to her tent.

Arthut shut his eyes and rubbed his face. "What's gotten into her?" Dutch asked.

"I ain't got a clue."


Sam spent the rest of the day in her tent thinking about Charles and what she had almost done that day. Was she becoming immune to this world and its savage nature, or had she just been really mad and just happened to have a gun? How would she have reacted to something like this back in her own time? She wasn't sure, but Sam didn't want to think about it anymore. She was about to roll over to sleep when she heard someone outside her tent.

"Sam?" she heard Arthur ask gently. "You okay?"

"...No," she replied meekly, a tear running down her cheek.

"You wanna talk about it?"

"...Maybe. I dunno."

"May I come in?"

"Yes."

She turned her back to the entrance as she heard Arthur crawl in. Sam held her legs to her chest and had her chin nestle into her knees. She felt a hand on her shoulder and she sniffled, trying to hold back tears.

"Did somethin' happen today?" Arthur inquired gently.

"...I almost killed a man, Arthur."

"Yeah, Charles kinda filled me in on what happened. But...I'm here if you need me."

Sam took in deep, shaky breath. "I need you, Arthur."

She felt his arms wrap around her and Sam sunk into Arthur's warmth. While feeling his lips on her shoulder, Sam shut her eyes and leaned her head to the side to allow him better access to her neck, hoping he would put his mouth on her skin. And he did. His lips trailed along the flesh of her neck and she made a soft, breathless moan. Her hand went to the back of his head, encouraging him. Arthur began nibbling and sucking on her ear and Sam quickly turned around to hold him. Their mouths pressed against each other hungrily and Sam took Arthur's hat off. His hands began exploring her whole body and soon he laid Sam on her back, laying over her and kissing her hard. It was in that moment when Sam heard a commotion outside the tent.

"They got Micah!" Lenny shouted. "Dutch!"

Arthur and Sam looked at each other with big grins before scrambling out of the tent. Oh, this was going to be good.