"Wait a second, I need to stop here" says Arthur pulling the reins of his horse.
"Would you mind telling me why we are here?" I ask doing the same.
After he returned with the vaccines, Arthur and I left the reservation and decided to camp halfway between Ambarino and New Hannover. This morning we dismantled the camp in a hurry after Arthur told me he had to stop in Annesburg before returning to Beaver Hollow.
The problem is: he didn't tell me why he needs to stop in Annesburg. It seems he's playing at the mystery man now.
"You just wait here" he snaps dismounting.
I roll my eyes as I watch him walking inside a little side alley.
I wonder what he is hiding, I think leaning forward to look at him.
He stops to talk with a boy, a boy I don't know. The young man speaks gesturing and at a certain point he points his index to Arthur, just like he is accusing him.
Curious to know what's going on, I get down Isabella and reach them.
"I told you to wait by the horses" Arthur scolds me.
"What's going on?" I ask ignoring him and looking at the boy.
"My mother, she… she keeps working. She ain't be back for a few hours. She left with some feller down the railway tracks. I did not like the look of him" he answers concerned.
Who are these people? I ask myself.
"Which way you say?" inquires Arthur.
"That way, around the woods, towards Willard's rest" answers the boy.
"I'll see what I can do. You, stay here" Arthur addresses me as a command.
I don't have the strength to argue with him, so I simply let him go and turn to look at the boy.
"Who are you? What happened with your mother?" I ask him.
"Archibald Downes, my mother…"
My heart loses a beat.
"What did you say?" I ask bewildered as I look at him with my eyes wide open.
"My name is Archibald Downes. My mother is working as… she…" he says with embarrassment.
"You're Mr. Downes' son. Thomas Downes?" I ask more to myself than to him.
I can't believe it. Arthur is helping Downes' widow and son.
"You knew my father?" he asks.
"We better sit down" I say putting a hand on his shoulder and leading him to the stairs where we sit.
I tell him how I met his father in Valentine some months ago, how I knew about his debts and how I tried to help them paying the debt he had with Strauss in their place. In turn he tells me what happened to them in these weeks, how his mother has to 'work' to gain some money and how Arthur has been helping them.
"I'm sorry, I wish I could have done more for you" I say in the end.
"Why? You don't know us and we don't know you. You must do nothing for us. We don't need a stranger's charity" he replies harshly.
"You're right. I don't owe you nothing. I guess I just… see a little of myself in you."
He looks at me with an inquisitive gaze and I know for sure he's about to ask me why, but fortunately he has no possibility to do it because, some yards away, Arthur is coming back with a woman.
"Momma!" Archibald exclaims standing up and running to hug her.
"Oh, you're a silly boy!" she cries holding him.
"Archie, what will we do?" she asks then sobbing on his shoulder.
"Get outta here. Go. Live someplace else, start over. Here, take this…" says Arthur opening his sack to take something from it.
"I don't want your money" says Mrs. Downes even before Arthur can take it out.
"Yeah, I know you don't want it, but you sure as shit need it" he replies handing it to them.
I stare at him not sure of what to feel.
He's helping them. He's truly helping them. What is it? Some kind of amend?
"Take it" insists Arthur as both the woman and her son show no sign of taking it.
"No" says the boy.
"I ain't looking for forgiveness, it ain't about that. Don't forgive me, just take the money and get outta here, please. I know I ruined your life, I suffer for it everyday, but…"
"Arthur, what…?" I whisper.
A tear runs down my cheek as they all turn to look at me.
A strong heavy weight I can't understand pulls on my chest and just like an invisible force is pulling me, I get closer to them, take the money Arthur is handing to the boy and push it in the hands of the woman.
"I knew your husband, he was a good man. Do it for him. I'm certain he wouldn't want to see you live this kind of life" I say.
"Who… who are you?" asks Mrs. Downes amazed.
I smile at the question, but I truly don't know how to answer.
"Go now" I say.
"Thank you Mr. Morgan" says the boy.
"Don't thank me, just go" he replies looking at them going away.
I pass a hand on my face to dry my tears before I turn towards Arthur.
"What was that?" I ask.
"What?"
"All of that. First the natives, now the Downes. What happened to you? Why did you change so much?"
My voice shakes with anger.
He sighs looking away.
"What? Now you found the path of redemption? Now you finally understood you want to be a good man?" I ask
"Fred… I'm dying."
His words kick me in the guts and my mind goes blind.
I stare at him, right in the eyes, but he's not able to do the same.
"What?" I whisper.
"I'm sick. Tuberculosis. Just what Downes had."
"He… you…"
I try to talk, but I'm just incapable to do that. New tears start to wet my cheeks.
"Yeah, he passed it to me. What a twist of fate, right? Sent to kill a man and he kills me instead" he says with a bitter laugh.
"But I deserved that" he adds.
"No. Don't say that."
"It's the truth. A few good actions won't make me a good man. I just wanted to do something right, before I…"
I don't let him finish. I pull him to me and tight my arms around his neck. I hug him as I start sobbing on his chest.
"I'm sorry… so sorry" I say among the tears.
"Yeah, yeah me too" he replies patting gently my back.
"No, I mean. I'm s-sorry for w-what I said" I repeat letting him go.
"I s-said I hoped you g-got what killed Downes a-and… and n-now…" I stutter not able to speak properly anymore.
"It's okay, it's okay, don't worry" he says.
"I-I didn't m-mean it…"
"I know you didn't. Now calm down."
I gently pat and caress his arms and his chest and try to dry the tears on my face as I keep taking deep breaths.
"Have you… seen a doctor?" I ask, my voice still nasal.
"Yes. There's nothing I can do" he adds before I can say anything else.
"I can only try to fix some things before…you know…"
"I can help you. We will fix these things together. Downes is done, I guess. What next?" I ask.
"Well, the natives and… John and his family" he replies with a sigh.
"To make them run away before it's too late. Yes, I also though that" I add reading his mind.
"I already talked with John" he says making a sign with his hand to tell me to follow him.
"Told him to stay ready" he informs me, heading to the horses.
"What about the others? Mary-Beth, Tilly…"
"Try convince them they have to do the same, when the time will come."
As soon as we get at the camp, I immediately notice something's different.
I get down Isabella and stop to stare at the three new horses tied up at the posts. Three. New. Horses. Who they belong to?
"Oh! Trelawny's back" exclaims Arthur next to me.
As I look at him in perplexity he points at one of the three horses: white mantle spotted light brown coat.
So that's Trelawny's horse.
"What about the others?" I ask.
"No idea. But I reckon it's nothing good" he replies going away with a fast pace.
We soon find out the other horses belong to Cleet and Joe, two old Micah's friends. He "casually bumped into 'em", as he says. They will stay a couple of days, because apparently we need more men for a job nobody heard talking about.
Dutch's plan.
After the recent events I feel the need to reach the kitchen and take some coffee. Then, Miss Grimshaw immediately puts me to work and I spend the morning helping her.
Every now and then I glance at the two newcomers: they just stay there, seated at the table, chatting and cleaning their weapons.
"I don't understand. If they're so friends with Micah, why they barely talked this morning?" I ask to Sadie.
"Maybe they're not so close after all" she replies without interest.
"And you don't think it's odd he decided to bring two strangers at the camp and Dutch… he just let them come in, like it doesn't matter" I say looking at the boss as he draws closer to John and Charles and exchanges a few words with them.
"When I came here, they tested me, my loyalty. Dutch was suspicious, he didn't trust me. Now he doesn't care" I think out loud.
"Well, I guess he changed his mind" replies Sadie distractedly.
Dutch, John and Charles start walking towards the horses. Charles looks around for a second and when he meets my eyes he runs to me.
"We're going to try stop Eagle Flies from making some foolishness. Or at least, I am. When you see Arthur tell him to reach us. He knows what to do. See you later" he adds walking away.
"Okay, be careful" I yell at his back.
For lunch I sit next to the campfire to eat some stew. Next to me Uncle and Bill are doing the same.
"Hello" I greet them.
"Hi, my dear" says Uncle.
Right behind Uncle, in the distance, I see Micah getting closer to his dear friends, sit on a chair next to them and start talking.
How strange that he decides to speak to them now that neither Dutch nor anybody else is around.
"Listen I-I…" Bill stutters, distracting me from my thoughts.
"I always thought you were… cool, you know? You're not like the other girls. You…you work with us, with the men, and I-I…" he says with awkwardness.
Typical Bill.
"I mean, if I'm gonna ask, I'm gonna ask you. Don't you think that what's happening is… kinda crazy?"
I look at him, asking myself what he wants to hear from me.
"I mean, we look so different now. What… what is Arthur doing? Why he don't trust Dutch anymore?" he asks in the end.
I open my mouth, but not a sound comes from it.
I don't know what to say, I don't know what to tell him to make him understand what we already understood.
"Cause he's a traitor that's why" answers a voice from behind me.
I turn around and look at Javier with a severe expression.
"Just like John" he adds sitting next to Bill and glancing at me with defiance.
Something cold starts raising from my belly and my fingers tighten around the spoon I'm holding.
"How can you say something like this?" I murmur.
"Cause it's true. Why they didn't hang him, huh? In Sisika" he replies with coldness.
"Yeah, that's strange" states Bill.
"No, it's not. He was bait. They were waiting for us to rescue him and…" I try to reply.
"No, I don't buy it. I say he traded us for his freedom" Javier interrupts me.
"Who put that in your mind? Micah? He says that?"
"He opened my eyes."
"He's playing with your mind."
"So you think I'm weak enough to let someone else plying with my thoughts, that's why you chose Charles?"
I stare at him with my mouth open.
"What has Charles to do with it now?" I ask.
"Nothing of course" he murmurs standing up.
I keep staring at him as he goes away, walking towards Micah and sitting at the table with him and his friends.
The blond man moves his eyes from Javier to me in the distance and stares back at me with a mischievous smile on his face.
Again, I feel something going up from my belly that makes my hands shake.
I'm about to stand up and reach him to punch him right on that snake face, but something else catches my attention.
"What are you doing?" yells a voice from my right.
"Something I should have done a long time ago. Get your bag" answers Arthur.
I turn my head towards the noise and look at the man as he roughly pushes Strauss away.
"I don't understand" says Strauss.
"I ain't gonna kill you, though I probably should" replies Arthur piking up a bag from the ground and starting to fill it with Strauss' things.
"You disgust me and you shame us, if we could be shamed any more than we already are" he keeps saying.
I look around and notice even the others are watching them.
Arthur finishes gathering Strauss' objects, closes the bag, takes the debts book Strauss has in his hands and throws it away.
"Now go!" he shouts in the end.
"I don't understand you, what are you doing?" yells Strauss backing off, scared by Arthur's sudden impetuousness.
I stand up, just like the others have done, leave the plate on the log and walk slowly in their direction.
"Go and get a job!" Arthur replies pushing him away.
"You know… they say the sick delude themselves. I was your friend" complains Strauss.
"You and me, we ain't decent, but those folk, they was. Now… take that" adds Arthur taking some money from his sack and tossing it on the ground.
"Take that and get lost!"
Strauss reluctantly picks the money, stares at Arthur for a while and then, finally, walks away.
While I draw closer to him, Arthur starts coughing, bending on his knees, incapable to breathe properly.
I speed up and reach him, putting a hand on his back.
"It's okay…" he says spitting some blood on the ground.
My stomach twists as I help him to stand up.
"Fix things, right?" I ask moving my eyes from him to Strauss' back.
"Fix things" he replies breathing deeply.
"Charles asked me to tell you they're waiting for you. It has something to do with Eagle Flies" I inform him.
"Okay…" he murmurs turning his back at me and walking away.
"No no no. Not now, you don't feel well" I say grabbing his arm to stop him.
"I haven't been well for a while, but it didn't stop me before" he replies freeing himself from my grip.
Hello!
Writing this chapter destroyed me, it was one of the hardest.
The other day I was on Tumblr and there was a post about Rdr2 and it said: actually Arthur should say Consumption, not Tuberculosis, because this last term came to use only recently. Me too, I've always heard talking about Consumption in the past. I have no idea why Rockstar used TB. To make it more understandable maybe?
Anyway, I hope you liked this terrible chapter.
See you soon!