Lily remembered a sleepy, peaceful night, back when she was about twelve-years old. It was a late evening. She and her father were having a quiet dinner, when there was a knock on the door. Lily had stayed at the table while her father answered the door downstairs, only to come back up and drag her down to the police station, because he didn't want to leave her alone.
She didn't know why until she got there. Even then, Cliff had her wait with the sheriff at his desk. Cliff stormed up to one of the jail cells.
"You goddamn idiot, Samuel Hawkeson!" Cliff shouted. "I've had it with you! Had it with you!"
Sam, who was laying on the jail bed, with his hands folded behind his head, just turned to him. From the tears in his shirt, and the small bruises he had, the doctor could already tell that the officers had to be rough with him to take him in. "Yep, nice to see you, too, uncle."
Cliff just growled. His nephew reeked of booze. "You're eighteen, Sam! When will you be a goddamn man?!"
Sam just rolled his eyes. "And when will you learn to have some fun, old man?"
The doctor turned to the officers. "What did he do?"
"He was drunk, bothering people at the saloon," said the sheriff. "He distracted some people playing poker and tried to make off with the pot, only to find out he only took the chips. So, it wasn't real money, we'll write off the theft. But, there's still a fine for causing a disturbance."
Sam just shrugged like it was nothing. Cliff crossed his arms. "Well, Sam. I'll pay your fine… in the morning. We're going to get ready for bed, while you sleep in a cold jail cell!" And with that, he took Lily's hand and they walked out of the police office.
Lily stayed silent on the walk back to the clinic. After the awkward silence, Cliff finally let out a sigh and loosened his grip on his daughter.
"I'm sorry you had to see that, Lily," Cliff said to her, gently. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with that boy, but I promised your Aunt Annabelle I'd take care of him. And-"
Lily then gasped and hid behind her father. Up ahead, on the porch of their clinic, were two outlaws. One was knocking on the door, while the other was slumped against the wall, a hand over one of his thighs.
With Lily staying close from behind, the doctor walked up to the conspicuous pair.
"Hey, mister!" the first outlaw said to him. Cliff flinched when he approached, but the man didn't reach for a weapon or anything, and he kept his voice low. "Please. We need your help!" He gestured to his friend. He was pale. Blood was seeping out from his leg from a gunshot wound. "He's losing blood! Please! I'll pay!"
Lily peeked at the scary looking man and then looked up at Cliff. "Daddy?"
"Please, sir!" the outlaw pleaded. "I can't lose him!"
Lily had been lost in her thoughts, while eating Pearson's stew. About a day had passed, since Sam and Arthur robbed the clinic in Valentine. While the two had made a pact to find whoever killed her father, their investigation was really going anywhere at the moment.
"Ain't you the one who's been healing everyone?" Kieran asked, as Sam walked by. The young man huffed, holding a beer in his hand, and it looked like it took all his energy to even look at him. The O'Driscoll had already been roughed up a couple times. He bruises on his face, dirt was on his clothes and hair and the skin around his wrists were reddened and rashed from the ropes keeping him bound.
"That's none of your concern, O'Driscoll. Ain't you talked yet?"
"My name's Kieran!" the hostage said. "I told you. I told everyone! I don't know nothing!"
Sam took another drink. Kieran winced at the stench of alcohol on the young man's breath.
"Kieran what?"
"Kieran Duffy…"
"Well, your gang seemed to know my uncle…" said Sam. "So how about we make a deal? Tell me about these men, and maybe I can alleviate some of the pain you've got? Well, if Dutch will let me, of course. He's my boss now, I suppose."
"You're a doctor!" Kieran pleaded. "Ain't you supposed to help the injured and sick?"
Sam finished the last of the beer he had. "I never took no oath! I've got no degree, and neither does my cousin. Now, do you know anything about my uncle or not?!"
Kieran lowered his head, refusing to say anything.
"Well, until you're ready to talk, go fuck yourself!" He threw the empty bottle at him and walked away. It hit Kieran on the head and landed on the ground, rolling a few feet away. He wandered to his tent, sat on his cot and placed his head in hands. Lily was there to talk to him not long after.
"Well," she said, calmly. "I didn't think it was going to be easy…"
"Well, I don't know what to think… This sucks! I thought I'd be shooting O'Driscolls by now."
"Okay, easy killer. I don't think it would go that fast. It's only day one."
Sam sighed. "What about Sadie? The gang killed the band of them who murdered her husband."
"Three days after they captured her…" Lily explained. She saw Sam hug himself, rubbing his arms with his hands. "We'll get somewhere, Sam. That O'Driscoll will talk, or we can get another. Dutch said that all Colm cares about in his gang are numbers. So, if he doesn't talk, we can find someone who will."
Her cousin nodded. She patted his shoulder and urged him to get ready for bed.
Dutch had told Sam and Arthur after the robbery to stay away from Valentine for a few days, until things died down. Sam didn't really know of anything to do and was wandering around the camp, bored. He had seen some of the gang members wandering off to the edge of the camp during some points in the day.
At some point, Sam got curious and decided to investigate, during one afternoon. He approached one of the other gang members he remembered being called Javier. He was looking over the fields with binoculars.
"Um, hello," said Sam.
"Ah, hello," he said. "Feeling better, amigo?"
"Yeah. That robbery went well. I saw a few of you coming out here."
"We're still working on rescuing Sean from the bounty hunters, but Dutch sent Micah and Lenny to scout around the area, and they've been gone for a while. He's getting worried."
Sam sighed, but bit back a laugh. He didn't think he would worry about a few missing gang members. Well, he could see if Dutch would get worried about Arthur, seeing as he referred to him as his "son" after that… incident.
"Wanna look for them?" said Sam.
"I would," said Javier. "But they could be near West Elizabeth, which is kind of off limits… at least near Blackwater."
The young man remembered being told the vague details about it, and it was all over the newspaper. A lot of money was missing, but seeing as he was still pretty new to this, there was no way in hell they were going to tell him where exactly the money was stored.
"If nothing happens, I'll ask Dutch," Javier continued. "He's bound to send somebody looking for them."
Micah and Lenny were mentioned to him briefly, but not much else. If Dutch did send anyone out, he'd be happy to help. He was going stir crazy being cooped up in camp and it had only been about a day. He talked with Javier for a bit, and he was actually a bit funny, and good at telling stories.
Sam had finished his chores, but he didn't want Miss Grimshaw to think he was just lazing about the camp. No one had come to his tent in need of anything, but he still had tonics to make. Lily was becoming obsessed with her new hunting hobby, and had been asking Charles when they could go hunting again until she got the message that her asking was getting on his nerves.
Wandering around, he found a book near one of the tents. It was a mystery novel, so he took it, went into his tent and closed the flaps. Hopefully, no one would see it was gone for a quick peek.
"The Case of the Deceitful German…" Sam read on the cover, before opening the book. Sam wasn't sure what to expect, but a mystery novel sounded nice, and it did kill a lot of time.
"Sam?"
The young man was laying down on his cot, reading, when Lily came in. She was armed with a rifle.
"Yeah?" Sam said, turning his head to her.
"I'm about to go hunting with Charles," she said. "He saw some bison. Can I take Aurora?"
"Bison?" Sam then sat up.
"Yeah," said Lily. "Where did you get that book?"
Sam shrugged. "I just… found it."
Upon hearing some coughing, the two saw Hosea walking up to them. "There it is! You little swiper!" He snapped. Sam bit down a small yelp, and Lily just slipped away, leaving Sam to Hosea's scolding.
"Do you always take things without asking?" Lily heard as she ran over to Charles' side.
"Aren't we in a gang?" Sam answered in response. "I didn't know it was yours."
Charles was near his own space, sharpening his tools. He saw Lily approaching, and was happy to see she was armed with her tools and a few weapons.
"Don't worry," he answered. "We'll head out soon."
Lily just nodded. She saw the O'Driscoll who was still tied up looking at them. Then she grinned. "Maybe we'll bring back some food for the camp!" she raised her voice enough, so that the prisoner could hear. "It's gonna be really good…"
She heard Kieran groan in response. She turned back to Charles with a smile, all she got from him in response was a small smile. Then Arthur walked up to them.
"Hey. What you two preparing for?"
"The greatest of gifts," said Charles.
"An unguarded stagecoach?"
Lily giggled a bit.
"No, you simple minded fool," said Charles. "Bison."
"Bison?" said Arthur.
"Charles said he saw some out in the fields of the Heartlands," said Lily. "He's gonna show me how to hunt one."
"Oh. Well, good luck."
"You wanna come with us?" said Charles. "I'll show you how to hunt one. I'm already teaching our excitable friend here."
Arthur nodded. "Sure. Why not?"
Since Lily had Sam's permission - in a way - she got on Aurora. Arthur got on his horse, and Charles rode on Taima. They trotted into the woods and then out into the open fields.
"You know, it was before my time, of course," said Charles, "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 them. They provided us with everything… food, clothing, shelter, tools."
"That's amazing," said Lily.
"When we find them, remember: We only hunt what we need. There was a lot of respect, and I'd like to keep it that way."
"Yes, sir."
"I don't remember much of my childhood," said Arthur, "but I think my people, we pretty much moved with the whisky."
Charles laughed. "Well, my father did that too." Lily just sat there appalled. She had never heard the man laugh before.
They travelled towards and then left of Twins Stack Pass. It was around the same area, Arthur and Sam had hid after the robbery.
In the open fields, beyond the giant rock forms, Lily and the boys laid their eyes on a herd of live bison, roaming without a care in the world.
"Wow…" Lily said almost breathless. She had spent most of her days in the town, trying to become as studious and well knowledged in medicine as her father, she never took time to explore what was outside of it. Plus, she was warned countless times how dangerous it was on her outside of town, or for anyone for that matter.
"Incredible, aren't they? We should only kill one of them. You ready?"
"Yes." Lily reached for her rifle.
"Good. I'll keep them ringed in and you see if you can bring one down."
"You'll help me, Arthur?"
Arthur nodded. "Of course."
"Alright," said Charles. "Clean as you can." He rode ahead to try and guide them in a direction they can shoot at.
"Try to aim for the head," said Arthur. "They'll go down easier."
Lily nodded, rifle in her arms. The outlaw bit back a laugh.
"And try to relax. Too much tension and that gun recoil will control your aim too much, but keep your back straight."
The woman huffed. "Fine." Then she tried to reel her attitude in. He was just trying to help.
Charles managed to chase the bison, making them run east. Arthur and Lily locked eyes with and rode towards it. They took aim and let their shots fly. The one bison they hit fell over onto its side, motionless.
The other bison ran away. Lily was the first to bring Aurora to a stop, near the freshly dead bison. Arthur stopped not too far behind her. Charles caught up with them soon enough. He was just in time to see Lily get off her horse and knelt down beside it.
"Sorry, buddy…" Lily said, sorrowfully.
Just as Arthur came down from his horse Charles looked ahead of the two, and saw some scavenger birds flying away from the sound of the gunshots.
"Good job," said Charles. "Skin and butcher it. Take the horns, too. It can all be used. I'm gonna… check something out."
Lily sighed, as Charles left. Granted, it was fun, but she still kind of felt bad afterwards. Still, they needed the food, and they couldn't just keep spending money at the general store in Valentine. It just got back up and running.
Arthur held the dead bison in place, and Lily got to work skinning it. Once she had pulled the skin off and over the rest of the carcass, Arthur got to work on taking the horns.
It was odd for Lily to hunt after spending most of her life learning how to preserve life rather than destroy it and scavenge it's parts… and she had killed. So had Sam.
"Well, never thought I'd see you smile with blood on your hands," said Arthur.
"It's nothing," said Lily. "Blood don't scare me. I've seen my share of it, sewn and cauterized wounds shut and cut wounds open to remove things like glass, heavy splinters… and bullets. Sam, too." Once the pelt was off, Lily began to roll it up neatly. "I'm glad you two are talking more, by the way."
"Well, he hasn't shot at me again. That's a start." He jumped a little seeing how the dead bison's horn came off. He made quick work of the other one.
Lily just laughed it off. "Well, I don't think he'll try that again. Dutch made sure of that."
The two got some of the bison meat to feed to camp and put it in a bag. Arthur got out his lasso and helped tie up the giant pelt and get it on the back of Lily's horse.
"Should we check on Charles?" said Lily. She cleaned up her hands on a rag and tossed it to the outlaw so that he could do the same.
"Yeah, I think he went that way," said Arthur.
The two caught up with Charles, who had gone in the direction where one of the giant rock structures of Twin Stack Pass were. Upon reaching where he was, Lily gasped and Arthur could smell it before they had even got there.
There were three bison, lying dead, looking like they had been there for days. Scavenger birds and other creatures had already eaten away at them. Lily covered her mouth.
"What happened?" said Arthur.
"Bison. Shot and left for dead," said Charles.
"Why would somebody do that?"
"I don't know, but I see tracks. I say we follow them."
"Alright, lead the way."
"Then what?"
Sam was at the table with some of the other men in the gang. He was just having lunch, when the others joined up and some wanted to hear about how the robbery went. Among them, was the man with the scars on his face: John Marston.
Dutch had taken his food and decided to eat in his tent, but he was listening, like the eavesdropping fool he was.
"It was weird," said Sam. "He… He knew who my uncle was… and me… possibly Lily. He shoved me off, and then I had to shoot him, before he got me…"
"What the hell would they want with your family?" said John.
Sam shrugged. "Beats me…"
"Can I have whatever you leave on your plates?" a quiet weak voice yelled from behind Pearson's wagon. It sounded like the O'Driscoll.
"Hey, shut up!" John shouted.
"I'll shut him up." And Bill stormed in his direction.
"Anyway, we made off with a few hundred dollars. Should get us something…"
"I'd say good job, but you'd be dead if it weren't for Arthur," said Javier.
"Hey, I did most of the planning," said Sam.
"You said you just waited outside for him. It's one thing to plan something, but another thing to put it into action. Sure, you shot a few O'Driscolls, but anyone can do that. They're all idiots."
John just laughed, and took another drink. "Ain't we all, though?"
"Well, I got a bruise on my face for it…" Sam grumbled. "It's my first job."
"And you might as well have gotten another one from Hosea," said John. "Why'd you take his book, anyway?"
"I was bored. I wanted to read. Usually, if I want something, I take it. He just smacked the book out of my hands and told me if I liked stealing so much, I should steal him another mystery novel for him. He said I could finish reading it if I did. Anyway, if Lily has told you anything, I'm trying to find the idiot who pulled the trigger on my uncle. You guys know anything about the O'Driscolls? Because that O'Driscoll Bill is in the middle of beating ain't opening his mouth."
"Well, I said what I know," said Javier. "They're idiots."
"Yep, all of Colm ever cares about is numbers," said John. "If you can shoot and ride a horse, you're in."
Sam shook his head. "Shame…"
"You gonna go after them?"
"Have to… They knew my uncle. They had a map and everything. This attack was personal!" Sam's voice raised more with every sentence. "My mother was killed and I never knew who did it, but I ain't letting the man who did this to my uncle walk away scot free."
And that sentence really got Dutch's attention. He glanced over, but did his best to make sure none of the three saw him staring.
John nodded. "Well, I'll let you know if I find out anything."
Javier took another drink. "Yo también. But you should work on your shooting if you're going to keep up with us."
"I shoot okay," said Sam.
"But you've never shot with outlaws. Come on. Let me teach you a few things. Hey, John. Why don't you help, since you've been laying around the camp with that scar of yours?"
Sam and Javier stood up laughing while they walked off, while John followed them from behind.
"You saving me is the only reason I ain't saying nothing…" John grumbled.
Charles wasn't giving up on finding whoever was shooting bison for no reason. They followed a trail of the dead creatures, finding them fresher as they went along, and they found a plume of smoke rising from over a hill. So, they went towards it.
"Bastards," Charles growled under his breath. "Just killing for fun."
"You think we can talk?" said Arthur.
"Hey…" Lily hissed. "I didn't do it for fun."
"I don't kill for fun," said Charles. "I kill when I need to."
Upon reaching the camp, there were more dead bison. Charles had Taima galloping towards the tents, with Arthur and Lily doing their best to keep up.
When they got there, they saw two pitched tents, a set of crates lying around and two men sitting around by a fire in the middle.
Lily stayed close to Arthur as they closed in on the two poachers.
"Did you fools shoot those bison?" Charles asked.
"What's your problem?" one of the men said.
"I said, did you fools shoot those bison?"
The first man stood up. "Calm down, you black or red bastard, whatever the fuck you are."
"Did you shoot them?!" Charles shouted. Lily flinched, having never heard his voice go that loud before.
"Yes, we did. We shot them bison and we'll shoot you too if you don't get!"
The other man stood up and Lily gasped upon seeing him draw a weapon. "What business is it of yours what we-"
Just then, Charles pulled out a gun and shot the armed man in the face. Lily screamed but covered her mouth. Arthur just flinched and pulled the young lady behind him. The other poacher, scared out of his wits, fell to the ground.
"It's that business of mine!" Charles shouted.
"Good god, you're crazy!" the other poacher yelled in terror. "Look, I got a family… a family. Don't shoot me."
"Charles…" Arthur then spoke up. He made eye contact with his friend and then he saw the woman trembling behind him. "Stand back. Both of you. I'll get some answers."
Lily took a few steps back as Arthur approached the remaining poacher.
"What the hell are you doing?" the man asked, just as Arthur stood over him and grabbed him by the shirt. The outlaw just responded to the question by punching him in the face.
"Why are you killing those bison and leaving them to rot?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Arthur hit him again. "Goddamn it, tell us or you're dead." When he didn't respond, Arthur hit him some more.
"O-Okay! We were paid to kill as many as we could. To make it look like it was Indians."
Lily then glared, while still in shock. The words disgusted her.
"But… why would you do that?"
"Just kill him, Arthur!" said Charles.
"No, please!" the poacher pleaded. "Don't kill me! I'm begging you!"
Arthur was quick to look around, he saw how angry Charles was, but he saw Lily quivering a bit, hands over her mouth. He turned back to his victim and pressed the barrel of his new Schofield Revolver to the bottom of the poacher's chin.
"Now, listen here," Arthur muttered. "If it weren't for the lady, your brains would be all over the ground by now. Now, how about you leave? And if I ever see you again, I'll go through with that, and then make my apologies to the lady. Are we clear?"
The poacher nodded. "Y-Yes! O-Okay! Okay! Just please! Don't kill me!"
Arthur glared just a bit more and then just threw the poacher to the floor. "Alright, get out of here!" he snapped.
The poacher stood and stepped away from him. "Just don't shoot me, mister…" he said, almost out of breath. "I got a family!"
Arthur holstered his gun. "Then run away."
The poacher turned and ran away down the hill and did stop running away from them.
"Why did you do that?" Charles asked, angrily.
"He didn't need to die," said Arthur. "Maybe he'll go tell his friends now what happens to poachers."
Charles rolled his eyes, but upon seeing Lily calming down from the tension, he sighed. "I've seen enough of this. I'm heading back."
"Alright," Arthur said. Charles was already heading towards his horse. "We'll catch up."
The outlaw turned back to Lily and saw that she was already searching the camp for anything they could use. They left some canned stuff, fruit and bread. There was also ammo, and tonics. Arthur searched the dead poacher and found some stimulant he could give to his horse.
"You alright?" he then asked after a few minutes of silence.
Lily nodded. "Just… I've never seen Charles wound up like that. He's usually so quiet." She looked over at the dead man. "That man killed so many of those creatures… and now the natives are gonna pay the price, but… did he really deserve to die?"
"I don't know. But you ain't in the cattle town no more. We're out here, and we have to survive." He gestured to the dead man before them. "Every moment, we gotta make a choice of what's right and wrong."
The girl just rubbed her hands, having gone a bit cold from nerves. They weren't in town, and Lily wasn't with her father anymore. She was running with outlaws, but it seemed that they still at least still had a conscience… even if what they did was wrong. Sam had done the same, threatening Arthur the other day to defend Mr. Downes, robbing the clinic, and killing those O'Driscolls.
And sometimes, those choices would involve the choice of life or death...
"I mean, don't get me wrong, if you hadn't been there, I probably would've shot that feller, but that's just me," Arthur then said.
Despite the situation, Lily just laughed.
Sam, Javier and John were standing around broken glass, not far from camp. Javier was just setting up more bottles.
"Well, you can shoot," said John.
"For an amateur," said Javier.
Sam rubbed some dirt off his volcanic pistol. "This is still pretty new. It was a gift." He holstered his weapon and tried again, but missed.
"You're too focused on the draw," said Javier. "Too fast and you'll miss. Too slow, and well… you know."
"Why should I have to worry about that?" said Sam. "If anything, I'll be under cover before anyone can hit me. I prefer to stay out of duels."
"Well, sometimes you ain't gonna have a choice, my friend."
The three turned and saw Dutch coming out from into the clearing from the woods behind them.
"What are you boys doing?"
"We're just teaching the new guy here how to not get himself killed so soon," said John.
"And if you're here, then who's guarding the camp?" said Dutch. "We can't just have Karen out there. Now get!"
The boys conceded and began to walk back towards the camp. However, Dutch stopped Sam as he followed him.
"Not you, Sam," he then said. Javier and John turned back and watched in curiosity. "I'll take it from here."
The younger outlaws shot each other glances, before shrugging and leaving them to it. Sam waved at them as they left. Dutch led the young man back to the pile of shattered bottles.
"Now what were you doing?"
"They were showing me how to shoot," said Sam. "I hope I never have to draw like they talked about."
"Hopefully," Dutch said, holding back a laugh, "but just in case, let's work on it."
"I'm fine." Sam was still as pouty as a child.
"Maybe, with animals and idiots. You ain't in the small ranching town anymore. If you face another man, you'll be in trouble."
Sam raised a brow. "I'm not here to gunsling. I just want to find who killed my uncle."
"I know," Dutch said, raising his hands in surrender, "but what you wanna do is dangerous." He sighed. "You ain't the only one who hates the O'Driscolls. Colm is a ruthless bastard, and he ain't gonna waste a moment to kill anyone who gets in his way if he gets the chance."
"Well, I can't die…" said Sam. "Not until I find who shot my uncle."
Dutch pulled down a gulp. Luckily, it didn't seem that Sam noticed. He prayed that if what he suspected was true, it didn't come to that.
"Exactly. Now, come on. Show me what you've got."
No. He would make sure this young man could defend himself. To fight!
Of course, anyone could shoot bottles individually when they were standing there. It gave Dutch at least some relief to see him shooting in front of him, knowing now that he wasn't making up stories, not that he didn't believe what Arthur told him.
"Well, you're not as good as me, but you can shoot. No one can ever get to that."
"Wow. Thanks…" Sam said, flatly. "It's an honor, sir."
"Alright, don't get smart with me."
"No, I guess I mean it. I've heard about Dutch's Boys, since I was… well, a boy. My momma would tell me stories all the time. My uncle would, too, but not as much. I had to read from newspapers."
Dutch seemed to smile at that. He picked up a cigar and Sam happily lit for him.
"Is it true you and Hosea broke out of prison back in 1879?" Sam then asked.
The older man just laughed in response. "Oh that? That was… a long time ago, but I still remember it." He sighed. "It was a lot easier back then… now look at us. Now, we're the ones running."
"My uncle told me how the law is starting to tame the west, too. He didn't like it, because he had come out to Valentine to get away from the city, but… now seems like the city is following him, he says." He shrugged, and pulled out what appeared to be those Cornwall bonds Dutch and his gang had robbed from. "But hey, didn't stop you from robbing Leviticus Cornwall."
"Give me that!" Dutch snatched the bonds away from the young man. "I oughta have you horsewhipped for that! How did you-"
"I was just taking a look at it," said Sam. "Do you even know who Cornwall is?"
"A man who sounds like he's got a lot to share. Now, come on. Get back to it." He walked up to Sam, who started pointing his gun again and helped adjust his posture. "Straighten up your back, or it'll make the gun jump."
"Yeah, and he's got a hand or two in oil, sugar, railways, and a whole bunch more. And he's a very powerful man, sir. Especially after what happened to Limpany..."
Sam took slow breaths, making sure he relaxed before he shot again. He took steady, but consecutive shots. The older man went over to put up more bottles.
"Limpany?" said Dutch.
"It used to be a town," said Sam. "It's actually not too far from here. It burned a few years back, and no one could really figure it out… but my uncle said that it was because people were too scared to speak up."
"And why is that?" Dutch made his way back to Sam's side. He guided Sam to holstering his weapon to teach him how to draw. "Now, the key is timing. Pull your gun too soon, you'll be less accurate. Once you've picked your marks, the rest," he paused to hold out his hands, "is up to fate." And he smiled.
"But doesn't that scare you?"
"Of course. But having faith in your abilities can take that fear away. Or, if not, use that fear to your advantage. Now, go on and then tell me what you were saying." And with that, Dutch another inhale of his cigar, while he watched Sam shoot. He drew his gun and pulled on the hammer rapidly to fire multiple shots quickly. He hit the bottle in the middle, and only managed to nick the one left from it.
Sam lowered his gun. "Damn it."
"No, no…" said Dutch. "It's an improvement. You can't get better at it in a night, but you'll get there. You was saying?"
The younger man holstered his weapon. "The place was burnt… Nobody could prove it, but… people say it was Cornwall. I can show you where it is, if you want."
Dutch nodded. "Sounds like a plan. But, tomorrow. Let's just relax today. Even the best gunslingers need a rested arm and good food."
"Oh, so why do we have Pearson?"
Sam laughed when Dutch rolled his eyes. "Very funny. Now, come on!"
Lily and Arthur brought the bison pelt back to the camp. The girl was just relieved that it seemed Sam behaved himself while she was away. He and Dutch were in his tent, chatting while drinking some beer.
"To your health," Lily heard Sam say.
"Thank-you," said Dutch.
When Charles said that everything they took from that bison could be used, he wasn't lying. Pearson was going to use the pelt for something, took the meat to make food for everyone, and was going to ask Charles what he could do with the horns.
It was a productive day, despite not finding anything on her father's killer. Despite that, Lily was eager for another one tomorrow.
The next day, Arthur was getting ready for the day. He met up with Charles, who was cleaning up his tools.
"You okay?"
"What do you mean?" said Charles.
"Yesterday, you really…" He trailed off, not knowing what to say. "I mean… I understand…"
Charles sighed. "I know. I lost my temper. And I'm sorry."
Arthur shook his head. "It ain't me you should apologize to."
The younger man looked in the direction of Lily's tent. She and Sam were getting ready for the day. They were just chatting, and she seemed fine, but the memory of how scared she was was still fresh on his mind. He nodded.
"Of course, Arthur."
Sam and Lily had just gotten up. They had eaten breakfast and were dressing up for the morning. Lily was hogging the brush, as usual, so Sam was just getting his boots on.
"Bison, huh?" said Sam.
"Yeah, and Arthur helped me with the parts. He's actually still learning how to hunt, too. We were like schoolmates, and Charles was our teacher. Well, until he shot that poacher…"
Then the two heard screaming from behind Pearson's wagon. There was also some laughter. Lily just sighed.
"I think they're talking to that O'Driscoll again…" said Lily. The other day, she laughed at his cries, but ever since Charles shot that poacher, she wasn't sure. Was she right to leave Kieran like that? She wasn't sure if he was involved, but her fists shook in anger. It was because of men like him that her father was dead.
"S-Sam…?" Lily's voice was quiet, but she was sure he could hear. At least, she thought, until she turned around and already saw Sam rushing towards the commotion.
"Okay! Okay! Listen! I know where O'Driscoll's holed up…" Sam heard as he hid by Pearson's wagon. It sounded like the O'Driscoll they had captured. Not that who he was mattered to Sam… "And you're right… he don't like you… any more than you like him. He's at Six Point Cabin."
Sam poked his head around, hoping no one would see him spying. Everyone else in the camp was busy, so he tried to make it look like he was just sorting through things. It looked like Dutch, Arthur and Bill were talking to him. Sam was confused why the O'Driscolls pants were down, but he saw Bill holding gelding tongs, and immediately got an answer.
"I'll take you there…" said Kieran. "Serious. I don't like him. I mean, I like him even less than I like you. No offense."
"Oh, none taken," said Dutch.
Arthur pulled out his knife. "Okay then, partner." He reached behind the tree and finally cut the man free. "Why don't you take a few of us up there… right now." Kieran quickly pulled his pants back up. "I've got this, Dutch. Should be fun." And with that, Arthur pushed Kieran towards the horses. "Come on, you… let's go."
"Alright, then," said Dutch. "Take Marston with you."
"Marston?" Arthur rolled his eyes. "Fine."
Bill and Dutch were still cracking up as Arthur got the horses ready. Sam then came out from hiding.
"Whoa, Dutch. Can I go with them?"
"Whoa, Sam," said Dutch. He would give the young man credit for his ambition, but what he wanted was crazy. Sam was still new to all of this. And there was… that other thing he doesn't know that may or not be true... "This is Colm we're talking about. Your talent is in stealing, not killing."
Sam pointed at Kieran. "His men killed my uncle, and I wanna find out who! This was personal!"
"I ain't no O'Driscoll!" Kieran insisted.
"But you sure as shit was," said Arthur.
"Listen to Dutch, greenhorn," said Bill. "Unless you wanna die prematurely."
Sam huffed. "I know where Six Point Cabin is. If O'Driscoll is lying, I can tell you."
Dutch admired the boy's determination, but his need for recklessness was troubling. He wasn't thinking. If he went, he would get himself killed!
Arthur chuckled. "If he's lying, we'll kill him. Just wait for us here and take a breather." All the smiles he had from poking fun at Kieran faded away at what he said next. "You lost your uncle, but you best listen to me: Vengeance is an idiot's game."
Looking into Arthur's blue eyes, Sam knew he was being serious. But, Sam was serious about his need for justice, as well.
"I-"
"Sam, you're not going!" Dutch said, sternly. "That's final!"
"But-"
"I said no!" The way his voice raised was something Arthur had not heard from him since he was a boy. "Now, go cool off!"
Sam had enough and stormed away. Dutch sighed. After regaining his composure, he turned to Arthur.
"Arthur, you find Colm, and find out what exactly he wanted in Valentine. It clearly looked like he wanted something."
"You sure about that, Dutch?"
"This isn't just for Sam. We need to know what they were doing. If he ain't getting vengeance, we at least give him closure. They may be seeing some kind of big target for money we haven't seen yet. Besides, getting Sam that justice will make him more willing to swipe for us."
Arthur just shrugged. "Fine." And he reluctantly walked towards John's tent, with Kieran following him. "John, you take this little rattlesnake with you… Any nonsense, kill him."
"Sure," said John.
Arthur turned to Kieran. "We're gonna pay your buddies our respects."
"He taking us to Colm?" said John.
"That's what he says. Come on."
Dutch saw the boys leave. With any luck, they could put this feud they had to bed and focus on getting out of this mess they dug themselves into. For now, he decided to find out where Sam had stormed off to.
Hosea found him first, though. He was hanging out by the lone tree by the cliffs and behind some of the tents at the back of camp. Sam was sitting, his back leaning against the bark of the tree, his head lost in the leaves above him and then staring downward at his own lap. He lifted his arm and wiped his eyes.
"You alright?" said Hosea.
His voice made the young man jump a little. "Uh… fine." Sam straightened up. Hosea was still staring at him, making him see he wasn't taking the lie. Lily was always the better actor. "Dutch sent his boys to look for Colm. I wanted to go with him, but he wouldn't let me."
"Dutch is trying to protect you from doing something stupid. I saw the whole thing."
"From finding out who and why they felt the need to kill my uncle?"
"They're gonna find it, but you, Sam, want blood."
Sam crossed his arms. So what if he did? It was the only way he'd have justice. His mother was gone, so was his aunt. He never knew his father, and now his uncle had been killed. He wanted to be stronger. He had to… for Lily's sake.
"Now, Dutch was telling me last night that you knew something about Leviticus Cornwall?" said Hosea. "Maybe a different person warning him might actually knock some sense into him."
Sam was silent for a moment. He shook, refusing to cry in front of these well-known outlaws, but he needed a moment before he could speak without breaking down.
"My uncle said he burned Limpany," Sam stated. "It was a small town not too far from Horseshoe. I've heard of a gang of fallen women who took to robbing him and they hired a gang of bounty hunters to trap them somewhere in Lemoyne."
"Limpany?" Hosea thought to himself for a moment, and then got an idea when he saw Dutch approaching. "Alright, then. On your feet."
"What?" Sam wasn't sure what he wanted, but he stood up anyway.
"Dutch, how about we let Sam show us Limpany. I think you need to understand who we're dealing with here."
"And here you go, worrying again Hosea. Well, come on, Sam. Let's indulge him for once, while we wait for the boys to get back."
Sam nodded and followed the men to the horses. He took the lead and the three out of camp. He wasn't really sure what to say, with two of the most famous outlaws he had heard about riding behind him.
"It should be this way," Sam said, making a left. He led them lower and lower down the high cliffs they had been staying at. "My uncle and I would come near the ruins of the town to fish sometimes."
"We should tell Arthur," said Hosea. "I bet he'd fancy a fishing trip down by the river."
"I don't know…" Dutch said as they saw the waters they were trotting beside. "Doesn't look like much we can catch out here."
"No, sir," said Sam. "There's mostly small fry here, but I heard you can catch some Largemouth Bass by Bard's Crossing."
They kept along the trail, following Sam's lead. Dutch and Hosea, began to see the grass change. It was burnt black color, and then Sam galloped ahead on his dark but white haired stallion and they came upon the town, passing a small sign that said, "Welcome to Limpany."
"So… here we are, I guess," said Sam.
Dutch and Hosea set their eyes on what was left of Limpany. The ground was black, with remnants of plywood and rubble lying everywhere. Houses were almost completely gone, and all they could see were the remnants of a saloon, a store, and a sheriff's office. There was the vague scent of tar in the air.
"Holy hell…" said Hosea. His voice was almost unheard by the other two. The three got off their horses and had a look around. "What made your uncle think it was Cornwall?"
Sam looked around a bit. He was unusually quiet. It was almost like he was afraid to speak about it himself. So he walked over to one of the many blue barrels that had been scattered about and wiped away some of the dirt and grime with his sleeve.
There, both Dutch and Hosea could see the writing clear enough. "Leviticus Cornwall Kerosene and Tar Co.."
Dutch looked around and then back at the writing. Even Sam had been scared into silence like the first day they had found him.
"Oh my god…"
Lily was busy thinking, but Sadie had been nice enough to help her fill the empty bottles with new tonics. She handed them to Lily to sort. The afternoon had come and she wondered where Sam and the others had gone off to.
"Real bison, huh?" said Sadie.
"Yeah," said Lily. "Arthur helped me. He did okay, too."
"Why didn't you ask me?"
"You can hunt?"
"I can hunt, use a knife, and shoot a gun! Don't you be doubting."
"I would never, Mrs. Adler. I'd love the company."
Hearing the sound of horses, Lily rushed to the entrance of her tent to see Arthur riding into camp with Bill and John. Surprisingly, the O'Driscoll was still with them. And still alive!
"Ah, hell…" Sadie grumbled. Lily went back inside, deciding to let Kieran take all the wrath from her. She heard some yelling, but tuned it out, distracted by her own thoughts, until Kieran stumbled to the entrance.
At first, Lily was going to tell him off, but then saw that his arm was bleeding from a gunshot.
"P-Please, Miss!" Kieran pleaded. "I-I n-need your help!"
"Better hope she does, boy," said Arthur. He followed right behind him. "It's her choice. What do you think?"
"Come on, Mr. Morgan! I saved your life!"
"And every minute I don't kill you is me saving yours, O'Driscoll."
Lily stood there, able to smell the O'Driscoll from where she was standing. He looked like he was about to fall over from blood loss, pain, or maybe both. He was sweating and pale, making the bruises and cuts he received over the weeks of interrogation more apparent. Still, it brought her back to that night from when she was a little girl, and her uncle found those pair of outlaws outside of their clinic.
"He saved you?" said Lily.
Arthur rolled his eyes, but nodded. "Yes…" he said, as much as he hated to admit it.
"Did you find Colm?!" she asked, excitedly. She frowned upon seeing Arthur shake his head.
Lily sighed. With great reluctance, the girl walked over and guided the man inside, sitting him down on her cot. Then she walked up to the entrance.
"I'll take it from here…" she mumbled tonelessly. "You can tell me about it later." Arthur nodded and left her to it after she closed the tent's entrance.
Lily laid her patient down, and moved his hand away from the wound in his arm. The bullet was lodged in there, but she could still see it and the O'Driscoll was amazed at how she wasn't wincing in horror.
"Please, miss…" Kieran pleaded. "It hurts..." He was sweating, his breath heavy
"Shut up…" Lily muttered. "Look away, because this is gonna hurt. I need to get that bullet out." She grabbed a rag and shoved it into the O'Driscolls mouth to give him something to bite on. She didn't want to, seeing as he was an O'Driscoll, but he could have information still and he needed his tongue to tell her. Kieran turned his head away while Lily without any hesitation stuck a knife in the wound to pry the bullet out. She held him down, placing a hand on the middle of his torso, his cries going ignored, and was unable to hinder the girl while she worked.
Lily got the bullet out and set it on the table. She dabbed the wound with another rag and grabbed some whiskey. She poured it on the wound, which only made Kieran cry out some more, but after that she got to work sewing the wound shut. This time, the noises that came from her patients were quieter, but if she said to herself that she somewhat felt bad for him, she'd probably punch herself for thinking that.
Once the wound was sewn shut, Lily wrapped it up in bandages. Kieran was barely awake, exhausted from pain, but he looked up to Lily like she was some kind of savior.
"Thank-you, miss…" he said, softly. He still sounded like he was on the verge of tears.
Lily sat on Sam's cot. "Sleep and don't talk to me."
Kieran just sighed, but he obeyed. He turned his head away from her, rested his injured arm on his chest and drifted off in minutes.
Finally, when it was quiet, Lily just sighed. She wiped sweat off her brown and grabbed another rag to clean up her hands, before letting herself relax. There was no way she was going to be tense over an O'Driscoll. So she took deep breaths and let her thoughts drift where they may.
Little Lily watched patiently, as her father tended to the injured outlaw. She had learned almost everything her father had, and was able to pass what he needed to help him. Once his leg was patched up, he told Lily to watch him for a minute.
The patient in question was still pale as he sat in the reclined patient's chair, but looked a lot more relieved. Lily grabbed some whisky from one of the shelves and walked up to him, shyly holding the bottle out for him.
"Here. My daddy gives this to help ease pain. I don't know how to use the needle thingy yet."
The outlaw quickly snatched it from the girl and drank needily. "Aw, thank-you, kid." He was out of breath after chugging some of it. "Thank-you…" The girl took the used bottle back and then grabbed a blanket. The outlaw's head lolled to the side. He was asleep in minutes and Lily carefully covered him up. The little girl peeked out the doorway into the room where the front desk was.
"He'll be fine after lots of rest," Cliff explained to the injured outlaw's friend. "He should stay off that leg until it heals, and make sure to clean the injury and change the bandages at least once a day."
"Oh. Thank-you, sir. There isn't much I can repay you with, but please! Take this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out what seemed to be some kind of hairpin. "It's made of jade."
Cliff picked it up and looked at it carefully. "It's beautiful… Thank-you. You and your friend can hide in the patient's room until you're ready, if you must."
The thug nodded and wiped his eyes. Thank-you, doctor."
Once both men were safe in the backroom and asleep, Cliff quickly grabbed a mop and got to work cleaning up the blood that the injured outlaw had left on the front porch. Lily was just watching.
"I'm sorry, Lily," said Cliff. "Are you tired? You can head upstairs and sleep if you want."
Lily didn't do that, though, and just stepped outside and shut the door quietly.
"Why did you help those people, daddy?" said Lily.
"He was injured, sweetheart," said Cliff. "I'm supposed to help him."
"But… they're… bad people…"
"True…" said Cliff. "But, a doctor's duty is to heal, not to judge."
"What is he doing here?"
It was only late into the afternoon, when Sam came back. He looked shaken up, but Lily had to explain herself.
"He saved Arthur," said Lily.
"And? Why is he still alive?"
"Sam, a doctor's duty is to heal, not judge!"
"Well, I ain't a doctor!"
"And I ain't gonna disrespect my father!" Lily snapped.
Sam winced at the O'Driscoll in Lily's bed. He could still smell him from where he was standing.
"His men are the reason Cliff is dead!" Sam hissed.
"I ain't… an O'Driscoll…" a weak voice interrupted the two. The two turned to the source, which was Kieran.
"Was I talking to you, O'Driscoll?"
"L-Look! I don't like Colm… anymore than you do!"
"You know nothing about hate!" Sam hissed. He stormed up to a quivering Kieran. "My uncle got shot in front of me. A gaping hole was left in his chest, and his killer walked past my unconscious body scott free! Now unless you know who did it, shut the hell up!"
"I… I don't… know… who did it? But, Colm might."
"Arthur said that Colm wasn't at Six Point Cabin," said Lily.
"No… You can't find him," Kieran said, quietly. He was worried if he spoke any louder, Sam would yell at him more. "He finds you… How do you think he's evaded Dutch for so long?" He sat up a little, wincing at the pain in his arm. "But, I think I know of a way to get his attention."
Sam pulled away from Kieran and took a deep breath. His cold colored silver eyes locked with Kieran's. "Talk."