Did I take the vague reference to a fire in Arthur's journal and go, "How bad can I make this?" Yes. Yes I did.

Chapter 27: The Fire

When Abigail came over and told John that they had a few hours to themselves, they did what any parent of a toddler would do. They settled themselves under a tree and took a nap.

"So, this is what you use the babysitting for?" Hosea chuckled after John woke up.

"Jack's newest thing is refusing to go to bed," John yawned.

"I guess he's trying to make his own decisions," Hosea said, giving John a hand up.

"Yeah, that's one way to look at it."

"Ah, the joys of parenthood!"

Hosea handed John a cup of coffee, which he took, grateful. "So, we moving yet?"

"The bank manager is going over there with us on Friday, so as soon as papers are drawn up and a price is agreed upon, we'll move."

"How are we going to build a house and barn by ourselves?"

"I've heard that lumber companies nowadays have tools and designs to help out folks like us. Especially those who don't want to hire a whole crew. And how hard could it be, right?"

"Sure, how hard could it be?" John chuckled. They certainly had the numbers to build a house. But as he looked over the people in camp, he noticed some movement in the trees. "Hey, what is that?"

"I don't know," Hosea said, turning towards the trees just in time to a few armed men step out. One lobbed a fire bottle at the house.

"Shit!" John shouted even as the bottle exploded across the side of the house. The greedy flames latched onto the wood, spreading fast and eating it away.

"We're being attacked! Along the treeline!" Hosea shouted back at camp. Abigail startled awake, trying to get up, but John pushed her back down into cover.

"Jack, where's Jack?" she asked.

"Arthur will keep him safe. Just stay down!" John said. Almost a dozen heavily armed men poured out of the woods, taking up position to aim at the house door. Planning to pick them off one at a time as they ran out. But not only was most of the gang outside, but also John and Hosea were able to pull the their attackers' attention away from the house.

"Everyone! Take cover!" Dutch shouted, running behind the supply wagon with Annabelle.

"Is everyone out of the house?" Susan asked.

"Mac, Davey, try to flank them," Dutch ordered, and the brothers ran around the back of the house. "Bill Javier, take cover behind Arthur's wagon. We've got this, gentlemen!"

Their attackers were overwhelmed by their quick and deadly defense. Susan and Karen stayed by those who were unarmed in the group, and even Isaac was firing back. Soon they were retreating, and the gang was pushing forward.

"Get one of them alive!" Dutch said. "Find out why they are here!"

John aimed his revolver at one of the fleeing men, firing at his leg and bringing him down. "Who are you?" he asked. "Why are you here?"

The man groaned, "We're after Van der Linde and Matthews. Their bounties."

"And how did you track us down?" Hosea asked.

"Followed you over the border from Wyoming. These are federal bounties," he said. "Eight grand for Van der Linde. Four for you."

"So, you thought you could just burn our house to the ground and collect on a charred corpse?" Dutch asked, finally joining them now that the rest were on the run. "Never mind the others who are with us?"

"Other murderers and robbers. Who cares?"

"I have a son here, you asshole!" John shouted, and Hosea had to drag him back.

"I've heard enough of this," Dutch said, shooting the bounty hunter in the head. He turned to the rest of the gang gathering around. "Is everyone alright? Is everyone accounted for?"

"Where's Jack?" Abigail asked immediately.

Hosea began counting heads. "We're two short. Was anyone in the house?"

"Where's Pa?" Isaac asked.

"Arthur was watching Jack," John started, the realization coming slow even as he tried to keep it out of his mind.

"Has anyone seen Arthur?" Dutch shouted.

"Last I saw Arthur, he was…" Tilly let out a gasp, turning to the house. Wooden beams cracked and crumbled, the fire now engulfing the roof. "He was taking Jack for his nap!"

"Jack!" Abigail screamed, starting towards the house. Susan and Annabelle grabbed her. "No, let go of me! Jack!"

"He can't be. They… no," John said. Not his son. Not his son and his brother.

"Pa?" Isaac froze, staring at the house.

"The fire started here, your room is on the other side, right?" Hosea asked John.

"Yeah, but the stairs are right there!"

"Come on," Hosea grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the crowd. Dutch followed them around the back of the house, near John's room window. "Arthur!"

"Arthur!" Dutch shouted up at the room as well, smoke flowing out the open window. "Arthur, can you hear me? Dammit, Hosea, why won't he answer?"

John had seen Arthur with Jack just after Abigail had asked him to watch their son. Only a few hours ago, and now? They couldn't just be gone! John scanned the area, landing on a small object on the ground. "What is that?" he asked, rushing over the grab it.

It was Arthur's wooden leg, cracked down the middle. John held it up for Dutch and Hosea, before his eyes fell on something near the outhouse.

"Arthur!"

His brother was on the ground, dragging himself away from the burning house with one leg and one arm, the other holding onto something wrapped up in his coat. Dutch and Hosea reached Arthur first, easing him onto his back.

"Dutch?" Arthur asked, squinting up at him, his pupils uneven. John's shoulders slumped in relief when the bundle in Arthur's arms shifted and a mop of brown hair stuck out.

"Jack! Are you alright?" John plucked the boy out of Arthur's arms, hugging him close. He fell to his knees, shaking and dizzy but so relieved.

"I'm scared, Pa," Jack cried.

"Hey, it's okay. You're okay now," John said. "How's Arthur?"

"I think he has a concussion," Hosea said. "He must have jumped out the window."

"Take that boy back to his mother and get Miss Grimshaw, will you?" said Dutch.

He took one last look at Arthur, his face turning green and eyes clenched shut. They were both alive! Arthur saved his son, and he knew that Miss Grimshaw could help Arthur.

When John got back to the others, Abigail was still sobbing. She'd collapsed onto the ground, no longer fighting to get into the house. Susan and Annabelle were still with her, consoling her, while the others worked to move their remaining supplies and tents away from the fire.

"I got him! He's okay, Abigail!"

She looked up, disbelief across her entire face. John placed Jack in her arms and hugged them both. "Is he hurt? How-" she asked.

"Arthur got him out through the window. He's okay, just real scared. Hey Susan, Hosea asked for you to help with Arthur. I think he hit his head."

Susan nodded, rushing off.

"How about you two come back to my tent," Annabelle offered, leading them inside so they could sit down. "Let's make sure he's not hurt. Can I see him, Abigail?"

"Yeah." She loosened her arms, and Jack sat up.

"Hey, Jackie," Annabelle said. "Is anything hurting you?"

"No."

"That's good. Can you raise your arms for me?" Jack did. "Good job, can you kick your feet?" Jack did that, too. "Any of that hurt?"

"My arm, a little."

"Let me see." Annabelle ran her hands lightly over both of Jack's arms, carefully watching the boy's reactions. John held his breath. "Doesn't feel like anything is broken. Probably just bruises."

"Is that bad?"

"No, that's just fine," Annabelle reassured Jack. "But if anything else starts hurting, you let your ma and pa know, okay?"

"Okay."

Dutch stuck his head in soon after, asking, "Is Jack alright?"

"Yeah. How's Arthur?" John asked.

"Resting for now. But we've got to move. Those bounty hunters, they'll be back. We need a plan."

"Let's look over the map," Annabelle said. "There has to be some place we can hide for a while."

"Are you good?" John asked Abigail. "I want to see Arthur."

Abigail shifted a dozing Jack closer to her. "We're fine. Thank Arthur for me, will you?"

"Of course."

Before John could see Arthur, he noticed that Isaac was waiting outside Arthur's tent, staring down at his hands. "Hey, kid," John said, not sure what else to say. That was the closest they'd come to losing Arthur since, well, the O'Driscolls.

"Hi, John."

"You alright?"

"John, can I… can I tell you something?" Isaac said.

"Sure, what is it?"

"I think I… killed someone. One of the men."

"Oh."

"And I know I was just defending myself, but…"

"But it still feels like you did something bad," John finished for him. "I know how you feel. Felt it the first time I killed a man."

"What happened?" Isaac asked.

"I was only eleven," John said. "This feller comes up to me, accusing me of taking his pocket watch. Grabbed my arm, tried to drag me to the sheriff, so I started fighting back, and he aimed a gun at me. All I had was a rusty revolver, but it did the job. I shot him, and I just… I thought God himself would come down and take vengeance on me for what I done. The thing is, I wasn't even the kid that took his watch. It was his fault, but it sure didn't feel that way at the time."

"What did you do after?" Isaac asked.

"When I realized I wasn't about to get dragged to Hell for my actions, I ran. Didn't even check the body for cash or nothing," John said. "The point is… I don't know. It ain't your fault, you were just defending yourself. But I get why you feel bad right now."

"How did you feel better?"

"It took time," John admitted. "I don't think I really moved past it until Dutch, Hosea, and your pa saved my life."

He could still remember the moment when those homesteaders tightened the noose and pulled him up into the tree, and how he had truly believed his sins had finally caught up with him. Then he fell back to the ground, and there was Dutch, killing the homesteaders and shouting, "Who hangs a young boy?"

It took a few conversations with Hosea, Dutch, and Arthur to really make sense of it all, so he said to Isaac, "Look, you ain't responsible for their choices. Those bounty hunters came here to kill us, and you helped stopped them. Your pa and Hosea and Dutch will tell you the same."

Isaac nodded, still uncertain. "I guess I'll try to see it that way."

"Good," John said. "Now, I'm going to check on your pa."

Arthur was laying on his side when John entered the tent, a bucket on the ground near the edge of his cot because he'd been throwing up. Hosea sat on the cot with him, rubbing his back even though Arthur was asleep again, and Susan was checking over Arthur.

"How's Jack?" Hosea asked.

"Fine. How's Arthur?"

"Concussion, just like we thought," Hosea said. "I've got to wake him up now, actually. I wish I could just let him sleep, but I don't want to risk anything." Hosea gently shook Arthur's shoulder, whispering in his ear until his brother groaned, shifting slightly. "Come on, Arthur, wake up a little."

"Ugh, Hosea, stop," Arthur groaned, trying to shove Hosea away, and the older man chuckled.

"You got to wake up for a minute, maybe drink a little water."

"Let me sleep."

"Nope. Come on, now."

Finally, Arthur opened his eyes, trying to focus on Hosea's face. "What's going on?"

"Just need you to wake up for a minute, that's all. You hit your head."

"Was I drinking?" Arthur asked.

"No, you weren't," Hosea sighed.

"What happened?"

"What's the last thing you remember?"

Arthur frowned. "I think I was watching Isaac. Took him for his nap."

"Jack, you mean," Hosea said.

"Right, Jack," Arthur said carefully. "Isaac doesn't need naps."

"So, you took Jack for his nap. You remember what happened after?" Hosea prompted.

The frown deepened. "No?"

"That's okay, just give it a minute."

Arthur squinted up at him, then lifted up his arms and checked his hands, and wiggled his toes. "Good, still there."

"Arthur? Do your arms hurt?"

"Naw, it's just last time you looked at me like that, you'd chopped my leg off."

Hosea's sad smile broke, and he laughed as he said, "Don't worry, you still have all your limbs."

"Gotta make sure," Arthur said. "You're acting funny."

"It isn't coming back, is it?"

"No."

"Alright," Hosea said. "We… were attacked by bounty hunters."

Arthur tried to sit up. "What?"

"Calm down, no one was killed! But they… one of them threw a fire bottle at the house. You and Jack were inside."

"Jack-"

"He isn't hurt," John quickly said. "Abigail's got him."

"You jumped out the window, at least we think you did," said Hosea. "None of us saw it."

"You saved Jack. Arthur, I… thank you! Abigail and I, we can never thank you enough."

Arthur was still confused, squeezing his eyes shut. "I think… I remember there was smoke, but… it ain't all there."

"That's okay. You hit your head pretty hard, don't try to force yourself into remembering," Hosea said. Arthur was still struggling, but Hosea kept a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you rest a bit more? I bet you'll feel better later."

"I hope you're right," Arthur said, relaxing into his cot.

After Arthur was asleep, Hosea finally left his side. "I should see Dutch, find out what we're doing. We can't stay here much longer."

"And we were so close to the ranch," Susan said.

"I know. But apparently we didn't run far enough, or maybe the price on our heads has become too great. I don't know. But for now, we've got to find a place to keep our folk safe for a little longer."

John wondered where they could possibly go anymore. He'd started with the gang in Illinois, and they'd gone back and forth across the country a few times since then. Where else could they go?

Jack and Arthur both recovered from the fire, with Abigail fussing over Jack's bruises and Arthur never remembering what actually happened. John could tell how much it frustrated Arthur, especially when Dutch showed him what happened to his wooden leg.

"Sorry, Arthur," he said, holding up the cracked leg. "As soon as we get settled near a town, we'll buy you a new one."

"It lasted a pretty long time," Arthur said. They were taking inventory of their supplies and figuring out what to buy. The gang had to dip into their savings, with a lot of money was going to John, Abigail, and Jack at the moment, since most of their things were destroyed in the fire. Arthur realized later that he lost his satchel too, which fortunately didn't have all his possessions in it. His latest journal was lost, but his older ones were still in the chest in his tent, along with his photographs and his flower.

"We just need to lie low for a little while, then we'll be fine," Dutch said. "I was thinking we could hide up in the mountains, drift from town to town. Pull one or two small jobs, then keep moving."

"The mountains, Dutch?" Hosea said. "It's going to be winter soon!"

"I know! But we got enough saved up, and enough folk to help bring in food and money. We'll survive! Hell, we'll do better than survive."

"And then where do we go?"

"I guess we could head south," Dutch said.

"Just not too far south," Annabelle said.

"You know, we never did cause too much of a problem in New Austin," Dutch said. "I wonder if it's still the lawless land it was ten years ago."

"I guess we can head that way and find out," Hosea said.

"Follow the Grizzlies south, see what happens along the way."

"At the very least, it's a good place to hide while the law forgets about us and move on."

"Well for one thing, there's plenty of land in the desert," Arthur said. "What do you think, John? Raise Jack among the rattlesnakes and the cacti?"

John laughed. He had his own run-in with a rattlesnake in New Austin, and would have gotten bit if Arthur hadn't shot the damn thing right in front of his feet. "It ain't ideal, but what is?"

"Well, then where do you suggest, son?" Dutch said.

Arthur let out a small chuckle. "I don't know, Dutch. I ain't the planner, you know that. Being with family, that's all I care about."

John nodded in agreement. He wanted a home for Abigail and Jack. Didn't really matter where.

"We can still look for land along the way," Hosea said. "It might be nice, being in the mountains again."

"I know how much you miss them, Hosea," Dutch said. "Now, then, we best get packing! Load up the wagons, map out our route."

"We'll need more food supplies," Arthur said, grabbing his crutches and getting up.

"You're not going hunting, are you?" Dutch said.

"I can shoot from Bo, Isaac can collect the meat," Arthur said. "He's strong enough to lift the game."

"Be careful," Hosea said.

"I guess I should take Jack and Abigail shopping," John said, getting up, too. "We're going to need some new clothes."

"Here," Arthur said, handing John some money. "Buy him some toys and books, too. It'll help him feel like things are normal."

"Thanks, Arthur," John said. "Can someone watch Jack while Abigail and I shop?"

"I'll take him," Annabelle said. "It's been a while since I watched him."

Abigail was reluctant to leave Jack for even a moment, but John convinced her that everything would be fine. Jack didn't seem to mind going with Annabelle. It was nice to feel normal for the first time since the fire, driving their small wagon down to town to shop for clothes. But it wasn't normal. This was supposed to be their town, the one where they did all their shopping, the place where they would sell the livestock that they raised and Arthur's clothes that he made. His kid was supposed to go to that school. A real school, something none of them ever had access to, no matter how much Dutch bemoaned the American education system. Hosea and Arthur had encouraged it, mostly so that Jack could have friends his own age, something Isaac had been denied. He or Abigail would pick him up after school and take him back to the ranch, their ranch. And now it was just gone. Torn away from them at the last second.

Abigail must have been feeling the same as he did, because she asked, "Will we be alright?"

"I don't know," John said. But he still had Jack, and he still had Arthur. For now, that was enough. They could figure out the rest later.