CHAPTER XII
WALLACE STATION, WEST ELIZABETH, JUNE 8TH 1900
"Thirteen dollars?!" Ellie asked in angry confusion, "You got any fuckin' idea what I had to do to find that thing?!"
"It is a ring, madam!" The elder storekeeper shouted back, though not as loud, "Probably not even real silver! And it's rusted!"
Ellie slammed both her fists on the counter for about the fourth time, "Only thing that's rusted around here is your fuckin' old ass!"
The feisty huntress had been trying to sell the tiny trinket she'd found up by the river for about a half hour. Sawyer, bored of watching Ellie haggle and afraid the shopkeeper would recognize him, had gone outside onto the store's deck to wait it out. But even outside in the open air the outlaw could still hear the argument going on. He didn't know whether to let Ellie be and see how far she could push the old guy, or go back in and try to drag her out. Knowing the latter choice would be near impossible, Sawyer quite happily went for the first option.
Wallace Station was, to Sawyers surprise, rather quieter than he remembered. The last time he was there, weeks before with Roland prior to the events in Strawberry, it was pretty busy. Lots of traders were coming through to sell their wares while other's were getting onto the train in the hopes of big adventures and happier lives in Saint Denis. If only they knew how grim and miserable that beautiful-looking city really was, Sawyer thought.
Now the fugitive found himself back across state lines and in the land of West Elizabeth, where he was still wanted. After Ellie had found her trinket, they'd both stopped off in Valentine first like Vic had asked to pick up his pearlescent horse, April. Glorious mare, Sawyer thought. She'd never twitched or buckled once while underneath Ellie. And even when the young outlaw himself petted her and fed her a carrot, she seemed quite comfortable. Was almost as if Sawyer could tell she belonged to a man of the law. All horses owned by lawmen seemed different from the rest. April was at all times calm, yet when necessary, she could launch into a gallop faster than most other mare's he'd seen. Definitely a horse of authority.
Light was fading as the sun lowered, down onto the horizon beyond the trees. Sawyer was relieved, as it meant the chance of being noticed by anyone was getting slimmer. Since passing into West Elizabeth, he'd consciously tried to conceal his face more often than usual. Sure, he was clean shaven, but it didn't hurt to have just a little extra help. So he'd taken to using his red bandana a little more when he could, whether it be to wipe his face or pretend to cough. He just wished Ellie would hurry her ass up so they could move on. At this point, Sawyer found being horseback and on a gentle trot across the dirt-path a lot safer than just hanging around in one place.
"Listen here, you rude little thing!" He then heard the owner suddenly shout.
Sawyer himself winced at that comment, waiting for the big bang.
"No you listen you ancient old fucker!" Ellie yelled back, kicking again at the hardwood counter, "Good friend of mine is a fuckin' deputy! And if I go back and tell him you spoke down to me, refused to give me the right wad of cash, he'll come back here and shut this shitpit down!"
The young outlaw, outside in the cooler air, laughed into his bandana. Trying hard not to draw the attention of the two old guys sitting on the benches under the wooden shelter, reading their newspapers. No doubt there was an article about him and Roland in there somewhere. Still, their attention was being drawn to the store, thanks to the banging and clanking from inside.
"Alright! Just stop kicking my things!" The owner cried out before yielding, "If I give you twenty dollars, will you leave my store?!"
"Make it thirty and we've got a deal!" Ellie demanded, with a hint of evil.
The young girl looked pretty darn happy with herself when she kicked open the store door and walked back out. Sawyer's concerned eyes fixated on her right away. Ellie looked as satisfied as a wolf who'd just caught an elk. She was smirking at him like she'd just pulled off the most daring robbery.
"Fuckin' cakewalk." The huntress said, smiling and counting the cash.
"Trashing the poor guy's livelihood until he pay's up just to get you to leave? You call that a cakewalk?" Sawyer asked, amazed.
Ellie grimaced, "Well what would you call it?"
"I'd call it robbery, in a funny kinda way."
"Yeah well, let's be real, you'd know more about that than me now wouldn't ya?" Ellie replied with a mocking grin.
Sawyer sighed and shook his head, "Suppose so. Except what you just did was legal. Fuckin' world confuses me."
"Ain't hard." She said under her breath again, packing the money in the satchel on April's saddle.
The young outlaw glared and turned back around to say something in his own defense. As he did, the girl was already climbing the stirrups onto the shiny white mare. By the time she was at the top, she was grinning down at him, taking any chance of a comeback away.
"What're ya waiting for?" She asked the tongue-tied outlaw, "Sun's droppin'. Gotta get to Strawberry soon, don't we?"
Sawyer looked up at her with a gaping mouth and wide eyes for a few seconds before smiling again. He knew she didn't really mean any harm, he'd just been trained since childhood to be on his guard. His time on the road with Roland had not helped that feeling either, yet his time on the path with Ellie had shown him that there wasn't always a need for it. Even if she seemed scarier than most men he'd crossed paths with throughout his short life, there was a certain kindness to her.
At long last the young fugitive climbed into Neigan's saddle and both he and Ellie gripped their respective reins and set both the stallion and the mare off into power-trots. Within minutes, under the curious eyes of the two fella's under the station's shelter, they were outer sight and on their way further south.
The mood was calm and easy as Sawyer and Ellie made their way across the plains. The land around them had turned a luminous orange thanks to the glow of the ever lowering sun. Everything around them was peaceful and almost mystical. Birds were flying overhead and the breeze in the air was cool. The young outlaw found it a pleasure to see Ellie's face when they both witnessed packs of Deer and Bison running across the dimly lit fields of West Elizabeth. The deer were beautiful to watch on one side, but the girl found the Bison to be more interesting.
"Whoa!" She yelled in awe, "What the hell are those!?"
"They're called Bisons!"
Ellie quietly gasped, "They look like weird, sweaty cows!"
Sawyer just smiled contently. That was the oddest yet accurate description of Bison he'd ever heard. The girl had a way with words, he had to admit.
"You seriously never seen anything like that before?!" He yelled out.
"Never!" Ellie said back, "Back home I've barely seen any thing other than cows and pigs! But those things are fuckin' big!"
The outlaw chuckled, "Yeah, you don't want one of those things chargin' at ya! Keep well away from 'em if you see any on foot!"
Ellie scoffed arrogantly, "Please! I could take one of those fuckers down easy with my bow!"
"Can't argue against ya bow skills!" Sawyer shouted, "But it'd take around a hundred arrows to get a Bison on the dirt!"
"Not if you get one or two hit in the right place!" Ellie called out.
Sawyer couldn't argue against that point. Precision and timing is everything. After all, if he himself had been a little faster with the trigger that night, Roland Payne would be dead and Sawyer wouldn't be in his current predicament. The young outlaw had no godly idea how Vic thought they were gonna intercept Roland in Saint Denis and stop the bank robbery. But he had to trust his newfound 'friend' if he wanted any real chance of finally putting that evil piece of filth in the ground forever.
The outlaw could finally, unlike last time, bask in the gorgeous beauty of West Elizabeth. The state where he could be hanged for his past crimes if he were seen by the wrong person. It was a different kinda place than New Hanover. The plains of West Elizabeth seemed to stretch for miles with hardly any trees in sight. All Sawyer could see as he and Ellie galloped down the dusty road was lush, grassy hills, illuminated only by the disappearing sun. The journey eventually took them into an open ravine where they crossed a more shallow Dakota River. Shortly after, they were back up on dry land and were again faced with a long expanse of sunlit hills.
"So what're you gonna do after all this?!" Ellie suddenly asked from across the path.
Sawyer looked over, "How d'ya mean?!"
"Like after you've killed this Roland fucker!" She said, "What do ya plan on doin'?!"
Definitely something Sawyer hadn't given as much of a thought to. After being so all consumed by his quest for payback against Roland, he'd never imagined what life was gonna be like on the other side of that journey. It seemed the relentless and powerful need to see Roland Payne die had become his only real goal in life. Yet he would have so much time left to live afterwards..
"Can't say I've thought about it!" Sawyer replied, "Suppose I've just been livin' under the idea that... Killin' him is probably gonna kill me too!"
"You don't know that!" Ellie said, hanging onto the reins tightly, "Maybe it'd be worth thinkin' about, Sawyer!"
Sawyer laughed again, "What the fuck are my prospects?!"
"Huh?!" She called out in confusion.
"I said, what plans could I possibly have?!" Sawyer repeated, "What kinda future could I possibly fuckin' expect after everything I've done?!"
"You're tryin' to do the right thing ain't ya?!" Ellie asked, "There'll be a place for you somewhere once we're through with all this!"
No response could be found at that point. Sawyer found himself surprised all the time at the girl's lack of judgement. Was she just naive? Or had all the years of isolation in one New Austin town made her realize there was more to life? The outlaw didn't even want to ask. Ellie may have came out with some unintended wisdom at times, but she would probably tear him apart again if he asked such a complex question.
Yet the fugitive couldn't deny that the huntress had brought something to his mind that hadn't been there before. Since he'd woken up in Emerald Ranch, he'd thought of nothing at all but getting to Roland and putting an end to him. So much so that it had never crossed his young mind what he planned to do after he was through with his mission, given he was still living when everything was said and done. Maybe it was something to think about for the rest of their journey south back to Strawberry.
"I guess I will give it some thought!" Sawyer said, "Thanks!"
Ellie frowned and looked over, "For what?!"
"Nothin'!" He chuckled once again, "Come on then, we got another hour or so before we hit Strawberry! You've missed Vic, ain't ya?!"
Ellie smiled to herself with a giggle, "I guess I have!"
Both the outlaw and the huntress kicked their thighs and got the horses moving a lot faster than they were. Light was fading, and time was running out with every gallop. Everything had gone to plan so far, which did not ease the young outlaw's nerves.
The sun was finally gone, not even half an hour later. Luckily it didn't hinder the journey much for either Ellie or Sawyer. Thanks to the clear and open fields of West Elizabeth, the night sky and the almost-full moon made sure they could still see which way they were heading. The terrain the horses rode on did gradually get steeper by the minute, given the fact that Strawberry was a mountain town, far above the open plains of the state.
Soon however, the young duo found themselves on a darker path thanks to a sudden abundance of trees. Moonlight was still managing to break through the pine branches and limbs, giving April and Neigan only a slight challenge when continuing on.
Sawyer looked over at April, who shone bright even in the darkness of the night. Such a gorgeous mare looked strange being ridden by such a small girl. Ellie was a young-adult, but her build was still small-framed. The outlaw thought it was a clear indication of how close Ellie and Vic were. If the girl could ride his pristine and clearly durable horse, then there was definitely a bond.
"So, you've known Vic all your life, huh?" Sawyer inquired.
Ellie looked at him through the dimness of the woods, "Yup. Since I was a babe in my Ma's arms."
"You been ridin' his horse for as long as that too?" The outlaw asked in wonder.
Ellie patted April on the neck, "Nah, only since he got her. He brought her home when I was 'bout seven."
"She seem's real comfortable with you in the saddle."
"Probably 'cause I weigh as much as a leaf." Ellie giggled, "You should see her move when Vic's got her reins. She's as fast as a fuckin' bullet!"
Having observed the mare, Sawyer wasn't surprised, given she belonged to a deputy. He was more stunned that nobody had tried to steal her when she was left behind in Valentine for a day.
"Vic must've been doing his job a long time then, right?" The fugitive asked again, curious about the lawman.
"Forever. Since before even I was born." Ellie said, "He's the best guy we got back home. All the other deputy's are kinda fuckwit's... Apart from Sheriff Freeman, he's a'ight I guess. Wouldn't wanna get on his bad side, I know that."
Sawyer winced even in the dark, "How's the town still goin' strong then? If most of the lawmen there are pretty shitty at their job?"
"Weren't always like that." She said, "Up until maybe a month ago, there was two other deputy's who protected the town pretty well. Vic was good pal's with 'em both."
"I'm gonna guess those were the two that got killed in Strawberry?" Sawyer asked, even though he knew he was right.
Ellie shrugged, "Maybe. He don't fuckin' tell me much. Think's I'm still a little kid."
"Well, I mean he..." Sawyer started.
When the huntress shot him a sudden wide eyed glare that pierced him even in the darkness of the road, the young outlaw froze in mid-sentence. After a brief tense moment, he thought it best that he finish, just to make her understand his point.
"... He needs to see that you ain't anymore, don't he?" Sawyer said with a smile, "That's why you're along with us, Ellie. He knows we need your help, otherwise he might've just dumped you on that train this mornin'."
Hearing Sawyer say that actually made Ellie beam with delight. She knew herself that the guys would need her help, but finally hearing it from one of them really made it hit home. Finally, for once in her life, she felt like she was actually needed. And for that she was grateful.
"Thanks, Sawyer." Ellie said gently, "You're alright, you know that?"
Sawyer grinned to himself again and shook his head secretly in disagreement, "Appreciate that, Ellie. I really do."
The young outlaw and the huntress continued to trot on further up the steeper path. For another twenty or so minutes they journeyed in mutual and comfortable silence. Soon Ellie could feel her eyelids getting heavier after the long day and Sawyer could see that her posture was different. She kept leaning forward then propping herself back up. He just hoped dearly that she didn't fall off of the mare and force him to carry her the rest of the way. As much as he liked her, carrying her into Strawberry would surely draw attention.
As he tried to move Neigan a little closer to April, in order to make sure Ellie wasn't asleep at the reins, a sudden rustling came from within the trees alongside them. Sawyer quickly turned, drew his Schofield and pulled the hammer back.
Grabbing both reins and pulling hard, Sawyer managed to get Neigan and April to stop in their tracks. Ellie was gently nudged awake again by the sudden stop.
"Wha's goin' on?!" Ellie asked in a sleepy stupor.
Sawyer aimed his revolver out in the direction of the snapping twigs and the sound of footsteps. They were coming from just up ahead on the side of the dirt-path. Other than those noises, everything fell silent. Even Ellie didn't make a single sound. Sawyer thought about calling out to get whoever it was to reveal themselves. Before he could even settle that debate in his head, the stranger ended up just stumbling on out of the bushes and trees on their own.
Whilst keeping his gun aimed at the fella, the outlaw felt puzzled to say the least. The man was stumbling around almost cheerfully. He didn't look drunk, or at least not like any drunkard Sawyer had ever seen before. Listening carefully, he could even hear the stranger calmly humming tunes to himself while gently bouncing to them in mid-stumble.
Sawyer sharply checked his flanks to make sure it wasn't some kind of distraction for an ambush. He'd fallen for one of them in the past two days, but it wasn't gonna happen again. But to his surprise, there was still nothing but the sound of a breeze hitting the shrubs and the grass. And of course, the noise of the man humming gleefully to himself was still there.
The young fugitive was at a loss as to what to make of it, so he decided to climb down off of Neigan and go see who the fella was. He knew it could be a risk but it was one he felt confident in taking. After all, the guy seemed like he wasn't all there. So what kinda threat could he possibly pose? Sawyer thought.
"Stay..." The outlaw whispered to Neigan, who understood his owner and then stuck to his ground.
Sawyer then crept slowly up the dark road, Schofield still aimed out. The stranger had slowed down from walking to taking practically one or two steps a minute. The closer the outlaw got to the weird man, the more he could smell a rather sickly yet fruity scent. It was a sweet smell, but so sweet it was making Sawyer a little lightheaded. Maybe this fella had been overcome by fumes somewhere and was now out of his mind.
"Hold up there, pal." The fugitive then sternly called out.
Instantly, the smelly stranger put both his arms up in the air.
"Wasn't me, old chap!" The man replied in a strange accent, "It was Roy that slept with her, not me, I can assure you!"
Wincing in annoyance, Sawyer grabbed the man by his shoulder and spun him around. To the outlaw's surprise, the guy was smiling to himself but with his eyes half shut. Was this a joke? Was what he said a joke? Sawyer couldn't work it out.
"What're you fuckin' talkin' about?" He asked the stranger, "Lift up your shirt and drop any weapons, now."
"No weapons, I'm afraid." The stranger replied after kissing his teeth, "I am never an armed man, due to my sight being poor."
Sawyer kept the Schofield aimed in the stranger's face and decided to lift the shirt himself. It was underneath a ragged, unbuttoned and unwashed waistcoat. And underneath it all revealed the stranger was indeed telling the truth. No firearms or even any knives, just a little tiny square tin tucked between the man's trousers and his belly. Curious about it, the outlaw took the tin.
"What's this for?" Sawyer asked, gun still pointed.
"Anybody, sir." The stranger replied with a smirk, "Help yourself. Please."
Opening the tin, Sawyer found the source of the sweet, nauseating smell. Inside there was what looked like a crushed lump of some kind of plant. The odour was powerful, and seemed to infest the area quicker than a raging fire. So much so that it caused Sawyer to cough and Ellie to awake further.
"Fuck's that smell?!" Ellie shouted out, "You feed your horse one too many apple's or somethin'?!"
Sawyer refused the man's offer, closed the tin sharply and gave it back to him. Once he'd finished coughing and caught his breath, the inquiries continued.
"What the hell is that shit?" Sawyer asked, curious as hell.
The stranger tucked the tin back where it was, "That is the lord's plant, my dear boy. Good for everything. And what might they call yourself?"
"Uh." Sawyer didn't have an answer. He could not reveal his name to anyone.
"Neigan. His name's Neigan." Ellie said, suddenly trotting up alongside both men.
The fugitive's face twisted and he looked up at Ellie.
"Ain't it?" Ellie said, glaring with her eyes but smiling with her mouth.
Sawyer looked back to the stranger and held out his hand, "Yeah, Neigan. Nice to meet you, Mister uh?"
"Anderson." The man said, shaking Sawyer's hand, "Peter Anderson. Nice to meet you, Neigan. And who would be your cracking young companion?"
"My name's Ellie, mister." She said after giggling a little.
"Well nice to meet you, Elizabeth. Welcome to the land of your own name." Peter said calmly before taking note of the horse she rode on, "OH! Is this April!?"
Sawyer and Ellie both shot each other confused looks. How the hell could he know a horse just by sight? In a land where they were sometimes more common than people.
Peter then stroked the gorgeous mare's snout, "April, you get more majestic and splendid every time I lay my eyes onto you."
"How the fuck do you know her name?" The girl asked, bemused.
Peter looked up, his smile still beaming even in the dark, "Oh she belongs to a friend of mine and my dear brother. A lawman, from far out in Tumblewood."
"Tumbleweed." Ellie corrected him sharply, "Are you talkin' about Vic Noble?!"
Kissing his teeth again, Peter nodded slowly, "Certainly am, my dear. Might I ask why he has parted with this delightful creature?"
"We're bringin' her back to him." Sawyer then joined in, holstering the Schofield, "As it happens, Vic's already in Strawberry. We've been headin' there to meet him. Long story, gotta admit."
"Ah, well regrettably you won't have long to tell it, old boy." Peter said before pointing up the road, "Strawberry is coming up just a ways around that corner."
"Oh thank the fuckin' lord." Ellie said, "I need to lay myself down."
Sawyer looked up ahead and then back to Peter, "You uh... Need a ride the rest of the way?"
Peter contemplated the offer for a little while, making both Sawyer and Ellie a little impatient. While he thought it over, he even started humming tunes and bobbing around to them again.
Ellie slyly looked at Sawyer and made a twirling gesture with her hand near her head. Sawyer wanted to laugh a little but didn't wanna be rude to the polite man.
"Yes! If that's alright with you Neigan, dear chap." Peter finally replied, causing the young fugitive to cringe.
Within a minute, both Sawyer and Peter had climbed up onto Neigan, the horse which the weird man had thankfully not asked the name of. The outlaw could see his horse was already a little irritated by the unfamiliar mounter. Maybe it was the sickly, potent smell of the plant in Peter's tin.
"Easy, boy." Sawyer patted Neigan's neck, "Ain't for too long."
"Sorry, old sport?" Peter asked, having just been in a half-eyed trance.
"He said the trip's been long." Ellie spoke up, "We're just fuckin' glad to have finally got where we're supposed to be."
Peter smiled wide and nodded again, "Oh I bet. Well I can confidently say, any friend of Vic's is a friend of the Anderson's. You will both be more than welcome in our establishment."
"We appreciate it, Peter. Thank you kindly." Sawyer said looking back.
The reins of both Neigan and April got whipped and the two horses set off into a powerful gallop immediately. Sawyer and Ellie had managed to get all the way from the Cumberland Forest to Strawberry, picking up Vic's horse on the way. And they'd even somehow managed to bump into one of Vic's contacts by pure coincidence. As odd as he was, Peter seemed like a kind enough fella, Sawyer thought.
But naturally, the outlaw's main thought now was their next move. Now that they were about to enter the town in which he and Roland had caused so much hell, weeks before, what was the plan to be in order to get back to Roland? Sawyer was tired from the journey but even he knew the he wasn't gonna be able to rest until he had an answer to that question.