CHAPTER XVII

STRAWBERRY, WEST ELIZABETH, JUNE 9TH 1900

Around to the side of the Welcome Center was where the horses were hitched. April was stood still, calm and easy as ever. Friday, however, was acting a little feisty, might've even had a thing for the pearlescent mare stood next to him. As soon as Ellie saw him she ran up to her stallion and began to caress his neck. The huntress hadn't really had the chance to see him when her and Sawyer had arrived the night before, so he was a welcomed sight.

As Ellie stroked her hand down Friday's neck and snout, the horse became visibly giddy. He was almost shaking with excitement, gently rubbing his nose against her.

"Aww, how's my big fella, huh?!" She giggled, "Hope you were a good boy for old Vic."

"Nah, he wasn't." Vic muttered as he appeared around the corner, "Easier to ride a fuckin' bull than that thing."

Ellie laughed before looking back at the horse, "Just gotta get used to you, ain't he?"

"Yeah? Well, I'd sooner get used to walkin." Vic said, unhitchinhg April's reigns.

The girl giggled again before taking Friday's reigns in hand. Just before leading him, she checked her satchel on the saddle to make sure all of her trinkets and shiny valuables were still there. To her relief, they were.

"Atta girl. We're gonna get you to a warmer place soon." Vic said while leading April, stroking her neck and feeling her slightly chilled fur.

"Where we goin' now then, Vic? That big town?" Ellie asked, leading Friday alongside.

"Yup, Saint Denis or somethin'." Vic replied, "Big city down south in Lemoyne."

Ellie whistled in awe, "Wow... D'ya think it's as big as they reckon?"

"I guess it could well be." Vic said with a shrug, "Apparently the place is bigger than Blackwater, and that place is pretty sizable."

"And that's where this Roland fucker's gonna be robbin' that bank?"

Vic just nodded. Ellie noticed that he seemed to be thinking real hard about the job. She'd seen Vic take down scumbags all her life, since the first days she could toddle on her feet. But she'd never seen him that cautious and quiet about a job. Now and then she thought he might even be a little afraid. But she soon fought back those feelings. Vic wasn't afraid of no man, she thought.

"We'll get that piece of shit, Vic." Ellie said with a confident smirk, "I know it."

"Oh yeah? How d'ya figure?" Vic asked, pulling out a smoke.

The huntress shrugged her little shoulders, "Just got a feelin', you know?"

The deputy smiled back at his young friend. At that age, her confidence was still real strong. Vic longed for the days where his was still like that. Sadly, those days had long passed and he truly was unsure about how the job was going to go down once he, the girl and Sawyer had got to the big city down in Lemoyne.

A lot of it was riding on the shoulders of the young outlaw. He knew more about Roland Payne than anyone and knew more about Saint Denis than Vic and Ellie put together. Fortunately, Sawyer was one of the few things that Vic did have full confidence in. The kid hadn't let any of them down yet and he had certainly held his own no matter what had happened.

Back in front of the hotel, at the bottom of the oak steps, David stood lighting his pipe again. At his feet was the crate of supplies that he and Peter were gifting to the trio. David was squinting at the bright sun in the sky and looking very joyful. Strawberry wasn't yet fully awake. Some residents were obviously still in their beds, which in turn had caused some store's to delay their opening. This had given the hotel manager the perfect window to get Sawyer out of town unnoticed.

"Beautiful morning, wouldn't you agree, Victor?" David said with a big grin.

Vic nodded, "Seen worse."

"Ah! Don't talk such utter manure, Victor." The Englishman laughed, "You come from the deep sun scorched plains of New Austin! I can picture quite a powerful amount of gorgeous mornings."

"Yup... Fair point." Vic said, walking over, "Home's definitely got it's benefits."

"Indeed." David said with an oddly blank expression, "Oh and just for your own knowledge, Victor, I have sent Mr. Sawyer on a different route out of Strawberry. I thought it best that he take the quietest path possible."

"Definitely for the best. I'm sure he'll be fine on his own until we meet him." The deputy replied.

The two men stood side by side, smoking their respective tobaccos, looking up at the blue, almost cloudless sky. It seemed that with every few minutes, Strawberry got brighter. The town was a luscious place, definitely the best Vic had seen in the East. He could totally understand why the Anderson brothers had set up their business there.

"So, you expectin' business to boom now?" Vic asked.

David glared, "I certainly expect it to exceed recent profits, yes. But I doubt there will be any sort of boom for quite some time. Thanks to the activities of your young accomplice and his former gruesome ally, the amount of visitors to Strawberry has dwindled within weeks."

"I'm sure it'll pick up." The deputy said, trying to help reassure David in some way.

"Oh yes, no doubt." David replied, his cheerful demeanour suddenly coming back, "And I am equally sure that you, young Ellie and Mr. Sawyer will succeed in wiping away Roland Payne and anything that comes with him."

Vic blew out a big cloud of smoke, "That's the plan... Just not entirely sure it's gonna go down the way we hope."

"Hope doesn't facilitate thing's going the right way, Victor." David said, "All you, Ellie and Mr. Sawyer must do is what you all agree is the right course of action. And while I know that my advice here is quite commonplace these days, I feel that is all I need to give you. Among with this box of supplies of course."

"Well... Thank you, David." Vic said, throwing the smoke away, "If all goes well down there, I'm pretty sure we'll all look give some credit back to you and your brother."

"Ah, please. None is necessary." David said, waving his hand modestly, "But I do believe it is about time we got these weapons and supplies onto your horses, Victor."

Vic nodded again, "Think you're about right."

The deputy then turned to his left and saw Ellie fiddling with her knife and sticks again, this time while sitting in Friday's saddle. She had her enormous hat on again and looked ridiculous, Vic thought.

"Ellie!" Vic shouted, "Come on over here, I need help with this!"

When the deputy turned back, he saw that David had dashed off into the hotel lobby, looking as though he was in a hurry for something. Turning around again, Ellie was then suddenly in front of him. She had a habit of moving quickly and silently.

"A'ight, so we need to share the guns and food evenly on each horse." Vic said, "But the dynamite... That's going on April."

Ellie scoffed, "Suit yourself, I don't want 'em."

Vic took off the crate's lid and the two began separating the contents into the two sacks. Ellie seemed to examine every single thing she picked up. At one point Vic had to click his fingers to snap her out of it and get her to move quicker.

"So how come Sawyer ain't out here yet?" She asked, her voice low.

"He is." Vic said, "But he's gone a different way outer town than us. Its best he get outer here fast. We'll meet him a mile or two down the road."

Ellie then started packing the cans of food, "What exactly did Sawyer do here, Vic? Must be fuckin' bad to have people wantin' him dead."

"It wasn't really what Sawyer did, Ellie. It was what Roland did." Vic said.

"So everythin' that piece of shit did... Sawyer's payin' the price for too, huh?" Ellie asked after a deep thought to herself.

Vic just nodded again, "Seems that way."

"You reckon he didn't do anythin' then?" She asked.

The lawman stopped packing to look Ellie dead in the eye, "No, I don't. Why? You reckon he did?"

Ellie immediately shook her head, "Nope."

"Then why're you askin' me that for?"

"Ain't sure." She shrugged, "Hell, it's just that you're the law man. I thought that maybe you were still a tad suspicious of the guy."

Vic took a break from packing, sighed and squinted as he looked down the main street of Strawberry. Things were still quiet and the air was still cool. It was going to be so different down in Lemoyne. Vic had never been there but he'd heard stories. From the sounds of it, Lemoyne seemed more like New Austin. Hot, humid and full of nutjobs. The deputy was expecting to feel right at home when they got there.

"Nah... I reckon he's a'ight." Vic said after pausing, "Seems like a straight shooter to me, no matter what he used to do."

"Everybody's got a past." Ellie said, loading the last can of beans, "Just think of my Pa."

Vic frowned at looked back at the girl, "What's that mean?"

"Well you always told me that he liked to steal stuff, right?"

"Ellie, your Daddy weren't no thief." Vic said, "He was a real good trader, through and through."

The huntress then frowned herself, "I remember you tellin' me that the stuff he traded was robbed from other places."

"Nah, he dealt with merchants." Vic told her sternly, "Sure he would barter with 'em but everybody's gotta do that."

Ellie kept listening.

"Now... Where those merchants got their stock from, we got no idea." Said the deputy, "But make no fuckin' mistake, your Daddy was a good man and never crossed nobody."

"A'ight." Ellie said glaring, "Guess I got my fact's mixed up somewhere."

Vic then finished off loading the dynamite, "That's a'ight... Just don't want you ever thinkin' wrong of your Pa."

As both the girl and the lawman stood up with the sacks, Ellie gestured a sarcastic salute with a big grin, "Yes, Deputy."

Vic smirked, wrapped his arm around her neck, removed the hat and tried to rough her hair up. She giggled and smacked his back and chest to try and wriggle her way outer the hold. Vic laughed mockingly at her attempts to escape before finally releasing her.

"Pathetic." He said with a laugh, "Remember, always go for the back of the leg."

Ellie giggled to herself, "I know! Just didn't wanna hurt ya!"

"Yeah, sure." Vic grinned.

Afterwards the two finally got the sacks of supplies hooked onto their respective saddles and lead the horses to the edge of the bank. It wouldn't take very long to get outer town and meet Sawyer, and given that time was already narrowing it was for the best that they leave real soon. Vic instinctively went to help Ellie get onto of Friday, but instead found himself watching her manage to do it herself in one go. He was definitely impressed with how she was growing and learning.

Just as Vic himself was then stepping into April's stirrups, he noticed David come jogging on outer the hotel lobby again.

"Victor! Do indulge me for one last moment, old chap!" He called out.

The deputy stepped outer the stirrup and looked back to his ally, "Yup?"

"In my haste I forgot to hand you these." David said, slightly out of breath, holding an envelope.

Vic took it from the Englishman and promptly opened it up. Inside there were three train tickets, all destined for Saint Denis, going from Riggs Station which was only a few miles South-East of town.

Vic looked to his friend, "Why'd you do that, Dave?"

Smiling, modestly as always, David tipped his head, "One last gift, old boy, entirely from myself. Do get to the city quickly and put an end to that dire human being, won't you?"

The deputy nodded gracefully in return with a delighted grin, "We will, Dave. Believe me."

"Oh and one last thing." David said again suddenly, reaching into his suit pocket.

Vic looked back to Ellie who was sitting atop of Friday, once again sharpening sticks with her knife. Vic never noticed where she'd get the wooden sticks from, yet she always seemed to have a decent amount.

Upon looking back to the hotel owner, he was holding out a second envelope.

"Not for yourself this time, Victor." He said.

Vic took the second envelope and saw that it had 'STUART' written on it in elegant handwriting. He couldn't recall the Anderson brothers ever mentioning a man by that name, so it took the lawman by surprise.

"It's for our brother." David revealed, "I know it'll come as a shock and possibly with some fear that there is indeed a third one of us."

"He lives in Saint Denis?" Vic asked with a chuckle.

"Lives and works there, old chap. He is an accountant in one of the city's smaller bank branches. Surely not the same one that Roland Payne will be raiding, so I can assure you I am not worried for his safety."

"Why not just send it at a Post Office?" Vic asked.

David smiled and laughed almost nervously, "We'd just rather he get it personally from somebody. And given my other sibling sometimes suffer's from rather sticky chairs, you are the only one I can entrust the matter to."

Vic looked at the envelope for a moment before pocketing it within his blue velvet coat, "You got it, Dave. And thank you, for everything you've done. And Peter too."

"No thanks needed at all, dear boy." David said once again, this time extending his hand, "Good luck... And please do return."

"Of course." Said the deputy.

Vic shook David's hand, the two men tipped their heads to each other once more before finally bidding farewell. Vic climbed April's stirrups, got into the saddled and grabbed her reigns. David then waved his hand at Ellie who giggled before waving back with a huge smile. She'd definitely taken to the Anderson's and hoped that she would indeed see them again soon.

"Let's go, girl." Vic whispered to his mare.

April promptly began trotting down the bank, away from the Welcome Center. Ellie gave Friday a nudge with her ankles too, and the stallion soon followed the white mare. Ellie took a glance back over her shoulder to David, who was still stood watching at the bank's peak, smoking his pipe once more. She was going to miss those two strange fella's, but was confident that one day, maybe soon, she'd be back.

The duo made their way out of Strawberry pretty fast, just as the town's citizens started to appear and begin their normal morning routines. Vic hadn't really had the time to relish his visit to the quiet mountain town, so he wasn't about to start grieving it's absence. Ellie on the other hand was going to miss it a lot. Seeing it in broad daylight had really shown her its true beauty and stark difference from the world she'd gotten used to back home.

"I'm gonna miss this place." She said across to Vic.

"It ain't goin' anywhere, Ellie." Vic replied, "And neither are Dave and Peter."

"Are you sayin' you'll bring me back here?"

Vic smiled at her slyly, "I'll think it over."

"Fuck you." Ellie said playfully after scoffing, "If you don't, I'm comin' back on my own."

"I just bet you will." Vic said with a laugh, "But I don't think our outlaw friend's gonna have the same feelin'."

Meanwhile...

Sawyer had his red bandana now wrapped around his face again. The town might've been quiet and seemingly empty that morning, but he wasn't about to take any chances. He rode Neigan steadily and calmly, trying to keep his head down as much as he could. David had brought him to Neigan and then guided him to a much narrower, quieter route out of Strawberry by going around it's entire edge. It had taken longer than the direct route, but the outlaw felt relieved when he finally came upon the town's exit.

"There we go." Sawyer whispered to his horse, patting his neck, "We're home free, boy."

Trotting down the rocky footpath, Sawyer removed his bandana slightly. He didn't want to look too much like a bandit, because that could draw even more attention. He just hoped the duster cap and the stubble growing ever so slowly on his face would mask him enough from any passersby. It was a mile down the mountain that he was told to wait, as Vic and Ellie were hot on his tail. Once he got there, astonishingly passing nobody, Sawyer brought Neigan to a stop and enjoyed the views.

Off in the distance he could see the fields and hills of West Elizabeth once again. This time they were only partially lit thanks to the ever rising sun. The outlaw even noticed a slight morning mist on the prairies, where the humid air was hitting the much cooler grass and soil. Everything was a beautiful mixture of green and orange, and Sawyer found himself entranced by the gorgeous landscape that he could see from halfway down the small mountain.

While waiting, he fed Neigan an apple, took off his cap to dust it against his thigh and basked in the peace and serenity of the land in which he was wanted. The events which had gotten him to that point were starting to irritate him ever more. If only things had gone differently, he thought.

"Hey, kid!" Sawyer then heard Vic shout.

Turning to his right, the young outlaw saw both the deputy and the girl riding their horses down the same road. They had a sack of supplies hung on both saddles. Vic was smoking a cigarette and the girl was taking in the views just as the fugitive himself was.

"Don't be day dreamin' out here!" Vic called out, "Anyone could fuckin' recognise ya!"

Sawyer shook his head, "Ain't seen a fuckin' soul since I left the hotel."

"Shame that... It's a nice mornin'" Ellie then said.

Once the two of them came to the same spot as Sawyer, all three horses began trotting in unison. All three seemed to get along fine. April was in the middle with Neigan and Friday on either side. As Vic's mare was the biggest, most majestic and strong, she automatically took lead.

"There enough food to last us the journey?" Sawyer asked, "Long fuckin' road to Lemoyne."

"Ain't a worry." Vic replied.

"Oh yeah, how come?" The outlaw then enquired.

Vic pulled out the three tickets from his coat, "David was kind enough to buy us all a train ride, all the way to Saint Denis."

Sawyer's eyes widened, he wasn't expecting that one. He'd been psyching himself up all morning for a long trek to the South-East state. But now, to his relief, they had an easy one way trip there.

"Jesus fuckin' christ!" The outlaw said with astonishment, "That's a little... Generous... ain't it?"

Vic shrugged when putting them back in his coat, "I thought the same, but I guess he was just grateful for what we done for 'em."

Sawyer then nodded slightly in agreement, but the girl wasn't about to have them think so little of the Anderson's.

"Or they're just nice fella's." Ellie said, wincing, "That is possible, ya know."

That remark closed both of the men's mouths. The girl had a point, but the two men hadn't really thought that generosity was still a common trait to be found. Sawyer had lost that belief awhile ago and Vic had long forgotten it had ever really existed, despite whatever the Anderson's had done for him.

Nobody could say that Ellie's words hadn't worked, as it took a good few minutes for anyone to speak again. In the meantime, all the trio did was trot further down the mountain and feel the heat of the rising sun on their faces. It reminded Vic and Ellie particularly of home, whereas Sawyer had little to no reaction, other than to fully remove his bandana and cap in order to really feel the warmer air.

"So, you thought've a plan for when we get there?" Sawyer asked, turning to Vic.

"I figure we wait for him to attack the bank, and when he does... We get him." Vic said casually, lighting another smoke.

Sawyer laughed, "You really think its gonna be that easy?"

Vic shrugged, "Probably not, but I ain't got much else. I don't even know what the fuckin' place looks like."

"But you do." Ellie then spoke up, looking at the outlaw, "What's that place really like, Sawyer? Is it actually that huge?"

Sawyer's face twisted as he thought about it, "Yup, it's real big a'ight... But trust me, it ain't like you hear."

"What d'ya mean?" She asked.

"All those tales you both have probably heard, about it bein' this giant, gorgeous haven. None of that's true." Sawyer said grimly, "From a distance... Sure, it looks real darn pretty... But when you actually get into the thick of it... In the streets... It ain't nothin' but gutter."

Vic glared in surprise, "Really? How would you know that then, kid?"

"I grew up in Saint Denis." Sawyer revealed, "I never knew my Ma or my Pa... I was in an orphanage there, as far as my earliest memory's go. As I grew up, we were all just little street beggars before eventually turnin' into young robbers. We stole from anyone that we could lure into dark alley's... Rich fuckers... Old gals... Even lawmen if we were lucky enough to trick 'em."

The deputy and the huntress kept silent, allowing the outlaw to continue.

"Did that until I was around sixteen... Never really had any friends, since we all eventually turned on each other anyway." Sawyer said, "And we weren't the only gang of fuckin' thugs and scumbags in that town... 'Cause the rich and wealthy cocksuckers were always robbin' the poor... Only difference is what they do is fuckin' legal."

As Sawyer continued on, everything fell silent. So engrossed, neither Vic nor Ellie could hear anything else other than his words.

"The big players of town soon whipped our little asses into shape... And before long, when I was around twenty, I finally up and left that shithole." Sawyer said with big sigh, "Spent some years runnin' with some bad folk, as you know... And what do they say? The rest is fuckin' history."

Once the outlaw had finished his little tale, Vic and Ellie could only glance at one another in awe, clearly moved by the young fugitive's words. Neither could remember him ever opening up that much to them. It showed how comfortable he'd gotten, even in just two days. And given that he himself admitted that he'd never had what he would call real friends, the two New Austin natives felt somewhat privileged.

Another few quiet moments went by, with the sounds of the horses' trots and the birds overhead finally coming back. Both the Deputy and the girl both still wanted to politely give the outlaw some time to speak, just in case he hadn't finished.

"Anyway..." He finally said, breaking the stillness, "You get my point... The place ain't nice, so don't let the fuckin' bullshit stories cloud your minds."

Ellie's expression turned sad as she trotted along. She'd been expecting to see exactly what she'd heard the people of New Hanover talk about. A giant city, full of big houses, tall buildings and the kinda people she'd only ever thought about in her imagination. To hear Sawyer trash the place truthfully disappointed her ever so slightly.

Vic on the other hand, didn't care much. He'd never been a huge fan of places like Blackwater. They all looked so alien to him, like they didn't belong. Too many people, too many things to go wrong, he always thought. So to hear that Saint Denis was, in reality, just a colossal cesspit of misery did not surprise him whatsoever.

"Sorry, by the way." Sawyer then said, putting his cap back on and wiping his bruised face, "I didn't mean to go off an a tangent like that."

"Hey, it ain't bad." Vic then said with a chuckle, "Was just worried I'd need to throw you a rag to wipe away your tears."

The two fellas then laughed, with Ellie just grinning at their seemingly odd friendship. She could never recall Vic having anyone he'd call a friend since her Daddy had passed on. She could see already that he and Sawyer were alike in that sense. The huntress just would never have predicted that a friend of Vic's would be the type of person he'd usually snap the neck of.

"Was nice, Sawyer." Ellie then said, leaning over Friday's head, "Didn't think you'd share somethin' like that. Not to us at least."

Sawyer scoffed, "Haven't shared that with anybody, Ellie. Not even Roland, when we rode together. Wasn't the type of guy that liked hearin' stories."

"Just screams?" She than asked.

The outlaw nodded while staring out at the views, "Yup... You could say that."

"Well, gettin' back to point..." Vic started, throwing away the latest cigarette, "I say we get on that train at Riggs Station first and while we're on our way there, you can tell me all about the place and what'd be the best plan of action."

"Got yourself a deal there, Vic." Sawyer replied, giving the lawman a thumbs up.

With that, the trio headed further on down the mountain until they reached the base and made it onto the large, far stretching prairies. The difference in temperature wasn't too great but it was enough to get Vic to remove his coat. The differences in the land, however, were so clearly apparent. There were more signs of wildlife and vegetation. Ellie even noticed the first people they'd seen since they'd left Strawberry. Two folks were riding along far behind them on the same road.

Once the horses slowed back into a trot, the deputy wasn't entirely sure which direction to go in to reach Riggs Station, so he thought it best to ask to the person most familiar with the area.

"Sawyer." Vic called out, "You know where Riggs Station is from here?"

"Around two miles south-east." Sawyer replied, pointing his hand down the dirt road, "We're on the right path. Just need to keep goin'."

Vic nodded, "A'ight, good. How d'ya intend to go unseen until we're on that train?"

"It's early mornin'." Sawyer said, "Hopefully the place ain't too crowded... And I'll just keep myself to myself."

"If that don't work, we could always just say that Vic's takin' you in." Ellie joked with her usual smirk.

The outlaw laughed and tipped his head, because that was a decent idea even though she was just kidding around. Sawyer was definitely a lot less concerned about Riggs Station compared to how he felt about Strawberry. Once he was on that train, he was gonna be outer West Elizabeth fast and clear to do what he pleased.

Pushing on down the dirt road and into a patch of woodland, Ellie glanced behind herself again and noticed the two strangers on horseback were even closer to the trio then they had been minutes before. They could've been in a hurry, she thought, but nevertheless, something didn't seem right about it. Ellie might've been young, but she was far from stupid when it came to shady folk.

"What's goin' on?" Sawyer then said aloud.

Vic and the outlaw suddenly pulled their horses' reigns, bringinf them to a stop, skidding their hooves across the gravel. The huntress was then forced to do the same behind them, unable to see why.

The deputy started squinting and leaning forward to make out something in the distance. Sawyer was doing the same, one hand now on his Schofield's grip, Ellie noticed. Things were starting to make sense to her, if what the two men were looking at was what she thought.

"Lawmen?" Sawyer then asked, turning to Vic.

"They're wearin' suits, but I ain't too sure." The maverick deputy then replied.

Ellie's eyes widened again once she turned back for a third time to see the two strangers on horses were even closer now. She wasn't sure what to do, so she soon turned back to Vic and Sawyer.

"We got two fuckers on our rear. Been there awhile." She whispered hastily, "Think it's 'bout time I let you know."

Turning back, Vic and Sawyer noticed that the two men trotting down on horseback were also wearing what looked to be raggedy suits. Like they'd been creased, dirtied and ruined. That was too much of a coincidence, Vic thought.

"Think we're bein' flanked?" Sawyer asked.

The deputy kept looking out at the strangers with deep thought.

"I know we're bein' fuckin' flanked." Ellie said with certainty.

Vic still didn't respond. Instead he just sat upright and folded his arms. Sawyer and Ellie could only look at one another in confusion. It wasn't like Vic to not plan or act in any way. The outlaw kept his hand on the grip of his revolver and Ellie had never even let go of her bow since she'd set off in Strawberry.

After a minute of silence, the four rough looking men in suits came upon the halted trio in the middle of the small forest. They themselves stalled their horses and stood still in the dirt, staring at the three renegades.

Vic was still blankly staring right at them, arms folded with seemingly no care.

"Help you with somethin'?" The deputy then finally spoke up.

The four men were ugly, with shabby hair and broken teeth. Though they were wearing suits, which Ellie found strange. It didn't match their faces at all. She kept her hand grasped tightly around her bow. Sawyer was simply observing their positions and making sure there wasn't any more of them hidden away in the bush.

"Matter o'fact, you certainly can, good sir." One man in front said before spitting, "You see, we here are investigators comin' from Rhodes. Headin' up to a town named Strawberry, not too far from here."

"That right?" Vic asked.

"Ohh you betcha." The man said, "Been a long journey on the road from Rhodes, as ya probably know."

"I'm sure it has."

"Right... And you see here, we been lookin' for a known criminal in the area. Caught word from a higher up that he was in Strawberry recently."

Vic kept staring, arms still folded. Sawyer and Ellie were frozen in position, expecting things to turn ugly real fast.

"Well I advise you best get movin' in that town's direction, men." Vic said, "'Cause he might slip away, if you keep wastin' your precious time with us."

The four men then laughed together, like a dreadful organised choir. Their voices were irritating and painful on the ears.

"Well you see... I'm askin' you sir, as you're clearly a man of law." The main fella then said, pointing at Vic's visible badge, "Have you seen a man named 'Sawyer'?"

The outlaw kept his eyes off of everyone but kept his hand hovering over his revolver. He wanted to kill all four of the scumbags, but if they really were lawmen from Rhodes then he was only gonna get himself into more trouble. So alas, he let Vic do the talking.

Ellie was holding the tip of the arrow she kept hidden in her left boot. If things were to go south, she knew she could get an arrow off within seconds.

Vic shook his head, "Don't know anyone by that name."

"You see that's funny." The man laughed before slowly pointing, "'Cause we been told, its a young pretty boy, with a bruised face, red rag around the neck and... He's with a deputy."

Sawyer then locked eyes with the dirty suited man.

"And if I'm not mistakin'... I'd say that's the fuckin' fella right there next to ya."

"Nah I don't think it is." Vic replied bluntly.

"I'd say that was aidin' and abettin'... As a fellow lawman."

Vic scoffed, "If you're a lawman... Then I'm a fuckin' whore... And last I checked, I didn't see no lady parts between my legs."

The four men started laughing in unison again, pointing at Vic as they howled.

"This fuckin' guy, huh?!" The main man said, laughing loudly.

"KILL 'EM!"

The four strangers in suits began to reach for their guns, but having called their bluff from first glance, Vic unfolded his arms so fast that nobody saw him do it, pulling both LeMats from each holster. The deputy then aimed each barrel at the two scumbags in front, firing immediately and blowing holes in each of their foreheads.

"ELLIE!" Vic then shouted.

The command wasn't needed, as Ellie had already turned back around and fired her bow at one of the men at the rear. The arrow punctured the man's jugular, causing blood to flow profusely from the wound. He wasn't dead yet, but he soon dropped his gun and began trying to stop the bleeding whilst his horse bolted. Soon enough, the stuck goon was thrown to the floor and weakening by the second.

The last remaining stranger had his revolver aimed directly at Sawyer, who threw himself from Neigan as the man fired. The bullet missed completely and hit a chunk of tree off in the bushes.

Landing hard on his back, Sawyer felt the shooting pains come back for a moment. He'd thought his ribs had healed, but obviously not completely.

The stranger was in a panic, having lost his three buddies in a matter of seconds, so he kept firing in Sawyers direction on the ground. Luckily the outlaw rolled outer the way fast, despite the discomfort, making every bullet hit the dirt.

"FUCK!" The final stranger shouted.

He kept trying to shoot Sawyer until his revolver was emptied of bullets and it could only click. Everything at that point fell silent again. The goon soon realised he had no rounds left and his face dropped. The horse below him was still standing still, not scared or startled by the commotion at all. The suited man then turned to see both the deputy and the girl aiming their weapons directly at him.

Sawyer managed to get himself back up off of the ground and calm Neigan down slightly.

"It's okay, boy... Everythin's gonna be a'ight." The outlaw said gently to his stallion, out of breath.

The ugly man soon dropped his gun and started laughing nervously to himself about the situation. He knew he was finished, but found it comical at how easily the trio had taken three men down with little to no effort.

Sawyer then unholstered his Schofield and stood next to Vic who was still horseback. The two men glared at the laughing man. Ellie had another arrow pointed at his face and wanted to release it so badly.

"Ellie." Sawyer then said, "No need to waste a good arrow."

"No need to waste ammo ya mean." The girl said stubbornly.

Vic then piped up, "Ellie. You just keep that arrow. No need to waste it on this fella."

Ellie kept aiming for a moment before doing as Vic and Sawyer said. She lowered the bow and slotted the arrow back into her boot.

The ugly fella was still smirking and chuckling slightly at everything he saw before staring blankly at the lawman and the fugitive.

"You workin' for Roland?" Sawyer asked, "And Agent Wilson?"

The man did not reply, he just kept laughing.

"You ain't really the law at all, are ya?" Vic asked.

Cackling to himself even more, the stranger began to slowly shake his head.

After one final glance at eachother, Vic and Sawyer opened fire on the man, planting a hale of bullets each into his torso, throwing him right off of his horse and into the dirt. Soon enough the horse reared, screamed and then ran off, just like the other three had done.

Ellie looked down at the dead man and laughed to herself before spitting on his body. Sawyer holstered his revolver and then went to inspect one of the dead bodies.

"What you thinkin'?" Vic asked, putting both LeMat's back in their places.

Sawyer grabbed one of the men Vic had killed and looked underneath the suit jacket. Sure enough, he'd been wearing a raggedy green shirt. The men also stunk of general dirt and grime. They were not lawmen, but they were O'Driscoll's in some sort of terrible disguise.

"O'Driscoll's again... Roland's men." Sawyer confirmed, "Probably workin' for Wilson too."

Vic nodded, "Thought so. Not sure how they expected those suits to work."

"Well they ain't never been the brightest bunch of fucks, let me tell ya."

Everyone was quiet for another minute, truly taking in what had just occurred. Ellie looked pleased with herself, having known early on that something was gonna go down.

Sawyer and Vic on the other hand, felt less enthusiastic. They both thought the same thing without speaking. That this whole vendetta had to be soon put to rest. They're patience was dwindling and they found themselves wanting Roland dead more than ever before.

"A'ight... Let's search the bodies, get 'em dumped in the grass and keep movin'" Vic said confidently, "I think it's 'bout time we got to that shithole town and ended this."

Sawyer nodded in agreement while staring down the dirt road, imagining what that would actually feel like when it came to be.

The trio then relieved the dead O'Driscoll's of their possessions, hid their corpses in the bush just as Vic said, and then climbed back into their respective saddles. The horses had amazingly not been spooked by the incident at all. It was apparent that they were just as strong as their owners were.

In a mutually comfortable silence, the three renegades then galloped off down the road and were soon out of the small forest and back on the wide prairies. And after a few more miles, they finally saw Riggs Station coming up in the distance.