Arthur

Mary was as beautiful as a goddess. Or, at least what I thought a goddess should look like. Seeing her after all these years... well it was like a blind man gettin' to see the sun for the first time.

"Why hello there Mary." I say, taking my hat off in respect.

"Oh Arthur!" She runs to me, and slams into me, embracing me. I can't help but hug her back, enjoying the moment.

"How've you been darlin'?" I ask. At this she just sobs. She holds me for a minute longer before letting go of me.

"I can't believe you came." She says. I almost said "I would come for you anytime" but I thought that just didn't sound right.

"Anytime darlin', anytime." Is what I end up saying. We both sit on the stairs of the porch and she fills me in on her life during the past few years. Most of it was filled with extravagances that I could not afford for Mary in the past. I looked on her hand, and she still had that silver ring with the garnet stone in it.

"You kept that lil' old thing after all these years Mary?" I ask, slightly surprised, but also filled with joy, and hope. She looks down on her hand and blushes to a deep beat red.

"Why, yes I have Mr. Morgan." She says giving me a slight shove. "It still means just as much to me now as it did when you gave it to me." She says in a matter-of-fact way.

"Well, guess I am glad you still like it Mary. Most amount of money I have spent on something so small." Yes, I did in fact buy that ring. Left the gang for a bit, made a working man outta myself. Saved up every penny for that ring. But tough times came, and I went back to my old life. Guess I disappointed Mary when I did that. She thought I finally changed. Hell, I thought I finally changed. Guess it just was not meant to be. I then get serious. "Mary, why... why did you come out here? Is something wrong? Is someone tryin' to hurt you?" I ask, with anger in my eyes.

"No, no Arthur it's not like that. Well I mean…" She says, hesitating.

"Mary... what is it?" I ask.

"Dammit Arthur, I need your help. I know I have no right asking, and after what happened before, well hell I would not expect you to want to help. But I really need your help right now Arthur. It is my little brother Jamie. He has gotten himself into some trouble with a cult of some sort... and he says he wants to stay but I just don't rightly know anymore. It seems like they are robbing him of his soul Arthur!" She finishes, bringing herself to a sob again. I shoulda known she needed some help. Why else would she come to me? I wasn't good enough for her parents or her it seems. Then again, last time I saw Jamie he was just a little guy. I taught him to ride a horse, along with some other things that I pray Mary does not find out about. He was a good kid. Sure, I hold some resentment towards Mary, but if I don't do this for her, then goddammit imma do it for him. Who am I kiddin? Of course in the end I will be doing this for her.

"Fine, I'll do it. I always liked him the most anyways." I say.

"Oh Arthur! You really mean it?" She asks, wiping a tear away that had just come with the new wave.

"Yes Mary," I say with a sigh. "I will do it. Where can I find this cult?" I ask. She tells me the directions, and of course it is on some mountain. What is it with people always gettin' in trouble on mountains or high areas? The ride there took a while, not gonna lie. But I did make it before Noon. Mary's parting words had been all I was thinkin' about the ride here. It was like a brand, seared into my brain I guess. She asked me not to kill no one, and to take her brother to the train station when I got him.

I get off of Ford and walk to the flattened out area at the top of the Mountain. Honestly it is more of a large, rocky hill than a mountain, but I was not gonna say that to Mary. As I got closer I heard them doing some sort of welcoming ceremony. I had to have been standing there for about a minute before someone noticed me and they all stopped.

"Ahh it seems that a guest has arri-" one of the freaks started sayin' before being cut off by Jamie, who stood up and said:

"Arthur is that you? What the hell are you doing here?" He was about to approach me for a hug when when there was a glint of realization in his eyes. "My sister sent you here didn't she? Well you can tell her to mind her own business! This is where I belong, and this is where I will stay!" He says in a rage.

"Listen Jamie I jus-" I say before being cut off.

"If you have the intention to harm this boy, or take him from us, well you will have to get through me!" One of the freaks say.

"Oh for cryin' out loud! I just want to take him back to his family. And you really don't look like you can beat me in a fight mister." I say to the freak. At this he realizes that I am more than right, and he draws a revolver. I draw mine too, and it is as if time slows down. It was always something I could do, for temporary amounts of time. Its like I am just faster than everyone else in this moment. I also can think about what usually takes me a few minutes to think about, in a few seconds whilst in this mode. In my journal I named this "Deadeye" after Dutch calling me a Deadeye with weapons. I thought about killing the man, but I don't want him to make me look bad with his corpse. Plus it would make Jamie not want to come back with me. So I instead shoot his revolver out of his hand. The freak looks astonished at this, and takes off running. Unfortunately so does Jamie. He runs off, saying a variety of things making me think I won't be able to convince him to come with me, and he jumps onto a horse. Me, spewing profanity jump onto Ford, and take off after him.

"You ain't gonna catch me old man!" he yells back to me. He has no idea he is within lasso range, but I decide against lassoing him. I know he would tell Mary and she would get pissed off at me. So I just keep up with him, but as we rode on I could feel Ford gettin' tired being pushed so hard, for so long.

"We're almost done pal." I say to Ford, giving him a pat. It was as if he had second wind cause Ford started pushin' himself even harder. It was not long before I heard a train coming, with the tracks just up ahead. Ford started slowing down, scared of the loud noise of the train, and Jamie made it across the tracks just before the train blocked my path. Sure I may have taught Jamie to ride, but I didn't treat him how to treat a horse. The horse he was riding, exhausted from being pushed so hard, bucks Jamie off. I hear Jamie yell "Shit!" as his horse runs away. I get off of Ford and give him a pat, then I walk towards the moving train, seeing the end of the train is coming.

"Arthur, why do you want to take me back?!" Jamie yells over the sound of the train. "Just go be like everyone else Arthur! My dad hates me, Mary thinks I hold her down, and you. You are prolly pissed off that you had to chase me down!" He yells. The train comes to an end and I go to lunge at him, only to be stopped when I see him draw a revolver. "Arthur, I don't want to hurt you." He says quickly. "But I don't want to live no more neither." And at that he starts raising his revolver to his head.

There was a flash, not from Jamie's revolver, but rather my Deadeye Kicking in. I quickly drew my revolver and shot his out of his hand as he had his revolver halfway up to his head.

"I ain't gonna let you die son." I say. "Sure your pops may be a rude, indecent bastard, but not all people are Jamie. I care about ya, so does your sister." I say. As I finish saying that, Jamie pulls me in for a hug, and I don't deny him this friendly embrace. He was sobbing, and after a few "There, there's" He came back to his senses.

"Well.." He says wiping his tears. "Lets go see my sister."

Question of the chapter: Do you think that since Arthur has not contracted the TB virus, that he will get together with Mary? Let me know!