(Chapter 6: Hunted Down)
Morning has broken, it was a beautiful morning as the sun shined on through the cracks between the trees in the forest. It overlooked Doverhill and the laboratory. Bill felt the intense heat from the sun, it is what woke him up. Rebecca, and Jack were looking up at him from down below.
"Bill, it is time to earn our breakfast meal." Jack announced, Bill raised an eyebrow.
"Earn it?" Bill asked as he stood up, stretching out his body to prepare for the coming day. Jack nodded his head.
"I mean, it is time to go hunting. We earn our meal from the animals, you're probably the fittest of this three person gang so far. I would advise you to guard after this shelter while me and Rebecca here go out to hunt." Jack answered, Bill nodded his head.
"Fair enough, good hunting." Bill would go on to say, Jack and Rebecca quickly got onto their horses and made their way towards the Cumberland Forest.
"So. Rebecca, how have you liked the gang so far? Well, it isn't so much of a gang, but a trio." Jack questioned, pondering on how Rebecca liked the gang so far in the early stages.
"I love it so, I love the thrill of adventure. I love the thrills Jackie, when the gang grows in numbers, it would be even better." Rebecca responded, Jack nodded his head.
"Well, once we get some new members in. We will see who the elites of the gang is, we will then set up our first heist and property." Jack would go on to say, Rebecca then thought of the BlackJacks.
"Those men over by Beecher's Hope, they didn't seem to friendly. With all of those men aiming at us, those two men we spoke to. I can imagine that this gang is gonna be nipping on our heels. Life isn't going to be so easy." Rebecca added on, Jack sighed.
"It isn't gonna be easy, when I was in the Van Der Linde gang all of those years back when I was a little boy. We had a rival gang, the O'Driscolls. There was a number of other gangs but those O'Driscolls always seemed to tick off Dutch and my father."
Rebecca yawned and sat up straight on her horse, whipping her head back and letting her mahogany colored hair swing back behind her head. She smiled gracefully as she felt the morning sun on her back.
"So Jackie boy, where are we going to hunt?" Rebecca asked, Jack nodded his head forwards.
"The Cumberland Forest, plentiful of elk, and deer. Also some good black bears, good for big game meat. The black bears are more tame than the large grizzly bears up closer towards the mountains, gotta be careful around the big browns." Jack explained, giving some advice around the hunting of grizzly bears.
The two continued to push onward towards the forest, down the long dirt road path. They didn't know that a man was heading right for the laboratory, not too far away from them.
Bill stood, overlooking the land around him and the laboratory at the top of the tower. Bill noticed the silhouette of a man approaching from down the hill, he couldn't see any particular details of the man due to the light of the sun showing only his shadow.
Bill crouched down, keeping himself in the shade of the top of the tower. Not allowing the sun to reveal his position, the man approached the laboratory in a wagon.
"Hey! Who are you!?" Bill called out, still hiding within the shade.
The man looked around, seeing no one. Hopping off the wagon, he could hear the voice. From above him, he looked in the treetops, and then noticed the tower. The man advanced towards the tower, looking at the top of the tower.
"My name is Markus Van Der Linde, how about you come on out, instead of hiding in the shadows!" The man called out, Bill stood up and made his way towards the edge, letting the light of the sun reveal who he was.
"Leave this place, Van Der Linde!" Bill shouted out in response, looking down at Markus from above.
"I don't take orders, I speak for myself. Only myself, I have no side!" Markus cried out, aiming his lancaster repeater up at Bill.
"You would aim at a man with no gun, I have no firepower. I have my fists, if you put that gun down, perhaps I will come down there." Bill responded to how Markus aimed at him.
"I haven't come for you, whoever you are, I have come for a man known as Jack Marston. This place feels suitable for his location as an outlaw on the run, I traveled up until the early morning hours, searching for him." Markus announced, Bill's eyes widened.
"Listen Markus, I am not too fond of Jack Marston either. I want to beat his ass as much as you do, but I am in need of survival. My house was burnt to the ground, I have no choice."
Markus growled and placed his finger on the trigger, ready to pull it at any moment and end Bill Pierce right on the spot.
"Okay, I relate to you. I have my reasons for wanting to see death face him, his father aided in the death of mine. I want my redemption, it ends with Jack dying, if Jack doesn't die. Then whoever is helping him, does!" Markus screamed in anger, Bill would respond by pointing in the direction in which Rebecca and Jack headed off to.
"They went in that direction, I'm not going to give you any specific locations. I am not ratting them out, play hide and go seek with them!" Bill responded, wanting to keep his life and not have it end on the spot.
"That is enough information, I know they are somewhere in the Cumberland Forest. As dense as it is, I know they will be trying to hide in there. If I return without them though, you will die!" Markus shouted before racing down the dirt road path on the wagon.
"Shit.." Bill Pierce gulped in fear, Markus knew that the two had went off into the Cumberland Forest.
Now Bill feared that he ratted the gang, he tightened his fist up and gritted his teeth. His eyes darted around the wilderness as the sound of the wagon rocking back and forth, slowly faded into silence. Bill heard the wind rustle the leaves in the trees, the birds chirping, all while feeling the cool air chill him.
Meanwhile, Jack had crouched into a bush and was looking around for possible game. Rebecca did the same in a larger bush next to him, she held a lasso and a gun in her hand. Jack decided to try and call a deer closer, he let out a loud whistle, not to get the horse's' attention. A buck approached, it was a fine buck. Slightly bigger than normal, but enough to suffice the trio for now. Rebecca started to twirl her lasso around, peeping around the corner as the deer approached.
The deer would eventually turn around after not being able to find the source of the whistle, Rebecca had her chance to lasso the deer up.
"Aim for the antlers, it will try to tug back, be sure to be strong, and hold it in place." Jack whispered over to the irishman, Rebecca nodded her head and crept out from cover.
She threw the lasso after twirling it around for ten seconds, the loop going around the antlers of the buck before them. The deer started to jerk, and tug around as attempts to escape all while letting out endangered cries.
"Get em'!" Rebecca shouted,"Get em' man!"
Jack approached from the side and slit the throat of the deer, killing it right then and there. No serious damage done to the overall pelt and body of the deer, it was a clean kill. Jack stood next to the deer with his hands on his hips, he then smiled at Rebecca.
"Me and you are a good team, ya know that?" Jack questioned, wanting to know if Rebecca approved.
"We sure are Jackie, now we need to head back to that laboratory." She responded, Jack heaved the deer up and approached his horse.
Once Jack was about to climb onto Arthur, a voice called out from not too far away and down the dirt road path.
"Jack! Jack Marston!" The voice shouted loudly, trying to get his attention.
"That sounds like… Dutch" Jack said to himself, he started to back up slowly. Rebecca looked over at him.
"Come on Rebecca, we need to travel through the woods. I hope you know how to steer a horse around trees, this is going to be rough. I've got a bad feeling about that voice." Jack explained, suggesting a safe way back home.
"Jack, I've come for you!" The voice called out again, this time it was louder and closer than before.
"That isn't Bill, I know for a fact it isn't." Jack said to himself as he, along with Rebecca rode through the woods. The two being careful to avoid trees, not wanting to fall off their horses and give their position away.
Once Markus Van Der Linde arrived at where he presumed the two to be at, he noticed a small puddle of blood on the ground from where the deer's throat was slit by Jack moments earlier. He crouched down and looked all around for possible tracks of some sort, Markus took in a deep breath and everything went calm and focused. He had activated a sense called "Eagle Eye," and he noticed slightly smaller splotches of blood on the ground, and horse hoofprints. Two separate tracks, both leading in the same direction.
"At long last, I've found you, Jack." Markus growled as he went down the main path on his wagon, going back towards the Doverhill Laboratory.
A couple of minutes went by with an anxious Bill Pierce, finally getting some relief as Jack Marston and Rebecca McIntyre arrived in on their horses. Jack's horse carrying the carcass of a deer, it looked like it was in perfect condition.
"Jack, you've got somebody looking for ya." Bill announced, Jack already knew that somebody was hunting him down, he didn't know who it was though.
"Well. I already knew that, somebody was calling out for me." Jack answered as he hopped off Arthur and heaved the dead buck onto his shoulders.
"Somebody on a wagon, a man by the name of Markus Van Der Linde."
Jack's heart jumped into his throat once he heard the last name of his hunter, he didn't know that Dutch had kin looking for him. He didn't know that Dutch had a son, his heart began to beat faster, his mind raced.
"Must be Dutch's boy." Rebecca said to herself as she walked into the lab to set up a table for the three to eat at.
"I know, I just… Dutch never said that he had a son." Jack said with a raised voice out of panic, he placed his hands on his hat and paced back and forth.
"Well, he has come to kill you. I would advise you to hide." Bill responded from above, giving the news straight forward.
"No, I don't think so. I'm going to try to talk it out with him." Jack would respond in a slightly angry tone.
"I've got too many damn people after me already, I've only been the leader of this trio for about three days or so, and I've already got bastards hunting my ass down!" Jack growled out in anger.
"Why would you want to talk it out with a man who wants you dead, his whole life?" Bill asked, starting to question Jack's standards a bit.
"Because he could be useful in the gang."
"Useful, heh." Bill chuckled, he couldn't picture a man as dangerous as Markus, to be fit in the gang.
A few more minutes passed by before Jack seen the white covering of the wagon approaching, it was indeed the same man as before.
"Jack Marston!" The man called out once more, Bill looked down at Jack.
Bill nodded towards the young gunslinger, making Jack take cover behind a crate in which was against the wall.
Bill would wait until Markus arrived directly in front of the laboratory before he would speak, the heart of Jack got faster and faster with each footstep and the crackle of gravel under the hoofs of the mighty shire horse, in which was pulling the wagon.
"I don't know you friend, but they wasn't in that direction. I would come on down here, I'm pretty sure the mayor of Blackwater would like to see you sway in the wind, on the end of a noose." Markus growled, immediately aiming at Bill Pierce.
"No, Van Der Linde. I am Jack Marston, and I want to cut a deal." Jack instantly interrupted, right before Markus could pull the trigger on the lancaster repeater.
Markus aimed his gun back down, away from Bill, giving Jack a devious grin.
"I have hunted for you, I wanted your father, as it turns out, I am too late. Killing you would be just fine though."
"Too bad, Markus Van Der Linde. Is that all your family enjoys, being murderous bastards?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Does your family enjoy dying? Jack?" Markus retorted, Jack showed signs of anger as he looked towards the ground with a face that could tell you, that something was boiling within him.
"Your father was gunned down, your mother died. The whole Van Der Linde gang pretty much died, the key members at least. You viewed them as all uncles, an ants. Did your uncle enjoy dying, Mr. Arthur Morgan was his name." Markus would go on to say, Jack began to reach for his revolver.
"If you want me, Markus.." Jack said quietly."Then you will have to turn my dead body in."
Jack grabbed his cattleman revolver and looked at Markus, Markus was like a mirror image of Dutch, he looked exactly like him and even sounded a bit like him.
"Fair enough" Markus said at a quick speed before locking onto Jack with his lancaster repeater, pulling the trigger, Jack was fast though, and took cover behind the crate.
Rebecca looked outside and seen the commotion, she didn't have any gun yet, she would try and save Jack though.
Rebecca had to use a good bit of strength to heave up a heavy box, it was full of large pieces of broken machinery. She let out a grunt once she shoved it through the window, Jack jumped out of the way. Markus fired once Jack was in view, the crate managed to take the bullet and block Jack.
Markus ran behind a nearby tree to take cover, the wagon began to move away from view as the horse was spooked. Jack fired at the tree, fanning the hammer as he took a few steps back. The bullets ate away at the bark and slowly chipped through the tree, Markus growled as the bullets was so close to hitting him.
"I'd help you if I could!" Bill called out as he watched from above, getting a good view of the conflict below.
"I don't need you right now Bill!" Jack shouted back as he fired two rounds from his revolver at the tree, Markus quickly shifted out from behind said tree, maneuvering behind another one.
Rebecca took a machete out and charged at Markus, the son of Dutch seen her coming. He pretended like he didn't see her, when she got close, Markus bashed the bottom of his repeater into the jaw of the irishman.
Rebecca grunted in pain and fell to her back, blood coming out from her mouth via chipped teeth. She groaned and slowly rolled over on to her stomach, quickly crawling up to her feet.
"BlackJacks attack!" A voice shouted, it was the voice of Douglas Mulligan.
Suddenly, around twenty men began to charge from the bottom of the hill. Douglas and Jake, leading the charge with their guns in the air. As it turned out, Markus didn't come alone.
Jack seen the silhouettes coming into view now and his eyes widened, twenty members and that wasn't all of them. Several more were back at camp, he looked up at Bill and then at Rebecca, Rebecca was being used as a human shield by Markus.
Markus aimed one of his blue colored revolvers at Jack, as he made his way out from cover with Rebecca in front of him.
"One move, and this irish girl gets it!" Markus shouted out loudly, an evil grin on his face with Rebecca struggling in his grasp.
It was twenty BlackJacks and one Markus, making the total number against Jack and his two members, twenty one to three. Jack stepped out of cover with his hands in the air as a sign of surrender.
"Jack, what the hell are you doing!?" Bill screamed, his mind racing on how Jack would surrender and not choose death over humiliation of submitting.
Jack was playing on what he thought was smart, he had an idea in mind. Jack knew there would be no chance of taking on the forces of the BlackJacks and the intelligence and will power of Markus Van Der Linde. If Jack could rally up the inmates at the prison and rebel against the law, he had a feeling of success. While being aided by Rebecca, and Bill. Then he would have enough numbers to combat the BlackJacks.
"Wise choice, Marston. Or else I'll have this bitch here, killed." Markus said, shoving Rebecca out and in front of Jack.
"Jackie, I.. I'm sorry." Rebecca apologized, knowing that she failed to defend her leader.
"No, Rebecca. Don't be sorry, I love your bravery. Stay strong." Jack said as he went down to his knees, furthering his signs of surrender.
"I admire her bravery too, Marston. She's a tough one, I only take who needs to be taken. That person is you, that other man on the tower and this Irish whore before me, they can run, they can run and never look back." Markus spoke, complimenting Rebecca on her bravery as he looked down at her.
Jake Lanza, and Douglas Mulligan approached from behind. The other BlackJack members stayed close and watched every movement.
"It was only a matter of time before you would be eventually caught, we don't think the prison in Blackwater would be enough though. Sisika Penitentiary is where you shall go, the law shall see the end of the cowboy era once and for all." Douglas said, looking over towards Markus and Jake.
"It is about damn time it comes to an end, people are too pussy whipped to be with society. Anti-social cowards." Jake growled, showing his disdain and hatred of the era of cowboys.
"The newspaper is what I cannot wait to see, Jack Marston hanging." Markus laughed. A cocky grin on his face.
"Markus, you aren't like your father. Dutch opposed law, he hated civilization. You are nothing but a different man, I bet Dutch would never have wanted to see you. You would be a total failure in his eyes." Jack said in defiance. Markus nodded his head.
"Words shall not matter when your brains are fried by the electric chair." Jake responded, taking up side with Markus.
Jack rolled his eyes as Jake approached him, a sinful smile slowly growing. Rebecca made her way from Jack and could only watch in horror along with Bill, hopeless against the great numbers.
Jack didn't say anything, his only act of defiance, was spitting on Jake's face. The greatest act of disrespect in the eyes of others.
Jake would respond by slamming his double barrel shotgun right into the skull of the young gunslinger before him, knocking him out.
"I'd kill this son of a bitch, I will not have any act of fucking disrespect tarnishing the BlackJack gang!" Jake screamed in rage, pissed off at the act of disrespect.
"Calm down Jake, he shall die soon enough." Douglas reprimanded, Jake was seething in absolute rage.
"I'll have his corpse fed to the gators in the swamps of Lemoyne, after he has his final moments." Jake growled as he dragged Jack along the ground, dragging his face through the dirt.
Rebecca was seething in rage, she couldn't help herself though, tears began to stream down her face slowly as she weeped in silent anger. Bill stroked her hair, trying to calm her down. Although Rebecca shown the bravery of that of a man, she was still a female, and her heart of great kindness was showing now. Even the boldest have their moments….