(Chapter 18: Gaining strength with numbers)
The sun had risen by the time the Marston Gang had arrived at Escarela, it was a small yet not great big town. However, it was perfect enough to give all of the members a base. They had room for several more members, it was great, but it wasn't extremely protected like a fortress.
Everyone was overly exhausted from a long trip from the early morning hours, they had been on their feet almost all day and most of the night. The sun had risen well a few hours ago, it was nine in the morning by the time they all arrived. The gang members' eyes all were drooping, including Jacks eyes. As the convoy approached, some of the members got off their wagons and horses, then collapsing from the pure exhaustion.
"Alright, everyone settle in. Find yourselves a place of rest, and everyone sleep for the coming night. Tonight we siege El Presidio, tonight we get Tonya back. Tonight we…" Jack passed out and was snoring seconds later.
"Good pep talk, Jackass." Bill joked before he himself slumped down against the side of a building, everyone slept out in the open, luckily, no one was attacked.
When everyone woke up, it had been five solid hours since everyone had gotten some sleep. The first thing that Dred did, was head up to the villa at the top of Escarela. As he made his way up the hill that the whole town sat on, he seen more pieces of torn clothing from Tonya. His heart slowly sank into his chest with each and every step.
"No…" Dred said in disbelief as he entered the villa after a few minutes of looking around, storming into each house just to see more torn clothing from the clothes that Tonya had worn.
Dred entered the villa and broke down into fits of angry yells and sobs, tears of regret and rage poured down his face quickly. In the center of the villa was a small puddle of blood, and a picture of a younger Tonya. Bill had followed after Dred just to be sure he didn't do anything stupid.
"I'm sorry Dred, it seems that Tonya didn't make it.." Bill said in disbelief as he left the room, Dred continued to cry, then falling to his knees before the puddle of blood.
"Such an innocent woman, robbed from her precious life." Dred weeps as he grabbed the blood covered picture, the black and white had been stained a red color.
"Such a happy young child, not knowing what would happen to her when she got older. She went through Hell at Sisika, I'm just glad she is free from this cruel world." Dred said alone, no one else to hear him, he hoped that the soul of Tonya would hear his words.
Dred would be found a few minutes later sulking, and moping against the wall, his eyes were bloodshot from how much he had cried. Jack entered the villa, and sat next to him.
"I'm sorry Dred, for all of this. I know she was special to you, everyone at Sisika was special. Everyone we lost at Sisika was special to us, Jeremiah, Joe.."
"No, it's fine Jack. I had gotten used to all the death around me, except this one, it hurts me. We traveled so far, we risked people dying just for nothing… Bill was right." Dred sobbed.
"I remember I was in your situation, I was alone in the world. I didn't grow up with friends at a school, I only had family, the only family I've ever known was in gangs. I had gotten used to all the death around me, two deaths hit me the most. When my uncle, Arthur Morgan, passed away from Tuberculosis on a mountain top, and when my father was shot to death by dozens of law enforcement. Those moments, drove me to do what I am doing today. When the Van Der Linde Gang just slowly fizzled out of existence, I felt alone even though I had my father and mother."
Dred and Jack sat in pure silence, the two listening to the other members chat amongst themselves in the settlement of Escarela.
"And even when I had my father and mother, I wasn't able to see my father and mother for long before we was separated. It was so long, when my father finally killed off the last remaining crooks of the Van Der Linde Gang, he was returned to me, but it wasn't long until he was shot dead. Three years went by, I had to take care of my mother, Abigail. On the third year, my mother got sick, it only got worse. The only woman I learned to love in my life, slowly fading away from me, it hurts to see it happen. When she died, nothing else remained. The good members from the Van Der Linde Gang, are all gone. Charles Smith, traveled North into Canada, Sadie Adler is probably out of state.." Jack's eyes began to tear up at the mentioning of his mother dying from sickness, his voice was breaking when he mentioned the names of the still alive members of the Van Der Linde Gang. Jack wiped away a tear from his eye before continuing.
"Once I finished burying my father beside my mother, I knew what had to be done. I had to kill the man that killed my father, I had to get redemption for all of the gang members, even the ones that had been killed by my father, Bill Williamson, Javier Escuella, Dutch, those people felt like great people who just didn't want to give up a life they lived for so long. So I stayed at a cabin by the lake, lake Don Julio that is. I stayed in that cabin alone, no wife, no child, just in isolation for the rest of the year. The reason why I started this gang is not just to gain money, to go to Tahiti. It is because I want a family." Jack looked out of the villa for a moment to see Rebecca walking by, her amazing beauty in the grand morning light, the sad depressed look on the face of the Marston boy slowly turned into that of a smile.
"I think I have family."
Dred looked up at Jack as he left the villa, he had a message for the leader of the Marston Gang.
"There's gonna be Hell to pay, we've gotta take out the BlackJacks, one by one if we have to."
Jack smiled down at Dred, and as he pulled out a gun to shoot target practice, he said one last thing to him.
"Once we get into El Presidio, nothing can stop us then."
As for the rest of the BlackJack gang over in West Elizabeth, they was slowly gaining members.
Douglas Mulligan was offering people to join his "bounty hunting" squadron, when the citizens of Blackwater became interested, they ended up joining his gang. The BlackJacks continued to grow in terms of size.
"We need standouts, not elites, but standouts." Markus suggested, Douglas turned towards him with a look of confusion.
"I am not a member of this gang, but I help it out greatly. Therefore I am a standout, but we could use more."
Douglas then understood, so far the son of Dutch Van Der Linde was the only standout in the gang. Though, he was curious if there was any more that Markus could find.
"Find somebody." Shaw said as he took a sip of Kentucky bourbon as he sat on a box in the corner of the room they was in.
And so Markus set out to find some standouts, he would end up finding three. He would find Lou Scherr, the big man in which Bill almost lost against every single fight. The BlackJack elites were calmly waiting.
"So, who did you find?" Douglas asked, the 6'8 Lou Scherr stepped into view. Ever since the fighting pits at Saint Denis was shot up and attacked, the big man stayed silent. A man about the size of Bill Pierce shown himself next, the man's name was Brodie Low. The third and final member of the three standouts made his appearance at last, his name was Mickey Owens.
"I've got three standouts, the big man is Lou Scherr, he is a former Saint Denis arena fighter. We've got the hard hitting mercenary, Mickey Owens, and we've got the vicious Brodie Low. Now, do you mind telling me where the Marston Gang are located?" Markus explained, then asking where the location of their rival gang was.
"I've sent the Lanza brothers after them, a decent sized portion of our gang left with them. If they couldn't find the Marston Gang, they would have already been back to us by now. It has been a whole day and now we are in the middle of the 2nd one." Douglas responded.
"That isn't my question, where are they?" Markus asked sharply, the leader of the BlackJacks raised an eyebrow.
"Somewhere beyond this West Elizabeth, I don't know where Marston could be in New Austin with his gang. I came down from the Grizzlies and into Tall Trees, we haven't been nowhere near New Austin as of yet, or at least I haven't."
Markus nodded his head, taking the answer.
"Me and my mercenaries shall wait until the time is right, nothing can stop us. No walls can stop us, no fortress can stop us."
Both gangs, although in different territories, were building up their gangs. The two seemed to be in an all out war to kill each other, it seemed that the Marston Gang had great strategies, but the BlackJacks had an answer to their strategies…