I'm going to try something a little different with this chapter. It's technically not essential for the main story but it is still suggested that you read it. Tell me if you like this kind of stuff or not because I can write more about people beyond John.
Jack awoke with a major headache and a wet sensation on his temple. However he was more alarmed by the fact that he also awoke on the back of the horse owned by a federal agent who kidnapped him and his mother after being sent to kill them. Although he was no longer unconscious Jack still decided to keep quiet as the last time he had spoken up the only response he was met with was the back end of a gun to his head.
After arriving at a signpost the agent controlling Jacks horse cleared his throat and began to talk.
"Is it okay if I drop behind for a little bit? I need to take a piss."
Edgar Ross scoffed at the request. "Just hurry the hell up and meet us down at Manzanita post."
Lightly pulling the reins the man turned to the left and rode down the trail and turned into a clearing in the woods as the other men began to ride off to Manzanita post. While Jack was being jostled around he felt his hands get more leeway in the rope that restrained any movement but he abstained from risking any indication that he was awake so he kept still.
The agent pulled into a secluded area and dismounted his horse and disappeared further into the trees to a nearby stream leaving Jack unsupervised.
Waiting until the he couldn't hear the man's footsteps Jack struggled to slide off the rope around his hands and slowly pushed himself down from the horse, he attempted to reach down to untie his feet but found that he couldn't untie the knot. He turned his view to the satchel slewn across the horse to find a tool to cut the rope and found an engraved knife with a dark wooden handle. Cutting the rope slowly to not make any noise he looked around, unsure of what to do with his uncertain freedom.
Jack looked at the agent to find he had decided to sit along the streamside. Jack quietly walked deeper into the trees. He crouched and pushed past the shrubbery before he was alerted by the sounds of the agent abruptly yelling out in a frantic tone.
"Where the hell is he?!"
Jack quickly backed up and pressed himself against a nearby tree brandishing the knife in his hand. The agent grabbed his weapon and yelled out in anger as he started to walk around and look into the trees of the forest.
As the agent began to mount his horse to go search further out until he heard a noise from the woods.
Jacks footing had slipped beneath him while he crouched and he had kicked over a stone that was nearby.
The agent started to walk towards the shrubbery pointing his gun in the general direction of Jack.
"I'll give you a chance to step out and surrender now or when I find you I'll just shoot you! We don't need you anyways."
As the man got increasingly closer Jack struggled to maintain steady breathing and felt the strong urge to run from the man but locked up in fear. As the man was about to pass the tree Jack was hiding behind he suddenly sprang out and impaled the man in the chest with the stolen knife.
The agent let out a pained whimper as he registered what had happened, he attempted to speak but the only thing that came out of his mouth was a steady stream of blood. Jack let the body slump to the ground in horror and he felt like throwing up. He had shot at men just around an hour beforehand at Beecher's Hope but the more personal nature of him stabbing a man and watching him die left Jack in a state of despair and disgust. He knelt down to the man and whispered, still in a state of shock.
"I'm so sorry."
He felt a strong mix emotions as he thought about the pain that his actions would cause to people close to the man but reassured himself by thinking about the threat the agent had been to Jack. He wiped his face and grabbed the man's revolver before standing up, trying to do his best to stay collected. He walked over to the clearing once again to root around through the horses satchel to grab a jar of salted offal before sitting down against a log to eat.
Jack stared blankly at the body, taking small bites of the offal. He was playing out different ways the scenario could have gone in his head when he heard a pair of horses nearby. He had no idea how much time had passed and was slightly alarmed that they might see what he had done until full panic set in when he heard the distinct voice of Edgar Ross.
Jack swiftly shot up to get on the horse but forgot the jar he had been holding. It fell to the ground and loudly shattered on the log. stepping over it he quickly began to mount the horse as he heard pairs of horses rapidly approaching nearer to him.
"I think I see him!" an agent cried out, scrambling to get the horse under control Jack began to panic.
"Take him dead or alive, we only need one!" Ross barked out.
Just as Jack pulled the reins he heard a storm of gunshots behind him, hitting nearby trees. He struggled to avoid the large trees while twisting around them to avoid getting shot. One of the men's horses violently crashed into one of the trees launching the man into the trunk. Jack also suffered stinging pain as multiple branches whacked him in the face as he blew by them.
He could hear Edgar Ross yelling orders from his horse but was unable to make out cohesive sentences over the cacophony of gunshots.
Jack was able to pull ahead after a series risky maneuvers and pulled sharply to the right. As he heard the gunshots slow down to a full stop he kept going through the forest and went down a steep hill.
He was barely able to register what had happened before he felt him and his horse being lifted and then slammed down onto the ground. Unknown to Jack there was a dip in the hill that neither he or his horse was able to see from their perspective. He felt the crushing weight of the heavy steed that was pinning his body down as he struggled to adequately breathe.
Jack thrashed beneath from beneath the beast attempting to escape. He began to kick the dirt as he pushed himself with all his strength. He finally managed to get a decent footing and pushed his upper body from beneath the horse. He had to twist his legs as he kicked them and pushed with his arms with all the strength that he had left but he managed to slide out from beneath the horse but at the cost of greatly hurting his ankles and lesser so his wrists.
After managing to escape from the beast Jack was unsure of what to do next. He decided to get as far away from Ross as he could so he grabbed the revolver and a few other small items from the horse's satchel before he began to stumble towards a nearby trail a little ways off.
He felt like he was trudging across the grass as he awkwardly hobbled due to the pain he was experiencing. Slowly working his way to the trail he saw a wagon approaching and waited for its arriva. As it approached him he called out to the woman driving the wagon.
"Please ma'am could you stop for a second?"
The woman slowed down to a stop and looked at him.
"What do you want?" She replied in a rude tone, obviously annoyed by Jack's presence.
He was put off by her rudeness but decided to ignore it.
"Would you mind letting me tag along with you until you get to a town? I need to get to a doctor or find somewhere to rest."
The woman scoffed at Jack and asked a rhetorical question in a mocking manner.
"I don't have time for people like you so why don't you move out of my way before I run you over?"
Jack was beginning to grow very impatient with the woman.
"Please. I won't cause any trouble ma'am I ju-"
The woman cut him off.
"I have important matters to attend to so if you don't step out of my way I will gladly make you."
At this point Jack was infuriated by the woman's arrogant demeanor and unwillingness to help him. Suddenly snapping, Jack grabbed the revolver and aimed it at the woman's head.
She let out a surprised shriek at the sight of the firearm.
"I would suggest getting out of the wagon right now ma'am. Believe me, I don't want to hurt you but if you won't get off I will gladly make you."
He put a special emphasis on his final words to mimic what the woman had said previously.
Putting her hands up she pleaded with Jack to not harm her as she slowly began to climb down from the wagon. Jack kept his revolver trained on her head as he climbed up onto the wooden seat. He grabbed the reins and put the revolver down as he began to ride down the trail, leaving the woman running the opposite direction.
He ignored the pain in his joints as he rode as fast as he could with no particular idea of where he wanted to go. Waves of excitement overwhelmed the feeling of guilt he felt as it fully clicked with him that he had robbed somebody, he had always been fascinated with the idea of being a gunslinger or an outlaw but he had always been scolded or punished for even mentioning or it.
Jack realized that he no longer had any leadership figures and was free to do anything he wished. His excitement was cut short when he began to think about the fact that his mother had been taken and his father had most likely been killed by the government but he quickly did his best to suppress thinking about that.
Coming up to a sign Jack was snapped back to reality as he looked at the sign. There was a nearby town but he knew that the woman would no doubt
be contacting lawmen so he decided to take a left turn off the trail to look for a place to hide the wagon Jack decided to ride into a lightly wooded area. He found a spot that had few enough trees to fit the wagon but also far enough in to not be clearly seen by anyone passing by.
He slowly climbed off of the wagon awkwardly walking to lessen the pain that applying pressure to his ankles produced. He was exhausted by all the events that had taken place in the last few hours and decided to see if there were was any food of bedding in the back. Climbing into the back of the wagon he saw the plethora of food and alcohol stored in containers. Inside a trunk Jack found a firm pillow and a small puffy blanket, clearing a small space in the back he curled up and put the blanket around him. His mind wandered as he thought about the events that had taken place and the effects that they would have on his life but before any serious plans could be made he had dozed off, finally taking a much needed rest.