A/N - Next chapter! Not much happens in this chapter, but, BE PREPARED FOR FLUFF IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! Well... not loads, but a little near the beginning. :) Anywho, thank you so much to my dear readers! Especially my reviewers. I don't even know how many other people read this story apart from them. If you do, please review and let your voice be heard! *crickets chirp*
Enjoy~!
DISCLAIMER: I do not, nor will I ever own Red Dead Redemption or anything related to it. This fanfiction is purely fan made and I only own characters and places that are new. I apologise if any of this material offends any one. I assure you I don't mean to offend in any way, shape or form. This story will contain coarse language and graphic violence.
Chapter 14 – Caught out.
A small beam of light filtered in through a crack in the wooden hatching leading to the outside, and hit the bar, making it shine brilliantly. I grinned down at the gold and quickly shoved it away into my satchel. I can't wait to tell Jack! I looked back into the crate to check if anything was left in it. There was a folded piece of parchment – another map! I snatched up the paper, quickly unfolded it and scanned it briefly before stowing it away in my satchel. I couldn't believe my luck. I had yet again found more gold! I was starting to think I was a gold miner in a past life. I raised and looked about the dark room, double checking for any prying eyes. I then proceeded to leave the room, jogging back up the wooden steps and emerging into the deserted main room. Jack and the Sheriff were slowly descending the creaky old stairs. I looked up, tried my hardest to put a stop to the wide grin on my face and walked slightly sideways. "Is upstairs sorted?" I asked. Sheriff Clarke nodded.
"There were a few but we took care of 'em." We surveyed the house one last time, a habit everyone seemed to have, just in case, then we walked back out into the heat. I stayed standing under the porch while Jack and Sheriff Clarke walked a ways into the sun before stopping and surveying the town, talking in their rich voices about guns, or something.
By now, I was used to the sight of dead bodies. It was like a second nature to me – firing a gun. It was weird- out in the wilderness your life would seem to go so fast that you had little time to stop and think. However, standing in the rickety, shady porch of the Tumbleweed mansion and watching Jack and Sheriff Clarke talk gave me time to think. My eyes gazed across Tumbleweed and I let my mind conjure up the image of how Tumbleweed was back in the days before the completion of the railroad. Images appeared before me, like projections off my brain, of people milling around, children giggling and playing, horses pulling loaded carts and dogs barking and yipping at the heels of their masters. A small smile spread across my face as I leant against the wooden rail. I could hear a few insects in the coarse grass and saw Dash grazing nearby with Jack's horse. The two horses were cropping the sparse tufts, occasionally snorting and swatting at the flies around their rump.
"Eva." I looked away from the horses and to Jack and Sheriff Clarke.
"Hm?" I asked, cocking my head to the side inquisitively.
"We're gonna head to Benedict Point with the Sheriff," Jack explained. I nodded and whistled, attracting Dash.
Sheriff Clarke spoke up, "I'mma go get a horse from those old stables there." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of an old barn. "They aint in the best condition but they'll do."
We followed him and sure enough there was a small pen with four horses crammed in. The horses were deathly skinny, the bones easily seen. The skin looked painfully stretched over their frail bodies and their pelvis jutted out uncomfortably. Their eyes seemed hollow and blank. I gasped and tightened the grip on Dash's reins. "Those poor animals!" I cried. Jack shook his head his head in disgust while the Sheriff sighed.
"I told ya. Ev'rytime some outlaws hold up here they always leave the tired an' sickly nags behind." He opened the pen's gate and shooed them out. The horses weakly whinnied and cantered off towards the mansion, three grouping together. Sheriff Clarke grabbed one, however, by the reins it still wore and stroked its bony face to calm it. "The best we can do is let 'em free an' hope they do well in the wild."
"But they're sick! They aint gonna last more than one week."
Sheriff Clarke shrugged, "I know, but no one will take 'em in. No one wants a sick horse." I opened my mouth to object but I couldn't get the words out. They seemed to be stuck in my throat. Jack glanced at me before quickly looking away. I just stared at the hunched over horse as Sheriff Clarke mounted the saddle-less back. The mare stumbled under the sudden weight before she gained her footing. Sheriff Clarke patted her neck and spoke softly to her, calming her. He then spurred her sides gently, asking her to trot. Jack and I followed behind on our healthy mounts.
The ride to Benedict Point was slow and painful for both me and the sickly mare. Once the small train station appeared out of the horizon I exhaled, shooting the mare worried glances. The poor creature. It made anger bubble inside me and a deep burning hatred for the heartless men who had done that to her fester inside me. I shook my head and scowled at the horn on my saddle. I pushed the negative thoughts to the back of my mind, and slowed Dash with the others.
We walked slowly to Benedict Point. It was made of primarily a train station with a faithful carriage service waiting patiently by the station's building. Four strong, healthy, horses stood patiently, dozing off or chewing the bit. Behind the station's building was a shaded deck with tables and chairs for communal meals. There were a handful of people milling about the wooden deck, and only one woman dressed in a beautiful burgundy dress sat in a seat in the shade. I noticed a small graveyard with three wooden crosses and a man sat in front of the middle cross. There was another building that I wasn't sure of, and a brick fire for melting iron built near a set of three stalls for horses. There were also hitching posts scattered around the edge of the station.
We hitched our horses and dismounted. We all looked about the place before Sheriff Clarke was the first to speak. "Well, this here is Benedict Point. Jack said that you needed to send a letter?" he said to me. I glanced at Jack, sending him a questioning look. When did he mention that? I nodded to the Sheriff. His blue eyes gazed calmly at me, making me feel relaxed. "Yeah, I need to send one to a friend. I promised her I would." The Sheriff laughed.
"Ah, no sweetheart then?" he asked. I shook my head, frowning with confusion. Sheriff Clarke erupted with laughter, while I was left confused. Did I miss something? "Well, anyway," he began, ceasing his carefree laughter. "If ya go into the station there, there should be a mail service. Reckon it goes through the train." I nodded and fished about in my satchel for a pen and paper. I had yet to write a letter. "I jus' have to write it first," I answered. The two men nodded and took seats in the shadow of the building. I also sat, but with a crate in front of me to lean on.
I produced a piece of creased and folded paper and an old pencil. The tip was blunt and smudged easily. It didn't help that I was left handed. I began writing:
Dear Bonnie,
I hope everything at the ranch is OK. Everything is fine with me and Jack. We're having fun, and we haven't gotten in any trouble, like I promised. It's very exciting! I'm finally getting to see all these new places, and it's like the west still hasn't died! It's holding on I guess. We went all the way to Rathskeller, which was a pretty nice town, however we met this creepy guy named Jeb Blankership. He had a-
I paused, pencil tip hovering just above the paper. How would I explain Jeb's relationship with Lucy?
-unique relationship with Lucy, his self-proclaimed wife. We stayed in Rathskeller for a night and then we headed to Tumbleweed where we met this nice Sheriff, who has the nicest blue eyes. We then proceeded to Benedict Point, which is where I'm writing this letter.
I do hope you haven't worried too much about us. We're fine; Jack's mighty useful for protection, so you don't have to worry about my safety. If we get shot at I'll be sure to hide behind him. Dash is also doing fine. I think he enjoys being out in the wilderness. I think he likes all the running. Anyway, I hope you, your father, Duke and all the other ranch hands are doing well and don't miss me too much! I kinda miss you. I miss not having the company of another woman. It's like being at home again.
Love, Eva.
I re-read my letter. I blushed and puffed out my cheeks, scowling at how stupid I sounded. Truth be told, I hadn't written a letter in years. The most writing I did was from writing my own stupid stories or copying out texts. I sighed and folded the paper in half and half again before rising and walking into the station. Inside were benches, and a counter with a neatly dressed man behind it sat to my right. I walked over to the man and awkwardly handed him my letter. "I'd like this to be delivered to Miss MacFarlane, from the MacFarlane ranch, please," I said. The man took my letter, hastily scrawled the address on it and nodded- all without saying a word. I handed him the correct money before hastily leaving the room.
Back outside, Jack and Sheriff Clarke were chatting. The two seemed to get along very well. I walked over and smiled. "I've sent the letter off." The two men nodded and got up in perfect unison. I giggled slightly. "Well, I guess this is my time to go. I hope you two have fun, and thanks again for helpin' me back there."
"It weren't nothin'," Jack said dismissively. I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, we were glad to help." Sheriff Clarke shot us a charming smile and nodded.
"Well, I hope to see ya some time- though hopefully not on a wanted poster."
I laughed and answered, "I don't know about me, but ya might see Jack. He's a man on the edge, see?" Clarke's melodic laughter rang out.
"Oh, is that so? Well, don't be scared to come to me if ya ever need help."
"With Eva here havin' a natural talent for findin' trouble I think we might need to take ya up on that offer sooner or later," Jack teased.
"Hey!"
Sheriff Clarke laughed again and waved his hand as he began to walk to the sickly mare. "Well, I best be on my way." He mounted the mare. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of her," he said, patting the horse on her neck. I smiled thankfully at him.
"It aint her fault she was used by bad people," I explained. "She deserves a second chance." Sheriff Clarke nodded in agreement.
"That she does, and I'll be sure to give her that. Goodbye!" He spurred her sides gently and began to walk away, leaving Jack and I standing on the decking. Then, as an afterthought, he turned back to us, looking over his shoulder. He spoke with a confident tone and a cocky smirk on his face. "Oh, and Eva? Ya should get that arm checked out and properly bandaged before it gets infected."
My eyes widened and my breathing hitched. H-How did he know? The man trotted away now, chuckling to himself. I just stared after him, my jaw tight. I gulped and looked sideways to Jack who was shooting me a suspicious look. "What did he mean?" Jack asked, putting his hands on his hips and scrutinising me. I stepped back and raised my hands defensively. "I-I have no idea! Perhaps it's the heat?" I answered pathetically. Ah, who am I kiddin'? I sighed in defeat and avoided Jack's gaze.
"Eva," he warned in a low tone. I took a deep breath and explained about the bullet wound on my arm.
"W-Well... ya see... I kinda got shot-"
"You what?" I flinched and frantically waved my hands.
"It weren't nowhere bad! Jus' in the arm..." As soon as I had finished, Jack grabbed my arm and pulled it towards him. I yelped with surprise and just looked about guiltily as he prodded it. A few passer byes shot us weird looks but I ignored them. "Eva! What the hell am I going to do with you?" Jack exclaimed.
"I was gonna tell you... at some point."
"And when was that?"
"E-err... When it was healed...?" I gave Jack a sheepish smile but he just stared at me emotionlessly. I laughed nervously under his stern gaze. He sighed harshly and released my arm. He had a strong grip when he wanted to. "We need to get you to a doctor," he said in a flat tone.
"N-no, it's ok! I just need to clean it and bandage it up. Nothing I can't do myself!" I answered hurriedly.
"No, knowing my luck you'll probably get an infection an' your arm will drop off," he sighed, turning away and looking over Benedict Point. "Perhaps someone here's a doctor," he mumbled to himself.
"Look, I think Bonnie packed some bandages in one of the saddle bags. I'll look through them and see what I can find," I reasoned. Jack narrowed his eyes at me so I gave him an honest smile. Finally, after a battle raged within him, he sighed and nodded. "Fine, look for the bandages. But, Eva, in the future, if ya do get shot, tell me." The way he said, "tell me" made me shiver. It was an order.
"Y-yes..." I answered meekly. Jack frowned and shook his head, grumbling to himself. I quickly scuttled over to Dash.
I began to rifle through the saddle bags, praying Bonnie's well preparedness had allowed her to foresee any injuries. My searching fingers brushed against firm material and, whispering thankful words to Bonnie, I pulled the white bandages from the bag. I smiled at my prize and began to unroll a part of it. I left it on Dash's saddle and pulled out my water canteen. I looked to my arm and flinched. The blood flow had stopped and the wound had scabbed over. I pulled a face of disgust and again tugged the bloodied ends of my shirt out of the wound. I then poured a little cool water over the sore flesh from my canteen, and rubbed it clean the best I could. I then lidded my canteen and picked up the bandage.
This was the tricky part.
I struggled awkwardly with the bandage, trying my hardest to manoeuvre the white roll around my arm whilst keeping it tight and on the wound. After fighting with it for about 3 minutes – but it felt like 3 hours – I grew frustrated and exhaled sharply, glaring at the bandages, as if I could scare them into moving for me. Unfortunately, it didn't work.
Luckily, after he had had his fill of laughing at me, Jack walked over and gently seized my arm. "I'll do it for you," he said. I humphed and pouted. He just chuckled in the same way he always did and shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked softly. I half shrugged.
"Set me free on the great plains to run with wild horses and herds of buffalo," I answered sarcastically, shooting him a smile. He rolled his eyes with a smile and began to bandage my arm. Around and around the white material went. Jack was sure to make it tight to support it and keep it clean. He expertly pulled out his hunting knife and cut the end of the bandage and then tucked it under a previous layer. I admired his handwork as he explained to me, "Once we get to a proper town with a doctor we're takin' you to get that properly seen to." I opened my mouth to respond but Jack shot me a firm look.
"Eva," he warned. I sighed and nodded obediently. I felt like a scolded child, and was sure blood was rushing to my cheeks.
"OK."
"Good." He released my arm and packed away the bandages. "You know... You really do worry me sometimes," he said softly, occupying his hands with the saddle bags. I blinked and regarded him strangely. "What?"
"You worry me. You can be so careless sometimes."
"Hey! I'm not that careless..." Though my stubborn pride was a little insulted, I felt complimented and thought it sweet of him to worry. I worried a little about him as well, but I knew that he was less likely out of the two of us to get shot. I was aware enough of myself to recognise my careless streak. Snapping me out of my thoughts, Jack continued, "I think we should get goin' to Plainview. It aint that far and we can stay the night there." I nodded robotically, still half in my thoughts. We readied ourselves and mounted our horses, spurring them and leaving Benedict Point.