Of all the things Arthur has experienced, this might be the strangest. One moment he decided to, against his best judgment, drink something from a cauldron from nowhere. The next, he was suddenly in an area that he could describe as a town. As much as he felt utterly confused and alone, he felt unsettled.
This was a town or what was left of one. Nature had almost completely covered the buildings, if that's what he could call them. Foliage and grass had grown over the tall buildings. He'd seen towns burned to the ground and even abandoned, but this was different. The houses and buildings looked stranger than anything he had seen, plus the towns he was in didn't seem that big compared to this. Just a bit bigger.
Before he could collect himself, something let off a shriek in the distance. Instinctively his hand reached for his holster. The familiar feeling of the grip of his revolver against his palm steeled his nerves. After a few seconds of silence, Arthur let out a sigh, his eyes still scanning his surroundings.
"Oh you fool." Arthur said to himself. "Had to drink the damn stew."
Taking a few moments to gather his surroundings, Arthur checked his equipment. Not far from him, was a familiar bolt action. His hand reached and gently lifted the rifle from the overgrown road. The same bolt action that recently received from a job with Lenny. Lenny. The gang…
Arthur sighed as a hand ran across his face. Wherever he ended up, he knew it wasn't Lemoyne, hell, with all the green he might've guessed New Hanover. Then again, it didn't have any of these types of buildings.
Arthur slung the rifle over his shoulder, taking notice of the strange…things that were stationed along the road. Stepping toward one of them, Arthur suddenly remembered Hosea saying something about this. Something about a wagon not being pulled by horses. Judging from its looks and how beat up it is, no wonder Hosea didn't really believe it.
Hosea. Dutch.
What a goddamn mess. Judging from everything, it doesn't seem to be any close to the two areas.
"Shit, it doesn't even look like 1899." Arthur brushed his hair back, only to notice his hats gone.
Cursing to himself, he looked around. From the floor, under the horseless stagecoaches, even his pockets, though he felt a bit silly after. After walking around he noticed some stores along the roads. Might be a city he ended up in. Just by looking at the height of some of the buildings caused him to shift a bit.
As he was walking along, hand on his belt, he kept a list of everything he had. Other than having a rifle and his revolver, his hunting knife still in its sheath, he noticed he didn't even have his satchel. An aggravated sigh escaped him, lightly kicking a rock away from him. He checked his surroundings taking notice of a building with the words 'grocery'.
There seems to be more words before it, but foliage covered that part. An abandoned town where nature took over seems more promising than a town burned to the ground. A sudden squeal made Arthur groan. Following the sound, he had found the reason for the noise. A fox, head deep in his satchel with his hat not too far.
"Go on, get outta here!" Arthur shooed the animal away, causing it to knock over some glass bottles that were on one of the stagecoaches. "Damn critters."
He bent down as he picked up his satchel, lightly patting it away. Other than some tonics and coffee grounds, he still had pretty much everything. Arthur ran a thumb over his journal. He closed his satchel and picked his hat, dusting it off with a shake and smacks against his thigh. He placed his hat back on as one of the bottles shattered against the ground, causing Arthur to slightly detest foxes a bit more.
Arthur turned toward the store, seeing his reflection in the large window. His hand subtly scratched his beard. Suddenly, his eyes caught movement at the last second. His eyes widened as the window shattered, his arms raising in defense. He was tackled to the ground, his back slamming down as his reflexes kicked in. With a swift punch, he knocked his attacker to the side.
Standing to his feet, fists raised, nothing could have prepared him for what was in front of him. A man that seemed to have been hit by all the diseases known to man. If Arthur could even call this thing a man. He had the body of one, but the head. Arthur felt disturbed by just how disfigured it was.
"What happened to you, mister?" Arthur impulsively asked.
The thing was scrambling on the floor, clicking and wriggling around. The sudden question caused its head to snap in Arthur's direction. It quickly rose to its feet, shuffling and shrieking. Arthur was surprised by its speed, as it gripped his shoulders. It shrieked, before abruptly stopping. It suddenly fell to its knees. As Arthur pulled his knife from its neck. He watched as the body crumbled, a breath he didn't realize he was holding escaped him.
He couldn't help, but stare. From the head to the scabs across its arms. It twitched a bit, causing Arthur's hand to grip the revolver. It ceased movement, blood pooling near its neck. Suddenly another shriek sounded from inside the building. This time they seemed to look somewhat normal, like people, but not well.
With their speed Arthur managed to draw on one of them, the hammer of his revolver slamming back in place as the bullet lodged itself in the poor thing's head. He ducked under a swipe of the other as he slammed his revolver into the side of its head. It fell to its knees as Arthur aimed down at it.
"W-Wait!" he croaked out. "...h-hurts. Stop!"
Arthur froze for a moment, brow raising. Before he could ask why the hell they attacked him, it suddenly growled before lunging at him. A gunshot echoed through the town as the man fell to the floor, twitching. Smoke slowly rose from the barrel of Arthurs revolver.
Arthur checked himself, only seeing a few bruises, before he picked up his hat. There were some screeches in the distance, similar to what he just encountered. As much as his morbid curiosity is strong, he ain't that dumb. Out of reflex, he brought his fingers close to his lips and whistled.
Mentally smacking himself, he can't help, but hoped that Teresa was smarter than him. The sound of hooves caused Arhur to sigh. Owner like horse. He turned toward the sound, ready to softly scold her. Then he heard it, the sound of multiple hooves. Like gears in a train, he quickly loaded his pistol, hand snapping up the moment they came into view.
Three people, two men and a woman, came to halt in front of him. Both men aimed their rifles, while the woman had a cold expression on her face that rivaled Mrs. Adler. Even though Arthur is somewhere completely different, it's good to know some things stayed the same. His eyes scanned the three, one noticing his look as the man spoke.
"Put that gun down." He said, motioning with his rifle.
"You first." Arthur's eyes narrowed, no movements made.
The woman glanced down at the carnage Arthur caused. He noticed the look.
"Now, I didn't start this." Arthur tried to defend himself. "I was just minding my business. Sorta."
The woman seemed to size Arthur up. "You're not from here, are you?"
Arthur weighed his options, grumbling to himself. "Not really."
The four seemed to be at a stalemate, one that Arthur isn't keen on breaking. The woman began to speak, until a familiar scream echoed through the town. One of the men cursed before he turned his horse around. The other kept his eyes on Arthur.
"Look, I ain't looking for trouble." Arthur spoke, turning toward the woman. "Just let me pass through and we won't have any."
The woman motioned her hand, the man lowering his gun. "You want to take your chances with a horde?"
Arthur returned the gesture, lowering his. "Horde? Whatchu mean?"
The woman motioned toward the bodies. "Mean more of that."
"I think I can handle myself-"
"Ah shit- They're coming!" One of the men shouted.
Arthur glanced behind them, his eyes widening. Dozens of these things were rushing around the end of the street. Sprinting and pushing through each other. Some of those were the same as the disfigured one.
"Still think you'll be fine?"
Not that dumb. "Shit."
The woman turned back to the two. "Tommy, pull him and let's go."
"Yes, ma'am." 'Tommy' switched hands and rode up to Arthur, hand held out. "C'mon, grab my hand."
Arthur reached up, grabbing his wrist. Tommy grunted a bit, as Arthur settled in the saddle. The three quickly departed as a shot rang out, hitting one of the things. They quickly rode down the street as they took a sharp corner. One of the things jumped out from an alley, but Arthur was quick on the draw.
It didn't take long for the four of them to depart from the town. They were riding through a forest now, silent as can be. Arthur scanned the trees, eyes flicking through the brush.
"What's your name?" Tommy asked.
"Tac-" Arthur stopped himself. "Arthur."
"Well, 'Arthur'." Tommy began to slow down. "Sorry about the mess back there. Can never be too careful."
"No, I understand." Arthur paused a bit. "For the most part."
"So where you from?"
"Not from anywhere really."
"Oh really?" Tommy glanced back. "So, what, are you a wanderer?"
"You could say that."
"Where did you last 'wander' from?"
"You ask a lot of questions, you know that?"
"Excuse my husband." The woman said. "It's been a bit since we met someone new. Names Maria."
Arthur grunted. "It's fine. Came from a place called Lemoyne."
"I don't think I've heard of it."
"Probably not."
Tommy side-eyed Arthur, laughing a bit. "You remind me of my brother, but bigger."
"Hopefully that's where the resemblance ends."
"I hope so too."
The ride went quiet again just as Arthur realized something. "Where are you taking me?"
"To our home called Jackson."
Arthur remembered a time he was invited to someone's home. "A-Actually, I think I'm fine here."
"Are you sure?" Ramirez, introduced earlier, questioned. "We're not that far. A nice town we created."
"Town?" Now that's something he could get behind. "I guess I could tag along."
"You won't regret it." Maria smirked.
As if on cue, they broke away from the forest into an open field. The sun was beginning to set and it was hard not to notice the town. Lights littered the place. More so than Saint Dennis, probably. Walls were placed around the entire thing. They rode up to the entrance, Arthur felt small near the walls.
"Maria's back!" A voice called out. "Who's that with you?"
"A stranger, hopefully a friend."
Arthur laughed. "As long as no rifle is shoved in my face again."
"How about we treat you to some food." Tommy said.
"Wait, what are we having?" Ramirez asked.
"Uh, I think burritos."
Ramirez nudged Arthur. "Oh you're gonna enjoy it. Unless it's boar meat."
Tommy laughed as the gates began to open. They trotted in, Arthur taking in the small sights. There was a stable, from the looks of it and there were some people watching. Arthur noticed some kids watching him, they quickly ran away when they noticed he spotted them.
They came to a stop as Arthur got off the saddle. He can see the unease in everyone. There were some shouts as a man jogged over. From where he came from he could hear the neighing of a horse. The man approached Maria, clothes dirtied.
"Maria, we have a problem." Maria sighed as she crossed her arms.
"What is it?"
"One of the boys found a horse, and it just won't listen. Already bit two of my boys and bucked me off."
"Well lead the way." She motioned.
A shove surprised Arthur as he turned, noticing Tommy smirking. "Want to go watch?"
Arthur looked around a bit, before shrugging. "Sure, I guess."
They followed after Maria, making it to the stable. Arthur rounded the corner as he spotted a familiar horse causing the biggest commotion. There were three wranglers, two who were gripping the reins and one trying to saddle Teresa. Teresa neighed as she pulled against the reins. She suddenly ran forward, causing the two men to tumble on to their ass. She jumped over them as she put some distance between her and wranglers.
Arthur couldn't help, but feel prideful. A small smirk appeared when he noticed his saddle was still attached along with his bags. He glanced at Maria as she was busy helping up one of the men. Arthur held his fingers to lips as he let off a sharp whistle.
Everyone nearby turned toward him as he pushed open the gate. "That's my Teresa your scaring."
As if to confirm, Teresa trotted up as she nestled her neck against him neighing a bit. Arthur could tell she was happy to see him, but also upset, judging by the way she stomps her foot.
"It's your horse?" Maria asked.
"She is." He patted her snout. "Me and her got separated."
Tommy lightly chuckled. "Well ain't that lucky."
Arthur agreed as he tended to Teresa. Then again, she wouldn't leave his side.
"I'm sorry, girl." Arthur grabbed some oatcakes, feeding her. "There ya go. Good girl."
Arthur glanced back, noticing Tommy and Maria with each other. Tommy glanced at him as Arthur kept brushing Teresa. He could also hear some of the wranglers give him looks. Some dirty. Arthur gave a glare back as Tommy approached him.
"Careful, I think you hurt their pride." Arthur scoffed.
"Teresa's a feisty girl." Teresa neighed at the compliment. "She would've done more."
"I bet." Tommy took a pause. "Do you have somewhere to be?"
"Not really. At least for now."
"Well, why don't you stay?"
Arthur glanced back. "Stay? Stay here?"
"I don't see why not. Maria agreed plus you could leave at any time. We could use your help with the place."
"I don't know how much help I can be."
"Don't worry, I'll show you the ropes."
With everything that he's seen, Arthur felt a shiver run down his spine. He's not prepared. Might as well learn for the time. Arthur patted Teresa's mane before turning back.
"Sure, just show me around first."
Tommy laughed, patting his shoulder. "Don't worry you'll be fine."
With that, Tommy took Arthur to Ramirez who was as equally cheerful at Arthur joining their community.
