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"So... what's our plan, exactly?"
"There aren't that many of them, and they won't be expecting us. It should be easy enough. Nothing you didn't already handle before."
Arthur snorted. Sure, he had been caught in the middle of many shootouts before (hell, he started many of them). Some of them were so bad he still wondered how he managed to get out relatively unscathed. But now - as much as he hated to admit - things were different. Nothing would be easy enough from now on.
They rode past Emerald Station, and sister Calderón's words echoed in his mind. He wasn't sure that what he was about to do could count as a "loving act", but he really hoped it did. He was doing it for someone he cared about, and Sadie looked like she really needed to put that final nail in the coffin, so to speak. He just hoped that it wouldn't send her even deeper into despair. Regardless, they made a deal. He helps her, and she helps him get the Marstons and the others to safety.
They reached a comfortable silence fairly quickly, which Arthur resisted breaking by pointing out what a beautiful day it was. And it truly was, he couldn't help but notice, especially after never-ending days of rain back in Beaver's Hollow. He didn't say anything though, as Sadie probably wasn't in much mood to appreciate it.
Truly a shame, because the sun was shining bright up the sky, though there were enough clouds to make the heat a little more bearable. The birds were singing and his horse was at ease. They passed by a farm, and Arthur allowed himself to watch the people working the land. He spent his youth years reproaching that lifestyle, calling it dull, but now? He wondered if he was wrong, if he could've been that man herding the cows in another life.
Fortunately, his wonderings were interrupted before he went too far into the what if?.
"Is that your new friend, Arthur?"
"What?" He looked over his left side to see a dog following him. An Australian shepherd, he reckoned. The little fella greeted him with a bark.
"Yeah, we could always use a little reinforcement, don't we?" Their companion ran with them for a while, before turning back to the farm. He looked back and saw a young boy, a little bit older than Jack, anxiously awaiting the animal's return.
"What was your dog's name?"
"Pardon?"
"Your dog. You had one, right? I noticed the photography in your tent when we were packing up to leave Shady Belle."
"Oh, yeah, right! Copper. He was a good boy, a little bit of a rascal though." He remembered how difficult it was to keep the animal under the smallest resemblance of control, and laughed. All that was interrupted by an ugly fit of coughing that took a while to subdue. He noticed Sadie's worried look, but she said nothing. "Once, Hosea brought back to camp a load of salmon, we had a whole feast planned. It never happened 'cause Copper ate them all."
Sadie laughed with him. Softly, barely audible, but he was paying attention.
"What happened to him? If you don't mind me asking."
"No, it's alright. He ate something he shouldn't have, got sick."
"I'm sorry. It sounds like he was a good boy indeed."
He was. Too good for his own sake. He supposed all dogs were, in their own way, and that was why he was worried about Cain. He couldn't prove, but he knew Micah was guilty, whatever he had done to the poor thing. Had things been like they were before, Jack wouldn't have to wander around the woods, yelling for a friend that never answers back.
They still had ways to go before reaching their destination, and Arthur didn't want to waste any more time thinking about that rat, so he decided to try and keep the conversation going.
"What about you? You ever had a dog?"
"Yeah, of course. Had lots of them growing up, my daddy would take in any stray he found. Jake and I was thinking about getting one to help around the ranch, before, you know..."
"Yeah, I do."
-
As they approached Twin Stack Pass, the clouds started hovering around, darkening the surroundings. A sudden ominous feeling filled him, and he was justified when he saw just who waited for them by the side of the road.
"Should we toss that man a coin?" Sadie asked as they neared the spot where the blind beggar stood.
He and Arthur had already crossed paths a couple of times before. Back then, Arthur didn't think much about him or what he had to say, brushing it all off as just another misfortunate soul, left to their own concoctions.
Now? After everything that had happened, Arthur wasn't as quick to dismiss the old man's reveries. That's why he wanted so badly to ride past the fella without ever looking back, but Sadie wouldn't let them do that. So he neared his horse, and without even dismounting, he let a dollar fall on the hunched back man's cup. The riddle came as fast as the other times.
"You are not who you think you are, sir... Which is lucky."
"Whatever you say." Arthur nodded politely - not that the man would notice. He turned his horse back to the road, and turned his head back to see Sadie still talking to the blind man. It seemed like she bought a riddle of her own.
He waited for her.
"Interesting fella, ain't he?" She said as they continued their journey.
"Yeah, sure. So, what he told you?"
"Didn't really understand, sounded like a bunch of nonsense. And yours? What do you reckon he meant by that?"
"Your guess is as good as mine." A fit of coughing cut the subject short.
-
It wasn't yet sunset by the time they got to Valentine, but it would be soon. Since they wouldn't make much progress before having to make camp and rest the horses, Arthur decided it would be a better idea if they rented a couple of rooms in the hotel.
Well, judging by the woman's reaction, he might as well have said Let's pack up and go back to the camp!
"Absolutely not, Morgan! The sun isn't even down yet, we could cover so much ground before then."
So he relented. Sadie wanted to be done with her fight sooner rather than later. And frankly? So did Arthur.
They agreed to only stop by long enough to buy food and more ammo. As they approached the town's entrance by the train station, Arthur heard a familiar voice.
"Friend! Friend! Ha! You're back." Mickey stood up and waved his arm to them.
"What? Do you know him?"
"I guess you could say that. Care for an introduction?"
Sadie concentrated for a moment, looking from Arthur to the homeless man and back. "Sure, but make it quick."
"I was kinda hoping you'd say no."
They hitched their horses and made their way to an excited Mickey, who was eagerly waiting for them.
"Friend! Hey buddy, hi! Hey, you got yourself a lady friend as well. Hi!" He offered his hand, which Sadie politely accepted. "Any friend of his is a friend of mine as well."
"Good to know."
"Mickey, this is Mrs. Sadie Adler. Sadie, Mickey."
"Mickey. That's a good name, sir."
"Thank you!" Mickey's smile to Sadie was genuine and very heartwarming to see, but it quickly faded once his gaze turned to Arthur.
"Oh, but you, friend... you don't look so fine. You ok?"
There was no point in lying, so he didn't. "No, not really."
"That's too bad, buddy. They told me I was dying, only I never did. You ever die, friends?" Mickey looked from Arthur to Sadie and then continued his ramblings before they had a chance to respond. "Of course not. Of course you didn't..."
Arthur would be lying if he said he wasn't growing fond of the old man's nonsensical musings after those few encounters they had. He definetely had a certain quality to him that was tragically endearing. He shot Sadie a look to see if she found Mickey as amusing as he did, but she was staring at the ground.
"...but well, we're all gonna die."
"Yeah, I suppose." Of course she wasn't too keen on the conversation, considering the morbid topic they landed on. Arthur decided to cut the talk short, but it seemed Mickey had the same idea.
"I'm sorry I always say dumb things. I'm a dumb feller. You're smart, and you're dying. I'm dumb, and I ain't died yet. And well, here's the thing... I never was in the army, friend. I told folk I was!"
The sudden revelation got Sadie's attention back. She looked at Arthur, probably hoping for some clarification, but he had none to offer, so he just shrugged.
"But I lied, I don't know why I did. And now I feel better. But, well... here's another thing. You've always been, or you've mostly been nice to me. At least you spoke to me. And now, you're dying, and I'm real sad. Real sad. Sure ain't fair..."
He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Sadie's head nodding slightly.
"...ain't fair at all. I'll miss you, friend. You're a good man." And with just a brief nod, Mickey excused himself.
Sadie tried to play it off when Arthur caught her staring at him. He sighed. "So, let's go shopping?"
"Right behind you."
He mounted up his horse, but Sadie hesitated to do the same, so he waited for ther to speak her mind.
"Actually, I think staying the night is a better idea. I didn't realize how tired I was until I dismounted."
She was lying, he saw that now. Lying through her teeth. He knew exactly why she changed her mind. But he didn't say anything.
He wanted to say no, to continue riding until they couldn't anymore. He felt somewhat offended that she thought he was that damn fragile, but the thing was... He was tired. So he just grunted in agreement.
-
They decided Sadie would handle the shopping while Arthur would rent two rooms at the local hotel. He was on his way to do just that but, as always, his plans were delayed by a random setback. A drunk fellow tumbled onto him and asked for help to get home. Arthur wondered how drunk one had to be to get lost in such a small town as Valentine. Then he remembered his night out with Lenny.
Like Mickey said, sure it ain't fair.
He watched the drunk man take the right turn and then made his way to the hotel
-
He got two rooms. Sadie's was the first one to the right after climbing the stairs, while his was the furthest on the left. There, he settled his things down on the bedside table and collapsed onto the bed, just as he was hit by a really hard fit of coughing that seemed to have no end. When it was finally over, his head was pounding and there was blood on his handkerchief. He was just glad that the whole ordeal happened with no one else in sight to witness.
Even though he was reluctant at first, Arthur thought that, just maybe, helping Sadie in this mission of hers would be good for him. Helping her avenge the memory of her husband, and the memory of the person she was but would never be again...
With all the mayhem going on with Dutch and Micah and their meddling with the natives and Eagle Flies and Rain's Fall... It had been a while since he rode to a job he could actually put his heart on, even if it would also end in a bloodbath regardless.
Once the pounding on his head began to give in a little, he took out his journal and leafed through it. He saw the sketch he made of Mickey when they first ran into each other, back when the gang set camp near Valentine.
How things had changed.
But Arthur knew better than anyone that chewing on the past wouldn't result in anything good. So he opened up on a blank page and began to doodle what he could remember of the farmer's dog, the one that greeted them earlier that day. He finished it fairly quick, as it wasn't anything that elaborate. Just a quick sketch to ease his mind. It worked a little bit, but not enough. So he decided to make himself useful and give Sadie a hand. She wouldn't like it very much, he knew that. She would probably make a jab about him not trusting her enough to not make any mess while shopping, but he didn't want to sit and dwell anyway, so off he went.
-
She was already paying the shopkeeper when he got there, so he was just in time to help with the bags.
"Got the rooms?"
"Sure did, all settled." He picked up half the bags and left the rest to her. They left the shop and, once out of earshot from the townsfolk, she told him:
"You could've waited for me there. You know I can handle a couple of shopping bags. Right, Morgan?"
He smiled. He really had a way of knowing people, and he wasn't rusted yet. "I know that, Mrs. Adler. I remember how you handled yourself during our little shop trip back in Lemoyne."
She smiled as well. "Well, I assure you this time around won't end in a shootout. I mean, not here at least. I'll save that for those bastards hiding away."
He chuckled. They walked a bit in silence before Arthur chose to speak up again. "You know, I wanna thank you again." She stared at him, confused, so he clarified. "For how you handled things when we were away."
"I didn't handle it alone. I had a lot of help."
"I know, but I also heard that it was you and Charles who took lead of things, helped everyone stay together, soldiered on. So, thank you."
"You're welcome. But that's how we survive, ain't it? We stick together."
He nodded. "We stick together." He then watched as she climbed the stairs and walked into the hotel.
-
Arthur knew he was tired, but he severely underestimated just how tired he truly was. He got back to his room right after dinner and, as soon as he hit the bed, he was out. He wasn't even planning on sleeping that early, but it seemed his body had grown weary without his noticing.
That's why he was up as early as the sunrise the following day. He and Sadie agreed that the first one to wake up would wait for the other at the saloon, they would eat and then hit the road again.
So he did hust that. At the saloon, he picked a table near the door, grabbed his journal once again and started writing. Being with Sadie got him thinking about the last time they saw Colm O'Driscoll, when the two of them plus Dutch ensured the son of a bitch wouldn't escape the law's punishment. He didn't get as much satisfaction as he imagined Dutch and Sadie got.
He put down his pen and closed his journal when he saw her coming through the door.
"You know, I'm quite curious about what you write so much in that journal of yours." She called over one of the serving girls as she took her seat right in front of him.
"You ain't the first one to wonder, Mrs. Adler." The serving girl approached them and he ordered two cups of coffee and two plates.
"You ever let anyone read it?"
"Never. And if anyone ever did, it was without my knowing."
"Am I on it?"
"I might have mentioned you in passing."
"Nothing bad, I hope. You'd be dead if you did, Morgan."
"Only good things so far."
"So far?"
He chuckled, she chuckled, and their breakfast was served.
-
They left Valentine soon after breakfast, just as planned. They rode in silent, with only the ambiance sounds around them: the birds, the wind, the carriages passing by and the water running down the stream as they neared Cumberland Falls. Just as they were about to cross the little stream, other sounds mixed in. People's voices. And Arthur knew exactly whose.
"What the hell is that?" Sadie asked as they both saw three people standing near the waterfall. Two of them seemed to be arguing quite loud.
"A circus."
"A what?"
"Come on." They got closer, and started to make out certain words over the noise of the river flow. Words such as Lizard, Manatee and Discharge. He stopped his horse and dismounted.
"Oh, Arthur! How are you?" One of the twins - Arthur wasn't sure which one - asked.
"Never better."
"You quite the Mr. Popular, ain't you?" Sadie dismounted as well and jogged to catch up with him.
"You can wait on the other side, this won't be long."
"And miss the circus? No way. Just try to make it quick, we ain't that far from Hanging Dog Ranch and I'd like to make it there before sunset."
He nodded and, when they got there, the twins were back to throwing the most diverse variety of insults at each other. If anyone called Arthur any of those words, he wouldn't even be offended, seeing as he would have no idea what they meant. Mrs. Adler was finding the whole ordeal quite entertaining though, judging by her face.
"...and to prove how suitable I am to make a happy and stable life with... I shall throw myself over the waterfall in just a barrel!"
"And so shall I!" The other equally stupid twin yelled back, and off they went towards their barrels, carefully positioned by the river bank. Sadie and Helen seemed pretty dumbfounded by what they were witnessing, but Arthur was already in a state of mind in which he didn't question those two fools. He just went along with it.
The twins climbed each in their own barrels.
"Arthur, please, come do the honors. And make sure we, uh..."
"Oh, you silly tapeworm of a man."
Arthur dutifully sealed off the two men inside the barrels and was about to push them off when Sadie interjected.
"You ain't really doing it. Are you, Arthur?"
"There ain't no use in talking sense into those two, they're immune to it. Isn't it so, Ms. Helen?"
The woman simply muttered "fools" at the barrels, Sadie was too confused to make another comment, so she just waved him off. Arthur took it as his cue and pushed one barrel with each arm.
And off they went.
"Oh my Lord, the fools! The silly fools." Helen looked as if she snapped back into reality, as if not really believing what was happening until the two barrels disappeared from their sight after reaching the edge. "I cannot believe they've done this"
"Come on. Let's go find them." After being a part of this mess for a while now, Arthur had to at least know if the twins would survive yet another stupid idea.
So the three of them got on their horses and went downhill towards a little beach where the two men had washed up ashore. Surprisingly, alive.
"Acrisius, Proetus!" Helen cried out as she dismounted her mare.
"What the hell are their names?"
"I assure you, their names are the least weird thing about them." When they got there, the two brothers, also astonished by their surviving, cried and hugged it out.
"I've had the wind knocked out of me! I thought you were a goner.
"It's a miracle we're both alive!"
Arthur was simply having a blast watching Sadie's confused face at the whole ordeal while Helen proceeded to scold them both.
"You nearly died... for me!"
"She's right, dear brother. What fools we've been!"
"You're the fool, but a brave one!
"You're might be dense, but you are the noblest men I know!
"You're a lion!"
"Giant!"
Earth shaker!"
"Let's not let anything come between us again."
"Never." The two hugged once again, crying, apparently.
"Boys?" Helen called, softly.
"Good lady, adieu!" Acrisius - or was it Proetus? - told her emphatically.
"Bewitch some other milksops, we will have none of it."
"But I thought that..."
"Before this siren calls us to the rocks again, let us away from here."
"You lead the way, brother. The west awaits!" And away they went, ignoring Helen's pleas.
"That's some suitors you've picked there."
"I was trying to stop'em from killing themselves. They won't last a week without me."
"Probably not. But you'll have an easier time."
"I guess I will. So long." She nodded goodbye to them and was about to mount on her mare before turning back again. "Oh, I wasn't trying to lead'em on, you know? It was just... exciting. The smartest men I knew... with positively the least sense."
"That's usually the way it works. Good luck."
They watched as Helen galloped away and then went on to do the same.
"Those were the smartest men she knows?" Sadie's question was dripping with incredulity, which he couldn't help but laugh at.
"Love turns every man into a fool, Mrs. Adler."
"Speaking from experience, Mr. Morgan?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he laughed again, but it was a little less joyful. He never threw himself off a waterfall, but he reckoned the things he did only because Mary asked could be put in the same category, maybe a little less dumber than what the twins did. "c'mon, you sayin' Jake never did anything foolish to win you over?"
Sadie was quiet for a moment, and Arthur kicked himself mentally for being once again a complete idiot. Putting your foot into your mouth like always, old man. He was about to take it back when she spoke up.
"He wasn't a buffoon like those two back there, that's for sure."
"I didn't mean like that. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."
"No, that's alright. I just... I didn't need to be 'won over'. There were no games, and definitely no circus like that." She pointed at the waterfall's general direction. "That... that's not love. That's a pantomime."
"Well, on that I agree with you. And that back then? Trust me, you haven't seen half of it. I met those fools when we were back in Valentine."
-
They rode in silence for a while, before Sadie spoke up. It was quiet, but loud enough amidst the stillness of the nature.
"With Jake and I, we didn't waste any time in the beggining. We both knew what we wanted, no foolishness, no wondering what the other person was feeling. He was a bit shy at first, sure, but I made up for both of us in the aspect. We were always upfront about our feelings." She fell quiet for a moment, and Arthur could see something passing on her face, as if remembering a conversation. Or a memory. "Still, there wasn't enough time for us."
"I'm sorry." He wanted to say more. To tell her they were lucky to have found that kind of love, even if it only lasted a while. But how could he call them 'lucky', considering what had befallen them? Really, he knew there was nothing he could say that would make the sting hurt a little less. So they rode again in silence, each lost in their own worlds, until Sadie brought him back again.
"You know, you never answered my question. Not really" He could tell by her tone that her dark cloud brought by her husband's memory had dissipated a bit, and there was a playful note in her voice that caught Arthur a bit off guard.
"About what?"
"Personal experience?"
"Oh right. I mean, I wasn't always upfront about it like you and your husband, quite on the contrary, I think. But I never threw myself off a waterfall or asked people to shoot at me."
"They did that?"
"Oh yeah." He laughed, remembering his first encounter with the twins. "But then again, I don't think I was that far behind when it comes to being stupid. And I suppose you're right. There's never enough time, even when you do everything right. So imagine what's like for folks who waste it."
She didn't respond. When he glanced over, she now looked like she wished to take her words back.
"Arthur... how bad is it? Really."
"I don't know. I went to a doctor in Saint Dennis. He said 'I'm sorry', so you can judge by that."
"Did he say anything else?"
"That my only shot was to go somewhere dry. Can you imagine that?"
"Yeah." She sounded exasperated, to his surprise. "Why the hell did you stick around that damn swamp for so long?"
"I can't leave the gang, Mrs. Adler, I can't abandon those folk." He sounded offedend, even though he knew she meant no harm in that question. Still, even the thought of that possibility felt wrong to him.
"If they knew it was the only shot you have at surviving they wouldn' think of it as abandonning."
"And what exactly do you mean by surviving?" He left a tiresome laugh escape his lips. "There ain't no beating this thing, Sadie. If I left, I would fail everyone I hold dear. And for what? A couple of more months of this hellish coughing?"
He didn't mean to sound that harsh, so he took a deep breath before continuing. "What I mean is. I couldn't live with myself if I left - wherever is that I'm going to - before making things right. Before getting my job here done."
"And what would that be?"
"Getting everyone out of this ship before it goes down. Everyone who wants to be saved, at least." He looked over the tree line and saw a herd of bucks running away from them, scared by the sound of their horses. "John and his family. That's the job I need to get done."
She nodded, and something in her silent made him keep talking.
"I haven't been a good man. I reckon I'm just reaping the fruits of my actions."
"Arthur, I can't say for the things you did before I joined te gang, but since you folks rescued me from the O'Driscolls I've seen both good and bad. From you? They've been mostly good."
He huffed. "They weren't nearly enough to tip off the scale, Mrs. Adler. But I still got some time left."
She looked away, her eyebrows creasing together. Then, she looked back at him and nodded once. It was brief, and he knew what it meant.
-
Sadie stopped her horse midstride, leading Arthur to do the same.
"There". She pointed and he took off his binoculars to take a closer look at. There, up ahead, laid the Hang Dog Ranch, crawling with whatever was left of the O'Driscolls. To his surprise, there were quite a few of them remaining. He handled her the binoculars.
"So, what's the plan? Go in shooting or you wanna create a diversion first?"
She put down the binoculars and looked thoughtful for a couple of seconds, before her face acquired a more resolute complexion as she gave tit back to Arthur. "It's getting dark. Let's camp here tonight and hit'em first thing in the morning." She didn't wait for his reply before going off the road and towards a small hill.
He followed her. "What? Why not now? I thought you wanted to be done with them as soon as possible. You were almost foaming at the mouth when talking about it and now that we're right in front of them you wanna wait?"
"I wanna kill every single one of them bastards, but I ain't a rabid dog. I waited until now, I can wait a few more hours." She chose a safe enough spot near the trees - one where they had a good view of the surroudings, while still hidden from passersby - and dismounted. He did the same, but wasn't about to let the subject slide. He knew why she didn't want to attack now.
"I can handle it just fine, Sadie."
"I know you can! Still, there's only two of us and a load of them. You and I can handle it just fine, but there's no reason to not be smart about it. I didn't came all the way here to die before I get my revenge." She studied his face for a moment, but what she was looking for, he had no idea. "We strike'em as soon as the sun rises. Most of them won't even be fully awaken by then, we can take of advantage of that. And remember, the fat one with a beard is mine."
"Alright, as you say."
-
They scouted the place a little bit before setting camp. When night arrived, he set up a fire while Sadie arranged the rest. Then, they ate dinner. Canned beans and gin to wash it down.
"Still tastes better than anything Pearson has been making these days."
"You're right about that," Arthur felt a bit bad by agreeing, since everyone could see how badly their cooker was taking everything, but he couldn't argue with the facts. "the camp stew has seen better days."
Arthur finished his meal first and got up to do one last look around, just to make sure they hadn't been spotted.
Everything clear. When he came back, he noticed Sadie dozzing off and almost dropping her empty bowl, which he gently took off her hands, awakening her in the process.
"I'll take the first watch. You catch some sleep."
"No, it's alright." She mumbled.
"You seem- Wait, let me correct that. You are tired, Mrs. Adler."
"Truth be told, I didn't catch much sleep back in Valentine."
"So you catch some now. Go on, I'll watch."
"Fine, but don't forget to wake me up halfway through the night. You hear me, Arthur?" She didn't sound half as incisive as she meant to be, half awake as she was.
"Loud and clear. Goodnight, Mrs. Adler."
-
After she snuck insided her sleeping bag and dozed off, Arthur spent the next few hours alternating between watching the woods, looking for potential enemies lurking around, and watching her, wondering how much could one's whole life change in the blink of an eye. One morning, she was a married woman, living at home with her husband, worrying about all the stuff ordinary folk worry about. Now, she was a widow, sleeping on the ground with an outlaw for company, ready to murder the people who took her husband and that ordinary life away from her.
Her turning point had been an extremely traumatic one, and he hoped she would found some kind of closure after tomorrow. He supposed his was when he agreed to be Strauss's debt collector and went off to torment those godforsaken souls. When he rode back from the Downes' ranch, he had no idea his life had changed completely.
Tired from watching and wondering, Arthur took off his journal. He didn't write nor draw, but thought about what Sadie had asked him. Should he destroy it already? If he didn't, someone was bound to find and read it. But would anyone actually bother? He wrote mostly for his own sake of mind, to make sense of things happening to and around him, but he didn't consider himself a writer. Most of the entries were just dull recountings of his day or drawings of things he saw, not anything remotely interesting. Perharps the person reading it might learn a things or two about his mistakes.
John. John should have it. There, it was settled. He just hoped he could make sure he gave it to Marston when the whole thing comes to an end.
"If you're drawing me, you should at least do it while I'm not drooling on the ground." He looked up to find Sadie already sitting up. "My turn now."
Arthur got up and changed places with her. He was already with his eyes closed when he called to her one last time. "Now, no peeking inside my journal, Sadie."
He only hear her quiet laugh before surrendering himself to sleep.
"Goodnight, Arthur."