Chapter Text
all it took was one night to ruin your life and throw all your plans out the window, more specifically it took one whole hour for it all to go to sh*t. you were a person of ritual who always stuck to yourself and stayed organized, its how you survived so long. you trusted only yourself, and your horse of course. you spared zero time for others and you wouldn't even entertain the thought of joining a posse of other outlaws. you couldn't trust strangers to have your back, nobody would take better care of you than you could yourself. even if it meant struggling to make ends meet, having dinnerless nights, or running away when battles were too big to fight. you learned the hard way that trusting others with your safety was not a good idea, no one would ever have your best interest in mind. you preferred it this way, it was stressful sometimes but you wouldn't have to worry if you were being plotted against by those around you.
sticking to yourself got you this far, despite the scars and anxiety that came with it. you kept to small crimes like pick-pocketing and the occasional home robbery. it was just enough to keep you fed, which was all you needed. someone of your caliber didn't need a life of luxury, humble was best. you went to great lengths to protect your identity as well, keeping a dusty bandana around your face and never staying in one spot too long. you became a shadow, moving at night and staying just out of sight from lawmen. you had even found a fancy way to hide your hair, keeping it tucked up under your hat to further obscure your gender. you changed your outfits when in-and-out of the public eye, any onlookers would've been convinced you were a separate person from your outlaw-persona. you knew all the stereotypes surrounding women; lesser beings only meant to serve men. that wasn't you, you'd rather be 6-feet-under than have to wait on some pathetic man. a life as an law-breaker maybe wasn't the best alternative, but it was one that you greatly preferred.
so you spent your days covered in heavy clothing and your face completely hidden. the police never got a glimpse of your pretty mug, anytime there were witnesses they could only describe a person completely cloaked in darkness. you never did anything crazy, it was best to avoid too much attention, but times were getting tough. more and more rules were being made, folk were becoming proper civilized ones instead of the rough and rugged that you had grown up with. to put it simply, you hated it. so you stayed on the move to continue pursuing the dream of freedom you had, despite the minor setbacks. but it seemed that no matter how many rules you put in place and how careful you were, bad luck was bound to come along. it took one night to ruin everything you had.
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂
it was just another home robbery, something you've done countless times. creep up, check the windows, survey the area, sneak in, fill your pockets, and leave. simple as that; no room for error. you snuck in through the backdoor of a large mansion, catching the door before it could hit the wall behind it as it swung open. you shut it behind you as you started to slink forward, looking around the room. it seemed to be some type of parlor; there was a bar on one side and multiple pieces of furniture to lounge in. you went onward, stopping to inspect the bar for anything good to take. you snuck a couple small bottles into your satchel before heading out of the room. you followed the large hallway before stopping by the first room to the left and opening the door. it was a large study; with a desk and a couple bookshelves against the wall. despite the dim lighting, you spotted a shiny metal lockbox tucked between the rows of books and your lips curled into a smirk as you tiptoed toward it. you pulled it into your lap and grabbed your knife, digging it into the lock. it popped off with some effort and you eagerly opened the lid to examine its contents. there were neat stacks of money laid out, probably a couple hundred, as well a revolver that glimmered in the faint moonlight emitting from the window. you left the gun and took the cash, stuffing it into your pockets as you exited the room. above you, the floorboards creaked as someone started walking across the upper floor. you cursed quietly and quickly darted down the hallway for a hiding spot, tucking yourself into one of the linen closets.
you peeked around the corner as the footsteps grew louder and looked towards the staircase. an older woman came down the stairs and turned down the hallway you were just in, rubbing her lidded eyes with a yawn. she headed into another room that you hadn't had the chance to check yet and you stayed in your spot for the time being, straining your ears to make out her movements. she emerged a few moments later with a glass of water and started to head back up the staircase. you shifted your weight on your feet, leaning back into the closet as she looked around the hallway for a moment. she was staring at the door to the study, her eyebrows furrowing. she walked back down the stairs and your stomach sank as she headed right into the study. you heard her let out a gasp and you sprinted into the room within seconds, clasping one hand around her mouth tightly as you dug your gun into her hip. a single audible sound escaped her lips as your gloved hand gripped her face and she struggled against you as you pressed your body against hers. you had maybe a foot of height on her, thanks to the small platforms in your boots, and you were a little stronger.
"do anything, make any noise, and i'll blow a hole through your side." you growled into her ear, watching as she frantically nodded her head. "good, walk slowly to the corner of the room," you told her as you started to step forward, kicking her heels softly as she stumbled ahead. once you got to the far corner of the room away from the door, you slipped your hand from her mouth. before she could turn around to look at you, you whipped her across the head with the edge of your gun and her body quickly fell to the floor. her arm knocked over the lamp as she collapsed and it fell to the floor with a loud crash, the stained glass shade shattering across the wood. "f*ck, sh*t-" your body reacted on instinct and you bound out of the study room, heading straight for the parlor room at the end of the hall.
you heard someone, a man, yell out before loud footsteps raced across the floor above you. you raced through the parlor room, your body slamming into the backdoor before you could stop, and then quickly fumbling with the handle. "ELIZABETH!" you heard the man yell out as he stomped down the stairs and you watched the muzzle of a rifle peek out from the end of the hallway. you flung the door open and dashed across the balcony, leaping over the fence as you went around the side of the house. you whistled for your horse as you ran through the dusty brown grass, stumbling over some rocks as you looked around for your trusted companion. you heard some commotion from the backdoor, sneaking a glance over your shoulder as you ran. as you looked back forward, you saw your horse emerge from over the small hill ahead. you let out a small huff of relief and whistled again, beckoning closer as you darted for her. you passed by the front of the house and looked towards the front balcony. time slowed as bullets flew past your face and the face of the man holding the gun lit up with the fire.
you scrambled ahead, calling your horse as she started to run away from the noise. "no! becca, come girl!" you yelled as you raced after her, she side stepped a smidge closer to you as the man started hollering after you.
"you cm'here! i'll kill you fer layin' a hand on my wife!" the sound of the gun snapping back after being reloaded rung through your ears and you darted for cover in the frail array of dried-out bushes, your horse galloping away from you. another shot was fired and it whizzed past your legs as you zig-zagged through the underbrush.
"f*ck me, BECCA! get over here!" you screamed furiously, your voice lightly cracking as you ran full speed ahead for her. she whinnied loudly and reared backwards before running headfirst at you. "yes, come girl!" you met her halfway and grabbed onto the saddle as she ran past you, struggling to pull yourself up as she thrashed. you hoisted yourself on with the rest of your stamina and jerked her reigns to the side before she got too close to the house. the man was still screaming obscenities and threats at you, but now he was running after you. you stayed on the other side of the line of bushes as you headed straight. BLAM! another shot was fired right as you cleared the cover of the trees. it didn't hit you, but it hit Becca. she screamed in pain so loud you winced from the high pitch, and you gripped onto the reins as she veered hard to the right. you barely had time to look where she had been shot, she was racing through the bushes wildly and you were almost knocked off. she only made it several more feet before she collapsed into the ground clumsily, sending you flying through the air before you slammed back down. the sound of yelling was growing louder as the man ran after you and you peeled yourself off of the ground and scrambled toward Becca. there was blood pooling from her abdomen, staining her tan coat dark red as it trickled across her fur. your eyes began to prick with hot tears and your hands shook as you pressed them against her neck.
"b-baby.. no, i-" you choked on a sob as she whimpered, her legs kicking as she tried to get up. "don't move bec! i'm sorry," you cried and wrapped your body over hers, hugging her as tightly as you could. another second later, the man leapt out and aimed his hunting rifle at you.
"put your hands in the air, you f*ckin' scum!" he yelled, taking a few steps toward you. you ripped yourself from becca and met his eyes, baring your teeth beneath your black bandana.
"you shot my f*cking horse!" you screeched, swiftly removing your gun before the man could react, and firing shots up his body. he flew backwards as the bullets ripped through him but he managed to keep a hand on his gun. he weakly pulled back the trigger as he tipped over, firing his last shot. you were frozen in place as the crack of the bullet reverberated through your ears, then you were falling back as well. your vision clouded over for a moment, but came back as searing hot pain shot through your body. you couldn't move your right arm up from the ground and you struggled back onto your feet, a gurgled groan escaping your lips. your vision was slightly distorted, but you could tell the man on the ground in front of you was not getting up. you looked to the side at becca, who was jerking softly as she frantically heaved in breaths. you stumbled towards her, falling down to your knees as you laid your body on top of hers again. she whined from beneath you and her movements stilled momentarily.
"i'm so sorry girl.. becca 'm so sorry... i love you so much," you spoke quickly, your words jumbling together as you started to sob again. the worst pain you'd ever felt was emitting from your shoulder and spreading through the rest of your body with each throb of your heartbeat. you clutched onto her saddle with a wince, leaning harder into her body for comfort. 'you need to leave.' a voice echoed from the back of your hazy mind. yes, you need to get going now, before his wife wakes up, before police come. but, becca...
you lifted yourself up and looked her over with tearful eyes, your lip quivering as she met your gaze for a moment. "i love you, and i'm so sorry... thank you for everything you've done for me, i-" you choked, running your hand over her neck. her breathing grew more ragged as she stared up at you and you couldn't bring yourself to get up. it hurt as much as the gunshot wound, just leaving her behind like this. maybe if the police came they would see her, but-no, you slapped yourself mentally, forcing down your emotions and tearing your gaze away from her. you need to get going now, and becca is going to be greatly missed... you pressed a kiss to her face and pet her mane one last time before you started to stumble away, leaving a small trail of blood across her pelt. you looked back once at her, then at the man on the ground, and back at the house. on the front porch, the woman who you had knocked out was now standing there with her hands clasped over her mouth. she was staring right at you, unmoving. you subconsciously fixed the bandana wrapped over your face as you turned and headed onward, tears still brimming from your eyes.
you made it farther away from the house and headed into where the woods started to get thicker, following the trail for awhile. whilst walking you took a moment to investigate the pain, and there was a gaping hole in your shoulder. you figured the bullet was still in and you lost control of the entire arm. you parted off the path and into the forest, unsure of what to do now. this could very well be your last moments... might as well find somewhere nice to bleed out. you could spot a small clearing up ahead through the tree trunks and you stumbled that way, your movements becoming more cumbersome each minute. the clearing gave way to a small pond that split off into a creek, filling the air with the soothing sound of running water. "this ain't so bad," you huffed as you grabbed onto a nearby tree for balance, looking out over the small area. you then settled yourself against some rocks overlooking the water, leaving a messy red smear across the surface as you slid down. you let out wheezy breath, trying to get a look at your shoulder. "f*ck.. this hurts..." you grumbled as you gently felt around the edge of the wound, peeling away the frayed fabric of your jacket. now that you thought about it, you don't think you were ever shot before. shot at and skimmed by bullets, but never actually hit. you didn't really know how to take care of it. shouldn't you remove it? but with your fingers? you gingerly poked the tip of your gloved finger at the entrance of the wound and it sent sparks through your body as you seized in pain. quickly you decided to never do that again.
you dropped your hand back to your side and looked ahead at the water, letting the sound cloud over your thoughts. don't think about the pain... don't think about becca, bleeding out just like you are now. it was cloudy that night, only letting small glimpses of the large map of stars above. the air was cool and crisp in your lungs, but not enough to be freezing. all through your travels you never stopped to admire the scenery, you were instead focused on watching the shadows for any attackers. you frowned a little, thinking more about how selfishly you lived your life. besides all the literal stealing, you didn't take any breaks to appreciate being alive. now, you wouldn't be able to. your thoughts slowed as the buzz of nature filled your head; the soft gurgle of the creek, the breezing blowing through the trees overhead, and the faint sound of animals rummaging about. your shut your eyes and adjusted against the rocks, trying to get a tad more comfortable as you withered away. your last thought as your brain faded into rest was that you wished to be dead before some wolves came to eat you.
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂
arthur was riding ahead of john on the dirt path, his horse trotting at a lazy pace. it was late in the night, maybe even early morning at this point, and the horses were exhausted. arthur was already well irritated from john asking to just stop for awhile, their destination was just a few more miles ahead, but this lazy bastard doesn't know when to shut his mouth. they headed up another small hill in the road and arthur lifted his eyes to look across the horizon. dark trees lined the expanse of yellow colored grass, growing more thick in the distance. there was a large farm on the side of the road and a house on the property as well. arthur was always a little surprised when he saw big houses like that, and his mind started to buzz with thoughts about the possible fortune laid inside. john perked up from behind him and clicked his tongue to ride beside arthur.
"big house.. maybe big money too. feel like doin' a little visit?" john purred, glancing sideways at arthur with a smirk. arthur scoffed and tipped his head back down.
"you were just complainin' about how damn tired you were, now you wanna go rob a house?" he replied dryly, earning a groan from the man beside him. john grumbled out another bitter reply, too quiet for arthur to make out. in the distance towards the house, he heard a faint noise. he pulled the reins to his horse, slowing it down. john did the same, his head swiveling as he looked around. arthur's eyes looked back towards the house and he saw movement, there was a woman running across the lawn. both men shared a puzzled look before arthur bucked down the hill towards her and john followed along with a groan. as they got closer, he saw tears streaming down her face. her hands were slightly bloody as well and a small stain on her nightgown.
"my husband- he was shot!" she cried as she ran towards them, waving her hands frantically. "he's in the field ov'r there! please help me," arthur let out a small noise as he slowed his horse down, looking over the woman intently.
"take a breath ma'am, which way is he?" arthur asked, looking over her head at the large house for a moment. she continued babbling, pointing off toward the front of the estate.
"next to the house! just pass those bushes, please he's bleedin' out," she sobbed, stepping closer to johns horse. he gave arthur a strained look before glancing down at the woman, struggling to come to words.
"ma'am, go back inside your home and let us go get your husband. please try to relax," arthur told her calmly, gesturing towards the mansion. "john, lead'er there then come meet me." he told the other man as he lead his horse toward where the woman had pointed. he trotted away and left john to awkwardly comfort the lady as he crossed the property. he hopped off his horse as he passed the trail leading to the front of the house and he parted through the bushes. first, he saw the large shape of a horse laid out in the grass. upon closer inspection, he saw it had been shot. across from it was the presumed husband. his chest was full of bullet holes and arthur sucked his teeth disappointingly, he was definitely dead. he eyed the horse once last time before moving closer to the man. there was a rifle beside his hand, interesting. he collected the body over his shoulder before heading back to the estate. as soon as he stepped out of the bushes onto the path, there was a loud scream. on the top steps of the front porch, john was holding the woman up by her arms as she wailed.
"charles, no!" she choked out, slipping from john's grasp as she raced down the stairs. she met arthur halfway up the trail, holding a fist to her chest. "let me see 'im." she begged arthur and he hesitated to meet her gaze.
"ma'am.. you shouldn't–," he started, watching as her expression twisted.
"let me see my goddamn husband!" she screeched, before breaking out into another cry. "please, just.." she said softer. arthur let out a sigh through his nose and started to step forward.
"let's get inside, lay him somewhere comfortable.." he spoke, looking back to john ahead. he had a frustrated expression across his face and gave arthur a solemn nod as he stepped up onto the porch. as he got closer, he leaned in and quickly whispered to john. "go investigate the area a little more, there's a dead horse there. i don't think it's theirs," john nodded again and quickly headed down, giving the lady an coarse apology as he passed by. arthur followed the lady into the house and into one of the rooms as she directed him to lay the body on the couch. he set him down as gently as he could and stepped back. the lady quickly clung to the body and started to cry again, very loudly. arthur stood in the doorway for a moment, shifting his feet around as he tried to ignore the noise. his mind was turning, thinking about the horse and the gun the man was carrying.
"ma'am.. i'm sorry to ask but, did somethin' happen? before he was..." arthur trailed off as he turned back around to look at the woman. she was knelt on the ground beside the couch, holding her husbands hand. it took her a minute to speak.
"he- there was..." she sighed, wiping her face before continuing. "there was a robber in our house, i found 'em but they knocked me out... then when i came to, i ran outside to look for them. i had just caught the tail end of it... they shot each other, and i saw the robber runnin' away..." she spoke calmly, despite the tears still pooling down her cheeks. a light flicked on in arthur's mind.
"someone robbed you? which way did they go?" he quickly asked, poking his head out of the room to look towards the front door.
"i-i think down the trail, to the right.. i don't know, i ran after my husband when they got far enough.. that was their horse he shot though.." she said as she looked back over at her partner, her lip quivering slightly. arthur nodded and began to leave, pausing and looking over his shoulder at the woman again.
"i... i'll see if i can catch them for you, ma'am." he said before exiting the room and darting out of the house. john was just coming up the front porch as he burst through the door, catching each other off guard.
"marston," arthur mumbled, looking past him and towards the field.
"i didn't see much, but there's a little trail of blood headin' thataways." john gestured as he spoke, taking a step back down the stairs. "what did the lady say?"
"they was robbed, she thinks that her husband managed to shoot 'em too. that's probably their horse in the grass over there," arthur followed john down from the porch as he spoke, looking through the bushes as he walked past. john nodded before whistling for his horse.
john then showed arthur the small trickle of blood that lead through the field, veering toward the road. john opted to get on his horse while arthur stayed on the ground to better follow the trail. "what towns are near here?" john asked as he looked around, following a few paces behind arthur.
"i don't know. probably somethin' small. this is just headed into more forest though," arthur replied, pausing to look ahead of them. the dried out pastures with small thickets of bushes gave way to a dense forest, it seemed pitch black past the treeline. "if they were shot, they couldn't have made it far. come on," he continued forward, pushing aside some smaller plants that stood in the way. john hopped off his horse and trailed after, his hunting knife in his hand. the trail broke off for a little bit and arthur stopped to look around. the canopy of pine trees overhead made it hard to see and he had to kneel down to the ground to inspect the last bit of blood.
john stood behind him with a bored look. "well?" he asked as arthur stood back up, his head looking either way.
"i think they were headin' this way, can barely see sh*t. you should keep followin' the path through here and i'll head deeper in, see if this bastard was eaten by anythin' yet." arthur replied gruffly, turning his back to john as he started to walk away.
john scoffed before he started to saunter off. "since when are we searchin' after robbers?" he complained, waving his knife in the air. arthur gave a dismissive wave after him and turned his head back straight, scanning the area for any more signs as to where they went. a few feet ahead, he found another stain against a tree, it was still wet. arthur physically tensed as he went forward, keeping his right hand rested against his sidearm. the forest had grown quiet and each step was painfully loud, crunching against leaves and sticks. up ahead he could see an opening through the rows of trees and as he got closer he saw a small pond surrounded by rocks. arthur looked around the area one more time before stepping into the clearing, the sound of his breathing heavy in his ears. his eyes flickered to the small creek that trailed off from the pond, going down through the forest. he hopped down from a small ridge and looked over the rocks that were around the edges of the pond, and he saw another bloody splotch across the surface. he pulled his gun from his side as he rounded the last one, his aim locking onto the first shape he saw.
there was a person on the ground, partially slumped over the rocks. they wore a black duster coat and a hat, but most noticeably a bandana covering their face. 'here's our guy,' he chided to himself as he stepped closer, moving slow to avoid making noise. as he got closer, he noticed the large hole in the shoulder of the jacket, the area was soaked with blood. he looked to their face, only being able to see their eyes, but their skin seemed pale. arthur assumed they were already dead and he changed plans. he tucked his gun away and whistled for his horse. he stepped away from the pond and climbed back up the ridge, calling out for john next. his head snapped back as there was a sound from below, something skittering across the pebbles. arthur slid back down and found the person had moved an inch, their eyes half-open and glaring at him.
"good mornin'," he called out as he approached, watching as they tried to scoot away from him. "that's a nasty wound you got there." arthur got closer until they were right at his feet, laid on their back and panting quietly beneath the mask. "wanna tell me how you got it?" he asked, a bitter amusem*nt in his gravely tone. their eyes squinted up at him and they lifted a frail hand to their holster, fumbling blindly with it. arthur huffed and pushed away their arm with his foot with ease.
"leave me alone," they growled quietly, a slight waver to their voice. arthur's lips curled into a small smirk and he knelt down on the side they had been shot, he noticed they couldn't move that arm.
"i was just tryin'ta help you, but it's your funeral." he replied smoothly, looking over their shoulder again. they tensed under his gaze and shifted away from him. their eyes were dark and filled with wrath as they raked over his face. from behind arthur, there was a shuffle of movement. he glanced over his shoulder to see john sliding down into the creek, looking around before locking his eyes on the person.
"well, what've we got here?" john chuckled as he approached arthur's side, taking a drag from the cigarette dangling between his fingers. the person jumped as john spoke and they tried to move away again. they had managed to equip one of their guns while arthur looked away, but their grip on it was loose. they aimed it up for a moment before their arm fell down again, their fist tightening against the gun shakily. "what do you wanna do, arthur?" john asked, blowing smoke from his nose.
"well, we can take whatever they stole from that lady.. give her some kinda condolence, i dunno." he mumbled as he stood up. the gun fell from their grasp as they winced with pain, and their hand jolted towards the wound for a moment. their eyes were wildly flickering between the two men, and even though he couldn't see their face he knew they were full of fear. john hummed quietly and snuffed out the cigarette before replying.
"then just leave him here?" he asked, a conflicted expression on his face.
"did you want to bandage this fool up and string him along?" arthur asked back, looking over at john curiously. "he's dying," john stayed quiet, his eyebrows furrowing deeper as he stared at the person.
"i mean.. this guy ain't no different from us." john said with a sideways look at arthur, gesturing his hand to the person below. "pretty much like how dutch found us, took us in." arthur scoffed and looked back down at them. he didn't feel like wasting his supplies on some fool that was bound to die, but john's argument stuck with him. they got caught doing something arthur had done hundreds of times, only he was luckier. arthur shook his head and waved a hand, using the other to pull a cigarette from his pocket.
"whatever, do what you want to save him. he don't got much longer," he spoke around the cigarette pressed between his lips as he lit a match. john knelt down to the person and dug around in his bag for a moment. immediately the stranger attempted to move away from him, groaning and cursing with effort. john grabbed their uninjured shoulder and pulled them back down.
"do you wanna live?" he asked angrily as he stared down at them. "i'm tryin' to help you, don't make me regret it." they strained against him as he started to remove their jacket and they let out a high-pitched scream that spooked both men away. john threw his hands up as he backed away, his mouth slightly agape. arthur's eyebrows raised as he looked between john and the stranger.
"don't f*ckin' touch me!" they seethed, breathing deeply as they tried to regain some composure. they couldn't even sit up from the ground, just writhing on the pebble shore of the pond to get away from him. john scoffed and glared over at arthur for a moment before grabbing the person again.
"i'm not playing games with you," john said finally, irritation growing in his tone. he kept a strong grip on their shoulders and dragged them back towards the larger rocks, sitting their back against it. before arthur could get a word in, john ripped down the bandana on their face. the stranger lunged at him with a growl and he easily slipped away to take a few steps back. arthur and john both stared at the stranger, their expressions growing puzzled in sync. the stranger, no, the woman in front of them was spewing out curses, choking on her breath every other word. arthur continued to stare, almost dropping the cigarette from his lips, was this really the thief? there was no facial hair, nor scars or blemishes beside the hint of a sun burn. instead there was cheeks flushed with a hint of pink, and full lips of a brighter shade. now that he could focus more on the detail of her face, he noticed how young she was. she couldn't have been much older than her early 20s. she'd already become a criminal, but there was still a light in her eyes. arthur took a small step back as he watched her struggle, turning to look at john. he was staring at her, his lips still parted in shock. he met arthur's gaze after a moment, giving him a distressed look. "that's.. that's just some girl," he mumbled to arthur.
"i'll f*ckin' blow your heads off," she ranted, earning a sideways glance from both men as they leaned in to whisper to each other.
"looks a little young t'me," arthur mumbled, taking a drag from his cigarette as he assessed the situation a little more. the girl was clearly not some hardened, seasoned veteran as they had initially suspected. she was likely inexperienced and that that's what made her end up here. her reaction to john's actions was likely a sign of trauma, something the two of them had in spades. john looked back at her, pressing his lips in a thin line.
"listen," john said, softening his tone as he took a small step forward. "we ain't gonna hurt you, or take you in. just let me look at that nasty wound you got, alright?" the woman's feet skidded over the rocky ground as she tried to scoot away, her panic-stricken face staring back at john's. she shook her head furiously, looking around the ground for a minute as she felt her empty holster. john took another step closer and knelt down, placing a gentle hand on her wrist. "easy.. please let me help you," he said quietly, loosing the tension in his brow. the girl bared her teeth at him and jerked her hand from his.
"leave me alone, just let me die." she muttered. john sighed and looked to arthur, silently pleading for help.
"miss.. we can't just leave you to die, that'd weigh heavy on our minds." arthur said as he blew smoke to the side, tossing his cigarette away. "let us patch you up and you can be on your way," the girl was staring at him now and her eyes softened for a split second. the corner of her eyes pricked with tears and she quickly blinked them away before they could fall. she had stopped struggling, at least.
"let me... why don't you take off your jacket, but you don't gotta take your shirt off. just lemme see the wound," john said to her as he fixed his posture and sat beside her, gesturing toward arthur for his bag. she looked between them again, going through some type of internal struggle. john pulled some alcohol from the satchel after arthur handed it over and looked towards her, a small smile on his lips. after a minute, she begrudgingly started to take off the jacket. john tried to help her, but earned a nasty look and another insult. she shrugged the sleeve off and leaned back against the rock, breathing heavily through her nose. arthur could see that she was still reluctant to trust them and that wasn't surprising, but she seemed to be accepting their help. he took a few steps past john until he was standing right next to the woman's feet. he crouched down and looked over her shoulder to watch john's efforts. her entire shoulder was drenched in blood, her skin pale from blood loss.
john's hands seemed sure and confident as he poured some of the alcohol over the woman's wound. she flinched at the burning sensation and swore softly, but her eyes were still locked on his every movement. though john clearly knew what he was doing, arthur's eyes were still glued to the scene unfolding in front of him, watching him work with an intense curiosity. the woman was clearly in pain, her eyes screwing shut as tears ran down her cheeks. but she still didn't seem to be suffering as much now that her injury was being tended to.
"damn idiot," arthur muttered, keeping his voice barely above a whisper so as not to startle her. he turned his gaze towards her face briefly to get a better look at her as he leaned in slightly, his brow creasing intently. she opened her eyes and glared at him, her wet eyelashes sticking together. she gritted her teeth as he continued to treat her, but arthur could tell she was trying to remain still and not pull away from his touch. though it must have been hard for her to keep a steady expression, she wasn't even making a sound now. he let his eyes fall back to john's hands again, which were now cautiously cleaning the edges of the wound.
"there," john sighed, leaning back for a moment to look it over. "that should.. help.." he said, sounding a little unsure. her expression was still mostly blank, but a hint of relief had settled into it. arthur could still see her wince and struggle to keep from groaning in pain as she made some small, involuntary movements. her whole shoulder was stained dark red from her wound and even though john wasn't touching it anymore, arthur could tell it still hurt her terribly. "i think the bullet is still in ya," he said, looking to arthur again. arthur returned his look with a tightened expression.
"that's... not good," arthur said slowly, looking at her shoulder. her skin was cleaner, but the hole in her body was already beginning to seep out blood again. each time she moved, a small drop would trickle down. john reached up to wipe over her skin again, giving arthur a pressing look for an answer.
"do we dig it out with a knife?" john asked, it seemed his medical knowledge ended here.
"with a knife?" the woman and arthur barked out in unison, her eyes wide as she gawked at john. "you don't dig a damn knife into a gunshot wound, idiot!" she ranted at him, tensing up as pain coursed through her body from the sudden movements.
john's expression grew sour again and he jerked his head back to glare at her. "watch your mouth, at least we're trying to help you. petty f*ckin' criminal." she pressed her lips into a tight line and rolled her eyes, looking away from john.
"the option still stands... leave me here to die." she said quietly, a small hint of dread in her tone. arthur pulled his satchel around to his front and dug through it, looking through his supplies for something.
"we need tweezers, something small to dig it out." arthur told john, pulling out a small wrapping of gauze. john sighed, glancing toward his bag that had already been emptied of all its medical equipment. arthur gave up searching after a minute, dropping his satchel with an angry exhale.
"in my bags.. on my saddle," the woman grumbled, her head turned to the side. "there might be something in my bags," she repeated clearer. arthur felt a pang of worry as he looked at her face again. her skin was becoming deathly pale and he could tell she was struggling to keep her eyes open. arthur quickly stood to his feet, looking over the pond back towards the direction of the estate.
"on your horse?" he asked, looking down at her again. she nodded slowly, the corners of her lip tugging downward at the mention of her deceased steed. arthur stepped around her and climbed up the ridge again, looking at john before he left. "john, keep an eye on her. try to stop the bleedin', i'll be back with her things." john gave a small nod after him, his eyes trailing back to the woman. she watched arthur leave, the panic in her expression growing for a moment as she turned to look back at john. he averted his gaze from her face, instead grabbing a piece of gauze and lifting it to her shoulder.
he sat through another moment of silence, listening to her labored breathing before speaking again. "i'm john, if you didn't hear it from him yet. and he's arthur," the dark haired man said gently, meeting the girls gaze. her lidded eyes were intently focused on his face, tracing over a bruise across his cheek. she nodded slowly in response, john sensed that she wasn't going to give him any kind of answers yet. he continued to soak up more blood with the fabric, being as gentle as he could. "... i'm sorry about your horse, miss." he spoke again, trying to convey a sincere look to her. she was refusing to look his way now, her head turned to the side as tears started to slip down her face. john visibly cringed, inwardly beating himself for making the girl cry again. "it's one of the worst things that can happen.. i'd rather be shot up than let it happen to mine," john said soothingly, his hand hovering over the wound as he finished. she let out a small noise, a muffled sob, before silencing herself again as she tried to regain her composure.
"...thank you." she mumbled to him, lifting her uninjured hand to wipe her face. she still refused to meet john's gaze as she stared to the side where arthur had walked away. john stayed quiet after that, unsure of how to continue the conversation without agitating her further. his mind was racing with questions; what was her name, why was she so angry, and why is she robbing homes? he studied her side profile as he watched her eyes flutter, she was struggling to stay awake. quickly, he needed to get her talking again until arthur made it back.
"so.. where are you from?" john asked anxiously, watching her eyes flick over to him for a second. she looked forward again, seeming to ignore his words. "you don't wanna talk about yourself?" he asked again with a small chuckle. the corner of her lip quirked up, but she quickly regained her stoic expression. john smiled to himself and leaned back on his palms. "fine, i get it. well..." john's sentence trailed off as he sighed again, idly looking around the forest as he tried to think of a conversation topic. "me and arthur, we're tryna help you best we can. but, that home you robbed.." immediately she tensed up and her head snapped to face him, an unreadable expression across her face. "we won't turn you in, i'm sure arthur is gonna tell that lady you got away or somethin'...but, did you get any money?" he gave her a curious glance, watching her expression falter. she blinked her eyes a couple times before replying, obviously hesitant.
"i got some," she said in a small voice. "but not enough to make this whole night worth it." john silently nodded at her, lifting his head towards the sound of movement behind them. arthur was just sliding down into the creek bed again, his eyes looking between john and the woman.
"found yer things, miss." arthur called out as he approached, carrying a lantern in his hand. her eyes widened momentarily as she watched arthur step closer, but she was becoming more bleary as time went on. arthur sat on her other side across from john and set a pair of tweezers and another bundle of bandages beside her leg. he then set the lantern on the rocks above her, casting a little bit of light over the three. "once we dig that bullet out we gotta patch you up," he said, glancing towards the girl from under the brim of his hat. her expression tightened and she started to shake her head, looking like a scared child. "i know, it's gonna hurt like hell. but unless you wanna live," arthur spoke again, giving her a gentle look. she drew her lip between her teeth as she turned her head to look away from both men. she screwed her eyes shut again as a tear slipped down, breathing heavily through her nose. "john, hold 'er shoulder while i dig that nasty thing out." arthur commanded in a quiet tone to john and they stood to switch sides. john now knelt on her uninjured side and was speaking to her in a soft tone, trying to get her to meet his eyes. arthur drew his attention back to the wound as he got a closer look at it. it looked better now that the area wasn't caked with blood, but it was sickening to say the least. he asked her to move some more of her clothing to which she reluctantly listened, only pulling her arm out of the shirt sleeve. he grabbed the pair of long tweezers and was ready to dive in, but he paused for a minute as he seemed to come up with an idea. "give her somethin' to drink. don't let her sit through the pain sober," he said, gesturing toward his satchel on the ground. john pulled it closer and dug through it for a moment, revealing a small dark brown bottle of whiskey.
she mumbled something incoherent as john popped off the lid and brought it too her lips. she refused for a moment, before john pinched her nose with his fingers and forced her. she sputtered as the liquid burned down her throat, and then she took a couple more willing sips. "alright, there you go." john chuckled, putting the bottle away once she seemed satisfied. "now you just grab my hand or curse me out, whatever you wanna do. but youneedto stay still," john said calmly, holding his open palm over her lap. she glanced down, refusing his offer as she turned her head to look away from the wound. she shut her eyes again and let out a wheezy breath as arthur steadied his hand against her, leaning in closer. john gently pressed his arm over her legs and placed his other hand on her uninjured arm, bracing her as arthur brought the tweezers closer. john continued talking to her in a quiet tone that arthur drowned out as he focused on the task at hand. he pulled the wound open more trying to get a better look in the wavering light from the lantern. without warning, he stuck the tweezers into the wound, careful to avoid stabbing her. she let out a choked noise and tensed while john tried to keep a solid hold on her, mumbling rushed apologies. arthur ignored the two and continued to pry deeper into the gunshot wound, finally coming into contact with something solid. the tweezers were so deep they almost disappeared beneath her skin and he struggled for a few moments to get a solid grasp on the bullet. she was crying, whining, moaning, making all sorts of pained sounds as arthur worked. in his gut he felt terrible for causing the girl more pain, but she wouldn't live if he didn't go through with this. john had the same twisted expression across his face as he watched arthur. the girl turned her head slightly to look and john placed a gentle hand on her jaw, turning her head back his way. "no, no. don't look, just focus on me. just think about– uh," he stammered as she let out a loud sob in response to arthur trying to dislodge the bullet.
"think about your horse, how much you loved riding around with her." arthur filled in the blank, fidgeting with the tweezers as he attempted to pull the bullet out again. she let out another whine and pressed her cheek flat against the rock, her tear filled eyes wavering as she tried to focus on john.
"yeah. she were a pretty color, you must've cared for her so much." john went on, giving her arm a comforting squeeze. she nodded shakily, neither of the boys could tell if talking to her was helping at all. arthur finally got a solid grip and yanked the bullet out of her body, she let out a piercing howl of pain. john held her still as she thrashed, spitting curses as she strained against him. arthur gave the bullet a curious look before tossing it away and setting the tweezers down. he made quicker work of wrapping her up in gauze, filling the wound as well. arthur's head was filled with john's mumbled attempts at comforting the girl and he internally cringed at his friend, but knew that he wouldn't be able to do much better. he finished up and leaned away from her as john inspected the wound.
"see, you did it! you're okay," john said proudly, rubbing her arm up and down as he checked arthur's work. arthur stood from the ground and headed over to the pond to wash his hands. he watched the girl over his shoulder, she could barely keep her eyes open as she tried to look at the bandages with john's encouragement. blood had already began to seep through the fabric, but at least the bullet was out. john lifted one of his hands and applied a bit of pressure to the wound, and she jerked to life with a yelp. she tried to tiredly push him away, which he ignored. arthur returned and stood at her feet, watching her face twist with pain.
"we gotta move her, should we take her to camp?" arthur asked, and her eyebrows jumped up as she blearily blinked up at him. john glanced his way, thinking it over for a moment.
"ah.. i guess that's our best option. what do we do about that lady?" john asked as he stood to his feet, brushing his hands off on his pant leg. arthur gave a dismissive wave and started to gather this things back into his satchel, john doing the same.
"i gave her some money, told her that we couldn't find the person. whatever, she's too distraught to really think about it now. but you shouldn't come 'round here for awhile, missy." arthur said as his gaze fell back on the woman. she was on the borderline of passing out, her eyes falling shut every few moments and she'd jump back to life when once of them made a noise. her head tipped to the side as she listened to arthur speak, her eyelids drooping shut again. john tried to muffle his laughter as he watched her, sharing a look with arthur.
"alright. who's horse you wanna put her on?"
⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂
you came to as your body was rocked side to side, your vision filled with dark spots and completely unfocused as you tried to look around. you didn't realize you were leaning back until your shoulders met with something solid and a hand landed on your forearm. "easy now," a deep voice said from behind you, pushing you forward a little to sit straighter. immediately, the feeling of dread filled your veins and your eyes widened. you turned and looked over your shoulder, feeling your heartbeat start to race as you were face-to-face with a scruffy, dark haired man. the corner of his lips curled up into a smile as he started to speak, but you were already trying to jump away from him. he cursed and let go of the reins to his horse as he held onto you, stopping you from falling right into the dirt. his horse let out an agitated noise as you struggled in his grasp, spitting every threat you knew at him. he gave you a tight-lipped look and steadied you back on the saddle, keeping one hand on your hip. "hey, don't go doing all that. you wanna end up in the dirt? just sit down," the man asked gruffly, flicking his reins as he continued forward. your shoulder began to throb with pain and you let out a whine as you curled inward, the pain seizing through you. the man noticed your struggle and furrowed his eyebrows. "you alright?" he asked in a softer voice.
"get the f*ck away from me," you managed to say between gritted teeth. his frustrated expression quickly returned upon hearing your tone and his eyes looked back to the trail ahead.
"this again? i think i like you better when you're passed out." he drawled tiredly, shaking his head side to side slowly. you looked around ahead of you. you were on the man's horse riding through some prairie, the ground sloping up and down with vast grassy hills. the sky was painted dark blue with streaks of a lighter purple as the sun began to rise from the horizon in the far distance. you looked over your shoulder again past the man to see that there was another one riding his horse as well. your stomach sank lower as adrenaline coursed through your body. you started to move again, trying to get away from the men. the one behind you in the saddle tightened his grip on you and sucked his teeth in annoyance.
"didn't i tell you to sit still? stubborn woman," he tsk-ed as you slapped his hand away. your stomach dropped again once you realized his words, sh*t your bandana! your head turned each way frantically as you looked around, trailing down to look at your own body. your shoulder was caked in dried blood, you were only in your dark blue shirt and riding pants now. but another look behind you confirmed that your jacket was slung over the back of the saddle. you felt around your neck for your mask, gripping the fabric tightly as you glared at the man behind you.
"what did you do to me?" you seethed. the man met your gaze, looking unimpressed.
"that's a real grateful tone you got there, considering' we saved your life." he replied bitterly, looking over at the man riding behind you "we found your poor ass bleedin' out in the forest, after you so miserably failed to rob a old couple's house." he chuckled, finding humor in your struggles. you shook your head as you looked forward again, your head bobbing with each step the horse took.
"no, that's.." you started to argue, racking your mind for any memories as to what happened. everything you could recall was vague, only seeing flashes of some of the things that happened. you.. were shot, that much was true based on the pain coming from your bandaged shoulder. you could almost recall the events from earlier, you remember walking through a house. then it all started coming back to you faster than you'd like. you were being shot at, and your horse becca ended up taking some of it. "no!we have to go back–" you turned to stare at the man, reaching for the reins in his hand. he quickly jerked his fist away from you, giving you a stern glare.
"hey!don't go doing that," he spat, his eyes narrowing.
"my horse, she was shot, we have to-" you stuttered, your heartbeat thrumming painfully hard in your chest and choking up your words. the man let out a long sigh and you felt his warm breath brush over your neck.
"miss, i'm sorry but.. she was already dead by the time we arrived, and you were in the same state." he replied grimly, avoiding your intense gaze as he looked at the man behind you again. seeming to share an unspoken thought, the other man edged his horse forward and rode up to the side of you. his gaze trailed over your body for a moment before landing on your face, his eyebrows tightened together.
"hello," he greeted you quietly. he had darkish, blonde hair beneath his black hat, and a shadow of stubble covering his jaw. he started tensing up as he watched your expression grow more agitated.
"where the hell are you guys taking me?" you barked, looking between them wildly. they shared an uncertain gaze with each other before the dark haired one spoke up again.
"first off, you're safe–"
"i saidwhere are you taking me!?" you cut him off, elbowing him in the stomach as you tried to slip out of the saddle again. the blonde man caught you by the arm before you fell over, hoisting you back up. the one in the saddle with you let out a curse and you flinched away as you prepared to be slapped across the face. but it never came, instead, he continued giving you an angry stare.
"girl, i am gettingrealtired of you. i'll put you on arthur's horse, and itwon'tbe on the saddle." he threatened as he flicked his reins, prompting his horse to pick up the pace. the other man let out a tired sigh and looked forward.
"we're bringing you to our camp so you can rest. you got a real bad gunshot in your shoulder, i took out the bullet but... you ain't gonna be doing a lot of moving for awhile." the blonde man told you carefully, his soft blue eyes trailing over your wound as he spoke. you would've been completely taken away by his looks if it weren't for the panic filling your brain. "you uh.. passed out, after the bullet was removed. but our camp is just around the corner," he said with a nod, gesturing his hand ahead. you glanced at the man sitting behind you, watching his annoyed expression for a moment before replying.
"who are you? i don't want to go to yer f*ckin' camp," you grunted, holding onto the saddle for some support as you rode forward. the man behind you let out an amused huff.
"i'm arthur," the blue-eyed one said, gesturing to himself then to the man riding with you. "and that's john. we're just some folk, not good but–not entirely bad."
"we're real similar to you, miss." the dark hair one, named john, drawled in a tone that made your hair stand. "robbin' and shootin' people, except we ain'tdumb enoughto get shot."
"marston," the other one, arthur, warned in a deep tone, giving him a glare from the brim of his hat. you stared at either of them, instead of being comforted you grew more anxious. you were found by other outlaws? great! your mind started to fill with thoughts about what bad things were to come now that you were in these men's hands. seeming to sense your fear, arthur spoke again. "miss, just let us take you to our camp. there's other people who can look at your wound and help you out, then you can leave once your healed up a bit." he watched your face intently as he spoke, announcing each of his words carefully as if talking to a child. you just continued to blink at him, your brows furrowed downward as your eyes clouded over with darkness. it was obvious you didn't trust them and he wanted to know what was going through your mind, or what lead you to be so defensive and aggressive.
"what did you do with my guns?" you asked next, looking over the saddle bags on the horses. arthur reached a hand behind him and patted your bag that had been tied together with the rest of their things.
"all your stuff is right here, i even got the things off yer horse. don't take offense that we didn't give you your guns, for our safety an' all." arthur mumbled, his eyes looking back to the path ahead. the sun had crept past the horizon and was casting bright rays across the land, sending away the last of the night sky. you turned to look as well, watching the gradient of colors pass above you. behind all the fury in your system, you were physically and mentally exhausted. you so badly wanted to be back on your own, riding becca instead of this guys horse. you stayed silent the rest of the ride, as did the two men with you. they kept sneaking glances at each other over your head, having a silent discussion with their eyes.
at the top of the hill ahead, a man stepped out from the tree line. his gaze swept over the land before landing on the three of you, his gun hoisted in the air. "that you, morgan?" he called out.
"yup, we got someone who needs help." arthur called back, glancing at you when you tensed up.
"how many people are in your camp?" you asked john quietly, tilting your face to the side. john caught your eye before looking back up to the man guarding the hill.
"counting us two, about five. and now six, if you'll stick around." john replied with a smirk. "dutch will be so pleased we finally brought a lady home, arthur." he joked, earning a scowl from you.
"i'll gut you like a pig when i get the chance." you spat to him as you turned around in the saddle to watch the man on the hill walk away, your anxiety growing with each step closer. john and arthur chuckled quietly at your reply.
"i don't doubt that..." john mumbled, scratching his stubble with a hand as he lead his horse up the hill. arthur took the lead as you got closer, calling out someone's name as the camp came into view. it was small, with a single wagon stationed to the side. there were five tents laid out, all with their own small set up accompanying them. you grew more panicked as you saw other people come out, all of them staring right at you. the first to speak up was a tall man, suited in a black vest and pants.
"boys! what did–" his words cut off as he looked down at you, his eyes locking onto your bloodied shoulder. "what happened here?" he approached as they lead the horses into the camp and arthur hopped off to hitch his on a post. john pulled his to the side and did the same, leaving you on the saddle for a moment. your eyes flickered between him and the new man approaching you, a puzzled expression on his face. you got the immediate impression he was the leader...
"found a girl, dutch. she was shot in the shoulder, it's bad but.. she should live." arthur replied and stepped up to the man's side. you presumed him to be 'dutch', as arthur had called him. he was staring at you curiously, a hand raised up and stroking his chin.
"i see.. ms. grimshaw! come help this poor girl," he barked out and turned back to look around camp. john looked up to you, holding his arms out. you scoffed at him and tried to get off on your own, stumbling as your feet hit the ground. john placed a light hand on your back to steady you before you tipped over, ignoring your mean looks. arthur gestured for you to follow as he went after dutch, taking a few quick steps ahead as he mumbled something to him. you kept your eyes locked on their lips, trying to decipher what they said as john lead you on. he sat you down by the small fire pit in the center of camp before following after dutch, the three men standing in a huddle by one of the tents. you were too focused to realize that another stranger had come up to you. you were a little relieved to see a woman this time, but the weathered look on her face made you feel otherwise.
"you been shot?" she asked, looking you over. you nodded quietly, looking back at the men as they stopped into one of the tents and their conversation grew quieter. while you didn't like the company of john or arthur, they were the only familiar faces here and you wished one of them would come back out. "come now, let me get a better look at this." she grabbed your uninjured shoulder and you quickly smacked her hand away. she scoffed at you, reeling back slightly as she leveled you with a mean gaze equal to your own. "i have no problem lettin' you fester and get an infection, i don't got a soft soft for pretty ladies like those fools." she said bitterly as she took a step back from you. you rolled your eyes and started to stand, holding onto your limp arm as you started to follow her to another tent. you took a final look toward where the boys had gone before you followed the woman into her own. she pulled back the flaps for you and told you to sit on the cot that was placed to the side. you followed her orders, your mind too busy racing with nervous thoughts to argue with her anymore. you listened as she told you to take off your shirt so she could examine the wound, and you sat still as she peeled back the bandages. she sucked in a breath through her teeth and removed the dirtied ones as she moved to grab more. "mr. morgan was right, this is real bad. but, seems they knew what they were doin'.." she said to you idly as she started to clean up the wound, being way more gentle than the boys had been. you continued to sit in silence and stare at the tarp, watching the shadows dance across its surface from outside. when she was finished, she pulled over a needle and thread and your eyes snapped at her. she froze and looked down at her hand. you sucked your teeth and turned away again, letting her continue to work. you bit down hard on your lip as he sutured your shoulder up. you blocked out the pain, staring a hole into the side of the tent as you clouded your mind with your thoughts. the events from earlier continued to play on repeat in your brain. you hadn't realized you were left alone until you looked around, that lady had even closed the tent flaps when she left. you eased back into the cot after fixing your shirt, leaning against the crates behind it with a drawn out groan. now that you were finally alone, you weren't sure what to do. a voice in your head was screaming for you to run away now while they were all busy, but you ignored it. you felt glued in place, limbs too heavy to move, your brain too fried to think of anything coherent. you perked up at the sound of footsteps approaching the tent and you braced for whoever was coming. dutch pulled back the tent flaps and leaned in, his eyes locking on you.
"well hello, the boys filled me in on what happened. let me start by saying i'm sorry about–"
"who are you people?" you interrupted, malice finding its way back into your tone as you quickly scooted upright in the bed. his kind expression didn't falter as you lashed out and he took in a deep breath before speaking.
"i'm dutch van der linde, and these people are apart of my family. i strongly believe in helping those in need and i've taught that to my boys, you're lucky they found you when they did." dutch said assuredly, raising one of his hands as he took a seat across from you on a chair. "you don't gotta give me your life story or anythin' like that, but could i at least get your name?" he asked gently, giving you a confident smile. everything about him set off your internal alarms, he was too confident and co*cky. he stood too tall and carried himself like he was of great importance.
"i ain't tellin' you nothing." you replied bitterly, turning your face away from him as you looked back out at the camp. you caught a glimpse of arthur and john pass by, they were heading back to the horses.
"miss, we ain't gonna do nothing bad to you. we're just trying to help you, so let us. john said you put up a big fight when they found you, talked meaner than anyone he ever knew. you've been through a lot, i can tell." he hovered his hand over your knee and almost placed it if you hadn't given him a glare. "just, tell me your name. that's all i need to know," he said with a small sigh, giving you a half-smile as he waited for an answer.
you stared back at him, unbelieving of the situation you got yourself into. you knew you couldn't run, you'd hit the ground before you made any distance. better yet, these three men would surely stop you and sit you back down. so.. you reluctantly met dutch's gaze again.
"you can call me (fake name)," you responded dryly. dutch smiled again and held out his hand towards you.
"(f/n)," he repeated, coming off his tongue smoothly. "is that your real name?" he began to ask, before shaking his head with a short laugh. "never mind, that don't matter. thank you for telling me." you shook his hand briskly before pulling yours away and settling it in your lap, staring at the sides of the tent. dutch stood from his seat and adjusted his vest as he followed your gaze. "(f/n), i'll let you rest here. this tent will be yours for the time bein', so try to close your eyes for a little. i'll send one of the boys to come check on you again," before you could argue, he swept out of the tent quickly as he came and disappeared. you stared after him, trying to look around camp from where you sat. you were exhausted, but you didn't trust yourself or anyone around you to sleep. you could hear a vague conversation from outside, too quiet to make out anything, but you knew whoever it was was talking about you. everything about the situation made you deeply uncomfortable. you were in a camp full of men and you were sure that lady wouldn't do much to help you either, she seemed just as displeased as you. you rested against the crates behind you as you slunk down in the cot, carefully avoiding any movement to your shoulder. finally being somewhere that was half-cozy, your body started to ache and crave sleep again. you propped yourself up and kept your eyes trained on the entrance to the tent, blinking slowly as you tried to stay alert. it became warmer inside as the sun had risen up in the sky, and you could hear birds chirping somewhere in the distance. a yawn escaped you before you could stop it and it only made you feel more sleepy. you shook your head and sat up further, widening your eyes to fight off the exhaustion. someone cleared their voice from outside as they approached, startling you.
"knock knock," arthur called out, pushing aside the flaps of the tent after a moment. his eyes met yours briefly before he looked down at your shoulder, a small frown on his face. "how's your uh.. shoulder feelin'?" he asked, speaking quietly as not to scare you further. you watched as he stepped into the tent and stood across from you, leaving plenty of space even though he had to back up completely against the wall.
"hurts like hell," you replied in a sour tone, looking him up and down intently. he seemed to stiffen under your gaze, his eyes looking anywhere but you.
"yeah.. it's bad but," arthur paused and scratched his cheek. "you should be back to kickin' and fightin' in a couple weeks." he sounded a little apologetic as he spoke to you, glancing your way for a second.
"i don't have a couple weeks." you replied angrily. "you did more than enough for me and i'll be leavin' now." you pushed yourself up from the cot and landed your feet on the ground. arthur perked up and watched you, his eyebrows slightly raised.
"now, i don't think that you should do all that." he started, standing straighter as he held his hands out in front of him. "please just rest for a day, i ain't gonna force you to but," he smacked his lips frustratedly as he watched you start to leave the tent. before you could pull the flaps back, he gently grabbed your wrist. he held you for a second, just to stop you, before letting go again. "just listen." arthur said again with more urgency. you stared back at him threateningly. even though he was much taller than you, you stood straight in his face and scowled.
"i don't know you, or any of these goddamned fools here in this camp. thanks for what you did, but iwillbe leaving now." you repeated again, more maliciously. arthur returned your glare with an angered look of his own, it seemed that he could match your stubbornness easily.
"well–just get to know us, i didn't stop and help you just so you'd owe me one." he said, the irritation in his voice becoming more apparent. "you don't even have a horse to leave on, so, so... just let me help you out!" he slapped his hands back down to his sides as he settled with a tense sigh. you opened your mouth to argue again, but couldn't find the words. you kept forgetting about what happened to becca, and it hurt more each time you were reminded again. even arthur seemed guilty about bringing it up. he let out another groan and rubbed his hand down his face as he mumbled to himself before speaking up to you again. "look, i'll bring you your guns–if you promise not to shoot us all up right away, but just so you can feel a lil calmer. i know we're just a bunch of strangers who don't look very welcomin' but..." arthur paused again as he tried to gather his thoughts, he was struggling to say the right words that wouldn't agitate you further. "just try to trust me. or john, he's the one who wanted to save you in the first place." he gestured outside of the tent. "and dutch, you can trust him.. you can trust all of here, is what i'm tryin'ta say," he finished quickly, sighing again. your eyebrow quirked down, why was he the one getting all anxious now? you continued to stare at him as you thought over what he said, he had his head tipped down to where his hat hid his eyes from you. he started to speak up again and you quickly cut him off, not wanting to listen to him ramble any longer.
"f*ck, fine. i'll stay. for one night," you pointed a finger at him for emphasis as you sized him up again. "if anything happens i don't like, i'm shootin' you first." arthur looked up from the ground and met your gaze, a small smirk on his lips. he nodded and took a step back from you with his hands raised.
"i wouldn't expect anythin' less from you.. but, can i ask one more thing, then i'll leave you alone?" arthur said again as he moved towards the exit of the tent, turning to look at you over his shoulder. you nodded for him to continue, watching as he looked down and up again. "what's your uh... your name? if you feel like sharin' it.." he said the second half quietly.
you would have found his mannerisms cute if you weren't so threatened by the guy. "it's (y/n).." you responded slowly, catching the way his blue eyes lit up for a second.
arthur nodded once more before leaving with a mumbled goodbye your way. you sat back down on the cot afterwards, staring down at your feet for a moment. then you scooted up onto it properly and laid down for the first time in awhile. you tried to remember the last time you slept on a bed, and not piled up blankets on the ground. it was a nice change that gave relief to your lower back and aching shoulder. you were asleep before you could think anymore, as soon as you shut your eyes you fell unconscious. you even stayed dead asleep when arthur came to check on you a second time, a bowl of soup and bread in his hands. he looked you over for a moment and set the food on the bedside table before leaving. as he crossed through camp again, john waved him over. he was sitting on his weapons chest, taking drags from his cigarette as arthur approached.
"well? did she wanna eat you or the food?" john quipped as arthur stood beside him, pulling his box of smokes from his pocket.
"she's asleep, finally," he replied with a sigh as he sparked a match against the heel of his boot, holding it to the cigarette between his teeth. john nodded and glanced towards the tent you were in.
"you think she'll try and sneak off when she wakes up?" john asked around a mouthful of smoke, glancing up at arthur from under his hat. arthur drew in a breath and blew out a cloud, watching your tent as well.
"probably. you gonna guard tonight then?" arthur said, glancing down at john with a raised eyebrow. john's lips curled into a smirk and he nodded again, taking a couple more hits before putting out his cigarette. he stood up and gave arthur a goodbye as he crossed camp, ducking into dutch's tent. arthur leaned back against the wooden post that helped to hold up john's tent, his eyes watching the tent where he left you. it was mid-morning now, and the world didn't stop spinning just cause someone got hurt. dutch would be back to bossing him around, and he just hoped that you'd still be there when he came back from his chores.
