Ella Matthews - A RDR2 Fanfiction

Chapter Seven: Broken Hearts and Broken Hopes

Three days later and Mary-Beth is a little on edge; Kieran hasn't been seen in the past few days. I can't blame her. They're very obviously in love. It's very sweet. The rest of the girls and I tease her about it. But now he's vanished... I can't bring myself to.

Dutch is planning a robbery. Apparently he was tipped of about a trolley station by Angelo Bronte. By the looks and sounds of things, he's discussing it with Arthur. I'm alerted to someone entering camp by the sound of hooves. Maybe it's Kieran.

I look up.

It is Kieran.

What. The. Hell?!

Mary-Beth screams. "It's Kieran!"

He holds his head in his hands. Literally.

His eyes are gouged out.

His neck is a bloodied stump and his hair is matted with blood.

Bullets whizz past my head.

O'Driscolls.

I quickly grab my cattleman revolver and shoot at the O'Driscolls in the tree line.

I dive into cover beside Abigail and Jack.

"Pa!" Jack calls, and runs towards John. Right into the thick of things. Before I can stop him.

John scoops up the four-year-old and runs back to us, Jack in his arms. My heart melts.

I don't have time for that, though.

O'Driscolls are everywhere.

*

I look up at Javier, my eyes communicating what my mouth will not.

I'm scared. They know where we are. I don't know what to do.

He hugs me, saying nothing. He doesn't know what to do either. I don't think anybody knows what to do, apart from Dutch. He wants to rob the trolley station, get money, and leave. Tahiti, he said. Fiji. Australia. Anywhere that's a tropical paradise.

Anywhere that's not here.

Anywhere that has no civilisation.

I don't think there are many places like that any more.

And those places that don't have civilisation...

They will soon.

I don't know...

Is this over?

Will we have to change, if we don't all die first?

Don't be a fool, Ella. We lost Sean. Nobody else has been in the gang that long. Kieran, Davey, Mac, Jenny. They weren't in the gang that long.

I just-

I don't know any more.

What Dad said...

I-

No. Loyalty.

Loyalty to everything I've ever known. I need to stick this out.

Why should I leave because I thought things were bad? They've seemed worse. And they got better.

*

The trolley station went awfully. It was a set up. Dutch is furious. He wants to kill Bronte.

So that's what he's just gone to do.

He took Arthur, Bill, Lenny and John.

And they are going to murder Angelo Bronte.