Fire and Water: a Red Dead story

22

They pushed back out west, towards another mountainous region that Dutch said was called West Elizabeth. The O'Driscolls must have been left behind them in the snow-capped Appalachia because they were able to score jobs along the way free of any interference. 

They had expanded more during the trek to Colorado, Dutch having fallen into his savior of the downtrodden mindset, and adding more mouths to the gang. Almost nobody was turned away, and the gang added a drunk addicted reverand, he saved my life Arthur, Dutch would say to Arthur's complaints about the man I owe him that, a Mexican bandit revolutionary, Javier Escuella, and three more women, to Susan Grimshaw's joy, and their extreme displeasure. Tilly Jackson, a young girl really, that Dutch had found out on the streets and had taken back to camp, his propensity for taking in street orphans hadn't dampened over the years apparently, and he had taught her how to defend herself, and Hosea had taken it upon himself to teach the girl how to read.

If I can teach John Marston,  he told her one time, after she told him that it was no use teaching her, I reckon I can teach you, my dear. 

Dutch had also brought back Mary-Beth Gaskill, a young woman who dabbled in pick-pocketing. He had saved her from some men that were chasing her and just brought her back to camp and she had stayed, the chances of her survival in a gang much better than alone in the world. 

The last, Dutch hadn't brought back which was surprising to the whole camp, but rather, Uncle. Uncle rarely did anything, except for the rare odd job, and those were usually easy and low risk. His days of stealing and killing were over, and he would have been cut loose long ago if Dutch didn't find him so damn entertaining. He came back from some mining town as they were crossing Appalachia, Abigail Roberts clutching his waist, telling Dutch about a deal she had agreed to with him. Food and board in exchange for pleasure for the whole camp.

Abigail Roberts had fought for survival her whole life, and the thought of not having to scrounge out food and board for once in her life was a promising one, and she shook the man's hand fast.

They had found an abandoned settlement, broken down houses serving as shelter as winter broke over them. Winter was always a bitter affair, lasting a long time, and in the years past, money from past jobs was enough to pull them through the bitter pinch, but with the increasing amount of people that seemed to show up every month now, Dutch sent people out into the cold to hunt, to steal, anything to get them through the bitter cold.

Arthur was out with Javier on a hunting expedition. He didn't really expect anything more than small starved animals, but he figured grisly lean meat was better than starving and he stared into the white horizon, squinting against the snow that fluttered into his eyes. He glanced over at Javier. The man was tucked into himself, one hand poking out from the blanket he had wrapped around himself to guide his horse through snowbanks. 

Javier had only been with them for a few months, barely three, and Arthur still only knew that he was from Mexico and that Dutch had found him somewhere between Appalachia and West Elizabeth. He extended his right leg out, kicking it out from the stirrup, letting the blood move and rush before his leg froze up. 

"Hate the cold." Javier said miserably, and Arthur glanced over at him, from where he was staring at the ground trying to decipher the tracks. "Not built for it."

Arthur shrugged, "Reckon so, if you come from Mexico."

Javier glanced over at him, homesickness rushing to his eyes. "It's warm there." he said simply. 

Javier was young, and Arthur was pretty sure he was about the same age as John. "Why'd ya leave then?"

Javier shifted, as if this wasn't something he wanted to talk about. "Didn't want to amigo, but there's a big price on my head down there." He left it at that, as if that explained his fleeing to the States, and Arthur left it alone, choosing to point out some recent tracks from a snow rabbit and the two of them followed after it, hoping to bring back something for an irritated Pearson.