The two women galloped back into shady bell, riding the horses over the bridge and stopping by the fountain. Immediately Sadie ran over with Reverend close behind her.
"What's wrong? What's happened?" Sadie flooded them with questions. The two of them dismounted, Abigail's hands placed on either side of her face as she began to panic.
"Hosea...John..." Abigail started, stuttering. Sadie frowned, growing more concerned.
"Hosea got shot getting us out of there. The Pinkertons and lawmen were waiting," Grace explained, speaking fast. Reverend's hands clenched by his sides as he grew angry.
"Okay. What we need to do is get out of here," Sadie announced. She turned to Reverend, pointing at him. "Find everyone and get them packing, we need to get out of here now!" Sadie ordered. Reverend nodded, muttering cusses under his breath as he ran towards the house. "Abigail, Jack is upstairs playing with Karen and Cain. Go get him and get him ready," Sadie informed. Abigail nodded before running off without a word. Grace shook her head in shock.
"We had to leave him... he told us to," Grace began, shock taking over her. "I tried to help him but he refused. It should've been me," Grace muttered. Sadie shook her head at her.
"Look, Grace. Hosea will be okay, they'll question him. They don't have full proof it was him who did it. Right now, I need your help on getting us out of here. Can you do that?" Sadie questioned. Grace nodded at her which Sadie placed a hand on her shoulder, thanking her. "Thank you. Can you get those horses and attach them to Pearson's Wagon?" Sadie asked, looking at the horses Abigail and Grace rode in on. Grace nodded and without a word she went back to the horses, grabbing their reins and leading them towards his wagon.
-
Night took over Shady Bell, the men still hadn't returned. Sadie sighed before standing up on the log by what was left of the campfire.
"We need to leave, now. They will catch up," Sadie informed. Everyone nodded, Abigail leading Jack towards one of the wagon's. Grace frowned as she heard hooves rushing towards the camp. She held her revolver by her side, squinting in the dark.
"Hey! Anyone here?" Charles' voice was heard. Grace smiled with relief.
"Charles! You're back!" Grace called out, welcoming him. He waved to her before riding his horse into the camp.
"We need to go, Pinkertons will be here any second. Good to see you are all ready," Charles grinned, looking up at Sadie who was sitting in the driver's seat of one wagon. Sadie nodded, looking back at the rest of the wagons, checking everyone had loaded in. Everyone had and she ordered the horses to ride out of Shady Bell. As Sadie led the wagons out of camp, Grace jumped up onto her horse. "I know a place called Lakay, it's not far from here. It'll do until we figure things out," Charles informed. Sadie nodded down at him.
"Lead the way," She insisted. Charles rode ahead as the remaining gang followed him. Grace trailed close behind him, not even wanting to know what happened in Saint Denis but really wanted to ask. She was afraid they all got killed except for Charles but deep down she knew that wasn't the case. Charles would've been killed too, no one would have been left alive. The gang travelled in the dark, staying far away from Saint Denis as possible and sticking to the more quiet roads. They travelled for a while, through the bush land and into the swamps before Charles stopped, holding a hand up to signal everyone to stop. Grace frowned, riding up beside him. She knew what had caught his attention. Up ahead in Lakay there were lights and a campfire. This place was alive.
"Shit," Grace muttered. Charles sighed before looking down at Sadie who had joined them on foot.
"Guess we get them out," Sadie sighed. Charles hesitated before nodding in agreement, they had no where else to go. "Reverend, Susan, make sure everyone stays down," Sadie called back out. Charles and Grace dismounted, Grace grabbed her litch field repeated from off of her saddle. The three of them walked into the small swampy area where the buildings were slowly deteriorating.
"Hey! Who are you?" A voice shouted to them. Grace caught direction of the voice, spotting the man by the entrance of Lakay. Grace strolled up confidently before bringing up the butt of her repeater and smacking him unconscious. She grabbed his unconscious body and pulled him to his feet. She slung her repeater over her shoulder and held her revolver to his head, dragging him forward.
"Good idea," Charles complimented as the group continued in. The three of them stopped once they stood in the centre of the area, a larger building stood in front of them. "Come out, now! We mean no harm!"
Grace could hear feet shuffling from inside and murmurs of voices. Grace felt relief when the door opened. Her relief disappeared soon after to see that the door had been kicked open and Lemoyne Raiders ran out, firing at them. Grace threw the unconscious body away from her as she ducked for cover. She managed to get behind a corner of one of the rundown houses. She looked across from her to see Sadie and Charles had managed to get down behind a pile of boxes. The three of them fired at the Raiders, Grace hitting one in the chest before another one of her bullets hit another in the head. Gunshots continued to fire until finally everything fell still. Grace moved out from her cover, Charles and Sadie joining her. Charles turned to the two women. "You think this place is okay?"
"It'll do, until we figure things out," Grace nodded. Sadie looked at them both, also nodding. "It's better than staying at Shady Bell. It's probably overrun with Pinketons right now."
"Alright, I'll go get everyone moving in. You two check the cabins and make sure there is no one hiding," Sadie informed. Charles and Grace nodded, Charles turned to Grace as Sadie made her way back to the others.
"I'll check that bigger cabin, it looks big enough for us all. Maybe we can move everyone in there," He suggested. Grace looked over at the cabin Charles was talking about, giving him a nod.
"Yeah, just make sure it's not too messy. Don't want anyone getting hurt or seeing things they shouldn't," Grace agreed before informing him to check the cabin for other things also. Charles nodded before grabbing his shotgun and walking towards the cabin. Grace made her way to the other cabin on the left. Her hand gripped on the door handle, twisting it to find no result in opening. She frowned, growing curious to why the door wouldn't budge. "Hello? Is someone there?"
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" A female's voice screeched. Grace looked over at the other cabin in hope Charles had heard. To her disappointment he hadn't. She turned her attention back on the door.
"Were you with them?" Grace asked. The woman fell quiet before Grace caught sniffles and sobs being heard. She frowned again, ready to repeat her question before the woman responded.
"No. They kidnapped me. Please don't kill me!" She cried.
"Is there anyone else with you?" Grace asked. The woman kept crying, Grace growing more concerned. She thought she heard a muffled voice hissing at her to be quiet. "Miss?"
"HELP ME! THERE IS ONE IN HERE WI-"
"Shut up, stupid bitch!" A voice boomed from inside. Grace heard the woman scream before a shotgun was fired. Grace's nose screwed up in anger before backing away from the door and kicking it open with a foot. The door flew open and Grace was met with the impact of the killer. He pushed her down into the mud, causing her to fall off the small step up to the rundown cabin. "You killed my friends you whore!" He roared in her face. Grace tried to squirm, reaching for her revolver she had dropped. It was out of reach. "You'll die like one too!" He announced, shoving the barrel of his shotgun in her face. Grace managed to reach for her knife and brought it up to his neck, plunging the blade into the side of his neck. She felt his blood on her hand and squirt of her face as his body began to fall limp. Grace pushed his body off of her, sitting up and attempting to wipe the blood off of her face. She looked up to see Charles running over and hearing mutters behind her. Grace looked by the entrance of Lakay to see everyone had arrived, Grace wishing they didn't have to see that.
"Welcome home," Grace muttered to them before getting up out of the mud.
-
Pearson managed to get a small, contained fire started inside of the cabin Charles had cleared out. The man walked over to where everyone was sitting before sitting down with them.
"So, where are the others?" Uncle asked Charles. Charles looked at him before looking at everyone. He shrugged, rubbing his hands together to give him some warmth.
"I don't know. I know they were heading for a boat but I don't know where they're going. I'm only here because I managed to distract the law for them to get on the boat," Charles explained.
"And what about Hosea? He got caught when Grace and I escaped," Abigail asked. Grace saw the worry on her face about Hosea. Hosea was her father figure, the father Abigail never had. He helped her with Jack when John didn't and he had kept her head straight when she couldn't. Charles fell quiet, Grace looked at him in hope he would say something. She began to frown as the man in front of them tried to show a tough expression as he broke the news.
"I'm sorry Abigail. Milton shot him in front of us, he is dead," Charles announced. Abigail covered her mouth in horror as sobs escaped from her. Tilly quickly pulled the woman into her, comforting her. Sadie shook her head in denial, Grace felt her heart breaking. The robbery had gone wrong, for all she knew the boys could have all been dead by now. What if they got caught sneaking onto the boat? "Lenny too. He died when him and Arthur were climbing on the roofs."
"He was only young," Susan muttered, looking down at her hands. Grace couldn't believe Lenny had been killed also.
"Hosea and Lenny wanted to be buried with friends," Tilly informed. Grace looked over at her as she was still comforting Abigail. Tilly nodded as she continued. "We need to get their bodies and give them that burial."
"Charles and I will sneak in tomorrow night and get their bodies from the law," Abigail announced. Grace looked up in surprise at her. Charles nodded at the woman, not even hesitating. "It's the least I could do for Hosea," Abigail looked over at Tilly who gave her a supportive smile. Abigail's eyes looked past everyone and towards Jack who had curled up on a pile of rags that were left behind. They hadn't set up yet as they needed to catch their breath. Today had been one of the biggest days the gang had in a long time.
"Abigail, I hate to tell you this but there's more," Charles interrupted Abigail's thoughts. Abigail looked back at Charles, frowning before her eyes widened in fear. Grace knew this had to be about John. She didn't want to hear what had happened to him. "John got arrested."
Abigail sat in shock before shaking her head in denial. She stood up, separating herself from the group and walked outside to be alone.
"How was John the only one to get caught?" Karen hissed in annoyance. Charles shook his head, shrugging as he did so.
"I don't know, I didn't see what happened. All I know is he got caught," Charles informed. Karen fell quiet, not knowing what else to say.
"So two dead and one arrested. This did not go well at all," Karen scoffed before drowning down liquor. Grace caught Molly in the corner of the cabin, alone. That girl had been acting strange since they arrived back to Shady Bell. Perhaps she was just worried but even before then.
"I'll look into John, find out where he'll be getting transported to," Sadie spoke up. Everyone looked at her, Grace nodding at her. It was a good idea, they couldn't wait for Dutch to get back to rescue John. Abigail and Jack needed him more than ever.
"Arthur made it to the boat, Grace," Charles informed her. Grace nodded, feeling relief to hear that he was out there somewhere. "You still going to leave?" He asked. Grace shook her head, looking at everyone.
"No. I promised you all you will get out of here. If it's the last thing I do so be it," Grace announced. Grins plastered on some faces, others giving her appreciated looks. "Right now, we need to stay low. We only leave the camp if it's necessary."