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Chapter 4 Pt.II

"Enter, Pursued by a Memory"

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Javier, Tulip, and Arthur trekked up the looming mountains that stood tall and was unfazed by the howling gale. The river gushing forth frozen waters down it, while the winds blew fierce up along the way.

The trees swayed by the swirling snowy air, the world was entirely encased by ice and frost. The snow piled up to the height of their torsos, and the higher they went, the harder it was to breath slightly. The horses brayed, shaking the collecting white dust on their manes. They were just as uncomfortable as their masters, who shuddered by the weather's intensity.

Tulip buried half of her face in her wolf coat and her rosy red bandana. "Hey, I see some smoke." Javier pointed towards the sky in front of them. Tulip and Arthur looked, and the truth was in the gray, wispy snake of clouds drifting upwards. "Come on, let's take a look."

"Let's hope it ain't more of O'Driscoll's boys." Arthur spat at the thought of them, Tulip scoffed in the side, saying curse words internally.

As they came closer, signs of equipment of a campfire was clear. "Well..." Javier jumped off of his horse, Boaz, examining the dead campfire. "Seems somebody left..."

Tulip slightly pulled on the leathery reins, prompting Sunny to stop in her tracks. Traces and giant patches of charcoal laid upon the ground, the snow hadn't covered it either. While Arthur stayed on his horse shivering and crossing his arms, Tulip came to inspect it closer.

He picked up a pinch of the black dust, the dead campfire was still warm and there were faint embers cuddled close under the firewood. "Recently...and..." He saw lines within the snow, a trail, as Tulip spotted it too. She urged her horse forward onto the trail, pointing. "That way." Javier hopped onto his horse.

"Sure, well, c'mon then." Arthur spoke through clattering teeth, quickly, wanting to get this over with.

"There's some tracks leading to the river, go ahead Tulip." Javier closely followed her, since she caught onto the trail. They crossed the frigid river that hummed as the waters ran past, continuing onwards.

"You think it's John?" He asked.

Javier shrugged, "You tell me. These are horse tracks for sure, but it could be anyone... Let's just see where they lead."

"Hiyah!" As Tulip brought down her reins, the others soon picked up to her pace, climbing ever so higher.

"So... You were there, Javier, what really happened on that boat?" Both Arthur and Tulip couldn't stop thinking about how the failed ferry heist back in Blackwater could've gone so badly.

"We had the money, it seemed fine, then suddenly were everywhere." Javier told, his poncho waving from the wind.

Suddenly, the winds picked up, and a screen of snow blew past, the trees were completely blocked, and they could barely see what's in front of them.

"Bounty hunters?"

Tulip thought to herself, judging by his story, it felt as if they knew where the gang were.

"No, Pinkertons. It was crazy, it was rainin' bullets."

As they carefully trotted their way up, Tulip's horse whinnied, and side stepped to the right. Tulip held up a hand as a sign to stop, then pointed at the left. It was a massive opening in the ice, as if a giant being gashed it out, if she and Sunny weren't careful, both would've dropped. They both would've ended up having a frozen grave to the frozen depths below.

"Watch out for this crevice." Javier verbally pointed it out for Tulip, warning Arthur. The snow cleared and the mountain showed its dangerous drop. "Dutch killed a girl...in a bad way, but it was a bad situation."

Tulip slowed a tad bit, making eye contact with Arthur. Perhaps it was a look of concern about what Javier has just said. "That ain't like him, though." Arthur replied.

The tracks were being covered by the falling snow, "They continue along the cliff wall here."

"Davey got shot. Mac and John... both shot too. Sean, we don't even know."

"I'm surprised we escaped at all." Tulip fully agreed, when Javier described raining bullets, it truly was an endless wall of lead, the smoky  gunpowder covered and swept across the entirety of the town.

"By the time you boys showed up from the other side of town, we were only just holding on."

"Bad business alright. Damn snow's comin' in hard again." They all hung their heads low from the icy winds that came.

Tulip gently whipped the reins, Javier closely inspected the tracks, which grew smaller. "We'll lose these tracks if we don't move fast."

The horses made deep snow trails, climbing the mountain that gradually became steep. The trio following the ever-fading tracks, "Watch yourself, not very wide here." Then, the trail disappeared, buried by the snow.

"Come on boy." He urged his Tennessee Walker. Sunny brayed, shaking her chestnut brown mane. Javier's horse, Boaz, was also suffering by the narrowness of the path. "The horses are struggling."

"Yeah, lot of fresh snow here."

Arthur leaned to the side, trying to see the tracks they were tailing, "I don't know about this, Tulip. W- We can't follow nothin'." He said, uncertain.

He responded. "Let's push on a little bit, maybe we'll pick up the trail again." Tulip took a quick glance behind her, checking on them.

"Almost there boy, c'mon now!"

They trekked up further, the skies azure and wide, Tulip spotted something in the snow. She waved her arm in a circular motion to tell them to come over, then pointed. "Over there, Arthur, do you see that?" Javier soon saw the corpse that laid in the snow, then Arthur did so too, and they all galloped over.

"John was riding that horse when we left Blackwater." Both Arthur and Tulip recognized the decaying carcass.

"Oh, that's..." Javier was going to state the horse's name, but he cut himself short and pulled out his trusty revolver, it was gorgeous and had a pommel for a handle. "Let's see if he can hear us."

He shot into the skies, the gunshot reverberated off the mountains in a loud, booming echo.

"Hey! Help! Here!" An unforgettable rough voice called out.

"Come on... Up there!"

Holstering his gun, they all trotted upwards, the rocky peak of the mountain was right in front of them.

"Hello?" John yelled out. "Over here!"

"It's coming from up ahead somewhere." Tulip dismounted, and so did the others. "I don't think we could go much further on the horses. We'll have to walk from here. I'd grab that shotgun, who knows what's up ahead." Javier suggested.

Arthur pulled the short double barrel from the saddle, while Tulip held her lever-action rifle in her hand. Slowly, they walked through the snow, the bitter cold biting against their skin. "You sure about this?" Arthur asked from behind as they went down a slope and around the peak.

"Over here! Help!"

"It's coming from this way." She slid, gasping, but Javier caught her. "Woah, careful, Tulip. Mierda, we're high up here."

"You're tellin' me."

"Help me!"

Arthur grunted, rubbing his arms, the icy gust picking up.

Tulip held up her hand stopping them and went down a jagged ledge. "There's a drop here, Arthur." He replied.

Closer and closer, John should be just a bit further, they had to lie low and cross through a gap in the rocks. Then, it got too narrow for Tulip's liking, having to stick to the wall.

"Over here!"

"He's much closer now."

They inched their way through the heart of the peak, the voice being loud and clear now. Tulip groaned, despising the cold and taking a moment.

"Damn, it's cold." Arthur uttered.

"Mm-hm..." Tulip quivered.

Javier took a bottle of Kentucky Bourbon and drank some of it, "Here, this should help." He offered, but she declined, taking out a bottle of her own.

Javier threw it to Arthur, "Thanks."

"Let's keep moving then, c'mon."

"John!" Arthur bellowed. "Marston! Can you hear me? Where are you?"

Javier did the same, and Tulip pulled out a wooden piece that resembled a tin whistle, blowing into it which emitted a high-pitched note.

"I'm here! Out on the ledge!" His voice was pained.

"That's John! We're coming!" They all ran over, "He's down here!"

"Hey!"

"Alright. Pipe down Marston!" Arthur shouted.

Tulip was the first to peek over the edge and saw John Marston. One of the original members of Dutch's gang, Tulip and Willow being almost the next oldest ones (not in terms of age). He was in a rough place, he turned his head and Tulip saw his ruined face. He has claw marks that runs across his face, bloodied. His leg was badly wounded, not life threatening, but if it were any worse, then John would've possibly bled to death.

As she jumped down, Arthur and Javier finally got to see him. "That's quite a scratch ya got there."

He replied, his voice ragged. "I'd never thought I say this but... It's good to see you again, Arthur Morgan."

He lept down, while Tulip looked closer at his wounds, it was marks and injuries from wolves. "You don't look so good."

"I don't feel too good either." With the help of Tulip, Arthur lifted John up, who gritted his teeth and grunted from the pain. "Ugh! I'm freezing."

Despite what John did in the past, Arthur's emerald green eyes showed concern for a moment. "Don't die just yet, cowboy."

"C'mon, compadre."

Tulip wanted to help in carrying and helping John by the shoulder, but Arthur took him. "It's alright, I got him."

She tipped her hat. "Hello Tulip, been a while."

"Well, we can't go back the way we came, let's try this way."

"Ain't you a sorry sight?" Arthur retorted.

John chuckled, "Can't...argue with you there."

"See, I told Dutch you weren't the right man for this."

"I'm sure you did."

Tulip couldn't help but stare at the wounds, John's blood going all over Arthur's blue coat. "You alright?"

"I think so..."

"C'mon, hopefully this will lead this out."

They all went through the snow, Tulip hoping she didn't have to deal with this much cold ever again.

Upon seeing 3 silhouettes on top of the ledge far ahead of them, Tulip pulled out her Winchester without a second being wasted. "Look, over there." Javier soon saw them too.

John shifted to see over Arthur's shoulder, "Shit..." He muttered weakly.

She recycled her rifle, followed by a click, then narrowed her eyes.

"Perfect."

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A/N : Hoh boy, this mission in words takes a lot longer than I thought. XD

Published : Dec. 3, 2018

Edited : Dec. 4, 2018
Fixed some grammatical errors.