An Unfortunate Face (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

(28.) Safe and Sound

Your hand reached for your gun immediately. Charles got the same idea, brandishing his sawed-off shotgun next to you.

"We can't go in there, just the two of us. There's no telling how many of them are in there, and they've got the advantage from the cave."

Another scream, likely from the same girl, echoed past the cave's entrance and you physically cringed.

You knew that scream—one of sheer terror, fear that you couldn't imagine. The Murfrees were brutal; they made the O'Driscolls look like the nice guys. Hard to imagine that.

"Well what do we have here, boys?"

You spun around so quickly your vision blurred.

Charles was looking at you, already slowly trying to move himself in front of you.

"You kill some of our boys back there, huh? Come to finish off the others?" Another one laughed. There were five that you could see; you were outnumbered.

In the distance, you could see three figures on horses. It was hard to see from so far, but one of them looked like Old Boy, John's horse.

"Weren't us, we was just curious 'bout the cave," you spoke up, turning their attention to you.

"That so?"

"We don't mean no harm, swear it," you said, still looking past them at the path. That was Old Boy, it had to be. If it wasn't, you were screwed.

You raised your hands up, hanging your head. Charles had noticed them too, and followed your motions.

They were close enough to see their faces: Bill, Javier, and John.

"You boys might wanna clear off, 'fore my gun does it for you!" John yelled, turning them all around towards him.

"What the hell are you—"

"You thick in the head or somethin'? I said clear the hell off!"

"Who do you think you ar—"

John fired first, and then Charles. The other two on John's side cleared the rest, but your attention had turned to the cave. You could hear footsteps echoing, warning you that the Murfrees in the cave had heard the gunshots.

The three dismounted and Charles grabbed your hand, pulling you behind some cover.

"Nice timin'!" you shouted to John as Murfrees began pouring out of the entrance.

The five of you took them down easily, and when they stopped coming out, you went on the offense.

Javier led the way into the cave with Bill right behind him. Charles tailed Bill, and you were sandwiched between him and John.

"Hosea sent us!" John shouted over the shouts and gunshots that echoed through the cave.

Thank God for Hosea.

The same voice screamed again and your stomach lurched, making you eager to find her and get her the hell out of that cave.

Javier led the group further back into the cave until only a few Murfrees were left. You and John went left while Bill, Charles and Javier took the right.

"I don't know what the hell Dutch was thinking about this place," John whispered angrily from behind you.

"I don't know either—"

"ARGH!"

You spun around to see John in a chokehold by one of the Murfrees. A machete was pressed against his neck, a split second from killing him.