Arthur's Redemption [Red Dead Redemption 2]

Chapter Two: Colter, Again

Hosea Matthews was officially too old for the cold.

The escape after Blackwater had been bad for all of them, and this mining town that Arthur had found may have once offered decent shelter. But time had cracked the walls and foundations. Wind slipped between the boards, settling deep within Hosea's bones.

One of his son's was injured. John had come back half frozen with long scratches across his face. His first son, Arthur, was out hunting with Charles. The camp was running out of food, and their need was growing desperate.

The wind whipped past the walls, and with it, a voice. At first, it was so quiet he ignored it, but then the noise grew louder and louder.

"Mr. Van der Linde! Mr. Matthews!"

The desperate voice brought Hosea to his feet and out the door. Through the swirling snow, two horses appeared. One he recognized as Arthur's new horse, with two dead deer on its back. The other was Taima, Charles' horse, and on it the source of all the shouting. Another figure sat in front of Charles, slumped against the arm Charles had wrapped around his chest.

Arthur, Hosea realized.

"Arthur!" he shouted, drawing the attention of a few others around the camp. He ran to meet them as Charles pulled Taima to a stop, dreading what he would find. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Charles said. "He was fine while we were hunting. He shot those deer. Then he collapsed while we were riding back."

"Arthur, can you hear me?" Hosea asked as Charles dismounted and Javier ran up to help. They carefully slid Arthur out of the saddle and into their arms. Hosea directed them to the main cabin, just as the door was flung open by a worried Dutch.

"What happened!" he demanded, before he processed the sight before him. "Arthur?"

"Let's get him inside, quickly!" Hosea said as Dutch yelled for Miss Grimshaw and Reverend Swanson. They carried Arthur into the cabin and laid him out on the bed. Hosea immediately began checking Arthur's pulse and breathing, the former which was a little fast but would not have normally been alarming if it weren't for Arthur's unexplained unconsciousness, and the latter way too shallow for comfort.

Dutch hovered right at his shoulder. "What's wrong with him, Hosea?"

"I don't know." Hosea continued his inspection, which revealed nothing. He noticed Arthur's coat was caked in snow on one side as he began to peel it away. Checking Arthur for injuries and finding none just left him more worried than relieved. What was wrong with his boy?

"What's wrong?" Dutch asked again.

"He's not injured, I don't think. I don't know, Dutch."

Then, Miss Grimshaw was pushing him aside, and Hosea was forced to stand on the side with Dutch and only watch.

"He has to be OK, Hosea," Dutch shook beside him, and not from the cold. "He's going to be OK. It's Arthur."

First Blackwater, and the deaths that occurred because of that damned ferry. Then John, now Arthur. Hosea wasn't sure he could handle this.

Charles and Javier slipped away to take care of the horses and deliver the deer to Mr. Pearson. Soon after, Miss Grimshaw and Reverend Swanson finished their examination and declared that they weren't entirely sure of the cause of Arthur's collapse. He wasn't injured, but there could be a number of reasons. Exhaustion, lack of food, the cold. For now, the most important thing would be to keep him warm. Finally, Dutch left to reassure the others that everything would be fine, though for both him and Hosea, that wouldn't be true until Arthur woke up.