Red Dead Reborn

Chapter Five: Lakay

Waiting the entire afternoon for the return of Dutch and the boys was anything but fun.

The gang waited until nightfall for them to come to the realisation that Dutch and the others weren't going to make their return anytime soon.

Mary-Beth knew how frightened Danny was about potentially losing his father upon hearing that he'd been captured by the Pinkertons after sacrificing himself so that Abigail could escape and spread the word.

But as a result, fear and doubt was instilled in the remaining gang members who were forced to sit and wait in nail-biting anticipation on whether or not they were going to fulfil Dutch's fantasy as he so avidly put it. Gradually, the gang came to realise how their family was being torn apart from the inside, out.

All because of the Blackwater job...

And now, the gang were trapped too far South than they were comfortable with, hoping and praying for an escape.

Danny was barely able to function normally since he heard how his father got captured. He only dreaded what terrible fate had befallen Mac Callander, if he hadn't been killed already. And what made things worse was how Danny thought too heavily on what sort of terrible fate his father could have been put through while in the care of the Pinkertons before his untimely demise.

It was painful for Mary-Beth to constantly look at her fiancé and see how distraught he was about their predicament, about his father's situation. She was fully aware about his past grievance over Annabelle's death when he was young; a woman whom Danny once idolised as a mother-figure who could almost have replaced his biological mother.

"Danny?" Mary-Beth cooed as she stared at his face imploringly, begging for comfort.

He was so distracted by his own thoughts that it took him a minute to comprehend the voice calling out to him.

"Danny." She called more firmly.

Finally, his gaze found hers staring right at him. He knew that she was just worried and he was profoundly grateful for her concern, but what he could not give at that moment distressed her all the more.

"You hardly touched your food."

"I'm sorry, Mary-Beth. I-I'm just stuck in my own thoughts."

The brunette reached her hand over and touched his knee. "Everything will be alright."

Suddenly, Tilly Jackson came rushing over with a distressed look on her face. It was very peculiar for Tilly to be distressed, in comparison to the previous weeks they'd been on the run, she hadn't been as concerned about anything until now.

"Danny, you notice anything out of the ordinary?" Tilly asked in an unusual manner.

"No, why? Has something happened?" Danny answered, ignoring the gentle caress of his fiance's hand on his knee and thigh.

Tilly opened her mouth to speak, but the poor girl was so anxious that she struggled to get her words out as if she was too concerned about the information she was about to share.

"You notice how Molly hasn't nagged you about that pocket mirror?"

Danny furrowed his brows together, knitting a confused expression on his face.

"Uhhh, no? Well, now that you mention it, it's a relief that the bitch hasn't gone off at me about it."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then wha- Oh... Wait, why the hell should I care?!"

Tilly opened her mouth again to speak, but once again failed to get her words out.