Red Dead Revelation I: A Good Thing (ArthurXEliza)

The Epilogue

Arthur wipes his brow as the July heat beats down on his back. Even after being in Arizona, parts of California, and bordering Mexico for the past ten months, his body wasn't prepared for the random but brutal heatwaves of Low Falls. Everything around him looks dry and barren. But his heart was full and his jacket pocket felt heavy. Heavy with a happy future. He had made his choice.

He sees Aspen's Way from afar and Boadicea's head perks up. He smiles and pats her neck.

"Me too, girl." He spurs her sides. "Let's go home!"

Boadicea gallops and they fly down the hill. As he nears the house, he sees that the front is covered in wild grass.

"Eliza?" He calls out excitedly. "Isaac?"

He gets off Boadicea and walks up to the cabin. He tries to open it but it's locked. It is then he notices that the doors and windows are boarded up. Confusion overcomes him.

"Eliza?! Isaac?!"

He heads for the barn. Farm Boy and Little Maid are gone. He runs to the garden and sees it overgrown and the only vegetables that were there are dead and rotting. Panic fills his mind as his heart pounds in his chest. He looks around, spinning in a circle, then backtracks.

His heart sinks to his stomach. His legs feel weak as he walks toward the tree that Isaac always sits under. Stopping, he falls to his knees in front of two white crosses.

"God, no." he gasps. "Please, no."

There was no denying who lay buried here. Their names were painted clearly.

Tears stream down his face as he sobs. His body has never felt such an ache–even when his mother died. It physically hurts, worse than any gunshot wound.

He punches the ground, fists clenched.

"Eliza!!"

***

A blast of air wakes Arthur up. Boadicea snorts again and Arthur lifts his head, his tear-stained face caked with dirt, pebbles sticking to his skin. He wipes his face and slowly rises to his feet. He isn't sure how long it's been but there's still daylight. He pats Boadicea's neck and gets on her back.

It was a long ride to town.

***

The town looks empty. There are very few people who are out and as some look at him, they seem leery of him. In the middle of town, Arthur gets off his horse and leads her calmly. He looks for someone who carries an air of importance.

At the Doctor's Office, he spots an older gentleman sitting in a chair on the porch. Leading Boadicea, he takes her to a nearby hitching post and ties her off. The older gentleman eyes him. The stranger's face looked red and flushed at the same time.

"You alright, sir? You need some water?" The concerned old man asks.

Arthur walks up to the beginning of the steps and shakes his head. "No, thank you. I just had a question: Are you a leading member of this town?"

The man leans back into his chair, smirking. "I'm the town doctor if that means anything."

Arthur now knows this man to be Dr. Tate. He was there when his son was born.

His son.

Arthur's eyes begin to sting.

"Sir?" Dr. Tate speaks.

Arthur clears his throat. "I was riding, looking for some land to purchase, and I spotted an old cabin and barn." He watches the doctor's expression and detects a subtle change. "It looked abandoned, but I noticed there were two crosses outside." Arthur pauses, straining to control his voice. "Can I ask what happened?"