Every Last One Of Them - Red Dead Redemption II

Act Sixteen - Eye For An Eye

Hughie snuck up the dirt path, inching closer and closer to the smoke emitting from the house's chimney. Hugh felt the familiar feeling of a raindrop splattering onto the back of his head as more began to fall.

The rain came in harsh and fast, pouring down a cold shower as Hughie cursed to himself.
"To hell with the rain. He's right there." The brunette assessed himself, he had Arthur's bow. Three arrows, his revolver, and a handful of bullets, along with his knife.

His family's in there, there's no way the bastard is expecting company. Still, Hughie made sure to enter through the back door.

He stepped inside the old wooden house, the floorboards creaking as he placed his weight onto them. The sound of Thomas's family having dinner was loud enough to mask the floorboards crying. Hugh kept his breathing low and measured as he snuck as close as he could to the table without being seen.

Through an ornamental archway, Hugh peeked at the family. Thomas, his wife, their son, and their daughter. The kids couldn't be any older than ten each. They were eating up some sort of roast, happily talking to one another. A proper family.

They weren't armed, it's just them at the table. Hugh took his chance and shot up from his hiding spot,
"Nobody move," He instructed, "hands up." The four did as they were told, even the kids. Thomas looked at Hughie with a confused look until he recalled just where he'd seen him before.
"Oh my god, it's you," Thomas mumbled, eyes shifting in a panic. "W-we let you live." The father stuttered.
"There's no we anymore. Just me and you."

The mother attempted to move closer to the daughter as Hughie turned his attention to her.
"I said stay still. You want me to repeat myself?" Her eyes widened and the woman sat back down as she was told.
"You killed them..." Thomas mumbled,
"Yeah, and they died like the pigs they were."
"I'm not gonna fight you."

"If you don't I'll kill everyone in this room," Hugh growled, the kids started to cry in response as the mother tried to tell them it'd all be okay.
"No, please I'm begging you don't hurt them."
"That's up to you."

The man jumped across the table, kicking Hughie to the floor as he coughed. The man then kicked him again in the ribs before Hugh pulled out his knife and stabbed the man in his thigh, jumping to his feet in a rage.

Hugh charges Thomas, swinging his knife across the man's arm as he blocks the blow. A gash splitting open. Without hesitation, Hughie tackles the man instead, knocking both of them to the floor as he's kicked off of the man. Hugh groans, the hit going right into his sutures.

The brunette hazily looks over to see the man running at him, throwing his boot into Hugh's gut once more. All the wind leaves his body as the brunette struggles to breathe. The man wastes no time and lifts him, throwing him out a window, and sending him plummeting into the mud outside. Rain pours down as he stumbles to his feet once more, soaking wet, muddy, and bloody.

The man comes out with a conflicted look on his face, Hugh holds his knife firm. With blood running down his head, Hughie waited for the man to approach him. However, as he did he grabbed Hugh's wrist, his knife fell as he was pushed against a wall.

Hugh looked into the man's eyes as he was strangled by him, passionately blocking the flow of air to his lungs with his muddy hands. The brunette starts to gasp and struggle before Arthur comes up and stabs the man in his side. Where he came from Hugh does not know. But that was impeccable timing.

Hughie cheered silently as he watched his knight in shining armor save him. The blade pierced Thomas as he let go, crying out and clutching his side. Blood beginning to flow out through the cracks in his fingers. Arthur's heroic return was cut short though, when the man fired a concealed pistol into Arthur's calf.

"Arthur!" Hughie shouts, he wastes no time as he punches the man upside the head, his hand stinging as the man falls over.

Hughie stumbles over to the man and stabs him, driving his knife into his chest. The man didn't hesitate to kick him across the mud, sending him over as he wheezed. Brown and slick soil splashing onto him.

The man mounts him, using Hugh's own knife to stab him before the brunette manages to block the swing. He holds the knife from his body just barely with his hands. It was aimed directly at his heart, and the tip of the blade was getting closer.

Hugh kicked up, hitting the man in his groin as he mumbled something incoherently. With his grip loose Hughie grabs the knife. Immediately thrusting it up into the man's chest. Thomas screams once more, rolling away and taking the knife with him.

The man rips it out and throws it. The blade lands somewhere out of sight. Hugh walks over to him, looking down at the man with anger. The man is looking at his home in this moment, and Hugh jumps on top of him. And through tears and blind anger, he began to strangle the man, screaming as he squeezed.

The man started to flail in a panic under Hugh's grip, Hughie then placed his knee on the man's gut, keeping him steady as he completely lost himself in the pain.

He looks down at the man, so much fear in his eyes. He looks just like Ron, he has kids. He shouldn't do this, but the image of his brother was too much. And with a final scream of pain, he snapped the man's neck.

Hugh rolled off the dead man, panting and sobbing as the rain poured harder. Everything was silent, just the sound of the rain and his crying.

He and Arthur stand there for a moment, not a word being mumbled until Arthur's eyes widen.
"Hugh...?" The blonde mumbled, Hughie looked down and noticed blood was soaking into his shirt as he fell over.

Arthur came to his aid, holding him up the best he could as Hugh groaned in pain.
"Hugh?!" Arthur asked, holding his partner as blood began to soak into his clothes as well.
"Tell... everyone... I'm- I'm sorry." Hugh all but gurgled,
"No, you're gonna stand up and tell them yourself."
"I got him," Hugh mumbled,
"Yeah. You sure did." Arthur said.

As he slowly bled out Hugh looked at Arthur for the last time, happily holding him the best he could with his weak grip as he realized,
"Yeah." He had done it. And with that, his chest fell for the last time.
"Hugh?" Arthur shook him,
"No no no, c'mon Hughie... Please." Rain continued to pour around them as Arthur began to sob, rocking Hugh back and forth in his arms desperately.
"I won't let you die. You and me, forever," Arthur pushed the hair out of his face and kissed his forehead, "please don't leave me."

And as Arthur cried over him Hugh finally got what he wanted. He died for a reason, and he finally gave Ron justice. No matter the cost. An eye, for an eye.