Miss Morgan

Sixty-One

August 1899
-Arthur-

"You need to deal with this! We're leading them right back to camp!" Bill yells at me as he steers the wagon of dynamite down the road while I try to keep my balance and shoot our attackers at the same time.

"What do you think I'm doin'?" I snap, shooting down another soldier on our tail. One shot from these soldiers and we'll be blown to pieces.

I keep shooting and once the soldiers stop chasing after us, I sit back down. My chest hurts. "Okay, I don't see any more of them."

"Alright." Bill grunts. "That was close... don't reckon I'm cut out to be a dynamite wagon driver." He snickers.

I roll my eyes and take the reins from him, steering towards Beaver Hollow. "Killin' a bunch of folks so we can rob some dynamite to blow up a bridge. This make any sense to you?"

"It's a distraction." Bill explains it to me like I'm the idiot. "So it ain't meant to make sense."

"It should to us, it's our plan." I argue.

"You know, I've had it with the moanin'." Bill snaps at me. "Look, there's Micah over there." He points up ahead to where Micah leans on a tree waiting for us next to Marston. He steps out onto the road to stop us.

"So, you got it?" He asks.

"We got it." I answer. "Yes, we got it."

"What's wrong, Arthur?" Micah smirks at me.

"Nothing at all, boss." I reply sarcastically.

"John..." Micah barks. "Go drive this over to Bacchus Bridge... get it hidden near there."

"He really does think he's in charge." John mutters to me under his breath.

"Bill, you go on ahead..." Micah continues barking orders. "I need to speak with Arthur. Good work, son." Son? Jesus he's really getting on my nerves with this shit. I'd roll my eyes if he wasn't looking at me.

John waves as he drives the wagon up the road. "What's going on?" I ask Micah.

"Listen..." here we go. "I know we ain't always seen eye to eye, and you find me irritating, and a threat, and I like to annoy you... but right now I need better from you, Arthur."

I almost laugh. "Okay, Micah. Whatever you say."

"I ain't the bad guy you think I am, Arthur, but I am a survivor. Stick with me and you'll live. Oh, the bridge is probably a two man job, you should probably go help Marston."

This bastard's been running with us less than a year and he's already barking orders at all of us that have been with Dutch for fifteen, twenty years. "Why don't you?"

"Like I said, Dutch and I got planning to do for the train." He tells me like I'm a dumb child. "There's a big picture here, Arthur. Trust me." He mounts up on Baylock's back and rides back to camp.

I sigh and mount up to head to Bacchus Bridge. I gotta help Marston with the bridge then go all the way back to Saint Denis to meet up with Dutch, Ivy and Sadie to watch Colm swing. Meanwhile my chest rattles with every breath. My chest aches. I can barely keep food down. All I want to do is sleep, but here I am, riding up north to blow up some bridge to play along with all these plans Dutch and Micah are coming up with.