Kindling | Red Dead Redemption 2

Chapter Four: The Rescue

"Who's there?" John shouted, pointing his shotgun at the approaching figures, the trees above casting shadows over the moonlit ground as he peered into the darkness, his lantern doing little to cut through the black. He could barely see the rider perched upon their horse in the dense forest, squinting.

The rider seemed to pull on the reins, stopping their horse from approaching any further as Y/N's voice pierced the silence, carrying a sense of urgency with it. "Don't shoot! I'm a friend of Sean's, Arthur sent me!"

John approached cautiously, an eyebrow raised as he attached his lantern to his belt, his weapon still trained on her. "Where'd you come from? What's your name?" He demanded, his eyes lingering on her strange clothes, motioning to her with the barrel of his shotgun. "Hands where I can see 'em, and dismount. Slowly."

Y/N complied, her movements hesitant as she swung her leg over Ennis' rear, planting her feet back onto the ground, her hands rising in surrender. "I came from Blackwater," she answered, turning to face him. "My name is Y/N. Just let me explain, okay?"

"Explain what? How did you know where the camp was? And just where the hell did you get that horse?" John questioned, his brown eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Sean got caught up in Blackwater. He sent me off on his horse, and I ran into Arthur. I have his map," Y/N motioned to the bag situated on the side of Ennis' saddle. "It's in the front pocket. Just check it. It's not like I'm going anywhere. You'd shoot me in the back before I even got three steps, wouldn't you?"

John hesitated for a split second before reaching into the front pocket of her bag, keeping his eyes on her as he pulled the map free, giving it a once over. His expression morphed from anger and confusion to worry and concern in an instant, muttering something under his breath.

It didn't take long before he met her gaze again, and his expression hardened. "Come with me." He said, not giving her much of a choice as he pocketed the map and led the way into camp without another word.

Y/N trailed closely behind him, taking this moment to examine her surroundings.

John led her through the cleared forest path, his free hand gripping Ennis' reins. The crickets sing around them, creating a fragile sense of calm despite the situation. She'd never heard so many at one time before, it reminded her of the cicadas back home.

The entrance to the camp was well-lit with torches, the horses just on the outskirts. She could see the faded, navy blue canopy for Bill, Lenny, and Hosea to the far right, Dutch and Molly's tent in the center, and John's tent to the left, partially obscuring Arthur's.

Susan Grimshaw, in her red blouse, sat at a rickety table in the center, one leg crossed over the other, only her ankles visible under her long black skirt, not twenty feet from Dutch's covered tent. When she saw John approach with a stranger, her eyebrows drew together, her lips taking on a slight downward curve.

Susan rose from her chair and walked over to them, her arms crossed over her puffed-out chest and her steps heavy with purpose.

"Who's this, John?" She asked bitterly, her lips pursed in displeasure as she gave Y/N a once over, her brown eyes narrowing as John's had only moments ago.

"She's just-" John's eyes lingered on Susan's expression, and he sighed. "Why don't you go get Dutch, huh?"

Grimshaw stared at Y/N a moment longer before leaving without much complaint aside from a few muttered comments, presumably going to find Dutch.

The atmosphere was tense as she stood near John and Ennis, her eyes drifting to him now and then as she watched him tend to the horse. He would look back at her sometimes, catching her staring, which would lead to her awkwardly dropping her gaze to the ground.

The cycle would repeat for a while before she finally spoke, her voice breaking the silence.

"So," Y/N started, biting the skin on the inside of her lip nervously, "Do you think she's coming back-"

"John, my boy!" Dutch called as he approached with Grimshaw beside him. He had a grin plastered on his face, his arms spread out as he regarded his friend, "What do we have here?"

"Y/N. She claims to know Sean," John said, fidgeting with the map in his hands, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "And Arthur."

"Arthur, huh?" Dutch mused, his eyes locked with hers, his arms slowly lowering. "Well, I suppose we should just drop everything, huh?"

John quickly interjected, handing Dutch the folded-up map. "She had this too."

Dutch's grin faltered, the corner of his lip twitching as he examined the map. His eyes were drawn back to Y/N in an instant, and he pulled his gun, pointing it at her. "Explain yourself!"

"Whoa! Okay," Y/N raised her hands quickly, her heart skipping a beat in response to his sudden aggression. "He went after Sean, okay? In Blackwater. The Sheriff was gunning for him, and he sent me along with his horse. I ran into Arthur after Ennis threw me. Look, if he doesn't come back within a couple of hours, you have every right to shoot me."

Dutch's eyes never left hers as he contemplated what she'd said, his index finger still hovering over the trigger.

Y/N's gaze went from Dutch to his gun and then back again, her forehead dripping sweat, a slight tremor in her hands. She didn't know if she had multiple lives or if it was one and done, but a part of her was almost curious to see what would happen if he did pull the trigger.

"Alright, now, hold on." Hosea, who had been watching the confrontation, stepped forward, positioning himself between them, his eyes focused mainly on Dutch. "Let's think about this. This girl could be telling the truth. Now, we don't end a life without reason, Dutch. If it turns out she's lying, we'll figure it out then."

Dutch seemed to hesitate, his brown eyes flickering with uncertainty despite his lack of expression. He recognized the wisdom in Hosea's words and holstered his gun, his hands coming to rest on his belt.

The tension appeared to dissipate if only for a moment, and he smiled, his eyes shifting from Hosea to Y/N again. "Sure, okay. In the meantime, we'll tie her up. A fitting compromise, isn't it? John, grab the rope."

Hosea seemed satisfied with this outcome and stepped back, turning to return to his business, but not before briefly looking at Y/N, relaying sympathy through his gaze.

Y/N stood there, dumbfounded as John came up behind her, starting to tie her wrists together with rope. "Wait, why the hell do I need to be tied up?! I wouldn't get out of here without one of you blowing a hole in my chest! This is so unnecessary -"

"Unnecessary as it may seem, it is mainly for our safety. See, you may not get out of here alive, but let's say you're a liar and you get your hands on one of our guns somehow. You've lost your life and potentially cost someone else theirs," Strauss said, approaching from the side. "We simply cannot afford to trust you. Not until Herr Morgan gets back."

"If he gets back." He murmured, cocking an eyebrow at her before walking off.

Y/N held back an eye roll, her eyes narrowing at his retreating form as she was hauled away by John. She could only hope that Arthur got back before the ropes burned her wrists.