Ghosts of the Past [ RDR2 - Arthur Morgan ]

Chapter 46 - Jacob.

Word count - 2360

CHAPTER 46 - Jacob.

The air was thick and humid around them. Clinging to their skin. Onyx and Laurel were left some distance away. It was easier to sneak up to the camp without two horses to bolster them. The vague sound of men's idle chatter felt clipped in the night air. Sound being swallowed by the wet mud beneath their feet. Their plan was not much of a plan at all. Gun down anyone in their way, and get Rose out safe.

She was alive. She had to be. There would be no need for so much fire power to guard a corpse. Although why on earth the law wanted to hold Rosemary here, of all places. It felt strange. Why not in a regular cell? It felt like a set up. Jacob and Arthur agreed. But regardless, it didn't change their plan - or their lack thereof.

Crouching behind an overturned log, Jacob Coors Hazel green eyes scanned the area beyond through Arthur's binoculars. "Twenty." He rumbled softly. Spoken quiet enough that the Pinkertons nearby might pass it off for wind. "I count twenty guards. Don't seem too fair."

"No kiddin'." Arthur agreed in equally hushed tones. "Maybe we oughta tie a hand behind our backs, give this lot a fightin' chance." reaching to take his binoculars back, as he too, scanned the old camp.

Huffing a small laugh Jacob nodded "Reckon she's being held in the main cabin. Looked lit up to me."

The cabin's dim light barely cut through the fog, murky green water reflecting the glow like sickly fireflies. The place was crawling with Pinkertons. Which only made Arthur's concerns of a setup grow all the hotter. It felt purposeful. Some patrolled in twos, others stood near the wooden walkways, boots half-sunken into the damp rot of Lakay's forgotten pathways. Twenty guards for one, unarmed, non-threatening woman? It clicked. "They're waiting on me." Arthur muttered after a moment.

"Gettin' cold feet, Morgan?" Jacob's words were less of a taunt, and more a reminder that this didn't really matter in the end.

Exhaling sharply through his nose, Arthur pushed on, "You got a plan?"

"Ten each? Tally up who killed more in the end?" Jacob offered.

"That's your idea of a plan?" Arthur asked, half exasperated, half amused.

Jacob gave him a sly grin "They're law men. I'd be surprised if they could hit water falling off a damn boat. We got this."

The confidence that radiated from Jacob eased Arthur somewhat. The visions of saving Rose, bringing her home, lit up in his mind. It would be okay. She would be okay. In the end. "Let's get this done." Arthur insisted, and stepped forward around the log they'd taken voer in. He pulled out a throwing knife from his satchel, and weighed it for balance in his palm for a moment. Then, with one easy motion, threw it fast in the direction of an unsuspecting agent. Silent. Deadly. Fast.

It embedded itself into the skull of a man who was standing alone, pissing against a tree. The body went rigid, and slumped nearly soundlessly to the ground. Any echo of the body hitting the floor was swallowed by the muddy ground.

"Lemme see one of 'em." Jacob whispered, holding out his hand expectantly. Arthur passed him a knife. Taking a moment to inspect it, he tilted his head towards a target, and threw the knife hard towards them. His aim, no less lethal. The blade buried itself into the second agent's temple. "Never took myself for a stealth killer. Normally I prefer guns blazing."