Jack Marston Feels Alive Again

Stolen

Agnes' eyes open to the light coming through the window, she believes Jack left the curtains open... Agnes blinks a few times and squints while averting her direction to the window, viewing the trees and the sky, bright, beautiful, and blue. She loved looking at the sky as a child. It was always so bright and beautiful. The only thing that kept her mind from all of the sad happenings from her past. But she had so much more to keep it from her mind. Jack, this home, and the work that is to be done. 

Agnes rises from her bed and stretches, "Ohh... Time to work! Or.. Was it work? Or practice? Well, we'll know as the day," She gets up, "Unfolds..." 

She once again, doesn't bother to change from her night gown and opens the door quietly and shuts it behind her. "Jack, good morning, I- Oh." She doesn't find Jack in the kitchen or the living room. "Oh. Huh." 

Agnes walks down the hall and places her face on the door to listen for Jack. All she hears is the calm breathing of someone sleeping on the other side of the door. She smiles for a moment and looks to a clock. 

9 a.m.

"I shouldn't wake him, I don't want the day to waste away.." She knocks on his door but there is no answer. She sighs and opens the door slightly to peak in, seeing Jack lying in his bed calmly and soundly, sleeping. "Aww." She walks in his room before just standing there, not doing nor saying anything but looking around in his room. Nicely decorated, pretty drawings and... "What's this?" 

She picks up a small sketchbook that has an unfinished drawing of a crying lady. "Who is that..?" She puts it back and looks to him. "Jack." No response. She nudges his shoulder, "Jack. It's 9 a.m. We need to do some work." No response, again. Agnes widens her eyes and shakes him, "Jack, please?" 

He opens his eyes and sits up quickly, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

She widens her eyes wider and gasps, "N... No. It's just 9 a.m...."

"And...?"

She pauses, "I just thought that we were.... That we were uh.."

He sighs, "We will, okay? I was... I was up late last night and I just.. Need a bit more sleep, please." He lies back down and closes his eyes.

Agnes calms down and sighs, "Well. Anytime I should wake you?"

..

"Okay." She gets up and walks out, shutting the door behind her and sighs again. "Mm... I'll get dressed!"

She runs to her room and stops in her tracks, interrupted by the sounds of horse tracks, plenty of horse tracks. Becoming frightened at the amount of how many men it sounds like there are outside, she ducks down and backs up to the wall and whispers, "Jack.."

She then begins to hear boots stomping towards the house and looks outside of the window. Lawry Brothers. The gang that kidnapped her before. She begins shaking, "No, no. Jack, JACK!" She begins to yell.

He runs into the living room, "What?! Are you okay?"

She points to the window, shaking and stuttering, "Get.. Get them away, th-they're here for-for me... Please, Jack, you have to do something!"

He nods, "Hide, now. Go to the kitchen, climb the ladder, and stay right there, alright?"

She shakes her head, "No, I want to fight them, too..." She says, still afraid. She wants to prove herself to Jack, that she's not helpless. Even though she is very frail and small in a way. 

He sighs, "Just. Urgh.." They both make their way outside on the porch, seeing the gang on their poor horses and their weapons. 

Jack stands tall, a small Agnes behind him, her hands on his shoulders, "What do you want with us?"

"We want the girl." They say in annoying southern accents. They laugh, "What are you, her lil' boyfriend?"

Jack scoffs, "That's just... Childish." He shakes his head, "Anywho. I will give you 6 seconds to get the hell out of here. 6.. 5.. 4...." He gets to three and sees they're not leaving until they get Agnes. 

"That's our whore, fella. Not yours.  Hand 'er over and we won't have no trouble."

Jack stands still, Agnes behind him, shaking. "Jack?" She whispers.

"Sh." He walks from the porch to the ground. There's at least 7 men sent for one girl. Agnes.

"Look, buddy, just hand her over!" A different man says in a city accent. 

..

Finally, after a bit of staring, a shot is fired to the house, breaking a window. "Damn! I missed.." 

Jack gets the memo, as does Agnes, and the both begin shooting at one another, taking cover behind crates on the porch and inside the house from the windows. 

After a while of shooting, missing, and hitting on Lawry Brother, Agnes runs out of bullets and begins to panic, "Jack.. Jack, I'm out!"

Jack, who has killed a couple of the gang members, sighs, "Uh, under my bed... There's more ammo, just be quick, alright?"

She runs inside the house to Jack's room to look for the ammunition. Two gang members look to each other and make a plan to make a run to the other entrance of the house to capture Agnes. They agree and one of them makes their way around the house and inside. 

"Where is that bitch..." Another one makes their way into the house and they begin their raid. 

Outside, the leader of the gang pretends to surrender, "Alright, fella... You win. You got her..."

Jack squints, "Wha... Where are the others?"

He shakes his head, "You got 'em, man..."

Jack lowers his weapon, "I.. No, I didn't. Where's.. Where's Agnes?" He turns around to the house and runs inside to see if she is alright, "Agnes?! You okay?" He then hears screaming coming from outside, that same girly scream he heard three days ago from her. He jumps and looks to the window, opening the curtains and seeing Agnes, hogtied on the back of a horse, screaming for help.

Jack begins hyperventilating and panicking, "No, no, no! How could I let this happen?!" He collapses to the ground begins shaking, "No... Agnes.." He sighs and it begins to rain. Jack then gets up, puts his hat on and looks out the window to see a chunky Lawry Brother outside his window, walking away.

Jack runs out with a small revolver and tackles the man, holding him by the neck. Jack punches him until he is a bloody pulp, missing teeth. "Where the hell are they taking her and why do they want 'er?!"

The man laughs tiredly, "Ahh... You don't even know the girl, man... You just took her in off the streets, greeted her into your home... Just so you can fuck her! Well... I got news for you, pal! Heheh, yeah... She ain't a virgin no more... She probably don't wanna get saved by you! She done been fucked so good..."

Jack punches him in the chin, to which he starts bleeding more, "Agh! FUCK."

"I won't ask you again..." He points the revolver straight into his chin, "Where. Is. She."

He begins to panic, "Agh... A-Alright... She's in a camp. A camp near Butcher's Creek... Southwest from there. Medium sized cabin, just.. Don't kill me, friend... I ain't done nothin'!" 

"Oh yes, you have, you low lived scum... But I'll let you go. I don't wanna see you again. Oh, and before you go, what did you say your name was?"

"A... Alex, friend."

Jack nods before getting up and walking away from the man, him running away, scared.

....................