To Tame the Wild: a Red Dead Redemption fan fiction

Chapter 13 - Pride and Stupidity

Chapter Track: "The Shootist" – Bill Elm and Woody Jackson, Red Dead Redemption soundtrack

The next morning came quickly for the two bounty hunters; they dressed, ate, and saddled up within an hour of the sun rising and were on the trail of their third bounty. The day was spent traveling toward Silent Stead. They loped their horses across Cholla Springs, passing Odd Fellow's Rest and through Ridgewood Farm in route to the bounty target's last known location. By dusk, they made camp several miles east of Silent Stead on a ridge that overlooked a large valley; to their right lay Rathskeller Fork, to the left, Tumbleweed. Jack and Maddie spent very little time speaking: they were too tired from the long day's ride. After they ate some of their rations, they crawled into their make-shift tents and fell asleep.

When morning came, it was the same. They ate, cleaned up camp, and saddled up in silence; however, when they rode closer to Silent Stead and stopped their horses four-hundred yards away from the homestead, the silence was broken. Jack took out his binoculars from his satchel and scanned the surroundings; Maddie grabbed her Carcano rifle from her back and looked through the scope. As she lowered the rifle, she said, "Son of a bitch."

Jack lowered the binoculars and looked over at her. "We're gonna have to ride up to them head-on, aren't we?"

"Not unless we think of something else." She glanced over at him. "You got any ideas, Marston?"

He shook his head. "Not a damn clue. Guess it's your turn to call the shots, Miss Maddie."

"I guess so," she agreed and brought the rifle back up to her shoulder. She looked through the scope once more. "Unless..." She brought the gun back down, biting on her lower lip as she looked back at Jack.

"What?" he asked.

She held the Carcano rifle out to him. "Here. You're gonna have to take the gang down with this."

He hesitantly took it from her. "Why? What do you have in mind?"

She drew both pistols and pulled up the toggle on both, loading them, before placing them back in their holsters.

His eyes widened. "You can't be serious."

"Here's what we'll do: you stay here and take the long shots while I approach them from the side. Between the two of us, we should be able to bring 'em all down, especially since they'll be busy figurin' out which way to shoot."

"But you're still gonna ride up to them, Maddie." He shook his head. "I don't like this idea."

"Do we have much of a choice, Jack?"

He frowned deeply, worry rising in his breast. "I suppose not. But still..."

"I know. It'll be risky, but we can take 'em. I leave you to take the first shot, but just make sure to wait until I get about two-hundred yards away from them. After you shoot, I'll shoot next, and we'll go back and forth like that to confuse the hell outta these bastards. We'll be able to gun them down before they can retaliate."

"I still don't like this idea, Maddie. Maybe we should wait until nightfall. At least then we'll have a better chance at not gettin' shot, specifically you."

She looked to the side, her gaze glossing over in thought. "I suppose that could work..."

"Or we could try to sneak up there and take 'em out on both sides. I could approach from the right, you from the left, and we could do it that way."

Maddie frowned and looked down at the saddle horn indecisively.

"So, what are we gonna do?" Jack asked.