To Catch A Ghost: a Red Dead Redemption fan fiction

Chapter 8 - Doubts

White noise stirred Jack out of his rest the next morning—it has started out as a dull hum, then as he slowly gained consciousness, the cacophony rose into an annoying crescendo. Blinking away his grogginess, Jack sat up in bed and looked around the room, once again being reminded that he wasn't back at home in his comfortable ranch house, but in a small ramshackle of a room that lacked all the warmth and comforts of where he yearned to be. Frowning, he focused on the noise, only to realize after several long moments on pondering that it was the sound of a crowd. Jack blinked in rapid succession, utterly confused, when he pinpointed where the sound was coming from within the room. He stared at the bedroom door for another long moment before deciding to investigate.

He looked down by his right side when his wife stirred in her sleep. He bit down on his lip with rising guilt, hoping he hadn't awoken her, but he relaxed when she merely rolled over on her side with her back facing him and the door. He brushed his hand through her long dark hair, letting it slide through his fingers and fall over her shoulders and back. He glanced back up at the door, then down to Maddie, and back again at the door indecisively. To get out of bed would risk waking her, but he knew something was amiss outside the door. Curiosity got the best of him, and he gingerly swung his legs out from under the covers and stood up off the bed. Not once did Maddie move nor make a sound as he quietly got dressed. Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, Jack tiptoed to the door and left.

He blinked as he walked into sunlight—dawn had arrived without his knowing, and as he looked about El Presidio with squinted eyes and a tired frown, he was taken aback when he saw all of the citizens were gathering in the center of the fortress. He rested his elbows on the railing and took in the scene before him with a mixture of awe and concern. The walls of El Presidio were lined with armed soldiers, while all the commoners were assembled in one giant crowd. Standing above the crowd on the elevated walkway, before a ladder that led to one of the cannons, was the Presidente himself, Abraham Reyes. Two other soldiers stood behind him, as well as who Jack guessed was Captain Gonzalez—the former soldier had been stripped of all his clothing except for raggedy pants and a shirt. His face was marred by cuts and bruises, his shirt was stained with blood and dirt, and his hands were chained behind his back. The man looked like he'd been nearly tortured to death, but Jack held no remorse for the former captain's suffering—he'd betrayed Mexico and deserved such heinous treatment.

Then Reyes began to speak so that all could hear. His proud voice boomed across the fortress, rising above the sounds of the waking world around them as he addressed to the crowd below in Spanish. From what Jack could guess, he was rallying them to him. Curious, Jack descended the steps and joined the people, not necessarily blending in with them but nevertheless taking his place as one of the common folk. He and the remaining citizens of Mexico looked up at Reyes as he reached back around him, grabbed Gonzalez by the back of his neck, and threw him forward, presenting him to the people.

Again, in Spanish, Reyes spoke to the crowd, motioning to Gonzalez with a disgusted countenance and angry hand gestures. Jack didn't have a clue as to what he said, but he could only assume that he was telling the commoners what he'd found out last night and how Captain Gonzalez betrayed them all. All the while, Jack kept his eyes to Gonzalez fiercely, studying his frail, beaten body and pained, defeated countenance. The man was surely defeated in all ways a man could be defeated, and the shame in his bruised, blood-shot eyes made it all the more clear to Jack that he was disappointed in himself for not only failing La Phantasma, but perhaps failing Mexico itself.

That poor dumb bastard, Jack thought with a shake of his head. He deserved what he got for betraying Mexico. He shifted his attention to Reyes as he continued to preach valiantly, if not flamboyantly, to the crowd. What an idiot, he couldn't help but think. The President seemed to be putting on an obsequious show to his people, looking as if he were promising them great things and restoring hope. It's all a political act, Jack concluded, feeling almost sick to his stomach.