The Yawning Grave: A Red Dead Redemption Fanfiction

One Door Closes

Chapter Three:

One Door Closes

Armadillo, New Austin

Jack groaned as someone gripped his shoulders and shook him awake. A blurry shape hovered over him and kept shouting something in muffled words. He grabbed the figure's wrists and pried them loose.

"Leave me alone," he growled.

His vision and hearing were clearer. Standing over him was a dark-haired man with a thick mustache. His surroundings were gray and bleak.

"Thought you were dead."

He rubbed his temples and groaned. "I feel like it."

He forced himself to stand on weak legs and tried ignoring his rolling stomach. He tried remembering the night before but the events were one giant blur. The man backed away and Jack saw the man's badge gleaming at him. Shit, he was in jail.

"You behaved like a real jackass last night. You're lucky we knew your father or else your fine would've been more."

The deputy backed out of the cell, shut the door, and locked it. Jack fell back onto the bed, flinching as he hit the hard surface under the thin mattress.

His last memory from the night was downing a whiskey before someone yelled in his face. He couldn't remember why the stranger was so pissed with him but in the next moment, he was swinging his fist.

"I have a pardon letter."

His stomach twisted, a sour taste overwhelmed his mouth.

"I know, but before you go, I want to ask you something."

Does this man know what I've done? If I speak I'll spew. Jack could only nod in response.

"Do you know what you've done to that poor animal?"

Jack slowly shook his head and wanted to say "What animal?".

When Jack didn't speak, the deputy continued. "We take animal cruelty very seriously here in Armadillo. The MacFarlane place has stronger feelings on it than we do, so be lucky you weren't caught there."

"What are you talking about?" Jack as he fought back the need to vomit.

The deputy sat back in the chair meant for the marshal. "When the law came after you, you spurred your horse so hard your spurs cut into her sides and after riding the hell out of her, the poor thing collapsed. Then you got up and kicked at her to keep going. That is when we caught you."

Guilt washed over him. He'd never meant to hurt Bean and had zero memory of it. He imagined the paint looking up at him with her blue eyes full of fear and hurt, wondering what she did wrong as her rider kicked and yelled at her.

"I don't know what to say. I would never..."

His stomach lurched, and he lost the contents of it all over the jail cell floor. The deputy grimaced at sight of Jack's dinner.

"Just lay down and sleep that off. When you wake up, I'll let you go."

Jack curled up into a ball on the bed and groaned as a prickly feeling stabbed at his gut. As he drifted off to sleep, he heard the deputy yell for Jonah to clean up the mess.

~oOo~

The saloon owner tossed out Jack's gear after he trashed the bar, but the Marshal was nice enough to store them in the jail until the sheriff released. The bright New Austin sun beat down on him and made his headache worse. He walked passed the saloon and cut through the alley.