The Dusty Shamrock ~ OC RDR2 fanfiction

Chapter 29

I stood opposite the light of my life, Charles. Our hands intertwined as Rains Fall explained what was expected of a Sioux Husband - however the words soon faded as I lost myself, I could only think of him. The way his hair shined in the evening sunlight, every wrinkle on his face, the broadness of his shoulders and the warmth of his skin.

"Charles, do you agree to these terms?"

"Yes, I do." He replied with a smile gracing his features.

The chief gestured to us. "Good, she is your wife." I smiled at Charles before raising myself to stand on my toes and join his lips with mine.

"You may now take her inside"

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6 Months Later -
Prepare yourself Lads, this is gonna be a long one.
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"Hey, Boss! I got a lead that you might be interested in - we're gonna need every good man we've got to pull it off though"

I sauntered over to Alvor's post of work and took a look at the plans splayed out before him.
"What's all this then?" I asked, lighting a cigarette.

"S'a Military train, full of payroll, gold, artillery, maps"

"Alright, you've caught my attention - how do you s'pose we execute this?" I asked, leaning an elbow onto the table.

"We're gonna need me, you, and one other man - I'm thinkin' Charles. The train stops to pick up new guards at the state line before heading to fort Wallace, but before that it'll stop briefly at Mercer station to swap drivers. We mount the train at Mercer and take out the guards quietly - then you get on that Gatling gun and take the rest out. The rest of the gang comes in on a wagon, get all the money, weapons, gold off and go."

"There's got to be more of a plan than tha', what happens if the plan goes south?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It won't go wrong-"

"Anythin' can go wrong, Alvor"

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The gang began to pack up the camp into the wagons and on to the horses. Charles, Alvor, and myself mounted our steeds and set of towards Mercer Station - the train was due to change drivers at approximately seven o'clock. Nellie and Belle were to follow on behind us - two of my best guns.

I felt slightly odd, doing such a big robbery without Victoria by my side. I've never felt this incomplete before.

I spurred Nolan on, instead having Charles by my side on Taima.

"How you feelin' 'bout this?" My husband asked.

"I ain't sure, somethin' don't seem right"

When we reached the station, we hitched up and made ourselves scarce, we hid up in the trees - somewhere we wouldn't be seen easily.
As night fell and settled upon the dusty horizon of New Austin, we saw the beaming headlights of the military train pull up to the station and screeching to a halt. We descended from the trees, like phantoms, gliding towards the train. Alvor took out the first guard with the butt end of his rifle. Charles buried a tomahawk in the next guards back, now it was my turn to prey upon the weak. I padded over to the next military guard, his eyes innocently facing front. I swiftly pulled my hand over his mouth, pulling him backwards before plunging my knife into his throat.

There it was, the Gatling gun. Alvor knew it would be there and there it was, tucked neatly in a box and ready to kill.

I ushered Alvor to go ahead, but I wanted Charles to hang back behind me. Alvor managed to sneak and kill a few more guards - just enough to buy me the time I needed to assemble the Gatling gun. Hauling the gun onto the stand, I spotted two military guardsmen strutting along the top of the train. Shit.

Bang! Bang!

The two guardsmen fell limp off the train, hitting the ground with a thud. I glanced over my shoulder to see Charles smiling at me with a sawn off shotgun in hand.
"Thanks, Love" I said before clipping the gun into place.

Nellie and Belle then jumped onto the train, before a sudden jolt startled all of us. The train had began moving again - we never took out the driver. If we went too far, the rest of the gang wouldn't be able to locate us.
"We've gotta stop the train!" I shouted to my accomplices. Nellie ran out first, volunteering to be the one to stop the train. We all ran after her, trying to clear the way of guards. The air was thick with gun smoke, our footsteps were punctuated with the incessant sounds of bullets whizzing past and guns blazing.

A scream was heard at the head of the train, a female scream. Then a sharp gunshot rang out. Two more shots were heard before the whole train screeched to a halt and the air fell thick with silence. The only noise I could hear was my pounding heart beat as my feet carried me out to the front of the train.

What I saw next was heart wrenching.

Next to the drivers seat, in a growing pool of crimson blood, sat Nellie with a glimmering shotgun wound to her chest. I felt my throat tighten as I struggled for breath. My eyes aches with tears brimming over my lashes. Her face was pale and gaunt, yet the freckles on her face stood out next to the speckles of blood adorning her neck and chin. Nellies eyes, her deep brown eyes, were still as innocent as she was young.

I can remember her using those same big brown eyes to convince me to buy her the signature hat that she always wore, and when her eyes would always twinkle whilst she caused a distraction on a job.

"C'mon, sweetheart-" Alvor began as I stood staring at my friend's lifeless body.

"Don't." I heard Charles growl. "Give her some time for goodness sake." My husband placed his hand on my shoulder and gave me a loving glance.

"Are the others here?" I asked shakily.

"Yeah, Y'know we really need to go-" Alvor replied.

"Yeah, yeah," I glared at him. "Take her body, bury her someplace nice. I'm gonna catch up with you lot later."

I crouched down next to my old friend, I took her hat from her head and looked at it with sorrow. "Okay, you can take her" I confirmed with sob creeping it's way out my throat.

Charles stepped over to me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, Belle started to make her way back to the others with a look of sorrow on her face. Alvor squeezed past me and Charles, but just as he did I heard him utter;

"Goddamn Woman, shoulda never brought her out here on this job"

"The hell did you just say?" Charles asked, his embrace loosening.

"This woman," Alvor pointed at me. "Is too goddamn emotional - Get her outta here!" I pulled myself together and pushed myself out of Charles' arms.

"One of her best friends just got killed and you tell her she's too emotional?" I heard Charles growl at Alvor.

The two men began a stand off, glaring at each other and muttering insults at each other.

"Shut the fuck up!" I roared at the both of them. Their eyes widened in shock at my words. "You two, follow the gang and find somewhere good for us to set up camp. I'm going take some time for my self" They both nodded, then they took Nellie's body and loaded her on to a wagon where they had put the rest of the takings from the robbery.

I watched as the gang rode away into the trees and out of sight. I let out a heavy sigh, looking at the train. I stepped up and pulled the lever next the drivers seat, then I hopped off the train before it chugged away into the distance.

Looking into the horizon as the stars  lit up the midnight sky - I wondered if Nellie was there, up in the heavens and peering down at me as I started to fiddle around with Nolan's saddle. There were small rips and tears along the leather work, perhaps I hadn't taken care of the saddle as much as I should have. My brow furrowed as I noticed that the girth was hanging from the side of the saddle - as if someone had sliced right through it.

But then it hit me, a firm knock on the head from the butt of rifle rendered my vision...

Black.