Unshaken

The Encounter

Liam rode into the Cumberland Forest searching for a place to make a camp. As he rode on, he saw light from a fire. He didn't think anything of it and was planning to mind his business and make his little camp. Then, he heard something unusual. He made sure his gun was locked and loaded, and crept through the trees to get a view on what was going on.

He looked around a tree to reveal those same two men who had harassed him outside of Emerald Ranch that morning. They were laughing and yelling as the bigger one held a kneeling man in a chokehold with a knife to his throat, while the smaller one ran his mouth. Smoke rose around them and the orange glow of the fire tinted their skin. Liam scoped his position and listened in. The smaller one taunted the man, "We finally got ya, Morgan. Wait until Colm finds out about this when we bring him your head!" They laughed on as the man struggled. Liam pulled out his revolver and waited for the right time to shoot. He decided that he would shoot the smaller man so the bigger one would be distracted and Liam could get another shot in since he was only holding a knife. Through the trees he shakily aimed the gun and shot the O'Driscoll right through the temple. As he immediately collapsed, the larger O'Driscoll gasped in shock as the man they called Morgan grabbed him by the neck and flipped him over his head onto the ground in front of him. In a swift motion, he snapped the guy's neck causing him to spasm for a second but eventually die.

The man they referred to as Morgan looked up at Liam, who revealed himself timidly from behind the tree, in surprise as well as relief. "Well shit. Thanks, kid." Liam looked at the dead men and replied, "Don't worry about it. Those idiots harassed me this morning." The man stood up and dusted himself off. Liam looked at the bodies again. The two looked at each other and the man said, "Let's get these bodies outta here. Nobody needs to see this." They each grabbed a man and carried the two to a nearby cliff and threw them off. They walked back to the man's camp that the O'Driscolls had invaded.

They sat by the fire for a minute without saying anything. "What's your name, kid?" The man asked him. "Liam Parker. And yours?" He replied. As he said this, he got a flashback of Valentine earlier that day and recognized the man. "Arthur. Arthur Morgan." The man told him. "You're that man from Valentine who chased that man from Blackwater. I remember you." Liam told him. "And you were that kid sitting on the hotel steps." Arthur remembered. "Wait, are you the Arthur Morgan with the Van der Linde Gang?" Liam asked. "Guilty." Arthur admitted, looking at the fire. Liam thought the man would've acted a lot different considering he had a five thousand dollar bounty on his head. The newspapers had made him seem mean and evil, but in reality he seemed like no such thing.

"You sure act a lot different than most would expect you to." Liam told him. "Yeah, it ain't nothing like them papers. Anyway, enough about me. Why is someone as young as you out here alone?" Arthur asked. Liam looked at the sky. "Had to leave home. Bad business." He said solemnly. Arthur noticed the pain in his eyes. "Something happen?" He asked. Liam looked at the fire for a second. "My father was a bad man. Used to hit on me a lot. I did what I had to do." Arthur knew exactly what he meant. "Shit. Looks like you've been through it." Arthur told him. "Sure." Liam agreed.

"Where you from? You don't seem from here." Arthur asked. "Rhodes, Lemoyne." Liam told him in an almost disgusted tone as the name left his lips. Arthur had heard of the place. It had a distinctive reputation. "So you've traveled all the way up here? You're eager." "If that's what you call it." Liam said. "How old are you anyways?" Arthur asked. "Just turned seventeen." Liam told him. "Damn young." Arthur said as he handed him a piece of cooked venison. He flinched at Arthur's arm coming towards him. "I ain't gonna hurt you, son." Arthur said. Liam grew embarrassed at his reaction towards nothing. "Sorry. Thank you, Mr. Morgan." Liam said as he started to eat. "You got anywhere to go?" Arthur asked him. Liam shook his head no. Arthur pursed his lips for a second. Liam didn't want to be rude and linger around, so he stood up to go. "Well it was nice meeting you, Mr. Morgan. I guess I'll be on my way." He said as he started off to leave.

"Wait." Arthur said. Liam looked over his shoulder back at him. "You got nowhere to go. I ain't gonna let you camp out here on your own." Arthur told him. Liam furrowed his brow in confusion. "Come on. You can stay here tonight so you ain't gotta worry about some O'Driscoll killing you in your sleep." Liam's eyes lit up. "Really? That'd be awesome, Mr. Morgan!" Liam went and grabbed his tent and bedroll off of Colter and set it up near the fire as Arthur's was. He sat back down by the fire. Arthur smoked a cigarette and looked at him. "I think I'll bring you to meet the gang." He said. Liam raised his eyebrows in excitement. "A home" he thought. "Thank you Mr. Morgan, I really appreciate it." Liam told him. "Call me Arthur. And it's the least I could do after you saved my head." Arthur said. Liam timidly smiled.

"You seem like a good kid." Arthur said as he stood up and stretched. Liam thanked him. "Alright, well, I should be off to sleep. We leave in the morning." Arthur told him as he climbed into his tent. "Goodnight, kid." Liam heard come from Arthur's tent. "G'night." Liam told him as he climbed into his own tent. For the first time in a long time, Liam felt safe. He was around someone who seemed to care about him after his grandmother had passed. He lied down onto his bedroll that had been warmed by the fire. Liam had a small smile and let out a quiet sigh of relief as he drifted off into a deep slumber.