Bad Blood // Micah Bell (Red Dead Redemption 2 Story)

56 - Sinking

Dutch ran into the men's cabin, screaming and shouting as the boat began to rock back and forth violently, the panicked screams of Frenchmen travelling down the hallways.

"Get up you sleepy bastards!"

Micah's eyes jolted awake, sitting up abruptly but whacking his head against the metal pole above him where Javier lay.

"What's going on?" Micah grumbled, rubbing his forehead roughly as a pounding sensation emerges on his head from the bang.

"I don't know, the boats going down so get up! Arthur, are you listening to me!?" Dutch snaps back, turning his back on Micah as he spoke and shaking Arthur awake whose eyes widen as he heard the screaming and shouting.

"W-what, what is it?" Arthur mumbled incoherently, rubbing his eyes but quickly grasping onto something as the boat rocked to the side making everyone nearly topple on top of one another.

"We need to go now!" Bill spoke loudly, already making the ascent up the ladder, the rest of the gang following behind.

"Where's Natasha?" Micah stopped in the middle of the hallway, Dutch in front of him and Arthur not too far behind somewhere

"She's gone." Dutch said far too quickly, refusing to look Micah in the eye.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Micah roared with anger and uncertainty.

As seat dripped down his forehead, Dutch looked to the blonde outlaw, his heart racing as he purely only thought about getting of the boat. Alive.

"She already jumped for it, sorry."

Micah's heart sank and he shook his head in disbelief. "No... she would've come for us!" He tried to argue but Dutch grabbed his shoulder and urged him forward. "Well, clearly she didn't so come on!"

Micah snapped quickly out of his currently breaking heart and followed after Dutch, checking back to see where Arthur had gotten to. "You aright, Cowpoke?" Micah yelled down the hall but cursed as he didn't receive a response from him. He looked back and forth with panic, unsure whether or not to wait for Morgan but the crowding screams became unbearable.

He darted down the hallway and caught up with the rest of the boys aside from Arthur as they already grabbed a bat, fighting some Frenchmen for it before they climbed in. "Are you sure she's gone?" Bill looked to Dutch with unsure eyes, Javier holding onto the rope, ready to lower them down to sea but not before Arthur caught up.

"I'm sure, son." Dutch muttered, a hint of frustration in his voice as he climbs in, gesturing that Micah did the same but he was reluctant.

"We can't stay here. Arthur will have to swim for it." Dutch watched the reaction of his men falter from his choice once Micah climbed in, his hands shakily gripping onto the sides of the wooden boat as he looked at all the fleeing men, watching them jump overboard as flames engulfed the deck.

Without hesitation, Dutch nudged Javier out of the way and lower them into the sea before setting sail, the waves crashing and almost tearing holes into them once they hit the water.

Arthur coughed and wheezed his way through the gruelling hallways, pushing men out of his way until he reached the surface, his eyes frantically looking for his family but only the faint voices of them being cast out to see could be heard.

"Dutch!" Arthur screamed at the top of his lungs, spluttering as he did, a mix of blood and phlegm polluting his white shirt.

"Arthur!"

He squinted his eyes as a voice called out to him, his hands gripped firmly onto the side of the ship as it rocked, sending some men flying overboard whilst others jumped for it.

"Arthur!" The voice got louder and his eyes widened as Natasha pushed her way through the crowds of frantic men, breathing heavily as she got to him, fear flashing in her eyes.

"What the fuck is happening?" She whimpered in horror, looking at the destruction happening around her, the random fires casted on the deck being the only sources of light.

"I don't know, Natasha but we gotta jump. C'mon." He held his hand out, shaking slightly as his eyes cast out to the unknown ahead of them. Natasha looked overboard, her heart in the bottom of her stomach as she looks at the crashing of waves and then quickly around at her surroundings.

"Where are the others? Where's Micah?" Natasha questioned quickly, tears brimming to her eyes at the thought of them being trapped somewhere.

"They've jumped, now come on!" Arthur said with haste, his hand holding onto a small pole which was enough to pull himself up, wobbling slightly as he balanced his bare feet on the barrier of the ship.

Knowing there was no point in dwelling about why the others had left without herself and Arthur, she took his outstretched hand, copying his actions as they both climbed up onto the side, their hearts drumming against their ribcages.

"1....2...3" Arthur counted them down, his sweaty hand clasped firmly onto hers, his things laced through each of hers before they jumped. The fall seemed endless as although it was merely a second, Natasha almost believed they were in the air for at least a minute.

Once contact hit the water, they were both submerged, their grip on each other loosening as the strong current being formed by the sinking ship pulled them in as they tried to push out.

Natasha's eyes were closed tightly, her head still under the water but fear struck her as Arthur's hand slipped form her grip, her eyes widening as the salty sea water makes contact, water pouring down her throat and inflating her lungs in a matter of seconds. She kicked her feet hard and fast, her arms pointed upwards as she broke through the surface, spluttering as the fear of suddenly drowning crossed her mind under the water.

She kicked her feet, keeping her head above water as she looked around, tears streaming down her face as she looked for her friend. "Arthur! A-Arthur!" She spluttered, crying and trying to catch her breath whilst trying to remain up afloat.

She kept calling and calling but nothing was being called back to her, her wet hair clung to her face, her breathing irregular as she tightly closed her eyes, a loud sob raking through her body from her chest. "Arthur..." She whispered, already feeling the dread hitting her stomach as this was it. This is how she died. This is how Arthur died. She prayed that the others got to safety as her body slowly started to give up, her bones becoming weaker and weaker as she swam to the middle of the sea but the waves kept knocking her around, submerging her every so often until she gave up.

She gave up swimming, she gave up hoping and she gave up trying.