When the Devil Cries (Arthur Morgan X Male OC)

15. Arrival

From Arthur's POV

ONE MONTH LATER

RYAN RESIDENCE, SAINT DENIS

Eddie and I trotted underneath the calm night sky, steadily making our way back to the pianist's house as the rest of the city dimmed down with the fading of the sun.

By now, the boy and I had been ridin' all over this country for the past few weeks -- bounty hunting, moving from town to town, hidin' from Rose's men -- and strangely enough...part of me was sad that it was all finally coming to an end, despite the danger we were in.

Spending time with that kid...it made me feel free. Made me feel like I didn't have a single, goddamned worry in the world. And somethin' about him just gave me the courage to step outta this angry, spiteful shell I had created. I mean, I was still grumpy...but at least when I was with Eddie, I knew that weren't all there was to me.

As much as I enjoyed bein' around the musician though, I figured I had dragged him across the wilds for long enough and that it was time to bring the boy home, now that things had calmed down in Saint Denis.

Neither of us had set foot anywhere near the city ever since that god-awful shootout, and it looked like Dutch had also kept his distance from the "civilized" land, allowing the local law to lower their guard a bit. And on top of that, I didn't see any sign of Atticus or his men, which meant they had probably given up their search in this part of Lemoyne.

Eddie should've been safe for the time being, and I certainly prayed I was right.

Hitching our horses outside the property's fence, I walked the pianist to the front door as the both of us stretched our arms and neck, stiff from the long ride home.

It had been quite a while since I last saw this house, and the minute I laid eyes upon it, memories started flooding my head like a wave on the shore.

I remembered the first day I met Eddie; when he asked me to come to his house to hear one of his compositions. Life seemed so much simpler back then, and part o' me still couldn't believe how much we had been through since those days.

Dealin' with Middleton, surviving Rose's assassins, hunting the Arlington Twins and Archibald Hill -- Eddie and I truly were almost unstoppable when working together. I mean, sure, the kid might not've been as good a gunslinger as Dutch, or Hosea, or even me...but he sure as hell had learned a lot since our first encounter. And I...I was proud of him. Extremely proud.

"Welp, here we are," I said, gently holding Eddie's hand as we walked through the front door. "Home sweet home."

The pianist let out a content sigh and took his hat off, placing it on a nearby end table as he settled in.

"Never thought I'd say it, but...I missed Saint Denis. It'll be nice to sleep in an actual bed again. I'm exhausted."

I laughed at that. "I bet."

Eddie gazed at me and beamed brightly, bringing out the soft-hearted side of him I had grown so familiar with.

"Thank you for all your help these past few weeks, Arthur. You didn't have to stay and help me survive out there...but you did. I won't forget it."

I shrugged, holding up a casual hand. "Ah, don't mention it. Least I could do. ...You, um...you gonna be okay by yourself? I mean, I know things have calmed down here, but still, you never know."

The boy slipped off his coat and threw it over a couch. "I should be alright. You've shown me how to defend myself, after all. And if anything does happen, I promise you'll be the first one to know."