Outlaws for Life (Red Dead Redemption 2)

Chapter ThirtyOne: Traditions

I jump. My heart is beating fast, way to fast for someone who's sleeping.

"Hey, are you okay?" whispers Mary-Beth in the dark, a few inches from my face.

"Y-yes, why?" I ask sitting up and drying some sweat from my forehead.

The room all around me is filled with the breathing and snorting of asleep people. Why the hell did she wake me up?

"You were talking in your sleep" she says.

"Really?" I say rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah. You had a nightmare?"

"To be honest, I don't remember. Don't worry for me, go back to sleep" I yawn.

She slowly crawls back to her place and I still feel she is watching me, so I turn around and lay down, but my eyes remain wide open. I lied to her: I remember what I was dreaming and, yes, it wasn't a good dream.

I wait for a while, hoping that she falls asleep again and soon, and then I stand up to walk outside. I take the backdoor and find myself on the dock that leads to the swamp. I sit down, dangling my legs down and enjoying that little piece and quiet that's left me until sunrise.

I don't have to wait for a long time. Soon the light starts playing with the colors of nature, reflecting on the softly rippled water.

I was dreaming of Arthur. I don't know why. In my dream he was on the ground, coughing, and covered in blood. There was nothing I could do, just stay there, desperately looking at him and yelling to hold on.

Hold on, hold on Arthur, I shouted, they are coming to save you, it will be over soon. No wonder I was mumbling in my sleep, I'm surprised I wasn't screaming.

..................

 "We've almost run out of meat again" complains Mr. Pearson.

His voice arrives to my ears as something distant and some kind of mechanism inside my head makes me open my mouth to say those same four word I always say: "I'll go hunt something."

"Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

I look up and notice Pearson's eyes. He looks sad, like he said something that could have hurt me.

"It wasn't a reproach. You've done so much. I don't want to bother you. I'll send someone else."
"Mr. Pearson, what are you talking about? It's no bother for me, we all need to eat."

I add a smile, but still he doesn't seem convinced. Maybe he thinks I'm going through enough for now? But we all are. This doesn't exempt me from my duties.

"Don't worry, I'll go with Charles. We'll have fun together" I joke and finally my words have the power to make him smile.

I look around to see if Charles is near, but I can't see him anywhere. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him for a while. He's always been around in these days, so his absence bothers me a little.

As soon as I'm done with the vegetables, I leave Pearson and go look for him. I check the surroundings, the shacks, I even make sure Taima is with the other horses, and she actually is.

So he's here, but where? The only place I haven't checked is the house, but he never stays there, preferring to take watch, or chop the wood, or fetch the water.

As I walk inside, I spot him in the back of the room where we sleep, seated on a chair and doing something with his hair

"Hey."

"Hey."

He has a knife in his hands and he is shaving his head, the sides of his head to be precise.