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THE HORSES RODE forward in no particular direction. The Regulators were experiencing more loss than ever. All sense of hope had vanished the moment their dear friend's body hit the ground. There was a part of their group that was now missing, in both the literal and figurative sense.
Florence pondered quietly, asking herself if she had any more tears left to cry. Her heart ached and she wanted to go home, she had never experienced this amount of remorse all at once before. The series of unfortunate events replayed in her mind over and over again, until it shook her core.
She felt so helpless within that moment. Florence tried to run to Chavez, but Dick wouldn't let her, he couldn't let her. She insisted that she assist Doc, but he couldn't risk her safety, she knew that now. If she had only taken the risk, Dick might still be with them. It was difficult to keep those negative voices out of her mind, but she tried nonetheless.
Chavez rested his head on Florence's back whilst favouring his wounded leg. While everyone was so quiet–making him feel rather uneasy–he was well aware of Florence's constant worry without her even mentioning a word of it. Although his eyes were closed, he could feel her looking back at him every now and then, checking to see if he was alright.
Chavez wouldn't admit it to anyone, but fining his place among the Regulators came naturally to him because everyone had made it so easy. If they hadn't had welcomed him in as warmly as they did, it wouldn't be so difficult to come to terms with Dick being gone.
Doc lead the group, unsure of where to go next. Never had he felt so powerless, he felt as if he could have done more–like he didn't do enough to try and save Dick. Everything was going wrong, their odds continuing to dwindle down to none, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it.
Charley had shed enough tears to last himself a lifetime. He was still fighting the urge to turn back and go rescue his friend, but Steve kept him grounded. Steve appeared calm compared to the chaos unfolding inside his head. He was scared for everyone's safety, something deep down was telling him that they won't even make it to town, but he didn't want to think that way.
Billy remained silent, planning the Regulators' next move. A part of him wished that he hadn't been so hard on the eldest member of the group, perhaps Dick would have still been with them now. They could have been great friends, and great partners, too. For the first time in a long time, Billy found himself wondering if what he was doing was right. As determined as he is to receive justive for his late benefactor, is the fight really worth it? Alas, there was no turning back now.
Coming to a halt, the group finally found a quiet place to rest for the night. They would be able to lay low for a few hours give or take before needing to run off again. The Regulators began to dismount off their horses, all except for Doc. Billy turned to face him, "Where to, Doc?"
"I'm going into Patricio if it looks safe." The young man announced. Upon hearing this line, Florence's head snapped in Doc's direction, his statement capturing her full attention. "I gotta write Dick's mother in Vermont, get some clean wraps for this."
