𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗬 ➳ 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟮

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟕.

Eleanor's eyes fluttered open, finding herself staring up at a wooden roof. She winced, pain shooting through her reminding her of her battle with Micah. She looked down at her thigh to see a bandage wrapped tightly around it. Whoever found her they tended to her wound. She looked around the room, finding a man sitting in the corner on a wooden chair. He had shoulder length blonde hair, a beard and scars all over his arms as he carved something with his knife. Eleanor cleared her throat awkwardly, the man looking up at her.

"Oh, you're awake," his voice was rough. Eleanor nodded at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," Eleanor snorted. "Thank you for helping me," she answered. The man nodded, tucking his knife away. "Did you happen to find my gun by any chance?" She asked, recalling that her gun fell down the water fall. The man nodded, tilting his head. She looked to see her gun belt sitting beside him, her gun there too. 

"Found the gun washed up on the shore further down stream, that's why I came riding up. Thought a wagon might've gone overboard," the man explained. Eleanor nodded in understandment, shifting her arm only to find out she couldn't move. She frowned, looking up at her hand to see both her wrists bound to the bedhead. Eleanor's head fell back onto the pillow, sighing in annoyance. 

"You're a bounty hunter, ain't you?" She asked. 

"Sorry ma'am," he responded. Eleanor groaned, annoyed. She looked back over at him.

"Look, why can't we just go our separate ways? Pretend we never saw each other," she proposed. The man sighed, shaking his head apologetically at her.

"I'm sorry, I can't. I need the money and you're worth a lot," he explained. "I wish it hadn't been like this."

"Me too," she sighed. "But I'll get out," she insisted to him. The man stifled a chuckle, getting up from his seat.

"I doubt that," he answered. "But since you're awake we might as well get moving," he explained. Eleanor frowned at him as he approached her, taking his knife and cutting her wrists from the bedhead. As much as she wanted to take the chance to run now she knew she was too weak and wouldn't get far before he caught up with her. 

"How long have I been out for?" She asked curiously.

"Two days," the bounty hunter answered. 

"And my horse?"

"Outside," he answered again. The man helped Eleanor to her feet, for a bounty hunter he was polite. A lot of bounty hunters were trigger happy with their big egos. It didn't end well for those ones, it never did. But for him, he was a smart one. It always worked out well for the smart ones.

"You got lucky, Sir," Eleanor admitted as he tied her wrists behind her back. He nodded in agreement before guiding her towards the door, picking up her gun belt on the way out. "And you're a nice one."

"If you say so," The man muttered. Eleanor stopped beside his buckskin horse, turning to him.

"But that doesn't mean I won't kill you once I get out," Eleanor hissed warningly at him. She thought she could see a hint of panic flash in his eyes but maybe she was just hoping it. He should be scared of her. 

"They'll be hanging you, Miss. I doubt you'll get out," he pointed out. Without warning the man grabbed her and chucked her on the back of his horse before he mounted in front of her. He whistled for Seyfret to follow, which the obedient horse did. Once she was hung the Law would sell the horse. 

"Did you find the man I was fighting with?" Eleanor asked. The man nodded as he kicked up his horse, the horse beginning to canter. "So why didn't you take him instead?"

"You were injured and needed more help than him, and I recognised who you was," The man explained. "I get more money for fixing up an injured bounty."

"Of course you do," Eleanor muttered in annoyance. She couldn't believe she was on the back of a bounty hunter's horse being ridden into Valentine to be hung in a day or two. Eleanor had escaped many hangings before but of course she was never injured during them. She was weak, it would be impossible to escape and if she did she would only get caught again. "You had nothing to do with that man?"

"No," the bounty hunter answered truthfully. "It was just bad luck."

"Seems like I'm getting a lot of that lately," Eleanor grunted. The man let out a low chuckle, the two remaining silent for the rest of the ride. Eleanor couldn't help but feel sorry for herself, she was a fool for not suspecting anything from how Alden was acting. He was clearly hinting at her about something and she was too greedy to see it. She wondered how Micah was, if he was back with the gang yet. She was curious to how that would go down. She expected her hanging to be front page of tomorrow's paper, inviting anyone and everyone to come watch the hanging of the daughter of an infamous outlaw who sadly didn't meet the same fate. 

The two arrived in Valentine, people staring as they rode in. Eleanor heard mumbling and murmurs, talking about her. She stared ahead, unbothered to stare down everyone in retaliation. There was no point, she wasn't getting out of this. As the bounty hunter halted by the Sheriff's Station, Eleanor dismounted herself, completely defeated. 

"So you've given up?" The bounty hunter assumed outlaw. Eleanor didn't respond as the man grabbed her arm, walking her in. The Valentine Sheriff sat at his desk, feet up as he cleaned his repeater. The Sheriff looked up, his face dropping in shock to see Eleanor Miller, one of the most wanted people standing in his office. His eyes flicked to the bounty hunter.

"Well, well, well David," The sheriff began, kicking his feet off of the desk and placing his gun aside. "You got her!"

"Sure did," David answered, Eleanor only learning his name now. He lead her to the jail cell, placing her in without the Sheriffs say so. He cut her hands free before closing the large barred door shut, latching it so it locked. Eleanor sat on the bed in shame. "Patched her up too. Got into a fight with Micah Bell," he informed.

"Micah Bell? An associate of Dutch's gang?" The Sheriff asked. David nodded in response. "Wow, seems like anyone is everyone's enemy these days." David walked over to the desk, expecting his pay but the Sheriff shook his head. "Not until she hangs. It'll be tomorrow," he informed. David sighed but nodded after hesitating. David flashed her a final look before leaving the building. The Sheriff got up from his desk, walking over to the bars of her cell. "Looks like your time is up."

"We'll see about that," Eleanor muttered. The Sheriff scoffed but left her alone, returning to his chair at his desk. Eleanor laid down, staring at the roof of the cell. The cell gave her chills, an eerie feeling flooded her at the thought of laying in a bed that people who were now dead laid in. 

On the ride to Valentine, Eleanor came to terms that she might die. That might turning more into a probably. But one thing she knew was that she wouldn't go down without fighting. It wasn't in her blood. She would go down fighting and if she dies, she will die happy.