Chapter Text
The ride up to Old Trail Rise was a pleasant one, to say the least, hardly a damn cloud in the sky. Arthur was perched atop the back of a white arabian he’d managed to catch out in the mountains. He knew he looked ridiculous, a big man up on that small horse, but she was a good one. She was a bit skittish still and he was still getting to know her, but she hadn’t done him wrong yet. He patted her shoulder as they rode out over grassy knolls. His eyes wandered the sights around him. There was something about riding out alone like this… It was something he always enjoyed. He especially enjoyed it when he didn’t run into any fools on the side of the road or if he had to meet any fools at the end of it, but… He was looking forward to this job, strangely enough. Since the Blackwater business, he’d been a bit on edge regarding jobs they’d picked up here and there, however, it was John’s idea. It was funny, as Arthur wasn’t too keen on doing another train job since the last one went so well. John had a bright idea for once, though. It was good enough to get Arthur on board. Well, it definitely wasn’t enough to absolve the younger man of everything he’d done to his family (not that Arthur thought John would ever really earn that trust back), but Arthur was still impressed. He’d have to visit with Mary-Beth after this, thank her for finding the tip.
As the sun faded from the sky, Arthur and his steed were trudging through a creek when he saw the old ruin of a house perched up on the hilltop, peering out between the trees. With a gentle prod of his heel, he steered his mare up out of the water and up the hill. There was gunfire as he approached and a very particular gray jacket he hadn’t intended on seeing that night. Arthur let out a sigh of annoyance as he slowed up behind Sean and slid off the side of his horse. The gunfire came from Sean, out there practicing his shooting by the house. There was a line of cans and bottles spread out along an old wooden fence there and Sean was shooting at them with a serious look on his face. Arthur raised his brows and looped both thumbs into his gun belt as he watched Sean poorly line up a shot before taking it. Arthur let out a chuckle, sauntering up to the younger man. Sean was making a sour face and was about to put his gun away when Arthur spoke.
“Well,” He began, “‘least it ain’t your job.”
Sean didn’t even turn his head when he spoke. “Ah, shut up Arthur.” He bit before raising his revolver again and taking aim, actually managing to knock a can off the fence. Arthur hardly paid that any mind, instead he decided to simply amuse himself. “Yeah, you’re jobs startin’ the fights, ain’t winnin’ ‘em.” Arthur noted, coming up to Sean’s side. Yet again, Sean hadn’t turned his head, focused wholly on the task he’d given himself.
“I can scrap, Arthur, I’m just not good at homework.” He stated before taking another shot, missing the bottles entirely and instead lodging a bullet in the wood beneath them.
“I can see.” Arthur hummed, a small smirk playing at his lips. Finally, Sean turned, taking a step back to look at the older man.
“Besides, what do you care, Englishman? You’ve got no time for me. I tried to find you work, but then you’re off cuttin’ jobs with other folks and your boy Sean doesn’t get a look in.” Arthur shrugged faintly, head tilted. His smirk never waning as the sky grew darker, still a faint blue left hanging above them.
“Guess I don’t wanna get shot, that’s all.” His smirk turned into a full grin that he turned onto Sean, who angrily reloaded his gun.
“Ah, you’re a real fuckin’ funny shit, aren’t you, Arthur Morgan… Huh? Real fuckin’ funny.” Arthur’s grin finally fell as he sighed through his nose, taking a step closer.
“Calm down.” He tried. Christ, the Irishman was pissed. Not what he wanted on his mind when he left the other boys.
Sean cast Arthur a look, nodding along. “You better sleep with your eyes open.” Arthur scowled as he voiced his low threat, only edging closer to Sean, brows pinched in a glare that’d scare the hide off a bear.
“Yeah, well, you’re gonna sleep with your chest open if you ain’t careful boy.” He hissed, eyes locked with Sean’s. Arthur could see it, the flash of fear in Sean’s eyes as he stared back at him before the younger man started to laugh awkwardly, a smile starting to come to his lips
“I love ya, Arthur Morgan. I love ya.” He stepped forward, gesturing towards his face. “Take a shot– come on, take your best shot, please! Yeah?”” His movements bounced with that cocky aire he always tried to hold about him, a big grin plastered on his scruffy face. He was looking at Arthur’s face, not even noticing as the older man had whipped out his own revolver and shot a bottle down with ease before holstering his weapon and starting off.
“Grow up.” He muttered as he walked towards the wagon he had stashed there before. Sean stood there, in place, for a good long silent moment before he spoke up again.
“Hey, let me come on the raid with yous.” He implored as he finally holstered his gun. Arthur paused, turning over his shoulder to look at the redhead.
“Raid?” he asked before turning back to the wagon. Sean rolled his eyes and shifted his weight on his feet.
“Don’t be playin’ coy with me, son, it’s unbecoming.” He stated as he began to follow. “That bloody train you and him has set up.” He specified. “What you’re doin’ out here, you’re gonna need guns and you’re gonna need men.”
Arthur hummed as he pet the flank of one of the wagon’s horses. “Oh, that… So Marston told ya?” He asked, turning back around to look at Sean briefly, making a wide gesture. “It ain’t a big show.” He said before starting back around the wagon. “I need calmness. If I bring you, I might as well bring Micah along.” He noted, dragging a hand along one of the horses’ faces. Sean kept following Arthur as he paced around the wagon.
“Compare me to that oily turd again,” Sean began, pointing at Arthur, “and you’re a dead man.” Arthur’s small grin returned as he chuckled, petting the other horse.
“Fair. Fair enough.” He didn’t meet Sean’s face as he spoke, eyes trained on the horse’s fur. Sean leaned forward, trying to meet Arthur’s face, but kept at a reasonable distance from the older man.
“So anyways, Arthur, what’s your deal with me? In fact– don’t tell me. I already know.” Sean declared, drawing nearer as Arthur checked on the wagon. “You’re threatened by me.” He stated, gesturing to himself with a thumb. Arthur rose to his feet, a near incredulous look on his face.
“Threatened by you?”
“Yeah. And my youthful vigor.” Sean nodded, falling back into that cocky swagger of his. “It intimidates ya.”
“Does it?” Arthur asked as he continued to busy himself with the wagon.
“It’s a story as old as the hills: the changin’ of the guard, the fadin’ of the light– you’re toast, old man.”
“Okay… and what are you?” Arthur asked, straightening up from where he’d hunched over to check the back of the wagon. Sean met him with a grandiose gesture, arms wide.
“I’m the future, in all its glory.” He stated. Arthur simply walked past him.
“Yeah, well, good luck. Good luck and shut up.” Arthur muttered as Sean laughed. Arthur sat down by the wagon, grunting as he did so. “I wanna get some rest before nightfall.” He mumbled before leaning back against the wagon wheel. His eyes briefly met with Sean’s. The younger man threw his hands up in surrender, that smirk still playing on his cheeks.
“Alright, alright… Rest up, old man.” He said, waving Arthur off. Arthur tilted his hat down over his eyes as Sean plopped down by a rock across the way from him, leaning back against it. Before long, the two were asleep… Sean was sleeping like the rock he was using as a pillow, though Arthur’s sleep was far lighter than Sean’s. As the night drew on, he awoke to the sound of John and Charles approaching. With a harsh kick of a wake up call to Sean, the boys all loaded up. It wasn’t long before the four of them had found themselves up on that wagon, headed down the hill. None of them were all too pleased by Sean’s intrusion on their little outing, but they’d manage just fine. Arthur and John discussed the job for a while, while Charles and Sean were quiet. Charles glanced back to make sure their horses were following a ways behind before he turned to just stare at the road ahead, a firm grip on the wagon. He was cool, ready to get this job done as cleanly as possible. Sean, on the other hand, was bouncing with nervous energy– or at least his knee was. So much so that Arthur had to let go of the reins with a hand just to whack him in the knee.
“Would you cut that out, boy?” Arthur grunted before taking the reins back into hand. Sean raised a placating hand.
“Hey, I can’t help it, Arthur, I’m just ready to get goin’ again! Y’see, I’m gone for a couple ‘a weeks and you cut me out of all the action!” He jabbed.
“Just the action that requires a brain.” John bit back. Arthur honestly began to tune the two out as they slid right into bickering, just focusing on the horses and the road. He did not have the energy to deal with those two. He was still pissed at John and Sean always had a way of getting on a man’s nerves, so it was like a match made in hell. Nevermind that the sleep he got was piss-poor too… Well, at least the racket kept him awake. It wasn’t until Charles spoke that he got pulled back into reality.
“Why do you have to speak so much? It’s incessant…” Charles sighed, exasperated. Arthur nodded in agreement, casting a glance at Sean from the corner of his eye. Sean leaned back slightly, arms sprawled out over the back of the wagon.
“‘Cause I still got some blood in me veins! You old bastards have forgotten how to live!”
John ran his free hand through his hair and looked down at Arthur from his perch on the wagon. “I blame you two for rescuin’ him.”
“Far too much trouble for what we got out of it.” Arthur agreed, flicking the reins.
Sean laughed. “Yeah! Takes a whole army of bounty hunters to take in Sean MacGuire. And look at me now, in the gunner’s seat! Back in business boys.” He made a showy gesture, though he was actually careful not to hit Arthur. It still annoyed the older outlaw, as he grunted in disapproval. Sean kept right on talking, though, ignoring all the sighs as he prattled on. “You know, my da always used to say…” Then it was a chorus of annoyed men, quickly cutting Sean off.
“Not the da, please!”
“No, no.”
“Not this again…” Then, before another word could be spoken, the horses reared, bringing the wagon to a halt. They were spooked, squealing like there was a snake in the middle of the path, but they didn’t run. Once their front hooves hit the earth again, they just stood there, stiff and alert. Arthur looked around. “What the hell..?” He mumbled.
“Yeah, what’s the hold up?” Sean asked, looking over at Arthur, who had awkwardly stood up, attempting to settle the horses. Charles looked around warily for anything along the grassy knolls around them, a frown carved into his scarred face. He huffed a sigh through his nose and turned to the other men.
“I don’t see anything.” Charles noted, lowering his voice just in case. John glanced around haphazardly, not quite sure what he’d see that Charles didn’t, when something began to seem amiss. He held a hand out in front of him, flipping it back to front as he observed how the light around them bent around the shapes on his palm. A light that seemed a little too bright and a little too… green. John cleared his throat, returning his hand to a white-knuckled grip on the wagon’s handle as he raised his eyes.
“Y’know, last I checked, the moon wasn’t green.” He grumbled. That’s what drew everyone’s attention. Finally, they looked up. Arthur recognized it… Some sorta thing like he saw out north of the Overflow one night, something he assumed was a dream– the kind you get after having a bit too much to drink and decide to ride it off instead of going back to camp. Vivid and strange… Well, shit, suppose it wasn’t a dream after all.
“No shit, Martson.” Arthur breathed. As the strange flying object drew nearer and the light grew stronger, the horses up and spun into a frenzy, racing off back up the hill they’d come down, turning a bit too fast. The wagon tilted dangerously as it corrected itself, settling with an unsettling creak. Charles and John had to hold onto the wagon with both hands to keep from flying right off. Sean cursed as he hovered over the seat, grasping at the wood beneath him quickly. The kid’s heart was pounding.
“What the fuck…” He wheezed, breathless for the moment. He wasted no time collecting himself, staring up at the thing again and holding onto the seat still.
“Get those horses under control, Arthur!” John shouted. Arthur cast his brother a glare.
“What do you think I’m doing?” He hissed, pulling on the reins. Whatever that thing really was, it really spooked the horses, so bad Arthur wasn’t sure he could get them reined in. He cursed. That thing was getting lower– lower than it had when Arthur was rooting around in that old decaying shack he first saw it in. The surface of the thing was so shiny, it reflected everything right back at them. Looking up, Arthur could see his own fear plain as day on his face. Arthur jerked his face away, pulling on the reins again. “Woah! Woah there, come on, now!” He shouted at the horses, but they didn’t listen. Sean whipped out his revolver , pointing it up at the flying thing. He slowly stood up on the wobbly seat– a dangerous game– and steadying himself with one hand on the wagon. He bit at the inside of his cheek, raising the gun. His other hand happened to be close to where Charles was, so Charles grabbed onto Sean’s wrist, prepared to steady the younger man, should the horses fuss and turn on the dime again. Sean lined up a shot, firing at the object. It hit the metal surface, bouncing right off and leaving a little dent in the hull of the UFO. Sean ducked away to avoid the ricocheting bullet, cursing as his grip on his revolver tightened. The bullet had grazed his shoulder. Sean lowered himself slightly, pressing the heel of his palm into Arthur as he recollected himself. Arthur glanced up at the boy, clenching his teeth as he thought. No way in hell any of the better shots on this job could get a good one on that thing– it was up to Sean.
“Come on, boy, focus!” Arthur shouted. “Breathe ‘n… ‘n aim… hell, I don’t know what to goddamn aim for.” Arthur admitted, shaking his head. Sean bit his cheek harder, a coppery taste blooming in his mouth, and raised his revolver again, trying to keep his cool as he lifted his hand up from Arthur’s shoulder and leveled his weapon again before firing. This time, the bullet went straight into one of the lights on the side of the thing, raining colored glass down– thankfully not onto them. The UFO refused to let up, however, and Sean’s chest grew tight.
“I don’t think that’s gonna do nuthin’.” Sean muttered as he slid back down into the seat, breaking free of Charles’ iron grip and placing his free hand fully on Arthur’s arm.
“You goddamn think!” John shouted, a snarl on his lips. He wasn’t really mad at Sean, just scared out of his mind. That only escalated when his head jerked painfully as his body slammed into the side of the wagon. “Ugh, Christ…” He coughed, fingers flexing against the smooth metal surface of the oil barrel. Whatever that damn thing in the sky was, what it did next was goddamn terrifying. It let loose a beam of light just ahead of them, engulfing the grass it shone onto into flames. The horses stopped on a dime, turning tail and running off in another direction. They hardly got a few meters before another light set another patch ablaze. Arthur’s heart was in his throat. He was not gonna die here because some weird piece of junk caught the wagon on fire. He was not gonna go out in a goddamned fireball.
“We gotta call in our horses– bail out on this… this wagon thing.” He rambled, glancing over his shoulder at John and Charles. “We just gotta get the hell outta here!” He shouted the last sentence before whistling for his horse. The other boys did the same as the wagon’s horses reared and bucked at the sight of the new fire before bolting off again. Taima and Ennis were the first to catch up, ears sticking straight up, huffing and whinnying. Arthur nodded to Sean, who let out a deep breath before standing again. The older outlaw now found himself in charge of keeping the wagon’s horses just slightly in line so the others could make a jump for it. Great… He’d admit it, though, he’d be less mad about dying if he got those two idiots and Charles out of this okay first. He kept an iron grip on the reins as Charles made the first leap of faith, hopping off the side of the wagon and haphazardly into Taima’s saddle. He grasped at Taima’s muscular shoulders as he righted himself. Instead of making distance, he kept in close to the wagon, now attempting to help Arthur steer the pair of horses tacked up to the wagon so the others could jump off without so many unexpected movements. Arthur gave Charles a pointed look, but said nothing. Truth was he kind-of appreciated the help, even if he’d prefer Charles just booked it at this point. Charles gave him a single nod, but didn’t speak, simply keeping watch over the situation, ready to act if the need arose.
Sean waited a moment, glancing back up at the UFO before turning his eyes to Ennis. He was hesitating a lot, but with that subtle crinkle of determination on his brow, the boy made the leap. Arthur just about had a heart attack watching Sean jump. The poor bastard just about made it by a hair, hands grasping frantically at his horse. Sean clambered up into the saddle, nearly pulling the thing loose as he clung on for dear life. Ennis fell behind Taima, keeping pace as Sean gathered his bearings and settled into the saddle, legs quaking from the adrenaline. He took deep breaths interwoven with expletives as a hand flew over his chest. He’d dropped his gun in all of the excitement, but that was the least of his worries– besides, he had a few stashed away on his horse. Charles glanced over his shoulder.
“You alright?” He called out. Sean just nodded as he took proper hold of Ennis and spurred into action. He didn’t need any direction, simply mirroring Charles on the other side of the wagon, keeping the thing running straight. Another beam of light and another burst of flame later, all of the horses were pulled into a panic and their path was redirected, sending them towards some railroad tracks. Arthur did not want to run into those at full speed. Old Boy and Arthur’s new arabian came upon the scene as Sean and Charles had to struggle to keep control of their horses. The arabian was throwing her head wildly and her gait was wobbly like a drunk on a bad day.
“Christ alive, the hell does that thing even want?! Sonuvabitch just won’t let up!” Sean exclaimed, eyes peering up at the UFO again. He had half the mind to pull a bigger gun from his saddle, but a part of him knew it wouldn’t do anything. Once Ennis was under control again, he just rode her alongside the wagon again as Arthur pulled tight to get those damned horses to turn.
“I dunno!” Arthur callout out over the sound of the wagon’s wheels creaking dangerously as they barreled over rough terrain. “I-... I saw somethin’ like this before but it didn’t do nothin! I thought I was just drunk or somethin.”
“I don’t think it was the booze.” Charles noted, voice flat.
“I think I know that now.” Arthur called back, gripping the reins like a lifeline. Old Boy drew in close, the dutiful bastard he was, but the arabian was keeping a distance, spooked by the panic in the air and the fires around them. Arthur hardly even noticed, just trying to keep steady enough for John to make the jump to his horse. John was being shaken around like a damned carton of cigarettes, wobbling a little from his tiny perch on the side of the wagon.
“Come on, boy!” John called out, carefully shifting his footing so his body was facing outward from the wagon, still managing to hold onto the wagon. He watched as his horse drew nearer, though not by much. The Old Boy was as close as he was gonna get, it seemed. John took a deep breath, hoping fate didn’t intend on being a cruel bitch to him today, as she seemed to love as of late, and jumped. It was an awkward angle, but he managed to loop his arms around his horse’s neck and one leg over the side. John steadied himself in the saddle, much easier than Sean had, but his eyes were still wide. He was cursing as he found his footing in the stirrups and took up the tack. He tried to will away the shakes that he found overcoming him. Arthur was still on that wagon… They weren’t on the best terms, but John’d be damned before he let Arthur get killed– much less a job that he, himself, had set up. He glanced back at where Arthur’s arabian was trailing behind, appearing to almost glow in the unearthly green light of the UFO. “Shit, Arthur! Get your horse over there!” John shouted, whipping his head around to face Arthur. “Sean, make some damn room– back off that wagon!” He barked. Sean obliged, hanging wide from the wagon, but the arabian didn’t come through the gap they’d made.
“I’m tryin’, Marston!” Arthur hissed at his brother, glancing back behind the wagon, where his horse was chasing their tail. Arthur gritted his teeth. God dammit! The skittish thing wasn’t even gonna try, was she? Arthur called out to her once more before turning his eyes back towards the uneven earth around them. There was an uncomfortable crack somewhere on the wagon– he didn’t have long. Another burst of flame rose– too close to the wagon for any of their liking– and Charles had to halt Taima, lest the pair get caught up in the red embers. He patted Taima’s neck and quickly redirected himself over to the other side of the wagon, racing off to where John and Sean were riding, keeping close to them. The wagon’s front axle bent dangerously, sending a jolt up through the rest of the wagon. Arthur whistled for his horse, futilely shouting for her, but she just wouldn’t come any nearer. John let out a furious groan, finally deciding to pull Old Boy back in closer to the wagon.
“Useless damn thing!” He snarled before nodding towards himself and Old Boy. “Come on! Jus’ jump for it!” John shouted, his eyes meeting Arthur’s. Arthur sucked in a breath.
“Shit.” He muttered before standing carefully, still holding the reins taught with one hand while the other steadied himself upright. John held out an arm to him, face serious with that old snarl creasing his lips, yet the worry in his eyes was shining bright in the green light. Arthur hesitated for a second, grip tightening. Old Boy was a sturdy bastard, he could handle the weight just fine… They’d be fine. He lifted his hand from the oil tank, clenching and unclenching it as he released the reins. Almost like on cue, the wagon’s horses began to act crazy. Arthur wasted no time making the jump for the horse. John grabbed him by the wrist as soon as he was in range, helping to pull Arthur up onto Old Boy… Arthur gripped John’s arm in turn, his other hand finding Old Boy’s saddle.
“Gotcha, brother.” John muttered between heavy breaths. That was all Arthur could really hear over the blood rushing in his ears– just John and the frantic hoofbeats of three horses. …and that was all he could remember before a bright light overtook the world around him. For a moment he could see around him– it was like a miniature sun beaming down and illuminating the small patch of earth. Bright white bleached over the dark night’s world in a mere fraction of a second. He heard the exclamations and shouts from his brothers, horses neighing with a terrified fury, but, before he knew it, he couldn’t see a damn thing. His sight was gone, overtaken by the whiteness around him. He felt weightless, the only thing keeping him grounded was John’s hand clasped tight around his arm. Arthur hadn’t even the time to process what the other outlaws had been saying before the light washed all his senses away entirely, leaving him in a bright white void. The only thing he registered then was his heavy breathing and his racing heart as the light receded, replaced with nothing but a deep darkness, enveloping all, casting them all into a state of unconsciousness.