RDR: NO REGRETS - Chapter 302: A Hasty Escape (Patreon)

Let’s turn the clock back three hours.

Aboard the ship on Flat Iron Lake.

Stephen slowly emerged from the cabin and looked toward the sun sinking over the horizon. He tried to stretch, but even that took some effort.

The bandages wrapped around his body were too tight, making it difficult to breathe, so he tugged at them to loosen them a little.

Worried about his injuries, Mary-Beth had refused to take no for an answer and gone over every wound on his body.

She cleaned them, applied plenty of medicine, and wrapped them all again.

The problem was that Stephen had so many injuries that the whole process took hours. Mary-Beth worked on him until evening, and by the time she finally finished, she was completely exhausted.

Ms. Grimshaw and Uncle had prepared some food for everyone. It took the edge off their hunger and left Stephen feeling considerably more alive.

“What are you doing up here?”

A familiar voice came from nearby.

Stephen turned and saw Charles.

“Just finished eating. Thought I’d come up for some air.”

Stephen walked over and rested both hands on the railing, looking out across the lake.

“What about you? Why aren’t you resting?”

“Couldn’t settle down, so I came out for a walk.”

Charles turned toward Stephen. Seeing him wrapped from head to toe in bandages like a mummy, he couldn’t help smiling.

“How’s Mary-Beth’s handiwork?”

Stephen gave him a helpless look.

“Not bad. A little tight, though.”

“Here, loosen the ones behind my neck for me.”

Stephen turned around so Charles could adjust the bandages.

Charles carefully loosened the wrapping around the back of his neck, then retied it with a little more room.

As he worked, his eyes fell on the gruesome wounds across Stephen’s back, and he sucked in a breath.

It wasn’t the first time he had seen them, but the sight still unsettled him.

“You... really got torn up this time.”

“It’s fine. I’m not dying.”

Stephen smiled.

“But if I want to recover completely, I’ll need at least half a month of rest.”

“Only half a month?” Charles asked in surprise.

He had seen Stephen’s wounds for himself.

If Charles had suffered injuries like that, he honestly doubted he would still be alive.

Recovering in half a month would be remarkable. Stephen’s vitality was almost frightening.

“About that long. But I’ll need proper rest and plenty of food. If we have to keep fighting like this, even I won’t last.”

Stephen shifted his neck uncomfortably. The rough bandages were chafing against his skin.

Seeing that, Charles became even gentler with his hands.

“We need to find somewhere to hide and recover for a while, and soon. Otherwise, none of us are going to hold up much longer.”

That was the truth.

If they didn’t find somewhere to properly recuperate, Stephen wouldn’t be the only one in trouble.

Charles himself had taken his fair share of injuries.

Stephen continued, “And then there are the Pinkertons. We got away this time, but after putting together an operation this big and still failing to catch us, there’s no way they’re going to give up.”

“I’m sure it won’t be long before they’re on our trail again.”

Charles paused at Stephen’s words, his hands going still.

He knew Stephen was right.

After suffering such a humiliating setback, the Pinkertons would never simply let them go.

“Maybe we could leave by ship.”

After a moment of silence, Charles resumed his work and quickly finished adjusting Stephen’s bandages.

Finally able to breathe properly again, Stephen moved his shoulders around.

Much better.

He turned to Charles.

“Leaving isn’t that simple...”

“Don’t forget, the Mexican border is just south of here. They might still be fighting down there. You want us to sail straight into that?”

God was too far away, and America was too close.

There was hardly a better way to describe Mexico.

There was a reason Juan had traveled all the way to America and considered life as a stable hand in Blackwater an improvement.

Mexico was full of warlords, armed conflicts were everywhere, and gangs of every size were practically countless.

If they went there, they would either get dragged off by some local warlord and used as human shields or end up trapped in endless fighting with local gangs.

They might honestly be better off staying in America.

“But you did give me an idea.”

Stephen turned his gaze west.

“Maybe we could head straight west. New Austin, then farther into the West. We might finally leave all this behind.”

The West...

That wasn’t a bad idea.

Charles nodded.

“Going back West could work. Maybe we’d be better suited to life out there.”

The West had not yet been completely settled.

Huge stretches of unclaimed land still remained throughout the wilderness.

If all they wanted was somewhere to disappear, it really was a good place for it.

Stephen pulled out his cigarettes and handed one to Charles.

The two leaned against the railing, smoking as they watched the scenery along the lakeshore.

For once, everything felt peaceful.

After finishing his cigarette, Stephen flicked the butt into the lake and sighed.

“I wonder if we’ll ever get the chance to come back.”

“What for?”

“We left everything behind.”

Stephen grimaced at the thought.

“My two horses, your Taima, our weapons, some pretty good collectibles. All gone.”

Stephen, Hosea, and the others had entered Rhodes disguised as farmers using a farmer’s wagon.

Riding something like Snowy or a tall Turkoman warhorse would hardly have made Stephen look like an ordinary farmer, so he had tied the horses up outside Rhodes before entering town.

After the battle, they had fled in such a hurry that going back for them was impossible.

Charles was in much the same situation.

His horse had been left in the stables in Rhodes.

Stephen’s collection of trophies had been lost as well.

He rummaged through his bag.

All that remained was a single gold bar and his property deed.

What a loss.

“If we find somewhere to hide for a while, maybe we can come back for them later.”

Charles could see how depressed Stephen was, but he had no idea how to comfort him, so he could only offer a rather empty reassurance.

“Forget it. What’s gone is gone. We can always earn it back.”

Stephen shook his head as if none of it mattered.

“Ah... I need to go lie down.”

He stretched lazily.

“What about you? You’ve been at it all day too. Aren’t you going below to rest?”

Charles shook his head.

“No. I can keep going.”

“All right. I’m heading down, then.”

Stephen patted Charles on the shoulder and turned toward the cabin.

But the moment he turned, a dark shape caught the corner of his eye.

He stopped and looked back.

“What’s that?”

Charles followed his gaze.

“That looks like a ship...”

“And a big one.”