If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead, be sure to check out my Patreon!!!
Go to https://www.patreon.com/Tang12
...
Sadie and Charles stepped in immediately, positioning themselves beside Caleb. Charles placed a steady hand on Caleb's shoulder, not to restrain him, but to steady him. Sadie's eyes never left Dutch, daring him to try something.
"Let go," Sadie said flatly.
The commotion drew the rest of the gang who's scattered around camp closer. John stood frozen. Abigail clutched Jack. Karen and Tilly let out gasp. Molly just stood with a cigarette and a bottle of beer in hand. Uncle just watched everything while drinking his bourbon. Miss Grimshaw watched with a scowl.
Javier, Bill, Sean, Lenny, just stood there watching blankly. Pearson just stood there with a knife in hand. Strauss watching while fixing his glasses and clutching his book. Mary-Beth stared in horror, hands over her mouth.
Dutch breathed hard, eyes locked on Caleb's.
Slowly, begrudgingly, he released his grip.
Arthur shoved Dutch back a step.
Dutch looked at him, eyes wide. "Arthur…"
Arthur's voice broke, just a little. "I loved you. I still do. But I can't keep pretending this is okay."
Dutch stared at him like he'd been shot, before then he just stood there, chest heaving, as he turned to stare at Caleb with dead eyes.
No warmth. No charisma. No fire.
Just something hollow and dangerous.
Caleb adjusted his collar calmly.
"I ain't your enemy," he said quietly. "But I won't lie for you anymore."
Hosea at this time stepped forward, voice quiet but firm. "Dutch… I think you need to step back a little bit."
"Step back?" Dutch whispered.
"Yes," Hosea said. "Let others help decide. Let go a little."
Dutch shook his head slowly. "You want to take this away from me."
"We want to save what's left," Hosea replied.
Dutch laughed again, bitter and sharp. "Save it by putting him in charge?"
All eyes turned to Caleb.
Caleb raised a hand slightly. "This isn't about me, I never wanted to be in charge of anything."
Dutch scoffed. "Isn't it?"
"No," Caleb said. "It's about stopping before there's nothing left to save."
Dutch looked around the camp again.
At faces that once looked at him with unquestioning faith.
Now, they looked tired. Worried. Skeptical.
Afraid.
Something inside Dutch finally cracked.
"You think you're so clever," he said softly, eyes never leaving Caleb. "You think you've outgrown me."
Caleb held his gaze. "I think everyone here has."
Silence.
Then Dutch nodded slowly, a strange calm settling over him.
"Alright," he said. "Alright."
Arthur frowned. "Dutch?"
Dutch smiled faintly. "You want change? You'll get it."
He turned away from the fire, walking a few paces before stopping.
"But don't forget," he said over his shoulder, "this world doesn't reward doubt. It rewards conviction."
He glanced back, eyes cold. "And when everything falls apart… don't come looking for me." after saying that, he walked away into the darkness, alone.
The camp remained silent long after he vanished into the trees.
No one went after him.
No one called his name.
The unspoken truth had finally surfaced, and everyone felt it.
The gang was no longer following Dutch van der Linde.
They just hadn't said it out loud yet.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Caleb sat back down by the fire, exhaustion finally settling into his bones.
Arthur sat beside him after a moment.
"You sure know how to light a fuse," Arthur muttered.
Caleb gave a faint smile. "Someone had to."
Hosea approached next, eyes heavy but grateful.
"You did what I couldn't," he admitted softly.
Sadie snorted. "About damn time."
Charles nodded once. "Truth's out now. Can't be put back."
Caleb stared into the fire, watching the embers shift and glow.
This was the point of no return.
Dutch would not forgive this.
But forgiveness was no longer the goal.
Survival was.
And for the first time since Blackwater, the Van der Linde gang had a chance to choose a different ending.
Caleb know this was only the beginning.
The powder keg hadn't exploded.
But it was no longer ticking unchecked.
And next time… there would be no turning back.
Mary-Beth lingered at the edge of the firelight for a moment, as if unsure whether she was allowed to cross whatever invisible line had just been drawn in the dirt between past and future. Her eyes were still wide, rimmed red, but there was something else there now too, resolve, quiet but real.
Then she moved.
She slipped into the circle without a word and sat beside Caleb, close enough that their shoulders brushed. For a heartbeat she hesitated, fingers curling into the hem of her skirt, then she leaned in and gently rested her head against his shoulder.
She didn't say anything.
She didn't need to.
The gesture itself spoke louder than any declaration.
Caleb stiffened for half a second, surprised, not by the affection, but by the timing. Then his body relaxed. A faint, genuine smile touched his lips as he lifted his right hand and brushed his thumb softly along Mary-Beth's cheek, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear with careful tenderness.
She let out a small breath and settled more comfortably against him.
The tension around the fire cracked, not shattered, but fractured enough to let something human seep back in.
Arthur noticed first.
"Well I'll be damned," he muttered, the corner of his mouth twitching. "Guess all that doom and gloom didn't scare everyone off."
Sadie snorted. "You got a habit of causin' trouble and gettin' rewarded for it, don't you, Caleb?"
Mary-Beth lifted her head just enough to glare at them, cheeks already flushing pink. "Oh hush, both of you."
Arthur raised his hands innocently. "Hey, I ain't complainin'. Just surprised is all."
Sadie grinned wider. "Surprised she didn't smack you upside the head first."
Mary-Beth straightened, turning fully now, bravery flaring through her embarrassment. "I might still," she said sweetly. "You keep talkin'."
Arthur barked out a short laugh. "Alright, alright, I deserved that."
Hosea chuckled softly, the sound weary but warm. "It's good to see some life still in this camp."
Charles nodded, eyes calm, a faint smile ghosting his lips. "Means not everything's broken."
Caleb glanced down at Mary-Beth, amused. "You alright?"
She nodded, then surprised everyone by leaning in and pressing her forehead briefly against his shoulder again. "I am now."
Sadie let out a low whistle. "Well damn."
Arthur shook his head, smirking. "Guess I'm sleepin' lighter tonight. As now I keep seeing some romantics gestures openly in camp."
Mary-Beth stuck her tongue out at him, and the small burst of laughter that followed, real laughter, rippled through the immediate circle. For just a few minutes, the weight lifted. The fire seemed warmer. The night less oppressive.
Around them, the rest of the gang slowly drifted back to their routines.
John guided Abigail and Jack toward their tent, his arm protective around them. Karen and Tilly whispered together, casting glances back at the fire but choosing not to intrude. Pearson finally exhaled and returned to his stew, knife set aside. Strauss retreated to his ledger, though his eyes lingered longer than usual. Javier, Bill, Sean, and Lenny dispersed, each carrying their own unspoken thoughts.
Miss Grimshaw watched it all with a sharp, knowing look, then turned away with a grunt, already barking at Uncle to stop drinking and start pulling his weight.
They all felt it.
Dutch was gone.
Not dead. Not officially banished.
But no longer the axis everything revolved around.
And whether they admitted it or not, they all knew who would hold things together now.
Hosea.
The night wore on. The fire burned lower. Eventually, one by one, people turned in.
Caleb rose last, offering Mary-Beth his hand. She took it without hesitation.
Inside his tent, the world felt quieter. Safer.
They lay down on their respective bedrolls, close but respectful, the canvas walls fluttering softly in the night breeze. Neither spoke much. Words felt unnecessary.
Sleep came easier than it had in weeks.
Dutch's night was very different.
He sat on a tree stump deep in the forest, far beyond the reach of the firelight.
The night pressed in around him, branches clawing at the sky, shadows stretching and twisting as though alive. He stared upward, eyes unfocused, breathing shallow.
That was when the whispers began.
Soft at first.
They turned on you.
He clenched his jaw.
They doubted you.
He shook his head slightly.
You built this. You carried them. You saved them.
His hands trembled.
And they chose him.
Caleb.
The name slithered through his thoughts like a knife.
He took everything.
Dutch swallowed.
Your authority.
Your family.
Even Mary-Beth.
His breath hitched.
Mary-Beth.
Sweet, bright, loyal Mary-Beth, who Dutch had watched grow from the timid young woman into a confident young woman under his care.
She was yours.
The whisper sharpened.
And now she looks at him the way they used to look at you.
Dutch squeezed his eyes shut.
The shield he had built, years of justifications, philosophies, speeches about freedom and civilization, fractured.
Crack.
Another whisper slid in.
They betrayed you.
They stabbed you in the front.
You are nothing now.
Just another outlaw.
His breathing grew ragged.
And it's all because you brought him in.
Caleb.
The shield shattered.
Dutch opened his eyes.
There was no light left in them.
Only darkness.
He chuckled softly, low, broken, and almost pleased.
"So that's how it is," he murmured to the trees.
A decision settled over him like iron.
Morning came gray and tense.
Caleb woke to the sound of low voices outside his tent. He stirred, rolling onto his side, and his eyes landed on Mary-Beth sleeping beside him in her own bedroll. Her hair spilled across her cheek, peaceful in a way the world hadn't been for days.
He smiled.
Carefully, he reached out and brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face, then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
She shifted slightly but didn't wake.
Caleb stood, pulling on his boots and gun belt, movements quiet and practiced.
When he stepped out of the tent, the mood hit him immediately.
Arthur stood near the fire with Hosea, John, Javier, Bill, Lenny, Sean, Sadie, and Charles gathered around. Their faces were grim. Focused.
This wasn't casual talk.
Caleb approached. "What happened?"
Every head turned toward him.
Arthur spoke first. "Dutch didn't come back."
Caleb blinked. "Didn't?"
"Not last night," Hosea said. "Not this morning."
A knot formed in Caleb's chest.
For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his face, then understanding followed close behind.
"He could have left," Caleb said quietly.
Sadie crossed her arms. "Or he's hiding."
"Either way," John added, "he's gone."
Caleb exhaled slowly.
Dutch alone. Angry. Unstable.
The worst possible combination.
"If he decides to sell us out," Caleb said, voice steady but urgent, "we're all in danger. Pinkertons. Law. Cornwall. Anyone who'll trade his safety for ours."
Arthur nodded grimly. "I don't want to believe that could happen, but that's what I was thinkin' as well."
Hosea stepped forward. "Which is why I gathered everyone who could ride."
Caleb met his eyes. "We need to find him."
Hosea nodded. "Agreed."
Caleb continued, "Whatever happened last night… his mind wasn't right. If he doesn't want to come back, that's one thing. But if he's planning something—"
"We can't let him do it alone," Charles finished.
Hosea turned to the group. "Pairs. Spread out. Search the surrounding forest."
His gaze hardened. "If Dutch refuses to return… bring him back by force."
No one argued.
That alone said everything.
They split quickly.
Arthur went with John.
Sadie with Charles.
Javier with Bill.
Sean with Lenny.
Caleb rode with Hosea.
They rode out under the rising sun, the forest swallowing them as easily as it had Dutch the night before. They search around, until they finally found him near a ravine. Dutch stood at the edge, staring down into the mist below as though considering the drop.
...
Name: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 7/10
- Agility: 7/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 7/10
- Charm: 7/10
- Luck: 8/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 4)
- Rifle (Lvl 4)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 4)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 4)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1)
- Sneaking (Lvl 4)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl 4)
- Poker (Lvl 4)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 4)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl 1)
- Dead Eye (Lvl 3)
- Bow (Lvl 2)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl 3)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl 2)
- Crafting (Lvl 3)
- Persuasion (Lvl 4)
- Mental Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl 4)
- Teaching (Lvl 2)
- Trilingual Language Proficiency - G, I, & C (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 10x10x10)
- Acting (Lvl 4)
- Alcohol Resistance (Lvl MAX)
- Treasure Hunter (Lvl MAX)
- Drugs Resistance (Lvl MAX)
Money: 3,726 dollars and 10 cents
Inventory: 112,892 dollars and 61 cents, 11 gold nuggets, 65 gold bars, 1 Double Action, 1 Schofield, 2 Colm's Schofields, land deed (Parcel), 1 Mauser, 1 Semi Auto Pistol, 1 Lancaster Repeater, 1 Old Wood Jewelry Box, 1 F.F Mausoleum small brass key, 1 Ruby, 1 Braithwaites Land Deed, & 1 Broken Pirate Sword
Bank: -