"Two revolvers, one lever-action rifle, one sawn-off double-barrel shotgun, one Bowie knife, five throwing knives, and three sticks of dynamite," the officer said as he slowly took inventory of the personal effects laid out on the metal desk in front of him.
Behind him, the man those items belonged to was stretched out on a narrow bench inside the holding cell, his hat pulled down over his face like he was napping.
"What were you planning to do, cowboy? Rob a bank?" the officer asked with a laugh as he turned and looked into the cell.
The man lifted the brim of his hat just enough to peer at the officer.
"What can I say, officer? I like my weapons," the man replied lazily.
"I can see that," the officer said, chuckling as he glanced back at the impressive pile of outdated firepower. "Do you happen to like any from this century?"
"You gotta have respect for the classics, officer," the man replied with a small chuckle as he settled the hat back on his head.
The officer laughed again before picking up a clipboard.
"Alright, big guy. According to your I.D., your name's Arthur Morgan. Well, Arthur, what were you thinking starting a bar fight while armed to the teeth?"
Arthur tilted his hat back again and gave the officer a crooked grin.
"The guy insulted my mama. Couldn't let that slide now, could I? Besides, he'll be alright soon as he gets himself some dentures… that is," Arthur said with a quiet chuckle.
"You're lucky this is your first offense, Arthur," the officer said, shaking his head. "We'll just be shipping you out to the county jail for a week, then you're free to go. You'll be riding there with Mr. Coen here."
He gestured toward the neighboring cell.
Arthur pushed himself up from the bench and looked over.
Sitting in the next cell was a young man with slicked-back brown hair and sharp brown eyes. He wore a gray tank top, a pair of Levi's, and brown work boots. Tattoos ran up his right arm, and both of his hands were cuffed together in front of him.
"Good to meet you. Name's Arthur," Arthur said casually.
"Billy Coen," the other man replied simply.
"Alright, you're both good friends now. Stand up and get ready for your transfer," the officer instructed the two men.
Arthur slowly rose to his feet and stretched his shoulders.
"What about my things?" Arthur asked, nodding toward the table piled with his weapons.
"They'll be transported with you," the officer replied.
Moments later, Arthur and Billy were led outside.
As Arthur stepped out into the open air, he immediately noticed the vehicle waiting for them.
It wasn't a police transport.
It was military.
Arthur raised an eyebrow.
"Hey officer, I ain't a military prisoner," Arthur pointed out.
"We're a bit short-handed. These men are doing us a favor and dropping you off on their way through," the officer explained before giving him a polite but dismissive nod. "Have a good trip, Mr. Morgan."
Arthur and Billy were loaded into the transport.
As the vehicle rumbled to life and began its journey down the road, Arthur leaned back slightly and let out a quiet breath.
His thoughts drifted back to how this whole mess had started.
____________
"So yeah, sorry to say you died, and thanks to this one here you were left adrift for a while, so I figured some compensation was in order," said a young man with white hair and mismatched eyes as he casually pointed a thumb toward the blue-haired goddess standing awkwardly beside him.
"By the way, my name's Tet, the God of Games. Any questions?" Tet added with an easygoing grin.
"Not really. I get that I'm being reincarnated. I'm kind of just ready to get this show on the road," past Arthur said with a shrug.
"Alrighty then. Pick one out of each of these," Tet said as he laid down four neat stacks of freshly shuffled playing cards in front of him.
"The first deck will determine your gamer interface, the second your character, the third your starting world, and the fourth your parting gift," Tet explained with a bright smile.
Past Arthur thought for a moment before reaching for the first stack. He decided to start with the interface.
He flipped the top card.
On it was the silhouette of a cowboy holding up a revolver.
"You got Red Dead Redemption 2. That comes with the health, stamina, and dead eye cores, the equipment wheel, and the map and mission log. And to make things fair, I've upgraded it to include an inventory and skill obtainment assistance," Tet said cheerfully.
"What's that last one mean?" past Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It just means that once you try something enough times, the interface will record it as a new skill and give you assistance in its use. Like for example, lock picking. You don't know how to pick a lock, but with the interface the knowledge will come to you automatically, and the more you use a skill the more proficient you'll get," Tet explained.
Past Arthur nodded slowly before moving on.
He flipped the next card.
Staring back at him was the grizzled face of Arthur Morgan.
Arthur slowly narrowed his eyes in suspicion and looked up at Tet, who suddenly started whistling innocently while looking anywhere but at him.
"Random draws my ass", Arthur thought dryly.
Shaking his head, he flipped the next card.
His starting world was Resident Evil.
From the description written on the card, it seemed like he would be starting right in Resident Evil Zero.
"Well… ain't that something," Arthur muttered under his breath.
He flipped the final card.
On it was an image of a large hammer flying forward through the air.
"Oh, that's a good one," Tet said, clearly pleased.
"From now on, any weapon that belongs to you will return to your hand just like Thor's hammer."
"Anyway, you got some pretty good picks, but I think I'll give you a couple freebies," Tet continued happily.
"Arthur's clothes, hat, and some of his equipment will be in your inventory along with some food and other stuff. Don't worry about the horse, it will always come when you call, no matter where you leave it. Oh, and of course you'll have all of Arthur's abilities, but only at the basic level," Tet explained.
After that, Tet went on to tell Arthur about the world grading scale and how the current place he would be entering had to reach at least a C grade before he could leave.
He also explained that Arthur's interface would have a communication function, which would allow him to speak with the other apostles and make trades with them.
Finally, Tet mentioned the companion function which would allow a person of his choosing to join him on his travels through the multiverse.
"Well, with that I think I've covered everything. Have fun, my newly appointed knight," Tet said with a satisfied smile.
Arthur suddenly felt himself falling backward into the endless void.
As he fell, his new body began forming around his soul.
He grew taller.
More muscular.
His hair became short and light brown, and a short full beard formed along his jaw. His eyes turned a sharp green, and his skin took on a sun-tanned tone.
When the process finished, he was wearing Arthur's familiar outfit.
Arthur's hat.
A blue button-down shirt.
A brown coat.
Brown pants.
And brown boots.
But that was all Arthur had time to notice.
Because his fall was almost over.
_________
Back in the truck, Arthur got ready. He knew shit was about to hit the fan at any moment now.
Arthur braced himself, tensing his shoulders.
Moments later something slammed into the side of the vehicle.
Then it happened again.
This time on the other side.
Then again.
And again.
The driver and the guards were starting to panic as the truck shook violently with each collision, the heavy armored frame rattling with every brutal impact. The driver fought the wheel, shouting something Arthur couldn't quite make out over the chaos.
Finally the vehicle veered off the road and rolled down a steep hill into the woods, metal grinding and glass shattering as it tumbled through the underbrush.
When Arthur next opened his eyes, he was laying on the ceiling of the overturned armored car.
The driver was dead.
Outside, he could hear shouting and the sharp cracks of gunfire echoing through the forest.
Arthur quickly climbed to the front seat with his hands still cuffed together. With a bit of difficulty he managed to fish the keys off the driver's body.
The cuffs came off with a metallic click.
Arthur rolled his shoulders, put his fallen hat back on his head, and recovered his weapons from the scattered gear.
"Hey Billy, wake up. We gotta go now," Arthur said as he grabbed Billy by the shoulder and shook him awake.
"What happened?" Billy asked groggily as he slowly regained consciousness.
"We fell right into the middle of a horror movie, partner. Now hold still, I gotta get your cuffs off," Arthur replied as he worked the keys into Billy's restraints.
Arthur freed Billy, and the two climbed out of the wrecked transport.
Billy immediately ran over to the dead guard nearby and grabbed his pistol.
Arthur grabbed a flashlight off the driver's body.
"What do you think killed these guys?" Billy asked as he scanned the dark forest nervously.
"We can figure that out later. We're too exposed here. Let's find some cover," Arthur replied as he loaded his Lancaster repeater.
Arthur activated his Eagle Eye, his gaze sweeping across the woods.
In the distance he spotted several glowing shapes moving between the trees.
Several Cerberus were stalking through the forest.
But he also noticed something else.
The glowing outline of a train not far ahead.
"Billy, look. A train. If we can get to that we'll have some cover. We might even be able to call the authorities," Arthur said, quickly judging the distance they'd need to sprint.
"You wanna call the authorities? They'll probably blame us for this," Billy replied skeptically.
"You saw the bodies. They were killed by some kind of animal. But let's worry about that later. Get ready to run. I'll cover you, then you do the same for me," Arthur said as he raised his rifle.
"Alright, let's do it," Billy said as he took off in a sprint.
As soon as Billy was halfway to the train, three Cerberus burst from the sides of the forest and started pursuing him.
Billy was fast.
But the undead hounds were faster.
The leader of the pack was right on his heels. As it got within biting distance it leapt toward Billy.
But before it's teeth could so much as graze Billy.
A loud bang echoed through the forest.
A bullet tore through the creature's brain mid-air.
Its carcass slammed into the ground and rolled across the forest floor.
The second dog closed in.
Another shot rang out.
It dropped just as quickly.
Billy reached the train and spun around just in time to see the third Cerberus launching itself straight at him.
His eyes widened in panic.
Thankfully in the next moment the monster's head exploded in a violent spray of blood and brain matter.
Saving Billy from his potential demise.
Billy let out a breath and shouted back toward the trees.
"Cutting it close there, Arthur!"
"I had it under control. Have a little faith," Arthur replied with a laugh as he lowered the rifle slightly.
"I literally just met you!" Billy shouted back, though a small chuckle slipped into his voice.
Billy raised his pistol and covered Arthur as he ran across the clearing toward the train.
Strangely, no Cerberus came after him.
"Why didn't they go for you?" Billy asked in confusion.
"Must be something else roaming around that caught their attention. An easier target maybe," Arthur suggested.
The two men climbed into the train and entered a passenger car.
Inside, every single occupant was dead.
Bodies slumped in their seats.
Blood stained the floors.
"Shit… what the fuck did this?" Billy said, horrified as he stared at the gruesome scene.
"Don't know, partner. But we should be careful. Whatever did it could still be around," Arthur replied cautiously as he scanned the dimly lit car.
"Right. We should look for a phone or something. I'll check this way, you check that way," Billy said as he started toward the front car.
"I just said we should be careful and you wanna split up?" Arthur said in disbelief as he watched Billy walk off.
Billy kept going.
Arthur sighed heavily.
"For God's sake… it's true. People really do lose brain cells in these kind of situations," Arthur muttered as he pulled out his revolvers.
He leaned back against the wall of the passenger car, calmly watching the corpses for any sign of movement.
"Oh well… if I wait here long enough, Rebecca Chambers will show up," Arthur said quietly to himself.