Esther Reed | 28 y/o | Female | Leader

Running through the forest, Esther held onto Delaney thightly, the young boy doing his best to keep up with the woman as they all ran over the uneven terrain, weaving past trees and bushes until finally they came to a clearing where they could see their horses, or at least enough of them.

Letting go of Del, Esther slowed to a walk as she approached her stallion who had his ears pinned and was kicking with his front legs at Victory everytime the horse snapped at him.

“Manche!” She snapped at the stallion as she grabbed his reins, “Leave them be…” she mumbled as she put a hand on the cob’s forehead to calm him down, his nostrils flared as sweat covered his neck and he stepped around on the spot.

“Can Comonchie, hold you and Del?”

Esther turned her head and looked at Vera, “Yes, let's hurry now before them coppers catch up,” she answered. Looking over at Delaney, who was stood desperately looking around, the blonde held out a hand for the young boy to grab, “Come on Del, I will help you up,” the woman told him, flashing a smile.

“But Loco…” the boy mumbled quietly as he grabbed Esther's hand reluctantly, still searching the forest for a glimpse of his horse. The stallion typically didn't venture far but now there was no sight of him.

“He's around here somewhere, we will find him, now hurry kiddo,” she told him, pulling the young boy closer as she kept one hand on the tobiano’s reins.

“I need to find him…!” The black-haired boy protested, trying to pull away slightly. “Loco! Here!”

Quickly, she pulled the boy close to her and looked him in the eyes, “Del sweetie, get on the damn horse and quit yelling. We will find him but now is not the time.”

Reluctantly, Delaney gave in, walking up next to the horse of Esther’s and with her help, boosting him up, he got into the saddle and Esther was quick to get on behind him.

The blonde woman looked around at the other gang members, making sure they were all on the horses before they all took off, Esther giving Comanche a light kick and making the horse break into a gallop, following after the stranger on a horse. Was that the smartest move? Maybe not, but it was currently their best bet and so far the stranger hadn't done anything to make them doubt them, and they had even protected them against the coppers so for now, she would let the stranger lead them to safety.

A sharp whistle came from Del, the boy having put two fingers in his mouth and was trying to call his horse. Worried eyes searched their surroundings as he held onto the horn of Comanche’s saddle. He loved that horse and not seeing him around was worrying, he would always stick nearby no matter what.

The sound of hoofbeats sounded behind them and Esther grabbed her pistol from her holster again, ready to shoot the cop following them. “Hold the reins,” she said, handing them over to Del who clicked his tongue.

With her pistol held high, Esther turned to look behind them, surprised to see that they weren't being chased by any police but instead, the small roan Del called Loco was charging after them.

“Kid, what did I tell you?” Esther said as she put her pistol back into her holster and grabbed the reins from the kid again as his pony-sized stallion charged past them, legs moving rapidly while Del’s face broke into a smile, watching his horse move faster, clearly not aware of the tense situation but instead focused on racing the other horses, already having passed Comanche with ease and now heading for Harry next.

Lucile Mason | 27 | Female | Ex-Member of Red’s Gang |

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Lucile glanced over her shoulder, making sure everyone was on their horses before she allowed Traveler to start moving. The horse didn’t hesitate as he dashed forward, galloping through the thick forest and out of the cop’s sight. Lucile kept her eye on the people behind them, making sure that they were all there, and that she wasn’t going to get shot. Though none of them made a move, for now at least, so she was decently sure she would be safe.

Looking to the darkening sky, she knew they’d have to find a secure place for the night, with wolves lurking about, searching for prey that might just be one of their horses. Lucile looked back at the group again, unsure of whether to lead them somewhere to camp. She had no idea who they were, but maybe if she played along, tried to fit into the crowd, she might discover an opportunity she would never want to miss…

She kept alert for a few minutes, trying to find something along the lines of a cave or abandoned cabin for them to stay in. She looked around again hopefully, knowing she’d remembered a house somewhere in the area, old, frail, and hardly standing when she’d first seen it. Glancing around for any signs of it, she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye, tall and wooden. “This way!” she yelled, steering her horse suddenly to the left and hoping the others would follow.

Traveler slowed down a bit as he came to a stop in front of what was left of an old, rotting house. It was shabby, but its walls and roof still stood, though sagging slightly.

“Perfect.” Lucile smiled, trying to peer inside the window to make sure it was truly abandoned, but from what little she could see through the darkness and dust, it looked like nobody had lived there in years. Some of them would probably have to check inside first to make sure no one or nothing had made the shack their home.

-

| Ollie Bright | 31 | Male| Ex-Member of Red’s Gang |

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“Yeah,” Ollie smirked, “but who doesn’t love Vicent? Guy could get himself anything just by smiling. He's too nice sometimes…”

“Sometimes I think that too, but maybe having a ray of sunshine in the storm clouds saved us.” Aiden chuckled, sinking into an armchair opposite of Ollie. “If it wasn’t for Vincent and Avery half the town might as well have died off. Including me…”

“How's Avery been?...”

“Better. Not being able to walk anymore doesn’t stop him from doing his job. Still selfless as always… Sometimes he even lets some of my patients use his wheelchair for a while since we’re kind of short… He is still just as grumpy though, don’t get me wrong.” he smiled weakly.

Ollie forced himself to smile back, though watching his brother so weak and exhausted made him regretful, and maybe a bit fearful, of what would happen now.

Ever since their mother died, the mood somehow both improved and degraded. Free to do whatever they wished, but still stuck in Purepoint, which at this point was practically hell for the remaining O’Connor family and its residents.

“Uh…” Ollie started awkwardly, trying to change the subject, “You got the divorce, right?”

“Yep, surely did. Glad of it too, let weight off my shoulders I’d been carrying for years. I still got Annie, but Vincent and Madeline’s been taking care of her while I work. She gets along well enough with Victor and Jesse, and she seems happy.” Aiden gave Ollie a genuine, peaceful smile. “I’m glad.”

Ollie had never known Aiden was married for the longest time, but recently he found out exactly why. His wife, forced upon Aiden by their mother, wasn’t the nicest of ladies. It sadly wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in the O’Connor household to have your partner chosen for you.

“That's great.” Ollie smiled back, letting himself relax a bit. “Glad things are at least going decent for you, besides maybe the pile of dirty corpses above us…”

“Oh yeah, I couldn’t forget about that.” Aiden chuckled. “Now, what exactly did you come here for?”

“Need you to look at my blisters, if you don’t mind.” Ollie rolled up his sleeves to reveal his one heavily wounded arm and still bandaged arm. “Maybe Roxie too…”

“Well…” Aiden thought about it for a moment, sitting up a bit straighter. “I guess if it got me out of here for a few minutes I’d go ahead. You’re both staying at the saloon, right? Yeah, sure, I’ll go. Everyone will be okay without me for a few minutes, they’re all healed up good enough.”

“To the saloon then?”

“Alright.”

“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

“Ya ain't off the floor yet…~ Ya will have to impress me if you want a spot in the bed~”

Oh?

“If ya don't… Well, we gonna have a problem ‘cause now ya got me all riled up~ Fucker…~”

Oh…~

“Awww did I get someone a little hot and bothered?~” Slicker mumbled, only biting his tongue briefly as he watched William begin to… unbutton…— oh, hell yes— his shirt. Slicker was entranced by him, a scarlet blush coming to his cheeks from William’s touch and slight flirting. As much as Slicker would flirt, he could never handle anything being reciprocated. Just the mere idea of William returning any of his affections sent him into a frenzy, let alone… well, William stripping in front of him, placing a hand on his chest, and— Christ!— all while flirting with him with this expression Slicker was stupidly in love with. “Well, yer in luck, William… I’ve been told I’m more than impressive.”

Leaning into William’s hand, Slicker placed his hands on William’s hips, his eyes darting greedily between William’s gorgeous eyes to his chest as it was slowly— painstakingly— revealed to him. Slicker was a patient man, he really was, but he could not stand to wait another second. After waiting all these years, he gave up waiting as he tightened his grip on William, and in one swift motion, he heaved the smaller man onto his shoulder. Reaching behind him, Slicker managed to lock the door as a smirk covered his face just from the ideas that took hold of him. It did not take long for Slicker to toss William onto the bed after doing that.The bed was springy and loud upon impact, but who cared? The louder it is, the more fun, right?

“Ya ain’t got any damn clue just how long I have waited to see you lookin’ at me with an expression like that…,” Slicker mumbled as he tossed his hat aside and unbuttoned his shirt. Getting on the bed and straddling William’s waist, he quickly let his vest and shirt slide off him.

Even though Slicker was supposed to be impressing William, Slicker could not help but still be totally enchanted by the other man. Since the moment they met, Slicker found this lunkhead to be attractive. Christ, who would not think he was attractive? Slicker thought that ever getting this far with William would just be the stuff of dreams. Not that he would ever have any dreams of this… Well, who was he kidding? He did not just dreamed about William but he fantasized about him, wanting just to spend more time with him or kiss those damn near perfect lips of him or— Oh, he had completely lost control of himself hadn’t he?

Whether it was the alcohol or just being swept up in the moment, but it took Slicker a moment to realize he had his hand knotted in William’s hair and he held his lips in a passionate kiss. Sliding his leg up William’s thigh, Slicker had to force himself to pull away for air after pressing such harsh kisses for so long.

“I really fuckin’ love kissing you…~” Slicker panted with a seductive purr before wasting not another breath and diving back to his lips for more.

Esther Reed | 28 y/o | Female | Leader

“This way!”

After galloping after the stranger for some time, Esther heard them speak. She had just started doubting that they knew where they were going when she heard that, feeling a bit more assured at once. That did not mean she trusted the stranger though, but out of the cops and a single and seemingly harmless stranger, she sure knew who she preferred.

Soon, the group arrived at a house, a house which definitely looked abandoned, and like it would fall apart any second now… But it would be better than nothing, although perfect, as the stranger called it, was definitely an exaggeration.

Esther got off Comanche before she helped Delaney do the same, the young boy having returned to silence, the momentary joy he'd gotten from seeing his horse again, now having faded. The blonde woman watched how the young boy walked to check on his horse who only trotted away from him, clearly not interested in being caught, that pony had no discipline at all, always doing whatever it wanted.

“We two are going inside and making sure it's empty before the rest join us, I’m not putting my gang at risk any more today,” Esther spoke as she walked close to the stranger who was peeking through the windows. Her tone revealed that it clearly wasn't a request, if the stranger wanted part of the gang or whatever reason they had for helping them and running away with them, then they would have to do their part too.

With a hand on her revolver, she walked towards the front door before pausing and looking over at Del, who was still trying to get close to his horse, and failing miserably, “Kid, watch the front door and yell if anyone comes running out, okay?” With Aiden completely shaken up and Vera occupied with the still knocked out woman, Del seemed like the best choice for watching the door right now, it seemed as the reality of what had just happened hadn't truly set in yet and he was still in a stage of shock if she had to guess.

After receiving a nod from the black haired boy, Esther looked over at the stranger again before she moved to open the door, one hand on the door handle and one on the revolver she carried on her hip.

Lucky for her, the door was unlocked and Esther let it swing open, watching for any movement inside the house as she did before walking inside and starting to look through the rooms, one hand still kept on her revolver, ready to draw it at the slightest hint of movement. It was starting to get dark out and she had no way of knowing if the cops were still after them so all she wanted right now was shelter for the night so they could rest and she could work out their next move.

Silently, Esther searched through the house, hoping that the stranger would make her life easier by having followed her order to help sweep the house of any inhabitants.

Though she was finding open bottles of booze and cans of food spread across the floor in one room as well as a messy bed, there was no sign of the person who must have been there.

That was until she heard the loud voice of a drunken man, the sound seeming to come from outside, “Ya all should go! If ya don't then Imma- Imma uh…,” the man seemed to trail off for, trying to figure out his next move, Esther wasting no time to start moving back towards the front door to find the man currently threatening her gang. “Ya better leave or I will kill the boy! This is ma house and ya have no right coming here… Ya hear me?! Get!”

The woman froze for a second, her eyes widening slightly when she realized what must be happening before she once again moved towards the door, when she finally came in view of the open door, she could see the back of an older man and he looked to be holding Del, a revolver pressed against the side of the boy’s skull.

In that instant, Esther saw red. Gripping her hunting knife, the woman moved closer with swift yet silent steps, coming up behind the drunken man. In one swift and fluid motion, the blonde used one hand to push the hand holding the gun to the side while she held the knife in her other hand, slicing the man’s neck open. As she had suspected, the drunken man, in a state of shock and panic, pulled the trigger, a shot firing and burrowing a bullet in the ground before the old man himself dropped to the ground, hands going to his neck to stop the blood that was gushing out while Esther pulled Del close to herself, hugging the boy tightly.

“Are you okay darling?” Esther asked, her voice soft and filled with concern. Perhaps she had no clue on how to really lead a gang, many of the members did get on her nerves a lot of the time, and she sometimes wished for them all to just disappear but deep down, she cried for them and they were her family. And Del was just a kid, he shouldn't have to go through what they all had today, not Aiden either. None of the boys should have to see any of this but they had and just now, Esther had failed to protect Delaney.

"Esther..? I’m okay, ya can let go now,” the woman heard the voice of the young boy and slowly let go, taking a step back from him. He was being extremely calm given everything that had happened today but her guess was that once he got the time to calmly sit down and think, it would all set in.

Smiling weakly, Esther ruffled the already messy hair of the young boy lightly, “I’m glad you are.”

Taking a breath to collect herself, her icy gaze fell on the corpse of the drunken man before looking over at the stranger and she walked closer to them and gave a soft smile, “I never got the opportunity to introduce myself, I’m Esther Reed. Thank you for helping us out back there and for getting us to this place. I believe we are all in need of some rest so please, stay here with us and do so.”

Briefly, Esther's smile dropped and her face turned completely cold, “Try anything and I won't hesitate to kill you though, you are not hurting my gang and even an attempt to do so will be meet with violence back,” just as suddenly as it had disappeared, Esther’s smile returned to her face, “Understood? Now hurry up and get inside.”

Turning towards what part of her gang she had with her, Esther then spoke again, “I think I saw a pasture behind the house, it didn't look in too rough of a shape so I can put the horses there and then I will deal with mister here…” her voice got a bit lower towards the end of her sentence, glancing at the corpse on the ground, she felt no remorse having killed that man, she was probably supposed to but she didn't, he had threatened her gang and he paid the price for it.

“Get inside now all of you, I can take care of the horses, you all need to get some rest,” she told them, walking closer to the horses again, hoping for no protests and for people to just go inside like told and get in a few hours of sleep.

Lucile Mason | 27 | Female | Ex-Member of Red’s Gang |

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“We two are going inside and making sure it's empty before the rest join us, I’m not putting my gang at risk any more today,”

Lucile looked over her shoulder as one of the women walked up behind her, practically commanding her to go inside and search the house with her. For a moment Lucile was skeptical, but after that moment passed she decided it would be best to go in with her. She would just have to keep her guard up, just in case. She wasn’t looking to get shot in the back of the head, and Lucile could tell by the look on this woman's face she wouldn’t hesitate to do it, not for a second.

Stepping away from the window, she followed the woman inside the house, staying quiet and not risking any words. Lucile quickly broke away from the women, though stayed close by, wanting to at least get a chance to explore the house without being bothered much. She slipped her way into the kitchen first, hoping to come by any food she could find, though what she found could hardly be called food. Empty cans of beans, a half-eaten can of salted offal, and an empty bottle of navy rum.

“Can’t believe people can stomach shit like this. Nasty.” she grunted, placing the empty bottle back on the counter before rummaging through the cupboards a little more. After finding another unopened can of beans and more booze, some half-empty, she knew there had to be someone here. Half the stuff was hardly a few weeks old, maybe two or three months at most. Her guard raised even higher, she quietly made her way out of the kitchen, now on the lookout for the potential homeowner. This was the only place she could think of for them to hide, there wasn’t another house for miles, and it was their best and only shot at staying hidden. But all caution seemed to be thrown to the wind as she heard yelling outside, a gunshot, and then nothing. Quickly moving to the door, she saw the woman she’d been searching with standing over the bloodied body of a dying man.

“Well shit…” Lucile sighed, leaning against the door frame. “And I thought we’d had enough trouble for the night…”

She straightened back up as the women from before started towards her.

“I never got the opportunity to introduce myself, I’m Esther Reed. Thank you for helping us out back there and for getting us to this place. I believe we are all in need of some rest so please, stay here with us and do so.”

Lucile smiled at her, then her smile turned to a grin as the other woman’s tone turned deadly before returning to pleasant.

“I’m Sam Myers, the most forajido guapo in the west.” she winked, lingering behind the women a moment longer while she spoke to the rest of the gang. Lucile hoped she could trust the woman with her horse, Traveler was all she had and he was the best horse she’d owned yet.

As Esther’s talking came to an end, Lucile quickly dipped back into the house, wanting to find as much as she could before anyone else got in there. Her first instinct upon entering the house again was to make her way to the bedrooms and check for any cash she could find, since she’d fully searched the kitchen. Making her way up the rickety stairs, she searched through every door she saw, quickly scanning the rooms, but coming across nothing, till she got to the biggest room at the end of the hallway. A master bedroom, though it surely wasn’t fit for any master. Rotting walls, gaping floorboards, a moldy bed with stained sheets, a dresser missing half its drawers, and a chipped mirror hanging on the wall were about all that inhabited the room. All she found for riches was a single dime that had fallen between the dresser and bed. Picking it up, she looked over the small silver coin before pocketing it with a frown. It surely didn’t feel like much, but money was money, and it added up, so she’d make due with what she found.

Lucile stepped carefully around the room a while longer, trying to find anything else that might be useful, but after she realized there was nothing else, she found herself stopped in front of the chipped mirror, brushing her fingers through her very long, thick hair.

“I should cut it, it's getting too long,” she told herself, “to keep it a bit longer, or make it shorter?... Shorter.” she made up her mind quickly, reaching for her bag to find her scissors. As she picked through the objects, she realized something was missing, something too precious to lose. A silver pocket watch, a trinket from her past. “That boy. He was looking through my bag…” she narrowed her eyes, but then her gaze softened. She’d get it back when she had the chance, not that it was that important anyway. Just something she kept to check the time…

She turned back to the mirror again as she fished her scissors out of her bag. Staring at herself in the mirror, she was trying to decide how much to cut off, but nothing was really working with her. She didn’t want it too short or too long, something just right, perfectly shaping her face to keep up with her good looks.

“I’ll just ask one of the others… if any of them come in here…” she sighed to herself, laying the scissors on the dresser beside her and placing her head on her hand, staring at her reflection with tired eyes.

| Roxie Sweet | 24 | Female | Ex-Member of Red’s Gang |

-

Roxie had about passed out by the time she could feel someone shaking her back to reality. “H-Huh? Is that you Ollie?...” she yawned, though her vision was blurred and she could only just see a misshapen figure looking at her from above.

“Roxie. Up. It's too late at night for this.”

“Yep, that's you Ollie.” she chuckled, recognizing his commanding, condescending tone easily. Staggering to her feet, she stumbled around looking quickly for Sadie, who barked quietly and tugged at her shoe. She could feel Gwynn move next to her, grabbing at the hem of her skirt and gingerly guiding her forwards while Sadie tried to tag along close behind.

“I already got the room and the number for where Slicker and William are.” Ollie told her, “and I thought I told you to buy yourself a drink? Thank god you just pass out when you're drunk because now is really not the time for a scene.” he growled, grabbing her arm and helping pull her up the stairs. “Aiden’s already in the room setting up, waiting for us.”

As they got to the top, Ollie stopped for a moment, panting. “My arms hurt too damn much for this… come on.” Roxie felt him take her by the arm again, pulling her around the corner and down one of the halls, before pausing a moment. “Our rooms right down this way, we have the one right next to Slicker and William, so it probably won’t be too hard to find them in the morning.” he led her across the hall, but suddenly stopped again.

“I-Is something wrong Ollie?” Roxie tried to look around for what might have stalled them but her vision was still going in and out.

“No… no… I just heard something, that's all.”

She could hear him take in a deep breath before suddenly speeding up, though it seemed they’d made it to their room, because he made a sudden sharp turn and opened a door, speeding in and slamming it shut.

“You don’t need to be in such a damn rush Ollie, the girls gonna fall over. Hello Roxie, glad you're awake. And Ollie, are you ill? Your face is bright red.” she could hear Aiden speaking to them from somewhere across the room, and she waved weakly.

“No, I’m not ill.” Ollie stated blankly, leading Roxie across the room and sitting her down on a bed. “You're sleeping on the floor by the way. I’m not getting puked on.”

“Alright…” Roxie wasn’t going to argue, and instead laid on her side, her head starting to hurt.

“Roxie, your legs all healed, right?” Aiden had to be somewhere near her, but she just couldn’t pinpoint where.

“Yeah, it is…” she mumbled, half closing her eyes. She was getting too tired to want to stay up any longer.

“Alright then, I’ll take your word for it. Ollie? Your arms?”

“Yes, let me get the rest of the bandages off…”

Roxie waited for who knows how long, staring off into space while Aiden checked over Ollie’s wounds and re-wrapped them, before eventually telling them both goodnight and leaving.

Ollie glanced over her and the two stared at each other for a few seconds, before Ollie got up.

“You know, if you throw up in that bed Ashley’s gonna be extremely pissed?”

Roxie gave a slight nod, gazing down at the floor before back up at Ollie, who sighed. “Fine, move over. If you throw up on me though, I’ll make you pay for my new clothes and the sheets. I’ll be surprised if I could even get any sleep though. That Slicker and William… noisy as hell… You can’t hear shit, can you?”

Roxie couldn’t hear what he was hearing, but whatever it was must have been awful because even with her blurred vision she could see Ollie’s face was apple red. “Nope.” she smiled softly, before rolling over sleepily, moving to the other side of the bed and closing her eyes, with Sadie jumping up beside her and laying by her side. The moment her head hit the pillow she was practically out cold, sound asleep.

William Brant | 19 y/o | Male | Member

Watching the cheeks of Slicker turn red and seeing the near entranced look in the other’s eyes filled William with more excitement, this was a new side of Slicker he had yet to see before, and he definitely didn't mind it.

“Well, yer in luck, William… I’ve been told I’m more than impressive.”

“I’ll be the judge of that~” William answered, that same drunken smirk still on his lips, it would be a lie to say he wasn't enjoying teasing Slicker, for once it wasn't just the other making him into a blushing mess.

Feeling a pair of hands on his hips, William paused while unbuttoning his shirt briefly and watched the eyes of the slightly older man as it went back and forth between his chest and eyes, it was clear that the other was growing impatient, and William loved it.

Just as he resumed with unbuttoning his shirt, only having a few buttons left, the one-eyed man felt the grip on his hips tighten and before he could say a word, Slicker had heaved him over his shoulder. “Slicker!” He let out with a surprised tone as his hands gripped whatever part of the other they could find to gain some stability.

“Put me down ya- ya-” William cut himself off with a sigh, not finding the right word to call the other with his head feeling fuzzy from the acohol, or perhaps he just could bring himself to? Reality was that he wasn't annoyed with the other, he'd just been caught off guard by the sudden manhandling.

Not long after hearing the lock click, William found himself tossed on the bed. He placed one hand behind himself as he half-sat up and looked at Slicker, waiting for the man’s next move. Any ounce of doubt about the situation had been completely removed from his head now, he wanted to be with Slicker, whatever the consequences were, he would deal with them tomorrow morning, they were a problem for the sober William.

“Ya ain’t got any damn clue just how long I have waited to see you lookin’ at me with an expression like that…,”

For possibly the millionth time that night, William's cheeks turned red once more, not having expected those words. He found himself at a loss for words, but luckily there wasn't the need for any, Slicker didn’t even give him a chance to reply when the man started undressing quickly. Soon William had the other man over him, straddling his waist as he moved his arms to help him slide his vest and shirt off.

Everything was moving so quickly, yet William felt no hesitation, it was clear they both wanted this, that they had for quite some time, and now there was no reason for them to stop. Even if there would be, they were too focused on each other to think about it. All the two seemed to have on their minds were each other and if you wanted to get them off each other, you’d most likely need to rip them off one another.

A hand knotted itself in William’s hair as Slicker pushed his lips against the younger man’s and he did nothing to object, returning the kiss quickly and hungrily as he slid an arm around the back of the other's neck. Close wasn't close enough and he just wanted more and more of the other, the fact that he hadn’t let this happen earlier almost seemed crazy to William right now. Why had he denied them both this for so long?

“I really fuckin’ love kissing you…~”

William looked up at Slicker when he pulled his lips away from him, meeting the man’s gaze with his own hungry and excited one as he softly panted for air. Once again he had no answer, nor did he need one as his panting was cut off by Slicker kissing him passionately again.

Returning the kiss, William reached one hand down and started to unbuckle the other man’s belt, signaling that he was done waiting, he wanted Slicker, and he wanted him now.

“Slicker” | 21 | Male | Member

It started when the sky began to melt.

Matt was laying on a pile of soft hay, a book on his chest that he had just set down as the sun poured in with a warm radiance from a hole in the roof of the barn. The more Matt looked at the hole, though, the more he realized just how… bizarre things were. The clouds were bleeding into the colors of the rising sun, the support beams inside the barn were missing, and the hay seemed too soft. What the hell was going—

“Hey pretty boy,” Edward grumbled, shoveling manure with a pitchfork in hand and a grimace on his face, “you gonna come get off your pretty little ass and come help me?”

“Hmm, nah, it’s funnier to watch you struggle on your own, Eddy~” Matt chuckled from the hay while looking for the man up and down.

Edward had been helping on the farm for… how long had it been? It must have been at least four months by this point. Edward was charismatic but did his work well and almost looked like the men in the books Matt read: tall, dark hair, and an ever-so-slight stubble. He filled out his shirt nicely, did not have any scars on his face, and, damn, that cheesy black hat he wore was already something that was so signature and a staple when anyone thought of Edward. Even though he could be a real pain in the ass, that smile of his had a tendency to wave away any trouble.

“For someone who’s lived on this farm his whole damn life, you’re sure a bum,” Edward chuckled. Leaning his arm on the end of the pitchfork, he needed only to look in Matt’s direction to find something to pick apart about the man. “Constantly reading, laying around, you’d think you’ve lived all uppity your whole life.”

“Keep talking like that, and I’ll get my brother to give you the boot…” Edward gasped in pure, overly-dramatic horror, grasping at his chest and dropping the pitchfork as he stumbled around.

“Rats! Oh no! My one weakness! Being threatened to be turfed from this shitty barn!” Edward continued to stumble around like a priest who’s turned to the pub rather than the church, stumbling towards Matt before collapsing on the hay beside him.

“Gee! Knock it off, you pinhead!” Matt practically screeched sitting up just enough to defend himself from the hay that flew his way from Edward crashing beside him.

As he brushed off his book, Matt noticed something. The words. The words on the page were… they were just lines? Scribbled, jumbled, things that did not form—

“Come on, pretty boy.” Matt was pulled from his thoughts as he looked to the man next to him who was leaning on his side. “You can get more creative insults than promising the boot. Pluuuus…~ you like me too much to let me bounce!~”

Something about his tone and that devilish smirk as he looked up from his black hat made heat rise to Matt’s cheeks. Matt struggled to come up with something to respond with before an own smirk came to his face.

“Alright, Eddy, let’s pretend I’d like you enough to want you to stay,” Matt stated as he could hear the hay under Edward shuffling as he moved closer, “what would it take to keep this windbag on this oh-so shitty barn, ey?”

“Maybe a kiss?”

Matt’s face went bright pink. Edward said it almost instantly, no teasing tone, not a change in his expression. Matt was just now realizing their closeness, the way Edward’s shirt was just slightly unbuttoned, and the way his lips—

Oh, fuck me.

Suddenly, Edward burst into a fit of laughter, making Matt blush even more. Smacking Edward on the chest, this only caused the other to laugh more to the point of almost wheezing.

“Go kiss Old Man Hickory, you slick snake…,” Matt growled as the man stood up, his lips now quivering from laughter.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! You should have seen your face!” Slicker chuckled before extending a hand down towards Matt. “Now come on, let’s go get this work done. If you help me out now, I promise I’ll stay.”

Hesitantly, Matt sighed and took hold of Slicker’s arm. In an instant, Slicker grasped Matt in return and pulled him to his feet. Matt gently tossed the book down on the hay behind him before dusting himself off. Slicker looked real proud of himself and Matt took the time to put the man in his place.

“Don’t give me that smirk, you smug prick,” Matt hissed, poking his chest. “You’re a damn dog and a fucking fairy, Eddy.”

“And yet you are the one who kissed me first, Matt.”

What?

Slicker grasped onto Matt’s wrist, his usually rough but gentle hands feeling like hot wax on his skin. Sucking a sharp breath in, Matt tried to pull away quickly but that was when he noticed it. It was like the whole barn was melting. Like everything was a wax figurine, a replacement of the real thing that was now burning down.

“You’re the one who refused to leave me alone.” Matt finally looked back at Slicker and nearly gasped in horror, his face melting away, exposing flesh and bone as his other hand gripped onto Matt’s neck. “You’re the one who could not get enough of me.” The grip on Matt’s neck tightened and, as Matt scratched at Slicker’s hand in an effort to escape and breathe, chunks of flesh peeled off his skin. “You’re the one who got me killed.”

“N-No… Stop… I- I didn’t mean—”

“You didn’t mean what??” Slicker shouted. Letting go of Matt’s wrist and grabbing the side of his face, Slicker— no, Slicker’s impostor— dug his nails into Matt’s cheeks as he yanked the man into his chest. The barn was burning down around them and Matt could feel the heat on the back of his neck almost as torturous as the burning in his lungs as they pleaded for air.

“You didn’t mean to let me rot in hell for your actions while you disease and plague the people around you?!”

Matt could feel his eyes water with tears from the smoke and from the words. They were not wrong.

The wax world, a recreation of his past, was crumbling around him, but all he could do was stare into the gray eyes of the half-rotten skull in front of him.

“You’re a parasite of sin. You don’t deserve to live.”

Matt woke up shaking, covering his mouth in time to quiet his loud gasp for air. Shuttering, tears had already formed in his eyes and he silently moved to wipe them away as his lips trembled.

“I’m sorry, Slicker— I’m so— I’m…”

Despite his best efforts, he slowly slipped into sobs.

~~~

Slicker’s eyes were red.

He had been out of bed for a while at this point and that was demonstrated by a few things: a) he had managed to find and put his boxers back on, b) he had located his smokes and match box, and c) his eyes had heavy bags under them. The room was heavy with smoke as he sat on the edge of the bed opposite to where William was still sleeping, his head in his hands and a dying cigarette in his mouth. Prying the smoke from his lips, he put the embers out on his upper arm. His teeth grit with slight pain, but it was just one of the many fresh burned circled on his upper arm. Tossing the bud into the ashtray, Slicker sighed.

I took advantage of him. Slicker’s thoughts were entirely distraught as his leg bounced anxiously against the wooden floor. He was my friend and I— Fuck! Slicker was already taking out another cigarette at this point. He seemed… He seemed to want it though? No, no! Slicker’s brows frowned as he struggled with getting the match to light. William was drunk and I… fuck me.

Slicker was supposed to be the one who always had a plan. He had a plan to get out of or into anything. Train robbery? Yep, easy. Escape the cops while carrying a bleeding friend? Done. Even this situation would be easy to come up with a plan for, if it was not William he was dealing with. Now, he just could not stop thinking about what William will say or do when he wakes up.

Finally getting the match to light and the smoke to light, Slicker held onto the cigarette with one hand and ran a hand through his hair. Leaning his head back, he took a long drag as he closed his eyes. Fire burned in his lungs and he let it for a moment before removing the cigarette from his mouth and letting the smoke spool from his mouth with a sigh. Glancing back at William, Slicker looked him over and felt a heavy amount of guilt. How would Slicker even deal with him? Moving the hair that had fallen into William’s face, Slicker paused for a moment.

“I’m sorry I got you so wrapped up into this,” Slicker mumbled before turning back to the floor as he brought the cigarette to his lips, scratching at his jaw. Strangely enough, Slicker could not help a chuckle. “Ahhh… I’ve fucked everything up all over again, huh?”

Hungover, high, and hysterical, Slicker couldn’t help but continue his soft, self-hating laughter.

Vera | 26 | Female | Member

“At least we are not sleeping in tents tonight…,” Aiden whispered. Normally, he would have said this with much more energy, sass, and with a smirk on his face. Now it just sounded like the statement of boredom— no, not boredom; apathy. A lack of care or anything at all seemed to radiate off of Aiden as he hugged himself tighter. “I guess we’ll only have to deal with the spirits of this rotting house…” This time Aiden did laugh but it sounded bitter and hollow. Vera, even in spite of her being horrible at reading people, could tell just how off Aiden seemed.

Glancing up at the old house, it seemed to be alive but just barely. The jutting out floorboards from the porch were rotting teeth, the walls sighed and groaned from the breeze, and the shutters on the broken glass windows looked like the winking eyes of a witch in the woods. Vines crawled up the house’s side, but it did not seem to mind, only ever inhaling and exhaling as if the gang’s very presence was something that garnered the immense fixation of some dying beast. Del stood guard by the door, but she could not see beyond him well as if the door opened up to a deep and empty stomach that ached for Del to enter. Vera had heard stories of people dying in old houses like these with no one around to hear the screams for help of the houses’ victims, but if Aiden was right about one thing, they would have to deal with the damned souls who were left to die and that fueled this monster. Her grip on the woman in her arms nearly slipped at the mere thought of this. Vera was never really religious, but…

Vera quietly did the Sign of the Cross as she mumbled a quick prayer under her breath.

All of a sudden, a man emerged from the shadows behind Del as soon as Vera completed her murmurings. Her eyes shot wide with terror and she lunged forward to grab Del away from him, but the hands of the man latched onto the boy before she could arrive.

“Ya should shut the ‘ell up before I beat the fucks outta you for touchin’ ‘im!” Aiden quickly shouted, charging forward even as Vera raised her arm and gripped onto his shirt with her free arm to hold Aiden back. Carefully setting the woman over her shoulder on the ground, Vera raised both her hands to show she meant no harm and she just wanted to talk.

“We will get going,” Vera mumbled calmly with her accent and bad English making it harder and harder to know what to even say in this situation. Just then, Vera could see a small inkling of someone behind the man.

Esther.

Vera took a deep breath in, having a new way to approach the situation. She just had to trust Esther was all. Easier said than done though when Del was the one with a gun to his head. Turning around, Vera saw that Aiden was bewildered when Vera had made him start to walk away from Del.

“See? We go now. We are leaving your house and you in peace!”

Boom!

Vera pulled Aiden close the instant she heard that gunshot and covered his eyes. Glancing over her shoulder, Vera sighed. Del was safe. Was it crazy she feared for Del’s life so much in that moment even when she saw Esther? Yes, but then again, with all the death she had seen, would it have been crazy if she was not worried? Esther hugged Del close and shielded him briefly from the horror of the collapsed body with blood slowly flowing out.

“Is he—? Is Del…?” Vera snapped back to look at Aiden. He was shaking in her hands.

“No… No, he is safe.”

“G-Good, I woulda killed ‘im if he’d die on me now.”

Vera slowly released Aiden as Esther talked to the stranger, picking up the woman she had placed on the ground. Vera tried to listen into the conversation, but her attention was diverted when the body in her arms began to stir. After the blonde woman’s eyes closed tighter and she twitched in her sleep, she slowly relaxed and as did Vera with a small sigh. By the time she had turned back to listen to whatever Esther was telling the stranger, Vera noticed they were no longer even facing each other.

Why can I never seem to listen in on any drama?

Huffing, Vera was completely distracted by her disappointment that she nearly missed what Esther had said before Aiden walked into the house like a husk. Aiden looked down at the body before awkwardly navigating around it. With the limp body of the woman in her hand, Vera followed after. Vera paused, however, as she stood in front of the drunken man. He deserved this. This was simply what he deserved. Then why did she feel so… conflicted? Finally stepping over the body, Vera noticed something in Esther’s eyes as she passed the woman. Esther’s eyes held no guilt, no remorse, for her actions in the slightest. Vera knew members— now, she supposed, past members— of the gang took pleasure in the killing of cops, but the total lack of any feeling sent a shiver down her spine. Vera was probably just seeing things though.

Finding an empty and small bedroom on the top floor, Vera tossed the unconscious woman on it, her body bouncing and springing upwards from the mattress as Vera collapsed at the base of the bed. Leaning her head against it, Vera took a deep breath in and let out a slow exhale.

“It was a shitty, nutty day…”

Esther Reed | 28 y/o | Female | Leader

Esther watched as the members of her gang passed the dead man and made their way inside, giving Delaney a slight nudge to follow after Aiden as the boy walked past them. With a near apathetic look on his face, the young boy quietly followed the other. She did feel slightly bad that the two young boys had to have seen that but at the same time, they needed to toughen up, they would have to see plenty more of death if they were going to continue living this life, better they get used to it.

Once the rest of the gang had disappeared into the pile of barely standing wood that was supposed to pass for a house, Esther let out a low sigh and got to work.

First she had to get the horses into the pasture, Loco was the one she was most worried about, Del’s pony was… Well, loco. Maybe she should just get him another horse? It was stupid to let him have such an untrustworthy one when things got bad. That was a problem for another day though.

The blonde brought two fingers to her mouth and let out a high pitched whistle to get the attention of the horses.

Comanche was the first to look up and move closer to Esther as she stood on the steps to the porch. Harry beckoned closer as well and she smiled softly at the two horses before stepping off the porch, grabbing the reins of the two boys and pulling them over their heads as she led them around the house. Throwing a quick glance over her shoulder, she could see Victory following with quick steps, ears pinned in a typical fashion for the mare, but following nonetheless. Sam's horse she could see following after as well but at more of a distance, the stranger’s horse seeming far more wary of her.

Briefly, Esther had to let go of Comanche and Harry to push the gate open, it surely had not been opened in a long while and for a second, she felt as if it would break, but luckily, it held.

After having led the horses into the pasture, she quickly got to work tacking them off, hanging their saddles on the places where the fence looked the most sturdy. She took it easy approaching the newcomer’s horse but it seemed friendly enough so she untacked that one as well, the horses had all definitely deserved some hours of rest.

Looking back towards the house, Esther ran her fingers through her hair as she gave a loud sigh, now it was just that damn Nokota pony left…

Loco stood by the house, looking at her with eyes that almost seemed to say, “Come and get me.”

Once again, Esther whistled, trying to get the horse to come closer but clearly, he had no intentions to do so. How Del could deal with this pony she did not understand, just five minutes and she was already out of patience.

She left the pasture, leaving the gate half open as the other horses were busy grazing and if she managed to catch the damn horse she knew she'd not be able to let go to push the gate open.

As she was leaving, she grabbed the lasso from her saddle, hoping she'd be able to catch Loco with it but as soon as the pony saw that, he was already trotting away in the opposite direction.

“Damn rat…” she muttered loudly as she followed after quietly, but instead of heading straight for Loco, she circled around him slightly, looking at the trees a little and pretending to not have her focus on the stallion, something which seemed to work.

Soon the horse stood quietly and was grazing just a bit away from Esther, knowing this would be her only chance, she acted quickly, swinging her lasso and just as the stallion raised its head, she threw it.

“Caught you,” she stated with a slight grin as the stallion pulled back and tossed its head before pawing at the ground but thankfully no more.

The woman led the young stallion into the pasture without mischief trouble, thinking she'd won but clearly, Loco would not let her get the last laugh. Just as Esther was busy closing the gate behind them, holding the lasso in one hand, Loco decided to throw himself to the side and bolt, pulling Esther to the ground.

“You would do best in a stew you devil!” Esther yelled after the horse as she stood back up and dusted herself off, now she had to catch him again just to take the lasso off… Nothing about this day wanted to go well.

~~~

After spending a good 15 minutes playing cat and mouse with the pony of Del’s, Esther finally managed to get her lasso off him only for him to start bolting around and bucking, this before going up to the other horses and attempting to play with them, while Harry and Comanche seemed to just ignore the young horse, Victory went after him, but not in the playful way, the mare went after with bared teeth, snapping in the ear as the stallion had gotten too close to her.

Esther simply sighed and turned around, leaving the horses to themselves, she knew they got along well normally, Loco just needed to be put in his place again and Victory would do a good job at that. Personally, she still had other things to deal with.

Before heading for the porch, Esther went to inspect the small shed she'd spotted near the pastures, hoping she'd find a shovel in there.

It was a good thing her eyes had adjusted to the dark by now but even so, it was hard to see inside the shed and Esther let her hands search along the walls before they found what seemed to resemble a shovel so she grabbed it and stepped back outside.

Thankfully, Esther had been right and now it was time for the blonde to get to work digging that crazy man a grave. She was not happy about it, she would much rather have left him there to rot but she didn't know how long they would have to stay here and a dead body would start to smell, plus Aiden and Delaney shouldn't have to look at it more than they already had, they clearly couldn't handle a dead body that well yet.

Burning the body could also have been an option, it would for sure be less time consuming, but unfortunately it would draw attention too easily, so she was stuck digging this piece of trash a grave.

Finding a spot that was out of direct view from the house, Esther got to work, digging in silence for a while before memories started flashing in her head of her and Jacob. That man had been like a father to her, and now… Now he was just… Gone.

Each time the shovel connected with the ground, Esther would drive it further and further down as emotions started building up inside of her. Everything had completely fallen and crumbled within less than a day, Jacob was gone and with him, more than half of the gang. The only ones she had left right now was Vera and the two boys, Sam and the unconscious woman didn't count. She had no idea if anyone else had made it out and away from the bank but with how their luck was going right now, her hopes wouldn't be too high.

Despite the urge to sink to her knees in the grass and sob over her losses and the fact that she had no clue of what to do next, Esther refused, pushing it back as she put all her focus into digging that man’s grave. Not that it helped to know that she was digging a grave for someone like that man while she'd never get to bury Jacob. He, if anyone deserved to be buried but it would be to risk her life to return, and for all she knew, the cops could already have removed his body and burned it like it was nothing.

~~~

Once the blonde had finished burying the now dead man that had threatened Delaney, she returned into the house, heading up the stairs to find Vera and the unconscious woman they had been dragging along. Before she could sleep, she needed to know what the plan was with her, or they needed to figure one out, kidnapping her hadn't exactly been a well thought out decision.

Esther did a quick search for Vera at the top floor, luckily finding the woman behind just the second door that she pushed open, “May I come in?”

Despite asking, the blonde did not wait for an answer before walking inside the room and shutting the door behind her.

“How are you feeling?” Esther asked, eyes more focused on the unconscious woman on the bed rather than Vera. She could already guess how Vera was feeling, the question was more out of courtesy than anything.

“What do you think should be done about her?” The blonde questioned, nodding down at the lifeless woman as she stopped by the foot of the bed and took a moment to inspect her for the first time since she'd come into their hands.