Prologue:

By 1899, the age of outlaws and gunslingers was at an end.

America was becoming a land of laws…

Even the west had mostly been tamed.

A few gangs still roamed, but they were being hunted down and destroyed.

ElectricBlaster presents...

Valentine.

A small, but somewhat lively cattletown in the New Hanover region. The main street, with its stores, clinics, stable and the saloons were always filled with activity.

Speaking of which, everything was just fine, until two young gentlemen heard the sound of a woman falling. The two turn around to see a young lady with long, beautiful dark blonde locks of hair. Her eyes were emerald, with a small amount of freckles on her cheeks. Her long skirt was purple, slightly stained from falling onto the wooden porch in front of the saloon. Her shirt was white, with sleeves pulled up and she wore a fair vest over it. In front of her was a torn bag, with groceries spilling onto the floor.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said, softly. The two men were quick to run over to her.

"It's okay, miss," one of them said. "Here. Let us help you."

As they set down their satchels momentarily, helping poor damsel retrieve her belongings, the girl dusted herself off, getting out her own bag to put the groceries in. "I'm sorry, gentlemen. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you in any way."

"Anything to help out a young lady like yourself," the other man said. The woman smiled upon seeing the looming shadow behind them, and held back the urge to laugh as the two unsuspecting men didn't notice a thing. "Got a name, sweetheart?"

"Lilian," the woman said, shyly. "Most folks just call me Lily."

"What a beautiful name," the first man said. Once everything was in the bag, they stood.

"Thank-you so much," said Lily. "Maybe if you're still in town we'll cross paths again."

"Of course," the first man said.

"Anytime, miss," the other man said.

Lily kept walking until she made it behind Valentine's bank. Once she was there, she waited, a mischievous smile creeping onto her face.

Footsteps could be heard hitting the wooden boards of the perimeter of the bank. It was the sound of boots. Around the corner appeared a young man wearing the black boots that made that sound. Dark hair was on his head. It was long, and tied in a small ponytail. Strands of dark hair hung down on the front of his fair skinned face, slightly covering his silver eyes. He wore a loose blue collared shirt, a black pair of pants with a white stripe on the stitching, keeping it together.

"Sam!" Lily whispered, happily. She walked up to him, quickly. "Did you get it while they were distracted?"

Sam leaned against the wall and let out a deep sigh. "Of course I did." He reached into his satchel and pulled out a beautiful flower pendant. Lily's face lit up, and she ran up and took it.

"Thank-you! Thank-you, Sam!" she exclaimed. "I saw them take it, and I-"

"I know, I know," said Sam. "Uncle Cliff would be upset if you lost your momma's pendant." With that, he whistled. A horse came running towards him. She had a beautiful black coat, with a white mane and tail. "Hey, Aurora," he said, gently. He walked up and petted his horse softly. "Good job waiting for us."

"Hey! There they are!"

The two youngsters turned around and saw the two men from earlier running towards them.

"Shit! Get on!" Sam hissed to his cousin.

"Finders keepers!" one of them shouted.

Once on Aurora, Sam took the reins and with a small kick with his he els his horse galloped out of the alley and onto the main street of Valentine.

"And I say, losers weepers!" Sam hollered back. Lily held onto him as they rode out of town and into the open fields of New Hanover. The path took them near the train tracks, and Lily looked up, seeing the sky, the birds, looking at the plains and seeing some deer and wild horses.

Sam hadn't even done much running, but the feeling was the same. He loved the adrenaline pumping through his veins, holding back laughter at how angry those men were, just like he had done with others many times before.

"Do you think we lost them?" said Lily.

"I don't know," her cousin said. "Let's lay low for a bit and then head back."

Sam rode them into the woodland area known as Horseshoe Overlook. It was there that they hid in an empty clearing surrounded by cliffs bushes and trees. Lily was the first one off and Sam took Aurora to a tree to hitch.

"Good girl, Aurora," Sam said, his voice lowered to a soft, kind tone. "Here." He held out a wild carrot just for her and the horse didn't wait even a second to eat it. The young man petted her mane before joining Lily by some rocks that were big enough for them to sit on. She was just searching through her bag.

"I'm sorry for making you do this on your birthday…" said Lily.

"Aw, Lily. I said it was fine," Sam said, sitting next to her. "Anything to make someone who messed with you mad, especially if they snatched your momma's pendant."

"I was going to wait until tonight, but here…" She pulled out a hat. It was black, the inner part of the brim was patterned with a checkered style of blue and white. The fabric felt new and fresh like some kind of leather. "You're old hat tore up, right? I saw this one in the shop, and I thought…"

Sam was already smiling. He put it on immediately. Finally, some relief from the sun once more. "I love it," he said. "Thank-you." He then gasped, reached into his satchel and pulled out an envelope. "That's not all I took."

"You took their mail?!" Lily said, snatching the envelope from him.

"It's a letter!" Sam was quick to snatch it back. "You know how I like my public readings."

Lily giggled. "Yes, well read on, then, speaker."

Sam read out loud, his voice echoing into the wilderness, along with his cousin's laughter at the cheesy love letter, even as Sam read it in a funny voice. The sad part was, it appeared to be the fifth letter and it implied that the person the letter was intended for had yet to respond. Lily just assumed that was what they get, taking precious items from young girls like herself.

As the sky started to turn pink, Sam got up and stretched, telling his cousin that they should probably head back. He pulls out a lighter and turns the letter to ash, before they mount up and ride back to Valentine.

The town didn't seem too shaken over the small incident they caused. Sam made sure to pick up the newspaper for Cliff before they slowly rode down the street towards a clinic at the end of it. It was two stories tall, with light blue paint job over the wooden walls, and the frames of the windows were white, but the years of wear and tear was noticeable, with little bits of paint chipping away, revealing its natural wooden color.

Sam hitched Aurora to the nearest post, then he ran past Lily who was already on her way inside and opened the door first. "My lady," he said with a bow.

Lily smiled but rolled her eyes as she walked in. "Oh, what a gentleman…"

Inside the clinic, was a man with brown hair with a gray streak through it, neatly combed like his fair mustache. He wore thin frames and a light blue shirt like Sam. He was behind the counter filling out some forms for a young man who was at the counter, a young man Sam knew really, well.

"Papa!" Lily said.

Sam gave him a wave. "Uncle Cliff."

"There's my girl," Lily's dad said, with a small smile. "Give me second, will you?"

"Hey, Archie," said Sam. "You here for your dad's medicine?"

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "They ain't much, but they do help with his cough a bit."

Sam leaned against the counter and sighed. "I know."

"Okay." Cliff said, tearing off the paper and handing it to Archie. "This should cover it for it now. He put the necessary medicine on the counter and the young man put them in his bag.

"Thank-you, Mr. Hawkeson," Archie said, nodding.

"Any time," said Cliff. "You give Mr. and Mrs Downes my best regards.

"I will, sir. Thanks again. I'll see you later, Sam. Happy Birthday!"

Sam and Lily waved goodbye as Archie rushed out of the shop, and then Cliff's eyes were on them. They narrowed and Sam's heart started pumping faster.

"Um, hey uncle," he said, shyly.

"Don't 'hey uncle' me!" Cliff then snapped. "I saw what happened near the Saloon today! Did you really have to? It's your goddamn birthday!"

"So, yeah!" Sam then yelled. "It's my goddamn birthday! So, maybe today you don't give me bullshit about dealing justice!"

"Don't you take that tone with me, boy! Revenge ain't-"

"Papa! I made him do it!" Lily then yelled. The two men stopped arguing and turned to the young lady before him. "I left Ma's pendant lying around when I was sorting through my bag and these two men took it, so he stole it back for me. I'm sorry…"

Cliff adjusted his glasses. "Is that so?"

"I helped him…" Lily admitted. She rubbed her arm briefly, and that's when she noticed a scrape. She probably got from "falling" near the saloon.

"Damn it!" the doctor hissed under his breath. "Sam, take your cousin upstairs. Get her patched up."

"Papa, I'm-"

"Ah, ah!" Lily's father waved off her protest. "Even the tiniest scrape can get infected. Sam?"

The younger man sighed, set the newspaper on the counter, and started walking into the back where the stairs were. "Come on, Lily."

The two headed up the steps. Cliff sighed, running his hand through his temples and down his face. He wondered what he was going to do with that boy, and him being a terrible influence on his daughter wasn't helping. One day, he swore he was going to get himself into some real trouble.

With them out of his hair for now, and with no customers since the day was ending, Cliff took the newspaper and read the headline.

BLACKWATER LOCKED DOWN

BANK BOAT HEIST LARGEST ROBBERY IN YEARS.

DUTCH'S BOYS ACCUSED. BOUNTIES PLACED.

FURNISHES A SENSATION AMONG RESIDENTS.

MONEY BELIEVED STASHED BY OUTLAWS.

After a bloody shoutout that resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of banknotes being shipped by boat, Pinkerton Agency officials have restricted access to the town of Blackwater while a massive manhunt is underway.

Officials issued bounties on the heads of Dutch van der Linde and his gang, commonly known as Dutch's Boys. Banks looked to shipping assets via boat as a more reliable means of transportation, impervious from thieves.

The deadly attack resulted in the loss of $150,000 - the largest robbery in the region in recent years. Authorities believe that the men may have stashed the money in Blackwater before fleeing. Reports indicate that many are searching high and low for the stash, upending public spaces and neighbors' gardens.

Residents of Blackwater view the lockdown with contempt. Businesses who depend on shipments of dry goods, sundries and catalogue sales complain the Pinkertons have caused an unnecessary burden to life and welfare.

At least in Cliff's mind, he was thankful the Pinkertons showed up. Unfortunately, from reading previous papers, it seemed most of the Van der Linde gang escaped, heading north. Knowing his geography, Cliff had a few guesses of where they could've gone, but he couldn't worry about that. Well, he should, actually. For all he knew they could be in the area right now, considering how long ago this happened and how long it took for more news to reach New Hanover.

Cliff tore off the article, shoving it away in the back room, where he kept most of his important things for his business. Tonight, he would just worry about his nephew. It was his special day, even if he was a handful.

After flipping the sign on the door, so it said, "CLOSED," the doctor headed up the stairs, into the living area, where Sam and Lily were just chatting while sitting on the family couch, where a red carpet was on the wooden floor, dirtied over the years, along with coffee table that Sam was still putting his dirty boots on, like kind of defiance. The kitchen was just behind the living area on the right and to the left were the bedrooms. Lily and Sam shared one, while Cliff had once shared his with his now late wife. Cliff's nephew took his hands away from Lily's arm that was freshly wrapped in bandages, and he pulled her frilly sleeve back down.

Sam looked up, seeing his uncle give him a warm smile. Lily was unable to look up at him out of terror of what was coming, but she was wearing her mother's brooch again on her person.

"You're getting pretty good, Sam," said Cliff. "You did good with Lily's arm."

"It's not that hard." The younger man looked over at his cousin, who was rubbing her arm. "S-Sorry, Uncle Cliff."

Cliff sighed, wandering into his room. "We'll deal with that tomorrow. Right now…" He walked back out with a white rectangular shaped box. "Tonight is a time to celebrate." He sat down in the lounge chair and held the box near him. "Happy Birthday, kiddo!"

Sam's eyes lit up and he put the box in his lap. He took the top off and he gasped like an excited kid in a candy store. It was a real volcanic pistol. There was a wooden handle grip connected to a golden like metal with black metal barrels. The young man was almost laughing in delight.

"Aw, Cliff!" he said. "How did you know?"

"I saw you giving it puppy dog eyes recently, boy," Cliff said, smirking. "I wear glasses, but ain't blind."

"Oh, ha ha…" Sam said, leaning back examining his new sidearm. "I can't wait to try this out."

Cliff chuckled. "Then why not now?"

"Wait, really?!"

"Yeah. Get your things. We'll go to our secret spot."

"Oh, yay!" Lily then said, standing.. "I'll put some dinner in a basket."

"Don't forget the matches, dear," said Cliff. He looked over the chair, watching his daughter rush into the kitchen. "We'll need a good fire."

"Yes, sir!"

Sam and Cliff loaded everything they needed on a cart, just outside of the building. Once Lily had everything, she got in the back.

"Come on, Sam," said Cliff. "Ride up front with me."

"Yes, sir," Sam said, with a shy smile.

Once everyone was aboard, Cliff took the reins and steered the family out of town. Sam and Lily got to relax and enjoy the sights that passed them. All three of them laughed and chatted, while enjoying a drink or two. Then, they made it to empty clearing at Horseshoe Overlook.

"Thanks for taking us out," said Sam.

Cliff sighed and put down the reins. "You always were a trouble maker. And, you still are, boy."

"I'd like to call it a need for justice…" The younger man crossed his arms.

"So, justice got you those thirty dollars for those boots you're wearing?"

"The feller was leading on girls for their daddies' money! I only take from people if they do something wrong."

Cliff rubbed his temples. "We've all done something wrong at least once. I just worry for you, Sam. You're twenty-seven, now, and I thought you'd grow out of this. Sure, things sometimes work out in the end, but sometimes you come home with bruises, cuts or one time, Lily had to drag your unconscious body into the clinic."

"Yeah… that's why I try to avoid confrontation…" Sam mumbled. As embarrassed as he was to admit it, this was true. "I ain't exactly the one to face things head on."

Cliff sighed, patting his nephew's back, and then looked at Lily. "Lily, be dear and get us from firewood?"

"Yes, Daddy." Lily stood up and hopped off the cart. The older man cleared his throat.

"Remember when we came out here to look for flowers for your Aunt Violet's grave?" said Cliff. He stepped off of the cart and Sam was unloading crates of empty bottles.

"Yeah, I was only eight, but I remember," said Sam. "I started climbing down the edge of the cliff. You ran over and grabbed me with the scariest look on your face." He almost started laughing at the memory.

"Of course I did! My precious Violet was gone and Lily was barely walking and talking! Do you know what I would've done if I lost you, too?!"

"Yeah…" Sam set the crate down on rock. "But down below, I had seen some beautiful violets growing below. So after you pulled me back up and yelled at me, you picked them up and… started crying."

Sam had been so focused on remembering that he didn't see that his uncle had wandered to the cliff's edge. It was the same one he remembered climbing down as a child. He looked down below and saw new violets growing. He looked over to Cliff and grabbed his arm.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Cliff." And this time he knew, his nephew meant it.

Lily got the fire started before too long. Even though she had a match, she was still excited when the fire was lit. They stayed up into the night cooking up meat and shooting bottles with their guns and rifles. Lily stepped up and started throwing glass bottles into the air for the boys to shoot.

"Damn it!" Sam hissed. Seeing that it took him two shots to get one in midair.

"Stay calm when you shoot. Think you will fail and you will," said Cliff.

Sam nodded. He held up his new gun again and took some deep breaths.

"Lily!" Cliff said. His daughter nodded and threw the next bottle. Sam aimed, remembering to only fire on empty lungs. The empty medicine bottle exploded. "There you go! Lily, you wanna go next?"

"Okay…" Lily sighed, and walked over. Cliff knew that his daughter wasn't one to like guns as much, but he just wanted the kids to be able to protect themselves.

Sam took a seat by the fire, drinking some whiskey and watching his cousin struggle from the recoil of rifles. To her, it was frustrating, but to Sam, it was a hilarious display.

"I don't get it. Can't I just use the cattleman revolver. It's the easiest."

"And what if your target is far away?" said Cliff.

"Come on," said Sam. "It's not like you're shooting a person."

Lily growled, and when her father threw the next bottle she pulled the trigger, but the recoil shocked her and the bullet flew upward. The rifle hit her face and fell on the ground.

"Oh shit! Lily!" Sam was quick to rise up and rush over to her with Cliff.

"Grr… Sorry…" Lily said, softly rubbing her nose. "I know I'm not-"

Suddenly, a crow fell to the ground from the sky. It had been shot when Lily thought she had missed. All three family members started laughing out loud into the night. They sat around the campfire singing songs until their voices gave out.

By the time it was late, everyone was getting tired. Well, Sam was happy, even though it looked like he just had one too many. He got up briefly to bury the poor bird, while Lily put out the fire. Then she walked over and chuckled to see Sam upset about a bird. He was just staring solemnly at it.

"Come on, you sad sack. Let's get home."

Sam looked up at him and nodded. "Okay, Lilies…" he said, his words a bit slurred.

"God, you're drunk," Cliff said, walking up to his nephew.

"You said I could!" Sam said, pointing at him accusingly.

"Only because you're easier to handle like this." He knelt down and put his arms around him, hearing his nephew chuckle. "Okay, up you go." The older man helped the younger to his feet and into the back of the cart, where Lily guided him inside and laid him down, leaning against her.

"Do we have to go home now?" Sam mumbled.

"Yes, it's getting late, and I have to be up to open the clinic tomorrow," Cliff said, climbing up onto the wagon to steer the horses. "You just relax. We'll be home soon."

Sam mumbled something, but was already being soothed by his cousin, petting his hair gently. She tried not to laugh at his goofy smile. "I got him, Daddy. Let's go home."

"That's my girl," Cliff said, softly. "Hyah!" The horses started moving the carriage and they headed back towards Valentine.

"This was a good birthday…" Sam whispered, leaning his head on Lily's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've gone to our secret spot as a family. Maybe when angry thugs aren't chasing you, we should go there more."

Cliff sighed, wishing he could relax more these days, but he had a lot on his plate. The newspaper he had was still in his head, fearing what would happen. He pulled down a gulp and began to make their way home.


Sam awoke in his room the next morning with the sun's light shining through the window into his bedroom. Locks of his hair were laced over his eyes as he laid spread out on his bed, gently tucked in by who he assumed was probably Lily. Brushing away the hair, he sat up, finding his boots left at his bedside, and his hat on the nightstand.

Once dressed, Sam headed downstairs, but still couldn't find Lily. His father was sorting out some of the shelves. Once again, the clinic was a bit empty with only a few people browsing.

"Cliff?" Sam said, rubbing his eyes.

"Afternoon, sleepyhead," said Cliff. "Did you have fun?"

Sam chuckled softly. "Yeah, I did. Thanks. Have you seen Lily?"

"Oh, yes. Archie came by and wanted to speak with her. They're at the saloon. Would you mind checking on them?"

"Yes, sir." He put his hat on his head and walked towards the door.

"And Sam?" His nephew stopped at the door and turned to him. "No funny business? Am I clear?"

The young man sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Uncle Cliff."

"Good man."

Sam stepped outside, letting the gentle breeze cool his skin a bit. The Saloon wasn't that far, but he could already hear that it was buzzing with people inside.

In the Saloon, Sam looked around scanning the room for any sign of Lily and Archie. Their poor friend hadn't been able to go out as much lately since his father got sick.

"Behind you, mister," a deep voice said that made Sam almost jump and then he collided with something solid, or in this case someone. He turned around about to give this mystery person some tough look, but upon seeing how big and tall he was, that anger faded.

Sam's silver eyes met with blue. The man behind him was tall, with broad shoulders. His hair was golden`parted neatly on the left side of his head. He looked like he had shaved, but Sam could already see some stubble growing. On his head was a worn, dark leather hat, a fair brown leather jacket covered the blue collar shirt he wore underneath, and his pants were a green color with his boots black, but all the clothes he was wearing looked like they had seen their years, with permanent stains, small tears or patches. It was a good thing Sam decided not to overreact, because he saw a gun belt on him.

"S-Sorry..." Sam tried to say as clearly as he could as he stepped out of the man's way.

"Oh, Arthur. Arthur, come here, come here."

Sam saw him walk over to two other folks at the bar who were chatting up some ladies. He was mostly just glad that he had brushed off bumping into someone like it was nothing.

Eventually, he found Lily sitting near the poker table with Archie. He was chatting with her, when Lily reached out her hand and held his.

"Lily?" Sam said. Lily was quick to hide her hand again.

"O-Oh, Sam!" said Archie. "Glad to see you up. What are you doing here?"

Sam put his hands on his hips. "I could be asking you the same thing. You don't normally come in here."

"W-Well, you see…" Archie then spoke up. "I, uh… Well, my mother told me not to get involved with what you do sometimes, but… I need a favor."

"A favor?" Sam said, raising a brow. "You want me to steal for you?" He leaned forward and put his palms on the table, and lowered his voice to a whisper. "What would Mrs. Downes say?"

"Ma doesn't know. I know you only steal from bad people."

"Why? I'm not a strong man for hire."

"It… It's not exactly like that." His friend lowered his voice to a whisper,as well. "It's just… It's been really hard at home and we really need some mo-"

"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING!"

The three turned to the door and saw a man bump into another. The one who walked in grabbed him by the shirt.

"Take it easy, pal!"

Lily began to stand up from her chair. Archie, as well. The first man collided heads with the other and he fell against the poker table, before getting pulled off and punched in the stomach.

Lily yelped a little and then grabbed onto Archie as the entire bar erupted into chaos. Everyone was fighting each other. Sam made to move for Lily when someone was thrown onto their table and it broke. The legs caved in and the surface broke in two, breaking into more as the pieces hit the ground and the person landed on top of the mess.

"Archie!" Sam yelled. His friend nodded, and took Lily's hand pulling her out of the bar, and passing by that man Sam bumped into earlier who was brawling with another patron. Sam had to dodge punches and swings, trying not get involved. One feller collapsed right on Sam, making him lower him gently to the ground. He stumbled a bit more making his way to the back door.

Once he was outside, and the door was shut, it was quiet. Sam rubbed his temples, making to go around the building and meet up with his cousin.

"It's me. Come on, open up."

The voice was coming from the rival clinic next to the saloon. Sam always loathed them, somehow managing to sell their products and services for much cheaper, when his uncle had been running his clinic far longer than the other has been in town.

Sam crept over and saw an officer approaching the back door of the clinic. The back of the door of the rival clinic was always locked.

"Here. Now go keep the people safe."

"It better all be there. I'll be back to check on you tomorrow."

By the time Sam was safely behind a fence, he could see the officer counting cash.

"Yeah, yeah." Whoever was inside, closed the small viewing window and the officer started walking back towards the station.

Sam was ready to explode. No wonder this clinic was able to sell at so much cheaper. They were doing something illegal!

Suddenly, the young man was grabbed and dragged off his feet, his shirt held by a fist and his face met with another. Sam fell to the floor, a hand grasping his eye as he looked up and saw a shady man staring down at.

"Don't you ever know that curiosity killed the cat, boy?!" he growled viciously. He stepped towards him, making Sam's heart jump. With a handful of dirt, he threw it and the man yelled out as particles hit his eyes and he started coughing. The young man got up and ran towards the front of the Saloon.

Sam ran as fast as he could, a hand still over his face. It still hurt, so he knew it was going to bruise. He was panting, both from the pain, and the fact that he just escaped from a criminal who might have beat the shit out of him or worse.

He scanned the street to find any sign of Archie and Lily, when suddenly, one of the windows at the saloon shattered and the man Sam had bumped into earlier - he swore his friend at the bar called him "Arthur" - was thrown out tumbling onto the street. Upon seeing Tommy, some big middle aged man, who drank in the saloon often, Sam already knew what was going on. And his uncle thought that he was a troublemaker.

"Come on, pretty boy…" Tommy growled. Arthur was already rising to his feet again.

"Pretty boy? You're kidding me?" He sounded angry. "Pretty boy?"

Before Sam knew it, there were people gathered around, watching two grown men fight it out in the middle of the street.

"You okay there, Arthur?" It looked like one his friends were talking to him.

"Yeah, I got this son of a bitch."

"Shit…" Sam cursed under his breath. He pushed through the crowd, making his way across the street, finding Lily with Archie near his uncle's clinic. "Lily, you okay?" His cousin gave him a nod. "Archie?"

"Yeah," said Archie. "We were just-"

Lily screamed, upon seeing Arthur get thrown onto the ground. The three were unsure of what to do, seeing Tommy holding him down.

"Should we do something?" Archie almost raced forward with Lily, but Sam held out his arms.

"Hell no! I ain't getting punched in the face again."

"But-" Lily almost said.

Sam saw no reason to get involved, especially when Arthur managed to punch Tommy in the face, kick him off and pin him to the ground instead.

"Told ya he's got it," said Sam. He tried to look away, and took Lily's hand, as he could hear Arthur punch the hell out of that guy. His cousin then pulled her hand away.

"He's gonna kill him!" Lily shrieked. Sam turned away at those words, seeing how that Arthur feller had clearly won, but was still beating his head into the ground.

Sam's heart pounded in his chest. His right foot moved back, as his mind screamed at him to run. Run far away!

"STOP! STOP! Please!"

A lean man with short hair and a simple mustache ran out into the scene. He had a hat on his head, a striped shirt and jeans held up with suspenders.

"Is that my dad?" said Archie.

"Oh, shit…" Sam mumbled. It was really him. Archie's father, Thomas Downes.

"Please! Please, I beg you! Stop! Come, sir. You won the fight already, isn't that enough?" said Thomas.

Arthur stood, and let go of Tommy's shirt, letting the big man lay motionless in the mud. "What business is it of yours?"

"No business," Thomas said, covering his mouth from a few coughs. "No business, sir. But please… I beg you."

Arthur pushed him away and started walking off in another direction, pushing past the onlookers. Archie was already running out towards his father, as the audience began to disperse. Lily huffed and went towards them, with Sam following her.

"Pa, what are you doing out here?" he said. "Momma told you to stay home and take it easy."

"I got worried when you headed into town, son," said Thomas. "Hello, Sam. Lily."

"Why would you help Tommy?" said Sam. "He's a jerk to everyone. I say he got what he had coming."

"And who are we to let him die?" He reached over to help Tommy up and possibly get him back inside. Archie was already helping him, too.

"Sam, what happened to your eye?" said Lily. The young man was quick to cover it.

"Nothing," he said.

"I'll help my pa," said Archie. "Lily, take him to Dr. Hawkeson."

"But-"

"Let's go…" Lily said, pulling him by the arm, like a child caught with stolen candy.

The two entered the clinic, where Cliff was just cleaning the floors with a broom. He looked up, seeing his beautiful Lily completely unharmed, and his nephew nursing a black eye with his hand.

"Oh my god!" he said. "Sam, what happened?"

"Rival clinic," Sam admitted. The adrenaline began to set, and he started shaking. "I saw their shady business in the back and a guy got one in my eye."

"Shady business?" Cliff ran over placing a hand on the boy's shoulder and gently moved his hand away from his eye, revealing the bruised skin.

"It's in the back. They were paying off an officer."

"Shit…" Cliff muttered. "Lily, look after the front. Come on, Sam." He handed Lily the broom and led his nephew upstairs. Once up there, he sat his nephew down on the couch and briefly slipped into the kitchen for the cupboard. "What were they selling?"

"I don't know. I was gonna get a closer look when the bastard grabbed and punched me."

Cliff was back with a bottle of something and a clean piece of cloth. He poured some liquid on it and took off the boy's hat.

"I threw some dirt in his face and ran for Lily and Archie," Sam continued. His uncle sat down next to him.

"Were you followed?"

Sam shook his head. "No. I think I lost him in the chaos of that fight that happened outside the saloon."

"Well, I saw that." He gently moved his nephew's hand that had gone to guard his injured eye again. He flinched at the contact briefly, but let his uncle continue. Cliff knew that other business was up to something, but how would he stop it? The police seem to be in their pocket, as well. "This should help with the swelling. Apply it every three hours, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"That's my boy."

The two headed back downstairs, where they see that Lily wasn't at the front anymore, but they could hear her voice in the back room, where Cliff examined patients.

"Lily?"

"Hold on one moment, sir," they then heard. Lily was back out in the shop in a second, holding a muddy jacket. Sam raised a brow, recognizing a certain someone who was wearing it earlier. "Daddy, we have a patient in the back. I gave him a rag already, so he can clean up."

"Oh. Thank-you, Lily," said Cliff. He quickly put on his apron and walked towards the back. Sam shrugged and followed him in, having a guess of who was in there.

Sitting in the examination chair was that Arthur person from earlier. It wasn't until now that they were not outside with all the chaos that he could see why. His hand had been cut severely from when he was thrown through the saloon's window. At least he'd been cleaned up from all of the mud on the road. There were already bruises appearing on his face.

"Oh, it's the pretty bo-" Lily covered Sam's mouth while he snickered.

"You must that feller who was outside earlier with Tommy, mister, uh-"

"It's Arthur," the man responded simply.

"Right. Lily, go see about his sweater. Sam, go get the bandages. They're behind the counter."

"Yes, sir," Lily and Sam said in unison. They left to do Cliff's work immediately.

"Got some good kids there," Arthur said. He tried not to flinch when Cliff cleaned his cut up hand with a cloth covered in medicine.

"Well, Sam ain't my son by blood, but I raised him as if he were, even if he's a handful. They're hardly kids anymore. Sam just turned twenty-seven last night and my daughter is twenty-one." He stood up. "Well, good news. You won't need stitches, but you rest that hand, mister."

"I got them, Uncle Cliff." Sam walked back in with a roll of bandages, as Cliff threw the bloodied up rag in the trash.

"Thank-you, Sam." The doctor took Arthur's hand and wrapped it up nicely.

"Where'd you get that black eye, boy?" said Arthur. Sam held back a gasp.

"N-Nowhere!" he said. "You didn't see me in the saloon."

"I saw you running."

"I walked into a door!"

Arthur stood up once he was finished and handed Cliff some money, laughing off Sam's blatant lie. "Thank-you kindly, sir. Here's something for your trouble."

"Thank-you," said Cliff. "If you need anything else, come back anytime." Lily came back to give Arthur his sweater back. It was clean, although a bit damp from being cleaned with water, so Arthur hoisted over his shoulder and headed out.

"So why did we help him again?" Sam said, as he walked back into the shop with his uncle. "He was beating the shit out of Tommy. He would've killed him if it weren't for Mr. Downes."

Lily scoffed. "Says the person who was going to run."

"I was thinking of our safety! The feller's clearly dangerous! He might even be more dangerous than Tommy, even though the bastard had it coming."

"Enough!" Cliff snapped. "And Sam, a doctor's duty is to heal people, not to judge."

"So, if the man who gave me this black eye walked in here, would you help him?" said Sam. "The same people who are putting us in the red?"

"Sam, we're going to be fine."

"What if we're not?" said Sam. "We can't even report the other clinic to the police, because they're being paid off!"

"Wait, what?" Lily said, looking at the two men.

"What's got into you?" said Cliff.

"What's got into me, is that I refuse to let these foul people push us, without us pushing them back!" Sam spat these words out like poison.

"Sam, trouble will beget more trouble, regardless of how stealthy you cause it. I could lose this business and have it burn down, but you and Lily are the most important to me above everything."

Sam sighed, leaning against the wall. He put on his hat, walking out but stopped in the doorway.

"But what if they stole us away, too?"

Before Cliff or Lily could say anything, Sam had already ventured outside and climbed onto his horse, making to ride away from his home and out of town. He needed to clear his head.

Sam took to the plains, riding near the tracks towards the clearing in Horseshoe Overlook. His eye still throbbed from the punch and he couldn't even do something about it. He had stolen before, but never from real criminals, and he wasn't one for direct confrontation, even if his uncle taught him to shoot. He could never do something as cruel as kill someone.

The young man petted his horse as they went into the wooded area, Sam flinched after hearing leaves being crushed, reaching for his new sidearm, when he was too late, suddenly hearing the click of a rifle.

"Who's there?!"

"I could be asking you the same question," said Sam.

A woman came out from the bushes. Her blonde hair was tied up loosely. She wore a white top and a long purple skirt.

"You shouldn't be here!" she said.

Sam slowly took his hand off his gun. "What do you mean? I come here all the time with my cousin?"

"And where are they?" the woman said.

"I decided to come here alone today?" Sam shrugged. "Is there a problem? He looked passed her and his jaw dropped slightly. Ahead, there was a whole small group of tents in the clearing where he was just at last night.

"Yeah, we've set up camp," the blonde continued. "So, you'll have to go elsewhere. We've been through enough trouble."

"But-"

The woman raised her rifle.

"Alright, alright!" Sam said, raising his hands. He slowly reached for the reins and turned around, petting Aurora gently as he turned around. "You've got to be kidding me…" he grumbled as he left the woodlands and back out into the plains.

He took his time to go back to Valentine. It wasn't like he had anything to do. His thoughts were running as Aurora had slowed down to a trot. He ended up at another cliffside, sitting against a rock on the plains with a bottle of whiskey.

Sam remembered when less customers stopped coming into the clinic. Cliff was in denial, thinking of it as a slow month. He was never allowed into the back room, but over the months he could see the piles of bills piling and piling up, but despite his efforts, Cliff was too proud, or stubborn to accept Sam's help. He would tell him that it was wrong to use stolen items and money. He'd spend days locked upstairs for doing wrong for something right in his eyes. It was infuriating!

Would his uncle allow everyone to suffer for pride? Would he let everyone go hungry and die and everything around him taken away without a fight?

Sam's eyes drifted a bit, and then he saw the clearing at Horseshoe Overlook from the cliff he was sitting at. It was far away, but he reached into his satchel, pulling out his binoculars.

The fanciest tent looked like it was in the middle of the clearing. There was some red-headed woman in it. Then, he saw a box where people were putting money and other valuable items into. In fact, the person putting some dollars in was the "pretty boy" from earlier.

Driven out from his secret spot by people who would shelter a man who almost beat another man to death. In Sam's opinion, they had a lot of money to share. He stood up and shook his head. There were a lot of people, and they could be real life thugs. Even though he hated direct confrontation, that didn't mean he didn't welcome a challenge.

With a hand on his chin, Sam thought to himself. If he was going to do this he'd need some help from more than just his cousin… and a few things to "borrow."

Samuel Hawkeson stood from his spot and whistled for his horse. Aurora was at her side almost at an instant. The sun shined down from above as it casted it's evening glow over everything… including the camp that was now his target. As he gently grabbed the reins on his horse companion, a mischievous grin appeared on his face.

Red Dead Redemption - Heal Behind the Trigger