Dear John

John Marston woke just as the first light of dawn shone through the dirty glass window of his small property on the outskirts of Escalera. He sat up and winced, his back stiff from sleeping on the thin straw mattress. You’d think after a lifetime of roaming, always on the run, he’d be used to this sort of thing by now. Truthfully, John was tired. These past few months had been some of the hardest of his life, and that’s saying something after all Dutch had put him through growing up.

The wound on his side had mostly healed by now, but it still ached—a parting gift from his old partner, Bill. He stood, shaking the cobwebs from his weary mind. Taking his hat from the bedside table, he stopped to look at the photograph tucked safely into the sweatband. It was faded and wrinkled, stained with his own sweat and blood, but it was the only thing that kept him going. “It won’t be long now, darlin’,” he whispered. “I’m close now, I can feel it. I’ll be home before you know it. I promise.” He kissed the grainy image of his wife and son before tucking it safely away and adjusting Arthur’s old hat on his head.

“You can’t outrun your past, John. No matter how hard you try.” Arthur’s voice echoed through his mind as he strapped on his gun belt and bandolier. “You don’t get to live a bad life and have good things happen to you.” His memories were interrupted by a sharp rap at the door.

“¿Eres el señor Marston?” the man said. He was covered in dust from head to toe, and by the ragged look of him, he’d been riding all night.

“Depends who’s askin’,” John said.

“Heh,” the man chuckled to himself. “She said you’d say that.” He reached into the satchel strapped across his shoulder and pulled out a crisp, white envelope. “Señora Adler sends her regards.”

“Uh, thanks, I guess,” John said, tucking the letter into his vest pocket.

The man tipped his sombrero, jumped back on his mule, and rode off, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

“Sadie?” John said to himself, “Didn’t think I’d ever hear from her again.”

He opened the letter and read:

________________________________________

Dear John,

I hope this finds you before it’s too late. I didn’t come all the way down here for nothing, so listen up. I’ve been back in the States a few weeks now. Bounties dried up down in South America, so I figured I’d try my luck in Blackwater. Long story short, I was in the Marshal’s office, rounding up some bounties when I heard those bastards Milton and Ross talking about you.

John, you fool! Did you really think they’d just let you go? You’ve never been the brightest, but even you ought to know better. Remember what they did to Hosea? To Lenny? Hell, even to that damned Colm O’Driscoll? In case you haven’t figured it out yet, they’re going to kill you, John. They’re just waiting ‘til you’ve finished their dirty work, and once you’re done, there’ll be only one loose end to wrap up. They’ll wait until you feel comfortable and then they’ll come for you too.

Soon as I heard, I rode for Beecher’s Hope to warn you, but of course, you weren’t there. Fortunately, Charles was. Turns out he came back to West Elizabeth to check in on you. He had this ‘bad feeling’ and wanted to make sure you were still breathing. So I told him what I found out, and together, we came up with a plan.

I know you, John. You’ve always been the lone wolf. Right now, you probably feel like you’re alone, like you’re the last of a dying breed since the gang fell apart. You’re too damn stubborn for your own good, but we both know that. You’d never turn on the people you once called family unless you were desperate. And that’s the thing—I know you are. But this? This isn’t the only way. We’ve got a plan to rescue your family and get you somewhere far enough away that the Pinkertons can’t get to you. You’ll be free, John, truly free, but you have to trust us.

You’re not going to want to hear this after all the trouble you went through trying to capture Bill, but listen: We can’t rescue your family alone. We need people we can trust, people who’ve been in the thick of it. John, we need Bill and Javier. Yeah, I know you’ve caused them a lot of trouble lately, especially with Bill—Did you really shoot up his fort with a Gatling gun in the back of a wagon? Of course, you did. Doesn’t matter. Point is, you’ve got them with their backs against the wall. Give them a choice: help you save your family, or rot in some prison. They’ll take the first offer. Those two were your brothers once. Give them a reason to fight, and they’ll follow you.

We spent days slogging through the mess you left behind in New Austin. Eventually, we found one of the last fools still loyal to Bill. It took some ‘convincing,’ but Charles can be very… persuasive when he’s motivated. He told us to look for you and Bill in Mexico. When we arrived in Chuparosa, we caught the attention of Mr. Ricketts, who was kind enough to tell us where to find you.

Smart man, that Landon Ricketts, and quite fond of you despite your foolishness. He’s going to help us, John. Says you’ve been hunting Javier for weeks now. Good thing you want to retire and be a farmer, because you’re no bounty hunter. It took me all of two days to find them. Javier and Bill are holed up in an old fort called El Presidio in Diez Coronas. If we move in at night, we stand a good chance of getting in and out quietly. It won’t be easy, but you know Charles and me—we’re ready to do what it takes. The three of us will be waiting for you at Casa Madrugada. Meet us there.

We can do this, John. You just have to trust us.

See you soon,

Sadie Adler

Special thanks to Belle for her "Dear Fictional Hero" challenge. You can find her challenge by following this link:

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