The Story Of Red Dead Redemption

Chapter 66: American Bison

"Did Charles tell you why he went to the Heartland Overflow?" Arthur asked as they rode.

"He said he was going to hunt a bison. With so many people injured in camp lately, Charles wanted to bring back some meat to help them recover."

Arthur couldn't help but feel reassured. Charles was someone you could always count on—never one to cause trouble and always ready to help clean up messes.

"What about you, Lenny? What have you been up to lately?" Arthur asked. Though the journey wasn't too long, it wasn't short either, and chatting made the time pass faster.

"Well, I've been on lookout duty recently. Javier and the others were injured and are just recovering. Hosea gave me a few books to read—they're pretty interesting. I'll lend you one when we get back," Lenny said, sounding mature beyond his years. Only when he mentioned the books Hosea had given him did a hint of youthful enthusiasm show through.

It was honestly a little heartbreaking. Seeing Lenny like this reminded Arthur of another life, where kids his age were supposed to be carefree and happy.

***

"Arthur, look! Up ahead!" Lenny's shout snapped Arthur out of his thoughts.

Following Lenny's pointing finger, Arthur saw the plains littered with the bodies of American bison.

The further they went toward the Heartland Overflow, the more horrifying the scene became.

Scavenger birds circled overhead, waiting for their turn to feast, while the rotting carcasses of bison were already covered in birds picking at the remains.

"Did Charles do this?" Lenny asked, frowning.

"Absolutely not," Arthur replied without hesitation.

The state of decay on some of the bodies made it clear this couldn't have been Charles's doing. Besides, Arthur knew Charles well enough to know he would never engage in such senseless slaughter.

In fact, if Charles had seen the people responsible for this, he might have shot them on the spot.

These hunters were killing for no reason—they didn't skin the bison or take the meat.

Drawing on his memories, Arthur had a pretty good idea of what was happening here.

This was clearly part of a paid effort to hunt bison, aimed at further squeezing the survival space of the Native American tribes.

***

Bang, bang, bang… 

"Listen—gunshots. Let's check it out," Arthur called to Lenny. The two of them spurred their horses forward, the sound of gunfire not far off. Arthur was sure they'd find Charles near the source of the shots.

As they approached, they saw a figure who looked like Charles grappling with several men. Despite being outnumbered, Charles seemed to have the upper hand, landing blow after blow on his attackers.

"That's Charles! Let's help him!" Lenny shouted, urging his horse forward.

Without hesitation, Arthur pulled out his lasso, looped it around one of the men, and yanked him off his feet. He dragged the man in a wide circle before doubling back.

Lenny was even more direct. He charged his horse straight at one of the attackers, pulling up sharply to make the horse rear and knock the man to the ground.

The remaining men scattered in panic at the sudden intervention. Charles, recognizing Arthur and Lenny, didn't stop. Fueled by anger and now with backup, he continued to chase down the fleeing men, throwing punches wherever he could.

The one-sided beating only stopped when Arthur and Lenny dismounted and pulled Charles away.

By then, no one except Arthur and his group was left standing.

"Let me go! These idiots are the ones shooting the bison!" Charles shouted, his voice filled with rage.

One of the men on the ground, a young white man, yelled back angrily.

"What's it to you, you half-breed savage? I don't care what you are—shooting bison isn't illegal! But attacking us is, you hear me?"

Arthur couldn't help but laugh. The kid was clearly from the city.

"Why are you doing this?!" Charles roared, his voice trembling with fury. He couldn't understand how anyone could show such disrespect to the bison—an animal that provided food, clothing, and tools.

"None of your damn business—"

Boom! 

An older man who had been trying to interject didn't even finish his sentence. Arthur noticed him reaching for his gun, but before he could react, Charles swung the sawed-off shotgun from his back and fired, sending the man flying.

"It is my business!" Charles bellowed, his face a mask of fury. It was a side of him Arthur and Lenny had never seen before.

The young white man was terrified, collapsing to the ground and holding up his hands in a feeble attempt to protect himself.

"You're insane! Oh God, you're insane. I—I have siblings to feed, a mother… please, don't shoot."

Seeing Charles on the verge of losing control, Arthur stepped in.

"Calm down, Charles. Let me ask him why they're doing this." Arthur already had a good idea, but he wanted to give Charles a chance to cool off.

"Alright, if you want to live, tell us why you're killing these bison and leaving them to rot."

"Someone—someone paid us. They told us to kill as many bison as we could and make it look like the Indians did it," the young man stammered, spilling everything without hesitation.

After hearing the confession, Arthur had done what he could to ensure the kid's survival. The rest was up to Charles. Still, Arthur looked at Charles and added.

"I know you're angry, and I understand how you feel. But I have to say, I don't think this kid deserves to die."

Charles stared silently at the pleading young man before finally lowering his gun.

"I've seen enough. I'm going back," he said to Arthur.

Arthur nodded in understanding.

Before Charles left, Arthur reminded him to head straight back to camp and mentioned the Pinkertons briefly. Though, given Charles's current state, Arthur doubted he'd be in the mood to wander off.

Once Charles was gone, Arthur turned to Lenny.

"Go finish off the ones who aren't dead yet."

Lenny looked surprised. "But you just said they didn't deserve to die."

Arthur chuckled.

"Look at the guy you trampled with your horse—does he look like he's going to make it? And the one I dragged around? He's torn up pretty bad too. This is mercy. Go on, I need to have a little chat with this kid."

The young man had heard everything Arthur said. He realized now that the crazy one wasn't just the guy who'd left—the seemingly kind middle-aged man in front of him was just as dangerous.

But what happened next wasn't quite what the kid expected.

"Here, take this money. And remember every word I'm about to tell you. Understood?" Arthur said kindly, holding out a stack of bills in one hand and his gun in the other.

The young man nodded frantically, desperate to survive.

"You were attacked by a group of men wearing green bandanas. You went to fetch water, so you escaped. That's all. Got it?"

Faced with Arthur's money in one hand and a gun in the other, the kid didn't have much of a choice.

As the young man took the money, Arthur patted his cheek with the barrel of his gun and stood up. He and Lenny mounted their horses and rode off.

***

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