Stand Unshaken

My head hurt, feet sore from walking for who knows how long, could have been days or weeks but I couldn't exactly tell the date. I saw sun and moon trade places more time than I can count in my weary state, my sneakers were starting to fall apart not used to walking in a moist soil for long soles were disintegrating.

"Fucking hell" I mumbled as I sat down on a log and surveyed my surroundings

It was a beautiful landscape if not a little muddy for my taste. After waking up on a mountainside in between a goddamn boulders I knew I wasn't nowhere near home, confused and scared thinking I have been abducted I quickly glanced down what the fuck! I knew I was looking at nothing near where I'm from. The scenery I was looking reminded me of rich green terrain I could only look at from a TV in Discovery Channel. After carefully going down the mountain with no hiking gears with few bruises for miscalculated jumps and missteps i was finally near the end of mountain from there without a phone to call or to know where I'm at I started walking down the steep road what seems to be made by a carriage wheel than a car. I knew no survival knowledge or had any experience in taking shelter somewhere in the wild environment so my only hope was to encounter someone and pray he or she's not a psychopath with mass murdering tendency or just bump into anything that resembled a civilization. Strangely enough my expected hunger or fatigue for walking outside for days never came between sipping a swamp water that looked like a liquefied dirt than anything else I had nothing to ingest for nutriment.

I should be dead long ago if not nearly dead without a damn proper water or food… just what the fuck is going?

"Goddamn… what's going on?" i quietly told myself as I pondered of my family back home, How are they doing I wonder? a single tear ran down imagining my sickly mother with my father holding her praying and ensuring my return to home would be soon but all in wishful thinking. I sighed and stood up, dusting myself I took a quick look at the road.

"Come on man, we only need a phone call and we're out of here"

A quiet rhythm of something cantering in a distance took me out of my musing and I peered in the distance to saunter of what seems to be trotting of a horse. Sure enough a quadruped with it's owner on top of his back was trotting in the opposite of my direction. Said the owner was a skinny elderly man with a mustache and wearing what seems to be a overly priced cosplay of an old western cowboy, his hat that's too big for him was concealing rest of his face.

"Hey!, hey mister" I shouted sore feet forgotten in excitement and run in his direction

"wut? What? Who's there?" he spoke in return spooked by a sudden intrusion in his quiet walk

"Down here sir, I just…" almost tripping in my run I continued "need your help sir!"

Finally taking notice of my appearance his eyes went wide for a moment, "Well ain't you a strange… stranger" he quietly told himself loud enough for me to hear

"I.. I'm long way from home sir and I need some help if you would please?" I spoke hoarsely

He held up a hand and said "woah woah hold on son, I can barely make it out of that parched throat of yours, here" he held out a canteen of I hoped to be a clean water from his satchel and added "you from a circus son? Cuz I ain't never seen a man dressed up like buffoon in this part of town… or state…." Clearing his voice "country even" he finished eyeing me like as if I was a comedian.

"No I'm no circus clown, sir" I said as I gulped down half of his canteen reminding myself of not finishing a stranger's supply of water "I'm just a litte lost sir, maybe you could show me where to find a near town or something?" I added

"A little lost eh?" he heartily responded with a chuckle nodding to me "well there's a town called "Valentine" a little far from here you could make it in a day or two by walking, try to get someone to get you there if you wanna get there sooner, and here" as he handed me a canned food he "Ah think you'll be needing this and you don't seemed to be carrying anything to eat" he noted.

"Ah man thanks! I mean… sir" I replied grateful for his generosity

"Nah think nothing of it boy, goodluck son" he trotted off tipping his hat to me. In return I did the same with my cap albeit awkwardly.

A moments later I quickly spun around to find the stranger long gone "ah shit" I loudly cursed myself for not asking a phone call.

Oughta forget your damn head Luke! Cursing still in my head I finally inspected the canned food stranger gave me. Salted offal? I was never the one to turn down offered food but salted offal and my unexpected proneness for no hunger gave me a pause to eat it.

Said the can was half open huh, well here goes I took a chunk of the deuced godawful meat and instantly gagged as the smell and taste of strong flavor of spoiled beef hit me.

"Oof. Later then"

Presumably few hours later my feet was aching yearning for a rest, night was approaching fast I squinted my eyes to the forest not far from the roads thinking of soft meadow could be better than hard road I'm walking on or walk keep walking like I did for the past days and I decided to settle on a knee high grass into the woods

Apparently the night sky around here wasn't bad afterall the transparent moon behind the cloud and the ever bright shining stars made it like I was gazing at a heaven itself, past days walking without a food and water kept me from gazing up at the sky and I wondered back to the query of my situation

How the hell am I even okay after all that shit?

"Tsk tsk tsk fucking hell" I quietly swore and closed my eye eager to take a shut eye till morning.

Keyword *tried*

I must have been lying on the grass for hours and no imminent tiredness of longing could make me sleep, after all the drowsily walking for days.

I couldn't sleep.

Oh for fuck sake. What am I a robot or something? I pondered and pinched my arm for scrutiny

Nope. The stinging sensation of my arm's skins squashing between my fingers let go of the notion of me being a robot.

Chuckling to myself to the absurdness of my own state "WHAT THE FUCK!" I swore aloud

"no need for eating, no need for drinking and no need for sleeping!" noisily whined as I stoop up

*Click* a new familiar sound of clicking behind me told me I wasn't alone no more

I froze

"Hands up, kid" a raucous, coarse new voice revealing to be a man said "turn around now or I'll blow ye' head to chunks" I slowly turned and my eyes widened with fear as I look up at a twin round pipe of a double barreled shotgun. Said the holder of the gun was burly bearded hillbilly with a Stetson hat resting on his head wearing navy shirt.

Wait

"Wut are ya sneaking around our camp boy?!" he harshly demanded

"Sir I ain't looking for a trouble" I shakily replied

"Really? Cuz you're a lot close to our camp, alone and dressed up like a goddamn goof" he noted "too close for comfort boy"

Camping with a goddamn shotgun? I pondered in bewilderment

"No I am no-" before I could finish my sentence he quickly closed the gap between me and him hit me on my jaw with a butt of his gun

Stars burst for a moment and I couldn't feel myself hitting the grass below. Dazed, confused, scared for my life I tried to squirm away from the threat with my limited vision

"Stop moving ya little shit" he said as kicked me in the abdomen

"gah, help! Ah- help!" I loudly screamed before he shoved the twin barrel to my face

"Now you listen you little shit, we're gonna go to our camp and we're gonna ask you some question ya hear?" he pressed "If you're innocent as you say you are we'll let you go and you're never going to get back here understand?"

He questioned harshly

I silently bobbed my head quickly not wanting to take another hit.

"Good, now stand up and don't make anymore sounds ya hear?"

I quickly stood up and obliged what he said, true to his claiming I could make out a gleaming camp with a fire going in the center of the tents and wagons away from the meadow I've been.

"Dutch!, Hey Dutch!, I've found someone sneaking around our camp" he loudly hollered to the camp

What?

"Hosea! Goddamnit come on out there's somebody sneaking around our camp"

What the hell did he-

"Bill? I hope you didn't bring another needless animal to us!"

A familiar aged yet commanding voice boomed from the tent infront, and came a man wearing a clean red vest, white sleeved shirt underneath, pinstripe pants and finally his famous ever elegant dark hat

I could only look at him dumbly

Wha- what the f- he's

"This kid was laying not far from our camp" said Bill Williamson behind me

"Is he now?" he inquired as he took my appearance "and what is he even wearing?" he noted as Dutch Van Der Linde looked me in the eye

I was starting to freak out, I didn't notice my hands trembling and my feets shaking

"I don't know somekind of a circus clown I guess, maybe a… a costume! Costume to fool us and tell the rest of them Pinkertens about us! I think he's a spy Dutch! A goddamn spy" Bill shouted as he shoved a barrel of his gun behind my back!

"Enough! Mr. Williamson" demanded Dutch "He's no spy nor is he a threat to us folks."

"But he could b-"

"Mr. Williamson I know you for your astute mind sir, but look" Dutch said as he gestured to me "He's shaking, and he doesn't even have any kind of gun or commodity to defend himself, now I thank you for bringing him here sure enough he was close to our camp but now!" said Dutch as he shoved the barrel away from my back "let me question our friend here politely" said in a graceful manner

"Ah, yes! Sure… I'll be here if you need Dutch!"

"Of course Mr. Williamson G'night" a distant chuckling and walking footsteps behind me told of another person

"Astute mind? Hah, he couldn't even tell the difference between a Horse and a goddamn donkey!" familiar voice declared behind me.

"Ah damn you, Arthur!" Bill snapped back as he retired for the night!

"With all that drinking, spewing nonsense and lazing around bringing useless things at us you're uncle in training" Arthur retorted back humorously.

I glances back at the owner of the voice and…. You got to be fucking with me

"So who's this feller over here, Dutch?" Said the grizzled outlaw walking towards us

"Well I was just about to get into it, would you kindly tell us what you were doing near our camp sir?..."

I looked back at Dutch dumbly to find him expectedly looking at me, oh my name!

"Oh uh- It's Luke… Luke uh- Luke Skywalker sir" how original I mentally facepalmed

"I was just trying to-" Ah shit what should I do, what should tell them now? "To find… err… to find you guys!" I claimed

With a raised brows "That so?" Arthur responded "what for?" as he took a cigar from his vest

"I have an information sirs. I came here to.. help you!"

"Help us? And what is this "information" you're trying to impute for us?" asked Dutch glancing up and down at my questionable outfit.

Fucking hell, well maybe?

"Mr Vander Linde I know you have an old gang reprisal with O'Driscol and Mr Arthur… you have a message from certain individual called Mary Linton" at my announcement Arthur took a hold of my shoulder

"She sent a letter? She' okay? What did sh-" before he could continue he's barrage of questions Dutch demanded

"Arthur, a moment please I know you and Mrs. Linton's relationship with you but right now this kid" pointing finger at me "got a message about our ol' O'Driscoll, now speak Mr. Skywalker"

"I know you lots are wanted, I've been there Mr. Vander linde-"

"Dutch"

"sir?"

"Call me Dutch, now on with it" he ushered

Exhaling I continued "… Like I said I witnessed the Blackwater incident" both of them glanced to one another "And I ain't no snitch sir, hear me out"

"I have information, location of o'Driscol hideouts, a treasures, land riches of where you can find them, Company made bonds for Leviticus Cornwall" I declared breathlessly

The maps of the game! I cursed myself for not looking into the game's secret hideouts of the said gang and treasures for more

"That's too generous thing to do for ol folks like us" Arthur retorted eyes narrowed "very generous" he added

"Yes, it seems our Mr. Skywalker here knows too much to be useful" Dutch agreed "What are you after Mr. Skywalk-"

"Call me luke sir." I cut him off

"…Luke we're not a regular folk who goes moving up and down like a nomad native folks" he said pinching his nose "you understand? What I mean is… Luke what I mean is all this information? Who sent you? Why are you telling this to us? It's mighty suspicious that you're here all of a sudden after our disembark from the west" Dutch pressed

"And it's mighty suspicious not just knowing the hideouts of O'Driscols but ours too!" queried Arthur

"Mr. Morgan, Dutch. I know and I understand your suspicion, and my statement opened up more questions than answer them but I mean no threat nor harm sirs" I gently countered

Dutch kept his stare for a long while "Mr. Morgan, go with him tomorrow, possibly in the morning if you could?"

"And what? Go on a wild goose chase on his blunt findings without a damn evidence? Dutch you oughta b-"

"I know Arthur, but have some goddamn faith for me if not for this boy" Dutch cut him off

I inwardly smiled at that line Faith and plans Dutch he look back to me

"Now you sleep till tomorrow and you'll take Mr. Morgan here" pointing at disbelieving Arthur he continued "and you will take him there to your findings Luke, like you said you would"

"Understood Dutch" I replied

"And Luke. make no mistake son! You lead our man here into trap or danger" He said in low voice "I'll make sure there are consequences"

With that Dutch left two of us

"And here I though Dutch was the only one who could twist mind." Arthur remarked as he inhaled his cigar

"I ain't no backstabber sir, tomorrow morning Caliban's Seat's where we should go fo-" He held a hand to stop

Putting out his cigar "Yeah well we'll talk more later tomorrow" he said as he went to his makeshift bed

"Goodnight Mr. Arthur"

I didn't hear a response, yeah well who would trust someone who claims to know treasures and hideouts of their long nemesis gang without a damn proof

What a mess Luke… Skywalker I cringed at my made up name and walked across Dutch's tent to find a dirty blanked to use as a pillow, settling near the camp but still far away from them I pondered

Finally it all came down on me like a freight train

I silently wept till the Morning, my mind trying to understand the bizzare situation I was in.

Well I couldn't or need the sleep anyway.