Chapter Text
Arthur Morgan looked out from the top of Mount Shann. He gazed across the horizon, looking at Flat Iron lake in the distance, so still and peaceful. The sky a serene blue, with just a few white cotton clouds. Lately everything looked much more alive, and vibrant. He began to see things, things that he'd always taken for granted before. Just like the beautiful view, he was seeing now.
To say he was worried, was an understatement. He couldn't understand how things could have gone so horribly wrong. How was it all going to end. Well for him, he knew how it was going to end, and soon. He coughed hard, and spat out the contents of his mouth on the ground. Blood...that was happening more and more, just lately.
Arthur thought that maybe he should head back. He had been avoiding Dutch, ever since he, and Sadie had rescued John from the prison. He'd known that Dutch would be annoyed, but he didn't realise he would be quite so angry.
Arthur sighed, and pushed his horse into a walk, he would have to take it easy down the narrow path, or things might end sooner for him, and his horse. Plummeting to their death, off the side of a mountain, was the last thing he needed. Although, he thought, it might be quicker, than the slow lingering death of Tuberculosis.
He hadn't always been a good person. But he really didn't think he deserved this. Still, maybe all the help he had been giving complete strangers recently, should count for something. Maybe just give him a bit longer, to sort things out. Arthur opened his satchel, and saw the letter from Francis Sinclair.
He'd found all his rock carvings. His letter sounded a bit crazy, the man certainly did, the last time he spoke to him. But he wasn't that far from the cabin. So what the heck. He'd visit Francis and then head over to Annisburg, to meet up with Dutch and Micah. He wondered what plan Dutch was hatching, this time.
Arthur made it to the cabin in about an hour. He knocked on the door several times, but got no answer, so he slowly opened the door. The house was empty, but on the wall was a weird drawing, with pictures of Francis, and the different rock carvings drawn on it.
Arthur quickly opened his journal, and drew the images on a blank page.
He glanced around the room, and saw a gold pocket watch. Well, he thought, all the running around he'd done he deserved something. He didn't feel that it was stealing, more like a gift!
Arthur dropped the pocket watch into his satchel.
He didn't notice the strange blue light that shone from the pages he had just drawn, or the blue glow that came from the pocket watch.
Arthur heard a noise behind him, and a woman walked in.
He turned around, "Mrs Sinclair? I'm looking for your husband" He said.
"He's dead," she replied. "He died about a year ago."
Arthur was confused, "Your husband Francis is dead?" He asked.
"No," she replied, "this is Francis," she looked down, at the baby, "Tom was my husband".
Arthur looked at the child, it had a birth mark on its face, identical to the one, he had seen on the man he had met, a few months before.
"I'm sorry to disturb you," he said, "I'm a bit confused". With that Arthur left the Cabin.
I'm more than a bit confused he thought. Still, it wasn't all for nought, he had a pocket watch, which he could probably sell for a few dollars.
Arthur mounted his horse. He would have to put this little incident to the back of his mind, and head over to Annisburg. He thought it best not to be too late, considering how annoyed Dutch was with him.
The watch, and the pages in his journal, continued to glow, now a little more brightly.
As Arthur made his way to Annisburg, clouds started to gather, and the sky became ominously darker. In the distance he could see lightening. He thought it strange that the storm had come on so quickly. Stranger still, that all the sky had turned dark with clouds, and yet, there was no rain.
Arthur found Micah and Dutch near one of the miners cabins. As he walked across to join them, he started to cough, not what he wanted, as he knew that Micah would have some smart arsed comment. He didn't have time to worry about that, as a crack of lighting his the cliff above the cabins. As he joined the others Micah looked at him "You don't look so good?"
"I'm fine" he said "couldn't this have waited, why we have to do this in this damn storm, I'll never know".
Dutch looked at Arthur, "We need to head down to the river, I'll fill you in on the way"
Arthur looked at him "What, in this!" He said.
Before Dutch had a chance to respond a strike of lightening hit the ground just where the 3 men were standing.
The watch and the journal glowed bright blue and an arc of blue light met the lightening flash, knocking all three men to the ground.
For the three men, the world suddenly went black.