1899, Ambarino, Spider Gorge, Colter Village.
Inside a dilapidated wooden cabin.
"Mac, feeling any better?"
Logan Song asked Mac Callander, who lay on the bed.
It had been nearly a month since Davey Callander had found himself reborn in the world of Red Dead Redemption. This gunslinger—who had originally died upon his first appearance in Red Dead Redemption 2—had, against all odds, survived.
Thinking back to the Blackwater ferry robbery still sent a chill through Logan Song's chest. He'd known the cash ferry was a Pinkerton trap, but by the time he realized it, he was already aboard—there was no turning back. Fortunately, he had kept his wits; right after the job, he dragged Mac Callander out as fast as he could, and that quick decision had saved their lives. Still, Mac had been shot during the retreat.
"Davey, this scratch won't kill me—ha. If I had a glass of whiskey right now, I'd be a happy man. Cough, cough," Mac said with a laugh.
Logan Song—or rather, Davey—replied coldly, "We got off to a good start, then things went wrong. The moment I boarded, I felt something was off. It was a Pinkerton setup, and Dutch led us right into it like a herd of dumb pigs. If I hadn't reacted fast, we'd have died there. Did you see? They had the Maxims ready."
Mac's expression darkened at the mention of the Maxim gun. He trusted his aim, but against a heavy machine gun like that, even the best revolver was useless.
"At least we lived to tell the tale, right?" Mac said, his eyes showing a flicker of gratitude.
Davey nodded and said nothing more.
After the failed Blackwater heist, gang leader Dutch led the battered remnants on a grim retreat to avoid capture and ended up here.
Dutch had sent John and Micah Bell to scout ahead, but when they didn't return, he took Arthur Morgan to look for them himself.
...
An alarm call went up outside.
"Hey—someone's coming!"
Davey called back, then pushed open the cabin door. A blast of bitter cold rushed in, jolting him fully awake.
Outside, Lenny stood with his gun raised, tense; when he saw Davey come out, he visibly relaxed. Davey drew his revolver and stood beside him.
Through the falling snow, three horsemen gradually appeared, riding slowly through the storm.
"Looks like Dutch," Lenny said, relieved.
"Hey, everyone—come quick, Dutch's back!"
Dutch rode into camp and addressed the gathered group. "Micah found a farmstead, but... he wasn't first. Colm O'Driscoll and his men beat us to it. We found some of their people there, but clearly there are more. Some were scouting the train."
Hosea Matthews added, "That's hardly good news, Dutch."
"Yeah, but that's how it is," Dutch said.
A tall, burly man with pale-gold hair, a full beard, and green eyes dismounted behind Dutch. It was Arthur Morgan.
"We found some supplies—blankets, a little food—and poor Sadie Adler."
"Miss Tilly, Miss Karen, please help warm her up and get her something to drink."
"Sadie Adler, it'll be alright. You're safe now."
Arthur looked exhausted as he watched Sadie being led away by Tilly and Karen. "I haven't slept in three days. I need rest," he muttered.
Davey watched Sadie nearby. She would later be known among players as the "badass widow," but right now, she was simply a woman who had just lost her husband.
"Hey, Davey—how's Mac doing?" Dutch asked as he approached.
Within the Van der Linde Gang, the top tier was Arthur and the Callander brothers. That was why Dutch hadn't brought Arthur on the Blackwater ferry job. In overall ability, the Callander brothers now even outshone Arthur—they were the gang's core fighting strength.
"He's lucky to be alive. Give it some time, and he'll be back on his feet," Davey said calmly. He knew this wasn't the time to pick a fight with Dutch.
"Davey, the camp's running low on food. I want you to take care of it," Dutch said.
Davey refused. "Dutch, Mac's my brother. He's still in bed, and I'm not in the headspace to hunt. Maybe Arthur can go."
Until now, the Callander brothers had always handled the gang's hunting and never once failed. The thought that they were twins made Dutch's frown ease slightly. "Alright. I'll go with your call this time."
The next day, John still hadn't returned. Abigail asked Arthur for help. Arthur and Javier found John, who'd been mauled by wolves and left with scars across his face.
Davey didn't care about the camp's business anymore; his mind was already on how to get out. Leaving the Van der Linde Gang was inevitable—staying with Dutch would only lead to ruin—but when to leave was the question.
Days later, Dutch learned the location of the O'Driscoll camp and prepared to strike. Davey refused again, citing his duty to care for Mac.
"Davey, maybe you shouldn't talk to Dutch like that," Arthur said as they parted. At this point, Arthur still idolized Dutch.
"Arthur, you know Mac's my brother. I have to look after him," Davey replied. Arthur couldn't argue with that.
Dutch's raid went smoothly. The O'Driscoll foot soldiers were no match for Arthur and the gang. They secured detailed intel on Colm's train robbery plan and seized their dynamite. On the way back, they ran into one of Colm's men. Arthur captured him alive—Kieran Duffy, who would later lose his head. Back at camp, Dutch planned to starve him into talking.
...
Several weeks passed.
Mac's wounds had healed, and Davey could no longer avoid hunting duty. The Callander brothers resumed providing food for the camp.
Fresh from a hunt, the brothers returned to find Dutch arguing with Hosea.
"Why are we doing this? The weather's better—we can leave anytime," Hosea said. "I thought we were supposed to keep a low profile."
Hosea, a senior elder and one of the Van der Linde Gang's most important members, felt Dutch's authority falter at his words.
"What do you want me to do, Hosea?" Dutch stopped and fixed him with a stare.
Under that look, Hosea softened. "I just don't want any more of us to die, Dutch."
Dutch's voice rose. "We didn't die! Look—I didn't die, you didn't die, Arthur, the Callander brothers—we're all still here. But we need money. A lot of it. Everything we owned is back in Blackwater. Do you want to go back there?"
"No," Hosea said. "Listen, Dutch, I'm not trying to contradict you. I just want to stick to the plan: keep low for a while, then head back west. But now you want to rob a train."