chapter 15; the joys of arson [pt.2]

                                    

                                          
[A/N]~ Two chapters in one day because I was feeling InSpIrEd! ENJOY!

                          
Charlotte watches the men disappear in the tall stalks of tobacco plant. They split apart to their previously determined fields and begin emptying their bottles. Charlotte watches the guards carefully and takes an open chance to dash from the cover of the barn to a nearby field. Slowly, she moves up and down the rows, dripping the alcohol over the crops. 
                          
A guard, armed with a double barreled shotgun turns down the row she stands in. She stops in her tracks, a mere inch out of range of the light of his lantern. Cautiously, she lowers herself to her hands and knees, crawling into the cover of the dry leaves. She curses silently as her movement causes a loud rustling. Immediately, the guards attention focuses to her exact position, eyes squinting to search for the source of the sound. Just in time, a whistle sounds in the distance, the same whistle Arthur uses to call for Rogue. Charlotte lets out the breath she'd been holding to keep quiet as she watches the light of the lantern rush in Arthur's direction.
                          
The guards were getting suspicious, catching on that something wasn't right. Someone is here. Charlotte knows they need to hurry if they don't want to get caught. She dumps the last of the liquor wildly with little precision before rushing back in the direction of the barn. A small dark figure that she recognizes as Sean dives behind stacked hay bales, just as a pair of Gray men run from their housing to help the alerted guards. Sean's eyes find Charlotte at the edge of the field, locking on her. When Arthur appears from the opposite direction, now safely in the cover of the barn, he gives her an affirming nod.
                          

                            
                              
                                
                                
                              
                            
                            
                          
                          
She takes the matches from her pocket, pulling one from its case. She tosses the nearly empty moonshine bottle to the ground, the last bit of liquid spreading across the base of the plants. Striking the match, she tosses it into the liquid, flames bursting instantly. The fire quickly consumes the dried up crop, spreading at a shockingly fast rate. One field down, two to go. Crouching low, she moves to the farthest field and ends on the middle one, giving her a straight shot to the barn. 
                          
All three fields glow with flames, burning ferociously. Guards fly up and down the thin rows, tossing buckets of water over the tobacco but the fire spreads too fast for them to extinguish it in time. With the Gray's distracted, Charlotte sprints down the open pathway to meet the boys at the barn. She turns to go down a row that has not yet caught fire but is stopped in her tracks. The same guard she'd seen earlier blocks her way to freedom, cocking his shotgun, preparing to take his shot. 
                          
"I've got you now, bitch." He sneers, raising the gun to his shoulder.
                          
Flames consume the row behind her, taking away any potential exit from the situation she's found herself in. Several more guards rush onto the scene, guns in hand. She's been outnumbered and thus, defeated. Determined to die the Van der Linde way with her pride in tact, she raises her pistol to go down fighting. After her first shot, the Gray's don't hesitate to open fire. Two men meet their death but more take their place, just as eager to get a shot in. 


                          
Arthur huddles behind the hay stack beside Sean, the flames reflecting in his blue eyes. Neither of them can sit still, anxiety rising as they wait for Charlotte to return. When the gunfire starts, they know something has gone terribly wrong. 
                          
"We gotta get outta here, Arthur." Sean shakes his head, watching the dozens of men rush from their home, armed to the max. 
                          
"I ain't leaving her!" Arthur shouts, launching himself over the stack. 


                          
The familiar click of an empty chamber sounds from Charlotte's hand. Dropping the pistol to the ground, she looks towards the starry night sky, the amber light of tall flames the only thing she can see and feel. The heat comes closer and closer making her unsure of which force will take her life... the fire or the men. 
                          
An unexpected, heavy force wraps around her, lifting her upwards. The contact knocks the wind out of her. It takes a moment for her to recollect herself as she finds herself on the bareback of an unfamiliar horse. She does know, however, the very familiar arm wrapped around her waist. Arthur. He gives the horse no option but to charge straight through the flames at full speed. Thankful he hadn't picked a nervous mare, the steed powers through despite flames singeing his mane and skin. On the opposite side of the field, Sean aboard another strange mount, waits nervously. 
                          
The high speed and lack of saddle makes it difficult for Charlotte to stay on, giving her no choice but to cling to her savior for dear life. Her eyes shut tight as they finally escape the flames and gunfire to the safe cover of dense trees. The thunder of an extra set of hooves tells her Sean is close behind. Arthur keeps them at the fast pace until he is sure no one has followed them. They find themselves on the outskirts of the town of Rhodes, not far from camp.
                          
"Arthur! Arthur, slow down!" Sean calls out from behind. The horse slows to an eventual stop. "We've been running for an hour, this girl doesn't have much left in her."
                          
Arthur turns the mount in his direction and the fatigue is visible in the poor mares eyes. He knows it's past time to stop and rest. "We're not far from camp. They can walk the rest of the way, no more running." 
                          
Charlotte releases her grip on Arthur, lifting her head from his back. "Where are we?"
                          
"Made it to Rhodes." Sean points to the dim lights of civilization.
                          
"Are you hurt?" Arthur faces her now, voice deep with concern.
                          
"No, no... I'm fine. Lost a perfectly good gun though." Charlotte's fingers run down the length of his arms, noticing small burnt holes in his clothing. As she looks further down, his pant legs are nearly gone, skin burnt in a few places. The poor horse got the brunt of it, covered in gory burns and missing nearly all of it's hair. "My god, look at you!" 
                          
"I wasn't leaving you behind." His calloused hand grips her knee tightly. 
                          
If Sean weren't three feet away, she wouldn't hold herself back from kissing him. But they still had to careful. It was already clear to the Irishmen that something in Arthur had changed being that he suddenly felt so strongly about Charlotte's life. 
                          
"We better get going. I need a drink." Sean pipes in, breaking the moment between the two.
                          
Arthur spurs the horses back into a steady gait towards Clemens Point. They'd had enough close calls today and were more than ready for a stiff drink followed by a good nights rest in their beds.






                          
[A/N]~ Don't forget to vote and follow!! ❤️🥰❤️