Author Notes

Disclaimer: This chapter will contain language that is meant to show how evil and despicable the KKK are. Specifically they will be using the N word. This will also be the chapter with the most curses so far. I do this make it so that there would be no mercy or sympathy for these sons of bitches. I spoke with several of my friends, a lot of them black, and they approved of this. And I will admit, this is difficult for me to do because I am not a racist. But I also feel that it is necessary for the time period. So you have been warned and please don't hate me for this.

June 7th, 1899

Scarlet Meadows, Lemoyne

At the time of this journal entry, we've just left Horseshoe Overlook and headed for Clemens Point. We're only a few miles away from my favorite campsite from the game. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I need to start at where I left off in my last entry.

I should also mention that some of the members of the KKK, didn't exactly have some very nice things to say. Now that you know what you are in store for, let's get back to my last entry.

So in my last entry Dutch, John, Arthur, Kieran and I were heading back to the site of the ambush. It didn't take us long to get there. Before I got off my horse, Dutch said to us all:

"I'm betting those racist bastards are still here. Let's try to keep at least one of them alive. Remember, we need someone to tell us where the others are."

We nodded our heads and got off our horses. It was definitely a good spot for an ambush. Lots of trees and cover to protect them from incoming fire. And lots of places for them to hide and launch surprise attacks. But it was clear that they weren't as experienced as we were. At this moment, I was acting like a hunter. I was using all of my instincts to look for clues or something that would give them away. I had thought of just smoking them out by using Molotovs just at the florist on fire. But I didn't want to destroy the forest. But as we marched through the forest, there a sound to be heard. Which meant they were close.

After traveling for about half a mile in the forest, Arthur found something useful. A set of footprints. We followed them for about a mile until the tracks just stopped. I took that as a sign that the person who had these footprints went up a tree to not lead any tracks. But I suggested that we don't look up yet. They might have the drop on us, but we would be the ones to kill them first.

I then pulled out my pocket watch and used the inside cover as a reflective mirror. I couldn't see clearly but it was obvious that someone was above us. I whispered to Dutch what I saw. He then whispered:

"Good work, Thomas. Men keep eyes and ears open everywhere. Once we take one of them down, the others are going to come down on us hard. Thomas, you and Arthur are going to take out any of them from the trees. Me, John and Kieran will kill any bastards here on the ground. We go on your signal, Thomas."

I nodded. I pulled my bow from out of its strap and readied my arrow. I knew I was only going to get one shot at this. Because the instant I turn around and lifted my bow, they'd be taking aim and be ready to fire their guns. I didn't need my first shot to be a kill shot, but I needed to get him on the ground.

So I took a deep breath and readied myself. I then pulled the bowstring, turned around and fired the arrow. My arrow hit the bastard in the right shoulder. He fell to the ground after a 10-15-foot drop. He didn't die from the fall but was in a lot of pain. I put my next arrow in his left shoulder. Now he wouldn't be able to use either of his arms without being in pain. And for good measure, I shot an arrow in his left leg.

Right after the fucker went down, it started a firefight that made me feel like I was back in a game. But I remembered that this was the real deal now. I couldn't allow myself to get hit or seriously hurt because I couldn't respawn like I can in a game.

But anyway, as I was shooting men down from the trees with my bow, the rest of the guys were dealing with their own problems. Dutch was shooting them with his signature pair of Schofield revolvers. John with a double barrel shotgun. Arthur with a Lancaster repeater and Kieran with a cattleman's revolver.

I was so focused on taking care of these guys in front of me, I didn't realize that someone had their barrel pointed in my direction. I heard Dutch shout to me:

"Look out behind ya, kid!"

I instinctively turned around and fired my arrow. The arrow hit him square in the throat. And he fell like a dead branch from the tree. I turned to face Dutch and nodded to him.

I lost track of time, but eventually we were able to either kill everyone there or any survivors made a run for it quietly. And as much as I wanted to chase them all down, we had to focus on knowing where they were going. So I would save the chase for later. We returned to the first man who went down.

The bastard was trying to crawl away, but he wasn't getting very far. He pulled the arrows out of where I had put them, but he was still in a lot of pain. He found a revolver that one of his friends dropped and tried to pick it up. And just as he placed his hand on the gun, I placed my boot on his hand. I said to him:

"Nice try, asswipe."

I then kicked him in the stomach. As tempting as it was to kick him in the face, we needed him alive. After that, I pulled him back where he fell and put him against a tree. Dutch approached him and said:

"If you want to live to see another day, you'll tell us where our friends are."

The bastard replied:

"I ain't got nothing to say to you bunch of nigger lovers!"

Now he had gone and done it. He had just pushed one of my buttons. I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, lifted him up just enough so that he could stand on his one good leg, and said to him:

"Let's try this again. Tell us where they are, or you're going to wish you were in Hell by the time I'm finished with you."

"Do your worst, you monkey lovers! I would gladly give my life to the cause."

I grabbed him tighter and slammed him against the tree. I then replied:

"Don't tempt me, you racist cocksucker. You really want to see what I can do when I'm pushed past my limit?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. I don't think you've got the balls to do it."

Dutch and the others could see just how much he was pushing me. Dutch put his hand on my shoulder and said to me:

"Why don't you have Arthur or John do it, Thomas? They're really good at getting people to share information. And I don't want you to lose control of yourself."

I replied back:

"I appreciate the offer, Dutch. But I'm never going to get good at this if I don't practice. And besides, I can't stomach bastards like these."

"Neither can we, Thomas. But you shouldn't feel like you have to do that. You don't seem the type who does interrogations. "

"Please just let do this, Dutch. I have a feeling that after this, I won't want to do it again. So let me just get it out of myself so that it doesn't stay buried in myself."

I could see that Dutch didn't want to leave me alone. So I said to him.

"Tell you what? If I change my mind and can't do it, I'll call you out and then you'll send either Arthur or John after me. And then they'll take over for me."

Dutch nodded and left with the others, but I could see that he wasn't comfortable with this. Truth was, I wasn't either. I've never tortured someone before, and I wasn't really sure if I had the stomach for it.

But I had to remember that I couldn't allow myself to see these racist fuckers as people. They lost that privilege when they decided that they were better than everyone just because of their skin color or faith. No man is better just because of the way he looks, and no religion should give you the privilege of killing people.

So once I was left alone with the klan member, I decided that I would try to get him talking with fear first. So I took off his hood, threw it to the ground and saw his face. He was a man who appeared to be in his 30s, black hair, brown eyes and looked like he was missing a tooth or two. I grabbed him by the throat, not too tightly, and said:

"You will tell me what I want to know. The choice is whether you will tell me before the pain or after. So unless you want to end up looking like a corpse, you're going to tell me where our friends are."

He replied to me:

"Oh it's on the tip of my tongue."

I grabbed his cheeks with one hand and replied:

"Then let me help you get it off."

With my other hand, I reached for my Bowie knife. Once I pulled it out of the sheath, I had the cheek part of the knife placed on his cheek just under his eye. Which meant one false move and he'd lose an eye.

"The choice is yours. An eye or your tongue? Or who knows? I just might choose something else entirely. It all depends on how well you answer my questions. You and your pals took three of our friends captive earlier today. Where are they? "

He just placed a smug grin on his face and said to me:

"Even if I did tell you, it wouldn't do you any good, you nigger loving freak. They will be dead tonight. "

I realized at that moment; fear wasn't going to be enough. I would actually have to torture him. And although I wasn't really looking forward to it, I couldn't avoid the luxury of going soft. We had to find our friends quickly and I had to remind myself, I couldn't see these racist fucks as people.

So I took his right hand, slammed it against the tree and put my knife between his fingers. He still looked smug and said to me:

"You don't have the guts."

"You want to bet?"

I then very quickly, pulled the knife towards his pinky finger and cut it off from the bone. He screamed from the pain as he had lost the top digit of his pinky. I then said to him:

"YOU WANT ME TO KEEP GOING?! YOU GOT NINE MORE!"

"ALL RIGHT! FUCK! I'll tell you everything!"

"That's more like it. TALK! Or it'll be your thumb next!"

So he told me that Charles, Lenny, and Tilly were taken to the Cumberland Forest. Not a bad place to hide. It's near Beaver Hollow but still a few miles away from Fort Wallace. He also told me that all three of them and several other people were either going to be killed or sold into slavery that night as part of a ceremony. He said that was everything he knew and everything he could tell me.

And even though he told me all of this, I still didn't trust or believe him. So I said to him:

"Here's how it's going to go. You're coming with us. And you are going to direct us in the direction we need to get there. And if you think for one second that you can mislead us, I'm going to chop off all your fingers. But if you actually do manage to help us, I give you my word that I will not harm a single hair on your head after this. Do you understand?"

He nodded his head "yes". After that, I couldn't bear to hear his voice. So I had him gagged. He pointed out that his pinky was still bleeding. I gave him a cloth and told him to just hold it there.

When Dutch and the others returned, they saw that the bastard was holding his right hand that was covered with blood. Dutch said to me:

"I didn't think you could actually do it, Thomas."

"Me neither. But let's just hope I never have to do it again."

"Maybe next time, you should just let us handle it. But I am proud of you, Thomas. You managed to pull yourself together and you got him to talk. And it seems the only thing he's missing is just one finger. But all in all, I am proud of you. "

"Thanks Dutch. I got him to talk. Charles and the others are being held at Cumberland Forest. This racist bastard is going to lead us to where their ceremony will be tonight. Once we have the exact location, you can run back and get the rest of our fighters. While you do that, I'll make sure that we're all ready for them tonight."

"That sounds like a damn good plan, Thomas. So let's go! "

I grabbed the wounded klan member and put him on Winter. I felt bad that she had to have this racist son of a bitch on her as well, but I knew that it would only be temporary. And after this, I would give her a bath.

After I put our "guest "on Winter, we rode off towards the Cumberland Forest. I rode ahead because I had the only person who could show us the way. As we were riding, Arthur rode up next to me and asked me:

"How are you holding up, Thomas?"

"I'm all right, Arthur."

"Are you sure? Me and John feel bad for not being there to help you. We felt like you felt pressured into doing that."

"I appreciate the concerns, Arthur. I really do. But I'm all right. I'll feel better when we have everyone back home and we can put this behind us."

"If you say so. But you know you can always speak with any of us after this. Not just touch. We are all here for you. "

"I know. And I can't tell you how much that means to me."

Arthur smiled and rode behind me. I had to admit, it felt a little weird being at the front of everyone. But it also felt really good. But I had to remind myself, I was here to help the gang, not lead them. That was up to you Dutch and Hosea.

As we rode on, we had to pass by Fort Wallace. We were not close enough for them to see us unless they were watching us with binoculars. I would have to deal with the US Army in there later.

After riding for quite a distance, we finally reached the Cumberland Forest. And as it turned out, their campsite just so happened to be Six Point Cabin. The exact same spot where Kieran showed Dutch, Arthur and Bill where the O'Driscolls were supposed to be. This couldn't have been more perfect. Because now at least, it was in a location we've already been to. So it would be easy to find again.

So once we knew where we were, Dutch decided to run back to camp and get our reinforcements. He said to us:

"All right, boys. I'm going to get the others and bring them back here. While I'm doing that, find a spot to set up but no fires. We want to have the element of surprise on these bastards as much as possible. I need one of you to stay here and keep an eye on the klan members here. The others will look for a spot to prepare for our ambush."

I replied:

"I volunteer myself to act as the scout here."

"I had a feeling you would, Thomas. All right son but be careful. If any of them come near you kill them but do it quietly and try not to kill too many. We don't want them to get away before we can save our people."

"I understand, Dutch. I'll act only as a scout in this part of the mission. If I see anything of importance, I'll send a signal using an owl call."

Dutch nodded and said that once it gets dark, we will attack, save our people and kill them all. As he rode off, we got off our horses, Arthur asked me:

"So what do we do with this scumbag?"

He was referring to our "guest". So I approached him, took him off Winter, remover his gag but still kept my knife at his throat. I then asked him:

"And you're absolutely sure this is where it's going to take place? You know what would happen if you lied to me."

He said to me:

"I swear it on my mother's life. This is the spot. Look, I did what you asked me to do right? You're going to keep your word, right?"

"If you swear to me like that, I believe you. And I am indeed a man of my word."

So I moved my knife to make it look like I was going to cut off his binds, but then I quickly jabbed the knife into his throat. I will never forget the look on his face as I saw the life leave his eyes. The look that made him think that I went back on our deal. As he was dying, I said to him:

"Oh don't worry. I didn't go back on my word. I said that I wouldn't harm a single hair on your head if you managed to help us. You managed to help us. And this *I pulled a single strand of hair from his head* is the one hair I won't harm."

And then he died in my arms. I closed his eyes. After pulled my knife out of his throat, I started to wipe off the blood. John looked at me with disbelief like he couldn't believe I just did that. He then asked me:

"Was that really necessary, Thomas? He did what you asked him to do."

I wanted to say "Maybe not. But it was fun" as a joke but I knew that he wouldn't find that funny. So I said to him:

"It was. Because if I had let him go, he would either have run back to the camp and told them where we were, and we would then lose the element of surprise and quite possibly lose our people. Or he would tell them that he was captured and that he knows that we will be coming for him and the others. This was the best way to keep the element of surprise on our side. And never did I say we were going to let him go. "

Arthur put a hand on John's shoulder and said to him:

"He's right, John. At least this way, we still have the advantage on them. They don't know that we are practically at their doorstep. "

John thought about it for a minute and then admitted that it was the right call. So after that, Arthur picked up the dead body and said that he would drop it in the Dakota River. He said that once that was done, they were going to set up near the river. I nodded and went to my post.

Arthur, John and Kieran headed for the Dakota River and I was hiding behind some thick trees. But then I decided to climb one of the trees and use that instead. I could see better and not that many people look up. I checked my pocket watch and it around 5:30 PM. Which meant that it would get dark around 6:30 PM. I could only hope that Dutch and the others would get here soon.

Up on top of my tree and using my telescope, I could see that there were several more people being held captive by the Klan. I counted at least 50 people. All of them were in chains and either sitting down, standing or were chained against posts. Just seeing that made my blood boil. But I had to be patient. And I counted about either 75 or 80 members.

As I looked through my telescope, I saw Charles being chained against a pole. I guess the big guy was too much for them and put him there so he couldn't cause them any trouble. Lenny and Tilly were sitting next to each other. Lenny was holding Tilly in trying to comfort her.

About an hour later, the sun was starting to set. I was getting worried Dutch wasn't going to make it in time. But as if by some miracle, I heard hoofbeats from the distance and I saw Dutch riding on The Count. With him was Hosea, Bill, Javier, and Sean. And to my surprise, I even saw Jenny with them. As they were approaching, I gave my owl call. Dutch looked up and saw me climbing down from the tree.

"Nice thinking there, Thomas. Now what's going on and where are the others?"

"I counted at least 80 KKK members and about 50 captives, including our people. They've got Charles chained to a post and is the largest man in the camp. Spotting him won't be a problem. Lenny and Tilly are next to others. Arthur, John and Kieran are currently near the Dakota River. They're just waiting for us to go get them."

"All right. So here's the plan. Hosea, can you get Arthur and the others?"

"Of course, Dutch. Just be here when we get back. My eyesight ain't what it used to be."

"Of course. Bill and Sean. Go with him. We don't too many people here at the moment. We could accidentally draw a crowd."

They said that they would be back as quickly and as quietly as they could. They also asked us not to start without them. Dutch assured them that we wouldn't start without everyone here. Dutch continued.

"Meanwhile, Javier and Thomas will set up a few traps around the camp."

I asked him what kind he had in mind. Dutch said that we were going to set up bear traps and deer snares. We would then cover them up with leaves. Another effective trap would have been a pit fall but we didn't have the time to do that. So we went to certain parts around the camp and set up the traps. And while we were going to be setting up traps, Jenny would be keeping watch and see if anything had changed.

We only had a handful of bear traps on us. A total of 12 actually. We knew we weren't going to be able to catch all of them, but it would give us a better chance of stopping anyone from trying to free any of their friends. Anyone who tried to free them would be shot on sight. We only set up 6 snares as we didn't have enough time and we didn't want to accidentally get caught in our own traps.

After that, we headed back to where we were before. Hosea was just coming back with the others. Once everyone was back Dutch told us the plan. We knew that we didn't have the numbers to take them head on, but as of right now, they don't know we're here. So we had the element of surprise, for now at least. So we would encircle the camp from all sides as much as possible. A majority of us were going to be sniping the bastards from a distance but a few of us would be more direct. That way they can draw their attention, and either be killed someone else or get caught in a trap.

Dutch volunteered to take the direct approach, since he knew that the fuckers would want to go after him. Plus he was never fond of killing people from a distance. Of course Hosea objected but he knew that in this case, Dutch needed to get their attention. Hosea said he would feel better about Dutch going out there if he had back up. Naturally. I volunteered. Everyone volunteered but Dutch would only take 3 of us. So he chose Arthur, John and I to go with him. This was perfect because now I could make sure that the leader of these racist fucks won't be able to get away. And I had something very special planned for him.

Once the sunset around 6:45 PM, the bastards were starting to gather around. They started to round up the captives. A couple of men were riding towards the camp. White men looking to either watch them die or buy them as slaves like cattle at an auction. As everyone was gathered around in the camp, the head of the Klan, the Grand Wizard, called out for their attention. He shouted to them:

"My brothers and sisters! It pleases me to see you all here for such a noble cause! The return of the American way! The one where the white man reigned supreme over all men!"

The bastards started to cheer and whistle. Just hearing that made my blood boil. While this was going on, Dutch had everyone get into position. Dutch brought John, Arthur and me towards the Grand Wizard. We would approach them from behind. Hosea and the others hid either behind trees or in the trees themselves. Each of them were several feet away from each other so they could confuse the fuckers. As we were getting into position, the Grand Wizard was continuing to talk to his followers.

"America hasn't been the same since the end of the war. Look around you! We have goddamn niggers walking around in broad daylight like it's a normal thing! It's not! They deserve to be in their rightful place. At the bottom of our heels either in the grave as our slaves. And we've got quite a number of niggers here for sale. The ones that won't be sold will killed. And I have a very special surprise for our auction. Bring him in!"

When he shouted that, I thought he was talking about Charles. With how strong he is, he'd be an ideal worker for these bastards. But I was mistaken. I saw someone I was expecting to see so soon. Eagle Flies. This was something I wasn't expecting. Eagles Flies was being brought out from the cabin and once they saw him, they cheered even louder. The Grand Wizard continued.

"Behold! A savage red man! Captured and put in chains! What a display he would make at your home as a servant! Think of the crowds you'll bring in at home!"

They cheered even louder. Everyone was looking at him like they all wanted a piece of him. He continued.

"Now I know you all want him, but let's save him for last as the best part. Once you've filled your stock with fresh meat, we'll see who this savage ends up belonging to. So let's begin this grand auction!"

They brought out their first captive. It was Tilly. Just seeing her like this made my blood boil. I think Dutch was even madder. Because he asked if either of us had a stick of dynamite. Arthur handed him one. Dutch said:

"I'm going to throw this in the crowd of people in the middle over there. John, I want you to get down there quietly and free Charles from those bonds. And Arthur, go with him. While John's freeing Charles, get Lenny and the others. Thomas, you and I will draw their attention away as best they can. There's no room for mistakes here gentlemen. Let's get this done."

Arthur and John headed towards where Charles was being held. I didn't know how they were gong to free Charles and the others. I assume they had picklocks or took the keys from anyone watching them. As Dutch and I headed closer to the crowd, we could hear people placing bids for Tilly. Once person was willing to pay $700 for her. I took that as an insult. She's much more than that. All the women in our gang are priceless in my eyes. Especially Mary-Beth.

As the final bid was about to be announced for Tilly, Dutch asked if I had a light. I lit the fuse and Dutch threw it at the crowd. After he threw it, we both drew our guns. Someone must have seen the stick of dynamite, because I heard someone shout:

"Dynamite!"

And then there was an explosion. The dynamite stick took out 10 of them. The fuckers didn't know what hit them. Right after, Dutch and I walked towards them and started shooting. The bastards weren't prepared at all for this and it took them a few seconds to start reaching for their guns. And once that happened, Hosea signaled the others to start shooting. The bullets were flying from every direction. Dutch and I were taking cover behind trees and under chairs.

While the shooting was going on, I had the Grand Wizard in my sights. As tempting as it would have been to just shoot him, I had something special in store for him. So instead, I shot him in the legs. I would save him for last after killed all of his followers.

During the firefight, I saw John and Arthur running in with Charles by their side. His chains were gone, and he was using a nearby post as a bat until he took a shotgun from a dead man's hands. I saw him shoot a man that was trying to run away. I bet that felt good to him.

I saw Lenny along with several other rushing in towards the firefight to help us. Lenny was running towards Tilly to keep her safe until this was all over. A Klan member was running towards them, trying to stop them. But suddenly, the fucker fell to the ground and dropped like a brick. I heard Jenny shouting:

"You stay the hell away from my man!"

Now I see why Lenny was in love Jenny. She's one hell of a woman. She continued to provide covering fire for Lenny and Tilly until they were able to run towards where she was.

While this was going on, the other captives were going after these bastards with anything they could get their hands. Guns that belonged to dead men, large branches as bat, they even used their chains as weapons. I saw a man about to try and grab Eagle Flies. He didn't get very far. I shot him right between the eyes. Eagle Flies looked at me and nodded. I nodded back to him. He then took a gun from the dead man's body and started shooting.

There was so much screaming and so much blood but, in the end, we won. Almost the entire Klan was wiped out. A few survivors, the Grand Wizard included, were wounded and were being held by the very people they had as their captives not too long ago. In total, only 12 of them were still alive. Our traps did work but not all of them survived, because either they were killed while they were trapped or died from wounds they suffered before they were caught. But I was still happy with the results.

But we did lose a few good men as well. Out of the 51 captives, only 45 of them survived. It may have been a smaller number than what the KKK suffered but these people shouldn't have died. They shouldn't even have been here. I know we did everything we could, but I just wish we could have done more. After we take of these fuckers, I'll see if we can help give these poor souls a proper burial.

I saw Jenny running towards Lenny and Tilly. She gave Lenny a big kiss full on the mouth and gave Tilly a big hug. Tilly was trying her best not to cry after everything she's been through, but it was obvious it wasn't working. Jenny held her in a tight embrace and told her that she could cry as much as she wanted to. Lenny joined in as well and held the both of them together.

Charles came towards me with Eagle Flies by his side. I held out my hand and shook his hand and gave him a hug. He said to me:

"Thank you for saving me, Thomas. For saving all of us."

"It wasn't just me, Charles. But of course. You know we look out for each other."

"I know. But thank you again. Let me introduce you. This is Eagle Flies."

Of course I already knew who he was, but I didn't want to give anything away. So I shook his hand and acted like I didn't know his name. He said to me:

"Thank you for saving me. And I know it was you because I saw you kill the man that was going to kill me."

"It was my pleasure, Eagle Flies. I'm Thomas White. I'm just glad we were able to save most of you. And why do I feel like I've seen you before?"

"You have. After you and your gang entered the New Hanover territory, I was watching you fixing a wagon from on top of a cliff. I was there with my father, Rains Fall."

"Oh right. I remember now."

"Yes. And know that if you ever need anything, I will do whatever I can to help you. You have my word, Mr. White."

"That goes double for me, Eagle Flies."

Another voice spoke up.

"And me as well."

It was Dutch. He continued.

"You and your people are always in our gang and if you ever need our help, we will be more than happy to assist you. It's our way of apologizing for everything you've suffered from the corrupted white men."

"Thank you, Mr.…"

"Van Der Linde. Dutch Van Der Linde. And this partner, Mr. Hosea Matthews."

Hosea shook his hand and agreed with everything Dutch said. Eagle Flies thanked all of us for our help. He then said that he was going to head back to the reservation and tell his father that he was all right. Dutch offered to give one us a ride to the reservation, but he politely declined. He said that he didn't want us to get in trouble for entering the reservation without telling his people about what happened first. We all agreed that was the best decision. He took a horse from a post and headed home. We waved goodbye and hoped that we would see each other again, in better circumstances of course. I plan to meet him and his father again, but not just yet.

After that, we turned our attention to the remaining KKK members. Dutch wanted to have them immediately executed for their crimes. And while I agreed with him, we also had to send a message to anyone who sympathized with these racist fucks. Starting with the head honcho himself.

I asked Dutch if I could deal with him myself. Dutch was hesitant to have me handle it after what happened to the last person I dealt with. I told him that this would be the last time and that it was important that I do this. Better that I do than he does it because it wouldn't look good if he did it. Dutch saw my point and agreed but he still didn't like the idea. To ease his mind, I told him that it wasn't about revenge, but it was about making sure that we delivered a message to all racist bastards that no one was ever going to forget. And by the end of it, the people would speak more kindly about the Van Der Linde Gang. He liked the idea of that but also told me to not lose myself in this. I told him that I wouldn't.

So I approached the Grand Wizard. He was on his knees and still in pain after I shot him in the legs. I removed his hood and revealed his face. He looked to be in his late 50s-early 60s, gray hair on his head and in his beard and dark brown eyes. So no wonder he had such "fond" memories of life before the war. He lived through it. He looked at me with eyes full of hate and defiance. Like he had no shame in what he had done and what he was going to do. He said to me:

"So what no, nigger lover? What now?!"

He spit at my face. It hit my cheek. I made a grin. Now he just gave me another reason for him to die. I replied:

"Have it your way, motherfucker. Now, we're going to send a message that neither you nor your followers are ever going to forget. But before I kill you, I have one question. Do you have any children?"

He said that he didn't. He did but he disowned them because they didn't share his views.

"Good. Because I would have to kill them too."

I pulled out a book of matches. Before he died, I thought he should know what kind of message he was going to be given. Before he could even scream for help, I pistol whipped him so hard that he was knocked out from the first blow.

I then dragged his unconscious ass towards the cross that they were going to use. I then tied his body with a rope and attached it to Winter. I then had her pull him up to the cross until he was high enough that it would perfect to tie him to it. I used a barrel as a step ladder as I tied him up as if he was to be crucified. I thought about using ropes, but I thought it would be more symbolic if I used the chains from his former captives. I wrapped the chains together and then put a few nails I found in between the chains.

After that, I pulled out a match from the book. I struck the match against the book and a flame ignited. Before I threw the match at the unconscious bastard, I said to the crowd:

"Let this serve as an example to all of you who think you are better than everyone just because of the color of your skin. This is a new America. In this America, all men and women are created equal. No one is above the law. And from this moment on, none of are safe from us or from the law."

I threw the match at the fucker's knocked out body and watched as his coat started to catch on fire. I then started to walk away. A few minutes later, I could hear the man waking up and screaming as he realized that he was on fire. As much as I wanted to see him on fire, I couldn't bring myself to do it. As I walked towards Dutch and the others, Dutch touched my shoulder and said:

"That's one hell of a message, son. I hope to God that this truly will be the last time you do something like this."

"Me too, Dutch."

"And tell me something, were you really going to kill his children if he had any that weren't disowned?"

"No. But I wanted him to know what it's like to know that he was going to lose everything that mattered before he died."

"So you were never going to go through with it anyway?"

"Of course not. I may be a bad man at times, but I'm not an evil man."

Dutch smiled at that statement. And it's true. I may not always be good man, but I'm not heartless and I'm not evil. Or at least I try not to be. There was only one last thing to deal with before we left. The surviving members of the KKK. Dutch had a fitting punishment for them. He decided to leave their fate to the very same people that they just tried to kill. Whether they killed them or not, it was up to them. Naturally, the bastards didn't like that idea, but the former captives did. And naturally, they were all killed.

After the fuckers were killed, we decided to head back to camp. But before we left, one of the people asked us who we were. Dutch simply told them:

"We're the Van Der Linde Gang. And we're here to help the people. All the people."

We then rode off and headed back to Horseshoe Overlook. Lenny rode with Jenny and Tilly rode with Arthur. Although, I had a feeling that Javier wishes that she was riding with him instead. I was a quiet trip. We followed the same route we took to get there. And we made good time. By the time we got back, everything was packed and ready to go.

Everyone was very happy to see that we all made it back. Simon said that he would throw a big breakfast for everyone when made our new camp. Mary-Beth was so happy to see that I made it back alive that she threw her arms around me and kissed me. And after everything I've done and been through, it felt good to be done killing people for a while and could be with the people I love. Especially her.

But I would have to save the joy for later. At least for a little longer. We had to get to Clemens Point quickly before sunrise. It'll be easier to get there if there's no one to see us get there. So we put everyone in wagons except for those who were acting as security for the wagons. The wolf pups still rode in the wagons, but pretty soon they'll be able to walk with us.

In my next journal entry, I'll tell you all about our new campsite the people we met there. And how I might be able to keep Sean from losing his head in Rhodes.