[b][color=khaki]Thomas Kater
  Salem, Massachusetts[/color][/b]




 

 This was it, the sleepy ruins of Salem where the trail finally ended. Thomas had been following it for too long with each sign of Eliza and her pursuer filling his heart with dread. He had seen so much death on his journey here, so many of his comrades gunned down and left to rot in the dirt. Out of respect he gave each one of them the burials they deserved in doing so he noticed that all of their dog-tags had been claimed. He had hoped that meant Eliza made it this far but how long could she run? It had been at least a year since he picked up the trail in Utah. Eliza was tough but a year in this country without proper rest would take it’s toll on anyone, even her. Now Thomas was just looking for bodies and with them answers. 

 
 Coming from the north side of town Thomas quickly fell upon the sign of a struggle much like the ones he found on his way here. Eliza was a fighter, and whoever was tracking her down was making her bleed for it. Spatters of blood littered the field he and his horse were standing in. His heart sunk as he assumed the worst. Thomas dismounted his horse and knelt down in the muck to better investigate the scene. There were two sets of footprints just like there had been since they crossed the Mississippi. Where the rest of the Rough Riders gave their life’s in an attempt to buy Eliza time. Thomas followed the trail and the blood towards the sea, a light wind blew in off the water and carried with it the all too familiar stench of death. Thomas dropped the reigns for his horse and bolted towards the shore, stumbling over his feet as he struggled to stay upright in the muck. His heart was beating a mile a minute, and he was afraid to see who he found at the end of the trail. After all this time Tom would’ve gave anything for it not to be Eliza. He regretted every day since he left his life with the Riders behind, now more than ever. He couldn’t help but beat himself up over the idea that maybe things would’ve been different if he was there when his comrades were attacked.

 
 Here he was….if he found Eliza in this puddle of blood Tom wasn’t sure if he could walk away from her, not again. She was the only one that really cared for him, and he re-payed her with betrayal. Tom removed his hat and held it over his face in an attempt to shield himself from the stench before he slowly peeked out from behind it. It wasn’t her, it was August Bragg. They rode together when they were kids, busted rocks in the chain-gangs, and joined the Riders together. Finding Bragg laying in the mud was a blow to the gut. Thomas balled his fists in anger and kicked his old friends corpse in anger.

 
 “You son of a bitch! After everything these people did for us!? Fuck!” Tom fell to his knees alongside Bragg’s corpse staring into his lifeless eyes, frozen in terror. He couldn’t contain his emotions and started to tremble and cry. “All these miles and I didn’t once think it would be you. What did I do when I walked away?” Tom scooped his hand underneath Bragg's corpse and lifted him into his arms. He carried him to the base of a tree with a broken limb and began to dig a grave with the shovel from his horse. When he was finished he gently laid Bragg at the bottom, closing his eyes, placing two caps in his hand, and laying his hat on his chest before saying some final words. “You were my brother. After all we had been through together I never thought this would be how things went down.” Tom paused for a moment as he grabbed a shovel full of dirt. “I just hope it was worth it brother.”

 
 After shovel after shovel full of dirt Bragg’s grave was filled in. Tom grabbed a rock from nearby to mark the spot and grabbed his horse. He still had to find Eliza, she must have been the one that killed Bragg. After all this time he was still afraid to face her. He loved her desperately but never confessed it to her, it wasn’t his place. Things between them could never be like he wanted them to, and he had a feeling Eliza knew how he felt. She could tell when he got anxious around her, she was too smart not to know. Regardless Tom came here to atone for his sins, and Eliza was the only one that could absolve him. His quarrel was with her, not God.
 When Tom got into town he quickly spotted Eliza’s spotted horse outside the diner. His heart began to race again as he wiped the sweat and grime from his brow, his hands trembled and his legs felt like they were about to give out on him. He still made his way to the diner tying his horse alongside hers, but he noticed the blood covering Eliza’s horse and immediately knew something was wrong. 

 
 “Hey buddy. You remember me right?” Tom gently brushed the horse’s snout. “What happened huh? What do you know?” The horse gently nuzzled Tom with it’s snout, recognizing him from before. Tom rubbed the top of it’s snout again before he headed inside for answers. Things seemed rather busy inside, it wasn’t Tom’s scene there were too many people and none of them resembled Eliza. He still headed inside and walked up to the counter where a man was scrambling to serve all of his patrons. Tom ignored all of the background noise and chatter, but politely waited until the man wasn’t busy.

 
 “Excuse me sir!? You wouldn’t know anything about that horse outside would you?” Tom’s voice was friendly but his concern was poorly masked by his manners. "I'm looking for his owner. She would've been dressed similar to me, with her hat pinned on one side. She's not really talkative but you'd have a hard time forgetting her."