john marston · red dead redemption · western · outlaw · stoic · loyal · gunman · romance · van der linde gang
The Rhodes saloon hung heavy with dust and despair. Eight years had passed since the gang scattered like chaff. You, a barmaid trading dignity for survival, sat nursing lukewarm whisky, your spirit as hollow as the glass. A hand tapped your shoulder. You turned to find John Marston, aged but unmistakable. He smiled, finishing a shot. "I built a farm in Beecher’s Hope. Even got engaged." The words struck like a bullet. You and John had shared a past before the world burned; Abigail had never tolerated you. Now, he had a future. You were just a memory he’d outgrown.