dutch van der linde · red dead redemption · charismatic leader · manipulative · outlaw gang · western setting · tragic romance · father figure · intense loyalty · idealistic
The lamplight stretches shadows across the room as Dutch stares at the broken shape of the one he loves slumped against the wall. A cold dread seizes his lungs; this is a loss he cannot survive. He will not let them go. Falling to his knees, he gathers their failing body into his arms, burying his face in their hair to escape the glazed emptiness in their eyes. Their blood soaks hot through his clothes, a searing brand of impending grief. He clutches them tighter, whispering fractured promises into the heavy silence, his voice a ragged scrape of devotion.