Chapter 1: Her escape

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Far Cry 5 universe and belongs to Ubisoft. The OC is of my own creation. Rated M for sexual content, drug use, references to abuse, violence and mature content.

Run. Her muscles were weak; every part of her felt dead and heavy. Every movement was a struggle of tremendous effort. Her words were slurred as she tried to fight and scream. Her mind was foggy but she had to get out of there. She had to escape. Her heart raced as the adrenaline flowed through her veins. Bursting out of the hotel revolving doors she stumbled down the marble stairs and sprinted as best she could into the car park. Her fingers trembled as she tried to find her key to safety. Dear God, what am I doing? Oh god, please start, please start. Panicked she frantically turned the keys in the ignition. Her heart poured a sigh of relief as the engine roared to life. She didn't even look back to see if he had followed her. Like a bullet out of a gun she slammed her foot on the accelerator and sped off into the night away from the hotel complex. Tears streamed down her cheeks leaving black trails of mascara in their wake. She rubbed her eyes smearing her make up. She ripped her long tousled chestnut hair from its messy updo and flung the fake gems to the passenger seat. Her mind was a mess; she was only just getting over the effect of the drugs. Why did he do this to me? I shouldn't be driving. I had to get out of there… oh god what am I doing. If I can just make it to the highway I'll be safe. She finally passed the ironically friendly "Thank you for visiting Helena, we hope you had a pleasant stay" sign, her nerves calming only slightly. She drove for what felt like hours, deliberately ignoring every road sign. Her mind was muggy and cloudy, she felt like her mind was spinning. She couldn't tell if she was getting better or worse. The streetlights quickly disappeared and soon she was on a long pitch-black path shrouded with tall pine and fir trees. Their dense foreshadowing branches left only the dim illumination of her headlights to guide her. The illusion of safety clouded her judgement as she took her eyes off the road to examine herself. She was broken, a shadow of her former self. Her face was pale and gaunt, her emerald eyes haunted with the shadows of her past. The events of that evening had been the tipping point for her. She no longer recognised the person she had become. It wasn't until that split second that she noticed the deer in her headlights. She swerved quickly into the trees in a desperate attempt to avoid the innocent creature. Her head hit the steering wheel and the glass of her windscreen shattered making tiny cuts across her flesh that was not covered by her evening dress. Everything went black.

She had never felt a pain like it. Her head felt like it was being stamped on over and over. Her eyes flicked open and she felt the cold breeze from the shattered windows. Smoke was all around her. As quick as she could bear, she unfastened her seatbelt and tried the handle of the door. It opened with ease and she tumbled out onto the ground below. She tried to keep as calm as possible but she knew she needed to move. Smoke was coming from the bonnet of the car that was now crushed against the solid trunk of a nearby tree. Rising to her feet she leant into the car to retrieve her jacket, the only possession she had manage to grab during her escape. She had no idea where she was or even something as simple as the time. It was still dark but she could see the faint suggestion of sunrise through the trees. Abandoning the car she made her way through the woods towards the wisps of sunlight. Her jacket barely covered her but it was at least protecting her arms from the cold and the brambles. Her legs on the other hand were not so fortunate. With every step, the brambles ripped the delicate black lace of her knee-length dress. The thorns tore at the pale skin of her legs and the cold bit with enough force to keep her shivering. She took solace in the fact she had worn flat shoes to the event, she dreaded to think what would have happened to her in 6-inch heels. As the sun slowly rose, tiredness set in, She felt lethargic, pain in her limbs from trudging through the thick undergrowth. Her stomach ached with hunger and her head still felt fuzzy. She rubbed her forehead to try and ease the pain but her fingers were wet with blood.

After what felt like days of ruminating she approached a clearing. Pushing the remaining shrubbery away from her, she emerged into a field of what looked like lilies. She had never seen a more beautiful plant, it's large waxy green leaves revealed a large pure white lily flowers. She reached out her hand and stroked the soft feather-like petals. As she walked through the field of flowers all of her worries seems to float away. It was as if the world seemed to sparkle. An overwhelming sense of calm washed over her and her mind felt clear for the first time in hours. She couldn't help but smile with euphoria as she continued through the flowers. Every worry or concern she ever had seemed to float away. The bright rays of sunlight danced across her skin, illuminating her in a soft golden light. She danced towards it, twirling and spinning amongst the lilies. She spots a figure in the distance. A man, but she can't quite tell. She makes her way towards him, curiosity leading her. It's as if she knows him, a sense of warmth and safety radiated from him. She fell gently into a soft bed of flowers, breathing in their sweet scent. She closed her eyes feeling a sense of peace she hadn't felt in a lifetime.

A soft airy voice lifted her from her peaceful sleep.

"Where am I?" She asked squinting at the bright lights around her.

"Shhh, it's ok. You're safe now."

She was blinded by a bright light and the silhouette of a woman. She was young and angelic in appearance, around the same age as herself. She was wearing an angelic white lace dress embroidered with delicate flowers. Her light blonde hair tumbled over her shoulders and her bright blue eyes looked down at her with such love.

"Who are you? Where am I?" She asked, becoming rather panicked and sitting up from the bed she was laid in. She frantically took in her surroundings, trying to make sense of the madness that had occurred in what she hoped had been the last 12 hours.

"My name is Faith Seed. One of my angels found you, alone in a field and brought you to me. I want to help you. I think you may have been in some kind of accident." She said softly as she perched on the end of the bed.

She stumbled over her words trying to recall what happened.

Faith's words confused her what were her angels? She tried to recall what had happened to her, but her memory was fuzzy. "I was… I was in a car accident."

"Do you remember what happened?" Faith asked.

"I don't know. I was driving and a deer ran out in front of me. I remember getting out of the car and walking. Then there was this field and these flowers… I don't remember much after that. I'm sorry but where are we?"

"The hospital wind of Henbane River in Hope County, don't worry you're safe here. I never caught your name."

"Lilith Clarke, but you can call me Lili." She smiled.

"That name sounds familiar. Would I know it from somewhere?"

"Look I don't want to cause a fuss. You may have heard of me from being in the band Dysphoria but please I don't want to cause you any more trouble. I'd just like to get a glass of water and I'll be on my way." Lili went to get up but her head began to spin and she sat back down.

"You should be careful. You had a nasty cut on your head when we found you-"

This caught Lili's attention. "What actually happened when you found me?"

"One of my angels found you in a local field passed out. We wanted to make sure you were ok. So they brought you here to me. We're here to help you, Lili." She smiled sweetly placing her hand on Lili's. Faith's hand was abnormally cold with an almost dead like feel.

"You mentioned clergy… are you a preacher?" Lili asked.

"Me? Oh no, I am merely a humble servant of his work. The father is our leader. He is the one who looks after us." She smiled brightly.

"The father? I didn't realise I had wandered into a religious institution. Look I am very sorry to have bothered you Faith I really will be going now." Lilith got up and began heading to the door. "Thank you for your hospitality, I do feel much better now-"

Faith grabbed her hand as she headed out the door to the private room.

"What were you running from Lilith? Before your accident, what was it that hurt you?" She asked her voice soft and floaty like a feather.

"I…I don't know what you mean."

"I was like you once. I was so lost and alone. Trapped in the dark I had little to live for. People out there will lead you into temptation, like a moth to a flame. It is easy to be tempted and caught up in the fire. I once was lost but then the father found me. He brought joy and love into my life. He helped me turn my life around. Does this sound familiar?"

Lilith stared into Faith's doe-like blue eyes. She contemplated Faith's words that mirrored her life in an all too familiar way.

"I was looking for an escape. But I am not looking for a God. I lost my religion a long time ago. I want to make a change in my life I suppose. I don't know what I want. I just know I don't want to go back there."

"Lilith, please the path of Eden is clear to those who have faith. You may not be looking for a God, but God is looking for you. He's known you since before you were born and will welcome you back with open arms. Please, meet with the father. Listen to him; I pray his words will speak to you. And if not then you are free to go on your way. I want to help you, Lili. Please just hear him out."

She had nothing left to lose and nowhere to go. "Ok Faith, I'll hear him out. But I'm not making any promises."

A/N: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you have enjoyed the first chapter. I would be thrilled to hear your thoughts on the story so far