Jacob's grip on Liz's shoulder tightened. She still knelt paralyzed in the floor. The girl had completely shut down at that letter. He hadn't read it but it, obviously, was from Eli. He had managed to get a glance at the photo though. It was of her and Eli when she was younger.

Jacob needed to get her moving. "Stand up."

Liz smacked his hand off her shoulder. "I'll get up when I'm ready!"

His hands clenched into fists. So, this is how she wanted to play it. She'd been fine almost all day. They had come to an understanding this morning, and even got along at the Chalet. Why did it always have to come to this? Why couldn't she just listen to him?

Liz started him down. His little lamb was certainly not being docile tonight. A lot of times he could never decide if he was aroused or annoyed when she got angry. But this was different. His entire operation was relying on this information, and it hadn't panned out. All because of her.

"I don't have time for your shit right now! We need to get out of here."

She stood and slammed the photo down on the desk. Her cheeks turned bright red. She put a finger in his face.

A loud banging came from the stairwell that caught both of their attention. They quickly forgot what they were fighting about. The sound didn't seem like it was from a person. It was something much larger. The two of them turned to each other.

"Door!" They shouted in unison.

Liz got to the door first. She threw her body weight into it and slammed it shut. It was just in the nick of time. A large cougar pounced at the door. She let out a shriek. Her feet planted into the ground to hold the door back, but the cougar was much stronger. She began to slide on the concrete floor. In a few moments she would lose her grip.

"Jacob!"

He snapped into action. He grabbed a shelf and pushed her out of the way. Liz collapsed to the ground. He shoved the shelf into the door, sealing it off. The cougar continued to pounce at the door. After a few more attempts it gave up and rested instead. Its eyes still glared through the glass window, just waiting for a moment to pounce.

"Shit." He cursed.

He looked down to see Liz sprawled out on the ground. She was glaring at him. Her hat had fallen off. Jacob would never tell her this, but he thought she looked much better this way. Shaved head and all. The first day they had met, she had been dolled up. Her hair had gone down to her back and her face had been plastered with makeup. She had once looked like someone who was trying too hard. Now, she just looked like herself… her true self.

Jacob extended a hand to help her up. She swatted it away again.

"I can get up by myself." She groaned and pushed herself off the floor.

He felt kind of bad for knocking her down. He should apologize but he wasn't going to. Truthfully, he was still pissed that the Wolf's Den was empty. Instead of yelling at her again, he picked her hat up off the floor. He brushed the dirt off it and placed it on her head. Liz always acted self-conscious without it.

The cougar resting outside the door faded from his focus. His fingers moved down to brush against her face. Her cheeks immediately became flush again and her lip slightly quivered. Oh, how he loved when that happened. She was the most interesting when she was confused or frustrated, sometimes even when she was afraid. It was always amazing to see her try to work her way out of situations. He traced the scar that crossed her face. It cut across in a straight line. The scar was a lot cleaner than many of his own. He loved the sight of it too.

Liz sighed and leaned into his touch. The anger had faded from her face. He wondered how long that would last. Knowing her, probably not long. Her cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her.

Before he could, another noise came from the back of the bunker.

"Fuck." He whispered.

Liz went on full alert. "Is the hatch closed?"

"What's left of it, yes. But that doesn't mean something can't get in." Jacob released her and searched in the bag they brought with them. He found a bundle of rope. He turned back to Liz and pointed towards the monitors.

"Get those cameras on!"

Jacob took off down the hall and towards the hatch. The source of the noise was nowhere to be found. The hatch itself was about halfway open. The explosion had blown it back instead of breaking it off completely. There was something for him to work with.

He climbed the ladder and grabbed hold of the handle. He yanked it down as hard as he could. Ash fell in his face and in his beard. He did his best to blow it away. He was able to get it about ¾ of the way closed. Better than nothing. He wrapped the rope around the handle multiple times and made a knot.

The noise came back. It was louder this time and directly in his face. Jacob looked up to see a bear right above him.

"Oh fuck!"

The bear roared at him again. It began to claw at the hatch. Jacob held tight onto the rope and jumped down from the ladder. He hit the ground with ease. The rope had been long enough to reach the bottom. The bear attempted to pull the door back. He regained his grip on the rope. He wrapped it around the bottom rung of the ladder. He pulled it tight and tied a knot. That would help hold it down. The bear continued to nudge at the hatch but eventually came to a stop. It rested beside the entrance and glared at him. Just like the cougar did. That was strange, he'd never seen that before.

Satisfied with the hatch, he jogged back to the main room where Liz was. She was bent over the desk, her eyes glued to the monitors.

"What do you got?" He asked.

It looked like the color had drained from her face. "It's Cheeseburger..."

"What?" He asked.

He got a better look at the screens. There were at least ten monitors stacked on top of one another. It seemed that Eli had cameras all across the mountains. They showed the Chalet, the Grand View, and the Veteran's Center. So, that's how he'd known what's being going on all these years. A lot of things made sense now. If only he had thought of that sooner, or Liz had just told him…

The monitors showed the bear clawing at the hatch and the cougar resting outside the door. This wasn't ideal.

"The bear… it's Cheeseburger. That's the Deputy's bear! This was all a trap. He knows we're here now!" Her hands went to her head. She began to panic. There was fear in her eyes. It wasn't the kind he thought was funny to see on her. It was the same look that had been in her eyes the night he had slammed her into a cage. He hated thinking about that night and he didn't like seeing her that way.

Did Liz think he was going to attack her? His skin crawled at the thought.

"Are you sure it's that that exact bear?"

Her face scrunched up. "Of course, I know! I got taken to see Cheeseburger every year. I know what he looks like."

Jacob needed to calm her down. She was already shaken up by the letter and now this. He needed to put a problem in front of her to solve. That would distract her.

"It doesn't matter. We'll call the Chosen in a chopper. They'll have us out of here within the hour."

She shook her head. "I already tried that. All the signals are jammed. Like I said… the Deputy planned this."

'Well shit.' He thought. That wasn't a problem though. He'd find a way out of this. He always did.

"Give me the radio." With a grunt, she placed it his hand. "I'll use this and whatever else I can find, to see if I can make something with a longer range. You sit guard by the door and shout if that thing breaks through."

"10-4." She spat. She turned from him and sat down on the floor, facing the cougar.

There it was. He knew that attitude was going to come back. Liz had started saying that recently. Other things too, like sir and boss. He knew why. It wasn't to be respectful or because she was part of his army. She did it to let him know that she was pissed. And likely to draw some division between them. She always seemed to think it'd be easier if she grew detached. But they both knew that they could never detach from one another now.

Jacob stared at her a few more seconds before turning back into the bunker. He made sure to be as silent as he possibly could. He really didn't want to alert the bear again. He swiftly made it into the supply room. Even empty, Jacob could tell that there used to be an impressive selection of weapons in here. Not as good as his supply of course, but impressive for rebels.

He scavenged through the cabinets until he found something that might work. It was an old CB radio. If he could get it working, it might get past any blockades the Deputy had put up. He had started to leave when he spotted something on the wall.

It was a photo. In it was that pyromaniac, the Deputy, and Liz… Her hair was still long in this picture. There was no scar on her face, and she was actually smiling. It wasn't one of the reserved and reluctant ones she gave him. It was a real, genuine smile. The trio were knelt down and posing in front a building that had two words on it spray painted on it:

Fuck Jacob

This is what Liz really thought of him, despite what she said. He should be angry, but right now he only felt one thing, embarrassment. That wasn't something he felt very often. The person he cared for the most outside his family, despised him. Even though she didn't say it. Perhaps it was better that way. It would be easier to let go if something ever happened.

Jacob gathered the radio and photo and wandered back into the main room. Liz was still sitting in front of the door, sitting straight forward. Her gun sat in her lap.

He walked by and dropped the picture in front of her. "I didn't know you were so fond of me while you were gone."

Liz picked it up but didn't say anything. She sat there and clutched it to her chest. Once again, she was acting as her usual pain in the ass self. There was nothing he could do except wait it out.

He sat down in the chair in front of the monitors. Despite the animals holding them in the bunker, there were no others threats present. He began to take the CB radio apart and tinker with it. It would take a bit to get it working the way it needed to. He'd fixed many contraptions like this during his time overseas. It was a good thing he was here with Liz. She'd be stuck in here without him.

He tinkered for a while before Liz got up. She had tucked the photo into her jacket.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Why do you care!" She stormed off down the hall.

He shook his head and muttered to himself. "You're such a shit…"

Liz emerged about fifteen minutes later carrying a crate full of bottles. This wasn't going to be good.

"What the hell is that?" He asked.

"It's Sharky's party liquor. He forgot he had stuffed it up in the ceiling. It's mine now." She laughed. She picked up a bottle out of the crate and sniffed it.

Jacob stood and walked over to her. "You don't drink liquor."

"You don't know everything about me."

He grabbed her arm. "Actually, sweetheart I think I do. Give me the bottle. You can't drink moonshine."

She tried to pull her arm away but couldn't. It was always so cute when she tried to fight him. Every time she thought she could overpower him, but never was able to. She should have learned her lesson by now.

"Let go of me."

Jacob gripped her arm for a few more seconds, before releasing it. "Fine. But when you throw up all over yourself, I'm not cleaning you up."

He didn't want to see her suffer any, but if she wouldn't listen that was her own fault. Nothing bad would ever happen to her if she would just do as he said. He went to sit back down. Liz pressed the bottle to her lips and took a gulp of the moonshine.

Liz's face went pale. The bottle fell from her hands and shattered onto the floor. She snatched a bucket out of the corner. She bent over and threw up the contents of her stomach. Jacob couldn't help but slightly cringe. He was not a fan of vomit. Which was strange, considering blood he could handle just fine. But something about bile just didn't sit right with him.

He hated watching her this way. But if he helped her now, she wouldn't learn her lesson.

"I told you so." Jacob laughed.

Liz threw up once more and gave him the middle finger. That action might have made him angry at one point. Now, he just ignored it when it came from her.

He went back to work on the radio. He heard her clinking through the bottles until she found something else to drink. Took a swallow of the brown liquid. She didn't seem to throw up this time though. That was a good sign.

"Oh, all mighty Jacob Seed, he knows everything! He knows what's best for you… Or at least he thinks so!" She said.

Jacob didn't look up. He kept working on the radio. The sooner he could contact his Chosen, the sooner he didn't have to deal with this. He didn't feel like addressing the 'all mighty' comment, he didn't have the patience tonight.

"Name one time I was wrong." She quickly shut up after that. Thank gosh. He'd be able to work quicker if she was quiet. It didn't last long.

Liz walked over with the bottle still in her hand. It was almost empty. She had downed it all in a matter of a few minutes.

"Good god woman."

She was clearly already drunk. It had not taken long. Which made sense because she was the size of a twig. Even more so now that she was injured and couldn't train. Liz fumbled at his shirt.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm looking for my iPod." She rifled through each of the pockets on his jacket. Jacob sighed. He'd never seen her drunk before, but he was already not a fan.

"I don't have it with me."

"Fine…"

He shook his head. His thoughts were still boggled. Today, of all days she had to act like this. She had accepted her role into the project and now this. All that hard work had been undone by one simple note from Eli. He couldn't wait to kill that man. Eli had been fighting the Project since day one and now he had corrupted Liz. Jacob didn't know how long it would take to correct it this time.

"Just go sit down and let me work please."

Liz took her bottle and slumped down on the wall beside the monitors. She continued to drink from the bottle. He could tell that with each passing minute, she became more impaired. That again, wasn't good. He didn't need his Chosen showing up and their new 'Commander' was drunk off her ass. But there also wasn't much he could do about it. She would just try and fight him again if he objected.

He kept busy with the radio and checked the monitors. Both the bear and cougar hadn't moved at all, but they continued to sit. Jacob was almost impressed with the amount of discipline that the Deputy had instilled in these animals. He needed to figure out what he did and try it on the judges.

Liz sat there with her bottle for a few more minutes before she spoke again.

"I'm not stupid you know."

Jacob's head perked up from the radio. "When did I say that you were?"

"But you sure act like I am…" She scoffed and took another sip. She pulled her knees to her chest. Her words began to slur. "I know I'm not li- like amazing at everything. But I'm not stupid. And I didn't tell Eli we were comin. I can- can't believe that after everything. Even after I get disowned by him, you thought I was gonna do that."

Jacob had been harsh to her earlier. She had willingly told him where this place was. There had been no reason for her to tip Eli off.

"Look, I know I shouldn't have doubted you. But that doesn't change the fact that you should've told me where this place was a long time ago." He did feel bad about what he said, but she didn't need to know that. Liz was completely wasted and whining for no reason. She wasn't getting his sympathy tonight.

Liz rolled her eyes at him. They had glossed over at this point. Her mouth also hung slightly open. It was such a drastic change from her constantly clenched jaw. That cautious girl had collapsed into a blubbering idiot.

"Whatever… You kidnapped me! L-like hell I was gonna tell you anything at first." She stuttered.

For some reason, those words stuck in him. She still thought that she was his prisoner. "You don't get to pull the kidnapping card anymore, Liz. Like I've told you, I gave you a chance to leave and you stayed. You're here because of your choices."

She took another swig from the bottle and wagged her finger at him. "That's not my name anymore."

Not this shit again. Liz had rambled on about the whole 'she was dead' thing since the beginning. Jacob would never get her to understand that she was better off, not worse. Liz Palmer wasn't dead. She had just evolved into something else, something better.

"Then what is?" He asked.

"I don't know… whatever…" Her head leaned against the concrete wall. "But honestly, Jacob. I-I'm really fucking glad Eli wasn't here. Because what's gonna happen to me once Eli's gone?"

Jacob's face went slack. "What are you implying?"

She threw her hands up in defeat. "Come on. Once he's gone, I'm next. It's like the Deputy said: I'm only alive because of my last name."

He shook his head. He was so fucking sick of this way of thinking from her. If it was anyone else acting this way, he'd beat the shit out of them. But he couldn't do that to Liz. That was Jacob's own fault. He had allowed himself to grow attached, too attached. Anything that happened from here on out was his own fault.

"You need to stop listening to what the Deputy tells you." He said.

A big smile spread across Liz's face. "Funny. The Deputy used to tell me the same thing about you." She laughed and took another drink. Jacob was surprised she could even speak at this point with how much alcohol she had consumed. He should just get up and snatch the bottle out of her hand. But he wouldn't.

"Ya know, Jacob. You claim that ya know me, but you don't… Eli did at one time. He knew what I liked, what I didn't, and everything else. He knew me then. You only know me now. You know how I fight... what I look like when I'm almost dead. But no one knows the whole truth. Not even me…"

Jacob sat down what he was working on and turned to her. The radio could wait for a few minutes more. Deep down, he wanted to listen to what she had to say. And whatever else he could squeeze out of her while she was like this.

"Then who would know?"

"Probably no one." She shrugged.

"Maybe I would know more if you told me. You're not a very open person."

"Okay. Sure..." She said.

Liz's posture relaxed. That was a good sign. She needed to be relaxed. She set the bottle down by her feet. She opened her mouth to speak but quickly stopped. Most likely swallowing an insult. Her eyes stayed fixed on the wall in front of her.

"I-I used to hate myself not too long ago. I'd tell myself shit that I was ugly, or dumb, or stuff like that. I got no clue why I did it, just sorta happened. I was happy in my old life. I know I felt out of place, but lookin' back, my life was good… and all I did every damn day was hate it. And now I'm uglier and dumber than ever. Got this nice scar on my face, missing an ear. I got no hair anymore…"

Tears began to form in her eyes. She had told him the other day that she didn't want to cry anymore. But she was already breaking that vow. Seemed like drunk Liz didn't care about any vows made when sober.

She continued. "And all the time I'd sit around and wonder if people would notice if I was gone. And now, that's happened… I dropped off the face of the Earth and no one ain't come looking for me. I left a life behind for this shit. And all I've done is been punished for it."

Jacob stayed silent. As much as he longed to sit down next to her and hold her hand as she spoke, he wouldn't. He couldn't indulge her behavior and show weakness. So, he just sat there with his eyes fixated on her.

"Sometimes I wake up and I think today will be the day. E-even though there's a bunch'a times I should've died already. I didn't because you were there. And almost every day I wish you hadn't been."

She picked the bottle up and took another drink. Jacob's eyes moved to the ground. "You shouldn't feel that way." He said.

Her jaw clenched and more tears fell onto her cheeks. "But I do. I wish I wasn't here… I wish I was dead, and you were too. Have you ever wanted to die, Jacob?"

Liz drew the gun out of her holster. Oh shit. This was not good. Jacob immediately bolted out of the chair.

She pointed the gun at him. "Sit. Back. Down."

"Put the gun away, little lamb. You're drunk and not thinking clearly." He said calmly. He didn't need to startle her anymore.

She cocked the hammer back. "No! This is the clearest I have ever seen anything."

Jacob took a deep breath and sat back down in the chair. He didn't think that she would shoot him. But there was no harm in being careful. There was still a bear and cougar outside. The last thing that needed to happen was a gun going off with them trapped in here.

"You didn't answer my question." She sobbed. She kept the gun trained on him. It shook in her hand. Even if she did try to shoot him, she'd probably miss. That didn't mean he wanted to find out.

"Just put the gun down first." He said. Liz kept it trained on him for a moment more before setting the gun in her lap.

Jacob took a minute to think about her question. He thought back on everything he'd been through. From his abusive parents, to the foster home, to war, and then to being homeless. There was so much more that he couldn't think of. Lots of things got repressed. He needed the pain to keep going. But Joseph had taught him how to hide the deepest horrors away, so that they didn't overtake him completely.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Yeah, Liz. I've wanted to die before."

"So how did you stop yourself? Because some days I wake up, and I just think about where I am and what I've done, and I just want to…" She picked up the gun again and pressed it against the side of her temple. Jacob tensed up in his chair.

'Her finger isn't on the trigger.' He reminded himself.

"I just could put a stop to it, once and for all. But each day I decide not to. I'm too much of a coward to go through with it." She held the gun pressed against her temple for a few moments more, before setting it down.

Jacob stayed glue to his chair. He wanted to get up and do something, anything. But he wasn't going to. She'd just try to shoot him, or herself.

"You're not a coward. You're strong." He said.

Liz scoffed. "I'm not the only one who creates fictions in my head, Jacob. I'm not strong. You only want to believe that. You've held my h-hand through all of this just to make sure I didn't die. Not because you cared. But because you still get off on the idea that I left Eli for you!"

"That's not true."

"Yeah it is… and it's okay. And you claim that ya know me, but I was never so innocent when you met me. There's something that I've never told anyone before." She sobbed and buried her face into her knees.

Jacob's eyes grew wide. What did she mean by that? His brain racked at the possibilities. She truly could mean anything by that. Liz's standard of evil was accidentally hitting a deer. So, Jacob wouldn't really be surprised if it was nothing after all.

"You can tell me anything. Always." Jacob said.

Her head perked up and she made eye contact with him. The anger faded from her body. She wiped the tears from her face and took a deep breath.

"I-I used to be a very selfish person- still am. But back then everything always had to be about me. I didn't like it when my brother got more attention, or anyone else too. I'd whine a lot to my parents to get my way. And I got upset about every little thing."

Something in her eyes changed. They no longer looked glossy, but devoid of life. He imagined it's what he looked like when he talked about his time overseas. She picked the bottle up and took another drink.

"I was close to my brother, David Jr. I didn't really have friends outside of him. But anytime he'd date some new girl, I'd get jealous. Because I was supposed to be his best friend, not anyone else. There were a few times I sabotaged things. I had just told myself that I was being an annoying little sister. But looking back, I just wanted to be cruel."

Jacob didn't know what it was like to have a sister. Or regular siblings in general. He didn't consider Faith to be his sister. There had been several women before her and there would most likely be many after. His relationship with his brothers was different. He loved them, but he knew they would never truly act like normal siblings.

"And Eli was another thing. We used to do everything together up until I was ten. But then he got married and had a kid. Once again, I felt like I'd been left behind, so I was bitter. I was no longer the most important person in his life. And I took it out on my baby cousin when I shouldn't have."

Liz sobbed. Her face was splotchy, and her breathing was heavy. He could see the pain that was in her eyes. Jacob braced himself for whatever she was going to tell him next.

"One day, Eli took the two of us ice fishing. I was fifteen at the time and my cousin was five. I hadn't wanted to be there; he'd been pissing me off all morning. And… I know I shouldn't have been mad because he was just a kid. He was just a kid… At one-point Eli had gone back to the truck. The two of us were goofing around and I pushed him. Way too hard. I heard him scream and he fell back into the hole. He didn't know how to swim."

She slumped further against the wall and screamed. The noise startled the cougar outside. It didn't draw either of their focus. Jacob hadn't truly cried in a long time and wouldn't. But his heart did ache along with Liz.

"All I did want stand there, Jacob. I didn't do a goddamn thing. Eli heard the screaming and came running. He dove in after him. And I stood there. The only thing I could think about was how I was glad that child was gone."

Jacob swallowed the saliva that had been building in his throat. "You were a child too and you were afraid. It sounds like it was an accident."

She shook her head. "I told myself that for the past six years, but it's not true. I could have easily done something. I chose not to because I was jealous and angry at a child. I wanted him to die. I murdered him and lied about pushing him. I finally see that now. Eli never blamed me, but it was never the same with him. My family covered it up so that I wasn't there when it happened. But the county viewed Eli a little differently after that. His wife left him too. All my fault... My fault."

She sniffled and tried to stop more tears from coming. "You see, Jacob. That's my Miller. That's the thing I can never come back from."

Jacob truly couldn't believe what he was hearing. Not because that he judged her actions, but that she was not the person he originally thought. She hadn't been a little lamb all this time. If anything, it proved that Jacob was right. He and Liz were cut from the same tree after all. She was meant to be with him. He was also just happy that she trusted to tell him all this. Something she had never told anyone else before.

"You can come back from that and use it to be more. It's not the same. What you did, you didn't plan."

Liz scoffed. "I guess you're right. At least I didn't eat anyone! Let alone my best friend! Because that's what happened right? You've never fully said it out loud to me before. Too embarrassed by it? Well guess what, Jacob? If we're measuring dicks, I'm a child murderer!"

The thought of Miller just made him ache inside.

"I told you before, that hadn't been what I wanted. You're different. I know that you didn't mean to do that, to that child. That's not true." Jacob said.

"Yes, it is! And ya know, after being around your dickhead brother, I've been thinkin' a lot about my sins. I finally know what sin would be carved onto me: Envy. Because I can't handle when someone takes my place. It happened with my parents, my brother, Eli chose his child, the Deputy chose Jess over me. And I know the day will come that you will choose the Deputy instead of me…"

She took a deep breath and wiped away her snot and tears. That signature scowl of hers came back across her face.

"Just know I will not let that happen. I am gonna hunt the Deputy till the ends of the Earth, until he's dead! I don't give a damn what you or Joseph say!"

The mention of his brother made any sympathy for her quickly fade. He didn't give a damn about her sob story now. They had talked about this earlier today. He cared for Liz, but Joseph would always be his number one priority.

Jacob tensed up in his chair. "You watch your damn mouth! You don't talk bad about Joseph. He's the reason that we're all fucking alive."

"Oh yeah, well who the fuck is gonna hear me in this bunker! We're trapped in here and might die. Get eaten by fucking Cheeseburger. And guess what Joseph is a fucking asshole and a lunatic and so are you!"

Jacob shot up and kicked the chair back. His body slightly shook, enraged. Insulting Joseph around him was never a good idea. He put a finger in Liz's face.

"I am going to give you once chance to take that back."

She looked up at him with that dumb smug look on her face. It seemed like the dead cousin was forgotten by her as well.

"No. I meant every goddamn word. I know what Joseph does to Rachel!"

Jacob found himself laughing. Oh goodness, she was dumber than he thought. He assumed his little lamb was smarter than that. Faith had fooled so many people, he didn't think Liz would be one of them.

"My precious 'sister' is manipulating you. That's what she does! She's better at it than anyone! Including me. She tells you that shit to either pull you in further or to get rid of you. No one knows but her. She may act nice to you. But know this: Faith is not your friend. She never has been and never will be."

Liz gritted her teeth. "Yes, she is! She's the only one that understands what's happening to me. That's been nice to me. And I think we kissed one night…"

Jacob's eyes grew wide. He wasn't aware that Liz swung that way as well. That wasn't a problem, as long as she wasn't sleeping with his sister. Or anyone else other than him.

"What?" He asked.

"Well… I'm not sure. I kinda was on a lot of drugs. I didn't really know what was going on. I think I made it up. But that point is, Faith is the only one that's nice to me."

He shook his head, ignoring what she said. He couldn't get the image out of his head. "You kissed my damn sister."

"Whatever… it's not like you're my boyfriend or anything."

A smirk immediately came across his face. He thought of something that would piss her off beyond all reason.

"That's not what you were saying the other night when my head was between your legs. Or all the nights you slept next to me."

Liz's face immediately became flush. "Shut up."

She buried her face in her knees again. The gun sat at her feet. Her sobs were louder than before. He wasn't sure what she was crying about this time. Probably all of it. But this would give him a chance to work on the radio. They needed to get out of here.

Within a few more minutes, he put together something that might work. Liz had stopped sobbing. He didn't turn to look at her, but he could feel eyes boring into his skull. A few more minutes and he'd be done. But Liz wouldn't grant him that.

She sniffled once more. "Sometimes- I don't know how I got caught up in all this. I keep expecting myself to wake up and be back in the real world."

He let out a growl. Not when they were so close to being out of here. He needed to shut her up. "This is the real world."

Her mouth hung agape. "This is not the real world! This is a nightmare! Your nightmare that you created!"

Liz stood and threw the bottle across the room. It shattered by the door. The cougar was alerted and pounced again. Shit. Liz immediately clutched at her right shoulder. The gun rested in her left hand, but she didn't raise it at him. She paced around the room.

"I will never understand why you do these things? You can't really believe all this. Unless you really are crazy. I just-I really have let me be fooled in all this. I- "

Jacob stood. He took a small step towards her. He needed to shut this down now. He shouldn't have blown up at her about Joseph. He could still salvage this. All he needed to do was switch up his tactics.

"Sweetheart. You're stressed and confused. You don't know what you're saying. Come here and we'll- "

"No! This is been the only time in my goddamn life where I'm not confused! I see everything clearly." She raised the gun at him again. Her finger still didn't move towards the trigger.

Jacob wasn't sure how exactly to deescalate this. If it had happened a few months ago; he would have punched her in the face and called it a day. But he couldn't do that now. As much as she pissed him off, he cared about Liz. He didn't want to see her get hurt again. This whole situation was his own damn fault.

"I don't belong here! I don't want to be here! Eli said that I couldn't let you destroy any good that is left in me. But- there ain't any left anyways... So Jacob, what is stopping me from blowing us both to hell right now?"

He lowered his hands and his body relaxed. He took a moment to study the trembling girl in front of him. Liz was still on his side. He was sure of it. This was a minor setback due to Eli. An idea flashed through his mind. It was something that could fix all of this. While he had never planned on saying it, it didn't mean that it wasn't true. He took a deep breath and said the one thing he'd never told anyone besides his brothers.

"I love you, Liz."

He watched as Liz seized up. Her mouth fell open. The gun fell from her hand and clattered onto the ground. She fell backwards into a table and clung to it for support. More tears fell onto her face.

She let out a sob. "No… This isn't love! You may think that. You may think that. But you're not capable of love! You've hurt me in so many ways… So many. You slammed me into a cage and put bruises on my neck! You've threatened to kill me. You brainwashed me. That's not love!"

Jacob took a step towards her. She did her best to recoil away. He could still fix this. He just needed to stay calm.

"And how many times have I saved you? Remember the cliff, when I pulled you up into my arms? The men I prevented from assaulting you? I lied to my brothers for you. I killed Ramirez for you. I gave up my music box for you. Does all of that mean nothing, Liz?"

She shook her head. "None of that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't kidnapped me to begin with!"

Jacob ignored her comment. He just needed to keep talking and calm her down. She always responded well to logic and reason. At least she did when she was sober…

"And what about that night we spent out in the woods? Did that mean nothing too?"

That night was one of his most cherished memories. It was one of the only times he had ever felt truly at peace with her. And it had been the only time they had done anything sexual. Before that night, it had been years since Jacob had been with a woman. He didn't want that to be for nothing now.

"N-No. I don't know why I would ever want to be with a man as disgustin' and vile as you. You're old enough to be my father."

Jacob halted in his tracks. Ouch. That had hurt him a little more than he'd like to admit. He shook it off. Liz was just drunk and saying whatever she could to piss him off. She probably didn't mean it.

The girl recoiled from him as far as she could. "Why do you do these things, Jacob? Do you just like hurting people?"

He scoffed. "I like hurting people? You shot one of my men today because you thought it was funny!"

"No. No…" She shook her head. Oh, Liz. She loved living in denial. It was the only thing that she was truly good at. "You're the one that hurts people. And ya know what, I think I do know. You're a pathetic incel, and that's why you do this! Joseph was married, John has every woman in Hope County throwing themselves at him. But not you…"

Jacob strode forward and snatched her right arm. A popping sound followed. Liz cried out in pain but quickly tried to regain her composure. More tears came. She opened her mouth but let out another grunt.

"Y-you were so miserable with your own life that you decided to ruin everyone else's!"

He twisted her arm. "Watch your mouth or you won't like what happens."

She sobbed and shook her head. "What else are you gonna do to me? You've already destroyed me."

Liz smacked at him until her let her arm go. He took a step back and made sure to pick up her sidearm. Just to remove that option from her. She clutched at her arm and paced in circles. Even during that night in the forest, when she was on the brink of death, she hadn't looked this afraid. This was Eli's fault. Not Liz's. Her uncle was like a tick in her head. Jacob tried to step closer to her again.

"No!" More tears came. And Liz let out a blood-curdling scream. The cougar pounced at the door. The shelf rattled, threatening to break loose. Jacob did his best to stay calm at her hysterics.

"Little lamb…"

She recoiled away. Her hands curled into fists and her eyes glared daggers at him.

"No! No. You took my life. You took my life from me! I hate you!" She screamed.

Jacob Seed hadn't truly known what heartbreak was. Liz had told him that she hated him before. Each time it had been in fear or to make him angry. This time though, when he looked in her eyes, he could tell that she meant it. His little lamb, the only woman he had ever cared for, hated him.

Now, Jacob knew what heartbreak felt like.

After that, he was done. Enough of this shit. He wasn't going to listen to anything else from her tonight. Jacob pounded towards her. She tried to flee but was quickly caught. He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her back into his chest.

Liz screamed again. She kicked trying to break free, but to no avail. Jacob held her pinned to his chest with an iron grip. He picked up a piece of cloth off the desk. It pained him to do this, but he didn't have a choice.

"I'm sorry little lamb…"

He pressed the cloth to Liz's face, sealing off her mouth and nose. He began to count. A hiccup sound came from her. The panic had set in. She clawed at his hand trying to free her airway. Her nails dug into his skin. Jacob's heart broke a little more with each second that he had to do this. She bucked her shoulders in one last attempt to break free. Her tears fell onto his hand.

When Jacob get to twelve, she stopped fighting. Liz's eyes closed and she fell into his arms unconscious. He gently laid her down on the floor, being sure that her head didn't smack against it. Her hat fell off too. This isn't what he had wanted but she had left him no choice.

He pulled the two photos and the letter out of her jacket. He quickly glanced over what Eli had written her. It was just as he suspected. This had been the thing that made her snap. He put the photos in his own pocket. Liz didn't need to have these.

Eli was responsible for this. His little lamb had almost been perfect and now this. He might have to start completely over. There were a few things he needed to say to her, even though she couldn't hear him.

"You're wrong, Liz. I hurt people because I have a purpose. You hurt people because you enjoy it. I know you do. That's why you belong with me, not the Whitetails. I won't let anything happen to you again. And if I must hold you closer to stop you from getting hurt, I will."

Jacob's eyes stayed fixated on her form. He hadn't wanted this. But he didn't want to start over. He took a moment to collect his thoughts.

Maybe he wouldn't have to. He searched the room until he found the bag they brought with them. There had been rope in it earlier, maybe there would be more treasures. He fumbled through it until he found a small vial of bliss. A dose this size was mainly used for pain or to keep angels docile. But maybe he could use it for something else.

Faith had taught him this once. The bliss could be used as a calming agent and would sometimes cause memory loss. Only if it was mixed with other medicine. He clutched the vial and jogged to the back of the bunker. The bear grunted at his presence but didn't attack.

He ransacked the shelves until he found a first aid kit. Inside were bandages, a few pills, and a bottle of liquid Ibuprofen. That would work. He grabbed the syringe and filled half of it with the medicine and the rest with bliss. Even if this wasn't the correct amount, it was such a small dose that it wouldn't harm Liz. He just needed to cause memory loss. His doctors could figure out what a steady dose would be later.

Jacob took the syringe back into the room where Liz was. Even knocked out, he thought she looked angelic. She was all his, and he wasn't going to let her get away this time. He bent down and rolled her over. On instinct, his fingers brushed across her face. That scar on her face made her look even that much more perfect.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart."

He stuck the needle into her arm and emptied the contents into her bloodstream. It was done. Whenever Liz woke up, she would either be happy and had forgotten what happened here tonight. Or, she would wake up screaming and try to kill him. Only time would tell.

Now that he had a chance to breathe, he needed to fix that damn radio. It took him about a total of five minutes to get it working. He turned it on and called out to the Chosen frequency. It got past the Deputy's blockade with ease.

"This is Seed. I need evac in a chopper northeast of the Chalet. Be aware, there are hostiles outside. I need you here in less than ten minutes."

A voice of one of the Chosen immediately came over the radio. "Yes sir. We're on our way. Do you need medical assistance?"

Jacob scoffed. If this were any other night, he'd scold the man for assuming he was weak. Even though he knew it was out of concern, not doubting his strength.

"I'm fine, but the commander took a bad hit. She'll need to be transported to the Chalet immediately."

Static came through the radio again. "Yes sir. What are your coordinates?"

Jacob found the map and read off their location. Part of him still couldn't believe he was actually sitting in the Wolf's Den. But his luck had run short when he found it empty. This entire night had been a shitstorm. He just wanted it to be over.

"We'll be there soon." The Chosen said.

"You better!" He barked.

The Chosen tuned out. Jacob ripped the cords out from the wall. If some rebel came back, he didn't need them finding out what frequency his men used. He started to gather up their things. He placed the rifles in the bag as well as Liz's gun and hat. He holstered his own sidearm. He spotted the bat with the screws in it she'd brought in. She had propped it up in the corner.

He walked over and inspected it. This thing was important to Liz for some reason. And he knew that when he'd sent his men to the outpost to go fetch it. But Jacob had an itch to break it over his knee and call it a day. He could just lie and say it was lost. After debating it for a moment, he decided against it and placed the bat in the bag.

Jacob didn't like what he was doing. Just this morning in the boat he'd told her that he'd never lie to her. And now here he was, preparing to lie his ass off. This wasn't about respect though. He still did respect her, despite the hurtful words. This was about keeping her safe. She would never be safe with the Whitetails or on her own. She had been on such a self-destructive streak recently.

Liz needed him to keep her safe. And if lying would accomplish that, so be it.

She'd probably object and claim that she could take care of herself. There was one point that he wouldn't have doubted that. She was still capable of a lot, but she was a goddamn mess. Liz needed Jacob to keep her in check, so that she wasn't too far gone. Also, so that she didn't destroy herself.

After he gathered all their gear, he laid the bag next to Liz. He sat back down in the chair just to reflect on what had happened tonight. Jacob still couldn't believe the story about her cousin. His little lamb had never been so innocent when they first met. He didn't believe what she said about enjoying it though. That just wasn't her. She was just on edge tonight. Nothing that the bliss wouldn't fix.

He also thought about her dig at him about his relationships. It was true that Joseph had been married. It was also true that John had slept with many women in the Project over the years, behind Joseph's back of course. But Jacob had never been bothered by that. Had he? There'd always been some other mission to focus on. There had been no time for women. Still, her comment continued to rub him the wrong way.

It didn't take long for the helicopter to show up. He glanced at the screens and saw it floating over their location. The two animals immediately fled at the sounds of the blades. His men tried to shoot them but completely missed. Typical. Another thing to add onto this shitty night. He shouldn't be surprised though; a lot of his men were morons. He pulled the cords to the monitors, shutting the cameras down. He'd have his men comb the area for the rest of them later.

Jacob stood and took a deep breath to compose himself. He was fine, not angry. Liz was his commander. She was on his side and she was safe. When she woke she, hopefully, wouldn't remember anything. Everything was fine.

He walked over to Liz and hoisted her over his shoulder. She was still knocked out cold but was breathing. He picked up the bag with the other hand. Time to get out of this shithole. He kicked the shelf aside that had been blocking the door. It had been a miracle that the cougar hadn't gotten through.

He stomped up the stairs with Liz and the bag in tow. This wasn't how he wanted this night to go. It was like the night at his Armory all over again. Only this time, it had been worse.

The Chosen were waiting outside with a chopper as expected. They quickly rushed to his aid.

"What happened to the commander?" They asked.

"One of the damn animals clipped her. Take her back to the Chalet and have her treated. Then set her up with Wilkens. I'll give her instructions tomorrow."

They nodded. "Yes sir."

Jacob handed over his little lamb. The men threw her arms over their shoulders and carefully carried her to the chopper. They laid her down on the floor, making sure she didn't hit her head. Good. They seemed to be showing some care with their own commander.

He walked over and sat the bag down. He pulled his AR-C back out.

"Are you coming with us, sir?"

He turned to his men. "No. Get your goddamn Commander back to the Chalet. That's an order."

The two men nodded and scurried back to the chopper. He watched as it rose up in the air and took off. His little lamb was in good hands. The Chosen were going to worship the ground she walked on now. It was only up to her to play the part.

Jacob knew exactly what he was going to do for the rest of the night. There had to be some signs around here about the trap. He got excited just thinking about it. Joseph needed to cowboy alive, but it didn't mean he couldn't have his fun.

It was deputy hunting season.