Day 1
A lot of things had changed recently. Eden's Gate took the advantage in the Whitetail Mountains. The rebels had fled their protected bunker and were hiding in an unknown location. The Chosen were doing everything they could to hunt them down again. Today though, everything was still. Except for one person.
Liz Palmer groaned and opened her eyes. Bright rays of sunshine came flooding in. Her entire body was sore. But she wasn't in pain at all. It was more of a numbing sensation that went across her. That was strange. She'd never felt anything like this before.
She slowly sat up in the bed and took in her surroundings. This was the medical station at the Chalet. She remembered it from the last time she was here. It had been after those men tried to throw her over the cliff. That was so long ago.
Liz inspected herself. She'd been stripped down to her tank top and pants. Her hand ran across her head. Still shaven and still no left ear, and her hat was nowhere to be found. There was also a bandage on her lower left arm.
"How did you get there?" She said.
She unwrapped the bandage, revealing the wound underneath. It was a cut that went across the width of her forearm. It was too jagged to be a knife wound. It had to be something else. Once again, that was very strange. Liz didn't remember being injured there. But then again, she couldn't remember much of anything at all.
What was she doing back at the Chalet? And why was she hurt?
The last thing she remembered was being here. She and Jacob had planned to go attack the Wolf's Den. Did they not go through with the plan? Or did something else happen?
She needed to find out. She stood up from the bed and stretched. Her balance was a little wobbly, but she quickly regained her footing. Damn that missing ear. There was also still pain in her right shoulder, but not as bad.
She quickly got dressed, slipping on her jacket, boots, and vest. No hat… but she also found her sidearm on the bed-stand. The magazine was full. It hadn't been fired since being back in the war room with Jacob. Feeling more like herself, she took a minute to process what was happening.
Liz felt different than she ever had in her life. She didn't know how to describe it. Even though she was confused, she was truly happy. Why was that?
She holstered her weapon. She needed to find Jacob and figure out what the hell was going on. Liz wandered through the second floor of the Chalet. There wasn't anyone about, but it was bright outside. That meant it had to be around ten in the morning, and everyone was out on the obstacle course.
She was upset that Jacob hadn't been by her side when she woke up. But since they were at the Chalet, it made sense. Jacob would never be one to show weakness around her. She wished he did though.
Liz clunked down the stairs to Jacob's office. His signature poster rested by the entryway. There had been a time when she had ripped his poster off a wall and stomped on it. Now, she thought Jacob just looked kinda hot on it. The entrance looked a little different though. There was a sliding door installed.
She stepped inside to find a woman cleaning off the desk. She'd never seen her around before.
"Um… hey." Liz said.
The woman turned around and smiled at her. She looked too chipper to be a Chosen. "Good morning."
Her hands twitched at her sidearm. That relaxed feeling quickly faded. Her body went into alert mode, but then she quickly assured herself that she was being dumb. Liz often forgot that she was willingly with the Peggies, not captured by them.
"Who are you?"
The woman wasn't fazed by her attitude. "My name is Wilkens. I've been assigned to you to help during the transition. Jacob told me he wants you trained by the end of the week."
Wilkens didn't look familiar from her previous time here. She had dark skin and curly hair. She appeared to be middle aged. About the same age as her mother would have been… And she wore a standard Chosen outfit. Which was also strange, because Liz had never seen a woman in the Chosen before, let alone without a mask. Why did Jacob choose this woman to train her?
The woman extended a hand to shake, which she took. "I'm Elizabeth."
"It's nice to finally meet you, Liz. Jacob's told me a lot about you. I'm the only one here that knows your real name though, and it should stay that way. Everyone here will only refer to you as Commander. He feels it's better that no one knows your previous connection to the Whitetails." Wilkens said.
Liz relaxed a little bit. That sounded like something Jacob would say. This didn't appear to be a set up after all. She had a lot of questions but there was only one that took precedent.
"Where is Jacob?" She asked.
"He's in the Valley. He should be back soon but he wants you to stay here for now."
She gave Wilkens a puzzled look. Why would Jacob be there? They were supposed to have attacked the Wolf's Den. None of this made sense.
"Since he's not here, I'll ask you. Why can't I remember anything? And how did I get injured?" She pulled her sleeve back and showed the woman her wound. It had scabbed over by this point but the jagged scar was still visible.
Wilkens took a step forward. Her energy was calming even though Liz didn't know her. She didn't trust the woman yet though. "The Whitetails bunker was empty. There was an ambush and a cougar attacked you. You killed it but were still wounded on the arm. You were evacuated here for treatment. You've been passed out for two days."
'Shit. Two days.' Liz thought.
But wait. Something wasn't adding up. She couldn't have held a rifle. That means she would have brought her pistol to an attack. If she had killed a cougar, there would be some rounds missing in her gun. There would also have been some type of residue on it. Unless, Jacob had just cleaned and loaded it for her. But he didn't seem to have time for that. There was more than Wilkens was letting on. This wasn't the time to grill the woman though. She needed to play it cool.
"Why can't I remember anything?" She asked again and gritted her teeth.
"It's okay, Liz. I know you're confused. You lost a lot of blood and you hit your head. We also had to put you on shots because we didn't know if the cougar had any diseases. The memory loss was expected."
Despite Wilkens making somewhat sense, Liz was still skeptical. But she decided not to push it for now. If Jacob assigned this woman to her, there must be a reason. She would just get the answers from Jacob himself when he got back.
Liz took a deep breath. "So, what does Jacob need me to do?"
"He gave me my orders but there's a note for you on the desk. Take some time to get adjusted. I'll be outside when you're ready to discuss more."
Wilkens gave her another smile and left. The door slid closed behind her. Liz only now realized how different Jacob's office looked. The door wasn't the only change. Deep red curtains covered all the windows. Most of the cabinets and heavy furniture were gone. In its place was a wardrobe, a bed, and gun rack mounted on the wall. On it was an AR-C, a sniper rifle, and her bat.
This office seemed to be her office now. Liz found herself smiling. She hadn't even read the note yet, but she knew Jacob had done this. She walked over to the desk. On it sat her hat, and a piece of paper. It read:
L,
I'm sorry I won't be there when you wake up, I had some other things to attend to. You were injured again. Take the time you need to rest and heal. Listen to Wilkens, she'll help you. I'll see you soon.
-J
It was a little difficult to make out. He had written it in cursive. Liz was grinning ear to ear. She didn't know Jacob could write in cursive, nor had she seen his handwriting before. She set the note down on the desk. She would definitely be keeping that. She placed her hat back on her head.
She took another moment to inspect the room. Inside the wardrobe, there was more than she had expected. There were more pairs of pants and sweaters, night clothes, a regular chosen outfit, and that blue dress… Liz chuckled to herself. She didn't know what context she would wear it again. But it was a nice sentiment.
Her eyes moved to the bat hanging on the wall. Liz had never used this bat before and she couldn't really right now with her arm. But it was a part of her. A symbol. She debated it for another moment before taking it off the wall and throwing it over her back. Maybe it would intimidate someone.
There was something else about this room, there were no mirrors. Thank gosh. The last thing she wanted to do was look at her ugly self.
'Nice touch.' She thought.
Liz took another moment to collect herself. She didn't have answers about why she couldn't remember or what happened two nights ago. But Jacob wanted her here, and that was enough for her. Everything else could be figured out later.
She took another deep breath. She was not Liz Palmer, she was this 'Commander'. She could do this. She could do this. There was still no one around when she opened the door. Surprising. She slid it close behind her. She immediately tried to put on a façade. Time to go to work.
When she got outside, she discovered everyone was gathered around the obstacle course. It was even rowdier than she remembered. Wilkens was standing along the edge. She approached the woman.
"You should be resting." She said.
"Yeah well, I figure I need to learn this stuff. Might as well start now…" She shrugged.
"No rest for the weary then."
'Yup.' Liz thought.
Liz hadn't felt like she'd rested since she'd gotten here. Even the nights spent with Jacob, she was never fully relaxed. She probably never would be again. That was something she had to accept. She ignored Wilkens comment.
"What are they doing?" She asked.
The Chosen were running the course in teams, not individuals. As soon as one man finished, the other one in line took off, eager to beat the next. The rest of the men were gathered on all sides, screaming their heads off.
Of course, she could only hear one side of their screams. It was a bit of a pain sometimes. She always tried to keep everyone on her right side. There had been an awkward conversation with Faith the other day where she had to keep saying 'what' a hundred times.
Wilkens turned to her. "This is the gauntlet. After the pit got filled in, this is how we've been testing the best of the best. Without killing one another. We don't need to lose any more men with how many the Deputy has been taking out."
The mention of the Deputy made her hands curl into fists. That was the one man she didn't want to hear about. She couldn't wait to kill him. But she stopped that line of thought. What was the other thing that Wilkens said? The pit got filled in? When the fuck did that happen? Now might not be the time to ask.
"Good. I didn't like that thing. Fucking Ramirez…" She hissed. Over the screams, no one else would be able to hear her. But Wilkens did.
"I agree that this is the better option. Makes more sense. Ramirez was unstable…"
Damn right he had been. Liz could still remember what it felt like when she'd been tossed in the pit. That had been one of the worst days. She was glad Jacob had put a bullet in that man.
"Do you know what happened?" Liz asked.
Wilkens nodded. She didn't need to say more. Jacob had told the woman everything after all. It made sense that she knew how Liz was saved that day. One of Liz's fears was everyone else finding out that it was her that day in the pit. But that was very unlikely. Back then, she'd had hair… and both ears… and her face wasn't scarred. So she'd probably be fine.
The obstacle course faded from her focus. She turned to face Wilkens and stared the woman down. "So, why you? You're not Chosen."
That still confused her. Why was this woman, of all people, picked by Jacob to train her? Wouldn't it make more sense to have someone with experience in this field?
Wilkens sighed. "You're right, partially. I once was a Chosen, a long time ago. Recently, I've been the head midwife in John's bunker. Jacob chose me because he said you respond well to logic and reason. And those are two areas that I excel in."
Damn that man. He really did know her. Liz took a moment to ponder what other questions she had for the woman. Their conversation had gone unnoticed by the men around. Shocker. Men not paying attention to powerful women seemed to be the norm of the Peggies.
"What specific things are expected of me?" Liz asked.
"We'll get to that. You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly. For you right now, getting rest is the most important thing."
"Yeah…"
Liz almost felt like rolling her eyes. That definitely sounded like a line from Jacob. He had turned so soft on her. There would have been a time when Jacob would have kicked her ass for resting, but now he encouraged it. Funny how time changes things.
She and Wilkens watched the obstacle course for another few minutes. It was the same every time. Each man tried to go faster than the next but there was truly no difference in their techniques. They were all trained the same. Liz felt her eyes gloss over.
During the next pair of runners, one of them stopped on the run back. He started screaming profanities at his opponent. The other man stopped as well and a fight broke out. The two men struck blows off one another. One man fell in the mud and collapsed onto his knees. Seconds later… he was in a headlock.
Liz felt her heart jump out of her chest.
"You gonna do something about this, Commander? Or do you need me to?" Wilkens asked.
Liz felt herself freeze up. It was the same headlock that the boy had once put her in. She had almost died that day…
"Just go." Liz whispered.
Wilkens stepped in and shouted at the two men. She grabbed the collar of one man and threw him off with ease. He stayed planted in the mud. The other man tried to fight Wilkens but quickly backed down at her commands.
Liz just stood there and crossed her arms. Her stomach churned. After a few more shouts, the men ran back to the start position. No one even spared a glance towards Liz. Thank gosh.
She couldn't be out here anymore. She turned from the obstacle course and headed inside. Wilkens said something but the words didn't process. She didn't really give a damn about being Commander today. She needed answers first.
Liz sulked all the way back to her office and sealed the door shut. Why was she here? Why couldn't she remember anything from the past few days? And where was Jacob? She thought about running off but she couldn't. Jacob wanted her to stay here, so that's what she was going to do.
She stayed locked in the office for the rest of the day. The weight of this new position was weighing down on her. Wilkens didn't come to bother her. Some woman had brought her food late in the evening. Liz kept herself busy with the few books in her office and the file cabinets. Hopefully she would find more answers tomorrow.
Day 2
Liz barely slept through the night. After being asleep for a few hours, the phone that set on her desk rang. Her eyes shot open. The ringing echoed throughout her office. The sound pierced her ear.
'What the fuck.' She thought.
She fell out of bed and stumbled over to the desk. Her head was spinning. Who the hell was calling this phone? She didn't even know the thing worked. She snatched it up.
"Hello?" She asked.
No one spoke, but she could hear someone breathing on the other end. Liz somehow instantly knew who the breathing belonged to. There was only one person who could call this phone. She waited a moment for him to say something, but he never did. She sure as shit wasn't going to be the first to speak. She still deserved answers. If he didn't want to give them to her, that was on him.
She slowly exhaled and she heard the phone hang up on the other end. The dial tone bounced around in her ear. Why would she get that phone call from him? Maybe it was a wake-up call and nothing else? Or just checking to make sure she was alive? Either way, Liz's feelings were a bit wounded.
Liz had woken up with no memory of prior events and no Jacob… And right now she had no chance at answers. Could things get any more complicated? She stood from the desk and rubbed her eyes. Why did it have to be so damn early? She missed the times when she could sleep in till noon with no consequences. During her first time here, she'd gotten used to waking up early. But after the Whitetails and then just staying with Jacob, she'd gotten thrown off her game. It'd take some time to adjust again.
It took about ten minutes for her to get ready in the small bathroom that was attached to the office. At least Jacob was good for something. She was grateful not to have to use those communal bathrooms anymore.
Instead of her uniform, she opted for a black tank. She also wrapped dark bandages around her arms. It was probably a good idea to keep her wound covered. She still wasn't convinced that it was a cougar that had given her the scar. She reminded herself to be patient. Jacob wasn't here right now, but maybe he would be soon. He'd left her a note and had called her. Everything would be revealed to her in due time.
She also grabbed her gun and iPod before heading out the door. Not her hat though. She didn't need it right now. She slipped out of her office and gently closed the door. The Chalet was asleep. Wake up wasn't for another hour. So, that meant she had time to get adjusted. She strode out the front door.
The cool air instantly sent a chill down her spine. Maybe she should have brought her jacket but too late now. Hopefully working up a sweat would warm her. There was no one out on the training grounds. The only men were the Chosen taking lookout up in the towers. The one in the closest tower took notice of her. He looked at her strange. Liz gave him a small salute and after that he went back on duty. Thank gosh. She just wanted to be left alone right now.
Liz pulled her iPod out. She had found it among her things last night. Once again, thanks Jacob. She flipped through the songs until the words: THE CLASH came across the screen. A small smile crept across her face.
'Oh, Wheaty. You always had the best taste in music.' She thought.
She placed the earbuds in and stretched her muscles. It'd been a long time since she'd run. At least over a month. But if she was going to be 'Commander' she needed to get fit again.
Liz took off and began running laps around the Chalet. This was much harder than she remembered. Her chest heaved with each step. It was more a slow jog than a run. She followed the path further down from the complex, so she was out of the view of the guards. She didn't want anyone watching her pathetic state.
Her shoulder ached a little also as she ran. But it didn't hurt as much as it should. It had only been about eight days since the incident at the outpost. Give or take a few days. Liz had been passed out during half of them.
Still, something wasn't right about everything going on. She just couldn't put her finger on it. Jacob wasn't here, she couldn't remember, and she got attacked by a cougar but yet her gun had been completely clean. This whole thing was just weird. This was the first time she'd ever experienced something like this. As happy as she had felt over the past few days, Liz still didn't like not knowing.
The music helped distract her from her troubles. It also helped her keep moving. She ran for about twenty minutes before having to stop. Thank gosh she wasn't still a trainee or someone would be ripping her a new one right now. She propped herself up on a tree to rest and took her headphones out. She focused on taking deep breaths. Calm down. If one good thing had come from this, Liz definitely wasn't cold anymore.
A noise from downwind caught her attention. She bounded up and drew her weapon. The only thing around was a pair of cages in the clearing. One of them was occupied.
Liz walked over to inspect the prisoner, despite her better judgement. While it had been difficult at first to make them out in the moonlight, Liz realized it was the same boy that she'd encountered a few days ago. That was one of the only things that she remembered.
The boy shot up from the ground. "It's you. You're the one who saved my life."
Liz rolled her eyes and holstered her gun. Not this shit again. This is what she got for investigating when she shouldn't have. She turned from the boy.
"Wait!" He shouted.
She ignored his pleas and continued to walk away. She did not need to indulge this. It was not a good idea. It would only get her in trouble and get that boy killed.
"You played softball for the cougars didn't you?" He asked.
Liz stopped dead in her tracks. Her hands curled into fits. Point to random boy. She whipped around and stalked back to the cage.
"How the hell do you know that?"
His backed away. "I told you I recognized you before. I just couldn't tell with the scar. You were David's little sister right?"
Hearing her brother's name made something inside her snap. She reached into the cage and snatched the front of his shirt, slamming him into the bars. Fear struck in his eyes. Good. This boy needed to fear her.
"Don't say his goddamn name…" She hissed.
"I'm sorry. But I just knew you were Elizabeth."
This boy had begun to irk her. There was a small part of her that wanted to blow his brains out right there, but she wouldn't. It would attract too much attention. She didn't need that right now. Especially not on her second day.
"That's not my name anymore. And who the hell are you?" Liz asked.
He threw his hands up in surrender. "Ethan. Ethan Minkler."
Liz's eyes grew wide and she released him. What? Virgil's son? She had known him back in high school. He had played baseball for the Cougars. That's why she recognized him. But wait. That couldn't be possible. This boy had to be lying to save his own skin.
"Ethan Minkler is dead! I went to his funeral four years ago. The whole town did."
He shook his head. "No. My dad told everyone that because he didn't want people to know I joined the Peggies. I thought this is what I wanted but it's not. I've been stuck in Jacob's bunker the whole time until a few weeks ago. I hadn't seen sunlight for four years! You gotta get me out of here, Elizabeth!"
Liz took a moment to process the boy's confession. She couldn't believe that the mayor lied about his own son dying. Holy shit. She always thought Virgil was an honorable man but deep down he was coward.
Ethan tried to grab her arm but she snatched it away. "No! That's not my name and you won't use it in my presence. Or ever! You made your choice when you joined the Project. It's not my fault you're a non-believer! You'll do as you're goddamn told."
Liz stomped away from the cage. She thought about releasing him, but if someone had put him in there, he deserved it. His pleas quickly fell from her range. She couldn't hear shit half the time anyway.
She wasn't sure if she was a believer herself, but it didn't matter. She was in this role. So, she might as well act like it.
Day 3
Liz held her breath as the needle pierced her skin. She hated this part of her day. The woman in the medical center gently emptied the contents in her bloodstream. Liz didn't know what this medicine was supposed to look like, but she hadn't expected it to have a green tint. There would have been a time she would have tried to beat the shit out of anyone who tried to give her anything. But Liz was trying to work on trust. She trusted Wilkens because Jacob trusted her.
She always claimed that she hated getting the shot, but she always felt happy after it. There had to be some other pain medicine with it. Either way, it helped her.
"Thanks." Liz said.
The woman smiled and dimples formed on her cheeks. She didn't look too much older than Liz was. She liked the woman's smile. It was much prettier than her own probably was.
"You're welcome, Commander." The woman said.
That word still felt strange when people said it to her. Even though Liz had picked it out herself, she wondered if there was something better she could have come up with. Too late now. There was part of her that wanted to tell the woman to call her Liz. But it quickly passed. Wilkens would beat her ass if she told anyone.
Liz stood and got dressed. Her muscles ached from her workout this morning. It was good that she was doing it again, as much as it sucked.
After the incident yesterday, everything else had went pretty smooth. Wilkens had elaborated more on her responsibilities. It was things that she could handle. And Jacob was right about mainly one thing: she did respond well to logic and reason.
She had received another phone call this morning. To which, she hadn't answered. She had picked the phone up and slam it back down. Liz was kind of pissed. If Jacob had wanted to talk to her, he would have done it already. Or he would just be here. It'd been three days and he hadn't come to see her. She was just going to have to keep herself distracted until that time came.
Liz fetched her weapons and gave the woman one last glance. She winked at her. Blush formed on the woman's cheeks. Good. It was nice to know she still had some pull even if she was an ugly, scarred, monster. Or maybe the woman was just being nice because Liz was technically in charge. No matter.
Wilkens was waiting for her outside at the range. This morning the Chalet was alive. Liz made a point to stand a little straighter and keep her gaze cool. Today, everyone was watching her.
At the gun range, at least ten trainees were set up with scoped rifles. Wilkens stood back from them with her arms crossed.
"Good to see you this morning. You ready for today?" She said.
Liz laughed. "Always. What do we got here?"
Gunshots echoed across the grounds, piercing her ear. She fetched a pair of sound mufflers and eye protection. She needed to wear these more often when she shot. She could barely make out what Wilkens was saying but it helped reading her lips.
"These are the newest recruits. Most of them have never even shot a gun before. It's been interesting so far."
Liz shrugged. That was probably true. She had once been one of those green recruits. She knew better now. She watched as the recruits fired round after round into the targets. Most of them missed, but some got better with each shot.
One boy on the end just couldn't figure out that rifle for the life of him. One bullet was jammed in the chamber. Oh no. He was going to get somebody killed. She didn't look to Wilkens this time. A surge of confidence flowed through her. She could handle this one.
She stalked over to the boy. "What are you doing!" She shouted.
The boy jumped out of his skin. The rifle fumbled in his hands. He turned back to look at Liz with fear in his eyes. Good. She seemed to have a knack for scaring the piss out of boys.
"I-I. S-Sorry, Commander." The boy stuttered.
"Give me your rifle." She said.
The boy handed it over like it was a live bomb. Maybe she should be gentler on him, considering she had once been the same. But she wasn't going to. She snatched the rifle away from him and cleared the jammed bullet.
"You can't shoot if your chamber is jammed!" She yelled at him. She propped the rifle up on her shoulder. It dug into her wound. Ouch. She grunted and powered through it.
If all eyes weren't on her before, they sure were now. She grabbed the bolt handle and cocked it back. A bullet slid perfectly into the chamber. Liz glared down the scope at her target. It was only about ten yards away.
She held her breath just like Jacob had taught her and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit dead center. Hot damn. It seemed she hadn't lost her touch after all.
She shoved the rifle back into the boy's hands. "Get back to work."
"Yes sir."
Liz walked back over to Wilkens. The woman gave her a look. "Nice job." She said.
She shrugged. "Being mean to men has always been the one thing I've been good at."
"And you play it well." Wilkens said. The woman looked almost proud of her. Liz had only known her a few days, but she liked the woman. Jacob had done a great job choosing her.
"What else do you need me to do?" Liz asked.
"There's some papers up in your office you should sign. They're bliss shipments coming in from Faith's region."
'Papers really?' Liz thought. It seemed like a cheap move to get rid of her. Had she done something wrong already?
"Why can't you sign them?" She asked.
Wilkens sighed. "I'm not going to be here forever. You need to handle it. And you'll want to go up to your office. Trust me."
Once again, that was strange. But she wasn't going to argue with Wilkens. There was no point. She was just as cryptic as Jacob sometimes. Probably another reason why the woman was chosen for this job.
"Fine." She hissed.
Liz headed back up to the office. Things were running smoothly today, thank gosh. She still didn't know everything about this job yet. A few men gave her a nod as she walked. Even though she felt like she didn't deserve it; that was such a great feeling. They respected her. The Whitetails never did. Not even Eli, Dep, and Sharky had. But these Peggies that didn't even know her name, did. Just because Jacob had told them to.
This is where she was meant to be after all. She felt almost giddy. The inside of the Chalet was empty, as usual. Everyone was out in the July sun, sweating their asses off. She stomped all the way back to her office.
At the top of the stairs stood a blonde petite figure.
"Faith." She said.
Liz bounded up the stairs and into the woman's arms. Faith quickly returned the embrace. The two women swayed in each other's arms. She was a few inches shorter than Liz, but it didn't matter. All at once, Liz's fears faded. This was the first time in the past few days she had felt at peace.
She was the first to pull away. A giant smile spread across her face. Faith looked a lot different. Gone was her typical dress, and in its place was a soft pink one. She also was wearing shoes for the first time Liz had ever seen.
"What are you doing here?" Liz asked.
"I wanted to see how your new job was. And I was told that you could use the support."
"Did Jacob send you?" Not that she wasn't grateful for the woman's presence. But questions had been burning in the back of her mind for three days. She needed answers. The only person who could give that to her was nowhere to be found.
Faith grabbed her hands and squeezed them tight. Her smile faded. Great. Just what Liz wanted to hear. Another day with no answers.
"Wilkens was the one that said I should come. You were requesting shipments, so I figured it'd be a good time."
A puzzled looked crossed her face. How did Wilkens know about her friendship with Faith? Then again, how did Wilkens know everything? She couldn't imagine that Jacob had told that woman so much about her. But then again, it wasn't impossible. If anything Wilkens actions aligned with things that Jacob would have done.
Liz was just tired. She wanted answers from someone, anyone. But Faith didn't seem like the person that would give an edge. If Jacob wasn't going to show up, she'd just have to play along with everyone till he did.
"Right… shipments."
The woman squeezed her hands again and her smile came back. "Come on, show me around the place. It's been a long time since I've been up here."
Time to play the part. Liz offered Faith her arm and led her down the stairs. The woman was much more graceful than she was. Where Faith's steps were gentle and precise; Liz's were loud and clumsy. They truly were opposites. Maybe that's why they got along so well.
She led Faith down the stairs and out the front door. The sun began beating down on the two of them again. As if Liz wasn't sweaty enough already. Faith didn't object to anything though. Her grip stayed on Liz's arm. She was expecting pain to flare up in her shoulder again, but it didn't.
Faith, once again, stuck to her right side. That would be the only way to actually hear what the woman was saying. It was annoying, but she had slowly been getting used to it. Just like this job. Yesterday had gone somewhat smooth. She hadn't made a fool of herself so that was a step in the right direction.
The two women walked over to the shipment truck. Men were unloading barrels of bliss- a shit ton of barrels of bliss. She didn't know what the hell they were going to be used for. But it didn't seem like the time to ask. She would stick to simpler questions.
"How many are there?"
"A hundred." Faith said.
Liz shrugged, satisfied with the woman's answer. If Jacob wanted this much bliss here, then so be it. It was probably for the judges or something.
"Obstacle course is this way." She said.
Faith continued to cling to her arm as they walked the grounds. Liz sometimes got a reaction out of the Chosen but this woman was something else. Every man in their vicinity gawked at Faith. They were so entranced that half of them stopped what they were doing. A few of them even tripped over their own feet. Liz couldn't blame them.
That woman was special. She could get the attention of thousands of men without even saying a word. Liz couldn't help feel but a little jealous. Even at her best, she still hadn't been an attractive woman. She'd always been disregarded as a child. And now she was just truly some monster. She knew it didn't matter, but there was a part of her that longed to be beautiful for once in her life. She would never hold any grudge against Faith though. That woman has been the only person that's been kind to her all this time. Still, every pair of eyes was on Faith and not her.
The Chalet seemed to come to a halt when they got to the obstacle course. The men halted in their places at the starting line. At least forty sets of eyes were on them. Liz's face scrunched up.
"Who the fuck told you all to stop?" She shouted.
The men scrambled back to their posts. Two men took off at the obstacle course. Faith shifted next to her. Liz bent down to speak in her ear.
"You always cause a ruckus like that?" Liz asked.
She laughed. "Sometimes. Do you?"
"Not the same way that you do." She slowly exhaled. Liz could, sometimes, strike fear in those who were weaker than her. But allure was not in her skill set. Not even Jacob was entranced by her.
Faith squeezed her arm tighter. "You cause ruckus in different ways though."
That was the one thing Jacob would concur with. She'd been causing ruckus since the beginning. From trying to stab Jacob on her first day at the Chalet, to jumping in freezing waters, and trying to kill him again in his bunker.
"I guess you're right about that." She laughed.
All her fears of the day faded. It was really nice to have a friend. Sure, Jacob was her friend. But with him it was different, very different. She couldn't be 100% open with him because she was always trying to impress him. Faith though, she didn't have to impress. It seemed that woman was already impressed with her since the beginning. Being around her was like being around her group of friends down south. Except… she couldn't even remember those girl's names anymore. How pathetic was that.
She pushed the thoughts from her head. That life didn't matter now. At least, that's what Liz told herself. The more she forgot her past life, the easier being in Eden's Gate became. The whole situation still stung a bit though.
The two women watched the obstacle course for a few minutes. It wasn't anything she hadn't seen a million times before.
"Let's go check out the range."
Faith nodded. Liz kept her arm and slowly led them to the other gun range at the bottom of the Chalet. Once again, all the men were starting. But not at her… Faith seemed to take notice and gently squeezed her arm.
There were a few men shooting clay pigeons. Her eyes were fixated on the orange discs soaring through the air. The men would take aim and shatter them into a million pieces. She'd done this a few times before years ago with her father, but only once here. While she wasn't an expert in it, these men certainly were.
Every pigeon that was thrown, shattered. The men fell into a rythym. It was fascinating to watch. She could probably watch them all day and not grow bored. She felt Faith place a hand on her shoulder.
"I'd like to see you try."
Her head perked up. "Really?"
The woman nodded. A surge of joy flushed through her. She was going to have a chance to show off to Faith, or at least try to. She was going to make it count. She fetched ear protection and walked over to the men. They shattered at least two more clays before they noticed her presence.
"Yes sir?"
"I wanna shoot." She said.
One of the men handed over the shotgun. It was a lot heavier than she remembered. The sleek black design almost sparkled in the sunlight.
"Is this a .20 or a .12 gauge?" She asked.
".12"
Liz handed the shotgun back to the man. "Go fetch me a .20"
The man returned with a much slimmer gun. It had wood paneling and looked a little worn. Probably from years of use. She didn't mind though. This would be much more her speed.
She grabbed two shells. The first dropped into the side and slid right into the barrel. She pressed the button on the bottom. The chamber slammed closed. She flipped the gun over and tried to load the next shell in. It would slide all the way down but wouldn't load into the chamber. Shit. Her cheeks turned bright red. The Chosen moved to help her but she waved them off.
"I got it." She hissed.
After two more tries, she figured it out and loaded the second shell into place. Finally. The chosen backed off. She stepped out further and got into her stance. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see one of the men loading up a clay. She took one last deep breath.
"Pull!" She shouted.
The man yanked the string and the orange disc flew soared through the air. Liz felt herself panic at the sight. She fired her first shot early and missed completely. The butt of the shotgun slammed into her wound. Ouch. That hurt. But she couldn't show her pain.
The clay began to sink and she panicked again. Her second shot was at least two feet over the clay. It fell only for a moment more and landed somewhere off the mountain.
Shit. This had been a lot easier last time. She turned back to Faith. The woman gave her a sympathetic smile. She grabbed two more shells and loaded them. She took a minute to rub at her shoulder. She was going to power through. The next one she was determined to hit.
"Pull!"
The man pulled the string and another clay launched through the air. It moved faster this time. She kept her eye on the target and followed it with the end of the barrel. It was no different than watching a softball fly. She missed the first shot but quickly rebounded. She adjusted her aim to below the target and squeezed the trigger.
The clay shattered into a thousand pieces. Her heart leaped up into her chest and she grinned. That was kind of fun. Almost more fun than hitting a softball.
With each clay thrown, she would shatter a little more than every other one. The sun continued to beat down on her. Eventually, sweat began to drip down her brow and she became tired of shooting. She shattered one last clay and lowered the shotgun.
She clicked the safety into place and handed in back to the Chosen. "Here."
Faith gently clapped for her. "How was that?" Liz asked.
"Perfect. You're a natural at it." She said.
Liz couldn't help but smile again, even though she probably shouldn't. It was nice to have Faith around though. She was a light during all this confusion. And probably the only one that could keep her calm like this.
They linked arms again. "I'll show you the rest of the place."
The woman nodded and followed her lead. She couldn't get her smile to go away. Every single man at the compound stared at them as they walked by.
"Sorry I'm kind of sweaty." She sighed.
Faith leaned her head on Liz's shoulder. "It's okay. I don't mind."
They wandered around until they were deep into the woods down from the Chalet. There was a tent with a table and a few chairs. Liz plopped herself down on the table, letting her feet dangle. Faith sat in one of the chairs. They could use a break.
Liz removed her hat and set it next to her. There was a sweat ring that had formed on the brim. Gross. But she supposed it was bound to happen, considering she wore it every second of every day.
She looked back to Faith. She shouldn't press the woman about anything. She shouldn't. But there were a million questions burning in her mind. Liz would be a fool if she didn't try to get some answers. Especially now that they were alone.
"I suppose you don't know why I can't remember anything?
Her lips pressed into a thin line. There was something that Faith was holding back from her. She was so good at keeping secrets. Liz had just always hoped that it didn't apply to her too.
"The Father always says that patience is a virtue. Everything will be revealed to you in due time.
Liz scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Right so we're back to talking about what The Father says…"
Her words were low, but she still found herself looking around to see if anyone heard. She'd been speaking so boldly about her feelings against Joseph. One day it would bite her in the ass. Thankfully, they were a bit away from the Chalet. And the tent obscured them from view.
"It's always been about his words. You've come so far, but I hope you realize that soon." Faith smiled at her. It wasn't one of sadness or defeat. It was in full confidence in what she was saying. Such a contrast from the first time they met.
The realization hit Liz like a truck. She felt as if the air had been kicked from her lungs. Had the signs been there all this time?
"So, everything you told me about how he hurt you was bullshit? It was all about just getting me here…"
She stood from the table and paced around. No. This couldn't be happening. Faith was the one person she actually trusted. She hadn't been manipulated. She hadn't. Faith shot up and tried to calm her down. For some reason, Liz felt like she'd been warned about this before. But she couldn't remember by who or when.
"I never lied to you. He's done… awful things to me. But I believe in his message and in the Project. I want you to believe too."
"Goddamn it Rachel…" She hissed. Her cheeks grew hot. Why did something like this always happen? Why couldn't things go right for once?
Faith grabbed her hands and squeezed them tight. Blush had formed on the woman's cheeks as well. "Everything I've told you was true. I just knew… that you needed to believe that you weren't the only one being used. So, you didn't feel alone. And that maybe you'd grow closer to us because you wanted to save me…"
She tried to snatch her hands away but Faith's grip was iron tight. Something in the woman's eyes changed too. It was something Liz had never seen before. There was no fear in her gaze, only assertion. It was her true self come forth.
"I didn't mean to deceive you. But I was wrong about one thing: you're not a hero type." She scoffed.
Liz Palmer was not a hero type.
She'd never heard something more true in her life. All this time she'd been running around, trying to figure out who she was. It was clear now though. She was never meant to be the hero, even though Wheaty had once called her that. She wasn't even meant to be a sidekick either. Maybe she was the villain...
Liz brought death and destruction wherever she went. She'd killed her cousin, put Wheaty in a wheelchair, and helped bring the Whitetails to their knees. Eli's heart was probably broken too and it was all her fault. She'd chosen herself time and time again. But, she didn't really care. She's always been a selfish person. It was about time that she accepted it.
She looked up at Faith, searching her face for answers. "Why?"
"The closer you were to us, the more I could keep you safe. I wasn't trying to make a fool out of you. Just to get you to join us without being drugged. I do… care about you."
Faith squeezed her hands again and moved in closer. Her heart beat faster. She wanted to throw this woman off and just go about her day. She was sick of being lied to. And right now she felt betrayed. It had been her closest friend of all people. But Faith-Rachel beamed up at her and Liz didn't know what to do. Damn that woman, she really was something special or something dangerous. Either way it wasn't good. And it only confused Liz even more.
She kept her hands steeled at her sides, trying to hold onto any strength she had. Faith cut right past it though. Her hands roamed across Liz's chest, trying to invoke a reaction. Eventually she grabbed Liz's collar and pulled her down until they were right in each other's faces.
This wasn't like anything with Jacob. With him, it was always about tension, control, and letting things explode after being bottled up. With Faith, it was gentle and calm. It was ignoring the rest of the world and just being free.
Faith pulled her down until their foreheads touched. She felt her anger fade. They stood there for a while, just breathing each other in. Liz seemed to forget that they were even at the Chalet. They might as well be in the bliss.
She was the first to pull away. Her heart was still beating out of her chest. Despite everything, she couldn't trust this woman. Their friendship had been built on manipulation. Faith studied her face, trying to gauge her thoughts.
"I don't want you back here after this." Liz said.
Faith nodded. "I know. And Joseph won't let me see you anymore. He says I've been distracted."
She looked up at Liz again. There was that longing again. She moved her hands to the back of Liz's neck and pulled her down. She placed a chaste kiss on her lips. It was quick but still sweet. Liz could still feel her lips burning even after she pulled away. The kiss wasn't one of passion like her ones with Jacob. It was farewell.
Faith released her. The woman looked sad, but nowhere near tears. It was more disappointment. In either herself or Liz, she didn't know. But one thing was clear: the real Faith Seed made her appearance today.
"I'll see myself out. Goodbye, Liz." Faith gave her one last look before disappearing to the Chalet.
Liz had so many things to say but they all became choked. She just stood there out in the woods, with her lips that were still on fire.
"Goodbye." She whispered.
Day 5
The sun began to set on the Chalet. Today had been uneventful. There had been no incidents, no screw ups on her part, and no Jacob Seed…
With each day that passed, she grew more pissed at him. There were so many things that were unanswered for her. Jacob was supposed to be here. Didn't he care about her? She'd been injured the last time they were together. She still had the scar to prove it. If he did care about her, he would have been by her side when she woke up.
While there had been that note on her first day, it didn't ease her pain. But deep down, not remembering did bother her that much, she just missed him. He'd had a presence in her life for what seemed like so long. Being away from him was hard. They were supposed to be a team, or so she thought.
But one thing was clear. Whatever happened during the missing time had some sort of consequences.
She was still angry with Faith too. She sulked around the whole time yesterday, thinking about their last meeting. But that was a problem for another time. Once she eventually saw Jacob again and got answers, she could sort out her feeling for Faith.
Tonight though, there was a special sermon to be delivered to some of the soldiers. Listening to one's of Joseph's assholes, was the last thing she wanted to do. Liz still wasn't sure if she believed in the whole 'collapse' jargon. Or even if Joseph talked to God. But this gig was her best option for now. She couldn't exactly go back to the Whitetails…
A handful of men began to gather at one of the tents. A single lantern sat on the table, casting off an orange glow. Almost all the seats were filled. Every member appeared excited to be there. Liz found herself surprised at their behavior. But she quickly remembered that not everyone here was a fraud like her. These men actually wanted to be here. Rachel wanted to be here too…
Liz took a seat in the very back and crossed her arms. No one spared her a glance. The tattooed preacher opened up the book of Joseph and began.
"This world is on the brink…"
That's literally as much as Liz could stomach before she tuned him out. She could tolerate that shit from Jacob, but not this guy. Maybe with Jacob, it had more to do with his voice than what he was actually saying. She loved Jacob's voice. She could listen to him for hours on end.
She became so wrapped up in her thoughts of Jacob, she hadn't noticed that someone sat down next to her. Hey eyes quickly glanced at the intruder and then away. She went back to staring at the preacher. She had barely gotten a look at the man beside her. The smile on his face had also been smug, too smug. Almost John Seed levels of smugness. That wasn't good.
Liz did her best not to look again. But she found herself sparing glances at the man. He did the same. Her cheeks grew flush. What did this guy want with her? Was he trying to intimidate her? Or maybe he was just gawking at his 'superior'.
Either way, it made her fucking uncomfortable. She sunk further in her chair and kept her eyes facing forward. As soon as the preacher was done, the man bolted. She whipped around to catch another glimpse of the man but he had disappeared into the night. Shit.
The rest of the Chosen slowly began to thank the preacher and went back to their business. She could hear a few of them rambling on about how great the sermon was. Liz seriously doubted that. But still, she needed to put on a good face.
She walked up to the preacher and shook his hand. She actually managed to form a smile too. "Thank you for that."
"Of course, Commander. We always need to hear the word of Joseph in these trying times." The man's smile was larger than her own, and genuine. God, the Peggies did truly believe this stuff. She wondered what it was like to be that diluted by a lie. But then again, that was coming from someone who was in charge of these damn Peggies.
Liz released his hand. "Well, you're welcome back here any time. Goodnight."
The preacher smiled at her one last time and dismissed himself. Liz was left alone in the tent. The only light was from the paint glow of the lantern. Everywhere else had quickly fell into darkness. She'd noticed it'd started getting darker earlier. Which was strange, considering it was late July.
Maybe it was just a Montana thing? She'd been gone for three years after all. Or maybe it was just a Hope County thing. Liz wasn't fully convinced that this damn place wasn't cursed or something.
It was probably time to go to bed, but she had a feeling sleep wouldn't come tonight. That man was still buried in the back of her mind. Why had he looked at her so strange? He might have possibly recognized her from something before. That wasn't too far-fetched after the Ethan Minkler discovery. Nothing was too far-fetched anymore.
Liz stepped out into the darkness. She was going to take a stroll before bed. Hopefully it might clear her mind. The wind ripped across the grounds and she pulled her coat tighter as she walked.
She really wished Jacob was here. She thought about him every second of the day. She's milled over every event that she could remember. But yet, nothing lined up. They had been at the Chalet, prepping for a fight. That's the last thing she could recall.
Apparently, the Wolf's Den had been empty and she was attacked by a cougar and killed it. She had the scar on her arm to prove that but her gun didn't correlate. It had been clean and unfired.
Liz let out a sigh. She was going to stress herself out if she kept thinking about this. She continued to wander much like she did on her morning run. It wasn't till she got to the bottom of the Chalet grounds when she noticed something different. It was something that would have gone unnoticed to all but her.
One of the tents was closed and there was a light on underneath it…
On instinct, she drew her weapon. No one was supposed to be out there at this time. It had to be an intruder… or maybe someone just breaking curfew. It was her job to find out.
Her footsteps slowed as she reached the tent. She could hear people laughing inside. She took a deep breath to steel herself before whipping open the canvas. She aimed her pistol at the assailants.
Inside the tent sat three Chosen. They sat around the faint glow of the lantern. Liz lowered her weapon but didn't put it away.
"What the hell is going on here?" She yelled.
The man furthest in the back jumped. They set down their cards on the round table. The man on the left was the same one that sat down next to her in the tent.
"What's up, Commander?" A smirk formed on his face. He seemed to be the only one that wasn't afraid of her.
Liz's grip on her gun tightened. She kept it trained on the floor still but didn't put it away. "I asked you a question. What the hell is going on here?"
The man stood up to face her. "Just a little Sunday post-sermon gathering. We've been discussing the words of Joseph more."
She scoffed and glanced over at the table. There were piles of cards and assorted items thrown in the center. As well as a few beer bottles. Oh, this man was so full of shit.
"Yeah, word of Joseph my ass. You're gambling, and you're breaking curfew."
The man took a step closer to her, most likely to intimidate. But Liz didn't flinch. She'd started down Jacob Seed and lived. This man was nothing.
"Ramirez never cared. He often joined us."
"Well I'm not Ramirez. So, what's stopping me from putting a cap in all your asses right now?" She spat. One of the boys twitched in his seat. But the ringleader once again, wasn't fazed. He only smiled at her.
"It'd be a little messy for you if three Chosen ended up dead on your first week? Wouldn't it be, Commander?"
"Maybe I like things to be a little messy." She scoffed. Damn, this guy was pretty good. Not Jacob or John levels of good, but still. He wasn't bad.
They all gawked at her, waiting for her to act. She thought for a moment what she should do as this, 'commander'. Jacob would have just shot them all and moved on with his day. But she wasn't Jacob. She was never going to be. She didn't give a damn about the religion part of this cult. She knew more than anyone about wanting to escape from it.
If Jacob had wanted her to act a certain way, he would have shown up by now. She was going to act as she saw fit. Maybe having a few allies wouldn't be a bad thing. Liz holstered her weapon.
"Whatever. Just give me a goddamn drink."
The three guys relaxed and one of them even cheered. The one on the left handed her a bottle. The liquid inside was disgusting but it didn't make her barf like she'd expected. It calmed her too. Even more so than the medicine she got every morning. They cleared the way for her and she sat down at the table. The ringleader dealt out a new set of cards.
"Want us to deal you in?" He asked.
Liz shook her head and laughed. "I don't gamble. I'm not very lucky."
Truthfully, Liz just didn't know how to play poker. The different sets of cards had always been too difficult to memorize and she couldn't bluff worth a damn. But they didn't need to know that. The men went back to their cards and Liz took another drink.
The ringleader played his hand before turning back to her. The smirk on his face turned serious. "You say you're not lucky, but that scar on your face says otherwise."
Oh no. That was one thing that she didn't want to talk about. That night was the worst. Every moment of it had been terrible. She tried to steer the conversation away.
"Well… I guess I have been lucky one time." She laughed. It hadn't been luck though, but Jacob. He'd given up everything to save her that night. But now he wasn't even here. "Also I don't need to add greed to my list of sins. Don't need John finding out."
One of them snickered. He was as pasty as the ringleader but more rough in appearance. "Have you been through atonement?" He asked.
Liz didn't really know what to say. She could play it off as if she had. Spinning tales to impress people was something she could do. That was most definitely in her skill set. But she remembered what Jacob said that first night at the Ranch. She decided to go with the truth.
"No. One of the perks of working up in the Whitetails. But I'm sure that might change one day. Always something unexpected with this job. What about all of you?" She said.
They all shook their heads. "We've been working for Jacob since the beginning too. So, no. We've been spared from that."
It was nice to hear that some Peggies didn't truly believe in all this bullshit. They most definitely bought into Jacob's bullshit though. She couldn't say that she blamed them. That's why she was here after all. Or maybe she was just here because she bought into a different type of Jacob's bullshit.
"What are your names?" She asked.
"I'm Jackson." The ringleader said. He pointed to the other two men. "That's Mitchell, and this is Harris."
She nodded at them. So, it seemed last names were the trend here. She shouldn't be surprised, considering she'd spent three weeks trapped here before. But she never bothered to learn anyone's name during that time. She had only cared about surviving.
"I'm… Commader." She laughed. Jackson chuckled as well. They went back to their cards.
"Fold." Mitchell said. Jackson won the hand.
She took a minute to study the man to her left. He looked to be in about his 20s. Maybe Pratt's age or a little younger. His face didn't have any hair and showed off his chiseled jaw. He was broad shouldered and his hair fell a few inches past his chin. It was even more golden than her own hair had once been. Liz was ashamed to admit it, but she found him attractive.
Jackson looked much like one of the men she might have chased around at college. He even had the witty attitude too. But Liz shouldn't be thinking like that. Especially not about another man. She was with Jacob, sort of. Still, it was very amusing checking out the ringleader. She didn't have any one else to look at right now. Might as well entertain herself.
The Herald of the Whitetail Mountains still hadn't showed up in the past five days. God, she missed him. Why didn't he want to see her? If more time went on without him showing up, she didn't know what she'd do.
"If you don't mind me asking, how'd you get that scar?" Jackson asked.
Her head perked up and she sat down her drink. That was the million dollar question wasn't it? It was probably the first thing that people noticed about her. That scar took her from incompetent child, to a hardened survivor. It didn't meant that she was competent though.
She couldn't tell these boys everything. But she could tell them something. It didn't take her long to formulate a story. That's one thing she was competent at.
She took a deep breath. "The Deputy."
All three of them put down their cards. Just hearing that name had struck fear into them. Just as it struck anger into her. She hated that cowboy hat wearing asshole. She'd love nothing more than to put a bullet in his skull. But she couldn't do that right now, so there was no point in getting worked up over it.
"Have you guys ever seen him?" She asked.
Harris spoke up. "Only once. I saw him leaving the Baron Lumber Mill but I didn't get too close." His eyes drifted back towards the table. Overall, she was surprised that he could speak. He'd been silent all night. He appeared to be a little younger than the other two and was darker in complexion. She couldn't help but wonder if he was the awkward one of the group.
"Well, last time I saw him, he took off my ear." She reached up and ran her fingers across the lumped flesh. It was still scarred and vulgar to look at. At least she didn't have to look at it though. She hadn't looked in a mirror since that one morning at Joseph's compound.
The men all started her down, captivated to hear what had happened that fateful night. For some reason though, when she looked at the three of them; all she could see was Dep, Sharky, and Wheaty. She could remember every moment spent with them. Her chest grew tight. No. Those boys had not been her friends. And they never would be again. She had to move on. Making allies with these Chosen was a good first step.
"One night Seed and I were helping to defend an outpost when the Deputy showed up. He shot me when my back was turned but missed." Liz chuckled. She didn't know why. "Instead the bullet came down the side of my face and took the ear with it."
She held her left hand up and snapped her fingers. "Can't hear out of it either."
If she could take that night back she would. She would have just stayed put at the Ranch and waited for Jacob to come back to her. But if she'd done that, she wouldn't be here at the Chalet. She wouldn't have found her place in the project. Maybe all the things Faith had said ending up having an effect on her.
"Point is, the Deputy isn't someone to be fucked with. If you run into him again, you kill him. On sight. No exceptions."
Even just saying his name lit a fire inside her. She had to constantly remind herself that in due time, he would die. She only hoped that it would be by her own hand. He deserved to die for what he did to her.
"Jacob's told us before though, he needs the Deputy alive." Mitchell said.
Liz slammed her hand on the table, which caused the man to jump. "I don't give a damn about that! That idiot cowboy has taken too many of us. He has to be stopped before he destroys this Project."
For some reason, it felt like she's had this argument before and quite recently. But she couldn't recall when she'd gotten upset over it. Could it have happened during that missing time?
Jackson rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. A sense of unease fell among the trio. This reminded her of the first night back in the Wolf's Den. She had been unhinged and on edge. It seemed that no matter where she was, she brought that sense of unease with her.
"So… you don't agree with Jacob? I thought you'd agree with all his decisions, considering the reason you're in this job." Jackson said.
"What reason are you implying?"
He shrugged. That sick smirk came back across his face. "C'mon lady, we know Jacob doesn't respect women. He'd never put a woman in power unless…"
"Unless what?" She gritted her teeth. Why did this always have to come up? Sure, she was only still alive because she was 'sleeping' with Jacob. But she hadn't asked for this role. This had been something that was forced upon her. And besides, if a piece of shit like Ramirez could do this job, why couldn't she? She deserved to be here as much as anyone.
Liz had grown tired of this man's bullshit. She pulled her 1911 out and aimed it at him. She could see Harris jump out of his skin again. How the hell was that kid a Chosen? But Jackson didn't flinch. He never did. He only smiled at her.
"I am in this job because I don't agree with Jacob. Someone needs to be the Devil's Advocate. And yeah, that comes with the high probability that one day Jacob will blow my head off if I say somethin' he don't like. But someone's got to do it."
Her finger never curled around the trigger as much as she wanted it to. The ringleader was right, she didn't need to kill anyone during her first week. She had other problems to deal with right now. Mainly the 'not remembering anything'. But it didn't mean she couldn't put these boys in their place.
"I may not look like it but I am well qualified to be here. I trained as a Chosen, I've fought the Deputy, and I've been undercover with the Whitetails for the past three years. So, if you lady me one more time. I'll blow your brains out. Understood?"
Jackson studied her for a moment, clearly amused, before throwing his hands up in defeat. "Yes sir."
That seemed to be the last question of her competence. The three men went back to their cards and she put away her weapon. Liz guzzled what was left in the bottle. If there was one thing she didn't want to be tonight, it was sober.
It didn't take long before Mitchell poked up from his cards. "What's Jacob really like? I've only seen him from distances."
Liz took a moment to ponder. What was Jacob truly like? The first word that came to mind was: intimidating. But he was also thoughtful, intelligent, protective, and broken. Sometimes he was even kind, but only to her.
"He uh, don't talk to me very much. I only speak unless spoken to and I try not to make eye contact."
Wrong.
"Overall I don't know very much about him."
Wrong again.
"All that matters is I believe in the work he does. And you all should too."
That was probably the only true thing she'd said all day. Liz denied that she culled the herd. But maybe she did believe in Jacob's work. She'd even told it to Andrea that terrible day out on the road. She could still picture the woman's eyes as her brains had gotten blown out.
"We do too. That's why we're here." Jackson said. He fetched her another drink and one for himself. "To you, Commander. And to culling the herd."
Liz picked up the bottle. Did she really want this? She couldn't be herself in this role. Her whole life would have to be a façade. But also, she was wanted here. No one called her weak and tried to put her in a bunker to protect her. All because Jacob told them to. Even though he wasn't here, she could make the most of it. And maybe after a while, it wouldn't be fake anymore.
She raised her bottle and smiled. "To culling the herd."
Day 6
Liz had just got back from her morning run. It got a bit easier with each day she ran. If she kept this up, one day she'd be back to her full strength. Her head though, still ached a little. She wasn't hungover. She wasn't. But Liz definitely wasn't her normal self.
The sun had slowly began to rise in the distance. It was time to go to work. Her boots stomped along the ground and music blasted into her ears. She hadn't seen the large man blocking her path. She looked up to see Jackson standing in front of her.
She took her earbuds out. "Hey… uh. Good morning. Why are you up so early?"
He looked more disheveled than he did last night. His long hair stuck out in many directions. But it didn't detract from his appearance at all.
"I don't sleep much anyways and I remembered you mentioned your training last night and I figured I'd join you." He shrugged.
That was odd. She didn't remember telling those boys about her training. Maybe Jackson had been watching her for a while? But then again, she couldn't really trust her memory at this point. There were still whole days that were missing.
"Well, sorry. You'll have to get up earlier next time if you wanna catch me."
"Figures… What were you listening to?"
Liz quickly stuffed the iPod away. Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to have it out. The cult rejected everything of the outside world, after all. She'd only gotten a free pass because of her situation with Jacob.
"Keep your rifle by your side." She scoffed. She hated to admit but that had become one of her favorites. Even more so than Set those sinners free.
"Fair enough." Jackson didn't look fully convinced but he didn't question her further.
Liz turned from the man and headed back up to the Chalet. Not surprisingly, he followed her. It didn't seem demeaning this time though, more like eager. She allowed it. He was just a silly man trying to impress his 'superior'.
"I've never seen you with your hat off before. You look a lot better without it." His eyes wandered across her face, curious to see more.
Her cheeks grew hot. No one's ever complemented her new look before. Jacob and Faith had both reassured her that they didn't care what she looked like. But no one had said that it was an improvement until now.
"Thanks…" She said.
"Well it definitely makes you look like a badass. You know…"
The sound of trucks pulling up to the Chalet made him stop. That wasn't right. No one was supposed to be coming or going at this time. Liz drew her weapon. Jackson did the same and followed her lead. She rounded the front corner to see a prisoner van unloading. There were three men doing the job, which was also out of protocol.
"What the hell is going on here? No one unloads prisoners at this hour!" She shouted.
The men turned towards her. "Sorry, sir! But this prisoner couldn't wait till tonight. We needed to get this sinner here immediately."
Liz put away her gun. She stole a quick glance at Jackson to gauge his reaction. He looked just a confused as she did. Nothing about this was normal.
"Who?" She asked.
Two of the men grabbed a body from the back of the van. They drug the captive over to her. In the dim morning light, she could make out that it was a woman. There was a bag over her head and she was screaming through a gag.
The Chosen pushed the woman onto her knees and ripped the bag from her head. Liz's mouth fell agape. In front of her sat, Jess Black.
