Faith hurriedly walked down the halls of her Gate.

As much as she cared to admit it was hers, it didn't feel like, Gordon has infested and diluted it, she wasn't entirely sure just how long she was gone, but the Gate's interior suggested it was a long one. She was very familiar with the interior decorations that lined the halls; images of her and everything she stood for, and as she explored, to her dismay found that all of it had been ripped from the walls and destroyed, replaced with something different or just left bare.

To make matters worse, her instincts were correct, when she finally called the Father to finally address Jacob's death, sufficed to say he was a mess, weeping and blubbering over the loss of his last blood brother, it was so bad Faith had to force and fake some sadness, as much as Jacob had ruined everything for her, she couldn't bring herself to shed an actual tear for him, the Father's profound sadness also sparked an idea within her; if she were to die, would he weep for her like he does for his real family? But those thought were pushed aside once the Father his grievances, it was like his whole personality shifted, it was almost like she was talking to another person now, not an iota of sadness permeated Joseph Seed.

And once this new person started speaking to Faith, he gave nothing but thinly veiled threats to what would happen to her if she continuously failed him or couldn't stop the Junior Deputy. She repeatedly assured Father that she planned to indite him into her flock once and for all, Father was reluctant at first, seeing as his brothers failed at their individual schemes, but Faith promised success as she had worked her way into the Junior Deputy more so than the others as they were outright and constantly hostile whereas she had not once been aggressive to him, and that made him more open to dialogue with her, and that seemed to please and interest the Father, wishing her the best, the Father left her be, demanded for her to get to work soon, he promptly hung up and leaving her to her own devices.

It wasn't until she hung up that she noticed that her whole body was shaking, her heart pounded like a jackhammer, the Father had spoken to her like this many a time, and all the girls that came before her, such talk had never bothered her before, but now it shook her to her core, she didn't know why but she was so scared of the Father, before it made sense, so much was riding on their success and such perfection was needed, but now… She wasn't sure what was needed… Besides Benjamin.

All she could do to calm her frayed nerves was to explore the Gate to make sure all was ok, be it her flock or the general state of her home, the removal of her images was disheartening, but what bothered here even more was the general morale of the Gate. She was very familiar with all those who worked in her Gate, she knew all of them by name and tried to stay on good terms with them, and made a point to converse with all of them, but found she couldn't find twenty or so of them, and that confused her greatly, the missing hadn't been sent on a mission, they had simply disappeared, when she asked around what happened to them, no one gave her a straight answer as they were reluctant to speak, it was like they were ordered not to say anything.

This was obviously Gordon's doing, she had a feeling deep down that he wasn't fully committed to their little agreement, he wouldn't hesitate to remove her permanently at the first chance he got, at the very least she expected Gordon to tell her everything that happened in her absence so she could plan accordingly. And scariest off all, Gordon wasn't the only menace lurking within her tunnels, as she explored her home, she noticed a few on duty guards glared at her coldly as she passed, she was not stranger to the looks on their faces, these people were not friends, any pleasantries were only given to keep up appearances, they were on Gordon's payroll, all the more to keep her head down and mouth shut, yet again she was plagued by Deja vu of high school bullies.

Looking to shake off such horrors of a past life, she moved on to her last bastion of normalcy, her Bliss production center, and what she found was more disappointing than she imagined, the production line had fallen to shambles, as much as her flock tried to run the place, they strained without leadership, so much needed to be done here and Gordon had tried to keep things sailing smoothly, but clearly had no idea what he was doing and had run everything into the ground.

But within all the chaos that was ensued, Faith found some peace within it, she was able to loss herself within her work and forgot about all her troubles as she put her grow operation back together, it was cathartic in a way, like polishing your boots, it soothed her frayed nerves for a time, Gordon had done more accidental damage that it took some time getting everything back to the way it was, and once it was done, she was able to sit back and appreciate her work, watching everything move like well oiled clockwork, it was beautiful to her, like a orchestra perfectly preforming their piece.

As she marvelled at her intricate system, she was approached by a man she had the pleasure of knowing these past few months; Cameron Burke, when he first came to her Gate, he was a lot like everyone else that came here against their own will, but unlike everyone else, once he was exposed to the Father's ways, he saw the light of truth, so much so that he had quickly become one of the most devout member Faith had ever seen, long gone was the warrant office garb and was replaced by a standard Eden's Gate uniform and fit in with everyone else, if no one knew any better, they'd assume he was just another flock member, and with each passing day that became more and more the truth of the matter.

But not all about him was going as smoothly as Faith would have wanted, Burke's stature had shifted considerably, be it being overexposed to bliss or no one looking out for him, but he had lost extensive weight, he appeared gaunter like he was skipping meal, his once proud muscles were diminished to someone of a very average build and threatening to dip below that.

As quickly as he approached the Seed, he spoke with earnestness and dedication.

"Lady Faith, Ma'am I am honored to be in your presence once again, thank the Father for your safe return" Burke praised, bowing his head, and clasping his hands together in pray.

"Thank you, Cameron, I'm glad to see you well" Faith replied curtly, returning the bow.

"Ma'am if you are to be so gracious and indulge me, but I would like to make it clear that I hold no ill intent towards you, I truly don't believe that you would ever defect from the holy Project and help those who help to pull everything down, not only that but I understand that you are experiencing your own God given trial right now and I would like to offer my services to you, if there is anything I can do to lighten the load that is your burdens, please call upon me" Burke pleaded, hoping that there really was something he can do for his master.

"I appreciate your brave dedication to helping me reach God's light, but I don't think there is anything you can do, so for now, please, keep to your duties, keep yourself safe and let me head everything" Faith answered gently, trying not to crush his enthusiasm.

"Ah yes, I see, of course... Well, I'm always here if you need me" Burke said, deflated as his enthusiasm was indeed wounded, but he bounced back quickly, shrugging it off and moving on to other topics that highlighted his happiness that she had returned.

And while they conversed, Amanda, at some point materialized before them, joining in the conversation, she joined in not to speak idle pleasantries for she had a purpose.

"Lady Faith, I apologize profusely for interrupting, but I have finished my investigation and I truly believe The Defiler is trying to rid himself of you, he is scheming something and please My Lady, do be safe, my suspicions were correct, not all still stand with you, The Defiler has turned some of your own against you, be careful of what you say to who until this trial is over" Amanda dutifully spoke.

"I believe they have sided with him because they think your incompetent in dealing with the Junior Deputy, to many have been lost, your brothers included, the Deputy needs to go, once and for all" she said.

"I see" Faith nervously, placing her palm on her chin in contemplation, had she really been that lax with how things were running around here? sure wasn't Jacob and possessed little to no tactical prowess, but she got things done, right?

"And what about the missing, have you found out what happened to them" Faith asked.

"Not even I know what happened to them, when I asked, no one is willing to speak, heedlessly in light of my status here, I can only presume that they were executed for their unending loyalty and couldn't sit idly by while you were removed, and if anyone speaks of it, they too will be killed" Amanda supposed.

"Now that I cannot tolerate" Faith boldly declared lightly slamming a fist onto her palm, abuse towards her she could tolerate, but she refused to let anything happen to those under her watch.

"And how would you like to go about this? we must tread lightly if we wish to succeed" Amanda questioned.

But Faith was silent in contemplation, her two allies waiting intently for a semblance of leadership.

"I lack the power to stop him, he has been under Jacob's tutelage for quite some time, we need something" Faith finally said.

"Ma'am... Are, are you asking me to commit treason for the good of the flock?" Burke asked, hesitation in his voice, but what perturbed Faith was that by the was he said it, he might actually do it if asked.

"No, no, no, I didn't mean to give that impression no, I was merely thinking aloud" Faith apologized, unaware she was speaking her mind before going silent again.

With her silent and her cohorts still plotting, it allowed her to silently toiled away, trying to come up with something useful, both Camera and Amanda worked so diligently while she absconded with Ben, and they continued to do so even now, it made Faith want to work harder, for them, for all of Eden's Gate, and she felt the only way to do that was to come up with a new innovative plan to get Ben to understand just what she was doing and why she did it, but then again a part of her doesn't want to talk to him, but unfortunately, it was absolutely necessary. As Cameron and Amanda still discussed plans, Faith's attention slowly drew to the man; Cameron Burke held no secrets, it was widely known he arrived with the Junior Deputy and tried to arrest the Father, although he rarely spoke of Ben, fearing he'd be chastised for association, but he was still familiar with him nonetheless, maybe just enough to open a dialogue with the man, perhaps dismissing Burke's offer to help was a hasty decision and needed to be reconsidered.

"Cameron, if you can excuse my haste, I do think there is something you can do after all" Faith said, slightly embarrassed at her quick dismissal of his generous offer.

"Really?!" Burke squeaked, trying his best to be as nonchalant as possible as he perked up at the prospect of being useful, he looked almost awestruck, like a school receiving a positive response to a sent love letter.

"If we find Ben before the Def- Gordon, do you think you could talk to him, perhaps see if you can make him see the error of his ways" Faith tentatively, she understood the weight of her question.

And the weight hit rock bottom as his awe was quickly replaced reluctance.

"Lady Faith, I am willing to do whatever I can but it's very apparent that I'm committed to the Father's cause and I know your not one to send your flock to certain doom, but... What if he chooses to kill me rather then speak to me, I am a traitor to him" Burke asked slowly.

"It's not a bad plan" Amanda pondered, speaking out loud.

"Perhaps this is God's master design, we unite with the Deputy and his first act of being one with the project is purging the filth that permeates your Gate" she supposed.

"You could very well be right" Burke gulped.

His reaction caused both women to look at him, they could tell he was anxious, almost unwilling to discuss the Junior Deputy, an understandable reaction.

"And what do you think, Grunt?" Amanda asked, looking over at Burke.

"I truly don't know if he'd listen to me let alone here me out, I am very disappointed in his actions, he has always been such an understanding and courageous person, I can't believe he can't see the truth that is so blatantly in front of him" Burke sighed in sadness.

Faith could tell Burke was uneasy, she wanted to give him some other goal but what other choice did she have? Even though it was already stated, she still didn't want to admit it to herself, but she also doesn't trust Gordon and her best chance of survival was to prove herself useful enough until Rook comes around.

"Can you do this for me?" Faith asked again to the quiet man.

But the question seemed to lower the man's mood yet again, he seemed almost shrunken in on himself, unwilling to come out of his shell and take on the job. But after a pregnant pause of waiting, he finally muttered an uneasy conformation that he'll do it when the chance arises.

"Very well, I will do it for you" Burke muttered before swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Very good" Amanda said, steepling her hands.

"I will keep my ears to the ground and eyes on the horizon for the Junior Deputy and inform Cameron as soon as I hear something, then we will pit Defiler against Defiler" she said.

"Well… yes but maybe not that… aggressively" Faith offered, she didn't entirely like the idea of putting Ben in danger like that, regardless of he was alright with it.

But that answer only caused Amanda to peerlessly describe how Faith's leadership was absolute and everything would fall into place after Rook had joined them, but something about the way Amanda described it all, it didn't sit right with Faith, it all seemed… wrong.

"Faith!" A fourth voice suddenly interjected, their voice was loud and sharp as they yelled from across the room, making Amanda fall deathly silent.

All three quickly turned to the voice too see a lone Eden's Gate member stood by the door leading out of the bliss factory, large gun in hand and an unsettling glare directed at Faith.

"Commander Gordon requests your presence in his office" the man yelled over to the group, none of the workers tending to the bliss daring to look over at what was occurring.

Faith obviously hears the man but was hesitant to go, the request was innocent enough, but the words themselves were anything but, it wasn't a request, it was an order.

"Don't go, claim something serious is happening to the harvesting machines and need your attention" Faith heard Amanda quietly mumble, but she knew she had to go, the longer she put it off the worse Gordon will be.

"You coming or what? Do I have to drag you there, Traitor?" The man scowled again, his patience wearing thin.

"Both of you, continue with your duties, I will be fine, please don't worry" Faith tried to assure both of them as she walked towards the waiting man, but she didn't think she convinced them.

If either of them said anything, she didn't hear, she was too focused on the man that still stared menacingly at her, it upset her in a way, once upon a time she was friends with this man, just like she was with everyone else, and now she feared being around him.

"Bout time, thought I had to drag you there" the man scoffed as Faith finally approached before moving to the door, silently signaling for Faith to take the lead, he wanted to watch her.

By the way the man talked proved Gordon had no intention of undoing his claims of dispelling such names from her. To which Faith offered no reply as she marched to what was once her office, she knew where to go and required no guidance, the man was solely Gordon's show of power and influence.

The two silently traversed the Gate, any and all who saw the pair either looked either scared for her, or subtly happy she was being dragged back to Gordon already. At some point, the man must have found her pace to slow for his liking and placed a hand on her back, subtly yet roughly pushing her forward, silently telling her to hurry the hell up. She didn't say anything about, she knew better then to fight back, even if she had the fortitude to do so, it would achieve nothing, the once friendly man is just a pawn to Gordon, the head of this civil discourse.

As soon as they made it to Gordon's office, the man sped passed Faith and opened the office bulkhead door and ordered her in, Faith could do nothing but comply, especially with Gordon who impatiently waiting in the adjoining room was glaring a hole through her.

The second she stepped through the doorway, the door loudly slammed behind her, locking the two in.

"Well... What is it that you want?" Faith asked, she didn't want to appear submissive, she had to appear as his equal no matter.

"Faith Seed... Or should I address you as Rachel Jessop?" He asked almost sounding bored, a base level of indifference was there and would eventually, slowly, calcify to unfiltered cruelty.

"What do you want?" Faith asked uncomfortably as she crossed her arms over herself defensively with the same level of discomfort.

"The Junior Deputy hasn't been seen or heard in the Mountains from for a while now, that leads me to believe he's not there, the logical place for him to go is right here in the Henbane, I'm sure you can agree with that?" Gordon asked.

"I suppose I can agree with that, this region is the last and biggest concentration of Eden's Gate members, if Jacob was here, I think he'd say strategically it would be wisest to make as many moves as possible here, while the other region is in disarray" Faith guessed, such large scale plannings was beyond her.

"You're not entirely wrong, yes it would be wise to hit the Henbane while the mountains spiral out of our control, there is absolutely no reason for him to return to the Valley, but how would we ensure he actually comes here?" Gordon asked again.

"We sacrifice the poor souls that have taken up residence all along the region just as we discussed hours ago, we… neutralize the poor unfortunates camped out here and there, hoping someone would but out an S.O.S. and B- the Junior Deputy would come running" Faith said, she was unsure to where the man was taking this.

"We've been hitting multiple small resistance outposts all along the region and we've still yet to see hide or hair of the man, while leads me to believe something is wrong" Gordon explained.

"You think something has happened to him?" Faith asked with wide eyes.

A creeping fear then entered Faith, she was so wrapped up in wanting him to stand by her side, she had completely disregarded the possibility something could happen to him, something serious, was he critically wounded whilst dealing with Jacob and his army?

"There is a possibility of that yes" Gordon supposed, nodding his head.

"But" he then said, his voice wrapped in cruelty and cynicism.

"Commander Seed informed me to how he caught on to you repeatedly and lengthily speaking to the Junior Deputy, he caught you doing in via radio telecommunication, so that leads me to believe what if you did it again, you've had hours to yourself since we discussed how we will apprehend the Deputy, perhaps you've done it again in that time to inform him of our plan and to stay away?" he stated, talking a threatening step towards her.

"You really think I would jeopardize myself, again?" Faith gasped.

"Well, you tell me what's going on, you spent so much time being with and talking to the man, you should know him better then any of us, and lo and behold, he has yet to trigger all of the beartraps strewn about, no one can be that lucky, you couldn't hurt me even if you tried, but the Deputy… now there's a man who could kill, kill a Gate full of men and woman, or more precisely, anyone who opposes you, if you get him under your thumb like you've been saying all summer, that would be quite the trump card, it would explain your timely arrival" Gordon explained.

"I will have you know, I am nothing but absolutely committed to fulfilling the Father's Project, if I wanted anyone hurt, I would have returned with Benjamin, even if I did, choosing who gets removed is not up to me, it's the Father's" Faith argued pitifully, she didn't know how to give a proper rebuttal.

But Gordon merely stared at Faith silently, a coy smile on his face as if he was playing with her, her argument was almost funny to him.

"All that aside, now that the Father has been taken care of for the time be, I think we should change the terms of our relationship" Gordon said, sounding interested in the topic at hand again.

"I have no interest in changing our already one side happenstance" Faith said unhappily, crossing her arms in the process.

"Well sorry for you but, I'm not asking, I'm telling" he said with a copy smile.

"You can't be serious!?" Faith scowled, her slender arms snapping to her sides, fists balled in frustration, shocked at his brazen change of heart.

"Well, since you are and unstable element, I will continue to remain in absolute control with no intention of taking my boot off your neck, while I'm at it I'm going to start trimming the fat around here, removing all those I deem unworthy of the Father's splendor, you will do as I say, when I say, or you will be punished along with anyone else who can't tow the line or can't handle whose in control now, you are fast approaching obsoletion" Gordon smirked.

Hearing his words, it disgusted her, she hated Gordon but lacked the conviction to do anything, it made her clench her fists so hard her nails pierced her flesh, drawing four dots of blood on each palm.

Gordon then silently walked up to her, his towering presence made her mentally shrink, he was so much bigger than her, then without warning he grabbed the scruff of her shirt, pulling her towards him painfully, causing a squeak of fear and pain to escape the woman, she forcibly turned her head to the side as their noses would have touched if she didn't, she dared not move while under his grip.

"What can you do to me? Nothing, I'm going to save what is left of this Project, not you" he almost whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine, fear had gripped her just as much as Gordon did.

Still Faith did not move, her eyes screwed shut in silent acceptance that stance on standing as his equal was long since shattered. She was powerless to do anything, physical and authoritatively, the man before her twisted her life and Gate around his finger at his leisure and she absolutely hated that there was nothing she could do about it, she was starting to absolutely hate not having any power to her name, always relying on others, she needed to change that, the anger born from Gordon's treachery made her want to vomit, not in disgust but in an attempt to dispel the lava that was spreading in her stomach, it made her feel dizzy even.

Her silence made Gordon chuckle, when push comes to shove, she was a simple doll, a puppet whose strings were pulled by the Father, Joseph didn't need her, she was useless, he could take her place just fine, and he intended to do so. Wanting to see just how much control he really had, he let go of Faith, causing her to take step back and a shaky breath, her eyes opened and looked up at him with scared expectations, wondering what will come next, she didn't know what to say or do, she should have listened to Amanda, she was right, this was a mistake.

Then Gordon continued his sick game, wrapping his hands tightly around her shoulders, before she could protest or complain, Gordon harshly shoved her back, sending her tumbling to the floor, her back wringing with pain as hit collided with the concrete floor. With a pained groan she propped herself up on her elbows and looked up at the man who stood over her, he towered over her like a colossus, grinning down at her evilly, his shadow engulfing her, she didn't even bother to raise an arm to protect herself or call for help, neither would do anything for her, he had made it clear he will now do whatever he wanted, and no one would stop him.

Gordon's cracked lips then parted, revealing to rows of carnivorous teeth in a menacing grin.

"Now I'm going to tell you what we're going to do" He hissed.


Benjamin! For the last time, no!" The Sheriff barked in frustration.

He and everyone else still present at the table had lost their patience a long time ago, Ben for whatever reason, found it critically necessary to arm as many people as necessary and cause a big distraction on the front of the prison so another group could sneak out the back and go raid supplies from a nearby peggie encampment, the problem was nobody wanted to leave the prison much less even think about picking up a gun, to which of course, everyone sans Jess thought that was completely unwarranted and argued against it, which led to Ben not backing down at all, if anything he just ramped himself up. But then again things could be worse as there were less voices to contend with, presently at the table stood Ben, Jess, Tracey, Grace and Whitehorse himself, a while ago Virgil, Nick, Addie, Hurk and Sharky had all politely excused themselves from the table, they had come to the conclusion at one point or another, things were getting too hot for their liking and decided to wander the prison, probably hoping to provide some level of comfort for the litheness inhabitants to which the Sheriff was fine with, more arguing voices would just add to the chaos, he had a sickening feeling things would be rough when he saw Ben, he didn't say anything when he first laid eyes on him but he was a world's different when he saw him a month ago, then he was ell mannered, a splash awkward, well intentioned, a stickler for the rules, perhaps a tad to quiet, but now he seemed... Feral, his once ocean of patience was somehow reduced to a tricking stream, he was swearing profusely, he never swore, not even on bad days, his penchant for snapping back at what he didn't like was apparent as the building stubble across his face, numerous healed over cuts, scraps and bruises could be seen along the expose skin of his arms, his tee shirt mysteriously revealed a lot about its wearer, and what unnerved him the most was there was a dangerous look in his eyes like he was itching for a fight. He heard from the pilot; Rye what had happened a few weeks, ago, how Ben started executing peggies when they wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know and then proceeded to pick a fight with the pilot himself. Whitehorse wasn't sure what he'd do in that situation, but he was as sure as the sun would come up tomorrow that the Ben he knew wouldn't do that, he was a gentle soul, arguably to gentle, but Rye didn't come off as no liar, and it was clear something had to have happened to Ben.

It didn't help that the near silent Jess would occasionally chime into egg Rook on, saying something to validate his insane strategy, if she wasn't here then this would be easier, he had heard a lot about Jess Black, and Whitehorse didn't like any of it, he couldn't understand how she and Ben could coexist in the same room for more then five minutes but somehow then had been shoulder to shoulder for months, and it showed.

"Earle, Earle, Earle, I don't give a shit, I'm in charge on this since no one else can do this, and if we have to, we'll put guns and everyone's hands and tell them to do the job or they won't be let back in!" Rook heatedly demanded.

"We're not starting a slave army!" Whitehorse yelled back in exasperation.

"They're not slaves if we make them want to do it!"

"Jesus Ben, wha- no, no I'm putting my foot down, Son this isn't happening!" Whitehorse yelled,

"Well seeing as y'all couldn't get your shit together while I killed John and Jacob, this place is slowly catching on fire, how much longer can you possibly plan to hold out the way y'all are now?" Rook asked, slamming a fist on the table before him.

Whitehorse grit his teeth, Rook was bizarrely really getting under his skin, so much so he needed to calm down, more stress and anger was not good for a heart attack victim such as himself.

"Benjamin, this won't work" Grace finally spoke up, she seldom spoke while the two men bickered, just like the sniper she was, she waited and picked her moments before striking.

"If we just force them out there we will be no better then the enemy and besides, if we pull something like that they won't hold their allegiances to us, not anymore, their main priority will be their own individual survival, and will run the first chance we get, even if we do get some people on board with this, we are outnumbered ten to one by enemies laying in wait all around us, they'll see us before we see them" She tried to reason with the man.

"That's not fucking true!" Rook barked angrily.

"Me, Jess, Shark and Hurk just walked right on in here all the way from the mountain region and we didn't see a god damned soul out there, I'm prime target number one and you're telling me they just didn't shoot when they saw me saunter through your gates?" Rook argued.

"You are right, it is alarmingly odd that you encountered no resistance whatsoever, but we can't fly on the wings of hope forever, we need to be more vigilant then usual, what if they know you're in here with us, they might be preparing for just what you're planning to do" Grace offered.

"Its better then then fuck all y'all've been doing here, either they storm the place and kill us, or we go out there and kill them!" Rook scowled in frustration.

"I agree with the Boy Scout, he knows what he's talking about, trust him more" Jess said, an air of smugness coming off her.

It rubbed Whitehorse the wrong way as it was clear she was just ruling up Ben more and inciting more arguing, thankfully Tracey had the good sense to keep her mouth shut, but then again by the dead tired look on her face she didn't care what happened, she just wanted to know what was going to happen before it actually went down.

"Fine!" Rook barked, slamming his fists upon the table.

"If y'all want to die, then die, I'll figure out a way to save all of you, again!" he exclaimed before turning and stomped away, into the recess of the prison, Jess in tow.

As they left no one bothered to stop them, they had enough of Rook's antics, and Whitehorse could have sworn he heard Jess giggle as she followed Rook. It made him grit his teeth again, something had to be done about her, he was sure she was corrupting Ben in one way or another, she had to be doing something, but he had to wait for him to calm down and be alone before he made his move. But even before then, he'd still like to talk in length to Mister Rye even more about what Ben and Jess had been up to, to full understand exactly what was going on with in his head.

Rook was to angry to reason with, as he went on his way he completely ignored any and all he passed, but it wasn't like they were going to say anything anyways, all the more reason to ignore them, he even ignored a jovial Hurk who tried to wave him over for something stupid, even Jess who was making endless snide comments about what had happened in the prior rooms went unheard, Rook was just to busy trying his best to stow away all the vile thoughts that ran through his head, he couldn't help it, the Sheriff just pissed him off so much, a part of him wanted to wrap his hands around his fat, drooping neck and squeeze as hard as he could while yelling at him to shut up and just do what he said, but that wouldn't get him anywhere. All the while dark thoughts rumbled through Rook's head like a thunderstorm, unbeknownst to him, the GPS in hiss head had clicked on since he didn't have anywhere specific to go, so his brain subconsciously made him stomp all the way to the cell room he and Jess had made their own the last time they slept within these walls, equipped with non working toilet, bunk bed, and a mostly untouched movie poster, what was more, the cell room had Ben lovingly decorated with dried pools of blood along with other unknown stains marked the floors and walls here and there, was this a sleeping quarters or a torture room? Rook couldn't tell. The second he and Jess entered the cell, Jess just lit up.

"Oh thank fuck!" Jess sighed in relief as she almost ran to the poster and pressed both her palms against the poster that was still secured to the wall it hung from.

"You ok?" Rook asked, raising an eyebrow to her off antics.

"I am now, Dude" she cried as she looked over her shoulder at him, taking on hand off the poster.

"Look! My Blood Dragon poster! It's still ok!" She beamed at it like it was a marvel to behold.

Rook could tell genuine happiness resided within her, but he couldn't help but roll his eyes at her, everyone in this place was so demoralized and malnourished they stumbled around like the lobotomized, peggies supposedly circled them like sharks around a sailor adrift at sea, all she seemed to care about was a stupid fucking poster.

"The fuck is that for?" Jess spat, narrowing her eyes at him, noticing the eye roll.

"Sorry it just, I'm still so fucking pissed that the Sheriff is fine with just sitting around and letting everyone rot, Nick, Addie, and the rest just fucked off since they couldn't take the heat, I expected so much from Grace, but she dropped the ball, I was counting on her" Rook sighed, the angry grit in his voice making its appearance again, threatening to change his usually soft spoken voice in the rough bark of a angry, tired man.

"Well, if these losers don't want to do fuck all why do we have to do the same?" Jess said, annoyed, placing her hands on her hips.

"As much as I want to, I feel that we are greatly outmatched, by the time we make a dent, everyone here will have wasted away" Rook sighed in frustration, his shoulders going slack.

"Then like usual, you and me, we'll just go out there a fucking slaughter any and all we come across and yet a-fucking-gain show these panty waists that if they actually try, we can win"

"That's not a bad idea, my shooting arm is getting rusty" Rook supposed, bringing a hand to his chin in contemplation, it sounded pretty good.

"And think about it, we got Armstrong among others, she's actually knows what she's doing, I've seen her shoot with that rifle of hers and whole shit, she can be useful, all we got to do is get her on board, Sharky and Hurk are always down for anything and if not we can bribe them with weed or whatever" She continued.

Rook was quiet for a few moments in silent reflection, Jess could see the gears turning in his head, decisions were being made.

"Alright, fuck it, let's murder as many as we can" Rook nodded, no emotion across his face or words.

"Now you're getting it!" Jess exclaimed, her voice peaked with excitement as she was happy Rook was slowly agreeing with her.

She didn't know when it started, but Rook had certainly changed at some point, he was so different now, like a whole new man, and she liked it, a lot.

Liking his new outlook on life, she dared not waste a second and let the moment pass, taking the initiative and reached out to the Junior Deputy and wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him to her, their hips touching, she couldn't help herself, his willingness to mass murder with her made her hot. And Rook on the other hand, he could smell her at such close proximity, for some reason blood and sweat never so good to him before, it was like he was possessed, or perhaps enchanted, he looked deep into her bright blue eyes, they stared back at his like azure spotlights, pulling him in, enticing him, and before he knew it, their lips were deeply intertwined, their tongues clashed like expert sword fighters, their hands moved up and the others forms, feeling every muscle, every fiber of their being. Just like her eyes, the bunk bed a few feet away was enticing, a lot could now happen within the cell, and with Jess now pulling upon his belt, she to was interested in the possibilities, but before it could come off, he could feel her bite down on his bottom lip ever so lightly as they broke the kiss, pulling on it before letting go.

"Hey Boy Scout, did you know… watching you kill peggies is such a fucking turn on… so how about you show me your skills and then… I'll give you your Peggie killing badge, over and over and over again" she said as sultry as she could, she didn't have much experience in this matter, but Rook seemed to bring it out of her.

And he didn't need to be told that twice, as quickly as his cheeks flushed, he turned and bolted for the door, his hand had an iron grip on hers and pulled her along, she had no reservations of taking it slow and ran along with him to the nearest exit like two teenagers looking for a secluded place to make out, and as they zoomed through the halls, Rook gave some half-hearted goodbye, we are headed out, be back whenever to Virgil who anxiously sat around near the exit, trying and failing to get people to preform proper hygiene, he seemed to squeak and stutter at Rook's deceleration of departure, he could help but groan in annoyance at the very large possibility of him running off to the Sheriff about this, and if the Sheriff called him via the walkie at any point, he wasn't going to answer, he was going out to kill peggies and bone his girlfriend.


Two Peggies ran through the woods, they ran as fast as they could, they were running for their lives, horror was stretched across their faces like grim Halloween masks, what they had witness made no sense, all they could do now was run.

A seemingly innocent twenty minutes ago their entire platoon was alive at their stationed base but now all eighteen were dead, butchered by something akin to an eighty slasher movie, seeing the eighteen being butchered, why would the two survive? Hence the frantic running, their lungs screamed for them to stop, their leg muscles straining under such intense movement, they were so slick with sweat and other fluids one would mistake them for someone who just climbed out of a pool a while ago, despite their aching bodies begged them to slow down even by a little bit but the minds piloting them said otherwise, they understood what would befall them if they did.

Lady Faith: before she became a heathen traitor that she was, told stories of the Junior Deputy's overwhelming kindness and generosity, a selfless man who wouldn't kill if he didn't have to, a man who wished to protect and serve all, but now that the two cultists had seen firsthand what he was truly capable of, they quickly saw everything was all a front, Faith had spun the a web of lies to lure them into the Deputy's clutches, like dark clouds, twenty minutes ago, The Junior Deputy appeared out of nowhere, a dangerous smile pulled across his face like his cheeks were pulled back and held in place, a gun in one hand and a machete in the other, for a split second everyone was shocked, not expecting such a brazen approach from a man though to be on the other side of the county, then, before anyone could do anything, a rogue arrow sprang from the edges of everyone's vision and found itself skewering through a woman's neck, that of course, freaked everyone out for a few moments before assuming a battle formation, but that's all the Deputy, he lunged forward, firing off his gun, taking out those farthest away while slashing up those closest, the peggies tried their best, grabbing their guns and Kevlar and whatever else was lay around the encampment, but it was not enough, the Deputy was a force of nature, with each person he killed, he took their firearm and used that to kill more and the cycle would continue. It was like he was possessed in a way, whenever the peggies began to claim the upper hand a few more rogue arrows would shoot out of the surrounding trees and reduced their numbers a little more, and over time, overconfidence had become a slow and insidious killer, the peggies had believed their numbers alone was enough to slay the beast, but Rook moved to fast, from cover to cover, never stopping, it was all kin to breathing to him.

And as numbers dropped dramatically, two of those last few remaining peggies decided enough was enough and turned tail to run, the massacre that was the Junior Deputy and the men dead by arrows had become far too much to deal with, and so they ran into the winding woods, hoping it would save them. As they ran, the gunfire and yelling got quieter and quieter, that alone was nowhere near enough to dissuade them, instead they went until they couldn't hear anything, but then again at the rate the Deputy tore through their allies, the sounds would stop from lack of people to kill before the pair ran far away enough.

Eventually, after a point in which they couldn't hear anything anymore, they came to an unwilling stop, they had burned themselves out and could go no further, struggling to maintain steady footing, they were both so exhausted that their words were gasps and pants, like plaintive sighs from restless spirits.

"Holy shit, I think we lost him" the first one heaved, the contents of his stomach threatening to come up from the strenuous marathon.

"Fuck, I, I think we should keep running" the other said, turning to look at the first man.

"I can't, I'm gassed… I need to rest" the first gasped.

"Fuck, come on Brother, there's a road nearby… a patrol has come eventually" the second said as he tried to pull his ally along to no avail.

"They're not due to come through here for hours, we're on our own" the first replied, limply swatting off the hand that tried to pull him along.

"We still have to try, it's either that or die" the second, trying to stagger forward, towards the supposed nearby road but only made it a few feet, his endurance bottoming out again.

"What time was the patrol supposed to run though again?" the first asked, leaning against a tree.

"Hells if I know, for all I know they heard the gunfire and altered their course to come around and pincer the enemy" The second man breathed as he looked down at his unmoving watch, it had somehow been broken in the initial fight.

The only response he could offer was a sickening splat, unsure what that could possibly mean or how he made such a squelch, he looked up at his friend to discover that a machete had come down on his friend's head, slicing right through it like a watermelon, to the second man, who watched in absolute horror, it was like something right out of a horror movie, the machete had come down on his friend with so much force, it cut through the skull and brain, sinking right through and the blade stopping inches above the gum line. And still holding that machete was the Junior Deputy, he had somehow silently caught up to them and took one of them out in a single swing. Then he yanked the blade free, again another sickening quash came from the friend's head, the body falling and hitting the ground, the Deputy's gaze turning from the fallen body to the last peggie.

The sudden shock of his now dead friend was enough to make the cultist's rubberized legs to finally give out, causing him to topple backwards, crashing into the twigs and leaves, his legs were much to tired to kick and thrash, but his arms were another story, he used all his strength to try to elbow his way backwards, his eyes not daring to move from the man that stared at him like the devil himself, even as he frantically scrambled away, if one could even called it that, Rook casually walked forward, keeping pace with the man, towering over him was a him, wielding a gored machete, fully prepared to use it again, but a subtle shift off in the distance made him think otherwise, he froze on the spot, letting the Peggie squirm further and further away, looking absolutely terrified as he did, Rook didn't blame him, his shirt was splattered in blood like a seasoned butcher shop worker, a bow hung over his back, and a gun from his hip, his eyes betrayed no sense of mercy or remorse, like the eyes of a shark, but then again, it was almost funny in a way, if he couldn't handle something like this, they didn't deserve to be out here, the weak needed to be culled.

Then as silent as Rook's approach on the two men, an arrow shot from the woods again, it came from behind the man and pierced through the back of his skull and slid right on through with ease, when it came to a stop the arrow rested perfectly through the man's cranium, the arrowhead protruding from the eye socket, the tip of arrowhead was adorned with the eyeball that up until now resided within said socket, the Peggie held his pose for two second before going limp, the head turned at an odd angle due to the tail of the arrow propping the head up.

Still looking down at the body, his eyes moved back to the split head victim before his mind drifted back to the bloodied field he left behind, it gave him a very peculiar feeling, it made him feel like a God damn king, it was like he was meant to be here, to kill peggies, with Jess, it fell so real, so right, the recoil from guns, the light whistling from a fired arrow, the death rattle of his newest victim, he had never been this good at anything before and he wasn't going to let this go.

While Rook was lost in his thoughts, Jess emerged from the trees, a satisfied look upon her face, as soon as she emerged from her spot, she began speed walking towards him, when she entered his line of sight, he was broken from his glory filled thoughts, he too then sped walked towards Jess, he had kept up his end of the deal, now it was her turn. Then second the two collided, they wrapped their arms around each other, pulling the other in closer as they pressed their lips together, tongues exploring the others mouth.

Rook let go of her waist and instead grabbed her by the thighs and lifted her up and pinning her against a tree, she silently complied and wrapping her legs around his waist, holding him tighter for a few more moments before the clothing would come off, but right before Rook began to peel her clothes off, he heard the walkie on his hip crackle to life, but he wasn't going to answer it, he already made up his mind long ago if it was the Sheriff, he wasn't going to touch it, even if was someone in his stead.

"Benjamin Rook, we have much to discuss!" An authoritative voice boom from his walkie.

Rook didn't recognize the voice, but he didn't give a shit, he was far to interested in what he was about to do with Jess.

After a few moments of feverish kissing and wandering, tugging hands, the radio went off once more.

"Junior Deputy, we require your help, Lady Faith requires your help!" The voice loudly declared again, this time gaining a response from both partners.

"Excuse me, what the fuck?!" Jess scoffed before pushing Rook off her mouth.

Rook tried to open his mouth to say something, but he couldn't conjure anything that could explain away what they had heard could, his headspace was in an entirely different galaxy.

"Why the fuck is someone calling you to help Faith!?" She spat as she pushed Rook off, the moment had been ruined, Jess was sniffing out the truth.

"I-I don't know, let's find out" Rook stuttered before hastily pulling out the radio and took a few steps back as if it would make it harder for Jess to hear, but she just took a few steps forward, making up the distance, which made Rook all the more nervous, this could very well jeopardize what he has going with everyone, with Jess.

"Who is this?!" Rook barked into his walkie, his eyes on Jess, trying to guess what the person was going to say, he had no idea who it was, but they know about his closeness to Faith, it freaked him out, everyone who knew was dead, or so he believed.

"My name is Amanda, I am the right hand, the High Priestess to lady Faith, and I require your assistance, Lady Faith is in grave danger, she needs your assistance once more!" Amanda declared.

"What the fuck?!" Jess cried again.

"Who the hell is this!? Why would I help her?! She's my enemy" Rook argued, feigning anger and confusion, this person was too dangerous to be left alive, they needed to be removed as soon as possible.

"I will be at what used to be a pizza restaurant that resides in the south, I will wait for you so we may discuss the future of this Project and Humanity in full" Amanda said before the radio clicked off, right before it did, Rook was sure he heard voices in the background hidden in the static.

Whatever this was, it was like an onion, there were countless layers to this problem, each so much worse then the last.


Thank you Hyperlightflux and thank y'all so much for 41,000 views!