Chapter 2

1, 2, 3, She counted in her head, all the way to 100, the only sound was her breathing as it leveled out. The door in front of her was still as motionless as when she'd begun counting.

Were they waiting for her to move? Maybe expecting her to leave the bunker and find her own demise. Either way she couldn't stay on the floor.

Behind her to the right was the infirmary, she knew her father well enough to not even bother checking the door to her left. The armoury was always locked, the key hidden in the safe of another room. Defending herself and her home was the logical choice now they'd infiltrated the bunker.

Quick as a bullet she shot around the corridors straight for Dutche's main head quarters. Another rumble from the surface shook the bunker as she made her way into the room. It was tinged in an unsavoury blood red given the circumstances, it felt completely cold and lifeless without her father's presents. It was like the bunker already knew he was gone. All the computer screens showed static, the little pixels travelling through the monitor like white snow or maybe it was the ash falling outside as the world burned.

Spinning the safe lock, entering the numbers with a panic she'd never experienced before. Her fingers trembled and caused the young women to fail several times before finally the soft click of the safe allowed her to open it. The key was sitting neatly atop the stack of money her father had saved up, there was no hesitation as she took it and ran back.

Just as she rounded the corner the impending possibility of the Seed's appearance came to fruition. The door to her father's bedroom swung open to allow two of the brothers to shuffle out with her deceased father held between them. Jacob first with feet in hand, followed by John hooking under the top half.

Both men promptly dropped the cargo as she ran for the armoury door. It was a sickening crack of concrete meeting Dutche's skull that started the tears again, yet she didn't look, didn't want to see his body disrespected like that.

A flash of green let her into the room, but not enough time to escape the crushing arms of Jacob Seed wrapping like a python around her body. One hand clamped firmly at her throat while the other caged her mid section.

"Shhh pup, dont fight it," his voice a low hum in her ear as she focused on escape. A hand gun so temptingly lay atop the table only feet away, they would not be welcome here, she would make sure of that.

Tucking her body forward and holding Jacob's arm for support, she swung her head back with force. Expectations are rarely how the outcome unfolds and her attempt was futile as the military man dodged the attack.

Keeping up with her struggles the young women simultaneously heaved both legs up and pushed against the table, the only moment of distraction that Jacob let slip. Their bodies both fell backwards out the door and he cushioned her fall as his arms released.

She was barely up before a gun was pointed in her face. Like a cruel joke, John Seed had taken her intended salvation and twisted it into a dark crucifixion

"Let's remove temptation, shall we?" John's light tone mocked her situation as he removed the bullets and held the now harmless weapon out for her to take with a cunning smirk.

All she could do was stare at it. His palm up, no threats, just peace. An open invitation of nothingness to fill the void of loss, of hate, of revenge.

"You killed him..." so softly spoken, it was easy to miss. She was shaking still, anger and fear was a volatile mix within her small frame as she looked into John's face. Her anguish like poisons, it seeped into her words as she screamed out with venom, "YOU KILLED MY FATHER!"

They didn't deny it, but she doubted they would ever let slip which of them committed the crime. Probably to let it eat her up inside, let the wound fester until she was nothing but an empty shell of herself.

"In war there are always casualties" Jacob rumbled slowly from behind now he was standing. She turned slightly, breathing heavily through the haze of emotion. Neither of the two siblings advanced, giving the spooked lamb her space.

"It was your war," Her watery vision distorted her father's corpse, yet to them he was just an obstacle they removed from their so called path to Eden, "You started this!" her anger turned to pain as the gravity of the situation sunk in.

"Technically the deputy started it, so that's on him" John joked lightly as he stepped out towards her, letting the armoury door lock behind him. The key slipping smoothly into his vest pocket, probably never to be seen by the young women again.

Roads of betrail as long as the eye could see, set forth in front if her. Rook was not the friend she had thought he was, a wolf in sheep's clothing sent to trap them all. How was she so blind? A frown adorned her features as her mind twisted at the shift in blame. If she had seen the signs...would things have turned out differently.

"We tried to save the people you loved. They denied us, they denied God." His preaching carried out into the hall, along the floor and straight up her spine with a terrifying shiver.

The Father stepped forward, blocking any view she had of her own father. Joseph Seed, a dangerous force that had swept over everything she held dear, leaving behind a wasteland of death. She couldn't help but stumble back a few paces, her fear for him was greater than the rest. Yet his face looked pained at her reluctance to meet him.

"I know you are hurting my child, but in time these feelings will pass. You will see." His attempts to settle her with a calm smooth voice did nothing given her mental state. "The responsibility of the future falls to us, a new Eden that you will help build. Don't despair, for we are in this together, you are not alone."

But alone was all she wanted now. Shaking her head in utter despair, she needed to escape this claustrophobic atmosphere. Turning and walking away on unsteady feet, her energy sapped like the future she had just lost. There was no where to run, just a bunker full of villains to survive.

Thank you for reading!
Please forgive any mistakes, it's all written on my phone.