It had been a hell of a week. Dean closed the door to his apartment and sagged against it dropping the bottle of vodka and the small bag of groceries onto the nearby table. It had started with a hairy MVA, two survivors both kids. Luckily the parents had been able to give them the name of relatives before they passed; and the cops had dealt with contacting them and they passed the kids off to the ambos.
Snagging a glass and adding ice and vodka Dean sagged into his chair. Then yesterday they'd been called down to the Royal National Park to deal with a suspected broken arm. Weird call; but, hey the park was pretty. And if nothing else Vince said they could do some roping drills after. Yeah… An easy call, that had been a joke.
Drinking straight vodka wasn't something he did much. But, as usual the "easy" call had been anything but easy. Taking a slug of his drink Dean closed his eyes and walked back through yesterday and well the start of this morning; they'd spent over twelve hours dealing with the chaos, and the aftermath. Vince had gotten the call, told them to bring repelling equipment for drills, just in case they had time. There really weren't a lot of people living in the forest; just a couple of homeless encampments. As a precaution they packed some extra supplies so they could provide some additional help if it was needed; and when dealing with the encampments it usually was needed. Instead they found a dirty teenage girl wearing a long dress and some weird hat thing, Lara called it a bonnet. She was holding her wrist and looked like that weird Amish family in Tasmania, he'd fallen asleep watching a documentary on them last week. They didn't drive cars, or use electricity. Weird.
Jordan took one look at her and declared "runaway."
"Eh?" Chase asked.
"Obvious." Came the response. "We're on the edge of the park. People aren't supposed to be living in the park."
"Right. So where does she live?"
"In the park." Jordan thought it was obvious."
"Eh?" Chase was now really confused. "People don't live in the park. Well, except for the encampments."
Jordan chuckled, in some ways Chase had lived a very protected life. First his mum and dad, then Lachie and Dean had given him a life and a safe path. And while they did see a lot of on the job, Chase still really had no clue about the dark, weird, and sometime dangerous currents that crisscrossed the greater Sydney area. "There's always a few groups of weirdos living in here. Folks that want off the grid and out of sight."
"Like weed growers?
"Them, folks who want to be one with nature. People who don't want to be found. And sometimes religious groups whose beliefs don't mesh with the mainstream. Cults."
"So religious?" Chase asked jerking his head at the girl.
"Yeah." And he walked over to the girl that Heidi was assessing the girl; he knelt down to appear less threatening. "Are you from Children of Light?"
The girl started shaking and vehemently nodding no.
"It's okay; we're not going to hurt you. What's your name?"
"Faith of One." She swiveled her head, wincing "I can't go back. I can't go back."
"It's okay, honey. It's okay." Heidi gently touched the girls shoulder, comforting her, trying to assess her medically and psychologically; and wondering how on earth Jordan knew about cults that lived in the park. "What's your name?
"Charity."
"Charity and how old are you?"
"Fifteen. The age of providence is almost here, my time to pass into womanhood and fulfill God's word to fill his quiver with soldiers for the Lord."
"That is a great age; so many things going on." Heidi tried to be cheerful while she examined Charity's arm. She'd heard things like this before, there had been a couple of families kind of close to her parent's farm that had giant families because the Lord had blessed them with such. A whole lot of other things too. In general Heidi thought it was a bit odd. The day started devolving when they started hearing crashing in the brush outside the encampment. Luckily Heidi had gotten Charity to sit in the ambulance, have some juice and calm down while she was talking with Michelle, coordinating a social worker for Charity and things like that. Vince was talking with Dean about a spot for roping drills. And how in the hell did Jordan know about cults? Children of Light, Faith of One, … Leaning out of the ambulance she called to Jordan "It looks like a spiral fracture, could use an x-ray."
"Where is she?" Came the brusque yell, as what looked like Yosemite Sam came bursting out of the brush.
"Who are you looking for?" Chase tried to placate the giant. "Sir, sir, …"
"My wife." The mountain man roared as he racked his shotgun.
Dean stopped talking with Vince after demanding that he get police back-up to them quickly. "Sir, this is an active rescue; you can't be here." Dean put himself between the mountain man, and the team. Jordan took up a position behind him while Lara locked Heidi in the ambulance with Charity and the ambos. Christ the man had to be forty if he was a day; and Charity was fifteen. "Sir, what's your name? We can help you find your wife."
"Amos, Amos Bowen. CHARITY? You come over here now girl!"
The roaring and stomping continued. Which was something they'd dealt with before; Rescue saw all kinds of people. The gun was the issue.
After the second gunshot Dean had radioed Heidi and the ambos clearing them to leave while Jordan and Chase distracted Mr Amos Bowen by getting a description of his wife. As they'd been doing that Lara had been packing up so that they could follow the ambulance. Dean shook his head as he replayed the scenes in his head finished his glass of vodka and decided that some food should go with the second glass. Christ on a stick! He microwaved a meat pie and kept thinking: What could they have done differently? Should they have taken Amos down when he showed up? No, they weren't equipped to deal with armed men: They were Rescue, not the Bronze.
As Lara had been packing up the last of the equipment three more men came through the brush, dressed in the same simple clothing as Amos. And just as armed. "Gentlemen, can we help you?"
"We are servants of the one true God. The Lord our Christ." Spoke the first man (Red Shirt Dean was calling him).
"The Faith of One." Spoke the second man, Blue Shirt, as he put a calming hand on Amos' shoulder.
Dean and the Rescue crew looked around; this was turning into a bad movie. Were they going to start quoting the bible next?
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel." Green Shirt said this as he pointed his shotgun at the Rescue team.
Chase's eyes got big as they darted from Blue shirt over to Dean and Jordan. "Ummm…" This was not wat he signed up for; this shite belonged in the fucking movies. "Jesus H Christ."
"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain."
Shit-sticks; Chase hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Ummm… s-sorry." He stammered out the apology as Dean glared at him. "Can we help you?"
"We are assisting Brother Amos in looking for his wife Charity." Red shirt again spoke; he seemed to be the leader of this band of armed weirdos.
"Could you put your weapons down? Do you have any pictures of her? We can search." Dean tried to defuse the situation, Green Shirt lowered his weapon. Thank goodness Charity was now in the ambulance on the way to a hospital. His eyes scanned over Amos Bowen, Red Shirt, Green Shirt, and Blue Shirt taking in the homemade shirts, thick work boots, and knives on their belts.
Jordan calmly pointed at a stump which they'd been using as a seat for Charity. "This should work as a safe place."
Taking another drink of vodka, Dean shook his head.
It hadn't worked. Instead Amos had shot one of the tires of the truck. Watching it go flat, Dean just wished that Lachie was here. Or that Yank friend of Lachie's… Eliot. He'd left the Navy and was doing something like dealing with shite like this; at least that was what Lachie had said. One of them would know what to do. "Okay, everyone calm down. Let's be calm. Jordan, Chase move this way."
"No, he stays." Barked Amos pointing the shotgun at Chase. "You come here! Now! The stench of the devil is upon you."
Now Dean was cussing inwardly. He heard Jordan mutter behind him, "Don't they speak in anything other than fucking riddles."
Chase went and sat on the stump, his eyes were wide. Jordan stepped forward trying to placate the Faith of One, fucking religious fanatics. Dean stepped back and requested back-up again, no sirens or lights; and that they had an active hostage situation.
"Gentlemen, let us be calm here. We can help find Charity. We just need some information. Can you help us with that?" Jordan wracked his head for the bible verse his mom would use in this situation. He looked over at Lara and mouthed 'bible verse.' She shrugged helplessly, her family had never been religious. He closed his eyes for a second and wished Heidi was here. "Psalms." It had been from Psalms that his mom always quoted.
"Try praying with them." Lara whispered to Dean after a few more minutes passed with Amos' waving his gun at all of them.
"What do I say?" Dean whispered back. His family didn't pray; fuck they hadn't prayed since grandma had died. Something like twenty years ago.
"I don't know."
"Gentlemen, let us pray." Dean stepped forward and spoke with confidence, really hoping that Red Shirt would start praying, or someone would know what to say.
"I want my wife!" Amos shot out another tire, waving the gun wildly. "He who finds a wife finds a good thing. And obtains favor from the Lord."
Two more shots down, he'd need to reload. Jordan considered jumping Amos; but, the man reloaded as fast as lightning.
"Brother Amos." Red shirt took the que from Dean, "Thy fountain is blessed, let us rejoice."
Amos didn't pause. He swung the shotgun over to where his brothers of faith were standing and fired – Green Shirt fell. Dean, Lara, and Jordan all jumped. Something like a whimper came out of Chase's mouth.
"Jordan, Lara; get Green Shirt, Blue Shirt, and Red Shirt behind the truck. It will give you some cover." The two paramedics moved quickly and quietly as Red Shirt pleaded and quoted scripture. Dean looked helplessly at his little brother: He would give almost anything to change places with him.
"Brother Amos." Red Shirt pleaded. "Blessed are the peacemakers…"
That was as far as he got before Amos started roaring and swinging the gun. At least Jordan and Lara were safe and Green Shirt was getting medical treatment.
Dean looked over at Red Shirt and gestured for him to get behind the truck. The man shook his head no, and jerked it at Chase. Dean nodded; a bit surprised that he could have this much of a conversation using no words with someone he'd never actually talked to. Red Shirt moved behind the nearest bush as a compromise when Dean jerked his head again at the truck.
"Brother." Dean tried again. And was cut off again by a roar and the swinging gun. The swing hit Chase on the head and he fell off the stump. "Chase!" Dean moved towards him and stopped short when Amos' long-gun stopped swinging and was pointed at his chest. "Easy, Mr Bowen, easy. Can we talk about this? Talk about Charity?" Dean was pleading with him, anything to take the focus off the team. "Tell me about your wife."
Amos slumped on the stump that Chase had just vacated, and started talking. "She has hair like silk, and is kind…
Dean moved a little out of the way and listened to what Amos' was saying while trying to figure out a way for this to end peacefully. Chase was shifting on the ground, and groaning quietly. He could hear Lara communicating with Vince.
Amos kept talking. Talking about wanting a family, Charity, and farming. Yeah, Heidi would have been a help here; she at least knew about cows and shite. After all she grew up on a farm. And he kept talking, stuff about biodynamics and…
After what seemed like forever Jordan slid a small first aid kit over to Dean while Amos was rambling.
"Amos, can I look at his head?" Dean held up the first aid kit and nodded at Chase. "Please." He could hear vehicles in the background.
Amos looked down at Chase on the ground, and over at Red Shirt. "He will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."
Red Shirt looked over at Dean, and then down at Chase. "Brother, we are not damned. The Beast has been seized. We are being granted a resurrection of life through the Faith of One."
The sound of the cars stopped. Dean asked again if he could help Chase. From behind the truck came "We are born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but from the faith of One."
Amos became agitated at hearing Blue Shirt's voice and started swinging the shotgun around again.
Dean held his arms out trying to will the crazy man into letting Chase go; he could hear people walking through the woods so he started talking. "Amos, I understand your pain. I'm a man in love too; and she doesn't even see me."
Lara and Jordan looked at each other, and saw the head of a cop peek through the foliage. Dean needed to keep talking so that Amos would keep his attention on Dean and Red Shirt and off the woods behind him.
"She doesn't see me; her hair is this beautiful gold." Dean desperately tried to remember more from the book he'd read ages ago in school. "She is a vision of radiant beauty, and charming grace."
Jordan added "Tell us more about this queen." He really hoped he was right, that this was from the Oz books: Queen Zixi." He whispered to Lara. At her sideways glance he added "Freya likes them."
"Her skin is as fair as a lily, except for the blush of rose in her cheeks."
Chase was staring at Dean like he had three heads. Jesus, had he hit his head that hard?
"Lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes," thundered Amos. "The boastful pride of life is not from the Father."
"I never saw beauty, till I saw her." Dean butchered Romeo and Juliet, really wishing this was over. A second head popped into view. Dean struggled to find something to say. "Her dreams for life. Whatever it takes; or how my heart breaks. I will be right here waiting for her."
Jordan and Lara looked at each other: Was Dean using song quotes? "Richard Marx." Lara mouthed at Jordan, shrugging. She didn't think Dean was a big music fan.
Amos heard something behind him, Red Shirt tried to cover up the noises with another bible verse; but, to no avail. Amos swung around raising the shotgun and fired, the spray from the shotgun pellets disbursed quickly and pellets hit both the police men and Red Shirt. Dean rushed Amos like he was a champion rugby player, and managed to actually knock him over. Two more policemen ran in and handcuffed Amos who was struggling and spewing bible verses. Lara rushed to the policemen that had been hit with pellets, while Jordan rushed to Red Shirt as Dean scrambled over to Chase. "You okay?"
"Yeah."
Dean started doing a concussion check.
"Dude, I'm okay." Chase swatted Dean's hands away. "Bugger off."
"Well, no change in personality. You are still a pain in the ass."
Chase just hmphed at Dean "A couple Panadol and I'll be fine."
"Fine." Dean got him a couple ibuprofens, acetaminophen wasn't going to do shit for his head, and started dealing with Vince & Michelle, the two flat tires, and the fucking cops who were swarming everywhere.
Dean shook his glass listening to the ice cubes clink against the ice. A third glass sounded really good. He just didn't want to think for a bit, didn't want to remember for a while. How in the hell did Jordan know so much about stupid cults? It had been like that time with Vince and the trains.
Staring at the mostly empty glass Dean was fucking glad he had tomorrow off. Even with the mess the cops made of everything, demanding statements at the scene, they'd made it back to the station at a decent time, except there had been the paperwork associated with Chase being held hostage; the cops; more paperwork; and fuck all. Dean poured more vodka into the glass, no need for new ice; and took a drink. He was done!