America came speeding down the road in her truck. She didn't even bother with slowing down when it came to sharp turns; almost toppling the vehicle a couple of times. She made it back to Fall's End in record time and skidded to a stop by a crowd of people on the outskirts of the town.
From where they were, the town looked like it was hit hard. The vehicle barricade they made was wide open, like something barreled through it. Beyond that, the town looked relatively unscathed, but there were Peggie vehicles surrounding the church.
"Where the hell have you been?!" Grace demanded, pushing through the crowd. She was joined by Boomer who was just happy to see her.
"Dealing with political bullshit. What's the situation?"
"Real fucked up, Deputy." Merle joined them. "John Seed just waltzed right in with no warning or nothin'. By the time we realized he was here, he had already taken the church. And took Pastor Jerome, Nick Rye, and Mary May as hostages."
"Fuck!"
They came up to James who was watching the church through a set of binoculars. The Senior Deputy didn't even give her a glance. "Nice of you to join us." He said dismally.
She grabbed her own binocular and looked over at the church. The peggies had already made themselves at home by setting up a red carpet from a van to the entrance. They decorated wreathes of Bliss Flowers all over the place and they even nailed crows to the arch of the door.
'What the fuck did they do that for? Who just nails birds to a church like that? For fun?' America thought disgustedly.
"Where the fuck were the scouts and guards when they came here?"
"Dead." James answered grimly. "John's men ambushed them. That's how they were able to get in here."
"How are the people underneath the church? The children and elderly?"
"We managed to get everyone out, but they still got Mary, Jerome, and Nick." Grace replied.
"Not Kim?" America really hoped the expecting mother was not among them. "No, we didn't see her. I don't think John has her . . . yet."
No one wanted to think about what John would do to the pregnant woman.
"Why are you all outside the town anyway? If they have just the church—"
"John gave us an ultimatum. Everyone drops everything they have, guns especially, and leave Fall's End, or Jerome, Mary and Nick will be skinned alive." James answered frustratingly. Both he and Merle had to abandon their cars full of guns, their prides and joys.
"And you guys just did as he said?" America asked incredulously.
"No one was going to risk the Pastor, Nick and Mary." James answered firmly.
"They're our pillars, Deputy." Grace explained. "Like you, no one was willing to risk them for revenge or pride."
"Besides, some of us made it out with some stuff." Merle added.
"Like my rifle hear." She showed off her special golden rifle. "Though everyone else wasn't so lucky."
"So we have hardly no weapons, no food, no supplies. What do we have?"
"A lot of angry Montanans." James half-joked and was half-serious.
Grace smacked the boy in the head. "This is no time for jokes, James."
The church doors suddenly opened and out came John Seed of all people. It took all of America's strength to not pull out her LMG and shoot the demonic man on sight.
"Deputy America Jones! I know you're out there." He called smugly. "I'm here. I've come to set you and the rest of this wayward town straight."
"Where are Jerome, Nick and Mary, John?!"
"They are safe and well in the bosom of the Father's grace."
"Blow it out your ass! I mean are they alive?!"
"They are. Though if you continue with the disrespect they won't be for long." Everyone stayed quiet for right now. "I am not the bad guy here, America. You're the one who's been going around slaughtering the good lambs of the Father, stealing our graceful land and resources, and spreading your wrath like a disease."
'Would you stop talking for once in your goddamned life?!' America growled internally.
"I am here to save you, America! To save all of you! The Father wishes it so." He extended a hand out, offering it. "All you have to do is come inside and we shall face your sins together."
"And if I don't?"
His hand fell to his side. "Then I shall crucify the false Pastor and the Rye patriarch before all of Fall's End."
Nick's voice yelled from inside the church. "Don't do it, Deputy! Don't let him sink his hooks in ya!" His shouts were cut off by someone striking Nick.
John seemed momentarily frustrated by being interrupted, but he quickly composed himself and continued. "It's scary to face your sins, America. I know. We all know it." He gestured to his so-called family inside the church. "I will give you ten minutes to decided, Deputy. Come in here, alone . . . and I will help face your demons. If you don't decide by then . . . I'll start with the heretics first."
And with that he walked back inside. Singing then started up inside, like it was a normal day of church. Well, whatever a bunch of fucked up cultists considered normal.
"Shit!" America didn't even hesitate and started heading over.
Grace stopped her and looked at her like she was crazy. "You can't actually be thinking of going in there?"
"Yep."
"Rookie, he's going to butcher you or worse." James said.
"It's suicide!" Merle shouted.
"He wants me. That's what he's always wanted. At least this way we'll have all the peggies on me and maybe I can kill the fucker before anything too bad happens."
"This is a gamble, Rook. Even I wouldn't risk this." James said uneasily.
"Then watch my back."
"With what?! Yes, I have my sniper rifle, but if I had a good sight on the church don't you think I would have done something myself? Everyone else is armed with dinky pistols and SMGs and fucking baseball bats. We're really under armed here."
"Maybe not." America and a couple others helped drag the crate she got from Willis to the group. They opened it up and everyone went slack with shock from the hardware.
Merle whistled. "Damn, Dep, where'd you get all this?"
"Let's just say, 'Up Top.'"
"Not bad, Rook." James said, admiring a high-grade shotgun. "Unfortunately though, this isn't enough. We need a lot more weapons then this."
"Well, it's all we got, so if we're—"
"Excuse me, excuse me!" A young preteen was shouting and trying to squeeze through the crowd of people. "Deputy Jones! Deputy Jones! Wait!"
"Let them through." She ordered, everyone parted to make way.
The young preteen ran up to the Deputy. He looked haggard and his clothes were torn up all over. He looked like he ran for miles.
"Who are you? I don't recognize you." America said.
"My names Keith." He panted. "I've come from the Henbane River, Faith Seed's territory." Everyone was surpsied to hear that. "I was told it was safe here. Someone said to find you and give you this."
The young man handed her an old, scratched up Vietnam zippo-lighter. The sight of it in her hand instantly filled her with fear.
She took the lighter. "This is . . . where did you get this?"
"A redhaired girl gave it to me. She saved me from the cult and told me to head to Fall's End to give it to you."
Wendell Redler walked up, he looked just as worried, if not more so, as America. "Cass?"
"Yeah that's her." The boy confirmed.
"Why isn't she with you?" The old veteran asked, growing worried.
"She . . . I . . ." He looked around. All the eyes turned the poor kid nervous. His gaze feel to his feet and he rubbed his arm. "She freed me and others from the peggies, but we got spotted. She gave me this lighter and told me to run to Fall's End to give it to a Deputy Jones. She fought them off while I escaped. I . . . don't know what happened after that."
America looked down at the lighter and just stared at it. 'What's happened to Cass? Is she alive? Held captive? How long has this kid been on the run?' So many questions were shooting through her head, she almost felt overwhelmed.
Then she felt a hand wrap around her hand that held the lighter. Looking up, Wendell was giving her a reassuring look.
"I know you worried, America. I am too, but we gotta focus on what's in front of us right now."
"But your granddaughter—"
"Is a Redler. She's tough. Trust me, I wanna go ridin' off to look for her too, but John's holding our town hostage. We got to think of everyone else before ourselves. When all of this is done and John's dead . . . then you can go be her white knight. Got it?"
In the man's eyes America could see the soldier that survived a World War and Vietnam. His body was not the same, but his mind was, sharp and focused like the deadliest knife.
America nodded. "Is this the last lighter?"
Wendell nodded.
"The we got an advantage now. Get Redller's stash and be quick." She turned to the church. "I don't know how long this'll last."
America walked to the church. She kept her head high and proud and her hands steady toward the holster of her gun. She was quick on the draw, but she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to shoot off Judgment.
She opened the door and was immediately struck in the head with the stock of a rifle. Not enough to knock her out, but enough to subdue her, drag her to the middle of the church and presented in front of John. Even in her disoriented state, his smile was still twistedly sick.
John just smiled down at her, beyond pleased with himself. "Hold her."
They got her on her back. America struggled as best she could, but the sheep's grips held her down by her wrists. She kicked and shook, but John got on top of her, placing a foot by her hip and his knee on her stomach, pinning her. She could hardly breathe.
He ripped open her shirt, exposing her chest and bra to everyone. He stared at her for a moment longer then she was comfortable with. She was ashamed to admit that she squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. Then he got to work, putting needle to flesh.
America had gotten tattoos before. The one on the nape of her back was her best one and done by an actual priest. But John was like a fucking demon with a stained, rusty knife. Every drag across her skin was torture!
But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing her scream or seeing her cowed. So, she grit her teeth, threatening to break them under strain, and stared directly into John's eyes, letting him know he has the upper hand, but he is not in control.
Grunting and growling, America mustered up all the strength she had and got loose from one of the peggies. Her hand gripped the young Seed's arm, squeezing it tightly, hoping she'd break it.
But it was pulled back down before any major damage could be done. She was sure she left bruising though.
"Knock it off! It's supposed to say Wrath not 'Wrat.'" John scolded and then continued. "Sins must be exposed so they may be absolved. If we hide our sin . . . we hide ourselves. You will not hide any longer."
Through searing pain, America said, "I . . . haven't been . . . hiding! Unlike . . . You!"
The prick just chuckled. "Your true self will spill out onto this floor for all to see." John finally finished; America was sure he lingered on the final letter to spite her for her words. "Ahhhhhh . . . perfect."
He got off her and the other peggies released her as well, but kept their weapons at the ready. Groaning, America sat up and breathed shallowly, the pain from her new tat really took a lot out of her.
Now that she could see more than three feet in front of her, the Deputy noticed Nick, Jerome, and Mary. All three were shirtless and looked like they were haggard, but alive. John had already tattooed them, giving Nick Greed, Jerome Envy, and Mary Pride. The blonde's tattoo looked like it was irritating her more.
She looked down at her own chest and saw the word "WRATH" crudely scrawled across her chest; blood mixed with black ink poured down her torso. It was the ugliest thing she had ever seen.
There were peggies all around them. Total of ten. Some were standing, watching guard, others were sitting in the pews like it was a normal day at church. And John was at the very center, arms splayed out like the Savior he thought he was.
"If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, bring the mountain to Mohammed. Help our new sister up. Let's begin!" He clapped cheerily.
The peggies hoisted her up and dragged her over to where the others were. The Deputy was now feeling the weight of the situation. The whole room was quiet and the sounds of their shoes clacking against the wooden floor echoed.
They shoved the others to face the podium where John stood at gunpoint. America noticed that Jerome was still holding his personal bible, which John slapped out of his arms and placed one of Joseph's books in the man of God's hands.
He forced Jerome to face toward the three and smiled, even more pleased with himself. "I thought some friendly faces would make your Atonement easier."
John held the black man by his neck. Another peggie was behind him, gun pointed right at Jerome's head, ready for any reason to pull the trigger.
John then softly spoke into the pastor's ear. "Our devoted . . ." Jerome did nothing but stare hard ahead. There was a twitch of annoyance from John, followed by a tap from the gunman. "We are gathered here to bear witness . . ."
Still nothing. John dropped his head with a sigh of disappointment and backed away. Jerome was struck on the back of the head by the armed peggie. Jeffries fell to the floor and both Nick and Mary tried lunging at the young Seed.
"You son of a bitch—AH!" Mary was struck in the head too, while Nick was headlocked away.
America didn't say or do anything, as she was more concerned for the Pastor.
While John laughed off their outbursts, only America noticed Jerome pushing away the Seed Bible and reaching for his actual Good Book. For a long minute, the deputy was confused by this.
After John had his little, sick laugh and Mary spitting on his pants, John continued.
"Let's try that again." Once more, he grabbed a bleeding Jerome by the neck and pushed him in front of Nick. "Our devoted, we are gathered here today to bear witness . . ."
To the three's shock, Jerome recited the man's words. "Our devoted, we are gathered here today to bear witness . . ."
"To those willing to atone for their sins . . ."
"To those willing to atone for their sins . . ."
America couldn't figure out why Jerome was complying. He would never allow John to control him like this! But then it hit her when her eyes fell on the actual Bible. A moment's recall to when she was captured told her of the little surprise the Pastor kept in his book. Something she only saw briefly, but knew it was there. But the problem was—
"Will you Nick Rye, place your hand upon the word of Joseph?"
Jeffries didn't even get to finish the last line before Nick cut him off "Nah. Fuck that. I ain't ever givin' in to that psychopath."
Nick was too stubborn and appalled that Jeffries had caved so easily. He didn't know about Jerome's gun.
'Damn it, Nick, put your hand on the bible!'
America kept her cool, despite wanting to shout at Nick. She said tensely, "Nick, do what Jerome says and place your hand on the book."
"What's with all yall?! Am I the only one here with a damn spine? I ain't givin' anything to this son of a bitch." Nick retorted. The Deputy turned her head away when John pushed Jerome aside and got into Rye's face.
The peggies that held Nick back tightened their restraints as Nick started struggling more now that John was within arm's length.
"There it is. Greed. Always thinking of yourself, Nick." Poking at the word tattooed on Nick's chest. Nick's response to snort and hock a loogie in the bastard's face.
John smirked and wiped his cheek of the spittle. He looked at the residue for a moment bemusedly, then at Nick. He said "Ah" before grabbing the pilot. America thought he was going to kill the soon-to-be-father, but instead, the herald leaned in close and whispered something into the man's ear.
The fight seemed to drain out of the Rye Patriarch as well as the color from his face. He no longer fought and looked to be on the brink of tears.
John finally moved away from Nick, cupping his face and stroking it comfortingly. "Nick?" He asked expectantly. The pilot looked between his friends and John, mentally weighing his options before he nodded.
"Yes. Yes, I will atone." He nearly cried.
Whatever John said, he had broken Nick Rye.
John smiled in his usual revolting fashion and held out his hand. A cultist handed him a scalpel. Everyone's eyes widened as the peggies dragged Nick to the floor.
"No! NO!" Nick whimpered out. Both Jerome and Mary struggled to stop John from getting on top of the man, but they too were held back.
America did nothing but watch. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. The Deputy had only ever seen the results of the peggies butchery, never the actions themselves. The brutality, the sickness. The depravity, and they called everyone else sinful.
The sound of flesh being cut from muscle, Nick's pain-filled wails of anguish, the shouts of the defiant Mary and Jerome, and the deafening quiet of the brainwashed cultists were permanently marred in her mind, like the new tattoo on her chest. She would never forget this moment for as long as she lived.
John finally finished as he ripped Nick's skin off like flypaper. His hands were bloody as he raised Nick's severed flesh with the tattoo of Greed like a prize! Meanwhile, Nick was on the ground clutching his bleeding chest. America had no doubt the poor man couldn't breathe.
"And that is the power of YES! The power to take away your sins!" He grabbed a staplegun and nailed the strip of tattooed flesh to the walls of the church. He then kneeled down, placing his hand on the wheezing Nick's head. "The power to set you free. You are free, Nick. You're welcome."
John walked over to the podium to wash his hands in a bowl of water. Mary, who was bleeding from the nose, flickered from watching Nick worriedly to glowering at the peggies all around her. Jerome was staring at America. Their eyes locked and she noticed the pastor subtly tap his book. America gave no indication she understood.
'I understand and with God's grace . . . I can shoot this brotherfucker.'
John finished cleaning up. He was coming down from his adrenaline high, almost winded from what he just did.
'I bet he creamed his pants too. Don't doubt this fucker gets off on hurting folks.' America thought disdainfully.
John placed his hand on Jerome and continued, "Will you Deputy Jones, place your hand, upon the word of Joseph."
Jerome held the bible out and recited exactly what John said.
"Renounce your sins and admit your transgressions."
"Renounce your sins and admit your transgressions." Jerome took a step forward, almost pushing the book into her chest. He gave her a steel look that reminded her of Redler and her mother. The look of a soldier, ready and willing to do whatever it took to finish the mission. The look of a true wolf. "Say Yes."
"It's just one word." John said simply.
America placed her hand on the cover of the book and slowly slid her fingers to the edge. She looked directly at John, into his dark, blue eyes and could see the growing excitement behind them.
"Yes."
She flipped the book open and pulled out Jerome's Revolver.
"GUN!"
America fired. Inches. By several fucking inches she could have ended him, but one fuck-minded, sheep bastard was faster and pushed her arm away from John's head. The shot however, did take off a chunk of his left ear.
She was tackled to the ground. As she was wrestling with a shaggy Peggie, in her peripheral vision she could see Mary holding back one of the guards, Jerome picking up his revolver and Nick sounded like he was fighting back too.
"Go! Go! Get the Herald out of here!" She saw John getting rushed out by two cultists.
Mary and Jerome took some guns and started firing on the peggies. America slugged the Peggie across the face, knocking him to the ground. A few more punches saw him unconscious or dead from her multiple blows. She grabbed Judgement from the Peggie's belt and fired. Then she fired on two more peggies hiding behind the pews.
She saw Mary had Fall's Ghost and Jerome had gotten ahold of the Farmhand. The Pastor blew away a peggie behind the church door and Mary was shooting out the door at the fleeing John. Every shot missed unfortunately.
America could no longer contain herself. The pain her chest turned into a roaring fire that coursed through her veins. She was going to kill John and any fucker that got in her way. TODAY.
"KILL THE FUCKER!"
They saw John get pulled into the van outside and then sped off. The peggies remained behind to fend off any attackers. For a moment the three were pinned down in the church . . . but only for a moment.
A rocket blew up a peggie truck and killed any cultists nearby. From the south a bunch of citizens came from over the hill battle crying as they fired off all the new guns they had. A 40mm grenade impacted against a truck, blowing it up and killing any peggies near it. The cult was quickly overwhelmed as the Resistance took its home back.
"HOOOOORAAAAAH!" Merle yelled out.
"We got Fall's End, Deputy." Grace said over the radio. "You go after John."
There was no time to waste on words.
A gun mounted truck stopped in front of them, James was at the wheel. "Get in, I overheard the peggies on the radio saying they were taking John to the Ranch!"
"Go with Mary, I'll look after Nick." Jerome insisted, heading back into the church for the pilot.
Mary was already in the passenger seat of a pickuptruck. America quickly hopped in the back and was ready for blood. The senior deputy put the peddle to the metal, making the tires squeal and kick up smoke. The truck finally took off after the Herald.
Already the cult was trying to halt them, trucks and ATVs were getting onto the road and shooting at them. The Resistance fired on them with bullets and rockets, clearing the way for the pursuers.
The cult was relentless however. They were coming out of the fucking woodwork trying to stop them, even Chosen aircrafts were shooting at them, but America wouldn't let anything stop her. She couldn't remember how many times the big gun overheated, but it was worth it to have every bullet fire on the dumb sheep.
Mary fired her new rifle from the passenger seat. While the Deputy covered their flank, the bartender shot anyone dumb enough to come at them from the front. She thanked her Pa in Heaven for taking her to the shooting range young. Hitting moving targets is a bitch, but not for someone that has experience in it.
And James? He was honking for every peggie he crashed into and ran over. Vehicular homicide was his forte.
They reached the Seed Ranch, apparently overtaken once more during this whole fiasco. The peggies weren't kind to the new owners, as they passed by several Resistance members dead and crucified in front of the house. America immediately recognized two of them.
'Keith? Helen? My god, what did the cult . . .' America crushed her feelings down into the depths of her heart and threw them on the burning bonfire that was her rage.
"Deputy!" Mary called, while shooting at retaliating cultists "We're too late, John's taken off."
Sure enough, John was in some fighter plane, already a good hundred yards down the airstrip.
"Fucking DIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!" She fired the machine guns on every peggie that was unfortunate to get in her sight. She tried shooting John's plane, but he was already to far.
"Stop the truck, James! I'm going after him!" She declared.
"You got it, Dep. We'll hold them off here." James said, skidding the truck to a halt, kicking up a smokescreen. The deputy fired his shotgun, blasting the closest peggies. Mary sat out the window and fired her rifle long distance, taking out the peggies hunkering in the garage.
The Deputy jumped from the car and rushed to the other remaining fighter plane on the strip. She got in the cockpit and closed it shut. She turned on every switch, knob and button necessary to get the machine running. It moved, then it took off.
'There's only one other place the bastard can go. And I'm not letting him get anywhere near the bunker!'
Suddenly, her radio came to life and on the other end was a suffering Nick.
"Partner, it's Nick. Ack! I'm not letting that motherfucker get away with this. I'm in Carmina heading straight for John."
"Nick, you're hurt! You're in no condition to—"
"I gotta do this, Dep! He ain't hurtin' anyone else, not while I still breathe!"
"Fuck. Fine, ya crazy bastard. I see John in my sights now. Just follow the gunfire."
As soon as America had the Seed's plane in her crosshairs, she fired. Unfortunately, this was no ordinary plane John was riding in, it was a black Adjudicor FBW. The damn thing had thick armor and was designed for dogfights, outfitted with machineguns and missiles. It was even flying white cult symbols and was dubbed "Affirmation."
"You just don't know when to quit, do you Jones!" John said over the radio.
"I'm gonna hunt you down to the ends of the Earth, John. I swear to God I will send you to Hell myself."
"God is not on your side, HERETIC! The Father is his true vassal, the Father does His divine work. YOU besmirch everything that the great Creator stands for!"
"Then why have I been spanking your skinny ass all week?"
"S-shut up! God is on my side, you whore!"
John brought his plane around and fired on America. She turned her plane to the side, dodging the incoming fire and passed the opposing plane. Making a sharp turn she tried getting behind John and fired upon him, but he was slippery and only remained in her crosshairs for a short moment.
She managed to get off a few lucky hits, but the Inquisitor was proving very skilled in his aircraft. It was discombobulating, doing all these turns and twists and spins and flips. She was not used to flying so much or so erratically, but John seemed to have plenty of practice.
He managed to somehow get behind her in their little aerial dance and fired on her back. The clanking of the bullets filled her with worry, but she tried not to panic. She moved around trying to shake him or get behind him, but he stayed on her like a tick!
"Pathetic!" He taunted.
Some of her equipment was starting to beep at her, warning her that everything was getting hot too hard. She needed an advantage now or she was screwed.
'God, please, I could really use a hand here!' She internally prayed.
As if answering her silent prayers, a hail of bullets impacted the side of John's plane.
"What the—" He was then hit by a second hail of gunfire from none other then Nick Rye and his plane, Carmina.
"Ya feel that, brotherfucker! That's the red hot fury of a real father scorned!" Nick shouted into his radio.
"Nick Rye! Have you already forgotten what I told you?" John tsked coyly.
"Fuck you! You're a goddamn demon and we're sending you straight to hell! You hear me?! You're a dead man!"
"My, my, my, how contagious wrath can be. I'll just have to kill you both. What?!"
John's momentary distraction though allowed America to slip from his sights and get behind him. "As Nick said, you're a dead man demon-boy."
She pulled the trigger and fired on John Seed. He would maneuver to get out of her firing range, but Nick kept close to him and would fire to where he'd evade. It was no longer a cat and mouse game, instead it turned into tag as the two Resistance fighters took turns blasting the bastard. No matter how hard he tried, John couldn't outmaneuver their double-team.
Growling in anger, he said, "The Father gave you a chance for salvation and you threw it away! Look at what you've done. LOOK AT THE WRATH YOU HAVE WROUGHT!"
"And all that Wrath is being pointed at you, brotherfucker." The Deputy said. "You reap what you sew. And you and your family have reaped a lot of people's fury."
Frustrated, John performed a crazy 360 degree move that got him behind the two. He smiled viciously and flipped open the caps for the missiles.
"You could have helped us build a paradise, a future. Instead you choose to burn it all down, siding with the idiots of the world."
"We sided with the good people of this county. You and your dumbass family lit the match, brotherfucker!" Nick spat back.
John was sick and tired talking to these two sinners. "STOP CALLING ME THAT!"
He fired and launched a missile.
"Whoa!"
"Jesus!"
The two managed to dodge the rocket and saw it detonate several yards away. But John didn't stop. He fired more, forcing the two to narrowly avoid getting blown to smithereens. The two even nearly crashed into each other avoiding the missiles.
"Nick! He can only go after one of us. Split!"
"Got it!"
Nick dipped down; America went up. "Stop running you cowards!" John screeched wrathfully.
Without thinking, he followed after the Deputy. He fired two more missiles. America swerved her plane, the projectiles missing by inches. John was confident in this last missile though as he finally got her right where he wanted her.
But then many bullets impacted his rear. Nick had once again gotten behind him and riddled his aircraft with holes.
"Damn you!" He accidentally fired his last missile and missed the Deputy completely. He had to move down to avoid the Deputy, but this panicked action left him open to the Deputy's plane who had turned hard to fire on him. Both planes rained hot metal down on the young Seed sibling and it was too much.
All of his equipment was beeping and outside he could see his whole plane smoking and some parts were even combusting.
"AGH! No! NO! I'm losing control! I-I'm going down!" He quickly grabbed a parachute and opened the cockpit.
The winning pilots saw John abandon his plane and jump out. The plane plummeted and crashed in a field somewhere. Nick increased his speed at seeing this.
"I'm gonna ram the son of a bitch!" Nick declared and started taking a dive at John.
"Nick, no! We need his bunker key to save everyone. We can't do that if the key is shredded and gone!"
"Shit!" Nick quickly turned away just a few feet from John. The wind created by his plane though caused John's chute to spin out of control and land somewhere in the forest.
"I'm going after him. You head back to Fall's End and see if anyone needs help."
"You got it, Deputy. Give him hell." Nick agreed and turned back to town.
'That's all he's gonna get.'
America put on her parachute and opened the cockpit. After pointing the plane to crash-land in an open field, she jumped out and headed straight for John's last location.
John Seed
John was limping through the forest. His right leg was beaten badly. The Rye Plane's wind current caused his parachute to spin out of control and perform a not so graceful landing through the trees. His leg was bashed against the trunk of a tree after the chute got caught on a branch, then his leg got even worse after he freed himself and landed hard on the badly damaged limb.
As if he weren't in bad enough shape, with his blown-off ear and busted ribs.
"GhaH! Fuck! Fuck this place! Fuck that Deputy and her sinner friends! Let them burn!"
The Deputy's wrath was too much. It was choking everything to death. All their hard work was being undone by one fucking self-righteous whore!
"She's lost. There's no saving that bitch. Why? Why, Father, would you ask me to save that devil? Why was she more important than me? Your own blood, your own little brother?"
Suddenly, America came around a tree and struck the herald in the face with her baseball bat.
John comically fell to the mud, where he belonged.
America reached down and grasped the bunker key around his neck. But just before she could yank it off, John grabbed her arm. He looked up at her, blood and mud smeared his face, and yet he smiled like he had the last laugh.
"What if Joseph is right?" Words that had more of a ring then she'd like. "Did you ever stop to think about that?"
"Everyone thinks he's crazy, but he's not. Look around you. This world is on the brink. You can feel it in your bones. Look at the headlines." He laughed, but ended up coughing. "Look who's in charge!"
Blood spewed from his mouth and spattered on her shirt. "You want this key because you think you're saving people, but they are already safe. We had a plan. You don't understand. You don't believe. You don't care!"
America struck him hard in the face with her fist, breaking his nose even further and snapping the key off his neck.
"Are you fucking kidding me? Didn't you ever listen to fucking music growing up, John? "We didn't start the fire. It was always burning since the world was turning." The world is always burning John. The entire planet has been in chaos since caveman times! Even this, this whooole fucking thing with your dumbass, incest-ridden cult-family is just another footnote of crazy that this world churns out. And it's people like me that put down the fucking crazy to bring some commodity of order."
John was about to say something, but she shoved her bat into his hole.
"Shut it! For once, you're going to be judged. Don't act like you give a shit! You're a petty little man, who likes taking all of his pain out on others to make him feel bigger than he is. When in truth you are the smallest, tiniest, most pathetic piece of shit in the entire world."
"You know nothing!" John coughed.
"I know you hurt others because you want everyone to feel the same pain you do. I know you're a scared little boy, crying in the corner because his mommy and daddy didn't love him enough. And even his own siblings won't give him the time of day."
"Shut up!"
"At first I wondered why Joseph would deny his own brother paradise, but now I see. You ARE sin, John. A walking, living, breathing sin. An existence that can't stop being what it is and why would Joseph ever allow something as ugly and deplorable as you in his nirvana? Hell!" She pulled down the hem of her shirt to show the ugly "Wrath" tattoo John just gave her. "I'm less of a sinner then you."
"You are nothing!"
America looked around her. There was no one surprisingly. She knew they were close to the bunker, but the fact no one, Peggie or Resistance, was around made her smile. Even the animals of the forest were leaving them alone. There would be no interruptions.
"It's just us now John. No one, but us and God. He's been watching you. Watching you spread your appalling message. Watching you hurt innocent people. And now he's ready to watch you get yours. It's time for you to confess your sins. Don't you think?"
"I have nothing to say to you, sinner!" He spat.
"John . . ." She kneeled down and gave him a smile similar to his, "you're supposed to say . . . yes."
America raised her Star Spangled Basher and broke both of John's legs. Both strikes caused him to scream in pain.
"John Seed, you are guilty of crimes against humanity." She struck him in the pelvis, earning a painful crack. "Crimes including, murder in the first degree." She broke his arm. "Kidnapping." His ribs. "Extortion." A couple more ribs. "Theft." His spine. "Assaulting multiple officers of the law." His hands. "Use of illegal weapons." His jaw. "Torture and various other crimes that would take hours to list."
She looked down at the broken man whimpering in front of her. His body was shaking, and he looked like he was trying to get into the fetal position. Despite this broken state he still put up a fight.
"Not . . . guilty. You . . . fucking . . . bitch."
She bashed him in the head, dazing him. "The answer was 'Yes' John. And you know what happens when you . . . don't . . . say . . . yes."
She stood up. "John Seed, I hereby sentence you to death."
She raised up her bat and smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed. And smashed.
She finally stopped after her arms became tired and her breathing became ragged. She looked at her work and saw that there was nothing left of John's head, but a puddle of blood, flesh, and bone.
Looking at the tiny key in her hand, she finally could save Hudson and every other civilian in that hell hole. She got on the horn and declared to everyone in the valley:
"To the resistance . . . to anyone listening . . . John Seed is dead. To the remaining peggies at the bunker. I'm comin'."
I have been looking forward to this chapter for so long. The chapter where I can finally get a word in and tell John to stuff his stupid bullshit back into his craw. And to also give him a more . . . appropriate send-off. I actually had many different endings for him before I settled on this one. I had a scenario where I just gunned him down until his head was mincemeat, shot him in the mouth, shot him in the dick where he bled out, hung him from a tree, beheaded him, beat him with America's fists Sin City style, a fitting death by a thousand cuts, and even skinning him alive. He'd deserve every one of those and more. Oh well, the devil sorts these fuckers out in the end and that's always warming to think about.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I look forward to hearing what you have to say. Stay safe out there people! It may look like the end of the world, but just remember the song. "It was always burning since the world was turning!" We'll survive this, just like everything else the world throws at us. And one day, we'll look back on this time and realize it was just another moment of chaos.
PEACE! V