Chapter 4: Reversing the Fall
Kyle opened his eyes and was confused for a moment why there was no natural light. Oh right….him and Jess had gotten back to Dutch's bunker. He couldn't tell what time it was, but he figured he got enough sleep. A shower would be nice though. He found what he assumed was the shower. Afterward, he got dressed and started wandering around. It seemed that Jess and Dutch were still asleep, so Kyle made his way to the room with the map. He had wanted to study the notes on the wall, he didn't get a chance before. Jacob, John, Faith and Joseph Seed, The Father. The cult seemed to number in the thousands, run by each of the siblings in charge of a region. Kyle saw that he had been in Jacob and Faith's territories. Falls End, the place Dutch and wanted Kyle to go, was in John's region. Kyle shifted his attention from the map to the notes on each leader. Best to know what he was up against. There wasn't much but at least it was a start.
"Fucked up family huh?" Kyle heard Dutch's voice from the doorway but maintained his focus. He heard Dutch come stand beside him. "They just sort of appeared years back. We ignored them at first, but they soon grew rapidly. First it was the sermons, then they started buying up everything, harassing everyone. But now things have gone straight to shit after that raid you guys tried to pull. They thought that was the signal that the 'collapse' is near and now they've gone into overdrive." Kyle remained silent and continued reading. There was really nothing to say.
"The Seed brothers all came together. Jacob had a military background, so he was in charge of training. John was a lawyer and filthy rich. He was a big part of how the cult was able to get all of the businesses and their equipment. And Joseph…..he seems to have that silver tongue that continues to inspire those that follow him and attract new recruits."
"What about her?" Kyle pointed to the picture of Faith.
"Honestly, I'm not too sure about her. I don't believe that she was with them when they first came in. She appeared about six years ago. I'm not sure if she's related or just adopted. But she's just as cruel as the others. She's in charge of bliss production which is what they use to turn you into a drugged zombie if you don't join them willingly."
"I see." Kyle finally turned around and faced Dutch. "Is Jess still asleep?"
"She just woke up a few minutes ago. Just hopped in the shower. Why don't you go to grab a bite to eat from the kitchen? We can all meet here in a bit to discuss what to do next."
Kyle made his way to the kitchen and found the fridge to be stocked full of food. Perhaps the cult weren't the only ones preparing for a doomsday. He figured he'd be nice and grab some fruit for Jess. As soon as he closed the fridge door, he turned and saw Jess standing at the room's entrance. Must run in the family.
"Morning." He tossed her an apple.
"Thanks." She started biting into it. "So, what are you going to do now?"
"Don't know." He started eating as well. "We'll see what your uncle has to say."
"Kid! You better come take a look at this!" Dutch shouted from the command room.
Kyle made his way to Dutch's location with Jess following close behind. They found Dutch watching a Tv. On the screen was John Seed. He seemed to be part preaching, part advertising something about the power of yes. That somehow this one word could erase all your sins and lead you to salvation. The camera panned out to show Deputy Hudson, bound and gagged in the middle of it all. Her fearful look was a stark contrast to John's cheerful demeanor. He moved around her, continuing his video. The end seemed to suggest it as a recruitment video, with the underlining threat that refusal would lead to you be taken by force.
"That fucking bastard is crazy. All about power to him. Say yes to the cult and cower like a bitch." Jess broke the silence afterward.
"It looks like your partners are still alive kid, at least one of them. No telling what John has in store for her."
Both turned to face Kyle to see his reaction, but they found he didn't show any. He just continued to stare at the now blank screen. Kyle didn't know what to think. On one hand, he didn't have any attachment to these people, all they did was recruit him for their raid. Of all of them, only the sheriff and Hudson tried to be friendly with him. Hudson once told him that she would feel safer with Kyle watching her back and tried to be reassuring outside the compound. She was a good person to be sure but….
"Hey kid you alright?"
Kyle finally snapped out of his thoughts. "So, what's the plan Dutch?"
"So seeing that, I think we should stick to the original plan and head for Falls End. It's the biggest settlement in the county and taking it back will send quite a message to John."
Kyle simply nodded "Then I'll make my way over there then. I saw how to get there from the map." He started to leave.
"Wait! I'm going with you." He wasn't surprised to hear that from Jess.
"Alright, but you're driving this time."
After Dutch gave them a final farewell, they made their way outside. "So, what was that all about?" Jess questioned.
"What do you mean?"
"I know that detached feeling and it was plain to see that you didn't seem to care about your partner being held prisoner by John."
Kyle stopped and looked at her. "And how should I feel? I barely knew them for a few days. I only knew them because they recruited me. Hudson is a good person. In the short time we interacted, she did try to interact with me and make me feel comfortable. But now, John has her captive, probably somewhere extremely well-guarded. There's no point in getting emotional over something you don't have control over right now. Best to just focus on the task on hand."
Jess waved one hand in the air. "Alright, alright, geez. Didn't mean to set you off on a rant."
Kyle sighed and resumed his journey towards the truck. "I didn't mean to sound harsh. But you can only control what you can do right now. The past is history and the future is theory."
Jess couldn't help a chuckle. "Where'd you get that corny line?"
"Just made it up." He tossed her the keys and they began their long trek towards Falls End. As Jess drove, Kyle remained aware of his surroundings. They still had a cult vehicle to help them blend in but that could all go to shit if the cult actually looked at who was driving it. After crossing a bridge with a bunch of banners they started passing by a few farms. Suddenly, he got a feeling.
"Hey, make a left up here."
"What? Why?"
"Just do it."
Jess obeyed and the turned onto a dirt road headed towards one of the farms.
"Park on the side there. Then grab your bow and follow me."
"So fucking pushy." But Jess obeyed and they continued towards the farm on foot. Kyle didn't know where that sudden feeling came from, but it told him that there was something going on at the farm. Getting closer, it finally came into view. The farm had been attacked and it was still occupied. There were three Eden's Gate members milling about with one truck that seemed to be blasting out one of John's pre-recorded sermons. Kyle spotted a cage and every so often, one of the peggies would rattle the cage. Upon closer inspection, it was not a person in the cage but a dog.
"I'll take the one by the truck. You get the one by the cage. Last one is whoever's quickest. Sound good?"
Jess nodded and moved up to get a better shot. Kyle crouched and aimed at his first target. He gave Jess a few more moments to get into position before he fired and took the first cultist down. Jess took care of the second one. By the time Kyle moved to line up the third cultist, Jess already had him in her sights and put an arrow in his head. After a clean sweep, Kyle made his way over to the cage. The dog was barking wildly but not in an angry sort of way. Kyle gave the door cage a smack which let the dog out. It immediately made its way towards two bodies that were right outside the house. Both people looked they had been killed shortly before Jess and Kyle arrived. The dog whimpered and whined for its dead owners.
Kyle had a soft spot for dogs. He always liked them even though he never had one of his own. Even with some of the people he worked for who had vicious attack dogs, Kyle would still try to interact with them. Surprisingly, a lot of that went well. He did the same for this dog here. He went over and started gave it a few pets while it was still mourning. It seemed to appreciate the gesture, as it turned toward Kyle and started happily giving him a few licks. It was enough to cause Kyle to smile as he stood up.
"You want to come with us boy?" He wasn't sure of the dog's gender but just assumed it to be male. The dog happily barked like it understood and started making its way towards the truck. Kyle turned and was going to do the same thing until he saw Jess nearby snickering at him.
"I don't think I'll ever understand you. First you play the professional tough guy, then you go out of your way to rescue a dog. You're just full of surprises."
Kyle crossed his arms but otherwise tried to not look annoyed. "He's coming with us."
"I'm not opposed. His name is Boomer. Famous dog around here. It just sucks about Rae-Rae. Fucking peggies."
They all got in the truck which was of the cab variety, so Boomer hopped into the backseat instead of the bed. Kyle figured that would be safer as the cult would be more likely to spot him if he had his head sticking out of the back.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. Even in broad daylight, Eden's Gate did not pay attention to the truck heading for Falls End. As Kyle observed a few times as they passed by, the cult was more interested in gathering supplies and harassing the locals at their homes. When they were close, he directed Jess to drive into the fields so the cult would not see them coming on the roads and the buildings would cover their advance. They parked and geared up. Kyle brought Boomer with them. He didn't want to leave him in the car and he also could be useful to warn of any incoming enemies.
"So we gonna nail em from long range? Jess asked as they moved up.
"Not this time. For one, we don't have any high ground to attack from. Second, with all the buildings, we could take out one or two but if they detect anything, they'll might use the buildings for shelter which means we'd have to go in anyways."
"Geez, a yes or no would have been fine." Jess complained.
"Think of it this way, you're more likely to get kills this way." They finally reached one of the outer houses. Kyle peeked around the corner to see how many he could spot. But he only saw maybe two guards, one near the intersection and one standing outside the white church. There had to be more than that for such an important town. He motioned Jess to move up with him to the next house. Boomer was growling in a low tone. From the next house, Kyle could hear some chatter.
"Any luck getting those barricades down around the bar?"
"None whatsoever. Even when we make progress, they just take potshots at us."
"Damn sinners. John should just burn this whole town to the ground. Would serve them right to burn in flames for defying The Father."
"They almost done getting everything from the shop?"
"Think so. They're just making one last sweep to see if there are any weapons. All they found was food and medical supplies."
So there were multiple enemies outside the bar and inside the shop. Including the two the Kyle saw, that put the number at 6. Still not precise but better than only seeing two.
"So here's the plan. You're gonna take out the one by the church while I have the one by the junction. After that, they'll probably notice something is wrong, so we'll just rush in and take out the rest of them. You good?"
"Let's fuck them up." She started aiming at the one by the church which barely left Kyle enough time to aim at his target. Jess' aim was true and the arrow hit the cultist right in the neck. At almost the same time Kyle took down his target with a headshot. The cultists did indeed notice both their comrades falling by the street.
"We're under attack! Call for backup!"
One came around the corner looking for the intruders and was immediately gunned down by Kyle. Jess took out a second one that was out of his view. Creeping up to the corner, Kyle scanned the streets for more enemies. None were in view. But he knew there were more in the shop across the street.
"Jess! Take Boomer and see if there's any more across the street." Jess nodded and sprinted towards the building on the other side. Kyle managed to coax Boomer into following Jess. He was hesitant at first but finally ran across to join the archer. Meanwhile, Kyle turned his attention to the bar that the peggies had been guarding. It was indeed bordered up, and from he heard there were people inside.
"Hey! You guys alright in there?"
"Go away peggy before we blow your brains out!"
Kyle then heard some sounds from across the street. It was mostly Boomer growling and barking followed by a yell. He figured that the duo had taken care of the rest of enemies.
"Cult is cleared from the area! You want to see for yourself?"
There was some noise and one the barricades were removed which revealed a woman on the other side.
"Who are you?"
"Kyle….Kyle Volker"
"Well Kyle, you certainly don't look like a peggy. So if you give us a few minutes, we'll be right out there."
Kyle nodded and turned around to wait for Jess but as if on cue, she came out of the building with Boomer. The dog was smiling but so was Jess.
"We took care of everyone. Even Boomer here got on the action didn't you boy?"
Kyle kept his seriousness. "I need you to watch the roads. I saw a ladder on the side of the place you just came out of. I heard them try to call for reinforcements so there might be more coming. You'll be able to easily spot them from up there."
Jess lazily waved her hand. "You worry too much. But I'll go up there and keep a lookout."
As she went to get to her perch, Kyle waited for the bar occupants to finish taking down the barricades. There were two people out front while the rest of the group huddled furthered back. The first was an African American man. He looked to be in his 40s wearing body armor and carrying a bible. The other was a Caucasian woman, around his and Jess' age with neck-length blonde hair and carrying a rifle. She spoke first.
"I thought you looked familiar. Now that I got a better look a you, you're one of the cops who tried to arrest Joseph."
"I wouldn't call myself a cop but yeah, I was part of that team."
The man chimed in. "Whoever you are, you're the best thing to happen in this town for a long time. The cult rolled in here shortly after you guys tried to arrest Joseph. We couldn't match their numbers and weapons, so we holed up in here. A majority of them left but they kept some here to harass us and convince us to surrender."
"We took care of them. Me, Boomer, and my partner Jess who is keeping watch in case they try to send reinforcements to try to retake the town."
The woman gave him a smile. "Mary Fairgrave, and this is the town's pastor, Jerome." Jerome shook his hand.
"We got incoming!" That shout could have only come from Jess.
"How many and which direction?!"
There was a pause. "It's a fucking plane!"
On cue, the plane went on an attack run, strafing the road while people dove into cover.
"Of all the things they gotta send…"
"Kyle! I see a stationary gun on the other side on top of the mechanic shop! Might be our only chance!"
Better than anything they had at this point. Kyle had Mary take care of Boomer while he rushed to the side of building that had the ladder on it. Meanwhile, the plane had turned around and made another attack run, this time on Jess' position. She managed to duck in time to avoid the shots.
"Any fucking time you want to shoot at it would be nice!" Kyle barely heard her over all the chaos but finally reached the gun. Luckily for him it seems it had been recently loaded with ammo. He swerved the gun looking for the plane and found it turning back for another run. Kyle lined up the gun with the plane's nose and let loose. It seemed like the pilot did not expect return fire as the plane did not swerve to avoid the shots. By the time it started making a move, it was in flames and going down. Kyle watched as the plane exploded into a fireball to the town's south. Kyle figured that was at least some measure of revenge against the plane that caused the truck crash during the escape.
"Good fucking going dude!" Kyle could see Jess on top of the other building grinning at him.
"Meet me by the bar!" he shouted back
They both climbed down and met outside the bar where they were greeted by a bewildered crowd.
"Wow, you took down a chosen and not even a scratch on you." marveled Jerome.
Mary clasped his hands with hers. "This town owes you a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. If you ever need a place to rest, you will always be welcome here."
Kyle was not used to people thanking him so profusely, so he was a bit embarrassed. "Don't mention it. Hopefully they stay away for a while now and you guys can be better prepared if they come back."
"Hey buddy!" a man shouted from the back of the crowd. "Stop by in a few days after I clean up my shop. Might have something for you."
Kyle nodded and turned back towards Jess who still had a slight smile on her face. "You and me are fucking unstoppable! Whether by land or by air, no peggie stands a chance against us."
"Don't forget Boomer, he helped too." Upon hearing his name, Boomer appeared from the crowd which had started dispersing to clean up the town. He was panting and wagging his tail happily.
"I couldn't forget him. He ripped a peggie's throat." Kyle looked down at the innocent looking dog who he now discovered had a nasty bite. "So we sticking around here or heading back?"
"We're gonna head back. We'll see if Dutch has anything more for us."
"Sounds good dude." They all made their way back and started the long drive home. Few patrols were encountered. The peggies had been bloodied.
That afternoon, Joseph had called a meeting between all the Seeds at his compound. Jacob, Faith, and himself patiently waited on John who seemed to be running late. When he finally arrived, he was in a bad mood.
"That damn deputy. Who knew he could pull off a stunt like that!"
"I did try to warn you brother." Jacob stated. "I told you that this man won't be easy to take care of. I tried to get ahold of you to let you know that he may be heading your way. However, I couldn't reach you. Where were you?"
"I was in the middle of a confession. I did not want any electronics to disturb the process."
"How did you learn about the attack?" asked a calm Joseph.
"One of my men came up frantically telling me we were under attack. I was so annoyed that I shooed him away and told him not to disturb me. But he was insistent and told me that Fall's End was under attack. I told him to just send out one of our pilot chosen to take care of it. I figured that would be enough.
"John, your anger needs to be controlled or you will be denied entrance to paradise." Joseph warned in a low tone.
"You should have taken the situation more seriously." Jacob added
"And how would you do it brother?" John growled. "Last I heard he took out one of your lieutenants and then killed your pursuit force."
"Still at least had him on the run, away from the rest of my territory." Jacob countered.
"Enough!" Joseph was still calm but had a slight look of annoyance on his face. "We seem to have underestimated this deputy. We don't know who he is, but he seems to incredibly skilled. We need a plan to deal with him."
"I have a plan." Faith finally spoke.
The Seed brothers had forgotten she was there and now gave her their undivided, curious, attention.
"So, we know nothing about this deputy. The only thing he seems to know is our perceived hostility. We need to do two things. First, we need to find out who he is and why he is here. Second, we need to explain ourselves to him. Perhaps I could convince him to join our side."
John scowled. "He's a sinner Faith. He was the one who slapped the cuffs on the Father. All he has done is kill our brothers and sisters!"
"Besides" Jacob joined in. "He doesn't seem like the talking type. Any attempt in trying to talk with him might get you killed if he sees an opportunity."
"I just want to have a chance." Faith argued "We've already tried violence and we see where that got us. Let us give peace a chance."
"It is ultimately up to the Father, Faith." Jacob concluded.
Joseph had his clasped and his eyes closed. He could have been praying, thinking or both. Finally after a minute, he opened his eyes.
"Faith, you have my permission. We shall learn who this deputy is. Even if he doesn't join us right away, perhaps we might be able to learn something to convince him to stop resisting."
Faith smiled. "I will not fail you Joseph."
Author's Note: Longish chapter but much going on. Pretty much played that Falls End battle in the game as well with a few minor differences in the story. Boomer will probably be the only animal companion in the story as a dog seems the most realistic over a tamed bear or cougar. Anyways, hoped you enjoyed.