The heat of the fire woke him up.

For a moment rook wondered where he was, his head hurt and his mind was fuzzy but the burning sensation on his flesh was very real. Reflexively he moved his arm away and screamed as the feeling of the broken bone in his arm brought him back to reality. The blood-red sky greeted him as he opened his eyes, the trees shook and twisted as the shockwave of the nukes came closer and closer, as he looked down he saw the truck he drove not too long ago burning with the bodies of his partners still inside. His eyes widened and rook jumped to his feet, his attempt to save the other deputies fell short however as he realized it took everything he had to not pass out again.

"Your determination is almost... admirable." Said a voice behind him and rook felt his blood freeze, turning around as best he could he saw the man he had been hunting down all this time. His usual confident demeanor remained even in the face of certain death and rook couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course you're still alive." Rook said and the father smiled at his words "I told you God would protect me, I only wish I was as strong as he wanted me to be." Joseph moved his blood-soaked hands, revealing a wide gash in his chest. One that rook knew he would not survive, not in a situation like this. The earth trembled once more as a flash of blinding light joined the others in the destruction of the old world, his battered body could hold no more as rook tumbled to the ground.

Tears nearly spilled from his eyes as the deputy held his broken arm to his chest, as the pain subsided he opened his eyes again to see joseph smile at him "You should hurry, his mercy knows no bounds but one should not leave the lord waiting." Rook glared at the dying man as he once more tried to get back up, they were close to Dutch's bunker, and if they moved quickly...

Another blast of air swept through the forest, sending the deputy back down. His eyes felt so heavy like he would fall asleep at any moment even as the world burned around them. Joseph looked almost sad at the man that not too long ago had been his enemy crawling towards him "Why?... how did you do this?" Rook asked and now it was his turn to laugh.

"I prepared my family for this, my flock, anyone that wanted to be saved would have been saved... and you know that." Rook wanted to argue but his thoughts betrayed him, he had heard a few of the radio transmissions that slipped through, there was some conflict going on but he could have never imagined it would get so bad. The deputy looked back at the burning wreck, he could almost make out the shape of sheriff Whitehorse on the hood of the truck "They did not survive the crash, do not blame yourself for their demise." The deputy glared at joseph who simply smiled in return.

The two men fell silent for a moment, the father closed his eyes and prayed loudly "God, Help..." The silence carried on for a moment before rook's eyes widened in realization "...Jack, my name is jack." Joseph smiled as he continued "discover your peace. Let them receive your comfort. Help them to be at rest knowing that you care for them and that you love them. Calm their soul as they move into the afterlife. May they spend eternity with you; may they live forever in your presence. Amen."

Rook felt like he should say something, even as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. "I-I'm sorry... I wish... things had been different, for all of us..." The father's face looked so pale now that not even the orange glow of the fire around them seemed to help his complexion "We sinned Jack, the both of us, this is our punishment..." With those last words, his head slumped back and his breathing ceased, rook adverted his eyes.

His body felt like lead and his eyes refused to open, was he dying? His arm was broken but he wasn't bleeding. His thoughts started to get muddled and confused, his body grew hot and desperation pushed him forwards, he crawled leaving the now dead cult leader behind him. His flesh started to burn and blood leaked from his nose, the thought came to him a little too late.

"Radiation" Jack knew enough to know it was over, he would die here with his friends and his enemy next to him.

With the last of his strength, he looked up at the sky and wondered if anything Joseph said was true. Maybe this was his punishment for all the lives he took, maybe despite his best efforts... he became a monster himself.

His eyes closed and his mind melted away, the dust-filled air blowing around him doing little to soothe the pain on his skin. Another flash appeared, the light clearly visible even with his eyes closed.

The light swallowed the deputy whole as he screamed.

-BREAK-

Jack screamed as he fell down the dark tunnel, his arms reaching out for anything he could hold on to, but the darkness that surrounded him seemed to bend and twist just out of reach as if taunting him.

His thoughts raced with possibilities, was this how being dead was like? Was he falling to hell for his sins? Tears pricked at his eyes, it wasn't fair... he had done good and saved as many as he could. Why was he being punished like this?

"P-please!" He screamed into the void.

And then a sudden light appeared, only visible thanks to the unending darkness that surrounded him. Jack flailed his arms wildly, something in him knew that that's where he was supposed to be.

As the light came closer a feeling of power filled him, for a moment Jack felt like he could do anything. Like... he was meant to be better than before.

His body slowly grew still as visions flooded his head, the bombs fell again but something was different... years passed like seconds and life returned to the forests and the rivers but not just that, bunkers opened from all over the valley, men and women walked outside ready to claim the world they once lost.

And among them, he saw himself standing next to Joseph Seed.

Once the light touched the deputy he vanished once more but this time, his mind and heart were filled with purpose and determination. Even if there was no way to stop the bombs, he would make sure death and destruction were not the only things he left behind.

-END-

"And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor."

Judges 6:12

AN: I played Far cry 5 recently and decided to put this idea out there just in case I get some more inspiration. I'll probably make a few more chapters but I'm not sure yet. As usual, if you love it or hate it let me know.