Apologies... this chapter starts as an exposition dump!

She remembers where she was, in that moment. The helicopter crash, followed by the car crash, followed by near-drowning… which all preceded Dutch pointing a shotgun at her. It'd be safe to bet that that particular day wouldn't go down well in her journal. Hell, keeping track of everything that had been going on since she arrived in Hope County was proving to be difficult; she hadn't even had a spare second to breathe let alone dwell on her thoughts.

She still couldn't believe what was going on, sometimes. She was being hunted, by a bloodthirsty, militaristic doomsday cult who were determined to see her "sin" on her skin and bliss in her veins. In truth, Rook wasn't entirely sure what to make of Eden's Gate. She's had her run ins with all four "heralds" save for one, and it had allowed her to devise a plan against each.

John seemed egotistic and overly sadistic, he got his kicks from inflicting pain on helpless victims and would probably let his guard down if it meant he could torture more people. Faith seemed airheaded, but was rumoured to be a master manipulator, so would have to have a close watch kept on her. She was almost creepily loyal to The Father however, so that could be exploited to cause her downfall. Joseph himself, he seemed to want the "greater good" and to have herself captured and brought to him, for whatever purpose she had a feeling she'd find out soon. And Jacob… the odd one of the family. He didn't leave the Whitetail mountains much, but she'd heard real horror stories of crazy militant cultists up North, expert hunters and drugged up wolves called Judges. She knew nothing else about him however, except he had a zealot lieutenant by the name of Joab who ran his so called "trials". She could only wait to see if he'd reveal himself alongside his siblings.

While she had yet to see more of the cult – and Joseph – she knew that everything about them reeked of falsehood. She had seen the cult's practices, the idea of "atonement" and "pilgrimages" and being "free from sin". She understood that this was another attempt, just like many, to use Christian ideals to manipulate the majority. She knew Christians, real religious folk. The good honest people like Pastor Jerome, and those who believed in the ideas of "Thou shalt not kill" and "Love thy neighbour". The Cult didn't follow these rules, therefore, they could not be following the true word of God, regardless of what Joseph Seed says. Eden's Gate was built on fear and violence, and God – the real God - would not wish for his children to inflict harm on one another.

That much, she knew.

XXX

Shortly after Dutch had rescued her from the car crash and carried her back to his bunker, she'd helped him get rid of the Peggies on his tiny slice of Hope County. It was the least she could do after all. She only stayed on the island for two days, Dutch said it'd be for the best – give her time to think, rest, and let the Peggies think she'd drowned in the river with the wreckage before she would show up, ready to give them hell. After eliminating all trace of the cult from the island and getting the radio tower back online, she'd sat facing the sunrise, smoking a cigarette as the light parted through the morning mist. The rays of the morning sun on her face reminded her that this was not over, it was the start of the very beginning, and there would be a long road ahead. Aware that this might be the last time she'd be able to have to some peace and quiet, Dep took a long drag, stubbed out her cigarette, and flew down the zipline in one fell swoop.

Since John sent her a calling card, demanding she showed herself, it was no surprise that Fall's End was first on the list. However, no more than a few minutes riding into the valley (on the nearest quad she could find), she spotted a member of this so-called Eden's Gate on the side of the road, with a man bound up in rope. The Cultist was a spitting image of those she'd seen back in the Father's Church; unkempt long hair, woolly vest with the Peggie logo, cargo pants and a bearded scowl. He had an assault rifle aimed at the man's head, and just like that, all plans of being anonymous had gone out of the window. She'd made a hard left, causing the quad to swerve until it was skidding almost horizontally, and let it fly over the hostage's head as it crashed into the Peggie, exploding into flames.

By luck or skill – it didn't matter as long as it worked – she'd jumped off at the last second and landed in the dry grass of an orchard nearby, before making work on untying the man's bonds with the army knife Dutch had tossed to her as she was heading out the door. As soon as he'd caught his breath and taken the gun from the dead Peggie, the guy had tipped her off about a weapons cache in a nearby Church. Even though a Church was the last place she wanted to be after everything that had happened with Joseph Seed, she knew she couldn't fight the Cult without any weapons. She'd pointed the guy in the direction of the Henbane River, then taken the dead cultist's truck, and plotted out the Lamb of God Church on her map. It took her half the day to get there, turns out "nearby" meant "across the other side of the valley" but she managed to take down some Peggies on the way. Once she arrived however, the place was already in the midst of a siege and she'd nearly had her face shot out by a sniper in the tower who mistook her for one of The Chosen. Said sniper however then rolled down a ladder, tossed her a gun and said to get shooting.

"If you're at least half-decent, then that's already better than Merle when he's drink-driving!", the sniper had shouted as a Peggie's head exploded. Rook had no idea who the fuck The Chosen or Merle was, but she chose not to argue with a woman holding a loaded semi-automatic sniper-rifle. And that's how Grace joined the Resistance.

Once every hippy-looking cultist was lying on the ground with a bullet in their brain, Grace let out a murmured "Amen", and then introduced herself. She was grateful for Dep's help and eager to join her Peggie-killing crusade. How Grace saw it: as long as Joseph Seed was still alive, she'd fight until her last breath and that was all Dep needed to hear. They set out to Fall's End within the hour, managing to ride into town without (miraculously) passing by any Peggie trucks. A bloodthirsty shootout had taken place as the sun started to set, and by the time the stars had come out for D's first night in Holland Valley, the Cult flags were being cut down. Dep was welcomed into the community with open arms. News travelled fast, and soon there were a few individuals who were eager to join after hearing what D and Grace had done.

"Gave 'em a real kick up the ass!", Merle snorted as he practically inhaled Mary-May's secret stash. Dep had been introduced to him alongside the other residents of the Valley, and understood how he never stopped talking about his truck, unless it was to talk about his hatred for Eden's Gate. "I woulda loved to see that! The look on that John's face when he 'eres the runaway Deputy's taken back the town!".

While the Peggie's enthusiasm for torture and persecution had unnerved her, the hope that the Resistance carried with them into the fight gave her the courage to carry on. She'd met most of the wildcards: Hurk Jr, his sex-addict pilot mom and pyromaniac cousin Sharky, the stubborn Nick Rye and his badass expecting wife, as well as humble Pastor Jerome and the fiery May-May. They had a tight-knit community in Hope County, one she hadn't been able to see for herself before, since it had been only about a week or so on the job before they'd been called in for the fateful arrest. She hoped she could restore the county to its former glory.

John Seed was the first of their obstacles, and the time spent in the valley became dedicated to plotting out his next action, and undermining his operation in Holland Valley. Since the Deputy had arrived in the county, John Seed had just started taking over the region, compared to up North in the Whitetail Mountains where Jacob Seed and his ilk had already been settled there for nearly several years. The next few weeks in the valley were spent monitoring the cult activities, stealing truckloads of supplies, and steadily, removing every farm, factory and residence from under John's thumb. He'd made his feelings known about the intrusion however, when he'd sent his bearded goons - armed to the teeth with automatic rifles - to chase her through the woods behind the Kellett's Cattle Ranch. She had stripped off her aviator jacket and ran, bullets clipping over her head, towards the river, hoping if she made across and far enough into Faith's territory, John's men would give up. No such luck occurred when she collapsed on the opposite bank, completely drenched and dragging her sopping boots towards the treeline, only to be smashed in the face with the butt of a rifle. They'd ambushed her, and dragged her to what was known as "John's Gate" for what she hoped was a pool party, not organised torture. Again, no such luck.

After she'd been rescued from John's "baptism", she'd sworn to properly be on her guard from now on. No more rushing around like crazy, instead they would be more careful and plan out their future strikes against The Project. She'd been captured while driving out in the fields by herself, checking up on some cult property that had yet to be investigated. She had to give it to John, he wasn't as blind-sighted as she thought – he knew to target her when she was alone without her crew of Lionesses at her heels. She'd underestimated the lengths he'd go to retrieve her. When she and the other rescued Resistance prisoners arrived in the convoy of trucks back in Fall's End after Pastor Jerome's miraculous rescue of them all, Kim Rye pulled her under the Spread Eagle's glowing neon sign and inside the bar to escape cool night air. There, Mary-May and Nick were handing out blankets, and the Testy-Festy cook (who she'd never seen leave the bar's cramped kitchen) gave her a fresh bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee.

"It's rare to find meat these days, since the Peggies have stolen or killed most of the farm animals in the area, but thanks to you saving those folks at the Woodson's pig farm, we've got a supply of bacon!", he smiled, handing her a sizzling plate.

It wasn't much, but it felt like home.

She sat out with Grace, out the back of the bar on the wooden porch, looking up at the starry night skies with the meadows and fields beyond. Boomer at their feet, the only noise being the crickets in the tall grass, and the sound of Grace cleaning her rifle. They were in the eye of a hurricane which was swirling around the county and destroying everything it touched, and they were the only hope of protecting its inhabitants. The Father claimed to shelter his children from the storm. Out here, that didn't look to be too true. Grace had been remarkably hospitable, and let her stay in her bunker. It was underneath the burnt ashes of her old home, and they knew no Peggie would bother to look in the remnants of an abandoned building. The bunker was able to fit two people comfortably, they often spent the nights taking turns listening to the radio for any chatter, and keep tabs on the actions of both the resistance and the cultists.

As they took back more and more, the Cult mirrored their every action, an iron threat looming over their heads. Nights became a frantic chase, between bullets and blood. Every time she felt she could finally put her feet up and smoke for a few minutes outside the bunker, another frightened voice would speak up on the radio's incessant chatter.

"Deputy! They've stolen my plane!"

"You have to help me. Deputy! The Peggies killed all my cattle"

"Deputy? Deputy! Are you there!? The Cult has kidnapped my family and taken them to John Seed's Bunker!"

The weary smiles from the people she'd saved was worth it, however. That, and the relieved look on Pastor Jerome's face, as another burden was lifted from his mind. Seeing his shoulders un-clench and his brow slowly lose every worried wrinkle that rested there kept her faith that one day, this fighting would end and, eventually, they'd manage to take back Hope County from these vicious fanatics.

XXX

So, this was why she found herself here now: in a tree, lying down on a branch with a pair of binoculars, watching Joseph's fortified compound from the shores of Holland Valley. The night air was still and silent, the only noises being the gentle lapping of the waves upon the shore and Peaches' quiet purring as Jess sat on the dock's pier, feet dangling above the water and scratched the cougar's right ear. Grace on a branch below her, peering through the shadows with her scope. They sometimes brought Boomer with them on missions, although he was usually too difficult to keep quiet – due to his frequent excited barking and yips for attention – so they had to leave him with Mary-May. Of course, he didn't miss his owner too much, since the few children and remaining families in Fall's End often loved to spoil him outside the bar.

"Why are we hear again?", Jess moaned, getting up to stretch.

"Keep your voice down", Grace warned darkly. Rook yawned, checking her watch, before going back to her binoculars. The Lionesses were an unlikely bunch, three armed women patrolling Hope County, becoming a modern-day American version of Robin Hood and his merry men. The biggest lookalike to that idea, however, was Jess. Jess Black seemingly appeared out of nowhere, armed with her bow and sarcastic tongue, she fit right in with the two other women.

"A Katniss lookalike", Grace had smirked upon seeing her hood. Jess helped the pair scout out new points of interest, like rescuing a certain cougar from cultists in the Henbane. "Nice pussy", she'd marvelled as Peaches ripped through a cult priestess, clawing out clumps of dyed-red hair. How the name "Lionesses" came to be was an even stranger story, one that Dep planned to tell to her future grandkids – if she ever managed to survive this shit-storm, of course.

"We gotta call ourselves somethin'", Jess slammed her hand down one night on Grace's kitchen table; they were playing poker, and Boomer lifted his head sleepily, being awoken by the noise.

"Say what?", Dep peered at her curiously. It had been a long night for all of them, and they were staying awake to prepare for the night watch of the radio channels.

"Us. You, me, and amazing Grace over there", Jess gestured to each mercenary individually. In truth, Dep only wanted to humour her. You don't mess with Dutch's niece when she's losing at cards.

"What'd you have in mind?"

While the "Cougars" was the proud name of both Hope County's baseball team and the resistance members holing it up in the jail, the trio had decided on something else. "The Lionesses" had come to mind when Jess had accidentally set alight a Cougar's flag and Peaches had hissed at the exact same moment, hence the idea of female lions giving off the correct vibe. Also, lions weren't native to Montana, so they had the uniqueness of the name going for them.

"The Peggies won't be expecting badass female lions", Jess called over her shoulder, whittling down a stick with her knife. She was perched on the top bunk in Grace's foxhole.

"We already have a bear, a dog, and a cougar", Grace spoke softly, patting Boomer. He barked in response, tongue lolling out happily. Cheeseburger usually roamed around the wilderness, occasionally chowing down on a Peggie patrol (he was far too big to fit in the bunker) and Peaches was asleep on one of the beds.

"I don't wanna spoil her fun", Dep shook her head, and took a swig from her flask. The Lionesses stuck, then. Their name was whispered amongst the radio channels of the county, even Eden's Gate got wind of their nickname – which was displayed when John Seed tuned in on his weekly radio call to taunt Dep.

XXX

"2:00am, still no sign of movement", Dep whispered down to Jess. The brunette rolled her eyes and scribbled down the report in the Cougar's notebook Virgil had cheerfully insisted they carried. She adjusted her binoculars, focusing in on the waters surrounding Joseph's compound.

"It's too quiet", Grace broke the silence. "I don't like it"

"I don't like it either, Grace. Something's up", Rook stretched herself up on the branch, her limbs felt numb from being in the same position for too long. "It's rare the four of them gather like this, it's hella fishy". At the mention of fish Peaches' head raised, licking her lips excitedly.

"Not that kind of fish!", Jess cooed over the big cat, who flicked her tail and allowed the huntress to rub her tummy. It was oddly cute, seeing the bloodthirsty Jess fussing over something like that.

"Did you just say, 'hella'?", Dep could practically hear Grace's smirk, it was evident in her voice, no matter how low the tone was. "You're hanging out with Sharky too much".

"Good thing we didn't bring him, regardless of how eager he and Hurk are to watch a Peggie party", Rook teased, pointing towards the shore. The compound was still dead of life; whatever Peggies that would be living there were likely sound asleep, with the exception of the nightly patrol at the barbed-wire gates. Whatever important gathering was going on, the Seeds clearly were discreet about it.

"Alright", Dep said after five more minutes of stillness and silence. "Enough recon for one night"

"Thank god!", Jess did a quiet cheer. "It's 2am and cold as shit". Grace stealthily climbed down the tree trunk, landing as silent as a cat and making her way down the trail with Jess and Peaches. As their footsteps faded into the night's silence, Rook glanced once more at the compound. She was slightly annoyed that hours of waiting had lead up to essentially nothing, and began to put away her binoculars. She'd parked the Death Wish off-road, allowing them discreet surveillance without any cultists showing up unwelcome.

Sudden movement made her dart back into the shadows. Her breath quickened, puffing out against the chilly night air. Despite being nearly summer, Hope County could get pretty cold after sundown, especially up in the mountains. Dep peered round the tree's trunk, laying back down on her thick branch and submerging herself in the thick leaves, hiding from view.

The doors to the Chapel had opened, and John Seed was skulking out. Hands in his pockets as usual, his men tailing behind him like frightened dogs. Rook sucked in her breath, finally catching a glimpse of cult activity. John barked orders, his men scrambling around him fearfully, loading up guns into armoured trucks and preparing the convoy back to his ranch. Faith appeared shortly behind him, her entourage of Angels stumbling after her in their ragged white clothes, being accompanied by the Father himself. A small crowd of Joseph's followers – men and women wearing the Eden's Gate symbol – crowded around him in earnest. He held Faith's arm and escorted her back to the procession of boats at the shoreline, which were eagerly waiting for her to return to the Henbane River. Faith seemed reverent with all the attention, blowing a kiss at the Angels who shambled behind.

Rook took out her binoculars again, zooming in with the night-vision, drinking in every detail so she could report back to their headquarters. The Seeds clambered into the own convoys, as Joseph said goodbye to each and every one of his followers – resting his forehead against John's and pressing a chaste kiss to Faith's hand.

Dep suddenly saw a final figure emerge from the white church. A flash of red hair against the moonlight let her know that it was him, the notorious Jacob Seed. He didn't share the comradery or joy of the other followers, who bid Joseph farewell and sang hymns as their respective vehicles drove off into the night – his own small group of Chosen marched out from the buildings and made their way to dark blood-red trucks, which she assumed led back to the nearest helipad in the Whitetail mountains. John said his goodbye to his older brother, impatiently slamming his hand on the car as the heavy metal gates blocking the road were ceremoniously opened for him, and he sped off. Dep could've swore she saw a cloud of white butterflies trail Faith as the gunboats rippled through the inky black water. She watched Joseph turn, facing his older brother, but no words were passed between them. He merely patted the eldest softly on the shoulder, and went back inside his church. Jacob was left alone.

If she was less bothered, Dep would've turned around at that moment and slid down the tree, catching up with her squad. But she stayed hidden. She felt a strange sense of allure around the eldest Seed, and watched as he dismissed his men, walking down to the shoreline by himself and staring out across the water. She shrugged on her jacket tighter against the cold wind, peering at him closer.

He was alone in the darkness, standing out by himself, his forest-green army jacket the sole comfort against the chilly air. She watched as he reached deep into his pocket, pulling out something small and silver, and clicked it open, a tiny orange glow flickering against the night sky. He stood nonchalantly, arms crossed, and slowly blowing out rings of smoke from his mouth – the Peggies had cigarettes?

"I thought smoking was a sin…?", Rook climbed down curiously, watching him intently. She nestled in between some bushes, closer to the edge of the lake on her side, narrowing her eyes at him. She had never seen him like this before. There had only ever been one meeting between them, and that was when she was tasked with arresting his brother. She could recall it now, the sharp memory etched into her mind. His cold eyes watching her every move: chilly, and calculated, like a predator. He had been standing behind Joseph when she'd put the cuffs on him, and she could feel his glare burn into the back of her neck as she had turned the Father around and led him out of the Church. There he looked so frightening, a wild animal in a man's body. Something untamed and dangerous, and she didn't like turning her back on him or the other Heralds one bit, but now….

He looked rugged and stoic, the bitterness of the wind blowing against his hard features, taking a deep drag of his cigarette. What was Jacob Seed of all people, doing out by himself? He almost looked serene, peaceful, but lonely….

"Stop!", her thoughts shouted suddenly. "What the fuck am I doing here?", startled, Dep climbed out from the bushes, backing away into the shadows. Jacob hadn't spotted her, she could see his icy blue eyes travelling along the shoreline, surveying the area. She could easily slip away, since he was distracted. Her feet silently found their way across the grass, away from the crunching pebbles of the lake's edge and towards the path where she had left Merle's truck. She was scared to look away from him, his mesmerising yet cold blue eyes. They weren't sparkling with mischief or ambition like John's, or twinkling with some quasi-paternal glow that Joseph had towards his followers. They looked hardened but sombre, almost as if he was vulnerable. Making it to the forest she gave him a final once-over, slowly turning back towards the direction her squad was.

Jacob's eyes met hers. She froze.

Seconds passed, and they just stared at each other. Each person equally shocked at witnessing the other in front of them. Dep released air she didn't realise she was holding in, and broke his gaze, straining her muscles to look down. She realised her horror. From in-between the leaves overhead, a patch of moonlight had broken through the tree canopy and was shining directly on her. She was lit up like the fucking fourth of July, and he could see. Shocked, she met his eyes again. He had put down his cigarette; it laid forgotten in-between his fingers. His arms were no longer crossed, he was staring directly act her. Eyes like two shards of frozen ice were peering into her soul.

The clouds rolled over, and Dep was concealed once more. The shadows from the trees hid her from his view, she almost let out a squeak of relief. Without thinking, Rook raced off down the path, delving through thick trees. She didn't dare look back, afraid he had called in his Chosen to chase her. She broke into a clearing and saw Grace's green sights pointed at her face. The veteran sniper's eyes widened as she lowered her gun.

"Jesus Christ Dep, I thought you were a Peggie", she got up and slung her rifle back over her shoulder. Jess popped her head out from inside the van.

"What was all the noise for? We could hear you coming a mile away".

"Shit…", Rook stammered, trying to steady herself against the truck after her sudden flight through the woods. "We might have a problem". Grace grabbed her friend's shoulder fearfully.

"Did they spot you? We been compromised?", she looked behind Rook at the dark forest, her fingers digging into Rook's arm worriedly.

"Not… exactly", Rook panted, catching her breath and leaning against the truck. Peaches could sense her distress, and rubbed up against her knee comfortingly. "We best make tracks just in case though", she glanced over her shoulder, back to the lake. Back to Jacob. She hurriedly told the events of the last ten minutes to her squad members, who listened in interest.

"Grace, can you stay as lookout?". The sniper did a joke-salute.

"Yes ma'am", she hoisted Rook up into the driver's seat. Peaches curled up in the back of the van, no longer concerned for danger as long as she was with her humans.

"Be careful", Rook plugged in her seat-belt, starting the ignition quickly. She wanted to get as far away from here, but felt guilty at asking Grace to stay behind.

"They'll never see me coming", Miss Armstrong winked, slapping the truck as Jess climbed into the mounted-gun's turret.

"Kick their asses, champ", Jess punched Grace's shoulder playfully, laughing into the wind as they sped off back to Fall's End. The air whipped around them, and Dep didn't waste any time. She floored it; lucky that the roads were empty. Seeing Jacob had unsettled her, she wasn't sure if she could deal with any more cult-shit for the rest of the night.

XXX

Author's Notes:

Apologies for the expo-dump. As the story progresses, we'll have less I swear :/

Exposition is a tricky thing to balance because you need enough to set the story and introduce new readers who aren't aware of a lot of the universe's lore, while simultaneously trying not to bore people who have already played the game. This was a pretty chonky chapter to write but it sets the stage and the Deputy's background, etc. So while slightly tiring to read for some people (although I hope not), I understand there was a lot of "waffle" in it, as my english teacher used to put it xD