Warning for this chapter: Depictions of violence
It was near midnight.
The only sound that reached Dep's ears was the swishing of the pine trees, the fresh-mountain air's natural scent sullied by the pungent smell of smoke and blood. It oozed from up ahead, blazes of fire trailing barely-visible lines of black smoke up against the night sky. The Lionesses were closing in.
They had waited until 7pm to set off from Grace's bunker. It was a long mission, not just tracking the Cook, but getting there had already taken hours. The plan was made last night; all that was left to do in the remaining hours counting down to the heist was a good night's and prepping ammunition, explosives and equipment. They had to be prepared for anything they might find in the mountains, but Dep felt like they were planning a bank robbery. It was still bright outside when they crossed the bridge to the Henbane River, driving up and parking in the trees by the Can of Worms fishing store. Sherri Woodhouse had agreed to hide the Death Wish, covering the van in tarp and promising to radio them if any cultists showed up suspiciously. They couldn't be tracked, too much was at stake. Dep had made a mental note to thank Sherri later, the woman was risking a lot for them.
"Anything for the Resistance", the store-owner had waved away Dep's cash, but said that finding her family's old whisky barrels would be a good way to make it up. Rook agreed but internally sighed – she was probably going to be swimming in the lakes a lot in the future.
The journey across the rail bridge in itself was precarious; Dep had spent the entire hour looking left and right every few seconds, expecting to run into a guard, a patrol. Hell, finding Jacob himself waiting for them wouldn't even surprise her. She reached down into her right boot – the army knife she kept snugly hidden was still there – and she let go, placing her hand back on her rifle.
"Calm down girl", she reminded herself harshly. "Don't get an itchy trigger-finger now – the Lionesses need their leader, not Sharky after too many beers". She was more than ready to take him down if need be – she just prayed she wouldn't have to. Grace to her left, Jess on her right, Dep continued to advance across the grass, her two squad members tailing her. Her ears strained for any noise ahead that might let them know of their trial, but all she could hear was the soft purr of Peaches, and the padded rhythm of her pawprints on the ground. They brought the cougar with them as back-up if need be, but she was more of a scout to cover the rear. The cougar's presence kept Dep's anxiety under control, she knew Peaches would let them know of anything suspicious.
Grace's arm tapped her shoulder. Dep jumped, peering at the sharp-shooter's face in the darkness.
"Heard something", was what her expression read. Jess nodded as well, they slunk over a grassy mound covered in the red flowers of the Whitetails, and slipped into some bushes, the shadow of a nearby building acting as cover. It was some kind of old gas station, with rotting paper posters out front from too many nights exposed to the rain. On the other side of the street, a sign with cracked paint read, "Baron Lumber Mill".
Here they were, hell on Earth.
The Lumber Mill once probably looked like a regular timber workshop was now clearly changed under Peggie rule. Blood-soaked corpses strung up with barbed wire hung up outside on posts, contorted into all sorts of bone-breaking positions, and – Oh god – they were like the ones in the Henbane. Dep's past experience with the Peggies had taught her that they liked to experiment with the bodies of their victims. It was commonplace while wandering the Henbane to find the work of a high-ranking cultist - some poor guy nailed to a post, with his intestines missing and replaced with bliss flowers, and a deer skull lodged into his stomach. They loved their sick decorations. Those in the Whitetails clearly weren't different – there were two corpses, one male and one female with sacks over their heads and their wrists nailed to a cross like Jesus Christ himself – except Jesus didn't have "Weak" carved into his flesh. Unless the Bible left out that detail.
Dep tore her gaze away from the dead couple, listening to Grace muttering a prayer under her breath and cast her glance towards the patrols. The high walkways that were suspended over the prisoner cages had soldiers in dusty black trench-coats. Low ranking members of Jacob's army, they should be a pinch to take out.
"That's where they kept me". Dep spun around to look at Jess, her mouth gaped open.
"You were in that place!?", Dep hissed, trying to keep her voice down. Jess's mouth opened into a brilliantly white grin. It was too gleeful, too demented to be genuine.
"Where do you think I got these?", she jerked a thumb at the jagged scars across her face. "Joab, I think he liked listening to the screams of women more than men".
"Jesus Jess…", Grace reached over to touch her but the archer flinched.
"I don't want your pity", her smile turning to a scowl. She pulled an arrow into her bow, gripping at the drawstring tightly. "Let's go kill this bastard". Dep inclined her head, pulling back the safety on her pistol. This wouldn't be the last Peggie they'd kill, but it'd be the start of a long hit list. And Dep was eager to start crossing-out names. Once the coast was clear, one by one each woman snuck across the road, head bowed down as low as possible. They reached the other side, sticking in the tall grass under an old train, and tunnelling under, making sure they only moved when the patrol's turned their heads.
"Shit", she spotted a cultist turn his head towards their direction. She stopped, her two Lionesses freezing mid-crawl. She placed two fingers either side of her wrist, wrapping around it in a circular motion. It was one of the basic military hand signals Grace had taught her and Jess when they started working together.
"Enemy".
Grace nodded, silently moving forward. She climbed up to the vantage point, zooming in her scope towards the movement. It was lucky the trees around the Mill were still standing, the dark forest gave them the perfect cover to gain the higher ground.
"Tango spotted", she whispered. Dep didn't need to see her face to know that a smirk had formed on Grace's lips. The Peggie was alone, holding an assault rifle and patrolling the gates to the Lumber Mill. If they moved slowly enough through the bushes and behind the rocks, the Lionesses could pass by without him knowing. But time wasn't on their side. Dep gave Jess a nod, as the archer stood up, using a pine tree as cover and pulled back the string. The quiet *whoosh* of the arrow soared through the air, piercing the Peggie's eyeball. He was dead before he could scream.
Another Peggie on patrol caught her eyes from afar, the movement much closer to her than the first cultist. She gestured for Jess to get behind her and to safety – away from the danger of being discovered. The archer crept backwards silently – not even one twig on the ground cracking from her movements. Dep leant against the tree trunk, peering through the pine branches with her scope. Her 50. Cal rifle had a suppressor, courtesy of Xander teaching her about the "evils of noise pollution". She tracked the movements of the second man for a few seconds, checking to make sure no one else was around to see it, and steadied her shot. Her finger squeezed around the trigger.
"Proverbs 28:5", she whispered as the Peggie crumpled onto the ground in a heap. Her voice was the softest whisper on the wind, but both Grace and Jess moved slightly behind her, letting her know they acknowledged. No shot rang out, and the air was absent from the noise of running footsteps. Dep's eyes suddenly darted towards sluggish movement, and she saw the prisoners. There were dozens of cages, fitting about three people in each. Through her scope she could see one facing away had their hands bound in coarse rope behinds their backs. She winced. Who knows how long they'd been there for, stewing in their own filth? The dim red lanterns next to the cages were the only source of light for the prisoners after dark. Her heart reached out towards them, and she slung her rifle on her back.
"Stop", Grace's breath was warm on her neck. The order made Dep slowly sink down behind cover again. "What're you doing?"
"We can't just leave them, Grace"
"We can't help 'em either. We're tracking the Cook. We don't have time to let them loose. Even if we did, the Cult's in control of the entire mountains. Where would they even escape to?"
"They might know where the Wolf's Den is?", Dep argued but even she knew that she was defeated. Grace shook her head solemnly, her grip on her arm turning soft. "We can't help 'em Dep. I'm sorry, but they'd be dead before they reached the end of the road". Dep looked towards Jess, who was perched higher up the hill behind one of the thick pine trees. Her dark eyes glittered at Dep, saying all she needed.
"C'mon, we gotta move before anyone else comes", Grace murmured, wrapping an arm around Dep's waist and pulling her back away from the Mill. Dep cast her eyes back one more time towards the caged people they were gonna have to abandon – her heart feeling heavy and cold – but she followed silently. Peaches padded over to the squad as they headed up further the mountains. The cougar raced up next to Rook, rubbing her head affectionately against her thigh. Even Peaches could sense her discomfort.
"Let's go, baby", she whispered into the cougar's furry ears. The big cat's mismatched eyes seemed to blink in understanding up her.
This would be the start of a long night.
XXX
15 bodies. Jess knelt at the charred pit where the Cook had left his last calling card. They were getting close now, the higher they ascended the mountain the more burnt remains were uncovered. She should be feeling sick to the stomach – seeing mangled limbs, ripped apart by Judges and then set ablaze – but she didn't. She was numb. It wasn't from the cold night air that whipped around them – it was the dull ache in her chest. A constant reminder of what she had seen, what she had endured.
"He's really one sick motherfucker", Dep spat, the first thing spoken aloud in an hour. She was having to go without a cigarette – they couldn't risk anything giving them away, not even a small smoke trail – so instead she was twirling her knife dangerously in her palm. Jess liked seeing Dep pissed off – it was a rare and stormy moment from the usually-calm Deputy. It gave her hope, the sisterhood and comradery she'd received from her newly-formed friendships made fighting these cult twits worthwhile if she had these two badass-bitches covering her back.
"No shit", Grace had a sour pout. Behind all her stoic attitude Jess knew that this unsettled her to the core. They hadn't had much time to talk together – when Grace wasn't helping Dep run recon or protect the Valley, she often caught up on lost sleep in the bunker, while Jess spent time shooting at a tree and imagining it was a Peggie's skull. After this mission they could go hunting together – or at least do something that was interesting to talk about. But that wasn't now.
"C'mon, no time to slip up now", she hushed them, sending dark looks to her teammates. Grace cast a relieved glance at Dep, letting her know that they'd talk about this later. They readied their weapons and set off again into the darkness. Dep wiped the sweat off her brow, even though it was spring, the warmth of summer was dwelling on the horizon, and the days were getting longer.
"The Cook's days are fucking numbered", Jess kept telling herself, over and over. She had to complete this – she had to find him. They'd come so far; she wasn't gonna let them fail now. They kept up their rigorous march up the mountains, stopping every so often to find another mass grave which made her throat tighten. The feel of the Cook's presence was making her more aggravated by the minute – if they didn't have this fucker dead in the next half-hour Jess was sure she'd gouge her own eyes out.
"Sh!", Dep held up a hand, peering over the ridge beyond. They all stopped – listening intently to the silence. Jess looked up to Dep, crouched on a rocky ridge ahead – was this it? Orange light reflected in Dep's eyes, which narrowed in shock at what was she watching.
An ear-splitting scream echoed around the treetops, nearly sending her falling backwards.
This was it. The fucking Cook.
Jess climbed up, pulling her arms up onto the rocky ledge and swinging herself over. Her heart pounded in her ears, fingers clutching at the cold stone as her head popped up next to Dep's. Down there, through the trees was a huge bonfire. She'd only heard of this place in rumours – as no one ever actually survived coming back from this place, but still, it was real. This was The Pit, the Cook's personal playground for burning people in the name of the Father. There were cages, now empty, and trails of blood leading towards charred ground in the centre. Peggies were clapping and watching in delight, as the living bodies of people were being unceremoniously thrown into the flames.
And in the middle, stood a figure holding a flamethrower.
XXX
"Wait!", Dep tried calling back to Jess but it was no use. The Huntress had elbowed her and Grace out the way, and was now clambering downhill to the Cook's "BBQ". The sickly sweet smell of roasting flesh had hit their nostrils, making their eyes water. That was what set Jess off.
"She's gonna get herself killed", Grace cursed, loading her rifle and resting it on the ledge. Her eyes were wide with sudden fear - combined with involuntary tears from the pungent smell.
"Jess! Come back, you crazy bint!", Dep hissed after her but the archer was already out of earshot. Dep wanted to tear her hair out – this wasn't what they'd organised, and they were gonna get caught. She grabbed her rifle and dived after her squad-sister. "Fuck"
Jess slid down the slippery rocks, coming to rest behind a cult sign overlooking the mountain clearing. The perfect perch. Peaches followed suit, thinking this was the signal to attack. She patted the cat quickly on the head, glad to not be alone. She didn't dare look back at her partners who were presumably trying to catch up, she couldn't stop now. She wouldn't let them prevent her from finishing a job after 7 months of hunting. She slipped one of her arrows into her bow.
"Don't let me down now", she felt the drawstring in her fingers, the wire all-too familiar in her hands. This was the bow she'd used to end the lives of countless Peggies, she prayed it would do at least one more. Her other hand reached into her pocket, bringing out the lighter Dutch gave her on her 18th birthday.
The flaming arrow soared through the air, hitting the closest Peggie in the square of the chest. The Cook stopped shouting, turning off his flamethrower and looking towards the attacker. His men's cheers died in their throats, rodent-like eyes squinting in the darkness. A shadow stood against the sky, holding a bow and arrow.
"COOK!", Jess screamed, letting a second arrow fly. Another Peggie fell to the ground, sending the rest of the men scrambling for their weapons, lest they too got an arrow through the neck. The Cook's greasy head lifted up to the figure who had called his name. His lips pulled back into a smile, revealing yellowed teeth.
"You're in over your head, girlie", flames spurted out of his weapon, as if to emphasise his point. Jess's eyes narrowed at him – the slits of a snake closing out light and narrowing in on their prey. She was the bringer of death to all Peggies – until she wiped the floor with Joab himself.
"You're mine", she howled, raising her bow.
XXX
When it was finally over, Dep said nothing. Jess wasn't sure if she'd impressed or disappointed her friend. A soft rag was passed between them, Jess' eyes travelled up Dep's arm and to her face, trying to read the expression.
"You've got blood all over", Dep remained calm. Jess took it thankfully, her breath coming out in pants from her exertion. The Cook's men lay dead at their feet, with clumps of hair and limbs missing. Her months of training ever since the war started had led her up to this moment – and by God it felt sweet.
"Was all the screaming really necessary?", Grace looked distastefully at the pile of bodies around them. Jess nodded, aware that her demented smile was still present. A drop of blood dripped off her upper lip and into her grinning mouth, and she savoured it. Out the corner of her eye, Dep swallowed.
"Now-", she turned her attention to the Cook. An arrow was in his shoulder and he was unconscious, having fallen back and hit his head on a rock once Jess started pelting down on him and his men. She felt rage coarse through her, she wanted to kill this filth as quickly as possible, but it wouldn't be any fun if he was asleep when she tortured him. "-For the main event"
"Jess", Dep's clipped voice controlled her, as a hand grabbed hers. "Chill out. We only need what we came here for"
"I'm perfectly calm, thank you", she smiled sweetly at her, feeling anything but. She stalked over to the Cook, relishing in how vulnerable he looked. She grabbed his wrists, hating that she had to touch him. "Help me", her eyes turned pleading towards her girls. Grace rolled her eyes, sighing. She and Dep ducked down, grabbing at the Cook and holding him in place as Jess stabbed two sharp arrows through his wrists, blood oozing out with a satisfying *squish*.
He woke up after a few kicks to the groin.
"Do you remember me?", in the low light, Jess' face looked unrecognisable. Her mouth was twisted into a demented grin. Dep felt a pang of fear go through her. From beneath his black balaclava, the Cook's eyes squinted, trying to see through his own blood-soaked hair.
"I'm Jess Jones, youngest daughter of Vicky and Rob", she spoke again, her voice slowly getting louder. Her legs stepped onto his wrists, driving the edges of the darts deeper through flesh. There were muffled moans, as he was trying to push her off him. Jess grabbed his knife, and plunged it into his leg, causing even more blood to spurt out. The Cook howled and screamed. It was a miracle he hadn't bled out yet.
"You fucking bitch! I'll burn your-"
"YOU MURDERED MY PARENTS YOU SACK OF SHIT!", she screamed, grabbing a nearby plank of wood from the nearby remains of The Pit's burnt shack. Dep spied a rusty nail, glinting in the light. She wanted to grab Jess and pull her away, but getting between the archer and her prey right now didn't seem like the smartest thing. She helplessly glanced at Grace, who looked back in bewilderment.
"And now…", Jess readied the plank of wood above her head. "You're gonna finally meet your God". Dep was still frozen in place by the time she realised what Jess was doing.
"J-"
"AGH!". The sickening crunch of splintered wood came into contact with the Cook's face. He shouted out, trying to struggle against the arrows that were pinning him in place – a rat caught in a cruel trap.
"This is for my parents!", Jess continued, bringing down the bat to the Cook's face. "This is for Uncle Dutch!", her shrieking was rolling around the mountain tops. Dep felt sick – the nail had pierced one of the Cook's eyeballs and everything was a blur of red. She couldn't tell where the blood was coming from anymore.
"THIS IS FOR ME!", she screamed fanatically.
Dep wasn't sure how long Jess went on for, only that after the 9th bludgeoning the Cook took to the head she had her arms around Jess, trying to pull her off alongside Grace. The Cook had stopped making noise after the 4th blow.
"JESS!", Grace grabbed her, wrestling the weapon away.
"LET GO!", she screamed, tears pouring down her face and dripping into the marks on her face. Dep was kicked in the stomach and doubled-over, as the Huntress shoved off the other sniper and grabbed a gasoline tank, pouring it over the Cook's twitching body.
"Jesus Christ Jess STOP!", Dep shouted, tackling her to the ground and aware from the blaze. Warm blood seeped onto her own clothes from the close contact. "Enough! He's gone! We gotta go before-"
"NO!", Jess howled, determinedly crawling towards the Cook's body, her red hand still clutching the makeshift bat. "Not until-"
"Jess!", Grace slapped her across the face. The Huntress stilled, finally quietening. Dep let go, falling backwards on the ground and panting. Fuck, this night was insane.
"Christ Grace", she looked from the two of them. Jess was sitting on the ground numbly, glaring up at the African-American woman through dark brown hair. "You didn't have to do that". Grace glared at her challengingly, wiping her hand – now a slippery red – on her army pants.
"You want her making this much noise? We're lucky Jacob Seed himself hasn't come out by now to find out what the commotion is. Nothing happens in these mountains without him knowing about it".
"Let's hope they think it's him being a little too enthusiastic", she nodded to the Cook's twitching body, alongside the rest of his dead men. "God that smell", she felt her stomach lurch – the skin of the corpses was beginning to turn to melt together. Some of the Peggie bodies had been partially burnt from flaming arrows, leaving faces half-deformed and unrecognisable. The only identification that remained were the tell-tale Eden's Gate insignia on sweaters and jackets. "We gotta get out of here", Dep returned her attention to Jess sitting in the middle of The Pit – no one had been left alive after they'd come here. She crouched down, approaching Jess, who was curled up into a ball under her hood. She held out her hand, making the Huntress tilt her head and reveal tear-stained eyes.
"Let's go home", Dep said quietly. The Huntress' vision travelled down to her outstretched hand, snot dribbling down from her nose. She slapped it away defensively.
"I can do it myself", her voice was hoarse and rough, whether it was from the screaming or crying, Dep wasn't sure. Regardless, Jess got to her feet, wiping her nose with her sleeve. Rook poorly hid a grimace.
"Remind me to get tissues when we get back", her internal thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the sound of whirring.
"Fuck!", she grabbed her rifle. It laid discarded in the dirt after she rugby-tackled Jess. "We're leaving. Now". Peggie helicopters rose above the trees, blaring down bright searchlights onto the mountain top.
"10-4", Grace's voice was low and angry. Dep knew that the shit-storm had only just started – there'd be a hell of a fight when they got back to the Lioness bunker. Jess dropped the plank of wood, eyes lingering a little too long on the Cook, as if she'd just realised what she'd done. She scooped up her bow, blood-soaked boots squelching in the mud as she re-joined the trio.
"Through there", Dep shouted over the noise of the helicopter's rudders, as the sky grew bright from headlights. A blue zipline leading down the mountain to the Lumber Mill was straight ahead. The air filled with shouting of angry radio chatter from the Peggies – but the women didn't chance wasting precious time with looking back. Their legs drummed into the ground – making a mad sprint, Peaches' catching up with them from where she'd been hiding in the trees ever since Jess had picked up the wooden bat – and dodged gunfire which smacked into the earth. Darting into the trees, the cultists' shouts faded behind them momentarily.
"Meet us down there, baby", Dep flicked a finger towards the forest which led down the path they hiked up. Peaches darted off in the direction, as she grabbed hold of zipline, Grace already skimming down. She knew the Peggies wouldn't follow a Cougar into the forest, not when they were after her.
"Godspeed, Peaches", her grip tightened, legs dangling over trees far below.
XXX
Author's Notes: I did my research, and "Proverbs 28:5" in the bible means, "Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely" (at least I'm hoping that my source is correct and I'm not making myself look like a dingleberry xD). It's supposed to be Dep's commentary on the Peggie's, and how they act. I personally found it hypocritical how they claim about "saving souls" and whatnot, however they pretty much kill the same amount of people they "save" so it seems all for naught (John marking people, those who get turned into Angels, anyone who fails the Trials, etc).
What I liked about writing Jacob and Dep is how they both have similar quirks that they do when they're bored, like they both have an army knife they toy with when stressed, and she smokes on the off-chances she can relax. (Don't take up smoking though, kids!). I think it'd be a nice set-up for them to bond over, or at least a way they could relate to one another.
While the source of Jess' scars is never actually revealed in-game, I thought it'd be an insight into Joab's cruelty. It's also not so subtle (as the story goes on) the extent of his misogyny, I felt that it'd make him a truly evil character and something I wanted to first elaborate on. While Eden's Gate doesn't seem to be prejudiced against race or gender (they'll take anyone as their followers and equally kill anyone who rebels against them) I felt like in this crazy militaristic regime that has been set up in the mountains - that and during all my time playing the game I've never seen a female Chosen - I wanted to come up with a reason for it and I thought since Joab is our replacement villain, he'd be a good explanation. Poor Jess :c
Side note: Jess reveals in this chapter that her name is "Jones" when she tells her full name to the Cook - I have a theory that her name isn't actually Jess Black it's Jones, because in the Henbane River there is a home on the top of a hill near the Ghost Cat Mine, and it's called "Jones Residence" and within it there's a bunker that has an answerphone message from Eli to Jess talking about the Cook and her parents, and I was wondering - was this her parents' home before they were murdered? I brought Jess there in-game but she didn't have any kind of dialogue that could evidence this - but I have a pretty strong hunch about it ^^ Also Jess Jones sounds like a more realistic name than Jess Black and I think "Black" she might use as a fake name for her Katniss Everdeen-like persona she uses to kill Peggies with. Just one of my headcanons tho :)
I thought this chapter was a good look into her psyche and how killing the Cook would impact her. She's an important supporting character and doesn't get much else elaboration in the game, I thought she deserved a moment for herself in the story. Since we as the Deputy kill the Cook, he can die in whatever way the player chooses - however I wanted to think about what Jess would do if she finally had the guy who killed her family in front of her - and since she's pretty violent sometimes, it took only a little bit of imagination as to what.
Finally, the military hand-gesture Dep does towards Grace is actually a standard hand signal for most armed forces. I searched it up and that was what happened when an enemy is spotted. You can Google it pretty easily, but search on images for the clearest understanding. I like to think that when they're not fighting the cult, Grace teaches her fellow Lionesses some tips from her army days. She's the eldest member of the squad (35) while Jess is 27 but since Dep is up to the player's interpretation, I also made her assumed to be in-between. Think of Grace as the big sis of the group, Jess as the youngest and Dep as the middle sibling trying to keep the other two from fighting all the time lmao
If you enjoyed the chapter pls leave a review :)