Liz had been in his office with him when it had happened. When Jacob had found out. In one night the Deputy put a very large dent in Jacob's operation. The Junior Deputy had managed to liberate the Baron Lumber Mill, kill one of Jacob's VIP's The Cook, and destroy a few of his wolf beacons. The Deputy had abandoned the Henbane River to come and cause trouble up in the Whitetail Mountains.
Jacob looked pissed. He had incredible self-control, but Liz could tell when he was angry. Jacob always walked with confidence and his head held high. When he was angry he didn't lash out. His bravado would fade away instead. He would lose his 'all-knowing' smirks and his cold gaze would go from calculating to lethal. Like he had already planned out a hundred ways to kill you in his head. It was truly terrifying to see.
The deputy had been able to take so much in such a short amount of time. Jacob hadn't even been in the region when it happened. They had been at Seed Ranch, making jokes and swapping stories. It was crazy how much could change in one night. Yesterday felt like some crazy dream to Liz. Like she just woke up and was now living a nightmare.
When Jacob had heard of what the deputy had done, he had gritted his teeth and snatched his radio up from the desk.
"There is someone out there… pretending to be a soldier. They are killing our brothers and sisters, and putting this project in jeopardy. I want this coward to know that they have my attention." His voice made chills down go Liz's spine. He never raised his voice once but it was still frightening all the same.
"My hunters are coming for you. There's nowhere you can run."
Liz's first meeting with Jacob hadn't been pleasant, but he hadn't spoken to her the way he had spoken to the deputy. If she had gotten a call like that, she probably would have pissed herself. She would be hightailing it out of the mountains. The deputy didn't seem that smart though. He hadn't met Jacob face to face. He didn't know what Jacob was capable of. The next call he made was out to his hunters. Jacob's hunters were the best of the Chosen. They were the most elite group in his entire army. They could track down and eliminate any target. If Jacob wanted you, he was going to get you.
Liz sat across from him at his desk. CB radios and boxes of maps were piled high on the metal surface, which partially blocked her view of him. She met his eyes only once since he sent the call out and she wished she hadn't. She had seen his hands curled into fists and a scowl grow on his face. There was nothing he could do but sit and wait for his hunters to capture the deputy.
She kept herself busy by cleaning his knife and sidearm. This morning when she had gotten back from the wolf beacons, one of the prisoners had escaped. The resistance member had jimmied the lock with a few tools that the cultists had failed to take off of him. Jacob made an example out of him. He had only made it a few feet from his cage before Jacob put a bullet in the back of his skull. The guard who was on prisoner duty had been asleep in a chair. He had received a knife to the throat. Liz had done her best not to throw up. She hated watching someone die. Let alone watching Jacob kill someone. The smirk that crossed Jacob's face when he had stabbed the man would haunt her nightmares.
A month ago she knew nothing about guns. She didn't even know how to load one. Now she knew how to take one apart, clean it, and fire it. She took more joy in cleaning a weapon than she ever did scrolling through social media on her phone. The work made sense now. It was the only thing that didn't change. She used a rag to clean Jacob's red and black pistol. She took it apart and put it back together twice, just to keep herself busy. When there wasn't a speck of dirt left on it, she turned her attention to his knife.
The soft rag she used to clean his weapons had turned a deep red. It soaked up most of the blood that had been on his knife. The metal was still warm and had a few streaks of pink on it. After a few minutes of rubbing the metal raw she had been able to get it off. The knife felt comfortable in her hands. She was surprised by how relaxed she felt holding it. It was something solid in all of this craziness.
Jacob had just sat there, tapping his fingers on the desk. He was probably plotting his next move. He looked so flustered and so lost. Liz found it strange to see him this way. He was always so sure of himself. What the deputy had done had been sprung on him without warning.
She didn't know how long they sat there in silence. It could have been minutes or hours. They didn't even look at one another. Liz and Jacob acted like they were complete strangers despite what had happened last night. She wasn't sure if yesterday had even been real. The blue dress she wore last night had been disposed of. The kind smiles that had been on Jacob's face were gone. She wasn't sure what to think of Faith either. It had been so nice talking to her. She thought she had made a friend, but looking back Liz realized it had all been a ploy. Faith knew exactly what to say to get Liz to feel sorry for her. It had worked too, she had let her guard down. It didn't matter though. She probably wouldn't be seeing Faith ever again. Jacob might have disposed of her before then.
After waiting for a while, static came from Jacob's radio. He snatched it up from the table to hear what his hunters had to say. "Jacob. Sir, we got the deputy. He put up a fight but nothing we couldn't handle."
"You sure it's him?" He growled into the radio. That was Jacob's way of giving them a second chance. If his hunters wasted his time and brought him the wrong man, they would all end up dead. Jacob wanted things done right the first time.
"Yes sir. It's the deputy. We're sure of it."
"Good. Bring the deputy to the Grand View. I'll meet you there." He ended the call and got up from his desk chair. She saw Jacob stand a little taller, clearly pleased that he had caught the deputy. Liz had scrambled out of her chair. She didn't want to go back to the Grand View. That place was the stuff of nightmares. She would have to go back though. There was no getting out of it.
She put Jacob's weapons back in his holster. It was an impressive setup. The camo knife sheath was attached directly to the pistol holster. Both weapons rested at the hip for easy access. She brought it over to where he was standing. Jacob stared her down but didn't say anything. She gestured for him to take the belt but he just stood there. He gave her a small smirk.
Liz sighed in frustration. She knew exactly what that meant. He didn't say anything but didn't have to. After being around him for the past few weeks she had a way of reading him. Jacob wanted her to put his belt on him. He quirked his eyebrow and raised his hands a little to give her easy access. She rolled her eyes. With the holster tucked underneath her arm, she pushed up his dirty T-Shirt to reach his belt loops. Her hands wandered a bit too far under his shirt.
Her fingertips lightly grazed over his abdomen. She could feel the hard muscle that was underneath. Jacob was a very strong man. Anyone who took one look at him could see that. There was a difference though between seeing and feeling. His skin was rough from burn marks and scar tissue. Liz's hands roamed across the uneven skin that covered his midsection. Her fingers curled into tufts of his chest hair, which made Jacob groan.
"You having fun down there, little lamb?"
Liz was snapped out of the daze she was in. She couldn't believe herself. Jacob had meant for the whole thing to be demeaning but there she stood, fondling his chest. She felt blush to start rising in her cheeks.
"Sorry. I…" She felt stupid. So stupid. How did she keep ending up in these awkward situation with him? She hadn't meant to embarrass herself again. Liz started to pull her hands away from his abdomen. Jacob grabbed them before she could.
"I didn't say you had to stop." He said.
Her head had perked up and she met his gaze. As she looked into his icy blue eyes she forgot. She forgot about the two men he had killed this morning, the angry scowls that usually crossed his face, and the deputy that was on his way to be brainwashed. It was dangerous to forget things like that. This man was her enemy. He was also her protector. Two things that didn't go together, but somehow perfectly described Jacob Seed.
In his eyes she saw permission. Permission to continue with what she was doing, maybe to take it even further. That wasn't something that was given freely with Jacob. She thought about it for a moment. What it would mean if she got close to him. It was wrong. Liz knew that. Jacob would never actually care about her. He was only amused by her. The only thing he cared about was culling the herd. He would throw her away when he was done with her.
She removed her hands from under his shirt. He let out a sigh. It sounded like he was disappointed. Liz took the belt out from under her arm and fed it through his belt loops. She had to wrap her arms around Jacob's torso to get the belt on him. It was like she was giving him the most awkward hug ever. He didn't do anything to help her though. He just stood there with a giant smirk on his face. When she finally got the belt to the front of his pants, she yanked it a little too hard. Jacob slightly stumbled forward. Her face collided with his chest. She was pressed up against his dirty T-shirt. The metal dog tags he wore make a clinking sound when she hit them. Her hands lost their grip on his belt. They had fallen down and her fingers raked across his crotch.
It had only been for a moment but she had distinctly felt the bulge that had been growing in his pants. His crotch had been hard. She immediately recoiled from him. Grabbing Jacob's crotch had been the last thing she had wanted, or expected to do today. Jacob had done it on purpose. He wanted her to be flustered. Liz wasn't strong enough to make him flinch, let alone stumble into her. It didn't stop her though from curling her hand into a fist and taking a swing at him. Jacob was too quick though. Just like when she had tried to stab him at the chalet. He had caught her hand with ease. His grip on her wrist was strong enough to break it.
"Ah, ah, ah. Honey, you're not done yet." He was referring to the unbuckled belt that hung from his hips.
"On your knees." He said. Liz's eyes grew wide. Fear had flashed through her at the command. She knew what this was but it still made her uneasy. It made her wonder though if he was asking for something else. Putting her on her knees was a power move by Jacob. It was something to remind her that he was still in control. That no matter how many jokes she made or how many songs she sang to him, he held all the power. And nothing that she was going to do would change that.
His right hand pushed on her shoulder until she was on his knees in front of him. "Really?" She whined. Her face was flustered and her nose scrunched up in anger. Liz was exactly eye level with his crotch. Down there, she noticed a lot of things about Jacob that she didn't want to know. He wore Levi's jeans that were light blue in color. They were your typical cowboy jeans that you could get at any local Walmart. There were streaks of dirt on them from constantly being outdoors. She saw a small tear in his army jacket on the lower left side. It was terribly stitched up with black thread. Jacob had sewn it back up himself. She also noticed a scar underneath his chin. It wasn't something you ever notice unless you were in this position. He had lots of scars across his body, but this one was different. It was an ugly pink line that ran from the tip of his chin all the way to where his throat began. His red beard hair had covered most of it from view but the hair didn't grow where the scar was. The scar looked old. Someone had cut him there with a knife. She didn't like to think about all of the torture Jacob had probably went through. It almost made her feel sorry for him. Those were the least embarrassing things she noticed about him. She now also knew what it looked like when Jacob Seed felt thick in the pants. The image was burned into her brain. Liz couldn't help but wonder if she had been partially responsible for it. She had been groping his chest after all.
She shifted uncomfortably on the tile floor. Her leg still slightly hurt from the bear attack yesterday. She felt so pathetic kneeling there. It might have been something she enjoyed if it was in a different context, with a different man. She reached up and grabbed the ends of his belt. She fed one end through the other until it was tight around his waist. Liz was careful about where she put her hands. She didn't want to repeat the incident. She reached down further and strapped Jacob's holster to his leg.
Jacob had been staring at her the whole time. He had looked her up and down. He had that same calculated look in his eyes but there was something else too. For a moment she had thought it was desire. She dismissed the thought. Jacob would never want her like that, no one ever had. She never thought of herself as pretty. She was small and relatively flat chested, despite almost being 21. Countless people still thought of her as a child. She was probably too young for him anyways.
Liz gave him a forced smile. "Happy now?"
His eyes crossed over her one more time. Taking in the sight of his complete control over her. "Extremely. Get up." He ordered.
She staggered to her feet. A sharp pain went through her leg. She couldn't wait to get those damn stiches out of her thigh. Jacob said nothing at her distress. He waltzed out the door of his office and she followed behind him. She had gotten to know the veteran's center a lot better. She had taken mental note of the number of staircases, what rooms were empty, and how many exits there were. The information wouldn't help her escape but it might come in handy one day.
The sun outside the veteran's center beat down on her as they walked to his truck. She was sweating in the red scarf and leather trench coat she wore. Whoever designed the Eden's gate outfits needed to be fired. They were impractical, hot, restraining, and they looked dumb as hell. Sure, they were a creepy cult but they didn't have to dress like one. She was just thankful she wasn't wearing a Chosen outfit. Those red ski masks did not look fun to wear.
They climbed into Jacob's truck and took off from the veteran's center. His hunters were probably already at the Grand View. Liz didn't say anything to him. She didn't want to talk about what happened. She had gotten a little closer to Jacob than she would have preferred to. Her cheeks were still slightly flushed with embarrassment.
Outside the veteran's center it was practically a warzone. Bodies were strung up left and right, and every gas station and cabin was ridden with bullet holes. White Eden's Gate trucks patrolled the roads, searching for innocent civilians to hunt down and capture. You had nothing to fear if you were already with the cult. They passed a few cars that were broken down on the side of the road. Liz saw innocent people cowering in fear as the truck drove by. Jacob didn't pay attention to them though. He looked more concerned with the deputy he had caught.
That was what Eden's Gate did. They took and they took until there was nothing. The cult was like a leech that was feeding of Hope County. She couldn't forget that. A part of her though, trusted Jacob. He was using her. She knew that. But she also knew of his kind smiles, his jokes, and his stories. Her emotions constantly changed about him. She couldn't make up her damn mind about Jacob Seed.
The truck eventually came to a stop in front of the Grand View Hotel. Pillars of black smoke rose up from the chimneys. Almost every window was boarded up and the balconies were covered in barb wire with .50 cals mounted on them. Jacob's signature catchphrase 'CULL THE HERD' was spray painted on the front. Liz hated this place. She was uneasy every time she had to come here.
A group of Jacob's hunters were gathered around a truck. The Chosen wore their red ski masks and carried bows. There were even a few judges with them. She had never seen the judges out of their cages. They were even uglier when they weren't unconscious. Their white fur was matted and torn. She recognized the neatly painted red cross on their foreheads. She had made those two judges. They snarled at her as she walked by. The judges wanted to bite off the hand that fed them, literally.
When Jacob had approached everyone had snapped to attention, even the judges. His confidence had come back. Liz saw the captive as she approached the truck. It was the Junior Deputy. That was him. She had only saw him once that night at Joseph's church. The Deputy was cute. He was tall, slim, and had short brown hair. He was the type of guy that she would have dated in college. There was nothing distinct about him though. It was as if he could be anyone. He was just another face in the crowd. He shouldn't have been able to do so much damage to the cult, but he had. Jacob had a big grin on his face. It didn't matter how big of a badass the Deputy was, he was no match for Jacob.
"Take him to Peaches. Get him started." He said. Jacob walked away. His Chosen just stood there, staring at her. It took her a minute to realize that Jacob had been talking to her, not his Chosen. Jacob wanted her to get the Deputy out of the truck. She sighed in frustration and walked over to the tailgate. She grabbed the Deputy by his feet and drug him to her. His black cowboy hat fell of his head. She picked it up and placed it on her own head. The Deputy was wearing a navy corduroy jacket and a light blue button up to accompany the hat. At least he had the common sense to change out of his deputy uniform. It probably didn't matter now that the cult knew what he looked like. Liz grunted as she placed her arms under the Deputy's to hoist him onto her shoulder. He was a lot heavier than she was. It would have made more sense for any of his able bodied men to carry him, but somehow the job fell to her. The weight of the Deputy had threatened to crush her. But she gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on Dep, despite the pain in her leg.
She looked around at the seven tall men that surrounded her and scoffed. They were all just going to stand there and watch her do all the work. "No, I'm fine. Nobody help me. Leave it to the lady. I guess chivalry really is dead."
It wasn't the smartest thing to say to a group of Jacob's most efficient killers. They only responded to her sarcasm with yelling at her. "Get moving!" One Chosen prodded her in the back with his bow to keep her moving. The two judges followed her on either side as she walked. It wasn't to protect her. It was to keep her in line. Her legs burned as she carried the Deputy. His unconscious body was flung over shoulder and his face was very close to her butt. Liz just couldn't escape embarrassing moments today. She carried the Deputy all the way to the front doors of the Grand View. His wanted poster was posted by the door. The cult worked fast. Within one day of the deputy being in the mountains, they had already gotten posters of him up. On the other side of the door was a poster of Jacob. It was a play on the famous 'Uncle Sam' army recruitment poster. Instead of something patriotic, it had Jacob scowling and the words Only You written at the bottom.
One of the judges snapped at her. It growled at her feet. The wolf was foaming out the mouth, ready to eat her. "Oh shut up, sparky!" She spat. Her face formed into a snarl. It assessed her move of power before it decided that she had won. The judge growled at her once more before leaving.
Liz carried the Deputy into the hotel. Her breathing was labored and her muscles ached. As soon as she rounded the corner she saw Staci. Her heart broke into a million pieces. He looked so much worse. There were a few cuts and bruises on him the last time she saw him. Now they covered every inch of his face. He had gotten the shit beat out of him. When Pratt had spotted her, he scurried over to help. He grabbed the Dep under his armpits and she carried his feet. Pratt gave her a look about the cowboy hat that was on her head but said nothing.
"Guess your rookie, ain't as smart as you thought." Her voice was grim.
"He shouldn't have come here." He said. The agitation had been all over Pratt's face. The deputy being here had affected him. Looking at him, she understood why Jacob had told her to carry the Deputy. Pratt was there to keep the Deputy in line. She was there to keep Pratt in line.
They carried the Deputy up the stairs to the third floor. They brought him into room 306. Even though it was midday, the room was dark. The windows had been boarded and covered up with blackout curtains. The only light source was the projector showing pictures of a rotting deer carcass. There were two other resistance members strapped to chairs. They were drugged up and groggy.
"Palmer…" The words were soft but she had heard it. The resistance member had recognized Liz. The woman had barely been coherent, but had said her last name outright. Why would this woman know her face? Liz had only been with the cult, not with the Whitetail Militia. Was her Uncle out there searching for her? She searched the woman's face for answers. She opened her mouth to speak but Pratt cut her off.
"Elizabeth. Don't." He said.
She looked up to see Staci shaking his head. She kept her mouth shut. He had put the Deputy into one of the chairs. He was staring to stir from his drug induced slumber. The Dep would be in for a rude awakening when he came face to face with Jacob. Liz heard loud footsteps coming up the stairs. She knew what that meant. Pratt gave her a look. "Get the hell out of here." He said.
Liz took his advice and scrambled out of the room, shutting the door behind her. She didn't want to be in that room. Bad things happened in there. It wasn't that long ago when it was her strapped to that chair. She stood guard outside the door. The stomping from the stairwell grew louder. She turned her head to see Jacob. He walked with his head held high. His eyes didn't even look at her. He strode right past her and knocked the Deputy's hat off her head in one fluid motion.
"No." That was the only thing he said to her before he disappeared into the room.
The hat hit the floor with a thud. She didn't pick it back up though. The message had been received. She had actually grown fond of the hat in the short time she wore it. She kind of felt like a badass cowgirl wearing it. Liz started to walk off until she heard Jacob's voice. It was slightly muffled through the wall, but she could make out what he was saying.
"The world is weak, soft. We have forgotten what it is to be strong."
She pressed her ear up against the wall to listen to his speech. Liz was smarter than this, she was. She should have ran downstairs and hid. That was the smart thing to do. But Liz had forgotten about how her brain had been conditioned. It had been weeks since she had been locked in that cage at the Chalet. Since Jacob had last used the music box on her. She threw all logic out the window to hear what Jacob had to say.
"You know our heroes used to be Gods? And now our heroes are Godless. Weak. Feeble. Diseased…"
The rest of his speech went on about the same. He talked about how people today we weak and how they look up to even more pathetic leaders. It wasn't nothing she hadn't heard from him a million times before. Sometimes with Jacob it was like a light switch. He could turn off any emotion or frustration and put on his persona. His self-control never ceased to amaze her.
"We will cull the herd. We will do what needs to be done…"
Liz had been stupid. She had been sticking her nose where it didn't belong. It would cost her too. She just didn't know it yet. She heard music playing out from the room. When she realized what it was, she started to panic.
'Onlyyyy youuuuuu…'
It was too late. Her breathing became shallow. She started to hyperventilate. Her legs buckled underneath her weight and her head hit the floor. Spots clouded her vision.
'Can make this world seem right. Onlyyy youuu can make the darkness bright…'
Red was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.
...
Jacob finished making his speech to the Deputy. The boy had only been in the mountains for a short time but he was a very large thorn in his side. He was skinny, but compliant. He hadn't fought his restraints like the girl had. The Deputy would make a good soldier. He would be the one to kill Eli for him, if he couldn't make his little lamb do it first. It would be a shame if she refused to make her sacrifice when the time came. He wouldn't take joy in killing her if it came to that, but he would do what needed to be done. The Deputy though, Jacob would enjoy killing him.
He pulled out his music box and began to crank it up. "We will cull the herd. We will do what needs to be done." He opened the lid and music began to pour out of it. The Deputy's eyes rolled back into his head as he convulsed in the chair. Jacob would never get tired of that. The Whitetail Militia were cowards to him. They could either pass his trials or they could die. The choice was theirs. The weak didn't get to live.
The girl had only been through the trials twice. He hadn't sent her back through because he was afraid that she would fail them. He still needed her to break the Whitetails, to break Eli. She was no good to him dead. Eventually though he would need to push her through the trials. He couldn't be soft on her forever.
The Deputy was responding to the conditioning perfectly. Jacob set his music box on the table beside him. The first time someone went into the hallucination they had to continue listening to the song for it to work. Once someone was conditioned they could turn merely by hearing the first words to the song. It only took three times for him to get a hold of someone. 1-2-3. That was all it took. The third trial was the one that weeded out the weakest. After the third time, it would become instinctual. A lot of his soldiers made their sacrifice in the fourth trial without even thinking.
Jacob heard a thud outside the door. It wasn't very loud but he heard it over the music. He was going to go see what it was. His work here was done anyways. He grabbed Pratt by his shirt. The young deputy winced. There was fear in his eyes. The last time Jacob was here with the girl, Pratt had left his post to go talk to her. He had seen the way Peaches looked at Liz. He was sweet on her. Jacob hadn't been happy about that. That day he had brought the girl back to the veteran's center. When it was darker and she had gone to feed the judges, he went back to the Grand View. He found Pratt and drug him into a spare room. Jacob's fists had collided with his face until he was bloody and sobbing. Pratt had been a complete mess, begging for him to stop. Jacob told him that if he left his post again, the next time he wouldn't stop. That the next time he would kick his teeth in until he was choking on them.
The beating hadn't been about Pratt leaving his post. It had been about Liz. Jacob didn't like the way Pratt had been looking at the girl. He wasn't jealous. He wasn't. But yet that night he had beaten the shit out of Pratt until he felt better. Jacob didn't care about her, but that didn't mean he wanted anyone else looking at her. Part of Jacob couldn't understand why Liz had ever been with a coward like him. Pratt was a weasel. He had sent the girl in there today to test him. He had passed the test but that didn't mean Jacob couldn't mess with him a little.
His tightened his grip on Pratt's shirt. "Keep the music playing. The Chosen will take you to the veteran's center when it's time." Pratt stammered out something that was the equivalent of 'Yes sir'. He raised his hand but didn't hit him. Pratt had flinched at the gesture. The beating was probably still fresh in his mind. His hand only patted the side of his face as a sign of a job well done. Jacob smirked and released the pathetic man from his grasp.
Jacob strode out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The sounds of Only You flowed out into the hall. His foot bumped into a small figure on the floor. He almost stepped on her. Liz was convulsing on the floor. She was responding to the conditioning.
'Well shit.' He thought.
He hadn't meant to send her into the third trial just yet. But the girl hadn't been smart enough to scurry off. She knew what happened in the chair. It was her own fault. Maybe Jacob had underestimated her loyalty to him. It didn't matter though. She had already started the third trial. No better time like the present. He just hoped that she didn't fail it.
The girl was twitching on the floor. Her breathing was heavy and she was crying. She did that for about a minute. He didn't feel sorry for her. He had seen a thousand others before her go through the same thing. It was interesting to watch. To see someone fall apart. To watch as their world crumbled around them as they fell into state of distress. His conditioning was something only the strongest could survive.
It was her own fault she was like this though. If she had just been smart and ran off this wouldn't be happening.
The girl twitched for a minute more, until all of a sudden it stopped. Her breathing leveled out and she got up on her feet. She was responding differently to the conditioning than the other pledges. The first two times someone went through they were usually tied down or locked in a cage. The third trial was when he let them loose for the first time. Most people would run off in a rampage. His little lamb though, was calm. Her sobs had been silenced and her pupils were dilated. Her eyes almost looked black. The scared girl was gone. All was left was a soldier, who was ready to comply.
The girl gave him a blank stare before running off. She stormed down the stairwell. Jacob followed her but didn't get close enough to disturb. He watched as she stomped across the Grand View and entered the laundry room. That was where the weapons stash was. She grabbed an AR-C off the shelf. It was equipped with a silencer and a red dot sight. She loaded the weapon with ease and put an extra magazine in her jacket. She also clipped a few grenades to her belt. Now armed to the teeth, she exited the room and strode out the front doors of the Grand View.
It was still bright outside. The Whitetail Militia had been camped outside the Grand View all day. Jacob knew that. He wasn't stupid. He had ordered his men not to engage them. As soon as he sent that call out to the Deputy he had probably went crying to Eli. The Whitetails thought they needed the Deputy. That he was the hero that would save the day. He wasn't though. The Deputy was nothing more than a tool. It was all part of Jacob's plan. He was dropping a live bomb into the heart of the resistance. Get Eli to trust the Deputy and then use to Deputy to kill Eli.
Jacob needed to leave the Grand View before that could happen though. He needed the Whitetails to believe that he was unaware of their presence. He was going to follow the girl. It would be interesting to see what she did during the trial. He grabbed his rifle out of his truck and flung it over his back. She had already taken off east. One of the judges had followed her. She was quick, much quicker than she normally was. The hallucination would make her go as fast as possible. He trailed behind her through the woods. The afternoon sun was making him sweat underneath his army jacket. He hated doing things during the day. It was just too damn hot.
"Argh!" The girl collapsed to her knees and screamed out in pain. She had gone too long without making a kill. She was conditioned to feel pain if she didn't act. With a grunt she got up and kept moving. He followed her on foot for a while. She came to a stop by the tree line, listening for something. The judge followed her commands. Judges only followed those who were worthy. They could determine who was strong and right now his little lamb was worthy of controlling a judge.
He heard the sounds of the car coming up the road. She crouched down and waited for her target to come. Not long after, a small truck emerged from around the curve. The girl stepped out from the trees and into the road. A stream of bullets hit the car. The tires were shot out and the driver was injured. The truck came to a halt before her. The woman in the passenger seat tried to flee from the car. She didn't get three steps from the car before the judge attacked her. The girl paid no attention to the woman and approached the driver. The man had been shot in the collarbone, by her. She approached the driver side window and her hand gripped his head. She slammed his face into the steering wheel. The man screamed out in pain. He was too weak to fight back. She could have easily shot him again, but that would have been a waste of a bullet. The man's face slammed into the steering wheel, over and over again. He screamed until he choked on his own blood and died.
Jacob chuckled to himself. "Good. Cull the herd."
It was impressive what his conditioning could do. It took Liz, who was a sniveling little girl and turned her into a killer. There was no remorse in the girl's eyes. She killed without mercy and hunted without rest. The conditioning gave her one goal; to train, to kill, and to sacrifice. It had taken him years to perfect it. Countless people had died for him to get it right. Now that it worked he could break anyone he wanted.
He followed the girl for miles. She made quick work of a fisherman by the river bank. Pieces of his body were floating in the river from the grenade blast. The man didn't even know what hit him. She was deep in the hallucination by now. The conditioning would force her to find a final target. For this trial it didn't have to be anyone of importance. She was trained to kill anyone wearing the Whitetail Militia logo. Any of the rebels would be satisfactory for her to complete the trial.
Eventually, she came across a group of three Whitetails. One man was playing a guitar and singing. There was also a couple dancing. It was a sweet scene. If it had only been him out there he might have left them alone, but his little lamb would not. She would do anything to make the hallucination stop. She didn't have any other choice, it was do or die. Her footsteps slowed as she approached them. The judge followed her lead. She knelt down by a tree and lined up her shot. He saw her hold her breath before pulling the trigger. The man who had been playing the guitar fell over dead. The woman dancing screamed at the sight. The couple took off into the other direction, barely missing the hail of bullets.
He watched as the girl snarled at the two targets she had missed. She flung her rifle over her back and took off after them. The chase wouldn't end until either both of them were dead or she was. He sprinted after the girl. The leaves under his feet crunched as her trailed her. He loved the hunt but this was different. It wasn't even his hunt, it was hers. He was just a mere spectator to the destruction she left in her path. His little lamb was so different this way. Her eyes didn't have the same sadness. Sarcastic quips didn't come out of her mouth to insult him. Her small hands that had touched him this morning, were only used for killing. She was a mindless soldier. His soldier.
The Whitetails had managed to run for a while with the girl at their heels. It was only a matter of time until she caught up with them though. She had taken a few shots at them but had missed. The chase had taken them all the way back to the veteran's center. They were about a hundred yards from the entrance. What a stroke of luck. The girl eventually managed to hit the woman. The bullets pierced her skull and she fell over dead. The other Whitetail had continued to sprint through the woods. The girl looked determined to end it though. That man was her final target. The faceless body at the end of the hallucination. The kill that would give her freedom. She finally caught up to the man and tackled him. He had tried to reach for a gun but before he could the girl pulled out a knife and stabbed him.
'Where the hell did she get a knife?'
The rebel's eyes had already rolled into the back of his head but she continued to stab him. The metal blade collided with the dead man several times. Blood had covered her hands and splattered her face. She let out a scream. It wasn't a scream of pain though. It was a battle cry. The girl had collapsed on the ground right after. She killed her final target. She was free from the hallucination for now.
Jacob was impressed. He hadn't expected for her to pass the third trial, let alone take out six Whitetails. She had blown through the trial with ease. If she made her sacrifice, she would have a place in his army. He would put her to work doing something more important than following him around. He secretly hoped that she would make the sacrifice. If she did they could become more acquainted. That scream she made had him a little harder than he'd like to admit. She looked a lot better dirty and bloody than she had in that damn dress yesterday.
He walked over to inspect her. The black had faded away as her eyelids closed. She was curled up on the ground. Most people collapsed from exhaustion after a trial, she was no different. She didn't appear to be injured. He thought about checking her stitches to make sure they hadn't popped. He didn't want to yank her pants down while she unconscious though. He gathered up all her weapons instead. He did not want her to have a loaded gun, let alone a grenade. He didn't need her trying to blow him up. He stomped back to the veteran's center with the judge at his heels.
He left the girl there lying in the dirt. She was fine. She would wake up eventually and when she did, she would find her way back home.