"Is there a specific reason we're in Holland Valley?" Liz asked.
The wind blew through the short grass. This was the home of her childhood. The Valley was always calm compared to the other parts of the county, but as a child she though it was boring. She had preferred the mountains or the river. Now after everything that had happened to her in the Whitetail Mountains, not so much.
The last time she had been in the Valley was when she went to Seed Ranch. The Valley was the heart and soul of Hope County. It was still under Eden's Gate control. There wasn't any resistance built up at all.
Dep and Sharky were leaning against the tailgate of the truck. The truck was parked under a tree off the side of the road. The two boys looked like a pair of best friends. They practically didn't go anywhere without each other.
They shared a look between the two of them. Who knows what that meant. They were probably scheming something.
"Yeah of course."
"So, are we not going to help out Fall's End? They're kinda under John's control."
"Nah… they're fine. We'll get to them eventually." Dep said.
Her eyebrow quirked in curiosity. Damn, Dep could be stone cold. But he had a point. There were other people that needed help around Hope County. Fall's End wasn't the most important, they were only controlled by John. He was by far the least threatening of the Seeds. Especially compared to his older brother…
"Oh, okay. I'm cool with that, but I was just checking. Why are we really out here though?"
"Chika' we're out here to see if you got what it takes to be a Gun for Hire!" Sharky said.
Guns for Hire was what Dep called his posse of fighters. Sharky had explained it to her in the car on the ride over. They all had special skills that they used to fight the cult. He had seemed more excited over the group than Dep had. For some reason Dep said she could join them. She didn't have many skills, so this probably wouldn't end up working out. But it was worth a shot.
"What do I have to do to be a Gun for Hire?"
"You gotta' show us what you're made of."
She glanced over to Dep. "You okay with him leading this?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Most of the time when I recruit someone, I have to do something for them. But you kind of offered. So yeah, this is pretty great actually. It gives me a break for once. Take it away Sharky!"
"As I was saying… to join our super-duper awesome group of badasses, you have to prove yourself. You have to show us at least two skills before we can deem you a badass."
Liz couldn't help but laugh. The idea of it was a little silly. She didn't think of herself as a badass but maybe she could prove something to the boys.
"I'm serious chika'!" He looked a little offended that she wasn't taking it seriously. It only made her laugh more.
"Okay. Okay…"
What skills did she have? She could shoot guns, but that not that well. She wasn't a marksman, stealthy, or a brute force. But she was smart. She had memorized all those papers in Jacob's office. She knew how to manipulate the enemy. It wasn't fighting but that was still useful information in a war. Somebody had to be at the top making the plans. The strategists were usually the leaders though, not the fighters.
"I know about the cult. I can tell you where every roadblock, reaping truck, and supply vehicle is in the mountains. And I can tell you everything you need to know about Jacob's operation."
"So, you're a little spy. I guess that can be your first skill, Peggie Intel. What else ya' got?"
It had to be something that made her special. All of the other Guns for Hire specialized in some sort of weapon. If she could have one weapon of choice to fight what would it be?
She pondered over the question for a moment. She thought back to her childhood. To the one thing that she worked at every day. The thing that had been her purpose for being for as long as she could remember. A big grin crossed her face.
"I can hit things really hard with a bat."
Dep smirked. "We were hoping you would say that."
He reached into the back of the truck and pulled out a hitting tee and a bucket of yellow balls. Her smile grew. Years ago, softball had been her entire life. But she didn't play it when she moved away. It had been a long time since she had seen a softball. Way too long.
Dep set up the tee. He also pulled out an aluminum bat out of the truck and handed it to her. Liz surveyed the cool metal in her hands. Oh, how she missed this.
"How'd you guys know I used to play softball?"
"Eli told us."
A small pang of guilt went through her. Of course, he would have. That was the kind of thing that Eli always did for her. She had screamed at him last night. He kind of deserved it. He wanted to use her. But that still didn't mean that she had wanted to yell at him.
"So, what do I have to do?"
"If you can hit a ball into that sign…" He pointed to the giant billboard across the street. She hadn't even noticed it when they pulled up here. It was one of John's giant billboards. It read:
'We Love You and We Will Take You'
"More specifically into John's face, we'll make you a Gun for Hire."
It also had a giant photo of John with his signature smirk. His smile gave her the creeps. Oh, John. He was so fucking dramatic. Well… no more dramatic than Mr. Cull the Herd. But that was a debate for another time.
"That's it?" She looked at the two men curiously.
"Yep! Sharky wanted to set the billboard on fire, but I figured we'd let you have first crack at it."
Dep set a ball on the tee and sat on the bucket across from her. She glanced over to the giant sign. Hit a ball into John's face. Yeah, she could do that. This was going to be fun.
She took a couple steps back and did a practice swing. She winced slightly. Her leg felt a lot better than it did yesterday, but it still hurt a little.
"You okay?" Dep asked.
She nodded. After moving it around a little, the pain in her leg subsided. "Yeah, I'm good."
She took a few more practice swings before stepping back up to the tee. The bat lightly swayed over her shoulder. She took a step and swung with as much force as she could muster. The ball zoomed across the road and landed in the woods somewhere far away from the sign. Shit. She was a little rusty. She sighed in frustration.
Dep put another ball on the tee. "Hey, don't sweat it. Got a whole bucket still."
The next two balls soared over the sign, nowhere near the target. She adjusted her stance to put more weight on her uninjured leg. With each swing it slowly came back to her.
It wasn't until the fifth swing that she hit the sign. It hit the word 'Love' and bounced off to the side. The fact that it hit that word, satisfied her for some reason.
"Way to go shortie!" Sharky yelled.
She fell into a rhythm. She channeled the rage that had been building up for the past month and a half. Each ball represented something in her mind.
Being captured. Almost getting thrown off a cliff. Only you. Pratt. Her parents taking money from the Seeds. No one telling her about the cult. That stupid bear. Kissing Jacob's cheek. Being used as propaganda. Eli wanting to use her too. The Whitetails. Killing Andrea. Jess Black.
All things that had caused her so much pain. Those were the things that had destroyed her. And turned her into a hollow shell of the girl she used to be. With each crack of the bat, those things got to feel an inkling of the pain that she had felt.
The softballs littered dents and cracks in John's sign. But she still hadn't hit his face yet.
Dep looked into the bucket and loaded up the tee. "There's only about three left. Make these count."
Liz took a deep breath. She pictured this ball with red hair and wearing camo. This ball she appropriately dubbed 'Jacob'. This was for everything that he had done to her. For all the insults, pet names, manipulations, and for making her actually care about him. She imagined herself smashing his face in with the bat. It was more satisfying that way.
She released all her rage into her swing. A deafening crack rippled through the woods. The ball flew from the tee and soared towards John's billboard. It hit the billboard directly in John's face. The force was so great that the ball splintered through the wood and went out the other side. There was a gaping hole where John's mouth used to be. It looked like John had a shocked face.
Liz, Dep, and Sharky all stood around in shock as well. Their mouths hung agape.
Dep was the first to break the silence. "That was the greatest thing I have ever seen!"
The trio burst into a fit of laughter. It was very entertaining to see John's sign be desecrated. The boys high-fived her. What she had done was pretty awesome indeed.
"Man, you really knocked the smirk right off John's face!" Sharky said.
Liz felt her anger melt away. There was nothing lingering anymore. There would still be scars that would never heal. But this was a first step. Hitting softballs had helped. The distractions helped. Maybe there was a bit of the old Elizabeth Palmer left after all.
Dep stepped forward. "Well I'm a man of my word. Welcome to the Guns for Hire." He pondered for a moment. "Liz Palmer. The… Home Run Hitter."
The name was absolutely perfect. There was no one better than hitting home run, or cult signs, than her. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel suffocated. She wasn't sinking. The Whitetails weren't all that bad. The boys liked her. That could be enough.
Dep handed her a black baseball cap that he found in the truck. She took it from him and placed it on her head. Why not? It completed the look.
Being a Gun for Hire felt really good. It almost made her forget everything that happened yesterday. Almost… But there was no forgetting the gunshot that had rung out in the Henbane. Or the life that had faded from Andrea's eyes.
"Chika' you have officially reached badass-status."
She laughed. The events of yesterday fading from her mind. "Thanks, you guys." She glanced back over to the gaping hole in John's billboard. Yeah, he deserved that. If only they had time to go wreck all of John's signs.
"Alright let's head back to the mountains before John catches wind of this. Wouldn't want to get marked." Dep said.
They all loaded back up into the truck. Liz rode in the backseat. Dep backed the truck up and took off back to the Whitetail Mountains.
"Hell yeah! Crank the tunes. Not that Peggie shit though…" Sharky flipped through the radio stations.
"Hey, some Peggie songs are actually pretty catchy." Build a Castle and Keep Your Rifle By Your Side were her favorites.
"Yeah that's cause you've been with them so long chika'. We'll show you good music."
"What type of music do you like? Some shit like disco?"
Sharky began to laugh nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck. Oh, he was hiding something. He had an easy tell. "And what if I did? What would be so wrong with that?"
She shook her head and chuckled. "Absolutely nothing, Sharky. Just don't make me listen to it."
He continued to flip through the stations and turned to disco, despite her protests. The rhythm was a little too upbeat for her. She much preferred the rock and roll of the 70's. But she listened to Sharky's music without protest. She was kind of the new kid in the Guns for Hire. She didn't have much say.
They didn't drive for very long until they were back in Jacob's region. It was afternoon by now. This time yesterday she had been trying to run away. The idea of running all seemed so distant now. There was no leaving, only fighting. She could fight with Dep and Sharky. Being a Gun for Hire was feasible. Dep would be the one telling her what to do instead of Eli, but that was fine. He was nice and seemed decent.
After sitting in the backseat for about fifteen minutes, her legs began to feel cramped. Sharky's seat was moved back further than it was this morning.
"Sharky? Can you move your seat up?" She tried to say it as politely as possible.
"Nah. I'm good shortie but thanks for the suggestion."
Her mouth fell open. "What do ya' mean you're good? Move your seat up! Your fat butt is crushing me!"
"Hey! You could have sat behind Dep, but you didn't. And I have a nice butt. You're just jealous."
Sharky pushed his seat back even further, just to be petty. Her legs were completely crushed by the seat. She let out a sigh of frustration. Now this is what fighting with her brother felt like. But wasn't Sharky like a grown ass man? He should be more mature than this. But if he was going to play petty, so was she.
"Move your seat up! And what is this stupid song anyways! Disco has to be some of the worst music!"
"Now hold up lil sis. I'm okay with you insulting me but you can't go insulting disco. It is the hottest music ever created."
He turned his head towards his best friend. "See Dep I told you she'd make fun of me!"
She rolled her eyes. She hadn't been making fun of him for liking disco. She just wanted him to move his seat.
"Sharky move your seat up." Dep was kind of the honorary dad to all of the Guns for Hire. He had to keep everyone in line and happy. I guess that's the price if you want someone to light people on fire for you.
Sharky moved his seat up to a reasonable distance. Her legs could finally breathe.
"Liz, apologize."
"But I didn't…"
Dep cut her off. "Do it." He really was the 'dad' friend.
"I'm sorry I made fun of disco."
That was the end to their petty argument. After a few minutes she forgot what they had been arguing about. She stared out the window. There was no telling what Dep had planned for the day. Probably rescuing civilians and things like that. But with those two, there was always some surprise.
No one talked for a bit. This was the worst time for her, when she was alone with her thoughts. There were no distractions. Her foot slightly bounced. Sitting and waiting in silence was her least favorite thing. She used to like the quiet periods. Back in college, she would always try to be alone for as much as possible. But now she couldn't be alone. The still times were too suspenseful.
Work was okay. Arguing was okay. Fighting was okay. But sitting was the worst. This was what soldiers must feel like in war. Always jumping at every sound in the bushes. Looking around in places for threats that would never come. Sometimes the fight was easier than the waiting.
She rolled down her window. A pungent stench hit her harder than she expected. It smelled like death. The kind of thing that lingered in the air. The smell was so thick that it made it hard to breathe. Wheaty had been complaining about the stench this morning. But she hadn't smelt anything like it until now.
Why hadn't she smelled it before? She had been in the mountains for a while. Maybe it was that they were lower in altitude than she was used to. They were currently in the Southeast side of the mountains. She hadn't been over in this area. The Veteran's Center was further north than this. It could possibly be because the Valley smelled different. Or maybe her nose had grown accustomed to the stench and she had bigger problems to worry about at the time. It was probably all of those things combined. Either way, the Valley smelled a lot better than the mountains. It was hard to shake the smell now that she was aware of it.
She recognized the road that they were on. "Hey, Dep. There's a reaping truck up ahead."
He nodded and pulled off the side of the road. The red glow of a flare was about a hundred feet in front of them.
"Chika' can you pass me my shotgun?" Sharky said. Their silly little argument had been long forgotten. It was time to get to work.
She grabbed it out of the seat next to her and passed it up. The boys climbed out of the truck without a word. It was like that with them sometimes. They had a mutual understanding of what needed to be done. It was something that she would probably learn in time. She grabbed her bat and hopped out of the backseat.
"Fucking Peggies just over there." Sharky whispered.
The trio snuck forward in the tree line. There were only two Peggies. They were patrolling the white truck. Sitting there in the woods, she was so grateful that she bothered to memorize all those maps. It was paying off now.
They came to a stop within fifty feet of the truck. Dep stayed silent but was zeroed in. He pointed to her and then to the two guards.
"Me?"
Why did Dep want her to take them out? Wasn't he more qualified? Her questions were not met with any real answers. Dep simply nodded, which confirmed her suspicions. This was part of being a Gun for Hire though. If Dep told her to do something, she had to do it.
Liz took a deep breath. The aluminum bat was wrapped in her hands. She could do this. This is what she had wanted. She wanted to fight, so now she got to.
The two guards were positioned on opposite sides of the truck. It wouldn't be too hard to take them out. This would be an easy takedown. In and out. When one guard had his back turned, she made her move.
She slowly crept out of the tree line. Her footsteps were surprisingly silent. The men took no notice to her approaching. They were too focused on the shipment.
Sweat grew on her palms, it wasn't because she was afraid. Killing was second instinct for her now. It wasn't something that she would feel bad about. But it still wasn't an easy thing to do. She was within a foot of the first man. She raised her bat high and swung down hard. The bat collided with his head. He fell to the ground with a thud. The back of his skull was crushed. That made eleven.
The other guard was still unaware to her presence. She snuck around to the other side. The man went down with the same crack of the bat. He made twelve people she had killed.
The stench of death seemed even stronger now. And she had just contributed to the carnage. But she didn't feel guilty about it. Those men had been weak. They probably deserved it.
The silver bat was tainted red with blood. She flipped it outwards to get some of the blood off. It didn't do much.
Dep and Sharky emerged from the woods.
"Heck yeah! Nice work shortie!"
She smiled. It was more forced than it had been earlier. Liz didn't feel bad or guilty about killing those men. But she wasn't happy about it either. It was something that she had to do. She knew that now. It was a part of that burden she carried. Just a job, nothing more.
Dep walked over to the truck and flipped a switch on the side. The truck whirred to life. The back doors opened, and a ramp lowered. Stealing whatever was in that truck would help the resistance. Not by much, but every point against the Peggies counted for something.
Inside the truck was a bunch of boxes and three ammo crates stacked on top of one another. Dep filled his weapons up and stuffed his pockets.
Liz walked up the ramp of the truck. "What, not enough ammo at the Wolf's Den?"
"There is… but if you saw what your uncle charges me, you'd understand."
A confused look crossed her face. "Eli charges you for ammo?"
"Oh yeah! It's freaking crazy around here. You think being a cop, they would give me a little leeway but, nope. I swear this whole county is trying to price gouge me."
Oh, poor Dep. She had struggles, but Dep's seemed to beat hers by a long shot. He was wanted by every cultist and herald. Liz was just thankful that she wasn't the Junior Deputy. Sometimes she forgot that Dep was a cop, despite his nickname. It was just strange to think about a cop going on a killing massacre throughout the county.
She walked back down the ramp of the truck. Dep followed her. He walked over to the two men and began to rummage through their pockets.
"You're looting the bodies?" Her eyebrow quirked.
Dep perked his head up. He had already pulled out a couple hundred bucks from the men. "Yeah…"
"Don't worry, he does that. Dep knows his way around a corpse."
"Oh, okay…" Dep really was desperate for cash. If the resistance had any brains at all, they would give their hero anything he desired. But it didn't appear to be that way.
"Shark, bring the truck around."
"You got it amigo!" Sharky retreated into the woods to get the truck.
Liz had to constantly reminded herself that she was okay. That this was a good thing. That being a Gun for Hire was the right choice. It was better than being Jacob's soldier again… But as many times as she laughed or told herself this was right, she couldn't shake this feeling. It felt a lot like she was working for the wrong side.
Not that she believed in the Father or Eden's Gate, but this sometimes felt wrong. With the Peggies there was structure. Everyone had their own role. With the Whitetails it was just pandemonium. They made Dep and his posy do everything. The rest of the Whitetails sat in the bunker and did nothing.
There she went again being lost in thought. Stop it. Over-analyzing every little situation would not help her. She was doing the right thing being a Gun for Hire. That was going to be the end of it.
It wasn't long until Sharky pulled around. Dep was done looting the bodies by then. Everyone climbed back in the truck. He made Sharky get back in the passenger seat.
"So, where to now?" She asked.
Dep pulled out his map of Hope County. There were a million markings on it; of outposts, locations, people who needed help, and the cult properties that she had told him about. He surveyed the map a minute. He pointed to a blue star on the map and whispered to Sharky.
There they went again, scheming something. Liz had enough trouble growing up with one older brother. Now she had the equivalent of three. They were difficult to deal with sometimes.
"Guys… what are we doing?"
They guys said nothing. Dep simply started the truck and sped off through the mountains. They laughed among themselves.
"Fine. Nobody tell me." She started out the window. The terrible smell had somewhat faded in her mind. If she didn't think about it, she didn't smell it.
Dep didn't drive very far before stopping at their destination. The trio got out of the truck. They were close to the lumber mill. The roads were dirt and they were high up in altitude.
It wasn't until she walked around to the other side of the truck that she knew the reason they were here. She saw two pallets that had the American flag painted on them. Accompanied by a large American flag with smaller flags surrounding it. In the middle sat a shrine to Clutch Nixon, the great stuntman on Earth.
"Oh, no! Dep… Please tell me you're not going to do a Clutch Nixon stunt!"
Dep only smiled.
"I know a bunch of morons who have almost gotten killed trying to recreate these! What happens if you die huh? The rest of us would be fucked." Her brother and Pratt were included in the group of morons. They almost drove their ATV over a cliff about five years ago.
She didn't really care for Dep that much. She would be sad if he died, yes. But she didn't want Dep to get hurt because the blame might get transferred to her. That wouldn't look well if she showed back up at the Wolf's Den without the resistance hero. People were already pointing fingers and calling her a Peggie. She didn't need to add fuel to the flames.
He patted her on the shoulder and walked over to inspect the shrine. "Relax, Liz. I've done plenty of these before. And besides if I do it, I'll get paid."
She scoffed. "You're really just in this for the money, huh?"
She couldn't believe him. Dep was willing to risk his life countless times just for the thrill. Maybe this was what Jacob had been talking about that the Whitetails were cowards.
"Nah. Mostly to protect and serve. Take down the Seeds, all that. But it is nice to have enough cash to get a rocket launcher."
She rolled her eyes and walked close to inspect the shrine. It had an engraving of Clutch Nixon himself as well as the tale of his stunt, The Moosekunckle Run. It read:
April 15th, 1968
Clutch Nixon, the greatest stuntman on planet Earth, drove an all-terrain vehicle through woodlands as unbreakable as the man himself. The stunt became known as The Mooseknuckle Run. Named after a Wenja ritual involving ice baths. It was believed to enhance one's stamina and endurance. The ritual has been debunked by modern science. No one has ever managed to repeat Clutch's feat.
There were few disturbing details on the shrine that she skimmed over. They boys read the plaque and grinned. Of course, they would be excited about something like as stupid as a Clutch Nixon stunt. They could be off rescuing civilians but instead they were going to do well, this.
"Hell yeah! That sounds awesome Dep!"
"You really gonna' do this?"
"Oh yeah." Dep said.
She sighed in defeat. Seeing there was no changing his mind, she let go of her concerns. Hopefully Dep wouldn't get killed doing this. If he did, she wouldn't be going back to the Wolf's Den without an alibi.
A smirk grew across her face. She pulled her iPod out of her back pocket. "Well, if you're going to do this, you're going to do it right. I think Wheaty has Clutch's theme song on here."
She scrolled through the songs for a minute before finding the Clutch Nixon theme song. She held the iPod out for the boys to see.
"Okay, yeah. You definitely have to play that." Dep said.
She walked back over to the truck. "There an aux cord in here?"
"Yeah in the glove box."
She rummaged around until she found it. Oh, bless Dep and his brand-new truck. His truck was spiffed out with all the newest stuff. Probably purchased with all the cash he looted off Peggies. It was so much nicer than Jacob's beatdown truck with the red peeling paint. Jacob's truck had to be from the 80's or later. She had spent of lot of time in that red truck. A little too much time to her liking.
She hooked up the iPod to the truck and began blasting Clutch's song. The speakers carried it through the trees. She couldn't help but laugh. Any Peggies could easily hear it and come running. None of the present company seemed to care though.
Dep was already on the ATV that was set up on the truck. She walked back over to the boys. The song was still blasting.
"You ready?" She asked.
He nodded. He revved the engine a few times. The track looked pretty dangerous, but Dep would be fine. She was being silly earlier. He wasn't going to die.
"Alright we'll time ya' amigo."
"See you guys on the other side." He counted to three and sped off. The ATV dug into soft dirt. His cowboy hat stayed on his head. That wasn't possible, but she didn't comment. She quickly learned that with Dep, almost anything was possible. He took a left turn and disappeared from their view. They were left without anything to watch.
"Well… this kind of sucks."
"Yeah. Are you timing him?"
Sharky laughed. "No. Dep always wants me to, but I never do. I just make up times. It makes him pretty happy."
"Why does that not surprise me?"
The Clutch Nixon song continued to play in the background. It was pretty catch, and very patriotic.
"Hey! This reminds me of this song I wrote one time, Eating pussy and kickin' ass. Let'me tell ya' That song is a hit."
She shook her head. "Oh please, when's the last time you did the former?"
Sharky was a really nice guy, but he was kind of an idiot. She couldn't think of any women that would want to be with him. He was just another clueless man when it came to women. Honestly, all of the men in Hope County were just a mess. But she wasn't cruel enough to say that to his face.
"Alright. Alright. I'm on a touch of a dry spell with that one. I'll admit. But the kickin' ass part, I think I'm doing pretty good."
"Yeah you, are Sharky. You're kickin' ass."
"Thanks, chika'. Man… we need to go back and liberate Holland Valley, some of the hottest women in Hope County live there."
Her eyebrow quirked it curiosity. "I'm from Holland Valley."
"Well that explains why you're such a cute little thing. But out of respect to Eli, can't be thinkin' about you like that."
She couldn't help but blush a little. Sharky called her cute. She had to admit that maybe there was a reason that someone would want to be with him. He really was a big sweetheart. "That's okay. I'm kind of glad."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She bust out laughing. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing Sharky. But don't worry, we'll find you somebody." She thought for a moment. What women in Hope County were available? He needed someone.
"What about Mary May? Or Grace Armstrong?" She didn't suggest Jess black, because, fuck her. Her nose was still broken from their little fight.
"Oh man, trust me I have tried barking up those trees many times. Each time I've been met with the end of an assault rifle." He said. That sounded about right. Both of those women didn't put up with any bullshit.
"Hmm… Okay. What about…" The sound of an engine cut her off. She was about to suggest Faith. It was probably best that she hadn't said that. Didn't need anyone else to go around calling her a Peggie.
"Dep must be almost done."
They walked to a small cliff on the other side of the shrine. A large ramp was on the other side of the cliff. Below was a small pond. The drop was only about fifteen feet, but that was still a lot.
"Is he going to jump into that pond?"
"Probably…"
She and Sharky stood on the edge of the cliff. Dep rounded the corner, going full speed. He flew right off the ramp and into the pond below. His head went under the water. He had still been clutching the ATV.
For a moment, she feared if Dep had gotten hurt. But her fears were silenced when his head emerged from the water. That damn cowboy hat was still on his head. A huge grin crossed his face.
"Fuck yeah! That was awesome amigo!" Sharky said.
Dep held up a thumbs up with one hand, while treading water with the other. At least he wasn't dead.
She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Way to go Dep! Yeah!"
It took him a good minute to climb out of the pond and back up to where they were standing. He was soaking wet from head to toe.
"Shark, what was my time?"
"Uh… you definitely beat Clutch's time. Your fastest one yet!"
"Nice." They high-fived. He walked back to the truck.
Sharky laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. There was that tell again. He gave Liz a knowing look. She couldn't help but laugh a little. Sharky hadn't timed it at all. They had barely been paying attention to his stunt. Dep didn't need to know that though.
The Clutch Nixon theme song had long ended. Dep shook himself off like a wet dog. He reached into his truck to grab something. She spotted his radio in his hand. Static came from it. She had a sick feeling of who was on the other end.
"The weak always see themselves as heroes."
Not again.
Liz felt herself tense up at the sound. Jacob's voice did that to her. Of course, Jacob was fucking calling Dep while she was there. Not that he had a way of knowing that she was there, but still…
"No matter their cause, they think of themselves as 'warriors'. But they're not warriors. They're children."
Fuck. Why exactly was Jacob calling Dep right now? Maybe he did this a lot to him, but it seemed really specific. Almost like he was jealous of Dep's Clutch Nixon stunt. But probably not. It was just a coincidence.
"These 'Whitetail Militia' are not soldiers, they're frauds. Their leader Eli is not a hero, he is a coward. They are not strong. They are weak."
She couldn't stop herself from curling her hand into a fist. Eli wasn't a coward. She wasn't a coward. Just because she was fighting with the Whitetails, it didn't mean that she was weak.
But she needed to relax. Jacob didn't know that she was with Dep. Or did he? She still didn't know is she had imagined that laser sight or not. There only way to find out would be to ask him. That was the last thing she wanted to do, but she had to know.
"And they are being hunted…"
His voice gave her chills. Even though this call wasn't directed to her, she still didn't like it. Some of his words from yesterday were still ringing in her mind. Things she wished she had never heard.
Dep shook his head. He didn't look fearful, he looked more annoyed than anything.
"Does he do that a lot?" She asked him.
"Yeah. He just talks about his bullshit. Most of the time I ignore it."
He threw the radio back into the truck. She needed to get her hands on that. She needed to talk to him. Dep needed to be away from his radio though. He didn't need to know that she wanted to talk to Jacob again.
The trio fell into an awkward silence. Getting threatened by their greatest enemy put a bit of a damper on things. Sharky was the first to break the silence.
"Hey! Let's not let Jake 'n Bake ruin the day y'all. Where to next Dep?"
She snorted. That was a pretty good nickname. She would have to use that sometime. Assuming there would be a next time. Unfortunately, there probably would be.
Dep pulled out his map and set it on the hood of the truck. They all gathered round. "We could go take an outpost, recruit some people. What do you guys think?"
Liz surveyed the map. The outposts needed to be taken but were kind of useless. And she didn't feel like killing anyone else today. The big places of Jacob's operation needed to be taken, but they didn't seem up to the challenge. All they had was Sharky's shotgun, her bat, and whatever Dep had on him. She spotted a star on the map not far from where they were.
She pointed to it. "What's that?"
"It's some doctor that needs help studying wolves. Her name's Sarah Perkins."
"Let's go help her." That seemed feasible. Liz didn't really care about helping anyone. She just needed the work, the distractions. And maybe she could Dep away from his radio.
"Sounds good." He rolled up his map.
They all climbed back into the truck. Dep was still soaked from his little stunt. He didn't seem to care that his seats got wet. He probably stole the truck from someone anyways. The stench of death still lingered in her nose a little. She could ignore it for the most part, it was still there lingering.
They passed a giant sword out on the road. It was the blank side of a mountain with a sword painted in white. She'd never seen that before. Why exactly was it there?
'What the fuck Jacob?'
There was no point in having a giant sword painted on the side of the mountain. How would that make his army strong? She couldn't help but roll her eyes at the thought. Jacob probably saw Joseph's statue and John's sign and decided that he needed something too. Oh, that poor man. She really wanted to bash his face in with her bat. He deserved a lot worse than that though.
The ride didn't take very long. The pulled up close to the small trailer that read MCA Mobile Lab. They heard gunshots and yelling.
"I got this. Y'all stay put." Dep said.
It was uncommon for Dep to do things by himself, but they didn't question him. About six gunshots later, he signaled for them to get out of the truck. Liz grabbed her bat out of the back seat and followed Sharky.
When she saw the carnage, she couldn't help but feel a little sick. There were several dead judges scattered about the trailer. They all had the neatly painted crosses on their foreheads, her judges. She didn't care much for the judges, but it was still sad to see them like this. They hadn't deserved to be turned into monsters and then killed. It wasn't the wolves' fault.
"Holy shit! Thanks for the help. Hold on… I'm coming down." A dark-haired woman climbed down from the trailer. She must be the scientist that Dep had been talking about.
"Shit. I didn't think I was going to make it. Thanks for that. I'm Sarah by the way—Sarah Perkins. I was heading up a wildlife conservation team studying wolves in the park and then we found these things."
Sarah didn't bother addressing her or Sharky, she only talked to Dep. Whatever. Liz didn't really give a shit about helping this woman. She was just along for the ride. The woman continued with her monologue about the judges, most of which she tuned out.
There was a tent set up next to the trailer. It had lab equipment spread out a few dissected judges here and there. There was a yellow crate with some records. She would have to get those before she left for Wheaty, he might like them. There were also some field notes spread out on the table.
Journal Entry- Day 134
Eli, one of those Whitetail Milita, came by last night. He was trying to convince us to get out of Hope County, that these "Eden's Gate" people meant us harm. I told him that our work here wasn't finished, that it would be a few more days before we could leave. He said "for smart folks we were acting like a bunch of idiots" and stormed off.
I'm pretty sure he's just paranoid like all the other folk in this park. I mean, who would come after a bunch of conservationists?
She couldn't help but feel anger boil inside her. Eli had warned this woman about the dangers of the cult, but not his own niece. He seemed to care about some scientist he didn't even know over his family. She took a shaky breath, no one needed to know how she felt.
"You know my uncle?"
Liz had interrupted the woman. A look of annoyance flashed over the doctor's face. "Who's you uncle?"
"Eli."
"Yeah I know him. He and the Whitetails got me out. I've been trying to help them out. Who the hell are you?"
She scoffed. That seemed to be the question of the month. Everyone was curious to find out who the Peggie girl was. The only thing that surprised her is that this woman hadn't recognized her from that damn video.
"I'm the girl that used to make the judges."
The anger faded from her face, seeing a new opportunity. "Do you have any information about how to cult made them? Like formulas, or chemicals they used?"
"We used bliss, but that was just to weaken the wolves. We just starved em' and beat em', till they broke. There's no science in all that shit. Just simple biology and survival."
"Look, kid. There's a lot more going on here than you think. The cult is using something to make these judges, bigger and strong. I'm trying to find out what that is, so I can reverse it."
There somebody went again with that fucking kid stuff. She thought that maybe once she got out of Hope County and lived on her own, people would stop doing that. She rolled her eyes. She should just shut her mouth, but she wasn't going to. What was this fucking lady going to do? Her nose was already broken.
"Do you know how long it takes for something to break, doctor?"
Dr. Perkins sighed. "No. And I don't see how this pertains to the judges…"
"It only takes ten days to break something."
This speech was not hers, but she was stealing it. She just wanted to knock this woman down a few pegs. It would be interested to see what happened if she pushed, just a little bit. She didn't have an answer though as to why she wanted to piss off every person in Hope County. It maybe had something to do with that pamphlet she saw yesterday. And the shit that went through her thoughts every second of the day.
"You take away something's basic needs and by the tenth day, it's yours. All you need to do is offer it a hand in its time of need. That's why the judges are loyal to the Peggies. It's because the judges value strength. They'll follow anyone they deem worthy."
The doctor practically rolled her eyes. "While that's a nice hypothesis, we're talking about wild animals here."
Dr. Perkins began to completely ignore her. She turned to Dep. "Deputy, I need you to get me a live judge. I know it's a lot to ask, but I need one. The cult keeps some at the old Breakthrough Camp. Clear out the camp and I'll meet you there."
She retreated into her lab. What the fuck. This lady barely knew Dep and expected him and his group to do her work. But Dep didn't look phased. He was probably used to shit like that. Being the resistance hero didn't look easy.
"Let's go you guys." He said.
Liz grabbed the crate of records and put them in the bed of the truck. The doctor lady didn't need them. Wheaty would put them to better use.
They all climbed back into the truck. The routine of being a Gun for Hire was pretty easy to nail down. They rode around Hope County all day, trying to find something to do. Then somebody who sat around doing nothing, would tell Dep what to do. Then Dep would tell them what to do. The whole thing was a fucking mess. It almost made her miss her days at the Veteran's Center. At least there had been structure there.
The whole ride over to Breakthrough Camp, she schemed on how to get Dep's radio off him. He was still a little wet from his stunt into the pond. It probably wouldn't be easy, but with him doing this mission might make it feasible. She needed to talk to Jacob, to figure out some things. He seemed to be the only one with answers.
Dep drove right by the sign for the camp and pulled off the side of the road. The trees concealed them for the most part. There were a bunch of Peggies stationed at the camp. It would take a lot of manpower to take them out, too bad that she wouldn't be helping them out.
When she climbed out of the backseat, her plan went into action. She pretended to wince.
"Ah, fuck." She clutched her leg.
"You alright, Liz?"
"No. I think I'm gonna' sit this one out." It wasn't completely a lie. Her leg was bothering a little bit. But she could still fight if she had to.
"It's okay. We got this."
Dep and Sharky retreated into the woods to begin their assault. She was slightly relieved that she wasn't going to be helping them. She had already killed two men today. It wasn't that she wouldn't kill anyone, she just didn't want to do it when it wasn't necessary. And to her, this mission wasn't necessary at all.
When the boys were gone, she released her leg from her grasp and stood a little taller. It was another lie to add to the list. All of this lying made her a little uncomfortable, but it was surprisingly easy. It came to her more naturally than expected.
She looked in the front seat to see Dep's radio sitting on the dash. He left it behind. He probably didn't want anyone calling him while he was trying to be stealthy. She snatched it up and turned it on. All she needed was the frequency that Dep talked to Jacob on. Yesterday they had been talking on a VIP frequency, but Jacob probably destroyed that radio. She still had Andrea's radio clipped to her belt. It was another souvenir from the crazy events of yesterday.
The last used frequency was on Dep's radio. She dialed her own to the same frequency and tossed Dep's radio back into the truck. That was the only thing she needed from it.
The blinking number on the radio made her heart beat even faster. This was it. Jacob's private radio frequency. It was something that only a few people had; his siblings, a few VIP's, the Deputy, and now her.
Liz wasn't even on the same level as any of those people. She shouldn't be included in that list, let alone personally know Jacob Seed. But she did unfortunately. She knew him a little too well for her liking. Their conversation from yesterday was still rattling around in her mind. All the things he had said to her. Most of which he probably didn't mean.
She took a deep breath. Her grip tightened on the radio.
"Hi. Can I speak to Jake please? He's tall, kind of an asshole, has a face that you just want to punch."
There was no response from the other end. She sighed. Her back rested against the door of the truck. Maybe she had the wrong frequency.
"If whoever hearing this finds that asshole. Tell him that Elizabeth Palmer wants to talk to him."
Still nothing. Yesterday had probably been a fluke. All those things he said, he didn't mean. He had just been taunting her. He hadn't seen her in the truck with Dep. She just needed to let it go. There weren't any answers to gain from Jacob.
She heard static from the radio. Her heartbeat quickened in anticipation of his response. But it wasn't from hers. It was from Dep's.
"Hey, chika'! We got all the Peggies. Bring the truck around. Doctor lady's gonna' be here soon."
It was Sharky, not Jacob. She couldn't fight the pang disappointment she felt. She clipped her radio to her belt and drove the truck to the entrance of the camp. Dep and Sharky were standing around a bunch of dead Peggies. Dep was busy looting bodies and Sharky, well, he was just doing his thing.
Dr. Perkins arrived not long after. "Good work, you left some alive. We'll use that gate over there to capture one. You think you can do that?"
Dep nodded. He flipped the switch to one of the judge cages. He was going to lure one of those damn wolves here. That was something she didn't need to stick around to see. She'd seen way too much of the judges, and their shit. That had not been a fun job.
There was no reason for her to help with this, Dep could handle it. She decided to wander around. She didn't announce her departure, it seemed unnecessary.
Kind of like her being a Gun for Hire, unnecessary. She was thankful for the opportunity to be a part of Dep's group, but she didn't fit into this story. However, many times the boys made her laugh, she couldn't shake the shit feeling in her gut.
As much as Liz didn't want to admit it, she was lonely. It was the first time in her life she truly accepted being alone. Her parents were probably dead. No one is this crazy world needed her. Eli was the only family she had left, and he just wanted to use her.
It took her awhile to realize what about Eli bothered her now. It was that he treated everyone equally. All of his Whitetails were treated the same, no one was more important than the other. She didn't need everything from her uncle, she knew that he had others to worry about. But it would be nice if he gave some preferential treatment to his last living blood relative. She speculated that was part of the reason he let her go out with Dep. Being a Gun for Hire would wash away his shame of his niece being a 'Peggie'.
But she wasn't a Peggie. She didn't consider herself to be a rebel either. She was just a survivor. Someone who got through shit that they shouldn't. Survivors didn't have a purpose or a cause. They just got to watch it all fall to shit and live with the consequences.
She wandered around the grounds of the Breakthrough Camp. There was nothing interesting to look at. It was just cult supplies. She walked around the camp at least once before deciding to climb a ladder to the platforms.
She could see the whole camp from there. Dep and Sharky still hadn't caught a live judge. Every time Dep tried to get one in the cage, Sharky would get jumpy and shoot it. He didn't want anything eating his best friend. There were at least three dead judges scattered about the cages, most of them were still on fire. Each time Sharky would shoot one they would run away whimpering.
"So much for no flight, only fight." She chuckled to herself.
Dr. Perkins looked pissed. Good, served her right. Liz sat down on the edge of the platform, letting her legs dangle over the edge. She shook her head and laughed at the scene below. Maybe she didn't belong here, but hell was it entertaining to watch.
"I heard ya' we're looking for me."
Her laughter was suddenly silenced. There was that voice coming through her radio again. He always had the worst possible timing. She shouldn't be surprised. She had been asking for him. She took her radio off her belt and held down the button. The tremor in her hand came back.
"Seed! Took you long enough." Calling him by his last name was her attempt to distance herself. It was a subtle reminder about who he really was.
"I was working." He sounded frustrated, or even annoyed. It was also rougher like it was this morning.
"Ahh. Busy brainwashing everyone in Hope County, I presume? And what's wrong with your voice? Sounds like you swallowed gravel or some shit."
He sighed. "What do you want, little lamb?"
Her eyebrow raised in curiosity. What the fuck? Yesterday he went on and on about he wanted her back and now he was acting like an asshole. Well, he was always an asshole. But he was more so one today.
"Nothing. Just wanted to talk. But somebody clearly pissed in your cornflakes this morning. So… I'll ask you later." She stared at her dangling legs. This hadn't been a good idea. She wouldn't get answers from him. But sometimes she just couldn't help herself.
"What'd you want to ask me?" His tone was softer than before.
Her head perked up. She didn't have to talk to him. She could just crush the radio under boot. That would be the end of it. But she wasn't going to do that.
"Why'd you let me go last night?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Really? Yesterday you threatened to kidnap me, and then I saw a laser sight pointed on my chest. You found me then, let me go. Why?"
Yesterday had been a whirlwind of emotions. Most of which, she hadn't had time to process yet. There would be a time for that, just not while the war was going on.
"I think too many bliss fumes went to your head yesterday. You're seeing things, sweetheart."
Her mouth hung open. "I know what I saw! I'm not crazy. Not like you…"
He chuckled. There was that sarcasm that had been missing. "You say I'm crazy but, we're not that different. You know how to cull the herd. You proved that yesterday. Wait till Eli finds that out."
She wasn't like him. Just because she used his speeches didn't mean they were the same. She didn't believe in his philosophy. Culling the herd was wrong. What she said yesterday didn't matter. She wasn't like Jacob. She wasn't.
"Wait until the Deputy and his group find that out."
Her eyes grew wide. Fuck. The word had spread fast to him. "How do you know that?"
"Honey, I know everything that happens in these mountains. I have men everywhere. You really think you could join Cowboy's little group of idiots, without me knowing?"
Of course, he had men everywhere. She knew that. But hearing about it made her a little paranoid. She scanned the camp, looking for threats but saw none. Dep and Sharky were still waiting on another judge to come along. They weren't even paying attention to her. When she was confident that she wasn't being watched, she turned her attention back to the radio.
"Well, that was the plan. I was also hoping to never talk to you again, but here we are."
"What does he call his group again?"
She sighed. Blush began to rise in her cheeks. Saying the name out loud to him felt a little silly. "Guns for hire."
"Mm. You don't belong with them. You're not a hero, so don't act like one. You're my soldier, always will be."
There were those assumptions again. Everyone assumed that she wanted to be a hero. Hero's didn't run away though, she did. And they didn't tell women that they were weak right before putting a bullet in their skull.
"I know I'm not a hero, but I'm not your soldier either." She was just a survivor to all this shit. There was no leaving. She just got to watch everyone destroy each other.
"Tell me Liz, do you think they need you?"
The answer was clear. Dep didn't need her. She was just an extra player in this fucked up game. She had no place in this story.
"No one really needs me Seed." That was true. If she died right now, it wouldn't matter. What happened to her didn't have any bearing on anyone else. No one in this whole world needed her.
"You can always come back home. Every lost little lamb needs a shepherd."
She scoffed. He was such an asshole. He would insult her then expect her to go crawling back to him. She was lost, but she would be even more lost with him.
"Let's not pretend that you give a shit about me. You're not my savior. You're the big bad wolf who'll snap my neck once you get ahold of me."
Jacob didn't care about her. That was all just bullshit he was spewing. If she went back to him willingly, he would have his fun with her and then throw her away. She shouldn't be even considering it.
"Sometimes people can surprise you."
"Yeah… I guess."
They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Sometimes talking to your enemy wasn't that easy when you didn't have insults to throw at each other. The boys below were still waiting for another judge. Oh, they were so stupid. It didn't even look like they were trying. They were probably just having fun hanging out.
She surveyed the radio in her hand. Why had she wanted to talk to him? He always just made her upset. She thought back to their conversation yesterday. There were a few things he probably hadn't meant to say. Jacob's dirty words were still lingering in her ears.
"Got any more confessions for me?"
He sighed. "I shouldn't have told you that."
"Yeah well we all make mistakes. It's nice to see you finally make one."
With him, every step was calculated. He was very particular with his words. Anything he said was a part to a bigger plan. Except for that. Yesterday had been a fluke.
"And besides, I knew what that was."
"You do?"
"Yeah... it was another one of your stupid tactics. I know you only said those things to make me break down and cry. But you should give that one up because… it won't work on me." The words weren't spoken with confidence, but she believed them. Those things Jacob said yesterday weren't true. He didn't want her like that. He was just a liar. He was playing on the feminine part of her. The part that every man believed they could manipulate. A couple flirtatious comments weren't going to get anywhere with her.
She heard something that was the equivalent of a sigh of relief.
"Look, I'm… sorry."
He had been talking about people surprising her, this definitely qualified for that category.
"W-what? Did you just say the 's' word? Can you repeat that for me please?" She was in complete shock. Jacob had just apologized to her. Damn this day couldn't possibly get any crazier.
"You heard me."
"Huh. I didn't know that word was in your vocabulary, but I also know your bullshit. Not gonna' work Seed. One apology isn't going to make me tell you where the Wolf's Den is."
Jacob could try to manipulate her all he wanted, but it wouldn't work. She wouldn't go back to him. He just wanted to know where Eli hid his Whitetails. He didn't want her.
He chuckled. "You're really just clueless, aren't you? Even when I'm direct with you, you still don't know what the hell you're talking about."
"So, you keep telling me. And I'm not stupid! All you do is lie to me anyways…"
"I have never once lied to you and I don't intend to. Don't know if you can say the same for Eli."
It always came back to Eli. Jacob wanted to point out the ways that they were different. But they were the same in a lot of ways. They both cared about their causes more than they cared about individuals. To them, it didn't matter who died as long as they won. Each side was just as shitty as the other.
"Whatever you say, fuckface. I'm not going back to you. I'll…" The sound of gunshot cut her off. She saw Sharky had shot too many judges. One was locked up in the cage, finally. But the flames from the dead judges were slowly spreading.
"Oh… shit." She scrambled up from the platform.
"What happened?" There was some concern in his voice. Oh please, like he actually gave a damn. She humored him anyways though.
"Sharky did something. I better go see what happened." The boys below were scrambling to stomp it out. They weren't very successful.
"Is that the moron that lights all my judges on fire?"
Liz looked down below at the scene in front of her. There were at least a half a dozen dead judges still smoldering. She burst out laughing.
"Oh yeah, that's him. You don't want to know what he did today." She laughed even harder.
"God, I hate that idiot."
She heard shouting down below. "Aw fuck!" Sharky said.
"I better go… It's been shitty talking to ya', Seed. Let's never do this again."
"Likewise."
His tone grew darker. "Oh, and Liz... If I catch you riding shotgun with the Deputy again, you won't like what I do to you. I'll make good on my promise."
Her eyes grew wide. Fuck. She never told him about riding in the front seat with Dep. It had been him in the woods last night. He saw her riding with the Deputy. That laser sight had been his. He found her and let her go.
"Jacob?"
She heard the clicking sound of his radio disconnecting. "Jacob!"
No response came from the other end. That bastard. She didn't have time to process his threat before it all turned to shit.
"Liz! We gotta go!" Dep yelled.
The flames had spread from the judges all the way to one of the buildings. The small cabin was engulfed in flames. The orange flames covered every inch of the wooden building.
"Shit!" She clipped the radio to her belt and scrambled down the ladder. Her boots crunched in against the leaves as she sprinted to the truck. The flames grew high by the second. Damn, Sharky really knew how to start a fire.
The boys were already waiting in the truck. They beckoned her to hurry up. She ran as fast as her injured leg could carry her.
Dr. Perkins scrambled away in shock. "Dep! I need the judge for my research!"
Liz ran right by and pushed her out of the way. "Get the hell out of here lady!"
The truck began to drive away. She reached the back and hoisted herself over the tailgate. When she hit the bed of the truck, Dep sped off. She spotted Dr. Perkins running off into the woods. Good, served that bitch right.
They pulled out onto the main road. A large explosion billowed over the trees. There had to have been propane tanks in the cabin or something. Holy shit. They barely escaped that.
The ride was bumpy from the truck bed. She had to grip the bottom to keep herself steady. Her ball cap threatened to fly from her head. She could still see the large pillar of black smoke that came from the flames. She opened the small back window of the truck so she could talk to the guys.
"Hey, chika' you see that?"
"Hell yeah! That was awesome!" She yelled. Sharky started the coolest fires. It was entertaining as hell to watch.
The trio burst into a fit of laughter. They sped back to the Wolf's Den, fleeing the scene of their destruction. It was technically a Peggie camp, it wasn't their problem. And the doctor lady lived, so whatever. They tried to help her, but it didn't end up working out. Shit happens.
The wind whipped at her face and the sun beat down. The trees whizzed by her vision. The thrill of adrenaline beating in her chest. It all faded into one beautiful blur.
As Liz sat in the truck bed with a big grin on her face, she forgot. She forgot that she didn't belong here, and that she wasn't a hero. This was all a distraction. A distraction that would eventually fade, but she didn't care. For right now though, she could just pretend. Pretend that she was a good person, that somebody cared about her, and maybe everything would be alright.