Three days. That's how long Liz stayed chained to the bed. There was nothing to do except to sleep or stare at the opposite wall. Jacob hadn't come back to his office since he had chained her up. The only person she got to see was Pratt. He'd bring her two meals a day and unchain her once a day so she could be escorted to the bathroom. There was also a bucket next to the bed if she really had to take a piss. She fortunately hadn't had to use it yet.

The whole time Jacob hadn't come back to his office. She didn't know where he was and didn't really care. She liked to think that the Deputy had already gotten the better of him. But Jacob was smarter than that. She wasn't sure if anything could actually kill that bastard.

Doing absolutely nothing for three days wasn't as bad as she thought. She needed the rest. Her body was bruised and broken. Her nose was healing slowly. There were still stitches in her leg, but they would need to be taken out soon. The bruises on her neck from that terrible night just didn't seem to go away.

Liz had gotten accustomed to her routine of nothing until one morning it was rudely interrupted. The feeling of something smacking her in the face made her shoot straight up in bed. Her head spun. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her eyes only for a Chosen outfit to be sitting at her feet, and Jacob Seed towering over her.

"Get dressed."

All she did was sigh. She had to have known that he would come back eventually. She wasn't surprised, just disappointed. Her eyes stayed fixated on the ground. She didn't want to look at him.

"Burning daylight, little lamb."

The doors to the balcony swung open. She rubbed her irritated eyes once more. This could not be happening. She wasn't prepared to put up with his bullshit. Not today. Footsteps came her way. She felt him grab her arm and remove the chain off her wrist. It hit the ground with a thud.

"Get dressed, I won't ask you again."

She had no other choice but to look up at him. There were those eyes again. They were just as cold as they were a few days before, piercing daggers at her. That's what she got for trying to kill him. The wound on his chest most likely hadn't healed yet. Her handiwork was truly amazing.

She got up and stretched her limbs. It felt good to be standing again. She picked up the clothes off the ground. "Are you just going to stare at me the whole time?"

Jacob sighed and walked over to his desk to occupy himself. Did she want to change with him in the room? No… but there wasn't any other choice. She turned her back to him and quickly stripped off her jeans. Her shirt hit the ground next. She had nothing on underneath it. She stood in the middle of Jacob's office in nothing but her underwear. It was not her ideal situation.

Despite how quickly she changed, she still felt a pair of eyes on her bare back. Damn it. The last thing she wanted was for Jacob to see her half-naked. When she finally got the monstrosity of an outfit on, she realized that it wasn't baggy at all. It fit perfectly. Almost like it was made for her…

She picked up the red ski mask off the ground. This is what her life had come to. She was going to masquerade around as a Peggie once more. She walked over to him. She didn't say anything, there was no point. She wouldn't be able to fight him, not in her weakened state. There was nothing to do but comply and become a prisoner once more.

Jacob stood up from his desk to inspect her. He was taking in the sight of his creation. He had taken that sniffling little lamb and turned her into a compliant killer. He spun her around. The feeling of his hands made her flinch. But he didn't hurt her, he simply tucked her hair into the jacket. His fingers lingered on her neck for too long. They were too gentle. And the worst part was that she didn't want him to stop. She never wanted him to stop…

She stepped away, letting his hands fall to his sides. His cold gaze was replaced with a look that only she could understand. After all this time, she could always figure out what he wanted from her.

There was that shitty feeling in her gut again. With a sigh she un-balled the mask from her hand and placed it over her head. This was her life now. She was officially one of the chosen. The look of satisfaction that Jacob gave her, made her want to throw up.

As she wandered through the hallways, the routine felt familiar. She knew every nook and cranny in this place. She followed him all the way to his truck. She tried to prepare herself for whatever was going to come today. As soon as the truck pulled away from the Veteran's Center, Liz pulled her legs up to her chest.

She stayed silent. There was absolutely nothing she wanted to say to him. After that shit he had pulled on the radio that day, what was she supposed to say to him? That she wished that she wasn't just a tool to him? That she meant something to him? That she was special in some way? There was no point. She would never be any of those things to him.

So, she just stared out the window. Every time she looked out this window, Hope County just seemed to look worse. She still had a hard time accepting that this used to be her home. There were so many people that she loved that were all gone. This place was just a war zone now.

After a long and uncomfortable car ride, Jacob's truck pulled up to the one place in the world that she was hoping she'd never see again. The Stone Ridge Chalet. Her legs fell from the seat. She hated this place. Being here brought back so many bad memories. The only good part about her time here was that she didn't see Jacob at all. And the more she thought about it, being at the Chalet was better than being at the Veteran's Center.

Jacob climbed out of the truck and she followed suit. The Chalet was just as busy as the day she left. Soldiers stomped about the grounds, fighting, training, and being brainwashed into Jacob's perfect killers. And she was one of those perfect killers.

He gave her one last look up and down. He scoffed. "Stand up straight. You're one of the Chosen. Act like it."

On instinct, her shoulders went back. It was almost like her parents were scolding her once more. She didn't want to act like one of the Chosen though or be one of them. Here she was just stuck in this shit once again.

Everyone on the grounds immediately noticed the presence of their leader. In the past, she always got to see how everyone reacted, because no one was ever paying attention to her. She was just the trophy. But now she was something else, there were eyes on her. She was one of the Chosen. Now she was more of an equal than a pet. Liz wasn't sure which she preferred.

As Jacob stomped away from the truck, she grew more frustrated. "Why the hell did you bring me here?" She hissed. Her breath had nowhere to go against the stuffy mask.

"You're doing your job, little lamb."

How exactly was she doing her job? No one could see her face. She couldn't exactly be his trophy when he wasn't showing her off. She shook her head and followed him like the lost little lamb she was.

Jacob milled about the property for about half an hour, checking up on troops and just being his intimidating self. Liz had forgotten how boring this job was. She let her mind drift off to what Dep and Sharky might be up to. Probably lighting something on fire. The thought of it made her smile. She also thought about what Eli might be doing right now. Did he know that she was gone? Would he even try to get her back even if he did know? There was no way to find out. But if it were her in Eli's position… she wouldn't send anyone to recuse her… she would leave herself to die.

Liz's footsteps slowed when they reached the mud pit. It was on the north side of the Chalet. This is where the troops would fight one another. She had been lucky to avoid this place during her training. The only reason she had been spared is because Jacob hadn't wanted his trophy to 'break'. The pit was truly horrifying. It was the most intense spot at the Chalet. The hole was at least seven feet deep. A thick layer of mud at the bottom made it harder to move around and to fight. Spikes were embedded in the walls so you couldn't climb out. The contenders were selected at random. The only way to get out of the pit was to win or to yield and lose. But the losers never yielded…

She did her best to take in the madhouse. Every soldier was packed around the pit like a pack of wild dogs. Their shouts carried across the grounds. Some of them were even placing bets on the two men duking it out. From the looks of it, they had been placing bets all day. The soldiers weren't the only ones that looked smitten though, Jacob had that cocky smile across his face. Of course, he would love the pit. It was a brutal creation of his own design.

A man approached Jacob on his other side. They started conversing about something. Liz completely tuned them out as she was drawn into the fight. Both men were almost equal. They fought with no weapons, only their fists. They rallied blows on one another. It was a test of brute strength, but it could be a test of smarts. Out-thinking your opponent could help you win sometimes. But that's not how Jacob's men operate. The fight came to a swift end when one man's face was plunged into the mud. The man flailed about for a minute until it came to a stop and he suffocated. The pit had chosen a winner.

"How you doing Palmer?"

Liz jumped at the sound of her name. She looked over only to see none other than Ramirez, Jacob's right-hand man. It had been awhile since she had seen that ugly bastard. He still had the same crooked tooth grin that could give anyone nightmares. Liz just stared at him, she was surprised the he remembered her name.

He nudged Jacob and laughed. "Does she always freeze up like a deer in headlights?"

"Most of the time."

"I never thought I'd see you with your little plaything again. I thought she ran off a while ago."

Liz shook her head. She couldn't believe it. Seriously? Did everyone think that something else was going on? Because to her it seemed like everyone believed it. The Peggies, the Chosen, the Whitetails, all of them. Sure, she had her moments and the occasional dream. But that did not mean that she wanted to sleep with him. She didn't want that even after that shit he told her on the radio weeks ago. A shiver went down her spine. Even the thought of that with him made her sick.

"Yeah well, I needed to send her away. It's useful to have someone on the inside." Jacob said.

Ramirez laughed even harder. "Whatever you say boss. There's no judgement here. You know what'd I do to her if she was mine…" Liz saw Jacob's hand curl into a fist. She knew what that meant.

"But if she's useful that's even better." Ramirez turned to her. "You wanna take your shot at the pit, honey? If you're as useful as I'm told, it'll be a breeze."

Liz scoffed. "No thanks. I'm good."

"C'mon it'll be fun." Ramirez grabbed a hold of her arm before she or Jacob had any time to object. She was thrown forward and she fell face first into the pit. Mud immediately soaked into her clothing. The pain in her leg flared up again. With a wince, she got to her feet. The dirt walls began to close in around her. No. This could not be happening.

"Alright! We got a contender. Now we're talkin!" Ramirez said. Soldiers cheered. They began stomping their boots in excitement. The noises echoed in the pit and shook the dirt walls.

"Ramirez!" Jacob yelled. He looked like he was about to tear Ramirez apart. Ramirez knew that he had a soft spot for Liz, and he was playing on that. It wasn't often that someone was able to pull something like that on the eldest Seed. Jacob's little lamb was his only weakness. Jacob knew it, Ramirez knew it, and Liz knew it. There was no telling what else Ramirez was planning on doing with that information.

Jacob started to charge forward to the pit until a rough hand stopped him in his tracks. "Relax boss. Let your pet have some fun. Don't worry, I'll make it easy on her."

He surveyed through the crowd for a minute until he found what he was looking for. He pointed at a boy hiding in the back.

"Rookie. You're up."

The boy pushed his way through the crowd and jumped down. He didn't look much older than she was. The more she looked at him, she realized that she knew this boy. She had trained with him during her time here. That simple fact wouldn't save him.

She turned around and locked eyes with Jacob. All the color was drained from his face. He gave her one of those looks that only she would understand. There was nothing he could do to help her. She was going to have to fight. His eyes only told her one thing:

I'm sorry.

Ramirez walked up to the edge of the pit. "Alright men you know the rules! No one comes out until there's a winner. No weapons. But anything else goes."

Liz looked over at the boy. His hands trembled at his sides. She didn't want to do this again. There were too many people on her list. How many people was she at now? Twelve? Thirteen? The number was lost to her. It didn't matter anymore.

On instinct, the training that was instilled in her was knocking at the door. She squared up for a fight. The boy did the same. They began to circle one another. She could probably beat this boy with brute strength, but she chosen option two. She chose not to follow her training.

"Yield!" She yelled. She lowered her fists. The stomps at the edge of the ring stopped. Everyone looked at her in confusion. A Chosen would have never said that.

"You wanna get out of here alive? Yield."

The boy shook the confused look off her face. He charged straight at her. With a simple sidestep, the boy ran into the wall. He coughed up dirt. Liz probably looked just as pathetic attacking Jacob days ago.

She scoffed. "You're outta your depth kid."

He charged at her again. She shoved him aside and he hit the wall once more. He charged until she couldn't dodge him anymore. A fist landed in the center of her face. From the force of the blow, her broken nose cracked once more. She collapsed into the mud and sank a few inches. It felt like it was going to swallow her whole. The soldiers hollered. Fuck out-thinking her opponent. It was time to kill this son of a bitch.

She got a handful of mud and flung it at the boy's eyes. He gagged on it. She lunged and shoved him up against the wall. Her fist collided with his face again and again until blood was streaming down. The back of his head repeatedly slammed into the dirt. Her knuckles were split in two. With every blow, the cheers became louder.

"Go ahead and yield. You're only wasting my time." She hissed.

He slammed his forehead into hers, breaking himself out of the hold. Her trash talk was short lived. A fist landed into her gut. He reached out, grabbing her mask. The rough fabric scraped across her face and came off her head. Golden hair fell out. There were a few gasps. They either knew her or knew that women weren't a part of the Chosen.

She scrambled away and clung to the walls. The boy was gallivanting to the crowd, holding her mask up into the air for all to see. He was acting like he was some goddamn hero. Except he wasn't a hero. He was weak and needed to be culled.

His back was turned to her. That was his mistake. Liz lunged at him, grabbing his midsection and taking them both into the mud. She straddled him and landed a few more blows. The boy managed to shield himself, but it didn't help. She grabbed more mud and smeared into his face. He cried out when the mud burned into his eyes. She also managed to ram some down his throat.

The boy began to twitch. This might be the end for him. She might win this fight. But her confidence misguided her. The boy grabbed her hips and threw her off him like she was a rag doll. Her head slammed into the mud. The boy was trying to gag up the mud in his throat.

Liz dug her hands into the ground and crawled away. But the boy grabbed her feet and drug her back to him. Her face got coated in mud as it scraped across the ground. She was pulled up so that she was on her knees and his arms wrapped around her throat.

Shit. The fear of losing this fight just kicked in. It was a fear that she had felt too many times before. She had felt it when she almost got thrown off the cliff. When that bear attacked her. When she was taken to Jacob's Armory. And finally, when that woman almost shot her at the outpost. There were other times, but this felt more real than all the others. She was going to die here in the mud, with all the Chosen watching. There wasn't a Deputy coming to save her this time…

He held her in a chokehold. Air couldn't make its way to her lungs. She clawed at his arms but wasn't strong enough to do anything. She slammed her head back into his. The boy grunted but his grip remained iron tight. There was nothing she could do to stop it. All she should do was look up at the only man she wanted to see.

"Alright, that's enough." Jacob said. The chokehold loosened a little, but not much. The boy looked around waiting for conformation to continue or not.

"No one yields! You fight until there's a winner!" Ramirez shouted.

The arms around her neck instantly grew tighter. Liz's eyes never left Jacob's. With each second the end grew closer. Black spots formed in her vision. Her lungs began to deplete with air. Tears streamed down her face. A small last whimper made it past her lips.

All she did was stare at him. The man who she cared about. That was a thought that had never gone through her mind before.

But once she thought it. It all made sense and she accepted it.

He was the man who protected her, who understood her, and made her strong. She had denied it all this time, but she did care about him. It only took her being on the brink of death for the hundredth time to realize it. And no matter how much shit that they put each other through, how she felt wouldn't change. Her only regret was that she would never get to tell him.

Everything else faded away as she got lost in his eyes. The look that he gave her confirmed that he felt the same. Her body began to spasm as she slowly suffocated. Her eyelids grew heavy. She was at peace with her death being here. Jacob would never betray his philosophy to save her and that was okay.

Liz let her eyes flutter close. It was time that she met her end. It was okay… This was okay… She accepted it.

But it seemed that Jacob still had one more trick up his sleeve.

"I said that's enough!"

A gunshot rang out. The arms around her neck fell away. Blood and flesh splattered across her face. Liz's eyes shot open. She collapsed onto her hands and knees, gasping for air. She heaved until the spots in her eyes went away. She fell over onto her back. The mud dyed her hair a sickly brown. Her hands curled into the muck. It felt like the most stable thing in the world right now.

Above her she saw a thousand faces peering down at her, all in shock. They all wanted to get a glimpse at the girl who had gotten her ass kicked. She was weak. That boy had nearly killed her. She had no place in the Chosen or in Jacob's army. He had to save her once again.

But he had saved her… He betrayed his philosophy to save her life.

The thing that scared her the most was not almost dying but admitting that she cared about Jacob. There was no denying it anymore. Now all she had to do was deal with the consequences. She pushed herself up onto her feet. Her foot smushed into the arm of her former opponent. There wasn't any face to remember the boy by.

Everyone gathered around the pit stayed silent. She didn't give a shit. Let them stare. At least she was still standing. That was all that mattered. Even if she was weak. She dug her hands into the dirt walls and attempted to pull herself up. She cried out in pain but managed to pull herself out of the pit. She laid on her back staring up at the sun.

"What the hell, Seed? Things were just starting to get interesting."

Liz picked her head up to see Ramirez storming over. "You know I've put up with you fooling around with your toy to get information! But I think…"

Bang!

Ramirez was dead before his body hit the ground. Jacob stood over him with his pistol drawn, smoke coming out the barrel. Her mouth fell open in shock. The Chosen stood around gawking at the scene. Jacob had just killed his right-hand man. The only thing that surprised her is that he hadn't killed him long ago.

"Everyone. Get back to work." Jacob didn't raise his voice, but it was terrifying all the same.

The men scattered in all directions. They were tripping over each other to get away from him. It was truly amazing to see the most ruthless soldiers in the county piss themselves. Liz probably would have laughed if it wasn't for her scrapes and bruises. She was pretty sure if she laughed it would kill her.

Jacob looked down at her, the anger in his eyes instantly fading. He offered her his hand and to her own surprise she took it. She winced when she stood up. Her body felt like it was going to collapse under her. Jacob placed his hand on her lower back to steady her. It was a gesture too gentle for anyone to see, but everyone was still trying to run away. He guided her away from the mud pit and into the Chalet. His hand didn't move from her back until they were in his office with the door shut.

Liz's hand shook at her sides. Her legs wobbled. Mud covered her from head to toe. It dripped from her coat onto the wood floors. Her breathing was heavy. She could still feel phantom arms around her throat.

"Why'd you do that?" Her voice was hoarse, and it hurt to speak.

Jacob just stared at her. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

She tried to wipe the mud from her face. Her lips shook as she spoke. "Why'd you do that? Why'd you kill your right-hand man?"

His hand rested under her chin so she was looking right at him. "Because I found a better one."

No… He couldn't mean her. She wasn't capable of that. She was weak. She didn't survive the pit. She shouldn't want to work with him. But she got lost in his eyes and all the excuses faded away. Jacob had just betrayed all his principles to save her life and he did it in front of his entire army. If it were anyone else it that pit, he would have let them die. All his cards were on the table. Now it was up to her.

"Jacob… There's something I need to tell you…" Her voice stammered.

Her thoughts from the pit rattled though her mind. There was no denying anything anymore. Jacob had saved her life again today. He had even killed his right-hand man for her. She needed to tell him.

"I…"

What the hell was she going to tell him? There were so many things that she wanted to say but wouldn't:

'I thought I was going to die in that pit. I wanted you to be the last thing I saw. I care about you. You're the only one that believes in me. You're the only one that protects me. I wish things didn't have to be this way.' She thought.

The words were planned, but she couldn't seem to get them out. Instead she stepped close to him and laid her head on his chest. Her hands fisted into his shirt. She covered him completely in mud, but he didn't seem to care. Jacob instantly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. His hand cradled her head.

This is the closest she had ever been to him. It was nice though. It felt right. She felt safe, safer than she had been in a long time. He was the only one that made her feel that way. Tears welled in her eyes but didn't spill over.

"I don't… I don't wanna do that again."

She didn't want to fight anymore. She didn't want to die. And she didn't want to be afraid anymore. She thought she could handle all of this on her own… She could, but she didn't want to. This wasn't about sides anymore. This was about her and what she was going to do to survive.

"You don't have to." His fingers ran through her muddy hair.

She looked up at him. Jacob was giving her an offer. With him, she wouldn't have to fight, and she wouldn't have to kill. She would be safe and protected. It was a hell of an offer. It was exactly what she was going to come of it. She did care about him… But in that moment Eli flashed through her mind. What would he think?

He would tell her something about how she couldn't make a decision like this. That she needed to stay in the bunker. That she needed to protect herself. She also thought about what Dep would say. He would say that she needed rest. That she had done her job and that she wasn't needed. Liz didn't disdain either of them, they were family. But they also hadn't done anything to get her back either. They had just left her in the clutches of their worst enemy.

So many things were different now. She shouldn't have attacked Jacob days ago. Yes, he had hurt her a whole lot, but he had also saved her more times than anyone. He had saved her more times than she had saved herself. She had also hurt him too…

"Let's get you out of here. Okay?" Jacob said.

Liz curled her hands into his shirt once more. She wasn't going to choose sides. That's not what this was. She shouldn't be doing this. She had tried to kill him three days ago, but she didn't care. This was all about what was best for her in this moment. She wasn't going to kill anyone else. And she was going to survive. Liz laid her head back on his chest and closed her eyes.

"Okay…"