There had been few times for peace recently. Liz had been shot at, beaten, and attacked by animals more times than she'd like to count. Right now, she was at peace. When things got tough, she always imagined herself back home near the water. Home used to mean Hope County, but down south was the last place where she lived a normal life. This place was not home anymore. It was a warzone.
Liz felt someone gently stroking her head and face. She sighed. That felt so nice. She wished it could be like this all the time. The last thing she could remember was being out in the woods. It had been so cold. She opened her eyes to find a person she wasn't expecting.
"Faith." She said. For some reason she could barely hear herself speak. It felt like half of her hearing was gone. She was probably just exhausted.
Despite Liz's confusion, the petite woman gave her a kind smile. Her hand continued to stroke Liz's face. Liz found herself leaning into the touch.
"How are you feeling?" Faith was so caring and sweet. She had seen the woman care for many cultists, but it was different up close. She was also kinder than she had been the day they met at John's ranch. Probably because she wasn't under Joseph's thumb right now. There was something else too. Just the way Faith touched her was so, tempting for some reason. Maybe she was a siren who put spells on people after all.
"I feel like shit." She scoffed.
"You took a lot of damage. You were in surgery for hours."
Liz tried to sit up but winced. She looked down at her right shoulder to see a nasty bullet wound covered in stitches. The night started coming back to her. The wound had been a gift from the Deputy. He had turned on her and shot her like she was some random Peggie. Like all the ones he'd probably killed before. Her blood began to boil at the thought of him.
"Where are we?" Liz spat. It had come out a little colder than she had meant it to be. Faith had only been kind to her. She didn't deserve this bitterness.
Faith didn't seem phased by it though. She continued to be gentle. "They flew you in a chopper to John's bunker to get the bullets out. But Jacob didn't want you staying there, we're at the church now. Jacob had some things to take care of. I promised him that I'd watch over you until he got back."
Liz was inwardly thanking Jacob for not leaving her in John's bunker. That place seemed like a hellscape. She was thankful that she had been unconscious during her time there. Her worst fear was getting marked and strapped to a chair. She sometimes wondered what her sins would be. John probably would make something up. She was just thankful that she would never have to go through that.
"What happened to the Deputy?"
That had been the one thing that was truly on her mind. She didn't really care where Jacob was right now, only the Deputy. The last thing she could remember was falling in the dirt and gunshots going off. Had Jacob killed him? Maybe not. In the end, it wouldn't matter. Liz didn't care how important Dep was, she was going to be the one to kill him. Even if it was the last thing she did.
Faith sighed. "I'm not sure, Jacob didn't say. But Liz… there's something else too. You won't like it."
Liz's eyes grew wide. "Tell me."
Faith moved her hand to Liz's shoulder, almost bracing her for what would come next. "Touch your head." She instructed.
Liz reached up and gently touched the top of her head only to find it bare. Faith handed her a mirror so she could inspect for herself. It was worse than she could have imagined. Where once rested her golden hair, was now nothing. She had been completely shaven bald. A bright red scar covered the expanse of her cheek and continued down the side of her face. There something else, her ear was gone! Left in its place was a lump of damaged flesh. The scar continued along the side of her head past where her ear used to be.
She couldn't get herself to speak. Despite her best efforts, tears once again came. She looked so… hideous. It was almost like the monster she was on the inside had finally reached the surface. The Deputy had done this to her.
Liz was done playing both sides. After what Dep did there was no going back. She was no longer a Whitetail or a Gun for Hire. That man she killed said that she had been 'the leader of the chosen'. Maybe it was time that she started acting like it. She had failed Jacob that night, but she wasn't going to fail him again.
She set the mirror aside and tears continued to fall. It wasn't of sadness but of anger. This was her fight now. Faith climbed into the bed and held her. Her heartbeat started to slow. That woman really was something magical.
"Will you please stay with me?" Liz asked.
"Of course."
Faith stroked her head. She planted kisses on her head and neck. She sat up and cupped Liz's face. Liz didn't feel herself panic like she always did with Jacob. Was it wrong for this to happen? She and Jacob weren't technically together, not in the traditional sense. It didn't mean that she didn't truly care for him. Still, she found herself giving in.
Faith leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. It wasn't like the pity kiss she had given Wheaty. This was… something else. She didn't want to over-analyze it. Faith fell into a rhythm with her and gave her another kiss, another, and another. She was also the first to pull away. Damn that had felt good to Liz. She was almost tempted to lean in once more but didn't. It probably wasn't a good idea.
"You should rest."
Faith placed a kiss on her forehead and curled up against her. Liz took a deep breath, holy shit. She had expected to wake up this morning strapped to some death bed, being scolded for being shot. Instead, she looked like a monster, but yet had a beautiful woman laying next to her. Maybe being with the Peggies wouldn't be so bad after all.