Chapter 9: Guns and Plans

Chris and Faith were the last to arrive at the Spread Eagle. They could tell because there were already a few vehicles parked outside. Faith followed Chris close as they entered. Everyone including the sheriff and his other deputies were surrounding a large table that had a map of Hope County on it.

Whitehorse announced their presence. "Glad you could finally make it Rook." Faith saw everyone but Jess give smiles at them but she knew they were only for Chris.

"Alright, lets get started. First, lets start off by having our newest member give us some exclusive info. If you would please…" He motioned her to step up to the table.

Faith was nervous. All eyes were upon her when she stepped up to the table. She noticed that they at least were devoid of any hostility, only curiosity. "Hello everyone." Silence. She figured she'd at least start off polite.

"So Joseph currently has his remaining followers divided into two groups. One group are mostly just the low-ranking fighters. That group is tasked mostly with scouting duty but also with kidnapping people using the bliss in order to bolster their ranks. The other group is the chosen, the elite fighters. Their role is mostly to serve as protection for Joseph but he occasionally sends them out to lead important missions. Joseph also has at least 2 planes to serve as his last-ditch cover. In total, his estimated strength is 75 regulars and around 30 chosen.

"Boy, looks like we really reduced their numbers huh?" Nick quipped.

Faith decided to continue off that, "Joseph's small numbers means he only holds the church compound and one other area to house the planes." She pointed to the map. "There's a few buildings surrounding the compound as well as a few open areas. It means that we can expect them to use them for ambushes but they can also be used for cover. Joseph is always at the church so we'll have to figure out a way to navigate past those buildings to get to him."

Faith realized that was all she had and nervously looked around. Everyone was still giving her blank looks. Everyone but Chris who was standing there, beaming like a proud parent. That sight was a welcome relief for her. He stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Faith, for the info. I'll take it from here."

"So as Faith told us, Joseph has around 100 people along with a few planes at his disposal. Luckily, I'm sure those numbers will get reduced a bit in the following days and they might not all be there when we attack. We're going to take 3 vehicles. I'll take point with the 'Widowmaker' in case there are any road-blocks leading to the area. A second group will take the "Mastodon" with its mounted gun and rockets if we need them. The last group will be the sheriff and his crew with a van, just in case by some miracle, Joseph comes along quietly. Regardless, everything will keep us covered from the building fire if shit hits the fan. Nick, you'll be air support in case Joseph throws those plans at us."

"You got it brother!"

"Hurk, I need you to get a hold of your mom and let her know that we'll need her help to back up Nick with helicopter support."

"You got it dude!"

"I'll tell everyone else their specific roles when we go in. We'll wait a few days to make our move so everyone can get ready and take care of any business at home. Sound good?" They all nodded. "Alright everyone, we're almost there. One last ass-kicking to go!" There was a general cheer.

As everyone started to separate, Chris went to each of them to have a quick word. Mostly it was thanking them for their help and telling them he'd see them again soon.

"Might have to go on a few peggy hunts before we take care of all of this." Jess told him. Chris assured her that he would meet up with her some time before the entire group met up. All the while, Faith just stood by and watched silently. Although she was accepted, closer to tolerated, by the group, she was still excluded. Chris noticed her standing by her lonesome and came over with a frown on his face.

"They'll come around eventually." He tried to reassure her.

But Faith knew she needed to do more. Just giving info was not enough. She would need to join them in their fight for real to prove to them but to especially show Chris that she wouldn't be a burden. There was an obvious fear as she was completely inexperienced with firearms and combat. But she resolved that she would ask Chris to teach her how to shoot a gun. After all, what better way to show someone you care by having their back in a firefight? If there was one thing that drove Faith past any fear she had, it was the desire to fight and if it came to it, die for Chris.

Faith didn't get a chance to ask Chris about a gun when they were greeted by Pastor Jerome outside.

"Deputy" he greeted.

"Pastor" was Chris' response.

"I may be in the minority, but I'm glad that you were able to show mercy again. It goes to show that even with all this fighting and death, healing can still take place."

Surprisingly to Faith, Jerome turned to look at her with a welcoming smile. "I'm thankful that you have decided to help us. I know your actions in the past are almost impossible to ignore but you've taken steps to walk a better path."

Faith returned a smile. "I have Chris to thank for that. Without him, who knows how things would have went." She gripped his arm playfully which caused Chris to look up in embarrassment.

Jerome let out a small chuckle. "I'm sure. The deputy seems to have that effect on people. Anyways, I've kept you for too long. Enjoy the rest of your day." Jerome gave a wave and then he was off.

"You sure do know how to embarrass people." Chris spoke up suddenly.

"I was only telling the truth." she pleaded half-jokingly.

"With your reputation? I'm having my doubts." His response met by a playful slap on the arm. Faith was still grinning from his tease.

"Speaking of reputation, can Hope County's best marksman show me how to properly use a gun?"

Chris' smile immediately turned into a frown. "First of all, I'm not the not the best, Jess is with her bow followed by Grace with her rifle. I'm just a fan of hard-hitting weapons. Second, teach you how to shoot? Why the hell would you need that?" He turned to see Faith beaming at him.

"Because its time I become more than a pretty information carrier. What better way to shoot than from… one of the best?"

Chris facepalmed. "Don't tell me, you want to come with us to confront Joseph? Faith, that place is going to be a warzone. I'm not going to be able to concentrate fully if I also gotta keep an eye on you so you don't get hurt."

Faith kept up her smile. "All the reason to train me. What a perfect way to stick it to that bastard then for him to 'sweet innocent Faith" standing side by side with you holding a gun?"

Chris' face turned to surprise. He didn't expect Faith to be this determined and even refer Joseph as a bastard. She noticed his hesitation and dropped her smile into a very serious look. He had not seen that look since she warned him about the consequences of his actions while in the bliss.

"Please Chris. You've given me a chance to choose how I want to live my life. Well, I want to fight by your side. I don't want to be a burden to you anymore. I want to be someone you can rely on."

Chris knew that look he knew she was dead serious. He was both fearful of the consequences yet also grateful about her offer. "Alright." He relented. "But we're starting you off with a pistol. Baby steps ok?"

Faith's face lit up and she almost knocked Chris over when she leapt at him for a hug. "I'll make sure you won't regret it." She promised.

After a few moments of embrace, they let go. "Let's take a trip to the store, shall we?" Faith maintained her excitement all the way there.

Chris had Faith wait outside. He didn't want to spook the shopkeeper by having him see who he was getting the gun for.

"Hey there deputy." he was greeted as he entered.

"Hey bud, you remember that 1911 I left here a while back?"

"Yeah, I still got it."

"Could I get it back?" The man went to the back and came out with the gun. It was same 1911 Chris had with him when he first entered Hope County.

"You taking it easier on the peggies now? I would have thought you would never come back from it with the guns you always carry around." He laughed as he handed Chris the gun.

"Its not for me. Its for a new recruit. Thanks again." Chris walked out and the man was tempted to ask who he was talking about. He then remembered the rumors that floated around town just recently. His eyes became wide. "Oh" was all he could mutter to himself.

Faith saw Chris come back out with what looked like a pistol. "Here, I got this for you. This was the first and only weapon I had when I first came to this county. May it be as reliable for you as it was for me."

Faith held the gun like it was a magical object. "I know this isn't your first time holding a gun. You held one back when we were at the cabin remember?"

Faith thought back to the time he was referring to. It was a time where she had the choice to shoot Chris and escape and didn't take it. That time was the beginning of her trusting him. To her, it seemed like a lifetime ago. "So, I guess this means we can just move straight to shooting huh?"

She gave him a smile. "Yeah"

"Follow me then." They made their way towards an open field. Along the way, Chris picked up a long wooden pole. He also grabbed a pumpkin that had been left on the side of the road. They made some distance into the middle of the field before they stopped. Chris stabbed the pumpkin with one end of the pole and drove the other end into the ground. Faith could see what he was doing. The pumpkin would represent a head.

Chris spoke up when he was done. "Listen, I know it may not be as fun as shooting portraits of Joseph, but I'm sure you want your practice target to be somewhat realistic right?" Chris had them stand about 20 feet from where the pumpkin was.

"Alright, hold the gun with two hands. Raise it up and line up the sights with the target. Once you feel you got that, just squeeze the trigger." Faith did as he instructed and fired. The bullet hit the upper right part of the pumpkin.

"Not bad for a first shot. You do seem a little shaky though. You nervous?"

"No…" It was a lie. She wasn't nervous about firing the gun, she was nervous about wanting to impress Chris.

"Ok, well take your time with this next shot. Breath, line up the sights then fire." Faith took a deep breath then fired again. This time the bullet hit in the middle but slightly higher than the center.

"Oh man!" Chris exclaimed. "Two shots and we've already discovered another expert marksman!"

Faith blushed brightly. Chris was exaggerating to the extreme but his comments still made her feel praised.

"I had a good instructor." She said with a laugh.

"Let's see if you can do even better!" They continued to change to longer distances. A pattern started to emerge. Faith's first few shots would be off the mark but then she would nail an almost perfect shot. They kept increasing the distance until they were realistically out of pistol range. The pumpkin had countless holes in it.

"That poor pumpkin. Now the world might be a little bit more weary now that we've seen that Faith Seed is a pistol marksman!" He was bawling with laughter.

Faith was laughing just as much. "Maybe next time we should give the pumpkins a break and go back to traditional pictures of Joseph?" While she was laughing, Faith came to a sudden realization. She was back to enjoying life. It had been a long, long time since she had that experience. She felt that the feeling was almost too good to be true, like it wasn't real. The thought made Faith reach and grab one of Chris' arms to make sure he was real.

Her action caught him off guard. "Hey, you alright?"

She was giving him another one of those 'serious' looks. "I just wanted to make sure that this was real."

"Oh its real alright." He said with a grin. "That pumpkin has definitely been turned into swiss cheese." He laughed nervously.

More jokes. Faith knew it was his go-to help deal with stress or nerves. She understood why he acted that way. But she longed for the time where he would understand where she was coming from and return the sentiment. Faith hoped for the day where Chris would be open to the feelings she knew he had for her. She tried to hint hers to him. Her feelings of being given a new life, another chance. Love was not enough to describe it. It was a feeling of absolute….bliss.