Chapter 12: Leaving Then, Embracing Now
When they were almost home, Faith directed Chris to stop at the bar first.
"What for?" he asked.
"I'm going to ask to borrow a radio."
He gave her a confused glance. "For?"
"I'll tell you soon, okay?"
Upon arrival, they found the place mostly empty besides Mary May and a few locals. Faith confidently strode up to where Mary was tending the bar.
"Hey Mary, would we be able to borrow a radio?"
Mary looked at her partly suspicious but also surprised at the fact that Faith took the initiative in talking to her. "What do you need it for?"
Faith smiled at her. "We just figured it would help at the house. Its been pretty quiet around here and some music would really be able to help our spirits."
Mary continued to eye her suspiciously not knowing whether her smile was genuine. "Is this true?"
"Yeah, its true." Said Chris coming up behind Faith.
Mary turned to him with a surprised look. "Oh Chris, since you've confirmed it, I suppose its alright."
She grabbed the radio and set it in front of them. "A word of warning, it looks like the cult has been playing 'Only You' non-stop on their station."
She eyed Faith before turning to Chris. "They told me what happened and how that song is a trigger so be careful when changing frequencies."
Chris grabbed the radio. "We will. Thank you."
Faith maintained her smile. "Thank you!"
Mary nodded. "Take care."
Once Chris and Faith were outside, he handed her the radio.
"You're welcome for covering for your lie. So what do you really need it for?"
"We're going to cure your conditioning." Faith said like it was nothing.
"What?!" Chris almost yelled.
"Sssh, yeah. I'm pretty sure I've found a way to override it."
"How?"
Faith gave him a sly smile. "You'll see."
When they got home, they left everything but the radio in the truck. Chris figured there was no risk in anyone stealing something and his mind was filled with anxiety about Faith's plan. She set up the radio while Chris waited impatiently.
"So you still haven't told me how you're going to go about this."
"Like I said, I'm going to override it. We're going to play the trigger song and fix your reaction to it."
Chris was stunned. "Are you serious? You saw what happened before when that song played. What happens if I go mad and you can't stop it? There's no one around this time to hold me back! I would never forgive myself if I did anything to you…." There was clear panic and sadness in his voice.
Faith calmly walked up to him. "Chris, look at me."
When he did, she put a hand on his chest. "Everything is going to be fine. This will work. I promise you that we'll get through this."
Her words were calming Chris down. She seemed so determined. The fact that she was willing to take this risk for him touched his heart. He had to do everything within his power to make sure she wasn't harmed.
"Okay." He said with a sigh. "You're in charge."
He offered a smile which Faith happily returned. "Remember, I've succeeded before."
Faith walked back to the radio. "I'm going to change to the cult station. Are you ready?"
Chris nodded. Although he had been reassured by Faith, a part of him was still nervous about the whole thing. She changed the frequency to the cult station and 'Only You' immediately started playing. Chris' vision immediately began to go red. He backed himself against the wall, trying his hardest to resist. But it seemed futile as his vision went to black. The last thing he saw was Faith still smiling at him.
Faith watched as the song took its hold on Chris. Despite her outward smile, many emotions were running through her. A small part of her worried that her plan might fail and that Chris would end up killing her. Another part felt pity for Chris for what he was going through. A last part felt anger. This was all of the result of Jacob's dealings with the deputy. He did this to Chris plus many others and was probably satisfied with his crimes. Faith was glad that bastard was dead. As the tune took its hold over Chris, it was her cue to act. She slowly walked towards him and started singing the same song that had drawn him in before.
Chris looked around. He was in that same room again. But something was off. He took a step forward and realized he was all alone, no faceless beings. That damn song had also stopped playing in the background, but he was still here.
"What's going on?" he whispered to himself.
He suddenly heard singing. It was soft at first, but got louder as it progressed. That song! It was the one Faith sang the previous night! He looked around but she was nowhere in sight. He closed his eyes.
"Chris…"
An angelic voice. But it was Faith's voice. As he opened his eyes, there she was, right in front of him. The singing could still be heard in the background even as she spoke.
"Chris, you need to let it go. Jacob is gone. There is no need to be angry. Let it go."
Chris looked deeply into her blue eyes. They were so calming. His anger started to melt away.
"Embrace what you have now, it will always be beside you."
There was no need to tell him twice. Chris pulled Faith into a tight hug. He was surprised that she did not wince. Not only did she not wince, she embraced him back, just as tight as he was holding her. Happiness, love, gratitude, these feelings overwhelmed Chris' mind and he found himself back in reality. The radio was still playing but the song now had no effect. All that was on his mind was Faith. She was where she was in his vision, tightly embracing him. Chris closed his eyes to savor the moment.
"Thank you, Faith." He whispered.
The rest of the day seemed to progress much quicker. Chris spent the rest of the day patrolling around town, checking up on people, and finishing his ammo and weapons check. People noticed there was something different about him, like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Faith had gone out to get more practice with the pistol. Chris checked on her a few times but there was never an issue. Night came quickly and Chris found himself exhausted. The couch wasn't the most comfortable but it would suffice. Chris laid down and closed his eyes. His thoughts wandered. After what seemed like a never-ending hell fighting the cult, things were starting to look up. The cult was on the verge of being defeated. Soon Joseph would be taken care of and Chris could finally leave. There was also Faith. He remembered all the past interactions, from when she was in the cult to saving her from death. There were the memories of saving her from the Cougars, their talks, her encounter with the cult.
Then he recalled the times she intervened when his conditioning took hold. The first time, she stopped it in its tracks. Today she had gone a step further; she had erased it. It had been replaced by a sense of happiness that Chris had not felt in a long time. His thoughts drifted to that moment where they were tightly embracing. Suddenly, he heard humming. In the past, he had heard Faith hum another cult tune that seemed familiar to him. The humming grew louder and louder but Chris assumed it was just his mind trying to make the song clearer. But then he felt something weighing down on his torso. He opened his eyes to see Faith sitting right on his chest. She had noticed that he had opened his eyes and brought her face down to his. Both were fixated on the other, seemingly staring into each other's' souls.
"I love you." Faith whispered.
Before Chris could respond, she moved in to kiss him. The kiss suddenly grew more passionate. It had been long overdue, a true expression of their feelings for each other. When Faith finally pulled away, Chris had only one thought on his mind.
"I love you too. I love everything you are. I've fallen in love with a siren, no, a beautiful angel."
He smiled. "I've never felt this strongly before. It feels like…. pure bliss."
Faith gave a heart-melting smile. "You've done so much for me and more. Ever since we've met you've helped me realize a new side of me that I've never felt before. I fell in love with a man who has no equal in my eyes. I want to be by your side, always.
"Together then. Into bliss."
They kissed again, this one lasting even longer than the last one. It had just as much passion if not more so. That passion eventually wore them out as sleep would take hold. Faith fell asleep on top of Chris and he soon dozed off soon after. In their bliss, they slept peacefully.