When Rookie opened her brown eyes, she found herself leaning on someone's shoulder and the hard pew rough under her palms. The woman who had lent her shoulder to Rookie smelled alluring and some of her long hair brushed her own forehead. She remembered her own mother then - a woman with long golden hair that would brush her cheeks when Rookie would lay her head in her lap. She would reach up to play with it, but then her mother had cut her hair short and so Rookie had stopped this little hobby of hers and thus ended the little time she spent with her mother.

"Forget everything you know, for everything you know will be destroyed."

Rookie's eyes widened when she heard the familiar voice that had snatched her away from her kin. The same voice had offered to let she and her friends walk away but then proceeded to backstab them by holding her back. The voice of the person who claimed to hear The Voice. When Rookie had opened his file at her old desk with the Sheriff smoking his cigar in the corner of the office, she had never expected that this same man was the crazy, megalomaniac who claimed to hear voices. This man was sympathetic and extremely charming. And as for being a megalomaniac, he seemed to step down from his throne more often than the two men who stood behind him.

"And brothers and sisters! The Voice spoke to me that afternoon when my father had become lost and deceived in his world of lies and temptations! The Voice told me of the nearing end and of the wrath that will surely be delivered! Come now and join me in a prayer to worship the One who has set us all free." The men and women who sat around her fell to their knees, their hands joining together and murmured whispers spreading across the messy room. Rookie stared, frozen in her skewed position and only felt herself snap from the haze when the woman who she leaned on also moved her hands in prayer.

This was her chance! While all of them were engaged in prayer, she could sneak out of this church and run away from here. She would have to crawl from under the pews, but luckily for her, she was only two seats from the back. And if this strange woman dressed in white didn't notice her movement when she lifted her head, then how would anyone else? Something in her told her to fight for her life, but on the other hand, a part of her wanted to pretend to be unconscious so she could escape this crazy place. Even if Sheriff and Hudson weren't here, she knew they would never give up on her. And so, she couldn't give up without trying.

Keeping a vigilant eye on the three men who had their heads bowed and at the woman who kept her eyes closed, Rookie dived under the pew and began to crawl. Instantly, she saw a pair of muddy boots blocking her path and was forced to change direction. She lunged under the pew, hitting her head against the wood with enough impact where she had to lay still while white patches appeared in front of her eyes. She noted how the man with the muddy boots looked up from his prayer, confused, but went back to praying when he saw nothing. She allowed herself to sigh lightly and then held her breath again as she approached the last pew.

Unlike the previous two, this one was relatively easy. No one occupied the last pew or the adjacent one. She was clear - but now the question hung on how she should exit. There were the door and an opened window. And then there were those floorboards that had creaked when she had first entered this room to arrest this man - now that everyone was silent, they would surely hear her. After much debate, she decided that the window was her only chance and crawled towards it with an urgency. Casting a glance behind her, she was reassured by their dropped heads and folded hands and so she tugged at the window's hatch. It creaked gently, before turning and she pushed the glass to the side.

Rookie allowed a small smile to appear on her lips and she climbed the window sill and soundlessly jumped onto the grass outside. Her vision blurred again and she clutched at her head while pushing her feet to move. And then cold metal stroked her forehead. Her heart dropped into the pits of her stomach and she willed herself to face a man with a ginger beard, grinning maliciously down at her.

"Hello, Little Lamb." He whispered and then grabbing her by the arm. She struggled, pushing at his chest and hands, but he was as she expected him to be much stronger than her. She ran her own free hand down her holster and found it empty. They had taken her weapons! Even the ones she had hidden in her trousers as the Sheriff had ordered them to. Her cheeks flared red at the imagery of a strange man stripping her naked and she frowned in displeasure. They were all scumbags - so much for religion, they were nothing, but criminals. She eyed the herd of men and women who stared at her with fascination as the ginger lead her to The Father.

The man stood with his arms outstretched like the last time - his palms extended towards her. His eyes were kind this time - the calamity was long gone and he seemed at peace with himself. Rookie wondered how he slept at night knowing people he influenced were killing others and stealing land and resources. She refused to walk towards him and landed a hard kick back to the man who kept her caged in his arms. He did not even grunt.

"Dear child! Why are you so frightened?" The Father asked, choosing to step towards her instead. His hands neared her face and Rookie moved her head back into the hard chest. What an unfavourable situation she had ended up in and yet this man had the audacity to ask why she was frightened. She cringed when his cold hands made contact with her cold cheeks. "I have never hurt anyone - even those who have taken much from me."

She glared at him fiercely and felt anger simmering underneath her. If only she could speak - she would swear at him multiple times and tell him to go fuck himself. But she couldn't even do that - and if this crazy cult was to find out, they would only use this to their own advantage. She involuntarily shuddered and this action was caught by their leader.

He frowned perfectly allowing concern to emulate from him, but she knew it was all a lie. This man was smart and he faked empathy to receive it back. "Child, you are scared of me. Of us. And yes, I admit I may have tricked you earlier, but the cruel words spoken by the man you call Marshal made me worry."

He drew back from her, his palms leaving an unwanted lingering warmth that she involuntarily craved more of. "My dear children, this woman here is an involuntary believer! The world has held her back from us, but I saw the turmoil in her eyes as her hands rested on the handcuffs. I saw the calamity..." Rookie felt her breath hitch at the word. "...in her eyes when she began to walk away from us! It was clear to me that this was a child who wanted to come to us, but could not speak for it!" She bit her tongue in fury. The bastard was good. And maybe he understood the whole situation too well.

The crowd sniffled in pity at her and she had an overwhelming urge to just shoot their Father in the head in return. The thought made her struggle against the constraints again before the young woman on who she rested on skipped happily towards her. The lace white dress fluttered with her movements and she landed in front of her with such elegance that Rookie was mesmerised by her completely.

"Father, I see it too. The pain and longing in her eyes..." Her hand trailed the side of her cheek and Rookie moved away from her a little too late. She smiled at this. "...Faith. It's what we all need. Find the same Faith that held you back from taking our dear Father away from us. You resisted and stood by the Truth in the face of evil! Now we will protect you."

A well dressed man with an eloquent speech finished the circle of mad heralds that surrounded her. He played with his key turned necklace before gripping her cheek firmly, his eyes dark with sadistic secrets. "Just say Yes. Say Yes to a new path of life. To a life filled with truth and no more suffering. To joy and absolution. Say Yes to Eden's Gate. SAY YES TO THE FATHER!" He cried dramatically, his voice rising and with it the desire to kill.

Behind them a crowd of madmen erupted with joy and Rookie felt claustrophobia arise from within her. She wanted to leave before they warped her mind into believing their never ending lies. But more than that she truly feared for her safety. The look in Joseph's eyes was particularly frightening - he looked at her as if she was his.