Bray made a special visit to the compound one late autumn day. By now he was twenty nine, and his entire world had changed. The compound, though, would never change. Stepping foot there was like walking into a past life. Looking at Ruby was always tough, but he had things to do. The brothers all came out to greet him, but balked once they saw the newcomer. Besides having Luke and Erick there, as usual, there was a new face. Coming out onto the front porch, Ruby disliked him instantly, though she couldn't pin down why.
"My brothers! We have a new member to fill our ranks! His name is Randy Orton, and he is here as one of us now. Show him kindness as you do to each other." Bray cried to the crowd. Then Randy was shaking hands with everyone, and making himself acquainted. Bray walked up to the porch where Ruby stood. She looked side eyed at him.
"Not sure he rubs me the right way, my master." Bray's eyebrows went up.
"That so?"
"Just something about him I can't place my finger on. Forgive me, though, my Brother. You'll know better than I do." At this Bray laughed quietly.
"It seems like you and Luke share that opinion, then. Luke is wary. This Randy Orton has proved himself, and pledged himself to me, though. That will have to do." With those words, Bray took his leave of Ruby, only to bring Randy with him. "Brother Randy? This is Sister Ruby. She is the caretaker here, and I expect you to defer to her should you have questions, or issues."
"It's a pleasure, ma'am. I mean, Sister Ruby."
"Pleasure is all mine, Brother. Please come in. We'll get you settled in if you're staying a bit." Ruby looked to Bray for an answer.
"He'll be here at least a month. There are...things he needs to know." Ruby wondered if he would take him to the shrine, the tomb, the spot of Bray's power. Ruby wished he wouldn't, but felt this Randy Orton was brought here for that reason alone.
Randy Orton seemed true to his word. He helped with chores around the house. He took care to assist Ruby when she called for him. Still, Ruby sensed something with him. It was like feeling a pebble in a shoe. Bothersome, but forgotten quickly until felt again. At night, Erick, who was home almost full time right now, took him to the shed. Bray introduced him to it at first, even calling Ruby to be there for the occasion. How Randy's eyes had gotten big, but only for a moment. They quickly returned to being stoic. Then, she noticed those eyes start to roam, almost as if he was scoping the place out. This bothered Ruby, but she couldn't say anything. Bray would be the one to draw the infidel out, if infidel he was, indeed. Otherwise, she treated Randy like any other brother. It was Bray's command, and she would follow his commands.
The night Randy Orton showed his true colors started with the scent of smoke. It was early in the new year. Milling about outside in the chill air, a few of the brothers had called for Ruby, who had been feeding the cows some hay. Pitchfork in hand, she immediately smelled the smoke. Looking around, she could not tell from where the scent was coming from. Was it a wildfire? It wasn't necessarily dry that season, but a mindlessly tossed cigarette could lead to one. Something tugged at her mind, though, and she started in a bolt towards the resting place of Sister Abigail. Soon, quite plainly, she could see the tops of the flames, and embers flying in the air. She only stopped running when she saw him: Randy Orton, wearing all black, smiling into a camera as the conflagration burned behind him.
"You son of a bitch." She had muttered under her breath. "You son of a bitch!" Ruby screamed, her voice finally working. Randy had noticed her, then, and broke out into a run. She had chased him, screaming, swearing to separate his intestines from his body. Even in the dark night, she could see him, and swore to kill him. After a five minute chase, he disappeared into a rather large thicket of trees. How she had speared the ground, hoping to come up with his blood on the three points of the pitchfork, but alas, he had gotten away. She had learned, just after he had arrived, that he was called "the Viper", and oh, how she could agree with that.
That snake in the grass ended up burning down the entirety of the shed, the hastily built mausoleum, of Abigail's. Later that night, Ruby had to try and calm down Bray. He could not even talk at first. He hyperventilated, and cried. She had wished for once to be near him, to help ease his pain, but she did what she could over the phone. After the call, she led a small contingent of her brothers to the shed, a surprise to them all. None knew about its existence, save for the select few. They helped clean up the charred wood, and curled metal that ended up strewn about after the fire. All that remained was a patch of wood around the area where Abigail's remains were. It was past dawn when Ruby finally let the brothers go back to the main house, their hard work completed. She stayed behind for a while, looking at what remained. She sighed in exhaustion, and in loss.
"I am so sorry, Sister Abigail. I wish I could have stopped this. I wish I could have spilt that horrible man's blood for you. If I could have, I would have, but I suppose it's Brother Bray's fight now." Footsteps behind her alerted her to the fact that Bray had arrived. She would always know his presence. If she were blind, she would know. He walked past her, stopping at that hole still between burnt wood floorboards.
"Ruby? My Ruby?" His voice was still thick with emotion. "Can you let me be for a while? I need time here. Please." His words came out as a gentle demand. He was her master after all, and she would obey. She turned from Bray, leaving him to deal with whatever was in his heart. She would deal with what was in hers.
