I worked hard on this chapter so I hope you enjoy it. In this chapter, a certain secret will come to light.
It's been almost a week since this Enforcer's arrival and this past week hasn't been easy for the Scavengers. Since Kreese has arrived he and his squad have been given both sides a beating. Several of the outposts they've liberated were recaptured by Kreese and his squad. Signal Point, the Trailer Town, and the Pantry have been taken back.
With those outposts back under the Highwaymen's control, the Scavengers have lost important resources they need to win this war. They could try to take them back but this enforcer has tripled security on every Highwaymen outpost and has increased their defenses. Taking them back would be a slaughter, the only thing the Scavengers can do is reinforce their base and outposts still under their control.
The defectors offered to help with that, nobody was willing to put their trust in them yet. However with their dwindling numbers and little firepower they didn't have much of a choice. So, Rush has ordered the defectors to reinforce the Refinery, Chop Shop, and Broken Forge outposts. Surprisingly thanks to the defector's assistance Prosperity and the outposts were being reinforced with new MG turrets, improved walls, and more guards. As much as some hated working with these defectors they had to admit that things at Prosperity and the remaining outposts were improving with their help.
Prosperity hasn't been in contact with New Eden since the Highwaymen have begun retaliating, people are concerned that something's happened. They're not concerned about them in general, mainly concerned that they may have lost an ally.
However early this morning a messenger from New Eden arrived at Prosperity with a message requesting the captain for aid in a task. The message said that he needed to bring explosives for this task. It was strange that the Father would ask for explosives given New Eden's opposition to technology, nonetheless, they brought a bag full of C4 explosives.
Marcus along with the Judge, Hunter, Carmina, Ellie, Nana, and Hurk, were driving to New Eden at the request of the Father. Marcus was eager to get to New Eden, he has some questions that he hopes Joseph will be able to answer.
The truck in the front of the convoy was driven by Marcus with The Judge and Ellie with him. The car in the middle was being driven by Hurk with Nana with him. In the car at the end, Hunter was the one driving while Carmina sat next to him. The two drove in silence; neither of them have even talked since this morning mainly because Hunter was silent and Carmina couldn't think of anything to talk to him about.
Carmina slowly turned her head to look at Hunter.
Hunter hasn't said much since learning that his mom is alive, since then Hunter has been spending a lot of time in his room. This bothered Carmina in a big way. This was not like him at all. It was more than bothering her. It was annoying her. She needed Hunter to get back to his old self if they were going to work their way through the Highwaymen. The last thing they needed was for him to get killed because of him staring off into space.
Carmina sighed in frustration. "Hunter, please say something," she half-begged, half-demanded. This was not how she wanted to see her boyfriend on a mission. Or ever, in that case.
Hunter just ignored Carmina's words and kept focusing on the road.
"Hunter come on I know you're hurting right now, but come on you can talk to me," Carmina said.
Again Hunter ignored Carmina's words.
"Ugh, Hunter this is starting to get annoying. I know the subject of your parents is a difficult thing for you to talk about but can you please just talk to me?" Carmina said practically begging for a response out of Hunter.
This time Carmina's words got through to Hunter. He glanced at Carmina before letting out a long sigh.
"Carmina… What do you want me to say? That I'm happy to learn that she's alive? That I want to find her?" Hunter questioned then said. "I'm not happy about it nor do I want to find her,"
"I get that. But Hunter, she's your mom and she's out there somewhere apparently fighting her own war against the Highwaymen. If we find her then maybe you could convince her to help us. She could be a very useful ally, and I'm sure she may be happy to see her son." Carmina argued.
"Carmina… she left me as a child, she had many chances to talk to me but she just kept avoiding me. Not only that but she had Jerome, the closest thing I have to a dad, lie to me to keep herself out of the picture." Hunter said, somberly. "I mean Jerome always says it's wrong to lie to those close to you, but he lied to me about my mom. Hypocritical if you ask me."
Carmina could understand Hunter's refusal for wanting to search for his Mom, if she was in his situation then she would want to avoid her mom not that she would ever do that to her. Then again Jess was nothing like Kim that was very clear.
"Hunter… you shouldn't be mad at Jerome. He was just trying to do what's best for you, that's what parents are supposed to do." Carmina said.
Hunter let out a sigh and said. "I'm not mad at Jerome… not as much as I thought I was. The person I'm angry with is her."
Carmina sighed and nodded her head as she looked back at the road they were driving across. She understood why Hunter was angry. She wondered what it would be like if she was born into a life like Hunter's. She couldn't say that she would react differently if she were given the same news that Hunter was given. However, she couldn't give up on him. He helped break her dad out of slavery for those Twins, and now it was time to pay back the favor.
"Hunter, you reunited me with my Dad… I just think I should do the same for you," Carmina said.
Hunter sighed. "Look Carmina I appreciate that, I really do but even if I wanted to find her and even if we did then I'm not sure I would have anything to say. Look, can we not continue with this subject? Maybe this mission can help me pull myself together."
Knowing that Hunter wasn't gonna talk about this subject anymore, Carmina relented. "Alright, but we will continue this conversation later,"
"Alright," Hunter muttered. "By the way, we're almost at New Eden,"
Carmina looked and saw the New Eden signs.
"So…" Carmina trailed. "What do you think Joseph needs from us?"
Hunter shrugged in response. "I don't know, but with the odd request of explosives it means that we're blowing something up,"
"Well, at least Hurk will be happy," Carmina joked, chuckling a bit.
"Heh, I bet," Hunter nodded in agreement. If there was one thing they were both certain of, it was the Drubman man child's love of destruction. "Still though, explosives are an odd request given New Eden's hatred of technology."
"Yeah they must be planning something big," Carmina supposed.
"Probably. Speaking of which, we're coming up on the compound." Hunter said.
Carmina looked through the windshield and saw that they were coming up on the compound.
Meanwhile at the ruins of the old church of Fall's End Pastor Jerome Jeffries sat in the middle of what remained of his old and crumbling church. This church had a lot of good memories from when the county was at its best before the Seed family ruined it with their lies and sins. There were also many bad memories that this church had seen, from helping people wounded by Eden's Gate's expansion to seeing his friend Nick Rye sliced open in front of him.
Despite all the painful memories, Jerome couldn't put those in front of his best memories inside this church. That was when he and Hunter spent some time seeking shelter after their time in the bunker had come to an end. It was a trying time adapting to the surface after the nuclear holocaust, so it was both convenient and comforting to be in a family place during such a time.
However, those early years with Hunter weren't all happy or even easy. Those years were filled with anxiety, hunger, thirst, and uncertainty. Uncertainty for whether or not they were going to live to see another day or if anyone they cared about was able to survive as they did. But most of all, they reminded Jerome of the pain Hunter was going through right now, with how he lived without his real mother and father for his entire life. And the sudden news of his mother being alive only made his pain worse. Worse is that Hunter feels betrayed by his only parent or the closest thing he has to one.
Telling Hunter the truth was somewhat painful mainly for how Hunter would react. Telling Hunter that he knew Jess is alive hurt that kid as much as he knew it would. Part of Jerome felt bad for telling Hunter the truth, he should've spared Hunter the pain of that truth. Also telling him meant that he broke his promise to Jess, but to be honest he didn't care because Hunter is her son and he had a right to know his mom is alive.
Jerome brought his bible close to his chest and mumbled. "I'm sorry Jess, but Hunter deserved to know. I can't keep lying to him, he's a great kid and if you stayed you may have seen this for yourself."
His mind then changed thoughts to that of the master huntress who helped save their county from the evils of the cult and helped bring hope back to the people there. He knew that she wasn't much of a people person, and he couldn't blame her after what she had to endure at the hands of the cult. But he still couldn't understand why she chose to walk away from her son.
Jerome mentally scolded himself for doing what she wanted, despite understanding her conflict it was no excuse to do what he did to Hunter.
Jerome sat his bible down on the floor next to him, bought his hands together, and began praying. "Dear lord… I ask forgiveness for my sins for I have lied to my friends and allies. Most of all I have lied to my son: A child who needed me more than anyone has now lost trust in me."
Jerome waited for a response but there was nothing, but Jerome continued. "I fear I'm running out of time in this world, lord, so I pray for your help with just one thing. Please…. Reunite Hunter with his family and help him find peace."
If there was one thing Jerome could ask for it would be for Hunter to reunite with his parents. He could see that Hunter yearned to meet his parents, as much as the subject was painful to him.
"Dear Lord, Hunter has lost trust in me, what do I do?" Jerome asked.
Even though God never communicated to somebody with direct words he can feel he was granting him wisdom in a different way. It was as if he was being spoken to telepathically, but yet not quite. He could feel in his soul that he was receiving advice from the Almighty himself, even though his mind could not register what he was being told. And as a man of God, that was good enough for him.
Jerome nodded in understanding. "I understand Lord, thank you for your help with this."
Then it seemed like God was telling the old Pastor about his deputy because his thought turned to him.
"Jake… Rook … if you're alive I hope one day we find you then you can meet your son. But...if you're no longer with us then I at least… I hope you're looking down at us and thinking how proud you are of your son. Hunter is so much like you… so kind, selfless, compassionate. It's like lookin' in a mirror sometimes." Jerome said to himself.
Jerome was then pulled out of his thoughts by a rude tone. "Hey, old man,"
The Pastor looked up from his bible to see one of the defectors in front of him. He recognized this one, Mike, the one who lead his defectors, to Prosperity with the intent of joining them, Jerome still wasn't sure he should try to trust these people. Being a pastor meant being open to forgiving others if they seek redemption, but that's easier said than done. Forgiving the peggies was hard enough but trying to forgive these Highwaymen was another.
"What do you want?" Jerome asked in a distrusting tone.
"I just wanted to let you know that progress on the additional defenses at the Chop Shop is close to being done, faster than expected," Mike explained.
Jerome nodded. "Good," Then picked up his bible and began reading a verse. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
"Is that John 1:9 from the bible?" Mike asked.
Jerome looked up at the defector surprised that he knew a verse from the bible. He didn't peg many Highwaymen to be the religious sort. "You've read the bible?"
"Sometimes, I'm not very religious but the Bible's a good thing to read in times of sadness," Mike said.
"Huh. Well, I have to agree with you on that," Jerome agreed. Sometimes in great sorrow and hardship reading the bible often helped.
"What's your problem, anyway?" Mike asked. "I've heard you muttering some stuff, something wrong with you?"
"And why do you care about my issues?" Jerome questioned.
"I don't but getting to know you may earn your trust, I swear I'm not messing with you. What's your problem?" Mike asked again.
"I… I… I've betrayed my son's trust," Jerome admitted, reluctantly.
"You have a son?"
"Yeah, the teenage boy with the bow," Jerome described.
"Oh right. Umm, no offense, isn't that kid a little too... white to be your son?" Mike questioned.
Jerome didn't say anything on account of Mike's question. "He's not really my son. His mother entrusted him to me when he was an infant."
"Oh," Mike nodded. "I mean, the kid killed some of my friends so it's kind of hard for me to give a shit about his issues and stuff." He pauses and then sighs. "But if me and my crew are gonna live with your people then I guess I can't hold onto the past, can I?"
Jerome shook his head, "No. And don't blame Hunter for that, you people don't leave us any choice but to kill."
"Yeah, and I'm sure you got a real thrill with that, didn't you? Living by that book of yours, eye for an eye, that kind of thing?" Mike taunted.
Jerome shook his head. "You know, there's more to the Bible than just words to justify violence. That's what Prosperity is all about. And don't forget, you came to us, so you must want in on that kind of thing. Am I right?"
Mike sighs at Jerome's deduction. "Well, I can't say you're wrong. I may be a killer like a lot of the Highwaymen, but I've got at least a shred of honor in me. I mean I don't kill kids or defenseless people, never sits right with me to do stuff like that,"
"I'm surprised the Twins wouldn't kill you for such a merciful nature," Jerome commented.
"Oh they would, but I'm a skilled soldier, and killing useful assets is just bad friggin luck," Mike said.
"You know for a Highwayman you seem a little too kind compared to the bloodthirsty psychos I've killed since you've been here. No offense." Jerome said.
"None taken, most of us are bloodthirsty killers, but it wasn't always like that. We used to have a code back in the day but not anymore," Mike said.
"What changed?" Jerome asked.
"The Twins, their father Vince, lead us we were murderous scumbags but we used to have honor that was until his daughters, Mickey and Lou killed him because they thought he was weak, but his death didn't sit well with many of us,"
"Wait, the Twin's murdered their own father?!" Jerome said incredulously.
Mike nodded. "Yeah, apparently Vince began growing soft, so Mickey and Lou took him out of the picture."
Honestly, Jerome wasn't as surprised as he should be. He remembered that Jake told him that Joseph killed his daughter to prove his faith in God. Jerome has seen and heard many evil things in the world, but this evil is still considered a great evil. Two children kill their father for power.
"So, I'm guessing that didn't sit right with many of Vince's followers." Jerome guessed.
Mike shook his head. "No, but we still served because it was the only thing we could do. I wanted to leave but if I did then I would be hunted so I decided to stay. It was a difficult decision, but I stand by it. Because in this world it's about survival."
It wasn't hard to not believe that, in a world like this the only thing some people can do is just survive. However, Jerome sensed there was another reason this defector was here. "Why are you really here?" Jerome asked.
Mike was surprised that Jerome could see through his lie, since his facade was seen through he might as well confess. "Well, I haven't been in a church in years so I was hoping to… ya know… pray a bit."
Jerome could use another prayer, and maybe the two of them may find some peace of mind together.
"OK, then let us pray together," Jerome said.
Mike nodded. "Sure man,"
With that Jerome and Mike spent the next half hour praying to God.
After a bit more driving the group arrived at the New Eden compound. The group walked up the gate and Marcus knocked on it. A moment later a chosen man opened the gate. "The Father is expecting you all at the church, follow me,"
The group followed the chosen warrior through the compound. While they were walking Marcus took notice of Hunter's glum expression, he has been that way for a while now. Marcus then moved closer to Carmina and whispered. "Is Hunter okay?"
"Umm… yeah," Carmina nodded. "He's just goin' through some stuff,"
"Well he better prepare himself because we may be in for a hell of a fight soon," Marcus warned.
"Don't worry he'll be okay," Carmina reassured.
The group arrived at the church and went inside. Inside they found Joseph Seed conversing with his son Ethan.
"Ah Shepard, I see you've gotten my message, and you've brought allies. Good, the more the merrier for this." Joseph said then asked. "Did you bring what I asked?"
Marcus nodded then gestured to Hurk who carried the bag of C4 made by Sharky. Hurk walked up next to the Captain, unzipped the bag, and presented the C4 to Joseph with pride.
"Joseph man, I never thought you would ever be the kind of man to blow stuff up, if you weren't some religious nut I would like to hang out with you sometime," Hurk said.
"Don't mind him, anyway, why do you need this for?" Marcus asked.
"The Highwaymen have been killing my people and countering our attacks. From what we can tell the Highwaymen have an outpost on an island to the Northwest of here. I want you and your group to destroy it and leave no survivors." Joseph explained.
"Um… no offense but why are you asking for our help? With all of your Chosen's powers can't they destroy it on their own?" Hunter asked. He's seen what the mightiest warrior from New Eden can do. It bothered him that they would even ask for help to fight against the Highwaymen. This meant that there was something different about the bandits now, something that they needed to watch out for.
"We've been trying but we've lost a few of our chosen trying to do it ourselves, that island is heavily fortified with guards, heavy weaponry, along with boats patrolling our waters. Even we can't take that outpost, at least not alone." Ethan explained.
"If this island is that well fortified, I don't think we'll make much of a difference if we try to attack it," Marcus said.
"Worry not Shepard, you and your comrades will not be alone on this. My son Ethan, and a few of my chosen will aid you in this task. I can assure you that they will serve you all well." Joseph informed them.
"Do you have a plan to attack that outpost?" Marcus asked.
Joseph explained launching a combined attack on the island under the cover of night, taking out the boats before attacking the island itself. Not a bad plan. After going over a few more miscellaneous details Marcus decided to send everyone off.
"Hey guys can you all wait outside for a minute, I need to talk to Joseph about something… private." Marcus requested.
"Very well, Ethan please leave," Joseph requested.
"Very well," Ethan reluctantly complied before leaving with the others.
As soon as they were all alone Marcus turned back to face the Father. There were some questions that he needed answered.
"Joseph, there's something I need to know," Marcus explained.
"And what would that be, Captain?" Joseph asked curiously.
Marcus hoped Joseph knew the answer to this question. This is something that the survivors really wanted to be answered: Was the Junior Deputy alive?
"Are you familiar with the Junior Deputy Jake Rook?" Marcus asked.
Joseph was usually calm and composed but that question made him tense up a bit. Hearing that name always brought him painful memories from the Eden's Gate war. Jake Rook: The Junior Deputy, the killer of his family, now known only to him as the Judge.
"Jake Rook. That is a name I haven't heard in many years, the last time I heard that name was during the Collapse." Joseph muttered, still a bit shocked. "Why do you say that name?"
"The former resistance fighters talk about him a lot and held him in high regard. I know you and him were enemies almost eighteen years ago, but I want to ask if you know what happened to him," Marcus explained then asked. "Do you know what happened to him? Did you kill him?"
Joseph thought this over for a moment thinking about what to say. If this alliance was going to work then he needs to be honest, to lie is a sin. Besides, the kind souls of Prosperity have a right to know what happened to their former ally. But he wasn't sure how they would react. If they learn the truth then it may cause problems, Joseph changed the Deputy and in a way, he changed him too.
However, in their eyes, they'll most likely jump to the conclusion that he tortured and brainwashed their friend to the point of insanity then broke him. While that was true in a way what he did to him was show him the truth and the deputy was changed.
"You must understand, Captain," Joseph begins. "There are many things in this world that can change a man completely, the Collapse was no exception. This world can break weaker men, and the ones it can't break will be forever changed."
Marcus tried to analyze Joseph's words, but couldn't come up with anything logical. It was as if he was speaking to a fortune teller. "Joseph, I didn't come all this way to listen to riddles. There are many people at Prosperity that blame you for the Deputy's disappearance and refuse to trust you for that reason. Any secrets you hold about him can threaten our alliance and our future. And you and I can agree that is one thing that can't happen."
Joseph looks to the captain with surprise. To him, it would seem that he had chosen wisely in terms of a future shepherd for his people. This man was young but wiser than most his age. He nods his head in agreement.
"Destroy the Island outpost and I'll reward you with the answer to your question." Joseph Seed said.
Knowing that Marcus wouldn't have his answers until the outpost was destroyed he nodded in understanding. "Alright. Sounds fair."
Marcus turned to leave the church but he didn't get far before Joseph spoke up. "Wait a moment Shepherd."
Marcus turned back to Joseph, confused. "What?"
"I won't tell you the fate of the deputy until you complete your task. However I will say that a part of the Deputy is with you," Joseph said.
Joseph's words left Marcus confused. That didn't make much sense to him. Was he talking about an object or something else?
"What are you talking about?" Marcus asked, still confused.
"You may know soon enough, shepherd," Joseph said, cryptically.
What Joseph was referring to was the young man Hunter… Rook. When Joseph first laid his eyes on the boy he felt a strong sense of familiarity from him. After that, it didn't take him long to piece things together. Hunter is the son of his most loyal follower, the Judge.
"One more thing. Can you bring the Judge in, please there's something I need to discuss with him?" Joseph requested.
"Um… OK," Marcus said, then walked out of the chapel and went towards the Judge. "Hey, Joseph wants to talk to you, you should go see him."
He didn't need to be told twice, the Judge immediately walked into the church. The Judge walked up in front of the Father and bowed before him. "Father,"
"Rise my child," Joseph instructed.
The Judge obeyed, getting up to talk with Joseph Seed. Joseph placed his hands on the Judge's shoulders and brought his forehead close to the Judge. Joseph embraced the Judge then separated from him. "You have done well in keeping the Shepherd safe, I knew I made the right decision to send you to fight beside him."
"Anything… for you… Father," The Judge said, tilting his head down, placing his fist on his chest in pride.
"Tell me how have you been, it must have been great to see your former comrades after so long," Joseph supposed.
The Judge let out a long sigh, then nodded. "It was… I've missed them… terribly… and… as much as I… still care for them… My allegiance is to you… and… you alone. But with… every day that… passes... I fear my loyalty… is faltering. And… I've learned that… the Huntress...lives, the lover… of… the Deputy."
Joseph's eyes widened, not because of learning that Jess Black was alive. He knew of very few people that were able to survive in the wild like her, especially in hostile territory. He was surprised that the Judge learned this before he did. The woman certainly is a capable fighter, it's a wonder Jake would love such a woman.
"My son we can never forget who we are and where we come from, the Deputy was a man equally capable of good and bad things. There were times when he was both a hero and a villain. I gave you a new identity so you can live as a beacon of hope to our clan, but it seems we are back to square one. You are both good and evil. It is up to you how you use them. The captain may be our shepherd, but you will once again be the one who decides how this all ends."
"I… won't… succumb… to the Darkness… ever again," The Judge said.
"We will see. What I've wanted to talk to you about is that I believe that I may have found out what God's reward is to you," Joseph revealed.
The Judge let only one word out. "What?"
"You may know soon enough my child," Joseph said then pointed to the exit. "Now go, you have a task ahead of you."
"Yes… Father," The Judge said, then left the chapel.
The Judge followed behind the group but as he was walking he noticed an axe embedded in a log. It occurs to the Judge that he'll need more than a bow for this, an axe will come in handy for close-quarters fighting. The Judge walked over to it, then looked around. Nobody probably won't miss it since there are plenty more axes in the barn. So the Judge grabbed the handle and removed it from the log. The Judge brought the end close to his face to look at it. The end seemed to be pretty sharp, which is good. The Judge swung it around getting a feel for it, but he swung me with such speed and skill.
"Wow!"
The Judge looked to see Hurk staring at him with widened eyes. Then as expected Hurk began making annoying commentary about him holding an axe.
"Damn, man! With that axe and mask combo, you look like something straight out of a classic slasher flick! And I'm talking about one of those really good slasher flicks, the kind that doesn't need a ton of shitty sequels." The rest of the group shook their heads at Hurk's blatant speaking of his mind. They knew he didn't mean any harm, but he had this phenomenal ability to piss people off with pretty much whatever he said.
The Judge let out a sigh and chuckled a bit. "Umm… thanks."
"I mean you are a mysterious person, that's like a great villain. I mean you are a lot like Jason Voorhees killing a lot of teenagers, but you seem more like a 'traumatized person who would kill his family' slasher villain."
As soon as the Judge finished that sentence something inside the Judge snapped, he quickly grabbed the fat moron by the neck and slammed him into the wall.
"Shut… the… fuck… up," The Judge hissed. "I would never kill anyone close to me and if you don't leave me alone I will rip your tongue out."
Hurk raised his arms in fear. "Alright alright man, I'm just complimenting you, you don't have to get all crazy about it!"
Suddenly the Judge realized what he was doing and immediately released Hurk, letting him catch his breath. "I'm sorry… didn't mean… to hurt you… sometimes… lose myself."
The judge then ran off to join the others.
"Man, now I know what Gina meant by him being scary, but what was that?" Hurk muttered then ran to catch up with the others.
The group arrived at the island that Joseph told them about, suitable to scout the island outpost. Marcus was all too familiar with this place, this was the island where had his vision quest to acquire Joseph's book. He wasn't the only one, however.
If they were gonna scout out the island outpost from here then they needed to make sure that the area was secure. So Marcus ordered his team to split up into three groups, while he stayed behind. Hunter and the Judge went off alone, Ethan and the Chosen, and Ellie and Carmina.
In the middle of the island, Hunter and the Judge were scouting for any potential threats. As they scouted the Judge was lost in thought. The Judge hoped to never set foot on this island again, there was a lot he wanted to forget, being on here just brought all that stuff back.
As the two of them were scouting Hunter filled their silence with the stories of his early life and his encounters with Highwaymen. It would help him take his mind of the revelation that Jess was alive, and it was working.
"I still remember the first time Jerome took me hunting. We found a beautiful deer, very tall, and full of meat. I remember lining up the shot and killing it. After that Jerome made me cut it up, it was disgusting but I eventually got used to it." Hunter explained.
The Judge paid no attention to his stories as much as he wanted to, he would have his own stories to share, but he was too lost in thought to concentrate on Hunter's words.
"And then there was this time I managed to single-handedly kill an entire squad of Highwaymen on my own. I thought they would be hard to kill but none of them knew how to even fire a weapon. It's a wonder how those morons survived so long." Hunter explained his latest story to the Judge.
"You know Carmina tells me my overconfidence might get me killed, and most of the time she's right. Damn, I'm lucky to have a woman like her in my life. So… what about you, have you ever had a woman like that in your life before the Collapse?" Hunter asked.
The Judge said nothing, there were many times where he's been asked that but never gave an answer, it would be too painful for him to say even now.
"Not anymore." The Judge admitted.
Hunter then felt guilty for asking that. "Oh man, I shouldn't have asked, sorry,"
"Not… your… fault child, it was… so long… ago," The Judge explained.
"Still though, if I'd known I wouldn't have asked," Hunter said.
The Judge thought about Jess every moment he could. Since learning she's alive he's hoped one day to reunite with her. With what she knows now maybe she'll see the error of her ways and become a New Edener.
"Hey, Judge, come look at this!"
The Judge looked to see Hunter gesturing for him to follow. The judge let out a low grunt and followed Hunter to see what he found. However, when he saw what Hunter has found, he let out a gasp with his eyes widening in shock.
What Hunter had found was an old truck, but not just any truck. This was the place where everything ended for the Deputy, but the place where everything began for the Judge.
"Do you think there's anything inside this old truck?" Hunter asked.
The Judge said nothing, as he stared at the old truck his mind was haunted with voices from his Deputies.
"We're gonna die… We're gonna die… We're gonna die… We're gonna die… We're gonna die… We're gonna die… We're gonna die… We're gonna die… We're gonna die…"
"Drive. Get us to that Bunker!"
"He was right! He was fuckin' right! We're gonna burn to death for our sins! We're going to hell for everything we've done! Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blesses is the fruit of thy womb. Jesus, Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now at the hour of our death, Amen…"
"Walk the Path."
Hudson. Pratt. Sheriff Whitehorse. And before that, Burke.
For a long time, when he and Joseph were stuck in that fallout bunker while the world was on fire, Jake Rook blamed himself for all of their deaths. Perhaps, if he had just chosen to walk away that night in the church, they would all still be alive and maybe the world would still be in one piece. But he made that mistake twice, and then the first nuke was launched. He wanted for so long to believe that it was a coincidence, but it was the Father that made him realize the truth. Or at least, what he believes the truth to be.
He was responsible for the world ending. Thinking about whether or not that's true and wondering about other possible futures from what could have been done drove him to the brink of insanity while he was in the bunker. Despite all that he had done to the Project, Joseph took pity on the young deputy and offered him salvation, also giving him a new identity and letting him be reborn as one of his Chosen, as one of God's Chosen.
The stakes this time weren't as high, but no less important. If he couldn't stop these Highwaymen soon, then all that is pure in this world would soon be lost to those locusts. If it meant working with those from his past life, then so be it. He was ready for whatever test God would put before him. Or so he thought…
Hunter was disturbed by the Judge's silence and frozen posture, but since the Judge wasn't saying anything Hunter decided to loot the truck. He went to the left-back truck door and opened it but when he did a skeleton suddenly fell out. "WHOA!" Hunter jumped back, a bit from the skull.
His thoughts were broken by Hunter's gasp and the noise of objects cluttering on the ground, the Judge turned his head to see the skeletal remains of a human being fall out of the truck. He restrained himself from letting out any concerning noises, as he was now seeing one of his old partners again. Since there was nothing but bones left, he couldn't tell which one of his colleagues the pile of fallen bones was. But if he had to guess, this skeleton was most likely Pratt's. He sighed as he saw another portion of his old life die in front of him. Not to mention, the sight of a human skull was not the best sign before a dangerous mission.
Hunter kneeled down to the skull picking it up off the ground, he looked at it for a moment then said. "Damn, looks like these people weren't the fortunate ones to survive the fallout. Wonder who they were." Hunter said before putting the skull back in the truck out of respect for the dead.
Hunter then returned his focus on the truck.
"Hmm… I wonder if there's something useful in this old truck," Hunter muttered then leaned in to scavenge.
Noticing something buried in the front seat, Hunter leaned in closer. "What's this?"
Reaching out, Hunter picked up the object. Looking at it he noticed it was covered in dirt so Hunter blew on it, getting most of the dirt off then wiped the rest of it with his hand. Now that the dirt was off Hunter took a closer look at it.
"Hope… County… Sheriff's… Department" Hunter readout, and then a realization came into his mind.
"No… it can't be…" Hunter took a closer look at the worn clothes on the skeletal remains and realized these were the deputies of Hope County.
Hunter took a closer look at the badge in his name and saw the name 'Jake Rook' engraved on it.
"Oh my god," Hunter muttered in disbelief. He was standing in the very spot where the deputies died. He looked around the entire area of the old truck to see if any of the bodies there were that of his father. In all of his searching, he could only find three dead bodies for the four badges in account. He groans in irritation, as this was the chance he could get some closure on the thought of his father. He was always told that there was always a chance that his dad was out there somewhere in the county, alive. However, it seems that chance got a little slimmer with what he had just found.
From what the Judge could tell it seemed like Hunter was looking for anything that would tell him the fate of the Junior Deputy, but he knew he wouldn't find anything here. The only thing here was death.
"Don't cling onto… hope. Your Deputy… may be… dead… Don't focus on the dead… focus on the living," The Judge said.
Hunter sighed. "I don't want to hold onto false hope, but it seems sometimes that false Hope is what keeps people going. I hope that the Deputy is alive, there's a lot I need to tell him. I can only hope I have the strength to tell him these things."
The Judge wondered what Hunter would want to tell the Deputy or more specifically him. It seems Hunter has some kind of personal connection to him but it doesn't make sense. The Judge has only met this kid a couple of times but he always feels this sense of familiarity with him. Maybe this child was some sort of test, he wished that God would give him a direct answer but the Lord doesn't work that way.
"Anyway, we should get back to the captain," Hunter said.
The judge nodded in agreement.
The two of them then left to head back to the Captain, Hunter stopped and gave one last look at the old truck. "I hope you're out there… Dad,"
As soon as all teams reported that the sectors of the Island were clear, they could scout the Island Outpost. Marcus and Hunter all pulled out their binoculars and looked through them to get a better look at the outpost. This outpost wasn't gonna be easy to destroy, it had better defenses than the others, and it was protected by a body of water.
"Damn, I count at least thirty guards, all wearing heavy armor, not only that but they are all armed to the teeth," Marcus said aloud.
"Please, we can handle thirty guards," Hunter said.
"Pretty we can't handle the turrets, searchlights, along with the boats patrolling around the outpost." Carmina pointed out, then said. "If we attempted to infiltrate the outpost we would be shot to pieces, even if we got to the island the defenders are probably more skilled than the ones we usually fight,"
"Oh," Hunter muttered
"If only there's a way we could be able to swim underneath those boats, but we would need to resurface, and we don't have any scuba gear," Marcus said.
"There is a way you can," Ethan said.
Marcus looked at Ethan in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"If you swim underneath you can get the upper hand on them," Ethan suggested.
"That's not a bad idea, but we wouldn't be able to hold our breath underwater for long," Marcus said.
Ethan shook his head. "Actually, the Gift of Eden gives you and the chosen the ability to go without air for a period longer than a normal person should."
Marcus was surprised by this revelation, but not as much as he should've been. The Gift of Eden has given him many wondrous abilities, so improved lung capacity shouldn't be a surprise. He wondered what else he could do with Eden's Gift.
"Well, that's...useful," Carmina commented.
"Ok, then. Tonight, we'll attack the island and catch the enemy off guard," Marcus strategized.
"We're coming too," Hunter said.
"No, too dangerous. Despite your skills, none of you will be able to handle close-range combat with those Highwaymen." Marcus said then began gathering out orders.
"Carmina, you will drive one of the boats and get us off the island if anything goes wrong. Hunter, I want you, Ellie, and Nana to set up a sniper's position with a clear line of sight at the outpost and take out as many defenders as you both can when we attack. The Same goes for you Hurk if any reinforcements show up take them out with your RPG." Marcus instructed.
Hunter and Hurk nodded in understanding while Nana said. "You can count on us, those hoodlums will never see our shots coming."
Ellie wasn't on board with this and raised a hand up. "Um… Marcus not to put a dampener in your strategy but I'm not experienced with any kind of gun especially sniper rifles. I don't even know the first thing about using a firearm. I would be a liability with a sniper rifle."
"Besides we don't have any, I kinda left mine back at Prosperity," Hunter admitted.
Just then Nana stepped in. "Not to worry kiddo. I took the liberty of grabbing it for you, along with a spare,"
Nana pulled out the bag she was carrying and pulled out two sniper rifles.
"Wait, wasn't that in my room, did you seriously just go into my room without my permission?" Hunter asked.
"Don't worry sonny, I didn't rummage through any embarrassing childhood toys, nudie mags, or anything else you may keep in there," Nana casually said, handing Hunter and Ellie their rifles.
Hunter's face paled as the old woman was teasing him in such a way in front of two girls his age, one of them being his girlfriend. Carmina thought it was funny, but Ellie was slightly confused as to what Nana said. Rather than make this more embarrassing for him, he groaned. "Let's just get this over with," he complained, taking his rifle from Nana.
Hunter was skilled enough to handle a rifle but Ellie on the other hand wasn't. Ellie's hands shook as she held the sniper rifle. This is the first time she's held a gun compared to a bow or a knife. Hunter looked at Ellie saw the anxiety and uncertainty in her face and wanted to help her out. The group needed all of their fighters to be suited for this kind of mission. The Highwaymen were not screwing around this time. A weak link in the chain can spell the doom of their entire group for this whole operation.
They still have time to rest and prepare for the raid later in the night. This was the opportunity to freshen up on any skills that are lacking. "Hey, uh, I can help you learn to properly work one of those things if you want?" Hunter offered Ellie, who was still shocked to have been handed one of those weapons. "I'm sure Nana can too." He looked toward the old woman, who smiled and nodded to confirm Hunter's offer.
"And don't worry about us making any noise for those pirates over there to hear," Nana added, looking toward Marcus and the others. "I never leave without a good suppressor or two."
Ethan shakes his head. "The noise is not the issue here," he explained. "Those who live within the family of New Eden have taken a sacred oath to swear off anything to do with the world before the Collapse, including weapons. That goes especially for those who are Chosen." He looks at Ellie intently as she holds the rifle in her hands.
"Well Ellie has already broken that rule, so doing it again can't hurt can it?" Hunter questioned.
Ethan growled at Hunter's influence over Ellie, he jammed his finger into his chest. "You sinners are corrupting our people, Joseph has made a mistake trusting you people."
Hunter smacked Ethan's finger out of his chest, he was about to retaliate but Ellie got right between him and Ethan before he could. "Watch your tongue, Ethan! These people are our allies, they may be Sinners, but they are nothing like the locusts. These are good people, people who just want to see their home safe just like us."
Ethan was about to retort with something that would no doubt cause more strife between the natives of Hope County and the members of New Eden, but Carmina was determined to make this alliance last through at least this next battle.
"Alright, enough!" She yelled, stepping in between Ellie and Ethan. "We came here to deal a serious blow to the Highwaymen, one that will hopefully take us one step closer to kicking them out of our county for good! If we waste time fighting each other, they're gonna kill us all!"
"Carmina's right," Marcus agreed. "We're all in this together, or we're gonna die together."
Ethan scoffed. "We've wasted enough time. We came here to kill highwaymen, not to listen to long and boring speeches from sinners. I don't even know how you people get shit done if you people give those annoying speeches most of the time." Ellie shot him a look when he slandered the people of Prosperity yet again.
Marcus sighed. "Let's just go over the plan again. We need to be prepared for those assholes in a short amount of time."
"I say we attack them at night, it'll be easier for us," Hunter suggested.
Ethan sighed. "I'd hate to admit it, but I agree with him. Our Chosen are deadly enough in the day, but the nighttime will give us an advantage." Hunter looked at Ethan, who actually agreed with him on something. Although, he still didn't trust him as well as some of the others from New Eden.
Thinking about it, attacking in the night would provide a better advantage for them. So they'll settle in and wait until nightfall.
"Ok then. All right people settle in, we're gonna be here for a while," Marcus explained.
"Then let's get a fire going but keep it low," Hunter suggested.
"Alright, I'll go gather some wood," Ellie said.
"I'll go with you," Ethan added.
"Ugh fine," Ellie reluctantly replied, given her distrust of Ethan.
With that Ellie and Ethan left to gather firewood, collecting it didn't take long. As soon as they had enough, the group got the fires running.
It was gonna be an eventful night.
As soon as night fell the group was ready to move into position. Marcus approached the Judge and Chosen. "Alright it's time, let's get to work," Marcus ordered.
"OK, so how are we gonna get over there quickly if we don't have any boats?" Carmina asked.
Marcus pulled out his binoculars and looked through them. The boats were patrolling the island well, but Marcus noticed one of the boats heading in their direction most likely to scout for any attackers. "Over there," Marcus pointed.
The others looked in the direction he was pointing at and saw the boat coming towards them. Marcus turned to Hunter and Nana. "We'll bring that boat to us, Hunter, Nana, when that boat gets close I want you two to take out the driver and gunner quietly with your sniper rifles,"
"Not to worry sonny, I may be old but my eyes are sharp," Nana said, attaching a suppressor to her rifle.
"How are we gonna get the boat here?" Carmina asked.
Hurk spoke up. "Not to worry bro's I got just the thing,"
Hurk reached into his pocket pulling out a lighter and some firecrackers. He ignited the lighter, burned the fuse then threw them near the water.
"Everyone hide!" Marcus ordered.
Everyone quickly took cover to hide, a moment later the firecrackers exploded. The bait worked like a charm, the boat was coming their way.
"OK, now!" Marcus whisper-yelled.
Nana brought the scope to her eye, aiming for the boat driver's head. The moment her rifle was aimed she pulled the trigger, firing the rifle. The bullet pierced through the driver's head, killing him alerting the gunner however the gunner was quickly taken out too by a bullet through his eye.
"Nice shot Hunter," Nana congratulated.
"Wasn't me," Hunter replied.
Both of them looked to see Ellie was the one who took the shot.
"Well, I'll be… nice shot young lady," Nana congratulated.
Ellie took a few breaths, calming herself. "T-t-t-thanks,"
With the boat taken out the group could now get to the island outpost.
"OK, there's your window, take it," Hunter said.
With that Marcus, the Judge, and the chosen walked into the water diving underneath.
With the ones with the power of Eden's Gift swimming their way to the outpost underwater, those left behind made their way into the now vacant gunboat. Because she didn't want to hear Hurk whining about wanting to be on the big gun, Carmina took the driver's seat while Ethan just went to the front and sat down.
"Ok, remember our orders, we're only supposed to help if the outpost is alerted," Carmina repeated Marcus's order.
"We're well aware of our orders girl," Ethan said.
Hurk didn't like Ethan's attitude toward Carmina, since he sees himself as an uncle toward the Rye daughter. "Hey, lighten up, bro," Hurk said. Ethan leered at the moron, which made him go back to checking over the turret.
The group of three turned their attention back to their invasion force on the island outpost with their binoculars. They saw that the Chosen, Marcus, and the Judge had successfully made their way to some of the small lands that made up the outpost. As the group emerged from the water, they checked over their weapons and prepared to take some rotten lives.
Marcus did the same with his weapons, choosing to fight the Highwaymen with their level of weaponry. After making sure his guns and explosives were battle-ready, he turned to his Chosen allies. "Alright, everyone ready?" he asked the group. They all nodded while the Judge only pulled out his new axe and started to his palm with the hilt.
"I'll take that as a yes," Marcus decided, then turned back to the outpost right in front of them.
The Gift of Eden gave those worthy many useful traits besides just enhanced strength. The Chosen and the Captain were much more difficult to detect to those who do not have attuned senses, which fit the theme of the Chosen's tactics. Using their advantage, the group managed to take out several Highwaymen guards, stabbing them in the back or the throat, gently lowering their armored bodies to the ground so they would not make much noise.
Once they took out their fifth guard while undetected, Marcus had to admit that this mission was going alright. Though he wasn't foolish enough to think that this would go as smoothly as that to the end. As he was about to shiv guard number six, he could feel his stealth powers start to wear off. He could make the same assumption for the other Chosen, so they had to be careful from this point on.
As he felt himself become visible again, he made every attempt to not get spotted by the Highwayman he was less than five feet away from. As he got closer and closer, he prepared himself to stick his blade into the thug's back. He got as far as right behind him, the stalking victim occupied with watching the New Eden compound, and then Marcus took his next step on a particularly noisy floorboard.
"What the-" The man muttered as he turned around to see if anyone was trying to sneak upon him. Before he could make the first move, Marcus pushed him into the low wall he was peering over. Now dazed, Marcus shoved his blade into his enemy's heart. The con hardly made a sound from the shock, but someone else was already alerted.
"Hey, Larry," a female Highwaymen footsoldier called as she climbed up the nearby stairs. "You alright, or did you put your foot through the floor ag-? Oh shit!" she yelled as she saw Marcus hovering over Larry's dying body. She raised her rifle to blow the Captain's head off, but he was slightly faster as he drew a throwing knife and whipped it into the visor of her helmet. The blade cracked the visor and buried its head into her eye. Her mouth didn't make a sound, but her freshly dead body fell down the stairs, loud enough to alert all remaining Highwaymen.
"Shit, we're being ambushed! Somebody, sound the alarm!" A woman shouted.
As soon as she said that all hell broke loose, the defenders immediately became aware that they were under attack, and the New Edeners immediately came out of hiding and started fighting the defenders.
Now that the cat was out of the bag, Marcus pulled out his pistol and took shot after shot at the Highwaymen as if it was a set on an old western movie. He managed to take two of the defenders out before a couple more forced him into cover with custom light machine guns. He looked over to the high ground and found that two of the Chosen has reached a vantage point. He gave a few hand signals at them and they drew their bows, quickly releasing arrows into the Highwaymen that were shooting at him. Two were stuck in the back of the neck with wooden arrows, which alerted the third one and forced him to turn around and attack the new threat. The Chosen managed to duck in cover to avoid the gunfire, and Marcus was able to pop out of cover and shoot the soldier when his back was turned.
Three more dead Highwaymen, which was an absolute win for the Captain. He just had to make sure that no one else shows up to make things more difficult for their mission. There were a couple of emplaced alarms around the outpost, and Marcus had to make sure no one got to them to call for help.
However they were too late, a Highwaymen set off the alarm sending an attacking flare up into the sky.
"Dammit!" Marcus quickly took out his radio and said, "Hunter, reinforcements are on the way. You need to take them out before they get here."
"Don't worry we'll handle them, Hurk gave me something that would be useful for this," Hunter said.
Marcus then quickly turned to Hurk. "Hurk, get to a good spot and use your rocket launcher to take out any approaching boats that Hunter can't stop."
"You got it dawg," Hurk complied.
Carmina, hearing everything over the coms, drove the boat into the island where they could quickly get off and take defensive positions against the Highwaymen reinforcements. Hurk, just given special orders from Marcus, was the first one off the boat and ran towards the old dredge that made up the highest point of the outpost.
While Hurk made his way to his vantage point, Carmina took out her rifle and laid down fire against the remaining guards that needed dealing with. She managed to take down one guard in front of her before moving on further into the base.
Ethan was able to take out some Highwaymen in his way. He ran towards two grunts and shot an arrow into the visor of one while charging full speed at the other. He pulled out his dagger and started to slash at his opponent when he was too close to be shot at. He swung his blade several times at the armored man, which he dodged. But his luck ran out when he ran out of room to move backward. When his back hit the wall of the dredge, Ethan didn't hesitate to shove the blade into his gut. The thug gasped a couple of times as he bled out until he ceased all movement. Once Ethan was satisfied with his kill, he moved on to find any others that needed dealing with.
Using the times the others bought for him, Hurk climbed up the ladders and stairs of the dredge. He panted heavily, as age and weight gain didn't exactly help his status as a guerilla. He managed to climb up to the roof of the dredge and saw that there was a Highwaymen spotter taking shots at the invaders. Hurk did his best to sneak up on the shooter until he got right behind him. The spotter turned his head but was too late, as Hurk swung his rocket launcher at their head, knocking them off the roof. Hurk laughed when he heard the shooter scream on the way down and then slammed onto the ground.
Now that he was in position Hurk readied his launcher ready to blow up anyone who comes close to the island.
Back on the mainland Hunter pulled out a special set of arrows Hurk gave Hunter that were explosive.
Hunter turned to Nana and Ellie then said. "OK, we need to help take out any reinforcements before they reach the island. You two stay here and do your best to keep aiding our people on the island."
"You got it kiddo," Nana replied.
Hunter got up and left for the nearby river where some reinforcements would likely come.
Hunter pulled out the new explosive arrows Hurk gave him then readied a shot and released the arrow. The moment it made contact it exploded destroying the boat, killing everyone on it.
"Wow, that was awesome, now I know why Hurk loves blowing stuff up," Hunter muttered, then readied another explosive arrow.
Another boat picked up where the destroyed one left off. Hunter readied another arrow to take that one out as well, but this new target learned and fired into the brush where he was hiding. The young man quickly took cover behind an old log, which was an adequate source of cover against the barrage of bullets.
He went to his coms for support. "Hurk, you there?" he called out. "There's a gunboat that's pinning me down! I can't get a shot off on it. Can you take it out?"
Hurk, overhearing his name being mentioned, looked over across the lake and saw a gunboat firing into the forest near it. He deduced that was the one Hunter was talking about. He readied his rocket launcher and used his lock-on system that miraculously still worked. When he got a lock, he pulled the trigger. "Boom-shaka-laka!" he shouted excitedly as the rocket traveled at breakneck speeds to reach its target. By the time the gunners on the boat saw the projectile coming straight for them, it was too late.
The boat exploded, killing all that were giving Hunter a hard time at the moment. He poked his head out behind cover and saw that he was safe for the time being. "Thanks, Hurk, I owe you one," Hunter thanked.
"Don't mention it, little bro,"
"Hurk, I'm gracious that you helped me, but don't ever call me that… ever," Hunter warned. "Because you're more like a crazy uncle than a brother,"
On the other end, Hurk sighed, "Aww man,"
Hunter quickly turned off the radio before a long and boring argument could start because that was the last thing he needed. Hunter went back to his vantage point to take out any more reinforcements before they can arrive.
This is gonna be a tough fight.
At the island, the New Edeners were winning the fight but the defenders were putting up fierce resistance. Most of the defenders are already dead and any reinforcements in the area are being taken out. At this rate, the natives of Hope County would claim victory with minimal casualties. Unfortunately for them, the Highwaymen defenders had one last trick up their sleeves.
Marcus and the Judge met up in the center of the island where they had two of the remaining guards trapped in a kill box. With one arrow and three bullets, both of them were dead before they could raise their guns on them. Satisfied with his and his partner's shots, Marcus went to inspect the bodies quickly so they could move on to the next targets. He found one of the Highwaymen was rolled onto their front side. Marcus readied his pistol in case they were still alive. With his foot, he flipped the body over and revealed that they were indeed dead, but were clutching two flashbang grenades in their dead hands, the slightest of movements would be able to set them off.
"Shit, flashbang!" Marcus shouted as he attempted to turn his head away, but it was too late. The devices exploded and a flash of brilliant and blinding light enveloped the area. Both he and the Judge were exposed to the light, or rather their eyes were. Both of the heavy hitters were blinded and vulnerable to counterattacks. Some straggling Highwaymen defenders picked up on this and took their shots when they could.
While their eyes are useless at this time, both Marcus and the Judge were still able to hear to some extent. They could tell that they were being surrounded and did their best to move out of danger. Unfortunately, their lack of coordination led to them being shot, once in the side for Marcus and three times in the back for the Judge.
The Judge, having taken more shots than the Captain, collapsed to the ground, barely holding himself up with his arms. Marcus may have been blind, but he still could hear his masked comrade, coughing violently, he could hear drops hitting the ground and the smell of iron in their air was a dead giveaway that he was bleeding internally.
The Judge, writhing in pain, could hear footsteps approaching the two injured heroes. He could also hear defiant laughing. "Not so tough when you can't see, are you?" an elite Highwayman taunted as he raised his sawed-off shotgun at the Judge's masked face, fully intending to blow it off.
As he was pulling the trigger, he wasn't counting on Ethan to be nearby with an arrow ready to launch into his skull. The wooden arrow pierced the defender's helmet and he dropped to the ground without another word. Before two more Highwaymen could return fire on Ethan, they were pelted with shots from Carmina, who had fought her way to her friends. Seeing them injured, especially the Captain, she ran up to help them.
Ethan ran to the Judge to make sure he was still in the fight. He offered a hand to the masked Chosen. "On your feet, old friend," he ordered, but with sympathy. "The fight is not over yet." Now some time has passed since the initial flash, and the Judge's eyesight was returning to normal to some extent. He saw Ethan offering a hand and took it, helping him stand on his own feet again.
"Marcus!" Carmina cried in care as she went over to see if her Captain friend was alright. "You ok?" She saw blood seeping out of his bullet wound and then reached for some painkillers that she had stashed in her pocket for emergencies.
However, Marcus held a hand up, signaling her to stop. "Yeah, I'm fine," he assures. He held his wound in his free hand and climbed back onto his feet. "It looks worse than it is, but I'll live."
Marcus and the Judge got up back on their feet with Ethan and Carmina helping them to see that the last of the defenders had just been killed.
The fight was finally over around the island. Marcus looked around seeing the carnage they had wrought. All over the outpost several sunken boats, dead bodies littered the island and the water surrounding it.
Marcus took a few breaths before asking. "How many did we lose?"
"Three I think," Ethan guessed. "They took too many bullets and couldn't heal,"
Marcus sighed, casualties were always a thing he hated and he hoped to prevent people from dying in this attack but he knew that would be impossible.
"Don't beat yourself up over this captain, they knew what they were getting into, and were willing to die for Joseph," Ethan reassured.
"What about you, were you hurt?" Marcus asked, noticing the wound on Ethan's shoulder.
"Ugh, I'm fine, it's only a graze, nothing more," Ethan replied, clutching the wound.
Ethan, about to walk away was stopped by the captain who spoke up. "Hey,"
"Yes?" Ethan asked.
"Thanks for saving me, I would be dead if it weren't for you," Marcus thanked.
Ethan scoffed. "I was saving the Judge, I wouldn't stick my neck out for the likes of you,"
"Umm, well thanks anyway," Marcus muttered.
Now that the island outpost was cleared of its defenders the next thing they needed to do was plant the C4. "Alright, the Outpost is cleared now let's start placing the explosives."
With that, the group pulled out the C4 they had and started placing the explosives all over the outpost.
As soon as they were done everyone left and when everyone was safely off the island Marcus pulled out the detonator, then pressed the button. The moment he did, the C4 exploded and the island went up in flames. The Chosen put their gear down and took a few minutes to rest before they had to prepare last rites for their fallen comrades.
The group took a moment to look at the destruction before Marcus said. "OK, let's get the hell out of here,"
With that, the group left for New Eden.
With the Island outpost destroyed the assault force returned to New Eden, most of them were very tired. The Fight took a lot out of the Chosen, the Judge, including Marcus. Using the gift of Eden drained a lot of his energy.
Right now Ethan was in the church telling Joseph that they succeeded but at the cost of some of the chosen. While he was doing that the group was waiting outside. Suddenly everyone else heard Ethan yelling.
"FINE! I'll do as you say!" Ethan exclaimed in anger storming out of the church. "You are the Father after all,"
Joseph came out of the Church behind Ethan then turned to the captain. "Come inside, Shepard."
Marcus walked into the church and now that the two of them were alone they began talking.
"Ethan has told me of your success, with that outpost destroyed the Locusts' sight over my people is greatly limited. You have my thanks for your assistance," Joseph thanked.
"Alright, I did as you asked, now you must answer my question," Marcus said.
Joseph nodded in agreement, Marcus kept his end of the deal and it was his turn.
"Very well. When the Collapse began the deputy, me, and his other deputies, were trying to get to a bunker for safety. I remember that day very well: There was fire everywhere, the animals, buildings, even people were all consumed by the wrath of God. I remember the truck, being inside with Rook's fellow deputies, they thought everything was finally over on that day and they were right, the old world was over and a new world was beginning. The truck we were in crashed, me and your Deputy survived, but the others weren't as fortunate. I carried the deputy out of the truck, dragged him through the burning forest, and carried him into the bunker."
Joseph paused for a second to see if the Captain was listening to him, given how skeptical he was about his beliefs and lessons beforehand. Fortunately, Marcus was listening intently, waiting for the Father to continue.
Satisfied, Joseph continued. "Given how unreasonable the Deputy had been when I had offered salvation in the past, I had to restrain him. As he awoke, the emergency broadcasts over the radio confirmed what I had already known for so many years. The world as we had known it for our whole lives is over, never to return. As I looked into the Deputy's terrified eyes, my initial feelings of taking revenge for my family had gone away. All I saw was a child in need of guidance. I gave him a chance to be reborn as one of my children. It took him some time, but he eventually accepted, as they all did."
Marcus was shocked to hear what happened to the Deputy, who had been explained to him as a hero, nigh unbreakable. In the wake of a nuclear apocalypse, he had broken and turned to the only person he had left at the time: the cult leader who tried to kill him and all of his friends.
"You converted him?" he asked while on the border of shock and outrage. He knew that the members of Hope County outside of New Eden wouldn't take this news lightly. It might destroy what hope they had left.
"I opened his eyes," Joseph replied, not admitting he did anything wrong. "He was fearful, in pain, full of regret. He believed for months that this catastrophe was his fault, that the deaths of everyone he knew was on him. He felt the need to punish himself, he would cut his skin, and band his head on the wall until blood started leaking out."
All of these details were starting to take a toll on Marcus, who was visibly disturbed at learning what Joseph and the Deputy went through during the nuclear fallout. "This is pretty intense, but this still doesn't explain what ultimately happened to him and where he is now," he told the Father, getting a little annoyed at the story being dragged on this long.
Joseph let out a sigh, "Very well when I founded New Eden the Deputy became one of my most devoted followers,"
"But who?" Marcus asked.
"You've already met him actually, he's been with you since our alliance began," Joseph answered.
Marcus's eyes widened in disbelief, having heard what Joseph just said. "I don't remember meeting anyone who looks like the deputy, not like what he was described to me by the others. I mean-" The captain paused as he started to think hard about Joseph's confession, trying to remember anyone who could've been the deputy he was searching for. After a few seconds, he came to realize that there was one person who had characteristics matching the deputy, and matches what Joseph had just told him.
He turned to look at the group behind him, the ones that he took for the Island mission. He turned his gaze to the masked Chosen clutching his shoulder as he was wounded from several gunshot wounds. If what Joseph said was true, there was no way that the Deputy would be willing to show his face. It would make sense to be reborn with a new identity, especially a physical one.
He turned back to Joseph. "It all makes sense now," he said with a great sense of realization. He now knew the truth. The heroic deputy from before the Collapse had fallen into despair so bad, that he sought sanctuary with his mortal enemy. The architect of Hope County's suffering back then had become the one who had given him a second chance.
Joseph nods and sighs, as the man he trusts with the future of his family has solved one mystery. "Now you know. I hope you don't hate me for what you have learned."
Marcus shakes his head. "I didn't really know the guy before the Collapse, so I can't be mad, I guess. Can't say the same for the others, though. Some of them already want your head on a pike for what you and your family did all those years ago. I can't imagine what they'll do if they hear about this." He thinks for a second or two before continuing. "Wait, you're not gonna let me tell anyone, are you?"
"I won't stop you from telling anyone, our alliance is built on trust," Joseph replied.
"Good,"
Marcus turned to leave but a question from earlier came into his head. "By the way what did you mean that a part of the deputy was with us?" Marcus asked. "I know now that the deputy was with us, but part of him doesn't make sense,"
"It's not my place to explain that, Shepard, but you'll have your answer soon enough," Joseph said.
"Ugh whatever, your cryptic bullshit is getting annoying anyway."
Before he could leave Joseph spoke up. "Wait a moment,"
Marcus stopped and turned back to Joseph, "What is it?"
"I've been talking to Ethan. As you know my son's soul is tainted, and it seems my wisdom isn't helping him see the light. I talked with him and decided that an outsider's perspective can help him." Joseph explained. "So he'll be joining you on your way to Prosperity. He doesn't like it but this is the best option I see for him."
"Joseph, I don't think that's the best idea. The people there don't like you and I'm sure they won't like your son either." Marcus warned.
"My son isn't responsible for my actions. He needs to see the light otherwise he'll go down a dark path. I think your people can help him see the light." Joseph said.
Marcus reluctantly nodded. "Alright, I'll take him with us,"
"Thank you," Joseph thanked.
"Anyway we should get going, we have to get home," Marcus said.
"Wait, shepherd, it's a little late for you all to head back. If you wish you may all stay here for the night," Joseph offered.
Thinking about it Marcus now realized how exhausted he was, using the power of New Eden was very exhausting but he should get opinions from the others.
"Let me talk to the others," Marcus said then left the church.
In the hut Marcus found the Judge lying chest down on a bed with Hunter pulling bullets from his back and Ellie holding him down. However the process didn't seem pleasant for either of them, Hunter had no tools to extract the bullets so he was being forced to pull the bullets out with his bare hands.
The Judge seemed to be in pain with every bullet that was removed from his backside, but he just gripped the wooden rails of the bed fighting the pain. Everyone looked at the Judge as a force of nature, a human that wasn't fully human. They all knew he was strong, but knew that even he had limits. For example, he could feel pain just like everyone else. And unfortunately, without things like anesthetic, the removal of bullets from someone's scapula is even more unpleasant. That being said, everyone in the immediate area heard his groans and hisses of pain. He normally wouldn't think things like this, but he was hoping that Hunter would hurry up.
As Hunter worked to end his ally's pain, Carmina heard the noises of great discomfort and came to investigate. She nearly threw up her lunch as she saw Hunter digging his fingers deep into the Judge's flesh.
"What the hell Hunter?! Are you seriously removing bullets from him with your bare fingers?" Carmina exclaimed in disgust.
"What? You think I'm enjoying it?" Hunter opposed. "I don't have any tools, and he was pretty insistent that I could do this without tools,"
Carmina looked at Ellie who seemed rather calm about the ordeal. "How are you calm about this?"
Ellie scoffed. "Please this ain't the first time I've had to do this,"
"And I dig around in animal organs whenever I hunt so this doesn't bug me," Hunter added, removing another bullet from the Judge.
Carmina resisted the disgusting urge to throw up, but just swallowed it.
"Jeez, It's not that bad Carmina," Hunter said, looking at Carmina. "Hey captain, you ok you look like you wanna tell us something."
Marcus walked up to the Judge and the younger fighters, licking today's wounds. He smiled to see that they were all ok, more or less, but he kept thinking about telling them that their long-lost comrade was right there with them but he quickly decided that this should be something that should be heard by everyone.
"I'll tell you later. So…do you guys want to stay here for the night?" Marcus asked. "It's kinda late and the roads aren't safe at night."
Hunter shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine with whatever you decide, man,"
"I say stay for the night," Ellie voted.
"I don't care either, I'm fucking exhausted," Carmina said then remembered Marcus's bullet wounds. "Oh man captain, we need to do something about your wounds."
"What?" Marcus questioned but quickly remembered that he was shot repeatedly. "Oh right,"
"Sit down," Carmina ordered. Marcus sat down on the bed then Carmina pulled out a pair of tweezers, a rag, and a bottle of alcohol. "OK, let's get those bullets out of you,"
Marcus sat down on the bed, Carmina then proceeded to remove the bullets and bandage the wounds.
"OK, I'm gonna go to bed now, Hunter wanna share a bed with me?" Carmina offered.
"I-I-I guess," Hunter trailed, he wasn't stuttering, just a little surprised with the offer. Hunter's grown more comfortable with the awkwardness in their relationship but there are still moments where Carmina surprises him.
Everyone turned in for the night, except for the Judge. The Judge sat by the river and just… thinking. Voices were whispering into his head, it was hard to think. The Judge looked around and lowered his hood then removed his mask. He placed his hand in the water and drank out of his hand.
As he sat in silence Jess came into his mind, he remembered a time in the old days when he and Jess would take a break drinking water from a river after a fight or hunting. No matter how hard he tries he can't seem to stop fighting these memories which begs the question: Should he keep resisting these memories or just accept them?
Accepting this would lift a burden off him but he would forgo everything the Father had given him after the bunker. He had a new life but couldn't quite escape the old one. Then again, many parts of that old life were still alive, one of them being his former lover.
He thought back to that time when he fought with Jess. He could've killed her when he had the chance, but he wouldn't go through with it. Maybe it was the shock of seeing her again, or maybe he just didn't want to lose her again. His old self wouldn't allow him to lose anyone else. Perhaps to know for certain, he had to see her again, at least one more time. This was something he could not hide from.
"Jess… I love you," Rook said, then put his mask back on and pulled his hood back up.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sorry it took so long. Writing combat scenes isn't my specialty. If anything doesn't make sense please tell me. I would like to give another shout-out to Fairytail96 for helping me out with this chapter. Finishing the end was very hard so I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense.