As soon as morning came the group left New Eden to go back home to Prosperity. Right now the group was back in the main room discussing their recent mission against the Highwaymen. Needless to say, it was an uphill battle for most of the population of Prosperity. Some of the people living there came from beyond the borders of Hope County, so they had little to no grudge against Joseph Seed and his cult. However, most of Prosperity either was there to see what Eden's Gate had done to the county seventeen years ago, or were raised by the people who were there back then. It was natural for them to react negatively when Marcus, Carmina, and the others returned with not only the Judge but the young man who claims to be Joseph's son.

"You cannot be serious with this! People are already on edge with the Judge but now you bring a Seed into the fold?!" Kim complained.

"It's bad enough that we have to deal with Joseph's bodyguard and a teenage girl, but now Joseph Seed sends his own son here!?" Nick said, incredulously. "I think we've made it clear that we hate the Seed Family!"

"Trust me, I don't like this either," Ethan replied. "My father thinks your… twisted culture can help me purify my soul, which I have a hard time believing."

"Joseph told me that Ethan's soul is tainted and from what I've seen I believe him. Nothing he's tried has helped his son see the light, so he thinks Prosperity might give him a new perspective." Marcus explained.

"So… Joseph wants us to basically… brainwash his son?" Kim questioned.

"In a manner of speaking," Marcus replied.

"You know I'm standing right here," Ethan replied.

Kim shook her head. "You haven't known these people for that long, Captain," she reasoned. "They think the way we live and how we cling onto pre-apocalypse things are the reasons that the world collapsed. They're so afraid to do anything that involves how the world was before the Collapse. You're just wasting all of our time keeping him here, not to mention stressing all of our people out."

"Hey! I may be a Seed but I haven't done anything to your people so don't compare me to Joseph!" Ethan spat.

"Nick, this young man may be Joseph Seed's son but we have no right to treat him like a monster," Jerome spoke up.

"I agree, I don't like Ethan, but he wasn't involved with all that the shit that went down years ago," Hunter added.

"That won't matter, people hate Joseph for what he's done and are more than happy to hurt this kid if it hurts Joseph," Kim explained.

"My father may have done twisted things but it was all for the greater good. You all should never have opposed Eden's Gate, you should have heeded Joseph's warning but you chose to respond with guns and look what happened," Ethan stated.

"Your father was a religious psychopath who murdered and brainwashed our people!" Nick yelled.

"But he was right! You resisted him and you all paid the price!" Ethan spat. "Everything you fought for in your pointless war was for nothing and you ended up getting more people killed than you saved! I wonder if your dead friends would agree but we'll never know since they're dead because of your arrogance!"

Nick has been through a lot in his life, he learned when to keep his cool and to react with feelings. Unfortunately, his patience had run out with Ethan. He lunged forward in an effort to strangle the life out of the Seed son, but Marcus and Pastor Jerome kept him from reaching the young man. "You little fucking pissant! You're a piece of shit, just like your old man! Come here so I can rip your goddamn head off!"

"Try it old man, it may be the last thing you ever do!" Ethan challenged, grabbing the Knife from Hunter's holster.

Just then Hunter got in front of Ethan then pushed him. "Hey man, back the fuck off! You're our guest here and you're acting like a fucking asshole,"

"The same goes for you Nick, back off!" Jerome said.

"I'm merely telling the truth as it is," Ethan said. "The truth hurts doesn't it?"

Marcus couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards Nick and the others of Prosperity. Since he arrived in the county, he learned firsthand how these people suffered during the war with Eden's Gate before the Collapse. The things they described, the scars they showed him. They made it seem like the Highwaymen were child's play.

"That's some big talk from someone who wasn't there," Marcus said, siding with Prosperity. "I can't talk for myself, but these people have lost a whole lot thanks to your people, and that was before the country blew up. It doesn't matter who was right or wrong. He could've brought comfort and peace to this country before the Collapse, but Joseph chose to bring war and pain until there was almost nothing left. So tell me: does being right warrant all of that?"

Ethan said nothing, unsure how to counter that argument. But the fact that this captain was arguing with him when Joseph told him to ease Ethan's soul angered him more so. It seemed like this argument was a loss for Ethan until Hunter spoke up.

"Actually, I… reluctantly agree with Ethan," Hunter admitted shamefully. "I still don't trust him, but he is not wrong."

"As…as do I," Jerome agreed. "I still don't agree with Joseph but we can't deny he was wrong. And I'm not saying that all he and his family had done to this county was justified, but I can't help but think every once in a while what it could've been like if we had taken him a bit more seriously."

"Same here," Grace said, raising an arm up.

Ethan's words were harsh but they were the truth, as much as they hated to admit it. People were surprised that some of their own were agreeing with Ethan. It seemed like this argument would go on but there was so much to discuss.

"Ethan just go outside and wait till we're done with this meeting," Marcus ordered.

"Fine," Ethan growled then walked out of the room but Hunter stopped him.

"First I'll have my knife back," Hunter requested, holding his hand out.

"Oh right," Ethan handed him back his knife then walked out of the room.

"Look there's something else we need to discuss, and it's something you're all gonna wanna hear," Marcus explained.

Nick threw his hands up and shook his head. "I think I heard enough bullshit for one day. I need a drink," he said, tired of the arguing from just earlier.

Marcus put his hand up to try and stop him. "No, Nick, stay here. This isn't something you're gonna wanna miss out on. Trust me," he said, expressing how serious this topic was in his voice.

"No, I don't wanna hear it!"

"Nick, I really think-"

"No, I don't care,"

"Nick-"

"No!"

"I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ROOK!"

As soon as those words left the captain's mouth the entire room fell silent with the people frozen in shock and disbelief at this news. Everyone: Hunter, Nick, Kim, Carmina, Jerome, Grace, Hurk, Sharky, Gina, and Rush all stared at the captain silently, processing the news of this revelation. He said this news would be a surprise but this is a total shock.

For years the Hope County survivors have been asking the question. What happened to Jake Rook? Now the Captain has just told them that he is alive, which is shocking to a lot of them.

The person most shocked by this was Hunter and how could he not be? Rook is his father, his real father. Hunter's already surprised with recently learning that his mom is alive, but now he's learning that his Dad is alive. All this time Hunter believed his father was dead, but hearing that he was alive has shocked him to his core. Both Carmina and Jerome looked at Hunter seeing his shocked face, this was a shock for everyone but for Hunter this was huge.

After a moment of silence following the shock of this revelation, Kim spoke up. "Marcus, what are you talking about? You're saying that you know what happened to the deputy?" she asked, curious but careful not to give in to hope.

"When we went to New Eden I asked Joseph about the fate of your Junior Deputy and he told me that Jake is alive," Marcus explained.

"If this is true, then what happened to him?" Jerome asked, wanting to know the fate of Hunter's father.

"Joseph told me that when the collapse began he and your deputy were trapped together in a bunker. There your Deputy suffered through pain and guilt because of his failures. Joseph tortured the deputy with his own guilt. After a few years, the Deputy struggled with living with all his guilt. Joseph considered killing him as a form of mercy but instead chose to adopt him as a member of his new family. Eventually, he succumbed to Joseph's will and became a devoted follower. When the surface became habitable again Joseph left the bunker to begin rebuilding his family and he went with him." Marcus explained.

The members of Prosperity couldn't believe what they were hearing. They wondered what happened to the Junior Deputy, now they were hearing that he suffered under the hands of Joseph Seed. Not only that but they were now learning that Joseph Seed broke the Deputy and turned him into his servant.

"Look, partner as much as we'd all love to listen to this story, can you please tell us what happened to Rook?!" Nick spat.

"Yeah man, tell us where our Broba Fett is!" Hurk demanded, using a nickname he gave Jake in the Eden's Gate war.

"Yeah, tell us what happened to our bro!" Sharky demanded.

"We have a right to know!" Grace exclaimed.

"Cap, please tell us," Kim begged.

Seeing as how everybody wanted a straight answer he answered by pointing his finger outside where the Judge sat. Everybody froze, it couldn't be possible, could it? No, it couldn't be.

"Cap…are… are you saying?" Kim asked, with hesitation in her tone.

Marcus nodded, "Yes, the Judge is your Deputy friend."

If the people of Prosperity were shocked now then they're more shocked than ever with this revelation. Jake Rook, the Junior Deputy, resistance fighter, their friend, and loved one was also the Judge, Joseph Seed's most devoted follower?

Hunter couldn't believe what he was hearing, the Judge, the man who saved his life, an individual who he looked up to was his father? The young Rook stood paralyzed in disbelief, he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the right words. Instead, the kid just ran out of the room.

"Umm… What the hell's his problem?" Gina asked, confused, that Hunter just ran out in the middle of a meeting.

"I don't know," Kim said, then turned to Jerome. "Is he okay?"

"No, I don't think so," Jerome admitted.

Outside the Judge sat on the grass quietly contemplating, people still stared at him with nervousness. Suddenly he saw Hunter running out of the main building, the Judge got in Hunter's path and raised a hand up stopping the kid. Hunter immediately stopped in front of the Judge and stared at him with a nervous look.

"What's... wrong?" The Judge asked. Normally he wouldn't get involved with the issues the Scavengers have but given his history with Hunter, it felt like a responsibility to help him.

Hunter stared at the Judge with his nervous look, he was still very shocked about the news about him. Hunter wanted to meet his Dad but all this time he's been there and didn't even know it. Now he was looking at him face to face, this didn't seem possible but it was. Hunter attempted to say something to his father, but what could he say to him?

"Umm...I...I… I'm sorry that you couldn't save your friends, and those closest to you," Hunter let out then continued running.

The Judge stared at Hunter with a confused expression as he ran off. "What?"

As he watched the young man run away, he wondered what he meant. Then it hit him and a chill went down his spine. How could he know?

Suddenly the Judge saw Nick, Kim, Grace, Jerome, Hurk, and Sharky coming right toward him. What would all of them be coming toward him for? What would they all need from him?

The group of Hope County natives stopped once they've reached the place where the Judge sat. Jerome looked in Hunter's direction for a few seconds, genuinely concerned with the young man's mental condition. He couldn't imagine how he must be feeling, now that the truth has been revealed. Then, Jerome joined his friends in staring at the masked enforcer for New Eden. He couldn't believe that the man he looked up to at one point, who he considered a true saint during the war with Eden's Gate, could be turned into another one of Joseph's zealous followers. This was proof to him that the Collapse can break even the strongest of wills.

Kim felt like crying at the moment. She feared that if she were to look behind that frightening mask, she would find the face of one of her dearest friends, the one who helped bring Carmina into this world. She refused to believe that the Deputy was gone for good. "Deputy?" she asked. She took a step closer, "Jake? Is that really you?"

The Judge was known for never showing fear in front of anyone, whether the situation was fending off wild animals of the post-apocalyptic terrain or the raids of the Highwaymen. However, this was an exception for obvious reasons. He very noticeably froze at the mention of his name, the name of who he was in the past. He was not sure how to process this.

"Dear Lord," Jerome gasped. "What did Joseph Seed do to you?" To him, it almost seemed unnatural for a man to change so drastically. Then again, this world was much different than the one seventeen years ago.

Suddenly, Kim reached forward slowly, in an effort to grab the mask from the hooded figure. But the Judge only recoiled and moved before Kim could touch him. But Kim was not taking "no" for an answer. She moved closer to him and reached again.

The Judge answered by grabbing her outstretched hand and looking her in the eyes. "Don't…touch me," he warned, not wanting to risk his past self to surface for anyone. "I'm no longer Jake… he's gone… there is only… the Judge."

Nick stepped forward. 'You don't really believe that!" he stated firmly. "None of us believe that! You helped us when we needed you the most, saved so many people! We're all here because of you! My daughter is still here because of you!"

"And here you are, helping us again, in our darkest hour," Jerome added. "You might want to believe you're someone different, but Jake Rook is still in there somewhere." Jerome meant every word, hoping that he was right. He wanted nothing more than to see his dear friend again, but he has seen war and world-ending events. He knows how traumatic events can change a person. He would prefer to see Jake again, but he was still helping him and the people of Hope County, just like before. If Jake was beyond putting aside his Judge persona, then at least he knows that his soul is not beyond the Lord's grace.

The Judge scoffed, then got serious, deciding to speak in his normal tone. "I'm only here under Joseph's orders, I don't care about any of you or what you have to say. I am loyal to the Father, not to this band of sinners. Joseph says you are allies, but if he deems you enemies of New Eden then I will treat you as such. We are not friends, nor will we ever be friends ever again."

After that little outburst, the Judge walked off leaving the Prosperity members hurt and shocked by his words. Part of him felt guilty about saying those things to them but most of him had no hesitation in saying it. They weren't his friends anymore, the only people he needed to protect were the people of New Eden.

"I am not their friend, you are no longer bound to them," The Judge muttered. "We all may have a history together but that's over."

As the Judge left his former friends and family behind, they all had their own views on how to handle this. Nick wanted nothing more than to see his best friend again. He attempted to go after him and force him to show his face again, but Jerome stopped him.

"Nick, don't push him. It isn't going to make things better," Jerome warned.

Nick looked at the old pastor with wide eyes, filled with disbelief. "You're just gonna let this happen?" he asked, doubting Jerome. "He's not thinking straight. Joseph can turn people into mindless believers! We've seen it before!"

"I know!" Jerome exclaimed, slightly losing his temper with Nick, and the bad memories he was bringing up. He always regretted not saving all of those people who became lost in Joseph's lies to the point of no return. Not just the cultists, but the Angels as well. "But we all know that there's no quick way to save someone from the peggies' lies! If there's any chance of him detaching himself from New Eden, then we can't force him out of it. If that happens, then we will definitely lose Jake forever."

This is one of the things that Jerome hated the most: not helping someone in the immediate sense. He didn't want to wait while his friend was divided in such a way, but he knew that this was no ordinary case. All he could do was pray for Jake Rook to come into the light.

Nick was on the fence with Jerome's suggestion to help Rook, but it was Kim who managed to convince him to accept it. She didn't want to agree with Jerome. The Deputy arguably had it worse than anyone thanks to the Seed family and their beliefs. But there wasn't much they could do, themselves. They had to be smart, and her heart couldn't take the loss of anyone else. Not at the hands of the Highwaymen, or of Joseph Seed.

In the old wreckage of the old school bus in front of Prosperity Hunter sat in the end with his face buried in his knees. Carmina found him in almost no time. After all, Hunter is the one who taught her how to track. She sighed when she saw Hunter in such a state. She had the privilege of being around her parents all of her life. Now that Hunter knew his father was alive, though a member of Joseph's cult, she really didn't know how to approach this. But she knew she had to do something. She couldn't let her boyfriend wallow in self-pity forever.

She climbed into the bus and walked carefully to Hunter's spot, hoping not to scare him away or annoy him.

"Hunter, are you okay?" Carmina asked.

"No, Carmina, I'm not okay, nothing about this is okay," Hunter said.

"Hunter, I thought you would be happy about this," Carmina said. "Jake Rook, the Junior Deputy, your Dad, your actual dad is alive!"

"Carmina, this is a lot for me to take in. I've just learned my mom is alive, and now I'm just learning that my dad is alive!" Hunter exclaimed. "This is gonna take me a while to process."

Carmina wanted to say something in response, but she couldn't think of anything at the moment. She just nodded, understanding why Hunter was so distraught. After a few moments of silence, listening to the sounds of nature to calm them both down, Carmina got up on her feet and looked down to Hunter.

"Hunter, get up," Carmina requested, holding a hand out.

Hunter looked at her hand and sighed, reluctantly taking her hand, being helped up.

"Look, I'm here for you," Carmina comforted.

"I know. I should've realized it was him, I've always felt a connection to him, but I still can't believe that the Judge is my father all along," Hunter muttered.

Carmina nodded in understanding. "I know, it's a hard thing to process, it must be harder for you than it is for the rest of us,"

"You have no idea," Hunter murmured. "When I ran out of the room the Judge stopped me and asked what was wrong,"

"Umm… did you say anything to him?" Carmina asked, curiously.

"Not much, I couldn't think of anything to say. There was so much I wanted to say but all I could say was that I was sorry that he couldn't save all of his friends," Hunter explained. "How can I even confront him? I mean I can't just go to him and say, 'Hey Judge, as you know I'm Hunter, but what you don't know is that I'm also your son, and my mom is your lover Jess Black,' I mean I probably could but if I did then he won't believe that… probably,"

"Hunter, don't rush this, if you don't want to confront him about this then you don't have to, just take your time," Carmina advised.

"I will," Hunter nodded,

"We should be getting back or my mom will send someone to look for us," Carmina said.

"Hey Carmina," Hunter called.

Carmina turned back to Hunter. "What?"

"I found something on the island," Hunter admitted. "Something that belonged to my Dad,"

"Really? What is it?" Carmina asked, curiously.

Hunter pulled out one of the badges he got from the truck and showed it to Carmina. "When we were scouting, I found these badges and this one belonged to my Dad,"

Carmina took the old badge from Hunter's hand and looked at it closely. On it read "Hope County Sheriff's Department,"

"Oh my god, these are badges, you found your dad's and the other deputy's badges," Carmina said, surprised.

"I know, I was just as surprised when I found them," Hunter said. Then his thoughts went back to the time right before the Island operation. He thought of when he scavenged the old truck on that island the Judge seemed disturbed at the sight of the old pickup. "I think the Ju- um, my dad is having some conflict inside of himself. Like he's struggling between two different identities."

Carmina looked confused at Hunter's accusation. "You mean he's fighting to decide whether he's Jake Rook or the Judge? Why would you think that?" she asked curiously. She had heard of Rook's legends all of her life, but never anything like this. Then again, she can never forget that the Collapse changed everyone, and not for the better.

Hunter stared off into the forest. "I don't know. There might be a chance that the man who should have been my dad isn't dead. At least, not yet anyway." He looked down at the badge in his hands for a few seconds before turning back to Carmina. "I may never look at him as my Dad, but either way, I just want to at least get to know him."

"So would I, after all, he is my Godfather," Carmina stated.

Hunter chuckled a bit. "Fair enough. I've also been thinking about what you said to me about my mom, and… maybe I should try to find her. But the problem is that I'm not sure I have the strength to confront her, I can't even confront my Dad," Hunter explained.

"Hunter, don't overthink this, you don't have to do this alone, If you ever need me I'll be here for you,"

Just then Ellie came in. "Hey Hunter, are you ok? I was concerned when I saw you run out so I followed you."

"Maybe we should tell her," Carmina suggested, Hunter nodded in agreement.

"Tell me what?" Ellie asked, curiously.

"You probably won't believe it," Hunter said.

Ellie scoffed. "Hunter, I think I've heard plenty of surprising stuff, what you have to say can't possibly surprise me more than the Deputy being the Judge?"

"The Judge is my Dad," Hunter admitted.

Ellie was expecting the answer to be a surprise but this was huge, "Umm… OK, I wasn't expecting to hear that,"

"Yeah, we should probably explain this to you. Sit down, this won't take long, I'll keep it plain and simple." Hunter offered.

"Umm…okay," With that, Ellie sat down to listen to Hunter's explanation.

After a short but informative story, Ellie was left dumbfounded. "Wow, that's… a lot. Your mother was the Huntress, your Father is the Deputy. Now you're learning that they're both alive. I can't imagine what you're going through right now,"

Hunter shook his head. "No, you can't, it's a lot,"

Just then something occurred to Ellie. "Wait, if the Judge is really your father and I'm his adopted daughter, then I guess that technically makes you my brother,"

"Huh… I… I…Ummm… guess it does," Hunter replied.

Upon realizing this Ellie immediately wrapped her arms around Hunter. "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! My prayers have been answered! I've always wanted a brother!"

Well, this was certainly something, Hunter had no idea what to do or say at this moment. Since Ellie is the Judge's adopted daughter and Hunter is his son that does technically make her his sister. Hunter decided to return Ellie's hug wrapping his arms around her. "I guess I should start calling you 'Sis', now,"

Carmina couldn't help but smile at this moment, Hunter has been through a lot with the learning of his parents being alive. But maybe he can find some sense of relief with his new sister. When she was younger, Carmina wished that she had a sister or a brother. Sure, she had Hunter growing up, but it eventually became more than that. They've always been friends rather than siblings. Not that she isn't grateful for that.

"This is sweet," Carmina commented.

"It's something," Hunter muttered, still surprised by this.

"Well, I guess the Rook family welcomes Ellie Rook into the fold," Carmina said.

Hunter frowned at being called Rook and muttered very quietly. "This is awkward,"

"Guys we should really be getting back," Carmina said, "Mom worries a lot,"

"Alright," Hunter understood.

"OK,"

With that, all three of them headed back to Prosperity. Maybe things will get better for Hunter now that he has a step-sister. Nonetheless, this is still surprising.

While everyone in Prosperity was processing the news that Jake Rook, someone was mourning the loss of her beloved Deputy. In a cave hidden in the wilderness, the Huntress resided.

The Huntress sat criss-cross in front of the fire, staring at an old picture of her and her beloved deputy. It's been nearly eighteen years since she's seen her Deputy and not a day goes by that she doesn't miss him.

This particular picture was taken on a day when the two of them were Hunting. The picture was of Jake and her standing over a bear corpse, probably the biggest one she's ever killed. This bear was one of Jacob's failed experiments, and the two of them were tasked with hunting it. For some reason that was a great time, it was one of the moments where Jake and she began to form a genuine connection. As she stared at the faded photograph tears began leaking from her eyes.

"I miss you, Jake," Jess muttered then brought the photo to her chest tightly hugging it as if she were hugging the Deputy. "I love you so much,"

There was a time when nothing would make the feared Huntress shed a single tear, but now it seems like Jess would cry more than she ever did before the collapse. She has more than enough reasons to cry: She lost her lover Jake Rook, lost the Eden's Gate war, but the greatest source of her distress was her son Hunter.

Jess then pulled out a picture that was taken many years ago when she and Jerome were trapped in a bunker together. In the old photo was Jess holding her newborn son, Hunter on her bed. Jerome's the one who took it with an old camera he found in the bunker. Staring at the picture more tears came out from her eyes. Not a day goes by where she doesn't think about him, she thought leaving Hunter was better for him but not so much now.

"My Hunter, my little Hunter, I love you so much. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I never should've left you," Jess said to herself.

She took a couple of minutes to cry her feelings out, as she knew she couldn't keep them bottled any longer. When she was younger, she had been okay with being alone, ever since her parents were mutilated and burned alive in front of her. It was the Deputy that helped her trust in people again. But he is gone now, along with most of the friends she made. Everyone close to her eventually dies or gets an even worse fate. She knew that she couldn't let Hunter go down that road, not if she could help it. It hurts her more every passing day, but letting Jerome raise her son was for the best. If she had stayed, who knows if Hunter would even be alive today, let alone the same person?

She sniffles and puts the photos away, and then pulls out a new picture. Instead of a photograph, this was a handmade drawing of a particular entity. And instead of sadness, anger filled her heart. She looked into the person-like figure in the drawing, no face and only two menacing-looking slits for eyes.

She pulls out her knife and sets the drawing flat on the ground.

"Raagh!" Jess angrily stabbed the drawing of the Judge right between the eyes. "You should've killed me, you son of a bitch, but you didn't. You're hiding something and I'll rip that fuckin' mask off your face to find out what!"

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, this was my favorite of all. Also, I would like to have your votes on something. Should I write a couple of chapters explaining the Judge's origin or just continue with the next chapter?

One more thing I've also been working on improving the earlier chapters of my story to make it better.