A/N: These chapters represent my first attempts at something approaching romance so I'm eager to hear about how this is shaping up from a readers perspective. That said know that this story is rated M and I fully intend to push that rating as far as I feel I can get away with.
Far Cry 5: The Collapse
Chapter 13: High Proof
Joey walked out the front door of the Rook's gun store happier than anyone probably would have given all that had happened in the last week. Roger hadn't just built her a shotgun but had gone to the extra mile to laser engrave his own little message on it as well.
'Little Miss Buckshot' the shotgun's receiver now bore, the name that she had first earned in her first skeet tournament that she had used her father's ancient Ithaca Model 37 to take 1st place and started a lifetime of competitive shooting sports. Soon after she was surprised by Roger dragging out a bunch of body armors and trauma plates.
He cited that if she was to be expecting to join him in the field that he wouldn't allow her to use the relatively light armor that they had back at the Sheriff's Office. So now she had her own high end heavy body armor that resembled the panoply that Roger wore as well, all of it carefully chosen for fit and coverage.
Their morning tasks done they were left with a single question. What do you do in a besieged county, with no outside contact, and under orders to avoid physical strain?
They decided to at least tackle the question over lunch so off the two of them went to the Spread Eagle. They had just walked in when Pastor Jerome was walking towards the door to leave. It was lunch time so the bar was full of Resistance members.
The two men stared at each other for a tense moment as the rest of the bar grew quiet anticipating at least a one sided fist fight or up to a outright execution.
Jerome glanced at Joey before looking back at Roger. "Good to see you again Hudson. We've missed you."
"Thanks." She replied politely giving Roger a sideways glance.
Roger used the lapse in the Pastor's focus to side step the man and move to his usual place at the bar as if nothing was wrong in the world. Jerome stepped back to allow Joey to join him while eying the larger man before turning back to return to his church.
Mary May took their orders and they hunched over the bar speaking in soft tones as the rest of the bar returned to most of its previous volume.
"Well Jerome doesn't seem too quick to speak to you." Joey said just loud enough for Roger to hear over the background noise.
Roger rolled his eyes hard. The Pastor would still be wrestling with his own feelings about what happened for at least another day or two before he would likely want to talk with him.
"No, he isn't and he won't for a day or two. He stuck his neck out and got his head chopped off, losing face and prominence with the community. He is no longer seen as a leader in the eyes of the people thus they look to me for leadership or more realistically my dad while I serve, rightly so I might add as the spear point." He stated as he watched his and Joey's order get handed to Mary May.
Their food in front of them kept them busy as both of their thoughts turned to what to do next when Casey came out of his kitchen to the bar front.
"Hey Roger I heard that the doc planned on putting you in the reserves for a few days is that still true?" He asked.
"Yeah both Joey and I are down for three days at least. Not sure what to do with ourselves in the mean time. You got a problem?" Roger asked noting that Joey and Mary May were now paying attention to the beloved cook.
"Everyone needs a break and with John gone and no signs of counter attack from Jacob and Faith, now is the time to take care of that need. Not to mention today is the traditional date of the Testy Festy..." Casey said before Joey cut in. "I'm not collecting bull testicles for you again Casey not after the requests you had last year."
Roger looked on a bit confused as Casey held up his hands in a defensive manner. "Hey now it's not like I asked you anything that I wouldn't do myself if I had time to do it."
Joey turned exasperatedly to Roger. "He asked me to chop the balls off of a bull while it was fuc... mating with a cow!"
Mary May piped up. "That was a bit over the top Casey."
"Ok maybe but I still got those blue balls in the end and everyone loved them so it was worth asking." Casey continued in his defense.
"Ok so 'collecting balls' is off the list of available services, what do you need done?" Roger said trying to get to the point.
"Ok right, I need someone to grab the Testy Festy trailer from Kenny Hyde at his barn. All you have to do is hook it up to your truck and bring it to the baseball field. I'll let Kenny know that he will have to do the hook up to spare you the effort if you think that will keep Doc Ferguson happy." Casey said smiling happy to finally get his request out.
Roger turned to Joey. "Well it will kill time and help the community. Besides the Sheriff did say I would be doing 'outreach' tasks so I say three birds with one stone... or bull testicle."
The rounds of laughter were a welcome sound as Joey nodded and the two deputies left to their task. Once in the truck Roger just had to ask the burning question.
"Did Casey really ask you to chop a bulls balls off while he was busy?" He asked starting the truck.
Joey only slowly nodded looking ahead with a almost shell shocked look. "He also asked to get the balls off of a bull that had managed to get a bunch of gasoline on itself and then lit itself on fire when it came in contact with a poorly wired up electric fence. Then there was the bull that had been accidentally rammed by a tractor that I had to collect, all in all I'm not volunteering for that again. Ever."
On that note the two of them drive through the now much quieter countryside. The billboards that once bore John's face were now being torn down by various groups of Resistance fighters and more peggie bodies were now being mounted after being off loaded from nearly overloaded pickup trucks.
Joey looked at the scene as they drove. They had already passed dozens of such bodies when they drove to her house and to the Clinic but it was something else to watch them be mounted.
"So Roger what is with all the impaled bodies? Is that you or your Dad's work?" She asked.
"It's mine. When John still controlled the area I mounted the bodies to show the cult that they could be killed en mass. After a while everyone else started doing it as well sometimes even getting rather creative with the poses if you get a chance to drive past Rye and Son's. Kim has a interesting sense of humor lets say." Roger said shifting his attention back to the road.
'Well he did say in his commercial that he would 'line the roads to Eden's Gate with their corpses' and Roger is if nothing else a man of his word.' She thought.
They soon found themselves in front of the old Hyde Barn. The grey sided and faded reddish roof barn had been a remaining oddity for decades as the actual Hyde farm and ranch were many miles away. So the old disused barn had become a popular junkyard for old cars and a quiet out of the way hang out for the local youth and whatever equipment the Hydes decided to drag all the way from their normal holdings.
The current owner Kenny Hyde was out front with a bolt action deer rifle shooting at a trio of circling vultures cursing audibly.
The two deputies climbed out of the 6x6 and approached with some caution as spooking angry farmers with rifles could very quickly turn dangerous even in the odd situation that the county currently found itself in.
"Mr. Hyde! Casey sent us to pick up something from you." Joey said her hand on her hip but not quite on her sidearm's holster.
The flannel clad farmer turned to them lowering his rifle as he did and wiped the sweat off his brow with the edge of his truckers cap.
"Oh Deputies, nice of you help with the Testy Festy. I got the trailer in the barn all ready to go but uh... we have a minor problem to deal with first." He said trying to advert eye contact.
"I take it that it has something to do with your attempts to shoot down the vultures above us. Yes?" Roger said looking up.
"Kenny you're lucky that you are shooting to the south otherwise you would be hitting my house, you know that right?" Joey added as she took her shotgun in hand figuring what might be going on. "So you need these birds dead, Why?" She asked.
Kenny hemmed and hawed for a moment for spilling everything. "Don't go spreading this around but right after I locked up the barn one of these damn vultures dove on me and grabbed the keys out of my hand. Since then they have hung around taunting me since I don't have a shotgun on me and I'm not going to loose sight of them by leaving to get the right gun lest they disappear on me. Can you guys help? I'll admit though if you want the trailer you kinda are obligated..."
Joey held up her hand to stop the man. "Yeah we figured that much... let me grab some birdshot from my bag." She said walking back to the truck.
Kenny looked at the massive lawman for a moment before speaking again. "You guys aren't going to spread this around are you? I'll never live it down..."
"I'll keep quiet Kenny just next time pay more attention to your surroundings. Besides shooting a rifle high into the air and all the dangers that presents if instead you got jumped by a peggie instead of a bunch of vultures we wouldn't be having this conversation. Hell if you look across the river you can see the boat the peggies used to try and break into Hudson's place." Roger said grilling the man lightly.
Admonished Kenny didn't say anything as Joey came back with a box of birdshot rounds. She looked up at the birds trying to figure out which one had the keys until her eyes were drawn to a glint of metal in the talons of one of the birds.
With practiced hands she engaged the magazine cut off on her new gun and manually ejected the buckshot load she had in the chamber, casually catching it and tossing it to Roger to hold as she loaded the birdshot.
"$100 bucks says she makes it in the first shot." Roger said to Kenny.
The farmer harrumphed and smiled. "Ok Deputy you're on."
'One has a bit too much faith and another has too much doubt.' Joey thought as she cleared her head and watched the bird she had to take down circle overhead.
'Shooter ready...'
It was overkill in the extreme given the range but out of habit she mentally took stock of not just simply the distance and weight of her gun, but the cool gentle breeze blowing off of the nearby river and the afternoon sun now well on its start towards the horizon. All the little things that might effect her shot.
'PULL!'
She snapped the gun to her shoulder and was instantly on the iron sights just a touch ahead of the offending vulture's head. The following thump and roar of her gun joined with the sweet smell of a spent hull. It never failed to bring a smile to her face as she saw the vulture fall headless from the sky.
Kenny walked over to the dead bird and recovered his keys and held up the bloody and headless bird.
"How the hell..." the farmer started.
Roger only smiled. "I do believe you owe me $100 bucks Kenny."
Kenny walked over to the barn with his keys in hand and unlocked the large doors before fishing out his wallet and handing Roger a pair of $50 bills.
"Ok we're settled now lets bring your truck around and get you folks hitched. Before I loose something else beside my pride and cash." Kenny said slightly annoyed at his continued misfortune.
After some time they had the official Testy Festy kitchen trailer hooked up to the vastly larger truck and were on their way. As they drove Roger reached in to the pocket with his winnings and fished out one of the bills.
"You did the work so you get a cut Joey." He said with a sideways smile.
Joey happily took the money and pocketed it. "I wish the competitions paid out like you do Roger, then maybe I would have been able to shoot through college instead of strip."
It took a moment but finally the last sentence donned on him. "Wait you were a stripper? When did this happen again?"
"Well after the economy crashed in '09 the gas and oil industry wasn't hiring many greenhorn Geologists so my job prospects weren't looking so hot. So one day between classes I saw a banner advertising UM's Criminal Justice courses, and later that night I gave it some thought and decided to follow where the work appeared to be. It meant that I was giving up my scholarship but... it felt right. Even had one of professors teaching in the course recognize my name and ask about Dad." She said looking back at that time in her life briefly before continuing.
"At first I tried to get by with my job working a gun counter at Cabela's but while the pay was actually ok if a bit tight the hours weren't at all compatible. So I took up a job at the campus Starbucks. The pay sucked, the customers sucked, and most of my coworkers were a bunch of airheads that could barely keep the equipment clean let alone work it. I at least got a major discount on my tuition since somehow I counted as a campus employee at least until the robbery."
"Robbery?" He asked.
"Yeah one day this kinda awkward and mildly creepy Turkish foreign exchange student who had been becoming a regular at the shop one day came in with some brand new Kel-Tec .22 pistol the big one in .22WMR." Joey went on.
"Yeah the PMR30. Some of the guys I worked with thought it would make a good quiet anti-guard dog gun. Never thought much of it myself." He commented.
Joey looked at her friend and laughed softly. "Roger nothing smaller than light artillery gets your attention unless it has some historical significance. I mean how many Luger variants do you have?"
"Uh... well... ok yes I have a few... dozen." Roger muttered as Joey continued with her story.
"So this guy was holding up the store and we were following the protocol of give the guy whatever he wanted when a security guard happened to come in. The Turk turned and shot him seven times thankfully though his concealed vest stopped them all but it knocked the wind out him. This made the girl working the register lose it and start screaming and the guy turned and put the gun to her head to get her to calm down, needless to say that didn't work. So I watched him pull the trigger..." Joey trailed off as she dealt with the mental imagery.
"Never in my life was I ever more grateful for cheap rimfire ammo and poor quality control. The gun didn't go off so I took my chance and tossed a pot of black coffee at his face. His ski mask that he was wearing soaked up the coffee and held it there making him scream a lot and kinda just lock up in pain, I then shoved my coworker aside, grabbed the robbers head and proceeded to slam his head repeatedly into the counter. The cops and security showed up five minutes later and took off his mask and boy was his face just a wreck of burned and smashed flesh and bone."
"I can picture that pretty clearly." He said thinking back to the one or two times that he had weaponized hot motor oil out in the field.
"Yeah the school had mixed feelings about the whole thing. On one hand the girl at the register was the youngest daughter of one school admins big wigs and she was gushing about how brave I was on social media, so the back lash of ejecting me from the school would be too high a price to pay. On the other hand they didn't want to encourage what I did and they had to do something. So they paid me two years salary towards my tuition as thanks for saving my coworker but I had to voluntarily leave my campus job." She finished.
"Sounds like you got caught in a mountain of bullshit. But I guess you knew that and wanted to move on so long as you could stay in school, but again where did you go from heroic Barista welding Foldgers and fist to a 'exotic dancer'?" He asked hoping for more of the story.
Joey openly laughed at her previous job description and continued to the last act of her story. "Well I started looking for nearby jobs and there was a opening for a bartender at the Iron Flagpole Gentleman's Club. It was close to the campus, the hours were good, and more importantly the pay was almost as much as I made at Cabela's. Well I land the job and it was working well for me. Then one day before the club opened I was talking with a few of the girls and they get me to try and dance up on stage just for fun and apparently they thought I had potential. So fast forward a few weeks and the club owner watches me and she likes the progress that I made and offered to let me dance for real."
"So comes the all important questions: 'Did you like dancing?' and 'Were you good at it?'" Roger said as they finally came within view of the baseball field.
Joey was quiet for a moment. "Yes and hell yes. Roger I made $5000 my first night and averaged between $2000 to $4000 most nights in tips, even more around the holidays. I was tempted to stick around after I graduated but something in the back of my head made me want to stick with my law enforcement career. I'm not embarrassed or ashamed of my former job, which by the way John tried to use against me."
Roger scoffed. "Figures."
"Yeah tried to guilt trip me with mentioning how my mother must have felt knowing her 'little girl' had to become a stripper to pay for college." Joey said as she mimicked John as best as she could.
"What did your mom say about it assuming you did tell her?" He inquired.
"Of course I told her and then I told her how much I was making and any doubts about my choice in job disappeared. She was actually proud of me for taking responsibility for paying my own way instead of coming to her even if she would have gladly paid for my schooling." Joey said with a smile on her face.
Now at the baseball field they unhooked the trailer and returned to the Spread Eagle to kill the few hours left before the big event mostly talking more about Joey's various adventures as a dancer in between cleaning their guns. For Roger it was good to sit down and hear what his best friend had gotten up to compared to the black hole that made up the same few years of his military career, it reminded him of just how easy it was to be with Joey.
She was honest about her choices and actions which was something he had long since admired and missed in his own adventures before coming home.
The Testy Festy was a long running tradition for Hope County and while this year's event was far smaller than it had ever been and there was a lot of focus on having enough 'designated drivers and shooters' who got to wear bright yellow ribbon sashes that one of the local seamstresses had made for the purpose. The celebration was the morale booster that everyone was hoping for.
Marcus and Mary May were the ones handing out the sashes when the two deputies came for their own sashes.
"Don't even ask you two. Doc says no combat and you both deserve some time off for a change. Go ahead and turn in your guns and I'll see them returned to you in the morning at breakfast. Marcus said as they approached.
"Dad, were the only local law enforce..." Roger started to say but his father cut him off hard.
"Don't 'Dad' me. Right now we're not exactly operating under the normal structures of government and law enforcement as you full well know so your positions doesn't mean what it used to. So you two go grab some drinks and have some actual fun for a change. That's a order Major." The older Rook said putting a hard end cap on the conversation.
So now disarmed and even taking their body armor the two of them walked through the warm inviting glow of stringed lights to grab their paper plates and join the lines that had formed for Casey and several other cooks various twists on the usual deep fried testicle dish. Even as they sat down to eat Roger noted that even Jerome had crawled out of his church at least long enough for him to get a few sets of balls and a pair of beers before walking back to his church.
"Roger don't feel bad for Jerome. I know you don't like having to put him in his place but given everything that I have seen now and everything that I had been told up to this point, if Jerome was calling the shots instead of you I could very well be still in John's bunker along with a lot more people." Joey said as she downed another shot of whiskey.
Roger looked at his friend. He knew she was right but whatever anger he had felt towards the man even just a few hours ago was fading fast. He had long ago as a boy learned that staying angry rarely worked and that his energy was better spent adapting to the inconvenience that had set him off in the first place.
They had lost their means of communicating with the outside world due to Jerome's actions so he moved on to plan B of just assaulting Faith's region as quickly as he could. So long as the pastor stayed out of the way for the length of the war he could likely forgive the man even.
"Roger you are thinking too hard again." Joey said tapping his half eaten plate of testicles.
"Sorry Joey, believe it or not I still don't 'shut down' easily. Between Jerome, the nukes, the wider war, and... one or two other things. I got a lot on my mind." He said as he reached for his own whiskey. The smooth slight burn reminding him that he didn't often get to sample the his preferred spirit.
Joey was about to say something when one of the cooks for the event approached their table with two pint size mason jars of clear liquid.
"Deputy Rook. I wanted to thank you for freeing us from John's grasp. He cost me my brother and his entire family and my wife was one of the few survivors from his bunker. I don't have much to give but I still have my more or less legal moon shine. Please take this as a simple token of my thanks." The cook said as he set the two jars on the table.
"Thank you sir, I hope that your wife will recover quickly. John's folks weren't gentle with anyone in that hole." He replied as the cook nodded and returned to his station.
He opened the jar and the smell of ultra high proof alcohol hit his nose. "Wow! Haven't had anything this strong since I tried Raksi while I was in Kyrat."
Joey eyed the other jar curiously to which Roger responded. "Joey while the guy didn't say it directly I think that jar is for you."
"You're sure you're ok with sharing your gift?" She said as she took the jar in hand and ran a finger around the lid. She had always enjoyed her strong spirits and was a decent drink mixer from her bar tending days. Legalities aside she always enjoyed good moonshine.
He laughed loudly and honestly for the first time that evening. "Joey even I don't think I could drink both of these jars tonight and not black out. So lets go ahead and share in this and I'll do my best to try and relax."
The two friends had another laugh and clinked their jars together. "To dead cultists." He said to which Joey replied. "And to future book and movie deals about all this."
He drank deep and the high powered rocket fuel of a drink hit him with an aggressive fiery bite. Looking around he saw Dmitri with his parents trying for the first time the local delicacy much to the entertainment of those around him.
Mary May was ever the bartender and was reloading the stock tanks of bottled beer with ice and sometimes walking among the tables and replacing the spent liquor bottles.
In all... things almost felt normal.
From somewhere behind them they heard someone call out that they were looking for competitors for the sling shot competition. Joey's eyes lit up or maybe it was the moonshine, but Roger had heard the call as well and memories of the terror that a much younger version of him caused with those sling shots at every past Testy Festy came roaring back to him.
"Well Joey time to see if I still know how to work a sling shot." He said as he stood up will only the slightest of wobbles from his drinks. He grabbed his moonshine wanting not to waste such a thing.
"Hey wait up Roger! You're not going to threaten the crown I have worn since I came home. Not without me fighting for it at least!" Joey said as she stood up with a noticeable touch more of wobble in her step but still brought her own jar of moonshine.
Without thinking he offered his arm and the support it would give Joey to which she quickly grabbed on.
By the time they had made it across the baseball diamond to where the sling shot competition was set up both of them having had drank half of their share of the high proof drink.
"Hey you two glad to see that you showed up for the sling shot challenge!" Nick Rye said as they approached. Nick was wearing the yellow sash of a designated driver as was Kim who was sitting nearby looking as if she mere days away from delivering.
"Roger you remember how this goes right? You take a shot of whiskey then you have nine clusters of ten balloons to take down in the shortest amount of time. Also if you even look like you are going to hit someone with the sling shot we will taser you before we tell you to stop. Understand?" Kim said from her chair.
He and Joey nodded and separated to one of the four lanes that had been set up. A pair of locals took their positions.
"Hope you don't mind I brought something a bit stronger Kim!" Roger said holding up his jar.
"You still need to take the normal shot Rook. You too Hudson!" Kim replied happily then started the competition. "Shooters! Take your drinks!"
All four of the would be 'shooters' took their shots of whiskey and both Deputies followed up with chugging the latter half of their moonshine.
"SHOOTERS OPEN FIRE!" Kim belted out and soon the air was full of the whistling of pebbles and popping of balloons.
The two locals where focusing too much on rate of fire and hadn't quite realized that their shots were at times falling short of the target clusters. Rodger was moving around with in the confines of his shooting position lining up multiple targets with powerful and accurate fire.
Joey was firing faster than Roger but slower and more accurately than the other two shooters. Every round hitting its mark and shredding the inflatable menace.
The two locals soon ran out of ammo with only the closest targets taken down effectively locking them in the lower placements. The two deputies were neck and neck until Joey's second to last shot cut a balloon off sending it floating off instead of popping. That balloon would count against her so even as it floated off ever higher into the night sky, Joey showed off her aerial marksmanship and managed to pop the escaping balloon.
The precious second that it took to change targets had given Roger the hair breath edge to pop his last target just before Joey had launched her last shot.
"Rook takes first place and Hudson takes second place by a hair and a trick shot!" Kim announced and the crowd exploded in cheers and hollering.
Roger walked over to Joey and embraced her warmly as Mary May came by with a camera and Kim in tow waddling over to them with the small trophy that lived at the Spread Eagle along side the engraved list of past winners.
The two sling shot shooters handed over their weapons and slowly made their way back to their table. They stayed there snacking on remaining testicles and the odd shot of whiskey until Casey climbed up on a table and made a big speech thanking everyone for keeping the heart and soul of Fall's End alive by partaking in the Festy in defiance of the cult.
"Before we break for the night I have a message for our hero Deputies Roger and Joey. I know you said you would never collect testicles for me again but if you bring me Joseph's pair assuming he even has some I will gladly fry them up and let Boomer eat them!" Casey finished.
Boomer barked loudly hearing the name of Joseph and wagged his tail aggressively before joining Mary May once more.
"I'll see what we can do Casey." Roger replied to the cook before joining the crowd that was staggering back towards town.
Once more he and Joey were arm in arm with mostly Joey using him as a support.
"It's been a while since I had that much fun. With or without clothes on at least." Joey said her words slurring a bit. Roger laughed.
"Yeah... same here. Last time I partied like that I woke up in bed with two naked Kyrati girls. Lots of fun in between the hostile local wildlife and remnant parts of the former dictators army." He said thinking back.
Joey nearly fell into a unseen prairie dog hole but Roger quickly caught her from falling and instead swung her into a wedding carry.
"I can still walk Roger." She said even as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"But I can walk straighter... mostly." He said as he managed to jump over a drainage ditch without losing what balance he still had. Now walking on the street required even less effort for him to walk to the point he felt like he was floating towards the Spread Eagle.
Meanwhile Joey relaxed in the strong grip of her friend and the warmth of the alcohol in her system. Soon they marched through the door of the bar and still Roger didn't put her down even as he slowly and carefully ascended the stairs to their room.
Finally within their dark moon lit room Roger gently set her down on her less than steady legs. She latched on to his shirt to both support her and to keep Roger from moving away.
Roger felt Joey latch on to his shirt and he in turned put his hands on her waist. The moonlight danced across her face and her green eyes shown like the finest emeralds in the dark.
He didn't know if it was him that moved first or Joey but all his alcohol loaded mind could tell for sure was the softness of Joey's lips on his own and the slow fumbling of her hands and his at shirt buttons.
At some point he felt the cool air of the room as his uniform shirt was taken off and the black undershirt followed. Again their lips met. The smells of alcohol, burnt gunpowder, and sweat created a headiness that carried both old lovers to the bed.
At some point Joey's shirts and bra joined his on the floor as Roger sat on the bed, his powerful hands pulling Joey to sit on his lap as his lips slowly worked down her face to her neck and aimed to keep working south to her now bared breasts. She gasped and moaned loudly as she felt old long untouched nerves be reignited once more.
Rogers sense of balance was finally starting to fail outright as the moonshine ran its course even through his massive chassis as he fell back across the bed vision swimming and struggling to focus let alone stay open.
Joey was in similarly poor shape even as her body sang and screamed for the long forgotten attention to continue and she to fell forward on top of the giant. The warmth radiating from the muscular chest she now pressed against started working its magic on her as the fires of lust became a overwhelming desire to find comfort and sleep.
Still she brought her lips to Rogers own once more. "I missed this." She whispered.
"Me too Joey." Roger replied fighting to stay awake now with the soft warm body atop his own. His hands gripped Joey's hips and fingers squeezed to find purchase on her firm ass through her jeans locking the two of them together.
The three most powerful and dangerous words that struggled to float to their either of their lips died instead as their bodies finally succumbed to the alcohol and the desire for sleep.
The first rays of day light hammered Joey's hung over mind as she started waking up against every fiber of her body wanting to say and do otherwise.
'Oh God please just turn off the sun please.' She thought as she rested her head on her nice warm... breathing... heart beating... pillow.
Her eyes shot open and started grappling with where she was and what was she sleeping on.
'Ok I'm against Rogers chest at the Spread Eagle and I'm missing my top... oh God what happened last night?!' She thought as she now sat upright causing her head to pound massively.
Rogers wake up call was much less gradual as he felt a considerable weight land on his crotch. His eyes painfully shot open and he had to wonder for a moment if he was really awake as he was greeted to the sight of a topless Joey on top of him holding her head as she adjusted to her hung over state.
'If I am dreaming or dead then this is hardly the worst thing I could even begin to hope to see.' He thought as Joey finally adjusted and made eye contact with the now awakened Roger.
"Uh... morning... Roger. Guess we... kinda." She struggled to say until he offered a suitable finish. "Had a little too much fun?" He said his eyes bouncing between Joey's eyes and her bared breasts.
"Yeah... yeah... lets go with that. So can you let go of my ass please?" She joked her head still pounding.
Roger realized where his hands were and released Joey leaving her to try and get up off of the bed only to give up and roll to the side so she now laid beside Roger.
'We need to talk... later.' They both thought.
Roger wasn't quite as hung over and after a few minutes of comfortable silence with Joey beside him, he was the first to try again at standing. With great difficulty he got to his feet started looking for his shirts.
"Hang overs and awkward sleeping arrangements aside. Last night was fun." Joey said as she sat up enough to watch her friend get dressed.
"Yes. Yes it was." He said as now redressed left to give Joey her privacy. Before he left he just had to get something off of his chest. "Joey?"
"Yeah Roger?" She replied worrying about what was about to be said.
"Just wanted to let you know that you're still beautiful and I like the extra muscle you've put on." He complemented as he walked out of the room.
Roger sat at his usual spot at the bar eyes shut and quietly trying to put himself back together. It wasn't often that he drank heavily or at least heavily enough to make him feel as hung over as he was now. Still his thoughts wondered to Joey as his mind remembered the events of last night
'A little too much fun last night indeed. But what fun it was. Still Joey and I got to talk about us and figure out just what are we. Good God I'm not looking forward to it.' He thought but the ever encroaching voice at the back of his head pushed him on.
'You can have this. You still love her and no matter what happens with the cult, the government, the agency, or even the Army. That one fact isn't going to change and if I had to give up everything I love now to stay with her then wouldn't that be a worth while sacrifice on my part?'
Such thoughts he knew weren't the best thing to be thinking on anything less than a fully functional and non hung over mind so once more he mentally filed the argument away just as a Mary May and a freshly showered Joey came down the stairs.
"Morning Roger. Got to say thanks for you and Joey's help with the Testy Festy last night. So what do you two have planned for today?" Mary May asked obviously far less hung over than either Deputy were.
He shrugged. "Don't know to be honest. I'll probably will start picking through John's armory and seeing if there is anything interesting that I can salvage. Dad said there were a lot of exotic looking stuff that isn't fit to be handed out unless absolutely necessary."
Mary May brought out three mugs of strong black coffee and set one before either Deputy. "So what do you mean by 'exotic looking stuff'?" the bartender asked in between sips of coffee.
Roger smiled, talking about old historic guns was one of his oldest hobbies and he always enjoyed sharing what he knew. "Well from what Dad mentioned we got a lot of early submachine guns: MP-18's, -28's, and 34's along with various French and Chinese knock offs just to name a few. We also know we got a lot of lever guns not sure though if they are all rifles or if there are some shotguns thrown in. Then apparently we got a lot of Czech, Yugo, Greek, and other minor nations guns to dig through also. Just about a full selection of WWII era Russian and German surplus with a dash of Italian surplus as well and that's not touching all the really old stuff, Pre-WWI and the like."
Joey scoffed. "Don't know what Joseph was thinking just grabbing anything that went bang. How the hell are you supposed to maintain and feed dozens and dozens of different guns? The ammo alone is making my head hurt."
"That or its the moonshine you guys hammered back last night." Mary May quipped drawing a laugh from everyone.
Not long after Casey arrived and started breakfast for the various Resistance members that were slowly streaming in. Then their radio's crackled to life.
"Anyone copy? This is hunting party 12, we need help at the Basáxe Marsh! The cult has some kind of experiment gone wrong out here! Some kind of goddamned blood thirsty moose. It ate everyone in my party and I'm hurt pretty bad too. We got to stop this thing before it decides to move north to the farmsteads." A panicked mans voice called out over the radio.
Joey could see the gears turning in Rogers head already. A call had been made and if that thing was dangerous enough to take down an entire team of people then it was dangerous enough to warrant his consideration.
Roger stared at his mug of coffee before guzzling it down. He stood up and turned to his father. "Dad, I need my guns. Anyone else wish to volunteer to join me in hunting this monster of a moose?"
Most of the fighters grumbled among themselves. To be honest they were willing but none gathered there had anything heavier on them besides their AR-15's which was to say the least ill advised to hunt normal moose with let alone something that apparently much tougher.
"I will go with you brother." Dmitri said walking up to the giant lawman. "Let me grab my long rifle and I will wait for you at your truck."
Roger clasped the man on the shoulder in thanks. Boomer took one look at Mary May before walking up and pawing at Rogers leg.
"Well boy you'd certainly be useful on this trip. Is it ok if he comes with me Mary May?" Roger asked looking back at the bartender.
"Just make sure you bring him back alive Roger. I'd miss him something fierce if I lost him now." She replied.
"Hey Marcus I'll need my guns as well." Joey called out as she looked back at Roger. "Can't let you go hunting alone Roger." Joey said smiling.
Marcus looked on before sighing and holding his hands up. "Ok the Doc wouldn't approve but if we are loosing people then this is serious enough to send you out regardless. Just stay safe... all of you." He then got up and walked off towards the general store with the Deputies and Boomer in tow.
Now rearmed and armored the group walked to Rogers truck where Dmitri sat on the front tire now dressed in a woodland Mossy Oak T-shirt in addition to his usual wardrobe. In hand he had his SVDM while his AKSU was strapped to his back.
"So you two ready to 'Hunt Moose and Squirrel'?" The Russian said jokingly.
"Yes, Boris. Fearless leader has brought his biggest moose gun with him even!" Joey mocked doing her best Natasha impression complete with 'Femme fatal' gaze towards Roger.
Roger laughed hard, happy to see everyone in good spirits at least before he broke down his plan. "Ok so here's my current plan, we will see if that Peggie gun boat is still at your place Joey and if so we'll take it to the marsh. Else we will need to head to the dock near Kellet Cattle. After that hopefully we will meet up with the guy that made the call and figure out what exactly are we dealing with."
No one gathered had issue with the plan such as it was and with Boomer riding in the bed the three fighters piled into the cab.
The drive to Joey's home revealed that the peggie gun boat was still beached were the cultists had left it and with a quick application of some black spray paint yanked from Joey's garage all the heretical crosses on the boat were quickly covered over lest they get misidentified as a hostile boat by any of the local resistance river patrols.
It was just past noon as they approached the mist covered marsh which was odd given the time of day.
"This doesn't feel right Roger." Dmitri said tightening his grip on his rifle. He had spent enough time hunting for the cult to know that by midday even the most sheltered areas in the valley had the typical morning fog cleared away. Even Boomer sniffed the air cautiously as he tried to find their prey.
Joey grabbed her radio. "Hunting party 12 this is Deputy Hudson we are near the marsh please respond."
The call was met with silence even as they sailed into the marsh proper. Joey tried again this time getting some static and some random clicks back but nothing that they could know for sure was meaningful.
They finally came to the swallows and saw the Resistance boat on the beach along side various empty plastic barrels of Bliss.
'Well so much for limiting my exposure to more Bliss' thought Roger though Joey was the first to voice her concerns.
"Roger you of all people shouldn't go into that. Hell I'll bet all this mist is one big Bliss cloud. We should..." She started to say until a mans screams came from in front of them out in the mist.
"Well we are already here and that hunter needs help. Let's go folks." Roger ordered and the three hunters jumped off of the boat with Boomer quickly racing ahead taking point.
They came across the first body of one of the hunters. It had been trampled and partially chewed at by something and his AR laid at his side empty with dozens of spent casings and two more empty mags around his body.
They pressed on and found two more bodies all in a similar state to the first when they heard the deep staccato of a machine gun even further ahead along side with a desperate sounding man yelling.
They came to a large clearing around a small rocky mound where the mist was far thinner. The last hunter was propped up against the rocky bleeding heavily.
"Watch out! Its in the mist! The red eyes! Oh god THE RED EYES!" The hunter screamed. From the right of the group the sound of something heavy moving through the water and tall grass could be heard.
The creature that emerged from the mist was some kind of hellish grey-white nightmare of a bull moose. It stood at least a foot taller and far broader built than its mortal brethren with bright red eyes that literally glowed with hate even through the thick surrounding mist.
The wounded hunter brought the M60 he welded to bear in a last desperate attempt to kill the creature but even has the bullets hit their mark they had little effect on the charging beast.
The three fighters brought their own guns to bear as full power rifle rounds and shotgun slugs tore into the beasts seemingly softer flanks. But alas the moose was still focused on its already wounded victim and crushed and gorged him against the rock before opening its massive maul of a mouth.
Never in all the years of hunting the local wildlife of Hope County had either Roger or Joey seen a moose eat meat but this true abomination to nature was tearing into the hunter's chest with gusto to the sound of crunching bone and the mans last cries even as his gun ran dry .
"Split up and don't loose sight of that thing!" Roger yelled as he swapped his HCAR for his Barrett. Joey too switched to her Beowulf.
The movement and the impact of more powerful bullets confused the beast as it tried to decide which way to charge first finally deciding to go for Joey. She sprinted towards the central rock hoping that it would provide enough of a obstruction that the massive moose would either choose to go around or try to climb up and over the rock buying her precious seconds to get away while making sure that it didn't disappear into the mist.
"Guys! Kill this thing quick I can't keep moving like this forever!" She yelled as she kept firing and side stepping around the rock.
The moose roared in anger as the numerous bullet impacts it had taken that day finally were draining off its strength. Rogers explosive ammo especially was tearing away chunks of flesh and fat leaving only bare exposed bone for one of the others guns to punch through and cause meaningful internal damage.
Again and again it tried to circle around the rock to attack Joey with its antlers but the woman was too quick. Then came the head shot.
Roger had loaded yet another fresh magazine of .50 cal APIE, his fifth of the engagement and took aim once more and finally got the clear head shot that he had been looking for as the moose stopped thrashing its head long enough for him to draw a bead on it.
The 725 grain round managed to punch through the hardened skull of the beast, driving its way in just before detonating inside the brain cavity. The explosion blew off the right half of the skull and took the right antler off leaving the beast roaring and thrashing in pain now unable to focus on anything else.
The three fighters closed on the moose as it finally fell thrashing as it took round after round into its weakened body until finally it died in a massive pool of greenish tinted blood that was turning the surrounding grass and marsh water a similar color.
Dmitri was the first to speak. "What. In. The. Name. Of God... was that... thing!?" He said in disbelief as he swapped in another magazine for his Dragunov.
Roger bent down and drew his knife and started cutting at the creature's hide at the front and side of the chest peeling it back to reveal the bone underneath. What he found explained in some small way the durability of the moose.
"This things rib cage is way over grown. Its now a bunch of overlapping bony plates, probably about a inch or more in thickness by my guess. Combined with how much muscle mass is on this guy all the usual places you would try to put a round through are protected." He said.
"Then you got the Bliss's pain reduction factor to throw in. What the fuck is the cult doing with these sorts of experiments?" Joey added.
"I have no idea Joey. No idea at all, but I'll bet that Faith's people are at the heart of these sorts of experiments. After all if this stuff can do this to a moose what can it do when properly applied to a human?"
That was a terrifying thought to say the least. A human with natural body armor and massive strength to boot, it was the stuff of science fiction and video games but if the cult could build a nuke what could they not make?
Roger called his father over the radio and reported on the development as Dmitri gathered weapons and ammo to take back with them. Joey reloaded her shotgun and went to find Boomer who had disappeared sometime during the battle.
"Boomer! Come here boy!" She called into the mist and soon she could hear the dog racing through the grass to her.
"Woof! Woof!" barked Boomer as he raced out of the grass and circled around Joey and pushed her gently in the direction he had come from.
"You find something boy?" She said as she knelt to pat the dog.
"Woof!" was the reply she got.
"Now I see why Roger tends to work with people only. Still good job boy." She said as she gave Boomer a well deserved head scratch.
Roger walked over to Joey. "Dad is going to send in a team for the bodies so they can be buried properly so we are free to leave."
Boomer now again went around Rogers leg and tried to push him towards the place where he had come from.
"Boomers found something hasn't he?" He said and Joey nodded in return.
Signaling for Dmitri to join them the three of them followed Boomer as he traced a path deeper south towards the foot of the mountains at the marshes edge. Finally they came across what Boomer had found.
It was another clearing not unlike the one that they had just fought the moose in only this one had a large green shipping container that was well covered by a camo net that had tuffs of swamp grass added for further concealment.
All around dead peggies in dark green coveralls that all bore a strange variant of the cult cross that had four angel wings added around the cross. Judging by the condition of the bodies they had all been attacked by the killer moose themselves some time ago.
The shipping container was open and it looked like as if it had already been partially cleared out by someone. Still various boxes of shelf stable food and rifle ammo lined the walls followed by well used sleeping bags, then on the far back wall were dozens of long wooden crates in a number of languages.
"This must be a supply cache or outpost for Joseph's anti-air forces." Roger said as he opened one crate.
"Strela or at least one variant. I'll bet they have a few other types of AA missiles either to make sure they can shoot down anything regardless of countermeasures or more likely whatever they could get their hands on." Dmitri said looking over Roger's shoulder into the crate.
"Found a note." Joey called out as she searched through the boxes of rifle ammo.
She walked over and read it aloud. "To whom it may concern. This cache is a lost cause and you should get away while you can. 'The Judge Moose' that got loose from Herald Faith's scientists has made this position untenable. Move elsewhere and trust in God and our skill that the range of our weapons will make up for this set back. Such is the will of the Father."
"This note is dated nearly two months ago. Just how long has the cult been setting up out here? Hell just getting this container out here would require a heavy lift chopper or some other heavy equipment." Joey asked looking at Dmitri.
Dmitri looked around as if trying to see if there was anything that he could draw on from his years in the cult. "All of this... never heard a word of it. This had to be solely under the purview Joseph's chosen. Yes, that makes sense after all they are not just to keep people out of the Hope County but to also keep people in... be they sinner or faithful."
"Roger you better call your Dad again. Maybe we can make use of these to protect Fall's End because sooner or later they have to consider launching a air attack." Joey added.
Roger gave Boomer one last head scratch as a reward for finding the cache as he lead everyone back to their boat.
Finally they found themselves back in town. Dmitri and Joey went off to wash the mud and muck off of them as Roger headed off to speak with his father.
He found him alone in the dimly lit back room of the general store disassembling literal chest high piles of cult ARs and inspecting them for issues and cleaning them.
"Good work finding that cache son. You didn't strain yourself bringing down that moose did you?" He asked not even looking up from the bolt carrier group he was cleaning.
"No, but Joey had to do some sprinting around until she made use of a convenient rock still that thing was scary tough as in 'Next time I go peggie monster hunting I'm taking Longinus with me.'." He said taking a seat at the table his father was working on.
Marcus finished cleaning the last parts of the bolt face and reassembled the rifle before him with practiced ease before adding it to the pile of cleaned guns, he then looked at his son as he picked up another rifle that was in need of inspection.
He of all people knew that Roger was hard to read at the best of times for most but there were slight tells that could speak volumes if you could recognize them.
"So whats on your mind? The fact that this Bliss shit could be turning you into a monster of some kind like that moose? Jerome still being bitter over being proven wrong and paying the price? Or Joey?" The older Rook asked as he leaned back in his chair and watched for his son's reaction.
The last question caught Roger's attention the most but that was clearly something that wasn't to be discussed today but it was a sign that she was indeed on his mind. The other questions though were still on the table it seemed.
"I won't lie I'm a bit worried about the effects of the Bliss on me. If I go down, like it or not its going to hurt both morale and our effectiveness against the cult. Jerome... I don't know Dad. I don't normally hold grudges and unless he gives me cause I'm not keen on wasting time on him unless he wants to apologize or at least admit that he was wrong." The younger Rook said.
"Well if you go down then it will mean that others will have to step up probably Joey since Grace is still down with that wound for another week at least. It would be a long shot but Dmitri or one of the younger Grey's might be able to lead the charge... trust me I wish I was young enough to realistically do what you are doing now son." He said as he reached for his nearby soda.
"As for Jerome you go ahead and not worry about him. I will make sure that he doesn't pull anything stupid because you might not realize it since you are out in the field but the man is more than a bit bitter right now. His pride has been torn apart and he is having to face the brutal reality that everything he believes not just as a man of god but as a former Marine isn't the right way to handle everything. Remember what I said about being a 'Reaper' son, few people can honestly disconnect and make the choices that we can. Jerome is a example of why even among trained and experienced soldiers so few go on into our part of the world so to speak." He said tipping his drink towards his son as he spoke.
Roger sighed softly. "I know Dad still its hard to hear from people I grew up with see even a part of what I do for living even if they don't know anywhere near the full details. At the end of all this I'm expecting to pay a high price for my actions and you know I can't simply walk away. I have to take sole responsibility lest that price for my actions gets passed on to those I care about."
'Ah there it is. For Roger so loved his woman and his fellow man that he with a joyous heart stood alone before the Judges.' Marcus thought as he read between his sons words.
"You listen here Roger." Marcus started seriously. "It's good that you are willing to take responsibility for your actions, its how your mother and I have tried to raise you and you have taken that to heart. But there comes a time especially now when you have to let others help with the burden. I will gladly call in every single goddamned favor and pull on every single string I have in the bureaucracy of the US government if it means you stay out of a jail cell and keep your job. So that you can enjoy everything in life as I have without worry about how it might effect... those around you. It's my responsibility as a father to do this for you my son. Now how about you go and wash up, you smell like hell."
Roger nodded and got up leaving his father as he mentally chewed on what was said. He reached the Spread Eagle where Joey now freshly showered was coming down the stairs.
"Showers free Roger." She said in passing.
He nodded and began heading upstairs looking forward to washing the muck of the marsh off of him.
Joey took her usual seat as she watched Mary May put on the finishing touches for preparing for the upcoming nights dinner rush.
'After that everyone goes to bed...and I still haven't talked to Roger yet. Maybe I can sleep down here in a booth so he can have his bed again and it wouldn't be so... awkward? Tempting? God I don't know how to deal with this!' Joey thought darkly as the suppressed thoughts of this morning finally forced their way to the forefront now that she had nothing else on her mind to worry about.
She and Roger had to talk but was it even right of her to even bring up now of all times? They were in the middle of a war and in two more days they would be cleared to start moving on Faith's region. With all that on both of their plates what right did she have of worrying about her own personal relationships?
Mary May saw the darkness on Joey's face as she grabbed a pair of sodas for herself and her friend. She had a inkling about what was on Joey's mind if what she saw between her and Roger last night at the Testy Festy was anything to go by. So now it was time to not only come clean herself but to help her friend deal with taking that next step.
'God give me strength because this can go so very wrong.' The blonde woman thought as she approached.
"Joey you look like you need someone to talk to." Mary May said setting the soda can in front of her friend.
Joey eyed her friend briefly before taking a deep breath. Mary May and her had gotten each other through a lot of rough times so not asking her for help was out of the question.
"I guess I need a little bartender wisdom. It's Roger... as you probably guessed. Last night we were both drunk enough that things started getting hot and heavy between us and... god Mary May if we weren't so out of it I think we would have gotten past the heavy make out session. Part of me wants to get back with him just like we have talked about before, but with the war going on I feel so..." Joey struggled to find the right word.
"Guilty?" Mary May offered.
"Yeah. Guilty. After all here we are trying to defend our very lives and I'm worried about my personal relationship with a man that even after ten years of being apart I still have feelings for and worse I'm falling for him all over again." Joey rattled off quickly before taking a deep drink of her soda.
It was Mary May's turn to look guilty. After it was exactly as she already knew it would be.
"Joey..." She started to say slowly. "I'm the one here that should feel guilty. I'm a terrible friend and a evil woman. While you were being held by John I... attempted to get close to Roger."
Joey looked on shocked but not angry as her friend held up her hand to allow her to continue. "Even knowing that you and he would be probably get back together if the chance came up... I got caught up in falling for him Joey. You know how he is, here I am loosing Dad, Drew, and the Widowmaker. On top of everything else the cult is doing and one day he walks through that door and offers a helping hand no strings attached. The first day the cult stormed the town and drug Casey and I out front, he was the one that took down the peggies holding us and right afterwords when I was in shock he told me exactly what I needed to hear and gave us hope that someone out there could fight back."
Mary May was fighting back tears now but pressed on further. "Then when he brought the Widowmaker back... I didn't hesitate to just march up and kiss him. Hell that night I had half a mind to knock on his room door and offer everything I could give. But when I kissed him I could... feel him want to pull away."
Joey finally spoke up. "Well that right there is part of how Roger is. Relationships were always something he found hard to navigate, not quite as bad as Grace but still sudden things like that lock him up usually. If I had to guess the war is weighing heavily on his mind too which further complicates his thoughts on things like this."
Mary May nodded in understanding as she continued once more. "After that I started realizing that as much I may show interest in him, he still loves you Joey. If there is one thing that this whole fucked up situation with the cult has taught me its that you shouldn't leave things unsaid. Tomorrow or even tonight either you or he could die with both of you having left those questions unanswered. I learned that the hard way with Dad and Drew. So here I am regardless of how angry you would rightfully be at me I'm telling you all this."
The blonde bartender couldn't even look at her friend she was so ashamed of what she did and as good as it felt to come clean she still feared Joey's reaction. So she stared down at her bar through closed eyes as if bracing for the inevitable blow or dressing down.
Instead she felt Joey reach over the bar and hug her. "Thank you for being honest Mary May. I know how hard it must have been to get the courage to tell me." Joey said softly.
Shocked Mary May returned the hug briefly before pulling back. "I even broke down and asked Grace for advice."
"Wow, that is desperate. Still... thank you. I guess I really now should talk to Roger and..." Joey started to say as Mary May finished the last words along with her. "Leave nothing unsaid."
"Joey after dinner you go up those stairs and claim your man. Because if you don't maybe I'll try my luck again and I'll expect you to help me this time." Mary May said smiling.
Joey giggled as ran her hand through her hair. "My God I feel like a teenager again. I had a guess that Roger wanted to ask me out on a date for a month before he finally asked. When ever we were together we were both a bundle of nerves about crossing that line, I guess somethings never change do they?"
The two woman laughed the last of the tension away before Mary May finally asked a question that had burned in the back of her mind.
"Joey I do have to ask a personal question but you can choose not to tell me. How it is it to be with him? I mean I walked in on him right after he stepped out of the shower once and my god there are horses smaller than him!" Mary May asked slyly.
Joey's face burned red. But it wasn't like they hadn't talked about each others past experiences before over the years.
"Lets just say that considering Roger's size he makes sure the prep work is almost as fun as the main event as a matter of course and let me tell you the main event tends to be... a marathon session to say the least." She finally said not wanting to give away too much lest someone overhear them.
Mary Mary looked on in shock before shoot her a dirty knowing smile. "Damn it girl you better claim him now. Just remember that room of your guys is pretty well sound proofed."
Just then the man in question came walking down the stairs and took his usual seat. "Mary May is something wrong? You look like you've been crying." He asked in a concerned manner.
"Oh I was unclogging a bottle of Tabasco sauce and got some in my eyes when it exploded on me. I'm fine." Mary May deflected.
The rest of evening proceeded as normal with people stopping over the course of dinner to ask about 'The Judge Moose' as the cult had dubbed it. Finally the crowds had died down and Roger went up stairs for the evening.
Joey moved to follow shortly afterwords before stopping at the base of the stairs. She felt like she was on a familiar cliff edge that would forever change her life.
'Leave nothing unsaid.' She thought as she made the first steps up to her and Rogers room and what ever fate awaited her.