"Hey! This is Nancy! Is everything ok? Over."

The voice was an echo to the 28-year old's ears as sparks and a hanging, upside down Marshal filled her vision. Disorientated from the crash, Avery was seeing double as she tried to get a grasp of what happened.

The darkness of the metal container hindered her vision and became worse when the sparks lit up the area, momentarily blinding her. Blinking away the dots in her sight, she tried to get an idea of the status of the team.

To her right was Hudson, who looked to be unconscious from the crash. There was a gash on her forehead, but it didn't look like it was too bad. Burke, who hung in front of her, wasn't in any better state. She could only imagine by the lack of movement in the front of the container that the Sheriff and Pratt were in the same situation. Turning her neck was painful as she looked to see the Father's condition only to find an empty chair and a headset hanging in front of her.

She vaguely wondered if he had been thrown from the crash or had somehow managed to stay inside before leaving. He had been handcuffed but in the chaos of their escape from the compound, no one had buckled him in. Before she could ponder on it more, the headset dangling in front of her interrupted her thoughts about the Father.

"Are you there? Are you there?" The desperation was evident in Nancy's tone. "Are you there, Sheriff?... Deputy Hudson… If you are there, please pick up!"

Avery swallowed what tasted like blood and tried to reach the headset, knowing it was their best chance to get help. After a few failed attempts, she strained to unbuckle her seatbelt, but it was locked tight. With her weight pulling at the slack, it made it nearly impossible to release the latch. Sighing, she let her upper body fall loose as she tried to think herself out of the situation. Her head hurt with the pressure of all the blood rushing up and not pumping enough to the rest of her body.

The sparks that crackled by her head was a deadly reminder for what was at stake. If the fuel began to leak on that side of the aircraft, it was only a matter of time before they were engulfed in flames. The smell of the fuel was strong, mixing with the stench of grinded rotors. She couldn't see the fuel but the fact that she could smell it was not a good sign. Her eyes darted around the body of the helicopter, searching for something that would help their escape from the belly of the time-bomb. The shiny steel barrel of her pistol caught her eye at what was the roof of the helicopter.

It must have fallen out of the holster during the crash, she thought as she remembered having the holster ready for her to draw the pistol back at the compound.

Swallowing again, she tried to reach the gun, managing to brush her fingertips against the barrel but unintentionally spun it so it was just out of her reach. Her heart sank in her chest.

"Fuck!"

Nothing was going right today.

The headset was still murmuring desperate calls from Nancy which mingled with more sparks of the downed aircraft. Time was running out and it didn't look like the others were coming back from their unconscious state anytime soon. Frustration burned under her skin as the thought of failure clawed at the back of her mind. The team was depending on her and she was just too short of the things what would help. In a matter of time, they could be burning alive, so these were the moments that counted.

And all she could do was hang there hopelessly!

No… Stop thinking like that… Avery physically shook her head despite the pain in her neck. She had to keep trying to get to Nancy.

There was still time but not enough for her to feel sorry for herself. As she began her struggles once more for the headset, a haunting melody reached her ears, making her veins run cold.

"Amazing Grace… How sweet the sound."

The singing…

Time was up.

Desperation tore at her insides as she tried to reach her only hope. She had to reach Nancy before Joseph came!

No-no-no!

Fingers stretched to the voice as Nancy tried to call out for Pratt to answer.

"I'm here," Avery murmured to herself. "I'm here."

Giving one big push, she was able to grab the headset. Her heart skipped a beat as relief flooded over her. She resisted the urge to celebrate as she clicked the receiver to talk to the one person who could help.

But as quick as lightning, a hand gripped her wrist, making her voice lodge in her throat.

Suddenly, golden lenses stared back to her and his unblinking gaze made her halt in her attempts to pull free.

"That saved a wretched like… meee…"

She couldn't move under his scrutiny and her breathing felt restricted. Fear gripped at her insides, but she already knew she was trapped. Joseph's larger hand tightened agonizingly around her wrist causing her to release the headset despite trying to bite through the pain he inflicted.

He never blinked.

"I told you that God wouldn't let you take me." His voice washed over her, and she hated how calm he was.

The static like voice broke through the tension. "Please… I need to know what's going on," Nancy sobbed as she pleaded over the headset.

Avery watched as Joseph grabbed the speaker and she hoped he wouldn't gloat about their situation to her. Nancy was already on the verge of tears and she feared it would make matters worse for the older lady.

Seeing the man in front of her, she watched in anticipation as he spoke to the team's only hope.

"Dispatch." His voice was no longer the soft tone he had used with her but demanding.

Nancy's desperate voice dropped a few octaves in shock. "Oh my God."

Joseph never took his attention from Avery and she could see the satisfied gleam in his eyes. "Everything is just fine here… No need to call anyone."

He had to of thought himself clever to tell her not to call anyone. But Avery knew by Nancy's reaction that she was aware of who she was talking to. She and Whitehorse had worked years together; she would know they were in danger and call for back-up.

Avery waited to hear what Nancy would say, hoping the older woman would give Joseph a piece of her mind. But what came next shocked her.

"Yes, Father. Praise… be to you."

What the… fuck?!

Avery's eyes widened in shock before narrowing as anger filtered away her fear at the realization of being tricked. All the pieces were starting to come together as two emotions bubbled under the surface of her facade.

The first was pure hatred. The sting of betrayal, the humiliation at realizing how utterly fooled she had been and the desire to lash out because of that.

The second was the kind of morbid curiosity to know WHY it happened. To find some fact that might absolve her of any responsibility. Something that she could say, "See? Anyone would have fell for that. Not just me."

But it seemed like none of that mattered now.

Joseph studied her a moment longer before leaning closer until their faces were mere inches apart. He was intrigued with the girl. She wasn't screaming or crying like others would. She simply watched and seethed in silence as the truth unfolded before her. The fear that had danced beautifully in the depths of her green eyes was gone and replaced by something raw. He relished in the change and felt his excitement grow.

The fact that she was this calm in a situation like this sparked admiration in him. Very few people were able to keep their composure when the cards were against them. He would know. He could count the number of people that could on one hand.

The sound of vehicles pulling up to the crash site tugged at his attention. A curl pulled at the corner of his lips as he said his parting words, intent to see what a sheer threat would do to her resolve.

"No one is coming to save you," he purred.

Avery's eyes only narrowed a little more at his words but there was no change to the darkening gleam in her eyes.

Satisfied, Joseph took his leave and crawled out of the wreckage, leaving her to hang there and watch as his followers came to praise his safety.

"God has kept you under the shadow of his wings!" one man exclaimed.

Joseph raised his hands to calm his men while offering words of encouragement. "Everything is unfolding as God's plan. I am still here with you."

She could see him climb onto the hood of the truck to face his followers as more men arrived at the scene. Avery realized then that not only did she have the sparks waiting to bite at the fuel to worry about, but now a mob awaiting the word to tear into them.

"The First Seal has been broken. The collapse has begun."

Movement drew her attention as Hudson was beginning to come to. A sigh of relief escaped Avery, knowing now she was no longer alone.

"You ok?"

Hudson looked to her with her own disorientation before nodding. Both looked to watch Joseph preach to his cult, hoping that it wasn't leading to the inevitable. But they knew all too well the seconds were ticking away.

"We will take what we need. And we will preserve what we have. And we will kill all those who stand in our way!"

The others were beginning to wake up now, struggling to grasp onto the present situation.

"We have to move," Avery said more to herself as she began to struggle with her seatbelt once more.

Joseph's words began to echo in her ears as she tried to get the others' concentration on the task at hand. They didn't get the luxury of time like she had when she became conscious.

"Try to get free! We have to hurry!" Avery ordered.

The crowd outside had grown in numbers and anger. "And these: the harbingers of doom will see the truth."

"We gotta get out of here… We gotta get out of here," Whitehorse mumbled to the others.

"Begin the REAPING!" Joseph demanded as the cult turned their hungry attention to the officers.

"Hudson!" Avery yelled. She didn't like how her friend was still dazed and lethargic.

"We have to get out of here!" Whitehorse warned louder.

The deputy finally seemed to get her barring as bruised hands ripped at her seatbelt. She struggled to get it unlatched as the crowd stalked closer. Avery reached out, determined to get her friend freed before the mob got to them. Men grabbed Pratt from his pilot seat before slicing the belt dragging him away while more hands began to tear at Hudson.

"Get the fuck away from her!" Avery snarled as she tried to keep her friend still enough to unbuckle herself.

But she was too late.

The men cut her belt next and yanked her away as Hudson yelled at them to release her. Avery gripped Hudson's boot, holding fast before the men all heaved her away at once. Losing her grip, she cursed aloud and looked to the Marshal who was left. She didn't even see the cult take the Sheriff.

"We have to get the fuck out of here!"

More hands reached into the helicopter as it was her turn to be taken away. She was ready to give them hell once she was freed, but the hands never came as a fire raged up between her, Burke, and the assailants.

Joseph was calm as he watched the flames rise up in the helicopter. "Let them burn. This is God's will… His punishment."

A loud crash drew her attention back to the Marshal as he freed himself from the seatbelt and made a dash out the wreckage into the forest.

"H-hey! Wait!" She yelled at him, shock settling in as she watched him leave, never slowing down or looking back. "Fucking prick!"

Avery pulled at her seatbelt, determined she would not die in the damn helicopter. She survived four crashes now. No need to end her streak.

She pulled at the seatbelt in a mad attempt to just rip it from the seat as panic and the heat of the flames made sweat bead on her forehead. Relief flooded through her as she finally fell free to the roof. Breathless from the smoke and panic, she rushed out of the metal prison and fled into the forest.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hey! They're getting away!"

Gunshots ricocheted off the helicopter and whizzed by her head as she sprinted deeper into the woods in a mad dash to escape. She could hear the cult shouting as the roar of vehicles came to life.

"Stay off the path—off the trail," she warned under her breath to herself.

Panic swelled in her chest and the world seemed to be moving in fast-forward as she ran as hard as her body would allow. There was no way she planned on making the chase easy for them. The moon had lit the night so fully that the cult would be able to drive without the use of headlamps. This would work in their favor so as not to give away their position to her. Once in the woods, though, the light was diminished into a confusing crisscross of dull moon glow and pitch-black shadows.

Tripping over some thick brush, she tried to listen to the cult in the distance. The woods became denser, but she pushed forward, determined to put space between her and the others. Everything seemed to be working in her favor at the moment as her lungs burned for her to ease up.

Deciding she was making good distance, she slowed down and took the time to listen for signs of any peggies. The silence of the forest forced her to move slower than she wanted to, but the deputy feared not only being found by one of Joseph's followers, but also of predators hunting at night. In the quiet, the slightest rustle of her feet across pine needles and dried leaves seemed like it echoed through the timberland.

Avery mentally kicked herself for forgetting to grab her gun from the helicopter before she ran. It was a stupid mistake that she knew she shouldn't make but inevitably had through her panic.

It was sometime close to eleven, and Avery scanned the sky for a glimpse of the stars, hoping to figure out which way was north. Hours had passed since they had left their office for what seemed now as a suicide mission.

It was then that she heard voices of who she knew to be the peggies searching for her. The deputy halted in her tracks as she looked around to pinpoint the location before her attention fell on the yellow glow of a light not even 30 yards away from her.

How had she missed that?

Avery wanted to crouch down to make herself smaller-but she was afraid to move. The thought made a spike of anger and shame hit her like a punch to the gut.

Get your head in the game! There is no reason for Joseph to have gotten under your skin like this! She closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths.

It had been only 14 months since she had last been deployed but she could feel the cobwebs sticking to the corners of her mind. She was acting like a rookie, like she had no experience in hunting, evading, or escaping. She needed to smother the panic and compartmentalize her situation before she made a fatal mistake.

"Are you good?" Michael asked as he stood over her crumpled form. A few other members from the unit stopped their sparring session and watched in interest at their exchange. Avery wasn't normally one to lose in hand-to-hand combat, but Michael was the best on their team. The only one she couldn't win against.

"I'm fine," Avery heaved as she tried to ignore the pain in her back and hip. He had royally kicked her ass and she was definitely not fine.

As she tried to crawl to her knees, a foot connected with her face, causing her to fall to the ground with a busted lip. A glare burned towards the owner of said foot and she was not surprised to see the Major of their unit staring back coldly.

Major Biggs was in his early 40's but was a killer at heart and a natural strategist. His uniform was crisp as always and his salt and pepper hair was clean cut as he proudly displayed his military bearing. He had always been harder on Avery, determined to push her to be stronger. As a small female in their unit, the only female, he made it clear that if she ever fell behind training, he would discharge her from the team.

"Get up," He ordered.

Avery did as she was told. Again, she was met with a boot to the side of her ribs. Her breath lodged in her throat and she gasped for air.

"Are you good to go?"

She bit back a comment to her leader as she looked back to him. "I'm good."

"Then get up."

Watching him out of the corner of her eye, she started to get her feet under her. He didn't move. As she got to her knees, he sent another kick but this time to her lower back. She cried out and fell to her hands.

"Are you good to go?" he repeated.

"…" Avery took a deep breath and forced herself to push down the pain.

The Major watched her for a moment longer before growing bored and delivering another kick to her.

This time she caught his boot by the ankle and glared back at him.

"I'm good to go." Her voice was resolute as she released his boot and stood to face him.

The Major cracked a toothy smile. Though she looked fine, her body ached, and it took all of her will power to hide her pain.

"Glad to hear it Sergeant. Stop being lazy and get your head in the game."

Back at the present, Avery took stock of her surroundings with a clearer mind. The voices from the building in front of her were calm as they discussed the events of the evening. They seemed to have just arrived at the location and had a fire starting. Crouching down, Avery began to duck around the brush, keeping an eye in their direction.

Static broke through the silence, causing her to jump as she realized it was her radio on her belt. She was grateful it was low enough to not attract the peggies attention.

"Hello…? Anyone hearing me? Hello, it's Burke…"

Her eyes widened at the sound of his voice coming through. He was still alive and free it seemed.

"I think I lost them… I see… I see a trailer nearby next to a long bridge. I'm going to try to get inside. If anyone is listening… If anyone is still alive—"

He was suddenly silent, and Avery wondered if he was found or had to hide to avoid being detected. She didn't want to risk replying back.

Trailer next to a bridge… That is what he said. Running to the top of a nearby hill and away from the camp, she looked to the sky, hoping to find her direction. As she searched in between the tree tops, a familiar trickling sound reached her ears and she eagerly began to look around until she found what she wanted.

All streams lead to rivers and rivers had bridges! It was just what she needed to conceal her tracks. She remembered the cult having dogs and being found was the last thing she wanted.

After nearly 10 minutes of running through the stream, she came across a trailer. Whether it was near a bridge, she could not say for sure, however it didn't hurt to check now that she was here. Having an ally would be a blessing. Even if that ally was an arrogant Federal Marshal.

After making sure the coast was clear, she made her way into the trailer, hoping it was as empty as it appeared. As she opened the door to slip inside, the deputy found that the trailer was unfortunately occupied.

A man latched onto her shoulders and shook her, causing her to lose her footing. Going into defense, she elbowed the assailant in the collarbone followed by a knee to the stomach. As the man stumbled back, she realized it was the Marshal who seemed not at all bothered by her attack, but rather relieved. Both took a few steps back to give each other room to gather their bearings on the situation.

"Jesus! Rook! I'm sorry… I thought they…I thought they got you!"

"You thought—" she started before changing her tone to accusing. "You left me, you ass! If I was caught, then it would have come back to being your fault!"

He held his hands up but did not become defensive. "I know. I panicked. I'm sorry."

Avery shook her head, dropping the subject though she wished she would have hit the man harder. "What's going on? What's the plan?"

"Come inside more… w-we need to have a better vantage point." He ushered her further in the trailer as she checked all the windows once more to make sure there were no others lurking nearby. She didn't know how much more she could take for surprises.

"Oh Jesus. I had no idea the number of people Joseph had." His panic was evident as he shook his head and looked around.

She watched him search the trailer; the gears turning in his head were clear as day as he tried to gather his wits. She found the change in his demeanor disturbing but valid. A few hours ago, he was more confident of himself then he was now. Though it was nice to see him taking this seriously, it didn't help her own self-assurance at the moment. Panic was contagious.

Suddenly, his eyes fell on a photo on the wall and anger bubbled to the surface.

"Fuck! We're putting this whole family away!"

Avery stepped closer to see what he was talking about as he ripped the frame off the wall.

"All of 'em! Fucking lunatics!" Burke tossed the photo onto the table.

Curious, Avery walked over to the photo only to halt at the sight of the portrait. Family…

The three strangers that had stood with Joseph at the Alter weren't just higher-ups in the cult… they were his family.

"Interesting," she murmured. Looking over the four, she could begin to see a resemblance of the siblings. Hair, eyes, face structure. Nothing that was too apparent, but only mere hints to the lineage. Slowly the puzzle was beginning to unravel.

"We're going to get out of this, Rook. But first things first, we have to arm ourselves."

Tearing her eyes from the portrait, she saw Burke charge a rifle before tossing it to her. She opened her mouth to reply when a dog bark sounded in the distance.

The Marshal seemed to be expecting it, however. "This is what we are going to do."

They walked over to the window, crouching for cover to see if anyone was close by before Burke continued by pointing to the truck.

"There's a road out there. We are going to take it and head northeast. It's probably only a few hours back to Missoula. And then we are going to come back here with the goddamn National Guard and we're going to take out these—"

"They came around here. Check the inside of the trailer!" demanded one of the cult members from outside.

Avery narrowed her eyes and stalked to the front window where she saw a few members trudging towards them. Someone must had seen them move inside because the night lit up with bullets and the thunderous sound of gunpowder exploding.

"They're inside!"

With no use trying to be discreet, Avery opened fire on the members outside. She fell into an automatic motion of aiming and firing. Occasionally setting the rifle on burst when a target was making a run for it towards her. The gun was primitive compared to her personalized M4 back home. Her current rifle only held iron sights and she could tell they were not set to her shooting style. Despite all this, the peggies fell one by one.

"Rook! Grenade!" Burke warned as he tossed the steel shell out to the front of the trailer.

Avery had barely retreated from the window when she felt the house shake violently as the explosion dispersed the group outside. Going back to the window with her rifle at the ready, she saw only the slow decent of dust and scrap metal falling from the sky.

"Mason!" Burke's voice was suddenly further away. Looking towards the sound, she was relieved to see he was outside in a truck. "Let's go!"

She didn't have to be told twice as she made a dash for it. The sounds of vehicles revving up on the trail only pushed her tired body to run faster as she threw open the door and jumped in. Headlights burst through the trees and into the opening of the property just as Burke hit the gas and steered the truck away from the peggies.

The next 15 mins passed by what seemed to be seconds as she exchanged fire with the enemies who pursued them relentlessly. The road they took was thick with roadblocks that Joseph had fortified in an attempt to keep them in the county. But it was the plane that really sealed their fate. No matter how desperate and skilled Burke's driving was, or how accurate Avery's shots were at clearing a path, the bombs being dropped was too much for them to avoid. It wasn't until they made it to a large bridge that everything fell apart.

Burke saw it before it happened causing him to yell at her to hold on. A forceful explosion blinded their view until all they saw was dark water rushing up to meet them before everything went black.

By the time Avery came to, she choked as the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Only a couple hours ago, she was trapped in the wreckage of a helicopter set on fire. Now she was in a truck sinking in the middle of a river!

She felt the swell of horror rise as the crushing water suffocated her. With everything she had, she was able to find the strength to push the dread aside.

Next to her, Burke was working on breaking out of the cracked windshield as they sunk deeper. Struggling to unbuckle her seatbelt once again, the deputy was relieved to find it easier than the helicopter.

Once free, she turned to the Marshal. Black spots began to taint her conscious state as she looked around the truck only to find her partner swimming away from the sinking vehicle.

A glare settled over her features as she felt her lungs ache for air. It was beginning to be a familiar sight of him leaving her for dead.

Pushing herself out the window he left through, she made a mad attempt to reach the surface. The moon shone brightly as her guide which helped her avoid steel beams and other debris from the bridge. The black spots were not letting up and her chest constricted, and soon she realized it was too late.

She wasn't going to make it.

./././././././

"Target hit! They are now in the river," the radio reported as the pilot made his way back to the airstrip.

The Father picked up the radio to reply as he watched the plumes of smoke in the distance that was now the bridge. The escapees would now be forced to move on foot once again if they tried to evade them. "Nice work. I want a team down at the riverbank to retrieve them."

Joseph stood at the top of a hill nearby, able to watch all the events unfold. He knew that this was the beginning of the collapse as he had seen in his dreams but watching it all unfold fortified his belief in God's plan. He never felt more powerful than he did in that moment.

"Behold it was Whitehorse and Hell followed with him…" he murmured to himself.

Behind him, he felt his younger brother's presence approach. "What do you wish to do with the others?"

Joseph didn't say anything for a minute; allowing the sentence to hang in between them a moment or two while he decided what was best. The 5 officers that had disrupted the sermon that night were not from Hope County. He could kill them, in-prison them, or convert them.

Regardless, there was no chance of them leaving the valley and they were too far from the officers' town to be bothered by outsiders. Especially if they 'perished in a helicopter crash'. It would be no trouble to hide their fate with a simple newspaper article in their home county to deter an investigation. Nancy would be more than happy to take care of that bit for him.

He tilted his head to the sky and closed his eyes. Taking a few deep breaths, he turned to John who waited for a response. Though the younger brother was quiet and calm, Joseph knew he was impatient beneath the surface and was eager to tend to the intruders whichever way he told him to.

Placing a hand on John's shoulder, he squeezed lightly before replying. "All deserve a chance at atonement. But first, we shall go collect the other locust from the river."

A smirk pulled at John's lips as he followed his brother to the vehicles. Joseph jumped into one van while John got into the passenger side of a large truck.

"Follow the van," he ordered the driver who did as he was told.

Pulling off of the dirt road and onto the asphalt, John never tore his eyes from the van. He wondered what Joseph had in mind for their new prisoners. Would they all come to his region for the cleansing? Would they resist and be forced to drown in bliss? Or would they dry up Joseph's patience and be put out of their miserable existence?

All these options made him excited. He hoped they would challenge him. He wanted to hurt them. Not a specific person. Any would do. But the fact that they had trespassed to their county and tried to take his brother away was something he couldn't forgive so easily.

Of course, he would need to watch his words around Joseph or else he would think that John was straying from the path again. He couldn't have that…

"What do you think the Father is saying to the sinners?" the driver piped up, drawing John from his thoughts. John regarded the man momentarily before answering in a nonchalant tone.

"I'm sure he is preaching to them about how wrong they were in their actions tonight. Or not saying anything at all, more like it." He knew his brother was not one to gloat.

The driver glanced at his leader before turning back to the road. He knew better then to get too curious. As he tried to focus on the approaching bridge, his thoughts turned back to the sinners. The Father's prophecy had come true. All the followers had believed it but there was always some part of them that were never fully prepared for it. The Sheriff and Deputies that were currently tied up in the back of Joseph's van was the proof they needed.

John was no fool. He knew well enough that the members of the cult were nervous. Everything was coming true. Never did they expect such an attack in Hope County as this night had been. The sinners locked away in the van had no idea what they had just walked into. Their desperation was evident, and their fear was delightful to John. He could only imagine them hoping desperately for the rookie girl and Marshal to escape and bring help.

Imprudent on their part...

After arriving along the side of the damaged bridge, the men jumped out and joined a few others that had already been at the river's edge searching. Both drivers stayed behind with their rifles, guarding the prisoners while John and Joseph walked side by side to the waterway to meet with the search party.

Looking around, John noticed vehicles filled the parts of the undamaged bridge and teams of members searched the shoreline of the river. The mangled edge of the bridge was luckily off to one side and didn't hinder the support beams. It would still be usable to cross into the other regions.

"There were two in the truck! Search the trees- In the trees, I said," ordered one of the men to the others as they searched for the last two officers.

"Over here!" called out a burly man. "I found one!"

A few members broke from their search and crowded the sinner who was unfortunate enough to get captured. John was pleased to see the prisoner hadn't made it too far as he was eager to end this night already.

"Check the shoreline for the other one!"

"No-get off me! I am a United States Federal Marshal! Unhand me!" the prisoner ordered.

John snarled and stepped forward quickly to the crowd. A few members parted to allow him and the Father in to view the man who struggled in their hold. Two men held up the Marshal to John while he bent down to the sinner's level.

Grabbing Burke's jaw, John forced him to meet his eyes as he spoke.

"You continue to try to hide behind that title of yours like it will help you."

He received a dark glare as the Marshal opened his mouth to spew out more curses. John interrupted him before he could get another word out.

"If we didn't baulk at the title before the compound, and the helicopter, and the bombs…" He grabbed Burke's throat next and gave a squeeze. "What makes you think we will now?"

Burke was smart enough to let the fear show but the moment was fleeting. With a jerk of his head, he spit at the younger brother, managing to land saliva on his leather jacket.

A displeased expression clouded over John as he looked from the offensive spit on his jacket then back to the man in front of him. With his free hand, he sent a hard punch right into the Marshal's face, causing his head to fling back from the force.

"You filthy, little—"

"Brother." The calm voice broke through his rage as he stepped back to allow Joseph through.

The Father's hand found his shoulder once again, but it was a reassuring touch. John could feel the slight wave of relief that he had not displeased his brother in his outburst. That was only proof that Joseph either held some form of resent towards the Marshal or he was understanding of John's anger. Either way, he was cleared from a lecture about his actions.

Joseph looked to the Marshal who hung dazed in between the two men that held him up. A scowl creased his brow as he kneeled to the Marshal's level and grabbed his chin as his brother had moments ago. Yellow Aviators didn't hide the sharp glare that burned beneath but Burke knew better then to press his luck any further.

"This one needs… a little Faith…take him to the Pilgrimage," Joseph said quietly but to Burke's ears it felt like a death sentence.

"No! Let me go! Fuckers! Let go!" A pistol hit the back of the man's head, causing him to fall unconscious.

Without waiting, the two men pulled Burke up the slope to join the other 3 prisoners in the van.

Joseph stayed kneeled down for a moment longer, staring into the river. John waited for his brother to do something next but when he realized the man was lost in thought, he decided to take charge of the situation.

"Find the other one, keep searching!" John demanded. Men scattered as they began their pursuit once more.

Joseph waited until all was gone before standing and facing his brother.

"Fifteen minutes of hunting for her. If you don't have her by the end of that time, come to the compound. We will distribute the sinners in the meantime until she is found."

././././././././

Air… She was breathing air. Did that mean she made it out? Was her luck really that good?

The grit of sand and pebbles rasped against her palms as she blinked up at the night sky. The breeze was cold, causing her to shiver as she attempted to gain her bearing, but the events of the evening's car chase, explosions and waterlogged ears made it impossible to clear her head.

Trying to wake from this dreamlike state, she attempted to roll to her side before strength seemed to leave her in darkness once more.

Moments later, the crunching sound of footsteps on the riverbank roused her back to consciousness as she opened her eyes to see a man leering over her. The fleeting voice in the back of her mind told her to escape but it was gone as soon as it came along with her cognizance.

"My children…we must give thanks to God."

The voice broke through the obscurity that clouded her mind. Where was she? It was warmer now with no chilling breeze…

"The day I have prophesied to you has arrived. Everything I have told you has come true…."

That voice… Her hazy mind felt like sparks were trying to ignite her body at the sound of the Father's voice, as if trying to kick-start her consciousness back to life.

"The authorities who tried to take me from you are now in the loving embrace of my family…save for one."

One…. Was that her? No, it must be Burke… She was captured from the river, right?

The pain that coursed her body was beginning to ground her from the blurred thoughts. She gathered that she was now inside a structure. The room was warm and the voice that preached was an echo off the walls. The air she breathed in held a thick musk similar to that of a basement or attic.

Compartmentalize… Opening her eyes, she found she was indeed correct in her assumption. She was inside a room with warm light reaching through the area. A man stood with his back to her; the voice leaking through the radio held his attention. The stranger was tall… Or better yet she was on the floor with her wrists zip-tied to the foot of an iron bed.

Not much of a prison… This only brought more questions to her mind.

The voice campaigning through the radio interrupted any more thoughts she had on her situation. Though she was glad she wasn't face to face with the Father, the unknown man before her didn't ease any of her nervousness as he was listening intently to what Joseph said.

"But this wayward Soul will be found. They will be punished…and in the end, they will see our glorious purpose. I am your Father. You are my Children. And together we will march to—"

The knob turning off the radio seemed so final as the older man turned to face her. He wasn't the least bit surprised that she was awake, which she found interesting. He was a bald man, looked to be in his 50's or 60's. He held a cigarette in between calloused fingers that he flicked anxiously before turning back to look at the radio with a shake of his head.

Seizing the moment with his back to her, she took in her surroundings. Avery knew that whatever information she learned while trapped had to be unknown to the captor or else they would be able to counter any escape attempts.

The focal point of the room was the US flag that hung proudly on the wall, surrounded by old war photos that littered the same shelf that shared the radio. The rest of the room seemed bare besides a few other pictures here and there. The bed she was contained to was an old iron rod twin size, something a single person or teen would probably use. There looked to be a wardrobe by the headboard, but she wasn't able to peak at its contents without drawing attention to her.

Before she could get a chance to search for more hints to her location, he turned towards her with a scowl on his face, causing her to question if he had caught her inspecting the room.

"You know what that shit means? It means the roads have all closed," he snapped as he walked towards her. Avery tensed, preparing to be struck if the man decided to lash out. He clearly was in a foul mood. "It means the phone lines have been cut!"

Reaching the girl, he kneeled down to her level as he continued his rant. "It means there's no signals getting in or out of this valley! But mostly," he leaned forward. "It means we are all fucked!"

Taking in his words, Avery was starting to realize that perhaps he wasn't a cult follower. That didn't ease her nerves being in such close proximity of an angry individual that clearly blamed her for his misfortune. Not that she could blame him. The officers' presence that night had indeed turned their town into a warzone.

The older man's sneer turned to a glare while he stared at her, waiting for some kind of reaction. It looked like she was about to say something, but he didn't want to hear it. Shaking his head, clearly frustrated, he stood.

"The goddamn 'Collapse'… they all think the worlds coming to an end now. They've been waiting for it. For years. Waiting for somebody to come along and fulfill their prophecy and kick off their goddamn Holy War… Well you sure as shit kicked…" He stood above her, pondering.

The silence stretched for a moment before Avery felt like she needed to say something, plead her case, and find answers….

"It was just a job…"

The words felt hollow and cold. She realized too late that it held more meaning to her then to the man before her. To him, it probably seemed like Avery was saying 'sucks for you, not my problem'. Sigh… Her head was going to be the death of her if it didn't start functioning as it should…

Clearing her throat, she began, "I'm realizing the cult is a much bigger issue then we had suspected. We were only supposed to arrest Joseph and get out. None of this was supposed to happen."

Her tone was neither pleading nor defensive. She was only stating the facts as they were. Sure as hell sounds like a military report again.

The older man's expression never changed at her words as he studied her. "The smartest thing for me to do would just be to hand you over to them."

So, her assumptions were correct. He was just an innocent civilian in the crossfire.

"I wouldn't blame you if you did. We never meant to get bystanders involved."

At this, his glare dropped for a split second before twisting to a scowl. He began to ponder over the situation before sighing in defeat. "Fuck… "

Pulling out a knife, he stood over her but hesitated. Avery grew more nervous by the second, but she hid it well. Except for her eyes. The green danced with anticipation at what the man had in store for her life at that moment. Finally, he reached out and cut the zip-ties that bound her wrist before straightening.

Avery let her wrist fall from the slack, blood rushing back to her cold fingertips. The skin felt raw, but she was pleased to at least have control of her arms again.

"Get out of that uniform… we need to burn it. There's some fresh clothes over there," he said while motioning to the closet behind her.

"When you get change, come and see me." He paused once again. "We'll see if we can un-fuck this situation."