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The days had crawled by since he'd heard the news. Explosions had gone off like every other day, gunshots echoing throughout the regions of Hope County. It was God's Will that they protect and fight for the Project of Eden's Gate. The Lamb had shown up, broken the first seal. Had wreaked havoc on the Project's every plan. Blowing up John's fuel silos, burning Faith's shrines to the ground, and even breaking apart Jacob's wolf beacons. Trucks had been looted, choppers brought down. Yet Joseph couldn't help but be intrigued by the Deputy that was fighting against him and his Flock. Most of Joseph's children knew he wanted the Deputy taken alive so she could join their family, but he'd already had to punish a few followers who had tried to eliminate her.Now here he was, standing at the front of his church where he gave his sermons, with tears streaking down his face. His hands were curled around the spine of the book he recorded his teachings into, the knuckles white as the skin stretched against the bone. His eyes closed as the familiar crackle of the radio filled his ears."Joseph, some of the Flock members in the Valley are agitated, but none of my men can get close enough to find the source." John's voice had filled the comfortable silence, echoing around a side room in Joseph's church. Joseph was sitting at a desk with a pen in hand and an empty page of a book in front of him. He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Always agitated, they never trust that things will work out the way God planned. Joseph pressed the button on his radio and spoke into it calmly.
"Is it the Deputy causing trouble again?" He folded his book closed and set his pen down already knowing the answer.
Yes. All three of Joseph's heralds had encountered the Deputy, or as some of her friends called her, Rook. Each one knew how chaotic she could be, how wild her temperament was. Joseph had once heard from a follower that she'd broken a man's arm just to make him a sling once she got the information she'd needed.
"N-no Joseph...it's about the Deputy. They're celebrating, Joseph." John's voice was tense with emotion his older brother couldn't identify. Normally it was fear, but what did John have to fear over the current situation. "I have men dispersing the crowd...the Deputy is dead, brother."
Joseph had seen her himself. He'd left the confines of his compound, rushing to his brother's side to see for himself. The One who was either going to cause destruction or help lead the Flock to Eden couldn't be dead. The Voice hadn't told him that Rook would be taken from him, from his family. John had been covered in blood once Joseph had arrived at the scene, only a gathering of ten or so of his followers still lingering. John's Chosen stood between the brothers and their followers like security guards, giving them space to realize what had happened.
The Deputy, always blazing with the Holy Fire of life, was laid down in the bed of a truck. If he convinced himself that the blood pooling on her chest wasn't hers, or the bullet holes in her red
flannel
were just a trick, Rook looked as though she was sleeping.
"And I thought you were the guy who could compartmentalize." A voice snapped him from his thoughts, and Joseph looked down the aisle to see the Deputy standing by the doors of the church. The same doors she'd walked through with the U.S. Marshal and a warrant for his arrest. That fateful day she'd finally been brought to the Project.
Her arms were folded across her chest, the red color of her signature flannel popping against the black tank top she had underneath. Like she'd worn her police uniform, only the last few buttons were done, leaving the top half of her flannel open. There were no tears in the fabric across her chest, no dark coloration from the fabric soaking up her blood. Her skin was peachy and...alive.
Joseph was at a loss for words as Rook strolled down the aisle, her hands running across the pews as she hummed a familiar tune.
We'll walk arm in arm, down our promised path. He no longer felt the wetness of tears on his cheeks, no longer felt the dull ache in his chest as he stared at the Deputy. A soft light radiated around her, and Joseph couldn't help but smile. She had vehemently denied the existence of God, of any higher power even.
Rook had firmly stated that God was dead, and if he wasn't, he wasn't listening to anyone. Then she'd spat out a mixture of blood and saliva at Joseph's feet."You always looked better with a smile on your face, Father." Her voice bounced around the empty church, and Joseph closed his eyes, wanting to burn the sound into his brain for all eternity.
"And you always manage to put one there, my child," He spoke softly as she came to a stop in a few feet away from him, her hands resting on the end of a wooden pew. "You also always manage to take it away. A puzzle of a thing you are." His mind's voice corrected him to say "were". What a puzzle of a thing you
were.
"You're helping your people, just as I am helping mine." The Deputy took a few steps forward, then held her hands out to Joseph, just as he had the day she'd locked a pair of handcuffs around his wrists. They moved downward, taking the book from his hands before setting it down on the pew behind her. Then she turned back around, her slender fingers wrapping around his hands. Her skin was warm against his, her touch as soft as he'd remembered it. Sure, she'd been wearing gloves, but Deputy had always been gentle.
"Why couldn't you have listened to me, little lamb? You were never supposed to get hurt. I told you that sometimes the best thing-" Joseph had started to ask, a desperate note in his voice, but Rook cut him off with a sad look in her eyes as she brought his hands closer to her chest, closing the space between them. "-Is to walk away."
She looked down at their joined hands, then back up at Joseph's glistening eyes. Rook let go and reached up, Joseph unable to help but slightly flinch as she took the yellow-tinted aviators from his face. She hooked one of the arms in her shirt so they hung off the fabric, folded in place. "I couldn't let you hurt these people. I couldn't let these people hurt your people. You never deserved to be ostracized and judged like you were, but you tortured people. Made them Atone and join your Flock when they didn't want to. " Rook sighed softly, then brought one of her hands up to Joseph's cheek. His skin burned wherever her fingertips landed, but he couldn't help but lean into her touch.
The two of them walked backward until the back of her knees hit the wooden bench of the pew, and the Deputy sat down with her legs crossed, then motioned for Joseph to join her. The hollow feeling in his chest had returned as he laid his head in her lap, and her fingers worked the tie out of his hair, letting it fall onto her jeans. It tickled her skin where the fabric had been ripped and distressed, and Joseph
reveled in the small giggle that escaped her lips.
"Oh Lord, the great Collapse...won't be our end." Rook's singing brought more tears to Joseph's eyes as her hands ran through his hair, sending tingling sensations down his spine. He closed his eyes, just enjoying the feeling of the Deputy's fingers in his hair as she sang. "When the world falls into the flames, we will rise again..."John had come to check up on Joseph, as he'd been locked in the church for the better half of the last few days. When he cracked the door open, he could see Joseph's shoulder poking over the edge of the first row of the pews. He was laying down, humming "We Will Rise Again", a song written by one of their followers. His aviators were on the floor where he gave his sermons, his book right next to them as well. John took a step inside, freezing as he heard the soft sound of his brother whispering, "Oh little lamb, why couldn't you have listened? You were never supposed to get hurt." Over and over again.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Rage coursed through his veins, and for a moment, he didn't care that he was letting his sin consume him. John's grip tightened around the knife as he pressed it into the flesh of a Sinner, the edges of his vision going red as he moved the blade across their skin. The person before him, nameless and faceless, screamed underneath him as he worked. Blood had splattered onto his hands, soaking into the fabric of his black jeans, and probably getting on his blue button down. None of it mattered though. Nothing mattered but the laughter ringing in his ears and the face swimming before his eyes.The last few weeks for John had been spent in his bunker or on river beds, carrying out Baptisms or Atonements for those who needed to be Cleansed. He would occasionally join his men on trips to the outposts scattered around the Valley, left the comfort of his ranch to go to sermons or visit his siblings. But as of late, John had become more closed off. His followers feared him more than they ever had, his mood swings wild and violent, but they usually leaned towards the negative side of the spectrum.What they didn't know, is that John's good days came when he woke up from a dreamless sleep. One where he didn't have to relive anything or feel any unwanted emotions. His bad days came when he did dream. When he woke up in a cold sweat, panic gripping his chest as one name would slip between his lips.
Her name. The Deputy. Everyone else had called her by her last name, Rook, or called her Deputy. She had never indulged anyone in what her first name was, until John.
The Deputy had always been talkative. She was notorious for talking Joseph's Flock into annoyance, so much so that they'd let her go a few times. But not John. Rook was sitting in his kitchen this time at his ranch, her hands, and feet bound to an office chair. Despite the predicament she was in, the deputy didn't seem to have a care in the world, though that might have been the Bliss that still hadn't worn off yet.
He had been surprised at the luck he'd had. John had sent his men out to capture the deputy after she'd blown the last of his silos. He'd had enough of her fun and games, especially after she'd taken a rocket launcher to his precious YES sign that sat on the hills. Well,
did
sit on the hills. John had threatened her after he'd watched the last piece crumble off the framework through a pair of binoculars. Rook had been sighted nearby, so naturally, he'd wanted to keep an eye on her and make sure she wasn't causing him too many problems.
When he'd been radioed by the VIPs of one of his parties, John was shocked to hear they'd actually caught the deputy with bliss bullets. He had made a note to thank Faith for helping with those. So now here she sat, tied to a chair and wearing a black pilot jacket and a cap that had Nick Rye's family logo on it. Her light wash jeans were stained red in some spots, presumably from cuts or wounds she'd sustained in the chase. Deputy wasn't known for either her safe driving or ability to stay upright whilst running.
"Hey Johnson, if you're going to play with knives, do you mind making us some food before you get to the slicing and dicing?" Her voice chimed just as John had set his tools down on the marble countertop, and his entire body tensed. He knew she was on Bliss still, but he hadn't been expecting her request for food. He turned around, his blue eyes narrowing as he took a few steps towards Rook, analyzing her expression and body language. She was leaned back in her chair, her eyes sparkling with a light green tint. It overshadowed the honey color that naturally filled her irises, and at that moment he realized he loved ambers more than he did peridots. Autumn more than Spring. Honey over leaves.
John let the knife clatter to the concrete floor of his bunker, blood covering the blade and handle as it fell into a small puddle dripping off the body in front of him. He stood up, wiping his hands off on his jeans, knowing he'd probably burn them later. He walked over to a wooden tool bench that had some strips of flesh stapled to it, sins tattooed in dark ink on them. He remembered when he'd had the Deputy in here with her partner, Joey Hudson. Rook had broken free and escaped his bunker, earning her sin and eventual nickname, Wrath.
He felt a sharp pain in his chest as he remembered the playful
features of Rook's face, but it was quickly contorted by a more grotesque image. Blood bubbling to her pink lips that were almost always a bit chapped. Her eyes wide with fear as they bore into John's searching for an answer he didn't have, a comfort he couldn't give.
He'd pulled her into his arms so that her body had been resting against his, trying to prop her up into a more comfortable position.
The crash, the crash. Her plane had gone down. One of the Cougars thought it was Jacob, since she'd stolen his plane from a hangar. When he'd heard the loud bang of metal exploding, he looked around whenever he could to see if Rook had ejected. He'd found Jacob's shredded plane first, following the trail of scraps and blood to something he'd had nightmares of only a few times. In a fight like this, he knew she'd get hurt, but she always bounced back.
John climbed off the person underneath him, his body sagging with exhaustion. He brought the sunglasses perched on the top of his head, down over his nose. He barked orders for his men to clean up the room and deal with whoever he'd just finished with.
He'd pulled her into his arms so that her body had been resting against his, trying to prop her up into a more comfortable position. John had nearly burned one of his hands pushing a piece of scrap off of the deputy, anxiety fluttering in his chest. He could see one of her legs twisted at an awkward angle, and blood had pooled at her side. A shard of metal stuck out of her torso, no doubt having punctured something vital. Normally John would've known better than to move her, but he could tell she didn't have much time left.
"You stupid, stupid, stupid Wrath. Always letting your
sins get in the way of everything." He mumbled as she coughed, red liquid leaking out of the corner of her lips, but they turned up at the corners regardless. His voice was shaking as he scolded her softly, no malice in his tone.
"If you're going to," She stopped to inhale sharply, wincing as her lungs expanded and the shard shifted. "If you're going to bitch me out, you might as well call me by my name." John's gaze had fluttered over her body when he saw the metal shard move a bit, not knowing what to do with his hands. Her hair pooled against his stomach like a halo, his stature straightening when Rook mentioned her name.
"You're not going to tell me your name, because I don't want to know your name. You are Wrath and I will call you Wrath until you Atone." John's voice was curt, but not in an angry way. He was afraid. The woman he held against him had gotten under his skin, given him lustful thoughts, made him question his leadership. He'd asked countless times what her name was, and every time she answered with, "Not until the day I die."
As much as he tried to silence her, Rook whispered her name to John as a tear cleared a path on her dirt-covered cheeks. Her breathing was getting more jagged, and when she finally stopped, John had begun to cry.
He drove back towards the ranch, Joseph calling his name over the radio, and for once he wasn't afraid of the consequences. John clicked off the radio as the image of what he'd carved into that person's
chest made a lump form in his throat. It was the same thing he'd been carving into at least one person a week. Letter by letter, in as beautiful calligraphy as one could manage with flesh and blade, it spelled out your name.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Everything of the Deputy's, he'd been taking back. Everything she ever gave that fucking militia, Jacob was claiming by force. If they didn't give it up right away, he killed them slowly. Either way, the members of the militia were falling. Joseph had pleaded with him since he'd started his mission for vengeance, telling him over and over it wouldn't bring her back.The Whitetails had made this one too easy. In fortifying themselves they've managed to give him an advantage. A rumble of disapproval rumbled in his chest as he laid down in the sniper's nest the militia had set up. It had originally been for their own snipers, but once Jacob had made quick work of them, he settled in. His dog tags clinked against the metal scaffolding as he shifted, getting as comfortable as he could.Through his scope, he watched various soldiers patrol their outpost. An outpost they had because of the Deputy.
Rook.
Jacob's grip tightened, his finger twitching over the trigger of his rifle. One of the militiamen walked into his line of sights, and Jacob held his breath as his eyes narrowed. He heard the soft
pew of the round leaving his rifle, the man dropped unceremoniously with a thud. Jacob moved away from the scope of his rifle as he
clenched
his jaw, working the muscle before running a hand through his hair. His mind wandering elsewhere, when he looked through the scope of his sniper rifle again, he was transported back in time.
He had the scope lined up on her. Dep. Kitten. Rook. His. A laugh came over his radio, crackling softly in the silence of the trees.
"I can feel your eyes on my ass, Seed. You're going to cost us this elk if you don't concentrate." Her voice scolded him playfully, and Jacob couldn't help the smirk tugging on his lips. He reached up and scratched his beard, then refocused his view away from the deputy. Jacob thought it wasn't fair to the rest of the women in the world who tried so hard to catch a man's attention. Rook managed to make anything she wore look good. Including the outfit she wore now. It was a standard uniform of the Project's members, as this was one of the few times Jacob had met the deputy out in public. Neither of them had wanted to deal with the consequences of the rest of the county finding out about their relationship, so they either met in private or Rook dressed as a member.
"You tryin' to tell me what to do?" He responded gruffly, but they both knew he was wrapped around her finger. Jacob shifted his body weight and realigned his scope on Rook's face, watching her eyes wander the forest floor. She always seemed to have such wonder on her face. He was tempted to latch onto the zip line they'd set up between them and go to her, but as he watched her, he wouldn't dare disrupt the moment.
Jacob heard some of the militia members talking amongst themselves loudly, calling out to each other as they'd found the first body. The first mistake they'd made was standing right next to each other, but a stroke of luck allowed Jacob to be at the precise angle that when he pulled the trigger, both people fell to the ground. He took a deep breath, the soft scent of coconut and citrus overwhelming him.
"Rook." He croaked out ever so softly, a flash of anger going through him as he peered into his scope again.
"Rook, you're killing me over here. That damn singing of yours is keeping away the fuckin' wildlife." Despite telling her that her singing was going against her very goal, Jacob's chest tightened as he recognized the song his followers had written in his name.
"You're here aren't you, Bigfoot?" Jacob's lips parted in shock at the jab she'd just thrown at him, and he chuckled at the set of balls Rook had on her. From day one she'd challenged him, pushed his buttons. Sure, she'd shown fear when he'd tossed her in a cage at the Veteran's Center, been livid when she realized he was conditioning her to kill. But her resolve had never faltered. He loved his feisty little kitten.
There was a quiet silence between the two before Jacob's radio came to life again. Just as Rook had started talking, her voice sounding shy, one of Jacob's Judges started howling. His scope was focused on the deputy and her lips as she spoke, unable to concentrate on anything else but her.
"Um, I know we've been at this for a hot minute, but I wanted you to know that I love-" Time seemed to slow as the deputy suddenly stopped talking, and Jacob could hardly believe what he was seeing. A loud bang rang out between the trees, Rook's sentence cut short as her head was thrown back, body crumpling to the scaffolding beneath her feet.
Jacob's fourth shot had landed in the leg of a man, but whether he'd missed or intended it, he didn't know. Just as he'd lined up the kill shot, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder, the smell of coconut and citrus buzzing around his head.
"Have mercy, Jacob." Her voice crooned in his ear, her breath hot against his neck. He closed his eyes, knowing the man he'd shot wasn't going anywhere. He growled softly as her fingers tightened around his shoulder, and set his rifle aside. Jacob rolled onto his back, the deputy's hand sliding over his shoulders and onto his chest as he did so. She hovered over him in her usual camo pants and crop top. The aviators that usually sat on her nose were propped up in her hair. She smiled sweetly, then pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips. "Have mercy. If not for them, for me." Rook climbed off of Jacob and stood up to her full height, her hand outstretched to him. It disappeared within his own as she helped pull him up, her fingers soft against his calloused ones.
"They don't deserve mercy for what they did to you." His voice was a rough and gravelly, but his eyes were sad as they roamed the deputy's face. Jacob's free hand came up to touch Rook's forehead, his thumb swiping over the spot where he'd last seen a bullet wound.
Instead of rebutting, she simply took his other hand and held it to her chest. "They thought I was a Peg-one of your followers. It was wrong, but when the Collapse comes, they will pay for it." What she said made it hit home to Jacob knew he wasn't talking to Rook,
his Rook. She had never agreed with the views of the Project, but she'd never bashed them either. She'd let them believe what they wanted. Who was she to tell them what to believe, she'd argued. He waved his hands away, pulling them from hers before crouching back down and picking up his rifle. He started to whistle a familiar tune.
"Only you can make this change in me. For it's true, you are my destiny." He lined up his shot with the man's head, hearing Rook singing in his ear and her weight putting pressure on his shoulders. "When you hold my hand, I understand, the magic that you do. You're my dream come true, my one and only you." As Jacob finished the last verse of the song with his deputy, his finger pulled the trigger.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The death of the deputy had shaken all of Hope County. The Resistance had stopped attacking John and his Chosen, The Whitetail Militia had ceased fire against Jacob and his Hunters, and The Cougars no longer burned through Faith's Bliss fields. But the Project had come to a halt as well. Trucks no longer moved supplies between regions, Jacob's Judges had been called back to the Veteran's Center, and Joseph had pleaded with his followers for peace, even if it was temporary.
Despite the fact that she had died, nobody knew quite how. Some said it was an explosion, some said it was from the bullet of a gun. She was constantly throwing herself into the mix of things, it wasn't a shock she had been injured, but rather that she hadn't managed to bounce back. She hadn't reappeared with a gun in her hand and a smirk on her face.
With the time she had spent with Rook, Faith had grown to love her. She was the one person who managed to pull out the Rachel in her, as dangerous as it was around other people. Rook had encouraged Faith to be who she was, not who Joseph wanted her to be. They had walked through endless Bliss fields together, giggling and sharing secrets about their old lives. Rook had learned that Rachel had found Eden's Gate with Tracey, but had gone their separate ways. She'd learned that Rachel had come from a broken and controlling family, taking the name Faith when she entered her new one led by Joseph Seed. Faith had learned that Rook didn't have much of a family either. She'd learned that Rook didn't have a preference for cats or dogs, but rather would love a pet tiger if it were humane and legal. And safe, but this is Rook we're talking about. Faith learned that Rook had dyed her hair a variety of colors until she'd joined the academy.Oh, how she missed her Rook. Her sister, despite their differences. Rook never agreed with the Seeds' methods and never relented to try and shut down their operations, but she had cared for them nonetheless, had shown them kindness when even Faith knew they didn't deserve it. They'd killed her friends, the people she was helping, had even hurt Rook herself.
Faith sat with her legs crossed in one of her Bliss fields behind her bunker, the sign of
Faith's
Gate just poking out from over the roof. Her gaze moved upwards to the sky, little sparkles filling the corners of her vision. She'd become practically immune to the effects of the Bliss, able to keep a clear head while subjected to it, but she still got visions sometimes.
"Welcome to the Bliss." A mocking voice giggled with the sound of dirt crushing beneath a set of footsteps. Faith would recognize that voice anywhere. She'd been trying to summon it with the Bliss whenever she had the chance. She tilted her head down with a grin as she stood up, rushing to meet Rook's open arms. The deputy lifted her up and spun her in a circle as they embraced each other.
Faith's bare feet touched the ground again, and she looked at Rook, who was wearing an outfit almost identical to hers.
Lilies, chrysanthemums, and roses were intertwined with the lace on Rook's dress, the fabric a blinding, crisp white. Her feet were bare as well, and if she didn't look different than Faith, they would've been playing spot the difference. "I've missed you so much. How are you doing? We all miss you."Rook touched Faith's cheek gently, a warm smile on her face before she reached down and held Faith's hands. She was warmer than Faith remembered, but she couldn't care less. Rook was
here, with
her. "I miss you, too. I'm not in any pain if that's what you're asking. I do wish I was with you, though. How is everyone?" Rook's voice echoed, but just barely, as she moved to sit down amongst the flowers as they'd used to. Her dress ruffled against the leaves as she rested in the dirt. Faith sat down next to her, noticing that while her dress accumulated some of the kicked up dust and pollen, the deputy's stayed completely clean."Everything's sort of...frozen," The happy notes of Faith's voice had started to dissipate, and she could feel a throb in her chest with each beat of her lonely heart. "The Sinners have stopped fighting against us, but we have also found ourselves lost without you. Some of the Flock question why we should have peace in these times of grief and ignore his requests. John and Jacob handle the dissenters before sending them to me." Her fingers had started to tighten around Rook's fingers, who looked up at her with a sad expression."What about you?""What about me?""How do you feel?" Faith was taken aback slightly at the Deputy's question. Only the Deputy had been more concerned about her well-being than the well-being of the Project. She sighed softly and looked down at their intertwined hands, Rook's thumb rubbing the back of her hand quietly. A butterfly landed on the Deputy's shoulder, fluttering its wings, but refusing to take flight."I feel...broken. As though I am frozen. I used to look forward to your shenanigans so that I could see you one more time, and when they stopped I...I didn't know what to do. I called out to you in the Bliss for days, but you never came. I had finally accepted the only way I could see you was in my memory...until today." Her voice shook with emotion as she spoke, and she looked up as she felt a soft touch to her bottom lip."You were not ready to see me, it would've broken your fragile, caring heart. You care so much Rachel, its why you hurt so much. But I will be here now. Whenever you need me, whenever you call. I will appear." Rook looked firmly into Faith's eyes before pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. Faith had always thought she tasted of vanilla, probably the chapstick she usually wore. They had joked about how chapped the deputy's lips were once, and then a few weeks later she'd begun to taste of vanilla.She could taste the salt from her tears as they kissed, her fingers tightening around Rook's terrified to let go. If she did, she was scared Rook wouldn't come back. It was Rachel's fear. Faith knew Rook was in paradise, waiting for her and the rest of their Family. Her friends. But Rachel felt the grief like a crushing wave."Faith, you are something great. As Rachel and as Faith. You changed my life, you brought happiness into my life amongst all the death and the bloodshed. Look at me," Rook angled Faith's head so that she was looking into Rook's eyes. "You will help lead this Family into greatness. You will save lives and protect people in the case of destruction, that I know. Whether it's exactly how Joseph predicted it or not. Something is coming, and you will offer them shelter and protection. A purpose. You help give people new lives. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh."
Rook pulled away, her eyes glittering green, covering up their natural color. Faith bit her lip as she held back the tears. She felt a firm hand on her shoulder as Rook looked up at someone behind her.
"Come, my child. Let us grieve the Lamb together."
When Faith looked behind her to see Joseph standing behind her with an empathetic expression on his face, her bottom lip quivered as the emotion rushed back to the surface, as though she were just learning of the Deputy's fate. "Let me say goodbye?" Joseph nodded and Faith turned her head to look at Rook one last time for the day. But she was already gone, replaced by a cloud of Bliss and butterflies. One of them landed on Faith's shoulder as Joseph helped her up, never leaving her side.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sharky had been rolling through Fall's End, heading to 8-Bit to meet up with Hurk and Jess when he saw the commotion. People were huddled around the outside of Pastor Jerome's church, and he was going slow enough to see that some of them were hugging each other.He recognized Mary May leaning on the good Pastor, a devasted look on her face. Hudson, the other deputy that had come to Hope County with Rook, was on her knees with her head hanging. Sharky pulled over to the side of the road, careful not to ram into the bus that had been parked in the middle of the street for God knows how long. Mary May had looked over from the church towards Sharky's direction, then pushed herself off the Pastor before making her way over to his car."Boshaw! Boshaw!"
"Boshaw! Charlemagne Victor Boshaw right?" A woman was standing on the ground beneath him, one of her hands stuffed into her pocket and the other holding a red camo painted AK-M. Sharky pushed one side of his headphones off his ear so he could hear her better. "I
stumbled upon your frequency and you caught my interest. What's going on?"
"Well, if you require some more brevity in your day to day life, you can just call me Sharky. Welcome to the disco inferno, man," He started to go on about how the trailer park was his special place where he could just be himself away from the prying eyes of law enforcement types such as herself. Here is where he was free to unleash his fire and mayhem in a pants-free, no consequence zone. The Deputy hadn't been able to help but look down and make sure Sharky was in face wearing pants. "I have pants on now, yes, but who knows what the next half-hour, forty-five minutes hold." Sharky described his sound system and how Faith's Angels always came running whenever he blasted his music.
"-It sure is fun to melt their faces off." Rook tuned back into Sharky's apparent monologue as he mentioned frying the Angels, and she started to clamber up to the roof where he stood. She reloaded her gun to make sure she wouldn't run out once the Angels came a-knockin'. " If it pisses off the Project, I'm here for it." She'd whistled and a cougar came darting out from the woods, snarling and skidding to a stop on the ground below the deputy.
"Holy shit is that Peaches? Mable's cougar? Damn Dep, as whack as Eden's Gate is, it's even more whack that you're walking around with a cougar." Sharky bounced his eyebrows in surprise before turning back to crank his music up.
Disco music started blaring through the trailer park and Angels came in packs. Usually, he'd have his cousin Hurk with him, but something had happened with his Senior's car so he was stuck at home.
The deputy was taking them out with headshots, Peaches was tearing into their throats, and Sharky was...well Sharky was melting their fucking faces off as promised. Then his system had short-circuited and before he could move to shut them off, Deputy was already taking off for the different switches.
"Cover my ass, I'm going for 'em!" She shouted over the music while booking it. Both Peaches and Sharky took out Peggies that turned to run for her, and he was impressed by how well she maneuvered around the junk Sharky had moved around. Once the music was off and the Angels were all dead, the deputy had climbed back up to the roof, wiping blood splatter off her forehead and onto her forearm. He thought it was hot as hell.
"That's...the last of 'em, Sharky." She held out a dirt and blood-covered hand, offering up a knuckle-bump. Rook had a grin on her face when Sharky punched her fist lightly, then dropped her AK-M on the ground unceremoniously. "We did good."
"What can I say, amigo? You and me, we got chemistry," Sharky started to jump up and down excitedly, holding his shotgun close to his chest. He was in a good mood, he couldn't help but get jiggy. "We're like...we're like a freakin' team!"
"Never thought you'd be friends with a cop, did ya?" Rook had a
grin on her face like she was proud they'd done this together. Proud they'd probably pissed off Faith.
Once Mary got closer to the car, Sharky saw just how distressed she'd looked, and his first instinct was to look to where she'd been staring. The church."Po-Po!" Sharky didn't think he'd ever hopped out of a car so fast in his life, but he could hear Rook's voice chiding him about not wearing a seatbelt. He suddenly wished he'd worn it once, just for her. There were a lot of things he was wishing he had done as he sprinted for the church, only to end up bumping into the Pastor."It's too late, Sharky. She's-she's been up there since last night." The Pastor spoke softly and Sharky felt his chest burn as he realized he'd stopped breathing.
Eden's Gate had sent a message. Crystal clear. Gruesome. Traumatizing. Nobody knew if the Seeds had actually given the order for it to happen since some of the Peggies had been acting out as of late. It didn't matter though. The Peggies had done it in the name of the cult, and the Seeds lead the group of fucking fanatics. That's all the citizens of Hope County cared about.Dep had gone dark
the night before, running around the county raising hell for the cult. Sometimes she liked to go off on her own and take some quiet time to think while she fought the Project. Nobody had thought anything of it. Sharky certainly hadn't. Until now.
Sharky's first thought had been what poor citizen of Fall's End had pissed off Johnson enough to warrant this, but it started to sink in as he recognized who it was.The deputy was bloodied, bruised, and strung up on the church. She was posted on a cross with barbed wire holding her against the wooden planks. What the cross was attached to, he couldn't tell. He almost couldn't believe it.
"We jus' talked over the radio, she said she was going-going up to Jake'n'Bake's for the evenin'. She had business with the Whitetail, with-with Eli." Sharky took another step forward, nearly stumbling away from Jerome as his vision blurred with tears. He didn't understand how Dep could be gone. She always bounced back from whatever the hell had happened. She'd been caught by Jacob
twice, been taken to John's bunker and escaped, and been drugged up by Faith. It had seemed like nothing could keep Rook down."There was a broadcast this morning, on the TVs. John Seed said she had died on the cross for our sins, sacrificed so that we could walk through the Gates of Eden." Jerome put a hand on Sharky's shoulder as he sniffled and rubbed his eyes. He looked back up at his best friend, his partner in crime. His Deputy. She had a smirk on her face, or at least it seemed this way, and Sharky felt a swell of pride knowing what it meant. She hadn't gone down without a fight. She'd given the cult as much hell as she could before she'd croaked. It gave Sharky a bit of relief that she hadn't been taken by surprise or given up easily.
Rook looked just as smug about kicking the cult's ass as she did the day he met her, and this time, it was where they said their goodbyes."Atta girl, chica."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Prosperity was alight with celebration. The Highwaymen's forces had been weakened by the Security Captain, and Kim had wanted to boost morale by having a celebration of sorts. A team had gone out and hunted some different game for dinner, and everyone pitched in for the stash of booze. Music was playing, people were dancing, and laughter filled the air. It was the most carefree Prosperity had been in a long time.But Nick Rye was hiding
in the garage the Security Captain had helped him renovate. It had been a long day, and all he really wanted was some peace to himself so he could think about things. When he first had walked into the garage, the light was on and a milk crate was sitting next to his tool bench. His heart squeezed and he'd drawn back his foot to kick it away but changed his mind, and instead turned it over so he could sit on it. A voice in the back of his head broke the silence with an enthusiastic, "It's the last one Nick, c'mon!" They'd picked up so many of those as they'd wandered the county, Nick had thought he'd never be able to look at another vinyl record in his life.Nick took off his baseball cap and set it on the ground next to him as he reached over and lifted open his toolbox. Inside were what was to be expected: hammers, screwdrivers, and other sorts of things he'd need to repair vehicles and planes. He picked up one of
three things that stuck out, which was an old leather wallet. It was practically falling apart, but the seams held it together where it mattered most.
He flipped it open and ran his thumb over the picture of him and Kim. She was smiling while he kissed her cheek. They were still newlyweds when it was taken, but not a damn thing had changed since then. Then he slid out the other picture, the edges worn from touch. Nick bit his lip as it wobbled, and ran his free hand over his beard. He squeezed his eyes shut as he swallowed past the lump in his throat.
Nick set the photo on his lap as carefully as possible, glancing at it over and over again as he fumbled in his toolbox for the small match pad he had.
"You fucking missed! Nick Rye how the hell did you manage that?" The Deputy's voice came over his radio as he exploded into a fit of cackles. It was embarrassing he'd fucked up that bad, but hilarious at the same time, and apparently Dep thought so too. She was laughing hysterically as he rounded his plane so he was flying above her, able to shoot down any Peggies that dared go near her.
"You distracted me Dep, I'on know what you want me to do about it!" Nick tried to catch his breath as an arm wrapped around his stomach, the laughter only ebbing slightly.
"Be a better pilot, my dude!" She wasn't mad in the slightest he'd accidentally bombed her truck instead of the one with five Peggies in it. In his defense, the Deputy had been driving one of their trucks, but her truck was also the only one with no one in it.
He remembered the exact day they'd taken that photo. They'd gone back to the house to check on Kim and Nick's newborn daughter after Nick had gloriously fucked up with bombing the trucks. He'd had to land and pick up the Deputy, who was rolling in the dirt by the time his wheels had touched the ground. They'd made jokes about it the entire plane ride back, with Nick flying because Dep couldn't stop laughing about it.
When they'd gotten to the house, Kim had come out to greet them with Carmina, who was waving her tiny little arms excitedly. Rook had tried to tell Kim what had happened, but couldn't stop wheezing long enough to get a sentence out, so Nick had explained with red cheeks.Rook had her arm thrown around Nick's shoulders and was using him to hold herself up as she laughed, and Nick was rolling his eyes with a smile.
He sniffled again and cleared his throat as he spoke up. "Damn, Deputy. It's been, oh I'on know, seventeen years, now? Carmina's seventeen going on eighteen, so yeah. It's been seventeen years. Shit, you'd kill to see how different things are. Kim says everything's in a um, ah what'd she call it...a super bloom? Yeah, sounds 'bout right considering how it looks. Flowers everywhere, man. I still 'member how you brought Carmina a couple flowers for her room when she was born. You said there wasn't many things 'round with the Peggies goin' ape shit and all, but you wanted to get her something."
Nick's voice caught as he reminisced on the days following his daughter's birth and what the Deputy had done for them.
"Sometimes I wish you were here, Dep. I mean, nah I always wish you were here, but these people...I love 'em and I know we're doin' the right thing, but all they do is take. Kim gives everything and, yeah some of 'em help out, but not all. You'd be spreading yourself thin again, except there isn't an end to it. You wouldn't have beat the cult and stopped. This is life now." He rubbed his eyes and then his beard, then gazed back down at the photo.
"I just...damn it, I miss you so much man. I haven't seen you in seventeen years, ain't heard from you in seventeen years. You got the short end of the stick, and-and-and Joseph Seed's still breathin'. It ain't right man, all you ever did was help people," Nick hiccuped a sob, his thumb touching the Deputy's face carefully. "People still talk about you. The New Edeners call you The Sinner, but us...we call you a fuckin' hero, man. Carmina wants to be like you, and-and there's this new gal. A Security Captain that reminds me a bit of you. Except, and no offense Dep, she knows what she's doing. You and I, you and the others, we all just fumbled about with you and fucked shit up."Nick let go of the photo and picked up the matchbook. Every year on this day, he did the same thing. He'd pull out his picture and matches, and think about his old friend. He struck the matches against the stripe, watching as they burned. He set it down on a little pile of sticks he'd collected over the last day or two, and stared as the wood caught fire.
"One day when things are better, I'll make you a cake," Nick reached into his toolbox again and pulled out a badge. It was the cleanest thing in all of Prosperity. He held it tight in his hand as he picked up his picture again. He looked down at his makeshift fire again and wiped his cheeks again. "Happy Birthday, Dep."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Crying. It was always the crying that woke her up nowadays, and as much as she loved Nick and Carmina, Kim was exhausted. Nick was a heavy sleeper and didn't often stir when their daughter began crying in the middle of the night. When Kim woke up to the sound of Carmina crying, she rolled over to make sure Nick hadn't gotten up first, and low and behold, he was on the verge of snoring."What would I do without you, Nick?" Kim mumbled to herself as she tossed the sheets off of her body and shoved her feet into a pair of slippers. As soon as she'd pushed herself off the mattress, Carmina had quieted down. Normally needing more attention to fall back asleep, Kim wondered what her daughter had woken up for.She shuffled from her bedroom, closing the door behind her quietly to avoid waking Nick and moved towards the nursery. Kim paused when she found the door ajar and saw a shadow of someone rocking back and forth in Carmina's nursing chair. Then she heard the soft sound of humming and Kim felt her breath catch.Kim had heard that sound so many times in the middle of the night when the deputy couldn't sleep and took care of a restless Carmina so that she and Nick could catch up on their sleep. It was a sound she shouldn't be hearing, but one that she had wanted to for the past few weeks.She pushed the door open and slipped inside of the bedroom, her heart in her throat as the humming got louder as she moved closer. Kim turned to close the door and stood there for a moment, her hands braced against the wood as she tried to even out her breathing.Kim turned on her heels, her eyes slowly lifting from the floor and up to the rocking chair. She had to hold back the sob that had climbed its way up her throat, tears already falling down her cheeks.
In the chair was Rook, holding Carmina to her chest as she swayed back and forth, humming all the while to the sleeping infant. Her eyes lifted up from Carmina to Kim, the color jarring the new mother. For a moment she could see the lifeless version of them, the image forever burned into her mind."I have to be dreaming, you're-" "-Dead?" Kim rubbed her eyes and had started to state the obvious, but Rook cut her off with a sad smile before looking around the nursery. Her own eyes seemed to be blotchy with tears. Could Rook feel things wherever she was? Kim hoped not, for she knew that Rook would miss them all terribly, and she didn't want her best friend to be upset like everyone left alive was.Rook's chest rose and fell as she sighed, Carmina's little body moving in unison with her. She looked down at the child and touched her cheek gently, the little girl gurgling in her sleep.Kim reached out behind her for the wall, sliding against it into a sitting position once she'd found it. Her arms rested across her knees as she stared at the woman across from her. She refused to take her eyes off of Rook for fear she'd disappear the second she did so."I miss being in here. Being at your house. It was one of the few places I could get away from it all, y'know? I mean, Sharky and Hurk's too, but...let's be honest. I love them, but they're gross. What with Sharky and his piss collection." Rook laughed and Kim thought she was going to burst into tears. When she had been alive it wasn't a sound Kim heard often, but now that Rook was gone...she missed it every day.Kim wanted to say something to comfort her friend, or even just to have another conversation with her. They could've talked about rocks and Kim would've listened like it was the most fascinating thing in the world because it would've been. Anything Rook talked about, Kim had listened. It was one the one thing Kim made sure to do and tried to get Nick to do, every time the deputy came around. Ask her how she was, if there was anything she needed, and let her do all the talking. Rook deserved it after everything she was doing for the citizens of Hope County."I'd ask how everyone is, but I'm afraid to find out." Rook's voice shook a little and her lip wobbled. Kim offered a sympathetic expression as she scooted along the floor until she was within arm's reach of the deputy. Kim quickly compiled a list of Rook's old pals in her head and tried to remember how they each were the last time she'd heard of or seen them."Boshaw misses you, but that's a given. You two were thick as thieves. He's still kicking ass though, but Hurk and Jess tag along with him usually. He tends to forget he's on his own now. Hurk acts the same for the most part. He's just gone from actually talking to you to, well, fake talking to you." Kim shrugged as she kept explaining what some of Rook's other friends were up to, including how Jess had gone on a rampage and Grace had done the same.
"I just...I'm so sorry, Kim. I tried I really did I..." Rook trailed off as she looked up at the ceiling and bit her bottom lip, presumably to prevent herself from crying and waking up Carmina. Kim reached out and wrapped her hand around Rook's ankle in a gesture of comfort."Hey, you did amazing. You did better than anyone else ever did, Rook. You crippled the cult enough that Whitehorse and the other two deputies got out to Missoula. They couldn't save Burke, but they went to get help. The sheriff radioed in over your frequency saying reinforcements are due any day now. We're going to be okay, Dep. All because of you." Kim spoke softly but with firm honesty."They made it?" Rook's eyes burned with hope, with relief that everything she'd done hadn't been in vein. Relief that she'd managed to actually save the people she cared about.Kim nodded and wiped some tears from her face while rubbing her thumb over Rook's pant leg. "They made it. You died so that they could live, and it worked.""I did my worst and tried my best, that's all I wanted." Rook laughed a few notes as she rubbed at her eyes with a fist, making sure to hold up Carmina with the other. When she looked back down at Kim though, Kim felt her heartbreak all over again. Her eyes were clouding with that familiar shade of death. Kim gave Rook's leg a squeeze with a nod as a lump formed in her throat."And you did, Rook. You did it." Kim whimpered as Rook smiled weakly, then her head fell back against the cushion of the rocking chair.Kim sat up straight, her throat sore and chest heaving as she gripped at the sheets in front of her. She instinctively looked over at Nick, who was leaning towards Kim with a concerned expression on his face and a hand on Kim's shoulder."Another one, babe?" Nick could always tell when Kim had dreams of Rook, because she would begin to cry in her sleep. Nick was always torn between letting Kim see their best friend and waking her up."Yeah, another one."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
He stood outside the doors of the sheriff's office for a moment with his aviators perched on his nose and his sheriff's hat in hand. He held it against his chest as he tried to think back on how things had been just a few months ago. If he looked hard enough, Whitehorse could see Rook and Pratt dashing in through the front doors, elbowing and shouldering each other to try and get to their desks first. Hudson was either already there or right behind them, but out of his three deputies, Hudson was the early bird.Finally, he took a deep breath and managed to muster up the courage to go inside. The Hope County Sheriff's Department was small to begin with, but a majority of the staple people that were close to Earl were either arrested, dead, or on
paid leave
until further notice. The people who had stayed behind at the office had mostly been transferred out temporarily. As a result, only a few people milled about once he got inside the doors, and they only offered him nods of condolences or a pat on the shoulder.
The halls felt empty as Whitehorse made his way back to the bullpen, but he froze in place when he reached Staci's desk. Joey and Staci's things were left untouched and would be until they came to collect them because out of the three of them Joey was the most likely to rejoin the force. The happenings of Hope County had only seemed to fuel her fire for protecting innocent people.Whitehorse
fondly rapped
Staci's desk with his knuckles as he wondered when he would go and see his former deputy next.
Since the first two weeks Staci
was back from Hope County, he'd been admitted into a psychiatric hospital until the doctors could help him deal with the damage Jacob had done.Pratt's desk was filled with old wrappers, receipts, and post-it notes with phone numbers or the occasional reminder. He even had a big rubber band ball next to a small cup that held his pencils and pens, but Whitehorse could've sworn that it had been on Rook's desk.Across from Staci's desk was Joey's, and next to Staci's was Rook's desk which had an empty desk across from hers. Earl glanced at Joey's desk, which was the cleanest of the three, then walked around to Rook's desk. Underneath the desk was an empty file box for him to place her belongings into.With a heavy sigh, he leaned down to pick up the box and rested it on her desk as he looked everything over. Rook didn't have much on her desk other than a few photographs, some post-its stuck to her computer monitor, and a couple of pens strewn about the tabletop.Very carefully, Whitehorse started to pack up her things, making sure to put the hardier and flatter things on the bottom and the more delicate objects on the top. The last thing he could handle right now was breaking anything she owned as well.
Normally it would've taken Earl about ten minutes to pack and sort her things, but instead, he kept stopping to take a deep breath and regain his composure. He couldn't help it. Everywhere he went that Rook had been, he felt as though he could still feel her wandering around. Sometimes he even saw her, but he didn't dare tell anyone."You know Staci stole that off my desk about two weeks before we left for Hope County?" Earl swore under his breath at the sudden break in silence and looked up to see Rook sitting on her desk. Her legs swung back and forth idly and she had a smile on her face.He looked down at the pen in his hand that was capped with a squishy dog with eyes that popped out when it was squeezed. Earl chuckled under his breath."It's quite a pen, Rook. Miracle you ever got it back." He set it in the box carefully, his arm brushing against hers as he dragged the box off of her desk. Whitehorse heard Rook's shoes hit the linoleum as she slid off her desk and started to follow him."How's he doing by the way? Staci? What about Joey?" Rook was shorter than Whitehorse so she had to walk faster to keep up with him as she talked. She followed him out of the sheriff's department and out to the parking lot, and Earl noticed her eyes wandering around with a bit of curiosity."Pratt's still in the hospital being monitored. Jacob did some major damage to him, but apparently he's making slow progress which is good. Joey's leave ends in a week or two and she'll be back here with me, I think. Who knows anymore?" Earl propped the box upon his knee as he opened the trunk of his car. Rook laughed and Whitehorse had to swallow the lump in his throat.
"Jacob did some major damage to a lot of people. Sometimes I wonder if I was one of the lucky ones...not having to deal with being conditioned for the rest of my life." The car groaned as she leaned against it, her arms folded across her chest as her gaze fell to the street. Before Earl could say anything in response, she was gone in that familiar green cloud of Bliss.Whitehorse lingered for a moment before closing the trunk of his car and climbing inside. The engine grumbled to life before he kicked the car into reverse and pulled out of the parking lot.He had never been to Rook's house before or met her family, but he'd seen pictures of them on her desk. The same pictures that sat in his trunk waiting to be returned home. The Rook's house was quaint and looked like every other house in the areas in and around Hope County.
After unloading her belongings from the trunk, Whitehorse stood on the sidewalk for a moment as his thoughts turned over in his head. He was snapped out of it when a gentle touch landed on his shoulder, and he looked over to see Rook standing next to him with a sad smile on her face."Come on, I haven't been home in a while." She ticked her head towards her family home and started to walk up the pathway, her fingers sliding against the fabric of Earl's shirt. He followed her without a second thought, just watching his former junior deputy revel in the fact that she was finally home.Whitehorse set the box down on the porch and took off his hat to hold it in his hands. He cleared his throat and lifted his hand to knock on the door, his knuckles hitting the wood the same time that Rook's did.It took a few moments, but when the door swung open he nearly stumbled backward. Standing in front of him was Rook, but if she were about five years younger than she had been.
"Can I help you?" The girl looked Earl up and down, eyed the box on the porch, then back up at Earl. Right next to her was Rook leaning against the doorframe with a smirk on her lips."My name is Sheriff-" The girl's expression contorted before she turned her head over her shoulder and hollered for her parents. "-Ma, Pa! It's about Rook!"Whitehorse's eyes widened a bit as Rook disappeared in another cloud of Bliss and her parents rushing in took her place instead. In the doorway, the family was huddled together with tears already in their eyes. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened to your daughter when you don't hear from her for a few weeks and the first thing you hear of her is a Sheriff on your doorstep with a small box of belongings."You can do it." He could hear Rook's voice even though he couldn't see her, and Whitehorse took a shaky breath."Mr. and Mrs. Rook, if I may come in I'd like to talk to you about your daughter."
The man and woman nodded as Rook's mother began to quiver, silently making room for Earl to walk between them as he picked up Rook's box again. He carried it inside as though it was her broken body that he'd had to carry to the truck from Joseph's Compound.The family of three was leading him through the house with distressed whispers, but he could hear footsteps behind him and felt a wave of calm wash over him.Rook's family led him to a sitting room and gestured for him to sit in the sofa across from two loveseats. Rook's mother sat in one while her father stood behind his wife with his hands on her shoulders, and her sister sat in the chair next to Mrs. Rook. A cushion to the left of him sunk as Rook sat down, her belongings resting to his right.
Her hand was warm as it covered his own that was resting on his knee, and she gave it a reassuring squeeze with a nod towards her family."Mr. and Mrs. Rook, on the last assignment that your daughter had, things got out of control very fast. We were cut off from the outside world as The Project of Eden's Gate did their best to eliminate any and all police presence in the area in order to preserve their illegal activities. Your daughter died fighting the cult, and she died a hero. Without her none of my deputies or I would have made it out of Hope County, and she saved countless lives." Whitehorse glanced to his side and saw a dark stain blooming on the front of Rook's shirt, but she didn't seem as though she were in pain. Not like the way it actually happened.Her mother immediately broke down into tears with her father, but through her own cries Rook's sister leaned over and held out her hand for Whitehorse. Her bottom lip shook and for a moment he imagined it stained red like Rook's."Thank you for letting us know. We had figured something terrible had happened but...well it's always better to know, isn't it?" The smile she had was full of sorrow, but it was a smile nontheless.
"Thank you for bringing me home, Earl." Rook whispered ever so softly as she disappeared into another cloud of dust, and though he didn't know it at the time, it was the last time Earl would ever see Rook in the Bliss for as long as he lived.