-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Before William Chandler could even comprehend what had happened, a series of rockets blasted from the forest, meeting their targeted vehicles in the convoy with a spectacular display of destruction. Planted mines detonated, sending vehicles and bodies into the air. “Stay down!!” William urged the men in his Humvee, but it was too late. A number of whistles, horns, and the thundering of brass echoes through the valley, followed by the crackle and pops of dozens of rifles going off. The gunner at the back of the Humvee quickly returned fire, but a hail of bullets cut him down, and he fell into the back of the jeep.
“Someone get up on the top!” William ordered. A woman in the back attempted to climb up, but she was forced back by another wave of bullets. A rocket flew from the trees and hit the truck in front of the Humvee right in the center, blowing it to smithereens. Dozens of soldiers were burnt alive as they tried desperately to get away from the wreckage. William put the Humvee into reverse and tried to gun it back, but a ferocious heap of lead slammed into his car, shattering the windows and hitting several in the back as they shouted in agony. “Move!” Willliam screamed to the man next to him, but it quickly became apparent that he was dead. William fumbled over his body and managed to open the door, falling face first onto his head and pulling the corpse with him onto the floor.
“Oh my God!” The woman in the back yelled hysterically. “Oh my God! What are we going to do?!”
William’s eyes darted back and forth. Adrenaline surged in his veins. The convoy was a heaping wreck. Dozens of bodies lay bullet ridden all over the road. “Keep firing Corporal!” William ordered. He grabbed a random rifle that was laying on the ground and did his best to return fire into the forest.
Another loud horn blew, and the forest erupted into shouts. A wave of Cult soldiers burst forth from their hiding spots. They were all wearing fur coats, and carried nothing but machetes in their hands. William’s heart skipped a beat when he saw their eyes…glazed over with a putrid green, almost non-human, like a rabid animal. “Oh my God!” The woman panicked. Many of the surviving positions on the convoy were overrun immediately, and any survivors were mercilessly butchered in brutal hand to hand combat.
“Get a hold of yourself Jennifer!” William shouted, grabbing her and practically tossing her into a position to fire back. “Fire back! Sergeant! Take the radio and tell me what the fuck is going on!”
William’s training kicked in immediately. A host of cult warriors ran towards their position, but William gunned them down with a series of hits to their heads. Every time he would peek his head over the Humvee, however, a hailstorm of bullets would force him back behind cover. Even then, he was killing anything that tried to get close to him.
“Captain Chandler!” The sergeant screamed. “The front of the convoy has been completely overrun!” William turned his head and confirmed the grisly information. A few survivors were doing their best to fight their way towards the rear, but most were either gunned down or hacked to bits. “The back is still fighting sir! Some are attempting to get back across the bridge!”
“Fucking God damn it!” William barked. “Report a broken arrow! We’ve been completely overrun! Tell everyone to get to the back and regroup!”
“Yessir!” The sergeant shouted. He began to relay the information as bullets sychted all around him.
Jennifer was a shaking and slobbering mess. “I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die!” She cried. She was barely able to fire anything off.
“We have to keep moving!” William ordered. “If we stay here, we die! If we move, we have a chance! Now get your ass up! I’m going to toss some smokes to cover our movements, run to the next truck and keep moving!” There was a decent gap between the Humvee and the nearest smoldering wreck behind him. He reached into his belt, and William tossed a series of smoke grenades into the middle of the two cars. “Suppressive fire!” He yelled. He tossed Jennifer, and she managed to make her way to the next car. William sprinted as fast as he could and practically dove headfirst behind cover. The Sergeant ran attempted to make his way across, but was hit by a wave of bullets half way between the two cars and dropped to the floor.
William didn’t care. His mind was entirely focused on the rear of the convoy. He briefly raised his head to look inside of the Humvee he was pinned behind to look for any survivors. No dice. All five men in the jeep were dead and riddled with dozens of bullet holes. Beyond the car and way towards the rear of the column, a number of soldiers were bravely fighting back. He once again tossed the slobbering Jennifer and practically dragged her, weaving in and out of broken vehicles and trading fire with the cult. Behind him, the remaining survivors were totally overrun and butchered where they were.
“Captain Chandler!” A friendly soldier said with relief as William slid behind an overturned truck. “Whos in command here?”
“I guess its me!” He replied, firing a few shots over the truck. “What’s your unit?”
“All dead!” The soldier shouted back.
“Do you have a radio?”
“Over here!” The soldier replied, grabbing a younger man and shoving him towards William. “He’s our man here.”
William grabbed the younger man’s shoulder. “Get on the fucking radio and tell me who’s left!”
“Yessir!” He replied, a bullet whizzing right by his face. “It’s not looking good! The entire front is overrun and the middle is falling away as well.”
William grit his face and bit his knuckles. “Broken Arrow!” He angrily said. “Broken arrow! Tell everyone to fall back towards the back now! Get across the bridge and regroup! Broken arrow!”
The radio operator frantically repeated what William had told him. A few trucks made a mad dash down the road, but their drivers were sniped from a far and their trucks were riddled with a storm of cult bullets. Anyone in the middle of the convoy who tried to flee were slaughtered, and soon, another horde of machete wielding warriors descended on their positions and effortlessly overran them. A tank was attempting to trade fire, but the cult warriors managed to climb aboard it and burn the crew alive from the outside. Dozens of soldiers ran down the hill and attempted to swim across the Henbane river. A few made it, but most were sniped or drowned.
“Keep fucking moving!” William barked. “Suppressive fire!”
The wooden bridge that they had crossed was soon in sight. On the other side, a number of men had managed to create a makeshift position with parked trucks and were trading fire with the Cult on the hill.
“My God we’re going to make it!” Jennifer gasped with relief. “We’re going to make it!”
“Shut up and move!” William grunted in reply. He had ceased trading fire aside from gunning down the occasional Cult soldier that managed to get behind the long line of trucks and cars. He was in a full on dash to get across the bridge. He had almost made when to his horror, it blew up, shattering into splinters as the pieces fell into a deep ravine and into the stream below. A number of hidden Cult soldiers emerged from hiding and quickly overtook the men on the other side of the bridge, leaving William and a dozen American soldiers surrounded on the other side. Soon, the gunfire slowly died down, leaving the frightening sounds of hundreds of people dying around them. Dozens of cult soldiers, dressed in fur coats and scavenged pre-war clothing lined the bridge with their guns pointed at William.
“Sinners!” A loud and booming voice came from the forest. “Lay down your weapons and you may just live! Drop them or die!”
William scanned the remaining American soldiers. Most were wounded, and the remaining healthy men were low on ammo. They were totally surrounded. “Sir?” One of the soldiers said. “Are we going to…surrender?”
William sighed. “I don’t see an option here.” He tossed his weapon to the ground, and soon, all of the other soldiers followed suit. “We dropped our weapons!” He shouted. “What else do you want?”
“Line all your men in front of the trucks and kneel down! Now!”
Jennifer burst into even more tears. William gently nudged her along kneeling her down next to him before kneeling down himself. Every surviving soldier followed suit, putting their hands behind their heads and interlocking their hands. “We did as you asked!” William grunted loudly.
The Cult men emerged from the forest. William briefly raised his head to get a better look a them. All wore camouflaged fur coats lined with leaves and branches to better hide in the thick brush. There were at least fifty or sixty of them, all men, mostly younger though with a few older men easily distinguished by their thick bushy beards. All carried rifles of varying quality, with the most common ones being surprisingly new looking AR-15s and AK-47s. They quickly took control of the scene, patting each of the soldiers down and taking away any weapons that they could find. William wondered if the Judge was here, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Call the Father,” one of the cult soldiers said to another one.
As the cult were going through the wreckage of the convoy, a set of five Cult trucks dashed down the road. The Cult soldiers quickly stopped what they were doing and lined both sides of the road. A plain looking white pickup screeched to a halt, and out of the front passenger seat came none other than Joseph Seed. He was far more aged than the last known photographs of him showed, with his proud man-bun showing streaks of grey and white. Even in this weather, he was shirtless. His chest sported numerous new tattoos, and most of the ones were now covered by a giant tree tattoo that covered the entire front of his body.
He scanned the scene, apparently in disbelief at what had just occurred. “Judge!” He shouted. “Step forth!”
The Cult soldiers visibly tensed up and even the older more seemingly fearless men gave each-other looks of concern. The masked man emerged from the forests, dressed head to toe exactly as the picture Carnivore sent showed. In his hands was a rifle that William immediately recognized as Ghost gear, but it was heavily customized. It was clearly aged, and etched on its side was a very faint Confederate flag. William’s blood boiled in his veins as he realized that the Judge probably got it off either his mother or one of her subordinates. That rifle was how the General died so silently, and the Judge had probably killed dozens of soldiers with it.
The Judge immediately made his way to Joseph and knelt respectfully at his feet. Joseph smiled and lifted the Judge’s head under his mask. “Judge, rise.” It rose to its feet. “You did well today Judge. God will reward you richly for your service to His Kingdom today.”
“Grr,” it grunted in reply.
Joseph turned to face his men. “All we want…all we have ever wanted…is to live at peace in our Garden. To live off of the milk and honey of the Promised Land that God has blessed us with. We are not violent! We are not warriors. Yet time and time again, locusts come into our garden, seeking to pillage and destroy all that God has given us! They want to ravage us, enslave us, kill is, rape us, yet time and time again God has given them into our hands! Today is a great day, children, because God has blessed us yet again with a great victory!”
The cult soldiers hoorahed and celebrated, raising their rifles above their heads and mobbing their leader. The Judge stood there to the side silently with his head bowed.
“We will not be broken!” Joseph continued. “We will never be defeated because God is on our side!” William continued to kneel there, his knees digging uncomfortably into the asphalt of the road. After the celebration died down, Joseph walked over to inspect the captives. “Who is in charge here?”
William slowly raised his hand. “I am.”
The madman slowly jaunted over and knelt in front of William. He raised William’s head with his fingers and stared into his eyes. “Oh, you are? Did you order this attack?”
“No,” William replied breathlessly.
“My children are innocent,” Joseph responded, almost as if something was physically hurting him. “Look at them, they are pure, white as snow. Why must you force us to do this? Why do you force us to fight? Why must you blacken their hearts and soil their souls? We didn’t ask for this…what is your name?”
“William.”
“William what?” Jospeh asked, looking for William’s nametag. It wasn’t there.
“Fuck you.”
Joseph grinned. “Alright William, Fuck you, pleasure to meet you. Judge, come over if you would.”
The Judge complied without a moment of hesitation and walked over, gun in his hands. Joseph gently grabbed both of the Judge’s shoulders. “Judge, with God’s help, you have delivered our enemies into our hands. Show them God’s justice. You are an angel of death, a harbinger of justice, and tonight, they will burn in the lake of fire. Hand me your rifle.” The Judge willingly handed Joseph his rifle. Another Cult soldier walked over and handed the Judge a machete, notched and rusted, the exact one from the photo. “May God have mercy on their souls. Show them His wrath, Judge. Show them the meaning of fear!”
“Grr,” The judge grunted. He walked over to the first captive soldier a few feet away from where William knelt. Another Cult soldier, the Judge’s mouthpiece, followed the masked man.
“Tell the Judge why you should live.”
The soldier fumbled over his words. William grit his teeth as the inhuman sound of a machete stabbing through flesh grinded his ears. William looked over and saw that the solder had been stabbed right through the throat and was bleeding out right there. The Judge methodically went down the row, hearing the cries and pleas of the soldiers before hacking them down. One of them spat in the Judge’s mask, so the Judge pushed him down and practically gutted him to death. By the time the Judge reached Jennifer, he was covered in blood, and his white mask was covered in guts.
“Please don’t kill me,” she begged. “I don’t want to die.” She began to shake in fear, and even started to piss herself right she was kneeling.
The Judge stepped back and pointed at one of the pickups. “Take her to New Eden,” the Judge’s mouthpiece ordered. “She will make a fine wife and mother for one of our men.”
Jennifer begged for help but a duo of Cult soldiers grabbed her and shoved her into the back of a truck. She tried to fight, but it was to little effect. Her screams of fear were soon muffled by the slamming of the car door. The Judge showed no emotion and stared at Jennifer until she was forcefully sat down into the car.
It was now William’s turn. He didn’t even bother to look up when the Judge towered over him. “Grr,” it grunted.
“Look up at the Judge sinner,” the mouthpiece ordered.
William looked up. The Judge was staring at him with a look of pure malice and hate, but as the Judge scanned him over, he his eyes widen, almost as if he was looking for something. “You know what you piece of shit?!” William hissed. “Kill me damn it! Just fucking kill me already! You already killed my mom you fuck!”
The Judge knew where to look. He reached down William’s shirt to find the hidden encoded name tag but in the process, he noticed the bullet that William had chained around his neck. William grabbed the Judge’s hand, but the Judge effortless shoved it back and pulled the bullet out. He stared at it for a few moments before letting out an audible gasp. The Judge frantically reached down William’s chest once again and pulled out the encoded name card. The Judge was visibly trembling as he read it over, almost as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. William knew what it said.
William Francis Chandler
“Judge?” Joseph asked. “Is something wrong?”
The Judge didn’t even acknowledge the question. His arm trembling violently, he walked behind William and raised him to his feet. The Cult soldiers watching the scene murmured to one another as the Judge pushed William right in front of Joseph as if he was presenting Will to him. The Judge stepped away.
“Judge?” Joseph asked again in concern. “Do you want this…sinner brought to New Eden?”
The Judge nodded in affirmation.
“Let it be known then,” Joseph said, “that this man has been examined by the Judge, and his soul has been found to be pure! William will be brought to New Eden and we will become a brother to us! He will be cleaned in the waters of life and will be made a child of God!”
The Cult soldiers let out a raucous cheer. As they were distracted, one of the kneeling soldiers let out a shout, jumped to his feet, and made a mad dash towards Joseph and the Judge. The Judge easily cut him down, but William took the chance to break free from the crowd and down the hill. A few bullets were fired, but they quickly stopped. William was moving so fast that he tripped over a branch and rolled down the hill and into the water. Without missing a beat, he swam as fast he could across the Henbane river and into the safety of the surviving soldiers on the other side.
“My God!” One of them said as William trudged his way out. “Did anyone survive?! Are you alright?!”
“No, I am not fucking alright! Everyone is dead! We need to get the fuck out of here before they chase us! Move!”
William turned his head around one final time and saw the Judge standing right at the edge of the water with one hands reaching out towards William.
“Someone get up on the top!” William ordered. A woman in the back attempted to climb up, but she was forced back by another wave of bullets. A rocket flew from the trees and hit the truck in front of the Humvee right in the center, blowing it to smithereens. Dozens of soldiers were burnt alive as they tried desperately to get away from the wreckage. William put the Humvee into reverse and tried to gun it back, but a ferocious heap of lead slammed into his car, shattering the windows and hitting several in the back as they shouted in agony. “Move!” Willliam screamed to the man next to him, but it quickly became apparent that he was dead. William fumbled over his body and managed to open the door, falling face first onto his head and pulling the corpse with him onto the floor.
“Oh my God!” The woman in the back yelled hysterically. “Oh my God! What are we going to do?!”
William’s eyes darted back and forth. Adrenaline surged in his veins. The convoy was a heaping wreck. Dozens of bodies lay bullet ridden all over the road. “Keep firing Corporal!” William ordered. He grabbed a random rifle that was laying on the ground and did his best to return fire into the forest.
Another loud horn blew, and the forest erupted into shouts. A wave of Cult soldiers burst forth from their hiding spots. They were all wearing fur coats, and carried nothing but machetes in their hands. William’s heart skipped a beat when he saw their eyes…glazed over with a putrid green, almost non-human, like a rabid animal. “Oh my God!” The woman panicked. Many of the surviving positions on the convoy were overrun immediately, and any survivors were mercilessly butchered in brutal hand to hand combat.
“Get a hold of yourself Jennifer!” William shouted, grabbing her and practically tossing her into a position to fire back. “Fire back! Sergeant! Take the radio and tell me what the fuck is going on!”
William’s training kicked in immediately. A host of cult warriors ran towards their position, but William gunned them down with a series of hits to their heads. Every time he would peek his head over the Humvee, however, a hailstorm of bullets would force him back behind cover. Even then, he was killing anything that tried to get close to him.
“Captain Chandler!” The sergeant screamed. “The front of the convoy has been completely overrun!” William turned his head and confirmed the grisly information. A few survivors were doing their best to fight their way towards the rear, but most were either gunned down or hacked to bits. “The back is still fighting sir! Some are attempting to get back across the bridge!”
“Fucking God damn it!” William barked. “Report a broken arrow! We’ve been completely overrun! Tell everyone to get to the back and regroup!”
“Yessir!” The sergeant shouted. He began to relay the information as bullets sychted all around him.
Jennifer was a shaking and slobbering mess. “I’m going to die I’m going to die I’m going to die!” She cried. She was barely able to fire anything off.
“We have to keep moving!” William ordered. “If we stay here, we die! If we move, we have a chance! Now get your ass up! I’m going to toss some smokes to cover our movements, run to the next truck and keep moving!” There was a decent gap between the Humvee and the nearest smoldering wreck behind him. He reached into his belt, and William tossed a series of smoke grenades into the middle of the two cars. “Suppressive fire!” He yelled. He tossed Jennifer, and she managed to make her way to the next car. William sprinted as fast as he could and practically dove headfirst behind cover. The Sergeant ran attempted to make his way across, but was hit by a wave of bullets half way between the two cars and dropped to the floor.
William didn’t care. His mind was entirely focused on the rear of the convoy. He briefly raised his head to look inside of the Humvee he was pinned behind to look for any survivors. No dice. All five men in the jeep were dead and riddled with dozens of bullet holes. Beyond the car and way towards the rear of the column, a number of soldiers were bravely fighting back. He once again tossed the slobbering Jennifer and practically dragged her, weaving in and out of broken vehicles and trading fire with the cult. Behind him, the remaining survivors were totally overrun and butchered where they were.
“Captain Chandler!” A friendly soldier said with relief as William slid behind an overturned truck. “Whos in command here?”
“I guess its me!” He replied, firing a few shots over the truck. “What’s your unit?”
“All dead!” The soldier shouted back.
“Do you have a radio?”
“Over here!” The soldier replied, grabbing a younger man and shoving him towards William. “He’s our man here.”
William grabbed the younger man’s shoulder. “Get on the fucking radio and tell me who’s left!”
“Yessir!” He replied, a bullet whizzing right by his face. “It’s not looking good! The entire front is overrun and the middle is falling away as well.”
William grit his face and bit his knuckles. “Broken Arrow!” He angrily said. “Broken arrow! Tell everyone to fall back towards the back now! Get across the bridge and regroup! Broken arrow!”
The radio operator frantically repeated what William had told him. A few trucks made a mad dash down the road, but their drivers were sniped from a far and their trucks were riddled with a storm of cult bullets. Anyone in the middle of the convoy who tried to flee were slaughtered, and soon, another horde of machete wielding warriors descended on their positions and effortlessly overran them. A tank was attempting to trade fire, but the cult warriors managed to climb aboard it and burn the crew alive from the outside. Dozens of soldiers ran down the hill and attempted to swim across the Henbane river. A few made it, but most were sniped or drowned.
“Keep fucking moving!” William barked. “Suppressive fire!”
The wooden bridge that they had crossed was soon in sight. On the other side, a number of men had managed to create a makeshift position with parked trucks and were trading fire with the Cult on the hill.
“My God we’re going to make it!” Jennifer gasped with relief. “We’re going to make it!”
“Shut up and move!” William grunted in reply. He had ceased trading fire aside from gunning down the occasional Cult soldier that managed to get behind the long line of trucks and cars. He was in a full on dash to get across the bridge. He had almost made when to his horror, it blew up, shattering into splinters as the pieces fell into a deep ravine and into the stream below. A number of hidden Cult soldiers emerged from hiding and quickly overtook the men on the other side of the bridge, leaving William and a dozen American soldiers surrounded on the other side. Soon, the gunfire slowly died down, leaving the frightening sounds of hundreds of people dying around them. Dozens of cult soldiers, dressed in fur coats and scavenged pre-war clothing lined the bridge with their guns pointed at William.
“Sinners!” A loud and booming voice came from the forest. “Lay down your weapons and you may just live! Drop them or die!”
William scanned the remaining American soldiers. Most were wounded, and the remaining healthy men were low on ammo. They were totally surrounded. “Sir?” One of the soldiers said. “Are we going to…surrender?”
William sighed. “I don’t see an option here.” He tossed his weapon to the ground, and soon, all of the other soldiers followed suit. “We dropped our weapons!” He shouted. “What else do you want?”
“Line all your men in front of the trucks and kneel down! Now!”
Jennifer burst into even more tears. William gently nudged her along kneeling her down next to him before kneeling down himself. Every surviving soldier followed suit, putting their hands behind their heads and interlocking their hands. “We did as you asked!” William grunted loudly.
The Cult men emerged from the forest. William briefly raised his head to get a better look a them. All wore camouflaged fur coats lined with leaves and branches to better hide in the thick brush. There were at least fifty or sixty of them, all men, mostly younger though with a few older men easily distinguished by their thick bushy beards. All carried rifles of varying quality, with the most common ones being surprisingly new looking AR-15s and AK-47s. They quickly took control of the scene, patting each of the soldiers down and taking away any weapons that they could find. William wondered if the Judge was here, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Call the Father,” one of the cult soldiers said to another one.
As the cult were going through the wreckage of the convoy, a set of five Cult trucks dashed down the road. The Cult soldiers quickly stopped what they were doing and lined both sides of the road. A plain looking white pickup screeched to a halt, and out of the front passenger seat came none other than Joseph Seed. He was far more aged than the last known photographs of him showed, with his proud man-bun showing streaks of grey and white. Even in this weather, he was shirtless. His chest sported numerous new tattoos, and most of the ones were now covered by a giant tree tattoo that covered the entire front of his body.
He scanned the scene, apparently in disbelief at what had just occurred. “Judge!” He shouted. “Step forth!”
The Cult soldiers visibly tensed up and even the older more seemingly fearless men gave each-other looks of concern. The masked man emerged from the forests, dressed head to toe exactly as the picture Carnivore sent showed. In his hands was a rifle that William immediately recognized as Ghost gear, but it was heavily customized. It was clearly aged, and etched on its side was a very faint Confederate flag. William’s blood boiled in his veins as he realized that the Judge probably got it off either his mother or one of her subordinates. That rifle was how the General died so silently, and the Judge had probably killed dozens of soldiers with it.
The Judge immediately made his way to Joseph and knelt respectfully at his feet. Joseph smiled and lifted the Judge’s head under his mask. “Judge, rise.” It rose to its feet. “You did well today Judge. God will reward you richly for your service to His Kingdom today.”
“Grr,” it grunted in reply.
Joseph turned to face his men. “All we want…all we have ever wanted…is to live at peace in our Garden. To live off of the milk and honey of the Promised Land that God has blessed us with. We are not violent! We are not warriors. Yet time and time again, locusts come into our garden, seeking to pillage and destroy all that God has given us! They want to ravage us, enslave us, kill is, rape us, yet time and time again God has given them into our hands! Today is a great day, children, because God has blessed us yet again with a great victory!”
The cult soldiers hoorahed and celebrated, raising their rifles above their heads and mobbing their leader. The Judge stood there to the side silently with his head bowed.
“We will not be broken!” Joseph continued. “We will never be defeated because God is on our side!” William continued to kneel there, his knees digging uncomfortably into the asphalt of the road. After the celebration died down, Joseph walked over to inspect the captives. “Who is in charge here?”
William slowly raised his hand. “I am.”
The madman slowly jaunted over and knelt in front of William. He raised William’s head with his fingers and stared into his eyes. “Oh, you are? Did you order this attack?”
“No,” William replied breathlessly.
“My children are innocent,” Joseph responded, almost as if something was physically hurting him. “Look at them, they are pure, white as snow. Why must you force us to do this? Why do you force us to fight? Why must you blacken their hearts and soil their souls? We didn’t ask for this…what is your name?”
“William.”
“William what?” Jospeh asked, looking for William’s nametag. It wasn’t there.
“Fuck you.”
Joseph grinned. “Alright William, Fuck you, pleasure to meet you. Judge, come over if you would.”
The Judge complied without a moment of hesitation and walked over, gun in his hands. Joseph gently grabbed both of the Judge’s shoulders. “Judge, with God’s help, you have delivered our enemies into our hands. Show them God’s justice. You are an angel of death, a harbinger of justice, and tonight, they will burn in the lake of fire. Hand me your rifle.” The Judge willingly handed Joseph his rifle. Another Cult soldier walked over and handed the Judge a machete, notched and rusted, the exact one from the photo. “May God have mercy on their souls. Show them His wrath, Judge. Show them the meaning of fear!”
“Grr,” The judge grunted. He walked over to the first captive soldier a few feet away from where William knelt. Another Cult soldier, the Judge’s mouthpiece, followed the masked man.
“Tell the Judge why you should live.”
The soldier fumbled over his words. William grit his teeth as the inhuman sound of a machete stabbing through flesh grinded his ears. William looked over and saw that the solder had been stabbed right through the throat and was bleeding out right there. The Judge methodically went down the row, hearing the cries and pleas of the soldiers before hacking them down. One of them spat in the Judge’s mask, so the Judge pushed him down and practically gutted him to death. By the time the Judge reached Jennifer, he was covered in blood, and his white mask was covered in guts.
“Please don’t kill me,” she begged. “I don’t want to die.” She began to shake in fear, and even started to piss herself right she was kneeling.
The Judge stepped back and pointed at one of the pickups. “Take her to New Eden,” the Judge’s mouthpiece ordered. “She will make a fine wife and mother for one of our men.”
Jennifer begged for help but a duo of Cult soldiers grabbed her and shoved her into the back of a truck. She tried to fight, but it was to little effect. Her screams of fear were soon muffled by the slamming of the car door. The Judge showed no emotion and stared at Jennifer until she was forcefully sat down into the car.
It was now William’s turn. He didn’t even bother to look up when the Judge towered over him. “Grr,” it grunted.
“Look up at the Judge sinner,” the mouthpiece ordered.
William looked up. The Judge was staring at him with a look of pure malice and hate, but as the Judge scanned him over, he his eyes widen, almost as if he was looking for something. “You know what you piece of shit?!” William hissed. “Kill me damn it! Just fucking kill me already! You already killed my mom you fuck!”
The Judge knew where to look. He reached down William’s shirt to find the hidden encoded name tag but in the process, he noticed the bullet that William had chained around his neck. William grabbed the Judge’s hand, but the Judge effortless shoved it back and pulled the bullet out. He stared at it for a few moments before letting out an audible gasp. The Judge frantically reached down William’s chest once again and pulled out the encoded name card. The Judge was visibly trembling as he read it over, almost as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. William knew what it said.
William Francis Chandler
“Judge?” Joseph asked. “Is something wrong?”
The Judge didn’t even acknowledge the question. His arm trembling violently, he walked behind William and raised him to his feet. The Cult soldiers watching the scene murmured to one another as the Judge pushed William right in front of Joseph as if he was presenting Will to him. The Judge stepped away.
“Judge?” Joseph asked again in concern. “Do you want this…sinner brought to New Eden?”
The Judge nodded in affirmation.
“Let it be known then,” Joseph said, “that this man has been examined by the Judge, and his soul has been found to be pure! William will be brought to New Eden and we will become a brother to us! He will be cleaned in the waters of life and will be made a child of God!”
The Cult soldiers let out a raucous cheer. As they were distracted, one of the kneeling soldiers let out a shout, jumped to his feet, and made a mad dash towards Joseph and the Judge. The Judge easily cut him down, but William took the chance to break free from the crowd and down the hill. A few bullets were fired, but they quickly stopped. William was moving so fast that he tripped over a branch and rolled down the hill and into the water. Without missing a beat, he swam as fast he could across the Henbane river and into the safety of the surviving soldiers on the other side.
“My God!” One of them said as William trudged his way out. “Did anyone survive?! Are you alright?!”
“No, I am not fucking alright! Everyone is dead! We need to get the fuck out of here before they chase us! Move!”
William turned his head around one final time and saw the Judge standing right at the edge of the water with one hands reaching out towards William.
When I first debated on whether to write this story or not, I kept coming back to this moment. Heartbreaking all around
William tossed his head up toward the teeth achingly oppressive screech that came from the corner of his cell. The steel door slid open, clearly in desperate need of a good oiling. “Rise and shine Yankee,” a voice hissed. A tough and burly man wearing a faux leather jacket stood over William. William could smell the man’s sweaty long blond hair and wispy beard. He scrunched his nose at the foul stench of marijuana that came from the man’s jacket. “It’s your lucky day Yankee,” the man giggled. “We couldn’t find a buyer for you today. Some of your other people, however, weren’t as lucky as you are.”
William grimaced as imagined his fellow soldiers being sold off.
“Look,” William reasoned. “I am worth a lot of money to the feds. Just bring me to an American base, and I swear on my life, I will get you more than a reasonable sum. I’m worth more to them than to whatever shitty coins you’ll get by brining me to the oil fields.”
“I’m not sure about that,” the other man replied. “After what your kind tried to do a few days ago, I’m not sure I trust your words.”
It had all happened so suddenly. The battle of New Eden happened over a year ago, and the loss of that army crippled Federal attempts to restore order to the middle of America. El Recimentio, El Sueno’s new organization, took over the power vacuum and pushed back Federal forces in numerous states. William was dispatched to remedy the situation in Fort Hood, but the fort was taken in a surprise attack. William was captured along with hundreds of soldiers and their families. It was yet another dark day, and Federal control of most of Texas was all but lost at this point.
“We have money,” William replied. “I’m worth a lot.”
“Nah,” the cartel soldier huffed, “you ain’t got shit. Between us and them Peggies, ya’ll have been getting your asses kicked head over fist. I’ll find a buyer for you. Perhaps them Peggies will buy you. Maybe the coca farmers of Mexico will. Perhaps El Sueno will want to rape you. I don’t know. I don’t give a fuck. You will be sold and I will get my money. Then we move north to enslave the Peggies. Bad for business them fucks. Look what they did to San Francisco a few months ago. Complete savages. Took a nice city off the market.”
“Burnt it to a crisp,” William sighed.
“More than that, killed everyone. Fucking city survived the apocalypse then they go on their fucking Jihad and eradicated ‘Sodom and Gomorrah.’” The cartel soldier put his foot on William’s bed. “You ilk can’t protect this land anymore. The age that El Sueno foresaw is at hand. The age of the Rebirth is at hand, and we will be at the top. Once we finish selling off everyone, we’ll move North to Montana and kill them all.”
“We have a common foe,” William shrugged.
“No, we are all enemies here. Now get some rest, cuz your ass will be on a train south soon enough.”
The door creaked shut leaving William to ruminate in his thoughts. The last year had been hard. San Francisco, the beating heart of the American government in the west, was totally sacked not long after the Cult wiped out the American army. The Judge wiped the city off the face of the earth, crucifying thousands and taking the rest back to Montana. There was simply nothing able to stop them. They left the state of California a burning heap of ashes. However, the Cult was making enemies. Many enemies, and powerful ones to.
William hardly slept since that day. The look of pure hatred that the Judge gave him was permanently seared into his mind, yet at the same time, the Judge’s final moment with him, his arms outstretched towards William, confused him at the same time. The Judge almost acted like he knew William somehow. Why did the Judge want to take William back to New Eden? Why didn’t he kill William outright like all the others? Why did he gasp when he saw the bullet? None of it made sense.
Minutes turned into hours, and William just sat there, losing track of time. There wasn’t even a window in the metal shipping container he was jailed in, and he quickly realized he had no idea what time of day it was. He took to playing with his hands, roaming the interior of the cell, and scratching battle plans on the wall. He was bored stiff. Finally, he made a deep yawn and realized that all he wanted to do was get some sleep.
He had just rested his head when he heard a cacophony of yelling and gunshots from the outside. Cartel soldiers shouted frantically, but their frantic pleas for mercy quickly died down. An eerie silence overtook the noise. William stood perfectly still in his cell, not making a noise for fear of being found by whoever was attacking the camp. It was all for not, as soon, the door to his shipping container was being cut open.
“Get back you fucking creeps!” William heard the Cartel soldier from before beg. The cartel soldier shouted in agony as a machete went through the metal door of Williams cell, impaling his body onto the side of the metal wall. The door screeched open, and the cartel soldier fell to the ground, motionless and dead.
William’s blood froze.
It was the Judge.
“Grrr,” it grunted, walking straight for William.
“Look….” William said, his teeth clattering. “I don’t know why the fuck you are here, but please, I’m sorry about what happened. Please bring me back to an American, base we can work something out right?”
“Grrr,” it grunted in reply, shaking his head. A small cadre of Cult soldiers entered the room.
“You found him!” One of them exclaimed jovially. William immediately recognized him as the mouthpiece from a year ago. “Took us a long time, but, praise Jesus, we found him.”
“Look, you talk right?” William asked. The mouthpiece nodded. “Please, tell the Judge to bring me back to an American base.”
“No, can do,” another Cult soldier replied, his face hidden by a fur mask. “We are here to bring you back.”
“Grrr,” the Judge grunted again.
Before William could react, he was bound and drugged asleep.
William grimaced as imagined his fellow soldiers being sold off.
“Look,” William reasoned. “I am worth a lot of money to the feds. Just bring me to an American base, and I swear on my life, I will get you more than a reasonable sum. I’m worth more to them than to whatever shitty coins you’ll get by brining me to the oil fields.”
“I’m not sure about that,” the other man replied. “After what your kind tried to do a few days ago, I’m not sure I trust your words.”
It had all happened so suddenly. The battle of New Eden happened over a year ago, and the loss of that army crippled Federal attempts to restore order to the middle of America. El Recimentio, El Sueno’s new organization, took over the power vacuum and pushed back Federal forces in numerous states. William was dispatched to remedy the situation in Fort Hood, but the fort was taken in a surprise attack. William was captured along with hundreds of soldiers and their families. It was yet another dark day, and Federal control of most of Texas was all but lost at this point.
“We have money,” William replied. “I’m worth a lot.”
“Nah,” the cartel soldier huffed, “you ain’t got shit. Between us and them Peggies, ya’ll have been getting your asses kicked head over fist. I’ll find a buyer for you. Perhaps them Peggies will buy you. Maybe the coca farmers of Mexico will. Perhaps El Sueno will want to rape you. I don’t know. I don’t give a fuck. You will be sold and I will get my money. Then we move north to enslave the Peggies. Bad for business them fucks. Look what they did to San Francisco a few months ago. Complete savages. Took a nice city off the market.”
“Burnt it to a crisp,” William sighed.
“More than that, killed everyone. Fucking city survived the apocalypse then they go on their fucking Jihad and eradicated ‘Sodom and Gomorrah.’” The cartel soldier put his foot on William’s bed. “You ilk can’t protect this land anymore. The age that El Sueno foresaw is at hand. The age of the Rebirth is at hand, and we will be at the top. Once we finish selling off everyone, we’ll move North to Montana and kill them all.”
“We have a common foe,” William shrugged.
“No, we are all enemies here. Now get some rest, cuz your ass will be on a train south soon enough.”
The door creaked shut leaving William to ruminate in his thoughts. The last year had been hard. San Francisco, the beating heart of the American government in the west, was totally sacked not long after the Cult wiped out the American army. The Judge wiped the city off the face of the earth, crucifying thousands and taking the rest back to Montana. There was simply nothing able to stop them. They left the state of California a burning heap of ashes. However, the Cult was making enemies. Many enemies, and powerful ones to.
William hardly slept since that day. The look of pure hatred that the Judge gave him was permanently seared into his mind, yet at the same time, the Judge’s final moment with him, his arms outstretched towards William, confused him at the same time. The Judge almost acted like he knew William somehow. Why did the Judge want to take William back to New Eden? Why didn’t he kill William outright like all the others? Why did he gasp when he saw the bullet? None of it made sense.
Minutes turned into hours, and William just sat there, losing track of time. There wasn’t even a window in the metal shipping container he was jailed in, and he quickly realized he had no idea what time of day it was. He took to playing with his hands, roaming the interior of the cell, and scratching battle plans on the wall. He was bored stiff. Finally, he made a deep yawn and realized that all he wanted to do was get some sleep.
He had just rested his head when he heard a cacophony of yelling and gunshots from the outside. Cartel soldiers shouted frantically, but their frantic pleas for mercy quickly died down. An eerie silence overtook the noise. William stood perfectly still in his cell, not making a noise for fear of being found by whoever was attacking the camp. It was all for not, as soon, the door to his shipping container was being cut open.
“Get back you fucking creeps!” William heard the Cartel soldier from before beg. The cartel soldier shouted in agony as a machete went through the metal door of Williams cell, impaling his body onto the side of the metal wall. The door screeched open, and the cartel soldier fell to the ground, motionless and dead.
William’s blood froze.
It was the Judge.
“Grrr,” it grunted, walking straight for William.
“Look….” William said, his teeth clattering. “I don’t know why the fuck you are here, but please, I’m sorry about what happened. Please bring me back to an American, base we can work something out right?”
“Grrr,” it grunted in reply, shaking his head. A small cadre of Cult soldiers entered the room.
“You found him!” One of them exclaimed jovially. William immediately recognized him as the mouthpiece from a year ago. “Took us a long time, but, praise Jesus, we found him.”
“Look, you talk right?” William asked. The mouthpiece nodded. “Please, tell the Judge to bring me back to an American base.”
“No, can do,” another Cult soldier replied, his face hidden by a fur mask. “We are here to bring you back.”
“Grrr,” the Judge grunted again.
Before William could react, he was bound and drugged asleep.
William slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he noticed was just how parched his throat was. It was hard to even swallow his spit. “Look, the sinner has finally awoken,” the Judge’s mouthpiece announced. Like the Judge, he wore a fur coat, but unlike the Judge, he wore no mask, revealing the wispy beard of a man in his early twenties. William quickly ascertained that he was in a car. The Judge was in the front driving. Next to William on both sides of the back seats were two cult soldiers with masks covering their faces. Beyond them, behind the car windows, were the endless grasses of the great plains.
“Fuck,” William groaned. “Where are you taking me?”
“Shut your mouth, sinner!” The mouthpiece hissed, reaching his arm back to grab William’s chest. William instinctively tried to shove the hand away, but his hands were cuffed to the chair. The mouthpiece pulled William towards him in an effort to hit his head.
“Grrr!” The Judge grunted loudly. The mouthpiece obeyed and let William go.
“Judge!” The mouthpiece implored. “Why must we treat a sinner so well?”
“Grrr!” The Judge grunted even louder, almost yelling.
“Yes Judge,” the mouthpiece bowed his head.
“Care to answer my question?” William began after an awkward silence.
“We are taking you to New Eden,” the mouthpiece replied warily. “Where you belong, with us. Those are the orders of the Judge.”
William shook his head. “No, no no, I don’t belong there,” he said, struggling with his handcuffs. “I belong East, in North Carolina, at Fort Bragg with my family. Bring me to an American base and I swear, you will be richly rewarded. I am very important. They will give you what want, I swear.”
One of the Cult soldiers next to him leaned his body forward. “Sinner, you do not realize the depths that we went to in order to find you. We lost many brothers and sisters all in this mission to bring you back to us. You will return to us, whether you like it or not.”
William sighed. “Die, for me? What the fuck am I worth to you?”
“The Judge has been tracking you down for over a year now,” the mouthpiece answered. “We don’t know why. We just follow.”
William stared at the Judge. His blood boiled in his veins. All of this? Just to capture the one man who got away from that fight? Was the Judge really that petty to track down a survivor this far? Was slaughtering a thousand soldiers not enough? “Hey Judge,” William piped up. “Why don’t you answer me like a normal human being? Just let me the fuck go and we won’t retaliate. I promise you.”
“The Judge doesn’t speak,” the mouthpiece interrupted.
William raised his brows. “Doesn’t speak? Can he not speak?”
“The father has ordered the Judge not to speak,” the mouthpiece explained. “The Judge knows only one language. Violence. Death. Destruction. This is what the Judge knows. The Judge has no need for human language.”
William leaned back as far as he could in the chair. “What kind of fucked up shit is this? He’s a human. Human beings talk.”
“I would hit you, but the Judge has forbidden me to touch you,” the mouthpiece seethed. “The Judge is atoning for past sins. That is all you need to know sinner.”
Will stared uncomfortably at the Judge, who didn’t even bother to turn his head around to acknowledge what was just said. “Past sins? What would be so bad as to not let someone speak any words?”
“That is none of your business William Francis Chandler, sinner boy, now shut up,” the soldier next to him hissed.
“How do you know my full name?” William asked, somewhat perturbed.
“We know a lot about you, Ghost,” the mouthpiece said. “We know who you are, we know that you are twenty-seven, we know your role in the army…fairly easy to find this out. We even knew your mother Elizabeth.”
William bit his lips tightly. “You knew my mom?”
“Oh I didn’t, but Hezekiah and Peter next to you sure did. Tell them Hez.”
Hezekiah who had been totally quiet up to this point, leaned forward in his seat. “Elizabeth was a terrible sinner. Killed my wife and family in cold blood. Slaughtered dozens of innocents and led an unholy war against God. She paid with her life. The Judge killed her. All that is left of her memory are the tales we tell to scare our children before going to sleep. ‘Do as I say, or Elizabeth will get you.’”
William grit his teeth. “Don’t you dare talk about my mother like that.”
“Oh your mother was a terrible person,” Hezekiah said solemnly. “She paid the price for her iniquity. She exists no more.”
William lunged to his left, but Peter grabbed him by his chest and slammed him back to the chair. “Grrr!!” The Judge shouted, slamming the breaks of the car so hard that it practically sent everyone nearly flying out of their seats. The Judge angrily stood from his seat and left the car, opened the door of the back of the car, and grabbed Peter by his throat, raising him into the air. The Judge had his hand tightly wrapped around Peter’s throat, preventing him from breathing.
“Sorry…Judge!!” Peter managed to squeak out.
“GRRR!” The Judge dropped Peter to the ground and without missing a beat reentered the front of the car and turned it back on. Peter writhed on the ground, desperately filling his lungs once again with fresh air.
Hardly another word was spoken for the rest of the day long journey. The Judge drove them through the great plains, past dozens of towns that the Cult had sacked, and into the forests of Peggie territory. The scenery changed dramatically. All of the towns and hamlets that William had seen abandoned a year prior were now full of life. Vast farms growing everything from fruits, vegetables, and vast rows of white followers filled the flat plains between the forests. There were children everywhere, indicating a robust population growth. Unlike much of the country, the roads were freshly paved and teeming with life. Most importantly, once they crossed into Cult territory, there was no longer a sense of danger. The soldiers put their guns in the back and didn’t even touch them. There was the occasional checkpoint, but once anyone saw the Judge, they just waved the car through.
“New Eden,” the mouthpiece proclaimed proudly. “See it with your eyes sinner.”
New Eden was nestled in the middle of a large flat valley ringed by hills. William marveled as the Judge drove into the city. It was surrounded by large tilled fields and a massive metal wall that protected the citizens. Everything here had been built after the bombs dropped, from the large single family homes, shops, watch towers, and services for citizens. The citizens here were dressed in normal clothing, not the furs of the soldiers, and everyone just looked happy to be going about their days. The city was filled with the laughter of hundreds of children running and playing around. A few citizens tensed up when they saw the Judge drive by, but most just kept doing what they were doing,
“It’s good to be back,” Hezekiah smiled with relief. “Smells so good when the women make the bread every day.”
“it does,” William murmured.
The Judge drove the SUV through the town and towards a massive hill. Here, William saw the entrance to a large bunker that head been cut long ago right into the mountainside. A large gate separated the bunker’s lot from the rest of the city, but the guards opened it moments after seeing the Judge drive up. He drove through, the guards shut the gate behind them. The Judge stopped the car and let everyone out. Right at the entrance to the bunker was a teenager, brown haired and wild eyed, dressed in a red flannel and blue jeans. “Good to see you, Judge,” the teenager said. He was no older than fourteen years old, clearly evident by his sad attempts to grow a beard. William was struck at just how similar this young lad’s appearance matched Williams when he was at that age.
“Grrr,” the Judge grunted in an oddly loving manner.
“I hope the trip was alright? Is the sinner alright?”
“He sure is Ethan,” the mouthpiece bowed. “The sinner is alright and will be baptized in the waters shortly.”
“Wait wait wait,” William stammered in a fit of confusion. “Where’s the head honcho? Before you go about baptizing me, at least let me talk to the man before I sign my life away on some contract.”
Ethan smirked. “I am the ‘head honcho,’ right now. Name’s Ethan Seed,” he said, reaching out to shake William’s hand. “I’d shake your hand, but I see that they are cuffed. No matter, once I trust you enough we can take it off.”
“A boy leads New Eden?” William asked.
“I am no mere boy,” Ethan countered. “I am Joseph’s son. I lead this nation in his absence.”
“Absence?”
Ethan frowned. “Did anyone tell him this? No matter. I’m sure you have many questions. Allow me to explain in my office in the bunker. Everyone is relieved. Judge, please follow me down. I’d rather not be alone in the company of a sinner.”
“Grr,” the Judge huffed faintly, bowing his head.
William followed Ethan down into the bunker. The corridors were tight, not well lit, and the air smelled musky and aged. The stairs led to a large room that clearly once housed supplies, evidenced by the now empty pallets and boxes. “Some place you got here,” William proclaimed. The Bunker seemingly went on forever, with old corridors branching out in all directions.
“It sure is,” Ethan said without looking behind him. “Built by my father and his followers to survive the Collapse. It did the trick.”
“How old are you if I may ask?”
“I am fifteen,” Ethan said. “I was born here in this bunker. I didn’t see the sun until I was four years old I’m told.”
“Damn.”
Ethan led William into a large room that was an impressively large communal kitchen, long out of use and clearly having seen better days. Many of the benches had been ripped from the floor, probably repurposed elsewhere. Even many of the appliances had been moved. In their places were lockers and sofas, each piled with weapons and ammunition. Several members of the Chosen hung around with their fearsome masks and fur coats. William was led down a few more rooms and empty hallways before turning right into a large office. This was the first room William had seen that was kept spiffy and clean, with the large room filled with knick knacks, fancy furniture, and covered in art. “Please take a seat William,” Ethan pointed to a leather chair in front of his desk. The Judge took a position behind Ethan and crossed his arms. “If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer. I’ve been expecting you eagerly.”
“Pardon me,” William began, sitting down, “but where are your parents?”
“Joseph ran off,” Ethan frowned. “He’s gone. I think I know where he went, but, I’m not sure,” he admitted. “My mother died many years ago, but Joseph says that she watches over me all the time. I’m not sure if she’s dead, but I feel like her spirit is always here somehow.” The Judge bowed his head slightly and crossed his arms around his waist, almost as if he was in discomfort.
“Do you remember her?” William asked.
“No, I don’t even know what she looked like,” Ethan said with a hint of sorrow in his tone. “Enough about that though, I’m sure that you would like to know a great many things, huh?”
“Of course,” William scoffed. “Why am I here? Those two shitheads mentioned that people died to find me. Why?”
Ethan playfully swung his office chair around. “To be fair William, I have no idea. The Judge insisted that we hunt you down.”
“But you lead this people,” William pointed out.
“Yes, but the Judge is outside of the chain of command,” Ethan explained. “The Judge does what it wishes for the most part. The Judge obeys the father’s will perfectly, but we give The Judge all discretion. The Judge wished to find you, so we let it. Simple as that. I don’t know why. To be honest, I was against the whole decision, considering you are Elizabeth’s son, but I don’t have a say in that.”
“Everyone keeps shitting on her. She wasn’t a bad person!” William protested.
Ethan nodded his head. “I never said she was, but she was our enemy. You have to understand that. She may be long gone, but her work still scars us.”
“Look Ethan, as much as I would love to sit here, all cuffed up and bound, I really would like to go home to my pregnant wife and make sure that she is alright,” William said angrily. The Judge perked up on hearing that. “Can you please tell me what you want?”
“Good question!” Ethan exclaimed, clapping his hands. “As I’m sure you are aware, your defeat last year at our hands opened up a bit of a…power vacuum in the Great Plains. Lots of factions, including us of course, have sought to expand. This has brought us into conflict.”
“And?”
“Well,” Ethan said, trailing off, “we aren’t doing to well. We are over stretched, taxed, and El Sueno’s gang, El Recimientio, has really become a thorn in our side. The Judge has slaughtered over a thousand Cartel men, but they keep coming from Central and South America. I’m afraid that they are grinding us down, and fast. And now that my father is gone, everyone here is losing faith. I don’t know what to do,” he answered, burying his face in his hands. “A large Cartel base has been made in our lands, and they have taken hundreds of slaves. We don’t have a ready force to respond. This is bad!” He cried. “Bad!”
“Well, that is your issue,” William said carefully, a bit sorry at what the boy was going through.
“No,” Ethan clapped back, “its your problem as well. I heard what happened at Fort Hood. We have a common foe, William. We can join together. Eagle and the Cross, both united to fight back the unholy invaders. None of this will matter if El Sueno gets his way.”
“Look Ethan, I get your point, but your men killed a thousand of our men. One thousand…”
“You gave us no choice!” Ethan protested, interrupting William. “You marched a thousand men in broad daylight into our land? What did you expect us to do? Roll over? No. This is our land, and we will defend it with our blood and lives.”
“Your people murdered billions of people when the bombs fell!” William screamed.
“And your nation killed millions of babies in the womb!” Ethan said incredulously. “God wiped the slate clean! Who are you to question His wrath?!”
“Grrrr!” The Judge huffed, silencing the two men.
“Look Ethan,” William sighed. “I won’t help you. You can let me go, but your kind killed my mother, murdered this nation, and killed my friends. You can take your father and shove him up your ass.”
Ethan frowned. “I understand, William. Judge, let him go.”
“Grr?” The Judge grunted in confusion.
“Untie him, let him go.”
The Judge hesitantly obeyed, unsheating a small knife from under his fur coat and cutting off the plastic cuffs that bound William’s hands. “Thank you,” William gasped with relief. “Now, if you excuse me, I will head home. Far away from this shithole.”
William was barely out the door when Ethan leaned over his desk. “I know where your mother is buried.”
William turned around and walked back inside. “No you don’t. Fuck off.”
“True, I don’t, but the Judge does,” he said, pointing at the Judge. “Help us free our slaves, and I will order the Judge to bring you to your mother’s body. You can bring her home and bury her properly. I will given give you all of her stuff that we captured and hid away. It’s all yours.”
William took a deep breath and stared unwillingly at the young boy. “Fine. But I don’t do this for you, or for your shitty Cult. I’m doing this to get her back to my father. That’s it.”
“That’s it,” Ethan replied. “That’s it. Do we have a deal?”
“We have deal.”
“Great!” Ethan grinned. “Judge, show him to his quarters. Give him some food and let him rest the night. Tomorrow, the fun begins!”
“Fuck,” William groaned. “Where are you taking me?”
“Shut your mouth, sinner!” The mouthpiece hissed, reaching his arm back to grab William’s chest. William instinctively tried to shove the hand away, but his hands were cuffed to the chair. The mouthpiece pulled William towards him in an effort to hit his head.
“Grrr!” The Judge grunted loudly. The mouthpiece obeyed and let William go.
“Judge!” The mouthpiece implored. “Why must we treat a sinner so well?”
“Grrr!” The Judge grunted even louder, almost yelling.
“Yes Judge,” the mouthpiece bowed his head.
“Care to answer my question?” William began after an awkward silence.
“We are taking you to New Eden,” the mouthpiece replied warily. “Where you belong, with us. Those are the orders of the Judge.”
William shook his head. “No, no no, I don’t belong there,” he said, struggling with his handcuffs. “I belong East, in North Carolina, at Fort Bragg with my family. Bring me to an American base and I swear, you will be richly rewarded. I am very important. They will give you what want, I swear.”
One of the Cult soldiers next to him leaned his body forward. “Sinner, you do not realize the depths that we went to in order to find you. We lost many brothers and sisters all in this mission to bring you back to us. You will return to us, whether you like it or not.”
William sighed. “Die, for me? What the fuck am I worth to you?”
“The Judge has been tracking you down for over a year now,” the mouthpiece answered. “We don’t know why. We just follow.”
William stared at the Judge. His blood boiled in his veins. All of this? Just to capture the one man who got away from that fight? Was the Judge really that petty to track down a survivor this far? Was slaughtering a thousand soldiers not enough? “Hey Judge,” William piped up. “Why don’t you answer me like a normal human being? Just let me the fuck go and we won’t retaliate. I promise you.”
“The Judge doesn’t speak,” the mouthpiece interrupted.
William raised his brows. “Doesn’t speak? Can he not speak?”
“The father has ordered the Judge not to speak,” the mouthpiece explained. “The Judge knows only one language. Violence. Death. Destruction. This is what the Judge knows. The Judge has no need for human language.”
William leaned back as far as he could in the chair. “What kind of fucked up shit is this? He’s a human. Human beings talk.”
“I would hit you, but the Judge has forbidden me to touch you,” the mouthpiece seethed. “The Judge is atoning for past sins. That is all you need to know sinner.”
Will stared uncomfortably at the Judge, who didn’t even bother to turn his head around to acknowledge what was just said. “Past sins? What would be so bad as to not let someone speak any words?”
“That is none of your business William Francis Chandler, sinner boy, now shut up,” the soldier next to him hissed.
“How do you know my full name?” William asked, somewhat perturbed.
“We know a lot about you, Ghost,” the mouthpiece said. “We know who you are, we know that you are twenty-seven, we know your role in the army…fairly easy to find this out. We even knew your mother Elizabeth.”
William bit his lips tightly. “You knew my mom?”
“Oh I didn’t, but Hezekiah and Peter next to you sure did. Tell them Hez.”
Hezekiah who had been totally quiet up to this point, leaned forward in his seat. “Elizabeth was a terrible sinner. Killed my wife and family in cold blood. Slaughtered dozens of innocents and led an unholy war against God. She paid with her life. The Judge killed her. All that is left of her memory are the tales we tell to scare our children before going to sleep. ‘Do as I say, or Elizabeth will get you.’”
William grit his teeth. “Don’t you dare talk about my mother like that.”
“Oh your mother was a terrible person,” Hezekiah said solemnly. “She paid the price for her iniquity. She exists no more.”
William lunged to his left, but Peter grabbed him by his chest and slammed him back to the chair. “Grrr!!” The Judge shouted, slamming the breaks of the car so hard that it practically sent everyone nearly flying out of their seats. The Judge angrily stood from his seat and left the car, opened the door of the back of the car, and grabbed Peter by his throat, raising him into the air. The Judge had his hand tightly wrapped around Peter’s throat, preventing him from breathing.
“Sorry…Judge!!” Peter managed to squeak out.
“GRRR!” The Judge dropped Peter to the ground and without missing a beat reentered the front of the car and turned it back on. Peter writhed on the ground, desperately filling his lungs once again with fresh air.
Hardly another word was spoken for the rest of the day long journey. The Judge drove them through the great plains, past dozens of towns that the Cult had sacked, and into the forests of Peggie territory. The scenery changed dramatically. All of the towns and hamlets that William had seen abandoned a year prior were now full of life. Vast farms growing everything from fruits, vegetables, and vast rows of white followers filled the flat plains between the forests. There were children everywhere, indicating a robust population growth. Unlike much of the country, the roads were freshly paved and teeming with life. Most importantly, once they crossed into Cult territory, there was no longer a sense of danger. The soldiers put their guns in the back and didn’t even touch them. There was the occasional checkpoint, but once anyone saw the Judge, they just waved the car through.
“New Eden,” the mouthpiece proclaimed proudly. “See it with your eyes sinner.”
New Eden was nestled in the middle of a large flat valley ringed by hills. William marveled as the Judge drove into the city. It was surrounded by large tilled fields and a massive metal wall that protected the citizens. Everything here had been built after the bombs dropped, from the large single family homes, shops, watch towers, and services for citizens. The citizens here were dressed in normal clothing, not the furs of the soldiers, and everyone just looked happy to be going about their days. The city was filled with the laughter of hundreds of children running and playing around. A few citizens tensed up when they saw the Judge drive by, but most just kept doing what they were doing,
“It’s good to be back,” Hezekiah smiled with relief. “Smells so good when the women make the bread every day.”
“it does,” William murmured.
The Judge drove the SUV through the town and towards a massive hill. Here, William saw the entrance to a large bunker that head been cut long ago right into the mountainside. A large gate separated the bunker’s lot from the rest of the city, but the guards opened it moments after seeing the Judge drive up. He drove through, the guards shut the gate behind them. The Judge stopped the car and let everyone out. Right at the entrance to the bunker was a teenager, brown haired and wild eyed, dressed in a red flannel and blue jeans. “Good to see you, Judge,” the teenager said. He was no older than fourteen years old, clearly evident by his sad attempts to grow a beard. William was struck at just how similar this young lad’s appearance matched Williams when he was at that age.
“Grrr,” the Judge grunted in an oddly loving manner.
“I hope the trip was alright? Is the sinner alright?”
“He sure is Ethan,” the mouthpiece bowed. “The sinner is alright and will be baptized in the waters shortly.”
“Wait wait wait,” William stammered in a fit of confusion. “Where’s the head honcho? Before you go about baptizing me, at least let me talk to the man before I sign my life away on some contract.”
Ethan smirked. “I am the ‘head honcho,’ right now. Name’s Ethan Seed,” he said, reaching out to shake William’s hand. “I’d shake your hand, but I see that they are cuffed. No matter, once I trust you enough we can take it off.”
“A boy leads New Eden?” William asked.
“I am no mere boy,” Ethan countered. “I am Joseph’s son. I lead this nation in his absence.”
“Absence?”
Ethan frowned. “Did anyone tell him this? No matter. I’m sure you have many questions. Allow me to explain in my office in the bunker. Everyone is relieved. Judge, please follow me down. I’d rather not be alone in the company of a sinner.”
“Grr,” the Judge huffed faintly, bowing his head.
William followed Ethan down into the bunker. The corridors were tight, not well lit, and the air smelled musky and aged. The stairs led to a large room that clearly once housed supplies, evidenced by the now empty pallets and boxes. “Some place you got here,” William proclaimed. The Bunker seemingly went on forever, with old corridors branching out in all directions.
“It sure is,” Ethan said without looking behind him. “Built by my father and his followers to survive the Collapse. It did the trick.”
“How old are you if I may ask?”
“I am fifteen,” Ethan said. “I was born here in this bunker. I didn’t see the sun until I was four years old I’m told.”
“Damn.”
Ethan led William into a large room that was an impressively large communal kitchen, long out of use and clearly having seen better days. Many of the benches had been ripped from the floor, probably repurposed elsewhere. Even many of the appliances had been moved. In their places were lockers and sofas, each piled with weapons and ammunition. Several members of the Chosen hung around with their fearsome masks and fur coats. William was led down a few more rooms and empty hallways before turning right into a large office. This was the first room William had seen that was kept spiffy and clean, with the large room filled with knick knacks, fancy furniture, and covered in art. “Please take a seat William,” Ethan pointed to a leather chair in front of his desk. The Judge took a position behind Ethan and crossed his arms. “If you have any questions, I will do my best to answer. I’ve been expecting you eagerly.”
“Pardon me,” William began, sitting down, “but where are your parents?”
“Joseph ran off,” Ethan frowned. “He’s gone. I think I know where he went, but, I’m not sure,” he admitted. “My mother died many years ago, but Joseph says that she watches over me all the time. I’m not sure if she’s dead, but I feel like her spirit is always here somehow.” The Judge bowed his head slightly and crossed his arms around his waist, almost as if he was in discomfort.
“Do you remember her?” William asked.
“No, I don’t even know what she looked like,” Ethan said with a hint of sorrow in his tone. “Enough about that though, I’m sure that you would like to know a great many things, huh?”
“Of course,” William scoffed. “Why am I here? Those two shitheads mentioned that people died to find me. Why?”
Ethan playfully swung his office chair around. “To be fair William, I have no idea. The Judge insisted that we hunt you down.”
“But you lead this people,” William pointed out.
“Yes, but the Judge is outside of the chain of command,” Ethan explained. “The Judge does what it wishes for the most part. The Judge obeys the father’s will perfectly, but we give The Judge all discretion. The Judge wished to find you, so we let it. Simple as that. I don’t know why. To be honest, I was against the whole decision, considering you are Elizabeth’s son, but I don’t have a say in that.”
“Everyone keeps shitting on her. She wasn’t a bad person!” William protested.
Ethan nodded his head. “I never said she was, but she was our enemy. You have to understand that. She may be long gone, but her work still scars us.”
“Look Ethan, as much as I would love to sit here, all cuffed up and bound, I really would like to go home to my pregnant wife and make sure that she is alright,” William said angrily. The Judge perked up on hearing that. “Can you please tell me what you want?”
“Good question!” Ethan exclaimed, clapping his hands. “As I’m sure you are aware, your defeat last year at our hands opened up a bit of a…power vacuum in the Great Plains. Lots of factions, including us of course, have sought to expand. This has brought us into conflict.”
“And?”
“Well,” Ethan said, trailing off, “we aren’t doing to well. We are over stretched, taxed, and El Sueno’s gang, El Recimientio, has really become a thorn in our side. The Judge has slaughtered over a thousand Cartel men, but they keep coming from Central and South America. I’m afraid that they are grinding us down, and fast. And now that my father is gone, everyone here is losing faith. I don’t know what to do,” he answered, burying his face in his hands. “A large Cartel base has been made in our lands, and they have taken hundreds of slaves. We don’t have a ready force to respond. This is bad!” He cried. “Bad!”
“Well, that is your issue,” William said carefully, a bit sorry at what the boy was going through.
“No,” Ethan clapped back, “its your problem as well. I heard what happened at Fort Hood. We have a common foe, William. We can join together. Eagle and the Cross, both united to fight back the unholy invaders. None of this will matter if El Sueno gets his way.”
“Look Ethan, I get your point, but your men killed a thousand of our men. One thousand…”
“You gave us no choice!” Ethan protested, interrupting William. “You marched a thousand men in broad daylight into our land? What did you expect us to do? Roll over? No. This is our land, and we will defend it with our blood and lives.”
“Your people murdered billions of people when the bombs fell!” William screamed.
“And your nation killed millions of babies in the womb!” Ethan said incredulously. “God wiped the slate clean! Who are you to question His wrath?!”
“Grrrr!” The Judge huffed, silencing the two men.
“Look Ethan,” William sighed. “I won’t help you. You can let me go, but your kind killed my mother, murdered this nation, and killed my friends. You can take your father and shove him up your ass.”
Ethan frowned. “I understand, William. Judge, let him go.”
“Grr?” The Judge grunted in confusion.
“Untie him, let him go.”
The Judge hesitantly obeyed, unsheating a small knife from under his fur coat and cutting off the plastic cuffs that bound William’s hands. “Thank you,” William gasped with relief. “Now, if you excuse me, I will head home. Far away from this shithole.”
William was barely out the door when Ethan leaned over his desk. “I know where your mother is buried.”
William turned around and walked back inside. “No you don’t. Fuck off.”
“True, I don’t, but the Judge does,” he said, pointing at the Judge. “Help us free our slaves, and I will order the Judge to bring you to your mother’s body. You can bring her home and bury her properly. I will given give you all of her stuff that we captured and hid away. It’s all yours.”
William took a deep breath and stared unwillingly at the young boy. “Fine. But I don’t do this for you, or for your shitty Cult. I’m doing this to get her back to my father. That’s it.”
“That’s it,” Ethan replied. “That’s it. Do we have a deal?”
“We have deal.”
“Great!” Ethan grinned. “Judge, show him to his quarters. Give him some food and let him rest the night. Tomorrow, the fun begins!”
William followed the Judge even further down into the Bunker. It seemingly went on forever. Room after room. Hallway after hallway. Each wall filled to the brim with alcoves that once housed beds, food, and water. Thousands of people lived here for months after the bombs dropped on the world. The walls were covered in nearly two decades old posters, splattered with a variety of slogans, motivational texts, and pictures of Joseph. The level of thought and care that went into building all of this was mindboggling. Even if he hated the Cult, William couldn’t help but feel somewhat impressed at the logistics that surely went into this.
“Grr,” the Judge grunted faintly once they entered a small hallway. At the end of the hall was a large door with a sign right in the middle of it. Joseph Seed’s room, it said. Right next to it was another door. Judge, it said. Across from the Judge’s room was another door with no sign. “Grr,” the Judge huffed, motioning for the door.
“Is this where I will be staying?” William asked. “Right across from you?”
“Grr,” the Judge nodded.
William sighed and turned the door knob. The room was small yet tastefully decorated, with lavish carpets covering the metal floors and a variety of tapestries hiding the pipes and cables that snaked on the walls. He turned and saw the Judge just standing there, almost staring at him. William contemplated grabbing the Judge and slaughtering that animal right in the guest room, but he noticed the large security camera hoisted on the wall. The Judge’s time would come, but William needed to find where his mother was.
“So…” William trailed off. “Thanks for showing me here. I’m going to get some rest.”
“Grr,” the Judge nodded. He slowly walked into the room and towards William. William instinctively positioned to defend himself, but the Judge noticed this and dropped the scabbard holding his machete, letting it clatter nosily onto the metal floor. It raised both of his hands, showing that he held no weapons and was not a threat.
“Um…” William said hesitantly. “What are you doing?”
The Judge slowly crept forward and reached out his hand towards William’s face. “Grrr,” it said softly, stroking William’s cheek.
“Get off of me,” William protested, grabbing the Judge’s hand and forcefully it away. “You fucking creep! Are you mocking me? First you kill my mom then you try and pull this shit? If I had a gun on me, you’d be dead right now. Do you understand you fuck?!”
“Grr,” the Judge nodded.
“What does grr even mean?!” William said with exasperation. “Why don’t you answer me like a normal human being? Why did you kill her?!” The Judge took a few steps back. “Oh, now you’re afraid you piece of shit. The only reason I’m not killing you is because Ethan is going to order you to bring me to her body. Must be real nice being a slave coward.”
“Grr…” The Judge sighed faintly.
William grit his teeth. “I’m tired of your fucking grunting!” He reached forward and grabbed the Judge by his collar. The Judge yelped in a higher pitched tone, apparently taken aback. “When I’m done with this and I come back, I’m going to kill you first, you understand me shithead? I will fuck you up so hard you’ll wish you never met Elizabeth Chandler? Understood?”
“Grrr…”
William tossed the Judge away from him. “Now get out of here before I tell Ethan our little plan is done. Scram.”
The Judge walked slowly out of the room with his head titled down towards the ground. As he left towards his room, William swore he could hear the Judge crying faintly.
Served him right.
“Grr,” the Judge grunted faintly once they entered a small hallway. At the end of the hall was a large door with a sign right in the middle of it. Joseph Seed’s room, it said. Right next to it was another door. Judge, it said. Across from the Judge’s room was another door with no sign. “Grr,” the Judge huffed, motioning for the door.
“Is this where I will be staying?” William asked. “Right across from you?”
“Grr,” the Judge nodded.
William sighed and turned the door knob. The room was small yet tastefully decorated, with lavish carpets covering the metal floors and a variety of tapestries hiding the pipes and cables that snaked on the walls. He turned and saw the Judge just standing there, almost staring at him. William contemplated grabbing the Judge and slaughtering that animal right in the guest room, but he noticed the large security camera hoisted on the wall. The Judge’s time would come, but William needed to find where his mother was.
“So…” William trailed off. “Thanks for showing me here. I’m going to get some rest.”
“Grr,” the Judge nodded. He slowly walked into the room and towards William. William instinctively positioned to defend himself, but the Judge noticed this and dropped the scabbard holding his machete, letting it clatter nosily onto the metal floor. It raised both of his hands, showing that he held no weapons and was not a threat.
“Um…” William said hesitantly. “What are you doing?”
The Judge slowly crept forward and reached out his hand towards William’s face. “Grrr,” it said softly, stroking William’s cheek.
“Get off of me,” William protested, grabbing the Judge’s hand and forcefully it away. “You fucking creep! Are you mocking me? First you kill my mom then you try and pull this shit? If I had a gun on me, you’d be dead right now. Do you understand you fuck?!”
“Grr,” the Judge nodded.
“What does grr even mean?!” William said with exasperation. “Why don’t you answer me like a normal human being? Why did you kill her?!” The Judge took a few steps back. “Oh, now you’re afraid you piece of shit. The only reason I’m not killing you is because Ethan is going to order you to bring me to her body. Must be real nice being a slave coward.”
“Grr…” The Judge sighed faintly.
William grit his teeth. “I’m tired of your fucking grunting!” He reached forward and grabbed the Judge by his collar. The Judge yelped in a higher pitched tone, apparently taken aback. “When I’m done with this and I come back, I’m going to kill you first, you understand me shithead? I will fuck you up so hard you’ll wish you never met Elizabeth Chandler? Understood?”
“Grrr…”
William tossed the Judge away from him. “Now get out of here before I tell Ethan our little plan is done. Scram.”
The Judge walked slowly out of the room with his head titled down towards the ground. As he left towards his room, William swore he could hear the Judge crying faintly.
Served him right.
William tapped his foot impatiently as he sat on the wooden log. The Judge was leaning against a bushy tree, and a few members of the Chosen were crouched, hidden away in the brush of Hope County. Ethan was milling about, nervously making sure that every detail was perfect. “God damn I hate this coat,” William seethed, scratching his itchy arms. The camouflaged fur coat that the Peggies had given him was not at all comfortable. It stank, and it had a habit of making much of body itch uncontrollably. At least it was warm. The cool air from the mountains blew furiously through the vast valley, whipping trees and grass alike. It had a biting crispness to it, but it was almost shockingly fresh. It reminded William of old freezer aisles in stores before the bombs dropped.
“That coat is the finest gear that we Chosen use,” Hezekiah demurred. “We have no need for fancy technology or equipment. God gave us all we need from the bounty of our promised land. We stay hidden and safe. If only you agreed to wear our masks.”
“I’m not touching that shit,” William groaned as he fidgeted uncomfortably around his seat. “I like to keep my face clear.”
“You know,” Ethan said, blowing warm air into his hands, “the masks do keep you warm.”
“Grr,” the Judge said. William was unsure if that was a grunt of affirmation or dissention.
“What are we waiting for?” William sighed and looked at his clock. They had been at this spot for over an hour, with no end in sight. “I have places to be and a wife to look after. I would really like to get this battle over with.”
“We are waiting for the scouts to return,” Hezekiah answered. “We wait here until the Judge feels comfortable to strike. If that means all day waiting for intelligence, then that means all day. I once sat in a spot for over three days before the Judge was ready to attack. When the Judge commands, we obey. Not a second before or late.”
“Great,” William complained. “I’m in the hands of a mute lunatic. Just the perfect way to go into battle.”
Five minutes turned into thirty, and thirty turned into an hour. An hour turned into two, then three, then four. William took a brief nap, but he was awoken when a few Chosen came back from patrol. They all sat there, huddled closely and hidden by the thick underbrush. Not a sound was made aside from the occasional muttering. After a final hour, the brush finally began to dance about. Two young girls, no older than twelve or so and covered from head to toe in camouflaged fur coats dashed into the clearing. “Grr,” the Judge grunted softly as he walked towards them.
“Judge,” both of them bowed. “We counted no more than fifty bad men in the camp. Some of them drove away in a very big truck, but none of our brothers and sisters were taken. We took some notes.” The older looking girl handed the Judge a piece of marked paper.
“Grr,” the Judge replied, patting the girl who just spoke gently on the head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handful of sweets and handed them to the girls. They eagerly grabbed them into their hands and proceeded to devour them. The Judge took the piece of paper and walked off into the forest, evidently to read it over.
“Um pardon me,” William interjected. “Why are there girls here? Shouldn’t they be, I don’t know, not here?”
“Those aren’t just any girls,” Ethan laughed, gently grabbing their shoulders and playfully wrapping his arms around both of them. “Those are my sisters. William, meet Faith and Rachel Seed.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Rachel, the younger sister said, reaching out her pale hand to shake William’s.
“Rachel, what did I tell you about talking with bad men?” Ethan giggled. “You just went up to him like he was a brother.”
“Oh,” she said hesitantly. “I didn’t know he was a bad man.”
“You didn’t answer my question…” William pointed out.
“Ah yes,” Ethan nodded. “You see, the Judge taught them all about scouting, and since they’re children, nobody really bats an eye about them. They did a great job tailing your little convoy for days, so we had a pretty accurate idea of what to expect when ya’ll hit the ambush point. There are few in New Eden who are as capable as they are, aside from our pal the Judge here. Before you ask, yes, everyone helps, my siblings, even though Joseph is my father. We are all equal, sons and daughters of Christ.”
William rolled his eyes. “Very touching, but there is going to be a firefight, right? Do we really want little girls roaming about?”
“Hey!” Rachel protested. “I’m not little!”
“Yeah!” Her sister agreed.
Hezekiah guffawed. “You see sinner, even our young women are full of fire and strength from God. Even our smallest child is worth ten of your sinful whores and prostitutes. I think that’s an obvious truth.”
William rolled his eyes. “I’ll let you believe that.”
“Grrr,” the Judge grunted as it stepped out of the forest. It motioned for everyone to gather around, and everyone did without hesitation. William sighed and slowly made his way over. The Judge took a stick from the ground and quickly drew a detailed map in the dirt of what Rachel and Faith had reported to him. William quickly ascertained that the Judge was well versed in military maps and symbology. Oddly enough, despite being totally unable to speak, the Judge began to develop a battle plan, huffing and grunting about, pointing at various teams and placing arrows in the dirt. Even more odd, everyone seemed to understand what the Judge was saying. They nodded along, adding in their own commentary, and were totally on the same page as the mute monster. When the Judge was finished, he bowed his head. The plan was relatively simple as far as William could tell, with a diversionary strike from one flank followed by a large pincer assault from the opposing side. Fairly standard procedure for such an attack, and one that worked to extreme effect in Bolivia.
“Is everyone on the same page as the Judge?” The mouthpiece asked.
“Not really,” William blurted out. “Where will I be?”
The mouthpiece laughed. “Were you not paying attention? You be under the Judge’s direct command, sniping the enemy from afar as we close in for the kill.”
William was aghast. “You expect me to fight with the same fuck that killed my mother? Fuck off. I’m going in hot with the boys here.”
“Look, sinner,” the mouthpiece said sternly. “You’ve insulted us the moment we first captured you. The only reason I haven’t struck you down already is because for some reason the Judge has ordered us to keep you alive. I don’t expect you to agree with us or even like us at all, but at least show our general a little respect while you are here. Can you at least do that?”
William smacked his lips. “I don’t think I can, no.”
“Judge,” the mouthpiece complained. “Please give me permission to end this sin…”
“Grrr!” The Judge snapped, shaking his head.
“Judge,” William smirked, “I don’t know what grr means. Not at all. I’m a soldier. A pretty good one I’d like to think. Could you please explain to me your plans in detail? I’m not entirely sure I agree with the particulars of the operation set forth on the ground over here,” he pointed to the dirt map. “I think that this will fail, especially with me so far from the front.”
“The Judge doesn’t speak!” The mouthpiece implored. “Stop wasting our time sinner.”
“Look, you’re the ones who captured me. Getting a solid answer from the Judge would be good no?” William asked. “Why do you follow someone so blindly.”
“God you are more stubborn than you mother ever was,” the Mouthpiece gasped. “Such disrespect! At least she somewhat admired us…”
“Don’t you talk about her like that,” William said angrily, walking uncomfortably close to the Mouthpiece. The Mouthpiece didn’t stand out, getting on the edges of his toes to match William in height. The two men stared each other down, each ready to gut the other like a fish if the situation ever called for it. The rest of the soldiers just sat around awkwardly.
“Grrr!” The Judge grunted. He walked over to William and gently slapped something onto William’s chest. It was a small notecard with some writing on it.
This plan will work because I was a soldier once. It worked before, and it will work again
“Ah!” William exclaimed, “so you do communicate! That’s a step! You say you were a soldier, Judge. Well then, that makes you a fucking traitor. Tell me, how did you kill her? Was it slow or was it painful? I’ll do the same to you.”
The Judge stared at William, but not with a look of anger. The Judge almost looked confused, or even conflicted. “Grrr..” it huffed. It grabbed William by his arm, walked him over to William’s rifle, handed it to him, then pulled him into the forest. The rest of the Peggie soldiers merely shrugged their soldiers and walked to their positions that the Judge had ordered them to go to. William struggled, but the Judge had a firm grip on his arm.
“Let go of me you creep!” He whispered harshly.
“Grr,” the Judge replied. He grabbed a stick with one of his arms and hastily drew a message in the dirt before letting William go.
Just listen for a short while and I’ll show you where your mother is. Please.
“You better,” William groaned.
“Grr,” the Judge nodded.
The pair walked a short ways silently moving through the brush. Out of the forest and in the middle of a large clearing of endless golden grass was the Cartel slaver camp. Just as the two Seed girls reported, there were around fifty or so guards around the camp, and at least a hundred Cult citizens chained together in pens. Oddly enough, the cult citizens did not seem at all distressed. They were knelt together in circles with their eyes lifted towards the sky, uttering a cacophony of prayers. The cartel army was scattered about, with small squads patrolling around the hastily formed metal camp.
“My goodness,” William whispered to the Judge. “It’s going to be hard to get in their silently.” He turned his head and saw that the Judge was no longer next to him. “Judge?” William asked.
“Grr,” the Judge replied. William raised his head from the dirt and saw that the Judge had climbed a tree. His rifle was resting on a large branch, aimed towards the camp.
“Fuck me you climb fast,” William gasped.
“Grr,” the Judge replied. He pointed his hand straight out towards the camp. William took the signal and aimed his rifle towards the Cartel soldiers.
A lone Narco had separated himself from the rest of squad, uttering something in Spanish about using the bathroom or something like that. William aimed down his scope and had a shot ready to drill the enemy right in the head. The soldier got a sufficient distance away. William squeezed the trigger, but the Judge beat him to the shot, drilling the Cartel soldier from an impressive distance. Fuck he’s a good shot. The two worked in tandem, syncing shots in a rhythm that reminding William of how the Ghosts operated. It was almost like two had a hive mind, almost like they had been trained by the same people to see the same exact things. He hated it, but couldn’t help but be somewhat impressed. Soon, most of the Cartel soldiers around the periphery of the camp had been neutralized. The Judge reached into his belt and pulled out an elk caller. He tossed it down to William.
“You want me to blow this thing?”
“Grr,” the Judge said.
William blew the elk caller. Whistles and shouts erupted from the around the camp as Peggie militia began to unload their magazines into the Cartel positions.
(To be finished next chapter!)
“That coat is the finest gear that we Chosen use,” Hezekiah demurred. “We have no need for fancy technology or equipment. God gave us all we need from the bounty of our promised land. We stay hidden and safe. If only you agreed to wear our masks.”
“I’m not touching that shit,” William groaned as he fidgeted uncomfortably around his seat. “I like to keep my face clear.”
“You know,” Ethan said, blowing warm air into his hands, “the masks do keep you warm.”
“Grr,” the Judge said. William was unsure if that was a grunt of affirmation or dissention.
“What are we waiting for?” William sighed and looked at his clock. They had been at this spot for over an hour, with no end in sight. “I have places to be and a wife to look after. I would really like to get this battle over with.”
“We are waiting for the scouts to return,” Hezekiah answered. “We wait here until the Judge feels comfortable to strike. If that means all day waiting for intelligence, then that means all day. I once sat in a spot for over three days before the Judge was ready to attack. When the Judge commands, we obey. Not a second before or late.”
“Great,” William complained. “I’m in the hands of a mute lunatic. Just the perfect way to go into battle.”
Five minutes turned into thirty, and thirty turned into an hour. An hour turned into two, then three, then four. William took a brief nap, but he was awoken when a few Chosen came back from patrol. They all sat there, huddled closely and hidden by the thick underbrush. Not a sound was made aside from the occasional muttering. After a final hour, the brush finally began to dance about. Two young girls, no older than twelve or so and covered from head to toe in camouflaged fur coats dashed into the clearing. “Grr,” the Judge grunted softly as he walked towards them.
“Judge,” both of them bowed. “We counted no more than fifty bad men in the camp. Some of them drove away in a very big truck, but none of our brothers and sisters were taken. We took some notes.” The older looking girl handed the Judge a piece of marked paper.
“Grr,” the Judge replied, patting the girl who just spoke gently on the head. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handful of sweets and handed them to the girls. They eagerly grabbed them into their hands and proceeded to devour them. The Judge took the piece of paper and walked off into the forest, evidently to read it over.
“Um pardon me,” William interjected. “Why are there girls here? Shouldn’t they be, I don’t know, not here?”
“Those aren’t just any girls,” Ethan laughed, gently grabbing their shoulders and playfully wrapping his arms around both of them. “Those are my sisters. William, meet Faith and Rachel Seed.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” Rachel, the younger sister said, reaching out her pale hand to shake William’s.
“Rachel, what did I tell you about talking with bad men?” Ethan giggled. “You just went up to him like he was a brother.”
“Oh,” she said hesitantly. “I didn’t know he was a bad man.”
“You didn’t answer my question…” William pointed out.
“Ah yes,” Ethan nodded. “You see, the Judge taught them all about scouting, and since they’re children, nobody really bats an eye about them. They did a great job tailing your little convoy for days, so we had a pretty accurate idea of what to expect when ya’ll hit the ambush point. There are few in New Eden who are as capable as they are, aside from our pal the Judge here. Before you ask, yes, everyone helps, my siblings, even though Joseph is my father. We are all equal, sons and daughters of Christ.”
William rolled his eyes. “Very touching, but there is going to be a firefight, right? Do we really want little girls roaming about?”
“Hey!” Rachel protested. “I’m not little!”
“Yeah!” Her sister agreed.
Hezekiah guffawed. “You see sinner, even our young women are full of fire and strength from God. Even our smallest child is worth ten of your sinful whores and prostitutes. I think that’s an obvious truth.”
William rolled his eyes. “I’ll let you believe that.”
“Grrr,” the Judge grunted as it stepped out of the forest. It motioned for everyone to gather around, and everyone did without hesitation. William sighed and slowly made his way over. The Judge took a stick from the ground and quickly drew a detailed map in the dirt of what Rachel and Faith had reported to him. William quickly ascertained that the Judge was well versed in military maps and symbology. Oddly enough, despite being totally unable to speak, the Judge began to develop a battle plan, huffing and grunting about, pointing at various teams and placing arrows in the dirt. Even more odd, everyone seemed to understand what the Judge was saying. They nodded along, adding in their own commentary, and were totally on the same page as the mute monster. When the Judge was finished, he bowed his head. The plan was relatively simple as far as William could tell, with a diversionary strike from one flank followed by a large pincer assault from the opposing side. Fairly standard procedure for such an attack, and one that worked to extreme effect in Bolivia.
“Is everyone on the same page as the Judge?” The mouthpiece asked.
“Not really,” William blurted out. “Where will I be?”
The mouthpiece laughed. “Were you not paying attention? You be under the Judge’s direct command, sniping the enemy from afar as we close in for the kill.”
William was aghast. “You expect me to fight with the same fuck that killed my mother? Fuck off. I’m going in hot with the boys here.”
“Look, sinner,” the mouthpiece said sternly. “You’ve insulted us the moment we first captured you. The only reason I haven’t struck you down already is because for some reason the Judge has ordered us to keep you alive. I don’t expect you to agree with us or even like us at all, but at least show our general a little respect while you are here. Can you at least do that?”
William smacked his lips. “I don’t think I can, no.”
“Judge,” the mouthpiece complained. “Please give me permission to end this sin…”
“Grrr!” The Judge snapped, shaking his head.
“Judge,” William smirked, “I don’t know what grr means. Not at all. I’m a soldier. A pretty good one I’d like to think. Could you please explain to me your plans in detail? I’m not entirely sure I agree with the particulars of the operation set forth on the ground over here,” he pointed to the dirt map. “I think that this will fail, especially with me so far from the front.”
“The Judge doesn’t speak!” The mouthpiece implored. “Stop wasting our time sinner.”
“Look, you’re the ones who captured me. Getting a solid answer from the Judge would be good no?” William asked. “Why do you follow someone so blindly.”
“God you are more stubborn than you mother ever was,” the Mouthpiece gasped. “Such disrespect! At least she somewhat admired us…”
“Don’t you talk about her like that,” William said angrily, walking uncomfortably close to the Mouthpiece. The Mouthpiece didn’t stand out, getting on the edges of his toes to match William in height. The two men stared each other down, each ready to gut the other like a fish if the situation ever called for it. The rest of the soldiers just sat around awkwardly.
“Grrr!” The Judge grunted. He walked over to William and gently slapped something onto William’s chest. It was a small notecard with some writing on it.
This plan will work because I was a soldier once. It worked before, and it will work again
“Ah!” William exclaimed, “so you do communicate! That’s a step! You say you were a soldier, Judge. Well then, that makes you a fucking traitor. Tell me, how did you kill her? Was it slow or was it painful? I’ll do the same to you.”
The Judge stared at William, but not with a look of anger. The Judge almost looked confused, or even conflicted. “Grrr..” it huffed. It grabbed William by his arm, walked him over to William’s rifle, handed it to him, then pulled him into the forest. The rest of the Peggie soldiers merely shrugged their soldiers and walked to their positions that the Judge had ordered them to go to. William struggled, but the Judge had a firm grip on his arm.
“Let go of me you creep!” He whispered harshly.
“Grr,” the Judge replied. He grabbed a stick with one of his arms and hastily drew a message in the dirt before letting William go.
Just listen for a short while and I’ll show you where your mother is. Please.
“You better,” William groaned.
“Grr,” the Judge nodded.
The pair walked a short ways silently moving through the brush. Out of the forest and in the middle of a large clearing of endless golden grass was the Cartel slaver camp. Just as the two Seed girls reported, there were around fifty or so guards around the camp, and at least a hundred Cult citizens chained together in pens. Oddly enough, the cult citizens did not seem at all distressed. They were knelt together in circles with their eyes lifted towards the sky, uttering a cacophony of prayers. The cartel army was scattered about, with small squads patrolling around the hastily formed metal camp.
“My goodness,” William whispered to the Judge. “It’s going to be hard to get in their silently.” He turned his head and saw that the Judge was no longer next to him. “Judge?” William asked.
“Grr,” the Judge replied. William raised his head from the dirt and saw that the Judge had climbed a tree. His rifle was resting on a large branch, aimed towards the camp.
“Fuck me you climb fast,” William gasped.
“Grr,” the Judge replied. He pointed his hand straight out towards the camp. William took the signal and aimed his rifle towards the Cartel soldiers.
A lone Narco had separated himself from the rest of squad, uttering something in Spanish about using the bathroom or something like that. William aimed down his scope and had a shot ready to drill the enemy right in the head. The soldier got a sufficient distance away. William squeezed the trigger, but the Judge beat him to the shot, drilling the Cartel soldier from an impressive distance. Fuck he’s a good shot. The two worked in tandem, syncing shots in a rhythm that reminding William of how the Ghosts operated. It was almost like two had a hive mind, almost like they had been trained by the same people to see the same exact things. He hated it, but couldn’t help but be somewhat impressed. Soon, most of the Cartel soldiers around the periphery of the camp had been neutralized. The Judge reached into his belt and pulled out an elk caller. He tossed it down to William.
“You want me to blow this thing?”
“Grr,” the Judge said.
William blew the elk caller. Whistles and shouts erupted from the around the camp as Peggie militia began to unload their magazines into the Cartel positions.
(To be finished next chapter!)
The battle was over almost as soon as it began. With their scouts already dead at end of William’s and the Judge’s barrels, the rest of the Cartel soldiers really did not stand much of a chance. They were totally distracted by the initial attack, then were caught completely off guard when the rear of the camp was stormed by machete wielding Chosen as they were fighting off the first wave. From their position, the Judge and William sniped anyone who tried to fight back and mercilessly gunned down anyone that tried to flee. Sensing that they had lost, most of the El Reciementio sicarios opted to surrender rather than face death, and the survivors were quickly rounded up and taken captive.
“Well that was easier than I expected…” William pointed out to the masked warrior as they walked down the gentle wooded slope.
“Grr,” The Judge grunted in affirmation.
“You’ll…you’ll take me to my mother when we get back, right?” William asked with a hint of hesitation.
The Judge paused. “Grr,” he replied with a brief nod that was full of fervor.
That satisfied William. He hated the Judge more than anyone, but He was at least a means to an end. Once I find my mother’s body and belongings, he thought, I will kill him for what he did. He won’t get out of here alive. The Judge will die, then I will go home and tell the army about this place. This Cult won’t last another year. I will make sure of that. I will make sure of that. Oh yes I will. Fuck yes I will.
The captive Cult citizens were ecstatic when they saw their brethren march from the trees. “Praise Joseph!” One cried. “Thank you Jesus!” Another shouted. Their chains were cut and their cages were broken, leading to a feverous celebration. Many began to sing hymns. Others kissed hugged the Cult men, tears running down their faces. A few even gave the Judge a big bear hug, which he reciprocated in his usual cold manner. The camp was quickly cleared.
“Really great work sinner,” Hezekiah noted to William as they rounded up Cartel weapons. “For a heathen, you are a great shot. Just as good as our Judge is from the look of it.”
“I’m not sure if that’ s a compliment or an insult,” William responded slyly.
Hezekiah scratched his chin. “Perhaps both.”
“I thought as much,” William said. “What will we do with the prisoners?”
Hezekiah stamped one down into the dirt with his boot. “God is wrathful, yes, but He is also merciful. They will be given their atoning punishments. Those that that show faith and a pure heart will be made one of us. The rest will be killed. We cannot be unequally yoked with sinners, as I think you can understand.”
“Ugh!” The Cartel soldier groaned. Hezekiah dug his boot further into the Sicario’s chest. “You’re going to pay for that! Sueno will make you pay!”
“Make us pay?” Hezekiah replied incredulously. He angrily grabbed the man by the top of his hair and forced his head from the dirt. “I should kill you for that remark. Judge! We have a tainted one over here. Slit this man’s throat.”
“Grr,” the Judge hissed darkly, unsheathing a machete from his side. His eyes, large and blue as they were, were fixated on the Sicario with a gaze of pure hatred and malice. He didn’t even bother to start going for the throat. He dragged the Sicario by his legs to the center of the camp and was ready to hack away.
“Wait! Please!” The captive soldier begged. “This is a trap! This is a trap!”
“Grr?” The Judge grunted inquisitively. A phone began to ring from a tent next to them.
“Sinner,” Hezekiah said, “you pick it up.”
“I ain’t picking that shit up,” William spit back. “I’m not crazy. Could be a bomb for all I fucking now.”
“Grr,” The Judge said, almost as if he knew something the others did not. He ran into the tent and came back out a few seconds later with a small iphone in his gloved hands. He couldn’t swipe the phone with his fur gloves, so he tossed one off, revealing his right hand, pale, long fingered, and chapped, which oddly enough, reminded him of his mother’s hands. On his ring finger was a plain golden ring. The Judge is married? William wondered. The Judge swiped the call on and set the phone on a small metal table in the middle of the camp.
“Ah, I’m glad to see that someone picked up,” came a heavily accented voice on the other end. “I am El Sueno. Who do I have the pleasure of talking to?”
“El Sueno?” William gasped.
“Who is this?”
“My name is not relevant,” William replied with poison in his tone. “What are you doing on the phone, criminal?”
“Oh, but your name is very relevant,” El Sueno replied, his voice full of both refinement and anger at the same time. “You see, my men are watching you right now. I am watching you through their screens. I know for a fact that you are not a member of the Project just from your uniform. It is hard to tell from here, but I think that you the Ghost that we captured at Fort Hood not long ago. This raises a singular question. What is a Ghost doing fighting for the Project at Eden’s Gate? So many questions require answers, and I think that answering them face to face is the best way.”
“I’m not a quote unquote Ghost,” William lied. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Spare me your lies,” El Sueno replied, his booming voice nearly overpowering the phone’s small speakers. “Someone with that level of talent with a gun has to be a Ghost. Believe me, I know. Many years before the bombs devastated the world, I used to know one. Got to know her pretty well actually. I believe her callsign was nomad or something to that effect. She was a rather pleasant person, but una puta behind the gun. You shoot just like her.”
“You knew Nomad?” William asked in amazement..
“I would love to sit and chat all day, but my men have this little camp surrounded. To you, Ghost, I offer you the chance to surrender yourself and live. All the Project Soldiers, especially el pendejo Judge will be killed. You have been causing me far too much trouble and I am tired of it. Bad for profits you see. I made Nomad an offer to join me many years ago. She refused. Be smarter than her.”
“Fuck you,” William spat.
The Judge jogged over to the phone. “Grr,” he said angrily, picking the small iPhone up and smashing it against the dirt. The Peggie men ran into action, taking up positions around the fortified encampment and digging themselves in the best they could. The Judge quickly climbed up a small cargo container and laid onto his chest with his rifle facing the forests that surrounded the Peggie position. William ran and took a position in a makeshift steel bunker.
A few shots from the forest smashed into the camp moments later. The Judge and William retaliated, sniping back from afar and killing several of the Cartel snipers. A convoy of trucks sped down the road toward the camp, and were almost immediately hit from Cult fire. The first truck was disabled and blocked the dirt road, forcing the Sicarios to disembark farther out than they surely must have wanted. Many were felled in seconds and a few of their trucks were blown up but Cult rocket propelled grenades.
“Keep firing men!” Hezekiah barked. As time went on, Cult casualties began to mount. Snipers killed several, and wave upon wave of Sicario attacked the steel walls, shooting a few other Peggie soldiers as they rushed the fortification. William had killed dozens of Cartel soldiers who tried to madly rush him in an undisciplined manner, but even he was forced to fall back from his position and towards the center of the camp. The cult civilians were yelled in fear. Others were praying loudly. A few sang hymns. The rest cowered, huddled together wherever they could find a place to hide. Several of the men picked up the rifles of the fallen and tried their best to fire back.
“I need a mag!” William yelled. Hezekiah tossed him one.
All hope seemed lost, but out of nowhere, the din of airplanes pierced Willliam’s eardrums. A sortie of Peggie aircraft descended from the heavens and strafed the forests, dropping dumb bombs into the forest and setting much of it ablaze. Dozens of Cartel soldiers yelled in agony as the flames roasted their flesh. “Praise Jesus!” Hezekiah screamed in approval. These were no jets, but were clearly old makeshift civilian planes that had been converted into crude bombers and fighter aircraft. A squadron of what appeared to be Cessnas strafed the road and wrecked the remaining Cartel trucks on the road. The fire died down as the Sicarios fled into the forest and away from the camp.
“We got em!” William jeered. “Run away you fucks!”
In his delight, William lost focus for the briefest of moments. A wounded Sicario had managed to crawl up to the camp, and in William’s moment of distraction, jumped over a concrete barrier and tackled him against a steel wall. William was not expecting the attack and his rifle flew from his hands. The Sicario gripped William by his throat and soon had him totally at his mercy. “Sinner!” Hezekiah gasped, pointing his rifle at the Sicario, who at this point had a knife right at William’s throat.
The Judge gasped audibly and jumped from his position. He sprinted towards William and trained his rifle at the Sicario.
“Oh!” The Sicario laughed. “I see you care about this precious sinner!” Blood was dripping from his mouth and head, creating an almost demonic effect in his laughter.
“Let him go!” Hezekiah commanded. “He belongs to us!”
“No, he belongs to El Recimentio!” The Sicario shouted, totally butchering the Spanish name with his thick Mid-western accent. “This fuck is a Ghost, and he is our soldier now. Put down your guns and I will be on my fucking way! You may have won this battle, but we will win the war. Know that your fur wearing savages! We rule this world! Fuck you!”
“Grrr!” The Judge shouted, his voice almost cracking.
“Ah ah ah!” The Sicario scolded. “Take one more step towards me and I slit his throat. You can kill me. I don’t care. I won’t let you have what belongs to El Sueno. That won’t last. Trust me. Now back up before I get mad.”
“Grr!” The Judge shouted, his voice cracking this time.
“Step back!” The Sicario shouted frantically, digging the knife into William’s throat, almost drawing blood. “Get the fuck back!”
“Judge! Do as he says!” William urged.
“Grr!” The Judge shouted again. He fired his gun low and at the Sicario’s foot. As the Sicaro reeled from the pain, the Judge emptied his magazine into the Sicarios chest and head. The Judge dropped his rifle onto the floor and pulled his machete out. “Grrr!” The Judge roared. He began to hack away at the corpse of the Cartel man. Blow after blow. Blood gushed everywhere, soaking the Judge’s black fur coat and sending pieces of his body flying all over the ground. The Sicaro’s corpse turned into an unrecognizable mess of guts and pieces of flesh. The Judge only stopped when Hezekiah and a few of the Chosen literally grabbed him and forced him away from the mangled remains.
“It’s alright Judge!” Hezekiah implored. “He’s dead. Very much dead!”
“Grrr!” The Judge screamed, clearly in the mood for more. He was held back by his men and eventually calmed down.
“Well that was easier than I expected…” William pointed out to the masked warrior as they walked down the gentle wooded slope.
“Grr,” The Judge grunted in affirmation.
“You’ll…you’ll take me to my mother when we get back, right?” William asked with a hint of hesitation.
The Judge paused. “Grr,” he replied with a brief nod that was full of fervor.
That satisfied William. He hated the Judge more than anyone, but He was at least a means to an end. Once I find my mother’s body and belongings, he thought, I will kill him for what he did. He won’t get out of here alive. The Judge will die, then I will go home and tell the army about this place. This Cult won’t last another year. I will make sure of that. I will make sure of that. Oh yes I will. Fuck yes I will.
The captive Cult citizens were ecstatic when they saw their brethren march from the trees. “Praise Joseph!” One cried. “Thank you Jesus!” Another shouted. Their chains were cut and their cages were broken, leading to a feverous celebration. Many began to sing hymns. Others kissed hugged the Cult men, tears running down their faces. A few even gave the Judge a big bear hug, which he reciprocated in his usual cold manner. The camp was quickly cleared.
“Really great work sinner,” Hezekiah noted to William as they rounded up Cartel weapons. “For a heathen, you are a great shot. Just as good as our Judge is from the look of it.”
“I’m not sure if that’ s a compliment or an insult,” William responded slyly.
Hezekiah scratched his chin. “Perhaps both.”
“I thought as much,” William said. “What will we do with the prisoners?”
Hezekiah stamped one down into the dirt with his boot. “God is wrathful, yes, but He is also merciful. They will be given their atoning punishments. Those that that show faith and a pure heart will be made one of us. The rest will be killed. We cannot be unequally yoked with sinners, as I think you can understand.”
“Ugh!” The Cartel soldier groaned. Hezekiah dug his boot further into the Sicario’s chest. “You’re going to pay for that! Sueno will make you pay!”
“Make us pay?” Hezekiah replied incredulously. He angrily grabbed the man by the top of his hair and forced his head from the dirt. “I should kill you for that remark. Judge! We have a tainted one over here. Slit this man’s throat.”
“Grr,” the Judge hissed darkly, unsheathing a machete from his side. His eyes, large and blue as they were, were fixated on the Sicario with a gaze of pure hatred and malice. He didn’t even bother to start going for the throat. He dragged the Sicario by his legs to the center of the camp and was ready to hack away.
“Wait! Please!” The captive soldier begged. “This is a trap! This is a trap!”
“Grr?” The Judge grunted inquisitively. A phone began to ring from a tent next to them.
“Sinner,” Hezekiah said, “you pick it up.”
“I ain’t picking that shit up,” William spit back. “I’m not crazy. Could be a bomb for all I fucking now.”
“Grr,” The Judge said, almost as if he knew something the others did not. He ran into the tent and came back out a few seconds later with a small iphone in his gloved hands. He couldn’t swipe the phone with his fur gloves, so he tossed one off, revealing his right hand, pale, long fingered, and chapped, which oddly enough, reminded him of his mother’s hands. On his ring finger was a plain golden ring. The Judge is married? William wondered. The Judge swiped the call on and set the phone on a small metal table in the middle of the camp.
“Ah, I’m glad to see that someone picked up,” came a heavily accented voice on the other end. “I am El Sueno. Who do I have the pleasure of talking to?”
“El Sueno?” William gasped.
“Who is this?”
“My name is not relevant,” William replied with poison in his tone. “What are you doing on the phone, criminal?”
“Oh, but your name is very relevant,” El Sueno replied, his voice full of both refinement and anger at the same time. “You see, my men are watching you right now. I am watching you through their screens. I know for a fact that you are not a member of the Project just from your uniform. It is hard to tell from here, but I think that you the Ghost that we captured at Fort Hood not long ago. This raises a singular question. What is a Ghost doing fighting for the Project at Eden’s Gate? So many questions require answers, and I think that answering them face to face is the best way.”
“I’m not a quote unquote Ghost,” William lied. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Spare me your lies,” El Sueno replied, his booming voice nearly overpowering the phone’s small speakers. “Someone with that level of talent with a gun has to be a Ghost. Believe me, I know. Many years before the bombs devastated the world, I used to know one. Got to know her pretty well actually. I believe her callsign was nomad or something to that effect. She was a rather pleasant person, but una puta behind the gun. You shoot just like her.”
“You knew Nomad?” William asked in amazement..
“I would love to sit and chat all day, but my men have this little camp surrounded. To you, Ghost, I offer you the chance to surrender yourself and live. All the Project Soldiers, especially el pendejo Judge will be killed. You have been causing me far too much trouble and I am tired of it. Bad for profits you see. I made Nomad an offer to join me many years ago. She refused. Be smarter than her.”
“Fuck you,” William spat.
The Judge jogged over to the phone. “Grr,” he said angrily, picking the small iPhone up and smashing it against the dirt. The Peggie men ran into action, taking up positions around the fortified encampment and digging themselves in the best they could. The Judge quickly climbed up a small cargo container and laid onto his chest with his rifle facing the forests that surrounded the Peggie position. William ran and took a position in a makeshift steel bunker.
A few shots from the forest smashed into the camp moments later. The Judge and William retaliated, sniping back from afar and killing several of the Cartel snipers. A convoy of trucks sped down the road toward the camp, and were almost immediately hit from Cult fire. The first truck was disabled and blocked the dirt road, forcing the Sicarios to disembark farther out than they surely must have wanted. Many were felled in seconds and a few of their trucks were blown up but Cult rocket propelled grenades.
“Keep firing men!” Hezekiah barked. As time went on, Cult casualties began to mount. Snipers killed several, and wave upon wave of Sicario attacked the steel walls, shooting a few other Peggie soldiers as they rushed the fortification. William had killed dozens of Cartel soldiers who tried to madly rush him in an undisciplined manner, but even he was forced to fall back from his position and towards the center of the camp. The cult civilians were yelled in fear. Others were praying loudly. A few sang hymns. The rest cowered, huddled together wherever they could find a place to hide. Several of the men picked up the rifles of the fallen and tried their best to fire back.
“I need a mag!” William yelled. Hezekiah tossed him one.
All hope seemed lost, but out of nowhere, the din of airplanes pierced Willliam’s eardrums. A sortie of Peggie aircraft descended from the heavens and strafed the forests, dropping dumb bombs into the forest and setting much of it ablaze. Dozens of Cartel soldiers yelled in agony as the flames roasted their flesh. “Praise Jesus!” Hezekiah screamed in approval. These were no jets, but were clearly old makeshift civilian planes that had been converted into crude bombers and fighter aircraft. A squadron of what appeared to be Cessnas strafed the road and wrecked the remaining Cartel trucks on the road. The fire died down as the Sicarios fled into the forest and away from the camp.
“We got em!” William jeered. “Run away you fucks!”
In his delight, William lost focus for the briefest of moments. A wounded Sicario had managed to crawl up to the camp, and in William’s moment of distraction, jumped over a concrete barrier and tackled him against a steel wall. William was not expecting the attack and his rifle flew from his hands. The Sicario gripped William by his throat and soon had him totally at his mercy. “Sinner!” Hezekiah gasped, pointing his rifle at the Sicario, who at this point had a knife right at William’s throat.
The Judge gasped audibly and jumped from his position. He sprinted towards William and trained his rifle at the Sicario.
“Oh!” The Sicario laughed. “I see you care about this precious sinner!” Blood was dripping from his mouth and head, creating an almost demonic effect in his laughter.
“Let him go!” Hezekiah commanded. “He belongs to us!”
“No, he belongs to El Recimentio!” The Sicario shouted, totally butchering the Spanish name with his thick Mid-western accent. “This fuck is a Ghost, and he is our soldier now. Put down your guns and I will be on my fucking way! You may have won this battle, but we will win the war. Know that your fur wearing savages! We rule this world! Fuck you!”
“Grrr!” The Judge shouted, his voice almost cracking.
“Ah ah ah!” The Sicario scolded. “Take one more step towards me and I slit his throat. You can kill me. I don’t care. I won’t let you have what belongs to El Sueno. That won’t last. Trust me. Now back up before I get mad.”
“Grr!” The Judge shouted, his voice cracking this time.
“Step back!” The Sicario shouted frantically, digging the knife into William’s throat, almost drawing blood. “Get the fuck back!”
“Judge! Do as he says!” William urged.
“Grr!” The Judge shouted again. He fired his gun low and at the Sicario’s foot. As the Sicaro reeled from the pain, the Judge emptied his magazine into the Sicarios chest and head. The Judge dropped his rifle onto the floor and pulled his machete out. “Grrr!” The Judge roared. He began to hack away at the corpse of the Cartel man. Blow after blow. Blood gushed everywhere, soaking the Judge’s black fur coat and sending pieces of his body flying all over the ground. The Sicaro’s corpse turned into an unrecognizable mess of guts and pieces of flesh. The Judge only stopped when Hezekiah and a few of the Chosen literally grabbed him and forced him away from the mangled remains.
“It’s alright Judge!” Hezekiah implored. “He’s dead. Very much dead!”
“Grrr!” The Judge screamed, clearly in the mood for more. He was held back by his men and eventually calmed down.
Truly a bad situation!
I am not liking the Judge (your writing is good - he is clearly losing control).
This is a very good abstract style AAR - I guess that you have a game running, but you have focussed beautifully on some very specific actions within it...
I see a lot has happened since I last read your updates! William is in for the surprise of his life when he discovers who the Judge is. 
“Clear!” The Judge’s mouthpiece shouted, his booming voice echoing through the encampment. Around them, the forests burned furiously, and the waft of burning flesh fouled the crisp air. Many trees were lit on fire, and their charred remains spread into the air. Dead bodies littered the fields in and around the camp, and while most of them were Cartel men, the Peggies had taken significant casualties as well. Many were wounded, and all were exhausted. The bombers had arrived right in the nick of the time to prevent them from being overrun.
“Clear!” William responded back. He was amazed that he had gotten through that scrap unscathed for the most part.
Across from him, the Judge sat there in the dirt, his black fur coat dripping with blood. His breathing was heavy and laborious, yet there was a look of relief in his eyes as he eyed William over. The Judge had absolutely gutted the Sicario. His body laid strewn across the grass in chunks. His face was a mangled mess, and most of his body parts had been mutilated in one form or another. “Grr!” The Judge panicked.
“Ethan?” The mouthpiece said, clearly sharing the same concern as his master. “Ethan?! Rachel? Faith!”
“I’m fine!” Came the young Ethan’s voice. He crawled from under a Cartel truck and helped his two sisters from their little nooks next to him. The Judge sprinted over to them and checked them all down, patting them for any wounds and making sure that they had not been hurt in any way. “I’m fine Judge!” Ethan smiled faintly. “Not a scratch. Right sisters?”
“Not a single hurt,” Rachel, the youngest, exclaimed in her childlike innocence. “We are ok Judgie!”
The Judge grabbed Faith and gave her a tight hug. “Grr,” the grunted faintly and warmly. Rachel joined, piling onto of the Judge and laughing. It was odd, at least to William, how lovingly the Seed girls seemed to be around the Judge. Everyone else knew him as a cold faced murderer, but these Seed girls almost treated her like a brother or cousin, or even a grandparent. The Judge played with them for a few precious moments.
“Why does the Judge care about the Seed children so much?” William wondered out-loud, watching the scene unfold.
“The Judge is sworn to protect the Seed family,” Hezekiah explained, overhearing William’s question. “The Judge trained them, taught them how to fight and rule. In many ways, the Judge is like a parent to them. The Judge smites their enemies and keeps the bloodline of our leader safe and pure, as it should be. When the Father dies, Ethan will take His place and so on and so forth.”
“What happened to their mother?” William asked. “I haven’t met her.”
“Oh, their mother died many years ago in the bunker,” Hezekiah said with the slightest edge of a frown. “Nobody really saw her to be honest. She was kept rather secluded in the deeper parts of the bunker. To this day I don’t know what she looked like.”
“Huh,” William sputtered. What a lunatic.
Ethan quickly met William in the middle of the camp. He skipped over quickly with grace in his steps. “Great work today sinner,” Ethan smiled, shaking William’s hand with a firm yet delicate grip. “We sure showed the Cartel not to mess with us anymore. They ran into the hills with pee running down their legs. Some of those shots you took were just spectacular. You’ll have to show me sometime.”
William pushed Ethan away softly. “Look, Ethan,” William said, starting his words with a deep breath, “I just want my mother’s stuff back. You said if I helped, then you would show me where her body is. Just tell the Judge here to bring me to her remains and I’ll be out of you way. I don’t want to be here, I don’t need to be here, and I certainly don’t want to live another day with you guys. No offense, but I’ve seen enough.”
Ethan shrugged and tilted his head. “Totally understand. I get it, we may seem strange to outsiders. Judge!” He called.
“Rah,” the Judge replied, dropping what he was doing and rushing towards his master. He respectfully bowed his head before Ethan.
“Judge, I made a promise to this sinner that I would show him where Elizabeth is buried. You know, right?”
“Grr,” The Judge nodded.
“Great. When we return to New Eden later today, you’ll show him where her stuff is and help him on his way. Can you do that?”
The Judge turned to William briefly, then back to Ethan. “Grr,” it nodded.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Where exactly are we going?” William mulled audibly. The Judge didn’t reply.
The stairways in the Bunker seemed to descend forever. When William finally thought the reached the bottom, yet another hallway featured another way to get even deeper into the earth. The rooms and halls, once undoubtedly full of life as people huddled here for salvation were now empty and lifeless, dark and cold, stripped of anything useful to build their new world outside. On the upper levels, the occasional human stirred about. Down here, there was nothing but the whirring of old machines. Even the air smelled musky and uninviting.
The Judge led him down a dark and narrow hallway that ended in a steel wall. “This is a dead end…” William muttered, but the Judge reached down a small hole and revealed a hidden hatch in the wall. The small door, embedded and disguised in the wall, screeched violently upon being forced open. The blast of air that came from the other side almost made William gag. It was disgustingly stale and rotten, as if something had long since perished and left to rot. The Judge stepped first with a short bit of hesitation and motioned for William to follow. Against his better judgement, he ducked his head and followed.
The Judge flipped a switch. The lights crackled to life, flashing on and off before finally shining dimly. This part of the Bunker was clearly older and far less impressive than the others, and unlike the rest, nothing had been stripped here. Buckets, pans, and little knickknacks dotted every square inch of available space. People had clearly lived her for quite a long time, but it had been years since anyone was here. Every open surface was caked in dust of a bygone generation. A small table stood in the middle of the central hallway, with doors and smaller rooms jutting off from it. There was a small piece of paper strewn on it, and it caught William’s eye.
10/10/19
Elizabeth is wracked with guild.
I thought about hilling her. As a mercy almost. She is sick. Feeble. Hurt. She cries all day and all night. Her family. She won’t accept that they are dead. Her old life is behind her. She doesn’t want it to be true, but it is. I will make her understand. I will have her understand my forgiveness. But she must know what it is to be judged as she has judged us.
When she finally understands this and crawls out of herself with nothing left but hunger and thirst, I will tell her who she really is.
God has a plan for her yet…and so do I. So do I. Like Adam met with Even and established all the generations of man, so will I,
Joseph Seed
William dropped the paper. His mother had been here. In this small, disgusting, dusty bunker. The Judge stood there, and gestured for William to enter a small room that he had opened the door to. “Where is she?!” William roared, his voice reverberating through the halls. All the Judge did was raise his trembling and shaking arm and pointed it into the room. William rushed inside.
The room was utterly bare aside from a small rotten mattress on the floor and an old long faded steel desk. A single solitary lightbulb hung from the ceiling. The air was unbearably foul. He pulled the cord to the bulb and gasped at what the light revealed. The concrete walls were covered in small scratch marks and notes that had been carved into them. William walked to the table and immediately noticed his mother’s belongings—her bag, journal, and other personal effects. “What happened here?!” He exclaimed breathlessly. He whirled about, spinning in circles and trying to make sense of where to even begin. One of his mother’s random notes that she had carved into the wall long ago caught his eye first.
I’m scared
I failed. Everyone dead. All because of me. Everyone I ever loved is dead. Everyone I love is dead. Andrew is dead. William…Sarah…Emily. He comes every night wanting his fill. I can’t stop. I try to die but it won’t come. I’m hungry.
William’s eyes scanned even more of the wall. There were thousands of little notches that had been cut into the wall, and dozens of increasingly illegible writings.
He gave me food. Jerky. Disgusting. He told me he forgave me. I am beyond redemption. God just kill me I want to die.
Too long…can’t thin please I want to die
William’s blood began to boil. His heart began to beat furiously. Blood rushed to his head. He was so angry that he began to see stars in the corner of his eyes. They killed her. Starved her to death like a pig in this dungeon. Her last moments were spent in fear as they gawked over her, trapped in a concrete cage. “Grah!” He screamed. He wanted to tear the Judge apart limb by limb. The Cult would be next, once he got away and back into the safety of America. He angrily jumped over to the rusted steel table, and angrily picked up a paper note that caught his eye.
Elizabeth,
You are dead now. I have killed you. The sinner that once plagued this world is dead. She no longer exists. I trampled her under my foot. The old is dead, and in its ashes, the new can rise again, like a plant in virgin soil.
He knows best. God speaks to him. If I listen to him, it’s good, and right. I can help people. Save people. I can make the world okay again. Your judgement is God’s judgement, and your word is God’s word. Elizabeth did not see that. Elizabeth was a fool. Weak. Blinded by her own pride and worldview. She fought against the righteous hand of God and she died. Nobody will remember her aside from the tales we tell our children. Everyone is better off now that she is dead.
I, the Judge, killed her. Buried her deep. So far that nobody can ever reach her. Not our enemies, not a demon, nobody. She is gone for good. Praise be to Joseph. Praise be to God almighty. I pledge myself to you Joseph. I will cleanse this world of all sins and help it to be reborn the way it was meant to be. Pure and clean, like freshly fallen snow.
-The Judge
“You piece of shit!” William screamed, angrily flipping the rusted table and knocking his mother’s effects onto the concrete floor. The Judge peeked his head in, and this set William off. He practically rushed at the masked man and tackled him against a steel shelf. William landed blow after blow against the Judge’s chest and stomach. “I’m going to kill you!” He screamed so loudly that his voice nearly cracked. “You fuck! I’m going to kill you!” Punch after punch. Kick after kick. The Judge made absolutely no attempt to resist the furious assault. William was going all in, landing horrific blow after horrific blow. “Fuck you!”
“Grr!” The Judge pleaded, clearly in pain. A swift kick to his ribs forced him to a high pitched cry, and he began to roll up almost in a fetal position.
William was not done. “I’m going to fucking kill you! When I’m done, I’m going to destroy your little cult and wipe all you pieces of shit off the planet! You hear me?!” He pulled the Judge by his legs against another shelf. William broke a small glass and grabbed the first piece of glass that he cold find. “I will gouge out your fucking eyes! I will cut off your limbs piece by piece!”
“Grr!” It cried.
“Fuck your grunts! Show me your fucking face!” William grabbed the Judge right under the tip of his mask and forced him to his feet. “Take this off!” William shouted. He once again gripped the mask and began to force it off. The restraints on the back slowly gave away, and the Judge howled in pain as they undoubtedly dug deeper into his skull. “Take it off!!” William seethed. With one final pull, the restraints finally snapped. William ripped the mask off and tossed it behind him. His eyes turned to see the mask clatter aimlessly against one of the concrete walls. He gripped the piece of glass and was ready to get to work mutilating the man he hated the most.
He turned his eyes to see the face of the Judge that he hated so much. “Grr…” The Judge said faintly, weakly, and bent over, covering his face with one of his arms. As William moved to stab his face, the Judge blocked the strike with his arm and slowly lifted his face.
William saw it. He gasped and dropped the glass shard.
“M…Mom?!”
“Clear!” William responded back. He was amazed that he had gotten through that scrap unscathed for the most part.
Across from him, the Judge sat there in the dirt, his black fur coat dripping with blood. His breathing was heavy and laborious, yet there was a look of relief in his eyes as he eyed William over. The Judge had absolutely gutted the Sicario. His body laid strewn across the grass in chunks. His face was a mangled mess, and most of his body parts had been mutilated in one form or another. “Grr!” The Judge panicked.
“Ethan?” The mouthpiece said, clearly sharing the same concern as his master. “Ethan?! Rachel? Faith!”
“I’m fine!” Came the young Ethan’s voice. He crawled from under a Cartel truck and helped his two sisters from their little nooks next to him. The Judge sprinted over to them and checked them all down, patting them for any wounds and making sure that they had not been hurt in any way. “I’m fine Judge!” Ethan smiled faintly. “Not a scratch. Right sisters?”
“Not a single hurt,” Rachel, the youngest, exclaimed in her childlike innocence. “We are ok Judgie!”
The Judge grabbed Faith and gave her a tight hug. “Grr,” the grunted faintly and warmly. Rachel joined, piling onto of the Judge and laughing. It was odd, at least to William, how lovingly the Seed girls seemed to be around the Judge. Everyone else knew him as a cold faced murderer, but these Seed girls almost treated her like a brother or cousin, or even a grandparent. The Judge played with them for a few precious moments.
“Why does the Judge care about the Seed children so much?” William wondered out-loud, watching the scene unfold.
“The Judge is sworn to protect the Seed family,” Hezekiah explained, overhearing William’s question. “The Judge trained them, taught them how to fight and rule. In many ways, the Judge is like a parent to them. The Judge smites their enemies and keeps the bloodline of our leader safe and pure, as it should be. When the Father dies, Ethan will take His place and so on and so forth.”
“What happened to their mother?” William asked. “I haven’t met her.”
“Oh, their mother died many years ago in the bunker,” Hezekiah said with the slightest edge of a frown. “Nobody really saw her to be honest. She was kept rather secluded in the deeper parts of the bunker. To this day I don’t know what she looked like.”
“Huh,” William sputtered. What a lunatic.
Ethan quickly met William in the middle of the camp. He skipped over quickly with grace in his steps. “Great work today sinner,” Ethan smiled, shaking William’s hand with a firm yet delicate grip. “We sure showed the Cartel not to mess with us anymore. They ran into the hills with pee running down their legs. Some of those shots you took were just spectacular. You’ll have to show me sometime.”
William pushed Ethan away softly. “Look, Ethan,” William said, starting his words with a deep breath, “I just want my mother’s stuff back. You said if I helped, then you would show me where her body is. Just tell the Judge here to bring me to her remains and I’ll be out of you way. I don’t want to be here, I don’t need to be here, and I certainly don’t want to live another day with you guys. No offense, but I’ve seen enough.”
Ethan shrugged and tilted his head. “Totally understand. I get it, we may seem strange to outsiders. Judge!” He called.
“Rah,” the Judge replied, dropping what he was doing and rushing towards his master. He respectfully bowed his head before Ethan.
“Judge, I made a promise to this sinner that I would show him where Elizabeth is buried. You know, right?”
“Grr,” The Judge nodded.
“Great. When we return to New Eden later today, you’ll show him where her stuff is and help him on his way. Can you do that?”
The Judge turned to William briefly, then back to Ethan. “Grr,” it nodded.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Where exactly are we going?” William mulled audibly. The Judge didn’t reply.
The stairways in the Bunker seemed to descend forever. When William finally thought the reached the bottom, yet another hallway featured another way to get even deeper into the earth. The rooms and halls, once undoubtedly full of life as people huddled here for salvation were now empty and lifeless, dark and cold, stripped of anything useful to build their new world outside. On the upper levels, the occasional human stirred about. Down here, there was nothing but the whirring of old machines. Even the air smelled musky and uninviting.
The Judge led him down a dark and narrow hallway that ended in a steel wall. “This is a dead end…” William muttered, but the Judge reached down a small hole and revealed a hidden hatch in the wall. The small door, embedded and disguised in the wall, screeched violently upon being forced open. The blast of air that came from the other side almost made William gag. It was disgustingly stale and rotten, as if something had long since perished and left to rot. The Judge stepped first with a short bit of hesitation and motioned for William to follow. Against his better judgement, he ducked his head and followed.
The Judge flipped a switch. The lights crackled to life, flashing on and off before finally shining dimly. This part of the Bunker was clearly older and far less impressive than the others, and unlike the rest, nothing had been stripped here. Buckets, pans, and little knickknacks dotted every square inch of available space. People had clearly lived her for quite a long time, but it had been years since anyone was here. Every open surface was caked in dust of a bygone generation. A small table stood in the middle of the central hallway, with doors and smaller rooms jutting off from it. There was a small piece of paper strewn on it, and it caught William’s eye.
10/10/19
Elizabeth is wracked with guild.
I thought about hilling her. As a mercy almost. She is sick. Feeble. Hurt. She cries all day and all night. Her family. She won’t accept that they are dead. Her old life is behind her. She doesn’t want it to be true, but it is. I will make her understand. I will have her understand my forgiveness. But she must know what it is to be judged as she has judged us.
When she finally understands this and crawls out of herself with nothing left but hunger and thirst, I will tell her who she really is.
God has a plan for her yet…and so do I. So do I. Like Adam met with Even and established all the generations of man, so will I,
Joseph Seed
William dropped the paper. His mother had been here. In this small, disgusting, dusty bunker. The Judge stood there, and gestured for William to enter a small room that he had opened the door to. “Where is she?!” William roared, his voice reverberating through the halls. All the Judge did was raise his trembling and shaking arm and pointed it into the room. William rushed inside.
The room was utterly bare aside from a small rotten mattress on the floor and an old long faded steel desk. A single solitary lightbulb hung from the ceiling. The air was unbearably foul. He pulled the cord to the bulb and gasped at what the light revealed. The concrete walls were covered in small scratch marks and notes that had been carved into them. William walked to the table and immediately noticed his mother’s belongings—her bag, journal, and other personal effects. “What happened here?!” He exclaimed breathlessly. He whirled about, spinning in circles and trying to make sense of where to even begin. One of his mother’s random notes that she had carved into the wall long ago caught his eye first.
I’m scared
I failed. Everyone dead. All because of me. Everyone I ever loved is dead. Everyone I love is dead. Andrew is dead. William…Sarah…Emily. He comes every night wanting his fill. I can’t stop. I try to die but it won’t come. I’m hungry.
William’s eyes scanned even more of the wall. There were thousands of little notches that had been cut into the wall, and dozens of increasingly illegible writings.
He gave me food. Jerky. Disgusting. He told me he forgave me. I am beyond redemption. God just kill me I want to die.
Too long…can’t thin please I want to die
William’s blood began to boil. His heart began to beat furiously. Blood rushed to his head. He was so angry that he began to see stars in the corner of his eyes. They killed her. Starved her to death like a pig in this dungeon. Her last moments were spent in fear as they gawked over her, trapped in a concrete cage. “Grah!” He screamed. He wanted to tear the Judge apart limb by limb. The Cult would be next, once he got away and back into the safety of America. He angrily jumped over to the rusted steel table, and angrily picked up a paper note that caught his eye.
Elizabeth,
You are dead now. I have killed you. The sinner that once plagued this world is dead. She no longer exists. I trampled her under my foot. The old is dead, and in its ashes, the new can rise again, like a plant in virgin soil.
He knows best. God speaks to him. If I listen to him, it’s good, and right. I can help people. Save people. I can make the world okay again. Your judgement is God’s judgement, and your word is God’s word. Elizabeth did not see that. Elizabeth was a fool. Weak. Blinded by her own pride and worldview. She fought against the righteous hand of God and she died. Nobody will remember her aside from the tales we tell our children. Everyone is better off now that she is dead.
I, the Judge, killed her. Buried her deep. So far that nobody can ever reach her. Not our enemies, not a demon, nobody. She is gone for good. Praise be to Joseph. Praise be to God almighty. I pledge myself to you Joseph. I will cleanse this world of all sins and help it to be reborn the way it was meant to be. Pure and clean, like freshly fallen snow.
-The Judge
“You piece of shit!” William screamed, angrily flipping the rusted table and knocking his mother’s effects onto the concrete floor. The Judge peeked his head in, and this set William off. He practically rushed at the masked man and tackled him against a steel shelf. William landed blow after blow against the Judge’s chest and stomach. “I’m going to kill you!” He screamed so loudly that his voice nearly cracked. “You fuck! I’m going to kill you!” Punch after punch. Kick after kick. The Judge made absolutely no attempt to resist the furious assault. William was going all in, landing horrific blow after horrific blow. “Fuck you!”
“Grr!” The Judge pleaded, clearly in pain. A swift kick to his ribs forced him to a high pitched cry, and he began to roll up almost in a fetal position.
William was not done. “I’m going to fucking kill you! When I’m done, I’m going to destroy your little cult and wipe all you pieces of shit off the planet! You hear me?!” He pulled the Judge by his legs against another shelf. William broke a small glass and grabbed the first piece of glass that he cold find. “I will gouge out your fucking eyes! I will cut off your limbs piece by piece!”
“Grr!” It cried.
“Fuck your grunts! Show me your fucking face!” William grabbed the Judge right under the tip of his mask and forced him to his feet. “Take this off!” William shouted. He once again gripped the mask and began to force it off. The restraints on the back slowly gave away, and the Judge howled in pain as they undoubtedly dug deeper into his skull. “Take it off!!” William seethed. With one final pull, the restraints finally snapped. William ripped the mask off and tossed it behind him. His eyes turned to see the mask clatter aimlessly against one of the concrete walls. He gripped the piece of glass and was ready to get to work mutilating the man he hated the most.
He turned his eyes to see the face of the Judge that he hated so much. “Grr…” The Judge said faintly, weakly, and bent over, covering his face with one of his arms. As William moved to stab his face, the Judge blocked the strike with his arm and slowly lifted his face.
William saw it. He gasped and dropped the glass shard.
“M…Mom?!”
William stood there unable to even process what he was seeing. He froze. Elizabeth froze all the same, unable to even utter a word. Her face, once youthful and vibrant, was now covered in scars and long healed injuries that seemed to blend in with one another. Her right eye had been hit so many times that it appeared to have a permanent black eye under it and long scar descended from her forehead, across her left eye, and down her cheek. She was cold, uninviting, and almost non-human, as if all the emotion had long since been drained from her soul. Slowly but surely, however, the smallest modicum of life began to enter her lifeless eyes. Her mouth began to pucker up, and a lone tear wetted her eyes and fell down her cheeks. Without saying a word, she collapsed into her son’s arms and began to weep. Profusely. He caught her and laid her head over his shoulder.
“Oh my God!” William cried. “Mom! I’m…I’m sorry.” He had just beaten her pretty severely and was about to gouge her eyes out with a shard of glass.
Elizabeth wiped her eyes and managed to control herself for a brief moment. She opened her mouth to speak as tears rolled freely down her battered face. “Will…William…” she uttered breathlessly. Her voice was raspy and weak, almost as if her vocal chords were worn down and shriveled from a lack of use. “Oh…William.”
“It’s alright mom. It’s alright!” William replied. Her tears wetted his shoulder, but had no other care in the world at that moment. For the brief moment in time, the world seemed to stop and be still. The musky air meant nothing. The dust seemed to stop rising with every movement. His entire body and everything he was was totally fixated on her. “I’m…I’m so sorry oh my God!” He lamented in anguish.
“You didn’t know,” she replied faintly. She removed her hood, revealing her dark brown frazzled hair. “It’s…it’s alright.”
William gripped her face, as if he was still not sure whether or not this was real. “What…did that fuck do to you?! Were you stuck down here?”
She nodded. “Yes…”
“Are you hurt? You look hurt,” William uttered frantically. She shook her head. “Alright, I’m going to get you out of here. We’re going home. Back to North Carolina,” he said. “We can steal a car, get to an army base and get us home.”
“H…Home?” Elizabeth gasped. “Is…Is dad alive?”
William paused. He had gotten ahead of himself. “Dad is alive.” Another round of tears began to wet her eyes and fall down her cheeks. “He misses you. Badly,” he said. He didn’t have the heart to ruin the moment and tell her that he had married Rubio’s widow over a decade ago when it seemed pretty certain that she was dead. The new couple even had more children since the world had to be repopulated and all of that jazz. Elizabeth was totally astonished and her face lit up.
“Emily? Sarah…?”
“Alive, and married, both of them,” William stated. “Emily had twins not long ago.”
“You…have a wife?”
William smiled. “I do. Very lovely girl named Anna.”
“I’m…I’m a failure!” Elizabeth declared, removing herself from her son’s grip and planting herself on an old chair. “I’m a failure! I think for eighteen years that…you are all dead and now I find out that you all are alive? I missed everything!” She cried.
“No you’re not!” William responded worriedly. “You did nothing wrong mom. I’m taking you home. Right now.”
Elizabeth stared at her son and sighed. “You don’t understand…William. This…This is my home.”
“What are you talking about? Joseph Seed fucking starved you. Raped you. This isn’t your home mom. Let’s get out of here and now!”
“Ethan…..”
William raised his eyebrows. “What about him?”
Elizabeth opened her mouth but the words just didn’t come out. “He…” she stammered. “Ethan is your brother.”
William turned his head and bit into his knuckles. That fuck impregnated her! He raged in his head. I am going to kill him! I’m going to fucking kill him! “Half -brother you mean,” William said forcefully.
“No…” Elizabeth said without a single bit of force in her words. “I didn’t know, but…dad got me pregnant. I…I was with child all this time. I had him…here in this bunker. I couldn’t tell Joseph…I was scared he would punish me. Ethan is…was…the last thing I had of dad. I…I had to keep him safe. Rachel…Faith…are his children and his alone. Ethan is your…full brother. God, I’m a failure William. A…total failure.”
William took an uncertain step back and pursed his lips tightly. “Ethan…is my full brother?”
“Yes.”
It all made sense. No wonder Ethan looked exactly like he did when he was Ethan’s age. A sharp tingle went down William’s spin as he finally wrapped his head around everything that he just learned. “I’ll take him back. Joseph Seed can eat a fucking dick. Come mom,” he said once again, stretching his hand out to raise her to her feet. “Come with me. We are going back to Fort Bragg. We will be one happy family again.”
“No…” she said, a tear falling onto the concrete floor. “I…I lost one family already. I never saw…saw you grow. I failed all….all of you. Ethan…Rachel…Faith. This is my family. I am their mother. I cannot. I will not leave here. You have to help me!”
“This isn’t your family mom.” William reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder. “Come.”
“Joseph…Joseph is gone,” she said, ignoring what her son had just asked her to do. “He hears Him. He hears God. We are…we are lost without him. I am lost without…without him. We are…we are losing. I am going to lose another family!” She screamed in a tearful rage. “I am going to lose another family! No! God! No! I kill…I kill them. I kill all of them! But they keep coming! What…what did I do God to deserve this?! What must I do?!”
“Joseph is a fucking maniac!” William shouted.
“Joseph is my husband! I love him!”
William was appalled. His jaw dropped almost to the floor. “What are you saying mom?! He starved you. He raped you! He fucking turned you into a mute killer and you call him your husband? What are you talking about?”
“He…he forgave me…” Elizabeth muttered. “I killed his family. I murdered his brothers and sisters. I nearly killed his flock. When…when I was at my worst…he forgave me. He said I could be something. He told me he loved me, even…even after all that I had to hurt him. He gave me a purpose…a purpose that I never…never knew I had. Please. You must help me! Please son!”
His mother was certainly there, but she wasn’t. She was right. Elizabeth was certainly almost dead. In her place was a hollow brainwashed shell of a person. “Purpose? Is that you call killing a squad of Ghosts? Is that you call slaughtering an entire Federal army? Is that you call burning an entire city to the ground? Joseph is using you mom! He’s turning you into something you aren’t! God loves you. There is still time. Please mom, I’m begging you. Come with me. We can make everything alright. I promise.”
“God works in mysterious ways…” Elizabeth replied breathlessly. “Who…who am I to question Him?”
William looked into her mother’s eyes. She truly believed everything that she had just said. “Mom…”
“William,” Elizabeth started, grabbing William gently by the shoulder. “I…I failed you once before. I was…I was not there. I…I tried to protect you but…but I couldn’t. I will…I will not let that happen…ever happen again. I will…I will protect you always. I…I will keep you safe…here in the garden that God…that God has given us. I will never, never, fail you again…I…I promise you. I promise you! I am..I am a failure, but I will not fail you again.”
“You aren’t a failure!” William lamented. “Stop saying that!”
“I lost you once,” Elizabeth said, biting her lips. “I lost you…I lost you again. Last year. I told…told you many years ago I would track…track you to the ends of the earth. I thought…I thought the Cartel sold you into…slavery. You…you will never leave my sight again! I won’t lose you again William! Please! You have to help!!!”
William sighed. Tears rolled once again freely down her cheeks and wetting the old concrete floor beneath them. She was gone alright, totally brainwashed, but her face and eyes were filled with years of guilt and unkept agony. She stared at him pleadingly, with trembling arms and a shaking face. “Mom,” he said, getting down on a knee and to her level. “What do you need?”
Elizbeth managed to eek out the faintest glimpse of a smile. “You…you will help me?”
“I will help you,” he replied.
Elizabeth pulled him towards her and gave him the tightest hug that she could muster. “I..I need you to go North and…and find my husband Joseph. Please.”
“To do what?” William answered, gritting his teeth. “If I see him, I’m going to kill him for what he did to you.”
“No!!” She shrieked. “No! Do not touch him!”
“Can I at least tell Ethan that you are his mother?” William asked. “He doesn’t know…”
“No!” Elizabeth pleaded. “Nobody…nobody can know who I am.”
“Why?”
Elizabeth looked at the floor. “I am…I am the worst sinner ever. I…I killed innocent people. I…I was prideful. I killed many…many of my brother’s and sisters here. I am ashamed of…of my old self. I must hide my…my sinful flesh and be what God…what God made me to be. A defender. A Judge. Cleansing this world.”
“What will finding your ‘husband’ do?” William seethed, unable to speak his name.
“He…he speaks directly with God. He will know what to do. We…we are aimless. Lost without a captain. We need him to…guide us. He can guide you…and I in fighting. With God’s help…we will win. We need Joseph back…to help us speak to God.”
What am I signing up for? William thought. He stood there in front of the mother he thought was dead for over eighteen years. The mother he had just beaten and was going to mutilate. Her tears wetted the floor and spilled onto his boots. She was distressed and William could see glimpses of her old self, but she was, for all intents and purposes, totally brainwashed and gone. That much was obvious. “Alright mom,” he said with a deep breath. “I will go north and help you find Joseph. But I am not doing this for him. I’m doing this for you, you understand? I hate this bullshit. I hate this place.”
“This…this place is God’s place,” Elizabeth smiled, closing her eyes in pleasure. “These are His holy places. Joseph will…make you see the light. You will…be baptized. Then…you will bring everyone here…to live together as a happy…happy family again.”
“I cannot promise you that mom, but I will make you happy.”
“That is all I ask for.”
Elizabeth reached down to the floor and pulled the mask that he had ripped off. “Mom…what are you doing with that?”
“Help me…put it on. I am…sinning every second I don’t…don’t have it. I want to go to heaven William. Not…not hell. With this…I turn into the angel of death. The harbinger of justice. That is…that is what God made me to be. Let us go up and speak…speak with your brother. He…He will rally the flock…to allow you access North to find Joseph.”
William sighed, but helped her place her mask back on. She placed it over her head, then he fastened the restraints from the back. His heart ached and groaned. He was heavy and burdened, but she was set in her ways. She had to be freed from this…somehow. They left the small hidden bunker, and Elizabeth shut the door behind her. They were ready to meet Ethan Seed.
Ethan Chandler, really.
“Oh my God!” William cried. “Mom! I’m…I’m sorry.” He had just beaten her pretty severely and was about to gouge her eyes out with a shard of glass.
Elizabeth wiped her eyes and managed to control herself for a brief moment. She opened her mouth to speak as tears rolled freely down her battered face. “Will…William…” she uttered breathlessly. Her voice was raspy and weak, almost as if her vocal chords were worn down and shriveled from a lack of use. “Oh…William.”
“It’s alright mom. It’s alright!” William replied. Her tears wetted his shoulder, but had no other care in the world at that moment. For the brief moment in time, the world seemed to stop and be still. The musky air meant nothing. The dust seemed to stop rising with every movement. His entire body and everything he was was totally fixated on her. “I’m…I’m so sorry oh my God!” He lamented in anguish.
“You didn’t know,” she replied faintly. She removed her hood, revealing her dark brown frazzled hair. “It’s…it’s alright.”
William gripped her face, as if he was still not sure whether or not this was real. “What…did that fuck do to you?! Were you stuck down here?”
She nodded. “Yes…”
“Are you hurt? You look hurt,” William uttered frantically. She shook her head. “Alright, I’m going to get you out of here. We’re going home. Back to North Carolina,” he said. “We can steal a car, get to an army base and get us home.”
“H…Home?” Elizabeth gasped. “Is…Is dad alive?”
William paused. He had gotten ahead of himself. “Dad is alive.” Another round of tears began to wet her eyes and fall down her cheeks. “He misses you. Badly,” he said. He didn’t have the heart to ruin the moment and tell her that he had married Rubio’s widow over a decade ago when it seemed pretty certain that she was dead. The new couple even had more children since the world had to be repopulated and all of that jazz. Elizabeth was totally astonished and her face lit up.
“Emily? Sarah…?”
“Alive, and married, both of them,” William stated. “Emily had twins not long ago.”
“You…have a wife?”
William smiled. “I do. Very lovely girl named Anna.”
“I’m…I’m a failure!” Elizabeth declared, removing herself from her son’s grip and planting herself on an old chair. “I’m a failure! I think for eighteen years that…you are all dead and now I find out that you all are alive? I missed everything!” She cried.
“No you’re not!” William responded worriedly. “You did nothing wrong mom. I’m taking you home. Right now.”
Elizabeth stared at her son and sighed. “You don’t understand…William. This…This is my home.”
“What are you talking about? Joseph Seed fucking starved you. Raped you. This isn’t your home mom. Let’s get out of here and now!”
“Ethan…..”
William raised his eyebrows. “What about him?”
Elizabeth opened her mouth but the words just didn’t come out. “He…” she stammered. “Ethan is your brother.”
William turned his head and bit into his knuckles. That fuck impregnated her! He raged in his head. I am going to kill him! I’m going to fucking kill him! “Half -brother you mean,” William said forcefully.
“No…” Elizabeth said without a single bit of force in her words. “I didn’t know, but…dad got me pregnant. I…I was with child all this time. I had him…here in this bunker. I couldn’t tell Joseph…I was scared he would punish me. Ethan is…was…the last thing I had of dad. I…I had to keep him safe. Rachel…Faith…are his children and his alone. Ethan is your…full brother. God, I’m a failure William. A…total failure.”
William took an uncertain step back and pursed his lips tightly. “Ethan…is my full brother?”
“Yes.”
It all made sense. No wonder Ethan looked exactly like he did when he was Ethan’s age. A sharp tingle went down William’s spin as he finally wrapped his head around everything that he just learned. “I’ll take him back. Joseph Seed can eat a fucking dick. Come mom,” he said once again, stretching his hand out to raise her to her feet. “Come with me. We are going back to Fort Bragg. We will be one happy family again.”
“No…” she said, a tear falling onto the concrete floor. “I…I lost one family already. I never saw…saw you grow. I failed all….all of you. Ethan…Rachel…Faith. This is my family. I am their mother. I cannot. I will not leave here. You have to help me!”
“This isn’t your family mom.” William reached out and gently grabbed her shoulder. “Come.”
“Joseph…Joseph is gone,” she said, ignoring what her son had just asked her to do. “He hears Him. He hears God. We are…we are lost without him. I am lost without…without him. We are…we are losing. I am going to lose another family!” She screamed in a tearful rage. “I am going to lose another family! No! God! No! I kill…I kill them. I kill all of them! But they keep coming! What…what did I do God to deserve this?! What must I do?!”
“Joseph is a fucking maniac!” William shouted.
“Joseph is my husband! I love him!”
William was appalled. His jaw dropped almost to the floor. “What are you saying mom?! He starved you. He raped you! He fucking turned you into a mute killer and you call him your husband? What are you talking about?”
“He…he forgave me…” Elizabeth muttered. “I killed his family. I murdered his brothers and sisters. I nearly killed his flock. When…when I was at my worst…he forgave me. He said I could be something. He told me he loved me, even…even after all that I had to hurt him. He gave me a purpose…a purpose that I never…never knew I had. Please. You must help me! Please son!”
His mother was certainly there, but she wasn’t. She was right. Elizabeth was certainly almost dead. In her place was a hollow brainwashed shell of a person. “Purpose? Is that you call killing a squad of Ghosts? Is that you call slaughtering an entire Federal army? Is that you call burning an entire city to the ground? Joseph is using you mom! He’s turning you into something you aren’t! God loves you. There is still time. Please mom, I’m begging you. Come with me. We can make everything alright. I promise.”
“God works in mysterious ways…” Elizabeth replied breathlessly. “Who…who am I to question Him?”
William looked into her mother’s eyes. She truly believed everything that she had just said. “Mom…”
“William,” Elizabeth started, grabbing William gently by the shoulder. “I…I failed you once before. I was…I was not there. I…I tried to protect you but…but I couldn’t. I will…I will not let that happen…ever happen again. I will…I will protect you always. I…I will keep you safe…here in the garden that God…that God has given us. I will never, never, fail you again…I…I promise you. I promise you! I am..I am a failure, but I will not fail you again.”
“You aren’t a failure!” William lamented. “Stop saying that!”
“I lost you once,” Elizabeth said, biting her lips. “I lost you…I lost you again. Last year. I told…told you many years ago I would track…track you to the ends of the earth. I thought…I thought the Cartel sold you into…slavery. You…you will never leave my sight again! I won’t lose you again William! Please! You have to help!!!”
William sighed. Tears rolled once again freely down her cheeks and wetting the old concrete floor beneath them. She was gone alright, totally brainwashed, but her face and eyes were filled with years of guilt and unkept agony. She stared at him pleadingly, with trembling arms and a shaking face. “Mom,” he said, getting down on a knee and to her level. “What do you need?”
Elizbeth managed to eek out the faintest glimpse of a smile. “You…you will help me?”
“I will help you,” he replied.
Elizabeth pulled him towards her and gave him the tightest hug that she could muster. “I..I need you to go North and…and find my husband Joseph. Please.”
“To do what?” William answered, gritting his teeth. “If I see him, I’m going to kill him for what he did to you.”
“No!!” She shrieked. “No! Do not touch him!”
“Can I at least tell Ethan that you are his mother?” William asked. “He doesn’t know…”
“No!” Elizabeth pleaded. “Nobody…nobody can know who I am.”
“Why?”
Elizabeth looked at the floor. “I am…I am the worst sinner ever. I…I killed innocent people. I…I was prideful. I killed many…many of my brother’s and sisters here. I am ashamed of…of my old self. I must hide my…my sinful flesh and be what God…what God made me to be. A defender. A Judge. Cleansing this world.”
“What will finding your ‘husband’ do?” William seethed, unable to speak his name.
“He…he speaks directly with God. He will know what to do. We…we are aimless. Lost without a captain. We need him to…guide us. He can guide you…and I in fighting. With God’s help…we will win. We need Joseph back…to help us speak to God.”
What am I signing up for? William thought. He stood there in front of the mother he thought was dead for over eighteen years. The mother he had just beaten and was going to mutilate. Her tears wetted the floor and spilled onto his boots. She was distressed and William could see glimpses of her old self, but she was, for all intents and purposes, totally brainwashed and gone. That much was obvious. “Alright mom,” he said with a deep breath. “I will go north and help you find Joseph. But I am not doing this for him. I’m doing this for you, you understand? I hate this bullshit. I hate this place.”
“This…this place is God’s place,” Elizabeth smiled, closing her eyes in pleasure. “These are His holy places. Joseph will…make you see the light. You will…be baptized. Then…you will bring everyone here…to live together as a happy…happy family again.”
“I cannot promise you that mom, but I will make you happy.”
“That is all I ask for.”
Elizabeth reached down to the floor and pulled the mask that he had ripped off. “Mom…what are you doing with that?”
“Help me…put it on. I am…sinning every second I don’t…don’t have it. I want to go to heaven William. Not…not hell. With this…I turn into the angel of death. The harbinger of justice. That is…that is what God made me to be. Let us go up and speak…speak with your brother. He…He will rally the flock…to allow you access North to find Joseph.”
William sighed, but helped her place her mask back on. She placed it over her head, then he fastened the restraints from the back. His heart ached and groaned. He was heavy and burdened, but she was set in her ways. She had to be freed from this…somehow. They left the small hidden bunker, and Elizabeth shut the door behind her. They were ready to meet Ethan Seed.
Ethan Chandler, really.
How she is getting back from this, I dunno. Not sure she can be redeemed, William. But you are getting into some real trouble here.
Wow, this is beyond AAR, this must be one of the best reads i had on this forums. I have been hooked to the story and unable to stop reading ^^ Having to wait now for every new parts is gonna be hard...
If i may, only two points bothered me a little:
- Nomad falling 4 or 5 times to the same bliss trap was a bit killing the super soldier aspect
- Maybe it is just me, but during the guerillas in Bolivia or in Peggie Country, i sometimes had trouble acknowledging the time spent. Often i realized mid-part that weeks had past without me noticing.
Anyways, please keep going at your rythm, this is top tier material and could be a S-tier thriller book if one day published
If i may, only two points bothered me a little:
- Nomad falling 4 or 5 times to the same bliss trap was a bit killing the super soldier aspect
- Maybe it is just me, but during the guerillas in Bolivia or in Peggie Country, i sometimes had trouble acknowledging the time spent. Often i realized mid-part that weeks had past without me noticing.
Anyways, please keep going at your rythm, this is top tier material and could be a S-tier thriller book if one day published
This is....
AMAZING!
Seriously!
Much better than anyrthing I can accomplish,and to that, I take my nonexistent hat and tip it to you.
AMAZING!
Seriously!
Much better than anyrthing I can accomplish,and to that, I take my nonexistent hat and tip it to you.
Wow, this is beyond AAR, this must be one of the best reads i had on this forums. I have been hooked to the story and unable to stop reading ^^ Having to wait now for every new parts is gonna be hard...
If i may, only two points bothered me a little:
- Nomad falling 4 or 5 times to the same bliss trap was a bit killing the super soldier aspect
- Maybe it is just me, but during the guerillas in Bolivia or in Peggie Country, i sometimes had trouble acknowledging the time spent. Often i realized mid-part that weeks had past without me noticing.
Anyways, please keep going at your rythm, this is top tier material and could be a S-tier thriller book if one day published
Hey man I appreciate it a lot! Comments like this make me want to keep going!
Your first point is very valid. I wanted to keep the story at least somewhat along the plot of Far Cry 5, which to be honest is totally non-nonsensical at times.
Your second point is valid as well! I'll explain below:
Thanks man!
Sorry for the lack of updates. You know, I like the job I have now, but I hate the grind. I hate the 9-5 grind and all of that jazz, with my salary beholden to some massive corporation that doesn't care about me. I want to be the master of my own destiny.
I started working on my own book series, and that is eating up all my free-time. I am around half-way done with that, and if I lose inspiration for that, I'll come back here. I have not abandoned this at all, but all my efforts and writing time are focused on making the best book that I possibly can. I'm not an exceptional entrepreneur. I'm not handsome. I certainly do not have a crazy business idea nor the stomach to put my family through financial hell. Writing is the one thing I (at least think) can do at least somewhat well. I love these AARs because they gave me so many great ideas and where to go. I want to finish my passion project now, while I'm young and at least somewhat energetic.
There will be updates to his coming down the pipeline. I'm just really invested in my story at the moment, but don't worry, Elizabeth Chandler's story will finish.
Thanks all!