(For oorah22 on tumblr, hope you enjoy it!)

John

It was time. Finally after weeks of chasing the Deputy around like a puppy, John could finally do what he was made for, he could fulfil his purpose. That Deputy and all their friends were sinners but today they would finally be set free. Today they would say Yes. Today they would feel their sins carved into them and feel as they are cut from their bodies and minds.

It was all coming together, now those headaches will be brought into their family, Joseph's family. So why did John stare in the mirror so emptily when he should have been enjoying the thought of Hope County's biggest sinners being brought to their knees?

He should be calm and cool and collected, but possibly even a little happy. Surely that wasn't a sin...Was it? No it couldn't be, but John still felt as though he should hide his true feelings from his men. Those men, the ones standing in front of his door, obedient as ever.

It pleased him to hear their conversations even if they were supposed to be standing in silence. They praised him and what he's done for the Deputy, as well as each other. They get excited when he's taken the Deputy and they were excited that day, the day of the Confession.

John adjusted the collar of his blue silk shirt and brushed his hair back once more, smoothing the pesky flyaways before he stepped out to his followers.

Mary May

It was a pretty peaceful morning for Mary May; the Deputy was this close to kicking John all the way to Missoula and it showed with the lessened Peggie activity. The people of Falls End were exhausted but happy that the Peggies seemed to be falling back, but Mary May wasn't relaxing yet. She'd seen John Seed, knows the way he works, and he isn't the type that admits defeat.

John Seed is a thorn in your side, and until you take him out he's always going to be there, digging deeper and deeper and getting more and more irritating.

But even if Mary May was holding her breath until the second John Seed was dead, it was nice to see the people getting a break. They weren't coming to the Spread Eagle to drink because they were scared or because they were depressed about their losses anymore, they came in because they were happy and they wanted a chance to laugh and talk with their friends.

Mary May was always fighting back the urge to tell them to keep their guard up, stay vigilant, because even if they didn't want to believe it, they weren't free. The Deputy was good at that. Even though they don't do much talking, they had a way of making sure you're careful.

Mary May was getting the bar ready to open again and heard the front door open. She reached for her gun and held the pistol behind her back so that it would be out of sight. When she looked out the back window, she saw the Deputy standing in the middle of the bar.

Mary May instantly relaxed and walked over to the Deputy. "Hey there, Deputy, what's up?"

The Deputy's body language was nervous, even a little scared as they glanced behind them out the windows of the bar. "I've heard word that John's getting agitated." The Deputy said and Mary May chuckled.

"Probably 'cause of you blowing up all of his silos, damn eyesores." Mary May walked behind the bar, shuffling the bottles around behind the counter.

"Just keep your head on a swivel ok? I've got the feeling John won't be showing us his good side." The Deputy was still nervous but Mary May gave them an understanding nod.

"I'll get the word out, thanks Deputy. Anything else I can help you with?" The Deputy seemed relieved at Mary May's answer but quickly dispelled it from their face.

"I've got to go, heard some chatter about Peggies moving to take back the auto shop. I'll stop by if I hear anything else." The Deputy turned and opened the door to the bar to leave, glancing back at Mary May again before letting the door swing shut again.

     Mary May spent the rest of the morning talking to people about families that were supposed to be getting boxes of food delivered to them. The cult had left several families scared and without their main providers, meaning they had turned to the people of Falls End for help. Of course they were happy to help, Pastor Jerome and Mary May just needed to get the people together to share their extra food.

     Mary May left the Spread Eagle to Casey while she went down to the church to talk to Pastor Jerome. "Hey Mary May?" Casey asked before she opened the door to leave.

"Yeah, Casey?" Mary May paused to hear what he had to say.

"Can you take the trash out to the dumpster around back before you go? I've some soup here that needs watchin'." Casey motioned to two big bags of trash next to the bar and Mary May nodded.

"Sure thing, I'll be back soon." Mary May grabbed the two bags of trash and walked them out of the Spread Eagle and around back. She tossed the bags into their large dumpster and reached back up to close the lid when something stung her neck.

She cursed and smacked it, thinking it was a bee, but then paused when she felt an odd texture under her fingers. She yanked whatever was stuck to her neck out and realized she'd seen one before. It was a bliss bullet.

Mary May's eyes grew wide when she realized that meant that Johns men must be nearby. Hoping to get help before the bliss pumped into her system, Mary May scrambled around to the front of the bar, screaming about getting inside.

The rest of the people in Falls End didn't have any idea what she was talking about. They all grabbed their guns but parts of them assumed that that was the day Mary May finally lost it, but then they saw her stumble.

"What do you mean, we're under attack?" One man demanded, stepping outside of his home with no gun in his hand. Then he felt a sting in his neck and he smacked it the same way Mary May did.

He started panicking when he saw the bliss bullet, not even knowing what it was but just knowing that it was bad. That got more people to start panicking, even bringing people out of the church.

Just as people were starting to move and get their guns ready for a fight, canisters got tossed in lines around people, making smoke leach into the air. Everyone started choking, gasping for a breaths-worth of air.

If Mary May wasn't feeling dizzy, confused, and close to passing out before then she certainly was now. She fell to her knees, crawling around trying to find a gun or a pocket of air to breath. Thankfully she found a shot gun on the ground and she reached for it, but just as she lifted her hand to grab it, a foot came down on her hand.

Mary May forced her head up to look at the owner of the foot crushing her hand into the dirt and was aghast to see who it was. John Seed was towering over her, a gas mask strapped to his face. But even with the mask on Mary May could see the pleasure all over his face.

"Hello again, Envy." John smiled that wide, empty smile at her and kept his boot firmly placed on her hand.

Pastor Jerome

Pastor Jerome expected Mary May any minute now to discuss the plan with the food deliveries so to pass time he sat with an injured Resistance member and read from the Bible.

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

     He could tell that the verses were helping the Resistance member, a young man named Edward that had been coming to the church in Falls End since he was a child. He had multiple bruised ribs and a broken arm from a run in with the cult a few days prior.

     Pastor Jerome was about to read another verse when he heard a commotion outside the church. Another Resistance member ran inside the church, practically skidding to the stop in front of Jerome and Edward.

     "Pastor! Something's happened to Mary May!" She motioned outside and Pastor Jerome leapt up from his seat.

     He rushed out to the Resistance member's side and saw Mary May screaming about getting inside. The people of Falls End were panicking as Mary May stumbled to the ground. Movement at the edge of the buildings caught Pastor Jerome's eye and he could barely get a word out before he was hit in the back of the head with the butt of a gun.

     The force of the hit to the back of his head knocked Pastor Jerome to the ground, nearly making him tumble down the steps of the church. The Resistance member that had warned Pastor Jerome had been knocked out at the same time he had been hit, falling limp next to him.

     Pastor Jeromes vision swam as he watched smoke bombs get tossed into the heart of Falls End, bringing the people to their knees as John's men went around knocking guns out of the people's hands. A cult member grabbed Pastor Jerome's shoulder and pressed the barrel of their gun into his back.

     "Get up." They demanded gruffly and forced Pastor Jerome to his feet, despite the pounding in his head.

     The cultist shoved Pastor Jerome in the direction of the smoke as it was dissipating from the movements of the Peggies. John Seed stepped out of the smoke, peeling a gas mask off of his head dramatically.

     "Hello, Pastor." John smiled and handed his gas mask to a cultist standing behind him. Pastor Jerome locked his jaw and straightened up.

     "What are you doing, John?" He asked and John glanced back at the cultists corralling the people of Falls End and let out a short, menacing chuckle.

     "I'm acting out the will of the Father, Pastor. Are you ready to Atone?" John asked and stared Pastor Jerome down, his cold blue eyes already searching for a place to write his sins.

Nick Rye

     It was a quiet day at the Rye house. Kim and Carmina were at the house while Nick was at the hangar working on a plane for the Deputy. Even though he's offered to let them use Carmina (the plane) the Deputy still insisted on taking out a different plane so that he could have Carmina in case of an emergency.

    He made sure that the plane, affectionately named 'Shitbox' by the Deputy, was always in working condition so today he was working on the landing gear. For some reason one of the wheels was locking up which was very dangerous for landing and taxiing.

     Nick just finished taking the wheel off when he heard tires screeching to a halt out by the road. Assuming that it was the Deputy in trouble, Nick rushed out of the hangar. Then he saw a swarm of Peggies with guns aiming straight at him, surrounding the hangar before he could grab his gun.

     "Nick Rye! You've been Marked!" One of them shouted.

     "Fuck you!" Nick shouted back, creeping back towards the hangar, hoping to be able to reach for his gun.

     "You've been called by John to atone, now don't make any sudden moves! Wouldn't want anything to happen to that family of yours." A dangerous mix of cold fear and hot rage filled Nick's body.

     He didn't know if they were at the house, but it definitely wasn't out of John's comfort range to target them. Nick would be very pleased if he kicked and screamed about not going with them, but if they had Kim and Carmina...Nick just couldn't risk that.

Nick locked his jaw and considered his situation. If Kim had enough time before the Peggies got in then she hopefully was able to send the Deputy a message. He didn't like relying on the Deputy for help but he was hopeful that they would come.

"Fine, but if I go then my family stays." Nick said and the Peggies glanced at each other.

"John only requested your atonement, not Kim's so we'll agree." One of them said and Nick nodded.

Nick glanced back at the hangar and took a deep breath. He turned back around and did the thing he never wanted to do, the thing he always promised Kim he wouldn't do, he raised his hands above his head in surrender and walked out of his hangar into the light of day.

Grace

     Grace squared her shoulders and let out a long, calming breath. The stock of her gun pressed against her shoulder, right in its proper place as Grace lined up the barrel of her gun with a large white tailed deer munching on tall grass in a small clearing in the trees. 

    Grace had been hiking the Holland Valley mountains for an hour looking for a fair sized deer, something big enough for her to give some of the meat to the people of Hope County. And after tracking and making deer calls for an hour, she was finally close enough to get a good shot on one.

She made sure the barrel of her gun was stable and was a heartbeat away from pulling the trigger when her radio crackled to life. "Grace? You got a copy?" It was Kim.

Even with the volume turned down, the sound of the radio made the deer turn and sprint away from the clearing. Grace cursed under her breath and reached for her radio.

"I've got a copy." She grumbled and waited for the response.

"Peggies just stormed the place, said they're looking for Nick but they aren't using force and they keep saying stuff about an atonement? I just got a hold of the Deputy and they said they just got a distress call from Falls End." Kim sounded frantic and panicked as she talked quietly into the radio.

Grace cursed and stood up. "Kim, do not engage with the Peggies ok? Me and Jess will be there soon, we're on our way now." Grace said as she swung her gun onto her shoulder.

"Ok thank you, please be here soon! I don't know how long these Peggies will stay outside."

"We'll be there Kim, keep Carmina close and hang tight." Grace told Kim and started climbing down the mountain in the direction of her truck.

"Jess you have your radio on?" Grace called into her radio, hoping for a response.

"Yep, heard everything. I'm heading to Nick and Kim's house now. You need a pick up?" Jess said, and Grace was very happy to hear her voice.

"I'm close to my truck just head straight to Nick and Kim's house, I should be there in twenty minutes how far out are you?"

"Same time, gotta go I'll see you at the house." Jess said.

"Roger that." Grace said and hooked her radio back on her vest. She hurried down the mountain. Luckily, when she tracked the deer she had done a huge circle, almost winding up right next to her truck.

She found her truck and jumped into the drivers seat, quickly speeding down the road as fast as she could. Every minute that ticked by made Grace even more nervous. Grace spent a lot of time with Nick and Kim and Carmina and they were good people.

She had to get there in time, had to be there in time to make sure that they were all safe. She knew Nick, had known him for a long time and she knew that he would stand up to the Peggies but she didn't know what he'd do if Kim and Carmina were threatened.

     Grace skidded to a stop in Nick and Kim's driveway, leaping out of the truck the moment she threw it in park. There wasn't any sign of Peggies, except for the tire marks in the dirt road.

     Kim flew out of the house holding a shotgun in her hand, but relaxed when she saw it was Grace. "Oh thank God! They took Nick! I don't know where they're taking him but they took him!" Kim panicked and told Grace as Grace walked over to her.

     "Are you ok? Where's Carmina?" Grace asked and Kim motioned to the house.

     "She's inside, they didn't hurt me or her. Said that John only wanted Nick. That fucking Seed! I'll kill him myself if he lays a finger on my husband!" Kim gestured wildly with the gun and Grace raised her hands to try and calm her down.

     "Kim? Kim! I get it, I understand but you need to calm down, for Carmina ok? You can handle this, nothing can break Nick, he'll be ok. I'm sure the Deputy knows and is already going to rescue Nick, Jess is going to be here any minute and one of us is going to go after John ourselves, alright?" Grace gently grabbed Kim by her shoulders to steady her.

     Kim had tears in her eyes but she was obviously filled with rage. Grace's presence was helping her, although the sound of a truck made her tense up again.

     A blue pickup truck slid to a stop next to Grace's and Jess hopped out of the drivers seat, her bow already drawn for a fight. She lowered her bow when she saw Grace standing with Kim.

     "What happened?" She asked a jittery Kim as she approached her and Grace.

     "Fucking Peggies surrounded the house and wouldn't let me leave, they took Nick but I don't know where!" Kim shook her head as she got even more upset.

     Grace continued to try and help calm her down while talking to Jess about what to do. "We have to trail them, they're probably taking Nick up to John's bunker so at least we know the way." Jess nodded and Grace turned her head back around to look at Kim.

     "I'm sorry we didn't make it in time to stop them Kim, but we're gonna get him back ok?" Grace kept a firm hand on Kim's shoulder as Kim nodded.

     "Thank you, both of you, thank you." Kim tried to force a smile for them but couldn't hide her fear and anger that quaked it's way into her voice.

     "You go inside with Carmina, ok? Stay inside and wait here, we're going to get Nick back." Grace told her and Jess nodded behind her.

     Kim looked between the two friends and started crying. "Please...please find my husband." She said and embraced Grace tightly. Grace wrapped her arms around Kim, being careful not to squeeze to hard while also being comforting.

     Kim pulled away from the hug, brutally aware of the fact that she was a blubbering mess but it didn't faze Grace. Grace kept her hand on Kim's shoulder and handed her a tissue. "We'll find him." She promised and Kim wiped her eyes with the tissue Grace handed her.

     She nodded and turned around to go back in the house to check on Carmina.

     Grace turned around and looked at Jess. "Which direction did you come from?" She asked.

     "Whitetail Mountains, came down the same road you did I'm guessing." Jess said and motioned to the trucks.

     "Roger that...so they aren't heading in the direction of John's bunker, why would they take the long route?"

     "I don't know, but-"

    The radios on both of their persons suddenly came to life. "Guys, I just got word that Falls End is getting attacked by John, I need all available hands on deck, I don't know what he's planning." It was the Deputy.

     Grace and Jess shared a look and Grace answered the radio call. "Roger that Deputy, me and Jess are here with Kim, Nick's just been taken and we think that's John's men are probably taking him to Falls End. We'll be there." She said and waited for the answer.

     "Understood, I'm heading to Falls End now, five minutes out." The Deputy responded.

     "Roger that, me and Jess are moving out now." Grace finished and hooked her radio back on her vest again.

     She walked up the front steps of Nick and Kim's house and knocked on the door before she walked inside. Kim was standing in the living room while holding Carmina in her arms, gently bouncing her to help soothe her.

     Seeing Kim holding Carmina made Grace that much more determined to bring Nick back. If she could do this one thing for them, Grace knew it wouldn't be nearly enough to pay them back for all of their kindness to her over the years but she hoped it would at least keep this family together.

"There's trouble down at Falls End, me, Jess, and the Deputy are going there now, we're sure that's where they took Nick." Grace explained and Kim nodded, looking down at Carmina.

She looked away from her daughter and up at Grace, a worried look on her face. "Do your best, I've seen what that can do." She said and Grace nodded. She took one more look at Carmina and Kim and left the house, motioning to Jess to follow her as she climbed into her truck.

"What's the plan?" Jess asked as she got into the passenger side seat, slamming her door shut behind her.

"We're going to go to Falls End, and find the Peggie that tells us where John Seed is so we can put a bullet in his head." Grace said and backed out of Nick and Kim's driveway, turning in the direction of Falls End.