Far Cry 5: The Panther (REWRITE)

Cleansed and Reborn

Luke had wasted no time in his first move. A quick scan over his map back at the bar and Luke had decided on his first target. As he sped down the roads the crisscrossed the Valley, the Deputy did her best to keep up on her ATV.

He glanced sideways and smiled. Montana sunsets truly were something special. Turning his attention back to the road, he drove off into the woods behind the fertilizer plant. He stayed still for a minute to make sure the Deputy had followed him, and to make sure that the Peggies had not heard their approach.

He nodded to her when he was sure they still had the element of surprise.  He looked for a vantage point while The Deputy circled around the building on the ground. He laid out a thin camouflage tarp over himself and prepared his gun once he had found a good spot. Looking through the scope, he quietly counted the Peggies in the area. Nine that he could see. Nine lives that would bloody his hands.

"Hey Dep, I'm counting nine of them, be careful, there might be more inside." With both vehicles parked safely out of sight, they began their silent assault. In seconds, six peggies lay scattered along the building. All unmoving, lives snuffed out like weak candles.

Six people who had families.

As Luke searched for his next target, a sudden loud siren filled the air, catching him and the Deputy off guard. Before another moment had passed after he collected himself, the Deputy came over the radio.

"Shit! They sounded the alarm, reinforcements will be headed our way, I'm gonna go disarm the alarm, I need you to keep me covered!" He scanned the area for he and watched her run across the lot. He followed her path to a yellow box connected to an antenna. He fired a round at the box, silencing the alarm. The sound of several engines sounded the arrival of more enemies.

With a flick of his upper body, and a rapid series of twitches from his finger, four more bodies littered the ground.

He watched as two more vehicles arrived, upping the total to five. In the middle of the second wave, one of the peggies blindly fired into the woods and a stray bullet slammed into his shoulder. As pain tore through his body, he let out a loud yell of pain.

"Luke! We need to get outta here, there's too many!" The Dep's voice came over his radio filled with worry as Luke tried to regain his bearings. White stars began to fill his vision as he tried to stand and run  away. He watched as a sixth vehicle arrived. Waiting for a moment later, everyone but the driver exited. The three that had left the vehicle began making their way up towards Luke's position as he finally made it to his feet.

Panic finally set in as he began moving, managing only to stumble around. Before he could disappear completely into the treeline, something tackled him from behind, slamming his head into the ground. His vision blurred further from the sudden iimpact.This seemed to enhance the effects of the bliss.

The slurred sensation of someone pulling zipties around his hands jarred his mind as he began to thrash about to escape his captors grasp. After mere moments, he was slammed into a tree by whoever had him.

"Stop moving sinner! John wants to speak to you!" Luke immediately tensed at the mere mention of his name. How did they already know where he was? How could he get away? Was the Deputy safe?

Question after question ran through his head. Before he knew it, he was being loaded into one of many vehicles. The sounds of gunfire surrounded him as he slammed into a metal floor, before being dragged further inside the van. He could hear the sound of the deputy shouting as she too was hauled into the back. With one last burst of anger, he threw his head back into whoever was slowly dragging him inside. This resulted in him slamming his head into the floor, and that was all it took for his world to be swallowed whole by the bliss.

In the bliss, he saw his family, the smiling faces that he used to see everyday. It filled him with a calm happiness. His wife and Kimberly slowly faded as Samantha hugged him.

"I'm ok dad. I'm happy here. I think... you'll be happy here too. Stop fighting dad. The war is over. You did your part. Rest, you deserve it."

He rested his head on hers and hugged her close.

"I'm sorry Sammy, but so long as you are in danger my war isn't over. How's your mom and sister?" His expression twisted in worry as her smile saddened.

"Mom started doing heroin after she left you, and she forced Kimberly to do it too, just so she wouldn't leave her like I did. I brought Kimmy with me though so she's getting the help she needs. I left Mom in Ohio though, after what she did to Kimmy she isn't worthy of being a mom." He pulled her tight as a single tear slid from his eye.

"I love you both so, so much. I'm  gonna find you two, and we'll  leave Hope County, just the three of us." Pressing his lips to her head, she hugged him tighter as a sob racked his body.

"You don't need to do that, we're happy here," she pulled away, and began walking into the fog. "And I think you will be too."

The world began to slowly come back to him, leaving him with a weird sort of floating feeling, until his head was suddenly yanked backwards out of the pond. "- and emerge, into our New Eden." His red rimmed eyes focused on John as he was slowly pushed towards him.

Their eyes met for just a moment before John's attention focused on someone else.

"Ah Deputy, it's so good, to see you again. This time I'll make sure, that you make it into my confession room. Load them into the helicopter. I want them there in ten minutes." He was shoved forwards before a voice, a much softer one, spoke.

"Stop. Bring him to me." Luke slowly opened his eyes, still cloudy from the bliss. The calloused grip of Joseph's hands gently held Luke's head, forcing him to look at him.

"Despite what you may think, you are not here by chance. God sent you here to be a catalyst. You introduced us to new members of my flock. You protected one of us from violence. Your war is over, rest." Joseph slowly pressed their foreheads together.

"So long as this war goes on, my war will never be over Joseph. I cannot allow you to continue this holy crusade of yours." Luke grit through his teeth. Joseph looked into his eyes, a tinge of sadness for what he saw. A broken man who knows nothing but turmoil and war. He reminded him of Jacob. Joseph stepped back and Luke felt himself be dragged off.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw the Deputy still struggling. Taking note of the loose hold of his wrists, he sighed. He wasn't going to  escape, but he needed to make sure the Deputy escaped. Then he needed to find his daughters.

He threw himself sideways towards the peggie holding the deputy. He felt himself fall on top of the heavyset man. He heard the Deputy yelp, before the sound of boots running were heard.

Before he himself could run, he was lifted off of the man below him, and slammed into the ground. Straining, he managed to look up, the shadow of the Deputy faded into the forest.

Clap... clap... clap...

"Well, well, well. I was not expecting that, it appears you managed to get the Deputy away from her salvation. Bravo Luke, Bravo." A painful twist of his head awarded him with a view of a crouching John.

"That doesn't matter. My priority now is your confession. I will pull it from your body, and when I have brought your sin to light, I will rip it from your skin. And then, you will be free, and be able to enter our New Eden. Get him up. I want him in my confession room within an hour."