Eden's Gate

Chapter 10 - He Knows

As I was walking, my mind wandered back to the Sheriff. I wonder how the Jail's holding up. I decided to go check in on them. Grabbing one of the vehicles on the side of the road, Peaches, Boomer and I drove back to Hope County Jail. As we approached, people stood back, fearing Peaches. Peaches and Boomer walked proudly by my side through the halls, finding the Sheriff with others. I walked over.

"Hey, Sheriff. Anything I can help with?" I asked.

"Last two days we've had a few people go missing – only from what we can tell, they weren't lost in the Bliss. There's been rumours of some place run by one of Faith's favourites... the kind of place nobody comes back from. Torture, drownings... sacrifices... People say anyone who doesn't walk Faith's little pilgrimage winds up there. I think we got real problem on our hands, and I need someone to check it out – someone who can handle themselves if it turns out to be more than just stories..." The Sheriff said, lowly. I was worried, Earl looked tired and seemed to have a lot on his mind.

"I'll go check it out. Are you alright, Sheriff?"

"I'm fine, Rook. Be careful." He walked away. I walked out and into Virgil's office.

"Hey, Virgil. Anything I can help with?" I asked.

"We got one big job around here and that's to stop Faith. She took everything from me. My job, my soulmate... even my son. All because of that Bliss." He said, anger and despair filling him. I felt for him, losing your soulmate is meant to be one of the most painful things you can go through. Few people who lose their soulmates survive. They often are filled with such sorrow that they can't live without them. And that was only if someone else took your soulmate away. If you killed your soulmate, you become empty, hollow. Nothing makes you feel anything. You walk around with no purpose, ultimately causing yourself harm... just to feel something again. "You're one of us now. A Cougar. We're a team that helps each other. I need your help right now, Deputy." He stressed.

"What can I do, Virgil?" I understood why he was so stressed on the badges, he'd lost his soulmate and child. This was his purpose now, to bring people together and fight back at those who took his family from him. The badge showed that you were against Eden's Gate and that you were family. A Cougar.

"You know about our water treatment plant? The cult took it and started pumpin' it full of bliss. You believe that? Right into the drinking water. What kind of monster does that?"

A crazy cult monster, that's who... who is my soulmate... one of them.

"Well, she's not getting away with it any longer. I tell you straight, we're gonna shut it down fast. Whatdya say?"

"I'll take care of it, Virgil." I said, walking out of the room. Faith was ramping up her actions rapidly. I needed to slow her down. But to do that, I'm gonna need some help. I made my way back to the vehicle and drove away, towards where Sharky was rumoured to be.

I arrived at an old trailer park, a man stood on one of the roofs. I hopped out and climbed up to him. Boomer and Peaches walked around, entertaining themselves.

"Hi, I'm Jasmine, but most people call me Rook." I introduced myself. The man shook my hand before speaking.

"I'm Charlemange Victor Boshaw. Now if you require more brevity in your day-to-day life, you can just call me Sharky. Welcome to the disco inferno, man. It's my special place, where I can be me without the prying eyes of my P.O. or witnesses or law enforcement types such as yourself. Here is where I am free to unleash my fire and mayhem in a pants-free, consequence-free environment."

But you have pants on.

"I have pants on now, yes. But who knows what the next half-hour, forty-five minutes hold."