Judgement (John Seed X Deputy OC)

7 - Family Reunion

'You have no idea what you're getting yourself into.' I said to Lara as she checked over her weapons. Tugging on the chain of her saw launcher, it chugged to life and made a grinding sound. Satisfied, she turned it off and hung it off her back.

'Then tell me.' She shrugged and I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. 'Besides, you said Joseph hasn't been seen for months. He's probably dead.'

'I know my brother, he's not dead.' Staring into the distance, I knew deep in my tainted soul that Joseph was still out there. He had been right all along and I knew he wouldn't be pleased to see my sorry face.

'Well as the resident Joseph Seed expert you better come with me then.' She grinned, tossing me a machine gun.

'Absolutely not.' I dropped it to the ground as it hit my hands.

'Ugh c'mon gramps, maybe he knows what happened to that woman you're looking for?' Lara cocked an eyebrow suggestively and I scrunched my face up in annoyance. Why was she always right?

The journey up North was long and arduous. It was interesting to see how drastically the county had changed due to the collapse. As we approached what I remembered to be Dutch's Island I paused and sniffed at the air. Lara continued, intending on cutting straight across to reach the compound.

'Wait.' I held a hand up to her and sniffed hard again. I knew the scent that lingered in the air. It was sweet but bitter, something you could easily end up craving. Bliss. 'We're going round.' I stated, much to her confusion.

'Why? It's faster to go across.' Lara put her hands on her hips in annoyance.

'Trust me.' Was all I replied with, trudging around the water that secluded Dutch's Island from everywhere else. Eventually we came to a broken bridge, wooden palisade walls just ahead. Jumping down, water sloshed over my black combat boots as I waded through it. Heaving my body up onto the other side of the bridge, I extended an arm down to Lara. She took it and I helped her up. Striding up to the doorway, she wrapped her knuckles hard on the wood. There was a long pause before the slider opened. A hooded figure with a bright white mask stared at us through two blacked holes. They seemed to pause for a moment when they saw me before shaking their head and slamming the slider shut. 'Fucking brilliant.' I growled, slamming my fist harder on the wooden barricade but no response came. 'So what's the plan now Capt-' Spinning to look at Lara, her face seemed in a trance. Gazing ahead at Dutch's Island, she began to walk towards it hurriedly. 'I'll stay here then!' I called after her but she didn't even give me a second thought. Sitting down on a nearby rock, I let out a copious sigh and waited for her to come back.

'Gramps!' Jolting awake, Lara stood in front of me with her arms crossed. 'Taking a wittle nap?' She pinched my cheek and wiggled it, pretending I was a baby. I batted her hand away and then noticed the book held in her grip. The Word of the Father. Walking up to the door again, she slammed on it aggressively. The slider opened once more to reveal the white mask. Without hesitation, they immediately opened the gate and allowed her entry at the sight of the book. Smiling at me smugly, she swaggered in proudly. For a split second a grin tugged at my mouth. She really was like Harlow. Pushing my hands down on my knees, I got up and followed dutifully behind her and the masked figure into the compound.

Walking through, it felt like I'd been transported to the middle ages. Children skipped across the grass barefoot whilst their mothers sat scrubbing clothes in buckets. All was peaceful until they began to realise who I was. The tattoos on my hands, the slicked back hair, the sunglasses on my head glinting in the sunlight, the short clean-cut beard. They knew who I was.

'It's John the traitor.' I heard a few whispers beginning to emanate from the villagers. Sliding my sunglasses down over my eyes as a safety net, I tilted my head up and ignored the chatter. Clambering up some steps, we entered what looked like some kind of church.

'Seems like old habits die hard.' I chuckled as we entered. A young man stood waiting for us, his long brown shaggy hair hanging down his neck. A huge painting of Joseph hung across the back wall. He looked just as I remembered him in that image.

'You aren't what I was expecting.' The man spoke directly at Lara, ignoring my presence for a moment. 'Maybe the same could be said for me... If you came here looking for the old man well...' Frustration built behind his eyes. 'Do you have the book?' Lara held it up to him and the frustration melted away, forming into longing instead. 'Do you know what that is? The Word of Joseph. His teachings, his guidance, his wisdom...' I rolled my eyes. It was clear that Joseph had maintained his ability to indoctrinate whoever he met. 'And his madness.' My ears pricked at that. Maybe this boy wasn't as stupid as I'd first thought. Lara relinquished her grip on the book and let him take it from her. The way he looked at it, I remember that same desperation riddling my own expression. The desperation to impress the Father. To show him how hard I'd worked. To make him love me for all I'd done. 'I've searched everywhere for this book. 'Joseph said the one who found it would be ordained by God to be the true ruler of New Eden.'

'Pfft.' A sarcastic snort escaped my lips, the boy glaring at me but not responding. His gaze fixated with fury onto Lara, who as usual, was stood confidently but silently.

'And you are the one who returns it to us.' Slamming the book shut, the man walked angrily behind a makeshift altar. 'It should've been me, I'm the one they turned to when he disappeared into the North! I'm the one who has held this family together. I'm the one they chose to lead. I have protected them from the locusts and the snakes. I have kept us all alive and safe within these walls! Not the old man! ME!' He screamed and screamed, fury boiling through his blood as he toppled the wooden altar over. Lara didn't flinch, cocking an eyebrow at him whilst all I could see was myself and my two brothers in this boy. 'My father wanted to build a paradise, but when it got too hard he ran away!' The boy pointed an accusatory finger at the image of Joseph. It was beginning to make sense. This boy was my blood. My nephew. Addressing us both this time, he shrugged and sighed. 'You came here looking for his help, but Joseph is dead. No one wants to acknowledge this but it's the truth. Our family still believes in him and they'll never stop believing in him until they understand that he was not a messiah. He was just a man. Isn't that right uncle?' His eyes locked with my own and I held his gaze before dropping my eye line to the ground. Turning his attention back to Lara, he began to plead with her. 'Help me show them. Bring back proof of his death and I'll help your people.'

He gave Lara instructions to light the Flame of Eden so she would be given permission to travel North. As the two of us motioned to leave, my nephew's hand planted on my shoulder and held me in place.

'Stay a while uncle. Stay a while and see what your brother has built.' He hissed in my ear, before loosening his grip and walking over to the fallen altar. Watching Lara leave, my fists clenched in annoyance.

'What's your name kid?' I growled over my shoulder. The boy pushed the altar back up right and dusted his hands on each other.

'Ethan. Ethan Seed.'