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although john had been told much of his own backstory at first meeting , it was jacob that the middle sibling would entrust to the full plan . much less volatile , willing to listen without such fevered reaction . the eldest seed sibling had been a shell , hollow when the younger brothers found him . blue eyes once piercing and ever present were reduced to ash , to nothing . slowly however , the ghost was reviving . they would take turns  (  joseph paul and john  )  tending to the eldest  (  feeding bathing and the telling of old childhood stories  )  and that flickering light that was nearly snuffed out began to grow . to swell and joseph was elated . 

it was not yet the roaring bonfire that was there when they were all younger but it stronger now and joseph  (  now the father  )  had called the elder brother into a small unassuming room , a makeshift office within the heart of his compound . for john , the setting would have been his chapel but for jacob , somewhere different , somewhere more pragmatic . 

as the door opened , a smile true and bright was offered . pen laid to rest upon open book  (  words seemingly nonsense scribbled hastily across each page before it was closed  )  a hand extended offering the elder brother a seat on the opposite side of the desk .

❛  i apologize , brother for calling you at such a late hour .   ❜   the very air about crackled with energy , an eagerness shown in a muted smile . now was the time to explain further the plan , the role in which jacob was to play in this entire scenario . the father had yet to see the true end , the devastation . no , for now he was blissfully unaware of what fate had in store . the father persona had dulled somewhat , the atmosphere with the eldest brother was more relaxed , brothers . that was all they were right now .   ❛  i believe it is now time to tell you , jacob , why i've called you here . i only ask you listen , you receive this information with an open mind , an open heart . but you are , as always , free to leave at any time . i would never judge you for doing so and you will always be my brother .  ❜

why was mark so stubborn about eden’s gate? what had it ever done to them? nothing. but mark had listened to idle gossip - it was no secret that dutch and a few more of the prominent folk around hope county disliked Joseph and the message he was trying to preach. and mark was friends with all of those folk; they had grown up going to pastor jerome’s sermons, the man had even presided over their parents’ funeral. nick frequented the spread eagle - how many times had they called over to the ryes home for a barbecue?

all of the usual faces had been at those cook-outs; pastor jerome, grace, nana, pawpaw, mark, sharky, hurk, adelaide with hurk snr, even skylar and her boyfriend, everyone had been there … in hindsight, was that where this mess had started? had drunken banter over food and gossiping about the new arrivals in hope county?

swallowing down the sob that tried to claw itself up her throat, linny couldn’t stop the tears that slid down her cheeks as she reached up to touch the father’s hands on her cheeks, 

’ please help him father … he’s my big brother. he’s my family and i want him to be safe. i want us all to be a family again - please … please help him. ’

‘  you mourn as though he were already lost . your brother , as with many others do not understand what we do now but when the collapse comes when hellfire itself !! blossoms on the horizon they will . and they will beg our forgiveness .  ‘  smile soft , it spoke of serenity , benevolence . behind caution yellow glasses were eyes sharp , calculating and thoughtful . a juxtaposition of kindness intertwined so flawlessly with malice . a deep rooted need to protect family , friends . to protect linny , to protect those that were loyal to the cause that blood would be shed to ensure their happiness , to ensure entryway into the gates of eden . 

eyes searching , willing the young woman to make contact .  ‘  but you .. linny , you were so brave . the lord has filled you with his light , his absolute wisdom and you’ve passed this most crucial test and for that i am so , so thankful . a sister with your bravery , your righteousness is unfortunately birthed from adversary , you must walk through fire before being cleansed and you come through wounded but in tact and stronger than before .  ‘  words whispered , sweet . 

an exhale of breath , with it carried the weight of the world . eyes shielded behind yellow tinted glasses close if only for a brief moment . men and women  (  family  )  surrounded the father , everything / everyone was moving so quickly - all were assigned a task . including the three brothers paul jacob john and sister faith . it was all in motion now , the plan . gods plan . there was a muted sort of giddiness that was overshadowed by a dread in the pit of his stomach , in his heart .  (  they were going to die !!  )  the thought replayed over and over in his mind , terrible and suffocating . was that true ? or was this concern a manifestation of doubt ? was he still being tested , has he not done enough ? sacrificed enough ? 

fingers clutch around the radio just that much tighter before eyes opened once more and through the window , surveying his own compound head canted somewhat to the side . trees surrounded them , the montana land was a beautiful one . 

away from the hustle around him , the father stepped outside . serenity  (  for the moment at least , before the gunfire began  )  awaited and it was wholly welcomed .  the button clicked in response and through the crackle and haze of the radio there was the ghost of a chuckle , the sound of someone haunted . 

❛  deputy , we are in a constant state of war . against each other , our own political leaders the media - we all all in eternal danger . you believe your side has the purest of intentions , you take away those that wish to stay , you torture our brothers and sisters . you’ve come to our land , our community to destroy what we’ve created . my brothers and sister are now fulfilling their roles they were meant for . tasked to help save who we can and protect our family . it’s you .. deputy . you and your pride that keep this war going , that lifts the death toll up just that much higher . come back to us , come back to me . there is still time - i can save you , let me save you .  ❜  

    Trials and tribulations. An argument, a counter, rose on Sara’s tongue, though she does not dare to voice it - not in front of the Father. What John did was not a trial, it was torture. He carved into her out of spite, a petulant rage thrown on her. He was a monster. And maybe… the Father understands that. 

    But a wave of relief comes over when he grants her permission to stay at his compound. There she’ll be safe. There she won’t have to worry any longer. Nodding, she follows obediently at the Father’s side, doing her best to mask any sparking pain from the pull at the bandaged wound on her chest. 

    “But why does he have to understand…?” She asks, genuinely, glancing up to the Father for an answer. “Why can’t he just go home? Hannah, too… They… They don’t want to be here.” 

eyes search her own , there was a retort resting on the tip of her tongue and he knew . the youngest brother held so much anger / rage inside of him and yet joseph could not disavow him , could not turn john away . they were family , which was part of the reason and the other was that joseph needed his particular set of skills . on the path to salvation joseph would try to steer the other clear from temptation from harm however , there was only so much the father could do to save an unwilling soul . or to save one that held no soul altogether . 

“Who says I don’t want to learn?” So aggressive. The perfect example of the unwilling outsider stands before the Father, crossed arms and proud eyes for hundreds of his followers to see. Practically offering himself up as a martyr for the perfect us and them narrative.

“Just haven’t heard you say anythin’ worth listening to yet. Your brother spoke highly ‘bout you, but all I’m hearing is fear-mongering. And that just seems manipulative is all.”

patience born from years of abuse , years of that same aggressive tone and posture . mistrust   (   understandably so   )   was palpable . before the father could speak , john the baptist took a step forward - blue eyes the color of stormclouds , threatening without saying a word and joseph merely held up a hand to silence the youngest sibling before he could retort . 

his children have returned home . the combined efforts of jacob and john they managed to collect all of the lost brothers and sisters . eyes hidden behind caution yellow shades search the boy alex , his face his body . there was silence after the other spoke , considering . it was understandable to be angry , to object and crow of unfairness and concern . life wasn’t fair . it was why the chosen few were given a second chance and within this boy before him joseph had seen potential . despite all that his brother john had done - had put him through there remained a flicker of hope , of defiance .