REVENGE / DESIRED

     the  project  at  eden’s  gate  had  moved  in  only  three  years  prior,  slowly  integrating  itself  into  hope  county’s  society  and  way  of  living.  more  and  more  people  had  shown  up  to  joseph’s  sermons,  whether  it  had  been  to  speak  with  jacob  about  hunting  afterwards,  or  to  ogle  at  his  hotshot  lawyer  brother,  john.  for  drew,  it  was  the  unity.  he  craved  it,  a  new  kind  of  togetherness  that  he  didn’t  get  at  home,  or  in  god’s  house  led  by  jerome  jeffries.  the  seeds  had  treated  him  as  if  he  were  one  of  their  own,  and  ultimately,  drew  was  ready  to  give  his  entire  life  up  to  follow  joseph.

      ❝  i  don’t  understand  what  you  have  against  them,  mar.  really.  they’re  just.. a  bunch'a  normal  guys. ❞  he  turns  to  her,  his  six  foot  one  frame  nearly  knocking  his  head  into  one  of  the  light  fixtures  inside  the  spread  eagle.  drew  chuckles  at  himself,  hands  reaching  to  grab  the  broom  he  had  dropped  in  the  process.  ❝  i  think  this  could  be  good  for  me,  you  know?  been  talkin’  a  lot  with  jacob.  he’s  a  vet  too,…  says  the  government  royally  fucked  him  over.  ain’t  that  what  it’s  all  about?  got  me  thinkin’  of  leavin’  the  navy. ❞

@mlotov  ♡’d.

“ they’re buyin’ up all the land in the county they can get their hands on, you don’t think that’s strange ? ”   mary may fairgrave wiped down the wood counter with a rag, preparing it for the evening crowd sure to filter in after they opened up the doors at 3.   “ they want the bar, too.   dad tell you that ?   the lawyer keeps finding ways to run into him when he’s out.   won’t stop calling or asking.   what does a church want with a bar ? ”   drew had gotten taller since the last time she saw him, or maybe it just seemed like that.   their mother had gone into his old room to clean out the dust before he’d arrived for his visit, & mary had found her sitting on one of the boxes of stuff he’d left when he joined the navy, crying her eyes out.   “ he should’ve never left us, ”   she’d said.   mary didn’t known what to say.   

“ you ever think about what you’re gonna do when all of this is over? think everything’ll just… go back to normal? ”

@mlotov​ /sc !!

“ oh, it’s the deep time of night, huh ? ”   mary teased, bringing the bottle of booze to her lips, swallowing the dulled fire quickly, & offering it to the other woman.   she got quiet for a moment, listening to the crickets outside, singing a chorus.   every so often shots would go off in the far distance-   maybe the mountains, & the bugs would pause.   but the silence would only last a second or two before they began again, a couple bugs leading the others back into the song.   

another  document  signed!  life  altered.  money  exchanges  hands  and  god  be  praised,  john  seed  gains  more  land.  it  was  perfect  here,  enough  rough  area,  privacy  and  those  that  are  begging  (  pleading!  )  to  follow  the  righteous.  funny,  those  that  had  so  little  wanted  to  give  so  much  to  the  cause,  the  flock.  and  those  that  refused!  well,  they  just  needed  to  be  spoken  with.  land  had  been  broken  up,  with  the  youngest  seed  sibling  (  excluding  faith  )  had  received  holland  valley(  how  lucky  they  were!!  )  and  already  they  offered  bent  knee.  and  yet  there  was  still  those  that  resisted.  

this  was  his  first  trip  to  the  spread  eagle  (  grotesque  name  thinks  the  hedonist  )  but  that  thought  was  never  spoken  out  loud.  the  locals  seemed  to  enjoy  it.  mary  may,  that  woman  had  some  hold  on  the  youngest  seed  sibling.  how  garish  she  was!  bold  brave  proud!  nothing  at  all  like  the  women  back  home,  socialite  shallow  fork  tongued  wisps.  boring!  rotten.  the  baptist  had  enjoyed  time  spent  with  mary  may,  up  until  the  faction  split,  until  true  intention  was  bared  as  well  as  teeth!  and  the  bar  owner  nor  his  family  would  oblige.  shame!!  ah  well,  perhaps  at  least  with  their  daughter  there  was  something  salvageable!  

the  door  creaked,  swung  open  as  eyes  scanned  the  room.  as  blue  as  the  artic  ice.  the  scent  of  death  followed  it  permeated  the  air  around  the  youngest  brother.  couldn’t  be  helped!  though  alone,  cronies  waited  outside    -  ready.  willing.  more  than  able  to  set  fire  to  not  only  this  establishment  but  also  to  those  inside  and  hell!!  hell  itself  would  then  feel  more  welcoming  than  the  charred  innards  of  the  spread  eagle.  

’mary,  good  to  see  you.  ’  words  spoken  were  colored  with  the  truth.  'i  heard  you  had  a  run  in  with  a  friend  of  mine,  ah  that  vince.  (  a  lion  set  loose  amongst  the  lambs  by  his  own  hand!!  )’  a  click  of  his  tongue  as  arm  rest  across  the  bar  surface,  a  brief  shake  of  head.  ’  sometimes  i  can’t  control  that  temper  of  his,  i  can  pay  for  whatever  damage  he  caused  –you  know  i’m  good  for  it. ’  tone  shifted  into  something  almost  playful,  a  dangerous  game  of  cat  and  mouse  and  he  was  ready  to  devour  his  treat  with  a  grin  that  promised  to  raze  the  earth.  

@mlotov

it got quiet in the spread eagle when the man walked in, everybody turning ‘round to look except for sharky over on the couch   ( high as a kite )   who asked,   “ what ?   what’s goin’ on ? ”   til somebody kicked him.   

in the beginning, people had stopped talking when he walked into a room because they didn’t know what to make of him-   the newcomer with his fancy clothes & fancy cars, rumors flying around that he was offering people triple what their land was really worth.   it was quiet now, but for a different reason.   it was quiet ‘cause now they knew exactly what to make of john seed.   

a couple of the bar’s patrons left as quickly as they could   ( without paying )   through the squeaky back door.   mary called   “ hey ! ”   after them, but they didn’t so much as look back.   “ fucking cowards, ”   muttered to herself.   self-preservation, maybe.   she called it selfish.   the ones who stayed glared at the man from their tables & stools or backed off into the shadows of the dark wooded walls, drinks abandoned, watching carefully.

mary may fairgrave took a breath in & pushed it out, teeth grit as john approached the bar, making himself at home.   it’d taken days to clean the broken glass off the floor, shards still crunching under boots in the far corners of the room.   “ you won’t believe me, but this is for your own good. ”   is all john’s man had said before he’d taken the crowbar from his jacket.   before he’d smashed glasses, bottles, pictures, windows.   a tarp was taped haphazardly across the hole in the front, the not-yet-winter chill slipping right past it.

@mlotov​    +     sc

     “     you  use  to   ride   bulls   for   fun ?    ”

her cheap beer was sweating just about as much as they were, hiding out from the summer heat in the only bar between hope county & helena.   “ for fun,   & for the rodeo fame. ”   

- @mlotov :   mary may fairgrave

- @diciple :   abigail seed   ( original character, daughter of john )

     - @internuntio :   vincent callahan   ( original character, sideblog to diciple )

- @huborus​ :   faith seed