I once was a child with innocent eyes,

And my family swore,

They knew best for my life.

I followed their rules as I played with my friends,

But when it came to the world;

I never thought it would end.

The hollow sound infiltrated the small hut and roused Rookie from her deep slumber. Surprisingly, she had slept rather well, but now awaking to a song that rang too close to home made her head hurt. This place was bad news - brought back bad memories and she hated these lunatics for it. Not only were they manipulative, but also disgusting liars - how could they have done this to her? Why wasn't the Sheriff back with the National Guard yet? Hudson, she missed Hudson's kind words and Pratt's dry sense of humour. She disliked the Marshal, but hell if he was here she would embrace him too.

"Such conflicted eyes. . ." A melodious voice drawled out, making her jerk from her vulnerable position into a sitting one. Joseph Seed or The Father as they called him smiled serenely at her. His tinted glasses were gone and so was her view from his frightening abdomen - he now donned a white buttoned shirt, the sleeves rolled to his elbows and a distinct tattoo that she had never seen before looked dark on his tanned forearm. At her lingering gaze, he stroked it with his long fingers and sad eyes.

"She had conflicted eyes too - oh, she was sad. Very sad." She did not like the emphasis he put on the word and so she slowly began to shift towards the other end of the bed. The door was only inches away, although there was no way she was going to make it out of here without being caught. Still, she'd rather be caught and drugged into another long slumber than to sit here in this lunatic's company. As if sensing her discomfort, his ocean blue eyes connected with her own. "Her eyes were just like yours . . . sad and conflicted. Yes . . . you remind me of her."

Rookie ignored the tension that spread in the room at his words or the silence that came from outside. Instead, she chose to look around the room hoping to see a decent weapon in which she could immobilise him with. Then she would run off and hide till someone came back for her. But she couldn't do this alone - the Sheriff . . . where was he?

"Your friends are our guests."

Fear and hopelessness gripped her core then as she slowly turned to look at him again. His blue eyes were no longer reminiscent, but instead glimmering with joy - had he killed her friends?

"The helicopter crashed unfortunately. Of course, your friends are fine - John is very pleased with your fierce female friend. Faith is helping your reasonably minded Sheriff see the error of his ways and Jacob . . . well, Jacob is keeping your coward male friend alive, I suppose. As for the Marshal, he is dead." He ended his statement with a blinding smile just as Rookie's throat constricted and her brown eyes pooled with tears. The Marshal was dead? Her friends were captured - she was here with a madman and everything had ended. They would be put down in the Missing list and in a few months, people would stop looking.

The Father watched as the mute deputy struggled to make sense of the situation. He almost felt pity for the wayward child, but surely some time in his company would make her see the error of her ways. In truth, he was nervous. Meeting eyes with this deputy in a moment that would forever remain imprinted on his mind, he had seen himself. In this place where everyone admired and followed his messages, he often felt forgotten. The Voice had made him a prophet, but had also completely isolated him. His own brethren looked at him as if he was divine, but no one truly saw Joseph Seed. Except maybe this Deputy . . .

He wondered if The Voice had misguided him - Hell could not have followed with him. Or rather her, he should say. She did not feel like Hell at all, in fact he had sat by her for two hours watching her sleep and he had felt a deep connection with her. It was the first time he had found a strange patience within himself - to wait for her to come to him on her own and the idea of drugging her to bend to his will much rather disgusted him. He would have to speak to Faith about keeping her drugs away from his precious one.

When he saw her shoulders shake, The Father felt anger arise within him. "You cry for a monster who would happily threaten you and yet you refuse to even look at the man who has saved you and your friends! What was I to do? Let you walk away with evil hand in hand and-!"

"Father!" A melodious voice interrupted, the sound of the wooden door slamming against the hut startling the deputy. She did not raise her head to look at the intruder for she knew it was the loony girl with the white dress. "I bring the enlightened one her dinner!"

Rookie blanched at the name, however her anxiety calmed a little at the mention of dinner. She only hoped it was drugged so that she could drift into slumber away from this new reality.

The Father sighed and she felt him shift. "My dear Faith, has this dinner been blessed by you?" The deputy's breath hitched at his question, but she sighed slightly in disappointment when the girl answered back.

The girl chuckled in response. "No, not yet, Father. If you want, I shall . . ."

"No, dear one. I and the enlightened one shall dine together today. If you do not mind fetching another serving for me that is."

The Father watched as Faith hurriedly placed the plate down before disappearing from the door. His dear Faith, the obedient one who had lost so much in life, yet she had never lost her faith. She was so dear to him yet here in the presence of this lost soul, he had barely paid her any mind. In fact, her presence had greatly irritated him - he did not appreciate Faith's rather perfect timing at interrupting him. He despised being interrupted. But the sight of the still deputy, her head buried in her arms reminded him of what he despised even more. Ignored.

"Eat, my dear deputy. Faith brings glad tidings and friendship in the form of food. It will be terrible of you to refuse." The Sunday roast dinner smelled heavenly and The Father sent a silent thanks to his Lord above for the blessings He had sent his way. The Voice, finding and reuniting with his brothers, Faith, Hope County and even to an extent, this strange being that sat before him who had believed before he had preached. He was so blessed and so were his children - they would all be safe from the end that was inevitably approaching.

"You will not eat, child?" He asked gently when he did not see her face behind the curtain of her brown locks. Brown . . . such a dirty colour, yet so pure and earthly. Nature's touch. She made no indication to respond and he sighed impatiently. "You do try my patience . . . and not many have in the last few years. But I am a patient man, deputy. I will not allow you to force me to sin. My fellow brethren, however, do not share my enthusiasm for avoiding such immoral acts. Which does remind me, John is undergoing his fifth cleansing session tomorrow and I feel that you too should be purified of your sins."

"Father!" The interruption came again before Rookie could even make sense of his words. "I bring you-! Oh! What is this? Enlightened one didn't like it?" The sadness practically dripped from her words and the young deputy wondered how it was possible for anyone to sound so grievous over a rejected dinner. Sheriff's words rang through her mind then - They are a manipulative bunch and have betrayed many with their sob stories.

"Let your heart not be sad, my faithful one. It is a trying day for this lamb and we must give her time to . . . adapt to our ways. Indeed, we must not give up on our new flock who come to us seeking redemption."

Faith drawled her words out as if she had entered a world of bliss from his words alone. "Yes . . . heavenly Father."

It was then Rookie heard a screech of metal and the sound of rustling clothes. She prayed to anyone who was above that he would simply leave her be and surprisingly it was exactly as she wished. His footsteps began to fade and she heard the springs in the handle as it turned. The sound of gentle humming was the first to fade and Rookie knew that the girl had gone, but he was still here in the room with her. The smell of the Sunday roast was still prominent and she longed to sink her teeth into the new potatoes - hell she'd eat anything, but never with him.

"The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh. A seal has been opened - The Voice . . . it promised me. I lost my dear brothers and they were returned. I lost my faith and it was returned. I lost my home and it was . . . returned in the form of this beautiful Hope County. I lost my child and I now have so many that I cannot keep count." At this he chuckled drily and the sound stunned the deputy for a second. "And then my wife. I wonder if she too has been returned. . ."

The door opened and a gust of wind swept in the room leaving the Rookie feeling cold. But it was his words that had swept an icy dread over her heart. She had to get the hell out of here. And fast.