Falls End had been his home for so many years now, that he scarcely remembered his life before. It was a small town, knitted together by strong bonds of community. Everyone knew everyone; where they lived, what they did, what they ate for breakfast. And that's what made it so hard, to see it burnt out, an echo of its former self. The Church was gone, as was the Spread Eagle… a couple of homes remained somewhat intact, but with their owners gone there was an eeriness to them that kept people away.

The ground was hard, unmanageable and poisoned, as was the water. The animals were gone, and the sky was more silent than he could possibly have imagined. Despite all of this however, Jerome was not without faith. He believed that they had survived for a reason.

He and Mary May took charge, creating scouting parties that would look for people, food, supplies and shelter. Nearly everyone knew of a pepper stash somewhere, so they were seldom without the necessities. They kept the Falls End bunker as a base of operations, and as more bunkers and their inhabitants were discovered, their reach grew.

They never came across any of Eden's gate, and its members were scarcely mentioned.

As the months passed the landscape began to change, fresh foliage sprouted out of the hardened earth and new trees took root, spindly and young, but beautiful all the same. The smog would clear at times, and what almost resembled sunlight stretched through the polluted air, gracing them with its glow.

Friends and families were slowly reunited, and the Ryes soon joined the network, with their now 3-year-old daughter – Carmina. It was a strange thing for Jerome, to consider that this child would only know the 'after' of what had been before. But then again, the before had never been that great.

And so, their lives went on, harsher and more primal than before, but they were strong, and they had each other. For those who remained lost, candles were lit, and for those whose bodies were found, funerals held. Often the discovered corpses were burnt almost to ash and so the graves went nameless. Yet still they trudged on, trying to find footing in the new, desolate world.

It was a quiet night and a stash of quality whiskey had been found a few hours prior, so a group had gathered in the corpse of the Eagle for a drink around the campfire. Jerome sat next to Nick, who'd been out scouting for plane parts - to no avail. As such, he was taking more than his fair share of the whiskey.

The chat was constant, people discussing tomorrows plans, supplies, weapons… everything. Eventually, it grew tired. Today was hard enough without planning for tomorrow, or so Jerome believed.

Suddenly, a young man spoke up. His eyes were glazed over as he stared into the fire, as if he was seeing something that nobody else could.

"I wonder… I wonder if she's still out there." He said, ponderously.

Nick took a swig from the bottle.

"No…" said another, shaking her head solemnly. "There's no way… the Seeds were one thing, but the goddamn apocalypse…"

Nick swigged again.

"She could be." Chimed another. "The radiation wouldn't have killed her, just transformed her into some super-human one-woman death-mach-"

"ENOUGH!" Yelled Nick, slamming the bottle down and getting to his feet. He looked at the crowd, a sneer on his lips that didn't quite meet his eyes. "Have a little respect."

And with that he stormed off into the night. The group stayed quiet.

It didn't take Jerome long to find him. He was sat lazily against one of the old church walls, hat off, as he wrung it slowly about in his weathered hands.

The Pastor sat next to him in silence.

The minutes ticked by, but eventually Nick could bite his tongue no longer. It wasn't that talking about her was taboo or anything, people just avoided it. It was difficult to consider that she may have died after protecting them all, after doing their bidding… The guilt was almost too much to bear.

"The last time I saw her," began Nick, eyes flirting with the distant grass that swayed steadily in the evening breeze. "I knew that it was wrong… what the County had done to her, what we'd done to her."

He looked to Jerome then, for understanding, before he continued.

"I know she went to Jacob's, Grace told me… and when she came back…" He was lost for words. "She killed more people than I ever thought possible, in ways I ain't never even considered. It was wrong. She was only a girl."

Jerome shook his head slowly. Nick was right of course, Hope County and those who had needed her had chewed her up and spat her out. She had been a resource, like an armoured truck or weaponized copter. But she had also been a girl, someone's daughter… and now, if he was being honest, she was probably dead, and how exactly it had happened, they would never know.

"You know…" said Jerome slowly. "I never even knew her real name."

Nick laughed then, and it wasn't entirely without humour.

"It was Mercy." He said, remembering the day she'd told him it, fresh after a peggy battle, when he'd had the balls to ask. "That's why she kept it so goddamn quiet."

Pastor Jerome almost cracked a smile at that. Almost.

If I had been asked how long we'd been on the road for, I couldn't have given an answer. With the bliss, the smoggy environment and my ever-constant companion… the days had morphed into one, long impasse from which there seemed no escape.

Luckily (or unluckily, I couldn't be sure), Joseph had brought along enough bliss to allow me to pretty much trip through the entire journey. It had taken some convincing after my encounter with the dark stranger in the woods, but the Father could be very persuasive. So, when I saw a neon green light off in the distance, I wasn't sure if it was real, or just another figment of my tormented psyche. However, I'd learnt my lesson of not wondering off into the woods alone, so I called to the Father, who was just in front.

"Father," I said, raising my hand to point slightly East of where we stood. "There's a green light over there, not too sure what it is."

Joseph followed my hand and his eyes reached their mark. I sighed internally – thank God I wasn't too far gone… yet.

"If I'm not mistaken…" Whispered the Father, as he turned slowly to face me. "That's a bunker door."

My mind began to whirl, who could possibly have taken shelter all the way out here? And if the door was open, had they too left, and ventured into the new world?

Instinct took over then and I reached into my holster and grabbed my pistol, finger on the trigger while keeping it firmly by my side. I moved forward, eyes glued to the green light and senses on high alert. Many people had referred to me as a one-woman army during my stay in Hope County, but before that, way back at the academy, I'd been known for something different – stealth. It was what made me such a good hunter. What made me such a good thief. And it was the only reason I'd been able to take down so many Peggy outposts single handed. If I knew one thing, it was that stealth could do what brawn could not, and brawn wouldn't tell me who was in that bunker.

Joseph followed swiftly, making more noise than I would have liked, but trying his best all the same. We swiftly reached the entrance only to hear a rustle from behind. I span on my heel and lifted my pistol. Through the smog two figures approached, but it wasn't until they were only a few metres away that I could make them out.

There was a man and a woman, Peggies for sure, with long hair and tattered clothes. They both held guns, but their grip was slack – I could tell they were tired and unfocused.

"Guns down, now." I ordered, not taking any chances, despite the fact that we were now all on the same side.

Their mouths dropped open as they put two and two together, they'd seen my wanted posters, they knew who they were dealing with. And then their eyes flicked to the Father, whose arms were down in a somewhat welcoming salute. His face was the picture of relief, adorned with the small smile he so rarely let escape.

"My Children," He breathed, sounding as elated as he looked. "How happy I am to see you."

The woman's grip faltered, and she dropped her gun, whilst the man's eyes filled with tears.

"Father," they crooned, approaching their holy lord, my presence forgotten. "We prayed… we endured…"

"And you have been rewarded." He said simply.

"But…her!" hissed the woman, spinning around to glare at me. "Why is the sinner with you?"

The Father shook his head slowly, "No, my child. The Deputy is a sinner no longer, she has repented and now she walks the holy path, as my unrelenting Judge."

And with that he stepped away from the pair, eyeing them as he did so. They looked confused, desperately so, torn between their longstanding hatred and the Fathers bewildering new stance. "And now we have reached her first call of judgement."

He looked at me then, eyes piercing and violent.

"Are they to join us in Eden's Garden," he asked, voice barely more than a whisper. "Or are they to die?"

A heavy beat passed through the air in which none of us spoke. The Peggies looked horrified, but they did not argue or plea their case. If the Father had put their lives in my hands, they believed it was just, was the will of God himself. A little part of me hoped that he was joking, was testing my faith to see if I would kill his… our… own. But this was Joseph Seed, kidnapper, torturer, murderer… no, this choice was very real.

I must have paused for too long, for then he came up to me and raised my hand, pistol still gripped between my clammy fingers. He pointed it at the woman.

"They live." I breathed, looking at the two of them, whose distain somewhat lessened at my answer, replaced by blatant surprise.

"Very well." Said the Father, releasing my arm. "Then let us move forward, together."

Thanks for everyone whose being keeping up with the story despite breaks! I've been working super hard to get the first act done so that then I could move onto a time skip, when the Deputy's more Judge-esque!

Suggestions are always appreciated :) & thanks for the reviews!