Salvation (Joseph Seed)

1. The First Sermon

Hope County was a beautiful place inhabited by fascinating characters. Most people have heard of each other in one away or another, especially if they live in the same region. The county wasn't exactly small but sometimes it felt like it, especially to the Seed siblings. The Seeds had a significant pull on everything in Hope County.

Joseph Seed and his brothers has moved to Hope County, Montana, a while ago. The middle brother had set up a home-base for his church and thought that this was a perfect spot. Many of his followers moved with him while over followers had converted after the Project at Eden's Gate moved to Hope County.

The Project was still rather small in the grand scheme of things. The church was located in 'The Compound', the compound was a rather small piece of land where multiple dorms where set up. This was where Joseph's followers, who moved with him, live. Behind the church, rather out of the way of the compound, was Joseph's house. A two story wooden structure, nothing too fancy but it had been large enough to house him and his two brothers when they first arrived in Hope County.

John Seed, the youngest Seed brother, had purchased a ranch in Holland valley since it was the region that he took a biggest liking too. Jacob Seed, the eldest Seed brother, had moved into a cabin in the Whitetail Mountains as he favoured that region. Now, the three live separately but remain as close.

Hope County could seem rather small which means that an unfamiliar face usually raises a few eyebrows, and it always caught Joseph's attention. It was his duty to keep his flock safe and that required knowing the Church's neighbours.

Evelyn Monroe and her family had just moved into Hope County not too long ago. Her parents had wanted a change of scenery, somewhere quieter than where they used to live. Evelyn was only a young woman, seventeen years old, and her parents had always been rather religious. This meant that Evelyn was rather religious as well, however she never went to church where they used to live. 

The young woman walked down the dirt road, heading towards the church that she had heard so much about. Ever since they arrived in Hope County, Evelyn's parents had insisted that she starts going to church regularly. What better day to start than Sunday? She had spoken to two women and had asked about any local churches and they pointed her in this direction.

Evelyn's parents hadn't accompanied her to church. 'Practice what you preach' wasn't something that her parents were particularly good at, it was more of a 'do as I say, not as I do' type of arrangement.

It wasn't too long before Evelyn had walked into the compound. The strange place definitely caught her attention, she examined the strange dorm building that lined the wide path. She could see some people walking around, talking among themselves, but she lowered her gaze and kept her eyes on the ground as she walked towards the church. The white church was positioned at the end of the path, obviously the centrepiece of this whole place.

Evelyn saw a few people filing into the church and figured that the sermon was going to start soon. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before stepping into the church. The interior was rather plain and dimly lit, but she walked down the pews until she found an empty seat. She was a little surprised that a seat on the front few was available, but she sat down anyway.

Looking around the church, she only saw people chatting among themselves quietly. Until the doors opened again and a young woman and two men walked in. Evelyn's interest peaked when she saw the three of them.

The woman walked in front of the two men. She had either dirty blonde or light brown hair, Evelyn couldn't quite decide. She had blue eyes just like the other two men. She was young, perhaps only a year or two older than Evelyn, and wore a bright smile on her face. She also wore a white knee length dress, decorated in lace and flowers. She was gorgeous. But one strange thing caught Evelyn's attention...the woman wasn't wearing any shoes. Her feet were completely bare as she walked through the church.