The Seed of Hope

A new flower in the garden

A couple months later

I watched as Joseph welcomed a new batch of people to the cult, then I recognised them as Alex and his friends, after faith had a look I stood beside the father and looked in each of their eyes, none of them had any hope. I took a closer look at them starting with Alex who spat at me causing Jacob to start forward protectively "your a fuckin' traitor, you left your boyfriend and your clan for a flower bitch and a crazy family of a cult" I put a finger to his lips "do you hear that?" He listened carefully obviously not hearing what I was hearing "that's peace of mind, that's clarity and silence" i looked at his friends carefully then returned to Joseph and whispered in his ear "none of the souls before you carry hope with them" I walked to Jacob and slung my quiver over my shoulders and picked up my bow, I could feel Jacob wanting to go after me "I'll be back within the hour" he turned us away "you sure you wanna do that?" I nodded "trust me Jacob, I'll be with you before you can gain another headshot with your sniper" we put our foreheads together and parted ways.

I crept through the forest searching for a target, I knew Jacob had no intention of leaving me to venture into the woods alone, he always would give me twenty minutes or so then track me down watching my every move. I finally found a beautiful buck standing in the river, I pulled an arrow out of my quiver and hid behind a tree, I aimed at the head of the buck, as the string left my fingers, the buck died but not by my hands. I looked to the left through the trees to see Jacob lowering his sniper staring at the kill, I shot an arrow by his head as a warning which landed in a tree next to him, I hid behind the tree as he lifted his head to see where it came from "Pup?" I don't know where he got that nickname from but he keeps using it, maybe I'll ask him one day? I gazed as he searched around, he pulled the object out of the tree and looked in my direction, his eyes glanced at the deer he'd shot to see an arrow poking out of the animal's forehead. The adrenaline was building up and I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait for him to find me.

I snuck out into the clearing while he was distracted and leaned down to the deer but I heard a gunshot, something hit the water spraying me in the face. I glanced at where Jacob was to see him watching me cautiously, I waved once and plucked the arrow from the in between the antlers and took a few steps back so Jacob could come and take the bullet out of the creature. He did so and washed in the river "The weak have their purpose, you'll understand that soon enough" I only partly understood what he meant by that, 'the lord giveth and the lord taketh' I got that very clearly, the lord gave me a family and took Newt from me, but what John said just scrambled my brains, more than any trial or bliss does. 'Just say Yes' he told people to accept everything that came their way with open arms, like he's telling them not to fight us but it's clear we were fighting them and it's just self defence, something inside me just wants to curl up and scream until this is all over.

We walked back to the compound slowly talking about the recent plans for the cult "I think I know how to draw the whitetails out and get the wolf's den" he turned to me clearly listening "get that guy 'Walker' in the chair like you would with any other, do what you do, get their attention. What if I go in the second chair and go through a trial? Make it look like I'm a local you've taken, tug at their heartstrings a little, Whitetails can't deny a damsel in distress" he raised an eyebrow at me "this ain't just some plan to see ya boy toy is it?" I shook my head "I got word that Newt left town, don't know where he went but he and Eli parted ways, he's not there" he thought about the plan for a second "I'll run it by the others, not making any promises" deep down, I knew exactly where Newt was and I had a plan to see him again, it was a long plan but it was something, it's not like I'm expecting wide open arms but I just want him to recognise me as alive, I want him to know that I'm not dead like he would expect me to be. He gave me up without a second thought of letting me die a hero, just so he didn't have to have the pain of burning my body and living without me, I would've done it for him and moved the gladers, I wouldn't give his body up even if I was cornered with no weapons.

I took my post into the same room as our prisoners, I don't know where Sara went. I watched Alex wake up not yet realising i was in the room. I fiddled with the head of my arrow that went into the deer as he tried to wake his friends. As soon as Hannah awoke, her eyes didn't leave me "what are you loo-" his eyes glued to me "I know you can see him again and I know how" he was trying to make me join his side "so do I" I didn't need his bribery to get what I wanted, I brushed the blood off the tip of the arrow "Owl would've never killed" I stood then crouched grasping his face harshly "Owl was broken in half, part was Owl and part was me, Hope Seed, the archer. The cult made me whole again, and that's what they'll do to you" I let go and picked up a throwing knife.

"It still bothers you that he left doesn't it" I didn't look at her "it sticks at the back of your mind" if she kept this up, she'd end up with a knife in her skull, and that was not the will of the father. "He loved you, doesn't that mean anything to 'Hope'?" I threw the knife near her head "you don't get to ask those kind of questions, but since you'll go to John or Jacob. Yes it bothers me, it 'meant' something to me when I first started out but I know he won't love me the next time we meet. He'll be filled with guilt, fear, anger, maybe confusion? Who knows? Maybe even disappointment?" I stood walking and pulling the knife out of the wall examining the tip "When I came to Hope County a few months ago, I couldn't remember anything before my eighteenth birthday, the bliss helps me remember. It also makes it hard to tell what's real and what's not" as my back turned to Alex, he locked his arms around my neck, Hannah suddenly got up and put a hand over my mouth, Mark took the knife out of my hand and handed it to Hannah before holding my arms against the wall.

I fought against Alex, I knew what was coming "You deserved better than this" She slowly pushed the blade into my stomach causing me to scream which was muffled, I threw my head back butting Alex and screamed while I could drawing attention to nearby cult members, as the three ran into the next room, I sank against the wall tiredly. I grasped the blade and whimpered as I pulled it out, it was soaked in blood proving that I was alive and human but I wouldn't stay that way if I sat here. I threw the red knife across the room and gripped my bow with some arrows with one hand and applied pressure to the wound with the other. I stumbled out the door glaring at the knocked out peggies "amateurs" I waddled over them and took the nearest exit out, they were trying to escape but they wouldn't get very far, if you were planning on killing me, finish the job yourself because I wouldn't let nature do it.

I reached the nearest hill and collapsed against a tree gasping for breath with one hand covered in blood. I saw Alex running with Jacob aiming his gun. I took an arrow and held my bow weakly, I put all my strength into pulling back the string and aimed at Alex, I released but I missed him and hit a tree. I tried again and realised the back of the arrow was covered in blood, my blood. I focused and let go of the string watching as Alex fell to ground with an arrow sticking out of his back. When i released that arrow, I also heard a gunshot so Alex had a bullet and an arrow in his back, unlucky guy but that's what he got for trying to kill me. I watched as Joseph confronted Alex while Jacob picked up one of my arrows, he held the blood covered part of the arrow then glanced at his hand then up at the hill. I watched him order someone to investigate the hill.

I waited for a while before someone came, my eyes stayed on the ground as I tried to get oxygen out of the air "Father!" I held a hand to the wound and hummed 'Amazing Grace' distracting myself from the pain and the fact that I was dying...again. I watched as the flock member stared at me worriedly "praise the father" he could tell I wouldn't live much longer and started yelling more for Joseph, I saw him come over the hill top and speed-walk towards me and then knelt in front of me "my child..." he pulled my hand away from the wound causing me to wince viciously "and here we are again...seems god really wants me to die this way" I put my hand back over my cut and lied back against the tree preparing to die "you have done well in the time you have had, your devotion to the project, to your family. You've sacrificed without hesitation before god even asked you to. You've served your purpose my child" my vision was slowly fading in and out. "If I don't make it...send the letters in my top drawer...there are things I want people to know only after I'm gone" he nodded and kissed my forehead as I gently closed my eyes and took what I thought would be my last breath letting my soul slip away.