Judgement (John Seed X Deputy OC)

18 - Release Me

Sitting on the front end of the boat that Lara had commandeered, I looked up at her face. Tears stained her cheeks and her grip on the wheel was making her knuckles glow white. She hadn't spoken since choosing to let Mickey live. Had my internal wrath not died down I may well've finished the job myself. If only there was a way for me to comfort her. Embers drifted over our heads creating archways for the boat to pass under. The fires kept the bliss at bay, making it easier for us to make it unharmed by the drug. Thank God for that. Being within arms reach of the hallucinatory substance was enough to make my skin prickle.

'We're here.' Lara sniffed, using an arm to rub aggressively at her eyes. The rubber side of the boat bounced against the dock. Getting up, I followed Lara out onto the land and up the winding path towards what appeared to be a great tree. I could see Joseph and Ethan in what appeared to be a heated argument. Upping our pace, we sprinted up the path only for Joseph to reach out and stop us. Giving a slight shake of his head, he stood at the top of the waterfall allowing the cool water to rush over his ankles. Ethan knelt under the tree with a look of desperation and rage plastered over his face.

'Ethan, what have you done?' Joseph lamented, a deep unrelenting sadness behind his eyes.

'I did what I had to do. I freed myself, freed us all from you. From your rules.' Transfixed by the juicy red apples dangling from the tree above him, Ethan got to his feet and cupped one in his palms. My heart hitched. I knew what could happen if someone unworthy ate the fruit. Joseph had shown me many times.

'Ethan, don't.' The Father warned, though it was loose. It was almost as though he expected his son to defy him. Ethan stared down his father, accentuating every movement of his hand as he plucked a fresh apple as though he was taunting him.

'I will have what you denied me.' Striding over angrily, Ethan towered over Lara who held her ground. 'You gave it to an outsider but you wouldn't give it to me! I am your flesh and blood.' Fingernails almost tearing through the skin of the fruit in his grip, Ethan turned his attention to his father. There was a strong sense of resentment in his words and for a moment I thought he was going to lash out.

'That was God's will.' Joseph began but was cut off.

'You don't know God's will!'

'I was trying to protect you son!' Joseph reached for Ethan's arm but paused as he lifted the apple to his lips and took a bite. A deviant expression on his face, Ethan chewed purposefully as Joseph closed his eyes in regret.

'I have a feeling this won't end well...' Lara murmured to me, pulling her gun up in preparation.

'The taste is sweet.' Ethan gave a blissful smile and pressed his palm to his father's chest. Only then did his face begin to contort, animalistic grunts escaping his lips. The veins in his neck exploded a bright red, simmering under his skin. I shuffled uneasily, carefully reaching for my bow. Joseph closed his eyes and exhaled a disappointed sigh. We both knew what happened next. Rage was replaced with fear as Ethan crumpled in on himself, coughing and spluttering in agony. He threw himself past us and ran clumsily up the hill whilst Joseph stared down at the water beneath him.

'His soul is not clean.' Placing a hand on Lara's shoulder, his blue eyes searched her face desperately. 'Stop him. Please.'

'But-'

'Please.' Joseph gently pushed her in the direction he went before gripping the back of my hood in his hand. 'You'll be staying here.' He murmured quietly as she left, casting a concerned glance over her shoulder. Relinquishing his grip, Joseph spun me round so I was facing him. He placed his now withered hands on either side of my mask, allowing the smooth white wood to sit against his skin. 'Remember. You are no longer the Lamb. You are the Judge.' I gave a quiet grunt, nodding my head ever so slightly. Joseph narrowed his eyes for a split second before letting his hands slide away from my face. 'God has told me that you will have to make a choice. A choice that could break all that you have worked so hard to achieve. Be wise Judge. Be wise.' What on Earth did he mean? Cocking my head, he pointed to the ground. 'Stay.' He commanded before turning in the direction that Lara went. Obliging, I sank to the floor and sat on a wet rock. The damp soaked through the fabric of my trousers and clung to my skin. It was cold, sending a shiver coursing through my body. My mind wandered back to Joseph's words. A choice. What choice?

***

Night had fallen once Joseph emerged, the body of his son cradled in his arms. Each step he took seemed to be ladened with great effort. He was tired. Bewildered, he lay his sons body into the crook of the tree and placed a palm on the trunk. Lara rounded the corner too and at the sight of her I got up. Though her face was blood stained she seemed in one piece.

'I thought I understood God's plan.' Joseph grieved, tugging a branch from the tree and setting it alight. 'I thought He wanted me to build a New Eden... but I am not his shepherd.' Bare feet stepping onto the cold stone, he reached up and set the tree alight. Flames danced in my lenses and my eyes grew wide. Was Joseph denouncing himself as the Father? Turning his blue gaze to Lara, he lifted a finger and pointed. 'You are.' Embers licked across the pink leaves and consumed the tree into a burning beacon of light. Apathetically dropping the torch to the ground, Joseph approached Lara slowly. 'My soul has become a cancer. I am a monster and I only spread suffering and death in the name of God. My family is all ashes.' Heartbeat quickening, I caught Joseph side-eyeing me as he spoke. He knew something rebellious stirred within me. He also knew that whilst John was alive, he was a very different man now. 'Eden is dust. There is no redemption from this. No atonement.' Reaching his skinny arm out, Joseph guided Lara's arm up to his chest. The pistol in her hand pressed to his skin and he let out a short exhale of relief at its touch. 'There's only the justice of God's hand. End this vicious cycle. Give me God's justice. Release me.' His words were less of a command and more of a desperate plea. Conflict flashed across Lara's face. Her bloodied finger hovered over the trigger and for a split second I thought she was going to do it.

'It's not my choice to make.' She finalised, flinging her arm towards me and tossing the pistol in my direction. I instinctively caught it, looking down at the cold metal against my gloves. Turning my white mask to the orange flames, I shuffled over to where Joseph stood. Chest rising and falling nervously, I rose the pistol to aim at the large tree breaching through the crown inked across his torso.

'Make the right choice Judge.' He breathed, eyes boring straight through my blacked out lenses. Running my tongue over my teeth, I wondered what the right decision was. Many years ago I'd have already shot him three times over but now... now I had no idea what to do. 'Deputy.' He whispered lightly. Nobody had called me that in a long time. The word tore straight through me and I found my index finger pressing down on the trigger before I could process the action.

WRATH.WRATH.WRATH.WRATH.

A single bullet pierced it's way through Joseph's ribcage and his eyes grew wide; not with shock but with rapture. I found myself rushing to his side, collecting his limp body into my arms. Blood trickled from the hole, sliding down and pooling in his navel. 'The Lamb has broken the final seal...' His tongue barely moved as the life drained from his eyes, final words sticking to the roof of his mouth.

WRATH.WRATH.WRATH.WRA-

The intense burning sensations prickling across my entire body stilled, fizzling away as Joseph died in my arms. A wash of guilt, sorrow and joy overwhelmed me and I burst into agonising sobs. It was over. It was finally over.