Impartial Judgement
Yup here it is. Chapter One
The story of Brooklyn Reid and Joseph Seed continues. Normal Far Cry 5 typical content. Truth be told this has been done for quite a bit buuuuuuut....anxiety.
It took one minute after she woke up to realize three things. The tips of her fingers were numb, and judging by the lines around her wrists she’d been chained up for a bit.
All of her friends and family were probably dead.
…
Joseph Seed was correct. It took one hour after she woke up for Joseph to come in. He was carrying a bowl of water, and a first aid kit. Considering the state of the world as she knew it, Joseph looked okay, his hair was still styled up, he was shirtless as per usual, and she could see a new gash that would most definitely leave a new scar to add to his myriad of marks on his damaged skin. There was also a deep purple bruise across his cheekbone making his eye swell shut.
Joseph seemed surprised she was awake, to her own surprise he didn’t say anything to her. Just walked closer, at which she tried to push herself further into the corner away from him.
Joseph stopped a little bit of a recoil himself at her hurried movement.
Brook noticed the ten crescent moon-shaped lines scraped across his shoulders and felt a small sense of pride. “I won’t hurt you.” The sound of the man’s voice seemed to break the atmosphere of tense silence that she’d been reluctant to break. Brook couldn’t help the scoff and tasted the iron in her mouth consciously for the first time and spat at his shoe. The man’s already tense expression deepened, though it held no anger. “Little too late for that? Yeah?” Brooklyn wanted her tone to be harsher, but her voice was too raspy to make anything more than a squeak. She felt pathetic, and she was certain she looked it as well. “Yes. It is.” He said matter-of-factly. Stooping in front of her, he dipped a rag into the bowl of water and as she winced he dabbed at what she now realized was a cut on her neck. “I can’t make it hurt less, I’m sorry.” “You’d want to?” She spat, a sneer on her face.
“Yes.” His calm voice made her want to punch his teeth in. Anger. It was a relief. “You fucking bastard! They’re dead because of you! You fucking monster!” Kicking her feet out suddenly and without warning., catching him on the underside of the jaw. Keening backward, he grunted in pain and hissed as blood leaked from his nose, for a moment, his eyes held nothing but contempt, but after squeezing his eyes shut and wiping at his face, smearing the blood in a thick streak across his cheek, they were hollow and impassive again, as intensely unreadable as they usually were. The cackle that escaped her mouth as he winced and groaned holding the now torn open wound on his shoulder scared her. It reminded her too much of her torturer and his brother, John. His giggle as he tore into her own chest.
The pain that striking out so violently had caused her own abdomen was nauseating and she felt the room spin.
Joseph didn’t try to start a conversation, but he did shakily move back to continue taking care of her injuries This time she didn’t move, she couldn’t. The warm water was soothing, and she only flinched a little when he moved a bit too fast. Something in his eyes seemed to catch hers for a moment and she briefly wondered if it was pity in his eyes or tears.
Either way, she didn’t like it.
Joseph poured a bit of rubbing alcohol onto a cotton swab from the kit, dabbing it gently over the wound, Brook hissing a bit at the pain but not complaining.
As the man worked above her and looking into his outrageously blue eyes, she saw a flash of Dutch’s own blue eyes staring lifelessly at her from the bunker floor and she felt bile rising in her throat again. Moving suddenly, Joseph jerked his hands away and looked prepared to try to defend himself again, but she had just tried to move away to empty the contents of her stomach.
Joseph sighed, possibly out of relief that she hadn’t decided to try to attack him again. The darkness of the bile she had upheaved caused him to visibly shudder. “....That’s..not good..” That was the only thing Brook managed to say before another wave made her shake with nausea. Willing herself to try to stop it. Only able to hold it for a few moments she upheaved. Joseph’s expression was unreadable when she looked at him but something in his eyes genuinely made her scared; but not of him, but of what was wrong with her. The man stood, “Deputy Reid, I’m going to untie you now, I want to help you, something is very very wrong, but I need you not to fight me.” His voice was far away now, and she could just weakly nod. Then she felt him fumbling with the cloth he had switched out with the uncomfortable metal cuffs, huh..she hadn’t noticed he’d done that.. Then she was being carefully lifted onto the metal-framed bed, the mattress on it was surprisingly comfortable, but that may have been because she’d been laying on concrete for a few hours. The movement made her dizzy which she had apparently exclaimed about because Joseph just responded with an “Shh, shh it’s okay.” “I hate you..” was all she could think to say, then again, “I hate you...I hate you..” Joseph laid her down, adjusting the pillow perfectly to support her neck, positioning the blanket to support her sides and legs. It was the most comfortable she’d laid in her entire life, she thought. “I hate you so much..” Then he kneeled and clasped his hands together beside her in prayer. Brook wanted to shout at him, about the uselessness of the action, about how she didn’t want to be prayed over; especially not by him, but nothing escaped her mouth. “O God, our heavenly Father, have pity on your children in great bodily weakness who are drawing near the gates of death.--”
Then he stopped, head snapping up as if in a realization, “I can save you yet, Deputy Reid.”
Springing from his step he started rummaging through the drawers of the room she was in, before pulling out a familiar bottle with a pale shimmery pearlescent liquid. “No..nono! No Joseph, please!! Let me die! But let me die with my sanity intact please!” He pried her mouth open by pushing her cheeks together before pouring some of the distinctly sugary sweet bliss extract into her mouth. “Just trust me, it’s medication.”
She spat violently covering him with the spray and tried to drag her hand to her mouth to make herself retch, but she found them clutched in Joseph’s grip.
“It’s not medicine! It’s bliss oil! You’re drugging me!”
The Prophet’s face showed no frustration, just determination. “This is the raw extract before it’s been tampered with, it can help accelerate healing and as long as it’s not mixed with another chemical, you won’t suffer the normal symptoms, just a little dizziness...I-“ he untangled the mess of beads around his wrist, the cross there dangling mockingly. She was far from Heaven here in this hole in the ground below a roaring inferno she knew still raged feet above them.
The older man clutched the cross, “Brooklyn, I would not lie to you about this.”
Brook couldn’t help it, a warbling cracked laugh escaped her mouth, “The Father liiiiees..” she managed to croak out.
Joseph grew frustrated then, his mouth gnarled in a frown. “I have never lied to you.”
It struck her. He hadn’t. Not even his Visions were lies.
Maybe he was right. Either way, what did it matter? She was going to die anyway right? So what if she goes out without pain, that’s what everybody wants right?
Closing her eyes and letting a crackling sigh out from her dry mouth, she gave a barely perceptible nod and Joseph jumped from his spot. “ The Lord has plans for you yet Deputy.”
“I’m tired of plans, I want to sleep..” she mumbled, her eyelids growing heavy.
“We called it a miracle drug for a reason Deputy, remember that.”
“Miracles don’t-..” But before she had a chance to finish her statement, the man crammed a spoonful of the disgustingly sweet viscous liquid into her mouth. Nearly gagging, she managed to swallow it. “...rude..” was all she could say in her half-delirious state.
“Miracles exist Deputy, and you will live to see them.”
The soothing effect of the raw Bliss was almost immediate. She must’ve made some sound of contentment before she succumbed to the darkness because Joseph gave a chuckle.
“Deliver my lamb to the fields of tranquility, Sister.”
