Chapter 7 – Chase's Gospel - 1632

The Gospel of Greeshawn Chase – Written in September 1632

Let the truth be known that I am it’s arbiter. Let the truth be known that I am the keys to the kingdom. Let the truth be known, that when man and beast live side by side in a perfect balance, the name Greeshawn Chase will be the one to thank. I am the beginning, never the end. The alpha only, never the omega.

I have only the god of this world to thank for the knowledge I have gained, for the heathen Mahalia spat me in the face when I offered her a place in the world. With her beauty and wisdom, I could have had someone worthy to be at my side, as I was the only one worthy to be on her side. She made her bed in Seoul, and that is where I will bury her. I will throw her to Azrael, as Aaron did with his goats.

She and Jaralath Caulfield -the lesser man – taught our people so much of the forest people, and their types and kinds, but they where wrong in teaching fear. For it is fear that holds us back in life and it is fear that will be my weapon, just as fear is the weapon of the lord. Nothing holds me back.

I have led my flock on many secret expeditions, observing the family groups and “tribes” these creatures build. A kingdom among the animals, and a kingdom that will join mine. I have seen how their elders and masters rule them, it is also the strong that rules, as it should be for all things. How their families operate intrigues me; for example, the Face Eaters or Gugwe as Mahalia calls them, they will devour those who are weak in their families, especially when their masters become old; the wolf creatures have masters too, but should they prove too tyrannical, the wolves will turn against and devour their master.

In time, fear will be their master. I observe these creatures with their children. They are fairly protective of their offspring. And just as fear will be my weapon, love will be their undoing.

As I led my expeditions finding these groups was not the hard part. The hard part was finding a child of the forest stupid enough to walk off from their troop, and keep them quiet as we took them to the mines in the dead of night. We had to slit a few throats, lost several miners in our attempts, but it was worth it in the end and we collected a dozen of the little creatures varying by their type.

We kept the forest children in our pits for sometime. We fed them what they needed from our camp; arms, hands, legs, fingers, toes, eyes and feet; just about anything a man could live without. Such is the price of weakness among my disciples; if they couldn’t contribute to my mines one way, they would neither. I was waiting for something important, but as of recent events, the time of waiting has ceased.

There has come the time where I had the truth about my father to the colony. It was inevitable, but at least it will by my truth. That is all that matters.

I called a meeting upon the church, made sure my mother was there as I told them. I had my eyes on her in particular as I gave the news.

“It goes without saying that my father had such hopes and dreams for this colony. His vision and dream was to draw all men to the kingdom of God and this colony would be it’s bedrock. It is also well known, that my father’s faith was shaken the night of the expedition; that what he thought he saw that night was the demons of Hell. But I think perhaps it was my faith that kept him alive. He saw the sinners I brought with me here, and weeks ago he approached me. Perhaps I inspired him to witness to the sinners I tried to save here. He gave what he could until” I take a moment to pause. I was always one for dramatics in my sermons “It killed him.”

The silence that filled my church was shattered by a series of gasps and mutters, but it was mother I was looking at; she was silent and still. She didn’t fall into hysterics as I expected her too, instead she buried her face into her hands, as those who sat around her gave her an arm or word of comfort. Perhaps I should have told her about the pie, but now wasn’t the time.

“He had a way with words, and a passion for his work. He must have inspired far more of the lost than I, but there was one among us neither he nor I could reach her.” I could hear many of the congregation muttering to themselves in confusion. It was usually men I brought with me to the mines, and in some way, I believe they knew who I was talking about.

“The serpent of Eden. The heathen Mahalia, who would share her wicked knowledge and not share our faith. I did everything I could to reach her, as did my father. We offered her love, forgiveness, and there was a time when I could have offered her a real family.” I notice my mother look up at me. “I offer her a covenant within my family, and my mother was there as a witness of her rejection. That I could forgive, but forgiving an unresentful temptress ? That is a challenge.”

“Are you accusing her of being a witch ?” I hear one of my congregation ask.

“What else would you call her ?”

“She doesn’t cast spells or enchantments, she tells us stories.” I hear another say, and soon my church was filled with the sounds of my congregation arguing and bickering among themselves. My mother remained sober and looked up at me, a look of dejection upon her face.

“If only you knew what vile things come from that harlot!” I shout over the crowd, echoing through the air. Silence fell upon my congregation once again as I continued “But no matter how much we prayed, begged, fell upon our knees for her, the spiteful heathen refused every time. I would have been good to her; I HAVE been good to her, and she repays me with rejection. If that wasn’t enough, I have seen her everyday and every night, taking those I was trying to save and copulating with them. It was in the pits of our mines, I found my father being set upon by the horrors she birthed from her sins! “

I saw my mother slowly stand up from her bench. She still hasn’t broken into hysterics, but her eyes were watering “How long has this been happening ?”

“For a year now. For a year I have watched and prayed for her, from close and afar. And for a year father and I tried to show her the way, the truth and the-” I start before my mother interrupts me.

“You say both you and your father were trying to reach out to her for a year.”

“Do you not have ears to hear mother ?” I ask her.

“I do, I also have eyes to see. I never seen you visit your father, I never seen him leave our house in the past year, and I never seen him in the same room with Mahalia in two years. But I did hear how your father was despairing for you and his faith the past year. He only left our home weeks ago.”

My own mother, trying to shame me with a contradiction.

“I know what I saw, and I saw that girl enter and exit my mines every night.” I try to remain firm.

“Impossible, we see her every day and night with Caulfield!” I hear another one of my congregation protest. And with that my church once again became a place of unrest and arguing, as opposed to silent obedience.

My sermon was being overshadowed by those who wouldn’t believe. Very well, they would believe soon enough. I turn towards my accompanying disciples “My mother has gone mad with grief. Take her home, she is not to leave until I give my notice.”

And with that I called the church service over. I know they will accept my truth in time.

Over the next few days, I have been preparing another trip for my flock. Under the dark of night when the moon was right, I led a dozen of my men into the woods. This time, we took the children of the forest and in their time in our pits, they learned fear and obedience so they didn’t make a sound.

We walked up the edge of our lake and up the banks of one of it’s rivers. The sun has just disappeared as our journey began, and it must have been midnight by the time we reached a clearing.

We set up a fire, and lined the forest children up by size and age. We set up a small fire and brought with us tools and weapons. My orders were simple; “Make these children sing a choir, so that their parents will hear.”

And so we went to work. With our blades, hammers, spikes, chains and brands, we made these creatures sing. They sang so loud their voices echoed throughout the woods, and we worked hard to try to make sure the cuts and strikes wouldn’t kill them. Having taken the likes of murderers and former pirates into my flock, it did me good to have experts in this craft.

The lord was with us that night; I saw him standing in the tree, and heard him singing in the wind.

Day began to break, and I am proud to say only a few of these creatures died. We were to make our way back to the colony and prepare to the wrath to come

“We are to leave them here,” I gesture to the children “And we are to leave our tools here; their parents will find them and our scent with them. We still have much to do and the real work begins today.”

Testimony of Erik Müller

I honestly don’t know where to begin.

I could start with that bizarre sermon Greeshawn Chase preached to us at his fathers informal funeral. How he started preaching vile things against Mahalia. But I think it truly didn’t start until my daughter asked for a fishing trip.

It has been a few days since the announcement of Reverend Benjamin Chase’s passing. In that time, Mahalia was noted to have fled into the woods when members of Greeshawn’s followers tried to destroy her home. Around that time, Edith told me and Anya that she was getting bored of farm work, to both of our chagrin.

To be fair, the most we had her doing around the farm was carrying small bundles of straw and feeding lambs bottles of milk. So after a day or so of planning, Anya and I decided to take her fishing.

It was decided to we would stay off our lake shore, where most of the fishing activity took place. Anya reasoned there was more likely to be more fish than there was fishermen. We avoided the side of the lake that neared the mining camp; I didn’t want any of the “saved” sinners Greeshawn brought in anywhere near Edith.

So we hiked up the river and found a small clearing. It must have been about noon when we found it. Now Anya was a little more experienced than I when it comes to fishing, and she was the one who tried to teach me. I found it quite unlike hunting; all you had to do was sit around and wait, there was no chasing or challenge to go with this sport.

Not helping was that Anya caught four large river pike within an hour, and I was wishing I could just gather these fish in a barrel and put my rifle to work. We sepnt the hour talking about general things, while Edith sat a little further up the bank, playing with some flowers she was picking out. We called her down and she sat a couple yards away from us, and asked me to tell a story.

I start to tell her the tale of a great and noble knight, who fought but couldn’t kill a great evil called Unspeakable One. The story immediately scared Edith to my annoyance. “And yet when Mr. Caulfield tells the story of a man who rips off a monsters arm, you couldn’t stop gushing about it.”

“His stories aren’t boring, and his hero kills lots of monsters.” Edith giggles.

“Okay, what if I told you the brave and noble knight ripped off the unspeakable ones arm ?” I ask her.

“Did he ?” Edith asks.

Not helping was that Anya caught four large river pike within an hour, and I was wishing I could just gather these fish in a barrel and put my rifle to work. We spent the hour talking about general things, while Edith sat a little further up the bank, playing with some flowers she was picking out. We called her down and she sat a couple yards away from us, and asked me to tell a story.

“Boring.” Edith goes back to playing with the flowers and weeds.

Speaking of the devil, we caught a glimpse of Jaralath walking up the trail with Arf, carrying a hunters knife by his side. Edith calls him down and waves, and he walks up to us with a small smile on his face.

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to see you three out of this neck in the woods.” Jaralath walks up to greet us.

“Edith got bored of farm work, and we didn’t have much better to do today.”

“Something more exciting than farming ?” he says in sarcastic surprise “Little Edith, say it isn’t so!”

“Oh it’s so,” Anya says “But getting we’re pretty lucky with our catch.”

“We ?” I ask, but was ignored.

“And what brings you out here today ?” Anya asked.

Jaralath takes a moment to answer “I was looking for Mahalia, she hasn’t been seen for two days.”

“Are you gonna marry her ?” Edith asks innocently.

There was a moment of silence, safe for a beat red Jaralath stuttering and sputtering before he finally answers “Little one, you know not of which you spea-“

Jaralath is interrupted with a dismissive wave of Anya’s “Respectfully sir, bollocks. Just about everyone in our colony could see what was happening between you for the past two years. I’ve been speaking to her for as long as I knew her, and when you are brought up in any capacity, she gets a special look on her face. For the past several days, we’ve seen you two walking off together in these woods, or each others houses, or along the lake side. You are only embarrassing yourself by denying it, so stop shamming yourself and shame the devil with the truth.”

Jaralath stares at Anya with a look that combined a glare with a smile, takes a deep breath and finally answers “I’ll admit, I have some pretty strong feelings for her. What of it ? But that’s beside the point.”

“So what really brings you out here ?” I ask him.

“You should know very well Mr. Muller.” He grabs me by the arm and whispers into my ear “You and I both know very well what lives here. Which is why I ask; why did you bring your family here ?”

“Those creatures ? They never come around here. Mahalia always said they feared this land.” I answer him.

“I thought so too, but something has changed over the past week. For some time now, I’ve been having some real bad feelings.” I open my mouth to ask what he was talking about, but he must have figured out what my question was as he answers again “For days now, I could smell and hear things I shouldn’t. Felt hungrier than usual. Last night, Arf and I heard noises coming from these woods.”

“We hear those noises coming from the woods all the time.” I try to reason with him.

“Not this close we haven’t.” He shakes his head “Whatever it is has Arf spooked. You and I both know very well that these creatures are capable of, and these noises didn’t sound too far off from here. And I’m not sure if you can smell it, but the scent became stronger as I walked up this river, so why in the world would you bring your family here ?”

Before I could answer, a shrill shriek could be heard and we turned to see Anya shielding Edith as she carried her away from the bank. On the bank itself, we saw something red crawling on the mud. It was the size of a small child, but it’s appearance, shape and movement was that of an infant that just learned to crawl. It was disfigured in it’s face, and I could not tell if it was its natural features, or inflicted by cuts and bruises that covered it’s body. It had light brownish red skin, had patches of red fur all over it’s body, and two small teeth emerging from it’s lower lip.

There was no mistaken, if one of the giant creatures that killed my father itself had a child, this would be it.

As Anya cautiously led Edith away from the sight and covered her eyes, Jaralath and I stood motionless as we stared at this infant. As it looked and tried to crawl towards us, a second noise was heard. It sounded like a high pitched howl, and we saw something else staggering up the river bank.

It was also the size of a small child, but was walking up right, if only barely. If I had to estimate, it would be the age of a child that began to walk and talk properly. It had both hand of it’s hip, and was covered in so much disfiguring cuts and bruises, we couldn’t tell if it was one of the wolf people that Jaralath spoke of, or the gugwe creatures Mahalia spoke of. It appeared to be trying to catch up to the infant creature, both of them making whimpering noises as they made their way towards us.

We noticed the infant creature just a yard away from us as it reached forward towards us, breathing and wheezing. Neither Jaralath nor I knew what to do, and I stood there in mortified silence for a moment. When I finally found it in me to crouch, the creature collapse into the mud and stopped breathing.

Our attention was back to the other creature, still staggering towards us. Jaralath was the one to make his move, and then gently laid the creature down into the mud with a shush. That’s when we noticed it had a dagger sticking out of it’s hip. Jaralath seemed to hesitate before he pulled the dagger from it’s hip, whereupon it let out another loud shriek that echoed through the woods around us. With another hushing sound, Jaralath plunges the dagger into the creature’s heart.

When it finally laid still, Jaralath removed the dagger and inhaled deeply “This blade, it stinks of the mining camp.”

Before we could do or say anything else, we heard those noises from the woods surrounding us, and in a short distance, tree trops where brushing together. Jaralath turns to me and says “You get your family out of here! If you have any sense, you will take your family to the colony and not stop running!”

“What about you ?” I ask him.

“If they are hunting me, they won’t be occupied with you. This isn’t the first time I had to outrun or outsmart these creatures, it’s unlikely to be the last.” he pushes me away.

As he ran into the trees, I turn to my wife and child, took their hands and ran to the colony as fast as I could carry them. Time was like a blur, I couldn’t tell how long we were running or how much time passed us before we reached the colony. But the forest was echoing with howls the sounded like cries of rage and grief.

When we reached the colony, we immediately took to our house and began to gather supplies. We were to leave this village behind and never look back. But before I could finish picking up our supplies, we heard the sound of creatures howling and our people screaming just at the end of our village.

There must have been six giants, but the other creatures where such a blur that I couldn’t count their numbers. Nor did we have the time too. Without thinking, I took Anya and Edith into out farm, and into our cellar. We felt the wind beginning to pick up, and I could almost hear a whisper in it, and we could see smoke forming in our village as I closed the doors.

I couldn’t tell the time we spent in the cellar. I couldn’t tell minutes from hours, as Anya and I tried to keep Edith quiet, but there was nothing that could silence what was happening outside. The roaring, screaming, shouting and fighting, that is when I heard the barn door break open, and large footsteps moving above us. At this point, the loudest thing I could hear was Edith crying.

God in Heaven, I was feeling around for my blade. God in Heaven forgive me, I wished I could end it, so as she would not suffer from the beasts at our door. God in Heaven as my witness, I banished the thought, as a new feeling filled me; my Edith will not meet her end in this cellar.

I open the cellar’s door, ready to face whatever awaits. Whatever it was took to give Anya and Edith a fighting chance. What I saw looking down at me was one of the beasts. It resembled a man covered in fur, but it’s fur was covered in something else; looking back, it was dry mud, sap, rocks and tree bark, like some twisted armour. My previous determination faltered and it grabbed hold of one of arms, roars in my face. My blade was in my other hand, and I swung it towards the beasts eye. It threw me towards the door in it’s fury.

I couldn’t stand or move as I saw it looking down at Anya and Edith. Anya wasn’t one to back down in a confrontation, and this was no exception. She stood between Edith and the beast, and a pitchfork in hand. Anya lunges forward, sticking the spikes into the creature’s chest. It appeared that they only got stuck in it’s armour as the beast took the pitch forks handle and broke it in half before shoving her to the wall behind her.

The armoured beast look down towards Edith. She was silent as she stood there unmoving. The creature reached down and grabbed her by the hair and lifted her towards it’s mouth, and that’s all it took for me to find my legging and energy. With my blade in hand, I jump up onto the creatures back and grab hold of it’s neck, doing my damndest to stab it through it’s armour.

I must have done something right, as I was able to stick my knife through it’s shoulder, and it released Edith, and began to shake me off. As Edith ran to her mother, the beast was swinging, rolling and trying to slam me onto the wall, but I held on tight as I dug deeper and deeper into the beast’s shoulder. That is when someone else entered the room, and like a bolt of lighting, something else was slicing into the creatures arm.

The beast’s arm quickly dropped to the floor, and as it dropped to it’s knees, I fell off it’s back. None other than Jaralath Caulfield wiping blood for a blade of his own. He was a little more pale than usual, and covered in blood, but I didn’t pay it heed at the time as he picked up it’s arm, and began to use it to strike the roaring and staggering creature’s head.

Eventually, the armour covering the creature’s head broke, leaving a balding head exposed and it collapsed near Edith and Anya. Anya took the broken pitch fork, and brought the spikes down on the beasts head. It fell still and silent.

After a moment of catching our breath Jaralath broke the silence “Is everyone alright ?” We didn’t answer, but I guess that was enough for him “You’re all alive, that’s what matters. There’s a massacre in the village. We’ve got to get you out of this colony, as soon as possible.”

“That won’t be necessary, the situation is well under control.” We hear a voice and turn to see four men standing at the barn door entrance. One of them spoke as it looked to the dead creature on the floor “A genoswka ? Those aren’t easy to kill.” I recognized these men as some of the miners Greeshawn had working for him. They too where covered in blood, and their clothes reduced to rags. “Minister Chase requests your presence in the village square.”

The four of them took the four of us from the farm and towards our village. Along the way, the bodies were in the dozens. I couldn’t tell what disturbed me more; the half eaten remains of men, women and children that we lived among, attended church with, whom Edith could have called her friends; or the bodies of the creatures ? These beasts represented undisputed terror to our people, and the source of many of our nightmares. And yet here they where, beaten, bloody and broken. Only some of them where dead, the lot of them had broken limbs, licking their wounds, and unmoving. Even the giants where a mess.

On the way to the village square, I was told how Greeshawn led his followers from the mines in the colonies defence. They fought with the ferocity of wild animals. Most were using their weapons. Greeshawn was noted to be using a cutlass before it was broken, at which point he began fighting with strength and teeth. I wish I could be surprised, but it brought to me memories of the bear incident when we were boys. By all accounts, he went for the giants first.

Anya and I did our best to cover Edith’s eyes.

When we reached the square, we saw four of these creatures lined up. One from a different kind. They looked older and stronger than the others, just as Mahalia describes these creatures leaders. They were bound by their wrists and ankles, but the giant laid there with broken knees and shoulders. Greeshawn was there, pacing back and forth, shirtless and staring over the gathering crowd.

“Did I not tell you, the wrath of our lord was at our door ? Did I not tell you, that we have fallen from our grace ? We let a snake in our garden, and these, the creatures she birthed.” He addresses the crowed.

As he said this, he turns his attention to one of the bound beasts; the armoured one or genoskwa as they are called. He brought his hands to it’s head and buried his thumbs into its eyes. As he pressed harder, the beast screamed louder and louder, before we heard a sickening crunch, and it collapse to the ground.

“But I am a man of mercy. And these creatures, are part of the creation, and thus a part of his plan and vision. It is his will and mine, that we are to live among them not as something to fear, but as equals; brothers and sisters under the same sun and moon. They have fallen for the will of unworthy leaders, and thus it is with my strong and guiding hand I will show them the true way to live.” With that, Greeshawn reached to the jaws of the wolf creature, and began to pull them open. He pulled harder, and harder until its jaws ripped apart.

“It’ll take time, and work but what kingdom is not built on blood ?” Greeshawn asks as he takes one of the face eater creatures; or gugwe’s was they are called; forces it to the ground and begins to stomp it’s head, until it is reduced to a mess. “We can build the kingdom of God here, but there remains a snake in the grass. We are to hunt the snake, burn the garden and build it anew if we have too.”

Finally, Greeshawn turns his attention to the elder giant. At it’s side was a weapon; a tree branch carved into a club or spear like tool. It had to have been so big that it would take two or three men to carry. So of course, Greeshawn picks it up with ease.

“With years of patience,” he starts as he strikes the giant with the blunt end, causing the giant to bellow “and careful planning,” another strike “Years of care and prayer, that is simply why I’ll lead this colony as the bedrock of a new world. Feared ? Perhaps. Honored ? Certainly. Revered ? Inevitably.” he strikes the giant again, before lifting the sharp end above his head, and brings it down through the giant’s chest.

“Yes, let my word and will be know. Thus saith the lord.”

And so with the blood of their brothers and sisters soaking the ground, our colony now sees the truth according to Greeshawn Chase. He is to lead us into a new world, uniting man and beast , that he is the one who carries the spirit of God.

What he says is gospel. Why doesn’t it feel like good news ?

A Letter by Jaralath Caulfield

I want to be clear here, that am not doing this out of my own free will. In fact, I question if my will is even free at this point.

I don’t know where to start, so I’ll go with the fact the monsters that have plagued my nightmares for years had slaughtered dozens of people in the colony just yesterday. That Greeshawn Chase, and his “flock” were the ones to swoop in and save the village, using animalistic tactics that rivaled that of the monsters.

The wind was strong that day, and with it I could hear it’s whispers and see that dark shape in the trees, and as sure as the sun shines these creatures where afraid. And then they where afraid of Chase, and Chase declared himself their new master. His first order of business was to take the wounded among the creatures, and order our doctors and physicians to heal them. He also didn’t bother arranging a funeral for those of the colony we lost.

“Our newest residents need to eat to get their strength back.” He says.

As the sun was setting, the “good minister” had requested my presence in his church. And by “requested” I mean he had his goons drag me before him to his altar. Chase stood there, calmly smiling to himself as he washed blood from his hands and wore an extravagant white robe.

“Do you know what this means ? It means the kingdom of god is at hand. It means that I am in fact, the way, the truth and the key to life.” He turns to me “The spirit of this land has chosen me, and unfortunately, you.”

“And what exactly does he want with me ? What do you want with me ?” I ask, trying to show strength, but I was too tired and winded “You really think that your doing that lord your father has been telling you about a service ?”

“Better.” Chase nods “You’ve read the stories, you know Arcadia. What the real Arcadia is ? A perfect union between man and beast in the kingdom to come. Our colony will be the bedrock of this kingdom.”

I read enough to know the stink of a tyrant. “And you as it’s king.”

“I am only trying to follow the example of King Lycaon; he was the ruler of Arcadia himself. Personally, I wanted to kill you for some time boy.” He turns towards me “But the spirit has a plan for all of us and sees something in you. It appears my new duty is to save you.”

“You think you can save me ? From what ? What gives you that idea ?”

He walks around me in circles, his calm smile and voice never faltering “You and I both want to find something. We both want to find the heathen girl Mahalia.”

Mahalia. I knew what this was about. I spent all of today and yesterday seeking her out. It was part of the reason I was in the forest yesterday. I last heard from her when she walked into the woods, as men who followed Chase wrecked her house, calling her things you shouldn’t call a women.

I have also heard those things that Chase has been saying about her for the past few days. I know for a fact Chase is a lying bastard. All those days he’s been saying Mahalia was playing with his boys in his camp, I was with her in her house, in my house, and our special little pool.

Chase interrupts my chain of thought “You can strike me, but that will only result in your death, and that’s something I don’t want. I want to help you help me. And if you were to die, well that only leaves me and my flock to seek her out. Call it a little game, whoever finds her decides her fate.”

“This is more than about a girl, isn’t it ?” I ask him.

“This is about spreading God’s kingdom across this land. We are to bring Arcadia to every forest, valley, and mountain. To every river and lake. Every village and colony, to the tiniest farmstead, we cannot suffer a witch to live.” He answers me.

It would be funny if it wasn’t pathetic and I let him know it “You call her a witch ? Why’s that ? Because she doesn’t follow you ? Because she knew more of these creatures than you did ? Or she didn’t fall to your feet and give herself to you ?”

Chase’s smile finally falters as I felt something strike the back of my head. Two of his goons held me two my knees as I saw a third walk up to Greeshawn, and hand him a burning branding iron with a cross at the very end.

“For the life of me boy, I don’t know what she sees in you. You’re hardly a man, you have no wealth, nor power. I would have been kinder than Christ to her. But the spirit of this land sees something else in you boy. Something that amuses him. So I take it as my sacred duty to bring that darkness to light, and so I baptize you in his name.” He says once again and presses the brand to my forehead.

I’ve burnt myself on a few campfires in my youth, but that was nothing compared to this. I must have been splintering and stinging something fierce. I found myself shouting things you shouldn’t in a church. After a moment of thee, the brand releases me and I drop to the ground. It took about a moment of ringing in my ears before I could hear Chase speak again.

“Rest easy, you need to build your strength up. We have a lot of planning tomorrow. We will find the real Arcadia, and we will find our little heathen friend. Just let her know who you truly belong too if or when you find her.” He pulls my face towards his “Go forth Caulfield, and sin no more.”

With that, his goons grabbed hold of my arms and dragged me to the churches doorway, and threw me to the mud. So that’s how we all got into this mess, and now I question, how do we get out ?