Work Text:
Rook long ago had come to the realization that something wasn’t… right about Joseph Seed.
Rook met him before they started as a Sheriff's deputy. Hell, everyone had heard about the crazy preacher man. He made himself known in any public event- always wanting to push his face forward with his family. It was all children of the corn type stuff- too nice. Too friendly in a way that came across, ironically, as aggressive. It was… weird.
...Now they were here. Now Rook had killed the only family Joseph had, and was dealing with the fallout of that decision. Killing didn’t come naturally to Rook, but everything could be pushed, they guessed.
Rook had killed Jacob last night, and the next morning Joseph had a broadcast. He was calling out Rook and asking, no - begging - for them to come to his compound. Finish what the deputy had started. Finish snuffing out the last of the Seeds. That part wasn’t said, but it was implied. At least, that’s what Rook thought it meant.
The broadcast said to come the next night, to come alone.
When Rook arrived, it was alone… after they told all of their friends not to worry when they saw that Joseph’s entire compound was empty. It never was empty. So, Rook sent them away and proceeded forward alone .
Walking up to the church made Rook’s heart start to race, and it wasn’t hard to remember not so long ago when they’d walked this same path with such a simple plan, one that could not have gone more wrong.
It’s funny how times change.
The door creaked when they opened it. The only light illuminating him came from the many candles lit around the area, so the light was dim and they had to strain in order to be able to make out anything. The church was empty of all people, save for Joseph who was sitting in a pew at the end of the long aisle. There was dust in the air, and it made it slightly hard to breathe as they made it to him.
“Have you finally come to try and kill me, Deputy?” The voice was loud, and booming as it echoed off the church walls. It was so loud that it caused them to jump at the unexpectedness of it all. The word try was a bit worrying, but Rook didn’t dwell on it.
As Rook got closer, they recognized the fact that Joseph’s hair was unkempt. He was shirtless, and when he looked up at Rook they could see the circles under his eyes. He looked exhausted.
Rook, much in their manner, didn’t respond. Instead, they sat down next to Joseph and let him make whatever assumptions he wanted.
Joseph turned his face to follow as Rook took up the space behind him. There were red rings under Joseph’s eyes, like he had been crying, and Rook felt slightly bad just slightly. Then he spoke, and Rook didn’t feel bad anymore. “You took everything from me, Rook.” He said, his words being spoken with complete spite. It wasn’t often that Rook heard that tone from a preacher.
Rook tilted their head, but again, didn't speak. Rook wouldn't offer Joseph ammo for his inevitable personal attacks on Rook, Joseph would be able to come up with enough on his own.
“You just killed and killed and killed and didn’t care who you were hurting.” Joseph said, bitterly, and it was punctuated with the racking of a sob, deep in his chest. Joseph curled in on himself, and he looked… so small at that moment.
Joseph wasn’t fighting Rook like his siblings had so foolishly done, Joseph was just… so childlike in that moment. So... broken. So much the opposite of everything that Rook had seen previously, this surely couldn’t be the man that had spoken to the masses, convinced people to kill for him, to die for him? Joseph, in that moment to Rook, wasn’t Joseph. Not the one they’d learned about, at least.
...Rook couldn’t help it, they reached a hand out gingerly, and placed it upon Joseph’s shoulder.
Joseph looked, slowly up at them, and it was with those wide, red ringed eyes. “Did you come alone, like I asked, Rook?” He questions, the words coming out little more than a warble.
Rook nodded, furrowing their eyebrows together. What did Joseph want? Was it a confession he wanted? A chance to talk all of this out? Perhaps he wanted to surrender after so many years of being on the run from the police.
It all went fast, after that. Rook was wrong on all accounts.
Rook felt themselves being picked up and thrown across the room, into the grand painting of Joseph and his family, and the firm wooden wall caused the breath to be knocked out of them. There was a quiet crack in either Rook's back or the wall- and it hurt to move.
Smoke filled the room from the ground up quickly, and it felt so hard to breathe all of a sudden. It hurt to breathe in the smoke. It burnt their lungs, not entirely in a way that meant heat, either. It burnt in the way that a lime burns your tongue, it was like acid was eating away at their lungs.
The feeling of it made them want to collapse to the ground like they’d been taught to do in the event of a fire and start scrambling for the exit, but the pain felt like it would also keep them from doing any of that. Was this how they would die? After surviving so much, they would die in Joseph’s church? Surrounded by smoke that was coming from seemingly nowhere?
When the smoke finally cleared after a moment, Rook felt their breath get caught in their throat out of shock before they could take a full breath of fresh air.
Joseph was standing, at full stature in front of Rook. Joseph’s hair was no longer unkempt- it was back to it’s full glory of neatness… but that wasn’t the thing Rook was focusing on the most, no. There were horns coming from Joseph’s head- long and curved.
… What the hell?
If Rook spoke, they’re positive they’d be halfway through some sort of string of confused expletives, and it was only Joseph’s startling laugh that broke them out of their stupor.
“You really are so foolish, Deputy.” He said, stepping closer to Rook. His hand reached out, and caressed Rook’s face. "You truly have come here alone.”
Rook felt themselves flinch back in reaction before they could help themselves. There was something about the way he moved- it was with the certainty that he previously hadn't had before… or, he hadn't shown before. This wasn’t the same man Rook had just consoled, nor was it the same one that had spoken to Rook about their God given purpose.
Joseph let out a quiet dark chuckle and it caused the hairs on the back of their neck to stand up. When Joseph spoke it was contemplative, and it felt almost like a winner doing a victory lap on a race track. "You know, when I took over Jerome's congregation and made it my own, I thought that I would be found out.” He said, and he allowed his eyes to turn black.
Joseph’s smile grew. “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and appear to perform ‘great’ signs and wonders so as to lead astray, if possible, God’s own people. He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction.” He says, and tilts his head, his smirk evident on his face. “I’ve been warned about for so long, Deputy.” He spoke lowly. “The real Joseph was convinced by it. It’s okay to say you were tricked too, if even Joseph Seed could fall for it, well… ”
The words made Rook’s heart speed up, and they felt like if they could move they’d be running away. Something told Rook that they needed to get away, they need to-
“I have a feeling you know what I am.” Joseph tilted his head, and his eyes narrowed at Rook. “You have known what I am subconsciously from the beginning, of course, but now I think you really know.” Joseph moved his face closer, and Rook did their best to move their head away from him, but to no avail. Joseph’s breath was hot against their ear, and his voice was whispered. “He will set out in a tremendous rage to destroy and wipe out many.” Joseph snickered at Rook’s ear, and he pulled back to look at Rook once again in the eyes. “What am I, Rook?”
When Rook was still a child, they’d learned all about the end of the word, they were taught it in some regard almost every Sunday in church. It would be heralded by the Antichrist . A figure that would bring upon chaos itself.
Rook’s mouth didn’t do much but they could feel themselves involuntarily shaking. This was a lot to take in, especially all at once.
“You heard me mentioning Jacob, John, Faith were all seals… didn’t you ever stop to think why I would allow for something like that to happen?” Joseph stood back now, and was pacing in front of Rook. “One after another, outposts fell- putting you closer and closer to winning.” As he spoke, his voice took on an edge to it that it previously hadn’t held before. Smugness. “I have thousands of men, do you really think that one little soldier could take down all of that?” He said, and now that he was saying it, it did make sense. “You fell right into my plan, Rook. They all did… But especially you . I couldn’t have done it without you, honestly.”
Rook felt their blood run cold.
Joseph’s grin grew predatory, and he stopped his pacing to meet their eyes again. “A Rook became nothing more than a pawn… but that’s okay, I have plans for you yet.”
Then everything went black.