Salvation (Joseph Seed)

1. The First Sermon

One of the men was older, taller, and had scars and rashes all over his face and arms. It was very clear that he had served in the army. He wore an army jacket with "J.Seed" on it, a pair of dog tags. What really caught the Evelyn's attention was the blade strapped to his thigh, she could only wonder why he would need such a thing.

The other man seemed like the polar opposite. The younger man wore fine clothes, which Evelyn could easily guess were rather expensive. He had a pair of aviators resting on his head and his shirt was unbuttoned in such a way that his chest was on display. On his chest, Evelyn could make out some tattoos and a scar.

The woman seemed to more float by the pews rather than walk, the way she moved was just so graceful. The taller man carried himself in a way that just told everyone that he meant business. He just seemed intimidating and unapproachable. The shorter man was clearly confident, arrogant even but his smile was more than charming.

The woman and two men walked to the front of the church and took a standing position on either side of the room. Evelyn couldn't help but notice how the church goers seemed completely enthralled by the three of them. Then another man walked into the church, carrying a white book in his hands. Everyone's attention was on him and as he made his way down the pews he nodded and smiled at the crowd, greeting them with a unique charisma.

This man was about six foot, shorter than the soldier but taller than the finely dressed man, he also seemed to be aged somewhere between them both as well. His dark hair was pulled back into a small bun and he had a slightly scruffy beard. Even though he was wearing yellow aviators, Evelyn managed to catch a glimpse of his dazzling blue eyes. He definitely had a captivating presence and something about him was almost magnetic.

The man walked up to the front of the church and placed his book on the podium. He smiled before removing his glasses and placing them down carefully, turning to his flock with open arms.

"I want you all to close your eyes for a moment. I want you to think about the world outside this tent" the preacher spoke and everyone closed their eyes, everyone expect for Evelyn. She glanced around to see the people in the church doing as the preacher said without hesitation, she just wanted to know where this was going.

"And as you sit there alone in your personal darkness, can you see how sick our society has become. Can you picture disease creeping across the land. Greed, war, starvation. Because people have turned away from God and there is a hatred brewing. It's like a slow acting poison churning in our guts. So I ask you...when you think of that world, do you feel safe?" the preacher asked and his question was met with a chorus of nos. Once again Evelyn didn't join in but she found herself unable to take her eyes off of the man. The church goers opened their eyes again, their attention fully on the preacher.

"No. Something is coming. You can feel it, can't you? When you wake up in the morning and you turn on that television, you look at those news headlines and it's all fear and confusion and anger. See we are like frightened animals, just creeping towards the edge. And there will be a reckoning. And it is painful" the man's words were smooth and seemed effortless, yet held so much passion.

"I look right into your hearts and I see how much pain you have because the world out there cut you so deep...and I'm here to tell you that suffering...well, that's a choice and you can choose a better path. We love you. We want you. We accept you exactly the way you are, every single one of you. And I stand here...asking you to join us and you will find your piece with us" the preacher continued and Evelyn felt herself burning up under his gaze. It felt like he was looking straight at her, like his full attention was on her. She felt as if he was staring into her soul, seeing her pain just like he said he could. His voice was hypnotic, she felt like she could listen to it all day and never get bored of it.

"I am your Father and you are my children...and together we will march to Eden's Gate" he raised his hands and Evelyn watched in awe, looking around again when she heard the church goers applauding. The whole thing was like nothing she had ever experienced before.

Joseph stood at the front of the church like he did very often but something felt different, something in the air was different. He couldn't put his finger on it but it felt like something wonderful was about to happen. As he preached, his gaze landed on a young woman on the front row and suddenly he had all of his attention, like his words were directed at her.

She couldn't have been much older than seventeen. Her fair face was covered slightly by her dark brown hair, but he could still feel those bright green eyes watching him. She was wearing a pair of black fitted jeans and a white tee shirt with a pair of converse trainers. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap and the way that she watched him through her hair was extremely endearing. Joseph couldn't help but admire the way her wide eyes filled with awe as he spoke, the way a small smile tugged at her lips when she heard something that she related too, and the way that her cheeks turned a light shade of pink when she felt his gaze on her.

Joseph knew that he hadn't seen her before, she had to be new to the Project and he suspected that she was new to Hope County all together. Well, he had to make sure she received a real welcome. Didn't he?