"Ahh, Maxwell, My brother has taken a liking to you, I have no idea why, but he said you're special. As much as I would love to take you're Confession, but alas, today my job is only to mark you"
The cart made a screeching sounds as it was pulled he aimed a light twords Max, blinding him for a moment.
John walked forward and removed Max's T-shirt and jacket revealing his tattoos
A large cross with wings behind it, taking up the right corner of his chest.
John grabbed a metal bowl, filled with what Max assumed was rubbing alcohol.
John grabbed a sponge and soaked it in the bowl, he picked it up and cleaned off a spot under Max's collarbone, the alcohol burned his nose and eyes, forcing him to cough
"Normally I'd give you some bliss to stop you from moving, but it looks like you had enough already" John walked back towards the cart picking up the tattoo gun clicking it on for a moment
"This is going to be... enlightening for you"
Hope's POV
John sauntered around the room, he was more confident than before, he didn't seem like the broken man I knew, he was back to his old self in these moments. He tried to display himself as the image of success, but I could see right through it,
John walked over to the man in the chair, Max I'm guessing is his name, John tied Max's arms to the metal chair, before clicking on the tattoo gun.
He pushed Max back into the chair and started marking him. John smiled as Max let out grunts of pain, he smiled, this wasn't the John I knew, this was the 'Baptist'
I have been hearing about
John just happened to glance up at me as he was carving, and I could see his stance change, his eyes went soft for a moment before he shook his head and went back to tattooing.
3rd
John cleaned up the tattoo before tutting his tounge
"Perfect, welcome to Eden's Gate, brother" John let out a slight chuckle as he cleaned up the area,
"I'm not sure what my brother has planned for you, but does he ever have plans."
"He said that the voice spoke to him again" Max struggled to speak, between the withdrawal and bliss his was out of it
"He said I'm going to be important"
"Well, if the Voice did speak to him again, then you must be important" John sounded envious, Hope thought it was kind of cute to see him flustered
Joseph came through the doors, walking over to Max, glaring up at his brother
"I'm going to cut the ropes, don't make me regret it" Joseph cut the ropes and helped Max stand.
Max looked around the room, turning around to see Hope starring at him
Once he returned facing twords John and his brother, he noticed Joseph staring at him, Joseph walked over and put his hand on Max's shoulder forcing him to turn around, Joseph was scanning the large tattoo of a sun on Max's back. Letting Max turn around he stayed silent before heading twords the door
"Take him to Jacobs, he still needs to undergo training" Joseph said as he left
John pulled up his radio
"Carmen, we need you up at the bunker, our latest sinner has confessed and needs to be taken to Jacobs, I'm tasking you with his delivery, don't fail me"
John moved the radio back down. He then called in a couple of guards to take Max upstairs and keep watch, John sighed as he continued to clean the area
"He seemed in pain, hope he does okay"
"Pain is temporarily, the gift Ive given him lasts a lifetime"
"Are you back to yourself?" Hope was cautious
"This is me, Hope." John replied without turning around "This is who I am to everyone, everyone but you, you promised to accept this part"
Hope walked over to him, putting her arm on his shoulder pulling him to turn around,
John's eyes locked with hers "I do accept that, it's just hard seeing you like this" she pulled John into a kiss, holding him close
They had to force themselves away from each other, going back to cleaning the room, hope walked over to the tattoo gun, something about it drew her in. She picked it up and it seemed to fit her hand, it felt right as she held it. She clicked it for a moment, before John walked over
"I could show you how to use it, looks like you already know how to hold it"
Some memories came back to Hope, she vaguely remembers tattooing herself
She remembers being an apprentice and gaining her license
'Go too deep and the tattoo will bleed, to light and it won't stay" her teacher constantly reminded her
"I think I was a tattoo artist." Hope spoke, louder than she meant, she was excited to be remembering anything
"I-I know I was a tattoo artist"
"You're remembering?" John smiled
"Not much, but I remembered that" She switched the needle on the gun, connecting the ink, she clicked it on. "can I?" She asked, gesturing to her arm, she was going to tattoo something,
"Go ahead, what are you going to write?"
"I'm not sure" she paused for a moment "I'll write YES"
"Are you sure? I'm not opposing, I just want you to be sure"
"Think of it as my way of showing you that I'm yours."
She pressed the needle into her skin, carving out the Yes along her arm. She wiped it off and showed John, he pulled her arm up and kissed it,
"It's perfect"
John's radio went off, they needed some guidance above ground, he looked to Hope and took a deep breath
"There he is, There's the Baptist" she wasn't disgusted or fearful like most were, she seemed to be interested in this part of him
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Carmen pulled into the bunker, she stepped out and walked over to the guards,
"John said there was a Marked I needed to take?"
The guards unlocked a storage shed and pulled out a man, at first sight Carmen was attracted to him, she shook the thoughts away and took his shoulder, she pushed him into the seat and drove back
The bliss had just about worn off of Max, he was able to think clearly for moment, he wasn't craving the bottle like he normally would be, maybe they were onto something with that bliss.
Carmen tried to act like she wasn't a distracted driver, but he seemed to be magnetic. She finally decided to speak,
"I saw you at yesterdays baptism no?
Pulling Max from his thoughts
"I think so. How'd you get mixed up in all this?"
"Been with then since the beginning, found them as I was wondering from town to town, after my best friend and I had our falling out I came here"
"Just interesting to see how someone as smart and pretty as you would get caught up in a cult" Max replied he felt as if Carmen was a drug, he couldn't stop staring
His comment made Carmen blush for a moment.
"I wouldn't say we're a cult, sure things have changed..." She stopped speaking looking over to Max, she could feel her face heat up just by looking at him,
Max and Carmen leaned twords each other meeting each others lips. Max pulled himself away, she was the enemy after all.
"I know this is bad timing, but I need you to take me to falls end... I don't know why but I trust you" Max stared into her eyes,
"Max, I can't do that! We don't control the town anymore, that Deputy made sure of it!"
"I need to go there, please"
"I never failed a mission, I don't plan on it"
"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important to me, I can't survive Jacob's culling, and you know that, I know that" he was lying, He knew he could make it out, but he wanted to check on his father, and try to explain the whole situation to him
"Fine, you're going to need to hit me."
"W-what? No."
"It has to look like you put up some sort of fight"
she pulled out knife and grabbed the blade with her hand, causing it to bleed
"What the fuck are you doing? You have any idea how many nerve endings there are in your palm" he instantly went into guard mode, taking care her
"I had to make it seem like I had to defend myself, this seemed like the easiest way to do so"
Max ripped some fabric off of his pants
Wrapping it around her hand
"You're fucking crazy" he laughed to himself
"Good because if I wasn't this probably wouldn't work"
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Alright guys another chapter down, romance is brewing in the air UwU