Just a note here I am accepting work requests and if you want to do art for my stories just ask me and I'll say whether you can do it or not.
Above the Pines
The rotors cut through the sky like a blade through silk, steady and loud, but not loud enough to drown out the tension in the cabin.
Naruto sat near the door, one boot braced against the floor, the other tapping a slow rhythm against the metal. Not nerves—habit. Muscle memory from years of insertions, extractions, and everything in between. He wasn't wearing a uniform anymore, but the posture never left him.
The others talked. Sheriff Whitehorse, calm but coiled. Deputy Hudson, trying to sound braver than she felt. Burke, the U.S. Marshal, all federal swagger and clipped confidence. The rookie sat silent, eyes wide. Naruto didn't blame him.
He kept his gaze out the window. Below, Hope County stretched like a painting—pine forests, winding rivers, and the occasional glint of a farmhouse roof. Beautiful country. The kind of place people came to disappear. Or to build something dangerous.
The cult's compound came into view, nestled in the valley like a wound that hadn't healed right. White buildings. A chapel. People in white robes moving like ants. And at the center of it all—Joseph Seed.
The Father.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. He'd read the files. Watched the footage. Listened to the sermons. Joseph wasn't a madman. He was worse. He was a man who believed every word he said.
And belief—that was the most dangerous weapon of all.
The pilot's voice crackled through the headset. "Coming up on the compound. ETA two minutes."
Naruto rolled his shoulders. The weight of the sidearm at his hip was familiar. Comforting. But he wasn't here to shoot anyone. Not yet.
He glanced across the cabin at Burke, who was checking his warrant for the fifth time.
"You sure about this?" Naruto asked, voice low.
Burke didn't look up. "We've got the paperwork. We go in, we read him his rights, we walk him out. Clean."
Naruto didn't answer. He just looked back out the window.
Nothing about this was going to be clean.
---
The helicopter banked slightly, descending toward the clearing just outside the compound. The trees gave way to a wide gravel lot, where a handful of cultists stood waiting—calm, still, hands folded in front of them like they were welcoming guests to a sermon.
Naruto's fingers twitched near his thigh. Not nerves. Instinct. He scanned their faces. No weapons visible, but that didn't mean anything. The most dangerous people rarely needed to show their teeth.
The skids touched down with a soft jolt. The moment the rotors began to slow, Sheriff Whitehorse stood and adjusted his belt.
"Let's keep this civil," he said, mostly to Burke.
The Marshal gave a tight nod and stepped out first, warrant in hand. Hudson followed, then the rookie. Naruto was last, his boots crunching against the gravel as he stepped into the thick Montana air. It smelled like pine, dust, and something faintly sweet—like flowers left too long in the sun.
They walked in a slow line toward the chapel. Cultists lined the path, silent, watching. Their eyes followed every step. No fear. No anger. Just… devotion.
Naruto hated that look.
The chapel doors opened before they reached them. Joseph Seed stood in the doorway, arms outstretched like a man greeting old friends. He wore white, barefoot, his beard trimmed, his eyes calm.
"Welcome," he said, voice smooth as river stone. "You've finally come to take me home."
Burke stepped forward, voice firm. "Joseph Seed, I'm placing you under arrest for unlawful confinement, kidnapping, and inciting violence against federal officers."
He read the rest of the warrant, but Naruto wasn't listening. He was watching Joseph. Watching the way he didn't flinch. Didn't blink. Just smiled.
"You're making a mistake," Joseph said softly. "God will not let you take me."
Burke stepped forward and cuffed him.
And still, Joseph smiled.
The cuffs clicked shut around Joseph's wrists, and for a moment, the world held its breath.
No resistance. No outburst. Just that same serene smile.
Naruto didn't relax. He didn't believe in easy victories.
They walked him back to the helicopter in silence. The cultists didn't move. Didn't speak. Just watched, their expressions unreadable. As if they knew something the others didn't.
Naruto kept his hand near his sidearm the entire way.
Joseph climbed into the chopper without a word. Burke followed, then Hudson and the rookie. Naruto was last again, eyes sweeping the treeline one final time before stepping inside.
The rotors spun up. The ground fell away.
And then Joseph spoke.
"I told you," he said, voice barely audible over the engine. "God won't let you take me."
The radio crackled. Static. Then a voice—panicked, garbled.
"—down! We're going down!"
Naruto's head snapped toward the cockpit. The pilot was fighting the controls, eyes wide with confusion. The altimeter spun. The engine screamed.
Then—
Impact.
The world flipped. Metal shrieked. Glass shattered. The sky became the ground and the ground became fire.
Naruto's shoulder slammed into the cabin wall. Something hot and sharp tore across his brow. He tasted blood. Heard screaming. Smelled fuel.
Then—
Silence.
---
Smoke curled through the shattered cockpit like a ghost, thick and acrid. Something dripped—fuel or blood, Naruto couldn't tell. His ears rang, a high, piercing whine that dulled the world to a muffled throb.
He opened his eyes.
Everything was sideways.
The harness bit into his chest as he hung upside down, swaying slightly in the wreckage. His head throbbed. Blood trickled into his eye. He blinked it away and reached up, fingers fumbling with the buckle.
It released with a metallic click, and he dropped hard onto the ceiling—now the floor. The impact knocked the wind from his lungs, but he rolled to his knees, coughing.
The first thing he saw was the rookie deputy.
Still strapped in. Still hanging.
Naruto crawled over, ignoring the sharp protest of his ribs. He reached up, gripped the deputy's shoulder.
"Hey," he rasped. "Come on. Wake up."
No response.
He pressed two fingers to the deputy's neck.
Nothing.
No pulse. No breath. Just stillness.
Naruto exhaled slowly, jaw tight. He reached up and gently closed the deputy's eyes.
One down.
He turned toward the other side of the cabin—just in time to see movement through the broken frame of the door. Figures in white. Robes. Rifles slung across their backs. Cultists.
They were dragging someone away.
Hudson.
She was limp in their arms, blood streaking down her temple. One of them looked back toward the wreckage, eyes scanning the shadows.
Naruto dropped flat, heart pounding. No weapon. No backup. No time.
He waited, breath shallow, until the footsteps faded into the trees.
Then he moved.
---
The forest swallowed the wreckage behind him, but the smoke still clung to his clothes, a bitter reminder of how fast everything had gone to hell.
Naruto moved low through the underbrush, every step calculated, every breath measured. The woods were alive with voices—cultists calling out, searching. They weren't panicked. They were organized. Like they'd been waiting for this.
He kept to the shadows, slipping between trees like a ghost. His head still rang from the crash, but his instincts were sharper than ever. He didn't know where the Marshal or the Sheriff had gone. Hudson was gone. The rookie was dead.
That left him.
And Burke.
He found the Marshal slumped against a tree not far from the crash site, one arm cradling his ribs, the other smeared with blood. His badge was gone. So was his gun.
"Jesus," Burke muttered when he saw him. "You're alive."
Naruto crouched beside him, eyes scanning the treeline. "Barely. Can you move?"
Burke nodded, but it was a lie. He gritted his teeth and pushed himself up with Naruto's help, groaning with every step.
"They took Hudson," Naruto said quietly. "Dragged her out before I could get to her."
Burke didn't respond. Just clenched his jaw and kept moving.
They followed the river, keeping low. The cult was everywhere—patrolling the roads, sweeping the woods with flashlights and dogs. But Naruto knew how to move unseen. He kept them off the trails, through the thickest brush, until the trees opened up to a narrow bridge spanning a rocky gorge.
Freedom was on the other side.
So were two cultists.
They stood at the far end of the bridge, rifles slung, talking quietly. A truck idled nearby, headlights casting long shadows across the planks.
Naruto scanned the area. No weapons. No cover. Just the bridge.
"We run," he said.
Burke looked at him like he was insane. "They'll see us."
"They'll see us either way. Better to move while they're not looking."
Burke hesitated. Then nodded.
They ran.
The cultists shouted. One raised his rifle.
Naruto didn't stop. He grabbed Burke by the arm and hauled him forward, boots pounding against the wood.
Then—
Boom.
The bridge erupted behind them, a flash of fire and splinters. The blast threw them forward. Naruto hit the ground hard, rolled, and came up gasping.
Burke didn't move.
Naruto crawled to him, shaking his shoulder. "Burke—!"
A flashlight beam cut through the smoke.
Voices. Footsteps.
Naruto turned, ready to run—
And a hand grabbed his collar, yanking him backward into the dark.
---
Darkness came like a wave—fast, cold, and absolute.
When Naruto opened his eyes again, the world was dim and humming. A low, mechanical buzz filled the air, steady and distant, like the sound of a generator buried deep underground. The air was stale. Dry. It smelled faintly of metal, old paper, and antiseptic.
He tried to sit up.
The cuffs stopped him.
His wrists were bound to the frame of a narrow cot, the metal biting into his skin. He blinked against the low light, vision swimming. A single bulb hung from the ceiling, casting long shadows across concrete walls lined with maps, radios, and shelves of canned food.
A bunker.
Not cult.
Someone else.
Footsteps echoed down a hallway. Heavy. Measured. A figure appeared in the doorway—older, bearded, wearing a patched-up flannel and a sidearm that looked like it had seen more than one war.
Dutch.
Naruto had seen his face in the files. A local prepper. Ex-military. Paranoid, but not stupid.
Dutch stopped just inside the room, arms crossed.
"You're awake," he said. "Good. Wasn't sure you'd make it."
Naruto didn't answer. Just stared.
Dutch nodded toward the cuffs. "Precaution. You came out of that river like a wild dog. Didn't know if you were one of them."
"I'm not," Naruto said, voice hoarse.
"Yeah, I figured. After you stopped trying to bite me."
He stepped forward and unlocked the cuffs. Naruto sat up slowly, rubbing his wrists.
"What happened?" he asked.
Dutch sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "What didn't? That arrest? It lit the fuse. Whole county's gone to hell. They've got roadblocks, patrols, snatch teams. Took Hudson. Took the Sheriff. Probably took Burke too."
Naruto's jaw tightened.
Dutch watched him for a moment, then nodded toward the door. "You want to help? Start by clearing my island. Power's down. Radio's dead. We get that back online, maybe we can reach someone who gives a damn."
Naruto stood, steadying himself against the wall.
"I'll handle it."
Dutch gave a grim smile. "Didn't doubt you would."
Dutch reached into a drawer beside the radio console and pulled out a worn but well-maintained M1911. He checked the chamber, then offered it grip-first to Naruto.
"Not much," he said. "But it'll bark if you need it to. One extra mag. Make your shots count."
Naruto took the pistol without a word. The weight was familiar. Comforting. He slid the mag into his pocket and holstered the sidearm at his hip.
Dutch stepped aside and opened the bunker door. Cold morning air spilled in, sharp and pine-scented. The sky outside was gray, the kind of gray that promised either rain or fire.
"Start with the docks," Dutch said. "They've got a few of my people tied up down there. After that, hit the power station. We get the grid back online, I can boost the signal and maybe reach someone."
Naruto nodded once, then stepped out into the trees.
---
The Docks
The path down to the docks was quiet, but not empty. He moved through the underbrush like a shadow, eyes scanning for movement. Two cultists stood near the water, rifles slung, talking in low voices. A third paced near a tied-up civilian, muttering scripture under his breath.
Naruto circled wide, using the trees for cover. He waited for the pacing one to turn his back, then moved—fast, silent. A quick strike to the throat dropped him without a sound. The others turned too late.
Two shots. Clean. Controlled.
The M1911 barked once, twice, and the docks fell silent.
The civilian stared at him, wide-eyed.
"You're not one of them," she whispered.
"No," Naruto said, cutting her bonds. "But I'm not here to save you. I'm here to end this."
---
The Power Station
The station was tucked into a clearing, surrounded by chain-link fence and overgrowth. The cult had set up a makeshift checkpoint—two guards at the gate, one on the roof with binoculars.
Naruto waited until the roof guard turned away, then slipped through a gap in the fence. He moved like water—low, fast, and lethal. A rock to distract. A takedown from behind. The last guard turned just in time to see the butt of the pistol coming.
The power station hummed to life as he flipped the breakers. Lights flickered on across the island. Dutch's voice crackled over the radio clipped to the wall.
"Good work. Now get up to the tower. We need that signal."
---
The Tower
The climb was long, the wind biting. But the view from the top was clear—Hope County stretched out in every direction, beautiful and broken.
Naruto adjusted the satellite dish, realigned the antenna, and flipped the switch.
The radio lit up.
Dutch's voice came through, clearer now. "Signal's up. You're doing good, kid. One more thing—ranger station's crawling with cult. They've got gear stashed there. Might be worth your time."
---
The Ranger Station
The station was a squat building nestled in the trees, its windows boarded, its porch sagging under the weight of neglect. Three cultists patrolled the perimeter, another inside.
Naruto moved with precision—no wasted motion. He took them down one by one, reclaiming the station room by room.
Inside, he found a locked cabinet. A pry bar from the shed made short work of it.
Inside: a .357 Magnum, heavy and reliable. And beneath it, wrapped in oilcloth, a Mauser M98 bolt-action rifle. Old, but clean. Still deadly.
He slung the rifle over his shoulder, checked the magnum's cylinder, and stepped back into the light.
Dutch's voice came through the radio again.
"You've done it. Island's ours again. Come on back."
Naruto looked out over the treetops, the wind tugging at his jacket.
One island down.
The rest of Hope County to go.
---
Dutch's Bunker – Briefing
Dutch leaned over the map spread across the table, his finger tracing the jagged lines of rivers and roads that carved Hope County into three fractured pieces.
"Three regions," he said. "Three lunatics running them."
Naruto stood across from him, arms crossed, eyes scanning the map. His gaze lingered on the southwest—Holland Valley.
"John Seed," Dutch said, following his line of sight. "Youngest of the Seed brothers. Uses guilt like a scalpel. Carved up the valley with his 'cleansings.' That's where they took Hudson."
Naruto's jaw tightened.
Dutch continued. "North of here is the Whitetail Mountains. Jacob Seed's territory. Ex-military. Trains cultists into killers. That's where you were headed before I pulled you out of the river."
"And the third?" Naruto asked.
Dutch's expression darkened. "Henbane River. Faith's region. Not the real Faith—just the latest girl they broke and renamed. She uses Bliss. Mind control. Illusions. That's where they dragged Burke."
Naruto said nothing for a long moment. Then he pointed to Holland Valley.
"I start here. With Hudson."
Dutch nodded. "Figured you would. Fall's End is the biggest town in the valley. Resistance is still holding out there. If you can reach it, you'll find allies."
"And the Sheriff?" Naruto asked.
Dutch tapped a spot near the center of the map. "Hope County Jail. Still holding out. Barely. If Whitehorse is alive, that's where he'll be."
Naruto turned, holstering the .357 he'd cleaned earlier. The Mauser was slung across his back, its weight familiar now.
"Then I'll bring them all back," he said. "One region at a time."