EPISODE 4: THE BELIEVERS ## PART ONE: SARAH ### CHAPTER 1: THE RECRUITER Sarah remembered the day Shepherd saved her life. She had been twenty-four years old, fresh out of a marriage that had ended in betrayal, working a job that paid her bills but fed nothing else. Her father had died the year before; her mother had retreated into religion that made no room for Sarah's questions. She was alone, adrift, losing reasons to get up each morning. A colleague—one of Shepherd's early followers—noticed her struggling. She invited Sarah to a gathering, just to meet some people, no commitment. Sarah went because she had nothing better to do. The moment she met Shepherd, something changed. He looked at her—really looked, in a way no one had since her father died—and said, "You've been carrying so much weight. You don't have to carry it alone anymore." She cried. She hadn't planned to, hadn't wanted to, but the words unlocked something. She cried and Shepherd held her hand and the people around her didn't judge, didn't pull away, didn't tell her to be strong. They just let her feel. That was twelve years ago. Sarah had been part of The Flock ever since—longer than almost anyone except Shepherd himself. --- ### CHAPTER 2: THE FAITH Sarah believed because she had...