Injection

The Injection is a needle filled with a strange substance that appears in FAITH: Chapter III.

According to Gary Miller, the injection's main purpose is to prepare one's mind and body for the presence of the UNSPEAKABLE. Side effects may include intense hallucinations and inability to control the movements of your body.

History[]

Before October 28th, 1987[]

The injection is first mentioned in a note found at the clinic John is exploring. The writer of the note, most likely a cultist, is suggesting an injectable version of the drug, noting that the original pill version was not dissolving well in the IV drips, and that the patients were waking up from their catatonic states before "the process" was complete. They also expressed worry that the patients would eventually realize that they are all experiencing the same hallucinations.

October 30th, 1987[]

Soon after John enters Garyland, he is ambushed by Gary from behind a pillar, who forcefully injects John in the neck with the substance. He quickly starts to experience the drug's hallucinogenic effects when the game freezes and begins displaying vivid imagery. During this, snippets of John walking further into Garyland can be seen; his eyes are pure white, and a creepy, wide smile has been drawn over his mouth. When the imagery ceases, red text (supposedly from Gary) appears in the corner of the screen saying, "Now you are ready."

John soon wakes up behind the second gate in Garyland, with a trail of bloodied footsteps leading back to him. Walking to the next room, John finds dozens of disemboweled thralls scattered about, gruesomely gutted and killed by his own hands during his hallucination. One of the thralls who miraculously survived this long manages to let out a "PLEASE... NO..." to John, before calling out to "THE HOLY MAN..." in their final breath. Despite this, John presses on and traverses deeper into Garyland.

October 31st, 1987[]

John finds himself face-to-face with Gary, who offers to answer three of his questions before turning him into his next vessel for a Second Death ritual. If John chooses to ask about the injection, Gary states that it was a "gift" so that John's body and mind would be ready for the UNSPEAKABLE to enter/abuse. Although Gary mentions John's disappointing long look, he says that it was necessary so that John could withstand the entity's presence.

The injection is not mentioned again after this point.

Theories[]

• It's likely that Gary and his cult were testing a drug to other patients at the clinic to see if their minds can become susceptible for the UNSPEAKABLE's possession.
  • Even though Gary's ultimate goal is to bring the Antichrist to Earth through the Second Death, his other goal must be bringing the UNSPEAKABLE to Earth as well. The UNSPEAKABLE is an entirely separate entity that doesn't help with the ritual since only Amy (or any other individual associated with trauma) can be used to make a portal to hell. It's likely that Gary wanted to bring further chaos into the world by bringing UNSPEAKABLE to the world since the entity has already made its presence known to other characters throughout the series. To test if the entity can possess, Gary abused his role as a worker at the clinic and ordered his cultists to produce a drug and give it to the patients.
• John and Lisa's inclusion at the Snake Meadow Hill Church in the hallucination could imply that they were orphans that temporary lived at the church.
  • This would explain as to why the two know each other so well, they were best friends and potential love interests that started at a young age. Although we don't know anything about Lisa's parents, Amy's demon mentions John's mother and if she ever got better. This could imply that his mother was very sickly and, despite young John's prayers for a recovery, passed away. He was then sent to the church to stay at. This can be supported by the "Poem for Miriam" note found in FAITH: Chapter III where she "left two twigs to walk away as husks", Lisa and John being representation of two kids that lived during the incidents at the church.
• During John's hallucination two stick dolls appear on the screen, wiggling with maggots. This could represent the young version of John and Lisa after surviving the incidents at Snake Meadow Hill Church.
  • Even though they survived, the two were probably heavily impacted by Miriam's actions at the church. This could've made them more susceptible to possession from demonic entities, where Lisa and John can get constantly possessed by Alu and with John constantly feeling the presence of Malphas, UNSPEAKABLE, and other demons. This can be backed up from a poem found in FAITH: Chapter III where it implies that the two were allowed to walk away as "husks".
• John's smile during his hallucination is similar to the smile the cultists make, shown in one of the rotoscope animation where a cultist stabs John to death.
  • This shared smile can imply that most of the cultists are under the influence of the drug that was created by Gary. This runs with the series' time date of the 80s where, in the real world, Christian communities believed that drug users are "the Devil's followers" and are heavily against it. This theme of drug use can be backed up by the fact that the 80s in the U.S. were known for having a serious drug problem within towns and cities, where plenty of young adults were becoming addicted with opiates and other hard drugs.
• The words "REPENT" can be found written in blood on the wall after John's hallucination ends.
  • This can mean, despite being in an altered state of mind, John still feels guilty over not being able to finish Amy's exorcism.
  • But most likely it was intended for the cultists that John killed, his hatred for the occult and in his hallucination induced state he forced them to "repent" via violence.

Trivia[]

• The imagery shown during John's hallucination (besides Amy, Miriam, and Lisa) is a reference to the lyrics in the song King of Pain by The Police.^[1]
  • The lyrics are also sung by John in the official New Blood Interactive video FAITH Chapter III: Review Trailer.^[2]
• Gary's pixel animation of ambushing John is similar to a famous jumpscare in The Exorcist III where a nurse gets ambushed by a patient possessed by the Gemini Killer.^[3]
• This scene was originally planned to have Gary stab the needle into John's eye. In the final game, it goes into his neck instead.
• Scene 14 has many similarities with Study after Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X, a work by painter Francis Bacon. Namely, the blue skin, throne, posture, and apparent removal of eyes.

Gallery[]

Hallucinations[]

Scene 0: After the injection, the game freezes and a loud tone plays. John starts to trip. His body changing is likely an exaggeration of the start of his hallucination.

Scene 1: "There's a little black spot on the sun today. It's the same old thing as yesterday."

Scene 2: "There's a black hat caught in a high tree top."

Scene 3: Miriam standing outside Snake Meadow Hill Church. Note that Lisa, John, and other children are standing inside the building.

Scene 4: "There's a flag pole rag and the wind won't stop."

Scene 5: "There's a fossil that's trapped in a high cliff wall."

Scene 6: Rows of trees with a symmetry effect.

Scene 7: John exorcising Amy back on September 21st, 1986.

Scene 8: "There's a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall."

Scene 9: Two Wretches wiggling with maggots swarming them.

Scene 10: "There's a blue whale beached by a spring tide's ebb."

Scene 11: A young version of John and Lisa holding hands.

Scene 12: "There's a butterfly trapped in a spider's web."

Scene 13: John with an altered creepy face walking around in the cultist's hideout.

Scene 14: "There's a king on a throne with his eyes torn out."

Scene 15: "There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt."

Scene 16: "There's a rich man sleeping on a golden bed."

Scene 17: "There's a skeleton choking on a crust of bread."

Scene 18: A door with an eye on it. Later on, John will open the door and meet Gary.

Scene 19: John puts his hands on his face.

Scene 20: John exorcising Amy on September 21st, 1986. This time Amy is crawling.

Scene 21: Amy puts her hands on John's face.

Scene 22: The UNSPEAKABLE is wiggling around.

Scene 23: "There's a red fox torn by a huntsman's pack."

Scene 24: "There's a black-winged gull with a broken back."

Scene 25: Red text appears at the bottom of the screen, probably from Gary. After this, the fourth 1986 flashback begins.

Other[]

John brandishing his crucifix against a barely alive cultist.

Gary ambushing John with a needle.

The way how Gary ambushes John with a sharp object is similar to a famous jumpscare scene in The Exorcist III.

References[]