The Church Page 9

  “What?”

  “I want her out of here. And by ‘here’ I mean this world.” Clarke felt his throat run dry. His head was starting to become fuzzy and his vision was slowly starting to cloud. Marie has been a great friend to him over the weeks. She told him about the many things that people do outside. From ice skating to drinking alcohol as a group, she told him all about it. Clarke never grew up with a lot of friends. All the other parish boys found him scary because of his eyes and all the adults were all busy trying to get him to read the Bible. On top of that, he’s never been outside the gates of the church or the estate. He was schooled only by the nuns and the other ministers. He was lonely.

  Yet all of that changed when he met Marie. She made him feel like he wasn’t the only person walking the earth. She made him feel safe. She made him feel happy. And now, the thought of her drawing her last breath in his hands made him feel alone and scared all over again.

  “No.” Denying the will of the Big Guy demanded a lot of courage – courage that Clarke never even knew that he had. Anyone who dares cross him always ends up being crossed off.

  “I knew you would say that.” Taken aback, Clarke watched him as he flashed him another one of his slimy, sinister smiles. “But let me ask you something, Clarke. Where are you going to go, huh? To the streets? To her? You’re caught up in lies, son. That whore has you wrapped around her finger and you’re too dumb to see it.”

  “That’s not true.”

  “Oh, but it is, and you know it. Do you actually think it was a coincidence that she just so happened to talk to you out of the blue on some fine Sunday afternoon? She knew who you were. She knew what kind of person you are. She saw how vulnerable you were to sensitive touch. She’s using you to infiltrate us. She’s using you to destroy us and what God has ordered us to do.”

  “Shut up.”

  “She’s just using you, son. Even your own mother didn’t want you around, do you actually think that she won’t leave you as well after she’s done with you?” Clarke felt rage run through his bloodstream as he watched the man with eyes burning with tears of anger and hate.

  “There’s only one person in this world that wouldn’t leave you and that’s Him...and He wants you to get rid of her in order for His plans to pull through. Either that or live the rest of your life in shame, heretic.”

  The next night, he was greeted by a pleasant surprise. Marie had visited him once again, and again she was waiting by the gates of the church. They had their usual conversation and after a while, when all the other worshippers had left, someone tapped his shoulder.

  “It’s getting late. We should take Lil’ Marie back home, don’t you think, Clarke?” Father Dennis said as he hung his arms over both of their shoulders. Clarke politely denied the offer just as Marie had agreed to the ordeal.

  “Well it’s settled then, I’ll get the car.” He said before flashing Clarke a look that he will never, ever forget.

  Dennis actually looked happy.

  In a few moments, he rounded up the car and beckoned both of them to hop on. What ensued after was the longest 2 hours of Clarke’s life. He couldn’t enjoy the beautiful scenery of the world outside knowing that it will only be 2 people left in the car by the end of the night.

  Finally, they had arrived at the destination. Marie had instructed Dennis to park in front of an old low-rise building with ivy growing on the sides and chafed paint on the windowsills. It turns out, Marie lived on the dodgy end of Manhattan judging only by the building in front of them.

  “You guys were awfully nice to me tonight. Why don’t you guys head upstairs and maybe we can discuss something...something important.” She laughed.

  “No. That won’t be necessary. We’ll be off now.” Clarke spewed out in a hurry. He was thankful that Marie settled for the backseat because from where she sat, she wouldn’t be able to see his hands trembling as he spoke.

  “What are you talking about? Didn’t you always want to see Manhattan? Come on, I’ll show you around afterward.” As much as Clarke wanted to accept her offer, he knew that she’s falling into a trap that they’d both forget. Yet as he looked at her from the rearview mirror, he saw how excited and curious she was about having him in town.

  “Don’t mind him, love. We’d love a cup of coffee. It’s been a long drive, after all.” Father Dennis said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and walked out of the car, followed by Marie. After a few moments, Clarke realized that there was no way he could talk her out of this, so he gathered up every bit of courage he had left in his shaking body and stepped out.

  She walked up the steps and opens a creaky old door and welcomed her guests into her apartment building. She lived on the fourth floor of her building in a cozy 2 bedroom apartment. She made them both wait by the living room as she made coffee for all three of them.

  “Please, Dennis, don’t do this,” Clarke whispered when they were alone in the room.

  “Don’t do what?”

  “This.” Clarke looked at him with confused and angry eyes. He just looked back at him with an indifferent stare.

  “Oh I won’t, don’t worry about that. You will.” Clarke felt fear settle in his system as he watched Dennis smile his infamous grin. Fight or flight mode was beginning to kick in and panic was starting to build up in his stomach just as Marie went back into the room with 3 cups of coffee.

  “CALL THE COPS!” He yelled as he took one and splashed it over Dennis’ face. Bewildered, Marie dropped the mugs and backed away. “NOW!” Clarke yelled again when he saw her still standing behind them. Dennis was screaming in pain as he tried to wipe away the steaming hot coffee from his face. Without a second thought, Clarke picked up one of the sofa cushions and knocked him back with it before grabbing Marie by the face.

  “Hurry.” He whispered just as Dennis got up and yanked his dark hair back. Struggling, he kicked back and hit him right in the groin. Dennis fell to his knees with a grunt while Clarke took Marie by the hand and threw her in her bedroom.

  “Please. Call the cops or just RUN!” He whispered as he tried to snap her out of her spell.

  “But my phone...”

  “Your what?” With a shaky finger, Marie pointed towards the living room down the hall where Dennis was standing, holding her iPhone. He threw it down on the ground and stepped on it.

  Suddenly, he started sprinting towards the both of them. Clarke pushed Marie further inside the room and shut the door behind them, locking it in place. In the hall, Dennis screamed and banged on the door as Clarke looked around the small room and thought of a plan. She didn’t have a window inside her room or a walk-in closet she could hide in for the meantime. Clarke was left with no other option.

  The bed was too low for her to fit under it so he tipped it over and made Marie sit in a corner before blocking her with the bed, creating a small fort for her to hide in.

  The building itself was loud enough with activities, indoor parties by neighbours, etc. So shouting will only hurt your throat.

  “Whatever happens, don’t let him get near you.” He whispered just as Dennis broke through the door with a solid kick. Fear held no place inside Clarke that time. Only anger remained as he gathered his strength and ran towards Dennis, screaming. He tackled him back out into the hall and into the living room.

  He didn’t stay on top of him for long, however. Dennis was a skilled martial artist. During the very few breaks he took outside the Church, he would always devote his time learning the art of street fighting and he would often take the training home with him. Clarke didn’t stand a chance.

  He started hitting his head against the hardwood floors with relentless force. As he was about to pass out, Dennis suddenly stopped and stared at him with his terrifying eyes.

  “I’m not going to kill you.” He said as he got up and walked towards the bedroom. He fished out a bottle from his coat and what seemed to be a dirty rag. He started pouring the solution over the piece of cloth and placed the bottle back in his coat. Clarke wat
ched as he pulled the bed away with great strength and revealed a frightened and shaken Marie crouching on the corner. He yanked her blonde hair and dragged her away from the corner as she screamed in pain. He placed the cloth over her nose, pressing down and resisting her every protest.

  Clarke saw her arms frantically hitting him with all she’s got until they fell limp on her sides. Gathering his strength, he struggled to lift himself up and ran towards Dennis who was now fiddling with a syringe.

  The rest was all a blur after that. He remembered being dragged back. He remembered chairs flying around, the trash can be thrown at him, and a tall man in black holding a brown leather bag walking out of the place after telling him something about “getting down to business.” He could faintly remember crawling back to Marisol who was breathing heavily inside her room.

  “You promised me you’d take me out on a tour...please wake up...” He can remember himself whispering that over and over as he carried Marisol downstairs and into the car.

  “Good idea, chap. If we left her body there, neighbors would be asking about the weird smell.” Dennis said as Clarke laid Marie down on the backseat of the car.

  “Take us...hospital...now.”

  “It’s no use, pal. She’s already dead.”

  “Not dead. Breathing still.”

  “It’s only a matter of time...”

  Dennis drove them all the way to the hospital nonetheless. Clarke didn’t know why he did it but he just did. After a while, Marie started to regain consciousness but she was still limp all over. Dennis watched them from the car as Clarke helped Marie into the waiting room.

  Quickly after that, Clarke ran back to the car with a look of pure despair painted all over his face. They both watched as the nurses started to rush to her body.

  “What could you possibly hope to gain from that?” Dennis whispered.

  “A home, perhaps.” Clarke thought to himself as Dennis pulled out of the hospital.

  The thought of her twisting and turning on what would be her deathbed was all he could think of as he opened the gate.

  Chapter 15

  Kane walked out of the backdoor with a whole new perspective.

  They are watching your every move.

  Is this what Clarke meant? He studied every nook in the ceiling and every crucifix that hung along the walls before he finally pushed open the door to the outside.

  On the porch, he watched all the other men on duty from afar, all of them minding their own business. He wondered how many of them knew. In spite of the turmoil bubbling within his conflicted mind, Kane saw a slight spark. Now he knows that someone inside that building is playing God. It’s just a matter of finding out that it was.

  It wasn’t the fact that the estate had cameras that disturbed him the most; it was the fact that whoever installed the cameras felt the need to hide them in the most iconic manner. Kane then thought back to the first time he stepped inside the building he was now assigned to. Father Dennis had led him into his office, a small yet beautiful room filled with relics and other forms of religious paraphernalia.

  Sitting on top one of the shelves was a beautiful hand-knit tapestry. Dennis said that he made it himself when he was out on vacation. He put it in a nice black frame and hung it up above a shelf filled to the brim with self-help books and different versions of the Bible – his favorite shelf, he said.

  “GOD IS WATCHING,” the sign read. The question is who is “God”?

  Kane thought of taking a long walk that night. As he walked towards the east end of the living quarters, he couldn’t help but glance at the three buildings he and some of the other workers could not enter. No light could be seen through the windows and not a sound could be heard from outside. Whoever it was that resided inside was either hiding something or non-existent. Kane hoped it was the latter.

  In hindsight, what he was doing inside the church was perfectly normal. Nothing inconspicuous or sketchy. Yet as the tapes flashed back to his mind, he can’t help but feel the exact opposite. If every crucifix held a camera, it would mean that whoever was watching them already knew what Kane was up to. And still, no one stopped him. Nothing’s changed.

  As his heels trodded through the soft green earth, his eyes wandered across the estate. He was getting near the end of the building now and at this area, the guards usually just find a place to slack off. He stood on the far end of the building and looked around. Then, a fast moving figure caught his eye.

  His eyes were too late to catch a glimpse of who it was. All he saw was a gate rapidly closing behind the man and the ends of his white pyjamas as he ran in deep into the woods.

  Kane looked around. All of the other guards were either chatting up someone else or sleeping in a dark corner. Dumb guards. But luckily, all of them were far away from him. He walked casually towards the gate and looked through the bars. He found no sign of the man.

  “Looks like someone doesn’t want to be followed.” He thought as he wrapped his fingers around the small padlock. With light force, he yanked it downwards, and to his surprise, it opened.

  He looked around and quickly stepped out of the gate, making sure not to lock it behind him. What greeted him was a dark, thick forest without even a single hint of moonlight peeking through the branches. He stuck his hand inside his pocket and found a small flashlight. He flicked it open and shone it over the forest floor, looking for footprints. He followed the shallow tracks deeper and deeper into the forest.

  He followed every twist and turn the steps made, leading him deep into the heart of the forest. With each passing minute, the world around him seemed to shrink, slowly suffocating him.

  Then, suddenly, the footsteps disappeared. And just like that, every sound in the forest seemed to fade away too. He was alone. He looked all around him and saw nothing but trees and rocks and darkness. He forgot where he entered and forgot where he was supposed to go. This time, he was sure that he was all alone.

  Just as he was about to give up the search, he saw something move in the darkness.

  CLARKE PUSHED OPEN the door, careful not to knock over any of the books this time. He stepped inside the moonlit room and shut the trap door behind him. Tightening his robe around him, he walked outside of the room and looked over the empty church. It was dimly lit and eerily quiet.

  He walked over to the altar and looked up the cross.

  “You saw her. I know you did. And you know what? I think I’m ready to see her too.” He whispered as he knelt down at the very place a soft, innocent child died and where Clarke Tristen was born from the ashes of that child 20 years ago.

  WITH A JOLT, KANE RUSHED towards the figure. Whoever or whatever it was, it was certainly quick and was not eager to be seen. As Kane ran as fast as he could towards the figure, his foot got caught on a branch and he fell face first on the dirt. Cursing, he mustered all of his strength and pulled himself up. And just like that, the figure was gone.

  But what greeted him next was something much more valuable than a running man.

  “Now we’re getting somewhere...” He thought as he dusted off the dirt from his face and approached the shed.

  “WHAT ARE YOU DOING here?” A deep voice asked him from behind. Clarke didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

  “I just needed some peace of mind, that’s all.” He said as he got up from his knees and wiped the tears from his cheeks.

  “You’re not the only one. I can’t seem to sleep.” Dennis said as he sat in one of the benches behind him. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

  “No, thank you. I’m perfectly fine.” He said, looking up.

  “Alright then. Are you nervous?”

  “Nervous? For what?”

  “The Cleansing.”

  Clarke took a deep breath and shut his eyes. He could feel all the energy getting knocked out of him as his knees shook and his heart pounded in fear. He hated that word, but he hated the fact that came along with it even more.

  “No. I think I’ll be fine.�
� He said as he walked out of the church, leaving Dennis behind him.

  CAUTIOUSLY, KANE WALKED over to the half-opened door of the shed. Soft candlelight was pouring out from the inside. He could hear a faint rattling coming from the shed as someone raked through some of the old, dusty drawers.

  Carefully, he peeped inside the room. From his position, all he could see was a shadow on the wall, rapidly moving and throwing stuff on the ground. He tried adjusting his position to get a better look inside, and to his surprise, he saw no one.

  The shed was completely empty, save for a small candle sitting in the middle of the room.

  Chapter 16

  Bewildered, Kane poked his head through the threshold. The shed was about as big as Kane’s room in the living quarters of the estate. It had no windows and no provision for a bathroom. From the outside, one would mistake it for an abandoned shack, but inside, the place was spotless. There was no dust sitting on the floor and there weren’t any cobwebs hanging around on the low ceiling.

  Sitting in the middle of the room was a small candlestick, perched on the wooden floor. The whole room was littered with papers and clothes in all directions. The room had no furniture save for a chipped wooden desk with all its drawers sticking out. Broken pieces of what seems to be a chair were resting underneath the desk, along with a few of the fallen drawers.

  Carefully, Kane pushed open the door wide enough so that he could enter.

  “Anyone home?” He whispered.

  Before Kane could even react, a tall man wrapped in a dark robe ran out of the shed and into the woods. Kane sat there by the door wide-eyed, staring at the shock of blond hair fade into the woods.