The moon seeped in through the stained glass, casting a pale glow across the floor of the church. She could hear things, but they were far away, in another place and another time.
She sniffed, wrinkling up her nose at the scent. It was like the time she’d visited the farm, rank and acrid. There was straw beneath her, damp, moldy, and the air was chilled. A voice spoke, so near her ear she jumped.
‘So I was born, so you are delivered, so I never died, so you shall give your life.’
‘Um, English, please?’
Silence. Something grabbed at her face, fingers touching her, but slipping through as though they couldn’t find purchase and the voice came again, screaming.
‘IWASTOBEBORNAGAINHATEYOUHATEYOUHATEYOU.’
She curled up on her side, wrapping her hands over her ears, and feeling again and again the cold fingers drag through her.
The screaming stopped and she sat up. Moon light streamed in, pouring through the open door of the stable.
It sunk in where she was, and her mouth flapped like a fish as she shook her head. No way, there was just no way. If she was here, where were Jesus and the wise men and all that? But the stable was empty, save for the low rustle of animals. A solitary cow stood asleep in one corner.
Whether he had already watched birth of the messiah, and gone back to sleep, or missed the entire thing, she wasn’t sure. He clearly wasn’t bothered by either the occasion, or the overwhelming feeling of loss that sank deeper into her bones every second she sat upon the straw.
She struggled up, picking bits of her seat from her clothes and stepped outside. The sky was clear, the most beautiful web of stars filling the darkness. Still the hands reached for her and still she felt pulled, her heart heavy and her breaths coming in short bursts. She looked back at the stable and for a moment, a face appeared.
He was old, so old it made her tired just to look at him, and his mouth crumpled in a sneer. She shook her head, taking a step toward him. ‘You’re never being born again. You’re never coming back, you don’t belong here, now LEAVE!’
She screamed at him, putting everything she had behind it, and the grasping, groping fingers were gone, the face dissolving into the night. For a moment she stood, revelling in where she was, in what she had just done. Then the stars whirled and spun and the world went black.
The flickering, yellow light that dragged her eyes open made the thumping that filled her head just a little bit worse.
‘Give me a chance, please.’
She waved and the light moved away as she reluctantly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was Lara’s face and she burst into tears, wrapping her arms around her neck. Lara bent awkwardly, trying to keep her weight off her, so Scarlet pulled until she toppled over and crushed her to the floor.
She pressed her lips to Lara’s, hands running over her hair and then she was laughing, her breath filling her girlfriend, their lives running together. Lara eventually extricated herself and knelt up, leaving one hand pressed lightly against Scarlet’s cheek.
She took it, squeezing it as she struggled to sit. A pair of hands helped her and she turned to Martin, who gave her a smile and a brief nod. Then he coughed, and blushed.
‘Do you need me to leave for a bit? I could leave, really, it’s no problem.’
She laughed again and hugged him. He was less awkward this time and hugged her straight back. When the soppy stuff was done with, she clambered to her feet, pretending the small volcano erupting in her head was still dormant, and walked out of the chapel into the church.
The lanterns were smashed, the torches scattered across the floor. The place was empty, no sign of the crazies or the other sacrifices. ‘Where did the girls go?’
Martin joined her. ‘The police took them. We helped them out to the pavement and made an anonymous call.’
‘And none of them asked what the hell had been going on?’
‘They did. I told them they’d been kidnapped by a demon-worshiping cult. Based on my experience with the police, they’ll probably say okay, and move on. Not much you can do with demon-worshiping cults.’
‘’Cept maybe kill the demon.’
She turned to him, eyebrows raised and he laughed, holding out his hands in defence. ‘Oh no, not yet. I need a few days rest.’
‘Rest? But you didn’t do anything.’
Lara snorted, taking her hand. ‘Actually, Martin saved my life, and the others. While you were chanting to yourself, he was fighting, like, at least fifty of the guys who kidnapped me.’
Scarlet gazed at her girlfriend, showing just how little she believed her, but a noise from outside saved her from responding. They walked from the church to meet Elt, stamping restlessly on the grass.
She stroked his nose and he whickered softly.
‘Thanks for the help back there.’
‘Uh, welcome, s’pose.’
‘Where are you going now?’
‘Up north, find the others. Bit of luck they won’t mind the dodgy horn, you know?’
She thought about saying something cynical, but settled for good luck, and stroked his nose again. He shook her hand away and set off across the graveyard. He was blurring before he reached the far wall and vanished from sight as he leaped over it.
They turned as one and walked slowly from the graveyard. Scarlet reached out and took her girlfriend’s hand, giving it a squeeze, and giving her a smile. Girlfriend. Heh.
That’s the end of A Change of Status. I hope you enjoyed it. If you did, I’d love it if you could leave a comment. All and any feedback is welcome, including criticism (so long as it’s done nicely. I’m soft and bruise easily. 🙂
I’m really enjoying spending time with Scarlet and the next chapter of her life will begin here on Monday. You can join her as she gets dumped, left behind and loses all hope. On the plus side, she meets her skinny self. Actually, that’s not a plus side. That sucks. There is a plus side. Oh yeah, she meets Red Riding Hood. That’s definitely a plus side. Except she’s trying to steal her knife. So not all that good, really…
On Friday, I’ll be taking a brief look over the last couple of months. I’ll look at the things I’ve learned and my plans for the year ahead. See you then 🙂
