Death and All His Friends

Prayer

Key Five: Prayer:

Poison can be a person. They don't always have horns, halves, and a tail. Sometimes, it can come in the form of a smile.

Enter Noah.

He was a priest in London. Everyone loved him. The women dreamed about him. Children looked up at him. Who wouldn't? He looked like an angel. His face made him look like he was twenty years old. That smile of his could melt anyone's heart. Those teeth. Was it possible for teeth to look so white? His hair and clothes were always so clean. People wouldn't have guessed that he was close to forty. Noah just seemed to come out of nowhere. The church accepted him with open arms.

His congregation kept growing. More people were going to church. But how is something so possible? There had to be something going on.

One nun just had to get to the bottom of this.

She's been having dreams about demons lately. Not just any other dreams lately. They look like little kids. Their white clothes blended in with their pale skin. They hoover off of the ground. They float around in the darkness. She can't see their faces. Some of them have no faces. While others have their hair covering their faces. They make no sounds. Still, they come closer.

She can't feel her body as they come closer. But she isn't scared. She felt something floating in her chest. Their silent cries reached their ears. They only said two words to her.

Help... me...

One of them reached out to her. She let out a choked-up scream. Suddenly, she vanished into thin air. However, she was still there. And they were looking up at her now. They all had no faces. She let out a loud scream. It felt like her veins were on fire. Her limbs started to break as her blood exploded in her body. And then...

There was nothing.

She always woke up in a cold sweat. She was still alive. She looked around in the dark. Because of this, she can't trust Noah. There is something wrong with him.

She was going to have to be the one to find the truth. But it looks like she's going to be alone on this.

There was a plague that year. It destroyed most of Asia within two years. Now, the plague was slowly heading west. Rumors are flying around everywhere. Could this be worse than the Black Death? The churches when deep in prayer. But that might be too late.

Noah didn't fear the plague. Whether he thought it would go away or if it was fake, his congregation couldn't tell. They hung on his every word. All except for one.

She's been sick lately. It started with a cough. She thought it was nothing at first. She took couch syrup to help. That seemed to hold her over.

"Sister Hannah are you feeling okay?" one of the priests asked. The nun looked up.

"I... I think so," she said. She covered her mouth as she coughed.

"I'm going to be fine," she said. The priest didn't believe her but said nothing. Her eyes trailed over to Noah giving another sermon. Could he be the one causing all of this?

"Here," the priest next to her whispered. Her hand her a cough drop.

"Thank you," the nun whispered. She took it out of his hand. The priest kept his eye on her.

"See a doctor," he whispered. The nun only nodded once. The rest of the sermon went on without incident. Still, she kept her eyes on Noah's back. She wondered what he was hiding. She would have to get started on her investigation today.

So many lambs had to die.

Noah stood in his room, trembling. How many more? How many more was he going to have to send to the slaughter? When did he look so pale in the mirror? His congregation was starting to worried about him. Noah could only smile and say that he was tired.

"Are you getting sick?" one of the ladies asked. Noah chuckled.

"I hope not," he said.

He shut his eyes in the mirror.

"I can't do this anymore," he said to himself.

But you have to. It's all for the greater good, remember?

Noah trembled. "You lied to me."

No, I didn't. Sometimes, cleansing the world of evil is a painful thing.

"But the women and children have to suffer too."

It's all for the greater good.

That was always his response. Always the greater good. Always the damned greater good. What was even the purpose anymore?

Don't tell me you are starting to get doubts about the mission.

The priest froze. He almost forgot that he could hear his thoughts. Noah started to look out of the corner of his eye. There was nothing there. That didn't change feeling the hand on his shoulder. He was always watching. One wrong word could cause pain and suffering. Noah shut his eyes.

"No, no," he said.

Don't lie to me.

"I'm not lying," Noah insisted. Claws dug deeper into his skin. The priest let out a loud gasp. There was a pause.

Good. The claws withdrew from his shoulder. Noah breathed heavily as he felt the burning on his skin. He heard footsteps walking to the door.

Keep up the good work. Noah didn't move as the door opened. Footsteps stepped out of the room. The door closed behind him. The priest let out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding. He dropped his head on his desk.

He couldn't get away from the Earl.