Tis the night of the witch

Im Sure I'll Be Fine

You have an uneasy feeling and text Mitch
[All ok over there?]
[How the fuck do you ALWAYS know?!]
You smirk at your phone and see he's still typing and wait.
[THEY are here. I thought you moved away from them?!]
It takes a moment for his text to sink in, fuck fuck fuck.
[Whaaat the fuck?!?! Please don't tell them where I am]. You can't help but freak out,
[Don't worry babe, I got you, told the boss aswell xx], you sigh with relief
[Thank you, youre the best!].

Anxiety and panic kick in, you have to go for a walk again. What if they find me, I can't have them find me, not after eveything.
You grab your obsidian for protection and speed walk out of sight of the main road just incase.

Looking up from the ground you find you've automatically trekked down the dirt path short cut you often take to work. What the fuck are you doing going to work, idiot, youre about to turn around when you spot that fork in the path you noticed for the first time last night.

You probably shouldn't, you check your phone, 90% battery. I'm sure ill be fine. Famous last words. You roll your eyes at yourself and take a step onto the track you've never walked before.
The trees start closing in on you.

Just before you think you better head back because there's nothing here, the trees start to break apart finally showing a building in the distance.

You come to a sudden stop gripping your stone. This things not going to save you from a fucking snake, you scold yourself.
You stand so still, it slithers out on to the path, turns its head towards you, it's tongue pokes out a few times and it slithers to the other side of the shrubbery. You release a breath you didn't realize you were holding and run to the end of the path.

The trees open up to the back of a beautiful church type building, you've stumbled into the cemetary.
The headstones are so old, you spend time looking at graves which have always facinated and calmed you.
There is a bench off to the side so you sit and admire your surrounds for a little bit. You are surrounded by forrest, there looks to be a path leading from the front of the church that goes elsewhere but you stay in the graveyard, it's so peaceful here.

You check your phone "ugh no reception, I better get going before I get murdered". You hear a chuckle near by and spin in the direction.
"My dear, you wont be murdered here". You see a nun walking towards you, she's an older woman from the look of her face.
"Didn't realise I said that out loud, I'm sorry, I hope I'm not trespassing, there were no gates or signs from the path-" you point in the direction you came but the path opening was gone, "what... I swear...".

The nun nods knowingly, "those who find us are meant to be here child".
"Oh.. I don't think-" you trail off and notice she's looking at the pendant fuck you pop it away under your top hoping you hadn't offended her.
She smiles "Would you like some tea?".
You don't want to get dragged into talking about jesus, you've grown up with enough of that "umm.." you mumble."It's just tea dear, nothing else, promise!" She puts her right hand up makes a peace sign but her fingers are closed and her left hand doing the same thing but upside down?
As above so below?!.
"Um sure ok". You get up and follow her.
The inside of the church is unexpectedly darker then the outside, you can't really see for a moment but you hear a beautiful melody coming from inside. "What is that?" you ask coming to a stop blinking your eyes to adjust. "Just the choir practising".

You follow the nun as you walk past the pews you see them up on a stage that's no higher then just a step up, you spot some drums, keyboard and guitars, there's a white cloth covering something on the wall behind.
Off to the side is the choir, a whole lot of nuns and some robed men being conducted by a man... wearing a helmet?. The helmet man turns to look at you, not that you can see his eyes from this far behind those...goggles?
"What are they singing?" you can't understand what they're saying, the nun stops and watches for a moment, "Deus in absentia", she turns and opens a door that leads into a lounge and kitchen area.

"Well, I don't know what that means but it sounds beautiful". She nods and shuffles around making us tea.
She puts everything on the tray, you walk over, "here ive got it, I've been waitressing for a while now".
"Oh thank you dear" she pats your arm and you set it down at the table she sits at.

She pours the tea and hands you your cup, "I am Sister Umbra".
"Thank you, I am... Still not sure how i got here" you say looking around. You see paintings of angels fighting demons and some portraits, one of a woman with short blonde hair and a stern look.
"Ah Sister Imperator, she is our matriarch" Sister Umbra mentions noticing you looking around the next portrait, a man in skull make up but in weirdly catholic like robes, wait a minute you get out your phone, "damn no reception I was going to look up-", you stop as you see the sister smiling at you.
"That's Papa Emeritus IV" she's says watching you. "You have seen him before?" She asks.
You look at your phone "I think so".

"How did you get here?" She asks, kindness shining in her eyes.
"I... needed to go for a walk and found myself wandering the track I use as a shortcut for work, but there was a turn off I hadn't seen before so i followed it for a while, I was going to turn back but I saw a snake, I waited for it to leave and just ran to the opening.. and landed I guess.. in the cemetary" you shrug. "So weird that the path wasn't there when we looked back I don't understand it".
Sister Umbra just smiles.

"Why do you wear that pendant?" She asks sipping her tea nodding towards your hidden sigil.
"Oh you saw that, sorry, um.. I'm not sure, it kind of just... called out to me". You sip your tea awkwardly, does she know what it means?.
As if reading your mind "the sigil of Lucifer is a powerful one" she adjusts in her seat, her rosary falls and swings down. You notice surprisngly that there isn't jesus on the cross but instead a strange upside down cross.

A door opens from an archway behind you, breaking you from your thoughts 
"Ah Sister, i- oh, Ciao" he stops as he looks up, and you see Papa himself, not in robes but in a suit with ruffled sleeves hanging out the ends, impossibly tight pants with slightly pointed shoes poking out under the pant hem.
"Ah Papa, this is..." she trails off standing up "I didn't actually get your name child".
"oh sorry" you say following her movement do I bow what do i do?!. "It's y/n" you settle on nodding your head slightly, nervously adjusting your top and your pendant falls back over the collar of your top.
"Ah bellissima" he says smiling noticing the pendant as well.

"What did you need Papa?" Sister Umbra walks over to him, they converse quietly for a moment and you pretend not to exist by looking at the gargoyles above the arch way that he arrived through and the rest of the art work until they are finished.
He hands Sister Umbra the papers he was holding
"I will inform Sister Imperator immediately".
"Grazie mille Sister" he nods and then turns to you.
"Now we must see you safely home, Sister Umbra tells me you came from a path from behind the cemetary" he looks quizzical "but I have seen no such path".
Shit they think I'm lying.
"I swear there was a path, there was a snake and I ran for it" you plead.
He turns to the sister. "A serpant?".
She nods at him. You've just noticed the same upside down cross thing shining embellished on Papas suit jacket.

"I can ..show you where it...was?" You stutter.
"Nonsense, we don't think you're lying child" Sister Umbra tells you, you sigh with relief and Papa chuckles.
"What's in your hand?" He's looking down. You're puzzled by the question and hold up your phone.
"No, no the other one" he smiles.
"Oh". You open your palm, you'd forgotten you'd been holding onto it for dear life.
"It's my obsidian, it's for..." you stop not wanting to sound weird, this whole thing is just weird.
"Mmm?" Papa prompts.
"Uh it's for protection" you look back down at it.
"What do you need protection from?" Sista Umbra asks walking up to you, you look at her for a moment, she peers at your crystal and then back at you with utmost kindness again.
"Um my mother and a priest" you mutter.
"Your Mother and A Priest?" Papa asks sternly.
"I'm sorry" you mumble "I didn't mean to offend, I should find some reception outside and find my way home".
Papa walks closer to you and Sister Umbra. "Y/n tesoro, no no, there is no offence, we are not like the other churches". He glances at Sister Umbra.

*****
Ciao - Hello
Grazie mille Sister - A thousand thanks Sister
Tesoro- Darling