Unholy Communion

The Gift

The Sister went about her Monday in the usual manner; some study, some prayer, and some work at her job in the infirmary of the abbey. She had been studying nursing for a couple of years now and she loved her job there. The work was rewarding and always tiring, but by the time she had finished her shift, she was about ready to drop.

She thought that maybe she was coming down with something. She’d slept almost all the day away on Sunday, but then again, she’d had a very busy night. It had started with a headache that felt like a hangover. She put it down to the communion wine from the other night still being in her system, but then she’d started aching. Her bones were throbbing and her joints felt sore. By the time the Sister who was working the night shift came and took over, she was burning up with a fever. A cool shower and an early night sounded like bliss.

“Are you okay?” she asked, looking concerned. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” the Sister said as she rolled her eyes. “I feel like it, but it’s good to know I’m looking terrible as well.”

The other sister laughed and patted her arm.

“Have you taken anything for it?”

She nodded and rubbed her temple.

“Yeah. I think I’m coming down with the flu or something. I’ll try to sleep it off.”

“Want me to check in on you when I’m done here?”

“Thank you, that would be nice.”

“Okay then, go and rest up.”

She thanked her and headed out of the infirmary, walking slowly back to her room, which was in the older part of the abbey. It took way longer than it should have and she flopped down onto her bed when she got there. It would have been so easy to just fall asleep then and there, but she needed to get out of her habit and cool down. The fabric felt too constricting, and it was making her anxiety spike.

She managed to drag herself to the bathroom and she turned on the water, setting it to a cool temperature. She stripped and threw her clothes into the hamper. A quick glance in the mirror over the sink confirmed what the other Sister had said. She did indeed look like absolute shit. Her brown eyes that usually sparked with mischief looked dull and her skin had taken on an almost grey appearance. A few dark curls stuck to her forehead with the sweat that she could feel coating her skin. She undid the clip that held her hair back and shook the rest of them out. She brushed her teeth and her eyes strayed to the mark on her neck that Secondo had left behind. One of his ghouls had healed it, but there was still a purple mark there. She smirked as she compared today’s ill and exhausted version of herself with the absolute siren that she'd felt like the other night when she’d entertained their Papa. The familiar headache she experienced when she thought of that night blossomed in her temple, though. She closed her eyes briefly and sighed.

The Sister frowned when she noticed blood when she spat toothpaste into the sink. Strange. That didn’t usually happen. Her sinuses felt weird too, so it was probably something to do with whatever virus she’d picked up.

She stepped into the shower and took a moment to appreciate the cool water as it ran down her fevered skin. It made the aches she felt everywhere just that bit less apparent, and if she hadn’t felt so tired, she would have stayed in there a while longer. Sleep was calling her though, so she quickly dried herself off, got dressed in sleep shorts and a tank and climbed into bed. The last thing she remembered was being wracked by shivers before the blissful darkness took her.

______

The fire ghoul stalked through the woods and he let his mind wander. He’d managed to keep his shit together for two days now and it was becoming physically painful to be so obedient, especially to the earth ghoul. As expected, he’d been lording it over him because he knew now that he could. Secondo hadn’t been so bad, surprisingly, but the ritual he’d performed when they’d got home had gone well, so he was in good spirits and hadn’t had any reason to punish fire. Yet.