Act like my wife

38. The devil stole my face!

Veronica's Point of View

  Without sleeping a wink, I watched the darkness give rise to a bright morning. The sun appeared from behind the clouds like a bashful bride on her wedding night. Birds sang their pretty little faces off, and farm animals made their presence known; Cows, goats, roasters, and I could have sworn I heard an oink-oink or two. If only these windows weren't so darn high, I could be able to see what was going on out there, to catch something, anything about this place.

The sound of the door being unlocked caught our attention, even Tessy sat up from her lying position to see who it was. The door opened and two of the men came into view. One of them walked in while the other stayed outside. "Come" He asserted.

Tess and I pushed ourselves off the bed. My back hurt so bad, my belly made it hard for me to see my own swollen feet and this bed was no help! I had a throbbing headache and that pain in my belly teased me in the most cynical of ways. I could see the way everyone looked at me as if I had a disability, even the men felt sorry for me and gave me all the time I needed.

"What about our kids?" I asked when I finally got on my feet. They ignored my question and pointed impatiently towards the exit. I placed my hand on my waist for support and waddled behind Tessy as we were led by the men out of the room.

We walked down the dirty staircase and I took my time cause my feet hurt! everything hurts! Thankfully, Tess offered me her arm which I held onto, and together, we made it down the stairs.

For the first time, I saw the building we had been locked in for the past two days. The staircase was old but sturdy. The walls were of ancient concrete but they appear stronger than these modern structures. This building could pass for a hundred years old if not older. As we got to the lower floor, I noticed images carved into the walls' surfaces; Images of Saints, like Saint Peter, Saint Anthony, and all the others. On the stained glass windows were paintings of Jesus Christ and His disciples at the Last Supper...

Wait a minute, is this a church?!

At the very end of the hallway was a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, this answered the question in my mind. Well here's another question that I hope gets answers; Who are these people and why are they keeping us here?!

The windows were dusty and the floors were unswept, the ceiling had cobwebs canopied all over it. One would presume that a Mass has not been held here in a long time, that could mean that this is an abandoned church. All I have today are my assumptions.

The men led us to an open space, It felt good to see the sun after two days and to feel its warm rays on the side of my face. The ground was carpeted with overgrown grasses and wild untended flowers. The entire greenery had a glossy appearance which I believe is owed to the early morning dew.   We walked across the open space, heading for a smaller building a few feet away. I shivered when the wet grass touched my legs, The idea of a green snake hiding somewhere underneath those blades gave me the jitters. Thankfully, we made it safe and sound to the building on the other side—where we went up a flight of stairs and walked down a corridor. Finally, the men stopped at the entrance of a chapel and one of them pointed inside. "Go" He ordered,  "And don't do anything stupid"

Tessy and I looked at each other and we both nodded in sync, deciding to bite the bullet. We stepped into the dark chapel which was only illuminated by the light from the door and one open window. This was the only place that seemed to be well taken care of in the whole church. At the end of the chapel was an altar with a crucifix on the wall.

Someone was standing before the altar with his back facing us and his entire body covered with a black cloth. My heartbeat increased as we approached this person. This feels like a scene from a horror movie, The Conjurer 1&2...

We stopped behind the person, just a few inches behind him but enough space to run if things don't look right. My hands were shaking as I feared the unknown, but I was bravely awaiting to see the face of their boss.

After keeping us in suspense for a minute, I heard a small 'Amen' from the mysterious man. It struck me that he had been praying before we got here, and he just finished. Something else caught my attention, that voice didn't sound masculine at all!

The mysterious person turned around and faced us, and I felt myself go pale from seeing her face. It was as though I was staring into a mirror, looking at a reflection of myself, a more sinister reflection of myself.

She sneered at me, and I felt myself die inside. the devil stole my face. I felt paralyzed, my brain had been wiped clean by this grim version. Who is playing tricks on me cause it's not funny?

I opened my mouth to speak, but the only word that left my lips was,

"You...?"