Crimson Forever

Chapter 1

"We are gathered here today, together in this Holy place, to send our beloved and respected friend to meet the Almighty in the next world, and to dwell there in His love forever. It is his choice, and one which he makes freely. Is that not so Matthew?"

          Time passed before there was movement. It came eventually from the back. A blonde man edged silently forward. Heads bowed as he passed; eyes fell closed. An old board below him creaked and fell quiet again as his weight lifted. He seemed to slow as he walked, as if moving against opposing force. The others turned neither towards him nor away. He was almost there. Someone lifted a hand, perhaps with thoughts of comfort, but dropped it again unoffered. Finally he stood out before the crowd, limp and yielding. He was barefoot. Wrapped in a red sheet.

          The Cardinal smiled warmly down from his place on the steps and gestured for the man to come forward. When at first he did not, the smile straightened slightly and the eyes became just insistent enough that only the figure before him would notice. The man moved until the Cardinal's hand was on his left shoulder. Gentle pressure told him to drop to his knees.  This time the voice was just for him.

          "Is that not so Matthew..?"

          The man began to tense his body. Fingers curled into fists. Muscles flexed and tightened until the concentration on his face showed that he was focused on bracing his very core. He opened his mouth to speak. The Cardinal raised an eyebrow to stop him, although the smile remained. The man had forgotten something. He looked frantic for a moment, pleading, until some memory, the missing piece of all this slid back into place and he reluctantly let the silk fall from one shoulder. His body looked lean and strong. He glanced quickly at a small tattoo, just above the collarbone. The sight of it seemed to bring him peace and he sighed deeply as his posture settled. He closed his eyes.

          "I am ready. I have lived my life in the footsteps of Christ. I choose to leave this life and walk with the Almighty in the garden of Heaven. Forever."

          Had his eyes been open he would have seen the glint of the blade before he uttered his last word. The knife rose high above him, then plunged hungrily, deep into the flesh where his neck met his shoulder. His back arched, his blue eyes vital and screaming now, and as the air was forced from his chest they were upon him.

                                                                                 *

It still hurt, but not as much as before. The dark, bruised petals of a few days ago had faded to a pallid yellow which, though it looked less natural, told Sanni that she was healing well. She traced a fingertip gingerly along the lines of the rose she now wore just above her collarbone. Soon the flower would have no colour at all. The thin skin was raised and tender along every black contour. She shouldn’t touch; shouldn’t risk the chance of breaking through and spoiling the perfection of this precious new miracle, but it was irresistible: the pain made it more real.

Real. She said the word aloud and laughed. To have waited for so long; to have believed so completely that it would appear. And yet the reality of it now on her skin, in her skin and a changing, painful part of her was… incredible. Magical. Wonderful. Faith had given way to absolute certainty. She pressed down against the tip of one petal till the colour drained and her shoulder throbbed. She held it there, savoring the dull ache. This was the badge that said she belonged and the proof that she had been right to believe. It was her gift from God.

Sound from the corridor forced her to tug the strap of her vest back into place, but it was still visible to one side. Rummaging through a pile of clothes at the foot of her bed, she found a zip-up hoodie and threw it around her shoulders. Why hadn’t Blessings put these things away? She would need to have a word. Anyway, it was hidden now. She pushed her arms through the sleeves as the sounds came closer. With fingers pinched together, she held a hand towards the door and turned her wrist anti-clockwise in the air. A lock clicked open. Footsteps now. She leapt onto the bed and grabbed a leather-bound book from the side. Flipping the cover back with one hand, she pushed a dark strand of hair neatly behind her ear with the other as the bedroom door slid open. The Cardinal swept into her bedroom, scanning the corners with shrewd eyes.