Various

Part 2

[Something gay? In Mikey's writing? u bet, fucker. Warning!!!! there's profanity.]

Pine has always considered himself to be vaguely religious. Vaguely loyal to the deities. He knows they're real- he's not some denying freak talking out of his ass and smashing in TVs when the news comes on- and he knows they hold incredible power. Pine was taught that avoidance is the best way to handle such creatures; avoidance, and if that's not an option, to try to placate them and survive at the same time.

Pine has never prayed before. He has only been within the local General Temple twice, and both times were on mandatory school field trips. He doesn't remember anything that they tried to teach him on those trips other than how stupid it is to seek refuge in a shrine.

"Gods are dangerous. They are not your friends, your family, your fairy godmother. They do not have good will towards you or anyone else. Those who seek shelter in a shrine are seeking shelter in a burning building- it is an offense. Few gods will ever find it excusable. They will drive you mad, they will murder you in cold blood- there are, as of this year, eighty-nine reported cases of gods letting individuals seeking refuge go without any form of torturing. As of this year, there are twelve reported cases of gods allowing individuals seeking refuge to stay- and there is always a hefty price."

A hefty price. He has nothing to lose that he hasn't had taken away before. The only things he has left are his sanity- which may be doubt-able- and his life.

It's not like anyone will miss him if he doesn't get mercy- when he doesn't get mercy, he corrects himself. Human hope will only disappoint him here.

The bruises ache. Every inch of him aches and he's not sure the bleeding has stopped, though he can feel congealed blood on his back, his neck, his scalp. Pine has nothing left to lose. He's within inches of his life already and whatever happens, he will accept. He's as ready as he thinks any human is capable of being.

He isn't going to make it easy on himself. He won't go to the shrine of Isabel, goddess of forgiveness, and he won't go to Conrad, god of positive energy. No, he won't do that. He's ready to die. His heart thuds in his chest as he stares down the door. He's ready. As much as he could ever adjust to agony, he already has. He can take whatever is thrown at him if it isn't death.

The door belongs to the god of psychics. Brie. He is one of the most dangerous, erratic gods, and he has one of the highest rates of murdering those he does not believe deserve to be in his shrine. Pine is not only here to pray. Pine is here to die if his prayers cannot be answered.

The doors are at least eight feet tall, and the carvings in it are grandiose and too dramatic for Pine's taste. Within the center of the door, a window covered in mesh is placed. If the window is closed, if the mesh is intact, no one is allowed within the shrine. If one attempts to enter, they will almost certainly die.

Pine punches it in without a second thought.

His knuckles hurt now, too, and are probably bleeding. He fumbles for the doorknob just below the window, trying to get the door to open before something bites his hand off. He wins, and he barely manages to jerk his hand out of the gaping hole in time to avoid it getting cut off as the door quickly slides back into the wall.

Inside the shrine, all is dark. There is a singular burning candle, but it illuminates nothing.

One foot inside. His bare foot can tell that it's tile flooring, the cheap kind of gas stations and public schools. Once you have one foot inside, you cannot pull back, or you will surely be killed. He considers the idea of withdrawing his foot.