DEMENTED | Ethan Dolan

SANCTITY

"Y/N."

The woman jumps at the feeling of a hand being place on her shoulder, and she looks up, soon relieved to see a familiar face rather than one of a stranger - or worse, him. "Oh, Rose, it's just you."

The older woman's lips twisted upwards into a smile, and she asked kindly, "How long have you been here, dear? It's quite late into the evening, do not expect a sermon anytime soon."

She glanced at all the empty rows of seats around them, their voices echoing off the walls of the dimmed church. Y/N felt her face heat up, "A couple of hours, I think? I don't know, I've lost track of time... I-I think I made a mistake, Rose. I can't go back to that house."

Rose hums, and takes a polite seat beside the shaken girl. "Oh, honey, we all make mistakes. God will forgive you, dear."

She shook her head. "Oh, no He won't. Not after what I did."

"If you're referring to anything about that wretched demon, it's okay," Rose assures in a soft whisper. "Manipulation is The Seeker's greatest powers. It's what he does. You are a smart girl, but I knew from the start you'd undoubtedly fall victim to his charm. But everything is going to be okay."

"Him and I are connected, Rose. Wherever I go, he goes," Y/N sighs, wiping away a few stranded tears. "I'm not safe anywhere. He's going to follow me, no matter what."

"You're safe here, dear."

"Yes, but I cannot stay here forever, can I?" she chuckled bitterly, shaking her head. "What am I going to do?"

Rose frowned, then grabbed the girl by the arm, pulling her to her feet. "Come on, follow me."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Y/N followed the elder down the row and towards the door, with a label that read "basement" against it. "Where are we going?"

"To see a good friend of mine. I'm more than sure he's going to be of decent help," Rose smiled, pushing past the door and guiding her down the stairs. Y/N was hesitant but felt as though she had no other choice, plus, she trusted Rose. The basement seemed to be a large room, rather, with the main one looking to be a living room/kitchen setup. There were plenty of other doors that presumably led to other bedrooms and a bathroom. She had almost forgotten she was in a church. "David? I've brought a friend."

"Who's David?" Y/N asked softly, unsure if she wants to be around an unfamiliar man right now, considering what happened to the last.

"Your savior," Rose whispers, and just then a man walks out; he was quite handsome to say the least, with long wavy brunette hair and a neat beard sprouting from his jawline. He was tall and donned an olive green long-sleeve shirt along with a pair of blue jeans. Did he live here? "David, this is Y/N."

"Y/N," and oh, his voice was heavenly, "it is a pleasure to meet you. I'm David. Rose informed me of your situation."

He walked forward and took her hand in his, shaking it promptly. She tilted her head to the side, "She did?"

"Yes. I believe you are not able to go back to your house, so I am offering you to stay in my home," he smiled. "You're more than safe here, child."

"Wait... you live here?" Y/N questioned, not judging at all, she just felt it to be a little peculiar.

Rose spoke up, "David is replacing Father Nathan, who resigned and took off so suddenly and leaving no indications of his next whereabouts. It sure is a shame, but I'm sure Father David will do exceptionally well."

Y/N shuddered. So that's how Ethan covered up Father Nathan's murder. "Oh... cool. Are you sure that it's okay for me to stay here? I feel like it'd be invading your personal space."