The Species of Power [Draft 1]

Chapter 2

Ruth had forgotten how much she had missed the Hall. The moment she saw it, memories began to flood her brain. The Hall was disguised as a small old church, located in the middle of a small town in the middle of nowhere. White paint was chipping off the wood, which looked to be about thirty years old. Marsh; the Hall's guard, was sweeping the three broken stone steps right in front of the church door.

The steps often caused old ladies to fall and break their hips, and when someone complained about it being a safety hazard, Marsh would flash his biggest smile and promise to get the steps fixed as soon as possible... He never did. He would say he 'forgot' or make some excuse about calling the company but only getting the machine, but all of the students knew that he just liked to see them fall. Ruth wasn't surprised that nothing had changed at the Hall, even Marsh looked the same; with his baggy overalls, a red plaid shirt and the old cap he used to try to cover his grey hair. 

As Ruth opened the small gate she appreciated what she saw; the concealment of the Hall was brilliant. The design was clever, but she had serious respect for the smart asses who decided to disguise a slaughter training facility as a church. Not only was the church a hidden joke amongst the students, but the disguise had other purposes, which had always intriuged Ruth.

"How's it going Marsh?" Ruth said with smile, trying to forget about her current situation.

"Well, look who's here!" Marsh said, as he looked up at Ruth and Joseph. "Why aren't you two wearing your gear?"

"We were undercover," said Joseph. "But we needed to come back to deal with a couple of things."

"You two better behave," said Marsh. "You still remember how to get in, right?" Ruth bent down so it looked like she was tying her laces; but she pulled out an ethereal dagger from her boot, exposing it long enough for Marsh to see. Then she tucked it back in, finished 'tying' her shoes and stood up. Marsh tipped his cap, winked and continued to sweep the steps as if he hadn't talked to them at all.

The church itself wasn't much on the inside; white walls wooden chairs, an isle covered with a red carpet leading up to the altar. Confession booths on the side, it was a typical layout, or so it appeared to be. It amazed Ruth that for years, nobody had a clue about the world hidden underneath them.

As Ruth and Joseph approached the confession booth, she drew the curtain, took out her dagger and drew a straight line on the wood.The line she drew began to light up. It tore the wall open, temporarily cracking and breaking the wood, until there was a large enough gap to climb through. One of the many elevators at the Hall emerged in front of them. They stepped inside and Joseph pushed the button, with a swift movement the elevator slid down to the lower levels.

The elevator traveled quickly, but it had a lot of floors to cover before it reached the bottom, it gave Ruth a little time with her thoughts. The thing that came to her mind was the first time she really had a conversation Marsh. It was something she would never forget. It was her first year at the Hall, she and Marsh had been talking before her lessons begun.

Ruth found it unbearable to talk to the other kids in her class; they annoyed her so easily that it would be impossible for her not to rage. She couldn't remember how they had got on the topic but, they began to talk about the Humans. He had said that the church was perfect for luring them in. At the time, Ruth didn't understand why the Humans needed to be lured in the first place, and being the naïve silly little kid that she used to be, she couldn't stop herself from asking Marsh why.

"Didn't you ever wonder how some of the weapons became ethereal?" Marsh had said to Ruth, as  they sat on the steps. Her legs were crossed and her hands were folded in her lap.