Post by Sister Catherine on May 3, 2016 8:13:37 GMT -6
Somewhere in the countryside of Atlanta, GA, a dilapidated barn barely stands in the dead of night. Its wood, rotted and worn. The roof caked in rust from decades of being exposed to the elements. Through the small windows that run along the side of the building that has seen better days, and the giant hole above the piece of plywood used as a makeshift door, light can be seen faintly shining.
Inside, the wooden floors reflect the outside of the barn. There are many pews constructed from stumps of wood and 2x4s. String is nailed along the walls, just above the windows and from the string dangles oil lamps which barely provide light inside the foul smelling barn. Gathered in the pews are groups of people from various walks of life, both male and female. Some of these people... are hideously ugly, frighteningly so, with their heads misshapen and boils dotting their sickly green colored flesh. For the people that do not appear hideous, there's something... strange about them. It's as if one is surrounded by murderers, thieves...
Sinners!
This strange batch of haunting people sit upright, or as upright as some of them can from their unnaturally bent spines, listening to a sermon that is given from the back of the barn. In the back of the barn is a giant log with a huge slab of stone on top that one might see used as a sacrificial table. Atop this makeshift podium are scentless candles along the edges of the stone that are individually lit. In the center is a book, open about a third of the way in. The Testament of Longinus.
A feminine index finger with the nail painted a crimson red points at a passage in the book. The figure standing behind the podium is clad in a clean, white hooded robe with crimson trim. The hood is pulled back, revealing the figure to be Sister Catherine. Her dark hair done up in a ponytail, with straight bangs dangling towards her eyebrows. Her ponytail is held up by a small red bow, probably the only pleasant thing inside this entire barn. Her glasses slide down her nose a bit as she looks down at the book before her. She begins to quote from the Testament of Longinus. "Torments 9. One through Nine. At last holy wisdom steals into my heart and I recognize my folly. I have failed in my ministry, but I cannot succeed while lying in the dirt. With renewed vigor I stir myself. I pray to the Lord for guidance, but no words echo in my soul. I rise and turn my steps toward the cities of man. In a lowly village a greedy merchant denies me hospitality. In judgment I feed upon him until his lifeblood has left him and I am sated. I wash in his basins and anoint myself with his expensive oils." She pauses for a moment, letting all of that sink in to her flock before stating the 9th line. "God’s wolf again walks among man." She places her right hand flat on the center of the book, looking out at everyone. "This is a reminder. This is a reminder that we are cursed in the eyes of the Lord. We are damned. No words echoed in his soul because God has forsaken us. However, we are all a part of his plan. Yes... We are a reminder to mortals what the price of Sin is. With this curse, we test the faith of them. We guide them towards God's Kingdom, or we sate ourselves on their blood in judgment until they are sent to Satan's fire; a price for their sins. We are God's wolves, and we can lead them into God's loving embrace or damnation. While God has forsaken us, he is a forgiving God. If we are to meet our final deaths, all we can hope for is that he will let us into his Kingdom..." With that, she closes the book. "That is where we will end for the evening. Please feel free to stay if you wish to speak, otherwise, enjoy your evening... Next time, a trial by fire..."
Everyone stands up and begins to file out. It looks strange, as if they're a group of zombies all walking in a double file line towards the front of the barn.
Everyone but one woman. This woman stands, wearing a Victorian dress, a dress of a bygone era. The dress is in ruins; tattered and covered in filth. Her long hair is lost of all color and is bald in some spots. Her skin is a sickly green, worn and stretched across her very slender limbs. She smiles towards Sister Catherine, or what one would think is an attempt at a smile as her lips are twisted. Her mouth is unnaturally bent from her crooked and broken teeth. Her lips and chin are stained with a black substance. It is dried blood. "Sister Catherine..." She says in a low, guttural voice.
Sister Catherine responds, "Yes, Sister Margaret?"
Sister Margaret: Your journey takes you to Missouri...
Sister Catherine nods, "Yes, yes it does."
Sister Margaret's sunken, cloudy blue eyes look to her with hope. "Would... Would I be able to come?" Sister Margaret flinches, as if being in Sister Catherine's presence is uneasy to her for some reason.
Sister Catherine moves from behind her podium. Her right hand comes up, sleeve of the robe curling back as she starts to brush the back of her fingers against Sister Margaret's boil covered face. She nods her head, "If that is your wish... You are all welcome to join me in my journey. We are Sanctified, after all."
Sister Margaret smiles once more, then asks, "Do... Do you think it will work?"
Sister Catherine raises her brow, "My mission?" Sister Margaret nods in response. Sister Catherine then states, "Whether it works or not, it is all a part of God's plan. Soon, they will all see. The greedy merchant I spoke of earlier, I see Isaac Cornelius the Third as that merchant. I have hope that God will sway him into giving me hospitality in Missouri. If not... well, you know how the rest went."
Sister Catherine starts to lead Sister Margaret out, the plywood creaking against the rotted, grey boards that represent the door frame. The two stand in front of the barn now, looking out at the open field that the others in the flock are standing in now and mingling with each other. Sister Catherine bends her head back, gazing up at the Heavens above which are lit up by the stars. Sister Margaret asks, "Do you think you will open their eyes? I hope so..." Sister Catherine stands perfectly still, speaking to Sister Margaret yet... also speaking to the Lord above. "I can only hope that the Lord will give me the ability. I am certain that he will. I will open their eyes. I will make them realize their sin and they will either give in to God or continue to sin. I will make them submit to The Almighty." She pauses.
"I will make them tap out to GOD!"
