(Ronan's POV)
I didn't move.
I couldn't breathe.
I wanted to live.
I felt its presence come closer towards me.
It felt heavy. Wet. Rotting.
I could feel the heat of its breath land on my face, it felt like my skin was soaking it in.
I trembled, trying to at least stay quiet.
I couldn't do anything, this didn't feel like those movies where some hero came to save everyone.
Or when the main character in a movie would suddenly unlock new powers.
This was reality.
I was about to die.
And there was nothing I could do about it.
And then—
It stopped.
I didn't understand at first, was it taunting me?
What was going on.
I was already expecting to have a quick death, I just stayed still and waited for my fate.
My body refused to relax.
My lungs refused to work.
For some reason my body became restless, I wanted to look, I opened my eyes slightly, squinting, I definitely hadn't learnt my lesson.
And that's when I saw it.
Its head twisted.
Snapped.
It went all the way around, it looked like it did it effortlessly, like it had no bones to restrict its movements.
It looked away from me, and towards a dark corner at the end of the chapel.
I tried to see what it was looking at, but I wasn't able to make out what it was.
I don't know who or what was there.
I was just glad it turned its attention away from me.
I felt a tear roll down my cheek.
My ears picked up something.
The children, they were close, too close.
I wish I could make them stay farther away.
They tried their best to hide, crouching in dark corners all across the chapel.
I could hear their shaking breaths and muffled sobbing.
They were trying so hard to be quiet, to hide, to stay strong, trying not to move, trying not to scream.
They were trying to survive, just like me.
---
(Ezekiel's POV)
I watched from the dark corner where I was hiding.
I was scared, I didn't know why I stayed back.
I just wanted to go home, I told mom I wanted my favourite for dinner tonight.
I peeked around, I saw as it got close to Ronan, and all of a sudden, it snapped its head backwards towards me.
I was scared, my heart wanted to go to my heart felt like it was going to go up to my throat.
It couldn't have seen me.
I was hidden, or maybe I thought so.
It was looking straight at me.
Right into my eyes.
It smiled even more.
And then it laughed.
The sound of its laughter shook the chapel walls.
I hunched over, trying to use my hands to block out as much sound as possible.
I was starting to feel dizzy, I could barely keep my hand from trembling as the creature spoke.
"So one of your shepherds stayed."
I could feel it, its voice was laced with mockery, it wanted to torture all of us.
For as long as it could.
Till we couldn't be alive to be tortured anymore.
"Did you stay to protect them...?"
"Or to watch them die?"
I didn't know what I was doing anymore.
I didn't plan on stepping out, but my body didn't listen to me.
My legs just... moved.
I kept taking small, heavy steps.
My breath was ragged, my clothes soaked in sweat.
I could feel my heartbeat in my mouth, my ears, my throat.
Tears blurred my vision.
I wasn't a priest yet, just an apprentice.
I wasn't even good at the most basic prayer rituals the church held.
I should have just run.
Never looked back.
It smiled at me as I walked out, like I'd just handed myself over.
I was shaking.
My knees nearly gave in to the weight of my body.
I managed to stand, barely, trembling.
"I... I command you to leave," I said, my voice was barely as audible as a whisper. "In the name of the Lord."
It stopped moving.
But its smile still stayed there, plastered on its face.
It just stayed there staring at me.
And it laughed.
It laughed.
Its laugh felt wrong, it wasn't its voice.
It was every type of voice.
Men.
Women.
Children.
The voice of priests that I knew, I recognized it all.
I dropped to my knees in agony, clutching and covering my ears as hard as I could, I wanted to go deaf.
I wanted to just let it kill me already.
It laughed like it had gone through a thousand lives and enjoyed watching all of them suffer from its torture.
And then...
It changed.
Its face melted together, it was so horrible, I gagged as I saw what was unfolding before me.
It looked like candlewax folding into new shapes, except it wasn't wax but flesh.
And when it was done, its face resembled a human now, it looked human, I think, at least from what I saw, but it looked wrong.
It was brother Malachai.
But this wasn't the priest I knew.
His face was rotten, bloody, he had a smile that twisted into a mockery of kindness.
But it still looked so much like him, the hair, the pale skin, the pale green eyes.
It looked me with his eyes.
And it spoke with his voice.
"Do not fret little lamb."
"Your end is near."