'𝓓𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮 𝓜𝓪𝓬𝓪𝓫𝓻𝓮'

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 3

The hallways that the entry doors led to was just as dim as the first time she was there. This time the only difference was that the candles burned brighter without the sun's light combating it. This time she wouldn't let the deafening silence deceive her.

   As soon as she took a few steps in, she quickly realized that shoes were not going to be her friend. So, she untied the neatly knotted laces and slid them off of her feet, wearing white matching socks underneath. Placing her feet back on the floor, April already disliked it, the floor so cold on her uncovered feet.

   Once she was ready, she started to walk back to where she was last stopped, remembering the altercation that turned her around. Her face started to heat up at the thought of what happened, but she boiled it down to simple anger.

   Now that she had the time to look around, paintings were hung on the walls, all wearing unsettling faces painted as skulls. All she could hear was her breath as she walked the halls, walking past closed doors that had plaques on them, labeling each room for what it is.   The common room, the kitchen, and the storage room.

   Walking into the common room, she turned her phone's flashlight on low so she could look around the room. It was painted a dark red with picture frames littering the walls. People in outfits and masks, some of the masked people playing instruments. Other pictures that were framed showed the other people who she assumed lived in the church. They all looked so... demonic. Did they have body modifications?

   The rest of the room was simply three long couches against three of the walls, along with a few recliners. Deeming this room fully checked out, she turned her light off and backed up, proceeding to walk the way she was going originally.

   Reaching the end of the hall, she was met with a door and a hallway to the left. The first door reading 'Cardinal' in bold on the plaque. A simple door with a polished finish on the dark wood.

   She turned and walked down the hall, reading each door name silently to herself. 'Phantom' on the first door, 'Aether' on the door across from the first. Then there was around 8 other doors embedded with names. A few of them had light shining from under the door, muffled sound coming from the rooms indicating that whoever was in those rooms were watching TV.

   One room she took interest in though, reading the name embedded on a more scratched up door. 'Dewdrop' she was able to deduce that Sodo and Dewdrop were the same person thanks to the man who shooed her out. She stood in front of the door, listening carefully. The thought of being caught by him again made her heart rate pick up. So she didn't listen for anything long before walking the rest of the way down the hall.

   The last door at the very end of the wall didn't have anything branding it on the door, but instead it was above the door with fancy lettering. 'Library'. Glancing behind her to check that no one had walked out of their rooms or opened their doors, she pushed one of the big wooden doors that lead into the library open, letting it silently close behind her.

————————————𖤐𖤐𖤐————————————

   The fire ghoul laid on his back, sprawled out on his bed, his eyes closed as he listened to the quiet noises of the TV. After the girl had left, Copia gave him a stern talking about how lucky we are that she doesn't go to the cops. If she did they'd find out within weeks time at least.

   It was so strange for a little Christian girl to have wondered into the church so willingly. It made the ghoul wonder if she was even actually Christian. As his thoughts emptied into the night, he hummed Watcher in the Sky softly to himself. Soft rhythmic beating sounded in his ears, going in time with the humming of his song.