Pray, Heretic

"When Man had tamed the savage beast

Then Man became the savage beast

When history began at least

Then all was slaughtered for His feast"

--- "Why mankind should not have been"

They say there is no greater sanctuary from the Devil save the Church. In proclaiming this, the mortal fools have greatly underestimated me. Humans feel a displaced sense of safety in such sacred territories. But in truth much devilry has been at work behind covert, locked doors in even the most sanctified monasteries and convents. Even here, in the furthermost corner of the cathedral, I walk now amongst the humans and they remain unaware of my presence. In the shadows of the heart of this hallow place, I linger. But most important of all, I have defied Him; He who sees and knows all.

The Mass has started. Still, I feel no sense of agony that should have assailed me since my entry past the threshold, as is often depicted in tales and legends of old. Such tall tales bear no grain of truth. Do you see now how I have taught them how to spin a web of lies as though it was by second nature? And they are not even aware of it.

On and on, I hear the priest babble endlessly; of righteousness, of love, and every once in a while I hear my name being mentioned and how I should be cast out of men's hearts. That fool! That heretic! He knows he could never go long without me. His hidden desires are no mystery to me. Every time a woman passes by with breasts fit to burst and whose slender legs no doubt open the gates to heaven, he is completely overwhelmed by a perverse and rabid fascination. His lust knows no bounds yet he does his best to keep his bodily functions in control.

The Homily. I looked around and noticed with remarkable delight that hardly anyone around me was truly paying attention. There were many of them; the gossipers, the narcoleptics, the dreamers, the intolerant. The list was endless.

Soon it was the liturgy of the Eucharist. The priest proclaimed, "Take this all of you and eat it. This is My body which will be shared for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven. Do this in memory of me." And thus saying, he elevated the Holy Wafer.

Upon hearing this, I steadied myself. Though I must admit, I could hardly contain my ever-growing, ever-gnawing anticipation. The bell rang once, twice and the thin, pristine white disc was lowered. Those scattered few who were actually paying attention acknowledged its significance by bowing their heads in reverence. Those who did not remained steadfast by my side.

Then he took the cup of wine and lifted it for the entire congregation to see. With this he said, "Take this all of you and drink it. This is the cup of my blood which shall renew with everlasting life and will be shed for the remission of sins. Do this in memory of me."

At long last, my signal had occurred. This wretched palace of sinners and heretics would now be cleansed. The purging flame of Hell shall come upon both idle of mind and evil of heart. None of the congregation deserved to be saved for they had already secured passage into my abode. Corrupted men and women, they all were and the children, brainwashed, defiled of their innocence and purity. Nothing but a product of malice and abuse. A twisted sense of perversion brought them into my open arms. I guided them. I taught them. And sure enough, I destroyed them.

As the priest broke the Holy Wafer into two, he did not notice the blood spouting from the break in the Bread. He swallowed it in seeming nonchalance. No sooner did he do so, his arms flailed wildly all of a sudden, flinging the chalice to the ground and spilling the consecrated blood on the tiled floor. His hands then flew to his neck, grasping and choking, as though he would expel some foul, sacrilegious thing from his innards.

Whatever it was, it had overpowered him. His knees gave in to weakness. The marble floor was relentless to his fragile body as he fell. For a moment, he lay still as the congregation waited with bated breath for him to rise and resume. All eyes were on him now, the stupor shaken off, yet no one even lifted a finger to aid him.

Then without warning, the priest was overtaken by a powerful seizure. The congregation began to panic. A few scattered shrieks were heard here and there. "Was he an epileptic?" "Is he being possessed?" "Has the Devil himself come to defile this Holy place?" Of course, only I knew the answer for sure. Some even attempted to depart this holy place. But I had not neglected them of course.

A sudden and forceful gale slammed the gates shut, preventing any and all from eluding my judgment. They were trapped within the confines of this sanctified edifice. Once a trustworthy sanctuary, it was now a prison for madmen, for people who possessed no love or confused it with lust or loved the wrong things, for derelicts, for those who gave no heed to what was truly significant, for those drowned in lies, politics, wealth and power, for those enslaved by greed and corruption and even for those who simply did not care for fear of jeopardy. It was a prison from which none could escape.

They had all lived their lives guided by my principles. And now, by coming here, heretics and blasphemers, they had sealed their fate. Hearts far too corrupted, if they even had one to begin with.

The priest was the only one in the position to help them but now it was him they had to fear. In all the chaos, men naturally being creatures of entropy, they had failed to notice him rise from his fetal position. The priest was no more. This ghastly creature they all beheld was a deformed atrocity to the eyes of all. Hair disheveled, blood dripping from every orifice, eyes a blank glare of rage. All in all, a look of cannibalism had subdued his appearance.

Without hesitation, this newborn monstrosity lunged at those seated upon the first pew. Ah yes, how he gorged on their flesh and blood and tore out their innards. The tiled floors took upon them the color of crimson. My most recent minion wasted no time clearing out the vermin. He was clever, too. He took out the strong ones first, leaving the weaker ones paralyzed in fear. With no hope of a protector, they cowered in groups or lay helpless in the corners.

I watched with everlasting delight as the humans attempted to flee their mad assailant. I was not kept idle though, for my job was to see that none succeeded.

They cried. They shouted. But I assured myself that no one from the outside could hear the cacophony lest I should come to harm a guiltless soul.

I waited for him to finish his feast. He did not take that long. Before I knew it, all the once-living vessels were now empty corpses. He was all that remained now.

Exhausted by the struggle, he once again fell limp. But now, the assortment of bodies strewn around him cushioned his fall instead the solid tiled floor. His soul had now been released. But his body had taken the toll of the fight. Without the supernatural strength or healing ability I had endowed him with, he was dying. He was just as one of them now. His body lay still. Yet his soul was restless. I came up to him and spoke. "You have brought this upon yourself, you know."

He had no more words to say. All strength had left the heretic. I continued, "You were the one who is responsible for this bloodshed. From behind your religious facade, you counseled men and led them astray, corrupting their minds and hearts with evil intentions. You seduced many a woman, more often than not, and were nearly driven to the edge of intercourse and rape. You molested the children who came to ask for your blessing. Worst of all, you are a servant of God. If you were like any of them, your responsibility would have been lessened. But no! You took advantage of your position and you abused it. Now, pray, heretic, for your judgment is at hand."

He could do no more than look up at me. I was his god now. But he had one more thing to do; his last act on this earth. With his last fleeting breath, he managed to choke out the words, "O God, forgive me." Then all was black.

Thunder rumbled as the earth shattered beneath. The ground upon which the Church was built upon had split into two, completely swallowing the edifice and all those in it. The Temple of God, She was broken as an earthquake of such great magnitude rocked the foundations of the earth.

The next day, people only thought of it as a devastating tragedy. The area where the Church had been was completely razed to the ground, leaving only rubble, debris and dead body parts.

Now at last I say this. Pray now, Heretic, lest it happen to you.

Author's Note: Please review. I am a rookie writer and this is my first real submission here at fictionpress, not the crappy bedtime stories. I am in dire need of suggestions, comments, reviews, etc.