Useful Suffering

A quiet, friendly American suburban town and a good job. What else could a guy ask for? My family moves into the famous Langenacht, which resides in the middle of the United States with not a city in miles. Despite that, this place is known for being one of the top producers of materials and food because of its unique natural environment that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. This place is known as the living embodiment of the American dream as a result. A true place where one can work, be free, and be happy.

As for me, I’m finally working my dream job. I work for the Catholic Church writing books and teaching people in a library about stories and their many elements such as the lessons they can teach and how entertaining they can be. Thanks to the generosity of the Church, I was able to buy a building from them that they were going to close since not too many people in the town are Catholic. The only catch is that I have to take care of it, pay my bills, and keep my door open to allow the priests and nuns access to the adoration chapel in the basement, which is another bonus to having this place. My video games, anime, and figures do weird out the priests a bit, but they attribute it to a quirk of my generation since they aren’t sinful things. After getting everything I have settled, I start a bit on my books, so I have something new to present along with my old work then rest for the remainder of the day.

What sounds like screaming wakes me up in the middle of the night. Four of my teeth then start to bother me along with a pang of hunger. I’m not sure a hunger for what, but it includes a temptation for what I’m weakest for. My four teeth that bother me then grow the length of a finger before I start to scream out to release a tension out of me. Who is banging at my door and my windows? I can’t tell what’s going on. It’s so dark and I’m so confused. I can only resist my temptations to do anything and try to go back to sleep.

Ah! They didn’t exaggerate when they said that you get a good night’s sleep in this town. I don’t know what it is, but I had the best sleep in my life. Maybe it’s because I know I have God in my basement. Anyways, after eating breakfast and getting my things, I go to work. This feels like the first day of something great.

At work, I give my introduction and talk about my stories to aspiring and practicing writers. They seem impressed and they’re easy to work with. After the talk, I hand out signed copies of my book and then go to the library to work on organizing stock and selling and giving people books to rent. While in the library, I think I see a familiar girl who I could swear that I know. Maybe she was from high school?

A fellow worker says, “She’s usually here every day to look for something to read and for the coffee.”

“Okay? And?” I say.

“And I see you have your eyes on her. Why don’t you talk to her?”

“I might…tomorrow.”

“You gave a big speech about the importance of writers and your personal struggles with writing and you won’t go up to a girl and talk to her?”

“Right. I’ll talk to her later.”

“Coward.”

“Hey, I like to be strategic about things like this. Make our first meeting storybook-like.”

“What’s more storybook-like than meeting your spouse to be at the library?”

“Hmm.”

“Remember that someone will talk to her if you won’t.”

“Okay, okay. You can stop being so nosy now.”

Where’d she go? Oh, she left the library. Hopefully, I’ll have the strength to talk to her tomorrow. When I get home, I work more on my next book. For some reason, I feel more tired than usual as the sun begins to go down and it starts to get dark. Because of this, I relax for the rest of the day by playing video games and having videos playing in the background. Part of me wants to keep working but working while I’m too tired to keep going has never done me any good so I’ll get the rest done tomorrow.

What’s happening now? Four of my teeth are growing as long as fingers as if I’m becoming a vampire and my temptations to sin begin to grow. Didn’t this happen last night? Why didn’t I remember that? There’s banging at my door and windows again, but I’m afraid to see what’s going on, so I retreat to the adoration chapel in the basement where I’m surprised to find a priest kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament.

“What are you doing here?” I ask the priest.

“You’re supposed to let us in to use the chapel, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right, but still, what are you doing here this time of day? I don’t remember you coming in.”

“I like coming in on nights like this. It’s a sacred place that mostly keeps the sinners out.” Speaking about that, I can hear people breaking and coming into the building. They then come downstairs and start screaming outside of the door while trying to break it down.

“Who are those people trying to break in?”

“Holy things will keep them out.”

“Holy things such as the things here and my necklace and bracelets?”

“Things such as those can slow them down, but not keep them out.”

“So then, what do we do?”

“I’ve heard you’re a faithful man. Converted quite a few people with your books and trying to help others do the same.”

“Okay, and?”

“So, now it is time to ask God for His help.”

I do as the priest says just as the door breaks open. Waking up in my bed after a good night’s sleep and dream makes me want to go back to sleep. Last night, I was dreaming of cuddling next to a girl of my dreams. Before I go out to work, I check every window and lock in the building since I forgot to do it yesterday, find that everything is okay, and then leave to go to work at the library. There, I see the girl again. This time she’s having coffee at the café and reading a new book. I can already see my coworker looking at me from the corner of my eyes so I approach her.

I say, “Hello, my name is-”

“Oh my gosh, it’s been years since I last saw you,” she says as she gets up to give me a hug. “How have you been, besides being the big new author in town?”

“I’ve been doing good. This is a really nice town. It’s like a dream come true coming here and getting the job that I did.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. Everything here is why I moved here from the city.”

I should’ve also said that it’s a dream come true to see her again but I could try saying that another time.

“Yeah, I don’t miss being there though I do miss you.”

“I’ve missed you too. Will you be working here from now on?”

“I will.”

“That’s great. We’ll basically get to see each other every day since I always come here in the morning.”

That’s probably the best part about being here. For the next few minutes, we make small talk about our jobs and what we’ve been doing since we last saw each other. To be frank, I don’t remember most of it since I was captivated by her smile and seeing her again, but it was nice while it lasted. I was so captivated by her that I forgot to ask her for her number before she left. I’ve also forgotten to ask her if the name I have in my head of her is correct since it’s been so long and there was no real appropriate time to ask for clarification on that. That’s okay since I’ll see her tomorrow. I’ll just ask her then.

Before going home, I go to a party near a Catholic Church with my parents. This party is to celebrate the parish’s founding anniversary and hundreds of years of hard work. A restaurant bar on the nearby corner, who are friends of the parish, supplies the food and the parishioners help set up the stage, table, chairs, and food stands in the parking lot and outside of it. I stay at the party until the sun begins to set around six thirty since I have to finish the next chapter of my book for a fun book workshop happening on Sunday and because I want to get up early for the seven-thirty mass. After saying bye to family and coworkers at the party, I go home and get to work.

Just like yesterday, I start to get tired while writing, but I manage to get the chapter done by ten thirty. It is then that I remember what also happened last night and just like then, I begin to feel four of my teeth begin to grow and my temptations towards my weaknesses begin to grow, however, there’s no banging at my doors and windows. What happened must’ve been a bad dream since there would’ve been clear signs of damage on the windows and doors. After saying my nighttime prayers, I go to sleep and then wake up around six in the morning so I can get done my morning prayers before going to mass while being dressed in my Sunday best.

Huh. It still looks dark outside despite it now being a little after seven. It’s like there’s a dark crimson fog that’s overtaken the town. I also still feel my four teeth trying to grow and a weakness to certain sins. This feeling will hopefully disappear just like it does every day. In my free time, I should also look up this weather condition since I’ve never seen anything like it.

Despite the crimson fog, I can see the tables and stands outside of the church’s parking lot. That’s strange since I thought they would’ve had this cleaned up for the morning masses. It’s a good thing I didn’t drive here so I don’t need to worry about parking. Still, I have to go through the still operating restaurant bar that’s serving customers. I didn’t know they served breakfast this early in the morning and these many people were out for it. Maybe I should ask my parents or that girl I like to try it out.

“Hey, where are you going?” a guy at the bar asks me.

“I’m going to the morning mass,” I say while cutting through the restaurant.

“Wait, a second!”

“Sorry, I got to rush!”

I want to be early so I have enough time to pray and sit in silence for a bit. Wait, what’s going on here? In the parish’s parking lot, there are a lot of people that seem possessed since their eyes are white and they’re just standing still. Around me, I can see blood and pieces of bodies and in the darkness, I can see people tearing each other apart. I can even see my parents in this darkness, but they also seem to be possessed since they are unmoving. As I catch sight of them, they are quickly torn apart by something in the darkness that they turn into some kind of goat monster with mouths for eyes and mouths on different parts of its body like the palms of its hands, its legs, chest, and arms. It leaps into the sky with a terrible screech that sounds like someone suffering in deep pain though that could be a scream from the people here.

“Run towards the church!” I hear someone say in the dark.

I’m already blindly running through the dark, so I do as the voice says. Part of me is also tempted to lick the blood off the floor and suck the blood from the body parts that I see on the ground. It feels like I’m putting myself in a near occasion of sin by being here and smelling the blood, which smells delicious to my mind for whatever reason. After a while, the four teeth that have been bothering me grow to a finger’s length, and because of this, I feel like I have to scream into the night, so I do.

“Hurry into the church!” I can hear someone say.

It sounds like the bartender. All of this around me is probably why he wanted me to wait.

“Why is this happening?” I ask.

“A curse allowed by God because of people’s constant want to overwork themselves. It’s too much to explain now. Just know that holy things limit the vampirism within people and that an unbitten neck from a pure soul like you is a delicacy to these people so hurry into the church already!”

“Okay, okay!”

Going into the church, I find that it’s not completely a church as I find an underground school. Here, I also find two teenage kids in their school uniforms complaining to their teacher who look like they’re going to kill her. I don’t know why but I want to interfere with them so I do and headbutt one of them.

“Why don’t you respect your teacher, punk?” I say to the kid I headbutted.

For some reason, my vampire teeth retract and I can see the kid that I headbutted teeth have retracted as well until he gets in my face, which makes his teeth grow again assumingly because he's being aggressive and wants to kill me.

“Why don’t you mind your business, smooth neck?” he responds.

Okay, this was a bad idea.

“It’s time to get back to class, boys,” the teacher says before turning to me. “You, get into the church. You’re going to miss mass. It’s what you came here for, right?”

“Right, but don’t you-”

“I know how to teach children like this, so don’t worry about me. Worry about your own neck.”

The teacher quickly walks away while dragging the two students away with her by the collar. What is this place and why are the kids in school at this hour? Probably sent here by their parents who don’t want them to give in to this vampirism disease that seems to be affecting everyone. Anyways, I run to the church to find that mass is just starting with the priest kneeling on the floor, however, there are many students in here with their fangs fully grown. They look at me with a smile on their face before pulling me into the church. Each of the students try to pull me in their direction while trying to bite my neck until two of them manage to get me in a corner away from the others so they can try to have my neck for their own.

It is then that the priest stops the mass and calmly says, “Please treat the newcomer with respect.”

Some kind of invisible force pushes back the vampiric students and allows me to have my own corner of the church to myself.

“Please kneel for the remainder of the mass and offer it as penance to God. It will do you good as well,” the priest says to me.

I do as he says and for the rest of the mass, the students keep away from me. After the mass is finished, I wait until everyone leaves since I don’t trust any of them or the possible threats outside.

“You must be a devout worshipper. You don’t have any fangs in your mouth,” the priest says.

“Thank you, but is everyone in this town affected by a curse?” I ask.

“They are. The original founders of this town took the American work ethic too far and God allowed it to be overtaken by a curse that cursed everyone with vampirism at night that’s worsened by their sins. You should leave here now since you have the protection of the Eucharist.”

“Isn’t the church the safest place to be?”

“Both the church and the Eucharist will protect you for a time, but not the rest of the night. What will protect you the most is the purity within. You can use your humility as a weapon against them now go.”

“What about everyone outside? What about the people who died?”

“The threats will keep their distance from you because biting a person who has consumed the Eucharist will kill them. As for the dead, they will rise again tomorrow morning as if nothing happened though you should pray for them. They are willfully ignorant of God and truth and are completely senseless during the night and consumed every night as a result. Now, hurry and find somewhere safe while you can.”

“Okay, thank you for the information.”

Once I hurry outside, I can hear the priest lock the doors of the church behind me. It’s quieter now outside so I assume the feeding frenzy is done. Before I can decide where to go, a figure walks out of the dark until I recognize it as the girl I know.

“Rune?” I say hoping that the name I remember her having is correct.

“Allen, I thought I’d find you here. We have to get inside someplace safe for the remainder of the night,” she says.

Whew. Glad I got her name right.

“What are you doing here?”

“I know you work for this parish and had a feeling you might be here. Let’s hurry inside especially if those goat creatures are around.”

“We can go to where I live. There’s an adoration chapel there.”

“Why there and not this church? Did they lock the doors already?”

“Yeah.”

“Cowards. Let’s go to your place then.”

While leading Rune to my home, I ask, “What are those goat creatures?”

“People who have indulged in sin so much over the course of many nights to the point where they become those things.”

“Maybe we should leave town. This entire place isn’t safe.”

“We can’t. Those goat things patrol the forests at night and by the time the sun rises, we’ll completely forget all of this and all traces of it will be erased. Nothing can be written down about it, nothing can be recorded on the internet, no one can be killed, and nothing can be broken that won’t be repaired when the sun rises. Even the people who pass by the town at night, won’t remember anything once they exit it. The only thing that can permanently be changed by the night are the people who turn into goats that are completely forgotten about by the morning and every trace of them is gone.”

“This is going to be difficult to deal with, especially with people after my neck. Is there a way to stop them from doing so?”

“You could wait a while for your neck to grow stale, but it took me at least three months or so. There is also getting a girlfriend to bite your neck. God is apparently merciful enough to let that not be a sin and even have couples be able to stay near one another during the night assuming their love is pure and their relationship approved by Him.”

“We can do that then!”

“What?”

“Be my girlfriend so you can bite my neck! That sounded wrong. I’m sorry, but please. I really mean that I want to be with you not just because of the neck biting. I really do love you.”

That wasn’t as elegant and storybook-like as I want it to be, but I want her to bite my neck…no, I can’t let impure thoughts and feelings cloud the purity of my heart’s decision. Rune looks stunned and is having trouble saying anything. Please, say yes.

“I…I um. Hey, the sun is starting to come out.”

“But will you?”

“I…yes, yes, I will, but we’ll forget about it soon.”

“Then I’ll ask you again later.”

“But-”

“If we’re meant to be with one another, then it’ll definitely happen. Trust me.”

As I say that, the sun rises. Man, I’ve never seemed to kick the habit of sleeping after church. I get breakfast from the local diner before going to the library to show off the next chapter of my book. Thankfully, Rune is there to see it too so I can impress her. Rune is her name, right? I think I’m remembering it correctly. She joins in with the other writers so she can see how I make my books before grabbing one of my signed copies to take a look at. Okay, I think this is the time to ask her out, so I approach her while everyone else is starting to leave.

“Hey, Rune. Did you enjoy my presentation?” I say hoping that the name I remember her having is correct.

“I did and I have to say that I’m interested in reading more,” she says.

Whew. Glad I got her name right and that she likes my work. Okay, now I think it’s a good time to ask.

“Are you busy today?”

“No, I’m not. Today is Sunday after all.”

“Right, would you like to go out on a date with me today?”

She seems hesitant to answer. I did just come out of nowhere with the question and I didn’t exactly ask in an elegant or storybook-like way as I wanted to.

“Okay! I’d like that.”

Yes! Thank you, God, that she didn’t turn me down. For the rest of the day, we enjoy the sights of the town together and enjoy each other’s company. She mostly decides where to go since I don’t know much about the area though I still pick a good couple of areas to go that I heard were good. It goes pretty well and ends with me eating dinner at her house until the sun goes down. We watch some old movies we remember together on the couch and it is then that I feel like this has been the best day of my life. That is until I remember what happened this morning.

“See? I was right,” I say.

“Yeah, but…” Rune says while looking concerned and at my neck.

“What is it?”

“N-nothing. We’ll be safer in the basement. I have it blessed and decorated with holy images and objects.”

“Will it keep us safe for the night?”

“It has for me to the best of my memory.”

“Even if the night lasts as long as the last one?”

“The night only lasts that long on Sundays because those who cursed the town wanted to blaspheme God by doing it. Nights start typically from eight pm to five pm while Sunday nights are typically from eight pm to nine am. I say typically because some nights last longer or shorter depending on the season and God’s mercy.”

As we go into the basement, there are a bunch of holy objects and images around the stairs that go down. Inside the basement is a single small room with no windows and a bunch of packed up boxes labeled for holiday seasons and old hobbies and memories.

“Do you trust me?” Rune asks.

“Of course,” I say.

“Then I’ll have to strap you to the wall. For your own safety.”

“Um.”

“Just trust me.”

“Okay.” After strapping me to the wall with what seem to be belts, Rune walks back and forth. “What wrong, Rune?”

“I…you shouldn’t have trusted me. I strapped you to the wall because part of me wants to bite and suck your blood for the entire night.”

“No, I still trust you to do the right thing.”

“You just want me to bite your neck. You’re sick.”

Kind of, but no, I won’t let that temptation get in the way.

“Rune, I trust you. Stop worrying.”

She paces back and forth a bit before saying, “Okay. Alright, I’ll do it.”

“Just don’t bite too hard.”

“Quiet. I have to concentrate to control myself.”

Rune walks up to me and looks me in the eyes. I close mine, and then she slowly and gently bites my neck.

“See? That was eas-”

“Be quiet. I’ll have to bite all parts of your neck.”

This time, Rune bites the other side of my neck, but she does so again and again until she starts biting harder and seems to enjoy it to a worrying degree.

“Rune? Are you okay?”

“Yes! Tasty…so tasty…”

“Rune? Stay with me. Control yourself.”

Something’s wrong with her. She keeps biting me and her teeth are growing bigger and bigger. Despite the size of her teeth, the amount of pain I’m feeling, all the blood I’m shedding, and her many bites, my neck doesn’t fall off even though it feels like it should. I try to stop myself from screaming while trying to calm down Rune with words, but it’s useless. Right now, I feel like she’ll rip my neck off from my shoulders especially since she’s bitten many times around it. In my pain, I offer up my feelings of fear and pain up to God and quietly ask God to have mercy on her and me. It’s my fault that this is happening, isn’t it?

Huh? Did something happen last night that I forgot about? I hope it wasn’t anything sinful. Rune is sleeping on me with a smile on her face and…drool on her mouth. It’s really cute in a way. What time is it anyway? We still have a couple of hours before I have to go home and get changed for work, so I wrap my arms around her and set my alarm to wake me up in an hour, however, my alarm doesn’t go off until Rune wakes up.

“Good morning,” I say.

“What time is it?” Rune sleepy asks.

Looking at the time on my phone, I say, “Five.”

“Good night then at least for another two hours.”

“Okay, good night.”

My alarm goes off later and wakes both of us up.

“You had to set that alarm?” Rune asks.

“Well, today is Monday and I have to get to get my prayers done, eat breakfast, and get changed before I go to work,” I say.

“Yeah, I have to go to work too, but I start at ten.”

“I know. Can you let me go now?”

“Oh, that’s right. Sorry, I was too comfortable.”

After leaving Rune to sleep some more, I go about my daily routine before going to work, teaching the aspiring writers, and then going to work at the library. Man, I know this is a town with not that many people in it, but I’d like some people to work with. It feels pretty lonely being the only one working the counter. I could talk to the people working in the coffee shop though I don’t feel like looking that I’m not attending to my duties. Still, I’d like someone to be at the counter so I can get the stock organized. Oh, Rune is here like always.

She walks up to me and says, “Hey, we didn’t do anything uh…premarital last night, did we?”

“No, of course not,” I say.

“Yeah, I just felt worried when I woke up as if we did something because we slept on the couch together.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m a Catholic man that saves that stuff for after marriage.”

“I figured you were. Anyways, do you want to hang out for a bit after work?”

“Sure thing. I’ll see you outside of where you work after six?”

“Yep. See you then.”

“Can I uh…have a kiss before you go?”

“Sure,” Rune says with a blushed face.

Rune kisses me on the lips then smiles at me before biting my neck.

“Ah! What was that for? I think you drew blood,” I jokingly say.

“I don’t know. I just felt like I owned your neck now for whatever reason. See you later!” she says while walking towards the coffee area.

That was weird. Anyways, work goes by fast today since I’m busy. I go to Rune’s workplace and hang out with her for a bit before I treat her to dinner. After which, we watch the sunset together from a place in town that’s known for it. We then kiss each other before the sun fully sets and we remember what happened last night. My neck also begins to feel scarred as if the events from last night are catching up to it.

“I’m sorry,” Rune says before immediately getting up and walking away.

“Wait! I should be the one who is sorry since I was the one telling you to bite my neck and let you do it,” I say.

“No, I could’ve controlled myself, but I didn’t. It’s all my fault for putting you through so much pain last night.”

“It’s okay. I forgive you and hey, my neck is no longer attractive to the other people in town now, so they won’t go after me because of that, right?”

“Right…”

I then hug Rune who is on the verge of crying.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. We should get to safety. Let’s go to my house.”

“Alright…”

Holding Rune’s hand, we walk to my house while avoiding the people of the town until they find and surround us. All these people appear to be in the process of turning into goats with many mouths on them since part of their bodies has red fur and a mouth or two on them.

“What do you people want?” I ask.

“You…you denied us your neck and now we won’t be able to taste the neck of a pure soul like yours until who knows when,” one of them says.

“Deal with it and leave us alone,” Rune says.

“Oh, we’ll deal with it, but you’ll have to deal with us tearing you apart every night because of what you’ve deprived us of. I’m assuming you’ve let your girlfriend bite your neck so we’ll start with her first and let you watch as we do as we wish with her.”

One of the people then leaps at Rune who I get in the way of protecting her and paying for it by having a chunk of my arm clawed off.

“Allen!” Rune says.

“It’s okay. I’ll offer up this pain as penance and my life up to you,” I say.

For some reason, my blood begins to boil and burns the person that attacked me. It also purifies their arm that was part goat before starting to burn and purify the rest of them. They jump away before falling to the ground and screaming in agony. The others then take a couple steps away from us in confusion and talk among themselves to figure out what to do. It is now that I know realize what the only weapon I can use against them is. Suffering for the sake of another won was used by God to save us from sin and so I can use it against them. Therefore, I offer up my suffering to them for their sake.

As I do this, I move my injured arm so that the blood from it can hit the others around us, and to my surprise, my blood comes out of my arm and hits the others as if it was guided by an invisible hand. I then offer up my suffering for the sake of the town, and as I do so, the rest of my body begins to bleed especially my head where a spiky crown of blood forms on my head. In the distance, I can hear the screaming of sinners as the surrounding area becomes less dark and crimson red. Because of all bleeding, my pain increases, but I can sense that people’s souls are being purified and that my sacrifice is worth it.

A quiet voice in my head says, “Now, you share in the suffering and love of Christ.”

“Allen, are you okay?” Rune asks.

Smiling while trying to hide the pain, I say, “I’m fine. I can deal with this.”

“How can you deal with bleeding out of every part of your body?!”

“Heh, God’s help, I guess?”

“I’ve never heard or seen this before. Do you think it will end the curse?”

“I have a feeling it won’t unless more people do the same. Until then, I’ll have to suffer for them and I feel that I’ll have to do this every night.”

Despite saying this, I feel a strange sense of peace.

“You can’t! I can’t stand seeing you like this!”

“It’s okay. Because it’s worth it to help the people here. I’ll also be keeping you safe, which helps me bear this suffering.”

Rune hugs me before the morning light begins to shine over the horizon. What a happy ending to a dream. I only wish that I knew what happened during the night though since I keep waking up next to Rune for the past couple of days. It seems like nothing sinful happened because we’re on the couch together with our hands held together. Since it’s five in the morning with the sun just beginning to rise in the distance, I cuddle up closer to Rune and fall back to sleep. Ever since I came to this town, I’ve been living a dream and I thank God every day and pray that it will continue to be this way for the rest of my life.

The Defilement of Falsehood is now completed and available for download!

Download for free on Smashwords  - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1155044

Every day and night is sunny and peaceful, and the evils of the world seem nonexistent, however, this is a trick of the light as the Eternal Sun blinds the world and hides the evils of the vampire wolves who wish to bring about the coming of their false Christ to bring Heaven to earth. Maryam Aurora Meridies seeks to stop this while struggling against the effects of the sun and her temptations.

Venatores Noctis: Defilement of Falsehood: Chapter 4 – A Christ People Wanted

Chapter 4 – A Christ People Wanted

From a distance, Maryam sees that the city of London is packed with people from all around the world coming by boat and carriage. For some reason, the Eternal Sun shines brighter in this city than in any other place Maryam has been to. Their so-called bread is already being handed out and consumed by everyone who enters the city and walks through it as if the wolves are anxious to bring the second coming of their Christ.

“There doesn’t seem to be an easy way into the city. They’re shoving their accursed bread into the mouths of everyone who enters, so sneaking through the crowd isn’t a good option either. Claudius?” Maryam says.

“Yes?” Claudius asks.

“What do you suggest?”

“You’ll need help and if there is any, they’ll be underground.”

“Will their help be enough against these many people?”

“If not, your guardian angel and your family will be there for you.”

“Okay. Let’s go then.”

Going into the underground, Maryam finds a dark series of tunnels that seem like they’re rarely used save for the holy incense in them that grow in number the deeper she goes. These holy incense give Maryam the hope to find help here though they hardly help her find her way around as some trails of holy incense lead only to dead ends. After a bit of searching, she finds a small settlement with many holy objects acting as dampeners to lessen the effects of the Eternal Sun just like in her own home. The people in this settlement approach Maryam as if she didn’t walk in unexpectedly.

“Welcome! Are you here to spoil the wolves’ plans as well?” a stranger asks.

“Yes, I am,” Maryam says.

“Then you’ve arrived just in time. You don’t happen to be someone who can create a grand strategy, do you? We’re trying to finalize our plan of attack before we go out and do it.”

“Who are you people and why haven’t the wolves found you?”

“We’re part of the Church that worships the true Christ. A Church that was once called the Catholic Church. The reason why the wolves haven’t found us is because they’re too busy having the time of their lives up there most of the time. In the event they do chase us, we’ve blessed these tunnels to confuse their senses and blessed the doors so that any wolf who touches them will lose a hand.”

“I didn’t know that other parts of the Church were still alive and loyal to the true God.”

“We’re glad to have proven you wrong then. It might not seem like it, but this entire continent was once a grand kingdom subservient to the Church with London being the capital of that kingdom.”

“I’ve heard all the kingdoms in the world were, but that was a long time ago. How are your efforts in retaking the city?”

“Besides the underground, we have nothing. As you probably already know, retaking the surface is nearly impossible with that cursed sun outside so we just go out to stall the production of their accursed bread and put an end to their other sinful plans when we can. It’s been a back and forth battle for a while, however, we’re pulling out all the stops this time, especially because they’re trying to bring about the coming of their false Christ.”

“I’ll help you finalize your plans then.”

“Thank you. What’s your name?”

“Maryam Aurora Meridies.”

“Meridies? That’s a last name I’ve heard in legends. It’s an honor to meet one such as you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

Maryam is briefed about the information the underground London Church has before formulating a plan with them. Together, they plan to ambush the leading wolves along with their guards at the primary gathering point to stop the ritual they have going then quickly retreat back into the underground. After the London Church arms themselves and says their prayers, they head out. The group that Maryam is with emerges in a ruined cathedral. Here, the Eternal Sun’s influence isn’t felt as harshly.

“I can’t help but feel the nostalgia of this place even though I wasn’t born when it was used. It’s a shame that blessed buildings can’t be used as shelter the same way the underground can. At least the wolves can’t use it,” a soldier of the Church says to Maryam.

“It’ll be brought back to its original glory when we retake the earth and we’ll make that day come sooner rather than later,” Maryam says.

Climbing up to the roof of the cathedral, Maryam and her group take their positions in the shade of the building and wait for the people below to gather in one place and the wolves to be where they’re expecting. To their surprise, no one shows up where the wolves are supposed to be and the day’s events go on as usual with no ritual being set up.

“What do you think is happening? Was your information faulty or did they change their plans?” Maryam asks a soldier.

“They couldn’t have…unless…”

“Unless we were betrayed.”

Before they can react, some members of their group attack them and two are killed. Maryam and the loyal soldiers defend themselves against the traitors and leave a few alive to interrogate.

“Why did you betray us?” a loyal soldier asks a traitor.

“Why wouldn’t I? You would disturb this long peace, stop the second coming of Christ, and, worst of all, stop most people from going to Heaven.”

“And how do the wolves allow a majority of people to get to Heaven when they make them live in ignorance and sin?”

“You partially answered your own question. The people are blind to their actions, which means they’ll be judged innocent and most people will go to Heaven as a result. The only people that get sent to Hell are the few that keep up this wonderful lie, but isn’t it worth it that a few be damned so that many more be saved?”

“No, it isn’t,” Maryam says.

“Why’s that?”

“Because Christ died so we wouldn’t live in ignorance. The truth will set you free, not ignorance.”

“We’ll see who’s living in ignorance once the ritual is complete and Christ comes to bring Heaven on earth.”

“Where is that ritual happening?”

“Nowhere in public that you can easily find. The ritual started in the morning so you wouldn’t be able to stop it. Ah, speak of it. Look at the sun.”

Looking outside, Maryam and others see that the crowds are also being directed to look at the sun, which is now shining brighter and exerting its cursed influence even more now. A figure is then seen descending from the sun’s light that appears to be Christ as it gets closer and closer. The masses in London bow before this figure in worship and offer their souls to it. Even the loyal members of the Church near Maryam begin to fall to its influence since its otherworldly presence seems so irresistible. Maryam also finds herself struggling to resist the influence of this Christ, so she builds up the darkness within her arm and unleashes it into the sky.

With Maryam’s blessed darkness in the sky, the false Christ’s true appearance is revealed, which has many heads. One head is that of a wolf with no eyes and a caged mouth, another head is nothing but an eye with spikes like a crown and horns around it, two snake heads comprise another head connected to the being’s snake body and one wing, and, finally, the last head takes up the bottom half of the creature and has the horns of a demon. Most in the crowd are confused about what they’re seeing and are unsure of what to do. Some continue to worship the false Christ thinking that their eyes are deceiving them while others leave the area in fear of what they’re seeing.

“Fall, worship me, and I shall make this happiness and prosperity on earth eternal for you all,” the false Christ says.

The words of the false Christ draw in more worshippers as it exerts its overwhelming presence over everyone in London. To combat this, Maryam steels herself, asks for God's help, and makes her way down from the cathedral to where it is.

“Protect me from that woman and her followers and your reward will be Heaven on earth,” the false Christ says.

Its followers, both wolf, partially wolf, and human, go after Maryam, however, her guardian angel and Claudius back her up in this fight.

Looking at them and then looking at her enemy, Maryam says, “I thought the rest of my family from Heaven would be here.”

“I didn’t say that part of the family would be. Look behind us,” Claudius says.

In the distance, Maryam can see her penitential family and additional soldiers from the underground Church pushing their way past the retreating crowds.

They soon catch up to her with a sister of hers saying, “It’s good to see you again sister! Our guardian angels brought a message from God saying that you needed our help in this fight.”

“I do. Are you ready to bring God’s justice to this false god and its followers?” Maryam says.

“We’ll do it together as a family,” the Meridies family says.

With that, the Meridies family charges forward with their guardian angels and the Church’s soldiers against the false Christ’s followers. While fighting, the false Christ tries to use its influence and the Eternal Sun’s curse to tempt the soldiers of the Church and the Meridies family in each their own way.

As they fight a wolf says to Maryam, “Our god only wants to bring peace and light to the world while you bring darkness and death. Is it God that you serve or a devil?”

Knowing that the wolf is being used by the false Christ, Maryam doesn’t respond to it and just cuts it in half along with the other enemies in her way until another wolf gives her trouble in how agile it is.

“Why make man know good and evil when it has brought only suffering to the world and souls to Hell?” the agile wolf questions.

Cutting apart this wolf as well to shut it up, Maryam keeps going until she reaches the false Christ who she sees is levitating from the ground.

It speaks from all mouths, “You seek perfection and I can make you it when all good and evil is equal. Under me, nothing is good. Nothing is evil. All is perfect as it is and will go to Heaven as a result. Isn’t that what a true and loving God would do?”

Unable to keep herself from responding any longer, Maryam says, “No. A true and loving God would call good and evil what they are and punish and reward people accordingly even if some go to Hell.”

More wolves controlled by the false Christ jump in front of Maryam. They say, “The spell of ignorance we’ve placed on the world has saved souls.”

“It’s better to be freed by the truth than to be a slave of ignorance and sin! We are given the freedom to make our own choices and suffer the consequences of them and that freedom is what makes us human and what allows us to truly love and be who we’re meant to be!”

Claudius and Maryam’s guardian angel get rid of the wolves in front of her before helping her face the false Christ. It tries to fly away, but Maryam uses all the darkness in her arm to blast a sphere of darkness into it that launches the false Christ into the Eternal Sun, which destroys both. The effects of the Eternal Sun disappear and the moon shines again for the first time in generations. This makes the Meridies family and the Church’s soldier cheer while the remaining wolves die from the moon’s blessed light. A year’s long night then falls on the earth that results in the rest of the wolves on the earth being killed by the blessed moonlight and hunters of the Church, and though the night lasts a year, this night is brighter than any artificial day that shone as a result of the Eternal Sun, especially because mankind is finally free to live on the surface again and be able to choose between good and evil, and love and sin.

The End

Venatores Noctis: Defilement of Falsehood: Chapter 3 – Freedom of Mindlessness

Chapter 3 – Freedom of Mindlessness

Even as the sun sets, the night sun rises, which doesn’t cease the effects of the Eternal Sun. In fact, the temptations are increased as the night sun shines its dimmer, cold, yet warm light. Due to enduring the curse of the light for so long, Maryam quickly says fifteen Hail Marys for her enemies so the temptations can be dispelled for a time. She’s made her way to one of the production towns where men and women live to produce children that are born, baptized, then used in the bread production. Both the men and the women are given injections that contain mysterious liquids that make them reproduce children faster, however, the results of this injection shorten their life span as Maryam witnesses healthy looking young people suddenly die of heart attacks and spasms. Since the people are so affected by the Eternal Sun, they call for help and then go about their daily business as if the people will be alright.

Curious about what they do with the bodies as she scouts out the area, Maryam follows the people carrying the bodies away to find that the bodies are made into food for the workers to eat. An obvious conclusion in Maryam’s mind, but one that she is still disgusted and angered to see. These feelings increase the severity of her temptations and her want to slaughter everyone in the area. Appearing from nowhere, Claudius appears and intercedes for Maryam so that she can think better but not completely clear.

“Most people here do not know what they’re doing. Forgive them, use the blessed darkness, and only take out the ones that are guilty or fight against you,” Claudius says.

“They might still go back to their ways and there’s no guarantee that they will run to the Church since they don’t know where it is. It’s more likely that they’ll go to their masters to be enslaved again as all sinners do,” Maryam says.

“Then God will give them their due punishment. For now, just bring justice to those who fight you. Leave the others to cower and realize the situation they are in.”

“Fine.”

Doing as her ancestor suggests, Maryam darkens the skies with her blessed arm before going down and killing whoever fights against her. She frees the infants and thankfully for her, a few of the workers see reason and take the infants and children away from the town and to the underground Church with it marked on their map by Maryam.

“Don’t let anyone else see or get this map or else, I’ll hunt you down,” Maryam threatens the worker.

“I’ll protect it with my life,” the worker honestly says.

Convinced by the honesty of the workers, Maryam leaves them and continues on her way. Since she’s a long way from the next location, she rests in a cave where the Eternal Sun’s light doesn’t touch.

“You should eat something rather than fasting by drinking water,” Claudius says as he appears to her.

“Fasting and doing penance helps me resist temptations, does it not?” she asks.

“Yes, but you need your strength for the coming battles ahead. If you won’t eat your fill, at least eat until you are no longer hungry. You can’t fight if your body is weak.”

“Hm.”

“It’s a sin to make yourself sick because you want to push the limits of your penance. I did the same too. Think about it. What does God want you to do? You’re a soldier, not a penitent.”

“Okay, okay.”

After hunting for food, cooking it, and eating it, she rests in a cave and dreams of when she let people under her command die and the cruelty of the people cursed by the Eternal Sun. She remembers people crying out to her and their screams of pain while their blood covers her as if saying that her failure is still with her. This wakes her up and makes her panic and turn to prayer to calm herself down.

“Do not let the failures of your past define your future especially since some of it wasn’t your fault,” Claudius says as he appears to her.

Seemingly ignoring and acknowledging him at the same time, Maryam nods before continuing to pray. Claudius then tries to comfort Maryam by embracing her. His embrace fills her with a sense of peace that she hasn’t felt in a while.

Nevertheless, she tries to push him aside while saying, “Thank you, but I don’t deserve this comfort.”

Her guardian angel then appears to embrace her as well, and despite having a terrifying appearance, the angel’s embrace also helps her to feel peaceful.

“These feelings won’t solve anything or help our situation in any way,” Maryam says.

“They will help you continue for another day, and sometimes, that’s all you need,” Claudius says before disappearing.

Maryam’s guardian angel also disappears leaving her with a feeling inside her to feel better and loved that she forgets is inside her. It is then she remembers the treasured times she was with her family. The simple times when they would live a life of prayer, study, and training before they took their roles in life. After waking up, Maryam offers up the feeling of emptiness she has as penance before continuing on. When she reaches the next destination, she finds a large town with seemingly nothing out of the ordinary. That is until she sees people of all ages prostituting themselves in the streets. This perversive practice boils Maryam’s blood to the point where she wants to act now and kill everyone in sight, especially those who take advantage of the young.

Again, Claudius appears to calm her as he says, “These people are blind like the others. Their degeneracy is not entirely their fault.”

“Then whose fault is it so I can end whatever makes this location so special to the wolves,” Maryam says.

“Quickly scout it out to see.”

Doing this seems to reveal nothing to Maryam. The surrounding area is like a paradise because of all the wildlife, vegetation, and springs of water. Businesses here sell their products for cheap or give them away as prizes if won through a game. Speaking of games, this town is home to many different kinds of sports, horse races, and table game tournaments. If a person loses, they are indebted to the victory and either give them their prize or give themselves in complete service to the victor. It is then that Maryam realizes what this place is.

“This is just a pleasure town. It’s only important because people get to use others as their toys and indulge in pleasures of every kind,” Maryam says.

Appearing to her, Claudius says, “Since this place doesn’t produce any of their blasphemous bread, you can skip it and save it for later.”

Maryam looks at her ancestor in disbelief.

“You cannot be serious. Just look at what’s going on here. There are probably more evils happening that I can’t see because of the light that you know about.”

“Even so, you cannot stop at every single settlement and point of interest to punish evil because you must be in London in a few days.”

“I still have time and I’m already here. I might as well do what is right and see justice through.”

“It’s your choice. Remember that God lets certain evils take place for long lengths of time before giving them their just rewards.”

“And today is that day.”

Using her blessed darkness, Maryam blocks out the cursed light and awakens the consciences of the people. What’s further revealed are soundproof buildings on the far outside of the town that homes to darker pleasures of the wolves that allow them to kill and torture without fear of being seen or heard. These places also hold the ritualistically killed feral wolves where they are buried, killed, and consumed by others with such reverence that it would be thought that these wolves were saints. Now that she’s found these secret buildings and what’s happening in them, Maryam’s stress and temptations reach a limit as half of her black hair turns white and her anger takes some control of her. She struggles to control herself while fighting and does her best by offering up her fighting as a prayer to God. When the children and young people see that Maryam is killing people, half wolves, and vampire wolves, they try to swarm her because their corrupted elders told them to and despite their doubts, they do as they are told.

“I won’t make the same mistake again,” Maryam says.

Without hesitation, Maryam slaughters the young and whoever tries to fight against her. Because of her brutality, the people in the town either run scared or try to help fight her off.

“Come at me all who wish to die an early death,” Maryam states.

Maryam is outnumbered, and yet, she is thrilled by this battle a bit too much as she slices through all who approach her. That is until her supporters from the Church come to aid her.

“Maryam!” one of her supporters calls out to her.

“What are you doing? You shouldn’t be here,” Maryam asks.

“Neither should you, but we both know that we should head to London to stop whatever blasphemous ritual they are conducting to summon their false Christ. Besides, it looks like you need our help.”

“Look at the piles of bodies around you. I don’t need your help.”

“I didn’t really mean that you need our help in fighting, even though you will need help in London. Your hair is half white.”

“I can control myself.”

“I hope so for your sake.”

Feral vampire wolves are unleashed upon Maryam and her friends along with the rest of the town who can take up arms.

“I’m surprised there have feral wolves still alive. It’s been a while since we fought any,” a supporter of Maryam says.

“It doesn’t surprise me. Of course, they’d keep these creatures consumed by sin in secret in case of an attack,” Maryam says.

“This place must be really important to them then.”

“That’s why we’re destroying it.”

Together with her supporters and her guardian angel, Maryam burns and destroys this town until little is left. Few in it have repentant and surrendered to them and some of Maryam’s supporters have died in the battle, which she tries to not let upset her.

“Are you satisfied?” Claudius asks Maryam as he appears to her.

“I’m satisfied that justice has been served. I don’t need to feel satisfied when serving God or receive any reward for doing so,” she answers.

“Such a brave answer, but do you really think that way?”

“I do.”

“We’ll see about that through your actions.”

Maryam gets up from her short rest to continue on.

“What are you doing?”

“Proving my beliefs through my actions as you said.”

“What about your friends?”

“They can join me if they want after they rest. They need it after today’s battle.”

“And so do you after what you went through. You’ll eventually need their help in London.”

“Then I’ll soften our foes up for them to lessen the chances that they’ll die just like I did for this town.”

“Even though you did, you still lost a few of your friends. I suggest that you attack no more settlements to avoid losing more of your forces.”

“Are you serious?”

“I am. Leave the rest of them alone and focus only on the battle in London.”

Inside, Maryam is feeling conflicted about listening to her ancestor. Part of her questions herself if who she is seeing is really Claudius or a demon pretending to be. It doesn’t help that she’s being affected by the Eternal Sun again, so she does as Claudius says for now and resigns herself to prayer and rest. Two days pass and Maryam’s temptations increase with every day despite her penances and practices to strengthen her against them. It doesn’t help that she sees the evils called good of the wolves take place such as them indulging in their perverted pleasures and ritualistically eating the dead and feral wolves.

What pushes her over the edge is what she witnesses when she finds the source of the sound of someone in danger. She sees that an injured woman has somehow gained clarity of her mind and is running away from the wolves in an attempt to save her life. Her struggle is of no use since she cannot outrun the wolves that surround her.

“What are you going to do with my baby? What have you been hiding from everyone this entire time?” she asks them.

“Your baby will be an angel soon and will help others attain the same perfection as us. Be at peace knowing that you did what was right in giving him to us,” a wolf says in a distorted voice.

“I was blind then, but now I want him back!”

“Shush now and go to Heaven.”

Before Maryam can save the injured woman, Claudius stops her and the woman is killed as a result. The wolves then go to a secluded area until their human body can reform and cover their true identity.

“I’m sorry, Maryam, but you cannot get involved in this,” Claudius says.

“I had my suspicions that you aren’t St. Claudius and now, you’ve confirmed them,” Maryam says.

Following the injured woman’s blood trail, Maryam searches the area to find the woman’s child.

“I am your ancestor! Listen to reason!”

“You speak no reason! What kind of saint would let this evil go unpunished?!”

“You’re underestimating your enemy. Their forces here are too much for you to handle. We can deliver justice to this place after we take care of-”

“This cannot wait!”

Once she finally reaches a place where children are turned into the bread used at mass, Maryam partially loses her mind at just the sound of crying children. Most of her hair turns white, her eyes turn completely black, and the gold from her eyes is gone. Breaking through the building, she kills everyone that she comes across to save the children.

“The children will be fine now. It’s time to leave,” Claudius says.

“No! This entire evil trash heap of a town will pay!” Maryam says.

Maryam immediately goes into the town to plunge it into the blessed darkness and then mercilessly slaughters everyone she comes across even those who surrender. Because of her aggressiveness, the wolves deploy all their guards and the civilians are rallied to fight as well since they see Maryam as nothing more than a demon possessed beast.

“Stop! You must retreat!” Claudius says.

“Shut up! If you were really my ancestor, you’d help me in this fight! Guardian angel, get this demon out of my sight,” Maryam says.

“I’m no demon! I’m telling you to retreat because you’re risking more than your life in this battle.”

More and more swarm Maryam until it seems like there’s no hope for her survival. That is until her supporters show up to save her, which upsets her.

Once they are reunited with space to breathe and no enemies around them, Maryam says, “What are you doing here?”

“We’ve been trying to catch up to you. You look like you needed help in more ways than one. What’s been happening with you? Why attack this town and skip the other places that need to be destroyed?” the supporter asks.

“It’s none of your business. Did you clear out those places I skipped?”

“No, because we thought there was a good reason you skipped them. We should get you blessed and calmed down. You look like you’re about to lose it.”

“I’m fine! My actions will be my prayer that will strengthen me against my temptations and be my penance for my past sins.”

“More are coming! It looks like a small army is coming our way,” another supporter says.

“What should we do, Maryam?”

“We stand and fight. No unrepentant sinner shall go unpunished! We are God’s angels of death and today we shall deliver His justice!”

Maryam’s words rally her supporters to fight against the incoming threat. Their zeal allows them to fight against the incoming army without fear, however, they are ultimately wiped out except for Maryam who is left the sole survivor.

“No…not again,” Maryam says as her temptations and stress begin to overcome her.

She screams out in pain, anger, and sadness as her hair turns mostly white and the part of it that was white is now black. Her eyes have completely darkened and the cracks around her eyes open up. A golden light shines from each crack revealing seven eyes on each side of her face. While this transformation was happening, the wolves and their flock were afraid of her and unsure of what to do, so they back away until she falls to the ground.

“See? This is what happens to those who oppose God and our light! He has struck down this demon and given us our due victory,” a wolf says.

The crowd around him cheers before they start to clean up the mess of the battle. Before they can touch anything, they notice Maryam getting back up with rapidly healing wounds and quickly take up their arms again. A new unsettling darkness then comes out of Maryam as it seems that black marks from her body stand up and unleash a dark fog that stings everyone who isn’t part wolf while cutting apart those who are fully or part wolf as if the fog contains mini razor blades. She uses the fog as a cover to kill everyone who is yet dead until one remains. This last person she grabs by the throat and choaks them with her black arm.

“Please, let me go,” the person says while beginning to cry.

“Let me hear you scream in penance and perhaps I’ll show you mercy,” Maryam says with her distorted smile and voice. Her smile grows even larger hearing the person scream. “Scream!”

It is then that she crushes the person’s throat until their head falls off their neck. The dark fog clears to reveal that everyone in this place is dead, which pleases Maryam so much that she manically laughs about it. Her eyes then turn to the dead bodies of her supporters. This wakes her up from her anger and makes her struggle to regain control of herself until her appearance goes back to normal and her hair changes back to its original colors.

“Was this…was this what you were trying to stop from happening? Answer me, Claudius!” Maryam says.

Claudius appears and then says, “Yes, it was. You gave in to your thirst for justice and lost yourself, killed innocent people, and got your friends and supporters killed.”

“I…I don’t deserve to live anymore.”

“No, don’t think that way.”

“You’re right. I should just live a life of penance in seclusion for the rest of my life. I’m not fit to be a leader or someone that look up to. I should be forgotten about and never be seen again by anyone, not even my family.”

“No, you’re still getting it wrong.”

“Then what is it?”

“You should pray for mercy, pick yourself up, and continue on. Always wanting to do penances and push yourself past your limits in such excesses does nothing but destroy your sense of inner peace. You ignore your body and soul’s need for rest and have run away from the company of friends when they could’ve helped you with your problems.”

“I don’t deserve them. I don’t deserve to be happy and I don’t need it because of every sin and mistake I’ve made no matter how big or small it was. My life is nothing but an offering of suffering and-”

Claudius embraces Maryam. Confused by this, Maryam is about to question him until her guardian angel embraces her too.

“Wait, stop! I don’t deserve this. I can live without it. It’s what I’m used to,” Maryam says.

It is then that Maryam’s dead friends and supporters appear to embrace her in one big group hug to make her feel better. She tries not to cry while placing her head on Claudius’ shoulder. After a few moments pass, her friends and angel disappear.

“It’s okay. I felt the same way when God let me be humbled by the results of my sins. I’ll always be here for you for whatever you need. It’s not a sin to relax and allow others to help you bear your cross,” Claudius says.

“Thank you,” Maryam says.

“Now, let’s get up. We’ll be facing our real targets that need to face God’s justice.”

“Okay, but…can I be held, just a bit longer?”

“Of course.”

Unable to hold her tears back, Maryam cries in her ancestor’s arms. Once she’s comforted, she thanks God for His mercy and heads off to London, which isn’t too far now.