"What the heck happened, Juno? What's going on?" Joseph kept asking the frightened girl in front of him. She put her finger on Joseph's mouth asking him to shut up.
"I'll explain everything later, okay?" she whispered. "Right now we need to find a way out of here."
Joseph's right hand was hurting so much. The pink uniform he used to bandage the wound that he had from cutting his own pinkie off, was now very dark red.
"Are we hiding from someone?" Joseph asked. "I think it's better if we run, we're like sitting ducks here."
Juno placed her finger on Joseph's hands once again, telling him to be quiet. "I think I hear someone."
A man's voice came out of nowhere. His voice was soft but loud. Joseph couldn't tell where it was coming from, but it was getting louder and louder. "Find her!" the voice yelled. "You must locate that woman, she must be sentenced to death!"
Joseph looked at Juno, who was already shaking. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything! I don't know what they're talking about!"
Joseph silenced Juno. "Be quiet! I think I hear footsteps." Heavy footsteps stood apart from the others. A pair of white boots can be seen close to where Juno and Joseph were. The guy was wearing white slacks as well.
The guy moved slowly, passing through the table where Juno and Joseph were hiding. Juno covered her mouth, making sure that her heavy breathing wouldn't give their position away. Joseph did the same as well.
"Have you seen her yet, my younglings? Do you have eyes on the sinner?" the voice called out.
"Not yet, Father Ray." One of his younglings replied.
A loud smack can be heard and Father Ray's youngling fell to the ground. "Now what did I say about my name? I told all my younglings about this and it seems you haven't been listening to me. What. Did. I. Say?"
His youngling replied. "To never say your name out loud, Father." He kneeled down and bowed his head. "I truly regret!"
"Regret is the one thing we always have to keep in mind, youngling. We must always regret, or there will be no change."
Joseph and Juno, still hiding under the table, was right beside Father Ray and his so-called youngling. They knew that any movement they could make would give away their position. Luckily for them, the cafeteria was dark, making them hard to see under that table.
Unfortunately, his youngling looked at their direction as he was kneeling. Joseph and Juno's heart was beating faster than usual. They didn't dare to move.
"What's wrong, child? See a donut somewhere?" Father Ray asked.
"No, Father. It's just that I see a boy under that table, but he's not the one you're looking for."
The familiar feeling of fear went back to Joseph. He held Juno's arm and tried to push her back some more. A few seconds of silence went by, Father Ray's youngling was now looking at Joseph's eyes.
A large blade suddenly pierced the table, mere inches from hitting Joseph's face. "FOUND YOU!"
Joseph grabbed Juno's arm and crawled their way out the table as fast as they can. They finally were able to stand up and saw Father Ray having trouble getting his knife out the table. They took this opportunity to dash towards the nearest door to get out of there.
"Grab them, you fool!" Father Ray shouted at his youngling who was still kneeling on the floor. "Stand up and grab them!"
"Who? Them? But they're not the one you're looking for." His response angered the Priest.
"You…..Aaarggh!" He gestures for his other younglings to go after the two. "Younglings! grab them!"
Joseph ran as fast as he could towards a nearby door right in front of them. One of Father Ray's younglings was able to grab Juno by the leg, pinning her down to the floor.
Juno yelled, trying to kick the man away. But the man pulled her down to the floor. Juno, who was still grabbing on to Joseph's hand, unwantedly dragged him down the floor with him. Within a few seconds, both of them were lying down on the floor, surrounded by a Father Ray's younglings. Joseph counted about six of them.
"Good Job, my younglings!" Father Ray said as he was finally able to get the blade out of the table. He turns towards that one youngling that was still kneeling. "Now you…" He raises his blade and jams it up that youngling's head. "You've made two mistakes, now. Mistakes I could not forgive you."
The youngling's head was split open, blood was gushing out. No. It looked it sprayed out of his head. "Mistakes makes sinners. Regret is too late now." Father Ray said as he took the blade out from his follower's head. Father Ray was blonde and had a tattoo of a cross on the back of his neck. He wore a white clergy shirt, white clerical collar, white slacks, and white shoes. His clothing was red with blood now.
Joseph and Juno were still on the floor. Juno looked like she was just about to cry, unlike Joseph who wanted to barf out whatever meal he last ate.
Father Ray cleaned his knife by rubbing it on the dead body's pink uniform. "Blood is dirty, he said. Blood is life. Unfortunately, his blood was dirty and his life, useless." He turned to Joseph and Juno, looked at them straight in the eyes and said, "Are yours?"
He slowly walked towards the two. Ordered his followers to back away for a bit. And leaned closer towards Joseph and Juno. Father Ray noticed the blood from Joseph's right hand. "It seems you've spilled blood as well. Is it clean? Is it useful blood?" He pointed the blade right at Joseph's neck, and noticed another scar. "Someone had also done horrific things to you, I presume."
Joseph remained silent. Juno was right behind him on the floor. He could feel Juno shaking behind him.
"You." Father Ray's eyes met Juno's. "I know you. You said your name was Juno. Yes, back at the support group." He pointed the blade at Juno this time. "You are not clean. If you are, then you wouldn't be in this asylum."
Joseph didn't hesitate to grab Father Ray's hand. "Run!" he yelled at Juno. She was able to stand up and dart towards the door behind her that leads to the hallways.
Juno didn't look back. She was running with all her might. Her legs were hurting, her head was spinning, but she kept running. All she heard were screams and grunts coming from behind her. She heard Joseph's screams, then Father Ray's.
One of Father Ray's followers was hot on her tail. "Father wants you dead!" the guy kept yelling.
Juno ran as fast as she could. She cried as she started to think about Joseph. About what would happen to him. But she had to focus on what would happen to her if she couldn't outrun this guy.
The hallways were long. Joseph's screams were short-lived.