A fat, middle aged man, with a crown of black hair with small piggy eyes that darted up and down on him. Grease stains could be seen here and there on its cassock.
Blinking in misunderstanding from seeing 2 different men under one second, he struggled to get up on his feet since the pain was still present in his head.
" Is there a problem ? " Asked the fat priest with a tinge of annoyance. He had seen his share of drunken hoodlums far too often and this one was even stark naked, and nasty.
Nodding and cupping his hand as if he's a beggar, he mumbled something inaudible and waited for a response from the fat priest who looked overly annoyed by his appearance.
" I asked if there was a problem, can't you at the very least respond when someone asks you a question? " The greasy priest said while raising his tone?
He put a finger to his throat and tried to speak but another gurgle was all he could manage. Seeing the eyes of the priest looking at him as if he was retarded, he simply cupped his hand higher and bowed his head, waiting.
His expression showed the fat priest he was at the very least sober and ultimately led him, with reluctance, inside the church, closing and locking them behind him.
The inside of the church was well kept, candles burning against the wall making enough lights so they could move through the alley without tumbling on a wooden bench since the church had no windows.
There was an altar in the back, towering above them. A big chunk of granite with runes engraved on it. Above, a statue picturing their God was keeping watch over them.
The statue showed a man with a severe expression, no discernible features albeit a big third eye in the middle of its forehead.
The priest led him behind the statue, through a door then downward into the basement. He could hear the fat clergyman gasping for air when they reached the bottom. Rows of closed doors appeared before him, from where the priest pointed to the one to his left with a wobbling finger.
" You can rest inside for the night, the church will give you a meal and clothes to cover you up. I want you gone tomorrow "
The priest then went ahead to the far end of the hallway, inside another room, leaving him alone. He wasn't able to glimpse inside the room in which the clergyman holed himself up but he caught up particular scent.
Meat!
The scent alone made his stomach growl and contract.
" Ahem "
Turning around, a young servant had appeared behind him with a set of clothes in his arms.
" The church has a stockpile of clothes from dead mercenaries. I will bring you food at once " The servant quickly told him before putting the clothes in his arms and disappearing again in the stairs.
Going inside the room he was shown earlier and closing the door behind him, he tossed the clothes on the ground and went directly to the desk. Grabbing the bottle of water and chugging it forcefully, he felt a little bit more alive.
Once the bottle was empty, he looked around him, eyeing the room he resided in. A wooded bed and a small desk, surrounded by four brick walls. Plain and small, but much better than staying outside naked and laying on the ground to sleep.
Moving to the bed, he went under the sheets. Sighing in approval, bathing in the warmth the sheets provided his body, he was sound asleep in less than a minute.
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The now familiar wisp of smoke took form in front of him, taking once more the shape of himself. Like the last time he dreamed, this pale copy was staring at him, copying his every move.
Walking closer to it once more without trying to make physical contact, they were now one meter apart.
Time slipped by slowly and nothing was happening until he heard a voice that seemed to come from inside of him.
" Let's kill... the boy... when he comes back… kekekekeke… the look on his face… when he'll realized that… he's the food "
The doppelganger suddenly smiled creepily, showing it's rows of sharp teeth, the jaw flexing beyond human capability. He then realized by touching his own face that it was only copying himself, because he too was smiling wickedly. Forcing himself to stop, he just shook his head in dismissal.
" No…? You are right... we shall kill the fat man… all that meat… like a juicy pig…a decent meal for me… I accept it! "
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The door of his room opened suddenly, waking him up in stupor. A different servant from earlier made his way inside without asking and placed a bowl of soup on the desk.
Picking up the clothes scattered on the floor and placing them on the bed, the young servant was ready to leave without saying a single word.
Just before the boy made his way out of the room, his arm was grabbed suddenly, making him jolt back and became paralized.
He knew all too well of the stories of other young servants being sold to strangers by the head priest himself. But what could they do?
They were all war orphans mostly, some even sold to the church by their parents for a sack of grain. Prisoners from bandit hideouts that had been raided by the army and the list goes on.
This was the only place where they wouldn't die from hunger or cold.
They were disposable and no one really cared for them.
The young servant just closed his eyes and waited for the worst to happen but all he heard was a grunt and a weird noise, like a gurgle.
Curiosity got the best of the boy and he opened his eyes to look at the man before him, from which the sound came.
In front of him, laying on the bed, was a disheveled thin man, with arms so thin and weak that even a eleven years old boy like him could mostly break it with a little force.
Even though the man's arms were as thin as a twig, he was still pinning him in places by force alone, which defied the young boy logic. The man was pointing at the soup bowl on the desk while making noises.
Being at arms length of the desk, the servant took the bowl and carefully placed it on the bed sheets. The iron grip that pinned him in places finally let go as he watched the thin man eagerly gulfing down the vegetable soup without a care from the broth spilling everywhere.
Taking 2 quick steps back, he silently observed the man quickly emptying his bowl. The man then thrust the empty bowl towards him, pointing at it, as if demanding another service.
The young boy took another step back while stuttering " S-sorry m-mister, b-but father V-v-vylard explicitly told us to give only o-one service "
Frowning upon hearing the young servant talk, he recalled the scent of meat coming from the room the priest holed himself. The dishes he just ate were meager and without protein. Water, potatoes and turnips.
The thought of the fat priest greasy and tender skin popped again in his mind. His stomach began to churn, pain registered and he began to retch everything on the floor. When he was done, a powerful hunger began to swirl inside of him, forcefully taking command out of his grasp.
The young boy saw the thin man suddenly stand up, his black eyes turning a shades of red. Falling on his butt, he skittered to the nearby wall and hid his eyes with his tiny hands, praying that nothing befall his poor soul.
Opening the door, he went straight to the end of the hallway, seemingly possessed by unknown forces. Lifting a foot, he kicked the door, making it fall off its hinges in a loud noise.
Splinters flying everywhere, he entered the room by walking directly over the fallen door.
In front of him, the priest was currently sitting at a large table filled with sausages and all kinds of dried meat. Wooden barrels which contained unknown substances were stacked on top of each other and filled the corner of the room.
Father Vylard's eyes nearly popped out of its socket when his door exploded. With a sausage still stuck in his mouth, he quickly stood up while pointing a greasy fingers at the man he let in earlier.
In less than a second, before he could even produce a sound from his sausage filled mouth, his fingers was gone, mangled beyond saving. Blood started gushing out before the pain even registered in his mind.
Opening his mouth and letting the sausage drop on the stone floor, he made the ugliest shriek he could produce while clutching at his mangled hand. Dropping heavily on his knees, his cassock was turning dark from emptying his bladder.
Tears and snot matted his ugly face when he looked up at the maniac in front of him and he nearly fainted on the spot. The man was chewing avidly on his precious fingers, looking delighted by the taste.
He yelled in panic " T-this is our holy sanctuary, do you know who.."
He choked on his remaining words as a true nightmare took form in front of him. After swallowing the flesh, he saw the man growling at him while its jaw started to expand grotesquely and sharp teeth jutting out of its gums.
The priest was paralized by fear, he couldn't move or breath as he took in the horror that befall his eyes. The pale skin, the red eyes, the grotesque mouth with barbed teeth and scissors like nails, it was a sigh straight from hell.
The creature pounced on his throat and ripped his head in one bite, ending his pathetic life as easily as swatting a flies.