Fatal Faith

Chapter 1 - The First Signs

“And as said in Ezekiel 28:18; Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.”

“And so Lucifer was cast out of heaven, fore he thought himself worthy of a position far greater than one such as he deserves!” Shannon sat and listened to Father John’s sermon, eagerly absorbing the message of God through his words. “And so should you ever find yourself……”

Shannon zoned out of the sermon when she saw a flash behind Father John. Looking around to see if anyone else noticed, she realizes that they’re all raptly listening to the Father’s every word. She glances behind the Father to see a man cloaked in shadows staring intently at her. She can’t help but wonder who he is and how he managed to get behind Father John when nobody’s come in or out of the doors behind the Altar. As she looks into the strange man’s eyes Beware, things are not always what they seem, floats into her mind, almost as if they came from him. The thought is not her own, she knows, but the words make her wonder what anyone could possibly be warning her about.

She turns her full attention back to Father John’s sermon, pushing the stranger to the back of her mind, when she sees another flash. Glancing around, she realizes that the man is gone, and in his place is nothing more than the smoke of the incense burning near where he stood. Startled, she determines that she must have been imagining it all along, and tunes back into the Father’s words only to find that he has closed his sermon and opened the floor for communion.

Sighing at having missed such an important message, Shannon stands with the rest of her pew to receive the Blessing.

Holding out her hands for the Eucharist blessing, Shannon smiles brightly at Father John as he hands her the bread and she bows her head in thanks. Placing the flesh upon her tongue and moving to receive the blood, Shannon feels His Grace upon her. Every time she takes communion it’s as if she can feel a part of the Lord within her, telling her that what she’s doing is right.

When she takes her seat once more, Shannon feels a bit queasy for a moment, but the sensation quickly fades. It’s been happening more often lately, only when she’s at the Church. She feels that perhaps she’s coming down with something, or maybe it’s the wine. Either way, she trusts that the Lord will look after her.

~~~

He watches as the girl retakes her seat in the pews, a slight look of disquiet coming about her as the effects of the so-called ‘Holy’ wine begin to kick in. At least this one senses something; perhaps she can be saved before it’s too late. Perhaps he can save this poor girl before the corruption spreads to her as well. He can only hope that this one will listen.