Children of the Clergy

Season 2 | Episode 3 | Sandpaper

The ghouls had been uncharacteristically quiet as he'd locked them up in their cell that night. He heard their quiet whimpers and whines from behind him as he followed his brothers up the stone stairs and out of the dungeons. They'd decided to go with him for support when he'd told them where the ghouls would be left.

The guards nodded respectfully as they strolled out. Despite their age, the Emeritus brothers were some of the most important and powerful people in the Clergy. Their ghouls had been a clear demonstration of that importance.

Secondo placed a hand over his heart again, feeling the sorrow and loneliness of his ghouls. A frown crept onto his face and he wanted to tare his own throat out when the thought slipped into his mind: You didn't want them around you anyway. Why are you so upset?

His older brother placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, having noticed the pained expression he wore, "They are okay. It is not like they are alone down there."

Secondo wanted that to be enough to calm his mind, but it wasn't.

He didn't truely hate his ghouls, people just assumed he did due to his attitude towards them, how easily he snapped at them when they did something he didn't like. The truth was he didn't actually know why he reacted that way either. He just always seemed to be on edge when they were around. Even now, as Quintessence stalked protectively behind him, even though he could feel the kindness and protective desire drifting off him like a cool breeze, he still couldn't bring himself to ignore the itching sense of dread that had started to build.

Secondo's breathing had quickened and he could feel panic settling in and grasping at his mind. It toyed with him, never making it clear when the screaming would have to start again. That had only started happening more recently: the screams.

He didn't always remember the events that would have taken placed during the screaming sections, but someone would usually have heard him or been there with him while it happened so he always just learnt the story from them.

Secondo lay in bed, wide awake. He couldn't seem to put his mind to sleep because something felt off. It was like he knew there was something staring at him, but be couldn't seem to figure out what.

He turned his head to the side and caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror on the wall beside his bed before staring at it with his full attention.

He could see his face down to his torso in it but nothing below, due to where it was placed. His reflection stared back at him, a look of numb dread on its face and he knew all of a sudden why something had felt wrong.

He could see his reflection moving, but he was completely still.

His breath quickened and panic began to slowly settle in. It wriggled and squirmed subtly, as if it was trying to shake something off without alerting anyone around as to what it was doing. Its horror filled eyes remained eternally fixed on his and he couldn't seem to tare his eyes away from it either. Something was crawling up its body from below, although he couldn't see what due to the mirror's position. Strangely, it didn't seem bothered by the presence of whatever was latching onto it, other than the squirming.

The worst part was that Secondo knew what was crawling up it. He'd been in that same position just a few months ago. The Ether.

Subtly, an odd coiling sensation began around one of his feet, like something was wrapping itself around it. His panik increased and he could have sworn he heard a whimper escape his mouth. It moved up his leg, grabbing on to the other one as well as it slithered up his body. He couldn't bring himself to look down to whatever was on him, but he was only now beginning to recognise the silent beg on his reflections face. He knew it all to well, because it had been his own not long ago. The sensations of the crawling creature continued to move further and further up his body and his heart rate and speed that he was breathing at had increase so much so that he was now hyperventilating. He was on the verge of a panik attack.