[center]Collab between finalcatharsis and Exit
Part III[/center]

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"But you said you were only going to stay the night... why?"

[b]"Well..."[/b] Abel began. There were a few answers to the question, some more simple than others and much easier to convey without giving too much away. The first of which was that he hadn't expected to find anyone in the church at all. He'd been too tired to entertain the thought and had focused solely on reaching the church itself. Thinking on it now he realized just how stupid he was. Of course their may have been a survivor within these walls [i]especially[/i] if there were water catchers on the roof. He should have staked the place out for a while Instead of just walking right up to what could have been his death.

The second answer was not as clean as the first but much preferred over the last. He wanted to keep ahead of a group of raiders he'd come across... which he had. For a moment his mind returned to three days ago. His eyes became affixed to a single item in the room as he replayed image after image in his head. Blood...bullets...Mathew and Billy. There was too much weight when it came to answer number too, too much he would be forced to remember. The third answer he couldn't come to terms with. It was the absolute truth and it'd been locked away, the key lost to him some time ago. He opted for the first.

[b]"...Actually... I hadn't expected to find anyone here..."[/b] He said as he looked about the church. He realized he should have expected a group seeing as many people used to visit such places. [b]"My plan was to get in... take what I need..."[/b] He hesitated with the last four words. [b]"...Rest and then leave."[/b] He kept his gaze on Daniel as he tried to read his reaction. He'd just confessed to wanting to steal from a man who'd been eager to lend a hand when he was in need. Not to mention that he'd tried to kill him... and quite recently. [b]"Of course things changed once you hit me with the snowball. Still, I'm not one to stay in one area for too long. I've always believed it was easier to survive out there while on the move. It's why I'm so surprised you've managed to remain here and remain alive for so long."[/b]

Abel turned from Daniel to the rest of the church. For nine months the man had fortified himself in here and despite all the death and despair outside the walls... managed to survive. In a way he felt a tug of... jealousy? How much easier would it have been to hide away and not have to worry about... people. Simply lock the doors and keep them all out. Thieves, liars, beggars, killers.... killers. He was a killer. He didn't belong in here. Even now there were the thoughts in the back of his mind he was trying so desperately to ignore. The basic instincts of a man who knew only survival, in this world and the last. He'd heard Daniel say somethng about food. He understood the man had access to water. He understood he had walls to hide behind. Why not just take it?

His head hurt. These... thoughts... the thing inside Daniel driving him was different from the things that drove himself... at least he thought so. He figured whatever it was that made the priest tick was pure: a need to save people, help them, provide them hope... while his darkness, although adopted, was something else entirely. Necessary... almost a release in some ways.

[b]"You're right about one thing... You do change and you either fight it... or let it take you over..."[/b] He looked down at his cup. He was thirsty again... and hungry. His stomach turned inside him, now a lot harder to ignore than before when he knew food was to be had. He kept fighting however, kept trying to push his urges to the side. He slowly go to his feet, tilting the cup toward the priest as a sign that was supposed to mean "getting a refill"... or something. Who knew now. He'd been so disconnected from "normal" human beings and what they considered casual social interaction.

It was on his way to the working sacristy that he finally picked up on something new. His mind was still in that odd state he used to always find himself in. Things stood out to him that normally wouldn't. Maybe because he was a lot more focused now even with his gut eating away at itself. He'd been moving toward the altar steps about to step over them and through the doors on the right to the sink when something caught his attention. There on the ground in front of the altar was this... stain. Familiar letters appeared just above the dark brown color.

[i][center]...Blood...[/i][/center]

He froze in place. His mind trying to make sense of what he was looking at. Why in the world would there be blood inside a church? Trying to make sense of yet another puzzle, he looked around when he noticed more letters flick into place above something else...

[i][center]...Bullet scars...[/i][/center]

There in the wall under the cross was this deep dark hole. Small enough, just the size of a bullet... perhaps a nine millimeter although he couldn't be sure. Near the base of the altar itself was a second hole, although much shallower than the first. Abel had been wrong. This wasn't a time capsule... it was a facade. Daniel hadn't been isolated like he'd assumed. There had in fact been people in here and it looked like things had gotten ugly. In fact... someone might have been killed.

That's when a small smile crept across his face. He'd been in shock since he first met the man but now everything made sense. The priest had been exposed to what was real, he knew the reality of the world outside. He knew about this... about the stain... perhaps had a hand in it. Perhaps he too had something dark inside him. He let the smile fall from his lips before he turned to face Daniel.

[b]"What happened here?"[/b] His empty hand hovered over where the stain waited... bringing with it it's own demons.

The answer to Daniel's question, [i]why[/i] was leaving Abel's lips slower than he would have liked. Some sort of throbbing, but dull pain had started to knock at the back of his head. He put his fingers there to rub it and felt an area of his skin that was raised. [i] A mole?[/i] No. Couldn't have been. It was a straight line, more like a scar. He brought his hand down and shook his head back and forth as if to force the pain out. [i]How had a scar gotten there?[/i] He searched every corner of his mind to try and remember until things went fuzzy. He was lost for a few seconds, but Abel's voice brought him back. His heart rate quickened when he heard the words 'take what I need.' Centimeter, by centimeter he started to push himself away from the man. He didn't quite understand this reaction, but he couldn't stop himself. His eyes narrowed as he focused on Abel's lips for the rest of the response, but the only word he understood was 'snowball.'

Daniel was confused about just what was happening at the moment. Seconds ago he had been jovial. Someone new had come to his church. He had someone to carry on a conversation with. He had someone to share his food with. Maybe this guy would even enjoy hearing some music. He fought back his anxiety just in enough time to hear the mans words on change. He forced a placid smile. When Abel stood, he instinctively stood with him. He planned to follow him to the sacristy, maybe even get some water himself. And then there was the food too. Danny remembered the trek from the lawn. He had promised.

A few steps in, Abel stopped. Dan, trying to keep his distance, stopped too. It didn't take the priest long to realize what was unfolding before his eyes. Abel had noticed the bullet holes and stain. Dan had a vague memory of scrubbing the spot until his fingers bled. He closed his eyes tight. The throbbing in his head got worse as he tried to remember. He started to shake at the question.

"Three people..." Dan reached his right hand into his pocket. He began fumbling with his knife. He pulled it out slowly, but didn't release the blade. A few images flashed on the back of his eyelids. "One was hurt." He put his left hand up to his temple. He recalled the pain of something striking him. He saw the lead pipe come down to hit someone. He chuckeld a bit. "They tricked me." At first it was as if he was reliving the memories through someone else's eyes, but he realized eventually that they were his own. How had he pushed this out? It must have been out of necessity, and over time he had learned to ignore the stain and the bullet holes. Better to ignore than face the ugly truth. Face himself as the monster he'd become that night.

While Daniel began to explain, Abel eyes had fixed themselves on the object being pulled from his pockets. Although most of it was concealed inside the fist gripping it, enough was exposed for him to recognize the knife he had pulled earlier. He immediately went on edge, the hand hovering of the stain shifting ever closer to the space above his pistol. The butt of the gun was just... His fingers attempted to grip at the metal... but it wasn't there.

[i][center]...Shit...[/i][/center]

In the state he'd allowed himself to slip into during their snowball fight, he'd forgotten to pick up his gun after dropping it in the snow. It was still out there... waiting. All he could do now was hope that he could react quick enough to avoide being stabbed if it came to that. However as he waiting for what he thought would be a jab in his direction, perhaps some way to cover up the past he was hiding from, the words that slipped from between Daniel's quivering lips made him think twice. The word "trick" hung in the hair between them.. staring Abel in the face. He knew the word well. It was immediately clear who the real victim was.

Daniel opened his eyes back up to look at Abel. Any trace of kindness on his face was gone. He finally popped the blade out, but didn't make any moves toward the man. "This was my dad's knife. Before that it was HIS dad's knife." His right fist, already balled around the knife found it's way up to his head as well. "You either fight it or you let it take you over." He recognized his insanity at the moment... which meant he still had a chance to calm himself, right? Dan looked to the christus rex that hung on the back wall. "You know, Abel, we're all required to make sacrifices in this life... just like Jesus sacrificed himself for all of the ugly fucking people in this world. That's all that's left now, huh? Ugly fucking people inherited the earth." He paused and brought his hands back down. "Not even I could withstand it." Like he was something special. He looked back to Abel's eyes.

Abel simply stared back having remained silent while Daniel tried to express his reactions brought about by survival. It seemed difficult at first but soon he came to terms with who they were. They were ugly... Abel was ugly and he couldn't agree more. The world wasn't filled with people like Daniel anymore and it seemed he'd realized that along time ago. Whatever light he'd been holding up for others to see seemed to be slipping slowly away... at least in this moment where his past haunted him. He'd been driven to a point.. to a place where he had to become something else... change into something... and ever since then he'd been fighting it. Abel knew the feeling well and although it wasn't his turn to express it, he hated it.... He hated the fact that somehow he found this world beautiful... Where the only people left were... ugly.

Abel knew his secret now. "I'm hungry." Daniel just stood, waiting for whatever happened next.