"Are you really a Preacher?"

Jesse glanced up at the child, turning his attention away from the scuff marks in the grass, a sign that one of the animals in this field was dragged away kicking and baaing.

None of the other scenes indicated a struggle, including the ones where people disappeared from their own rooms.

"I am, yes…" he straightened up and raised an eyebrow, "… don't I look like one?"

"Mummy says she saw you smoking…. Preacher's don't smoke."

Resisting the urge to sigh, Jesse shrugged, "No-one is perfect child… even someone as devoted to God as I am. It is not a sin."

The boy clearly wasn't convinced.

"Billy! Don't you be bothering the Preacher now!"

Jesse barely flinched, but the young boy did, racing off and leaving Jesse alone… as the church busy-body came stomping over to him again.

He wasn't ashamed to admit that he hid the cigarette behind his back.

"Is that really the best example you're setting for our children?" she asked, in a patronising tone, "I'm sure the Bible teaches us to keep our bodies and minds pure, and I'm sure smoking is one of the vices frowned upon."

Not replying, Jesse simply smiled and dropped his cigarette to the ground, using his shoe to put it out as the woman glared at him.

Clearly, this lecture wasn't over.

…..

The Preacher was out again… almost pinned against the wall by the old lady.

"Jus' tell her to piss off Padre…" he couldn't help but mutter to himself, watching as the Preacher stammered and tried to make his excuses, "… oh, for fuck's sake."

….

"Ah!"

The woman spun around as something struck her in the pack of the head, turning her attention away from Jesse.

The figure that moved in the shadowed alleyway looked very familiar to him.

"Children…" the woman hissed, rubbing the back of her head as she stormed towards the alleyway, "… I'll have them this time, I'll have you this time!"

And then she was gone.

This was a strange village.

….

"Did you see that?!"

"Yeah, what is he thinking? Protecting the preacher?!"

"You heard Eccarius…. Soft spot for humans remember?"

"… What does Eccarius see in him anyway? He could have anyone, why pick… him?"

"It's not our business to question Eccarius's choice in partners… we just need to keep an eye on him."

"Hasn't he swore he'll never be with Eccarius?"

"… C'mon, we have other things to do today."

As the pair walked off, they were unaware that they were being closely watched from the shadows.

…

"Who the fuck does he t'ink he is? Like I would ever be wit' him…. I have better taste than t'at, no wankers for me!"

From the shadows, he glanced at what he could see, smirking at the sight of children running past…. He'd watched almost three generations grow up in this town.

And he was likely to watch another three.

…

"Lovely view… only wished I recognised it." Tulip glanced around the wooded area, frowning when she didn't recognise it at all.

She was sure they didn't drive up this road, despite there being only one road into the town.

She wasn't even entirely sure how she ended up all the way out here…. And retracing her steps was getting her nowhere.

"Maybe… Maybe it's this way." She walked to the right, heading down a path that seemed to have been trampled through the wooded area, "Yes, I'm sure we passed this when we came to this dump."

And then she heard the stick crack behind.

No guns. No knives…. And by the sound the heavy breathing, multiple assailants.

"I hope Jesse never hears about this…" she growled to herself, before suddenly bursting into a run, hoping to either reach the village or put enough space between her and them.

She quickly realised that she was being surrounded though.

Cursing violently, she darted to the side, making her way off the path and into the heavy undergrowth in order to try and hide, hunkering down low as footsteps passed her by.

There must have been about twenty of them… and she would bet all the money she ever had, that they were related to the weird disappearances.

Suddenly darting out and knocking several of them out, she ran towards the east, pushing her way through branches and bushes until she saw large iron gates up ahead.

Challenge accepted.

Gripping the cold bars and pulling herself up, feet scrambling to gain purchase, she quickly managed to climb over the top, dropping to the ground and moving into a forward roll as she hit the ground.

Whoever was following her, seemed to have been left behind, but as soon as Tulip turned away from the gates, she couldn't help but shudder slightly at the large building up ahead.

This place was creepy.

When she got closer, she frowned when she saw just how big the building actually was… how was something this large, kept so hidden?

"Probably abandoned…" she muttered to herself, almost in reassurance, "… no signs of life and no one mentioned it in the town…. Abandoned."

She raced up to the front door, trying to ignore the lit candles in the window. Once she was directly in front of it, the door opened up and she cautiously made her way inside, peering around the door and frowning when she realised that no-one was there.

"…. Okay." She slowly shut the door and glanced around the first room, "Hello?"

No reply.

On a table near the door, there was a lit candlestick… recently lit by the looks of it. Picking it up, she made her way further into the building… where she could hear someone singing from a side room.

"Way down in Tipperary, where the cow plop is thick…"

"Hello?"

She ran towards the sound, flinging open the door, hoping to catch the person unaware.

She didn't miss the figure darting into the shadows, but by the time she made her way over, whoever it was, was gone.

Slowly, she backed out of the room and back into the main entrance hall. "Whoever you are, I- "She stopped when she heard sounds coming from another room to the left, which turned out to be the kitchen. On the large table, was some bread and milk.

"Alright, this is just getting' weird now!" She called out, even as she took a seat at the table, only just realising that she was starving, "But thanks!" Hungrily, she tore off a piece of bread and stuffed it in her mouth.

The milk however, she eyed in suspicion…. Who knows what was put in there.

"I 'ain't drugged it…" chuckled a voice from the darkness, "… you always this paranoid?"

Tulip was still for a moment…. Before she shot to her feet and started to head back to the front door. "Nope…" she muttered to herself, "… not dealin' wit' this. No way."

Ignoring how the shadows seemed to move all around her, she opened the door and raced out…. Unsurprisingly, she ran.

The trees passed by very quickly, and it was clear to Tulip that someone was following him, footsteps echoing through the gardens as they got closer and closer.

Before she could reach the gate, someone tackled her from behind and she went crashing to the ground.

"Jess- "

An arm wrapped around her neck, choking the breath out of her… and then there was only darkness.