Part 12 – Madness
Donnovan and the guard sprinted past the open front doors of a large, two-story, brown-brick building and up to a wooden desk, where an extremely surprised receptionist sat bolt upright, not expecting any visitors this late at night.
"Get Shorik, please." The guard asked, slightly out of breath. The receptionist, still surprised, nodded, and pressed a button on her desk.
"He will be out in a minute." She stated. Donnovan turned around, leaning against the receptionist's desk, and took in his surroundings. The metal shelves lining the wall contained all sorts of pictures, and a big tapestry hanging from the ceiling was adorned with the icons of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam intertwining, superimposed over a massive mushroom cloud. A string of words stating "Let us not forget the lessons of the past. Co-operation or mutual destruction." wound around the icons.
Donnovan's heart was still pounding from his escape from the Transitional Twilight Hand chapel and the run, and he attempted to gather his thoughts into several coherent sentences in his head that he could tell Shorik. Suddenly, a hand tapped Donnovan's arm.
"Book!" Donnovan yelled in surprise, his string of thoughts on the holy books of the cult being interrupted.
"Uh… Can I help you, Donnovan?" Shorik David asked, looking slightly amused at Donnovan's reaction.
"What…" Donnovan shook his head, "what would you do if you found out one of the religious groups here was hurting people?"
Shorik's grin faded almost immediately.
"What do you mean?"
"Twilight Hand. I've run into them before. They had this massive mansion outside the Capital Wasteland. They had all kinds of sick rituals…" Donnovan began to ramble. "We ended up killing the entire congregation there after we stopped one of their rituals…"
"What rituals?" Shorik asked.
"Then found more, so I killed them because they were suffering."
"What… Wait-"
"So we found them here, and thought we might-"
"HEY!" Shorik finally yelled. Donnovan looked up. "Would you please slow down, my friend? What rituals?"
"They use people about to die, and eat their intestines…" Donnovan answered. The guard who he had come into the lobby with stared silently, horrified, while the receptionist's jaw dropped.
"This cannot be…" Shorik shook his head. "We make sure to investigate these groups."
"Did you ever go into their prep room?" Donnovan asked.
"Well no, we respect the beliefs of every group-"
"And didn't you say you have merchants and travelers disappear?"
"Yes, but as I have said," Shorik began, though Donnovan was sensing that he was getting through to him. "Quite a few go missing because they forget to sign out when they leave."
"Oh come on, Shorik." Donnovan sighed. "That's a perfect opportunity for them."
"How do you know that this group does what the others do?" Shorik asked. Donnovan was silent. It was inevitable that they would come to this.
"I… I kind of snuck in. Knocked out one of their worshippers." Donnovan admitted, not making eye contact.
"You what?" Shorik gasped. "And here I thought you were a calm individual."
"After seeing what these people do, you wouldn't be very calm either." Donnovan said darkly. For now, he'd leave out the guard he had killed until this problem was solved.
"Okay…Know that you will be talked to as well." Shorik told him, "But let us go and see. Ben?"
"Yes?" Said the guard who had escorted Donnovan to the station.
"Come with us." Shorik commanded. He turned to Donnovan. "Okay, lead the way."
Donnovan nodded and turned, jogging towards the doorway. No sooner had he exited into the street, than he collided with someone, and they both tumbled to the ground.
"Gah, shit!" Donnovan cursed. "Sorry."
"Would you stop fucking running into me, you prick?" Glade stated, picking himself up. "At least I found you. Where the hell have you been?"
"Doesn't matter." Donnovan stated. "I'll explain in a second. You armed?"
"Uh…" Glade paused, glancing at Ben and Shorik coming out of the station behind Donnovan. "… Maybe…"
"It's fine, we might need you to be." Donnovan whispered to him.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Glade asked as he fell into step beside Donnovan.
Donnovan told Glade everything he had done that night as the group of four walked the path to the chapel. Glade listened open-mouthed to everything, rolling his eyes several times when Donnovan told him about the drastic things he'd done. As the chapel came into view, Donnovan tensed up. The remaining cultist guard was still there, and stared at the group as they walked up to him.
"Shorik David," Shorik said, holding up a badge. "I'm a lieutenant in the city guard. We will have to come in."
The hooded guard remained still for several seconds, then nodded. He stepped forward and opened the door for them. All glancing at him, the group entered.
"This way," Donnovan grunted, leading them into the main prayer hall. Many cultists were still in the pews, praying, and a small queue was passing by the stage, each member taking a bite of the intestines still hanging through the cross.
"You had better be right about this." Glade grumbled.
"Attention, please!" Shorik suddenly called out. Every member of the cult froze, and, in unison, turned their heads towards the group. Though he had seen it before, Donnovan nevertheless felt a chill go down his spine. Something about their organized movements was extremely eerie.
"Hello, I am Cardinal Matthew." A soft voice behind them stated, making all of them but Shorik jump.
"We've met before." Shorik held his hand out. Cardinal Matthew smiled and shook it.
"Lieutenant David." Cardinal Matthew stated. "So good to see you. Can I help you with something?"
"Yes… I apologize for the intrusion, but we would like to see your sacrifices."
"Of course." Cardinal Matthew nodded. Donnovan was taken aback. Shorik shot him a curious glance before looking back at Cardinal Matthew. "Please, Chaplain Johnathan!"
"Yes, Cardinal?" A chaplain with silver-tinged robes on the stage asked.
"Continue with the ritual, but please, bring out the carcass."
"Of course, Cardinal." Jonathan nodded. The queue of cultists taking bites from the flesh continued, and Jonathan disappeared behind the curtains to the preparation room, and several seconds later came out with a covered cart, wheeling it past the worshipping cultists and up to the group.
"I apologize for the cart. Our members are not allowed to see the animal we devour." Chaplain Jonathan explained. He lifted part of the covering, to reveal a hollowed out pig carcass. Its intestines were missing, only it's bones and skin remained.
Donnovan was completely confused. Glade looked relieved, Ben rolled his eyes, and Shorik looked annoyed.
"Alright, thank you. We appreciate it." Shorik stated. "Well-"
He was interrupted as the chapel doors swung open, and a cultist came in carrying an injured man that Donnovan recognized as Jason, the cultist he had knocked out and impersonated.
"That's him!" Jason yelled, pointing at Donnovan. "He knocked me out and killed Guardian Patrick!"
"You did what!" Shorik yelled.
Donnovan was at a loss for words and action. He stood rooted to the spot, trying to figure out how this had happened.
"You killed one of them, for what, that they use regular animals as sacrifices?" Shorik yelled angrily. "I thought you knew from history, about taking things too far!"
"Yes, we get our sacrifices from the butcher, daily, at around midnight." Chaplain Jonathan explained. Donnovan's mind suddenly began working again. That phrase had found something familiar in his brain, part of the conversation he had overheard a short time before between Cardinal Matthew and Chaplain Michael. Without a second thought, Donnovan kicked Chaplain Jonathan, who was standing in front of Cardinal Matthew,to the ground. He then sprang forward, throwing his left arm around the Cardinal's head. His right arm, meanwhile, unholstered Dusk's borrowed, silenced 10-millimeter pistol and pressed the silencer under the Cardinal's jaw.
"What are you doing?" Shorik yelled, putting his rifle to his shoulder as Donnovan stepped back, putting himself and the cardinal into a corner. Ben shouldered his rifle as well, aiming it at Donnovan, while Glade, stunned for a moment, belatedly pulled out his own sidearm and stepped back, aiming at Ben.
"What the fuck, Don?" Glade yelled.
"He's fucking lying." Donnovan spat, making sure to partially hide his head behind the Cardinal's body. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he added, addressing a guardian that had shown up. The guardian was about to fire at Donnovan's leg. "Look at my finger. Any unexpected force, and the gun will go off, and you can say goodbye to your precious Cardinal."
"My son, if you let me go right now, I will-" Cardinal Matthew began.
"Shut your fucking mouth, you sick bastard." Donnovan growled. "Listen up! Chaplain Jonathan mentioned the butcher. That reminded me. Somebody bring him here, and I can prove to you those intestines are human. They have some poor bastard strung up back there." Chaplain Jonathan glanced at the cross. "Don't remove them, or I will kill the Cardinal." Donnovan warned.
"You are insane! Stop this madness, now!" Shorik commanded.
"I promise you, if you bring the butcher, everything will be as I told you. He used to be a doctor. If everything isn't like I said it is, I will let you lock me up, shoot me, whatever."
"This… butcher…" Ben stated.
"He has a stand in the market. It should be the only one open this late. Go, now, fast!" Donnovan exclaimed.
Ben looked at David, whose eyes were still on Donnovan. He nodded slowly.
"Go, fast. Do this before someone else gets hurt."
With a glance at Glade, Ben ran out of the chapel. It was quiet as the congregation watched the scene. Several minutes of silence were finally broken.
"Don… Just so you know," Glade stated, his gun now aimed at Shorik. "the only reason I've got my gun on him is because he's got his on you, and you are a brother to me." He paused "But personally, I think now you've gone off the deep end."
"What?" Donnovan said, his head still slightly shielded by the Cardinal's.
"We all were affected by that mansion. Those poor prisoners…"
"You didn't have to put a bullet into each of their skulls to end their suffering, Glade." Donnovan stated, slightly angry. "You didn't go back and see those slave collars. This entire fucking religion as to burn. These bastards are the same as those in the mansion, you just watch."
"I do not understand how someone like you," Shorik stated, gun still trained on Donnovan, "can do this. We must all be free to worship, and leave others alone to do the same. Do you not remember?"
"I remember, Shorik, but these people cause suffering. Even so, I know full well I am acting with incredible hypocrisy to my own beliefs." Donnovan said.
At that moment, the door to the chapel was thrown open, and Ben and the butcher Donnovan had previously spoken to came into the room.
"What… W-?" The butcher began, staring at the scene in front of him.
"Please, wait." Shorik stated. "Okay Donnovan, do what you wanted to do."
"Hey, uh…" Donnovan said. "I never got your name."
"Sohail." The butcher stated, staring at Donnovan.
"Okay, my name's Donnovan. Sohail…" Donnovan said. "I need your expertise. See that cart in front of you? What is that inside of it."
"A… pig." Sohail said nervously.
"We know it's a god damn pig Don, we can see that." Glade cursed.
"Shut the fuck up for a minute, man." Donnovan yelled. "Okay, now, Sohail. Do you see that cross?"
"Cross?" Sohail turned. "Yes, I…" He stopped cold.
"What?" Glade asked.
"Yes, what is it, Sohail?" Donnovan asked, extremely tense.
"Strange…" Sohail stated. "Those look… strange…"
"Can you do me a favor and examine those, please?"
"Only our chaplains are-" Cardinal Matthew began, a note of panic in his voice. He was cut off as the silencer pressed harder into his jaw.
"Go ahead." Shorik spoke up. Though his gun was still trained on Donnovan, his eyes were now on Cardinal Matthew. Sohail walked down the aisle and climbed onto the stage. He paused briefly, then passed by a cultist holding one of the intestines and examined one of the others. He pulled what appeared to be a small pen knife out of his back pocket and, using the handle moved the intestine slightly. He immediately took a step back.
"These…" He said, aghast. "There are… human!" The cultist who was holding one of the intestines dropped it in horror, backing away. The stage ended, and the cultist awkwardly fell backwards off of it, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
Shorik glanced over at Sohail, then looked at Ben.
"Keep your rifle on him. I will go investigate." Shorik stated. He turned to Donnovan, lowering his gun as Ben raised his. "You said they have somebody back there?"
"Yeah, go see for yourself." Donnovan said. His heart was pounding fast again.
"Only-" Cardinal Matthew began again, but this time, Shorik cut him off.
"Please, be quiet until we figure this out." He commanded, walking down the aisle. He made his way around the stage and to the curtain. He paused for a moment, then stepped through. Several second later, a yell of disbelief could be heard, and Shorik stumbled out of the back, his hand to his mouth.
"You were right!" He yelled.
"KILL THEM!" Cardinal Matthew suddenly yelled. "Preserve our ways!"
Everything seemed to happen at once. The guardian that had appeared previously aimed and fired just as Donnovan leapt out of the way, rolling to the ground. The bullets impacted the Cardinal's flesh, sending blood spatters onto the wall behind him. He fell heavily back, sliding down the wall, leaving a thick swath of blood in his wake.
Glade turned and elbowed the guardian in the face, sending him stumbling backwards. Before he could recover, Glade put two rounds into the man's chest, and he sprawled over the back of the last row of pews, awkwardly crumbling to the floor. There were shouts from all around, and from a door across the prayer chamber, several other guardians came running out. Shorik was ready this time, and let loose with his assault rifle, dropping the guardian unlucky enough to be the first to emerge. Shorik sprinted up towards the group as Ben gunned down another guardian who had been lining up a shot at Donnovan. The cultist's fingers pulled down on the trigger as he fell, sending a burst of bullets a foot to Donnovan's left, causing the wall to exhale thick white dust and splinters to fly from several of the pews.
"Let's go!" Shorik yelled, running past them. Donnovan's gun coughed very loudly, and a 10-millimeter round pitched the head of another guardian back, his body following.
"Don't have to tell me twice." Donnovan answered, joining the others who were running out of the chapel, heads bowed, bullets impacting the walls around them, raining bits of brick and plaster down on their heads.