Remember when I said this was going to be done by Christmas? Yeah, that was a lie.

Chapter 39: Master of puppets

"We have lost him…"

Parker looked up from the heavy glass, letting the red liquid within slip to the base of the transparent, concave goblet.

"And, pray tell Sister Wolf, just who have we misplaced?"

The woman looked up from her lap as she sat perched on the end of the long wooden bench, almost as stiff as the material she rested on.

"Casper is gone." She stated bluntly. "I think he may be-"

"But did he deliver the message?" The Father twitched, rolling the vein of glass between his fingers. "Dose the great truth ring out in our angel's ears?"

Claudia didn't answer at once, letting the soft silence drag out.

Richard sighed. He didn't even bother try to understand the colourless woman's 'gift', something dubbed but the cult's acolytes as the sight. All he knew was that it allowed her to see more than most people could ever conceive for she had the ability to view the world and its people from a unique perspective. It had been most helpful in locating their god's earth-bound vessel…

"Yes, but I fear he still renounces it. The other one's influence holds a remarkable amount of sway over him."

Parker grunted something as he lent against the church's alter, his grip on the neck of the glass tightening dangerously.

"Damn that girl…To think, all our preaching's were outdone by that wayward child…" His back rose and fell sharply as he snorted. "That self appointed affliction…"

A frown creased Claudia's brow.

"But doesn't the news of Casper's demise…disturb you at all?"

Parker turned to reveal that cool, sly grin dominating his face.

"My dear Sister, I fear you are to much the humanist for your own good!" He raised the wine to his lips, peering over the top of the glass at her. "Anyway, the boy had fulfilled his duty to us and our mutual god, ergo; his death should not be considered a loss." Parker drew a long sip of the deep, red liquid that danced within the crystal container like molten ruby. Not once did he let his eyes wonder from Claudia's mask of a face as he probed for some kind of reaction. "In conclusion, Sister Wolf," The drained glass fell to his side. "The boy's death disturbs me not one single iota."

There was a hollow pause.

"Sometimes, I wonder at how you can call yourself a man of god…"

"I have faith, don't I?" A wicked little smirk played on his lips. "I have faith in god… in paradise…" He slunk towards the bench, his shoes falling without noise on the lush red carpet that covered the church's floor like a second skin. "In you. Dose that not make me more of a 'man of god', as you so righteously put it, than most of our associates?"

Claudia dropped her head as the man slid into the bench, still twiddling the empty glass between his fingers. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. After all, Parker was the only one who was yet to turn on her with teeth and claws bared…

She couldn't gauge just how long ago it was when he'd approached her with that obscene proposal that would probably see them expelled from the house of Silent Hill's arcane god if their fellow followers ever caught wind of it…

8 8 8

"Ah, the proverbial crying wolf!"

Claudia stopped dead in her tracks.

"And I suppose you've come to mock me as well?" The woman balled her fists, preparing herself for the imminent verbal onslaught that was going to come crashing into her back.

"Ah yes, I heard that little speech you made during the meeting. Quite the non-conformist, aren't we Sister Wolf?" Claudia glowered down the empty hallway in front of her, the door at the end of it bearing the brunt of the seething gaze intended for whoever was behind her. This was all she needed, yet another lecture on the fact that she dained to suggest paradise was not open for purely the believers…

With a weary sigh, she turned round to face her latest critic.

"Caused quite a stir just now, huh?"

"I'm more than aware of that." She curtly replied, glaring down at the sly little man. "Now, if you are only hearing to heckle me further I would thank you to leave me alone. I can assure you I've heard it all before…"

The maturing man smirked, pushing his glasses up the bumpy path of his crooked nose.

"I wager you're yet to hear someone say 'I believe you'…"

Claudia stiffened, going as ridged as the starched collar of her shirt.

"Excuse me?" She stumbled as her train of thought came to a crashing halt into the solid structure of his last sentence. Did he just imply what she thought she did?

The man began to pace back and forth along the narrow confides of the hall, occasionally, letting his eyes wonder over the surface of one of the many religious paintings that decked its walls.

"Well, why should only those who practice our religion be allowed to cross the thresh-hold to paradise on the day when god finally returns? There is many a good soul out there who just simply isn't aware of our practices and our compatriots seem wondrously oblivious to this factor. If we were to let only those who believe into the kingdom of god…" He paused, flashing a grin at the woman in black. "Well, paradise would be a very lonely place indeed."

Claudia nodded in agreement, for it had dawned on her a very long time ago that their cult was probably never going to achieve the notoriety of more…conventional and mainstream religions. At least, not in her life time.

"But, instead of listening to 'revolutionaries' like us, they continue to burry them-selves in the belief that only they, the holy mass, are fit to enter."

"And everyone else can just burn in hell…" The woman whispered dryly.

"Exactly," The priest spun round, giddy passion burning in his eyes. "That doesn't sound like the kind of thing a god of love would condone, now dose it?" He let the pause stretch so far that Claudia felt as though she might actually fall into it if she didn't fill it right that second.

"No."

"Do you not believe that everyone deserves the chance to step into the glorious light of god?"

"Yes!" The woman exclaimed before she had the chance to realise she was getting carried away in the priest's river of heated words, catching herself only when it was too late. "But…" The priest cocked his head as Claudia began, the infectious joy of his words already wearing off. "You know as well as I that only those free from sin may enter the kingdom. I fear that even a god would not be able to under take the burden of all man's evil, especially in this day and age."

She'd turned to leave the preacher, however, even her 'sight' was blind to the actions she'd just put into motion…

Time passed, and Claudia had all but forgotten about the conversation for something else had grabbed her attention and refused to let go.

God was still here.

The revelation had utterly consumed her, taking up almost every single conscious though she had until Claudia feared it might swallow her whole as she contained it with in her skull, especially since she was yet to share her discovery with anyone.

And why should she? The others would just greedily tare this god into the world with cruel and eager hands, condemning it while only saving themselves. The thought of it made her sick to her stomach. If anyone was going to raise the god from its human vessel, it would be Claudia. Out of the entire sect, it seemed only she appreciated what god was truly built to do; Save mankind. Had she not died to do that in the beginning? Why should she suddenly turn round and destroy it?

But still, there was the question of whether she would be able to, for you see, unlike the 'all-powerful' and limitless god of Christianity and Judaism, the cult's lord had her bound. She could not just snap her celestial fingers and make something so and quietly, Claudia feared that in trying to deliver all of man to her kingdom, God might just kill herself once more and return to the dust that bore her all that time ago…

…But Richard Parker had found an answer.

It seemed that the priest had been doing some research into that particular dilemma in the time that had elapsed since their first meeting and made the most interesting discovery.

"Are-"Claudia dropped her voice to a barely audible whisper save the other members milling about the room should overhear their conversation. "Are you sure?"

Parker's grin widened and he lent forward over the table while the fingers of his hand knotted themselves into a lose ball.

"I kid you not, my dear. It's all down there in the library if you want to have a look at it for yourself."

Claudia pushed back into her seat, a sensation of glorious numbness seeping through her.

"So you see, God dose not need to carry the weight of man's wickedness alone, in fact, she won't be required to do it at all…"

Claudia blinked, for it was then that her conscience decided to raise its hand.

"But what of those seven who have to carry the burden between them?"

Parker half-heartedly waved a hand at the woman as if to shoo away the though like some buzzing gnat.

"None will cry over them. I told you before, those who are chosen, they will be the dregs of society. They will be men and women who indulge their persific sin to the point where they really are nothing more than an embodiment of it…" Parker trailed off, observing the expression on his fellow conspirator's face with a raised eye-brow. The woman looked as though she'd just swallowed something that severally disagreed with her. "Anyway, what is the suffering of a few to the salvation of millions?"

Claudia smiled a weak, watery smile and looked up at the Father.

"Yes, you are right." She rose from the chair and made to leave. "It will be for the best, won't it?"

And that was how the whole affair had kicked off…

8 8 8

"...alive."

"Pardon?" Claudia snapped her head back, ripping it free from the grip of nostalgia.

"I said doing all this; doesn't it just make you feel so alive?" Parker mused aloud, examining the wine-glass against the candle light.

"Doing what?" Claudia echoed as the sensation of missing the plot grew even more evident.

"Why, saving the world of course!"

"You mean playing god with these people's lives?" Richard lowered the glass, stung by the word's sourness.

"Now now, my dear, there was no need for that." He glanced at the woman over the top of his glasses. "You know as well as I that someone will need to atone for man. I swear, you just need to learn to loosen that collar a wee bit or you're going to strangle yourself with your own moral code!"

Claudia looked away, knowing he was right. Sacrifices were going to have to be made and she should be thankful that they were on as small a scale as they were.

Yes, they were going to save the world but in the process, they'd damned themselves along with their so called angels.

A/N: Elliot, I must thank you for your extreamly extensive view and CC. Your right about the gramma, it is pretty shaky and I know I OD on comers sticking them in every chance I get. I plan to revise this once I'm finished because if I started going back now, I'd probably never get this finished.

Also, I totally agree with you on your point on the gratuitous over description, afterall, the mind has a knack of creating far more terrifying things than I could ever write down. I must apologise for waffling and getting carried away with these. I will make an effort to amend my wicked ways after reading your crit…