Chapter 3: Cell
Do not forgive me Father, for I have not sinned.
Anderson lifted his head and looked about his surroundings wearily. For a fleeting moment, he thought that he was back in the orphanage. No one could comprehend how much he loved the children, considering that he actually liked the cold-blooded work he did. No one knew how much he missed them. Anderson did not realise how much he would miss them himself until he was imprisoned. He prayed that they were safe in their little sanctuary, away from the filth and politics.
Pondering over his present predicament, Anderson became acutely aware, that the cell he was in was not enough to keep him. With his regenerative skills and immense strength, he could break out of it easily. It was a very tempting option.
However, although he was prepared to betray, no, execute Maxwell and deliver him to death, he was not yet prepared to go against the Church and his God. The Church was sometimes disgusting, even to someone as devout as he was. Then again, Anderson thought wryly, there were people who would say that his interpretation of his religion was unorthodox, or worse, sacrilegeous. Whatever the case, the Church was all there was for Lord's lambs to turn to.
Anderson would never show contempt for the Church, despite the mistakes they have committed, and the many skeletons he knew were kept locked in their closet. If they wanted to keep him in here, he would obey their orders and show his reverence to them by staying on.
So he continued waiting in the cell, until he lost track of time.
Lethargy sank in at first, and then a growing restlessness that Anderson tried to suppress to no avail. He wanted to do something, to see the children, to defend himself in front of the committee, to destroy vampires… Above all, he wanted to fight, well, it should be Dracula now, should it not? That damned arrogance… That look of certainty on his face that seemed to tell Anderson that he could kill Anderson anytime he liked, but he was only fighting him out of amusement. Anderson had to admit that witnessing the full extent of Dracula's powers was a terrible thing.
Anderson scowled, and looked out of the tiny window that was the only link he had with the outside world. In the end, they had left the fight unfinished because more from the Millenium had rushed in to attack, and separated them in the confusion. Anderson would find him again, as soon as he got out of this wretched cell.
The committee was certainly taking its time to decide on what to do with him. If Anderson was not mistaken, they were perplexed.
Anderson sighed. In his mind, he had not done anything wrong. But the Church did not agree.
He could imagine them whispering and wrangling their hands anxiously, agreeing that he should be punished, but what sort of punishment could they give him?
He was a unique case, and was unlike the other priests. They worried that excommunication would mean letting him loose and out of their control. It would result in the loss of an able servant and an added threat to the Church. On the other hand, they needed to set an example for other potentially wayward priests who thought they could judge their superiors and give whichever punishment they deemed appropriate.
Of course, Anderson mused. There was one way out of this. They could reprimand him and then… they could let him go. Let him return to the orphanage. Let him continue his work. Let him do whatever he had always done. They would still have him serve the Church.
But they would not dream of letting him off so lightly, would they?
"Do not forgive me Father, for I have not sinned.": Taken from Peter Barnes's Revolutionary Witness: The Preacher.