CH3
"Well, if your folks are up there, who's lookin' after ya?" There was a hint of concern in his voice. "Isn't somebody watchin' this kid?" Victor gruffly asked a woman who was sitting close by. Quietly, the lady got up from her seat, and calmly took the girl by the hand as she politely apologized to the stranger, for any trouble the girl had caused. He accepted her apology by nodding his head. 'Better', he thought. 'Now maybe I can see what's goin' on 'round here.' The church looked like it could hold about 500 people and it was more than half full. The congregation seemed to be a mix of all sorts of people. There were persons of many races and colors, as well those with obvious mutations such as the young girl who was now happily drawing on some paper the lady had given her. Victor wasn't really sure what he would find here but he had to admit that the sign outside hadn't been a lie. 'OK. I'll give them that much.' He quietly reasoned. 'Now let's see if they can explain how they can do this when the rest of the world is killin' each other.'
As the music continued to play most people chose to stand. Some were raising their hands, and others were clapping. There were even some women waving banners and dancing up and down the isles. He figured this had to be one of those 'holy roller' churches he had heard of. He had heard some weird things go on in these kind of churches and he was curious to see what would happen next. It was certainly louder and more theatrical than other Christian churches he knew of but still, he was enjoying himself for the most part, not that for one second would he show it. With those cold emotionless eyes of his Sabretooth looked from one end of the sanctuary to the other; giving everyone his, 'none of you are impressing me', cat-like gaze. Then just as suddenly as the first time she appeared, Sabretooth had a close encounter with those space-alien eyes. The little girl had managed to escape from the lady who was too caught up in this 'praise and worship' stuff. This time he noticed that her eyes were similar to his in that they appeared to be all one color, except rather than being dark, the child's eyes were of the palest shade of blue/grey and the pupil was merely a thin, dark vertical line that ran from top to bottom. He patiently waited this time to see if she might say something, but there she quietly stood with those remarkable eyes. Then slowly, she handed the picture she had drawn for him. Victor rolled his eyes and accepted the paper. He mumbled an insincere "thanks", and set it down next to his seat. She then smiled even more brightly than before and went back to sitting with the lady, feeling quite pleased with herself. Sabretooth had NO intention to look at the picture she had made for him but once more his curiosity got the best of him. He casually glanced at the drawing and saw that all she had drawn was a big red heart, and wrote the words 'GOD LOVES YOU' under it. 'Oh, kid, YOU got a lot to learn!' Victor nearly laughed out loud.
He sat there in the aisle seat of the last row. His arms were still folded over his broad chest grimacing at everyone around him; but at least he was beginning to feel comfortable sitting there and every one around him was also beginning to feel more at ease with him. Despite his undeniably rude and aggressive behavior this menacing-looking stranger had managed to sit for 15 minutes without causing any serious bodily harm to anyone and they hoped that perhaps the rest of the service might go as peacefully.
Sabretooth began to study the people around him trying to figure them out as best he could. He really understood so little of society in general and the concept of religion itself just plain confused the hell out of him. However, deep inside he wanted to recall a time when faith did play a part in that life he had been forced to forget. In his heart he was almost sure he had once heard stories of a loving, caring, forgiving father-like God but Somehow those kind and comforting memories had been ripped from his mind and replaced by psychotic recollections of a cruel and vengeful deity that had no mercy for mutant scum such as Victor Creed. Once more his eyes were drawn to the picture the strange little girl had given him and groaned uncomfortably. 'God loves me? Very damn funny kid!' he thought to himself. If so, then why am I a mutant? Or for that matter why are mutants hated so damn much? What the hell did we ever do to deserve this?'
He almost grabbed the paper to crumple it up but instead quickly flipped the paper over so he wouldn't have to look at it. 'God loves me?' he mocked to himself again. 'He loves me? No not me, I enjoy the feel of blood running down my fingers, the funny 'plop' noise entrails make when they fall out of someone's body and hit the ground, and I really get off hearing some frail scream when I fuck her,' Sabretooth sadistically reminded himself. True he was a savage killer who seemed to enjoy his work only too well but once the deed was over and the surge of pure rage had faded, he was sickened by most of those memories. God, how he hated those memories! He hated them that is until he was caught up in the thrill of repeating them- again and again. He hated himself for not being strong enough to fight off the urges, for giving in to them every single time. He hated himself too for the fact that he would allow people use him to do these terrible things just so that they wouldn't get their hands dirty. 'God loves me?' he painfully asked himself again. 'God loves a killer, a brute, a rapist? God loves ME? No, not me.'
He tried to recall a time, any time when perhaps his life might have been different but could only remember a life full of violence, destruction and hate. Angry thoughts of loss and betrayal hammered away at his soul, stealing any chance of joy or comfort he may have embraced from the child's simple little message. By now, Sabretooth was no longer feeling so relaxed as the grinding of his teeth brought him back to the present. He thought about letting go and have an 'episode' right here and now. The thought of sending one or more of these doe-eyed simpletons to meet their maker tickled him. He felt a strange sense of power and satisfaction knowing that all he had to do to turn their expressions of peace and complacency into sheer terror stricken fear, was jump out of his seat, bare his claws and fangs and let out one hellava ROAR!