Chapter 1...Confusion

"...and may the blessing of the Father," I preached to those attending mass, while making the sign of the cross, "the Son, and the Holy Spirit come upon you. The mass has ended; go in peace to serve the Lord."

And with that, the mass was officially over, and the people went back home on this pleasant Sunday morning.

The four acolytes who had assisted me in the mass started cleaning up the Church; fixing the carpet, cleaning the altar, returning all the sacred artifacts. They were all working hard in the service of the Lord, no older than 14. But in 4 years time, they would graduate and become priests.

I remember, 8 years ago, when I was still an acolyte; I was the most hard-headed acolyte among Father Jerahmeel's acolytes. I would always complain why I had to clean up the whole church. Then, one day, Father Jerahmeel spoke to me and told me that Jesus died on the cross for me, and I couldn't even clean his house for him. This struck me hard in the heart, and I began to reflect. Now, 5 years has passed and I regret what I did 8 years ago. If only other people's eyes were opened like mine.

I bade the acolytes goodbye as I strode out the church through its large, oak doors, the colorful shadow of the many mosaics shining on my face. A bright, shining sun greeted me as I stepped out the door. Prontera was as busy as ever; Sunday was a day of joy and relaxation. Most people took the day of from their work to be with their family, and would go around together, spending the whole day.

A newspaper vendor passed by me, and I saw a very disturbing headline: "Is the Apocalypse upon us?" A picture of a man crucified to a wall came with it.

Disturbed by this image, I called out to the vendor saying, "How much is one?"

"50z, but for you, Father, only 30z." He replied. I could see in his eyes that he was a very kind man, and was just as disturbed as I was at today's paper.

I took out some coins from my pocket and gave them to him, saying, "Here, take 50z."

Immediately, I opened the paper and started reading. The article was very disturbing, as it described a small alleyway tainted by blood, with crucified people lining its walls. The sun, with its bright rays of light began to glare, and I couldn't read the paper. I held my hand above my eyes for a better vision; all the light was blinding me.

By the center fountain, there was a small coffee shop, with a few tables and chairs. I quickly took one and sat down. The sudden change in brightness gave me a temporary blindness, but that didn't last long.

A young lady with a pen and a piece of paper walked up to me. I assumed she was an employee of the shop. With pen and paper in hand, she asked, "Will you be having anything?"

"Surprise me."

The girl nodded and walked back to the counter, clipping the piece of paper to the board.

I, on the other hand, started reading once more the paper.

What a horrible way to die. I once more looked at the picture that came with it. The images were very, very bloody and graphic; they were crucified using what seemed to be bullets, as the writer had described. Some of their necks were almost decapitated, their heads literally hanging by a thread. Others had strange holes all over their body, as if something went through one side and came out the other.

The girl came back with a glass in hand and placed it on my table, saying, "Perfect for days like today!" I took it that she was referring to the hot weather.

"Thank you." I said, and opened the newspaper once more.

She noticed the headline, and began to say, "Disturbing isn't it?"

"Yeah." I said, agreeing with her.

"Did you know? That happened quite near here."

"Where?"

"From the fountain, go west, and into one of the alleyways. The press is all over the place."

Hearing this, I stood up and took my drink, saying, "I'll check it out."

"Oh my God, you're a priest." She said, as if not noticing my robes, "Do you...do you think that the Apocalypse really is upon us?"

"Only one way to find out." I said as I finished my drink, and put the glass back on the table.

I took out my blue sunglasses and wore them as I walked out of the shop.

"By the way, that was really good." I said, commenting on the drink.

From the fountain...go west. Her words were clearly imprinted in my mind as I followed it word for word. Soon, I found a large crowd by the entrance of an alleyway, chaos in the air.

"Excuse me, excuse me. Coming through." I said as I put up my sunglasses and put them on my hair. It was so dark in here.

The people immediately stopped talking when I reached the front. They seemed to stare at me in fear and awe.

"What? Never seen a priest before?"

"Father, are we all going to die?" One of the people asked.

I walked over to one of the bodies and felt its wounds. A strange feeling overcame me as I did; it was a mixture of fear, uncertainty, and confusion.

Then it hit me. Why hadn't I noticed it before? They were all crucified up-side down. The inverted cross. Satan.

"Oh my God!" I exclaimed, sending fear into the hearts of the people there.

"What is it?" One of them asked.

"The inverted cross. Sa—" I stopped unexpectedly as I felt pain in my stomach, as if someone had punched me. Hard. In my ears, I could hear voices whispering my name over and over, "Caiaphas..."

My head started to hurt. I could feel a large amount of negative energy in the area. I knew the people were in the same danger as I was, and I had to warn them. But I could not cause panic across the city. Chaos would ensue.

"Get out of here! NOW! It is not safe!" I exclaimed, with a tone of distress in my voice. Immediately, they went out of the scene, taking their cameras and everything with them, as if running for their lives.

One of them was still packing his camera. I approached him, and told him, "Tell someone to bar up this place. Let no one enter it."

He nodded, and ran off with the rest of them. I turned around and faced the alleyway.

"Jesus Nasarenum Rex Aeternum." I uttered. Immediately, I felt the negative energy in the area disappear. The weak ones had run, but that was not enough. I knew there was more to this than meets the eye.