The stain glass windows shone bright light inside the church. I was alone here; there was too much noise outside. Here in this church, I was safe from being tormented. It was my sanctuary.

I walked over to the white marble altar. The light from the windows shone brilliant colors on it's newly polished surface. They moved and they danced, so free and unrestricted.

Then, a rumble, a tremor. An earthquake? Was the whole building going to collapse on my head, killing me inside my supposed sanctuary? Just as I took a step forward to get out, the trembling stopped. I was safe again.

Even though the shaking had stopped, I still didn't feel at ease. Something in the air tasted...stale. Dry, crisp, even though it was the middle of summer. Something was wrong. I should have known when everything ended so suddenly, nothing just ever stopped. There would be an after-shock. I began to run, pounding my feet down the aisle. The tremors started again, and right before I reached the exit, the floor split open and a monster emerged.

This monster had no legs. It could not run, but it pulled itself along with its fingernails. The fingernails, grimy and broken, were attached to thick, meaty fingers. The fingers were long, but not as long as it's lengthy, muscly arms. Slime oozed from all over it's body, from giant pores and small pimple-like imperfections. Hundreds of eyes covered it's head, every one looking in a different direction. Never focusing on one point. I could smell it's breath from where I was standing, a good fifteen feet away.

A knock at the door. A hero? Someone come to rescue me from my peril, someone to defeat the monster and pull me out before it was too late?

My friend. My only friend in the entire world stood at the threshold of the door. I wanted to scream, wanted to tell her to run, save herself, but no noise escaped my lips.

My friend walked towards the monster, no expression on her face. The creature hastily moved towards her, leaving a trail of sticky ooze behind it. My beloved comrade didn't even scream when the monster devoured her. Blood spattered the altar.

I had to get out. I had to run, go, hide, flee, get out. 

I broke my trance and started inching backwards to the door. The creature soon noticed me attempting escape and advanced towards me. I ran. 

When I looked back, I saw the white marble altar, covered in blood. I saw a creature I never knew existed chasing me. It was hideous, something that belongs under a bed, or in a campfire story. Something that couldn't be real, in a place sosurreal. 

I was outside. I had escaped! The sun shone down on my face, warming my cheeks. Children ran and played on the playground nearby, laughing and screaming. I was free, I had made a clean escape. Th monster didn't seem to be following me once I was out of the church. 

But...that smell. The sewers? A skunk? What was that? 

I realized where I recognized the smell from. 

The monster's breath. 

It was still following me. 

Run. 

RATE THIS CHAPTER!

Author guidance for This story

Just a short little allegory about my experiences in all the churches I've ever gone to. I am probably the most religion-tolerant person you will ever meet. I've been thrown out of churches, bribed into them, everything. I have so many beliefs, it's hard to narrow it down to just one thing. Buddhism, for example. How AWESOME is that?

updated Jan 2 by Shusta