Chapter Text
Pov. Omniscient narrator
"Father forgive me for I have sinned, it's been 1 week since my last confession." Mary spoke in a low voice in the confectionary, her hands clasped in a praying motion, her delicate fingers interlaced between each other.
"I've been having horrid nightmares this past few day, my mind has been plagued with images of the sons I've lost in war, since the last three nights I've been visited by a horrible creature..." Mary's voice cracked a bit and she gulped down the hard ball of fear down her throat hesitant to keep speaking up.
"Do not fear sister, you can speak freely here in the god of house, go a head sister" The pastor spoke adjusting himself on his seat counting the bead of his rosary.
"...This...this past few nights I've been visited by this thing, it's body is adorned with feather soft like those of a goose, but it's colour is of rust and dry blood, it's stench is of disease and famine and it's face...its face is nowhere to be seen, when ever I see it's face the only thing I can see is yellow golden eyes like of a cats and red like blood" She tears up a bit scared of just remembering that...that thing again.
The Pastor stops counting and recognizes that this sounds of the nightmares of a poor girl in distress and fear.
"...let us pray together sister" The pastor voice spoke in calm and peaceful way.
“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to Himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” The pastor spoke moving the bead of his rosary with each word.
“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But, most of all, because they have offended Thee, my God, Who art all good, and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy Grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.” Mary's voice repeated after the pastor stopped speaking and she exhales feeling a bit better after speaking with him.
"For now I'll assign you to pray three hail Mary's in the morning and nigth and read Psalm 23 and Psalm 56:3" The pastor spoke as he gave Mary thro the small window confession a rosary with red beads and gold metal.
"Thank you Pastor Francis, may God bless your soul and day" Mary spoke kindly and accepts the gift putting it away in her nurse apron.
Mary exited the confectionary and walked out to the exit, donation a fee coins to the donation box for the church and orphanage, the day was cloudy like it would rain so she hurried in her bike back to the monastery base.
The sky roared with cannon roars of the no man's land a few kilometers from her village, her home town had become of of many bases of haven against the Germans in this war, her family's wealth and name fell to the ground like the bombs in England, her father had died years before this hellish war and her mother was to sick to help even herself so in her last attempt to be of use she trained herself under the monastery of nurses and nuns, making herself a important asset in this war.
She would help cure the sick and nurse the hurt spiders that would be sent her way, boys her age and older would call her "Mother Mary" even if she herself was only 17 yr.old, she did her best to be of comfort to the men in their last moments of life before dying in her arms.
Mary arrived to the monastery and walked directly to the sick ward where the less injured soilders where, she passed clena towels and alcohol to the nurses to clean wounds and would change bloodied bandages to clean ones.
"Good evening sister Mary, where you at the church?" a older nun spoke with a clean bucket of water to clean up a new soldier that came from the trenches.
"Good evening Mother Margerine, yes I was, I visited Pastor Francis for prayer" Mary said helping lay down the soldier and grabbed a sponge and grabbed the bucket to clean the soldier to inspect.
"Ah figures, you weren't at breakfast either, can't be running around with nothing at your belly child" Mother Margerine said while she dosed a cloth with alcohol and disenfected the wounds of the soulder who whined and hissed.
"I know, I just...i didn't feel like eating, I've haven't had much appetite this past few days" Mary said holding the soilders hand to confort him and petter his hair like a scared child.
"Still, no good can come if you don't help yourself, after this go and have something to eat before supper okay?" she said now stitching the soldier up who now was closing their eyes shut in pain and fear.
"Of course Mother Margerine, I'll eat in my way to the camp hospital" Mary spoke and comforted the soldier, dabbing his sweaty and dirty forehead with a cloth to calm him.
"Fine but be careful now, there's been more accidents near the camp base, we can't afford to lose you child" Mother Mary said finishing to stich the soldier and putting on clean bandages.
"Yes Mother Margerine, I will make haste, I'll see you for supper tonight" Mary's smile warmed the hall calming the worries and anxieties of Mother Margerine and nodded to this.
Mary walked to the storage room and resupplied her messenger bag with clean bandages, pain killers, alcohol and needle and threat, when she passed the kitchen she gave a small prayer for forgiveness before taking a loaf of bread and in a handkerchief sneak some fresh butter cookies and hidding them in her stuff.
She hurried back to her bike when the rain started to pout down, she put on a cape with hood, some of the nurses outside rushed into the monastery.
"Sister Mary where are you going? It's raining bucket out here, you'll catch a cold" One of the nurses shouted when Mary was hopping into her bike.
"I know but I'll go see how are the camp base is doing and deliver things" She spoke higher the sound of the rain hitting the mud almost defeaning.
"Are you sure? Do you want us to accompany you sister?" A young petite girl spoke maybe a few years younger than her but Mary shook her head.
"No you two stay here and dry yourself, I won't be long so don't you worry sisters" Mary said gifting them a smile and both nurses smiled a bit coy at how warm the smile made them feel.
They said their goodbyes and Mary made haste to the camp base, the bicycle sometimes getting stuck in the mud but she persisted against the rain and dirt, the fog of the rain made it almost impossible to see a head of herself, that is when she saw a figure at a distance, it was hunched over a small abandoned butchers shop, huddled in a small spot to evade the rain trembling, Mary feeling pity for the person got closer to them.
"Sir are you ok? Do you need help?" Her voice sounded so small against the rain pouring down the person looked up at them, their face was hidden under a tattered soldier hat, it's clothes dirty and soiled, when Mary got closer when he didn't respond he smelled like gunpowder and decay.
" I'm...so hungry..." The voice that came from the men sounded raspy and disheveled, it sent a chill down Mary's spine but she calmed her nerves and grabbed a loaf of bread and parted it in half.
"Here, eat to your fill, there's a monastery down this road, when you've gained strength go there and say that Mary sent you okay?" She spoke kindly while the man ate furiously the piece of bread like he hadn't eaten in ages, even going as far to like the bread crumbs from his scraped and dirty hands.
"Thank you...Be careful a head sister, it is said that rain this heavy is bad omen.." The man spoke standing up and towering over Mary, his head almost hitting the roof of where he was sheltering, Mary just hopped back to her bike noting how tall was...to tall to be human.
"Ah yes...thank you so much, be careful yourself mister" She spoke a bit scared and peddled away as fast as she could possibly.
"You too...Mother Mary" The sound that came from the back of Mary almost feel from her bike, it sounded distorted, broken like a sickening crack of bones, when she heard that and she turned around, the men nowhere to be in sigh, she waited for a few seconds before hurrying back to the camp base, the interaction not leaving her mind.