Above me stood a cross of gilded metal, thrice taller in feet than myself, with a shimmering radiance emanating from its form. Though all else—pews and stained glass windows—lay shrouded in darkness, the cross bore a strange glow; its presence seemed intoxicating, warm and radiant, shielding me from the chill of the darkened church.

Outside its glow lay the blood, the body, that I hid from; if I kept away from it, I would not feel it, would not see it. But even still, I smelt it—the cold metallic odor—and heard the quiet tapping of the blood dripping onto the stone.

Three bells chiming

Out in the street

The birds are calling

Ravens and crows

And then the snow

Is falling

Faster, my heart beat, until its pounding drummed thunderclaps in my chest. My consciousness—though wearied it was—was fading, as if a pale film was growing over my eyes, darkening my sight. I could hear the bells outside, chiming, clanging, and rending the cold night air in two with every strike. The church would tremble, the wooden ballasts and rafters creaking, shifting; the building was frightened of every chime, but still, I remained in the glow of the cross.

That was when I felt a warmth, one warmer than the sun, than the embrace of a mother; it came from above me, from the cross. I fell to my knees, crawling towards the gilded light, and the cold chill of the darkness—of the clattering bells—began to fade. The doors to the church rattled, thrown open by the blue-clad men outside; a biting wind struck me, racking my body.

Come to take me

Clubs and beaters

Taking from me

My golden light

Hands grasped my limbs, locking me into an inescapable fettering. I kicked, yet my legs would not move much; my body was immobilized. Away from the cross, I was carried, until its warmth was stolen away entirely, its gilded light swallowed by the darkness. The doors to the church were shut, sealing it away, and I was suddenly thrown into a van—a black van with Police painted on its cold metal siding. In my chest, my heart was seized by the cold until it was close to stopping, the blood no longer able to flow; it was arrested like water in a hose during a winter storm. My ears were split by the sound of slamming metal, then the engine beneath my trembling body roared and sputtered, coming to life. Through the polished floorboards, its warmth touched me, whispered to me, but it was hardly strong enough to chase away the chill. Sleep came upon me, though I was frightened, and I felt my consciousness drift away into the night, dancing with the hum of the motor.

 

Image: https://tenor.com/search/bell-gifs