“Come on, let’s go.” Johnson said pointing down the path that leads towards the altar. Willow was so used to resistance that she was hesitating because she was receiving an escort now.

  Willow stood frozen, staring down the road. She knew she was so close, that the quest Ivan gave her with his final breath was about to complete, it was all seeming possible “Don’t you want to be at the altar right now?” Sax asked after seeing the hesitation.

  Willow covered her arm hiding one of her large bruises. “What are you going to do to me when we get there?” She asked while looking at the ground. She knew that these men were evil, they just stood there and watched one of their own get swallowed by a zombie after all.

  Johnson kneeled in front of Willow trying to meet her gaze. “My god asked us to take you there so that’s what we will do. I promise we will do everything to make sure we complete our divine mission and get you there safely.” Johnson’s voice was sweet and soft not like the usual holy man who was obviously tired and stretched thin. Willow looked up with watery eyes for she was not used to a god who sent help.

  “You will help me?” Willow asked. Her question was already answered but what she needed most right now is that reassurance, the words to be repeated back to her in a specific way that no ordinary holy man or parent had said to her before.

  The words formed at the front of her mind as she thought them over and over, the four words that any child would be so relived to hear. “I will help you.” Johnson, Peterson, and Sax said in unison. The three men kneeled before the child, Johnson offering with open hands that had their palms basking in the moon light. Resting in his hands was a twisted knife that formed from the red moss that fell from the sky.

  Willow hesitated but grabbed the knife from Johnson. As soon as her skin made contact with the fleshy blade the moon began to hum a low note, as if it were purring like a cat.

  For once in her life Willow knew she wasn’t being tested, she was being lead by a god who can destroy demons with words. For once a god wasn’t throwing an endless amount of trials at her. “Let’s go to the altar.” Willow said holding the knife close to her chest. The knife and used to-be holy men hummed with glee.

  “It would be an honor to open the way for you.” Johnson said with a sparkle in his eye growing brighter. For the first time, Willow understood what it meant to be important.

  Johnson stood up and faced the red moon. He pulled another knife out of thin air and stabbed it clean through his palm. The blood poured from his hand like a neglected bathtub. The ground and sky began to shake, but for the first time Willow didn’t react out of fear but anticipation.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  The sky and trees had folded in on themselves like a map being packed away but in an instant that map was ripped open violently tearing it in half. The sound of ice rubbing against each other and a cool breeze poured out of this new opening. A path that was separated from the soil to the clouds had opened up and Willow knew that the altar laid at the end of this path.

  “I…” Willow began to speak but the words got stuck. She tried so hard to force the words out that she had began crying. With a gentle pat on the back from Sax, Willow found the words once more. “Is this what it really looks like when a god wants to help?” Her words caused a great smirk to grow across the threes faces.

  “This is what an answered prayer looks like.” Johnson said, the words struck Willow’s heart. She never once had one of her prayers answered, this made her feel divine.

  The four of them had begun walking down the path their god had carved out for them. Willow was relieved that the screaming, that filled the forest, couldn’t be heard anymore while she was on this path. She could for once find peace in her own mind if only for just a moment.

  The child closed her eyes and tried to picture the church her parents forced her to. There were a few kids who enjoyed being there but they were usually related to someone important. All of the other kids, especially Willow, hated being there because fun wasn’t allowed. The tall white wall, the fancy things like marble and quarts used as decoration, the lawn surrounding the building was kept clean and tightly with only the rarest and most expensive plants. It all reminded her that this is what a church meant to her, an oppressive show of power and wealth.

  “Hey Johnson.” Sax said finally breaking the deafening silence. Willow now realized somewhere along the way when her eyes were closed that the path they were walking was now crudely paved with a red carpet made of red moss. With each step the ground would let out a squish sound.

  Willow flinched instinctively, fearing another fight or argument would break out soon. “What is it brother?” Johnson asked with a surprisingly up beat tone.

  “What happened? Why did you stop believing in our god?” Sax’s voice was gentle, not accusing like the typical holy man who would use the wrath of their god to justify a public punishment.

  “I still believe in that god, I’m just tired of waiting and suffering. This new god though… he’s proven to me time and time again that he is willing to use his powers to help all that need it. There’s no price to be paid, no salvation to be made first. He just simply wants to help everyone.” Johnson put it simply. Sax and Peterson wanted to argue with his logic but with the way life has been going for everyone it was hard to.

  Images of when Ivan was killed by a demon in front of her own eyes flashed uncontrollably through her mind. She didn’t know why this memory was surfacing now but she tried everything to push it back.

  The demon from her memory broke Ivan’s body over Willow and bathed her in his blood and now that monsters hand was descending from the sky reaching for her next.

  Words that could never be recognized whisked through the air as the sky in the memory began to shatter. Willow blinked her eyes once more and realized she was with the holy men again. Johnson was whispering the same prayer that he used to chase away the last demon and once he finished the prayer he looked down at Willow and smiled. Willow felt instant relief, as if the pain of the memory wasn’t there anymore.

  Something crawled out from the corner of Willow’s eye. Johnson reached over and grabbed a creature that was screaming and shaking off her face and held it for a little bit. “Is that better?” Johnson asked before flicking the creature into the forest. The creature turned and screamed at them before being consumed by a wave of red moss.

  Before Willow could answer him Johnson chuckled. For just a moment Willow saw that Johnson was wearing all white now and had a necklace made of cameras and with a blink of her eyes he looked like he always had, back to normal. “These are only examples of how our god will help you. He can’t wait to see us all raise to godhood.” He said pointing at the red moon, which for the first time started to move. It started to slowly glide above the path towards the altar and with a great shake of the ground it landed just beyond sight. Willow knew that was where the altar was, just moments away.