The Beast Under the Cross - Chapter Four: A Hollow Prayer

The grand doors of St. Johann's Cathedral groaned as they swung open, ushering in the anxious murmur of the entire village. Beneath the soaring arches of stone, the townspeople gathered, faces drawn and pale. A sea of worried eyes flickered from one familiar face to another, but there was no comfort in the meeting of their gazes. The air inside the cathedral was cold and heavy with the scent of burning tallow candles.

Peter Stump shuffled into the back of the crowd, his shoulders tense beneath his heavy coat. He kept his head low, the brim of his hat casting a shadow over his face as he moved toward the farthest pews. Attendance was mandatory, but Peter had little use for the preacher’s promises of salvation or the hollow assurances of protection through prayer.