The clearing the church stood in was also deserted. Kat unerringly guided them to a small building a little to the side.

Vine stopped her before the open doorway. The door had been broken in. Whatever remained inside would not be pleasant to watch. "Let me take it from here on."

"No. I'm going with you."

"Are you really prepared to see the broken remains of your friend?"

Not really. How could she possibly be? But still she had to see for herself. Had to be sure of father Thomas' fate. She swallowed and nodded.

"You stay here, kid," Vine laid one hand on his shoulder. "We'll be right back."

He tried to follow them.

"Stay," the demon repeated and placed him to sit next to the wall like a doll. "It's safe for the time being."

The kid made a face, but stayed put.

With that taken care of, Vine stepped into the house with Kat close at his heels.

It was a really small house, with only one room and a tiny kitchen. A single desk in the corner held the radio transmitter - a heavy block of electronics - they were looking for. In front of it was a fallen chair and...human bones, along with a large amount of blood. What torn cloth remained looked like priest's robes. He must have been preparing for the day's service when the dream-eaters had attacked.

Kat stopped on her tracks and crossed her hands in prayer.

"I doubt he'll hear you."

"Of course he does! He's always watching over us!"

"Then why didn't he do anything to stop this?!" So much meaningless death...Over and over again. No matter how much people prayed, nothing ever changed. "I haven't seen him actually do anything for more human lifetimes than you can comprehend. Either he can't do anything or he simply won't!" He looked away from her. "And I don't know which one would be worse."

"I won't believe that! If only we have enough faith-"

"How much is enough?!"

Kat looked hurt. "I...I don't know."

Vine suddenly pulled her close to his chest. "I'm sorry. Please don't cry." He gave her a weak smile. "Forget I said anything. It's just bitterness over my own fate."

Then he let go and focused on the radio transmitter. They had changed a lot since he had last seen one. "Do you know how this works?"

Kat shook her head. "I'm sorry."

He experimentally flipped a few switches. Nothing happened.

"Um..." Kat stepped closer. "I think that light should be on."

Ah yes. Power indicator. He flipped another switch, this one at the side of the box and marked like it would be on/off switch.

No response. He flipped it again.

Still nothing.

"Damn it...Either it's broken or the battery is dead."

"What do we do now?"

"What can we do? Walk to the port town and hope we won't run into too many dream-eaters. Or do you have any better ideas?"

"Not really..."

"Let's spend the night in the church, though. It will be dark soon."

"Shouldn't you be...at least averse to holy grounds?"

Vine chuckled. "As I said, human faith is no longer strong enough to keep me from coming and going as I please to the house of god. Neither has he ever done anything to stop me."

Such a long time ago...he had hoped entering a church would have gotten him struck by lightning or something. Just a single moment of despair after being once again chased out by humans who had figured he was not one of them. But nothing had happened. It had been like god didn't even notice him.

"Where do you keep shovels?" he asked. There was a small graveyard nearby, so there was bound to be some.

"At the back room of the church. Why?"

"We don't have the time to bury everybody, but I thought you'd at least want a proper grave for him."

"Ah...Yes. Thank you."

It had already gotten dark by the time he had dug a deep enough grave that random scavengers wouldn't dig it up, placed the priest's remains in and covered it up again. Kat could say her prayers in the morning. The church might not have been a sanctuary of any kind, but it was better to stay somewhere he could actually see around himself.

His shirt and pants were completely dirty now and, thanks to the steady drizzle that had started at some point, also damp. "Kat, do you have spare clothes here?" he called out to her when he only saw the kid inside.

She came out of the back room a moment later, carrying a priest's robe. "Only this. I'm not sure if it's appropriate, though..."

"It's fine," Vine interrupted her. "I'd rather not go outside again before dawn."

There would probably be men's clothes in the priest's apartment, but that would mean braving the darkness again. He took off his shirt. If god didn't interfere with a fallen angel being here, he probably wouldn't mind too much if the said fallen angel also borrowed some clothes.

Kat blushed. "Y-you can change in the back room."

Vine chuckled. "You already know what I am. It doesn't matter that much."

She was just about to ask what he meant when her eyes were drawn to the abstract pattern tattooed over his heart. No, wait. That was not a tattoo. It was a brand. And she had seen it in scriptures. The mark of those who broke the god's laws.

He followed her gaze and brought one hand over his heart. "Yes, it's the mark given to all fallen angels. Even though I escaped imprisonment, this mark appeared a few weeks after my departure from heaven. I...don't usually let people see it. Too many have understood what it means."

Truth to be told, maybe he had wanted to see her reaction. The day before they had been too busy trying to survive to think much of anything else. It would have been easy for her to dismiss anything out of ordinary about him.

Kat pushed the robe to his hands, trying not to stare at him, and turned around. "Bring your clothes to the back room once you've changed. I'll wash them for you."

Vine smiled as she hurried away and to the back room. If only...if only she had been an ordinary woman. She had actually taken the truth about him remarkably well. And he really did like her. But most likely his feelings would never be returned. A servant of god would not fall in love with a mortal man, and even less a fallen angel.

All he could do was to see her to safety and then disappear from her life before things got too complicated.