"Whether or not you believe in God, you must believe in this: when we as a species abandon our trust in a power greater than us, we abandon our sense of accountability. Faiths...all faiths...are admonitions that there is something we cannot understand, something to which we are accountable. With faith we are accountable to each other, to ourselves, and to a higher truth. Religion is flawed, but only because man is flawed. The Church consists of a brotherhood of imperfect, simple souls wanting only to be a voice of compassion in a world spinning out of control." 

- Dan Brown 

CHAPTER 1 

"Sarah, give me the benefit of the doubt will you!" Missouri spoke affectionately into the phone while trying to place her newly borrowed library books into her one strapped bag.  

"And I have so much reason for that, don't I, Missouri?" Sarah replied sarcastically through the phone, causing Missouri to role her eyes involuntarily. It was a force of habit and even as she did such a gesture, her brain hadn't even registered that she did!  

"Listen, I'll be there early tomorrow, I swear. And if I'm not, I will accept any punishment you see fit. Deal?" Missouri spoke into the phone and the inner part of her ear was tantalized by Sarah's scoff.   

"Fine, it's a deal, but I hope you are prepared for the penalty if you fail." She replied and the call ended. 

Missouri smiled. It wasn't as if she was purposely late all the time. In retrospect, she wasn't late all the time; just during the morning period, and it wasn't due to selfish reasons like sleeping in. It had more to do with the fact that she spent her nights studying and reading. Missouri wasn't offended by Sarah's tone. It was actually pleasant! That's the way you speak to the people you care the most about; as if nothing would please you more than choking the life out of them! 

Missouri placed her cell into her bag and began to walk the lonely, dark streets; it wasn't unusual for her to go home this late. The streets deserted, the stony walls of the buildings she passed seemed dark and mysterious, as if some great battle was fought and won there, its ancient walls the only source of testimony. They were also cold and lifeless as she passed through an alley, the walls on either side of her seeming to cave in, craving for satisfaction that can only  be achieved by the sweet flower that was her life.  

Missouri shook these thoughts away, bent her head and continued to walk, picking up speed as she tried to ignore the smell and sight of spilled, rotting garbage lining the pathway. She hated using this back alley but it was the fastest way home and she was exhausted.  

Far off in the distance Missouri saw a flash. A shadow perhaps? But it was gone to quickly, causing her to wonder if it happened at all. She scolded herself. "It's just your imagination, silly girl! Get a grip!" She continued walking. A few steps later she stilled, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling instinctively. She spun around only to glimpse the shift in light coming from the front of her. She spun again, fear gripping her tightly. She saw nothing, but her uneasiness didn't subside. It couldn't, for her danger was real. Then, out of the blinding darkness, a figure emerged bathed in shadows and the light from the moon that hung low in the sky. 

Unable to see distinctive features, Missouri knew the body was purely male. The set of the shoulders, the jawline and the build, it was all male, yet he looked drawn, sick even. His hands were too defined and as he came into clearer focus, so were his features. Missouri looked away, perhaps the fear she felt was nothing. She inhaled deeply and convinced herself to keep walking. She was almost past him and at the precise moment their shadows met, his voice, like the rest of him, was to defined as it spoke out through the thick darkness. 

"And where do you think you're going?" His voice was raspy, almost a whisper.  Missouri paused as she considered her moves. She could run but was convinced that she'd be caught instantly, so she tried the next best thing. Without looking at the man, who now turned to face her completely, she spoke, striving for calm but the pounding in her heart caused an indescribable pain. This fear was what laced her voice as she spoke in trembling stutters.  

"I-I have money pl-please t-take it." In the corner of her eye she saw the cold menacing smile that would shame movie villains. This one was dark and chilled her blood, causing her to shiver violently. 

"It's not your money that intrigues me, madam, rather it's you that captivates." He replied as if he was remarking simply about the weather, but he made no move to touch her. Missouri thought he was playing with her, the way a cat would play with a mouse right before it was eaten. As a result of the shaking, or maybe just due to her physical weakness at this point, Missouri dropped her bag. The man still hadn't moved. What was he waiting for?  

Seeing an opportunity, Missouri dropped to the ground and reassembled her things, rising slowly, this time in the direction of the man who had the gall to smile wickedly at her! Grabbing hold of the canister firmly, she lifted it to his eyes and applied pressure with all her might, pepper spraying the man heavily. Dropping the canister, she ran, but not before hearing a resounding laughter bouncing off the walls of the alley, accompanied by the gut wrenching howls of pain. 

Missouri ran and ran, not knowing where she was going until she instinctively stopped in front of an abandoned Cathedral. Without an indication of her actions, she went inside. Further in, she spotted a staircase and was instantly on it, making her way to the roof. Reaching the roof, she slumped exhaustedly against the banister, barely noticing anything. Reviving her body with enough oxygen, she straightened and noticed that the four pillars of the roof were each gifted statues of Gargoyles, each distinctive yet equallyterrifying in their own rights. Lost in thought, Missouri didn't know that Gargoyles this fierce looking werefound in this city, and she thought that this building must be older than it seemed.                                                   

"Ah, here you are." Missouri heard the menacing drawl from an all too familiar source. Slowly she turned, panic once again seizing her. She was alone here, she couldn't be helped. Tears began to violently prick her eyes as the view of her assailant was clouded by her tears.  

"Please-" she begged.  

"You know, I thought that this was going to be too easy but when you ran away," he paused and walked towards Missouri until they were only inches away. "I felt strangely alive; you can't possibly imagine how exciting it is to pursue someone, to see the fear gripping them, to hear them beg!" His voice rose an octave higher, his voice heavier as his laughter  filled the air. He reached for Missouri's wrist then, grasping it tightly as his entire eye flashed red.  

Missouri was stunned by this; it was impossible. Then she heard the glass shattering scream litter the air around her, only slightly registering that it was she who produced such an agony filled cry. She felt her wrist burn, felt and heard her flesh tear as the man dug talon like nails into her wrist. The pain, to pronounced, caused Missouri to fall to her knees, eyes slowly shutting as everything in her view slowed down. She felt the man release his grip, she even heard his voice, but it was far as if he was yelling from the bottom of the building.   

"It cannot be!" He said or yelled, she wasn't quite sure. Her eyes closed on the image of the man burning in  flames, as the anguished cries that came from the man who pursued her with all of his ferocity only tickled her ears. She fell to the floor of the roof, sleep dragging her in.