This Is For
Mother's House Of Horrors.
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Contests TimberWoolf
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There were times when you had to pretend to be someone you were not. It wasn't a forced choice. More like a quick mental decision you made in the heat of the moment. Often times it happened when you lied. So, it got associated with dishonesty in your mind.

But what would happen if it lasted for more than just a moment? Maybe it wasn't a quick decision. Maybe it had been growing inside your thoughts for as long as you had been alive.

So you had to pretend. You pretended that everything was alright. You acted like you believed in something when you believed in nothing. You smiled when you wanted to frown and danced when you wanted to die. But after a while, you hoped with a little joy that maybe it wasn't all pretending. You wondered that maybe if you kept on pretending to be something else, would you, after acting a certain way over a long period of time, become who you pretended to be?

This question, in its many shapes and forms, would enter Father Damien's mind at the oddest of times. Once, it happened when he was shopping at Carsden's local market (nicknamed Money Market by many). He was trying to find that particular shade of red that he so admired when the thought fluttered its ugly, bat-like wings and took him into a deep state. A state so deep that he ended up standing with the apple in his hand for a full ten minutes. All the while, the local teens took pictures of him and later turned them into memes.

Oh, how he loved children.

That event was but one example of the many times since he turned twenty that the question would bother him to the point of senselessness.

On a particularly cloudy and sunless day, Father Damien opened the wide, double-doors of the church. The question threatened to hammer itself against his head as his eyes fell on the body lying on the altar.

This town is catching fire and the winds are only making it stronger, he thought, trying desperately to think of anything else besides the question.

With all the strange happenings around him, Damien felt as if he never left the mental institution in the first place.

"Did you hear?" One lady said to her husband as they walked out of the church doors one day. "Little Ruth and her friends found about forty crates filled with just mud and dirt, over by the abandoned harbour. They say that those crates smelled only of roses and nothing else."

"Roses you say?" An old woman peered past her husband and over at the couple. "Have you heard about poor Maggie Rose? The little girl who had gone missing?"

"Who hasn't?!" exclaimed the lady's husband. "It isn't as bad as Mr Felton and his spider drama. Tell me, did you hear that he was stealing that chocolate for the spider? Claims that the arachnid was going to die without it!"

Over their chatter, no one noticed how Father Damien's handshakes were becoming rougher and firmer. How his smiles were becoming more forced and focused.

He could feel it, the devil's hand at work.

He smiled more freely at the thought.

In the beginning, he saw Maggie and her tiny body at the foot of the stage. Her hair was flat and her clothes were ruined with mud. All the while, her chest was covered in dried blood that had turned a brownish colour. She still had the pearl earring her father had given her on her birthday, but her ear was a few inches off the side of her head. Her lips had been ripped off. In place of them was a drawn grin, drawn by a black marker, the kind you would see in cheap supply shops.

Damien blinked.

The body on the altar was that of a woman. Her ash-blonde hair was fanned out beneath her while her legs curled and faced the opposite way as if someone had just dropped her in haste. As Damien got closer, he managed to make out her foxy-looking face and stillborn-grey eyes.

However, the thing that got to him most was the grin on the woman's face. It was so wide that Damien feared her lips might snap. When he stopped inches away from her, he could see her greying gums and crooked teeth.

He didn't talk. He looked over to Sister Gwyneth who was busy studying the corpse. Then next at Pastor Joseph, who seemed mostly bored and out of breath. In his hand was a half-eaten doughnut with tiny pink sparkles.

His look became a glare.

"Well?"

They didn't answer him. Perhaps it was because they had no answer themselves, or because they just knew that his mood had taken a drip into his madness

"See Tobias, they don't respect you. You should be good. Act better, actually, pray." The sickness named Toby whispered in his head.

Damien ignored it as he always tried to. He immediately turned away and went to lock the doors of the church. The large wooden door shut with a creak as he slipped the cross hanging on it upside down.

From the outside, Carsden Abundant Life and Holy Assembly Church seemed exactly how one would picture a church. Having been there since the beginning of the town; it had a timeless appeal and with its white stonework and large gleaming hardwood floors, it was preserved nicely through the centuries.

In its time, the halls and corridors had seen many vile and tragic moments. Because of this, it wasn't exactly surprising to see the body right beneath the large cross that always hung behind Pastor Joseph during his inspiring ceremonies and speeches. But what was more confounding was the fact that this was not a body that they had planned to put there.

At least Damien didn't.

"Be shocked," Toby ordered. "At least try to be normal."

"Is that- is that Mrs Higgins?" Damien mocked a shocked and horrified expression simply because he had to. Any normal person would be, so he had to pretend to be as the bugging question formulated itself in his head once again.

Sister Gwyneth made a cross with her hand and stood to her feet. "Father Damien, thank the Lord! Where have you been!?" She cried and tucked the small bible that was in her hand under her arms. She was a small woman with long hair and a sketchy voice; but to Father Damien, in that moment, she appeared rather intimidating. After all, that wasn't a true bible in her arms.

"Hm! Fear her? No, well maybe. She is awfully beautiful." Toby sounded wistful.

Pills, Damien thought, I need to take more pills. But I've already taken two! He is getting stronger!

"Pills can't hide who you are Tobias." Toby's voice sang. "Who you can be."

Damien shut his eyes for a moment. In that second, he was glad that he had kept a pill bottle in his robe. He took two more pills dry before turning his attention back to Sister Gwyneth, who was eyeing him curiously.

"Sister Gwyneth, I think a better question would be why you brought her body here? All offerings to our Lord must be given in private." Father Damien levelled her with a cold gaze, trying to take control of the situation. "Imagine it wasn't I who walked in at the two of you. What would you have done then?"

"Devil? Why offer to him when I'm already here with you? You need no other demon than the one growing inside of you. I love you, Tobias."

Damien barely held back a gasp. More pills, more pills.

Sister Gwyneth made a clicking sound with her tongue. "You think it was I who would do this?" She sighed and her face twisted up in indignity. "She was left outside the church! I had to carry her body all the way in here without being seen, can you imagine how many people might have seen if I didn't act when I did!? Imagine if that nosey woman Sammy had!"

There was a brief pause.

Damien turned to Joseph for farther explanation. It was no use talking to Sister Gwyneth when she was in such a mood.

The pastor took the last bite of his doughnut and licked the cream off his fingers." Don't look at me, I just got back here to Sister Gwyneth huffing and puffing over a body, from going out to Daily Doughnuts. I brought back a box if you two want some?" He offered and at the same time both Sister Gwyneth and Father Damien turned to stare at a small pink box sitting in the roll closest to them.

They exchanged glances before each picking one of the nine doughnuts inside. Damien opted for chocolate, it was simply the best and no one could tell him otherwise.

"Vanilla! Vanilla!" Shouted the voice.

Damien pressed a hand to his forehead. Shut up shut up shut up!

Suddenly, Pastor Joseph spoke what had been on his mind ever since he saw the body. "She's that girl's mother, isn't she?" Pastor Joseph said nonchalantly, but the look in his eyes solidified. "Uh, Susan's mother, right?"

Ah, yes. Thought Father Damien, Pastor Joseph would know Susan rather well by now, given how long their affair had been going on. Damien still didn't know what to make of that. Joseph was a tall and unforgiving man with short black hair and eyes, what had Susan seen in that?

Nevertheless, he was Damien right hand. He known Joseph since childhood and learned of the right belief with him too. They bonded over hidden poker nights and a secret love for cigarettes. Because when they sinned, they sinned together.

"Yes, Mrs Higgins is known by our dear Latherna." At the mention of her name, the three of them smiled over the woman's body. Latherna, or Latte as they called her, was an orphan whom the church had taken in a long time ago. Damien raised her himself. Now, she was the head librarian at Carsden's Silver Archives. Though they barely talked and she considered him a fool, he couldn't be more happier than with how she turned out.

Only he could see the frost in her warm, honey-coloured eyes. The dark words she wished to say but hid away. The secret thoughts she had when someone dared to hurt her or injure someone whom she cared about.

Yes, he had raised her well.

"Well, I could have raised a bed better than her!" Toby's annoying voice replied.

Sister Gwyneth immediately seemed to shine. She had started out as a nun at the church almost the same time as Latherna had been sent to live there. "Our dear Latte!" She exclaimed with ravish. "How is she?" In that moment, she seemed to completely forget about their problem at hand.

Damien crushed a tablet into the last piece of his doughnut. He finished the last of the pastry he spoke, "Actually, I went to see her today. I lest some pamphlets advertising our church there with her. She seemed rather indulged in one of the novels. But otherwise, she's fine."

Damien began dusting his hands before digging into his pockets. He pulled out a pair of colourless gloves. "Unfortunately, " he began as he examined Mrs Higgins' dead eyes. "I haven't seen sweet Darwin in a while."

"Have you had any luck converting him to our side?" Pastor Joseph asked, interested.

"His hate for the holy books grows by the day!" Damien declared and the other two laughed and smiled. Yes, it was an ingenious plan, but Damien knew that it would take more than a hate for the Bible to turn Darwin's pure mind. Especially with that silent and awkwardly protective brother of his.

Damien leaned in close, his breathing against Mrs Higgins' face. Her stillborn eyes seemed dull but afraid. Her face didn't look as foxy as it was terrified.

He placed his ear above her throat and a low humming was heard.

"It's alive! It's alive."

Damien smiled before standing back up and turning to the other two. "This woman isn't dead as you thought, Sister Gwyneth."

At his words, the sister and the pastor gave each other quizzical looks. "Are you high again, Father?" Asked Sister Gwyneth tentatively. She was certain that the woman was dead. She couldn't even see her breathing and checking her pulse confirmed that.

"No, this woman has been poisoned," Damien said, taking on last look over the woman's face. "So badly in fact that she has been completely paralyzed, physically at least." He couldn't help the smile that struck his face. Was she a gift from their true Lord? Was he preparing them for when the town would burn into ashes?

"I am your true Lord; and no, I didn't send to Madonna reject to you," Toby commented.

Damien blinked and rubbed his head. Some days were harder than others, but most just disappointed him. But if Britney Spears could survive 2007, he could make it through today. With that thought, he took one last pill.

"So, everything we've said... she was aware?" Sister Gwyneth muttered to herself as realization dawned upon her.

"There is only one thing left to do." Pastor Joseph said. A serious look took over his face. He leaned over and picked the woman up as if she were a sack of heavy potatoes.

Damien grinned, his face becoming that of a creepy monster that would hide under the beds of the children of Carsden.

"Take her to the basement," he stated. Sister Gwyneth raised an eyebrow, but Pastor Joseph seemed to get it and started to grin as well. "That's where the furnace is, after all."

A gasp, followed by a chuckled was heard. Then, there were heavy footsteps. Damien checked the watch that he had stolen long ago.

"I have a meeting with our blubbering fool of a mayor. Do keep an eye on things, Sister Gwyneth." He said before walking out of the church again.

He reached the door and returned the cross back to its former position. He pulled a cigarette out from his robes and lit it before walking out. The door shut tight behind him, its locks bolting into place.

The question, in its many forms and styles, crept into his mind once again. For the last time that day, it crawled into the depth of his mind as he walked through the courtyard; and for the first time, he knew the answer.

You could pretend for the rest of your life; until eventually, that pretending becomes all that you can ever be.

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Finally, that took forever. Anyways, thanks for reading, don't forget to vote and feel free to comment any mistakes I might have made.

A special thanks to Poppins_Yahooize For the Amazing Cover!❤🌷❤

To Be Continued.

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Omake: The Editor.

(Joseph walks in, stopping the narrative completely)

Joseph *Looks at chapter interestingly* : "Whoa, whoa, What happened here? it wasn't this good before, something changed."

(He gasped dramatically)

(Damien blinks, dropping his cigarette then stared down at it mournfully.)

Damien *abit afraid he's going to be edited into a bad boy*: "You're- you're right. Something happened. It's been- improved?"

Joseph*looks awed*:" Yes, it's like- the same but- better."

Damien *nods*: Definitely, it's like seeing suicide squad then watching Joker and realizing how awful Jared Leto really was."

((Bertha enters)

Bertha *annoyed *:"That's because we got an...an editor."

(she gasped dramatically and looked straight towards the screen)

(Damien walks over, pushing Bertha of the shot)

Damien:" Hey, hey lady! You aren't supposed to be in this story till at least chapter six! What do you think you're doing!?"

Bertha *rolls eyes*:"Geez, i know I'm not the most liked character. But come on, give me some screen time!"

(Gwyneth sneaks up behind Bertha, looking rather ominous and dangerous)

Gwyneth *darkly*:"Oh? Trying to take my spotlight away again, are you? Don't think i don't know that it was you who locked me in the bathroom!"

Bertha *annoyed* : " Look i was-"

(She didn't finish because Gwyneth stabbed her with a long sword and tossed her body aside)

Damiwn *shocked*: "Gwyneth! Now we're going to have to find a new Bertha!"

Gwyneth *nonchalantly* :"How bad could the next one be?"

(And so the author went on Craigslist and bought another Bertha.)

(New Bertha enters)

Bertha *hearts as eyes*: " DAMIEN! MY LOVE! I HAVE THE GREATEST NEWS! WE HAVE A EDITOR NOW! THIS STORY WON'T COMPLETELY SUCK! AND MAYBE THE EDITOR WILL EDIT A KISS BETWEEN US!"

(Bertha hugs a disturbed Damien)

(Joseph coughs)

Gwyneth *sheepishly*: "Actually, the editor is Latte. And she told me she's going to write you out faster than Toby."

(Latte waves from behind a desk)

(Bertha's eyes widen)

Bertha *horrified*:"Oh shiz. I hope she dosen't find out i was the one who kept killing her pets!"

Joseph *boredly*:"Is this going anyway? I have places to be."

(Damien pushes Bertha into a pit)

(He dusts himself off)

Damien *Professionally*: "Well, this has all been very well and good. But i think it's about time we did it."

(Burning letters race through the air. They flash as gunshots pierced them)

Edited By:

('Here it comes' Damien thought excitedly)

A̵̙͈͆̓̉͆̿̆̉̽̎l̸͔̑̅̚͝l̶͔̂̿͝ḁ̷̢̛̛̼͎̊͂̇̾̕y̷̛̥͔̖̤̼̒̓̏̕z̶̼̭̗̹̹̍͆̏͆͜ͅa̶͍̝̟̙̰͒̊͝

(Joseph stares.
Bertha looks dumbfounded.
Gwyneth blinks)

Joseph: "Um, Damien we can't read that."

Damien *winks* : "Just wait till you see the next one."

(Everyone face plamed )

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QueenXirinOfArvada
You rock, thank you so much for editing this.