Page 140 of For I Have Sinned

The blonde stands from her seat, all smiles as she approaches the stage. There isn’t a hint of anger on her face as she stares up at Father Keaton, which makes this fearful sensation inside of me grow. He must have talked with her after everything went down with the police, and she was dumb enough to forgive him. He takes her hand, guiding her down the three steps into the pool, both of them waist-deep in the water.

Father Keaton faces us, while Joanna stands sideways before him. He places a hand on her lower back and over her heart. “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

He presses a soft kiss to her forehead and then lowers her into the water. Seconds pass as she is submerged, but he doesn’t bring her back up. It isn’t until I see her body through the glass begin to twitch that I internally panic.

Joanna’s hands wave frantically under water, grabbing at Father Keaton’s wrist. She taps on his hand, gesturing for him to let her up, but he doesn’t. He continues to hold her underwater until her body goes still.

“Did he just—” Esther says the three words in horror, but doesn’t finish her sentence.

She doesn’t have to because I know what she was going to ask.

Two men emerge from behind the stage, walking to the pool as Father Keaton brings Joanna’s lifeless body out of the water. The two priests help take her out and carry her through a door to the left of the podium.

“He’s going to kill us all,” I whisper in fear.

Standing in the water, Father Keaton looks out at all of us women who are staring at him in disbelief. With his arms raised in question, he asks, “Who’s next?”

All hell breaks loose.

Women are fleeing their spots in the pews, racing for the door, but the priests stop them. Alex, Esther, and I stay in our seats, watching the mayhem unfold. I’m frozen, unable to comprehend what’s happening around us.

“Alex?” His name is the only thing that falls from my lips. I turn my head towards him, my eyebrows lifting and my eyes widening.

His face is ashen. “We need to get you out of here.”

Just as we stand up, more men come out from behind the stage, and when Father Keaton points to Bekah, two of them go to grab her. She is looking around in panic, unsure of what to do, searching for someone, anyone, to save her.

“We need to help her,” I tell Alex, trying to push past him to get to her.

He grabs my arm, yanking me back. “You are not going up there.”

“Alex,” I say sternly. “We need to save her. We can’t just let her d⁠—”

“My main priority right now is getting you out of here, Celine.”

With his fingers digging into my wrist, he walks me to the double doors. I stumble as I glance over my shoulder just in time to witness Bekah being shoved under the water.

“No!” I scream, trying to get out of Alex’s grasp so I can go to her, but Esther moves and stands in front of me, taking my other hand in hers.

Her head begins to shake slowly, and I watch as a tear rolls down her face. Confusion fills my body when I see something I have never seen from Esther before—true fear.

I look up as the two of them continue to guide me toward the door. My eyes scan the room, and I am shocked at what I see. Women running in every direction as they try to find a way to escape this madness and the priests who are chasing after them.

Their piercing screams pleading to be let out as a few women are snatched up. Some women hide between the pews, while others climb over them, knocking over the benches as they try to get away from the strange men.

Splatters of blood spread across the walls and floors as priests slam the women against them; their noses breaking against the hard surface as the men use this horrific attempt to catch them. Everything has escalated in just a few seconds. Holding back tears and rage, my chin begins to quiver at the realization that this is real life.

Father Keaton is drowning women.

He’s lost his fucking mind.

Our movements pause, and Alex must feel my body tense because he whips me around, placing me in front of him. We are now standing at the main doors of this room, with the two priests blocking them, staring at us with amusement in their eyes.

“You need to let us out,” Alex demands.

“No can do,” the man on the right says.

“I’m a priest in this church, so I think that means I have more authority than you do.”