[Michelle] Holy Ground
Who: Michelle
Where: Haven Baptist Church
When: Late Morning, June 16th
Invited: Ami
Status: Complete
After taking care of the elementary and high schools, Michelle and Ami entered a number of private residences and turned off the power. They didn't speak much for a little while, and then only as needed to coordinate their efforts. Michelle didn't know about Ami, but she had a lot to think about.
Ami's revelations had left her with a lot of questions, though she wasn't sure when--or if--she'd ever ask them. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, thank god. They'd both opened up, revealed secrets they usually kept to themselves. Which Michelle took as a good sign for their friendship. She hadn't told Ami everything, and it was entirely possible that Ami hadn't either. But it still could happen. Probably would happen, eventually.
They walked out of the last house on the block and looked at the church across the street. The property occupied an entire block, on a grade that dropped a story from the front to the back. The church building was three stories of red brick with steeple rising above the front entrance. The sanctuary--easily identified by the large stained glass windows--occupied the front of the building. The rear of the building was much wider than the front and sported standard windows. That's where the offices and classrooms would be, MIchelle was certain.
"So...the church?" she asked.
Ami shrugged. "Might as well," she said.
They crossed the street. Michelle noticed that Ami automatically looked both ways before she stepped off the curb into the empty street. It would have been amusing except that Michelle realized she'd done the same. Lifelong habits didn't change easily.
A narrow walkway led from the sidewalk to the front of the church. Michelle doubted it had ever been used. Most people would enter and exit via the parking lot toward the rear of the lot. The front doors were unlocked, the vestibule empty. So was the sanctuary. It was fairly well lit by sunlight through the eastern facing stained glass windows. The rows of pews stood silent and empty.
Michelle stood in the center aisle looking toward the pulpit and the empty choir behind it. A pipe organ was situated to the left and a piano to the right. There was an exit to either side as well. Michelle paused for a moment, feeling...nothing. She was disappointed but not surprised. Amanda had shown her some very old, very hallowed sites in Europe. None of them had any special aura she could detect either.
Michelle wondered sometimes if the prohibition on fighting on holy ground was pure superstition. Probably, she'd privately decided. Nonetheless, Amanda and Duncan had made it extremely clear to her that it was to be respected. They'd also pointed out that not even the worst of the bad guys--Xavier St. Cloud, the Kurgan, Kalas, none of them--had ever dared break that rule. Michelle held--but didn't voice--the opinion that that had more to do with the knowledge that other Immortals would gang up to track them down and kill them for it than with respect for holy ground.
(And that's just as well,) Michelle thought. It was comforting to know that there were places where she could truly feel safe. (And maybe that's another reason. Even the bad guys had to like knowing they could find sanctuary from their enemies sometimes.)
"Anything wrong?"
Michelle blinked and focused on Ami, who had turned to address her. "What? No, nothing's wrong. I was just daydreaming."
"The circuit box is probably downstairs, don't you think?" Ami asked. Michelle agreed.
They passed through the sanctuary and through a short corridor and then into the rear of the building. As Michelle had thought, it was divided up into classrooms and a few offices. They found a stairwell and walked down to the ground floor. More classrooms, and a larger room equipped for daycare. They found the electrical closet without much trouble. It was locked, but a prybar made short work of it and they had the circuit breaker box open and shut off even quicker.
Then it was only a matter of finding the nearest exit. Michelle opened a door looked promising and gasped at the faint scent of decay. "Oh my god," Michelle said. The room was nearly as large as the sanctuary upstairs, designed for large events--and it was full of corpses. Dried out, decayed bodies by the score sat or lay all over the room in the ruined remains of suits and nice dresses. (Sunday best,) Michelle thought irreverently, (they're wearing their Sunday best.). And some of them--a lot of them--were children.
Where: Haven Baptist Church
When: Late Morning, June 16th
Invited: Ami
Status: Complete
After taking care of the elementary and high schools, Michelle and Ami entered a number of private residences and turned off the power. They didn't speak much for a little while, and then only as needed to coordinate their efforts. Michelle didn't know about Ami, but she had a lot to think about.
Ami's revelations had left her with a lot of questions, though she wasn't sure when--or if--she'd ever ask them. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, thank god. They'd both opened up, revealed secrets they usually kept to themselves. Which Michelle took as a good sign for their friendship. She hadn't told Ami everything, and it was entirely possible that Ami hadn't either. But it still could happen. Probably would happen, eventually.
They walked out of the last house on the block and looked at the church across the street. The property occupied an entire block, on a grade that dropped a story from the front to the back. The church building was three stories of red brick with steeple rising above the front entrance. The sanctuary--easily identified by the large stained glass windows--occupied the front of the building. The rear of the building was much wider than the front and sported standard windows. That's where the offices and classrooms would be, MIchelle was certain.
"So...the church?" she asked.
Ami shrugged. "Might as well," she said.
They crossed the street. Michelle noticed that Ami automatically looked both ways before she stepped off the curb into the empty street. It would have been amusing except that Michelle realized she'd done the same. Lifelong habits didn't change easily.
A narrow walkway led from the sidewalk to the front of the church. Michelle doubted it had ever been used. Most people would enter and exit via the parking lot toward the rear of the lot. The front doors were unlocked, the vestibule empty. So was the sanctuary. It was fairly well lit by sunlight through the eastern facing stained glass windows. The rows of pews stood silent and empty.
Michelle stood in the center aisle looking toward the pulpit and the empty choir behind it. A pipe organ was situated to the left and a piano to the right. There was an exit to either side as well. Michelle paused for a moment, feeling...nothing. She was disappointed but not surprised. Amanda had shown her some very old, very hallowed sites in Europe. None of them had any special aura she could detect either.
Michelle wondered sometimes if the prohibition on fighting on holy ground was pure superstition. Probably, she'd privately decided. Nonetheless, Amanda and Duncan had made it extremely clear to her that it was to be respected. They'd also pointed out that not even the worst of the bad guys--Xavier St. Cloud, the Kurgan, Kalas, none of them--had ever dared break that rule. Michelle held--but didn't voice--the opinion that that had more to do with the knowledge that other Immortals would gang up to track them down and kill them for it than with respect for holy ground.
(And that's just as well,) Michelle thought. It was comforting to know that there were places where she could truly feel safe. (And maybe that's another reason. Even the bad guys had to like knowing they could find sanctuary from their enemies sometimes.)
"Anything wrong?"
Michelle blinked and focused on Ami, who had turned to address her. "What? No, nothing's wrong. I was just daydreaming."
"The circuit box is probably downstairs, don't you think?" Ami asked. Michelle agreed.
They passed through the sanctuary and through a short corridor and then into the rear of the building. As Michelle had thought, it was divided up into classrooms and a few offices. They found a stairwell and walked down to the ground floor. More classrooms, and a larger room equipped for daycare. They found the electrical closet without much trouble. It was locked, but a prybar made short work of it and they had the circuit breaker box open and shut off even quicker.
Then it was only a matter of finding the nearest exit. Michelle opened a door looked promising and gasped at the faint scent of decay. "Oh my god," Michelle said. The room was nearly as large as the sanctuary upstairs, designed for large events--and it was full of corpses. Dried out, decayed bodies by the score sat or lay all over the room in the ruined remains of suits and nice dresses. (Sunday best,) Michelle thought irreverently, (they're wearing their Sunday best.). And some of them--a lot of them--were children.