I heard the sound of someone running, the sound of feet tapping on the ground covered in ash and debris of this ruined city. The footsteps were too heavy to be from the Lee twins. Just as I wondered what was happening, Peter and Jude burst through the door of my office.
"Sir!" Jude shouted.
With my feet still resting on the stone slab desk as I leaned back on the worn-out leather chair, I answered.
"Calm down. What is happening?"
"We have a guest!" Peter screamed as well, uncharacteristically excited with agitation.
"What?"
Before either of them could answer, an unrecognizable beastly creature stormed in. I did not have much time to get a good look at it as I immediately jumped out of my seat and rolled to the side to avoid 'it' crashing toward me, but my first impression was that if there ever was a creature from hell, then this was it.
The beast crashed its head against the desk with a loud thud, groaned, but soon shook it off and stood tall.
It was some sort of unearthly blend of a bull and a gorilla, but with eyes that burned with searing red flames.
My faithful duo launched themselves at the creature and wrapped their arms around the torso of the monstrous being, but with a strong shake of its body, the two were simply discarded. Peter landed on his back and lay flat, while Jude dropped his head, which then rolled away from him.
This wasn't right.
That thing had no right to be in this place.
But before I could think any further, it started to gallop toward me again, its horns pointing at me and eyes burning with rage.
I couldn't dodge it this time and instantly got pinned against a concrete pillar. The blunt horns tore through my skin and punctured my belly.
It was painful.
The beast held me in that position for a while as I struggled to get out. I was losing blood fast and could feel my strength drain away with it.
'Fuck.'
Perhaps sensing that I was at my limits, the monster pulled its head away finally, stood up, and grabbed me by my upper arms. Its claws tore through my skin. I screeched in pain.
It then brought its face closer to mine. Its breath was hot and foul, pupils invisible as the entire eye socket was filled with fire.
As I was starting to lose any hope of getting away, my faithful ran into the office. They flocked around the beast, most of them kicking and punching it while some tried to pull me out of its grip.
It was no use. The creature was powerful, its strength far beyond my own.
Even Thomas the Grandpa was doing his best for what it was worth, and Chris had climbed on its back and tried to strangle it with his intestines.
Nothing worked.
However, although hopeless and pathetically powerless, I did not fear death - I wasn't even sure if that was possible.
The thought that occupied my pulsating mind was 'how' - how did it get in here?
My body was growing weaker by the second. I no longer felt my lower body, but the holes the creature made earlier with its horns still hurt like fuck.
With all my remaining will and strength in my heart, I screamed with what might have been my last breath.
"Mary!"
Then it happened - the miracle.
I saw the golden threads descend from above and fix themselves on the beast's arms, looping around its armpits.
With a simple and synchronized tug from the great height, the beast lost its arms and I dropped to the ground.
Right after that, two more threads flew in from each side and wrapped around the monstrous creature's upper thighs, right around the part where the pelvis ended and legs began.
With another pull with a faint pang through the stale air, the beast lost its legs and dropped to the ground.
Now it was lying on its back, bleeding from all four spots where its limbs were severed.
But relief wasn't what I felt, and neither did I feel gratitude for being saved.
I looked up to the sky and shouted.
"Mary! Is that you?!"
Then she spoke to me.
For the first time in I don't know how long.
Her voice didn't come from above, but rather it danced in the wrinkles of my brain.
But her dance felt weak and her words were labored as she spoke.
"Eat… its heart."
"Mary!"
Then the threads disappeared, leaving me alone again.
The sudden loneliness was painful, the unsatisfied longing unbearable.
All I could do was follow as guided.
Crawling with my arms as I could no longer move my legs, I was lucky to find a jagged piece of concrete.
I forced myself on top of the limbless creature's torso and started pounding its chest.
The beast moaned but it did not scream. At one point during my desperate attempt to tear its body open, I caught a glimpse of what was inside its mouth - it seemed that the beast had its tongue pulled out.
That wasn't really my problem, though, so I kept on pounding and scratching with the jagged edge of the stone, and finally, I managed to make a little hole.
"Help me out, for fuck's sake!" I shouted at my disciples who had gathered around me, and it was only then that they seemed to have understood what I was trying to do.
Everyone worked together to dig into the small tear in the creature's chest and pull it open, and with our combined effort, we finally managed after an eternity of hard work.
"Fuck this."
The beast's heart was still beating. It was large, probably bigger than my head.
And it looked nasty, covered in thick black slime.
Having gotten this far, though, and to follow Mary's instruction, I buried my face into the beast's open chest and dug my teeth into its heart.
The creature let out a wailing sound of a tongueless abomination.
The taste was absolutely horrible but I had no intention of stopping.
I felt as if I was in a torturous trance as I devoured its heart with manic hunger, losing myself completely to the unstoppable instinct of a hunter that had finally conquered its prey.
When my mind returned, I found that I was standing again, circled by my faithful friends who looked at me with eyes full of admiration - at least for those who still had their eyes.
"Mary!"
I called out to her again, but with no answer.
I fell on my knees in despair. Blood dripped out of my eyes like tears. I screamed like a baby who lost its mother.
'She's not here,'
I cried.
'She's not here,'
I cried.
But-
She was here,
For a moment.