Macabre: The portrait

The Monastery

I waited until everyone had gone to sleep and crept down to the basement. Jake was already there, sitting in the dim light.

"Where the heck are we gonna find a monk? This sounds like an impossible task," I whispered to Jake.

"There's got to be a monastery nearby. Let's check online," Jake replied, his tone filled with uncertainty.

"Alright, let me look it up." I quickly searched and found one about two hours away from us. "Damn, that's pretty far. We can't walk there," I muttered, feeling a sense of dread.

"Yeah, no way we can walk. We'll have to take a cab and then switch to the subway. Don't worry, I'll cover the expenses," Jake assured me, his voice determined.

"Are you sure, Jake? I don't want you to pay for everything. You've already been through so much," I hesitated, concerned about his well-being.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Remember, I'm staying here and not spending any of my money. So, I got it covered," he reassured me, his voice steady.

"Okay then"

"When should we leave? Tomorrow?" he asked, hoping I wasn't too busy.

"Yeah, tomorrow works for me. I'm free. And hey, we should still work on the project, right? We've got nothing better to do," I suggested, trying to keep our minds off the impending danger.

"Absolutely, we can't forget about the project. Let's keep going," he agreed, knowing that focusing on something else might help us stay sane in this situation.

The next day:

I walked alongside Jake as we made our way to the bank, determined to get him a new bank card after the fire had claimed his last one. I couldn't help but wonder what other important documents he had lost in the chaos. As we entered the bank, I found solace on a comfortable couch, my eyes wandering over the charts on the wall. I could feel Jake's gaze on me, and it secretly brought a smile to my face. Needing to pass the time, I pulled out my phone and started chatting with Elaine.

After what felt like an eternity, Jake finally emerged, clutching some documents in his hands. "I managed to withdraw some money for the taxi fare," he informed me.

"Great, let's get going then." We hailed a cab, and as we sat together, I couldn't resist showing Jake my playlist, which led to both of us sharing a laugh at my questionable song choices. We found ourselves engrossed in conversation, mainly about my interests and hobbies, as Jake was the one asking most of the questions. The time flew by as we chatted, and before we knew it, we had arrived at our subway stop. We hopped on the subway, and I shamelessly played my terrible song choices throughout the ride. To my delight, Jake had a constant smile on his face, making the journey feel a little less eerie.

As we walked towards the monastery, capturing moments with our cameras, a sense of unease settled upon me. I had never been to a monastery before, nor did I even know it was called a monastery. It seemed Jake was more knowledgeable about it than I was.

"Are women allowed inside?" I asked Jake, unsure if I would be permitted to enter a place of prayer that seemed reserved for men.

"Yeah, I think so. You're dressed appropriately, so I don't see why they wouldn't let you in," he reassured me, his smile lingering on my attire.

"Okay, we've arrived. What's the plan now?" I inquired, feeling a mix of anticipation and apprehension.

"I'm not sure. We'll just have to wait here until someone comes out," he replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

As we stood outside the imposing gates, waiting in anticipation, Jake broke the silence with a question. "Did you have any plans for this summer break?"