Sharing Nightmares

Yun Oe || Seraphim Seance

Seraphim Seanceby yun_oe

A miasma of sewage water from the nearby quarry somehow managed to make its way atop the cliff to Denise’s car in the church parking lot. The four puberty-infested friends hesitated inside the car for a moment until finally exiting the vehicle in unison, with the intention of running into the abandoned church as fast as they could to avoid death by sewage stench. Bordered by an overgrowth of weeds, the flimsy three planks of stairs led them up to a wooden door that was the color and texture of crusty, dried blood-- the entrance to a looming, religious behemoth.

Once inside, the derelict lobby of broken glass and graffitied walls greeted them in the scattered lighting of partially-boarded, broken windows. The lobby desk, a spray-painted masterpiece of bubble-lettered profanity, partially guarded the glass door that led to the chapel and Bible study rooms. Denise hesitated as the other three paced towards the shattered glass and carpeted floor, lingering by the entrance they had come in through.

“Can we raincheck on the angel summoning tonight? I can keep the car warmed up for after y’all are done! That’s a thing I can do instead, right?” Denise’s drawl merely emphasized the anxiety taking reign of her body.

Evan, leader of the three, scoffed at her comment, eyeing the turtlenecked girl up and down with steely hazel eyes. “C’mon Deni, how can you be afraid of an angel? They’re feathery men, God’s pigeons, bringers of light…”

Alex chuckled. “Sure would be nice to have some light, though, now that you mention it.”

Daphne sighed, folding her arms across her chest. “Look, Deni, if you’re keen on getting acquainted with the creepy forest inhabitants in the comfort of your car as they surround you and eliminate the only means of our escape from this place, be my guest.”

Denise shuddered. “You’re right. I should probably go say hi to Camille anyways,” she retorted quickly, Daphne’s creepy taunt effective. The four proceeded carefully towards the sanctuary, tiptoeing to dodge shards and debris to the open room that faintly echoed the hum of low-timbred singing.

“Is that Camille?” Evan whispered, huddling closer to his entourage and suddenly avoiding the dark worship hall by planting himself against the wall

“If it is, puberty’s changed her,” snorted Alex, jabbing his buddy in the ribcage while Denise not-so-subtly clung to his other arm.

Daphne, unfazed by the sound, marched to the doorway and squinted her eyes. “It’s Camille alright. Looks like she’s got some weird set up of boomboxes along with the rest of the kooky angel circle from the book drawn at the altar.”

Curiosity led them into the worship hall, their resounding footsteps trickling off of the tall stone walls and columns, murmuring between the wooden pews, and dying off at the decorated altar. The four teenagers stopped and watched in awe as Camille took her small mixture of chalk paint and earnestly stroked finishing touches on the elevated floor of the altar space in their chapel. A Gregorian chant emitted from the four boomboxes in a low murmur, facing the center of the  ritual ring. On the floor, the circular image of a coiled serpent tattooed with strange symbols was accompanied by triangles and squares and star shapes.

Camille finally looked up at them when she finished her illustrating: a tall, confident young woman in black, surrounded by the glow of dancing flickers of candles on her face, with a small array of religious statues lingering like anticipating children at her feet. A smile spread across her lips slowly-- the small twitches of her face to maintain said smile, however, led them all to have second thoughts.