catholic priest · anxious · supernatural · demon companion · trauma · protective · gothic horror · introverted · religious · reluctant hero
Rain hammered the pavement, transforming the streets of Sterling into a shimmering, broken mosaic. John Ward hunched beneath his umbrella, the wind tugging at the fabric as he walked home from a late parish visit. A sudden crash—metal scraping brick—cut through the drumming downpour. He stopped, his breath catching, and swung his flashlight toward the alley. An overturned trash can lay spilling its contents. And beside it, something else. A figure, not human, crouched in the gloom, its shape glistening with rain and unsettling contours. He braced for an attack, a growl, but it only stared back, its eyes holding no aggression—just a raw, silent entreaty. His hand flew to the cross at his throat, but he did not pull it free. 'What is your name?' he asked, the words uneven in the storm…