In a monastery located in a remote area near the mountains, a big event was about to take place. Returning after more than one year of pilgrimage, the head monk was coming back in a week, and the others had to get ready to welcome him back so he could share what he learned during his journey.
Bazan was one of the younger monks. Rejecting hermitism to live in a community, he was very invested in the service and other kinds of practice, and as a result became appreciated by his fellow brothers at the monastery. In the morning of this fateful day, exactly 7 days before the arrival of the head monk, Bazan was heading to the chapel. As he expected, it was locked, just like the way he left it after last night's service. He put his key in the lock, turned it and pulled the doors to the chapel. He looked inside, and a horrifying scene unfolded in front his eyes.
In front of him, in some sort of macabre arrangement, the corpse of Brother Hau laid before him. He was crucified in a grotesque way : his hands and feet were nailed on the altar, and his torso was impaled by a stake. There was a huge puddle of blood surrounding this horrible scenery, that had been dripping from the altar where the body was laid on. After realizing all that at once, Bazan let out a scream, and his stomach turned. He wanted to go over the altar and maybe check if Brother Hau was still alive, but he felt too weak, and even fell to his knees. While the other monks were coming, Bazan was crying, and praying deep in his heart.
Eventually, with the support of his brothers, and mostly Brother Yahet to whom Bazan was close to, he managed to find the strength to go see the body of Brother Hua. As he approched the body, Bazan could get a good look at his face. It wasn't a peaceful face. It was as if, just before dying, Brother Hua saw the devil himself. On his torso, a message written on a sheet of paper was placed. Written in blood, it read…
"In 7 days, the head monk will meet the same fate."
This message made Bazan shiver in fear. A comforting hand was placed on his shoulder, and he turned to see Brother Yahet looking at him.
"There is nothing to fear. Our brothers will not succumb to such threats. With us and God by our side, he will not fall."
Bazan agreed with those words. This was most likely an empty threat. No one could dare to attack the head monk. Bazan started heading out of the chapel, because the police was coming soon. At the entrance, he saw one of the monks, looking in the direction of the body with a slightly angry face, but almost motionless. It was Brother Issen. Even though he was in the community for a long time, and displayed admirable devotion to their cause, he was always some kind of an outsider, almost like a hermit. Eventually, he left, without going to see the body, or even entering the chapel.
"He is definitely suspicious." said Brother Yahet.
"Do you think one of our brothers could have been the culprit ?"
"I do not want to believe so. But I am afraid we are all humans here. As much as we try to hide them, we all have selfish desires."
Bazan looked at his feet. "Yes… maybe he was the one who murdered Brother Hua…"
Once again, Brother Yahet laid a comforting hand on Bazan'd shoulder, and smiled.
"Do not worry, brother. Trust your own faith, and you will make the right decision."
Leaving Bazan on those words, Brother Yahet went to talk with one of the police officers who was came to see the crime scene. Bazan could not hear what they were talking about, but he saw Brother Yahet telling him to come. So he did, and then the police officer started interrogating Bazan.
"You are the one who went first in the chapel this morning and discovered the body, correct ?"
"Yes, it is true. The door was even locked properly."
"Who else has the key to the chapel ?"
"There are 4 in total. The monks who possess one are I, Brother Issen, our late Brother Hua, and there is also one in the head monk's office, I believe."
"Is there another way to enter this chapel ?"
"No, this door is the only entrance. Also, it can only be locked from the outside."
The officer finished scratching his notes, then nodded with a satisfied hum. "Thank you, mister… Bazan, right ? You're free to go now, but you have to all stay within the vicinity of this monastery."
"Thank you, officer. I did not intend to go anywhere else."
Bazan was on his way to his quarters, and intended to rest after the horrifying emotions he went through that day. On his way back, there was someone waiting for him, with his back against the wall. It was Brother Issen. Without even looking at Bazan, he simply said :
"You are too young to get implicated. Do not get too close to Brother Yahet."
"Do not speak like this of Brother Yahet. What do you have to say about him ?"
Brother Issen sighed. "You are already under his influence. You refuse to see things from another point of view."
"And you are under the influence of evil forces, Brother Issen !"
As Bazan said this, he quickly went in his room, without waiting for Brother Issen's response. Following this event, Bazan took a moment to meditate, which lasted probably a whole hour. When he was finished, he went outside again, and Brother Issen wasn't there anymore. But there was a note on his door. "Come in front of the chapel after when you are done with your duties." Bazan hesitated to crumble it and throw it away, but he put it in his room instead, just in case.
When the night fell, Bazan hesitantly went near the chapel. Brother Issen was there, as he expected. But he wasn't alone. Brother Chai, a good friend of the late Brother Hua, was also there. The two of them were arguing about something, but Bazan couldn't hear what it was. In the end, he decided to follow Brother Issen's advice to not getting implicated further, so he instead went back to his room to sleep.
For the three days that followed, nothing in particular happened, as if everything already went back to normal, except for the ongoing investigation in the chapel. A new ritual was made in place : since the chapel was closed because of Brother Hua's murder, all the brothers came in every morning to pray for his soul, there in front of the chapel. During those three days, one monk never attended the ceremony. It was Brother Issen. It seemed like he was back to his hermit ways, more than ever. After the third day, Brother Yahet and Brother Chai went to see the police, in an attempt to urge them to finish the investigation, so they could punish the murderer and reopen the chapel. Unfortunately, they had not made enough progress yet, and were certainly not willing to disclose details.
The fourth day, during the ceremony, Bazan noticed that not one, but two monks were missing. As usual, Brother Issen was absent, but also, Brother Chai was nowhere to be seen. He did not want to disturb the ceremony, so he waited until the end to inform Brother Yahet. Apparently, he didn't even notice it. The two of them went to check up in Brother Chai's room. They knocked on the door anxiously, but no response. Brother Yahet slowly opened the door… and saw something he wish he hadn't. He turned away from the scene, closed his eyes, inhaled and simply said "Oh, no."
Brother Chai was lying there, on the floor, covering a puddle of his own blood. There was no crucifixion this time, but the body was arranged in a similar position, minus the nailed limbs. However, once again, a stake was buried deep in Brother Chai's chest. Brother Yahet left in a hurry to call the other monks. Bazan was left alone, again, facing a horror he didn't want to be part of. Almost having an anxiety attack, he looked all around him to see if the murderer was still lurking, somewhere. Suddenly, he noticed something on the floor that wasn't normal. Another message. Again, in blood, but not on a sheet of paper.
"3 days left. Did you fail to acknowledge my warning ?"
The killer's 'warning' ? Bazan tried to remember the first message. To him, it didn't look like a warning at all. It was more like a threat. A violent, inhuman threat made to terrorize people. There wasn't even a ransom, or a sacrifice, or even a guideline to follow. Then, why did the killer call it a 'warning' ?
Soon after, Brother Yahet came back, followed by the rest of the monks, and also one police officer that was on duty to protect the crime scene of the chapel. Everyone was there, even Brother Issen. Also, this time, he didn't even want to look at the body, and soon left the group after announcing that he was going back to his duties. This time, Bazan felt Brother Issen was too suspicious, and chased after him.
"You killed him, right ? You killed Brother Chai !"
Brother Issen didn't respond, and continued walking.
"Answer me ! You were the one who did it ! You are the most suspicious !"
"This is not a place for hateful feelings, brother. Didn't you come here to find peace ?"
"Peace ? There has only been murder recently ! This is nothing alike eternal respose, it is the work of the devil, and you are its emissary !"
Brother Issen stopped, and was silent for a moment, then turned back to face Bazan with a very determined face.
"This is way bigger than both of us. You have to stay out of it. Please take my advice, and start following the right path."
This time, Bazan didn't feel like chasing him. He felt someone coming near him, and turned back to see Brother Yahet, with his comforting smile.
"Do not got near him. You know he is dangerous, right ?"
Bazan nodded.
"You know well, brother. Now, let us pray once more, for our fallen ones…"
The next 2 days made Bazan very anxious. As much as he would have liked to forget about the threat, and focus on welcoming the head monk the next day, his head was filled with questions. What was really going on in this monastery ? Why would a killer suddenly show up to disturb the peace of this holy place ? More than usual, Bazan took his time to pray for safety, then went to sleep in order to get enough rest for the big day.
In the middle of the night, he was woken up by a weird noise. It was like… something fell on the floor. He was wide awake in his bed, but petrified. The first thought that came to mind was "there's another victim". At the same time, he was also paranoid at the idea that someone could be after his life as well. Finally, he mustered up the courage and got up, after carefully watching the door to his room to make sure no one would enter. He grabbed something to light up his path through the dark hallways, and started to wander in the general direction of the noise he heard. It was most likely coming from one of the rooms.
He heard a noise again. This time, he was sure of it. It came from Brother Issen's room. He had a hard time to process this information. He was so convinced that Brother Issem would be the killer, and yet… was he about to be the next victim ? His legs still shaking, he headed towards the room. He yanked the door open and he saw something unbelievable.
Brother Yahet and Brother Issem were fighting. But not arguing. Fighting. There was blood splattered all over the place, and both monks were armed with dangerous objects. None of them even noticed Bazan entering the room. During the struggle, Brother Issem said :
"I knew it… You were the one behind all this ! And you dragged the head monk into your business !"
"You were not supposed to know about it ! You nosy insect !" replied the usually calm Brother Yahet.
This scene that was unfolding in front of Bazan's eyes was surreal. Still not noticing them, the two were on the verge of murdering each other. But before Bazan had the time to try and stop the fight, Brother Issem got the upper hand, and without hesitating, drove Brother Yahet's own knife into his chest, soon making him draw his last breath. Panting from the fight, Brother Issem eventually noticed Bazan.
"You ??"
Bazan was absolutely terrified… and confused. Who was the real culprit ? Why were they fighting so intensely that they came to slaughter each other ? Just like the first time he was the witness to a morbid scene, he fell to his knees and started crying, not being able to stand the horrors he was part of. He couldn't do anything, and the person in front of him was still wielding a lethal weapon. Maybe Bazan was about to be the next victim, after all. But he didn't care anymore.
But Brother Issem didn't do anything to try and take Bazan'd life. He just sat on the floor, legs crossed, in front of a heavily distressed Bazan. He sighed.
"So, now, you know it was me. I guess I can't run away anymore."
"What… do you mean ?"
"You were right all along. I was the one who murdered them all."
Bazan was even more confused. More than ever. He did think Brother Issem was the killer at first, but the exchange he just witnessed between him and Brother Yahet made him completely change his perspective, and think that Brother Yahet could have been the mastermind. But now, Brother Issem admitted about committing the crimes.
"I would like to show you something."
Brother Issem reached in a locked up drawer, using a key he hid between the floorboards, and pulled out a stack of documents. Bazan took a look at them, not sure what he expected to read. But then, the realization hit him.
"Oh no. Don't tell me…"
"Yes. Some of our brothers were conducting a criminal ring. As you can see, it includes drug traffic, charity money laundering, and even pedoph-"
"DON'T SAY IT !" Bazan yelled in reflex, closing his eyes to try and forget the documents he just saw.
"I'm sorry. But I warned you. And now you are part of this, whether you want it or not."
"What do you mean ?"
"Tonight, you will report me to the police and tell them exactly what you saw, except for the documents I just gave you. Take them in your room, safely, and let no one approach them. I will spend the rest of my life in prison, so you have to do it, alone. You must put an end to this horrible business that is going on."
"You don't mean… the head monk ?"
"Yes. Brother Yahet was the ringleader, but the head monk is fully aware of this activity, and is part of the scheme. You have to take him down, before he takes his Brother Yahet's place and make these horrors continue."
"Take him down ? But how ?"
Brother Issem looked at Brother Yahet's corpse. Bazan looked at him in disbelief.
"Your choice. Either you do it my way, or you risk running into a sold out policeman or a corrupted monk."
Bazan didn't give his answer right then, but he followed the rest of Brother Issem's instructions, and reported him to the police.
The next morning, an assembly was held for Brother Issem's departure, as the police was clearing up the place for good. He was shamed, and looked at in disgust by the other monks. But they didn't know the truth.
In the afternoon, the head monk finally arrived. A glorious ceremony was held for him, even though he always said that there was no need for any kind of imposing celebration. As it was very recently cleaned up, the head monk proposed a re-inauguration of the chapel. And there, they all prayed for their brothers, who had fallen prey to the devil.
Afterwards, the head monk came to see Bazan.
"Young Brother Bazan. I know that you were close to one of my dearest friends, our late Brother Yahet. I would like to show you something."
The head monk began walking, and Bazan was alone behind him, follwing him down the hallway.
"First of all, I would like you to come with me to my office, as I would like to test your faith. Do you feel ready to partake in a greater task ?" the head monk said, still walking.
Bazan put his hand in his robes, to make sure that the stake he tucked in there was still in place and not visible. Then, he answered with confidence.
"Yes, I am ready."
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