The man in the black trenchcoat and blue jeans stood outside the church in the rain only a few seconds before hurrying up to the door and inside, his black loafers barely making any noise on the concrete steps. Once there, he was greeted by a faint buzzing in the back of his head. Then a priest appeared from the rectory.

"Duncan," called the priest. "Duncan MacLeod? Is that you?"

"Darius," replied the man with a smile, snapping his coat once to clear some of the water. The part of his blue shirt that wasn't protected by the coat was soaked.

"I thought you were in Paris?" Darius asked as he came down the main aisle to greet his friend.

"I'm here to meet another immortal. Dane Whitman."

"The Black Knight?" Darius asked in surprise. "Don't you think it best to leave the weilder of the Ebony Blade alone?"

"He can tell me where to find Lo--"

MacLeod was cut off by the pealing of the church's steeple bell.

Darius took a few tentative steps towards the door to the bell tower. "What the devil? It's too early to ring the bell."

Duncan stepped forward, and put the back of his hand to his friend's chest. "No, Darius," he said over the bells, and drawing his sword. "Let me."

Carefully opening the door, his sword held in front of him, the sound of the bells reverberated down the tower's stairwell. It was dark inside, and full of more cobwebs than he thought his friend would allow in his church. A flash of lightning near the belfry lit the stairs only a moment. Duncan saw a man, naked, being carried down the stairs by... he wasn't sure who. They seemed to be hidden in shadows, even during the flash.

As his eyes readjusted, he heard the man's body thud at the bottom of the stairs. Another flash of lightning confirmed it was him. But where was the person who had carried him? He looked further up the stairs as a third flash revealed the thing. White eyes and teeth were all he could see. It growled. It leapt. Duncan swung his sword. There was a scream, and a loud crash of thunder.

Moments later, Duncan emerged from the bell tower, now dry, and wearing black pants, shirt, and trenchcoat.

Darius looked concerned as he approached him. "Is everything okay, Duncan? I heard a scr--"

The priest was cut off by Duncan's sword going through his stomach. Through the shock, he said, "But... this... is... holy ground."

Leaning in to put a hand on Darius' shoulder as he pulled the sword out of his gut, Duncan smiled bigger than human proportions could allow, showing huge, sharp teeth. Something black oozed across his face, meeting in the middle, leaving great white spots over his eyes. In a snarl, he said, "Sorry, old friend, but there can be only one," and he swung the blade to decapitate Darius. Looking on the body as the Quickening started, he growled, "And it... is... us."

Story owned by Chris Bishop, copyright 2021, 2022.

Character ownerships listed in the first comment box.