Waiting to Die

*Once they're gone, Lilith goes back to peering at the house.*

L"I don't really know what the layout in there is like, or where anyone is. So we'll just have to go in once we see 1 of those cars pull out, & hope for the best."
===================================
*Assuming they stick to the route they came from, they get back on the street without incident. Without many people around or anything hunting them, it takes about 10 minutes for them to come within sight of the church. As with most of the street, there's a row of cars parked out in front of it, but they all seem empty, & at the moment there doesn't seem to be anyone around. The church still has its windows boarded up.*

"God... You might have to tase me to get me in there," Astarte whispered, staring at this shithole.

Grimm sat about in his home, gun within arms reach, bible open on his knees. He had been reading the same page for an hour, constantly distracted by his thoughts. If he survived this by some miracle, his teeth would be ruined by constant grinding.

Tirea:<I got stabbed in there, and I'm going back.>

*She looks at the cars*

Tirea:<...Let's try around back.>

*She starts to do that*
---
Eve:<(Alright, you're the boss.)>

*The back is basically the same situation as the front, though without cars as there's a small court yard on this side & the door is much older & ricketier, meaning it will be easier to break down if it comes to that.*

"What's the escape route if we get chased out of here? Back the same way?" Astarte whispered. "Although that might run us into trouble with the others."

*Tirea shrugs and whispers*

Tirea:<(We're basically dead either way, so I'm not sure how much it matters now.)>

*She tries the handle on the door*

*Unsurprisingly, it is locked.*

Astarte glanced around for anything convenient like a shovel to bust the door open with, "I don't fancy kicking this down... but I guess whatever we do will be noisy."

*Eve looks at Lilith, waiting for her to make a move*
---
*Tirea looks around for any means of entry other than battering down the door, such as an open window*

Tirea:<We'll probably draw the priest right to us.>

*The windows are all boarded up, I said this already, & nobody leaves tools lying around where anyone can get to them.*
=================================
*Lilith continues watching intently, waiting for a police car to get called away.*

Yes they do, but nonetheless Astarte backed up, "If we both put our shoulders to it we should get it open. One short noise."

*Tirea nods, then I suppose they try that*
===
*Waiting*

*The door bangs open pretty easily, though the lights from outside only illuminate a few feet into the hallway.*

*Tirea steps inside, moving as quietly as possible. She listens for any sounds from inside the church*

Astarte followed about three steps behind Tirea, taking an extra moment to make every step silent.

*The building so quiet they might think they were wearing their ear muffs, if the creaks of their footsteps didn't sound like car alarms by contrast. Also, once they're a few feet in, they notice a door off to their side & of course the rest of the hall going forward. Ahead is impossibly dark, though as their eyes adjust, they do see some very thin, very weak rays of light at the end of the hall.*
================================
*Eventually, perhaps thinking nobody would just waltz right into the front door, the cop car on the main street pulls away & drives down the road without deploying its lights or sirens.*

L"(Looks like that's about as good as we're gonna get.)"

*She walks closer to the street, until the alley behind Grimm's house is blocked off from view. Then she makes her way across the shadow of the house, towards the front door.*

*Tirea gestures at the light, then cautiously heads towards it*
---
*Eve follows behind Lilith, matching her movements to the best of her ability*

Astarte nodded once and followed again three paces behind.

*The lights are just coming from the slots in between the boards on the windows. They can see the edges of some of the pews, but not much else. Outside, a car door slams.*
==============================
*Lilith tries the door, which drifts easily open. She then turns on her flashlight, careful to aim it away from any windows. It illuminates a table, a sofa, and some chairs. A living room. To their side is a set of double doors, & at the back of the room is another door.*

Astarte turned and took off out the back door in as few bounds as possible while remaining on her toes, and then looked frantically around as she left the building.

*Tirea turns back to follow Astarte, moving as quietly as she can*
---
*Eve remains slightly behind Lilith. She intently examines their surroundings*

*Outside, they can see the beam of a flashlight as someone is walking down to the back entrance. As a refresher, the backside of the church is a small courtyard, more of a lawn really, about 20x20 feet. It becomes a slight hill at the far end, & past that embankment, more road/houses. If they choose to run to the side, that just leads to a series of restaurant buildings with some cramped alleys between them.*
==================================
*Lilith shuts the door quietly, so nobody knows they're there. She then moves around the furniture, keeping her flashlight beam to the floor, but shining it in various nooks & crannies. Spotting nothing, she furrows her brow & heads for the double doors. They open onto the kitchen & as she shines the light around, she sees once again that nothing seems out of place. Spying the knife rack, she points at Eve, then points to it, before turning to face the other door.*

Astarte dashed for the embankment at the end of the lawn with her head down and leading to the side farthest from the approaching flashlight.

*Eve approaches the knife rack, removing a single, sharp looking steak knife. She then returns to her place behind Lilith*
---
*Tirea follows Astarte, keeping her head down in hopes of not being seen*

*With that, they continue into the back door, which leads to a sideways hall. Lilith shines the light from one end to the other, revealing a pair of open doors. They can't see what's in the door on their left, but a shower curtain reflects to the right, suggesting a bathroom.*
------------------------------------------------
*Meanwhile, Grimm sees the beam of a flashlight streaking across the hall outside.*
===============================
*They tumble over the hill into a snow-filled ditch, some ominous cracking suggesting that there is ice under them. Meanwhile, the flashlight beam slowly sweeps over the hill above them, illuminating the street behind them.*