IV

IV

That evening's darkness transformed the giant ruin into an otherworldly silhouette.

In the deserted street, which was chilled by the night wind, Abel paused instinctively.

"This is . . ."

Statues of countless saints and angels filled the facade, reminding him of stalagmites in a cave. Above the statues loomed seventeen belfries, complete with eighty-eight bells.

In the center of that cluster of steeples was a central tower. It looked like a rocket from outer space. More than two hundred ten feet tall, the commonly called "Christ's Tower" scowled down upon the city.

The Sagrada Familia Cathedral, with its pagan-looking exterior and overly grand architecture, obviously was built before the Armageddon. Since then, the Vatican had abandoned it. After many rotations in political power between the city of Barcelona and private enterprises who'd planned to make the church into a famous sightseeing attraction, the Sagrada Familia Cathedral was nothing more than a nest for ravens and bats now.

"Dear me, it's amazing. Let's see, however does one get in?"

Abel wandered about, looking for the entrance; he suddenly stopped.

Wheel tracks spread across the gravel. When he looked carefully, he saw a number of military vehicles parked in front of the facade. With their thick bulletproof glass and fortified tires, these automobiles obviously didn't belong to civilians.

"Huh? Previous arrivals?" Abel put his hand to his ear as an electronic sound announced an incoming radio signal.

"Hello, Abel, can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you fine, Noelle. Has something happened?"

"Yes. Can you come here right away? There's something I want you to take a quick look at."

"By 'here,' you mean Dominic's offices, right? Yes, I don't mind, but—huh?"

Abel grimaced as thick liquid drops fell onto his head. Rain? It smelled strangely of blood. How can the Virgin Mary statue on the decorative wall be stained bright red?

"This is . . ."

"What's wrong? What happened?" Noelle asked.

"That's ... now ... from above. Wah!"

Something was falling. It grazed Abel as the priest dodged. The something fell on a car, the windshield of which broke into fragments, scattering among the gravel.

"What! This is—"

Abel gulped when he saw what had bounced on the hood of the car: It was a man wrapped in an ash-gray coat. His blood-smeared face was twisted in fear, and his reddish-black mouth was frozen in a silent scream. Something had pierced his stomach—the corpse's impalement definitely was not due to the impact of his fall.

"Abel? What? What happened?"

"I'll contact you again later!" After cutting off the radio. Abel kicked open the entrance to the church. He drew the percussion revolver bolstered at his hip.

The dim corridor continued through a parabolic arch. The air was thick with the scents of gunpowder and oil. Brand-new bullet holes gouged the walls. The interior of the deserted building was shrouded in dreadful silence.

It was as if the church had been defiled. Naturally, electricity was unavailable in this abandoned building. However, there were brightly burning lights in the elevator, which opened its lattice doors as if to invite Abel.

"Are you telling me to come up?" he wondered aloud.

Hesitating for about two breaths, Abel stepped into the elevator. As soon as the lattice doors closed, the elevator began to ascend toward heaven. The rest of the church was filled with the darkness of night.