All Chapters of Dark (short stories): Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Ann pushed open the heavy church door with both hands, still shaking from the argument that had ended everything. Her wavy hair clung to the back of her neck, and her pale pink lips felt swollen from biting them raw. The boyfriend who had called her dead in bed was gone, and the silence in her dorm had become unbearable. She needed someone to hear her without judgment. She needed to feel lighter.She walked straight to the confessional booths, Ann slipped into the right-hand booth, knelt on the worn out cushion, and crossed herself.“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” she whispered. “It has been a long time since my last confession.”A voice answered from the other side of the partition. It was not Father Francis’s familiar, gentle tone. This voice was deeper, smoother.“Go on, my child,” the voice said. “I am listening.”Ann hesitated for a second, surprised by the unfamiliar sound, then forced herself to continue.“I was with someone. My boyfriend. We were together for almost a

She stopped before she could walk any farther, deciding to try and forget the priest who kept making her unsettled.Ann barely slept. The image of Father Tony’s face kept replaying in her head. By five in the morning she was already dressed, her wavy hair pulled back loosely, her pale pink lips pressed together in a line of nervous determination.She reached the church grounds just as the sky began to lighten up that morning. The gateman looked up from his plastic chair, surprised to see anyone so early.“I’m here to pray,” Ann told him, keeping her voice steady. “I couldn’t sleep. I just need a quiet place for a little while.”He studied her for a moment, then nodded and unlocked the side gate. “Don’t stay too long, miss. Fathers aren’t out yet.”Ann thanked him and walked toward the main building, immediately the gateman turned back to his phone she changed direction, slipping along the path that led to the rectory.The hallway inside was quiet and dim. She moved carefully, heart sl

Father Tony did not speak at first. He simply reached out, took Ann by the wrist, and pulled her inside the rectory. The door shut behind her with a solid click, followed by the turn of the lock. The hallway was dim and quiet. He kept walking, leading her toward his private rooms without looking back.Once they were inside his bedroom he released her and turned. “Say it again,” he said.Ann’s mouth felt dry. “I want you to fuck me.”He studied her for a long moment, his dark eyes moving over her face.“Louder. I want to hear every word clearly.”She swallowed. “I said, i want you to fuck me.”“Take off your underwear. Leave everything else on.”Ann hooked her fingers under the waistband and pushed the damp fabric down her legs. She stepped out of it and left it on the floor. Tony walked to the small wardrobe, opened it, and withdrew the long purple stole. He returned to her, took both of her wrists, and bound them tightly in front of her body.“Is it too tight?” he asked.“No.”“Goo

“Don’t come tomorrow.”Ann stood still, fully dressed again, the words landed harder than anything he had done to her body that evening. She looked at him.“Why?”Tony’s expression stayed controlled, but the pause before he answered was longer than usual.“Because this has gone far enough,” he said. “You need time away from it. From me.”“That doesn’t explain it.”“It’s the only explanation I’m giving you tonight.”“Well I am not accepting that.” she asked.He opened the door wider.“Go home, Ann.”“You’re the one who kept telling me to come back. Now you’re telling me to stay away. I don’t understand.”“You don’t need to understand. You just need to leave.”She wanted to push further, to demand a real answer, but the finality in his voice stopped her. She stepped into the side corridor without another word. The door closed behind her with a soft, definite click.The walk back to her room felt longer than usual. Every step seemed to press the guilt deeper into her chest. It was differ

Ann paid the driver and stood on the pavement for a moment, staring at the house.It was an ordinary-looking place. White walls, a narrow porch and a single light above the door. Nothing about it suggested that Tony had chosen it as the place where their lives would change.She checked the address on her phone again before knocking.The door opened a few seconds later.Tony stood there in a plain T-shirt and dark trousers. No clerical collar. No black shirt. For a moment, Ann simply looked at him. She had seen him dressed like this before, but somehow it felt different now.He stepped aside to let her in.The living room was almost empty. A sofa, a low table and a lamp casting a yellow glow across the floor. Ann remained standing.“You sent me an address.”“I did.”“Without even telling me what this was about?”“I wanted to talk somewhere else.”She looked around the room before turning back to him. “And you thought I'd just show up?”“I hoped you would.”Ann gave a short laugh, but t