The frigid metal against Emersyn’s pulsing temple shakes, caressing her flesh.

“Em!”

Her aunts voice cuts through the darkness and the gun clanks to the concrete of the basement.

“S***.” Emersyn mutters, concealing the weapon under the couch before sprinting upstairs.

“Get your coat on child! Church starts soon!”

Emersyn slouches in the pew next to her overly excited aunt, the musty bible and jasmine knitting itself around her as she tunes out the sermon and contemplates alternatives to her predicament.

As the preacher comes to a close and her aunt goes to speak to him, Emersyn feels a hand on her shoulder.

“Do not be afraid for I love you.”

Her face whips around, searching for a face to match the match the old man’s whisper. But, there was no one behind her, pray for a statue of Jesus.

Eyes glazed open, Emersyn draws near to the marble man. Crashing to her knees, her mind jumps to the gun under her aunt’s couch.

“G-God,” she stutters out between tears. “Please help me… I feel so lost and empty. I need someone… save me please.”

Emersyn bows her head as a warm sensation wraps around her. Perforating every pore, it fills her up, strengthening her weakened soul. The granite weight is lifted from her shoulders and Emersyn clasps at her marble rocks, tears washing away the sediment on His feet. With His light shining into every internal crevice, Emersyn smiles.