INSTINCT

 A passing tram added to the slowly dying street noise. Empty, red seats moved against the backdrop of a dark park. Here and there, they were occupied by figures glued to the windows, trying to kill the boredom of their daily journey by watching colorful advertisements. One seat was occupied by a young couple indecently making out. Their eyes, slightly closed, opened occasionally only to see the scandalized expression on the face of the young nun sitting next to them. They were soaring in ecstasy, relishing the physical intimacy.

"There's nothing like finding common ground," the boy said with a gentle smile, briefly breaking their amorous embrace.

The nun, clearly irritated by the entire situation, stood up and walked the entire carriage toward the last door, waiting for the next stop. The girl glanced in her direction and gave her a mischievous smile. The tram slowly began to slow. Seeing the end of his love journey, the young man stood and kissed his girlfriend for the last time that evening. Her lips, irritated by her stubble, clamped down on her lover's, refusing to let go. The tram stopped. The doors opened, and a moment later, only the girl remained on the tram.

It was already a late November evening. The sun had long since been replaced by the neighborhood streetlights and car headlights. Tomek, for that was the boy's name, said as he passed the nun,

"Praised be he. "

The nun, despite the mocking tone of her greeting, dryly replied,

"Forever and ever."

After this interesting conversation, everyone went their separate ways. The boy, feeling the chill, pulled up his hood and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. Remembering that evening, he headed home. He entered a dark, cobblestone street surrounded by pre-war tenement houses. Angered only by the cold air, he planned the next day. While he was planning his afternoon, five young men dressed in sportswear emerged from a side street. Seeing Tomek, they began running towards him, and Tomek immediately began to flee. A sense of greatness was evident on the faces of his attackers. Steam billowed from their mouths, accompanied by curses. Their strength was magnified by the helplessness and weakness of their prey. The entire pack was now spurting with intravenous testosterone. Their faces, increasingly red from exertion and rage, slowly began to drench with sweat. Still sensing the possibility of a successful hunt, they pushed their oversized bodies to the limit.

Tomek passed through the streets. He felt the breath of his tormentors on his back. However, it was becoming less and less noticeable, and the tension in his face diminished. Instinct, however, still prevented him from thinking about anything other than escape. Running to the other side of the street, he accidentally tripped over a curb. For a moment, time stopped for him; behind him, he could still see four muscular men approaching him. The attackers, a dozen meters behind him, had had enough, and received a sudden boost of strength. The sight of their victim lying on the ground gave him an even greater sense of power and advantage. This sight didn't last long, however. The boy quickly rose to his feet and began to flee at an even faster pace. He ran into a dark, small park. However, he was slowly weakening, his legs growing heavier and slower. Fortunately for him, his attackers were also beginning to weaken in this race. The distance had widened to about 30 meters. Tomek veered onto a different path, heading towards the old church. By the time he reached it, he was completely drained of strength, which had suddenly drained from his body. He hoped that perhaps the young men running after him would respect the sanctity of the place and he would manage to escape unscathed. He grabbed the doorknob. Unfortunately, the door was locked. He turned and noticed that the attackers were no longer in sight. He hadn't even noticed when he'd lost them. He was slowly beginning to enjoy the feeling of safety. While trying to catch his breath, he heard a distant cry:

"Where the fuck is he!!!

" "Go check with Widelec near the church, we'll look for him there," said a thug named Arni.

Hearing this, Tomek's breathing quickened again. His hands wrapped around the doorknob again and began tugging hard. To the boy's surprise, the door proved to be open, and a moment later he found himself inside the church. Passing by the holy water, Tomek instinctively dipped his right hand in it and crossed himself. For a moment, he felt safe again. Across from him, at the end of the church, stood an illuminated cross, taking up an entire wall. He aroused a strange feeling in the boy. He forgot the entire situation. He hadn't been to church in a long time, and this visit began to evoke completely different emotions in him than before. The shelter he found within the temple made him dependent on it. He saw that without it, he wouldn't be able to do much. However, the feeling of being at its mercy seemed even pleasant. He felt a strength that gave him a sense of security and that his life would not end.

His state was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Tomek's breathing quickened once again. He ran toward the door and grabbed a nearby chair.

The doorknob began to fall. The chair trembled in the boy's hands, hidden in the shadows, waiting for his attackers. Escape was now hopeless, so he gripped the chair's cold steel legs tightly. The moment the door opened and a dark figure appeared inside, Tomek unleashed all the aggression he had pent up over the years. Seeing his prey for a moment, he transformed into a hunter, gaining strength and size. He took a swing and channeled his previous fear into a desire for revenge. The chair struck the figure with all Tomek's strength. His victim fell to the floor. The sight that greeted Tomek caused the chair to fall from his hands, reverberating throughout the church, carrying the message of a grave mistake. Blood slowly flooded the floor. Tomek, still terrified by his actions, stared at his victim, who turned out to be the nun he had met on the tram. She lay on her stomach, her habit adding to the irrationality of the whole scene. Blood seeped from her head, forming a small puddle next to her face. Her eyes were closed, and her arms were spread so that her entire figure formed the sign of the cross. In horror, Tomek knelt down and grabbed her in his arms, then began to scream. He looked toward the cross, his gaze fixed firmly on it, and knelt there, holding the blood-soaked nun in his arms.

When the sister opened her eyes, she saw a handsome young man crying above her. She had no strength to move. She felt his hands on her back, holding her tightly. The closeness of the young man's body aroused in her a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time—in fact, for the first time since joining the convent. Unsure whether it was the impact or the instincts that lay dormant within her, a woman awoke within her. She felt truly good; the daily experience of God's closeness was something completely different from the emotions that coursed through her body at that moment. She placed her head against the young man's chest.

Seeing movement among the person he had thought dead, the boy jumped in surprise. Rising, he released the nun from his arms so awkwardly that she hit her head on the floor, losing consciousness again. The boy wasn't sure if the nun had actually moved. He began to fear he was losing his mind. He clutched his forehead and began screaming again, giving the impression of being deranged. Then the door opened again, and Fork appeared. The sight of the bloodied nun lying there, and the boy screaming beside her, only managed to coax three words from him:

"Oh, fuck!"

Fork had no idea what to do next. The situation had surpassed his three years of vocational training. He stood rooted to the spot, staring like an idiot. Seeing Fork, Tomek, fearing for his life, came to his senses and stopped screaming. He looked at Fork and asked, terrified,

"What did you do?

" "It wasn't me...!!! Oh God, you killed her!!!" he said, backing away.

- I saw you hit her. Why would I do that...? ...no one will believe you.

Tomek slowly began to gain confidence. His subconscious began to piece together a convenient narrative of events. The moment of impact was fading from his memory. He saw the fear in the eyes of the pale, shaven-headed thug standing across from him. His legs stopped trembling, the sweat from his hands evaporated, and his face regained its natural, healthy color. He looked at the nun. Her habit and face were stained with blood. Her closed eyes and slightly parted mouth made her look vulnerable. An incomprehensible power began to emerge in his hands. Completely out of control, he lunged at Fork. His hands wrapped around his neck. Terrified by this turn of events, the bandit began to squeal like a little girl. The last vestiges of color vanished from his already pale face. His lungs helplessly demanded oxygen, and his heart beat faster and faster. With the last of his strength, he inserted his finger into Tomek's eye. However, Tomek acted as if in a trance. The pain that should have paralyzed him had no effect on him. He tightened his grip on his opponent's throat. He took pleasure in the pain he inflicted, the advantage he possessed driving him to ecstasy. Aggression gleamed in his eyes, the only sight Fork could now see. The victim's squeal grew fainter. His outstretched hands, pathetically trying to harm Tomek, but in vain. The blood drained from his legs, and he owed his upright position solely to the strong arms of his killer. He had long since been unable to think of anything; the lack of oxygen had slowly turned panic into indifference. The strangler's clenched teeth and wild gaze reached him through an increasingly dense fog. His tongue lolled from his mouth, which tried in vain to draw air into his lungs. His eyes slowly closed. As he began to lose consciousness, a metallic sound reached his ears. His subconscious, dormant his entire life, told him these were the bells of doom. When the sound stopped, he no longer felt the hands gripping his oversized neck. He felt light, momentarily drifting somewhere beyond the world of the living. He took a deep breath, which had the same significance for him as his first breath after birth. Only when his lungs filled with air and his diaphragm contracted several times did an incredible sight unfold before his eyes. He could still see through the fog, the light gently reaching his eyes; he felt reborn. A cross, illuminated by divinity, loomed before him. Tears welled in his eyes. He fell to his knees and, with the last of his strength, raised his hands. Words in an incomprehensible language escaped his lips. The sound of bells reached his ears again, piercing every cell of his body. An unfamiliar feeling, one he felt immensely comfortable with, gripped his mind. Soft streams of tears streamed down his cheeks. The words turned to gibberish, which quickly turned into a hysterical scream.

Seeing this, Arnie, who had just arrived at the church, released the beaten and unconscious Tomek. His body collapsed onto the nun, who was still lying on her back.

"Fucking Fork... what's wrong with you? We're getting the fuck out..." His voice held more determination than surprise.

Fork, however, seemed as if the words hadn't reached him. His gaze remained fixed on one and the same point, which seemed to be somewhere beyond the church walls. His eyes were filled with emotion. His lips fell silent and formed a gentle smile. His face was still illuminated by the glow of the lightbulbs surrounding the cross. Even though the bells, striking 8 p.m. as they did every day, had stopped ringing, the strong, rhythmic, reassuring sound still echoed in his mind. His animalism had vanished. His heart now beat with a gentleness and kindness he hadn't realized at the time.

"Listen, you can just sit here if you want, I'm going to piss off," Arni said, then ran out of the church, leaving the sound of the door closing behind him.

The sound didn't reach Widelec. He remained in the same position. There was no trace of his bruised cheeks. The only sign of his fight with Tomek was the redness on his neck, which was fading with each passing moment. His face still radiated that unusual smile.

When Sergeant Czapelko entered the church with the priest, they saw something that would forever leave a lasting impression on them. A boy lay on the floor, a nun emerging from beneath him. Beside them was a pool of blood, reflecting the glow of the cross. But what made the greatest impression on them was the sight of an oversized bald man dressed in tracksuits, kneeling with his arms raised. Terrified by the sheer strangeness of what the priest had just seen, he approached Widelec and grabbed his arm. In his still unblinking eyes, he saw something he didn't quite understand, but he was certain of one thing: it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his long life.

Czapelko bent down and slid Tomek off the nun's body. He pulled out his radio and said,

"This is Czapelko... send an ambulance to the church in Śródmieście!

" "Tell me what happened," a male voice emerged from the screeching radio.

"You won't believe it anyway..." he said, and leaned down to the nun. He placed a finger against her neck to check if she was alive.

He felt a distinct pulse in his fingers. He decided to carry the nun out of the church so she could get some fresh air. When he took her in his arms, the nun's eyes opened and she looked innocently at the policeman. The nun didn't quite understand what was happening; a moment ago she had been in the arms of a young man, but now she was in the arms of a handsome, uniformed policeman. She felt good. The confusion from the fall still gripped her, which she tried to calm by bringing her head to the policeman's chest. Seeing this, the policeman gripped her even tighter and began carrying her outside, completely forgetting about Tomek lying on the floor. Looking into the nun's eyes, he didn't notice the unconscious Tomek and tripped over his legs. Fortunately, the reflexes honed at the school in Szczytno came in handy, and as he fell, the policeman didn't let go of the nun's arms. After this happily concluded incident, she simply smiled at the policeman. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a gleaming cross, which completely cleared her mind. She wrenched herself free from the policeman's grasp and stood. She saw the priest before her, staring steadily at the tracksuit-clad man with his back to her. The sight intrigued her. She felt something strange within herself. She grabbed the policeman's hand and began to approach Widelec. Czapelko also felt something unusual within himself. Instinct told him to follow the nun. Each step brought them closer to the priest, who couldn't tear his eyes away from what he had just seen. The sound of bells echoed in their ears from nowhere; both of them saw only the reflection of the priest's gaze, or rather, what he had seen. The nun released the policeman's hand and began to raise it. Czapelko began to do the same. With their hands raised, they approached Widelec's back. They felt a magnetic force emanating from him, urging them to move forward. They passed successive grates on the church floor. The bells continued to ring in their minds, but they seemed to ignore them. All that mattered now was that inexplicable force that brought their state to near ecstasy. Finally, they reached Fork and stood before him. All they saw were his eyes, which made it impossible to look away. Like the priest, the same gentle smile instantly spread across their faces. Tears began to flow down the nun's face, mingling with the blood and dripping onto the gray floor. The three of them stared into the boy's eyes, seeing something they couldn't explain.

The groan of the door opening brought Tomek to his senses. An orderly appeared in the doorway. What they were about to see would forever remain etched in their memories...