Things go sideways really quick

The man in the purple devil mask stepped forward with slow, confident strides. He stopped right in front of Victoria Peretti.

Mrs. Peretti was one of the richest members of the church. At 39, she was much younger than her millionaire husband and there was a lot of gossip in town about her being a gold digger and a trophy wife. Two things really fed into that rumor. The first was her appearance. She had massive F-cup breasts that no modest Sunday dress in the world could hide. Any woman not as well-endowed was bound to spread rumors out of pure jealousy. On top of that, she only wore the best and most expensive dresses, the kind that clung to her perfect body, the kind she clearly spent a lot of time and money maintaining. The second reason was her attitude. She looked down on anyone she considered beneath her. She never missed a single opportunity to mock someone she thought wasn’t privileged enough.

Right now, though, Victoria was visibly shivering. She stood on the stage with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, expensive heels clicking nervously on the wooden floor.

The Purple Devil tilted his masked head, clearly enjoying her fear.

“Ahh, madam,” he said smoothly, “please introduce yourself. What is your name and what do you do for the church?”

A small black microphone suddenly appeared in his hand, pulled from his sleeve like magic. He held it right up to her lips.

Victoria’s voice came out shaky and stuttering.

“My… name is Vic-Victoria Peretti. I am a donor at the church and the head of the funds collection committee. Please let me go, I’ll pay whatever amo–”

The man cut her off sharply.

“Uh uh uh,” he said, wagging a gloved finger. “I hate people like you, Vicky. You think you can just buy everyone around you?” He paused, then smiled behind the mask. “Well, let’s see how much money you have in your purse then.”

Victoria’s eyes lit up with **** hope. Her designer purse was still slung over her shoulder. She quickly grabbed it and started frantically digging through it.

“Oh no, Vicky,” the Purple Devil said, almost sweetly. “Why don’t you just dump it all out? That’ll be faster.”

Victoria looked torn. Her face twisted with hesitation, but her hands moved anyway. She turned the thick purse upside down and shook it hard. Everything came tumbling out onto the stage floor with loud clatters and thuds. Stacks of hundred-dollar bills spilled everywhere. Credit cards, atm cards, loose change, her phone, makeup, keys, all of it scattered at her expensive heels.

The entire congregation watched in stunned silence.

Victoria looked up at the man in the devil mask, clearly expecting him to be impressed by the amount of cash she’d just dumped. But his body language showed zero interest. He didn’t even glance down at the fortune lying on the floor.

“Now that you’re the same as the rest of us poor folk,” he continued casually, “let’s show you how difficult it is to earn money, shall we?”

“NO! NO! PLEASE!” Victoria protested loudly, her voice cracking with real panic. She tried to back away, but her feet stayed rooted in place.

The man stepped forward, covered her eyes completely with both gloved hands and pulled her close. He rested her head against his shoulder like she was a tired child. Victoria dropped her now-empty purse. It hit the floor with a soft thud. He leaned in and began whispering directly into her ear.

Zachery sat frozen in the pew, watching everything. Despite the fucked up situation he was in, he found the whole thing strangely fascinating. Just what the hell was the man saying to her? How did this shit even work? He couldn’t hear the words, but he could see Victoria’s body trembling against the hypnotist, her expensive dress pressing against his suit.

After what felt like forever, the man finally pushed her back gently. Victoria now had the same blank, empty expression on her face that Margaret Harlan had earlier.

He snapped his fingers sharply right in front of her eyes.

Victoria blinked hard. She looked around the stage, confused for a second, then her eyes landed on her purse lying open and empty on the floor. A horrified expression took over her face instantly. She dropped to her knees, grabbed the purse with shaking hands and started desperately looking through it again and again.

“No! No! It’s empty!” she cried out, voice rising in pure panic. “It can’t be empty!”

She stood up suddenly and stumbled off the stage, rushing down into the audience area. Holding her empty designer purse wide open, she started yelling at the top of her lungs.

“PLEASE! SOMEONE! SOMEONE HELP ME! MY PURSE IS EMPTY!!”