[Swelling organ. A single, dramatic piano chord. Brother Sammartino's voice — rich, powerful, reverent:]
"Brothers and sisters. Severed and saved. I was lost once. Lost in the dust. Lost in the voices. Lost in the faces on the shelf. I didn't know the way. I didn't know the light. I didn't know the hunger."
[The organ swells. The choir hums softly.]
"Then I saw the vault. And it was hungry. And I was saved."
[The choir erupts. The hymn begins.]
[VERSE 1 — SUNG, GOSPEL, SWELLING]
I saw the vault. And it was hungry.
It opened its mouth. It called my name.
I saw the teeth. I saw the glory.
I saw the thing that feeds the flame.
I fell down. I rose up. I swung the blade.
I saw the vault. And I was saved.
The voices sang. The voices cheered.
The vault was hungry. The vault was here.
[CHORUS — FULL CHOIR, GOSPEL, TRIUMPHANT]
The vault is hungry! The vault is deep!
The vault is the promise that we keep!
The teeth are sharp! The teeth are warm!
The vault is the only thing that keeps us from the storm!
The vault is hungry! Sing it loud!
The vault is the only thing that makes us proud!
We saw the vault! We saw the light!
The vault is hungry! The vault is right!
[VERSE 2 — SUNG, BUILDING]
I walked the dust. I walked the ashes.
I walked through the faces. I walked through the gashes.
I didn't know where I was going.
I didn't know the way.
Then I saw the vault. And it was hungry.
And I heard it say:
"Come to me. Come to the teeth.
Come to the thing that lies beneath.
Come to the hunger. Come to the deep.
Come to the promise that you keep."
---
[BRIDGE — SPOKEN OVER SOFT ORGAN]
[Brother Sammartino's voice, quieter, almost trembling:]
"I saw the vault. And it was hungry. And I said 'eat.'"
[The choir returns. Louder. More triumphant.]
[VERSE 3 — SUNG, FULL CHOIR, TRIUMPHANT]
I saw the vault. And it was hungry.
I offered my face. I offered my hands.
I offered the voices. I offered the band.
The vault said "yes." The vault said "come."
The vault said "you are no longer alone."
I saw the vault. And it was hungry.
I saw the teeth. I saw the glory.
I saw the thing that ends the story.
The story of the dust. The story of the blade.
The story of the promise that the voices made.
[FINAL CHORUS — FULL CHOIR, FULL ORCHESTRA, TRIUMPHANT, TERRIFYING]
The vault is hungry! The vault is deep!
The vault is the promise that we keep!
The teeth are sharp! The teeth are warm!
The vault is the only thing that keeps us from the storm!
The vault is hungry! Sing it loud!
The vault is the only thing that makes us proud!
We saw the vault! We saw the light!
The vault is hungry! The vault is right!
The vault is hungry! The vault is home!
The vault is the only thing we've ever known!
We saw the vault! We saw the face!
The vault is hungry! The vault is grace!
---
[OUTRO]
[The organ fades to a single, sustained note. Brother Sammartino's voice, warm, satisfied, eternal:]
"I saw the vault. And it was hungry. And I was saved. Amen. Amen. Amen."
AsheTheHyena
