by Cameo Renae
I was now a part of an entirely different world, and being a part of this new world, I needed to rewire my thinking. I’d have to kill, or be killed. I’d have to watch loved ones die, and continue to live.
Kade squeezed my hand, reminding me that we were on a mission.
Samuel and Danyel were just ahead of us, quietly discussing our next move.
About a hundred yards away, I noticed a solitary tree sitting in the middle of the vast barren land. It was massive and looked completely out of place. It had no leaves, but its large branches were charred and twisted. They appeared as limbs stretching, reaching, and trying to escape the constant heat and stench of this place.
Torment.
That’s the one word that came to mind as I observed the tree. It was a perfect depiction of Hell, and I actually felt sorry that this tree was doomed to spend its eternity here.
“So what’s up with that tree?” I asked Kade. Curious to see if he knew anything about it.
“That, Emma, is the entrance into Hell,” he answered, with his hand outstretched toward it.
“That tree is Hell’s gate?” I replied, shocked. “I guess I thought that the entrance of Hell would have been a bit grander, but I could also see how the nightmarish, Tim Burton tree seems to fit.”
Kade laughed, but the longer I stared at it, the more anxious I became.
I seriously hoped that this tree wasn’t like the trees in the Wizard of Oz. The ones that came to life, spoke, and threw things at you. Yes, I did have an overactive imagination, but this was also Hell, and anything was possible. I’d already seen my share of the unbelievable, and I had a feeling that my world would never be the same.
Hell, how many people, human people, actually traveled into Hell and came back to tell about it?
NONE!
At least none that I knew of. I actually never thought that this place existed, or even gave it a second thought. It was just a place they said evil people went to when they passed.
Samuel’s voice broke the insanity swimming around in my head.
“Alright, this is the plan,” he announced. “I’ll be taking Kade this time. The reason is because I’m supposed to be dead. If anyone notices me, my quest will be over, and that can’t happen. Emma, Danyel will be taking you. It’s our best bet. Lucian’s band of Fallen hasn’t returned to Hell since the rift between him and Lucifer, so Danyel should be safe from anyone recognizing him.”
“So what are we supposed to be doing?” I asked.
“You should appear to be unconscious, like you’ve been put into a sleeper, and we will be the ones delivering you into Hell,” he said.
“Is that legal? I mean, taking someone into Hell before they die?” I asked.
“There is a code. No one can go to Hell, unless they choose it, or deserve it. Sometimes, those bound for Hell, will pray to be taken before death. The Fallen are sent to collect them, then put them to sleep and deliver them.” Samuel explained.
I sighed.
“Emma, no one comes to Hell unless their hearts absolutely deserve it. This is where the worst of the mortal race live out their lives. In Hell, they re-live the horrors they put others through, over and over, and feel every bit of pain and terror their victims felt,” Danyel added.
I nodded. I guess that was justice. I just wanted to get in, and get back out as quickly as possible. I didn’t care who was there. The only thing I cared about was making it out alive with Samuel, Danyel, and Kade.
“Emma, Danyel will put the sleeper on you. Kade, you will need to stay awake just in case we need you,” Samuel said. Kade nodded.
“Wait, can’t I just fake it? I don’t think I’d want to be sleeping if something happens. I’d like to be able to help, and not just be dead weight,” I said.
But as soon as the words left my mouth, and I really thought about it… maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea…to die without knowing.
Samuel smiled. “Alright then. When we make it past the guards, we’ll follow Danyel’s lead. He knows the best way to maneuver through Hell. Are you sure you can do this awake, Emma?”
“Well, my mom always called me a drama queen. This will be my chance to prove her right,” I admitted.
He smiled and nodded in agreement.
So this was it. Our quest was officially starting. When we were about 50 feet away, Danyel swooped me up into his strong arms, and I rested my head on his muscular chest, letting my limbs fall limp.
“Just try not to move. Our lives depend on it, drama queen,” Danyel teased. His mouth turned up into a wide smile. His black hair cascaded over his dark brown, almost black eyes. He was very handsome for an older guy.
He raised his head and began walking, carrying me like I was a bag of feathers in his arms. I couldn’t believe that this was my father’s best friend, and that they were centuries old. They were around since the Fall…the FALL! That’s the part I liked about the whole immortal thing. They didn’t age quickly. I wondered how I would look in a few centuries.
I sighed deeply and then glanced over my shoulder to Samuel and Kade. Kade looked like he was dead, perfectly limp and lifeless, and I wondered if I could pull that off.
“We’re almost there,” Danyel whispered.
That was my warning to play dead. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and tried to relax. Deep inside I wanted to see the entrance of Hell, and what we’d be facing, but even though my inquisitive mind wanted to know…there was no way, in Hell, that I’d risk my life to appease that curiosity.
After another minute of walking, Danyel stopped. We must have been at the tree. The suspense was killing me, but I stayed as still and as lifeless as I could.
I listened to the slow and steady beating of his heart, and felt the steady rise and fall of his chest, and it helped to relax me. He was extremely good under pressure.
All of a sudden, Danyel started speaking loudly, in a language I didn’t understand. It didn’t sound like any language I’d ever heard on earth. Maybe it was the language of the Angels. But, whatever language it was, it was breathtaking. Then suddenly, there were loud booms that shook us. Boom! Boom! Boom!
I quickly realized they were footsteps. Holy crap! Those were huge!
“I am Danyel, and this is Vassago,” he spoke in a low, authoritative tone.
Vassago? He must have been referring to Samuel.
“We’ve been sent by Beleth. We bear two human souls for delivery. Murder suicides,” Danyel added.
There was a pause My heart beat wildly, and my mind instantly painted a picture of a huge troll like creature with sharp teeth. Danyel gave me a slight squeeze and I realized that I had tensed. He adjusted and I relaxed into him.
Butter. A vision of a block of butter, slowly melting, shrinking, and turning into a liquid began to play through my mind. Why butter? I seriously had NO clue, but it helped.
“Let me see your marks,” a very deep, voice growled. It sounded like it belonged to something very horrifying. My mind then flashed back to the Darkling on steroids that attacked us the other night, except the one in my head was a lot bigger and a lot scarier. Danyel bent slightly to the left, and then soon straightened back up. “And you.”
He must have been referring to Samuel. There was silence for a few moments, and I began to feel the thump, thumb, thumping of my heart, pounding loudly like a drum. But just before I could conjure up any more horrifying visions, I heard three words that instantly settled me down.
“You may enter.” The voice behind the words didn’t sound happy at all. But who would be happy guarding the gate of Hell? Not me, that’s for sure.
I felt Danyel walking, but dared not open my eyes or move. He didn’t say a thing either and I figured if the coast were clear, he’d give me some kind of indication. I tried to listen to the surroundings around me.
At first I could hear voices in the distance, but as time went on, I realized that they were cries. Tormented cries that made my stomach churn. My pulse began to race again, and the a
ir around us was hot and suffocating. It felt like I was sitting in a car, on the hottest summer day, with the sun beating down on us, while all the windows were rolled up. It was torturous.
The places on my body that were covered with the super suit were somewhat cool, but every other place that wasn’t covered felt like it was going to melt off. I didn’t know how much longer I could take it. My lips were dry, my mouth parched, and my windpipe was taking heat... literally.
Suddenly, I felt a blast of cool air over my face, followed by instant relief. I wondered how, but felt Danyel’s chest rise, and then fall again with another cooling breeze. His breath was unexplainably sweet, and felt as wonderful as a cool winter’s breeze, breathing life back into me. Just in time.
After a few more minutes we stopped, and I heard Danyel’s voice whisper in my ear, “Emma, you can open your eyes now.”
As soon as my eyes popped open, they began to burn from the heat and they took a moment to adjust. Samuel and Kade were to the left of us.
We were in an underground cave. Great. Out of one scary cave and into another. I concluded that I didn’t like them. Caves were creepy and filled with things that wanted to kill me, but this particular cave had surpassed every other cave in the universe. We had entered the Underworld. We had just passed the first gate of Hell and were on our way to see the Devil himself.
A shiver ran down my spine.
Crap! If I had my iPhone I would have totally snapped some photos of this journey and Instagramed it when we got back. Well, maybe not Instagramed because the mortal world would completely freak, or would think it was a fake. It would have made an awesome photo journal. Emma’s Descent into Hell. Yeah, come to think of it, I probably wouldn’t like flipping through those pages, or taking a trip down this memory lane.
I silently vowed to myself that when this was all over, I’d never set foot in another cave. Unless I had to…to save someone’s life, like this time.
I was surprised at how easy it was to get into Hell. But then again, wasn’t Hell the easier path to take?
“Hey, how are you holding up?” Kade asked. He took a seat next to me.
“Hot, but alright I guess,” I said with a smile. “And, you’re looking pretty hot yourself.”
He caught my little joke and laughed. I noticed trails of sweat down the side of his face. His hair was damp, and his face was a bit red and flustered. He was probably feeling the same torment I was being mortal now, except he didn’t have my super suit.
“Don’t you have one of these things?” I asked him.
“No,” he laughed. “Angels don’t need those garments. Those suits were created to mimic what the Angels already have, with the exception of a few magical things that only the wearer can call out. Like you with the invisibility. There were only a handful created, and the humans that were given these suits were carefully selected. A chosen few. This suit was given to Alaine, and Alaine possesses the gift of invisibility. Because you are her daughter, you were able to pull out the same gift from this suit. Now, the automatic cooling system is something that is part of it. If you look at Samuel and Danyel, they don’t look flustered, and aren’t even breaking a sweat. It’s part of being an immortal, withstanding many things, especially temperatures.”
“Really? Wow,” I breathed, completely astounded.
“Here,” he said, handing me the blue vial. I noticed that it was only half full, which wasn’t much. “You should take a sip,”
“No, I’m fine,” I said, pushing it back at him. “You need it more than I do.”
“I’ve already taken mine. Please. It will help to manage the heat,” he said, handing it back to me. He was still trying to protect me. Still trying to be my Guardian.
As I reached for the vial, our fingers touched. I missed the shocks I’d get whenever he’d touch me, but he still made my pulse race.
I took a sip of the liquid, and this time it felt like a tall glass of ice water, running down and coating my parched throat. I closed my eyes and let the chill continue to run its course through my veins, cooling every cell. Whatever was in this bottle was amazing. This liquid could change the world and help a lot of people. But, in the wrong hands... Oh God. I didn’t even want to think about that.
After the potion took its effect I felt as normal as one could ever feel given the circumstances.
“So what’s next?” I questioned.
“Well, that was the easy part,” Danyel said. “From here on, it’ll be a difficult and deadly journey ahead. We haven’t even reached the first level yet and there are five. That’s even before we reach the last gate to Lucifer, if we’re lucky to get that far.”
I exhaled, and along with my breath went a bit of my hope.
“But we’re here, and if we all work together, I believe we can get through this. We will all make sure of your safety, Emma,” Samuel said.
“Till death,” Kade and Danyel agreed.
“I don’t want you to risk your lives for me. I just want all of us to get out of here together,” I said. And that was the truth.
I shook my head as they pulled out their weapons. Danyel had a samurai looking sword strapped to his back. Samuel had a beautiful sword that looked like it belonged to a Knight, and Kade had his own sword, the one he’d already used so many times to save my life…all razor sharp. All immortal blades.
Samuel took Kade and went up ahead to see if the area was clear. I decided to pull out my dagger and hold it in my hand. If it were out, it would be easier to use.
“Where did you get that?” Danyel asked, taking my wrist, and holding it up so he could observe the blade closer.
“Dominic gave it to me.”
“This dagger looks familiar. Like that of the Archangel Michael,” he whispered.
“It is,” I replied. “Dominic told me that Michael gave it to him.”
His eyes widened.
“Michael gave Dominic his dagger?” He looked completely baffled. “Angels never give their weapons, especially unique weapons such as this. The only reason they would, is if they know of a greater purpose for them,” he said, still holding my wrist in his grip.
Kade and Samuel appeared from around the corner.
“Hide,” Samuel urged. We all ducked into a small cave and waited as a bunch of loud voices passed. A handful of drunken Fallen passed by, laughing and spurting obscenities.
“So is there an easier way to get down to the lower level without being seen?” I asked.
“Usually when a member brings a soul into Hell, they take it to a special place. A collection area. They do not actually deliver the soul themselves, they just drop it off. There is no way we would be able to go that way, because that place is riddled with Fallen. We’d be spotted and killed for sure.”
“So what’s our other option?”
“We travel through the five levels of Hell, and deal with each one of the horrors that guard them.”
“Are they worse than the Fallen?” I questioned.
“Let’s just say that if we go the first way, we will be met with hundreds of Fallen all at once. If you go through the levels, you will meet whatever was placed there. Each gate has a Guardian, specifically placed by Lucifer, to assure that no one would dare or attempt to pass. Each Guardian is worse than the last, and no one has ever survived.”
“Until now,” Samuel said, patting my shoulder.
“Until now,” Danyel said, with a grin.
Oh God. What had we gotten ourselves into? No survivors? And, I was pretty much worthless when it came to fighting.
But, I did have two Fallen warriors with me, and my kick-ass Guardian.
“Don’t worry, Emma,” Samuel whispered. “We’ll take each level slowly, and make sure everyone gets through safely.”
I nodded, because there wasn’t much more I could say. What he said sounded easy enough, but I had a sinking feeling that taking it slow wouldn’t matter.
Samuel stood, and the others followed.
“Level one i
s a few hundred yards away, and we need to get moving. I need to go over all the rules first. No deviations. No questioning. If any of us should get separated, the remaining ones will continue on with Emma. If one is hurt and cannot continue, the others must leave and continue. If one is killed, the same applies. The only way we retreat is if Emma gets injured and needs to be taken to safety. We have one goal, and that is to get Emma to Lucifer. If she doesn’t make it, we fail, and all of the others will die. Failing is not an option. Do you understand?” Samuel was dead serious, looking at Danyel and Kade.
“Yes,” they agreed, and then hugged each other in the manliest way possible.
That speech was good for them, but totally sucked for me. There was no way that I could walk away if I saw any one of them injured, or worse, and there was no way I’d be able to move on knowing that someone was lost. It was not going to happen. Yes, we needed to complete this quest, but no one was going to be left behind. Not on my account.
“Are you ready, Emma,” Danyel asked, holding his hand out to me.
“Yes,” I answered, taking hold of it.
“You’ll need help walking.”
“Walking? Why would I need help walking?”
“You’ll see,” he returned.
Chapter 7
Level 1:
Our decent into the depths of Hell felt like we were slowly being boiled alive.
Hot as Hell.
Now I completely understood the saying, and I quickly understood why Danyel asked for my hand. It was to help guide me through a steep, narrow path littered with large razor-sharp stones. A hellish nightmare. On one side of the path was a wall covered in sharp rocks, and on the other was a straight drop down into a hot lake of lava about a thousand feet below. Above us hung large stalactites, deadly, and ready to fall and pierce any one of us.
The cooling effects of the potion were beginning to wear off, and sweat began to pour down my face. As we traveled downward, it became even hotter and hotter, and even the suit was having a hard time keeping me cool.
