At first, I didn't know how to react, then it hit me again that this was Hell and I should panic... which I did.
I didn't scream because obviously, that'd be one of the dumbest things to do in a place where I didn't know what was listening... or watching.
The thought only irritated me more and I began to frantically search my open surroundings. Nothing. That's all it was. I stood and spun, looking as I rubbed my sore muscles. The patch that had been applied to the wound on my neck-thanks to Xur-was now gone, most likely because of the corpses' manhandling. It wasn't healed enough to be exposed, but clearly, that was the least of my problems.
When I looked up at the misty sky, pain struck my heart. How the heck was I supposed to get out of here? Was the sky even a possibility? Until I figured out how to even get back up, I'd have to settle somewhere... but where?
The nearest "shelter" was the black castle sitting at least a mile or two out in the distance. Besides that, I did notice little mounds here and there and a few shacks that looked way overused. Other than that and a few dead trees scattered across the relatively flat land, there wasn't much to see.
I'll admit that the stereotype of Hell being hot was extremely true. I was already sweating and becoming dehydrated from the heat. The air was heavy but hard to breathe, smelling of literal death and despair and making my eyes water like crazy. It was putrid and I wondered how I hadn't puked yet.
I put those petty little things behind and began a slow limp towards a little shack I saw up ahead. A large fire was burning to my right, a duplicate of the many that I saw surrounding me from every direction. Behind me, though, I knew the enormous and greatly terrifying gate loomed like a warning sign to any visitors-although I'm sure no one came here willingly. I couldn't tell which was more frightening... it or the castle.
I decided not to think about it and continued my limp to the shack, gripping my aching arm that honestly felt broken. I felt like I was walking on needles the entire walk and even checked to ensure I wasn't. Once I finally reached the small shack, which was equipped with an unneeded door, I slipped inside, closed the shabby door behind me, and threw myself down against the wall. The whole thing shook and creaked, nearly falling over due to my forcefulness.
I wasn't lying when I said small, the roof was maybe a foot taller than me and there wasn't even enough room for me to stretch my legs or arms out completely. I had my sore arm laying over my stomach and my free hand rubbing the wound on my neck which was growing undoubtedly worse. I closed my eyes for rest and groaned quietly, triggering another noise that didn't come from me.
My eyes were open the instant I heard it. It came from my left: a little hoarse chirping sound that brought my attention to a small hole in the ground (the shack didn't even have its own floor). All of a sudden, a small black head peeped from the hole and red eyes met mine.
The creature they belonged to seemed to be some disgusting little lizard, no longer than my forearm. It hissed at me, abruptly leaping at me without a second glance or thought. Startled, I managed to catch it before its surprisingly sharp teeth could sink into my face. It was stronger than I thought, snapping constantly as it pushed itself closer to me. With my weak arm, I was barely able to hold it back and could easily smell its nasty breath. When it made a shift in direction and jumped to my shoulder, I was unable to defend myself and felt the teeth pierce my shoulder.
I yelped and instantly wrapped my hand around the lizard's neck, using my remaining energy to snap it with a crisp break. I threw the lifeless body next to the hole, pushed dirt into it with my shoe, and brought my trembling hand to my bleeding shoulder. What I felt was the mixture of blood and some other slimy substance that I soon realized was an odd green liquid. The dizziness that instantly followed my quick glance was a sure sign of what I'd been thinking... poison.
Great... could this day get any worse?
The pain of it was growing worse with every second and I couldn't control the whimpers that escaped my mouth. They stopped for a moment when I suddenly felt the ground rumble. It was only for a second, more of a thump than something steady. It came again two seconds later, and then again and again. It was like a giant was stomping in my direction, but considering where I was... that wouldn't be very surprising.
I also heard loud growls, like that of an angry dog but more... hostile... rigid... bigger. The shack was old and poorly put together so I could easily peep between two pieces of wood and out at the landscape. Though when I did, I really wish I hadn't.
I don't really know how to describe what I saw... actually, I do. It was pretty simple: a giant dog... a giant dog with three heads, that is.
It was enormous! About half the height of the gate I saw but no less terrifying, of course. It was pure black, but each of the six eyes was glowing a fiery orange... literally appearing to act as a window to fires that were burning in each head. They were all identical, except for the one in the middle sitting higher. To name a breed they all resembled, I'd say a Doberman Rottweiler, the one with the pointy ears and fierce growl. The one with the very sharp teeth...
Each head and body part was encircled with massive but well-crafted cuffs, the heads' cuffs equipped with big, lengthy chains. I followed the chains until my eyes landed on the six gargoyles tugging on them, two to each. They were struggling to pull the creature forward because of its furious attempt at tearing away. A sudden and familiar screech rung in the air and I instantly noticed something flying in behind the commotion.
It was Xur.
My eyebrows rose as I watched the encounter. He landed on the middle dog's head and clawed into it, which made it do a kind of whimper-growl combo, oddly striking sympathy in my heart.
"Get this thing under control before I feed you to the other hounds!" Xur shouted down at the gargoyles. His voice was furious, hoarse, and full of growls like usual. But for some reason, I heard more authority in it this time... more confidence.
"And you-!" He stomped on the dog's head, sinking his feet claws into its flesh. "I suggest you start following orders before we throw you in a pit! You remember how bad training was last time. Just think what Salazar will do to you this time!"
"Hey! We're already having enough problems! Don't make it angrier!" One of the gargoyles shouted up at him.
"Shut up before I feed it your tongue!" Xur retorted.
The six gargoyles did one great tug and dragged the dog creature forward. It growled but didn't struggle as much as before, obviously affected by Xur's threat.
I hadn't realized I was whimpering again until Xur turned his head sharply in my direction and narrowed his amber eyes while trying to locate the source of the sound. In one great leap, he landed on the red soil and left the group, walking on all fours toward my direction. I quickly slouched into a ball and clamped my hands over my mouth while praying he hadn't seen me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his form inching closer, but just before he could get close enough to spot me, one of the gargoyles called his name.
"Ugh, I'm coming!" he barked and gave up his search to fly back to his gang. I then risked a peek to see what the issue was.
The creature had started fighting again and the gargoyles couldn't get it under control. Xur was instantly aware, but not very alarmed. "How useless are you?!" he yelled. "Just jab the bare spot on its chest!" He began sprinting and took flight, eventually settling in front of the dogs. He extended his claws and suddenly stabbed somewhere on the creature's chest, causing all three heads to let out three large yelps.
After a while, I didn't see any more fighting and the whole gang disappeared over the horizon, heading toward the giant gate, though I couldn't exactly see if that's where they went. But the thought of the horizon brought my attention to the darkening sky which I could only imagine meant nighttime.
At first, I panicked, thinking Salazar was going to attack my people later tonight, but then I remembered that it was early morning before I fell... so time in Hell had to be different than time on Earth. I had been here for no more than two hours.
But the upcoming of night still didn't make me feel any better. I didn't know what went on around here and I was sure I didn't want to know. However, the darkness would also give me a bit of cover as I moved onto my next destination... wherever that may be.
The poison leaking from my shoulder and probably mixing into my bloodstream right then made my unknown next move a little difficult. I was feeling extremely weak, dizzy, and totally nauseous. I wasn't even sure I could walk so instead of trying, I let my eyes close and waited until night fully fell.
I drifted off for I don't know how long, but it was nearly pitch black outside the shed when I woke up. My shoulder was a bit swollen, as well as the opposite arm that was giving me problems earlier. But I pushed through anyway and left before too long.
Like I said, it was pitch black and I was stuck with a terrible limp, both slowing me down dramatically. In a way, though, they were kind of a good thing because I still had no clue where I was going. I still had to find a way to climb back to the surface but I saw no solution for miles.
The only thing that stayed locked in my sights was the enormous castle out in the distance. I knew for a fact that it wasn't a good idea, housing Salazar most likely, but... no, no buts. That wouldn't be a solution, no matter how tempting it became.
I continued limping, now noticing a thick fog that was rolling through. My eyes actually went back as I thought about how stereotypical this was. So horror-movie like... totally not an excuse to hide my murderer.
I was drawn to the light of a nearby random fire, bigger than the shed now a little ways behind me. As I approached it and managed to adjust my eyes to something other than fog, I couldn't help but take attention to the odd shapes shifting in an ugly misshapen way. They were dark shadows, no doubt of people or something that strongly resembled people. I really didn't like the way it looked and instantly felt fear strike my heart, though I wasn't sure why. I could also hear something like whispers, nothing audible but there was definitely something.
Without meaning to, I leaned forward with a sudden curiosity and right at that moment, something reached from the fire and grabbed onto my foot. I instinctively screamed, widening my eyes at the hand and noticing how its skin was charred black. It looked like ash, but something so delicate couldn't possibly be able to grab my foot. I kicked it away and made a poor attempt to run, making the mistake of glancing over my shoulder.
Indeed it was a person, one with all of its skin burnt to a crisp and no doubt a soul damned to Hell. The soul... body... or whatever it was crawled from the fire, its body just as slim as a wendigo's, and crept on all fours toward me. With my limp, it was easily faster than me, and caught up in seconds... but I ran into something just before it got a good grip on my ankle again.
I felt an arm wrap around my shoulders, heard a loud and pitiful screech, and then things went quiet. My face was buried into a chest that held a familiar but... unfamiliar... scent. If it was Kade, I would've known immediately.
But this wasn't Kade.
"How the hell did you end up in Hell?" Someone asked humorously in my ear. "Funny seeing you here, I guess I should say."
If I didn't die before, I was about to. Either I'd commit the act myself or he'd do it for me.
I shoved away, nearly losing my balance as my aching leg buckled. The first thing I noticed was that the burnt thing was gone. "Just go ahead and kill me," I growled, ignoring it. "You win."
Salazar chuckled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "As much as I like to hear you say that... I don't think I win just yet." My legs were shaking as I glared at him, and if that wasn't the first thing he noticed, then maybe it was the green liquid and blood oozing through my fingers as I gripped my shoulder.
I was genuinely surprised when his smile weakened just slightly.
"Hell Lizards... they're very poisonous, you know," he said.
"Oh, thanks genius! I didn't notice!" I snarled.
"Their venom liquifies your insides," he added, ignoring my remark. "So either you can sit here and start writhing in pain before too much longer... or I can take you back to the castle and fix you up."
"First of all, why would you help me? And second of all, why should I trust you?" I barked.
"Your only choice is to trust me right now," he answered seriously. I didn't like how he decided not to answer my first question, but I chose to leave it be. My head was hurting too badly to think critically and my stomach was beginning to ache like I'd swallowed a brick. I was hunched over, still gripping my wounded arm with my legs shaking uncontrollably.
"I'd rather die than go with you," I said coughing. I don't know why my condition was suddenly becoming worse with him here. Either it was a trick of his own or just really bad timing.
"If I were you, I wouldn't want to be stuck out here at night. As you can see... there are terrible things that will haunt your nightmares," he insisted, approaching me and lifting my chin with his finger. I shoved it away and tried to step back, ultimately failing and nearly falling. I was caught just in time.
"I'm not really giving you a choice."
"Let me die here! I'm not-" I tried to persist but I suddenly got hit with a wave of dizziness and went limp. Salazar let out an exasperated sigh as he held onto me.
I hated the feeling of his arms.
"You may not thank me later but this needs to be done," he whispered in my ear. Instantly, my eyes closed and I fainted.
***
I awoke in a soft bed, king size, I soon realized. My hands were bound above my head to the headboard, giving me an idea I surely didn't like. I was able to struggle with full strength, considering all my wounds were bandaged and I wasn't surging with pain anymore.
"I think it's obvious that's not going to work," Salazar's deep voice announced from the door. He was against the frame, a smirk on his face and his arms folded.
"What did you do to me?!" I yelled as I pointlessly struggled against the ropes.
He obviously knew what I was implying and rolled his eyes. "Relax... I didn't do anything but fix you up like I said I would." I noticed I was still wearing my shabby and torn clothes which made me think there was probably some truth to what he was saying.
He approached the bed and sat on its edge, lifting my chin with his finger. "Though, I will admit that it excites me to have you here... tied up and vulnerable."
"Your sadistic self does not impress me," I said.
"When has it ever?" he replied with a consistent smirk. "But I'm sure I could impress you."
"Gross," I breathed. "In your dreams."Â His smile suddenly disappeared when he gripped my chin tightly.
"Remember who's in charge," he growled as he brought his face to mine. "I lead around here meaning everyone follows my orders... that includes you."
"Screw you," I hissed, wishing he'd let go because his fingers had begun to dig into my cheeks. I still saw the excitement in his eyes, the sadistic yearning that twisted my stomach into knots.
"Do you realize what kind of power a demon and a god's baby could hold?" he asked.
"I'm not having a baby with you... not now, not ever," I instantly responded.
"Not willingly." His tone was blank but it was still terrifying. His eyes were sure and his words were slow... deliberate. Fear struck me like a massive ocean wave. I didn't intend for my eyes to widen.
"I didn't let you die because I wanted to kill you the honorable way... in war. I was preparing my army... I've gone through so much work! This would be the war to eliminate the final god that denied Hell... and me," he added. "Simply put: if I couldn't have you... then nobody could. Your power was all that I wanted!"
"It's obviously not the only thing you want," I barked.
"Correct. I decided against releasing you for our war once I saw you here... in my bed," he whispered. My body tensed and twitched at that information.
"So you're just calling off the war and keeping me prisoner? What happened to my honorable murder?" I asked.
"I told you, I'm forgetting all of that. I like the idea of having you here... under my control."
"Like I'd ever follow your orders!"
He chuckled and combed a strand of hair behind my ear. My cheeks ached from his released grip. "Where's your search party? You know, all your friends... your 'army'? Your precious boyfriend Kade? He's always come to the rescue but where's he at now?"
I couldn't respond, mainly because I didn't know how to. He had a point... where was everybody? Where was Kade? Why had nobody come to save me?
"You don't scare me nor do you excite me in any way," I mumbled.
"Not yet," he whispered. His red eyes locked onto mine and I suddenly got the idea to do my thing. But as I glared intensely at him, trying my hardest to override everything in his brain, he only glanced away for a moment, touched his head with a sour look, then smiled.
"Obviously you've forgotten that it's not that easy to kill me. Doing whatever you just did will never work. I've... improved on everything mental...," he leaned over me, bringing his face close to mine, "and physical." I turned my head away so when he tried to kiss me, he ended up placing his lips on the pillow. Groaning, he lifted his head and gripped my chin tighter than before. "I'm not going to deal with your foolery. I suggest you obey me if you want to live."
"Go ahead, kill me. I'd rather die than be stuck here with you," I snapped after dodging another kiss.
Salazar punched the pillow beside my head, making me jump suddenly. His red eyes glowed brighter and I could literally see the fury boiling over in them. "I've had enough of this," he growled.
I felt his hand move to the trim of my pants and tug forcefully. My knee jerked and knocked him in the stomach with such fury that he had to roll onto the bed himself to gather his strength again.
"Stay off of me, bastard," I whispered angrily in his ear as he twisted next to me. Before he could say or do anything else foul to me, there was a rough knock at the door and Xur's ugly face peeped in. His amber eyes widened at the sight of me, pure hatred and despise in them.
Salazar rolled off the bed, finally managing to recover himself, and eyed the creature with disgusted impatience. "What do you want?!" he barked.
Xur was taken aback by his attitude and gulped. "S-Sir! Why is she here? The war will take place soon! What happened to your plan?!"
"Forget the war!" The demon yelled, eyeing me harshly. "She's ours now. There's no need for it." He and Xur suddenly engaged in a heated argument, Xur stressing how much work they'd done, how ready the army was and such. Then Salazar retaliated with his argument of how all that didn't matter and again how I was their prisoner. Considering Salazar's position, he obviously won.
"You're just going to leave her there?" Xur said afterwards, looking at me like I was an ugly painting.
"No," Salazar answered with a faint smirk. "Take her to the Below. Until I figure out how to deal with her... or until she decides to cooperate, she'll stay there."
"But the Below is where-"
"I know!" The demon suddenly boomed. "I don't care anymore. Just do as I say... now."
"But we need to discuss the Cerberus... it's kind of urgent," the gargoyle continued.
"If you say 'but' one more time, it'll be the last thing you ever say! We'll discuss that later!"
Xur finally gave up and waited for his commander's next move. Salazar was quick to untie me from the headboard, only to tie my hands behind my back afterward. "Good luck, dear. You'll need it," he whispered in my ear before shoving me into Xur.
Xur was silent as he pulled me out of the room and into a dim hallway, barely lit with torches. We started heading right, then down stairs, more hallways, around corners, more stairs.
The closer we got and the farther we went down told me that whatever the Below was... it was probably going to be even more unpleasant than Hell itself.
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Omg, another really long chapter. I'm so sorry if that makes you suffer! *cry* ;-;