City of the Fallen - unedited

Chapter Forty-Eight

"Why?" I ask between tears.

"Everything changed when you died, Julia. When they took you to the hospital you were still alive. You fought for your life but didn't fight hard enough. Dad would leave the house every few hours and went who knows where, Mom would constantly miss work. You were on the news." He rants. Tears pour down my cheek. I can hardly remember what happened after I was in the fire.

"The guys who set the church on fire were arrested. The school had a memorial service for you. The funeral was the worst hour of my life. Everything after that was related to the fire. I couldn't escape it and I felt so much pain that I wanted it to stop. I didn't want to be alive anymore." His voice grew shaky and he stopped speaking.

"I'm so sorry, Nick."

"Look, it's not your fault. I've adapted pretty well down here. This is my fate and I accept it."

"How did you know you aren't supposed to be down here?" I prompt. It pains me that he knows he isn't where he belongs, and has known for almost a few weeks.

"The glow." Nick's glance falls to his clothes. "Everyone in this chamber knows each other. We're all we have."

"I can get you out, Nick. When did you become so negative?"

He shakes his head and rubs his eyes. "Being down here does stuff to you. It's like being in prison where they torture you every single day. But you can feel it. Imagine not eating for weeks, months. When they touch you, all of it comes back. And it only gets worse as you stay down here."

I shudder, thinking about my leg. I can't imagine how bad it's going to hurt when we get back. "I'm sorry, about everything. But you deserve to live in the afterlife in peace. All of you do."

"We're doomed, Julia. Not one prisoner has ever escaped the Underworld." Nick stares at the floor.

"No." Daisy intervenes. "One of you must make it back to the Afterworld. They have to know we're down here."

Nick cocks an eyebrow. "Nobody has made it out of a cell, Daisy. They're never going to know."

Daisy pulls my arm to face her. "You need to get back. Tell them that there's thousands of us down here. You are our last hope."

"What? What do you mean?" I question.

A pair of legs appear outside of the cell. It's the demon who had taken me here. My eyes lift up at his figure, his dark wavy hair and fiery eyes.

"I see you've already made friends." He says, glancing between Nick and I.

"Nope. I don't know her." Nick insists. I narrow my eyebrows in confusion. "I was just telling her about transferring cells."

"We'll see." The demon chuckles, then snatches my arm.

"No!" Nick shouts, then groans. I feel every pain pour into my body again, my energy slowly draining until I'm nothing.

"How endearing. We have a pair of siblings down here, do we?" He crouches onto the ground eye level with me. "How about I make you a little deal, eh?"

I glance over at Nick, who is shaking his head repeatedly.

"I'll set your brother free if you agree to stay here with me."

"No." Nick protests.

"Shut up. It's her decision to make." The demon silences him. Before Nick can speak again, he opens the cell door and drags me out.

"Don't do it Julia!" Nick yelps as I am taken down the hallway. I attempt to rip his hand from my arm, but his grip is deathly tight.

He pushes me against the cold wall, his breath heating up my neck. "Don't worry darling, I'll take great care of you down here." His fingers trace my jaw and move slowly down my neck. "Nick will be where he belongs."