Song Remains the Same

Chapter 107: Ad Purgatorium

Christ. Alex touched wobbling fingers to her stinging cheek. What was that thing? She had no idea, but it looked feral and terrifying even laying there dead at her feet. That was close. Too close. Wincing, Alex realized she could already feel bruises forming from the fall back into the crater—her arms, her legs, a knee, a spot on her back all protested and pinged in pain. Half amazed that she was still alive at all and very aware that she needed to move now, Alex cast around in the dark for her things and made quick, frenzied work of gathering everything back as she kept throwing hyper-vigilant glances around.

She ignored her pain and focused on getting to the ground level again with all her weapons. As she reached the top of the crater and the barren woods beyond, she shifted her backpack onto both shoulders so it wouldn't come off and switched from machete to crossbow, holding it tight and high as she crept forward and looked in all directions for any other signs of danger, training the sights on all possible places an enemy could be hiding. She'd rather shoot any kind of threat than knife fight it up close and in the dark after that little tussle.

Her breathing calmed down after a few seconds and no other threats emerged. That freaky monkey from the pit of hell had apparently been a lone wanderer. So, this was Purgatory. It was surprisingly dull and monotonous looking. She heard nothing and saw nothing—there were just trees and trees and more trees, no signs of any more enemies or any thing else besides drab woods in all directions. The loudest sounds were her slowly-moving whisper-soft footsteps and the thunder of her own heart in her ears. She crept forward into the trees, mindful of every last thing: her grip on her weapon, the loudness of her footfalls, her immediate surroundings and the dangers that might lurk behind any number of nearby trees. Ears straining to hear any indication of someone nearby, Alex exercised extreme caution and swallowed down the fear she felt... but Zip's Purgatory pep talk replayed in her mind over and over; his cautionary tales and wisdom gained from personal experience making her adrenaline surge even higher.

"It's dangerous. There might be a monster behind every tree or there might not be anyone else for a hundred miles. You never know. You might go days without seeing anyone. That's when you have to be the most paranoid."

She continued forward into the woods and away from the crater, wishing she didn't have to do this alone—without someone watching her back, things could go sour quickly. And the nice little welcome she'd gotten from that baboon looking guy had really jarred her despite how she knew better than to expect an easy ride.

"You have to be fast. You have to be good. Every single soul in there is out for blood. Your blood."

Alex came upon a good sized tree with a low enough branch and quickly slung her crossbow over her shoulder and leapt up, catching the limb and pulling herself up with gritted teeth. If nothing else, working for Crowley had put her through the paces and she was stronger and sharper than ever. She'd had to be with all that demon hunting. But here and now in this place, she reminded herself that she wasn't so much the hunter as the hunted. Zip had been pretty damn clear about that part in his dire warnings.

"You won't need food and you won't need water. You'll need speed. You'll need eyes in the back of your head. You'll need luck. Purgatory isn't for humans. If your brother and the angel are dead in there... don't be surprised."

She drug herself up the tree and to its highest point where she could see further. The entire way up, Zip's words echoed darkly across her thoughts. If your brother and the angel are dead in there... don't be surprised. She refused to believe they were dead or to even acknowledge it as being possible even though she knew it was more than possible—it was probable. Yes, it had been nine or so months and yes this was a dangerous place and yes the odds weren't in the boys' favor... but there was a chance, there was a sliver of hope that they had fought and survived and were out there in these woods somewhere. That was the hope she was building her entire world on. She had to get to her big brother and to the other half of her heart and soul. She had to get them out. She would do it or she would die trying.