Purgatory

Call a spade a spade, and a jack a jack

The forest was alive with activity here, the day was bright and grey the clouds spitting the occasional raindrop, "Almost there." Benny puffed, his sprint slowing to a jog, "This last bit's going to be rough."

"I hadn't noticed." Artemis sarked, thin trees racing by him as he ran.

They stopped for a moment, "You ready?" Benny asked.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, "It'd be a bit awkward if I wasn't, wouldn't it?" A stern look from Benny made him smile, "Yes, I'm ready."

Benny met his gaze, "Thank you, I'll owe you for this Chief."

"No more than I'll owe you my friend." Artemis said, then pulled knife out of his belt, slit it down his arm, hands on Benny, focusing on his energy. Benny was doing the same.

Benny disappeared into a flash of light that jumped into his arms, the energy glowing red under the skin on his arms.

He took a deep breath and ran, trees lashing by. He came by a clearing, natural rock choppy and uneven and smattered with rainwater.

A woman was waiting at the shimmering portal. She gave him pause, before tentacles and teeth erupted from her body, too big to fit into those dimensions of a person. He dodged, the speed of the strikes of the tentacles moving faster and faster, razer like teeth on the ends leaving gashes on the rock. He took a chance, charging feigning with his knife, then skidding past her on his knees, into the portal.

His body was wrenched into freefall, dark all around, he changed directions multiple times, dizziness overtaking him.

He closed his eyes. This had better work was the last thing he thought before he closed his eyes.

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He landed with some speed and a resounding thud, not noticing the last wisps of white smoke leaving him, padding his landing.

His eyes adjusted to a dark forest his eyes to a forest. He cursed; it hadn't worked. Or maybe... Ahead a headlamp lit up the forest, almost as bright as the moon.

He made a dash for the verge; he didn't know how far out he was from the nearest settlement. The truck came to a screeching halt and the trucker got out, "You okay kid?" She spoke. She wore a ratty baseball cap, and her blond hair came down to her shoulder, she was maybe forty or fifty.

He smiled in the friendliest way he could muster, "Sorry, I don't know where I am, could you give me a lift."

She eyed his tattered clothes, "Sure, hop on up."

Once he was inside, he realised how numb his fingers were from the cold.

"Where you headin' kiddo?" The trucker

He kept his answer short, "Louisiana."

The woman whistled, "You're a long way from home then."

He frowned "Where am I?"

"Maine."

Maine was hundreds of miles away from where he needed to be. He didn't consider calling Holly; that part of his life was over now. He couldn't go back until he'd sorted this out. He didn't want to be around Myles and Bekett like he was now, he was a monster.

The more he thought about it, the more he could almost feel...

He took Artemis shoulders in blood caked hands, "Why did you let that happen?"

Artemis was confused, "I didn't...I don't-" He didn't let anything happen. He's scared and foggy and probably in shock.

...Did he? Artemis wasn't sure anymore.