The Unknown // Colby Brock

~~ Chapter Two ~~

I waited and waited just staring out the window at the peculiar red sky, but as my boredom grew, so did my curiosity. It was like they were feeding each other as I got more and more annoyed, too. I was reaching my peak, and that meant I was going to do something stupid; that was how it'd always worked in life, at least.

Angry? Punch that random guy. Sad? Jump off that balcony and hope you survive - but in the back of your head hope the opposite. What a life I lived.

Eventually, I tipped over and gave up waiting. Checking the clock like Cassie had told me to, I saw that it was passed midnight already, which meant I had been there for hours and hours. So I gave up on good behaviour right from the get-go and walked straight out of my room.

The doorway felt darker now, and more lonely. As I approached the balcony, of sorts, that looked over the throne room, I noticed two large double doors sitting directly in the centre of that very same balcony left open. My curiosity built even more. I edged a hell of a lot closer and peered inside, making out that the room was almost completely black inside with only two candles lighting it up from the nightstand of a bed that somehow looked grander than my own, and just beside the door.

Admittedly, I was awestruck by the room because it just looked so much like royalty. I figured out why - and who it belonged to - when the door somewhere along the mini hallway opened to reveal the devil himself. He looked mad.

In a flash of red that literally blinded me for a second, he disappeared from the doorway and popped up right in front of me, slamming me against his wall. My entire body practically shut down in what I could only call fright. He said nothing for a moment, then things began to slow down as he shifted his hands from my shoulders to barricade me in by placing them against the wall. He stepped closer.

I felt like it was his body pinning me, and I couldn't go into too much detail about how that excited me a little.

"You dare ignore me," he said slowly through a more-than displeased growly voice. He leaned his face closer to stare me right in the eyes. "You need to learn, Arianna, that you don't get away with misbehaviour down here. The next step from here is eternal pain worse than just being burnt alive, so watch yourself."

I stayed frozen there just staring at him, waiting for something, anything to happen. A part of me didn't want to leave. And I thought a part of him felt the same.

The sexual tension between us had come out of nowhere, but it was strong and compelling me to just grab him. What was with that? Did that always happen? Was the devil naturally just so... so...

My thought process left the building entirely when the devil gave in to the tension and the pull. He reached to the side and slammed shut his door then grabbed me and went in to kiss me. I very, very nearly let him, but everything started flowing through my head.

He was an asshole, as I already knew because of what he did to Jake just for bringing me here, and he'd tried confining me to my room for no reason. So I decided to be both brave and stupid.

I pushed him back and moved as quickly as I could towards the door, but he beat me to it, holding it shut effortlessly. I stopped and stared at him. "You may be the devil, but that doesn't mean I suddenly have some- some draw to you that I can't control!"

He stared at me a moment. "But you do." A cocky grin came over his face as he took a step forwards. "I can see it in your face... "

"Don't be a dick."

"I'm the devil, it's my job."

"I don't care. I just got here and all you've done is be a complete asshole to everyone here. I'd rather be sent out there with all of those-"

Before I could finish my sentence, I was slammed for the second time against the wall, but this time I was held there by a single hand resting on my stomach.

"Be careful with what you're saying, Arianna, because I promise you, you do not want to be stuck out there with them. They burn every single day and night but never die. They get tortured by those who you see as nicer than me. And they get sent to a fate a hell of a lot worse if they step out of line, which you're pushing the boundary of here, so I suggest you start listening to what I say, go back to your room, and sleep, because it will not be pretty if I give you your wish."

His little speech left me mesmerised staring into his eyes. We stared at each other just like we had before, but this time the sexual tension was somehow worse. When he stepped back, I almost let out a whimper.

"Get out of my room."

I didn't, not for a moment. I watched him walk to his bed and reach down to pull off his shirt before I even moved. I didn't want to see the devil shirtless, not if he was that attractive with it on. However, I also had no interest in going back to my room, so I decided to leave his, slamming the door on the way, then didn't waste even a moment in jogging down the stairs.

Pretty much everything was quiet as I explored the kitchen, dining room, and living room. Each one was almost exactly the same as the ones on Earth, except the living room had a library attached to it the size of the throne room.

I had never really been an avid reader in life - mostly because I was too busy partying and being high up in the clouds - but I used to love it. In fact, I used to read books every second of every day that I wasn't at school or busy elsewhere. Since I was now dead and it wasn't likely that any parties were going to take place, maybe it would be worth just picking it back up again.

After a short while of browsing the books, I came across one that interested me, so I took it to one of the chairs and sat down.

Screw sleeping, I had better things to do.