My friends (and Leya) and I sit in a circle. It’s actually been quiet for awhile. I’m pretty sure everyone is trying to figure out where we are.
Making us jump, Leya shouted, “Where the heck are we?!” I spoke too soon. It’s not a surprise she’d give up on thinking first.
Matt and I lock eyes. It’s time to spill the beans. I decide to speak up first.
“We’re in prison. Don’t ask me what prison because I don’t know.”
They soak this in.
“How do you know?” Alex asks, not totally believing it.
Matt spoke this time. “This, uh, man, I guess, came by and Christina asked what was going on and he said ‘The prisoners are not allowed to speak to us’. That can only mean one thing, bro.” He pauses for dramatic effect. “We’re in prison.”
“Well” said Sally. We all look at her. “Why would they put us in a cell like this?” She looks around the room in disgust.
We ponder that. “I have no clue. Maybe they’re just sick people.” I suggest
“No kidding.” Says Leya, sarcastically.
I ignore her. This is not the time to be starting a fight. We sit in silence, thinking. I think about how my life is screwed. I mean, prison?! What did I do that would get me in jail?
“What a hellhole.” Alex says out of the blue.
That’s when everything came back to me! I remember the party, getting drunk, going inside Vector’s house, and entering a metal door which Vector said lead to…
“G-guys.” I say, my voice cracking. “I know w-where we are.”
They turn to me with hope. “Where?”
I take a deep breath. “Do you remember Victor’s house? The tall guy with the beard? Remember when he opened that metal door?”
My friends first stare at me in confusion, but realization dawned on their faces.
Sally gasps. “We’re in….”
“Hell.” I finish for her.
We stare at each other with horror. This explains what that deformed man was and why this room looks like it came out of a B rated horror movie.
Suddenly, Leya laughs.
“You’d expect me to believe we’re actually in Hell?! That’s just a bunch a crap!”
“Well, where do you think we are, Leya!!?” Yells Alex, finally having enough. Wow, this is new. He never yells at Leya.
She gasps loudly. “You yelled at me….”
Alex looks at her for a minute and sighs. “Ok, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. This all is just too much and it got the best of me. I’m sorry.”
Man!! Alex is just too nice. I would have kicked that bitch to the curb months ago.
“Don’t you ever do that again. But I forgive you, babe.” She says sweetly. Alex forces a tight smile on his face.
“If you guys are done talkin’, I want you to see this.” Says Matt. I didn’t hear him walk to the window. That sneaky cat.
We reluctantly walk to where he’s indicating and look out. In the black-stoned hallway, were people of all colors, shapes, and sizes. Wait, these are not people. They’re…demons? I look closely and see a demon whose skin is red, but instead of skin, its got scales. Blood is caked in between them. It sees us watching and faces us. I realize its eyes are completely white and its mouth is stitched together, too. The thing is wearing a battered robe. My eyes bulge in disbelief. Eerily, it waves at us and carries on.
“Ok, I believe we’re in Hell now.” Says Leya.
I think we’ve seen enough so we sit back down. Gosh, demons are real! It’s hard to believe that me, a girl from a small town in Vermont, is witnessing what Hell is.
“Dang.” Says Alex, looking at the window in awe. “Did you see that thing?”
We nod soberly.
“What do we do now?” asks Sally.
I answer. “I guess we just-
Right then, the same demon barges into our cell. I scream and we back up to the far wall. What does it want with us? Is it gonna kill us? Or eat us alive? I tell my mind to shut up because these thoughts are just making me more afraid.
The demon rolls its eyes. “You fools! I have not come to kill you! I have come to deliver a message!”
How can it talk if its mouth is stitched together, I think.
It sighs and continues. “The Lord is very enraged. You humans should not be in this realm. It is forbidden. The Lord wishes to see you before you are eliminated.” Eliminated means killed, right?
Of course, Matt had the courage to speak up. “Okay, I have three questions. How can we hear you if your mouth is stitched up, who is ‘The Lord’, and how are we gonna see ‘The Lord’?”
“You can hear me because I am speaking in your mind, boy. And the Lord is what you people might call ‘The Devil’. He pauses. “You will be released tomorrow. Two other demons will escort you to the Lord’s palace.” Creepily, it grins. “Sweet dreams.” It then walked out of the cell and locks the door leaving us flabbergasted.
No one makes a move or talks.
Startling us, Leya hollered, “Devil?! Eliminated?! This is just too much….”
“I know, it is.” Agrees Alex. “But I believe that thing. I mean, why would a demon just come in here just to tell us a lie?”
“Yeah” added Matt. “The dude looked serious, man.”
The rest of us nod.
“But meeting the devil seems a little far-fetched, don’cha think?” Said Leya.
“Maybe, but being in Hell is a little far-fetched, too." She glares at me. "Anyway, I guess we’ll find out a tomorrow. There’s no reason to argue about it now.” I say.
“Mhmmm, let’s stop talking, I’m beat.” Says Sally, yawning.
I am too. I honestly don’t care if the floor is nasty. My head stills hurts. I need just a little nap. I take one last look around the room and shudder. Regretting that I looked, I slowly lay down far from the source of the stench. So does everyone else. I cover my mouth and nose with my shirt and drift into deep sleep.