Prologue
Red beams dot my chest.
Garbled words try to scramble themselves in my brain.
The fog is too much. My fingers inadvertently tighten on the hilt of a knife.
The bullets invade me from all sides. My blood spills in red waves as I crumpled to the ground struggling to breathe through the unbearable pain.
My life slowly slips into darkness with each agonizing breath I pull in.
I blink rapidly ridding my mind of the nightmare that had just been filling my vision. It had felt so real. Sitting up I'm immediately jostled from the relief of being awake. I'm not at home. Getting to my feet I examine my surroundings. The room I'm in is hot, dark, and smells of rotting flesh making me gag. ‘Where the hell am I?’ I ask myself.
The door swings open in answer letting a deep red-colored light spill into the darkness of the room and I step back my body pressing into the rough wall. A tall extremely skinny woman who looks like she's made of bones steps into view. Her waist-length red hair is pin-straight and flowing around her. The tight black dress she's wearing clings to her body like a second skin every bone poking through the thin fabric.
“Good you're awake, follow me.” Her red lips part moving quickly and when she turns on her stiletto heel the words finally register.
Doing as I'm told I exit the room close on her heels. The suffocating heat intensifies immensely constricting the air in my lungs and a terrified scream rips through the air startling me as I take in the horrors. Fire erupts freely throughout the open cavern casting ghastly shadows on the blood-colored walls; people are strewn about in various levels of torture their taxes contorted in agony. It takes me a moment to realize it's my scream greeting my ears and I clamp my mouth closed cutting off the sound.
“Every time, really?” The bony woman mutters sarcastically and for the first time, I notice the tiny horns sticking out of her head.
I keep following her down the winding pathway carved into the deep red clay. We pass by various demonic-looking creatures and humans. Some are walking on chains others are shackled to walls while the demons throw a variety of objects at them. ‘When I had asked where the hell I was I didn't think I was actually in hell. Now, I'm not so sure. Maybe I’m still asleep.’ I think dryly. I try to keep my eyes from wandering afraid of what I might witness and almost run into the anorexic woman.
She’s holding a door I hadn't seen her open. It's been carved into the side of the wall laying completely flat with its surroundings. She ushers me past her and inside the dark room. I turn to watch her as best I can in the darkness and she seals the door shut cutting off any light seconds before bright white lights flicker on. I squint my eyes to the brink of shutting trying to adjust to the harsh lighting and realize the door is gone. ‘How does a door vanish?’ As if she can read my thoughts she speaks.
“Only I can open the door it keeps humans from trying to escape while I explain your new home.” A sadistic smile spreads across her lips at the word home. “Now sit.”
Her hand comes down on my shoulder shoving me into the seat I hadn't noticed was behind me. My bottom hits the hard plastic and I reach for handles that don't exist nearly falling off the chair. Her smile remains in place and I watch as she perches on the edge of a high-backed office chair plush with all the extra contours for people required to sit for long periods of time. Her heels clack when she walks her feet across the floor to roll the chair closer placing her elbows on the desk which labels her as an orientation specialist. She knits her long thin fingers together leaning slightly to rest her chin on her hands. Her black eyes bore into me making me nervously scratch the back of my hand and look away.
“Avery Williams,” her voice reaches my ears and I look up, “welcome to hell.”
If my thoughts hadn’t been enough to sour my usual optimistic mood and prepare me for this message I wouldn't have been able to stay seated. My heart hammers wildly inside my chest like a caged animal slamming into my ribcage repeatedly and making it harder to breathe.
“Am I dead?” I know it's a stupid question the moment it leaves my mouth but it's too late to take it back. How else would I have ended up in hell? Of course, I am dead. My nightmare hadn't been a nightmare after all it had been real.
“Yes, and to answer your next question, you are in hell because you murdered someone ultimately shifting your soul's balance to evil.”
That was a shock I hadn't expected. I would never murder anyone and if I had why couldn't I remember it? I wasn't the type to kill a fly, I got a glimpse of myself as I carried a spider outdoors, yet, she says I committed murder. I keep searching my mind for anything from my life to no avail. It's like my life only started when I woke up.
“Why?” I croak.
“From the looks of it, you snapped. Total blood bath.” The glimmer in her eyes grows as she recollects the gruesome details.
“Why can't I remember?”
“Violent or traumatic deaths sometimes cause you humans to forget or block out your life on earth.” She says you humans with such disgust spit flies from her red lips.
“Will I ever remember?” She seems to be growing tired of her time with me flopping back in her chair and waving a red manicured hand above her head.
“It's possible, though those humans usually go mad.” She cackles like an actual evil witch cackle. Was it a funny topic for her? For humans to go mad.
Another demon enters from a door behind her and this one looks more demon than human. Sharp teeth, long horns, and talons extend from her body and when she turns to face the bony lady a barbed tail slinks around her ankle making me look at her feet. She has hoofs. Freaking goat hooves.
“Take her to her quarters.” Bony instructs the new demon.
“Yes, mistress.” The new demon says bowing. She makes her way to me and I stand following her from the room.
She waits until the door seals closed and she starts to walk to speak.
“Just a heads up the humans who lie low and obey the demons get further here.” She warns me, for such a mean-looking creature she's very soft-spoken. “I'm Carla by the way.”
“Noted. If you don't mind me asking what type of demon are you?” I ask hoping I haven't offended her in any way.
“I'm a Dialen demon, we're lower-level servants here barely above the humans.” She explains as she continues to lead the way down the hall.
“How many types of demons are here?”
“Over a hundred including the quasi’s and the mixed breeds. Most are low-level. It's the ones higher up on the food chain you have to fear. I recommend staying far away from the princes.”
A shiver runs down my spine partly due to her words, and partially because I can feel someone's eyes on me. When I look up I meet the glowing red orbs of an incredibly sexy man with a sharp jawline and the horns of an Ibex. I gulp swallowing the lump forming in my throat there, seated upon his magnificent horns, is a crown. I hurriedly look away jogging to catch up with Carla. She stops a few minutes later outside of an open doorway.
“This is the room you've been assigned too. Don't leave your room after lockdown. Humans aren't allowed to roam freely after that. The empty cot in the corner is yours and your first day of work will begin tomorrow just follow the other women.” Carla has her speech down and I can see the nervous way she's biting her lip.
“Do you need to get back?” I ask.
“Mistress doesn't like when I take too long.” She admits.
“Well then, don't let me stop you. I'll manage from here.”
“Thank you, Avery.” Carla speeds away the way she came and I step further into the dingy room.
I walk across the space to the small cot and sit down. Pressing my back to the wall I face the door so I'm not taken by surprise when someone enters. Being here feels all wrong. I wish I could remember my life. Even in this short time, I cared for Carla a demon whom I didn't know. How could I possibly be so evil to commit murder? I don't know when I snapped or how it happened. Do I really belong here in hell?
A group of women walks in a few minutes later and they all pause when they see me. Once they realize I'm human they continue to their cots.
“Fresh meat,” A larger woman with a low ponytail says taking a step around the other women and in my direction.
“I wouldn't if I were you, Bernie, I heard she's a murderer,” Another squeaks.
“This little thing a murderer?” Bernie laughs cracking her knuckles as she takes another step.
“Thats what they're saying.” One of the others chimes in.
“Well see about that. She looks too pretty and delicate to be a murderer to me.” Bernie closes the last of the space between us and I rise to my feet still pressed to the wall.
Her hands comes out wrapping around my throat and cutting off my air.
“That's enough!” A deep growl resonates through the room and a pair of glowing red orbs meet my dark brown eyes.
Bernie releases me dropping to her knees along with all the other girls in the room while I stand on my shaky legs using the wall for support. The owner of the voice crosses the room in three long strides his glowing eyes never leaving mine. He swoops me into his embrace his skin hot to the touch burning through my clothing and warming me.
My world spins and blackness encompasses me as I feel him start to walk out of the room.
