The Depths of Hell

Anna awoke terrified in a cold sweat, immediately realizing she wasn’t in her room. The air around her was hot and rancid, forcing bile into the back of her mouth. She swallowed hard and tried to force her eyes to adjust to the thick darkness. Despite the heat, her skin was covered in goose pimples. Her entire body tensed, as she struggled to make out hushed voices nearby, immediately knowing she was in danger.

She had no idea where she was and how she had gotten there. The last thing she remembered was holding the gun in her sweaty palms. Tony’s back had been turned, all she had to do was pull the trigger. No more blackmail, no more threats, her secret would die with him. Anna’s mind was fuzzy, she couldn’t be sure if she had killed him or not. A voice in the back of her mind brought her to a scary realization. If she had killed him, why would she be waking up on the hard ground in what seemed to be a tunnel?

She whipped her head around her eyes combing the darkness for the menacing voice that just called her name. Her stomach dropped with fear as a sinking feeling set in.

“Anna!” A voice laughed wickedly it almost didn’t sound human. It reminded her of the distorted voices used in horror movies by the killers.

“Listen Tony I will pay you double what I use to.” Anna’s voice came out in a stammer. She cursed herself for being so afraid. It had to be Tony he had dragged her here unconscious all she had to do was strike a new deal with him, she thought to herself.

“Tony, who’s Tony?” The cringe worthy voice was closer this time, his hot breath tickling the back of her neck. Anna jumped away scraping her hands on small jagged stones. She ignored the pain forcing her breathing to become even again.

Her mind ran to her younger sister Kacey who would be worried she had missed movie night. Kacey had turned 15 last week, they had spent the day shopping while Kacey blabbed on about her latest crush. Anna had thrown her sister a surprise party later that night, which Kacey and her friends just couldn’t shut up about.

“Tony just tell me what you want!” Anna stifled a sob with her hands. Her gut instinct told her she was dealing with someone or something worse than Tony. However she couldn’t afford to think like that. She had to think survival, she needed a way out of this situation.

“Welcome to hell Anna.” The same taunting voice hissed at her.

Her eyes still couldn’t adjust to the heavy darkness, for a second Anna thought she may have gone blind. She sucked in hot air through her mouth rapidly, her clothes wet with sweat. It was obvious the owner of the voice was toying with her.

“If you hurt me my parents will kill you!” Anna threatened, her throat dry and scratchy. She could still taste the bile in her mouth. Why was it so hot? She thought in frustration.

The blow to her stomach was so intense it took a few seconds for Anna to wail in excruciating pain. It felt as if her entire skin was set on fire. She couldn’t be sure if she had been hit with someone’s hand or a weapon. Crying she curled up into the fetal position, dreading that the end would be long and painful.

Dark figures circled Anna chanting, “You’ll burn in hell like the rest of us.” They raked her skin with sharp fingernails. She gagged on the putrid scent of their breath as they drew the circle around her tight.

Anna’s mind raced in panic. What did they mean by burn in hell? Had she been kidnapped by some sick satanic cult?

“Leave me alone!” Anna screamed, swinging her arms angrily trying to fight off her assailants. Her hands sliced through furnace hot air hitting nothing. Her body trembled as sobs escaped her throat one after the other. The voices multiplied getting louder every time. Anna’s heart thudded against her chest as if trying to break free of her body.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the voices asked in unison.

What the hell were they talking about, she had barely moved since she woke up in this god forsaken place? Anna’s head was vibrating with the pain of a headache. Slowly the darkness began to dissipate, a new wave of horror turning her body into solid ice. Her heart that was pounding loudly a minute ago stopped completely.

“Oh my God!” she whispered in disbelief. She would have given her entire trust fund to have been kidnapped by a crazy satanic cult. The faces that came out of the dark weren’t humans. Creatures with black snake skin and grey bones protruding from their faces and necks. Their glowing red eyes seem to pierce into her soul. The worst part were their yellow fork like tongues that lashed out at her flesh singeing her skin.

Anna was being dragged along a dark winding tunnel lit with torches. The further into the tunnel she got the more intense the heat. It was as if she was being burned alive in a furnace.

The demons dumped her at what could only be the gates of hell. The brass gate was glowing red hot from intense heat and human skulls were perched atop each post. It stretched on for miles far past what she could see. A gigantic centaur guarding the gate roared intensely. It had dark wiry hair reaching down past its strong torso and where its eyes should be were pools of fire. The sound of his roar shook the entire foundation of hell. Anna slipped into unconsciousness.