The Demonic Society

Purgatory

Mallory

"Shut up. Let her sleep. It's the only peaceful one she'll have for a long while." A woman's voice faintly awoke me, and in my groggy state I tried to peer open my heavy eyes.

"She's dead. She doesn't need sleep." A male voice responded. My heart thudded in my chest at the sudden realization of what they were saying and not knowing who these people were. My eyes flew open as I felt a hand shake my shoulder.

"Mornin' sunshine." The male voice drawled as he drew away. He looked to be in his mid twenties, like me, and had an untrustworthy glint in his eyes that made me uncomfortable immediately.

"Who are you?" I asked but as I took on my surroundings I knew there was a more prominent question I should have asked first. "Where are we?" It looked like we were in a elevator, a very large one with gold bars that had more in common with a cage than it would an actual elevator.

"Ah sweet innocence." The male smirked down at me from where I was curled up on the floor. "I heard people like you won't last very long where we're goin'."

"And I heard jerks like you should go to hell." I snapped at the creep before gathering my unsteady barring's and standing up. My legs shook with the effort and I felt sore all over. When the man and woman broke out in hysterical laughter I glared at them both. "What's so funny?"

"You have no idea." The woman told me as she wiped the forming tears from her eyes. "I'm Scarlett." She held her hand out for me to shake and against my better judgment, I did. "This here is Tom." She nodded towards the creepy man who held out his hand as well. This one I didn't shake it. I just lowered my eyebrows and hoped he'd get the hint that I'd rather pet a rattle snake than shake his hand. He shrugged and dropped it then leaned back against the gold bars.

"As of the moment, you're in purgatory, the waiting place between hell and heaven after you die." Tom said while pulling a thick rectangle pamphlet out of his right pant pocket. "Take a look." He tossed it to me as soon as he finished the sentence, but I didn't catch it because I was to shocked by his words prior.

"That's the second time you've mentioned being dead. That can't be possible. I don't remember dying. I still have my body. I can still feel everything. I'm tired and sore. Even more importantly, I'm hungry. The dead don't sleep, feel sore, or feel hungry." As I was finishing up the sentence I moved to the front of the cage and gripped the bars. A small panel of buttons was attached to my right. I thought about clicking them at random but figured that wouldn't help me in the long run.

I wanted to get myself out of here before these people decided to go further with there screwed up scheme. Although, it seemed like they were just as stuck as I was, if the handcuffs on the woman indicated anything, it was that.

"How do you know what the dead feel? Have you ever died before?" Tom asked rhetorically as he retrieved the pamphlet and thrust it at me when I turned around to face him. "Read the damn thing lady."

"I've got a name thank you very much." I spit back turning the pamphlet over in my hands. Tom clicked his tongue in annoyance but said nothing further. I looked back and forth between Tom and the pamphlet, then at Scarlet. She watched me from the corner chewing her dirty nails. She wore a red and black cocktail dress that didn't do much for her gangly body. When she spit a nail out onto the floor I focused my attention back on the pamphlet. If the title didn't catch my attention then the cover itself would have.

"Guide for the dead? What kind of hocus-pocus is this? Did my cousins set you up to this?" I knew I was being naive and sounded childlike but inside I was panicking and I didn't want to panic. I couldn't focus when panicked. It was best not to think about the worst case scenario. Which, in my case, could be so many things, ranging from hallucinations, kidnapping, or already being dead and in... purgatory?

"Can't say I've ever met your cousins." Toms responded, his voice thickly coated with an accent I couldn't quite place. "But yeah hun, you're dead. D E A D."

"How—" I started but cut myself off when I heard a loud crackle of chains coming up from the stairs to the left of me leading down. A quick glance to the right and I could make out a similar spiral of stairs leading up.

"I've never understood the use of chains when we can easily control them ourselves." A stocky young man in a professional cream colored suit spoke to another man wearing the exact same suit. The only difference were there name tags which I couldn't make out from the distance between us. They both looked mid-thirties and harmless so I didn't quite understand how they could "control" anyone. I grew even more confused by his statement when I saw the two tattooed men trailing behind them with chains wrapped around there wrist and ankles.

"It's to make them feel powerless and to let the demons know they'll put up a fight." His lanky companion stated. I watched them warily as they stopped in front of the cage doors.

"Gonna be a tight fit." The stocky one said right before the doors automatically opened up in front of me. I don't know what I was thinking when I went to lunge at them, all I know is that the split second I did I was thrown back by an invisible force that had me hitting my back against the far side of the cage.

"No can do little lady." The lanky one tsked at me. I groaned as I lifted my hand to my back to feel the bruise that would be forming there. I felt as if he was smirking at my stupid chance of escape, but I couldn't see past the two burly men they'd shoved into the cage with us.

"Have a nice trip fellas." The stocky ones laughter carried with him as he and his partner made there way up the right stairwell. Savage snarls left the two tattooed men aimed directly for the backs of the cream coats.

"A trip?" I asked, voice shaking despite my best efforts to conceal it. "A trip to where?" I continued shoving the pamphlet in my blue jean pocket, fearing I'd drop it with my uncontrollable shaking hands.

"Hell." Tom remarked as the whole cage shook and the world fell beneath our feet.

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Author's Note: This scene needs some editing & a few things may need clarified but bear with me. If something doesn't quit make sense, leave a comment. I plan to come back & edit it soon. Thank you.
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