Kadian

The Great Shetani

There was something especially jarring about waking up in an unknown place. Even the littlest of things seemed especially strange when a person couldn't recall how they ended up where they were. A sudden mix of confusion, panic, and acute awareness washed over Alaba as she woke from the Shango incident.

Mystified, she layed on what seemed to be a ground, staring into utter darkness. "Didn't I...die?" she thought. For a moment she actually believed she was blind, because she wasn't able to make out any sort of light or figure for a long period of time. Her repetitive blinking was useless, but the thought of moving any more than her eyelids frightened her. She then remembered her mouth.

"He...hello?" her voice rang out into the emptiness.

"Where am I?" Silence.

"Would someone help me?! ANYONE?!" Still silence-apart from the echoes her cries created. They were torture to her ears, ears that, for once, longed to hear someone besides herself speak. When she couldn't take the noise any longer, she curled into a ball and covered her ears. The echoes stopped just as quickly as they had begun. Pleasantly surprised, but cautious, Alaba opened her eyes. The darkness was beginning to transition into a rich, wine like color. Red.

Alaba gasped and scurried to her feet, though she knew running was useless.

"Bet you never thought you'd find yourself in Hell, did you now?" a suave voice tickled her ears.

Alaba spun around, only to see no one. "Who's there?!" she shouted into the red emptiness, trembling slightly.

"'Who's there'?" the deep, male voice mocked, then chuckled. He had a slight southern accent, Alaba noticed. Her curiosity overpowered her fear, just for a moment. Where she stood wasn't at all how she pictured Hell.

In her mind, Hell was supposed to be a chamber of immense pain, and sadism beyond belief. But so far, the only thing being tortured was her mind, and she wasn't sure what to make out of it. After being burned alive on Shango, this seemed rather mild.

In the blink of an eye, literally, a man appeared in front of Alaba. She gave the tall, ivory man standing before her a subtle once over. He had a messy sort of appeal- his ginger hair went in every direction, but still had a neat shine to it. Alaba suddenly longed to run her fingers through it. His chiseled chin hadn't seen a razor in weeks, and his scruffy stubble looked strangely inviting. His lips were considerably smaller than her own, but she bet they were experienced. They would feel so nice against her large ones.

"But those eyes," Alaba thought. His impossibly black eyes shone with a gleam that was so mischievous, so enticing that Alaba couldn't help but lose herself in them, as she wondered what this man had seen and done.

"You know better than to stare Alaba," he said with a humorous edge to his voice. Embarrassed, she broke the stare and let her eyes wander to his body instead. His muscles subtly bulged out of his white tee shirt and denim pants. He was just as fit as Mohassen, whom she had forgotten all about up until that moment. But there was no room for guilt in her heart when it was occupied by so much desire. She wanted this man a thousand times more than she had wanted Mohassen when she first took an interest in him.

Alaba chewed at her lip before finding her voice. "And who might you be, tall, light, and handsome?" she purred. "And just how do you know my name?"

He turned away from Alaba and slowly sauntered around the empty space. Something about the way he moved caused Alaba to feel anxious. He seemed as though he knew something that everyone else didn't; and she didn't know whether or not that was a good, bad, or terrible thing. Given her location, it was most likely the latter.

"Silly, silly woman," he finally spoke. "When you run a place like Hell, you have to be aware of all of your potential visitors. A person could go rogue any minute, any second, so I know the names of the good, bad, and neutral alike. Don't flatter yourself. "

Alaba's face twisted. No one had ever said such a bold, ignorant thing to her. Before she could object, he held up his hand.

"You asked for my name, darling- I am Shetani. Seeing that I am the devil, I can be your worst nightmare, your best friend, or..." he slowly pulled out a blue velvet box from his back pocket, "...something much deeper."

He stepped towards Alaba and opened the box. Inside was a breathtaking engagement ring. The thick gold band had intricate black swirls etched on the sides. From the center of the ring protruded a round, large, luminous ruby. It was by far the most gorgeous piece of jewelry Alaba had ever seen in her entire life. She slowly reached out to touch it, imagining how gorgeous it would look on her finger. Shetani snapped the box close and swatted at her hand.

"Tsk tsk tsk," he teased, waving his finger. "This little thing here? This is for wives only, baby." He questioned Alaba with his eyes.

"Oh....well..." Alaba bit her lip as she tried to think. She would have leapt at an opportunity such as the one presented to her in a heartbeat, had Mohassen not been in the picture.