Into the Dark

Chapter 45

At first, I didn't know how to react, then it hit me again that this was Hell and I should panic... which I did.

I didn't scream because obviously, that'd be one of the dumbest things to do in a place where I didn't know what was listening... or watching.

The thought only irritated me more and I began to frantically search my open surroundings. Nothing. That's all it was. I stood and spun, looking as I rubbed my sore muscles. The patch that had been applied to the wound on my neck-thanks to Xur-was now gone, most likely because of the corpses' manhandling. It wasn't healed enough to be exposed, but clearly, that was the least of my problems.

When I looked up at the misty sky, pain struck my heart. How the heck was I supposed to get out of here? Was the sky even a possibility? Until I figured out how to even get back up, I'd have to settle somewhere... but where?

The nearest "shelter" was the black castle sitting at least a mile or two out in the distance. Besides that, I did notice little mounds here and there and a few shacks that looked way overused. Other than that and a few dead trees scattered across the relatively flat land, there wasn't much to see.

I'll admit that the stereotype of Hell being hot was extremely true. I was already sweating and becoming dehydrated from the heat. The air was heavy but hard to breathe, smelling of literal death and despair and making my eyes water like crazy. It was putrid and I wondered how I hadn't puked yet.

I put those petty little things behind and began a slow limp towards a little shack I saw up ahead. A large fire was burning to my right, a duplicate of the many that I saw surrounding me from every direction. Behind me, though, I knew the enormous and greatly terrifying gate loomed like a warning sign to any visitors-although I'm sure no one came here willingly. I couldn't tell which was more frightening... it or the castle.

I decided not to think about it and continued my limp to the shack, gripping my aching arm that honestly felt broken. I felt like I was walking on needles the entire walk and even checked to ensure I wasn't. Once I finally reached the small shack, which was equipped with an unneeded door, I slipped inside, closed the shabby door behind me, and threw myself down against the wall. The whole thing shook and creaked, nearly falling over due to my forcefulness.

I wasn't lying when I said small, the roof was maybe a foot taller than me and there wasn't even enough room for me to stretch my legs or arms out completely. I had my sore arm laying over my stomach and my free hand rubbing the wound on my neck which was growing undoubtedly worse. I closed my eyes for rest and groaned quietly, triggering another noise that didn't come from me.

My eyes were open the instant I heard it. It came from my left: a little hoarse chirping sound that brought my attention to a small hole in the ground (the shack didn't even have its own floor). All of a sudden, a small black head peeped from the hole and red eyes met mine.

The creature they belonged to seemed to be some disgusting little lizard, no longer than my forearm. It hissed at me, abruptly leaping at me without a second glance or thought. Startled, I managed to catch it before its surprisingly sharp teeth could sink into my face. It was stronger than I thought, snapping constantly as it pushed itself closer to me. With my weak arm, I was barely able to hold it back and could easily smell its nasty breath. When it made a shift in direction and jumped to my shoulder, I was unable to defend myself and felt the teeth pierce my shoulder.

I yelped and instantly wrapped my hand around the lizard's neck, using my remaining energy to snap it with a crisp break. I threw the lifeless body next to the hole, pushed dirt into it with my shoe, and brought my trembling hand to my bleeding shoulder. What I felt was the mixture of blood and some other slimy substance that I soon realized was an odd green liquid. The dizziness that instantly followed my quick glance was a sure sign of what I'd been thinking... poison.