Hellbound: Chronicles

by Brashear, Nicholas

  “How did you know, Jon?”

  “How did I know what?” I asked while rubbing my wrists from the burn. It was amazing that even though he was obviously made of fire, there were no burns on my body, there were scorch marks of course, but the skin was still intact.

  “He knew what we said. Yes, he is a smart one. Do you think congratulations are in order? No, he isn’t deserving of our compliments. I will anyway. Jon, you have done well. You used your mind instead of just the gifts. You will do well with them, I’m sure. You have understanding of life more than the others. You will be my protégé. I will be your mentor. You will enjoy your eternity under me. I will make it most pleasing. Then we will…” his voice drifted off to a mumble and I could no longer understand that rasps that I could barely hear. He turned away from me and was now just staring off into the darkness that surrounded the monumental triangle. “Time to go, Jon,” he shook out of his daze. I nodded and snapped my fingers. We were back in the bar’s back room.

  “He is doing well. Yes, he is. Do you enjoy it, Jon?” I didn’t respond; I just looked at him. “I asked you a question!” he screamed, bursting into a stunning crimson fire.”

  “It’s fine.”

  His fire died down to a small blue flame. “Enjoy, Jon.” He snapped his fingers and was gone. I didn’t want to stay with the goons in the room so I exited to look for Stu.

  The bar was eerily empty. I exited to the street and looked around. “Do you know where Stu went?” I asked the bouncer.

  “The little bastard went that way,” he said, pointing down the road. I had no idea where to find him. I didn’t know him that well, and I doubted I would ever see him again. Not knowing where to find him, I snapped my fingers and went to Asmodeus’ triangle.

  Asmodeus wasn’t there. It was strange being there by myself. It was quiet. I stood in front of the triangle to try and find my father. I had no idea if it would work or not, but I figured that nothing bad could come of it. I thought of my father. The massive triangle began to glow bright yellow. A ball of light formed at each point and started to grow bigger and bigger with every second. They all shot to the center and combined to from a ball of light, blinding like a star. It started to die down and when it reached the point of almost not existing it began to slowly spread into the image of my father. The image was black and white but easy to make out. He was walking alone along a dirt path, but then I noticed something strange. There was grass growing on either side of the path. He was in a park of some sort. ‘Where the hell is he?’ I thought. ‘I didn’t think anything could grow down here.’ I started moving towards the image. I was reluctant since I had yet to see any grass in Hell, but I had to know what was going on. I approached the image slowly. I was just an inch away, and I stopped. ‘What if this is some trick from Asmodeus? I won’t let myself die at his hands.’ I snapped my fingers and was back in front of the bar.

  “Back so soon?” the bouncer asked. I didn’t respond. “The master must be really keen on you.”

  “Why do you say that?” I asked.

  “I’ve been here for over a hundred years; I’ve never seen him give someone a gift other than a quick death.” I felt, somehow, flattered. “You’re pretty lucky.”

  “Maybe,” I said as I started off down the brick street. I wanted to find Stu and apologize for abandoning him. I had no idea where to look, but I had plenty of time to find him.

  I walked the streets for some time to no avail. I passed by so many people, but none of them were Stu. I decided to sit in the spot where, before, he had found me sitting. My thoughts started racing. ‘Where was my father when I was looking at him? Could he sense me there? Could I travel there without dying? I wonder what Shannon is doing right now. I wonder if she is thinking of me. Is she still mourning? I wonder if Charlie really will be able to help me get back to her; get back to life.’ “Charlie!” I screamed.

  “Yes, Jon?” he responded as he and his smile appeared in front of me.

  “Wow. I didn’t think that would actually work,” I remarked.

  “Jon, did you need something?

  “No. Maybe. I don’t know.”

  “My time is precious. Had it not been for the fact that Asmodeus is one of my superiors, I wouldn’t be here. Now do you need something or shall I be on my way?”

  “No, don’t go. Where is my father?”

  “He is safe. Don’t worry about him.”

  “I want to see him.”

  “That’s not possible, Jon. He is indisposed at the moment.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Currently there is no reason for you to know. Now if there is nothing else…”

  “I’m not finished yet!” He lifted his hand and my body began to float like before. His eyes were glowing. “You will not raise your tone in my presence, mortal!” He released me and his evil smirk returned to his face. “Now, if you would like to fix your tone, you may speak with me again, but for now, I am on my way,” and he vanished into the blackness.

  “What am I going to do?” I asked aloud. I picked up a rock and walked to one of the random dirt patches scattered amongst the roads that were in desperate need of repair. I sat and started to carve an image into the dirt. It was a picture of Shannon. I wasn’t a very good artist, but it was comforting to see her image, even if it was crudely drawn. She was all I could think about. Her soft hair, her gorgeous eyes, her warm skin, the life we were building together, everything that I had thrown away, and, of course, my misery.

  As I sat there, a small boy, looking to be a teenager, ran through and scattered the dirt portrait. His ears were missing and blood flowed out steadily. “Ah, look at the poor man missing his girl!” he laughed.

  I quickly stood. “Be careful, son,” I said with a scowl.

  “Or what? You’ll beat me up?” he asked mockingly. Without hesitating or thinking about it, I struck him. I don’t know why I did it. It wasn’t a heinous transgression, and it wasn’t like me to just hit people without a reason. “Is that all you got, old man?” I hit him again this time in the nose. He stepped back holding his nose. He paused for a second and began to laugh as he pulled his hands away. “You really think that hurt?” I swept his legs and he went down. I jumped on top of him and began wailing on him without mercy. Every time I hit him I felt this unbelievable power over him. It felt good, but at the same time, it scared me. The thought that such barbarism was in me was new and confusing. I don’t know how long I was beating the kid, but after a while he stopped laughing and began to cry. When he did I realized what I was doing and stopped. I stood up and reached out a hand to help him up. He had fear in his eyes and rejected my hand. He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran away with incredible speed.

  I looked down at my hands. They were bloody and sore. “What’s happening to me?” I asked aloud. I fell to the ground and retraced the scattered image of my wife. The feint outline of her was so comforting. I felt warm for the first time in my stay in Hell. I spent much time tracing and defining her image, trying to match the subtle curls in her hair that she let free flow, the exact curves of her lips, and the nose. The nose was the hardest part to match. She had a unique nose. It wasn’t big or ugly or anything, it was just unlike any other. Her teeth were the most important figure. They were barely visible in my dirt engraving, but they were perfect. Her smile was what attracted me to her in the first place. Drawing her made my mind start to wander. I thought about how we had first met.

  I was just starting college and I was studying some literature for one of my classes. I can’t remember what it was, but I do remember that I failed that exam. I went to the public library because the one at campus was always full of students studying or just fooling around and I couldn‘t concentrate with all that going on around me. I sat down at a big, rectangle table and started reading. Before I knew it, a girl came over and sat cattycorner to me. I shifted my eye to look at her. I had to double take. She was so beautiful, but she didn’t even notice me sitting there. She was read
ing “Moby Dick”. I couldn’t tell if she was enjoying the read or if she was just trying to cram for an exam like me. She and I both spent much time sitting there reading without sparing a glance, let alone a word. Well she didn’t spare me a glance I should say; I stared at her almost the entire time we were there. When she finally got up to leave, she walked by me and her book slipped from her hands. I quickly bent over to fetch it, but I hadn’t noticed that she had bent over as well. We knocked heads and both had a good laugh about it. When she laughed I saw her smile. It was such a beautiful smile. I told myself that I would do anything in my power to get her. I just had this feeling like tingling all over. I didn’t yet understand the idea of fate, but I knew what this was. I knew I was going to marry this woman.

  “I’m so sorry about that. Here let me help you up,” I said as I extended my arm to her.

  “I can’t believe that happened,” she said with a laugh as she grabbed my hand. “I’m Shannon.”

  “Jon.”

  “So do you go to school around here or do you just stake out libraries looking for innocent woman to bump heads with?”

  I laughed. “No I’m studying here at the college. You?”

  “I actually am just here reading a book. Such a nerd huh?”

  “No. Not a nerd, a hard headed reading machine.” I couldn’t help but flirt with her. She smiled and we started walking out of the building. “So, which way?”

  “Let me think.” She touched her finger to her temple and squinted her eyes. “That way!” she pointed with enthusiasm. She was so full of life and vitality. She was walking quickly and pulling me by the hand. I couldn’t help but laugh. “What?” she asked.

  “Oh nothing.”

  “No really. What?” She stopped walking.

  “I just can’t believe this is happening,” I said, staring into her crystal blue eyes. “I mean, you are pretty hot.”

  “Oh so you think you’re already in?” she asked as she started walking again. This time not dragging me, but just walking next to me with my hand wrapped around hers.

  “Well, I did everything right. I was concerned, I was sensitive, and I knocked you on the head. So the only thing left is to grab you and drag you back to my cave.”

  “What?”

  “You know, like a caveman. Sorry. I guess I’m the one that’s the nerd.” We both laughed.

  “So what are you going to school for, Jon?”

  “Business, I think. I don’t really know what I want to do with my life yet.”

  “That sounds exciting though. When you are done with college there are going to be so many opportunities for you and you can make up your mind then.” I knew by then that I was in. She was interested in me. She didn’t even want to talk about herself. She just wanted to know everything about me.

  “Yeah?”

  “Oh yeah. I wish I had that kind of freedom. Right now I can’t really do anything. I have to take care of my mom. She has cancer so my options are definitely limited.”

  “I’m so sorry to hear that, Shannon.”

  “Don’t worry about it. The doctor’s say it’s in remission, but she’s so old that I worry about her. I don’t want her to die because I wasn’t there for her, you know?”

  “That‘s pretty noble. Parents are important players in our lives. My dad died when I was a kid. I took it kinda hard then, but I’m over it now. Well as over a death as someone can be.”

  “You think so?”

  “Sure. So do you work then?”

  “I work part-time at the library actually,” she said with a laugh. Her laugh was loud but not obnoxious. It was the kind of laugh that made you want to laugh along. “My mom gets social security now so that’s all I have to work.”

  “That sounds awesome.”

  “Yeah I guess. Hey doesn’t that cloud look like a ship?” she said pointing to the heavens.

  I looked up. “That one next to the cloud that looks like a bird?”

  “NO! That is the ship!” she exclaimed with a laugh.

  “It most certainly looks like a bird to me.” We were cracking each other up. The sparks were flying so much we could’ve powered downtown New York City for at least a few minutes. She made me feel so ecstatic. It was a feeling that I was missing for a very long time.

  We came up to a two story blue house with white shutters and a big red door; a place that even if you didn’t live there, you would call it home. “Well this is my mom’s place.”

  “That walk didn’t take long enough.”

  “I think so, too. We should do it again sometime.” She was looking deep into my eyes with this look like she wanted me to be there with her.

  “Then maybe you should give me your number,” I said with a sly smile.

  “Sure. Here it is…”

  I called her that night when I got home. We talked for hours and set up another date. I think that’s how it happened. I don’t know; I might be wrong. In any case, I knew right then that I would be with her for the rest of my life. How right I was.

  Laying there thinking about my wife and how I wouldn‘t see her again made me depressed. The light of my life had been put out even though I was the one that had died. I put my arms around my scratches. I cried, wishing that what I was holding was her and not some amateur drawing of her. I closed my eyes and squeezed out a last few tears. Then I did something I swore I wouldn’t do again: I fell asleep.

  I was standing in a long hallway. It looked like an abandoned mental hospital. There were various medical supplies strung about on the ground along with tables flipped over, tiles fallen from the ceiling, and random wall debris scattered all around. All the steel doors were shut and had only a small reinforced window in the center of the door. The doors were painted white and the halls were painted a soft blue. The lights were on, juxtaposed to the decay of the building. I started to walk; stumbling over everything that time had brought to the ground. I didn’t look into any of the windows. I didn‘t know what I was looking for, but I knew it was here. I kept walking, the hall seemed endless, still no sound from anywhere. Finally I screamed, “HELLO!” I heard a loud rumbling a long distance in front of me. It sounded like giant boulders scraping against each other. Instead of running away, which is what I wanted to do, I sprinted towards the sound. I felt as if what I was looking for was at the end of this hallway. I knew I didn’t want to go any further, but I wasn’t able to stop my legs from continuing on. The rumbling started to get louder and louder with every step I took. Slowly down the never-ending hallway, things began to decay even more than when I had entered the hall. The paint on the walls had completely faded, some of the doors had rusted off the hinges, and a few of the cracks in the wall had fallen through and left huge holes everywhere. There was about half a foot of debris on the floor. I had to scrunch down a little just to avoid hitting my head. The lights started to flicker, but I didn’t stop running. The sound was becoming deafening, but I felt my conviction take over and I had to get to the end. I had to get there. I had to get it. The lights completely faded and my ears began to bleed, but I struggled on. It was pitch black now, but I fumbled through the corridor. Every step becoming more and more painful and every ounce of pain just another push to get to the end. The lights suddenly came back on as I approached a gorge in the Earth. It was spewing flames and a hellish stench. I glanced back and saw two hellhounds running straight at me, seemingly from nowhere. I looked at the gorge then I looked back at the dogs, gnashing their teeth and quickly closing in on me. I turned and ran to the edge, held my breath, closed my eyes, and jumped into the hands of God. I felt the heat of the flames and quickly opened my eyes. I didn’t make it. The fire began to melt the flesh from my bones. Then the dogs tackled me to the ground and began their feast. Screaming in agonizing pain, I prayed for death as the dogs and flames consumed me until I was nothing. I could feel every bite and every burn as if it were actually happening to me, slowly and painfully.

  When I woke, I did not move. I opened my eyes and stared
into the black oblivion above me. The dream was so agonizing and realistic that I was paralyzed. I tried but couldn’t find the will to move my body. I wanted to scream, but my lips did not move, my lungs did not push, and my vocal chords did not vibrate. The dreams I was having were extremely vivid and. Everyone was more real than the last, and more terrifyingly real than when I was awake. I preferred Hell to what I was suffering through in my dreams.

  I switched my gaze to the image of my wife. Someone had scattered her face and had crudely drawn a skull in its stead while I was sleeping. I jumped from the startling sight with new found energy and will. I looked around in fury and saw no one. ‘It’s funny how when you look for someone to be there, they aren’t, but when you aren’t looking for someone, there they are,’ I thought to myself. ‘Who would do something like this? Someone’s just lying down taking a nap, and they have to ruin a perfectly fine picture.’

  My thoughts went back to the teenager I had attacked. I wondered if he was alright. I knew that he had survived, but I didn’t know for how long or to what extent. There wasn’t anything I could do for him at this point, so I scattered the desecrated image of my wife and started to walk down the street.

  4. Now Hiring

  I had no idea what to do or where to go. Everywhere I turned was more pain and more destruction. I don’t know why I thought I would find something else in Hell, but I was ever vigilant in looking for it. All the thoughts of my humanity haunted me. I wanted to see the azure sky, and the verdant fields. I wanted to see people smiling. I wanted to see the busyness that runs the world, but most of all, I wanted to see Shannon. I missed her so much. Everything that happened to me; it always led to thoughts of her. It hurt so much every second I wasn’t with her.

  “I just want to see you again, Shannon!” I screamed to what I thought of as the sky. “Just for a moment…”