The humans in the village gathered around him, murmuring quietly. All eyes were on him. And then they moved to the leg he carried on his shoulder. Hungry eyes stared at the piece of meat. Alex let it fall off his shoulder and stepped back as the crowds moved in.
Chapter 14
It didn’t descend into chaos. The first three to get to the piece of meat picked it up and walked away with it. They didn’t go far. The huts were arranged in a rough circle, and in the centre, a bunch of rocks had been placed. A few were already seated on the rocks. Others joined them. It was there that they took the Raver’s leg.
There was a sudden hub of activity as a fire was lit and a large cauldron was brought out and placed on top of the fire. Others began the process of preparing the meat to cook. Charlie had gone to join them, dragging along the other piece of leg.
Alex was still surrounded by a fair-sized crowd.
“You killed a Raver?” the blonde girl asked, and when he nodded, her eyes widened. “How?”
“I-” Alex stopped talking. More humans had stepped out from the huts. They surrounded him, watching with wary eyes. Alex cleared his throat. “I stabbed it with my sword.”
“You have a sword?” the girl asked.
Alex nodded.
Around him, the crowd whispered in hushed tones. Alex caught some of the words. Apparently his having a sword was a big deal.
“Can we see it?” the girl asked.
“The sword?” Alex asked, and when the girl along with the rest of the crowd nodded, Alex reached back and pulled his longsword out. He expected more hushed whispers, but there were none.
“It’s a bit… dull,” the girl said.
Alex frowned. “This sword isn’t good enough for you guys?”
It was the girl’s turn to show her annoyance. Her lips tightened. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m sorry, but you all look like you’re living in the freaking stone ages.”
“Stone ages?” the girl frowned. She might not have gotten the reference, but there was some understanding there. “We do the best we can. Things aren’t easy here in hell.” Her eyes narrowed and she took a step towards him. “Who are you? And what do you want?”
“My name is Alex. Satani sent me down to hell, but I think I landed in the wrong place. I need to get to Katarnak.”
“Satani,” the girl whispered the word. The crowd that surrounded him took a step back. “You’re with Satani?”
Alex nodded. “Aren’t we all? I mean, this is hell, right? It’s her domain.”
“We’re not with Satani. We escaped from captivity. We’re the free humans.”
Alex glanced around at the crowd surrounding him. He’d just declared that he was here on behalf of Satani. These were refugees at best, and rebels at worst. He noticed a few hands clenched into fists. Some of them were angry. Others seemed tired and exhausted. Life out here wasn’t easy.
The angry few took steps towards him. Alex spun the sword once in his hand as a warning. If it came to a battle, it would not be good for the villagers. But he didn’t want to kill them. What were they even doing here? Wasn’t this the place for damned souls? The humans before him weren’t souls. They were humans. Flesh and blood.
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he said out loud. “But I need to get to Katarnak. There are a lot of human lives at risk. There’s a rebellion going on. If they win, millions of humans could die.”
“We know about the rebellion,” the woman said. “Demons are fighting demons. I hope they all die.”
“I like her,” Lucifer said. “She’s kinda hot too. She’s rocking that cavewoman costume.”
“It’s not a costume, idiot,” Alex muttered. “I hear you,” he said out loud. “I’m not a fan of the demons either, but I need to stop the rebellion. If Satani loses, Satan will be free. Millions, possibly billions of humans back on earth will die.”
“Back on earth?” the girl frowned.
“Yeah, back on earth,” Alex pointed up.
The girl looked up at the red sky, as did many others in the crowd. “There are humans living in the clouds?”
Alex frowned. “What?” he muttered. “No, not in the clouds. From earth. Where humans live, where you guys came from?”
“We don’t remember where we came from…” the girl said slowly. “You do?”
“Yeah…” Alex stared at the crowd. “None of you remember where you came from?”
They shook their heads slowly. A murmuring began in the crowd. A voice shouted out for him to tell them about life on earth. Others followed the call. Seeing the crowd was no longer explicitly hostile, Alex sheathed his sword and began to talk about earth.
He told them of the sky that was blue, of trees, lakes of water, the ocean. He told them about the animals, the birds that chirped in parks. He told them about the cities that humans lived in, the cars, the shops, air conditioning, cool water, showers - he began to list the things he missed the most.
Alex realised what he was describing must have sounded like paradise to them and stopped abruptly.
“How do we get to that place?” a voice shouted from the crowd. “How do we get to earth?”
More voices joined the call until they all began to demand Alex take them to this place. Finally, the blonde girl raised a hand and everyone fell silent.
“Is that where we belong?” she asked. “Can you take us there?”
Alex shook his head. “That’s where you’re from,” he told them softly. He proceeded to explain that all humans lived on earth, and after they died, their souls either came down to hell or went up to heaven.
Souls.
Alex stopped talking.
They weren’t souls. They were humans, flesh and blood.
“If they were kidnapped and brought down here, then they deserve to be taken back and the kidnappers punished.”
Lucifer had a point. Demons could move between the different realms. Alex came down to hell and he sure as hell planned to leave too. It was only fair these humans went back with him. But Alex had priorities. He needed to stop the rebellion first.
“I can’t promise anything,” Alex replied honestly. “I need to stop the rebellion or millions of humans will die.”
The girl nodded in understanding, but restless murmurings emerged from the crowd. Murmurings that grew louder with every second. Soon, the crowd was angry once more. Fists thumped; feet stomped. Some even took steps towards him. Alex wondered if he should draw his sword again.
But then, the blonde girl raised her hand once more. Slowly, the crowd became silent, the noise dying.
“This man-” the girl stopped and stared at him. “What’s your name?”
“Alex,” he waved his hand at the crowd.
“Alex saved Charlie’s life. He brought us food. None of us have had any meat in weeks. He deserves our gratitude. We will extend our hospitality to him.”
The girl barked out orders, and the crowd listened. She sent some off to find Charlie so that they could bring the rest of the Raver’s body. Others were sent to pick vegetables, whilst others went to collect more firewood. There would be a feast tonight.
The crowd slowly dispersed until it was just Alex and the girl.
“Come,” she said, as she walked into her hut.
Chapter 15
Alex followed her into the hut. It was as simple on the inside as it was on the outside. The thatched roof had gaps in it and streaks of red light shone in. There was a small fireplace in the left corner. Beside it was a pile of stacked logs. On the other side was a chowki. Resting on top of the planks of wood was a thin cloth. Not a mattress, or even a thick blanket, but a simple cloth. There was also a table built out of wobbly legs. On the table were pots, pans and plates.
“Sit,” the girl pointed at the chowki.
Alex obliged. And he was right. It was hard. Not at all uncomfortable to sit on, but sleeping on it would be something different.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
> The girl was busying herself at the fireplace. She placed small sticks in, then with a hollow long piece of wood, she blew into the existing embers. As flames appeared, she added a couple of logs and placed a pot of water into the fire. When she was done, she came and sat beside him on the bed.
“Natasha,” she introduced herself.
“Nice to meet you, Natasha,” Alex said.
“You’re tall,” was her response.
She was right. At six foot six, Alex was dictionary definition of tall.
“For a human, anyway,” Natasha continued. “I’ve seen really tall demons. Some of them grow into monsters. But you’re tall for a human. You are a human, aren’t you?”
Alex was tall, but not unnaturally freakishly tall. “I am human,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”
“You look different,” Natasha said as she placed a hand on his cheek. “You feel… so strong.”
“Um, thanks?” Alex said.
Natasha smiled. She moved her hand away from his cheek and began to tell him of her life in hell.
She was in a large lake. The water was hot and she was weak. She managed to swim to the shore just as she passed out. When she woke, she found herself in a room full of other humans. They were all naked. They all had collars around their necks and manacles attached to their wrists and ankles. Not a single human in that room could remember anything, not even their own names.
The door opened and a demon walked in. He was enormous in size. He attached a chain to her collar and dragged her out. She struggled to keep up with him as he walked through the long corridor. She fell to the ground once, but he didn’t stop. He dragged her by the collar along the floor.
Natasha thought she was going to die as the collar suffocated her. She was on the verge of passing out when the demon stopped and looked down at her. Those red eyes sent a shiver down her spine. She couldn’t tell if he wanted to kill her, or rape her.
The demon let her climb to her feet before he resumed walking. This time, Natasha made sure she kept up. Soon, they came to a courtyard. A set of steps led up to a platform. The demon led her up the steps and tied the chain to a pillar.
It was only then did Natasha see the hundreds of demons staring up at her. She was going to be auctioned off. But before it began, the demon was going to show the crowd what he was selling. He parted her legs and spread her pussy lips. He squeezed her breasts until her eyes teared. He turned her around and bent her over before parting her ass cheeks, he dug his fingers into her little butthole.
And then the bidding began.
A green female demon won the auction. Natasha was taken off the stage and handed over to her new owner.
The green demon was named Takni, and she was a cruel mistress. Though Natasha couldn’t remember anything about her former life, whether it was a comfortable life or not, she couldn’t imagine anything worse than being owned by Takni.
Natasha was a good cook and she worked hard to keep the house clean. On the nights that she was lucky, she lay beside her mistress and did her best to please the demon sexually. The nights that she was not lucky were frequent.
Takni threw regular parties. Natasha’s purpose at those parties was to please every demon in whatever way was demanded of her. Sometimes she was passed around like a piece of meat, used and abused by four or five demons at the same time. Sometimes, she would perform with other human slaves for the enjoyment of the demons. The worst was when the humans were punished as part of some sadistic games. Nothing was off limits, not her ass, not her tits, not her cunt. There were times her entire body was covered in bruises.
Natasha endured six months of torture before she snapped. She killed Takni in her sleep and then fled the town. Natasha was one of the lucky ones. She managed to escape. If the demons captured fleeing humans, they tied them to the town square and tortured the humans for months. As the human bodies began to disintegrate, the demons would take it to a pool of lava and throw it in. Every human was shown the pool of lava. Their suffering would be eternal if they were thrown in there, the demons said.
Natasha wandered about in the mountains for weeks before another human found her. She was brought to this village. Things were tough, but they managed to get by and they were free from the torture of demons.
The pot began to boil and Natasha got up to attend to it. She pulled it off the fire and placed it on the floor. She then grabbed two cups from the table and poured the contents of the pot into them.
Natasha returned with the cups and gave one to Alex. He stared down at the green liquid and took a tentative sip. It almost tasted like tea. As they drank, he told her about his life back on earth before he became a Demon Hunter.
Alex finished his tea and wanted more, but the pot was empty.
“We used to have access to a pool of water. We could grow vegetables and fruits; we even began to farm small animals for meat. A few months ago, a Kragnak took residence in the pool. We lost a few people to the beast,” she said sadly, her eyes downcast. “Now we have to walk miles and miles for water. It’s made life much harder.”
Alex was intrigued by this Kragnak beast, but he didn’t get to query it as the cloth that covered the door was pushed aside and a woman entered the hut. She had long red hair and wore a grey tunic that was patched together. In her hand, she carried three bowls with wooden spoons dipped inside.
“That’s my partner, Katrina,” Natasha said.
“Dinners ready,” Katrina said with a bright smile and eyes that sparkled.
Natasha jumped to her feet and took two bowls off the girl. She passed one to Alex. There was a stew of vegetables and meat inside. Alex knew the meat came from the Raver. But he was hungry and it smelt good. It tasted good too. Alex emptied the bowl within minutes.
The two girls weren’t far behind either.
“That was good,” Natasha said. She smiled at Alex. “Thank you.”
“It was nothing,” Alex said, honestly.
“Alex saved Charlie from the Raver,” Natasha said.
Katrina nodded. “I heard. Thanks for saving the little runt.”
Natasha filled her partner in on why Alex was in hell. She told him how he’d come to stop the rebellion and save millions of lives back on earth. As she told Katrina about earth, there was a dreamy look in girl’s eyes.
When she was done, Katrina let out a bitter laugh. “Kinda wish all the demons would just kill each other and die.”
“We need the demons to maintain the balance. Without them, the angels would take over,” Alex explained.
“Angels… they don’t sound so bad… kinda warm and…. Beautiful,” Natasha said, a glazed look in her eyes.
Alex stared at her curiously. He’d described angels to her, but nothing of what he’d said should have made her feel warm. He wondered if she remembered something from her time on earth. Even though the holy books pretty much consistently told of how angels were harbingers of doom, humans saw angels as warm, or at least, as comforting.
Alex suddenly felt tired. He couldn’t tell how long the day had been. Hell didn’t seem to have a sun, so to speak. For the whole time he’d spent walking in hell, the sky had kept that same red colour. Now, as he looked up through the gaps in the thatched roof, it was a much darker red.
Tomorrow was going to be a long day. Alex didn’t know how he would get to the demon city of Katarnak, but he imagined it would involve a lot of walking in the dusty heat.
“You must share the bed with us,” Natasha said, when he spoke of a spot to sleep.
The chowki was very hard and small. There was also the thing about sharing it with the two girls. Alex stared at them curiously. The girls were both attractive. But he was tired. He hadn’t been thinking about sex, which meant his Demon Hunter aura wasn’t at work here. Were they just being nice?
Alex took off the scabbard and lay on his back on the chowki, deciding that maybe the girls were just being nice. The bed was hard, but after a rough day in hell, it didn’t feel too bad. Both girls cli
mbed the bed to join him. But before lying beside him, they pulled of their tunics.
They were naked underneath.
“So, you sleep naked, huh?” Alex asked.
Both girls nodded. “It’s hell,” Natasha said. “It’s hot pretty much all the time, but it gets hotter at night. You should take your clothes off too.”
They were right about the heat. It did feel a little hotter. There was once a time when Alex would have felt uncomfortable being nude in front of girls. But that time was almost a distant memory now. He pulled off his jeans and deciding the girls were completely naked, he took off his boxers too.
Both girls stared at his manhood with mouths hanging open.
“Yes, I have a big cock,” Alex said with a grin.
Natasha shook her head. “That’s not big.” She grabbed Katrina’s breasts somewhat crudely and squeezed them. “Her tits are big. Your cock is monstrous!”
Natasha let go of Katrina’s breasts and dropped to her knees. Her face was only inches away from Alex’s cock. He could feel her warm breath on it. “Can I touch it?” she asked.
“Well, if you’re on your knees… you might as well,” Alex said.
Natasha took his cock in her hand. Her fingers were gentle as they wrapped around the head. She gasped as it grew bigger in her hands. Her fingers moved down the shaft of his cock until they came to his balls. Natasha took them in her hands and squeezed them a little too hard.
Alex winced. “Easy,” he muttered.
Natasha looked up at him. “It hurts?”
“Wouldn’t say it hurts, but they are my balls. They’re a little sensitive.”
Natasha let go of his balls and climbed to her feet. Her cheeks reddened, and she took Katrina’s hand in hers. “Um, can we have sex with you?”
“She’s fucking awkward, isn’t she?” Lucifer muttered. “It’s a good thing she’s hot. I like her perky tits.”
Lucifer was right. Natasha was a tad awkward, which was strange because she seemed pretty normal right up until she took her clothes off and dropped to her knees.
The Devil's Apprentice: Book 2: Descent to Hell Page 9