The Beloved Fire

  Resting her head, she closed her eyes promising it was just for a moment, but with how emotional the day had been she was drained, and soon fell asleep.

  Ander got up quickly, walking over to his blaring alarm clock that read 4:30 a.m. and slammed his fist down on the snooze button. He only had thirty minutes to pack and get to Mikayla’s house. It had been a week since her disappearance and today they had planned to take off for California after an anonymous tip was reported to the Sherriff about Mikayla being sited there. Ander put the idea in their head to drive so it would take longer. He convinced them by saying they should leave posters through towns along the way.

  They needed to be at the safe point at 6:30p.m., so that Ander could set up a security detail and take off to participate in the rescue mission. Ben had mapped out their stops and Ander was hoping they wouldn’t fall behind on the drive. As Ander shoved random clothes into his bag, images of Mikayla’s beautiful smile, and all the happy time’s they spent together ran through his mind making it hard to hold back tears. He’d always told her he would never let anything happen to her, and yet he allowed himself to get distracted. It was all his fault.

  Ander parked outside watching as Anita climbed into the back of the van while Ben finished shoving stuff into the back hatch. Ander hopped out grabbing his bag before walking over to help Ben finish loading stuff.

  “Mr. Renifum, I’ve gotten a call from my staff sergeant, and I was wondering if we could stop for the night so we can get some business sorted out. I know we planned on driving through, but I was unaware until this morning that my leaving would create a problem. They need me to debrief another marine who’ll be taking my shift, so he’ll know my duties and what’s on my itinerary.”

  Ben stopped packing and put a hand on Ander’s shoulder. “You do whatever you need to. I think stopping for the night sounds like a better plan anyway, I’m not sure Anita will make it in the car that long. Her leaving her chemo treatments is bad enough, but the doctor said…well, it doesn’t matter. We can stop.”

  Ander felt a deep pang of guilt dragging her away from her treatments, of course there were ways she could still get her chemo, but it was a fight to get her to go to them anyways. She was slowly giving up and if it gave her hope in her last days to look for her daughter then that was better than telling her to stay home and letting her feel useless. As Ander finished packing in a cooler of food, he felt a presence around him, spiking his awareness of the surroundings. Ander turned around looking intently out into the suburban neighborhood but couldn’t see anything.

  Ben’s voice broke through the silence breaking Ander’s concentration. “Are we all set for departure Ander? We need to take off if we’re going to get ahead of the morning traffic.”

  Ander turned and walked around the van slowly, he was certain they were being watched and decided that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to hurry along.

  “Yeah.” Ander called out, hurrying to the passenger side, hoping in and slamming the door shut. “We’re all set to go. Let’s go get our girl.”

  She woke with a start, grabbing the sides of the tub in shock. Holy cow, she’d fallen asleep in the bath. Well that was dumb. She slowly got up grabbing at her sore neck, before climbing out and wrapping herself in a towel. There was no way she could have slept that long because the twins would have gotten her up, but her hands and feet were pruned, and the bath water was cold when she got up so maybe she had slept a while.

  After sitting in her towel for way longer than she wanted to, she decided to throw on some yoga pants and a tank top while she waited. Dressing, drying her hair and then pouring herself a drink she eventually caught on that no one was coming to retrieve her. So she drank, but after her third glass of wine she decided to test the door. She’d been curious about what could be in each of the rooms and Elijah did say Purgatory was connected to Earth.

  Testing the door, finding it unlocked, she quickly went back over replenishing her wine before taking off on her adventure. At this point she had a little too much to drink, but it was probably better that way.

  She opened the door slowly peering out and looking both ways. No guards. “Hmm.” Time to escape suckers. She snickered to herself. Yup she was drunk. It should not be funny that she was about to try and escape Purgatory. A whole realm full of a million doors that one might lead home.

  Stepping out with bare feet the wood floor was freezing but she ignored it. She’d consider trying the doors closest to her room first but knew it wouldn’t be that easy to find an escape. Taking off in a brisk walk while sipping her wine she made at least three turns, looking around each corner slowly and checking behind her constantly for anyone that would be around, but she never saw or heard anyone.

  Picking a random door, she walked over, first putting her ear against it. Not hearing anything she took another sip and a calming breath.

  “Well here goes.”

  She slowly turned the handle, finding it unlocked. Gently pushing it open, the door creaked loudly as a light inside flickered on. She glanced back into the hall, hoping no one heard the door. Looking back to the room she saw nothing but concrete. Concrete walls, ceiling, and floor. Other than the single light bulb dangling from the center of the ceiling swaying creepily, the room was completely empty. “Weird.” She muttered shutting the door.

  “Well that was anticlimactic.” It would be just her luck all the damn rooms would be just like that.

  She had a bad habit of talking to herself and her habit was worse when she drank. “Let’s try the other side.” Turning around to the opposite side of the hall she picked a door by a portrait of a beautiful women holding a rose up to her face, hiding a smile. Looked innocent enough. Throwing caution to the wind she twisted the handle and pushed the door open with more umph than the first time. This time a light didn’t come on and she couldn’t see anything from the dark room inside, but the smell of roses assaulted her senses. The smell was strong enough that she almost gagged. “Geez.” She said taking a big gulp of wine, noting she was almost out. She would have to find her escape before running out or go back and get more; alcohol was a must in this place.

  When no one jumped out to attack or eat her she decided this room was probably harmless as well. Stepping inside she noticed how the floor felt bumpy, and the light from the hall didn’t shine into the shadowed room either. Weird. Stepping in some more she ran her hand against a bumpy feeling wall for a light switch but not finding one. Carefully taking another step in trying to find the light switch, she heard a slow creaking sound, and then a slam right before she was completely encased in the dark.

  “What the fuck?” She spun fast sloshing wine on herself as she pressed up against the wall, facing the room of unknowns.

  She was terrified of the dark, and not only was she in the dark, she was in a realm that housed everyone’s greatest nightmares. Why had she been so stupid? Almost being too scared to move she forced herself to take deep breaths before she started a slow shuffle to her left where the door had been. It not only shut but it slammed. The realization that someone had to of pushed it closed from the inside gave her pause. Her already fast heartbeat picking up. There was probably someone in the room with her right now.

  Someone, or something.

  She squeezed her eyes shut trying not to panic. Drinking the last of her wine she decided either way she needed to be out so standing there wasn’t an option, although Anock would have to know where someone was in his realm. Right?

  A click sounded as a light shone on a door. The same exact door she’d walked in through to get into this room. How did it get all the way across the room? She was drunk, but not that drunk. The room was twice the size of her huge ass bedroom and she would have remembered being in this room that long to try and find a light switch.

  Grunting out in frustration she took off for the only source of light and her freedom. It wasn’t until her feet started to feel a sharp pricking that she stopped. She looked down but still couldn’t see anything. N
ot even her own hand for that matter. Bending down slightly she gently put her hand to the ground feeling the bumps had grown into sharp points. She sucked in her shock standing before backing up but felt the same prick of pain on the floor behind her as well.

  “Ouch!”

  She brought her foot back down next to the other one but where it had been, which was semi-bearable, there were now spikes in its place. It was like as soon as her foot had lifted, spikes had grown from the ground.

  Trying to keep her balance on one foot while being drunk in the dark was a hard game and she threw out her arms trying to keep upright accidently throwing her wine glass that she could hear shatter not far from her.

  “Fuck. Fuck. FUCK!” Losing her fight with gravity she started to fall forward right on what would be sharp deadly spikes. She screamed, throwing her hands out to save her body and head but felt a jolt before being suspended in the air. She reached out slowly feeling the spiked floor was only inches from her face. How was she not dead?

  Evil laughter rang out through the room, echoing from the size. Her heart hammered in her chest. How was she going to get out of this?

  “What has my fly trap caught?” A sinister voice hissed, sounding way too close to her back. She shuttered but tried not to move unsure of what held her up. A weird clicking noise sounded from the other side of her and it sounded like one of the things she was most terrified of. If there was a giant talking spider in here, she would find a way to throw herself on these spikes. She was deathly afraid of spiders and there was no way she was going to let herself get eaten alive by one. She gulped slowly trying to keep as still as possible, glancing up at the door hoping someone would come save her, but it sat unmoving.

  “1, 2, 3, 4, 5 once I caught a…”

  It was a song she knew from her childhood, and now she was being taunted with it. She felt and heard something with a lot of legs run past her so fast her hair tickled her face from the movement. She let out a gasp, trying to hold in a whimper.

  “Mikayla alive.”

  She screamed trying to move back, the voice now right in her face followed by the obnoxious smell of roses. Another round of evil laughter flowed through the room.

  A click, and then she could see.

  She was staring down into a thousand sharp spikes all the same size and only inches away from her face. Some held white and red roses with blood, and some held body parts. It reminded her of the demon she saw during the ceremony. Was this his room? The voice sounded female, but maybe it was a demon like him.

  Looking around she couldn’t see anyone else in the room and that almost terrified her more. The hair on the back of her neck raising alerted her that someone stood close to her back.

  Mustering up an ounce of courage, she was surprised when her voice didn’t shake or portray how terrified she was. “Please. Let me go.”

  “Why would I do that?” The voice asked.

  “Because…Because I’m not supposed to be here. I’m important.” She winced at how her voice begged. Was she really going to beg?

  Probably.

  “Hmm…That is yet to be determined.” The voice hissed out as a weird shaped shadow started to form on the wall in front of her, but she couldn’t tell what shape it was supposed to be.

  Please don’t be a spider. Please don’t be a spider. Please don’t be a spider.

  “I am.” She quivered out.

  Apparently done entertaining her pleas for help, she heard the song start again. “6, 7, 8, 9, 10.”

  Oh shit, she had a feeling what would happen when the song ended. More laughter rang out as she struggled to breathe.

  “No!” She shook her head, hyperventilating. “No! You don’t want to do thi- “ Her plea died in her throat when a snow-white monster with a million eyes on its face, no mouth, and four spiked limbs dropped in front of her.

  The spider demons voice rang out around the room even though no mouth opened on its face. “And then I let it go again!”

  Mikayla screamed closing her eyes as her weight was released. There was no time to think about how bad the metal spikes would feel piercing through her flesh. But the pain never came.

  A slight feeling of falling, then, nothing. Either that or she was dead.

  She slowly opened her eyes again hearing nothing but rusting metal, while all she could see was a concrete floor. Shaking like a leaf on a tree, she slowly placed her hands on the smooth cold floor lifting herself up to see she was in the all concrete room with the swinging light bulb. Her wine glass was also whole again and held wine. It sat in front of the door and she quickly looked around turning to all corners to look for the spider demon but it, and the smell of roses was gone.

  Leaving her wine glass behind, she ran for the door, crying out in relief when it opened to reveal the hallway, all but collapsing out of the room just as the demons laugh ran out one last time.

  Then, she slammed the door.

  Moving away from the haunted room now in the safe hallway, she wanted nothing more but to curl up and rock in a corner for the rest of her life. Unfortunately she needed to get to the safety of her room. Looking at the bottom of her feet, she saw they were healed, just like the wine glass. She held her arms close to her body walking fast trying to remember the way. Her shaking was not going to be controlled anytime soon. That was some seriously fucked up shit and she was now completely sober.

  After turning the corners that she thought would lead her back to her room she was no closer to finding her way back and she was starting to panic. “Fuck it.” Running to the closest door she swung it open peering inside to see a room full of people who she assumed were vampires. They were eating, or rather drinking blood from screaming people who were held down by white straps on white tables. The whole room was white other than the crimson blood that poured from the victims. She slammed the door shut before they noticed her and went to the next. As long as she didn’t step inside the rooms, she would be fine, and if this was her chance to escape, she needed to try.

  The next room held what looked like a giant water world with mermaids swimming around, she was tempted to poke her finger into the wall of water but was afraid to get sucked in. A mermaid swam past baring a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth and she could hear the screeching hiss through the water; startled she fell back on her butt before slamming the door shut.

  “Holy shit!”

  She took a moment to sit there considering her options. As scary as this little tour was, if she kept at it maybe she would get lucky? Standing up and glancing around she noticed she was still alone. Maybe this was a test? Following Blake through the halls earlier, he didn’t seem to have a problem knowing where to go, so she doubted they would have trouble finding her. Were they letting her wonder to see how far she would get?

  Whatever the case, she wasn’t getting anywhere standing there. She took off opening a few more doors that were just dark, and she quickly passed those up, not even reaching for the door to shut them. They just slammed shut on their own and each time she shivered remembering how close to death she came from being in the creepy all dark room. Right before she was about to open the next door, she heard footsteps. Spinning around she saw someone walking away from her, turning the corner going the way she had just came.

  What the?

  It wasn’t just anyone. It was James.

  “JAMES!” She called out, taking off in a run to catch up to him. Why would he walk away from her, let alone leave her here by herself?

  Turning the corner, she saw he was all the way at the opposite end of the hall.

  “JAMES WAIT!” He paused like he’d heard her, but never looked her way, just reached out opening a room before walking inside.

  She ran after him watching as the door he opened closed in her face. Maybe he was showing her the way out? Not wanting to lose him she threw open the door running inside before she heard the door slam shut behind her.

  She stood in a jungle on the edge of a roaring river. It was humid, and she could he
ar the buzz of insects and mocking of monkeys somewhere above her. She let out a wobbly breath trying to hold in tears.

  It had been a trick.

  Even if James had come through this door, there was no way she was finding him now. She looked around stepping away from the water. She’d seen Anaconda enough times to know she was not about to go near that water. At that thought she looked up in the trees hoping a giant snake wasn’t about to eat her. Turning around in a circle the door was gone.

  “Now what?” At this point she knew nothing in this place was as harmless as it seemed, and she would need to be careful. If she found the door, she was home err Purgatory free.

  This place was almost as annoying as it was frightening. Slapping her arm she killed a mosquito feeling the familiar tickle on her upper arm. Gah, she hated mosquitos. There were a million of them. Damn Anock and his damn, confusing ass realm. If she did get saved and became a queen to this literal hell hole, the first thing she was doing was locking these damn doors so no one else had to deal with this shit.

  It sucked walking barefoot and she regretted not putting on slippers. But no. Happy drunk Mikayla was apparently an idiot too. “Ouch!” She swore when pain sliced through the middle of her foot, she’d stepped on some type of thorn bush before falling into a tree and righting herself. This sucked.

  A loud hissing sound, which sounded like a huge ass snake, skyrocketed her nerves.

  Hell.

  No.

  She looked around but couldn’t see where the hiss came from.

  “Fuck this entire place!” She took off running not even trying to look for a door; the need to put distance between her and wherever that hiss had come from was greater now.