Death's Bitter Embrace (#Wattys2015)

Act II, Chapter IV: Hellbound

The next day we were called upon by The Boss, I didn't have anything better to do, so, I came. It was Alex's time to show what she had, her time to demonstrate her power, her weapon. She took out her two pathetic poles and strapped them to her arms. "What was she doing? Why was she doing this?" I heard my conscious question.

    She then punched the air, she looked stupid, but, I was willing to give her a chance, her metal poles exploded with fire, as if that was a cue. She then punched a nearby wall with all of her force, incinerating the wall instantly. "Wow, it's gone, vanished into thin air, embers took place of the wall that once stood seven feet tall." I think in awe, how did she do that? I question.

    Alex then punched two more things, one of which was a priceless fine China vase, as if she didn't care about what she had just broke and who it had belonged to. Today her face beamed with hatred and sorrow, opposed to yesterday which was just shining of sorrow, like she was forced into this life of killing for money, as if she didn't want any of this occur, but yet, it did.

    She kept breaking things, precious things, The Boss's things, he wouldn't be happy, not at all, and speaking of the Devil, The Boss strode in right on cue and saw Alex destroying his valuable things.

"Alex..." A long pause. "I see you are demonstrating your weapon, it's okay, I have thousands of China vases in my storage." He says calmly with what I think is his version of sarcasm, it was peculiar.

    He then signals for all of us to follow him, like pets, but we do as we are told, maybe we are pets? What a strange word to use in this context. I put my hand on Alex's shoulder, trying to understand why she destroyed all those vases, she smiled at me: she actually smiled at me—this wasn't a forced smile like normal, this was a genuine smile—she had a pretty smile and naturally perfect teeth.

    I had never seen her perfect smile before as the past day and a half we had been together her face was serious and when she did smile it was either sarcastic or, forced. but this was different, she smiled at me, the sorrow and hatred that shone through her face and personality had disappeared with one simple gesture, the smile.

    We follow The Boss to a crossroad in his massive abode, one door was made of wood and painted red with a distinct black circle in the middle. The door was engulfed in flames around the edges, yet it was not burning. "Why flames? Why does everything in this house contain flames? Why isn't this door being consumed by the hellfire I see before me?" These questions and so many more questions left unanswered.

    The second door was metal "why does everything in this house containing either metal, or flames? " I think with a confused muddled expression on my face. Alex notices my face; she had a similar look on her face, as if she and I were thinking the same things—she grabs my hand and pulls me back into the small crowd—making sure we were at the back.

    Once inside the metal door we then stray away from the team and The Boss and walk slowly to the metal door, we open the door carefully making sure no-one heard us leaving. We walk towards the door marked with the circle in middle, and the flames: how could I forget the flames.

    I open the door for us, I look inside and see... nothing? I can't see anything, not even light, there was nothing in that room, Alex and I casually but cautiously walk inside. Alex somehow manages to find a light source in this extremely dark room. She flips the switch and the dark room transforms into the brightest room I have ever seen.

    The room is huge, in fact it's not a room at all, it is a warehouse—thousands upon thousands of shelving units stand eight feet tall with large woven sacks with large stains on them. Alex and I creep forward to one of the woven knapsacks, I take one off the shelves, Alex does the same.

    We, Alex and I open the sacks simultaneously—a thick scent filled the air, the scent of Death, despair and dried blood. I start to gag and wretch on the smell, it was foul, Alex was doing the same, not that she or I could control it. We were both covering our faces so the smell couldn't penetrate our nostrils.

    I give Alex the slightest of nods to look inside the sack. As she does so her face turns from a terrified look—mainly because of the smell—to revulsion, she saw something that shocked her to the core. I opened my sack and soon, my face administered a revolted look too.

    The door to the warehouse opens, someone had found us, someone was coming for us. Alex and I sprinted to the light switch and flipped it, we killed the lights and now, now we were in a game of hide and seek from the 'intruder'.