SHEOL

12

This was all very confusing to me. I was the type of person who thought that seeing was believing. I was a "Doubting-Thomas", if you will. I was almost like a feral child, raised by the savage ways of The Desert, and the lowly rituals of the Slabs.

My life was governed on my safety, and the location of my next meal. I didn't bother to dabble in the cultish, abstract, ideas that floated through the philosophical eye of society like a misplaced retina, lost in a sea of misfortune. I was wary to grasp these unrealistic tales, for I wasn't taught to use my imagination. It was almost difficult for me to picture what he was referring to. I had never seen a demon and never really intended to. The only god I worshiped was whoever decided to let me live another day.

"How do you know all of this?" I asked Mr. Moonshine, clutching the pendant in my feeble digits. "Why do you know this?" A hollow silence followed my question. We sat in the quiet for an immeasurable amount of time. I finally shattered the silence with a deafening scream. "Tell me!!"

"You're afraid of what you don't understand." He whispered. "You're just like your mother."

I shut my mouth. "What did you say?"

"My past isn't important, October. But your future is. If you want to live a semi-normal life, then you must follow exactly what I say. Do you understand?"

I intertwined the pendant's chain in my fingers. My options were very slim. "I'm listening."

Mr. Moonshine stood up and trudged through the mess to his dresser and closed the mysterious hatch, cautiously covering it with the misplaced drawer. He then took the dark key and handed it to me.

"String this around your neck," He said, pulling a thin piece of leather from his front pocket. "And wear it at all times." He gently took the jewel from my hands and strung it around my neck.

"There's a train headed for Queen's tomorrow. Tonight, we're going to sell that watch for a pretty penny."

I was very curious of the origins of the watch, but I knew that now was not a good time to ask. Mr. Moonshine lead me to the booth seats where we normally shared meals and sat me down.

"His name is Kingston Panici." He blurted. I had to think back to why that name sounded so familiar.

"Toronto's son?"

"Yes, that's the one. It's your job to find him tomorrow at the station. He's a very important asset."

"Does he know what's going on?" I asked. "Because I haven't the slightest clue."

Mr. Moonshine stretched himself out, avoiding my question. "You know that the reason you're shipping out to Queens isn't because of your mother's death, right?"

I gathered my thoughts. "No...?"

"That pendant you're wearing, what did I tell you about it?"

"Um... That it came from Sheol?"

"Okay, but what else? What happens if you take it off?"

"The Leeches will come and steal it from me."

Mr. Moonshine nodded. "Exactly. The people of Sheol occupy the barren wastelands, and that's where we are."

"But they can't touch me, so what's your point?" I interrupted.

Mr. Moonshine's face turned grave. "That doesn't mean they won't try."

"They'll try? Why is this pendant so important anyway?" I was still quite wary of the whole thing.

"There are five artifacts lost in this world that are originally from Sheol. That pendant is the fourth one. These items allow mortals to enter Sheol's shadows, and if fallen into the wrong hands can spell danger for both realms."