We Must Get Out of Purgatory

Chapter 1: Into Purgatory

(Partial credit to Joey Graceffa)

Jobe was lying peacefully in his bed, dead asleep. Then he felt pressure on his stomach, waking him up. As he opened his eyes, he saw what the pressure was. Pandora was sitting on his stomach with her infamous blade. "Surprise bitch, I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me." Pandora said. She stabbed him, digging the blade deep into his abdomen. He gagged, puking out blood as she sat on top of him. The pressure making the suffering worse."Jobe! Wake up!" Ava yelled. "Were you having a nightmare again?" She asked. "Yeah..." Jobe headed to the third of his 3 weekly therapy sessions. As Jobe walked in, he signed all the paperwork he needed to, and sat down, waiting for his name to be called. After 2 minutes of waiting, the familiar voice of his therapist called out, "Jobe!" He waved at her as he walked with her to the room where their therapy sessions would take place. He sat down in the brown, leather chair across from the one she was sitting in. "So... how have your nightmares been?" "Have you had as many?" She asked. "Yes..." Jobe replied. "Tell me about them." She took out her notepad as he started talking, clicking the pen as she wrote down notes about what he was saying. "On Sunday I had one where I was standing on the bodies of my dead friends. On Monday I had one where I was running from Cryptious, and he started gutting me. Tuesday I had one where Heron Serifs kept on stabbing Sophia, and I eventually woke up. Then yesterday I had one where Pandora killed Elijah, and Ava. Today, the nightmare was that I was sleeping and then I was woken up by pressure on my chest. I opened my eyes and Pandora was sitting on me. She stabbed me in my stomach and I woke up." As Jobe's therapist stopped writing on her notepad she asked him, "Why are you thinking that you are having these nightmares?" "I think it's from the guilt deep inside of you, that you buried because you think that you are the reason why all of your friends were killed." "Me too..." "Have you been going outside, and doing productive things like I recommended last time?" "Yes, but it's not helping. I don't think that's what will help me, but I think I know what will." "And what is that?" "I need to bring my friends back to life, I've been putting it off because of what I've been feeling... but I think this is the only thing that will stop these nightmares."
Jobe arrived at his house, announcing something as he walked in. "Guys!" He yelled. Everyone came to the entrance hallway, seeing what Jobe was about to say. Everyone being Ava, Elijah, Kayla, and Sean. They had all moved in with each other after Elijah and Ava got together and were now looking for a new house to live in together because they were gonna bring their friends back. Jobe also needed some people living with him because he was very lost from what had happened the year before this current one. It was now 2022. That's the reason Sean and Kayla were living there, and partly the reason Ava and Elijah were still there, other than the fact that they just needed a place to stay while looking for a new house. "I think it's time..." Jobe said. "Time for what?" Sean questioned. "Time for us to go to Purgatory!" Jobe said. "Come on Jobe, you know that isn't a good idea... People say it's super hard to leave, and that there's horrifying monsters that you have to face as well." Elijah said. "This is the only way I can get rid of my nightmares, I just know it! If you guys don't help me I'll just go alone." Jobe added. "Okay! We'll go with you!" "Let's get ready." Elijah said. Jobe put on some loose black cargo pants, a black T-shirt, and a red leather jacket with black, leather hiking shoes. Elijah was wearing loose black cargo pants, like Jobe. The difference was that he was wearing a white T-shirt and a brown leather jacket. Ava had on black leather, thigh-high boots, a grey shirt, and a black leather jacket. She was wearing a short black skirt. Her hair was in a headband, she had bangs, not god-awful bangs that were crooked, and greasy. The kind that were sleek, shiny, and neat. The hair behind the headband was straight down with perky ends. Sean was in tan jeans, a brown jacket, and wore a white shirt under it. His shoes were dark brown, and leather. Kayla was wearing a black tank-top, with leather gloves on. She had on shorts and leather hiking boots. Her hair was down and was straightened, but poofy. It was to the joints of her arms. "Are we all ready?" She asked. "I think so?" Jobe said. He had a dream the day they got back from inside the box.
He was in a house. It was beautiful. "I saw what you did in the box." Someone said. "Who said that?" Jobe asked. "Me, I am Pandora. The original. Not the disrespectful excuse for a guardian who went by my original name!" "I've heard about you." Jobe said. "Same here. You and your friends are very good people for what you all did." "You stopped the biggest threat to the universe that ever existed." Pandora said. "I know, the other  Pandora was bad..." Jobe said. "No, not her... someone else, something else... With him still alive, your problems will never end. Once you block his path, he makes sure to destroy you. You and your friends will never be safe." "Who?" "Roqious." "He is evil in its living form." "But I have something that will help you. I know you took the box with you." Pandora said. Jobe had a guilty look on his face. "I couldn't resist it." Jobe said. Pandora stared into Jobe's eyes. "You remind me of my young self..." She said. "I did the same thing. Except I opened the box and released all of the evil inside of it. It was always used to protect the world. It always was used to keep evil things inside of. It has a place where you can trap evil. A pocket, a dimension if you will. In this dimension is where Roqious is trapped. He can only astral-project himself to the regular world there. If you see him, he isn't actually there. It's his spirit messing with you. The place where they get trapped is called the Core. After seeing what you have done for the universe, I know that you are worthy of being guardian." "Really?" "Yes." "Do you want to be the guardian of peace in my box?" "I... yes." "Then it is done, but you will only be able to use these in the box, or when you are putting something inside of it." "I, Pandora Arche Anesidora... put the guardian power of oversight into your soul!" Gold energy flew out of Pandora's stomach and went into Jobe's. The energy strand disappeared.
"Guard this box with your life. If it is destroyed, you are destroyed. Your soul is connected to it."Then Pandora disappeared. The ground below him broke and shifted to an endless void that Jobe was falling through for about 10 minutes. Then he saw light. All of a sudden he was falling into his body, opening his eyes. The eyes of Pandora's Box started to glow. It sat on a chair in the corner of his room. He felt a connection to it. The same connection that made him bring it home.
The 5 of them went outside and went into their big truck, headed to Pennsylvania. They had been staying in their house in New York for the past few months, and the place where the gateway to Purgatory was was only about a 5 hour drive. Ava would have made a portal, but her powers hadn't been as strong as they used to be ever since she got Coronavirus. She felt that they had been going away since then. Even the pink fire crown on her head had gone away. Her powers were gone. Jobe had been trying to use his powers that he got from the first and last Pandora's, but he couldn't seem to ever find out how to channel them. They had disappeared. They were on their own. No powers, just them. The last time they had gone on a road trip, it had started this mess, but they were hoping that this time it would bring them full circle to end it. They arrived in the forest where the portal was. They hopped out of the car and followed the map Ava had torn out of the purgatory book. Deep into the forest... they found it. It was about 7 PM. "Get out the paper with the spell we need to say." Kayla said. Ava took it out of her bag, all of them looking at her as she said the words... "Open the gate to the place before eternal torment. 7 levels, plus 1 more. To save a friend, maybe a foe. Open the door." She then took a deer skull out of her bag, and set it in front of the empty portal template. It turned red, and then it dissolved into ash. She let go of the piece of paper and it flew onto the ground. The portal opened in the doorway, "Are you ready?" Jobe asked. Jobe set Pandora's Box down in front of Elijah. "Yes." Ava said. Jobe and Ava jumped into the portal to purgatory. not prepared for what would happen next. The portal disappeared, not sticking to what they thought would happen.
On the trip to the portal, the 5 of them had made a plan. Elijah, Kayla, and Sean would stay in the regular world while they went through, and Jobe, and Ava would go through like they just had. Then when they got their friends, they could go back. This trip wasn't looking good.
"Ava! The portal closed!" Jobe yelled. "I know, it's fine. They'll open it again. We need to find where our friends are if they're even here." Ava said. They saw a beautiful white mansion that was past a small patch of woods. There was a path of discolored dirt, leading to the mansion. They followed the path and opened the doors. They got deja vu. "I feel like this has happened before..." Ava said. "Same." Jobe said. "I think it's just reminding us of the Death Valley Castle." He said again. They walked around, scoping out the place. Making sure there wasn't anything that could kill them, like traps. There was a portrait of a man, or what looked like a man. He had long antlers sticking out of the top of his head. His hair was made of fire. His eyes glowed like the Sun. He had this red and purple armor that looked to withstand the worst trauma ever felt. There were pads on his shoulder, spikes stuck out of them. They didn't notice the portrait though. After making a full round in the mansion, they decided to go outside. There were some pathways, too many to count. It was hurting their eyes. Each path strained into another. They decided to go to the middle path that said, Overworld. There were 3 ways they could go on that path, left, right or in the middle. The left side had a sign that said animals, the right had a sign that said humans, the middle had a sign that said monsters. They went onto the right path. On that path were 6 signs. One said prophecy, one said good, one said bad, one said warm, one said evil, and one said accident. "What path now?" Jobe asked. "That one." Ava pointed at the path with the sign saying prophecy. "I mean, weren't we in a prophecy? Our friends might have been a part of it too?" Ava said. "Oh yeah..." They went down that path and came across lots of tables with boxes on them. They all had labels on them. One caught Jobe's eye. It was labeled, Porrima's Last Prophecy. He was drawn to this box for some reason. "We need to open this one..." Jobe said. "Are you sure? Last time we opened a box we got stuck inside of it and all of our friends died." Ava added. "I'm sure." Jobe opened the box, glowing gold dust overflowed it. It started getting onto the ground. There was a lot of space on this platform, but the dust was going all over it. Not in a natural manner either. The dust was breaking up into its own paths, sliding into each their own. 22 paths to be exact. Their 22 deceased friends rose from the dust, forming instantaneously. Nene, Ella, Arron, Sophia, Ariel, Micheal, Owen, Max, Mia, Leila, Evan, Bella, Hailey, Lilah, Meredith, Brodie, Jessie, Adalyn, Gavin, Matt, and Lily were all back. "Where am I? Did I get out?" Brodie said. "We're out!" Matt exclaimed. "Yes!" Ariel yelled. Everyone was so happy to be let free from the fiery hands of Purgatory. "Hold up. Why are you two bitches here!" Adalyn yelled. "Last thing I remember of you two, was you watching me as I was getting my head chopped off in a guillotine! I don't trust any of you! You all played a part in my death!" Adalyn said. "They got you killed too?" Arron asked.  "Yeah." Adalyn replied. Nene ran to Jobe. She was crying, Sophia ran to him as well. "Jobe! Jobe! Jobe..." Sophia and Nene had Jobe in a tight grip. Holding him with all their might. "Jobe! It was like I was constantly being suffocated!" Nene yelled. "What was happening to you?" Jobe asked. "I didn't have my phone!" Nene said. Jobe rolled his eyes. "I was just standing in darkness! I thought that I would be there forever!" She continued. "Me too!" Sophia added. "We aren't talking about you Soph! We are talking about me!" Nene exclaimed. "You know... even when we're dead, you're still a stone cold bitch!" Sophia yelled. Nene gave Sophia a deranged look and then dragged her by her hair. Her and Sophia were now fighting on the ground, Nene winning. Jobe and Ava broke them up before things got too rough. Nene had scratched Sophia's face. Sophia felt the blood drip down her cheek and touched it to see if she was bleeding. She was bleeding, but the blood wasn't red. It was black. "Why the fuck is my blood black!" She screamed. With all the arguing and fighting going on, Ella was trying to stop it, but was unsuccessful. Something else stopped it. It was a screeching sound, like the sound of an eagle. Jobe yelled, "Follow us!" "We're gonna get you all out of here!" Ava said. "No!" Adalyn said. "The last memory I have of you all was being killed by you. You can all go, but I'm staying right here-"  A monster came up from behind her. It was a woman, she was covered in warts and brown feathers, and had claws that were sharper than a knife. Her arms could also be used as wings. Her feet had sharp talons, and she had sharp teeth and snake-like eyes. Her ears had sharp ends. It was a harpy. She went up from behind Adalyn, and slit her throat with her claws. Adalyn fell to the ground, a pool of black blood forming below her. Jobe and Ava lead the others back to the mansion, the Harpy followed them. She was for all of them. One by one.