Days of the Dead Book 2: The Beggar's Tomb

Chapter 1: I am damned

Kit
I'm falling. Falling through darkness with no hope of landing.
And that wouldn't be so bad except, I can't breath. I can't breath, no air is there to enter my lungs. And it's not killing me, but it is crushing me. I'm struggling. All I know to do is thrash, and hope my next movement alleviates some of the enormous pain I'm in.
But it doesn't.
It's endless. I know immeasurable time must pass. Because it goes on. And on. I have no hope of escape. What's worse is, I can think. There is no sleep. Only the pain that I'm in and the ability to remember what it was like before. The simple joy of being free and not in this terrible, terrible place.
But I cannot be free. All I know is pain and the torture of nothing holding me up, and no air to breath.
I'm left drowning in the memories of all the ways I could have prevented this eternal damnation. And with the singular knowledge that there is no way out.
All the descriptions our world has sought to make of hell. And in the end it's nothing at all. And that's worse. That's so much worse. It was better when I could pretend it was something. This is nothing at all. Nothing but me and memories of what was and hopeless dreams of what might have been.
And an eternity passes.
And I'm still here. Falling.
And one day I think I dream. I assume I dream. That I fell into some sort of blissful sleep.
Because something changes. The air, the air changes and I can breath it again.
And I fall onto rock.
I gasp and sob. I'm lying on stone, the stone floor of the cave. I kiss it, sobbing as I just gasp and enjoy this brief reprieve of breathing.
I look up, slowly. There's no light, save a pillar shining down on a woman. Brown skin and pale hair, in flowing white robes. She regards me with something resembling pity, but not quite. It takes me a moment to realize we're not in the cave so much as the casket, or coffin itself. We're inside. Because I'm trapped inside.
"So, you're the boy who dared to enter my tomb. Unworthy. And tried to take the treasures with in. With no regard for human life, including your own. Who tried to strike down my angel when he offered you redemption," the woman says.
I have no idea what she's talking about, "Yeah, that sounds like me."
"You plead guilty to your crimes?" She asks, a little surprised.
"I mean—details are a bit fuzzy. I don't know if you're personally aware but I've recently been tortured for an extended period of time. So, the actual plot points are a bit hazy but I have murdered, definitely tried to steal, so um—I mean yeah, about. Look, I'm a pretty poor person but I'm a really good thief—," I begin, about to offer my services to get out.
"You're not a good thief."
"Okay, you think I'm a bad thief that's all right everyone is entitled to their own opinion, I'm really not  going to argue it at the moment you seem very nice you say it's your tomb? Love what you've done with the place," I say, panting as I crawl to my feet, "Really, my mates and I had a lovely time in here. Maybe change signage if you don't want guests? Just an idea—how um—is it cool if I go now? Learned my lesson—all that?"
"No. You had the choice of redemption, and you responded by trying to strike down one of my angels. And you have knowingly taken innocent lives," she says.
"Are you —it's cool if you're not comfortable talking about this—any chance you're um—god or something like that? I don't go to church—,"
"I know. You may call me what you wish. The tomb's curse gave you time to change your ways, to seek out a warning. Yet you denied it. Yet you are still a child," she says.
"Yes, yes, I am, I really haven't made good decisions I get that but I can do better, didn't really take innocent lives nobody's innocent really honestly who's completely innocent? In this world? Really—,"
"Stop talking."
"Right. Got it," I nod, "Appreciate the break though. Really. And I haven't had my voice for a while. Or air. You know it's been a rough couple of years since I was—born. Might want to you know, put me someplace else I'm happy to nap for eternity or whatever this deal is—,"
"Prove to me that you have learned to respect that which is not yours to take. And perhaps we can arrange something else for you. For eternity," the woman says.
"Right, cool, absolutely. I'll do whatever—um—is it in here or do I—where are we—,"
"You have been falling for three hundred years."
"Yeah, thought it had been a minute. Okay. Um that's good to know that was really terrible—,"
"So the year is 1439. Others before you, more competent, have failed—,"
"Wow—,"
"—but if you are willing to try again. To be human, for a while, I have a quest for you," she says.
"Be human—I am—not human now?" I ask, looking at my hands.
"No. You are in the form most familiar to you. But your soul is all that remains. By breaking the covenants of the tomb, you are trapped here. Forever," she says, not overly nicely.
"Oh. Right then um—hasn't been great to be honest—,"
"It is intended to be torture."
"It's working then. Good job, excellent, A plus, five star review on the torture would never do it again but yeah you are achieving your goal, glad to tell that to you is that all you needed or—?" I'm edging away.
"You are trapped you cannot leave. Stop trying."
"Oh, right, who me? Stretching my legs."
"Do you wish to under take a quest, for a chance at redemption? Or not?" She asks, hands on hips.
"Oh, yes, definitely absolutely. What do you want me to do? Steal the Vatican? Rob the Vatican that is don't know if it's movable, um—diamonds bet you like diamonds I used to have an amulet could get loads of those, ah—I'm really good with jewelry to be honest—,"
"Your quest is to kill Henry the Fifth."