GIRLS will be GHOSTS

Chapter 2 | Road Less Travelled

The experience of being stabbed was somehow far worse than than the experience of being shot. Perhaps it was because the gunshot had stopped Iris from feeling all pain at all, a split second of pain before sweet nothing. Now here was a continuous stream of pain, on the level of torturing a prisoner of war for information. Yet as Iris screamed in pain, (an ability only recently regained) the man only proceeded to twist the knife deeper through her hand, eventually stopping when the hilt hit the top of her hand.

"Oh I love the look they make." He once again smiled at her, and Iris could swear a small fire was going in the back of his pupils. "Why would you do this you crazy bitch!" The pain had yet to die down so Iris grabbed the handle of the dagger and began to pull, much to his dismay.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. If you are ever to remove the ceremonial dagger from the center of your hand you will instantly be condemned to living in a cage like a zoo animal in the deepest depths of hell." Iris let go of the knife, letting it sink back into place. "It hurts so bad... why?"

The fanged man looked her up and down before grabbing Iris by the throat. "Because you have the privilege of being saved from eternal damnation and instead, you and I get to have some fun." Iris was choking. She didn't know if it was actually possible to pass out or die if you were already dead, but nonetheless did not want to find out. "And you will be allowed to keep that privilege, if you follow my orders to the letter." The charming smirk wiped from his face as he let go of Iris, letting her fall to the ground, a small plume of smoke appearing as her legs briefly disappeared before reconfiguring. "Do you understand, pet?" Iris nodded, not wanting to anger him.

Pet? Who does this guy think he is? I oughta give him a piece of my-

"Mind? As your new master, I think it would be an apt time to tell you my powers go far beyond those of your knowledge, or understanding. Now please, let us get going, we have much to attend to." With that mind bending, hair raising notion, he turned to look behind him, and uttered an ancient scripture in a language Iris had never even heard a whisper of before. The world around her began feeling faint and far away, a falling sensation became upon Iris and before she knew it, the dark and grimy aisles of the grocery store had evaporated, replaced with the interior of a white 1990 Corolla Hatchback. Iris was sitting in the back, the comfortable leather replaced with not so comfortable cold marble. The whole car looked like the inside of an ancient temple, the beautiful architecture shrunk down to fit into a car. Little marble pillars held up the seats and the walls and roof of the car were engraved with phrases in an unknown language. The transition was quick and painless, but that did not mean Iris had done so willingly.

Looking ahead, Iris saw the man in the driver's seat, honking his horn at a horde of traffic ahead. From where she was sitting, it looked as if the traffic jam stretched on for miles. On either side of this long highway was a river of bodies moaning in pain and reaching to the sky, being pulled back by others in the same situation. In the distance, Iris could make out large red, rocky walls reaching up into a cave ceiling stretching on for as far as she could see. Terrifying stuff, really.

Grimacing, Iris looked at her driver, her master, and asked one of many burning questions. "So are you some kind of demon or what?" He laughed and nodded. "Something like that. You know, usually the people I deal with start screaming in horror by now, yet you seem unfazed." He looked back at her, and she could swear his fangs had gotten longer, like that of a sabre tooth tiger. "I knew you were special." He winked.

"Well I was already under the assumption I'd be headed down under. I wasn't exactly on my best behavior back then." This was mostly a lie. She rubbed her still excruciating stab wound. Iris thought she had done the best she could with the hands she was dealt, and was thoroughly disappointed with this outcome. "By the way, what is your name?"