Bound by Hellfire

Chapter 12

The soft grass that cushioned me was now hard asphalt. I didn't want to open my eyes— not yet. Just a little more sleep—a little more peace, but the crackle of the fire rid any comfort I had left.

My eyes shot open. A scowl on my face as I sat up to greet the shadow.

He stood still as the dark red flames circled around him. His face, still expressionless and dark as night.

My feet anchored below me as I rose from the ground. I didn't want to look at my setting again, but things were different now. The orange canopies atop the trees were now a crimson red as fire flickered through their branches. Every tree was ablaze, encasing the air in a thick scent of smoke. The leaves on the road were burnt to a crisp, leaving the cracks on the asphalt vulnerable to the naked eye.

I glared back at the shadow— my heart filled with anger.

"After all I have been through— you can't let me rest for one night?!" I yelled.

The shadow grew from its firey prison, stretching high above the car. Branches withered and fell from above as the flames grew to match their stature.

"There is no time to rest!" The shadow man roared.

I stood my ground as the flames hissed around me, but my heart squealed like a train, loose from its tracks. This was all in my head— wasn't it? Surely this shadow was a part of me. A part that can't move on— that won't let go of this memory. That has to be it—right?

I looked up at the silhouette towering over me. The anger that I had was fading and almost on cue the shadow wilted back down to the car; flames now a calm smolder.

"Who are you?" I asked firmly.

The shadow was now down to its human size. Its form, once again expressionless. Much like its words that sliced through the air.

"A guide" The shade replied.

"I'm going to need more than that." I spat. "You bring me here— to this nightmare— and you expect me to take that as an answer? I need more than that!"

My fists clenched as I stared back into its shapeless face.

"So, I'll ask again. Who are you?"

The shadow warped and flickered. Flames that engulfed the car were now gone and replaced by clouds of black smoke. Its human silhouette faded behind the fumes, eerily still. Then it emerged from the mist, floating effortlessly to the ground before me!

I could see now that its shape wasn't all humanlike, a fair representation, but different somehow. Its footsteps were silent as it glided across the road. The segments of burnt leaves blew from its path, creating an unlittered walkway in front of me. I couldn't help but stumble to the ground as it approached, stopping just in front of my place on the ground.

Its makeshift head cocked down to look at me, emotionless and unwavering. The light of the ignited forest shone no detail on the being—just an endless void atop an expressionless shape. Then, like a tarp ripped away from the spectacle underneath, the shadowy veil lifted.

Dark maroon skin covered the being underneath from head to toe! His shape was that of a tall muscular man, who could have passed for a human with extensive makeup, if not for the long blade-like horns growing atop a dark brown head of hair. The man's eyes were as black as the void that had covered him, except for the small orange rings in their center.

He looked down at me as I lay on the ground. I actually missed the shadows that blanketed his face. Now there was nothing to hide behind; nothing to keep his hellish eyes from looking back into mine.