The Hold of The Demon

Chapter 2 || Crossing The Acheron River

"MARCO! MARCO!" He heard, but the words quickly started to fade away. He faintly saw a blonde girl hovering over him yelling, but it was too hard to tell who it was and the screams were too watery to make out whose voice it was. He then suddenly heard his name again, but this time it was clearer and in a different voice. It was old and raspy sounding. The old unknown voice continued to say his name and his eyes opened. Marco's vision was extremely blurry and he couldn't make out what anything was. He blinked his aching eyes a bit until he could see better, and there it was when he saw spiked rocks hanging from the ceiling instead of his bedroom ceiling. He fully woke up to the sounds of explosive cries, immediately sending chills down his pained spine. He sat up and with a quick glance he notices the figure standing a ways away from him isn't someone he could recognise straight away, but still they looked strangely familiar. It took a moment, but then he realised that it was the boatman of the Acheron River he had recently read about in his mythology class in school. Shaken, he lashed out in a scream of terror and confusion. "How...How did this happen?! Where am I," he demanded to know. He looked around frantically, and glanced down at his lap and noticed a golden coin that was very foreign to him. He picked it up and observing it he realised it was Mewnian coin. "St- Star?" He mumbled softly clenching the coin in his fist. He stood up and looked around again, "Star? STAR? STAR ARE YOU HERE?" He shouted hoping to receive an answer.
"Your friend isn't here, Marco Diaz," the Boatman answers in his old, raspy voice that first triggered Marco's wake.
Marco turned around shocked to hear his name. "How... How do you know my name? Where's Star? What have you done with her?!" He began to shout at the Boatman again.
"I've simply done nothing to your friend, she's not here. The living are not welcomed down here," the Boatman responded partially.
"The living..." Marco repeated to himself softly as he glanced down at the Mewnian coin. "What...What do you mean by 'the living?" He asked, looking back up at the Boatman.
"Exactly how it sounds, Marco. Only the dead are allowed here in The Underworld. Now, do you have a coin to pass or not? I'd like to believe I don't have forever."
Marco stood there in complete silence for a few seconds processing what he had just heard. 'Am... Am I...really dead?' He thought to himself then glanced back down at the golden coin. He nodded and glanced up at the Boatman. "Yes. I have a coin." He said and approached the rotted Boatman in black, torn robes. Marco extended his hand and gave the coin to the other then stepped into the worn down boat reluctantly. He gently sat down, slightly jerking once the Boatman started to row down the river. Marco found himself in a sort of trance as he watched the other boats float through the water, carrying passengers just like him. Screams and cries still present, but Marco gradually grew used to them. He glanced down into the water and saw ghastly souls floating down under, some even trying to pull themselves up into the boats but failed. Their screams and cries of plead to be set free form their eternal hold in between the two worlds, slowly growing insane.
Several minutes had passed until they reached the other side of the river where an enormous red gate stood. Marco stared at the door a bit intimidated.
"Well, get out. I have others to tend to," the Boatman said shooing away the boy. "There's a coronation this hour, so your judgment will be postponed. Enter through the gate and attend the ceremony, afterwards you'll be summoned to the Gate again for your final judgement," he informed.
Marco nodded and stepped off onto the solid ground before the gate, and with that, the Boatman turned his boat around and headed back to the other side of the river. Marco looked around at his surroundings and let out a disappointed sigh. 'What am I doing? Of course I'm not going to find anyone here that I know,' he hissed at himself, feeling stupid. He approached the Gate and it automatically opened itself. Marco walked past the gate into an area that resembled a village. He made his way down the cobble road towards the towering palace he saw in the far distance. As he approached the palace, a large hoarding of what looked like souls, demons, and others like him were crowding around the courtyard. Again he looked around the area to see if he might of known anyone there, which he knew was a waste of his time. However, just as he looked up to give some attention to the coronation his eyes widened.
"Is... Is that... TOM?!"