Hell on Earth (Boyxboy)

Chapter 15: Awake

15

Joseph woke up, gasping for air. His vision was blurry as tears seeped out of his eyes. Cold chilled through his bones as the linguist's eyes slowly focused on the face above him.

"Où suis-je?" Joseph stuttered out, pain lacing up his side and throughout his whole being. "Wh-where.... where am I..?"

Sound began to break back into Joseph's head, bringing a blinding throbbing with it. The linguist's lungs felt as though they'd been crushed, as feeling began to reach his numbed limbs.

Joseph blinked water out of his eyes, realizing that the person above him was talking.

"-need to wake up!"

The linguist blinked once more.

"Aziz..." Joseph choked out. "Wha-"

The demon's eyes were dull and near-lifeless. He looked down at Joseph, a firm grip on the linguist's arm, and said "You need to hide."

"What...?"

"You need to hide." repeated the normally vibrant afrit. His hair looked dull and his skin pale. Aziz spoke once more, "They're coming. Get up now."

"Aziz what is happening...?" said Joseph, gritting his teeth as a new wave of nauseated pain washed over him.

Aziz bent down to Joseph, his normally hot breath, now cold and dry, fanning the linguist's face. "Joseph you need to leave. Don't ask questions, it's too late for such things, just whatever you see, whatever you hear, don't make a sound, don't move, don't do anything."

Joseph stared at Aziz. There was something off about him. The linguist watched as the normal calm demon got up, (pulling Joseph with him), and began to pace, looking frantically about himself.

"Aziz... what's going on...?" said Joseph, now standing, but barely.

"No time... They're coming... you need a place to hide..." muttered the distraught demon.

"Aziz..." said Joseph, utterly confused. "I thought I was dead..? They told me I was dead..."

Aziz had been clearing a spot on the now cluttered, bloodied floor. He paused what he was doing, his back to Joseph, muscles tense with fear.

Quietly and calmly, Aziz whispered, "They...?"

"Yes...."

"Who, may I ask, is they?" Aziz said, slowly turning towards the linguist. The demon got up and walked towards Joseph, who involuntarily took a step back.

"Let me ask again, who did you see?"

"What?"

"They! Someone was with you! Who did you see!"

"I-I I don't remember his name, Aziz! He was tall and had red hair and scared me and he- he-" The memories from his time in Hell suddenly flooded back to Joseph. "Pərvərdigara."

The linguist quickly looked down at himself, pulling his shirt up enough that he could see the beginnings of an elaborate pentagram sticking out from under his pant line.

Aziz paled considerably.

"Aziz... what's going on?"

"No time... fuck we have no time!" said Aziz, rushing back to where he'd been clearing the floor. The carpet was charred and burnt, coming up easily as Aziz pealed away the pieces. Below was a concrete floor, hard and worn.

After Aziz had cleared a 5 foot circle, the demon muttered, "This'll have to do..."

Joseph had stopped trying to understand his situation, but instead observed as the demon began to draw, with charcoal from the burnt carpet, a pentagram.