To Hell With Us

Chapter 2

As the sun began to set behind the peak of Mount Olympus and the cool air that made the hairs on your arms raise blew, I wasn't near ready to call it a night. The darker it became the more reckless I grew. It was the first full moon of the month and I wasn't going to miss it. I grabbed my jean jacket, black scarf, and spray paints that were tucked away in the back of my closet. Quietly, I tiptoed out of the mansion housing my mother and siblings and scurried down the large stairwell, exiting my Mother's realm once again. I walked rapidly to Old Olympus or the ghetto part of town. No one really comes here anymore that's why I like it. Everyone was too busy living their fast pace, hurried lifestyle where here, it seemed like everything moved a second slower. It gave me a sense of tranquility in a way. I maneuvered myself in the alleyways trying to find a new canvas for my latest masterpiece. I approached a small rundown shoe store a decided it would be my best bet. As I set my paints down and wrapped the scarf around my mouth and nose the moon's light illuminated the world around me. The stars shone a bit brighter tonight making reality fade with fantasy. The stir of the night sky was so beautifully surreal. It called out the demons in all of us and could crucify us in a matter of seconds but there was a purity that came with the darkness of night that only I seemed to be able to see. I grabbed the black spray to my right, covering the cement wall in front of me with a fresh coat of paint. I spent the next hours copying the serene night sky onto this old building.

I bent down to pick up my supplies and noticed a small glimmer of light coming from the back of the store. I set my paints carefully back on the ground, afraid to make even the slightest of noise. I pulled open the front door of the shop, letting out a pungent smell. I looked side to side trying to find the mysterious light source. The small shack was completely trashed. Shoes were lying all over the ground, the cream-colored drywall cracked revealing molded wooden planks, and the floorboards creaked with every step I took. I did a double take when I turned the corner and saw light flooding out from behind a dainty wooden door. I hesitantly twisted the rusted knob pulling the door with all my strength. As the door flung open the hinges screamed and a gust of hot air flew into my face. It revealed a poorly lit passageway with a steep staircase and was lined with small torches. I cautiously took a step down into the fiery chamber. Step after step my knees got weaker and weaker. It felt as if the stairs went on forever, once I thought I had found the ending it would lead to yet another staircase. I deeply exhaled, discouraged, I contemplated turning around. I shifted my weight and twisted my body to face the stairs I had just climbed. As I began to walk back up I heard a loud noise like concrete rubbing against each other. I whipped my long ponytail around, and to my astonishment, a small river flowed through where I had just been standing. A man in a small rowboat pulled up. He faced me but didn't seem to acknowledge my presence as if he was looking through me. He looked human but there was something about him that was weird, different like his mind wasn't really there. He stopped the boat directly in front of me signaling me to get in. There is no way in hell I'm getting on a boat with a stranger I thought. I noticed a small concrete ledge on each side of the river. I quickly jumped onto the grey mantel to my left trying to flee from the strange man. When I looked back he sat there waiting, didn't flinch, didn't move. Not a single word escaped from his dry, purple lips he was... soulless. Confusion swept over me I felt a knot form in my stomach but I wasn't turning back now.