Hellsfire

Chapter Eleven

Levi stands at the Gate again. It's the same as always, musty and sad and smelling kind of like wet dog. With paint peeling off the walls, the place is looking more and more run down every time he comes here and he doesn't even know how that's possible. The whole vibe of the place is meant to be shitty, and it's just getting shittier for seemingly no reason at all.

Anyway.

He isn't here for the carpet or peeling paint or to visit the snakes in the fridge though he's sure they're friendly enough.

He's here for The Gate, and he's here for the Guardian.

Levi steps on the pentagram graffiti circle and ignites it. As always, same old same old, the fire runs around the circle and rises up slowly until the room is no longer a room but is instead just white.

"Ugh," says the Guardian. "What do you want?"

"Well mainly to get back into Hell." He wants to get back. He needs to get back. Why else would he be here?

"You know, it's usually the opposite?" She waves her hands in the air confusedly. "People want to get out of Hell. Not in. And then here you are, all like, let me in." She drops her hands and stares at him. "No, Levi."

"But-"

"Go and enjoy this time! Do you really want to be stuck in a castle for the rest of your life? You're gonna be. Make the most of your freedom while you still have it."

"But I'm lonely," says Levi. "I only have one friend. And he wants to kill me all the time. Well, not really. But he will want to kill me when he finds out about the whole King of Hell thing."

"Which is why you should go out and enjoy it while you can!"

Maybe he should. It'd be a good idea. After all, she's right. When he gets back he's going to be doing the same thing every day, over and over and over again and it isn't usually that fun. It's kind of fun not being in Hell.

But no. He wants to go back.

"Which is why you should let me go back before I hurt his feelings and get mine hurt at the same time."

"Gotta face a little risk to have a good life, bro." She lies back and stares at the- the sky? The roof? Can you even call it that? "Why should I let you back in, anyway? How have you changed from last time?"

"I can do magic better now." He stands up and creates a fire that goes from the ground to his head.

"Ooh, scary." She glances over to him. "But scary enough for the King of Hell? Fuck no."

"Oh, come on, you know I'll get better if I-"

"Nope." She looks back at the white, white sky again. "Listen. You tell me what my name is, I'll consider letting you back in."

Alright. A name. He can do that, right? Names. Girls' names. If he just keeps going through a list he'll get it eventually.

"Anne?"

"No."

"Brittany?"

"God, no."

"Catherine?"

"Oh my god you guessed-" She puts on a face of mock surprise. "No. Stop. You're nowhere even close. Just stop. Please."

"Fine. But I'll get it one day."

"No, you won't," she says. "Done wasting my time?"

Wow. Rude. Okay. He'd been planning to hang out here for a bit and make friends with her again but apparently that isn't going to happen.