Page 37 of Death Trap

I can’t believe that actually worked.

“That’s more like it!” I sighed in relief. “You take that door there on the left, and I’ll take this one on the right.”

He stayed put. “What am I looking for exactly?”

“I don’t know. A woman? I don’t have an exact number, but she has to be up there in age. It makes sense.”

“That’s not much to go on,” he replied, brow arched.

“Hey, I’m trying here. Give me some credit. At least I was able to get the doors down to three instead of three hundred.”

“I think we should open the doors together,” he said. “Just in case we need backup from whatever’s inside. We don’t know what we’re dealing with here.”

“Fine.” I wasn’t going to argue with him on this one. I’d pick my battles.

When we walked over to the first door on the right, Eli shuffled in front of me and grabbed the handle. I glared at him.

“Grab your gun,” he said, ignoring my death look.

I pulled out the gun and got ready. My chest was wound so tight, my heart might’ve exploded out of my rib cage with any sudden movement. I tried to settle my raging nerves, but how could I? This was Hell after all. Anything could be behind that door.Anything.And it was guaranteed not to be something good. That alone was terrifying.

He mouthed a countdown.

Three…two…one…

Then, he ripped the door open.

His entire body filled the doorway, making it hard for me to squeeze inside. The first thing I saw in the dark room was the giant fish tank in the center. A young woman swam inside, completely oblivious that we were there. Every few seconds, she would frantically swim to the top where there was a sliver between the water and the sealed top of the tank. She tried to suck in air, gasping and coughing out water, before sinking back down to the bottom.

I lowered my gun. What a horrible sound—her struggling to catch a breath in that small space, only to be forced back down, and splashing around like a madwoman. Her movements in the water were becoming more sluggish, her face pale. It was obvious she was exhausted from doing this routine over and over just to stay alive, or what she assumed was alive. But whenever she forced herself to the surface for air, she was a person of desperation. She was doing all she could to breathe again. One more time. Then one more time. Then again. She must have been in some trance-like state, unaware she was already dead and actually didn’t need to breathe anymore. Therefore, the repetition and the panic only continued.

It was torture. Pure torture. And I didn’t want to watch it anymore. I moved toward the tank, only to be stopped by Eli’s outstretched arm.

“You can’t do anything,” he whispered, even though it was clear this Lisa didn’t know we were in the room with her. “This is her Hell. This is what was chosen for her based on how she lived her life.”

My eyes widened. How could he be so nonchalant about watching a person suffer like that? Did he have no heart at all?

Anger spiked at his cruelty. Who knew angels could be such dicks?

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing? That’s horrifying. Being on the verge of drowning for the rest of eternity?” A shiver ran through me. I didn’t even want to imagine the absolute terror she was feeling over and over again. And to think she was forced to endure this forever? It was awful.

She might not be the Lisa we needed to find, but did she really deserve this afterlife? Did anybody?

“You probably would think differently if you knew what she did while alive. You may think this is exactly where she needs to be,” Eli replied.

I considered that. Everyone sent here had been sent for a reason, right? The decidedly awful, murderous, and sinful went to Hell. This Lisa could have killed children or seduced and decapitated men for all I knew. I was just seeing her now—defenseless and in need of help.

As much as the sight of the torture made my heart ache, Eli was right. She more than likely did deserve to be here as payment for her crimes on earth, but still… There was that slim possibility that there had been a mistake, like with Wyatt’s Lisa. Could it be possible this young woman was just a victim in all this, too?

Either way, I didn’t want to see this anymore. Witnessing it only twisted my stomach into knots.

“Let’s go,” Eli said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “We have two more doors to check for your Lisa.”

My voice stayed locked in my throat, so I nodded instead and let him lead me out the door again.

When we were back in the hallway, I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. It felt as if my insides were shaking, and I couldn’t stop it.

Eli rubbed my arm, and when I opened my eyes again, his hazel gaze was staring into mine with great concern. “Are you okay?” he asked. “That was really hard for you, wasn’t it?”

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