Page 38 of Death Trap

With my gaze dropping to my boots, I told myself to buck up. We still had two more doors to check out. Not to mention we were still in Hell. I had to keep it together.

“Yeah. More than I thought it would be,” I muttered. “But you’re right. Most of these people were brought here because of what they did in life. I just have to remember that.”

Eli gave me a sympathetic look. “You’re supposed to feel empathy for these souls,” he began. “It’s who you are.” When his mouth continued to move and no voice came out, I frowned. The damn censor got him again. Looked like it was active even in Hell.

He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“Tried to reveal a little too much information again, huh?” I grunted. Man, this was aggravating. “Forget it. Let’s just check the next door.”

We walked over to it.

“Do you want to stay here? I can check this one alone if you want,” he offered.

I shook my head. “I’m fine.” And to show it, I clutched the door’s handle and yanked the thing open.

As before, Eli tried to push past me to be the first one through the door, but before he could trudge inside, I looked down and realized there wasn’t any floor. Just a gaping crater made out of mud.

“Watch out!” I grabbed one of the loops of his trousers and tugged him back as hard as I could.

His foot slipped on the wet, soggy dirt, and he stumbled as the side of the pit collapsed. I planted my feet, getting a better hold of his pants, and put everything I had into hauling him back through the doorframe to safety. He twisted last minute and took me down with him as he fell into the hallway. I plopped on my ass, and all two hundred pounds of solid muscle landed on top of me. When my head hit the floor, I saw stars.

Quickly, Eli pushed himself up to his feet again and held out his hand to help me stand. “I’m so sorry,” he said with an embarrassed smile.

Pride be damned, I took his hand and let him lift me to my feet again. My head ached, and I rubbed the tender spot, wincing.

“That was a pretty close call,” I said.

We moved back to the open door and stared down into the hole. I’d estimate it was about two stories deep. The sides were made of more slick mud, impossible to climb out of if someone tried. And from the looks of it, someone had tried, because at the very bottom, there was an old woman, covered in mud. By her hunched back, heavily wrinkled skin, and missing teeth, I’d say she was closer to eighty years old than fifty or sixty. I severely doubted Wyatt dated old crones, like this one, so I’d say she was too old to be the Lisa I needed.

The more I stared down at her, the more guilt and sense of responsibility I felt. I couldn’t help but feel like it was my job to save this total stranger from her hellish afterlife. After all, she was just an old lady. Maybe someone’s grandmother. And now, she was stuck in a hole in the ground. Forever.

My chest suddenly painfully tight, I praised our luck these souls couldn’t see us. If she had started calling for my help, I didn’t know what I would do.

“Is this her?” Eli asked, breaking my chain of thought.

“No. No, it’s not her.” I turned and waited for Eli to close the door again. Only when it clicked shut did I feel any relief. “There’s only one door left. That must be where she is.”

Good thing, too, because I wasn’t sure how many more of these personal Hells I could take. It was just too painful to see and know I couldn’t do anything. Maybe that would be my Hell if I’d been sent here instead of thrown into the reaper cycle—just seeing others being tortured upset me to no end.

When Kay’s face popped into mind, I cringed. I’d never forget that moment I’d seen her and Cole hovering above Xaver’s Hell hole and the suffocating helplessness that came with it. I never wanted to feel like that again. Never wanted to put my friends into that kind of situation ever again.

Or anyone for that matter.

It was almost certain that’d be my Hell. I’d put money on it.

Eli and I walked down the hall to the remaining door. It was plain white wood like the others.

“This has to be it,” I said.

Eli glanced over at me. “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in there alone, Jade? There’s no shame in—”

“And have you almost fall into another pit of doom? I don’t think so.” I tried to laugh, but it came out too fake and nervous, so I cut it off short. “We agreed we’d do this together, and that’s what we’re going to do.” As much as what lay beyond these doors irked me.

Eli wrapped his hand around the door’s handle. “All right, then. One more. Are you ready?”

I nodded and raised my gun again. “Ready.”

As I was ever going to be, anyway. My heart knocked against my rib cage like a wild, trapped animal.

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