Page 3 of Unholy Fate

TEN DAYS EARLIER

The howlsand wails of the damned echoed through the sulfurous air as Levi, Ian, and I strode across the scorched wasteland of Hell. Lava pits bubbled and hissed, sulfur fumes stinging my nostrils. All around us, naked human souls writhed in agony as they endured an eternity of torture and suffering.

“Looks like the impalement pits are especially busy today,” Levi said casually, scanning the long field where thousands of shrieking beings hung skewered on long iron spikes. A few twisted with desperate strength, scrabbling with bloody hands to try to escape their punishment. His handsome face twisted into a sadistic leer.

We paused to watch as a woman, scrawny and sallow faced, clawed at the ground. Tears dripped from her eyes and snot from her nose, mixing with dirt to form a patchy mask on her face. Her naked body, covered with blisters and burns, was also smeared with ashes, dirt and shit. Behind her, a large demonwith pale grey skin closed a taloned hand on her ankle, yanking her back.

“Please, no more,” she cried, and I chuckled watching the fear on her face. “Not again.”

The demon, whose grotesque cock jutted forward, heavy spikes bristling along its full length chuckled and hauled her back.

“You are damned foreternity, you stupid bitch,” he shouted, his deep booming voice reaching us. “That meansforever.Just be glad, I’m not shovingthisinto you today,” he said, grabbing his dick with his free hand, then bared his teeth at her. “That will be for tomorrow.”

“No!”Her wail carried over the shouting and screaming of the other damned that writhed and twisted on their pikes.

Without hesitation, the demon placed the wicked sharp tip of the impalement stake at her asshole, and jammed it in, blood and shit bursting out in a reddish brown spray. The three inch thick stake disappeared within her body cavity, and the cries that came from her mouth were music to my ears. My own cock stirred as the tip burst forth from her mouth in a fan of blood, turning her screams of pain into muffled cries. Already dead, the impalement only served to provide agony, she would suffer there for days, hung like a chicken on a spit. Always bleeding out, every movement sweet agony, but never knowing the release of death.

“Indeed, Beelzebub,” Ian said silkily, using Levi’s formal demonic name. He pointed at the woman as her hands and legs twitched uselessly, trying to free her from the stake. “Though I prefer the artistry of flaying. Peeling their skin off strip by strip as they howl.” He sighed wistfully, slender fingers stroking hispale cheek. “And then rubbing salt into the exposed flesh, ugh, it’s the most delightful of experiences.”

I snorted. “You two lack vision. True agony comes from violating their very souls through lust and depravity. Ripping away innocence and breaking their spirits.”

Ian arched an elegant brow. “Is that so, Asmodeus? If you’re so superior, why are you still vying for the position of Lucifer’s Lieutenant, same as us?”

Growling, I whipped my long tail, its bulbous purple tip pulsing. “Watch your tongue, Astaroth,” I hissed, bearing my fangs, “Lest I rip it from your pretty mouth and feed it to the hellhounds.”

“Now, now, boys,” Levi cut in. “Save the measuring contest for when we’re with the boss.”

Lucifer had called us all in for some mission or another. Not unusual for him. Sometimes he gave us quick and simple jobs. Collecting bartered souls, dabbling in political races. Other times he just wanted to torture us for his own pleasure. Either way, he called, we came. As his highest-ranking demons, it was our responsibility to keep him happy.

As we continued to walk, I glimpsed a deep pit where humans were being devoured alive by monstrous creatures, their flesh ripped out and the softest parts like eyes and breasts consumed, only to regenerate so they could be eaten again and again for eternity. Their hideous shrieks mingled with the snarls of the ravenous beasts.

I spotted the demon of gluttony, Behema, indulging in his favorite pastime with a rather portly looking man. The balding human screamed in a way I found almost humorous, throwing his head back and thrashing about as Behema tore as his gutwith great serrated teeth. Ropes of intestine tore free, flying about like dead snakes, sending great gouts of blood splashing into the human’s face and screaming mouth. Behema, wanton creature that he was, raped the man even as he ate, thrusting his forked dick into the bloody holes he’d created with his own teeth, debasing and ruining the man in all manners possible.

Soon enough, the immense black walls of Lucifer’s palace loomed before us, topped with gruesome stone gargoyles, and carved visages of tortured souls, flanked by towering bronze braziers spouting green hellfire. The palatial estate sprawled obscenely, dominating the bleak landscape. Its ornate facade dripped with sculptures of screaming faces, agonized bodies and depictions of sin.

I breathed deeply, savoring the intoxicating bouquet of brimstone, burning flesh, shit, and despair that perfumed the air. Ah, home sweet home.

Levi pushed open the enormous, bloodstained doors, and we entered the grand foyer. The interior was opulently appointed in crimson and black, with plush carpets soaking up the blood splatters. Every piece of furniture was upholstered in blood red, or ebony black velvet. Each item lay gilded in shimmering gold, and lurid paintings of demonic debauchery lined the halls.

As we passed a room, I glimpsed a chained human splayed out on a table, thrashing and shrieking as a demon carved into his heaving chest with a jagged blade. Ribs cracked obscenely as the demon peeled back the chest plate, revealing the frantically beating heart. The human convulsed, blood spraying from his gaping mouth with each gurgling scream.

I chuckled.Amateurs. If I wasn’t in a hurry, I’d have stopped and given the demon a lecture on his lack of creativity before demonstrating what an artist could do to that soul.

After eons in the pits, such uninspired torture barely even registered anymore. It was more fun to play with my prey first, make their corruption exquisitely agonizing and intimate before ripping them apart. I wanted them tobegfor the end, and onlythenwould the real tortures start. They always thought it couldn’t get any worse, yet I showed them how wrong they were.

We strode into the extravagant throne room, our footsteps echoing on the polished floor inlaid with intricate gold pentagram designs. In a far corner, a group of six souls on their hands and knees worked busily at cleaning, licking up the blood on the floor.

Towering marble pillars entwined with carvings of writhing, tortured figures stretched up to a frescoed ceiling depicting scenes of infernal debauchery. Lavish black satin tapestries embroidered with demonic sigils in glittering rubies and onyx draped the walls. From the ceiling, hanging from jagged iron hooks, dozens of tortured souls hung, moaning in agony, twisting and squirming, sending droplets of blood raining down on the ebony colored floor. Along with the souls, colossal wrought-iron chandeliers hung, glowing with the light of a thousand blood-red candles rendered from human fat illuminated the chamber. At the far end, atop an elevated dais, perched the massive throne of fused and polished bone, its surface gleaming like ivory under firelight.

“My loyal lieutenants,” Lucifer boomed magnanimously, spreading his muscled arms wide in welcome as he rose from his seat. His naked human form framed by his unbelted robe was handsome, all chiseled features and piercing eyes promisingunearthly delights, and unfathomable cruelty. “So good of you to come.”

He glided down to us, crimson robe trailing behind him, and greeted us each with exaggerated kisses on both cheeks, a mockery of affection. I stiffened at his touch, uneasy and on guard. What was his game here?

“Please, sit,” Lucifer entreated, gesturing grandly. A massive mahogany conference table with matching chairs shimmered into existence in the center of the room. The three of us took our seats gingerly as Lucifer sprawled arrogantly at the head of the table, one leg slung over the armrest.

“Now then,” he began, his voice smooth and resonant, a purr that curled around each word like smoke. He steepled his long, elegant fingers, the tips tapping together with deliberate precision.

“I’ve brought you here for a specific purpose,” he continued, somehow both alluring and commanding. “A task worthy of your unique talents. One that will push the very boundaries of your skills: temptation, seduction, corruption.”

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