Page 19 of An Unexpected Ascension
Aheavy blanket of fog rests atop the blackened waters we journey. Marty hasn’t stopped sobbing, wiping his nose along the back of his forearm relentlessly. I’ve seen things far more grotesque than snot coating the skin of a man, yet I still find myself looking away in disgust.
His body reeks of terror and desperation, ruining the tranquility of this ride. The man shivers despite the growing heat as we near the shores of Hell, quickly forcing my tolerance for his insufferable pouting to rapidly vanish. Lucifer won’t be bothered with the likes of him.
Unlike Heaven, the dwellers here do not stay until they meet their new God. Forget the many whispers painting Hell as a lawless torture chamber meant to trap the worst of humankind, there’s only a half-truth there. Rather, Hell is merely a world cast in misfortune for those that do not fit the strict bylaws of Heaven.
What most think they know, what they’ve been taught on Earth, is that Lucifer was nothing short of a fallen angel. Except, that angel rose into a God turned Devil, a misunderstood deity who once fought for what he believed was right and ultimately paid the price.
So, naturally, those that do not believe in a God or even those that are accepting of Hell, are worthy of this place and Lucifer has no desire to change that.
“He’s gonna set you ablaze and wipe your soul from eternity if you don’t quit all that noise,” Charon warns.
Marty wails, muttering to himself how fucked he is.
“I’d listen to my friend here. He’s trying to be helpful,” I snap, irritably.
“W-what’s going to happen to me?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, Marty. If you actually stop whining for two seconds, he’ll probably just threaten you a bit and move onto the next guy. Keep up the blubbering and you’ll find yourself rotting for eternity.” He sniffles loudly, and I can practically hear the mucus being sucked to the back of his throat. “Look, don’t you want an afterlife of freedom with at the very least a small chance of seeing your family again?”
“A chance... Do you think?—”
“Marty, there’s more of a chance you’ll see your wife and kids if you’re still walking around than feeding the very thirsty soil.”
He nods. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”
“Hell ain’t so bad, once you get used to it.” Charon tries again.
Marty looks up at the reddened sky, clouds like blood clots loom low atop the peaks of the canyons beside us. In the distance, the shore made of molten lava glows brightly, our travels nearly coming to an end.
A bead of sweat slithers down the side of his aged face and I can only infer that the heat is new to him.
“Will—” he swallows a ball of nerves, “will the ground burn me?”
My eyes follow his to the brightly lit lot. Oranges and yellows writhe between cracks of charred black rock, steam bellowing from the crevices.
“No. It’s more for show. Just don’t touch it. Though the heat isn’t as right as it would be on Earth, the lava will still melt theskin right off your bones should you decide to indulge your curiosities.”
As the ferry comes to a stop, the tip of the boat nearing the shoreline, Marty closes his eyes and takes a shuddering breath.
I salute Charon, and with the bones of his fingers, he returns the gesture. That gruesome smile wrinkles the remaining skin left on his jaw. I watch the water barely ripple as I enter, soaking the pants around my ankles through.
“Let’s go,” I urge, and with more courage, Marty follows.
It’s always family that renews their drive, though the chance of him actually reuniting in Hell is probably slimmer than I have led on, but not entirely zero. Nonetheless, there’s no reentry to Heaven, so no point in dwelling.
The hike over the lava shores isn’t as cumbersome as the one through the Portae Inferi. The same forest most find in Purgatory, at death.
Hell was created by the Gods as a prison for the morally corrupt and for those that do not deserve the purity of Heaven. Its lands ruled by untamable beasts and deadly terrain. Upon Lucifer’s arrival, Hell changed, but his rule only stretched so far.
Now, here I am, delivering fallen angels to the God of Hell. In Heaven, I may be seen as a lowly demon carrying out the will of the Devil, but here in my world, I am so much more than that.
The Devil and I save that little secret from the Gods. Should they know I hold any power, my access to freely walk Heaven would be quickly revoked. So, for now, I continue carrying out my duties as Lucifer’sservantby escorting our newcomers through the forested Portae Inferi.
Though, none of us can die, there’s still the high possibility of becoming a meandering zombie or food for the Hell Hounds and what good would a mangled body do for us?
“Oh God!” Marty cries as we near the forest.
We stop, soaking in the sight of shredded flesh hanging from trees like greying ribbons strewn about, their limbs decorated withthe rotting meat of those that did not make it home. Scattered along the forest floor are cracked bones, some big and some small, all human. There’s a low, guttural groan one right after the other, that sings a melody of pain and torture. It worms its way into your soul and feasts on your conscience.
