Cassandra stood up. With a heavy sigh she walked out, led by her escort to the most coveted place in the entire arena – a shower. As she walked inside, completely naked and covered in accumulated amounts of sweat and dirt. With a skull bowl and a cloth in hand, she raised her head to the sweet feeling of dripping water, feeling alive again.Outside, Jane, Ninja and Sara were waiting while making snarky remarks. "I honestly have no idea why she is so strong. I mean, look at her. She's not built like a tank, and yet she can pulverize someone twice her size," Jane remarked suspicious."Yeah, I do not know which dark mage she sold her soul to, but you got to admit she managed to get some pretty sweet terms," Sara added quietly."Yeah… she must've had her hands full, if you know what I mean," Jane snickered, simulating lewd acts."Just wait till she gets to her wedding night," Ninja added in a nasty whisper. The two other girls cackled discretely. No one dared mock her openly anymore.Feeli
The small plentiful tables were filled with an abnormal amount of alcohol and meat she was too afraid to question the origin of. There was also an entire table dedicated to earthly illegal substances in all forms and sizes.Most of the high ranking demons disturbed with their appearance. Their skin was a purplish shade of black with an eerie feel to it, as if touching a freshly shaven cactus. Most of them had goats legs, anemic figures and horns. However, from what the bride noticed, they could shape-shift if they wanted to. Their faces were sharp and long intentionally kept in a grin to maximize their repulsiveness to the human eye. Some even had small wings. Still, regardless of their physical attributes, they put a lot of care in their clothing. They covered themselves with flamboyant earthly fabric, mostly done as a status symbol, rather than fashion.Drugs were especially coveted in Helltown and not for the obvious reasons. Those who could afford the nifty price could overdose, al
Once the formalities were over, it was time for the actual ceremony to start. Unlike on earth, this one was more intimate.Basil opened the door of his private quarters. It was an 8-room apartment with two bedrooms, a large bathroom with a hot tub and most importantly – doors that she could unlock at any time.Obtaining tradition, Basil lifted his bride over the porch and took her in. She looked around, seeing all of their wedding gifts stacked chaotically in the middle of the living room. The party was over, but the night was not. A guest waited in the main bedroom. A very important guest. Cassandra took a deep breath and proceeded to the bathroom. There, still dressed in the elegant bridal dress and with heavy make-up, she squatted to pull a cloth from her ass. It was dirty with fecal matter clearly visible. She held it up with only two fingers, with her face contorted in disgust. Carefully, she found the most smeared part and wiped it over her white, shiny tee
A door opened as a man in a light blue suit and bow tie laughed. His curly hair was slicked back with thick glass frames matching it in color. Next to him is a beautiful woman dressed in a white dress with puffed up sleeves and even puffier skirts. The veil barely covered her 80s highlighted perm. Not being able to pick her up completely, the groom nearly lifted her and placed her down into the hallway. Still in a good mood, the bride hoped over to the couch. "That was so much fun!" she told her husband with a wide smile."I know. The conga line was a mile long," he said."Oh and I expected my mother to cry but my father to join in… It makes me tear up right now," she added carefully wiping the area below her eye."So, are you ready to go to Washington DC with me?" Samuel asked slightly insecure.Tiffany pouted as if deep in thought. "Hmm I suppose it will be easier to find a job for me there…"Her husband frowned dabbing his fingers
Shouts and laughter were coming from a few floors above."What in Helltown was that?" Cassandra gasped, scared out of her wits."That is considered entertainment here," he said calmly.She perked her ears up. "Sounds like a football match. Can you catch TV from the surface?" his wife asked hopeful."Pardon?"Cassandra pouted, tapping her fingers together. "It is like radio but with moving pictures."He stared at her blank."Alright," she added slowly, thinking. "Like a book, but instead of imagining, all that is on the pages is clearly visible."Basil sighed solemn.Cassandra tried again, becoming visibly irritated. "Have you ever seen a play? Like that only…""I know what television is… I didn't just bury my hand in the molten rock when I arrived here, you know," he said mockingly."Great, so is it like that?""A little.""Can I see?" she asked excited.Exhaling, he pondered for a while before answering, "There is a chance you may not like it.""It's alright… I promise. I want to lear
"Mommy, mommy," a boy no older than 6 cried. He had short black hair and a cute outfit with a bow tie and short pants. His friends ran around the sun-lit garden, as their parents chatted enjoying the food. A woman with stylized highlighted hair came running and knelt beside him. "What's wrong dear?" she asked sweetly. The boy, named Johnny, wept pointing to the ground. "My balloon popped," he said rubbing his eyes. His mother looked around. "There are lots of other balloons. Pick whichever." The boy kept crying. "But I liked that one." His mother puffed, leaning in. "Look I did not want to tell you this but… The clown will be here soon." "Really?" the boy said, with his eyes sparkling. "Yes, the young woman nodded. "And I asked him to pack extra long balloons just for you. That way he can make you anything you want," she said smiling. "Anything? Even a giraffe? Or a rhino? Or a rhino-giraffe with tiger teeth?" he gasped moving his hands excited. The woman chuckled happy. "Anyt
Cassandra tilted her head, confused. Teo graciously nudged his head to the side. A man was sitting on the far end of the park. He had completely red skin, mostly names except a skin cloth over her private part. He also had goat legs, with white small horns coming out of his head. At first, she thought he was a demon but then he started sobbing, which was something demons would never do. Cassandra blinked. She was so deep in thought, she stopped paying attention to him."Watching misery like that really cheers up, don't you think? Especially when humans are so easily triggered by all the delights they took for granted back on Earth," he said soothingly."Actually, I only came here to clear my head," she added, antsy."Sure, sure. Trouble at home, I hear?" he asked sympathetic, sitting down next to her.Cassandra puffed, fixing the creases on her outfit. "Life in three can be difficult.""I can only imagine. Basil told me all about it. Kind of a surprise, really. He was never a playboy.
That night, they made a deal. They all headed to the bedroom together, and if things went well...Cassandra observed from a chair, in a stripy outfit, smoking her cigarette. Although she agreed at first, Jane's moaning showed to be too much for her. Watching them with a blank stare, she left the room solemn. Commotion ensued and soon Basil went up and found her in the living room."What's wrong now?" he asked in a slightly concerned but mostly annoyed tone.Cassandra turned to him and puffed a ring of smoke. "I'm sorry. I just can't. I don't want to share."He scratched his head. "Is it really that hard? It's not like I go to brothels all the time?" he asked.She stared him down silent."What?""Why do you like her so much?"Becoming increasingly irritated, he puffed thinking, "I guess she's pretty. Not as pretty as you, of course. But she does have her charms.""And I don't?"Grunting, Basil added, "You are beautiful. And fierce. It's just…""What? What is it that you like about her
Deep underground, magma swished and splashed in the place where Helltown used to be.The tower, so high and menacing, was now nothing but floating rocks. Cassandra's apartment complex was already under the magma. With all the others trying to find footing after their great fall, only Stalin was left there. He watched the lava levels rise, making the kitchen sizzle and burn. "Finally some peace," he thought as the heat reached his cut head, letting out a breath before being engulfed by a hot wave.Further away, a number of carcasses were being carried by the current. One of them, a damned soul with longer hair and one horn, heard a sweat voice call out his name."Bernard, are you there?" the female voice said softly.The carcass twitched. "Margaret, is that you?" he uttered, not sure if the voice was coming from inside his head or was it a hallucination of his damaged mind."Bernard, what have you done to yourself?" the voice said sad."Please, tell me you are real," The burnt individua
The distraught woman was covered in construction material. Hurting all over, still scratching at her eye, she awaited the lava to engulf her while screaming in pain. It burnt her skull and brain, filling her nose with the disgusting smell of burned flesh. Digging in her claw into the socket, she yanked it out. Her eye, was not soft and squishy as expected. It was rock hard.Cassandra was stunned. She did not remember replacing it. It was her eye color and she could see through it, but it was made of glass. Overcome with vanquish, she hit the eye on the stone slab and...It broke. Just a little. And through the crack, a drop of water fell. The purest, shiniest drop she had ever seen. Touching the dark surface, it made it radiate warm bluish light. The liquid grew, spreading quickly into streams. Tiny bluish lines formed an ocean, covering every surface. She watched amazed. There was no more pain. Only peace.The hellish creatures stopped mid-flight. All looked up towards the portal in
Managing to reach the city. Everything was eerily quiet. Filled with newfound hope, she rushed to the tower and into the elevator, hitting the button for the hospital floor. "I'm sorry, Teo. But I don't see any other way out of this," she muttered to herself, slowly creeping into the dim hallways. "You would understand if you were in my position." "Stop your yapping and get on with it already!" Jane said impatient. "There is no better time to get rid of him than now." She was right. With everyone gone, everything was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even Lavinia was brought to the stands to witness the colossal event. Cass cautiously popped her head, glancing into the patient's ward. There was no one there. "They must have moved him," she stuttered. "Don't worry. We'll find him," Jane said. Cass moved from room to room, opening every door. He was nowhere to be seen. "Can it be that he had recovered?" went through her panic-stricken mind. "Don't be ridiculous. Not even demons
The woman in her 50s entered the door of a pristine hospital. Calm and proud, she walked down the familiar hallways. Leaving her home made her increasingly queasy and weak, and the doctors were clueless of why. She had her suspicious, though.Her determined gate took her into the hospital room. Her dearest friend was there, on the verge of death, like all those years ago. Sadly, there was no saving her this time. Regina was frail, reduced to a mere skeleton with skin that clung like a loose suit. Seeing Tiffany, her lips curled up. Her son was the first to greet the newcomer."Thank you for coming, aunt Tiff," he said sniffing and shaking the woman's hand."You look terrible, dear. When was the last time you got a good night sleep?" she told Josh softly."I can't remember," he said, turning to his exhausted father.Tiff sighed. "Why don't you two go and have some rest? I'll take care of her now."The men agreed, and left the two women alone.Regina coughed, as her friend sat beside her
Basil entered the elevator deep in thought. "Nice guy," he exhaled, lowering his head. Starting to chuckle, he repeated the words, breaking into a crazy laugh as the elevator went down.He remembered a row of women and children coward as they were ushered by soldiers to a train. Thick snow covered the field, as their weak bodies shook under an insufficient amount of clothing. Alive and in his 30s, he counted bags placed on a folding table, neatly writing down all the valuable items in them. "Alright, if that is all, I will be on my way," he told the guards who escorted him to the gate. Once outside, he took a deep breath and looked at the gray sky. A small hand emerged from the snow, grabbing his hand. Startled, he looked down only to see a small boy in tatters. He was around ten, with large brown eyes, and small frozen fingers that protruded from his ripped gloves."Please, Sir. Take me with you," he begged, with his teeth chattering from the frost.The man tried to push the boy awa
As soon as the elevator door opened, Basil and Cassandra rushed out. There was already a crowd in front of the patients room. His curious friends gathered devastated by the sight. Teo's face was completely dissolved, with only his fangs protruding. Her limbs were slowly growing back and many could see his torso moving, which meant his lungs were still functioning. The doctor mumbled at the crowd, explaining his condition with every new visitor."As I mentioned previously. His body is regenerating. With enough rest, his muscles will grow back! But it is crucial that he has peace and quiet," he yelled to another one of Teo's minions.Seeing the couple, Dr Mengele sighed, begrudgingly letting them through.Basil was genuinely happy to see his old friend, sitting next to his bed and held his charcoal hand stump. Cassandra faked it as best as she could, with Jane’s mockery driving her crazy. "Wow. You really did him dirty. Do you think his brain got fried in the process?" her annoying brai
"Cocktails for everyone!" the 19-year-old Tiff yelled. Her friends and her were out to a bar, dressed to a T, near her college. Disco was blasting, overpowering their chatter. "Too bad they're nonalcoholic," Jenifer sulked at the glass, but Regina already had the solution. She carefully pulled a tiny flask out of her bra and poured a transparent liquid into the girls' glasses. "I knew those melons of yours would come in handy one day," Tina squeaked delighted, taking the first sip. Tiff smelled her first. "What is this? Brandy?" "You know it," Reggie winked. The girls chugged their drinks, gagging from the taste a moment later. "That was bitter. Let's get another," Jenny yelled. Unknown to them, a group of college guys was already checking them out. A tall athletic type kept staring at them with a mysterious smile. Tiffany side-glanced him and looked away. "Is it my imagination, or is that guy checking you out?" she said to Reggie. Her friends discretely looked his way. The g
The Helltown mayor's throne room was located on the highest floor of the tallest building. The vast area was completely covered in black smooth rocks. His throne reached the ceiling, embellished with straight geometric slabs. A group of his most trusted demon and minion advisers had formed a perfect semicircle. They looked at him in awe, awaiting his orders."How are the maggots doing?" he said."Splendidly, my overlord. As you have predicted, the damned souls were very successful in making humans sin. We have not seen such results in eons," one advisor said with a deep bow."Typical. No better way to destroy humans then humans themselves," the ruler of Helltown said pleased. He laughed menacingly, watching a large black orb levitating near him. Unlike the devices of other hell dwellers, his was made of dark matter that both extracted and engulfed light. It showed, a diplomat giving a speech. By the look of it, the man was covered in ancient talismans and writings used for warding off
As the music blasted, she let out a puff of smoke, placing a hot iron on the board. The song playing in that particular moment she randomly found online. The rhythm was so upbeat and the message everything's-going-according-to-plan hit so well that she couldn't help but play it on repeat. Her husband was suddenly called that morning and told urgently that he has to come to work. She did not mind. After all it was better that he did not see this.Large piles of white linen were placed all around her as she carefully ironed and folded them all over the large open area. By the time, the clock turned 3, she had placed the ironed covers all around her living room, dancing and singing to the loud beats.A man knocked on her door. Not having anyone greet him, he entered the front door with confidence. He walked into the living room and observed the carefree woman doing her chores."We finally meet," he said calmly. Tiff still near her ironing board glanced at the man. He was in his mid-50s,