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They arrived at the final circle, their flight over the 8 circle of hell, the circle that housed those guilty of the sin of greed, had been largely uneventful. Geyron landed on the ground, his claws tearing at the frozen ground that formed the final circle of hell. Christina dismounted him and took his large paw into her hand. 'Thanks for the ride.'
Geyron’s face turned dark. 'Next time, no fires… or I will let you burn.'
Christina patted his paw. 'No, you won’t. You like me too much.' she smiled.
Geyron pulled his paw away. 'Perhaps I do.’ he extended his large wings, casting a dark shadow over Christina. ‘Best not keep him waiting. Until next time, young one.’ With a single flap of his large wings he was airborne and flew swiftly away.
Christina looked towards the large cavern that stood at the very centre of the island, where she could find the people she had come all this way to talk to.
As she walked, the light form her torch exposed people who were trapped in the ice. Some frozen up to their necks, others with just their faces exposed, and then there was one lonely person completely beneath the ice. She liked to refer to these people as snowmen.
When Christina reached the entrance to the cave, she smelled a strange odour. The smell reminded her of a time at university when a friend had sneaked her into the morgue and showed her a body so fresh that the shit and piss they had expelled after their death not been cleaned. This could mean only one thing. 'Is that you Judas?' She called out in Arabic.
Suddenly, a hooded man appeared from behind a large rock. 'You are late, Christina.' Judas stated in his native tongue.
'How can you tell?’ She asked. ‘There is no way of telling the time down here.' With no way of telling the passage of time, Christina had no way to know when her time in Hell was over.
Judas dropped his hood, revealing a weathered face – one that had been exposed to the sun for many years; his expression was always one of sadness and regret. Around his neck were rope burns he received when he hung himself out of guilt for the sins he had committed. His sins were so terrible that the place where he was forced to spend eternity in, Judecca, the final round of the last circle of hell, was named after him. 'When you have been in hell as long as I have, you can feel it.' He said plainly.
'If you say so.' Christina replied. 'It always feels the same when I come here. Everything is so still and unchanging.'
Judas took the torch from Christina. 'That is because you do not belong here. At least, not yet.'
She followed Judas as they made their way deeper into the cavern; the walls were made of stone, covered in layers of dark ice. Occasionally a strong gust would push through the cave, taking ice and snow outside; it was how the snowmen remained frozen within their eternal tombs.
‘Why were you waiting for me?’ Christina enquired as they turned a corner.
Judas paused in his tracks. ‘I wanted to warn you. He is in a dark mood – well darker than usual – and will not be good company.’
‘What do you mean?’ She queried with a raised eyebrow.
‘You will see.’ He resumed walking. ‘Come, we are almost there.’
They turned the final corner and entered an enormous chamber. Christina could only see as far as the torchlight would allow for, not a shimmer of light made it to the deepest part of Hell.
‘Iscariot, you’re back.’ A loud deep voice boomed from deep inside the chamber in queer Enochian tongue.
‘I am… and I have someone with me.’ He replied to the darkness.
‘Who is it?” The deep voice asked.
“That would be me.’ Christina answered. ‘Who else would come and see you?’
‘Someone less tiresome.’
Judas shook his head. ‘I told you he was in a mood.’
Christina yanked the torch from Judas and went towards the voice. Judas followed behind her, but she moved quickly and left him in the darkness.
She came to some rocky and uneven steps, which she carefully traversed using the torchlight as a guide.
She tried to be careful on her way down, but the torchlight had begun to melt the surface of the ice that covered some of the rocks, making the ground rather dangerous. As the made it nearer to the bottom, she slipped on one of the rocks and everything went dark.
Judas, who knew the room much better than she did, managed to catch her arm before she fell too far. ‘Careful, you don’t want to end up here permanently.’
Christina regained her footing, thanking him as she felt around the darkness and found the torch. It had fallen to the ground and been extinguished when ice had melted. ‘Shit. Could you help me the rest of the way?’
‘Of course.’ Judas took her hand ‘Come on.’
Together they walked through the darkness and safely made it to the bottom of the cavern. Christina noticed a faint glow at the centre of the chamber. ‘What is that light?’ she asked.
Judas smiled. ‘We put in some torches so we could see, sometimes things do change around here.’
Christina walked towards the light and came across a large, red hand that rested on the ice. She tapped it and the hand tensed, the claws rending the ice and stone below. ‘Hello, Satan.’ She said cheerfully. ‘I hear you are in a bad mood today.’
Satan moved his hand away and entered the light; he had enormous wings, red fur all over his body, and three heads. ‘Christina, why have you come here?” he asked, his heads spoke one word at a time from left to right and back again.
Christina pulled her robe close. ‘You don’t sound pleased to see me.’
‘That is true.’ Satan said coldly.
'Why?' I came all this way to see you.'
'You shouldn't have.'
'Why?' she asked angrily.
'Do not come here anymore, Christina.' he commanded harshly.
'What are you talking about? I’ve been coming here since I was a child.'
'I have no more to say.' Satan said firmly. He brought his wings down over his faces 'Leave me be'.
Christina walked up and poked Satan in the stomach. 'Satan... Satan... SATAN!' She picked up a chunk of ice and threw it at his wing. 'You can't just ignore me!' The ice shattered harmlessly against his wing. Some of the ice fell on one of the nearby lanterns, extinguishing the flame.
Judas placed his hand on Christina's shoulder. 'He won’t respond, my dear. Not for quite some time.'
Christina was getting upset. 'Why won't he talk to me? What have I done?'
'It is nothing you have done, child. A lot has happened since you last came here. Someone else came here and...'
Christina heard a loud beeping sound. 'No, it's too soon!' she said to no one.
'What is too soon?' Judas asked.
Christina didn’t have much time, she had to rush. 'Tell me what happened!' she yelled. 'Quickly!'
Before Judas could speak, Christina began to fall, her body disappearing before it hit the ground.
Satan peered out from under his wing. 'Is she gone?'
'She is.'
Satan's faces were downcast. 'Good. I didn't want to do that to her.’
‘But you had to. It was for her own safety.' Judas said.
'Will she heed my advice, Judas?' Satan asked.
'If she is wise, she will. But knowing her, probably not.'
'I Agree.' Satan replied.
Christina lay perfectly still, her lips blue and her body rigid. As the clock turned to six a.m. and the sounds of an alarm filled the quiet room, the defibrillator buzzed as it started charging.
The defibrillator unleashed its charge. Christina's body tensed and rose up as the charge entered her torso, along with a single blip on the heart monitor before it flat lined again. The defibrillator charged again and shocked her to no effect.
The machine automatically increased the joules and shocked her again. This time her heart continued to beat, weak but persistent. The defibrillator shut down but the alarm clock continued to ring.
A few minutes later Christina sat up and slammed her ha
nd on the alarm. ‘Goddammit.’ She yelled.
She stood up weakly, her legs unsteady and stiff. She walked over to the whiteboard and wiped off all the tally marks and placed a new one in the top left corner.
She gave a frustrated sigh. ‘I'll just have to wait until next time. Fuck what Satan says.’
###
References
Lewes Bonfire Night 2007 - Burning Torch Flame [Image], By Domonic Alves. Retrieved original from https://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/1902007773/ on 29/05/2014.used under the Creative Commons License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode (Modified)
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Geyron’s face turned dark. 'Next time, no fires… or I will let you burn.'
Christina patted his paw. 'No, you won’t. You like me too much.' she smiled.
Geyron pulled his paw away. 'Perhaps I do.’ he extended his large wings, casting a dark shadow over Christina. ‘Best not keep him waiting. Until next time, young one.’ With a single flap of his large wings he was airborne and flew swiftly away.
Christina looked towards the large cavern that stood at the very centre of the island, where she could find the people she had come all this way to talk to.
As she walked, the light form her torch exposed people who were trapped in the ice. Some frozen up to their necks, others with just their faces exposed, and then there was one lonely person completely beneath the ice. She liked to refer to these people as snowmen.
When Christina reached the entrance to the cave, she smelled a strange odour. The smell reminded her of a time at university when a friend had sneaked her into the morgue and showed her a body so fresh that the shit and piss they had expelled after their death not been cleaned. This could mean only one thing. 'Is that you Judas?' She called out in Arabic.
Suddenly, a hooded man appeared from behind a large rock. 'You are late, Christina.' Judas stated in his native tongue.
'How can you tell?’ She asked. ‘There is no way of telling the time down here.' With no way of telling the passage of time, Christina had no way to know when her time in Hell was over.
Judas dropped his hood, revealing a weathered face – one that had been exposed to the sun for many years; his expression was always one of sadness and regret. Around his neck were rope burns he received when he hung himself out of guilt for the sins he had committed. His sins were so terrible that the place where he was forced to spend eternity in, Judecca, the final round of the last circle of hell, was named after him. 'When you have been in hell as long as I have, you can feel it.' He said plainly.
'If you say so.' Christina replied. 'It always feels the same when I come here. Everything is so still and unchanging.'
Judas took the torch from Christina. 'That is because you do not belong here. At least, not yet.'
She followed Judas as they made their way deeper into the cavern; the walls were made of stone, covered in layers of dark ice. Occasionally a strong gust would push through the cave, taking ice and snow outside; it was how the snowmen remained frozen within their eternal tombs.
‘Why were you waiting for me?’ Christina enquired as they turned a corner.
Judas paused in his tracks. ‘I wanted to warn you. He is in a dark mood – well darker than usual – and will not be good company.’
‘What do you mean?’ She queried with a raised eyebrow.
‘You will see.’ He resumed walking. ‘Come, we are almost there.’
They turned the final corner and entered an enormous chamber. Christina could only see as far as the torchlight would allow for, not a shimmer of light made it to the deepest part of Hell.
‘Iscariot, you’re back.’ A loud deep voice boomed from deep inside the chamber in queer Enochian tongue.
‘I am… and I have someone with me.’ He replied to the darkness.
‘Who is it?” The deep voice asked.
“That would be me.’ Christina answered. ‘Who else would come and see you?’
‘Someone less tiresome.’
Judas shook his head. ‘I told you he was in a mood.’
Christina yanked the torch from Judas and went towards the voice. Judas followed behind her, but she moved quickly and left him in the darkness.
She came to some rocky and uneven steps, which she carefully traversed using the torchlight as a guide.
She tried to be careful on her way down, but the torchlight had begun to melt the surface of the ice that covered some of the rocks, making the ground rather dangerous. As the made it nearer to the bottom, she slipped on one of the rocks and everything went dark.
Judas, who knew the room much better than she did, managed to catch her arm before she fell too far. ‘Careful, you don’t want to end up here permanently.’
Christina regained her footing, thanking him as she felt around the darkness and found the torch. It had fallen to the ground and been extinguished when ice had melted. ‘Shit. Could you help me the rest of the way?’
‘Of course.’ Judas took her hand ‘Come on.’
Together they walked through the darkness and safely made it to the bottom of the cavern. Christina noticed a faint glow at the centre of the chamber. ‘What is that light?’ she asked.
Judas smiled. ‘We put in some torches so we could see, sometimes things do change around here.’
Christina walked towards the light and came across a large, red hand that rested on the ice. She tapped it and the hand tensed, the claws rending the ice and stone below. ‘Hello, Satan.’ She said cheerfully. ‘I hear you are in a bad mood today.’
Satan moved his hand away and entered the light; he had enormous wings, red fur all over his body, and three heads. ‘Christina, why have you come here?” he asked, his heads spoke one word at a time from left to right and back again.
Christina pulled her robe close. ‘You don’t sound pleased to see me.’
‘That is true.’ Satan said coldly.
'Why?' I came all this way to see you.'
'You shouldn't have.'
'Why?' she asked angrily.
'Do not come here anymore, Christina.' he commanded harshly.
'What are you talking about? I’ve been coming here since I was a child.'
'I have no more to say.' Satan said firmly. He brought his wings down over his faces 'Leave me be'.
Christina walked up and poked Satan in the stomach. 'Satan... Satan... SATAN!' She picked up a chunk of ice and threw it at his wing. 'You can't just ignore me!' The ice shattered harmlessly against his wing. Some of the ice fell on one of the nearby lanterns, extinguishing the flame.
Judas placed his hand on Christina's shoulder. 'He won’t respond, my dear. Not for quite some time.'
Christina was getting upset. 'Why won't he talk to me? What have I done?'
'It is nothing you have done, child. A lot has happened since you last came here. Someone else came here and...'
Christina heard a loud beeping sound. 'No, it's too soon!' she said to no one.
'What is too soon?' Judas asked.
Christina didn’t have much time, she had to rush. 'Tell me what happened!' she yelled. 'Quickly!'
Before Judas could speak, Christina began to fall, her body disappearing before it hit the ground.
Satan peered out from under his wing. 'Is she gone?'
'She is.'
Satan's faces were downcast. 'Good. I didn't want to do that to her.’
‘But you had to. It was for her own safety.' Judas said.
'Will she heed my advice, Judas?' Satan asked.
'If she is wise, she will. But knowing her, probably not.'
'I Agree.' Satan replied.
Christina lay perfectly still, her lips blue and her body rigid. As the clock turned to six a.m. and the sounds of an alarm filled the quiet room, the defibrillator buzzed as it started charging.
The defibrillator unleashed its charge. Christina's body tensed and rose up as the charge entered her torso, along with a single blip on the heart monitor before it flat lined again. The defibrillator charged again and shocked her to no effect.
The machine automatically increased the joules and shocked her again. This time her heart continued to beat, weak but persistent. The defibrillator shut down but the alarm clock continued to ring.
A few minutes later Christina sat up and slammed her ha
nd on the alarm. ‘Goddammit.’ She yelled.
She stood up weakly, her legs unsteady and stiff. She walked over to the whiteboard and wiped off all the tally marks and placed a new one in the top left corner.
She gave a frustrated sigh. ‘I'll just have to wait until next time. Fuck what Satan says.’
###
References
Lewes Bonfire Night 2007 - Burning Torch Flame [Image], By Domonic Alves. Retrieved original from https://www.flickr.com/photos/dominicspics/1902007773/ on 29/05/2014.used under the Creative Commons License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode (Modified)
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Christina's Inferno