Heaven's Door

By Cassandra Morphy

Maya San Lucas had been lost in her dreamworld for the better part of five years. Desparia was just a fantasy world for her to explore during stretches of boredom at school and at home. Going to that world let her have adventures, exploring secret locations, and searching through towns and cities for loot to come away with. The life of a thief was so much more exciting than high school, especially with no friends to speak of.

After escaping the hell of Hell, Maya and her friends had returned to the depths of the emperor's stronghold. Some were emboldened by what they had seen, more determined than ever to see the emperor deposed. But Maya had brought her own demons with her on her return to Desparia. As her demons stalked her, Maya's newfound magic grows stronger, making her more dependent than ever on her friends by her side. And with more doors behind them than in front of them, the group pushed on to their destination, even as they experience some of their worse losses yet.

Jared didn't understand what was happening to him. He was too young to know the power seated deep within him, destroying whole towns around him. But when he meets Celestia and her fae people, he learns that he is a mage, and starts to come to terms with what that meant. As he sets out on his journey to rid the world of evil, he starts seeing his own magic as part of the problem. One that he was determined to rid the world of. The only problem was, how to do that without hunting down and killing every mage that ever lived.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cassandra Morphy
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005386399

Cassandra Morphy

Cassandra Morphy is a Business Data Analyst, working with numbers by day, but words by night. She grew up escaping the world, into the other realities of books, TV shows, and movies, and now she writes about those same worlds. Her only hope in life is to reach one person with her work, the way so many others had reached her. As a TV addict and avid movie goer, her entire life is just one big research project, focused on generating innovative ideas for worlds that don’t exist anywhere other than in her sick, twisted mind.

Book preview

Chapter One

Catching Our Breaths

Maya

A waterfall rained down into the cavern from above; I assumed it was the lake falling through the whirlpool that had almost killed us a few days ago. The sun, as it streamed down the center of the waterfall, threw rainbows all around the chamber, making it look bigger than it was. I walked right up to the torrent and put my head under, gulping down as much water as my mouth would take. The pressure of the water falling on my head hurt a little, but it felt too good to stop.

I closed my eyes against the water, letting it wash away the last few days. Instantly I was back in the demonic dentist's office, strapped to the chair, with his razor-sharp fangs drooling over me as he drew the power tool drill closer to my mouth. I shrieked, jumping back and out of the waterfall. My little scream filled the chamber, echoing back at me from every direction, sounding more girlish than I thought I was capable of.

I can't do this anymore, I said. My mind raced through all the events of the last few days, cringing away from each flash of memory that hit me like a bullet to my chest. I want to go home. I need to go home. Heather, open a door. I can't do this anymore. I looked over to Heather, but she looked lost in my request.

Maya, you're starting to sound like him, Serena teased, pointing at David.

Tina snickered at her comment. With both of them standing next to each other, it was harder than ever to tell them apart. Especially since they were both still clad in the black leather pants and black tank top that had been the uniform of the wrath demons that we had been training with. However, Serena still posed with her hands unconsciously at her belt, resting right where her swords used to be before we fell into Hell.

Hey, David said, offended. I've been very good not to freak out these past couple days.

Oh, yea, I snapped at him. Real easy for you to not freak out when sitting in a waiting room with food to eat and juice to keep you from dying of thirst.

He staggered back a step, surprised by the venom in my voice. As his face shifted in pain, I flinched back, remembering who I was talking to. This was David, the guy I had had a crush on since I was eleven. Ever since my father had died in that car crash, when he showed me such warmth at the funeral. If only I had told him how I felt. But he was with Heather. The blond girl came over to his side. Her white dress, now dirtied from the road, still shone in the light streaming down from above. She wrapped her hands around David's, lending him comfort against my barrage.

If you had seen half of the stuff we saw in that place, you would have curled up into a ball and died from fear, Jason said, coming up next to me.

His chest, bare as always, glistened in the light. He was still sweating from running through the halls of Hell. Fleeing from the recruits that had meant to harm us. To kill us if they could. But we managed to slip from them forever. His leather pants matched the ones worn by the twins and myself, standard issue as we passed through the demonic training program.

All of you, please calm down, Mrs. Azalea ordered, causing all of us to look at her. The specter of David's dead mother glowed in the low light of the chamber. She had come with us through the door that freed us from Hell, but the more solid form that she had taken while there had not come with her. She looked very much like the ghost that she was. She shined brightly, illuminating part of the chamber. She, too, wore the black tank top and leather pants, though they were closer to gray in her insubstantial form. Although she had been in her thirties when she had died, almost five years ago, she looked ageless, much like Jason.

Another memory flashed through my head, Dap the demon glaring down at me as I was buried beneath a pile of demon recruits. I stumbled backwards, trying to get away from the reminder of the hell I was put through, all for this mission that had never been my own. My back hit the wall of the cavern that we had found ourselves in when coming through the door from Hell. I reached up to the back of my head, to check if I injured myself when hitting the stone behind me. As my wrist passed by my eyes, the golden bracelet that was there caught the light from the hole above, directing my eyes back towards it. Back towards the enchanted bangle that enslaved me to this quest.

The hourglass that was carved into its side had already started to tick down once more. It had filled up at some point while I was in Hell. Whatever caused that to happen, it's effect had faded, locking me into the same fate that I had before heading there. But as long as I stayed with Heather, she'd be able to reset it when the time came.

We all need to focus on the task at hand, Mrs. Azalea said. She was looking to me with concern plain on her face. Her hands were stretched out as if she wanted to hug me, to hold me close and protect me from the memories that were too fresh to guard against. However, her hand flowed freely through her son's shoulder as she had reached out to me, confirming that she was as much a ghost as she looked.

The emperor, Serena said through her teeth, as she ground them in anger.

The next door, Heather corrected them. We have only gone through six of them so far, with four more to go to get to the center of The Citadel.

We've been going through them quickly enough, it shouldn't be too much of a problem to get through the next four, David said. He sounded way too perky, given what we had to do for the last door.

For someone who-- Jason started, but I grabbed onto his arm and pulled him closer to me.

Not now, I said. Mrs. Azalea is right. We need to focus on getting to the next door. Besides, the doors have been getting harder as we go. I'd hate to see what the emperor thought was harder to do than to escape Hell.

I'm more worried about why we haven't seen any troopers since leaving that group on Earth, Jason put in. We're in the heart of The Citadel, I'd think there would have been more in the way of defenses.

Don't borrow trouble, David said. Despite his words, his eyes darted every which way as if he thought that the troopers were about to come out of the woodwork at any moment.

The group that grabbed you last week, as well as the ones that got the twins, were all slaughtered by the thieves, I reminded him. They probably need a few days to retrieve more from the trooper factory.

Besides, the whole point of this fortress was to limit the need for a trooper presence protecting the emperor, Serena added.

Not to mention that the emperor himself is the most powerful mage in the world, Heather said.

Yes, no more looking backwards, Mrs. Azalea cheered on.

Speaking of backwards, where did the door go? Tina said. She was looking around for some sign of the door that we had just come through when leaving Hell. I looked over at the stone wall that we had stepped out of. Instead of a wooden door, the other side of the door we had found in Hell, all that was there was hard, cold stone. The sunlight streaming in from above had illuminated the wall where the door had been, shining through into Hell when the door was open. But it only emphasized the fact that the door was no longer there.

When we were coming through the other doors before this one, they had stayed open, preventing us from protecting our backs from those that would follow. Considering the fact that we were at first stalked by a small band of troopers, I would have liked to have shut them out from the deeper sections of The Citadel. But with that band trapped on Earth, with no way to open a door back to Desparia, it hadn't mattered that we couldn't close those doors. It left the possibility open that we could return to The Capital for supplies. Of course, now that we were without any supplies, it made perfect sense for there to no longer be a door out of here.

Yea, that's not good, I said, staring at the blank wall.

Guys, the door's up there? David said, pointing to the top of the waterfall. Remember? We went to Hell by falling down the whirlpool. That makes that the door in The Citadel, not the door we came out of from Hell. That's the way we should be going if we want to backtrack.

Except we've never wanted to backtrack before, Heather said. Something about not wanting to start over. We don't know if those doors will stay open if we head all the way back to The Capitol.

So, open a portal back to The Capital, Serena said. As long as the portal stays open, we should be able to get back, right? We need to replace our lost supplies.

No, Heather, open a door back to Earth, I put in. Some of us want to get off this ride. Besides, it'll be easier for you all to restock your supplies with actual funds. I'm sure Mom would be able to pitch in something to buy you enough food to make it the rest of the way in. Maybe some weapons that are probably better made than anything around here.

Um... Heather started.

I'd also like to get something a little less... demonic to wear, Tina added, looking down at her black wrath demon uniform.

We could raid Maya's closet again, Serena agreed. Also, I'd like to check up on the guys.

And my dad, David added. When Mrs. Azalea looked towards him in concern, he explained, Dad got shot by some arrows when the troopers attacked us at the pool party I was throwing. He's fine, he made it to the hospital and Mrs. San Lucas is with him. But I'd still like to pop in to see him.

And like Serena was saying, we'd like to check in on the guys, Tina said. It is a bit annoying that you two got to bring your boyfriends on this little trip and we didn't. She pointed to both Heather and I, which confused me to no end.

Boyfriends? Heather asked. Are you talking about Graham and… When did that happen? I thought you guys were just having a little bit of fun.

Woah, wait a minute, I yelled, my voice echoing around the chamber. Since when do I have a boyfriend? Do not tell me you're talking about Jason.

Hey, Jason said, sounding offended.

Hey yourself, I said, only slightly surprised by his use of Earth terms. Just because we made out... once... doesn't make you my boyfriend.

Woah, wait a minute, Heather said. You guys made out? When did this happen?

Just before hell froze over, I said, eliciting a snicker from David.

It didn't freeze over, Jason said. It was just a light drizzle of snow.

You guys, Mrs. Azalea yelled out, calling our attention back to her. No more bickering. If we're going back to Earth, then fine, let's do that.

About that, Heather started. I'm not sure I can get us back to Earth, or even back to The Capital. The last time we were in The Citadel, we didn't exactly have much luck teleporting back out of it.

Wait, huh? I asked.

When were you in The Citadel? Jason asked, completing my thought.

It was a few years ago, Serena supplied. And that was the inner section, not along the way. Just try to open a portal to The Capital; it's not that far away and should be easier to do than Earth.

Heather nodded before starting to focus inward. I could feel the air resonate around her, the usual sensation that I had always felt when someone was casting a spell. Now that I had some experience in casting them myself, which was limited to partially freezing the whirlpool above and creating a small spring in the middle of Hell, I had a better sense of what was going in the spell as she cast it. I could sense the magic as she wove it around a central point. The spell was focused on that point, as she tried to open up a conduit back out of The Citadel. I could also sense when the spell hit some kind of barrier, shattering before the portal could form.

It's no use, she said.

There's something blocking the spell, I agreed. Everyone turned to me in surprise, shocked by my remark. What? I asked.

How did you know that? Heather asked.

She was right? Serena asked.

I could sort of... sense it, I guess, I said. How the magic hit something and fractured. The magic didn't feel like your normal magic, though; or mine for that matter.

That's because it was a darkness spell I was trying to cast, Heather explained.

Why did you go with darkness? I asked. Aren't you better at fire than darkness?

Fire doesn't exactly help much in transportation. It's good for destruction... very good in fact. Her eyes faded a bit as she got lost in a memory. After a moment, she shook her head and continued. Air is useful in teleportation, but we were going for a portal and air doesn't work for that. The only experience I ever had with portals was when the emperor cast one. And of course, the ones we've seen since entering The Citadel. I'm not sure if there is an easier way to create a portal, but he used darkness for his. Either way, it's not the element that caused the problem. I think it's the walls themselves.

Remember the third door? Tina asked, realization plain on her face. When Heather cast the spells against it, they just bounced off. What if all the walls are like that, deflecting all magic.

And that's what the portal spell ran into? I asked.

That sounds about right, Heather confirmed.

Which means we're stuck in here, Serena said. The only way out is forward.

Unless we can get up there, Jason said, pointing upwards to the hole in the ceiling.

We don't have any rope, Serena said.

Or anything to hook one onto, Tina added.

And I don't much like the idea of heading up into the unknown, David said.

This whole mission is traveling into the unknown, Jason snapped at him.

Wait, isn't that just the other side of the whirlpool? I asked. I mean, the door... the door was the whirlpool. We entered the whirlpool, and we were teleported to Hell. Just like the fourth door teleported us to Earth and the fifth teleported us to the elemental planes. We should be able to climb back up there and head back through the other doors, back to The Capital.

Except the whirlpool was in the middle of a huge lake, Serena said.

With an oddly glowing green river around it, Tina added.

Which was guarded by that giant monster, David said.

And miles and miles of backtracking through all the areas we only just managed to get through, Heather said.

And with the luck we've been having, all the doors will end up closing as we headed out, which would be such a thing for... for the emperor to do, Jason said.

Yes, I for one would not want to go back to the inferno, Serena put in, using their word for Hell.

At the reminder, another memory hit me, the melee tournament that had chased us down the hallways of Hell, heading for the waiting room in the slimmest hope that we could get through it and away from the horrors that followed. I fell back again, clutching at the wall behind me, the feel of the solid rock making me panic more.

We went back through that one door, my first night here, David said, though his voice seemed like it was coming from way off.

Yes, one door, Jason agreed. He sounded just as far away, though his arm was only a yard or so in front of me. Not six. We'd have to go back through all six of them to get to The Capital. No one has gone back through that first door since it was opened. Any one of them could reset the ones further on. Besides, we haven't seen the first few doors since we got back from Earth. They might be closed as well. We don't know anything about them. I'd feel more confident with moving forward than heading backwards.

Maya, are you alright? Mrs. Azalea came at me from a long, deep tunnel. One with the hands of the damned, several already shaped into claws, swiping out at me. My breathing sped as I tried to get more air in me. More oxygen so that I could think. So that I could run from the terrors that were stalking me.

Maya, Jason shouted, shaking my shoulders and bringing me back to the present. Are you alright?

What? I asked, staring up at him. I'm fine. I'm fine, I said, shaking off his hands. Let's just get moving. If we're so committed to going forward, then let's do that. I just... I want to get as far away from... here as I can. My eyes scanned the wall behind me again, looking for some sign of the wooden door that had brought us here from Hell. I couldn't shake the feeling that the demons were just inches away from me, waiting to pounce at the first opportunity.

Where are we even going? David asked, looking around the chamber.

There's a tunnel over there, Tina said. She pointed towards a dark corner off to the side. It was far away from the hole in the ceiling, the only light source in the cavern.

Heather, that looks like your cue, Serena said, pointing the way forward.

Heather nodded her head before concentrating on her magic again. I felt oddly calmed and secure in the feeling of that magic as it once again bathed the area in a low resonance. It always reminded me of the buzzing of a refrigerator when it was running, though without the noise. It had the familiar tenor of her other spells, her fire magic, which was more comforting than I'd like to admit. The spell that she cast didn't take much power. The resonance was weak as it flowed out. But it lit up the entire area, drowning out the sunlight streaming in from above. It headed off into the distance, illuminating a good portion of the hallway in front of us.

Onward and inward, as they say, Mrs. Azalea said, leading the way down the hall. I think it best to put the person that's already dead in the lead.

Chapter Two

The Lost Village

Jared

There was nothing remarkable about the village of Sonora. It had more than its fair share of farmers, spreading out as far as the eye could see. Traders only stopped by there on the way to other places, so there was only the one inn that doubled as a tavern at night. The only claim to fame that Sonora ever had was that a certain boy grew up there. But it didn't know about it when there was a village of Sonora. No one did, for that matter.

Jared had very few memories of that time. It was so long ago. Back before there was an emperor. Fandor was only just getting over the rule of the woman who would become known as the ancient empress. Surfs and fiefdoms were only just reforming after her tyrannical rule had ended. The earliest memory Jared had from those days, the one he treasured the most, was when that ancient hero had passed through his town, no doubt on the way to some other grand adventure.

The man was called Fabien at the time, though he had gone by several other names over the years. The most memorable thing about him, at least for Jared, was that there wasn't anything memorable about him. He wasn't overly strong or dexterous. He was just a man, an ordinary man like any other. Like his father. Like the man that he knew at the time that he would grow up to be. Fabien had ruffled the boy's hair as he passed through, not staying at the inn. The villagers all flocked around in his wake, sending their thanks for him dispatching the empress and removing the curse that had plagued the land for years. A few of the villagers got a little feisty, trying to take some memento from the man so as to prove they had met him. It was then that Fabien's bag had torn, and a book fell out. It fell into the road, only to be trampled on by the villagers as they followed him out of town.

Jared had picked up the book, running home to show it to his mother. He hadn't learned to read yet, but he was determined for that to change. He hoped that the book he held in his hands would be the answer to that. Over the three years after that incident, he insisted that his mother read the book to him until he had learned to read it himself. The book, as it turned out, was the man's diary and told the story of his many adventures since he had arrived here, to this to him strange land, from a world called Earth.

There were bits and pieces spread throughout the book about this world. A world that contained no magic but had wonders that far outweighed what the world of magic had been able to create. The book talked about large flying machines that took its passengers across the world in seconds and across the galaxy in hours. Handheld weapons that could destroy cities. Medicines that could cure any ailment. It was a world of wonders and Jared wanted to go there. He wanted to see it for himself.

Jared, this world doesn't exist, his mother had told him when they were reading the book together on the night of his tenth birthday. It was a night he would always remember. These kinds of things can't exist. There are no other worlds but this one. Nowhere else in the universe but Desparia.

There's the inferno, and all the worlds of the afterlife that the goddesses rule over, he said, holding up those other worlds as proof that more could exist.

But those places don't really exist; not in the way you think of. No one can actually go to the inferno or the planes unless they actually die.

You're wrong, he insisted, slamming the book down against the covers that the two of them were buried in. I'll prove it. One day, I'll go to those places. I'll go to Earth and the inferno and even the plain of water where I can drink all the water I'd ever want and it would be clear as day, not this brown stuff that tastes like dirt.

Just wait until your father gets home from his travels and hears how little you think of his water. Of the place that we brought you up in, she snapped at him, pulling him out of his bed to give him a proper spanking.

He knew that she wouldn't really tell his father about what he said. But the threat was there. It was very real to him, and it hurt worse than the lashing of his rear. So, it didn't surprise him in the least when his face got hot from the idea. It did surprise him, however, when that heat only built. It spread out throughout his body, filling him with an odd energy that he couldn't seem to contain. When his mother's hand impacted with his flesh, it felt like an explosion went off, flowing out from him and bathing the air in a thickness that he couldn't describe.

It was then that his mother first coughed. It was a single cough, nothing more than that, before she fell backwards into the wall behind her.

Are you alright, Mother? Jared asked, not daring to look back. He waited there, hunched over the side of his bed for her to answer him, knowing his punishment would be so much worse if he looked back. When he did look back to her, a minute later with no response from her, he wasn't sure what he was looking at.

His mother was slumped on the floor, her eyes staring out at him. A red liquid flowed out of her mouth in two rivulets, dripping down onto her dress, ruining it completely. It took him a moment to realize that the liquid was blood and that there was a splattering of it on her hand as well.

Mother? he asked, as he went over to her body. He shook her, trying to wake her up. But her body moved around like a rag doll before slumping down onto the floor. Help, he shouted as he ran from the house.

Out in the street, the sun was low in the west but still bright in the waning evening. He first looked to his neighbor across the street. The young couple had only just given birth to two beautiful twin daughters. Knowing they would be home taking care of the newborns, as his mother had often complained about the noise coming from over there, he ran across the street. He didn't bother to knock as he barged through the door. Just inside, he tripped on something, then slipped on a viscous liquid that covered the floor. He came to a stop beneath the table. He flipped over in place, not bothering to get up in his haste to find help for his mother, only to come face to face with the woman of the house. She was still holding the two babies in her hands, clutched to her chest as she was slumped against the wall. Her legs were out at odd angles across the threshold. She had a similar look to his own mother, as did the two babies in her arms.

He got up from the floor, bumping his head on the table in his haste, and ran from the house. Not realizing that he was covered in the red fluid that had been on the floor. That had been seeping from every orifice of every person he managed to find. He made his way through the village, barging into every house as he passed them, finding similar scenes in each. Everyone, people he knew in passing or friends of his parents or even people he had never met before, were all dead in their homes. A few were even out in the street, their blood spreading out across the cobblestones and dirt.

When he got to the village square, the center of town where many of the businesses ran around a small fountain that threw water into the air, the place was littered with bodies. He picked his way through them, trying not to step on anyone. It was hard in some places where the ground was paved with bodies. When he made his way to the fountain, he found one large man slumped against the rim, his head dunked underwater.

Jared jumped up on the edge of the fountain, trying to get a better view of his surroundings. Trying to see if there was anyone around still moving besides him. When he did, he accidentally knocked into the large man. The man's body tumbled backwards and out of the fountain. As the body flopped onto the cobblestones, his hood fell away, revealing his face. Revealing the fact that he wasn't a man at all. The orc was as dead as the rest of them, black blood flowing down his face and staining the water. When Jared looked back to the fountain, he noticed that the water was also black, streaming through the fountain as it was thrown into the air.

It was the orc, he insisted to the dead air that surrounded him. The orc must have killed everyone. He must have poisoned the fountain. He must have...

Tears came to Jared's eyes as he realized the implication. That everyone in town, everyone that had drunk from the fountain, must be as dead as his own mother. He ran, fleeing from his tears, running back to his house to hide, to be with his mother.

That night, Jared's father returned from his trip. He was a traveling merchant, hocking his wares in the neighboring villages. Though he knew he could do a better job of selling if he went further out, spreading his business across the countryside, he tried to stay as close to home as he could. He wanted to be home with his wife and son as much as he wanted to be on the road. To see the world, as he had always wanted. He pulled his heavy cart back into Sonora as the moon rose, not the least bit lighter than it was when he had left it the week before.

Jared was still clinging to his mother's dead body when he heard the familiar tinkling of his father's cart. For the first time in a long time, that sound brought relief to him. It reminded him that he wasn't alone in the world. That his father was still there for him. That he would be able to take care of him where his mother was no longer able. But he was afraid, too. His father's return often brought anger and pain. Punishments for all the wrongdoings he had done in his father's absence. When he remembered that his mother wasn't there to tattle on him, he only wept harder.

So, when Jared's father rushed into his room, fear plain on his face, he found his son in a fresh bout of waterworks. The boy's tears were washing the blood off of his mother's face.

What happened? his father asked of him. What happened here? How is everyone dead? How are you still alive?

An orc, Jared managed to get out between sobs. He poisoned the water in the fountain.

But... how aren't you dead? If it was in the water, you should be dead too? Where is this orc?

He's-he's still at the fountain, dead as the rest of them, he sobbed, clutching his mother closer to him.

Right, the man said, nodding as he looked at his son. Come. Pack everything that you can. It's no longer safe here; not with orcs around.

But the orc is dead, Jared said, staring up at his father in confusion.

Where there's one orc, there are usually many others. Come along.

What about mother? he sobbed, clinging to her body.

There's nothing we can do for her now, his father said, coming over to his son and pulling the body out of his grasp. We'll bury her before we leave, but we must leave. Tonight.

And that was the final word he said on the subject.

Chapter Three

Inner and Outer Demons

Maya

The demons were everywhere, suddenly coming down the long dark tunnel. They were streaming out into the distance for as far as I could see in the fading light of Heather's spell as she slept. We had walked for what seemed like hours, though that was more due to my already taxed body and growing hunger. The group had settled down for the night only moments before. I barely remember lying down when the scraping came to me down the tunnel that we had been following the entire time. There hadn't been any bends in the path that we had taken. No great underground maze to get lost, or hide, in. So, when their eyes glowed at me from the dark tunnel behind us, all I could do was run.

It wasn't just the wrath recruits like it had been in the melee tournament. The low level demons that still looked like men and women. Dap, our demonic instructor, was leading the charge, a long, bloody whip swinging before him. It also wasn't just the wrath demons. The succubi and incubi of lust came with them, their giant breasts and muscled chests suddenly clad in armor, their hands turned to axes. Even the demonic dentist that had been all too eager to remove my teeth with his power tool drill was there. His drill buzzed away at me as the blood flew off of it in every direction. Only the blood wasn't dry this time. It oozed and bled everywhere, drowning some of the tiny demons that flocked in the horde's wake.

I bolted to my feet, looking around to the others. Looking to wake them up and urge them to run. Instead, all I saw were more demons, three succubi lounging luxuriously next to me, begging me to join in their play. Two gluttony demons looked up to me, their eyes wide as they stared at my face, licking their lips as they no doubt thought of eating my flesh.

I ran, screaming all the way, in the only direction that was left open to me. Forward, flowing through the tunnel that was before me, heading away from the light that still flickered next to where Heather had laid down only moments before. There was a pride demon lying in her place, the hump on her back larger than my head. I dashed into the darkness, barely thinking enough to hope that the path didn't bend. It had been a straight shot, always straight, always forward, since leaving the cavern that we had started in.

Mere moments after my flight began, I tripped, falling face first in the dark that surrounded me, onto an inclined section of stone floor. From how it hit my chin, I figured it was some form of staircase. As I tried to get up, demonic hands grasped me from behind, grabbing my arms and pulling me backwards into their clutches. I could feel the claws raking across my skin around my stomach, where my tank top didn't quite meet my leather pants, leaving my flesh exposed and primed for them to rip raw.

I tried to turn around in their clutches, flailing around at their faces behind me, letting my nails do their work as I clawed back at my attackers. I fought much harder than I had managed at either of the melees that I had been subjected to during my time