A Soul's Bane

"Paul, welcome to The Sanctuary. You have lived a life of sorrow and in your desperation, you prayed for death. Well, it has found you. It may take you some time to realize the truth, but the sooner you accept it the better off you'll be. Now, awaken."


I slowly open my eyes, revealing a dark and grim landscape. I look around and notice I'm covered in blood. My body aches as I painfully stand up, my bones cracking loudly. Searching around, I find that I'm completely alone here. Out in the distance, I see what resembles my childhood home. Tears leak out of my bloodshot eyes, making me wipe my face with my hands. Clearing my face, skin begins to peel off, falling to the ground. I yell in terror as my face becomes a horrifying mixture of blood and bone. My eyes fall out of their sockets, with worms and centipedes replacing them. "What the fuck is happening to me?!" Suddenly, without a moment's notice, my face reverts to normal. I touch it to see if my features are where they're supposed to be. Tears continue to leak from my eyes, an unending stream of melancholy.


I start walking towards the house, which feels like it would take several days to reach it. A cold and muddy road presents itself, almost begging me to walk along it. I can hear a piano, the haunting melody echoing in my shattered mind. Even though my body writhes with pain, I walk along the narrow road, hoping to find some kind of solace at my destination. With each step I take, I hear someone calling my name, screaming in a gruesome and helpless manner. Every single step towards the house, comes with the tingling fear that someone will scream my name. Some voices are familiar. Others make me want to get down and cower under a rock. Continuing on this heartbreaking journey, I see flashes of my life. My birth, my first kiss, my parent's separation and the hole. Events that helped shape me into the person I was. People that have come and gone. Shane, Martin, Amanda and my father. How I wish I could see them again, just one last time. Images of love, loss and defeat. But for some reason, I feel as though I do not belong here. An error was made when I died. Something terrible occurred for me to be sent here.


As I regain my train of thought, I find that the house has become a small speck in the distance. I let out a small cry of frustration, as I fall to my knees. When does it end? More importantly, does it end? I don't know why I'm here. Here in this...Chilling representation of my life. Is this what they call Hell...? Even though my torment may be endless, I shall try and find a way out of here. I must find the one who conned me into this god forsaken tomb. Lost in my thoughts, I barely notice the hooded figure standing beside me. I scream and crawl away. Seeing a ghastly smile, I fear the worst. "Ah, you must be Paul. I am Joseph. Do you need a hand?" I anxiously grab the stretched hand and rise to my feet. Who is this person? How does he know me?

Can he help me...