Gates of Hell (flashfantasy)

It was like being submerged in the brutal undercurrents of a wave. My lungs could find no air despite how hard they struggled. And the weight on my chest felt heavy enough to break my bones at nearly any second. It pressed on me, it bore down on me, it tried to crumple me up with malicious resolution. I tried to scream out. But the bitter taste of salt filled my mouth and burnt my eyes to the point where I thought that if I didn’t immediately find salvation I might just lose my sanity. Caught up in the spinning tide, my entire world had been struck off its axis. Were my feet even on the ground anymore? Was any limb or finger, even a hair, touching anything but the void, the thick nothingness, of the water? I couldn’t decipher which way was toward heaven, and even the concept of ‘left’ had lost all meaning. Everything down to the very fiber of my being had been flung into nothing but an agonizing blur. And every second that passed in this state made me beg pitifully for death. Certainly the licking flames of hell were nothing compared to this torture.

I begged pitifully.

Kill me.

Then suddenly, between the clash of empty space and suffocating thickness, I felt another force tug at my waist. It was an unexpected compulsion that sent my head reeling even more, a feat which I had previously thought unattainable. Had my muscles the strength, I’m sure I would have wretched my guts out right then and there. But, in this decrepit state, I was left merely to choke on the air caught within my pulsating throat. And still it continued to pull. In a strange way I could hear the currents of the wave screaming with anger. It was like a shrill hum so high in pitch that I honestly couldn’t even be certain I heard anything at all. Perhaps it was really the angels singing as my low burning existence was beginning to flicker out into nothing but the memory of a darkened wick. But, no, I could sense the water’s rage. I could feel it tugging and gripping to my body with a force that could topple mountains. Had I the ability to rationalize I might have wondered as to how this new contender could possibly hope to be victorious over the strength of the currents. But somehow, certainly it was….struggling against all physical odds…winning. My heart began to beat faster and faster. I could feel my legs fighting to swim.

And then heaven opened up.

And I was free from the hell of the ocean.

I imagine it was something akin to being born again. My lungs were set on fire as the first stream of air danced about within my chest. And the light streaming in from all directions was both painful and warming, confusing yet strangely comforting because it reminded me that I was somehow still alive. So despite the uncomfortable novelty of these sensations I felt like I was experiencing pure bliss. At least, for a moment. But it was of course too good to last. Suddenly the reality of the situation came crashing down on me as my mind began to come to grips with what I had just experienced. And how it had all started. As the situation hit me, possibly even harder than the sensation of the waves, I snapped open my eyes and attempted to propel myself up to a sitting position. But something stopped my torso from moving. Troubled I cast my eyes to my shoulders. And there I found a pair of hands. His hands. I knew they were his before even looking up to see his disheveled brown hair and piercing eyes flooded with rage. In that glare I lost track of my aching body, my tortured mind, the resolution that had gotten me into this whole mess. I was left with only a blanket of shame. Silent as a ghost he rose up and began to walk away. Simple as that. Not a little curve of the corner of his lips. Not even an extra little bounce in his step. He was fully and completely…furious. 

“Hey! You can’t just walk away.”

There was no response.

“..you…you coward!”

With that the sound of his boots against the cave floor came to a halt.

“yeah, you heard me. Coward!”

“How dare you!”

His deep voice bounced off every surface of the cavern, jumping from once side to the next, filling the entire place with the resounding boom of his howl.

“You were seconds away from dying. Dying! If I hadn’t come you would be nothing more than a corpse right now. And because I use my head, because I don’t throw my life away you have the audacity to call me a coward! Fine! I rather be a coward then a brainless fool. There is a reason I told you not to attempt breaking out you twit.”

“So…I really was…dying? But how…”

“I managed to grab your undeserving body out before the ‘gate’ totally consumed you.”

“But..Councellor Dra’je always says how we are free to leave.”

“Councellor Dra’je is an obvious liar. Do you think people enjoy living the way we do? With scraps on our plates, rags on our backs, and filth all around! And the sickening smell of corruption that hovers around every corner. No, no my little one. We are prisoners down here. Down in this ‘perfect’ world. So next time you feel like ignoring my advice remember that it’s not only your life on the table. The moment you die trying to get past this impervious gate, we will all suffer for it.”

With that he swiftly turned around. And was gone.

“I’m going to get past that gate. And when I do, it won’t be against the law to love. And you may not know it yet, but you and I will finally be together. Just wait and see.”