Nat's Descent: Part II

The elevator descended deeper into the Baptism, though it felt like they weren't moving at all. Only the dial at the top of the doorway of the elevator told how far they were from their destination. The time it was taking for this gateway into the next realm of this hell to open demonstrated how large this prison ship really was. What filled in the spaces in-between these decks? So many questions would lay unanswered, no matter what Nat would experience in this God-forsakken ship. Some would say it's for the best to go on without this sort of knowledge. Ignorance is bliss. Bliss is eternal.
         Nat glanced over at Jim briefly. He was standing quite still, a thin smile on his face. He seemed to be enjoying himself in this great calamity. Nat still could not understand this man. The mystery of his soul was almost as mysterious as the mystery of God's soul. If he had one. Again, Nat felt that strange concoction of discomfort and safety. Doubt strayed into her soul, yet the small bit of courage and vague amount of curiosity fueled her to continue on and venture away from her hold.
         As the ride continued, a small monitor connected to a robotic arm up above on the elevator dropped down in front of them. The screen was lit and some sort of film was about to start, it seemed. God himself faded on the screen after a few moments, much to the surprise of Nat. She had only seen him in stills. God in motion was unheard of. He was even more majestic in living color. His face nearly shined with a radiance that made it impossible to make out all the details of his appearance. Soon God spoke.
         "God's wrath in punishment never ends. It never ceases. There is no mercy for the rotten who made faults in their petty lives. Those who acted out of impulse, those who did forbidden things to their bodies... those who betrayed their countries. Followers of the Tal'shok, every single one of them. All of them must accept their punishment, for they have no choice but to endure with their hatred for eternity. Lose hope now. It is worthless here. That is the motto of the Baptism. Obey it."
         The screen flashed off and the monitor quickly lifted itself back to the ceiling of the elevator. God was powerful indeed. His voice seemed to have a commanding power of the likes that Nat had never experienced before. Jim took the video as if it was a daily routine. He knew all of this stuff. Nothing was surprising. The elevator stopped. The lighting was darker than before, like they were getting further and further away from the light of God. Nat shivered. Jim looked over at the girl, a hint of fake sympathy on his face. He knew that she was scared.
         "You going to be okay, Nat?"
         "Yeah... I'm just not sure what to expect."
         "Don't worry about it."
         "I know."
         "I'll lead you through it. We have to go through it."
         The elevator door opened soon after, slowly revealing a hallway. There was only a dim red light illuminating all of this. The temperature was much higher than before. Sweat started to drip from Nat's brow the moment they stepped off the elevator. Drops hit the black floor. The hall before them was a long one. Nat could barely make out a doorway at the end of it, but it was far. What was held here in this hall was still a mystery. Jim gestured towards her and walked forward, expecting her to follow. She did.
         "What lies ahead, Jim? Nothing dangerous?"
         "Of course not. Not to us, at least."
         "That's good."
         "Indeed. Just think of this as a tour, like I said. You can't get hurt on tours, right?"
         "Right."
         Walking continued for a few minutes. It felt like they weren't making any progress at all. It was almost as if the flashing red lights above created an illusion that Nat was caught in. She was confused. Walking along she noticed circular indents on the walls, lined up neatly with strange consoles circling them like a ring.
         The lights flashed off. The doors were closed. Darkness followed.
         Nat yelped. She yelled for Jim but received no answer. Black was her only friend. Nat felt for the wall and continued walking, her arms shaking. But no tears. Not yet. There was a loud noise that sounded much like an alarm, and suddenly the lights returned, dimmer, but the indents on the wall opened as well. Heads thrust through the holes, all bald and scarred, moaning and screaming. The consoles around the openings activated and thin, robotic limbs moving to prick the faces with needle-like instruments. What was once a hall of red became a hall of faces, foam frothing from the nostrils and mouths of its patients while blood flowed from their eyes, the needle-pricks never ceasing.
         Nat reeled in horror, a face appearing right by her shoulder, viciously biting into the cloth on her shirt as she ripped away. The face chewed it violently and spat it at her, screaming. She felt her shoulder. It was wet and warm. The face had gotten a piece of her as well. But not a large piece. Nat didn't know where to go. The tears finally came, held back for so long. Faces snapped all around her, screaming and cursing like animals as they tried to bite at her, only to be held back by long, thin needles that stabbed into their eyes and cheeks.
         "Stop... Please stop... Stop! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP!"
         Nat yelled over and over, her hands over her head as she fell to the ground, fear overcoming her. But the faces would not listen. They continued to yell profanities and scream themselves hoarse. She could not think. All the voices. All the pain. They combined into a single storm of madness that destroyed any sense of peace or happiness. Nat screamed for Jim but an answer still did not come. Through this unholy din, however, Nat did not expect one.
         "Come here, my child!"
         One of the faces called out to her. It was not snapping or hissing like all the others. It was a face that had given up on the futile efforts to scream out for help when it was not going to come. This face was not an animal. The face was the face of a human. A living human. Nat crawled over to the face, looking into its grey eyes. The needles were much gentler on this one, though they did not hesitate to prick him just so they could hear a moan.
         "My child, come here. Stray away from those who still curse God's name."
         "What are these faces, kind spirit? Who do they belong to?"
         "They are the faces of those who have done unforgivable things to their bodies in the eyes of the Lord. They have misused narcotics and implants, or have done irreplaceable harm to their bodies. Because of their own selfishness they lie here forever, encased in a headless tomb where the light of God will never be seen again."
         "You have offended God as well?"
         "I have, yes."
         "But why aren't you like all the others? You are still... human."
         "I accepted my punishment. I am the only one to blame. The pathway towards becoming a true disciple of God is quite clear, and I strayed from it. I pray that you do not follow my example, child."
         A tear ran down the face as another needle struck his face. Nat moved forward to brush it away with her hand, but she was violently warded away by a needle, pricking her finger before she could do anything. Then Nat could hear Jim's voice coming from her right. She could see his figure illuminated by the light of the now open doorway. The doorway out of this hell into another.
         "Go, my child."
         "Is there nothing I can do for you?"
         "I will remain here for eternity. There is no hope. There is only hope for you."
         "I thank you for comforting me in this event of terror. If I could, I'd take you with me."
         "There is no need to fret, child. I am happy here. Now leave."
         Nat looked apologetically at the face and then turned, passing by the screams and bites of the rest of them until she was back again with Jim through the doorway, falling into his arms. The door closed behind them. Nat looked up at Jim.
         "Why did you leave me?"
         "I had to show you God's justice."
         "But why? It was awful."
         "You need to see it. Tal'shok wished it."
         "Don't ever do that to me again. I don't care if the Tal'shok wished it."
         "This will not happen again. I promise. But we will see more terrors ahead. That I can also promise."
         Jim looked towards the forward path, suggesting that they move on. Nat didn't understand why he was doing this. She wondered if he understood it himself. Nat turned towards the door behind her, thinking of that kind face she met. She shivered and turned back to Jim, holding onto his arm as they moved on to the next hall. Light was with them again, this time clearly illuminating everything. The room they were in now was colored a dark metallic grey, a few posters of God on the walls. There was a small map next to one of the posters. Nat examined it quickly as Jim entered in a code for the next room. Long hallways were no more. The next segment would show itself through two rooms. After that was another elevator to the final deck. Nat shivered.
         The door Jim was working on opened. She walked over to him, looking at him as he peered into the depths of the next room. That thin smile still remained. Jim seemed happy. Nat did not feel the same. This was a terrible place and it could only get worse. She was hoping it wouldn't. The next room they stepped into wasn't brightly lit. There was a single light lit in the center. Nat walked forward a bit and Jim went to hit a power switch. All Nat could hear in the darkness was a chorus of whimpers. No screaming. Only whimpers. The lights came on.
         Cages were illuminated all across the large room, stretching for at least a mile. Some lined up on the walls, others hanging from the ceiling upside down. The whimpers came from these cages. Naked men filled these cages, shaved of all hair with only caked blood covering their bodies. Rusted spikes accompanied them in the cell, all aimed at every inch of their body, only about a quarter of an inch away from their soft flesh. If they moved they would be pricked. Then they could bleed. Then the blood would cake. Their new clothes would appear. Even speaking would cause them pain in their cage of sorrow. They could only speak in short whimpers. The punishment did not end, however. Where they stood, their feet free from spikes, the platforms that supported them would heat up, forcing the subjects to twitch and jitter, putting the spikes to work. Nat was filled with both terror and sadness.
         "Who deserves such punishment?"
         "Those who acted upon impulse, of course. Murderers and rapists, mostly. Simple minded killers and sexual predators. They are put into these cages where impulse is impossible. One instinctive movement gives you a prick. A prick for an instinct. A fair exchange for what they managed to accomplish in life."
         "They are stuck in this position forever?"
         "Forever."
         "How terrible."
         "I agree."
         The shaking eyes peered at the two intruders, afraid to speak for fear of spikes to slash into their chins. Nat felt sorry for them. They were murderers, yes, but they were people, too. To the Baptism they were people no longer. To God they were merely murderers. Animals that have lost their fangs. An animal without its fangs does not fight. They submit. A single cage sat in the center of the room away from all the others. He was not struggling like them. His eyes were hard and his face fierce. Nat approached him with Jim, not leaving his side.
         "We are not living exhibits. This is not a museum. Why do you look at us so?"
         The man talked regardless of the spikes driving into his chin, lips, and cheeks. Red dripped down his neck. Flowing like a river. Nat was almost afraid to speak. This man was not a happy soul. His heart was hard because of his time spent in this auditorium of the living dead. How long he had been held in that cage was probably even a mystery to him. Nat took a stand before Jim could.
         "We're just finding the way out."
         "Then leave. The door is a ways behind me."
         "I know, I just..."
         "You just what? You just wanted to look at us? Well, you've seen us. Men torn away from any sense of freedom and happiness. A state no one should see. It is very amusing to outsiders. It is no doubt amusing to you."
         "I think it's terrible. I did not mean to insult you. Though I do wonder why you are set apart from the rest of these poor souls."
         "I'm not like them. I murdered no one. I killed in the name of the Tal'shok."
         "So you helped him during the rebellion?"
         "You could say that."
         Jim looked over at Nat, suggesting that they move on. Lingering here for two long would gain them nothing. They could learn all of this from the databanks. There was no doubt a lot of negative history written about these poor folk. Nat heard soft yelps beside her as the bottom of a cage was heated up, the man inside fidgeting, blood rolling down his entire body. The smell of burnt feet filled the air. The smell was not peculiar. Like burnt food. But definitely not the same.
         Nat cast a glance towards the man in the center cage as they were about to leave, but he did not respond. It was clear that he did not wish to talk any longer. This was either due to his anger towards the subject or the pain that talking caused. Jim started towards the door and Nat soon followed up to him. She turned back one last time to see the man. Standing completely still. Spikes like teeth biting. Forever. The thought made her shiver.
         The door opened into the next room. Nat was no longer shaking. What she saw in the last room wasn't as frightening as the hall of faces. It was disturbing and sad. The cages burned into her mind. She felt the spikes in her brain. Jim looked over at her. That thin smile slightly faded.
         "You going to be okay, Nat?"
         "I hope so."
         "I hope so, too. I'm sorry you have to see all this."
         "Why can't we just leave this ship? Why do you want to show me all this? I'm not even an adult."
         "It needs to be done. You are special, Nat. You are the only free soul in this ship. You need to learn what happens here. You need to learn about what the wrath of God truly is."
         "I don't understand."
         "The Tal'shok will explain. Now come. One more room until we get to the Betrayer."
         The room they were in now was dimly lit. Temperatures were higher than before. It felt like something was burning underneath the grates they stood on. Wails and screams could be heard in the distance. The next punished souls. It smelled like cooked food. That was all Nat could tell at the moment. Jim led her forward until the path they walked on turned into a bridge above what looked to be a fiery pit of flames. They were only held up by cables on the bridge. To the sides of them, the tortured were held. Nat could not believe her eyes.
         People held up in various positions by what seemed to be steel wires were hanging over red flames. Their skin was missing. It looked like it had been shaved off. No appendages were left. Ears, eyes, and noses were all gone, leaving a hideous mess of wet gore. Genitals were slashed off. It was impossible to identify sexes. Some were still carrying all their limbs, but others were not so lucky. Armless and legless torsos hung screaming like children, their stumps being roasted alive like game over an open fire. Some had their body parts segmented into several pieces and shish-kebabbed onto spears, connected by artificial veins that let them feel the pain of every body part, turned slowly on a spit to cook thoroughly. Jim spread his arms out as if he were an advertiser of some sort.
         "Here is the divine feast of our Lord, Nat."
         "Their skin... It's gone."
         "Indeed. They must be cooked through and through to please the eyes of God."
         "Who are they?"
         "They are those who betrayed the Lord in life. Heathens that denied God's power and chose other paths. Those who spoke out against the Lord are displayed on the spits. There is no moment of rest from the pain that they shall feel forever."
         Moans and wails were never-ending. The harmony of discord hurt Nat's ears. The sounds went straight into her brain and destroyed it. Jim didn't seem phased by this. His thin smile was still there. She wasn't sure if he was taking delight in all this pain or if he was just oblivious to how terrible it was. Nat looked about, expecting to see some lost soul that would tell them a tale of woe. Jim turned to her as if he read her mind.
         "There will be no discussion here."
         "Why not?"
         "They cannot speak. Their tongues have either been cut or burned to crisps by the eternal fire."
         "Then they cannot even have the passing comfort of a visitor?"
         "I'm afraid not."
         "That's... terrible."
         "Their existence is not a happy one, even compared to the previous tortured prisoners. But come. Let's leave this place. You have seen what you needed to see."
         Jim grabbed Nat by the arm. She was unable to move on her own by now, looking at these screaming corpses. Three rooms of hell were enough for the girl. One would've been enough. The next door would lead into the room where they could find the last elevator. Nat was eager to leave this place. What she had seen could not be unseen, but she would have to live with that. Already she felt instances of severe paranoia because of the sights, and they would probably become progressively worse over the course of her life.
         Jim led her into the next room, plain and grey. Its plain atmosphere was a relief compared to the rest of the deck. However, there was something peculiar waiting for them there. Nat gasped as she saw the body of a guard slumped against the wall in the plain room, blood splashed like abstract art on the floor. She approached him quickly, checking to see it was possible he could still be living. Dead. He had several stab wounds in the chest area, and a few in his face, one that had punctured his eye. A pistol was in his holster by his side.
         Nat looked to Jim. He stared down at the crumpled figure, his face largely unaffected by the event. Nat did not feel coldness from this stare, only indifference. Did Jim even understand death after being in this place for so long? Nat stood up, her knees a little wet from the red liquid that covered the floor.
         "What happened to him?"
         "He was killed."
         "I know that. Who do you think would do this?"
         "There is no prisoner from this level that could've done this. They are in an inescapable prison."
         "Then how did he get these wounds?"
         "I think it has become apparent that we are no the first escapees. Someone went through here first. Someone broke through the guards before we were even out our doors."
         "Why are there no guards around here anyways? Why just him?"
         "Little to no security down here. Don't need it. Prisoners can't do anything. This one could."
         Nat shuddered. A convict capable of this kind of brutal murder was on this ship somewhere, likely on the same path they were. Nat was scared. Those prisoners couldn't do anything to hurt them, but this loose beast could. For all she knew, the monster was waiting in the shadows of this room, ready to stab a knife through their hearts over and over until sweat dripped from their brow. Quite an imagination.
         "Don't worry about it. Grab the gun."
         Nat picked up the weapon. Jim looked at it, a look that suggested he didn't plan on taking it. She tucked it into the waistline of her pants nervously, wondering if there was any way the gun could go off like that. Simple paranoia. Jim went past the dead guard and opened the elevator, gesturing for her to follow. Nat cast glance at the mutilated body, shivering slightly, and finally stepped towards the elevator, entering as the doors shut behind her. Jim pressed the button to the final floor.
         "I can hardly wait. We're finally going to see him."
         "Why are you so excited? He's just a prisoner."
         "Tal'shok is not a prisoner. He is a prisoner no longer. He has achieved the impossible, you'll see."
         "I guess. I still don't understand."
         "You will in a few minutes. I guarantee it. I do."