HELL IS FULL.
HEAVEN IS AFRAID.
GOD IS ████
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"Are we even allowed to explore the corpse of King Minos, Tammy?"
Kariel hurried after his friend, his voice wavering slightly as the two imps ventured deeper into the remains of King Minos, the former Judge of Hell whose name had once carried immense power thousands of years ago.
Tammy glanced back at him, lifting her torch higher. Its flickering light revealed the uneven walls around them, flesh and stone fused together within what had once been the giant corpse's throat.
"I mean, it's not like we have anything better to do, right?" she said with a shrug.
Kariel looked around uneasily. The deeper they went, the colder and quieter it became.
Tammy continued forward without hesitation.
"What's the worst that could happen if two random imps explore a little deeper? They turned this place into a tourist site years ago after the parasite inside his body disappeared. If they let hellborns walk around here, then it's probably safe."
"Probably," Kariel repeated under his breath.
He could only watch nervously as Tammy walked farther into the darkness, the torchlight shrinking with every step. After a moment of hesitation, he let out a quiet sigh and followed after her.
The tunnel of flesh widened the deeper they went, the walls stretching outward until the narrow throat opened into a vast cavern hidden within the corpse of King Minos.
The belly of the beast was enormous.
The walls around them pulsed faintly, strands of flesh twitching in unnatural directions as if some remnant of life still lingered within the dead king's body.
To their right sat a massive pool of murky acid, its surface bubbling every few seconds with a sickening hiss. Emerging from the fleshy floor beside it was a gigantic decayed hand, its fingers curled upward as though it had once tried to claw its way free.
Kariel slowly turned his head and nearly stumbled backward.
An enormous eye was embedded in the wall nearby, its bloodshot iris fixed directly on them. No, it did not blink. It did not move. It simply watched.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
Despite the disturbing sight, Tammy continued forward without hesitation, forcing Kariel to follow close behind.
From the edge of the fleshy platform, they could finally see the rest of the chamber below them.
A single winding path spiraled downward into the darkness, made entirely of bone stairways, rib-like bridges, and jagged pieces of spine that connected one platform to another.
Above it all, a massive eye hanging from the ceiling cast a dim reddish glow across the chamber, making the entire place feel like the inside of some living nightmare.
"Woah... what even caused his body to get this huge?"
Kariel stepped closer to the edge, peering down into the abyss below.
"I know, right?" Tammy replied casually. "Anyway, let's keep going."
Carefully stepping onto the brittle bone structures, the two imps slowly made their way across the rib-like bridges suspended over the darkness below.
Each step echoed faintly through the chamber, the sound swallowed almost immediately by the enormous hollow space around them.
The deeper they went, the more uneasy Kariel felt. It was not just the silence.
It was the constant sensation that something hidden within the darkness was watching them.
Kariel found himself glancing over his shoulder every few seconds, half-expecting to see another eye staring back at him from the walls of flesh. The air itself felt heavier down here, thick with the smell of rot, acid, and something strangely metallic.
Step by step, they descended the winding bone stairways, crossing over jagged pieces of spine that connected one platform to another like twisted bridges.
Above them, the massive eye hanging from the ceiling grew smaller and smaller, its dim reddish light fading the farther they traveled downward.
Soon, the only thing guiding them through the dark was Tammy's torch, its flickering flame casting long, warped shadows across the walls of flesh around them as something unseen stirred deeper below.
A distant sound echoed from somewhere far down. At first, Kariel thought it was just dripping acid, but as the echoes grew louder, it became clear that it was something else entirely a slow, pulsing heartbeat resonating through the corpse itself.
Tammy's torchlight caught strange carvings scratched into the walls, their shapes jagged and unsettling. The words seemed to writhe in the flickering light:
"RUN."
A low rumble shivered through the rib bridges beneath their feet, and Kariel froze. The corpse itself seemed to shift in its sleep, the massive bones groaning as though irritated by their intrusion.
They pressed onward, carefully navigating the jagged stairways.
Broken cameras, torn guide pamphlets, and flickering, abandoned lanterns littered the path, remnants of those who had dared to explore before them. Dark stains marred the walls, leading toward a tunnel that vanished into the unknown.
Finally, they came across a massive chamber, rib cages hanging like jagged chandeliers from the ceiling.
Within each one, the skeletal remains of hellborns or imps who had ventured too far swayed slightly in the faint breeze, a grim warning of what lay deeper inside.
Near the far wall, a section of flesh tore open on its own, revealing a narrow path that seemed to lead even further into the corpse. A faded warning etched into the bone read:
"ENTRY STRICTLY PROHIBITED."
Kariel swallowed hard. "Tammy... maybe we should turn back?"
Tammy's torchlight wavered as she peered into the darkness ahead.
"We're already this far... let's see what's down there."
The two imps carefully continued along the narrow path, their footsteps echoing softly against the bone beneath them.
Kariel looked increasingly uneasy with every step. He could not really be blamed for it.
Earlier, there were scattered remains of other hellborns, small piles of cracked bones, broken horns, torn clothing, and rusted trinkets left behind by demons who had clearly never made it back out.
Some of the skeletons still clung to the walls of flesh, half-sunken into the surface as if the corpse itself had tried to swallow them whole.
Tammy kept moving forward, though it was becoming obvious that even she was unsettled now.
She tried to hide it, keeping her shoulders straight and her expression calm, not wanting Kariel to see that she was just as nervous as he was.
Then a freezing gust of wind suddenly swept through the narrow passage. The cold air rushed past them with a low howl, causing Tammy's torch to flicker violently before the flame vanished entirely.
Darkness swallowed them whole.
"Oh, damn," Tammy muttered, staring down at the now-useless torch in her hand.
"Tammy?!" Kariel's voice cracked with panic as he quickly grabbed onto her shoulder. "Tammy, please tell me you can light it again!"
His breathing became uneven as he looked around wildly, but there was nothing to see.
Now they were stranded on the narrow path with no light whatsoever, surrounded by complete darkness.
"I can't!" Tammy hissed back, frantically patting down her pockets. "I didn't bring a lighter with me!"
With an annoyed groan, she tossed the dead torch aside. The wooden stick clattered against the bone path before vanishing into the darkness below.
Tammy quickly searched through the small pouch at her side, hoping she had brought some kind of spare flame source without realizing it.
Then the ground beneath them trembled.
At first, it was only a faint vibration running through the fleshy surface beneath the bone path. But within seconds, the entire chamber began to shake violently.
The walls of flesh around them twitched and convulsed. Somewhere deep below, a low rumbling noise echoed through the corpse like the growl of some giant beast awakening from a long sleep.
"What's going on?!" Kariel shouted, nearly losing his balance as he looked down at the path beneath his feet.
Thin cracks suddenly spread across the brittle bone bridge. However, the cracks spread faster than either of them could react. A second later, the bone bridge gave way beneath their feet.
WHOOSH!
Kariel barely had time to scream before both imps plunged into the darkness below.
They fell for what felt like forever.
The air rushed violently past them as they dropped deeper and deeper into the corpse, surrounded by nothing but darkness on all sides. Kariel flailed wildly, trying to grab onto anything, but there was nothing there.
Then they hit the ground.
Kariel crashed into something soft and wet, bouncing slightly before rolling across the uneven surface. Pain shot through his back and shoulders as he came to a stop.
For a moment, he simply lay there, dazed. The bone bridges were gone. And down here? There was only flesh.
The ground beneath him felt disturbingly soft, almost like stepping on a giant living organ. Without the torch, the darkness around them was absolute.
Kariel slowly pushed himself up, brushing bits of grime and dried blood from his clothes. His heart was pounding so hard he could hear it in his ears.
Cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted into the darkness.
"Tammy! Where are you?!"
No answer came back. Only silence. A few tense moments passed before Kariel finally heard a faint groan somewhere ahead of him.
Relieved, he stumbled toward the sound as quickly as he could, arms stretched out in front of him.
Then his foot suddenly came down on something soft.
"Agh!"
Tammy yelped in pain as Kariel accidentally stepped directly on her stomach, causing both of them to tumble awkwardly across the fleshy ground.
"Hey, watch it, you dork!" Tammy snapped.
Kariel groaned, rubbing the side of his head before standing back up.
"How am I supposed to watch it when this place is dark as hell?!" he shouted back.
Kariel heard Tammy let out an irritated sigh as she slowly pushed herself back to her feet.
"Whatever," she muttered, dusting bits of flesh and grime off her clothes. "Let's just try to find some kind of light source. If there even is one down here. Follow me."
Kariel quickly nodded, staying close behind her as they cautiously moved through the darkness.
Without the torch, it was almost impossible to tell where they were going.
The fleshy ground beneath them squished faintly under every step, and the walls around them felt strangely warm whenever they brushed against them.
Every now and then, Kariel thought he could hear distant noises echoing through the darkness, wet sounds, low creaks, maybe even breathing, but he could never tell where they were coming from.
After several minutes of blindly wandering through the corpse's stomach, they finally spotted a faint orange glow in the distance.
"There!" Tammy whispered.
The two imps hurried toward it, relief flooding through them as the light grew brighter. Sitting ahead of them was a stone pedestal, and resting on top of it was a single lit torch.
The flame burned steadily despite the cold air around it. Kariel slowed to a stop.
Something about it felt wrong. The torch looked too perfectly placed, almost as if someone had left it there on purpose.
Tammy, however, did not hesitate. She rushed forward and grabbed the torch from the pedestal, immediately lighting up the area around them.
The moment the light spread through the darkness, they both froze.
Standing before them was an enormous stone door built directly into the fleshy wall.
Ancient carvings covered its surface, though most of them had been worn away with time. Thick veins and strands of flesh crawled across the edges of the doorway as though the corpse itself had grown around it.
"Tammy..." Kariel said quietly, staring at the door with growing unease. "I don't think we should open that."
Tammy glanced over at him.
"Why not?"
"I don't know. It just feels..." He swallowed nervously. "Wrong."
"Wrong, how?" Tammy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kariel did not answer.
He just kept staring at the massive door.
Deep down, Tammy knew he was right. Whatever was hidden behind that door was not something they were supposed to find. The air around it felt heavy, almost suffocating, and the longer she looked at it, the more she felt like something on the other side was waiting for them.
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. Still, they had already come this far.
"We don't exactly have much of a choice now, do we?"
Before Kariel could stop her, Tammy stepped toward the door and planted both hands against it. Grunting with effort, she pushed with all her strength.
At first, nothing happened. Then, with a deep rumble, the massive door slowly began to move. Kariel let out a nervous sigh before hurrying over to help her force it open.
With both imps pushing against it, the massive stone door finally gave way.
A deafening groan echoed through the chamber as the door slowly swung open, releasing a violent gust of freezing air from whatever lay hidden beyond it.
Tammy reacted immediately, shielding the torch with both hands before the flame could be blown out.
The wind roared past them for several seconds before finally dying down. Kariel took a shaky breath.
Then, slowly, the two stepped through the doorway. The chamber beyond was enormous.
Massive pillars stretched upward into darkness, so tall that neither of them could see where they ended. The floor beneath them was uneven, covered in layers of flesh, stone, and old dried blood.
Then, one by one, torches mounted along the walls suddenly ignited on their own.
Flames spread throughout the chamber in a slow circle, lighting up pillar after pillar until the center of the room was finally revealed.
Both imps froze. Tammy's torch slipped from her hand and fell to the fleshy ground below.
Suspended high above the center of the chamber was a massive octahedron-like structure, hanging in place by two enormous tendrils of flesh connected to the ceiling.
Its surface looked horrifying.
The outer sides were covered in pale skin stretched tightly over something moving underneath. In some places, the skin had been crudely stitched together with thick black thread. In others, enormous bloodshot eyes were embedded into the flesh, slowly shifting around as if they were alive.
Kariel felt his stomach twist. One of the corners of the floating structure was not made of flesh at all.
Instead, it had a giant mouth. The lips slowly peeled apart, revealing rows of jagged teeth before curling into a crooked, unnatural smile.
The entire thing seemed to breathe. And it was staring directly at them. For a long moment, neither of them could move. The sheer horror of what hung before them had frozen them in place.
Then, without warning, the "prison" began to convulse violently. The flesh, skin, and bone of the octahedron trembled and twisted, shuddering in the presence of the two small imps.
Tiny cracks appeared along its surface, and with a sudden, sickening burst, it shattered. Blood sprayed across the chamber, staining the walls and floor, and the remnants of the prison collapsed into a heaping mass.
Amid the gore, something small and impossibly alive hovered in the center: a single finger, suspended and twitching as if it were aware of them.
Kariel's eyes widened in terror.
"Tammy... I think we should... run..." His voice was barely more than a whisper.
Slowly, they stumbled backward, each step filled with dread.
Then, fear propelled them forward, and they began to sprint toward the massive doorway, but before either could reach it, it slammed shut with a deafening crash.
They skidded to a stop, their breaths ragged, their hearts hammering. Kariel and Tammy dared to look back. The finger trembled in the center of the room, quivering as if testing the air, seeking a host.
Suddenly, with a speed that made Kariel's stomach drop, the finger shot through the air toward him.
Instinctively, Kariel opened his mouth to scream, and the finger forced its way inside.
He gagged. Choked. Clawed at his throat. His vision blurred, the world twisting in jagged fragments of terror. Pain ripped through his body, like fire igniting every nerve. His limbs jerked uncontrollably.
"Kariel! Kariel!" Tammy screamed, her voice cracking with panic. She reached for him, trying desperately to pry the finger away, but her hands passed through him as if he were already gone.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, he went still.
"...Kariel?" Tammy whispered, her voice trembling, barely audible over the pounding of her own heart.
A silent SWISH tore through the chamber. In the blink of an eye, she was sliced clean in half, her scream cut short by the impossibility of what had happened. Pain and shock froze her gaze.
All she could see as the darkness and agony overwhelmed her... was Kariel, standing before her.
His eyes no longer held the warmth or fear she knew. His body was now marked with strange, dark tattoos, and the grin that stretched across his face was not his own, it was cruel, alien, and terrifying.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she could not speak, could not move. Her best friend, the one she had trusted with her life, had become something unrecognizable.
A hollow, dreadful feeling settled in the chamber. A whisper seemed to echo from the darkness, though no words were spoken:
If only we knew the suffering that would befall us next...
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