"WHAT IF THE GATES OF HELL WERE LOCKED FROM INSIDE?"
...
"Good girl," the voice said.
I turned around slowly, careful not to make any sudden steps. Alas! I saw the face behind the voice—freaking Lucinda.
Bitch.
Her face twisted into an amused smile. "You do know I can hear your thoughts, right?"
"That makes cussing you out easier," I said coldly. At this point, going back to the pit didn't scare me one bit. I was in the presence of one of the people who put me here.
"Oh, please…" she said, rolling her eyes, "stop it already with the main character behavior. You're literally just one of the hundreds of souls that get sentenced to hell every single day. Stop making everything about you."
"Everything is about me. Otherwise, how come I'm the first person to escape hell?"
Her amused face shifted to disgust as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Boy, I'm gonna regret this." She then looked at me. "Follow me. Try to keep up."
She started walking toward what looked like the exit of the pit. A fog.
I turned to take one last look at the pit. The screams seemed to get louder as the souls below struggled to reach where I stood. I could feel them begging, pleading, hoping I'd stretch a hand to grab at least one of them. Not that they'd reach me if I did.
But they were clinging to that string of hope. Me.
Looking down at them, I felt more power than I'd ever felt in my life. Power that even being a rich heiress did not give me.
And that power went straight to my head. I wanted more of it. I wanted to feel much more powerful.
I bent toward the pit, let out a satisfied smile, and spat inside.
Then I hurried behind Lucinda.
She took me past the different parts of hell, each one filled with souls begging me to save them. Begging to be let out of their torment for just one second.
I didn't let them out. I couldn't. But even if I could, I wouldn't.
I heard Lucinda chuckle in front of me, and I realized she'd heard my thoughts.
"Rude," I said, frowning.
"This is hell, baby girl. There isn't such a thing as privacy."
"Then how come I don't get to hear your thoughts?"
"You're a damned soul. I'm a high-class demon. Do the math."
I remained silent.
"Where are we going now?" I asked as we entered what seemed like the coldest part of hell.
"To see Lucifer," she said, and my eyes lit up.
"Really?" I asked, almost giddy.
"Well, you did say you had a deal for him," she said.
I frowned. "Bitch, that was a decade ago."
"Two," she corrected as she halted.
We were now in front of an ice gate. She turned to me and grabbed my jaw with her left hand, slightly pulling me up to her face. Her right thumb caressed my lips as she whispered against them,
"Call me bitch again and you'll get to experience the worst part of this place for two more decades."
I swallowed hard.
She planted a soft peck on my burnt lips. "I'm letting you go this time because you're so adorable right now. Now fix yourself and look pretty. Lucifer is drawn by what he sees."
I fixed myself as much as I could. Though there wasn't much to do—I was completely naked.
My body was blackened but looked like it was still in good condition. If twenty years of fighting for my life had taught me anything, it was to pay no mind to my nakedness. The only clothed person in hell seemed to be Lucinda.
She softly tapped on the huge ice gate and it opened slowly.
"Do not speak unless spoken to," she said before walking in. I followed closely behind.
The entire space was freezing cold and covered in ice. I subconsciously shivered and wrapped my arms around myself.
As we moved in, I saw sculptures of souls frozen in torment. They looked almost too realistic. One of them suddenly shattered near me, and I jumped back in fear.
The soul inside fell to the ground, looked up, and saw us.
He quickly crawled toward us, pleading. "Save me, save me. Help—"
Then he froze again before finishing his sentence. He stayed frozen, mid-beg.
"Don't be alarmed, that's just part of the torment. Experiencing the pain of being frozen to death, over and over again." She explained calmly.
"What the hell is this place?" I asked her.
"The ninth part of hell. Where the backstabbers go. Lucifer's favorite spot. However, he normally torments just one person and ignores the rest."
I opened my mouth to ask another question, but then we reached what seemed to be the central part of this place.
Lucifer's throne was at the center, and I saw him holding a soul by the neck as they knelt on the floor.
"Lucifer!" Lucinda exclaimed excitedly.
He didn't look up. His eyes stayed fixed on the soul he was holding. "Bad timing, Cindy. My little friend Judas and I were just about to have a little fun." He tossed the soul aside. The soul froze immediately.
"Oh, come on, my lord. You've been making him keep you company for over two thousand years now as a form of punishment. There are literally other people who would be more than willing to do it."
She walked closer to him. Despite her tallness, she still had to look up.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and tiptoed to plant a kiss on his lips. "I've missed you. You don't invite me as much anymore," I heard her say as Lucifer's hands grabbed her buttocks.
I wondered if it was okay to watch.
"Why have you brought a soul with you, Cindy?" he asked. Lucinda turned to look at me like she had just remembered I was there.
"Oh, that's right."
She let go of him and walked toward me. Then she grabbed the back of my neck and threw me to my knees.
"She's a phenomenon. In all my years, I've never seen a case like hers. She wasn't sentenced here, and she doesn't belong in heaven. She had company at the gate, and she's the first soul to ever escape her pit."
I almost felt like I was in a job interview, and my old employer was listing my qualifications to the new one.
"How long has she been here?" I could feel his eyes on me.
"Two decades," Lucinda replied. "When she first came here, she claimed she had an offer you couldn't resist. I didn't register it at first, but now—I'm curious to find out what it is."
Lucifer turned and walked to his throne.
"An offer, you say?" he asked, sounding slightly amused. "Come, child. Let's hear it."
I looked up, a glint of hope flashing in my eyes.
"I want to return to Earth. Today."