A Trip to Hell

◇ N A O M I ◇

We pushed the doors open at the same time, and that was the last time I saw Chase before I entered a place as hot as hell. Hell, underworld, whatever you call it, I admire them. The creatures that live in hell, how can they survive such heat?

Looking around, this place is like a cave filled with lava and some rocks that float above it. I'm some miles away from the floor of lava, yet the heat coming from it is melting me. Sweating so much, I would probably look as if I was from a bath, my clothes are slowly getting wet. The room also lacks oxygen, making me pant and look for a source of air.

The ceiling down to the walls, to the spot I am standing at, are full of stones. More than half of the floor is lava and there are several stones floating, the only path I could cross towards the other end. It is flowing smoothly as it melts the stones slowly.

"Oh, hello! Welcome to hell, Naomi, but is this really hell? This place is scorchingly hot, am I right? Other than the heat, nothing else could make you suffer, how about the other side? Is heaven really a peaceful place? Or is it where you will get tortured, in exchange for eternal peace in the end? What do you think, Queen of Remington?" The same robotic voice said, followed with an evil laugh. Slowly, it fades away, but the laughter echoes in my mind.

Letting my gaze travel every inch of the room, I saw a tablet on one corner. Maybe it is a clue. Taking it, a question was displayed from it. "What is the true meaning of hell?"

"The true meaning of hell is suffering endlessly, no peace obtained in the end. Is that correct?" I stated, confused why I said that. In books, Hell is a place for the dead to suffer and atone to their sins. Suffering while alive until your death, there is no peace, even in the mind. The world is full of mysteries, can someone come back from the dead and tell me how life is in heaven or hell?

"That is correct, especially for you. Do you want to hear my answer? It's simple. Hell means your existence. Torturing others to the point that they want to die, and being haunted by you in the afterlife, isn't that hell, Queen of Remington?" The robotic voice replied. I can sense hatred in his voice.

A smirk crept to my lips as I said these words. "Thanks for the compliment, unknown person. How did I torture you? Tell me, how painful is it to know that a girl like me existed in this world? Do you want to kill me? To make me suffer? I'll be expecting it then," I retaliate in a challenging tone. Let's see how you're going to make my high school life more exciting, can you really make the queen suffer?

"Don't be too confident, your highness. Anyone standing at the top, will eventually fall and suffer, worse than anyone could imagine. I wonder, how long can you keep that cold, savage act when you found out about your friends?" He responded as the same laugh followed.

"What do you mean?! If one of them got hurt badly, you will pay the price!" Losing my own temper, I wasn't able to control my voice. I was fuming with anger, my blood was boiling.

Still disturbed about what he said, my gaze went to the tablet, just in time when it flashed pictures, making my blood boil again. Pictures of my friends at the peak of their death. Thea and Kyousuke were drowning; Nike and Apollo were trapped between two walls that can sandwich them anytime; While Alexa and Ares are in pain because of the green poison gas covering them. Only three pictures but I want to torture that guy to death, even after his death, I swear to make him suffer.

Then I noticed something was off. Where are Julia and Elijah? Only three pictures were flashed then the tablet turned off. Are they safe? I hope so. Seeing how that man can see and hear everything we do, he is probably in the control room, so where are they? Or is it possible that there are two control rooms in this mansion of codes and maze? I just hope that they are safe.

Taking deep breaths, I slowly calmed myself as my mind went to a calm sea from an erupting volcano. If my guts are right, Julia and Elijah are in the control room and probably saved the others. Putting my trust in them, I focused on the problem in front of me.

Seeing how small the rocks are and how far they are from each other, this would be hard, even for an athletic person like me. Other than that, jumping around there would make me sweat so much since heat is one of my many weaknesses. Closing my eyes, I took another deep breath then opened it again.

Determined, I sprinted towards the floor of lava, reaching the tip of the firm rock floor, I jumped towards a rock, only letting a foot touch it. Using my strength, I pushed myself towards the nearest stone and used my other foot to land on it. This continued until I reached the middle.

Stopping on a rock that was big enough to keep my weight, I scanned the following rocks in front of me. They are smaller and some are even sinking, now this is quite thrilling. It was scorching hot and my clothes are wet while I was panting hard.

I took off my top, revealing my sports bra. My guts told me that I would be needing my athletic skills so I chose this outfit, and it was right. I should probably trust my guts more.

Continuing my strategy earlier but at a faster pace, I was about to reach the firm floor when I accidentally slipped and lost my balance. Why now?