Hell Bound (The Immortal Balances- Book 1)

Chapter One: Living Hell

I hope you enjoy Hell Bound! 

Dad was going to be pissed.

Not just because I'd gone against his orders (again) but also because I'd shown him up in front of all his disciples.

Also not my first offence.

Since the early hours of the morning, I'd been camped out in my cave, a place I'd mine a few years back when I needed some space from my hectic family. I knew from the moment I woke up that today was not going to roll in my favour, and that if I desired any chance of putting off the uproar that was about to plummet my way, hiding away from the man who'd cast the storm had seemed like the best and really the only option.

I'd not thought much of some of the souls' gossip the night before and the Blood Bar, yattering on about 'defying orders' and 'rouge demon' since most of their idiotic chit-chat revolved around Living matters that had no affect over me. Who was I to know that the demon they'd been talking about was me?

From the murderers to the rapists, to the thieves and the terrorists, they were all probably now talking about how the 'King' of the Underworld, the 'Lord of the Undead' and 'Hell's mightiest being' couldn't control one of his youngest sons.

I didn't know why they were surprised however: They should have known by now that I was pretty much uncontrollable.

My reputation was based om the very fact that I was a rebel without a cause, no ambition, no future, no hopes. I didn't care for the jobs Dad gave me, nor did I care for the wellbeing of anyone else who resided down here in Hell. I was concerned only with myself, and it had been that way ever since Mom left.

"I don't know why I bother hiding," I thought aloud to myself as I made myself comfortable in my hammock. My black suit crumpled beneath me as I adjusted myself, twisting on my side so I could reach down for my drink on the cave ground. Scattered around me were snacks and small collections of items I'd taken from souls whenever I deemed something they had interesting or not worth their time in Hell. I hid them here so Dad couldn't take them from me, since despite knowing about my cave, he'd never come out here in person.

Still, I knew hiding from the Lord of the Underworld was pointless. "He'll find me within seconds," I told myself as I took a swig from my bottle, the cold liquid soothing my throat in the soaring heat. As a demon, you'd expect mundane issues such as temperature and need for nutrients not to bother me, but every now and then I liked to delve into these senses and stages of feeling, just to feel a little more than what I did on a daily basis. That was something my family, regardless of our similarities in circumstances, could never understand.

"Dad would never understand," I emphasised to myself.

And as if on cue, his voice boomed out into the cave I'd chosen to retreat to.

"CALEB!"

Rocks all around me began to tremble as if they too could sense the fury in his voice. The walls of the cave cracked and began to collapse in on themselves, meaning I had to move. Jumping from the hammock, I quickly grasped hold of my satchel, looping it around my neck as I dashed out from my hiding spot. I dodged falling rocks and stalactites as they crashed around me, piercing even more cracks and fractures into the hard stone. I ran as fast as I could, even using my increased speed to boost my escape, but the sounds of everything around me being destroyed filled my ears until finally, I ran out into the blaring light of the flame we here in Hell called the 'Sun'. It wasn't the same as the one the Living's had, but as a makeshift version, it sure was fucking bright.

As I looked back at my cave, now a pile of rocks and rubble, I growled in anger. This cave had become a place in which I'd seek sanctuary when I couldn't deal with the pressures of the life that had been handed to me. No one, not even Jules knew about much this place meant to me. So for Dad to have ruined it completely into ashes and dirt as he had just done, really riled me up.