The Damned Holies (The Fallen Wars 1)

Chapter Twenty-Six

-Aimee, Hell-

Lucien was still gone, out doing Lucien things. I was stuck at home. I had already made lunch, cleaned the mansion, read all of my books twice, and even took a nap. I was so bored. I went outside and was instantly puzzled.

I had always went to the beach, not to the other side of the house where the forest was. I had never wanted to. I hadn’t even ever thought about it, which was what puzzled me. How had I never looked out a window or saw the massive trees and wondered what was out there? It was so odd. Had the forest even existed before now? I couldn’t remember.

I went inside, put on good tennis shoes, grabbed a bottle of water and a few granola bars, and hiked into the dense forest.

It was so silent in here, which was made me feel uneasy. There was no bugs, no wind, or even animal sounds. Just so many trees and shrubs and bushes. I couldn’t hear the waves anymore or even smell the ocean. I had only walked for a minute or two, hadn’t I? I should still be able to smell the salt in the air. I kept walked, even though I was scared.

A long time ago, my eyes would have turned purple. Now they only stayed brown. I didn’t miss my special eyes, but it had taken some getting used to.

I started humming to myself, just to hear some noise. The forest started to become darker and darker.

A twig snapped, which made me jump. Why was I so scared? I kept a steady pace and hummed louder. Soon, my throat started hurting and I was super thirsty. But I swear something was following me. I was almost positive, already shaking. A thousand possibilities and unpleasant thoughts had already crossed my mind.

I stopped, but the thing behind me stopped a second too late. I broke out into a full-on sprint, and the thing behind me chased me. We crashed through the forest. Even though I was in excellence shape, I know I wouldn’t be able to make it very far.

“What are you? Who are you?” I yelled behind me, but got no reply. I kept running, but started to pace myself. I didn’t know how close it was to me, but I didn’t really want to know. Ignorance is bliss. I was getting fatigued, but so was it.

“What do you want?” I cried.

I might have gotten an answer, but that didn’t matter because suddenly, there were no more trees. The forest was gone and so was the ground. I began to fall into complete darkness, the only light was thousands of red stars that spun around me as I fell. Those red stars were the last thing I remembered.

* * *

I woke up, sore and aching. I was face first in dirt. I flipped over and tried to spit the grit out. I was hungry and very, very thirsty. It was so hot, I opened my eyes.

I was in Hell still, but no illusions of a tropical paradise. This was the real Hell, ash that fell like snow, crumbling rocks, red fires, and trillions of condemned souls. They looked the same as when I had first arrived; skeletons covered in gray skin, no eyes, rags of the clothes they had died in, and skinny wrists and ankles chained. I was already covered in ash and the smoke was making me cry.

A little blonde girl, wearing a white nightgown, was staring at me. She looked just as alive as I did.

“Who are you?” I asked, coughing and pushing myself up.

“You fell.”

“I know, but what is your name?”

“You can call me Emily.”

There was something about the girl that creeped me out. She couldn’t be older than ten, but she seemed way older. Ancient, even. Like the angels did.

“Do you belong here?”

“Do you?”

“I believe I asked you first.” I snapped. Emily is annoying.

“I’ve upset you. I’m sorry.” Emily had a slight accent I couldn’t place. “I do belong here.”

“I do, too.”

“Then why aren’t you like them?”

“Because I wasn’t supposed to be here, at first. Why aren’t you like them?”

“I’ve been here so long, I can’t remember.” She gazed out into the endless cavern. The lakes of fire blazed, but not bright enough to reach the ceiling, giving the illusion that there was no ceiling. The souls walked in an endless pattern, chained together. “They speak to each other. Did you know that? Not with their mouths, but with their minds. They share stories and memories.”

She had said it like she was proud; who was this girl?

“Where’s Lucien?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does.” I stubbornly got up, despite my screaming muscles.

“He’ll be horribly angry that you left the palace he made for you, despite all the wards he put around it.”

“Wards?”

“Spells, in a way. So you wouldn’t think of leaving.”

No wonder I had never thought of the forest. “But I need to see him.”

“You don’t want to do that. He has a terrible temper. He won’t want to see you.”

“So what can I do?” I cried in frustration.

Emily held out her small hand. “Come with me. Let me show you things he can’t.”

“One second.” I stopped her and picked up the water bottle I had dropped out of the ashes, twisting off the cap.

“Don’t drink!”

“Why not? I’m really thirsty.”

“You don’t need it. You’re already dead. It’s all in your head.” What she said made sense, but I took a small drink anyways. She sighed as I grabbed my granola bars.

“How long was I unconscious?”

“A few hours, maybe a day, maybe even longer. It’s impossible to tell time here.” She waved her hand then stuck it out for me to take again.

I took it and asked, “Where are you taking me?”

“I don’t know.” She grinned. “We’ll know when we get there.”

She took me past the souls. I felt sorry for them but they were here for a reason and they creeped me out, a lot. We walked around them and she said, “Ah, such a nice memory. This’ll do.”

Instantly, we were transported into the memories of other people. Their memories flooded into my head like a gigantic tidal wave. Some memories were horrible, emotional, and some were… Beautiful.