The Eternally Damned

A deadly decision

She ventured deeper in. She had made her choice when she entered the forest and the invisible shields were going to make sure she stuck to it.

It was a consistent pattern of unmoving darkness and rays of eerie crimson light. She made her way, trying not to trip over anything- carefully examining the floor before each step.

The plan was to keep going and not stop for anything until she noticed the trees as she ventured in deeper had apples. Fresh, ripe, red apples.

Amelia looked at the dirt on the ground and smirked a little when she imagined tying Lucifer to a massive spinning wheel and seeing how many times she could aim for his insufferable head.

Distracted in her fantasy the brunette almost didn't see what looked like a little cottage dwarfed by the trees around it. Almost.

The most terrifying thing about it? It's that it almost looked human-like something she'd see on Earth.

It looked like it was built a hundred years ago, everything was falling apart. The most extraordinary thing was the roof covered in a thick layer of dirt and leaves the colour of sunset. She almost called them beautiful but she knew better.

As she walked towards it, twirling around to get a three sixty degree view of her surroundings she was unsettled. Something was happening.

The dense black trees and branches making the roof of the nightmarish forest were no more. All the trees here were lush apple trees and spread far apart from each other.

Amelia could now see a clear dark pink sky fading into hues of violet.

Illusion! It's an illusion Amelia. Snap out of it you idiot! Now! Amelia yelled at herself

This was not Hell's sky and those were not its trees. Either she was under some sort of illusion and about to be killed or this was one big trap.

Having spent her whole life living in the woods the one thing Amelia understood from the core of her skeptical soul was that the more beautiful something was, the more deadly it was.

And if it proved true again then she was walking into her grave. She turned to leave until she heard a light squeaking sound.

The cottage door slowly opened by itself. No one inside.

Another torture technique, lure me in there and lock me up forever.

She scoffed, a little insulted the forest thought she'd just merrily skip in there looking for some tea and cookies. She turned and walked away until-

"Don't you want to leave the forest, darling Amelia?" Something literally hissed.

"Who are you? Show yourself!" Amelia screamed back at the cottage.

"Oh, for your sake and your sanity, I can't do that, but I can turn into something a little more familiar and soothing for your...eyes."

And in a second there was an old lady peering at her through the door.

Amelia eyed her up and down. She wore a plain black dress. Her skin was dark with wrinkles all over her face. Her long, thick gray hair was tied into a neat bun. Almost like a human if you could look past the massive black buttons she had sewn in place of eyes.

"Come on in. I don't bite. Not you."

Amelia started to run like she chose to run from most her problems. But this one had legs and started to follow her, slowly leaving her cottage.

Suddenly all the apple trees moved their branches creating some sort of gate which Amelia didn't have the key to.

"Even if you escape, the trees have ears and they are scared of me, I will find you. We have eternity to play and hide seek if that is what you desire." The old lady spoke gently, no longer hissing.

"My answer is still no, I'll take my chances in the woods; leave me alone!" Amelia exclaimed trying to find something to fight with.

"You're never alone here. Many people believe Hell is solitude," the old woman looked around her, spreading her arms "but you can only wish for that here."

"Who. Are. You." Amelia didn't ask, she demanded, registering this creature dressed as a harmless old woman a wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Well in here, I'm as close to a friend as you can get." The woman giggled turning around and returning to her cottage, expecting Amelia to follow.

Amelia felt more brave after the buttoned eyes were no longer on her and she laughed "you will have to put more effort into your tricks."

"Why would I have to put any effort?" The woman spoke still turning her back to Amelia and walking away, her voice slowly fading.

"Are you not the one trapped in here for eternity? Are you not the one who will rot in here and soon become a mere fragment of who you used to be- slowly falling into the comforting arms of insanity until you're just one of the thousands of voices begging for anyone who enters the forest to remember even in all your twistedness you still exist."

And with that the woman entered her cottage, leaving the door half open.

Amelia huffed, walking back and forth. She could figure out a way to climb over the barrier the trees created, it couldn't stop her for long.

But she couldn't get what the woman had said out of her head. That's what those voices torturing her when she entered were. They walked into this place just like her.

She was terrified of the idea of entering and being trapped in an enclosed space with that creature. The woman's button eyes holding her gaze.

Amelia walked back towards the cottage, reaching for the door.

But now she had accepted she truly was trapped and out of an extreme sense of desperation and even bigger wave of sadness she decided she would get no where in this place if she didn't take a gamble.

The door opened and revealed the old lady sitting in an antique, elaborate rocking chair.

"You took your time. But I will give you your answers." The woman hissed once again like a snake, amused.

Although this time the gamble would be Amelia's life.