Part 1: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/zzkc0x/the_hellion_rebellion/
Part 2: The next two days torture was exactly as one would expect in hell. They were awful. The first day I received an slow acid bath that took most of my skin within the first twelve minutes. I passed out around thirty minutes in.
The next day was worse. They turned on some kind of heat lamp that brought a whole new meaning to the term burn in hell. I stayed awake a lot longer during that one. Even with my feet blistering and my skin cooking and melting until it was black and charred like a fuckin burnt hot dog. I managed to stay awake for seven hours.
It was when I woke up from being cooked, that I found myself face to face with Mr. Saxon. He was wearing a pressed suit. He looked at his watch and then me. “Mr. Stone…. You’re showing improvement fast. I’m impressed.” I groaned as I sloshed around in the translucent slime. I looked at my hand as the sticky substance had gotten between my fingers. I wondered what this stuff was. It was as if Saxon could read my mind.
“It’s from the flesh pits. It’s the substance that in which the bodies are grown in. It helps grievous wounds heal faster. So we can get you back to your suffering.” I looked him up and down. Noticing the suit. He seemingly read my mind again. “The King of Gehenna is having a party tonight. A banquet in honor of the success of his newest Earthly project. Something someone close to you played a huge hand in seeing to fruition. You know, Operation Lazarus.” I watched at him with a shocked look in my eyes. He only smiled at me. “Of course. Your memories aren’t all intact yet. I do, however, have orders to bring your cell up to the King’s banquet hall for a uhhh… Well, you’re gonna be the guest of honor.” I stood in awestricken silence for a moment. I was a guest of honor for a banquet? In hell? For a moment I thought Saxon was playing a prank on me. So now what? I was to go and party with Lucifer?
Saxon took a deep breath. “Before we go. There are some rules I would have you follow. Number one…. Don’t speak unless spoken too. Number two… If you see someone who triggers a flashback, don’t let it turn into a violent rage episode. If you embarrass me in front of the King or any of the nine princes, I’ll increase your suffering twentyfold! You understand me?” “Uhh, Yes?” I said. “Yes, what?” Saxon sneered. I took a deep long breath. “Yes…. Master!” I replied. Saxon smiled at me. “Very good!”
Hell’s banquet hall was a helluva lot scarier then I’d imagined. Saxon had snapped his clawed fingers and we’d suddenly found ourselves at the front gate to a large obsidian wall. It was hundreds of feet high. My eyes drifted upwards at the blood red sky that poured a red tint over everything. I looked up at the gate. It was made from a crude black metal and ornate with a simple carving of a horned dragon. My eyes scanned the top of the walls, where I saw what looked like humanoid silhouettes. They were draped in crimson and held spears and shields. But that was all I could make out. In my mind I pondered whether or not they were souls assigned a function or actual demons. Saxon walked up to the door and knocked twice.
“It’s Saxon.. Master of the Damned on level five.”
The doors opened slowly and Saxon turned to look at me. He smiled widely as he spread his arms out wide. “Welcome to the City of Dis!”
His slaves pushed my glass cell through the front gates of the city. The first thing that caught my eye were the buildings. They were all massive and made from the same obsidian metal as the walls. Most were formed into jagged and unnatural shapes. The streets were paved out of the same stone. The more I looked around, the more I realized that the city itself had been cut from a singular rock. All the buildings were connected to the ground but there was no seam line between them. This place wasn’t built, it was carved. There were no citizens on the street. For such a giant city, the place was practically empty. All was quiet aside from the grunts of Saxon’s slaves behind me.
I was taken to the main palace in the center of the city. It was a massive black pyramid that’s point was miles up in the sky. It was by far the largest structure I’d ever seen. I started to sit down in my cell. When Saxon turned to me with a glare that told me to get back to my feet.
I was pushed into an triangular shaped opening in the side of the pyramid. One that, on the outside, looked to lead into a dark void. I was hesitant about going in. But it wasn’t like I had a choice. I was pushed through and immediately after passing the darkened threshold, I found myself in a large room. My cell was flanked on either side by more slaves. But these ones weren’t like Saxon’s. I mean, they wore the same collars. But these ones were all naked and disheveled females. All of which looked like they’d just come out of some kind of orgy. Saxon examined them with a look of disgust. “The harlots of Asmodeus.. They know little suffering,” he muttered as he waved the slaves pushing my cell forward.
I was taken into a large ballroom. Where the creatures of the night awaited me. There was a long black table in the center. None of the creatures were seated though. They were all congregated around the room. The creatures came in all shapes and sizes. Some of them looked to me like humanoid creatures with various demon like features. Some had horns and goat feet. Others had the top half of a human conjoined with the bottom half of a serpent. Some had multiple arms. Some had the features of a lizard similar to Saxon himself. I wanted to curse under my breath, but I knew that it would be a bad idea.
A woman with four arms, whose bottom half was that of a serpent slithered straight up to Saxon, before straightening her body up in front of him. If not for her savage mutations or demon features, she could have been a beautiful woman. Her hair was silver and long. Her lips red and her eyes seemed to glow green.
“Princess Azazel.” Saxon greeted with a slight bow. “Master Saxon. What is thissss…. Snack you’ve bought into our banquet hall?” she asked as she eyed me. “This is the king’s special guest.. David Stone.”
Azazel eyed me up and down as she slithered her dark red snake like body around my cell.
“He looks so delicious.. Can I try him?” she asked.
Saxon laughed. “That would be up to the King.”
“Ohhh, Saxon… Just a tiny bite?” She asked as her snakelike features suddenly started to disappear. Her tail seemed to melt as her extra arms seemed to fold into her. She was shapeshifting into a more human like appearance. “Princess Azazel, you’re not to eat my slave.” Saxon said with a bit more boom in his voice.
Azazel ignored him, however as she looked at my crotch with a smile. She adjusted her black dress as she turned to him. “Can I at least fuck him?” she asked.
Saxon raised a brow as he turned to look at me. I had an already shocked look on my face. I could feel this bodies new heart pounding away in my chest.
“Not…. Right now.” Saxon said.
“Shame..” she said as she turned and waved at me before walking back towards the table.
Saxon turned and looked at me with a smile. “Don’t get any ideas. She’d eat you the moment she finished. Like a fucking black widow. Of course, I’m sure if this goes well she’d probably buy you.”
I looked past him at another glass box that was being wheeled inside across the room. This one held another man who was on the heavier side. He wasn’t fat but he wasn’t muscular either. His whole body was shaven like mine. His most discernible feature was his large nose. His eyes caught mine, there was a hint of realization in them. His face contorted as I watched him mouth my name. “You recognize him?” asked Saxon.
“No, Master,” I replied.
“This may help. He was your old boss.”
Images flashed through my mind. The next thing I knew I was sitting at a desk fresh out of the United States Army. A man sat across from me with a thick head of black hair that’d been jelled backward. A stone cold look in his eyes and that exact same nose. “So what makes you think you have what it takes to join the CIA?” He asked.
“Shaw..” I said to myself.
“Yesss, he’s been staying on level six with Master Raz,” said Saxon as he motioned the slaves to pull me forward. Saxon met Raz at one end of the room. Raz looked almost exactly like him, just instead of being white, he was a weird gray color. They seemed to carefully avoid the others as they met. Shaw stared at me from his cell as we were lined up next to each other. I tried not to look at him not to speak to him. I knew we’d both be punished if I did.
I watched the demons in the room all suddenly start taking more human like appearances. That was when I started counting. There were nine male and seven female demons. Not including Saxon and Raz. They all started methodically taking their seats. That was when another glass box was pushed into the room. This one containing another man who looked Hispanic to me. But, unlike any of the other prisoners I’d seen. He had a feathery snake tattooed across his back. He also was the only one I’d seen with long greying black messy hair and a thick beard.
“Whose that?” asked Saxon. “Hector Morales. He would have been inducted into our free reign denizen class for his efforts on earth. But he tried to fight Victor the moment they locked eyes.” Raz said quietly.
Hector’s cell was pushed right next to ours. He didn’t look at either of us. He just buried his face in the back corner of his box. I turned back to look at Shaw. The man was still staring at me intently. I took a deep breath as I let my mind wander. My thought process was suddenly cut off by a loud deep horn. My eyes were drawn to the big iron doors that sat just beyond the head of the table.
A demon stood there with a large red horn in his hand. The doors were opening slowly behind him. It was almost ominous, the room was eerily silent aside from the slow footsteps coming our direction. My eyes glanced down towards Saxon, who was kneeling. I looked back up at the doorway. Where a familiar looking man in a suit stepped out with a happy expression across his face. He was kind of far away from me, but I could still make out his facial features. He had jet black hair that was gelled straight backwards. His go tee was thin. He had a strong jawline as well as a decently built frame. His eyes met mine as he calmly took his place at the head of the table.
“My King! Lord Abbadon! Savior of Gehenna! How gracious of you to bless us with your presence!” one of the demons voices called out. I wasn’t sure which face it came from. I was focused on the king. “Shut up Pazuzu!” the King said with a sly smile as he looked upon his subjects. His gaze fell upon Azazel.
“It seems things have been running smoothly in my absence. I’m almost impressed.”
“Almost?” asked Azazel.
“Yes. Well, energy output from the the sixth and eighth levels are down roughly three percent. I mean, it’s not a big deal. Especially since the other seven levels are all up. Especially level seven!” he said with a smile.
“A sixteen percent increase in output within the last two years! I do believe that’s a new record!”
“That isn’t a fair assessment. We are getting an influx of wrathful souls on that level! Lots of violent people have been dying lately!” said another demon. This one a bald man in a suit.
The King’s eyes shot over to the Prince. “Prince Baal! Tell me, what kind of suffering are you imposing on those damned souls on the sixth level?” “Same as everyone else, we have the torture boxes.” “The same torture boxes as everyone else but a decrease in production? Why is that?” Abbadon asked with a tilted head. “I-I…” Baal started. “Because you’re not pushing your masters hard enough to get the job done! They’re unmotivated! Lazy!” “We aren’t getting the same soul influx!” “You don’t need the same soul influx! There are billions on your level! Make them suffer! Or I’ll get someone who can!” Baal exhaled as he leaned back in his chair. “Yes, My Lord!”
Abbadon leaned back as his eyes scanned the room. He smiled at me. Then his eyes went back to his subjects again.
“Anyway, I didn’t come all the way back to Gehenna to talk business! I came here to celebrate! And celebrate we shall!” He said as he clapped his hands.
Several slaves that’d been dressed like waiters at a fancy restaurant came out with platters of what looked to me like steaming severed arms and legs. One even put a plate in the center of the of the table that contained a roasted human head with an apple in his mouth. I wanted to hurl at the mere sight of this. But I couldn’t hurl up anything if I tried because my body didn’t need to eat anything. “I sure do love the flesh pits!” Azazel said as she poked at the severed arm on her plate.
“Tell me, what was this slaves name?” asked another demon. “Please, I don’t get their names! They’re only numbers to me! I’m not like Asmodeus!” Azazel replied with a laugh. Abbadon raised a brow at this. A slave walked up behind him and whispered something in his ear. He stood at the end of the table.
“Finally! The flesh pits have finished casting bodies for our newest associates! I want to introduce you guys to the newest General of our armies.” he said as he raised a wine glass full of human blood.
A figure marched out of the tunnel behind him. It looked like an older looking man with white hair that was combed to one side. He wore a crude black chest plate with black robes underneath. On his back sat two red bat-like wings that were folded into place. He had a sword on his hip and a stern look in his eye.
“Newest General?” asked Azazel. “He is to be my new right hand! He will answer only to me! He will be my vessel while I am away.” “And who is this man?” asked Baal. “This is the now fallen Angel that made our plans on earth work. This is Victor!”
All of the demons stared at him for a second. I watched the newly appointed General. My mind already ripe with a new memory. This one of a cellphone with Victor’s image on it. I’d been doing research for days on Gideon Pharmaceuticals. I was sitting what I think was a safe house. I was on the run from them. They’d sent mercenaries after me. I just couldn’t remember why. At least, not until Abbadon cut my thought process off.
“And this… Is another who worked for me. He was one of the first to try our version of the Horseman’s Omega serum!” he said as a Hispanic man in an all white suit walked out behind him and stood next to Victor. His hands crossed at his waist. “This is Estevez. He will be the newest game master on level seven! Do you understand? Azazel?”
Azazel stood up and examined the man closely. Abbadon watched her with a smirk. Azazel nodded as she circled him. She sniffed the air and then walked back towards her seat. “He will do! Anyone’s better the my last game master anyway!”
“Perfect!” Abbadon said as he clapped once. “Then, last, but certainly not least. We have the Ripper himself. Jackson. He’ll make a fine addition to our forces down here.” Abbadon said as his eyes glanced up at me. That was when I saw him. The man that made everything come flooding back. Flashes of Ana, the woman who bore my child. Her body lifeless and cold in my arms. Her emerald eyes void and empty. Her life taken by the very man that stood at the end of the table. I could feel my body tremble with rage. The flashes continued. I could remember it all. All the destruction that is caused in the Shadow Wars.
Leaving the CIA to be with Ana. My daughter… Father Raphael and I had been protecting her. A young woman who hadn’t even made it out of her teens yet. A woman who was the key to uniting our species. A young woman, that I gave my life to protect. Jackson had killed me. Or I had killed myself trying to take his life. I could see his eyes move up and meet mine again. He smiled widely. As did Abbadon. Had I not known some semblance of self preservation. I’d have tried to break the box to go after him. To choke whatever afterlife he had out of him. I don’t remember anything else that was said by Abbadon. My eyes were locked solely on the smiling vampire that stood before me. Abbadon and his subjects went on talking. Jackson walked up to me with a smug look in his eyes. He stood at the edge of my glass box. Saxon stood behind him with a somewhat worried expression on his face.
“Hello, David!” Jackson said through a wicked smile. His teeth had somehow looked even sharper than they had before.
I looked at Saxon. Who only nodded calmly at me. “What do you want?” I asked.
“Nothing. I’m dead. It’s strange, isn’t it?” he asked. I didn’t respond. Which only made him chuckle a bit. He leaned on my torture box. “Let me ask you something, Mr. Stone? How on earth did you end up here? I mean, other than the complete genocide of my species… I thought you fought for the good guys!”
I again didn’t answer. I only glared at him. My thoughts were ever consumed with ways to make this being suffer. Jackson smiled as he turned back to Saxon. “You must have done a number on him. The man I knew on earth would have tried to kill me at least twice by now!”
“He suffers like the rest of my flock!” Saxon answered. Jackson turned back to me and smiled even wider.
“You see your wife yet? She must be down here somewhere!” My eyes widened with rage as I started to take a step forward. “Mr. Stone!” Saxon growled.
I stopped dead in my tracks. My hands clenched into tight fists. “That is enough for now. If you wanna gloat, come to our level after the banquet.” Saxon said as he eyed Jackson.
Jackson smirked at Saxon, and then grinned at me. I exhaled as I looked up and past Jackson. Abbadon sat there watching me with an intrigued look in his eyes. One that honestly sent a shudder down my spine. I quickly glanced back down at Jackson. Who was starting to walk away.
That was when Abbadon stood up and raised his wine glass. “A toast! To David’s daughter, without her sacrifice or her blood, none of what we’re trying to do would even be possible!”
All of the demons whooped and cheered. But it was all drowned out to me by the sudden agonizing realization that something had happened to her. Something had happened to my little girl. Something that I’d payed the ultimate price to prevent. I could feel tears welling up as my legs turned into jelly. I dropped to my knees. My eyes staring ahead but focusing on nothing.
“Oh look! His torture box is charging!!” Raz said as he nudged Saxon. I could see Saxon rub his chin with intrigue. “Well, would you look at that!”
All this did, however, was get Abbadon’s attention. “Ohh! David! David! David!” Abbadon said as he approached my cell.
“You should be honored! Her suffering benefited the greater good! In time… All of humanity will be made better. They will become the very things that they were meant to be. And it’s all thanks to your daughter. They’ll all serve their purpose for a better, and more prosperous Gehenna!”
I could feel the sorrow in my gut turning into rage. It burned like the fires of the very plane of existence that I stood on. I gritted my teeth as I got to my feet.
“David!” I could hear Saxon growl.
“I think the slave has something to say! Well then, let’s hear it!” Abbadon said with a calm look in his eye.
“I’m going to get out of this box. I don’t care if it takes me a hundred days or a hundred years. But when I do, I’m gonna fucking kill every one of you ungodly abominations. Starting with you!” I said as I looked at Jackson.
The vampire smiled sheepishly at me. Which I can remember finding odd in the moment. Abbadon turned to Jackson, and then he looked around the room. The whole place erupted in hysterical laughter. He smirked as he turned to me.
“You have drive. I respect that. You humans, some of you at least, have balls that none here could muster within a thousand years. I like you. You have what we call… Potential. I may even make you a member of our military one day. But first, unfortunately, you need to be taught. You must learn that insubordination will not be tolerated.” He turned to Saxon and nodded.
The next thing I knew I was being electrocuted, pulses of an electric current tore through every muscle in my body. I stood there as long as I could, glaring at Abbadon. He smirked as Saxon upped the voltage, the next thing I knew I had fallen to my knees. But I didn’t cry out. I didn’t beg. I only stared at the king of hell. The rage I felt towards him keeping me conscious. That was, until the spike went through my skull.
“You should have listened to me,” Saxon’s voice said softly as I came to.
I was back in my cells slot. Back on level five. I groaned as I started to move around. Only to find very quickly that my arms and legs were tied up and stretched in differing directions. My body suspended a few feet above the ground if my cage. I grunted as I fought against the chains holding me in place.
“You embarrassed me in front of the king! Now, now you gotta pay! Now, you’re my new favorite prisoner! And you’re gonna learn respect!”
An electric current ripped into me through my wrists and ankles. I winced as my muscles tightened. He stepped closer to the glass.
“Making threats against the king! I don’t know who you think you are!” He growled as another current ripped through me. I wasn’t gonna give him the satisfaction of watching me scream though. All I could think about was getting out of here so I could get my hands around his throat. I think he read my mind. Because the next thing I knew, the wires holding me suddenly dropped me on the floor.
“Okay David… If you think you’re violent enough to escape. Let’s see. Bring in the dogs!”
I could hear them before I could see them. The snipping of jaws. The growling, and barking. The slaves were struggling to hold back the hellhouds. It took four slaves to hold one dog. The dogs were huge, at least the size of horses. They looked like black wolves with red glowing eyes and matted blood in their fur. The side of my cell opened. Saxon took a step backward as the two hounds filled the entrance. Both salivating and drooling as they looked at their next meal. Which just so happened to be me. I gritted my teeth as I stood ready for the onslaught. The slaves struggled to hold the hell hounds back as they bit and snapped at me.
“Now… Mr. Stone, please try not to scream!” Saxon barked as he nodded to the slaves.
The dogs came at me fast and hard. I put my hands up to block the incoming jaws of one. The teeth practically snapped my arm as they clamped down. I shoved my thumb into its eyeball. The creature whimpered as it fumbled backward. But that was when the other jumped on top of me. I think I managed to get a few shots in, but the last thing I remembered was being covered in cuts and blood as jaws clamped down on my face.
I woke up a few hours later in brutal agonizing pain. Everything that could hurt, did hurt. It took me a full minute to get my bearings as I looked down. My intestines were being yanked out by a hungry wolf. It tugged and tugged, as it did more searing pain ripped through me. I discovered both my arms had been torn off and one of my legs was hanging on by a piece of meat. My remaining eye looked past the Wolf at Saxon. Who was staring at me with a serious glint in his eye. I honestly wanted to scream, but I couldn’t. There was a hole where my throat used to be.
“Pull them back.” Saxon said sharply. The slaves yanked the wolves backward until they were out of the cell. One even took the rest of my intestines with it. Saxon calmly stepped into my now blood spattered cell.
“This is just the first day.” He said as he squatted down in front of me.
“I see that physical pain doesn’t cause you as much suffering as it should. That’s fine, I want you to know, however, that we found your ex wife.. She’s on level two. I’m gonna have her brought up here in the morning. Then I’m going to make you watch what I do with her.”
I could feel my heart flutter as my insides boiled with rage. I started to struggle, but it was all for nought. Saxon only grinned as he stood up, and then walked away.
A little while later, I found myself in the healing solution from the flesh pits. My wounds were grievous from the hellhounds. Dwayne stood watching me from his cell with his arms crossed. A look of pity was plastered across his face.
“I warned you! About becoming the favorite!”
“I know..” I replied.
I’d say I was listening to what he said but my mind was on one thing. They were bringing my wife up soon for some kind of sick game. A game that they expected me to play. I remembered that the slaves would come get me. I’d already made the plan in my mind. I was getting out of here.
Part 3: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/104ntes/the_hellion_rebellion/?