25 Oct I’ll See You in Hell

I hated John Sweeney from my first breath. That might be a slight exaggeration, but not much of one. The feud began in my grandfather’s day–a dispute over an insult which escalated into a blood vendetta over the next two generations. So, I guess you could say I was raised to hate the Sweeney clan, and I suppose he would say the same about my family.

After my father’s passing, I became the McIntyre family patron…or the godfather, if you like. Sadly, it never occurred to me to end the blood feud I’d inherited. In fact, I planned to escalate the fight to a new level of terror and violence, and my counterpart was quite happy to respond in kind.

Years of threats, vandalism, arson attacks, beatings, and shootings followed. And my position only hardened as the violence between our families spiraled out of control. I didn’t want peace, but I did crave victory.

Johnny-boy Sweeney was my equivalent in the rival clan, the male heir who controlled his family with an iron fist. But if I killed Johnny, his family would be left leaderless and fractured. Therefore, I doubled my efforts and planned to eliminate my mortal enemy. I genuinely thought killing Sweeney would be the end of it, but sadly, this was only the beginning.

My plan was simple. Sweeney knew I was out for his blood and so didn’t take many chances. But he did have a weakness, as I learned from a spy reporting to me from within his organization. Johnny-boy had a mistress living on the city’s plush west end, a woman on the side he thought no one knew about. He went to see his lady every Thursday night, and without a bodyguard. I knew this was my way to get to him, but I’d only have one chance.

On the night in question, I sat in a stolen car, the rain bouncing off the windscreen as I kept a close eye on the front entrance of the apartment complex, watching the comings and goings as I waited for my nemesis to show his face.

The adrenaline was rushing through my veins as I took long and deep drags from my tenth cigarette in a row and held the cold metal revolver in my gloved hand.

I was nervous but also excited at the prospect of the violent retribution to come, and sadly, it never seriously occurred to me to call off the hit. My eyes squinted as I saw the tall, well-built figure exit the building and step under the bright illumination of the streetlights.

He raised a hood over his head in a vain attempt to protect himself from the heavy rain, but I recognized him nonetheless…Johnny-boy Sweeney in the flesh.

I had to act fast, taking a deep breath before opening the car door and jumping out onto the tarmac.

Sweeney was moving quickly down the street. He hadn’t seen me but was trying to get out of the rain and reach his car. I strode through the puddles, ignoring the deluge as I remained entirely focused on my target. I soon covered the distance, getting within shooting range as I raised my revolver and aimed.

Sweeney still hadn’t spotted me as he cursed while fumbling in his pocket for his keys, and I couldn’t resist mocking him in that final moment as my violent fantasy was fulfilled.

“Oi! Sweeney!” I shouted, increasing my volume to be heard over the heavy rainfall.

My target looked up in annoyance, but his anger turned to terror once he saw the gun in my hand.

I smiled cruelly as I poised my finger on the trigger.

“Got you now, you bastard!” I exclaimed with a sadistic glee.

And then I fired. BANG! BANG! BANG! Three shots in quick succession.

I felt the kick back and saw a satisfying spray of blood as a bullet tore through Sweeney’s chest. He cried out in pain before collapsing to the wet pavement. I breathed heavily, the smoking gun still in my hand as I walked around the vehicle and saw my enemy face down on the ground.

Sweeney was hurt bad but wasn’t dead yet, and I watched with a grim satisfaction as he crawled through the puddles, groaning in agony as his blood spilled into the gutter.

I should’ve finished him off there and then, but I couldn’t resist one last opportunity to mock my hated enemy. I wanted to see the fear in Sweeney’s eyes when I killed him, and so I used my boot to kick him over, turning him around so he lay on his back.

My victim grunted, his eyes filled with pain as he glared up at me. I wondered whether the sorry bastard would beg for his life with his last breath, but he surprised me by forming a knowing grin even as the blood filled up his mouth.

“What the hell are you smiling at?” I demanded in annoyance.

But then I looked down and saw it–the small black pistol in Sweeney’s hand. He squeezed the trigger before I could act, and I felt the bullet’s impact before I heard the shot.

A sudden sharp pain hit me as I dropped my revolver and clutched at my chest, trying in vain to stem the flow of blood from the fresh bullet wound. Stumbling backwards, I looked down to Sweeney, noting the smoking gun which had now fallen from his hand and the pained but satisfied grin on his bloody lips.

My enemy was surely going to die in the gutter like the rat he was, but Sweeney’s final act had been to put a slug in my chest. But I wasn’t done…not yet.

I thought I could get back to the car and drive myself to a doctor. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was the best I could think of. I struggled back across the wet tarmac as the rain continued to beat down upon me. My car was in sight, but I didn’t make it there. Not even close.

The pain became overwhelming, and the blood was pouring out of me in an unstoppable stream. My strength failed me, and I collapsed onto the wet tarmac, unable to see straight or even breathe.

The final thought of my mortal existence was one of regret, as I finally realized I’d thrown my life away over a meaningless vendetta. But it was too late to turn back the clock. My face landed in a puddle, and my eyes closed as the darkness took me.

I died in that moment, but the true horror was about to begin.

* * * * * *

The first thing that hit me was the heat as the ground beneath me was boiling hot, forcing me to jump up into a sitting position before I was even aware of my surroundings. Next, the foul stench hit my nostrils, a disgusting smell which was akin to burning flesh.

Slowly and painfully, I opened my heavy eyes to observe my environment. It made no sense, but I was no longer lying on a rain-swept city street. Far from it, in fact. I looked up and observed an unsettling, unnatural sky of blood red, only dimly illuminated by a ghostly pale sun. On the far horizon, I saw storm clouds, noting the occasional distant lightning strike, eventually followed by the dull thud of thunder.

It was like I was no longer on Earth, instead unceremoniously dumped onto a lifeless alien planet. But this world was not entirely devoid of life. High above in the crimson sky, I could see a far-distant speck, a bird or other winged creature circling like a vulture waiting for its prey to die. This occurrence was disconcerting to say the least, but I put it out of my troubled mind as I dealt with the more immediate concerns.

It’s an odd thing, but the confusion of my situation had probably clouded my judgment. In that moment, I’d forgotten about the bullet Sweeney had shot into my chest. The shot that had killed me.

As if awaking from a nightmare, I frantically clawed at my chest, searching for the wound. But I found nothing–no bullet hole and no blood. It seemed like I’d been miraculously restored. And yet, something wasn’t right. It’s hard to explain, but I didn’t feel like I was in my own body anymore. It was as if my soul was trapped inside something foreign and unnatural.

It didn’t seem right, but still I dragged myself up on shaking legs before stumbling across hot rocks, feeling the burn even through the soles of my boots.

I adjusted my eyes to the dim light, scanning the surroundings under the blood-red sky as the distant bird continued to circle and gradually came closer to ground level.

I soon discovered I was standing at the bottom of a rocky crevice, with steep slopes on either side about thirty feet in height. I could see no way out of the tight space, which became ever tighter a few yards ahead of me, with barely enough room for a man to fit through.

The fear really started to hit home at this point, as it dawned on me that I was in a strange, alien, and dangerous place. I couldn’t make sense of it and didn’t know what to do or where to go, while the sweat was dripping off me and the disgusting stench made me want to retch.

But suddenly, I heard a noise behind me that captured my full attention. Swinging around, I saw a familiar face, which brought me back to reality. Crawling along the rocky ground was Sweeney, his face pale and his eyes bloodshot as he struggled to get up on his feet.

My old rival looked as confused and frightened as I did, although I noted how his fatal bullet wound was no longer visible.

In an instant, I forgot all about our hellish environment as I focused on the old and familiar hatred of my enemy. Recalling the bullet he’d put in me, I saw red, screaming like a berserker and charging forward with my hands formed into fists.

“No, don’t!” Sweeney screamed as his eyes widened and he held up his hands defensively.

But I took no notice as I struck my rival hard and knocked him down to the rocky ground. Next, I tried to wrap my hands around his throat. But Sweeney fought back, kicking me hard in the groin and forcing me off him.

We struggled on the burning rocks, both desperately trying to disable the other. I fell backwards after Sweeney punched me, reaching out for a rock which I intended to smash my enemy’s head with. But a fresh terror came over Sweeney as he ducked down and raised his fingers to his lips, shushing me to indicate I should remain silent.

At first I thought it was a trick, but then I heard a loud thumping sound which drew my attention to the rocks above us. The din grew louder, and the ground shook as something huge stomped across the land, and I followed my rival’s example by hiding underneath the opening while fearfully peaking upwards.

My eyes widened in sheer terror, and I had to stop myself from crying out when I saw the unthinkable beast marching across the higher ground above. The monster was massive, perhaps twenty feet tall. He or it had the body of a man but the head and legs of a beast, with hooved feet, long horns, and a snout filled with rows of sharp teeth.

He wore heavy steel armor across his wide chest and carried a broad sword almost the length of a fully grown man. The beast’s eyes were the worst, burning a terrible red as they scanned back and forth in search of prey.

I was frozen in fear, as was Sweeney. My former enemy was quaking by my side. We’d been at each other’s throats just moments before, but now we were united in cold terror as we hid from this new threat.

I prayed the beast wouldn’t see us, and it seemed like we got lucky, because the minotaur stomped onwards and disappeared from view.

We both remained silent for a time before I dared to whisper a question into my unlikely companion’s ear.

“Where are we?” I asked nervously.

Sweeney smirked despite our horrifying situation.

“I think you know McIntyre. And where did you expect to end up, after all the heinous things you’ve done?”

I shook my head, breaking eye contact with my rival and looking down at the cracked rocks beneath my boots. Of course I knew where I was. I’d tried to deny it, telling myself it had to be a mistake. But there was no denying what I was experiencing.

I’d never really thought about what would happen to me after death. I hadn’t considered the consequences of my criminal lifestyle or the violence I’d inflicted upon others. But now all my chickens were coming home to roost. Because I was dead, and this was hell.

I sighed deeply, trying to keep my emotions in check as I continued our conversation.

“So, eternal damnation it is then?

“Afraid so,” Sweeney replied with a mournful nod.

“What do you suggest we do now?” was my next question.

“Good question.” Sweeney responded with a thin smile, “You must see it’s pointless to continue our mortal feud. I think we should work together and…”

He didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, because in that moment we heard an almighty, blood-curdling roar, closely followed by a mighty crash as something huge landed in the crevice just a few feet away from where we hid.

Sweeney and I both jumped up in shock – sheer terror overcoming us when we saw the minotaur standing before us, his huge frame barely fitting inside the tight crevice, and his eyes burning with unnatural hatred as he prepared to swing his mighty sword.

“Run!” Sweeney cried.

I didn’t need to be told twice, and a second later the two of us were fleeing in blind terror as the roaring minotaur chased after us, the ground quaking as he charged forward. We couldn’t escape the crevice because the walls were too high. All we could do was push through the narrow gap ahead of us, as the beast was too large to follow.

It was a mad scramble, but Sweeney reached the gap first and barely squeezed through. The beast was right on top of me now. I could feel his hateful gaze upon my back and heard the mighty swoosh as he swung his sword.

I dived into the tight gap, trying to push my way through. But, to my horror, I became stuck between the rocks, desperately struggling to free myself, but to no avail. The beast couldn’t reach me, but he could poke his long sword through the gap. I felt a sharp pain as cold steel cut into my shoulder, screaming as I prepared for the worst.

But to my immense surprise, I saw a firm hand reaching out to me.

“Take hold of me!” Sweeney cried, “I’ll pull you through!”

I didn’t trust the man but had no better option in that moment, and so I took his hand and pushed, while Sweeney simultaneously pulled. And it worked, because in an instant, my body was through the thin gap, mere seconds before the sword would have cut me in half.

The beast roared in frustration, and he glared at us through the gap, but we were now out of his reach. In a panic, I looked at the cut on my shoulder. There was blood, but not much of it, and Sweeney was there to reassure me.

“It’s only a scratch, McIntrye!” he sneered. “You were damn lucky!”

That was one way of putting it, I thought. But I had to ask the obvious question.

“You saved me…why?”

Sweeney rolled his eyes in annoyance. “I told you, mate. Our feud is done and dusted. We need to work together down here…Unless you’d rather take your chances with him?”

He pointed back towards the mighty, red-eyed minotaur who continued to smash his sword against the rocks in an attempt to break through to get us. Sweeney was right, of course. As much as I’d hated the bastard in life, down here he was my unlikely ally against hell’s legions.

I turned back to Sweeney, meeting his eyes as I said, “I think we should move on.”

“I think you’re right,” he replied with a wry smile.

And we left the screeching demon behind, crouching down as we squeezed between the rocks and continued our hellish odyssey.

We eventually reached the end of the crevice and found the entrance to a subterranean cave. Needless to say, both Sweeney and I were reluctant to enter said cave, as we could only imagine the horrors that dwelt within. But there was nowhere else to go except back the way we’d come, where the furious minotaur was waiting.

And so, after some discussion, we entered. The cave was dark once we descended beneath the surface, but luckily, Sweeney had a cigarette lighter, which he used to illuminate our path. As for the atmosphere inside, it was almost unbearably hot and humid. I expected to encounter hideous troglodytes, but the terror within the caves was more subtle…if not any less horrifying.

The voices were faint at first but grew ever louder the deeper we descended, until the din was near deafening. I recognized the disembodied voices calling out to me; those belonging to long-dead relatives…my uncle, mother, father, and grandfather. My ancestors warned me not to follow our old enemy. They said Sweeney could not be trusted and would surely stab me in the back.

The words shook me as they played on my deepest fears. But Sweeney whispered to me in the darkness, saying the voices weren’t real. He claimed it was a trick…evil spirits mimicking the dead to create a divide between the two of us. I reckoned Sweeney was probably right, and I’d have a better chance staying by his side.

The ghostly voices grew louder and more aggressive, to the point where I thought I would go mad. But suddenly they all stopped, being replaced by an ominous silence that was no less unsettling.

But thankfully, we exited the caves shortly after, following a dim light which led us back to the surface. But we found little relief topside, finding ourselves standing on a seemingly endless plain of dry, cracked rocks under the pale sun and crimson sky.

Looking up, I could see the flying beast once again. The creature had been little more than a dot on the horizon before, but now the monster took shape as she came ever closer, and I noted the hideous form of a harpy-like, winged demon.

Clearly, the aerial predator was hunting us, and I realized we couldn’t stay out here in the open. But we barely had time to catch our breath before the next attack commenced.

Two figures jumped down from the rocks above us, taking advantage of our distraction as they confronted us with long spears. The men appeared human, if only barely. Their bodies were emaciated and sparsely covered by rags that appeared to be made of crude leather. Meanwhile, their eyes were bloodshot and half-crazed, and their teeth cracked and yellow.

I wondered who these wretched men were and how they’d come to be in such a sorry state. Perhaps they were damned souls, just like Sweeney and I. Was this the fate that awaited us during our indefinite stay in hell? I shuddered to think. But my main concern in that moment was the crude spears which the wretched men held, poised to strike.

“Listen, lads, we don’t want any trouble,” I said sheepishly.

My words seemed farcical given the circumstances and did nothing to calm the situation. The spearmen grunted and cursed in a language I couldn’t understand, and then they attacked.

The first wretch struck Sweeney with the shaft of his spear, knocking him down to the ground. But I had my own problems, as the second spearman charged towards me. My attacker was aggressive and bloodthirsty, but also slow and weak after his tribulations in hell.

I reacted on instinct, dodging the first assault and taking advantage of my attacker’s imbalance to hit back. In a flash, I grabbed a rock from the ground and smashed it against the spearman’s head, cracking his skull and knocking him down.

My attacker was disabled, but Sweeney was still fighting for his life, down on the ground with a spear inches from his throat.

I thought about it for a moment, but made a quick decision. Sweeney was my enemy in life, but down here he’d become an unlikely ally. He’d saved me from the minotaur, and now it was my turn to return the favor.

Acting quickly, I grabbed hold of the discarded spear and charged with the weapon in hand. The wretch saw me coming but reacted too slowly, and I buried the tip of the spear deep into his ribcage, watching as his eyes widened in shock and pain, and his body collapsed limply onto the blood-stained rocks.

With both our attackers down, I reached out, took Sweeney’s hand, and helped him back up to his feet. I smiled while looking my former enemy in the eye and saying, “Well, pal, I guess we’re even.”

Sweeney grinned while answering.

“Oh, you think so, do you?”

I didn’t like Sweeney’s tone or the malicious glint in his eye. But, before I could confront him, the demon descended upon me.

I felt a sudden whoosh of hot air against my back and heard a blood-curdling shriek that pierced my eardrums. I tried to turn and face the beast, but it hit me hard, digging its razor-sharp claws into the flesh of my shoulders.

I screamed in agony and fought for all my worth…but to no avail. And then I was pulled upwards, my feet rising from the rocky ground and up into the blood-red sky above. I screamed again…louder this time, kicking out as I was lifted up.

And when I looked down, I saw that bastard Sweeney smiling and waving up at me. That was when I realized he’d double-crossed me. This had been Sweeney’s plan all along. But the rage I should’ve felt in that moment was overtaken by intense pain and fear, as I glanced up and saw the beast’s huge wingspan as it screeched with delighted glee.

I cried out one last time before the pain overwhelmed all my other senses and I blacked out.

Once again, I awoke with my bare back burning from the heat of the rocks beneath me. I tried to pull myself up but couldn’t. Slowly opening my eyes, I realized why. I was chained down and secured to the rocks, exposed to the cruel and unforgiving elements of this hellscape, with the ugly crimson sky above me.

I struggled with all my might, but to no avail, as she’d chained me down tight. But worse was to come. I heard a familiar screech from the rocks below me, a sound which chilled me to the bone.

I lifted my head as far as I could, seeing the hideous beast crawling towards me. The harpy’s wings were now folded. Her ghostly pale face was hideous, appearing like something from a nightmare. Meanwhile, her murderous eyes burned a demonic red, and her snout was filled with rows of shark-like teeth.

I swore I could see more than a glint of sadistic glee in the monster’s hateful eyes as she rose up on top of me, her face so close to mine that I could smell her vile breath.

I screamed and begged the beast for mercy, but of course, I received none. I expected the harpy to bite into my throat, but that would have been too easy. Instead, the beast unveiled her sharp claws before slowly and purposefully slicing my belly open from end to end.

I stared down in horror as the beast eviscerated me. The pain was overwhelming, and yet I remained conscious throughout the whole ordeal, forced to watch as the demon greedily feasted on my innards, my blood pouring from her maw as I screamed until the air left my lungs.

This was the beginning of my torturous nightmare…only the beginning. Because you can’t die in hell, and my punishment mirrored that of Prometheus in Greek legend, as my wounds healed and my innards were restored, only for the horrific evisceration to be played out again and again, day after day.

How long did my torture go on for? Honestly, I cannot say. I could have been weeks, months, or even years. Eventually, I was on the brink of losing my sanity, imagining the beast’s voice in my head as she chewed on my guts. Or maybe it wasn’t my imagination…Perhaps she was mocking me with the grim truth.

You see, Sweeney’s plan was hatched long ago and back on the mortal plane. He’d made a deal with dark forces, ensuring that I–his enemy–would be on the receiving end of horrendous torture in the afterlife. And my torment continued, until one day it ended quite abruptly.

I awoke on the hot rocks one morning, only to find the chains gone and the harpy nowhere to be seen. I was free…still trapped in hell, of course, but no longer at the mercy of the beast.

Why had she let me go? That, I can’t say. Perhaps the monster grew bored of eating my flesh and organs, or maybe the deal she had made had expired.

One thing’s for certain, however. I’ve been set loose upon the blood-soaked plains of hell, and I only have one goal…a single motivation. Revenge.

I should’ve listened to my ancestors in the caves. Sweeney was always my enemy and always will be, from now until eternity.

And so I spend my days in hell hunting him down. I will find Sweeney no matter how long it takes, and I’m going to make the bastard suffer. Oh, yes, revenge will be sweet.