Hell’s Civil War – The Iron Tower

Read Part one here

Read Part two here

It took a while for the circumstances of my death to come back to me. The memory was thrust back into my conscious mind during our descent into a swirling vortex at the base of the iron tower, as my companions and I escaped from one hellscape only to be plunged into another.

The end of my mortal life came during one wet and miserable afternoon on a war-torn battlefield in Eastern Europe. At the time, my platoon was deployed along a supposedly quiet section of the front, and I guess I got complacent.

I recall being soaked to the skin as I trudged through the mud and scanned the grey horizon. I took a step and heard a sudden ominous click underneath my boot. A cold terror ran through my veins as my brain just had enough time to process what had occurred.

A second later, the land mine I’d unwittingly stepped upon detonated. My last conscious feeling was one of intense heat, and then I was blown to kingdom come. And the next thing I remembered was waking up in Hell – thrust into yet another bloody war, although in this realm the battles are fought between demons and damned souls rather than human soldiers and their hi-tech weapons.What can I say about Dis, the ugly and worn-torn city where they sent me? The fifth circle is Violence and Dis is its capital. This is where most dead soldiers and generals end up. That’s not to say there aren’t honourable soldiers who fight for righteous causes. But the old saying is true – ‘war is hell’. The bloodshed and violence changes a man. It corrupts his soul and forces the mark of Cain upon him. And in the end, few (if any) escape unscathed.

You can’t die in Hell but you can suffer. They can blow your body apart, chop your head off your shoulders…but the suffering never ends. When I awoke in the afterlife I was instantly confronted with the true horrors of Dis – experiencing the foul stench of death, seeing the medieval city burn under the flames of a thousand fires, and witnessing towering demons and blood-thirsty harpies tearing lost souls to shreds.

I suppose I should count myself lucky that I met two Dis veterans who took me under their wing. I knew little about Sebastian and Isabelle – two damned souls who’d died in past wars before being dropped into the terror-filled streets of Dis.

It was Isabelle – the mysterious Amazon-like warrior – who’d explained the origins of the conflict. Minos was the gatekeeper of Hell and former recruiter of Satan’s army. But the serpent-like demon had revolted against Lucifer in an attempt to take control of the underworld and nine circles.

We were conscripts in Minos’s ramshackle army, essentially serving as cannon-fodder in the vicious battle for control of Dis. The press-ganged souls we served alongside had little loyalty to Minos or his cause. They fought for one reason only – the chance of freedom.

Our demonic overlord had made a promise to his soldiers. More than anything, Minos wanted control over the Iron Tower – the tall and dominating monolith which was key to the entire fifth circle. If we could capture the tower and reach its summit, our master would give us a second chance at life and facilitate our return to the mortal plane. As far as we were concerned, this was a prize worth fighting for. But of course, there was a price to pay…and it was a heavy one.

The three of us literally leapt into the vortex which marked the entrance to the Iron Tower as our former comrades burnt in an unholy fire behind us. I must have lost consciousness during the chaotic transition, because I awoke on a cold floor within a dark, windowless chamber dimly lit by torches burning on the black and featureless walls.

My companions were standing above me – Sebastian with his huge bulking frame blocking out the dim light, remaining silent as always as he looked down upon me with piercing eyes. To his right was Isabelle – a thin smile on her dry lips as she no doubt planned to say something clever or sarcastic. The woman exerted confidence – on the surface at least. But in reality, I could see fear behind her wide eyes.

Sebastian offered me a hand and helped me to my feet while Isabelle whispered in my ear.
“Welcome to the Iron Tower Jacob. Now the real fun begins.”

I ignored her attempt at humour as I surveyed our grim surroundings. The darkened chamber was small and tight, appearing to be an entryway to whatever lay inside the twisted tower. I noted the steel doors ahead of us, marked by strange and disturbing symbols.

From the other side of the door, we could hear the muffled sounds of a deep voice which seemed to be leading some kind of prayer. The heavy door was shut and I didn’t want to imagine what was occurring in the next room. But the door was the only way out of the chamber we currently occupied, and we had to move forward.

All three of us were experienced warriors but we’d expended the ammunition for our firearms and crossbow during the fighting out on the street and so only carried bladed weapons. Once I was on my feet, I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with my companions, sharing a look of steadfast determination as we stepped forward together.

“We stand and fight together, no matter what.” said Isabelle, as she reached out for the ivory handle and slowly pushed the heavy door open.

We entered a far larger chamber, still dimly lit and consisting of four windowless walls of cold iron, although I noted how the walls were adorned with hellish imagery – crude images of demons and monsters which appeared to be painted in blood.

In the centre of the vast chamber stood a group of humanoid figures dressed in dark red robes and with inverted crosses hanging from their necks. They had hoods covering their heads and I couldn’t see their faces in the darkness, but I noted how they were standing in a circle around a blood red pentagram painted upon the metal floor.

Behind the circle of robed cultists was a white altar which appeared to be constructed from assorted bones and skulls, and upon the altar stood who I assumed was the cult’s leader – a tall, thin and bald man with ghostly pale skin and intense, bug-like eyes.

He initially ignored our presence in his chamber as the three of us simply stood in the doorway, watching and listening as whatever twisted ceremony they were performing proceeded unopposed.

When the cult leader spoke, his voice was high-pitched and chilling.

“Disciples of the Dark Lord. We face a great challenge at this time. War has come to our Lord’s unholy kingdom and the arch traitor is laying siege to our most twisted and wretched stronghold. But we will not abandon our faith, even as the most horrid beams of light invade our darkest places. We, the loyal servants of Lucifer, must stand tall and make the sacrifices we need to obtain victory.”

He paused, turning his head and shouting to yet unseen cultists behind him.
“Guards, bring out the prisoner.” he ordered.

We continued to watch in shocked awe as a pair of robed cultists emerged from the shadows, dragging a naked and emaciated prisoner along the ground behind them. Once they came closer, I noted how their prisoner bore the signs of torture on his damaged body – with deep scars and broken bones clearly visible.

I also noticed how he didn’t fight or scream as they dragged him out. I guess the poor bastard was so beaten down and defeated that he could no longer resist. I was sickened by the display and instinctively stepped forward to intervene, but it was Sebastian who stopped me as he placed a firm hand on my arm and shook his head as a warning.

The pair of cultists dragged their victim into the centre of the pentagram, unceremoniously dumping his frail body on the cold metal floor before joining the circle of cultists which surrounded him.

“Our Lord of Darkness. We offer this sacrifice in humility and fear. May his impure blood give you strength to crush your enemies and restore your absolute power over the nine circles.”

The naked man in the circle looked up in that moment, his bloodshot eyes filled with terror as he desperately searched for any chance of escape – but he found none.

A moment later and all the cultists simultaneously withdrew daggers from beneath their robes as they advanced menacingly towards their intended victim. The man screamed and tried to get up on his feet to fight, but he was too weak and soon overwhelmed.

I grimaced as we watched the cultists repeatedly stab their defenceless victim. My ears were filled with the sickening sound of blades cutting through flesh and the muffled screams of their victim, his agonising cries growing ever weaker as he slowly gave up the fight.

The blood flowed across the metal floor and I swore I could see the pentagram burning like it was absorbing the victim’s lifeforce. But the tortured soul could not die. This was Hell after all, and he was condemned to suffer here for all eternity.

His body was a bloody mess by the time the cultists ended their savage attack and withdrew their blood-stained knives. The unfortunate victim continued to whimper on the cold floor, bleeding from dozens of deep stab wounds and begging for his agony to end.

And then, the pale-faced cult leader spoke, his chilling voice echoing throughout the iron chamber.
“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Let it be so.”

With that, he raised his bony hands above his head and evoked some kind of black magic, summoning fire as if from thin air. My companions and I looked on in awestruck horror as a fireball was formed – a burning orb which hovered over the cultist’s head before he thrust it forward with the mere swipe of his left hand.

And suddenly the fireball soared through the air and hit the helpless victim, engulfing his broken body in an unholy fire. The man screamed one last time before his body was burnt away, dissolving into ashes in front of our eyes.

With the sacrifice made, the pentagram was consumed by a circle of white flames which burnt fiercely as Lucifer apparently absorbed the victim’s soul. And even though his physical body was reduced to cinders, we could still hear the victim’s disembodied screams echoing throughout the chamber, as his eternal suffering had surely reached a whole new level of savage horror.

I shuddered over what I’d just witnessed. That’s not to say I wasn’t familiar with acts of violence. I’d seen and participated in many such acts during my military career. But the normalisation of the cruelty and savagery in Hell was beyond anything I’d previously been subjected to.

I continued to stare in mesmerised horror at the burning pentagram until I was shaken back to reality by Isabelle.
“We need to keep moving.” she whispered, “We can’t stay here.”

I nodded my head in agreement, as did Sebastian. The three of us moved forward cautiously, keeping our bladed weapons to hand in case we needed to fight our way through. But we were seriously outnumbered. I counted a dozen red-robed cultists in total – thirteen if you counted their leader.

I didn’t fancy our chances if it came to a stand-up fight and so we planned to sneak past the cultists in the slim hope that they wouldn’t notice our presence. But of course, we weren’t so lucky. In an instant, the dozen cult members turned their backs on the fire as they all faced in our direction.

I still couldn’t see their faces which remained hidden under their hoods. But we could see their hideous eyes, burning red with a fiery intensity. Whatever these things were, they definitely weren’t human.

The daggers emerged next as all twelve cultists withdrew their still blood-soaked daggers and pointed them menacingly in our direction. The three of us formed a defensive line and prepared to fight as the armed cultists slowly advanced upon us.

But, to our immense surprise, their leader intervened as he called out to his blood-thirsty followers.

“Do not attack.” he ordered, “Let them pass. Their souls belong to the Dark Lord, and only he can decide their fate.”

His words chilled me to my bones even after the cultists wordlessly obeyed their leader’s orders, withdrawing their daggers and standing aside to let him pass. We moved forward cautiously, keeping our weapons handy as we prepared for the possibility of a double cross.
There was a second door on the far side of the chamber which appeared to be the only way out of the room. None of the cultists attempted to stop our progress as we made our way past the scene of the brutal sacrifice. But to get to the door we needed to pass the altar where the pale-faced warlock stood.

His cold eyes followed us closely as we walked. I thought he’d keep his promise and let us go, but suddenly the warlock shot forward at incredible speed, heading straight for me and grabbing hold of my body before I had a chance to resist. He knocked the blade out of my hand with ease before taking a firm hold, pulling me so close as I was forced to look into his cold eyes and felt his icy breath against my skin.

“Let him go!” Isabelle screamed, as she held her knife up to his throat.

But the warlock didn’t even seem to notice as he continued to stare right into my eyes. I shook uncontrollably in his tight grasp as he spoke his chilling words into my ear. But, to my surprise, he delivered what sounded more like a warning than a threat.

“You are entering a hell beyond your worst nightmares and will be forced to face the darkest corners of your own psyche.” he whispered, “You cannot trust anyone or anything. And remember one thing Jacob – evil begins in the heart, as impure blood is pumped through the arteries and corrupts the body. To defeat evil, you must eliminate the source.”

I didn’t understand what the warlock meant but was relieved when he released me from his icy grip.

“Go now.” he said, as I returned to my comrades. “Proceed to the next level.”

I led the way, still shaken by the encounter with the ghoulish entity. I placed my hand on the ivory handle and experienced a chilling foreboding as I opened the heavy door which allowed us to proceed to the next area.

What we found behind the next doorway was a narrow spiral staircase leading upwards. It was similar to what one would find inside a medieval castle, except that the steps were forged from iron rather than carved from stone. None of us liked it. The stairs were so narrow that we could only proceed one at a time and we couldn’t see around corners, which meant we could be ambushed at any point.

The staircase seemed like a death trap, but what choice did we have? None of us wished to return to the previous chamber to face those blood-thirsty cultists and their demonic leader. So, after a short discussion, we decided to ascend.

Sebastian led the way up the spiral stairs. He was the strongest and so best placed to defend our small party from a sudden attack. Meanwhile, Isabelle walked in the middle while I took up the rear. I don’t know how many steps we climbed in our ascent. I lost count. All I know is that I was soon exhausted and disorientated.

I think my companions were also tired and frustrated, and we weren’t fully alert when the attack finally came. Sebastian let out a sharp cry, raising his machete to counter the swing of his enemy’s blade. I heard the distinctive sound of steel striking steel and saw what looked like a medieval knight on the staircase attacking Sebastian with a short sword.

The attacker wore a full suit of black armour with an inverted cross emblazoned on his chest plate. He wore a helmet which covered his face, but I could see his eyes through the visor – eyes which burnt a demonic red. He screeched like a banshee as he swung his sword, and Sebastian struggled to defend himself as he desperately parried the attacks.

Unfortunately, both Isabelle and I were unable to help our comrade because the staircase was too narrow. But I would have problems of my own before too long.

I heard the heavy stomping of footsteps behind me, turning just in time to confront a second attacker. Yet another dark knight charged up the stairs towards me. He was clad in the same black armour and seemed identical to the first attacker. His red eyes burned with a fiery intensity and he let out a hellish wail before thrashing out with his sword.

I reacted on instinct, using my own blade to block the attacker’s sword. But the sheer force of the attack knocked me off my feet as I tripped on the steps. The fiendish knight continued his assault, attacking with his blade as I struggled to parry the hard blows.

I don’t think I would have lasted much longer, but thankfully Isabelle came to my rescue. I remained on the ground as she thrust out with her knife, stabbing the knight in his throat after expertly finding the gap between his body armour and helmet. A moment later, Isabelle kicked out and sent the knight tumbling down the metal staircase.

While this was happening, Sebastian gained the upper hand over the first knight, using his machete to saw through the enemy’s neck. Our comrade made good use of his brute strength to cut through flesh and bone until he severed the knight’s head completely.

Next, Sebastian calmly lifted the severed head and held it aloft. To my horror, I noticed how the knight’s red eyes were still burning as they looked down upon us. But Sebastian wasted no time before he tossed the head down the stairs, and it bounced off the iron steps before disappearing from sight.

“Jesus Christ!” I swore in shock after the savage assault.

“Jesus didn’t save your ass, I did!” was Isabelle’s cynical reply, “Now, get back on your feet soldier. We’re not going to carry you through this.”

I nodded my head as I got back up on my feet and lifted my blade. Isabelle’s warning was clear to me. I knew both she and Sebastian were determined to reach the tower’s summit and they wouldn’t hesitate to leave me behind if I slowed them down. The last thing I wanted was to be left alone in this hellscape to face the horrors which inhabited it.

We proceeded up the staircase, stepping over the knight’s beheaded body whilst Isabelle took this sword. We didn’t know where the steps would end and expected a further ambush at any moment. But miraculously, we soon reached the top of the staircase and were confronted by yet another steel door with an ivory handle.

Both Isabelle and I held back, staring at each other as if we shared a mutual feeling of dread at whatever lay on the far side. But it was Sebastian who stepped forward, placing his huge but now shaking hand upon the ivory before he slowly pushed the door open.

We entered yet another dark chamber, dimly lit by torches and seemingly empty at first glance, although I noticed the foul stench emanating from inside. The chamber stank of rotting flesh and something even fouler, which certainly didn’t bode well.

Sebastian walked out first and it quickly became apparent that something wasn’t right. His heavy boots didn’t march upon solid iron as we would have expected. Instead, his feet sank into wet mud which apparently covered the entire floor within this latest hellish chamber.
Sebastian looked back at us with anxious concern in his dark eyes. He’d sunk a few inches into the mud and it was clear that our progress through this level would be slow and difficult. Nevertheless, we had to keep moving forward, no matter how tough our journey became.

Isabelle and I soon followed in Sebastian’s footsteps and stepped into the inexplicable field of mud. We slugged through, struggling with each step as the mud hampered our progress. I could see the next doorway at the far end of the chamber, but this was a large room and it would surely take us a long time to make it across.

Still, trekking through mud wasn’t the worst horror I could imagine. But of course, the hellish chamber had yet another nasty surprise in store for us.

I think I was the first to see it – a figure or creature emerging from the mud in front of us, digging its way to the surface and slowly crawling towards us. I shouted out a warning and pointed in that direction. But soon, more creatures emerged from underneath the muddy surface, all heading towards us.

It was only when the creatures got close that I realised these entities were people, or at least they’d once been. Mud covered their faces and bodies, but I could just about make out their tattered uniforms underneath the grime and dirt. Their eyes were filled with madness and hunger, and their bodies were broken almost beyond recognition.

Most were missing at least one leg and none were able to stand upon the muddy ground. But they used whatever limbs they had left to crawl and push themselves forward. I counted at least two dozen with more coming up to the surface with every passing moment.

“Shit!” Isabelle swore, “We’ve got to move!”

Sebastian was the furthest forward of our trio and so led the fightback. He tried to wade his way past the now moaning lost souls, but they grabbed and clawed at his legs and attempted to drag him down. Our comrade reacted with predictable violence, crushing skulls under foot and slicing off their limbs and heads with his machete.

It wasn’t long before the ravenous souls reached me and Isabelle, and we were forced to join the fight. The first living corpse attempted to bite my ankle before I brought my blade down, burying it in his skull. From that point onwards I acted like a berserker, thrashing out and slaying zombie after zombie as I slowly fought my way forward towards the door and only exit.

All three of us were fighting like hell but we were seriously outnumbered. I glanced to my left and saw Isabelle was in trouble, as half a dozen zombies had surrounded her. She cried out as the creatures clawed at her legs and started to pull her down into the mud.

I moved towards her, wailing like a maniac as I started hacking and kicking. Before long I’d slayed all the attackers, cutting their rotting bodies into pieces. I helped Isabelle back onto her feet and she shot me a smile whilst mouthing – ‘thank you’.

I felt satisfied because I’d returned the favour and proved my worth, but we were still in significant danger. We continued the slow and desperate fight, trudging through mud whilst hacking our attackers up with our blades. The battle was tough and exhausting but the three of us so nearly made it.

Isabelle and I managed to fight our way to the next door, but Sebastian lagged behind. I hadn’t noticed during the violent chaos but he seemed to be the main target of the legless zombies, as if they had a personal vendetta against him.

We saw him about ten yards behind us, desperately fighting against a host of the undead. They groaned and snarled in hungry anticipation whilst grasping their victim’s legs and biting into his flesh. Sebastian roared in fury and fought back with all his might, but there were too many for him.

I wanted to run back and go to the aid of my stricken comrade, but Isabelle stopped me – placing a firm hand on my shoulder and saying – “It’s too late Jacob.”

And sadly she was right. Soon, Sebastian’s strength faltered and the scrum of mud-caked bodies pulled him downwards. Our comrade dropped his machete and stopped fighting. It seemed he’d now accepted his fate.

Sebastian looked towards us in the last moment – his eyes emotionless and his mouth firmly shut. I wanted to say something comforting to him but couldn’t find the words. And a moment later, our comrade was pulled under the surface, his head disappearing into the mud as the old soldier faced an uncertain but surely horrific fate.

I stood watching the now empty field of mud for a long moment before Isabelle once again touched my shoulder. I turned to face my female companion and saw nothing but a steely determination in her eyes as she said – “We need to keep going. We’ve sacrificed too much to give up now.”

I nodded my head in silent agreement before placing my hand on the ivory handle and pushing the door open.

Isabelle and I both cried out in despair when we cast our eyes upon yet another spiral staircase leading upwards. I began to lose hope at this point, fearing that there was no escape from the dreaded iron tower – only suffering and torture throughout our endless ascent.

Sebastian was gone now. We didn’t speak his name or even verbally acknowledge his demise. I realised our ill-fated companion wasn’t at peace. Instead, he’d surely been dragged to a deeper and darker circle of Hell where he’d be subjected to even worse torment. This would surely be our fate too, if or when we fell.

I felt like dropping to my knees and screaming in despair, but I couldn’t show such weakness in front of Isabelle. After a short pause we proceeded up the staircase. Isabelle led the way while I followed. It seemed to make little difference however, because an attack could come from ahead or behind.

We proceeded slowly and with extreme caution, expecting to be assaulted by demonic knights at any moment. But when the attack eventually came it was in a most unexpected form.

I suddenly heard a low hissing from behind, turning to see a red serpent slithering up the stairs towards me. The snake was almost two feet in length, its reptilian eyes staring straight at me with a predatory zeal at it continued to hiss aggressively and showed its sharp fangs.

I shouted out a warning to Isabelle before thrashing out with my blade and cutting the serpent in two. My victory was short-lived however, as a moment later I was assaulted by a host of multi-coloured snakes which slithered over each other and up the staircase.

The foul hissing was now near deafening and I saw venom dripping from their fangs as their yellow eyes focussed upon me. Isabelle could not help because the staircase was too narrow for two people to fight side-by-side, and so I had to defend myself – desperately lashing out with my blade in a righteous fury.

I culled snake after snake in the frenzied battle and soon the steps were covered in their blood and guts, as the severed snake bodies continued to squirm and slither in a macabre display. I thought I had the vermin beaten but one plucky serpent managed to get through my defences and launch a vicious attack before I could react.

The creature plunged its fangs deep into my flesh, causing me to scream in agony as I thrashed out to chop the snake in half. Next, I fell down on the steps as I grabbed hold of the serpent’s head and tore it from my flesh, prompting another spike of pain.

Fearfully, I looked down at the ghastly bite wound in my leg and soon felt nauseous. I swore I could feel the serpent’s poison coursing through my veins, slowly corrupting every part of my body and inducing a horrific pain within me.

I screamed again as by brain struggled to process the agony, and for a moment I thought I’d black out. But in an instant Isabelle was by my side, shaking me vigorously before slapping me hard across the face.

“Damn it, Jacob!” she exclaimed after the slap, “The venom can’t kill you. You know this! It’s going to hurt like hell, but you can’t lose consciousness. Believe me, you don’t want to give up now. You’ll regret it for all eternity.”

I listened to her advice, somehow managing to stay conscious and get up on my shaking feet. My bad leg was going numb and so Isabelle had to support me as we struggled up the remaining steps before reaching the next door of cold steel.

The chamber we entered was unremarkable at first glance. It was dimly lit and typically austere and featureless, but at least my nostrils weren’t assaulted by a foul stench. And when we walked on the ground it was solid.

I was still in great pain however and so not fully aware of my surroundings or the potential threats within. Stumbling forward, I failed to notice Isabelle’s sudden change in demeanour as she no longer retained her tough and confident persona and instead took on an uncharacteristic vulnerability.

She let go of me and slowly walked towards the centre of the dark chamber. I wondered what was drawing her until suddenly an inexplicable vision materialised in front of me. I thought I was hallucinating at first, but clearly Isabelle saw it too, as she slowly proceeded towards the scene.

What we saw was a representation of a child’s bedroom – complete with a bed, cuddly toys, and cheap plywood furniture. The room looked entirely out of place in this hellish chamber, as did the young girl who sat upon the bed, humming to herself as she combed her doll’s hair.

The kid could only have been eight or nine, her dark hair hanging long and her hazel eyes shining with a childish innocence. The girl looked familiar to me but I couldn’t quite place her. She was obviously entirely oblivious to our presence, like we were outsiders secretly observing her private world.

I felt very uncomfortable and unsettled but noticed how my companion had become emotional, with tears openly rolling down her rosy cheeks as she watched the scene intently. Then all of a sudden, the bedroom door was violently kicked open and a thuggish figure burst inside.

The man looked huge compared to the little girl, his muscles bulging and face burning a bright red. I saw the thug clenching his fists as he screamed at the girl with a frightening fury.

“God damn it, Belle! Didn’t I tell you not to leave your bike in the driveway?”

The girl was clearly terrified as she jumped off the bed and cowered in the corner whilst whimpering.

“I’m sorry daddy!”

But his anger didn’t diminish as he charged forward and grabbed her.

“I’m so sick of this shit!” he roared, before striking his daughter hard around the head.
She cried out in pain but this didn’t stop the animal from hitting her again. Finally, the abusive father ended his sickening assault, leaving his innocent daughter bleeding on her bedroom floor as he stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him.

The scene of child abuse was sickening and disturbing, even compared to the horrors I’d already witnessed. Nevertheless, I didn’t understand why the tower was showing this to us. But I soon got my answer.

The girl continued to cry whilst rolled up in a ball on the floor, but suddenly a new voice could be heard – a disembodied, unnaturally deep, and decidedly inhuman voice which chilled my very soul.

“It’s not going to stop you know.” he said, “Not unless we stop him.”

To my surprise the girl responded as if she recognised the invisible entity speaking to her through the walls.

“I told you to leave me alone! I don’t want you here!” she sobbed.

“No more games, Belle.” the voice replied sternly, “You know what must be done!”

“He’s my daddy!” she cried emotionally.

“He’ll keep hurting you.” the voice added, “Only I can stop him. I am your last friend Belle…the only one who can protect you. And I will save you my child, if you only ask. I’ll keep you safe forever, and all I ask in return is your love and loyalty.”

Those last words chilled me, and it seemed like an eternity passed before the girl finally answered, whispering her one word answer just loud enough to be heard – “Okay.”

With that, the image of the child’s bedroom disappeared into thin air and we were alone once more. I looked to Isabelle as she glared back at me, her reddening eyes now focussed like those of a deadly predator. And suddenly it all came together inside of my confused brain. Isabelle was Belle, and we’d just witnessed a memory from her violent past. She’d made a deal with something evil to escape from her abusive father, but now there was a price to be paid.

The temperature in the chamber suddenly dropped to freezing and Isabelle’s hard stare cut through me as she spoke slowly and carefully in a cold tone.

“So, now you know.” she began.

My jaw dropped as I struggled to find the words to reply.

“What did you do Isabelle?” I asked fearfully.

I noticed how her hand was poised on the grip of her sword as she explained.

“The Dark Lord saved me from that abusive asshole. He gave me my life back and I’ve served him ever since. They used to call me the ‘angel of death’. Did you know that? I was a sniper – the best in the business. How many souls did I send down to my master? Honestly, I stopped counting after I reached double figures. Send them all to Hell – that was my motto. I served Lucifer well in the mortal realm right up until the day they dropped a 1000lb bomb on my head.”

I shook my head, hardly believing what I was hearing.

“I don’t understand.” I blurted out, “You fought for Minos, not for Lucifer. You recruited me into the rebel army.”

She smiled cruelly before replying. “I was never loyal to Minos. The Dark Lord sent me to infiltrate his forces and act as a spy within the traitor’s army. I’ve performed this task to the best of my abilities, but what I really excel at is sending fresh souls to the ninth circle.”

She paused momentarily before delivering the killer line. “That’s where you come in Jacob.”

I noticed how she started walking slowly towards me with her blade drawn. Sensing the threat, I started to back off whilst reaching for my own weapon.

“Why?” I asked in confusion, “Why me?”

She shrugged her shoulders whilst continuing her menacing approach.

“Don’t ask me, I’m just following orders. Lucifer wants you, Jacob. I guess he sees potential in you. But take my advice – don’t resist. This will all go a lot easier if you just let it happen…”

She smiled thinly, her eyes gradually changing colour to blood red as she raised her sword to attack. But my heart was filled with defiance. Isabelle had betrayed me, but I had no intention of going down without a fight – nor would I ever willingly serve the devil.

I was still suffering from the snake’s venom and so in a weakened state. But nevertheless, a surge of adrenalin pumped through my corrupted veins as I launched a pre-emptive strike, thrashing out with my blade in an attempt to slice Isabelle in two. She parried my blow but this didn’t deter me. Using my last reserves of strength, I struck again – this time slicing Isabelle deep across her chest. But to my horror, she hardly seemed to notice the wound.

Instead, my opponent merely laughed sadistically, her red eyes burning bright as she launched a retaliatory attack, deftly and precisely using her sword to test my defences. I managed to block her first few attacks but then she went low and cut my thigh.

I screamed in pain and stumbled backwards. Isabelle laughed again as she went in for the kill. I was weak and in a lot of pain and I realised I wouldn’t last for much longer. But strangely, at this moment the cryptic advice of the warlock came back to me – ‘Trust no-one. Corruption comes from the heart…Destroy the source.’

Isabelle clearly no longer considered me a threat as she raised her sword and prepared to cut my head off. I knew I had only one chance and so took a deep breath and made my move, thrusting my blade deep into Isabelle’s exposed chest.

By luck or skill, I struck the right spot – the force of my thrust penetrating her rib cage and plunging straight into her heart. Isabelle didn’t seem to acknowledge the injury at first as she looked down at her wound in confusion. But suddenly she cried out blue murder, the red in her eyes fading as her body literally fell apart and dissolved into ashes in front of my very eyes.

I stood in shock for a moment, hardly able to believe what I’d just witnessed. I reckoned Isabelle was now with her master in whatever hellscape he called home. The devil would surely punish my former companion for her failure to capture my soul, but this wasn’t my problem.

I did wonder whether everything she’d told me was a lie. Perhaps there was no way out of the tower and I would never escape this vile place. Nevertheless, I had to try even if there was only the slimiest chance of freedom.

I was a wreck by this point – my leg sliced open and the serpent’s poison still spreading through my system. But I wouldn’t give up, finding reserves that I never knew I had as I limped through the chamber, opened the next door, and practically crawled up another staircase to reach the final room, where I would be forced to face my personal demons head on.

As I pushed through the heavy door, I stumbled into a chamber straight out of my nightmares. Before me was a fierce inferno – a house burning against a dark horizon with bodies strewn across a grassy field, as blood-thirsty killers whooped and fired their rifles into the air in the foreground.

I physically shook as I slowly walked forward across the wet grass which had inexplicably appeared underneath my feet and felt the heat from the flames against my skin. There were tears rolling down my cheeks as I walked in a daze towards the inferno, and an immense guilt ate away at me. Because you see, I’d been here before – back during my mortal existence and the seemingly endless war I’d fought in.

The soldiers celebrating this vile atrocity were my former comrades – soldiers turned crazed killers dancing in the heat of the fire they’d lit. And there was worse to come.

I already knew what to expect, but the horrific scene I was forced to relive almost broke me. On the wet grass were four fresh bodies lying outside the burning house – each one showing the signs of multiple stab and bullet wounds as their innocent blood seeped into the dark soil.

The children were the hardest to see – a boy and girl, both under the age of ten. I assumed they were brother and sister – once full of life and hope but now lying dead in the dirt, their lifeless eyes staring up at the stars above.

Their mother lay beside them – her dress ripped and breasts exposed. Her mouth was frozen in a horrifying death scream and I knew she’d seen her children butchered before they finished her off. The last body was that of a white haired, elderly woman all clad in black. Presumably she was the children’s grandmother, and she’d been shot through the heart. The final look etched on her wrinkled face was one of pained resignation.

I turned away from the bodies in shame, looking with disgust upon my platoon mates who’d committed these murders and now celebrated their wickedness without remorse.

I realised then why the tower was showing me this horror from my past. This atrocity was pure evil carried out by the hands of mortal men, and not even the deepest depths of Hell could match what we’d done to one another on Earth.

I froze where I stood, my emotions overwhelming me as I sobbed uncontrollably and wished the ground would swallow me up. In a way this is what happened, as the horrifying scene disappeared in front of my eyes. The burning house vanished and the cheering soldiers were pulled into the darkness, and all that was left were the four bodies…except they were no longer the empty vessels of innocent souls.

I could only watch in stunned horror as the dead rose, all four transformed into something vile and hateful – hissing zombies with ravenous eyes and gaping mouths. They advanced upon me with their hands extended like claws, apparently intent on gaining bloody revenge.
For a moment I considered letting them. After all I’d done I surely deserved this. But no. I wouldn’t give in to the tricks of the tower. I had to keep fighting.

At this point I could barely stand let alone walk as the pain from my injuries was nearly overwhelming, but somehow I summoned the strength to go on, limping towards the steel door at the far side of the chamber.

I could hear the vengeful ghouls behind me, rambling along slowly but making good progress as they snarled and hissed in spiteful anticipation. I didn’t turn around as I shuffled across the cold metal floor, my whole body aching with every movement.

I got within ten yards of the door before I collapsed in exhaustion, no longer able to walk and so reduced to crawling. The zombies were right on top of me now, grasping and clawing at my dragging legs as I desperately tried to kick them off.

I felt helpless as they began to drag me backwards and I was sure I was done for. But, to my immense surprise, the attack ended as abruptly as it had begun.

I turned my head in astonishment, only to see the murdered family standing and watching me. They’d suddenly ended their murderous assault upon me and their dead eyes were no longer filled with hate. Instead, I saw a deep sadness in the women and children as they looked down upon me. It was almost as if they pitied me.

All I could do was make a wholly inadequate apology, mouthing – ‘I’m so sorry’.

With that, I turned my back on the victims and continued my slow retreat, finally reaching the door and pushing my way through to the other side.

I stumbled in surprise, only just stopping myself from falling over the edge. Amazingly, I’d made it to the summit of the iron tower, surviving against all the odds. I suppose I should have been relieved to escape the dark and seemingly endless staircases and hellish chambers, but the world I emerged into was hardly an improvement.

Instead of sunshine I was faced with a blood red sky. And the air was anything but fresh, as my nostrils were filled with the foul stench of death, decay, and burning flesh.

My weary eyes slowly scanned downwards as I heard the distant cries and clashes of far-off battles. Several hundred feet below me was the doomed city of Dis. Hell’s capital was seemingly infinite, as all I could see in every direction was crumbling buildings and military fortifications.

There must have been hundreds of fires burning across the hellscape, and the city streets were full of broken and torn up bodies. But most chilling of all were the huge, towering demons who stalked the streets – 60-foot-tall giants whose roars filled the rancid air as they literally stomped on any lost souls still foolish enough to be caught out in the open.

These wicked minotaurs were Satan’s elite troops, the core of his vile army tasked with crushing Minos’s rebellion. I had seen one when I first arrived in Dis, but that demon was dispatched by a horde of blood-thirsty zombies fighting for the rebel army.

But it seemed the tide had turned. Lucifer’s foot soldiers now dominated the battlefield as dozens charged through the city, crushing and destroying everything in their path. I noticed how they were advancing towards a central point which I realised was the pyramid-like structure where we’d been briefed before we were sent into battle.

Satan’s forces were surely gunning for Minos and I reckoned his foolish rebellion would soon be over. But I didn’t care about any of this. I was done. The pain overwhelmed me as I collapsed onto the cold metal balcony, the tower’s spire above me and the burning city below.

I’d been promised my freedom if I reached the summit, but it seemed this had been yet another lie. I was distraught and entirely beaten. I did consider throwing myself off the edge – but what would be the point of that? This was Hell and I couldn’t die for a second time. It seemed there was no escape and I was in fact doomed to an eternity of torture and suffering.

But suddenly I spotted something in the corner of my eye, a winged creature descending from the crimson sky above. At first it was little more than a dot on the horizon, but the flying entity was coming ever closer and evidently heading straight for me.

I didn’t have the strength to fight or flee. Instead, I merely looked up to see my attacker. But to my surprise, I was temporarily blinded by an intense white light which emanated from the winged creature. I shielded my eyes as the entity landed with a heavy thump on the metal, just yards from where I sat.

Fearfully, I raised my head to observe the interloper. I expected a harpy or winged demon – an ugly and fiendish beast from Hell’s legions. Instead, I cast my weary eyes upon something ferocious yet beautiful. Towering above me was a tall humanoid figure, easily twelve foot in height and clad in shining armour which covered her breasts and torso.

I say ‘she’ because the entity was definitely a woman, a stunning creature with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes filled with strength but also compassion. She carried a mighty sword which would surely light up even the darkest of places, but she did not draw the weapon to threaten me. Instead, she spoke in a song-like voice which was both booming yet comforting at the same time.

“Rest easy my child, I mean you no harm.”

My jaw dropped as I struggled to speak through all my pain and shock.

“What…Who are you?” I eventually muttered.

I swore she shot me a smile through her ruby red lips before responding. “I am Ariel and I serve the one true Lord.”

I was in awe, not believing that something so beautiful could exist in a place so evil. Ariel was an angel of course, but she was a long way from home.

“Why are you here?” I asked sheepishly.

“To observe.” was her simple answer, “Look.”

She pointed her sword to the city below where an epic battle was about to occur. I could barely see him at first, but Minos used his great power to rapidly grow in size, and his body was soon the size of the demons charging towards him.

He maintained the form of a bearded giant but with a thick snake-like appendage wrapped around his immense body. The demons roared as they launched their assault with fiery swords in hand, but Minos remained calm, using this serpent tail to thrash out and strike the monsters.

Several demons fell, their giant bodies collapsing and crushing the buildings beneath them. But the attackers kept on coming.

Next, Minos used his dark powers to summon fire from thin air, propelling fireballs which consumed the advancing demons. Clearly Minos was extremely powerful but he was also heavily outnumbered and soon began to falter under the relentless assaults.

Then suddenly, the surviving demons stopped their attack, forming a circle to prevent Minos from escaping but not driving home their advantage. I didn’t understand why at first, but then I saw it.

Another huge, winged beast soared through Hell’s sky, but this creature was no angel…quite the opposite in fact. I froze upon witnessing the monstrosity – a gigantic dragon coloured jet black. The beast was easily the size of a bus – with a vast wingspan, burning red eyes, and a huge maw full of razor-sharp teeth.

I had seen the monster before, shortly prior to my entrance to the iron tower…and I knew who he was – Lucifer, Satan, Lord of the Flies. The devil was here to deliver bloody vengeance upon the traitor.

Minos looked up at the last possible moment and – even from a distance – I could see the terror in the giant’s black eyes. The beast breathed fire, delivering a stream of white fire which hit Minos from above and set his exposed body alight.

The giant cried out in agony as the dragon dived into him with its sharp talons exposed. Minos fought back with whatever strength he had left, using his tail to lash out at the beast. He managed to drive Lucifer back temporarily but couldn’t last for long.

I watched in shocked awe as the fire engulfed Minos and Lucifer went in for the kill, knocking his opponent down to the street before he bit deep into the still screaming giant’s flesh, eating the traitor while he still lived.

I turned away in disgust, not wishing to witness the sickening scene which would surely follow. Instead, I looked to my angelic companion, noting the sadness in her deep blue eyes.
“So, it’s over.” I said quietly, “Minos’s rebellion has failed.”

“Yes.” Ariel replied with a tone of deep regret, “Lucifer has regained control of his unholy kingdom. His power has been weakened by this civil war and it will take him some time to recover. But sadly, he will eventually rebuild his armies and once again threaten the mortal realm.”

This warning brought a fresh chill through my broken body, but in that moment my thoughts were entirely selfish.

“What about me?” I asked.

Ariel glared down at me with anger and I feared I’d made a terrible mistake.

“What about you?” she shot back.

The words almost stuck in my throat but somehow I managed to reply.

“I didn’t kill that family. I did nothing.” was my pathetic justification.

“You did nothing.” Ariel replied in an accusatory tone, “You just stood and watched.”

And I knew she was right. Perhaps I was right where I belonged. But Ariel wasn’t quite done with me yet.

She sighed deeply, looking back towards the hellish horizon before speaking again.

“Our Lord is merciful. The promises made to you were not His. Nevertheless, He will grant you a second chance at life. However, there are conditions to your release…You must follow a righteous path. We will not tolerate you returning to your old ways Jacob.”

There were tears rolling down my cheeks as I was overwhelmed with uncontrollable emotion.

“I won’t.” I spluttered between sobs, “Never again.”

Ariel turned towards me once more, her blue eyes now filled with compassion. She reached out to touch me, and when her hand touched my skin I was taken by a bright light and pulled from the depths of Hell.

I can’t really explain what happened next. In a blink of an eye I was back on Earth – back in the muddy field where I’d met my end. I heard the dull click as my boot made contact with the hidden land mine, but my fate had been altered by divine intervention.

This time, the mine did not detonate and I was spared. God had given me a second chance but I still remembered everything. And so, this is my story – but I see it not as the end but rather the beginning.

I deserted from my unit soon after my near-death experience. I just couldn’t face the bloodshed and carnage any longer. I haven’t decided what to do with my second life, but I know I’ll never lift a gun again.

Never again will I inflict violence upon my fellow man, and I intend to spend the rest of my mortal existence trying to do some good in this screwed up world. And that’s all I have to say about it. Peace me with you, my friends.

Credit: Woundlicker

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