The Raven of Death

"Look whose here" The voice was taunting my deep hallucinations as they disappeared and emerged, licking my brainwashed self to face the fire of hell and the bitterness of undeserving heaven. Hands played around my toes, laughter brimmed in the air, and darkness reigned from light and shadow. A finger with a wedding ring was cut at its middle, the blood oozing out like honeysuckle and the quantity gushing out made way like a river through the countryside amidst where woman screamed out their groceries and men stared at their hanging blouses. A priceless gift, a stinging slap, and a girl wailing for help as she tried to escape from the clutches of men once respected and now despised. The pain soared through my nerves, wrecking what was left of every once-gained pleasure and it felt like they were being stretched like the clothes on the dryline. For a minute, I felt as if I was floating in the air. A beautiful couple's promises of love and a funeral where the woman was beating her breasts. A second and I was falling. Down I went, deep into the soul of hurt and broken space as a sword cut through my belly, crushing what I had left after the death of dizzy reminisces and emotions. And I struggled as water choked my cells, hormones pushed me drunk in a club party and the water level rose to engulf what little was left to see. I struggled to open my eyes, which felt way more difficult than lifting a boulder like the great Hanuman in Hindu mythology and tried to regulate the numbness carrying my body. The pure vain action brought nothing but some nightmares of demons stalking a boy whose arms were soared and a bear gobbling a lion. I fought with my emotions which kept bringing a fire up my gut that kept my figure heated and sore and lifted myself higher and higher. Within seconds, my eyes opened to flickering light as a dark space mingling in rainbow colors which had intensified black and white that had been defeated on the sides. It was hot everywhere. The fire burned anything it came across into ashes, destroying beauty into deformity, love into contempt, and felicitous into bitter. I bit my lip on envisioning moving white sparks which kept roaming around my frame, some sniffing beside me while others made way for a path which was decorated with thorns and prickles, it's sideways glistening in angry birds which were standing on their wings. But it didn't bring fear to my heart, and I proceeded to look around into infinity where there wasn't an ending but fire and agony spilling out of everywhere. "Look who's here" The exact same voice reiterated again, whipping my lightweight figure around to face him. At first glance, I couldn't even lay eyes on him due to the intensity of the light blaring from his huge figure and for a minute, I staggered back. Everybody had fallen on their knees much to my surprise and my wobbly legs began to fall. It was when I noticed I didn't have any legs. It was more of a white substrate surrounding my upper half. "I have been waiting for you, Luna" The name brought the least recognition but I knew he was addressing me when his long nails began to graze my cheek. My eyes were staring at him, its intensity firing my disgust even though I knew his smirk said he wouldn't stop unless he desired to. "Your beautiful unlike how you were back there on the planet" The words gave a shiver up my spine and my legs tended to be wobbly again. He was enormous in size, but an oxymoron of a slim physique carried two black horns as sharp as his long nails which could prick through an abdomen, a face dipped in red paint and teeth that shined with white enamel, a rather rare sight, unlike everyone who was bleeding red or yellow-greenish through gums. A chain hung over his neck which held a crucifix, and the entire body is a mixture of maroon was adorned in a black cape only, thereby exposing his armpits and genital areas. "Exploring my handsome features, I suppose. It isn't anything new for my high self-esteem" The bragging didn't impress me, but neither did it go out of notice. "Why I am here?" A soft voice from my white figure rose to meet my inquiries. It was sweetening enough to hear my tone, much to my own surprise like that of his. "Aww! I am impressed, honey-bunny." "Welcome to the infamous underworld" Fear was imprinted inside so it didn't feel as if the arrival was as displeasing, unlike others who were howling after being pushed into six feet pits of fire. The wails resonated in the air with the musty smell of smoke and rust, clearly disappearing to anyone but us. The ones who had been inside these circumstances. The demon inside was enjoying the fun of the situation, while my curious self craved for information. "I am Charon, the God of Hell and Death, Revenge and Vengenace, Lust, and luxury. I decide the levels of your sins and punishments, bring your trials and accept the ashes of affliction, dealt with and always begone" "And Luna, you are a fisrst stage achiever of bad deeds. Welcoming you with the belated ceremonies." A trumpet's bass was heard from a distance. Many howling white ghosts in Halloween costumes gathered around me and poured a bucket of withered flowers along with another garbage which I couldn't identify. the trash lying around immediately vanished while those on my hair remained so. I thanked Charon with a bow, which had come without voluntary intentions. "And I am glad you are full of memories over how you have reached here" I shook, annoyed. "Your innocence surprises everyone in here. Guess what! You are still human, young lady" Dumbstruck, I looked at myself through the mirror which was floating in front of me. It was a beautiful image of my torso shining in a white frock soaked in dried blood rashes on sides while my face was dark and exhausted. The tanned skin ended in a thin chin supporting plump cheekbones and red lips which were brown as a rotten apple. The strands of hair had undoubtedly suffered an electric shock. "...Is this me?" He nodded in a beam. But the mood fluctuated immediately when the mirror dropped to the tiles of fire surrounding my floating body, vanishing completely as if it never existed. Charon was beside my arms in a second, and I could feel his tongue licking my ear. I flinched but I couldn't move. It was when I realized everything was in his control. "Why did you give me-e such scary thoughts earlier?" He sneered at the question, his forehead creasing in broken scars and wrinkled lines. "Because Luna has suffered a lot already"