City of Sinners

Chapter 48

The laugh of King Minos gave me shrills that crept through my whole body. There is some emotion that is stirring inside me—something bad and influential.

As King Minos was laughing, it was there. I could sense it. The stirring emotion inside me that I know would bring catastrophes within me. That is surely terrifying. I have to stop it on my own. However, the problem is … this emotion … I could not identify what exactly it was. I have no idea what kind of power that is now residing inside me, luring at the bottom of my chest, waiting for the right timing to explode and self-destruct me.

What the hell is this.

“Don’t worry, even though the other gangs have already had their lives travelling across the third circle of hell, trying to survive, you can surpass them—with your sheer lust of defeating them. You might be able to do it.”

As our leader, Gaston stepped in front, looked at the giant serpent-human king, then said; “As the leader of this group, I will ask you, King Minos. How are we going to find the third circle of hell?” he asked. “If they themselves believed that we are just competitors of each other, and that they worry that their titles would be stolen from them, then, I guess we have no choice but to fight with their desires.”

King Minos’ smile grew larger.

“That is what I am talking about,” he said. “And upon the worry you expressed, it is not a big problem. The gate towards the third circle is just a faint away.”

A faint away? That seemed confusing, but, in a single flick of the Serpent King’s finger, my mind suddenly felt groggy. It became blank, and soon … everything turned dark.

****

I woke up with my body chilling and shaking frantically. My head was throbbing in pain as I started to stand from wherever I was lying. Damn it. I was again in the state of confusion, of waking up to a place I am not f*****g familiar with.

My body is shacking in an unfamiliar cold. I scanned through the place, and noticed that this place where she was, right now, is also familiar to her. It was still in Sao Garde.

Beside me is Valour. He is still asleep. I tapped his cheeks, and then called his name. His forehead curled, and his eyebrows met. By that, after a few more seconds, his eyes finally opened up.

“Where are we?” The very first question he had asked to me.

“At Sao Garde still.”

He looked at the surrounding, scanned it, and tried to remember the familiar place.

“We’re at the Sao Garde Farm Center,” I then said, so that he would not have a hard time finding for the answer to his question.

Sao Garde Farm Center is one of my Dad’s greatest work as the city’s mayor. You see, in a city—most especially here in Sao Garde, one of the basis of its richness and advances, was the technologies, the infrastructures, and the businesses that offers prosperity to the whole place. However, Dad values the food security as well—I believe he told me that.

That is the reason why the Sao Garde Farm Center was developed. It was made of a hundred hectare of land that is being used to farm food crops, giving job access to farmers resident in the city, and food resources to food businesses and households with a relatively low price.

The reason why I was able to pinpoint that this is the city’s farm center, is because of the establishment that was standing in front of us. It is a thousand square feet establishment that is designed probably by a high-paid architects and engineers. It is beautiful to look at. I remember entering in this place once, and the technologies for agriculture was fascinating to look. Highly advanced.

Most of the Vultures were now awake. Some of us, however, were being assisted by the others. Most of us were already tired of everything. They were feeling weak because of the fatigue, and hopeless because of the evil things happening in the surrounding.

Gaston came towards me and Valour. “You guys okay?” he asked us.

Both Valour and I nodded.

“We’re fine.”

He sighed. On his face, the expression of sadness and being tired could be seen. Yet, Both Valour and I knew that Gaston secretly does not want to show that he is already tired because he knew that he is the one that is being relied on, now that there were separation of gangs already.

Valour and I looked at each other as Gaston sighed heavily.

“Gaston,” I called him.

He looked at me, shocked, as soon as I called him.

“Wh—What?”

“I know you are having a hard time right now.”

“Ah, no, I am fine. Really.”

“We can see it in you,” said Valour, “ You’re pressured.”

From that, he gave up. “I’m … well, I am ...” he hesitated. “I am just afraid that I might perhaps lead you all again into your deaths. Just like what happened to the others. That’s … that’s a murder I can consider.”

“You don’t have to bear and weigh everything.,” I said. “You may be our leader, but you have to always think that your buddies here are at your back, ready to steadily support you.”

“Besides, Sitri and I are ready to help,” Valour added.

Gaston smiled. “That’s a good assurance,” he said. “Knowing that you guys are here, ready to help me, I now feel okay.”

“Well, what Vultures are for? We’re maybe tagged as scavengers, but hell, we’re more than that. You know it.”

Now, the remaining Vultures are all awake and ready to face what was lying ahead of us.

“What do you think was waiting for us here?” Valour asked.

“If this is the third Circle of hell, then this must be about gluttony,” answered Gaston.

“Gluttony?”

“Yeah. If this is the third circle, and it follows Dante Alighierri’s Circles of hell, then it must be the circle of Gluttony.”

“That must be it. Knowing that we’re placed here at the Farm Center, there is a high chance that it was indeed about Gluttony.”

After some time, we have finally decided that we have to enter inside the alluring establishment in our front; the main office of the Farm Center. We might be able to find something in there of clues about what is this third circle of hell.

While walking (other Vultures were behind, following us), Gaston made a realization; “This is weird,” he said. “If this is hell, why are we shivering in cold?”

I then realized that indeed, we were. Almost all of us had a stiff body, trying to fight with the coldness that is trying to creep into our body. If this was the hell, then why was it this cold in here? I noticed that there were no dancing fires or lavas in the surrounding, yet despite being that, the place should not be as cold as this.

It was as if the place was now already inside the winter season.

Minutes after, we have finally reached the Farm Center. Of course, we have not found the reason why the whole surrounding was as cold as winter season. However, what we have found, is something different: a dog. Alright, this hell is fond of giant creatures: a giant black dog. Its heads was staring at us, growling angrily, as if we were thieves who have entered his turf. Yes, ‘heads’. The giant black dog that is growling to us has three heads. Just like the Greek mythological creature that is the guard of Hades’ underworld. Cerberus.

This dog, if this is indeed Cerberus, is looking at us with bloodthirst found in its eyes. Their its mouth—the three of it, has gallons of fresh blood dripping from it. What is more terrifying, however, was the thing on the floor. Teared body parts: severed arms, legs, head, and chest—tarnished and ruined, as if that Cerberus treated it like a toy, and then greedily played with it. It was a gross thing to witness.

“What the hell is this dog?” Valour whispered.

“It wasn’t just a normal dog. It’s a demon.” Gaston said.

“By that feature? Who would not think that it is not a dog?” I said sarcastically.

“My grandma told me that on Dante’s third circle of hell, there is creature guarding the whole circle. It is once found in the Greek mythological stories. Many scholars thought that Dante just accompanied the creature in his story as an additional element. But no, it was real and can be found in this place. In this circle. That dog, Cerberus is real.”

Oh. So my guess about Cerberus was right.