City of Sinners

Chapter 7

There were wide commotions happening.

I was sitting on the ground (which is surprisingly not hot) and while I am having the time of my life resting, I am listening to the left and right commotion of different people from different gangs. I’ve heard how the leader of the Crow gang not wanting to go and enter the first circle of Hell while his Gang members wanted to. I heard how the Mocking Bird gang persuading one of their members and pushing him to change his decision of not entering the circle of hell. The cheering of the Raven Gangs. The Silence of the Eagle gang. The trembles and unified decision of the Owl gang to stay behind—to not enter the first circle of hell.

As for the Vulture gang, well, everyone has decided to join the courageous party of those who will enter the Circles of Hell. Of course, everyone is trusting the leadership of Gaston. They believe that Gaston has the power to save them and that since because he was the one who knew the legend connected to this events, then that means he plays a big role to this expedition.

As for me, I wanted to enter the Circle of Hell because it was what the entire gang has decided. I don’t want to be left rotting here, so I’ll join.

“You alright?” from behind, someone has spoke. I instinctively looked at him, and saw Valour coming towards me. He sat beside me with a sigh. “You seemed bored.”

“Yeah, I am,” I answered.

“Felt afraid?” he asked once again.

“Nah.” I sighed. “Just … worried. I don’t exactly know how terrifying the threats waiting for us, but I am worried that the feathers of the Vulture gang will be plucked out one by one, as we enter the circles.”

“We’ll be fine. Don ‘t worry.”

“Are there any other way aside from entering the circles?” I asked.

Valour lazily shrugged, and said, “Maybe there is. Maybe none. It’s tiring to find out.”

I nodded. “Though I am not as lazy as you, wandering through the entire outskirt of the city and looking for other way out, is tiring.”

After that, we shared through a mutually agreed silence. We let our minds float through the warm and dry air as we think of different things, worries, and anxieties.

  After a minute, I started asking Valour once again. “How many do you think joining us exploring through the circles?”

“I don’t know. It’s difficult to say. I can sense uncertainties from everyone. And people are changing their decisions every minute passing. Though Solomon gave us half an hour of deciding, seems everyone hasn’t fully decided yet.”

“I understand them. Not everyone is courageous and bold, and has a straight way of thinking like me. Most of the people here are dumb.”

That was just a joke, but Valour did not react. I thought it was because I was telling the truth: that I have a strong mentality while the others are dumb. But it was not because of that. It was because he wasn’t listening to what I have told—he was listening to other things. Other terrifying thing. Sooner, I have heard it too. I have heard what made Valour ignore my boasts.

I swallowed my saliva as tingling chills touched through my skin.

There was a thumping sound erupting from afar. A successive thumping sound which made me froze while sitting, despite the burning hotness of the surrounding. I have realized that the commotions being shared by the different gangs were suddenly banished. Everyone turned silent.

The aura of the whole surrounding turned dark and terrified. The only thing that we were able to hear was the successive thumping sound that is slowly, becoming loud. Heavy. It was … it was as if those were the sound of the footsteps of a giant that is brusquely running.

*Boom!* *Boom!*

I started to stand up. Even Valour felt the warning of those terrifying sound.

“Wh—what the hell is happening?” I asked. I felt the panic in my chest as the ground started to shake. Pump. As if an earthquake.

“Everyone!”

Quickly, I turned my gaze to Solomon. He was standing at the front of the arc for the first circle of hell. His face is pale and panicking.

“Quick! We need to get to this gate as soon as possible!” He shouted, panicking.

The booming sound from the ground turned louder. The shaking became stronger. After that, a buzzing sound wafted through the air.

Buzzing … as if of bees and hornets.

“Gaston!” I turned to where the Vulture gang, and saw Gaston’s paled face. “Care to explain?!” I shouted, because the buzzing sound became louder.

“I—I don’t know! I don’t know!” Gaston shouted, shaking his head. But then he abruptly stopped. He realized something. He spoke, but I couldn’t hear it because of the thumping footsteps sound and the buzzing of the bees. And then he shouted, “The creatures in the Vestibules of Hell! Th—The sinful angels and the chasing flesh-eating hornets!”

“Quick, don’t think further!” with panic, I looked at Solomon once again. With shock and fear, I gasped as I saw how from the arc of the First Circle of hell erupted a swirling black void. A portal. Like a black hole sucking everything in sight. And the first one it had sucked was the man standing in front of it. Solomon.

“AHHHH!” Solomon screamed.

“The hell is this,” I cursed. I struggled and held through the ground as the circle of void was constantly sucking everything.

Now the thumping sound was accompanied with a muffled roars. The red sky turned black. The buzzing sound became the sound of the storm. I bit my lip. The reason why the sky turned dark and black was because of the swarm of bees. Thousands of it, flying in the sky, and with sharp needle-like stings attached on their abdomen.

On the ground, five black-colored creatures was running. They were gigantic. Terrifying to look at. One has three heads, one has multiple arms, one has snake-like body, one was filled with eyes all over the body, and one was a creature with a single terrifying face, and six flapping black wings as its body.

“H—Hey, what is that?!” I asked.

“The sinful angels!” Gaston shouted.

I don’t know what I am going to do. Behind me is a black void thing that is sucking everything. On our front, is a for-sure deadly flying beasts—and … a gigantic, frightening sinful creature that is surely, going to kill us.