Fated Through Hell

Chapter Four

It was night already, and the red sky had turned blue. The night in the middle world had no moon, instead, it was illuminated by the strong walls of the barrier that separated it from the real world.

The same barrier that Jack wanted to pass through. That was why he saw a blue light, it was simply nighttime, or blue time as the middeworlders called it.

Under this light stood five heavy men, barefooted, with clubs in their hands, ready to pounce on Jack who was still on the floor.

"You!!" Yelled one of them to Jack, he seemed to be their leader. "I have not seen ya before". He moved closer and bent over to check his victim's face, then he laughed loudly. "Oh! Fresh meat," he said, still yelling while his comrades all laughed wildly.

"Gosh!" Jack moved his face backwards. The man was yelling in his face, and his breath stank. "You haven't gat no brush?"

The man gave out another loud laugh and his companions joined. It seemed they were hardwired to imitate him. "The queen will be pleased to have ya", he said, as he threw his big arms at Jack, ready to plunge him off the ground. The action was interrupted by another voice.

"Drago!" The voice came from behind them. "Leave the man alone. He's with me". He went forward and took poor Jack from the hold of the big man.

"Jay Enrique!" Drago said with a big grin, "A while it has been, old friend. You know this schmo?"

Jay nodded.

"Oh! I had no knowledge", said Drago, "Your friend thought he could break through the wall with a sword". He laughed again, and once again, his men joined. Then he faced Jack who was now on his feet and grinned, "Jay is an old saviour, I owe him one".

"You owe me plenty," Jay retorted, as Drago and his men went on their way, laughing.

Jack returned with Jay to his house, and Jay taunted him. "Foolish you," he said, "you thought you could break through that wall? With what? A sword?"

The reply showed no remorse, "Well, I had to do something. You wasn't gonna help".

"I told you to think about it," Jay said as he opened the door, the room looked blue. He went and lit some candles.

"Well, I'm done thinking," Jack walked in behind him, "And I still wanna leave".

Jay turned and observed Jack for a while. A wildfire burned in his eyes. It was clear there was no way anyone could convince him to stay.

"Ok then," he said at last, "I'll help you".

"For real?" Jack gasped, the flames in his eyes heightened.

"But first," Jay added, "get some sleep". He opened the door to a room and led Jack in. In it was a bed to pass the night with. Before he closed the door, he gazed at Jack one more time. "Whatever happens later, always remember that I warned you".

Jack didn't take much notice of his words. Whatever might happen, he didn't care. All he wanted was a second chance at life.

He missed the times he had with the big girls, the soft and tender lips he used to kiss while caressing their bearers in his embrace, back in the real world. He had only been here, in the middle world, for a day but it already felt like a lifetime.

The thought of staying longer in that place freaked him out. No. That couldn't happen.

He remembered his friends. There was no way Phil could live without him. "He will end up running mad," he thought aloud as he laughed to himself. Then he fell asleep.

The next morning, he woke up feeling much better. Jay had promised to help him return, even though they were technically strangers, he was going to count on that.

As he came out of his room, he could smell company. On a couch in the main room sat Drago, and one of his men sat on another. He could also smell tea, he dreaded the smell.

Jay emerged from what seemed to be his kitchen, he asked if Jack would like some tea.

"Nah," Jack turned him down, "I had more than enough yesterday". He said as he fell on another chair in one corner of the room.

"Ya don't like tea?" Drago asked in his ever-loud voice, looking shocked, "where I come from, not many things tasted better than this".

"Where you from?" Jack quizzed.

"Camelot". He said, after another gulp, "Truth and goodness and beauty reigned there". He looked homesick.

Camelot? Jack couldn't disbelieve. At that point, he knew anything was possible in that world.

"Well," Jack declared, "Where I'm from, this tastes like s**t".

Drago and his man exchanged glances, "Where is that?"

"Port Harcourt!" He declared, with a smile on his face, hoping to impress his audience. They were not impressed.

"Where's that?"

"Never heard of it".

"Well this ain't Harcourt city," Jay reentered the room, "but we're sending you back". He took his seat opposite Jack and stared straight at him. "There's only one way to get out of this place," he said at last, after a long pause, "A soul gem".

"A gem?"

"A gem of redemption," Drago continued "In it is the power to cross from one realm to another, from one world to the next. Only he who has it can go into the real world".

Jay rose to his feet and went to the window behind which the very tall building was. There he stood, his hands folded behind his back. "When a person that goes to heaven dies, a new gem forms and drops into our world. But they find it, take it, and lock it within those walls."

"Who? The demons?"

"That's what I call them", Jay said, coldly. "One dropped last night".

"A gem?" Jack asked. His eyes lit up.

Jay nodded.

"We thought you had it," said Drago, facing Jack "but alas, ya wanted to pass with a sword!" He fell into laughter as he finished the statement.

Jack realized something. "So you would've taken it from me? Why?"

Drago shook his head and pointed at Jay "We did not know ya were his man. Anyone who delivers the gem to them gets a reward".

Them. The demons, or whatever they really were. They truly ran the place, and they had control over almost everybody in that world.

"We have to find it first." Jay turned slowly to the men and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, "then we can send you home".