Fated Through Hell

Chapter Five

It was a simple plan. They would search all over the middle world for the gem of redemption that had dropped the night before.

"But how? Search the entire place?" Jack scoffed as he looked through the open window. A vast land spread before his eyes, with nowhere to begin from.

Jay went inside. He came back with a small wooden box. In it was a necklace which had the space of a twin gem, but only one gem was present on it.

"Where's the other one?" Asked Jack.

"It's what we're looking for". Jay said. "Back when I was desperate like you, I used this sensor gem to locate soul gems", he said, while displaying the gem in every direction.

The gem glowed suddenly. "There. It senses it already. The soul gem is in that direction".

"That is the old market," said Drago, "it is not too far away from the tall castle".

Jay glanced at the tall house. He remembered the times he used to square off with the demons to lay hands on the soul gems, how they went after him to the real world and how his wife died.

Could they have found this new gem?

"Gentlemen, to the old market!" He declared.

The four men made out of Jack's duplex, except for Drago who needed to have another gulp of tea. He came out in the end, and together they made their way to the old market.

This time, the strange events that occurred in the middle world did not bother Jack as before. Although, once or twice, he did take a long look at some things in awe. Then he moved forward again, pleased at the thought that he would soon be gone away from this mini version of hell.

He really hoped they got to the soul gem, or gem of redemption before the demons do. Only then would he be sure of an happy expulsion from that place.

As the red smoke from the old markets turned blacker and bigger, Jay gave the necklace to Jack. It was glowing brighter now. They were close to the gem. "You should have it".

"Let it not be seen with you," Drago cautioned, "or they will take you with them".

Those demons. "I understand", said Jack. "But how do I know when I see one of 'em?" He asked, looking concerned.

Jay only looked him in the eyes. "Trust me, black fella, you will know". The look in his eyes was dark, and his voice had a cold sensation that one would think he was a demon himself.

"Uhh.. Okay then," Jack muttered. Then he remembered something, "I have a question, why.."

"Here we are!" Drago announced.

Jack faced up, and right before him was the most beautiful place he had ever seen in all his stay in the middle world. "Wow!" He exclaimed, silently.

His ticket back home was somewhere within that massive gathering of dead people. He took another look at the sensor gem, it glowed even brighter. They were really close.

The old market was a busy place. It would not be easy to locate a small gem amidst all that noise and movement, but Jack was determined.

He moved forward ahead of his companions, bearing the sensor gem enclosed in his hands, and observing it as it glowed continuously with a bright light.

Then he felt a sudden thrust on his shoulder.

"Quick! Hide it!" Jay pulled him away into the shadows of a grocery store. "Stay here," he said, as he walked on with the others.

Peeping from his hiding place, Jack could see some men speaking with Jay and Drago, five of them.

They were very tall like Jay and as hefty as Drago. In the place of their eyes was a red hole, and on their foreheads lay yellow stones that looked as though they were engraved into their skull.

At first, he thought they were masked but when he stared thoroughly, he realized. That was their true face. They must be the demons.

Then he recalled Jay's words. "Trust me, black fella, you will know".

It looked like they were looking for something, no doubt the soul gem. "I can't just hide here and watch," he mumbled to himself.

Turning to the depths of the market, he drifted away from them. "I gatta find this gem now".

As he made deeper into the markets, the sensor gem glowed dimmer. "Huh," he sighed, "wrong direction".

In a fit of urgency, he turned around only to find a group of demons running in his direction. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine. "f**k!" He took to his heels, away from the direction of the gem.

As he kept running, he looked back frequently. They were edging closer. Why were they after him? Did they know he had the necklace? Had Jay sold him out? He had no time to think.

Sprinting at a speed of light, he made a quick turn to the left and ran his legs even faster. Later, he made another couple of turns and ended up in the middle of nowhere.

Finally he stopped running. He could not hear the sounds of footsteps after him again. One sound he did hear, however, was that of his heart as it threatened to break out of his chest. He felt weird that his heart was that active when he was supposed to be a dead man.

He looked around. This place had less people than the other parts of the market. It was quiet and serene, exactly what he needed to recuperate from the shock.

He walked around a bit, hoping to find his way out when he felt a white light come from within his grasp. He opened his hands. The sensor gem was glowing again.

Using the gem, eventually, he found a door to one of the abandoned stalls. The door was slightly opened. He took another look at the necklace, the gem glowed its brightest. This was it. The soul gem was behind this door.

As he opened the door, slowly, he heard rushed footsteps behind him. The demons. The footsteps were getting closer, so he took the necklace and threw it. It flew in the air and landed faraway from sight. Then, the demons showed up.

They came slowly to him. "Hath thou seen anyone run pass?" There were three of them, and they spoke in unison.

"Nah", he replied.

They looked around in unison, like some programmed robots on a mission. Then they looked at Jack, head to toe. Their red eyes glowed. It receded.

Then they left.

Jack could barely breathe as he watched their departure. "That was close".

Then he heard a noise. It came from the stall. The door opened, and a girl walked out of the shadows. Average height, short hair and a beautiful face, she was clad in a hooded cloak.

Her hands clung unto something, as she stood before Jack. She hid it behind her back. When she looked up, their eyes met.

Jack had taken a close look, and between her fingers was a seemingly round green object. It was a gem.