The InBetween

Nine More Hours Pass By... (Tyrone's POV)

"I've finally decided," Jacob said in the dingy carriage. Chaos the demon c****d an eyebrow at him, waiting for his verdict. "You are the worst person I've ever met."

Chaos clutched her heart dramatically and swayed back "Oh woe is me? How can I live with myself now I know that the 'Great Jacob Green' thinks so low of me!?"

"You should be taking that as an insult. I like a lot of people and for the first time, I don't just DISLIKE someone, I HATE them. So to you this should be no joking matter. Right Tyrone?"

Nothing came from the other boy as he leaned his head out of the window, watching the wastelands and the demons travelling through it pass by. "TY?" Jacob called again.

"I heard you Jay."

"Then am I right?"

Tyrone ignored the question again. He was tired, thirsty, boiling hot and mostly furious at the situation. Nine hours ago he and Jacob were taken down here. Nine hours ago everything seemed fine. But now nothing will ever be the same and it's all because of this ugly looking excuse for a woman sitting right in front of him.

"You're friend doesn't have your back this time," Chaos sneered "Just stop where you are before I have to slap you again."

Jacob grumbled and slouched in seat. But he couldn't stay still for even a few seconds before acting up "These chains are too tight!"

"Deal with it." Chaos said

"But they're so annoying!" Jacob whined even louder.

"I said DEAL WITH IT." Chaos raised her hand to strike him again. Tyrone raised his arms, prepared to fight back, but the chains around his wrists were bound to the floor of the wagon and he could only lift them up so far. Chaos took notice and smiled wickedly. "Knew it was a good idea to make your binds so close to the ground."

"Oh, go to hell." Tyrone shot at her, but then quickly realized who he was talking to and where he was.

Chaos smugly relaxed her hands behind her head "Been here my whole life. Soon you will be too."

Jacob looked down in thought and said "Go to heaven then?"

That earned him a perfect strike on the left cheek. Chaos' eyes just screamed murder "Don't you DARE say such a thing to me again!"

Tyrone's eyes widened. I guess that phrase plucks a nerve with demons. Jacob started crying, earning another slap to shut him up. Chaos covered her face with her hands "For crying out loud, you guys are annoying."

"I guess they wanted you with your own kind, that's why you're stuck with us." Tyrone jeered.

"Just shut up!" Chaos snapped "Shut up, and we can all make it to the second ring in peace."

"Can I ask you a question?" Jacob said, the demon's handprint still visible on both his cheeks.

"No." Chaos grumbled.

"How did we die?"

"You think I know that?"

"Would it not be in the prophecy?"

"What's important to the prophecy is that you're dead. Nobody cares HOW it happened."

"I care."

"Well no one else does. My biggest guess is one of the shadow imps travelled to earth and set up your demise, but that's as far as I can tell."

This wasn't fair. Well, Tyrone knew that. He could repeat the phrase a dozen times, as many as he wished. That wouldn't change the fact that he's dead, in hell and being used as a sacrifice with his friend. He leaned out the window and thought of Miguel and Connie. The last time he saw those two was when he and Jacob were in the river. He hoped those two were having a better time than them, maybe they got away and by some miracle made it back home. A part of him resented those two as well. If they hadn't been fighting and quarrelling with each other in the first place none of this would've happened. 

"Oh look, we're entering the second ring!" Chaos said with glee. The boys looked outside to see the carriage nearing some sort of pit. Fire circled the hole and traced down to the seemingly non-existent bottom. Demons surrounded the pit, jumping and squealing in delight when they saw the wagon. Jacob curled away from the window and toward his friend while Chaos waved out at her workmates. Some saw, but didn't wave back, in fact a few responded by giving her the bird.

"Why are they all here?" Jacob said, terrified of the scary looking demons outside.

"My co-workers," Chaos said "They're here to see their lambs off to the slaughter."

"Lambs?" Jacob echoed in confusion before realizing "WE'RE the lambs!"

"Yeah you are." Chaos giggled.

A demon with buckteeth and no hair knocked on the window of the carriage. Chaos opened the window and let out this high-pitched, girly giggle. "Heyyyy Scaram." she said, twirling her bushy hair with her finger.

"Chaos, I need you to lead the lambs to the Dark Castle when you reach the second ring. Chain them their until we find the other two lambs."

The other two, Tyrone thought He's talking about Miguel and Connie.

"Oh sure thing! Anything for you HANDSOME!" She blurted out. Scaram backed away and wafted the air in front of him with his hand "Ugh, Chaos, when was the last time you brushed your teeth?"

Before she could give any kind of response, the demon cut her off.

"Make sure to keep on eye on these two when you reach the castle. That place is BIG, I don't need them getting lost-" he raised his trident in intimidation "And I doubt you do either."

"No sir." Chaos said defeated. Scaram nodded and closed the car window for them. Once he was out of the sight the boys shared a look that cultivated in them laughing.

"OOooOH SCARAM! How's it going?" Jacob mocked their captor in a high-pitched voice and dramatic flirty arm movements.

"Nothing's going on, you wench!" Tyrone role-played Scaram in a deep, nasally voice.

"Looking real HHHAANNDSOME there!" Jacob dragged out the 'h' in 'handsome' taking a full exhale. 

"Quit it." She asked flatly.

The boys pursued "UGH, your breath REEKS. Get out of my face, vile woman!"

"But Scaram! I just want to love you!"

"Love me from the bottom of a volcanic pit!"

"SHUT UP!" Chaos screeched, pulling at her hair like this was genuine t*****e to watch. The boys stopped the role-play skit to laugh at her misery. "You boys are going to die after being dead! And nobody would miss you!"

The boys stopped caring abut anything Chaos said. She hollered insults at them as the carriage was slowly lowered into the hole. "This place looks like something my dog would dig in his backyard." Jacob commented, making Tyrone snort. He had felt so hopeless before, but now he and his chubby buddy found a new bonding hobby. Ticking off their captor.

The scrawny one looked downward and gasped, dropping the hyper mood and leading Jacob to follow his gaze.

Below them was a boiling pit of magma. The bubbles blew to the size of an elephant. When they popped a facet of steam released, fogging up the windows. Chaos seemed satisfied with their dropped jaws and poked at the newfound fear. "Oh you didn't think it was just a drop did you? Each ring of hell is coated in a layer of magma. Hot, scolding, fierce lava. That we'll have to pass through. Very slowly. So we don't burn the carriage."

"How does passing slowly NOT burn the carriage?" Tyrone asked, trying to push down the lump of fear in his throat.

"I don't know I didn't build it," Chaos said "But it's gonna be an oven in here."

Jacob began crying again as the levitating carriage slowly descended toward the pool of scoria. 

Hopefully Miguel and Connie are doing better than us... Was Tyrone's last thought before dunking into the hottest three hours of his afterlife.