Writhing flesh began to ripple and shift, like water under a foam-choked pond. Then, the limbs and hunks of meat started to discorporate from each other, and I could make out the female bodies as they rose, reaching out for me.
Their skin was a mottled gray, with bits of bone peeking out from the holes in their ripped and mutilated flesh. Theysloshed and creaked as they moved toward me, and I couldn’t tell if it was bones and bodies breaking or reknitting themselves together. Dozens of dead and gaping eye sockets honed in on me, and I could see a deeper presence behind them.
Almost like parts of their souls remained.
“You fucking monster,” I cried out to Asmodeus, anguish and fury making my voice shake. “How could you do this to poor, innocent women?”
“Innocent? They are anything but,” the demon retorted, his voice demonic and booming as it filled the whole room. “Or they wouldn’t have been sent to me.”
“No one deserves this. No wonder Belial doesn’t send you souls anymore. You don’t deserve to govern rocks, let alone mortal souls.”
When I’d first learned of the souls languishing around Belial’s realm, I’d felt sorry for them. But languishing around in what was Hell’s waiting room for all eternity was paradise compared to here.
Belial hadn’t stopped sending souls down the Styx because he was lazy, or even because he was distracted. It was because he was merciful.
If he had the time and the help, I was sure he’d place almost every soul in his library where they could rest in some version of peace.
“As the future queen of Limbo, I’m going to make sure this place never sees so much as another soul.” My words came out sure, sounding every bit the vow it was.
The throne’s pieces faltered, and they collapsed on the ground, one by one. It took me several intense seconds to realize they were kneeling.
Holy. Fuck.
These bodies were submitting to me.
As if I was their lord and master, instead of Asmodeus.
Like some kind of queen of carrion.
Asmodeus roared another command to his army of undead, but they weren’t listening.
Using the distraction, I made my way to the edge of the River Styx, steeling my nerves before jumping feet first into the bloody current.
My skirts billowed up on the surface like a makeshift life jacket. At some point, this thing would be so crusted over, it would stand up on its own.
I waited, but nothing happened, my flicker of hope dimming.
“Fuck, why isn’t it working?” I muttered, turning around to see Asmodeus storming through his throne, kicking the women aside.
All six of his eyes were lit with deadly hatred.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
If this sick bastard got his hands on me, there wouldn’t be any pieces of me left for Belial to put back together.
I turned and hurried with the current toward the wall with the small opening where the Styx trickled out, hoping that some magic current would come along and sweep me to the next realm. Whatever lay further down the river, it had to be better than here. I banged on the stone wall, pain lancing up my arms, but to no avail.
“Please, please, please.”
“Please. Please. Please,” Asmodeus mocked as he stepped closer to the edge of the Styx. His goat head brayed as his other two laughed cruelly. “Don’t you see? There’s no escape for you. You’ll never get back to Limbo. You’ll never be queen. The closest you’ll ever come to demon royalty is when I sew you into my throne. What a pretty new addition your corpse will make.”
My eyes burned with acid tears, visceral hatred snaking through my veins. “Whatever Belial does to you, I hope you fucking suffer. ”
With a sharp inhale, I plunged into the water, completely submerging myself. It was a feeble attempt to buy a few more seconds, though I was sure it was pointless. After all, since Belial owned my soul, the Styx didn’t affect me. I’d known that, but still, I’d hoped…
I want to get away. Please, take me away.
Something grabbed my foot, and I fought the urge to scream—drowning in blood and who knew what else wasn’t how I wanted to go out. The thought of Asmodeus ripping me out of the Styx was instantly torn away when I started to move, dragged along with the current. The tug intensified, and my thoughts turned to white noise.
