NIGHTMARE IN SANCTUARY

BY EAMON SULLIVAN

We were running. There was this disgusting blob of flesh and teeth and eyes. I wouldn’t think it could be alive, but it definitely was, and it was chasing us. While I normally would imagine just how slow a creature with no distinct legs would be, it was actually pretty close to my speed.

Holding my hand and running with me was Emily, my twelve-year-old sister. I was four years older, so she too was struggling to keep up pace.

“Hunter, where are we?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” I replied.

“Where are we going?”

“I don’t know.”

“What is that thing?!”

“I don’t know, damnit!” I screamed at her.

We were running through poorly lit tunnels of a reddish material. I didn’t know what it was, but it certainly wasn’t brick or stone. I didn’t want to admit it to myself, but it was oddly reminiscent of somebody with a rash.

I looked back at Emily, and she was beginning to cry. I couldn’t deal with her like this. We had gained a short lead on the creature, so I turned around and said, “I’m sorry. We are both under a lot of stress right now, but I’m sure we can find a way out of wherever the hell we are, okay?”

“Yeah ok," she started.

But she was cut off by a gurgling roar. The thing had caught up to us. Both of us let out a loud scream. A large flash of light crossed against the creature’s body, and without moving, the upper portion of its body slowly slid off the rest of it.

“Are you two alright?”

A woman stood behind the monster. She had long dark hair, a white and gold robe, and was holding a crystallinesword.

“Um...I guess you could say that. Is it dead?” I asked.

“If it could ever be considered alive, then yes. It would be dead,” the woman replied. “What are your names? Why are you here?”

“I’m Hunter, and this is my sister Emily. Who are you?”

“I am known as Lailah.”

“Where are we? My sister and I woke up here recently, but I don’t know how we got here.”

“Well, Hunter, this is Hell. ”

I just stood there for a moment. “Hell? Like, literal biblical Hell? How's that possible? We didn’t even die!”

“You may not remember your deaths, but I’m sure you will remember in time. Now come, there is a safe spot in this mess.”

Emily looked up at me. “Hunter, I don’t think this is a good idea,” she whispered.

“This woman just saved our lives; I think we can trust her.”

The two of us followed Lailah for around twenty minutes. There were several other of those flesh-monsters, but Lailah effortlessly dispatched them.

“What are those things?” I asked.

“Demons.” she said. “Only those who are blessed can fight them.”

“What does being blessed mean?" I began to ask, but I soon became distracted. We got to the top of a hill and could see a building below. It was built with beautiful gray stone and stretched all the way to the top of the cavern.

“This is the Sanctuary,” Lailah said. “You will be safe here.”

My introduction to the Sanctuary seemed like a dream. Kind people, beds, and food were being handed out. Everyone was complimenting me. Impressed that my sister and I had been able to run from one of the demons.

Emily looked distressed. “Hunter, I don’t think it’s safe here. We need to leave.”

“Oh please, we can’t leave you out there with the demons,” Lailah interjected. “You haven’t even met our leader yet. You'll love him. He can even speak to the heavens above.”

I wasn’t worried. Emily always felt uncomfortable when she was complimented or praised. But I felt that she could get used to it here. Lailah led us to the leader. “This is Job," she said. "He is the first blessed among us.”

Job was fully bald, and he wore little clothing. “Come to my sermon,” he said. “I am sure you will find your place in our garden here.”

We followed Job to a room reminiscent of a church. Fancy stained glass, pews, and an altar decorated the room. There were about twenty people scattered about, hunching down in pews.

Job walked up to the altar and began preaching, with a sigh. “Let us educate our newcomers. Blessed are those who are chosen by angels to carry on the work of God, even in Hell. They are blessed with angel tears and have the ability to eviscerate demons. This is why we have to celebrate the blessed, for protecting everyone here.”

Beingblessed,I mused.ThatmustbehowLailahsummonedthatlightanddefeatedthedemon. Ineedtobecomeblessed.

“For those blessed who die in battle against demons, their abilities can be passed onto any of you loyal worshippers,” Job said. “All you need to do...is eattheirheart.”

Emily shot me a careful look, almost angry, before walking out of the sermon early.

But I listened carefully to Job’s sermon for thirteen hours. We were then given our two allotted sleeping hours for the day. I spent all of mine thinking about it. If I'd been blessed, I would've been able to defeat that demon before Lailah arrived.

I felt a little dizzy when I got up. I turned to one of the people who slept near me. “Why are we only sleeping two hours then?” I asked. “I don’t exactly feel healthy after that.”

“It isn’t like when we were alive,” he said. “We don’t need to sleep as much, nor eat as much. You’re just adjusting to your new state of body. Give it time.”

Soon after, Job walked into the rooms of rest. “Welcome everyone. We are going to go hunting in the Second Circle today. Ready yourselves, and may God be with you.”

After walking out of the male bedroom, I was able to find Emily again. “How are you feeling?” I asked her.

“Like nothing is right here. Demons? Hell? None of this feels real,” she said. “Not to mention, a horde of exhausted regular people are going to fight monsters?”

“I mean, they have real magic, they have to know what they’re talking about.”

The hike ahead of us was long and challenging. Job always stood at the front of the march, hands raised. The Moses parallel was very overt. Lailah stood at the left flank of the group, along with a few other people with weapons made of stained glass. Eventually, a fleshy hole opened up. Stairs, which seemed to grow its own human-like hair, provided a way down.

“Like many of you know, Hell has nine layers, or Circles. This is the passageway down to the second. There are many more demons down there, and they are much more dangerous. But we will fight, fight for the end of this misery!”

I joined the crowd in yelling a guttural roar, and charged down the stairs. Once we reached the bottom, the demons were upon us. More flesh-monsters like Emily and I had seen before, but others too. Large beetles with razor sharp wings, beings made entirely of fire walking through people, and tentacles reaching out and dragging people into even deeper depths.

Soon enough, I felt a sharp piercing sensation in my leg. I looked down, and saw a pink, fleshy tongue going through my thigh. I turned around; a large frog: fourteen feet high, bright orange skin, and pitch-black eyes stood directly in front of me. It flung me into the air. I tried to do something, anything. Letmedosomething-anything! I couldn't, but someone else could.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bright flash of a warm, orange light. As quick as lightning, I fell to the ground to watch the frog being cut into pieces. As the body and tongue lay limp, Emily turned around and ran to me.

As she hugged me, I couldn’t help but watch what was happening around us. Other demons surrounding the group fled. Small flies picked apart about a dozen corpses lying on the ground. That power incredible, awesome, terrifying.

Job walked to the center of the group. “This is one of the reasons why we do this. During these challenges, we determine who among us is blessed by the angels and our almighty Lord. We will now return to the Sanctuary, and celebrate!”

The ensuing party was beautiful. Plates of food and wine, people enjoying themselves in ways that Emily probably shouldn’t have seen, and holy substances that would create the most interesting illusions.

I couldn’t believe that all of this celebration could be for one person. My sister. She was the one praised. If I was blessed, my powers would have awoken down there. But without a blessing, I wouldn’t be celebrated. I would become just another faceless corpse on the ground.

As the party died down, everyone slowly went to the rooms of resting. But Emily walked over to me. “Hunter, we should leave while almost everyone is going to sleep.”

“What are you talking about? We’re safe here! We can’t just leave!”

Emily looked into my eyes. “Hunter, this is a cult. We have to leave.”

“No, you don’t,” came a voice behind the two of us. It was Lailah, and her sword was drawn.

“Your brother is right Emily. This is the only safe place.”

“I don’t care, I just want to leave!” she screamed, and a shockwave of that same orange light emanated from Emily, knocking Lailah to the ground.

“Hunter, we can’t stay here with these people, they’re dangerous.”

“Of course," I told her. " Just...let me get a couple things. Then we can go."

I walked straight into the kitchen, and grabbed a large knife. “Emily, can you come in here? I need help with one of these food crates.”

As Emily naively walked up to me, I quickly turned around. I stabbed her, right through the heart. Iwillbecomeimportantnow.

Tears streamed down Emily’s face. “Hunter,” she began to say, but death came for her too soon. I neatly cut the heart out of Emily’s limp body, and consumed it. But her body was still moving, and I looked her over curiously.

“She is becoming a demon now,” Lailah said, as she walked up behind me. “Don’t worry, I can dispose of it.”

“Thank you, general," I said. "I look forward to working with you.”