Welcome

In a trice the man was standing in front of two massive, open gates.

A little startled at the suddenness of it, he stood taking in the lofty stone walls on either side. It was a dimly lit place with a smoke laden atmosphere. As he looked on, the vapours parted and a cloaked figure appeared at the entrance, beckoning. As he moved forward he noted that the figure’s hood was empty.

“Welcome, welcome, do come in.” A black, floppy sleeve went around his back and they passed through the entrance into an even murkier atmosphere.

The man, still dazed and finding it difficult to breathe, could find nothing to say.

“We’ve followed your exploits over the years,” the figure said, with an admiring tone, as they walked further into the blackness.

“Oh! Yes indeed; followed with great interest, I must say,” it went on. “You have been actively setting your path to these very gates since you were nine years old. Cruelty to animals was your forte then. Very impressive! Of course, through the years you have honed your skills beyond belief. Yes, that triple murder in San Francisco last year was a real masterpiece. In a word, splendid! As far as is known, the authorities to this date, have no idea who was responsible for any of it. That just happens to be one of my favourites. As far as I could see, there was absolutely no motive whatsoever for the killings. But, more of that later.”

The figure stopped. “Oh! Look, I’m gushing. Please do come in.”

A door had appeared in the wall and the figure was using a giant key to unlock it. They entered a hallway, illuminated by the flame of a wall-mounted torch. The figure turned and locked the door, then led the way down a passage that seemed to be endless, with a countless number of similar torches. It dropped away, getting steeper and steeper.

271 Welcome

The figure went on. “Naturally your overall head count is very much higher than just three! In fact, without looking back at the records, I should say dozens! Anyway, you’ll be right at home year. We have everything from the continually annoying to the extremely evil. Of course, your parents are here. You’ll see lots of familiar faces, I’m sure. Even one or two of your victims, although most of them were completely innocent.” This was followed by something close to a chuckle. “So many of your crimes have been completely undetected. I would conjecture that with your record you’ll be something of a celebrity here.”

They had been walking for some time when out of the blue, the figure said, “Unlucky break. You were hit by an out of control cement truck, I believe.”

The man spoke for the first time. “I’m not really sure. Is that what happened?”

“Oh! I wouldn’t dwell on it. It’ll all come back to you in good time.”

The man stared down the tunnel and could just make out a second door. The heat was becoming unbearable.

The figure spoke again. “Meantime, I should explain that when we enter, you’ll be shown your quarters. Nothing fancy. I’m sure you appreciate that. Just a cage really. But, everything you need is right there. It will all be explained to you; the rules, your personal schedule. All your questions will be answered.”

When they arrived at the door, it was radiating a fierce heat. Its surface was smouldering and wisps of black, acrid smoke was leaking out around the frame. The figure reached out to open it.

A gigantic ball of flame blasted out from within.

In an instant, the man was consumed by it… as a form of welcome.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *