The heat was stifling.

When I looked up I saw a swath of volcanic devastation stretching out before me. At the heart of the landscape was a huge volcano that spewed magma and gas. A black-orange plume rose up and expanded across the heavens in all directions. Several rivers of lava ran down from fissures across a stark landscape. The earth was barren and lifeless; there was only brown volcanic rock that made up the substructure of the terrain. A noisy wind blew across the region bringing an odor of brimstone to my senses. Huge boulder formations jutted out from the earth, like islands floating on a sea. Each of those mounds had an entrance that led underground. Souls streamed into the underground entrances. They appeared as people, but different in some way. There were drude sentries, armed with long polearms, that guided the souls to their fate.

My situation was also precarious.

I was locked inside a cage hanging above a molten lava pit. The cage was huge and not originally intended for a woman. It was made of metal bars, but had runic symbols engraved into the iron. My clothes were ripped and torn; even worse than when I first arrived in limbo. There wasn’t much left of my work uniform. My pink blouse was almost entirely stained red and my gray skirt looked like a cavewoman’s rags. I also had bare feet and felt like I’d been through a meat grinder.

My head still ached from impacting the steering wheel. It was a crazy decision to crash into the rock wall, something I would have never thought I’d ever do on purpose. My head was paying for that rash decision.

If only my gamble had worked!

Beside me in the cage was Captain Douglas, he was unconscious and bloody. Most of the blood was around his muzzle, like he had been biting something. His fur was all mated and I could see patches of dried ooze entangled in his fur.

Surprisingly the Tome of Uriel was still in my hand. For some reason the drudes hadn't taken it away.

The cage hung from a rock formation and there were several drude guards gathered below. These minions were purposefully stationed there to insure my captivity. The heat coming from the lava pit was hot enough to burn my skin and made even worse by the iron cage.

I moved trying to limit my skin's contact with the metal bars.

A drude overheard me and signaled to another. The one that appeared was the horned two-mouthed leader that was chasing me down before. The horned drude looked even more grotesque than before. Its mouths moved in unison when it spoke. I could hear the drudes speaking, but I couldn’t understand their language. It was a very guttural form of speech laced with a deep natural hissing. They sounded like children playing at being evil.

They stared at me.

I looked back at them trying to show that I wasn’t intimidated.

After a quick discussion the drude leader left.

I looked around and noticed my car was about a hundred feet away. It was also hanging from chains, but looked damaged. Some of the windows were melted and the driver’s side door had electrical burns. The remains of the melted glass was colored black like it had sustained damage from extreme heat. The Plymouth was hung with the front fender pointing down towards the ground.

Near the car there were also piles of refuse and trash. The rubble looked like items gathered from conquest and war. There were strange machines and artifacts mixed in the debris. Many things that I didn’t recognize.

Around the periphery of the immediate area I could see a variety of vehicles. I recognized several of the cars including the Edsel and the missile car. The spider was nowhere to be seen; I assumed that it had been smashed to pieces.

In the sky I could see many winged beasts, similar to the one that had taken me away with me in my car. They circled the sky like bi-planes patrolling a war zone. The flying creatures were various sizes, but all had giant wingspans that were over ten times the size of their torso.

I hated the smell of the place. It smelled like a chemical factory and burned my lungs.

Captain Douglas was breathing, so I knew he was alive. I crawled over inside the cage to touch him. He had bits of flesh stuck inside his whiskers.

I petted him softly. The Alsatian woke up startled and snapped at me instinctively.

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“Hannah! Sorry my dear!” he said

“Are you ok Patrick?”

“Yes, I think so. Nevermind me, what about you? Did those drudes do anything to you?”

“No, I don't think so. Except for trapping us in this cage.”

“You blacked out after hitting your head on the steering wheel.”

“Yes," I said rubbing my temple. "What happened after that?”

“The zygorth took us in your car across much of Limbo. I saw many things that I cannot explain as the landscape changed so drastically. I do remember crossing over a great forest. It was adjacent to a vast and mountain range. There was also a large city that appeared to be made out of crystal. The most curious sight was a massive castle with a giant wall that extended in many directions. It looked like the great wall of China, if it was shaped like a star.”

“How do you know the name of these winged creature?” I asked.

“I overheard the archdemon. He came here and pulled us from the sanctuary of your vehicle. He sees you as a prized possession, a trophy of some kind. The archdemon called you the Potentate, so they are aware of your status.”

There was babbling down on the ground as several more drudes arrived. They were studying us like lab rats.”

“The archdemon was very frustrated trying to get us out of the car. It took them quite some time. At the beginning they tried using brute force to open the doors. That was followed by a lot of pounding by heavy weapons. Then finally the archdemon melted the windows and hoisted the car up so we’d fall out.”

“How did you get so bloody?” I asked.

“After we fell I attacked a drude. One of them grabbed you and I didn't like it. It won’t be seeing another day in Limbo as I bit out its eyes!”

"Thank you for trying to save me Patrick!"

"After that they knocked me out. I don't remember anything else."

I began wondering what an archdemon would want with me. It seemed that everyone wanted something from the Potentate. I needed more information if I was to figure out what to do.

“So, back in the car, you said that you remembered more about your time in Limbo. What do you recall exactly? Maybe something that could help us out here?”

“I don’t think so. After my death I remember arriving in Limbo. I was stranded along a beach to start. It looked like the beaches of Normandy, but it wasn’t the same place. It took me a while to realize that I was dead and living in a dog’s body.”

“That must have been confusing?”

“Yes, greatly!”

“What happened afterwards?”

“I wandered Limbo for a long time. I searched for a reason to exist and despaired at being stuck in a dog's form. I did have help and met other wandering souls. One day Letum, the red horseman came for me. He took me away to his Dominion as one of his war spirits. There I stayed lost in his war fields until you came along to rescue me.”

Captain Douglas licked my hand.

“Tell me more one day when we aren’t trapped above a lava pit.” I said.

“That’s a bargain!” he replied.

A dry heat blew across my face. In the distance I could hear the lamenting cries of the souls being led underground. A maelstrom of activity erupted at one of the entrances and a swarm of bodies appeared out of the darkness. They headed towards us and I knew instinctively that this must be the archdemon.

“Hannah, the archdemon is hideous, so be prepared to be disgusted!”

The archdemon came with about two dozen drude followers. They approached at a brisk pace and were within eyesight in minutes. I could tell that Captain Douglas wasn’t exaggerating. The archdemon crawled on the ground in the form of half-man and half-centipede. Its human body extended to its navel and that’s where the centipede body began. The archdemon was dressed in yellow armor of a material that I didn’t recognize; in a way it looked like football pads. Its face was human-like, but it was not a creature not born of the earthly plane. The head of the archdemon was bald and it had long pointy ears with hair growing out of them. The centipede body was colored blue-green with accented yellow spots. It must have had about a dozen legs on each side that were as sharp as razors.

The archdemon stopped at the edge of the lava pit. The other drudes coward at the sight of their master; they bowed their heads and backed away. The centipede demon glanced around and then looked up at me.

“So Potentate, you are awake! Good, I had to annihilate several of my drudes for harming my prized possession!

Several more drudes backed away from the archdemon in response to his statement.

“Why have you captured me?” I yelled disdainfully.

The creature smiled showing its black teeth and ugliness. I was revolted by what I saw, but I was no longer surprised by anything in Limbo.

“You remember your friend Hycus, servant of the demon Belial!”

I decided it was best that I pretend that I knew who this thing was. I didn’t want to give it any advantage in our discussion.

“You were never a friend of mine, Hycus! Release me at once!”

He glanced at the lava pit below my cage and said, “Careful Potentate or I might do that!”

“What do you want?”

“I already have what I want; I have you!”

The archdemon laughed as its whole centipede torso quaked.

“What do you want with me now that you have me?”

The creature's brow furrowed. I could see the evilness reflected in its face.

“I want to become one of the seven princes of hell and you’re going to help me!”