Nick woke up in a solid iron cage, his arms and legs spread unnaturally wide, chains kept him off the ground his wrist and ankles were being pulled by chains, the chains were attached the edges of the cage. Once he realized he was chained up, he started pulling with all he had, nothing happened. When he put his power into his muscle and then tried again, he got the same result. He started becoming more aware, he felt an enormous headache, which probably was the after effect of Meezan’s punches. Nick was fully aware now and could feel the heat rising from the ground. He could feel sweat all over his face and body. He looked around and saw that he was in some sort of cave system. There were sharp cone-shaped rocks protruding from the walls, floors, and ceilings. The whole cave was lit evenly with a low dark red light that seemed to have no source. Nick started losing consciousness again. He fought to keep from passing out once again. It faded after a few seconds and Nick was once again fully aware. Nick at one of the offsprings from the space in the cave he was in. He was at such an angle to where he couldn’t see down it but he could see the entrance, after a little bit Nick heard footsteps that came from the tunnel Nick was looking at. A few moments later Meezan appeared in the entrance and started towards Nick.
“So did you learn not to run, you could have had a much better afterlife, but now you will be tortured for eternity.” Meezan Said.
“No, I didn’t, I will get back to Maya.” Nick said weakly.
“Hmm, too bad for you. How should we start, maybe dislocating the arms.” Meezan said.
“I don’t care what you do to me, I will get back to Maya.” Nick said still weakly but with determination.
“Or maybe cutting off the legs.” Meezan said ignoring Nick.
“What is this good angel, and then bad devil?” Nick asked.
“Similar yes, only I was nice until you disobeyed my direct orders.” Meezan said.
“Ah, tell me. What metal is this cage made of?” Nick asked.
“Why do you want to know?” Meezan said.
“It just interests me.” Nick said looking along the bars of the cage.
“Mmhmm.” Meezan said interestingly. “Well let’s get started, shall we.”
Meezan walked over and grabbed a knife, “Maybe not cutting off your legs but you will definitely be in pain.” She said while she examined the blade.
She suddenly turned to Nick. She made a smooth swift motion with her arm and wrist. The knife flew out of her hand and cut the edge of Nick’s ear. Nick grimaced in pain. It was just a little cut but it hurt, Nick tried to hide his pain in hopes Meezan would let him out of the cage if she thought he couldn’t be hurt that easily. Nick had finally convinced himself it didn’t hurt that much when Meezan made another smooth swift motion, only this time the knife plunged right into his lower torso just under his stomach. Nick gasped from the pain, the pain had started to become overwhelming. All of a sudden three more knives shot into his torso. One in his upper right corner of his stomach, another in the upper left, the final dead in the center. The blades were at such an angle that they resembled a triangle with another blade in the center. Meezan walked up to him and placed her pointer finger in his blood that was now streaming from the wounds. She traced lines connecting the three outer blades to make a full triangle. Nick was having trouble breathing, Meezan started mumbling some words with her hand out, her palm was on the middle blade. Nick started to feel his inside twist and turn, Meezan pulled her hand away fast and all four blades followed, they pulled out of Nick, and Nick felt a slight sense of relief. But his stomach started twisting and turning more and faster, it slowly became more painful. He started yelling from the pain. Meezan turned around and started toward the tunnel that she had just come from. Nick started yelling louder than he had thought he could possibly yell. Meezan turned around,
“If you don’t stop that shouting I will bathe you in liquid nitrogen. And trust me you will survive, people have much more survival rates here in the afterlands.” Meezan said turning around.
Nick yelled louder in pain. Meezan turned around and started towards a tank that had crossbones on it. She opened it, as she did this nitrogen gas poured out of the hole, she reached in and pulled out a container that looked like a fire extinguisher. She walked over to Nick and sprayed him in the face with the nitrogen. Nick stopped screaming and looked at her with a very pained face.
“Better response than usual.” Meezan said walking away, she put the fire extinguisher away and went down the tunnel she had came from when she entered. Nick turned his head and shot a little bit of liquid nitrogen out at the chain that was holding his right arm. The chain made a slight sizzling sound, it became multiple shades darker. Nick pulled with all of his might, the chain snapped right where the nitrogen was. Nick did the same to the other chains until all of the chains were gone. Nick looked at the cage, he sprayed some of the nitrogen along the top of some of the bars and then along the bottom of them. He backed up and spat out the rest of the nitrogen of his mouth. He used his power to dawn his battle suit, he ran at the bars as fast as he could, which wasn’t to fast because he didn’t have his increased strength at the moment. He dropped his shoulder and crashed into the bars, the bars shattered at the top and bottom ripping them from their original positions. They fell to the floor making a loud clang, Nick froze in of fear when he heard it and waited for Meezan to come and put him back but she did not. He made his way to the nearest offspring and started down it.
He eventually after a lot of getting lost stumbled out of the cave, he was weak because he had been walking and bleeding for the past hour, but the twisting of his stomach had stopped after the first half an hour. Nick found a notch near the cave entrance that Meezan wouldn’t see him for a while if he stayed in it. He walked over and sat down resting his back against the rocks behind him. He tried to stay conscious but after what he had just bared, he had no strength left and slowly drifted out of consciousness.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
He woke up in a well-lit room, he was laying on a bed that seemed to be from a doctor's office. A man was sitting on a comfortable looking chair on a computer facing away from Nick. Nick was sore where he was stabbed but it was no longer painful. He sat up making noise as he sat up due to the exam table paper he was sitting on. The man turned around, he seemed to be a doctor because of his clothes.
“Ah, so you’re up.” He said.
“How long was I out.” Nick said.
“A few days.” The man said.
“How did you find me.” Nick said.
“Huh, you're the one who got here. We found you at our doors with four stab wounds and an inside out stomach, your face had stage two frostbite and on the verge of stage three.” The man said.
“I don’t understand, I passed out next to a cave, I was stuck inside and had just got out, I found a nook that would hide me and sat down in it and the next thing I knew I was here.” Nick said.
“Hmm, I don’t know but we took care of your frostbite and the blisters that formed.” The man said.
“Wait, where am I?” Nick said looking around and then out the window.
“The hospital of course.” The man said.
“No, I mean what town?” Nick said.
“There are no towns here.” The man said.
“Well, what is this place called?” Nick said.
“This is called the afterlands.” The man said.
“OK, well how do I get back to earth.” Nick said.
“What?!” He said in shock. “There is no ‘going back’ to earth”
“What do you mean I was there.” Nick said.
“But- that is impossible, how did you do this.” The man said.
“Well I woke up in a cloud with a woman who could change form and jumped off of the cloud onto the normal earth but I saw my dead body with the ones who were there with me one was crying and the others were comforting her.” Nick said.
"Tell me everything that has happened in detail.” The man said curiously.
“Well the women told me that I could not return, and I did. She followed me, when she caught me and knocked me out. I woke up in a cave, in a steel cage with all of my limbs spread to different directions by chains. She came in using one of the tunnels and we talked, she threatened to cut off my legs and dislocate my arms, but instead,” Nick lifted his shirt so the man could see the scars he had. He pointed to them and continued. “She threw four knives and hit me in these spots. Then she walked up to me and muttered words then pulled her hand back pulling all of the knives out, but my stomach started feeling like it was twisting and turning. She started to leave and I was yelling out of pain, she told me to stop, I just couldn’t so I yelled louder in pain. She walked over and pulled a fire extinguisher out of tank, the extinguisher had liquid nitrogen in it, and she sprayed me with it. I escaped from the cage and chains badly injured and somehow made it out of the cave, I found the nook and hid in it.”
“Wow, quite the story, very descriptive. Even so, I have a few questions. How did you escape the cage and chains?” The man asked.
“Well when she sprayed me, I made my move, I opened my mouth and took as much in as I could without her noticing. When she left I sprayed a little on the chains and broke them, the metal became more brittle in the cold and I was able to snap them. I then used the rest of my supply on the top of the bars and the bottom and was able to snap them off of the cage and get out and into the cave system.”
“Hmm, that was very smart of you, anyways, next question. What was the name of the women?”
“Her name was Meezan.” Nick said.
“Wait did you say Meezan.” The man said.
“Yeah why.” Nick said.
“That isn’t her real name, her name is Lilith the fallen angel.” The man said.
“What, why would she say her name is Meezan?” Nick asked.
“Because she uses the name Meezan so no one suspects anything bad, but everyone who has lived here for a long time knows that she is actually Lilith.” The man said.
“No one on earth knows though?” Nick asked.
“Yes.” The man said. “Also last question, when you escaped how were you able to survive the nitrogen inside your body and rip the bars off? Even with the nitrogen, you should have broken or at least fractured a bone when your body made contact with the metal.”
“I’m not sure I should tell you, the last person I told tried to kill me.” Nick said.
“And that was?” The man asked.
“Meeza- I mean Lilith.” Nick said.
“Ah, well that would make sense.” The man said.
“Wait, if she is a fallen angel why does she have no wings?” Nick asked.
“She is not human and non-humans can look like whatever they want to look like in the afterlands.” The man said.
“So, in other words, don’t trust anyone?” Nick asked.
“Yes.” The man confirmed.
Nick looked at the door across the room, he was thinking of an escape plan but he needed more information, but the longer he stayed the more danger he was in. He looked at the floor and saw a light on the floor, he realized there was a window behind him. He didn’t look back so he didn’t give off any ideas he had, but he now knew his escape plan.
“So are you sure there is no way back to earth?” Nick asked.
“Unless you have the ability ‘Awakening’ there is no way to get back.” The man said.
Nick realized he could get some more information, but he didn’t want to give away that he had the ability.
“So like Lilith has?” Nick asked.
“Yes, she can travel between worlds, even dimensions. Only if she could get powerful enough, she can’t quite do it yet. The man said.
“Could you tell me how she does it?” Nick asked.
“Why would you want to know?” The man said.
“I am just curious, I have people back on earth and I don’t want them to get hurt, and if I can keep her from traveling there then I can keep them safer.” Nick said.
“Ah, I see. Well, all I know is that she runs in circles really fast until a blue orb appears in the middle of the circle. She then stops, the blue orb forms a door shape, after this happens she walks through the door shape and it starts to disappear, once it is completely gone there is no trace it or she was ever there."