Outside the Safe Circle, another giant arcade machine was waiting for us. This one appeared to be a Ghost ’n Goblins arcade, and as before, it was parted under the giant screen to reveal a bright, shimmering portal that would take us into the second—and final—Trial of the First Circle. All we had to do was complete the Trial without dying, and then we could move on to the Second Circle.

Easier said than done, I guess.

I stood along with Annalise and Snuggles staring at the arcade portal, my mind now whirling with thoughts as I wondered what horrors awaited us this time.

“Well, kids, looks like we made it,” I said. “Against all the odds, we escaped Floss’ clutches and earned our second chance. That has to count for something, right?”

Annalise nodded. She still looked a mess, but she appeared to have recovered from the torture had Floss put her through, at least physically. “I’m not sure I have it in me,” she all but whispered, suddenly cracking. “Floss, he took so much from me, he—” She broke off as her emotions got the better of her.

“Hey.” I shuffled close to her and put my arm gently across her shoulders. “Floss is gone. We defeated the bastard. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I know.” She sniffed, trying to hold back tears. “But he’s not gone from my mind, and I don’t think he ever will be.”

I held her tighter and lightened my tone slightly. “You’re the toughest person I’ve ever met. You’re gonna breeze through whatever is waiting for you in there and come out the other side fucking laughing.”

“Laughing?” She shook her head.

“Okay, maybe not laughing. But at least with a fuck you grin on your face. We weren’t meant to come this far just to fail at the final hurdle.”

“This isn’t actually the final hurdle,” Snuggles piped up. “We haven’t even scratched the surface yet. There’s literally a world of hell ahead of us.”

“Yeah, thanks for reminding us,” I said, throwing him a look, causing Annalise to giggle. “I’m trying to Rocky you guys up here in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I’ve no idea what that even means.”

“Rocky was a movie about a boxer, a real underdog who becomes the champion.”

“Ah, I see. So you were trying to motivate us.” Snuggles shook his head. “I’ve heard better motivational speeches from toddlers at a playground fight. But sure, keep going, Mr. Pep Talk.”

“Screw you. And anyway, this shouldn’t be a big deal for you, as you’ve made it this far before, Snuggles.”

“True, but I still don’t know what’s waiting for me in this Trial. It’s all different now.”

“None of us now what’s waiting for us, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t gonna kick some goddamn ass. Right?”

“Right,” Annalise said, getting some of her fighting spirit back. “I ain’t dying twice.”

“I ain’t feeling this pep talk,” Snuggles said, suddenly stepping up to the portal, his form tiny against the blinding backdrop. “I’m going in.” He turned then to look at me and Annalise. “I gotta say, it’s been fun hanging with you two, apart from the whole getting tortured by Floss thing, obviously. That wasn’t fun at all.” He paused for a second, then shook his head. “I guess I’ll see you on the other side then.”

“You will,” I said, suddenly full of resolve. “You better make sure of it… Frank.”

Snuggles smiled slightly, then turned to face the portal. I watched him step forward, a man trapped in the form of a small, blue plushie. A man who once had a wife and kids; a man who fought for his country. Who died for it.

Good luck, man, I thought, as I watched him disappear into the white light.

Then it was just me and Annalise.

“I guess we should get moving, huh?” Annalise said. “Get it over with, right?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

Annalise stepped forward and then turned to face me. “You’d better get through this,” she said. “If I make it out and you’re not here, I’ll be mad. I’ll find you, wherever you’ve been repurposed, and kick your goddamn ass.”

“Is that your way of saying we’ve finally become friends?”

She smiled. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“Well, in that case, I don’t leave my friends behind. I’ll be here, waiting.”

“You better be.”

Annalise went to turn toward the portal, but at the last second, she hurried up to me, and then stunned me by kissing me lightly on the lips. It was a brief kiss, and I could only stand there frozen as I stared at her. “Just in case,” she said softly.

And with that, she turned and walked into the portal, disappearing for what I hoped wasn’t forever.

Damn, I thought. Wasn’t expecting that.

Neither did I know how to take it. Was the kiss Annalises’ way of saying she had feelings for me? Or did she do it because she thought she might never see me again? I had no idea, but either way, it sure put a smile on my face and a spring in my step.

I went to walk forward into the portal, then stopped.

“One final cigarette,” I said, taking the pack out. “Who knows? This might be my last one.”

Lighting the cigarette, I stared up at the Ghost ’n Goblins demo screen, watching the little knight character kill the beasties with his sword, marveling at how much the game reminded me of the Trials of the Damned here in Infernum. I’d never played the game before, but it looked cool, and I kinda felt like the knight character, running endlessly as he tried not to get killed by monsters.

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“I feel your pain, buddy,” I said, blowing out a stream of smoke.

A notification popped up on my screen.

Contestants are reminded that the Trial portal will not stay open forever. Move your ass, Kade!

“Jesus, alright.” I took a last drag from my cigarette before tossing it away. “I’m going.”

And with that, I walked forward into the portal, dreading what awaited me on the other side.

* * *

And what awaited me was…a rain soaked highway in... God knows where.

It could’ve been any highway from back home, a two-lane blacktop stretching endlessly into the darkness. The rain was coming down in sheets, pounding against the asphalt with a relentless fury. Overhead, thunder rumbled ominously, intermittently illuminating the sky with brilliant flashes of lightning.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim light, I noticed something familiar parked on the side of the road. A 1969 Dodge Charger R/T, its sleek orange body glistening with raindrops. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized it instantly—the General Lee, the iconic car from the Dukes of Hazzard TV show.

Memories flooded back, unbidden. Sunday afternoons spent with my dad, both of us glued to the television, watching Bo and Luke Duke outrun the law in that very car. I could almost hear my dad’s laughter, feel the warmth of those simpler times.

But this wasn’t a trip down memory lane. This was Infernum—or wherever this was—and nothing was as simple or innocent as it seemed. I approached the car cautiously, my senses on high alert. The rain continued to pour, soaking through my clothes, but I barely noticed. My focus was entirely on the Charger and what its presence might mean for this Trial.

“Damn,” I said, pausing by the side of the car, suddenly struck with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, and a longing for home. I could’ve been on Earth right now, even though I knew I wasn’t. I wasn’t even sure if this was still Infernum, or some other world or dimension somewhere in the galaxy.

But the road, the rain, the clear air, it all made me feel like I was back on Earth. I even entertained for a second the notion that I was back home, and that my whole crazy experience in Infernum had been nothing but a bad dream.

If only. I wasn’t that naive. Wasn’t that stupid to think something so foolish.

The notification that popped into my vision only confirmed the fact that I was still in the game, still a contestant in the Trials of the Damned.

Get inside the car.

That’s all the message said.

I was about to open the door of the Charger when I spotted headlights coming toward me. Another car was coming down the highway.

Pausing by the Charger, I waited for the car to get closer. It was a beige sedan, like something from the 80s. It slowed as it neared me, allowing me to see the driver, a man with blood all over his face. When he smiled, his mouth seemed to open far too wide, and then I realized it was because his mouth had been slit open from cheek to cheek, the jagged wound stretching his face into a grotesque, perpetual grin.

The man’s eyes, wild and manic, seemed to glow in the dim light of the highway, reflecting the cold moon above. The car rolled slowly past me, and I could see the passenger more clearly—a woman, her throat cut in a brutal, gaping wound, her clothes soaked with blood that looked almost black in the night. She turned her head to face me, her eyes glassy and lifeless, yet her lips were curled into a chilling, eerie smile that mirrored the driver’s horrifying grin.

The sedan glided by with an unsettling smoothness, as if it were floating on a current of pure malevolence. The air grew colder, and a shiver ran down my spine. The man’s eyes locked onto mine, and his grin seemed to widen even further, an impossible, nightmarish sight that sent a wave of nausea crashing through me. The woman’s smile remained fixed, her eyes vacant yet somehow accusatory, as if she were silently blaming me for their fate.

As the car passed, I caught a glimpse of the back seat, where shadows seemed to writhe and twist, forming shapes that hinted at more horrors hidden within. The sedan continued down the highway, its taillights fading into the distance, leaving me alone with the echo of its engine and the lingering chill of its presence.

“Jesus,” I whispered, shaking my head at what I’d just seen. “What the hell is this all about?”

As another set of headlights approached from a distance, I decided to get into the car for my own safety. The worn-out leather of the Charger’s seat creaked under my weight as I sat in it. A small, silver cross hung from the rearview mirror, swaying gently as I closed the door behind me, sealing myself off from the night outside. The interior was filled with the scent of aged leather, dust, and the faint, comforting aroma of oil and gasoline—a sanctuary from the unnerving world beyond the windshield.

Despite the fearful circumstances, a slight smile creased my face, for I couldn’t believe I was sitting inside a car again. In the past, I would often drive for hours with no destination, reveling in that calming feeling. The wind rushing through the open windows, the sun setting in a blaze of orange and red, and the freedom of the open road had always been a balm to my soul. There was a sense of control, a feeling that I could go anywhere, do anything, as long as I had a full tank of gas and the road ahead.

Though something told me I wouldn’t find the experience quite so calming this time.

I turned the key in the ignition, and the Charger’s engine roared to life, its deep, throaty growl resonating through my chest. The radio crackled and hummed, coming to life along with the engine. A haunting, melancholic song from the 80s filled the car, its synth beats and eerie melody unsettling me slightly. I reached out to turn the dial, but something in the music held me captive, its dark allure rooting me to the spot.

As the song faded out, a woman DJ’s voice, sultry and smooth, yet laced with an unsettling edge, came through the speakers. “Good evening, night owls and lonely travelers,” she purred, her voice like velvet laced with razor blades. “It’s a dark and dangerous night out there on the highway. The moon is full, and the shadows are deep. You never know what’s lurking just beyond the reach of your headlights.”

I could almost see her sinister smile as she paused, her voice dropping to a low, conspiratorial whisper. “Word has it that the Drifter is on the prowl tonight, that grim phantom of the road, searching for his next ride, his next... victim. Oh, and he’s definitely not a character from that one cult classic 80s thriller about a creepy hitchhiker.” She paused to chuckle at this as I rolled my eyes. “So, keep your doors locked and your eyes open, my friends. The night is full of terrors, and the highway can be a deadly place for those who aren’t careful.”

Her voice seemed to wrap around me like a shroud, her words sending a chill through me. “But maybe, just maybe, you’re the one who can put an end to his reign of terror. Maybe you’re the one who can solve the mystery of the highway and break the curse. But be warned, traveler. The Drifter isn’t like any other foe you’ve faced. He’s cunning, he’s relentless, and he’ll stop at nothing to claim your soul.”

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, my knuckles turning white as I stared out into the night. The DJ’s voice faded away, replaced by the opening notes of another 80s song. This one was darker, more prophetic, its lyrics speaking of a long, lonely journey and a battle against insurmountable odds. The singer’s voice was filled with a raw, desperate emotion that resonated with me, echoing my own feelings of dread and determination.

“The Drifter,” I said to no one, suddenly remembering the movie the DJ mentioned. I’d watched it as a kid, and the serial killer had scared the shit out of me. “I think I get it now.”

As if on cue, the AI’s voice sounded in my head:

“Welcome to the highway, Kade,” the AI said in its sinister gameshow host voice, “and to the beginning of your second Trial. Complete this one, and the path to the next Circle will be cleared for you. Fail to complete it and… well, you know the score by now.

“So here’s the deal, Kade. We call this Trial ‘The Roadtrip from Hell’. To complete it, all you have to do is defeat the Drifter by facing three challenges along the way. Once you complete the challenges, you’ll then have to face the Drifter himself. And let me tell you, he ain’t no ordinary hitchhiker. Though you’ve probably guessed that already, haven’t you?

“There’s no time limit on this Trial. It takes as long as it takes, and you’ll either succeed in your task… or fail. Fail, and you’ll never leave this place. You’ll just be another victim driving up and down the highway… forever.

“Forget about using any weapons you might have as well, they’ve all been grayed out. You can still use your combat abilities, but that’s it. If you want weapons, you’ll have to find them yourself out there.

“And that’s it, Kade. Now get motoring, and remember… your fans are watching. Don’t disappoint them.”