“Jesus, I died just like Aunt Judith. Mas que porra, vey… I was 25; I wasn't even overweight for God's sake…”
With vacant eyes, she stared at the blue panel before her. At regular intervals, the message would repeat, echoing the vastness of her white purgatory. Juliana thought about the stories people shared regarding near-death experiences—the white light at the end of a dark tunnel, and so on. Who would have imagined it would culminate in such a place? There were no other presences beside her: no judgmental old man recounting her sins from an ancient tome, no angel with a flaming sword to either welcome or condemn her, not even her grandmother to embrace her as she had promised when Juliana was a little brat. Just nothing.
After numerous repetitions, the message on one of the blue panels changed.
ERROR A potential user has demonstrated an inability or unwillingness to select alternatives. According to directive B32.1, the first room shall be assigned randomly.
And it changed again.
ERROR Potential user is not connected to the system via an assigned Conduit. The board of directors has been notified.
And again and again.
ERROR Dungeon n° 39559916582-53957, from the instance N° ∆554-84 is not connected to the [******* *****]. The board of directors cannot be accessed for further instructions.
"Is this pop-up hell?", said Juliana annoyed by the influx of the visages before her. She tried looking another way, blinking, even closing her eyes, but the insistent blue pannels haunted her.
ANALYZING… EMERGENCY PROTOCOL INITIATED, OPENING ALL CONTACT CHANNELS, EVERY ADMINISTRATOR LEVEL USER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED.
After the cacophony of mechanical voices shouting in all directions, the vast white expanse faded until only profound darkness enveloped Juliana. The girl panicked, she was overwhelmed by the chaos around her. Nothing made sense. Perhaps this was purgatory, and her lack of a final destination was a consequence of her rather mediocre life, which had been solely focused on survival—yet even that seemed insufficient to deserve her own personal hell.
Oh, but that line of thought changed quite quickly and the darkness faded as she found herself in an entirely new place. A very, very weird place.
-
The strong metallic smell was unmistakable; it was blood, and quite a lot of it. Juliana got up and surveyed her surroundings. The room had no windows, and the walls, floor, and ceiling were covered in rusted metal. Chains descended from above, some ending in hooks, while others lay scattered on the ground without any apparent purpose. Although the room was not dark, a dim atmosphere prevailed due to small light bulbs inside cages here and there. The place was repulsive.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Oh no…” She missed the white void when she realized that all that nonsense revolved around her choosing the place where she would be cast out. As she contemplated her options, it became clear that she was certainly not on Heaven's guest list.
A rattling metallic noise echoed occasionally, always startling Juliana. The only thought that crossed her mind was that she had stumbled into some hellish realm. Who knew what lurked in the shadows of this place. She wandered cautiously, aware of her surroundings. Along the way, she picked up one of the smaller chains as a makeshift weapon—better than relying on her nails.
She wandered around for a few minutes; the place wasn't that complicated, there were numerous rooms scattered throughout, some empty and others containing even more disturbing discoveries. In one larger room, there was something resembling a large chopping table with a substantial chunk of meat. The remains did not resemble any animal but rather a grotesque amalgamation of tissue, blood, and bones protruding haphazardly from its insides. If Juliana had anything in her stomach, she would have lost it at that sight. However, it wasn't just a gore fetish room, lodged in the carcass was a meatcleaver, rusted, and smeared in blood from the handle to the blade.
“I don't know who did this, but I am not going around like a defenseless little girl.” She pulled the handle; it wasn't easy to retract. Not only was it lodged deep in the meat, but it was also almost comically big, that thing sure was no kitchenware, it was big enough to take down a lamb—or even a person.
The object was heavy; it required both of her arms to hold it. She had to lift the cleaver and rest it on her right shoulder, or else she would drag it along the floor. The rusty blade wasn't an ideal weapon, but it was better than nothing. She didn't discard the chains either; instead, she wrapped them around her waist.
Juliana remained cautious about her situation, but having something to defend herself against potential threats helped alleviate her anxiety. She navigated the nightmarish corridors until she discovered a new door, much larger than the others, which, to her surprise, led to a familiar place she had visited just an hour earlier. She stepped through the door and found herself in an empty white space, with a ball of light hovering at the center of it.
“Wait, I came back here? Why?” Juliana approached the floating light, realizing she had nothing else in there to waste time on. “So, are you God? An angel?” As she approached, she attempted to touch it, but when she got too close, Juliana felt a resistance against her hand, preventing any contact.
WARNING Unauthorized entity has tried to access Dungeon Core. Access denied.
Paradoxically, it was soon followed by yet another message, which brought a new wave of potential dread to the fast-food attendant.
PLEASE, SELECT AN ASSET TO YOUR ASSIGNED DUNGEON
Monster Bee Rarity: common Monster Rat Rarity: common Monster Chicken Rarity: common
“What the hell? Again?”.
If this time went like the room choice, she would end up with one those “monster” things, she did not want to test what this mad place understood about what a bee, a rat, or a chicken could be. This place certainly did NOT resemble any of the slaughterhouses she had worked in. She wasted no time to answer the inquiry; however, when she attempted to push the blue panel as if it were a touchscreen, her hand went straight through it.
“How I do it? Uh... Monster Chicken, please?", the poor girl did not want to imagine what a bee or a rat could be in this world.