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Chloe frowned. “We don’t need a dumb squad name. We just need to get this done. To hell and back…”
“Even if it kills us,” I added with a heavy sigh.
Talia gingerly approached the pits. “Into the Abyss?”
I nodded, and Nadine and I spoke in unison. “Into the Abyss.”
Nadine took my hand, and we leapt into the darkness of the pit.
Chapter Twelve
NADINE
Darkness in every sense of the word enveloped me from every angle, and Lucas’s hand slipped from my grasp. Blackness blanketed my vision, and the dark magic of the sludge seemed to permeate through my skin, soaking into my body until it felt like the darkness had filled my lungs and settled deep into my stomach. I sank deeper into the pit, expecting to come out the other side, but I only kept sinking deeper and deeper…
Voices filled my ears.
You got Verla hurt.
You shouldn’t have let Grammy leave the house.
You should’ve been quicker.
It’s your fault she died.
You’re going to get everyone else killed, too.
This had to be some sort of trick or curse. I knew I needed to protect myself from the voices saying these awful things, but I found no light within me to outshine them. Everything they said was true.
I had the thought that I didn’t want to live with that truth. If I had to die down here, so be it. Maybe I deserved it.
It was a strange thought, because I’d never thought that way before. My survival instinct kicked in, and I tried to swim upward, but the sludge was so heavy I could hardly move my limbs, let alone swim through the viscous material.
My lungs compressed, and it became clear in that moment that the voices were correct. I was going to suffocate, and so were my friends. It was all my fault.
How naive was I to think getting to hell would be so easy? Of course we had to die to get there. And now because of me, my friends would suffer for eternity.
The thought made me want to give up entirely. My limbs stopped thrashing, and all I could do was sink…
Hands landed on me, and I felt myself being dragged through the thick slime. The weight of the darkness seemed unbearable.
Then warm air hit my face, and I gasped a breath. My eyes shot open to see Lucas above me, dragging me out of the pit and onto solid ground. Black sludge covered his body, and his features were illuminated by an ominous red glow. The corners of my vision blurred, and all I could see was him. My whole body trembled as he wrapped me in his arms. I was so grateful to feel him close to me.
“Are you all right?” Lucas asked breathlessly.
Tears streamed down my face as I curled into his chest. “I’m sorry, Lucas! I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt. I thought the pits would lead us to the Abyss.”
“Nad,” Lucas said gently. “Look around you.”
Slowly, I drew myself away from his chest, and my vision cleared. We were no longer in the cavern. A dark, desolate landscape stretched as far as the eye could see. The ground was made of black stone, with cracks between it where glowing red lava flowed. Bubbling pits of black tar scattered the landscape, and steam hissed from geysers nearby. The sky was completely black, with no stars in sight. Against the light of glowing volcanoes erupting in the distance, I could see jagged black rocks rising toward the sky like swords poised to attack an enemy. The howling wind carried the sound of faint tortured screams. My guts clenched as the darkness of hell rocked my soul.
A trail of sludge mixed with droplets of blood led away from one of the pits. The questing beast was long gone, though judging by the blood trail, it was certainly still alive.
Grant and Chloe knelt at the pit next to ours and dragged Talia to the surface. She coughed and sputtered, but relief overtook me when I saw they were all alive.
“Is everyone okay?” I asked.
Talia glanced around at the desolate landscape. “As good as one can be in hell, I suppose.”
