1981

I really regret that it had come to this. After celebrating the birth of my first born son, I joined my fellow airmen for a party at this old mansion. Got a little too drunk and wondered around the place and found something I really shouldn't have. I'm don't like to steal things, but I couldn't resist this object. It was so intriguing. I snuck it out of the place, bid my friends good night and headed home.

One faithful day off duty I decided to do a little more hands on exploration of my new toy while the wife and child were out. It would be last time they would ever see me. After some hand movements on the box, it seemed to open but its self! I was excited till the chains came out to rip into my flesh.

Then they came. Hard to say what they were really. I guess you could call them demons, but they seemed all too human looking. I didn't get a real good look at my guests except for one. It was quite hard to concentrate on individuals during the intense waves of pain and pleasure. Building and building to a horrible climax. One face I could clearly see, the man who's face made me see. The man with nails or pins driven into is head.

My body couldn't withstand what seemed to be endless agony and afterglow and was torn apart. Though for me it felt more like falling apart. Now that my body was broken, the demons sought the break my mind.

1981-87

Six years of agony, six years of torment from these demons. Forced to re-live my fondest memories of living, only to have them to turn into a terrible nightmare. I was re-fleshed after every time I had died only for the living nightmare to continue all over again. I tried to fight them, refusing to play along in this twisted game of theirs. The demons would reply by changing the rules of the game. I was often forced to kill manifestations of my own family for their own amusement. The more I'd resist, the more they would be pleased when I failed.

Many horrible creatures came into my hell to play with me, many new faces, and some I knew all to well. During my sixth year of damnation, the hellspawn visitors no longer visited me and I was further shocked to learn that I was now allowed to leave the confines of my prison to wander the halls of hell. Why were my tormentors gone? Did I no longer hold their interest? Why was I free to roam? Something seemed very wrong in hell, and I would soon discover why.

The halls of hell seemed much more vacant than I had imagined. It was very quiet as well with the exception of the occasional scream or moan letting me know that there was still some evil lurking in here somewhere. I didn't know where I was going, nor did I know what I was hoping to accomplish. One of the advantages of being a fleshed soul in hell was that I needed no food, water, or even sleep for that matter. This was very good indeed for I would've surely staved to death otherwise. It was as if this realm itself was somehow keeping me alive.

I gave up on keeping track of time here. Days may have past since the beginning of my journey. Perhaps weeks. I found nothing of much interest either. Endless hall after hall. Any doors I came across gave me no hope either for I couldn't enter them. I was now perfectly content to go back to my cell so to speak, but I had no way to find my way back. I secretly wished for a demon to dismember me so my soul would end up back in my own private hell.

Just at that moment, I found myself somehow drawn to take what seemed to be a different path. Eventually, I saw an opening ahead with blue sky. Excited, I ran towards what seemed like impending freedom. What I saw shocked and intrigued me a the same time. A large puzzle box? Hovering above the labyrinth? Suddenly, there was a terrible crack of thunderbolts hitting the giant puzzle box from what were peaceful clouds in the sky. The box began to move into a different configuration that I have recognized before. It was the very same pattern that saw when I solved the smaller version.

More surprises were in store for my astonished eyes. Very dense coal-black beams were now emanating from the cube. I saw too late that I was in the path of one. When the blackness showered over me, the dark inside me was brought painfully to the surface. All my sins, all what went wrong in my life played before me like some horrible home movie. When it ended, I was down the stone surface a broken man. I gathered myself, wiped my tears, I hoped to move on.

Before I was about to turn around, I heard a vicious sounding growl behind me. I felt my heart fill with dread. When I turned to face my stalker I saw what looked to be some sort of horrid hell-rat. Down on all fours, it slowly crawled toward me, gnashing those horrible teeth as it came closer. I found myself backing away from the creature. Though true, I had hoped for a demon to send me back to where I started, I didn't want to die the hands or teeth of this monster.

It was big and looked very hungry, jaws drooling as it snapped at me. I was unaware of what had begun rise behind me. Had it not, I would've backed right off the edge into the bowls of hell. At this point, I would've rather had fallen off into the abyss than be slaughtered be this fucking thing, whatever it was. Just when I was backing up to my final steps, I heard a loud creaking behind me. Before I had time to react, the creature lurched forward and pushed me inside. Small creatures grabbed and punctured my flesh. Needles were stabbed in and blood was drawn out while something blue was pumped in.

As the door slid shut to my casket, and my torment had receded, I would soon understand the order and nature of hell.