It was...cold. Wasn't hell supposed to be fire and brimstone? Then why was everything so quiet and why did chills keep rushing through up my spine? Wait...my body...if my mind was the only thing here, how did I even feel any of that in the first place? I knew the physical part of me was still sitting on my bed in that shitty apartment yet there was no denying the smell of death all around me.

Emma? my mind called out, receiving no answer.

The rush of that uncontrollable pull which had gotten me to this point was gone and I was having trouble feeling or seeing my body at all. I was stuck in this...void. I didn't even hear Emma's guiding voice any more. Now what? I tried to look around...it was strange seeing things without my eyes, but my mind was starting to pick up on the energies of this realm and it was more than imagining a scene in my head...it was all so real...

As I peered into the blackness, structures began forming. They looked like...rocks? and caves... Grey stones lining the shadows under a deep blue and empty sky. I found myself floating again, journeying slowly past the boulders and hidden crevices. The further I got, the more alive the place seemed to become. Instead of the limited hues, energies came into view of various colors. At first, they appeared similar to the spotted red line that I had used to get inside, but then, as I focused, they shifted into different shapes, gradually taking on what looked like actual forms...those lights...were creatures. Were they demons?

I didn't stop moving for fear that I, too, would cease being ephemeral and become human in Hell. Certainly, that would not be good. I'd probably became a toy or a meal for them. But as I traveled, it seemed that none of them were taking notice of me. Was I like a ghost here? I was really interested to know more so I kept studying the beasts as long as I could without halting. They weren't really monsterish in appearance either. They looked like animals, ranging in size from house cat to elephant or larger. Not necessarily like any animal I had seen before, but they weren't the nightmare fuel like humans depicted them to be. It was like I had been thrown into an alien world with a different evolutionary timeline.

I ended up flying quite a distance and overall, Hell didn't seem as frightening as it was made out to be...at least not until I ventured farther in. The part that I had seen most lacked any life other than the creatures I mentioned. It was barren, consisting of dirt, stone, and sky and it remained with the same cold, empty feeling I had first encountered. However, as I kept on, becoming aware that the air of the place was changing...a pit developed in my stomach, leaving me with an overwhelming sense of impending doom. It was then that I finally stopped moving. I didn't know why, but I was suddenly scared to continue.

Emma? I called again. Still nothing.

The cloud of me glanced back at the rubble as I pondered what to do. I looked back in front of me where the stone was dying out and in its place, a massive blackness was coming into view. It wasn't like the sky was getting darker or there were more things casting shadows... It was as if the entire place before me was a giant, 3D puzzle with pieces missing to show black paint behind them. I began floating deeper in, seeing the empty spaces become larger and more frequently, until there was nothing left except black.

My vision cut back again, but I couldn't see from where I had come. Just the darkness. It was another void like the one I had started in before I began seeing, yet this one was different. I was looking; there was just nothing to see. Anxiety of unknown sources within increased tenfold, coupling with paranoia. I ceased my journey, spinning around and scanning the area. I was certain I was being watched... Ok, calm down, Mark. I tried to practice the deep-breathing and I must have done it right although I was unaware of what my body was doing, because I started to relax.

Focusing once more, energies were made apparent. They slowly took forms, but not of animal-like creatures. No, these looked...human...or at least mostly so. There was a group of them not too far in front of me and they were talking amongst themselves though I couldn't understand their words. It seemed to be two females and a male. Two had reptilian tails with scaly spots lining their almost naked bodies, spikes lining their backs and skulls while the third had furry legs, a bare torso, and a head that I could best describe as looking like a lion that had been mauled.

Gradually, I realized there were more around me, walking up and down the way in different directions. It was like I was in the middle of a mall and the customers were entering and exiting stores I couldn't see as the entities would randomly appear and disappear without any cause. It was much less populated than the outer region I had been in and also unlike out there, these beings were starting to take notice of me...and each time they did, they became even fiercer in their appearance. One of the women in the group I had spotted, turned her reptile-hybrid head my way and I saw a smirk reach her face as she stared at me.

She didn't do anything else except continue talking, but those she was with didn't seem interested. I somehow managed to tear myself from her gaze only to see that more eyes were upon me. An abrupt reminder of the fear in my core panged then, urging me to move once more...away from all of them. Emma, where the fuck are you? I floated faster this time, hoping not to have drawn enough attention that any of the creatures would follow me, but I was wrong...

"Leekhat? Sa pongse ta?"

Out of nowhere, I had come face to face with one of the demons who stood a foot taller than me. His frame was exceedingly thin, as if he was nothing but bone and flattened ones at that. The points of his shoulders jutted out as high as his cheeks, with skeletal wings coming from his back to match. His throat was unrealistically long, as were his legs which ended in feet resembling that of a bird. His head was the only thing that appeared to have a normal amount of flesh on it and was the most human part of him. He had flowing, albeit thin black hair that fell down the length of his form and his eyes were a piercing red.

I didn't know what his words meant, but they hadn't seemed angry or threatening. They gave me the sense of...amusement? I did what I could to remain strong even though I could feel my essence wavering in his intimidating presence. Realizing that I couldn't figure out how to answer, the demon repeated the same words, in the same manner. Yet as I heard them, I also heard my own language inside my head...like two voices talking at once.

"Human? Who helped you?"

It had indeed been amusement. As uneasy as this place and the demons were making me, I felt somewhat relieved at his placid demeanor. "I...uh..." I stammered.

The creature cocked its head to the side and waited, not giving me any encouragement or showing impatience at the time I was taking to answer.

"Um," I swallowed hard, "I was looking for Freddy Krueger."

The red orbs I had been gazing stayed emotionless, "You're going to have to be a little more specific, little guy," he blinked once.

More specific? How many Freddy Kruegers did they have around here? "He was human," I explained, "But was reborn as a demon."

"How did someone as ignorant as you find the capability of getting here?" the creature's tone had shifted...grown confused, not frustrated like the question alone seemed.

"I'm not-" I sighed, deciding not to argue. He was right, after all. I hadn't a clue, "What do you mean?"

Finally, a smile stretched across his face, "Your friends, whoever they are, should have given you better instruction before leaving you to your own devices."

My brow furrowed, "I...got disconnected."

"I see," his lips fell straight and he took a step forward. It was then that I realized he had no hands. Instead, he extended bony wings around me, using their various points to poke at me. It felt weird since I had no body. It was like having one of those pin-prick headaches except all over.

"What are-" I tried to ask, but was cut short as my breath was stolen when he rapidly removed all his spikes at once. I thought I would collapse, yet as soon as the air in my lungs left, I was breathing easy again. "What..."

"Don't worry. I was just understanding," he turned and began walking away from me, "Come on, then. Let's go find your Freddy."

I couldn't tear my gaze from him and my mind began floating again. Understanding? Did he just read my mind or something? I kept after him for an amount of time that might have been long or short. It was impossible to tell. All I knew was that after a while, I watched him vanish in front of me. I hesitated, but when I took another step, I was no longer in the blackness and I could see my new friend again. He had taken me to what I guessed was another layer of Hell? This place looked...very much like Earth...except all the buildings and nature were distorted and a red film was over everything...as if you were looking through red glass the entire time.

"You know," the creature spoke, "This demon you're seeking feeds on your kind. Strange you should go looking for him like this. I wonder what your motive is?"

"I'm sorry," I voiced my confusion, "I thought you read my mind just now."

My escort laughed, "No. You see, in our culture, we're not fond of using names. Most have them; we just don't share them. Typically we recognize each other by essence. Since you are obviously incapable of relaying this information, I simply reached in and felt it myself while you were thinking about him."

"Oh," I mumbled, noticing that we had walked into a more disturbing version of Springwood. "Well...that's kind of the point. I want Freddy to destroy me."

The demon halted, twisting himself to see me, an eyebrow raised, "Destroy? You wish more than death upon yourself? I know the human mind can be horribly crippled. Many want their lives to end...but wanting your existence to end...is odd."

As I stared at him, his eyes became soft...then intent while his lips curled into a half-grin and he added, "You don't really want this. You want something better...for your current struggle to end, but you don't actually want to cease being. Humans so enjoy doing the convenient thing for the sake of convenience, even when a little more work would yield a much more positive result."

What was the deal here? First, I was lectured by a judge, then a therapist, then goddamn ghosts, and now by a fucking demon? A LITTLE more work? Clearly this thing had no idea what human life could be like "Can you show me to Freddy or can't you?" I asked, the first bit of anger since my going to Hell came out.

My escort stopped smiling, "I can. He's not too far now," the demon's shining eyes rolled in his head, looking around us, "And I understand now who Freddy is. Especially with your inconsistent knowledge of this realm, I feel that this wasn't your decision. To retrieve Freddy, that is. Which strengthens my point that this is not what you want. I won't stop you. It's not within me to truly care what happens to you or your world or whoever sent you. However, if you care, you'll think more thoroughly about your actions...until there is no doubt in your convictions."

I paused, utterly confused. This entire experience was not what I expected at all. Hell is just the name of the realm where demons live. Just think of demons more like...just spirits that live there like humans live here, Damian's and Emma's voices repeated in my head. Did they mean the demons weren't inherently good or evil, like humans weren't? or they just had a varying morale They were just different creatures, living on a different plane. Well, Freddy was definitely one of the evil ones and this guy didn't seem concerned with him...but then he seemed to feel the need to offer me advice. Just how old was too feel so wise? Remaining neutral, but helpful? With those thoughts, I was questioning myself once more. What if I was making the wrong choice?

"I don't even know how to get out of here," I mumbled.

"I know you feel very isolated from everything you know right now," the demon's calm stoicism was soothing at that moment. "But all you have to do, is remember. Remember how you got here and remember where you're from...and then imagine your mind getting slung-shot in reverse, back to your body."

"Sounds painful," I half-chuckled, my vision downward.

"A little, I am told," the creature remained unchanged.

I lifted myself, gazing into his blood spheres. Maybe this was a bad idea. What if they couldn't control Krueger and he ended up killing more kids? I certainly didn't want other people to get hurt because of me and my selfish, indecisive desires. I should just go home before...

"How sweet. Fresh meat!" a raspy voice sounded loudly from the other side of my friendly demon companion.

The creature I had been walking with turned its eyes apathetically toward the source as my own darted frantically to see who the maniacal voice belonged to. There, perhaps twenty feet from us was a human figure with insanely burnt skin. He wore a tattered red and green striped sweater, dirty brown pants, and a filthy fedora to match. He stood with one arm, bent at the elbow, out to his side. On its hand was a glove, lined with blades, exactly like the one of the Springwood Slasher.

It looked like...I was too late to change my mind...