Chapter 202
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The next day the demons brought Frank Castle back to be tortured in the Lake of Fire. Why they were doing it to him two days in a row was unclear to the prisoners. Perhaps they just enjoyed having a new person to hurt. They brought him back to his cell, he seemed to have suffered a mental break, wasn't even sure where he was. Perhaps that was why the demons stopped early, perhaps it was no fun to torture someone who wasn't aware enough to fully suffer. Billy and the others feared he forgot to steal the demons' key. But, after they left, Frank revealed he'd been faking, he did in fact steal this key. He unlocked his own cell, then Clarke and Emerson's, then Hope and Kilgrave's. He hesitated to release Billy Russo, after all that Russo had done to him and his family. Still, Frank's word was good, he unlocked Billy's cell door. The six of them began to sneak out as quietly as possible. They were able to get outside with suprisingly little difficulty. When they got there, the five of them soon realized there was a giant fence here, and then the door shut behind them. Frank did a head count, himself, Billy, Clarke, Emerson, and Hope. Kilgrave was missing, then they looked up. Kilgrave was among the crowd of spectators. It seemed that some of Hell's more affluent citizens had come to watch the show. Amongst them was Emperor Snow, the leader of Panem who forced starving children to fight and kill each other for the perverted pleasure of the ruling class.
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Frank: What's this all about?
Snow: Mr Kilgrave has been quite reasonable, luring you out here. The war has cost our soldiers a lot, they need a little fun and recreation. They are going to watch, and if they choose bet, on which of you will survive this fight. If you do, things will improve slightly. If not, a return to the Lake of Fire.
Clarke: You want us to kill each other?
Snow: Maybe later. For now, you can work together if you like. It's probably the only chance any of you have to survive, against it.
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These five did not like where this was going. A gate opened, and something emerged. This was a giant beast, at least twelve feet tall and six feet wide. It had three heads, any one of whom looked like it could swallow and one of these five. This was Cerberus. Frank, Billy, Emerson, and Clarke all prepared to fight this thing as best they could. But Hope walked towards Cerberus. She gambled that he would only attack if threatened. Her four friends decided to take the chance and follow her lead. It seemed to work, Cerberus even allowed Hope to pet him like a normal dog. For the crowd, who had come to see blood and bet on the winners, this was anticlimactic, infuriating. They started booing, yelling insults, even threw things at poor Cerberus. Emperor Snow tried to calm the crowd, he knew that this could make Cerberus angry at them. Kilgrave knew this too, and simply fled. The heroes also figured out this new strategy, and adapted. Hope directed Cerberus to run towards the other heroes. Instead of running they helped Cerberus leap into the crowd. He tore most of them apart, sent them back to the torture chamber, at least temporarily. Those who survived were too busy fleeing to stop the five heroes from escaping this particular Hell.