I awoke on the cold hard ground. The air around me was thick and ashy. I leaned up and looked around me. My heart was pounding fiercely inside my chest. The portal lay at my back. Its soft glow slowly going out. I would not be going back through there.

I was in a wasteland. No matter where I looked there was nothing of remembrance. The air was nothing but fog. I couldn't see any light anywhere. It was almost like I was under the very Earth itself. I stood on my feet and looked around. Where was Caylpso? She couldn't have gone very far. There was seven Realms of Hell. I was in the first one. Surely, she couldn't have went farther down?

The seven Realms were the layers going down until you reached the home realm. We had names for these places. I was in the first one. Limbo. It was here that the tortured souls that did neither good nor evil waited for the rest of eternity. There was nothing to be done for them now. They had abandoned Christ and for that they were abandoned here. I would have to watch my step.

I would not be welcome here. The stone was rough and cut my feet. I walked forward. My wings I tucked as close to my body as I could. I didn't know when or where I would have to take flight. I had no idea what I was about to encounter. This was not something Gabriel had taught me. I delved deep into my being. I materialized a glowing seraph blade. It took longer than usual. My power down here was diminishing.

What would happen when it was all gone? I didn't want to think of that. I held my sword in front of me and began walking through the mist. I came to a gate. It hung on rusted hinges. I pushed it open with the palm of my hand. I was where no angel feared to tread.

The gate creaked as I pushed it open. My dress billowed behind me. I was not expecting the things I was about to see. The gate opens into a wide field. Dirty people huddled close together. There wails traveling through the air. Some were screaming, others were crying, and some were laughing hysterically. I felt a chill sweep through my body.

They all were dressed in rags. I was still a few feet away. What was I to do? I stuck out like a sore thumb. I looked around me. The field had debris littering all around it. I kicked a few boards over to see if I could find anything. What I found was a dirty blanket of some sort. Its fabric itchy. It would have to do. Using my blade, I cut holes into the fabric. I pulled it over my head.

It covered most of me, but I still didn't look the part. My hair was not scraggly like the rest. I ran my dirty hands over my head, trying to smudge it up a little. I pressed the blade as close as I could to avoid it being seen. I now at least didn't stick out that much. I took a deep breath.

Oh, the things I do for love.

I stepped toward the masses of the dead. I needed to find the second doorway. I needed to find a way through. I couldn't be stuck in Limbo for all of eternity. I shuffled closer and closer. There was a path leading through. I could see the start of it. The dead were all just standing, sitting, and laying everywhere. They were in my way. I could see the path among the outer edges of feet. I had to walk amongst them. I had to follow the path.

I was never good at diplomacy but I really didn't want to push through everyone. But that was what I had to do. They would not move! They were all stuck inside their own heads. I tried gently at first, but some I had to push. I slipped past all the dirty mucked up limbs. All I could smell was the scent of thousands of unwashed bodies. These people were slowly rotting.

I felt guilt crushing to bury me. I would not want this fate on my worst enemy. Just standing here, never dying. Doomed to an eternity of suffering. I had not expected to see this. Nobody told me about the sight of all these people crying out for help. I swallowed my guilt and kept pressing forward.

I had to keep checking that I was on the path. It was hard with all the bodies around me fighting for space. I tried not to look into their faces. I felt something hard bump into me and stop me short. I looked up and I couldn't help it. I screamed.

The man in front of me had no eyes. Only holes. His mouth hung open in a soundless scream. I had never seen anything like this! The people on the edges still looked normal. I looked around me. All these people were all disfigured somehow. I was deeper in then I had gone before. I turned around, I couldn't even see the gate where I had started at. I was now among the masses.

I breathed through my mouth as often as I could. The stench of decay was slowly trying to choke me. It smelled worse than anything I had smelled before. How could these people not notice? They just went shambling along oblivious to it all. I had not seen one with any awareness at all in their eyes. What kind of torture was this? What were they seeing? Anything? Did they even know who they were?

I felt limbs brush against me as I pushed my way through. I hated being this close to them. Their skin felt wrong, cold and alien. They didn't seem to belong. Maybe it was me who doesn't belong. I was a part of the dead but I served the light. These people were forever into the dark. For their sins they have been given this destiny. There was nothing I could do about it. Then why did my heart still ache?

I didn't remember my past life. So, I didn't recall anything that I had done wrong. Why were these people any different? I seen woman, men, of all races and sizes. Some wore fancy clothes, others rags. They all were the same color grey of everything else. Some wore nothing at all. There clothes rotted away a long time ago. Here in Hell, they were all the same. I was the only thing different.

I kept my head down and tried my best to just remain content on my mission. I had to find Calypso. She had to have gotten through this. I hadn't seen her anywhere near the portal entrance. She had to have descended into Hell. I had to find her before it was too late. And then hopefully we could get out of here quickly. I hadn't seen any demons of yet. But I knew it was only a matter of time.

I just hoped that when the time came I would be strong. The light of our Lord was strong, but down here the power of the dark ruled. This was there land not ours. We did not belong here. I could feel that with every step I took. The ground crumbled with every step. The bodies pressed tight together. Walking with no purpose, they had no purpose. Their sightless eyes looked at things that I could not see. I felt nothing but pity.

It was getting harder and harder to squeeze through. The people here were not moving much. They were the worst I had seen so far. They were naked and desiccated. Most had missing limbs or limbs hanging by threads of muscle that kept it connected. I fought the urge to gag. The smell and the sight made my stomach want to heave. They were the worst of the lot. All the sounds they made were soft moans. It was almost like they have given up. I couldn't blame them.

What would it be like? To have nowhere to go, nothing to do, and nothing to be done about anything? Just a life of nothing? It would drive me insane. Just as it had done to all these people. Whatever they had did on Earth, I felt sorry for them. They had the option to join us in Heaven with our Lord, but they chose this instead.

I slipped and crawled through the bodies. I kept my eyes trained on the path. It was broken and sometimes I lost it. I would have to back track and pray my hardest to come across it again. It was an arduous task. I was beginning to wish that Calypso was here. Just so I could give her a good smack across the head. This was not a place for the guardians of the light. What could she have been thinking?

To come here alone? With no plan and no way to go back? It was stupid and reckless. She could be captured, she could be tortured. Down here our Lord did not rule. This was a place for the damned. Down here, her wings would not save her. Her wings would only bring her more pain. That was why I had wisely covered myself the best I could. I hoped she would be smart enough to do the same.

A hand closed around my wrist breaking me from my thoughts. I looked up into a nightmare. A man had a grip on my arm. His sightless eyes unseeing. His grip tightening by the second. Why had this one reacted to me? I tried prying my wrist from his grasp. He started to make a weird groaning sound. What was he doing! I yanked my arm back as hard as I could. His fingers snapped as they broke, my arm was now free.

I looked around me. Thousands of sightless eyes were now turned in my direction. Could they sense me for what I was? Could they tell that I was not one of them? I began to feel sweat dripping down my face. I had to get out of here. I looked down to quickly see where the path was. It was still going straight. Screw this. I started pushing everyone and everything out of my way. Arms made a slow move to grab me. I dodged them the best I could. I had completely forgotten about my sword. I slashed at the ones who made actual contact. There groans vibrating in my ears.

I knew that I was being reckless. But I was scared. I didn't want to be in the middle of these rotting corpses. I needed to get out of here! I shouldered past as many as I could. Always keeping my eye out for the path. My breath came in ragged and painful. I was getting tired. I was no longer human, but even Angel's get tired. I was almost about to lose my hope when I saw it.

A gate.

A gate just like the first one. There was nothing on the other side. Just fog. I didn't know what was on the other side. But I did know that I had to reach that gate. I didn't want to think what would happen to me if I didn't make it. Would these dead creatures tear my body limb from limb? Would my wings be ripped from my back in blood and gore? I was starting to lose my peace of mind. I had to get out of here!

I slammed my body against anything that was in my way. My panic and fear driving me nearly insane. All I could see was the gate. Once I reached the gate I would be safe. Once I reached the gate, everything would be okay. I forgot all those other beings around me and centered on the gate. It was my last chance.

With a heave and a groan, I reached the gate. Finally! I didn't even bother opening it. I did a quick leap and jumped over it. I crashed into the ground, knocking the breath right out of me. The damned seemed to have forgotten about me. It was almost as if I was never there. They all turned back around and continued with their aimless walking.

I jumped to my feet and threw my hands up. Thank you, lord! I had made it through! My limbs were intact and I was okay. I had made it through the first Realm of Hell. I almost jumped up and down with all the adrenaline that was pumping through my veins. I had narrowly escaped the clutches of all those bodies. I had escaped and I was one step closer to Calypso. I looked one last time at the thousands, maybe millions, of bodies. They were like one big sea of corpses. It was a terrifying sight.

I turned around and followed the path. I almost cried when that path led me to a portal. Its light were a dull shade of green. I could have almost kissed the portal. I was so happy to have reached it. Why haven't the people in Limbo ever reached this far? I turned around. They seemed to not even notice the barrier that blocked off the portal. Maybe they couldn't see it? Maybe that was the power of it. They were forever stuck here no matter how hard they tried to see a way out. I shuddered and turned back around.

I had found it! The second Realm of Hell, here I come! I stopped the urge to smile. My feet were blistered and cracked from the rough stones I had walked on. I really didn't even feel them. I was closer to Calypso and that was all I cared about. I was actually impressed. She had made it this far when I almost thought I wouldn't even make it! I had to give her credit for that.

I stepped forward. The portal glowing eerily from its stand. It was cracked, broken, and alien. It didn't look right. The portal here was at least a little modern. This thing looked like it had been here since the beginning of time. Which to be fair, it probably has. I was going to go through with my head held high. I had made it this far. I couldn't go back now.

I stepped closer and walked through the green lights. I didn't know what would meet me on the other side. But I felt that maybe I could beat it. Calypso was out here somewhere. I had to find her. I just hoped that when I did, she would be okay. This trip into Hell was changing me in ways that I really didn't like. I shouldn't be seeing these things. I just hoped that Calypso was okay, wherever she was.

I took a deep breath and let the portal take me away. I was glad to see the Realm of Limbo fade away into the nothing. I really didn't like that place.