Chapter Seventeen
No Peace
The ninjas could feel the shift in each other's hands as they all continued to hold on to each other's grip, but no one could see what was around them or determine where they were standing. The air felt cold and still, and there was no light or sound. Megan's voice broke the silence, grabbing everyone's attention instantly.
"Look," she said.
Suddenly, everyone could see the silhouette of a figure a good distance away from where they stood. They inched closer, following the angels' lead, and finally got a closer look. The figure bore dark skin and tattered wings resembling that of a bat. Solid, thick, and rusted chains looped under its arms and across its chest, extending over to its spine and locking its wrists in place. A single fastener was placed on either side into the ground, holding the chains in place and giving no room to move. The ground underneath its knees bore an even more horrible sight. Nails took the place of a flat surface, sticking their sharp ends into the soles of its feet and digging their way through its knees. The figure made no sound nor did it acknowledge the presence of the new souls standing just feet away.
"Do you recognize him?" Megan asked.
Everyone held their breath at the mention of the figure being a 'him'. No one had even realized that it was a person they stared at, but Kai was the only one who immediately recognized the identity of the disfigured being.
"Dimitri," he whispered. "Blaire's brother".
The team shifted their eyes onto Kai, then looked back to stare in shock at the soul displayed in front of them. It all seemed so unreal.
"These are the consequences everyone has the possibility of facing when we have unfinished business in our lifetime," Rachel explained. "The chains are a symbol of the burdens he must now carry for eternity: jealousy, manipulation, pain caused by his own hands, suffering done unto others, no forgiveness, and no repentance; this is where it all got him".
Screams suddenly boomed through the still air; the cries and moans of those who could no longer be saved filled their ears. Dimitri showed no response.
Megan turned to face the terrified faces the team could no longer hide, "You can't save them. There's nothing we can do".
The roars grew louder. An array of different voices exploded through the air, screeching out agonizing pleas and profanities.
"Help me, please!" howled a woman's voice.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" croaked another.
A man's harrowing wail shook the grounds underneath, "Let me out of this place! I hate you! I hate you!".
Jay released Nya's and Kai's hands and threw his palms up to his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to prevent the stinging tears from escaping his eyes, all to no avail. His eyes stung with his salty tears, and he could no longer keep control of his body. Every muscle shook violently to no end. Amari recognized that they were running out of time, and that it was beginning to be too much for the team, so she stepped forward ahead of the rest and faced Dimitri. She stopped and knelt inches away from his face as the team continued to stare in silence. The nails poking up from the ground now rested underneath Amari's shoes, yet did not have the same effect on her as they had with Dmitri. It appeared as if the nails disappeared under her feet, but remained underneath Dimitri as his skin dug into the sharpness of each nail.
Amari stared straight into him, not breaking her gaze, then finally spoke up, "Turn to me".
Dimitri did not budge.
"So much destruction you've caused to others and you can't even face me," she gritted through her teeth.
"Do you think these chains are just for decoration?" Dimitri snickered.
"Still think this is all a joke, huh?" she replied.
Dimitri slowly lifted his head. The chains around him clinked together, and as he faced Amari's eyes, everyone could see that there was no longer a pair of eyes on his face to look into, but instead, a set of hollow, bloodied, and blackened pits stared back at her.