Between the Light and the Darkness - Chapter 2

Tim surveyed his new surroundings. It looked like he would imagine Hell to look. It was red all around, and a sulfurous smell lingered in the air. Black tarry puddles were scattered here and there, with slowly churning liquid. Not water, but a thick, tar-like substance.

One of the puddles was churning more than the others. Tim jumped back as something abruptly broke the liquid's surface.

Tim stood aghast, as a horrible demon rose from the depths of the pool.


To say the beast was hideous would be an understatement. Tim watched, rooted to his spot, as the creature continued to lift itself out of the pool.

It scowled at him. Tim felt icy shivers all along his spine, and tried to fight his terror.

The demon closed his eyes as if he were concentrating. This couldn't be good.

Sneering, the demon looked at his hand, where an orb-like object appeared. Finally, Tim managed to turn and run, but it was too late.


He only got a few steps when an agonizing pain sliced through his brain. It was so intense it sent spots before his eyes. He fell to his knees as the world started slipping away.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the demon's face leering over him.

When he woke up, he was sitting in a chair surrounded by odd looking people. No, not people! he thought panickingly. His heart beat spastically in his chest, thumping hard against his ribs. They were...creatures! Nothing like he had ever seen before.

He was violently jerked out of his chair and his wrists were pinned behind his back. He was aware of one of these...persons standing behind him, claws scraping against his skin. It took the majority of Tim's strength to not scream and fight in a mad frenzy. He was outnumbered here, being combative would only make things worse.

Tim noticed an elegant chair sitting immediately before him. 'A throne fit for a king...' he thought wildly. His shirt and forehead were soaked with sweat and his legs threatened to buckle. He locked his knees, took a deep shakey breath and tried to maintain the little composure he had.


The two figures he could see without turning his head, which he dared not do, bowed low to the ground.

A moment later, another being entered the room. He was elegantly dressed, and held a regal disposition, surveying the bowing figures in front of him. Tim surmised that he could only be the ruler of this place.Tim was roughly forced to his knees.

The king stared silently at Tim for a moment before the creatures rose. One of them approached the throne. Tim was pulled back up to his feet. He didn't know how long he could stand there before he passed out. The fog had finally lifted from his brain, but its departure left him feeling weak and dizzy.

The creature had a heated discussion with the king, all the while glancing in Tim's direction. The language was harsh and gutteral, made up of sounds that came from deep within the throat.

The king was obviously displeased. He waved his hands impatiently at the courtmember and glared at Tim one final time before he sat back in his throne, waiting for his bidding to be carried out.


Tim was abruptly wheeled around and pushed toward a set of double doors that led out of the throne room. The creature walked quickly, and Tim had to walk fast in order to not be pushed down in front of it. When he stumbled once, he felt the creature's grip on his wrists tighten. Its claws dug into his arm as it lifted him slightly to keep him from falling. Tim could have sworn he felt the bones in his wrists cracking.


Finally, it stopped in front of a door. The creature fumbled through a ring of keys and opened it. Tim barely got a glance at the interior before he was shoved inside.

He lost his footing and tripped, landing on his face. The door slammed shut and he heard the sound of muffled laughter from the hall beyond.

He suddenly realized that he was exhausted. The abrupt arrival to...wherever and the demon...the strange people who were not at all human, all the forceful handling by the guard, and not to mention the full day of work he had put in before any of this even happened, took their toll.

Maybe I'll just lie here and die... he thought. Then realized that was ridiculous.

He felt soft hands gently rolling him over, while a voice as beautiful as the tinkling of tiny bells filled the air around him.

Finally! A human face! What a sight for sore eyes! And not just any human face - a delicately featured female face of unearthly beauty stared back at him. A cascade of thick silver-white hair fell over her slim shoulders and framed her lovely face. Large, soulful eyes, laced with concern, blinked at him. Lucious lips formed a slight smile as she looked down upon him. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that she wasn't human at all.

She was surely an angel, sent to carry him out of here. She tucked some of her lustrous hair behind her pointed ear...that's odd. She has pointed ears. Yep. Couldn't be human. Clearly the face of an angel. Clearly, he was hallucinating. What a way to go. He was ready. He gave his angel a weak smile before he passed out.