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Gates to Hell
by A.F. Stewart

They have stood for ten thousand years of memory.

Winged obsidian pillars, our gateway to the mountains.

The entrance to damnation.

Now it is my turn to go. I stand between the massive stone monoliths and take one last look at my village. There is no sadness on any of the faces that stare back at me. Only hatred and relief.

They have condemned me. And rightly so.

I spilled innocent blood. It felt glorious, such a thrill.

I rejoiced to see the fear in their eyes, to feel my knife slice across their throats, and watch their life drip away with the blood. I only managed three kills before they caught me, but it was enough.

For now, I stand at the gates, on the path to the forbidden mountain.

Where the demons make their home.

They exist beneath the rock, and we live beneath their shadow. Most in the village barely notice their influence but some, like me, sense them. I hear their voices at night. I feel their presence on the mountain. I am one of the cursed.

For years, I wanted to go to them. Now I can finally pass through the gates.

It is an exhaustive walk, but by nightfall I reach the pit. The swirling cavernous maw that is the doorway to the underworld. I stare into the dark depths with no fear.

Below me is what I earned. Every life taken, the price paid for entry. I smile at the black abyss and step off the edge.

And I fall into welcoming arms.

Fiction © Copyright A.F. Stewart
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from A.F. Stewart:

Visions and Nightmares

Tragedy spares no one… and takes no prisoners.

In the twilight shadows, secrets are revealed past the whispers of madness.

Wander into the realm of the old gods with Elenora, where humanity and marriage are a prison.
Step through a looking glass of dark horrors with an Alice you never knew.
Join with Zenna to seek the truth as her death by magic grows closer.
Journey with Olivia as she crosses paths with a monster of the forest and runs for her life.
Watch Isobel summon the faerie to solve her problem of an unwanted husband.
Shiver as Doctor Killbride experiments with corpses to create life from death.
All that and more await within the pages.

Ten stories. Ten women.
Who will survive? Who will fall? And who will succumb to their inner evil?
Find out in Visions and Nightmares.

Warning: This book contains disturbing scenes that may be upsetting to some readers.

Available on Amazon!