Milton was back to his old self, head, and eyes all where they should be, his work uniform prim and proper.
Santos recognized him. He was not Milton, but Santos' very special tick he couldn't remove. He wasn't going to let him leave and had come to greet Santos personally in the third circle.
Savannah sobbed as she felt the flies still alive in her throat, and retched again all over the carpet. She cried even harder, as they squirmed in the pool of her Blood Red Tomato soup, and she watched as they tried to make their way back up to her.
Santos let out a long sigh, already tired. This was too much, and he had somewhere to be.
"What are you doing here," Santos shouted.
"I came to see you, Lyrica," Milton said. "I love you-"
"Bullshit," Santos screamed. "That's why it smells like shit in here! You're full of it!"
"Don't-"
"You're so full of shit, that's why your eyes are brown!"
"You need to relax," Milton said. "There is no need for-"
"Wait. Why are your eyes brown? "
Milton giggled and he stood still, stiff as a statue. His mouth didn't move, and neither did his face, as he slid to the right, across the red carpet, and up the wooden walls, and up onto the ceiling.
It was more like the room had turned, instead of Milton standing still and sliding upside down. Santos wasn't sure which was which, if they had both moved in opposite directions at the same time, the feeling of just standing , now disorienting.
"You're not Him. Who the fuck are you," Santos asked.
Don't you recognize me, the walls said. I'm your big brother, the third to fall.
" Ah fuck. I hate your nasty ass."
THAT'S NO WAY TO SPEAK TO YOUR ELDERS!
Santos held Savannah tighter, as one by one, the walls fell down, the ceiling rose into the air, and the carpet burned away, revealing grey stones and dirt. They stood in the center of another pit, this time on a grey plateau.
Around them circled pale men and women, sludging through waste and excrement. Flies landed on them, but they didn't bother to wave them away. There were too many, and if they made one leave, ten would take its place.
Milton still stood, upside down, feet firmly planted in the air. His glasses fell off and sunk into the pit, and the pale souls scrambled for it, happy for something new. A lucky soul grabbed onto it first, and he grinned his first real meal.
Santos felt like his own tongue was cut open as the damned soul bit into Milton's glasses, crunching on the plastic and thick glass. He savored the pain, something to feel instead of hunger, and loved the sound of his jealous complaints of the other prisoners in the pit along with him.
Santos gently placed Savannah on the ground, and he tried to coax her, to get her to stop crying, but it was no use. This circle of Hell was not like the others. The first prince of Hell had come to give them a warm greeting, and he was not one to play games.
With a heavy sigh, Santos was already bored. He was trying to leave as fast as possible, and this was going to take up his time.
"Beelzebub, just let us leave, please, " Santos pleaded.
The demon spoke again, his mouth and body still not moving.
Asmodeus let you leave because he thinks with his cock. I will not let you leave. I hate you.
"You… hate me?"
You stole Him from me! I was his favorite! I loved him before you!
"You can have him! Why are you people talking as if we were dating?"
You weren't?
"No," Santos shouted. " Fuck no!"
Beezlebub didn't expect this. He was sure that Santos had not come back to life, and returned to Hell to steal Him away from them. Now that he knew it wasn't happening, Beezlebub was neck-deep in his own shit.
Literally and figuratively.
He fell into the river of garbage that circled around the plateau, and Savannah finally stood up, the last of the flies emptied from her bowels. Santos hugged her and she cried silently.
"You're so brave, you can do it," Santos told her.
"No, I'm not. I'm not. "
He wiped away her tears and tried to sell his lie, with his predatory grin.
"Savannah, I believe in you. You can do anything. "
"R-Really?"
"Yeah! We can do anything if we work together!"
He didn't believe that she could do anything, and he still had no idea how to leave, but Santos knew that if they just kept going they could find another gate. Santos needed her to stop panicking because he couldn't keep her alive and kill Beezlebub at the same time.
Savannah nodded, and wiped away the last of her bloody tears. She stood up straighter and was ready to fight. She wasn't going to die, again. "I can do anything! I can do it," she shouted.
"That's right! Believe in the me that believes in the you," Santos shouted.
Savannah broke off the heels of her shoes and now had impromptu flats, easier to walk in. She held them in her hands, like daggers, wild-eyed, ready to take on the world. Santos tried not to laugh, as all of a sudden, with just a few words, she believed in herself.
Her bravery disappeared as a new challenger entered the arena.
Damned souls fell from the sky, the screams echoing as they fell up, towards the river of pestilence. The river led into a lake of blood and limbs, made filthy with the waste and bile of the river that emptied out the pit.
From the lake of blood pushed out a giant head. It had the face of Beezlebub, and it opened its mouth wide, the new prisoners falling into his mouth. Teeth gnashing and groaning, the large head chewed them up in his mouth, the blood dripping down his chin, adding more to the lake of blood.
"Yeah, I can't do this," Savannah said. "We need to leave. "
"Same."
The head rose further, still chewing its food, and more of the body could be seen.
It had the body of a lion, but the hands of a man as feet. It climbed out of the bloody lake, and it slipped around, its scorpion tail flailing into the wind. Its grotesque and long, curling nails carved up the cracked, grey ground, the ridges filled in with the feces and manure of his prisoners.
Santos picked up Savannah, and she didn't protest, still thinking that Santos knew what he was doing. The back of his green suit tore, his black wings breaking free, and he flew into the sky, trying to find an exit. He soared from above, watching the foul beast make its way to the pit.
It opened its mouth, and now they learned the source of the waste. It all spilled out of his mouth, and the flies flocked toward it. Pale bodies slid out as well, and they wailed, screaming about their demise.
A sudden hunger overcame them, and they started to eat. They ate and ate, feasting on their own corpses, their souls never fulfilled. Santos's left eye blinked, then his right.
He didn't want to see anymore.
He didn't have a choice because the monster headed right for them, its mouth gaping wide. Now that it was closer, Santos could see its extra row of teeth, limbs stuck between its jagged teeth.
"Hello Lyrica," the monster said. "I've heard so much about you, the loser."
"What is he talking about," Savannah asked.
"Don't worry about it."
"I am so impressed that the weakest of heavenly beings was able to make it this far," the monster cackled. "The meat suits are right! Life does find a way!"
His laughs were not gravely like the demons or light-hearted like a person, but musical in nature. The sounds of trumpets blared as he laughed louder, and the monster whipped his tail around ready to strike.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Unlike Beezlebub I am not jealous, I want the reward, " the monster said.
"Reward for what," Santos asked.
" You, of course. Whoever brings you to Him, gets their own permanent host, and free reign to walk upon Adamah as they please."
With this new information, Santos wished that instead, they tried to kill him. He would rather be dead than be stuck with his psychotic older brother, that for whatever horrid reason, made it sound like they were in a committed relationship.
"Tell me how to get out, and when I see him, I'll put in a good word," Santos snickered.
The monster was not amused, and he charged towards them, shaking the ground and crushing the wandering souls underneath. Santos swooped down and picked up Savannah. She complained the entire time, screaming that she could fly on her own, but stopped once she saw the beast belch.
He sprayed out a purple, poisonous miasma, and Santos flapped his wings harder, trying to focus as Savannah's screams and the smell were overbearing.
The stench was so bad, his eyes were starting to water, and it was now hard for him to see, as he couldn't find a way out. The monster with Beezlebub's face, laughed, trumpets echoing in the sky, and he was bored of playing with his food.
Danas the Manticore was having the most fun he ever had in his undead life.
"Lyrica, don't fight it. I promise to leave your head onto your body so you will be presentable when you meet Him. "
"Go back to eating your own shit, " Santos shouted.
Danas had a wonderful idea. Wonderful for him. He trudged over to the lake of blood, his feet-hands fidgeting and shaking, trying to get the remains of prisoners out from under his nails.
With a loud splash , the manticore stuck its head into the bloody lake and swallowed all of it into his bottomless stomach. It spilled inside his mouth, gushing, soon swallowing the river of shit as well.
Santos was too disgusted to notice the gate at the bottom of the empty lake, but Savannah wasn't. "Look," she shouted. "Let's go! Quick!" She pointed at it and Santos told her a harsh truth.
"You don't belong here. If I get caught while holding you, he'll kill you too. Leave without me."
Savannah didn't need to be told twice. She leaped from his arms and flew down, sparkles trailing behind her. Santos was a little hurt that she was more than willing to ditch him at a first moment's notice.
" Bitch. "
Santos flew off in the other direction, ready to fight the monster head-on. He couldn't get close enough to pop it from the inside out, but he could still use the blasts of his screams to tear into his flesh.
Santos nose-dived and opened his mouth, screaming his favorite profanities.
" Eat my dick. "
The sound of his voice traveled far, the sound waves pushing out, cutting into the monster's scorpion tail. It screamed out in pain, and the excrement in his mouth came pouring right out, down onto Savannah.
She was at the bottom of the empty lake, trying to open the gate. Unlike the others, it was a bank vault, and there was no discernable way on how to open it. A loud splat got her attention and she looked to her right.
An entire ass had fallen from the sky and landed right next to her.
She looked up and saw the filth raining from the sky.
Savannah closed her eyes and accepted her fate.