MaryLeslie Hospital,

"Tragedy struck Rowday's Bridge earlier today when an explosion claimed the lives of three individuals. Among the victims were the truck driver, his counterpart, and one female whose identification was found in the rubble. Her name—Evie Summers."

Ronan sat beside his mother on the hospital waiting chair, with his arms wrapped around her trembling body. Her hands were pressed against her mouth, trying to muffle the pain she couldn't contain while Ronan's eyes remained glued to the screen, unable to pull away.

"Evie Summers," the newscaster continued, "was a senior at Westhaven High, just seven months shy of her graduation. A young life, full of promise, taken too soon in what can only be described as a senseless and heartbreaking tragedy."

Ronan felt his mother's tremors through his arm. He clenched his jaw, and blinked at intervals as he fought back tears.

"This sudden and unnecessary loss of life has left many devastated, especially the families of the victims. Our hearts go out to the parents and loved ones of Evie Summers, and the others involved in this horrific incident. We urge all students and truck drivers alike to take extra caution on the roads. Tragedies like this can be prevented."

He looked at his mother, he saw how miserable and dejected she felt. He couldn't bear it any longer. So, he reached for the remote and clicked off the TV.

"It's okay, Mom," Ronan whispered with a slightly cracked voice, pulling her closer. 

Mrs. Summers shook her head. "How... why... why?" she mumbled with grief. "Just seven months... till she graduated. My little Evie... why?"

Ronan glanced at his mother's tear stained face, she didn't deserve this. Not again. He knew there was no saving his little sister, but his mother insisted on bringing her dead body to the hospital, hoping for a miracle.

The waiting felt like an eternity. Ronan glanced around the room, to check for the doctors. Just then, a doctor entered with a sad look on his face. Ronan's heart pounded as he recognized the look in the man's eyes—it was the same look the doctor had on his face when he pronounced his father dead years ago.

"Mrs. Summers?" the doctor said gently, approaching them with a clipboard in his hand. "I'm very sorry to inform you but Evie was pronounced dead at the scene. There was nothing we could do."

The doctor's words crushed Ronan, how was he going to console his mother? His mother's wails turned into a heart-wrenching cry.

"Why? Why couldn't you save her?" she screamed.

The doctor understood her pain, he shook his head, unable to provide the comfort she needed. "I'm truly sorry for your loss. If there's anything I can do—"

Ronan cut him off softly. "There's nothing you can do. Just… just go." 

The doctor nodded his head and left the two in the waiting room. 

Meanwhile, somewhere in the underworld…

Evie's consciousness returned as her eyes fluttered open. But something was terribly wrong. Her surroundings were nothing like what she'd imagined. Around her was nothing but a red environment and a straight, long endless path that stretched out before her. The sky was red and the clouds were fire balls. The road ahead was lined with jagged rocks and pools of bubbling lava, and the ground was cracked, littered with strange twisted bones. She could hear distant screams of agony, piercing screams.

The heat was unbearable, making her reach up to wipe her forehead, only to freeze when she looked at her hand.

She wasn't solid. She wasn't alive. She could see through her own fucking hands. "What... what the hell?" she stammered, pulling both hands in front of her and trembling as she took in the rest of her body. She was a ghost. A spirit. 

"This can't be real," she whispered. She stood on wobbly legs, spinning around to take in her surroundings once more.

How was she here? Just moments ago, she was driving home. There was an explosion, a blinding light. Her fear grew worse when the memory became clearer. The truck, the bridge… Oh God. Am I dead?

She took a stumbling step back. "No... no, this can't be real," she whispered. "This has to be a nightmare."

She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself to wake up. It was just a nightmare. It had to be. She was only 18. She had her whole life ahead of her. Graduation was just months away. She had plans, dreams. This wasn't how it was supposed to end.

Suddenly, she heard it—a distant rumbling, a sound that made the ground beneath her shake. Her head whipped around, searching for the source of the noise. It grew louder, closer, until she could make out the unmistakable sound of a thousand hooves on solid ground.

From the red fog ahead, dark figures appeared— a horde of demons, grotesque, strange creatures, charging towards her on horseback with their glowing red eyes fixated on her. Behind them was the ugly wails of demons, screeching and snarling as they closed in on her.

The sight of this made her knees buckle. Just then, her survival instincts kicked in. 

Run.

"Help! Somebody, please!" She cried out as she ran for her dear life. She could feel them behind her, gaining ground.

"Mom! Ronan!" she yelled desperately. But no one was coming. 

She could hear the demons' laughter, mocking her fear. Their snarls grew louder as they closed in. Evie's legs grew tired, but she couldn't stop. She couldn't let them catch her, but the demons, they were gaining in on her.

Just as she thought she was done for, something appeared. A massive dark horse, larger than any she'd ever seen, swooped down from nowhere. Before she could react, a strong hand grabbed her, yanking her up into the saddle. She gasped, struggling in the arms of her captor.

"Let me go!" she shouted, pounding her fists against his chest. 

The rider  was a monstrous, heavily bearded half-man, half-demon. Horns stock out from his head, his skin was an ashen gray and his face was cold. He was unlike the demons behind them. He was more refined, more dangerous.

The figure paid no attention to Evie, urging the horse forward. He wasn't running away from the demons—he was charging towards them.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Evie  screamed with her eyes wide as she took in the oncoming horde. "You're going the wrong way!"

He ignored her yet again. As they approached the horde, the demons on horseback yanked their reins, pulling their monstrous horses to a halt. The creatures snarled, with their red eyes on Evie and her captor.

The leader of the demons sneered. "She belongs to us. We found her first."

Evie swallowed hard as she watched the exchange. 

The half-man half-demon who had saved Evie tightened his grip on her and spoke, "I have the girl. She is my gift for the Grand Master."

Gift? What is he talking about? she thought to herself as she trembled with fear. 

The lead demon growled, with his claws flexing as he took in Evie's appearance. "You think you can just take the girl?"

The half-man, half-demon on the horse leaned forward slightly, with a smirk on his lips. "She's already on my horse. Try and stop me."

The other demons began making a hellish amount of noise but none of them dared to move. The leader raised his hand to calm them. His head tilted at the half-demon who held Evie.

"Stand down! Let him pass," the leader ordered.

The horde parted, creating a narrow path for them to ride through. As they passed, Evie's fear increased. She could feel a hundred burning eyes on her. 

"Why aren't they attacking?" She asked with utter confusion.

With his head raised high, he responded, "They'd be dead if they tried."

Evie's voice shook as she dared to speak again. "W-Where are you taking me?"

"The fiery pit called Hell," the half-demon whispered into her ear with a smirk.