"You're in hell," the red-skinned creature said with a sinister smile on its face. Hearing this, Beowulf froze due to shock. 'Hell, did he just say Hell?' Beowulf thought. Beowulf looked at his surroundings.
Rows of chains wrapped around the backs of his hands and were nailed to a stone wall behind him. The same was true for his stomach and legs. Beowulf knelt down, and the stone walls in a dimly lit room scared and confused him.
Then he started to smile. "Oh, I see what's going on. This is one of those pranks," Beowulf said.
"Pranks?" the red-skinned creature asked.
"Yeah, pranks. You know? The pranks the W.W.U. does," Beowulf answered. "Where are the cameras? How did you knock me out? What you've done here is really cool. I almost believed I was truly in hell."
The 'pranks' Beowulf was referring to were staged events that would be set up and recorded to make fools out of the W.W.U. wrestlers. It had nothing to do with wrestling, but it was entertainment, and entertainment was what the W.W.U. profited from.
Beowulf had seen many of the pranks done to his fellow wrestlers, and he assumed that it was his turn, but he was wrong. So very, very wrong.
"You almost had me, but I figured it out. So what do you say? Unchain me. This position I'm in—it's really uncomfortable."
The red-skinned creature stared at Beowulf. "Well, denial is a common emotion people get when coming here," the red-skinned creature said. The red-skinned creature got up from its crouched position.
"Listen, buddy. This is no prank. You're in hell."
Beowulf laughed. "Hell? Seriously? There's no such thing. But I gotta give you props for going on with the act. That's some killer makeup, by the way. You gotta tell me who put it on you," Beowulf said.
He was still in denial about his current situation. He couldn't believe what the red-skinned creature said, even for a moment. Hell was just a made-up place to make people pretend to be good. It wasn't real; it couldn't be real.
These were what Beowulf truly believed.
The red-skinned creature let out a cynical laugh. Beowulf started to laugh as well; he still thought what was happening to him was a prank. But as the creature's laughter continued, Beowulf started to have an unsettling feeling.
The creature's laughter wasn't like a regular laugh one would normally hear. It continued far longer than it should have, and it sounded like the creature was mocking Beowulf and deriving pleasure from his confusion.
The creature finally stopped laughing and placed one of its hands on its stomach as it gasped for air. "Oh, this is my favorite part. Seeing the look of confusion and disbelief on a new resident's face when they first arrive in hell. I can't wait for the next time we see each other. Then I'll see your despair and misery when you've truly accepted your fate," the creature said.
"Haha. This is all very funny, but seriously, get these chains off me. I'm starting to get really annoyed. This isn't funny anymore," Beowulf said.
"I'm going to have to disagree with you there. This is VERY funny, and it's going to get even funnier," the creature said. "I can see you're still not buying the whole 'you're in hell' thing. Don't worry. A couple decades in here, and it will sink in."
The creature began walking away from Beowulf. "Hey, get back here!" Beowulf called out to the creature. "Seriously, get these chains off." The creature arrived at a wall. It pressed its hand on it, and the wall started to move sideways, revealing a path outside the cave.
The creature turned back to Beowulf and smiled, revealing its pointed teeth to him. "I'll see you in a few decades," the creature said. It walked out of the cave, and the cave wall slid right back, trapping Beowulf inside.
Beowulf was alone. "I know the W.W.U. loves entertainment, but this is going too far," Beowulf said. "Come on! Seriously, I have an itch on my nose I can't scratch." Beowulf shouted but got no response.
The creature had left, and it didn't seem like he was coming back soon. 'How long do they plan on keeping this prank going? Hopefully not too long.' Moments passed, and the red-skinned creature still hadn't returned.
Beowulf screamed and screamed, hoping for someone to hear him and rescue him, but neither happened. He screamed so much that his throat got sore, and he had to stop.
Moments that felt like years passed, and then Beowulf started to feel hungry—very hungry. So hungry he felt like his stomach was eating itself. He hadn't eaten anything in…. 'How long have I been here? It feels like years. But that would be impossible. I'd be long dead if that was the case. Unless? No, that's impossible. There's no way I'm in hell. I can accept this isn't a prank. That means I've been kidnapped. Yeah. That's the only logical explanation.'
Moments passed that felt like years, and years passed, and Beowulf suffered in his solitude and hunger. "AAAAAAHHHH," Beowulf screamed in pain and frustration. Then the cave wall slid open, and the red-skinned creature walked in.
He saw Beowulf, who had his head held down. "It's been a long time since we last saw each other. Over fifty years now," the red-skinned creature said. Beowulf slowly raised his head to look at the creature, revealing his baggy red eyes and a defeated look on his face. The red-skinned creature smiled.
"There is that despair and misery I just love seeing." The creature crouched down. "Now, do you know where you are?"
"Yeah. I do," Beowulf answered.
The creature's smile widened until it reached the edges of its face. "Good. Now I want you to say it," the creature said.
Beowulf hesitated. It was like the words were stuck in his throat. "Say it!" the creature screamed.
Beowulf let out a huge sigh. "I'm in hell."