“Move to the door.” His voice was dead serious. “And don’t do anything.”
The shuttle started to shake something fierce. Ana glanced out the windows. Long fingers of mist crawled along the side and then twirled upward, sliding along the stone walls like ribbons of smoke.
Up ahead the heavy weight of gray that blanketed the shaft they traveled was slashed through with a reddish glow. She could see another shuttle in front of them, and beyond several more.
“We’re nearly there.” Declan watched the prisoners carefully, before cocking his head to the side and speaking in low tones. “Stay close, do not touch anything, and for God sakes, keep your mouth closed.”
Ana kept her face calm, uttered not a sound, though inside, every curse word she knew flew about her head.
The shuttle picked up speed and the noise was so loud that nothing else could be heard. Ana stared out the window at the rapidly approaching glow. Hell was not at all what she’d expected.
A screeching sound erupted as the brakes were engaged. The entire cabin shuddered and Ana struggled to keep her footing. Within a few seconds they came to an abrupt halt.
There was nothing but silence. Ana saw the fear in the newbies’ faces and her eyes lingered on the addict. Her thin arms were wrapped around her body as she tried to pull some kind of comfort from what little was there.
The doors slid open and two guards appeared, dressed in black like Ana and Declan, with massive weapons held firm in their grasp. They were demon, the scent was unmistakable.
“Let’s go,” the nearest one shouted.
“Everybody up,” Declan said, waving his weapon at them, “and be quick about it. I’m feeling a little antsy.”
Ana stood back as the entire shuttle emptied, all prisoners taking care not to step anywhere near the still twitching body of the shifter.
She and Declan followed the last one out and Declan nodded to the large demon closest to him. “We’ve got a body that needs a pickup.”
“No shit.” The demon laughed. “There’s always at least one.” He turned and shouted for a cleanup crew and then smiled at Ana. “You staying with him?”
Ana nodded. “Yep.” Her answer was curt and didn’t invite conversation.
The demon grinned. Its human facade was in place and she’d be the first to admit he was handsome. Demons thought humanity weak, pathetic, yet they loved playing dress-up in human skin.
How ironic.
“We’ll take over from here,” Declan interrupted. “Once the cleanup crew is done with the shifter, you boys can head back.”
“Yeah, looking forward to some R&R in District One. It’s been a while.”
Ana followed Declan onto the platform where the group of newbies huddled together. The heat was indeed much worse and she took a moment to study the terrain as Declan consulted with another demon.
The cavern was large, with walls carved from stone that rose to well over two hundred feet in the air. The ceiling was covered in long, deadly, staccato-like stakes. They glistened as if made from glass and a reflection of fire danced inside them. She watched closely, surprised as long drops of water fell from several of them, to splash into steam as they hit the surface.
To her left a smoking river of lava slowly drifted by, disappearing through a crevice at the opposite end of the cavern. In the center of the cavern lay a huge gaping hole. It sported occasional surges of fire, flames that erupted at least fifty feet into the air.
The platform looked like any found in the subway of a metropolitan city in the human realm. Their shuttle was but one in a long line of nearly one hundred.
The entire scenario was unreal, something out of a nightmare. There were hundreds of bodies milling about. Ana shook her head. By her estimation, at least eighty percent of the occupants on the platform were human, from every race and social status—rich, poor, educated or not.
Sinning, it seemed, knew no boundaries.
It was sad, how easily they were swayed. The demons’ influence was much too strong.
No one met her gaze, they were much too afraid.
Regret was a bitch that would eat at them for the rest of their days.
“Okay, we’re heading out.” Declan indicated their group should follow the long line ahead of them. Two large doors swept open, loud creaks echoing into the cavern as they did so. From between them thick fog swirled outward, falling along the floor like long tentacles.
There was a sickly green tinge to it. Ana heard murmurs, confusion, as unease swept the crowd. There was nowhere to go but through them.