Shadow Dweller Series Book One Purgatory

Chapter 2

                Anabel stood there looking at the door. She was afraid to go in, she wasn't sure what to expect. It was only a hotel, maybe she'd find clean clothes and a nice bed for her to sleep in while she waited. "Maybe I'll wake up from this nightmare," she said out loud before opening the door.

                Looking around the lobby, it was small and dark. Candles all around, a small lite room caught Anabel's attention. She quickly walked over to it, a large man stood there. "Hello Anabel, Michael told me you needed somewhere to stay while they figure out your case?" he said grabbing a key, "please follow me," he said walking from behind the window, and through a small hallway covered by a blanket.

                "This place is cozy," she said rubbing her arms, she wanted to go home. "I can't wait to be back in my bed, and this nightmare is over."

                The tall man just laughed at her, he knew she wasn't going anywhere, this was just another stop. "You do realize you are here forever, this is just another stop for a lost soul," he said looking down at her.

                "But, I'm not lost. I had a life, I knew where I wanted to retire and die. This is too soon!" she cried, the tears wouldn't stop. "I'm not dead!!" she growled running away from the man. She wasn't sure where she'd go; this whole new world was something she was afraid of. She stopped to catch her breath.

                Looking around, she didn’t know anyone. It was like everyone was in their world, and the others didn’t matter. Anabel wanted to find out where Carlos went, she didn’t want to stay in the hotel by herself. She didn’t like Carlos much, but at least he talked to her and didn’t act like she wasn’t there.

                Wandering around some of the hallways, Anabel watched as others didn't even notice her, but they had their issues. Most of them were crying, and being dragged away by others that looked like Carlos, except they wore long robes and had different hair colors, styles. "I thought this was supposed to be a place where souls learn about themselves," she said sitting down. "Why do I feel so alone?" Looking down at her feet.

                "You're not alone, everyone is around you," Carlos said walking towards her with two other men. "Why did you run from the hotel?" he said stopping in front of her. He wanted her to run, he wanted to torture her soul a little bit and make her stay there as shitty as possible. He was already having a bad day, and Michael ordered him to keep an eye on Anabel. He wasn’t up for babysitting a new soul that didn’t want to accept she was dead and there was no turning back. He was the reason she was there.

                Anabel didn’t want to look at him, "Because I'm confused and lost, isn't that why I'm here?" she said wiping the tears away.

                Carlos rolled his eyes; he didn’t care she was having a bad day. "Well forgive me, but we have rules. I dropped you off at the hotel; you should have gone to your room. Now if you come with me willingly, I won't have to force you." he said extending his hand. "But I will use force if I have to." He watched her eyes look at the men standing behind him. “Yes, they will force you.”

                Anabel looked at Carlos again, he looked like he was pretty pissed off that he had to come and find her, she slowly got to her feet, "I guess I don't have a choice." she said following him back to the hotel.

                "Everyone has a choice, your choice was no pain." he half smiled at her. "Besides I probably would have gone easy on you at least the first couple of lashes." Looking back at the two men following him, "Those two are just for show, but they come in handy when you have an angry soul." He said pointing at them.

                Anabel rubbed her arms, she was hoping he wanted to take her home and she would wake up with a hangover or something. "Uh-huh, when am I going to wake up from this nightmare? I want to go home, I want my bed," she whined.

                "Well, that might be a problem, unless you escape from here, which you won’t. You'll have to settle for our accommodations." Carlos said pushing her towards the door.

                “Fine if I have to.” She said looking at him. “I hope this is just a dream.” She said shaking her head. Purgatory sucked.

                Carlos didn’t say anything, he handed her key to her room, and walked away. She stood there for a few minutes and watched him walk through another door. Pushing the card down, the door opened. Before Anabel went in, she looked down the hallway hoping Carlos was standing there watching her, but he wasn’t.

                Hours seemed to go by, Anabel expected a knock at the door, but it remained silent. She knew she couldn’t walk around, but staying in the room was making her crazy. She wanted some air. Opening the door, she hoped this anxiety she was feeling would stop so she could lie on the bed for a little while, but it continued to bother her.

                Deciding she couldn’t deal with the room anymore, she needed to walk around. Opening the door, she looked down the hallway, it was empty. Walking around the halls again, everything seemed the same. Turning the knob to another room, she walked in. The room was lit by candles, a small group of people sat in the center of the room. A man stood at a blackboard writing something.

                “You do not belong here.” A grouchy old man looked up at her when he turned to say something to the people he was teaching. “You are not welcomed here.” He pointed at her.

                “Uh sorry.” She said. “I’m just trying to find my way out of here. I know I don’t belong here.” She complained.

                “Girl, do you think I have time for your problems?” he said getting down off the stage and walking hastily towards her. “Get out!” he said pushing her out the door, slamming it in her face.

           Stumped by the old man, she continued her walk down the hallway, Carlos stood there. “You don’t listen do you?” he growled, his arms crossed.

           Anabel crossed her arms, she didn’t need some guy on a power trip trying to tell her what to do, “So what, I’m tired of sitting here thinking about what they are doing, if my case was so important, don’t you think they’d tell me what was going on with it?” Anabel challenged back.

           Carlos rolled his eyes, “These things rarely happen; you can’t expect them to get to an answer right away.” He walked closer to her, “relax you just got here it’s not like you have anywhere else to be.” He wanted to comfort her, but he was guilty of not being able to save her because of a demon issue.

           Anabel turned to walk away, “I can when it’s my life that depends on it. My body might still be alive; no one can tell me it isn’t. I still have a chance to make it out of here and back to my body before anyone declares me dead.”

           Walking through another door, it turned cold instantly. Anabel rubbed at her arms trying to get warm. “You know, some of these rooms you don’t want to go into. You might fall into a hole” Carlos said coming up behind her.

           Anabel turned to face him, “So what, I rather fall into a hole, maybe then I’ll truly die and not have to be here anymore, you know this is just like where I’m from. Slow, slow, and slower.” She complained, “But, what do you know?”

           “For not being a suicide, you seem pretty sure about death.” He said sarcastically.

           Anabel was getting tired of this man thinking he could just talk to her the way he was. She wanted to hurt him, but she knew the pain she felt would probably just get worse trying to hurt Carlos. “Whatever, are you even alive? Are you even real?” she growled at him, pushing at his chest.

           “How do I feel?” he said. “Solid right?” he laughed at the expression on her face. Carlos was enjoying everything about Anabel. She wasn’t even trying to hurt him, or if she was she wasn’t doing a very good job at it. “Are you done trying to hurt me? Because you’re just going to hurt yourself.” He said laughing at Anabel's struggle.