Helltown

At the dump

A large hand burrowed into a pile. It clenched something tight before pulling it to the surface. "No, no, no," a desperate voice pleaded. Cassandra peaked out from her hiding. The two hog demons have grabbed an elderly man and were torturing him. He was skin and bones, with a long completely white hair and beard. Feeble, he could barely scream as they held him down and gouged his eye out.

The two snorted with glee, holding a bloody eyeball.

"Come on, guys," he whispered with a shaky voice. "Give that back," he pleaded. 

The pig creature howled from laughter, still holding the eye. "You want it?" he yelled and threw it as far as possible. "Go and find it?"

The old man bowed his head, tired and weak. His tormentors snickered, alerted by a new sound.

"Incoming," the other yelled, pointing up. A young man, which Cassandra saw a while ago, finally fell, hitting one of the softer piles. He stood up, still conscious after impact. Looking around, the man let out a horrified scream. Cassandra could see a large bloody hole near his temple and a gun in his shacking hand.

"Looks like another suicide," the first pig creature grunted. A shiver went down her spine, seeing the pig demons approach their new toy.

"Who are you?" the newcomer stuttered.

"The welcoming party," one said with his head high. The other snorted. "Yeah, we are gonna make sure that you have a pleasant everlasting stay."

The young man clasped his face. "This can't be happening. This isn't real! You're just hallucinations my mind is making before it shuts down for good."

"Hmm, can't say I heard that one before," one hog demon said.

"My mother was right. I shouldn't have played such fucked-up games,."

"Well, you'll have a long time to atone for it," the other sneered, stepping towards him.

"Stay back!" the young man stuttered holding up his weapon. 

The pig demons snorted from laughter. "What are you going to do? Shoot? There are no bullets left in there!" one said snarky.

"Yes, there are!" the man bellowed holding his weapon with both hand. Not falling for his bluff, the two sturdy creatures stepped closer with a sly grin.

The fallen soul tried to scare them off to no avail. Finally, he threw his gun at him and ran away.

"Stupid kid!" she thought, covering her face. The laughing hog demons chased after the young man. He was fast but unlikely that he would outrun them for much longer.

Still, once the coast was clear, Cassandra emerged relieved. She walked over to the elderly man who was on all fours tapping the ground, searching for his eye.

"Do you need any help, Sir?" she said. He moaned, still in pain. "I'm sorry I couldn't help. They seemed too strong for me to handle. It's really horrible what they did to you," she explained.

"Oh, it's alright. They were just having fun. Not a lot to do around here besides torturing the weak, you know."

The man looked up. Half of his face was covered in blood, with holes where eyes should be. He widened his mouth into a smile, revealing that most of his teeth are missing as well. She covered her mouth to hide a gasp.

"You must be new here," the man said, and let out a deep sigh. "Well, if you would give me a hand finding my eye..." he said calmly, as if looking for a lost penny.

Taking pity on the poor soul, she directed him to the place where it was thrown. They both searched the gooey ground for what felt an hour.

Frustrated, Cassandra exhaled. "It's like it disappeared completely."

"Oh, no worries. I'll look for another one. It can't be that difficult to feel up," the man said as his skeleton hand glided across the human filth.

"You can use other people's parts?" Cassandra uttered confused.

"Yes... One of the few perks of living here, if you ask me. Seems kind of sinister now that I think about it."

Cassandra nodded in agreement. "In that case, come with me," she said, gently tapping the feeble man on the back.

"Where?" he uttered cowardly, making himself small and tightening his fists fearfully.

She sighed to see someone in such a miserable state. "Do not worry. I won't hurt you," she spoke softly and slowly placed her hands over his shoulders.

"Here's the deal. I will help you find a new pair of eyes, and you will tell me all that you know about this place. All right?"

The man nodded, still suspicious and scared.

"So, tell me about yourself?" she asked friendly.

The man flinched, trembling. "Why do you want to know?" he stuttered.

"Umm... Alright. Can I at least know what century you lived in?" she said carefully.

"The 20th," he replied.

"Really? What country?"

"What's with all the questions?" the man said blunt. "Tell me where you come from first?"

"I'm from the States," she said feeling slightly awkward. "My grandfather fought in WWII. He was stationed in France and..."

The man spat with surprising ferocity. "Those Americans did nearly nothing and expected all the glory... Now my people! Those were warriors! Loyal and fierce, they obeyed my every order. And if they didn't, well, you probably read about it in history books."

Cassandra listened without interrupting, yet with each word she grew more uncomfortable. Who was he? As the blind man reminisced, he grinned as his bloody face turned up.

"Those were the days", the man boasted. "You would think I would get into Heaven for all my accomplishments. But my efforts for my nation did not seem to please the Almighty. Which was funny because as young I wished nothing more than to serve him..."

"And how did you die?"

"Pardon?"

"How did you die? Were you murdered? Natural causes? Did you kill yourself?" she murmured with wide open eyes.

The man pondered. "It was a stroke," he finally uttered.

Cassandra made a face, shaking her head disgusted. "Good enough. Let's go," she said, pushing him with a little more force. She did not ask about his life anymore, only inquiring about information she may need in this horrible place.

Once near the shack, she said, "There it is. Just go straight, and you will be able to feel up the door. In the first room is everything you need, but watch out for the back. There is a hog demon trapped there."

"I see," the blind man uttered.

"Whatever you do, do not feed him. He may regain his strength and attack you," she said. "Just keep him as you would your prisoner. Alright?"

"Yes, comrade. Thank you. I do not know if I ever met a kinder person here?" he spoke, placing his hand on his ribbed chest and slowly staggered towards the hut.

Sighing to his remark, she said goodbye. As he entered, she went on her way, wondering how such an evil man could end up so weak and fearful. 

Once in front of the gates, Cassandra stood observing. The large dark skyscrapers seemed even more intimidating up close, leaving a miniscule creature like herself to feel even smaller. All around the walls, she could see poor, battered people begging. They were almost naked and thin like skeletons, most of them old and fragile. The blind man told her about them. Still unaware of the reality they found themselves in, robed and scared, they begged strangers for some sort of mercy. 

From a far, she watched a group of strong men approach one such beggar. They were not hog demons but shared most of their characteristics. "Selling my arm for some warm clothes and a decent meal," he uttered desperate. The males glanced at each other, snickering as they picked him up. The old man tried to scream, but it was no use. No one would come to his rescue anyway. 

She took a deep breath and walked through the large gray stone arch. 

"Watch where you're going!" someone yelled right off the bat. She looked around frowning, tempted to try out her mace. Luckily, the place she was looking for was nearby.

The brothel was a huge long building with an old-fashioned roof. Pieces of walls were taken out to make space for cages with half-naked dancers inside. A sign stood in front of the brothel. It was old with large faded red letters spelling out 'Dominatrix wanted! Inquire inside'. She stood close by, pondering. "This doesn't seem like that bad of a position," she thought, gliding her chin with her clawed hand. "I mean how hard can it be?"

Smirking, she closed her eyes, imagining herself in a black leather outfit. The room was dark and filled with chains. She was whipping a hog man in a business suit, who swung upside down, squealing from glee through his poorly adjusted human face. After a while, she leaned in and grinned at the hanging creature. "Enjoying your torture while your wife waits for you at home?" The creature tilted its head, letting out a confused grunt.

"What? You told me to hurt you?" she told him smug.

"Thinking about applying?" a female voice startled her out of her thoughts. It was a young woman, seemingly her age. Pretty and tall, with a tail much like hers, she stood nearby. 

"What's it to you?" Cassandra said blunt. Unfazed, the girl got closer. Cassandra flinched, feeling a sharp pain in her back. Her companion continued to stand next to her, secretly placing a dagger onto her spleen.