Read Online The Deal by David Gallie - Free Book Online Page B

about
twenty feet away from the main doors.
    Feeling certain that it would be locked tight
when I reached it, I tried turning the handle on the door and was
pleasantly surprised to hear it click open.
    The doorway opened out into a
vast and surprisingly green courtyard dotted with
withering trees. A short distance away I could see the great hall.
It was more like a large block of granite with a set of grandiose
doors rather than anything splendid like you would
expect.
    Slowly I made my way between the trees, I was
chronically aware that I no longer had the protection of the monk
so every step I made towards the huge building was carefully
placed. An eerie silence filled the air and all it could take to
bring down a horde of Hellish minions was a simple twig
breaking.
    Travelling the short distance was
painstaking but as I moved closer to the main entrance I spotted
two of those
gargoyle-like creatures standing guard on
either side of the doors, torches burning furiously above their
contorted heads like the rage that must dwell inside
them.
    Using a nearby tree to hide I
studied their movements, hoping that at some point they would break
from their stances and go elsewhere. I could feel frustration begin
to well up inside me as they showed no signs of moving. Eventually, I guessed that I would have to find another way
in, and that was when the idea suddenly occurred to me.
    I had gained entry to the courtyard via a
small service door and I was certain there must be another such
entrance into the building itself. I was already on the east side
of the building so I started off in that direction, again trying to
be as much of a ninja as possible.
    Fortunately, for me, the
parameter of the decaying building was lined only with grass which
seemed to emit a pungent odour every time I stood on it.
    My intuition had been spot on for once in my
life. After a few minutes of walking I finally found the smaller
door I was looking for. I approached it with caution, aware that it
could take only the smallest of sounds to alert the Grimoyle’s to
my presence in their realm.
    I reached out and grabbed the wrought iron
handle, surprised to find that it was warm instead of cold. That
meant someone or something had not long used the door and could
still be close by. I was going to have to do my best ninja
impersonation from that point onwards.
    Turning the handle I slowly edged
the door open, trying to create just enough of a gap so that I
could peek inside. I really shouldn't have been surprised by what I
saw given that I was in Hell, but I could still feel my stomach
lurch as I peered into what must have been the kitchen. A Grimoyle was standing near a work table, a meat clever in its
hand.
    On the table lay a naked man who I did not
recognise was spread out on the table, large nails had been
hammered through the palms of his hands and the shins of his
legs.
    I watched as the Grimoyle grabbed hold of the man’s penis and yanked it hard enough to
tear it free from his body and discard it to the side like a used
tissue.
    The man let out an agonised scream which
briefly filled the air. My natural instinct to help him was
tempered by what the monk said earlier about the woman who had
endured a similar torture only a short time ago.
    No soul in Hell wasn't there for
no reason. They had all done something to deserve their punishment.
But still, as I watched the winged demon begin to hack at the man’s
thigh with the meat
cleaver I couldn't help but wonder just
how long that punishment should be for.
    I continued to watch the demon heft the
severed leg in its bony claws. It seemed impressed with the weight
and trotted off towards a set of stairs which seemed to lead
upwards. If I was going to infiltrate the building now was my
chance.
    As quietly as I could I snuck into the kitchen
and closed the door behind me. I noted that the demon had left
behind the bloodstained meat clever. I quickly made my way over and
grabbed it. Holding it in my right