Answers from Hell
By: David K. Montoya
Twin Falls, Idaho, 1983
A florescent light buzzed as three men sat down at a small kitchen table. It was early in the morning and for meth users who were awake for almost three days with no sleep, boredom begin to set in. As Warren melted the methamphetamine and drew it into a syringe, his younger Brother Landon decided to fetch a board game he purchased the prior weekend from under his bed.
Landon walked back into the kitchen while the other two took turns injecting the drug into their bodies. He placed the game onto the table next to his cousin Dwayne and hurriedly grabbed up the needle for his fix. Once the warm, deadly fluid was in his system, Landon said, "I have a game we can play to pass the time."
"Ah, a game," Dwayne said, he was unable to be still from the drug. "I say we need to go find some girls...that's a game I'm interested in playing."
"Dude, you know it's almost three in the damn morning," Warren said, as he grabbed for an almost empty pack of cigarettes. "The only chicks awake at this time are prostitutes on Valley and you remember how bad he had the crabs from the last chick?"
"Besides dude, we all know you are gay as Freddy Mercury," Landon said. "We've grown up together, there is no reason to hide it...we love ya no matter how much dick you want."
Although what his younger cousins said was in fact true, Dwayne was afraid. His religious beliefs said that if he were to lay with another man he would go to Hell. Despite the sadness and torment, it caused him, Dwayne never came out and pretended to be a macho man who was a womanizer although, secretly he took no pleasure in it whatsoever. Uncomfortable with the words said at the kitchen table, he laughed and said, "Screw you guys! I get more poontang than either of you put together! Say another insulting thing like that and I will mess both of you up bad!"
There was an uneasiness at the kitchen table before Warren asked his brother, "So what game do you have?"
Landon unfolded the cardboard to reveal with was an old Ouija board, Dwayne jumped up and away from the table in fear. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I don't screw with those things!"
Warren and Landon both laughed at Dwayne's reaction.
"Are you afraid it will send you to hell," Warren said and lit his cigarette. "As were drugs and fornication won't?"
"Well we can't play it," Dwayne said as he pointed at the board. "It doesn't have a pointer thingy."
"Planchette," Landon corrected. Both Dwayne and Warren looked at him with surprise. "What? They are called Planchettes. Besides we can replace it with a shot glass...seen it done hundreds of times."
Landon got up and walked over to a cupboard and grabbed a small shot glass—it was nothing fancy in its appearance a standard one–and–a–half–ounce container made of glass. He considered the black one with the red devil engraved in it, but, how bad Dwayne was freaked out, he passed.
The three cousins moved apart from each other and formed what resembled a triangular shape. Everyone placed their index finger onto the makeshift Planchette, and Warren asked, "Well, what should we ask it?"
"You have to see if anyone wants to talk to us," Landon explained. "Hello, is there anyone on the other side that wants to talk with us?"
There was a long moment of nothing before Dwayne said, "Man, this is a bunch of bullshit."
As if Dwayne said the magic words, the glass took off in a fast movement as it spelled out: I A M H E R E Y O U I M P A T I E N T P R I C K.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Dwayne said to his cousins mockingly. "I'm supposed to believe that a ghost called me a prick?"
"It wasn't me man," Landon said with a shrug.
"Me neither, Dwayne," Warren said in an uneasy tone.
"Well, I don't believe in ghosts," Dwayne said. The drugs were circulated in his system and he was in an aggressive state of mind.
The makeshift planchette took off again and spelled out: I A M N O T A G H O S T I A M N O T A G H O S T I A M N O T A G H O S T.
"So, what are you," Landon asked. Though his bother and cousin were scared, he was infatuated with the supernatural and the other side.
Immediately after the question was asked it once again moved the glass: A N G E L
"Bullshit you are an angel," Dwayne shouted. "You're evil."
A N G E L O F L I G H T was spelled out.
"So, you want me to believe you are the Devil," Dwayne asked. "I've read the entire Bible from front to back, you can't fool me."
A N G E L O F L I G H T was spelled out again.
"Screw you, liar!" Dwayne screamed at the board.
S C R E W Y O U S C R E W Y O U S C R E W Y O U, was spelled out as it zipped across the cardboard.
"All right," Dwayne said as he stood from the table. "I'm finished with the trash."
An hour had passed Dwayne was lost in a porno on SelecTV, angry because he was sleepy.
They gave me some bad shot Dwayne thought. What rock was expensive...I gonna get them in the morning for screwing me over!
Dwayne's eyes grew heavy and was almost on the verge of slumber when he heard Landon, he called out from the kitchen. "Hey Dwayne, it wants to talk to you?"
"Tell that devil to piss off," Dwayne said in a groggy voice.
"Oh, come on, don't be a party pooper," Landon yelled out from the kitchen. There was a brief pause before the cousin continued. "It said that it just wanted to apologize for earlier."
"All right," Dwayne said and got of the comfortable sofa and staggered into the kitchen where the other two continued to play with the Ouija board. He sat down at his original place at the table. "You got something to tell me?"
"You have to put your finger on the glass for it to work," Landon said as he pointed at the shoot glass.
"Fine," Dwayne said and put his finger on the makeshift planchette. "Okay what do you have to say?"
The glass jerked and warned: I A M G O N N A G E T Y O U I N Y O U R S L E E P T O N I G H T
"Fuck you," Dwayne screamed and jumped up from the table.
The two brothers remained in position and assisted the planchette to spelled out: F U C K Y O U F U C K Y O U F U C K Y O U G E T Y OU
Dwayne stormed off to his small room, there was not much space for much just his queen–sized bed and a chest of drawers with a small black and white Zenith Television on top. Once inside, he slammed the door behind him and jumped onto his bed. Scared and afraid, said, "Screw them, that wasn't funny. They know the Devil is out to get me."
Dwayne leaned forward until on his hands and knees. He stretched to reach the turn dial on the television set, with a click of the dial a different program appeared on the screen. The final channel found a televangelist who appeared to be in the beginning of his sermon.
Dwayne sighed and plopped back into his bed, he prayed under his breath in fear more than in faith, until he was fast asleep.
"Id est simul excitare ad stultus est?" a voice said as Dwayne awoken in his room.
"He's waking now," said another voice, it was identical to Dwayne's.
"O gaudium tempus ut incipiat." The first voice said.
What kinda language is that guy speaking, Dwayne thought.
"It's Latin," the second voice said with a chuckle.
What? What? They can read my mind? Dwayne questioned in his mind.
"Quidem intra tecum," the first voice said with a chuckle.
What? Dwayne thought.
"He said, of course, we are inside there with you." The voice explained.
This is like some scary movie, Dwayne thought and then slowly opened his eyes.
As they came to a complete open, he watched as his own lips involuntarily moved. "This isn't a movie."
Dwayne stared up and the ceiling and saw a giant's head, there were on visible eyes as they were removed, and blood flowed from the sockets. The creature's long white hair dangled down and formed into serpents that snapped at Dwayne's face.
Behind the creature's head were thirteen portals into what Dwayne assumed was Hell. His eyes moved from space to space, each were other people doing wrongful deeds. The ones closer to the bottom were more horrific—torture, rape and murder.
The final thirteenth portable was deep mountainous cave consumed of hellfire, in the middle an iron chair sat. It glowed red from the heated metal, while small devilish creatures danced and laughed around it.
It's empty Dwayne thought in horror.
Although Dwayne had no control over his mouth, it produced a sinister laugh and said, "Non enim diu!"
A sense of evil flushed over Dwayne and tears fell from his eyes. He tried to sit up but was physically unable to.
Finally, the blind giant's head laughed, and his forked tongue struck Dwayne's nose. It was a pain unlike anything he ever felt. Then the creature that from the ceiling spoke his words rattled the surrounding area. "Non enim diu."
Then evil laughter filled the room.
Dwayne cried in fear. What are they saying?
"It won't be empty for long," his mouth hissed.
Oh God help me, Dwayne cried out.
"There is no God here," the second voice said.
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