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The darkness was absolute, pressing in and enclosing me within its deepest recesses. At first I didn't know what was happening, or where I was, or even what I was. I felt like nothing and everything all at once. Like I could simultaneously touch anything and everything in the world without even moving. Could I move? I didn't even know. I couldn't remember anything. I knew I was alive a second ago, but...how did I die? Was it only moments ago? I suppose I could be dreaming...but then...who am I? And where was I anyways? I was walking at least, and as I walked simple things became a bit more understood.

I turned to look about the place I was walking, suddenly stopping to take in my surroundings. The sky was dark, a gray shadowy thing that loomed over the earth. It looked like many rainclouds swirling and churning like a vicious sea above me. As dark as it was, it had a light to it, a gloomy subdued glow that lit the pathetic land before me. The ground was the same patchy gray hue reflected from the sky. In fact, the whole place was mostly tones and hues of blacks, grays, and whites with a few highlights of color here and there. The ground was cracked and decrepit looking, like a long parched desert. Every few feet an orangish glow shone through the deepest cracks, giving a hint of what may lie beneath. The land was mostly barren ahead of me, save but a few long dead trees, shrubs, and a vast dark river that blocked all paths to the other side.

A hollow figure stood at the front of small boat resting at the shoreline closest to me. The figure was tall, hooded, and like the land before me just as dead and lifeless. His bony hands clung to a long pole that disappeared into the depths of the water. The boat, also decrepit looking, held an ominous skeleton on the front of its bow. I chanced to approach the figure standing in the boat. As I approached the unmistakable sound of the dead's moans floated to my ears. A closer view of the river showed many of the dead's hollow faces and hands, all reaching for but always unable to grasp the boat.

I stopped a few paces short of the boat my hackles slightly raised for a reason I could not fathom. The hollow figure standing there turned eerily towards me. The exaggeratedly slow turn of his head seemed only too natural to him, which made my hackles raise that much more.

“Toll..” The hollow figure said. His voice was like a sudden cold whisper that racked your spine on the coldest nights. He was asking money to take me to the other side of the river. I looked around me and found that no clothes clung to me to hold money. I meant to show him my hands, that I believed to hold no money and found a single gold piece extended in my hand. I wondered at it momentarily, only to be slightly shocked when the hollow figure wrapped his hand around mine and pulled the piece from my hand. My eyes widened somewhat in shock at the deadly stillness of this man..or whatever he was

“Come..” his one syllable sentences seemed even more chilling than his appearance. I crawled, which is the only explanation I can give for my maneuver of trying to get over the high edges of the black wooded boat. As soon as I hit the deck of the boat the hollow figure drew up a small amount of his long pole and pushed off against the ground, sending us slowly toward the opposite shore. As we reached the opposite shore I could hear the rattle of metal against metal and vaguely wondered what it might be.

I crawled from the boat onto the shore, and the hollow figure pushed off to the other side.

“Pleasant company..” I whispered under my breath, then wondered slightly what I might have meant by the comment. This land too was barren of life. I began walking, hoping maybe I might stumble upon someone who might explain to me what was going on and who I am...or was... there seemed to be a number of things off in the distance, but much too far for me to make out what they are. I realize then that I am slowly approaching a gate. The gate was a ghoulish wooden thing, they dying and trapped souls etched into the dark brown wood. It seemed mezmorising and I couldn't seem to break my eyes from it.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement, something large hurtling my way. Just as I turn my head I am crushed under the weight of a giant canine. Or at least what I assumed was a canine. The creature was easily ten feet tall. Its darkly furred body was tightly coiled with bulky muscle from head to toe giving it a sleek but dense look. Black glittering talon-like claws adorned each of its massive paws. Streaks of red and white sliced through its dark fur. It had Three large tails that though wolf-like in appearance were all three topped with sickeningly sharp looking spines that leveled out in a small fan behind it.

But the most terrifying feature of this canine were its three massive heads. All three having hollow white eyes with no pupils or iris, but individually lined in red, yellow, and green. Horns of different size and turn adorned each of its heads. When it opened its jaws it was like the depths of a fiery volcano could be seen; a bright burning yellow glow. Its canines were gigantic sword-like eruptions from its jaws, the rest of its teeth smaller, but still dagger-like in appearance.

All three heads snarled angrily, pinning me heavily to the ground under one of its large paws. The fiery glow showed slightly through its bared teeth. Someone far off shouted something in a language I did not understand. The large canine ceased its snarling at me and with perked ears directed its attention to the shouting. As it turned that unmistakable sound of metal clinked. I noticed that around each of this canines necks was a large dark chain, that looked like at one point it had been attached to something. The chain was very worn at its edges and had obviously been broken to release the creature. It turned back to me and snarled again, almost like a reluctant warning as it slowly released me from beneath its massive paw. The canine sat and stared deceptively at me, as if guarding me. Behind the giant three headed canine I could hear someones footsteps.

Once in my view, a creature of canine and reptilian decent smiled vaguely at me. In that instant I remembered who I was, and the understanding of being in Tartarus. A nightmarish vision of the beast in the arena standing over my weak body clouded my mind for a moment. This creature walking towards me was a mirror image of the beast. The beast of the arena was darker than this one though, and the beast was much more tame looking compared to the wild array of danger emanating off of him. The beasts look-a-like stopped before me and spoke in a language I again could not understand. His features showed a mocking form of displeasure before he spoke again.

“What is your name spirit.” His voice was a cooling wrap that wound around me and commanded my answer immediately and respectfully.

“Faye..” I answered before realizing I had. An evil grin spread this creatures face.

“Welcome to Hell Faye, I am your guide Linseed...”