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"Chris, no!" Albert warned

Too late I had, already, let go of his ar!" I shouted, lunging toward Ann

All Hell broke loose

I’d never truly known theof that phrase till then

In the instant I broke free of Albert, his protection vanished and a lee

As they closed in rapidly, I kneith a bolt of horror, that I’d been tricked by thefor ?

Whatever it was, he’d only made me think that it was Ann Already, I kneasn’t The moment I’d pulled away frohastly look of all the others

Jarring to a halt, I tried, in vain, to turn, twisting around in a frenzied panic

No use I’d barely begun tofigures clutching at ered and lost balance, tried to catch eto the rocky ground, their bodies crashing down on top ofat ht, soured by scars or burns or ulcerous sores So made of hair and bone where features should have been

I screamed out Albert’s name, then had the hideous sensation of a swar into my open mouth, into my ears and eyes They seemed aroused by my helplessness I tried to spit theain, I tried to scream out Albert’s nale as a surge of flies began to clog my throat I tried to wrench myself onto , screa s, kicking ht I’d carried was virtually gone now All I saere twisted for all around edof flies Albert! I thought in pleading anguish Helpbuzz of fly swar, by the hundreds, ineyeballs

Abruptly, then, I felt ed into icy liquid, shoved beneath its surface

Instantly, it flooded down ainst my face, an indescribable sensation--a combination of every vile taste and seven more--hoas that possible?-- as, below the surface, other hands began to clutch atnoise as hands kept pulling at ing me deeper and deeper into the noxious depths

Bodies started clinging toflesh My eyes were tightly closed but I could see their faces nonetheless The faces of the living dead regardingeyes as I went down and down and down

Ann! I thought My consciousness began to fade I’ve failed you!

I sat up with a shocked cry Albert held his hand on my shoulder as I stared at hi on a barren plain, all gray, its sky the color offlatness

Yet, I tell you Robert that, compared to where I’d been, that plain was paradise

"How did you get me?" I asked That I ith hirasp a few"But they knocked ed me to a pool and pushed me underneath the surface where--"

He shook his head, sht the entire time, no more than several feet away They touched you only with their minds" "God," I shivered uncontrollably "That has to be Hell It has to be"

"One of them," he answered

"One!" I stared at him, appalled

"Chris," he told me, "there are Hells within Hells within Hells"