Story: Part 2

Geryon

Nicholas and Spencer were making their way, through the land of greed.

As Nicholas and Spencer made their, way they were coming to the end of the plains of greed. For the land and feel of the air had changed. The ground seemed to be made of sharp jagged edges, but Nicholas was in luck for he had shoes on. He watched as many people were running around in bare feet that bled everywhere. Spencer saw the anguish in Nicholas’s eyes and stated,” The people you see here are suffering for their anger. We have arrived in the next level of the Inferno. These people have expressed anger in their life in one way or another. Look around and you will notice people you know.”

Nicholas looked at the people all around him and wondered what these people were angry over in their lives. He saw some people that he recognized. He saw Mel Gibson who was tied down to a table and was being hit with a sledgehammer in the gut. Nicholas had seen on the news in the late 2000s that he had outbursts of rage in public and even beat the mother of his child. Nicholas continued to look around and then saw his neighbor who was being smashed in the face continually with barbed wire on a piece of wood. Nicholas knew he was in here for he had to make many calls to the police for domestic violence. After seeing these people Nicholas thought to himself that he had anger in life but never let it get the best of him. When seeing what the people suffered through on this level of the Inferno, Nicholas knew he would never let his anger get the best of him. Then Nicholas thought of his wife and knew he truly loved her for he never showed any anger towards or around her. Spencer saw Nicholas thinking but insisted they move on. Spencer said,” Time is short, and we must move on.”

Nicholas and Spencer made their way through the rough ground of the land of anger. After a while Nicholas noticed a big city in the distance. He saw many tall buildings that were black. Nicholas was thrown off that the whole city was on fire. Nicholas turned to Spencer and asked,” What city is there in the distance?”

Spencer said,” That is the City of Dis. It is the city where heretics suffer and the next level of the Inferno we will have to pass through. We have a schedule to keep and time is short. I was told you are not a heretic and so we must keep moving though.”

Nicholas and Spencer made their way through the city. Nicholas examined many of the burning buildings that had people in them that were screaming. They followed a path on the city roads which were very hot, for Nicholas felt the heat through the soles of his shoe but they were not on fire like the buildings. After working their way through the city streets they exited out on the other side. They soon came upon a new land that was full of people being tortured in many violent ways. Nicholas looked to Spencer for he wanted to know where they were. Spencer said,” This is the next level of the Inferno. This is the land of violence. People who suffer here have committed violent acts in their lives and suffer for them. The people on this level get what you call an eye for an eye.”

Nicholas looked around and saw many famous murderers being tortured in the way that they had killed their victims. Some were being shot, then the wound would heal and then be shot again but Nicholas saw that they felt all the pain. He saw a man being drowned in a vat of water but unable to die. He saw Hannibal Lector being torn apart and eaten. Then he would grow the body parts that were torn off, to be torn apart again. He knew Mr. Lector ate people in stories but wasn’t real. He asked Spencer,” Why is a fictional character here?”

Spencer said,” The Inferno knows no bound and even fictional people can suffer.”

Nicholas continued to look around and he saw Kurt Cobain shooting himself in the head constantly. Spencer saw he noticed this and said,” Suicide is an act of self-violence and you suffer for it in this level of the Inferno.”

Nicholas saw many people stabbing themselves, shooting themselves, and cutting their own wrist. After seeing all this Nicholas thought to himself he had never committed violence against himself or to another. He knew that he would never do it either for having to suffer by having the violent act you committed done to you eternally would be horrible. Nicholas then thought of his wife and how he missed her and how he was glad he was a good man for he would have a chance to see her again. Spencer waved his hand to follow toward Nicholas so that they could continue their journey.

Nicholas and Spencer soon came upon a cliff at the end of the level. Nicholas looked down. Then suddenly from the bottom a large bird-like creature flew up above them. The creature landed on the ground next to them. Nicholas took a closer look and saw that the creature had great big black wings of a dragon. It had a human head with crows' feet. Spencer said,” This is Geryon. This great creature will take us to our next level of the inferno.”

There is still more to see, and we will conclude Nicholas and Spencer’s journey in the next part of our story.

Author notes: I started this story where I left off from my other story but continued with the same Dante’s inferno story. I continued onto the next level of the Inferno which was anger. This is the same as in the original story. Dante saw people in anger, but I focused more on the describing people in this level and how they suffered. Next in Dante’s Inferno he went to the city of Dis which is where heretics go. I included the city and level but didn’t describe it because I felt heretics were not important to describe in my story. The next level visited in Dante’s Inferno was the level of violence. I went to this level and described the many ways to be thrown in there and the ways people get tortured. Next in Dante’s Inferno they find Geryon and ride the creature to the next level and I am doing the same to get to my next level of the inferno. I am following the original story's levels of the Inferno, but I am making what is done and seen in these levels my own.

head image by Blogspot

Image by Gustav Dore

Bibliography of source story: Dante's Divine Comedy, translated by Tony Kline