The Doorway to Hell

                  The house was beautiful. An old brick Victorian with lace-like woodwork and thin paned glass. The weathered shutters hung crooked, and the paint was chipping off like dust. The front door sagged on its hinges. At the top of the high-pitched roof sat a rusty iron weathervane that squeaked as it swung in the wind.

                  Near the roof line, in the attic, there was a delicate stained-glass window with a fat cherub reaching for the heaves surrounded by birds and rays of sunshine. When the sunlight hit it, the colors scattered along the crumbling driveway.

                  The grass around the house was overgrown and dry. The flower beds were long overdue for replanting. Four acres of woods sat at back of the property line. The trees were lush and overgrown. The forest took daylight and swallowed it in darkness.

                  “I love it,” I whispered.

                  I closed my eyes as a breeze picked up and wrapped itself around me.

                  “I’ll take it.”

                  My realtor stared at me dumbfounded. “Well, it’s a lot of house for a single woman like yourself. And you haven’t seen inside yet. Let’s go in and then you ca- “

                  “I said, I’ll take it.”

                  I smiled at her and reached out my hand for the key. She gently placed it in my hand. I was surprised by the heft. It was the original key, from the 1800s. It was thick iron and had a very intricate open circle at the top. I wrapped my fist around the key and headed toward the door.

                  “Do you want me to join you,” she called after me.

                  I turned and smiled. “No thank you. I can handle it from here.”

                  “Well, I’ll just head back to the office then to get the paperwork started.” She turned on her heel and marched back to her car.

                  My attention focused solely on the house in front of me. I could feel it pulling me toward it. As I clenched my fist tighter around the key in my hand, I heard the house let out a deep sigh.

                  The sound of my realtor screeching away behind me was lost in the breath of the house. I stepped onto the sagging porch, careful not to step on any of the rotted beams. I placed the key in the door and smiled at the loud click as the lock gave way. The iron doorknob was round with filigree detailing. It was warm in my hand.

                  I moved inside and the smell of decay and dust filled my nose. I batted the dust away and reached for the light switch. Velvet forest green curtains draped across all the windows. Small strands of sunlight reached across the hardwood floor where they had pulled apart slightly.

                  Above me hung a large round iron chandelier with hundreds of tiny bulbs, all flickering to life. The room filled with a soft glow. An enormous staircase stood in front of me as if swallowing the room. It was a deep oak and there were spirals at the end of the banisters covered in delicate filigree designs. The stairs themselves were covered in an old carpet adorned with cherubs and birds, like the stained-glass window in the attic. At the top, it split across to either side of the upstairs.

                  As I stood in the center of the house, taking in my gorgeous surroundings, a rustling sound came from behind the staircase. I leaned forward, hoping to hear the sound better. This time, there was a scratching noise. I wondered if a raccoon or something had taken up living in the house as my realtor had said it sat empty for quite some time.

                  I tiptoed toward the staircase, trying to be quiet so as not to scare it, whatever it was. Another scratch followed by the shuffling of papers. Then a small yelp filled the room.

                  I froze.

                  Well, that was not the sound of an animal, I thought, my hands shaking.

                  More scratching, followed by more rustling. I willed myself forward. As I neared the edge of the staircase, I leaned forward to peek at whatever was hiding in the darkness. To my surprise, I found nothing. There were no animals or people or paper. Nothing.

                  I turned around, scanning the foyer of the house hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever I scared away. I knew I was not crazy, and I knew I had heard something. At least, I thought I did.

I turned back to the staircase and into the darkness. As I leaned in further, I was hit with an overwhelming heat. I started sweating, heavy puddles forming at my feet. I backed up and knocked into the back wall of the house, into something sticky and warm.

A scream lurched from my lungs as I tried to pull away. The goo was thick and clung to my bare skin. It pulled apart from the wall in long strings. Fear crept through me as I tried with white knuckles to pull the goo off me. As the strings broke free from the wall, a foul stench filled the air and stung my eyes. I gagged and fought back the vomit that was sitting in my throat.

I stumbled as the goo gave way and fell backwards into an inky black abyss. I hit the ground with a hard thud and my vision filled with stars. I shook my head and tried to get my bearings, letting my eyes adjust to the darkness.

A wave of heat rushed toward me as the space around me glowed with a warm, orange flickering light. The air filled with smoke. My eyes stung. My lungs burned. I tried to pull myself up to escape the enveloping fire but the sticky goo on my arms trapped me tightly to the ground. Panic set it. My heart raced and my breath became shallow and labored.

The idea of burning alive raced through my mind. The flames licked at my toes. I screamed into the abyss, knowing that nobody could hear me. The nearest neighbor was at least half a mile away.

                  A dark shadow formed in the flames. My breath caught in my throat and tears welled in my eyes. I stared in horror as the shadow grew larger and larger. It loomed high above me, staring at me. I flinched as the figured lunged towards me.

                  The face of the shadow was inches from mine. A deep, rotten stench wafted from its mouth, and the sticky goo that held me to the ground strung between its lips. The goo dripped slowly onto my face as its hot, damp breath pulsed against my skin. A long, split end tongue unfurled from its mouth and roughly licked my cheek. I shuddered under its touch.

                  A fierce shriek pierced the air, and I fell backward. My head smashed against the wood floor. I saw stars once more. The shadow pulled itself over me and started churning in a whirlwind. The shadows started to form a human shape. I stared in horror.

                  The shadowy face now had a sharp jaw line, deep set black eyes and a thin-lipped mouth. The goo was gone, but the teeth were razor sharp and there were two rows, gnashing wildly as it transformed.

                  It growled at me like an angry wolf with barred teeth. A long, horrifying smile creased its lips.

                  “We’ve been waiting for you,” it grumbled.

                  I stared, still frozen.

                  It took my hand and pulled me from the ground. As it wrapped its gnarled, long finger nailed hand around mine, a warm sensation filled my entire body. The terror that had paralyzed me was now gone. I felt safe.

                  I walked with the creature deeper into the fire that filled the space behind the stairs. The flames parted as we walked, hand in hand. After a long, silent walk, I stood in front of a man with a striking, angled face and well-worn skin. He was leathery and wrinkled. He extended his slender hand towards me. I took it and he kissed mine gently.

                  “We’ve been waiting a very long time for you to come,” he whispered, his head still bowed towards my hand. His voice was warm and smooth, like butter. He looked up at me and the fire behind me danced in his pitch-black eyes. He smiled a long, sly smile. He, also, had two rows of bright white, razor-sharp teeth.

                  I stared at him for a moment, and at his smile, my cheeks flushed, and I turned away. Though, here was something about him that I could not look away from. I turned my gaze back to him with a smile across my face.

                  “Well, I’m here now.”

                  “Good.”

                  “Though, I’m not certain what you have been waiting for. I may need a little direction if I’m to be of any help to you.”

                  He squeezed my hand tightly and again, my face flushed a deep red, but I refused to look away. He leaned in close. He smelled like cinnamon and freshly baked bread. I breathed him in deeply and leaned closer.

                  “We need new souls to keep us going down here.”

                  I looked around, finally pulling my gaze from him, noticing my surroundings. The walls were molten rock, and fire filled every open crevice. The heat was astounding. The air smelled of burning flesh and death. In the distance, there were blood curdling screams and guttural howls. The sound bounced of the walls, echoing around us in a symphony.

                  I shuddered and tried to pull away. He gently turned my face back to his. We locked eyes and the space around us fell away. Once again, I felt safe. The scent of cinnamon filled my nostrils, and the air was a perfect, tepid temperature.

                  He smiled at me again and cocked his head to one side. He was looking at me, patiently waiting for me to speak.

                  “I’ll do anything you want,” I whispered.

                  He leaned in closer and put his mouth on mine. His teeth gently edged along the ridges of my tongue. My body gave way, and it was as if I was floating in the sea.

                  In an instant, I was back in the foyer of my new home. The old, decrepit wood was polished and pristine. The velvet curtains were pulled back and bright sunlight beamed onto the walls. The air smelled of cinnamon and freshly baked bread. The door was sturdy and the dust was gone.

                  I took a deep, intoxicating breath. I twirled in the sunshine at the front of the staircase. Behind me, the sound of a fire crackled and my entire body tingled. I touched my mouth gingerly. A faint taste of metal filled my mouth as I brushed along a small split in my lip. I licked the blood away and pulled out my phone.

                  Hey everyone, I just got a new house, and I cannot WAIT to share it with you! Party here this weekend! BYOB! See you then!

                  The swoosh of the text being sent was met with a roar of the fire raging just below the surface of the house, in the doorway to hell.