Short Story: In The Depths Of Hell

Warning: This contains themes of disturbing fictional horror

“Don’t you love the sound of the forest? The inhabitation of my kind? Living above the soil, doing my bidding.” Long, slender fingers scratched across the stones, cutting deep into them with a strength not known to humans.

“It’s dark down there, the warmth holds you like a mother cradling her baby, just for one of the vile sinners to tear it away from her. Devouring it whole.”
I should have known not to come out here, but the stories were too intriguing to pass on. I didn’t think the myths were actually true.

“People like you don’t usually venture out this far. But when they do...” Hot breath ran down my neck as the claws started to dig into my shoulders. “They never make it home.”

The shadows moved around my feet, climbing the trees and surrounding me. I was trapped in the mouth of my hunter.

“You smell… fresh.” I heard the air being sucked in as the claws dug deeper. “Young.” It came out as a snarl. The shadows twirling around me, tightening their hold as my nose filled with the scent of ash. “But not young enough.”

This wasn’t a devil, this was the Mother-Hive from the depths of the Hoia Baciu forest.
A myth everyone spoke about, stories told to me when I was younger.
Making sure I would never set foot in the woods, they scared the knowledge into me.
But I never believed it, I should have.

I was too shaken to say a word, it felt like my throat was being clenched shut.
Maybe it was, maybe there were entities around it, restricting my airway.
I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t feel them.

That was until they sucked in on me, squeezing me so tightly I finally let out a strangled scream into the silence of the forest. They pulled me off my feet and took me away, the Mother-Hive cackling a thick laughter as she followed.

I couldn’t see the world around me, until after the agonising pain left and they let me go.
I was in a clearing of the forest, a circle of missing trees, the sky above twinkled its stars as the moon beamed down on me. I wish it stayed, but the clouds had other plans.

The soil beneath my feet felt hollow, it pattered almost like a drum as I stumbled to regain my balance.
I could see the bent trees momentarily before the shadows swallowed them into a dark den, the only exit being the sky above.

I could finally see the Mother-Hive in all her grotesque glory.
If it wasn’t for the missing jaw with her tongue hanging out like a grandfather clock.
Or the missing heart, leaving a gaping hole in her chest as her intestines hung low.
She might have been pretty, just like the depictions of when she was living.

Her golden eyes glowed at me, looking me up and down before her upper lip twisted in a smile.
I was too old for her, an adult isn’t enough to feed her youthful hunger.

I would be fed to the hounds.

Creaking came from below, whispers of her offspring seeping from the cracks before the roots came up from the ground, grabbing me and pulling me down.
The hollow soil engulfed me, closing up above me as I was pulled deeper towards the earth’s core.
It felt hot and stuffy, I couldn’t breathe as I felt the sweat form on my skin.
I felt like I was in the flesh of a womb as the earth inhaled me into Mother-Hive’s pit.

I tried clawing at the walls that were pulsating, kicking at the roots that were alive.
But they only clung tighter and pulled me down faster as the guttural screams echoed through the fleshy soil that was corroding the pit with its rotten, iron-filled stench.

I was heading straight for hell, to be fed to her mutated dogs.
Because I wasn’t fresh enough.