Back | Next
Contents

Forty-Two

The truck containing Chen and the others trundled forward toward the lip of the chasm, picking up speed as it did so. Even Jhai's normally shuttered face wore an expression of alarm, which Chen was sure mirrored his own countenance. Miss Qi looked simply resolute.

"Here we go," said the guard, and there was a sudden lurching sensation, rather like a plane taking off, except that the nose of the truck dipped slightly instead of rising. Chen, unable to hold onto the sides of the truck because his hands were still bound, and reluctant to place faith in the rather frayed old seatbelt that circled his waist, could not hold back the thought that they might all fall out. Given that he, at least, was human and still alive, the thought was not an appealing one. He tried to wedge himself as tightly as possible against Zhu Irzh, and the demon seemed to understand what he was doing.

He need not, however, have worried. The descent was jerky, but it did not feel as though they were plummeting. Looking out the sides of the truck, Chen saw that they were part of a huge convoy of falling vehicles. A tank drifted past, made of red iron and covered with graffiti and images of devilish faces. A picture of a scantily clad female demon adorned its engine casing. Beyond, where Chen could dimly glimpse a fiery shore, a jet hurtled downward, nose-diving into Hell's heart. The air was filled with the sound of humming engines.

"Are we nearly there yet?" Zhu Irzh asked. Chen suppressed the momentary urge to strangle him. Perhaps it was a good thing that his hands were still bound.

"Dunno," said the guard. "ETA was supposed to be seven P.M. upper level time but nothing ever happens on time round here."

"It's four now," Zhu Irzh said, squinting at the watch on his bound wrist. "Three more hours of this. Great."

"At least there's a view," Jhai said, but negated her own words by closing her eyes and leaning back against the seat. Chen admired her fortitude.

"I had not thought," Miss Qi mused bitterly, "to see so much of Hell."

Something jumped against Chen's arm and made him start.

"What was that?"

"Sorry," Zhu Irzh said. "Think something just bit me." He shot Chen a warning glance and Chen realized what it was that had moved: the heart in its container, still stashed in the inside breast pocket of Zhu Irzh's coat.

"Don't worry about it," Chen said. "Made me jump, that's all."

"Lot of insects on some of them levels," the guard said, not without sympathy. The nose of the truck tilted and Chen looked downward through the flapping tarpaulin. The convoy stretched out below, growing more ragged now as they descended. There was no sign of any ground.

 

Back | Next
Framed