The Honest Guest: Night 25

       I had lost hope, yet I find myself still scrambling forward. I’ve come to a realization. This entire time, I’ve been trying to run from a choice that I need to make. But I’m tired of running. The decision is inevitable.

       The young man awoke on a cold, stone floor. It was dark, apart from the moonlight that came in from the small, barred window high above his reach. He slowly picked himself up and noticed a pair of small lights on the other side of the room; it was a pair of glowing, orange eyes. The young man pulled back in surprise.
       “You haven’t escaped yet,” a hoarse and young voice stated.
       The young man relaxed slightly, murmuring, “It’s you…” All the while, along with the sound of scraping chains, the figure hobbled forward, revealing itself to be a cat-like boy dressed in a striped shirt. “…Neko Zombie, right?”
       The young man looked around the dark room, seeing that the iron door to his right was shut tight. He glanced back to the stitched-up cat, asking, “How did I end up here?”
       “You fell in from the ceiling.” Neko Zombie flatly answered, “You need to escape.”
       “I’ve been trying!” argued the young man. He replied, looking over his hands in dismay, “I tried to walk out the door, and there was someone else trying to escape too. Oh, I didn’t even get his name before he-”
       Suddenly, Neko Zombie let out a loud and angry yowl, cutting off the young man. He glared at the young man and growled in a low voice, “You’re losing sight of what’s important! You’re running from what’s out there because you’re afraid to face it. There’s nothing holding you back from escaping. What you see here, is what you want to see. Listen, you won’t be able to avoid making decisions, but you do have control over the choice you make.”
       “He’s absolutely right!” agreed a familiar, girl’s voice. There was a flash of light in the corner, and the two both looked over.
       The angelic dog appeared, white wings fluttering, and she shook her head in slight disappointment upon seeing the young man. “It’s a shame that you hadn’t escaped by now. I’ll help you, but this is the last time!” she sighed as she waved her wand around, releasing a shower of sparkling stars.
       In another corner of the room, a greyish and glowing door appeared. The plaque over it read, “HEAVEN or HELL”.
       “What do you say? Will ya open it or not?” the angelic dog inquired.
       There was a long, thoughtful pause. Wordlessly, the young man stepped forward, grabbed the doorknob and pulled open the door, revealing an expanse of blinding light. He paused.
       “So…it’s open!”
       The young man looked to the angelic dog, asking, “Sh-should I really?”
       She replied, “That decision is up to you. Are you going or not?”
       The young man then looked to Neko Zombie, who gave a slow nod.
       Afterwards, the young man faced the door again and walked inside. Once he disappeared from sight, the angelic dog turned to Neko Zombie and inquired, “Are you sure that you don’t want to go too?”
       He shook his head. “I’ve told you, there’s nothing for me out there.”
       Her voice changed suddenly, to something darker and deeper. “Nonetheless, you may have made the better choice,” she replied, her appearance altering so her hair was dark purple like her dress, her fur was bluish, her wings were leathery and she held a black trident to replace her wand. The now devilish dog went on with a chuckle, “That door can lead to Heaven or Hell!”
       “This place is already a hell…” Neko Zombie muttered.
The two then paused, hearing the sound of the door neighboring the room creaking open, followed by Gregory’s panicked murmuring, “He’s not in his room. Where could he be?”
The devilish dog let out a hiss and growled, “I’m getting out of here” just Gregory approached Neko Zombie’s door, thinking aloud, “If this is anything like last time…”
       The heavy lock clicked, and the metal door creaked open. Neko Zombie turned and faced the wall, eyes shifting around. The old mouse stuck his head in and leered, “I swear, if you have anything to do with this…”
       Hobbling around to turn, Neko Zombie whined pitifully, “Hungry…starving…is it dinnertime yet?”
       Gregory rolled his eyes and sighed, “Oh, how could you? You’re just a pathetic flea-bag. A senseless furball!” Shutting the door behind him, Gregory then called out, “My friend, where have you gone? Your bed is ready for you! My friend! Come back!”
       At the same time, Neko Zombie instantly quieted. Gregory’s cries and shouts in the distance, Neko Zombie murmured, “I hope he makes it out this time.”