Alex Goes to Hell

Alex was approaching his 21st birthday - unemployed and prone to sleeping in late he wasn't really the type to help others and as a result had few friends and family around, Alex was fine with this as he didn't really feel like he needed anyone around for company.

One night Alex was sitting watching TV as he often did when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, the pain growing as he felt a tingling sensation run up his arm - it didn't take long for Alex to know what was happening: he was having a heart-attack.

Alex panicked as he tried to reach the nearby phone but only got a few steps before collapsing, everything going black..

Alex woke up moments later on the floor, breathing hard - the pain in his chest had gone and he slowly got to his feet again as he picked up the phone: only to hear loud static: pressing several buttons did nothing and he was soon forced to hang up in defeat.

The TV was still playing an old horror movie in the background when Alex turned around, the image on the screen suddenly changing to footage of conflicts and atrocities dating from WWII, Vietnam and other historical wars.

Alex was still too concerned about finding help to give the strange TV much notice, looking around for his mobile - deciding that it was his best hope now. he couldn't helping thinking how crazy this all was, he was a young man - stuff like this just wasn't meant to happen.

Alex knelt down, remembering that his mobile had fallen under his sofa some time ago - reaching under the sofa he fished the mobile out only to find it battered and broken.

Alex was really starting to panic now, he once again got to his feet but began to feel dizzy - falling back on the sofa as the room began to spin back and forth in his mind for a good few minutes.

The sound of a baby's laughter suddenly echoed across the room, followed by what appeared to be a woman weeping - Alex froze in place on the sofa, not knowing what to do as the same sounds repeated over and over... getting more and more frequent until eventually it was akin to the buzzing of angry bees.

Alex quickly exited the room and went to the hall, which was now pitch black - trying to switch the light on he was rewarded with a sharp pain as if receiving a small electric shock: the light making a hissing sound but refusing to turn on.

Alex had enough, he ran down the dark hall and into the street outside his house - it was then that Alex really broke down... falling to his knees and staring in disbelieve.

The street was illuminated by many streetlamps, showing broken cars and debris - many nearby houses were boarded up or badly vandalized: amongst the debris were crawling vermin and junk resembling badly damaged childhood playthings.

The road was covered in potholes and thick puddles of what looked like steaming oil stained the surface of both the road and sidewalk - the street sign which stood just to the right of his home was broken and many of the letters had been scratched off.

Even Alex's mailbox was now ruined, stuffed full of what looked like rotten garbage - a few figures could be seen walking in the distance, shuffling along and seeming to have long arms that dragged across the ground: the kind of arms one would find on a gibbon rather than a normal human... their features largely obscured by a mixture of distance and shadow, though it was also apparent that their heads were also deformed: being extremely small, as if someone had stuck a newborn baby's head on the body of a young adult.

Alex resisted the urge to cry out as he continued staring at this nightmare, unable to take it all in - then Alex really did let out a cry of fear as a hand reached out behind him and grabbed him by the shoulder.

Alex spun around, tumbling back in the process - staring up at a disgusting old man with rotten teeth and a swollen head that bobbed up and down as he talked, long arms swaying back and forth as Alex noticed to his horror that the grotesque figure wore no clothing, his skin covered in painful looking warts and blisters.

"There you are, Alex... you useless sack of pus... I don't need you yet...".

Alex couldn't even respond as he stared at the horrific figure, trembling - the figure wobbling his head some more as he turned for a moment to spit on the ground, leaving a small puddle of oily substance that dribbled from his chin as he continued.

"Hey, dumbass... didn't you hear me? ...I don't need you yet... get out."

Alex felt his heart racing as he just froze in place, the old man's eyes growing more and more angry as he suddenly screamed in Alex's face.

"GET OUT!".

Alex suddenly woke with a shock to the sight of paramedics in an ambulance, who began to calm him down as he tried to get up.

"It's alright, take it easy. You're going to be okay," one of the paramedics said, attaching a breathing-mask to Alex, who began to fall back again - his heart still racing as he looked around frantically.

"You had a heart-attack but you will be fine, just try to keep calm," the paramedic continued, the rest of his sentence blurring out as Alex began to once again drift off,

"Alex! Stay awake! Alex!".

Alex opened his eyes again to find himself in a hospital ward with the curtains drawn around him and a drip in his arm, several wires attached to various parts of his body as a machine monitored his health with a mechanical *beep* *beep*.

Alex stared at the curtain for a good few minutes before the mechanical *beep* increased more and more as he became aware of an approaching shadow, long arms swaying back and forth as a swollen head wobbled to and fro.

Alex's heart raced as the mechanical *beep* *beep* quickened - the curtain bursting open as the hideous old man looked to Alex once more:

"..You know what? I changed my mind.. how about I give you a tour of the place?"

Before Alex could reply the figure stepped aside and Alex just stared in horror, where a hospital ward should have been was now that dark street - covered in debris and junk.

"Let's get started, Alex.. I'm a busy man..".