Callie decided that laying on that thin cot and starving to death was the way to go. It wasn’t like anyone was going to miss her. She had no family. She kept her friends at arm’s length so it would make it easier for them to forget about her.There she was alone and waiting for death. It would be better than going with the master grand plan of the universe for her. She would rather just die and suffer in whatever circle of Hell they wanted to send her to than be some piece in the apocalypse. She was on the second day of her hunger strike when Police Chief Oliveira entered her cell and brought her a bowl of soup.He placed the tray beside the cot but didn’t leave. He took a seat on the ground and waited. She stared at the wall and ignored the gnawing in her belly. She was dizzy and weak and she just wanted to close her eyes and block out the world."You need to eat," Oliveira said. "They told me you haven’t had anything in days."She didn&r

It was impossible to outrun a Hellhound for long let alone a whole pack of them but Callie was going to try. There weren’t any buildings nearby, just red sand stretching for miles. Her best bet was the Forest of Torment as she had a chance of hiding from the Hounds there. She looked over her shoulder and saw four horsemen riding down a sandy hill. The Lords of Hell had come for her. Mammon on his red horse charged forward past the Hounds. She started running faster, kicking sand out of her way. Her lungs ached even as she tried to push forward. She could hear horse hooves on the sand getting closer and she refused to give up. She could see the forest and the distinct wails from inside. She pushed her legs to move faster, the adrenaline keeping her going despite the ache in her abdomen and her thighs. She just had to get to the forest. It was the only shot she had of surviving. Her feet were inches from the dark earth of the forest before a golden net knocked

Callie had never flown before and her landing was less than grateful. She stumbled onto the forest floor. Transforming back to her human force was an odd experience. She felt herself grow, her torso lengthening and expanding, her feathers disappearing into skin, her wings into arms. Her bones became denser and her hair grew back as a cloud of pale blonde around her head. She reacquainted herself with her old limbs before sitting up. She stared up into the canopy of trees above her and tried to map out where in the forest she was. The Forest of Torment was given its name for it gave illusions to those miserable enough to get lost inside. The forest could see deep into someone’s soul and find their worst fears and torture them with it until they either died or went insane. Most demons didn’t like to be in the forest for too long. The last time Callie had been in there she had been rushing to get to the gate and chose the forest as the best place to hide Lucifer

Callie explained to her friends about the forest and how it caused hallucinations. Everybody agreed they needed to get to the Tree of Ignorance and get out of there quickly. Callie tried her best to guide them to the Tree. The Forest of Torment did like to play tricks on people and could make them run around in circles for days if it wanted.It didn’t get its name for nothing.Nicholas walked with Callie at the front of the group, keeping the Holy Lance in hand. Beelzebub’s blood had stained the wood black and she tried to ignore it. She didn’t know how the Horseman’s blood would affect the spear. Would it twist it from being divine to damned?Or was the Messiah’s blood still more powerful? She didn’t know and it bothered her. Until they could get to Lucifer’s Grace, it was their best weapon against any demon they might come across. "Why are you so important?" Nicholas asked."What do you mean?""Beelzebub said

Matthias was contrite and chagrined after Callie woke him up from the sleeping spell. None of them wanted to talk about the illusion the forest created to mess with them so they continued walking until they finally made their way out. Callie was surprised to find two dune buggies waiting for them. “Where did you get these?” she asked as she got into the buggy with Nicholas and Finnegan curled up on her lap. Matthias slid into the backseat with Bishop and replied, “My dad knows a guy.”She stared at him in disbelief. Nicholas turned on the engine and began driving them away. Aubrey was driving the other buggy with Enoch and Nadia. They sped through the sand and would make it the gate in half the time on foot.Nicholas seemed to be a competent in driving the buggy. When she remarked on it, he explained, “Family vacation last summer. Aubrey and I went dunes racing.”Callie shook her head and turned away to hide her smile. S