After Death 13

I had almost reached the bottom division of Hell.

As soon as I realised my position, I began to hunt about and discovered that bad as the division above had been, this was worse.

A herd of spirits burst out of the intense darkness. Driving the herd of spirits before them, I saw the real spirits of evil of which the devils usually described are but shadows. These spirits had never been men and were truly appalling creatures.

They shouted the most fearful blasphemies and screamed –

How do you like your master, the Devil? Blaspheme, you swine, blaspheme! We are the real gods; the things you call gods are only figments of your brains.

Even as they lashed with their whips, they reached me and one struck me across the face. I turned on him savagely. This time it was no use. Again and again, I was struck and I knew that I had found my master. I fell writhing to the ground beneath these savage blows. Someone plunged a goad into me and I sprang up with a yell and rushed madly forward with the rest of the herd.

A period of awful terror began and we were hunted through great dark spaces, without stay or intermission, until I began to feel as if all that was really I was being hammered out of me.

We stumbled and fell, got up again, ran on, heedless of each other in the murky air. 

We ran out of the darkness into the darkness, knowing nothing, caring nothing, if we could only escape from our masters’ whips. And behind us rose that wild chorus –

How do you like your master? Our burden is heavy, our reward small. On, on, forever. There is no hope for you. You are damned forever. This is the unpardonable sin, for you have worshipped the Devil instead of God. There is no God. Men beguile themselves when they say there is a God. There is no such thing as Good except as the opposite of Evil. Evil really exists, Good does not. There is no such thing as a good man. Christ is a myth. We are the only beings who are real. Despair! Weep! Your good days are over. It was better for you if there had been no such thing as life after death. We served you in the world, now you must serve us in turn.

These and constant other taunts and jeers greeted our ears. Most of what they said was lies, said to reduce us to utter despair and the more dangerous because there was a certain modicum of truth in it.

I could not read what was in their minds as I had been able to do with the men in the division above. They seemed able to build up a wall round their thoughts which I was powerless to penetrate.

I cried to one of the devils –

Is there no way I can become one of the drivers instead of one of the driven?

Yes – he cried, as he lashed me in the face –

If you will go back to the division above and bring down a hundred spirits. It can be done easily. Make them believe in the devils and worship them. Have the Black Mass and this will soon hurl them down!

How can I return to that division?

We will show you the way but do not think that you will be able to escape us when there. We will know instantly if you try to escape us.

I was allowed to stop behind while the rest whirled on along their never-ceasing path. The malevolent being who had been deputed to guide me was large and seemed made of darkness. His whole form seemed to be constantly changing.

He was clothed in a long-flowing black robe but even while I looked, he became stark naked. Then he changed and became like a goat and even as I struggled with my amazement, he became a python. He resumed his man’s shape but no man, however vile, looked as diabolical as this creature. 

The face was hideous; the glittering snake-like eyes were oblong, the nose was hooked like an eagle’s beak, the mouth was full and armed with teeth which were almost tusk-like and pointed. 

Malevolence and debauchery seemed stamped on his features. His hands were almost like talons – they looked so bony. Darkness seemed to ooze from his body. He changed again and became an awful column of red flame, which gave no light and from which came a voice – 

Follow this way.

Out of the gloom, I heard the dang of cymbals and the blare of trumpets. I saw a cave in a mountain with many spirits. My guide assumed his semi-human form and we entered the cave together.

We saw a great throne. A huge cauldron of fire blazed and roared amid shrieks and cries and discordant singing. A hideous monster sat on the throne. Screaming children were being flung into the cauldron.

Are those really children? I inquired.

No – they are men and women whom the stronger-willed have compelled to assume that form and then offer up in sacrifice. Occasionally, some of the real devils raid the place and throw the whole lot into the furnace. No young children come here. Here are the devils!

As he spoke, a wild shriek arose from the worshippers and a band of evil spirits rushed into the temple and drove us all, except my guide, into the great cauldron. I suffered awful agonies.

The evil spirits disappeared as swiftly as they had come. We crawled out and the rest resumed their service. I made my way towards my guide. He grinned ferociously and said –

Truly my yoke is heavy, is it not? It will be more so unless you bring us a fine batch of worshippers.

I screamed –

I will, I will – but why do you want more worshippers? You only torture us when you have us.

Because we hate you; we hate you with an intensity which your feeble brains cannot grasp. You think you know how to hate but it' is only a feeble imitation of that which is almost our life to us. We hate you.

As he screamed these words, he seemed to burst into a raging fire and it was some time before he resumed his human shape.

Now to your work – he cried.

We moved swiftly along. We seemed to be climbing. Suddenly, he seized me and sprang into space. I realised that I was back in the division above.

My evil guardian cried –

Now, remember, you cannot stay here for long. Your body has become too gross even for this division of Hell and any treachery on your part will be punished by the most awful torments. I cannot stay here in any comfort but I will know what you are doing and thinking, so beware!

He had gone! With what a sigh of relief I realised it but I foresaw that any respite would be short. However, a brilliant idea struck me. If I succeeded in bringing back a good batch, it was likely that I should be sent out again – and so – I would try.

I found that I was in the miser’s country and the great terror which haunted them was the fear that someone would rob them of their gold. Their old instincts of fear and greed were still all-powerful.

I found that I could work these vices to my advantage. 

I promised some that if they would worship the devil, he would give them as much gold as they wanted; to others, I promised protection from the tyranny of the rest and the fear of losing all they had. By dint of much hard work, I collected a nice little band who, under my instructions, performed the Black Mass.

The evil spirits took little heed of us but, after some time, one or two appeared. At length, at one of the services, I noticed a sensation of being dragged and so did the entire congregation. I knew what it meant, though the others did not – the spiritual connection had been formed and we were about to fall to our own place. The feeling of attraction, almost akin to the law of gravity, grew stronger and we seemed to be falling.

The surroundings slipped away past us, the solid ground appeared to give way and we fell. We had become too gross for even the spiritual elements of Hate to hold us and the attraction of what we had made our god drew us towards it. As soon as we reached the land of those accursed devils, they surrounded us on every side.

I looked for my promised reward –

You have acted the devil and lured men to destruction. You have betrayed your fellow-men for your own selfish ends. If you imagine you can change a man into a devil simply by aping one, you are a fool. Back with the others, you cur.

I slunk back among my victims but only for an instant, for they, furious at my treachery, instinctively hurled themselves on me. A wild nightmare succeeded in which demons lashed us forward and my victims strove to tear me to pieces. I suffered the same anguish as if they had succeeded but lived on to suffer again and again. Eventually, I shook myself free and fled. They pursued.

I ran on and on like some frightful nightmare. I appeared to be leaping and falling downwards. All deliberate motion on my part ceased and still I fell – down, down, down. It seemed as if I should never reach the bottom.