I remember that I was behind the old church, well, not only me, we were three friends, the little three musketeers who every Sunday escaped from the town's weekly mass to live adventures that only 13-year-old boys who knew nothing of the world… And what a world.

One of these days of escape we decided to go a little further than usual, to a point that exceeded the limits of the town, or at least what we believed before to be the limit. Alice came from one of the families with the most history and therefore oldest in this town, Alice... a girl a bit strange and with tastes that used to look very different from usual, she tended to sneak into her family mausoleum she did one who another night when she was very depressed. I know it's not right to comment on it, but I have to leave this story written... I just hope that someone understands what has happened and doesn't repeat this disaster... She said she was talking to her aunt in that place.

That's how one day he found what at that time he thought were a lot of lines that were a little strange, meaningless perhaps, but that caught his attention, strangely enough that complete pattern could only be seen under the moonlight, but no of any moon. This is the strange thing, she could only fully see this pattern under the light of the full moon, on any other night the drawings of the map were confused between the lines of the statue. A beautiful statue of an angel. Although now I wonder if that was really an angel...

As Alice told us, that seemed a little strange to her, but something familiar, Louis, always pressured by his strict father, tended to help us study and one day he brought some topographic maps on which he had to make some calculations, his father was a civil engineer and surveyor, who hoped that Louis would at least be an architect before he was 17, of course to say that he made him study hard was an understatement. Alice said that this was very similar to the maps that Louis once carried and decided to copy those lines on a sheet that she looked for again that same night, go twice at night to a mausoleum located in the town cemetery... I don't see myself doing such a thing, well, I think I've done worse to this day.

As Louis examined it after a while, he was able to give us an answer.

It is a topographical map of something very similar to the town, however with slightly more extended limits, my father came to tell me that in the old days the town was somewhat larger, however some problems with the aborigines from around here led to the fencing of the closer limits, as far as the church, the northern part of all this place "Claudendo" the town of the closure, famous for being on the edge of a mountain, a somewhat ridiculous name in my opinion.

Hearing this made me a little thoughtful, I didn't even know that the name had any motto or meaning. Suddenly Alice gave an excited squeak and said:

And what's so special about this map!? Do you have something different? Anything we can explore?

Those damn words... I could hate him, only, only if it hadn't been her...

Louis calmly explained that the only difference was that, the extension at the edge of the town and the end of everything near the edge of the mountain. Although... Comparing to his father's maps this mountain looked somewhat different... With a slightly lower level, like an entrance to a path...

I really have always been a very cowardly person, not exactly the type of person who would get away from the town, but I tried it for them, my two great friends who insisted on this idea of ​​"going further" and so that Sunday we went on an excursion much further than usual.

After a walk of an hour and a half that began near the church and after saying goodbye to our parents. Well Louis and Alice; It should be noted that I have lived alone for as long as I can remember, raised with the help of Alice's family. Louis from a somewhat annoying father, as always. And Alice from a rather carefree mother. Me just looking into the distance, under a tree and waving at Alice's mother.

We arrived at what it was and with effect, the entrance was a steep path to climb the mountain, so we did it, however to our surprise not everything was a climb.

In a certain part everything was full of very orange trees, strange to see in spring, but facts that three excited children while observing nature could not notice, 30 hours later we arrived at a clearing where we observed a statue. Alice screamed and she couldn't help but give reasons why that statue was practically identical to the one in her family mausoleum. We decided to sit nearby and rest. We had our picnic there, eating our fill, laughing and telling jokes. It was already 11:55 am, time flew by, behind the statue we could see the end, the beginning of everything... We decided to go to a quite dark part and observe. While we were leaving I decided to stay to contemplate that beautiful statue a little more.

The distant sounds of the village bell were heard, announcing the middle of the day. And pulling me out of my trance. Then taking a last look at that "angel" I could notice the words on his back.

Give up all hope.

What strange words for the statue of an angel I thought, I'll tell the guys...

Hey, are you coming or not!? Alice yelled. I immediately ran and forgot about it.

We found ourselves before the entrance of a cave very similar to a tunnel, illuminated by its two entrances that, according to Louis, must have been about 50 meters apart, only in the central part we could not see very well. Alice in her large backpack brought a flashlight and we decided to cross, nothing to lose, we do it and return home, nothing to lose and we will end this journey.

We walked a little and despite being so close to the light of the entrance everything seemed to look darker on our side, however the center was getting lighter. We could see a winged silhouette, another statue? We approached her and looked her in the face, totally stupefied, she was no more special than the other two, at least according to Alice. However, and what drove us crazy was that when we saw it from the front it was illuminated. Even though from the entrance it was all dark here. To our immediate surprise behind us the entrance looked totally dark, as if night had already fallen.

This is where everything went wrong.

A little scared I suggested that we go back, Alice… Of course I wanted a little more, everything was very exciting and I just said that the others would go crazy to see that. She started to jump with excitement and a short, dry sound was heard.

Crack

Then everything collapsed and we could only look up. Just Alice and me.

Louis, a little more awake, jumped back when he heard. After the floor broke, he yelled to ask if we were okay, we confirmed and told him our situation, he said that he would go for help and come back as quickly as possible.

We had fallen a distance twice Alice and myself, thankfully with no more fatal injuries than a couple of scratches. The statue fell and shattered. Not to mention dust, all of this was unreal.

Alice stared at me and just smiled and began to tell a story of when she was a child and spent all day on a tree for fear of a dog that chased her in a small field of her family, while she was exploring. That night, her parents found her and she said that despite being 7, she didn't cry all day.

At the end of the story he said:

Although that time I was very sad, today I don't feel that way, I have you. She smiled to me.

I blushed a little and kept quiet and could only say that we would be fine. If only…

Hours passed, so many that fatigue, hunger and thirst made us lose count. Is this what the statue was referring to? Alice started to say something, I just asked her to save her strength.

You know, I've always thought that living is shit, since I was a child, I lost my beloved aunt, she was more of a mother to me than the woman who gave me life. Since then I have felt empty. I met you guys though, I met you.

After these words, he just collapsed, I started to shout his name:

Alice… Alice? Hey, it's okay to play, not at a time like this please, Alice… Tell me something please… ALICE!!!

That last scream is what I remember, when I became aware of myself I could only see myself in bed in my small room with a damp cloth on my forehead while the priest came in to change the serum to which I was connected. He said:

You woke up huh, this time their mischief went very far, they approached that mountain, no one can go there little one. You know all men go to hell. But… why did you send your little friend so early?

But what is this man saying? I know this man is a bit senile, but that doesn't sound like a raving... He started saying a lot of crazy things.

Little one, from now on misfortune is going to haunt you all your life, however... I doubt you'll be able to live long. You went to that place... That forgotten place, a series of coincidences made you see the way, and from what I see you who survived saw the final words that condemned your friend. Remember?

I could only remember a little thing about “Abandon all….” He immediately intervened.

I really don't want to know, I just know that the legend of this town says that something very ancient lives here, hidden at the bottom of the mountain, in a place so dark that it can only be illuminated by the light of the darkest. The one who sends everyone to hell. Whoever manages to see the first symbol located in the clearest night will be guided to face the second symbol in the darkest day, if this person manages to see the cursed words, he would only need to approach the last symbol, "the real one" from there everything will flow .

Looks like you did all of that...

No, I… I didn't see any of that… However I was guided, and I could see the words, but… What will happen now?

What happened, now in you, is that, that which lived in peace at the bottom of the cave to which you unfortunately arrived, lives in you. You will soon die and return to its original resting place. Just play with you.

But… What happened to Alice?
She's dead, I can't be sure, but two weeks have passed, without food or water and locked up in the mountains, for sure.

But why didn't they take it out with me?

Simple, no one took you out, after a few days, after the warning of your friend who was lucky to return on time, you just showed up at the entrance.

…

A few years have passed, Louis and I together have gathered a giant amount of information and managed to figure out several things, first, is it possible to bring Alice back to life, second, we must go back to where it all started. There we will find the answers.

So it was, planned, done, we arrived at the statue, with the clearest night we will find the answers.

A full moon night, where after adding a little blood and reciting the cursed words we can ask the darkest being three things.

So when the light of the full moon had completely bathed the angel statue, I cut my palm and spilled blood on it, while saying in a low voice.

Give up all hope.

At that moment that statue of a beautiful and winged man holding a baby managed to smile with a macabre grimace. I manage to say the following in a low and serious tone…

You're here... You already lost everything, years ago, when you found me, are you coming to get it back?

It is exactly what I want… With all my courage on top I asked how can I achieve it?

He just smiled, continued smiling in a macabre way, the air felt dense and that thing seemed to only be watching me.

You must set me free, so I'll stop sending everyone to hell, plus I'll bring her back.

The air continued to get heavier and… hot.

How can we achieve it?

A body, anyone can serve, they just have to make a small sacrifice on a tree, surely you understand what I mean. Then she just says the words… A bonus for you boy so I'll stop sending everyone to hell.

What!? So it's not just a name, are you really sending us all to hell? We're all going to stop there then...?

Your last question, burnt, you can avoid burning yourself too, just bring me back to life. Bring us to life...

By then Louis was passed out, quite sweaty, the ground withered and the orange trees looked gray on that night. I also fell. In a dream of a few hours, until that dawn, I could only see Alice... I must do it, I think not only for her.

I do not want to go into details, it all happened in a very sick way, I found some worshipers of these strange cults, sick enough and crazy enough to sacrifice themselves, among them an elderly lady, with a dark complexion, happy to give her life for a purpose that she did not I would see, but confident to rest eternally with happiness.

I was able to achieve everything thanks to Louis, since Alice concentrated on studying, I think he went crazy, he really didn't want to talk to me anymore, until I told him that it was possible to bring her back. After some little dubious research on my part.

Came the day. We got into it, 5 mental patients without a care, a lady hanging from a tree and two boys desperate enough not to think about what they were doing. All in an old shack in the mountains. It didn't take Louis long to make the place. A man with a great future that I will probably take from him.

There was no such special thing as that being told me. Only what was already there, (apart from some crazy worshipers for the sacrificed to comply) and me, it was enough to pronounce the words, we didn't even wait for night.

I did so, it was afternoon and just by finishing pronouncing that in front of the lady the darkest night fell, at least it seemed that way, every single light in that place disappeared, I was in complete darkness... No, in the nothing. Everything felt empty and I couldn't hear or see anything. I didn't really feel anything. Is this hell? That's what I thought.

A horrible and familiar voice said:

You did it.

Then everything came back, a very dark version of where we were, the lady came down from where she was and moved with slow and unusual steps.

Promised is debt boy, I brought your friend, you managed to bring us back.

I looked around, and the “bring us back” thing wasn't just that, the place was packed with…people? At least some strange beings with a dead look. Suddenly I heard a scream and one of them was opening the throat with a piece of old wood to one of the followers of the cult, he was happy and only heard something.

Thanks.

That scene was horrible, and not only that, all the poor people who accompanied us that day met their death in a slow, imprecise and painful way.

My legs trembled, from one moment to another I fell to the ground and I could see something approaching me... Closer and closer, I began to crawl away from it, not knowing that I could never run away.

Finally I just froze in fear and closed my eyes. On the verge of passing out, I only felt a hug and heard a few short words.

No not yet.

That broke away from the hug, and walked away, after a moment I opened my eyes and noticed a few steps away from me, straight ahead, it was... Alice? Still a little, but her gaze was different. She looked at me with discouragement and fear, however at times her expression changed and she only saw me with a look of great pain and wanting to cry, she moved, wanted to get closer and run at the same time. It was like that for a while until Louis approached.

I guess she was also assimilating everything that happened, at this moment, she ran towards Alice, shouting her name... When she was close enough, she hugged her and started to cry, Alice put on a very strange face, from one moment to another she made a very strange movement I took. a piece of wood and nailed Louis in the belly. Long enough to get through. Louis fell to the ground and his lips pronounced something...

Why?, Alice… Why…? Ali… ce… I… love… you…

Alice started crying and screaming ranting.

You… Why have you done this to me, you are always hurting me, in every possible way and every time I die I see you again, once again, will you play with me again? Will they deceive me and then finish me off in a horrible way? No. Not this time.

Suddenly he took something from the ground and started to get closer to where I was. That screamed something.

Is this what you wanted? I hope you are happy.

Suddenly, given some impulse I began to run. I left there and when I reached the town I took refuge. Since that day I just find myself running away, waiting for Alice to find me.

I think the danger of those creatures was brief, I only saw a newspaper with news of some macabre murders somewhere in this town, there is too much information about what happened. I didn't go further, I was just a game for that apparently.

I'm currently finishing writing this, I plan to make some copies and leave them in the village, also near that mountain and that statue... At every moment I feel Alice close, closer and closer, from time to time, as now I only hear the door being touched and I open it hoping that she is the one on the other side. Sometimes I think I see her, I can even swear that sometimes I feel her sudden embrace and then stick something in my back.

At this moment, I just heard the play being played, hard, as if whoever was behind it couldn't wait... I'll open again hoping that it's there, that all this suffering ends. Alice...

Is this my hell?

I really hope it's a good read, I love horror stories, or just metaphors explained in a slightly different way... Let's say. I'm not the best at writing them though, mind you, it was great to do.

Thank you for reading!