Am I dead? Vella couldn’t see anything or move anything, but the pain didn’t seem to have any problem finding her. She must be in hell then. Not that she didn’t deserve to be after some of the things she’d done in the past, but it sucked. She could feel something warm move next to her. She wasn’t sure if she should try and scream or pretend she hadn’t noticed whatever it was. Like when she was a child and afraid of the shadows lurking in her closet all those years ago, she prayed that whatever it was, if she didn’t see it or acknowledge it, then it couldn’t hurt her. She used to pull the covers over her head and pretend there was nothing there. While she lay there frightened half out of her mind, she would fall asleep, and the next morning it would all seem so silly. She didn’t think it was all that silly now as she floated in pain in the depths of hell. Whatever it was, it moved again. This time pressure over her upper thighs caught her by surprise, and she squealed without meaning to.
