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Chapter Eleven: Journey's End, Part One

Benji opened his eyes as the teleportation competed, ignoring the massive trophy lodged in his chest he walked forward and looked around. The walls were made out of pure fire brick, they glowed with fire and they seemed hot to the touch. Most definitely he was in hell. Ignoring that he needed to get out, he needed to figure out who did this and as he scanned over his mind a new objective appeared.

“Greg, if you think that killing Martin has made me weak than you're wrong. I have a very special set of skills and I will use them all to find you. If you believe that I will not use everything I have around me, that I will not use every single contingency I have or threaten any one near you than you are wrong and underestimating me will be the worst mistake you have ever made." Benji said as he looked around placing his hands on the wall, it burnt. The heat burnt like hell, which was acceptable for him.

He looked around he needed clues to where in hell he was, perhaps in the apartments next to the waterfalls of fires. Or maybe he was in the entrance to the labyrinth of doom, into the prison of hell. He could really be anywhere in hell and that'd be nice.

He viewed the bookshelf next to the wall, the back half of the wood was charred and burnt. Looking down at his hand it healed quickly, at least he still had his healing powers. Putting his hand forward, he attempted to form a power drill in his hand. As he did his hand glowed for a second, then it stopped he was being limited in some form.

He walked forward looking at the somewhat burnt books, grabbing on by the non-brunt side he opened them and looked inside. The pages were blank, and slowly the words started to appear. It was like the passage was being generated by the second but it appeared to be complete non-sense.

Placing the book against the wall it caught on fire and he watched as it turned to ashes. He turned away and most of the room was caught on fire and or in the process of doing so. It was a bit amazing looking at the infrastructure of the room slowly catch.

Yet even as he enjoyed the burning couch, he had to leave and by that he meant the couch had brunt away too. As his body healed itself he walked forward, as to make an exit out of the room. Before him a ghost apparition appeared, suddenly stabbing him in the stomach. He slashed through his skin and as Benji fell to the floor, he bled out.

And then he was fine, he felt all the pain and he felt his stomach opening but he was healed. And he recognized the man that stabbed him, in fact the man stabbed him before in the real world. Benji walked forward knowing this was too big to be a real coincidence.

“So then haunting me with previous deaths, come on Greg you can do better than that. Surely you must have better ideas than that?" Benji said as behind him he felt a ghostly feeling. He turned around and Martin stood behind him, and as it was Martin's body fell to the floor and died again.

Benji's face turned sour and his face shook as he was reminded of the event only minutes ago. He ran back at the bookshelf and threw it on the ground, he grabbed the books and pressed them at the walls catching them on fire. The books fell into the pile and the flame grew as the bookshelf caught as well.

Benji looked at what he did, caught in the rage of death. If he was in hell perhaps he would see Martin again, perhaps it wasn't all over. He just needed to escape and get back his powers. Walking forward he focused his energy and tried to form his weapon.

Wishing that he could change the past, it seemed impossible but the future was ahead of him. Yet he needed to fix the past, get revenge. If Greg or Elliot were responsible for this he needed them to feel the pain in his heart, he needed to make sure they felt what he felt as he saw Martin hit the floor.

If the bookshelf was extreme then he was sure that he was just starting. Walking forward he turned towards the left deciding to navigate the maze and face all of the hellish deaths he once faced in the above world. Walking forward the hallway continued on and on until he reached another room. In the room an orange dot was bouncing around, it was the time travel dot. He avoided it as it time traveled back and two of them appeared.

Benji ducked down as it flew over his head, but as he thought of it the dots weren't working as they normally did. It was as if the dots, or dot, was copied and made more deadly. Benji ducked below and tried to make his way towards a table. He looked around but it seemed that he was nearly trapped.

The two dots, stopped and looked at him. It was more than thirty seconds, and the dots didn't travel back in time. So something strange was happening. Benji looked as the dots and they charged at him splashing through his body. The shark gasped as his organs were poisoned from the inside.

Benji felt his liver shut down and his stomach quaking. He tried to stay awake as the poison spread into his blood and then into his heart and soon the brain. The dots laughed as they both disappeared, Benji's fate was sealed. Benji felt his heart slowly stop bleeding and his vision shut down as his brain was poisoned.

Benji woke up, his body quickly rising and cursing himself as he slammed his head into the table. He felt the poison as gather in to his body, being dragged into his stomach. He got out of the table and he felt his stomach quake as the poison was secreted.

His body needed to get rid of the poison. Turning towards the wall, he threw his chunks and he regretted that action. The poison in the vomit turned airborne as it was heated. Benji backed up as he looked at the vomit, he stepped back and them found himself against the wall.

He screamed as his back was brunt. He ran forward into the center of the room where he was the safest, he watched as the vomit evaporated into the air and he felt his back heal. He night get a scar or something but his body seemed fine. He stood up and tried to regain his balance but fell on the floor.

“Oh god, this is worse than I thought, well Martin it seems that I'm am going through my personal hell. Don't abandon me now." Benji said as he felt someone on his face again, a hand rubbed his face and Benji turned to the left Martin was there. “Martin what am I going to do?"

“First question, find the missing link. Find something that you can exploit, and exploit it. Second are you sure that Greg did this, could the devil be trying to cut away loose ends? Third win, find a way to beat Greg, Elliot or Lucifer." Martin said as Benji stood up, Martin grabbing on to him but his body simply phasing through.

“You're a mental construct aren't you?" Benji didn't wait for an answer, he knew Greg's mind was perhaps more devious and manipulative than he was. “Please don't stay around Martin wants me to not enact revenge and as far as I can see to that, I will avoid giving enemies that faith."

Benji walked forward trying to be the bigger man, he knew that Greg was creating this construct to push him. See how far he would go, when constantly reminded of perhaps the worst moment of his life, he needed to get away from that. Walking forward the construct followed him and he looked back at it.

He looked in Martin's eyes, they were not the same. He couldn't see the niceness, or the mercy he granted everybody. He knew not to trust the construct that was following him. Yet he looked the same spoke the same, but he knew that the Martin before him was not the one to trust.

Running before him, Benji suddenly felt the pain of being struck by the sword of Absalom. Looking at the priest's construct in front of him, he enjoyed the feeling of having the sword in him again as it was pulled out and once again he fell on the floor.

“You could end all of this right now, all of this will end if you just give up, no third option so then just do it." The construct, Benji refusing to recognize him as Martin said in his ear as he tried to convince him to end the pain. He looked at the construct and ignored him, he erased him away from his mind and tried to figure out what was happening.

Standing up he ignored the copy of Martin and walked forward. He looked through the hallway and could have sworn that something was off. As he walked forward it appeared more claustrophobic, he felt squished and something was off. He looked around and the walls appeared closer.

Looking back the bookshelf was a little further than he thought it was. It crossed a brick and as Benji stood still and watched. He closed in on the bookshelf and tried to figure out how fast the walls were moving. He realized that the bookshelf was being pushed and somehow the walls and the hallways were closing in on him.

“Go on you can figure this one out, just out the pieces together." Martin said as he looked behind Benji, he just needed to place everything in front of him together. It was so simple yet so complicated, and he had all the clues. He was smart and knew he could figure it all out.

“The walls are closing in, I have six hours until the hallways close and the rooms are trapped. I needed to quickly act, before everything shuts down." Benji said as he stood up and quickly looked around. Walking forward, he wondered how Greg would attempt revenge.

“Would be kill me like that, would he give me a painful death? No, he going to make suffer he wouldn't let me go out on an easy death." Benji said to himself as he walked through closing highway. He looked around and suddenly he felt an airlessness around his body.

Falling to the ground, he was once again knocked out by a case of airless lungs. Closing his eyes, he felt his lung collapse and all the pain he felt from dying at least two hundred times from before. He screamed out in pain, the mental construct of Martin looking down as he tried to find a way to help.

Benji stood up very exhausted, the last series of deaths taking out of him. He took in a few breaths of air and walked forward trying to balance himself out against the wall. Screaming he pulled his hand back as it burnt against the hot wall.

“Goddamn this literal hell!" Benji said kicking the wall, Greg was getting to him. Perhaps this was the suffering that he had to go through in order to die. Either way in this life or the next, of which there was none, he would find a way to return the pain he felt a hundred times over. He walked forward his face turning sourer than three week old milk.

He walked forward examining the room, then as he did he felt the blade of Greg's blade. The wendigo form of his enemy had stuck him as he did when they first met. Benji fell to the ground, he figured he would experience a death a room, which made enough sense to him.

Looking around he walked forward and went through the hallways, he went around and around; dying in every room and trying to ignore Martin. Every once in a while he shifted the trophy in his chest. He looked at it and he decided it had to important, for some reason it was placed in his chest and it killed him.

He felt his blood pump through it, he felt his heart work, it pumped it was surrounded by the trophy. Perhaps a metaphor for the situation that Greg decided to torture him with. He walked forward and he felt the trophy. The gold metal glimmered and he felt it guide him.

He walked forward feeling the burning in his chest increase as he approached what the trophy was leading to him. He entered a room and for once it appeared that no one wanted to murder him. Martin disappeared from his vision and as it appeared he was alone.

He looked in the room and tried to figure out what he needed to do. As he walked forward the burning stopped and he figured out the goal was ahead. He walked forward and looked into the way, it had been an hour and the walls were becoming more than a little tight. He would only have another hour until it became impassable.

Looking behind him two ghosts appeared. Benji's eyes widened as he realized who they were, the first death. They started this all the two who buried him, they had shovels in their hands and looked at him with the same evil smiles on their face.

“No, no, no." Benji said as he placed his hands on the wall, screaming in pain as he was forcefully reminded of the heat from the wall. He backed up as they started to chase him, he needed to escape. He turned around and ran forward. He pushed himself through the hallway, trying to escape the two. He screamed as his sleeves and shoulders burnt, but he pushed himself forward.

They continued after him even as he tried to get away, he looked ahead and there was a room. He pushed himself into it and looked around, there was a bookshelf. He grabbed it and keep the books stable as he pushed into the hallway. It was a tight fit but he smiled as the two stopped in their paths.

The bookshelf slowly caught but he saw the slow compressing of the bookshelf. He would have at least five minutes until it collapsed under itself. Behind him there was a door and it was obvious what the challenge was. Yet to defeat the ghosts he would need a weapon, something impossible to summon.

He thought about a way to get out, he needed something to exploit. Something he could use and yet he thought back to his previous thoughts. He remembered that he could do so but he wondered where the mass came from

“Come on this is the final piece put it together and you can win, this is how you do it.

He thought about a way to get out, he needed something to exploit. Something he could use and yet he thought back to his previous thoughts. He remembered that he could do so but he wondered where the mass came from

“Come on this is the final piece put it together and you can win; this is how you do it. You are so close to completing this." Martin's mental construct said as he reappeared, his mental ghost appearing despite Benji ignoring him. He just needed to connect the two dots. “You are smart you can do this, if I know the answer so can you."

“Oh, I take mass from the dimension around me, this hell doesn't have the materials for a gun or a sword but a brick one." Benji said as he extended his arm and believed in what he could summon. An energy wave travelled down his arm, glowing as it extended out his hands. A hilt formed as well as a pair of cross guards, all colored red and burning literal and figuratively with the blaze of Benji's heart a large blade formed out.

Benji ran forward confident that he could defeat the two. He slashed the bookcase in half he didn't need his safety. He ran forward and pointed his sword forward. The two pointed their shovels up and defended themselves. Benji smiled knowing that he had gotten the advantage on them. He slashed forward and the metal was knocked to the ground leaving them with sticks.

Benji smiled at them and slashed again, taking away from their handles. He slashed again and again leaving them only with a piece of wood in their hands. They stood still as Benji placed his power and his anger into the sword, it caught aflame and Benji slashed again.

The fire spread to the walls and Benji's sour look was completely gone as the fire spread down around, trapping the two to face Benji's sword. Demonstrating his skills he slashed above their head, before slashing down and barely clipping the arm of the other man.

They backed up barely touching the fire, Benji had them trapped and knew what he had to do. He slashed down and knew they were nervous. Benji raised his sword and stopped the fire. He wasn't going to kill them without making them pay, or at least a speech.

“You haven't been around in a while, so you haven't seen the progress I've made in the last three months. You'll regret that." Benji said as he raised his sword preparing to strike them down. “I have chased demons back to hell and I have killed the unkillable, if you think your something than you may as well be nothing."

Benji swung down his sword and the two disappeared into the void. He turned around and the door behind him raised up, he looked at hallway and walked forward. He looked into it and as he did a wave of light extended over his body, and he disappeared from his hell.

…

Absalom enjoyed as he was pushed through the crowds trying to get checked into hell. If Black Friday lines were something to be inspired by, then the hellish lines of dead people all trying to pass into their eternal damnation was momentous. Absalom was here for at least five or so days, he lost count but he might be their within seven.

“God, why did I have to be useless? Nothing ever went my way and here I am still waiting for something interesting to happen and waiting for my second life to expire." Absalom said in the line the demons looked at him.

“Ha do you believe in god or did you just ignore the plantlet, they gave us. There is no heaven, only the fires of hell and a terrible reincarnation, then again a white collar like you wouldn't have been smart enough to figure that out." A demon said as he was targeted.

Being a priest and having his clothes copied over into the afterlife wasn't exactly perfect for keeping a low profile. As he walked forward in the line someone looked at him and he was made a target.

“So then father didn't act good, what happened did your flock find you with a loose woman while snorting some “sugar", or at least that what they told the children that found you. And then you threw yourself of a bridge in shame." The demon said as he tried to feel better and make Absalom's hell just a bit worse.

However, above them there was the sound of a scream and looking above, Absalom moved over as Benji landed in hell right next to him. Breaking his ankles, Absalom looked down and picked his friend up. Perhaps days of self-reflection was really what he needed, but he realized Benji wasn't his enemy.

“Benji, what happened how did you die?" Absalom asked wanting to know who finally managed to best his rival. Benji's ankles cracked as they healed themselves. Getting his bearings Benji realized where in hell he was, the lines of Styx.

“I didn't die, Greg is attempting a rise up and we need to meet him. So then let's get to the front of this line." Benji said as the trophy in his chest glowed. The demons in front of him moved out of the way and he was allowed clear passage to reincarnation.

“Well then you first." Benji said letting Absalom go first knowing the line of demons would close after he travel through it. The priest did as Benji asked and walked through the line of death. The people looked controlled and their eyes were expressionless.

“What happened here, why are they listening to you they would barely listen to the man on the loudspeaker?" Absalom added as he looked at the layer of demons providing them clear passage forward. Other demons tried to push themselves back into the passage but only Benji and Absalom were allowed through.

Arriving at the front it was a bit like a ticket booth and as they arrived the demons flooded back into the line and tried to fill the spot. Yet they backed off from Benji perhaps knowing that he was too important to mess with.

“Ah yes, as it appears you two have a meeting with the devil himself, here you go." The attendant quickly said as she scanned the two and then placed two bracelets on their wrists. The gems on their wrists glowed and they were once again they were bathed in light.

“Now then it took you long enough to figure out how to use your trophy, too bad I'll have to take it now." Greg said as he swiveled around in the devil's chair, laughing at Absalom and Benji as they appeared.

“Come on you had to solve the puzzle, you just dug the human race deeper into the hole." The devil said, Lucifer was behind them tied up to a chair and wearing plain white clothes. “He needs the physical version and the copied version in your chest in order to open a link, come on your smarter than this."

“Ho boy is he right, now then. Benji first things first, you are going to be a wonderful fetcher in the future, once you figure out how to use your dead physical form maybe you could bring me one of those nice éclairs." Greg said as he held out his hand and the trophy was dragged out of Benji and his chest hole quickly closed on itself. Greg held it in his hand and looked at the nice copper and gold trophy.

“Wait explain, Absalom do you have any of the items in your hands that you had when you died." Benji said as priest searched through his pockets but found nothing. He held his pockets out and showed there was nothing that he kept.

“Obviously, people have knifes and taking them into hell is safety risk so they aren't carried through. However, you need to keep your gun and or your money, so when your rerouted through hell you get to keep everything, and when he made you stay in hell the trophy stayed as well." Lucifer said explaining the fallacy in the organization of his hell.

“So there are two versions of me, one in the real world and the other here." Benji said catching himself up. “And you needed to make me suffer and or stabilize my body by killing me but why the afterimage of Martin?"

“I didn't make him, I just left clues and expected you to figure it out." Greg said stroking the trophy and looking at his reflection in the shiny material. Benji turned around and realized the mental construct of Martin wasn't Greg's but his own mental creation to enforce his sanity.

“Benji you're here, get revenge. You can enforce my death and make sure I didn't die in vain." Martin said as Benji realized what Martin was, his own mind trying to control him.

“Ignore me, stay away. I will not dishonor Martin's death by disobeying his last wishes." Benji said to the invisible Martin as he walked towards him and placed his hands on Martin's head. “God why do have to look like him."

Benji placed his lips on Martin and embraced him as he said goodbye to him. Looking away, Martin vanished into thin air and Benji backed up.

“Martin was invisible and I realize how strange that must look to all of you." Benji said as he saw the strange looks that Lucifer and Absalom were giving him. Benji ignored that and turned around as he looked at Greg. “So then Greg, you have your trophy and you need your seal to be broken so what are you going to do?"

“Well then by now Elliot should have done what I asked and placed the trophy on top of the Hancock building, and the link should be more than stable." Greg said as he snapped his fingers and a pedestal rose out of the floor. “God I love your powers."

“Now then first things first, Benji you need to learn your place now. Martin was only an innocent bystander, he could have allowed this to happen and lived. I would have still allowed you and him to live happily. You were tricked by him, he was tricked by him, the whole world was tricked by him, the whole multiverse it seems." Greg said as he walked forward, placing the trophy on the pedestal and seeing it glow with power.

“The whole world could live forever, all we need to do modify the hell system; we could streamline this and allow the all the worlds to enter an age of immortality, this is what needs to happen." Greg said as he stroked the side of the trophy shining it up and looking at it.

“You can't do that, immortality is only a gift I can give. If everyone were to have immortality than no one would ever learn, this memory easement and reincarnation allows for people to be born with a clean soul. You can't do this, Benji tell him I'm right." Lucifer said as he struggled in his bonds trying to get out and make his way.

“I'm not sure, Martin wouldn't have died if this immortality was here. No one would have to die, justice could remain blind forever and not have to worry. I'm not sure." Benji said knowing he'd be the tiebreaker.

“Exactly, join me Benji and I can bring Martin back from the void. You will never feel the pain of heart break." Greg said tempting Benji with what he knew and what he could do.

“It's your choice now Benji, me or him. Life and Death or Immortality, pick your side." Lucifer said as decided to let Benji make his choice. Benji lamented on what he had to do and looked out at the dead people waiting for redemption. No one remembered their reincarnation, nor their past life but he had his own life which may never end and he wondered if he had the right to make such a choice for the entire world.

He sat down and stared forward, life, death, birth, enjoyment, peace. No life would end, the cycle would never reset, could the Earth handle a never ending population, her resources barely balanced now, what would immortal life do, would they even need to eat.

Benji closed his eyes and Martin appeared before him.

…

“Maybe you will, maybe you won't but I know that crocodiles are similar to lizards. Alex is going to protect you, move on from me, but don't forget me. People don't die when they're dead, people die when their forgotten, don't let me fade away." Martin begged as he tried to find a suitable way to say goodbye to Benji.

“In the end it doesn't matter does it, be a good man or not and we all go to hell; Benji stay strong for me don't let the revenge inflict you, don't ruin my death this is my moment, and remember the moments lost in time, like tears falling in rain, time to di…." Martin said as he fell again, taking his last breath and holding his hand out.

…

Benji stood up as he grabbed Martin's hand, a tear running down his eye. He knew what the lizard would want, he looked at Lucifer and nodded.

“Well I'm sorry Benji, but you can't ruin my plan. Even if you align with the dodo he is, perhaps an army of rioting demons can defeat you." Greg said ignoring Benji as he held the pedestal. “Armies of demons run the Earth."

Greg placed his hand on the trophy and a portal formed outside of the room, a large on right in front of the demons.

“You know I expected that would be more complicated." Benji said as he walked over to the window. The door to Earth was open as with water, the demons quickly turned around and took the easy path out, right onto Earth. Benji stood still as he knew that he could have stopped this but know it was time for the demons to rain down of Earth.