Chapter Text
Kevin Price had lied to his parents today. He told his mom he had finished his homework when he hadn't in order to finish the TV episode he was watching. Though he had completed it an hour later, the guilt gnawed at him. He knew he should confess but couldn’t bring himself to do it.
That night, the hell dream returned. This time, there was a new face—a boy, slightly shorter than him, in a Mormon uniform. The boy was pale, with a freckled face and striking red hair. Kevin had never seen him before. He assumed it was a demon, a new temptation. Kevin approached cautiously, expecting the boy to sprout horns or transform into a monstrous version of himself. The boy was curled up, rocking back and forth, oblivious to Kevin's presence until he touched his shoulder. The boy recoiled, startling Kevin.
The boy scrutinized Kevin, who also wore a Mormon uniform in the dream. "You're... a Mormon," the boy muttered, more to himself than to Kevin.
Kevin nodded, "Yeah, I am. And you are, too?"
The boy, Elder McKinley according to his nametag, nodded. "Elder Price," he read aloud, examining Kevin. They were both perplexed by the other’s presence. Despite the fiery, hellish landscape and demons brandishing Kevin’s mother’s head on a stick, Kevin focused on Elder McKinley.
Suddenly, Elder McKinley was on his feet, touching Kevin’s hair, face, and pinching his cheeks, even playing with his tie. The gentle touch was surprising but not unwelcome. "Are you real?" Elder McKinley asked, his voice trembling.
"I should be asking you the same thing," Kevin replied, still unsure of the situation. "Why are you here?"
"This is my dream," Kevin asserted.
"What?" Elder McKinley looked taken aback. "What are you talking about? This is my hell dream," he insisted, his voice growing more frantic. "This isn't my first nightmare. It always looks like this—demons, fire, and... and horrible things. I've never seen you before!"
Kevin shook his head, growing defensive. "What are you on about? I have the hell dream every night, Elder Price, if that’s even your name. And I've never seen you. I know what this is—a temptation. Not today, Satan," he said, turning away looking proud. Kevin almost laughed.
Kevin scoffed. "Why would I lie about my name?"
"You're not real," Elder McKinley repeated, his voice rising. "You can't be real. This is just another trick."
"I am, though," Kevin rebuked, his confusion mounting. "Why would I be a trick? I'm just as confused as you are."
Elder McKinley shook his head aggressively, turning to face Kevin. "You can't be," he repeated, his voice breaking. "Every night, it's just me here. Alone. Suffering. You... you have to be a trick."
Kevin noticed Elder McKinley’s eyes welling up with tears. "Whoa, whoa." He reached out, wiping the boy’s tears. "Please don't cry, Elder McKinley. I’m sorry."
"Don't touch me!" Elder McKinley retorted, recoiling, but then immediately reached out to hold Kevin's hands. "You're not real," he whispered to himself, desperation in his eyes. "You can't be. This place... it's meant to break me. Why would there be someone else here?"
Kevin squeezed his hands and wiped his tears again. "I'm real. Please don't cry. I'm here. I'm real."
Elder McKinley’s grip tightened. "Every night, I'm tormented by my own thoughts, by demons. I see horrors beyond imagining. Why would you be here now? This doesn’t make any sense. How do I know you’re not just another part of my punishment?"
Kevin took a deep breath, trying to remain calm despite his own confusion. "I don’t know why you're here. But I know I'm real. Maybe... maybe we're here to help each other."
Elder McKinley shook his head, his fear palpable. "Help each other? In this place? There’s no help here. Only pain and despair. How can you be so calm? This place... it's hell."
Kevin swallowed hard, glancing around at the grotesque scenery. "I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm just trying to figure this out, just like you. Maybe together we can make sense of it."
Elder McKinley looked at him, hope flickering in his eyes for a brief moment before being snuffed out by doubt. "I want to believe you. I really do. But this place has a way of twisting everything. Making you see things that aren’t real. Feel things that aren't true."
Kevin nodded, understanding. "I get it. I do. But maybe if we stick together, we can find a way out of this. Or at least make it a little less terrifying."
Elder McKinley’s eyes softened slightly, though fear still lingered. "You really think so?"
"I don't know," Kevin admitted. "But it's worth a shot, right?"
Elder McKinley hesitated, then finally nodded. "Okay. Okay, we'll try. But if you turn into another monster, I swear..."
Kevin gave a small, reassuring smile. "I won’t. I promise."
The two stood there, hands clasped, in the middle of the inferno, a small island of hope amidst the terror surrounding them.
Elder McKinley suddenly hugged Kevin, squeezing so tight it almost hurt. Kevin hugged him back. "Elder Price," Elder McKinley whispered, "why are you here? What did you do?"
Kevin thought for a moment. "I lied to my mom about finishing my homework."
Elder McKinley laughed. "That's all? That's pathetic," he said, laughing at him.
Kevin scowled. "What are you here for then?"
Elder McKinley seemed nervous. "I'd rather not answer that."
Suddenly, a towering figure loomed over them, shrouded in a cloak of darkness that seemed to absorb all light. The air grew thick with dread, suffocating any sense of safety. It was Satan, his eyes glowing like hot coals, horns curling menacingly from his head. His presence was overwhelming, a malevolent force that seemed to drain the very hope from the surroundings. The ground beneath him cracked and burned, molten lava seeping through the fissures.
"No, no, go on, tell him!" Satan's voice boomed, dripping with malice, reverberating through the fiery landscape. His words sent shivers down their spines, and the air grew even hotter, almost unbearable. Demons circled them, their twisted forms flickering in the flames, their eyes glowing with sinister delight at their master’s command. Elder McKinley began to sweat, his fear palpable.
"Please don't make me," Elder McKinley stammered, his voice barely a whisper against the roar of the inferno.
Satan's grin widened, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth that gleamed with a terrible hunger. "I'll tell him then!" His voice was a symphony of terror, echoing through the endless abyss of hell. The fire roared higher, the flames licking at Kevin and Elder McKinley, threatening to consume them.
"No!" Elder McKinley shouted, desperation in his eyes. "I mean, no. I'll tell him," he took a deep, shuddering breath, his voice trembling. "Elder Price, I've been having... gay thoughts." He looked scared of what Kevin might have to say.
Satan's laughter erupted like a volcanic explosion, a chilling, mocking sound that resonated through the inferno. The demons around them cackled in response, their twisted faces contorting with glee. Satan reached out with a clawed hand, ruffling Elder McKinley’s hair with a brutal, mocking gentleness before shoving him to the ground with such force that the earth cracked beneath him. "There you go, fa*g. That wasn't so hard."
Kevin was stunned, his heart pounding. "Don't call him that," he said before he could stop himself, his voice shaking.
"Elder Price, don't," Elder McKinley pleaded, a hint of thankfulness in his tear-filled eyes.
Satan's eyes narrowed, his grin widening to an impossible degree. "I'll call him what I want, Elder," he mocked, his voice dripping with venom. "And come tomorrow, you're gonna regret talking back." He gestured, and the demons around them surged forward, their grotesque forms moving with terrifying speed.
One demon, with a face twisted into a permanent sneer, grabbed Kevin's shoulder, its claws digging painfully into his skin. Another, with eyes like burning coals, snarled and snapped its jaws near Elder McKinley's face. The heat intensified, flames roaring and crackling, casting a hellish glow over everything.
Satan's gaze fixed on Kevin, and with a swift, brutal motion, he pushed him to the ground with a force that knocked the breath out of him. Kevin's head spun, and he could feel the heat searing his skin. The last thing he saw before waking was Satan's burning eyes and the mocking laughter of the demons echoing in his ears.
Kevin woke up, drenched in sweat, his heart pounding with fear and confusion, the terrifying images of hell and Satan's malevolent presence still fresh in his mind.
So many thoughts raced through Kevin's mind. Who was this other Mormon boy? He’s gay? Was he even real? Why was he in my dream? Why was I in his?
