~~

Trinity

~~

"I wish I was just a self-proclaimed goddess. Do you have any **ing clue how much stress and pressure I have been under for the last few years? Do you know what I have had to deal with just recently because of who and what I am? I am not here because I wanted to be, asshole! I am here right now because one of your trapped souls is trying to escape. I am here because I need to stop her. All I want to do is go home and be with my family again. But no, now I need to do your job for you!

"

The man's already angry looking face just went purple with his boiling fury. I had said too much. I had caused problems for us. I knew it was coming though. I knew it was going to happen. I just couldn't stop it. I was too pissed off, too angry to hold it back anymore.

OK. I will admit that this man had nothing to do with the way that I had been feeling. He wasn't the one that I was angry with. He wasn't the one that had put me through hell. He wasn't the one that had brought me here. So, I shouldn't be angry with him, right? Well, ** that. I was going to treat him the way he was treating me.

"I told you I would not be talked to like that.

" The wind, which had just been a soft and gentle breeze, picked up with a sudden intensity. It was like someone, most likely him, was calling it to life. Ha ha, that's funny. Calling something to life in the underworld.

"Look, whoever you are. I just want to be on my way. I just want to get to the door out of here and find the person that I am looking for. I will be out of your hair as soon as I can be.

"

With those words, I held onto the boys while simultaneously pushing Rudy ahead of me. We had just gotten past the big brute when he slowly turned to face us and bellowed out in his booming voice.

"My name is Alexio Ptolemy. And by the grace of all the Gods and Goddesses, I will not let you escape this place. I will not let you shrink your punishment. You will atone for your sins as you are supposed to. And I will be the judge that drags you there.

"

Was it just me, or was Alexio here growing in size? Nope, it wasn't just me. I could see the look that was on Rudy's face as he watched the man. He was definitely seeing what I was seeing. And I do not think that this was a good thing either. This was most likely going to be, quite literally, hell for us.

"Rudy, I think we need to get out of here.

" I said as I scooped up the boys in my arms. They were almost too big for me to fit them all. Technically they were too big, but I was trying my best here.

"Yes. We need to run.

"

Rudy took two of the boys from my arms and held them in one of his. Then, he took my now empty left hand as I clung to Zayden with my right arm. He pulled me along behind him as he ran as fast as he could. I was glad that I was able to move fast, or he would have been dragging me. Actually, I could probably move faster than him.

So, I decided that I was going to move faster than him. I ran faster and harder until I was ahead of him. I started to pull him behind me and made him force his body to keep up with me.

"You aren't human.

" Rudy called after me, marveling at the speed that I was showing.

"I already told you that.

" I laughed at him and his absurdness.

"Yes, I know that. However, seeing is believing.

"

I wanted to respond to him, but I just didn't have the chance. We were running for our lives, after all. If I didn't want to upset the balance of things in this world, I would have just fought him. I couldn't do that though. I couldn't risk it.

Running didn't seem to be working right now though. It wasn't that we weren't trying. It wasn't because we weren't moving fast. We were doing both of those things, but when your opponent was now almost ten feet tall and covered way more ground than you ever could with each stride, and then add into that the fact that his size did not diminish his speed at all, it was going to be hard to outrun them.

I needed to think of something else. I needed to get us out of this predicament, and to safety, so that we could then figure out how we were going to get to the door. I needed to figure it all out and in the space of just a few seconds. So, you know, no pressure there.

I scanned my surroundings as quickly as I could as I literally felt the ground shaking beneath me. That mammoth of a man, the massive brute of a warrior, but hot on my heels and breathing down my neck. I swear I even felt his breath there as I looked for where to go.

There were a couple of different options. I could sprint and leap to the top of an outcropping of rocks that were near a punishment. The only problem with that, though, was that I didn't know if the barriers would keep me from approaching that area. That would be a big risk to take right now. If it stopped me in my tracks, then Alexio was going to catch us.

OK, then let me check out option number two. That was a narrow alleyway that was between two large stone structures that housed different punishments. It looked like it might actually turn into some sort of underground tunnel. It was not more than two feet wide so it would be a tight fit for Rudy. However, it had the added benefit of being low as well. Rudy would have to stoop, but this place was at most five feet tall. Even I would have to crouch a little to get in there.

There was a major upside though. Alexio definitely would not be able to fit his huge ass into that space. He would not be able to follow us, no matter what he did. That place was just going to be way too small for him.

Well, I think that just about settled it for me. That should be all that I needed to know about this. I was going to take Rudy and the boys and run toward that tunnel.

And I hadn't made my decisions with any time to spare at all. The moment that I turned and changed our path, I felt the movement of the air as Alexio ran past us. He had just been about to catch the five of us, but we were safe now.. I hoped.