Son of Cerberus (The Unusual Operations Division Book 2) by Jacob Hammes Page B

to be cut open. Women cut precious parts of themselves off like they were making offerings to the gods.
    She didn’t know whether what she was seeing was real or not, but all the men and women seemed as if they were particularly afraid of Amy. They cowered away from her, hid their heads in the corners of the ship, or crawled away from her through pools of thick blood. She couldn’t imagine why grown adults who had just recently been celebrating with her, would be cowering away in such fear that they would be willing to murder themselves rather than look upon her.
    It made her sick. She wretched in her dream, doubled over in fear and terror and nausea. She tried so hard to get away, to find a corner of the ship that wasn’t covered in blood. She tried to punch through a door which seemed as if it were made of living tissue, complete with teeth and bloody tongues. Her fist stuck to it. The soft flesh was sticky enough to hold her fast.
    With her other hand she pushed against the door, trying desperately to free herself. Amy knew it was a bad idea when her other hand became stuck fast, just as the first. Wailing in terror, she kicked the door with all her might. Fighting ferociously against the monster door, she pulled as if she were an animal stuck in a trap.
    It dragged her closer and closer to the abysmal hole of its esophagus. Soon she was up to her elbows, held fast by something she couldn’t fathom. Then, her biceps were pulled in and she struggled with all of her might to keep her face away from the stench of the monster. It was impossible for her to get away; the door-demon was too much for her. Soon, her face was pulled into the warm flesh of the maw and she was completely engulfed in it.
    The warmth was disgusting, yet somehow comforting. She couldn’t move a muscle, couldn’t breathe, and knew she would surely perish. Amy felt oddly content. It was as if she could finally rest. If this had become what her life would be, she wanted it to end.
    Instead of dying, she found herself floating above a pool. Her feet glided blissfully above the water below her. She couldn’t tell if she had entered the belly of the beast or whether she was now in a new nightmare, but this place felt better than the last. It wasn’t full of death, at least.
    She struggled to move away from the place she had been glued to, but found that she was powerless. As much as she flailed her arms and legs, nothing made her budge an inch—she was weightless without an anchor. Instead of wasting her energy, she decided to sit still and scope out the new place in her head. The water glowed below her, a comforting blue color just out of reach. She could feel the warmth emanating from its calm surface, making her feet feel comfortable. Besides the glow of the water, there was nothing.
    A faint light sparked in the distance, finally giving her some insight into how large this place was. It must have been massive, for the light seemed to take forever to reach her. When it finally did come into view, Amy could see it was the face which had visited her that morning. A smiling visage the shape and intensity of the sun came closer, warming her spirit as it did. She was forced to look away, worried at first the face would attack her or turn ugly, or simply burn her up.
    It did nothing malicious. It simply came closer and washed her with a feeling of contentment. As if she were being touched by the rays of the sun for the very first time, Amy felt happy. An actual smile came over her and she knew whatever was in front of her, it was there to help.
    She awoke with a start. Where there had been warmth beneath her feet and all around her before, now there was a cold breeze. Somehow, Amy was not in her bed anymore. Instead, she was just climbing down the last rung of the fire escape on the side of a large building. Shaken and disturbed by the sudden turn of events, Amy looked down at herself.
    This was real—she had no doubt in her mind.
    Nervously, she pulled