Sleepyhead

Chapter 1; The Gates

A loud ringing in the girl's ears began to die out, the blur of the world around beginning to shape itself into a land. She was laying down on cold, rough, silvery ground with the brightness of glinting mercury. Above, the sky was twisting into multiple colors. Only one light shown down, and it was a gray bright spotlight shining upon the entire land. She sat up, and looked in front of her. Two large gates, one yellow and one red, were before her. In front of it stood a man--no, a creature. He was jet black, body slightly translucent like smoke. It leaned forward on a maroon cane. A small hat floated above its head, its long tail lashing behind him. A toothy, sharp smile was plastered onto his face.
"HEY THERE!" He shouted to her. She visibly jumped, shooting to her feet.
"Who are you? Where am I?"
"THAT'S EASY!" He bowed. "I, AM THE GATESKEEPER! AND YOU, LORI, ARE IN PURGATORY! SHOT IN THE HEAD. ASSASSINATED!" She flinched. "YEAH, YEAH, FLINCH AND STIR. WON'T BRING YOU BACK! BUT I HAPPEN TO KNOW WHAT WILL.."
"Go on." She approached the creature. His smile stretched.
"HELP ME GET BACK INSIDE MY HOME BEHIND THESE GATES."
"How am I expected to do that?"
"YOU MUST ENTER THROUGH THE GATES BEFORE YOU. FIND LORD DIMROCK, AND KILL HIM. THE BARRIER KEEPING ME OUT WILL DISAPPEAR! YOU'LL MOST LIKELY NEED A FEW PALS, HOWEVER! YOU'LL KNOW WHO'S UP FOR HELPING AND WHO ISN'T." The Gateskeeper stepped out of the way, hooking the tall entrance door's bars and yanking it open.
"Why are you kept out in the first place?" She asked hesitantly. His grin faded away. "OH, THAT IS A SAD TALE I WILL TELL YOU NOW..10 YEARS BEFORE NOW, SHADOWS AND HEXES WERE WELCOME INSIDE THE LANDS OF PURGATORY, AND NOT JUST SAT OUTSIDE LIKE DOGS ON RESTRAINTS. DIMROCK IS A FIERCE, MERCILESS DEMON. HE IS CONSTANTLY SENDING EACH AND EVERYONE TO THE DEPTHS OF THE FLAMES BELOW. I STEPPED IN WITH AN ARMY, READY TO OVERTHROW THIS TYRANT, BUT HE WAS TOO STRONG! MY ARMY WAS SLAIN, AND I WAS BANISHED ETERNALLY." He lamented, lowering his head. Lori gasped, patting his shoulder.  
"That's just not right..! I'll take care of this immediately, you hear? I'll get you inside as soon as possible."
"AH, YOU'RE SO KIND! THANK YOU, DEAR GIRL. I WILL SPREAD THE NEWS OF YOUR KINDNESS TO EACH AND EVERY HEX AND SHADOW, STUCK OUTSIDE OF THE BORDERS OF PURGATORY!" Lori smiled, rushing inside the gates. The Gateskeeper waved as she ran inside, smile nearly a mile wide.
"DON'T GET YOURSELF KILLED, OK?" Lori could've sworn he muttered something right after that. She shrugged it off, and got moving. She had to get a job done.
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