Manu had been awake for several hours already; his enthusiasm had kept him from closing his eyes throughout the dark and silent night.

  "GUYS, GUYS!! WAKE UP, THE SUN IS HIGH AND WAITING FOR US... COME ON, GUYS, GET UP, WE NEED TO EXPLORE HELL."

  On one side, there was a boy in the seventh circle, on the other, there were two sleepy boys who wanted to sleep.

  "Manuuuuu, can you stop yelling like a slaughtered chicken? What time is it anyway?"

  "7 in the morning."

  "Are you completely nuts? Have you hit your head? With all this chaos, it's still 7, go back to sleep and be quiet."

  "Don't nag, and come have breakfast, you dicks! I'll wait for you downstairs."

  The two boys burst into laughter at what had just happened, and after a few minutes, they decided to go downstairs.

  "Finally, you guys came down."

  "Don't make me speak, or else ugly words will come out."

  The three boys sat down for breakfast; the table was laden with all sorts of food: cookies, milk, a cake leftover from yesterday, donuts, croissants, and fruit. Each took something and went outside, sitting on the promontory where their house was located, enjoying the morning breeze. The air was delicate and soft; each of them was lost in their thoughts as they consumed what they had taken. They knew their journey could be one-way, so every moment was important, both individually and collectively. The time had come for each of them was waiting for, to explore the arid and fiery lands of Hell. All that peace was interrupted by an apocalyptic belch from the usual one to ruin memorable moments.

  "Manu, you're disgusting."

  "Yeah, really, you ruined this epic moment."

  Manu burst into laughter.

  "Sorry, but there was all this silence; it felt like being at a wake."

  "You're a moron anyway."

  The two started laughing, while Luca, with a more serious air, sat aside eating biscuits.

  "Come on, guys, loosen up, what's with all this seriousness? Can't you see how much fun we're having? Let's save the seriousness for when we're in hell."

  "I don't know, guys, are you sure you want to do this? After all, I'm the one who brought you with me."

  "Even if that were the case, we made this decision together, and together we will cross Hell."

  "Exactly, Lota, we'll do this together, and besides, didn't you see how excited I was yelling earlier? Do you think I'll change my mind now? Don't even think about it!"

  Luca smiles.

  Luca: "Let's get ready then."

  They entered the house and began to prepare.

  Each of them had specific equipment for their qualities.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Luca was the one who went ahead, with a repeating shotgun, a Desert Eagle for close range, smoke grenades to move in the shadows, and two mini daggers, fast and lethal, and finally a mini flamethrower for the most extreme situations. His suit was made of carbon fiber armor, light and resistant, with a special backpack from which spider legs emerge, allowing him to run, jump, and climb, and he was also capable of becoming invisible.

  "Guys, I only have 20 rounds for the shotgun, and for the pistol, I only have one magazine. That last fight destroyed me, fortunately, the suit is intact. Manu, how are you doing?"

  "I'm in the same situation as you."

  Manu's role was one of the main ones; he covered Luca's back not far from him. His arsenal was silent and perfect for every situation. He had a silenced FAMAS with an extended magazine and a 3.5x scope lethal at any distance. From the right arm of his high-tech suit came a handle that allowed him to use the one-handed weapon, allowing him to use his tactical knife with an obsidian blade. All of this was accompanied by stun grenades and C-4. His suit was carbon fiber armor with diamond filaments, less light than the others, but more resistant, compensated by the ghost, a feature of his suit that allowed him to move quickly to be with his companions at all times.

  "Guys, I only have one C-4 left; I knew I shouldn't have overdone it. Totò, how are you doing?"

  Salvatore was the long-range cover, equipped with a .50 caliber precision rifle with a bipod and a Glock-18 for close combat. He also had remote drones equipped with 9mm bullets and smart grenades to detect enemy presence and eliminate them without exposing himself. His armor was the lightest of all, equipped with a special gravitational holster for his sniper rifle, allowing him to move without the additional weight of the weapon. From his arms came upgrades for the sniper that transformed it into an automated sniper with incredible firepower and equipped with a special plasma bullet, excellent for pulverizing larger beasts.

  "Guys, I'm in a bad shape too; I don't have much left of my precision rifle, and the plasma bullets take time to charge. Fortunately, I still have the drones. More than anything, how are we on bandages?"

  "Not good."

  In the medical box, there were only 2 adrenaline shots for Manu and Luca, 1 medikit, and a few bandages. All this was divided together with provisions, and finally, they were ready.

  "Before we enter, are you sure you want to go in?"

  "Get in and be quiet!"

  After passing the portal, the three boys found themselves in the infernal realm, and the first impression was of immense astonishment; what the sight revealed was an immense land made of a strange red friable stone to the touch, and occasionally, there was a small layer of yellowish arid land. In the endless expanse of red stone, there were also waterfalls of blood-red lava, plants with hanging eyeball bulbs, strange burnt lianas, and giant bones hanging from the ceiling. The only creatures living there were humanoid dogs with a curved red sword, fortunately not attacking unless attacked first, and they knew it because that idiot Manu attacked one. The boys explored far and wide in this desolate and monotonous realm until they found themselves in a huge ocean of lava. This was circumnavigated by the trio as much as possible, and suddenly...

  "Guys, okay, this is incredible and all, but I was expecting some action, we've been walking for hours, the water evaporates quickly, and I can't take it anymore, come on, guys, let's take a 5-minute break."

  "I agree, I would say we stop, then walk a few kilometers, and if we don't find anything, we go back home. Although I doubt we'll find anything; there's nothing in this desolate land, and it's damn hot despite the suit."

  "Your wishes have been granted, guys, look what's ahead of us."

  "What?! A ship?"

  "Yes, I think so. A ship, but without sails."

  "Well, it's nothing special, but finally something interesting happened."

  "What's a ship doing here? Salvatore, can you inspect it with a drone?"

  "Of course."

  The reconnaissance revealed that the ship was completely empty, although there was no living soul, the trio moved cautiously. Luca was the first to climb aboard with a loaded shotgun, inspecting every corner with extreme precision. Manu followed him not far behind, ready to cover his back if something happened, while Salvatore provided support from a distance with the sniper rifle. Once the safety of the ship was verified, Salvatore rejoined the others.

  "After spending some time exploring the ship individually, the trio regrouped.

  "So, guys, found anything?"

  "Nothing, just empty cages, crates with bones, ashes, and some gold coins dirty with blood, but nothing significant."

  "I, on the other hand, found this old lantern; it shines with a greenish light and seems to contain tormented souls."

  "Damn, show me, but how many are there?"

  "When we get back home, I'll show you everything. Now we have work to do, and then there was also this necklace with a sphere with feathers as a pendant with a strange inscription."

  "Well, then we'll decide how to divide things."

  "Guys, something doesn't convince me. There must be a way to activate this ship."

  "How should I activate it? There's only the helm here."

  "And what do you want from me? I can do a ballet for you."

  "Can we throw it into the lava?"

  "Nah, I would say we go out and break the portal."

  "Not a bad idea, I'm sure those dogs are better company than you guys. You're just jealous that I have a sense of humor, and you don't."

  "Come on, sense of humor, do you have any ideas?"

  "Other than talking nonsense? No, let's keep looking; there must be a way to activate it. Although, as much as I've walked, Charon should have been here to drive me."

  Luca descended back into the hold to inspect it better and noticed some writings on a wall, so he called Manu.

  "Manu, come down, hurry up!"

  "What did you find?"

  "Look here, none of us noticed these writings!"

  "Oh my God, it's true, but they're written with a dark ink that blends with the wall."

  The boys began to read: 'At the tree of hell, there was a splitting, dividing the dimension into two poles, on one side the abode of souls, on the other the abode of soulless bodies. With it, this ship arose to transport the bodies. Now the echoes resonate...'

  Meanwhile, Salvatore was off to the side thinking of a solution. He wandered left and right until he reached the stern of the ship, where he saw an army of skeletal hands anchoring the ship. Salvatore acted quickly. He shouldered the precision rifle and shot the skeletal hands with extreme precision. At a certain point, the hands let go, and the ship began to move. There was a loud noise, and with it appeared some innocent and motionless creatures in cages. The boys climbed aboard and saw a black monster, with red eyes and a gaping mouth at stomach height, at the helm of the ship. The boys, driven by instinct, pointed their weapons at the creature, but realizing it was not hostile, they calmed down and began the crossing of hell.

  "You wanted Charon, well, here he is."