If there is one thing you can rely on in life, it's the taste of a McDonald's burger. The same, everywhere. Across time and space.
The building in front of Otrahun stood out in the hellish landscape like a corpse at a wedding. The cheery facade of the building, colored red and yellow called out to the junk food addict in Otrahun. Right now, he'd give his left arm to eat and drink something that would sate his thirst and hunger. He was beyond questioning the impossibility of the things that he was seeing as he pushed the glass door opened and suddenly the whole atmosphere around him changed.
Cold air-conditioning pleasantly assaulted his person and for one moment, he believed in whatever gods existed. The tables were sparsely populated by humanoid shapes, but his attention was only towards the counter behind which a soda machine was drenched in condensation from the ice in the bowels of that machine.
He climbed up the counter and attached his mouth under the soda machine's nozzle like a hungry baby on a teat and pressed the lever that would release sweet, carbonated fizz in his mouth. For the next few seconds, he forgot that he was in hell. The cool carbonated liquid felt like gold in his mouth and he gulped it down till he choked and had to pull himself away from the machine to take a breath. One breath later, he was back to chugging it all in. He coughed and choked as his body took in the sudden onslaught of cold after trekking in the heat for so long.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder and handed him some paper napkins. Otrahun wiped his face as best as he could and turned around to thank the guy. The "guy" who had handed him the paper napkins was eight feet tall and built like a small house. Muscles bulged over his muscles and there were parts of his body that branched out as if to escape from the gravitational pull of the thing's core.
"Are you alright, Mr. Yaway?" he asked in a voice that was too gentle for someone so big.
Otrahun could only nod his assent. He had to crane his neck up to look at the guy's face and he had a sinking feeling that the guy hunching down to try and be at Otrahun's level.
"Very well," he said. "My name is Oak and I run this establishment. I believe the drink that you just partook was satisfying."
Otrahun nodded again. "How do you know my name?" he managed to blurt out.
Oak simply smiled displaying serrated rows of teeth that were too sharp for Oak to be a vegetarian.
"Everyone knows your name here, Mr. Yaway. You are the first one to be here without going through the usual paths of reaching here. I believe you are somewhat of a celebrity here."
"That's good, then. I guess."
"Ah," Oak sighed. He looked at Otrahun and smiled the smile that parents give to children who have not seen the brutal realities of life yet.
"Actually, not a good thing. There is already a line of people ready to kill you here. Just to take the honor."
"But I was sent here against my will!" he protested.
"Do you think the denizens of this place give a fuck how you reached here? You are a prize right now and those who want to kill something that should not exist, those people listen to no reasons."
"Send me back, then!"
"No can do, Mr. Yaway. But I can give you a tip."
"I am all ears."
"Don't eat the fries here. They're always too salty."
The door to the restaurant shattered just then. A wave of heat rushed in and with that, a group of demonic creatures walked in.
A stick thin demon with bulging eyes and arms that reached to the ground walked in front of the group.
"We heard there is new meat on the menu. Undead meat. We are here for a taste. Where is it?"
Otrahun tried hiding behind Oak but all eyes were on the big demon who simply moved to the side exposing Otrahun to the angry group of demons.
"H-hello," Otrahun said to no one in general.
"Are you ready to die, meat?"
"Not at all, sir. Is there any way we can avoid that?"
The demon grinned and two of its teeth spiked through its upper lip. It moved its hand and two of the smaller demons moved in Otrahun's direction.
"I am so fucked," he said to himself.
"Not if you listen and do exactly as I say," the woman's voice was clear as day in his ear and he almost jumped back in surprise.
"Shit, you were listening in all this time?"
"I can get you out of this jam."
"I am still not over you shooting at me."
"Focus, Mr. Yaway. There is something under the counter, it might help."
Otrahun bent down and looked under the counter. His eyes widened in surprise and a grin slowly materialized on his face.
The building in front of Otrahun stood out in the hellish landscape like a corpse at a wedding. The cheery facade of the building, colored red and yellow called out to the junk food addict in Otrahun. Right now, he'd give his left arm to eat and drink something that would sate his thirst and hunger. He was beyond questioning the impossibility of the things that he was seeing as he pushed the glass door opened and suddenly the whole atmosphere around him changed.
Cold air-conditioning pleasantly assaulted his person and for one moment, he believed in whatever gods existed. The tables were sparsely populated by humanoid shapes, but his attention was only towards the counter behind which a soda machine was drenched in condensation from the ice in the bowels of that machine.
He climbed up the counter and attached his mouth under the soda machine's nozzle like a hungry baby on a teat and pressed the lever that would release sweet, carbonated fizz in his mouth. For the next few seconds, he forgot that he was in hell. The cool carbonated liquid felt like gold in his mouth and he gulped it down till he choked and had to pull himself away from the machine to take a breath. One breath later, he was back to chugging it all in. He coughed and choked as his body took in the sudden onslaught of cold after trekking in the heat for so long.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder and handed him some paper napkins. Otrahun wiped his face as best as he could and turned around to thank the guy. The "guy" who had handed him the paper napkins was eight feet tall and built like a small house. Muscles bulged over his muscles and there were parts of his body that branched out as if to escape from the gravitational pull of the thing's core.
"Are you alright, Mr. Yaway?" he asked in a voice that was too gentle for someone so big.
Otrahun could only nod his assent. He had to crane his neck up to look at the guy's face and he had a sinking feeling that the guy hunching down to try and be at Otrahun's level.
"Very well," he said. "My name is Oak and I run this establishment. I believe the drink that you just partook was satisfying."
Otrahun nodded again. "How do you know my name?" he managed to blurt out.
Oak simply smiled displaying serrated rows of teeth that were too sharp for Oak to be a vegetarian.
"Everyone knows your name here, Mr. Yaway. You are the first one to be here without going through the usual paths of reaching here. I believe you are somewhat of a celebrity here."
"That's good, then. I guess."
"Ah," Oak sighed. He looked at Otrahun and smiled the smile that parents give to children who have not seen the brutal realities of life yet.
"Actually, not a good thing. There is already a line of people ready to kill you here. Just to take the honor."
"But I was sent here against my will!" he protested.
"Do you think the denizens of this place give a fuck how you reached here? You are a prize right now and those who want to kill something that should not exist, those people listen to no reasons."
"Send me back, then!"
"No can do, Mr. Yaway. But I can give you a tip."
"I am all ears."
"Don't eat the fries here. They're always too salty."
The door to the restaurant shattered just then. A wave of heat rushed in and with that, a group of demonic creatures walked in.
A stick thin demon with bulging eyes and arms that reached to the ground walked in front of the group.
"We heard there is new meat on the menu. Undead meat. We are here for a taste. Where is it?"
Otrahun tried hiding behind Oak but all eyes were on the big demon who simply moved to the side exposing Otrahun to the angry group of demons.
"H-hello," Otrahun said to no one in general.
"Are you ready to die, meat?"
"Not at all, sir. Is there any way we can avoid that?"
The demon grinned and two of its teeth spiked through its upper lip. It moved its hand and two of the smaller demons moved in Otrahun's direction.
"I am so fucked," he said to himself.
"Not if you listen and do exactly as I say," the woman's voice was clear as day in his ear and he almost jumped back in surprise.
"Shit, you were listening in all this time?"
"I can get you out of this jam."
"I am still not over you shooting at me."
"Focus, Mr. Yaway. There is something under the counter, it might help."
Otrahun bent down and looked under the counter. His eyes widened in surprise and a grin slowly materialized on his face.
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