17. Adam

Trying to circle around the bar had not worked; it turned out that Limbo really did defy all the laws of physics and logic. Adam had ended up in a massive, beautiful library, filled with nooks and crannies and desks, and yes, there seemed to be a famous mathematician working on a whiteboard and a very famous inventor reading in a corner chair.

But Adam could barely spare them a glance. Because Bitch Lady and her drab little minions were after him, and Adam was not getting a good feeling. Panic was setting in, because he didn't know where he was, because he didn't know where Minos was, and because if they wanted to catch him they probably could have, but they didn't seem to be gaining on him, just steadily pursuing him.

And Adam has seen a few horror movies in his day, thank you very much. He always yelled at the idiots who were herded exactly where the bad guys wanted them to go, but he was finding newfound respect for the impossible situation those people were in. Being pursued by psychotic angels was stressful, and no options seemed to be the right options.

He couldn't exactly turn around, because he'd just blunder straight into them. They obviously knew the terrain better than him, so it wasn't like he could find some shortcut or take a side route. He had no weapons, and if there were demons around he totally would have asked for help, but he saw nothing but other humans. He had tried calling out once or twice, but most of them just looked up as he ran by, saw Bitch Lady and her crew behind him, and continued with what they were doing.

Apparently Limbo wasn't overflowing with Good Samaritans.

He'd then tripped out of the library and into a forest. Like an honest to goodness, lush, green forest, but it was totally overgrown and there was only one path he could take, so he took it. And at that point turning back was definitely not an option, because he couldn't have tried to maneuver around them even if he was that fast—and he didn't think he was faster than immortal beings.

Which was ridiculous, by the way. It was at that point that he slowed down, panting for breath, and just trotted along. You know what, fuck them. If he was gonna be herded somewhere, he wasn't going to get all out of breath and sweaty doing it.

Never mind that he shouldn't even be out of breath. He was dead, for goodness sake. Shouldn't he be in the best shape of his… death? Or whatever?

He turned around, walking backwards and looking at Bitch Lady.

"Hey!" he yelled. They weren't that far behind him, and they too had slowed to a walk. They did menacing really well, though, he had to admit.

"Why am I all out of breath? I'm dead! And where the hell are you leading me, anyway? Because if I weren't dead, the suspense would be killing me!" Adam chuckled a little at his own joke, but it sounded forced even to his own ears. He was definitely feeling some panic.

"In Limbo, you naturally resume the structure of your most recent living state. With practice and meditation, it is possible to revert to earlier forms of yourself. With true devotion, changing your form and overall state of being is a manageable task, but I doubt with your attention span and level of competence that you'd be able to manage such a thing," she replied snarkily.

Ouch. Bitch Lady had claws. Adam continued walking backwards, so he wasn't prepared when he stumbled into an open clearing. He sort of flailed a little as his foot caught on some tree root, and he ended up sitting firmly on his ass as Bitch Lady walked forward and towered over him.

It was a shame she was so nasty, because staring up at her, her face haloed by the sun in the blue sky above, she really did look angelic.

But looks could be deceiving. He'd take a demon with scales and horns and shifty eyes over the snarky, porcelain-skinned angel in front of him any day. At least they knew how to have fun.

"And you're being herded here," she replied, reaching down and lifting him by the arms to his feet. She was really freaking strong. She turned him around, and he saw an open door with a stairwell inside, and without another word they were marching forward and he was walking up a gray stone passageway filled with steps.

And more steps.

And more steps.

Bitch lady was always behind him, and it felt like they walked for hours, or days, and yet it also felt like just a minute before the stone turned to white walls, and the steps turned white, and they were reaching a doorway which sort of just opened in front of them.

And then there they were, back in that blindingly white office with all white furniture and the window looking outside. And yup, there were still harp-players out there. Well, fuck.

"Take a seat, please," Bitch Lady said, gesturing to the white chair in front of her desk as she rounded behind it. If Adam wasn't mistaken, the chair looked quite a bit less comfortable this time around.

He turned around, ready to make a break for it and head back down the stairs, but the door and the minions who had been following behind her were all gone. There was nothing but pristine white wall.

Well, shit.

So he rounded the desk and sat in the chair, which was definitely less comfortable than it had been. And smaller. She pulled up her tablet-looking computer thing, looked at him, and in a saccharine voice said, "Let's try this again, shall we?"