Chapter 126

"I am the way into the city of woe,

I am the way into eternal pain,

I am the way to go among the lost.

Justice caused my high architect to move,

Divine omnipotence created me,

The highest wisdom, and the primal love.

Before me there were no created things

But those that last forever-as do I.

Abandon all hope you who enter here."

-Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

"Hey, let me out of here!" I shouted, punching the trapdoor in Paul's basement.

I heard several nervous steps and then someone finally pushed the flap door up. Several pairs of eyes stared down at me. I had never been happier to see my friends.

"Max, what the hell are you doing out there? Are you all right? We all thought that you were dead."