He licked his lips, they were coming. He could hear the little boats coming down the river Styx. It had been nearly six months since he had tasted them and his hunger was almost unbearable. Ah, it wouldn't be long now. He could hear their screams as they passed the minor devils and demons. They could do nothing to stop; it was too late for that. The river flowed only one way, and that was toward the God, none could turn back once they started their journey. When they saw his magnificence they would panic and try to escape, but none had and none would. There was no escaping the God.

Oh, they had tried. The females would scream and try and hide themselves behind their mates. The males would remain calm, a false bravado that never lasted. Some would try and leap from the boats but there was no escape. In the end they would come to him and feed him well.

He flicked his tail and thought to himself about what these puny ones had done to deserve their fate. His master had created him for this task, and this task alone. He had been spawned in the depths of Hell. He was known by many names, in many places over the millennia. But most worshiped, sacrificed and prayed to him as the great feathered serpent God Quetzalcoatl!

Fire marked their approach. It would be mere seconds until he quenched his hunger. Even now he could see the first boat approach. Its passengers clung to each other in terror. Now they saw him. They screamed as they saw his huge jaws open to greet them. Boat after boat came to him and he greeted and devoured them in a single bite. Ah, it was over, the screaming had stopped.

There had been ten boats. There had always been and for all he knew there always would be ten. It mattered not, for they would come and feed him and feed him well. There was no escaping the God.

Jeffrey Lowe and his wife Mary rode in such a boat with another couple whom they had just met. Mary had insisted that they come this way. It mattered little to Jeff, for it was her will not his, that brought them on this journey. This would be their final stop. As they entered the cave, the sunlight disappeared and they were alone in the dark. For the first time since the war he was becoming afraid. An Iraqi sand berm had collapsed on him while he was searching it and he had been trapped in it for almost a day. As he flashed back on the experience he began to sweat. Since then he had never liked being in dark places and this place was pitch black. Up ahead he could see a small point of light. As they approached it a huge plume of fire sprang up in front of the boat, narrowly missing them. The couple in the back of the boat screamed and Mary hugged him closer. When twin plumes of fire arose on both sides of the boat Mary screamed and for the first time since the war, Jeff was afraid of death, but wasn't that silly?

They rounded a bend in the river and standing on the shore was what at first appeared to be a man. However, on closer inspection they noticed it had a long, sinuous tail, cloven hoofs and horns. As the boat drew nearer, it spoke.

"Welcome to your final reward, the God awaits you," the demon said with a smile.

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Jeff smiled at the thing trying to hide his mounting fear. While holding Mary closer he said, "Are they all as cute as you"?

The demon flicked his tail and drew his trident with a smile; "You will be lucky to fall on one that is as kind as me, for even if you escape them all you will still meet the God." He then began to roar with laughter and swung the trident, barely missing impaling them on its tines.

The little boat with its four huddling passengers, moved on down the river toward only God knew what.

Now the demons and devils were all around them, reaching for them. Tails flicking, fangs extended trying desperately to pull them from the boat. The noise was deafening and the stench was horrible. Mary was nearly hysterical and Jeff wasn't far from it either. Finally, they were beyond the reach of those on shore and Jeff's fear somewhat subsided. He knew he was being silly, but couldn't help himself, in spite of this knowledge. Then suddenly, the boat rounded a bend in the river and they came before the God, and they screamed.

He was huge with a massive set of jaws and row upon row of foot long teeth. Bright blood red eyes stared at them in a knowing way. They knew it had to be the God, for who else could be so magnificent and so horrible, at the same time. Fire erupted all around the boat, blocking any thought of escape, and the boat moved on into those massive jaws until everything turned scarlet...

With an explosion of sound and light they were once again in the sunshine. The ride was over. Holding each other tight, Jeff and Mary left the amusement park.