Something was squeaking, over and over, a repetition that clawed its way into the blackness that surrounded me. It gnawed at me, seeming to scrape at my ears and burrow into my brain. My body rocked slightly from side to side, then jolted as it bumped into something.

“Careful you fool,” said Dante.

The surface under my shoulders was hard and cold. I was flat on my back but moving. With my eyes closed I could still make out the subtle changes in light level as I passed under lights set in the ce...