The Gate

by M.W. Layne

A man wakes up in Hell--naked and intertwined with a hundred other terrified human beings who have also just arrived. After fending off a gang of demonic men and rescuing a beautiful woman, the nameless main character fights his way through a crowd of billions, heading for the only rumored means of escape.

With each passing moment, his wits and his sanity are pushed to their limits as he begins to realize that the inhabitants with whom he shares his damnation may be more dangerous than the devil who sent him there.

Genres: Horror

38 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 7, 2013

About the author

Author also writes under Michael Layne

Reviews

[Selene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story presented an interesting take on the idea of Hell’s foyer, its occupants, and the role of religion on a demonic battleground. Loved the blend of terror, comedy, and tragedy!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 star read.

An entertaining short horror story of one man's descent to the foyer of hell and what brought him there. Among the billions of people pushing forward towards the light, we see our main character save a woman and witness the depravity and viciousness of the souls on their journey. A religious leader promises a reward of salvation at the Gate if they choose to redeem themselves, but what will it take to reach the Gate, what will they sacrifice? And can you trust the devils you don't know?
The comedic ending caught me by surprise and really left me pondering.

[megHan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another one of my Halloween Amazon finds - and it is still free for anyone who wants to go check it out. It was a good story and I liked it, but as with the others that I found this year, I didn't find them scary. It truly was a learning experience for the main character and I would check out other things written by this author. I loved every page, just wish there been some scare to it.

[Scot · Rating 4 out of 5]

This visceral short story is about one man's journey... to hell... and the decisions that he must make to leave.
I found this book enjoyable. Very vivid, the imagery really popped it's story off of the page and helped you to become one with the teller and his horrible environment. This story was short but relatively powerful in it's telling. I really recommend this short story. I think the author has a gift for creating a realistic yarn that helps the reader become one with it.

[Jason Parent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the beginning of this, a tale of a not-so-nice fella and his journey into Hell. Halfway through, I thought the author would choke, and that an otherwise great story would revert into some kind of allegory or morality tale (was that redundant?).

He didn't. The Gate stays true to it's horror base and remains a great little story for it. Recommended for fans of horror, whether religious or not.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since Dante at least there has been many literary interpretation of the underworld. This was one of the least inspired ones that I've read. I understood what the author was trying to do conceptually, but it was just not very interesting or exciting. For such a short novella it actually managed to drag too. It was free and didn't take long to read, but that's about it really.

[Sam Wicked · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining trip

Crocodile Dundee meets Thunderdome?, I guess is how I'd describe it. However you want to label this book two words have to be used. Damn Good. Now let's go on a walkabout. We may even wind up at The Gate.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is on a whole other existence of scary, terror that involves our immortal souls and the eventual eternal after life. Oh how utterly horrific it would be if this story were true if the gates at the end of death's light led to a choice of two paths, one barely better than the other. Yikes! This was a very well written and original read.

[Jada Ryker · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Revelation 14:11--

“And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night…”

After a particularly hellish day at work, the protagonist finds himself in an even more horrible place than a cubicle farm. While in mortal danger, he finds himself attracted to a lovely woman.

"What does that say about me? That I adapt quickly to my surroundings, or that I have no sense for the true value of people? Maybe it just shows that I have poor timing."

The short work The Gate, by Michael Layne, provides a chilling interpretation of what happens after death.

[Glenda Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow gotta read it.....!

What a story from the beginning it is a extreme feeling of terror! You may think you know where this story is going, believe me it has a twist that is unexpected..... ENJOY!

[Teshai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well that sucks for him. He didn't even get the girl. Brother Thomas is a liar, but hey, they're in hell aren't they. 😂😂

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.5★ ~ The Gate, for me, was a bit too religion heavy. I did, however, like the twist : an employee brutally murders his boss, gets sent to a hellish place he can only assume is hell or, at the very least, purgatory. People are stumbling around on top of one another when he notices some are heading toward a light. He's preached to and given an opportunity to be "saved". He ends up following the light only to realize it's not heaven, it's Hell and he has two options - work for Hell or be tortured by it and his boss in Hell ... same boss he chopped up.. It's an interesting premise, working for Hell - like a "modernized Hell" as the series name suggests, just not one I think I'm too interested in following.

[Jessica Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this an excellent book, although not my typical pick of genres. The writing was excellent, moving the reader forward smoothly. The description was excellent, conjuring visions of hope amongst hell. I loved some of the underlying ideas being offered and despite the morbid tone of the story, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this book to others and would likely pick up other works by this author.

[DOROTHY SILLS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Hell story

This is not what I would call a horror story, it's more like someone's imagination of preparing for hell. It gives you something to think about. Let's just say I am glad it is only 48 pages.