I heard it the night of my thirtieth birthday. A staccato beat played on inside my brain as I slept. As I dreamed, I heard a multitude of voices echoing. "Let us out. We know not what we've done."

I slept soundly, least that's what my wife would say were I to ask her if I tossed and turned that night. Inside my bones, I shivered till I thought I'd leap out of my skin. In my dream, I saw darkness. It made the voices sound more desperate.

Two weeks later, I turned on the radio, trying to catch a hockey game. It was the Stanley Cup finals. I was listening with bated breath. The Oilers were at their peak. With Gretzky, they had all the hope in the world. It was the 80s, all I worried about was how my TV had busted the night before and I had to listen (not watch) the game on the radio. Static crackled, the crowd erupted in joy as Grant Fuhr blocked yet another shot. Between 'Sorry Calgary, maybe next time.' and 'Damn it! I just put in new batteries' I heard the voices I'd heard in my brain seeping through the radio. "Save us. Please, oh God, we don't deserve this."

"What the hell?" I bolted from my seat, nearly dropped the beer.

The sky was growing dark. The scent of rain wafted over me, licking over the bitter scent of beer.I walked to the window. A shiver ran down my spine. In my next door neighbor's window, I saw the face of his daughter. It was as clear as I was looking at my own face. I saw her blue eyes, her dimpled cheeks. Thing is, Celia had been dead years now.Behind me, static crackled. "Help me, Samuel," Celia's twelve-year-old voice begged me. I leaped from the window, pulled the curtains tight. When I turned around, I saw my broken TV set come to life.

My wife wouldn't believe me. She always said I drank too much. I asked her if she could postpone her trip for a few days, but she said her parents were expecting her this weekend.With a kiss and a 'See you soon', she slipped into her Camero and headed off. I wasn't drunk or dreaming when I saw Celia's face flickering between the static on my TV the next couple o' day.

Every time, she said the same thing, "Save us."

I drank myself silly that night, sleep had a hard time coming. When I dreamed I finally saw them, miles under the Earth, trying to claw their way upwards. I saw the Devil at their feet, demons tried to flay all those lost souls alive.

I bolted out of bed, thought of every little sin I'd ever committed. "Save us," they begged as Hell reached for me.