I was getting a little impatient. "Y'all sufferin', and what the hell does that got to do with me?" I said. "Alright, alright, cut the crap. I know y'all been through it, but I'm in the same boat now. Tell me more about this 'stinky egg,' pops."
"Alright, have it your way," Jack said, taking a couple more steps forward. "This place we're in is a rotten egg. Its...."
"What kind of egg? Quail egg? Chicken egg? Ostrich egg? Be specific," I interrupted.
Jack looked a little speechless, but he didn't get mad. He seemed used to my sassy attitude.
"I don't know. That's all the Apostle told me," he said.
"Is this egg some kind of design by the Apostle?" I asked.
"Could be, or it might not be," Jack said.
"How you figure?" I pressed.
"There was a time it came here and stayed for a bit. That was a long, long time ago," Jack said, his eyes distant as if he was thinking back to ancient times.
I couldn't tell how long these folks had been here, but judging by Jack's face, it had to be way more than my age times over.
"The Apostle said a few things: This egg is the crystallization of human malice. Anyone who harbored malice in life will suffer the consequences after death," Jack continued.
"Let me correct you there," I said, cutting him off again. "It ain't 'suffer the consequences.' It's more like 'suffer the stinky egg.'"
"Whatever," Jack waved his hand dismissively.
"Hold up, I don't get it. Who did I have malice towards in my life? And how much malice do you gotta have to get stuck in here? This ain't no place for humans! And what about those jerks who used to mess with me? Why ain't they here?" I asked.
"Those questions don't matter no more. Whoever's supposed to come will come. The Apostle pointed out the way to redemption: find a golden key. It's the only thing that can open this egg," Jack said.
"I been thinkin'. If this place is inside an egg, why can't I just smash the shell? How thick can it be?" I said.
"Haha," Jack let out a couple of mocking laughs. "Go ahead and try. If you manage to break it, I'll eat my hat," he said. The others around us started laughing too, like they were making fun of my dumb idea.
To hell with that!
Y'all are in the same mess, and you still got the nerve to laugh at me! Pot callin' the kettle black, y'all deserve every bit of this bad luck!
But the thing is, I'm in the same bad luck too, just like them.
"I reckon this stinky egg ain't more than a few hundred square meters. Y'all been searchin' for so long, and you still ain't found the key handle?" I asked.
"Do you really think that's a question worth asking? We've tried every method, searched every millimeter, and still got nothin'," Jack said.
"Huh. You know what that means?" I started teasin'.
"What does it mean?" Jack asked.
"It means y'all a bunch of fools!" I said, laughing.
The crowd started to stir. I saw a few people ready to jump on me, and that 'WWE guy' who threw me earlier was lookin' extra mean.
I didn't care. If they wanted to come at me, they could all come together. I wasn't afraid to die.
Jack raised his hand, and the crowd quieted down right away.
I knew it. This old man ain't no good guy.
"Today, you better have a good explanation, or I can't control these folks," Jack warned.
I didn't back down.
"Fine. I'll explain. You don't like bein' called fools? Let me ask you, have you ever thought that maybe it ain't about the method at all?"
"Get specific. No empty talk," Jack said.
"Did you ever think about that 'spring'?" I pointed to the spot where the shit kept bubbling up.
Jack glanced at it and motioned for me to go on.
"I just checked it out. It's different. It feels bottomless, like it's hollow," I said seriously.
"Hmm, not bad. Anything else?" Jack asked.
"What else is there? The whole problem is that 'spring'! Can't you see that?"
Jack smiled again.
I really didn't get what he was smilin' about, and it was gettin' on my nerves.
"Either apologize to everyone for that comment, or let them teach you a lesson. Your choice," Jack said suddenly.
I was a bit confused.
"Apologize for what? What are you talkin' about?"
"Do you think we haven't considered that detail you mentioned? Who's the fool here?" Jack said.
"So what? Did you find any clues?" I asked.
"Clues? Hmph!" Jack's face changed. "If we had found any clues, we wouldn't need you to lecture us!"
"What's the deal with that hole? Where does it lead?" I asked.
Jack shook his head. "That's the question we've been pondering. We have no tools, and this eggshell is indestructible. The forces in hell are mysterious and can't be figured out by human logic."
I lowered my head and fell silent.
If what he said was true, then does that mean we'll never get out of here? Was the Apostle lyin'? But why would it deceive a bunch of poor souls? Is it because poor folks always have something to hate about them?
"Do you believe the Apostle?" I asked Jack.
He nodded.
"Supernatural beings don't need to mess with us. There must be a reason, just like there's a reason for this hell. Everything here has a purpose," Jack said.