(This is a project I have been working on for a while now. It is a universe expanding idea, so if it gets confusing.... that's why)

North Star City
2020

I’m not sure how it happened. What caused it. What made it happen to people like us. But… I had a feeling in my gut. I think it was a collective feeling, from all humanity. That this was the beginning of the end. For all of us.
It started on a Friday. Three long days of dread and fear filling the world. The sun. The damned blackened sun, hanging over all of us like an omen. The sun was completely black. The light was still there, but… it just hung over our heads, all day. There was no eclipse scheduled that day. Scientists weren’t sure what to make of it. Nothing was passing over the sun, nothing to block it out. It was just… darkened. News was quick to get out about it. And from reports, it was like this all over the world as well, not just in our general area. It just slowly happened in one day. Despite this event, daily life went on, if cautiously. No one was able to ignore the black sun. No one was willing to talk about it either. Aside from the few reports on it, people just did what they could to ignore it, at least in North Star City. I couldn’t possibly have cared less at the time. Whatever it was, I was skeptical that it was truly the end of days. But, that couldn’t be further from the truth. After the sun was black, the next day, things would only get more and more strange. Strange holes would open around the world. Some were the size of a pencil, while others were massive, swallowing entire buildings and roads. And they were everywhere. No one knew what they were or what was causing them. They weren’t like sinkholes. They just came out of nowhere. And despite research, no one could tell how far they went down. It was like they went on for infinity. Even North Star City had its share of holes. Nothing major, aside from the destruction of an entire company building, but life went on here. People didn’t take notice of it, and even then, the thought was starting to get under my skin. It was hard to ignore all these strange events, at least for me, and yet, people were still going about their daily lives. You’d only hear about these events in hushed whispers. But the final day, at twelve o’clock midnight… Sunday, I’ll never forget it. Three thousand years later, I’ll still neve forget it.
It started at eight o’clock when I was heading to my job on the train. Whispers about the sun and the sinkholes were still appearing around the world. News was all about the blackened sun and the sinkholes, but my mind was just on getting to work on time. I had no interest in focusing on the news. This job, this… mission, if you will, was no doubt dangerous. And yet, a part of me didn’t care how dangerous it was. I just had to do it. The train came to a stop in the downtown area of the city. People were walking in hurried paces. The blackened sun added a dim light onto the city, showing it’s seedier self all around the city. Nothing much different from your usual city. Traffic that was just a mess, a few beggars, and a sharp dressed man with blonde hair playing on a jazz trumpet. Nothing I haven’t seen before. The city was just tiring to me now. I took a seat at the bus stop. I wasn’t waiting for no bus, I’d blow my own damn brains out before I took that thing. I was just there waiting. A single bus road up to me after a short wait, letting out a few passengers. One in particular was a man with slicked back hair and a suit, like some sort of secret agent. Definitely too well dressed to just be a casual thug, that was for sure. He looked at me and he replied, “You Drew?”
I gave him a shrug, “Dusk is more preferable, but take your pick”
“Cute” the man said as he took a seat next to me and responded, “Listen, I don’t have much time to waste on this. This is a special mission. Failure is not an option. You fail and you’ll get yourself killed”
I gave him yet another shrug, “If that’s the punishment, then I’m fine with that. I never fail in my job.”
“So I’m told” The man replied. He took out a picture from his pocket, showing a man with a scar across his lip and left cheek, a clear knife wound it seemed. The man responded, “This is Jack Borris. A cut throat and a killer. If you let yourself get caught, you will die. I only call on you because of your skills and your morals. Well, your lack of morals”
“So the criminal underground isn’t capable of taking out one thug?” I replied rudely
“He knows our group too well. You, you’re a special case. You’ll do anything for money, I’m told. And you aren’t a pushover either”
“So you’ve heard of me? Can’t say I’m surprised. What’s in it for me?”
“Five thousand dollars and a complete wipe of your identity. A new start.”
I gave it some thought. Even if this was for cheap thrills, even if this was to throw myself straight into danger, I couldn’t refuse, “Alright, I’m in. Where can I start looking for this man?”
The details were blurry from there. We discussed the situation longer, and with that, the man left as soon as the next bus came. And yet, I could feel the presence of someone watching me. The trumpet player, his gaze was on me, a smirk on his face the entire time. I spat at the ground and called out, “The fuck do you want?!”
The trumpet player just chuckled, putting his trumpet into his case and replied “A storm is brewing, boy. We’ll meet again.” and he walked off. He passed the psycho off as a junkie, but something about his eyes. They had this cold gaze on them. I shook my head and stood up, deciding to walk back home instead of taking the train. I needed to think of my next course of action.
And then, it happened. It was 11:58 by the time I got to the busling location where all the skyscrapers rose into the sky, a sight for many I’m sure, but it was tiring to me. But, in that instance, a wave came over the entire town. The sun looked more blackened than ever, not like the sun at all, but more like a hole in the sky, with a wave coming from it that was enough to rock the soul from within. And it did. A harsh wave struck the earth at that moment, sending me and many others falling to the ground. I had to catch myself. The feeling lasted only a second, but it was… unlike anything I ever felt before. I panted from the shock before finally lifting my head up. And the sight before me was unlike anything I have seen. There were no birds in the sky, no animals of any kind. The sun had turned from a dim blue to a seering orange. But the most horrifying sight was the people that were around me, all turned into… crosses. Massive iron crosses surrounded me from everywhere I looked, the faint sight of a bodies outline from within, as if they were crucified in a casket of iron. A few people were around as well, just as shocked and confused as I was. And then… these things. These god forsaken creatures started to emerge from the holes in the ground. Before we had a chance to realize what was going on, before we could even think, these things came out of the ground. These creatures that were unlike anything. Their bodies were inhuman with exposed muscle, gnarled teeth, blank eyes white as snow and horns coming from different angles of their heads. I didn’t know what they were at the time, but I know full well what these things are. These hellspawns, these demons, had completely taken over. And then, they came at us. They stared us down before rushing at us, slaughtering people in droves, crushing them with their arms, tearing their bodies apart with their bare hands and eating them alive. The screams of terror and agony filled the now silent city. I tried running as fast as I could, hoping that they would use those slower than me for slaughter. It only worked for so long, until I couldn’t outrun these creatures. They were fast. They were on me soon, their cold hands swiping at the air behind me, tearing my torso from my legs as I fell to the ground. I watched as the monster ate my intestines from my legs in sadistic pleasure. I bled out, expecting death to come for me. But now. I beg for death. Death is no longer an escape in this world. I woke up in a building surrounded by others. Some of them were people who I saw die moments before. I had hoped that this was just a nightmare, but no. I have died many times and no matter what, there is no escape from this world. I have wandered the earth for three thousand years. Our combined goal once was to try and fight the demons and take the world back, but no. They always come back. Just like us, they come back. They are here to torment us, to kill and feast on us again and again. There is no way to kill them. My only goal now, the goal of everyone on this planet now, is to find a way to die. Find an escape from this hell. To find some solace in death, whatever that might be. But until that day comes, I’m going to kill every single monster I come across.



North Star City
2035

How do I find myself in these sorts of messes? I was just here with my crew, on a mission to rob the casino. I knew it would be dangerous, but… fuck, man. I didn’t think it would be like this. I turn over to Brother Bear, his torso torn wide open, already long dead. I mean, he wasn’t much, really. He was just a silent guy, but he didn’t deserve that. I turn to Brother Fox, always a dirty prick. His head was crushed to a paste. Somehow, he got the easy way out. And there’s me, Brother Rabbit, sitting there like a fucking vegetable. My arms and my legs are torn off by that fucking monster. I could hear the damn thing laughing at me the entire time. It was just getting it’s jollies, the sonuvabitch. But my friend, Nathan, Brother Deer as they called him, was just screaming in pain. The demon chopped his leg off, leaving him to squirm in pain. I could hear Nathan crying out there. I wanted to help, but I was on the way out myself. I lost way too much blood already. I could just hear the demon slice through Nathan. I had no energy to pick my head up, but I assumed the worst once the screaming from Nathan turned into a pained gurgle and then nothing. But of course, that fucking freak had to come back for me. The scent of burning flesh coming from his mouth as he breathed on me. The creature looked like a sort of bull, but that wasn’t right. The face was too flat, but it had massive horns and hooves for legs, but hands that were that of an ape. The beast lifted my sack of a body off the ground, lifting my head toward it’s giant mouth. Even near death, I could still feel the pain as he slowly closed it’s jaws around my head, just to keep the suffering going. Only when I let out a weakened scream did he finally bless me with death. But, that’s not how this ends. Sometimes, I wish it did.
I woke up in what looked like a fancy apartment with white walls, white furniture, and all sorts of stuff. I took a look to see that my arms and legs were still there. I sighed with relief, moving my hand to my neck to scratch it, feeling something off about it. Then I felt something rough. I felt around to feel what was like a bone attached to my neck. Looking over at the powered off TV, I caught a faint glimpse of myself, taking notice of the two horns protruding from my neck. I fell back in a panic, only able to shout out my words
“What the fuck is this!? What the fuck is going on!?”
But in my shock, I seemed to wake up Nathan. He sat up, groaning in pain a little as he spoke, “Jeez, Eli. Do you gotta scream like that!?”
I turned to Nathan, glad that he was alive, but shocked at what I witnessed from him, horns going down his head like a freaky mohawk. I looked around the room, unsure if this was a joke of some sort or if we truly did die and this was what the afterlife was like. But as I was about to start shouting once more, we were greeted by a voice. Almost soothing kind of voice.
“Do not be alarmed. You are not dead. Far from it in fact.”
Nathan and I turned toward the door, our eyes falling onto a frail looking old man in a blue robe of some sort. Not a bathrobe, but something older looking. He was bald, but had a long white beard and wore glasses over his tired eyes. I stood up and spoke, “Who the hell are you, old man?”
The old man gave a slight chuckle before answering, “You may call me Noah. I am a Savior, a messenger of God if you will.”
“Of God? Oh god, what the hell did you do to us?”
“Nothing. Unless you include me saving you two from eternal damnation, but I suppose that was more of the lord’s doing”
“Uh…. huh” I replied to the old coot, my eyes still looking around the room before I asked, “So where are we? And where are the other two guys we were with?”
Noah gave a sigh as he moved to the kitchen, “You are in a different part of reality. Call it ARK if you will. This is where others like you come from time to time. Many more like you are out and about, but I wanted to speak with you two for the time being. As for your other friends… they are dead. But don’t fret. They were saved and sent to Heaven. They had no guilt in their hearts and were sent to Heaven to live a peaceful afterlife.”
“Dead, huh?” I felt a bit bad for Bear, but not so much Fox. But this guy saying they went to Heaven. Those two, even Bear, were still criminals. Fox was a murderer and a scumbag through and through. What got him the right to a pleasant afterlife. I shook my head and spoke once again, “So, what are we doing here? We get a special privilege or something?”
“No.” Noah replied almost immediately “The opposite in fact. You see, you two are riddled with guilt, a desire to be punished. If I hadn’t handpicked you two, you’d perish in Hell for eternity. That is why I wanted to help you two. Think of this as a community service. You are now Daemons. Not human, but not demon. An in-between, if you will. You have a choice. You can earn yourself a chance to live life once again, the life that was taken from you, on one condition. You must hunt the feral demons that walk this earth freely.”
“Are you serious? Demons? No, that can’t be. This is clearly a crazy jeriatrich old man talking to us, Eli!”
“You saw the monster, didn’t you?” Noah replied calmly, “That thing is certainly out there now, prepared to kill more people. These demons hide amongst humans and kill as many as they can for fun. It’s only in their nature. That is why I summoned you two. You were wrongly killed by this creature. Don’t you want your life back that was stolen from you?”
I admit, I had to give it some thought. This was clearly insane to anyone, but a part of me could tell that the pain I felt- that what I saw in that casino- was no dream or illusion. That was real. I wanted to tell this old man he was crazy, but something made me turn and nod, “Alright, I’ll take your word on it, old man. How do we kill this bastard?”
The old man grinned before he opened up the cabinet, making sure to remove the platter of tea that he had made before doing so. Within the cabinet was an assortment of bizarre looking guns. All pure white or black as night. The old man, Noah, took a sip from his cup of tea and responded, “Take your pick and I will send you on your way to the casino”.
I didn’t need too long to take my choice. Glossing over the selection rather quickly, I took my pick of two revolvers with a gold engraving on the handle and barrel. Nathan, more hesitant, picked up awhite submachine gun from the cabinet. Noah gave us a grin and replied, “Excellent choice, gentleman. We’ll meet again.”
We had no chance to discuss anymore questions before the room around us faded into darkness and we found ourselves at the front of the casino again. It seems as though the police hadn’t arrived just yet, but our car was still there from when we arrived. I looked over at Nathan, who was still experiencing too much as once. I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him and replied, “Don’t worry man, I got this. If you want to set this one out, you can.”
Nathan wanted to say something else, but I was more than ready to get even with that fucker to hear. I patted his shoulder a bit before making my way through the doors, kicking them open as I drew my revolvers. I could hear the creature stirring from within, huffing as he had his feast. Stepping into the casino, I saw the very thing eating what was left of my corpse, nothing much but an open ribcage. Something about it was unsettling, but I gained the courage to shout, “Hey, ugly. How about you stop feeding your fatass and turn around!”
The monster turned around, blood dripping from its mouth as its bulging eyes fell onto me and shouted, “W-What!? You should be dead!”
“Yeah, I thought so too. Crazy, ain’t it? I don’t know how much of me you’ve already eaten and turned to shit, but I’ll make sure you’re fucking fertilizer!”
The demon growled in fury before turning on it’s heel and rushing at me, its mouth wide open ready to bite. I was quick to the draw this time, firing at least five shots into the things head. It growled in pain, falling onto its knees in agony, clutching its head with its hands as it shouted at me, “Y-You’ve obtained a Holy Weapon!? H-How could a mortal like you possibly-”
“Mortal? I think coming back from the dead checks mortality off the list. I’m just like one of you now, buddy. Only difference, I don’t eat humans. And I certainly ain’t like you. This is a new life style for me and I’m more than excited to give it a try. And as for you… Well, I’m sending you back to hell. Tell the other demons if they wanna step the fuck up, they know where to find me!”
And with that, I unloaded my gun into the ugly freak, giving a sigh of relief as the power in the casino soon came to a halt, the only light being from the mass of neon lights flooding in from the windows. Giving a sigh, this was all still so much to take in. What was I going to do from here on out?I just knew this was my life now and that I needed to accept it. Giving a pant, I took out a cigarette and lit it



North Star
????

How did I end up here? How did “we” end up here. I just remember that we awoke in a long tunnel under the earth. What was it that brought us here? Were we always down here? I can’t remember. And neither can anyone I have met thus far. I just woke up in a few rags with card in my pocket that read “Osmund”. Was I Osmund? I don’t know, but it was the name I chose to stick with. Everyone had a card in their pocket and some would accept the name that was given to them. As we searched the tunnel for who knows how long, we would eventually find a way to the surface. It seems that there were already so many like us that had come before us. Not just more like us, but there was something that was once here before. There was a large hole in the sky, the sky was a dull grey and the world around us had structures that were not used in such a long time. Was there a civilization here before? What would that make us? From exploring this once inhabited land, we found that this place was once ruled by beings known as “Humans”. What became of the humans, I wonder? Were we human? I thought so for so long, until one of us had ended up in a horrible accident. His body was found torn to pieces, like that of clay, yet the only thing that came from his body was sand, no blood, no organs, nothing. Just an empty clay shell. We knew that we were not humans. So did humans create us? We read about their world from the books and papers that were left behind about their society. They were very intelligent creatures, it seems. Soon, interest soon became idolization. Were these humans our real creators? We learned so much from humanity, how a human child would look at its creator as a mother or father. Was humankind our mother? We believed so, until we learned about humanity and religion. How they worshiped a higher being known as God. Was humankind our God? It would seem that they truly were. But I soon learned what a God could truly be. We slowly began to rebuild the structures that were once that of humans, to be more like them. We had a drive, to be just like humans, to be like our God. In fact, we became a bit too much like our God. Far too much. Soon, we were able to create a decent paradise, but there were others like us, others that were more hostile. Us creatures, who we would begin to refer to ourselves as Dolls, were becoming aggressive and baffling. We had a single goal, all of us, to find our Gods. We had hoped it would take a few days, but it would take years. Fifty years, and no progress at all. Some of us had lost faith in ever finding our God, some of us truly felt that there was no God such as humanity. Soon, some lost faith completely and turned to other means. Means such as the God in church, the Gods found in art, in books, even found in the statues of a chubby child from a building once known as “Fat Boy Frankie’s Burgers and Shakes”. Many Dolls found faith in other things, but not all of us had given up hope entirely. But, in those fifty years, something happened to all Dolls. Something awoke inside of us. It only happened when one group of Dolls fought over which faith was right, between the readings of a book of philosophy and a vault of what was once human currency. The details are a blur to me, but the argument soon lead to violence. And that is when something awoke in us Dolls. As the Dolls were prepared to kill, when their sand was released from their bodies, the sand would form into a sort of… creature. A creature that referred to itself as a Demon. They all had their own names, their own personalities and their own desires. This only escalated our problems. Soon, Dolls began to worship Demons, and the Demons used their for their own personal ideas. Things as trivial as having slaves to things like starting wars and mass murders. The Dolls were blind to their faith, but I knew mine must be right. It had to be. It was… all I had. But during my search group of Dolls attacked me, using scraps of metal to attack me with the intent to kill. I had no choice. I had to fight back. And that’s when he awoke, my own inner Demon: Azazel. A beast with red skin like leather, a large head like that of an undersea creature, white eyes on the side with horns running down it’s head to its spine and wings like that of a dragon. The demon slaughtered the Dolls without mercy and without hesitation. It was not a hard battle or a long one. It wasn’t even a fight. In my eyes, it was a slaughter. I had questions for the beast, asking what it’s purpose was, and it gifted me with an answer, “Ask your precious human Gods, the very beings that trapped us inside you for centuries. If they aren’t all dead, I will surely see to it that they all perish”.
I had no idea what Azazel meant. Humans would not torture something like this. They only create. It had to be wrong. Despite Azazel’s words, I had to find the truth on my own. I had to find out what the humans created us for, and why we have these monsters inside of us. I don’t know what the truth holds, but I must know, for my own sake.



North Star City
1945

It was just another day for me. A quick call about some thieves using unusual means to steal from a small store in the city. I was already hot on the trail by the time they made a run for it. The police weren’t too fond of a freelancer already being on the case, but that’s none of my concern. The thugs were hoping to lose me by cutting into the back alleys, but they weren’t too bright, what with leaving a trail of knocked over boxes and trash cans for me to follow. And being a member of the 100 mile run team in high school helped, not to brag, of course. Cornered and helpless, the thugs had no other choice but to wait for me. To any other detective, they’d probably have to be a pretty good boxer to prepare for something like this. Unfortunately, things aren’t so simple for Montgomery Smith. These thieves were just another case for someone like me to get into. Devil worshippers, known in the city for abusing demons and using them to their advantage. They wasted no time in setting up a quick ritual, using their own blood to create a demonic portal into the wall. But anyone in the demon arts will tell you that the less time you prep, the weaker the demon. They must’ve assumed I was some sort of desk jockey that couldn’t handle a single imp. For the unprepared, sure, but that’s not my style. A quick draw of my handgun and BANG! The demon was out and back to his little piece of Hell before he had a chance to crawl out of the portal. Of course, the thugs weren’t going to be taken that easily. Using the opportunity to take swings at me, honestly… they were harder than the demon. They actually managed to take a swing. But a swing ain’t nothing if you can’t land the hit. And one, two, three, these goons were out for the count, a new record for me I should add. Of course, the police were none too happy with my results
“Reckless behavior and unauthorized assault!? Have you no damn respect for the law, Smith!?”
The police detective, Good Ol’ Richard Poore, was on my case once again. This was a usual routine. I get to the case first, I solve the situation before it can get worse, and Richard immediately comes by to yell. I give him a shrug and reply, “I think once weapons were drawn, it was less assault and more of a fight.”
“Always with the sarcasm, Smith! We had witnesses that heard the gunfire and none of those crooks had a gun on them.”
“Well, Poore, you gotta make a few warning shots to get them to stop moving. Besides, I took care of them. Right here, not a scratch on them- Well, no bullet holes, anyway.”
“This is the kind of behavior that got you to freelance, Smith! You can’t be a cop with that attitude, with that smug personality, thinking you’re better than anyone.”
I could tell Poore about the demon worshipping, about how it’s common for thugs and even the Mafia to resort to such tactics, but he’d never believe it. Plus, even if he did, he’d be no good. No one can see a demon outside of worshippers. I will admit, I’ve dabbled a bit in the demon worshipping. Gotta keep them on a leash, though. They are feisty and messing up a summoning could get you killed, but once you show them who’s boss, they’re like much uglier dogs. After zoning out a bit from Richard’s shouting and threats, I was eventually able to retreat back to my office, which also doubled as my apartment. Rents not cheap and I can’t afford an apartment and an office. And what a sight it was to be greeted by my two comrades, Joseph and Elisa. After being yelled at and almost killed in the span of a few minutes, it’s nice to get a conversation with two reasonably sane people. Joseph was just a young kid, young by my standards anyway, fresh out of high school and ready for work almost immediately. He doesn’t have the strength to handle any demon summoning, not for his age, but makes up for it with his booksmarts and his vast understanding of the demon world. As for Elisa, she’s a reporter who is able to find out plenty about demon summoning. And of course, she’s a better worshipper than I am, though I think she does it for fun rather than belief in that stuff, or so I hope. Joseph scratches the back of his blonde in confusion, having had an argument with Elisa as I walked in, “I don’t know, Elisa. You don’t think the demons have some emotions”.
Elisa stood there, her brown jacket and red scarf combination making her stand out as she was clearly helping herself to my whiskey collection as she answered, “Joseph, they are vile creatures. I don’t think they have emotions or a heart of any kind. Just don’t think about it too much and it’ll be fine.”
“When you put it that way, it’s a bit-”
“Insensitive?” I brought up as I approached the two and turned to Elisa, “You couldn’t have waited for that whiskey to age properly before popping it open?”
“I’m an impatient woman. What can I say?”
“Welcome back, Smith. How was the mission?” Joseph responded politely
I roll my eyes at Elisa’s answer as I took a seat in my chair, tipping my hat down before answering, “A pain as usual, Joseph. I got the criminals, no thanks, and some old woman got angry that I put a hole in her wall. I think I’m considered more of a menace to North Star City than the actual criminals.”
“Oh, don’t say that, Monty. You’re not a menace. You’re more of a… nuisance. Like a raccoon or something” Elisa joked
“Thanks, Elisa. That’s the motivation I needed” I replied
“Oh, don’t be so grumpy. Maybe some info on the demon worshippers will cheer you up”
“...maybe”
Elisa chuckled as she tossed a photo onto the desk, making sure to take another sip of whiskey before speaking, “That photo was taken from a colleague of mine near the docks. Apparently, the Maggorali Crime Family is planning something big. They got the entire docks on lockdown and are waiting for a shipment. If you are going to check that out, you’d best be careful. This is the Maggoralis we’re talking about. No doubt they got a few dozen worshippers on their team, more than ready to take you on.”
“Sounds life threatening and a huge risk. I’m interested.”
Elisa giggled and stood up, “I thought you would. I’ll try to get more info if I can. Thanks again for the whiskey” with that, she turned and made her way out the door.
Joseph turned to me and replied “You sure you can take them on, Smith?”
“Honestly, I’ve never gotten involved with much in the Mafia. But I’m getting bored dealing with simple criminals. Maybe this will be a nice change of pace for me. Who knows, could be the kind of motivation I damn well needed”



The Last Call Bar
The First Circle
2015

Well, it’s a bit hard to describe how I got into this situation. You see, it all happened when I was leaving work last night and had a bad run in with a mugger. I was just hoping that the situation would be over with quickly, but I guess I startled him because I found myself with a bullet in my chest. So, I guess I died. Or, maybe not? I don’t know. I was just sitting here in this grey room, when I hear the sound of footsteps coming from the door. And that’s when I’m greeted by this sharply dressed man, wearing a bowler hat, his blonde hair tied into a ponytail and has these very feminente eyes. He was carrying a case that you’d see for a trumpet. He sat down at the chair across from me with a grin and spoke, “So, you must be Damen, correct? Like Demon. That’s a perfect coincidence”
“Y-Yeah, I guess” I said in an unsure manner, “Look, I don’t know what’s going on. I just want to go home, okay”
“Oh, you can’t go home Damen. You’re dead”
I gave a nod for a second, before immediately responding, “Pardon?”
“Yeah, sorry to break it to you, pal, but that bullet was definitely fatal. Ain’t nothing to do about it now. Normally this is the part where our good friend, The Pale Rider himself, comes in and tells you that you’re fated to go to Heaven or Hell, but you see, Death has a big backlog to deal with, a lot of people are gonna die in about five years, so I decided to make a little bet with him instead. So let’s just say that your soul is now forfeit, Damen.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” I shouted, completely confused. “So what you’re saying is that I’m dead and that you are here to tell send me somewhere. Wait, are you Satan?”
“Well let’s just say I’m not your God” The man chuckled, “Anyway, let’s get down to the deal. Normally I’d take that soul of yours and get you ready to walk the Abyss for all eternity, but you have something special about you, Damen. You’re a soul with no guilt, but you also have no traits about you. Hate to say it, but you are a very dull person. But, that just means you have potential to be the most interesting soul I’ve ever gotten dibs on. So here’s the deal, Damen. I’ve been bored down here since our old pal the Prince of Darkness up and died and with God not being too far on the way out, I want you to do something for me. Hell ain’t all bad, aside from being run my murderers, psychopaths and sex fiends. But it’s not the burning lake that you would assume. So I want you to run the local bar in that city, the Last Call, where lost souls come to hate their eternal damnation just a little less. Think you can handle it?”
“Uh…” was the only response that could come from my mouth.
“Well, here’s the deal. If you can manage this bar for one year, without making a demon mad enough to tear your head off, I’ll let you get another chance at life. But, fail and your soul is mine. So I’d say a win-win”
I could tell that this man, this… creature was definitely doing this for his own enjoyment. Some sort of fucked up game, really. And yet, the promise of getting out of here was… tempting. I guess a mortal can be tempted with things such as this. Before I could even think the situation over, I gave a nod, “A-Alright, I’ll take it”
“Excellent!”
With that, the room around us melted away, and we found ourselves in a dark blue bar with a neon sign on the side that read “The Last Call”. I admit, it didn’t seem all that Hellish. In fact, something about it felt calming. That was until I peeked out the window to see the sorts of monsters that walked around the realm. A lot of monsters, large and small, all with horns coming from different parts of their head, as well as many skeletal corpses walking around. Immediately, I was in a panic, speaking in the calmest tone I could.
“What in the fuck!?”
“Oh, right” The man spoke, “Guess I forgot to mention the shock of seeing demons. Aw well, you’ll get used to it”
I fell back into one of the bar stools, panting heavily in shock, but no time was given to calm down as a large paddle saw came crashing down in front of me, nearly crushing my groin. I looked up to see a large demon standing over me. The demon looked down at me, and I got a better look at it. It had a feminine figure, if a bit muscley. Large teeth like tusks came from her lower jaw, with horns like a ram coming from her blue hair. The female demon looked up at the mysterious man and shouted, “The fuck am I supposed to do with this? This humans got no meat on his bones.”
“Now now, Jezabelle. No eating. This is the man I said you’d be protecting.”
“What?! Him!?” The demon shouted, a look of offense on her face, “I said I’d do anything, but helping a human?! Hell now. Look at him. He’s ugly, scrawny, has probably raped a lot of women in his time. He’s sickening”
“I’ve only had sex once in college, actually-” I added, before being cut off
“And rude too. Of course”
“Come now, Belle. Didn’t you say you would do anything for a chance to get out of here. This is your chance. Besides, a year with a mortal may be a good lesson. You may come to enjoy his company”
The demon gave a groan, rolling her eyes, “Fine, but I don’t like it one bit”
The mysterious man gave another laugh as he wrapped his arms around me, and I already felt a cold chill, “This will certainly be fun, don’t you agree”
Before I could answer, the mysterious man turned to the door, moving the closed sign to open and waved, “I’ll check on your progress in the coming month, Damen. Please don’t die prematurely. That would be very boring”
And with that, he left, leaving me at the mercy of the residents of Hell, leaving me with no choice but to play along with this sick twisted game. And all I could think was why me? Dear god, why me?