The Black Parade

The End.

"He's alive! I knew I could do it! I knew it was possible!"

"Green matter is associated with the afterlife, you know."

Two voices. One male and one female.

"Well, there's a heartbeat at least. Whether or not he wakes up is a mystery."

Then, nothing again. Where was he? The restaurant? The apartment? Somewhere else entirely? His mind was foggy and he could hardly process any of his thoughts. He didn't have the energy to open his eyes just yet, and despite there being a horrible, wretched pain in the back of his head, he couldn't speak up, either.

Then, silence. Time passed, but he didn't know how much. The voices again.

"You should take great care in playing God, Lisa."

"You worry too much!"

Who were these people? Who was Lisa, and who was her apparent accomplice? Green matter? The afterlife? He's alive?

Still, he couldn't process his confusion or his curiosity that well. He just knew something here was amiss. Was he dead? No, "Lisa" had said he was alive. He could feel himself slipping back into dormancy again, like a deep sleep he didn't know he needed. Unconsciousness.

Then, suddenly, a breath. A bright light, as if he were in the hospital being born again, once more at the beginning of his life, except this time no mother to hold him. He squinted against the light above him, his vision blurred. Looking down at him was a woman with her hair tied back in a bun and blue latex gloves on that were covered in...something.

A horrible scent. Formaldehyde doing its best to hold back the scent of rot. He couldn't bring himself to move yet, but he could see and he could breathe. That was what mattered, right?

The last thing he could remember was taking the trash out at the restaurant. And then nothing.

"You're awake!" the woman exclaimed. It seemed this was the face the name and voice belonged to. Lisa. Then, someone else came into the room; tall and thin with black hair that reached past the shoulders.

He couldn't quite make out the newcomer's face. Maybe he would eventually.

"What did you say his name was?" the man asked.

"I think it's Koutali." Lisa replied.

He found himself surprised. How did she find out his name? Better yet, how did she find out a childhood nickname?

"Well, Koutali...welcome back to the land of the living." she said with a smile. "I've got some more work to do on you, but you'll be up on your feet in no time."

And then, once again, darkness. And silence. Perhaps this was more comforting than the uncertainty of Lisa and the man alongside her.

It seemed Koutali as a name would be making a return, despite all of the work he'd put into reinventing himself as Milos. Nothing was ever meant to stay the same for long, he supposed, so he might as well make his peace with it.

Then, finally, the light was back. Lisa was once again standing over him, but this time, his vision was significantly clearer. Now he could move. Koutali turned his head and looked at Lisa, the pain in his head diminished to nothing more than a nuisance.

"Here, let's get you sitting up." she said, and with Lisa's help, Koutali sat up on what seemed like a makeshift operating table in a garage.

"Where am I?" Koutali managed to ask.

"You're in my house. Thanks to me, you're alive." she replied. Koutali looked at his hands, his blood running cold when he saw them covered in carefully painted metal. His forearms were, too, as were his legs, his feet, his chest, his...everything.

"Wh-what did you do to me?" Koutali asked.

"Oh, please. Calm down. You were shot in the back of the head and I made you un-shot in the back of the head. You're welcome, by the way." Lisa replied. "I'm Lisa. Let's get you something to wear."

Carefully, after re-learning how to walk, Lisa led Koutali into another room where a fresh change of clothes lay out for him.

"Here, take a look at yourself. I take pride in my craftsmanship!" Lisa said cheerily. She showed him to a mirror, and when he saw himself his jaw dropped.

"This...this isn't me. This isn't my face." he said, taking a step back.

"Of course it's you! I didn't have to bring you back to life, you know."

Koutali frantically looked between her and the mirror.

"You're crazy!"

"Listen. I found you shot in the head in a ditch on the side of the road, and with you, I saw opportunity!" she said. "You are my magnum opus! My crowning achievement! Come on now, put some clothes on and we can watch Judge Judy together. Welcome to your new life, Koutali!"