push-ups in drag

3; the devil made me do it

The voice shakes the ground below us from afar. Gerard and Frank move to stand on either side of me, taking a knee. I follow, in fear of offending the literal devil. With Gerard to my left and Frank to my right, the rumbling voice makes itself known once again.

"There's no need for that, Gerard. After all, I owe you so much for what you'll be doing," Satan starts, "was killing that werewolf boy, the principal, and that pothead all that necessary, though?"

Gerard stands up, and Frank looks at me and then them and back to me, as if I'd know whether or not to also stand. We stand anyway.

"Somewhat, sir. Most of them were in the way. Others.." Gerard side eyes me in a joking manner as a smile creeps onto their face, "..less than."

The demon on the throne begins to chuckle, sending chills down my spine. "Of course.. Oh! How rude I must be to not introduce myself to my newest guests," He stands up, sticking a thick, decorated staff into the ground with enough force to split any asphalt road. He continues his declaration with a grin; "I'm the Devil, though I'm sure you guessed that. You two can call me Lucifer, and while we're at it, Gerard, you need not to address me as 'sir'."

Lucifer is much more inviting than the old alter tales picture him. I would've imagined him to be watching our brutal demise by now, but instead, he's befriended us. Without Jesus on our side, though, it seems I have little choice.

"My apologies, S- Lucifer. Though if I may ask, what exactly will we be doing?" Gerard ponders. His voice is steady and calm, even with the studder, as if they've spoken with him for so long that it's like talking with an old teacher who's now more of a friend. Their back is completely straight, their head is level, and their arms are behind their back. They're using a very distinct 'professional' voice, and Frank is fast to poke me in the ribs to silently mock them. I don't know how they can laugh in a situation that seems so terrifying.

Lucifer stands tall, taller than any average man. He's absolutely ripped, and I don't think I want to know why. His skin is covered in combat markings, and his horns are thick with thorns. He's wearing some form of loincloth, connected by layers of waist beads of varying length and shapes. His eyes, even from such a distance away, are visibly neon red, such as cat lasers.

"It's not exactly one thing, you see; I need you three to do my dirty work. You did this with the little wolf boy, but I'll explain for your friends. I need you three to kill the dead," He chuckles out the last bit and the smile fades from his face fast, "there is a layer before Heaven and Hell. To you two, it may seem blank, and just the same as your original world, but to Gerard and other ghosts with more experience, it looks sort of... as if Earth's air have a rippling affect, similar to the surface of water; at least, that's the best way to word it in a way you will understand."

"Wait, but why is there another- uh, layer?" Frank asks

"It is simply for those who aren't human. Just like a filtering system. Due to non-humans being more.. powerful, I suppose, many need time to calm down due to their life being lost in combat. Violence is unappreciated in purgatory, mostly," a grin places itself onto his face, "but please, I'm sure this is quite a lot to take in, especially for you Edward, afterall, you just now knew ghosts were real. Feel free to spend as much allotted time exploring. There are resting areas, cafeterias, and more. Just because you're in Hell doesn't mean you won't get treated well." Lucifer opens his arms and raises them, referring us to look around, "you won't be leaving for a while, so you better get comfortable."