A Moonlit Sky and the Sounds of Gunshots

Prologue

Everyone has something that makes them nostalgic or triggers a sense of Deja Vu.

For me, it was always moonlit skies and the sound of gunshots.

I remember feeling such a strong sense of familiarity on my very last bounty in hell.

  My best friend couldn't come and help because he was on a date. So there I was, all alone in a sea of people. Soon enough, through the flashing lights of the club party, I was able to find my target. Though I was sneaking around I must have been spotted, because the target's bodyguards and men started closing in on me. I heard a shot fired quite close to me, and people started filing out of the club for their own safety. There was the feeling I'd been there before. Instead of dwelling on it, I smiled and pulled on my headphones, ready to have the most fun I'd had in weeks.

I dove behind a wall as shots were repeatedly fired. Cocking my gun, I took a step out of my hiding spot and shot one of these men in the head. Another one of the bodyguards tried to shoot me. I took out my grappling hook and swung to the upper half of the venue right on time to save myself.

  While laughing hysterically I took shots from that elevation. In an instant I was tackled and thrown off of that balcony. I hung on to the railings and climbed back up to my original standing point. I put my gun in its holster seeing that the man was unarmed. I curled my hand into a fist and punched him straight in the nose, then clocked him in the jaw. The man kicked me in the stomach. He went on to pick me up by the collar and punch me in the face repeatedly. I kicked him off of me and landed safely on my feet. I pulled out my newest and sharpest blade and sliced him across the chest, up the face, and finally stabbed him in the side before kicking him off the balcony.

  As more of the bodyguards walked onto this balcony area I jumped off, using my grappling hook to hang from the wooden slabs on the ceiling. I shot each of those guards one at a time, and then I jumped down from that area, rolling to a landing. Someone tried to cut my neck, but I ducked right on time and then jumped to my feet, shooting the guard. I used my magic blade I got from a fight with a hellhound. I call it the flying death for a reason. It grew wings and sliced each guard, neck after neck.

  After all of the obstacles were out of the way, I walked over to my bounty and looked him up and down.
"What a shame, you're quite good looking," I smiled before knocking him out, "such a waste," I muttered while dragging him out and throwing him into the car. I turned the car on and then sat down, opening my sun visor to look at myself. I wasn't anything short of surprised seeing that there wasn't a single scratch on my face.

  "Huh, good job me," I laughed while driving to the palace where the worst things in my life had happened to me. A few days prior to this bounty I had decided I wanted to leave hell and go back to earth. Now I bet you're wondering, how exactly can one just leave hell?

Well here's the fun bit.

I'm not dead!

Now, I don't remember how or why, but I made a deal with the devil in my mortal life and ended up here.

  The last thing I can remember from my mortal life was his promise to me that I indeed wouldn't die. The thing was, our deal was over. I wasn't needed by him anymore. I could always leave hell if I wished, but I never did because I have no memory of my life before making a deal with Lucifer. I wouldn't know what to do or where to go. But now I had been in hell far too long, and a lot had happened. There just didn't seem to be a reason to stay anymore. I felt like I could make myself a better life elsewhere.

  When I got to the palace I handed in my last bounty, but for once I actually ran into Lucifer himself which was out of the ordinary.

"Well, well, well," He laughed, "Atlantis Ryder, leaving hell now aren't we?"