If You Don't (Ryden)

~3~

The skulls cackled as we walked past them, traveling through the dark underworld around us. Pete was just a few steps in front of us when he stopped.

"Oh, I forgot to fully dress up." He remarked, looking down at his black shirt. He brought his hand up and snapped his fingers. A flame sparked and began to spin around his waist. As it rose up his torso, it left the tailorings of a red suit jacket in its place. I watched in amazement as the flame split once it reached his arms, dying down when it reached his wrists.

"There we go!" He laughed, bringing his arms down and tugging the jacket to adjust it. His eyes were dark as he laughed, and his tail trailed the ground excitedly.

"You just wanted to show off." Spencer rolled his eyes, walking past Pete.

Pete stuck out his tongue at Spencer and began walking once I had gone past. However, I slowed my pace so that we were walking side by side. I noted differences about Pee from what I could remember. There was a slight shift in his appearance, but for the most part, it was just his presence that changed. He was walking with his head held high as if he had no cares.

"What happened to you?" I finally asked. He gave me a strange look, flashing his eyes their normal mix of colors.

"Listen, I don't know what you remember, but I don't remember you at all." He laughed and grinned a bit, exposing his teeth. "I can remember bits... Heheh, but that's only because another demon was involved..."

"So this shit was real!?" I exclaimed, stopping in my tracks. I felt so horrible for only believing him now...But it's hard to deny what you've become...

Pete laughed again, hitting his hand against his side. "I take it as you weren't a big believer in heaven and hell?" Pete shot me a grin, "I've seen a few like that...you're handling it really well, though."

I looked down, continuing to walk forward. My skin continued to crackle with each step. It was weird...This new texture of skin. It was odd.

"Are you two coming or what?"

I looked ahead to see Spencer leaning against a cave wall. His arms were crossed as he looked around the corner behind him. He was nodding with a small grin.

"Yea, Yea." Pete rolled his eyes before they shifted to black once again. He sped up and I hurried alongside him. We caught up to where Spencer was and I saw who he had been talking to. There were two short guys standing around the corner. One was in dark clothing with black hair while the other wore a red suit with short red horns poking through his blond hair. Both had tails similar to Pete and Spencer's trailing behind them. I stopped short. More demons? What the hell...oh wait...

"Oh, hello." The blond, slightly shorter demon turned and smiled in mine and Pete's direction. I noticed Pete's tail shoot up with the short demon's words.

"Are you...Spencer's boss?" I asked hesitantly. As I spoke, Pete walked forward, up to the demon.

"Oh no, he's not my department..." The blond demon giggled as Pete leaned his face in close. Pete backed him into a wall behind the other darker haired demon.

"That would be me." The darker haired demon grinned, "I'm Frank."

"Hi?.." I waved a bit hesitantly.

Frank walked over to me and looked me over, making a circle around me at one point.

"I've never seen anything like him." Spencer said, walking over. Frank finished his walk around me and flashed his eyes solid black.

"You're still young..." Frank trailed off. He tilted his head at me as a small grin appeared on his face, "He's a reaper...we haven't had a new reaper in years..."

"A what?"

"A reaper." Frank said straightening, "You're under my jurisdiction... Technically speaking. You bring the souls on their path to the likes of Spencer and I." He explained.

"But how?.." I shook my head. I couldn't really be dead...There was something so important I was doing...

"You died. And the fates assigned you." Frank said simply.

"The fates?" I ran my fingers through my hair, or at least tried to. The horns blocked me from it.

"Not everything is up to chance." Frank shrugged. He gestured his head back to where Pete and the other demon were against the cave like wall, all but ripping each other's clothes off. "Those two. Patrick had been alone for centuries. The fates gave him an assignment that lead to the birth of another fire demon."

"And the death of a friend." I shot lowly. That Patrick may have been alone, but Pete didn't deserve to die just for him. He had his own struggles in life... When he had one.

"The fates chose him for a reason." Frank said, crossing his arms and playing with his lip ring. "Just as they chose you for a reason..."

I looked down. This...none of this could be real, right? I didn't believe in this?.. It had to be something I took for whatever I was going to do... Something important...

"Listen, Frank." I looked back up at the short creature, "I can't remember, but I need to know what I was doing... Doing before. It was something... Something important."

Frank looked at me with an unmoving expression before I thought I saw his eyes flick towards Spencer.

"What'd you tell him?" His question was directed at Spencer.

"I didn't even know what classification he was." Spencer held up his hands defensively.

"Hhmm..." Frank directed his attention back at me, "I dunno, kid. All I really know is that you've already been assigned."

"Assigned?" I asked.

"An assignment from higher ups." Spencer explained quietly, "You already have a mission."

"Actually, the two of you." Frank said, pulling an old piece of parchment from seemingly nowhere. He held it out, but Spencer got to it first. He opened the paper and his eyes flashed to their natural color, scanning the page.

"There's only one name here." He finally said with a confused tone.

Frank shrugged, "That's what you got."

I looked at the paper in Spencer's hand. He was right. There was only a single name written on it in a fancy scrawl. I squinted to try and read the name written there.

Finally I could make it out. It seemed so familiar... I had just heard it...I know it.

"George Ryan Ross the third..." I whispered the name out loud. I knew that name... Didn't I?..