I gasped– My eyes fluttered open with an abrupt flicker, and with an unexplainable seizure, I bolted up. Almost as if there was an unnoticeable switch within me, the day's happenings crashed all at once–Banging a hammer on my head would've been comparatively less agonizing– Oh, yeah. It was the day I finally met the shadow under the bed. The memories were fuzzy– As if someone had shoved them through a cheese grater. Somebody, also known as instincts, told me that I might have made some cheesy comebacks and caused massive collateral damage (Oof- this is punny).

But... I thought. How had I seen Julian again? Hadn't he... died? In the heat of the moment, I hadn't realized that maybe Julian was a walking-talking zombie or a very successful look-alike.

Not a look-alike, I shook my head. The real Julian. I'd felt it inside me when he'd met my eyes. No way I was wrong.

Maybe the rumors were true.

Maybe Julian had survived the fire after all.

The ultimate emotional abuse, I groaned. I need an anime for this.

One of these days, I would wake up to find out that I've been living inside a book, manipulated by some crazed author. Ridiculous, right?

I stared at my hands, which seemed more whey and bony than usual. Another rare factor– They were trembling. Sure, I'd given countless death leaflets before, but to execute one... in my defence, people ran away in step one. I hadn't really thought this far.

"Listen you coffee-addicted bitch, you didn't kill anybo-"

"I hid the bodies in the garage." Shutting the book he was reading, he looked at me dead in the eye. Resting on a beanbag in a very seducing manner. And shirtless.

Dayum boy, you've been going to the gym, huh? I thought, my mouth slightly watering.

"You're up." He said in a tone that made me realize that I'd been staring. "That makes it sixteen hours."

"SIXTEEN HOURS?!"

"Usually, after a complete firing, it takes about one or two days for a mere human to come to their senses. About a couple hours at Max for the elliptical. What I don't understand- " He said, pointing accusingly at me, "That loss of control should've killed you; why are you even alive?"

I didn't know where to look. His face? Abs? Eyes? Concentrate on his left eyebrow! I decided. Ain't there nothing sexually interesting about a left eyebrow! "Great." I mumbled, "After countless hours of a deep-held coma, I'm received with you questioning my entire existence, and that comes from a guy who calls himself the Lucifer." I winced– Ow, that chest hurt. What, had the butterflies from my stomach escaped and rampaged my heart? Perverts– could've chosen a better place.

"Senpa- Lucifer?" I breathed uncomfortably, "Yesterday... did I...? Was anybody...?"

"Killed? Unfortunately, no. Traumatized? A liable possibility." I disregarded the fact that a part of me was a little disappointed, but at the same time, relieved that my hands were not tainted with the blood of some bastardS who weren't even worth it.

"What about Messiah?" I asked, jabbing my finger at him, "You promised-"

"Technically, I didn't, but before you impale me with that pillow, know that he's being taken care of, " He added, hoping that I might not julienne his body into spaghetti.

"You forgot the 'Buuuuut'!"

"But, he hasn't recovered from the spasm attack and-" I completely zoned him out. Messiah being alive, meant me not tearing this edifice down. The hole in my heart yearned to mend itself, but I didn't want to have any false hopes. The what-ifs were too many to count, and dwelling on the negative would only drive me mad. Still...

That's when I noticed bandages spiraling up my navel to my left arm. Someone had removed the clothes from the upper half of my body and probably burnt them in a furnace somewhere. All that remained was my pair of skinny leggings and one slipper. It was not only unsettling to think about how extreme my injury had been if I needed such elaborate bandaging, but what the person tying that piece of cloth saw when they were doing that.

No vulgar screaming Cas, I warned myself. You just happen to be half-naked in this room with a shirtless weirdo.

"Pfft- It's amusing to hear your unguarded, vulnerable thoughts so brazenly," Lucifer commented and went back to his magazine– Everything you need to know about the birds and the bees. What a suspicious title.

I was talented in various fields. I could subconsciously flirt without even realizing it, but even if "sexy" sidled up beside me and gave me a big, fat kiss, I would still remain ignorant as ever. Or that's what a certain somebody had told me before he'd died. Swearing was my expertise, and I've always equated dating and fraternizing to taking out the trash. Another reason for my anti-social servitude– modern couples nowadays have no morals whatsoever; Kissing in an abandoned ally? That's my home you're trespassing!

Weary, I shifted my attention to my surroundings– Wow, had Lucifer hijacked the chamber of a prince charming or something? The bed was made of blood-red ruby with white, glistening marble catcalling its way up like a snake. A stringy rug sported the floor, and the windows, the drawers, and the cupboards were all made of polished wood– The only thing left was to mistake the shimmering wood for a blowtorch. Red curtains draped the windows, swishing and flapping in the cool breeze. Were we in the coastal area or something? I frowned– There was this gut feeling which started ringing alarm bells in my head. Africa was a massive continent, and the fact that I could be practically in any nook or corner of my home country was not really refreshing. Or maybe I'd been marked as "black" and... peddled... like dead cattle... in the black market.

Yeah, I need a bandage for my head too.

"You-"

"I have a name, " He said, still engrossed in his magazine, "It's Lucifer."

"Lucifer, where exactly have you abducted me?" I asked, not impolitely.

"Hell, " He replied casually, "The underworld, or the devil's realm, or whatever you humans like to call it." If I made it out in one piece, I swear I'd never lay my virile eyes on any sensual boys. No more falling for their pathetic tricks. About girls though...

"Of course, " I smiled, "Stupid of me to not guess. Now, where is the other on- I mean, your brother?"

"Out on some errands."

"Right. And I don't suppose your parents are too happy with me intruding their home, so I should take leave... already..." I studied the devil– Handsome (Ah, such a loss to leave you behind), yes, but single-minded and very bad at babysitting. He kept frowning and muttering under his breath– Something about "humans these days", barely making sure that I did not grab the vase and smash it on his head.

The door handle seemed unlocked, though one could never tell. No harm in trying, right? What could possibly go wrong?

I stepped off the bed.

No arrow protruded out of my chest. Lucifer's eyes didn't turn into laser beams– Heck, even those seagulls didn't stop their wailing as it often happens in suspense movies (So what if I'm homeless? I got my ways to the TV).

The handle was so close! Only three hundred and fifty-six millimeters away to ethereal freedom!

"Always strike when opportunity presents, " Julian declared smugly.

"What if it doesn't?"

"Then create one yourself." He rolled his eyes, attempting to seem mature.

"But I can't spell oppartunitity!"

Why was I remembering this now? Sometimes, you ache to strangle yourself, but you can't because that makes you insane and very, very dead.

Gotcha! I barrelled into the fine ligneous door and swung it open– Let's just say that I'd opened a gift box and ended up with a three-foot-long axe. Fortunately, the last I'd eaten wasn't quite enough for me to heave, because the sight of something this... I have no further comment to add.

A wobbly, slimy mixture about fifteen centimeters high with two sunken eyes and two very short arms waved a leaflet enthusiastically. Its eyes were drowning in its slimy encasement, and they'd nearly arrived at the floor-bottom. Behind it, was a gruesome-looking three headed-dog (three rivers of drool. Great) with tapered fangs and bloodthirsty eyes. It was apparently a fire-breather too since it unleashed a set of flames that nearly burnt my face to empty shells.

"Door-to-door delivery! Would you li-" The blob of slime said? How could it even talk? WHERE WAS ITS MOUTH?

"Yeah, " I said shutting the door. "Your parents probably wouldn't mind if stayed over for a little more time."

The dog wagged its tail and barked in agreement.