LOUIS' HEAD SNAPPED AROUND TO look behind them, his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. Melanie frowned at the sudden look of confusion clouding over his features. What could possibly shock The Devil?

"What is it?" Melanie asked, looking around to see what had caught his eye. She couldn't see anything but the dull landscape around them.

"Someone else is here," Louis answered before striding away from Melanie. She ran after him, his longer legs carrying him faster across the bleak landscape than her own shorter legs.

"Another dead person?" Melanie questioned and she saw Louis nod sharply, his eyes trained straight ahead. The quicker he walked, the more his black coat billowed out around him like a cape. He stopped suddenly and tilted his head to the side before continuing forward.

"They're not in the town, just outside it," Louis said as they walked past the town's 'Welcome' sign and down the road leading to where Melanie had woken up. She shuddered as they neared the oak tree she had been lying beside.

"Maybe it's someone I know?" Melanie wondered aloud and Louis shrugged.

"Maybe."

As they walked further to the tree line, Melanie stopped dead. A dark silhouette stood in the darkened shrubbery, tall and broad-shouldered. Male, Melanie thought. She had a lot of male friends, and a feeling of foreboding overcame her. Had one of her friends died too?

"Hello?" called the boy and Melanie looked over at Louis who was standing with his eyes shut. She was about to ask what he was doing but was cut off when the dead person spoke again. "You! Over there, can you tell me where I am?" The stranger stepped out from under the trees and slowly started to near Louis and Melanie. She squinted at him, making out a head of blonde hair. Her eyes widened as she recognized him.

"Michael!" (A/N: Just to clear things up, the Michael in this story is NOT Michael Clifford. You'll find out the significance of his name later on!) she gasped out. "It's me, Melanie!" Before she had died, she remembered noticing him bobbing through the crowd at Rachel's party to get to his girlfriend. They were good friends, almost as close as her and Rachel were.

"Mel!" he called out, eyes wide. "What's going on? Where are we?" She could see the panic in his eyes and then anger when he saw Louis. "Was it him? Did he do something to you?!"

Louis rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't touch a hair on her head," he said before smirking. "Or anywhere else on her body."

That's all it took or Michael to run at him. He hit out at Louis who dodged each assault easily. Melanie was yelling at them to stop fighting, but her calls were unheard as the two scrapped before her.

All of a sudden, Louis pushed out against Michael's chest and he was thrown backwards to the ground in a heap.

Melanie slapped Louis across the cheek, causing his head to snap to the side. He slowly glared down at her and once again she watched as his eyes turned red.

"Have some respect for the dead!" she snapped before making her way over to Michael. He sat up in a daze and looked over at her in confusion.

"What the hell?" he said, rubbing his chest carefully.

"Exactly what I said when I woke up here," Melanie told him and he looked around at the colourless scene.

"Why is everything grey?" he asked. Melanie looked over her shoulder at Louis and she gestured him over. He slowly nodded. As he walked closer, Michael shuffled away. "Get away from me, you di- ow!" He trailed off and placed a hand over his stomach. Melanie knew the feeling - Michael was only just beginning to feel it. It was how he died.

"Michael Quinn," Louis said, looking down at where he lay. Michael looked up curiously, frowning slightly.

"Yeah? How do you know my name?"

Louis leaned over to Melanie and said, "Remember I told you why no one asks my name? Because this is how the conversations always go."

"Nice to know I was a change," she muttered.

"I know everything about everyone who lands here," Louis said. "Stand up."

Michael did as he was told and began asking questions similar to the ones that Melanie had thrown at Louis. Michael listened carefully as Louis explained about The Beyond and about him having unfinished business.

"I'm dead then?" Michael asked, his eyes wide, clutching his stomach absentmindedly. Melanie knew that the pain would only strengthen and she felt a wave of sympathy for her friend.

"You are." Louis was no way subtle with his words. Bluntness was laced with every word. Melanie didn't blame him - Michael had tried to attack him. 

"How?" Michael mumbled.

"You have to wait for the memories, remember?" Melanie said.

"Oh yeah," Michael said before eyeing Louis suspiciously. "Why are you here?"

"I give guidance to those who need it." Louis stuffed his hands in his pockets once again and turned to look over his shoulder at the foggy town. "Let's head back."

The three walked in silence, Michael staying close to Melanie. He didn't trust the strange man in the black coat. The evil glint in his eye and they way he spoke about Melanie. Michael knew that if he had a chance, he would put him in check.

"So who are you?" Michael asked Louis, who froze on the spot and turned around. Melanie let out a laugh.

"I go by many names-" Louis started but Melanie cut him off with a loud sigh.

"He's The Devil. The abbreviation of 'Lucifer' is his name here - Louis," Melanie said, grinning up at Satan who looked slightly annoyed that she had cut him off so rudely. 

"'The Devil'?" Michael repeated, grinning. "You're kidding, right?"

Louis, sick of the humans' disbelief, raised a pale hand out towards Michael who took an uneasy step back. Louis stuck his palm upwards and once again, let angry flames manifest in his hand. Michael took another step back as Melanie watched the trick unfold before her once again.

"That's some creepy shit," Michael said, looking uneasily over at Melanie.

"Don't worry, I don't believe him fully yet. Not until I see the horns," she grinned as she spoke but it faded when Louis sent her an annoyed glance. Something told her that Michael's appearance had angered him.

As the three walked into the town, Melanie felt a shudder rake over her body and a gasp escaped her lips as the pain surged through her head and chest again, only this time, twice as worse.

Melanie?!" Michael asked, stepping forward to steady her trembling figure. She curled in on herself, her hands clawing at her chest. "Do something, Louis!" Michael was yelling for help but Louis just shook his head.

"H-he can't!" gasped Melanie, "I'll be OK soon."

"What's happening to her?" Michael asked Louis.

"She's experiencing some pain in the areas that caused her death. You will be too," Louis said as he watched the pair. "Just thought you should know."

"Oh, thanks bud," Michael said sarcastically as he rubbed Melanie's back. She let out an involuntary scream and stumbled forward into Louis's arms. He caught her just before she hit the ground, a flash of worry passing across his face. It soon vanished however, when he found Michael glaring at him.

"Let her be," he snapped at Louis, who glared daggers back at him. He could feel an anger burning through his being, and it didn't take long for his pale irises to turn a blood red. Michael backed up a little.

"I'm fine," Melanie said, straightening up slowly, a hand still on her chest where the pain had finally subsided. "It's gone again. For now."

Louis gave her a sharp nod and led the pair forward, into the town. Melanie looked over at Michael who watched Louis walking ahead.

"Stop being so judgemental, Mikey," she said quietly so that The Devil couldn't hear them. "He's trying to help us."

"The Devil? Helping two dead humans?" Michael let out a laugh. "That's unlikely."

"Is it likely that you'll be willing to trust me?" she asked and Michael scratched the back of his head awkwardly. What was he supposed to do? Listen to a close friend, trust her and the Demon in front of them? Maybe he should walk away and never come back...

"You'd be better listening to me while you're stuck in The Beyond," Louis said all of a sudden and Melanie looked at him incredulously.

"How can you hear us from away back here?" she demanded. Louis turned to smile at her.

"I have pretty remarkable hearing, love," he said before beckoning the two of them closer with a bony finger. They followed him as he led them to the town hall, opening a door which creaked in defiance, to allow them to enter the building. "I suggest we get to know each other a little better with some circle time."

Melanie scoffed. "You and I know each other well enough as it is, Satan."

"Perhaps. Michael and I should have a chat." His eyes moved slowly to Melanie's friend. He was standing just behind her, his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"What makes you think I want to chat about my personal life with you?" he said.

Louis sighed loudly. "Since I'm the one who can offer you a chance to live or to die. Now move your arse in there."

Reluctantly, Michael obeyed and moved past Melanie into the town hall. His eyes never left Louis as he entered. Melanie followed, shaking her head at the two of them squabbling.

"For The Devil, you're pretty good at fighting with humans verbally. I would have thought you'd have used a more physical, violent technique," she said and Louis cracked his knuckles. She shuddered as the sound echoed all the way through the empty hall.

"He hasn't given me a good enough reason to get violent."

"You did push him away and left him in a heap, though."

"Self defence," Louis answered. "The bastard took a go at me and I simply ended his unnecessary actions."

"Fair enough."

Melanie and Louis walked into the hall together as Michael watched. He didn't trust the guy who called himself 'The Devil', and he never would. Michael knew when a person was bad, and the guy standing beside his friend, fell into the number one spot in the category.

"So," Louis started as he sat down in a chair opposite the dead humans, "Tell me about yourself, Michael."

"Why should-"

"Just tell him, Michael," Melanie groaned, rolling her eyes. She knew the pair of them would be fighting forever if he didn't do as Louis said.

Michael sighed. "Fine! I'm Michael and I'm eighteen."

"I know that - get to the juicy stuff. Friends, family, your hobbies, interests, the first pet you had, the first time you had sex-"

"You're taking the piss." Michael was on his feet and Melanie had to use all her strength to haul him back down. Michael looked at her pleadingly but she only shook her head and looked back at Louis.

"I told him a lot, you should too." She patted his arm reassuringly. "God knows how long we're stuck here before we remember how we died."

Michael sighed before he said the first thing that came to his mind: "Football is my favourite hobby-"

"Cliché," Louis said. "Go on."

"I have a brother and two sisters, a girl friend. A dog called Bailey and a hamster called Cookie." Michael spoke through his teeth the entire time. "The first time I had sex was when I was fifteen."

"Tsk, tsk," Louis said, shaking his head, "under-age."

"I was under-age too," Melanie said, shrugging. "It's no big deal."

Louis stared at the pair of them, his eyes widening. "Did you two...?"

"No!" Melanie yelled, realizing how that must have sounded to him. "No, we're just friends - Michael and his girl friend. My boy friend at the time and me."

"Ah," Louis said, nodding. "Interesting."

"'Interesting'?" Michael blurted. "Melanie! Surely you don't trust this freak?"

"Shut up, Michael!" Melanie groaned, dropping her head into her hands. "You're not helping anyone."

"Neither is he! In fact, I bet he's been ly-"

"Shut up, mortal!" Louis yelled, his voice booming through the halls of the building, "If you do not believe I'm helping, then clear off! Damn it, I don't want you here as much as you don't want me here! But ask yourself this - if I weren't here to help you, what would happen to you? Huh?" Louis's eyes were red, and Melanie swore his face had turned a little red too.

"Louis..." she started, frowning. "You're turning red."

Louis looked down at his hands and let out a shaky breath. Slowly, his skin faded back to a ghostly colour and he closed his eyes.

Michael's eyes were wide. He'd seen the man's skin and eyes change colour, and the fiery trick from before came to mind. Perhaps the guy was telling the truth - he was The Devil.

"I warned you." Melanie was glaring at Michael. She slowly looked away and down at her hands. Just as Michael felt guilt wash over him, he gasped and clawed at his stomach again. He slid from his chair and to the ground, yelling out.

Melanie looked up at Louis. "Are you doing this to him?"

The Devil shook his head. "Some of you remember faster than others."

Melanie frantically tried to help Michael sit up, but he was twitching uncontrollably in her arms. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"No. The pain will come, he will remember and then I can offer him the deal."

All of a sudden, Michael sat up in Melanie's arms, his eyes wide. He was gasping erratically, and before Melanie could ask him if he were OK he said, "Car crash."

"What?" Melanie asked, confused. When had any of them been talking about a car crash?

Michael turned to Melanie, fear in his eyes. He gripped her arm. "I saw a car crash before I died."