“Hey, Jack?” I asked, looking over to look at him.

He was laying on his back next to me with his eyes closed and I didn’t blame him seeing as I’d just given him a pretty killer blowjob.

“Yes?” I replied, his voice gravely.
“Why didn’t the rulers tell anyone I was an angel when they saw my soul?” I asked.

Jack sighed and turned over on his side, facing me.

“Because they knew if they did, every demon on earth would be trying to take you and if that happened, it would make me very angry. They aren’t going to tell anyone because they don’t want to cross me.” He replied, looking me dead in the eye.
“What would happen if they did cross you?” I whispered.

His jaw tightened and I looked away, I didn’t want him to get it into his head that I was challenging him.

“I would kill them, even though they would have a shadow too. Then I’d tear apart their section of Hell even though that’d release about a million crazed demons.”
“Why?” I asked, “That would just cause even more chaos.”
“Because one, with all that going on, it might distract from you enough to buy us some time to get you away, and second… I’d do it because they hurt you.” He said and I looked back up at him.

I knew if I asked why he cared whether or not I was hurt, he’d just say that if he wanted me hurt, he’d be the one to do it… But I knew better. I knew that some part of him, deep down, didn’t want me hurt.

And that made me happy.

---

I was washing dishes while Eliza dried as we enthused about the snow. I put a plate in the sink and lifted it up slightly so that half of it was in the water. I squeezed the rag as I rubbed the plate, causing the water to run over it when suddenly it felt like reality shifted. I felt it in my chest, in my throat, in my arms, in my legs, in my hands, I felt it everywhere. It was like the universe suddenly merged back about two inches. I dropped the plate and grabbed onto the counter.

“What?” Eliza asked, cocking her head.

My eyes shot to her.

How did she not feel that?

“D-did you not feel it?” I asked.
“Feel what?”

It might be an angel thing.

“N-nothing. It was probably a small earthquake or something.” I recovered, letting go of the counter.

Then Jack burst into the room, his eyes shooting to me and a look of relief washed over his face.

“Alex come with me.” He said, out of breath.

I exchanged looks with Eliza before following. He lead me up to his room quickly. As soon as the door closed, he rounded on me.

“Are you okay? Does anything hurt?” He asked, inspecting me.
“No I’m fine. What was that?” I asked.
“You felt it too? Wait- Of course you felt it. You’re an angel.”
“Felt what?”
“You just felt Hell shifting.” Jack sighed.
“Not good?” I grimaced.
“Very very super not good.” He sighed, rubbing his face. He looked up, then down, then at me. He seemed to be having a mental argument with himself.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Well…I don’t want to take you… But I don’t know if I have a choice. If you come you’ll be in danger…Aw fuck it, you’ll be in danger anyway and I’d rather have you with me than alone and trying to defend yourself.”
“Hey I’m not helpless!” I cried even though I didn’t know what he was talking about, “And take me where?”

He rubbed his neck.

“Hell.”

He wants to take me to Hell?

“W-what?”
“It’s okay, it won’t hurt. There is a way for Rulers to go to hell without feeling the…Well…Hell part. And as a ruler, I can do it to you. Granted it’ll be harder since you’re an Angel and not just a human but I can manage it.”
“I thought you said if I went to hell, your shadow would find me.” I said.
“Lex, he’s gonna come either way and I’d rather have you in Hell with me so I can protect you versus you being here by yourself.” He said.
“What’ll happen if an Angel enters Hell?” I asked.
“It’ll be fine. Actually it might help a bit and sort of keep Hell’s walls from crumbling for a little while longer but it’ll do that by syphoning off of your strength so if you get a bit tired it’s normal.”

I bit back a laugh at the word, ‘Normal.’

“Why do we need to go?”
“I need to inspect the damage, see how much time we have, if we have any at all.”
“How do we get there?” I asked.

He took my hand and looked straight into my eyes as his turned black. I was completely mesmerized, then, everything went back and I felt like I was falling, fast. A jolt ran through my body and my eyes flashed open to see I was on the ground. I noticed Jack standing beside me and I scrambled to my feet. We were stood before a huge, black gate. It looked like it was made up pure, gaping nothingness. I didn’t like the look of it and every single nerve in my body begged me to get out.

“Whatever you do Lex, don’t release your wings.” He whispered.

I nodded and he took a step forward. As soon as he was within ten feet of the gate, it swung open. I looked past it but all I saw was a dirt path veiled in fog. I held back a whimper and followed Jack. As soon as we stepped through the gate, I couldn’t hear a sound. It was like the air just vacuumed up any noise. I couldn’t hear my breathing, my footsteps, or even my heartbeat which would normally be audible since it was this quiet. I stayed so close to Jack that never at one point was I not touching him. With every step I took, I wanted to turn and run back. But I didn’t. I forced myself to keep going. We walked until we reached a cave. I looked at Jack but he kept going. The cave should’ve been pitch black yet somehow there was just enough light to see. By this point, I’d subconsciously grabbed onto Jack’s jacket sleeve but when I realized what I’d done, I didn’t plan on letting go. We came to a wall in the cave and I thought it was a dead end at first but then Jack crouched and I noticed a hole in the wall which was about a foot and a half high and maybe two feet wide.

“A tunnel?” I asked, crouching too as my voice penetrated the silence.

Jack looked at me with a very solemn expression.

“And they shall be made to crawl on their bellies to enter the kingdom of darkness.” He quoted as his voice echoed through the air in a way that mine didn’t. I figured that it was probably a ruler thing.

“Jack, I’m scared.” I whimpered.

His expression softened.

“Stay close to me, I’ll protect you. You’ll be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He reassured before he got down on his forearms and crawled through the hole.

Again, I followed closely but I couldn’t help being afraid that someone was going to grab my ankle and pull me back so when we got out of the tunnel I was quite relieved…But only for about two seconds.

It looked just like Jack’s painting. The sky was so, so black with red rips in it that leaked fire. It fell to the ground, ignighting it and anybody around. You’d think that with all the fire and lava, it would be hot. But it wasn’t. It was cold. The kind of cold that seeps into your bones and stays there for hours. Thousands of people were writhing on the ground in agony. Billions of people were screaming, I could hear them all. This is what Jack hears all the time. Before I knew it, I had tears streaming down my cheeks and I watched a man’s skin literally rip open and off, leaving him nothing but bloody muscles. Then his skin reappeared and he was quiet for about two seconds before it happened again. I gazed up at Jack, who’s eyebrows were knitted in pity.

“Look who we have here.” A chilling voice spoke and I latched onto Jack’s arm.

I noticed my strength leaving me but Jack said before that it was normal so I went ahead and worried about Jack’s shadow instead.

“Do you like what I’ve done with the place?” He smirked at me before glancing at a girl who’s eyes were on fire.

I couldn’t do anything to help them, I know, but seeing all those people in agony made me feel guilty for being perfectly fine.

“Wait! Don’t answer that, I haven’t showed you the best part!” He laughed.

He started walking and I doubted Jack was going to follow him, but he did. He lead us into a stone building and down flights of stairs. Suddenly a loud rumble sounded and the ground shook. Jack and I jumped but Jack’s shadow remained steady.

“That’s hell slowly falling apart.” He smiled, looking back at us.

Jack and I exchanged glances before we continued walking. We passed by lots of cells with people in them, some were pulling out their own hair or teeth or fingernails, others were pulling and banging at the bars, and some were laying in the middle of the floor counting, one man was up to four billion, but no matter what they were doing, they all darted to the other side of the cell and cowered in the corner when they saw Jack’s shadow. I didn’t want to know what made them so afraid of him. His shadow had an sick, evil glint in his eye when he saw them react this way. We walked down another flight of stairs and into a room.

“TURN!” Screamed a guard before punching a man.

He sobbed but he shook his head.

“Turn and it’ll be over. It won’t hurt anymore, just let go.” Spoke a female guard in a soothing voice. He cried, tears streaming down his face and the male guard hit him once more. Then his crying stopped. He looked up and his eyes were black. My hand shot up an covered my mouth.

“There, see? It stopped didn’t it?” She smiled.

He blinked and got up, nodding before locking eyes with me.

“Hey there.” He smirked.
“Fuck off.” I spat in a firm voice but my physical reaction betrayed me as I hid half go my body behind Jack…My Jack. He laughed and a guard told him to follow as they walked through a door.
“Did he just become a demon?” I asked.

Both Jacks nodded.

“So tell me, what brings you here?” Jack’s shadow asked.
“As you very well know, Hell is starting to crumble.” My Jack replied.
“Ah yes that fiasco…You do know what will happen if that happens don’t you?”
Jack gritted his teeth.
“You don’t!” He laughed a sick pricing laugh that made me grab onto Jack’s jacket again.
“Enlighten me.” Jack cooly replied.
“Oh fine, but only because I think it’s glorious.” He grinned. “When Hell collapses, it’ll release every single soul out into the word and you and I both know we’ve got some doozies in here, but here’s the kicker. You, and every other ruler, will get sucked right back in and it won’t be so easy getting out again.”
“How can you know that?” I asked, not wanting to believe it.

His dark gaze shifted to me. His eyes connected with mine. There was no light. There was no good. Nothing but dark, horrible, evil.

“Because I know Hell inside and out. I know it’s ever crevice, I know every soul in here. I know the laws which it abides and the laws it overrules. I know this place Alex. Do not doubt me.”

I didn’t.

“We’re going, Lex.” Jack said, not taking his eyes off his shadow. Relief filled me.
“Oh must you? I was beginning to enjoy your compony…And your compony.” He replied, glancing to me. I glared at him from behind Jack’s arm.
“Alex close your eyes.” Jack said.

I really fucking didn’t want to close my eyes in Hell with Jack shadow three feet away from me. I gave him a look of, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’.

“Trust me.” He murmured.

I sighed and asked myself whether or not I trusted him.

Whether or not I trusted that he wouldn’t leave me here, that he wouldn’t let his shadow have me, that he wouldn’t hurt me.

Then I realized, I did.

I did trust him.

So I closed my eyes..

“You can open them now.”

Notes

Title cred: Mama by My Chemical Romance