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Nov 8, 2014

Monsters | Narry

Or Niall was just searching for someone whose demon played well with his own

This one shot is actually very dark, I'm just warning you that if suicide or abuse or anything in that category makes you uncomfortable, I'm advising you not to read this or be mindful of your reading. The last thing I want is to trigger someone.

Inspired by Monsters, Demons, and Bleeding Out by Imagine Dragons :)

Word Count: 8,200+

"Ever since I could remember, everything that was inside me, just wanted to fit in. I was never for pretenders but everything I tried to be, just wouldn't settle in." I hesitated, refusing to look him in the eyes.

"If I told you what I was, would you turn your back on me?"

"If I seem dangerous, would you be scared?"

"You couldn't be dangerous if you tried." He chuckles.

"I get this feeling, just because everything I touch isn't dark enough."

"Blondie..."

"If this problem lies in me..."

"Cut it out man, this isn't funny!"

"I'm only a man with a candle to guide me. I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me..." I still refuse to look up as my demeanor changes, from a poor helpless mortal to my true form. Hunching over so that black bat wings extend from my back, my skin turns paler and paler until it's paper white, my teeth sharpen into fangs. I let out a scream that sounds like Hades himself, causing my own skin to get goose bumps.

"A-a...monster." His eyes widen to an impossible width, shocked by my form.

"A monster, a monster. I've turned into a monster. A monster, a monster, and it keeps getting stronger!" And with that last syllable, I lash out to rip him to shreds, just as I was destined to do.

I woke up with a start, the hydras were hissing, and the tortured souls were wailing. I propped up on one elbow and rubbed my eyes. It was only a dream, but who was that guy? He most certainly did not look like anyone I knew. I groaned, readying myself for the day’s work. I dressed in the black ensemble that I was forced to wear each and every day, checked my non reflection in the mirror and headed out.

The furies were flying in the sky, picking off loner souls resisting punishment. I threw a red ball at Cerberus, whose three heads barked happily. It was a good day, nothing could touch me. I walked a little farther and took in the scenery that made up the Underworld.

For most, life in the underworld is not particularly unpleasant. It is rather like a miserable dream, full of shadows, without sunlight or hope. A joyless place where the dead slowly fade into nothingness. It is hidden in the earth. It is the kingdom of the dead and ruled over by Hades. He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.

If you want to get all geographical here, the Underworld is surrounded by a series of five rivers; The Acheron (river of woe), The Cocytus (river of lamentation), The Phlegethon (river of fire), The Styx (river of unbreakable oath by which the gods swear), and The Lethe (river of forgetfulness).

Upon death a soul is led by Lord Hermes to the entrance of the Underworld and the ferry across the Acheron. There is a single ferry run by Charon to take the souls across the river. Only those who can pay the fare receive passage. The rest are trapped between two worlds. The souls then enter through the gates. Cerberus will allow all to enter but, none to leave. The souls then appear before a panel of three judges, Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus, who pass sentence. The very good go to the Elysian Fields. Others are singled out for special treatment.

Tartarus is not considered to be directly a part of the underworld; it is described as being as far beneath the underworld as the earth is beneath the sky. It is so dark that the "night is poured around it in three rows like a collar round the neck, while above it grow the roots of the earth and of the unharvested sea." Tartarus is the place that Zeus cast the Titans along with his father Cronus after defeating them. Homer wrote that Cronus then became the king of Tartarus. While Odysseus does not see them himself, he mentions some of the people within the underworld who are experiencing punishment for their sins. Tantalus, who betrayed the trust of the gods, is suffering torment by having food and drink eternally beyond his reach. Sisyphus, who disrupted the income of souls by tricking and chaining up Thanatos, is condemned to push a heavy rock up a slope, only to have it roll back down each time.

The Fields of Punishment was a place for those who had created havoc on the world and committed crimes specifically against the gods. Hades himself would make the individual's punishment of eternal suffering based on their specific crime. For Prometheus the titan of forethought who created mortals and gave them fire, he was chained to a mountain with an eagle feeding on his regenerating liver. Until Heracles cut his bonds so he could go free.

The Asphodel Meadows was a place for ordinary or indifferent souls who did not commit any significant crimes, but who also did not achieve any greatness or recognition that would warrant them being admitted to the Elysian Fields. It was where mortals who did not belong anywhere else in the Underworld were sent.

Elysium was a place for the especially distinguished. It was ruled over by Rhadamanthus, and the souls that dwelled there had an easy afterlife and had no labors. Usually, those who had proximity to the gods were granted admission, rather than those who were especially righteous or had ethical merit. Heroes such as Kadmos, Peleus, and Achilles also were transported here after their deaths. Normal people who lived righteous and virtuous lives could also gain entrance, such as Socrates, who proved his worth sufficiently through philosophy.

The Isles of the Blessed were islands in the realm of Elysium. When a soul achieved Elysium they had a choice to either stay in Elysium, or to be reborn. If a soul was reborn three times and achieved Elysium all three times, then they were sent to the Isles of the Blessed to experience eternal paradise.

And that was the history lesson provided by yours truly.

Anyways, I quickly found out that today was going to change my life, but for better or worse, I did not know. I was currently working on a new path for the souls to travel on, and I could faintly hear Hades yelling at me. There’s one last thing about the underworld… You have a match. Whether you’re a demon or a mortal, you have a match that you must reunite with before the day is over once both of you had died.

I died a long time ago, hence why I am a demon now. I don’t know how I got promoted to head demon, but I’m eternally happy that I’m no longer wandering aimlessly in the Fields of Asphodel. Now with this match deal, I had no clue when my match would come. Some of my colleagues have already found their match and they’re not doing so bad. I’m about the only demon without a match.

And let me tell you it sucks.

But all of a sudden I felt this intense pain in my lower left leg, like I had decided to take an unexpected dip in the Styx. I glance down to see a ring of burning flesh on my ankle. Only because I’ve seen worst in my time of being a demon, that is why I don’t gag at the sight.

The ring of pain burns for a little bit longer before dying out. I now have a permanent scar but it also means one other thing; my match has died and arrived in the underworld.

"Horan!!" My head snaps up, thinking that Hades caught me slacking off but it was just another demon, known as Zayn.

"Oi, Malik what's flying?" I call up to him, as he dives from the sky and hovers to five feet above me.

"Nothing good, Hades just sent me up into the mortal world to catch the new rebels Payne and Tomlinson. Geez those two are always making trouble. They're both a pain in the arse." I nod my head in agreement.

"Hey he wants to see you." He said and flew off before I could say anything. I sighed, dropped my tools into their black holes and surged up and east to his place. It's not like I've ever really seen him his voice floats around this place, yelling at the demons to do their work and etc.

I unfolded semi awkward bat wings, taking to the skies. I reached the high and mighty palace and folded them in. Walking into the palace, I noticed how Hades might have remodeled. The walls were filled with death. I gag a little in my mouth and continue in on my way. I stop right in front of the door but freeze, something wasn't right and my theory was proven correct when hellhounds bounded into the hallway and lunged at me.

I didn't have a weapon on me so I unfurled my wings and went in that way. And seeing that I just got them last week, that was what was supposed to happen; one of the hounds caught my sneaker and brought me down to the ground. They attacked and I could feel the hounds' razor sharp teeth ripping my soul from my body.

"Heel!" Someone called and the hounds retreated, allowing my soul to return and settle back into my body. I look up and was met with, not with the face of the lord of the dead, but with a face that I knew all too well.

"What the heck Tomlinson!" I yelled and tried getting up, only to fall back to the ground and feel nauseous. Those were the side effects of your souls almost being ripped away from the body when it wasn't ready to. The feather haired boy laughed at my misfortune and made himself comfy on Hades' throne.

"Thought I have myself a little fun, oh you should've seen your face when Loki grabbed your shoe. Ha! You were bloody terrified!!" He laughed and almost fell off the chair. While he was busy laughing his arse off, I had gotten up and now I was wrinkling his collar in both of my hands, slowly feeling my inner demon spring out.

"What was that?" I growled and in two seconds his eyes went from joking to scared and he tried wiggling out of my grip. But if he was a true demon, he would know that no one got his way out of my grip, well at least not alive.

"I-I-I was j-joking H-Horan! Don't take everything so serious man!" He whimpered and I slowly set his body down, unknowingly I had started to hover in anger.

"You are lucky you're a trainee Tomlinson, or else you would be dead meat right now. What kind of sick person are you?" I ask. Before he had a chance to open his mouth, the front doors slam open and we hear footsteps coming towards us. I turn to Louis to at least smack his face but he's disappeared. I hate his ability to teleport away so easily.

I turn to face Hades but his face was hidden by a hood, like it always was. Though I've never been this close to him before I could feel his sense of power and the urge to reach out to him was overpowering. I knew that if I did, my soul would immediately be ripped my body and sent to the torture center, which they would need a new torturer if that happened.

"Mr. Horan," he spoke, sending a round of chills down my spine. Legend has it that his voice could send the most sane to a padded room; he could go into your most hidden part of your mind and bring out the nightmares of your life. And it sucks because he's done that to me before, as an initiation for the torturer job. I couldn't even stay by myself in my house, the nightmares would so bad and I thought I had gone insane.

"I assume you know why you're here." He looked at me, well in my direction and I shook my head.

"There's a soul coming here soon and he is the most wanted, most hated soul in the world. He will be in two hours' time and during that time; I want you researching his life. Here," he threw me a heavy book, which must be his life story. I glance at it in my hands before he started talking again.

"Research him Horan; he deserves the highest and most painful torture for all eternity. Can I trust you with this task? Or shall I entrust this task with Mr. Malik?" I gulp, not knowing what to say so all I do is nod.

Silence falls over us for a few seconds before I feel hands on my throat and the life being sucked out of me.

"You will complete this Niall," I shiver as he uses my first name, something he never does with any of his workers.

"You could have the world or you can go rot in Tartarus." His hands released my throat and for the second time today, my soul sunk back into its place in my body. When I look back up, Hades is gone and

I'm back where I started, by the River Styx.

I stood there, stuck in my place and just kept being skeptical about this whole assignment. Not enough to go and question Hades about it and have the possibility of him giving the assignment to someone else but it was a close second.

There was not a logically explanation for this at all. I just sighed and looked at the book still in my hands. It was an old leather bound book, with too much on it as well. I blew over it and coughed at all the dust flying in the air. Once I flip through the pages, more dust appears. It’s like this book hasn’t been opened in years.

I knew I was only distracting myself from doing my job so I stopped thinking and started reading.

Name: Harry Edward Styles Age: 20 Hometown: Holmes Chapel, England Reason for death: …?

That last part startled me; everyone had a reason to die. Unless you are Tantalus, who cheated death multiple times. If you stayed quiet long enough and if you focused, you could hear him yelling in frustration every time his boulder would roll to the bottom after he rolled it up to the hill.

But I kept reading and reading, slowly finding out more about this mysterious soul, who from the looks of it, may have found a way to cheat death but was caught before he could do anything. I was so engrossed with this book and its contents that I didn’t hear Zayn flying over me until one of his wings slapped me upside the head.

“Ow! What was that for?” I mumbled, rubbing my head and its bump.

“I’m going to ignore your glare and inform you that the soul train is coming. Your soul might be on there if I’m quoting that book of yours.” He says and I quickly look into the pages and there it appears;

Arrival date: at 3 O’clock pm

“This book is creepy! I still can’t believe we even have these things. Gods.” I muttered and heard thunder rumble in the distance.

“Stop muttering under your breath Horan! You’re going to get us killed if you’re not careful.”

“Aye, what are you doing here?”

“I came to warn you. Dude seriously, that train in coming in a few minutes and yet you still do not believe me.”

“What?! It’s been two hours already?” I check my watch, that always tend to appear when I’m running late and I snap open my wings, accidently smacking Zayn in the side with one of them. Sweet sweet revenge. I turn around, give him a salute and allow the wind to catch my wings and soon soaring through the air.

As I got more and more altitude, I tried searching for the train, or more known as Charon’s boat. Everyone calls it the train around here but I have no idea. I may be the best, but I’m still the newbie. I’ve had to work hard to get where I am now. Nothing can take this away from me.

Soon I spotted where the Styx River started and where the boat was coming into the underworld. I flew lower until I could get to a running stop. I still wasn’t where I was supposed to be and that kind of pissed me off. How hard was it to fly to a specific place and actually get there in a shorter amount of time?

I ran along the river, unknowingly changing from demon to mortal form as I ran faster. My speed didn't leave me, thankfully, or else I would be out of breath by the time I reached the gates of hell. I saw Cerberus, the three headed dog, guarding the gates. He gave a low whine and a massive bark, rattling the souls passing through and I shrugged sheepishly.

"I'll play with ya later C, got things to do." I called over my shoulder and hoped the dog wouldn't follow me. I was too busy looking over my shoulder I didn't realize until the last second that there was a cliff ahead. I stopped running too late and fell over, rolling down the hill until I came to a full stop at the entrance way. I cough and spit the dust that has made its way into my mouth.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and all I once I jerk my head up to look straight into green eyes. They're dull and glossy though, which means they're a soul. I roll away and stand a ways away to confirm my suspicion; the guy was merely floating, no feet were touching the ground.

"Aye. Sorry mate. I wasn't watching where I was going." I mutter and walk past him. I feel a hand on my shoulder again and the guy is just standing erm …floating there.

"Can I help you?" I asked trying not to sound rude but I was a little annoyed. Where the heck was this soul? I didn't see him anywhere.

"Uh I guess. I don't know where to go. And you look like the only other person around here." He explained and I guess he was right. No one, not even me, goes around the gates entrance anymore. I heard rumors that if you weren't careful, you could be sucked through and end up all sorts of places.

Or maybe that was just something Louis said to me to mess with my mind again… Probably just a myth. I only nodded and started leading the way to Cerberus. At once, I stop and feel something weird inside me as the soul didn’t realize in time that I had stopped and passed though me. I shuddered and he mumbled a sorry.

“Its fine, just watch where you’re going.” He nodded and refused to look me in the eye. I took a deep breath and started explaining what he had to do and where to go, yadda yadda yadda.

“Just go through these gates, Cerberus shouldn’t bother you unless you’ve done something worth judgment in the real world,” He shifted uncomfortably at the sound of that but I thought nothing of it. “And head to those three-way gates, they should tell you whether you’ve reached Elysium or head down to the torture center.”

“Okay, thanks,” He stuck out his hand and I looked at him weird. Did I not just warn him that he passes through me like nothing?

“It shouldn’t go through now. I’ve been told that it took a while for everything to become solid. It should work now.” He said and this time when I went to grasp his hand, it worked. Wow, that’s a little weird and why didn’t I know this? How does a new soul know this and I don’t? I decided not to dwell on it and just shake his hand.

“I’m Harry. Harry Styles.” He said and looked at me in expectation.

"And you are...?"

Harry looked at me expectantly but I just froze. This guy, this soul was the most dangerous soul in the underworld and I'm just holding his hand. I want to let go of his hand but I couldn't bring myself to do so.

"And you are?" he says again and that brings me out of my trance.

"Greg," I say, wincing that I decided to use my deceased brother’s name. He was just sent to hell while I became a demon. It reminded me how much I missed him.

"Greg eh? You're Irish from what I can tell from ya accent." I only nodded and released my hand from his grip.

"So what did you do to get here Greg?"

"I-I" I couldn't think of anything that was worse than what I read in his book, so I just said something that happened to a friend of mine.

"I was texting while driving. Got hit with a truck head on."

"Ouch. That sucks. Instantly dead or did you suffer a bit?"

"Suffered five minutes, declared dead when the paramedics arrived."

"Sorry to hear that mate."

"It's fine. I lived a good life." No I didn't. I lived a terrible life with drugs and sex. Ugh. I think I became happier when I died. I left that life behind.

"That's good to hear. Is there anywhere I need to go exactly? The boatman told me that someone would escort me along. Whatever that means."

"Uh, yeah. Just follow me." I start moving forward the old fashioned way; walking. I couldn’t just whip out my wings and fly him to get judgment. For some odd reason, I didn’t want to scare him off. And that greatly scared me.

We walked all the way up to Cerberus, who growled at us. I presume he was growling at Harry, but it was nice that I didn’t have to bribe a dog to do his job and not slobber all over me. I went right up to the dog, patting his heads and smiling when he let out a low whine. I was careful to stay clear of his fiery mane, and the cobra tail.

But what I couldn’t prevent was Cerberus nudging me to the side, and by nudge I mean forcefully push me to the ground and bark at Harry. Harry looked wide eyed at the dog, before promptly running. Cerberus took after him.

“I just,” I sighed at his stupidity. “Just keep running!” I let the vicious dog chase him out of sight before I took off after them. I could hear Harry screaming and cursing, causing me to chuckle to myself. Cerberus barked once more, and thankfully I had fought my way between the two of them, because that bark normally meant that Cerberus was hungry.

They both looked at me, and in seconds I had produced a bright red rubber ball and waved it into front of his face. I wished that I could have seen the look on Harry’s face when Cerberus turned into a playful puppy at the sight of the ball.

He barked happily but it was loud enough to burst some eardrums. I laughed nervously, playing with him and motioning for Harry to make his way to the Fields of Asphodel. He does so quickly, glancing around before standing on the other side. Cerberus gives me a great big lick to the face, which means I’m covered in slobber for days upon days. He whines and continues to guard the gates to the Underworld. I make my way over to Harry and he has a face of disgust.

“Don’t worry; all drool will be gone before you know it.” He snorts but follows my lead over to the meadow. I pretend to not hear the cries of tortured souls in the distance. I pretend to not grimace when I see other demons plucking accused souls from where they stood; to be carried off to their fate. I pretend that I’m fine with what I’m doing, when in reality, I wasn’t.

“Hey you okay there Greg?” Harry’s voice brought me out of my depressed thoughts. I had taken a seat on the ground, nearby a tree. I grimaced when I realized this is the tree where I became a demon. Curse you Underworld.

“U-uh yeah.” I stuttered, not looking at him.

“Okay then?”

“This is where we part I guess.” I stood up and started to walk off when Harry grabbed my arm.

“So wait I just wait here for the rest of eternity?”

“Right on the nose.” I monotone.

“So no punishment, no torture of any sort? Nothing?!” His persistence caught my eye, and slowly I shook myself out of his grasp. As if I didn’t know what he had done up there in the real world.

“No… not unless you’ve done something worth wildly horrible in the mortal world.” He gulped, and refused to make eye contact with me.

I chuckled to hopefully sooth his mood, “But of course you wouldn’t do anything like that.” The silence between us was so great; I bet if one of the stalactites fell from the ceiling right now, even Tartarus could hear it.

“Yeah about that…” Harry had shut his eyes, and proceeded to tell me about all of the crimes that he had done, things that I had already known reading that book.

“I see.”

“So I guess I have to go to Fields of Punishment then.” He started walking and I don’t know what I was thinking but I grabbed his arm and took him in the opposite direction.

“Oh so I guess you know the way. Yeah that’s just great.” He was sarcastic, a good trait to sometimes have in the Underworld. Made staying here for eternity almost worth wild. It could also get you into heaps of trouble.

“I do know the way; I’m just not taking you there.”

“What? Why?”

“Something about your story doesn’t seem correct. I mean how exactly did you die?” I almost didn’t hear his muttering it was so quiet but I did catch one thing; Harry had committed suicide. I stopped walking and turned around to face him. He had his head down and wouldn’t look at anything or anyone. Not that anyone actually noticed us; we all looked transparent, except for our skeletons.

It suddenly clicked in my mind why his reason of death never showed up in the book. In the mortal world, it had been rumored that if you killed yourself, you would be sent straight to hell. Without doubt, it would happen. And down here, the one unspoken rule was; if the reason of death is blank, that person ended their own life. It wasn’t fate, it wasn’t destiny, it was their own decision and by doing that, anyone can cheat death itself.

“Yeah you don’t know what to say either. Nobody ever does,” He exhaled heavily; a sign that told me that he was getting upset.

“You know I always wondered why people killed themselves. Like why would they do it, they can always get help or try to get better. They don’t have to believe that killing themselves will make everything go away because for others around them, it just makes everything worse. I used to think that,” Harry finally looked up at me, green eyes swirling with darkness. “That was before the incident.”

And then all of a sudden I’m being whipped back in time, and trust me when I say I know the feeling of back in time. I’m in this small house, where the dark shadows seem to come at me, challenging me. I snarl and they fade. Upon hearing a scream, I force myself up and explore. A hand slaps itself over my mouth before I get even five feet from where I was, Harry comes around from the back of me and his eyes grows wide.

“Greg what the hell? Why are you here?” I shrug; more interested in the screaming coming from the other room to properly answer him. Harry takes his hand from my mouth and sneaks over to the doorway, glancing inside the other room and wincing. I go to check it out myself but he stops me.

“No, this is my flashback. I have no idea why the hell you’re here but you’re not going to experience what I did.”

“It’s a bit too late for that one.” And I know he can’t stop me from going around the corner, and now I know what he meant.

I saw this little boy, no older than seven years of age, cowering in a corner while a man yells at him. He seems to be reasoning with the man, and I know it doesn’t take rocket science to see that the man is his father. The similarities were off the wall; I knew it was Harry and his father. The man yells once more and slaps the boy’s face. I stumble back Harry and try to unseen everything. We hear another scream, one filled with more pain thought possible. Harry is just curled up on the ground, shaking. I go to pat his shoulder and say everything is okay when the scene changes and we’re no longer hearing the screaming, but the yelling has gotten louder. I do not dare go into the other room, even though we’re in a completely different house than the last scene.

“No,” Harry groans. “Make it stop.” I get up, despite Harry’s whimpers not to go in the other room. I do. I’m met this time with a slightly older Harry. He’s probably only thirteen, and he stands a little taller than when he was younger, but still faced with his father. His father looks outraged, and promptly slaps him across the face, yelling at him more. Harry seems to stand his ground, even going as far as poking a scrawny finger at the man’s chest. He was just about to do something, something that I will never know when a shot is heard, and the man crumbles to the ground.

Whatever confidence Harry had before had definitely crumbled along with his father for a group of men came out of nowhere. One even passed right through me without hesitance.

“You’re coming with us,” The largest man held Harry by his left arm, and the poor boy was whimpering, telling the man that he couldn’t.

“Oh yeah? And who is going to stop me?” The scene changes for the last time, showing Harry not much older than what he looked now. He was wrapping up some packages; ones that I knew were drug packages from my time in the mortal world. He’s going as fast as he can, probably to avoid missing a deadline and has just wrapped it when the man from the last scene comes in. He smacks Harry on his side, a normal hit shouldn’t hurt as much as it did Harry, for he hissed and flinched.

“Good boy, finally doing what’s right around here.” The man grumbles, placing a sloppy kiss on Harry’s cheek before leaving with the packages. Harry wipes his cheek, glances around for anyone and I had a bad feeling in my stomach. He quickly climbs the stairs of the crack house, dialing up the emergency number and saying that there’s a crack house off of a certain street. I don’t know what he’s planning to do until I see the razors, the pills and a lone piece of rope. I back away from the scene, trying to close my eyes but I can’t help but watch as Harry downs a bottle of pills, along with readying his rope and razors.

I hear police sirens in the distance, as well as yelling from the man. Harry has just slipped the noose around his neck when I feel a presence behind me. I don’t know whether it’s the man or if its ghost Harry, but the two of us watch as the broken boy slit his wrists, and then finally his neck. With the last of his strength, Harry hangs himself, just as the door slams open and more shots were heard.

My knees buckle and I fall to the ground, unable to get that sight from my mind. In minutes we are back in the underworld. And I have joined Harry in the curled up fetal position.

I have no idea how much time passes by before I am able to sit up, processing what I’m seeing. I just saw his entire life and how messed up it was. From being abused by his father to getting kidnapped by crack addicts, there was so much missing from his story line but so much that I didn’t want to know.

But I did know one thing; Harry was innocent.

I look over to the soul, he was lying on his back now, tear streaks prominent on his lifeless cheeks. I stand up shakily and thank goodness that I’m able to support my weight because I had a feeling that Harry wouldn’t be able to do so. He looks at me, and goes back to gazing at the ceiling. I can’t even begin to imagine what he must be going through; I’m surprised that I’m fine coming out of that whole experience.

“I wanted to hide you from that,” He sighs, talking before I can say anything.

“That’s not much better than my life.”

“But don’t you see? I’m a criminal! I sold illegal drugs for most of my life. I deserved to die.”

“You did call the cops before you died.” He laughed bitterly.

“Yeah, like that did anything. They were probably gone before the cops even got there.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Trust me; I lived with those men for 7 years.”

“And trust me; you did a good thing by calling the cops.” Harry remained silent. My mind kept whirring. How could he believe me, the guy was innocent. He was just the king of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It suddenly clicked in my head; judgment. It wasn’t too much farther than where we stood, and I’m sure the judges would look pass what happened in his life and give him good judgment based on his last few minutes. The worst he could get is Fields of Asphodel.

“Harry get up.” I nudged him with my foot and he whined. I couldn’t help but snort as he continues to do so. So I get the grand idea to pull him by his legs to the judgment. That’s when I notice something is off about him. His left ankle, it has a scar.

“Hey what’s this?” I ask, touching it for a split second before his head whips up and his eyes meet mine. He glares for a second and I remove my hand from the scar.

“It’s just something I got as an initiation to the crack house. It burned like heck but I wasn’t going to do anything else for those idiots.”

“How’d you get it?” My eyes still stuck to the looks of the scar, little figures stuck out to me. It was almost like I could recognize them.

“I don’t know, one of the guys came into my room on my first night and branded me with that.” I nodded, looking more closely and noticing that this couldn’t have been done with a brand, not like the one he was thinking of.

“Could you put my ankle down?”

“Yeah sure,” I mutter and then it hits me why this looks so familiar. I look down at my own scar branded on me not even a day ago. To be sure, I gently touch the wound, shivering when the electricity flows through the both of us.

“The heck man?”

“Harry!” I drop his ankle and pull him up. He looks at me like I’m crazy but I’m just excited, scared more than anything but mainly excited.

“What?”

“We’re a match.”

“What?!” He looks at me, and then at his ankle.

“Hold up. Explain.”

And so I do. Apparently Harry received his branding when he was 14, and I had died more or less 8 years ago. When your match dies before you, you receive a scar around your left ankle to remain there until you die. Then when you’re match whose already died, the only way to know that his other half has died, the scar is received on his left ankle as well. I couldn’t contain my excitement. I had found my match but I took one look at Harry and realized. He was to be tortured by Hades. I couldn’t take him to judgment, not unless I wanted him to suffer forever.

I grabbed his hand, and started walking.

“Where are we going?” He whined, and I took one look at him, and gulped.

“Judgment.”

“Yo Horan what are you doing?” I stop in my tracks. I turn around to confirm my suspicions; it was Zayn hovering over us, looking at me specifically.

“Hey…” That was all I got out before Zayn grabbed my ear and dragged me away. He proceeded to slap me when we were out of earshot of Harry.

“Okay uh ow!”

“What are you doing Niall?”

“Showing the soul around?”

“Then why do I have reports of you and this soul budding it around?”

“You have no proof of that.”

“No but I do have Liam.” I cursed. Liam could stalk anyone in the entire underworld and not one person would know, curse his ability to blend in with surroundings.

“That still doesn’t prove anything.”

“Oh give it up Niall! Why are you so hell bent on this soul? I thought he was the most dangerous one out there?”

“I’m not hell bent but I know an innocent soul when I see one.”

“You think he’s innocent? Do you know what he’s done?”

“I don’t but you haven’t talked to him.”

“Yeah because I don’t want Hades to have my arse.”

“Just, just leave me alone. I can handle him nicely and I don’t need your help.”

“God Niall, you’re so naïve. You can’t handle him, he’s dangerous! He’s probably plotting your death right this moment!”

“You don’t know anything. Maybe he was framed, did you ever think of that?”

“Niall,” he placed his hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off. “The book doesn’t lie.”

“Well who do you trust more? Some thousand year old creepy book or your best friend?” He sighed, thinking.

“You of course but this doesn’t add up. Why would he be framed? And why do you care so much?”

“He told me his story, and you know that I detect truth faster than anyone else here.”

“Okay I believe that, but why do you care? You’re normally so cold hearted when it comes to this, it’s almost like…” His face grew wide, which all in all started to creep me out.

“You like him don’t you.”

“What?!”

“That’s why you care so much! You like the soul!”

“I know nothing of which you are talking about.”

“Niall this is great, well bad because you’re a demon,” I glared at him while he smirked. “But you finally like someone! Man for a while I thought you were going to make a move on Persephone or something.” I gagged but I broke out into a smile.

“See there’s that Horan smile. How are you going to tell him?”

“I’m not. I’m passing him over to Liam or Louis. He doesn’t even know I’m a demon.”

“What?” We both turn and there Harry is, standing a meter away. His eyes are wide but with confusion. I glare at Zayn who promptly flies off. Ditcher.

“What did he say?” I inhaled deeply, hoping for the best outcome possible.

"If I told you what I was, would you turn your back on me?"

"Of course not," he smiles, unaware of the process had already begun.

"If I seem dangerous, would you be scared?"

"You couldn't be dangerous if you tried," He chuckles.

"I get this feeling, just because everything I touch isn't dark enough."

"Blondie..."

"If this problem lies in me..."

"Cut it out man, this isn't funny!"

"I'm only a man with a candle to guide me. I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me..." I still refuse to look up as my demeanor changes, from a poor helpless mortal to my true form. Hunching over so that black bat wings extend from my back, my skin turns paler and paler until its paper white, my teeth sharpen into fangs. I let out a scream that sounds like Hades himself, causing my own skin to get goose bumps.

"A-a...monster." His eyes widen to an impossible width, shocked by my form.

"A monster, a monster. I've turned into a monster. A monster, a monster, and it keeps getting stronger!" And with that last syllable, I launch myself at him. In two seconds flat, he’s on the ground and I have a raised claw over him.

“Do it Greg. Do whatever everyone else has been dying to do; finish me off.” I hesitate, surprised he even spoke. I shut my eyes, and brought down my claw… to the ground next to his head. I open my eyes to see him panting frantically, eyes still blown wide in fear.

“C’mon get on with it! I deserve it!” He shouted, and if continued doing that, we would both get into heaps of trouble. So I shut him up with the most stupid way I knew how.

I kissed him.

His body froze and his eyes seemed to search for something in my own. In his moment of confusion, I get up from my previous position, which was straddling Harry and walked off.

“Don’t turn around. Don’t turn around.” I mutter as I walked off, but Harry had to ruin it.

“G-Greg wait WAIT!” I stopped, sighed and turned around. Harry is definitely looking frazzled.

“Niall.” I correct. He cocks his head to the side.

“What?” He breathes with desperation.

“M’name is Niall. Not Greg. I didn’t want you to find out who I really was. Truth was I was supposed to take your sorry butt to torture but…”

“Why didn’t you?”

“That seemed to be the most asked question of the century, why didn’t I just do what I was supposed to do and kill you off! Call me crazy but I know you’re innocent. There’s something going around here that just doesn’t make any sense.”

Silence floated in and around us, Harry couldn’t stop staring at him and I didn’t know whether it was because of what I did back there or if it was my appearance. For rejection sakes, I’m taking that it’s my appearance.

“So you’re a demon?”

“Yeah.”

“You were supposed to make my afterlife hell?”

“Pretty much.”

“And you like me?”

“Yep… wait.” He wore a proud smirk, oh geez.

“And that kiss back there, was to shut me up yeah?”

“Uh…”

“Shhh.” I didn’t realize how close we were until I felt his warm breath on my face. I looked up into his eyes, gulping.

“Could I try something?”

“S-Sure.” Truth be told I was too interested in his lips at the moment. He chuckled and brought those lips closer to mine.

Just as our lips touched however, the ground shook and a figure emerged from the shadows. The figure threw back their hood to reveal the one person that I forgot about through this entire day. Hades. His eyes glistened in the light of the Underworld, laughing evilly as he threw a fire ball towards Harry, who was barely able to dodge it.

“Harry!” I shouted, directing Hades attention back to me. I was hoping that Harry would make a getaway but he just stood there in shock. The lord of the dead sneered, his fireball growing with the passing second.

“So this is your decision? You choose this mortal over your own life?” He chuckled, the ground shaking beneath me. I almost take a tumble but stay strong for Harry, who is still frozen to his spot.

“If it’s the last thing I’ll do; is to bring you down.” I bared my fangs, closing my eyes and taking it in. This was my destiny.

“Wrong choice.” Hades roared, releasing a fireball that passed right through me, causing intense pain. I let out a scream that was heard throughout the world, crumbling to the ground.

I gasped, holding onto my side while blood seeped through my fingers. Harry rushed over to my side, cursing at every being in the universe. The world around me grew fuzzy, and spots danced across my vision. I faintly heard Harry calling out for help but I grabbed his hand, causing him to look down at me.

“It’s no use.” I coughed, blood escaping from my mouth and trickling down my chin. He gingerly tried wiping it, his hold tightening on my hand.

“If I can just go and fine Zayn or Liam. Heck even bloody Louis can do something.”

“It was meant to happen.” My voice isn’t as strong as it normally was, and well I normally wasn’t bleeding to death. Death, this was happening for the second time, I knew for a fact that I wasn’t coming back this time.

“Just please hold on. You can make it through this Horan,” he sniffled, voice cracking. “I know you can.” The underworld sky seems to grow darker and darker, almost turning into a gray hue.

“But don’t you see; this was his plan the whole time. I wasn’t meant for the real world and I definitely wasn’t meant for this world. This is where it all ends.” That shuts Harry up for a couple of minutes while I feel my power draining.

“I’m bleeding out, I’m bleeding out for you,” I take one last heavy breath, staring Harry in the eye. “For you.”

Darkness engulfs over me while he grasps my hand, and suddenly I’m floating. Like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders. Is this what death feels like? Like you’re floating for eternity? I see a form of light in the far distance and from what it feels like; I’m floating towards the light.

In seconds, I reach the light, everything being too bright to make out but I hear a faint beeping and someone holding my hand. I weakly open my eyes to see that I’m in a hospital bed, and there are all sorts of tubes injected into my body. I turn my head and see a familiar mop of curls.

He seems to sense my movement, for he looks up and smiles.

“Harry?” He smiles and plants a kiss on my forehead, at which I look at him in confusion.

“What happened?”

“You were in a coma Niall.” My eyes widened.

“From what?”

“We got into a pretty bad accident; it’s a miracle that you’re even alive right now.” His voice lowered, until I could barely hear it.

“Everyone was freaking out especially when we found out your condition. I don’t even know how I got away with scratches while you…” he chokes up and I remain silent until he continues.

“You had a concussion and then you were in a coma for a month.” He stops again to wipe stray tears rolling down his cheeks.

“Hey, it’s okay. I’m fine now aren’t I?” as I say this, I feel how much my bones ache and the raging headache. But in reality I’m ecstatic because I’m not a demon and furthermore I’m not dead. Being in a coma was bad enough but I’ll take it any day.

“If you call having several broken bones, internal bleeding and swelling of the brain fine, then yes you are most definitely fine.”

“Don’t get snarky with me Styles.”

“I think I’m allowed to be as snarky as I wish Horan.”

“And why is that?”

“Because,” He licked his lips as I stared at him. “I’m your soul mate.”

__________________________________________________________

Well that took me another seven months to complete… Ugh but it was so worth it. I hope everyone liked it, this is probably one of my favorite one shots, and I love the songs that I used in it.

I want to thank friendlystyles bc if she had never posted those Imagine Dragons/Niall edits, well I would have never listened to 2 out of the 3 songs, and I wouldn’t have powered through writers block if I hadn’t listened to Bleeding Out nonstop. I want to thank kissperingniall for being so lovely as well, just talking to him helped me relax and write. So thank you both :)

From my mind to the computer keys to your eyes to read, I’m Jessica xx

#Long ass one shot #Narry #demon!niall #Dangerous Mortal!Harry #i finally finished it #whoo!#but geez its long #...#friendlystyles #kissperingniall #thanks you guys

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