It’s said that once you die you’ll meet an angel or a demon.

There are five main angels, and five main demons.

All the angels' names were lost to history.

However, the demon's names are vividly remembered by all - the names drilled into each and every child’s head, from birth to death.

Nightmare, Error, Killer, Horror, and Dust.

Greed and pride, wrath and ignorance, insanity and lust, gluttony and paranoia, sloth and neglect.

It’s also said that sometimes even the purest souls get lost in the afterlife, facing the demons, no matter how good they were while living.

That was probably why Cross was sitting in front of a very confused, goopy-looking, skeleton - who was occupying the opposite side of the desk in between the two of them. He sat in a ridiculously comfortable looking recliner.

There was a moment of silence shared between the two skeletons. One’s - the goopy skeleton’s - attention on a small manilla file in front of him, squinting at it as if it shouldn’t contain what it did, like he didn’t understand. The other - Cross - dazedly gazing around the small room with light brown walls and plush tan carpet - wondering where the hell he was and how he got here. The fact that he was unable to remember anything that had ever happened to him before he got here kind of sucked as well; he remembered his name, the names of objects (as well as his vocabulary), and that he had had memories before this. The whole ordeal made Cross wonder if this is what suddenly just existing felt like to a newborn - only without the constant itching at the back of the mind that told of forgetting something.

The skeleton across from Cross sighed before wearily looking up at Cross. The cyan eyelight that the skeleton sported felt like it was practically rooting through his soul, no, his life (a life that Cross just couldn’t seem to remember no matter how hard he tried).

Then, the skeleton spoke. “Do you know why you’re here?”

Cross let out a small, bitter laugh. “I don’t even remember my entire life before this, let alone know why I’m here, sir. Isn’t that sad?”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“...that’s odd,” the goopy skeleton frowned, his brows furrowing.

This just earned the skeleton more laughter from Cross.

“What’s even more odd,” the skeleton continued. “Is the fact that you died at 17-years-old, and that you’ve been apparently, in the queue to be judged for so long that your soul grew older? However, I am sure I have never once seen you in my queue to be judged.”

“Weird,” Cross remarked. 

“Weird indeed, Odd-soul.”

“...I can remember my name, you don’t have to call me that.”

“Oh, I know, I just think Odd-soul fits you more than Cross does, especially in your circumstances, don’t you?”

“...not really.”

The goopy skeleton huffed. “Nickname agreements aside, we do have a small problem. You,” the skeleton jabbed a phalange at Cross’s chest. “Have a pure soul, you were meant to go to Heaven, eternal paradise or whatever. Instead, you ended up here, in Hell, and no demon is able to send you up from here. As a result, you are stuck here, unable to be punished, but unable to leave.”

Cross gulped, “Can’t I, I dunno, sit here for an eternity or something?”

It was now the goopy skeleton’s turn to laugh. If the situation were different, Cross would take a moment to appreciate how pretty the other’s laughter sounded, like bell’s on a crisp winter morning. “No, sadly, I need this office to punish actual sinners. Also, I’m pretty sure it would technically count as a punishment with how uncomfortable that chair is.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

“...So, what do we do, then.”

The goopy skeleton sighed. “I guess I’ll have to send you to my castle and have my subordinates take shifts on making sure you don’t get into too much trouble. However, knowing them, they’ll probably just encourage you to do something stupid.”

“... I’m not a baby, you don’t need to babysit me.”

“Says the skeleton that probably doesn't even remember how to make toast.”

Cross honestly didn’t quite know how to respond to that.

The goopy skeleton smugly stared at Cross as he observed the smaller skeleton’s unbelievably lost expression. “Exactly.”

There was a small, light, pause.

“Plus, I certainly know that by now you are certainly not a child. In fact, I’m almost certain Killer will coax you into losing your virginity within your first week at the castle.”

Was it hot in here? Cross certainly felt quite hot. Maybe he could ask the skeleton if there was an AC that he could turn on.

Had Cross ever even done anything sexual before?

The skeleton laughed once more before getting up from his seat and strutting towards the door. 

“Are you coming, Odd-soul, or would you rather sit here for eternity?”

Cross leaped up from his seat, rushing after the goopy skeleton.

Their hand was unbelievably cool in Cross’s.

Cross found himself wishing he could hold onto it forever.

Although, eventually, Cross would always have to let go, no matter how much he wanted to continue holding on forever.