When Tommy woke up, he couldn’t see anything. It was still pitch black, but he could feel that he was laying down. He attempted to sit up, but instead hit his forehead on something.

TOMMY : Agh! What the…

The eyeholes of the Black Mask, which laid next to him, shone green, illuminating the area around him. He was in a coffin.

TOMMY : O-oh jeez…w-well that makes sense if I was dead…

Tommy pushed against the lid, but it wouldn’t budge. He was buried underground and the Coffin was sealed shut. No chance he’d be able to open it. Starting to panic, Tommy pushed harder, and harder, until he started hitting the lid in a vain attempt to open it. He could feel himself start to sweat and hyperventilate.

TOMMY : Wh-what kind of “Second Chance” is this?!?! LET ME OUT!!

Tommy started to vomit from the stress, but he managed to choke it down. He laid back, still panicking, when he turned to look at the Black Mask. Remembering what the Devil said to him, he hesitantly picked it up, and stared at it for a few moments. After a while, he took a deep breath and turned it around, placing it on his face. He saw green flames rapidly engulf his body and shut his eyes, hoping and praying he doesn’t regret this. He then slowly opened his eyes. He was in a strange place. It seemed to be some giant mountain that was burnt black and charred. The sky was red with no sign of clouds, a sun, or a moon. He looked forward, seeing what appeared to be the Demon that was mentioned before. They were absurdly tall, around 7’2”, and muscular. Their body was covered in scars, and their face seemed to have a permanent angry look. Tommy approached, as the Demon seemed to be unaware of his presence.

??? : Don’t come any closer.

With that, Tommy stopped dead in his tracks. Mostly due to fear. The Demon opened his eyes. His pupils were inverted sideways like a goat’s, while his irises were glowing yellow.

??? : Hmph. I could hear your little talk through the Mask. My name is Iblis Inferos…but I prefer Jason these days.

TOMMY : Er…Jason like the Biblical figure?

JASON : …No.

TOMMY : …Oh.

They both sat in awkward silence for a few seconds, before Jason spoke again.

JASON : *Sigh* Look you’ve put me in a hard spot, Kid. I don’t want to accept you, or anyone, as this Mask’s host, but if I reject you it’ll burn your face down to your skull.

TOMMY : . . .

JASON : And you’ll die. TOMMY : Yeah that was kind of implied-

JASON : Listen. With Satan the deal is never clear-cut. There’s always some kind of Catch. But the problem is, he always sets it up in such a way that you don’t really have a choice. I suspect if we don’t go along with what he wants us to do he’ll send you a one-way ticket back to Purgatory, and me back to Hell to rot for God knows how long.

TOMMY : So..you mean we don’t have a choice?

JASON : No, but I’m used to that.

TOMMY : Huh?

JASON: Not important, kid. I’m accepting you as my Host, on one condition.

TOMMY : Um…that is…? JASON : As soon as we find a way to break out of this little deal, I’m out. I don’t want to be stuck using a kid as my host.

TOMMY : Oh…well…I can agree to that!

Jason stood up and bit his palm, drawing blood. He held out his hand, while Tommy was just staring, partially in shock and partially concerned.

JASON : …a Blood Pact, idiot.

TOMMY : Uh…can’t we just do a normal handshake…?

Jason glared, clearly annoyed.

TOMMY : O-okay okay… *Tommy hesitantly bit his palm to draw blood* Agh- ow…oh jeez, I’m gonna be sick…

They shook hands, their blood mixing to complete the pact. Flames surrounded them both, as their bodies seemed to become one.

Jason opened his eyes, still in the Coffin, which was now much more cramped. He growled and punched through the lid, causing dirt to spill in. He dug his way out, breathing heavily, until he finally reached the surface. It was raining, which was helpful to get the dirt and sweat washed off him. He looked at his hands, seeming almost in shock at being alive again. Well…pretty much alive. He looked around, at the Cemetery around him. His attention turned to the City before him. He couldn’t believe his eyes. It was huge, covered in gigantic structures and glowing lights. He could hear loud noises from deeper in the City. He just stared, wide-eyed.

JASON : How…how long…how long was I dead…?

Jason got up, and walked into the City. He was still amazed by what he was seeing around him. The aforementioned giant structures were even bigger up close, bigger than almost anything he’s seen before. The flashing lights were brighter, too. He had no clue how they could’ve made such bright lights. As he was walking around, he looked towards a pane of glass and flinched, seeing something on the other side. After just a second or two, he realized it was him, but it was strange…it looked nothing like him, or even Tommy. They had Jason’s height and physique, but their hair was long, messy, and dark Purple. More strangely, their eyes were pure white, and their face was covered in some kind of black substance. Jason reached up and felt it, pulling on it slightly. It felt like a second layer of skin.

JASON : The Mask turned skin-tight…like another layer of flesh…

TOMMY : Strange-

Jason flinched and looked around, confused.

JASON : Kid?

TOMMY : Um, I think I”m in your head…?

JASON : …Fantastic…

Jason looked back at his reflection, paying more attention to what he was wearing. His upper body was bare, while his lower body wasn’t covered by anything but a cloth. Definitely not as covered as he’d like. He kept walking, until he came across an alley. There was a stench coming from it, so Jason went to investigate. After searching for a second, he found the source of the stench. It was a man. Dead. He seemed old, and was wearing a black jacket and old jeans.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

TOMMY : Oh no…! Mr. Petrov…! He was a nice man…

JASON : You knew this man?

TOMMY : He was Homeless. He said he lost everything when some thugs stole all the stuff he owned when he was away with the Military…he was such a nice man…

Jason felt the jacket, and took it off, putting it on himself.

TOMMY : JASON-

JASON : What? He doesn’t need it.

Jason also took the pants, now being decently clothed aside from his chest, which he intentionally left bare.

TOMMY : You aren’t taking the shirt?

JASON : Wearing too much on your chest can restrict your movement. I have no idea what the quality of torso-wear is in this era.

Jason turned to leave, but stopped, as if thinking for a moment. He turned back, looking towards the man, before walking back to him and lifted him up, carrying him back in the direction of the Cemetery.

TOMMY : What’re you…?

JASON : No man deserves a death like that.

He used his bare hands to dig a hole, and laid the man in it gently, before burying him.

JASON : At least he can have a proper burial.

TOMMY : You’re…actually a pretty nice guy, aren’t you?

JASON : …Don’t be ridiculous.

Jason walked away from where he buried the man. He felt the jacket was wearing. It was a bit small on him, given the difference in size between him and the Homeless man. Jason put his hand on the shoulder of the jacket, making it shine green, as it slowly grew into his size. He moved his arms around, getting used to its new size.

JASON : Better.

TOMMY : Woah…how’d you do that? JASON : I can do a lot more than that, Kid. When you spend a long time in a place like Hell, you learn a few helpful things.

Jason patted the chest of the Jacket, feeling something inside. He looked inside, seeing an inner pocket with a flask in it. Seeming to recognize what it is, he took it out and twisted off the lid as he smelled the inside. Smelled like alcohol of some kind.

JASON : Kid, what is this?

TOMMY : Probably Mr. Petrov’s flask. He always kept some whiskey on him…

JASON : Whiskey? TOMMY : Er…it’s a type of Alcohol…

JASON : Similar to wine, then…*He took a drink from the flask, with a small opening appearing in the mask so that he could.* Ugh…what a strange taste…almost fruity…even a little nutty…nothing like what I’m used to…

TOMMY : Um…if you don’t mind me asking-

JASON : I do.

Jason put the flask away and continued walking around. He noticed he was receiving weird looks from the few people he passed by. He wasn’t surprised. He was completely out of his element, and his appearance made it obvious. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and leaned against a wall as his eyes flashed green.

JASON : Agghh…!

TOMMY : Wh-what’s wrong?! Are you okay?

JASON : I’m FINE…ugh… *He stood up, with the pain starting to go away*

TOMMY : What was that…? JASON : Sin…it burns the Soul…someone is doing something terrible.

Jason ran in the direction he could sense the Sin from. He was fast. Much faster than he expected. He passed by one of those large metal objects that was moving in the same direction as him. He was faster than it. As he got closer, he could feel the sensation growing stronger and stronger, it felt like fire in his chest slowly getting hotter. He finally made it. Another alley. He cautiously entered, walking slowly through the alley. He could hear someone whispering…

“Quiet down! Stop struggling you brat…!”

Jason stopped at a corner and peeked around. He could see an adult man, around 5’7” and skinny. He has some kind of weapon in his hand that Jason hasn’t seen before. He was struggling to hold onto something, but Jason couldn’t see what. The man turned, still struggling. It was a small girl, no older than Five. Jason’s eyes widened slightly. The man spoke in a hushed, but aggressive tone.

MAN : Quit moving you little…! *He used his thumb to flip some kind of lever on the weapon he was holding* You so much as squeak and I’ll put a bullet in you, brat!

Jason growled. He had seen enough. He rounded the corner, startling the man.

MAN : What the hell?! Get lost *He pointed the weapon at Jason*

JASON : Let her go. I won’t tell you twi-

Jason heard a loud BANG as something flashed from the front of the weapon. He felt something hit him in the chest, and felt a sharp pain where it hit. He looked down and saw a small metal object halfway stuck in his chest. Jason pinched it with his fingers and pulled it out, with a small bit of blood squirting from the open wound. To his surprise, the hole slowly began to close. He stood up and examined the object in his hand.

MAN : What the…what the fuck?! What the hell are you?! Jason thought for a moment. He had immense speed earlier, now self-healing abilities. He positioned the object between his fingers, pointing his hand forwards. Before the man could process it, he flicked the object towards him at high speed, hitting him in the neck. His arms flew up towards his neck in a strange position. It seemed to have hit his spine through his neck. He stumbled before falling backwards, making choking sounds. The little girl sat on the ground, seeming scared as Jason approached. He looked down towards her for a moment, before kneeling down. She looked at his eyes, shaking a bit.

JASON : …Child, where are your Parents…?

She was still for a moment, before shakily pointing to the Man.

GIRL : Th-that’s my Daddy…he…he’s always been mean. He and Mommy split up a while ago…he said he was going to take me Home…

JASON : I see…where’s your Mother?

GIRL : I…I don’t know…Daddy took me away from her while we were going Home…

Jason thought for a moment, in silence.

JASON : What is your name?

GIRL : M-Mary…

JASON: Your last name?

MARY : Mary Wells…wh-what’s your’s, mister? *She seemed to be more calm*

JASON : …Jason. I don’t have a last name.

MARY : Why not…? Did your Mommy and Daddy not give you one?

JASON : I…I don’t have parents. Not anymore.

MARY : Oh…I’m sorry, mister…

JASON : Don’t worry about it. Where’s your Home? MARY : I…I live in the Apartment Complex…

JASON : …Can you show me what building that is?

Mary walked towards the exit to the Alley. Jason looked at the weapon the man had, and picked it up. After examining it for a few seconds, he figured out how it works. How to fire it at least. He followed after Mary as he put the weapon in his belt. Once they exited the alleyway, Mary looked around, seeming confused.

JASON : …Well? Where is it? MARY : U-um…I…I don’t know…

JASON : How do you not-

Before Jason could finish his sentence, he felt dizzy. Green flames surrounded his body as he morphed back into Tommy, with the Black Mask falling onto the ground. Mary turned around, confused to see Jason gone and Tommy there.

TOMMY : What…o-oh jeez, HRK- *Tommy turned and threw up into a trashcan. He felt unbelievable sick after the Mask came off* MARY : Where’d the tall man go…? TOMMY : Er…um…he called me! He had to go Home! *Tommy hid the Black Mask behind his back* My name’s Tommy.

MARY : Oh…I think I know you! TOMMY : You do?

MARY : Aren’t you the weird guy who throws up and got hit by a big car? TOMMY : …Yes…

Tommy lead Mary to the Apartment Complex, holding her hand and walking her safely. Once they got there, they went up the stairs until they arrived at Mary’s apartment. Tommy knocked on the door, and soon after, a shaken looking woman answered. Once she saw Mary, her eyes widened and she quickly hugged her, almost in tears.

LILY : MARY! Where have you been, I was worried sick!

MARY : Daddy tried to take me to his Home. Tommy and a Nice Man helped me! She looked at Tommy, seeming shocked.

LILY : T-Tommy Jones…? But…you…you were dead…

TOMMY : Er…well-

LILY : *She sighed* Was it a prank?

TOMMY : Um…y-yeah…I thought it’d be funny, but…

LILY : Well…thank you so much for helping Mary get Home…

Lily and Mary went back into their Apartment. Tommy got the feeling that going Home wouldn’t be as easy as he thought…