Don't Threaten Me With a Good Time

Jake didn't think he'd die like this. Going from a lengthy chat about tour life, to literally bleeding out on the floor... to say the least it was unexpected. He never really thought about dying because he had a lot to live for. The pain seems almost nonexistent at this point as he locks eyes with Kenneth. It's so weird, he thinks, dying by the hands of your best friend. There was no feeling of anger or betrayal. It's all confusion as everything seems to go by fast. The light of the room dims, and the setting changes.

It's darkness and silence until the sound of voices surround him. The room is a dim blue, and it's the atmosphere that seems cold over the actual temperature. It doesn't make sense, but there's no way else to describe it. He feels light yet heavy at the same time. It's peaceful, but the motion around him is unnerving. A bright light is cast down the room as everyone begins to gravitate towards it. Jake follows the crowd without hesitation. They walk out and presented in front of them are figures with sharp horns and glowing eyes. Jake doesn't feel scared or startled at all. Everyone is separated and lead down various hallways, but something happens...

An echo of screaming and clashing reverberates off the walls from down one of the hallways.

A loud voice says, "Jake Sinclair!"

Jake immediately responds, "What, hello?"

A being with glowing red eyes and black horns emerges from the hallway. In the same amount of time, other individuals with similar features try to attack him. Jake steps out of place and doesn't know what to do. He takes a second to really process the setting, and he thinks that this must be hell. These must be... demons?

Rough hands clench down on his shoulders and the voice says, "We're here to take you."

"Take me where?" Jake says.

"Explanations will come later." One demon finishes.

They rush down the hallway, and Jake can't believe how fast he's going. It not even his feet carrying him, because half the time he didn't have the chance to touch the ground. The lock these demons had on his limbs didn't create much pain, and the now-demon feels even more perplexed. Time seems slow even in the midst of a rush. There's more wailing and weapons clashing in the distance. He wonders if hell is always like this.

The pacing becomes slow as Jake's feet finally manage to ease against the cold floor. They all make their way down a lengthy hallway until the room opens up. There's a red eyed demon sitting on a... throne?

An immediate, "Leave us." is emitted from the demon's lips.

Jake watches as the other demons leave the room.

"Jake Sinclair... come forward." The being says.

Jake isn't sure how to feel, being placed in such a bizarre position, but he walks forward. His eyes fall to the individual beside the red eyed demon and... Kenny? Before he can say anything, his feet fall close to the red eyed demon. The being sticks out a hand and Jake notices the sharp, black nails. He takes a moment before shaking his hand. So cold.

He says, "What's going on?" He looks to his best friend, "You- you killed me."

"Jake Sinclair," The red eyed demon starts, "You're a very important individual."

He recollects what Kenny had told him moments before he got stabbed. He says, "Is this, the uh, thing about Brendon?"

"Brendon Urie, yes. He is the chosen individual who will lead the battle against human civilization. You found him, noted along with Harris. Both of you will serve special purposes for me and for the future."

Jake is very confused, and a little shocked. He would definitely need some time to process this.

"Welcome to hell." Kenny says to him.

"I... okay." Is all Jake could muster. He never really thought about hell, or going to such a place. He thought it was all fake. Just a ridiculous story made up by Christians to condemn all the little gay boys and girls. He gets out a small laugh and glances at the ground.

"You probably need time to process this." Kenny says.

"Well no shit." Jake says with a pained smile.

"Jake, my name is Daniel Cloud Campos. This is the rebel council. All information will be given to you in due time." There's a very small smile on Cloud's face.

Jake isn't sure if it's intimidating or welcoming. Maybe a bit of both. Suddenly, Cloud places two fingers to his mouth and whistles. To the human ear, this could have been damaging. A group of demons walk in immediately.

"Bring Harris and Sinclair the finest attire."

"But, they're black eyed, sir-"

"Did I fucking stutter?" Cloud booms.

"No, of course not, sir. Right away." The demons are quick to leave.

Jake is confused, and Kenny also seemed to be supporting a puzzled look.

Cloud says, "Dumb working rats, they don't know the importance of you two. Lazy tattered garbs are much more well suited for them. The class system will not be erased, but I know you two will succeed. Both of you are closest to The Chosen One."

Class system? Jake thinks. And back to this Chosen One stuff. He would definitely need a lot of time to understand all of this.

The demons return with black suits. Jake and Kenny take them and look back at Cloud.

"Put them on now." Cloud says calmly.

It's not as though it was weird for best friends to change in front of each other, but in front of this really intimidating demon? It may very well be instantly deemed uncomfortable. They do it anyway, Jake trying his best to not think about it.

"Good." Cloud says when both of them are fully dressed, "First thing's first," He looks to Kenny, "What was the state of The Chosen One?"

"He seemed to be drifting in and out of the present time, like being in state of daydreaming. His eyes had a bright yellow at times when he seemd out of it." Kenny says.

"It shouldn't be very long now." Cloud says.

"What will happen when he does enter hell, sir?" Kenny asks.

That look of anticipation seems to fall from Cloud's face, "He will enter like anyone else... through the Purgatory gates." A pause, he slams his hands onto the armrests of his chair, "No doubt he'll be protected. I don't even want to think about the demons I've lost already." He grips the sides of his chair with intense strength. Jake notices his veins begin to pop.

"This will take time, then." Kenneth says. A fairly obvious statement.

"Time..." Cloud snarls, "I wish it fucking didn't!" He shouts. A second passes and Jake watches as Cloud's arms and hands begin to relax, "You're right, it's true." He says more calmly.

Kenny nods and the red eyed demon continues, "We must not waste a second. There will be a lot of planning and working. This time between getting Urie from there to here will be vital." He emphasizes, ending his words harshly.

Jake wonders if this guy has any chill... probably not.

Cloud closes his eyes and clenches his jaw momentarily, "One final note: when going from here to earth, use the door."

"Door?" Kenny questions.

"At the farthest end of the corridor to the right, there is an entrance and exit to and from hell. I had a direct spiritual power line drawn between you and I so access to hell could be instant. It's severed now since Sinclair is retrieved." Cloud's eyes shut as he rubs the skin just below his black horns. He must have been tired and frustrated, Jake thinks. How bizarre it is to watch a powerful, short-fused being not getting everything he wants immediately. Definitely sounds like a movie Jake and Kenny used to watch. Or several different movies. It all seems so unreal to the black eyed demon, but this is his reality now. At least his best friend is with him.

~~~

It's a short period of time getting settled into hell completely, and an even shorter time before Kenny goes back to earth. Cloud advises against Jake going with Kenny because of the information Jake still has to learn. Personally, Jake has a constant feeling in the back of his mind that it isn't the only reason why Cloud keeps him around constantly. It's like he saw something Jake didn't see. So yeah, he met Brendon before Kenny did. There had been so many others that met him before that, but he guesses it had to be current. It had to be him and his best friend. Brendon... just thinking about him seems different now to Jake.

"Today, I want to teach you something." Cloud says with a small smile.

"Alright." Jake replies, although he feels rather comfortable just lounging in the new chair Cloud has had custom made for him.

"Stand with me." Cloud says.

They both get up and the red eyed demon proceeds to face Jake.

"You'll learn to become invisible."

"Whoa, I'm down to learn that." Jake says, feeling fairly excited.

"It is something black eyed demons never naturally discover. It's a skill no one bothers to teach because it's rare for one to use it. Such lower class individuals never get such special treatment."

Not that Jake didn't already feel pretty damn special, "I appreciate that, man. Wow." he beams.

"Take even breaths in and out. Focus on your inner abyss. Picture yourself being erased physically from the world around you. When you feel a sense of weightlessness, you will have successfully become invisible."

Jake tries this, but it's as though there's something blocking the way. He says, "I... it's weird. I don't think I can do it."

"You cannot become invisible to demons in hell, only humans on earth. When you feel it, you'll know."

"That begs the question of when I'll be able to go to Earth." Jake says, a tad bit disappointed.

"Soon." Cloud replies.

Jake sighs and goes back to his seat. If he had a nickle for every time Cloud said 'soon'...

"We must all have patience, even if we despise it." Cloud says as he also sits back down.

To distract his thoughts of the time he could have spent right now on earth, he asks, "So what did you do when you were alive?"

"What?" The red eyed demon seems bewildered by the question.

"Did you talk to anyone about when you were alive?" Jake asks, slumping in his chair; angled to face Cloud.

Cloud takes a second, "No..."

He looks so emotionless, yet small. As though such a question could be a potential opener for few mental wounds. Jake could definitely relate to something like that.

Jake fills the silence, "Just curious, you don't have to-"

"No, I can speak about it." Cloud says blankly.

Jake curls himself in as though he was a child about to hear a bedtime story.

"I used to be a dancer. I choreographed a good majority of the time. I also did film and occasionally photography and music. I had a fiancee-" His fingers press against his lips, as though the memory was a bit sensitive to talk about.

"Oh." Jake says in a soft voice.

"None of that matters now." There's an anger to his voice, "That life didn't matter. It clearly wasn't as important as being reborn to this."

"I'm... sorry." Jake says, not sure how else to respond.

"No, I felt compelled to tell you. Your apology is unnecessary." He soon enough calms down.

Jake figures he wouldn't be able to get the full story out of him, so he thinks about what could have happened. Maybe he killed his fiancee, or maybe he died just before they got married. And to think about how the ominous force must have taken him... there were too many options. His curiosity gets the best of him.

"How did the ominous force take you?"

"One night at my apartment complex, there was a suitcase left in an elevator. I took it and kept it, hoping the owner would come by ti pick it up. As the days passed, I could feel it... calling to me. One day I opened it, and I let it consume me."

"Oh wow." Jake says.

"Thank the devil it did..." Cloud replies. His head falls to the side, hand resting on his cheek as he looks off into the distance.

Jake averts his gaze, giving Cloud his moment to bask in whatever thoughts were in his head.

There is never another moment like that between the two men, so it stays on Jake's mind a lot. He swears Cloud is just infatuated by him, and not in any romantic or sexual way. Maybe it's just to get what he truly wants: Brendon. Brendon... the black eyed demon begins to think about him again. There's a nervous hum in the pit of his being. He's never felt something like this, not when thinking about that musician he considered his friend. That feeling... it almost makes his stomach turn; not in disgust, but in excitement. He pictures Brendon's features, and his voice. No one should be that beautiful, he thinks.

Some more time passes, and there is nothing else Jake would need to know. Most days are spent sitting idly. It's terribly boring, and the black eyed demon dreads it. The most productive thing to happen is a custom chair being built for Kenny, but unfortunately, Jake starts to wonder if his best friend would ever come back. He keeps questioning why they're sitting ducks, until one day Cloud pitches the idea that maybe Brendon would find his way to Earth, or be sent there; that the prophecy will be in his favor because of how devout he is. Nothing as of late could ever be considered a stretch of the imagination, so Jake agrees that something like that could happen. Cloud every so often continues to claim that 'The naive side of hell wouldn't be able to handle The Chosen One.' and 'If anything, maybe he'll naturally come to The Rebel council.' or 'Maybe he'll begin to reign terror on Earth and it would be even easier to find him.'

Another endless day, Jake thinks, watching demons come in and out performing their various tasks. Cloud sits deep in thought, occasionally letting his fingers tap on the arm of his chair. One male demon crosses the room and hands Cloud an updated list of members. Even though there had been individuals coming in, the comparison from before Jake arrived until now was immensely different and much more disappointing. Jake begins to get lost in the face of this demon. So handsome. As much as Jake enjoys lounging around, he hasn't had sex in weeks. He wonders what it would be like, sleeping with a demon as a demon. He finds the darkness of it all quite arousing.

"Damn it." Cloud says angrily. He takes the paper in his left hand and snaps his fingers with his right to ignite a flame. He burns the list and says, "I don't want to see another fucking disappointing list like this ever again, you hear me? I don't care if you have to cross a few boarders and forcefully recruit demons."

"Yes, sir." The demon says, looking a bit frightened. He immediately turns around to head out of the room.

"Everyone out!" Cloud shouts, and the rest of the remaining demons are quick to leave.

Jake finds it a tad bit disappointing that the cute demon couldn't stay longer, but oh well, fear didn't look too attractive on him anyway. He looks back over to Cloud who now has an angry pout on his face. Jake quietly sighs and just stares at the ceiling.

After a short while, a single pair of footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway. It's Kenny. Jake smiles a little seeing his best friend again.

"Sir," Kenneth starts, "Brendon Urie is on earth."

Cloud is quick on his feet and so is Jake. Just hearing that name again makes the black eyed demon's head swim.

"The Chosen One is on earth?" Cloud questions, "I knew this would be one of the possibilities. And so soon..."

'So soon', Jake finds that statement ridiculous. More like, 'It took long enough.'

"Yeah, and he seems... human. I assume there's been planning, sir?" Kenny asks.

"Immense planning, although nothing concrete yet. Patrick, that stupid son of a bitch, must have given Brendon the serum to mask him as a human." Cloud looks to both Jake and Kenny, "We have work to do."