KNOCK KNOCK
"Who is it?" — he shouted from the kitchen to the person outside.
No one answered, but someone kept knocking on the door.
KNOCK KNOCK
"Who is it?" — he shouted again.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Jeez, who the hell is banging on my door at this hour?! Let me see who it is," said the man angrily.
When he opened the door, the man was surprised and asked:
"What are you doing here??"
The person knocking was dressed in an elegant outfit: a suit and hat, all from extremely expensive brands. He was also smoking a very low-quality cigarette, leaving a terrible smell wherever he went. He removed the cigarette from his mouth, and his foul breath filled the air. Then he replied:
"I'm here to take you, 'messenger.'"
The "messenger" screamed desperately to someone inside:
"Run, Akira!!"
As soon as the person heard the shout, they ran in desperation from the living room to the balcony. Being a bit slow, the elegant man caught a glimpse of the runaway's appearance out of the corner of his eye.
"What do you want from me??" — asked the messenger, eyes wide.
The elegant man laughed and said:
"Tell the kid who just ran into the other room that I'm not going to hurt him."
The messenger, trying to keep the man's attention on himself, replied with fear:
"L-leave him alone. And besides, I've already paid all my debts! I've been a free man for five years now. I want nothing to do with Hell."
The elegant man then looked into the messenger's eyes and said:
"Yes, yes. Your debts are paid. But you did something really bad during that time of freedom, something none of us in Hell could accept."
The messenger, expressing fear and cowardice, said:
"I didn't do anything. Do you have proof? I'm innocent—whatever you're talking about!"
The elegant man punched the door hard, clenched his jaw in anger, and shouted:
"Are you seriously asking for proof, you miserable scum?! You sold Hell's information to those damn angels! Do you realize what you did? Do you?!"
The messenger gave in, trying to justify himself:
"P-please! I didn't do it willingly! The angels forced me to talk... I swear I didn't do it on purpose, I..."
The elegant man couldn't contain himself. He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingers began to bleed. Before the messenger could continue, he started punching his face relentlessly:
"You filthy traitor... argh! (punch) You damn well know messengers can't leak info to both sides! (punch) That rule's been around for generations, you useless bastard! (punch) Tell me, did they pay you for it? Answer me!"
The messenger, after so many blows to the face, replied with a failing voice:
"I-I... hahaha... it's so good to see that angry look on your face... hahaha... You really wanna know, you idiot? The rules don't work the same anymore. And you know what? Go to hell. Go back to your unloved girl and see if she calms that fury of yours. Hahaha... You know a messenger's job is to pass info to both sides. Sure, not private stuff, not names... not what happens inside. But I wanted to break that damn ancient rule. And yes, they paid me very well. And you know what's the best part? They accepted the deal, breaking your rules like they were nothing! Hahaha!"
The elegant man backed away, his hand covered in the messenger's blood, trying to calm himself.
"So that's it? Looks like the world isn't what it used to be... and you're just a pathetic traitor. All of this for what?" — he asked.
The messenger, arrogantly, replied:
"To see that dumb look on your face if this day ever came. And look at that — it did. Hahaha."
The elegant man pulled a cigarette from his pocket along with a lighter, lit it, and started smoking. As he took a drag, he asked:
"I thought you did it all for the boy."
The messenger replied:
"Hahaha... that kid only helped me stay hidden. Who would suspect a guy with a kid? You people are too righteous... but still evil. That boy was only good for cleaning the house and grabbing beers from the fridge. Hahaha."
The elegant man, trying to stay calm, asked:
"So it wasn't for him... Then why?"
The messenger laughed strangely and said:
"All because of that bitch Eloísa. That damn woman..."
The elegant man threw the cigarette to the side, stomped hard on the messenger's chest, and asked:
"What did you do to Eloísa? Your face is already smashed up. I won't hold back from destroying you even more."
The messenger coughed hard from the impact and replied:
"Coof, coof... that woman wouldn't give me attention. Hahaha... Always showing off with that perfume, that look... but when I wanted something more, she just said no."
The elegant man, disgusted, replied:
"So that was it? Seriously? Hahaha..."
They both began to laugh... but only one of them was laughing for real.
Click Click
SPLAT
The elegant man pulled out a revolver and shot the messenger in the face, splattering blood and pieces of his head everywhere.
"People like you deserve to die. Hell judged you guilty."
He holstered the weapon, turned, and began walking toward the door. But as he passed through it, he heard a noise.
"What was that sound? Ah... just you, boy. What did he call you again? Right..."
The little boy answered:
"Akira. My name is Akira."
The elegant man, uneasy, said:
"That guy did a lot of wrong things. And I, as a reaper, had to pass judgment. That was the verdict."
The boy, eyes full of tears, said:
"I did everything I could so he wouldn't forget me... and in the end, he humiliates me, saying I was just a distraction?"
He began to cry.
The reaper looked at the child and said:
"You have no one else, do you... How about coming with me to Hell? As you can see, I'm getting old. And over there, we'll need a new reaper. It may be hard at first, but judging people is just as satisfying as blessing their false masks."
The boy, eyes still wet, asked:
"What do you mean? Aren't blessings supposed to be good?"
The reaper replied:
"Some are. But what I meant is that blessing is like encouraging evil, because no one ever shows their true face — not even before God. So judging... removing those people from Earth... is freeing the world from masks far more dangerous."
The little boy replied:
"If I can remove people like that from the world... then please, take me to Hell."