Upon seeing the metal door creak open, the two brothers got to their feet and stood still. Their hearts were galloping like a stampede of horses, and they were ready to fight to the death with whatever monster crawled inside.

A clawed hand entered their view and the thing that it belonged to was both what Jonas had expected, and not at all what he had imagined.

Its scaled skin looked like it belonged to a snake, and the color was an awful pale red. Protruding from its forehead were two long flesh-colored horns, and from its rear, Jonas could see that it also had a swinging tail that was long, thin, and it ended with a heart-shaped tip.

The real reason the demon was not what Jonas had imagined was that this creature was as tall as a human; overweight, sporting a black goatee, wearing a full suit & tie, and its bright red eyes were shining behind round spectacles.

Clambering into the prison chamber with a brown leather suitcase in hand, the creature looked surprised at the two humans who had their fists balled, and it noticed their murderous expressions.

For a moment, the creature just stared at the two boys, and it blinked at them as if it were expecting something to happen. Seeing the two humans refuse to scream at the sight of his appearance, the demon opened his mouth.

"Erm," he blundered, "Pardon my tongue, but English is not my first language," Jonas and Drake glanced at each other before once again facing the strange creature in front of them. Drake opened his mouth to speak, but Jonas cut him off.

"Who are you?"

"I am your attorney Duran Littlehorn, and I am here to represent you during your trial," and he added, "By the way, you are in Hell, this is obvious," and his finger pointed at his horns.

"Trial?" Jonas asked.

"To decide your punishment."

"What punishment?" he asked, but the demonic lawyer looked like his patience was wearing thin.

"Please, we have little time, so I must talk, and you must listen," and he added once more, "Please."

"Sorry," Jonas replied, but he felt rather strange apologizing.

"Well then," said the demon, "You may call me Mr. Duran, and I will explain the process you must go through from now until the punishment. Okay, congratulations are in order because you've both died and are now in Hell," and both Jonas and Drake made strange faces at each other as it wasn't every day a demon congratulated you for dying.

"Uh, thanks," said Jonas.

"Not a problem," Mr. Duran nodded his head, "When people from the mortal world die, they will come here to Hell, and a judge will sentence them. Good boys like you will go to the top floor where everything is nice, and the bad boys will go to the bottom floor where everything is not so nice."

"What do you mean when you say floors?" Jonas looked at Mr. Duran.

"This place you now find yourselves is the Tower of Hell; a separate dimension to the mortal world you came from, and a place where all souls spend eternity. This tower has six floors where sentenced humans are to live out their afterlife."

"Does the first floor have a name?" Drake asked.

"We call the first floor the Overworld," said Mr. Duran, "And for each floor of the tower there is a single ruling body called a Prince of Hell, and these six princes serve our one true king," he added, "Your true king."

"Go on," said Drake, and his expression looked as if he was soaking in every single word the demon said.

"So, while the king rules Hell, his six princes are the true government that handles day-to-day operations. Not only do the princes get to decide the rules of their floor, but they also get to decide the punishment for breaking those rules. My suggestion," the demon added, "Don't break the rules."

"What's the first floor like?" Jonas asked, "The Overworld, as you called it."

"Eh?" Mr. Duran made a strange face, "It's a lot like the mortal world where you came from; skyscrapers, shopping malls, nightclubs, and the sort, but you'll see all that for yourself. Right now, I need to talk to you about death."

"Death?" Drake whispered, "I thought we were already dead?"

"Yes, and no," said Mr. Duran, "You've died and left your mortal bodies behind, but here in Hell you've new bodies that are much more adaptable to the- uh, environment."

"And if I get my head chopped off?" Drake's icy gaze pierced through the red eyes of the demon, and Mr. Duran could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up in protest.

"You will die once more," Mr. Duran shrugged off the eerie feeling that Drake gave him. Wasn't it supposed to be the demon that freighted the human, not the other way around?

"Then what happens when you die in Hell?" Jonas crossed his arms and his voice sounded rather annoyed.

"Remember what I said earlier, about the rules being decided by the Princes of Hell?" Mr. Duran looked irritated, and he thought the boys were not listening to him at all, "Depending on what floor you're sentenced to, the rules of death are different."

"What about the first floor?" Drake asked.

"If you die on the first floor, you will experience reincarnation of a sort, where you will lose your memories, and reappear in some unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar people, on whatever floor the judge sentenced you."

"You don't go back to Earth?" Jonas' eyes widened, "Not even Heaven?"

"No reincarnation to Earth, and not even Heaven," Mr. Duran used a finger to push his spectacles up.

"Is that it," asked Drake, "What about the other floors?"

"Well, of course, you're both going to be sentenced to the first floor, so why would I waste my time explaining the rules for the other five?" Mr. Duran sighed, "I've already been through your files, and nothing I've read about the two of you leads me to believe that you deserve a harsh punishment?"

"Files…" Jonas' mouth fell agape, "What do you mean, files?"

"The files that Hell uses to keep tabs on the both of you," said Mr. Duran while pointing towards his briefcase, "It keeps track of the major aspects of your life, and lets your attorney figure out how to advise you."

"Does that file talk about our childhood?"

"Yes, yes," Mr. Duran did not know why it was so important, "It's all in your files."

"Can I see it?" Jonas licked his lips, and even Drake shot him a glance from the corner of his dark eyes.

"No," Mr. Duran shook his head, "That is privileged information only available to high-ranking government officials," and although Jonas felt the excitement escape his body, it did not stop him from considering whether he should jump Mr. Duran and take the files for himself.

Part of him wanted to, but maybe Drake had sensed some violent nature swell in his younger brother because he put a massive white paw on Jonas' shoulder and squeezed hard. Jonas said nothing, but he looked up into his brother's expression, and both spoke without words.

'I want it,' Jonas' sapphire blue eyes showed.

'That's too fucking bad,' Drake's dark grimace replied.

"Well then," said Mr. Duran, looking at the two of them, "When you get to the first floor, make sure you keep your nose clean, get a job, and live your new life. You will come across opportunities, but it is your choice whether to gamble on them. Nothing in Hell comes without a price, be careful."

"I've got it," said Drake, and Jonas could not help but wonder what his brother had understood. It sounded like utter nonsense to him. Mr. Duran took out what appeared to be a smartphone from his pocket.

"Ah yes, it is time for us to go. I will walk you to the courtroom, please be on your best behavior," however his face fell when he heard a very loud sound coming from the distance.

"What's that noise?" Jonas asked, and seeing the expression on Mr. Duran's face told him it was not a good sign.

"I don't understand," began Mr. Duran, "They've sent a prisoner transport, but they only ever send transport for the most hardened of sinners," he added, "Just be calm, and listen to any instructions they have. It must be a simple mistake and I will handle it with no problems."

"Prisoner Drake Ariel, and prisoner Jonas Ariel, step out of the cell with your hands up!" a deep and dangerous voice resounded through their cell.

"You must do it," said Mr. Duran, who prompted them to follow the directions. Jonas and Drake exchanged looks before raising their hands above their heads. "Follow me," said Mr. Duran in a low voice as he beckoned them out of the prison room.

Jonas and Drake did as they were told and as they left their cage for the first time, they came into a lit corridor that was wide and beautiful; the ceilings seemed to go on forever and Jonas could not see the roof. Along the walls and down the endless corridors were many metal doors that looked just like the one they had come from, and Jonas presumed each one contained dead people just like himself.

In front of them were ten armored demons, each of varying sizes, and each had a massive sword holstered to their back, as well as shiny crossbows held at the ready. Seeing as their targets had followed orders, the leader of the demon escort nodded his head.

"Positions!" he yelled, and they surrounded Mr. Duran and the brothers. Following the movements of their escort, the three in the middle made sure not to make sudden or awkward movements. The heavy footsteps like a marching troupe echoed off the walls, and it made Jonas feel like he was being led to his execution.

He couldn't understand what was going on at all. Sure, they had died and went to Hell. This was rather reasonable when compared to the fact that an armored escort of massive sword-wielding demons had come forth, just to guard an eighteen-year-old boy and his twenty-year-old brother. Something didn't add up, but Jonas did not know what it was.

After a few minutes of walking down the corridor, they came to a large golden door. The guards pulled the doors open and Jonas was cattle-prodded into a chamber that was filled with a single red demon seated on a chief seat.

'So, this is the judge,' thought Jonas as he glanced around the room. The demon escorts brought them to stand just in front of the podium, and they only took a few steps back while they stood at the ready.

"Your Honor," began Mr. Duran, "I have brought my clients before you to plead their case before they receive your judgment."

"I am Judge Rosenthyme, and within this room my word is law, do you understand?" he boomed, "Regardless of your pleas, I will punish you as I see fit," Judge Rosenthyme was very large, very arrogant, and looked extremely dangerous. He was a darker crimson red than the other demons, and he had a long black beard that twitched when he spoke.

Mr. Duran gulped as he realized almost immediately that something was indeed wrong, and it forced him to consider who in the world had those two boys offended to have one of the harshest judges in all of Hell preside over their case.

"We understand, your Honor," Mr. Duran replied and bowed his head in subservience, but the boys did not return the bow. Judge Rosenthyme looked like he wanted to say something, but his eyes shifted to a small, tinted window just above and behind their heads, though the brothers could not see it.

"I won't mince words. You boys are directly responsible for the deaths of the innocent. You killed six toddlers and maimed four others, all caused by your careless drunk driving. How do you plead?" Mr. Duran also did not mince words.

"My clients plead guilty as a show of remorse and ask that you show lenience," and this caused the boys to look at each other with odd looks. Should they have pleaded guilty?

Not daring to argue, both looked up at Judge Rosenthyme, who would decide their fate. He stroked his beard for a moment as he considered and pondered the boys. He narrowed his red eyes dangerously, and it gave Jonas the feeling that the Judge was plotting some cruel punishment.

"Jonas Ariel, you lived a decent life, and seeing as you're not of age, and you were just privy to the acc-" Judge Rosenthyme corrected himself, "I mean murders, and you are remorseful," he paused for a moment to think, "I sentence you to serve your time in Hell on the first floor!" he then slammed his wooden gavel onto the podium. Jonas gave a weak smile, and it was the most he could give when considering he was still going to Hell- albeit on the first floor.

"Drake Ariel, you were a troubling adolescent and an even worse adult. You should know better than to drink and drive, and because of you an entire town is now mourning the losses of innocent children who will never get to grow up and experience life…" Judge Rosenthyme trailed off as he once again looked towards that tinted window above their heads. He cleared his throat, and boomed, "I sentence you to serve the rest of eternity on the sixth floor- the Underworld!"