I walked through the old lake house. The chipped wood, the fading environment. I felt this odd sensation. I was leaving this world almost. I walked into a room, it had a man with ragged clothes. He had different color irises. One is green and the other is brown. He had tattoos similar to the Demon markings I saw back at the park. He turns to me. "The DOPEMAN." He had a deep booming voice. It was almost inhuman. "Sit."

I slowly sit down. "How do you know my name?"

"The SPIRITS."

"And what are these spirits?

"The SPIRITS are the SPIRITS."

I roll my eyes. "As long as these spirits can help me."

Shaman shakes his head. "I require a TEST. The RIGHTEOUS men desire to CONTROL the SPIRITS. Will you do the same?"

"No. All I need is their help. I'll take your test. What is it, algebra or something?"

He laughed. "Comedy from the DOPEMAN. The SPIRITS told your story. A tale of a man who sold the POISON to your hometown. It filled you with a head of guilt and a heart of loneliness. Now you want to redeem yourself by DELIVERING items."

"Uh...Yeah. So what's this test?"

Shaman hands me this pipe. I hold it in my hand and look at the object. It looked familiar. There's no way it could be what I think it is...

"You sold the POISON to your town, but have you ever tasted the POISON?" He asked.

I knew it. It's crack. He spiked it too. Laced it with something. Hopefully, it won't kill me. I grab his lighter and smoked. As I coughed the smoke, I felt...

Wrong.

The room started to fall apart.

Shaman laughs and chants something. He was performing some rituals. I look around to see a gray void, almost cloud-like. It was storming, lightning and thunder. I stand. I look down to see my lack of weapons. All I got is my arm blade. Desert Demons pop from the ground suddenly, ready to strike. They had eyes of flame. The skin of lava. I started running. Running far away. I trip and fall. As I get up, I see my mother.

"What's wrong?" She asked me. "I thought you forgot everything? I thought you went to church? I thought you forgave yourself?"

You're not real.

"I'm very real, [READACTED]. Oops! I said your name. You're the Dopeman now right."

You left me. You made me like this.

"You left me to fend for myself. Your own mother. Shame on you-"

Don't say my name.

"What? Still on that, boy? Nobody cares about you. You're the Dopeman. that's it."

I'm more than that.

"Then what are you?"

I...I am...

"What? What?"

I suddenly see my mother's face melt into another Desert Demon. I squeeze my palm and cut its head off. I bled lava. I start chopping and killing all I could. I was going mad. But I had to. I had to keep it pushing. As the bodies around me start to decay. I felt weak.

I fall to my knees.

With all this, I still feel ok. I'm ok. I hear the news and the tears around me, but it doesn't affect me.

I'm gon be alright.

Why?

Because I am Dopeman.

The room started to reform. I pass out.

I think I beat the trial. I hope.