1 Death Phone

Arthur picked up the crimson handle of the death phone from its mantle and hesitated for a moment. It was always an extremely unnerving experience speaking with the dead, but this was different. Every time he had to make this particular call, a part of him broke. Well another part of him broke anyway.

He stared blankly at the screen ahead and took a deep breath. It was time.

The death phone itself resembled the payphones of ancient times, however, in place of where the keypad should've been, there was a screen instead. The screen shone with a bright white light, and the digital dashboard displayed on its surface prompted him to write a name.

Arthur prompted his Eye - the chip implanted within his brain - to fill the field with a thought. Seamlessly, and instantaneously the blank field was replaced with a name; Damien Jefferson.

Of course, there were probably thousands, if not millions of people with that same name. However, this was a call made through God himself, and God made no mistakes.

With each agonizing ring, his feeling of dread grew, threatening to overtake him. When the ringing finally stopped the screen which had displayed a digital dashboard only a moment earlier, now displayed a man.

Damien had been Arthur's twin brother once, true, and growing up even their own mother had trouble distinguishing between the inseparable pair.

He doubted anyone would have trouble telling them apart now.

Damien's head was completely devoid of any hair, with not even an eyelash to speak of. His face was littered with hundreds of scars that curled around his square jaw and curved nose, moving all the way up and around the sides of his head and onto his back. He wore no clothes, and his body somehow had more scars than his face. His baby blue eyes displayed unfathomable pain and sorrow that somehow felt almost contagious as if it were ready to escape at any moment and be transferred to Arthur's own body.

Only if it would brother… Arthur thought. Only if I could take your pain.

Remarkably, Damien was grinning. That made the unbearable feeling of dread that Arthur had felt earlier evaporate into thin air. As it always did. Only Damien could still be grinning through it all...

"How are you holding up brother?" Arthur said, forcing himself to grin back.

"Oh, I'm fantastic… Never been better. It's a little too hot here for my liking, but hey who am I to complain? I get free lodging, and I never have to eat or sleep… What's not to like?" Damien said, winking at Arthur and smirking.

"Glad to see you're in good spirits… considering you're-"

"In Hell?" Damien said, then began wagging his index finger at Arthur. "Well, you know what they say, when life burns you, enjoy the warmth, and curse God's name for every cold day he made you live!"

"No one has ever said that! And did you ever consider that perhaps cursing the Almighty's name might have something to do with why you're in this mess in the first place?"

They both laughed.

"I know I haven't visited in a couple of months, but things have been… Hard lately," Arthur said, then realised with whom he was speaking. "Shit… that was very insensitive of me. The last thing you should be hearing about is my problems. I'm sorry. I should've visited sooner."

"Don't sweat it brother, You can tell me anything. And besides I'm literally here for an eternity…There will always be time to visit" Damien said, his gleefulness subsiding slightly. "I'm just happy I get to see your face. "

Arthur nodded. "It's wonderful to see yours too. No matter how ugly it's gotten."

"I've been burning in Hell for the last decade… And well, that tends to have an effect on a man's… aesthetics. What's your excuse Arty, why does it look like you're the one who's been through Hell?"

Arthur let out a sigh. "Contrary to what you may think brother, suffering and agony are not exclusive to the damned. Life takes its own toll on the living..."

"Come on Arthur, it's me spill it. What's bothering you? Enough with this vague shit" Damien said, his trademark toothy grin appearing on his face again. "I'll just have to let the Demons know that they'd better take the day off. My dear brother's torturing me with his inner demons today!"

Arthur couldn't help but smile. You smile through all this pain... You're truly remarkable, brother. I only wish I had half your strength. "You're right, I'm sorry… I've brought you something that might cheer you up," he said, prompting his Eye to display an image on the screen.

Damien's smiling weary eyes widened as an image of a prepubescent girl overlaid the place where Arthur's own face and torso would have been displayed on his side of the screen in the afterlife beyond. The girl wore a white lab coat - that was perhaps a little too big for her - and was listening eagerly through a stethoscope placed on Arthur's own chest, her eyes displaying pure awe and wonder at hearing a heartbeat for the first time. The little rugrat was truly in her element, tangled messy hair and all. Arthur was so proud of her.

"She's growing so fast!" Damien said, his eyes tearing up. "My beautiful Mya… She must be almost twelve now..."

Arthur nodded. "And she wants to be a doctor, just like you!"

That little fact seemed to hit Damien hard as tears began to stream down his face like groups of interconnected rivers that stemmed from his eyeballs, only to be evaporated moments later by the burning embers of Hell.

"I'd give anything just to hear her voice again…All this suffering would be worth it If I could just see her smile at me one more time," Damien said, smokey white lines of teary vapour evaporating from his face and into the abyss.

Arthur knew what would come next. A question. One that he hated to answer.

"Why won't she visit? I'm her father. Doesn't she know she means the world to me? Get her to come just once. Please... I'm begging you brother," more tears.

He hated seeing his brother beg like this. And he hated himself more for not being to fulfill his brother's only wish. His own eyes became teary. "I'm working on it. I promise. She'll be here in time," he said, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm working on something else too. Something to get them out. Mya and Chelsea."

"Ah Hell this again!" Damien grunted irritably. "Mya is Shunned Arthur… Do you not understand that? Shunned by God himself. I don't care how powerful you think you've become, you cannot overturn the word of God… You should focus more on something you can accomplish. Like bringing my daughter back to me!"

That last remark angered Arthur, and not just because he considered his brother's mere mention of overturning the Almighty's will blasphemous, but also because Damien was probably right. He couldn't afford to let himself believe that. He had to believe that there was something he could do. He had to keep fighting. I'll free you from your prison Mya... Even if it's the last thing I do.

"I'm working on it brother, I promise… She'll be here to visit in no time, you'll see!"