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For a lifetime of evil deeds, this is what he had earned. The Devil smiled at him as he passed judgment on his soul.

“You surpassed even my expectations of your actions, you know. Murder, theft, slander, rape... I don’t think there is one commandment you didn’t break less than five times. However, due to the circumstances of your death, I am obligated to give you a second chance. I will return you to your mortal trappings for one year. If, in that time, you can manage to purge your soul of all of your evil deeds, you will not return here. However, if you cannot or do not, you are mine, Darien.”

The Devil laughed as a burning pain enveloped Darien’s body, searing every inch of his being. Everything became a red haze for a moment, then darkness. When his senses returned, he found himself on a familiar street, shuddering from the cold and soaked to the bone from rain. He did not know what time it was, but he could tell it was late in the evening from the inactivity on the street. Darien go the his feet and looked to the clear night sky, forgetting his chill for a moment and relishing in the fact that he was no longer feeling that burning pain in his body.

After a moment, Darien began to check his clothing and belongings to see what The Devil had given him. He sighed, realizing that all he had was the clothes on his back, with no money, let alone even a wallet or identification, and he was beginning to get hungry. He began to wander the streets, trying to figure out where he would go and how he would redeem himself. As he walked, his mind wandered back to the last moments of his previous life.

It was a bright spring day and Darien was taking a leisurely stroll through the park, eyeing various people around him, gauging how much he would get from them if he mugged them. Suddenly, his concentration was broken as a small child, no more than five or six, bumped into him as he ran by.

“You fucking brat! You’re lucky I’m in a good mood right now!” Darien yelled to the boy as he continued to run by, looking back for a moment to see who was yelling at him. Since the boy was looking at Darien, he could not see the Cadillac rounding the corner, loaded with gang members that were out for Darien’s head. Everything began to run in slow motion: the men in the Cadillac slowed, drew their guns, and took aim. Darien suddenly realized that the little boy was in the line of fire! With speed he had never known before or since, he ran and dove forwards, catching the boy in his hands and rolling violently to the ground, his back to the Cadillac. At the moment he stopped rolling, the men opened fire. His body was riddled with dozens of bullet holes, yet he did not feel them. All he felt was the little boy, still in his grasp, screaming, crying, and shaking violently. When the firing stopped, the only thing he could here was the blood pounding in his ears as it sought escape through the open holes in his body. His vision darkened and narrowed, and before everything went black, he saw the boy’s mother running to him and the boy tear free of Darien’s clutch and run to his mother, jumping into her arms.

Darien shook his head and, by reflex, rubbed his back. He stopped in front of a small diner that was open 24 hours. He stood under the overhang for a moment, shaking the rain off of his coat, then entered, seating himself at the counter.