Leo opened his eyes to a brightly lit room, the stary night sky hung above his head, the sea of stars twinkled back at him. Besides the open ceiling that seemed to lead into space, there was nothing else to see, the floor was white and there were no walls or ceiling, just brilliant white rays.

"What the-?" He unconsciously muttered.

Looking down, his body appeared to be translucent akin to that of a ghost which only served as confirmation that he has indeed passed away. scanning his surroundings, Leo was unable to find anything or anyone that might explain his current situation.

Where was he? Was this heaven? No, he quickly dismissed that thought with a chuckle, him in heaven, that had to be a joke. If there was any heaven out there he was the last to be sent to.

So hell? Yet this did not look remotely close to any sort of hell. He slowly began to walk around the white room, his head raised to glance to the open ceiling above where the stars still shone brightly.

As he continued aimlessly wandering around, he was suddenly thirsty, so much so that his throat burnt and his eyeballs turned quite dry. He did not know why or what happened for such a strong urge to appear.

Looking around, there was nothing to drink. Unable to stay up, his feet buckled under him as he collapsed to the ground with a thud. He remained there collapsed on the floor, the burning feeling in his throat growing stronger by the second as he yearned for something to quench his thirst, anything!

It was then that a small mug suddenly materialized within an arm's reach from him, he had no time to think about the strangeness of the situation as his mind was overwhelmed by thirst. Reaching out, Leo grabbed the mug his eyes glancing over the name that was carved on it. Ryan.

Leo suddenly froze for a second, it was a common name, it could have been a coincidence. Yet glancing at the brightly colored liquid in the mug, he did not know why yet he found himself recalling his first hit.

Ryan was an innocent man, an honest man, he had a beautiful wife, two young children, and worked for a normal medium-sized company, he had no ties to the 'underworld' and by all means, should have never come in touch with them.

Yet for his first job, Leo was tasked with killing an innocent life. It was unfortunate, but the target ended up being Ryan, all of the missions came from above so he had no choice in choosing. He had studied his target, memorized his routines, stalked his wife and children before he went for the kill.

It was after a night out in the bar with his superiors, Ryan was making his way back home when Leo intercepted him in a dark alley. Two shots, one from the back and another to the head. He never saw it coming. As he laid collapsed on the ground, Leo still remembered how his phone fell from his pocket, he still remembered glancing at it lit up, his wife calling him.

It has been years, yet the first one always stuck with him. He was not a good man, Leo knew that, and as he glanced at the bright liquid in his hands, he unconsciously knew what it was.

A wry smile appeared on his lips and he downed it in one. It was his pain and the pain of his loved ones condensed. He put the already re-filled glass on the floor and spasmed, and convulsed for longer than he recalled even being alive for. When finally he sat back up everything was still the same as before, the intensifying thirst blistering his throat and the countless mugs that suddenly appeared with their names. It was then that it dawned on him.

Hell. This was hell.

Hell - that was the fierce word, the word to threaten children if they were too bad, the word to send shivers down a spine. The fiery demons whose spiked tails coiled and snapped, their whips sharpened, their horns like mighty blades poking from their heads, wings reaching far and wide to swallow the man that dare stand before them.

Or it should have been? Looking at the floor covered with filled mugs, Leo came to a sudden realization, this was his hell, this was the price he had to pay for all the sins and crimes he had committed for all the people he hurt, for all the lives he robbed, this was his hell, his punishment.

A self-mocking smile made its way onto his face as he grabbed another mug and downed it in one go, the dreadful feeling assaulted him once more as it left him collapsed on the ground gasping for air before all reverted back to normal.

He did not want to continue, he dreaded it. Leo had never felt such a thing before, each cup making worse than the last leaving him wishing he was dead. Was this all the suffering he had caused? Was he so ignorant of other people's losses? No, for him it was nothing but a business...

The mugs did not seem to end, as he moved from one to another, his thirst unquenched. Time appeared to have lost its meaning in that bright room.

How many he drank, Leo had already lost count. Yet the pain from each was still fresh in his mind. He yearned for it to be over, he wished for his thirst to disappear, for the pain to disappear, for he himself to disappear...

Yet no matter how hard he wished for it, it did not come true. So he drank, and drank, one cup after another, one life, after another until finally, only one remained.

His eyes that had already lost their luster and looked to belong to that of a broken man suddenly shone brightly as his gaze fell on the cup in front of him, the name carved on it belonged to the one who gave him a new purpose in life, the one that thought him how to love, Maria.

"It was because of me that you died..." He muttered as he affectionately stroke the cup in his hands as if it was Maria herself.

He then gently moved it to his lips, the liquid warm and pleasant reminded him of her tender touch eased his pain. Leo remained seated as he waited for the familiar horrible feeling to assault him again, yet as the seconds ticked by, all he was left with was a pleasant warmth.

Raising his head to gaze at the stary sky, a single transparent tear trickled down his cheek before hitting the ground.