《Tower of Hell》Tower of Hell: Caged and Confused, Book 1, Chapter 9

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Jonas stared at the hell phone, and he grew excited as he read the question, 'How do I go to the Different Floors of Hell?' and there was an answer that someone had taken the time to write out in reply.

'So just like the countless who've arrived in Hell before you, they also wondered if it was possible to leave their designated floor of Hell and travel somewhere else. Maybe they wanted to find their loved ones, or perhaps they were just curious. The answer is that you must become a Sinner.'

This didn't help as much as Jonas wished. He went to the search bar and typed, 'What is a Sinner?' and he found a similar question that answered what he wanted to know.

'A Sinner is a title given to the denizens of Hell who have taken the Hell Challenge.' Jonas sighed, it seemed like none of the answers would tell him what he wanted to know. 'What is the Hell Challenge?' he typed.

'The Hell Challenge is a type of test that people can take to gain various powers and privileges not accessible to normal Commoners,' but this seemed to be the end of the line for Jonas, who could no longer find any information about the Hell Challenge save for a basic description.

'They don't want information about the Hell Challenge to be distributed,' Jonas sighed and looked out his dirty glass window towards the even dirtier streets.

His mind drifted, and he wondered if his family was also in Hell. Perhaps they were living their lives just as that teenager who was working part-time was. Maybe his great-grandfather was flipping burgers, or perhaps both his parents were running a business. It would be impossible to find them, and even if he looked, he could not remember their faces. Jonas considered there were at least a million Jack and Theresa Ariels that were living on the first floor of Hell.

Part of him felt like there was no point in looking for them, the sheer size of the world made it seem almost impossible to find your loved ones. Even on the forums, Jonas had seen people asking for help to find their families, but the replies had been extremely unhelpful, and a few people had warned not to post personal information in case they get taken advantage of.

However, Jonas knew where Drake was, he knew what he looked like, and he had a strong desire in his heart to seek him out, unlike the mild curiosity he had for finding his long-lost parents. A sudden boost of confidence filled his heart, so Jonas got up from his seat and made his way over to the counter where that teenage boy was working.

"Excuse me," Jonas began, "Have you ever heard of the Hell Challenge?" His words didn't seem to bother anyone, not even the teenager.

"It's a test that people take, right?" he replied.

"Yeah, but like, where is the test, and how does one take it?"

"No idea," said the teen, "I could tell you about donuts though, or our six different coffee roasts," which annoyed Jonas. Turning around, he went back to his seat and began brainstorming once again.

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Jonas went back into the help app and searched on how to find classified information, and the top reply to a similar question recommended checking on the black market or getting close with shady individuals. Other similar questions replied with suggestions to try getting a job in the military and working his way until classified information was available to him.

Thinking about classified information, Jonas' mind trailed to the briefcase that Mr. Duran had been holding, and if he hadn't been trying to find his brother, he might have made it his life's mission to find those files on himself and read them. With that said, Jonas didn't have time to work his way up the corporate ladder, nor did he have any interest in getting involved in shady business, but he realized that sometimes when you want to accomplish your goals, you need to take some risks. 'I just don't understand,' thought Jonas as he scrolled down his phone, looking at the various questions that its denizens had posed.

'How can I make money in Hell?' someone asked.

'Get a job?' a person had replied, however, as he continued reading through, Jonas became more aware that maybe getting a job wasn't the dumbest idea, and even Mr. Duran had suggested it before they parted ways.

It seemed corporate capitalism had seeped its way into Hell along with many other parts of western culture. Considering that people who died got to keep their memories, it wouldn't surprise Jonas that the person who invented the hell phone turned out to be Steve Jobs.

'Where to find jobs in Hell?' was his next question, and the answers varied. People found most jobs through familial nepotism, while the rest found them by using an application called Hell Work, which he already had on his phone. Opening it up, he began surfing for jobs, most of which he realized seemed dangerous.

Deep-sea explorers, military academies, private tutoring, and specialized work such as plumbers, mechanics, and engineers were being offered on the application. Cargo drivers, private security, and even maids were all requested on the app.

He continued his search, looking for anything he might make a few quick bucks with, and almost gave up hope until he found something that he could do, albeit it wasn't his first choice.

'Male model wanted. Preference is slender-bodied with good muscle definition. Send a shirtless selfie picture and information to the following number.'

'Fine,' thought Jonas, he had little choice, and he got up and went towards a door that showed it was the men's bathroom. Locking the door behind him, Jonas stripped off his shirt and stood bare chest, looking at himself in the mirror. Using a bit of water from the taps, he messed up his golden hair and began degrading himself by taking stone-faced selfies. He was very photogenic, and it wasn't long before he had half a dozen pictures that could sell. He opened his messages and began creating his first text.

'My name is Jonas, I'm eighteen years old and interested in your modeling position, please consider me,' and included with the message were the six pictures of himself. Jonas got dressed and made his way back to his booth where he sat and waited to see if he would get a reply. He had set the job distance to those that were close to the area he was in, and he hoped that if they replied, it would at least be within walking distance.

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While he waited, Jonas perused the app store, and the sheer number of knock-off applications fascinated him, while every one of them seemed to have a name that was some play-on-words about Hell.

There was a Twitter knock-off called Howler, and it would cost twenty Sin Stones for Jonas to howl at people. There was an application called Cherry Music, which he assumed was an Apple knock-off, a knock-off Facebook that was named Facepeel, and even a ten Sin Stone knock-off version of Snapchat called Snapneck.

Part of him wished he had the money to buy those knock-off applications, while part of him also wished that Hell had stronger copyright laws. Jonas tapped his fingers against the table, and he wondered whether famous dead singers were still being exploited by Hell's music industry.

However, the old movie buff inside him also couldn't help but wonder whether there was an application for watching television, and sure enough, after searching through the app store, Jonas found a knock-off application called Hellflix.

'Fifty Sin Stones, and a subscription,' he thought, 'They're crazy,' but just as he was about to feel outraged, his hell phone dinged, and his heart leaped as he read the reply.

'Good morning Jonas, we here at Primademon Modeling Services love your look and think you are who we've been looking for. Of course, to be sure, we would like to meet up for a practice shoot. Are you available tonight?'

'Yes, I'm available tonight, but the only problem is that I don't have any method of transportation as I've just arrived in Hell,' but this time Primademon Modeling replied much faster.

'Don't worry about that Jonas, we're headquartered in the area, can you be at this address at five?' Jonas plugged the address into his Map app, and it pleased him to find that the location was only a half-hour away.

'Yes, I'll see you at five, I look forward to working with you.'

'Us too, see you at five,' Jonas looked at the time and smiled at the fact he still had about an hour before he had to be at his first job interview.

Modeling was a quick gig, and he only needed enough money for food and other necessities, and once he had what he needed, he could start using money to gain information about Sinners and the Hell Challenge.

Jonas left Crispy Screams and made his way down the dirty street, following the directions his GPS was guiding him to. He didn't pass by many interesting buildings on his way to the job; they were run-down apartment buildings, with a convenience store located here and there, and it pleased him that the odd passerby didn't give him a hard time.

It surprised him that not a single car had gone by, and it seemed like only the sidewalks were in use, which made Jonas wonder why Hell needed roads.

When he came across people on the sidewalks, they consciously went around him, and he did the same. The people in Southside Sun City all seemed to wear prison scrubs of varying colors. Jonas felt the scrubs were quite comfortable considering the weather was extremely mild, with a gentle wind blowing his hair.

The red sky was ablaze over his head and staring up at it made his stomach feel queasy, though he reasoned he might have felt that way because he was about to have his first job interview, and even in Hell, he was still just an eighteen-year-old teen.

Jonas had always wanted to work. This was because he had felt guilty that he and his brother had been poor, and Drake was the only one that was paying the bills. He knew he should have focused on his schooling, but Jonas had always wanted to do his part and contribute.

'This time around,' he thought, 'I'm going to work hard and earn a ton, no more being poor,' though he smirked at the fact his bank account had no money in it. It didn't worry him though; it was all planned out and all so simple when he thought about it.

First, he would blow his employers away with his killer smile and his glorious body. After his first shoot, he would continue to build up his resume until a big-time company took an interest in him. From there it would be fashion magazines, celebrity status, and maybe he would even star in a movie or two. With all that money and power available to him, Jonas knew it would only be a matter of time before he found his brother.

'This is going to be perfect.'

He continued along the path, and he saw large warehouses, and Jonas caught his first sight of working vehicles as a giant truck drove by, pulling a huge cargo hull. After about forty minutes of following directions, he arrived at his destination, and turning around a bend, Jonas came face to face with a shabby-looking warehouse that was much smaller than the surrounding ones.

There was a sign that read 'Primademon Modeling Services located here, call for an appointment,' but Jonas didn't feel very impressed.

'You think they could afford a bigger sign?' he wondered as he leaned his back against the brick wall, waiting for five o'clock. 'Oh well, we all have to start somewhere,' and Jonas knew he couldn't be too picky, not until his career broke out.

"Idiot," a voice called out, and it startled Jonas from his daydreaming. He looked around but couldn't see anyone in sight. 'That was weird,' he thought as he tried to recall which direction he had heard the voice come from.

Although he hated to admit it, his brain was playing tricks on him from all the excitement, and he put the voice out of his mind as he watched the time tick away until it was the moment of his appointment. At five o'clock Jonas pounded on the metal door, and after a few seconds, someone opened it.

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