((Devil's Playground takes place after the events of season 3, US version.))
Devil's Playground
Nora
"Josh!" Nora yelled as she faced down the wolf eye to eye. The wolf snapped its jaws and gave her a knowing look, staring down at her as if he could see the wolf hidden inside of her. Nora took a deep breath and walked hesitantly closer to him, hoping that she would be able to talk him back into his human form.
"Josh, please, we need to go home," she said with a sad smile. She wished for the first time that Aiden were there. Aiden always knew how to get through to Josh, even when she couldn't. She stopped in front of the wolf that was her husband, and hesitated. Should she touch him? Could she trust the wolf that was, or is, still Josh? He growled deep and snapped at her as she was about to reach her hand out. Nora jerked back in surprise and stumbled backward, falling onto the cold ground. She rolled over in a second and watched, nervously, as the wolf ran off into the woods.
"Josh!" She called again, getting up to her feet in a hast and watching his form fade into the leafy forest. Unsure of what to do, she knew she needed to get out of there. She needed to find a way to get Josh back into his human form. Nora raced back to her car and jammed the keys in the ignition, putting the car into gear and racing towards home.
Sally
"Where the hell did you take me?" Sally demanded as she looked around herself. The light was dim and the air felt cold and wet. Sally could feel the death around her and felt as though it was sticking to her skin. She didn't know where she was, but she hoped she'd be getting out of there soon. There was a far away candlelight that allowed her to see Donna's wide grin as she gestured around them.
"Where else do the damned bring the damned?"
"I'm not damned," Sally said with a scoff. She touched the walls that seemed to surround her and jerked her hand back. The rock that surrounded her was damp and smelled rotten. She rubbed her hand on her dress and hoped that it wouldn't stain.
"Oh you're damned little ghost, and thanks to you, I will be able to become whole again."
Sally shook her head and heaved a sigh. "And why is that?" She asked, not wanting to play Donna's games. Sally looked up and around her, trying to find a possible exit route.
Donna smiled but said nothing and began to move towards the light that was dim in the distance. Sally rolled her eyes for her own benefit and followed, knowing that Donna would be able to find the exit to a place like this. She followed Donna for what felt like hours, her feet hurting and her back aching. The light never seemed to become closer and the feeling of death around her only intensified. Every now and then she could hear wails coming from the walls, as if they were trying to warn her away.
"You said this was a place for the damned, did you mean we're in hell?" Sally asked after a long time not speaking. Her voice shook and she began to feel colder than she ever thought possible.
"You could say that."
Sally looked ahead of her and the light suddenly shown with a great brilliance. She covered her eyes with her arm, and flinched from the sudden brightness. She and Donna had found themselves at the edge of a mountain looking down to a valley. The valley looked like a small city, loud and full of people, and bright with an artificial light that felt sinister. Sally hugged her small sweater tighter to her. Would she be able to get out of this? Could she find Aiden and Josh again, and Nora? She needed to get away from Donna and fast. Wherever Donna was taking her might be her final resting place, and she knew that it might be worse than anything she ever imagined or had ever been through.
She followed Donna down into the city, however, and amongst the people who were running around doing various chores and jobs. No one looked happy, or smiled, and most looked haunted and thin, pale and bleak. Donna brought her to a building that stood as tall as a skyscraper and which was guarded by several large looking men with dark eyes. Sally backed away, feeling an evil emitting from them. Donna took her hand and shoved her forward and into the building before Sally could gasp in surprise.
Aiden
Aiden made it home before everyone else, which he thought was strange. "Josh? Nora?" He called as he went to the fridge to grab a bag of blood. He tried not to think of Kenny, the boy he had recently turned into a monster, as he began to poor the blood into a coffee mug. Was he going to spend eternity alone, with no one but himself for company? All the vampires he knew, and cared about, were gone. He suddenly felt more alone than he could possibly imagine.
He placed the mug in the microwave for a few seconds and then sat at the kitchen table, wondering where everyone was. "Sally?" He called, but no response. Maybe she had gone to the movies after all, and was waiting for him. He took a sip of blood and savored the sweet taste.
"Aiden!" Nora called from the front room. She ran into the kitchen in a hast, her hair messy with dirt and leaves as well as her clothes.
"What happened?" Aiden asked, immediately alert. Aiden could tell she was struggling not to panic as she took in a few deep breaths.
"It's Josh, he hasn't turned back into his human form," she said and gave him a grave look.
"Wait, he stayed turned?" Aiden asked her. He knew that pure bloods could change their form at will, and from what Josh had told him of the Twins, he knew that they preferred their animal form to their human one. What had happened to Josh?
"Yes, I woke up and he was still a wolf. I didn't know what to do, and he wouldn't listen to me and took off into the woods. We need to go and find him," she said and was already headed back to the front door. Aiden downed his blood and followed, he was ready to do whatever it took to get Josh back.
Sally
"You've got to be kidding me," Sally said and stepped forward into a grand hotel. She had never seen anything look so expensive, or golden. The floors shone as though they were made of the sun, and the staircase was platted in gold and alabaster. There was a reception desk with women behind it smiling broadly, and bus boys rushing around with people and their suitcases. Women were dressed from street walkers to flappers and the men were dressed to the nines in suits and tuxes or board shorts and no shirts. She looked at Donna who only smiled and that made Sally more nervous than she had been before she entered.
Donna walked over to an elevator and pushed the penthouse. Sally wondered if she should escape somehow, soon, but her curiosity was eating away at her. She wanted to see who Donna was taking her to, and why. When they reached the penthouse Sally did a double take at the men standing in front of double doors. She nodded her head in approval, seeing how handsome the servants were as the opened the door for her to enter. The penthouse looked like it had never been used. The carpets were dirt free, the couches looked as though they had never been sat in, and the kitchen never used. Sally hesitated as she walked over to the windows facing the city that looked as though it never slept. The light was still bright and menacing as it had been outside.
"Enjoying the view?"
Sally turned around and was face to face with the most attractive man she had ever seen. He looked to be in his late twenties, his tussled brown hair styled perfectly. He had a lazy grin spread on his face, his dark green eyes shined with mischief. He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled, and dress pants with converse. She couldn't make heads or tails of the man but he held in his hands two glasses of champagne and handed one to her.
"Where are we?" she asked him. He stepped closer to her but she didn't flinch away. She was overwhelmed by the smell of his cologne. She looked past him and noticed no one else was in the room with them. Where did Donna go?
"Depends who you ask," he said and smiled at her. She couldn't read him and that worried her. What was his motive?
"I'm asking you," she said and took a sip of her champagne.
He looked at her as if he were trying to memorize her face. After a while he finally answered. "Some call this Hades, or Hell, or my favorite, the Underworld, but they are all the same. This is a place of suffering."
Sally's hand began to shake and she grabbed it with the other, hoping the man hadn't noticed, but she doubted his eyes missed anything.
"Was I that bad of a human that I was forced here? Can't you just let me go with a warning?" She asked and tried to sound brave even though her heart was racing.
He smiled warmly and she wondered who this man was, and why he was here if this was hell. He looked too kind to be here, but she knew more than anyone, that looks can be deceiving.
"Maybe, it depends on a few things first."
She tried not to roll her eyes. Was there always a catch to everything? Couldn't she get a break, just once?
"What does it depend on?"
"A couple of conditions, a contract, and all that. First let me introduce myself, my name is Abner."
Sally made a snorting sound and tried to cover her mouth. "Abner?" She asked and tried not to laugh. Abner's smile only grew wider.
"You can call me Abe, if that's better."
"Alright Abe, I'm Sally," she said and she could feel herself smiling in return.
He offered her a seat on one of the couches near them and she sank into the closest and relished in it's softness. She had never felt something so comfortable and wondered where the couch had come from. She also wondered how long she had been gone. Was time the same here as it was at home? Were Josh and Aiden looking for her? She decided that she needed to get to the point of being brought here and she asked Abe what he wanted.
"I just want to get to know you. You really are fascinating, did you know that?"
She shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Me? Fascinating, hardly."
He spread out on the couch opposite her and she couldn't help marvel at him. He was unlike anyone she had ever seen. He looked as though he glowed with an inner light, as if everything around them was a reflection from within him, his bright gold aura.
"There is something special about you Sally Malik and you don't even realize it. How about this," he said and moved his body to lean towards hers. "I will let you go, but I want to see you again."
Sally frowned as she leaned in towards Abe. Where was Donna, and why would he just let her go? Her life, and afterlife, was never that easy. She knew there had to be a catch somewhere.
"Really," she began sarcastically, "you'll let me go and just come to my place and visit from time to time?"
He shook his head in laughter. "You really are funny Sally. Yes, I will let you go. I will not put you under my contract just yet."
"What contract?" She asked. There was the catch.
He waved his hand in dismissal. "I don't want to talk about that now. I'll have one of my guards escort you back to your house, and I'll see you again soon."
Abe got up and she followed suit. She was going to ask Aiden about Abe as soon as she saw him again. There was something going on, and she wanted to know what it was. Was she really in hell, and if so, where was the brimstone and fire? Abe led her out the door and spoke to one of the guards from the front doors in a language Sally did not know.
He grabbed her arm softly as she moved towards the elevator to leave.
"I'll be seeing you Sally Malik," he said to her softly, his voice like a caress against her skin. He let go of her before she could respond and shut the door, leaving her to wonder what she had gotten herself into again.