As I dragged Baxter back to the Hotel I couldn't help but keep glancing back over my shoulder, eyeing the clocktower in the distance with severe anxiety. I couldn't shake the irrational feeling that any second the clock would lose all 190 days remaining and shit would hit the fan, right then and there. No matter how many times I looked, it was still that same number. 190 days. A little over six months before the angels descended on Hell again, reaping any poor soul too slow or too weak to escape their tools. Just over half a year before Vox sends his cronies to tear down the Hazbin Hotel and kill anyone still standing inside it. As the Hotel came within my sight I couldn't help but feel like throwing up from a mixture of sadness and fear. I didn't care about myself at all; I had lived all my afterlife in trash. The life I thought I had lived on Earth was nothing more than an amalgamation of past sinner's lives. Even my own body was a hand-me-down, a stitched together pile of sins. I could go back to the trash piles easily.
Unfortunately, it wasn't just about me anymore. I had more to care about than myself: Vaggie's pained love for Charlie, Charlie's sincere optimism, Husk's reluctant love, Angel's brash independence… and Niffty... As I reached the front door of the Hotel I stopped, my fingers gently touching the doorknob. I tried to stifle back a sob, not wanting to let Id know that anything was wrong, lest he try and find out the truth. It was only marginally effective as my mind focused on the real reason I wanted to protect the Hotel.
Niffty was the first demon to ever show me genuine kindness. She was the first soul to ever see me as more than just a tool, or trash, or a failure. Niffty showed me that not everyone in Hell is destined to live in agony. She was too good for me, for any of this. I felt the tears start to run down my face as I stood at the door frame, too afraid of the future to move forward. I couldn't tell her anything. I couldn't reveal the truth to anyone or Vox would know. Without so much as lifting a finger, Vox had hurt me more than any other demon ever had. Using only his words, the television demon had locked me into a position of pure despair. Trying my damnedest not to have a mental breakdown right then and there I sniffled and pushed open the door. Id looked up at my quizically as I walked into the lobby.
"Seriously, what is up with you today? Was talking to those fuckers really that bad?"
I glanced down at him, too weak to answer. He opened his mouth to insult me, but I must have looked pitiful enough for even him to let off the trash-talk. Instead he just sighed and put his hand behind his head as I dragged Baxter to the service elevator.
"Eh, whatever it is, I'm not here to be your therapist."
I glanced towards the dining hall and heard muffled humming and the clatter of pots and pans. Niffty was no doubt making dinner. Thinking of her just made me ache, so I tried to just get Baxter in bed. Pulling us into the elevator, I pushed the button for the basement and leaned on the back wall, destitute.
A few minutes later I was opening the lab door and pulling Baxter over to his ramshackle living quarters. Boxes of leftover asian food and pizza boxes lay scattered around his dingy sleeping bag. I smirked slightly and hefted him onto his 'bed'. Tucking him in slightly I couldn't help but chuckle sadly.
"Heheh. Guess we're both used to sleeping in the dumps, huh Bax?"
He didn't answer, but I saw his eyes slowly close, as if he realized he was somewhere safe now. I sighed forlornly. I obviously couldn't tell Baxter about Vox's plan either. Standing up I looked around his lab, the light turquoise light reminding me of the sinful auras I saw around every now. It was as if the whole room was wrathful, the entire hotel angry at the fate that was to befall it. I sighed again, feeling empty. Walking back to the service elevator I moved my hand to push the button for the lobby, planning to offer Niffty help with making dinner. However, my hand stopped just short, my stomach turning at the idea of having to lie to the demoness I loved more than anything else. Instead I moved my finger up and pushed the button for the roof. Id raised an eyebrow at me but stayed quiet.
Moments later the elevator dinged, signifying that we had reached the roof. Stepping outside, I felt the warm air hit my face, the usual atmosphere for this hellscape we called home. Moving to the edge I looked out over the city below. It was nearing dusk, and the Pentagram above was slowly dimming to signify that night was fast approaching. I sighed and sat on the ledge, staring down at the street below. Truth be told, I had hoped Vaggie would be there; she was the only other demon I knew with a situation similar to mine, struggling to carry someone's happiness on their shoulders. Then, for a brief moment, another thought crossed my mind. I could jump…
I sighed and pushed the thought aside. It wasn't like that would kill me anyway, plus I wouldn't do that to Niffty. Still, it was telling that my mind would conjure that idea at all. I tried to mentally change the subject, and instead looked up at the floating sigil above. I grimaced at it as it slowly rotated benignly above us, deceptively peaceful for a demonic symbol. Sure, it allowed demons to come to Hell in the first place, but it was nothing more than a one-way portal. We were all trapped here, every sinner in Hell stuck under the gaze of the angels above. Straining my eyes I could see Heaven itself, the light blue orb that seemed both close enough to grasp and impossibly far away. A massive halo spun above that world, but unlike us, angels had the freedom to go wherever they pleased. Grunting in exasperation, I stretched my arms backwards and started preparing myself mentally to go eat dinner. Yet, as I moved my arms, I felt my newly acquired wings brush past my fingertips. Sitting straight again, I tried to move my new appendages. Surprisingly they flexed easily, moving more naturally than I would have expected, responding as simple as I could move my fingers. Wrapping my wings around my torso I looked down at them more closely. At first I thought they were simply black, but looking closer, I saw that the feathers were actually a deep shade of purple that seemed to shimmer ever so slightly whenever light struck them. The red, droplet-shaped markings also shimmered in light, but more substantially, making it seem like they were actually liquid blood. The wings felt warm around my body; I could sense they were strong and durable. I smiled slightly. At first I had been furious at my new body, caught somewhere in between a demon and an angel, but I was starting to get used to the idea of being something else.
Suddenly another strange idea occurred to me. I stared back up at Heaven wide-eyed, then back at the Pentagram. I spoke out loud, musing to myself.
"The Pentagram keeps in all the demons in Hell…"
Id scoffed, answering the redundant statement.
"Yeah, so? It's not like we were going anywhere anyway."
I looked down at Id, grinning now with newfound optimism.
"Yeah, but we're not really demons anymore, are we?"
Id paused for a moment before my idea became evident to him. I quickly stood up and rushed to the elevator while Id yelled at me from the floor.
"Wait, you can't be serious! You'll get us both killed you fuckwit!"
I rushed into the lobby then sprinted to the dining room. Everyone was already seated, and looked at me strangely as I stormed in. Niffty pouted at me.
"Ego, are you alright? You look really out of breath and tired. Plus you're never late for dinner…"
I nodded quickly and walked over to my seat next to her. Sitting down quickly I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, making her blush.
"Oh, I'm fantastic! I feel like a new imp!"
Looking back at the other staff members, I saw they were staring at me with confusion and slight worry. Alastor especially was eyeing me like a cat judging a playtoy. Serving myself some food and trying to seem more normal, I glanced over at Husk. The feline gambler was pouring some wine into his vodka, and had gone back to not caring about the situation. I took a few bites of Niffty's delicious cooking, swallowed and then looked at Husk directly, grinning.
"Hey, Husk, can I ask you a favor?"
Husk swirled his drink as he answered.
"Depends, kid: what is it and what's in it for me?"
He started taking a long drink from his glass as I replied.
"I want you to teach me how to fly!"
Husk's eyes immediately widened. He turned to Angel and spat out his drink in surprise, much to the spider's annoyance. Then he looked back at me, genuinely shaken.
"What?! Why the fuck do you want to do that?"
I shrugged nonchalantly but kept grinning.
"Eh, I thought it would be useful to use these new wings. Could help with lifting bags to higher floors, running errands, that sort of thing."
Husk looked at me warily, scanning me up and down. He then sighed and started re-pouring his drink.
"Oh for fuck's sake… it's not that easy, kid. Besides I haven't flown in years…"
Charlie raised her eyebrows at him.
"Wait, you can actually fly Husk?"
Husk grumbled a reply as he mixed his alcohol.
"Yeah, I can. Not all it's cracked up to be. Most of the bastards around here get real jealous of flying demons and try to shoot us down. Crab mentality."
Husker looked back at me dead in the eye, seemingly analyzing me. I don't know if he saw my poorly-hidden ulterior motive, or some sort of determination, or maybe just pity, but eventually he sighed and placed down his drink, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Fine, kid. We start tomorrow whenever I wake up. You better not complain how hard it is, or it's over."
I thanked Husk profusely until he told me to be quiet. The rest of the dinner continued more-or-less as planned, but out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Alastor kept staring at me, grinning coyly. I couldn't help but wonder if he knew the truth of my plans...
