Chapter 6: A Safe Haven, Here?

Pentagram City, also known as The Pentagram. It was known as one of the worst, terror-filled, you're-gonna-die-a-fucking-terrible-death kind of place you could be, and it made sense. After all, this was where the sinners would end up after a death in the living world. Most would be given special skills, and if you were lucky, powers. However, that was definitely not the case for Zack. As a human, who wasn't even dead, being in a place like that would be a death sentence. To bad he was already being force to sign it!

"This is bad! Real bad! At least Imp City was a place I could kinda feel safe in, but here, this place is the definition of dangerous!" he mentally shouted, as he peeked out from the alley he was hiding in. He started to sweat with fear, and for good reason of course, his thoughts quickly processing everything, "Okay, okay, calm down Zack, panicking won't do you any good. First order of business is to come up with a plan. Alright, if I'm correct, I ended up getting here by train, right? If that's the case, then I should be able to take the train back!" he looked down the street and spotted the train station. It had to have been only a few meters from where he was. He sighed in relief.

"There it is. Not too far at all. Now, next order of business. I can't go out there as I am. They'll instantly know that I'm human. Hmm..." his eyes caught the sight of a dumpster, "I know I'm gonna hate it, but maybe there's something in there that I can use to shield my face."

With a heavy sigh, he walked towards the dumpster and opened up the lid. It smelled worse than it looked, with evidence of blood, vomit, and other body fluids being housed into it. He held his breath and dug into the garbage, his skin crawling with each sloppy sound that was made under his hands. Moments later, he stopped, his fingers coming in contact with something wooden and round. He pulled it out with a curious face and inspected the mystery object.

"The hell is this thing...?" he mumbled. His eyes widened, shocked at what he found. It was a white mask, of all things, and it was a very strange one at that. The top of it had red fox ears on it, as well as strange red markings on the right cheek. The nose area of the mask had a muzzle shape to it and a black fox nose design, and the eyeholes were filled in with a black see-through material, except for a white spot in the middle of them, acting as pupils. It even had a fox-like mouth under the nose.

"What is this? A Japanese kitsune mask...? Why would this be in the trash, and in hell of all places. Could someone have dropped it...?"

He stared at the mask, his mystery writer mode taking into affect. Why would there be a kitsune mask here? Who would have this? And above all else, it looked brand new, so it must have been lost recently. Was there a deeper meaning to it? Zack shook his head, as he placed the mask on his head. Sure, it was strange, but worrying about it right now wasn't wasn't the best idea. He gagged again. It smell like shit!

"Ugh, okay, okay, just breathe through your mouth Zack, you can handle this..." he said, as he made his way to the train station. Hi heart pounded against his chest, as he felt the eyes of the demons he passed by. Whether they were large or small, he could feel just how powerful they were. It left him in a state of unadulterated fear, but he pressed onward. Just a little more, and he'll be on his way back to Imp City. The minutes it took felt like hours to him, but regardless, he made it to the station.

"Okay, perfect. Now, if I can just find the ticket booth..."

He turned his head to his right and spotted just what he was searching for. He smiled, as he walked towards it. He looked into the ticket booth and knocked on the glass gently.

"Um, hello? Is anyone there...?" he called out. No answer, not even a grunt. e looked down at the counter in the booth, noticing a paper sign. On it, it read "Trains closed. Come back tomorrow". Zack's heart sank.

"Tomorrow?! But I can't wait here until then... Should I find a hotel..?" he mumbled, as he looked back out towards the city. If he did that, then he would have to go back in there, and knowing from just observing the area, he could tell that there were only going to be roach motels and possibly a few love and sex hotels. He sighed, as he sat on one of the benches near him. It almost seemed hopeless. If he stayed, he was bound to get mugged and killed, but if he stayed at a motel, he would most likely get robbed and killed there too.

"Damn it...Am I just stuck on an unwinnable save, Yggdra Union style...?" he breathed out. With a groan, he leaned back on the bench, seemingly giving up. That was when his masked face was hit with a flying sheet of paper. He yelped in shock, as he pulled off the piece of paper ad stared at it. Strangely enough, it had some writing on it, to which he silently read to himself.

"Are you looking for a place to stay that is safe? Do you want to become better and rehabilitate yourself? Then the Happy Hotel is the place for you..?"

He stroked his chin, as he raised an eyebrow. Was this a flier? And not only that, a flier for a hotel? He couldn't believe it. It was literally boasting about being safe and what did it mean by rehabilitate? It seemed sketchy to him. However, upon closer inspection, he saw that it wasn't too far from his location. Would it be a good idea...?

"Hm...The Happy Hotel, huh...?"

"Is this the place...?"

He looked up at the mysterious building, a look of slight skepticism on his face. It was definitely a hotel, a large one, though to anyone that wasn't a demon, it would look more like a haunted house. The building had a dark purple and pink color scheme, with a neon sign glowing on the roof. One thing that gave him a shiver up his spine was the yellow eye at the top of the building. It was almost like it was watching his every move. He didn't doubt it, since it seemed like anything could be alive and demonic in hell.

"Well, I'm here, so I might as well take a look. Ugh, I feel like I'm gonna regret this..." he huffed, as he walked towards the door. It illuminated a yellow glow from the light it shone, as he shakily pulled open the door and walked in. He shook off his fear. As long as he kept the mask on, he'd be safe. As he took a deep breath, his eyes looked around the lobby. Upon closer inspection, it at least looked festive, unlike the outside. There we couches, a front desk, and potted plants around the area, however, the hotel felt empty. No demons, or anyone for that matter. Zack shrugged, as he walked towards the front desk.

"Is no one here? Maybe they're in the back..."

He looked towards the front desk, a bell sitting on the top of it. He placed his finger on the bell and rung it a few times. Nothing but silence followed. He cleared his throat, as he called out.

"Hello? Anyone in here that's not murderous and can help me out..?"

Silence again. He raised an eyebrow, as he tapped in the bell again. He was used to people being a little slow, but in this situation, he was more on edge.

"Um, hello, anyone?" he called again. This time, he got something. Footsteps run down the stairs, causing his head to turn towards the sound.

"Sorry, sorry! I was dealing with something upstairs, I'm here now!" the individual said in a rush. They skidded to a halt behind the front desk, as they stared up at him, a smile on their face, "Okay, so, how can I help you?"

Zack's eyebrow raised, as he studied the demon's appearance. It was a female, no doubt about that. Her skin was a pale white, except for her pink cheeks. Her hair was a very light blonde, and she wore a white shirt, with a pair of black overalls and black shoes. As Zack observed her, he felt his cheeks grow warmer. Was he blushing?

"U-Uh... I need a room, please?" he squeaked out, slowly growing more flustered. She gasped softly, as she covered her mouth with her hand in surprise, her eyes widening.

"R-Really?! You actually want to stay?!" she gasped out, as she leaned over the desk with a large smile, her face mere inches from his. He gulped softly, as he smiled awkwardly behind the mask.

"Um, yeah, that's right."

She squealed, as she jumped over the counter and wrapped her arms around him, forcing a squeak out of him. After a few seconds, she took his hands and pulled him down the hallway.

"I'm so glad you're interested in our rehabilitation program! You'll be a second guest to take part in it! Now, let me give you a tour of-" she stopped in her tracks and looked back at him, "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet."

She cleared her throat and looked up into the eyes of his mask, "I'm Charlotte Magne, co-owner of the Happy Hotel. Everyone calls me Charlie, though."

Zack nodded his head, as he smiled behind the mask. She didn't seem as blood-thirsty as the rest of the demons, and her smiled seemed to be pretty contagious too.

"Nice to meet you, Charlie. Ahem, I'm Zack Trevle. So, you own this place huh?" Zack asked, to which Charlie nodded.

"Mhm, as well as with my girlfriend, Vaggie. We even have a few people that are helping us out," she explained. Zack rubbed his chin, as his mind began to put things together. As he did, he began to ask more questions while the two continued their trek down the hallway.

"So, you said I was the second person to show up here for a room. Does that mean that there's only two people doing this whole rehabilitation thing?"

She smiled awkwardly, as she scratched the back of her head and chuckled in slight embarrassment.

"Y-Yeah, that's right. It's only you and another person named Angel Dust." Zack's eyebrow raised in confusion.

"Did she say Angel Dust? As in, like the drug?"

He shook his head, as he nodded in understanding. The pieces seemed to be in place, at least dealing with the hotel.

"Something tells me she hasn't had much luck with this hotel. No one around the place, no other guests besides me and this Angel Dust guy, and the way she looked when I asked her. Yeah, no doubt about it..."

He glanced at her, as they soon made it to the lounge. It was a spacey area, with multiple couches, a bar filled with alcoholic beverages, and even a pool table. He had to admit, he was impressed. Why wouldn't anyone want to stay in a place like this? There had to be a reason.

"Um, how about we take a seat. We can talk a bit about the way things are, maybe get ourselves a drink?" Charlie suggested, pulling Zack from his thoughts. The two sat at the bar, before Charlie called out to someone.

"Husker, we have a guest! Could you make us something to drink?!" she politely called out. Out of nowhere, a figure slowly got to his feet and pulled himself up from behind the bar counter. This demon, a male one, was a human sized, anthropomorphic black, re winged cat, with a white muzzle, paws, and underbelly. His eyebrows were bushy and red, and he only source of clothes he wore was a red bowtie and a black top hat. Zack froze in place, completely stunned by the creature in front of him.

"Is that...a fucking cat with wings?!"

"You don't gotta fuckin shout! Ugh, anyway, what'll it be?" Husker slurred, as his tail swayed behind him.

"One Peach and Vanilla Frappuccino." she answered with a smile. He then looked over at Zack, his eyes staring deep into the mask with an almost judgmental look.

"And what about you? Hurry it up, I don't got all day, kid."

Zack cleared his throat and shook off his stressful fear, "Uh, just some water, is fine. I don't drink."

Husker stared at him, his eyebrow raised in confusion. His tail wrapped around a glass and filled it with cold tap water. He placed it on the counter and moved to work on Charlie's drink. She looked back at him, a smile on her face. Zack smiled back, as he continued his questioning.

"So, let me ask you, what's this rehabilitation all about? Are you, trying to make bad demons into good ones?" he asked. Charlie nodded her head, as Husker placed her drink on the counter and walked off to who knows where.

"It goes even more than that," she sighed, as she took a sip of her drink, "I know this seems crazy, but I think I can find a way for demons to become angels."

Zack blinked in complete silence, as he stared a her. He was, for lack of a better term, confused as fuck.

"You lost me here. What do you mean by demons can become angels? Aren't sinners here as punishment?"

"That may be true, but think of it like this, if a demon has a soul just like a human, then that means they have something to make better. It's the only way I can help my people, to allow them to live and end this," she shivered, as she held her shoulders, "this yearly extermination..."

Zack's eyes widened and his heart stopped. He could have sworn that he heard her say extermination.

"E...Extermination...? What...extermination...?" he forced, slightly shaking. She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and shock.

"You've never heard of the yearly extermination? That's odd, but anyway, it's a yearly event where angels come down into hell to kill any demons that they see in plain sight. Unfortunately, angels aren't like demons, so trying to stop them is near-impossible. Which is why I'm trying to get this to work, so that I can help with the overpopulation in a peaceful way." she explained, leaving Zack in shock. He couldn't believe it.

"Angels kill demons for such a mundane reason? Is this the price for being a sinner? No, that wouldn't make sense. If that was the case, why the hell would it only come around yearly? Not only that, but some demons are born here, so they wouldn't be sinners. How odd..." Zack thought, as he rubbed his chin, a serious look on his face.

Charlie looked at him, as she sighed softly, "Doesn't help that almost all the demons here don't even wanna give it the light of day... But, I won't give up! Thanks to Vaggie, and Alastor, we may just have a chance to get this to succeed!"

Zack smiled softly. His heart warmed from her confidence and smile. Not only that, but she wanted to do this just to help people, not herself. Even though he was happy, he was still a slight bit ashamed. A part of him still thought that all demons were evil, deadly even. Sure there was a majority that was, but even demons can be kind and caring, right?

"Geez, I guess I had demons all wrong... Maybe, they're not all that bad. Alright, for now on, I'll try to not judge a demon by it's cov-" his thoughts were instantly interrupted, as he felt a hand land on his shoulder, causing him to jolt. His head slowly turned to look up at the owner and when he did, his the color in his face drained. The owner was a tall, thin, male demon with red hair, pale skin, and dark red eyes. He wore a dark red, pinstripe suit, a monocle, and dress shoes. His free hand held on to a scepter, a microphone on the top of it. His face held an almost deadly smile, one that would instantly strike fear into anyone's heart.

"Why, hello there, my fellow. Might I ask what you're doing here?" the demon male asked. His voice sounded strange, like a radio filter was over his every word. Zack did nothing but stare, his heart pounding against his chest. He knew that he was bad news, just from his smile, from his stare.

"Oh, this is a new guest! Zack, meet Alastor. Though, you already know him probably. The radio demon, ya know?" she giggled out, as he gestured to the demon named Alastor.

"New guest you say? Well, isn't that interesting. Kind of strange for us to have a guest like this." Alastor said, his grip growing slightly tighter. Charlie tilted her head, as she looked up at him.

"Strange? I mean, we haven't really gotten any new guests but that doesn't mean-"

"This smell, it's oddly familiar, and don't think me rude, but it's also very enticing." his grip tightened further, causing Zack to wince. What did he mean that his smell was enticing and familiar? Was he talking about the mask, maybe the dried blood caked on to his fingers from his digging in the trash can? Alastor slowly brought his nose closer to him, taking a long whiff of the air. He smirked devilishly, his hand slipping past Zack's shoulder and wrapping it around his neck, gripping it.

"How curious, your smell, it's awfully," he slowly brought his lips to his ear, and whispered silently and menacingly into it, "Huuuuuumaaaaaan."

Zack's eyes widened and his heart stopped. He knew?! But how, his mask was on and everything, it'd be impossible! Before Zach could even rebuttal, he felt the absence of his chair and the entire hotel seeming to whizz past him.

"D-Did I just get thrown...?" Zack thought, as his body crashed through the door, his body tumbling to the ground.

Charlie stood to her feet, her eyes widened and pupils shrunk in confusion and worry. Alastor, however, had a wicked smile that grew on his face. He walked slowly and menacingly down the hall and out the doorway, his hands folded behind his back. Zack's body ached and screamed in pain, as he slowly pulled himself to his feet, his vision wobbly and dizzy.

"You should know that I can instantly tell a human by their smell. Call it a skill that any, how do you say, cannibal will soon grow accustomed to." Alastor spoke, his voice holding an almost upbeat, yet sinister feel to it. Zack gulped in fear. Did he just say cannibal? He slowly backed away, his body tingling in pain, even his eye.

"Damn it, what do I do?! This guy, he has to be much stronger than me, and not only that, but if he's truthful about that sense of smell, then hiding won't do me any good."

Alastor slowly stepped closer, a dark figure squirming behind him. Was that, his shadow? His shadow was moving, rising off the ground even! They soon shaped themselves into an almost tentacle figure. They almost looked sharp to the touch.

"Now usually I would kill a human on sight, but it's been so long since I've been able to have some fun with one. So, we're gonna play a game, if you don't mind. All you have to do, is survive. If you can, then I'll kill you quickly. Fail, and well, you'll merely die anyway." he said, as he chuckled softly.

Zack instantly felt helpless. There was nothing he could do, nothing whatsoever. His body trembled, his eyes starting to water. Was he seriously going to die here? His eyes looked down, noticing the many pieces of glass and wood on the ground. His masked reflection looked back to him from the glass. Just the sight made him feel, almost ashamed. He was a trembling mess, the sight would make anyone laugh at him. He was hopeless, useless, and soon would dinner...

"Are you seriously going to give up like a little bitch?"

Zack's eyes widened, as his eyes widened, his body freezing in place.

"How pathetic, and after all the other times you cheated death. This shouldn't be any different."

Zack couldn't hear anything, not a voice or a sound. Was he just hallucinating? No, the voice was real, he could hear it clearly. Was it coming from his mind, or was it coming from somewhere else?

"I can't do anything...there's nothing I can do..." he mumbled, seeing if he could speak to it.

"You fool. You have all the tools you need. The glass, as your weapon, and your strength; it's just what you need. Now, let yourself go, let the demon within you take control, RELEASE THY RAGE!"

In that moment, Zack's eye began to throb, as if it was a beating heart. A warm liquid ran down his eye and cheek, as his head looked up at Alastor, his body still and straight. That smile, his smile, it pissed him off. Like he could do anything he wanted, just because he was stronger. It irked him, angered him even. The only thing he wanted right now, was to see that smirk wiped off his face, and that was just what he was going to do, even if he had to rip it off of him. Zack growled lowly, as he grabbed a long piece of glass, holding it as if it was a knife. His hand bled from it's sharp edge, but to Zack, it was nothing but a minor inconvenience. Alastor however, had a look of amusement. A human fighting back against a demon, to him, was always seen as a good show.

"Oh? Are you suggesting that we have ourselves a little bout? Ha ha, a wonderful idea! It'll make this much more fun!" he exclaimed, as one of his shadow tendrils shot towards Zack at blistering speeds. Zack however, didn't move an inch. With a quick swipe of weapon, the shadow was immediately cut in two, leaving it's severed piece on the ground. Zack's hand slowly removed his mask, finally exposing his true face to the demon before him. He glared at him with such malice and distaste, his right eye now a deep, dark red, with his iris being a light silver. Blood leaked from the corners of his eye, as if he was crying angry tears of blood. He wasn't running anymore. He was going to take action.

"Alright, you stupid, strawberry dick. Let's fucking dance."

To Be Continued...