Chapter 7: Taking on New Roles

I hit the sidewalk with a thud, sending shocks of pain shooting through my ankles as I landed, and Alastor immediately climbed off of my back and took the lead as he began surveying the area.

Everything looked as though it had been set ablaze, with the metal and lumber that made up a majority of the dens charred to a blackened husk. Cardboard, as well as any other substance that fire could easily consume, had been reduced to ashes. Craters where explosives had clearly been detonated peppered the land, blowing whole blocks apart and leaving nothing behind but scattered debris. Fragments of glass reflected off of the ground where windows had been shattered, making a single misstep a one-way ticket to a serious injury.

I didn't see a single soul in sight, even as I took off into the air again, searching for signs of life as I circled the battered landscape. All of this destruction and devastation were the telltale marks of a demon trying to gain new territory, trying to make it as unappealing as possible in the hopes that the demon that owned it wouldn't want to invest the time and effort it took to reclaim it and rebuild.

How could this have happened? Who could have done this? Who in their right mind would dare to try to take over territory that belonged to the Radio Demon?

I turned back around and returned to where I had left Alastor. He seemed to be almost impressed by the amount of damage that surrounded us, chuckling to himself as he looked around. My assumptions were misguided, though, as I looked into his eyes. They burned with two emotions that nobody ever wanted to see from him: hatred and rage. Whoever had the gall to try to take territory from him in secret was in for a world of pain and suffering, because Al was officially one hundred percent pissed off!

"I don't see anybody," I reported as I landed next to him, "It appears they all up and left."

Alastor said nothing, and instead pointed a claw towards one of the collapsed dens nearby. A blue pair of eyes stared back at us from the darkness within, wide with fear. I had a good feeling about who it was as I approached them, moving slowly just in case my company wasn't welcome.

"It's okay," I said in a calming tone, "It's me. Juniper."

"Juniper?" a small voice responded as a tiny bat-like face popped out of the rubble, "It's really you?"

I nodded. I barely had enough time to react as the little bat demon that had seen me off two days ago launched himself out of his hiding place and into my arms. He trembled as he clung to my chest and buried his face into my shoulder. He had been one of the newest demons to manifest in Hell and join us in the south side. I was the only protector that he knew.

"What happened here, Rascal?" I asked, pulling the bat demon away and setting him in front of me.

"Sir Pentious happened," came another voice from the city's ruins, "He did this."

A thin figure with mess of long black hair and grey skin clambered out of a pile of burnt timber. One of his spike-like antlers had been broken off, and his right arm had been severely burned. He was another familiar face, though, and a comforting one at that. Old Hector had survived too.

"He came barging in here with another one of his fucking inventions," he snarled, "Blew the entire south side to pieces!"

Sir Pentious. That lousy, good-for-nothing snake did this! That fact didn't surprise me. It was well-known throughout Hell that the snake demon had a grudge against Alastor. Before the Radio Demon had taken control of the south side, this part of Pentagram City was run by Sir Pentious and his idiotic army of eggs. He had wanted to demolish the communities here in order to build a secret lab of some sort, and I spent my first year in Hell as a slave to the bastard's demands.

I still remember the day like it was yesterday, when Alastor came by the south side during a casual stroll through the city. On a whim, he decided to fight Pentious for his territory. It was a quick fight, as Al had made short work of every last one of the snake demon's contraptions, crushing them all like empty soda cans with the unholy beasts he controlled. Sir Pentious never stood a chance, and was ran out of the south side with his coils in knots.

That was the first and the last time I saw Alastor before I came to the Hazbin Hotel. Now, I didn't know very many powerful demons at the time, but that fight had taught me something very important: don't fuck with the Radio Demon. And Sir Pentious had definitely crossed that line.

"How many people got hurt?" I asked Hector, "Give it to me straight. What are the numbers?"

Hector's expression fell into a look of sorrow and helplessness, "Fifty are dead, and dozens are injured that I know of so far."

My heart sank. This was Hell, but the south side of Pentagram City was supposed to be a place of refuge; a place where weaker demons could feel somewhat safe. It offered so little that the well-established demons in Hell didn't see any value in its lands, or the newly manifested. It allowed new souls to find their footing in this lawless realm, and gave those that had been here for centuries a quiet corner to settle down in. That entire philosophy had been uprooted.

A small squeak pulled me out of my thoughts. I wheeled around in time to find Alastor holding Rascal by the scruff of his neck, staring him down as an amused smirk settled on his face. The bat demon was pleading for his life as he squirmed in the Radio Demon's grasp.

Hector peered over my shoulder to get a better look. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped, "Is that who I think it is?"

"Oh, yeah. I haven't introduced you to my travel buddy yet, have I?" I led him up to Alastor and plucked Rascal from the red-clad demon's claws, "Meet the one and only Radio Demon. Alastor, this is Hector. He's my--"

Hector cut me off, forcing his way past me and standing toe to toe with Al.

"You've got some nerve showing up around here!" he growled, "What? You don't bother to show your face for two whole years, only to come wandering back with June to check in on the place? That's mighty convenient! What's the matter? Don't like the idea of a weaker demon being seen as a leader in your territory? Why I ought to--"

"Watch it..." I warned, "I've been reminded a few times that Al isn't any old demon since we've been reintroduced. Don't be saying anything you'll regret."

"Are you kidding? He probably thinks just because he's the fucking Radio Demon, he can just come and go as he damn well pleases. He doesn't give a shit about this place. Otherwise, he would have turned Sir Pentious into a belt and a nice pair of boots for so much as looking into his territory!"

"Hector..."

"I mean just look at him, hiding everything behind that cheeky smile of his. Do you think nobody here is going to challenge you just because you've got a bit more power than the rest of us? Well that ain't gonna fly by me, pal!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose irritability as Hector squared off with Alastor, his obsidian wings fluffing out to twice their original size as his tail flicked aggressively. His broken antler grew back to a sharpened spike as the remaining one sprouted three more points. He radiated an aura of unbridled territorial aggression. Deer demons could be such hot heads!

Alastor didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated by Hector's display as he flashed his teeth, keeping his arms folded behind his back. If anything, he looked amused. Why wouldn't he be? Hector's strength and abilities were infantile, at best, compared to his. It wouldn't take much for Al to square him up and turn him into a chew toy.

I lifted my hand, prepared to dispel the negative energy between them, only to discover an air of calm surrounding the Radio Demon. All of this tension was coming from Hector. Alastor had no intention of duking it out with him. He was completely and utterly unperturbed.

"That's enough, Hector," I spoke up, walking over to Alastor and plucking Rascal out of his hands, "How Alastor managed to get under your skin is of little concern to me right now. We have more pressing matters that need addressing first."

Hector wheeled around, his yellow eyes blazing and teeth bared in a snarl. That was just one of his many flaws. When he wanted to fight, he wanted to fight, and he wouldn't quit until one was standing over the other's limp and battered body.

I crossed my arms and leaned into his face. The darkness inside of me churned before surfacing. I could feel my eyes burn, swallowing him in a light blue hue. My lips peeled back and an unearthly growl rose from the depths of my throat. It didn't take but a second for Hector to shrink back, his aggression fizzling out and being replaced by fear.

"Unless you wanna be a red smear in the middle of the street," I snarled, "You better back the fuck up!"

"Yes, ma'am..." Hector answered shakily, straightening his spine and taking a few steps back.

I didn't like having to show my demonic side. It was only one step below me falling back into my old ways, a part of me that I had locked away long ago and vowed to never use again. Without restraint, Hector would have ended up as a red smear in the middle of the street, and that would be if he was lucky. A warning went a long ways with him. All he needed to do was heed it.

I calmed myself down and looked around at the desolate neighborhood, "Where is everybody?"

"Hiding," Hector replied, "After the attack, everyone dove deeper into the rubble and waited for help to arrive."

Something in me sank, "You've all just been waiting for me to return? All this time?"

Hector nodded, "I figured you wouldn't be long. It's only been about twelve hours since the attack."

Twelve hours. The south side had been sitting here, demolished and burning, its people wounded and bleeding, for twelve hours. They didn't have a leader they could turn to that could help them figure out what they should do, or where they could go. How many demons died because nobody was there to guide them?

I took off into the air and began circling the area once more. I started up a howling that could be heard for miles. The people of the south side knew my cries, and after a few drawn out seconds, I started seeing signs of life. Faces covered in blood and ash poked out of the debris. Even from several feet up, I could hear their relieved chattering rising up through the air.

"It's Juniper!"

"Juniper's back!"

"She's come to help us!"

I circled and circled until there was a fair number of denizens gathered in the streets. Hellhounds returned my howls, and the air was filled with a cacophony of demonic vocalizations that were a mix of fear, joy, and relief. I motioned for them to follow as I took off in the direction of the heart of the territory, which was now essentially a giant crater. Somewhere in the masses, I saw Alastor and Hector following the crowd. Rascal had never left my side, and was holding onto one of my horns for dear life.

Finding a spot in my chosen meeting place, I waited for the others to appear. They came in waves. Those that were able to carried the injured in their arms and on their backs. I saw all manner of broken wings, shattered horns, severed tails, and charred flesh. Many came in limping, or holding an arm that was bent at an unnatural angle. There were plenty of missing eyes, tattered ears, mangled fur, damaged scales, and bloody noses. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought that these demons were soldiers returning from a war.

Alastor and Hector arrived just as the last few stragglers were coming in, doing their part in helping the weak and injured. The air started buzzing with questions, asking where I had been, what we were going to do, where we would go. I sent out one last howl, and those who had gathered gradually quieted down and waited patiently for me to speak.

"I'm sorry," I started, "I never anticipated that the south side would come under attack like this."

"Nobody did," Hector called out, "Don't you start blaming yourself, now. None of this is your fault."

I could see several demons nodding in agreement. Sure, nobody thought this would happen, but it felt mighty convenient that this happened shortly after I had left. It was like Sir Pentious had been waiting for me to be gone long enough to launch an attack.

"I come bearing news," I continued, "My visions were true. The Happy Hotel does exist, and it is working on rehabilitating sinners."

Excited chatters rose up from the crowd. Many were rousing others to consciousness, relaying the announcement to the weakest of individuals.

"I have decided to give the hotel a chance," I added, "I'm not the most wicked demon out there. I know there is some good in me, and I know that sinners just like me have a fighting chance at redemption. My mind is already made up."

Hushed murmurs started getting passed around between several of the demons. If they didn't look scared before, they did now. I could tell they were worried about whether or not they'd be able to get by without my insight or confidence. Without their shepherd, these demons were sitting sheep that were just waiting for the wolves.

"What about us?" Someone piped up, "What do you want us to do?"

My head fell as I let out a sigh, "It's not up to me... Alastor?"

The Radio Demon perked up, "Yes, Miss Charms?"

In one smooth motion, all heads turned to look at Alastor. Those that stood closest to him jumped back a few feet, and a gasp of shock spread through the masses. It was like they hadn't been made aware of his presence until I bothered to say something. All the while, Al didn't seem to mind, gleefully striding through the crowd and making his way up to me.

I crossed my arms and fix the red-clad demon with a hard stare.

"Whether you acknowledge it or not, this is your territory," I said, "This attack was directed towards you. Sir Pentious did this because of you. You control this side of the city, not me. What do you think we should do?"

Alastor chuckled, "Smile more, for starters..."

The entire south side let out a collective groan. Eyes rolled, and insults were hurled. I wanted to laugh, because everyone here seemed to have the same attitude towards the Radio Demon as Vaggie. I would be lying if I said his comment didn't make me chuckle a little bit.

"I'm being serious," I stated, "I'm not in charge here. What we do going forward is a pretty big decision that I can't make. If you want us to move, we'll move. If you want us to rebuild, we'll rebuild. If you want us to do nothing, we can do that too. What do you want us to do?"

Alastor tossed a glance over his shoulder at the battered demons behind him. They looked between me and him with a shared look of worry. Leaving their fate in the hands of a powerful demon that defeated fellow overlords in his spare time obviously didn't sit well with them, but this was his choice to make, and nobody else's.

Pacing along the front of the crowd with a bounce in his step, Alastor twirled his microphone stand as he hummed a pondering tune. All eyes were on him, anxiously awaiting his decision. Between our crumbling surroundings and the sullen looks on everyone's faces, one would think that we were marked for death, no matter what his decision might be. Judging from how we'd been living after he took over the south side from Sir Pentious's grasp, I suppose it wasn't too far off from the truth.

Suddenly, Alastor stopped and pointed his microphone stand towards me. The gesture made the demons in the crowd jump before they relaxed and started speaking amongst each other in confusion.

I looked from him to the microphone several times, the stand's eye looking back up at me with just as much perplexity as the other demons.

I raised a brow, unsure of what was happening, "What?"

"I think you'd make a mighty fine leader, wouldn't you agree?"

The crowd started buzzing with excitement, their murmurs rising into cheers as I stared dumbfoundedly at the Radio Demon.

"What are you saying?"

Alastor cleared his throat, "Juniper Charms, by the power invested in me by me, myself, and I, I hereby award you complete and total control over the south side! These lowly street urchins now belong to you!"

The cheers grew louder. I wasn't sure if it was the sheer volume of their rejoice, or the massive shock that came over me, but I had to sit down and take it all in. Alastor had just made me a leader. Not unofficially, not by brute force, but by appointment by an older, stronger, more experienced demon. The Radio Demon, no less. I felt like I wanted to cry, dance, and throw up all at the same time. I could change the fate of these people for the better. We didn't have to settle anymore, yet at the same time, the entire fate of the south side now sat on my shoulders.

What would possess Alastor to make such a risky decision?

"Now..." the Radio Demon said, picking me up and wrapping an arm around my shoulders, "What do you want us to do?"

"Everyone gather around and stay in your groups!"

I was given no time to adjust to my new role as the south side's leader. With the south side being in the state that it was in, every sinner here was vulnerable to another attack. With how many demons that were either injured or dead, there was no way we'd be able to defend ourselves if Sir Pentious returned. So it was decided that all those who were willing would come back with me to the Hazbin Hotel.

Of course there were a select few that didn't see the point of working towards redemption. Those that refused to come along, or were already too far gone, would stay behind to either rebuild or die. Hector had been made second in command, as he had been one of the ones who decided to stay behind, as well. Despite his temper, he had some leadership experience that went as far back as the Vietnam War. He could be good with people and knew how to fight, if he kept a clear head, and I honestly couldn't think of anyone better suited for the job that wasn't already dead.

"Flyers, queue up and stick with me!" I announced, "Take as many of the injured with you as you can carry. If you cannot fly, hitch a ride from a buddy, or stick with the others. Hellhounds, stay on your guard! All eyes, ears, and noses peeled for danger! The rest of you will be going back with Alastor. And Alastor!"

The Radio Demon finagled his way out of the crowd and stood at attention, "Yes, ma'am?"

"Behave! No picking on the little ones, ya hear?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

I took a few seconds to breathe as I watched the others get situated. Being a leader and making sure everybody was in order was a lot of work; a lot more work than the motivational speeches I used to give to lift everyone's spirits on a bad day.

"It's gonna be a twenty minute flight to the hotel, if we take it easy," I continued, "I'll be making a call to ensure everybody else gets a ride. None of you can afford a ten hour walk through the west side in your current condition."

Stepping away from the commotion, I took out my hell phone and dialed Charlie, the device letting out a pained grunt as I tapped the call button. The line on the other end only rang twice before it picked up.

"Well, hello Juniper!" Charlie's cheerful voice beamed from the other side, "How's your little outing with Al going?"

I let out a flustered sigh, "Where do you want me to start? The attack on the south side, or me being made leader?"

They were two different situations that required two entirely different responses, and I could tell Charlie was fighting to figure out which she should address first.

"Are you guys okay?" she asked, "Do you need me to send out the car?"

"Well..." I turned to look back at the other demons. There had to be at least a few dozen demons queuing up, and we only had about ten good flyers that were managing to carry about two people each. There were still around ten to twenty more that would be going with Al, "A car would be nice. If you could make it a bus, that'd be even better."

"Wow! You have that many demons coming back with you? That's amazing! I'll see what I can come up with for you guys."

"Thanks, you're the best. Have the others over there ready to patch up some injured guests."

"Are you going to be all right?"

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about--" I happened to look up in time to see Alastor and Hector approaching me. Their antlers were locked, and they appeared to be stuck as they both shot me wary smiles, "... I gotta go."

I hung up the phone before Charlie could get another word in. Crossing my arms, I shot them a disapproving scowl and waited for an explanation.

"Dipshit over here started it!" Hector piped up, jabbing a finger against Alastor's chest.

"All I said was that you were lucky that Miss Charms stepped in when she did, earlier today," Alastor said teasingly, "Or I would have turned you into a full course meal."

Hector lashed out one of his legs, the point of his cloven hoof aiming to land a blow against Alastor's junk. He missed by a mile. Al was taller than he was, causing him to strike nothing but air.

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish it!" I growled, gabbing a hold of their antlers. It took a bit of wrestling to pry the points apart without breaking them, "Now, I want you two to leave each other alone. Got it?"

Hector nodded as he shot one last glare at the Radio Demon before walking off. I hadn't seen him lock antlers with another deer demon in quite some time, but this was the first time I'd ever seen him get stuck. For other demons that fought with headgear, getting stuck was a golden opportunity for the stronger of the two opponents to go in with a shank, or just break the neck of the weaker opponent. Deer demons abided by a strict code of honor, though: no weapons; nothing but antlers and brute strength. The person whose entrails are still where they're supposed to be wins. Whoever breaks an antler first loses.

Of course, who knows if Alastor was bound by that same honor code.

"So... you and Bambi, eh?"

I was sure my face was as red as a ripe tomato as my cheeks burned, "What about him?"

Alastor waggled his eyebrows at me and emitted a staticky, suggestive chuckle. He didn't have to say the words. He was extremely good at writing it all over his face.

"Yes, we're mates," I admitted, "Though, with how much trouble he's been causing lately, I'm not sure how much longer that'll last."

"Well, I think you two make a lovely couple! He makes it abundantly clear who wears the pants in the relationship!"

I massaged my temples, trying to fight off another headache. I'll be damned if he wasn't wrong, though. I had Hector wrapped around my finger, and if he wanted to try to fight me, it didn't take much to get him to go with my demands. I guess, in that sense, that was another bad habit of mine that had yet to die.