The Ultimate Show Stopper
Author's Note: Nothing new to say this time. Carry on.
Hell's Big City
Eddie hovers around, guiding Douglas through the city and following the signs to the destination. Plenty of demons notice Douglas, but none of them seem to notice Eddie, nor do they even do more than glance their direction. Douglas feels a bit awkward being among the inhabitants of Hell after killing their rulers. Nonetheless, talking with Eddie is a great distraction from the situation.
"So Eddie, is Heaven treating you good?" The young warrior asks him.
"It certainly takes some time to get used to." The child angel responds. "Especially when you're leaving your mom behind." He says in a sadder tone. Douglas glooms.
"You know Eddie, you were killed around the same age as when I lost my family. I certainly understand the pain of being separated from your mom, and I'm sorry it happened to you." Eddie sighs lightly and then smiles.
"It's alright buddy. You're doing a great job fighting for Heaven. I wanna be just like you when I grow up." He states, causing Douglas to flinch.
"You can grow up in Heaven? I thought your spirit kept you the age you died forever." He says as Eddie shrugs.
"Well yeah, but I can still get stronger. I've been playing on a baseball team with another young soul, a little older than you, but younger than most." He says before deciding to shift topics. "I thank the lord for Emperor Augustus each morning for guidance of my spirit. He's a great guy." Eddie states. Douglas raises an eyebrow.
"About Augustus, may I ask how he became the new chairman of Heaven's Judgement Hall?" The young spirit nods.
"He's the greatest king who ever lived. Despite being the ruler of the largest kingdom in his country, he never valued another human being's life any less than his own." He says. "There was another cowardly pawn named Bobby, and he met a new fate one day."
Flashback
Emperor Augustus is eating a meal with his kingdom. Everyone looks happy and the rooks proceed to bring in more food as they go. Eddie proceeds to tell the story.
"No matter what people had to say about this man, he always made sure everyone else could live a good life. He kept his country's taxes as low as possible, and did his best to assure not a single citizen would go hungry each day."
"Ladies and gentlemen! I would like to personally thank all of you for coming to this feast. Nothing lifts my spirit more than seeing so many loyal subjects at my dinner table each night. I propose we feast!" Augustus announces. Everyone at the table cheers. Only a few minutes later, a young timid pawn in his early twenties runs out.
"Emperor Augustus sir! We have a problem!" He panics. The humble king chuckles.
"Ah, young Bob. It's always thrilling you have you join us. You're a true delight, you know that?" He asks, ignoring the pawn's worried tone.
"Sir, the kingdom is under attack! The eastern kingdom has declared war on us in an attempt to conquer your kingdom!" He shouts, causing everyone at the table to gasp. The strong leader sighs and slams his fists on the table.
"What do they want from us?! I've called for several peace treaties and sent them many letters of request to join forces with us! How could they irresponsibly throw more lives at us in hopes to conquer us? Can't they just be grateful for the land they already have?!" He vents in a harsh tone. Several people in the room start to panic.
"What do we do sir?" Bobby asks his leader. Augustus sighs deeply and gives him a determined glare.
"We'll have to fight. I'm sick of sacrificing soldiers for my sake, and this rival kingdom has got to go." He says as he points behind the pawn. "Now Bob, go round up our army and I'll meet you in ten minutes for further command."
"Yes sir!" He shouts before turning around and running off. The strong king turned to his wife.
"Honey, if I don't live to see another day, please remember I love you." He says in a sad tone.
"Oh, I love you too sweetie!" She says in a scared, but sincere tone as she hugs his strong body. He wraps his large, gentle arms around her for a moment and holds her close.
"Take care of our kingdom." He whispers. "I've got to go." Eddie continues.
"Augustus wasn't used to declaring war, but this time he learned something. No matter the outcome of the battle, both sides lost men each match. He realized that if he sends people to risk their lives and even die for his sake, then he can't be the best king he can be. So after the troops prepared their artillery, he came in for the King's Command."
"Okay, everyone! Remember the plan, do exactly as our king would!" Bobby says in a timid voice. "He is our emperor, and we must put our lives on the line to protect his!" He commands, getting a lot of nods from other soldiers in the crowd.
"But then, the most unexpected thing happened."
"And I must put my life on the line to protect all of you as well!" Everyone gasps as they see the mighty emperor step outside. He's wearing a thick red knight's armor and holds a hammer around 100 pounds in one hand and a thick blue shield in the other.
"Sir! Are you crazy! You shouldn't be out here!" Bob nearly screams. Several soldiers shiver and say 'yeah' or 'I agree' amongst themselves. Augustus holds his head down for a moment.
"I assure you I'm entirely sane. But I can't do this to you brave knights anymore." He says as he looks around at his army. "Some of you have fought in battles for several years under me. Every time I send you back into combat, the likeliness of you dying on the battlefield grows!" He announces as he turns to some of the pawns who haven't been promoted. "And to some of you, this is your first fight, and it could very well be your last fight as well!" Bobby yelps under his breath.
"You don't need to remind us, sir! We know that!" He says fearfully.
"And then came the most selfless speech in human history." Eddie states as the brave king raises his head to face his army.
"I refuse to sit in my palace any longer while you brave warriors risk and sometimes sacrifice your lives for my safety. I may be a king, but that doesn't mean my life is any more valuable than any of yours!" He raises his hammer a little higher. "If I die in combat today, my soul will rest peacefully knowing I died alongside those who have done so much for me. And that said, I wish to return the favor all of you have done for me over the years! I would like to battle, and it'll be my goal to make sure ten or twelve of you men remain standing after combat as a result of my presence." He raises his hammer even higher. "I am the strongest man in this kingdom, and now I must use my strength in honor and loyalty of all of you! For it was your honor and loyalty that made me the man I am today!"
Reality
"So, that's the tale of Emperor Augustus?" Douglas asks as Eddie nods.
"Yes sir. He died in battle that night, but the very next day, he was given the top seat of Heaven's Judgement Hall in honor of his sacrifice." The young spirit states. He then points to studio 666. "Here we are." The holy soldier glares.
"This is where that evil bitch works?!" He asks aggressively. Eddie nods.
"This is the location from the billboard." He says before giving a daring grin. "Let's go in and watch her die!" Douglas raises an eyebrow.
"Eddie, I really don't think that's a good idea. What if someone sees you?" He asks. Eddie chuckles.
"Don't worry about it, Douglas. I'm a spirit, and therefore I'm invisible to all mere mortals. You can see me since you're an immortal." He clarifies. "But to the people in Hell, I'm invisible!" He brags. Douglas frowns lightly.
"You don't suppose overlords are immortals as well?" He asks concerned. Eddie laughs.
"There are no overlords in the building. Just Katie and several other demons who come in to watch the news." Douglas growls.
"It'll be hard to do this in front of a lot of people." Eddie taps his chin for a second.
"Hm... maybe you could tamper with some of the lights inside the studio and set off a blinding flash with a glare the cameras can't see past." He suggests.
"Now that sounds like a great idea!" A familiar voice calls out.
"Who said that?" Eddie asks. The radio demon steps out from behind a corner.
"I did!" Alastor says in a spirited tone. Douglas raises an eyebrow.
"Alastor? What are you doing here?" He asks as Eddie shivers a bit.
"And you can see me?!" He asks in shock. The radio demon chuckles a few times.
"Why yes, young lad, my radio wave technology has the ability to sense supernatural spirits." He says as he twirls the tip of his staff, causing a visible pulse of radio waves to emit. Eddie's soul loses its transparency for a moment as the wave goes through him.
"Okay! Please ignore me! We don't want people around here to know Douglas has someone with him." Alastor turns to the young warrior.
"Well Douglas, I just wanted to warn you that Katie Killjoy is under the employment of Vox." He states.
"And?" Douglas asks.
"And you might have a shot at recovering your Heaven's Glock. Vox had it last, and maybe he left it somewhere in the 666 New Station." He lowers his eyebrows. "The sooner you retrieve your weapon, the sooner the risk of unwanted demon deaths drops." Douglas nods.
"I've got it." He says as he faces Eddie. "Nobody but Alastor can see you, right?" He asks the younger spirit.
"I think so. I don't assume anyone else can." He states.
"Then how about you hover around inside the building and look for my Glock. When you see it, let me know where it is." He requests. Eddie raises an eyebrow curiously.
"What exactly is a Glock?" He asks. Douglas pulls his holy pistol out.
"A fancy gun." He says as Alastor quickly snaps and a shadow grabs the gun and then shoves it back into his pocket. "Whoa! What was that?" He asks in shock.
"You better keep that weapon hidden my friend. You don't want a single demon learning about your weaponry." The radio demon warns him.
"Right." Douglas states as Eddie hovers closer to the wall.
"Alright, I'll see if I can find it for you!" He says spiritually and then flies through the wall. Douglas turns to the radio demon.
"Thanks for the tip Alastor. I'll see you later tonight." He states as he turns to the door. Alastor puts his hand to his shoulder.
"Actually my friend, I'm gonna spend the next few days clearing my head. I need a break from the hotel." He says in a slightly lower tone.
"Oh, is it because of Mimzy?" Douglas asks. Alastor sighs and nods.
"You got that right. I need a couple of days to recover from the stress of losing friends." He states with a slightly sad look in his eyes. He then pats Douglas on the shoulder. "But I do respect that despite you losing your friend Niffty, you're not stopping at all." The holy soldier smiles at him.
"Thank you, Alastor. I'm doing this purely so I can end the Armageddon as fast as possible." Alastor nods.
"I appreciate that motive as well. Until we meet again, farewell." He teleports after finishing his sentence.
666 News Station
Douglas walked inside and was rather surprised at the population there. A lot of people were in the lobby, which wasn't at all expected. He assumed only a DJ, a few cameramen, sound people, a receptionist, and maybe a few security guards would be there. Instead, there was a large crowd of people inside and he could tell most of them don't work here. He walked around the lobby avoiding pedestrians until reaching an elevator. He noticed a few demons stepping off and a few more stepping on. He then decides to just take the staircase to the top, assuming the stairs aren't commonly used, so he's better off avoiding random demons. He finally makes it to the top floor and to his surprise, a door leading into a dressing room is unlocked. He looked around the inside and saw some fancy dresses, many of them red, and a few sharp blue vests. He could help but utter a small sentence.
"I'm sorry Tom." He whispers in a gloomy tone as he strokes one of the blue suits. He quickly turns around to hear voices on the other side of a small one-way window.
"And you saw the murder take place Nobel Seviathan?" Douglas squints to see it was Killjoy who'd said that, and from the back of the man's head, he could tell it was Seviathan sitting next to her.
"I didn't see the murder myself, but I know who the killer is." He states. A few members of the crowd gasp and mumble quietly. "A human-human dude with an orange shirt." He states.
"That little bastard," Douglas mumbles as a light glare appears in his eyes. He looks at his shirt and realizes he's too recognizable. Nobody else in the gallery is dressed in orange, let alone completely human.
"He's completely human? No animal traits?" Katie asks as Seviathan shrugs.
"He probably has a moose's dick. The king seemed okay with him banging his daughter." He remarks sarcastically, causing Douglas to facepalm and everyone in the room in front to laugh loudly.
"And you know he did it because?" She asks when the laughter stops.
"Because according to a few residents at the new hotel, he's a descendant of God, here to slay all the overlords in Hell," Seviathan says in a completely serious tone. "I've actually grown pretty concerned about it."
"Well don't you worry. Once we have a mugshot of him, we'll be able to alert everyone that he's wanted." She says as the crowd begins to applaud. Douglas slides back in as Seviathan stands up.
"Great, and whoever kills him will be rewarded five-hundred grand from my parents. It's what the king and queen would've wanted." He says as he tugs his vest a bit.
"Ladies and gentlemen, there's your loyal Nobel, Seviathan von Eldritch!" Katie announces as the crowd applauds loudly. The royal duke makes his way back to the dressing room.
"Thank you very much." He says as Katie gives the cameraman a signal.
"And, roll commercial." She states. As the cameras go off, Seviathan closes the door and flinches upon seeing the young warrior.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Both boys shout at one another. Seviathan putting a hand to his holster immediately prepared to draw his sword.
"I came here to finish a job! When I have to kill an assassin, the job isn't complete until the person who hired them is dead as well!" Douglas exclaims as he steps out from where he was standing.
"Well, I came here to report the deaths of the king and queen!" Seviathan retorts and then points. "Two people I know you killed!" Douglas returns the same sharp glare.
"How do you know it was me?" He asks.
"Because you're the only human in Hell! Nobody else has holy powers!" The fish boy answers. Douglas summons a pumpkin.
"Okay, you want to go right now?!" He challenges.
"Ha! How about we don't?" Seviathan asks as he takes his fingers off the handle of his sword. "If I kill you, Charlie is going to be very upset. So why don't you throw me into the void with her parents?" He asks with a smug smirk. Douglas glares.
"You're gonna just frame me for murder and then not fight me? I thought you wanted to slice me yesterday." He states.
"I did, but now that you're still alive, why should I kill you? Everyone in Hell thinks you killed her parents, and until you yourself prove otherwise, you're a prime target." Seviathan says in an evil tone. "And the more people you kill, the bigger threat you become." He adds. Douglas sighs deeply and makes eye contact with him.
"So now you want me to suffer, but you won't do it yourself?" He asks. The green duke chuckles.
"Am I making you suffer?" He asks as he points to the window, Katie Killjoy sits at the desk. "Or is it the person who tried to have you killed?" Douglas just stands there and thinks about Niffty. Katie Killjoy is the reason she's dead, and now she's sitting there like nothing happened while Tom isn't there beside her.
"That bitch." Douglas comments under his breath as he steps up to the doorknob. "She will pay." Seviathan claps one time.
"Ha, ha! That's right, go kill her on national television so everyone in Hell can see it!" He encourages. Douglas steps out of the room and faces the cameras and the audience behind them. Katie gasps upon seeing him but then begins to chuckle evilly.
"Oh, look who it is. The very killer of the king and queen himself." She comments as the audience gets quiet. Some of them glare darkly, others grin evilly, and a few of them just stand there with funny looks like this is all a joke.
"And how do you know I killed them?" Douglas asks as he walks out and sits in the chair Tom used to sit sassily. "Were you in the room where it happened?" Katie chuckles.
"That's Tom's seat. But I guess you can have it now since you shot him in the heart." She states, causing the audience to gasp loudly. Douglas flinches, but then returns a very savage look.
"You're one to act concerned over me being in his seat. It's almost like you didn't push him into the tip of my gun." Katie flinches as the audience gasps again, this time louder.
"Well... maybe you should explain why you had that gun out to begin with! Do you know how many people miss him on this channel?!" She asks angrily.
"Yeah!" "How could you?!" "Killer!" Different audience members start to shout in frustration. Douglas summons a pumpkin and lets it splat onto the table, instantly quieting everyone. "A pumpkin?" One guy asks quietly.
"I don't know the number of people who miss Tom, but I know you're not one of them." Just as Katie is about to speak up, Douglas leans upward and slams his fists on the table. "Because you had the nerve to drive away after Tom was shot!" Katie faces the audience to see they have mixed reactions. Some of them are mumbling to each other, uncertain of what to believe.
"What? On Saturday? Can you prove I did that?!" She asks. Douglas turns to the audience.
"I can't. But you guys can." He says, getting the attention of everyone in the room. "Was Killjoy here at this time on Saturday reporting? Or was she gone?" He asks.
"She wasn't here!" One of the demons shouts. A loud amount of chatter starts among the crowd, but a heavy majority of them are glaring at Katie.
"Arg, don't listen to this bastard! He killed the king and queen of Hell!" The audience gets a little quieter, uncertain who to trust. Douglas quickly points at her.
"And you tried to kill their daughter, inside her new hotel!" He retorts. Katie tries to speak up, but the amount of chatter in the room overpowers any of her words from reaching the cameras.
"You little fuckwad." Katie mumbles darkly. "You ruined my show, and I'm going to see your execution." She states biding all her rage.
"And how are you going to do that?" He asks. Suddenly a gun flashes before his eyes. Katie aims the Heaven's Glock at him, the very same one he'd lost the night he encountered Velvet. Just before he can move or even teleport, a bullet is fired directly into the center of his heart. "OOOWWWWW!" Douglas screams loudly, both the gun's loud noise, and his scream regaining the audience's attention. The force of the bullet pushes him backward and his chair falls, causing him to crash on his back and begin bleeding.
"DOUGLAS!" A familiar voice shouted. It was Eddie's ghost, flying over to him as fast as he could. "Are you okay?!" He asks desperately. Everyone in the room watches as he clutches his bleeding heart. The sheer aura of the strongest angels in Heaven puts solid gravitational force on his entire bloodstream.
"I shot him!" Katie exclaims with a sinister grin on her face before turning to the cameras. "You can all rest easy now that the guy who killed Lucifer and Lilith is dead! No being in Hell can withstand the force of this pistol, and if anyone dare enter my show uninvited like he did, you're dead!" She threatens darkly. The audience members all look around at each other, some are sad, some are scared, and some are just confused. Katie slams her fists on the table. "Commercial!" She shouts to her cameramen, causing them to turn them off instantly. She then points to the audience. "The rest of you, go home. We'll finish the story about this boy's murder tomorrow!"
"Ow..." Douglas mumbles in pain as he clutches his heart. This power is very overwhelming, and he doesn't feel in control of his will anymore. Eddie hugs Douglas's head, he can't feel him, but he does hear his words.
"I'm sorry Douglas. This is my fault. I should've known she had the gun." He says. "And I can..."
Flashback
As Eddie's sentence starts to become less coherent, Douglas finds himself in a vision. Exactly how he dreamed of in the last conversation with Eddie. He sees a burnt battlefield with several men dead and injured. One large man he recognizes steps forward and lifts up the body of a small skinny man.
"Bob, please speak to me." The man says. The young pawn opens his eyes weakly.
"Sir Augustus." He manages to say. "You must retreat. The enemy kingdom has a cannon they're going to fire directly at your kingdom." He says. Augustus takes a deep breath and lifts the young man onto his feet.
"My kingdom?" He asks with a hearty smile on his face. "I think you mean, your kingdom." He says proudly. Bobby flinches.
"What?!" He nearly screams. He could tell when Augustus was serious or not, and this time doesn't deceive him. He stammers a bit before the large older gentleman sets his crown on his head.
"You heard me. My palace is yours now, King Bobby." The pawn's eyes widen, and his pupils shrink.
"No! Sir, I can't be king!" He panics. Augustus pats him on the back.
"Well someone needs to take care of our people, and if there's someone I believe in, it's a young loyal pawn who has always been there for his king." He then glances into the distance and sighs. "My time has come Bob, and your time of destiny is now." He says. The pawn begins to tear up.
"Sir... Lord Augustus... I..." The proud king wraps his arms around the younger man, greeted by his embrace as well.
"I'll see you again someday in Heaven. I sense God is calling me." And with that, Augustus ends the hug and faces forward. His walk turns into a jog, and as Bobby waves at him with tears, it becomes a full sprint.
"Whoa," Douglas comments as he watches the strong leader dash across the field in his heavy armor. He finally reaches the enemy base and stares as they aim a cannon his direction.
"You sinners! I've been all but gentle to you and you've caused the devastating tragedy of so many innocent people!" He shouts. Several archers aim arrows at him. "Your kingdom has got to go!" He exclaims as he runs forward.
"Oh my god," Douglas mumbles at the sight. Several arrows come his direction as one of the men ignites the cannon. Augustus holds his shield out in an attempt to block the arsenal of arrows, but he fails to block them all.
"AAAAHHHH!" He screams loudly as arrows begin to pierce his skin in several spots. However, he doesn't slow down his pace. He finally gets to the cannon and shoves his hands below the tip. "ARGGGG... YAAAAAHHHHHH!" He flips the front of the cannon directly over as a few arrows pierce his back. Many men panic loudly upon his action, but before anyone can move, the cannonball fires into a large arsenal of dynamite.
*KABOOM!*
Douglas shields his eyes as he watches the distant explosion blow up the entire front wall of the kingdom and send several guards dozens of feet in the air. After almost twenty seconds, the castle is entirely crippled and many bodies lie on the ground, some of them in flames. Just then, Douglas finally makes out the words of Eddie's spirit.
"And so Augustus said that day..."
Reality
"If you die in combat, you did not fail, for you have fallen for the sake of many others to live on after you." Eddie finishes as he leans lower. "You did well Douglas, you really did." Douglas opens his eyes as white shining aura flashes inside his body. Eddie gasps. "Douglas? What's happening to you?!" He asks in shock.
"What the fuck is this?!" Katie asks upon seeing him glow. She stares at the pistol for a moment and then looks back at his chest, which has not only stopped bleeding, but the only proof of the bullet is the hole in his shirt. With a tremendous amount of new willpower, Douglas finally gathers the strength to stand back up.
"I don't believe it," Eddie mumbles with wide eyes. Katie begins to shiver and look around, but nobody else is in the room anymore.
"How?!" She screams as she aims the gun at him again, the shivering causes it to bounce in her grip. "I just shot you! How can you resist the power?!" Douglas opens his eyes, and a bright white light flashes out of them.
"I have now directly become one with my aura. The holy power is flowing through me, and the power of the bullet has made its way into my will." He points in the air beside him, and a light beam appears. The beam gets larger and larger until a full Seiken is successfully created in thin air. Katie drops the gun.
"Where'd you get that sword?!" She exclaims fearfully. Douglas smirks and shrugs.
"As Seviathan said, always bring your own sword with you to a duel." He then levitates it into his palm and grabs the end, pointing it toward her. "Where's your sword?" He asks.
"I don't have one!" Katie replies. Eddie smirks and folds his arms as Douglas steps forward.
"That's a shame. En Garde!" He shouts. Katie screams loudly as he swiftly stabs her firmly in the chest.
"AAAHHH!" She screams and grits her teeth until he shoves it even further and the tip of the blade pushes out the back of her spine. "AAAAHHHHHHH!" She screams a second time once that happens. She weakly lifts her head up as blood spills out of her mouth.
"Well Killjoy, the show is now officially canceled." He says savagely. Once he lets go of the sword, it disappears entirely and Katie's body falls to the floor, never to move again. Eddie hovers closer to him.
"You did it!" He celebrates. "You got the sword! How does that feel?!" He asks eagerly. Douglas smirks at him.
"After failing to make a sword several times, it feels incredible." He turns towards the door. "Now that I've killed your killers and the woman who hired them, I better lay low for the rest of the day." He says as he walks out. Eddie follows him.
"Good job man. How'd you even gather the strength to stand after that shot?" He asks rather surprised. Douglas smiles.
"You remember that man you told me about earlier?"
"Augustus?" Eddie asks as the holy soldier nods.
"That's the man. The bullet gave me a vision of him. I saw so much willpower demonstrated in his final moments of life. Perhaps the gun was giving me the last few moments of the same angel who charged that bullet." Eddie's eyes widen.
"You think Augustus made that bullet with his power?" He asks.
"No doubt about it. And being able to see such courage and leadership is exactly what I needed to lift my spirit. His desire you fight until death for his people is what granted me this new power." He then gives him a firm smile. "Please tell Augustus I said thank you because I'd be dead right now if he didn't die a hero." Eddie gives him a thumbs up.
"Will do. See you later buddy!" He says as his soul flies up out of the building.
Happy Hotel Lobby
Charlie was doing all she could, serving Egg Bois and trying to manage everything to the best of her ability. But the thought of never seeing her parents again was holding her down. Vaggie kept asking what was wrong, and she kept assuring her everything was fine throughout the day. A little later that night, Douglas finally steps foot back inside the hotel. He notices Charlie doesn't look too happy but decides to still make an effort to comfort her.
"Hey Charlie, are you okay?" He asks. Charlie lifts her head up lightly and gives a tired smile with her best effort to look genuine.
"I think so. It's been a good day for me. Ha, ha." She says in a nervous tone. Douglas sighs.
"Hey, I'm really sorry to tell you this, but I was forced to kill four people today." Charlie flinches, but unlike usual, her facial expression doesn't change.
"Who'd you kill?" She asks.
"I killed three assassins that were after me. I was avenging a poor nine-year-old they killed." He states. "And I finally killed Katie Killjoy for you!" He says a little more upbeat. Charlie raises an eyebrow, as does Douglas upon noticing she didn't smile. "Aren't you a little relieved?" He asks.
"I guess but... why'd you kill her?" She asks. Douglas pulls out both of his guns, startling her.
"She shot me with my old Glock, so now I have two!" He says savagely. Charlie quickly pushes both guns down to his sides.
"Keep those in your pockets! Remember?!" She asks fearfully. Douglas nods and pockets the Glocks.
"My apology. Just know they're both back in my hands, so we don't need to worry about unwanted victims." Charlie flinches again at the thought of them being 'safe' with him.
"Okay, but as I said before, you need to keep those away from people here." She reminds him. He nods.
"I understand, and it won't happen again." He then looks around. "So, did you get any new guests today?" He asks. Charlie shrugs for a moment and then starts to think normally.
"Well, yeah. We got one, but I don't know why she came here." She responds.
"What does she look like?" Douglas asks.
"Hey, Charlie." A somewhat familiar voice calls. A tired werewolf girl steps up as Douglas starts to turn around. "I'm having trouble wa- AH!" She screams upon seeing Douglas. Charlie flinches and speaks up upon hearing her scream.
"Whoa, Loona! Calm down!" She requests as the hell hound runs back against the wall staring at Douglas.
"Please don't kill me! I didn't know you were here, and I'll stay out of your way! I promise!" She panics fearfully. Douglas sighs and holds up his hand.
"That won't be necessary." He says in attempt to reassure her. "I wo-"
"Then let me get out of here! I won't stay here if you want me out!" She exclaims as her breathing speeds up.
"Okay! What's going on here?!" Charlie shouts, catching their attention.
"I'm not gonna kill you!" Douglas yells before facing Charlie and sighing deeply. "Apparently one of the hitmen I killed was her father."
"Adoptive father." Loona corrects as her breathing slows down. Douglas pauses and sighs.
"Yes, adoptive father." He states before opening his eyes. "A guy who shot a nine-year-old." Charlie gasps.
"Wait a minute... was it that same boy we came across in Heaven?" She asks as the holy soldier nods. "What?!" She then faces Loona. "How dare you?!" She shouts as the werewolf holds her paws out.
"I didn't shoot him! I just reported him!" She defends. Charlie facepalms and tears start to leave her eyes.
"Why is there so much violence going on after the cleans?" She asks. "Just after a bunch of souls are lost forever, more of them slip away." Douglas steps forward and pats her on the back. She flinches uncomfortably at his touch.
"I apologize if this is my fault. I'm gonna try to end this as soon as possible." He says as she jerks away from him. "Oh, sorry..." He apologizes upon realizing her feelings.
"Why are you even here Douglas? You're not someone who belongs in Hell." The young warrior lowers his head.
"As I said before, the overlords are my targets." Charlie's tears stop and she just gives him a dead look.
"So that's how it is. I guess there's nothing I can do about it." She says as she turns around. Douglas steps forward.
"Charlie, I know what you're feeling, but please-"
"Leave me alone." She interrupts in a sharp tone. Loona steps closer.
"What's wrong?" She asks. Charlie doesn't turn her head.
"It's none of your concern." She says as she steps into a room. "Have a nice night." She says, barely loud enough for them to hear her, and then she closes the door.
"Okay... Goodnight Charlie." Douglas says back and then heads for the stairs. Loona steps up behind him.
"Wait, where are you going?" She asks. Douglas faces her with an ashamed look.
"I better go to bed. I'm a killer, and I sadly have to keep killing until my job is over." He says as he pulls out his list. "I just hope these five go quick and nobody else goes with them." He says lightly. Loona glances at the list.
"There are six of them. Not five." She says as Douglas points to Stolas, causing her to flinch.
"Apparently this guy doesn't count. He's not an overlord, and so I have no need to kill him." He states. Loona shivers a little.
"Do you have any idea who he is?" She asks nervously. Douglas shrugs.
"It doesn't matter, because I'm not gonna go for him." He says as he turns to the stairs. "Well, you have a nice night. I hope you do well in your redemption arc." He says to her as he starts walking up the stairs. Loona turns around and sighs.
"He's gonna get himself killed... maybe I shouldn't interfere." She says quietly as she thinks about Blitzo and walks to the bar. Meanwhile, Charlie picks up her phone.
"Hello?" A young boy's voice answers on the other end.
"Hey." Charlie responds quietly.
"Princess! It's been a while! What can I do for you?" He asks eagerly.
"Get your brother and come to the hotel tomorrow morning. I need your help with one of my guests." She replies.
Author's Note: And, cut! As this story unravels, I keep having more ideas and it's making the story take longer than expected. But I hope you like my next chapter as it will act as a transition chapter. And I really hope you liked Augustus because I wanted to make him dynamic!
Anyways, next chapter soon.
Deceased:
Katie Killjoy