"So, what do you think?" Charlie asked with a smile as she looked at her aunt. She was eager to hear her thoughts as the group rode an elevator back down to the ground floor.
The tour through the Happy Hotel was enjoyable, and not just for the Angel of Death. As Nifty and Charlie took turns showing Azrael everything they could, many conversations were had. Some focused on her position as death itself, while others were about her interests. But regardless of the topic, everyone was delighted to talk with Azrael, for she was very pleasant.
"It's lovely, Charlie," Azrael answered, causing her niece's smile to grow. "What you're trying to do here is beyond commendable. I'll never understand why your father has elected to be an ass about it. Even if he explained it to me." She said.
"Does that mean you don't agree with the Extermination?" Alastor inquired, IMMENSELY curious to know where she stood.
However, Azrael didn't immediately respond. She wanted to think about it for a few seconds before saying anything.
"I believe that the Extermination is necessary. However, I do not condone how it has been conducted since its conception. It should be used to deal with souls who will never acknowledge their evils and faults. Those who would rather continue to revel in Sin than attempt to better themselves. But it isn't. Instead, it's essentially scattershot. The worst Hell has to offer can continue living so long as they prepare.
In contrast, those whose Sins are far lesser are often the only ones slain. The Extermination has never improved the overpopulation and countless other issues of Hell. And if Lucifer says otherwise, he's lying through his teeth." Azrael told them. Her voice was cold, with a tone that could be interpreted as resentful.
Hearing Azrael talk this way was honestly shocking. She'd been warm and friendly the entire time. Yet now, it was the exact opposite.
"Forgive me, Azrael." Alastor apologized, which caught her by surprise. "I didn't mean to bring up an unpleasant topic and ruin your mood." He explained.
"Oh, no, Alastor. You've done nothing of the sort." Azrael assured with a smile. "My brother's refusal to listen to ANYONE because HE knows everything is something I've had to deal with since we were children. Luckily for us, Charlie takes after her mother. Whom I pity has to endure my sibling every day." She stated.
"Aw, come on, auntie. Dad's not THAT bad." Charlie replied, defending her dad even though everything Azrael said was true.
"Charlie, I love you. But you cannot let your father slide on this. Even IF there weren't any issues with how the Extermination is carried out every year, YOU are his DAUGHTER. He should be supporting you. That is the BARE MINIMUM he can do." Azrael argued.
"I have been saying that to her for an entire year now..." Vagatha sighed. She also loved Charlie. But her girlfriend's unending well of kindness and understanding could be difficult at times.
Ding
Interrupting their conversation was the sound of the elevator arriving at the ground floor. Followed promptly by the doors opening to allow them to exit. Yet as everyone stepped out of the lift, Alastor abruptly stopped, which didn't go unnoticed.
"Al?" Angel Dust, who'd been right next to him, was the first to react. "Is something up?" He asked.
"...I smell blood," Alastor answered, causing the others' eyes to widen immediately.
"Wait, what? What do you mean you smell blood?" Vagatha questioned. Appropriately so, as this seemed to come from nowhere.
"Blood. As in the sticky red stuff that's inside most people. I smell it. It's fresh." Alastor informed before pointing his cane down the hall. "And it's coming from the lobby." He revealed.
Although still surprised and confounded by this information. It didn't take long for every member of the group, minus Azrael, to remember that someone hadn't been with them during the tour.
"Husk!" Charlie exclaimed in realization before she ran towards the lobby.
Everyone else followed behind with equal haste. They hadn't been gone THAT long. How did something happen? What COULD have happened?!
Reaching and entering the lobby within seconds, everyone instantly looked at the front desk, expecting Husk to be there. Only to find that he wasn't.
"Fucking FINALLY..." Husk, his voice, called out to them from somewhere nearby. "You took your sweet ass time, ya bunch of fucking assholes..." He cursed, accompanied by a few grunts.
Following the voice back to the source, the group discovered a ghastly sight. Husk was lying on his stomach in a growing pool of blood not far from the front doors. It looked like he'd been pulling himself forward with his arms, trying to make it back to the other side of the room. The cause for this and the blood were four concerningly large wounds on his torso; two on his shoulders and two near his waist.
Another thing about this scene that could offer answers was a set of four openings on the front doors. They seemed to match Husk's injuries in appearance, suggesting a connection. But this particular detail would go unnoticed by the group. That is understandable, considering their friend was bleeding out on the floor.
"HOLY SHIT!" Angel Dust shouted in alarm, voicing everyone's thoughts upon seeing this horrific scene. Followed by all of them rushing to his aid.
"Husk! What happened?!" Charlie asked, unable to keep herself from panicking.
"Ugh...the wonders of working the fucking front desk..." Husk grunted in reply as Vagatha and Angel Dust worked together to lift him.
The duo moved him to a nearby couch and laid him down as quickly as possible. All the while trying their best to avoid causing him more pain.
"Nifty, go and get some first-aid supplies!" Vagatha ordered, to which the cycloptic redhead obeyed without wasting a second.
"Just get me something from the top shelf!...I'll be fine..." Husk called after her.
"Husk, YOU ARE BLEEDING PROFUSELY," Vagatha shouted in his face, baffled by his attitude to the situation.
"Eh, it's just a flesh wound..." Husk said with a small shrug.
"Dude, I can see your fucking bones. This ain't a flesh wound. Someone wanted to skewer your ass." Angel Dust argued.
"I've had worse..." Husk countered. His nonchalance was becoming borderline psychotic. That, or he was being entirely truthful. If so, WHAT has he been through to where this is something minor?!
"Husk," Alastor interjected. To Husk's surprise, he said his actual name rather than the nickname he always used. "Tell us what happened. Who did this to you?" He inquired.
Taking a moment to look at the concerned faces surrounding him, Husk, after a sigh, proceeded to recount the experience.
The Happy Hotel Lobby A Short While Ago...
"Those people are fucking psychopaths..." Husk grumbled, pouring himself another shot. "The ANGEL OF DEATH shows up, and they treat it like nothing. Charlie, I can understand; it's her aunt. But the rest of'em are out of their goddamn minds..." He said before downing the liquor.
By now, the others were most likely halfway done with the tour. The hotel was a big place, but with Nifty and Charlie acting as tour guides, it wouldn't take long to go from top to bottom and then back again. Husk figured three minutes had passed before he returned to reality. He was just so flabbergasted by the presence of death incarnate, more so than everyone else.
And now, he was doing what any responsible person would do after such an experience. Self medicate.
"Ah, that hits the spot." Husk breathed out in contentment as he put the glass on the desk. "The silence ain't too bad, either. Just what I need after all that bullshit." He said with a rare smile.
Sadly, that smile would fade just as swiftly as it appeared. The cause? Sounds of a vehicle driving up to the hotel and stopping.
"Of course..." Husk sighed. Whenever things seemed to go his way, life had to remind him that wasn't possible. "It's probably Lucifer, again. I wonder if he's brought God himself for a visit now?" He carried on as he got up from his seat and headed for the entrance. Thinking it'd be better to welcome the devil rather than somehow anger him by making him wait.
Upon reaching the twin doors, Husk pulled only one open, not seeing a need to do so with both. However, he'd immediately slam it shut. Because whoever had arrived wasn't the ruler of Hell. If anything, it was the WORST possible person who could've.
"Shit!" Husk exclaimed, quickly securing the entrance via the many locks on the doors. "What the fuck is the news doing here already? I thought Charlie said it'd be hours?!" He questioned.
Right as the Hellcat finished setting the last lock, someone knocked on the doors' surface from outside. The voice that came afterward sent a genuine chill down his spine.
"Hello~" The voice of a woman cheerily called out. "I saw you open the door. No point in trying to act like you're not there~" The voice informed, speaking directly to him.
"Yeah? Well then, you saw me slam it shut, too. You know, the universal sign for I don't want to talk to you; go away." Husk responded, making the woman laugh.
"I didn't know this place had such SPIRITED employees." The voice admitted. But how she said it was unnerving. She was forcing herself to be nice, either to try and trick him or get on his good side so he'd let her in.
"Yeah, well, maybe if you did an actual story about it rather than constantly shit talk it on the news, ya might learn something." Husk suggested, earning him another laugh.
"Shit talk? No, I'd never. I state the facts, otherwise known as the obvious. If you have issues with ANYTHING I've said, perhaps you should look at yourself and ask, what's wrong with me?" The voice countered.
"Huh, maybe you're right. Perhaps I do need some self-reflection. But I won't be able to do that if someone's around. So, why don't you leave so I can start working on myself?" Husk proposed.
...Silence. That was terrifying. No further comebacks or the sound of departing footsteps. But there's no way that this situation was reaching a peaceful resolution; that'd be impossible.
Yet Husk wasn't about to do something stupid, such as unlock the doors, to try and see what was going on. He was fine with returning to his desk, resuming drinking, and leaving that bitch outside. That is when life, in a far worse way, would once again remind Husk that things could never go how he wanted.
Within the blink of an eye, four white-colored blade-like appendages pierced the doors. The length and reach of the limbs were more than enough to reach him. Letting out a sharp yell of pain as each one went into and through his torso at various places, Husk was then immediately slammed into the doors as the appendages retracted.
"Aw, I'm sorry. I got tired of our little game." The voice from before spoke again. No longer was its owner trying to feign politeness; this was the real her.
"That's...ngh...a shame...I thought...we were...getting along..." Husk replied. He was holding up impressively well despite being pressed against the hotel doors while impaled in four different places.
"Heh, I will admit, you can hold your own. Better than the dyke you work for." The voice complimented him. To Husk, THAT was the most surprising thing that had happened thus far. "Speaking of, where is she? I caught wind that she and the rest of the upper class know what's happening with the Exterminators and Heaven. Do you think I could maybe get a quick interview?" She asked.
"Even...if...I let you in...what do you think she'd do?..." Husk inquired, genuinely curious. "You two...are like fire and gunpowder...any time you get near each other...there's always an explosion..." He pointed out.
"Hm, true. But this doesn't concern her idealistic delusion that Sinners can be redeemed. This is something important that affects ALL of us. As the princess of Hell, she has to speak to me. Otherwise, how will the people know what's happening?" The voice explained.
"Wait...to read it...in the paper?..." Husk guessed. Amazingly, this received a sincere laugh.
"Alright, that was good. For that, I'll let you go." The voice told him before removing its limbs from his body, which in turn caused him to fall to the floor. "But be sure to tell your boss I want to speak to her. I'll give her...thirty, forty-five minutes to find you and get the message. After that, I'll come back." She instructed.
"And...if she...still doesn't let you in?..." Husk asked after reclaiming the wind that escaped his lungs when he hit the ground.
"Then I'll have a new breaking scoop to tell everyone in Hell. Royal family conspiracy! Has the princess made a deal with the Exterminators? To force Sinners to stay at her hotel less they want to be slaughtered in their homes? Has the devil and his wife allowed Heaven full access, and now no one is safe? The people will love it." The voice answered.
"Okay...I'll be sure...to mention that..." Husk promised as he laid his head down, needing to rest for a few seconds before attempting to move.
"Great, thank you so much." The voice replied. Yet again, with unexpected sincerity. "Hope you don't bleed out before she finds you, though~" She said for her farewell before departing.
The Happy Hotel Lobby, Present...
"After that, I got some stamina back. And I used it to try and reach the front desk. I figured it'd hurt less if I were sloshed out of my fucking mind." Husk concluded.
At the beginning of his tale, Nifty had returned. As she and Vagatha worked together to patch him up, they listened alongside the others.
"Husk...I'm so sorry..." Charlie apologized, a horrible sickly feeling steadily growing inside of her. "If I hadn't been so excited about my aunt being her, we would've been in the lobby with you." She said.
"Nah. It's been a while since something bad happened to me. I was overdue to get my ass kicked." Husk responded, not wanting her to blame herself.
"Husk, NO." Nifty scolded, giving him a disapproving glare. "You did NOT deserve this. If you say that again, I'll slap you." She warned.
"Oof. You'd slap a man who's been stabbed four times? You're worse than I thought, Nifty." Husk joked with a smirk. Again, his laid-back attitude to this ordeal was confounding.
"Glad to see all the blood you've lost hasn't worsened your personality," Vagatha remarked as she and Nifty finished dressing his wounds. "But in all seriousness, what're we going to do?" She asked, speaking to Charlie.
"Well, I don't know about all of you. But I'm going to wait for whoever this woman is to return so that she and I can chat." Azrael informed.
"Auntie, while I appreciate that, you can't." Charlie denied. "And not just because of your position. You're meant to be here in SECRET. If Katie, of all people, found out about you, the rest of Hell would know within minutes. Maybe even faster." She told her.
"Katie? That's her name?" Azrael asked for confirmation.
"Yeah, Katie Killjoy. Meanest bitch in all of Hell." Angel Dust answered as he crossed his arms. "Honestly, you've got to respect her. She's not a royal, Noble, or Overlord. But she's just as powerful. She's made herself indispensable as the face of Hell's news. And even though she's probably got as many enemies as anyone, nobody can touch her. Katie's as smart as she is ruthless, so she's got something on EVERYBODY. Try and take her down; she could cause Hell-wide rioting and chaos with nothing more than a few whispers going into the right ears." He explained.
"My, Angel. That's impressive." Alastor commended. "How do you know so much? I thought your only interests were men, sex, and drugs?" He inquired.
"Pfft, you kidding? Do you know how many big wigs Val's lent me out to whose dicks I was sucking while they were in the middle of need-to-know phone calls? Her name comes up as often as any of the biggest people in Hell. That bitch is connected and constantly making moves." Angel responded.
"Gee, don't fanboy too much," Vagatha commented, making him roll his eyes.
"Hey, game respects game. I am exceptional at making people's toes curl, and she's masterful at manipulating everyone around her to get whatever she wants. I never said I liked her, only that you shouldn't be fucking stupid and try some shit because she's got everything worked out." Angel Dust argued.
"Spider boy brings up a good point, boss." Husk interjected, getting all eyes back on him. "Even if you turn Katie away the second time she shows up. And most people don't believe her when she starts spreading lies. Her bringing attention to you and your parents will put focus on us. Which will make keeping your aunt a secret WAY harder." He explained. "Also, why IS she here? Neither of you told us. And considering things are about to get crazier. We should know." He said.
However, in reaction to that, everyone seemed uncomfortable. Almost as if...
"YOU FUCKERS KNOW!?" Husk shouted, followed by wincing as that agitated his injuries.
"We talked about a lot!" Nifty replied, feeling guilty that Husk was the last to find out only because they left him alone in the lobby, which led to his now battered state.
"Don't worry, Husker. We'll catch you up to speed." Alastor promised while patting his head. "As we do, Charlie, I think you, your aunt, and Vagatha should discuss our plan for Katie once she's returned." He suggested.
"Good idea, Al." Charlie agreed with a nod and a look of determination. "Auntie, Vaggie, let's get to work." She told them.
Watching the trio of ladies take their leave to go to Charlie's office. The only one left out was Angel Dust, who hadn't been given a role.
"So...uh...what do I do?" Angel Dust asked.
"How about you go to the bar and get us as much booze as you can carry? I'm gonna need it to get through this shit." Husk suggested, making the spider demon grin.
"Husk, you know how to make a man happy." Angel Dust replied before nearly running to the front desk to get ALL the good liquor they had.
Meanwhile...
Cold. That's how Olivia felt right now. To be honest, it was perfection. Although she hadn't been in Hell for very long, she quickly grew sick of the never-changing temperature. This chill that covered her body was bliss. She didn't want to wake up out of fear that it was only a dream.
But she needed to. Olivia remembered everything that led to this slumber. She'd been with Doomguy. He took her somewhere. There was a stone with markings. And upon touching it, she saw everything.
Well, maybe not everything. That was a HUGE assumption on her part. Yet even if Olivia hadn't seen all she was meant to, she saw enough to give herself an understanding.
So much made sense now. Doomguy's lack of hesitation when killing the Exterminators. The secrecy of his and Samuel's existence, along with their operation. And why demons who acted like people were such a difficult concept for them to grasp.
Doom. That word repeated itself in Olivia's mind alongside the sounds and visions she'd been exposed to via the stone. Was it the name of that place? A warning to keep people away? Or did the word subconsciously manifest itself as it was the only one that could properly describe it?
Olivia believed it to be the former. Why else would Doomguy be referred to as such? But that only raised SO many more questions. Such as how a normal man, albeit one with an unrivaled physique, could EVER have a connection with that accursed realm.
Olivia needed answers, and she needed them now. Yet she wasn't to get them as long as she remained asleep. Slowly at first, then progressively faster, Oliva willed herself back into the waking world. An advantage she had, unlike before, is that she knew where she was and what was going on.
This eliminated any wasted time spent being confused or dazed. Someone, most likely Samuel, had brought her back to the room she woke up in after Doomguy saved her. Further proving to Olivia that his concern for her and the other Sinners of her Hell was real and not a façade to earn her trust. After ensuring she could stand and walk without falling over, she hurried to the elevator to get back to Samuel's office.
During the ride, Olivia wondered how long she'd been out. A few minutes? An hour? Possibly even more? Her interaction with the stone was exhausting; it wouldn't surprise her if her rest had lasted for a considerable time.
She didn't have long to ponder it before reaching her destination, another question that would need an answer. Yet as Olivia approached and drew closer to Samuel's office, she could hear what sounded like yelling from within the room. It was muffled, so she couldn't fully understand what was being said. But since there were only two other people besides herself on mars, and one of them was mute, it didn't take much guesswork to deduce whose voice that was.
However, when the door opened, allowing her to see what was going on, Olivia saw what appeared to be a standoff between Doomguy and Samuel. They were as close to each other as they could be. Not even an inch of distance between them. Doomguy stared up at the blue optic of Samuel just as he stared down into his visor.
"What're you going to do? Punch me? Break off my arm and beat me with it?" Samuel questioned as he poked Doomguy in his chest. "You were reckless. You don't want to admit it because it would confirm that you can make mistakes. The infallible hero, capable of error and misjudgment like the rest of us. It doesn't matter what the intention was; you put her at risk. We still know so little, but that wasn't on your mind. You just wanted to throw her head first into the deep end and hope nothing bad would happen. Be it to her or us." He told him.
Amazingly, there was no reaction from Doomguy, not even the clenching of his fists in annoyance or potentially anger. He kept staring at Samuel; his unblinking gaze said everything. Although fairly certain no actual blows would be traded, Olivia still felt she needed to intervene.
"Excuse me," Olivia spoke up, surprising them both.
"You're awake. And you don't appear to be suffering from what happened." Samuel responded, quickly assessing her condition.
"Suffering? No. But that doesn't mean I'm unaffected." Olivia said as she stepped closer. "But before you say or do anything, I want to state how I feel regarding what I've learned." She told them.
In response, Samuel and Doomguy remained silent, which was the go-ahead for her to continue.
"I would have appreciated a warning before you put my hand on that stone. However, with that said, I understand why you didn't. As I reflect on everything, I don't believe there's any amount or combination of words that would've prepared me." Olivia admitted, now adorning a look of determination. "But that doesn't mean I regret knowing. If anything, I want and need to learn more. The only question is will you allow me to? Or do the two of you plan on dealing with this by yourselves?" She asked.
"You say that as if you intend to help." Samuel noticed. "Regardless of whether or not we share more of Doom, would you not prefer to return to the life you have in your Hell? To go back to some form of normalcy given the circumstances?" He inquired.
"Heh, maybe. If there was something close to a life waiting for me." Olivia replied with a chuckle and a sad smile. Her hands moved to her arms to grip her sleeves. "Truth be told, had I not been saved by the both of you, my death at the Exterminators' hands would've been a blessing. I have nothing. So, if I did go back home, with or without more knowledge of Doom, I'd just be walking back into an existence that isn't worth it. Even if you don't let me help you in whatever small way I can, I hope you let me stay. I don't want to go back, please." She told them, nearly begging by the end.
For a few seconds, time seemed to stand still. Olivia's eyes, nearly closed, looked at the floor rather than Samuel or Doomguy. She was nervous about their decision. As well as worried that if they disagreed they'd continue fighting.
"...There'd be no point in sending you back." Samuel eventually spoke, getting her to return her gaze to him. "Our ultimate goal is to help and protect others. To serve them as best we can. Forcing you to leave would not only disregard your wants and feelings but would also directly put you in an unsafe environment. Essentially, we'd be allowing danger to befall you. That is unacceptable." He said.
"So...does that mean you'll allow me to help?" Olivia asked, still unsure of where he stood on that.
"Any assistance you can provide will greatly help us both. Unfortunately, as of right now, you aren't capable of doing so. You know far too little about our technology, Doom, and much more. So, if you're not intimidated by overcoming that hurdle, even if it should take a very long time, we welcome you with open arms as both a resident and partner." Samuel answered.
Hearing that filled Olivia with joy. The most she'd felt since her death. But she wouldn't lose her composure because of it. Instead, she merely smiled and responded with:
"Where do I start?"