Warning: This chapter is probably one of the darkest things I have, or ever will, write. I'm not going to spoil what happens because it's kinda plot-integral. But reader be warned, this is why this story was rated 'M', aside from the langauge. If you're easily upset, you may want to dip out for this chapter and come back for the next one.

Another week had passed, and Mad Dawg was still… in a weird place. He had spent three days working to repair his room, the doors and walls. He had refused to let Dust do it as to him, this was his issue, and he needed to deal with it. He had spent some time working with Charlie and Vaggie on redemption, but rather than a therapy session, Charlie had tried a new tactic; chill.

"So, look. I know we've been over this, but let me see if I've got it." Charlie had remarked. "You're a living weapon teenager, made by a terrorist organization, who rebelled and ended up joining the organization your creators have been fighting for years?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Mad Dawg had nodded. Vaggie had laughed slightly at that, thinking it to be a bit ridiculous, but after he showed her some of the videos he had shown Charlie, she found it much harder to disbelieve his claims.

"All right, cool beans… You say you've done some bad things in the past, but from everything you've told us, I don't think there's too much you've done that would keep you here forever…"

"Yay!"

"The question is, where do we go from here?" Vaggie had remarked, warming up to the mutant teen's oddball behaviour. "You've tried to help people in hell, but that hasn't worked perfectly, do you have any ideas?"

"Um… okay, stupid, stupid idea… but maybe I could befriend and reform an Overlord?"

The pair of demons had gone quiet at that, and then Vaggie had started laughing, clearly believing Mad Dawg wasn't serious. However, she had quickly stopped when she saw that Dawg appeared to be serious.

"Wait. Really!?"

"I mean… I dunno." Mad Dawg had shrugged.

Presently, Mad Dawg had been helping Nifty in the kitchen, as he couldn't think of anything better to do. He had grown to like the hyperactive cyclops, as she reminded him of Lena in a lot of ways. Actually, a number of the demons he had met down here reminded him of his family. There was something weird about it, but hey. It was what it was. As he left, Angel Dust had appeared and gotten his attention.

"Hey, Dawg. Could you do me a favor?"

"…maybe." Mad Dawg replied, knowing a 'favor' in hell could mean any NUMBER of things, for better and worse. He and Dust weren't on perfect terms again, but maybe… maybe this would be a way to help fix that! "What's up?"

"Charlie's getting on me about doing good deeds and stuff." The Porn Star sighed dramatically. "I'm stuck doing some stuff today with her, and I need to get these letters delivered." He continued holding up the envelopes. "Before you ask, I'm not texting these messages because pretty much anyone can see what gets sent over the VoxNet…"

"That's all?" Dawg asked, skeptically.

"That's all. Just show up, drop em' off, leave." Dust nodded matter-of-factly.

"And you can't do this because…?"

"Because Vags doesn't like where I've gotta deliver these too." Angel Dust muttered. Mad Dawg looked at the letters, then nodded.

"Fine. But you owe me." Dawg nodded.

"Thanks kid." Dust smirked, flashing his golden tooth. "And hey, no hard feelings, right?"

"Right." Mad Dawg nodded, looking away awkwardly before walking away. Once he was gone, Dust sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, little guy…" He muttered.

It took about twenty minutes of walking and ten minutes on a tram, but Dawg ended up at the first location he was supposed to drop a letter off at. Even though he had been here a few times now (including a twice in the past week) he still felt uncomfortable entering the porno studios. But… hey. He was doing a favour for a friend, this would be in and out-

"Ugh…" Mad Dawg mentally groaned at the unintentional-double-entendre-pun.

Whatever. Walking into the building, he looked around before walking over to the reception desk and patiently waiting for the demoness behind the desk to finish her phone call. She recognized Mad Dawg from the previous times he had passed through, but hadn't spoken to him yet.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I have a letter for Valentino." Mad Dawg nodded, flashing the letter. "Is there a place I can drop it off?"

"Behind you."

Turning around, Mad Dawg blinked then felt his body get hit by about six different emotional shocks as he saw the tall figure of the moth demon lord standing behind him. Aside from the first time he had come here-

"Again. Ugh."

-he hadn't directly met or talked with Valentino. There was something extremely unsettling about him, and after how upset Dust had gotten over the fact that they had met, Dawg had decided to try and avoid him. Sure, he didn't care too much about what Dust thought or wanted him to do, but this was one of the few things he was willing to give to the Spider.

"Okay. Cool." Mad Dawg said calmly, giving Val the letter. Unfortunately, he was in an awkward position where he couldn't walk past the demon lord and leave, and was left waiting as the tall demon read the letter, his eyes narrowing in agitation, then returning to normal, before casting a glance from the letter to Mad Dawg, then back to the letter.

"So, you're this Mad T-Bone Dog guy Velvet's been goin' on about." Valentino commented casually, and Mad Dawg frowned trying to think of what to say or do. Also debating if punching and running would be a good idea… no. It most certainly wasn't.

"Yeah." Mad Dawg nodded. "I don't think we've met more than in passing."

"Yeah, that's just the way it is sometimes." Valentino shrugged. Something about his eyes made Dawg nervous, there was a sort of hunger to them that he couldn't explain. "I was kinda hoping we could meet at some point."

"…right…"

"Hey, it's all right, I'm just bein' friendly."

"Right."

"Listen, why don't you come on and grab a drink with Vel and me?" Valentino commented, motioning back to the bar area. Mad Dawg looked, thinking it over.

"Thanks for the offer, but I gotta go." Mad dawg muttered, only for someone to grab his hand. His ears pointed back as he let out a low growl, turning and seeing Velvet holding his hand. This time, he felt off, he didn't like this. He pulled free, and then felt something blow in his face, a bright red smoke billowed into his face, and seemed to seep into his mind. "Rrgh…"

"Hey, it's all right Dawg." Velvet smiled. "C'monnn!"

"No." Mad Dawg said pulling free. He walked a few feet away and coughed. Blinking in confusion, before looking around, down at his hands, and then looking back at the demon Overlord. "…wh…what were we talking about?"

"We were gonna get a drink. You want one?"

"Sure!"

Angel Dust groaned in annoyance as he sprawled out in the limo as he, Charlie and Vaggie drove towards… whatever the hell they were going to do… He had forgotten at this point… In all honesty, he wouldn't claim he wanted out of hell, but he wouldn't claim he wanted to stay either…

"…where we can help you get back…"

"UUUGGGHHHH…" Dust mentally moaned. Again, he was of multiple minds of Charlie and Vaggie. The latter he really didn't care for, aside from pissing her off (which he found amusing) but the former? Man… she was something else. Not in the typical 'Man, I love her' or 'Wow, she's different' or 'Oh, I thought you were a woman' kind of way. More so in the 'I have no idea what you really want from me' kind of way.

"…after everything that's happened recently and…"

Still, he would never say it, but deep, deep down he appreciated what Charlie was doing (or trying to do). There wa something to say about her optimism and compassion that was kind of nice, a sort-of bright spot in the fires and bleak darkness of hell…

"…what happened to him, anyway?"

But then that raised a question for him. Where was HE in all this? Seeking redemption? Seeking pleasure? Somewhere in-between? Some people may think about this for hours on end on online forums or in their mind, questioning the intricacies of his mind and personality…

"…I hope the little cutie's okay…"

But to Dust? The truth was this; he was who he was. He was a vulgar, crass, drug-addicted porn star. He loved who he was, in his own twisted, demented way, he was fine with what he did, with who he was. So why was he finding himself questioning this right now?

"…Angel?"

Agh… he hated when this happened! Every now and then, a little worm would show up and niggle about in his mind, asking questions about his life choices, about the things he had done, trying to understand if he was in the right or wrong. But he didn't get it. They were in hell; therefore, he was in the wrong! But as he had told himself, he was fine with who he was. He was fine with the choices he made, he was fine with-

"Angel…?"

-the things that he had done. He was here, he was queer, he was sinful, why would he give that up? It's not like he had anyone on the other side he wanted to see again. Well, aside from his mother, but hey, she was probably better off not seeing him after everything that had happened in his life, and after everything he had done and said, and everyone he had done…

"…Dust?"

But, again, who cared?! Why should he change for what everyone else wanted him to be?! He wasn't what they wanted, and they could all get bend if they wanted otherwise! He was who he was, he was happy, he was doing what he loved, that's what he told himself, that's what he had been told, that's what-

"Angel Dust?"

"Wha?" The Porn Star muttered, snapping back to reality. He looked to Charlie and Vaggie, who actually seemed… kind of concerned. "What?"

"Where's Mad Dawg? Nifty said he's not at the Hotel." Charlie said, a note of concern in her tone as she looked up from her phone.

"Oh, right. I sent him to deliver some letters for me." Dust said dismissively.

"…to who?"


"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Valentino was doubled over laughing at this point. "No! You didn't!"

"Yes!" Mad Dawg laughed. "So, I wake up, completely naked, and just start running. Turns out this guy named Don Kim, a nearly 300-year-old Yakuza crime lord needed a heart transplant, so they took mine. They put a freakin' car battery into my chest and somehow that worked! So, I'm running around, just hacking apart anyone I see with a chainsaw."

"Oh God! What happened after that!?"

"Well, it turns out this old dude, Don Kim? Yeah, he's super chill!" Mad Dawg grinned, taking another drink. "So, it turns out there was a mistake and they were supposed to put a new heart in after taking mine. But I ended up killing the doctors before they could perform that operation, so we pissed around for a bit, and I had to live with a car battery for a heart for about two days!"

Mad Dawg didn't know why he had been so nervous about the Overlord… sure, he was kinda weird, but so was Dawg! He didn't feel like they'd be best friends, or really anything other than passing acquaintances, but he was beginning to feel more and more like his paranoia had been for naught. Dawg also knew the proper precautions to protect himself. He had never looked away from his drink, he hadn't drank anything he hadn't seen poured, and so on. Dawg knew from the first time he came here the dangers of drinking with this crew… Why was he- Oh… he… he was alone! Yeah he- he..he…he was alone in this… holy crap what was happening!?

"Whoa… little guy… you good?" A calm, soft voice spoke, Mad Dawg believed it was Valentino… but it could've been Vox… or Dust… "Yo. You in there?!"

The sound of snapping fingers gave Dawg something to swim towards, a sound to focus on as he tried to pull himself back up. This didn't make any sense! He hadn't been the only one drinking, he had seen what they had been drinking too, so why weren't they feeling anything?!

"What… what's happening to me?" Mad Dawg muttered, another puff of Val's smoke hittinf his face. Again, it seemed to seep into his body through his nose, making his brain swim and-

Yeah… yeah, he was high. Mad Dawg blinked as the world began to blur, everything tiling back-and-forth. He didn't get it… he had been so careful! They had all been drinking the same stuff, they- they…

"Hey… settle down little guy…" A voice spoke. He didn't hear what was spoken next though…

"Took him long enough…"

"Ugh… I hate drinking Psykik Juice. Why couldn't we just do this the old-fashioned way?"

"You see how big this bastard is? There's no way we'd get control before he woke up… I know that shit tastes sour as hell, but we've all done it enough. Get over it! Get the stuff ready!"

Mad Dawg found himself stumbling forward, being led back to a couch and being seated on it. The glass he held slipped from his hand, spilling the spiked drink all over his chest fur as it clattered to the ground. What Dawg couldn't tell is that he wasn't the only one who had been drugged…

"What's… happening…"

"Just… listen, kid." The voice kept speaking as what looked like a screen appeared in front of Dawg's face. Whatever was on it looked like one of those headache-inducing optical illusions. He couldn't look away, and it felt like his skull was tightening in on his brain. "Just listen…"

"No… NO… NO!"

"It's okay, everything's gonna be just fine…"

"NO, IT'S NOT!"

"…I get it. You're in hell, this is new and frightening to you… but that's why I'm asking you to listen, I wanna help you…"

"I need to go…" Mad Dawg muttered, weakly pulling free from whatever was holding onto him, only to feel something wrap around his neck. "I need to go back… I can't stay…"

"Hey, hey… hey… settle down kid." The voice spoke again, and something tightened on Dawg's neck. This didn't cause him to calm down, quite the opposite. His heartrate spiked aggressively and he felt his arms snap up to his neck, grabbing and snapping whatever was at his throat. His hearing was going in and out of commission, but he could hear the shocked yells from those in the room.

"Mad Dawg." Valentino's voice spoke up once more, and Dawg saw the rose-tinted glint of his glasses reflecting the light as his vision darkened. "Look at me. It's okay, you can trust me. I'm here to help."

"No. You're not." Mad Dawg growled out, feeling like something was snaking into his mind. "I know… what you… want…"

"You can trust me." The Overlord repeated. "I'm here to help."

"No. I can't." Mad Dawg mumbled, then felt something press against his mouth, as if something was being forced down his throat. He fought it, but it was just a drink… it tasted nice, it was cooling… wait. What was he just thinking about?

He had that weird feeling again, the feeling inside him he went through when he had that weird dream… thing. When he was drinking with Velvet. He felt weak, tired, but also happy… this wasn't a normal ganja high though, he felt different. He felt like something was holding onto his heart and gently pulling him along. He struggled to gain control of his mind, of his body… but they both seemed to be acting on their own, and neither was communicating with him.

"You can trust me." Valentino repeated, a hand on Dawg's cheek now.

"I…I can trust you." Mad Dawg blinked, coughing and recollecting himself. "Yeah… I can trust you."

"That's better…" Valentino smiled, flashing his demonic teeth. "All right then… so, Velvet's gonna take you into the next room, and you're gonna get cleaned up, okay? I need your help with something, and I need you looking… better. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah… yeah…" Mad Dawg muttered, being led into the next room, but the second he stepped into the room, he heard a loud techno song blaring, literally out of nowhere. Colours swam and danced around him as the bass made his fur shake. Everything went black, then Dawg found himself at a bar, then on a dance floor, then in a chair, being cleaned up, then…

This is the mantra, this is my life you're playing with now till the end of the night!

Surrounded by fire, the passion ignites, a hit of that heaven and hell, a helluva high~!

"Velvet…"

"Sup, sweetie?"

"Please… I wanna go…"

"Ha, aww… no you don't." She laughed gently, wiping something from Mad Dawg's fur. "Just relax! Just relax and let us take care of you… you're safe here, you're not gonna be hurt…"

"I'm… I'm not…?"

"No, okay? You're safe here."

"I need to… I need… I need a drink…"

Mad Dawg had no idea how long he had been there… maybe it was a few hours, maybe it was a few seconds… but he began to come back to reality and groaned in annoyance. He felt like his brain was over-acting… that had to be it.

"Ugh…" He muttered. "Val, what's up?"

"Just through here." The Overlord nodded. Mad Dawg nodded in response and walked through the nearby doorway. He walked out onto a large room, where many demons seemed to be holding equipment, or talking with one another.

"Huh… uh… okay." Mad Dawg muttered.

"Just keep walkin'." Valentino remarked, taking a seat on a large couch as two demonesses seemed to drape themselves over him. Mad Dawg blinked, looking around as what speared to be several cameras circled around him. In front of him, there was a bed, or… something, and a smaller demon was being forced onto it, and literally chained to it. THAT got Dawg's attention. That seemed wrong on MANY levels.

"What… what the hell…" He muttered, looking down in shock.

"All yours, big fella." One of the demons laughed as he walked away.

"sO! ThErE is sOmEOne yOu CarE foR!" A memory flashed, the demon was gone, replaced with a small girl locked In a cage with drills on either side of her. "I think yoUR gorWIng aS a HUMAn, frEAK!"

"Wait… what are you…"

"Rolling!" Someone called. The lights changed, and Dawg looked at the demon in front of him. She was terrified, broken, and beaten… so horrifically beaten… Was this a joke?! Was this just… make up!? His mind began racing at a million miles a minute, trying to figure out what was happening.

"Hold on. What's going on?" Mad Dawg asked aloud. Yes, he knew this place made adult entertainment, but this… this was wrong. They couldn't really expect-

"Show your skills!" The director called.

The smoke hit Dawg's face, and tasted foul. Sure, Dawg had smoked… a bit. In his life, but this tasted like… it tasted like the smoke itself was made of sin. Still, it also felt nice, it made him relaxed, as if nothing really mattered here and now. He turned around and looked at the small Imp on the bed, not noticing she was terrified. A chain wrapped around her neck attached to some sort of twisted collar, and her body seemed bruised, clearly having been beaten and battered on multiple occasions. No matter how far his down his brain was swimming, this snapped him to reality, everything rushing back and terror gripping his body.

"Please… I just…" The woman quietly wheezed, but someone yanked on a chain, making her cry out in pain.

"No improv!"

"Hold on. Did she agree to this!?" Mad Dawg demanded, turning around in anger. The demons looked to one another, then all broke down into hysterics. Their mocking laughter echoed around the set, slicing through Mad Dawg's whole body as his stomach began turning. His mind flashed slightly and he stuttered a breath as he saw himself… and he was surrounded by Husks… they dragged him to the operating table and forced him into restraints…

"Aw, kiddo. You're really new. Ain't ya?" Valentino laughed. "This is hell! Now… Do. Your damn. JOB!"

Hearing the clicking of hammers, Mad Dawg spun around, seeing several of the workers who seemed to have been simply watching, were now holding guns. It all made sense… this is what Angel's plan was. He still thought Dawg and Molly had slept together… so this was his plan to get even…

"YoU shOuLd've lIsTeNEd tO yOUr gUt." A voice laughed mockingly in his mind, growing louder and louder. "NoW bENd oVEr and nAiL tHiS-"

"No." Mad Dawg scowled, speaking softly. However, his simple reply was heard, and everyone looked to him in annoyance or curiosity. Then the room seemed to grow colder.

"I don't care who you think you are, but you're under my-" The Director began, but trailed off as Valentino stepped up, putting a hand on his shoulder. Now the confusion turned to fear, and Mad Dawg felt it too. There was something about Valentino he couldn't quite place, but it scared him. He understood why Dust told him to avoid Valentino… wait. Why would Dust tell him to avoid him if he was gonna set him up?

"Aw… I get it." He spoke in a sickly-sweet tone. "You're new to this, I get it. I truly do… But things don't work here the way you think they do." He now stood over Mad Dawg, his tall form towering above Mad Dawg's large one, he slowly reached a hand out and rubbed Mad Dawg's cheek. Mad Dawg took a small step back, but Valentino tightened his hold on him. The bile and fury kept bubbling, and Dawg felt tempted to bite his damn hand off as it slowly took his chin and lifted his head up. "But here, you do as I say. It doesn't matter if you want too or not. It doesn't matter how old you are. You're in hell, and now… you're mine. Now… this is your first day, so I'll give you a second chance. I know this can be scary, especially if you're still fresh. But this isn't up for debate…"

Looking into the demon's eyes, Mad Dawg felt… helpless. His spine froze and his confidence seemed to be shredded into ashes in a matter of seconds. He felt trapped, he felt like he was back in that damn junkyard. Not the train yard Marcus and Ray had found, and not the place he had been before that for a few days… back where it all began. He remembered being strapped down, then cut, stabbed, mutilated… He wanted the feeling to stop. NOW. Valentino changed, and a woman's face flashed, orange hair and a bionic eye. It was only for a moment, but it made him remain silent.

"Listen little guy, I see what you're going through, just… don't think. Just go with the flow. Do what you think feels right, if ya know what I mean. It'll all be over soon, and I'll take good care of you when it is. If Dust recommended you, you've clearly got some sort of talent." Valentino said one last thing - Mad Dawg swore he felt the demon's hand on his body - then walked back to the couch to watch.

Mad Dawg turned back to the 'set' and looked down. His fear melted away to indifference as he cracked his shoulders and approached the bed once more.

"What's yer name?" He asked gruffly.

"A..ann..Annie." the small demon whimpered.

"Hm." Mad Dawg exhaled, knowing now, there was no way out of this. He knew what he had to do, and one way or another, it was gonna hurt. Mad Dawg felt... sick. Not the revolting imagery kind of sick, but the genuine, gut-churning type of illness. Then, he felt something else. Walking up, he cracked his neck and looked down at the small demon. "I'm sorry." Was all he said.

Annie shirked in surprise and pain when Dawg roughly grabbed the collar she wore and yanked her up to eye level. Dawg's mind, ever one for improv, was doing its thing. He snarled like an untamed beast, unsheathing his talons on his right hand and slowly bringing them up to Annie's face. Valentino and the director looked to one another in curiosity, but said nothing. Slowly dragging the back of a claw down her face, Mad Dawg whispered something:

"In ten seconds, you run. And never stop until you get to the Happy Hotel. They can help you." He whispered, seeing Annie's eyes still wide with fear and brimming with tears, and now, confusion. Quietly, he added: "I'm sorry for what's about to happen."

Mad Dawg didn't intend to lay a hand on this woman, but he needed to think of something, and think of something FAST. His mind began racing, and the lights began changing… the next thing he knew, he was in Virus' murder-maze again.

"You pathetic waste of genetic material…" A woman's voice spoke in his head, mockingly. "I always knew this is where you would end up… below even Omnics, you're nothing more than a monster, not even human."

"SHU…T…UP…YOU…RE…DEAD…!"

"That may be, but so are you. I can see all the disappointments in your life, all the failed plans and relationships… my only disappointment is not getting to be there to watch you suffer."

A primal, animalistic energy began building, seeming lathering itself in the fury and hatred he felt, drinking the bile as some sort of energy drink, ripping and tearing at the walls of its cage, desperate to escape. His arm began to violently shake, and no matter what he did, the muscle spasms wouldn't stop. He yelled in pain as he felt his bone suddenly snap in two, using the sound of his breaking bones to snap Annie's collar. He slammed her back onto the mattress and stood above her. Desperation, fear and fury were dancing in his eyes as if they were thrown about by a tornado. The pain continued down his back, his spine suddenly cracking, twisting and finally snapping apart. With a sound much akin to celery being bitten, Mad Dawg's back began to shake and seemed to expand. A sound which could only be described as a mixture of Velcro, wet paper, and cartilage being ripped apart emanated around the set. Everyone backed up, unsure what this sound was, and then got their answer as a jagged spike forced its way out of Dawg's back.

"What in the nine hells is going on?!" Valentino screamed, anger and disbelief mixing in his tone.

The dark blue-and-purple spikes curved down somewhat, seeming almost like a quill, and then it was followed by several others. In the end, six large spikes and a single smaller one had forced their way out. Roaring in pain, Mad Dawg felt like his arms were changing, again, and saw they were growing, larger than they ever had before. Two jagged points, almost like stalactites jutted off from his elbows, and he felt his spine shatter, then expand… he felt his lower back be torn open as the melted spinal liquid poured out forming a long appendage which covered itself in flesh and fur, nine hook-like tails appearing on the end of it. On top of that, several inky-purple tendrils, almost tentacle-like, appeared on his back, swaying and snapping like snakes.

Finally, the ting! ting! ting! of small objects hitting the floor mixed with Dawg's heavy breathing as he saw his teeth had called out, feeling hot, twisted and jagged shark-like teeth forcing their way into his mouth.

"So, this is what happens when a monster goes to hell..." he thought. His large claws dug into the ground as his teeth shone with a blue-white hue. He had no idea if this was an extension to his mutations, or what happened when he transformed while in hell…

"RUN!" He whisper-shouted, looking down at Annie

"Forget the film. KILL THEM!" Valentino shouted, grabbing two guns and aiming them at Mad Dawg. Annie whimpered and rolled off the bed, hiding beside it as Mad Dawg slowly closed in on the armed demons, walking on his hands and feet. One of them rolled his eyes in annoyance, as if this was something he had seen a hundred times. Walking up, he aimed his gun at Dawg's head, and then in a blinding quick movement, Mad Dawg snarled, then bit down. The body guard screamed in pain as his arm was snapped like a twig, the teeth sliced through flesh, tendon and muscle, briefly pausing at the misshapen bone, but quickly sliced through. The demon was screaming in agony, then kept screaming in terror as he saw his arm fall to the ground. He was silenced when Mad Dawg punched through his chest, holding his beating heart in one of his massive hands. Everyone watched in terror as the rest his body seemed to turn to dust, as if he was aging so rapidly that even death couldn't stop him. Eventually, he seemed to evaporate into the air, forming a light blue sphere, which then blew away in the wind.

"Dust..." Dawg growled. His primal mind focusing on who was the one at the core of all of this.

"WHAT THE HELL?! THAT THING'S AN EXTERMINATOR?!" Someone screamed in terror. Mad Dawg roared like a wild animal and ran head first through the crew. Some of them had weapons, others jumped out of the way in terror, and everyone was trying to figure out what just happened. Several of them were thrown about as Mad Dawg charged through them, and a camera was whipped like a throwing axe across the room by the tendrils that were on the lower half of Mad Dawg's back. Lunging towards the one who caused all this, Valentino just barely missed having one of his eyes ripped out by the monster's claws. Someone grabbed Dawg by one of his back tendrils and pulled him back, making him roar in pain, and anger. This… only seemed to piss him off, as the tendrils snaked around the demon's arms and legs and then snapped them like pretzel sticks, leaving him shrieking on the ground.

"What in the nine rings of hell is that thing!?" Vox shouted, not having predicted… anything that was currently happening. Several demons jumped at Mad Dawg, knowing that with either they restrained him, or Val got angry, which wouldn't end well for them. Well, things didn't end well for them regardless as Mad Dawg's new appendages lashed out, acting as some sort of defense mechanism, only for his spikes to suddenly burst outwards, speaking one of the demons who tried to get on his back and wrap something around his head. Slamming his body into a wall, he pulled for a second as the spikes on his back got stuck. Mad Dawg grabbed a chair and threw it, sending a few demons scattering to avoid the incoming furniture, Mad Dawg unsheathed his demonic claws and roared once more, running back towards the attackers, clashing with one of them who was wielding a sword (inexplicably). The sword seemed to be holding Dawg's claws back, and he snarled, droll and bile running from his mouth as he leaned forward, the demon seizing the opportunity and slashing him upwards cutting into his face. Dawg bellowed in pain and twisted his arm, snapping the blade in two and then grabbing the demon by the throat. He drove his claws into the demon's face, and… well, you get the idea… (but if you don't he put his claw into through the demon's eyes and mouth, dug in deep, and then pulled back like he was ripping a band-aid off. If you still don't know what I'm getting at here, you may be a bit too young to be reading this story…)

Valentino was tired of this and summoned some of his power, a series of chains and shackles burst up from the floor, latching into Dawgs' arms and legs. They pulled back, dragging the mutant teenager to the wall and restraining him there, where he began to struggle against them.

"We could've done this the easy way, but you made us do it the hard way.

"OnCe mORe, yOu FiND yOuRSelF aT thE MeRCy oF yOuR SuPERiOrS…" Virus whispered in his echoing, distorted voice. "BuT nOw… YoU'Re gONnA SCrEaM fOr EVeR anD EvER! YoU aND I wILl sPEnD EtERnITy sUFfErINg aS oNE! LiKe wE aLWaYs hAVe BeEn!"

Mad Dawg was thrashing against the chains, trying to break free, trying to keep his mind above the inky-black murky water that threatened to pull him under. To keep himself from giving into the monster he was meant to be, from becoming the creature Moira wanted, the villain he struggled to not- Aw, hell! Who gives a rats ass?!

"YOU… ARE REALLY…PISSING ME…THE FUCK OFF!" Mad Dawg roared, suddenly tearing the wall down, whipping the chunks of stone and concrete still attached to the shackles as if they were flails. The Moth Pimp dove for cover as another lackey found his head being crushed between two sizeable chunks of rock. Unfortunately, that wouldn't kill him for good, and even more unfortunately, it wasn't Valentino's head. He whipped one of the chains, this time scoring a hit on Vox and cracking part of his screen-face. Dawg wasn't going to leave while they lived. They were all going to die. He was going to kill ALL of them… His mind was now flooded by two things: anger, and anger. He wasn't thinking too clearly, but right now, who cared!?

"This… is most certainly not how I expected this show to end!" The voice that wasn't his spoke up in his brain once more. If he wasn't in a fiery fuelled fury, Dawg may have realized who's it was, as it wasn't his or Virus'… "Still, let's see how act two plays out!"

Mad Dawg was hunched back like a cornered animal, his head jerked about in fear as he was now trying to find the Overlords responsible for this… except now, he was seeing guns. LOTS of guns… He wanted to kill Valentino, he wanted to rip him to pieces… but he wasn't gonna be able to at this time. Thinking purely of survival, Mad Dawg found himself jumping head-first through the nearby window.

Only then did he realize how high up he was.

"Ah, son of a bi-AAAAHHHHH!"

Bullets ricocheted off metal and glass as the filmmakers and producers opened fire with everything they had, no one noticing the small demon scamper away, making a clean exit. Due to the absolute pandemonium of what was happening upstairs, Annie slipped past security guards, workers and even the janitor, before running out the front door and fleeing into the night. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she was free. That's all that mattered to her in this moment, and she wasn't going to waste any time thinking about what had happened or where she needed to go. The hot-and-cold air of the streets felt like the warm embrace of God after what she had gone through.

"Whoever you were…" She thought, realizing she had essentially left whoever that large demon had been to die. "Thank you. God bless your soul!"

As the darkness of Hell's night enveloped her, she disappeared into the sea of sin and debauchery. And despite their somewhat, no more than extremely casual efforts, none of Valentino's men would ever see her again.


As for Mad Dawg, things weren't as great.

He was tearing through the streets, running to get away from the pursuing demons, some of whom seemed to be following out of fear for what Vox or Valentino would do to them, and others for the thrill of the kill. Mad Dawg was in the lead, but not by much. Deciding he needed to try and shake them, he looked around for the first building that seemed like they wouldn't be able to follow him via vehicle.

"Tonight on 666 News, the story of a gorilla that was shot dead when a young boy fell into its-"

With a thunderous crash, Mad Dawg plowed through one side of the studio, completely obliterating the wall and running through the set. As he ran through, his claws slashing up everything as they went. For a brief moment, he stopped and looked around, looking into the camera, then felt the whizzing of bullets flying past him and kept running.

"And there goes said Gorilla." Tom remarked.

His talon-like hands and feet tore up the pavement as he ran full-tilt out of the downtown square, heading towards the lower west side of town. Bullets and arrows tagging him as he went, sending a literal shooting pain through his body as he tried to focus on escaping…

…and killing Angel Dust.

"He knew. He's responsible. He needs to-"

"No! He wouldn't! He's your friend!"

"Are you really this retarded?! YOU'RE IN HELL!"

"He was trying to change! He warned me!"

"LiSTen tO yOUrSelF, DaWg…"

"NO!"

"He'S a JuNkIE, YOu tHInK hE WoUldN'T sElL yOu oUT FOr a fIX? ArE YoU truLY sO nAiVe?"

Without warning, a nearby car exploded, and Dawg was thrown into a nearby wall. "CRAP!" The impact leaving a small crater, and pancaking a smaller demon against said wall. Pulling himself up and shaking his large form, Mad Dawg looked around, his glowing teeth acting as a sort-of flashlight in the smoke and darkness.

"Yo. Mad Dawg?" A female voice called. "If that was you… sorry! That wasn't meant for you!"

"Bomb." Was the only word that went through Dawg's head. It made sense, and he kept running. Once he was back and running along the tarmac, he was able to look up and see the blimp from a few weeks ago firing lasers down at who he assumed was Cherri Bomb. A plan formed in his head, and he ran off towards the explosions and lasers. She needed his help. This was stupid and might get him killed -again- but right now, he needed to survive, find that spider f-

"WhY dO yOu cARe?" An all-to-familiar voice asked as he ran. "ShE's in HeLl. ThEY aLl dEsERVe wHAt tHeY gET! JUst lIKe YOU!"

"Hey, I wrote you a song! It's called 'YOU'RE A BITCH AND SHOULD PISS UP YOUR OWN ASS AND DIE!'"

Running into the rising smoke clouds, the sounds of tires screeching and shouts rang out from behind Dawg, but seemed to fade out as he kept running, as if they weren't following, which Dawg hoped they weren't. He ran along the uneven ground, his hands and feet being sliced up by discarded metal, broken concrete, and other debris. Still, he didn't care…

"Yo, boss!" One of the hunters yelled into his phone which could be heard over the explosions. "Th'freaks runnin' into a warzone! You want us to follow? Or let him get torn apart?"

"If anyone wants too, let them. But frankly… I'm rather bored of all this." Valentino sighed in annoyance, rubbing his face. "He was… unpredictable, and I rather enjoyed that. But even if he didn't change into some monster, he wasn't going to play ball with us. I'll deal with him later."

"All right boys!" He shouted. "We've got a choice! If we wanna hunt that thing down, we can. But he's enterin' no demon's land! The Boss says he doesn't care about him right now, so…" He trailed off, looking around at the hunters, who all seemed hesitant to enter the current warzone. A few of them coughed, one rubbed the back of his neck, and one looked at his watch.

"Huh. Well, would you look at the time…"

"Yeah, I've got a thing with someone…"

"…dentist in an hour…."

"Just don't feel like it…"

"All in favor of hitting Cthulhubucks?" Another asked.

"Yes!"

"Totally!"

"Let's go!"

"The Boss likes lots of cream, right? Or is it just straight black?"

"I think so."

"Do they have Vegan coffee?"

"Dude. Seriously?"

Meanwhile, Mad Dawg kept running, explosions and fire now consuming everything around him. It felt refreshing, liberating! In a sense, normal! Which in and of itself was one of the oddest feelings anyone had ever felt…

"Whatthehelldidijustdo!?Whatthehelldidijustdo!?Whatthehelldidijustdo!?Whatthehelldidijustdo!?" He whimpered as he kept running, feeling ashes and fire singe or outright burn him, and he used that pain to keep running. He saw some of the egg things walking around with weapons, and a few looked his way, but none of them seemed like they were a threat. Honestly, they seemed more likely to shoot one another by accident than actually shoot at Dawg. Mad Dawg was just fine with that. Only now did everything click; he remembered what he did, he realized what had happened to him, he knew what he had done to that demon who had. Done nothing wrong.

"nOw YOu RuN! LIkE YoU aLWaYs dO!" Virus' voice kept shouting, echoing throughout the turf war, a cry of anger and hatred so powerful it could break a man's soul, and only Mad Dawg could hear it.

"SHUT UP!" Mad Dawg screamed mentally. Fear and shame gripping his entire body with every step he took. He smashed through an overturned car, shattering the metallic vehicle in two.

He skidded into a corner and shouted in pain. He felt his bones shifting, his bone… breaking. Then he felt the spikes on his back retreating, his arms changing back to the quote-unquote 'normal' way they were. His mouth burned like when he ate McCree's chili, and his teeth seemed to be retreating into his mouth, being replaced with his regular teeth. (Again, regular in the sense of how he looked beforehand.) He wanted to scream, he wanted to punch a hole in a wall… heck, he wanted to cry! Desperately… but no tears would come… he was broken, alone, afraid…

He was in hell.

And he deserved it.

"Just… keep running." Mad Dawg muttered, running off once more. Avoiding the uneven ground and explosions as he ran. He didn't know where he was going, all he knew was he needed to get out of here… He was in pain, so much pain! These damn shackles and chains were cutting into him… and because of that, his healing factor was nullified completely!

Another explosion threw Dawg off-kilter, and a new figure was sent flying into a car in front of him. Blinking in surprise, Mad Dawg saw the red-haired demoness trying to pull herself up. It was clear she was not in good condition, as whoever or whatever she had been fighting was winning this time.

"Cherri!?" Mad Dawg exclaimed, running to her side.

"Sad… Bitch?" Cherri weakly groaned, looking up with her large eye.

"Yeah, it's me! You all right!?" Dawg asked, hearing what sounded like an army marching towards him. "Scratch that, I know you're not. Uh… you need me to do something?"

"Get me… the hell… outta here…" Cherri weakly moaned, looking up at Mad Dawg. "…please…"

"Oh geez, she's in bad shape if she's saying please." Mad Dawg realized. More lasers burned the ground around them as Mad Dawg got down on his belly, letting Cherri weakly climb up onto his back. "Where we going?!"

"Just… run!" Cherri weakly groaned. Mad Dawg blinked, then took off running. He was pretty quick when he ran on his two legs, but was able to keep up an impressive speed when he ran on all fours. The issue with that was the idea of it. It always felt like he was becoming what they wanted him to be, not what he was.

Well, right now, he couldn't care less!

"DON'T LET THAT DEMONIC MUTT ESSSCAPE!" A voice screamed after them as Mad Dawg ran, feeling several of the blasts singe or burn him. He roared in pain, but kept running. He was NOT in a good mood, and he wasn't gonna stop for… well, love and money were worthless to him down here, but you get the idea.

Demon or not, vulgar or not, and gang-bomber or not, Cherri Bomb was one of the closest things he had to a 'friend' down here. Sure, he had a feeling she didn't care much for him, but she had saved his life, didn't immediately try to kill him, and helped him figure out what was happening when he first got here. For that alone, he owed her. Mad Dawg turned and tore off across the battlefield, explosions and fire making a direct escape frustratingly hard.

"KILL THEM!" A voice screamed form somewhere, and the bullet storm picked up once again. Mad Dawg growled and looked around, unsure of what to do. Then, maybe by some act of a higher being, or maybe by accident, Cherri's arm fell and hit the tape deck that Mad Dawg kept on his waist. The tape began playing, and an upbeat dance song continued playing.

"…tonight's the night and I just wanna let it go! Hit the play back, I know your feelin' this, c'mon baby, let's get ridiculous!"

Mad Dawg jumped to attention, and he smiled. He loved this song! He thought back to when Santos had been teaching him how to skate along walls, and this was the song that Mad Dawg introduced to him as he taught the Dj how to free-run. Mad Dawg took off running, and jumped up onto a wall and launched himself off of it, flipping up onto a rooftop, he began running full tilt as the music drowned out the shouts, explosions and fear. He stopped thinking about what was happening around him, just what was in front of him… what could he jump off, jump onto, and so on. He didn't think about the firefight, he thought about the sense of freedom he felt! He actually found himself enjoying this! Whoever was shooting at him had worse aim then Reinhardt after eight beers when he tried to use a gun, so while the threat of being shot was there, it didn't scare him as much as it probably should. His mind flashed back to some of his other 'escapes'…

Running through that jewelry store… The clash at his Train-Junk-Yard Home… Even as confusing, poorly planned out and stupid on the author's part for taking so long to actually end that arc was… the fight with the cult in Forest Valley!

There was a liberating sense of adrenaline and excitement that Mad Dawg forgot he LIVED for! Even though the threat was long behind him, most likely thinking he had given up and letting him go, Mad Dawg didn't slow down. In fact, he went faster. Launching himself off the end of a building, he did a flip he had learned from Marcus, back when the hacker taught him about free running… and then realized half-way through someone was holding onto him.

"My bad!" He called, grabbing the weak Cherri and landing before taking off again.

"Your bad? That was awesome!" She weakly laughed. "Why didn't you tell me you know how to walk the city?"

"Eh, I was caught up in my social life. Big high-class dinners, stock gatherings…"

"The hell's a stock gathering?"

"I dunno." Mad Dawg admitted as he landed on another rooftop. "Truth is, I've met you like, three times. And all three times we were being shot at… I think this is the most we've ever spoken."

"Fair… So… how's your day been?" Cherri asked, beginning to recuperate some of her strength.

"Bad." Mad Dawg muttered, landing on the side of a building, digging in with his claws.

"Aw, sorry to hear that."

"Really!?"

"No, not really. But you saved my ass, so… I feel like I owe you." Cherri said, gripping onto Dawg's fur as he flipped over a roof. "Hang on, up here!" Cherri pointed. Mad Dawg nodded and jumped off the side of the building, landing roughly in an alley, he slipped out and looked around, seeing a partially lit sign for a… Bl ck uster Video? Wait. Some of the letters were burnt out. Regardless, Mad Dawg walked up, then waited for a second. The P.A. system by the door crackled to life, and a woman spoke in an irate voice.

"Get lost Bigfoot! We're closed!"

"I need to renew my rental…" Cherri said, saying what Dawg assumed was a password.

"What?"

"I said, I need to renew…" Cherri began, but was cut off by her coughs.

"Renew. Rental." Mad Dawg growled, his new other side seeping into his voice.

"Okay, like, for real? Piss off." The voice came and went after a few moments, leaving Mad Dawg in silence.

In response, Mad Dawg punched the door in. Forcing his way into the old store, he looked around and saw several demons aiming weapons at him, all seeming pretty angry about his entrance. However, most of them seemed taken aback by the massive demon standing in front of them, unsure of how this fight may end…

"Help. Her." Mad Dawg got out, the last of the… man, what was he going to call this? That Uber-Beast, no… that sounded stupid… whatever. That new other thing inside him retreating and giving him full control once more as he slid Cherri off his back and set her down in a chair. Thankfully, the demonesses seemed to understand what he was saying, and carried Cherri off to help her. One of them picked up what looked like a VHS tape and scanned it off to the side. Mad Dawg grunted and turned to walk away, dropping the letter for Cherri at the front desk and taking the time to re-bend the door back into its upright position. As the doors closed and Mad Dawg stepped back onto the tarmac, a new energy emanated from his body. No matter who they were, or where they were, all the denizens of hell collectively felt the cold fury of someone on a revenge-driven warpath coat the afterlife. This wasn't anything new, but there was so much fury, so much anger… that most of the more well-known Overlords made notes to double up security, or make sure their weapons were loaded. Grudges weren't anything new or special to hell, but this wasn't a grudge. This was a death warrant, and while they wouldn't admit to it, they all felt a small twang of fear that maybe they were to be the receiving party…

Mad Dawg felt blood and bile coating his mouth the whole way back to the hotel. He argued with himself the whole way, debating if Dust knew about this, or if this was a mistake, or if this was a plot, or if… the next thing he knew, he was at the doors to the hotel. He threw them open, storming into the hotel and snapping his head around, looking for Angel Dust.

"No, calm down. Just… just calm down." He ordered himself. "Find him, talk to him. TALK to him you idiot! Figure this out like adults!"

"…I need t'call Val, see how things went…" Angel Dust's voice could be heard from around the corner.

Nope. Screw that. Violence.

As Angel Dust rounded a corner, he stumbled back in shock when he saw Mad Dawg standing six feet away in the hall. His fur was dirty and bloody, and he seemed pissed.

"Hey… Dawg? You o-"

WHAM!

With an impact so harsh the whole hotel felt it, Mad Dawg drove his fist into Angel's gut. Grabbing the junkie by the throat, he threw him forward, sending him crashing through the recently-fixed railing and falling down to the lobby below. Not wasting a second, Mad Dawg jumped down, bringing both fists down in what was typically called the 'Double Hammer Strike' in his old fighting circuits. Shockingly, Dust managed to throw himself out of the way and avoided potentially being split in half by Dawg's incoming attack. However, he couldn't avoid the next several attacks. Claws, fists, feet, all of them struck him in an anarchic rhythm of anger. Doing the only thing he could think of, he grabbed one of his guns and fired several shots off, the bullets went into Dawg's leg, and only seemed to piss him off even more.

"Dawg! Talk to me kid!" He shouted over Dawg's angered growls, three of his arms grabbing his arms and waist to try and hold him down for a moment, and one grabbing a gun in a 'last resort' gambit. However, he suddenly realized Dawg was much stronger and much bigger than him. "What's wrong!?"

"YOU." Was the response he got. Mad Dawg jumped, and grabbed onto Angel's arms to hold him in place as the malicious mutant body slammed the sex-addict spider into the floor. Breaking loose, Mad Dawg just started hitting Dust. He didn't care what was happening, all he felt was anger. Anger, and a brokenness that he wanted to be rid of, more than anything.

"SO THAT'S IT, HUH?!" Mad Dawg roared, kicking Angel directly in the gut. "YOU THINK I SLEPT WITH YOUR SISTER, SO YOU SEND ME TO AN ARCEUS-DAMNED PORNO SHOOT?! FOR WHAT?! SO, YOU CAN GET OFF ON IT!? DUDE! I TRUSTED YOU! I WANTED TO MOVE PAST WHAT HAPPENED WITH MOLLY!"

Dust pulled himself up, bleeding from the cuts and beating Dawg just inflicted, and there was real pain in his eyes. Good. Mad Dawg punched him again, unsheathing his claws and preparing to strike again.

"ENOUGH!" A voice shouted, Charlie appeared in front of Dawg, and he stepped back in fear when her whole body changed. Her eyes turned blood-red, her mouth became, well, demonic, and horns sprouted from her head. Heck, she even formed fire in her hands, aiming it ad Mad Dawg. "SIT. DOWN."

"NO." Mad Dawg retorted, his teeth glowing once more. As per usual, he didn't notice Alastor's look of extreme interest in this development.

"What. Happened." Charlie demanded slowly, putting herself between the two.

All at once the anger disappeared, Dawg's body kept shaking uncontrollably, but it seemed like he was realizing where he was and what he was for the first time in his life. Everyone noted this too, as the anger in Charlie's eyes changed to concern. Even Vaggie's initial anger towards Dawg and pre-emptive anger towards Angel Dust was now one of pure concern.

"I trusted you dude…" Mad Dawg whispered, tears wanting to form and down his face, but refusing to appear. "I…I thought I could trust you… but I was wrong…"

There was a very uncomfortable silence as Dust picked himself up, anger and concern fighting back-and-forth on his face.

"I was so wrong… about all of this." He said weakly, raising his hands, then letting them fall back to his sides.

"Mad Dawg, I swear on my mother's life, I don't know. What you're talking about." Angel Dust spoke slowly, holding two of his hands up and out in front of him in what could be described as surrender. "Please, talk to me kid."

When Mad Dawg snarled, Dust felt himself being pushed out of the way. "Kid. I need you to listen to me very carefully right now." Husk spoke up, slowly walking over to Dawg. This surprised most of the demons present, but no one wanted to do anything that would set Dawg off more. Charlie was the most surprised when the winged bartender pushed her aside so he was in front of the monstrous mutant, looking him directly in the eye. He seemed to be talking with him like an officer talking to a shell-shocked solider "I have no idea what just happened, but you're really damn pissed. That's obvious. When yer pissed, ya don't think right. None of us do."

Looking across the room, he added: "I won't say that th'junkie queen freak there doesn't deserve what you just did. He probably did. But it's done, okay? Kid?" He paused, then added: "Hey. I need you to look at me."

Mad Dawg involuntarily looked away.

"Mad Dawg, I need you to look at me, and tell me that it's over." Husker said, a bit sterner this time. Vaggie looked around, and considered getting her spear out, and when she did, it had the effect she anticipated. Mad Dawg's head snapped to her, anger filling his tearless eyes as she slowly set it down, then walked towards him, unarmed.

"Esta bien chico." She spoke in soft Spanish, getting Mad Dawg to look at her. "Hablemos Perro. Estará bien."She felt an urge to try something, and slowly reached out and put a hand on Mad Dawg's neck. She rubbed it ever so slowly, and it seemed to be working. The fury and rage were dissipating, now being replaced by something else…

"This… this is redemption?" Mad Dawg asked, looking up, and his eyes landing on Charlie. He didn't feel angry anymore, he felt betrayed.

"Mad Dawg. What. Happened." Charlie repeated herself, her tone more aggressive than she intended.

"They were all right… It's gotta be so easy for you, isn't it?" Mad Dawg scowled, his fear-filled eyes filling with hate again. "You're dad's the devil, so all this pain, all this suffering, it's second nature to you. So, when I tell you than an innocent woman was chained to a bed and I was nearly forced at gunpoint to do horrible things while others WATCHED. That's gotta be, what? A friggin' Wednesday for you? Do you even care!?"

"You have NO IDEA what you're talking about!" Charlie snapped, her eyes turning red and horns sprouting on her head again. Dust and Vaggie took a step back, not knowing how this was going to go down. "You think you're the only one who suffered!? Who lived their life looking around and constantly feeling devastated that your own people were being slaughtered, and all you could do was watch?! Do you have any idea what kind of pain watching the only people who you believed would change, fall back willingly into their old ways?!"

The look on Mad Dawg's face, one of pure indifference, was the most painful thing anyone could've expected.

"…so, you admit it. You lied to me." Mad Dawg said quietly, and everything shattered.

"Wait. No, I didn't-"

"Fuck. You." Mad Dawg said dismissively, now turning and looking at the princess. The bright-eyed hopeful Charlie feeling like she had been stabbed in the gut, and the cautious but optimistic Mad Dawg feeling broken once more.

"I think you should go for a walk." Charlie said in a cold, emotionless tone.

"Yeah, I should."

With tears still refusing to run down his face, Mad Dawg turned and stormed off, breaking the lock on the 'coat' room and retrieving his crossbow and chainsaw, then left the hotel, slamming the large wooden doors behind him as he went. Charlie blinked, tears forming in her eyes, then she sighed in defeat and walked off.

"Well. That certainly wasn't how I expected this little shenanigan to end, but it was entertaining nonetheless!" Alastor remarked, cheerily as ever.

"Asshole, read the room." Husker muttered.

"Exactly!"

Pulling himself up, Vaggie helped Dust to his feet, and the spider cracked his back and neck audibly.

"Yow! I think he may've broke somethin'…" He muttered. "Punk-ass motherfu-"

"Dust, what did you do?" Vaggie asked, not accusingly, but more in a tone that said 'I want to help fix this'.

"I have no idea." Dust admitted, holding his hands up. And to her credit, Vaggie believed him. He seemed so shocked, so confused, there was no way he was lying… that however, just made her even more unsettled…


"…An' I ain't 'pologizin'… We're in hell…" Mad Dawg grumbled. "And if he wants to be like that, then I shouldn't feel bad for hurting him! Or Charlie! She lied to me… they think I'm a monster… like them…"

"ExACtlY!" Virus declared, suddenly appearing next to Mad Dawg. "ThEY lIEd tO yOU! ThEY nEvEr wANtEd tO hEL-"

Virus was slashed across the chest by Dawg's claws, very nearly splitting him in half. Annoyingly, his attack did nothing… and appeared on Dawg's left now.

"HeY mAN, I'm HEre iF YOu wAnNa taLk…"

"Bullshit." Dawg spat angrily, walking away from Virus, only for him to appear in front of him. "Leave me alone Thomas."

"IF yOu wANtEd tO Be aLOne, yOU sHoUldnT'vE kilLed me." The Dead-Dj replied coldly, now walking in front of Mad Dawg.

"Piss off." Dawg scowled, pushing Virus to the side. The world seemed to stretch and twist, and the streets of hell began to change, forming a calm, friendly café. He recognized it, Tyger King. He was seated at the table on the wall he and Lori had hung out at so many times.

"Look, I've been meaning to ask. How do you apologize so easily?" Mad Dawg asked with a raised brow, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well, it's not easy or fun. But sometimes, I mean, you need to see both sides of it, when all you want to see is like, your side of it." Lori shrugged, taking another sip of coffee. "Did you already do something that's got you feeling all emo-teeny again?"

"No, no… not yet." Mad Dawg shook his head. "Just… I don't wanna make the same mistakes I made in the whole 'Bad Blood' crap from back home."

"Y'know, I might like, be able to help with that if you'd tell me what happened there." Leni frowned. "You mentioned that Virus dude, but what's got you so torn up?"

"I… You know that stupid trope in movies where the main character thinks if they lie to protect someone it'll work out for them?"

"Yeah."

"It started like that. I was on a bit of a personal quest to find some stuff, but then as I got dragged deeper and deeper into shoot-outs, gang wars and torture mazes-"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Long story. I kept pushing my friends… my family, away." Mad Dawg explained, looking down awkwardly. "Then, I got scared of what they'd think when they found out the truth, so I tried to push them away for their own safety. But by the time the dust settled, I thought I had broken every bond I had, so I ran."

"Lemme guess, the second you came back, they weren't angry, but concerned, right?"

"Most of em'…"

"Sorry, I'm… I'm confused." Leni shook her head then glared at Mad Dawg. "And don't you DARE say something like 'unsurprising'!"

"Right…"

"Listen, Mad Dawg. Sometimes, when it comes to pain within a family, you've gotta tough it out. Take five minutes, but go back. Don't just… leave." Lori remarked, and something clicked in Dawg's head.

"She's right." The mutant thought. "I have to go back! I can't just leave, I need to at least tell her what happened, this is Dust's fault, but that's not an excuse to treat her like that."

Without warning, as he turned around to return to the hotel, a canister rolled into his view, and a foul-odor spewed out. Filling his nostrils as Dawg gasped and gagged, he felt a chain wrap around his arm, pulling him to the ground. Roaring in defiance, Mad Dawg swiped around with his free hand, only for it to be grabbed by another chain. Dragging himself up, Mad Dawg tried to run. The chains snapped rigidly and pulled him back.

"NO!" Mad Dawg yelled, trying to snap the chains, only for another cannister to explode, the noxious gas making him woozy, tired… so… very… tired… He had been running almost non-stop since he got here, and sleep sounded good… but he was afraid to sleep, afraid to wake up chained to Valentino's basement bed or something… "..n..no…"

Falling to the ground, Mad Dawg wheezed lightly, trying to fight to stay awake, to escape…

"Ugh… forget it…" Mad Dawg whimpered, knowing he wasn't getting out of this. "Screw…you…Skorch…" As his vision faded, he saw figures coming towards him, small demons to be exact, they seemed like… eggs?

"Yessss… Ssssoon you sssshall learn what happensss, when you crosss the mossst powerful demon in ALL OF HELL!" A voice declared with a hiss before laughing victoriously