Time. The inevitable. Something we cannot control. It is the true dictator of reality. It moves forward without a master. Some have tried to slow down the process, but alas…it is an unstoppable force. We can never fully obtain such power. Anyone who does is only going through a different reality where the events change causes a split. But the law still applies. One has to go back, to keep moving forward.…What the hell am I spewing? Ugh. That was a terrible monologue. I can't even do a proper intro anymore. I've been glued on this bench for…I don't know. Hell isn't the place where time is consistent. For a sinner, at least.

The park is empty today. Must be "nighttime". Like I said, it's hard to tell the time of day. I guess it's a little darker than usual. I'm surprised I haven't seen Shirley yet. Perhaps that's for the best. Don't want to deal with her nonsense. Hmm? I notice a bird creature running past me. She seem to be wearing some punk gothic clothing and a beanie. She looks around anxiously and hides behind a tree. Not before gasping when our eyes meet. Why does she seem familiar?

Two imps appear with rifles in hand. "Dang babbitt! We lost 'er, sir!" That one has a very stereotypical southern accent. Just like…I shouldn't be thinking about them. My fate is this bench.

The other one with an eye patch approaches me. "Hey, loser! Have you seen the Goetia with the funky ugly as fuck clothes and a reverse hat?" He asks in the stereotypical New Jersey accent. God. Am I living in a fucking sitcom?

*Gray* I shrug. "I don't know." I really don't want to be involved. I slowly place my hand in the pocket where the knife is. Just a precaution.

They are not convinced, as they point their gun at me. "That's a funny thing that you haven't seen anything, when you're the only fucker here."

*Black* Before they can react, I quickly slice the hillbilly's neck and plunge the bagel fucker's good eye. I hold him down and keep stabbing this worthless being until he stops moving. Great. Now I'm covered in blood! I stab the hillbilly out of frustration. I sit back down on the bench.

*Violet*…Goddammit. I lost control of myself again. Worse yet, I don't feel any remorse. That's life in Hell. No room for empathy if you want to survive. I turn to see that owl chick peeking. Clearly unnerved to do anything. Seriously, why does she look familiar…

Flaaaaaashbaaaaack

I was in the meeting office of I.M.P. where we got called over. Blitzo finally appeared. "All right. Before I go over our mission, there's one thing I need to say." He pulled out a photo of Stolas and his daughter. "If for some fucking reason we see these two in public, it's sadly our job to protect them until they get home."

"Does that mean we have to do that, even in one of our hits?" Moxxie asked.

"Oh my fucking God. YES! They're our only ticket to the human world. So we have to make sure their bird asses are intact." Blitzo always loved bullying him.

Back to the present

Of course! That's where I saw her from. Wait, if she's here, where's the other? Do they not know she's alone? Oh no. She's approaching in my direction cautiously. I'll just avoid making eye contact. She checks their bodies and grabs a busted phone.

"Fucking great." She says in an accent I can't exactly pinpoint. Is it British or English? My dumb American brain can't tell. How does someone that's not even native to Earth have those accents? Maybe us sinners might've rubbed off our culture to them. Could be the other way around as well. "Hey. You have a phone with you?" She asks me.

"I haven't charged it." I respond. She throws the phone to the ground out of anger and sits next to me. Why is she sitting next to me!? I guess she figures I'm not a threat. "Don't know your way back home?" She looks away. I sigh. "It's clear you can't be out here in the open. You need to be somewhere safe." Her expression softens a bit, but still retains her scowl. Fuck. I can't believe I'm doing this. "There's a place close by. It's called I.M.P."

She raises an eyebrow. "Isn't that where father's boyfriend is?" So she knows about that. That's to be expected. She has seen them before. And based on what they told me, Stolas isn't known to be the subtle type.

"Yeeeeaaa. You've already interacted with them before, so you know they're good…bodyguards."

She thinks for a moment, then sighs. "Fine." She gets up and we make our way to the last place I wanted to go.

It's an awkward long walk there. Most demons seem to mind their own business, but one can never be too careful. Especially since she sticks out like a sore thumb. She's not much of a talker, which is good. I'm not here to be attached by no one. I'm just going to drop her off and go back to my beautiful wooden seat meant for the public but I personally own.

*Scarlet* I notice an imp with a hat that is a couple feet away from us. We turn left, they turn. *Burgundy* We take another left, they turn. I have my knife ready. *Red* We turn left again. This time, I stay hidden on the corner. I signal her to stop. The moment I see that imp, I grab and pin them against the wall to slice their neck.

"What the bloo-!?" She stops mid sentence, when a handgun falls off the body.

*Blue* "Oldest trick in the book. Turn left three times to know you're being followed. My scales also react to imminent threats. Think like spidey senses and you get the idea." I doubt she knows abou-

"You mean like Spider-Man?"

*Yellow* "You are a cultured individual!?"

She shrugs. "My dad would bring me books whenever he went to the human world." That makes sense. Of course it does. Everyone exist beyond my perception.

I pick up the gun and put it in my pocket. "Let's keep moving. But you're an easy target." I grab the hat. "Here." I toss it to her. She catches it.

"Ugh. You want me to wear this ugly thing?"

"That ugly thing is going to make you less obvious." She groans. Removing her beanie, she exposes her majestic feather hair. Then she conceals it with the hat. "Fits nicely." I smirk. She did not appreciate the compliment. "This could pose a problem though. They seem to know that you would be around this area. Which means someone knew you would come for I.M.P."

"Ugh. Great. So now what?"

"There's only one way. We will go back to your home." She raises an eyebrow. "Think about it. They wouldn't expect you to go back without help. Lucky for you, I'm the trump card of their detriment." I puff my chest proudly.

"Okay, Mr. Trump Card. How are we going to do that without being seen?" She asks mockingly. Her question is answered by me standing next to the sewer lid. Her face scrounges in disgust.

"Don't look at me like that. Now help me lift this up." Groaning, she helps me with the lid. "Ladies first."

"What a gentleman." She rolls her eyes and descends. I look around to see if we're not being watched and follow her, while closing the hole with all my might. The stench penetrates my nostrils. "Ugh!" The girl pinches her nose.

"Well it wasn't going to smell like sunflowers." It does reek though. I'm glad this is something I'll never get used to. "Come on. The rich district is this way." She nods and we traverse under the boring sewers.

Rats and other creatures run from our presence. Hmm. Now that we're out of the fray, it honestly feels like I'm still part of the group. Heh. Such a childish thought. "Ugh. This is not how I expected to spend my birthday."

"Really? Happy birthday. How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

*Yellow* "Hahaha! No wonder. I thought you never outgrew your teenage phase." She glares at me. "Hey hey. That's not a bad thing. You're only young once. Enjoy it while you still have the freedom."

"Shut up. You don't know me. And I can't even step outside without someone hunting me down."

"See? We have something in common. The only difference is you have a mansion and I have that sweet bench at the park."

"Don't you have a home where you work?"

I scratch my head. "That's complicated. I don't want to talk about it."

She stays silent for a moment. "You're a sinner, right?"

"Yeah."

"How was life in the living world?"

I think for a moment. "I guess the same, except no demons or magic to live by. And no furries or scalies. Just pure humans as the dominant species." I can tell by her face that she's not satisfied. I sigh. "If there's one thing that's different, it's life."

"What do you mean?"

We're playing the question game, now? "I miss the warm sun on the skin, the touch of rain, the sound of the birds flying in the sky…You never value the small things, until you're stuck in a literal hellhole. You've never been on Earth before?" She shakes her head. "Truly a paradise. But I say that cause I'm from there. I'm sure you can say the same about where you grew up."

She stops. "I hate my home. It's nothing but misery and annoyance. I wish I could run away and start a new life." I wait for more, but it seems she won't continue further.

"Is there someone waiting for you at home?"

"...My father is probably worried about me."

*Blue* I smile. "Then you have something most of us would die again for. Anyways, we're here." I start climbing and open the lid. I scout the area. Yup. This is the rich district. I help her up. "Recognize the place?"

"Yeah. My home should be down the block." Good. We hurry our way there. Before we make any movement, motorcyclists surround us. A big hog in a typical bicker outfit steps out the vehicle. Is that a swastika on his left arm?

"Well well. We meet again." He snorts.

"...Wait a minute. You're that Nazi who was with my mom." Huh? Small hell.

He gets closer to us. "That's right. I actually would like to thank you." He flexes his muscles. "Life in Hell is not bad and I've become stronger." He chuckles.

"What can I say except what the hell you want?" I ask.

The other bikers get off their bikes with weapons ready. "The fellas and I are here for the little birdie there. But beating the shit out of you is a lovely bonus."

"AAAH! Let me go!" Huh? They're grabbing her! ACK! I got hit on the back of the head and they're kicking me all over my body…I can barely stay conscious…

"All right, boys! Let's take the prize back home!" I hear hollering and motorcycles driving away…darkness is…consuming…me…

What did I do to deserve this fate? Everytime I lend a helping hand, it always ends up being bitten. How could I possibly belong here? I don't even know what sin I committed to repent. I'm eternally damned to be stuck with degenerates!...No. That's not true. There are good people here. Moxxie, Millie, Loona and even Blitzo. Denizens of Hell that are more human than the living…