The atmosphere of the Happy Hotel was a dreary one, to say the least. It didn't take long for word to travel around the building, and the visible differences in the lucid nightmares' latest victim was noticed by anyone who happened to see him.

No matter how he tried, it was obvious that in spite of Alastor's help, John was not the same as he usually was. His jovial smile was visibly forced, and the bags under his eyes indicated a lack of sleep. The staff in particular had noticed this difference, especially during breakfast.

Rather than try to make conversation as usual, breakfast was more of a quiet, somber affair. Everyone noted that John was almost completely silent, and any time anyone would say something that should've been even remotely amusing, the best they'd manage to get from the giant was a small smile, and maybe a single word slipping from his mouth. His shoulders were visibly slouched from tiredness, and it was apparent that he was forcing himself to stay awake.

John's usually renowned cooking was lackluster compared to its usual quality. It was still tasty, but the food itself was more fragile, or more sturdy, than he usually achieved. Biscuits would break apart at a touch, bacon was slightly darker from being overcooked, and even his hashed brown were more of a clump than were something that could be eaten with a fork.

Even his voice had a deeper grumble to it, a sign of his exhaustion.

However, no one wanted to question it. At least, the guests didn't. The staff, however…

After being present or hearing of the events of last night, all of the staff couldn't help their worry at the current condition of the Happy Hotel security guard. It was obvious that it wasn't just exhaustion, if it was even that at all. Whatever nightmare he'd had last night had a very visible effect on him.

Granted, every single of the hotel's occupants now knew what it was like to experience a lucid nightmare, but still, seeing such a normally jovial soul in such a despondent and disheveled state was disheartening, to say the least.

Still, none of them felt right trying to question it. However, they had opted to help wherever they could.

Rose never left John's side. Throughout the entire day, she was practically attached to his hip, giving an occasional phone call to update their loved ones on the situation that had been happening, something she'd been doing since her own experience last week.

Everyone was worried for him. For them all.

Anywhere he could, John would offer to help, so in turn, he was receiving those same offers from everyone on the Hotel staff, as well as a couple of particularly worried guests. During his safety check, something that was required of his job since Charlie had essentially charged him with the maintenance of all safety issues, both the princess herself and Vaggie had offered to help him.

Though he declined, he was appreciative of their offer.

During lunch, Alastor had opted to take over cooking duties, allowing the giant some respite if he could manage it. The Radio Demon couldn't help but to feel an actual surge of guilt, wondering if his actions within John's psyche had a more adverse effect than he'd originally believed.

A hypothesis clearly shared by Rose, if the dirty looks and downright menacing glares shot in his direction were any indication. Any fear she may have previously had was obviously long forgotten, frustration evident with Alastor's sheer presence.

Niffty, the little ball of energy, had actually attempted to cheer John up in a more direct way, even going so far as to 'accidentally' create a mess in a cartoonish style, and though it had an effect, it was a miniscule one, barely eliciting a smile from the behemoth.

Angel and Vanessa had both offered him a spot on the couch in the rec room, inviting him to play some video games or watch a movie with them. He'd opted to indulge, with Rose at his side, but it was evident that he wasn't as immersed in the fun as they'd have hoped.

Whatever his nightmare held… it had resurfaced wounds he'd long since thought he'd buried.

No one made so much as a single comment when John could be seen later in the day, well before dinner, only an hour or so after lunch, sitting at the bar and drowning himself in a bottle of beer.

It was no stretch to say he had them all worried.

"John, please…" Rose was practically begging, catching the giant's attention as they made their way back to their bedroom. "You're worrying everyone."

John's face was one of visible confusion, as if he had no clue what she was talking about. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't been the same since last night." Rose answered, resting an arm on his forearm, concern visible in every aspect of the succubus. "John, I've never seen you like that, and now you're quieter, you look exhausted, and it's obvious that whatever you saw last night had an effect on you."

"I…" John was admittedly unsure of what to say. The truth was, she was right. In ways she didn't understand.

The lucid nightmares aren't called 'lucid' for now reason. To John, it wasn't just a simple dream. Even when Alastor showed up, everything was a vivid memory. He could still feel the way his chest practically folded into itself when he ripped his restraints off, he could still feel every single thing that he'd experienced in that nightmare.

To him, he'd relived another session all over again. Tibe was still his sadistic self, slashing his throat when his screams got too loud. Jason was still his typical cold analytical self… even Jack was still just the silent henchmen, doing as he was ordered to.

The trauma was once again fresh, and this time, he wasn't so sure that he could simply ignore his PTSD like he'd tried his hardest to do in the past.

"You promised me that you'd be there for me. All of you did. Let your loved ones be there for you." Rose pleaded with him, pausing in her footsteps, causing John to come to a stop as well as he turned to look at her.

It hurt him to just look at her. She looked absolutely helpless, desperate as her eyes met his own, allowing a hand to come to rest on his stomach as their height difference didn't allow her to reach his chest as easily.

"I… I'm not sure where to even begin…" John admitted, allowing his gaze to fall, his eyes darkening as the trauma flooded over him, causing him to heave a shuddered breath in an attempt to ward away the unwanted memories. "I don't want you to worry about me… but… I'd be a hypocrite if I tried to say I'm fine."

"What happened with Alastor?" Rose asked almost immediately, but John shook his head before that train of thought continued.

"No, he helped. It wasn't anything he did." He came to the Radio Demon's defense almost immediately. If what Alastor said was true, then it could have ended a lot worse… with, or without his help. "It's… the nightmare itself."

"What was it?" The question left Rose's lips before she could even think. She just wanted to help John through his funk… she wanted to see him back to his normal self. It hurt, just seeing him so down. It had only been a day- actually, no, not even a full day, and already, it was heart wrenching to see the very visible changes in John's entire person.

However, something told her that whatever the dream held was an extremely sore spot for John.

She could practically see, let alone feel, the way his entire body went tense, and his hands that moved to grip her waist going rigid, and his face morphed into an unreadable expression.

"I… I'm not sure I'm ready to discuss it." John finally admitted with a sigh, letting his hands fall away and back to his sides, bringing a hand up to rub his head slightly. "It was a memory… and one I'd rather forget."

"Please…" Rose pressed once more, moving closer and wrapping her arms around John, pulling him into a hug as she pressed the side of her head into his chest. "I can't watch you like this, John… I can't bear it."

"Rose… it's not easy for me to discuss this." John admitted, though he allowed himself to sink into the hug, taking some semblance of comfort from her embrace. "Even when I was alive, no one close to me really knew what I went through… I gave them a general idea… but the specifics were never something I was comfortable with."

"John, you scared me to death last night." Rose admitted, trying to fight away tears. She didn't want to guilt trip John into talking about it, but she couldn't help the feeling of pure sadness that was threatening to overwhelm her. "I've never heard you scream like that… I've never seen you that vulnerable… Please, don't keep me in the dark on this…"

"Rose…" John's voice was soft as he said it. He didn't want to hurt her, she carried enough pain as it was… but whether it helped him or not, going into detail about his time in captivity when he was alive…

Hell, just giving a general overview to Papaw nearly sent the man into a sobbing mess of guilt, and John had never seen his grandfather cry…

He did know if he could bear it.

It wasn't just Rose he was worried about either… God only knows if Charlie could handle something like that, and he had no clue how Vaggie would react. Not to mention Alastor, Husk, and Niffty. It'd probably break Vanessa even more, and Angel… well, he'd honestly not sure how the spider-demon would react.

And that doesn't even begin to cover Vortex, Aria, Madrox, Andre… everyone back at the Hell Hole.

"I don't want to put that kind of burden on you." John admitted, allowing tears to finally flow free from his own eyes as his conflicting thoughts on the whole situation began to overwhelm him. "I promised to be there for you, and I promised to return the same courtesy, but… goddammit, this isn't something that you need to have on your shoulders."

"That's our call to make." Rose couldn't help the fierce look on her face as her gaze snapped towards John. "It's not just me. It's killing all of us. Charlie's barely holding it together, Vaggie seems like she's a hair-trigger away from killing someone, Alastor can't even keep that smile of his on his face… let us choose to carry that weight." She pressed, allowing a hand to reach up to caress his cheek. "You've been there for all of us, fought for us… let us be there for you."

"I…" In the end… John could only make one decision. "Alright… I'll talk about it."

"That's all I can ask." Rose said, leaning her head back into John's chest as she tucked herself into his frame. "We just want to help."

"I know…" John muttered softly. "I know…"

After convincing John to wait in the rec room, so that he could gather his thoughts in the meantime, Rose wasted no time in tracking down everyone who was either present for John's breakdown the night before, or cared a great deal for him. The only person who was left out was Niffty, as John refused to put such a burden on the shoulders of someone who he saw as a child.

In the meantime, John had collected his thoughts as best as he could. He had absolutely no idea how to go about this… it was his first time really opening up about his trauma, about those three weeks with Jason and his lackeys… he'd never shared it with anyone before.

Not like this.

Where did he even begin? Start from when he was abducted? Just dive straight in, get it out? Be picky about the details? Be blunt as usual?

For once, John was at a loss. He had no clue how to even begin to approach the subject of his torture. The only people in the entire hotel who even had a semblance of an idea of what he was about to delve into, whether they knew it or not, was Vaggie and Rose. He'd never mentioned it to a single other soul. Alastor had a vague idea as well, but that was because he'd been the one to help John leave the nightmare.

Not Husk… definitely not Niffty or Vanessa, and he'd never really had enough of a real bond with Angel to feel comfortable with such an immensely personal topic.

At least, he hadn't thought so, but maybe he was wrong.

It sounded sad… but John was honestly at a loss. He had no clue how he'd even get it out. Not to mention how everyone would react.

He could only imagine the looks he'd get as he recounted the trauma. Rose will probably be a train wreck, Vanessa would most likely burst into tears, and Charlie would follow not long after if she wasn't the first one. Alastor wouldn't be able to smile, Husk would be a lot more grumpy… and he didn't have the slightest clue on how Angel would take it, since he'd be joining this little makeshift therapy session.

For the first time in his life, John was completely unsure of what to do. Even when he was dying, he had his mind made up, his choices decided. But now…

Well, he'd already told Rose he'd talk about it. He wasn't going back on his word.

No matter how much he'd honestly rather just curl up into a ball and never talk to anyone for an eternity.

After what felt, to John, like hours of waiting, he could hear the sounds of footsteps down the hall outside of the rec room, approaching at a steady pace.

"John?"

At Rose's voice, John turned his attention to the entrance of the rec room, where he could see everyone piling into the room, each and every one of them giving him looks of concern and worry as they made their way inside.

And in spite of the fact that he was probably the biggest person in the entire building, John felt unusually small under their gazes.

"Rose told us that you've decided to speak about your nightmare." Alastor relayed as he carried a chair into the room, as did Husk and Angel, who both held two in their hands. As he'd expected, gone was the usual smile from his face, in its place an expression of rare concern.

"We're doing it here?" John couldn't help but to question in confusion as he turned his gaze towards Rose for a moment, before his eyes found Charlie, searching for an answer.

"Rec room's off limits for the next hour or so." Charlie explained as she placed down a chair of her own and took a seat, while Husk and Angel laid out their own chairs.

John watched as everyone took a seat, before all eyes were on him, and he couldn't help the nervousness welling within him.

"I… I don't know where to begin." He admitted, averting his own eyes to floor, his hands folding together, his arms resting on his knees just behind the spikes jutting from them, as he tried to figure out how to start.

"Go at your own pace, John." Husk advised, giving John a reassuring gaze and a small smile. "We're here to listen, support you. Not judge you."

John allowed his gaze to linger on the cat-demon for a moment, before he let out a sigh. "It.. it started during a shopping trip with my grandparents." John spoke as he began to tell his tale.

And for the first time in his life… John left nothing out.

Perhaps, admittedly, he'd gone a into more excruciating detail than he'd originally intended, but once it started… he just couldn't find it in himself to stop. Better to get it over with than to hold it off.

He told them all about what he went through. How his first power was not his immense strength, but an unnatural healing ability. How it was put to the test with daily mutilation. How they'd start with a sawzall through the sternum, how they'd peel him open, crack his ribs apart, pick away at his internal organs to see how much he could take.

How much they could put him through.

He told them of Tibe's cruelty, how he'd have his throat slit for screaming too loud. He told them of Jack's seemingly robotic obedience and loyalty, and of Jason's cold view of his entire predicament.

He told them how they'd finish, and leave him to heal his wounds, before restarting the entire process all over again. How they'd return with the same attitude, the same cold curiosity, and in Tibe's case, the same sadistic glee.

He told them of how he'd been their last, but not their first victim. How told them of how he lost track of the days, how he'd spent three weeks within that chamber.

And he told them of his own fear to even discuss the events.

It was safe to say… not a single soul within the room had anything even remotely positive on their faces. The furthest thing from it. Everyone looked as if they'd been stricken with the worst possible news they could ever hear.

Both Vanessa and Charlie were in tears at this point, the princess staring at John in horrified shock, hand covering her mouth, while the sinner succubus was doing everything she could not to break out into sobs.

Alastor's face looked as if it had an overcast to it, shrouded in darkness, a rare look of horror on his face. Husk was no different, if anything, he looked like he was trying to decide whether to be angry or sad at what he'd just heard.

Angel looked as if he was trying not to puke, and Vaggie…

Well, were it not for the teardrops flowing from her eye, you'd never know exactly what she was thinking, only looking at John with a wide eye, horror surging through just about every part of her being.

And right next to him, Rose had long since devolved into her own tears, sniffles escaping her as she tried to stifle her own sadness in place of opting to provide some sense of comfort to her boyfriend.

John's face had somehow managed to remain expressionless through the whole ordeal as he recounted the incident… if only because it was taking everything he had not to shrivel up and die on the spot.

"After the incident, I didn't have a mark left on me… heh, perks of healing, I guess." John gave a mirthless chuckle as he spoke, eyeing nothing in particular. "But when I died… well, you see me. I'm not sure what these other marks are, but… well…"

Rather than continue speaking, John opted to instead show them, gripping the hem of his shirt and pulling it up, exposing his chest for all to see.

Gasps rang out through the room as everyone got an eyeful of John's entire torso… and it was a ghastly site.

"Jesus Christ…"

"My word…"

"Dear god…"

Running from his clavicle to his naval was the largest gash any of them had seen, a grisly site to be sure. It looked to be in the shape of a why, and the cut, just like the rest of the gashes covering John's person, looked to be permanently fresh, dried blood stained around the edges of what looked to be a fresh wound.

"When I woke up in Hell, I had this on my chest." John continued with a sigh, shaking his head. "A constant reminder."

"I'd like to get my hands on these miscreants if I could…" Alastor muttered, voice lacking it's usual radio feedback in spite of the very clear rage permeating through his entire body.

"How can someone be so cruel?" In spite of what she had suffered through herself, Vanessa couldn't imagine anyone who would be willing to inflict that kind of cruelty. She brought a hand to her mouth in shock, unable to look away from the wound.

John let his shirt fall back down as he let out a sigh. "And… well, that's the story." He said as he allowed himself to slump back into the rec room couch, letting an arm come to rest on Rose's shoulder, thankful for the support she provided.

"And you've never told anyone else?" Charlie was doing her best to dry her tears as she asked the question, even though she knew her answer.

John simply shrugged in response as he let out another sigh. "I didn't feel like it was anyone else's burden to bear." He admitted as he let his head flop down onto the backrest of the couch. "No one needs that kind of weight on their shoulders."

"That includes you." Vaggie had a fire in her voice as she said it, her gaze hardening as she fixed John a stern look. "You shouldn't have to bear that weight alone."

"We're all here for you, kid." Husk spoke up, leaning forward on his chair as he too fixed John a look. "We can't change what happened. But we can damn sure be there for you if you need it."

"We're all here for you, Spike." Angel piped up, letting a small smile adorn his features as he said it. "You've helped us more than we can count, so the least we can do is be there for you when you need it."

John suddenly felt a pair of hands on his shoulder, and at first, he thought it was Rose… but his arms were still wrapped around his side in a hug.

He craned his neck as best as he could so he could see who had place their hands on his shoulders, and he couldn't help but to chuckle.

"I ain't seen much of you since I've arrived here." John couldn't help but to remark as he took in the site of Alastor's shadow, a which somehow managed to convey it's own sympathy. Then again, it wasn't often that the shadow saw fit to leave his master's side.

"He cares for you just as much as we all do, John." Alastor remarked with a pleasant smile on his face. "And I suppose that's his way of saying he's there for you as well."

The shadow gave a nod at his masters words, before zipping back to Alastor's side.

John looked at all of them, before he let the faintest ghost of a smile make it's way onto his face.

"Thanks, all of you." He said, genuine appreciation in his tone as he turned to look down at Rose. "Especially you."

Rose simply smiled, wiping up her remaining tears as best as she could, and gladly accepting John as he leaned down to plant his lips on hers.

Everyone watched the site with fond smiles on their faces… however, Charlie felt an unpleasant sensation shoot through her, one she'd long since become accustomed to since Rose had arrived at the Hotel.

She was beginning to get a grasp of what it was… but the implications behind it were something she wasn't ready to confront yet.

A gentle tug on her hand caught her attention, and she turned her gaze towards Vaggie, who was giving her a look of concern.

"You okay?" Vaggie asked quietly, hoping not to draw any attention to them. "That couldn't have been easy to listen too… I know it wasn't for me."

In spite of the bombshell which had just been dropped, Charlie managed a smile on her features. "I'm fine." She assured with a nod of her head. "It's just… it hurts, knowing what he's been through… and yet, nobody could have ever guessed."

"Yeah… he's tough." Vaggie said as she allowed her own gaze to move back towards John, who's gaze was trapped within Rose's own, a look of love being shared between the two. She couldn't help the small flash of guilt that shot through her as she watched the site. At least… she assumed it was guilt. She did still feel shame for the way she'd originally treated John, more so now than ever.

"Yes he is…" Charlie said as she too returned her own eyes back to John and Rose.

She'd be lying if he said she wasn't the tiniest bit of jealous… but she could ignore it.

Because John already looked better than he had been all morning.

Outside of the Happy Hotel, a lone demoness was approaching, one which had many of the sinners nearby seeking out the nearest place of refuge.

Mostly because they didn't want to run the risk of falling prey to the type of magic that she wielded.

The woman wore a pink stylish shirt with neon green fur around the collar and wrists of the sleeves, creating a rather uncanny glow that eminated the power the demon held. She wore a dark grey pencil skirt that hugged her figure rather tightly, that would make many wonder how she could even walk without tearing at it.

Her neon green eyes matched the color of her oddly colored teeth, and the woman's presence alone held an aura that promised unimaginable horror upon anyone who crossed her.

Lucky them, none of them were her target, as she approached the haphazardly shaped building that was the Happy Hotel, with a look of intrigue in her eyes.

"So, this Charlie's Hotel?" Helsa Von Eldritch couldn't help but to remark, eyeing the building with an amused grin. "Well, it's got some tenants, so it's clearly not a complete waste, even if the actual idea is laughable. Still, got hand it to her for trying."

Though she very much believed that Charlie's idea of redemption was a foolish venture, something she had made clear many times, she could admire her friend's courage and drive for her dream.

And unlike Seviathan, she could care less who Charlie dates, so long as the princess was happy.

"Alright, let's see what this nightmare business is about." Regardless of her thoughts on the entire concept behind the hotel, she was here to help her best friend.

So that's exactly what she was going to do.

As Helsa made her way towards the entrance to the Hotel, her legs moving in a purposeful strut, she raised her hand to grip the door.

Only to pause, her eyes widening as a familiar sensation filled her.

A very familiar sensation.

The presence of Eldritch magic.

"Oh lord… what have you done, Sev?"