Tonight was a quiet night.
There were no clouds in the sky, the moon and the stars were shining like a bunch of stickers on the ceiling of a child's bedroom. However, the lights produced by the city's street lamps swallowed most of the stars, leaving the moon to drift alone in the empty sky.
I've seen the night sky in its full glory once; the trillions of stars were a spectacular sight. Such a shame that most of them are probably ghosts. What we see are stars, but they could've died long ago and the light emitted from them is still traveling across the universe. It's something nice to look at but not so nice to think about.
At the moment I was sitting on my couch, waiting for my uninvited guests. Its texture was rather itchy and uncomfortable but that's what you get when you're laying low so the heat cools off.
Ah, I'm not making sense, am I? Let me tell you a little story.
Once upon a time, there was a family. A very happy family, they were so happy you could drown in their joy. One day, something really bad happened and the family went away. Where? Uh, uh, ah shucks, I ruined it like so many other things. I'm not good at making up stuff on the spot, point is I'm alone now. My family is somewhere far away from me, somewhere safe and peaceful, somewhere I wish I could go to one day.
It's fine though, I'm fine. How many years have passed? That's an inaccurate way to look at my life; it was a process. Something happened every couple years and this is the end product; me. Adult me. I sure don't feel like an adult, am I a manchild? Probably, oh well.
Anyway, what was I talking about? Right! I was sitting on the couch, observing the wonderful outside world. Most of the view was filled with broken apartment buildings, cracked sidewalks, the occasional drug dealer running from the police and a car speeding by. What an ugly sight, one that I was all too familiar with.
How did my life come to this? I used to be such a good boy. Despite everything that's happened to me I've kept my chin up, always hopeful for a better tomorrow, for something to change for good. Until the incident... the incident... ah, yes, that. I don't like talking about that, I hate it when people pity me. It makes me feel as if I'm guilty of something. I am guilty of some things, but not of what happened back then. Sure, I put a couple bastards down... yeah, that's total bullshit, I'm wanted by half the states of America. All for first degree which I won't deny but I had my reasons, good reasons in my opinion.
Yup, that's me, I'm the bad guy. I realized that a few months after I turned nineteen. I tried to justify my cause, the countless fuckers I buried six feet under. Hell, I never tortured anyone, awlays tried to make it quick and painless. There were some who got away and those who managed to get the best of me, those were times I wasn't proud of. I stabbed, choked and beat the escapees to death, angry at myself for being incompetent and never a tinge of guilt. Maybe there's something wrong with me? Yeah, there's definitely something wrong with me. I'm crazy and I knew that from the start, ever since the…
Moving on, I'm happy to announce my retirement! After spending three years of my life chasing all those who had wronged me and were involved in the incident, I felt content, I was complete. I didn't know if God existed nor did I care. I was done, I finished my work. I can't express how relieved I am, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulder. It was so easy to breathe again, to be free.
If I were destined to die by the hands of the hitmen after me, so be it. In fact, I embrace it. I'm a horrible person, not because of my words, but of my actions. I know that what I've done was wrong, but... it felt good. Not the killing part, the revenge. It might not have been a lawful justice but in my eyes it was perfect.
Honestly, I never felt anything regarding taking one's life. The action itself, I mean. No guilt, shame, regret, pleasure, bloodlust, joy or anything like that. It was more of a chore than anything, boring even. Counterproductive, unnecessary, overcomplicated, exhausting. You may disagree with me in some cases which I agree with and understand, but it doesn't matter now. This is the end, I'm supposed to turn twenty in a few weeks. But I'm okay with it, I understand it, I deserve it.
A single tear ran down my cheek, cracking a pained smile under the pale moonlight.
I heard a knocking on my door, signifying that my time has come.
"Hello? Pizza Delivery!" A man said behind the door, knocking again with more force. My borrowed apartment was completely dark. I sighed in annoyance, having to get up and turn on the lights in the living room. Heh, that's funny, the living room will become the dead-room soon. Get it? Because I'm going to die? Funny, right?
...Yeah, sorry, totally unfunny. I sincerely apologize for my lack of hilarity.
Once I flipped the switch on the wall, the knocking ceased. I swear I heard some whispering behind the door before the voice returned, "Sir, are you going to pay for the pizza?"
I sighed again, what are they doing? Like a cat playing with its food. What amatuers, might as well do it myself if they keep doing this.
"Come in, the door is unlocked," I said, walking to the kitchen in order to take out a pleasant surprise for them; a freshly cooked chicken, it was still quite warm too.
I heard multiple steps behind me, the door closing and locking. That's them alright, let's just get this over with.
"I know that you're here to kill me, but before that; would you like some chicken?" I turned to the guests with the aluminium tray in my hands, an almost invisible steam coming off the delicious meat.
There were three of them, two men and a woman. They were short, a little over half my height. I wasn't that tall, below average actually. I wasn't insecure about my body, I accepted all the good and bad about me, although the good was shrouded by the bad. The men held guns; one had an AR-15 and the other a flintlock, old fashioned I see. The woman had a massive axe, I was quite surprised that she had enough strength to wield that despite her stature. They were also red-
Wait, red?
I almost dropped the tray, quickly catching it before it fell to the ground. I put it on the counter, taking off my cooking gloves as I stared at them in astonishment. What are they? Are those horns? Am I… no, maybe? No, but? Ah, I can't tell if they were real or if my condition is acting up. Another burden I had to carry, not for long though.
"Uh… hello, would you like some chicken? It's still warm," I told them, rubbing my eyes in confusion. "By the way, what are you?"
"...You got barbecue sauce?" the taller of the two men asked, also confused at the situation.
He had two horns protruding out of his head, their color scheme was similar to a zebra's; alternating between black and white, same for the other two individuals. I noticed he also had white spots on his red skin in a random distribution and one main splocthc on half of his face. The tip of his tail had a little hook thing and his teeth were sharp and yellow. He wore black pants, a barely visible red shirt covered by an overcoat which was open below the waist and had two, black and red boots that reached to his knees and claw-hands that could slice through flesh like butter.
"Blitz! We're supposed to be killing this guy!" the red woman said, resting her weapon over her shoulder.
She was the same height as the shorter demon dude, possibly taller by a pinch. For a moment I mistook her as someone from Texas due to her southern accent, but I didn't know her past so it's anyone's guess. Her horns were straight and the white lines were far thinner than the black ones. Her hair was wild and unkempt, mine was too albeit denser and shorter. Her sclera was a golden yellow and she had a tattoo of a black heart over her right shoulder. She had less white sploches over her body and she wore some sort of, uh, those things farmers wear, overtops? I don't remember what they are called, I haven't used my head to think about those stuff in a long time
"Millie, when have we ever been served by our target? Fucking never! That shit smells good, what did you put in that?"
"Some seasoning, salt, pepper, a little garlic and paprika. Would you like some coke with that?" I offered, preparing the table for them. I corrected the table cloth so it was neat and flat. Then, I transferred the chicken from the counter to said table, walking back to the kitchen to get the ceramic plates and silverware.
"What kind? The good shit? Or the good shit?" He smirked, holstering his gun.
"Soda," I replied, brushing aside his attempt at humor. They were going to kill me anyway, no need to buddy up to them. I placed three plates on the table in front of three chairs, there was a fourth one for me and a fifth for no one. I put a fork and knife on each side of each plate, making sure they were parallel to each other just like my uncle taught me.
"Nice. M&M, go loot his fridge while I keep an eye on him," the taller creature who I now knew was Blitz, reminding me of the word blitzkrieg, said.
"Don't bother, I went all out on this. Sorry," I apologized, rubbing the back of my hairy neck. "Are you demons?" I asked, going back to preparing my last dinner. Well, I wasn't going to eat anything, I've lost my appetite long ago. Only bread and water can pass through my system without throwing up.
"Nooo, we're a bunch of cosplayers- what do you think you fucking moron?! Humans are so fucking stupid," Blitz said, sitting down at the table. That brings me back so many memories, unpleasant memories I wish to forget. During my highschool years, before the incident, I was relentlessly bullied for everything that had happened to me and my wierd behavior. But they can't hurt me anymore, no one can.
"Yeah, sorry," I apologized again, bringing out the sauce he had asked for along with a large knife to cut the chicken. Before I began cutting into the cooked meat, I glanced at the other two demons, gesturing with a hand at the other seats.
"Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?" I asked, tilting my head at them.
"...Who are you?" The shorter demon-man asked, trudging closer to me. All of them had goat-like legs. He had the least white spots on his skin but still had some, he had white freckles on his cheeks along with two horns that were shaped like a backwards Z. He wore a black coat with red buttons, Blitz also had red buttons, and black pants. They didn't have feet like I did, their legs ended with hooves. He had a big bowtie as well, I liked his style. Presentable and ready for a date, something I could never achieve for reasons.
"Jack," I answered.
"Jack...?" He inquired, waving a hand in a circular motion for the last name.
"Just Jack." My family name is irrelevant to the story, it's one of the only things that brings me comfort and I like to keep it to myself.
"Moxxie, stop asking questions and eat this fucking chicken! Mmh, this shit is good!" Blitz said with a full mouth, he had taken the liberty of removing a leg from the main body and biting into it, pouring some sauce for added flavor.
"How are you so… calm?" Moxxie asked, inquiring further about me. He's weird. He's here to kill me, so why does it matter? Well, I can't really judge him, I'm also weird, weirder probably.
"Don't sugar coat it, you're here to kill me. I knew you were coming hours ago, just didn't think…" demons existed, huh? I always thought God wasn't real, and now I do. I like to think I'm a logical and rational person, I use the facts to make better decisions. Funnily enough, look where it got me. But I'm fine with it, I knew what I was getting myself into since day one. And it was worth every fucking second of it.
"That we're from Hell?" Millie added, taking a seat on the left and patting the one in the middle for Moxxie. I have a feeling that they're in a relationship.
"Yeah, I mean... I guess that's... cool?" I scratched my cheek, swallowing a lump in my throat.
Their boss stopped eating, turning his attention to me like a stone grinding against stone, "The fuck did you say?"
"That it's cool?"
"...You are the weirdest mother fucker I've ever met," then, he went back to eating, enjoying every bite of the chicken. Moxxie walked around me and sat down between Millie and Blitz.
I took the knife in my hand, cutting for the possible couple a fair slice of meat and serving it onto their plates. I left the knife for them to use and went to the fridge to get a bottle of cola. I also took three glasses out of a cabinet, washing away all the dust that had accumulated in them in the sink. When I was done with that I wiped each clean with a towel before making two short trips to and from the table, bringing them the glasses and tasty soda filled plastic bottle.
"Would you like anything else?" I asked with a thin smile. They didn't reply, either ignoring me or focusing on the meal. I took no offense to that, taking a seat as well.
I crossed my arms on the table, resting my head on them. What would my mother think of me if she knew what I've done with my life? What would my father say? My uncle? My cousin? They'd probably hate me, reject me, disown me. And I'd understand them. I always believed that family is everything, but what happens if they don't care back? Not that was the case with mine, it's a tough subject to think about and tougher to discuss. However, I like a good challenge, it makes things spicy.
After a while, when the chicken was half consumed, Moxxie stood up from his table, alerting the other two, "Boss, this is too weird. Jack, thank you for the food, it was really good. But how are you so relaxed?!"
"No one fucking cares Moxxie!"
"No, you're right honey. You schemin' somethin' or what?" The woman raised her axe, looking for my reaction. My suspicions were confirmed, they were a couple. I only glanced at them for a moment before sinking back into my thoughts, uncaring of their attitudes.
They're going to finish their meal and kill me. Gun, axe, rope, doesn't matter. I deserve this, I want this, I need this. I won't go to Heaven or Hell. So what if God exists? It means he doesn't care about me, he doesn't love me. There's a special place for people like me, somewhere that doesn't exist. I've seen it once, and I'll return to it.
"I turned off all the traps and I'm unarmed," I responded without looking up, drawing random shapes with a finger on the table.
They were surprised by my response, Blitz and Millie training their weapons at me. Blitz had his flintlock pistol in hand again and Millie had not only an axe but a shotgun too, where did she get that? No matter, they're going to kill me.
"Hey, if you're from Hell. That means bad people go there, right?"
"...Are you stupid or something? How old are you?" Blitz asked, openly insulting me.
"I'm nineteen, turning twenty in a few weeks," that made Moxxie avert his gaze to the floor. Was he guilty? An assassin that's reluctant to kill? Perhaps he had a moral code, though I certainly didn't classify as innocent.
Come on, shoot me. Put me out of my misery, end the fucking pain! Do it! Do it! DO IT! DOITDOITDOITDOIT-
"Wait," my mind came to a halt, "if there's Hell, then…" all the people I've eliminated are there. They aren't really dead, they're still living. The afterlife, after-life. More life after life.
My work isn't over.
I straightened my back, facing the demons with a stern expression. Moxxie then pulled out his rifle, they were expecting me to make a move. They were right, but I wasn't going to run. No, I had a different idea in mind.
"How much?"
They looked at each other in confusion before their boss realized first what I meant, "Why? You're gonna run? Trust me pal, you're going nowhere," Millie became excited, re-equipping her massive axe.
"Can we kill him already? I have a show in half an hour I wanna watch with Moxxie."
"Millie! That's-"
"I'll pay you triple," they became quiet, slightly lowering their weapons.
"You really think you can buy your way out of this? We're I.M.P, we don't take any fucking counter offers. It was five grand by the way," he aimed his pistol at my temple, finger on the trigger.
My eyes widened, my mouth quivering in anger and a dozen other emotions I couldn't even begin to name.
"That's it. See Moxxie? Humans are all the fucking same-"
"Are you serious? Five thousand? Five thousand?! THEY THINK I'M WORTH FIVE THOUSAND?!" I slammed my fist on the table repeatedly, venting out my anger until I heard a crack. I ceased my self-beating, examining my pinkie finger.
It was bent in an unnatural angle, clearly broken. I grabbed it and jammed it back into place. I tested it out and I could move it normally again, good.
"Those bastards, I… five thousand? After all this?" I've never felt more hurt in my life. After everything I went through, all the pain I felt, all the time I sacrificed. They think they can off me for a bunch of pennies? No, no they won't. A fire reignited in my mind, my work wasn't over.
"How much for you to take me to Hell?"
They looked at each other before Blitz burst out in laughter, "HAHAHA! Oh man, you can cook and crack jokes, what a guy! Ahahah, ha, that was good." He saw that I was still waiting for an answer, his attitude turning more serious. His finger was twitching on the trigger, threatening to finally pull it, "You're serious?"
"Yes. I… I…" I, what? Brain, work already. Don't keep these nice people waiting, I know you're a bit slow but I believe in you. Come on, you can do it! "If they're in Hell, they're not really dead, are they?"
That made them lower their guns, looking at each other again. They stared at me in a mixture of confusion, amazement and something else. After a while, Moxxie cleared his throat, "Sir? I think we should discuss this. In private."
"For once I agree with you. And you! Don't even think about running." He pointed a finger at me, putting away his flintlock.
"Never did in the first place," once again, they gave me a puzzled look before getting up from their seats and going to a different room in the apartment, Millie did that gesture with the two fingers switching between our eyes before she also disappeared. Did I do something wrong? I mean, how would you react if all of a sudden you discovered that demons existed? Freak out is the obvious choice, not me though. I'm very far from common sense, I'm not normal. The good doctor said so, I didn't want to believe him but he was right. I hate the good doctor, but at least he never lied to me.
I sighed, rubbing my eyes with a yawn. Instinctively, I wanted to pick up all the dirty dishes and wash them but refrained from doing so. There was no point, I wasn't going to remain here for much longer.
I began counting the holes in the walls to pass the time, making up a mathematical game of sorts; if the end number was even, I'd divide it by two. If it were odd, I'd start again from zero. I always found more holes here and there, some of them conjured by my imagination. After a boring few minutes they returned to the living room, standing behind the couch.
"You know... if you want, I can do it. Save you the guilt, unless you don't care about that," I told them, half being honest about my feelings and the other half trying to make them feel bad.
"Blitz, this is really messed up, I don't think-"
"Moxxie, shut it. John, right?"
"Yeah?" I didn't bother correcting him, waiting to eat the bullet. If I die, then so be it. I'd prefer if they listened to my humble request. Either way, I wasn't going to fight it. Don't think about anything, let it go Jack, let it go.
"We don't do this often, but since Moxxsoxx here is being such a bitch about it, mind telling us why my clients want you dead?"
Hmm, interesting. No, very interesting. Perfect. Yes, Yes! YES! HAHAHAHA! Fuck it, I'll tell him if it gets me to Hell. Call it manipulation, I don't care.
"Revenge, they started it by the way. They killed my cousin, so I killed everyone last of them. Fair, no?" I answered honestly, excluding some crucial details. Yup, that's one of the reasons my life went down the gutter; vengeance. It can ruin a person, but it can be so sweet too. If I could turn back time, I'd do it all over again.
"Wow, that's a bit of an overkill," Millie added, tightening her grip on her axe.
"That's the point. Listen, I..." I'm so awkward, I can't take it. I rarely speak to people nowadays, I just don't have any reason to. Only yes and no suffice for half the things I need to get across. "I know we just met, and I'm really weird and stuff and... I need your help. I need to go to Hell and tie those loose ends, what will it take for you to take me with you?"
"If you wanna go there so badly, how about we just kill ya'?"
"That won't do," once again, I threw them off course. I elaborated a little further, "I've died once, and… there was nothing, okay?"
"Moxxie, what the fuck is this?" Blitz asked, baffled at the unfolding layers of my life.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't even feel like killing him anymore, just what the fuck. I'm never letting you pick our contracts again."
"E-EXCUSE ME?! YOU… YOU-"
"I know I'm great and all, you don't have to tell me that. Well! Jerry, looks like today's your lucky day 'cause you can buy your way out of this for 100K!"
"DEAL!" I violently shook his hand up and down, immediately letting go out of embarrassment. I was ecstatic that I could continue my work. As much as I'd love to finally rest, I can't give up since they're still alive down there. I wonder if this whole thing was just part of my imagination caused by my condition, I really hope it isn't.
Heaven and Hell, isn't that something to think about? I think both of them are rubbish; bad people go to hell for a reason in most cases and God is a jerk because he let me suffer. I'd rather believe in no god than a cruel one.
"Wait, you really have that much money laying around?'' Millie asked, raising an eyebrow of suspicion, not believing it to be true.
"Yeah, I have money because it matters to everyone else. I'll go get it, follow me if you want," I began walking further into the apartment followed by the three newly met demons. It might sound weird, but they are some of the nicest people I've ever met. People? Sure, people. True, they were sent here to kill me, but I didn't take it personally. I have many reasons to be angry and sometimes I can't control it, but I know there's no point, I try to save my feelings for work.
I entered the bathroom with them behind me, it was in terrible condition; the bathtub was rusty and infested with cockroaches, the shower head was broken in half, there was mold in the corners and the sink was full of used syringes. Those weren't mine though, I don't do drugs, they are ineffective.
"Sorry for the smell, this is how I got it," I glanced behind me, they were covering their noses with their shirts, Moxxie looked like he was about to throw up.
"H-how are you... not.. disgusted?" He gagged, stepping outside of the room for some fresh air, though it really wasn't because I hadn't opened the windows in weeks. Can't let anyone see what's inside here, prison is not a very nice place to be in.
"You get used to it," I replied, kneeling in front of the, also broken, washing machine. I reached with a hand behind it, feeling around for- aha! I pressed a small button, springing a secret compartment out of the side of the machine. There were stacks of money in the metallic drawer, green papers that had no real value to me.
I began taking out the dough, one hundred dollar bills stacked on top of each other held with a rubber band. I believe there was at least a million in there, it was meant for emergencies and I guess you could call this one just that.
"Fucking Satan, how much is this?!" Blitz asked, gawking at the stacks of cash like a starving predator.
"I'm counting. Five, six, seven, eight, nine, here!" I split aside their payment, leaving me with the rest. What do I do with this? Wait, how do I transfer this? I think I had a small bag laying around somewhere-
"We're rich, we're fucking rich!" Blitz celebrated, hugging each of his employees under each arm. "Man, I'm glad we didn't kill you," he directed to me, making me chuckle along.
"You want more?" I offered, waving around a flappy brick of cash. Their expressions became unreadable, switching their attention between each other and me repeatedly.
"Wait wait wait," Moxxie broke from the group hug, waving his hands in a timeout, "This is too much. Are you okay? Like, do you have brain damage or something?" He asked with genuine concern. I don't think he's fit to be an assassin. However, you never know. People have tricks up their sleeves, never underestimate anyone.
"Yup," I answered with glee, "So you want more or not?"
"Hell yeah!" The other two cheered, finally breaking from their daze.
"Wait hold on-"
"Moxxie! Shut. Shut. Shut," Blitz closed the distance between them, holding Moxxie's jaw closed, "Don't say a thing, with this amount of money we can-"
I ignored their "private" conversation in favor of figuring out how to get the money to them. Is this happening too fast? Yes. Do I care? Nah. Only a few minutes ago I was ready to die, and now plans have changed. Since my enemies aren't truly dead I haven't fulfilled my promise, and I never go back on my promises. I will go to the end of the world if I must, I'm just too stubborn to give up.
"Hey guys, do you have a-?" Behind me a light appeared out of nowhere, a weak wind blowing at my back. I turned around while still crouched, surprised at the spectacle; a circular portal in the ground with a bunch of demonic rites and stuff. Wow, that's so freaking cool!
"Jesse, dump all the money here," I did so without a fuss. I threw them brick after brick until I was left with a few, enough to get me off my feet.
"By the way, does Hell have a currency?"
"Of course, it's very similar in value to USD and it's called Sol Dollars," Moxxie explained, throwing a stack of cash down the portal.
"Nerd," Blitz mocked, throwing the last brick down the drain, "Gang, I count this as a success! Now, we need to make sure our clients don't find out about this."
"Actually," I interjected, getting up with some struggle and a cough, "If you can give me some info about them, I'll take care of it."
"Hold on, you're an assassin too?" Millie asked, surprised at the sudden revelation.
"Eh, not really? Technically, yes. Look, it's complicated. My english isn't good enough to explain it," I wasn't lying. I'm not fluent in English but I can still hold a conversation. I wish I finished my education, perhaps I could have become something better.
"Really? You don't have an accent," I shrugged my shoulders, yawning again while covering my mouth with my hand.
"Save the chit chat for later, let's get out of here. Also heads up, you might feel like shit going through," Blitz told me, jumping in first, quickly followed by Millie. Moxxie glanced at me before also going in, leaving me alone in the apartment.
…Honestly, I don't really know how I got to this. There's so much to explain, so much to see, so much to do. So, God exists, huh? Isn't that funny? What a jerk. Letting me suffer, all of humanity in fact. Life is suffering, but…
I took a deep breath, a raspy exhale followed by a few coughs. I stared at the portal beneath me, one step in and I'm in Hell. Ironic, so ironic it's not even humorous. I won't tell you why though, it's a surprise for later.
Well, here goes nothing. I jumped in like I'd do in a swimming pool, hotdog style, instantly landing on my feet. My vision swirled around but I didn't feel like throwing up. I stumbled about for a few seconds before shaking my head, gradually regaining my focus.
I was inside an office building. A table with four chairs was at the center of the room, a white writing board on the wall parallel to the door out of here and charts that I didn't understand. The blinders on the windows were almost fully shut and there was even a small box television sitting on a cart in the corner along with a DVD player below it.
After taking in my surroundings I noticed the three demons staring at me, waiting for my reaction.
"Sooo... what do you think?" Moxxie asked, somewhat nervous.
"Hmm, nice place you got," I bit my inner cheek, averting my gaze from nothing in particular to more nothing in particular.
"N-no, I meant, oh for fu- WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!" He screamed at me, shocking the other two, "Blitz, I-I think we should return him. You were right, okay? Let's-"
"Fuck no. I'm not giving up this huge profit! So what if there's a human in hell? Remember that one time?"
"That was different and he was the target! Loona didn't-"
I zoned out of their conversation, opting to explore this nice establishment. I was so excited and I didn't know why. Maybe the idea of a human waltzing into the afterlife without a care was exotic, exotic? In reality, the reason for my calmness is very simple; I don't care. I just don't care, and why should I? The invisible man in the sky doesn't care about me, my- okay, let's not go there. Bad brain, bad. As I said, I don't give a shit. I have an end goal in sight that will take a lot of work, but if I stay focused I can be done before, before, before…
I coughed quietly into my hand, shaking my head to get rid of the depressing thoughts. I went to the door leading out of the office, exiting the room as things became a little heated in there. I was a long corridor with a couple doors. I began walking down the hall, humming a tune of a song I couldn't remember the name of.
When I got to one for the doors it suddenly opened wide, slamming into my face. I stumbled back in shock, holding my broken nose. I grabbed and jammed it into place, as I'd done with the pinkie, with an audible crack, groaning in annoyance.
A wolf thing stepped out of the room, holding a phone in one hand and earplugs in the other. She, yes it was a she since she had boobs, was very tall. She was a head and half taller than me, not counting her wolf ears. She wore a top that revealed her stomach yet covered her assets in the shape of a pentagram and a short, torn skirt with a crescent moon on the right side. She wore leg stockings and- WOW! Her tail was huge! Probably very fluffy too. Her hair was silver and fell all the way down to her hips. My brain was confused, on one hand she isn't human, on the other hand she has very attractive and cute parts. You know what I do when those feelings surface? Kick them down right to the bottom.
"YO! SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I SWEAR-" She stopped, straing down at me. As I just said, she was very tall. Her height intimidated me a bit but I didn't show it. Her tail was puffed up and still as stone. She froze, unmoving in front of me.
She was probably part of their business, had to be. I wonder what she does- I'm getting sidetracked. I decided to break the tension with a friendly gesture, "Hey, the name's Jack, nice to meet you." I took her hand in mine, gently shaking it. That only made her even more confused and she still didn't respond, oh well, I tried.
I went around her and continued with my expedition, humming a different tune as I passed a corner. Was it that unusual seeing a human in hell? Ha! What a dumb question, of course. However, Blitz implied that there was another incident where a human arrived in hell, I wonder what happened to them?
This place must be rotten to the core, crawling with the worst of the worst scum. Perhaps I'm wrong and not everyone is bad, but it doesn't matter now. Nothing does except the end goal. Once I achieve that I'll be satisfied. And I have to be cautious of everybody, even of the "kind souls" that brought me here. Ah! There's just so much to do, but that's what keeps me sharp and ready. Constant action, always doing something, always moving.
My short journey ended in front of a small window overlooking the city I was in. I brought my face mere centimeters from the window, watching the little demon people down below. The floor I was in wasn't that high so I could make out what was going on down there.
Chaos.
The drivers were worse than the NPCs in GTA V, often ramming their cars into others.
Lawless.
No cops or ambulances in sight, although I did spot a firetruck down there.
Dangerous.
Two gangs were having a shootout in an alley, stabbing one another if they got too close.
Unfair.
There were demons of different builds; tall and short, thin and fat, strong and weak, this and that, that and this. Some could fly, some resembled animal species found on Earth such as the wolf lady I passed in the corridor and some were the embodiment of insanity. What a shame, there was racism here too most likely.
Unknown.
Yes, very yes. I knew nothing of this place and how things worked here. I wheezed, coughing into my hand. But that's good, because it meant I could start from square one. I coughed over and over again until I got it under control, clearing my throat of excess saliva. In the distance, far far away, was a massive building towering ove the rest, it was amazing. An object of interested has been spotted, I'll go exploring if I find free time.
"BLITZ!" a new voice screeched, the wolf woman I assume, and a white noise followed in my ears.
Ah shit, here we go again.
Author's Note:
Well, here's the first chapter. This is my second attempt at writing a story based in the Hazbin Hotel universe along with Helluva Boss since they are in the same one. This time I decided to take a different approach that fit my writing style. By this point in time I've discovered that I'm pretty decent at writing in first person, I find it more flexible and it also allows me to get away with imperfections and things that may not make sense. I actually have a few ideas as to how I can continue this story but that you'll see in future chapters.
In respnose to the sole review in my first story:
Malz main: Like your other stories this one is also well written, the series has a small following I believe but you still manage to make its set up interesting kind of disheartening though this one isn't getting much attention by people like your other stories. Still I hope you'll continue you it when ya can.
Well, my friend, your call has been answered. My first story was experimental and without much direction, but now that I've got a good understanding of what I'm doing and how I write, I think I can further advance this one. I'll admit that it did kind of suck that it got less attention but it's whatever, I actually enjoyed writing this chapter and I put more work into polishing the sharp edges. I try to make sure all the grammar is on point, at least as much as I can do.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Stay tuned for more and check out my other works if you want to.
Stay safe and hydrated.
-FacelessUser