Chapter 12: Dull Days/Strange Nights

The lobby was quiet. A few days had passed since the grand opening and all that time the place had been quiet as a tomb. Not a single demon had come by since the opening, leaving the staff to take in the sheer size and emptiness of the building now that they weren't engaged in cleaning or preparation. Of course they got to know just how large the building was while cleaning, fixing, and preparing it for guests. But now that they had a chance to step back they could truly appreciate the enormity and emptiness of the structure.

The only thing preventing the silence from becoming truly deafening was the conversation happening between the two currently in the lobby.

"I'm so bored! I was having lots fun the first few weeks when this place was FILTHY, but now I can't find a speck of dust anywhere!"

"Isn't there other chores to do around here?"

"Yeah, wash the linens, beat the rugs, shampoo the carpets, steam clean the curtains, all done!"

"Weren't you like, making a quilt or something?"

"I made three! And I practically knit a whole new wardrobe!"

This was true, as everyone in the hotel had received at least two quilted items as gifts from the tiny home maker. Even now Husk was using the 'bottle buddy' that Niffty had knit for him.

"Hmm, what about-"

"Done!"

"Well, there's-"

"Done!"

"I guess there's always-"

"I did that this morning! Ugh, I've done everything there is to do here at least twice!"

"You, have other friends outside this place?"

"I mean, yeah, not many but yeah. I already called around and the only one who's going to be available is Mimzy, and she won't be available till' this afternoon."

"We could play cards until then. You know blackjack?"

"Well … O.K. But no gambling, you know Miss Charlie's policy on no sin."

"Yeah, yeah."

As Husk began to deal the cards he commented,

"You know, it's not so bad around here. I was actually enjoying the peace and quiet."

"Mmm. So Husk, you obviously love to gamble, when did you first start playing cards?"

"Don't know. Been playing as long as I can remember."

"It can't have been that long."

"I'm telling you, it is. Drinks have rotted out my brain so bad I literally cannot remember a time when I wasn't playing cards."

"That's sad. I mean, I obviously didn't have the best life, but at least I can remember it. What kind of life do you have to go through to drink entire segments of it away like that?"

"The kind you don't talk about. Especially in the middle of a hand."

That quieted the small woman for a few moments while she thought of a way to change the subject.

"So, can you do anything else with cards? Make houses or maybe do some tricks?"

This peaked the winged cat's attention, as his companion had unknowingly brushed upon a hidden interest of his.

"Actually yeah, I do know some card tricks. You want to see a few after this game?"

"Sure! You know, I think I saw a commercial for this magician guy that does card tricks on the news yesterday."

"Really? Huh, you remember what it was about?"

"Just a performer who's supposed be in town for a while."

"Hmm, might just have to check that out."

Nifty was more than a bit surprised by this. In all the weeks she had known him, Husk had seemed very one note, never expressing interest in anything other than drinking or gambling. So to discover something new about him was exiting.

"Yeah, and if you wanted I could go with you! Like I was just saying, there's nothing to do around here anyway."

"Eh, why not? Better than having Al or Angel along for the ride."

The conversation continued like this as Charlie entered the room.

"Hi Husk, Morning Nifty!"

"Good morning miss Charlie."

"Hey princess."

"Hey Husk, have there been any visitors or calls yet?"

"Nope, just like yesterday, and the day before that, and so on."

"Oh, yeah, I should have guessed."

Husk's eyes softened just a trace at hearing how crestfallen his boss was. Even he wasn't completely heartless.

"Eh, sorry princess. If someone does come in you'll be the first to know."

"Thanks. Anyway, have either of you seen Vaggie? I haven't seen her all day."

"Nah, been behind this desk since six am."

"Me neither. After breakfast I just came out to talk to Husk."

"That's alright. I'll find her. Have fun you two."

"We will."

"See ya around."

At that, Charlie began her search for her friend. First she thought to check her room, but after a series of knocks and inquires Charlie concluded she wasn't there. Next the princess checked some of the staff areas in case the moth was doing some work, nothing. The thought occurred to her to that she might be in one of the game rooms set up for guests.

As she traveled she noticed just how long the hallways were in this building. Had they always been this large, or was she just realizing this now? As the elevator reached the third floor she could hear the ding resound across the empty space, the sound resonating off the hardwood floors and making for a half decent echo chamber. Before long she hears sounds coming from a room up ahead.

"There you are!"

Sure enough there was her friend, sitting on the couch playing the console. Though the hotel was far from opulent, very few media rooms were equipped with luxury devices such as games consoles. Vagatha paused the game and turned around to greet her friend upon hearing her.

"Hey Charlie."

"So what are you playing?"

"Inferno cart 3. I figured since no one's showed up for redemption yet, I might as well test the equipment. Care to join me?"

"Yeah!"

So the companions settled in to enjoy their morning. A few races in they were interrupted by a familiar voice"

"What do we have here? Are you gals watching that detestable idiot box again?"

"Oh, Al! I see your back from your walk. Did you have fun?"

Exclaimed Charlie pausing the game.

"Yes indeed Charlie! Although I believe you didn't answer my question, what ever do you have here?"

"It's called video games Al. It's kind of like TV, but you can control what's happening on the screen, it's fun. Would you care to join us?"

"I don't think this is my cup of tea, but I do appreciate your consideration. I believe I'll go and see what our beloved barkeep is up to, tootles ladies."

"It's just as well. The old man would never be any good."

Said Vagatha, causing Alastor to stop in his tracks and spin around on his heels.

"Oh, ho, ho, well if that's the way it's going to be, then I will partake in your little games."

"Great! O.K. Al, you use this to move the cars on the screen."

Said Charlie handing him a controller.

"Better set him up on the tutorial, would hate him to think I wasn't playing fair when I smoke him."

One Ordeal Later

"And that's it?"

"Yep, and it only took you four hours to complete the tutorial."

"Why I dare say that was easy! Why anyone can play these 'video games' your so fond of."

"You and me, rainbow road, now."

"Vaggie, have mercy!"

The race that followed was actually more competitive than Vagatha would have predicted. While she managed to control the track most of the time, Alastor kept pace, and even managed to overtake her on several occasions. That is, until she managed to acquire a very specific power up.

"A tortoise shell, against a car? How rediculo-"

*Boom!*

"You've just made a powerful enemy!"

Said the red deer as Vagatha glanced over to him with a smug look. She easily overtook him after that and aced the last lap quite handily. Brief radio static could be herd before the half deer rose from his seat and childishly stomped off, scattering the controller in his wake.

"Hmph. I was right the first time, I should have known no good can come from television! If you need me I'll be in my suite enjoying some cultured entertainments. Good day Charlie."

"Aw come on Al, don't be like that!"

"Let him go Charlie, we don't need a sore loser anyway. Hey, he didn't break the controller, want to go another round?"

"Sure why not."

The Friends played two more races before they mutually decided they were tired of the console, and parted ways to have some time to themselves.

Alastor spent the day reading his considerable collection of novels and other literature whilst listening to the radio in his private suite. Not the most entertaining thing in the world, but certainly not the worst.

Nifty played cards with Husk until the afternoon, at which point she did leave the hotel to hang out with her gal-pal Mimzy.

Husk, as usual, drank his day away while watching horse races on TV. Secretly he hoped to catch the commercial about the magician Nifty had told him about.

Charlie decided to catch up on small bits of paperwork, and then tried to call her mother again, without success.

Razzle and Dazzle tried to find something useful to do, but as there was really no work needing to be done, eventually gave up and watched TV around Husk.

Vagatha stayed to watch the news in the media room, then wondered the hotel for awhile before eventually just coming to stare out a random window. Silently she wished that a certain white spider was there with her.

That left one last member of the hotel unaccounted for, one that the others hadn't seen all day. It was mid evening when Charlie finally realized this, and when asking around reviled no one knew of his whereabouts, she began to grow worried. A knock at his door yielded no response, and from there she checked the kitchen, some of the game rooms, the basement, and even the maintenance shed outside, all empty. She was just about to call him when she found him in one of the staff rooms sitting over stacks of papers.

"Oh, Mr. Tafford there you are! No one's seen you all day I was worried."

"Ah, Ms. Charlie. Since today was something of a 'free day' so to speak, I was working on something that's been troubling me ever since I came to hell. Say, your the princess, maybe you can help."

"Okay, what are you working on?"

She asked coming nearer. A closer look at the mass of papers he was sitting before revealed them to be maps, charts, and lists of cities in the various rings.

"A curiosity. Ever since I came to hell I've been wondering after the location of nekrovol, and the other factory cities. But no matter how long I search or how many maps I consult I've never found even a single mention of them anywhere. It's strange, I would've thought they would be common knowledge among the public."

"What? I've never heard of, whatever name you just said, and what do you mean by factory cities? I mean, there are cities that have a lot of factories in them, but no city that could be called a factory in and of itself."

Charlie's curiosity was now peaked, as this was something she had never heard of. She wasn't sure what he was talking about, but she was eager to learn more.

"Your highness, please. I'm already in hell and I'm not getting out. I've accepted it. There's no reason to hold onto this as if it's a secret."

He said it so matter of factly, as if what he was saying was as common as stating directions to the nearest gas station.

"Mr. Tafford there's no secret. I really have never herd of these, 'factory cities?' your talking about."

He scoffed at this

"Ms. Charlie, now that is something I don't believe. If I may be frank for a moment, if you don't know about the factory cities that would mean you are either profoundly ignorant, or very poorly educated. And given your position, I highly doubt either of those two scenarios. So I'm inclined to think your trying to deceive me."

Now Charlie was starting to get offended. Annoyance crept into her tone as she responded.

"Mr. Tafford I am not a liar. I don't know what I can say to make you believe me, but I truly have never heard of any of these so called 'factory cities'. I don't even know exactly what that means. Maybe if you explain what they are I could see if it's similar to anything I know about."

"Alright. But to explain what they are, I'll need to go into a bit of context. When a human dies, they are sent down to hell and their soul manifests itself as matter, are you with me so far?"

"Yes, go on."

"The souls of these humans are rounded up and collected, then taken before some kind of ancient demon to be 'judged' somehow. If they are found lacking they are discarded and sent to wander hell for eternity. Those that are accepted are packed into cages and sent to the factory cities.

These cities function quite similarly to slaughterhouses. The souls of the humans taken into them are tortured and maimed until they are bereft of all hope and identity. Once the human has lost all hope, it's soul is ready for extraction. Once extracted, it is put through a poorly defined refinement process and converted into a kind of substance known as 'aura'.

This 'aura' is then used to empower individual demons, and also presumably broadcast through the soul spires to power all of the infrastructure and devices within the inferno. Meanwhile the resulting bodies are gradually become the hellborn demons we see everyday."

"Eh- wha- eh."

Charlie was stunned. The description this man had given was as brief as it was horrific. She had herd stories of the things her father, the princes, and the other nobles had done to the sinners who had come to hell in ages past, awful things, but nothing as horrible as what this man had described! The princess stood with her mouth slightly agape and confusion in her eyes.

"N-No! No that never happens! Mr. Tafford I don't know where you found something like this, but that's the kind of thing you would only find in some kind of sick horror movie! The only thing that comes close is the exterminations, and those are done by angels!

You've seen hell, there's a lot of bad stuff that happens here but nothing close to what your describing! Where do you think something like that would even go?"

"I've only seen the town of dumpfort and some of pentagram city. Not counting the road I took to get here. There's still hundreds if not thousands of miles, plus six other rings, where things like these could go."

"How would someone- I don't- How would that even work?! I mean, granted, there are demons who have used souls for various things in the past but never rounding them up and torturing them to make, what is it, some kind of energy?! And if this were true, wouldn't that mean YOU would have been sent to these factories too?"

"When I came to hell I landed very near the northwest fringe. When I had time to collect my bearings I assumed I was one of the lucky ones. Someone who landed in such an isolated backwater no one bothered to collect me."

"Look, I'm not sure if you know this, but I have been alive for well over two hundred years. In all that time I've never seen any kind of technology or magic that can do anything like what you described, it doesn't exist!"

"Maybe it does and you just don't know about it?"

"I am the PRINCESS of HELL! Even if the means existed to do the kind of things you claim, I would still find out if this kind of thing were happening to my subjects! I don't even know where to begin telling you how many things are wrong with what you just described! Where did you even learn something like this?"

"I can't tell you that."

"Oh, of course you can't! It's probably just some conspiracy theory nonsense! It can't be anything else!"

"Ms. Charlie dismiss it all you want, I am firm in my belief these things exist. And if this is your reaction then I can continue my search perfectly fine on my own."

"You do that."

Charlie exited the room in a huff, somewhat angered by the contentious conversation. Before she closed the door she said,

"Don't believe everything you hear."

Before shutting the door behind her. Walking away, she decided to check her phone. 11;45 it was late so she decided to turn in for the night. Well she had wanted to learn more about her employees, and she had definitely learned something about Mr. Tafford tonight. But after the conversation she just had she started to question how much she really wanted to know.