Meanwhile, in Hell...
Lucifer sipped on some apple flavored wine from his cabinet. The latest Extermination bed just ended and Hell had already gone back to how it usually was, chaotic and hectic as ever.
It was nothing out of the ordinary, once the Extermination ended most demons went back to going on with their lives, acting as if the cleansing had never happened. By now, the streets had already been cleaned of the dried blood from the unlucky souls who hadn't been able to hide during Extermination and had moved on.
If the denizens of Hell were ever fazed by the cleansings, they never showed it. Sentimentality was often viewed as a weakness and would get you killed so most demons just put on an apathetic face to most of the suffering and chaos around them in hopes that they wouldn't be next.
Lucifer had grown apathetic to most of his surroundings over the eons, when he had first rebelled and been banished to Hell, he and Lilith were just planning to govern things by themselves and be left alone to savor their newfound freedom from Heaven's laws.
Needless to say, when sinners began dropping from the sky Lucifer wasn't all fond of it. Heaven was basically tossing all of the people who couldn't ever hope to reach Heaven's gates into his realm, the scum of Earth who gave into their sinful nature and bathed in their vices day to day.
So they developed a caste system in order to keep things under control, to keep the population from getting out of hand.
The Exterminations started shortly after Hell started to become more crowded than ever before and in order to prevent demons from potentially escaping to other realms and invading other worlds, Exorcists were deployed to annihilate any demons they could find.
By now, he had seen it all. He had seen the ugliest sides of humanity and the evils the world had to offer and was perfectly content in the belief that any who fell down in this realm had done so for good reason.
As far as he was concerned, there was no hope for the damned, they made their beds and they could lie in it for all he cared.
Course his daughter Charlotte, or Charlie as she preferred to call herself, believed otherwise. She believed she could 'redeem' these vile creatures into heavenly angels as a proposed solution to their overpopulation problem.
Lucifer believed it was nothing more than childish nonsense, believing Charlie had once again given into her imagination and was going through a faze where she believed she could change the world for the better, to show the world she could make it all better.
And once upon a time, eons ago when he was young, he believed a similar thought process. That changed, very quickly. If the failed rebellion hadn't crushed his optimism the denizens of Hell sure did.
At one point, Lucifer did try to control all the denizens of his realm, for the first few centuries Lucifer attempted to instill the laws that Earth had to keep the sinners under control, figuring that since most sinners lived under a code when alive, that they would at least abide by them now.
Long story short...it didn't work.
The denizens of Hell simply didn't respond to authority being instilled on them well and disobeyed the laws that were put in place at their leisure. There were simply too many demons committing an assortment of crimes for Lucifer to be able to control all of them.
Unless Lucifer was standing right in front of them, the chance of any of these depraved demons would abide by strict laws was slim.
Even with Lucifer hiring personal enforcers it became apparent there were simply too many of them and it was impractical to try controlling the denizens of Hell through laws, especially when there were entire circles to maintain.
Hellborns and sinners alike didn't abide by any laws imposed on them and trying to stop them was like trying to stop a rat infestation after they took over the entire crop field. You could get rid of one, but at least another three dozen would pop up in their place like an endless game of whack-a-mole.
At a certain point, Lucifer just gave up and figured that if the denizens of Hell refused to abide by any specific laws that they could deal with the problems that were caused by their wretched lifestyles.
The best 'law's that Lucifer could reasonably manage to uphold were ones dealing with travel to the mortal realm that required permission and the ones about things that were in his domain because while the denizens of Hell didn't respect his authority they sure did fear him.
For years, Lucifer had attempted to try and explain to Charlie that 'helping' people didn't work, that the demons of Hell didn't and couldn't be helped, claiming they had their chance and that it was best to let them deal with their problems.
Charlie remained adamant that she could make a difference despite his attempts to put the idea down. And now ...it has come to this.
The silence between him and his daughter was immeasurable and Lucifer wondered if Charlie was serious about making him 'regret it'. A part of him was tempted to laugh it off, figuring his daughter was too soft to go through with anything serious but the quiet made him weary.
Charlie was never quiet and given how long it had been, it was odd she hadn't outright advertised her Hotel yet on live TV to spread her laughable 'redemption' idea to the masses.
So far, Charlie hadn't even made a move towards Channel 666, the largest newsplatform in Hell that she'd no doubt be eyeing for her project.
Instead, she had remained quiet. Normally he wouldn't think too much of it, but something in his mind bothered him about this arrangement. Perhaps it was what was said during their last 'disagreement' but he couldn't help but feel something was very wrong…
"My love?" Lilith asked, peering her head through the door,"Is something bothering you? You don't look too good…"
"Just thinking about our daughter…"
"Oh..Are you still...upset about your last conversation? Because from what you told me, it wasn't all too pretty…"
"Part of it but not quite. It's because of how...quiet she's been. You'd think she'd advertise that failure of a Hotel by now yet she's remained quiet."
"You don't think something happened now do you?"
"Who knows. Only one way to find out…" He said before standing up from his chair."Do you wish to accompany me or not,Lilith? You don't have to tag along if you don't want to."
"If you're going somewhere it's only fair I follow suit. Wouldn't' want you getting lonely now would I?" She teased, pinching his cheek playfully.
"Alright then, Lilith, if you insist…" He chuckled,"Come on, let's go pay that Hotel of her a visit…"
Lucifer and Lilith headed out of their mansion and hopped inside a limo, Lucifer taking the driver's seat and flooring it across Hell's streets and narrowly avoiding pedestrians and ignoring traffic regulations because nobody cared anyway.
When the monarchs pulled up to the front of the Happy Hotel, Lucifer exited the vehicle first before opening the door for his wife.
"Thank you my love."
"Don't mention it, LIlith…" He said,"Now, let's go see what Charlie's up to…"
They approached the front door, Lucifer knocking on the front door. A few moments had passed before the door opened. They expected their daughter to have opened it but saw Razzle and Dazzle at the front.
"Oh hello you two…" Lucifer stated,"I can't say we expected you two to open the door. We were...hoping for someone a bit taller…"
"Speaking of which, where is Charlie? We haven't heard from her in quite some time. Can we come in?"
Razzle and Dazzle nodded and let the monarchs inside. When they got in it became apparent the Hotel hadn't been cleaned out despite being repurposed. Cobwebs and bugs riddled the walls and it looked fairly faded in colors, appearing gloomy and cold. The lights were dim and it was oddly quiet.
Lilith then touched one of the chairs at the Hotel and looked back at her hand.
Dust. It was coated in dust.
"Ugh…" Lilith cringed,"Looks like someone hasn't been cleaning this place. How does Charlie expect anyone to live here when it's decorated in filth and bugs?"
"Who knows? Not like anyone was going to take this Hotel seriously anyway. Can't imagine anyone being interested if they took a look at how poorly managed this Hotel was…" He remarked,"Regardless, we didn't come here to see what the Hotel looked like. We came for Charlie. Only issue is...where is she?"
"Maybe she's in one of the rooms. Hey Razzle, Dazzle? Which room has Charlie been staying in?"
Razzle and Dazzle lead them upstairs to a separate part of the Hotel. Razzle opened Charlie's door.
"It's...empty…" Lucifer murmured,"Looks like Charlie isn't up here either. And given the condition of the Hotel, she hasn't been here for a while…"
"Hey...do you see that?" Lilith asked as she approached the bed, seeing a piece of paper under one of the pillows. She picked it up and Lucifer peered over her shoulder to read it with her.
On the paper it read:
To Whom It May Concern,
If you are reading this letter, then it's safe to say that I have made my decision to leave. I do not feel welcome here and despite Hell being where I was raised, I do not feel as though I belong. I have been mocked by not only the citizens I'm trying to help but those I view as close family, being disrespected and jeered at with every turn.
If I cannot receive the respect that I rightfully deserve then perhaps it's best I part ways. I cannot and will not live in a world that cannot pay me the respect I deserve. If anyone thinks they can take away my ideals then they have another thing coming because I'll be damned before I let anyone, let alone my own Father try and take away my project from me because of his stubbornness and pride.
And if by chance it's my parents who have found this letter, don't bother calling. I've changed my number and I've cut all connection to you guys. Don't waste your time trying to find me.
If I ever return, it'll be on my terms and my terms alone. Until I get the respect that I deserve I can't see myself coming back.
Sincerely, Charlotte Morningstar Magne.
Lilith's hands trembled as she dropped the paper before letting out an ear piercing screech. The others winced as Lilith's anguished cries shattered their eardrums, doing their best to recover.
A few moments had passed before Lucifer murmured,"This can't be happening...She can't be gone." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing Charlies' number only to curse when he heard a robotic voice say.
"We're sorry, but this number is no longer in service. Please try a different one."
"Dammit…" The Devil hissed,"Her phone isn't working...Probably changed her number or got an entirely different one…"
Lucifer then searched his personal accounts that were linked with Charlie's and was horrified to see all of Charlie's personal information was unavailable. It seemed she had permanently cut them off as all her information had been changed, likely moved to an entirely separate account.
Suddenly it all clicked, no wonder the Hotel was in such a state of disarray, Charlie had already packed her bags and fled long before they got there. Given how abandoned the Hotel was, Charlie had been gone for several weeks and could've been anywhere by now.
"She's gone…" He said,"She's cut us off, Lilith…" He reached for her shoulder in an attempt to console her but Lilith moved away.
"Dammit Lucifer, what did you say to her on that day?"
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean!" She snapped, her hair rising with unbridled rage,"You drove Charlie away and now look at what happened!"
"I had no clue she would do this," He swore,"I just wanted her to give up her stupid passion project, not run away."
"Lucifer...Tell me. What was the last thing you said to Charlie? Tell me what you said that could have possibly made her consider this…"
"I...I told her that'd I cut off support for her if she continued with this stupid Hotel gig and let her do it all on her own. I was just hoping she'd crumble and give up but instead she dug her heels in and...and.."
"And what? What did she say, Lucifer?" She growled, grabbing him by the shoulders tightly,"Tell me what she said…Now…"
The way she said it made it very clear that Lilith was making a demand and even Lucifer had to admit he was slightly uncomfortable by his wife's deadly glare.
"She told me that she'd make me regret ever saying those words…"
LIlith stared at him momentarily, her expression unreadable before ultimately breaking face with an annoyed expression, pinching the bridge of nose and mumbling,"Of course she did...And let me guess? You thought she was bluffing, didn't you?"
"Well I-"
"Fucking typical…" She groaned,"You know, normally I'd spend time lecturing about how foolish you are, but I'd rather not waste anymore time. Not to mention I think I already hammered the message into that thick skull of yours."
"Lilith, honey, I-"
"Don't call me that," She hissed coldly,"I'm not in the mood for you sweet talk, Lucifer. Right now, all I care about is our daughter and her well-being. We've sheltered her for centuries and we both know how nasty Hell truly is,especially to those who aren't fond of violence or brutality. We have to find her…" Lilith then pulled out her phone.
"Who are you calling?"
"Just some associates, who else? Honestly you should be doing the same, we need to manhunt for Charlie's return. Posters, billboards, everything must be set up so that Charlie's return will be broadcast. Monetary incentives will make demons interested in her whereabouts and more willing to aid us in our cause…"
"Fair point…" Lucifer then dialed numbers from his phone typed into a private group chat,
Lucifer: Zestial, Alyssa, are you two there?
Zestial: Yes.
Alyssa: We are. What is it? Is something wrong?
Lucifer: My Charlotte is missing. She's runaway and we don't know where she is. We need your help finding her.
Zestial: On it.
Alyssa: As you wish your highness.
Lucifer then narrowed his eyes as he began contacting those under his command. If Charlie left, she no doubt took Vaggie with her given sinners weren't allowed to legally cross Rings. Still, there was a chance Charlie managed to smuggle Vaggie in or be on the run with her..
Either way, it wasn't looking good.
'Dammit Charlie...you better not have gone too far…' He thought, worried about pickling him in the side.
Cherri stared up at her phone as she walked down the still bloody streets . Angel hadn't texted her like usual every time he got home prior to Extermination. It was a thing between the two of them for both to text each other to see how they were doing.
It was a way to keep in touch with each other, especially when Val was pushing Angel to work until the very last hour despite how dangerous it was when Extermination approached.
'Damn bastard…' She growled, her one eye glowing with hate as she saw Val's billboard in the distance. Had she not been focused on her friend's whereabouts she would've tossed a bomb at it to blow off steam…
It was one of the few things Cherri could really do. She wasn't strong enough to physically hurt all but she figured being the biggest pebble in his high heel was the least she could do for Angel's sake if anything. Whatever made that bastard lose money was all good in her book.
So when she took a turn towards Angel's apartment, she sighed as she saw the poor state of Angel's living space. Even the 'cheapest' apartments in Hell were expensive as Hell(literally) and a day didn't go by that Cherri didn't hear of Angel having financial problems.
He probably wouldn't have as many if Val actually paid him decently. Bastard always pinched pennies from Angel and gave him the literal bare minimum and sometimes not even that.
It was what Angel did sexual favors in favor of rent since he was behind by several months and Angel figured sucking the slimy bastard's dick was worth keeping that miserable ass apartment he lived in.
As she walked up to the door, she noticed it was slightly ajar. She flinched, a bad feeling stirring in her stomach. Angel hadn't texted her that he had returned home so she feared for the worst…
Bracing herself, she reluctantly opened the door and saw…
Val..
She nearly had a heart attack when she saw him standing in the room, the only light coming from outside. The awful smell of his intoxicating cigarette smoke was unmistakable and his menacing red teeth glowed in the dark with a malicious aurora.
In his hands, she could tell he was wielding a gun(no surprise there) but what terrified her most was Fat Nuggets who had been curled up in his lap.
"Hello there beautiful…" Val cooed,"Looking for someone?"
'Perverted freak…' She growled to herself, fist clenching,"What the hell are you doing here Valentino? This isn't exactly your room…"
"I was expecting someone else here…" He admitted casually,"I was hoping Angel-Cakes would finally show up but it appears I've found someone else I've been looking for...Long time no see, Cherri Bomb. Been looking for you for a while, owe me a lot of money for the billboards you destroyed…"
She flinched.
"What? Did you think I don't know you were the one blowing everything up? You aren't very inconspicuous, Cherri. I've seen fire year olds with more secrecy than you…"
"I'm not trying to hide myself."
"You should. Do you know who I am, Cherri? I'm an overlord and you..you're just a mere sinner with bombs and a stick up her ass. Without those little bombs you'd be just like the rest of the scum that roams the street. And you think you're making a difference? That you'll make a change? Because if you think so you're more delusional than I thought."
"Better than laying down and not doing anything, jackass…" She hissed,"Just because I'm not a sick bastard like you doesn't mean I can't do anything for myself."
"And how has that worked out for you, Cherri? You've been down here for years and yet you still haven't evolved past partaking in turf wars. Doesn't feel like you're accomplishing much are you?"
"Shut up…"
"No you listen, Cherri because I've been looking to talk to you. I want to know where Angel Dust is…"
"I have no idea."
"A lie, Cherri? Do you really think you can fool me? What type of moron do you take me for?"
"A big one, but I sure as hell know when I'm lying and when I'm not. I'm being honest Val, I haven't seen Angel face to face in over a week and he hasn't texted me whatsoever in that time period so you're out of fucking luck because I'm about as clueless as you are about Angel's whereabouts," She spat venomously.
Val scowled,"I don't like liars, Cherri. You know what I do to liars, I make them suffer anyway I can. Course it'd be too easy to just hurt you, babe so why not target someone you care for? Someone who can't defend themselves...Someone like..." Val then pressed the end of his cigarette on Fat Nugget's cheek, the pig squealing in agony."This…"
"Stop that!" Cherri snapped,"I'm not fucking lying, I don't know where Angel is, Valentino! Regardless, your issue with me has nothing to do with the pig so fuck off and leave him alone!"
"Then tell me the truth."
"It is the truth you overgrown dickhead! I haven't seen Angel in over a week, just because you can't get that through your thick skull doesn't mean I'm lying! It may not be what you wanna hear but it's still the goddamn truth!"
"Hmph, even if I did believe you, which I don't, you still owe me for the property that you've destroyed. You know billboards ain't cheap, don'tcha?"
"Whatever burns a hole in your pocket makes it worth it. I've done it and will do it again if given the bloody chance because I know what type of monster you really are…"
"There are countless demons like me, Cherri. They may not have power, but I'm far from the only person who acts like this…"
"And fuck them, I don't discriminate with rapist assholes but you, Val, are the one I hate with a burning passion and as long as I live...I'll make sure you suffer…"
"Doubt that, especially since you ain't gonna be living long anyway…" Val said dismissively before aiming a gun at the pig,"Though I gotta admit, his squalls are getting annoying. Better put an end to this nuisance once and for all…."
"NO!" Cherri threw a bomb at him, catching Val off guard.
It wouldn't seriously damage him but it would at least keep him dazed while she made a clean getaway. She grabbed Fat Nuggets from Val's claws, hissing when Val grabbed some of her hair in the process and hit her.
Even with his foggy vision he was still able to fight managed to fight him off,albeit with several bruises and gashes.
Without another word, she fled for her life.
Once Cherri was far enough away, she ducked behind an alleyway and hid, covering her hand over her mouth.
A few moments passed before she heard movement near her direction and she could practically smell Val's cigarette smoke near her. She resisted the urge to cough and motioned for Fat Nuggets to remain still when the pig moved slightly in her arms.
After a few seconds, Val heaved,"Dammit. Bitch got away…. Whatever, I'll deal with her later. Assuming she wasn't lying, pursuing her won't do any good anyway since she has no knowledge of where Angel is. Ain't worth wasting a holy bullet on some street urchin. I've got bigger problems than some one eyed bitch with her panties in a twist…"
His footsteps then turned in the other direction and once Cherri was certain he was gone, she finally allowed her heart rate to return to normal.``Phew...He's gone…" She then looked at Fat Nuggets and made a face,"Hey Nuggs, you OK?"
Nuggets made a face and as she clutched him she noticed he squirmed more. It took Cherri a moment to realize she was clutching the spot where Val burned and winced,"Oh sorry...I didn't mean to hurt you baby...It's OK. Cherri's here…"
Fat Nuggets still seemed uncomfortable and looked away.
The cyclops then sighed,"Lemme guess, you miss Angel don't you?"
He nodded.
"Aw, I miss him too, Nuggs. If only we knew where he was. Only good thing is that Val can't hurt him anymore...though that does make me wonder...what happened to him?"
Not that she wasn't happy Angel was away from Val, but she did want to know where he was. A bad feeling went down her back as the idea Angel may have gotten exterminated from staying out too long horrified her.
She didn't want to think about it like that. The idea of Angel being one of the countless souls that got exterminated made her wretch.
She didn't want that for him...but she couldn't think of anything else. If Angel was still alive, he would've come back by now and given how Extermination just passed...it wasn't looking good for him.
She sighed before carrying Fat Nuggets over her back. If Angel couldn't take care of Nuggs, then it was best for her to step up. He was still a piglet and wouldn't survive the streets on his own so Cherri opted to take care of Fat Nuggets in Angel's place…
'It's what he would've wanted…' She thought before heading off to her apartment,"Come on Nuggets, it's time I bring you to your new home…"
Nuggets peered over Cherri's shoulders, eyes glued to Angels' old apartment and weakly reaching out for the place that he once called home.
"Sorry Nuggs, but it's not safe for you anymore back there and Angel...isn't around to take care of you…"
Cherri then reached into her pocket and pulled out a blanket to wrap Fat Nuggets in. After wrapping him up she treated onward with a sigh,"Guess it's just you and me now, Fat Nuggets. I'm not exactly a pet person but I'll try my best. It's the least I can do for Angel now…"
Thanks for the views, tell me what you think below!
R-Doll: Honestly it was more about introducing how things aren't all peachy under the sea and I imagine they have those measures because...you know, wanting to keep people out.Yeah Husk is paving his way through and Mammon kind of knows he can just steamroll people so he doesn't freak out over insults.It was the only element I could think of given Fire was already taken(Vaggie). And yeah, Moxxie makes a little part just for this.
Enigmus-288: Yeah different timelines are kind of my thing now.