The ground was cold when Venus awoke, a pounding behind her eyelids. Cracking open her heavy eyelids, fear flooded her senses. Above her lay an expansive red sky. The clouds floated lazily as strange shapes flew overhead. Heart beating in her throat, Venus swallowed as she took in the buildings around her, eyes tracking and following her gaze, and a prickle went down her spine. Where was she? Was this some kind of nightmare? All she could remember was those last moments before she…
Her blood ran cold as she recalled the moment when the pain had exploded behind her eyelids, and everything had gone black. Cold. Silent. And then she had awoken here. Sweat trickled down her back at the balmy air, and she jumped as a loud crash sounded from somewhere behind her.
Scrambling to her feet, she could figure out where she was later, and she just wanted to get out of sight of those unnerving eyes watching her from the brick wall across the street. The pupils dilated as she stood up, and she swallowed, tucking her hair behind her ear and backing away, unable to look away from its stare.
Her steps were unstable, so she kept staring into the red eye until her back hit something soft, and she let out an "oof" in surprise.
"Where you goin', sweetheart? Ya looking for some fun?" a deep voice sounded behind her.
Swallowing, Venus didn't dare turn around as she tried to run, not bothering to answer the disembodied voice. Laughter sounded from around her, filling her ears, insighting deep fear within her gut.
"Hey, pretty lady, I was talkin' to ya! You answer me!"
Venus checked over her shoulder and nearly tripped as she balked at seeing a giant shark wearing a fedora and a suit. Shaking her head in confusion, she decided that was another thing on her list to figure out later. All she could focus on now was getting as far away as possible from the large group of sharks gaining on her.
This has to be a dream. Right?
Breathing in gasps, Venus ran, not caring where she was going. Zig-zagging her way across the city, she dodged numerous patrons, not bothering to care that most weren't human. Or were they? A strange feeling filled her chest the more she thought about it. Her feet were beginning to tire, and the edges of her vision became foggy.
The sharks behind her were gaining, and she could hear their lewd comments.
"If I catch her, I'm gonna fuck the shit out of her just for being such an insubordinate little bitch," one of them growled.
"Hey, she was mine first. You all get to take turns," the deepest voice said.
Venus continued running, not caring where she was going, just knowing she would be breakfast if caught. Ducking into a low alley, she barely had time to stop before colliding with the brick wall at the end. Grasping her head, she exhaled and slid down to the dirty pavement, the edges of her vision growing dimmer by the second.
The voices of the goons were growing stronger, and not having the strength to run any further, she allowed herself to succumb. She realized that if this wasn't a dream, then she was for sure about to die. A voice in her head told her she already was, but that was preposterous, wasn't it?
Through her hazy eyes, she spotted a figure watching her from the alleyway's entrance. The clacking of shoes against the pavement coincided with the pain in her head. A clawed hand reached out for her. Her heart began to pound so hard that the darkness peppering her vision won, and the world went black.
Venus blinked her eyes in the darkness and rubbed her arms to stave off the chill that reached her bones. Though the room was pitch, she could feel her breath condensing in the air. Groaning, she rolled over and fell to the floor. The wind knocked from her.
Rubbing her butt in pain, she tried to get her bearings and felt around from what she had fallen from. Fear was grasping its insidious tentacles around her heart again, and she fought to push it down, to keep a steady head. Her hand brushed soft velvet, and she felt around further, feeling the Victorian woodwork of the chaise longue.
A chaise longue? Where am I?
The room was blasted with white light, blinding Venus as she hung onto the edge of the chair for dear life. TV screens around her filled her vision, a sadistic face smiling back at her. Venus couldn't look away, her eyes searching the face as the red eyes stared down into her soul, not allowing her to tear her gaze away.
Static filled the air as the hairs on her arms prickled, and Venus swallowed as the room echoed with laughter at her confusion.
"My dear, welcome to Hell!" the man on the TV said.
"Hell?" Venus echoed, unable to look away from the swirling red eye.
The voice chuckled, "My my, you are a newbie here, are you not? Is this any way to thank the man who saved your life?"
Venus continued to stare, feeling emptiness growing inside her head like she was losing her free will.
"No, I suppose not," Venus said, her face transfixed. "To whom do I owe the pleasure?"
The face smiled, glowing blue teeth lighting up the room before he sighed, and the screens went dark. Venus snapped back to reality, feeling the blood rush back to her head, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
A door slid open, and a lithe silhouette appeared. Clicking shoes echoed down the white platform before the silhouette's face lit up, exposing the same visage you had grown accustomed to. Venus gasped and covered her mouth, confusion filling her. Hell? Is that where I am? Indeed, this must be a dream… the thoughts left her head as a clawed hand reached out, extending an arm to her.
"Come with me, there's much to discuss," the face smiled, "Trust me."
Venus sat on a plush velvet couch reminiscent of the 1950s. The man before her sat at his desk, procuring a cup of coffee from thin air. Venus blinked in surprise but remembered that this was all a dream.
"So?" the charming man said, "What do I call you?"
"Venus," she answered meekly. "And what do I call you, Mr…?" Looking for a name tag, she could not find one. There was not even a nameplate on his desk. But from the looks of the lush setting, he was a high-up in the company.
"Venus…Venus…what a fitting name for such an attractive young lady," the man smiled, his large-toothed grin unnerving. "You can call me Vox. Owner of VoxTek and leader of the Vees."
Venus nodded, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Vox." Still trying to figure out how this man had a head for a TV, her head was spinning with possibilities . Perhaps he had some freak accident? Or maybe he's the victim of some devious medical experiment…? A strange feeling overcame her, her vision blanking out as the room flashed before her eyes, and she saw a portly repairman adjusting the knobs on an old TV before she was back in the room. Shaking her head to clear the vision, she tried to push the image from her mind but found it nearly impossible.
"Just Vox…please," he smiled at her, his eyes looking lower than her face before returning, a lascivious look in his red eyes. "Now…since I saved your pretty little ass back there, I believe I deserve some sort of recompense for my heroic actions. What would my viewers think otherwise?"
Venus' heart pounded in fear as she looked away, the image of the TV repairman still circling her mind. "What…what kind of recompense?"
Vox laughed, his voice booming throughout the space. "Don't look so afraid, dear; I wouldn't ask anything too dastardly of you. Remember, you can trust me. No, I simply mean that I want you to work for me. Get you up on your feet while you're new to Hell. Is that so bad?"
Venus chanced a look at Vox again, "No…but what exactly do you do here, Mr. Vox?"
Vox smirked, his eyes narrowing. "Just Vox," his voice staticky for a moment before he perked up. "Here at VoxTek, we are the backbone of Hell! We provide the residents of Hell with a service. As a media outlet, we offer not only very accurate news on our own 666News, but we are also the proprietors of Sinstgram, VoxFlix, and VoxTube, amongst other things. We'll have to set you up with a VPhone, of course," Vox said nonchalantly. "But we provide other services, too," his eyes looking at her with a sadistic glint.
"Which is?"
Vox's smile grew, "Why…my partners Velvette and Valentino keep the little demons happy and speak of the devil; here's Valentino now!" Vox gestured grandly toward the door.
Venus spun around, afraid of what she might find, and her face grew ashen at the sight of the man standing in the doorway. Swallowing and turning back to face Vox, she shrunk in her seat, feeling icky when she looked at the Mothman.
She had always hated moths. They were dusty and moved erratically. They gave her the heebie-jeebies. But something in the way the man looked at her made her skin crawl. This is just a sick, twisted dream, and you'll wake back up in your bed soon…I hope…
Shrinking down further in her seat when she smelled sickly sweet breath hit her ear, she tried not to gag as the moth man slid up next to her.
"Lovely…" Valentino laughed. "Who is this lovely specimen, Vox?"
Vox raised an eyebrow as Valentino began blowing smoke into her face. Coughing, she held her breath as she tried to fight back the dizziness she felt.
"Venus," Vox said. "She was just a little something I picked up in the alleyway. But she is not your project." Vox lowered his voice at Val, his face flickering, before he was again grinning at her.
Valentino tsked, his voice squeaking, "Oh poo, you never let me have first pick, Voxy. It's unfair," the moth man said before he turned to Venus and stroked her face, his fuzzy fingers tickling. "If you ever want a real job, honey, you know where to find me."
Venus struggled not to retch at the man touching her, and she nodded, hoping he would leave her personal space. Her prayers must have been answered, for Valentino stood up, towering over her, and smiled down at her, gold fang glinting in the light. The strange feeling overcame her again as she looked into his red eyes, the room around her disappearing. A young man, at the mercy of his father, lay on the ground in fear as his father lashed him with a belt. The feeling was gone as quickly as it came. Venus felt a cold sweat break out, and she looked away, anywhere but at him.
Sighing, Valentino walked over to Vox and whispered in his ear before turning, looking at you again, and sashaying from the room.
"Adiós, Venus….I hope to see you in my studio someday. Those breasts are calling for their own movie," he said before disappearing.
Venus paled and pulled up her shirt, covering her ample chest.
Vox laughed, his voice suddenly more friendly than before. "Venus, don't worry about him. Trust me. I just want you to do something for me, and I'll keep Valentino away from you. Have we got a deal?" He held out his hand, his smile charming.
Venus' head was reeling. "You still haven't answered most of my questions!"
Vox arched a perfect eyebrow as he sat back in his seat, "Shoot, love, but I don't have much time, so don't dillydally," he said as he inspected his blue claws.
"Why do you say I'm in hell? Who are you? Why are you a TV? And what is going on here?" Venus panted out, the confusion winning.
Vox's antennas sparked, and he gritted his teeth before settling down. "So many, many, many questions…I'll answer them soon. But for one…I can't believe you haven't figured this out. You're dead, sweetheart."
Hours later, Venus recalled her conversation with Vox, pouring over every detail. Walking down the cobbled streets, she found that she, indeed, was dead. But she couldn't remember it happening. Her head was swirling with confusion and fear. Thank god Vox was kind and was helping her.
Walking up a steep hill dotted with numerous flowers and potted plants, Venus was shaking. The flowers swayed in the breeze, ominous under the red sky. Amid the haphazard gardens was a pentagram, and she looked away, unable to come to terms with the fact she, indeed, was in hell.
The building loomed over her, seeming to sway in the paltry wind. The eye at the top blinked down on her as if assessing what her intentions were. The sign flickered, sparks emitting from the old-fashioned theatre bulbs. Unnerved, Venus felt her feet itching to run and was about to turn back when the door pulled open.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" a voice squealed as a mess of blonde hair and elbows hit her. "Have you come to be redeemed?"
The girl pulled back from the hug, and her face held a wide smile as she waited for Venus' answer. Her blonde hair was thick and lustrous, hanging in a loose ponytail around her face. Big vermillion eyes filled with excitement assessed her face, awaiting her answer.
Venus swallowed, guilt overcoming her for infiltrating this sweet girl's hotel. The hope in the girl's eyes almost brought tears to Venus' eyes. But Vox had saved her, and she owed this to him—to all of the Vees. They were her friends in this hellish place. Plus, Vox had said that Charlie Morningstar was delusional, and Venus wasn't about to discredit him.
Steeling herself, she pushed down her conflicting feelings. "Hi! Yes! I'm Venus, and I've come to stay here at Hazbin Hotel!" Venus said, her own face breaking into a grin as the girl led her inside.
"I'm Charlie Morningstar and Venus.. We are all so happy you've decided to take fate into your own hands and find redemption. We're all family here, so please know we are all so proud of you already!" Her pretty face lit up as she smiled at Venus.
Venus felt the guilt creeping up on her as she smiled at Charlie, a feeling of despair curling in her stomach. What had Vox gotten her into? Maybe she truly did belong in hell.