Here's the next chapter.
Chapter 1: Overture
Jack wasn't sure what was going on when Alastor had asked that she join him, Charlie and Vaggie down in the lounge. When they found Alastor standing in front of the tv, Jack raised an eyebrow in confusion. It was well known that Alastor hated all forms of modern technology so she couldn't imagine why he would be dealing with it. Then the deer demon turned on the tv, showing a commercial he had put together.
The scene turned to static before fixing itself to reveal a sinner stabbing another before Alastor caught their attention. Alastor's voice came over the video. "Well, hello there, you wayward sinner! Do you like blood, violence, and depravity of a sexual nature? Of course you do, that's why you're in Hell! But what would you say if I told you there was a place to stay that had none of that?"
The scene switched to the front of the Hazbin Hotel and Alastor's voice continued. "Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel, a misguided path to redemption!" The camera view switched to Charlie, who waved at it, Angel Dust behind her, putting two fingers behind her head. "Founded five days ago by Lucifer's delusional daughter, Charlotte Morningstar." As Alastor's voice continued, the screen switched between Charlie's interview with Katie Killjoy, then a picture of her crying and facing away from her father, then to her showing her plan via a poster to a confused crowd. "Come place your fate in her inexperienced hands, as she tries to work through her daddy issues by fixing you!"
The scene then switched between the bartender, Husk, who was clearly drunk, passing out on the ground as Niffty, hotel maid, tried to stab and chase after a bug. "Here we offer fun things, such as somewhat functional staff and 24-hour pest control. Custom rooms, and just look at this tacky parlor! Enjoy riveting conversation with our singular resident." The camera showed Angel, a support beam falling close to the demon cat Keekee before she ran off, Angel flipping Alastor off and then a poor drawing of the hotel. "Wow! All this and more at the Hazbin Hotel! Your last desperate attempt at salvation starts here!"
And with that the commercial ended as Alastor turned off the tv and stepped away, looking at everyone. "So, what do you think?
"I'm sorry. What the heck was that?" Vaggie snapped. Jack had to agree.
Charlie looked at him nervously. "Uh, yeah. One note, Alastor, I mean first off, thank you so much for making this seriously amazing. But, um, maybe the tone is a bit off." Alastor narrowed his eyes and cocked his head in irritation as Charlie continued. "We want people to come here. This makes it look, um…"
"Bad." Vaggie said. "The word you're looking for is bad."
"Funny. I was going for hilarious." Alastor said.
"I get that." Jack started. "But this is kind of counterintuitive to what the hotel is actually trying to accomplish."
"Vaggie and Jack are both right, Alastor. The commercial was supposed to let sinners know that we are trying to help them." Charlie said.
"Well, my dear, I haven't been active in hell for some time and everyone remembers me from my radio show, the proper medium to express oneself. But you insisted on this noisy picture box advertisement." He tapped the tv twice with his staff. "So I had a little fun with it."
"Oh fun? You had a little fun with it?" Vaggie snapped, standing up. Jack ran a hand through her hair as her ears pressed against her head. Vaggie, meanwhile, continued. "Well, this is not what we want to represent us. When you showed up here a week ago, you told us you would help run this hotel. Instead, you're mocking us. Nobody's gonna wanna come to a place that a powerful overlord like you thinks is a waste of time."
Angel raised his hand from the couch he was laying on.
"What?" Vaggie asked.
"If you're filming a commercial, can I suggest you take better advantage of the talented celebrity you have right here?" He took a bottle with one arm while using his other three to point at himself. Vaggie didn't look amused.
"Angel, you're an adult films star." She said.
"A famous adult films star. I'll have so many sinners knocking these walls down to get in." Angel said.
"Sorry, Angel, but I don't think that kind of commercial is going to properly represent what this hotel stands for." Jack said.
"Why not? This is what sells, don't it? I swear if you film me going at it with Mr. Fancy Talk Creepy Voice here, you'd be rolling in participants willing to stay at this tacky hotel." Angel said, grinning.
As he spoke, Alastor appeared from the shadows next to him and laughed with amusement. "Haha. Never going to happen." Alastor said.
Charlie sighed. "Angel, I appreciate you wanting to use your special skills to, um, attract folks to the hotel, but I really don't want to exploit you that way."
"Oh please. This body was made to be exploited." Angel said. "I got it all."
Charlie chuckled nervously until her phone started ringing. "Hold that thought. I'll be right back." As Charlie took the call, Alastor took a seat as Angel began speaking again.
"Hey, I have a question. If Freaky Face or Jackie are so powerful, then why can't they just make people stay here?"
"Oh, trust me," Alastor smiled in a mischievously creepy way with his antlers growing out. "I can."
"Why do you think I'm here?" Husk said from where he stood at the bar while Zen organized some of the bottles. "You think I'd be cleaning bottles and listening to you morons complain and moan all the time if he weren't forcing me?"
Niffty popped up with Magny close behind. Niffty smiled. "I like being forced."
"Keep that to yourself, Niff." Husk said.
Jack sighed as she spoke. "I could too. But I don't really like to anymore unless I don't have another choice. I mean, I didn't even force Zen and Magny to stay."
While Jack had been speaking, Angel had been pestering Husk about what he'd said, antagonizing him. Vaggie sighed. "Angel, let Husk do his job. And, no, we can't force sinners to stay here. They need to choose to."
Angel sighed. "I'm choosing to be here and I think it's all stupid. We're in hell, toots. That's kind of the end of the road, ain't it?"
"Well, maybe it doesn't have to be." Vaggie said. "Just because nobody has made it out before doesn't mean it's not possible."
Jack nodded. "It has to be possible. I'd rather not see Charlie's if it turns out that all that she stands for turns out all wrong."
Angel put a hand on Vaggie's shoulder, staring at her with a deadpan expression while Vaggie returned it to him. "Hey, whatever means I can keep crashing here rent free." Angel said.
That was when Charlie came running back, practically bouncing on her feet. She called Vaggie over to, talking excitedly as Jack attempted to listen in, but unable to hear anything. She then watched as Charlie broke into song, despite Vaggie's warnings. By the time Vaggie noticed, Charlie was already halfway down the street as Jack, Angel, Alastor and Niffty were at the open door where they could see her.
"I still don't get how she has that much energy at one time." Jack said. "But I definitely admire her for it." Vaggie chuckled slightly.
After Charlie had been gone a while, Vaggie summoned everyone back into the lounge to discuss the commercial.
"Okay, so, Charlie is dealing with something very important, so while she's gone, we are making a new commercial. One that represents her vision and what we're doing here. So, we need a camera." She turned to Alastor. "Alastor?" Alastor snapped a finger and an old folding-type camera with no recording film appeared in Vaggie's outstretched hand. Vaggie groaned. "A video camera, or I'll ask Jack." Jack chuckled as Alastor hummed and snapped his fingers again, this time making the camera a video one that was poorly used with pieces of tape sticking it together. Vaggie grinned. "Alright! Let's do this."
The first scene they tried to film involved Husk and Angel, though Angel kept flirting with Husk while Husk kept the script in his face the entire time. Zen just tried to stay out of frame. "Cut!" Vaggie eventually exclaimed. "Okay, Angel, I need you to be less horny if possible, and Husk, can you maybe not have a script right in front of your face."
"I ain't no actor! I can't memorize this crap!" Husk snapped. Angel slowly moved too close until Husk pushed him off the counter painfully. "Whoops." Husk said as he grabbed a bottle and began drinking it. Vaggie groaned as Jack blinked a few times, trying to figure out what to do.
"This might be a little more challenging than we thought." Jack said.
"You have no idea." Vaggie said.
The next scene they tried to film involved Niffty and Magny. "Stab! Stab! Stab!" Niffty exclaimed as Magny tried to stop her.
"Alright, Niffty. Niffty. Niffty!" The little sinner looked up at Vaggie, pulling away from Magny. "Your line is 'We have the cleanest rooms', okay?"
"Got it! I'm ready!" Magny took the knife from Niffty and stepped slightly out of view, standing behind Niffty with her hands folded in front of her.
"Action!" Vaggie exclaimed. Jack sat on the floor behind her, arms and legs crossed as she raised an eyebrow.
Niffty didn't speak. She just stood, staring vacantly ahead. Jack shuddered slightly at the creepiness of her stare.
"Okay, is it just me or is that creepy?" Jack asked. Vaggie groaned.
"It's not just you." She said. "Uhh, cut."
Niffty blinked, snapping out of her trance. "How was that?" She asked, giggling. Jack and Magny shared a look as the smaller demon looked back at Niffty.
"That could've been better, Niff." Magny said.
"Yeah, you actually have to say the line, so let's roll again." Vaggie said.
"Okay!" Niffty said.
"Action!"
It was instantaneous as Niffty froze again. Angel chuckled as he leaned in close to Vaggie and whispered. "You're doing great."
Vaggie cut off the camera. "Cut! Alright, uh maybe we can try and fix that in post."
"Do you even know what that means?" Angel asked.
"I'll figure it out!" Vaggie exclaimed, angrily.
"Do you want me to say the line?" Magny asked as she walked over and sat in Jack's lap, the older demon raising a hand to put on top of her head.
"I don't think that was the point of Niffty being the one to say the line, Mags." She said. Magny frowned, crossing her arms as Jack chuckled slightly at the little pout.
Later that day, as evening closed in, Vaggie was watching badly edited shots of the film, groaning with frustration. Jack slowly came over, peeking around the chair, eyebrow raised. "Need any help?"
"Not unless you know how to make everyone here into spontaneously good actors." Vaggie said.
"Afraid not." Jack said, smiling softly.
"Then I'd appreciate you just leaving me alone right now." Vaggie said. Jack nodded and vanished into the shadows, Jack slowly taking notice of Alastor appearing in the room. She walked over to the bar, sitting down as Husk gave her a glass of the only lightly alcoholic drink he had. Zen looked over from where he was wiping a glass.
"Vaggie losing her marbles yet?" Zen asked.
"I think so." Jack said, putting her head down on the bar. "Though I think Alastor went in there after I left so who knows what that will lead to."
Just as Husk opened his mouth to reply, all of them suddenly vanished from the bar and reappeared back in the parlor, though it looked more like a film set. Alastor snapped his fingers, changing everyone's clothes into fifties style. Vaggie grinned. "Alright, everyone, let's make a freaking commercial." Jack looked over at Alastor, who shrugged before everyone began doing as Vaggie directed.
When Charlie got back that evening, everyone was excited to show her the commercial they had made for her. Everyone was seated in the parlor as Vaggie led Charlie into the room. "Alastor pulled some strings and it's about to air." Vaggie said.
"I pulled a few limbs too, hahaha!" Alastor said, laughing.
Charlie looked at them all. "Wait, the commercial? You all made a new one?"
Angel smiled. "Yeah, one of my better performances if I do say so myself."
Charlie smiled, her eyes shining. "That's… that's amazing."
Angel held up a finger to stop her. "Shh, it's starting."
The commercial came on, with Vaggie in the front as the rest of them stood in the back, though Alastor's image flickered in and out. "Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel-" And the commercial cut off, showing the news instead, eliciting the anger of everyone, except Alastor and Niffty, watching. Katie Killjoy appeared on screen. Jack's annoyance deepened. She had never liked that lady.
Katie spoke. "Breaking news in Hell today! We have just received word from the Heaven Embassy that the next Extermination is happening sooner than ever before. Do you know what this means, Tom?"
Tom Trench looked at her, questioningly. "No, what does that mean, Katie?"
Katie continued. "It means we're all royally screwed!" She exclaimed, her eye twitching. Screaming was heard as the time on the Clock Tower reduced to 176 days until the next Extermination.
"Wait, what? Why?" Angel exclaimed.
The sclera of Jack's eyes turned from red to black and her red irises flashed as she felt anger wash over her. "For once I agree with Katie. We are screwed."
Hope this chapter was good!