The day started out like any other.
Maxine was woken from her sleep thanks to her father Moxxie's loud puking. The sound of it could make anyone in Hell groan in annoyance and pull the covers over their head. She placed two pillows to cover her head from the noise, but it didn't help much.
"Dad!" she groaned, "I can hear you," she added before pulling the blankets over her head.
It seemed as if her father was suffering from a hangover from last night. She wondered how many beers did he drink? Maybe even shots too? That would explain the puking.
She got up, put on her clothes, and walked to her parents' room.
"Good morning, sweetheart," said Millie cheerfully as she greeted her daughter, "Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, mom, I slept great," answered Maxine as she rubbed her eyes, "But Dad sounds like he's dying."
"Oh honey, your dad isn't dyin'." she reassured her daughter, "He just has a bad case of the flu, that's all."
Maxine gave a slight nod, "So that's why he sounded sick."
Millie nodded as well, "Yes, so your father will be taking today off work. And because you are the only one available to take his place, you will need to go into work."
Maxine paused for a moment as her eyebrows raised in surprise, "What do you mean, I am the only one available?" she asked. Her mother explained, "Well, everyone else is either busy with another assignment, or is out on vacation. So we were wondering if you wanted to fill in for your dad until he recovers."
The girl hesitated for a bit before replying, "Uhh, sure. But I don't know if I'll be good enough to handle this."
"Don't worry dear, we trust you. Just remember what I told you yesterday: 'Never let your guard down.' And I promise that you'll do fine." Millie assured her daughter as she smiled.
Maxine smiled back as she hugged her mother, "Okay mom. Thanks for trusting me."
"And that means I won't have to hear him puking anymore," Maxine thought as she got dressed.
After finishing her breakfast, Maxine headed down to the office. When she arrived, she saw Blitzo talking with Loona and Millie about who the new client wanted them to assassinate.
"Well, apparently, they want us to kill a certain person that lives near the border of Hell. They haven't given us details yet. All we know is that they want this person dead." Blitzo stated as he took a sip of his coffee.
Loona sighed, "Damn it. Another job without a name. It's starting to get annoying."
Millie nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it really is getting on my nerves. We're not gonna run outta clients, are we?" she questioned, worried about their business.
Blitzo shook his head, "There's still plenty more people in need of our services, so no, we won't be running out anytime soon." He then looked at Millie, "Anyways, where's Moxxie? He should be here by now."
Millie gave a sigh as she answered, "Unfortunately, he's come down with something this morning. He'll probably be out for most of the week."
"WHAT?! What happened?! Did he eat some bad food or somethin'?!" Blitzo shouted as he slammed his hands down on the desk.
Millie shrugged, "No, not exactly. He just woke up feeling sick. I think he might have caught a bug or something."
Blitzo rolled his eyes as he mumbled under his breath, "Figures."
Loona chuckled at the sight of her dad being reluctant to let a fucking 15-year-old imp work here. As she watched this, she noticed someone entering the office.
"Huh, who's that?" she whispered to herself as she squinted her eyes to see better. She blinked twice before realizing who it was. "It's Maxine." She thought.
"Hey guys," Maxine greeted them as she entered the office, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Hey Maxine!" Loona cheered as she stood up, "How ya doing?"
"Fine," answered Maxine.
Blitz narrowed his eyes at the girl, "Where's Moxxie?" he demanded.
"Oh, he's sick today," Maxine explained as she sat down in her chair, "He'll probably be out for a few days."
Millie smirked and crossed her arms proudly, "That's right, he is. And since none of you are available, she will be filling in for him until he returns."
"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Blitz as he stared at Millie in disbelief, "Are you serious?! You're letting a kid handle this shit?!"
"Yes, I am. And yes, I am." Millie answered bluntly.
Blitz turned to look at Maxine, "But she doesn't even know how to use a gun! How can she possibly protect herself against these kinds of things?!" he argued.
Millie gave a small shrug, "Then maybe she should learn. Besides, she's already been trained in hand-to-hand combat."
"So what?! That won't save her ass when we're up against a guy with a knife or somethin'!" Blitz pointed out.
Millie scoffed, "If she gets herself into a situation like that, she knows how to defend herself. Besides, I'm pretty sure that she wouldn't even consider going up against someone like that without backup."
"Still, I'm not feelin' comfortable with having her here. What if she screws up? What then?!" Blitz continued to argue.
Millie sighed and leaned back in her chair, "Look, if you don't want her here, then fine. Go ahead and leave. But I will be staying. And so will she."
Maxine awkwardly watched the two arguing. Last time she went to intervene, she got shoved into a wall. She wasn't sure whether to try again or not.
Blitz gave a frustrated sigh as he crossed his arms, "Fine. Whatever you say." he grumbled.
Millie smiled, "Thank you. Now, what were you guys talking about?" she asked.
Blitz rolled his eyes and picked up a piece of paper from his desk. "This. Apparently, the client wants us to kill somebody near the border of Hell. No names or anything, just the usual crap." he explained.
"Well, if that's the case, then we should probably start looking for someone who fits the description," suggested Millie.
"Alright," Blitz agreed, "Let's see..." he trailed off as he began reading through the list of potential targets. "Hmm," he hummed as he read further, "There's one person who fits the description perfectly."
Millie raised an eyebrow, "Really? Who is it?" she asked curiously.
Blitz cleared his throat before answering, "A man named Jack Daniels."
Loona blinked in confusion, "Who?"
Blitz rolled his eyes once more as he explained, "Jack Daniels is the son of a serial killer named John Wayne Gacy."
"Oh, okay," answered Loona, "So where does he live?" she asked.
Blitz pointed to the paper and said, "Right here."
Maxine looked over at the paper and read the address aloud, "423 West Street, Apartment #7."
"Correct." Blitz confirmed.
"Alright, so when do we leave?" Maxine asked.
Blitz glanced over at her and said, "We'll leave tomorrow morning. Be ready by six o'clock sharp."
Maxine nodded in agreement as she said, "Alright, I'll be ready by then."
Blitz gave a satisfied nod as he said, "Good. I'll meet you outside at six o'clock sharp. Don't be late." With that, he stood up and left the room.
Once he was gone, Loona turned to face Maxine and asked, "So, what's up?"
Maxine blinked in surprise, "Uh, what?" she asked.
"I said, 'what's up?'" repeated Loona.
"Oh, um...nothing." answered Maxine nervously.
Loona gave a skeptical look, "Really? Because it seems like something is bothering you."
Maxine frowned and lowered her gaze to avoid making eye contact with her friend, "No, it's nothing. I'm fine."
Loona narrowed her eyes, "Are you sure about that?" she questioned.
Maxine nodded firmly, "Positive." she answered confidently.
Loona sighed and shrugged, "Alright, suit yourself." she said, turning back to her desk.
"Thanks," Maxine replied softly.
Millie smirked at the exchange between the two girls before standing up and walking over to her daughter. She gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder and said, "You'll do fine. I know you can handle this."
Maxine smiled as she looked up at her mother and said, "Thanks mom. I appreciate it."
Millie smiled compassionately.