Nora sat in a small cell like room for a few hours, just enough time to feel her left eye swelling from the punch Lute had given her. The room lacked windows but held a single light on the ceiling that seemed almost too bright. Now that she thought of it, Heaven was too bright. She slouched down against the back wall but couldn't go much further than just sitting due to the chain around her neck that was now attached to a crudely applied hook on the wall. It left enough slack for her to stand and walk a few feet but left her unable to lay down, so she sat.
The other chains were left on her but her hands were now cuffed in front of her, no thanks to her Angel captors. It took a few tries to maneuver her arms down and her legs through the gap but she managed it and it left her with a tiny bit of comfort that otherwise wasn't cared about. Besides her current situation her thoughts went to everyone back in Hell.
She'd just come to terms with the fact she was one of Lucifer's daughters, a literal Princess of hell after years of living life as a Sinner. They'd come to trust and love her, especially Charlie. Being welcomed with open arms not only into the Hotel but as her family felt like a true Heaven, not where she currently sat. That's what convinced her to come here, to try and talk sense into the winners. She wanted to see Charlie happy, she wanted to help with her dream and let her know she truly appreciated her. She could be a part of the family.
That was generally what happened when a Sinner tried to do a good deed. They were knocked down and dragged through the dirt, nothing good ever came from helping. She shook her head. That was how she was taught to think, what every other Sinner drove into her brain. Only do things to help yourself, fuck the others. But feeling that kindness and the love from her true family changed that thought process, or so she thought. It was hard to unlearn the very thing Hell was about; yourself.
Had anyone noticed she was gone yet? She'd been known to go off on her own since joining the Hotel but maybe someone knew she was a little off before leaving, nervous. Her bottom lip quivered as a swell of emotion hit her. She was scared. Through all the years she spent growing up and living in Hell and this was the moment she was truly scared. Not even Valentino could make her feel this helpless.
She finally heard the sound of footsteps as the air caught in her throat. Who was it this time? Lute ready for another fight or even Adam ready to tear her down a few more notches. The fact they actually caught her was enough to let her know they'd be willing to do far worse than just bruise her up a bit. The footsteps finally stopped just in front of the only door into the room and she got back to her feet to prepare herself even though the Angelic chains would make sure she couldn't do much damage.
All she could see was whitish-grey hair through the tiny window of the door and she knew she was in for a fight, it had to be Lute. None of the other exorcists removed their helmets. The person behind the door took a moment before finally sliding it open and Nora was left speechless. "Vaggie?!" Her voice was filled with relief before Vaggie brought a finger to her lips and shushed her. "What the hell are you doing in Heaven? Didn't I get the point across that Angels can't be trusted?" She stepped inside the room but kept the door open.
Vaggie was sporting an exorcists outfit and held the helmet under her arm. At least she was thinking and decided to blend in instead of just waltzing into Heaven like she was untouchable. "How did you know I was here?" Nora asked as she moved towards her as much as she could before the chain stopped her. Vaggie gave her a dead stare. "You left a portion of the portal open. In your room." The look reminded her of their stance with each other, Vaggie wasn't very trusting of her yet and for good reason. In her eyes she was nothing more than a common Sinner, about as trusting as Sir Pentious was when he first joined.
Nora swallowed the lump in her throat, "Does anyone else know? What about Charlie?" Her voice was a bit quieter this time around. Vaggie shook her head. "No, no one knows and they can't find out until I come up with a plan to get you out of here. Could you imagine what Charlie would do if she found out the Angels had a hold of you? She's all sunshine and rainbows until someone she cares about is in trouble. We can't take on the entirety of Heaven." She sighed. Nora just nodded her head, somewhat relieved at that answer. No one else knew she screwed up.
"Why are you even up here, Nora?" Vaggie's voice was a bit softer now, all that anger she had towards her decisions turned to concern. "I wanted to help.." Nora answered quietly. "I figured if I came up here and spoke with the Angels, specifically Adam and tried working out a plan we might be able to hold off the extermination. Work out a deal." She let out a long sigh. "Now they want to use me to show the Winners that Hell isn't worth playing with. I don't know what that means."
Vaggie rubbed her temples, "It's not a good thing. I didn't tell anyone this, even after they found out I used to be an Angel, but during the exterminations Adam would take a few prisoners if he saw them fit enough for his idea. It started with just dragging them through the streets to keep any wayward Angel's in check but then it moved onto something more. They used them as practice. Experiment pieces. Normal extermination wasn't enough for him, he wanted more. So why not bring the people of Hell to him? Only Hellborn can be taken to Heaven so it took some trial and error before he figured out who he could bring up here. You just happened to walk right into it."
Nora bit her lip at the idea, "I didn't see any other Hellborn here though." Vaggie let out a soft sigh. "He probably got rid of most of them, or they…" She trailed off and Nora knew what it meant. They were killed off. "We have to get you out of here." Vaggie said more urgently as she finally walked over and started to work with the chains that were on Nora. She managed to unclasp the chain from the wall before they heard more voices.
They both froze where they stood. "Mierda," Vaggie cursed under her breath, "It's Adam and Lute." She said before quickly putting the Helmet onto her head, stuffing her long hair into it as best she could. Nora looked to her in panic before Lute stepped in front of the door and raised a brow. "What are you doing in here?" She asked the now exorcist looking Vaggie, who hesitated before answering. "I, uh, heard some noise when I was doing my rounds so I came in to check on her. Just, erm, making sure she wasn't trying to get away." She said and took a step back.
Adam finally stood by the door holding what looked to be a peach in his hand with a bite already taken out of it. He looked to the exorcist before looking to Nora and squinting his eyes. "Well shit, she managed to pull the chain from the wall. What are they feeding these Hellborn?" He stepped past Lute and Vaggie and into the room. "You're dismissed." He waved his peach towards Vaggie who he believed was just a normal exorcist. "Oh, um.. Wouldn't you want more of us here? Just in case? I mean, if she managed to pull Angelic steel out of the wall, just imagine what she can get into.." Vaggie was thinking quick in the situation.
Lute stared her down but before she could say anything Adam let out a laugh. "If it means I don't have to do anything then sure, stick around." He turned his attention back to Nora just in time to see her strike. With both hands clasped together she swung with everything she had towards his masked face and luckily it connected. Adam fell to the ground with a thud, his mask glitching out heavily from the contact while his head spun. Lute seemed so shocked at first, not expecting her to still be fighting especially with the Angelic steel sapping her energy so effectively.
"What.. The fuck! Lute, don't just fucking stand there!" He snapped, his voice crackling from the breaks in the mask, as he held both sides trying his best to get it to stabilize but it continued to glitch. Lute's spear formed in her hands just as Nora moved for her, whipping her hands around to grab the chain at the back of her neck before letting the momentum of her movements carry it forward. Lute lifted the spear to block just as the chain wrapped around its handle. Nora jerked it back to carry Lute off balance and bring her forward and with just a bit more energy she got a few feet forward and kicked both feet off the ground and brought them forward directly into her chest.
Lute collapsed to the ground and clutched her chest as the air was sucked from her lungs. Nora didn't waste anymore time and took off towards the door, mostly hopping due to the chains around her ankles that barely gave her enough room to walk right. She was out the door and in the wide hallway brushing her shoulder against the wall to keep herself balanced while she hopped for freedom. It almost seemed too good to be true, she was nearing another hallway and at the end of that one held a massive door that could be her way out. Nora put every bit of her power into those hops, giving it a break every few jumps to shuffle forward before hopping again.
When she was just about the round the corner she felt the chain around her neck grow taught before she was yanked back. It was an almost blinding motion before she heard her own head hitting the ground before she even felt it. Her eyes were filled with blurs of lights and shadows as the pain finally settled in. "You fucking -bitch!-" Adam snapped, his voice still cutting in and out as his mask tried to settle. He pulled at the chain that was now tightening around her neck, dragging her back towards him. Nora lifted her hands to the chain to try and keep it from tightening anymore, her feet kicking as she was dragged along the floor.
"Ya know, you got some real nerve coming up here and acting like this. Acting like we won't put you down in a second! I told your sister we were coming for her next, maybe I'll start with -you-." This was much different from his usual careless tone, he was mad. He wasn't used to someone else having the upper hand and it made him uncomfortable. But he was completely right, what was her plan? She hadn't thought it through and just acted. Was Vaggie supposed to save her while trying to keep herself safe? She screwed up.
Once Adam dragged her to him completely he held the chain up so there was no room for her to move without choking. "You fucked up, Princess. But don't worry, you aren't going to die right now. No, you're gonna be an example for all of Hell come next extermination day." His eyes narrowed as he stared down at her, a fleck of his mask chipping off and falling next to her frightened face.
Adam glanced behind him to Lute stumbling out of the room with exorcist Vaggie keeping her steady, her knew something had to be broken. "We're taking her to the barracks, I'm not dealing with this shit." He sounded more annoyed than anything now, that sudden anger fading from his voice. Lute finally stood up straight and pushed away from the exorcist beside her. "Gladly." She hissed. Nora finally managed to look back at them and saw the look of fear on Vaggie's face. This wasn't going to turn out good at all. Once Lute reached Adam he shoved the chain into her hand, grumbling something to her before heading down the hallway. "I'll see you soon, Nora." His voice was smug followed by a cocky chuckle.
Lute looked down at Nora with Vaggie standing just off to the side, the eyes of her mask wide. "Get up, Hell bitch. You're gonna fucking pay for that little stunt." She growled and jerked on the chain, forcing Nora up to her knees and then her feet. This time Lute had her stand in front of her and with the tip of her spear pressed to Nora's back she ushered her commands, "Start walking." She looked to the hidden Vaggie. "Lead the way." She ordered and Vaggie hesitated but soon took the lead, giving Nora a glance. Nora sensed a bit of hope and fear in that simple look but wasn't sure which one was more overpowering. Vaggie headed towards the second hallway that would lead to their way out before Lute grumbled. "We aren't using the surface streets, we're going through the tunnels. Sera won't be finding out about this one, we aren't letting this one get away." She commanded. That little sense of hope in Vaggie's eyes was suddenly gone. Nora wasn't sure which was worse, the blinding pain echoing in her head or the darkness behind the door that led to the tunnels they were about to take. Something told her that the shadows of Heaven was something she didn't want to witness, but had no choice. Vaggie walked down the steps that led into the dark tunnel and with the point of the spear digging into her back, she followed.
(Hey guys! Back with Chapter 2, I'm gonna try to bring some more to this story. If you have any questions feel free to ask! Hopefully the next chapter will be out much sooner. Thank you for reading!)