A/N: This chapter contains depictions of violence and SA in section 2 that may be disturbing to some viewers. Please read at your own discretion.

Chapter 8: Paint the Town Red

It's been about a month since Charlie embarrassed Katie on national television, and residents have been rolling in every other day. We were well over our 50 resident goal, standing proud at a whopping 82 residents and 23 visitors.

No progress on redemption just yet, but given the long list of sins many had to atone for, it wasn't completely unexpected. I couldn't lie and say I wasn't worried. If we don't make progress soon, people may well leave before they hit the gold mine. Keeping them entertained with parties, good food and free rooms was only half the bribe, and I wondered how long before someone finally walked out on us.

While we scrambled to hire more staff, I faced a different kind of battle. I've learned my migraines weren't due to stress, but to a new ability as my powers continue to adapt. Distant voices echoed in my mind, and it drove me crazy when I couldn't distinguish between what was a thought, an auditory hallucination, or an actual person speaking to me. There have been many instances where I knew what someone was going to say before they said it. I chalked it up to inexplicably strong intuition, but it's getting harder and harder to explain the random knowledge I have on people when they've never told anyone.

What's worse, the damn medicine barely helps anymore. A total waste of my fucking money that could have gone into new clothes or preparations for the upcoming festival. My only escape is finding every excuse to lock myself away in my office for long hours. The pain only gets worse when I am surrounded by a crowd of people. It's annoying, but once I have control, it will be a valuable tool. For now, I've managed to find some peace away from the now chaotic hotel lobby. Well, kind of.

"... It's what you weeear from eeeear to eeear and not from head to toe! Thaaaaat maaa-ha-ha-teeeerrrrrs~!"

I groan internally, feeling my patience fray. 'I'm gonna kill him…'

My peace is sporadically ruined by Alastor's pestering singing. He is "keeping me company" while I work, but annoying me is his favorite hobby, so his company is hard to appreciate. I know this song is a favorite of his, he references it every chance he gets, annoyingly so. I really don't want to take his fun away, but if he could not be himself for longer than five minutes…

Annoying. Annoying. Annoying. Everything is so annoying to me these days. I'm so irritable with this damn world, this damn project, these damn sinners, this damn deal, my damn self. To hell with it all, and then some.

"Hmmm, well, that's quite an ugly face you're making. Perhaps a break is in order," he suggests, putting his copy of Pandemonium Press down on the table. "You seem distracted."

'I have a terrible headache,' I signed to him. I tossed my own papers onto the desk, giving up any hope of getting any work done. 'Do you mind if I cut the lights out? It's too bright in here for me right now.'

"Do as you wish."

I summon the darkness with two claps, and the bright overhead lights are replaced with the soft glow of my growing aquatic collection. I sighed in relief and removed my hands from my temples, finding peace of mind in the dimly lit room as I leaned back in my chair.

Over time, I created my own aquatic paradise, filling it with eels, sharks, piranhas, bullet shrimps, and jellyfish. Each creature was a reminder of the friends I left behind and the prey I once hunted. I bought some plants too, to decorate my tanks and my office, as they were quickly becoming a therapeutic hobby for me. I now mothered two large venus helltraps that sat comfortably in the front corners of my office. Slowly but surely, I was building my own sanctuary within the darkest corner of the library.

With the help of Lucifer's sorcery, the tanks embedded into three of my walls were expanded and laced with magic that would prevent leaks and water damage done to the hotel itself. It is connected to a secret passageway behind a bookshelf outside of my office, where I can join my fish friends for a swim, if I so choose.

You wouldn't notice at first glance, but the tank was very deep, sinking at least 50 feet under the hotel floor to give them enough space to swim. A thoughtful, personal touch, though at the time, it seemed unnecessary. But I couldn't lie, a swim sounded good right about now. The cacophony of the world around me muted beneath the steady surface sounded like the perfect remedy.

There was a point in time when I couldn't wait to be away from the deep depths of the ocean. I hadn't touched a large body of water since I left the Envy Ring. I never thought I'd miss it. I damn near recreated it. But I will never step foot into that ring again.

"Quite the atmosphere you've made here." Alastor interrupts my thoughts in a voice quieter than I'm used to from him. I nodded, not really feeling like moving my hands. He stands, walking behind me and to my wall of fish, observing the tank of various aquatic creatures through the glass. "Now I know where to go if I'm craving seafood, ha ha!"

'Over my dead body,' I thought sarcastically. There was a brief silence before I heard a shift in his movement.

"Did you… say something," he asked slowly. The question annoyed me at first, but was quickly replaced by confusion. Did he hear me? Can he do that? Can I do that?

I looked over my shoulder at him to find him staring at me with narrow eyes. His ears are stretched high above his head, alert, trying to listen for the faintest sound from me. I swallow, unsure if I want to risk testing this theory now or if I should wait until I fully understand it. And I'm not sure if I want him to be the first to know of this new development. I don't know if I trust him that much yet.

I hummed my protest. "Mm-mm."

Another beat of silence. He seems to have momentarily forgotten my vocal limitations and I see his shoulders relax a bit. "... Of course you didn't. Perhaps a break is in order for myself, as well," he says cautiously.

'A break from what,' I sign to him, 'You haven't done a damn thing but annoy me.'

"Sounds like good work to me," he teases.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes and instead tried to piece together why he was still here. Again, not that I minded, but I hardly thought he had any interest in me enough to just "keep me company". Surely there was something else he could be doing right now with his time. But here he was, observing fish in an office with someone who he, nor I, could hardly call a "friend". We were still very protective of ourselves around each other, both obviously hiding behind the fortresses built after our last brawl. I was almost certain he was holding a grudge against me for that, and only put up with me for Charlie.

'Charlie…' I sighed through my nose and stood from my chair, walking over to join him. She would want me to try. She would want us both to try.

'Does it remind you of something,' I asked, catching his eye movement in the reflection. I assume he is reading my translation through the glass. 'You seem to be deep in thought.'

"Hmmm… Something like that," he says quietly. I wouldn't say his voice sounded soft. It was more like if you turned the volume down on the radio. I liked it.

'What are you thinking about,' I asked.

"I'm thinking how much of a hypocrite you are."

Here we fucking go. 'Meaning?'

"When you first arrived here, you seemed annoyed by my preference of shadows. And now here you are, more at peace with it than any light you can ever hope to receive."

I raised an eyebrow at him, surprised that he remembered the details of our verbal spat. 'There's plenty of light in here, so that's not a fair comparison. And besides, you were stalking me.'

"Ah, ah, ah, I was observing you," he corrected. "There is a difference."

'Oh, really?' Curiosity itched at me. I was getting somewhere. 'Then tell me what you've learned.'

Alastor turned to face me, looming over me with his ever-present sinister grin, like he was about to enjoy picking me apart. "... Interestingly enough," he started, "I haven't learned much. You are about as secretive of yourself and of your past as I am. But I am a patient man, and I always get what I want."

'I didn't realize you wanted me so bad.' I snicker and he raises an eyebrow. Angel's humor is rubbing off on me. His eyes tell me he doesn't find it very funny, and I feel like a child about to be scolded by her father.

'Okay then, what do you really want,' I ask, allowing myself to roll my eyes this time. Serial mood killer, this guy.

"Information," he says, his tone as cool as ice. When I tilt my head in confusion, he continues, "Not many things escape my knowledge, Thorne. But what I don't know now, will be revealed to me in due time. It always does."

'If you're so interested in me, why don't you just talk to me like a normal person?'

"Because you bore me."

The bluntness of the answer makes me blush with embarrassment. He laughs as though it's all in good measure and continues, "Oh, don't look so embarrassed, we hardly like each other! Besides, it's much more entertaining to watch you fail spectacularly while us Sinners leave you in the dust."

Asshole. 'Spectacularly, huh?'

His grin is one made of mockery. "Oh-ho-ho, yes. Your attempts at redemption are... endearing. Like watching a fish trying to climb a tree."

'Fuck you,' I tell him. 'You're so full of shit, you know that? So full of shit, it's all you ever talk.'

I feel myself getting worked up and I have to remind myself not to give him that satisfaction. My top lip is tickled by the deep breath I sigh through my nose.

'I really don't get you sometimes,' I tell him. 'You say 'us' like you plan on being redeemed yourself, but I know you don't even care. It's so infuriating to see you waste your potential like that. At least you have a chance. You mean to tell me you haven't ever wished for anything more than burning for all of your afterlife?'

His eyes glinted with amusement, and he tapped his chin as if he were actually thinking about it. After a moment, he shrugged and his grin became more smug. "More power, perhaps. What else is there?"

'Well, Charlie says all you ever need is love.' I meant that sarcastically, but I wasn't sure if he got it. His smile went from smug to strained in seconds.

"Oh, please," he groaned, seemingly disgusted by the idea. "Love is a fool's emotion and a terrible distraction. Power, control—those are the true pursuits."

'You say that like you have experience. Haven't you ever loved anything before?'

"Never."

A lie. I studied him, sensing an opportunity to push further. 'Not even your mother?'

The radio playing in the background made a slight record scratch and for a split second, a shadow of something that looked like anger crossed his face. For a moment, I was worried I overstepped. It was gone as quickly as it appeared.

"Come again?" His voice drops, and for a moment, I think I see a flicker of something dangerous in his eyes.

'She's the only thing you talk about with a real smile,' I explained. 'The only thing you bothered to bring with you to Hell, all the way from your short life on Earth. You obviously miss her. There is no shame in that.'

When he says nothing, I continue. 'You are lucky to have loved someone. And to have been loved in return.'

"What about you," he asked. "By now, I thought you and Peter would be picking your funeral bells together."

'I do not love him.'

"Uh-huh."

'I mean it,' I insist. 'He is just another man with a stupidly handsome face.'

"He's a bear."

'You're an idiot.' I shove him away from me and his laugh is infectious. I'm trying not to smile, but I can't help it. He's a funny man. A funny, strange, ruthless man. A respectable man.

He straightened himself upright before speaking again. "Well, my dear Thorne, for a demon who is beneath me, I suppose you're not as boring as I believed."

'Glad you think so,' I told him. 'Though, you still underestimate me, and I guess that won't change.'

"Probably not."

'That's okay. Part of me likes that.' I'm being honest and he is as unreadable as ever. "It pushes me to be stronger, to prove you wrong. I may be just another lowly demon in your eyes, but I can be pretty observant, too. I see more than you think.'

"Is that so?" He leaned closer to me, his red eyes boring into mine. It's then I notice his bowtie is crooked. That's going to bother me more than any intimidation tactic he's trying to pin on me. But I feel… something. Like I've accomplished something, maybe even made a connection with him of some sort. Charlie would be proud of us.

"And what do you see, little imp?"

Moths. They're making my stomach sick the way they flutter in my belly. He nauseates me.

'I see someone who's just as lost and as desperate as the rest of us. Just another Sinner searching for something, maybe even someone, even if you won't admit it. Why else would you be here?'

"You think you have me all figured out, don't you?"

'Not all all.' I smiled and straightened his bowtie, then gently patted his cheek. 'But I'd like to if you'd let me, little doe.'

My heart drops to my ass when I see his pupils turn into radio dials, but I'm saved by the door to my office bursting open. Husker storms in, his face a mix of anger and worry that sends chills down my spine. I'm not up to hearing the bad news I'm already anticipating.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we have a problem. It's Angel—he's hurt, bad."

I knew it before he opened his mouth. Instantly, the atmosphere in the room shifted, and the weight of the situation came crashing down on me, the pain in my head momentarily forgotten as something cold surged through my veins. I whipped my head around to face him.

'Where is he?' I signed urgently.

"Lobby." He didn't even bother staying to explain further, frantically rushing out of the room to return to his eight-legged love. Wasting no time, I rushed after him, leaving Alastor in the dust before he can kill me over the pet name. When I got to the lobby, I realized how gross of an understatement this bad "problem" was.

Cuts, bruises, and bite marks marred Angel's small frame. Both his eyes were swollen black, his pink and white coat stained with blood that dripped from his nose and lip. He was trembling, crying, whatever makeup he wore smudged and ran down his cheeks. The residents crowded him, and I had to push and shove them all away to give him space. I collapsed to his side along with Husker, who gently moved to pick him up bridal style. He winced with every movement, no matter how gentle Husker tried to be with him.

"I-I'm sorry," Angel cried repeatedly. Something broke in me hearing how hoarse he was, like he'd been screaming for hours. Husker shushed him and kissed his forehead. I could only imagine his pleas and cries for help, and it made my blood boil to know that I wasn't there. If this happened at work, that means there were plenty of witnesses and if he was this bad, that means no one cared enough to come to his aid. It pissed me off. Why the fuck did no one do anything to stop this?

"It'll be okay, you'll be okay. I've got you, kid…," Husker cooed, though I couldn't tell if he was trying to convince Angel or himself. Maybe both. He turned to me, eyes blazing through me as much as mine through his. We nodded, understanding that a discussion was due after Angel was given proper treatment, and I left him to take Angel to his room.

It hit me at that moment that I knew what Angel's job entailed, but I didn't know what all came with it. He'd come home sore, sure, but no matter how many long hours he worked, he never failed to keep a smile on our faces. On his face. He kept us laughing, kept us happy, the life of our party, always. I knew he hated his job, or at least just the people in it, particularly his boss, Valentino. I had no doubt in my mind that this was his doing. I clenched my fists, my anger simmering deep in the pit of my belly. If Valentino thought he'd get away with this unanswered, he was sorely mistaken.

"Well, looks like someone lost their temper today," Alastor commented. I almost didn't hear him.

I was still on the floor, staring at nothing. The world around me shrank, and I felt like a prisoner within my own mind, suffocating under the weight of my anger and helplessness. Whatever commotion was happening around me, I'd become deaf to it. Voices were muffled, I think someone was trying to talk to me, but there was a ringing in my ears that wouldn't go away. I felt hot and anger bounced off the wall of my bones, shook me to my core like a hellquake, squeezed what little energy I had left in me. I can feel the panic settling in.

Not here.

I lean forward, rocking myself back and forth on my palms and I hum. I need to let this out. I can't let it consume me. Not here. Not here. I need to breathe.

Release me.

I shook my head. I can't. I fold myself into a ball, still on my knees, still humming something that makes no sense. There's no order in my rhythm, there's no calculation of tune, just a desperate mess to keep myself from falling apart. Why does it bother me? I know why this bothers me. Why does it bother me? Why? Why him? Why am I remembering everything? Why am I taking on this pain? Why can't I get it out of my head? I know why. Why? Why?

Release me.

Shut up. Don't ruin this for me.

Release me.

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. I hate you. Shut up.

Release me.

"Thorne?"

It's Charlie's voice that briefly pulls me out of my spiral. I don't even know when she arrived by my side. I feel delirious, half expecting to look up and find myself back in the Envy Ring, in Hell-Antis, with Seviathan to lean on like it used to be. But I have Charlie now, and she is holding me so tightly, as though she were trying to hold me together, too.

"Do you need a walk?"

After a moment, I nod. She pulls back to get a better look at me. I feel numb. She wipes away my tears that I didn't even realize I was weeping and I am embarrassed. Her own eyes are glossy, but they have yet to fall. She's trying to be strong for the both of us. That isn't fair.

"He'll be okay. Angel is tougher than he looks," she says softly. "Let him rest for the night, and he'll be better in the morning. I promise."

I nod again and together, we stand to our feet. I still feel numb, but there is something itching at me now, and I know it won't rest until I find out for myself.

'Thank you,' I sign tiredly. 'I need to be alone for a moment.'

"Of course," she says quickly. "Take the rest of the night off, o… kay?"

She barely gets the last word out before I'm out the front door.

I arrived back at the hotel later that night, making sure to stop by Angel's room before retreating into my own. It was no surprise to see Husker still by his side, leaned over the edge of the bed in a nearby chair and fast asleep. The creak of the bedroom door made his ear twitch, but he did not budge. Poor thing. Angel's eyes followed the noise and when it met mine, he gave me his best smile. He looked a bit more like himself, the bruises and various cuts nearly healed. Charlie was right, he'd be better by morning. Regeneration of the body: The blessing and curse of a Sinner. You could hardly tell that he was beaten as badly as he was. I hated that.

"Hey," he croaked softly. "I was wonderin' when you'd show up."

'I needed a walk,' I explained. I sat next to him on the opposite side of the bed from Husker. 'How're you feeling?'

He stared at me for a moment before sighing heavily. His smile dropped as if it were too heavy a burden to hold. Petting Fat Nuggets, who laid curled up on his chest, he stared up at the ceiling, seeming to process the events of a more than terrible work night. "I dunno…"

But he did know. He just had a lot on his mind, but didn't know where to start. He was fighting himself, too tired to open up but itching to be heard. A feeling I understood all too well. I didn't move. I wanted him to open up on his own terms, without me pushing for an answer from him. He's been through enough.

"I dunno know what to do…," he finally says. His eyes are on the verge of tears, and he blinks them back. My chest aches for him. "It's been a whole damn year… And nothin's changed… I'm still here…"

'You're doing the best you can,' I remind him. 'I know it hasn't been easy. I'm still proud of you. Your time is coming soon, I know it.'

He looks at me with pleading eyes, as if begging to be released from all that binds him to this wretched place. For some reason, I feel a bit scorned. At least he has a chance. At least he can leave. It's an awful thought to have when I'm trying to support a friend. "I'm afraid of what'll happen if I let go."

'What do you mean?'

"I can feel it," he tells me. "I… It feels like somethin's pulling at it. My soul. Like somethin' is going to change very soon, like… like somethin's callin' me. And it just gets louder and louder and… I can't ignore it for much longer, y'know?"

I didn't know. I couldn't know, I didn't have the luxury to know what that felt like. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Divine Judgement was calling him into attendance and he's been ignoring it the whole time?

'What are you afraid of,' I asked him.

"I just… I don't know if I'm ready to leave yet. What about Nugs? And Valentino? And…" He trails off, looking at Husker with sad eyes. He pets his head with a lower limb and almost instinctively, Husker leans into his touch purring softly, lovingly.

So that's it. He doesn't want to leave him. I can only imagine such a sentiment so strong that it would keep me in the worst possible place. I could never love anything that much. Whatever peace Husker looks for at the bottom of a bottle, he's found it in Angel. And whatever high Angel looks for in his drugs, Husker gives it to him naturally. Maybe his leave will push him to do better on his own. Were it not for my soulless vessel, I would leave and never look back, no matter how much I loved anyone. I was selfish in that way. So it was hard not to feel bitter when someone with the choice did not take advantage of their privilege.

'It will be okay,' I tell him. 'I will care for the little piglet in your absence. And Husker will understand. In fact, I'm sure he'll be right behind you. If he loves you as much as I know he does, he wouldn't want to hold you back.'

He pauses for a moment. "Even so… Val will never-"

'You must choose yourself,' I interrupted him. I couldn't stand him talking about what other people needed more than what was good for him. 'You cannot be redeemed with only one foot in the door. You have to let him go. I will deal with-'

"No!" His sudden yelp of protest startles me. There is fear in his eyes that makes my heart drop to my stomach. How horrible it must have been for him all these years, where seeking help is more fearsome than whatever torment he's endured. I feel nauseated.

Husker stirs in his sleep and we both look at him, holding our breaths until we feel it's safe to continue. "Please… Just don't. Anything but that."

I decide right there that I have to know how bad it is. I need a reason to ignore his pleas. I have to know.

"Please don't get involved," he pleads, and hangs his head to hide his tears. "Charlie already tried doing that and it just made it worse. I'll deal with it."

'By doing nothing?,' is what I want to say, but he looks up at me surprised, as if he's heard me.

'I will protect you,' I promise him. 'I know it's not easy, but please don't go back to him. You must let him go. Or he will keep you here forever and this will all be for nothing.'

I want to say more. I wish I could say more, but I hate communicating this way. I want to use my voice. I want to tell him he is not alone. That he and I are the same. That throughout my life, I have been robbed of my right to exact revenge upon the many demons who have wronged me. That I have been through my own share of abuse. And that it was not my place to bring about my own justice, no matter how deserving of it I was. I was forced into this silence that could have long since drowned me, but I still fight for my right to breathe.

At least he had the gift to live twice. Even three times or more, so long as no angelic weapon was involved. I never asked to be here. I was born into this shithole just to die as miserably as I've lived, and I've worked up just enough nerve to live loudly, proudly, as though this world was made for me. I have no choice but to bare myself before this fiery pit that is a Sinner's Hell, with all my troubles, all my anger, my deepest regrets and my inky, tar-like sorrows. I stand before it all, and I burn.

I seethe with a rage so quiet and my need for retribution is non-negotiable. It all could be his. Power could be his, vengeance could be his. I didn't want to steal him of that right. But if Angel continues to do nothing, I will have to take matters into my own hands, whether he wants me to or not. He doesn't deserve this and he doesn't belong here. He's gone through too many changes just to remain attached to Valentino or Husker's hip. I can't just sit and watch him wither away when there is something better waiting for him just above us. I just can't do it. I won't do it.

And then I made another decision. Ensuring Angel's safety is all that matters. And I imagine he will be so relieved to know that he will no longer have to be burdened by the undesirables of working in that wretched place. I remember it like it was yesterday, a building made of pure evil, held together by chains, the symphony of agonizing screams that washed over me. This may be my most challenging one yet, but that hardly matters.

My most tried and true advantage in all my successful hunts has always been my patience. It will all be over in due time. I will smile amongst the burnt rubble of V-Tower, and I will do it alone if I must. That, I have promised to myself. For him.

"... Will it really be okay," asks me quietly.

Something possesses me to do the unthinkable and gently cup his cheeks, wiping his tears away. I smile because I miss seeing his. I want it to come back soon. I scoot closer and kiss his forehead. When I pull away, he is stunned by my affection. He must not have thought I was capable of such a thing. It's the least I can give him. The most will be his ascension to God.

'It will be okay,' I reassured him and stuck a single pinky finger out to him. 'I will never lie to you.'

There is the gold in his sad grin, through salty tears and a shaky nod. He interlocks pinkies with me and we stamp our deal by the thumb. The essence of ourselves dances in soft shades of blue and pink around our fingers, and the tension in his shoulders eases a little. He knows I am serious about our pinky promises. I've yet to break one.

"I trust you," he says.

'And I, you,' I tell him. I kiss his knuckles and stand from the bed, new resolve anchoring me. I know what comes next. I have to be ready.

'Get some rest. Goodnight, angel.'

"G'night, babe."

I close the door behind me and I linger there for a moment. An unbearable weight is on my shoulders and it is crushing what little courage I have left in me. Should I move forward with this? Can I handle it? I can always back out if it's too much. No sense in torturing myself, right?

I drag heavy feet to my room, desperately searching for an excuse not to put myself through this. But curiosity is plaguing me, and I have to know, so when I finally squash that fucking bug, I know my reasons will be justified.

I close my door, locking it behind me. My hands are shaking as I open the paper bag on my dresser. A single blank tape. The man in the Lust Ring seemed pretty proud of this one, priding himself on the rarity and rawness of the footage.

"You're in luck, baby. Ain't no one else got more behind the scenes shit than me," is what he told me. "Here's a popular one. Let me know what you think when you bring it back."

I saw a wicked familiarity in his smile that made me sick.

Not wanting to stall any longer, I took a deep breath and inserted the tape into the player and sat on the floor. I tightly hugged a pillow to my chest and braced myself for whatever horrors this shitbox might reveal. It flickers to life in seconds, and a pig demon's face is the first thing I see on the screen. He is grinning like he just hit the jackpot, adjusting the camera in a hidden angle of a red room before lighting a long pink incense and leaving.

Nothing else happens for a couple minutes and I feel myself getting impatient. I press fast-forward on the remote and nothing changes on the screen for the next 10 minutes of the film, except for the pink smoke of the burning stick filling up the room. I almost thought I was scammed out of my money, when I finally, one by one, four other demons entered the room. At high speed, the tape shows them talking amongst themselves, pouring drinks, laughing in the thick of all the pink smoke in the air, even kissing and touching one another in lustful ways that made my skill crawl. And lastly, finally, Angel stumbles in some time later with the pig demon from the beginning. I can immediately tell he's drunk, or drugged or hell, maybe both. I forgot to hit the play button and ended up skipping too far ahead before I even realized it.

I cursed in my head and frantically hit play, debating if I should go back a bit to see if I missed anything. But the sounds of Angel's cries and pleading for the group of demons to let him go freezes my movements and I am glued to the screen. They find his pain funny, mocking him and passing him amongst themselves to endure a new cruelty as nauseating as the last. Each word, each action, every new level of pain and humiliation inflicted on him cuts through me like a knife. Anger simmers in the pit of my belly once more, threatening to boil over worse than it nearly did a few hours ago.

It's not long before Angel stops reacting altogether. I grit my teeth, forcing myself to watch, his body is limp and unresponsive, only occasionally making a sound when they force one out of him. My tears mirror his own as the images blur, but I fight the urge to look away. I have to see it all. I have to remember their faces, their voices, their clothing, every defining feature. I must burn them into my brain so I can find them later.

Halfway through the tape, Angel is bruised and beaten, defeated, his eyes are empty of the usual sparkle I am so used to seeing from him. He looks worse than how he did tonight. And I suddenly remember this tape is a "popular one" among many. How many people have seen this? How many have done something similar? How many more are there? Did he know there were tapes like this being sold in other rings? Thinking of the answers only enraged me and in an impulsive fit, I punched through the screen.

I see my reflection in what's left of the broken TV. My eyes are wide and glowing red and green. I can't stop shaking and my skin is paler, like a gray storm reflected on the horizon of a blue sea. My left eye folds back into four flaps like some sort of cursed flower, revealing two hidden eyeballs on the left side of my head. An extra eye has opened over my right. The roots of my hair have turned white and they stretch to my ends, turning the bioluminescence of my highlights from green to blue. Between my shoulder blades itch where my wings threaten to unfold. My mouth between my breasts itches for prey.

And something else inside me itches. I feel… hungry. But not in the way one might think.

Slowly, I remove my now blood soaked gloved hand from the TV. In the reflection, the hole I made covers where my mouth would be. I look like I'm screaming. Or singing. Or feeding. I have become something almost unrecognizable and all-the-way ugly in this demonic form.

Kill them.

I listen to the voice in my head and start my hunting season early.

Name: Enzo Galvan-Mora; Spider Demon.

Background: The porn shop clerk who sold me Angel's tape in the Lust Ring.

Abilities: web creation, wall climbing, night vision.

Weakness: fire, soundwaves, light sensitivity, mortality, stupid.

Status: Dead.

Name: Mortis Osten; Cobra Demon.

Background: Works under Valara, deeply involved in the drug trade within the Pride Ring, specializing in the distribution of poison, supplying Valara's network with more stealthy means of completing discreet assassinations.

Abilities: Venomous spit, poisonous breath, hypnosis, heat vision, seduction, silver tongue.

Weakness: cold temperatures, anti-venom, decapitation, angelic weapons.

Status: Dead.

Name: Remy Rowen; Shadow Demon.

Background: A feared assassin for hire, using his shadow abilities to infiltrate and eliminate high-profile targets. His reputation for stealth and lethality made him a valuable asset to many overlords. He was Valara's go-to hitman for completing high-stakes jobs.

Abilities: Shadow manipulation, intangibility, invisibility in darkness, teleportation.

Weaknesses: light, fire, physical weakness, limited teleportation range, angelic weapons.

Status: Dead.

Name: Eryx Blightwing; Bat Demon.

Background: Working under Valara, Eryx controlled a significant portion of the Black Market Dealings in the Doomsday District, providing a somewhat cheaper, but faster alternative to supplying millions of demons with dangerous armaments, stolen magical artifacts, and other souls for trading.

Abilities: sonic scream, echolocation, flight, enhanced hearing.

Weakness: poor eyesight, silver, physical fragility, loud noises, angelic weapons.

Status: Dead.

Name: Darius Holt; Pig Demon.

Background: A PCPD cop and frequent customer of Angel Dust when he wasn't working in the studio with Valentino. Regularly interacted with Valentino and other criminal elements, ensuring protection for his and Valara's operations.

Abilities: Super strength, rage boost, thick skin, tusks and teeth.

Weakness: Speed, exhaustion, poison, mental weakness, stupid.

Status: Dead.

Name: Alaric Cain; Basilisk Demon.

Background: An enforcer and debt collector who used his petrification abilities to enforce Valara's rule and collect debts owed to her. Essential in maintaining fear and control in the Doomsday District.

Abilities: lethal gaze, impenetrable scales, stealth and camouflage, super strength.

Weakness: Speed, sonic scream, mirrors, women, angelic weapons.

Status: Dead.

Name: Valara Volgemire; Overlord, Harpy Demon.

Background: A crime lord who controlled a vast criminal network involved in smuggling, extortion, and soul trading in the Doomsday District. When Valentino wasn't recruiting souls himself, he was buying them from her. Her dominance in the Doomsday District made her a formidable overlord.

Abilities: flight, razor talons, speed and agility, intimidation, enhanced senses.

Weakness: fire, water, heavy objects, angelic weapons.

Status: Packaged.

Author's note:

Hey y'all, I'm sorry it took so long to get this out. I think I burnt myself out from pumping out seven long ass chapters back to back when I started this story. Work has also been pretty busy for me, so I decided to take a much needed break to replenish my creativity bar. I'm ready to get back in the game! Also, I like being able to make lengthy content for you guys, but if it would be more digestible to shorten my chapters, let me know in the comments. I can't promise the next couple of chapters will be out as fast as the first seven, but I will do my very best this summer! I have a lot of ideas for this plot, so please stick around!

Love ya! 3