Author's Note:
Hello to all! Once again seven days have passed us by, so once again a new chapter of Drifters has risen from the ash.
Still on the lookout for a beta reader, so if anyone is interested feel free to send me a PM. Outside of that, there are no new reviews for this week, so we get to dive right into the chapter!
So without further adieu, besides my traditional apology revolving around any grammatical stakes that may pop up along the way, I welcome you back too….
Drifters
A Hazbin Hotel Fanfic
Chapter 7:
What I Like About you
Alastor's staff punctured the street with each twitch of his smile. A small display of how he felt about the vexed afternoon he agreed to embark on.
Usually the Radio Demon could cope with Charlie's ludicrous request. Especially since the rare times she did reach out for his assistance, it was done from the position of her asking for a favor rather than an outright command. But right now, with her having ordered him to complete his current task, he was reminded of the invisible strings digging their way into his limbs.
Still, with his eyes gazing down at his torn coat as if his specs was a scope, he managed to see the threads' silver lining. One that he followed to his destination, that just so happened to be inside a skyscraper that may prove this quest mildly entertaining.
With no pause in his step, Alastor strode through the glass panel's and into the media center's lobby. The first guard outside who recognized him screeched so loud his shattered brain leaked out popped eardrums. The second one who had not recalled the Radio's face had been kind enough to use his own to open the door.
To the drumbeat of a cracked skull, the wendigo stepped over the corpse of his knock. His mind focused on how he would maintain his control in the hotel.
His subtle plan to steer Charlie to his own goals would mean nothing if she knew about the reigns around his neck… or worse, saw that they trailed to her hand.
A porcupine secretary at the front desk tried to interrupt Alastor's train of thought with a raised arm. A shadow grasped it, and the following handshake shake rattled the spikes right off the beast's hide.
Charlie wasn't the type of person to abuse her power over others. But thanks to her altruistic sense of morality, he did not care to think about the restraints she could put on him.
His Oxfords tapped into the elevator. The glass panels closed shut when he called upon the lift to escort him to the top floor. Alastor leaned back into his posture, humming along with the musical ambiance. When he heard the discord patter of sweat hitting tile, his grin grew wide at the short-stacked fox twitching in the box's corner. When the music reset itself, it did so to the sound of broken glass, and a fading wail.
After Charlie's 'command', Alastor had spent much of his walk pondering the reason why she became, even insignificantly, more forceful with him. The Extermination was no doubt the main catalyst. Mix that with the arrival of a guest custom built to trigger the heiress' pity centers, sprinkled by Angel's actual attendance at her nightly activities, and suddenly Charlie had a whole new sense of determination to save Sinners.
The lift pinged an echo through a windowed chambered hallway. Alastor waited for the crumbling doors to slide open. The shattered glass left behind found itself pierced by his cane.
Alastor himself cared little for what happened to the souls of the damned. No matter its source, the main problem he faced was if Charlie's determination to achieve their salvation became so great, her avoidable suggestions for help became orders to direct to twist.
Two hulking Minotaur's guarded a steel clad door at the end of the hall. When shaded eyes met his spectacle gaze, the one on the right shot out a snort.
"This is a private floor-" a voided appendage grasped the bodyguard by his nose ring.
Then with a hey diddle-diddle, Alastor's digits played a fiddle, and the cow jumped over the moon.
The crimson clad radio briefly toyed with the idea of simply intimidating Nester and Angel into leaving the hotel. God knows a simple smile could send the former running in an instance, and with only slightly more work the furred spider would find it in his best interest to scurry away as well.
Unfortunately, the direct solution did not mesh well with Alastor's complicated limitations. And outside of those, if Charlie found out what he did he'd have merely amplified the problem he wished to avoid.
The second bovine stood silent. His eyes reflected the new ox shaped skylight that was wider than his hung jaw. Unhinged, the strawberry clad man found it the perfect handle to raise.
Right now, it was in his best interest to work within the restraints of helping the hotel. After all, whether Charlie's redemption program succeeded or not was of little concern to him, and fighting its flow would limit his movement through it far more than if he floated upon it.
He'd of course keep an eye to make sure Charlie's take charge attitude did not grow. Less the rapids send him over a cliff. But outside of a wake up call, he'd continue to play his honest hand, and wait for the right moment he could rig the rules of the game.
Alastor's grin shot through his cheeks. The crack of a jawbone signaled the end of his mental musing. He knuckled the cards he received this round, and called the wager.
When he did, a pile of ground meat rocketed through the metallic door. The buzz of static that followed was soon drowned out by a high pitched screech.
"Who the fuck has the balls I'm going to shoot off-" when the televised faced reflected the radio's it flashed a kill screen.
"Knock, knock." the shark tooth man drawled.
"A-Alassstor!" the panic slur of Sir Pentious nearly sprayed enough spit to short circuit the TV next to him, "M-Minions! Defend me with your lives-"
"I swear to fuck! If you stain my office with the yokes of those rotted chicken shits!" the TV buffered back into a digital scowl, causing the snake to swallow his fear and slither inwards.
"Not a fan of eggshell white?" Alastor smiled, "I'd say the coloring would be an improvement over this..."
He motioned a claw hand to the menagerie of channels flashing across the spherical office.
"Epileptic architect."
The top hatted TV blinked, or perhaps just rebooted, twice before he raised his own razored digit. His antenna sparked electricity.
"Guards! Where the rest of my fucking guards?!" the television sent his voice a broadcast through the entire building.
Alastor smirk grew sinister, knowing only three sets of ears heard it.
"I would say you should have hired more," the radio's sarcasm proded like red hot iron, "but we both know how hard it is to recruit in this job market."
The TV buffered a snarl.
"What the fuck do you want Alastor, were you that intimated by my program?"
"Yes, the sight of your sparking seizure left my trousers quite soaked." the deer's eyes roll so high they might be able to see Angel, "but I'm afraid I'm not here to continue our generational debate Vox."
"You're not?" the TV demon eyebrow screensaver floated up, "Then what the fuck are you doing here?"
"Besides eradicating your sense of safety," Alastor watched The TV growl teeth, yet fail to act on the bite it played, "I've come to fetch my property."
"Property?-" Vox's eyes spiraled a loading screen before snapping back into blocks, "Oh hell no! You are not taking this empire from me! The other Overlords know this city's economy runs on me and the other Vee's! Touch me and they'll-"
"If you keep threatening me with a good time," Alastor crackled, his neck snapped a strained grin at a retreating Vox's, "then eventually I will take you up on it."
The TV gulped, and when he did, Alastor whiplashed his neck and posture back into line.
"But you being here was merely a happy coincidence my old naive friend!" the deer twirled his cane till the spinner landed on the serpent, "He's my quarry for today though."
The snake slid till his back was against the electronic wall. His eyes and hood floated in dread.
"M-me… what have I done to dessserve your wrath?"
Alastor raised an eyebrow.
"I-I mean what ssspecificaly." Pentious swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Remember my coat?"
"You mean the boss's victory medal-" an egg voiced. In an instance, Sir Pentious snatched the pinstriped shell up and slammed his hand over its mouth.
"Ssshutup minion!" the snake hissed.
After a moment of awkward, and confused silence on Vox's part, Sir Pentious lisped morphed to a croaked chuckle.
"Y-you wouldn't believe the ssstupidty that leaves their mouth."
When more silence followed, Pentious snaked a hand down to his pocket. When he brought up his trembling fingers, the villain presented a torn pinstriped piece of cloth.
"… I-if you would like your lovely ssstitch work back-"
"Oh! This shall certainly save my tailor some time!"
Alastor all but sung behind his smiles A clawed hand whisked the cloth from the snake. Who immediately cradled his minion in a fetal position.
"H-how fortunate." Pentious forced a grin. It dripped when Alastor offered a smile in return, "P-please don't kill me Mister…Sssir…Radio Demon"
"Kill you?" the deer tsked to the rhythm of his shaking head, "I'm not here to kill you."
"Y-you're not?" the snake asked bewildered.
"Quite the opposite." Alastor walked towards the serpent, broke his locked gaze on him to stare at the circular office, before standing off center to lean over the inventor, "I'm here to lead you down the path of redemption!"
"Re… demotion-" Pentious mouth was cut off by a shadowed uppercut.
The wall burst into a gorgon shaped hole. Wire and cords sparked fireworks as the serpent flailed in the air towards the lonely hill in the distance.
"Holy…" Vox stared at said opening, Alastor teeth casting more light down on the TV then the setting pentagram shining through, "Shit~"
The deer's lips close his grin. The TV's program was not supposed to end with a laugh track. The radio's static twitched along with his eyes.
"Something funny?"
"Fucking hilarious actually." Vox doubled over, "You're here because of that royal bitch's hotel crap! God, I knew you were crashing there, but you actually believe in that hallmark channel bullshit!"
The picture box flicked away a pixel tear before it dripped into his televised smile.
"What?! Did you starve beneath a tree for seven years and find your zen?"
"Vox," Alastar gripped his staff, and his tuned voice creaked beneath strangled speakers, "kindly change the channel before I shut you off permanently."
The TV's volume turned down, though his smile remained even as the speakers died.
"Would your boss appreciate that kind of language?"
Alastar turned, and made for the door. Oh, how he so wished to make a new one through the use of Vox's face, but starting a direct conflict with Overlords, while entertaining, would create a far more restraining environment for him to work in.
"Pfht! Fucking back ir not, I hardly care."
The deer paused… and from a side glance beamed forth a single headlight.
"Then why was the snake here~"
Alastor hummed while the TV screen froze.
"Funny," the radio twirled the piece of his torn coat, "if the cobra had been more worthless, I wouldn't have been able to find out how much you still crave my attention."
Alastor pocketed the cloth, and began his stroll out of the office.
"When I returned I had no intention of stepping on your toes." he reached the elevator, stepped through the broken glass, then gently signaled for it to close, "For some reason you are just hellbent on placing them beneath my boot."
The elevator pinged, and the TV faded from view when the radio lost its signal.
XxxxxxX
Evening had come, and Charlie had spent most of the afternoon rehearsing the small talk she knew would emerge during the night's gathering. And had purposely gone through the scenarios more time then she had to in order to ensure everybody arrived before she made her entrance.
When she made it to the top of the stairs though, she was met with a smaller crowd than she anticipated. In fact, since Alastor was nowhere in sight, the one new face next to Angel left the population of the hotel unchanged.
Charlie paused and double checked the time on her phone. When it proved correct she awkwardly treaded down the stairs.
Husk was at the bar, as was Nester. Who awkwardly flicked the quill above his ears. Outside of one another, both were alone, so Charlie ventured to them first.
"Hey guys," she leaned her greeting over them, and was relieved to see Nester's glass contained ice that would melt into the water he probably requested, "still waiting for your friends to show up?"
"U-um, not exactly-"
"No." Husk put down his bottle and interrupted with a burp.
"Oh, that's great!" Charlie breathed in a wave of relief, "Where are they?"
Her comfort was quickly forced out in the exhale when Nester and Husk pointed to one another.
"You guys brought… each other?" the heiress raised a finger, and tried to use it as a conductor's wand for her lips, "A-awesome… but… um… you do remember that Vaggie and I asked you to-"
"I remember your girlfriend threatening me with a spear if I didn't bring somebody to this stupid crap. So that's what I did. Nobody said it had to be a stranger." Husk inhaled and swung his arms as if to signal himself safe.
"I guess that's true- Wait?! Vaggie?!" Charlie tensed up and looked towards her partner who currently stared a dagger into Husk, "You threatened an employee?!"
"Hell yeah she did!" Husk hissed out and pushed Nester in front of him to catch the stare down, "But you heard the boss sociopath. I completed your stupid task fair and square."
"By forcing another employee to fuel your laziness." Vaggie growled from across the room.
"A-actually… he kind of helped me out." Nester choked up, "C-considering I don't know anybody in hell besides you guys…"
"I forget about that." Charlie's voice dropped, realizing her plan may have had a few holes in it then she originally thought, "But it's nice to see you guys getting along."
The heiress tried to nod and take the win. Husk peeking out from behind Nester at a murderous Vaggie made the battle phyric at best.
Charlie moved beside her one eye girlfriend, and redirected her vision to the other cyclops sporting an 'X' in their eye.
"You must be Angel's friend-" Charlie strode forward, an arm outstretched. The pop of bubblegum against knifed teeth cut her off.
"More like his God!" the fiery redhead snickered like a rapid fire explosion, "Got to say, this party of yours seems boring as shit! But Angie promised so many favors to get me here, he all but sold his soul to me!"
Charlie's eyes dilated in order to keep her smile inflated.
"I hate you, I hate you so much." Angel muttered beneath gritted teeth.
"W-well, don't worry Angel, the investment-"
"Don't talk to me right now." the actor shot off, and Charlie redirected her comforting hand into one for the newcomer to shake.
"Anyhow, I'm Charlie! I can't tell you how excited I am that you came!"
"Hehe, me too bitch! Me too!" the cyclops' grin was fueled by Angel's misery, "Cherri Bomb's the name!"
"Wait… Cherri Bomb? As in the gang war opportunist and evening news alert Cherri Bomb?!" Vaggie's teeth flared at Angel… the bleached skin red head didn't help either by offering the thumbs up, "The same Cherri Bomb I said you could never see again after the incident?!"
"Vagina, please!" Angel pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed as if the gray hued woman offered telemarketing instead of threats, "I'm already suffering enough right now."
"You haven't even begun to suffer." Vaggie flung out her spear.
Charlie heard a squeak, as Nester flipped the script on Husk by hitting the deck behind the feline canary.
Cherri leaned in with enthusiasm until she could see her reflection on the spearhead.
"Oh rock on! And here you had gone out of your way to tell me there wouldn't be violence at this banger Angel!"
"There's not supposed to be." Angel's mouth puckered inward alongside his pupils.
"And there won't!" Charlie frantically grabbed the handle. It took no small amount of effort to push the weapon back to wherever Vaggie hair sheathed the spear, nor no small amount of will power to ignore the two cyclops boos at the others quenched attempt at murder, "Nobody wants any violence!"
"I want some!" Niffty anxiously jumped up and down waiting for it to be released.
The sight of the sadistic Sinner was at least enough to shock Vaggie into reason. Charlie sighed in relief when the weapon vanished in a flash.
"So… who did you bring Niffty?", Charlie tried to redirect the maid's attention.
The small cyclops scooted to her side, and revealed a pulsating grain of rice.
The heiress blinked in tandem with her confused guest at the sight.
"A-and this is…" Charlie cautioned her own curiosity.
"The termite queen's daughter, you can tell by the size." the red head giggled with delight.
"Oh… and your friends with her how-"
"Because I found her mom eating the balcony. I organically took her as a hostage, but then you said we had to invite friends over tonight and I got an even better idea!"
"T-that by befriending the queen's daughter you-"
"Can raise my own army of termites to mutilate the old guard!" Niffty bit her bottom lip in glee, "Just the thought of the queen termite being ripped apart by her own flesh and blood is enough to make me explode in happiness hehehehehe!"
The floor went silent. Before the footsteps of Husk and Nester backing up behind one another echoed far softer than Niffty's manic laughter.
"Woah…" Cherri breathed in, "Little sis is hard to the fucking core!"
The punk rock Sinner elbowed the spider.
"After the next Extermination, I could use some help clearing out those cockroach pussies down on Atomic Avenue. Think you could lend her out to me then Angie?!"
"… if I lend her out now, can you just keep her?" the spider breathed out.
"No! No!" Charlie frantically swept out crossed arms, "There will be no insect genocide!"
"Are you sure?" Niffty paused to tap her chin, "Because I don't think the bed bugs from last week are coming back to life-"
"I'm sure!" Charlie huffed out before taking a deep breath in, "Now, since everybody who's coming…"
She glanced towards the door, and sighed when it didn't swing open.
"Is here, why doesn't everybody take their seats so we can begin."
Mumbles came from across the crowd as they shuffled towards their stool.
Charlie took her position center stage. Opened her eyes to the audience… then had to immediately open her mouth towards the bar.
"Um… the seats are over here Cherri."
"My arse says otherwise." the cyclops leaned back at the counter, "Speaking of which, since there's no bartender is this a self serve place-"
"Don't touch my fucking booze!" Husk growled.
"What, they've got your name on it or something?" Cherri raised her eyebrow, "Not that I'd care if they did."
She grabbed the nearest bottle and shotgunned it down against her fangs.
"Son of a-" Husk sprung up, but luckily Vaggie was on the scene to crush him back down.
"If you could not drink without permission, that would be… appreciated." Charlie struggled through the request.
"For the love of-" Angel rubbed his temples, "Come over here and sit your ass down!"
"Ffffinneee~"
The heiress saw Cherri's wet burp enter Husk ears boiling water.
"Fucking promised me a boring night," Cherri grabbed another bottle and sauntered over to the others, "so let's get on with the boring fucking night."
"Great!" Charlie's voice cracked when the 'X' eyed Sinner slouched in her seat and began chugging the next drink, "As you all know, we meet here every night to develop the tool set needed to achieve redemption."
The heiress pushed past the fact all eyes were on the one rolling in Cherri's socket.
"But, the path of redemption is not yours to walk alone. For your friends will be on it with you every step of the way. Your success will be theirs,"
When the bomber snapped her free hand in tangent with the blonde's word, Charlie bit her cheeks to keep her smile up.
"and theirs will be yours."
Charlie looked to Vaggie for support as she often did in these situations. Unfortunately, her girlfriend's eye was too preoccupied with burning a red dot onto Cherri's forehead to offer any reassurance.
"S-so in the spirit of that companionship, I want everybody to come up to the stage with their partner, and tell them why they deserve redemption."
Charlie gazed across the crowd. The only hand that rose was Cherri's… but that was so she could throw down her empty bottle.
"H-Husk and Nester, why don't you go first."
The cat slugged further in his stool. Vaggie kept her head trained on the cyclops, but brought out her spear. When it pointed at the bartender, it prodded him into slothic action.
Charlie slowly scooted to the side to make room for Husk, and the nervous bird he quite literally dragged behind him.
"…" Husk was silent for a moment, he looked at Charlie as if she was actually serious, and when she smiled back two claws pinched his eyes shut.
"Feather's should get redemption," the cat began not caring for any of the words he said, "because he's quiet. Which means he can't flirt, threaten, or annoy me."
"Wonder who the first point's about." Cherri slapped Angel on the back. Whatever snarky remark the spider had in return was cut off by his pants to reclaim all the air the cyclops knocked out of him.
"W-well said Husk!" Charlie forced out her own enthusiasm, "What does your friend have to say in return?"
The avian got up from his prone sack position. Face beet red as he stood motionless.
"… um…" the young man's mouth opened but no words came out, his pupils dilated as if the three people, and one fetus insect, below were a pact arena full of spectators.
"Nest?" Charlie cocked her head then coughed in her hands and tried again louder, "Nester?"
"Oh right-" that had snapped the newcomer out of his stage fright… for all of two seconds at least.
"Nester?! Fucking Nester?!" the cyclops' laughed, each chuckle met with another percussion performance to Angel's back, "You could pick any name you want down here, and that's the one you went with?!"
"…" the brunette clasped his mouth shut again.
"Sorry, sorry." Cherri didn't reel herself in, more so take a breath to reload, "go ahead… Nester!~"
"… I-I'd rather not-" the bird's feathers were all but molting off due to the heat.
"Tell the cat you'd like to roost with him!" the cyclop's interrupted to slap her own knee.
"M-maybe less input from the audience." Charlie quietly suggested.
"Why, because we might offend… what type of bird are you even?"
"I-if I just say kiwi, are you obligated to be quiet?" the world snapped shut against that mutter… and Charlie found herself one head among many turned in astonishment to see the words had come from Nester.
Given the immediate sense of regret, and dread, in his eyes, Charlie didn't even think Nester fully believed the words had escaped his mouth.
"I-I am so sorry-"
"Woah! Check out the balls on the cockatoo!" when Cherri just responded with a series of chuckles, "You're luckily I'm so far down from the under, or I'd have to tear them off!"
Nester's face still puckered in fear at the mocked threat… and Charlie quickly tried to get things back on track.
"S-sooo back to Husk."
The cat turned to her, and based on what he mouthed he didn't like her shifting the attention back to him.
"R-right, I like… h-how… direct and honest he is… t-those are good traits," the avian was sputtering out whatever response got him off the stage and away from the cyclops sight fastest, "Right?."
"Absolutely!" Charlie concurred and quickly patted/motioned the duo back to their seat. Less they fuel another incident, "Good job you two! Who wants to go next?"
"Oh us! Us! Pick us!" the maid held the pulsating egg sack. Her feet torqued like a jackhammer.
"Alright, Niffty-"
And said jackhammer nearly cracked the stage in two speeding up onto it.
"I like," Niffty begun, placing the lump down before hovering her pupil centimeters above its shell, "how you can spur acid into other bugs eyes and dissolve your meals while their still alive!"
Husk and Nester decided to pass their seats and take the two empty ones furthest back.
"That's a very… interesting view to take Niffty." Charlie suppressed her own urge to run.
"Thanks!" Niffty gleefully said, "Now it's her turn?!"
The maid bore her smile down on the unborn termite. Whether to disturbed or too afraid to say anything, the members of the lobby went quiet for a full minute.
"…Niffty," Vaggie broke it with caution, "you know she can't talk right?"
"She… can't?" the confused maid asked. And like so often happened, her confusion turned to anger, "She can't say anything nice about me?!"
The maid's smile turned to a frown of needles.
"Well, no, because she's just a-" Vaggie tried to explain, a pop cut her off… along with a splash of liquid it was in Charlie's nervous systems best interest to just call goo.
"Then like being dead!" Niffty croaked. Her spear like leg embedded through the gored egg, and tears dripping from her iris, "Meanie!"
After she got over her shock at the horror, Charlie brought out a hand to comfort the cyclops… but the maid was already storming away by the time the blonde regained any form of composure.
"O-okay then… um… Angel and Cherri?"
The white furred Sinner gazed at the aborted termite, then to Cherri's grinning face.
"Fuck."
"Pfht, you don't mean that~" the ginger teased.
Angel groaned with each step he took towards the stage. Almost appearing like Husk after any conversation the two had.
Charlie shot him a joy filled look of reassurance. None of his eyes seemed to find any amusement in hers.
"Cherri is…" Angel breathed in, his cheeks puffed out to say something he quickly swallowed.
The heiress saw his head turn toward hers again, and this time his pupils rolled inward.
"One bad bitch, and the life of any party. She might burn the place down, but Heaven would be lucky to have a badass like her."
Charlie felt her heart flutter. This… this is what she had wanted. A true, honest to God response praising a friend. She must say, she had her doubts about it coming from Angel. But then again, he was the one person to actually do his homework-
"Pfht, what a big fucking softy!" Cherri spat out. And Charlie's face dilated as if spit on, "I like you for the Hell we raise! No point in doing that in Heaven, sounds like a bore for people like us."
"W-wait… that's not-" Charlie blinked away the confusion, trying to regain control when Angel eyes shifted down then up upon a smirk.
"Yeah, guess you're right."
"N-no she's not-"
"Now, if we aren't allowed to drink here, then let's get wasted somewhere else!" Cherri hopped off the stage and pointed triumphantly to the door.
"Sounds good to me." Angel gracefully somersaulted down.
"N-no you can't leave yet!"
"Didn't I complete the activity?" the furred demon questioned.
"We'll… yes, but I don't see the-"
"Then what's the issue?" Cherri waved Charlie off, "Come on, you owe me a shit ton of favors, and a round of drinks at the club's a good place to start!"
"Heh, you cheap bitch." their conversation was already out the door by the time a stuttering Charlie could reboot her brain enough to try and stop it.
"Angel wait- you can't- errr!" Charlie grasped her hair.
"Hey Charlie, take it easy." she felt Vaggie's hand touch her shoulder, "You know how Angel can be."
"But I've seen him be different," Charlie huffed out, "and I've got to tell him so."
"… whatever gets you out of my hair." Husk muttered from the back, and Charlie turned away. A hurt look on her face.
"N-not that you should leave." Nester stuttered out trying to pick up the cat's slack, "a-and… barring Angel from hanging out with a friend… it…"
Nester trailed off, his head gazing through Charlie towards the door.
"It may not be the best idea."
Charlie completely ignored the strain in the avian's voice, and offered her own panic instead.
"Why?!" she blurted out, as if Nester should know such an obvious answer.
For a moment he opened his mouth as if he did, before logic stitched it closed. The response that came out did so unraveling the threads too soon.
"B-because… a new guest could arrive… and need your help?" the young man pittered out into his own unbelievable answers.
"Seriously, that's the best excuse you got?" Husk deadpanned, "Next time come up with one that's not disproven every day."
"I-I mean… just because nobody showed up the last few days doesn't mean they won't." Nester stuttered back.
Charlie didn't have time to watch Husk pinch his nose. Turning she moved to brush off Vaggie's grasp to go after Angel.
"Yeah, because people are just breaking down the door screaming for her help-"
"SSSSSOMBODY HELP ME!"
The hiss of a shooting star snipped Husk sarcasm at the bud.
Before Charlie could register the whistle that closed in, her determination had grasped the door. Faster than she could swing it open, a top hatted serpent crashed through.
A slimy comet quite literally caused Charlie to retrace, or rather, re crash her steps. Her back crushed the tile floor beneath it, and the twisting weight atop her collapsed her lungs.
She lied on the ground seeing stars. For a moment the only thing that moved was the dust settling. Then, the snake atop her curled up, an egg cradled in one arm as the other rubbed his head/readjusted his crimson eyed top hat.
"Oh thank goodnesss!" Sir Pentious looked towards his unbroken minion, "An innocent bystander broke my fall-"
Charlie's vision must have refocused at the same time as the inventor's. For when he recognized her… his eyes dilated, and his grip on his henchmen increased.
"On no."
"You fucking snake!"
A spear flashed between the serpent and Charlie. Both she and him swallowed their reflections.
"I'll skin you alive!"
"Vaggie wait!"
"Protect me with your worthlessss lives minionsss!"
"You've got it boss!"
XxxxxxX
High above the chaos of Hell's streets, two of its most powerful influencers witnessed the anarchy unfolding with deadpanned expressions. Watching the breakdown occur, not through the widow, but rather the TV screen.
"Fucker came right through the door!" a pinging light traversed through Vox's wifi symbol until the top bar sparked fireworks, "I'd say those bovine freaks were useless dead weight, but their fatasses actually provided him a bigger battering ram."
The electronic demon flung his clawed hands in the air. Wherever they went, his feet paced quickly afterwards.
"Baby, I don't think all this stress is good for your circuits," a slender moth, jacketed by his own fashion forward wings, lazed about the couch nearly as much as his response lazily acknowledged the conversation, "nor is it very attractive."
"Oh, you're one to talk." a woman sneered from behind the screen of her phone. The twirls in her pink and white hair provided more eye contact than her own hand held locked pupils, "How sexy was your little melt down earlier today Val? Hmmmm?"
"Don't get nasty with me, I was dealing with a very real emotional crisis." Valentino dipped his head alongside his shades, "Not this paranoid fueled extravaganza."
"Paranoid! One of the powerful Overlords to ever walk Hell strolled into my office, grabbed an asset, and then blew a fucking hole through my wall larger than the one in my security network," Vox's screen buzzed out of signal for a moment, "and you think I'm being fucking paranoid?!"
The two other Vee's actually gave the tantrum the time of day to stare.
"When you say it like that…" Valentino trailed off, "Yes, yes I do."
The moth returned to his self loathing nearly as fast as the pinkette retreated to her selfies.
"You know he's a threat to our fucking power right?!" Vox blue screened, "For fuck sake, your number one slut is staying at his new hotel! You've bitched all year about Angel moving out, but you're not the least bit worried about who he moved in with?"
The remark managed to strike the right match in front of the moth. Whose hearted shades now reflected the TV's virtual fangs.
"The radio has no idea how to use his own plug." Val hissed out, "If anything, the venison will give Angel the push he needs to know he's better off at home with daddy."
Vox screensaver twitched in either annoyance or discomfort… probably both. Shaking his head, he turned from his first partner to the younger generation.
"And how bout you Vel? You also living in a delusion?"
"Only the one I provide my followers." the undead doll carelessly flicked her screen.
"Are they telling you how anal antlers are the next big trend?" Vox mumbled, claws crossed.
"Nope," the fashionista put her phone down, if only to show the television all the bullshit articles posted on the social media pages. All of which were more idiotic and stupid than the last, "anything that induces depression is a massive turn off to my audience. That includes the roaring twenties."
Vox's eyes twitched in confusion, and Val lifted himself up from his own self loathing to reinforce the emotion being broadcasted to Velvette.
"Oh my God," she dragged her palms down her face, "You two are so fucking old."
"So?" Vox asked and Val looked offended that he did.
"So the annual Extermination means a larger and larger part of Hell's population are new arrivals. New arrivals who we set up a system to ensnare before any other Overlord."
Velvette motioned her hands to all the high tech equipment, the ding she caused on each of the Vees phone quite literally echoed her point.
"With the time between Exterminations cut in half, the portion of Hell composed of newbies is going to increase further, which means our power will as well."
The doll flopped back down onto the sofa. Her fingers surfed across a LED screen.
"What do you think a modern person wants first when they drop down here? Room and board at a hotel with a strawberry dressed sociopath?" she kicked her leg up as if striking down the idea, "No, all these fucking tech junkies from Earth want is their internet fix restored. And that's what we provide."
Vox saw Val open his mouth to rebut… but when his phone buzzed, his argument turned on the silencer.
"So… you think we're safe so long as we keep a claim over the new arrivals?" Vox's clawed fingers sent pixelated ripples across his surface with each tap, "God you're clever."
"One of us has to be." Vel smirk was lit up by the power in her hands.
"I've also still got to come up with a new scheme for that Angel insurance bullshit we promised."
"Where was my Angel insurance?" Val dramatically fainted back onto the sofa.
Too deep in a scheme, Vox went back to pacing. His feet echoing out the demonic moth.
"We've all got the bunker during the Extermination… what if we opened it up to the public?" the TV screen static crackled a sinister chuckle.
"WHAT?!" somehow this snapped Velvette and Valentino attention into focus more then Alastor.
"The safe rooms are barely big enough for the three of us" the moth trailed a finger to his chest offended.
Vox eyebrow shot up, as his deadpan face quite literally signaled to the shady director he was being an idiot.
"It's bigger than the penthouse."
"Doesn't mean it can fit all the Pride Ring inside!" Vel voiced, "And even if it could, our little public relation stunt would turn into a slaughterhouse. The Exorcists are too busy slaughtering on the streets to go through the effort of finding panic rooms. But if they've got no prey, they'll find us eventually."
"Which is why the offer won't be for everybody!", Vox's grinned electronic teeth cackling in triumph, "We offer a bi yearly lottery to all of Hell's newbies. The thousand or so that win, get the prize of bunking with us for free when the Extermination comes."
"Thousand!" the moth welched in disgust.
"What, aren't you surrounded by that many sweaty bodies on a daily basis?"
"Yes, but they're all sexy and flawless!"
"Then just make sure you pick people up to your standards." the TV waved him off, "It's not like we're gonna be running a fair lottery or anything."
"No… so on top of the fact we'll be increasing the number of Hell's new population…" Velvette's grin began to mirror Vox's as she tuned into the channel he was on.
"We'll each get to personally pick out who in the new generations will survive…" Valentino finally joined in to the station as well, his hands rubbed together.
"And ensure their loyalty and favor in the process." Vox's sparks flickered down his seizure inducing eyes "Alastor's power won't amount to shit, if we brainwash the fear out of his victims."
"Hehe, it's always good to see you have a breakthrough rather than a breakdown." Vel chuckled, "Reminds me why I put up with you tired old boomers."
"Darling! I literally drip with the endurance of twenty fantastically fit men!"
Velvette's eyes dilated, and when they pulsated to widen, so did her stomach requesting to vomit.
"Fucking! I just can't even with that Val!"
Vox watched the other two Vee's spark up a far more mundane argument. He shook his head, but nothing could turn off his smirk at this point.
"… as much as I hate to bring it up though," Val turned his lean over the foul-faced influencer back to Vox, "don't we still have to worry about the hotel? If we offer this promo, we'd be in direct competition with Alastar's business."
"What do you mean?" Vox snickered, the table turned from how this meeting began… and the inflection in the TV reflected his want for the clock to not tick backwards, "Princess what's her face is offering a bullshit redemption fantasy, and we're offering a tangible shield. When steel shit rains down in six months, we all know which umbrella people will want."
"We do," Val shrugged, "but the new Sinners may be naive enough to flock to the siren's song."
"Who would be stupid enough to do that?" Vox chuckled.
"Apparently the tabloids favorite new chick~" the moth slurred.
"Chick?" Vel tilted her head, before her twirls twitched as if picking up a signal, "You mean that bird brain idiot who was with the princess?"
"He's not even yesterday's headline anymore, what's he got to do with any of this?" Vox scoffed.
"Everything apparently, Angel mentioned he's staying at the hotel… when I pried for more, my little spider told me the bird was a recent arrival. Came just before the Extermination"
"Surprised you pried." Vel crossed her arms with a smirk, "Given the criteria men need to meet to be in your presence."
"And his skinny ass very much doesn't," Val face contorted in disgust, before he swiped his jacket in composure, "but I'm a businessman, and human looking Sinner's have quite the market appeal."
"I'm sorry," Vox buffered back into the conversation, "but let's get back to the fact that hotel bullshit actually convinced a new Sinner to stay there and risk their second life in less then a fucking day."
"I'd demand Angel to tell me… but recently he's been growing snippy when I ask him for info on his friends." Val sighs, "I'd love nothing more than to wrench the knowledge out to remind him of his place, but our shoots do have a schedule to keep, and I need to appease him somewhat."
"And my schedule can't take any more of your meltdowns if you don't." Vel stretched out her mutter like she did her temples before turning to Vox's, "It could just be a fluke. One new Sinner booking a spot at that hotel is hardly a trend."
"But it could be a sign of Alastor's subtly." Vox's screen twitch, "Fucking snake, if only we could have gotten him in there unnoticed."
"Serves us right." Vel shrugged, "We work better at screwing people when we're loud. Everybody already thinks we're evil capitalist pigs."
"… are we not?" Val inquired confused.
"Of course we are. And when we shine headlights on that aspect, it blinds people to all the other crap we burn into their eyes."
"By that logic, we would have been better off sending one of us in there with the straight up goal of sabotaging it-" Vox's screen froze… before a sinister smile flickered on.
"In fact… Now that we'll be in direct competition with the hotel," the Wi-Fi symbol lit up, "why don't we have somebody review their product!"
Velvette missed Vox's chuckles gaze. But when she looked down to update her post, it soared right into Val's shades.
"Oh oh oh!" the moth giggled, "I see! Of course, our new critic would have to be on the same platform as our target audience."
"A young enough soul, who Alastor couldn't convince the princess to just let him dispose of." Vox continued.
The pinkette doll fingers paused as if about to trigger a mouse trap.
"But experienced and skilled enough to carry out the plan as if he…" Val sat up.
"Or she was a Vee themselves." the TV concluded the program.
The target demographic put down their phone. Less their followers see the hate filled scowl that wrinkled her forehead.
"I fucking hate you guys."
XxxxxxX
Thanks to all who have read through the seventh chapter. I will try my best to upload a chapter every Friday. But until next week, please feel free to leave a comment! Criticism is always welcomed, so long as there's an attempt for it to be constructive.
And to anyone interested in becoming a beta reader, feel free to shoot me a PM.