She opened her eyes and bolted up quickly. Where was she? A quick look around made it clear she was not home, no, far from it. The sky was red, no clouds, no sun. That didn't make any sense. How did she get here? She tried racking her brain to figure out but she remembered nothing. Was she dreaming?

"Ah. Looky here. We got a new sinner. And would you ya look at that. Quite the looker too."

She followed the voice and was met with a very tall, large…uh crocodile person? With him were two others, both some mix between animal and human. This HAD to be a dream.

He continued moving closer, eyes narrowed looking her up and down, a devilish grin on his face. She looked down at herself and instantly her cheeks heated. No clothes. Why was she naked? This was a nightmare, it had to be.

"Why don't we go somewhere private. Pretty thing like you surely sold yourself to fine gentlemen like me."

She shuffled herself backwards away from the advancing creature. He only chuckled. Could she out run this guy? Probably not. He had to be at least seven feet tall, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying. She stood and quickly bolted. The pavement was hot and uneven on her feet, but the adrenaline made it easy to ignore.

The air was thick, like smoke had filled the air and never dispersed. It was hot, humid, the uncomfortable kind. She had been to some tropical places before and it never really bothered her, but this place was in a constant state of discomfort.

What was this place? Not a single person looked human. And why was everyone so tall? Being five, six wasn't tall, but here, wherever she was, she felt like a child in comparison. She couldn't hear any footsteps following her, but she knew better than to stop. She had to find somewhere safe, out of sight to collect herself. And clothes. She really needed clothes.

She ran past a sign reading 'Cannibal Town' but it didn't fully register until she slowed her pace a little and saw the gruesome sights around her. Pale faces, hollow looking black eyes feasting on what looked like… Nope. She kept her eyes down. She did not want that imagery in her head, nor did she want to risk stepping on some…one? Her stomach did a flip, but she pressed on at a quickened pace.

She rushed into a building and quickly moved to a corner before she finally fell to a sit. She closed her eyes, head resting against the wall as she tried catching her breath. This was a horrible nightmare, she would wake up and laugh about it later. As her breathing returned to a normal rate the sounds of the room started to become audible. Whispered, hushed tones so quiet she couldn't make out any words. Upon opening her eyes she wished she hadn't. Everyone looked eerily similar. Same pale skin, sharp teeth and hollow black eyes. All staring at her. She pulled her knees to her chest hoping to cover whatever she could. She was surprised she hadn't burst into tears yet. She wasn't really sure what emotion she was feeling. Scared? Embarrassed? Angry? Maybe all at once?

She tried, unsuccessfully, to move further away from the crowd, but she was already trapped against the wall. No one moved. They just stared, like she was a strange anomaly in this hellish place. She pulled herself tighter together.

"Now what has you all flustered…" A tall woman in a very large hat pushed herself through the crowd and stopped when her eyes met the small form curled in the corner. She was in a form-fitted dress in shades of red and deep purple, accented with some black. It made her skin and short white hair stand out more. She looked just like the rest of the crowd, it seemed all of Cannibal town looked very similar. This woman was clearly in a position of power, or respect. The crowd looked up to her.

"My goodness. You poor thing."

She turned to face her people. "Alright back it up, the poor thing doesn't need everyone gawking." The reaction confirmed her thought, this woman was definitely in charge. One of the men close by slid his jacket off and handed it to the tall cannibal. She smiled and thanked him before turning back to the woman in the corner.

"Here my dear." She was handed the coat and with only a small pause of hesitation, she grabbed it and quickly covered herself up. Despite the display of sharp jagged teeth, her smile seemed warm. A hand was reached out again and this time she let the cannibal leader help her to her feet. " Now, tell me what your name is, little darling."

"Ellen."

"Come Ellen, let's get you cleaned up." The woman was already leading her through the crowd toward the back of the building, now seeing it was a store. Just before being led through another door Ellen pulled her hand from the grasp of the cannibal. "You're going to eat me, right?"

A small laugh was her response, but the hollowed eyes displayed some sympathy. The cannibal bent down to meet her eyes.

"I apologize for the unpleasantries you see, to my knowledge we've never had a mortal soul down here. A bit of a unique circumstance."

"Mortal soul." She barely sputtered the words out. "You're not mortal?"

"Well once, a very long time ago." The cannibal waved her wand dismissing the thought. "Don't worry little darling, Aunt Rosie will make sure you're looked after. Though this probably isn't the safest place for you." She stood, turning back to the door leading to the back of the shop. Ellen followed Rosie.

The room was not what she was expecting. Being in cannibal town, she assumed the colour scheme and decor would undoubtedly be red, black, bones and death. She wasn't entirely wrong, but it wasn't as bad as she thought. While there were quite a bit of bones and skulls around the room, it looked intentional, each piece carefully thought out. Not gruesome, but delicately added to enhance the subtle cannibalistic touch.

Her attention was drawn back to Rosie as she soundlessly moved around the room grabbing odds and ends before a glass was pushed into her hand. Ellen instinctively brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip. Just water. She took a few more sips before gently taking a seat on the ottoman next to her. An old fashioned radio caught her attention. That looked very earthly. She set her glass down on the table to her left and stood to get a better look. Her imagination couldn't have picked up all these details. She picked it up, her fingers gently brushing the wood exterior. The knobs still worked, but the words were well worn, barely legible.

"Where am I? This…" it finally hit her. She turned to face Rosie. "I'm not dreaming am I?" Her voice broke. The adrenaline was gone. The hope that she was stuck in a horrible nightmare had worn off. This, whatever this was, was all real. Trapped in a living nightmare there was no waking up from.

Rosie gently led Ellen to the ottoman where she sat, still holding the old radio. Rosie took the seat next to her looking sympathetic. "It's a lot to take in all at once, isn't it?"

Ellen didn't realize she was crying until Rosie had patted her cheeks with a tissue. "It's alright darling. We'll figure this out. First things first, you need something to wear." She stood and grabbed a dress similar to hers, but smaller, though by the look of it, it was still going to be too big for her. The thought of undergarments crossed her mind momentarily but was quickly pushed aside. She carefully slid the coat off, the radio placed on her seat and took Rosies help getting into the dress. Like she thought, it was too big. Though it would be easier to alter, if only she knew how to do that. As if reading her thoughts Rosie spoke out. "Well it's a bit big, nothing a bit of tailoring can't fix."

"Why is everyone so freakishly tall here? I'm average height on earth, but here?" Ellen shook her head. "I'm sorry I just…" She let the sentence hang, not sure how she wanted to end it. The silence stretched until Rosie finished hemming and adjusting the dress to fit better.

"There. A proper fit for a lovely little lady. Now I'll be right back. I'm going to reach out to a friend of mine. The next thing on the list is to get you somewhere you can reside until you can get home and I know just the place."

Ellen didn't hide the shock and concern in her eyes. "Wait. You're just going to pass me off to someone else?! I don't know anyone here. I don't know anything about this place. I don't even know where I am!"

A warm smile befell the cannibal as she knelt down to meet her eyes. "Ellen, as much as I would love to have you here, I can't help much more than I already have. I have a good feeling you won't eat what I have to offer. Besides, I know the safest place for you. You'll be well looked after, Charlie will make sure of that. No one is safer to reside with than the princess of Hell."

Ellen was sure her jaw dropped, though Rosie had already stood and turned to leave. "I'm in Hell? Like H-E- double hockey sticks hell?" She got no answer as the room was empty. Too many questions. How did she get to hell? Did she die? Why did she look nothing like every other person she's met here? She picked up the old radio, hugging it to her chest as she fell back into her seat. She felt numb. How does one react to finding out they were in hell? Surely most of the people knew why they were here. There was a reason, but she wasn't dead. She didn't belong here. Did she? If hell was real, was heaven too?

Ellen started spiraling. Maybe she did belong here. Was this a warning, to get her life together or else? A Christmas Story but time spent in hell to really drive the point home? She started questioning everything in her life. How bad could she have really messed up? She wasn't even thirty yet! How does a mortal soul even leave earth, certainly that wasn't a normal thing?

Ellen nearly jumped out of her skin as the radio in her arms whizzed to life. Soft jazz played from the speaker, a little broken up by static. "Fuck!" She placed it on the table and moved away. Was she clutching a person to her chest this whole time? Did sinners become objects too? She shuddered at the thought. There was going to be a big learning curve if she was going to be here long.

The door opened and Rosie re-entered with a wide smile filling her face. "Charlie already has a room set up for you. She'll be here shortly." Her hands clasped together in excitement. She blinked a few times taking in the horrified look on Ellen's face. "Dear, is everything alright? I assure you Charlie is the sweetest thing in hell, you have nothing to worry about."

"No I- um -the radio it just-" She gestured to the radio on the table still playing softly. "-it just turned on, on its own. I- I just wasn't expecting it."

Rosie seemed to give the radio a glare before crossing the room and turning it off muttering something under breath. "Let's go dear, I'm sure Charlie is out front by now."

Ellen couldn't help but ask, "That radio isn't a live person right?" Rosie froze for a second before turning to face Ellen with a smile. "No dear, everyone down may take different forms, but like on earth there is a more ehhhh" she rolled her wrist trying to find the words. "Humanoid look."

Despite being fully clothed Ellen couldn't help but feel self conscious as Rosie pushed her past the crowd of cannibals, still staring with empty eye sockets. She resisted a shudder. As the two got closer to the door Ellen couldn't help but notice a bit of a crowd outside. There was also a large white limousine, parked fairly close to the door. Next to the back stood a taller woman in a red two piece suit. She was excitedly chatting with another woman who looked as though she was missing her left eye. Once the door opened the first woman raced over, and took Ellen's hand shaking it enthusiastically. "Hi I'm Charlie and this is my girlfriend Vaggie." She gestured to the woman missing an eye. Before Ellen could respond Charlie pulled her into a tight hug.

Once free from Charlie's grasp Ellen turned back to Rosie with a small smile. 'Thank you Rosie."

"Of course Darling! Now off you go. When you're all settled let Alastor know he's been away too long." She hugged the mortal soul and left her with a smile that was surely something a proud mother would give their child. It was the first time since waking up in hell Ellen felt a bit of joy. She was going to miss Rosie.

"Come on Ellen, let's get you settled in! You're going to love the Hotel." Charlie gently ushered the mortal into the limo and she was slid across from the two ladies. The first few minutes were awkwardly silent as the other two just stared at Ellen. Her cheeks heated, being the center of attention again and she resisted shrinking into her seat.

While Charlie stared in awe Vaggie seemed to be glaring, trying to read her. An unconvincing smile slid onto her face in hopes to lighten the staring. It didn't work. She cleared her voice trying to break the awkward silence.

"So you're the Princess of hell, huh? Um thank you for helping me out." She rubbed the back of her neck uncomfortably. Before stuttering. "You're heiness!"

Charlie momentarily looked just as uncomfortable before letting out a small laugh. "Charlie is just fine. And I would never turn away anyone that needed help."

The silence filled the air again and this time Ellen left it. Charlie looked fairly normal, maybe a bit clownish with the white face and bright red circles on the cheeks. Heck she supposed Vaggie was relatively normal looking too. Although the gray colour of her skin was definitely out of the norm. Though both had nice long hair, something Ellen had always wanted. No matter how long she let her hair grow it would only just pass her shoulders before it stopped.

The vehicle slowed to a stop in front of a large building. When the door opened Ellen couldn't ignore the heat that seemed to be constant. Then again it was hell after all. Charlie stopped by the front door and squealed in excitement.

"Welcome Ellen, to the Hazbin Hotel!" She pushed the door open and practically pulled Ellen in with Vaggie taking the rear, closing the door once they had entered.

Ellen smiled at the enthusiasm radiating off Charlie. This was clearly something she was very proud of. Ellen barely had a chance to take it all in before Charlie started dragging her around showing her anything and everything. Ellen couldn't help but laugh. "This is the bar, normally you'd find Husker here, but we didn't want to overwhelm you, so our patrons are away just until you're settled. I know you're going to love it here! You're going to be so excited about-"

"Charlie! Let the poor girl get settled. I'm sure she wants to relax." The smile on Vaggie's face made it obvious that this was a common occurrence. Charlie was definitely an excitable type. Ellen's smile faltered for a second as thoughts of her earthly friends crossed her mind. She shook the thought off. She would get home. For now she needed to focus on figuring out how to survive hell, literally.

"Right, right! You'll have a lot of time to explore on your own. Here let me show you to your room. I hope you don't mind being on the top floor. The only people up there are my dad and our Hotelier, Alastor. It's definitely the safest place to put you."

Ellen noticed that Vaggie rolled her eyes, clearly not as confident as her girlfriend. Should she be worried? Wait, that name. "Alastor? Rosie mentioned something.."

"Oh yeah! Rosie probably wanted Alastor to stop by. She enjoys his company." Charlie waved her hand in dismissal. "I'll let him know. Come let's get you settled."

The whole way up Charlie rambled on about the hotel and her plans on redeeming sinners. She said after the first few days she would have Ellen join in on the hotel's activities, a chance to get to know the other inhabitants better. Ellen was only partly listening, focused more on taking in the sights. She tried to memorize the route to get to her room.

"This is it!" Charlie gestured to a door. "My dad is that way-" She pointed down the hall to the right. "-and Alastor is that way." She pointed to the left. "If you need anything Nifty will gladly help, or you can flag me down." Charlie clasped her hands together. "Well, I suppose you can flag anyone down, I'm sure they'll all be happy to help." Charlie opened the door and waved for Ellen to take a look.

It almost looked like a normal hotel room. The wall colours being a red colour, may be a bit of an odd choice, but the furniture looked just like an earthly hotel even if it was a bit outdated.

"This is perfect. Thank you Charlie."

"Is there anything you may need?"

Ellen thought for a bit before looking down at herself. As lovely as the dress was, she did not want to be living in it for however long she was going to be here.

"Um. Perhaps some other clothes, if that's possible?"

Charlie looked shocked for a second before the smile returned to her face. "Of course. I'm sure Nifty can make some. Did you want her to take measurements today?"

"If that's possible?"

Charlie opened her mouth to respond but closed it as a quick blur blew past her. Ellen jolted back a step to find a short girl with a large eye that almost filled her whole face, staring up at her in awe.

"Wow, you're really pretty. How'd you get here? You must be Ellen" The little cyclops started darting around the room at a speed that was hard to follow. Ellen lifted a leg just in time. The creature screeched to a stop but bounced on her heels. "Hi I'm Nifty" Ellen glanced up to Charlie, who stayed by the door. She had an apologetic smile on her face.

"Uhhhh, hi." Ellen wasn't sure how safe she felt with this creature. She was having a really hard time comprehending the creatures…people of hell. It seemed just when she thought she'd seen it all there was another person to challenge her perception of reality.

Charlie must have seen the uncertainty. "Nifty can come back later. I'm sure you've had a crazy day. Maybe a good night's rest will help?"

"No,no. She's already here, I might as well just…um. Yeah, let's just get it done." Ellen raised her arms and without a second hesitation Nifty was already taking measurements of everything. It had to have been the fastest Ellen ever had her measurements taken. No more than a minute and a half and Nifty had dashed out as quickly as she had arrived. Vaggie had joined Charlie at the door.

"I know you have no reason to trust us, but I promise everyone here will try to make you as comfortable as possible." The smile fell from Vaggie's face. "Almost every one."

"Vaggie!"

Vaggie gave Charlie a sideways glance.

"Um if there's someone I should be concerned abo-"

"It's fine! Alastor just-"

A high pitched scream echoed from down the hallway cutting off Charlie. Ellen noted it came from the left side. A chill ran down her spine.

"Uhhgggg" Vaggie's hand ran down her face. She muttered something under her breath but it wasn't English. She turned down the hall toward the screams. "Alastor!" There was a loud banging, probably Vaggie banging on Alastor's door. "ALASTOR!"

Ellen let the curiosity get the better of her, moving to the door and peaking down the hall. The screams stopped and the door opened.

Well, at least he looked kinda human. Alastor was tall, like seven feet tall. She wasn't sure what she expected him to look like, but deerish, was definitely not what she envisioned. Although the menacing smile that split his face would undoubtedly haunt her dreams. If she ignored his face in general, he could be attractive. A little outdated in the red pinstripe suit, black slacks and bow tie, but she always liked a guy dressed to impress. The menacing smile definitely killed the vibe. And the…hair tuffs? Ears? She squinted. No. Did he have little black antlers? She bit back a laugh. It seemed Hell did have a sense of humour.

Ellen couldn't hear the conversation between Vaggie and Alastor but even with the smile, Alastor didn't look amused. Charlie drew her attention back from the deer sinner. "I'm sorry about that. Al hosts a radio broadcast and being one of hell's overlords he likes adding screams of the damned in every once in a while to remind the denizens of hell not to mess with him." She glanced down the hall. "I did ask him to keep it down, that you would be staying just down the hall, but…"

Ellen jerked back a bit. Too much information at once. "Overlords? Radio broadcast?"

Charlie looked shocked for a second before her cheeks heated from embarrassment. "Right, this is all new to you. Sorry. Okay ummm. Hell has a hierarchy and in the pride ring you'll find sinners or Hellborn. Those that acquire a large amount of power, usually through the trade of souls or favours, become Overlords. They own specific areas of the pentagram. Like Rosie! She's the overlord of Cannibal town."

Ellen shook her head. I guess it made scenes if earth had a history, hell wouldn't be any different.

"Alastor is the Radio Demon, hence the broadcast. But don't worry, he's here to help manage and protect the hotel." Charlie's smile was almost convincing. Almost.

Ellen turned her gaze back down the hall. Her eyes met Alastors and exceeding her expectations, his smile grew. He pushed Vaggie out of the way and quickly closed the distance. He grabbed Ellen's hand bending to bring his face to hers.

"Alastor, pleasure to meet you my dear, quite a pleasure. You must be Ellen." Of course the Radio Demon would have an old-timey radio host voice, complete with static and distortion. It only made scenes, though it still surprised Ellen. He stood up gazing down at her. "Aren't you a darling little thing? Tell me, what is a mortal soul doing in hell, hmm?"

"That's the question of the hour, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before Alastor made his leave. "I would love to stay and chat, but I have a broadcast to finish. Good evening ladies!" The door clicked shut leaving the three ladies staring after him.

"Soooo…he's the worst of the bunch?" Ellen threw her thumb down the hall.

Vaggie was still glaring daggers at the closed door. "Yeah, but you haven't even scratched the surface."

"humph. I think I'll be fine here." Ellen shrugged and turned back into her room.

"If you need anything let me know!"

"Thank you Charlie, but I think I'm about ready for bed."

Charlie and Vaggie wished Ellen a good night and turned, heading back down the hall. Ellen softly closed the door before turning back to the room staring longingly at the bed. She was just about to start undressing when she heard a small knock on her door. Wiping her tired eyes she opened the door to find Nifty standing there with something folded in her hands.

"I made you some pajamas."

Ellen smiled as she grabbed them. She didn't even think about that. "Thank you Nifty. That was really thoughtful."

Nifty only laughed before disappearing down the hall.

With a sigh, Ellen closed the door again and was relieved no one else came by. She quickly undressed and put on her pjs. Not what she would have hoped, but it was better than nothing. Normally she would just wear shorts and a tank top, but Nifty had crafted a nighty.

With a long exasperated sigh Ellen fell to a sit onto the bed. Glancing around the room again, she noticed one wall had drapes. A nice large window she guessed. She was tired, but she really wanted to see the view. Pulling the curtains open she looked over the city as the sky was starting to darken. So hell did have day-night cycles. Hmm.

Ellen grabbed a chair and placed it in front of the window where she sat and slowly watched the light fade over the city. She let her mind wander, not something she was used to. She had a hard time dealing with boredom, but at this moment, the silence was welcoming. She had many questions about hell, the hotel and everything else going on, but between the exhaustion and stunning sunset view, they were easy to push back. She could get her answers later, and if she woke up back on earth, then they wouldn't matter anymore.

She wasn't sure how long she had spaced out, eyes glazed and unseeing the view in front of her, that had now succumbed to darkness. Was time a concept here? She shook the thought and finally stood and moved to her bed. She needed sleep.

AN: Hope you guys enjoy! I have a few chapters written already, just working on the finishing touches. Ill post again shortly. :)