Chapter 43:

Miss Hyde

As the 4 of them were sucked into the memory, this time, they were prepared as they landed on their feet.

Looking around them, Sera was quick to point out "Looks like….the 1930's….around the time Alastor was alive…" as a quick peek from Charlie at a newspaper that somebody was reading confirmed this, though the headline also caught their attention.

"Who is the smiling killer? Msterious murderer still at large" Seeing this, Vaggie sighed "Yep….this is Alastor's time alright…"

Huddling together, Charlie began "Alright girls, we know what to do, we gotta find Vallery, witness the memory and move on to the last shard" to which everyone nodded before Vaggie added "Well, weren't we dropped pretty close to her last time?"

As she said this, a beautiful voice could be heard, coming from a nearby radio, proudly displayed inside a fancy looking barbershop…

Sera knew that singing….she heard it before "Ink…or well….Vallery…."

"Such young, raw talent, that new girl" a man spoke "It's not hard to see why Alastor gave her music a shot on his radio show" as he was currently sitting in one of the barber's chairs, getting a shave as the barber spoke "My yes indeed, I heard she will be performing at "The dandelion" tonight. Miss Vallery Lavender truly has a unique sound to her, her singing is just hypnotic"

Observing the scene before them, the 4 of them would be snapped out of their thoughts as, once again being the only person in color in the black and white memory, a young woman passed the show, overhearing the 2 gentlemen and giggling.

"Well thank you, gentlemen. A lady tries her best"

The both of them gave a polite bow as they smiled "Miss Lavender, such a pleasure"

"Well, guess we found her" Vaggie said at their eyes followed the young woman. If they were to guess, she looked to be in her early 20's as she made her way down the street, smiling as people left and right greeted her.

Following her, Charlie, Vaggie, Carmilla and Sera eventually ended up at a house. Ringing the doorbell, it wouldn't take long for the door to be opened and a familiar looking man opened the door.

The man of creole descent had short, brown hair, was easy on the eyes and wore a red vest…..

Narrowing her eyes, Vaggie tried to closely observe the memory of the man "Why does he look…..familiar…." that was until the man smiled….causing the 4 of them to yelp out in surprise "ALASTOR?!"

Smiling, he stepped aside "Oh Vallery my dear, you're here for our scheduled, weekly lunch, I assume?"

Vallery just smiled back "Right on time, as promised" to which the memory of Alastor stepped aside, allowing for Vallery to step inside.

Not long after and the group of 4 found themselves in what they only assumed was Alastor's garden, him and Vallery at an ornate looking table, eating sandwiches as Vallery was currently sipping on a cup of tea.

The 2 of them would happily chat away, smiling at each other, but on several occasions, the hazbin group was able to hear those intrusive thoughts again…..

"You're all alone with him…you have a knife right in front of you….you could make him….disappear…and no one would be any wiser…."

Vallery shook her head "NO, Alastor is my friend….he helped me make my breakthrough. I'm not gonna hurt my friend"

She managed to gain her thoughts under control as she grabbed the nearby newspaper "So….who do YOU think the smiling killer is?"

Leaning back in his chair, Alastor smiled as he took a sip of his own tea "Well, my dear, all I know is that he seems to be only going after the corrupt and the cruel" as he leaned closer, whispering "If you ask me, I'd say let the man or woman do their thing"

This caused Vallery to gasp "ALASTOR, Don't say that!"

The man just shrugged "What? I'm just saying, at least somebody is clearing the criminals off the street" as he took a condescending sip "The police surely aren't"

This caused Vallery to release a defeated sigh "I hate it when you're right…" as she once again was interrupted by another intrusive thought…

"The smiling killer…at least someone is keeping the streets safe…"

Shaking her head, Vallery weighed her options "Uhm….Alastor?"

Raising his brow, the man turned towards his friend "Yes Vallery my dear?"

Fidgeting with her fingers nervously, Vallery began to softly speak "Uhm….is it….normal to have these….really dark….like…REALLY morbid thoughts? Like….ALL the time?"

This piqued the interest of the radio host "Hmm? Like what, my dear? Do you have an example?" making the young woman nervous "I….i don't know….i don't want to disturb you"

Waving a hand, Alastor just smiled "Oh nonsense my friend! How long have we known each other by now? You're gonna need a whole lot to frighten me, my dear"

Nervously, Vallery would look down at her hands "When I …..when I was a little girl…..this voice….that's always been with me….."

As she began to shake, she took a deep breath to recompose herself…

"When ma and pa took me to the park one day….i found a wounded bird….and…that voice…..It told me to…."

As she spoke, the hazbin group could see the glowing orb…Vallery's soul….in her chest….it was…volatile….it looked almost….unstable….and with every intrusive thought, it looked worse and worse….it was clear as day…..the constant fighting against these thoughts had put a severe strain on her being….

Shaking her head, Vallery didn't have it in her to continue as she just said "It….tells me to do things…REALLY dark things…"

For a second, Alastor looked at her with wide eyes, before he relaxed a bit "Oh my dear, that's all?" as he chuckled "Everyone has intrusive thoughts" as he set his teacup down "Have you ever had the urge to act on them?"

Narrowing her eyes in confusion, Vallery mumbled "Well…no but-" before Alastor cut her off "Then what's the problem my dear?" as he patted her on the top of her head "I can assure you, what you have is perfectly normal. Everyone has had an intrusive thought or 2 in their lives, nothing to be concerned about"

Tho, knowing Alastor allot better than the average person, Charlie, Vaggie, Carmilla and Sera knew….he was lying through his teeth….his entire body language gave it away. As they kept observing the memory.

"Thanks Alastor" Vallery smiled as she calmed down a bit "You always know just what to say" to which alastor just smiled "Of course, my dear. That's what friends are for after all"

As the scene before them finished, the memory began to warp and darken again as the group of 4 was transported to the next memory….

..

..

As the world around them materialized, Charlie realized they found themselves in a room….a bedroom….

The sound of unrest caught their attention, and as the 4 of them whipped their heads into the direction of the sound, they found Vallery, in her bed, fast asleep….but her forehead was covered in a cold sweat….

She was rolling around, eyes clamped shut tightly as she was clawing at the sheets in her sleep.

But the most striking part was the visible soul in her chest as Sera spoke "LOOK….something is happening to her"

"Give in…..give in to your desires"

"NO, I REFUSE"

"You know you want to, it's only natural"

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD"

"Dare…dare to live deliciously"

"SHUT UP!"

"You know you can't run from your true nature"

"NO, I'M NOT LIKE THAT, I AM NOTHING LIKE THAT!"

The glowing orb floating in her chest would rapidly vibrate and convulse, stretching and contorting like an amoeba trying to split.

"What's happening?" Charlie gasped, a hand in front of her mouth as they all watched on in shock.

Realization setting in, Sera spoke "We're watching….her soul splitting…."

All of them would rubberneck in Sera's direction.

"What do you mean, mi cariño?" Carmilla asked.

The tall seraphim would just point towards Vallery, a look of dread on her face "She has been suppressing that voice for so long….it's …..splitting off of her….it's becoming its own thing…."

The exact moment those words left Sera's mouth, the orb in Vallery's chest finally split in 2 as suddenly, the woman's hair turned from a nice looking ginger to a stark, inky black, she opened her eyes and sat bolt upright.

Breathing heavily, the woman slowly brought up her hands "I…..can feel….."

Her voice sounding….the same…and yet….different….her speech pattern had completely shifted…

"I can….think…" she spoke as she ran her hands over the sides of her face, an eerie smile creeping over her face…a smile they were all too familiar with…."her" smile….Ink's smile….this….was not Vallery….

Suddenly, the figure jumped out of bed in a manic way "OH HOW JOYOUS IT FEELS TO FINALLY BE FREE…." Before she began to look around, taking in her surroundings "But….what to do with this new free will? I've never had my own thoughts before, let alone opinions…." As she approached the nearby table and grabbed the newspaper from it

"Corrupt city official walks free after court case fails to provide evidence…"

Her smile grew wider as she began salivating…..

"Well somebody is gonna have to step in….the police sure as hell aren't…." she smiled that eerie grin as she slowly got up and made her way downstairs….to the kitchen….

Following the memory of Vallery, the 4 of them got to witness the young woman rummaging through her kitchen drawers, only to gleefully giggle as she pulled out a large kitchen knife "Yes….yes that should do…."

And as the group of 4 watched this corruption of a human soul creepily stumble out of the door, wide smile on her face, all they could do was shudder as Charlie whispered "What….what did we just witness….."

Swallowing a lump in her throat, Sera spoke….

"….the birth of a monster….."