Nightmares Made Real
"CONNOR!"
Connor awoke in a scream, sweating like mad. His eyes were unable to stay in one spot for more than a millisecond, shooting every which way as he gasped for air.
There was another harsh pounding at the door.
Vaggie had been shouting his name from the other side; beating at the door to where he worried she might reduce it to splinters. And if the dresser hadn't been there, she very well could have.
It took him a minute for him to catch his breathe before he let out a small, "…h-hi…".
The sound of his voice had managed to get Vaggie to stop before she could do any more damage.
Connor made a series of pinches on his arm. Then he smacked himself on the head. Finally he massaged his eyes before leaving his bed. He took hold of the dresser and set it back up on the other side. Thinking back to last night, whether it was in his head or not, he leaned his head against the door and listened.
No static.
With that, he took a deep breath and slowly opened the door to reveal Charlie and Vaggie; no blood spouting, razor teeth, or fire in sight. In fact, both seemed concerned for his wellbeing.
"Are you alright? We heard you screaming." Charlie asked.
"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm…I'm okay." Connor stammered; he struggled to keep his legs from shaking.
"Come on, before anyone sees." Vaggie said brushing past Connor, carrying a pair of old shopping bags.
Charlie had followed in after, with Connor shuffling away as she entered. Though her face was bright and friendly as it had been yesterday, his mind immediately snapped back to his nightmare. He hadn't felt that way as much toward Vaggie, but then again, she didn't drag him into the flames.
Shaking his head, he looked over to his bed, where Vaggie had poured out the bags' contents.
"Uh…what's all this stuff?"
"We brought a few things to help you blend in better. Yesterday was a bit of a rushed job." Charlie shrugged, embarrassed.
She looked at him again with worried eyes; it was clear that something had spooked him.
"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, before reaching a hand up to his head. "How's your head-?"
Connor immediately dodged this, though not without giving Charlie cause for concern.
"I-I'm fine. It's just a small bump, I can manage…"
He went to inspect the materials that Vaggie had brought in as Charlie looked on, knowing there may have been something more going on.
Vaggie opened a small jar of foundation, and in an odd move, she sniffed it.
"Uh…" Connor asked, raising an eye.
"Some of it's mine, but we also kinda…'borrowed' some from Angel." Charlie said sheepishly.
"Okay…but why would that-"
"We need to make sure it's actually makeup, and not something you might end up OD-ing on." Vaggie deadpanned.
Connor leaned back against the wall, rolling his eyes. "Perfect!"
Looking down at himself and he took a whiff of his hoodie, recoiling in disgust.
Charlie interjected at this.
"We can wash that if you want."
"Yeah I might have to take you up on that…I'm probably going to want to shower as well, could you guys step out for a minute?"
"Oh! Yeah, just leave your clothes out. We'll get you something else to wear in the meantime."
Connor sheepishly thanked the two as he slid the bathroom door shut behind him, and throwing out his outfit on the floor. It took longer than he would have liked for the water to heat up. He then had to wait for it to cool down again after he impatiently turned the knob all the way to the end, at which point the nozzle began spouting literal fire. Eventually he was able to find a happy medium.
He stood in the shower, letting the water run down his head as he tried getting his anxieties under control. He knew the two could tell something was wrong; the way he had acted was proof of that. But that concern for him was what he had to cling to, if only to show himself that what he had seen last night was nothing remotely true. He was, at the very least, glad to see that Vaggie was 'alive' and well. And Charlie? She certainly looked the same; the kind, sweet girl he had met the day prior with a comforting smile on her face.
He shuddered.
No, the woman in his room was not a monster. Though…as this was Hell, they were technically demons…
Exiting the shower, he could still hear the two talking to each other, though he wasn't able to make out what they were saying. With a towel wrapped around his waist, he stuck his head out to see the pair in discussion over his 'disguise'.
Charlie turned and saw him sticking his head out.
"Oh, hey! You look-" Charlie started to say before seeing Connor's eyes still looking like two small cherries placed in his skull. "…better…"
He blinked in response.
There was another knocking at the door. Connor looked slightly alarmed as Charlie opened it. Before he could react, the two goats from yesterday flew in, together carrying a garment bag; the pink one waving at him.
"They do the driving and the dry cleaning?"
Charlie giggled as she took the bag, scratching the goats' heads.
"They're pretty great, aren't they?"
Charlie gestured to the pink one.
"This one's Razzle."
And then the red one.
"And this is Dazzle."
The two bowed before taking their leave, as Connor's eyes followed them out. Charlie then handed him the garment bag through the door.
"Put this on. Sorry if its a bit small, but this was the best we could find around here."
He took the bag, and slipped it behind the door before closing it to them.
Vaggie turned away from her makeup arrangement.
"Where did you get that?"
"It's one of dad's old outfits. I just hope it'll fit…"
Charlie got her answer once a newly dressed Connor stepped out. His original, now ratty hoodie and jeans had been replaced with a simple white dress shirt, a red-and-white striped vest, matching white pants, and tall black boots. But while he did appear much more dapper than before, that look of discomfort couldn't be avoided.
The shirt sleeves only reached halfway past his elbows, the vest hadn't a single button fastened as it would have been much too tight, and those boots were at least four sizes too small.
The two looked uneasily at Connor.
"H-how do you feel?" Charlie asked nervously.
Connor stared at the blonde, deadpanned.
"I feel ridiculous."
Charlie frowned.
"I'm sorry Connor, but that's all my dad left behind!"
Connor's brow furrowed. Her…dad? Charlie's father was here in Hell?
"Well," He said, pulling the boots off of his feet. "These at least isn't going to work."
He placed the boots gently back on the ground, refastening his running shoes. They didn't go with the outfit at all, but he would at least be comfortable.
Vaggie put a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll get you some new clothes later, right now we need to work on how we're going to make you blend in."
Connor shrunk a bit at this as the two led him to a chair, where they had him lean his head back to his bed.
"Alright, we need to make this look convincing." Vaggie noted.
"This is going to be so exciting!" Charlie clapped, grinning in excitement from ear to ear.
Connor groaned as he sat back.
It was a little over an hour or so before the two had finished, as they exited Connor's room.
"Alright, I think this might actually work." Vaggie said, her confidence slowly solidifying.
"It will work." Charlie added, pulling Vaggie to her side.
After a minute of waiting, Connor stepped out.
The two had done their job well enough, as he had now appeared to have taken a fully gaunt appearance; black had covered the area around his eyes, his skin painted white like Charlie's, and a silvery-gray wig sat atop his head.
"…I look like I'm from one of those stupid vampire books." Connor stated, less than impressed.
"What did you expect? We didn't have a lot to work with." Vaggie argued.
Connor just sighed.
"Guess it's better than nothing…whatever let's just-"
The sound of his stomach growling had cut in.
"Oh! We forgot breakfast!" Charlie gasped.
Connor raised an eyebrow.
"Dead people eat?"
They made their way down the stairs. The cat had his face planted to the bar, out cold. Niffty was buzzing around, dusting every corner. And to Connor's relief, Angel and Alastor were nowhere in sight.
Once they met the lobby floor, they took a few turns down the hall before reaching the door of what Connor assumed was the dining room.
"Okay, we'll just gonna grab something quick, and then we need to figure our next move." Connor stated to the pair.
"Like I said, we'll figure this out. You have nothing to be afraid of." Charlie said, resting a hand on his shoulder. Her brow furrowed curiously as Connor stiffened at this; he seemed more on edge than yesterday for some reason. Why?
When Charlie opened the door, however, who else should be standing on the other side but Alastor. To which Connor immediately took the door handle, and slammed it in the Radio Demon's face.
"That's something that I'm PRETTY afraid of!" Connor exclaimed to the two.
Vaggie pulled him away from the door, placing herself in front.
"Leave Alastor to us. Just stay away from him."
"I feel like that's going to be more easier said than done…"
Vaggie opened the door again, Alastor still standing in place.
"Well now, I was beginning to wonder what took you three so long! You all nearly missed breakfast!"
He stepped away to reveal a table full of food. A punch bowl of eggs, an entire loaf's worth of toast, a sliced ham that was a bit on the raw side, a plate of biscuits, a pitcher of ice water and coffee respectively, and a towering stack of pancakes. Connor's hunger started to overpower his fear.
"Aw, Alastor, this looks great! Thank you so much!" Charlie squealed.
"Of course! After I had seen our new client was in such a state, I knew that the only thing that could get him back on his feet would be a decent meal."
The three made their way to the table, with Vaggie keeping Connor close behind. The air in his lungs felt restricted, and his palms were damp and clammy, as he tried to not look in Alastor's direction. But it was hard when you knew you were under the demon's gaze.
He sat at the table, staring down at his plate, contemplating whether he should even consider eating it. Especially if Alastor was the one who made it. What if it had been poisoned? But seeing how Charlie and Vaggie seemed to be able to enjoy theirs just fine, perhaps that wasn't the case. Though if they were supposedly dead, would it really matter? Vaggie looked at him briefly, giving a small nod.
"You really should eat." Alastor said, having taken a seat directly across from him at the table. "It doesn't taste quite as well when it gets cold…"
Despite his shaking, his stomach still craved sustenance. He could either starve or risk poison, at this point it didn't really matter. He took a small bite of the eggs. Nothing seemed off about them so far. It hadn't actually tasted that bad at all! He started taking in larger morsels.
"So, Connor," Charlie started in between bites. "have you been able to remember anything else since last night?"
Connor nearly choked at the mention of his dreams. He wouldn't call those never-ending terrors dreams. No, those were nightmares plain and simple. And that callback to them had brought them back fresh into his mind. And yet, he was at the very least given a glimpse of his old life. It was brief, and hadn't given him anything concrete, but it was at least something.
"A…few things. I remember I was…a college student." He started.
Strangely, the more he reflected on this, another couple of stray facts appeared.
"…I was born in either…September or…January? That part's still a bit fuzzy. And I think I might be allergic to bananas."
His face turned crestfallen after this.
"That's all I got so far."
"That's good though! Maybe your memory will come back little by little." Charlie encouraged.
He tried cracking a minuscule smile.
"Maybe. I'm hoping this whole amnesia thing is only temporary."
"Yes, amnesia can be quite the fickle thing." Alastor commented before narrowing his eyes at Connor. "Who knows what could be rattling about in that head of yours?"
There was a heavy clang near him. Connor turned to see a stern Vaggie wielding a tall black spear with a white, silvery head. Where it had come from, Connor hadn't known. He was more focused on the deathly glare Vaggie was sending Alastor's way. Not that the demon seemed to care, as he gave a simple shrug before turning back to Connor, who quickly went back to eating in silence.
Connor did what he could to focus on eating. But that ravenous stare he felt was making his throat close up. He would have given anything to be anywhere else at the time. He shakily poured himself a glass of ice water, and took a long swill from it to try and calm his nerves.
As he finished his plate, he raised his head, briefly catching a glance at the red demons face before burying his head again.
"U-um…thank you." Connor muttered.
"You're quite welcome, young man; I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself!" Alastor said, as the sound of applause could be heard alongside his usual static.
He then stood from the table and made his way to the door.
"Well, I hate to eat and run, but I do have a few appointments to keep. Be seeing you!"
As soon as Alastor left the room, Connor finally released his breath.
"Why do you guys keep that guy around again?"
"I ask myself that same question everyday." Vaggie stated dispassionately. She then turned to Connor with a serious look on her face. "Just make sure you stay as far away from him as possible. And whatever he says, no matter how tempting it may sound, don't EVER make any sort of deal with him."
Connor didn't like the sound of where this was going.
"Why…?"
He looked back at the door, fearing Alastor might make a reappearance.
"What…is he?"
"Alastor is what's called an Overlord." Charlie stated.
Connor turned back to her.
"The hell's an 'Overlord'?"
From what Connor could pull from Charlie's explanation, Hell seemed to have its own caste system:
At the bottom were the beings such as imps and hellhounds.
Then there were the hellborn, or people that had literally began their lives in Hell; a concept that Connor had a hard time wrapping his head around.
The Sinners, those who died on Earth and ended up here as punishment for their misdeeds in life, as well as the type of being he was intended to play the part of.
The Overlords, like Alastor, who were beings that held considerable power from the amount of the souls they had collected; the thought of which was something that Connor gulped at.
The Seven Deadly Sins, literal personifications of the sins themselves.
And finally…
"…L-Lucifer?" Connor said with a nervous gulp. "Like…the Devil, Lucifer?"
"Yeah," Charlie said as Connor took another nervous sip of water, only to spit it back out when she added, "he's my dad."
Connor turned to Charlie, slack-jawed. Unbeknownst to him, Vaggie was shaking her head at Charlie worryingly. He stared, blankly at her for half a minute, before letting out a nervous laugh.
"Okay, okay, that one got me. I'll give you that."
Charlie tilted her head, confused. "What?"
"Well I mean…you don't look like the Devil."
In an instant, Charlie's eyes had switched colors; her sclera now a fiery red as her irises turned a bright gold. A pair of red horns also sprang from her head.
She changed back just as quick, with a shy smile. "Yeah, I normally don't need to go that far, but…I…"
Her smile fell away as she saw the look on Connor's face.
Glassy eyes now the size of dinner plates, his face somehow became whiter under all those layers of makeup, and the glass in his hand was shaking most of the water out.
"Oh, Connor, I'm sor-"
Connor jumped.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" He cried as he backed up against the wall.
Those eyes…
Charlie and Vaggie rose from their seats.
"Connor, please-"
"I SAID STAY BACK!"
As his eyes shifted between the two, they glanced to the side. Before they could catch on to what he was planning, he bolted for the door, running out as fast as his legs could take him and then some. He could hear them giving chase, telling him that it 'wasn't safe for him outside'. Not that he would listen to them anyway.
He made it back into the lobby, the cat still snoring through all this. But when Connor had reached the door, he stopped. Would he really going to risk the dangers of Hell itself just to leave this place, these people, who had offered him sanctuary?
"Connor, wait!"
He could hear Charlie's voice call out to him; they weren't that far behind. Soon they'd catch him again. And then there'd be no escape. Those eyes flashed in his mind again; that's what would be waiting for him. No. It was clear they must have some unholy plan set for him. Well, he wouldn't give them the satisfaction.
He threw the door open and took off towards town. Not sure of where he was going; he just ran. And he wouldn't stop until he was far away from that hotel and anyone else living in it. He should have known this offer was too good to be true.
No where was safe.
And now we got Connor on the run. And honestly after what he's gone through, can we really blame him? But now that he's back out on the town, how can he hope to stay safe on the mean streets of Pentagram City?
Don't forget to review!