SCP-666: "Hazbin"

by FalloutLego17, WebHead_11

Summary:

Hell. Hell is real. And now I'm trapped here with hundreds of bloodthirsty demons, and even more bloodthirsty SCP's that I used to help contain. Oh well, it could be worst I guess, I still have friends, legendary researchers from the foundation, and a quaint little hotel run by a certain princess of hell.

Maybe it won't be so bad after all.

Notes:

"how would you react to seeing Hell?"

Chapter 1: Another day at the foundation.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Notes:

"If you worked at the foundation, what would you do?"

**connection to site 25 broken**

 

**Emergency audio log enabled**

 

“Paul, are you seeing this?”

 

“I’m seeing it Kevin, but how is this possible?”

 

“It shouldn’t be, it really shouldn’t be. Then again, we should still have expected it considering who we work for. I mean, we’ve seen weirder, right?”

 

“… maybe, but still to think that there is a world outside our own. I honestly don’t know what to say”

 

“Me neither, but it looks like our communication to the command center has been cut off. We should turn back”

 

“…”

 

“…Paul? You alright”

 

“Uh? Oh yea I’m fine, this is all just a lot to take in”

 

“I understand that, we should probably return to home base though. It’s not safe to venture any farther without a proper method of communication set up”

 

“Right”

 

“By the way, did you see that massive clocktower?”

 

“You mean the one that appears to be in the center of the city, what about it?”

 

“Its nothing, it just kinda seems out of place, glowing white and all”

 

**Connection to site 25 re-established**

 

**Emergency audio log disabled.**

…

…

…

---

…

…

…

It’s hard to believe that this actually happened. I knew working for the SCP Foundation would be full of surprises, but this somehow fell outside my radar of possibilities.

It was just another day at the foundation, I was in an office overlooking some random footage from SCP 173. I honestly wasn’t sure what I was looking for, but it was something to pass the time. Then they brought the book in.

I was one of the researchers that were originally placed to oversee it. Apparently the book was found in the raided base of the serpent’s hand; it was found surrounded by numerous bodies in the center of a satanic pentagram, textbook blood ritual stuff. The book was filled completely with a strange language; every page looked like it was written in blood with satanic Pentagrams and other such imagery scattered about it.

I was obviously expecting the item to be anonymous, it honestly would’ve been stranger if it wasn’t. Despite all of that however, never in a million years would I have guessed what it was used for or where it could take us.

After studying it for a full month we finally managed to make a breakthrough. On page 37 of the book, we managed to figure out that there is one line of text written in Biblical Hebrew.

After translating the line, we discovered that it stated the following: “Open the gate; let us return to the land of the sinners, the land of the dreamers, and the land of the morningstar."

At first we didn’t understand what it meant, but then someone read the words out loud in their original writing. We don’t know what changed this time, but we theorized it’s because the words were read with the meaning of the words known, but something did finally happen.

After reading the words the book started to glow in a bright red light, and it started shaking violently. The D class we had reading the book dropped the item, and a large red circular vortex appeared above the open book that was now lying on the ground.

We learned through numerous tests after the incident that touching the book again would deactivate the vortex, and stating the words again would reactivate it. There didn’t appear to be any limit to the number of times the book could be activated or deactivated.

After further study, it was theorized that the vortex was some sort of portal. It seemed reasonable enough, considering that it looked like how portals always looked in the media.

At first, we tried sending drones through the portal to see what was on the other side. Unfortunately, we lost complete communication with the drones and were unable to retrieve them.

We proceeded to get permission to send in a single D-class with the instructions to return as soon as he entered through the portal. Expectedly, we lost communication with the audio device we placed on his person, but they did manage to return through the portal 7 seconds after entering.

What he told us though seemed unbelievable. The D class, designated as D-1894, stated that he walked out into a large city with a blood-red sky and a large expanse of a city. He mentioned that much of the city appeared to be destroyed, on fire, and with constant explosions echoing throughout the streets.

Afterwards, we decided to send in a two-man team to see if the D-class was telling the truth and not just speaking out of his ass. Low and behold, it was everything they said and more, as described by the two personnel sent through.

From how they described it, it really did seem like hell on earth, and although no hypothesis about what the place is has been proven so far lots of people have already started to call this strange world "Hell." The name fits if anything, but it can’t actually be hell from the Bible, right?

Regardless, our discoveries were beginning to get more serious and eventually we were transferred, along with the anonymous item, to Site 93, a recently constructed and heavily guarded foundation site containing many of the most dangerous SCP’s in the foundation's containment.

Personally, I think having a site like this is a stupid idea, especially after the last time we had so many SCP’s in the same location. The rumors from the site-19 incident still give me chills, but I digress.

We were only here to show off the book to some higher authority and for them to give it some sort of SCP classification before we start digging deeper into its origins and the strange world it leads us to.

However, I never expected who would be given the SCP designation and who would become the new overseer of the project.

I should have been excited; the man’s a living legend, but even so, his personality left a… little to be desired.

“What do you mean I can’t call the book SCP-6969 ‘glory hole’!?!?” Dr. Bright screamed out in anguish.

Yes, the Doctor Bright, who currently appeared with black curly hair, a short stubble beard, and a lab coat, wearing his rather ‘unique’ necklace. He would have seemed imposing if it weren’t for the fact that he was whining like a child who just got their favorite toy taken away.

A deep sigh resonated over the other researchers in the room; even the guards broke from their usual stony selves to share in the irritation.

Ok, I knew that Dr. Bright was a very eccentric man. I mean, the list of things he was not allowed to do was MANDATORY for all SCP personnel to read! The foundation actually gives us surprise tests on the list to make sure we actually read it! But still, this is just insane.

“For the last time Bright, the foundation will not tolerate you giving inappropriate names to anomalous items, not again.” Said the large, imposing man with short black hair, who was opposite him at the meeting table. Known in the foundation as Charles Gears.

At least we have another legend to keep the first one in check, and although Charles never really shows any emotion that allows me to get to know him, at least he doesn’t have a surplus of emotion like the other scientist in the room. These two really are the exact opposite when you stop to think about it, but whatever.

“Come on, where does it say I can’t have a little fun naming these things? Tell me, I’m waiting.” Bright said as he crossed his arms across his chest with a smug smile across his face.

“Section 4, chapter 9, rule #87: ‘Dr. Bright is prohibited from using any sexual or otherwise inappropriate names when designating classifications to anomalous items, unless they make reasonable sense to name it as such. Examples of prohibited names contain, but are not limited to, the vibrating destroyer, the bulging peanut, and the extra hard to destroy reptile’. Would you like me to continue?”

“…Well in my defense, we never tried embarrassing the reptile to death, so who’s to say it wouldn’t kill—“

"Bright,” Gears said, never breaking eye contact with Bright as his smile started to fade from his face.

“…well, what if ‘gloryhole’ does work for this SCP?” Bright said, hopeful.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…Fine, I’ll think of something else. You’re no fun, you know that, Gears?” Said said brightly, finally giving up to the larger man as he gave a simple nod.

“Now that we have that sorted out, you are all excused." Gears addressed the rest of the researchers, myself included, as he ignored Bright's jab. “This isn’t a show; after all, Bright movie night is on Wednesday—”

“—hey!”

“So now, if you would all please return to your quarters, we will resume our discussion over the book after a short recess. Please reconvene here at 1800; don’t be late.” He said it with a stern look that sent a nervous sweat down the backs of everyone present, myself included. (besides Bright, because of course it wouldn’t).

I myself couldn’t wait to get out of that room, because as humorous as the situation might have been, watching two foundation legends that I only heard about before put the fear of God in me.

So I calmly (not so calmly) lifted myself from the chair (quickly stood up) and gracefully left the room (speed walked like a mother 5 minutes before the mall closed).

Luckily, most everyone else seemed to do the same, so I didn’t stand out very much as I followed the rest of the researchers back to our quarters where we were staying after coming to this site temporarily.

Passing through the hallways of the site, it was about what I expected. It’s crazy how despite being in an entirely different building halfway across the country, everything looked so familiar.

The same white walls, the same researchers rushing down the hallway to deliver papers, the same interns scurrying behind those researchers carrying coffee, the same feminine individual in a dark black cloak wearing a beige tweed newsboy cap, and the same security guards struggling to not yawn after standing in the same spot for hours on end.

Yep, everything really is just the same.

I finally reached my temporary lodging inside the foundation base, which wasn’t really anything too special—just a bed, a desk, a closet, and a door connecting to a separate bathroom.

It was really nothing special, really just a few steps above what the D-class got, but it was good enough for me.

I stepped over to my bed as I reached down to pick up the graphic novel I was reading. It was nothing special, but it was a fun graphic novel series called "Zoophobia" which I enjoyed, and reading about mythical creatures that weren’t out to get you was a nice change of pace compared to what I have to deal with on a normal basis.

I sat there reading over the next chapter absentmindedly, thinking over my life and how exactly I got to this position.

I suppose I should introduce myself, my name is Andrew White. I have short, curly brown hair, a pretty standard build for my age, and hazel eyes.

I have been a researcher for the SCP Foundation for about 5 years at this point, which isn’t a lot on paper, but anybody that can survive their first few years at this place still deserves a trophy for the shit they have to go through.

Anyway, I remember being picked up by the foundation fresh out of college, though not through my own free will.

I was really into the supernatural and occult when I was a kid, and I still was when I graduated college. So when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life, I decided to study the occult. I really started in college but it didn’t really go anywhere until I graduated. It started as just a hobby, but eventually it turned into something much more.

After scouring the internet for random fan theories and other occult nut jobs that felt like they had a thing to prove, I eventually came across a strange article about a girl who appeared back home after being absent for over 3 years, and even stranger, she had no real memory of where she had been during that time. At first, I thought nothing of it until I decided to dig deeper.

It was there that I discovered so many more stories, all different in one way or another, like someone being lost in the woods or suffering brain damage from a gas leak. But they all had something in common: at the very core of all these stories, they were about someone who went missing and reappeared months or years later with no memory of what happened.

I was enthralled at this point, so I went deeper. I researched the articles that posted the news, the companies that owned those articles, the people that owned those companies, and so on. This went on until I eventually reached a brick wall with me being unable to travel any further down this rabbit hole, and this happened for every single one. Although I couldn’t confirm any of it, I felt like this must have been the work of some shadowy organization that was controlling things from the background.

Then after a whole month of researching this side project, in possibly the stupidest move I ever could have made, I went to a random forum page online and shared my findings. At the time I thought it didn’t matter, I thought that even if such an organization existed, that they wouldn’t care about it.

Oh, how wrong I was.

Because the next day I woke up to see that the post that I made was completely removed from the site, and before I could try contacting the owners to see what happened, two men in suits came knocking on my door.

You can probably guess where the story went from there. They threatened me, said I had some potential, put me through an overly extensive background check to make sure I wasn’t connected to some other organization, and then gave me the ultimatum to either join them or get my memories wiped. At the time, I didn’t even know if wiping memories was possible, but after all the research I did, I really didn’t want to find out.

I needed a job anyway, so I agreed. After signing far too many contracts and liability forms, they finally took me in as a trainee researcher. It was there that I learned of a whole other world—the world of the anomalous and the world of the people that kept them at bay.

Obviously, it was horrifying to learn about the existence of all the monsters that existed and that so many creatures had constantly been a threat to our world without me even realizing it.

It was also exciting to learn that the world of the occult, the world I had dreamed of, was real. Despite the fact that it had a few more teeth than I would’ve liked.

Regardless, I took to my new job, and the rest is history. I studied many different SCP’s, spent my free time reading through all the files that I had clearance for, and even gained a few promotions along the way for my performance.

I’m still nothing special, obviously, and not even close to the legendary researchers in the foundation like Gears and Bright, but still, I hope to get to that point eventually.

I still only have level 2 clearance, but I do hope to climb the ranks. Who knows, I might even get level 5 clearance one day.

“Haha, that’s a funny thought, though probably an impossible dream if what I’ve heard about level 5 clearance is correct. Still, it’s a nice thought.”

Knock knock

“Uh, who’s there?” He asked after hearing something knock on his door.

“It’s the plague doctor; time for your colonoscopy," a masculine voice from the other side said.

A small smile formed on Andrew's face.

“What do you want, Kevin?” I said as I opened the door to reveal my overly muscular friend on the other side.

He had long, sleezed-back black hair along with brown eyes. He was also tall as he was muscular, standing almost a full foot taller than me, though this did work in his favor considering that he was a security guard.

Kevin had been working at the foundation for a similar amount of time as me, so we got along pretty well together. I dare say he’s probably my best friend now, considering I had to cut most ties with my old friends when I started working for the foundation.

“Hey Andrew, me and some of the other guys were planning on heading to the mess hall to see what kind of grub they have here before heading back to the meeting in a couple of hours. A lot of us are curious what such a large facility has in terms of food, and who knows, maybe this one hires more female researchers than Site 25 if you know what I mean,” he said with a massive smile on his face.

I smiled at my friend's antics. I knew he wasn’t some pervert; he just wanted to have some fun. When you work for the SCP Foundation, one of the few things you gain a bigger appreciation for are the short moments of fun you get.

“Sure, let me just grab my lab coat.”

“Sure thing, Dr." He said this as he began to walk out of the room.

Quickly grabbing my stuff, I quickly followed behind, just wanting to go back to Site 25 as soon as this conference was over and continue researching the book.

And I mean, it’s only going to take a day or two, so I wouldn’t have to wait that long to get home.

 

---

Dr.Bright POV

“Alright, now that they are all gone, why don’t you tell me what you really want gears” I said as I slammed my hand against the now-emptied conference table.

“I have no idea what you could possibly mean Dr.Bright; I am simply here to oversee the designation of the new anomalous item that—”

"Oh, don’t give me that BS gears, the foundation could have sent anyone with decent enough clearance to keep me in check. Plus, I know just how much you hate wasting time; the only reason you would be here is if you gained something out of it. As the new head researcher of this project, I simply want to know what that is, or is that too much for you to compute?” I stated as I noticed a slight twitch on the man’s otherwise stone-cold expression.

‘Score’ I silently thought before turning my attention back to him.

“You really love to get on my nerves, don’t you, Dr. Bright?”

“What can I say, grinding your gears is one of my favorite past times,” I said, flashing gears with a knowing smirk.

“Humph, fine, I suppose there is no harm in informing you.” Gears said before heading to the large screen at the end of the hall.

“I have been following a very peculiar case recently.”

“Heh, what level of peculiarity are we talking about? 682 level or 458 level?” I said with a chuckle.

“We’re not sure, and that’s the scary part,” Gears stated as he typed a couple buttons on the computer, causing an image to appear on the projector screen.

A map of the world appeared, with numerous red dots around not only America but around the entire world. Though the majority were centered in North America.

“For the past 7 months, there have been a series of unsolved murders across the globe. The total number of deaths has already reached the hundreds. To the public, these murders seem completely separate and have no relation to each other.”

“And how do they seem to you?”

“They seem like they were all killed by the same person, or group of people to be precise," he revealed as he clicked a button on the keyboard as an image appeared.

The image appeared to be a close-up shot of two figures tied to chairs, both demonic-looking in nature. Both possessed blood-red skin, with one having a white spot over their left eye; they also both possessed large black and white horns of different styles.

Long story short, they looked like demons.

“This image was taken from a small time organization aptly named D.H.O.R.K.S. Regardless of their name though,they did manage to apprehend these two anonymous entities as they attempted to flee through a portal of some kind.” He proceeded to bring up a blurry video of the same location, now littered with so many bodies, except with more anonymous creatures residing in the room. These included what appeared to be a female version of the same creatures as before, a bipedal feminine looking wolf wearing very gothic clothing, and a large bipedal owl wearing extremely regal clothing.

The video played as this rather colorful cast of characters proceeded to open a large blue portal that led into what appeared to be an office space of some kind. These creatures proceeded to enter through this portal as the larger of the red male creatures and the owl creature having a rather hardcore makeout session as they went through the portal as it closed behind them.

“Tell me Bright, what do you see when you watch this video?”

“...Some furries living out their fantasies?” I guessed, which earned a resounding sigh from the larger man.

“Of course you would say that,” he whispered, earning me another chuckle for myself. “We both know what I meant; just answer the question.”

“Fine, I see some red munchkins, a furry who is addicted to hot topic, and an owl who is roleplaying as some sort of king, and they enter through a portal of some kind. Sounds correct?” I answered with a smile.

“...In a manner I suppose, but that's not the important part, this is,” Gears said dramatically as he pressed one final button on the computer, causing tens of photos to appear on the projector screen, each of these containing one of the figures shown in the video, most of which show them killing some kind of person, with the rest showing them entering and leaving through the same kind of portal.

“These killers are sloppy, and we have hundreds of photos and recordings of them at this point. Honestly, if it wasn’t for us covering up the information on them, half the world would have heard of them at this point.”

“Then, why haven't you caught them yet? Are your gears growing rusty or something?”

“Because they are as unpredictable as they are sloppy, their attacks are seemingly random, and there is only one type of pattern I have caught,” Gear said, ignoring my comment.

“And that pattern would be?” I asked curiously.

“They have almost always killed someone who was recently involved in the death of another individual. regardless if this happened through murder, self-defense, or simply being near the scene of a crime with people who are suspected to be involved.”

“So, are you saying that they are vengeful spirits or something?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not. All I know is that the only people who would want these victims dead are the dead themselves. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this." Gears stated as he looked at me, and in response, I simply sighed.

“Ya ya, you heard the rumors that the portal leads to some kind of hellish landscape, and both are entered using some sort of book that creates a portal. So I'm assuming that you think they lead to the same place?” I asked, already knowing his answer.

“Precisely, so I would like to conduct some research along with you on this item, if only to understand our not-so-subtle assassins better.” Gears said, which gained a long sigh from me.

“Fine, just remember that this is my project; I'm the head researcher, so I call the shots. Got it? Good, anyway, I'll see you in a couple of hours,” I said playfully as I began to make my way out of the room.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Bright; I know you specifically requested to be in charge of this project,” Gears said, making me stop my tracks.

“I know who you really are, Bright." He continued, “I know what you want more than anything else in the world. This little act of yours might fool the rest of the foundation, but it doesn't fool me. So quit this little masquerade of yours; it's not going to work, and you know that.”

“...see you in a couple hours, Gears,” I said simply, not giving Gears another look as I walked out of the room. walking past a figure in a dark cloak and a beige tweed newsboy cap who entered the room as I left.

Notes:

Ya, the first official chapter released, just in time for the season 1 finale of the show. Anyways, I just want to write at the end of this chapter just to explain some things. Like I said previously, this fanfic as something I have been interested in making for a while (BTW, this fanfic is inspired by "One helluva Broken Day" and "SCP-666-Containment, so go give those a read as well) I never really felt the drive to actually post anything. This actually isn't the first thing that I have written, but it is the first one that I have finally convinced myself to share. I personally don't know how to feel about this chapter, because it does everyting that I wantedit to do, but it just has way too much exposition for my taste, which is something I promised wont happen as much in future chapters. Also, although the current name of the Fanfic is "SCP666-Hazbin", I am thinking of changing it, purely because I released after naming it this that it has a very similar name to another Hazbin/SCP crossover fanfic, so if you guys have any ideas, or have anywhere you want the story to go, put it in the comments. One last thing, I don't have a schedule planed out for how often I am gonna post chapters, I already have Chapter 2 written, but I'm unsure how long I should wait to post it. I also have a lot of personal stuff going on right now, so I wont have a set schedule in place for when each chapter releases, but I promise ill release them as soon as possible. Anyways, thats all I wanted to say for now, so I wish you all a Helluva day!

(NOTE: this chapter has since been re-written and proofread by “A Bright Player.” So massive thanks to him)

Chapter 2: Down the rabbit hole.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Notes:

“What would you do if you were betrayed by your family?”

“Then I asked him if he really expected me to perform for free. I mean, I know I could use the experience, but I know my worth and I told him to fuck off… I proceeded to be forced to oversee the cleaning of SCP-173’s cell for like 3 months, but it was totally worth it!” Reed said as he took a long sip from his soda.

I chuckled at my friend’s antics as I looked around the room. Currently, I was in the canteen area after Kevin had invited me, and it was there that I met up with my 5 closest friends.

Excluding Kevin, there was Anni Gera (we just call her Ann). She is a researcher who I have worked on many projects with. She currently had her dark raven hair in a ponytail, with a pair of rim glasses on.

Paul Williams, a security guard and good friend of Kevin’s, who shared the same greased back hair as him, only red in color (I’m honestly not sure if it's natural, or just dyed). He was actually one of the first people to enter the strange portal alongside Kevin, and he is also deathly loyal to the foundation.

Halara Moore, she is another security guard at the foundation. She had blonde hair that went all the way to shoulders, which were complimented by her deep brown eyes. I don’t know too much about her, but what I do know is that she comes from a military background of some kind and has a strange adoration to the foundations MTF group called the “Nine Tailed Fox.”

And last, but certainly not least, with short brown hair and blue eyes, was Reed Newsong.  a researcher with the same rank as me. He is a very strange individual, and always carries around an instrument of some kind with him, and it appears today he chose a lute. He loves music of all kinds and it feels like he knows how to play any kind of instrument.

We were a… rather strange group, but we all began working for the foundation at around the same time at site 25, so we eventually converged on one another and made a pretty tight-knit group. 

“You know Reed, nothing good comes out of disrespecting a superior. I get that his order was rather… stupid, but couldn’t you at least have denied him with respect?” Paul questioned, as he seemed exasperated by the story.

Kevin gave a smirk at Paul’s plea. “Are you kidding me, that was basically extortion. I say Reed was completely right to stick it to the man. Besides, nobody takes Dr. Wilcox seriously. The guy tries to seem all tough, but the second one of his superiors tell him to do anything he acts like a dog begging for praise from his master.” Kevin said, to Paul’s utter horror.

“I-Insulting our superior like that is going way too far Kevin!”

“I’ll say what I want to any jackass that tries to take advantage of our friends!”

“Even so, this is extremely disrespectful!”

“Do you think I care!?”

“You should!!!”

“Please stop the pointless quarrel.” Halara said quietly, stopping the two men, who were both a second away from jumping over the table and fighting each other… again.

“Why should we? I need to teach this idiot lesson,” Kevin declared. 

“Please, If anybody here needs some lecturing, it is definitely you.” Paul said in response.

“Don’t fight, not unless you want a repeat of what happened the last time you two tried to pull this stunt.” Halara declared, as both of the other security guards suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.

“Y-ya whatever, not worth it.”/ “it would be irresponsible to fight here.” They both said fearfully.

A smile bloomed from Halaras face at their response. “Good, and it’s gonna stay that way, right?” She glared at the two of them, and I swear her eyes seemed to glow with hellfire for half a second.

“They really stole this conversation. I mean, we started with my drama right?” I looked over and realized Reed was talking to me.

“You shouldn’t be surprised, I feel like this always happens whenever we meet up. We’re lucky that Halara can actually keep those two in check. Besides, not a lot of people have the nerve to say the F word to a superior. Seriously, can’t he just fire you if he wanted?”

“Heh, please, like the foundation would be willing to part with an incredible artist like me! I’m far too valuable!” Reed declared valiantly as he lifted his lute up in the air, as if he was a knight that just saved a princess.

“Or because it would be too much trouble to sign all the paperwork to get rid of you. A director still needs a viable reason for firing someone.” Anni said, which caused Reed to immediately deflate.

“Come on Ann, don’t destroy this poor man’s dreams. What are you, a heartless demon?” Reed accused pathetically.

“No, I’m just stating the obvious. Besides, have you actually sold any of your music?” She stated, causing Reed to sink into the floor, hand over his chest dramatically as if he was just shot.

“You wound me so Anni. I don’t think I can go on, what a cruel world! Yes, the only way to save these poor sinners' souls is if I am told the sacred word of god!” He exclaimed dramatically, sprawled out across the floor.

I could only sigh as I gave Anni a knowing look.

“Absolutely not,” the mistress of Reed's pain exclaimed immediately.

“Come one Ann, he’ll be like this for the rest of the day if you don’t say it. Please spare us all from having to deal with that.” I pleaded, to which she could only roll her eyes before looking at our overly dramatic friend.

“…Fine, I’m sorry” she said sarcastically.

Reed immediately bounced up from the floor “Apology accepted!” He said excitedly as he started to roughly shake her hand.

“…You know, I would say that you’re the most dramatic person on the planet, but I just met Dr. Bright today.” I explained to the self proclaimed victim as I went to take a drink.

“And I’ll take that as a compliment!” The drama king said cheerfully as he sat back down on his chair, putting his feet up on the table.

“Sometimes I wonder why I even became friends with you people,” Anni sighed.

“Oh, I wonder that sometimes too, but I’m not complaining.” Reed said gleefully.

Yep, these are my friends. A strange bunch of characters, but they have always been there for me since I started working at the foundation. Honestly, I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better group of coworkers.

“Anyways, I think our recess is almost over. We should start heading back.” Said Halara, who seemed to finish her lecture to the other two security guards.

“Ah, time already?” I asked as I looked at my watch. Yep, almost 1800.

Anni quickly stood straight up at this revelation.

“Well, we should get going! Don’t want to keep Gears waiting!” She urgently stated, as she began to pretty much drag us out of the room.

Right, I forgot that Anni was basically a Gears fangirl. I don’t think I have ever seen her more excited than when we heard that Dr. Gears would be involved in this meeting.

As a matter of fact, that was something I was planning to ask her.

“Hey Ann? I know you are kinda in a rush to get back, but I have a question for you.”

“Hm, oh sure whatever, what is it?” she disinterestedly asked as we made our way down the white sterile hallway.

“Why are you so obsessed with Dr. Gears? I mean, I get the guys a living legend, but even then this kind of adoration is completely out of character for you.” I asked, causing her to stumble for half a second, before resuming.

“…Oh that, it’s nothing really. I just look up to the guy. I mean he is super cool and everything, and, uh, yea. hehe.” She awkwardly stated.

She’s lying, I could tell almost immediately. She only ever stutters like that when she lies, which is something she is famously terrible at in our group.

I looked back to see the rest of our posse following behind us, but being too engaged in their own conversation to notice what was happening with us. Good.

I looked back at Anni and lowered my voice before talking.

“Look, Anni, I love you, but you are an absolutely horrible liar.” I whispered, causing the recipient of my accusation to slightly blush before whispering back.

“I-I’m not lying. I’m just… just… nervous”

“Ya, you're that too. But you're still lying,” I smirked.

“…just, shut up, ok?” She said, looking towards the floor.

The smirk vanished from my face, as I realized that this wasn’t some secret crush type of lie or anything. It was something much more serious.

I quickly took another look to make sure my friends were still preoccupied, which they were, before looking back.

“Look, if this is actually that personal then I won’t push. Still though, if you need help with this just let me know, ok?” I offered as I placed a reassuring hand on the raven haired woman's shoulder.

She seemed to contemplate the offer for a few seconds before responding. “I appreciate the offer, really. But I’m fine, it’s nothing serious.” She lied.

“… Alright, if that’s what you want. But seriously if you need anything you can come to me. We’re friends after all, right?” I asked.

“Yea, of course… thanks.” 

“No problem,” I replied earnestly, as a smile formed on both of our faces.

“Soooo, whatcha lovebirds talking about?” Said Reed, as he somehow managed to sneak up behind us and wrap his arms over both our shoulders.

“Telling secrets? Or perhaps, admitting your love?!” The rat dramatically proclaimed as he pulled us closer.

BAM!

“Sorry about that.” Halara said, now carrying the body of Reed, who now possessed a comically large bump on the top of his head.

“…Ya. Anyways, looks like we’re here.” I said, looking ahead at the other researchers, the dark cloaked figure with the hat, and security guards piling into a large conference room.

“Well, time to face the music,” Reed said, still being carried by Halara.

“How can you still talk?”

“I have no idea.”

---

Dr. Gears POV

 

Looking up from my clipboard, I noticed many of Dr. Bright's new researchers began to occupy the conference room that was signed out for their meeting.

I took a quick peek at my watch

‘1800 exactly, good. At least these personnel know how to follow orders, so they should be competent enough… hopefully.’ I thought, as I saw a security guard carry in one of the researchers wearing a gray knitted hat with a lute strapped to his back.

I would’ve been concerned if it wasn’t for the fact that everyone else in the room wasn’t bothered by it, implying it’s a semi-normal occurrence. Not only that, but the person who was being carried had a wide smile on his face, implying he was enjoying it for some reason.

‘Disrespectful, but these aren’t my men, so it would be pointless to try and set them straight.’

Looking to my right, I saw Dr. Bright fiddle with the old tattered book as if it’s just an ordinary item he found at a dollar store. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact that I saw Dr. Bright’s work in person I would have assumed the man was just a bumbling idiot. Now though, I learned he is really a bumbling idiot with a slightly larger brain.

“Alright, everyone here!? Good, let's begin!!!” Dr. Bright suddenly shouted jubilantly as he made his way away from the book. Crossing the dark cloaked individual with a hat.

“Now, after a lot of deliberation with my very special friend here!” Dr. Bright proclaimed as he wrapped his arm around me and put me into a side hug. it would be worthless to fight with the man’s stupidity right now, so I just let it happen.

“I have come up with the perfect name! We shall name it SCP-420–”

“—I swear to god if you say anything related to me being a hard ass I’m shoving you in the portal.”

“We have come up with the second most perfect name! We shall name it SCP-666. Hells anu-”

“Bright!”

“Hells gateway!” 

“…”

“…”

“…”

“You know, I was going to go with a different name, but Mr. gears for brains over here shot all of them down. But if we rise up now we can revolt against this unfair system! Rise with me fellow researchers, and we can change the name of this SCP into something inappropriate and probably racist!!!” Dr. Bright dramatically declared, raising his arms up in the air.

“…I’m fine with Hells Gateways.”

“Ya, I think it’s fine.”

“Don’t want anything inappropriate.”

“Ya, wanna keep our pg-13 rating.”

“666 works pretty well I think.”

Bright's hands immediately slumped to his side, as everyone seemed to disagree with him.

“You guys are all cowards. Whatever, I guess that is the current designation if everyone is fine with it.”

“Wait. Dr. Bright,” I interrupted. “The foundation already has an item designated with the classification 666. How did you procure this classification?” I said as a proud smirk appeared on the immortal scientist's face.

“Well, it took some favors, but I managed to get the previous SCP-666 moved to a different classification.”

“Why go through all that trouble?” I asked.

“Because it is thematically appropriate! Plus the old SCP-666 was just some tent that gave some people very bad withdrawals, it’s not really at the top of the foundation's priority list.”

‘Thematically correct? He really is hopeless.’ I thought, before returning my focus on Dr.Bright.

“Regardless, now that’s finished, we have to do a bunch of…paperwork.” Dr.Bright said as a chill traveled up his back.

“Yes, it’s time we start acting professionally. To start off, we are going to have to-”

“-I believe that there won’t be a need for that,” a feminine voice interrupted me. I sharply turned to the source of the voice behind me, as I noticed Dr. Bright and every other personnel in the room did the same.

What stood before me wasn’t anything suspicious though. Dr. Bright had moved away from the book during his monologue, so all that remained in this direction was a pedestal, the book, a cloaked figure with a beige hat, and some coffee. There was nothing suspicious.

Confused, I looked around the room, but there was nothing out of place. Casting a glance at Dr. Bright, I noticed he had the same reaction.

“Oh right, sometimes I forget how effective this thing is.” The feminine voice said again. Looking in its direction once again brought me back to the book and the cloaked woman who was reaching up to her hat. Once again, there was nothing suspicious.

The cloaked woman was reaching towards her beige hat, but that didn’t matter as I kept looking for the source of the voice. It had to come from this direction, but where?

The cloaked figure finally removed her hat and…

‘SHIT!’ I internally screamed, as I heard everyone else in the room sharply intake air at the sudden appearance of the cloaked women.

Looking at the hat she had in her hand, I immediately recognized the stolen SCP. Known as SCP-268, a tweed-wool newsboy cap that makes whoever wears it completely insignificant, to the point that you barely even process their existence when looking at the person wearing it.

The only problem was that SCP-268 was stolen, it was taken by…

‘Dammit, it’s the serpent's hand!’ I thought, completing my inner monologue in a fraction of a second. I pulled out a pistol from my lab coat ready to eliminate the threat.

My finger around the trigger, I was ready to end the life of this blonde haired woman.

“WAIT!!!” A sudden, screeching shout stopped me just before pulling the trigger. I looked at the unexpected source of the scream.

“…Dr. Bright. I implore you to carefully think through your next move.” I glared at the idiot, who stood between me and the multiple armed guards behind me, and the dark cloaked women.

Dr. Bright however didn’t seem to hear me, or if he did he refused to respond, because his wide eyed gaze was currently locked on the blond haired woman. Looking on in shock, mouth agape. 

“…M-mom?” He finally said, causing my eyes to once again open and stare at the woman who now had a soft smile on her face.

“Hi Jack. How have you been?” She said, her voice a weird mixture of sorrow, happiness, hesitation, and regret.

When Bright couldn’t respond, she sighed before looking straight down.

I moved my eyes to see what she was looking at, and it was then I noticed that her hand was laid on top of the newly designated SCP-666.

“I am sorry Jack, but it's the only way.'' The cultist said, as the book underneath her palm began to glow.

“Terminate her!” I screamed to the guards behind me, as I raised my pistol up in the air. ‘I'll kill her, and end whatever madness they were planning.’ I thought, as I pulled the trigger.

“NO!”

BANG

My eyes went wide, blood flew through the air, my gun smoking with its unloaded payload hitting into flesh.

It just wasn't the flesh I was expecting.

“...why?” I seethed, looking at Bright who now possesses a circular wound in his left shoulder.

“JACK!” The woman suddenly screamed out in anguish, before looking towards me “I’LL KILL YOU!!!” She threatened. All doubt and fear seemed to have left her face.

“W-wait mom please!”

“What are you Idiots doing, Fire!”

“Th’clar Andeama!”

Two words, two simple words escaped her lips, yet those words changed everything.

The book suddenly started to glow a vibrant red as its pages opened up, creating a gust of wind so strong that I became unable to aim my firearm properly. If the screams coming from behind me were anything to go by, then I assume everyone else in the room was having the same problem,  as the gust of wind began to drag us closer to the portal.

I held on to a small knob in the wall attempting to evade getting swept up. I witnessed the glowing light grow stronger as it consumed both Dr. Bright and his self proclaimed “mother.”

I saw other personnel fly past me as they were sucked into the light, from researchers, guards, even the guy holding the lute from before.

Eventually though, despite my best efforts, I couldn't keep up with the Herculean task of escaping the glowing light. Eventually the winds grew too strong and I lost my grip, as I started to fly to the now large glowing book.

As I flew towards it, only one thought crossed my mind.

“GODDAMMIT BRIGHT!!!”

 

---

Meanwhile, the foundation is in a state of emergency, as hundreds of calls came in from foundation sights around the globe.

 

“This is site-27, we are under attack by the Serpent's Hand. I repeat WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!”

“Site-42 calling in, we are under siege from the serpent's hand. Many of our personnel have vanished in a bright red light. Requesting MTF Backup, over.”

“They stole them! Multiple anomalies have disappeared! I repeat, the serpent's hand has stolen anomalous items from site-7!”

“This is site 15 calling in! We have lost SCP-079. I repeat we lost 079!”

“Cain is missing, and we are under siege!”

“The peanut, shy guy, they’re gone!”

“Abels box vanished!”

“Where is SCP-999?!”

“We are unde-”

“...”

“....”

“.....”

“682 is gone! The hard to destroy reptile has disappeared!!!”

Notes:

“This chapter is shorter than the last one!”

“Why are you still here!”

Chapter 2 has officially been released, and I think you’ve all realized what the main plot is gonna be, at least at the beginning. I hope you all like this direction because it is gonna be the cause of a lot of chaos that’s gonna happen now. Anyways, there is something I want to ask you all. I’ve been going back on whether or not to include the hazbin songs into this fanfic for a while now, especially since music is such a big part of the hazbin universe. I’ve even thought about adding new songs to the story. Although I’m not sold on anything, I’m curious what you guys think. Would you rather have music be included in the story? Or would you prefer it to be left out. Also, sorry for the chapter being a decent bit shorter than the previous one, I just couldn’t add much more to this one specifically. Don’t worry though, because I just finished writing the next chapter and it’s already at around 7000 words total, so you’ll have something to chew on then. I’m also gonna try to make the average length of each chapter to be around 4000 words, so I hope you’re fine with that. Anyways, drop a Kudos if you enjoyed, and I wish you all a wonderful day.

Chapter 3: Whole new world

Chapter by WebHead_11

Notes:

“What would be the first thing you would do to survive in Hell?”

Andrew White POV

 

‘Ow, why am I so sore? Is Reed playing another prank on me or something?’

I slowly sat up, expecting to find myself in my bed, or on a floor of bubble wrap like last time Reed pranked me. Instead, I found myself in what appeared to be an alleyway of sorts, filled with an ominous red light, overflowing trash cans, and graffiti marking the wall.

‘Wait… red light?’

I looked again to make sure my eyes weren’t deceiving me, and indeed, the alley was shaded in a dark red light.

I quickly sat up as I tried to identify the source of the light, which I did. 

The sky. 

The sky was completely blood red, with its light bathing everything the eye can see in a dark red glow.

“Wha-what happened? Where am I!? What the fuck happened!!!???” I screamed, not even realizing I asked the same question twice.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly attempted to calm myself down. Yelling will get me nowhere.

‘Ok, no biggie Andrew, you work for the SCP Foundation. You should expect that you would wake up in the middle alleyway with no idea how you got there… that sounded less sexual in my head…wait this is my head!’

I quickly shook my current thoughts out of my mind before attempting to remember what happened.

I remember I was working on a new SCP. I remember being called down to site-93 for classification of the item. I met Dr. Bright and Dr. Gears. I went to my room. Met with my friends. Entered the conference room. Designated the entity as SCP-666. Got sucked into a glowing portal from the book. Woke up-

Wait, got sucked into the portal…

My eyes suddenly shot up as I remembered what happened, and a terrible thought creeped into the back of my head as I investigated my surroundings.

“Red light, just like Kevin said. Run-down buildings and-”

BOOM!

“…constant explosions. Did I enter SCP-666?” As the dangerous thought entered my head, it wouldn’t leave, and I only had one thing to say because of it.

“…Fuck my life.”

“Gladly.”

“AAAHHH!” I released a startled scream as a sudden, muffled voice from behind me spoke, causing me to fall.

 I quickly looked up from my prone position to see 3 individuals standing over me, though I couldn’t make out any of their features as they wore long green trench coats and gas masks. I would have been reminded of the Chaos Insurgency if it wasn’t for the fact that the name GASSERS was stitched on their coats. They also each held a Tommy gun, so that was concerning.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Are you from those Arsonist bastards? I thought we already told you this is our turf!” One of the three figures spoke, though I couldn’t tell which one, as they each raised their gun.

“W-wait, Wait! Please, I’m not… I don’t… I’m not an Arsonist!!!” 

I crawled backwards on the floor, hoping to make some distance between us.

“HA, nice try shitfire, but you can’t fool me. I am phosgene! the fucking leader of the Gassers!”

“…phosgene?” I asked, confused.

“Ya, what about it? Shitting your pants!? AHAHA!” He laughed maniacally.

“N-no, it’s just… you really couldn’t be more creative?” 

‘Why did I say that?’

“…creative?” He asked, confused.

“Phosgene is just a type of gas. You didn’t even change how it sounds. Does that mean you just have a guy named like, I don’t know, mustard gas in your group?”

‘Why am I still talking!?’

“N-no. Of course we, um, don’t have somebody fucking named mustard! Pfft, that would be stupid, right guys?!” He turned to the other two gas masked individuals.

“Um…but isn’t,”/ “but mustard is the…”

“I SAID NOBODY IS NAMED MUSTARD, RIGHT?!”

“Y-yep nobody at all!”/ “we totally don’t have anybody named that…hehe,”

“Right, now that we have that settled. Time to fill this fucker with lead,” he said, so nonchalantly that a chill ran down my mind.

‘Shit, they’re actually gonna kill me! I need to think of something fast in order to get out of this situation! Come on brain, don’t fail me now!’

"W-well, jokes on you then! Because… I’m not a fucker… I mean, I’ve never had sex in my life!” I declared, proudly.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…sorry?”

‘God, I wish I was dead.’

“Anyway, guess you’ll die a-”

Bangbangbangbang.

Gunshots rang out from behind me, echoing in the darkness.

“Wha- what happened!” The head of the Gassers screamed as he, along with his two soldiers, raised their tommy guns, pointed toward the darkness.

“WHO’S THERE!” He screamed. “Is this your doing?” He pointed his gun at me.

“N-no! I didn’t do anything!”

“…oh, I see, you're just a distraction. You tried to distract me so your fucking friends could sneak up on us!” He chuckled as planted a foot on my stomach.

“ARGH!” I yelped from the pain.

“Bet you didn’t realize that we already had people over there. They probably got gunned down already!”

“P-please listen to me. I- I have no idea what happened. I don’t know why I’m here. Please don’t kill me!” I pleaded as hard as I could, hoping by some miracle that they wouldn’t kill me.

The figure that now stood on top of me suddenly stopped as he brought his head closer to mine.

“Now that you mention it… hey guys, doesn’t this fucker kinda look…human?” He looked at his other companions.

‘…human? Are they confused if I’m human?’ My fear quickly transformed into confusion as I wondered what they were talking about.

“I mean, I’ve never seen one in person before, but I guess he kinda fits the description.” The figure to his left said.

“Does that mean he’s a fucking Sinner?” The rightmost figure said.

‘Now they’re talking about sinners? What is going on?’

“Nah, I thought he was one at first, but I’ve never seen a sinner come down with such a human appearance before. Besides, if he was a sinner, then he shouldn’t be scared of us killing him. We can’t kill those bastards, remember!” He declared with his hatred for this group called “sinners,” clear in his voice.

“So… what are you?” He asked, gun pointing straight at me again.

“A h-human. I’m Human!” I quickly declared.

“… what do you guys think?” Phosgene said, looking at his fellow Gassers.

“I mean, he’s probably fucking lying. This could be one of those human disguises or whatever they're called.” The one on the right said.

“Maybe… but if he is human,” the Gasser to the left started. “Then just imagine how much money we could get by selling him to the Cannibal Colony! Those flesh lovers probably haven’t had the real deal since their time on earth.” He laughed.

I did a double take in confusion by what he just said.

“I-I’m sorry but… what in the ever living fuck is a Cannibal Colony!” I blurted out, as Phosgene seemed to chuckle.

“Cannibal Colony is where you're gonna spend the rest of your life ‘human.’ Don’t worry, we won’t kill ya. After all, they like it fresh.” 

Shivers shot down my spine rapidly. I had to think of some way out of this. I didn’t want to be eaten by a cannibal! If I wanted that, then I would have just walked in Ferdinand the Cannibals containment cell!

‘Come on brain, I know you already failed me once, but for the sake of keeping you in my head and not in someone’s stomach, you are gonna have to work with me.’

I tried thinking of something, anything, as the Gasser leader reached down towards me.

Then I heard it, the sound of leather against stone.

‘Footsteps,’ I thought, as I saw my three kidnappers look past me. I quickly moved my body, or as much as I could, laying on the floor with a boot on top of me.

However, what I saw only filled me with more dread.

A singular person, wearing the same gas mask and green trench coats as the others, with the addition of blood on it. Holding what appeared to be a P90. walked out of the darkness.

On his jacket was the word “GASSERS.”

‘…I’m fucked,’

“Hey, there you are mustard!” The leftmost Gasser said, causing phosgene to twitch for a second.

“We heard gunshots. Did you kill those Arsonists bastards?” Phosgene asked, gun lowered.

In response, the new figure reached into his trench coat and pulled out what appeared to be a cylindrical metal object from his coat.

“What’cha got there?” One of the Gassers asked.

“Catch,” the figure said in response, tossing it over to us. Phosgene caught it in response.

“Humph, give me a better heads up next time you throw some-uhh, what are you doing?” He asked, as I noticed that the new Gasser seemed to have raised his left arm over his gas mask lenses.

Now that the object was closer, I was able to get a good look at it. It was about the size of my hand, appeared to have a small slot missing, to where it almost resembled a-

‘-Shit!’ I instantly thought as I covered my eyes with both my hands.

“Huh, whaddya think your-”

BANG

A loud bang from the flash grenade resounded outwards, cutting Phosgene off before he could finish his thought. Blinding him and his friends as they all screamed.

“AHH, WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT MU-ARGH!”

“AAHH!”

“AAAAARGH!”

All three of their screams were cut off at the sound of bullets flying through the air. I felt the weight of the foot on my stomach leave as a thick liquid landed on my face.

I slowly opened my eyes, seeing all three of the former Gassers now lying backwards on the floor.

Dead. Each of them being riddled with new holes throughout their body.

Looking at myself, I realized I was now covered in Phosgenes freshly spilled blood.

“You ok?” I turned around to see the voice had come from the last Gasser, who was now holding a smoking P90.

Now, maybe if I assessed the situation a little better, it would have been clear that this man wasn’t here to hurt me. However, with how fucked everything has been since waking up, there was only one response I could think of.

“AAAHHH! Stay away!” I screamed as I quickly scrambled to my feet, picking up the dropped Tommy gun and pointing it at the killer.

“Woah, woah, Andrew, relax! It’s me!” The figure said as he raised his hand up to his gas mask. He lifted the mask up revealing…

“PAUL?!” I screamed, seeing the familiar redhead. I dropped my gun as I fell to my knees. 

“You gave me a heart attack, man!” I accused.

“Hehe, sorry about that. Are you alright?” He asked as he quickly took a knee next to me, giving my shoulder an encouraging squeeze.

“…ya, you came right on time. Any longer and I might have become a gourmet dish for a bunch of cannibals.”

“And we wouldn’t want that. Those cannibals probably would’ve gotten food poisoning from you or something.”

“…I don’t know if that was supposed to be encouraging or insulting… whatever, Paul, what was that? And where are we? What happened? Why are you wearing that!?” I opened the floodgates of questions I had stored in my mind.

“Woah, slow down there Dr.” He said as he raised me to my feet.

“You do remember how we got here, right?” He asked.

“Ya, cloaked girl, gunshot, red light, and waking up here. By the way, is here…what I think it is?” I asked, hoping to be proven wrong.

Paul sighed in response to my question.

“Sorry, but this is where SCP-666 led me and Kevin before. I would never have forgotten a place like this,” He lamented.

“Speaking of Kevin, have you seen him and the others?”

“I was actually hoping you would know. But you clearly don’t, so that sucks. Right now, though, we need to focus on our own survival. We can worry about them once we make sure we aren’t gonna die.”

I cringed, because he was right. I knew he was right. Still, I hated the fact that we couldn’t go to find them right away.

Fine, they’re not pushovers. I’m sure they can survive by themselves for a while.

“As for what I’m wearing,” he motioned to his clothing. 

“I actually woke up deeper down this alleyway. One of these Gassers found me. He said something about ‘filling this fucker with lead’, so I did it to him first. After that, I removed his outfit in case more of these guys were here, then I saw you being harassed by these guys. The rest is history,” he motioned to the bodies now surrounding us.

“Also, I think there’s something you should see.” He walked over to phosgene's body.

“What?” I asked worriedly.

“This.” he said as he removed the figure's mask and-

‘Oh dear fucking god!’ I internally swore. Because these creatures' confusion over me being human made much more sense.

The face that laid before me was a creature with a completely red face. It had sharp teeth, horns that look like they were cut off, which is why they fit in the gas mask. It looked like a demon.

“What are these things?” I asked, terrified.

“No idea, and I don’t want to find out. Anyway, strip him and put his clothes on. "

“What! Why?!” I asked incredulously, which Paul rolled his eyes at.

“Get your mind out of the gutter. These guys recognized us as humans and were gonna sell us because of that. We just need to get rid of the Gasser identification and we’ll be able to hide our identity as we survey our new surroundings.” 

“…oh, right ya. I guess that makes sense,” I said, embarrassed. This caused Paul to chuckle.

“Seriously, I thought you were the one with a PhD, Doc.”

“I’m also not used to thinking quickly on my feet. I usually stay in the lab, your the one with experience on this.”

“Exactly, so you're gonna listen to everything I say, because it’s my job to protect you, got it?” He declared.

I sighed.

“Ya, ya, that’s probably a good idea,” I smiled.

“Good, now follow me. We need to find some place to set up as a home base. We also need to leave before any more Gassers show up.” He said as he led me away after I put on the green trench coat and gas mask.

As we left, I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to the rest of our friends.

---

Reed Newsong POV

 

“WE ARE THE ARSONISTS, YOU GASSER BASTARD!!!” The figure wearing a wannabe firefighter outfit said to me.

“WOW. I mean, I’ve been told I’m filled with hot air before, but this is insane,” I jokingly said, much to the dismay of the two people holding Tommy guns.

“ARGH, JUST SHUT UP OR I'LL BURN YOU ALIVE! YOU ANNOYING PIECE OF SHIT!” One of them said, lifting their gun to point at me.

My smile vanished after I realized they weren’t joking. They were actually gonna kill me.

“Ok, ok, let’s just talk this out-”

“Shut up! I don’t care if you're human or not! I am burning you alive-”

“Kinky.”

“HOW THAT FUCK IS THAT A KINK!!!” he incredulously asked.

“That's it. I’m killing him!” The second figure said.

“Wait, please, before you kill me, at least let me play a song for you!” I smiled.

“…A song?”

“Ya, a funeral ballad. It’s the song I want to play as I die. As long as you're willing to accommodate this humble beggar's plea.” I bowed, acting formal. I saw both of the figures look at each other for a second before nodding.

“Fine, just fucking play it. What’s it called, anyway?” He asked, as I reached down to pick up my fallen lute and pointed the bottom towards them.

“Oh, of course. It’s called ‘It’s a fucking gun’ bitch!” I declared. As I pressed two buttons on the neck of the lute, causing a small hole at the bottom to light up as it released automatic fire.

The Arsonists, not expecting the turn of events, were quickly shot down before they could raise their firearms in retaliation.

“Phew! I am so glad I got this thing modified.” 

I looked around my surroundings, and it sure matched the description Paul and Kevin gave about it.

“…ok, you're in hell. No big deal, right? You knew you were gonna come here, anyway!” I spoke to myself. “Whatever, the first order of business is definitely to find a music store. Can’t wander around Hell without the essentials after all!”

I moved out of the alley, undressing the Arsonist so that I could wear their clothing.

“Hell. This will surely be interesting. I wonder what you would think of this, father?” I chuckled, leaving the damp alleyway for the new world that laid at my feet.

---

Halara Moore POV

 

Looking up from my prone position, the first thing I noticed was the red light peering in through the windows. The second thing that I noticed was that I appeared to be in a large warehouse of sorts.

A large assortment of different sounds and smells assaulted my senses as I stood up. I covered my nose in order to spare myself from the smell of grease and gunpowder.

Out of instinct, I reached to the side of my uniform to put on the gas mask that I always carried with me. Never want to be stuck in a situation where I needed one without it, never again.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps. I dashed behind a small mountain of boxes that were later on the side, waiting to be filled with some sort of cargo.

Eventually I saw the people that made the noise, except they weren’t what I was expecting.

I saw a pair of red-skinned individuals, each wearing baggy white outfits and small gas masks that cover their mouths. An outfit that wouldn’t be out of place in factories of sorts, which would explain the smell of the place.

“Geez, we always have to do so much work after these exterminations.” Figure A said, who appeared masculine, and had black markings on his face akin to tribal tattoos.

“What’cha expect. There’s always a new surplus of new angelic weapons to be melted down and molded. No, what I’m more concerned about is how Carmilla has barely shown her face since the event.” Figure B explained, this one seeming more feminine, with a lighter shade of red for skin.

“Gender difference in species, perhaps?” I silently thought before continuing to eavesdrop.

“Now that you mention it, ya. She usually at least gives us a speech after each extermination to help with morale. Except, one of her daughters delivered it this year. I assumed at the time that she might have just been busy, but it could be more than that.”

“Ya, whatever though. It’s not our job to question what the Overlord does. We only need to make weapons for Carmine industries, and shut our traps concerning anything else. This gig is too good to give up over a couple of questions. She is one of the few overlords that wouldn’t kill us for looking at them the wrong way, after all. Plus, the pay is fucking awesome.”

I saw the two figures continue down the hallway as a flurry of questions invaded my mind.

Carmine industries. Extermination. Overlords. Angelic weapons. What did it all mean?

I reached down to take my walking strapped to my chest.

“Hello? Is anyone there?” I whispered. “This is Halara Moore of-”

“ HIZZZZZZZZ,”

Static. Just perfect. Looks like I can’t call for backup.

I slowly moved out of my little cubby hole as I investigated my surroundings. If there was anything I got from the conversation between the two red creatures, it’s that this appeared to be some sort of factory for a group called Carmine industries.

“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is making it out of here and reporting to my superiors about this. I also need to make sure the boys are alright, god knows what they’re gonna do without me.” I silently said, before slowly making my way through this facility, looking for an exit.

The only thing I knew for sure was that I definitely needed to stay clear of this Carmilla person. Only bad things could come from meeting her.

And lord knows I don’t want to deal with that headache.

 

---

The two employees continue to move through the halls to one of the many storage sites at the factory.

“Sooo, how would you feel if maybe, I don’t know, we go somewhere to eat when we’re off work?” The man asked nervously, looking apprehensively at her.

She laughed at his question though before looking at him in his eyes.

“Of course, that sounds like a great idea!” She smiled. Causing the man to release a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Oh, wow ya. Anyway, I thought maybe we could go to-”

BANG

His eyes widened as he saw crimson rain spill over him. He looked to his right to see that, where once stood a beautiful young lady, was a corpse falling to the ground. 

“Wha-WHAT IN THE F-”

Bang

A second bullet shot out a second later, piercing the confused man’s head as he fell to the ground.

After a second of silence, a group of men jumped down from one of the many large storage shelves, each of them holding guns engraved with glowing white metal. 14 figures in total jumped down, with 12 of them wearing the same uniform as the people they just shot. 

The shortest of the figures walked ahead. A small piece of grass in his mouth.

“Alright partners, that should be enough for all of us. Now, I hope you're ready to topple an Overlord. Cause we’re about to get a mighty fine paycheck. hehehehe.”

The figure chuckled, while pulling out a revolver engraved with the same white glowing metal.

 

---

Kevin Konroy POV

 

‘Ah, my fucking head, Ow.’ I thought as I instinctively reached my hand to the top of my head. 

I felt what I think was bandages on the top of my head, with something wet and warm soaking the top of it. Bringing my hand back down to the front of my face, finally opening my eyes, I saw a red liquid with a thick consistency.

‘Blood.’ My body instinctively told me, though I couldn’t figure out why.

‘I must have hit my head hard on something. Shit, this hurts… What happened to me?’ As I tried to put the pieces together, I looked around where I was. 

Honestly, I didn’t know how to describe it. I was lying down on a dirty mattress. Red light peered through a boarded window. Everything else seemed to be in a similar condition, with different bottles of what appeared to be emptied alcohol littered around the filthy room.

“What is this place?” I asked the air.

"This is my crib, bitch! Looks like you're finally awake. Took you long enough!" A female voice with a noticeable Australian accent resounded behind me. I stood up rapidly and moved my right hand to my hip. Pausing, as I questioned why I did that before turning back to the voice.

"Whoa, jumpy, eh? Guess I don't blame ya. I know this seems suspicious as all fuck." She said again, who, now that I had a good look at, threw me for a loop.

She had a singular large red eye, with a big white X where a pupil should be. They had long pink hair, so long that the left side of it was put through a small black tube that somehow stayed up, with a bunch of hair coming out the back. She had black ripped pants and a mismatched pair of shoes. Her shirt, meanwhile… left very little to the imagination.

Her most defining feature, however, would have to go to her massive smile. It felt like it should have ripped her face open with how wide it was, especially with her sharp teeth.

"You alright? You've been staring for a while. Spot somethin’ ya like?” She asked playfully.

“…um, who are you?” I asked, uncertain. 

“My name's fucking Cherri Bomb! What about you? Not everyday you see a motherfucking human down here.” She chuckled.

I had to take a couple of seconds to think about what she asked. My name. My name was…

“I… Think it’s Kevin?” I asked, almost like a question.

“You think? What’s that supposed to mean?” She laughed like it was a joke. “I know you hit your head hard, but c’mon. Are you feelin’ alright?”

In response to her question, I started to think about how I felt. It was then that I realized something. I realized the horrible truth.

“Hey…um, I know this will sound weird, but. Who am I?”

She looked me dead in the eye, surprised. As soon as she realized I wasn’t joking, however, her smile vanished from her face.

“…Oh shit.” 

 

---

Anni Gera POV

 

‘Logically, it doesn't make sense. I mean, I’ve always believed that even the strangest of anomalies could be explained using science. I know it’s kinda stupid, trying to apply logic to things that actively spits in the face of rules and reason. Even then, however, I always felt like some sort of scientific pattern can be connected to them, no matter how strange. But this.'

I looked over the vast city ahead of me, covered in the dull, red light from the sky above. I saw so many types of creatures, each of which was so unique and different that they all would have been given their own SCP designations. 

Looking higher in the sky, I saw another white, glowing orb. Looking so out of place in this sea of red that my eyes hurt merely by looking at it. 

Everything here screamed Hell.

Everything. 

‘But is that possible? Is this Hell from the Bible? Or perhaps some other place that looks similar. What if it’s an Unlonden situation… no, it can’t be. This is different. I know it is, but how?’

Thinking over everything I have seen, there is only one conclusion I can come to.

“I need help. There’s no way I can hope to survive in a possible iteration of Hell without backup. I mean, I’m a researcher. I’m meant to be in a lab overlooking footage, not out in the field.”

“I need to find my friends, I need to find… Dr. Gears.” I thought out loud, as I realized that if I got sucked in here, then chances were good that Gears did as well.

Thinking about that suddenly made me nervous. Should I really talk to him? Especially right now? He’s probably doing something very important. 

Who knows, he might have already found all the answers in the time it took me to process the situation.

 

---

Dr. Gears POV

 

“T-THAT'S ALL I KNOW. P-P-PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!!” The small red creature, now identified as an imp, cried out in terror. 

To his credit, it was understandable if the multiple dead bodies of his former comrades that laid dead on the floor was anything to go by.

But that’s not my problem.

I moved my large pistol directly against the creature's forehead, who I still had pinned to the wall with my other hand, causing him to squeal.

“L-LOOK I'M SORRY WE TRIED TO ROB YOU! WE WON'T DO IT AGA-”

“Shut up,” I said calmly, causing the creature to shut his mouth.

“Let me get this straight. This is Hell, in which there are 7 rings to which a separate deadly sin rules each. We are in the pride ring ruled by Lucifer Morningstar, the strongest of them. You are a hellborne Imp, and there are other hellborne's that can travel between the rings freely. Meanwhile, humans who die become immortal sinners, who can only be killed by angelic weapons and yearly extermination events from Heaven. We are currently in Imp city, which is a neighbor to pentagram city which holds the majority of the sinner population. Does that sound right?” I asked, staring completely through this demon.

It nodded its head in response.

“And you’ve never met these Imps?” I asked, as I brought out one of my photos of a trio of now identified imps. The same trio I’ve been hunting.

“N-no. I’ve never seen those imps in my life. I-I can look for them! J-just let me live!” It pleaded.

“That won’t be necessary. Besides, keeping you alive will be a security hazard for me. I can’t have that.” I pressed the gun harder against its forehead.

“Wha!- B-BUT YOU PROMIS-”

BANG.

His cries for vengeance were cut short by the sound of a bullet piercing his flesh. Blood flying all over me.

After taking a moment to examine the body, I removed a small handkerchief that I possessed in my pocket and dabbed at the Imp's open wound.

After a while, I spread the creature's blood all over me. After all, it told me that one of the native hellborne species, the hellhounds, had strong enough noses to tell when a sinner recently died.

Going by that logic, it's simple to assume that they could tell I'm a human through my smell. Covering myself in the imps' blood is my best bet in avoiding their enhanced sense.

After finishing my preparations, I began to think through my plans. I unsurprisingly was unable to contact the foundation, which meant I could not retrieve backup.

‘My current priority should be to report back to the foundation. And I know just how to get back,' I thought as I looked at the photo of the trio of Imps for a few seconds, before safely storing the item in my now bloody lab coat.

Those Imps had another portal. If I got my hands on it, then I could return to earth.

Right now, however, I have different worries. Like seeing if the other personnel that were sucked into the portal also ended up here. Or to see if what that imp told me was true. Or to see if Dr. Bright—

“Bright,” I growled, remembering what he did. “I don’t understand why you stopped me, but you better have a damn good explanation when I find you.” 

---

Dr. Bright POV

 

‘Ah, my shoulder hurts so much. Did I jump off the roof of the facility again or something?’ I wondered, as I felt a searing pain in my left shoulder.

I instinctively tried to move my arm to grab the wound, but it was then I learned I couldn’t move my arms. Speaking of which, I couldn’t move my legs either.

I slowly opened my eyes, only to see a dark concrete room, a single light dangling over me. The me in question being tied to a metal chair using a bunch of rope.

“Oh, it appears I’ve been kidnapped again…anyways.” 

I moved my head to look around the room, noticing it was entirely empty. It appeared to be a square concrete room with a single metal door ahead of me.

How did I get here, anyway? I know I was in the middle of another snore fest with Gear man. With him shooting down all my positively brilliant ideas for SCP names (they were brilliant and I will not stand any criticism against them!). After that, I remember that everyone else showed up for the meeting. We talked, and I was positively humiliated. And then…And then-

“M-mom” my eyes widened as I remembered what happened. Suddenly, the bullet wound in my shoulder started hurting much more.

‘ Mom. Evelyn. Why were you there? After all this time, why did you finally decide to show up? Why did I jump in front of Gears' bullet!? Why did I stop him from killing you!? Why do I still care for you!? I thought I was over it!! GODDAMMIT!!!’

I couldn’t think. My mind was busy going over the event in my head repeatedly. 

The sad part was, no matter how many times I replayed the moment at different angles. I couldn’t see myself doing anything differently.

I hated myself for that. And I don’t know why.

I felt tears beginning to sting the inside of my eyes. It was horrible. I hated feeling this way, feeling vulnerable. Though, it was a strange novelty for someone who is considered invulnerable.

However, my inner moping was eventually cut short by the sound of metal against concrete.

I slowly looked up, noticing the door ahead of me was opening. And what stood there was… surprisingly tame.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, it was a massive blue shark guy wearing a tuxedo and holding a Tommy gun, with a smaller hammerhead shark man at his side carrying a briefcase. But you have to understand, compared to some of the shit I’ve seen, this is easily one of the most normal occurrences.

“Well, well, well, it looks like the human woke up first, thought for sure it would be the other guy.” The larger of the sharks smiled venomously. “I can’t wait to fuck him up!”

“Oooohhhh, if you're planning to talk dirty to me, then at least let me know your name.” I said, half trying to get him angry, half trying to get answers.

“Hehe. Sorry fucker, but that’s not gonna work on me. I’m one of the best interrogators on this side of hell!” He laughed. 

I simply sat there, watching him believe he has the upper hand.

“What? Too scared to talk now. Sorry bud, but nothing can stop me from getting the answers I want out of you!” He said.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, now you must be shitting your pants! That fact that we are after however the fuck you got down here so that we can go up to earth and become the kings of the human world! And they will name me King Mordecai!!! HAHAHAHA!” he maniacally laughed. 

I cast a side eye over to the shorter hammerhead figure, who seemed to shake his own head in disappointment.

‘Now, I could just let this go. Or I could be stupidly annoying… I’ll go for option B!’ 

“Man, you really must be dumb as bricks huh!” I laughed, causing the smaller hammerhead figure to shakily look up at his boss.

Mordecai, for his parts, suddenly stopped moving. I smirked in response.

“No, that would actually give you too much credit. We need bricks in our society. Not really the case for you. I guess it would be more apt to say you're as dumb as a shark…oh, wait a second.” I smirked, as I saw the big man shake out of anger while the hammerhead moved away from the upcoming confrontation.

“…you Motherfu-”

“Well, can you blame her?” I said, cutting him off. “I mean, after giving birth to you, she needed some serious emotional help. Can you blame her for wanting to try again after-”

“SHUT UP!” The shark yelled, as he took a silver scalpel out of his pocket and stabbed it straight into my left hand.

“Ehehe, guess big man over here can’t take an insult, huh?” I remarked, trying my best to ignore the scalpel digging into my palm.

“Shut up! You're gonna listen to me now, you douche! I am gonna torture you, slowly peeling the skin off your flesh until you cry out for mercy! AND GUESS WHAT, I WON'T GIVE IT TO YOU!”

‘Well, guess I put myself in this situation. Whatever, after they kill me, they’ll undoubtedly pick up my necklace. After that I can easily make my-'

“ ARGH!!! STAY BACK!!! ” A voice echoed in from out of the now locked door. Followed by repeated gunshots, screams, and cries for help.

“Wha-what’s going on out there?” The big baby yelled before reaching into his vest and removing what appeared to be a walkie.

“Hey, what’s happening out there!?”

“B-boss!” A voice came in from the walkie.

“Th- The other prisoner woke up and escaped! The one with the bird mask! He’s killing all of us-no, NO, STAY BA-”

“Hello? HELLO?!” The shark screamed into the walkie.

“HIZZZZZZ.” 

Static was the only response he got. As he continued to scream into it, I started thinking.

‘ Ok, so this guy’s soldiers are being massacred. Great news for me. But who is this guy? All I know is that he woke up next to me, and apparently has a bird…mask,’

‘ Oh…ooohhhhh……OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!’ The realization hit me like a freight train. And I only had one reaction to the news.

“Hehe…hehehehe…HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” I started laughing like a maniac. Tears forming in my eyes.

The oversized fish then looked at me with angry bloodshot eyes.

“W-what?! What’s so funny?!” He screamed, as I heard footsteps approaching the outside of our door.

“Hehehe…oh… you guys are so fucked!”

“What’s that supposed to-”

BANG

“ARGH” the little hammerhead screamed, as the metal door suddenly came off of its hinges and crashed straight into him. Flattening him like a pancake on the back wall.

The massive shark turned around and pointed his Tommy gun at the person who now stood where the metal door used to reside.

The person standing there stood tall, wearing its large black flowing cloak with its hood up. A brown leather belt around its waist. 

Most noticeable, however, was the large white bird mask that the figure never took off.

“WH-WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!” The shark yelled.

The figure looked past him, however, as he was in the middle of shouting a library of insults at him, and spoke to me.

“Dr. Bright. What an unexpected surprise.” 

“Ah, plague doctor, here for my colonoscopy?” 

The plague doctor twitched at my comment. “Why does everyone make that horrendous joke?” It grimaced, or at least I assume it did.

“Don’t blame the people, blame the fact that it’s so easy to-”

“SHUT UP FUCKERS!!!” The landshark spouted, irritated at us ignoring him.

“I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, IM ENDING YOUR FUCKING LIFE HERE!!!” He yelled as he unloaded his Tommy gun into the plague doctor.

Big mistake.

It just stood there, taking the bullets, before. “You really are stupid, just like the rest.” It said, before suddenly leaping through the air at a speed that should be impossible for a normal human and torpedoed at the soon-to-be-dead shark.

“WHA-WHAT?! STAY AWAY FROM M-”

Touch .

The doctor's hand gently guided past the shark's face, barely touching him. Despite that, the shark stopped firing his gun. Dropped it. And fell to the floor.

Dead.

‘SCP-049, who can instantly kill anyone it touches. Terrible ability for sex.’ I thought as I looked at the doctor.

“Now that the nuisance is gone, what do I do with you, Bright?” Its lifeless eyes pearled straight at me.

“Well, I feel like that should be an obvious plague. You let me out. How does that sound?” I asked, realizing it was time to negotiate.

“Perhaps… However I could also-.” It wrapped its fingers around the scalpel that was still stuck in my hand and pulled it out. Immediately after doing so, he moved it near my neck. “-kill you right here and now.”

“Hehe, really Dr. Plague. I’m sure we’re both smart enough to know that wouldn’t work.”

“Maybe. But if I hide the necklace, then nobody will ever become the next Bright. And you’ll officially disappear. Right?” He paused, obviously waiting for me to respond.

I sighed.

“Look, plaugy, I know you're not that dumb. I’m assuming you have no idea where you are, how you got here, or how any of this happened. You know if we’re gonna survive here. In Hell, by the way, bet you don’t know that. We are gonna have to work together. You have no information, and no reliable allies currently, and who better to have at your side than an immortal scientist?” 

“Mmhhh.” It muttered, obviously contemplating my offer.

After a couple seconds of debating, it moved the scalpel up high in the air, before swing it down.

SWISH

Only to just barely miss me, as it cut the ropes clean off.

“You have a deal Bright, don’t disappoint me.” It said as it dropped the scalpel in his black doctor's bag that I didn’t notice he had with him till now.

Rubbing my wrists, I stood up.

“Good to see that you still have a smart head on your shoulders!” I joked, elbowing the doctor. Who gave me what I assume was an eye roll.

“So, what now Bright? What plan do you have?” It inquired.

“Well, I was thinking that I could use this.” I pointed at my necklace. “And put it on one of them, just a stronger one.” I said, gesturing to the dead shark.

The doctor gave me a confused look at my plan (or what I once again assumed was a confused look. It’s so hard to tell with that damn mask on!)

“I thought that one of the many, many things you weren’t allowed to do was place your necklace on any anomalous items?” He asked, which I responded to by laughing.

I looked him straight in the eye.

“Maybe in normal circumstances, but I believe you are forgetting the most important rule. ‘If there is ever an emergency situation where either the foundation and/or humanity is at risk. Then Dr. Bright is allowed to break any and all rules placed on him if it means our continued survival.’ And I don’t know about you plague doctor.” I placed a hand on his shoulder as I looked at him with a dangerous glint in my eyes. “But if this isn’t an emergency situation, then I don’t know what is.” 

I gave it a dangerous grin, and for the first time in my whole life, I swear the doctor looked the tiniest bit afraid.

“God help them.” The doctor said in response.

“Oh, there’s no god here. That’s the great part!” I moved toward the now doorless doorway.

“Now come on. It’s time we show Hell what a real demon looks like!”

 

Notes:

“WHY WAS THIS CHAPTER SO LONG”

“You’re the one that wanted longer chapters!”

“UNACCEPTABLE!”

1000 HITS! Wow, I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting that, especially with only the first 3 chapters. Thank you guys so much for all this support, and for leaving great comments that have actually changed what I was gonna do with the story! It’s been a lot of fun to write so far, and your ideas have been amazing. So thank you for all the support.
Anyways. Wow, this was a long chapter! Don’t expect them to continue to be this length, please! I have my own life! Regardless though, this chapter specifically, while I’m happy with, I wouldn’t blame you if you aren’t a fan of the constant jumps in POV’s, I know I’m not the biggest fan. That being said, it was kind of necessary to set up where all of these characters currently are in the story, and what has happened to them (looking at you Kevin). Unfortunately, that may be a bit of a theme for the next couple of chapters, and may linger through the entire story just from the nature of it. Not that that’s a bad thing, I just wanted to warn you. I also wanna say that I’ve decided to try and make the update schedule for this story to try and be every Monday or Tuesday, I can’t promise anything, but that’s what I’m gonna try and stick to. Anyways, just a random question, but out of the perspectives you’ve seen so far, which character would you like to see more of? I will say that Halara somehow ended up getting more focus in the next couple of chapters, not my fault, it just happened. Anyways, I’ve made this far to long already. So if you have any questions, recommendations, or critiques you wanna say put them in the comments, drop a kudos if you enjoyed, and I hope you all have an amazing day!

Chapter 4: Factory Grounds.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Notes:

“If you had the chance to save someone’s life, would you take it?”

???? POV

 

Their bodies laid around me. Each of them was littered with holes. Almost like they were shot.

That’s probably what people will think is what happened here, but I know the truth.

Standing in the center of them, without a single scratch on me, but in excruciating pain.

I ignored it though, because at least I was alive. Whether that’s a good or bad thing… Is something I don’t like to think about.

Lazily, I lumbered over to their bodies. Grabbing cloaks and other scattered pieces of fabric and tied them around myself.

Eventually I left the abandoned house I found myself in, sparing one last regretful look at the bodies before leaving.

It was when I exited the building that I knew for certain where I was. It looked different from what I imagined, no doubt. But the unmistakable taste in the air, this feeling . The feeling you get when you reach a dead end, with nowhere else to go. When you're too tired to continue. That’s what I felt.

It was then that I knew. This was it, Hell.

It was so ironic that I almost felt like chuckling. I should’ve ended up here long ago, yet I never did. This should’ve been my prison. And yet, somehow, I entered Hell while still under my curse. While I was still alive.

Whether that’s good or bad is yet to be determined.

Looking around, I noticed that hell seemed much more like a modern city than I would’ve expected, but I suppose it makes sense if Hell is supposed to represent the worst parts of current society.

With nowhere else to go, however, and with no clue about what I should do next. I did the only thing I could think of. The one thing I always did.

Wander.

So, I began to wander through this city, avoiding as many people as possible. 

This… was my life now, I guess.

 

---

Paul POV

 

“Holy shit, this is just Los Angeles.” Andrew said, taking in our surroundings like a sponge in water.

To his credit, it was a decently accurate description. It felt like it was if the city of California was in Florida, resulting in an absolute nightmare of a city.

We made our way through the city, trying to keep out of as many people’s ways as possible. That was more of a challenge than I expected.

It felt like there was a scammer at every street corner, trying to extort us. It was crazy. The only plus side was that our disguise seemed to work, nobody seemed to give us any extra attention.

Eventually, though, we made our way to a diner called the ‘Come in if you're fucking hungry.’ We came in and took a seat, hoping for some solitude.

“Alright, so… this place sucks.” Andrew said.

“No shit.” I chuckled, staring at the menu and… holy shit, I’ve never seen a menu with so many alcoholic options in my life.

“Anyway…” I put the menu down, not wanting to give into temptation. “Like I said before, our first course of action is to find a base of operations of some kind. Unfortunately, every single abandoned building, warehouse, and random cubbies have been occupied. The constant turf wars don’t help things either.” I grumbled, remembering that interesting piece of information we gained from walking around.

“Ya, it feels like every piece of this city has been split up already between existing powers. Whenever one falls, apparently a new one immediately comes around and steals their share of the pie,” Andrew reminded me, causing me to groan again. 

“Ya.”

“In other words, we’re screwed?” 

“…ya.” My head hit the table, dejected. “Plus, we’re also flat broke. Apparently, USD isn’t good here. They use a different type of currency.” I said, causing worry to stir in Andrew.

“What type of currency? It isn’t souls it is?” He asked, half joking, which caused me to chuckle.

 “Yes, and no. I found this in my pocket after we left the alleyway.” I said, as I pulled out a green slip of paper, not so different from the American dollar, if not for a few minor changes.

In place of an American president, there was a clown face of some kind, a character with a massive toothy grin. There was also a picture of a pentagram printed on it, along with the numbers 666. Besides that, it looked like a normal dollar.

“Hehe, how fitting that the currency used in literal Hell is based on the American economy. What's next? Are they overcharging for healthcare, too?” Andrew joked again, before looking at me. “How do you learn about this, anyway?”

“Oh, I just asked someone on the side of the road.” I said, which caused him to look at me funny.

“Um, sorry but. Wouldn’t that be super suspicious?” He wondered.

“You would think so, but apparently not. They get a lot of new people here every day who have no idea how things work. These people probably just assumed we’re that. I mean, what do you think all those scammers were selling? They were offering to give us a ‘free’ information session about Hell.” 

“Oh… why didn’t you take it, then?” Andrew asked, causing me to shake my head. I was getting a little annoyed.

“Andrew, perhaps you don’t remember, but we. Are. In. Hell. Nothing is free up in our world, so why do you think it would be any different down here? There’s always a cost to these kinds of things, no matter how nice they seem on paper. They’re only trying to take advantage of fresh meat. Do you understand?” I said, causing Andrew to flinch back.

“Y-ya… Sorry.” He said. And suddenly I realized that I completely missed another social cue.

‘Oh shit, did I do something wrong again? Dang it, now I look like a jerk.’ I thought as I looked back at Andrew, who I began to realize actually looked like he was on the verge of…something. Damn, I need to do something now.

I sighed.

“Um… Sorry about that, Andrew. Are you feeling ok? You look like your… not doing so great.” I asked, concerned. Andrew, in response, gave me a small smile.

“Ya… I mean, no. It’s just… I nearly died.”

‘Oh, I see. ’ I thought, as I realized what was bothering him. I silently berated myself for not realizing it sooner. He’s a scientist, not a soldier.

 He isn’t used to being in the field after all.

“I didn’t really register it at the time but… I was a hair away from being shot, or sold to some fucking cannibals, apparently. If it wasn’t for you showing up, I would be…I would have…” Andrew struggled to finish his sentence. 

I honestly shouldn’t be surprised, though. All things considered, he is doing better than most people would be in this situation. They were in Hell, for Christ's sake, and his introduction to the place was nearly being captured and sold to cannibals.

I sighed at my realization before putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Andrew, it’s alright. You’ll get out of this alive, I promise.” I vowed, before leaning closer. “You won’t die down here. I’ll make sure of it. I mean, it is my job to protect you men in white, after all.”

Andrew gave a small chuckle at that, loosening his shoulder. “I-alright. Thanks Paul.” 

“No problem, that’s what friends are for,” I said as I leaned back.

I looked back out the window of the diner. If I’m being honest, this still doesn’t feel real to me. I feel like this is all just a dream and that any second now I would wake back up at the foundation.

But I know that isn’t the case. This is Hell. And we have to survive in it.

After a couple minutes of enjoying the silence, however, Andrew spoke up again.

“So, now that we’re done with the emotional stuff. What’s the plan now?” He asked, causing me to shift uncomfortably. I still had no idea.

Andrew chuckled at my obvious emotional drop.

“You know, even if we’re in hell, there have to at least be a couple of decent people, right?” He said, probably trying to raise my spirits. I laughed in order to give him some gratification.

“Ya sure. I’m positive there are some people that are all sunshine and rainbows. Probably break out in musical numbers in the street and everything.” I said sarcastically, trying to add levity to the situation.

Being serious though, I-

“If I can show them the dreams I’ve dreamed. That any soul can change.”

I suddenly heard a faint feminine sound outside the diner. It was so energetic that is almost sounded like… “oh fuck no!”

“I can hear all their stories, the lost and displaced.”

I pressed my gas mask against the window, noticing Andrew doing the same. As we see a feminine individual with a red business suit, complementing piercing red eyes surrounded by gold, jumping off a car in the streets.

“And I know that they're more of an acquired taste.”

The figure continues singing while moving away from a rotting corpse. I still couldn't believe it. Was she actually fucking singing?!

“But if I open the door and give them a place. At my Hazbin Hotel.”

She moved around the street and opened the door to a crashed cocaine truck of all things, resulting in the dead body of a massive humanoid alligator to fall out. If she noticed it though, then she didn't care, because she kept on fucking singing .

“It’ll be a happy day in Hell!”

The figure sang out as she jumped on a truck named “Helluva Post.” As it took her out of earshot.

…what the fuck was that?

As I heard a snicker, however, I turned to the wise guy, who looked like he was holding back a laugh. 

“Hehe… What were you saying again?” 

“... you know what, today actually seems like a good day to give into temptation,” I said, as I picked up the drink menu again. Trying my best to forget the last 30 seconds of my life.

 

---

Halara Moore POV

 

“Why do I feel that the guys are talking about something stupid again?” I silently said to myself.

I quickly moved the thought to the back of my mind. I couldn’t make any mistakes here.

I looked past the large machinery I was currently hiding behind and spotted a hive of workers in white, each of them with their own unique looks and bodies. They were all going about their days, with a group of 15 more entering the large room.

I have learned that this factory seemed to be an arms factory of sorts. Making many types of guns, firearms, and other machinery armed for combat. 

Strangely enough, though, this factory also seemed to produce old-fashioned weaponry as well.

I looked to a certain conveyor belt in the distance carrying a large amount of swords, knives, and most prominently, spears. Each of them glowing white with what I can only assume to be a strange anomalous metal of some kind, local to wherever the Hell I currently was.

Not only that, but I also saw that some weapons were moved to another room that many conveyor belts led to. Although I couldn't be certain what it did, I assume the room had something to do with melting down the weapons. I guessed this from the many temperature warning signs that surrounded the entrance.

It didn’t matter though, since such a room wouldn’t contain an exit out of this place. Looking around the large factory space, I had also noted that there were windows around, but all of them were far too high to reach. And if I attempted to climb up to them, I would definitely be spotted.

“Ok, this is really a terrible situation to be in, but you’ve been through worse. Right Halara.” I said to myself. Trying to think of where an exit would be.

“What is the total number of recovered angelic weapons from this year's extermination?” A new, more professional sounding voice said.

Peeking past the machinery, I saw the origin of the voice. A new person who appeared to have just entered the factory floor.

She was obviously female, seeming considerably younger when compared to the other workers, potentially even being in her teens. She wore a white lab coat buttoned up, making it similar but still slightly different from what researchers at the foundation normally wore.

The person's blonde hair was in a ponytail, with what looked like a headband with fake horns adorning the top of their head. She had red eyes that were even more defined because of the red tinted glasses she wore.

Strangest of all, though, were the metal pointed shoes she wore, to which she seemed to perpetually be standing on the tips of her toes as she walked.

‘ She must have immaculate balance.’ I thought, attempting to listen in on their conversation.

“Yes, Miss Odette.” Another creature responded, who appeared to be a humanoid bat of some kind. “The current number of recovered weapons has reached 6 daggers, 11 swords, 4 axes, and 27 spears. Adding up to a total of 48 weapons. All of them are obviously made from angelic steel. This is better than last year, where we only had a total of-”

“You don’t need to preach the numbers to me. I’m already aware of last year's amount.” She said, exuding authority. “What you should focus on now is melting down around 75… no, 80 percent of the total angelic steel mass and turn them into angelic engraving on guns. Those are far better sellers.” 

“Y-yes Odette!” The bat figure saluted, half in respect and half in fear, before taking out its wings and flying off. Probably to deliver the message.

‘Odette, that’s her name.’ I thought, looking at the figure, who somehow exuded control without saying a single word. I could already tell that her mere presence has made the rest of the workers try harder in whatever they were doing compared to before.

‘She is obviously an important figure. She isn’t Carmine though, so that’s good, but probably someone who at the very least reports directly to her. Dammit! Why am I so unlucky to run into her?' I berated myself for my horrendous luck.

‘Whatever. I should just get out of here before I’m spotted.’ I quietly turned around from my hiding spot, heading towards the closest door that I spotted. I didn’t know where it went, but I have seen no one enter or exit from it in the last 20 minutes, so I assumed it was probably safer than where I currently was.

Opening the door as quietly as I could, I sneakily entered the room.

Completely unaware of the red tinted eyes that now glared at my former location.

 

---

Odette POV

I knew I felt something was off. It turns out we have an intruder, of all things.

I put my hand to my chin as I began to think.

‘ They appeared feminine, wearing a black military uniform with the letter SCP inscribed on them. Possible organization affiliation perhaps? Or maybe just a red herring to make us think we are dealing with a stronger party. They also had a gas mask on, so I’m unable to confirm if they are a sinner or some kind of hellborne. Regardless, we can't afford a thief here right after the extermination. Not after we almost…’ I grimaced at the memory that came to my mind. 

‘No, don’t think of that. You have a business to help run. For mom.’

“Are you alright, Odette?” I looked to my left to see one of my two guards, each wearing full body armor with helmets covering their face. They also each held onto an angelic gun.

“We appear to have an intruder. Would you two accompany us in order to remove this unwanted guest from our premises?” I asked, already knowing the answer. My guards, who seemed a little surprised at the revelation, both looked at each other before nodding their heads.

“Of course. Lead the way, Odette.” My second bodyguards said, holding his gun high in the air.

I nodded, before walking past the workers to the door I saw the intruder exit into. Wondering why they entered the bomb storage room.

---

 

“Hehe, looks like the little princess has gone and made the job easy for us. You seven go catch her. The rest of us will deal with the guards.” He smirked, as 7 of them left after the little princess.

He looked ahead. There are at least a couple hundred different guards and workers that they will have to get rid of.

Finally, he could use a warm up.

 

---

Halara Moore POV

 

‘What is this thing?’ I questioned, looking at the white glowing pistol in my hands.

I saw weapons similar to this on the factory's main floor, but what does it do? 

I looked around my new environment again to see if I spotted anything out of the ordinary.

Not really, it was just a smallish storage room filled with boxes on shelves that reach up to about 15 feet up. The only other door in this room was locked, meaning I had hit a dead end.

I opened one box out of curiosity, and it was filled with circular explosives. Majority of the boxes seemed to be filled with explosives, with only one holding this weapon.

“Must have been placed in here by mistake. Not that I’m complaining.” I said to myself as I held onto the gun. “Now, what to do next? "

“I think I can answer that for you.” The voice behind me said… wait, the voice behind me?

‘… shit!’

I quickly turned around and saw a very familiar figure, with the same blonde hair and white coat.

“…oh you are kidding me.” I lamented, once again hating my luck.

“Yes… This is very unfortunate for you.” Odette, the figure's name if memory serves, said to me. “Now tell me, who are you?”

Dammit, it’s gonna turn into one of those situations. I hated being interrogated.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble. All I want is to-”

“Who are you?” She once again demanded, as she motioned for the guards to raise their guns at me.

‘Dammit, guess I can’t sidestep the question like I hoped… Wait a second. Why am I even hiding anything? I’m not here for any insidious purpose, so maybe they will let me out. It’s a better idea than trying to fight my way out of this situation, at least.’

“Fine… My name is Halara.” I sighed, noting the red-eyed woman's expression never change.

“Halara. What are you doing here?”

“I have no idea.” I said, causing her to squint her red eyes in confusion.

“Explain.” She finally said.

“Ok, fine. I didn’t want to be here. I was at my… job.” I said awkwardly, thinking it’s best not to specify what exactly my job entails. “Then there was a bright flash of red light, then I found myself here. If you show me to an exit I’ll leave, ok?” She squinted her eyes more, insinuating that she probably didn’t believe me.

“So you… accidentally appeared in one of the most well fortified and most desired factories in the entire city.” She accused, causing me to sigh.

“I’m assuming you don’t believe me.”

“No. Not even a little.” She walked closer to me. I almost instinctively raised my new gun up in self defense, but her guards twitched as soon as I moved to do so.

I knew that if I attempted anything suspicious, I’d be dead.

Eventually, Odette came face to face with me.

“… Take off your mask.” She finally said after a minute of silence. Causing me to sweat.

“You really don’t want to see me without my mask.” 

“I’ll take my chances.” She said as she reached up for my gas mask.

‘Dammit! I don’t know how she’ll react to me being a human. I’ve only seen these anomalous creatures until this point. Will she kill me on sight?’ I wondered, being unable to do anything to stop her. 

Her hand reached close to my mask before.

BANG BANG

Two gunshot echoes in our ears as Odette turned around, and I finally started paying attention to the two bodyguards.

Or former bodyguards at least, because both their bodies hit the floor with a meaty thump. A single bullet wound through each of their heads. 

“Wh-what?” The white-coated woman said, losing her cool for the first time.

“Good evening, princess.” A voice mocked. I looked up to see that there were 7 figures behind the two bodies, each of them wearing the same uniform as the rest of the workers. The one speaking also appeared to be a gorilla creature of sorts.

“… Who are you?” She glared, causing the figures to laugh. The gorilla creature stepped forward.

“Who we are isn’t important. What matters is that you're our fucking prisoner.” He said as he now stood in front of Odette.

“As for you.” He looks at me. “I don’t know who you are, and frankly, I don’t care. But you did us a mighty favor secluding her like this. Here.” The gorilla pulled a large ring of keys out of his pocket before throwing them at my feet.

“The black one is for the door back there. So take whatever the fuck you came for and leave. I won’t ask again.” He motioned to the locked metal door on the other side of the room.

Slowly nodding, I leaned down to pick up the keys as I slowly backed up.

I spared one last look at Odette as the figures moved closer to her. Her eyes warped, change, true fear appearing.

“Y-you won’t get away with this.” She valiantly said. “You are messing with Carmella Carmine herself if you lay a finger on me.” She warned.

“Hehehe. Honey, why do you think we wanna kidnap you in the first place? Getting that bitch's attention is our goal, after all.” Odette’s eyes widened at the implication as she took a step back.

I kept moving to the door, trying to block the conversation from my mind.

‘It’s fine.’ I told myself as I walked away. ‘ This actually works out for you. Now you can leave and start planning your next move! Afterall, you need to find your friends. Need to contact your superiors. Need to find where-’

“What should we do while waiting for the boss to finish his job? It can’t be much longer until he’s done slaughtering the rest of this factory!” One figure said.

‘You need to find out where you are. Information is crucial. Besides, who’s to say who the bad guys in this situation are? Maybe this girl is super evil and-’

“Probably not. Still, it’s so disappointing that he gets to actually do the killing. I wanted to kill those bastards so fucking bad!”

‘…ok, maybe not good. But that doesn’t matter to you, right? You work for an organization where there is no real morality. You can just leave.’

“Hey, I have an idea.” The gorilla creature said as he roughly grabbed Odette's arm, causing her to grunt.

‘You can just leave, and never have to think about this situation again.’

“How about we have a little fun with the princess here?” He said, causing my hands to freeze just as I opened the back door.

‘… you're meant to show no emotion. That is your job. That’s what you’ve always been told to do. Don’t do the illogical thing. Don’t do the illogical thing!”

“We can treat her-”

‘Don’t be illogical! Don’t be illogical!’

“Just like the whore-”

‘Don’t be illogical! Don’t be stupid! Don’t let your emotions control you for once in your useless life!’

“That she really is!” He said, as he pinned her against the shelf.

‘…Oh, screw it.’

“As a matter of fact. You're just my ty-”

BANG

I ran right next to Odette, grabbing her hand, as I shot this motherfucker through the chin with my new glowing white pistol.

A look of absolute shock and surprise appeared on both Odette's face, and the faces of the other 6 individuals who had lowered their guards.

“Wha-what’re you-”

“No time to explain!” I quickly yelled as I dragged her body over to the door. Her giving me little to no resistance.

“H-HEY, STOP RIGHT THERE!” One of the monsters finally said, finally processing the situation. They all raised their guns in the air.

However, I was still faster.

“Bomb voyage fuckers!” I screamed before shooting one of the many boxes filled with explosives in the room.

“OH FUC-”

Boom! Boom! Boom

BOOM!!!

The bullet caused one of the bombs to go off, starting a chain reaction of golden explosions inside the room.

I closed the metal door just in time before the explosions reached us. And then I grabbed onto the shocked girl and jumped around the corner to escape any remnants of the explosion that made it through the door.

Heaving heavy breaths, I looked up. First, confirming I was still alive. And secondly confirming that I actually did something that stupid.

The presence of the even more freaked out girl at my side confirmed so.

‘Fuck. Guess I have to deal with this now… fine, I don’t regret it.’ I placed a hand on the blonde’s shoulder as she looked up at me.

“Come on. We need to get going before more of them show up.” I said, which gained a weak nod from the girl.

I then started moving down the large hallway in front of me. The sound of footsteps confirming I was being followed.

Now I just need to get out of here, with hopefully no more complications.

 

---

“Those fucking idiots.” I said, looking at the security camera recording of the room. I tipped my hat down as I saw the camera feed cut out again after the replaying the video. 

“Never leave loose threads. Are they really professionals?” I silently wondered what my employer thought about hiring those idiots. 

“What now, boss? Our target is escaping.” I turned around to see one of my acquaintances, the one with the squid hair, say to me.

I started to think. We couldn’t let them escape. They escape and I won't get paid, and that won’t do. Plus, I want the honor of crushing an overlord under my boot.

‘Wait a second.’ I thought, as I turned to look at the only captive we kept alive. A large bat looking sinner. He looked beat up and worse for wear, but still breathing.

A devious idea came to my mind as I chuckled.

“Hehehe, I got the perfect idea to catch those bitches.”

 

---

Carmilla Carmine POV

I looked over the vast landscape of the city through my office window. 

A city, still destroyed and damaged by the recent extermination.

‘Extermination.’ I thought, remembering back to the day.

The name suddenly felt many times more dangerous than it previously ever did.

She did it. She actually did it. 

And she’ll pay for it.

‘That’s fine.’ She thought, as she went to pour herself another bottle of whiskey. ‘ I’ll pay for it. If that’s what it takes to keep them safe.’ 

She placed the bottle of whiskey down on her desk, next to a picture of her and her daughters.

Seeing this, she slowly went and picked up the picture as a small smile formed on her face. 

As long as they're safe, then everything is fine. Nothing matters more to her than her daughters. A weakness some would call it, one that many rivals have tried to take advantage of, and one that they’ve lived to regret.

She placed the photo back down before going to take another sip of her drink. 

“ Ring Ring.” “Ring Ring.”

In the middle of my sip, however, the phone in my office, which is directly connected to the factory, started ringing.

I pinched my nose, knowing that whatever they were calling me about was probably gonna be a headache to deal with. I brought my hand down and picked up the phone.

“What is it? I thought I told you not to contact me unless there was an emergency.” I warned, silently hoping that it was just a misplaced call.

“ M-Miss Carmine! I am sorry, but there is a s-situation!” The voice on the other side, who I recognized as Delra, a bat sinner who oversees the factory, said in a panicked voice.

“… Alright, what happened?” I sighed. 

“W-well Miss C-Carmine. The situation is… Um- I’m not sure how to say b-but-”

“Tell me already. What is going on?” I said, getting a little worried by how hesitant he was to tell me.

“Th-there’s an intruder inside the main factory!” He panicked as my original worry started to fade.

“That’s it? You made it sound as though something horrible had happened.” I said, relieved that it was only an intruder. This is Hell after all. Thieves breaking into businesses are far too common, even if said business is owned by an overlord.

“ N-no. I mean, we wouldn’t c-contact you about such a small issue like that !” He still sounded nervous, almost like there was a gun held to their head.

“ It’s what they… um, it’s what they did after they were spotted that has us… worried .” 

This is getting me more and more worrisome.

“What is it? Did they steal the new angelic weapons?” I asked.

“ N-no… Well, yes actually. I mean, they technically took an angelic pistol. But that isn’t the problem! ” The fact that he continued to step around my question made me even more worried.

“Tell me. What is happening!?” I finally demanded.

“Y-YOU'RE DAUGHTER! THERE HOLDING ODETTE HOSTAGE! ” My eyes went wide. Bloodshot.

“…Where?” I growled out.

“Th-They were last seen in storage room D. Near the back exit. I th-” I didn’t let him finish, as I immediately jumped out of my office's 10th story window. 

Landing on the street with a loud “THUMP.”

 I started running, faster than I ever have before, leaving a sonic burst as I shot through the streets like a bullet.

I don’t know who would have the nerve to dare hold my daughters hostage. My company, sure. My money, go ahead. My power, understandable.

But the second someone dares to use my daughter against me, that’s when I cross my lines. Cross the boundaries that I told myself I would never cross.

Like in the extermination.

I quickly shook that thought out of my head as I continued to move at a rapid pace. Hearing the noises of construction as I was nearing my factory.

Perhaps I won’t need to go that far.

But. If they hurt a single hair on her head.

‘ Then I will make them pay!’

 

---

I hung up the phone, realizing that Carmilla had left it on in her obvious hurry to get here.

“There, I did everything you told me to. S-so, you’ll let me go now, right?” I asked, trying to sound confident to the 7 people who stood behind me. Each one of them with an angelic gun pointed at my back.

“Hehe. That you did, partner. However, I’m afraid there’s been a… change of plans since we made that agreement.” The figure at the front said, who I assumed was the ringleader of this whole charade, who was ironically an imp of all things.

He pulled out an angelic six shooter and pointed the barrel at me.

“Wh-what! But you sai-” 

BANG

I wasn’t even able to finish my sentence, as I felt my lower body heave in pain.

It wasn’t even the bullet wound that hurt the most, but the fact it was done with an angelic weapon. Unlike all the other times I died as a sinner, I won’t be able to come back.

I fell to the floor. My body is aching. As the 7 figures laughed at my futile attempts to stand.

“W-wait… p-p-please I’ll do, argh. I’ll do anything j-just please let me… me live.” I said through the expansive pain in my body. This Herculean act, to my dismay, only caused the figures to laugh more.

“I’d say I’m sorry, but I don’t have any sympathy for fucking sinners like you. As a consolation, however.” He said, as he pointed the barrel of the gun at my head. “When you make it to whatever comes after Hell. Tell them that Striker sent you.”

BANG.

“Alright boys, we have a couple of bitches to find. Now get moving!” was the last thing I heard before slipping away.

 

---

Evelyn Bright POV

 

‘Damn that Gears. Hurting my Jack. Who does he think he is!?’

Traversing through the streets of this hellscape was surprisingly easy, especially with SCP-268. It also gave me a lot of time to think. 

To reflect on recent events.

The plan worked, just like they said it would. She shouldn’t have doubted them, but the idea of pulling a fast one on the foundation had always felt like a pipe dream.

And yet, it worked.

I’m not sure what comes next, though. I’m still awaiting my next orders.

It doesn’t matter. I did what I said I would do, meaning they would keep their side of the deal.

The mere thought put a smile on my face and made all the hardships that led up to this point feel worth it.

A sudden ringing from my pocket knocked me out of my fantasy, however. 

“Looks like I’m finally getting my next orders.” I quickly moved out of the streets into one of the many, many alleyways that this place seemed to have.

Finally reaching what I assumed would be a safe area for a couple of minutes, I took off the hat and reached into my pocket.

Pulling out a large, crimson crystal with a diamond shape. The diamond was currently shaking, so I clicked the roof of the crystal 3 times Like I’ve been told.

After a couple of seconds, the crystal glowed the slightest bit brighter as a voice came through.

“ Sister Evelyn, do you hear me ?” A distorted voice came through the crystal. So distorted, in fact, that I couldn’t even tell the gender of the person on the other side.

I knew who it was, however, as this was the voice they always use whenever they talk to me.

“Yes, I hear you.” I saluted, still shocked that the crystal has the ability to communicate between Hell and earth.

“ Good. I assume everything went well on your end. ” She said, causing me to smile.

“It’s good to see you having so much faith in me. It went great, perfect even. Everything went according to plan. Both Gears and… Jack have been transported to Hell. And the book is safely in my possession.” I said, touching the side of my cloak to confirm it was still safely inside.

“How about everyone else? Did they all reach their objectives?” I questioned.

“ Regretfully, no. While we were able to transport most every anomaly we had planned. A couple of essential personnel on our list have evaded transport. Including the likes of Dr. Alto Clef and Dr. Katherine Sinclair. ”

I grimaced. Clef was at the absolute top of their list. Him being free could lead to a lot of troubles down the line.

“ Regardless.” The voice continued. “ The operation went well, and many objectives of importance have now been transported to Hell. I will inform you when it is time to initiate the second part of our plan. Stay hidden until then.”  

“Alight.” I said, about to hang up. But then a burning question came to my mind. I know I shouldn’t ask, but I felt like I had to.

“Um, one last thing, but when this is all over, Jack will be fine, right? And you’ll keep your end of the deal?” I asked, a little worried that asking might end whatever agreement we had.

“ …of course, you have managed everything to perfection. As long as you continue to do so, then I promise you will have your desires come true. You will have your perfect life.” The voice said, allowing me to release a breath that I didn’t know I was holding.

“Alright, I’ll await your next orders.” I enthusiastically said.

“Good, don’t disappoint me.” The voice said as it ended the communication, the light dimming.

Nervously, I reached down and placed the hat back on my head before leaving the Alley.

“Just a little longer Jack, just endure this a little longer. I promise it’ll be worth it in the end.” I silently pleaded as I left. 

 

---

Plague Doctor POV

 

“ACHOO!” Dr. Bright sneezed. “Someone must be talking about me.”

I rolled my eyes. People and their superstitions.

 

---

???? POV

Wander.

I wandered through the city, the streets. Past blood and death as I made my way through.

I was surprised by the amount of swear words used down here. But after thinking about it, I really shouldn’t be. 

I was there to watch the language develop after all.

Looking up, I saw my next destination far in the distance.

I saw the large clock tower, held on top of an hourglass with the number 358 present on the clock face.

That was it, my next destination. 

I’m not entirely sure what it’s supposed to mean, or what the numbers represent. But it is the only thing in this entire city that feels divine. Feels heavenly.

I don’t deserve heaven, but I still want to see it. 

‘I should probably ask what that is.’

I took in my surroundings and noticed what looked like a massive alligator demon of some kind sitting on the bench. 

‘I can probably ask him.’ I thought as I went over.

“Excuse me, but do you-”

“Fuck off!” The creature said 

“Alright, thanks for your time.” I said, before walking away.

That didn’t work. I could probably ask somebody else. So I looked around and saw another demon on the street.

“Hello, would you mi-”

“Leave me alone, you ragged whore!”

“Alright, I understand.”

I spotted another demon.

“Would you-”

“I don’t want any cheap fucking cocaine!”

“Understandable. Have a nice day.”

And another.

“Do you think-”

“I’m not hiring! Fuck you!”

“Alright.”

This went on for about 25 minutes before I just gave up and continued to walk to the tower. I wasn’t mad, though. After all, I can't blame them for acting inhospitable to people in Hell. I should get used to it, since this is where I’m probably gonna spend the rest of eternity.

This was Hell after all. And if I ever did find a way to break my curse, I would have ended up here anyway, anyway.

After all, I am one of the first sinners in history.

The first man to take the life of another.

The first person to kill their own brother.

I am Cain. History's first killer.

Notes:

“Why isn’t it as long as the last chapter!”

“… I can never satisfy you, can I?”

“REEEE!!!”

Yep, the next chapter is finally out! I’m personally quite happy with this chapter, and I hope you all like it as well. I’m glad that I managed to introduce one of my personal favorite characters, that being Cain, and I can’t wait to continue with him! Also, the next couple chapters ended up having a focus on Halara's perspective over some of the other characters, so I’m sorry if she isn’t your cup of tea, but this was a perspective I needed to do before moving on to some of the other characters. I don’t really have much else to say this time, only that if you enjoyed to drop a kudos. Anyways, if you have any suggestions, questions, critiques, advice or anything of the sort, make sure to put them in the comments and I’ll try my best to answer them, and I hope you have a fantastic day!

Chapter 5: Cannibal madness

Chapter by WebHead_11

Notes:

“How would you survive being attacked by cannibal?”

???? POV 

I opened my eyes. 

I was back. Again. Nothing new really.

I slowly pushed open the door… Lid? I wasn’t really sure, to be honest.

Whatever. I pushed open the top part of my coffin as it slid to the side. The heavy chains that once kept it close now fell limplessly on the floor, like cut strings.

Walking out of my coffin, I gave myself a quick stretch of my arms and back. They always felt so stiff after I came back, like I woke up from some deep slumber.

Heh. It’s almost funny imagining me sleeping peacefully.

 When was the last time I got an actual rest? It's been so long that I can’t really remember.

‘Eh, whatever. It’s not like it matters to me. Especially not now.’

I looked around my familiar black square room. It has the same walls, same floor, same ceiling. Everything looked the same, yet something felt off. I felt like it was missing something.

I tried to think, remembering what I could possibly be missing. Then it suddenly clicked.

‘Ah, right. The newer addition.’

How could I forget them, with their carbon copy uniforms. Each and every one wielding a coward's weapon.

They showed no individuality. They possessed no pride of a warrior. No pride as a fighter. 

They are a disgrace.

However, they aren’t stupid, that much I’ve learned. Looking around my cubic interior, trying to spot any of the small recording devices they use to attempt to spy on me.

Spying nothing. I started to get apprehensive. 

I felt like this must be a trick, some cowardly excuse for a strategy to catch me off guard.

‘Whatever, I’ll spring any trap. It won't stop me, nothing can stop me. Nothing can kill me.’

I started heading towards the exit. Ready to fight, but stopping as I heard something.

Speaking. Muffled talking made its way to my ears.

‘Is it the gatekeepers? No, they’re usually as silent as a mouse, only speaking when being spoken to. Plus, this talking sounds far too jovial to be them.’ I thought as I heard what I can only describe as exited voices outside.

Finally, I opened the door, letting in bright red light to what was once the pitch black interior of the box. 

“Look, it opened!”

“Who’s that?”

“Don’t know. It looks yummy, though.”

“Is that a human!?”

“Yay yay, human meat!”

After my eyes took a second to adapt to the light, I took notice of the voices that surrounded me. 

With a Quick Look, I noticed what looked like many gray skinned individuals had surrounded my box. Like scavengers ready to pick up a free meal. I also appeared to be in one of what appeared to be older settlements of man. Very stylistic in nature. 

And of course, the sky. Releasing a light that reminded me so much of blood.

It was then that I took my first step outside of the box.

And the sensation hit me like a tidal wave. My eyes bogged opened, my muscles ached with excitement, as a very familiar feeling washed over my entire being. The want for violence, the need to kill, to see the crimson rain. The ever so familiar sensation I get whenever I leave.

Bloodlust.

“Let’s eat him! I wanna remember how human flesh tas-” 

BOOM

The child-like figure didn’t have a chance to finish his inquiry, as I summoned one of my crooked, jagged black blades and sliced him in half! Creating a massive explosion of dust escaped from the floor below him.

All of these strange humanoid figures looked shocked for a second before a smile returned to their faces.

“C’mon, let’s feast!” One of them shouted as they charged.

Good. GOOD. WARRIORS WHO AREN'T AFRAID OF DEATH. WHO ARE WILLING TO FIGHT ME!

My hunger taking over my entire being. I ache as I need more. MORE BATTLE. MORE BLOOD!

I summoned a second weapon as I dash into the small horde of humanoids with the courage to fight me.

“Hehehe. HAHAHA. YES, SHOW ME WHAT YOU’VE GOT. I'VE MISSED THIS FEELING, THE FEELING OF FIGHTING TRUE WARRIORS!” I screamed as a single swipe of my sword dismembered multiple heads from their bodies, each stump releasing their crimson blood.

This is a fight that I’ve been waiting for! One where you fight with your bare hands, and not the coward's weapon! 

FINALLY, A FIGHT WORTHY OF ABEL!

 

---

Odette POV

 

Slowly, I followed her. The woman, Halara, she said her name was.

As she led me down the hallway, I started to think about everything that has just transpired. The woman who broke into our factory, who I tried to apprehend, just saved my life.

Why?

That’s the question I kept finding myself asking repeatedly. The conversation in the storage room made it apparent that these two parties didn’t know each other. If they did, she would’ve just let them take her. So the chances of this being a trap are highly unlikely.

But if it wasn’t a trap, then why go through the trouble? If she really just wanted to leave like she said she did, then she could’ve just taken their offer and walked out. No problem.

But she didn’t. She made things more complicated for herself by saving me and killing them. There are obviously other invaders in the factory. Helping me would only make things more difficult for her in the end, no matter what her objective is.

So why?

Nothing about this situation seemed logical.

She couldn’t think of a single logical reason why she would help her. Out of the kindness of her heart? Impossible, laughable even. This was Hell. Nobody here is completely selfless, especially not to strangers. The only thing you can rely on is yourself and your family, and even that one is a tossup for some people.

No, she was obviously after something else. She just needed to figure out what that was in order to gain an upper hand.

“What game are you playing?” I finally asked. I hate dancing around questions, after all.

The woman appeared to stop her movement forward and looked towards me.

“Game?” she asked, face hidden behind her gas mask.

“Yes. What are you after? You obviously want something if you went through the trouble to save my life. Money? Power? Connection’s perhaps?” I started accusing. 

My ‘savior’ seemed to take a second to think over the question, trying to come up with an answer.

Why is it taking her so long to think of something? 

“I… Don’t know.” She finally said, before continuing forward.

What? She doesn’t know? 

That was not the answer I was expecting. If she wanted something I would’ve understood, it’s only natural to do something if you expect something in return.

If she said that she was doing it out of the kindness of her heart, then I would have immediately tried to neutralize her. Nobody would risk their life for a stranger out of the kindness of their heart, especially if that stranger is the known daughter of an extremely powerful overlord. 

If she doesn’t know, does that mean that it was the heat of the moment that made her make this decision? I need to know more.

“What does that mean?” I said, as I sped up in order to cut her off. “Five minutes ago, I was about to capture you, yet now you're trying to help me. There has to be more of a reason, so I’ll ask again. What do you want?”

 “…look, we can’t waste time alright. There are obviously more hostiles here and we need to leave before they catch up with us. You wanna know what I want? I want to leave this fucking place so that I can get back to finding that people that are important to me!” She declared, as she put her look me straight in the eyes. Voice full of conviction.

“Whether saving you was a mistake isn’t important anymore. I already made my decision and I can’t take it back, even if it was the most illogical, stupid thing anyone could’ve done in my situation. If you don't trust me, then fine, I’ll find my own way out of here.” She said as she walked past me to continue down the hallways, probably trying to find an exit to this labyrinth of hallways and corridors.

It’s weird. Everything she said felt so true. She’s even leaving me and trying to find her own way out.

Why would she do that if she wanted something from me? Is it just a trick? That idea is becoming more and more unlikely. I know I shouldn’t trust her, I really shouldn’t…but.

“…That’s the wrong way.” I finally said, causing her to stop.

I suppose she’s earned at least my cooperation, at the very least.

“If we want to leave this place, our best bet is to leave through storage room D. It has a back exit out of the factory for large shipments. This door will lead us straight there.” I said as I took out a key from my coat, unlocking a side door that opened up to another hallway.

I looked at the woman… At Halara, as she seemed to nod in acknowledgement before walking back towards me.

“Alright then, let’s get going then.” She said, as she gestured for me to lead the way. I nodded my head as I started down the hallway towards the closest exit.

If they can get out of the factory, then I should be able to contact my mother. As much as I hated relying on her for everything, I knew this was a situation that I couldn’t deal with myself.  

Looking towards Halara, I started to think that maybe, just maybe, I could trust her. Her origins are still unknown, but she seems sincere when she says that she just wants to leave.

For now, I can trust her. The suspicion can wait until after we’ve survived this madness.

 

---

Striker POV

 

“Hehe, looks like the princess is as predictable as I expected. Good.” I laughed as I watched the two bitches heading towards storage room D from the security camera footage.

Heading straight into our laps. 

My tail snapped in the air, excited about what comes next.

“So, boss, what’s the plan?” I peered behind me to see the assassin Sinner, with blue skin and octopus hair. Kalmier, I think he was called. “We may have these two cornered, but we put a time limit on ourselves by informing Carmilla. Why’d we do that, anyway? We could easily kill this other bitch and capture the princess without involving the overlord.”

I glared behind him to see the five other assassins, mercenaries, and other famous guns for hire seemed to silently agree with the octopus fucker.

Sighing, I gave all of them a piercing look.

“Are y’all really some of the best killers in Hell? Real assassins don’t take easy jobs, real assassins don’t pussy out when it comes to a challenge.” I sauntered over to my partners for this operation, as they seemed to recoil a little in nervousness, but hold their ground regardless. 

“It wouldn’t be fun to just capture the bitch. No.” I placed a hand on Kalmier’s shoulder. “I want to humiliate Carmilla. I want to see her beg for her daughter, see her suffer as she's forced to hand over everything she’s ever worked for. And finally, when it’s all over, to be the last thing the high and mighty bitch sees as I take her life away.” I laughed, causing the other assassins to shift uncomfortably. Except for one.

“Big talk from someone who failed to kill a member of the Ars Goetia.” I froze, turning to look at them. 

It came from Hetler, a sinner who wore a dark cloak over his white worker uniform we used to sneak in here. He also carried an angelic scythe, dried blood upon its blade, showed that it had been in frequent use.

“… What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, dangerously. Hetler seemed to laugh in response to my question.

“You know exactly what it means!” He proclaimed as I continued to glare. “You had a member of the Ars Goetia, one of the fucking nobility in Hell! He was at your mercy and everything, powerless. Despite that, you failed to kill him.” 

I snarled at him, my eyes growing a deeper, more dangerous shade of yellow. If he noticed, however, then he obviously didn’t care as he kept going.

“Why were you made in charge of this mission, anyway? Your track record has been shit. You failed to kill the Ars Goetia named Stolas multiple times, despite having limitless resources at your disposal. Which, by the way, was supplied by another member of the Ars Goetia.” I twitched. 

“Hehe, bet ya didn’t think that little piece of information would slip through the crack.”

“I wouldn’t continue if I were your partner. If you do, I can’t guarantee your safety.” I said, hand wrapped around my revolver.

“Pfft, please. We both know you're too chicken to actually hurt us. The people who hired us wouldn’t like that, and we both know you can’t disobey your master. Just like the good little fucking imp you ar-”

BANG!

The fucker's body dropped to the floor, a hole straight where his left eye used to be. I looked around the room as I blew the smoke out of my angelic revolver.

“Anybody else got a complaint?” I asked, glaring at the last five assassins in the room.

Silence. Absolute silence.

“Good.” I smirked. “Let’s go. We have to spring the trap before they get away. Grab whatever angelic weapons you need and let’s move out. This is gonna be a hell of a rodeo.” I laughed as I led them out of the room.

Nobody sparing a second glance at the new addition to the pile of corpses in the security room.

 

---

Halara POV

Walking into a large warehouse, with large pallet racks extending to what had to be around 35 meters in height. 

Looking across, I could barely see the other side of the warehouse, showing just how irregularly large this place was. Each rack was also filled to absolute capacity with different boxes, crates, and metal storage containers of many different sizes.

“This place is huge! What do you keep in here?” I asked, impressed. 

Odette seemed to smirk at my question before answering. “Carmine industries are the biggest arms dealers in all of Hell, even hellborne from other rings covet having a Carmine original.” She bragged as we continued down the warehouse floor. “It would be more irregular if we didn’t require such a large facility to hold all our goods.”

I guess that makes sense. I mean, such a large arms dealer in Hell would need…

‘Wait, did she say Hell!?’

“Um…sorry but do you mind if I ask you a question?” I asked, as Odette seemed to turn around and look at me.

“Sure, what do you require?” She asked, eyeing me curiously.

“… I know this is probably going to sound weird to you.” I started, as Odette's eyes seemed to widen slightly as she looked past me. “But when you say Hell, do you mean Hell like in the bi-”

“Move!” Odette screamed suddenly, eyes wide. She tackled me into the side of one of the large pallet racks. Before I could even process what she did, I heard a very familiar sound.

BANG

The sound of a sniper rifle. I looked back to where I once stood, only to see the recognizable damage from a high caliber sniper rifle. 

‘Dammit!’ I quickly thought as I sat back up, and pushed myself and Odette deeper into the pallet rack in order to get some more cover behind the sturdy metal crates.

“Be quiet.” I whispered to Odette as I peeked over the box we found ourselves behind, hoping to catch a glimpse of our sniper.

And I saw more than just a sniper.

“What do you see?” Odette asked, as I saw her open up one of the smaller crates in the area we were in.

“I spot six hostiles.” I reported, remembering my training. “All of them are wearing worker uniforms. One sniper on top of one of the racks. The sniper possesses a singular large eye that covers their entire face, no other notable feature.” I described, attempting to give her as good of a visual appearance as possible.

“… That's an assassin known as known as eyesore. One of the best snipers money can hire in Hell,” she suddenly said, causing me to look at her. We both nodded at each other in a mutual understanding, before I turned back to identify the hostiles, while Odette went back to going through the crates.

“Second hostile appears to have light blue skin, and approximately 8 tentacles where hair should be. Each of his tentacles is holding a gun, making 10 in total, if you include the ones in his hands.” 

“That’s Kalmier, the one-man army. A sinner that made a name for himself after taking out over 30 other sinners by himself. Capable of firing 10 guns at once. Very dangerous. And very expensive.”

“Third hostile is the largest, probably around seven feet, and appears to have gray skin with anomalously large muscles. Each hand also possesses glowing gauntlets of some kind.”

“That’s a former member of the cannibal colony known as Hannibal. Known for his physical prowess, he could probably punch holes in solid concrete with no trouble.”

I saw the figures slowly move forward, almost like they were taunting us. I’ve got to hurry.

“Fourth hostile appears to be a reptilian humanoid of some kind. Has an assortment of glowing knives strapped to his body. Appears to share the most similarities with a lizard.”

“That Lizal. A sinner that has the natural ability to camouflage and turn invisible. One of the best people if you want to silently take out your opponent.”

“Fifth hostile appears most human out of the lot. Still possesses what appears like orange skin with multiple red marks scattered on his exposed skin. His right hand fingers also appear entirely purple.”

“…That’s bombi, one of the few sinner assassins capable of using magic. Capable of making explosions from around 40 meters away. Also considered a complete psychopath. Never has been seen working with another person before, let alone in a group.” Odette said, sounding worried after knowing what they were up against.

I gulped as I saw the figures raise their guns, aiming in our direction.

“Ok, last hostile. Short stature, has what appears to be a cowboy hat and a tail. Has deep yellow eyes, and what appears to be a golden tooth on the left side of his mouth. Reminds me of a rattlesnake a little... Also sexy.”

“…” She seemed to pause whatever she was working on, processing the information.

“Do you not know this one?”

“No, I do. Or I’ve heard rumors, at least.”

“Care to explain these rumors?” I urgently asked, noticing that it looks like the team of fucking ACE assasians were about to make their move.

“…all I know is that his name is Striker, one of the only assassins to successfully kidnap a member of the Ars Goetia. They even accomplished this feat in broad daylight.. They would have succeeded in killing them too if it weren’t for the intervention of other hired assassins.” She explained, the tone in her voice telling me all I needed to do about this Ars Goetia groups. They were powerful, and this assassin nearly ended the life of one.

‘What did I get myself into?’ I silently lamented, thinking about everything that got me into this situation as not even two hours ago, I was eating lunch with my friends.

And now I’m being hunted by some apparently legendary assassins.

“I have no idea who hired them, but whoever they are, their net worth would need to at least be equivalent to an Ars Goetia member to afford them all without going bankru-”

“Ya, thanks for the history lesson, but I’m being serious when I say that We. Need. To. MOVE!” I exclaimed, interrupting her.

I perceived the smallest of twitches escape from her face in response, but she complied anyway, knowing the severity of the situation.

“Fine. I’m done, anyway.” Odette finally said, as I went back under our cover to avoid the inevitable fire we were about to be put under. Looking at her, it seemed she was done fiddling with her box. Whatever it was.

“Now that I know what we’re up against, our chances of escaping have practically hit zero percent.” She stated as I nodded in response.

“Ya, if these really are professionals, then they no doubt either blocked off or trapped every exit out of this place. We should’ve known better than to go to the closest exit when we were being hunted, but we can’t change that now.” I explained, causing Odette to look at me, surprised, and a little impressed. 

“Correct.” She said before looking back down at the box. “Which is why I led us here. When I click this button-”

“Times up princess, we’ve given you enough time to come up with a plan, so show me what you’ve got.” A masculine, southern voice resounded outwards from the now named Striker. “Unless you wanna give up right now like the pampered bitch you are. It’ll make it a lot less fun, but probably less painful on your part. Hehehe, maybe.” He said, mocking.

Ok, I’m really starting to hate this guy.

“I’ll give you the count of three before we go back there ourselves and force you out. 1…”

Odette suddenly looked panicked as she grabbed onto my shoulder.

“When I say now, run 6 steps to the left, 27 steps to your right. 17 more steps left. Jump 4 feet in front of you and keep running until-”

“… 2 ,”

“-until I tell you to stop. Ok?”

I…what?

“What’s gonna happen? Where are we-”

“… 1 ,”

“Listen, there’s no time to explain. You just have to trust me!”

Trust. It always goes back to trust. 

They always told you to not trust in the unknown. To throw away your compassion and nativity. That’s what they always say. 

“… 0 ,”

I guess I was never a good listener.

I turned to Odette and gave her a simple, brisk nod.

“Times up, little lassies. Now we gotta-”

Click.

POOF.

The world around me suddenly became blanketed in a thick white smoke. I have never seen a smoke cloud so big, as everything suddenly became painted with white.

“NOW!” I heard Odette's voice scream out, causing me to spring up from my prone position and dashing.

‘6 steps to the left, I thought, as I ran through the blinding smoke.

I heard the familiar sounds of guns cocking back. I braced myself for the inevitable rain of gunfire that was about to start.

“Hold yer fire, you idiots!” I heard Striker's voice call out through the smoke.

‘What? Why? Why would he stop them from firing? He wants us…wait.’

‘27 steps to my right’

My eyes widened as I realized why Odette felt confident in this plan working. They needed Odette alive. If they didn’t, then they would’ve just killed her when they first had her cornered. They wouldn’t risk accidentally killing her by shooting into this smoke.

‘Then 17 steps to my left.’

“Split up, find where they went. If you let them escape, then I’ll kill you instead!” I heard Striker demanded, though there was a playful tone in his voice. Almost like he was excited about this happening.

‘He’s excited about the hunt!’ I realized. After all, I’ve run into many people that have acted like that.

‘Jump 4 feet forward,’

I closed my eyes and put my faith in Odette as I took the leap of faith forward into the blinding smoke.

 As I began to feel my momentum fail me, a small, yet surprisingly stronger hand gripped onto my forearm and pulled me upwards. Eventually letting me go after I was pulled onto solid ground.

“Good, you made it.” I heard Odette's voice say as the smoke began to clear. “You’re good at following directions.”

“Hehe, let’s just say I’ve had a lot of practice.” I joked, before turning back to her. “Thanks, by the way.”

Odette looked at me, confused.

“…thanks?” She asked, almost like the word was alien to her. 

“Ya. I mean, I probably would’ve died if you didn’t tell me where to go.” I stated as a matter of fact.

“…don’t mention it. It was the logical thing to do.” She stated, causing me to chuckle. “What’s so funny?”

“Ah, nothing.” I chuckled. Not mentioning that if she really wanted to do the most logical thing, she would’ve used me as a distraction in order to get farther away from the assassins, leaving me for dead.

A small smile bloomed on my face when I realized she wasn’t as heartless as I previously thought.

“Come out, come out wherever you are.” A new voice, probably from one of the other assassins, rang out, taunting.

My smile immediately vanished as the smoke completely cleared. Taking stock of my situation, I realized I was on the third shelf on one of the racks, surrounded by an assortment of metal crates and boxes. I noticed Odette immediately stirred to open a couple as soon as visibility was available again.

“Alright. What's the plan?”

“The plan is to survive.”

“… ok, and how do we do that?”

“By not dying. Usually I wouldn’t be worried about dying, but since they have angelic weapons, we have to be more careful.” She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, much to my dismay.

“…can you put that in English, please?” I asked, half joking and half serious. I saw her once again stare at me in confusion before shaking her head. She could deal with it later.

“If we are gonna survive this, then we’re gonna need a plan.” She said before staring at me. “We’re gonna have to work together.”

I smiled at her glare. “Of course, that’s pretty obvious. Come on, what do you want me to do?”

“…Are you not even considering the idea that I may betray you?” She asked, baffled.

“Of course not. I mean, you wouldn’t have asked that if you were.” I said, causing her to look back at the floor. “Besides, we already saved each others lives once today. It’s hard to break a bond after that.”

“I suppose you're right…” she said, still looking the slightest bit unsure. She shrugged it off, though, before grabbing my shoulder. “Now, here’s the plan.”

 

---

Striker POV

The chase was on. Time limit hanging over their heads. And fighting an enemy with a home field advantage.

This is what I live for!

As I jumped between the different high shelves, looking for the princess and her bitch, I spotted something in the corner of my eye.

For half a second I thought it was them, but looking down, it was something much different, something much more strange.

There was what appeared to be a teddy bear of some kind lying limply on the floor. It appeared to have many colors on its exterior, with patterns of red, white, green, and blue.

Most defining, however, would have to be the heart picture that was on the left side of the bear's chest.

I quickly shook my head. Why am I getting distracted by this? I gotta keep looking.

So I jumped off the shelf I was currently on as I went to the next.

For some reason, though, I couldn't get a thought out of my head. Perhaps it’s just nerves but…

I swear I saw the bear move.

 

---

Abel POV

 

Fun. Fun! FUN! FUN!!!

I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN!

“HAHAHAHA!” I laughed in joy as I tossed a large car straight at another brave soldier, dying with a smile on his face.

Never before have I met so many soldiers unafraid of death. Void of any fear as they rushed to their death.

“He looks delicious! Let’s fea-”

Slice

‘ Ok, maybe they’re a bit too cannibalistic for my liking. But I don’t care, not as long as they keep fighting!’

I grabbed the hand of the gray-skinned cannibal that was about to slice at me and chucked his body hard at the closest house.

He hit the building with a meaty bang before I rushed at him like a bull. Barreling through the building while tackling the now dead creature.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” I laughed again, as the building behind me collapsed, just like the others I destroyed in my battles. I looked down, reminiscing on my battles.

“My, you really did a number on this place.” A feminine voice suddenly said.

I looked up, my face bloodied from my many kills up to this point. Ahead of me, I spotted another of the gray skinned humanoids. This one, however, felt different. Felt powerful.

She held what appeared to be a parasol of some kind, wearing a red and black dress that seemed very unsuitable for combat. As well as a large feathered hat of the same decor.

But her smile. Her wide cheshire smile. Her sharp teeth. The absolute lifelessness that echoes in her pure black eyes, as if I was staring into the abyss itself. She reminded me of one thing.

A predator. Ready to hunt for its next meal.

A wide smile opened on my face, echoing her own. This is it, this is a fight. I can feel it! THIS IS A TRUE WARRIOR!

“So honey, would you mind explaining why you’ve gone and wrecked my-”

BOOM

Her question was cut short as I jumped at supersonic speed, flying towards the predator like a torpedo. Ready to draw first blood.

I saw her eyes widen a moment in surprise before moving her parasol in front of her. As I finally reached her, I raised my sword and-

CLANG

A resounding metal roar echoes through the streets as I pushed the predator back a couple feet, but failed to pierce her defenses.

“Oh wow, you are a strong one, aren’t you.” She complimented as she rubbed her arm, her smile growing even wider before silently chuckling. “Nhnh, those ones are my favorite.”

“RAHH!” I screamed as I dashed towards her again, only for the predator to open her parasol wide, causing her to magically move away from my strike as I missed, and she flew upwards suspended in the air.

“As I was saying before. Would you mind telling me wh-”

WHOOSH

Her question was once again cut off as I threw my blade at her like a catapult, as she barely avoided it by flying out of the way with her weapon. 

I smiled. Good.

“I suppose you aren’t the talkative type. Figures.” She said as I crouched low, ready to pounce on the predator. While winding up, I saw her wave her arm as the flesh from all my previous fights flew up towards her, culminating in one large blob of gray flesh.

I shot upwards, summoning a blade ready to impale the predator. As I quickly closed in on her, I noticed that the blob of flesh immediately took shape, forming into what appeared to be a massive fist that was the size of a house.

“Haha. HAHAHAHA-”

BANG!

My laughing was once again cut short as the massive fist collided with my face, shooting me back towards the ground.

I hit the floor hard, smoke and debris flying everywhere from my point of contact, creating a massive crater.

The predator slowly flew down, gently landing on top of one of the structures.

“Hm, perhaps I overdid it a little. There probably isn’t enough of him left to e-”

SWOOSH

Her chastising was cut off as a black blade shot out of the rubble at supersonic speed, with her barely being able to move her head out of the way to avoid being impaled by the blade, mostly.

Reaching up, she felt a deep cut in her cheek, releasing blood onto the rest of her face as the smoke cleared from my crater. I stood there, bloodied and ragged, but ready to continue the fight.

Looking up, I saw the predator's blood pooling off her face. And I smiled.

It can bleed. So it can die.

 

---

Rosie POV

‘Well, what do you know? He actually managed to make me bleed.’ I measured up this rampaging beast again.

Before, I thought it was just a crazy sinner who was born into Hell with a little more power than usual. Now though…

I still think he’s that. But anyone that actually makes me bleed, no matter how small, deserves at least a little attention.

SWOOSH BANG BOOM

I dodged more if the beast’s attacked, flying through the air and making sudden turns. More than one of his swords hit buildings, taking out bite-sized portions from each building.

“Well honey, you sure aren’t the type to play-”

SWISH

“-around. Fine, I suppose-”

BANG

“-I’ll teach you what happens when-”

CRASH

“-you mess with my colony.”

I brought my right hand down in a swinging motion, causing the massive fist of flesh that I conjured to fly down, hurling towards the beast.

In response, it's smile, that would even put some cannibals to shame, grew even wider somehow as it planted both of its blades deep into the earth before widening its arms, as if it was planning to catch the massive fist.

…wait is he planning to catch the-

BOOM.

My large fist pummeled into the beast as the ground shook and cracked. However, the figure remained standing, gripping onto the fist as his feet were being pushed into the ground. He seemed to be losing the battle of strength, until.

“RRRRRAAAAHHHHHH!!!” He tore his hands apart, ripping the giant fist of flesh in half as he screamed in victory. He dropped one half, and then wound back as he shot the second half straight at me like a javelin.

‘Strong, but stupid.’ I thought as I simply used my magic to stop the flesh in mid flight, making it freeze in place right in front of me.

“Honey, did you really think that would wo-”

“RAAAHH!” A scream suddenly reached my ears.

I looked down and saw that the beast jumped through the flesh I had suspended in the air, fist wound back as it used its momentum to shoot the fist straight at my…

“Oh, damn-”

BANG

It hit my face with so much force that I was sent flying back down to the earth like a rocket, losing my parasol as I was sent plummeting. I hit the asphalt streets as I started skidding against the pavement, only stopping myself once I managed to use my magic to re-summon my parasol and using it to slow myself from flying down the street anymore by opening it up, allowing magic to catch me and stop my flailing down the street.

“My, why don’t you give a woman a warning next time?” I joked, as I tasted the familiar texture of blood in my mouth. It’s just the first time in a while that it’s been my own blood I’ve tasted.

The figure crashed down to the earth 20 feet in front of me, before crouching down low and propelling itself, sprinting at me again at full speed. One of its large and jagged black swords in its hand.

Dodging backwards, I evaded its first attack. I saw the beast pivot its foot to strike me with its second blade, which I parried after getting pushed back.

The beast definitely has me beat in physical strength and is close to me in speed, but that’s really all there is to it. I evaded another attack before sliding down and stabbing the end of a parasol deep into the beast's leg as it let out another laugh.

Moving its blade down with freighting speed, I dodged while getting cut on the left side of my abdomen. I went for a follow up attack…

CLUTCH

Only for the creature to grab my parasol with both its hands before I could stab him, noting that it dropped its swords in order to complete this maneuver. 

It then reared its head backwards, and before I could properly figure out what it was doing.

BANG

The beast head butted me hard in the old noggin, causing me to fly back a few feet. It took me a second to compose myself again before re-summoning my parasol. 

‘This is really starting to get tiring. I should finish up soon.’

 I looked up and saw that the beast was charging towards me again, bloodied, sword in hand. 

Only to be stopped a mere five feet in front of me.

“Oh honey, while I enjoy your persistence, this is getting rather unpleasant for me.” I explained as I saw it look back, spying the massive, thorny vine that wrapped around its body. The thorn itself stabbing it with all its tiny, razor-sharp edges.

“Goodbye!” I saluted as the vine suddenly threw itself backwards, forcing the beast to go with it as it slammed hard through the roof of a nearby building, causing the whole thing to go down. Rubble crushing the beast inside.

Now, this is usually where I would suspect the fight to be over. However, after fighting this guy for a while.

“3…2…1…n-”

SWOOSH

I quickly dodged to the side, prepared this time, as I saw a black blade fly past my face into lands unknown. 

Looking back, a small frown on my face as I saw the creature pick itself up out of the rubble.

It was hurt. Really hurt actually. It was covered in refreshing looking blood. Multiple parts of its delicious flesh were just missing. And its leg that I stabbed looked like it was one bad breeze away from falling off. Honestly, the fact that it was still standing at all is extremely surprising. Does the beast not feel pain?

Obviously not, as it was still smiling, and started walking out of the rubble. Attempting to make its way back to me.

“Sorry sweetie, but I’m afraid that I can’t let you do that.” I said, as another large thorny vine shot out of the ground behind the beast, wrapping around its right arm, thorns digging into what’s left of the creature's flesh. When it tried to rip it off with its other hand, I summoned another vine to hold its arm in place as both vines pulled hard to keep the beast from moving forward.

“RRAAAHHH!” It screamed as it tried to rip the vines off itself. It won’t work. Those vines can take a lot of damage before they’re destroyed. Maybe if his hands were free he could break it, but restrained like this, it's impossible. It’s more likely to rip its arms off before it breaks the vines.

“It’s no use. You’ll never break my precious roses.” I said, despite the creature's constant struggle.

As expected, he pulled. He struggled as he pulled the vines as hard as he possibly could. It didn’t work though, as the vines stayed just as-

CRACK

…what was that?

CRICK CRACK…BOOM.

I looked on in absolute shock, as the beast pulled on the vine so hard that it ripped its roots out of the cement, carrying a large chunk of the stone at the end that my vine stayed attached to. With its right hand free, taking advantage of my surprise, swung the vine around like a rope before.

BANG

The beast slammed me in the face with his make-shift weapon from over 20 feet away, causing me to fly backwards into another building.

‘It’s gonna be so expensive to repair this place.’ I thought as I stood up from the rubble, looking around my destroyed colony.

“This is definitely gonna cut into our meat budget.” I sighed before looking at the thing that caused our new budget issues. It looks like it got its right hand free because of what just happened, and was moving to release its other hand.

“That’s not gonna happen!” I proclaimed, getting angry for the first time in this fight as I was not used to taking so much damage.

STAB

“AARGH!!!” The beast yelled in pain as one of my massive vines the size of a human head stabbed through its chest from behind, exiting from the end. I also sent another come to contain the creature's right hand as well, to make sure it had no way of breaking out.

“Well, this has been fun. But I have a lot of building to do in order to fix this place now. I don’t want to play with you anymore, sorry.” I mocked with a massive smile, wiping off blood that was exiting out of my mouth.

Using my magic, my blood, along with the blood of all the dead cannibals in the area flew towards me. Even the beast's blood wasn’t immune to this effect as it all culminated on the end of my parasol, drenching the entire thing in a deep blood red color. 

I lifted my parasol up, ready to finish the struggling beast off, only to stop when I noticed it stopped struggling and stared at me. It then did the last thing I expected.

“Wait.” It said, a smile still present on its face, no fear in sight.

Its voice caused me to stutter for a second, stopping me from going through with my attack. I honestly thought that the poor thing was incapable of speech for a while.

“Before you finish me, predator, may I know the name of the warrior that has bested me today?” It smiled a large, creepy smile.

“Oh, of course. How rude of me.” I said, returning the smile, my mood still jovial. “My name is Rosie, dear.”

“Rosie.” The creature said, as if committing the name to memory. “I shall remember it. Now, FINISH ME!” 

The beast suddenly screamed, as it jumped forward out of the vine that had impaled its chest, ripping off both of its arms as it ran straight towards me, armless, but still dangerous.

Even without its arms. Even when it had a massive hole in its chest. Even though it lost enough blood to fill an entire pool. It still kept moving. It still kept smiling.

I swung my parasol down in a horizontal manner, the blood that had collected on its hot forward in a red line heading towards the rampaging beast, until.

SLICE

The creature's head was cut clean off, as its body fell to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. Dead. It seems even the beast can’t survive without a head.

“Ok… anyway, I can’t wait to dig in- OH COME ON!” I screamed, as I noticed the creature's dead body turned into dust, not even a scrap of meat left for me!

I sighed, all this trouble and I can’t even get a good meal out of it. Still, though, this is odd. Sinners don’t turn to dust when they die. Does that mean he’s a hellborne?

“Heh, who cares. I have to clean up his mess now… Still, it’s been a while since I’ve fought like that. If he is a sinner and comes back, I wonder if I’ll ever see him again?” I said out loud.

Unbeknownst to me, however, was that a mere 2 miles away, a strange black cube suddenly closed its door, locked. A sarcophagus on the inside of the box also closed, chains wrapping around it, as a beast began to regenerate.

Gleeful with excitement, and hungry for a rematch.

Notes:

“ABEL LOSES!? I CALL BS!”

“Yep, here we go again.”

Ya, looks like we finally reached a part of the story that I was scared of most. Power scaling… Just think about it sends shivers down my spine. I’ve come to learn that power scaling can be pretty complicated when it comes to the two fandoms in this story. For SCP, it feels like their abilities and strength can change pretty dramatically depending on what story you’re reading. This isn’t a bad thing, just makes it a little difficult to scale them up to characters in the Hazbin universe sometimes. Speaking of Hazbin, we have seen literally close to nothing from what most of the upper echelons of that universe is capable of, so it is really hard to decide on their strength along with some of their powers. That being said, I thought that it makes sense that someone like Rosie would be able to defeat Abel. If you disagree then I’ll listen to your reasoning and that might change stuff in the future, but this is where it stands now, I just hope that I gave both characters justice in the fight. (also, some of you might have noticed that some of Rosie’s powers are inspired by the wiki page ‘Hazbin Hotel: Journey to the light.’ I just wanna say now that I am taking some inspiration from the wiki about power. Not story or personality though. Just wanted to get that out there.) This was also my first action scene in the story, and I hope I did a good job with it and you can let me know if I did or not. Anyways, drop a kudos if you liked, and I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Chapter 6: How to survive an assassin.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Notes:

“Which assassin is your favorite?”

Halara POV

“Come out, come out wherever you are, you pussies!” Hannibal, the ripped cannibalistic assassin, screamed out through the expansive warehouse space.

We had been hiding, running around, and buying as much time as possible to prepare ourselves and gather all the weapons we could. But we can’t stall much longer; they will find us eventually, and we will lose the element of surprise.

So we might as well attack while we have an advantage, no matter how small it might seem in comparison to what we are fighting.

“Ok, is this everything?” I asked Odette, who seemed to have the entire layout and location of every single item in it memorized. 

I was still shocked that she could remember so much. There had to be thousands upon thousands of boxes in this warehouse. The fact that she could remember the exact location of items all the way down to their serial number would already make her smarter than some of the greatest minds in the foundation, at least where memory and documentation are concerned.

Still, it worked out for us because she was able to guide me through the warehouse, picking up items that we may need while also placing small black boxes around the base of each of the pallet racks we visited. Looking over to my left, I saw that Odette had strapped one of the glowing spears to her back, a couple of miniature explosives, a mysterious remote whose function still remained a mystery to me, a sniper, and a sidearm. Each of them seemed to implement some of the glowing metal.

For my part, I grabbed a glowing dagger, an MP7, some explosives, a few flashbacks, and a couple of smoke bombs. I also still possessed my sidearm that I acquired when I first entered the explosives room.

“…yes, I do not believe there's much more we can prepare. Usually I would recommend setting traps, but I don’t think we’ll have the opportunity to do so. Especially with the sniper.” She said, motioning to the Eyesore, the one large-eyed sniper that seemed to station itself at the back of the warehouse, ready to shoot the second they see us… or me, I guess.

‘Seriously, how did I get involved in this mess?’ I asked myself, and despite knowing the answer, I just refused to acknowledge it. I took a moment to investigate our surroundings to see if I spotted any hostels near our location. I didn’t, thankfully.

“So, what’s the plan? Are we gonna jump them individually and try to take them out one at a time?” I asked the conniving girl, who seemed deep in thought. Eventually, though, she opened her eyes to address me.

"Usually, that would be the smart thing to do. However, we aren’t dealing with amateurs. We are dealing with professional assassins.” She explained as I was starting to see what she was getting at. “That’s why it’s unusual for them to be so separated from each other. Cause if we could think of such a plan-”

“-Then there’s no doubt that they would be aware of that possibly as well.” I said, finishing Odette's explanation, smirking as I saw her get a little annoyed by the action. “This could only mean one of two things. The first being that separation is simply another trap of some kind to lure us out-”

“Or that they’re all so confident in their abilities that they believe they can catch us without the help of their allies.” She cut me off, causing me to twitch as I swear I saw her give me an equally smug smirk as the one I gave her.

Touché.

“If it’s the first one, then we’re screwed.” Odette looked over the many tiny cartridges that I saw her place around the many different oversized pallet racks that we encountered on our trip to grab all the weapons we could. “If it’s the second one, however, which I’m inclined to believe considering who we are dealing with... Then we might stand a chance.”

I saw her smirk before looking down again, and she proceeded to stare me straight in the eyes. “If this does fail, though, then I have to ask one last favor from you.” 

She looked serious. I mean, she always looked serious as that seems to be her default. Still, this was obviously something that she was less asking, and more so demanding.

I nodded my head, affirming that I agreed to whatever it was. Not that I felt like I really had a choice. In response, she reached into her large white lab coat and pulled out another pistol.

It looked extremely normal, too normal, in fact. This pistol seemed to be missing the white, glowing lining that the other guns I’ve seen in this factory had. For all purposes, it seemed just like a normal gun.

“If we ever, and I mean ever, get into a situation where we will lose without a doubt. Or to a point where my capture becomes the undeniable truth.” She started as she forced the gun into my hands. “I want you to shoot me with this gun, and only this gun.”

My eyes opened wide, shocked at her sudden proclamation. She was basically telling me to kill her if they failed to kill their captors. What really got me though was the fact that she was trusting me with what someone values the most. Their life.

Even if I could have ended her life at any time, with her being able to do the same, this was different. It’s one thing to have the ability; it’s another thing entirely to actively trust someone to kill you.

I should know; I’ve seen situations far too many times. At the foundation... before the foundation.

I shook that thought out of my head before staring back at the woman who entrusted me with her death.

“A-are you su-”

“I’m sure.” She answered immediately, with no hesitation present in her voice. “I want you to promise me that you will shoot me. Shoot me if we are doomed to fail, ok?” She reached her hand out.

“…Ok,” I finally answered after a moment of hesitation. There was still a chance that all of this was pointless, we may escape without resorting to this outcome. But, if it does, I have to make good on my word.

As for her reasons for preferring death over capture, that's something I wasn’t gonna ask about. I know that she must have a very good reason, as anyone who makes this declaration does, so I don’t need to question if it’s the right thing to do. If this is how she wants to go out, then I’ll comply with her wishes.

I saw a small smile appear on Odette's face after I agreed. Before returning to the stone cold, calculating eyes that she always wore.

“Alright, let’s do th-”

“Found you!” 

BANG!

The metal box we were hiding behind was violently thrown aside as, standing behind it, was the behemoth of a man that was the gray-skinned Hannibal, white glowing, giant guantlets adjourning his fists.

“Shit!” I quickly said as I tackled Odette down as the figure brought its fists down like hammers, flattening the metal we were hiding on into the floor, using strength that should be physically impossible for any human.

‘Then again, these things obviously are not even close to a normal human.’ I thought as we fell to the floor.

Quickly rolling to the side, I swirled my MP7 over to the attacking giant, ready to shoot and- 

“Move!”

BANG!

This time, Odette tackled me as a sniper shot from our good friend known as Eyesore came soaring to my former location, missing me by a hair as it imbedded itself into the concrete flooring. This resulted in me missing my shot, still managing to hit Hannibal on his left shoulder.

“ARGH! I’m gonna fucking eat your-”

Whatever else he was going to say was cut off by him picking up and chucking one of the heavy metal boxes towards us. We managed to move out of the way just as a massive dust cloud kicked up from the point of impact, resulting in a deafening ringing of metal and stone. 

Using the opportunity, we quickly ran between the racks, trying to not only get out of the sight of the sniper but also to avoid the rampaging cannibal.

“Thanks for the save back there.” I said to Odette through heaving breaths. “I- I probably would’ve been shot if it wasn’t for you. Thanks!”

“… Don’t mention it.” She said, somehow keeping up with me despite only running on the tips of her toes. She seemed weirdly hesitant when I told her this, but I still spotted a tiny smile form on her lips at my praise. We quickly turned the corner and started running down one of the many aisles in this place, out of view from the sniper's vantage point.

As I went to say something else, I froze as I saw another figure standing in the direction we were heading. With his long octopus hair, each gripping onto an automatic weapon of some kind, he had two more in his hand, making a grand total of 10 guns. Each of which was pointing straight towards us and-

“Shit! Odette!” I quickly pushed Odette into one of the many pallet racks behind a sturdy metal box. Just as I did, the assassin known as Kalmier began to shoot a rainfall of gunfire towards us.

or, more specifically, me.

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!

As the flurry of gunfire headed to my location, I jumped behind the metal crate for cover, landing on top of Odette.

“Ow… Thanks for tha-”

“Argh! Fuck!” I suddenly screamed out, cutting Odette off as she looked over me, spying exactly what was causing me so much pain.

I didn’t manage to escape the gunfire undamaged. My right leg barely managed to escape becoming totally useless as a bullet skimmed right by it, resulting in a sickening cut that began bleeding off the side. The same situation happened with my right arm as a bullet ripped through the sleeves of my white bodysuit.

The real agony, though, came from a bullet that managed to pierce through my tactical vest, shooting into my abdomen. The fact that there was no wound on my back also insinuated that the bullet was still stuck in my body.

In short, it fucking hurt. Then again, I wasn’t exactly a stranger to being shot; I am a security guard. It still sucked, though, and I had to take a couple seconds in order to become comfortable with my new pain and let the adrenaline kick in.

“Halara, are you alright?” Odette asked, surprisingly concerned, as I reached into one of my vest pockets and pulled out a small wound-up bandage wrap. I began to wrap up my chest as I heard the gunshots start to rattle against the heavily fortified metal box.

“Y-ya. I’ll be fine as long as we don’t die.” I said this as I smirked at Odette. “So, any idea how to get out of this one?”

Looking around me, I saw that there was no possible way to escape without being turned into Swiss cheese by the octopus assassin. I would’ve suggested we wait for when he has to reload to move, but it looks like he constantly reloads his guns at different points, never giving us the opportunity to do so. This man really was a professional.

“I do, but we have to wait.” Odette reached her hand down towards her side, grabbing the small remote device that she had obtained when we were collecting weapons. 

“You finally gonna tell me what that thing does?” 

“No.”

“… And why not?” I asked, confused why she would keep potentially valuable information from me. She responded to my question by smirking.

“Because if one of them has the ability to hear things from far away, then we lose this tactical advantage. You didn’t think of that?” She asked, the annoying smirk on her face growing wider, somehow overriding my pain with annoyance.

“Come out! We are only after the daughter of Carmilla! If you surrender now and hand her over to us, we’ll let you live!” The voice of Kalmier shot out, somehow loud enough for us to hear him over the constant rattling of gunshots against our temporary shield.

Odette's smirk lowered immediately after hearing this, and she returned to the same cold and calculating look she always had when she thought of a plan. Her red eyes immediately shot to me, and her shoulders tensed in the same sort of untrusting manner that she had after I first saved her in the bomb storage room.

Something was different this time, though; although there was still distrust present, there was something else. Something in her eyes almost said that she actually trusted me… No, trust wouldn’t be the right word. It was more of a sort of belief; she believed that I wouldn’t betray her. The way she didn’t even attempt to reach for any sort of weapon to protect herself indicated this fact.

And unfortunately, she was right.

“How about you go fuck yourself with those tentacles of yours!” I yelled out, causing the tension in Odette’s shoulders to leave, a smile returning to her face. 

I already threw my lot in with this girl, and she already put her trust in me. I couldn’t betray her, as much as I’ve always been told to let go of assets as soon as they lose their worth, I couldn’t do it. We were in this together.

Still, though, the cephalopod assassin said something very interesting. To hand over Carmilla's daughter.

Does this mean that Odette is the daughter of Carmilla Carmine, who appears to be the owner of the factory? If so, then that would make this entire kidnapping situation make a lot more sense.

When I was about to speak up and clarify this point, I was immediately interrupted.

“Fine! Then you’ll die anyway!” The assassin said as he started to walk over to our location, the shots prattling against our box seemed to become more and more dangerous.

In response, I saw Odette move the black remote-like device and point it towards the bottom of one of the pallet racks that was to Kalmiers left. She pointed the remote to a collection of small back boxes that she had placed there when hunting for equipment.

“…3.” She said, eyes laser-focused.

“You know, I originally didn’t want to take this job, messing with an overlord is usually a bit too much for me. Especially when that overlord has a monopoly on angelic weaponry.” Kalmier monologued to us as he moved closer.

“…2.”

“But the amount of money they offered would be enough to set me up for the rest of my afterlife. Living like a king for at least a couple hundred years. I had to take the deal, so I promise it’s nothing personal, princess, it’s just business. I’m sure you understand.”

“…1.” 

“Besides, it’s not like I could have rejected the offer. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the assassination business in both the living world and Hell, it's that you can never reject people with that much money at their disposal. If I had, they would have found a way to kill me for even knowing they existed. So I hope you don’t hold this-”

“…Now!” Odette screamed as she pressed down on one of the buttons on the remote.

BOOM!

After doing so, a large explosion occurred at the base of the pallet rack she was pointing at, right where the small black boxes were.

‘Remote explosives.’ I thought as I heard the constant sound of gunshots stop as Kalmier was suddenly shaken by the numbing explosion.

Peaking over the box, I saw him stand back up as he stared up towards the mountain of boxes, and shelves started to fall onto him.

“SHIT!” He screamed as he tried to run in order to escape from the falling debris. Despite his efforts, however, it seemed that Odette’s timing was impeccable, as he was unable to escape from the debris as he got crushed.

“ARGH!” A singular, pained scream was the last thing I heard as I lost sight of Kalmier below the pile of metal boxes and racks.

“…Huh, that worked out well.” 

“Yes, but we were forced to show our hands earlier than I would’ve liked. I would’ve preferred to catch at least two of them in one of these explosions before our enemy became aware of their existence. It’ll be near impossible to catch them off guard with them now. Regardless, that’s one down.”

I stared down as I touched the wound I got from just fighting one of them. “Ya… Only five more to go, easy, right?”

Odette responded by giving me a weird look. “I don’t see how it would be easy to deal with five more highly skilled assassins.” She said, causing me to sigh.

“Have you never heard of sarcasm before?” I asked, causing a realization in Odette as she figured out what I meant. This action then made her look surprisingly embarrassed.

“Oh, right…sarcasm.” She said in an attempt to salvage the situation… which failed miserably. It did get a good laugh out of me, though.

“Haha, you are not good at socializing, are y-”

BOOM!

The rest of my sentence was cut off as the giant of a man that was Hannibal, like a bull, barged through the rubble that had crushed Kalmier. With a quick move from his hand, he sent me flying away, hitting one of the racks. Causing resounding pain to shoot through my entire body.

“Argh! What the… FUCK!” I screamed again as the cannibal ran up to my body, grabbed it like a ragdoll with a single hand, and slammed me against the wall again. Cracking one of my visors on the gas mask.

‘OOF… ok, I feel like at least 3 of my ribs are broken.’ I painfully thought as the gray-skinned individual with glowing gauntlets brought his large face directly to mine, breathing on me.

“Found you!” It said, as saliva seemed to escape the corners of his mouth. “You shot me. NOBODY SHOOTS HANNIBAL AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!” It screamed as saliva started to hit my face as I desperately tried to free myself from its grasp but failed to do so.

“Now, hehehe.” It started to laugh creepily as he reared his free hand back. “I’m gonna eat your fucking-”

SLICE 

“ARGH! You bitch!” Hannibal screamed as I looked down, noticing Odette had caught up to us and used one of her glowing ballerina shoes, of all things, to slice open one of the creature's heels. This caused it to quickly fall down and take a knee while it still held me against the wall.

He quickly reeled his hand back to strike at Odette, who managed to gracefully jump out of the way, almost like they were dancing. From there, she jumped up high and impaled both of her sharp shoes into the cannibal's chest as she reached behind her back for her glowing spear.

Hannibal, noticing this, let go of me as I dropped to the floor. He attempted to grab onto the girl that stuck herself to him, only to stop as Odette managed to grab the spear and shove it hard into the creature's right eye, resulting in blood flying out of the creature's former eye.

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!! FUCK YOU-”

BANGBANGBANGBANG

The cannibal, who attempted to plummet his fist at Odette with his gauntlets, was cut short as I fired an entire round from my MP7, which I could now grab since I was free, into the creature's stomach.

I saw the life drain from the creature's only remaining eye as it fell to the ground, Odette still on top of it.

Dead.

“Huhuhu, didn’t miss this time.” I managed to say after taking in a couple of heavy breaths. This thing clearly did some damage to my ribs, to the point that it felt like something was stabbing me every time I breathed. The adrenaline manages to subvert most of the pain, but by god, this is going to hurt in the morning. You know, considering I survived till morning.

“I might not be great at socializing, but that doesn’t mean I’m not capable in other areas.” Odette said as she managed to pull her spear out of the cannibal's eye canal. “My mother focused on teaching me… different skills.”

“Well, remind me to thank your mother next time I see her then... By the way, is your mom Carmilla Carmine?” I asked, finally being able to ask her about the question I started before we were interrupted. She looked at me, confused by my question. 

“Yes. Were you not aware of that?” She questioned, as I noticed something behind her. It was weird, but I thought I saw the cannibal's body move for a second. “I thought it was public knowledge that I was one of Carmilla’s daugh-”

‘Wait a second... Dammit!’

Without explanation, I quickly pushed Odette out of the way as I felt a searing pain in my right shoulder. A whole that was shaped suspiciously like a knife opened up for no apparent reason. 

Despite that, I shoved my right hand forward and grabbed onto what appeared to be nothing out of the air, but my hand stopped as if it had grabbed a solid object.

“Got you!” I screamed as I pinned the invisible creature against the same wall I was just pinned against. I used my free hand to pull out my glowing knife and stab the air in front of me.

“Argh! How did you—ARGH!” A voice from in front of me suddenly spoke as I moved the knife out and cut where I believed its head was.

It appears I guessed correctly, as shortly after doing so, the lizard-looking assassin suddenly faded into existence. A large cut appeared around its neck as it desperately clenched both of its hands against the wound. 

I heard it gasp for air, desperately trying to keep the blood that was flowing out of its neck like a waterfall. It stared at me one last time, with so much vileness, contempt, and pure hatred.

I let go as it fell to the floor, hands that were formerly around its neck draped to the side. Its eyes suddenly became lifeless as it fell to the floor, leaving a large splatter of blood.

Honestly, if it wasn’t for the fact that the foundation trained us guards to be ready for the strangest of threats, including those of an invisible nature, then this thing might have sneaked up on us. Luckily, I caught it before it could do serious damage.

‘Still, I am getting extremely injured.’ I thought as I grabbed the lizard's glowing dagger that it had stabbed into my right shoulder, and pulled it out while releasing a muffled cry of pain. ‘If I keep this up, then I’ll be out of commission before the assassins.’

I moved my hand to try and grab my bandage wrap that I had put back into my tactical vest, only for it to slip out of my grasp because of the pain from the hole in my shoulder.

“Shit.” I said as I reached down to grab it again, my left hand preoccupied with gripping the wound on my right shoulder.

As I went to grab it, however, I saw a gray hand reach down and pick it up for me. Looking up, I saw the hand belonged to Odette.

“Do you mind if I help?” She asked, already starting to unwrap some bandages from the wrap. I chuckled at this, but I nodded. I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

She nodded in response as she went behind me, beginning to wrap the bandage tightly around my shoulder.

“… I guess I owe you one. Again.” Odette said, causing me to look at her confusedly again.

“What do you mean?” She looked at me once again, like I had just asked the most obvious question in the world.

“You know. You saved me from Hannibal when he first found us. Then I saved you from being shot from Eyesore. You then saved me again when Kalmier began shooting us. I then saved you from Hannibal when he had you against the wall. Now you just saved me again by pushing me out of the way when Lizal attempted to stab me, taking the hit yourself. That means I currently owe you-”

“Hahahaha!” Odette’s explanation was suddenly cut off from my laughter because, holy shit that was hilarious.

“What’s so funny?” She asked, actually confused. This action just made me laugh more.

"N-nothing, hehe, it’s just... Are you actually keeping track of that?” 

“… well, yes. I need to remember exactly what I owe you so that I can return-”

“Hahahaha! Wow, you really don't have any idea what it means to help someone.” I turned to look at the now confused woman, giving her a soft smile. “Listen, you don’t owe me anything. As long as we make it out of here alive, I’ll consider that payment enough.”

“… You don’t want anything in return? You mean you did all of this without a proper incentive in mind?” She asked, clarifying. I sighed at this.

“Look, I already said before that I don’t know why I did this. Maybe it was instinct; maybe it was a spur-of-the moment decision. But believe it or not, and unfortunately for me, some people can’t just stand around and let terrible things happen to others who don’t deserve it.” She finished bandaging my shoulder, so I stood up and looked her straight in the eyes. “I mean, who knows what they’re gonna do if they catch you. Torture, blackmail, and so many more awful things. Trust me, I should know, and I would never wish that sort of stuff on my worst enemy.”

Odette looked curious about what I meant but decided to let it go. “Why would someone in... dammit, move!” Odette quickly said this as she grabbed my shoulder and dragged me behind one of the metal crates. 

Bang!

I heard a bullet strike the location I was just standing in, leaving a small hole. Looking up, I saw the origin of the bullet.

There, standing on top of one of the racks after repositioning, stood Eyesore with their sniper out. Pointed at our location.

“… Well, I suppose by your logic, this makes us even now.” I smirked, causing Odette to roll her eyes before pulling out her white sniper rifle.

“Do you have any paper on you?” Odette asked, causing me to tilt my head in confusion. Still, I pulled out a small pocket-sized notebook and pen that I usually keep in my tactical vest.

“Do you mind if I borrow that?”

“Sure. What do you need it for?” I asked, confused. 

Handing her the notebook and pen, I saw her beginning to scribble a bunch of gibberish on it. It almost looked like she was calculating something, but what?

“Let’s see… She was on rack H… third to last... We had recent construction on that one, so it’s about… 3 cm taller than the average… accounting for her height and the floor.” Odette started speaking the same gibberish that she was writing down, barely registering my existence.

I just awkwardly sat there, too scared to peek around the corner and risk exposing my face. If I did, I’d probably be shot before I had a chance to register what happened. 

“… you know, I have flashbangs. We might be able to set one off and use the opportunity to move.” I suddenly added, causing my glasses-wearing friend to stop her mumbling as she looked at me.

“That wouldn’t be a good idea.” She said before looking back down at the notebook and continuing what she was doing. “Even if we do manage to avoid her for now, having a sniper constantly watch over our movements will put us at a considerable disadvantage. It’s better if we take them out now, get rid of them before they have a chance to land a shot.”

That… seemed fair. Snipers are a pain in the ass to deal with. A good sniper with a decent enough position can sometimes take out entire regiments of highly skilled soldiers. Like warfare, it was never fair.

“… Dammit, it’s hard to get this right without having a clear line of sight at her. But that isn't possible unless we want to lose our heads.” She complained, looking at her notebook. I still wasn’t certain what she was doing, but she obviously needed to get a good look at Eyesore.

“I think I can help you with that.” I said as I unsheathed my normal, not glowing dagger and brought it slightly above our box. It wasn’t the clearest thing in the world, but the reflection allowed us to get a decent look at Eyesore, who occupied the top of one of the far-off racks. No normal gun would be able to reach her easily.

“…thanks.” Odette said, before returning her gaze back to her notebook and continuing with her calculations. About a minute later, she handed the notebook and pen back to me.

“Alright, I think I know how to deal with Eyesore. If it fails, though, then we’re guaranteed to be screwed.” She said, looking at me. “I’m also going to need your help for this to work. I know that you currently don’t owe me anything, but-”

“Again with the whole ‘owing each other something’ shtick ?" I mocked, as I started at Odette. "Listen, I don’t care about that, alright. If you have a plan to get out of this, then you have my full support. Got it?” 

Odette seemed shocked again at my constant declarations of trusting her, though it seems that my trust is starting to rub off on her as she smiles in response. “Alright, if that’s the case, then here’s what I want you to do.”

She shoves the glowing sniper rifle in my hand before gesturing back towards the sniper. “Eyesore is skilled, but even the deadliest snipers need a second to figure out what to shoot. They want me alive, so if I go out, then it’s very likely that there’s going to be a slight moment of hesitation where she has to correct her aim to shoot my legs or some other non-vital appendage. That's when we kill them.”

I looked down at my new sniper rifle, starting to put the pieces together. “Alright, but then what do you want me to do? Shoot them while they’re distracted? I might be a decent sniper, but I’m not gonna pretend that I can outshoot someone who is literally named Eyesore. Their aim is definitely better than mine.”

“Then it’s a good thing you won’t need to aim.” I stared at Odette, confused, as a smirk appeared on her face. “All you need to do is place the sniper on my shoulder and shoot. Don’t hesitate, and you’ll hit her.”

“… Are you sure?” I asked, unsure exactly how she knew that.

“I am. You're going to have to trust me on this.” She looked at me as if waiting for an answer.

‘Trust. Why does it always come back to trust with you, Halara?' I thought to myself as I looked back at Odette, before giving her a thin smile.

“Of course.” I said simply. Odette seemed to smile at my reply as she took the pen I had given her and drew a thin line on her right shoulder, then mirrored that line by drawing one on the sniper rifle.

“When I say go, try your best to make sure these lines connect perfectly and fire. You do that, and we should be fine.” 

“… wait, did you actually... wow.” I said, finally realizing what she needed my notebook for. If what I am thinking is true, then this woman is so much more damn impressive than I gave her credit for!

“Yes, I did. Are you ready?” She asked, resulting in me nodding my head. “Good. Move when I say now.”

“…3.” I took a deep breath as I clutched the sniper rifle in my hands.

“…2.” I couldn’t hesitate here, not now. I needed to focus completely and remember all the training I’ve been through.

“…1.” I might not have been the best when it came to following orders. But by god, if I wasn’t known for my improvisation on the field.

“…Now.” She said quietly, moving sharply around the corner and into an open view of the sniper. I followed directly behind her, like a shadow mimicking its master’s movements.

I quickly arranged the sniper on Odette’s shoulder, who seemed to kneel down at a bit of an angle, allowing the end of the sniper to point directly at where Eyesore occupied themselves at. 

It took me about half a second to arrange correctly, which is enough time for any decent enough sniper to shoot their target if they got the opportunity to. However, it seemed Odette’s prediction was right on the money, as even after half a second passed, no bullet came flying in our direction.

‘Bingo.’ I smirked, pulling the trigger.

BANG!

The recoil sent me tumbling back a little bit, and it also caused Odette to cover her ears with her hands. A sniper did just go off next to her; it would’ve been surprising if she didn’t suffer from some ringing as a result.

However, it looked like the plan was a success, as I looked back to where the former famous sniper once was. Now, there was nothing more than a body lying there, a large red hole in the middle of where its once massive eye used to be.

“… I am honestly a little shocked that worked.” I said as I walked up to Odette, who was still covering their ears. “Are you ok?”

“Huh!?” She screamed into my ear, causing me to flinch. “What did you say!?!?”

“I said, Are you okay!?”

“You want some cocaine!?”

“No! I’m wondering if your ears are hurting!”

“You want to see if my balls are showing!?”

“No! I’m wondering if you can hear—oh, forget it!” I suddenly proclaimed as I walked away.

“Guess you have sensitive ears.”

"Hey! My ears aren’t that sensitive!”

“OH OF COURSE YOU COULD HEAR THAT PART!” I sighed as I sat back down before looking back at her. “Ok, are you actually feeling better now?”

“… Ya, still a little hard to hear though. This is not ideal. I can’t believe I forgot that shooting a sniper right next to my ear would cause damage.” She sighed as she clenched her right ear.

“Well, we should probably get moving soon. We may have managed to exterminate four hostiles, but there are still the last two. Striker and Bombi, right?” I asked, causing Odette to stare at me, worry present in her eyes.

“Yes, and they’re the ones I’m worried about. Striker, while a bit of an enigma in the assassin industry, still managed to nearly kill a member of the Ars Goetia. That’s something no normal assassin can even come close to completing. As for Bombi, he’s one of the few sinners who are capable of using magic.” She explained as I started to realize something.

‘She keeps talking about magic. Is this thaumaturgy she’s talking about? Or is it something different from what we normally consider magic? Whatever, I’ll ask once we’re done here.’ I thought to myself as I returned my focus to Odette.

“Bombi can cause destruction on a massive scale if given the chance. Honestly, our best bet with him is to try and sneak attack him from a distance. Preferably with a sniper-”

“Bang.”

BOOM!

A voice, followed by a massive explosion, shook me and Odette as we fell to the floor. A massive explosion of flame just barely missed us.

Looking up, I saw a silhouette of a familiar man in the distance, humanoid in appearance but with orange skin. Two purple fingers pointed towards us as if he were miming a gun.

“We need to run! Now!” Odette suddenly screamed as she stood up and fled backwards, away from the figure. I stood up, seeing no reason not to listen to what she said as I ran after her.

“Why!? Is that Bombi-”

“Bang.”

BOOM!

Another explosion rang out just to the right of us, barely missing as I felt some shrapnel from blown-apart metal and wood hit the right side of my body. This time, though, I saw the source.

Bombi merely moved his fingers as if he were shooting something, said ‘bang,’ and caused massive explosions. This was an extremely dangerous anomalous ability.

I attempted to turn around and raise my MP7 to retaliate. Before I could fire, though.

“Bang.”

BOOM!

Another explosion knocked me away, ruining my aim as my gun shot at nothing in the air. Bouncing off the roof of the expansive warehouse.

“ARGH! Shit!” I screamed in pain, the left side of my body being slightly burned from the explosion that nearly killed me.

“Don’t try to engage. Just run!” Odette said again as she ran back to help me to my feet. Before we began running again.

“Bang. Bang!”

BOOM! BOOM!

Two more explosions echoed around us as we tried to maneuver our way through the labyrinth of shelves and boxes. While powerful, it seemed that this ability was very accurate. Which worked in our favor, however-

“Bang Bang Bang! HAHAHA THIS SO SO MUCH FUN! BANGBANGBANGBANG!”

BOOM BOOM BOOM! 

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

Explosions surrounded us as we tried to flee from the deadly fireballs. Most of them missed and hit the sides of the massive pallet racks in the warehouse, causing them to fall and crash around us. Any remaining explosive that Odette had planted beneath them went off prematurely at the chain reaction started by Bombi.

“ARGH!” I heard Odette scream after the recent explosions died down. Turning back, I saw that one of the many falling pieces of debris landed on her leg. Looking past, I noticed Bombi start making his way through the rubble, laughing like he just heard the funniest joke in the world. He is definitely a psychopath.

I turned around. I could run right now, leave her, and attempt to escape with my own life intact… Dammit, just leave! You need to live! You can’t die here! You still have to complete your mission!

Despite what I tried to tell myself, though, I just couldn’t will myself to run away.

‘… Shit. Fuck. Dammit. Shit!’ I mentally swore at myself as I ran back to Odette, pulling one of my flash grenades out of my pocket and tossing it into the air, covering my eyes.

BANG!

The flash went off, cutting off Bombi’s scream as I ran over to the prone Odette, who seemed to recognize the flash bang and look away in time.

Running over, I grabbed onto the heavy box that buried her leg and lifted it up using all my strength. “Move!” I managed to say as Odette, seeing the opportunity, crawled out of the rubble.

I dropped the box as I went to her side, giving her a shoulder to lean on.

“… why did you-” she started, only to be cut off by the sudden, booming laughter that surrounded us.

“HEHEHEHE. HAHAHAHAHAHA. THIS IS SO MUCH FUN BANG!”

BOOM!

The explosion hit way off in the distance, showing that the flashbang seemed to work on Bombi. It didn’t seem to bother him, though, as he continued laughing and causing explosions.

“I don’t even care if you die! I just wanna blow shit up! FUCK THE MONEY! FUCK MY EMPLOYER! I JUST WANT TO SEE YOU FUCKING EXPLODE! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” He laughed as I started to run with Odette out of the area of the unstable assassin, before the assault started.

“Now, time to die!” He said as he raised his hand up, mimicking a gun.

“Bang. Bang! BANG! BANG!! BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGABANG!!!”

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

BOOM!!!

Explosions rang out like a minefield; everywhere we turned, there was a new explosion, with a new blooming flower of orange flames expanding out towards us at an alarming speed.

The last explosion barely missed us as it singed the back of my SCP uniform, rendering the back of it unrecognizable and definitely giving me a couple of second-degree burns. The only reason these burns weren’t worse was because my uniform took the brunt of the damage.

“Ahh… fuck!” I cried out as I turned to my left, noticing I had dropped Odette to the side.

“Hehehehehehehe. What do we have here?” A crazy voice from behind me mocked. I turned back to see the origin coming from our explosion-hungry pursuer. He seemed to have regained his sight from the flashbang, as his finger gun was pointing directly at us.

“Well, bitch! Time to die!” He lowered his fingers, ready to set off an explosion.

I tried to reach down to my sidearm, desperately hoping that I could shoot this psycho before he had a chance to use his magic. I was too late, though. I knew I was going to be too late. 

‘Is this it? Is this really how I’m gonna die? After everything, this fucking psycho is what’s gonna end me? No! I can’t die yet! I still need to find everyone! I need to figure out where I am! Dammit!’

No matter what I told myself, though, it couldn’t change the current situation. I’ll die, and I’ll die failing to save someone again.

I closed my eyes, awaiting my death. Praying that in my next life, things would turn out better.

“Ban-” 

BANG!

The explosion never occurred, though, as in its place was a loud gunshot. Opening my eyes, I saw what it was for.

Bombi’s lifeless body fell to the floor. A bullet wound right in the center of his eyes. I looked at Odette, who was on the floor next to me, thinking she was the one who shot the bullet, but she didn’t have a gun and looked equally confused.

‘If she didn’t do it, then who did?’ I thought. My question was quickly answered when I heard a snarky laugh echo through the remains of the shelves in this section of the warehouse.

“That idiot. I couldn’t just let him kill my next paycheck.” The voice laughed, as I was unable to identify the source. “Well, you know what they say. If you want to do something right, you gotta do it yourself!”

SWOOSH.

A white, glowing lasso came flying towards us from behind, as with perfect precision caught Odette, who yelped in surprise.

“Halara!” She managed to yell before she was pulled back with inhuman strength, flying through the air.

“Dammit!” I screamed as I gave chase, only to see her fly back down to the ground as she landed with a rough thump. Right in front of the familiar visage of who I can now identify as Striker.

“Humph… You bast-”

BAM!

Odette’s rebuttal was cut short as Striker bludgeoned the back of her head with the butt of his six-shooter. He obviously was a professional, because that one hit managed to knock her out.

“Now, now, princess. There isn’t any need for that kind of language. I’m sure we’ll get to know each other very well-”

BANG!

Striker swerved his head to the side, causing the bullet that I fired from the white glowing pistol to fly right by his head. Then, like a predator showing his teeth, he turned to me.

“… Let her go.” I managed to say despite the intimidating presence of the assassin, who was obviously on a different level compared to the ones we dealt with before.

“Hehehehe. Hahahahaha.” Striker laughed as he brought his head back. “You are a riot, you know that. Hehe. It’s a shame I’m gonna have to kill ya.” 

“I’d like to see you try.” I said, miming confidence. It didn’t seem to fool the assassin, however, as he kept on laughing.

“… You really have no idea who I am, do ya?” He said this as he dropped Odette’s tied-up and unconscious body to the floor.

“Alright then, as a parting gift, I’ll show you who Striker is. But I’ll warn ya-.” He pulled out his six-shooter as I lifted my pistol up in return, still agonizing over the pain that threatened to consume my whole being. Still, I had to keep fighting through it; I couldn’t give up. Not yet.

“-I never let my target out of my sight!” 

BANG!

BANG!

 

---

Plague Doctor POV

Dr. Bright suddenly sat up from his stolen officer chair and stared at me.

“Hey plaugster, do you ever get the feeling that, despite being one of the fan favorite characters and most interesting characters in a story, you are constantly being sidelined for a drawn-out and very poorly written action scene?” Dr. Bright asked out of the blue, causing me to sigh.

“Bright, you have been reading far too much fanfiction recently.”

“But it’s so good down here!” Bright proclaimed like a child as he turned to his stolen computer, “Like, there’s literally endless options. Plus, there are so many romance stories about some guy named Alastor and literally every other citizen in Hell… I wonder if I can make one between you and him-”

“BRIGHT!”

“Kidding.” Bright teased before turning back to his computer. “Besides, that’s enough fourth wall breaking for one chapter.”

… I really hate this guy.

Notes:

“…”

“Got nothing to say this time?”

“No, I’m just tired.”

Here’s the next chapter. To be honest, it’s not my favorite that I’ve written so far, but I think it’s fine. I just hope that the action sequence wasn’t drawn out. I actually wanted to make this and next chapter the same chapter, but it got WAY too long, so I had to split them in two. I’m also gonna try and implement my first song next chapter, so hopefully you all enjoy that… I don’t really have much else to say. I guess just leave a comment if you have any question, suggestions, or critiques. Drop a Kudos if you enjoyed, and I hope you have a great day!

Chapter 7: In my sights

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Halara vs Striker.

Notes:

“How would you fight Striker?”

‘In my sights’ by paranoid DJ (song used in this chapter)

https://youtu.be/_6yBJFG1Js8?si=DvrqPoZ5In0h_K2H

BANG.

BANG.

Bullets flew out from both of their guns, with Striker easily dodging my bullet as it hit the back wall of the warehouse harmlessly.

As for the bullet that came from the glowing six-shooter, I just barely managed to avoid the shot as it left a deep cut on my left cheek. Breaking through the meager protection of the gas mask.

“Argh! Dammit.” I screamed as I jumped to the side, desperately trying to get some cover to protect myself from Striker's next onslaught of bullets. 

The bullets never came; however, as I began shooting Striker, he easily dodged around all my bullets with inhuman dexterity and caught up to me.

I attempted to unlatch my dagger and stab him, but using his tail like a rope, he grappled on to my right arm and pulled me to the floor. Kneeling.

"Do ya really think you have a chance?” He asked, before-

BAM!

He kicked me hard in the jaw, sending me hurdling backwards into a metal box, which I slammed hard into.

After grunting in pain, I quickly pulled out my glowing MP7 and began firing at the rodent. Only for him to run around. Laughing at me. Mocking me. As he somehow dodged every single bullet while dashing around like a fucking snake that was high on cocaine!

“Heh, do ya think that’s gonna do somethin’?” He said, before pulling out his six-shooter.

BANG!

A single shot was fired, but that was all he needed. The bullet shot straight forward and into my MP7, knocking it out of my hands, destroying it as its remains fell into the distance.

“Dammi-”

SMACK

“Argh!” I screamed in pain as Striker managed to close the distance between us like a cheetah and slap me backwards a couple feet. By the time I managed to sit back up and recover, he was already on my side.

I attempted to bring my hands up to defend myself, only to be overpowered by the man half my size as he grabbed onto the collar of my SCP uniform. Brining me close to his golden-toothed face.

“Had enough?” He asked, chuckling. I looked on in fear as I came to the realization that he had overpowered me in every area. Strength, speed, gunmanship, and everything in between. 

My eyes widened in fear. I was no match for him, and I knew it. 

“W-Who are you?” I subconsciously said, not used to being completely and utterly overpowered by an opponent in such a short amount of time.

“Who am I? Hehehehe, well, let me introduce you.” He said before throwing me back. I slowly sat up, trying to get my mind back to the fight.

… Wait, what's that sound? Why do I hear music?

I stared up and saw what I can only describe as four extremely small red creatures that seemed to be of the same race as Striker. They also each wore a sort of cowboy attire, with each of them playing an instrument of some kind. 

I was about to question it, but then I heard something that threw me for even more of a loop.

My story's like the others' from the plains of wrath below.
Where you only get dealt losing hands, the only life you'll know.

I turned around to see Striker, the assassin that I have been getting destroyed by, suddenly pull out a guitar. He then began to FUCKING SING!

This cannot be real.

While the rest of them could stay content with the lot that they have drawn.
I've got ambition more than that, above where I was born.

Despite the singing, the fucking musician suddenly threw away his guitar as he dashed at me in my moment of confusion and grappled me against the wall.

Some folks'll say there's no such thing as a man who is self-made
Let's see if folks'll say the same when they taste a holy blade
And I ain't one for chatter when I'm on the hunt for blood
Better go get your affairs in order 'fore I come to judge.

Striker pulled out a gleaming white dagger and held it up to my neck as he continued, before pushing to the side. Tossing me away like garbage.

I quickly sat up as I attempted to flee. I couldn't beat him in a fair fight. I need some sort of advantage. My struggle, though, only seemed to make Striker laugh before he jumped to the top of a pallet rack before following me.

So run baby run, gonna have to hunt you down
When every life will fetch a price, my talent knows no bounds
I'd say it's nothing personal, but that wouldn't be fair
'Cause if you're on my nasty side, then you ain't got a prayer!

I kept running as Striker kept jumping from the racks above me, staring down at me with his predatory eyes. Following me as I ran.

He pulled up his pistol to his eyes, aiming directly at me with a devilish smile.

Now you're in my sights
Better say goodnight 

He shot a bullet directly at my feet, piercing my leg and causing me to fall hard to the floor. He then jumped to the floor out of my sight.

You won't see the knife
Before I end your life 

Suddenly, the top of my mask was pulled up as Striker appeared behind me like a ghost. Holding the white knife up to my neck

Now you're in my sights
And I'm about to strike 

He then kicked me in the back, sending me sprawling forward on the floor. Face down in the concrete. He pointed his gun straight at me again.

You're just my type
To set my soul alight 

Instead of shooting me, though, he ran by me and started climbing the rack like a spider. His tail wrapped around my neck like a noose as he dragged me up the tower before throwing me up into the air. Dropping on the top of the rack.

The target doesn’t matter, whether sloth or lust or greed
I’ll wander takin’ any bounty, to give me what I need
The tools and all the firepower I could ever want

He slowly walked up to me as I struggled to stand, menacingly smiling as he finally stood over me. Despite his small height, he felt like a giant at that moment.

To challenge all the smarmy pricks and all the wealth they flaunt
Those bastards that had stole from us, they hide behind their names
But titles won’t mean shit when they got bullets in their brains

I shot my fist out, attempting to hit him, only for him to counter and grip my arm in a bone-crushing grip. I moved my legs out and attempted to sweep his legs, only for him to jump and land directly on my ankle.

As I was screaming in pain, he used his free foot to strike me in the face, sending me flying backwards. I attempted to stand back up, only for Striker to run up and grip my neck with his right hand. Holding me in a one-handed chokehold.

‘Cause I am through with listening to the whims of royalty
Unless, of course, they want divorce by way of contract fee…

Gripping my neck, he held me over the edge of the rack, right above Odette’s unconscious body, before chuckling. His golden eyes pierced straight into my soul.

Run baby run, gonna have to hunt you down
When every life will fetch a price, my talent knows know bounds
I'd say it's nothing personal, but that wouldn't be fair
'Cause if you're on my nasty side, then you ain't got a prayer!

He threw me down the large rack as I began plummeting to my death. Right before I hit the floor, though, a white lasso tied around my body, suspending me in the air. Stopping me from hitting the floor.

Striker proceeded to land in front of me while I was tied up and stared me straight in the eyes while singing this haunting melody of his, before using his dagger to cut the rope. Letting me fall to the floor. 

His shadow suddenly encompassed me as I looked up, seeing that he now stood over me. Staring down at me like a warden does to his prisoners.

Now you're in my sights
Better say goodnight
You won't see the knife
Before I end your life 

I leaned back and shot both my feet forward, striking him in the stomach as he was sent back a couple of feet. 

With much effort, I managed to stand up. I stared Striker straight in the eyes as I saw him give me a piercing smile, pulling a dagger from his side holster. I mirrored and did the same, pulling out my own dagger.

Now you're in my sights
And I'm about to strike
You're just my type
To set my soul alight 

We both dashed towards each other, weapons in hand. I went to strike first, only for the cowboy to push my arm away with his free hand. Leaving me open for him to strike me in the back of my head with the butt of the knife.

I grunted in pain as I fell over, before using the momentum to attempt to hit Striker. Once again, however, I was reminded just how far out of my league I was. He easily gripped my hand, causing me to drop the dagger as he once again pinned me against one of the racks.

So take heed, darlin', of what I said
I ain't choosing between alive or dead
You're just a ticket that I've gotta claim
And the last thing you'll hear is me and my name

He then replaced his dagger with his six-shooter as he placed the barrel of the gun against my chin. He sings creepily into my ear. Sweating and terrified, my eyes desperately searched around the warehouse. I was desperate to find a way to escape as Striker moved so close that I could feel him breathing down my neck.

Now you're in my sights
Better say goodnight
You won't see the knife
Before I end your life 

Seeing a chance to escape this situation, I headbutted Striker with the lens of my gas mask, sending him reeling backwards. He clutched the top of his head while I used my leg to kick him backwards, sending him skidding back. I used this opportunity to run towards Odette's body, hoping to find a way to wake her up and even things out.

Now you're in my sights
And I'm about to strike
You're just my type
To set my soul alight 

I ran. I ran as hard as I could despite the hole in my leg as I tried to reach Odette, my hand outreached towards her… Only to be stopped by the tail that suddenly wrapped around my right hand. Looking back, I saw the rest of the tail belonged to my second-least favorite cowboy, Striker.

Then, using his inhuman strength, Striker used his tail to throw me over his shoulder. Tossing me into one of the racks like a ragdoll.

Now you're in my sights
Now you're in my sights
You won't even see before I end your life
Now you're in my sights 

Striker jumped up into one of the shelves, his pistol pointed out towards me as I slowly stood up from my prone position. I was hurt. Bloody. The fact that I haven’t been rendered unconscious from my injuries at this point is nothing short of a miracle.

I looked up as Striker seemed to finish his song. Looking farther down, I saw the four other tiny impish creatures who were playing the music during that entire… Musical number, I guess?

Anyways, I saw them all leave, jumping out of one of the high up open windows at the warehouse walls.

“Any last words?” Striker asked, gun pointed at me. I chuckled internally, slowly realizing that this was it.

I’m dead.

“... First of all, I would ask how you managed to get your own theme song.” I somehow managed to joke. It also seemed to strike a nerve as the cowboy suddenly flinched.

“Very funny.” He said sarcastically before cocking his gun back. “If that’s how ya really want to die, then fine.” 

“Nah, there’s one more thing I need to do.” I said as I whipped out my remaining, normal pistol.

“Hehe. You think that you still have a chance in hell to hit me?” He laughed, causing me to smirk.

“No, just a promise to keep.” I said as I swerved my pistol away from Striker and towards the unconscious body of Odette. “I’m sorry, Odette.”

“Wait… Shit!” Striker yelled out with wide eyes. Seemingly realizing what I was about to do.

Though, for the first time in this entire fight, it seemed that I was just a bit faster. I squeezed the trigger, closing my eyes.

‘Sorry, Odette. I really hope that you know what you’re doing.’ I silently lamented as the bullet shot forward. Striker's eyes became mini-suns, showing true anger for the first time in this entire battle.

The bullet came close to Odette’s body, aiming directly for her head. The only thing I can take pride in is the fact that she won't have to go through whatever torture they obviously had in store for her.

TING.

Except that the bullet never reached its target, as I heard a loud ringing sound. I opened my eyes, shocked by the scene ahead of me.

In front of the unconscious body, where a second ago there was nothing but open air, stood an extremely tall woman. She had gray skin, like Odette. Gigantic white hands. And long legs with glowing white shoes, her left leg lifted up in the air.

‘Did she deflect a bullet with her leg? How!?’ I internally panicked as I saw the woman lower her leg as she looked behind her. Staring deeply at the unconscious figure that lay there.

I saw her clench her gigantic fists in rage. Her red eyes seemed to be glowing with a barely contained frenzy. She stared back at me with pure bloodlust.

“So, you must be the intruder. The thief… And my daughter's kidnapper.” She said the last part, glaring. Ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

‘Wait, daughter?’ I internally questioned as I tried to process what she said. But didn’t that octopus say that Odette was the daughter of...

“Oh… Fuck.” 

“Indeed.” She suddenly dashed forward, faster than any vehicle I’ve ever seen. Before-

BAM!

 

---

Carmilla POV

I ran forward, striking the bastard in the stomach. Knocking the wind out of her as she flew backwards, rolling on the ground until she eventually stopped.

I just arrived at the factory mere moments ago, only to witness the bodies of countless of my former workers litter the factory floor. I ran to the warehouse as fast as I could, hoping Delras' information was still reliable, in order to catch my daughter's kidnapper.

It seems he wasn’t lying, as I spotted both my  unconscious daughter, and a person wearing a gas mask firing their gun at someone wearing one of my factory uniforms. If that wasn’t bad enough, I saw them shoot my daughter, who I noticed wasn’t moving on the floor. 

The GALL of them. Trying to take her life. To take her away from me!

Maybe in any other situation, I would’ve taken more time to figure out exactly what was happening. But now? 

No.

I saw her struggle to rise. Obviously discombobulated after my last hit. Good.

“Ok… argh, I know this looks r-really bad. But if y-you just let me-”

FWOOSH.

“AHH!” She screamed as I shot over to her. Lifting her up in the air with one hand. 

I stared deeply into her eyes. My own eyes were piercing straight through her as I saw her struggle in my iron grip. I was so focused that I completely ignored the movement I spotted out of the corner of my eye.

“P-pl-please…” She managed to choke out. It was impressive considering the amount of force I was putting her through. I slightly loosened my grip, if only to humor her and her attempts to plead for mercy.

“I-I didn’t kidnap h-her.” She managed to say. A desperate attempt to save her own skin, no doubt.

I threw her to the floor hard. She let out a cry of pain after hitting the concrete flooring.

“And why should I trust you?” I asked, condescending as I slowly walked over to the coward. Only willing to lie without actually fighting. 

I was certain it was a lie. It had to be.

I watched as she struggled to take a few deep breaths. She was tattered with all sorts of injuries, obviously from the constant battles she had if the collection of bodies around my factory was anything to go by.

“I-I don’t know. But I’m not the one who did this.” She motioned to the destroyed boxes and shelves around us, which I had only just noticed. “It was him!”

She pointed up to one of the intact pallet racks. On it, there was...

“Nothing.” I said, noticing the empty space she pointed at. Seeming confused, she looked around frantically. Almost like she was in search of something.

She was dedicated to this lie, at least; I’ll give her that. But it was all for naught.

“B-but he was- He was right-”

“I’m tired of this pathetic game, girl.” I interrupted her attempts to think of an excuse as I slowly walked towards her. In response, she pathetically tried to move backwards, dragging herself across the floor.

‘Seriously, how did Odette possibly lose to someone so pathetic?’ I internally grimaced as I saw the hurt kidnapper back up against a fallen metal crate. Nowhere left to go.

She screamed as I shot my hand out again, clutching her throat hard enough that it would hurt. But still allow her to talk.

“I’ll give you one. Last. Chance.” I glared with glowing red eyes, raising my free hand high in the air as she struggled to escape. “Why should I even begin to trust you?”

I saw her stop struggling to release herself from my grip. Her arms fell limply to the side. 

“…You can’t.” She finally said, causing me to temporarily widen my eyes in surprise. 

“You can’t trust me; you have no reason to trust me. But still, I’m asking you to do so.” Her cracked visors on her gas mask stared up at me.

“… And why should I?” I finally asked, intrigued by where exactly she was taking this line of questioning.

“I don’t really have a good reason, so-” she started as she raised one of her limp hands up to her gas mask. “-I just hope this is good enough for you.”

She removed her mask, raising it above her. Only to reveal a-

-A

‘No.’

My shock caused me to immediately let go, letting the girl... No, letting the human drop to the floor. 

‘It—it can’t be. That’s not possible; it shouldn't be possible. And yet she’s a… A human. A human in Hell!’ My mind was in shambles. What was going on? Is this a trick? Is this some sort of disguise? There’s no way she can be an actual human, right?

I took a step back as I saw her greedily take in large breaths of air. Recovering from my recent attack. I just stood there, baffled.

“I-it,” the human, began to speak through herculean effort. “It was Striker.”

“…Striker?” I asked, still confused over the events that had just transpired.

“Well, ain't that a twist.” I heard a masculine voice say from behind me. Turning around, my previous concern and confusion over the human immediately vanished. Replaced, once again, with hatred.

The reason for this was that this imp, of all things, held an angelic pistol. 

Pointed directly at my daughter's head.

He had my daughter tied with an angelic rope, and was holding her upright with his free hand. His six-shooter was pressed firmly against the right side of her head.

“I gotta admit, I wasn't expectin’ a human of all things to be under that mask of yours. Though it doesn't really change much.” The imp, Striker, I believed the human called him, remarked. 

“… I would implore you to think carefully over your next move.” I warned, ignoring the discovery of the human for later. There was something far more important to deal with now. “Let my daughter go now, and I will forgive you for your past transgressions.”

“Hehehe. Sorry, but that ain’t how this is gonna work. In case you didn’t notice-” He pushed the muzzle of his gun harder into Odette’s skull. I widened my eyes in anger. “-you ain’t the one in control here.”

“… I could kill you easily.” I warned, my eyes darting around for some way to get my daughter back from this bastard's clutches. This only made the imp laugh, however. 

“Maybe. But could you really guarantee the princesses safety if you do that?” He asked, resulting in me grimacing. “I know you're fast. But can ya really stop me from blowin' her brains out?” 

I clenched my fists in anger as I examined the distance between the two of us. 

‘60 feet. I can cover that distance in less than a second if I needed to. Would that be fast enough? Probably not. If this was the man who took down Odette and eliminated all my security in the factory, then he’s very skilled. Dammit!’ I cursed internally, knowing that if I played things differently when I got here by helping Odette instead of immediately going after the human, then I wouldn’t be in this situation.

“Hehe, good girl.” Striker mocked me, noticing that I no longer seemed to prepare myself for a mad dash. “Now, I believe it’s time we begin our negotiations.”

“… What do you want?”

“Everything.” Striker exclaimed with a large, toothy smile. “Your company. Your riches. Your souls. Your empire… And your life.”

“Why?” I asked, trying to buy time. Striker seemed to shrug in response.

“Don’t know, don’t really care. Though I think I can make a pretty good guess as to what my employer wants them for.” He joked.

‘That means he’s working for someone else. It makes sense, but who would be stupid enough to mess with her? Maybe another overlord? No, the only ones stupid enough to try and take over her empire would be the V’s, and hiring assassins just isn’t their style. But if not them, then who?’

As I was thinking about all of this, I noticed that Odette seemed to stir. She slowly opened her eyes, with both me and Striker staring at her with large, focused glares.

So focused, in fact, that both of us failed to notice that near-dead figure that started to move away from the impromptu hostage situation.

 

---

Odette POV

My eyes slowly slid open as my consciousness returned to me.

‘What happened? Where am I? Agh, why does my head hurt so much?’ I thought to myself. Trying to remember where I was-

-wait a second... Shit!

My eyes shot open as I suddenly remembered all that had occurred. From the intruder, to the assassins, to killing the assassin, to finally getting roped away by Striker.

I hoped that the last part would be nothing but a figment of my imagination; however, as I observed my surroundings.

Unfortunately, it seemed that I didn’t misremember anything.

I noticed that I was tied by angelic rope, robbing me of all possible movements. Looking around, I saw the destroyed warehouse, along with the familiar imp that had a gun held to the side of my head. Most surprising, however, would have to be the new figure on the scene. Standing a mere 60 feet away.

“M-mothe-”

"Well, would ya look at that. The princess’s back, enjoy your nap?” Striker asked, rudely interrupting what I was attempting to say.

“Odette, I want you to listen very carefully.” My mother started, staring at me like a hawk. “You’ll be fine, alright? I promise. So please stay calm.”

I attempted to nod, only for Striker to push the end of his gun deeper into my temple. This action caused my mother to clench her fists even harder in rage.

“She won’t be alright for much longer if you don’t do exactly as I say.” He chuckled, clearly getting off to the fact that he had an overlord on the rope. “Besides, my employer promised to pay me extra the sooner I get this done. So we should wrap this up.” 

Striker then moved his free hand down into his pocket, pulling out of it what looked like a golden piece of paper. My eyes widened as I immediately recognized what it was.

“…A soul contract. Really?” My mother said, also clearly identifying the object despite the long distance. Striker seemed to let out a hearty laugh at her answer.

“Of course.” He said, mocking her as he tossed the contact over to mother, where she easily managed to catch it out of the air. “You don’t expect us to come to this agreement verbally now, do ya? No. When I said they wanted everything, I meant everything.” 

My mother opened up the contract, scowling at what she saw. “I see. In exchange for both my daughter’s safety, you get not only the entirety of Carmine Industries and all the souls connected to it, but also my absolute servitude.”

My eyes widened at what she said. Is that really what they’re asking for? That price is far too steep. 

“That’s right. In exchange for becoming my employer's lil bitch. We can assure your princess’s safety. If not, however... Well, let's just say that I hope you don’t mind me repainting this floor of yours red.” He chuckled as my mind went into a panic.

“M-Mother please. You can’t-”

“You shut your damn mouth!” Striker demanded, hitting me in the side of the head with his pistol again. Mother's eyes opened in rage, looking like she was ready to pounce again. Only to stop herself. 

“Hehe, I guess the rumors were true. You really do care more about your daughter's than your empire.” Striker gloated, noticing her reaction. In response, she looked back down at the paper.

“… What are the exact terms of the agreement?” She questioned, sounding dejected. This caused me to open my eyes wide in panic as Striker's grin grew wider.

I noticed he began talking to her, probably explaining some of the specifics of the contract. And mother, she just stood there. Motionless.

‘This- This can’t be happening. I can’t let this happen!’ I thought in a frenzied panic. Dying was one thing, but being the reason why mother enters into eternal servitude is something I can’t stand. I can’t let this happen. ‘There’s got to be some way out of this! Come on, Odette, think! You have to think of something!’

I panicked as I desperately searched the interior of the warehouse. Looking for something—anything—that could get us out of this situation. To stop this fucking Imp that was taking advantage of mother.

‘Even if it required ending myself.’

As I searched around the interior desperately, my eyes caught something. It doesn’t seem like Striker or mother have spotted it, entranced in their conversation and ‘negotiations’ with each other.

What I saw, though, couldn’t have been real. I had to keep my gasp of surprise quiet, however, in fear of Striker hearing me. But what I saw was unreal. It couldn’t be real.

And yet, I still saw it.

‘A human?’ I thought in disbelief, spying what appeared to be a human female sneaking around the left side of us. Hiding around the different boxes and debris in an attempt to reach our locations silently. 

She had long blonde hair, and her face looks like it’s been to hell and back, no pun intended. I saw her stare at me, her finger over her lips, signaling me to be quiet.

It was then that I noticed what she was wearing. Although burned and broken to shit, the outfit was still familiar. Especially with the recognizable sequence of letters that adorned her outfit's sleeve. Those letters being SCP.

‘Halara?’ My mind immediately told me, recognizing the outfit. Does that mean that Halara, this entire time, was a human?

‘… Whatever, I can worry about this later. What matters now is getting out of here without mother selling her soul.’ I responded to Halara by giving her a tiny nod, showing that I understood what she meant. 

She nodded back as she continued her way around us. This lasted for about a minute, until she reached a point where she was around 10 feet to my left. Hiding behind one of the fallen boxes.

“Now. I believe that’s all you need to know.” I heard Striker say. Shit, that meant he was probably close to done with their chat. I looked back at Halara in panic as I saw her pull out the regular pistol I had given her earlier.

I saw her aim the pistol up, as I attempted to signal her to shoot me using my eyes. I saw her stare for a second, as if deciphering, before her own eyes opened wide in surprise.

She looked back at me, as if asking if I was sure. I gave her a tiny nod, to which she gave me a slow nod in return with begrudging understanding.

I saw her move the firearm away from Striker and towards me. Good.

From what I know of Striker, the chances of her actually hitting him are very unlikely, even if she had the element of surprise. If she shoots me, however, then I’ll just come back.

Sure, it’ll hurt like all hell to regenerate; it always does. But I’d prefer that to being shot by an angelic weapon like the one Striker had. Sinners can’t come back if they’re killed by such weapons. That’s why they’re so coveted to begin with, and why I told Halara to shoot me with a regular gun if things got rough.

Halara seemed to close her eyes, before listening to my silent request, ready to pull the trigger.

BANG!

A loud bang shot out, though it just wasn’t from the source I expected. My ears rang again in a high-pitched screeching as Striker shot his gun, whizzing past my head directly into Halara’s gun, hitting with unreal accuracy. 

I heard Halara scream in pain as Striker chuckled.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you? Hehe, I guess humans are just as stupid as the sinners they become.” He gloated as I gritted my teeth. Looking at my mother, it seemed she shared a similar frustration. I saw Halara attempt to reach for something on her belt, only to stop when Striker pressed his gun harder against my temple.

“I wouldn’t do that, not unless you want the princess's head to be blown open.” Striker warned as I saw Halara peer over the mother, who seemed to shake her head. This caused Halara to seem agitated, but she complied and dropped her hands.

“Now that’s more like it.” Striker released an intimidating grin before looking back at mother. “Times up; sign that contract now. Or else.”

My mother looked more than angry; she looked furious. The last time I saw her like this, she killed a fucking excorcist. Despite that, however, I saw her slowly reach down and magically summon a feathered pen. Bringing it to the contract.

No. NO! I wanted to yell, to scream at her not to do this! I wasn’t worth this! She doesn’t need to suffer because of my mistake! NOT AGAIN! 

Tears sting my eyes as the pen hits the paper. I saw Halara out of the corner of my eye, also frantically searching for something. Striker's smile grew wide as she began to sign it.

No. NO! STOP IT! 

CRASH!

A sudden crashing sound rang out from my right, and as we all looked over to the origin, I spotted what appeared to be a couple of wooden boxes that seemed to fall off of one of the remaining racks, breaking into pieces.

What was strange, though, was that the rubble began to move. It was almost as if something was attempting to climb out. 

“Who the fucks there!” I heard Striker scream and tensed up. Halara and Mother appeared to be acting in the same way. 

Slowly, the rubble moved apart, revealing a…

“A teddy bear?” My mother said, momentarily having her attention taken away in confusion. It seemed like Striker was in a similar situation, as he seemed just as shocked by this. 

Meanwhile, the so-called teddy appeared to have many colors on its exterior, with patterns of red, white, green, and blue. It was also adorned with a picture of a heart on the left side of its chest.

The teddy bear then began to rise, struggling for a second to get on its feet after the fall. A fall, which I presume it accidentally caused.

“… What in the actual fuck?” I heard Striker mutter out loud. None of us seemed to know what this thing was, no one except-

‘Halara?’ I questioned, as I saw recognition seem to appear in her eyes. Using this moment of distraction, I saw her reach into her belt, pulling out a cylindrical metal object before gently rolling on the floor towards the distracted Striker.

“Hehe, is this really the best you’ve got, Carmi-”

BANG!

The cylindrical object, which I have now identified as a flashbang, went off. My eyes went to a world of white light as I completely lost track of my sense of self. 

“ARGH! FUCK!” I heard Striker scream, showing that he wasn’t spared from the flashbang either. Using this opportunity, I pushed myself out of Striker's grasp as my vision returned, falling flat to the floor.

“That’s it! I’ve had enough!” I heard Striker proclaim as I heard the very familiar sound of a gun cocking back. Looking up from my prone position, I saw Striker, eyes still red from the flashbang, glaring at me with his six-shooter pointed at my head.

“No!” My mother screamed as she began running towards me, but she was too far away and wasn’t prepared. I knew she wasn’t going to make it as I saw Striker grip the trigger of the gun.

I closed my eyes, ready to accept the end.

“STOP!”

“ARGH! GET OFF!”

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I heard the gun fire, but I couldn’t feel any pain. I thought I was supposed to die, but it didn’t feel like I did.

As I opened my eyes, however, I realized why.

Staring up, I saw Halara had tackled Striker by using the flashbang to cross the small distance that had separated them. Her angelic knife was out, piercing the imp's left shoulder, which now released bubbling black blood.

She didn’t escape unharmed, though, as with his six-shooter, Striker shot Halara three times through the chest. Each hitting a vital organ as the bullets pierced through her back.

“HALARA!” I screamed, eyes wide, at the scene splayed out before me. I saw Strike back-hand the injured Halara as she fell to the floor, barely breathing.

Striker's eyes darted straight back at me as he once again moved his six-shooter to aim directly at my face. Only this time.

“DIE-”

BAM!

Mother immediately entered my view as she covered the distance in a second, her leg splayed outwards with her shin slamming straight into Striker's face. Teeth and blood flew everywhere as, after a second, she continued to move the leg into Striker.

BOOM!

Striker was shot backwards like a bullet, crashing through the concrete walls of the factory. Red light entered inside from the massive hole that Striker's body had added as he went flying into the distance.

I saw my mother reading herself, preparing to chase after Striker, if any part of him still remained. 

“Halara!” I screamed, causing her to stop and look back at me. I quickly ran to Halara's side, kneeling down to her as she was currently sprawled out on the floor, injured.

“H- Halara I’ll- um- I’ll do something!” I tried to comfort her as I examined her wounds. I was taken aback by how bad it was. From what I could tell, at least one of the bullets pierced through her lungs. 

“Shit…um, Halara, stay with me. Uhh. M-Mother!” I screamed, remembering that she was still here. I saw her look back at the wall created by Striker before she released a heavy sigh and began to come to my side. I saw her examine Halara’s body carefully before slowly shaking her head.

“… What’s wrong? You can help her, right?” I asked, sounding desperate for some reason. I didn’t know why I was feeling this way; I shouldn't, and I really shouldn’t care for Halara’s survival this much. 

But I did.

‘Whatever, that doesn’t matter now. I just need to make sure that she survives.’ I thought as I looked at Halara's struggling body as I desperately pulled out the bandage wrap she had with her. I was desperately trying to cover up any wounds I could.

I saw my mother look down in shame at my attempts. The shame wasn’t directed at me, however, and felt like she was more ashamed of herself.

“… I’m sorry, Odette. There’s nothing we can do.” She explained calmly, causing me to panic. Before I could retort, however, she continued. “Maybe if we had someone with healing magic here, we could save her. As it is, however, we’ll never be able to get her the medical attention she needs before she succumbs to her wounds.”

“Wha- but. Can’t you take her there!?” I desperately tried to add, referring to how fast mother is when she’s running. Though that hope was dashed when she shook her head again. 

“If I did that, then the wounds would only worsen, to the point that she would die long before we got anywhere close to our destination.” Mother muttered regretfully.

I… I couldn’t believe it. There has to be something I can do! I can’t just let her die, not after she just saved my life!

“…B-Bear.” Halara weakly muttered, snapping me out of my thoughts. What? Bear?

I instantaneously remembered the appearance of the strange moving bear that had distracted Striker and allowed Halara to tackle him. Quickly turning around, I noticed that the bear was running towards us.

I instantly stood in front of Halara, planning to defend her from whatever this thing was—sinner or otherwise.

However, I was stopped when I realized that Halara had weakly tugged on my white fabric coat. I looked down at her; she was staring at me with pleading eyes.

“…Let…It… Help.” She managed to say with herculean effort. The blood gushing out of her mouth at every word shows that I was right in that at least one of the bullets must’ve hit a lung. “Give… Fabric…”

That was all she managed to say before the pain proved to be too much to handle, as she seemed to lose consciousness. Her hand fell to the floor, limp.

I panicked as I quickly moved to check her pulse, hoping for the best. I released a sigh of relief once I felt a small pulse, however weak it may have been.

Getting back to business, I turned back to the teddy bear, who continued to head to our location. I saw my mother tense up, ready to strike if it anttempted anything. In response, I put a hand on her shoulder.

“It’s ok… Let it through.” I said, deciding to trust Halara’s words. I saw my mother widen her eyes in surprise for a second before stepping aside. 

‘… Heh, guess I did end up trusting her.’ I internally chuckled at the situation before returning my piercing gaze to the bear. I watched it intensely as it started to carefully climb on top of her unconscious body, almost like it was looking her body over as it was padding the wounds with its stuffed paws.

After a while, the bear stopped and reached up to its mouth, which seemed to open as it stuck its paw deep into its throat. I was about to question the strange action before it somehow pulled out a pair of white scissors.

‘What?’ I thought, confused by the situation. It only got weirder, however, as it continued to stuff its paw in its mouth. It eventually managed to pull out a wound-up thing of white thread and sewing needles from its mouth as well, before placing them on the floor next to her body.

The bear then stood, looking around desperately as if searching for something, before its beauty black eyes eventually landed on me. The bear then dashed towards me without warning as I stood back, startled by this movement but curious to see what it was planning.

When it reached me, I saw it cling to my lab coat and start pulling. It look up to me as I stared on in confusion, unsure what it wanted. In response, the bear continued to tung my coat, looking at me with what I could only consider pleading eyes.

‘… Wait, does it want my coat?… Fabric!’ I suddenly realized, remembering Halara’s final words before going under. This thing wanted the fabric for some reason.

I began unbuttoning my coat at this revelation, my mother seeming a little confused. As I took it off, revealing the black latex uniform that I always had on underneath it, I handed it over to the bear. 

Immediately after doing so, the bear ran back over to the equipment it summoned near Halara. I watched in interest as the bear picked up the scissors and began to cut out pieces of my coat. It then took the pieces and started to use the white thread it summoned with the needles to start sewing the pieces of fabric together.

It moved surprisingly fast as it quickly made what appeared to be a semi-cone-like shape, though unsymmetrical and very lumpy all over. 

After cutting off the loose wire from the shape, however, something strange happened. It lifted the object high in the air before it instantaneously disappeared without a trace.

I was perplexed by this before I noticed something very peculiar. Halara, who had previously been writhing in pain, has suddenly stopped struggling as much. 

Don’t get me wrong, she was still obviously hurting, but she seemed to be breathing a bit easier as she didn’t struggle with every breath she took.

‘…wait, breathing?’ I suddenly thought, realizing how the shape she made looked suspiciously like a lung of sorts. But that couldn’t be the case, right?

That didn’t matter, though, as I watched it continue to cut out pieces of my coat. It kept making new shapes, with most of them being flat compared to the more 3D look that the first item it made was. 

Every time it finished making something, it disappeared. And every time it does, Halara seems to be struggling less and less.

I saw my mother watch with bewildering  eyes as Halara kept getting better. Eventually, though, with very little left of my coat, the bear stopped. It seemed to look over the now calm-looking Halara before curtly nodding as if satisfied with its work, before falling to the floor.

I walked up to it and picked it up, it honestly just seemed like a normal teddy bear at this point. After what I just witnessed, though, I knew it was anything but ordinary.

However, what shocked me most was when I checked on Halara. Although her clothes still seemed to be bloody, all the bleeding seemed to stop. In a daze, I removed her burned uniform to check her wounds.

Only to once again widen my eyes in astonishment. Where there were once bullet wounds, they were instead replaced by white pieces of fabric. Fabric that looks suspiciously similar to what the bear had made.

I stared in complete bewilderment as mother seemed to quickly kneel down and check over Halara’s body. Her face then slowly warped in confusion, then shock, and finally a sort of acceptance.

She turned to look at me, a small smile on her face.

“She’s completely fine.” She said, making me release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Mother seemed to smile back at my reaction before turning back to the body. "Still, though, we should take her back to see if she requires any further care.”

I nodded at that as mother picked up Halara with her massive hands, placing what remained of my coat on Halara’s face, probably to hide it from curious passerbies. I looked down at the bear I was still carrying.

I had a lot of questions; I always hated not knowing every possible answer, after all. There was nothing about this situation that began to make sense, from the assasians, to Halara being a human, to whatever the fuck this bear is.

Though, for possibly the first time in my life, I was happy that something that I couldn’t even understand had appeared. 

Because it saved Halara. 

‘… Guess we’re even now.’ I chuckled, not really meaning it, knowing that I would never be able to pay her back for all she had done for me. For Mother.

I looked back at my mother, who seemed ready to leave.

I nodded, following her out of the wrecked factory.

Notes:

Striker: Im about to end this overlords whole career!

SCP-2295: Are you sure about that?

Wow, over 100 kudos! That’s actually insane, I never expected that this random hobby I had would ever gain so much appreciation! Thank you all so much for enjoying my work.
Anyways, this is the first chapter that I’ve ever implemented a song into, and I’m very curious how it was received or how you all think I did with it. I guess the main question is, would you want me to add more into future chapters of the story? I’m conflicted on the topic, so I would like to get your point of view on it. Speaking of, we are finally done with the Halara point of view for a little while, which means we are once again moving back to the 10 million other characters I added to this story (why did I do this to myself). So I would wonder, which character would you like to see more of, and whose point of view would interest you the most? That’s all for now, so just drop a kudos if you liked, leave a comment with any suggestions, critics, or other inputs if you want, and I hope you all have a better day then Halara!

Chapter 8: A very Bright plan.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Striker meets up with his employer.

Cain has an unlikely meeting.

And Bright does a Bright.

Notes:

“If you got to be any rank in Hells hierarchy, what rank would you choose?”

Striker POV

“That stupid bitch!” 

I screamed out in anger, clutching the side of my chest. I could feel my obviously broken ribs that now pierced the side of my abdomen, stabbing into me with every step.

It hurt like shit, but I kept walking anyway. I needed to get back to the meeting point before Carmilla could find me.

I reflected back on the events that occurred not even an hour ago. I had her exactly where I wanted her, I had the advantage, yet I still fucking lost.

And it’s all because of that human.

I’m still unsure what a human, of all things, is doing here. To be honest, though, I don’t really care. All I felt for them was a deep, seething hatred at her for ruining EVERYTHING!

It stung. I have been beaten and embarrassed far too many times recently. At least the last time it was done by another imp, but a human!?

That’s just humiliating.

‘Whatever.’ I thought as I stopped in front of an abandoned-looking building near the edge of the city. ‘I need to recover first, can’t do much in the state I’m in. Damn, that overlord hits hard.’

I entered the building as I thought of this. As much as I hated overlords, I’d be a fool to deny that they were strong. After all, they were overlords, able to ascend to a position of power above the rest of their worthless kind.

“Argh, shit.” I said out loud as I crossed through a collection of hallways, eventually leading to a large conference room. Its fancy interior being a stark contrast to the decrepit and run-down building as seen from the outside. It was the type of room that figures like the Ars Goetia would hold meetings in, and it was also the room where I met my employers.

…well, met is a strong word. More like the television on the far end of the room displayed a shadowy figure that I was unable to pick any details out of. All I know is that they gave me a contract and offered me enough money to live the rest of my life like those stuck-up owl fuckers.

Speaking of television, as I settled myself in the room and sat on one of the many chairs in the conference room, the television flickered to life, revealing the same, or what I assumed was the same, shadowy silhouette of a vaguely humanoid figure. Whether this is what the figure's body actually looked like, or if it was just another misdirection, was left to be seen.

“Did you complete the mission?” A distorted voice escaped from the television, so distorted that I was unable to pick out if the figure speaking was a male, female, or even a robot of some kind.

“Tch. Do you even need ta ask?” I retorted sarcastically, referring to my battered and bruised body.

“So you have failed to meet your end of the contract?” The silhouette asked, despite obviously knowing the answer.

“Oh god, you're one of those types.” I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose before turning to him. “Ya, it was a failure. Everyone else was killed in the battle. Thanks for warning us about the human, by the way.” I answered sarcastically as I removed my hat. Intending to get under my employer's skin.

Contrary to my expectations, however, the silhouette seemed to rise the slightest bit. As if they were surprised by what I just said. 

“Human? Are you positive?” They asked to confirm what I had just told them. I sighed in annoyance before staring at the screen.

“Ya, a human... Did you know about them?” I glared, trying to gleam a little insight into the situation. The silhouette, to my annoyance, seemed to ignore me as it brought a hand to their chin, miming a thinking motion.

“ Interesting, so it succeeded... Damn them, if only they waited .” He seemed to think out loud, refusing to give me any context on the situation. The figure then stared at me again. “ Did this human have a uniform with any noticeable alignment? ”

“… Alignment? That’s a fancy way to put it… Um, I think the only thing I really noticed was that it was black, had some sort of tactical vest… Oh right, it did have the letters SCP on the back, whatever that means.” I revealed to my employer, thinking it was better to comply with their questions since I did fail the mission.

“ …Interesting. Very interesting. It really is them, and that means the foundation will get involved soon. That’s not preferable, but I guess we can improvise. ” The figure said to itself. It was starting to really annoy me that he kept ignoring my presence. Suddenly, however, the silloette turned to stare back at me.

“ As for you, Striker, I believe this concludes our contracts. ” 

… Wait, what?

“… What’s that supposed to mean? Doesn’t the contract last until I capture the princess?” I asked suspiciously, referring to Odette. 

“ Hehe, yes, that is one of the conditions. However, I believe that you're forgetting the other one. ”

“… And what would that be?” I asked cautiously, my hand moving to grip around the handle of my revolver.

“ Simple… Your termination .” The figure said, before lowering its hand as if pressing a button.

CLANG!

‘Oh shit!’ I immediately thought as I turned around, watching a heavily metal grater fall in front of the rooms exit.

“What the fuck is this!?” I screamed to the television, my gun pointed at it. I knew it wouldn’t do anything, but it made me feel better goddammit!

“ This is merely the end of our contract. ” It said simply, as if the answer were obvious. And it was; they wanted to kill me.

“Why!?” I asked incredulously. “I can still try again! Just cause that bitch escaped one doesn’t mean—”

“ And therein lies the problem, you failed. We don’t tolerate failures. ” Despite the distorted voice, the way they talked sent a shiver down my spine. “ Now that the foundation is involved and you failed to secure us a proper route into Hell's economy, we need to move on to a new plan. All because you failed us. The only reason we hired you despite your… previous failures was because we saw potential in you. No more, I’m afraid, as it appears my superiors already have an eye on your replacement. ”

This… This… THIS FUCKER!

“YOU CANT FUCKING DO THIS TO ME!” I screamed as I ran to the graters, trying with all my might to pull the damn things off. But they wouldn’t budge.

“ We can, and we did. We here at Marshal, Carter, and Dark Ltd. no longer require your services. We don’t tolerate mistakes. Goodbye Striker. ” 

I turned around just in time to see the silhouette move its hands, like it was pressing another button.

“GODDAM-”

BOOM!

The entire building went up in flames as the rundown building turned into a blazing fireball. Exploding into thousands of different pieces.

To the residents of Hell, this was just another explosion in a city full of them. Little did they know that this single explosion, ended the life of one of the greatest assassins that Hell has ever seen.

… Or did it?

 

---

Cain POV

“Do you happen to-”

“FUCK OFF YOU RAG FUCKING FUCKER FUCK!”

“Understandable. Have a wonderful day.” I said, walking away from yet another unhelpful resident of Hell. 

‘Maybe I should look into acquiring new clothing or something?’ I thought, looking at the collection of rags and cloaks that I tied around myself. It was fine for hiding my identity, but it didn’t seem to do me any favors when talking to the locals.

‘Whatever, I’m almost there.’ I thought as I stared up towards the clock tower. It was much farther away than I first gave it credit for, and it seemed like that day was beginning to reach its conclusion. Though I was still unsure how the day and night cycle worked down here.

As I got closer to the angelic building, the more prominent and extra it seemed. Like a beacon in a sea of blood and decrepit buildings, this one structure stood like a beacon of hope to all the citizens of Hell… Or a reminder of what the people down here missed.

Unfortunately, it’s probably the second one. 

I shook the sad thought out of my head before continuing on. I wasn’t sure what I would do once I reached the clocktower; I mean, I didn’t even know what its purpose was all the way down here. 

But it had to be important, as heaven wouldn’t just place such an angelic building in hell without a purpose in mind. They despised chaos and always sought a sort of order. Every action they take is done for a reason, unlike in Hell, where anyone could do basically anything as long as they don’t mind bearing the consequences.

That part still surprised me, as I was always under the impression that Hell would take the form of a massive torture chamber of sorts, where sinners are forever tormented for their sins in pools of lava or something.

… Or at least that’s what my father told me, before saying that “Hell is where cock-blocking, women stealing, loser ass bitch men like Lucifer go to rot!”

… All these years, and I still don’t have the faintest clue as to what he meant by that insult.

‘Why am I thinking of him again?’ I thought as I realized my mind wandered back to a certain individual, someone who I hadn’t thought of in a long, long time. ‘Is it something about this place? Why does it feel like the closer I get to the clock tower, the more I’m reminded of him. why?’

Father always did have a strange aura to him, even all the way back to when I was born. Despite wandering the earth for all of humanity, I never met anyone with an aura that felt like his. Maybe it had something to do with him being the first man, or maybe it was a sort of child-father bond that I could never experience on my own.

Yet this aura, this feeling that I haven’t felt in thousands of years. For some reason, I started to faintly feel it again, getting stronger the closer I got to the tower.

It almost felt like he was there… But that couldn’t be possible, father should be in heaven. Right? 

Despite thinking this, however, my feet started moving into a light jog. The jog turned into a dash after feeling the present grow stronger still. And that dash finally became a mad sprint as the feeling started to rush over me like a surging wave.

It’s a fantasy; I knew it was impossible to even think that my father was there. It was impossible. Impossible!

Despite that thought, I arrived at the base of the clocktower. It was holy and angelic, spotless despite being surrounded by blood and gore of all kinds. Demons were fighting each other in the street, causing me to flinch each time another gunshot went off.

I stared up at the holy relic, fascinated by the architectural brilliance that went into this pristine building. Somehow, it seems that all the fighting never reached the clocktower. I began walking up the stairs to the doors as the aura I felt once again grew stronger.

This feeling. The one I’ve been feeling this whole time. I'm still uncertain why I felt it. Perhaps it was a trick by the heavens or a deception from Hell to make me suffer. Even with those possibilities, I couldn’t bear to deny it any longer. This had to be it. This had to be him!

“Father… Adam.” I whispered in desperation as I began to climb the steps towards the large golden gateway that entered into this building. Every step felt like a struggle, and whether that was from some strange magic that protected this place or merely my own shaking, I couldn’t tell.

‘Shaking… Fear? Nervousness? When was the last time I felt like this?’ I questioned myself as I reached the doors. It had been thousands of years since I felt anything like this, and the worst part is that I couldn’t tell what I was feeling.

Excited. Fearful. Determined. Sad. And so many more emotions clouded my judgment as I reached out my hand, ready to open the door.

There was still a chance that this was nothing. Simply a trick from Hell in order to besiege me for eternity... But if this really was him, if this really is father, then!

… Then.

… I’m honestly not sure what I would do, as I never suspected to ever see him again. Both when I was alive and if I had ever died. Still, I have to see him. Some parts of my body screamed in ways that they haven’t since I lost my family.

I reached out with faded breaths, ready to clutch the door handle and swing the doors open-

SINGE!

“Argh!” I let out a startled scream as I let go of the handle. Looking back, I noticed the door handle appeared to glow with a blinding white light. Looking down at my hand, I saw the rags around my palm had completely burned away, revealing the metallic limb that lay beneath.

It seemed that the doorknob somehow increased in temperature dramatically, forcing me to let go of the handle. Looking at my hands, I noticed that they were obviously undamaged. It still hurts a lot, though.

This must be the defense mechanism of the tower. It makes sense, if it wasn’t defended by magic, then there would no doubt have been many attempts to try and plunder the angelic building by the demons that resided down here.

Which meant that it wouldn't be easy to enter. Regardless of that, I clenched my fists in determination before once again grabbing onto the doorknob. Like before, it heated up dramatically, making it feel like I was holding a miniature sun in my hands.

It hurts! It hurt so much! And despite all the pain, I never suffered any actual damage from the blistering heat. Even as my palms grew to glow a blinding red light of molten metal, reaching far past what would normally be the temperature needed to melt steel. 

I gritted my teeth in this unbearable pain. But I could endure it; I had to endure it! If he’s in there, then I need to see him. I need to speak with him again!

I attempted to pry open the door, but it refused to open as the pain only grew. Any attempts I made to force it open only caused the anguish I felt to grow and spread. Every pull felt like it was met with a push that kept it shut. 

My metal hands continued to glow hot as I barely opened the door an inch. But I couldn’t give up! I have to see him! Please God, if you have any mercy left for me, then let me see him!

“F-Father!” I screamed out, hoping, by some miracle, that it would be received. 

---

Adam POV

“HA! Did you see the look on that bitches face? It was fucking hilarious!” I laughed out loud because, holy shit that look she gave was priceless!

“Take that Lucifer! You cock-blocking, women stealing, loser ass bitch!” I screamed out because, really, fuck that guy. With a smile still present on my face, I looked over to Lute. “I mean like, holy shit we should have done this years ago!”

"Correct, sir, but we have other matters to deal with now. We still need to find out what happened to the dead-”

“The dead exterminator, ya, I know Lute. That’s why we did this whole thing to begin with.” I cut her off, finishing her sentence as I sauntered back over to the table. Preparing to end my astral projection. “Besides, all we need to do now is wait six months, then we’ll finally be able to-”

…

… Wait, what the fuck was that?

I quickly turned around to the door that I had just slammed in the face of Lucifer’s little bitch. 

For a second, I thought I heard something. I wasn’t sure what was said, to be honest, but that voice—I knew that voice.

“… Sir?”

Where do I know that voice from? I know it’s probably just one of the sinners outside screaming. But still.

“Sir?”

‘Why does it... Why do they sound like-’

“Sir!”

“Huh?” I said, startled as I stared at Lute, who had interrupted my rad fucking inner monologue.

“Sir, you spaced out for a second. Are you alright?” She said as she flew close to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Oh… pfft, yea, obviously. I mean, who do you think I am?” I chuckled as I shrugged her concern off, sitting at the head of the table. “This place is probably just mind-fucking me or something. I’m usually focused on killing sinners when I’m here, so it might just be the atmosphere… Ya, that makes sense.”

Lute seemed to nod at that, although whether she believed me or not is still a question.

… I mean, I wasn’t lying, right?

“Whatever, let’s get back to heaven. I need to meet back up with that drummer chick. Said she was gonna show me some fucking moves… I mean sex, I’m gonna have sex with her!” I clarified for no reason, just trying to distract my mind with something else.

“… Of course, sir, but let’s focus on the exterminator first.”

“Ya, obviously.” I said, preparing to end my projection.

Still, though, that voice, this feeling. It almost feels like it’s... But it can’t be him, he’s… It can’t be.

I shook my head. Man,  this place really fucks you up when you aren’t killing things. I guess that’s why it’s so popular to kill each other down here.

“Let’s go.” I finally said, ending my projection in Hell. 

Trying not to think of him... To think of them.

 

---

Cain POV

‘… He’s gone.’

I could feel it. Like a blip in the wind, one second he was there. And the next, he wasn’t.

I let go of the door, causing it to slam shut with resounding force in response to the few inches I was able to open it. Looking down at my hands, they were glowing like mini ovens—red, hot, and boiling.

I barely paid it attention, though, as I felt the aura fade. Father was gone, and I once again didn’t have a chance to say goodbye.

Strength left my legs as I fell to the floor, my back leaning against the doors that I had failed to open. I felt tears beginning to sting the corners of my eyes.

‘Tears… When was the last time I cried? The last time I felt this lost?’ I felt myself sink into this question as the tears began to fall from my eyes. I don’t know why I shed tears for someone I haven’t seen in thousands of years, but I did.

And it hurt so much more than I thought it would.

I know I deserve this. I know I’m not worthy of happiness. But goddammit! Please, just once, let me be in the right place! For once, let me feel more than just regret and pain! 

“Hehe, what am I even thinking?” I sadly chuckled out loud as I brought my white, hot, glowing hands to the now wet rags around my face. “You're not worthy of that... You’ll never be forgiven.”

“…And I’m fine with that.” I continued to lie to myself.

Maybe I should just leave and continue my eternity of wandering in Hell. It makes sense, at least; I don’t deserve much better than that.

As I prepared to stand, however.

Screech!

I lazily moved my head to the left. I saw the massive doors, the ones that refused to budge at my struggling, open wide as a figure slowly stepped out.

They appeared female, and looked like they were a resident of Hell. With a red business suit and pants and a white undershirt. She also had piercing red eyes. They were a little hard to notice, though, as her eyes seemed to be welled up with tears at this moment.

In her left hand, she also appeared to be holding what looked like a bunch of crumpled-up papers. They appeared to be drawings of some kind, though I couldn’t make out what they were supposed to be.

It also appeared that she was too caught up in her own world, as she didn’t seem to notice me as she closed the door behind her. I saw her turn around to peer at the golden gates, as if living through a memory of some kind. 

Until finally.

“Dammit!” I saw her scream in anguish as she brought her right hand back before slamming it hard into the door. The very action appeared to make the entire metallic door ring, as if hit by a sledgehammer.

The show of strength from this otherwise thin-looking girl surprised me somewhat, but I didn’t pay it much mind. I’ve seen weirder after all.

Still, I watched as this girl's eyes were covered by the shadow of her hair, tears continuing to roll down her face, even more than the amount of tears that I shed.

I could just leave; this probably isn’t any of my business. But I should at least make sure she’s okay, as she seemed like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

“… You alr-”

“AH!” She suddenly let out a startled scream of surprise as she quickly turned towards me. Finally noticing my existence.

“Oh. Oh! Um… I am so sorry!” She immediately apologized for something as she desperately wiped the tears away, though I wasn’t exactly sure what she was apologizing for. She then began speaking extremely quickly. “I didn’t see you there. Sorry, my mind has just been everywhereandIwasfocusedonsomethingelsesoIam so sorry-”

“It’s ok,” I cut her off before she passed out from a lack of air before gesturing towards her teary eyes. “Are you ok?”

“Um… Yes, I’m fine!” She attempted to lie, very poorly, might I add. I sighed before turning back to her. 

“You aren’t a good liar.” I accused, causing her to flinch. “… Do you want to talk about it?”

I don’t know why I was being so open with her; perhaps I was the one who needed someone to talk to in order to get my mind off the events that just transpired. Weirdly, though, some part of me just wanted to comfort her, almost like she was family. Strange.

“…ya.” She finally answered before she slumped against the door, sitting down next to me. Despite her best efforts, I saw her eyes begin to tear up again as she tried to wipe the tears away. “I just… Sorry. I’m not usually this mushy.”

“It’s fine, I get the feeling.” I looked at her, seeing the looks of regret and loss in her eyes. I recognized that look, it’s one that I’ve felt many times, and seen even more of through my travels.

“Correct me if I’m wrong. But from the looks of it, it seems like you just lost something… Or are gonna lose something.” I accused as calmly as possible, causing her to stare up in confusion. Eventually, though, she nodded in confirmation.

“Hehe, ya.” She laughed sadly. “It’s just… I felt this was my chance to finally... Finally, prove them all wrong. To convince somebody that my dream is possible... And it didn’t work. Instead, I just ended up making things worse.”

Her head fell to her knees, silently weeping. I left her like that for a moment, a little unsure of how to handle the situation. 

Finally, though, she seemed to calm down, and my curiosity got the better of me. I just had to ask.

“This dream you mentioned. What is it?” I asked curiously. For a second, I saw her move her head away, almost like she was afraid to say it.

“You don’t know?” She asked, confused. “I mean, it was all over the news like a week ago. You know, before they all laughed at it.”

“… Well, you can say that I’m pretty new here. So, enlighten me.” I turned my body to stare at her. “What is this dream of yours?”

She looked around, almost debating with herself whether she should talk about it. I could tell that whatever it was, it meant a lot to her. Though it seemed like the constant rejection seemed to get to her, almost like she was feeling self-conscious about it.

Eventually, though, it seemed her enthusiasm about it won out as she went to pick up one of the crumpled pieces of paper she carried with her.

“… Ok, just please don’t laugh.” She said, a little afraid.

“Is there a reason I would find it humorous?” I wondered, actually confused. She seemed to chuckle at my response before unfurling the paper.

“No, I suppose not. Ok, here it goes.” I heard her take a big breath in, as if to prepare a speech.

“My dream… My dream is to redeem sinners!” I heard her declare proudly, before stopping as if to gauge my reaction. I didn’t make a sound, however, as she eventually moved on.

“I want to save my people and allow them to go to a better place. Every year… Every year there’s an event called the extermination.” I heard her grimace at the word, before turning back to me. “You're new here, so I guess you wouldn’t know. But the extermination is an event that takes place every year… Um, I mean, it used to take place every year.” 

She stared back at the door, grimacing at what appeared to be a painful memory. After a second, she pulled her attention back to me.

“Anyways, the extermination is when heaven sends down legions of exterminators on the Sinners here and... kills them.”

My eyes shot open with surprise; that was horrible. Was that something heaven would really do? Father never told me anything about that all those years ago. I thought Hell was where the dead go to suffer for their sins, so what happens when you die here? 

“Heh, ya, it’s pretty messed up.” She chuckled, as if attempting to add levity to the situation. “So, my dream is this.”

She showed me the crumpled piece of paper that she had in her hands, revealing it to be a picture that looked like it was made from crayons. It appeared to be a picture of a large building with the words ‘Hazbin Hotel’ on top of it.

“The Hazbin Hotel! I made it to help sinners redeem themselves and allow them to go to heaven!” She spouted out enthusiastically, like I wasn’t there, living in her own head. Eventually, though, she remembered I existed and coughed as if embarrassed. “Anyway, I know you probably think that it’s a stupid-”

“That’s a great dream.” I cut her off.

“Ya, I knew you were gonna say that! Everyone says that it’s... wait, what did you say?” She suddenly asked, as if confused by what she just heard. It’s like she was expecting a different answer.

“I said that’s a great dream and an amazing goal to strive for.” I answered truthfully, causing her to look a little startled. After a few moments, however, her mouth carved into a humongous smile.

‘… did I upset her?’ I silently questioned myself as this girl seemed to go from depressed to ecstatic in mere seconds. 

“OH MY GOSH! YOU REALLY THINK SO!” She screamed enthusiastically, momentarily shocking me. I had no idea what to do in this situation, so I just nodded.

“Y-ya… Did I say something wrong?” 

“No, you didn’t.” She started to calm down, though her massive grin was still present on her face. “It’s just… Almost nobody has ever actually believed in my dream before. Before, it was just my girlfriend. And as much as I love Angel, I can tell that he isn’t taking the hotel very seriously yet.” 

Eventually, her joy, while still present, was slowly taken over by curiosity as she looked back over to me. “Why do you think it’s a great dream?”

“… Well, I can’t pretend to be an expert on how things work down here or anything; it's just the idea of somebody redeeming themselves despite their terrible actions... It's nice.” I spoke out loud, silently fantasizing about the idea of one day being redeemed myself. I know it isn’t possible, and I don’t deserve such a chance. But it’s still nice to think about it every now and again. 

“I mean, you obviously can’t redeem everyone, there are just some people out there who don’t deserve redemption. But if there was one thing that I learned through my years on earth, it’s that almost anyone can change... Sorry, I’m not great at speaking, but what I’m trying to say is that I believe your dream is possible.” I managed to say. I was never good at expressing feelings or emotions, so trying to comfort her proved to be a challenge.

Peering back over, I saw that her wide smile had drawn back to a more subdued but somehow happier expression.

“Thanks… I really needed that.” She said as she stood back up, wiping the remnants of her tears away.

“No problem… I should probably get going now.” I awkwardly stated, as I stood up from my prone position on the floor. I had no idea where I was gonna go, but I’m used to that.

“Oh, where are you going?” She asked curiously.

“No idea, but I’ll figure something out.” This answer didn’t seem to satisfy her, as she questioned me again.

“You don’t have anywhere to go, do you?”

“No, but I’m used to having nowhere to stay.” 

This answer only seemed to fill her dissatisfaction, as she immediately tugged on my shoulder. 

“Well, why don’t you come with me then? There are plenty of rooms at the hotel!” She declared proudly.

“The hotel… You mean the place where you attempt to redeem sinners?” I asked, confused. Was she trying to help redeem me?

“Yep, exactly! I’m sure you’d love it there! Oh, and I bet you’d get along great with Vaggie and Angel and Alastor and-”

“Sorry, but I can’t.” I answered, cutting her off. She obviously wasn’t expecting this, as my answer seemed to throw her off.

“What… Why?”

“Because I can’t be redeemed. It would be rude if someone like me tainted the halls of your dream.”

“But, didn’t you say you believed anyone could be redeemed?” She asked, more and more confused.

“I also said some people don't deserve to be redeemed... I’m one of those people who don’t deserve redemption.” It stung saying this, but I knew it was the truth. I can’t be redeemed. Not after what I had done.

“So, sorry. But I can’t-”

“No. I won't accept that.” She suddenly declared, catching me slightly off guard. “Even if you don’t believe it, I believe you can be redeemed.”

“Seriously, you're trying to say you can redeem me?” I asked this girl, who I only met mere moments ago, who responded with a nod. Where is she getting all this faith in me from? “You don’t even know who I am. I’m just a stranger you met on the streets.”

“Well, then what’s your name?” She asked, smiling, and her energetic personality must be contagious, because I felt like I was forced to answer.

“Oh, um… C- Cain.”

“Well, now we aren’t strangers anymore, Cain!” She explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world, baffling me. “And that means you're more than welcome to come to my hotel!”

‘Is she being serious? Why is she being so nice to me? This is Hell, isn’t it?’ All these questions ran through my mind, trying to find out why she was so adamant about this. 

She must’ve caught on to my hesitation, however, because a few moments later I heard her release an audible sigh.

“Alright, how about you just stay for the night then? The least I can do is give you a nice bed to sleep on. I mean, you are new here after all, so I’d feel guilty if something bad happened to you.” She said, giving another infectious smile. 

She wasn’t wrong; I had no idea how things worked around here. And while I wasn’t afraid of getting hurt, I was scared that I would accidentally cause pain to others if I wandered around blindly.

I was also residing in the foundation for so long that I was starting to get used to the feeling of sleeping on a mattress. Maybe one more night like that wouldn’t hurt.

“… Alright.” I finally said, reluctantly. Some part of me stung when I said that, feeling like I just sinned by even coming close to a place where people get redeemed. Still, though, the smile she gave more than made up for the regret. 

“That’s great!” She declared valiantly, like she just won a million dollars. “Come on! The hotels this way!” 

She went to grab onto my still-boiling hot hand and grabbed hold of it before I could stop her. However, to my surprise, she grabbed onto the superheated piece of metal and began dragging me along, almost like she couldn’t feel it.

This made me realize that I also had no idea who this girl was.

“Hey, sorry, but quick question.” I began to ask as she dragged me through the streets. “But, who are you?”

“Hm, oh, that's right! Sorry, I completely forgot that you wouldn’t know, since you're new here and all that.” She scratched the back of her head, as if embarrassed. “My names Charlie, Charlie Morningstar!”

‘Morningstar?’ I thought. That name felt so familiar, where do I know it from?

‘Morningstar… Morningstar… Morningstar.’ I thought, going through the library of knowledge that resided in my head. Until it finally hit me, and I remembered a certain individual in Hell who famously has that name.

‘… Oh fuck.’

 

---

Plague Doctor POV

 

‘… perhaps I should’ve killed Bright.’ That’s the thought that swam around my head as I watched this bumbling idiot type on the computer while laughing like a complete moron.

Taking a moment to recount all that happened, I remembered waking up tied to a chair after being swallowed by a bright red light. I was surrounded by strange shark-like creatures, attempting to get some sort of information out of me as I awoke.

I didn’t take very kindly to that, so I broke out of my restraints and eliminated any of those shark creatures who stood in my way. I also made sure to keep their bodies in as pristine a condition as possible, since I was interested in investigating their corpses to learn how they were even alive to begin with.

Eventually, though, I ran into Bright, and against my better judgment, I released that monster as we continued to eliminate any remnants that remained in the bunker we found ourselves in. 

Bright also managed to, for some god-forsaken reason, find a chainsaw on our expedition. In other words, my hope for pristine bodies went straight out the window as half the bodies became a mess of grounded-up flesh and blood.

Regardless, we eventually managed to find this office room after clearing the place out. Probably belonged to the leader, whoever they were. Since then, Bright has spent the last 20 minutes laughing like a madman while looking things up.

I would hope he would be looking for information on where we currently are, Hell I believe, but knowing him, there was a good chance he spent the entire time looking at something completely useless.

“Wow, there are so many furries here! Katherine will probably go crazy when she figures this out! Oh my god, it is gonna be so fun to tease her with this!”

‘… Nevermind, he is absolutely doing something useless.’ I grumbled internally as Bright continued his web search, completely oblivious to my existence. 

After a while, I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Bright.” I said as calmly as I could. “Would you mind doing something productive, instead of looking up… Furries.”

“Hm, oh, I already found everything I needed like 10 minutes ago plagueinstien. I was just passing the time, waiting for you to notice!”

‘… I really hate him.’ I grumbled angrily in my head, as I felt like a blood vessel was about to burst. Why, out of all the people in the foundation, did I have to be stuck with him?

“Fine… What did you find?” I eventually asked, trying my best to ignore the smug smile the fucking unkillable man was giving me.

“Well, I can safely say that we are indeed in Hell. So, I guess in a way all the people that told me to ‘go to hell’ got their wish!” He joked before looking down at the computer. “Anyways, there’s a lot more we can talk about later Plaugerston, but for now, I think I know what our next move is.”

“And that would be?” I asked, finally talking about something important.

“Well, as it turns out, there’s a whole social hierarchy thing here. Makes sense cause, y’know, Hell.” He said, and I couldn’t argue with that reasoning. “Anyways, the hierarchy goes like this. At the top, there’s Lucifer, with his family right below him. Also, the fucking lord of Hell managed to get laid with a woman named Lilith and have a daughter named Charlie.”

That was good to know, so we could probably stay as far away from them as possible. We are nowhere near prepared to face the Lord of Hell.

“Anyways, below them are the six sins, with Lucifer being the seventh. Can’t really meet any of them because they rule their own ring or something, but I'd pay good money to see Clef meet with the sin of wrath.”

… That’s a horrific thought.

“Past them is what looks to be a bunch of Hell nobility of some kind, seemingly the Ars Goetia from the lesser key of Solomon. Below them are a group of people called Overlords, who are basically just a steroided version of the class of Sinners, who are just below them. Then finally, there are Hellborne creatures, with imps and hellhounds being the lowest. Sheesh, imagine being born here and still having a lower status than people who just appear out of thin air. That must suck.”

At this point, I was beginning to feel annoyed by his constant jokes, when he should only be focusing on the important stuff.

“Bright.” I said, stopping him from his continued clamor. “While it’s nice to know the social ladder, how exactly does that play into our next move?”

“Well, I’m glad you asked! But first, let me ask you a question.” That annoying grin appeared on his face again, as if he had a devious thought. “Out of all these classes, which one would you prefer to be a part of?”

His inquiry confused me for a second, before I began to think. In my mind, there seemed to be an obvious answer.

“I would probably go with being a member of the Ars Goetia.”

“Why?”

“Because, any higher and the amount of responsibilities you have become unbearable, if the sins have as many duties as I believe they would have. Meanwhile, any lower and your at risk of potential assassination attempts and being a victim of your surroundings.” I answered, watching Bright intently as I still tried to figure out why he would ask such a question. 

“As for the Goetia, if memory serves, there are 72 members. Meaning that I’m high enough that I can do most anything that I wish while conducting experiments on the lower class, while not having so much responsibility that I’m forced to work on maintaining my dominion. Does that answer satisfy you, Bright?” I inquired of the mad doctor, who seemed deep in thought.

“Yes, I guess that makes sense for you. But I’d go with something a bit different. Do you wanna know why?” He asked, like a child ready to tell his parents some big secret.

“… Why?”

“Because it would be FUCKING BORING!” He exclaimed outwards as, somehow, this man managed to surprise me again.

“I would go with the overlord class, because not only do I get some sick ass powers without having to deal with legal meetings and stock exchanges, but I can also have constant turf wars here. That’s amazing!”

… Is he serious?

“… Good for you. Once again, however, I ask, How is this important to us?” 

“Hehehe, because I've found our next target.” He laughs with giddy excitement as he turns the computer around, revealing a strange figure on it.

The figure appeared to be wearing a black tuxedo with a bow tie, with the top part of its chest exposed. From there, however, his exposed skin seemed to be made of blue flames. His ribs showed underneath, along with his deer-like skull, which was surrounded by the flame. The left side of his skull appeared to be completely pink. He also possessed two large, downward-pointing antlers, further insinuating his deer-like appearance.

“And who is this supposed to be?” I asked, after taking in the creature's peculiar visage.

"This, my friend, is an overlord named Nergal.” He laughed creepily before peering at me with his crazy eyes.

“Or, as I like to call him, the soon-to-be Dr. Bright!”

Notes:

Cain: What’s your last name?

Charlie: it’s Morningstar.

Cain: (begins sweating profusely.)

Well… I feel like I have done some things in this chapter, especially in the Cain segment, that is gonna h get some people angry, so I’ll explain myself. First of all, I admit that Cain being able to “feel” Adams presence is a bit of a stretch, but I do feel like if anyone could do it, it would be Cain. Plus I wasn’t gonna have Cain and Adam meet this early in the story, that’s prime real estate! I also wanted Cain to meet Charlie before anything, since I feel like that dynamic specifically is really interesting, especially if Cain is the first SCP guest in the hotel. Also, as for the blue flame demon the Bright was talking about, it is the same demon that was seen in the overlord meeting in episode 3 of Hazbin Hotel who didn’t talk. Looking further, that character was never actually given a real name in the show yet, so this is the name I ended up going with for him. I don’t really have anything else besides that, so my only question is, do you like the introduction of Marshal, Carter, and Dark Ltd? And if you did, which other GOI would you like to see more of in the future. That’s all, so if you enjoy leave a kudos, if you have any questions, critiques, or ideas leave them in the comments, and I hope you have an incredible day!

Chapter 9: How (NOT) to cure amnesia.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Striker jumps out of the pan, and into the fire.

Cherri tries her “best” to cure amnesia.

Anni has a fortunate encounter.

Notes:

“How would you attempt to cure amnesia.”

Striker POV

‘Those bastards!’ I swore out as I crawled myself out of the rubble of the blown-up buildings. ‘Those motherfuckers had the gall to betray me. ME! OF ALL PEOPLE! DO THEY KNOW WHO I AM!?’

I managed to move the large rock that had fallen on me. As I attempted to stand, however, I winced in pain. Looking down, I saw that the left side of my chest had been impaled by a jagged piece of metal.

It hurt—it hurt so fucking much! My body barely operated at this point, with the combination of Carmilla's attack and the explosion of the building.

The only reason I survived that explosion was because of the explosives they used. I don’t know how or why, but they seemed to use explosives that originated from the human world. I know this because the fire produced by the explosion didn’t hurt me in the slightest.

I was an imp, after all. Any flames that originate from earth don’t affect us. The only reason I was hurt to this degree was from the falling debris that the building produced. Still, it was enough to bring me to death's door.

‘I’ll- I'll make them pay... I’LL MAKE THEM ALL PAY! I'M TIRED OF LOSING THIS SHIT!’ I screamed internally, too hurt to actually make any coherent words. 

First it was Blitzo, then those two Imp fuckers that worked for him. THEN IT WAS FUCKING BLITZO AGAIN! That last one ended up with Crimson firing and attempting to silence him, the stuck-up prick. Thinking he’s some big shit just cause he has money to throw around. That’s why this job was so big, because if I managed to make an overlord of all things kneel, then any bad rep I had before would be gone in the wind.

… But no, I failed again. To make it even worse, it wasn’t even to a citizen of Hell. IT WAS FROM A HUMAN! Those weak ass bitch creatures are even inferior to their sinner counterparts.

Well, I’m done playing nice. No, I’m gonna make them pay. I’m gonna make them all pay.

My former employers, those royal cock sucking Imps, and Carmilla with her bitch daughters, along with that human.

Hehehe, yes. That’s what I’m gonna do. I’ll come back and teach them all the true meaning of fear!

‘Perhaps this was just the adrenaline talking, but I’m gonna do it.’ I managed to rise to my feet and began to move. I couldn’t do anything with how my body was now; I’ll probably need to return to wrath in order to heal since I don’t have any other safe houses in pride. At least none that my former employer wouldn’t know about.

‘Still, how could I-’

‘%*€£<@&!/(-?’

Sudden noises erupted in my head! Foreign and intrusive, as if they were forcing their way into my weakened skull. Like a dagger piercing through my brain.

“Gah! Fuck!” I managed to scream out in a weakened voice before my eyes darted around sporadically. “Who- Who’s ther-”

‘€%($&H$(O\~>S?~{T>£~##*£’

The burning sensation pierced through my skull again, forcing me to cling onto my head in pain. 

Strangely, though, there was something different that came with this pain. Something that almost felt... Alluring?

It was strange, but it felt as if it was pulling me. Giving in, I felt my eyes glance over the rubble ahead of me, only to spot something that appeared to be a comedy mask of some kind. For some reason, it also looked like it had black tears rolling down its cheeks.

Strange… Why is something like tha-

‘>€CO$£>#ME!’

‘Why... why am I moving?’ I felt my feet move against my wishes… Wait, was it against my wishes? Am I going willingly? I can’t tell.

Eventually, I landed directly in front of the mask, and some part of me was infatuated with the piece of smooth metal. Staring down at the eye holes, it almost felt like something was staring back. Examining me.

But that couldn’t be poss-

‘€(PICK&!:&ME;€*%^UP!>&’

I only now realized that this painful pinging in my head was not only causing me immense mental fatigue, it was also talking to me.

Commanding me.

I should’ve stopped, forgot about this feeling, and returned to wrath. But-

‘But it could help.’

Before I could even make sense of the new feeling, I realized that I had already gripped the mask. Raising it up high.

What-what is it doi-

‘($@ WEAR /$ !ME !’

‘Wear… Wear it.’

… No.

‘It could help.’

Stop.

‘You can finally get revenge.’

Why is my hand moving!?

‘You don’t need to worry about it.’

Stop. STOP!

‘You won't need to worry about anything anymore.’

DAMMIT.

‘You just need to give in... Give in to me.’

TAP.

Maybe if I wasn’t on death's door, maybe if I wasn’t so mentally fatigued, I would have stood a chance. I might’ve had the willpower to resist. But after everything that occurred, I just couldn’t muster the strength.

The mask planted itself firmly against my face, somehow fitting it perfectly despite it seeming to be completely flat, as I laid it upon my fa->*^€>€€^!^?*

‘$)&!)$/)/!)//? HAAA ?&)!?€,*<!$?HEHE?€€<€?£<€?€ HE€£^^>LP !&?/$?$ ME )&$&:)&FREEDOM$):&?&/€*{ STOP )&)?&)& ’

‘ MINE’

ST&)&;$$RI?,&/)!KER)@):$ 

?€£?!&$>£^POSSESSIVE>£<$)&MASK$@$)&

“…”

‘…’

$@:&!;$&¥* \~#% POV

… I flexed my muscles.

They were good. Better than most, at least.

And these memories... Those were even more interesting. So much more exhilarating.

Hell, huh. I sure do hope you have a red carpet waiting for me.

“Heheheh. HEHEHEHE. HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

I walked off into the distance, laughing hysterically as I gripped the jagged piece of metal that impaled this puppet's body before pulling it out with a sharp tug. Blood flew everywhere, but I didn’t pay it much mind as I continued down.

This body was in horrible condition, but it was still a superior specimen to most anything I’ve ever tried before. I think I’ll give it a runaround before ditching it; it’s the least I owe to this self-proclaimed master assassin.

‘Assassin… Maybe that’s where I should start. That’s smart. Still, how did I end up here?’ I silently questioned myself as I walked through the streets of Hell, completely disregarding the stares I was receiving. They were probably inspired by how beat-up the puppet appeared. 

‘… Whatever, why should I look a gift horse in the mouth? All that matters is that I’m here, far away from the dusty glass cage the foundation kept me in. Perhaps I should lay low for a while, until I have enough intel.’  

Walking through the streets, I sauntered up to a random car on the side of the street. Before smashing the driver's side window with my fist, glass impaled it, causing even more blood to seep out.

“H-Hey!” A scream resounded from behind me. Turning around, I saw what appeared to be a sinner with completely black skin and two pointy wings escaping from its back. “That’s my car!”

The sinner… I believe that’s what the puppet used to call them, ran up to me. As if ready to fight.

“Hey, what’s the big idea? You think I’d just let you break into my car!?” It yelled angrily.

“Hehehe, this is your car?” I calmly asked, causing confusion to contort the creature's face.

“Ya, that’s my fuckin car. You gonna pay for the repairs or am I gonna have to-”

STAB!

“AHH! FUCK!” It yelled as I impaled its eyes with the jagged piece of metal that formerly pierced my abdomen. I laughed at its pathetic squirming. “Y-YOUR DEA-”

STAB! STAB! STAB!

I removed the jagged piece of metal and continuously stabbed it back into the creature's skull over and over again. Until finally, it stopped moving. 

“Hehehe, dead already?” I asked silently. It was a shame that it'd come back, if this puppet's memory serves me right about these creatures being unable to die by normal means. Still, that just means I can come back later and kill him again, and again, and again.

Reaching into its now-bloody pockets, I pulled out the creature's phone, wallet, and keys. I inserted the keys into the car and entered, before ramming full speed on the gas and driving through the streets of Hell.

My current destination was wrath, where this puppet used to call home. I’ll stay there for a while, getting everything in place before setting out. One always needs a plan, after all.

Still, the atmosphere of this place was amazing. Perhaps I’ll make Hell my new home. It sure beats the last one.

… One that I am never going back to. After all, it gave me a newfound hatred for small glass boxes and tinfoil hats.

Still, if what I’m thinking is actually happening, then there’s only one thing I can say.

“Hehehehe… May chaos reign.”

 

---

Cherri Bomb POV

“Argh! Fuck that hurts!” The human, Kevin, I think, screamed out.

Not that I blamed him, as I had just thrown another rock at his head.

“Don’t worry. It’s supposed to hurt!” I screamed back, tossing the next rock in my hand up and down. “It’ll work eventually!”

“I still don’t see how pelting me with rocks is gonna cure my amnesia!” He yelped out, causing me to laugh.

“HA! It’s fine, trust me! I promise you’ll get your memories back in no time!” I lied, ready to throw another rock, only for my dummy—I mean, patient—to move out of the way right as I threw it, resulting in it thudding against the wooden wall.

“Nope! I’m done with this!” He proclaimed as he walked behind me, back towards my mini-fridge in my room. “At this rate, you're just gonna make me forget how to breathe!”

“Ah, c'mon, Kev. I thought you said you wanted my help!” I teased as I leaned against the wall. I was a little bummed that the game was over.

“… You and I must have two very different interpretations of the word ‘help’.” He sighed, reaching into the fridge and pulling out one of the cans of beer. “See, when I say help, I mean getting my memories back. From what you were doing, you were just gonna lead me to an early grave.”

“Maybe, but at least you wouldn’t have to travel far!” I joked, gesturing to the world around us. He immediately flinched at the reminder.

“Right… Hell.” He said, still feeling like he couldn't believe it. “What you told me about this place... It’s all true, right?”

“Ya! What, you think I would lie to you about that?” I asked, referencing to me explaining the basic policies of Hell society to him. “C’mon, I know I may be a dick, but at least I’m a dick with standards.”

“… It’s gonna take me a while to get used to this.” He sighed, as I continued to laugh at his dismay.

It’s only been a couple hours since the guy woke up, but fucking Hell was it fun to tease an amnesiac!

After the guy woke up, he started to freak out. He was especially spooked by all the Hell stuff. But I managed to calm him down by promising to get his memories back.

And that’s where the fun began.

“Y’know, we still haven’t tried waterboardin’ yet!” I joked as I watched the human roll his eyes as he took a sip from his beer.

“Har har, very funny. Alright, you’ve had your fun, so can you actually take this seriously?” He almost pleaded, showing how desperate the guy was.

“Ok, fine. You want my serious diagnosis?” I asked, and he responded by rapidly nodding his head.

“… Your're totally fucked.”

My answer seemed to absolutely shock him, as he almost fell to the floor.

“What? Why!?” 

“Because, in case you couldn’t tell, we’re in Hell, mate. There aren’t any doctors on this ring who could help with fucking amnesia; those asshats can barely tell the difference between migraines and bullet wounds!” I laughed at my own joke as I sauntered over to Kev, grabbing a beer from my fridge. 

“All the good ones would either be hellbornes residing in lower rings or were already snatched up by existing overlords. Plus, with us sinners being immortal, people here aren’t willing to spend an arm and a leg on healthcare when they could just fucking regrow the limbs themselves! Y’know, considering they weren’t killed with angelic steel.”

“…Shit.”

“Welcome to Hell; you’ll get used to the feeling.” I said, causing the human to sigh in defeat before he slid down against the wall.

“Fine… Shit, ok. Let’s assume your right.” He started as I raised my one singular eyebrow in question. 

“Of course I am. I’m always right.” 

“Just bear with me, please.” He pleaded, and I shrugged and leaned against the wall, taking another sip from my beer. “Let’s assume you're right, and there’s no doctor in all of pride that can help me. The next best thing would be to try and figure out who I am and where I came from, right?”

“Seems like a good idea to me.” I said, causing him to smile slightly.

“And to do that, I’m gonna need help from somebody who knows the layout of Hell.”

“Correct.”

“So… You're gonna help me figure out who I am?”

“Absolutely fucking not.”

“Great! Now we can—wait, what did you say?” He suddenly proclaimed, realizing that I had just rejected his offer. His reaction brought me no small amount of joy.

“I said no.” I responded nonchalantly, much to the dismay of the amnesiac.

“Wha-but why!?” He managed to blurt out, causing me to laugh. “Didn’t you already say that you were going to help me?”

“Hehe, no, I didn’t.” I corrected him. I continued before he had a chance to ask why. 

“I promised to try and help you cure your amnesia, and I already tried my best with that.” I gestured to the pile of rocks in the corner, smirking as I saw Kev shiver at the sight of them. “I never said anything about being your tour guide through hell. I’m interested in you; don’t get me wrong, but I’m not gonna play babysitter for someone who can’t even remember what they had for breakfast.”

“… Why are you so mean?” He asked, dejected, as his head slumped down low to the floor. Seriously, this guy made it so easy. 

“Mean? Are you serious?” I questioned as I flunked down on my ripped-up bean bag in the corner. “You should be grateful that I was the one that found you.”

“Really? How so?” He sarcastically delivered, still numbed at me for rejecting him. He really was just acting like a clingy ex.

‘Then again, I guess I’m technically the only person he knows at all, because of amnesia and all that. To him, he doesn’t have anyone else, he doesn’t know anyone else. ’ The thought almost made me feel bad, almost.

This was Hell after all; if you end up feeling bad for every random fucker that has a problem, then you’ll just end up dead in a dumpster behind some crack shop.

“Because I didn’t kill you.” I answered simply, taking a sip from my beer before continuing. “Like seriously, if it were almost any other sinner, they would’ve either killed you, sold you, eaten you, or done very unspeakable things to that human body of yours.” I winked, or as much of a wink as I could with only one eye.

It seemed to get its point across, though, as I saw Kev blush a tiny bit before rolling his eyes.

“Fine, I guess you have a point. But still, can’t you at least tell me where I can go to find people who would be willing to help me?” He desperately asked as he turned his back to me to grab another beer from my mini fridge.

I laughed at his question before standing up and walking towards him.

“Ya, good luck with that. Nobody down here is nice, buddy. Don’t get used to any charity, everything comes with a price.” I chuckled as I made it right behind him, not noticing that I had walked so close.

“Also, lay off the beer, will ya? You're gonna empty my stash at this rate.” I laughed before I playfully punched him in the shoulder and—

Swoosh! Bam!

‘You know, if I was paying attention, this wouldn’t have happened. I would’ve easily been able to parry the blow. Still, though, it was damn impressive.’ 

The thought passed through my mind as, after I playfully hit Kev, he immediately went on the back foot and gripped onto my wrist that I used to punch, before throwing me over his shoulder and into the floor. He also gripped my back hand and pressed his knee into my spine, pinning me to the floor.

Looking up, I saw natural fury in his glossed-over eyes, almost like that of a predator.

“Argh. What the shit, Kev!” I screamed out to him, only for his eyes to come back to life and widen as if in realization at what he did.

“Oh…OH MY GOD!” He yelled out in surprise as he immediately got off my back. arms flailing wildly in the air. “I am so sorry! I didn’t mean—I don’t know how I!— Oh my god, I am so sorry!” 

He kept screaming out apologies and excuses, but to be honest, I wasn’t mad. Oh, I’m definitely gonna beat the shit out of him later for this; don’t get me wrong. But I was honestly more intrigued than anything. I gave him a once over with my eye, re-evaluating my initial thoughts on him.

“That was instinct, wasn’t it?” I asked as realization came over me, causing him to stop his flailing before looking at his own hands.

“Y-ya, I think... Maybe? I’m not sure. But when you hit me from behind, it was almost as if my body moved on its own. Like it was some pre-programmed shit I had in my brain... Is that instinct?” He asked, and his response caused me to reveal a large, toothy grin. In contrast, Kev seemed to shrink back at the smile I was giving.

“Oh really! Hm.” I began to think as an idea bloomed in my head like an explosion. “Alright, I agree!”

“… Um, agree to what?” He asked, concerned.

“To help you learn who you are, duh!” I revealed, causing Kev to rise back up, a smile now adorning his face as well.

“Really!” He proclaimed excitedly before allowing a look of suspicion to cross his face. “Why? What changed?”

“Well, I didn’t know you had fangs before.” I revealed, only for him to look at me in confusion. I sighed at his dullness. “Listen, mate, I’m not doing this out of the goodness of my heart; I just wanna make that clear. I’m trying to take advantage of you.”

“… What?”

“Ugh, how do I explain this? Ok, here’s the deal.” I walked up to him, roughly placing a hand on his shoulder. I notice him flinch, as if trying to respond to the gesture the same way he did before, but he manages to hold himself back. “It’s obvious that before the whole, y’know, amnesia thing, that you were a soldier or something. Not only that, but you seem like you were a damn good one if what you just did was pure instinct. So here’s what I want.” I started as I brought my hand down in front of him.

“I want us to become partners!” I dramatically declared, much to his confusion. “And I know what you're thinking, and no, I don’t mean partners in the sex way.”

“… That’s not even close to what I was thinking.”

“Hehe, sure it wasn’t.” I said as I gave him a side eye, causing him to roll his eyes in irritation before I continued. “Anyways, what I mean is partners in crime! It’s been a fucking chore recently to stop those fucking asshats from encroaching on my territory. So, in exchange for my help in finding out wherever the fuck you came from, you are gonna help me maintain control of my territory. Whaddya say!”

“… By territory, do you mean—”

“Yes, I mean turf wars.”

“Ah, crap.” He said dejectedly, his head hanging low again as he appeared to be deep in thought, probably contemplating the positives and negatives of accepting this deal.

Eventually, though, it seems he reluctantly came to a decision as he gave me a heavy sigh, before looking back up to me with the smallest of smiles.

“Fine, you have a deal... But—.” He said, raising his hand in preparation to shake mine. “— When I find out who I am or where I came from, I'm allowed to leave. I no longer have to fight in your… gang war or whatever.”

“Hmmm, fine.” I said after a second of contemplation. It made sense, so I wasn’t gonna push him on it; I was still curious about his entire situation in general. “But no backing out until then. Deal?” 

I held my hand out as I saw Kev stare at it warily.

“… Deal.” He finally said, shaking my hand.

Our non-official pact was sealed, since I wasn’t gonna make him go through the whole 'soul-contract’ bullshit. I hated those things anyway, especially since I’ve seen how much they can fuck someone up… How much it fucked Angie up.

“Um, you okay?" Kev suddenly asked, knocking me out of my thoughts. “You looked kinda... distracted for a second.”

“Hm, oh yea, pfft, I’m fine!” I joked, avoiding my earlier thoughts.

‘Speaking of which.’ I thought as I gripped harder onto Kev’s hand.

“Huh, what are you—”

Bang!

I tossed Kev over my shoulder, throwing him straight into the wall behind me.

“Argh! What the fuck, Cherri!?” He screamed in dismay, clutching the back of his head in anguish. The action caused me to release a laugh.

“C’mon, that was just a little payback for earlier, Besides-” I started as I glared at Kev with a dangerous grin, causing him to suddenly break out in a cold sweat and crawl away from me. “- I think I’ve thought of another way we can start fixing your memory. If what you did before was instinct, then just imagine what else we can learn about you from this.”

I walked closer to Kev, only to see him dash to the door, failing to pry the locked door open.

“Besides, you're gonna need to seriously get kicked into shape if you wanna have any chance of surviving down here.” I cracked my knuckles as dread washed over his face, and he desperately banged against the door. “How about a bit of a rumble to warm us up!”

“SOMEONE SAVE ME FROM THIS PSYCHOTIC PSYCHLOPS!”

“GET BACK HERE!”

---

 

Anni Gera POV

 

“GET BACK HERE!” Screamed the collection of red-skinned munchkins chasing me down the alley. My lab coat flickered behind me in the wind as I desperately tried to escape.

‘How did this happen to me?’ I silently wept to myself as I felt my adrenaline beginning to give out. I had been running from these fuckers for the last 15 minutes, and these maroon-assholes haven’t stopped in the slightest.

I still can’t believe how unlikely it was. After I appeared in god knows where, I attempted to move down the large building that I had appeared on.

As soon as I reached the bottom, however, these short and red anomalous creatures suddenly appeared out of thin air, telling me that they were gonna rob me.

… So I ran, and ran, and continued to run through a maze of alleys. I’ve been running for so long that my legs are beginning to ache, and the side of my chest is beginning to burn.

‘I’m a researcher, not a soldier. I can’t deal with this much physical activity. Dammit, why did I skip out on the foundation's gym membership!?’

As these thoughts swam around in my head, I accidentally tripped on the back of my foot as I fell hard to the pavement below, knocking my glasses off my face. 

“Argh. Fuck.” I painfully said as I attempted to drag myself up from the floor. Only to stop when I felt a weight being applied to the back of my spine.

“Looks like we finally gotcha, bitch!” Said the same gruff voice from before. Swerving my head, I could see the four devilish-looking midgets had caught up in my moment of clumsiness, with what I assumed to be the leader standing straight on my spine, a knife pointed to my exposed head.

I took a deep gulp, knowing that this wasn’t gonna be an easy situation to get out of. 

“You sure can run, but it’s over now. Hehe, what a fucking catch, sorry bitch, but from today onwards, you belong to me!” He slammed his hand against my head, slamming it roughly into the floor as it left a small splatter of blood. “Now, I think it’s time for a proper introdu…hm, who the fuck are you—”

Bang Bang Bang Bang.

Four gunshots quickly ranged out, followed by a collection of short, painful screeches. I felt the weight in my spine slowly diminish as I heard something fall to the floor next to me. Painfully, I moved my now-bleeding head up from the floor to look at what it was.

Despite probably having a concussion, I managed to move my head enough to see what once was the body of the red creature who had pinned me to the floor has now been rendered to nothing more than a lifeless corpse, a singular hole now apparent on the creature's forehead. 

Eyes widening in realization, I looked behind me to see the three other creatures lifelessly lying on the floor, each with a new hole in their head. 

“Stand.” A demanding voice spoke from behind me, exuding authority.

I immediately stood straight, shoulders back, looking away. I don’t know why I did it so quickly; perhaps it’s because of how I was trained by the foundation when given orders.

It didn’t matter, though, as my standing was followed by seconds of tense silence. I wanted nothing more than to turn around and look at my… Savior? 

I honestly wasn’t sure, and I was too scared to find out by turning around. If I did, they might just decide to shoot me because of my insubordination. I only dared to put my glasses back on, which fell off in my initial crash to the floor.

Finally, though, the voice spoke again.

“Name, identification number, security clearance, job title, and site of origin. Now.” The figure demanded. 

‘Wait… what?’

“What?” I said out loud, echoing my thoughts. Did this person really just ask me—

“You heard me. Answer now.” They once again demanded with authority, causing my mind to go into autopilot and repeat the words and classifications that have been drilled in my brain.

“Anni Gera, ID number 8722105, level two researcher residing in site-25 before temporarily being transferred to site-93 for the classification of an anomalous item… Sir!” I added, feeling that it wouldn’t be complete without it. 

After a couple of more seconds of suffocating silence, I heard him speak again.

“Level two, not amazing, but better than nothing.” I heard the figure mumble before I heard the identifiable sound of a gun being holstered. That also probably meant that whoever had this gun was pointing it at me mere seconds ago, which was a little worrying.

‘Still, their voice... Why does their voice sound so familiar? While I’m at it, why would they even ask me about my identification in the first place?’ I thought curiously.

“Turn around, researcher; we need to move.” The figure said, allowing me to indulge in my questions. 

I turned around, anxious to put a face to the voice. Was it another researcher? Or was it someone else who knew about the foundation? I had to know.

What I saw, though, was something I never expected. They wore the lab coat of a researcher and were without a doubt a human, which itself was a bit of a relief.

When I saw their face, however, I immediately froze in shock. My mind became a jumbled mess as I tried to process, attempting to comprehend the individual that stood ahead of me. His lab coat felt like it suddenly began to flow in the wind dramatically!

Because the person who stood in front of me, in all of his glory, was—

“G-G-G-GEARS!?” I said, and I totally didn’t shriek like a fangirl seeing her favorite boy band—nope, not at all. And I definitely didn’t further embarrass myself by tripping on my own two feet again back to the floor.

Nope, that would just be humiliating…

From my prone—I mean standing position—I saw Gears roll his eyes. 

“Great, one of these types. Whatever.” He said as I stood back up, frantically shaking dust from my labcoat in an attempt to make myself seem at all professional.

“Oh- Oh god, um- Hi, Ge- Sir, hi sir!” I stammered out as I saw Gears trot past me towards the bodies of the red creatures. I barely paid them mind anymore because, holy shit I’m actually talking to THE Dr. Gears!

“Um, t-thanks for. Um- saving me! Ya- I probably would've-”

Dr. Gears cut off my fangirling by tossing one of the dead red creatures right at me.

“Oh Fuck!” I said as it hit me, blood and guts slathering me all over. It was extremely disgusting and very disturbing.

“Rub the blood in.” Gears finally said after I noticed him beginning to rub the blood of one of the other creatures on him. “Hopefully, it’ll hide our scent from hellhounds. Those things can apparently pick up on the scent of humans.” 

I was honestly baffled for a moment by his attitude, with him going straight to business with no pleasantries.

Then I remembered that this was, in fact, Dr. Gears. He and pleasantries don’t exactly go hand in hand.

Coming to this realization, I quickly nodded in understanding before starting to spread the blood around my body.

It was extremely disturbing, but what Gears said made sense, so I have no reason not to do it.

‘Still, this is really testing my gag reflexes.’ I thought as I struggled to stop myself from losing my lunch. ‘Seriously, how is he doing this so easily?’

After a couple of painful minutes of spreading the viscous substance around, Gears came walking back to me.

“We are currently in a possible iteration of Hell, likely from Abrahamic religions. Though it appears to match the Christian rendition from the Bible more than any other,” he began, once again skipping any and all context, which I will admit annoyed me a little as I still had no idea what was going on. “We are in a settlement called Imp City. Our current object is to find as many other operatives as we can before attempting to locate these individuals.”

He reached into his pocket, producing a picture of some kind before showing it to me. On it was a trio of red creatures, not dissimilar to the ones that had been chasing me moments prior. 

I was only able to get a quick look, however, because Gears almost immediately pulled the photo away and stored it safely in his coat pocket.

After doing so, he began walking further down the alley that I had just rushed down, barely sparing me a second glance.

He was obviously expecting me to follow him; I’m smart enough to figure that out. 

‘… He’s so cool.’  

“Hurry up; we can’t afford to waste time.” Gears suddenly spoke out once again in his voice, which demanded attention. He didn’t even bother to look back, as he kept moving forward.

‘Oh, right!’ I realized that I still had to worry about surviving. I can concern myself with... Freaking out till later.

“Um, c- Coming sir!” I quickly jogged up behind him, following him like his shadow. Finally, in this moment of silence, I was able to process what was going on.

‘Oh my god—OH MY GOD! I actually talked to him! And he saved my life! This is fucking incredible!’ I geeked out inside, and I am forever thankful that Gears didn’t have the ability to read minds. ‘I… I didn’t expect it to go like this. I never thought that’s how we’d talk after seeing each other again. Oh my god, did I make a bad impression? Fuck, why didn’t I eat a mint this morning!?’

“Are you experiencing pain right now? Your face seems to have altered its color.” Gears suddenly said as I realized that I had begun blushing in embarrassment. 

“Shit. No, I—I'm good, sir. Thanks for—um— worrying about me though!”

“… Alright, just try not to get sick. If you do, then I’ll have to leave you behind.” He said, never stopping his constant path forward.

What he said made sense; if I became sick, then I’d just be a liability. Still, this entire conversation only led me to one conclusion, one that I had heavily feared.

…That he really doesn’t remember me.

Notes:

Striker: IM ALIVE!

SCP-035: are you sure about that?

Yep, I made Striker survive just to kill him again (really hope nobody is mad about that.) I feel like I should explain myself though as to why I killed him, the major one being that I wanted their to be actual stakes in this story (major character death is a tag for a reason) and I want it be be known that I’m actually willing and gonna kill off some major characters. We also saw Cherri totally try her best to cure Kevin’s amnesia, and I really hope I wrote the dynamic between those two good. We also caught back up with Anni dangling about Gears. Besides that, I guess the only question for all of you is, how did you enjoy the chapter? Also, what Hazbin characters would you want to see more of in the story? Besides that, if you have any other comments, ideas, or wisecracks to leave them in the comments below, drop a kudos on the story if you enjoyed, and I hope you all have a MUCH better day then Striker.

Chapter 10: Breaking news!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

All of hell reacts to the news of the extermination.

It goes about as well as you’d expect.

Notes:

“Which SCP is your favorite?”

Cain POV

 

“Um… you know, maybe this isn’t a—”

"Oh, it’s a great place. I promise that you will absolutely love it!”

“Maybe, but how would the…um, the other tenants react—”

“They’ll love you! I promise that we will welcome you with open hearts and minds!”

“I— Dangit.”

I couldn’t continue anymore. Out of all the demons I run into, why did the first one have to be related to Lucifer himself?

After finding out the name of this demon and her relationship with Lucifer, that being his probable daughter, I tried to think of an excuse to leave as she guided me up a hill.

Sadly, no matter what I said, she seems extremely adamant about taking me to this hotel of hers. I believe that if I were forceful, I could probably escape, but she seemed so nice, and I really didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

So I reluctantly allowed her to guide me through the city and up this large hill, trying to think of some way to leave.

It seemed like Charlie was able to catch onto my apprehension, however. So she let go of my metal hand after a while before placing the same hand on my shoulder.

“Look, I know that you're probably nervous; I get it.” She started, giving me an assuring smile. “But I promise you that, as long as you give it a chance, you’ll feel right at home! If you don’t, then you're always welcome to leave.”

She was trying her best to comfort me, and while it was working, it’s obvious that she had no idea that the thing I had a problem with was her father.

Looking back, I saw her giving me a wide and goofy smile. I would describe it as Cheshire if it weren’t for the fact that it was warm. Comforting. Like a child who just got a kitten for Christmas.

I had a hard time trying to figure this girl out. She seemed so happy and jovial, worrying about me despite us just meeting. It seemed that she believed in her hotel with a burning passion, despite being rejected multiple times. On top of all that, she’s also the daughter of Lucifer, THE devil.

‘Why is she so happy? What allows her to keep moving?’ It was a question that I couldn’t think of an answer to.

After a moment, however, I finally came to a sudden realization. What she was and why she keeps trying despite the rejection.

‘… She’s a dreamer.’ That’s the only conclusion I could come to. The daughter of what I once thought as the most evil being in the cosmos was an idealist who wanted nothing more than to help others. To save others.

She reminded me so much of him… Before I killed him... Before I ruined his dream and turned him into a— A mons—

‘No, not that. He’s not that! He’s not you!’

“Hey, are you ok?” A soothing voice broke me out of my thoughts as I saw the daughter of Lucifer stare at me with concern. Actual concern. “We can sit down if you want.”

“N—no, I’m fine.” I said as I began walking in pace next to her as we slowly walked up the hill. “Thanks though.”

“Thanks for what?” She asked curiously, unsure of what she did that deserved such praise.

“Thanks for… I don’t know... Caring, I guess.” I answer, unsure what else to say. It must have been the correct answer, though, since her smile somehow grew even wider.

“Oh, you don’t need to thank me for that. It’s just the right thing to do!” Her answer once again confirmed to me that she really is just that nice. “Anyways, we’re here!”

At her reveal, I realized that we had made it to the top of the hill. Looking up, I stared at a giant monument that lay before me. It was a strange-looking building with multiple parts that didn’t seem to fit together, random neon signs pointing to what appeared to be random points of the presumed hotel.

Still, something felt special about this place, something that I only ever felt a couple of times in my thousands of years on earth. Like it was built not on stones and bricks but on ideas.

‘On dreams.’

Charlie’s grin grew even wider as she moved ahead before turning around in a dramatic flourish. Arms wide as if presenting the building to the world.

“Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!”

 

---

 

Charlie Morningstar POV

‘THIS IS SO EXCITING! THIS IS SO EXCITING! WE HAVE ANOTHER GUEST AT THE HOTEL!’ I could barely contain my excitement at the thought. This is so flipping amazing!

Sure, today started out bad with the... Less than amazing commercial that I am sure Alastor worked hard to produce. 

But then it became really good when Dad called!

‘… That’s not something I ever thought I would say.’ I thought, remembering my conversation with him over the phone.

But whatever, after he told me that he ended up setting up a meeting between me and the leader of the exterminators, I was excited. It was finally my chance to convince heaven that my idea had merit!

… Then I met Adam… Then the entire meeting kinda went downhill from there.

And at the end of it all, after shooting down my idea entirely, he told me that he was moving up the extermination!

Like, why? Why would he do that? It was terrible, and for half a second, I thought that I just made everything worse for the people here. I still think that, actually.

But then I ran into him.

Cain.

That name felt familiar, but I couldn’t remember why. Regardless, when I was at my lowest, when I felt as if I had failed all of Hell, he came out of nowhere and said he believed in my dream. Believed in me!

I know I already have people who believe in me, like Vaggie, who has supported me since day one. And despite not wanting to admit it, I can tell that Angel really does want the hotel to work!

… Probably… Ok, I think he wants the hotel to work, but whatever.

This felt special, though, because it wasn’t my girlfriend or someone else I knew who said they believed in me.

It was a stranger, just another resident of Hell, another sinner who I’ve never met before, who said they believed in me. Not only that, but he was so earnest and truthful that it just felt special. So much so that I’m actually curious what a guy like him could have possibly done to end up here.

Still, to learn that, despite believing in me, he had no belief in himself that he could be redeemed was something I couldn’t stand for. I don’t know what it is, and maybe I’m just too trusting like Vaggie says, but something about him feels special.

I looked back at the strangely clothed individual, wearing a collection of rags on other loose pieces of clothing that covered every part of him except his metal hands. He had a strange fashion sense, to be sure, but I wasn’t gonna call him out on it.

Anyways, I just hope that with a little elbow grease, maybe we can get him to start believing in himself. He is obviously troubled, so who am I to leave a wayward soul in need?

"Anyways, Cain, this is the lobby!” I opened the large double doors into the main lobby of the hotel! I was still so excited to show him around!

“Charlie!”

My introduction was cut short, however, as I heard someone scream my name. Looking back, I saw Vaggie running towards me before embracing me in a comforting hug.

“How’d it go? Did they listen?” She asked me with a smile on her face, immediately reminding me of my recent failure as she let me go.

“Oh-uhh— They sure did... Hear it. But, um—”

“Oh, come here. We got something exciting to show you!” Vaggie said, interrupting me as she took my hand, dragging me towards the couch, not even noticing the new arrival that followed closely behind us.

“Alastor pulled some strings, and it’s about to air.” She said as she brought me towards our main living room. The room was filled with everyone from the hotel; Angel, Husk, Niffty, and Alastor were all there.

“I pulled a few limbs too! Ha Ha!” Alastor joked as I took a moment to try and figure out what they were talking about. It was then that I realized they could only be talking about one thing.

“Wait, the commercial? You all made a new one?” I asked, confused, why they would go through so much trouble.

“Ya!” Angel answered with a smile on his face. “One of my better performances, if I do say so myself.”

‘They… They really… This is incredible!’ I thought as I couldn’t stop myself from tearing up again. This day really wasn’t the best, but somehow they managed to make it so much better!

“That’s… Thats amazing—”

“Shh! It's starting!” Angel cut me off as the television changed. The screen morphed into an image of the front of the hotel, with Vaggie, Husk, Niffty, and Angel all standing there in extremely stylish clothing. Alastor also appeared to be there, but it looked as if the television couldn’t render him properly.

Finally, televised Vaggie began talking.

“Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel—”

“ SHSHSHSHSH” only to be immediately cut off as the television abruptly changed to the news program. 

This resulted in me, Angel, and Vaggie all groaning in annoyance, with Niffty beginning to laugh for some strange reason.

“Breaking news in Hell today!” The program started before changing to an image of Katie Killjoy (that bitch!) and Tom Trench.

“We have just received word from the heaven embassy that the next extermination is happening sooner than ever before!”

“Do you know what that means, Tom?” She asked, turning towards her fellow news anchor.

“No, what does that mean, Katie?” He answered, before Katie turned back to the camera.

“It means we’re all royally fucked!” She said, before the screen once again changed, turning into a recording of the large hourglass on the top of the heaven embassy.

The large numbers on the top that read 358 instantly changed, switching to a much lower number of 176. 

This change was followed by a collection of screaming and mass panic in the streets by the denizens of Hell as the program ended.

‘… six months.’ I realized, as a terrible dread encompassed my entire being. It also appeared like I wasn’t the only one who felt this way, as both Husk and Vaggie stared at the screen with terrified eyes.

“What? Why?” I heard Angel blurt out as I suddenly realized that I’m gonna have to explain what happened at the meeting to them.

“Um, well—”

“I’m assuming that isn’t good, right?” Cain suddenly said, who was standing behind the couch the whole— OH MY SATAN, I FORGOT ABOUT CAIN!

I quickly turned around, as I saw everyone else also swirve their heads to stare at the source of the new voice. Alastor literally snapped his neck without turning his body in order to see the new arrival.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Hey Charlie, who’s the homeless fucker?” Angel asked, breaking the awkward silence.

“Sorry, I can leave if you don’t enjoy my company.” Cain said as he turned around, preparing to leave.

“WAIT, NO!” I screamed for him to stop, which he did. Which was then followed by even more awkward silence.

“…”

“…”

“…”

‘This is gonna be a long night.’

Meanwhile, the rest of hell was reacting to the news of the extermination.

 

---

 

Andrew White POV

Staring through the screens of the television station, me and Paul just witnessed the news about an event called the extermination being moved up.

‘Must be a big deal.’ I thought as I looked around, witnessing the formerly calm demons that once inhabited these streets suddenly breaking out in a blind panic. They acted like headless chickens, running in circles with no destination in mind. ‘Whatever this extermination is, it must be a nightmare if even the demons here are afraid of it.’

“Come on, we’re moving.” I heard Paul say to my right. Looking towards him, I noticed he had already begun to move. “We have to find someplace safe to stay; the last thing we want is to be caught up in this mob.”

I nodded, as what he said made sense, before following close behind him. We tried our best not to stand out, hoping to avoid the rabid demons.

“Do you have a place in mind yet?” I ended up asking, hoping to finally get some sleep. It’s been a really long day. 

“Regretfully, there really hasn’t been anywhere we can stay without the threat of being stabbed in our sleep.” He sighed, making me lose hope of being able to lay on a bed any time soon. “For now, we’ll keep moving; there’s bound to be some corner of the city that’s uninhabited.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. Still, something else had caught my eye before chaos had broken out.

“Y’know, before that emergency news broadcast, those televisions were broadcasting a commercial for some kind of hotel. I think it was called the Hazbin Hotel?” I told him as we walked through the streets, avoiding the fire that had now started in a nearby building. “Call me an idiot, but I’m pretty sure hotels are places with beds. It's not a terrible place to crash for a while.”

“… You're just hoping they serve a complimentary breakfast, aren’t you?”

“Oh absolutely. Still doesn’t retract from my point though!” I answered, hoping to convince the soldier.

He took a couple seconds to think over the proposal before sighing while clenching his gas mask.

“Fine. If we don’t find a safe place before tomorrow, then we’ll check out this hotel.” He answered, but cut me off before I had a chance to celebrate. “That being said, we have close to no money. If this is some high-end place that we can’t afford, then we’re gonna let it be, alright?”

“… Fine.” I said reluctantly, as I really just wanted to pass out on a mattress for a couple months. All we’ve done today is walk, talk, walk some more, be held at gunpoint, walk again, be held at gunpoint again, and rinse and repeat a couple dozen times.

‘Still, at least I’m not alone.’ I thought as I turned towards Paul, who was the only reason why I was able to survive as long as I had. I couldn’t even imagine going through this hellscape alone, as I began to dread the fate of the rest of our friends. ‘Please be safe, everyone; we’ll see eachother again. I promise… I hope.'

 

---

 

Reed Newsong POV  

“Wow… That looks rough. What’s it mean?” I looked away from the television that was hung up on the wall of the music store, looking back towards the music store owner who was behind the counter, who appeared to be a large man with a tuba for a head.

“… It means that we’re all fucked.” It somehow answered despite having no mouth. “Anyways, what was it that you wanted?”

“Oh right! Ya, if you don’t mind, I would like—” I took out my gun lute and pointed it straight at the tuba man. “— Everything in your store!”

“… Is that lute a gun—”

“— Ya, it’s a gun.”

“Shit… third time this week.” He responded dejectedly, causing me to become confused.

“Wait, this is the third time you’ve been robbed with a lute?”

“It’s been a weird week.”

 

---

Dr. Gears POV

 

‘Why do things have to keep getting more complicated?’ I thought as I viewed the televised news network. ‘We haven’t even been here for a day, and there’s already been a break in the apparent pattern. Is it related?’

I was, of course, referring to the news of the so-called extermination event being moved up to being only six months away. Why? As far as I could tell, this extermination event hasn't changed for as long as it has existed. So why now? What changed?

‘Was it our arrival here? Did our entrance into these lands really cause such a drastic shift? Or is it something entirely unrelated and nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence?’ I couldn’t tell, but it didn’t really matter at the moment. If everything goes well, then we’ll be gone before the event anyway.

“S- Sir, it doesn’t look like there’s anyone left here.” A voice spoke from behind me, looking back, I managed to identify it as the researcher that I saved a few hours back. “Looks like he was the only one living here.”

I nodded my head in understanding, looking down at the dead body of the red, impish creature. Its body possesses a bullet-shaped hole in the top of its head. 

This was its apartment, before we broke in and killed it, that was. It made sense, as we needed money, clothes, and a base of operation. The simplest way to do that was to kill the former owner of this run-down room in what appeared to be an apartment of sorts.

Looking back, I saw the female researcher shift uncomfortably, being so close to the body. How odd, is she bothered by it?

‘Whatever, it's irrelevant. What’s important now is thinking over our next move.’

“Researcher.” I called out to the personnel, who flinched at being called out. “Check this creature's personal belongings. See if it has anything that would prove useful to us.”

“Y- yes sir!” She shouted, saluting me as she scurried out of the room.

‘… Why is she acting so awkward? Does my breath stink or something?’

 

---

 

Rosie POV

“Oh… Well, that’s not very good.” I said out loud, listening to the emergency news broadcast through the radio. “Hm, the recent extermination was bad for the colony. Would we be able to take another one so soon?”

I wasn’t very sure if we could or not. Sure, we’re getting new cannibals to add to our numbers basically every other day. But still, it’s not enough to keep up with the amount lost during every extermination.

I absentmindedly looked up towards the ceiling, thinking back to the human world. 

‘Seriously, what are they—’

BOOM!

“ WARRIOR ROSIE!!!! FIGHT ME!!!!!” 

BANG!

If there was any idea or thought going through my head, it was immediately extinguished by my wall not only exploding, but also by the tattooed demon who jumped through it and punched me in the face.

I went flying through another wall, skidding against the floor outside of my house. I felt a small amount of blood drip down from my lips as I stared up in shock at the familiar, black sword-wielding maniac.

“… Oh… Your back already?” I asked confusedly, noting that it hasn’t even been a full day since I killed the guy. It usually takes at least a couple days, at the minimum, for sinners to come back after death.

So why was he here so fast?

“Warrior Rosie, I challenge you to another duel!” The wrecker of my wall screamed out, and looking past him, I noted that he ran through multiple buildings just to get here.

“… This is gonna become a constant thing, isn’t it?” I sighed before striking my paracel on the floor, resulting in a multitude of thorny vines to sprout out of the earth behind me. “Alright, let’s get this over with, tall, dark, and bloodthirsty.”

“Heheheh. HEHEHEHEHEHEE. YES, A FIGHT!” He laughed out before straining his legs and rocketing himself towards me.

‘… I’m gonna have to deal with this every day, aren’t I?’ I thought, shooting the vines forward to cut him off.

And, somehow, we engaged in a more heated fight compared to the last one.

 

---

Plague Doctor POV

 

“Hehehehe. HEHEHEHEHE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!” Dr. Bright laughed out loud like a mad scientist standing over their new amalgamation. Except in Bright's case, he was simply staring at the computer screen that just played the apparent news, and he simply looked like an idiot.

“YES! YES! THIS IS PERFECT!!!” He continued to rub his hands together, as if he had just found gold.

“... Dare I ask what you're so excited about?” My question only seemed to prompt Bright to laugh even more, as his cackling echoed through the walls of the now empty complex.

Bright stared at me with crazy eyes, as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Chaos, my dear plaugers. Pure, Unfiltered Chaos!” He exclaimed dramatically before pulling away. “And you wanna know what blooms in chaos!?”

“… What—”

“MORE CHAOS!” He screamed out before turning to the door, not even letting me finish my question. I really do hate him.

“Which also means this is the perfect opportunity!” Bright rubbed his hands together, giddy with excitement. “The perfect opportunity to overthrow a fucking overlord!”

I watched as Bright kicked open the door before practically skipping out of the room. "Oh, wait for me, Nergal baby! IMMA COMING!”

‘… You know, my cell at the foundation is sounding really good right now.’

 

---

 

Cherri Bomb POV

“Well, this is gonna make shit of my territory.” I identified as I watched the TV broadcast end, and with it any semblance of peace that was in Pentagram City, regardless of how little of it there was to begin with. 

“Although, maybe this is the opportunity I was waitin’ for! With all this chaos, there’s no way those arsenic bastards would hold on for long. Hmm, this could be a fuckin’ rad opportunity to rob them of all their worth! I’ve been wantin’ to expand my territory anyways.”

A grin spread on my face as an idea also came to mind. “This’ll also be the perfect opportunity to show you the ropes. Whaddaya say Kev!”

“…ur…urgh.” Kev managed to grunt out in pain, despite being a crumpled mess on the floor as a result of our recent… ‘Mock battle’… ya, that’s a good name for it!

“… Oh, right. Well, maybe tomorrow then?”

“…uhh—”

“Great! Love the enthusiasm, Kev!” I interrupted his pained grunt before heading back over to my mini fridge, pulling out the last beer from the inside.

‘Geez, we really went through a lot of these in one day. Guess I’ll have to restock tomorrow as well.’ I thought, as I opened the beer up. I was about to drink it, until I saw Kev's crumpled up body in the corner of the room.

‘… oh, dammit.’ I thought, realizing what I was about to do. I reached to the side of my abdomen, I could still feel a collection of bruises blooming in that region.

‘I mean, I gotta hand it to the bastard; he did better than I thought he would, being an amnesiac and all that. Hell, I think the guy even ended up giving me a black eye… Maybe he deserves something.’ I thought, before giving a remorseful sigh while giving my beer one last look.

“Hey Kev, wanna beer?” I asked out loud, waiting for a response. Except, I didn’t hear anything in response—not even a grunt. “Kev?”

Turning around, I saw why I wasn’t receiving any response. It appears as if Kevin must’ve fallen asleep from exhaustion, or pain, one of the two.

‘Jeez, it’s not like I gave him any serious injuries or anything. It's nothing he won’t be able to recover from by tomorrow. He’ll just be a little sore, that's all.’ I solemnly thought as I stared back at Kevin’s unconscious body. After staring for a handful of seconds, though, I forced out a sigh.

“Fine, guess I’ll show you the ropes tomorrow, or whatever.” I walked next to his body, placing the can near him before going back to my torn-up mattress. I grabbed the dirty blanket off the top of it and moved back over to Kevin before throwing it on top of him.

I frowned slightly as I looked at his tattered body, and a small part of me stung. Why? I never felt bad for beating up people before, so why now? I mean, I didn’t even do it with malicious intent like I normally do to other fuckers, as I was actually helping him remember how to fight and survive. Without that, there’s no way a normal human could survive down here for long.

But for some reason, I did. Why?

‘What the fuck is wrong with me? I mean, it’s not like I knew the fucker… Right?’

I turned back to his body, and I definitely have no memory of ever meeting him before tonight. Not in Hell or when I was still alive.

‘… But then why does he feel so familiar? Why did I take the time to make sure he was alright? Why do I feel angry at myself for not remembering? … Wait, remembering? Remember what—”

“&@£^<%@£#}$;”

“Argh, fuck!” I clutched my head as a sudden headache swirled inside, crashing through my innermost thoughts. ”Ahh, dammit. I didn’t drink that much, did I?”

The headache still cascaded around my head, so I stumbled over to my bed before falling flat into the mattress. Maybe I just needed some sleep; too much weird shit has happened today.

‘What was I even thinking about again?’ I recollected my thoughts, trying to remember what I was just thinking about. ‘Oh right! Ya, gonna take Kev to blow up some Aresenic fuckers. Hehe, that’ll be fun.’

I peacefully drifted off to sleep, completely fine without a blanket covering me. Excited to show Kevin what it means to work with me. This is gonna be fucking rad!

 

---

Sir. Pentious POV

 

“Yesssss, go my egg boyz! Prepare my death ray!” I issued out the order as my little eggies ran around the cabin of my ship.

“You got it, boss!” One of them responded with a salute before scrambling off into a corner of some kind.

I cackled madly as I rubbed my hands together, exhilarated for what was to come next.

“Hehe, yesss. Now that all of Hell is in shambles over the most recent newsss, it is the perfect opportunity for I! Sir Pentious! To take my rightful place amongst the overlords of Hell! Hehehehe!”

“Oh, that’s so cool, boss!” Another egg boy cried out in admiration.

“Quiet, prepare the death ray thissss instance! I believe it’s time I pay my rival a visit!” I declared.

“Ohhh, the red deer guy?” One of my eggies asked

“No, my other rival!”

“Ahh, the arsenic guys?” A different one asked.

“No! Although I actually wouldn’t mind paying them a visit,” I suddenly contemplated before shaking my head. “But no, I mean my arch arch rival! The one-eyed demon! Master of explosivesss! Cherri Bomb!”

“Didn’t she and the spider man beat you last time you met, boss?—”

“They got lucky!” I quickly interrupted him, not allowing this slander to proceed any further! “Not anymore, for tonight I! sir Pentious! will finally—”

“Halt villainous swine!” A voice dramatically proclaimed itself from behind me. “I shall not allow you to continue with your villainous ways!”

“EHH, Who daresss!” I turned around to the voice, spotting nothing but shadows in the corner of my ship. “Show yourself, you pusssie!”

“I am not pussy!-"” The same voice suddenly spoke, and I noticed the shadows begin to move. I was about to scream in shock, until I realized the shadow WAS the one talking, as a dark silluite left the wall, wearing what appeared to be a flowing coat and cowboy hate. All black. “—For I am—”

They dramatically flourished their coat, which seemed to somehow grow behind him as it flew in nonexistent wind behind him.

“ The Specter !” He dramatically declared before putting himself in a fighting position. “And although I have absolutely no idea how I got here, or where here is, I can tell a villain when I see one!”

“Ah, a hero, I see!” I rubbed my hands together, realizing what this shaded figure must be. “In that case, charge my egg boyz!”

I dashed at him with my eggs, grabbing my ray gun as I went. The figure laughed and charged towards us at the same speed. “To a true hero, numbers mean nothing! Give me everything you got, Villain!”

“AAAAAHHHHH!!!!”

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!”

We both shouted our war cries as we ran into each other, and I prepared myself for what has got to be the best fight that Hell has ever seen!

---

 

Carmilla Carmine POV

I… I couldn’t believe it.

Staring towards the corner of the room, the television hung up on the wall of the private room, the news program just ended. Exposing terrifying news to the world:

‘Is this… Is this my fault?’ That was the only thought resonating through my head. I caused this. By killing that exterminator, I made the situation so much worse.

“… Dammit.” I sighed, clutching the bridge of my nose. This is gonna be a headache. Not only that, but I’ll probably have to call a meeting between the overlords over the new timetable.

… I really don’t want to deal with this headache.

“Are you okay, mother?” I heard Odette suddenly ask as I looked to my left, spotting Odette sitting on a chair. Immediately, I once again remembered WHY I killed the exorcist and that I would still make the same choice a million times, despite knowing the consequences.

“Yeah. Just tired.” I responded, trying to shrug off her worry. Though I could tell from the looks she gave that she didn’t believe me, heh, she always was a smart girl.

However, it appears as though she decided to give me mercy this day, as she merely sighed before nodding her head, with her own exhaustion evident on her face. Although, even the tiredness couldn’t hide the obvious concern she held in her eyes.

I would like to think that look of concern is for me, and maybe some of it is. But I knew my daughter better than that, knowing exactly what, or who, worried her. 

That being the unconscious human that laid flat on the guests bed, which has since been repurposed into an impromptu hospital bed of some kind. The human figure was surrounded by a multitude of machines, including ex-rays, heart monitors, and all the other kinds you’d find in a normal hospital. 

Eventually, I decided to turn off the television, leaving the beeping of the human’s heart from the heart monitor as the only source of noise in the dimly lit room. Walking back over, I noticed Odette had taken position next to the bedside, sitting on a chair while clutching an angelic spear.

I chuckled at the sight, before moving to the monitors. After looking at them for a few minutes, a frown formed on my face as I thought over the results.

We had a doctor come in moments ago in order to drop off this equipment and check on the human’s condition. Obviously, we hid her face so the doctor couldn’t tell it was a human, which seemed to annoy them and make their work harder. But they did not attempt to argue with me, knowing who I was. After some trial and error, he managed to get us an accurate description of what happened to her.

And it was... Shocking, to say the least.

The first, and most surreal thing we discovered was that large portions of the girl's skin—the bits she lost from her many wounds at the factory—were all replaced. Seemingly by the same material as Odette’s coat, which the bear had used.

As we dug deeper, it became even more surprising, as many different parts of her internal organs, one of which being the entirety of her left lung, had also been replaced by the cloth structures. The ones we saw the strange bear create before it disappeared.

It was so surprising that we even had the doctor triple check, just to make sure they didn’t mess up. Low and behold, they didn’t, and the results came back the same every time. The only irregularity we discovered was a strange reading coming from the left side of her neck, although that didn’t seem related to the current situation, so we let it slide. Just what did that bear do?

‘Speaking of the bear.’ I turned to stare at the nightstand located at the corner of the bed. On it lay a very limp yet colorful stuffed bear. A heart picture pinned to its chest. 

That thing fascinated me as much as it terrified me. How could it do what it did? What was it? It isn’t a sinner nor any of the different hellborne species, I should know; I checked twice.

Afterwards, I assumed it had to be a construct of some kind. But who would have the power to even make a creature with the power to repair lost organs? 

Lucifer? He probably could if he wanted to, but I can’t come up with a reason why. 

The sins? Possibly, but like with Lucifer, I can’t see its purpose.

The Goetia demons? Maybe, but it still feels like a stretch.

I know it can’t be an overlord, since I know what they’re capable of. And none of them could make something like this.

‘But then why? Who or what is this thing? What is its purpose?’

All these questions and uncertainties just made me antsy, especially with all the recent events. If it did belong to one of the aforementioned parties, then just having it near could prove to be dangerous.

I wanted nothing more than to cut it open, dig through its inner workings, and discover the source of its power, whether it be magic or otherwise. I wanted to sate my questions to figure out what this thing is and how it operates. Its ability is incredibly powerful; if I studied it, perhaps I could learn how to replicate it.

‘… But I know I can’t. Not after what it did.’ My gaze drifted from the bear to Odette, who sat nearby. Along with the unconscious human which this strange stuffed animal saved.

This human saved Odette, saved me from selling my soul. This bear then saved her, whom Odette seems to have grown to care for.

‘I may be a demon, but I’m not heartless. Just cold.’

Looking towards a clock on the wall, I noticed the time. I scowled as I realized that I needed to make sure that Clara was okay. I doubted that they would go after her and Odette, but I wasn’t gonna take any chances. It was getting pretty late anyways.

“Odette, let’s go.” I stated, watching Odette’s eyes travel away from the human towards me. “You must be exhausted after everything that happened; you should go to bed.”

I turned around and prepared to leave the room. Only to be interrupted by Odette. “Mother, is it alright if I… stay here for the night?”

I turned around, a little surprised by her request. I was about to ask why, but then I saw the same look on her face—the look of concern she held before.

I chuckled for a second, before turning back away from her. 

“Alright, just try and get a little sleep, at least. She’ll still be there when you wake up.” I declared, causing Odette to shift slightly in embarrassment before settling down.

“Thank you, mother.”

“There’s no need to thank me; you should reserve that praise for the human when she wakes up.” I declared before leaving the room.

I was shocked by just how much Odette has grown to worry about the human. Then again, nothing brings people closer together than when they fight for their lives with each other.

Still, I need to make sure this human doesn’t have any malicious intent. I doubt it, considering what she did for us. But you can never be too cautious down here; it was Hell after all.

Still, it's nice to believe that maybe, just maybe, there are people out there who are just nice.

 

---

Lucifer POV

“Ohhh… OHHH… OOOHHHHH… That’s not good.” I strained out as I saw the emergency broadcast play on my phone.

“This… this is my fault, isn’t it… Ya, it’s definitely my fault.” I said out loud as I remembered a… specific meeting that was scheduled with the leader of the exterminators.

“Fuck… Maybe letting Charlie go to the meeting wasn’t such a good idea.” I said, contemplating my past decisions. “Then again, she did say ‘thank you’ to me. That felt really nice!”

Looking back down at my phone, I shrugged before tossing it aside. ‘Whatever, it’s not like I really care what happens to the sinners. As long as they keep their end of the deal and don’t hurt Charlie, then I don’t really care whether the extermination happens every year, every six months, or even every single day.’

‘Still, I wonder how Charlie is taking this situation.’ I nervously thought, thinking that she might be a bit more disappointed than me. ‘Should I call her… No, no you can’t call her, you idiot! What would you even say? Urgh, why did I think it would be smart to let Charlie meet Adam of all people!?’

I continued to berate myself before my eyes caught a glimpse of our family photo in the corner of my room. I frowned as I saw Charlie’s face, before walking back over to pick up my phone.

“Maybe… Maybe just asking if she’s okay would be fine.” I silently pleaded to nobody, as I shakily brought my finger over the call button, ready to call Charlie—

BOOM!

"Oh, look, a convenient distraction!” I quickly said before chucking the phone across the room in response to the massive explosion I heard, which was followed by chalking in my entire chamber.

“Better go check that out before I do anything else! Ya, this takes priority!” I declared, totally not ignoring my responsibilities. 

‘Still, why did my entire palace shake? Did it come from the basement?’ I thought, before shrugging indifferently and snapping my fingers, causing a golden portal to appear ahead of me, which I stepped through. 

Snapping my fingers again, I closed the portal before looking around the extremely dark cellar. It was so dark, in fact, that I could barely see five feet in front of me. 

“Geez, why’s it so dark down here?” I silently asked before lazily scanning the surroundings. I started to walk through the dark interior, hoping to find whatever caused the rumbling from before.

As I moved through the shadows, I tried to think of what could’ve caused such a disturbance. No matter how I tried, however, I couldn’t think of anything that would cause it. Oh sure, the sins and the Geotia could definitely do something like that if they really wanted to, but I know that none of them are dumb enough to try something like that in my palace.

Could it be a sinner of some kind, like an overlord? Maybe, but which of them would actually be dumb enough for that? Maybe a new guy wanted to show off or something like that.

‘Whatever, it really doesn’t matter. I’ll just kick the ass of whoever it is and be on my way… Wait, why is my foot wet?’ I suddenly thought, realizing that I had stepped on a puddle of some kind.

Looking down, I saw that I stepped into some sort of red, viscous liquid that pooled up on the floor. It also looked surprisingly thick, almost like it was...

“Oh shit, that’s blood, isn’t it.” I came to this sudden realization as I moved my foot away from the liquid. Looking farther up, I suddenly found the source of all the red liquid, something that I had missed since I was too occupied with my own thoughts.

Ahead was a collection of multiple bodies scattered across the dark floor. There had to be at least ten different bodies on the floor, with each looking like they were smashed, crushed, or completely turned into a pile of flesh.

There were also loose guns and bullets that were scattered across the floor. Almost like whoever these people were, they were trying to defend themselves from something. Probably from whatever did this to them.

Walking forward, I kneeled before a body that looked like it was the most intact. They wore some black uniform of some kind, with the letters SCP inscribed on the sleeves.

“… What the fuck?” That was the only thing I could say, as I was completely fucking lost. Who were these people? What did this do to them? Why were they in my fucking basement?

It didn’t seem like I was gonna get answers anytime soon, though, so I removed the figure's helmet, hoping it would help me learn who they were. I did, but it only made me even more confused.

I took a startled step backwards as I saw the figures' non-demonic skins. A type of face that I remember clearly.

“A… Human?” I wondered, confused at how a normal, living, breathing human could be down here in the first place. It didn’t make any sense.

“ AAAAAHHHHH .” A sudden, blood-curdling scream ahead knocked me out of my questions as I quickly stood up. Eyes peering forward.

‘… Ok, maybe this actually does require my attention.’ I realized, before dashing forward past the mutilated bodies.

The scream had stopped, so I kept moving until I eventually came across another body wearing the same uniform as the others. The only difference being this one seemed to be much more recent. Probably belonging to the person who screamed a second before.

My eyes shot up as I stared into the blinding darkness that surrounded me, summoning my cane and using it to support me as I carefully viewed my surroundings.

“Alright, whoever is down here, you better show yourself right now!” I screamed, hoping to get the attention of whatever killed all these apparent humans. I’ll be honest, though; I wasn’t really expecting a response. Whoever this was probably wouldn’t want to fight me—

FWOOSH!

A sudden gust of hot air hit me from behind, causing my clothes to flow in the air. It was strong enough that I had to clutch my hat to make sure it didn’t fly off.

I slowly turned around, trying to figure out what caused the sudden gust, only to come face-to-face with a gigantic white snout of some kind. Looking past it, it seemed like it was connected to a larger body of sorts, one that seemed to belong to a reptile of some kind.

“And... who are you—”

BOOM.

My question directed at the creature's appearance was cut off as it took one of its large arms and smashed it into me, sending me flying across the room into the stone wall. The impact caused dust and debris to fly everywhere.

“Well, that wasn’t very nice.” I said as I stood up from the rubble, brushing the dust off my white coat without any type of harm done to my body. “Y’know, a normal ‘hello’ would’ve been a much better greeting than that.”

The creature, however, didn’t respond as it continued to stare at me, almost as if it were contemplating something. Looking at it more, I noticed more of its strange features, with the sides of its body having exposed ribs. Its eyes also seemed to be covered by what I could only assume to be its hair, and its spiked tail swung behind it, ready to strike at a moment's notice. It really did look like a fucked up oversized reptile.

“ RRRAAAAHHHH ” the beast suddenly roared as it lunged towards me, bringing its massive claw down again, attempting to strike me.

Only to miss as I effortlessly dodged to my right, allowing its claw to pierce deep into the floor. Cracks spread across the concrete at its strength. 

“Um… you gonna pay for that?” I mocked as I leaned against my cane, watching the creature. It's head-swerved to glare straight at me.

“ … Who are you? ” The beast suddenly spoke to me, readying itself for another lunge.

“Ah, so you can talk. I honestly thought you were mute there for a second.” I commented, resulting in the best grunting in annoyance. “As for who I am, I’m Lucifer.”

I chuckled as I stared at the beast, who seemed to raise its head curiously at my answer.

“And you're in my house, bitch!” 

BOOM!

I shot forward faster than the creature could process and hit it directly in the snout. Cracks spread across its entire bone structure as it shot in the other direction, leaving a trail of blood.

I slowly fell back down to the floor, wiping my hands together, proud of what I had accomplished.

“Ahh, now that that’s dealt with, I need to worry about how those humans—”

“RAAHHH!” A sudden yet threatening roar broke out, causing the entire cellar to shake. Turning around, I saw that the creature was still on its feet despite half its face being gone.

“Oh, ok… You're gonna be a little more difficult to deal with.” I declared as I rolled my sleeve up, eyeing the creature as it did the same to me with what remained of its face. I stretched my hand out as a glowing ember suddenly emerged from the tips of my fingers. “Alrighty then, let’s make this quick.” 

I mocked him as he charged towards me, knowing that this thing would probably go down pretty easily.

 

3 Hours Later.

 

“HOW IN THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL ALIVE!?!?!?” I screamed in anguish, as I stared down at the bloody mess of a lizard on the floor, who was STILL FUCKING BREATHING.

“WHY. WON'T. YOU. DIE!?” I continued screaming as I continued to send fireball after fireball at him, each resulting in a massive explosion.

To my dismay, however, when the smoke cleared, the creature still looked the same, as if the fire did nothing to it. HOW! When I used this on him a couple hours ago, it blew like half of him up! NOW IT'S DOING JACK SHIT!

I sighed as I clenched my nose between my fingers, watching the beast already begin to regenerate… again.

“… This is gonna be a headache to deal with, isn’t it?” I asked out loud.

And boy, at the time, I didn’t even know the half of it.

 

---

???? POV

I walked out of the helicopter's open door, looking towards the large battalion of soldiers that awaited ahead, greeting me to the site. 

I sighed as I walked towards the site's main entrance, which had much more security then normal. There were probably enough soldiers here to siege an entire city.

‘Can’t really blame them, though. Especially not after recent events.’ I thought, before reaching into my pocket, pulling out my phone with a very simple, yet intimidating order on it. ‘Seriously, why are they making me of all people do this?’

I grimaced at the thought of my mission. It normally would be easy, but if the rumors I have heard recently were to be believed, then this would be anything but that.

Still, I moved forward as I put the phone away, signaling for the soldiers to end their salute.

They complied, as I walked towards the one at the front entrance, showing him my ID and keycards.

“Been a while since I’ve been here, hope it hasn’t changed too much.” I joked to the guard, who handed my ID back after checking.

“With recent events, you know that’s nothing more than a pipe dream.” I chuckled at his joke, scratching the back of my neck, before allowing the guard to welcome me in.

“Welcome to site-002, Dr. Glass.”

Notes:

Lucifer: (looking at 682) Why can’t I Kill you!?

Entire SCP foundation: First time?

682: (thumbs up.)

Yep, the news has finally broken, and we get a quick rundown at all the current parties in Hell right now (seriously, why did I do this to myself!) and even a couple of new faces thrown in the mix just for good measure. Anyways, if you couldn’t guess from the ending, next chapter we will be checking in on the foundation on earth. Also, I just wanna give a quick shoutout to “JawsPunchingCenter9272” who actually commented the idea with SCP-4494 and Sir Pentious, since their superhero and villain chemistry is just so good, so thanks for the idea! Anyways, I guess my question is, what characters in the foundation are you looking forward to seeing? And whose point of view did you enjoy seeing the most? (I know for a fact that at least 90% forgot that Reed existed.) Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed the chapter, leave a comment for any questions, jokes, or suggestions you would like to share, and I hope you all have a great day!

Chapter 11: repercussions.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

A look at what has happened to the foundation.

Notes:

“How far would you go for family?”

Dr. Glass POV

“That should do it, Dr. Glass.” The security checkpoint guard said to me before handing back my ID and security clearance card. “Welcome back, and... good luck.”

“Hehe, so word has already spread, huh?” I chuckled, scratching the back of my neck nervously as I prepared to walk through the checkpoint in the facility.

“Are you kidding me? What you were tasked with doing isn’t exactly something that many people come back from, especially not with how he is now.” He answered nervously, almost like he was the one going on the potential suicide mission. “… Me and the boys are already preparing your funeral.”

“Oh, wow. I don’t know if I should feel honored or insulted.” I joked, trying to ease the tension, successfully causing the guard to laugh. “Still, it means a lot that you’d all do something like that for me. Thanks!”

“Hmp, of course, Dr. I mean, you have been like at least half of our therapists'. You’d be surprised at how many people here look up to you.”

“Heh, honored it is.” I said, referring to my earlier comment, before leaving the guard behind as I continued down the hall.

Sometimes, I forget just how many people I’ve actually helped. As the head of psychology at site-17, I’ve had a hand in helping numerous agents get through traumatic experiences. It’s very fulfilling to know that I'm helping these people get through unimaginably horrific situations. And that behind every white lab coat, every security guard visor, there is another living, breathing human. Not a mindless machine, but a person with complex emotions and thoughts.

“Honestly, that’s what keeps me working here, despite the… less than ideal ethic code this place has.” I silently said as I wandered the halls, nervously traversing to the location of my mission.

“Well, look what the 05 dragged in.” A familiar voice suddenly knocked me out of my worrying. Looking toward the voice, I immediately recognized the light brown-haired individual. Her blue eyes and jovial smile made me temporarily forget my worry over my upcoming meeting. She stopped a few feet in front of me before offering another friendly smile and extending her hand outwards for me to take. “Nice to see you again, Swan!”

A smile bloomed on my face as she called me by the nickname she gave me a while back, and I took her hand and gave a firm handshake. 

“Ditto, Dr. Sophia Light.” I greeted her graciously before letting go. “I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting you, of all people, to be here. What’s the occasion?”

She chuckled at my question before placing her hands in her lab coat pockets, following me down my harrowing track through the hallways. “Come on, I think you know the answer to that.”

My smile slipped off my face at her answer as I began to stare daggers into the floor. “Oh… So you're here about ‘that’ event, huh?” I asked, knowing that she could tell what I was referring to. 

She seemed to confirm that by nodding before giving a small shrug.

“I mean, what did you expect? This is probably one of the biggest catastrophes that we’ve ever dealt with.” She said, fidgeting with the side of her hair as we neared our location. “Multiple personnel are missing, a few of whom are key personnel like Bright and Gears. Large collections of anomalous items disappear, a handful of which being extremely dangerous. I mean, they lost 682; how the fuck do you lose that big ass lizard? Besides, even if it did escape, we should have found it pretty quickly anyways. The first thing that monster would do is attack densely populated areas, after all. Yet, there’s nothing.”

“Heh, nothing from the anomalies at least. I can’t say the same about some other groups. The foundation and the GOC have had their hands full recently.” I added to the conversation as I nervously fidgeted with my glasses, knowing I was nearly there. “I mean, it almost feels premeditated. The second the Serpent hand attacks multiple secure foundation sights, we see the chaos insurgency, sarkic cults, hell even the formerly extinct Chicago spirits suddenly raised from their graves just to attack some secure foundation sights!”

The situation was crazy. All these groups attacked at almost the same time with little to no warning. Even with the help of the Global Occult Coalition, the foundation is barely able to keep up. Seriously, I dare say that most, if not all, of the currently active MTF groups are occupied out in the field, fighting to regain control of certain sights and to offer support to those who are trapped inside by the constant assault. It’s gotten so bad that even the Horizon Initiative seems to be preparing to do something.

All in all, it’s a very messed-up situation.

Still, my curiosity got the better of me as I turned back to look at Sophia. “So, who else is supposed to be here?” I asked curiously, causing her to chuckle in delight.

“Whooo, where do I start?” She asked herself before turning to me. “Well, Dr. Katherine Sinclair has already made her way here. She was one of the researchers that managed to evade the event.”

‘Right, apparently after the first incident at site 93 that resulted in the disappearance of Bright and Gears, multiple undercover members of the Serpent's hand suddenly attacked. Each taking out strange crystals and seemingly crushing them. After doing so, both them and any nearby item or individual got engulfed in a red light before vanishing completely.’ I thought to myself, forever grateful that I wasn’t on their apparent hit list of personnel. ‘ Guess they don’t really care about psychologists.’

“ Besides her, I know that Agent Waxx is supposed to make it here eventually. Apparently, though, he and his division ran into some issues. So, they may not arrive for a while.” She said, sounding a little disappointed, before continuing. “Besides them, I heard rumors that Kondraki may appear, but that’s as far as I’ve gone with that one. A bunch of other high-ranking agents and researchers will probably make their way here eventually. This is honestly starting to feel like it’s gonna be ground zero for something much bigger.”

I sighed, having to agree with her assessment. With all of these... Colorful characters all gathering in one place, there’s bound to be something big happening.

“As for ‘him’… I think you're already well aware of his arrival.” She said cautiously, causing a small shiver to run down my spine. It wasn’t that I was scared of—okay, maybe I am scared of him, but I’m not usually this terrified of just delivering a message to the guy.

“Speaking of the devil, it looks like we’re here.” I heard her whisper cautiously as I slowly looked up from the floor, realizing that I had made it to my destination.

Ahead of me was a single wooden door, one that didn’t match the silvery metal aesthetic of the rest of the hallway. In front of the door were also ten different armed guards, each of them had their rifles pointed towards the door. With a single glance, I could tell that each of them were on edge. Like if they put down their guard for even a second, they’d die immediately.

Taking a deep breath, I walked towards one of the guards. Tapping his shoulder, I saw him flinch and swerve his gun over to me.

“Hey, easy there!” I startled out, staring at the gun. The guard quickly lowered his gun in response before saluting me.

”S-Sorry, Dr. Glass.” The soldier quickly apologized, trying to regain his professional demeanor. “I was—”

“It’s alright, you don’t need to apologize.” I told him, noticing that he seemed to loosen his shoulder a bit at my words. “Anyways… What’s the situation?”

I saw the soldier shift uncomfortably at my inquiry before glancing cautiously back at the door. 

“We’re not entirely sure... All we know is that about an hour after the… initial attack from the Serpent's hand, he was suddenly heard tearing apart his office. When someone went to check in on him... Well, let’s just say that agent Conrad will be out of action for at least a month.” He said, causing a nervous sweat to form on my forehead. “After that, he left his office and walked up to the site administrator, pinned him against the wall while demanding he speak to the ‘bastards in charge’ before leaving.”

I sighed as I began to massage my temples, knowing exactly who he was talking about. But why did he want to talk to them so badly? What got him so ticked off? I mean, the guy is usually unpredictable, but this is strange, even for him.

“After that, nobody dared to stop him as he walked into this room. Nobody has heard from him since.”

I tore my gaze away from the soldier and towards the door in question, one that led to the… Less than ordinary room that the person who is currently occupying it had specially installed. 

“Alright… Thanks for the update.” I thanked the guard, as he nodded. 

Looking around nervously, I took a deep breath before walking past him towards the door.

Every single guard looked at me in astonishment. Like I was a dead man.

“Don’t die in there, Swan.” I heard Sophia call out from behind. “This place will be a lot colder without you.”

“Heh, I’ll try. No promises, though.” I joked before nervously stepping ahead of all the guards. And after taking a deep breath, I opened the door as silently as possible. 

Stepping in, I closed the door behind me, taking in the stylish interior that lay before me. It was a dimly lit bar with dark wood making up a selection of tables and a long counter that stood in front of large swaths of alcoholic beverages.

It was very out of place, considering what the rest of the facility was used for. Still, here it exists, purely because one person demanded it be built on site.

‘Speaking of which, there they are.’ I thought nervously, spying an individual at the counter. His head was face down on the wood, as he was surrounded by dozens of empty bottles that were once filled with alcoholic beverages. His stained lab coat rested atop his iconic Hawaiian shirt, fedora atop his blonde hair. And if that wasn’t enough to give away who this individual was, then the ukulele that was strapped around his chest certainly would.

‘The esteemed Dr. Alto Clef.’ I thought nervously as I stared toward the individual with whom I have had multiple attempted psychological evaluations with, and one who never changed no matter how hard I tried. ‘And there goes my dream of getting him to quit alcohol. ’

I carefully moved over to the individual, who was unmoving against the counter. If you were a stranger, you might assume that this individual had fallen asleep or perhaps even died due to intoxication.

However, I knew better. If alcohol was enough to kill this man, then he would have been put ten feet under years ago.

‘Why are they making a psychologist deliver this message again?’ I silently wondered to myself as I made it next to the intoxicated individual. I hesitated for a moment before loudly clearing my throat, hoping it would get his attention.

… It didn’t work.

‘Jeez, he’s even worse than I thought. What happened that made him do all this?’ I thought, remembering the guards' description of the events. ‘It surely wasn’t the attack, right? I know Clef has been through worse and acted totally fine—Er— As fine as he normally is at least.’

‘Still, you don’t need to worry about that for now, Glass; all you gotta do is deliver a message. Hopefully with your head still attached to your body.’ I internally encouraged myself before reluctantly taking a seat next to Clef, who still hasn’t moved a muscle.

“So, I heard something’s been bothering you... I don’t assume you’d like to talk about it, would you?” I tried to ask, hoping it could start a conversation of some kind between us.

… Nope, still nothing. Jeez, he’s always been one tough nut, huh.

“… Alright, well, as your therapist, I am basically required to tell you that if you ever need to talk about it, my doors are always open.” I tried to encourage, lamenting on the fact that even in a situation like this, I can’t help but promote mental wellbeing.

… Still, not a single word escaped the man’s mouth. I almost believed that he was actually out cold… Almost.

“Alright, I guess I’ll take that as a maybe for now.” I attempted to joke, not expecting any response.

I took another deep breath, mentally preparing myself for what was to come next.

“Alright, I guess you're not in the mood for small talk. So I’ll get right to the point.” I chuckled, eyeing the body for any movements. When I caught none, however, I continued. “Anyways… I have a message to deliver to you… From the 05-”

BAM! CRASH!

“Argh, fuck!” I screamed out in pain, as in a flash Clef's hand had shot out, pinning my head to the top of the counter, causing my glasses to fall off. It was immediately followed by the familiar sound of breaking glass—no pun intended.

My eyes shot open despite the throbbing pain on the top of my head. And I was horrified to see, out of the corner of my eye, that Clef had smashed one of the many empty bottles over the counter and was now holding the broken bottle against my neck, jagged pieces of glass only millimeters away from piercing me.

I attempted to lift my head, only to find that I couldn’t, as Clefs' right hand continued to pin me against the counter.

“Um… We can talk about this—”

“Shut up.” Clef quietly said, causing me to shut my mouth. I wasn’t gonna tempt him right now, especially not if I valued my life. 

“Now, you're gonna tell me exactly what those assholes told you. And if I hear something I don’t like—" I saw him raise his head to look me straight in the eyes. His own eyes felt like they pierced through my entire being, and for a second, I swear I was staring at the devil. “— Then I’m gonna cut off your head, make it a wall decoration, strip your body of everything, and hang you out to dry for the world to see... Do you understand?”

‘He— He’s serious!’ I immediately knew that he wasn’t joking. I knew Clef was a pathological liar, to the point where he lies even about the simplest things, like what he had for breakfast or what his favorite color is.

However, something about the way he said this made me just know it had to be the truth. Every fiber of my body screamed for me to run, but I knew I couldn’t. The beast already had me in its grasp.

‘He’s not just mad; he’s pissed! Livid even!’ I commented to myself, noticing Clefs barely contained fury. Seriously, what happened to make him act like this? I’ve never seen him this way before, and I have known him for a long time.

“Did you not hear me? Talk!” He suddenly demanded as I realized I had kept a dumbstruck expression on my face. Quickly putting myself together, I coughed.

“A- Alright! Ok.” I quickly said, hoping to calm him down a little. “The— The 05 said that they agreed to talk with you!”

A few beats of silence passed as Clef observed me with discerning eyes, as if he were trying to tell whether I was lying or not.

“… Where.” He eventually demanded, his gaze never leaving me for even a second.

“T—They want to meet digitally in, um, conference room 02.” I answered as quickly as I could, hoping that it would make him let me go.

“Tch, pussies.” I heard Clef scoff, probably talking about the 05. After a few more seconds of glaring, I felt him let go of my head and grab his fedora off the counter, which had fallen off in his suprise attack.

I slowly raised my head up, touching it to make sure there was no blood. There wasn’t, thankfully, but that didn’t do much to dull the pain.

BAM!

“Gasp!”

I heard the recognizable sound of wood on metal, followed by a collection of heavy gasps. Quickly turning towards the door, I noticed that Clef had made his way out, slamming the door hard against the outside wall.

This action must have come as a shock to the guards, who all gasped in surprise and raised their guns. However, it appeared none of them had the nerve to fire, as Clef simply walked past all of them as they parted ways. None of them were willing to get in his way.

Not that I could really blame them, though; I know firsthand what can happen if you're even near a ticked-off Clef.

I groggily sat up from the counter, grabbing my fallen glasses off the floor before pressing them against my face. I was also extremely grateful that they managed to get through the interaction unscathed; this was an almost perfect outcome.

…y’know, considering what could’ve happened.

“Urgh, well, that worked out well!” I joked as I exited the bar, all the soldiers looking at me with wide eyes. “Heh, what’s the matter? You look like you’ve seen a dead man.”

All the soldiers, realizing their stares, turned away in embarrassment.

All except for one, that is, as Sophia Light still stood there with the same giant smile adorning her face.

“Haha, take that suckers! Now pay up!” She celebrated as all the guards grunted in annoyance as they reached into their pockets, all of them producing some kind of green paper and handing it to her.

‘... Wait a second... Oh, there is no fucking way.' I thought as realization flashed in my eyes, noticing that these green pieces of paper were in fact ten-dollar bills.

“Did you guys seriously bet that I would die?” I asked incredulously, all the guards looking away in shame. Meanwhile, Sophia continued to flash a blinding smile.

“These guys did,” she accused, causing all the guards to shrink further in shame. “Not me, though; I had faith in you, Swan. And because of that faith, I'm now a hundred dollars richer! Thanks for not dying in there.”

… What is wrong with this place?

“By the way.” Sophia continued, looking in the direction that Clef had exited in. “Where’s the grinch stomping off too?”

“Eh, going off to talk to the 05. It probably has something to do with why he’s like this.” I answered, not expecting much to come of it. To my surprise, however, I noticed a sinister glint appear in her eyes.

“Oh, really.” She asked, chuckling.

“… Sophia, please don’t do something stupid-”

“Too late.” She chirped before grabbing my hand and dragging me in the direction that Clef left. “Come’on Swan! I got something to talk with the 05 about anyways!”

‘Why can’t anyone in this darn foundation just be normal!?’

 

---

Dr. Clef POV 

I stood in the center of conference room 002, which was extremely dark, with the only light in the room being the spotlight on my person and the thirteen large televisions that occupied the far wall of the room. I gripped the half broken bottle in my hand, the same one I almost used to cut Glasses throat open with.

‘Not even willing to talk to me in person. It's probably a good idea, all things considered. Don’t know if I could stop myself from killing a couple of those bastards.’

I turned, side-eyeing the tens of guards that stood in the darkness, probably ready at a moment's notice to open fire. Heh, I’d like to see them try; it’d give me an excuse to vent a bit, at least.

“ZWOOM”

My head shot back toward the thirteen screens on the wall as each of them buzzed to life one at a time, each revealing a dark silhouette of generic humanoid figures. I was so focused on the screens that I failed to notice two individuals in white lab coats enter the back of the room.

I grimaced as I saw the figures pop up, until finally, every one of the oversized screens contained a silhouette, numbers beneath each of them that ranged from 05-1 to 05-13. 

“ Welcome, Dr. Alto Clef.” A scrambled voice escaped from 05-7’s screen, causing me to stare in their general direction, not surprised that they wouldn’t even reveal their voices.

"Well, it looks like you pussies finally picked up my call.” I said, noticing that all the guards in the room seemed to flinch at my action. The fuckers probably couldn’t believe that I would say something like this to the 05. "So, are we gonna skip the pleasantries, or are you gonna continue to talk bullshit to me?”

“… Clef, we understand your anger.” 05-2’s digitally altered voice suddenly added, causing me to turn towards their screen. “However, nothing can be done unless you tell us what it is you desire.”

I scoffed at number two’s answer—always the peacemaker in the group.

“What I ‘desire’ is to know what the HELL HAPPENED!” I declared, making my stance on the situation known.

A few beats of silence passed, with none of the 05 stepping up to answer my question.

“Nobody huh… Heh, guess you bastards aren’t all seeing after all.” I mocked, as I watched the soldiers that surrounded me in the dark continue to shift in discomfort. Some even looked like they were moments away from firing.

“Dr. Alto Clef, while we understand your discontent with the current situation, we cannot permit you to speak in such a way about—”

“Oh, that’s bullshit, and you know it.” I cut number one off, glaring daggers at them as I gripped the bottle tighter. “I can speak however I fucking want. You bastards may be the modern-day Illuminati, but you don’t own me… Not anymore.”

I glared, and I swear I saw a couple of the silhouettes shift uncomfortably, confirming to me that they were aware of what I was talking about.

“Heh, so you did notice. No wonder you accepted my request for a meeting so quickly.”

“ Do you really think we’re dull enough not to?” A digitized voice escaped from number six’s screen. 

“ 05-6, I believe you should restrain your inputs before—”

“Before what, 05-3? It’s obvious that this isn't just a meeting. This is a fucking negotiation, one we could very easily lose if we continue to tiptoe around the subject.” Number six interrupted their fellow council member, causing the smallest of smirks to appear on my face. I'm glad to see at least one of these fuckers can see what I’m doing. “So, Clef, let me ask you. Since you are obviously aware of the situation, what do you want?”

All the silhouettes stared at me in suspense, obviously waiting for me to answer.

“Simple, I want one thing.” I chuckled before glaring at the screens.

“I want to be put in charge of the investigation into the disappearances of the anomalous items and personnel.” I demanded, giving a dangerous smirk before continuing. “And when I say in charge, I mean in charge. I want to be the one who decides who’s on the project, who decides what the objectives and missions are. Basically, I want unquestioned authority over everything, to the point where I can rename Dr. Glass to Fuckboy without any question. Along with infinite resources and support from the foundation.”

“ Absolutely not—”

“I didn’t ask you, number one!” I cut off number one before throwing my broken alcohol bottle straight at their screen. 

BANG!

The bottle smashed straight against their screen, causing cracks to spiderweb across the entire thing. Although it was still working, at least half of the screen began glitching, causing the silhouette to sporadically glitch around the entire screen.

I heard all the soldiers gasp in utter shock, each of them raising their guns towards me. It seemed like they were about to fire.

“A message to whichever one of you idiots shoots first. Let it be known that I'll not only kill you in the most gruesome way imaginable, but I’ll also find who you care about—your friends, family, and anyone else who you’ve grown to love in this world—and I’ll turn them into SCP-106’s newest plaything.” I warned, my eyes glazing past all the guards. “Do you understand?”

I stared each and every one of them down. Seconds passed as not a single word echoed through the chamber, leaving only the tense silence.

… Until finally, one of the guards lowered their gun. This action was followed by another, and another, until finally all their guns were once again pointed towards the floor, their gaze following soon after, avoiding mine.

Not a single one dared to challenge my warning. 

Good .

“Now that the distractions are out of the way, how about you decide this like you're supposed to, instead of letting one treat you all like their bitch?” I proclaimed my offensive comment, seeing the silhouettes all shift in disgust at my words.

“And what is that supposed to mean?” Number two asked curiously, interested in what I meant. “What exactly are you proposing here, Clef?”

“Simple, I want you fuckers to start acting like a council.” I insulted them, noticing the figures looking at me with growing curiosity. “So instead of sucking one's dick, how about you all vote on it? Vote if I should have complete authority over this mission!”

I saw the silhouettes look to the side, probably consulting with each other about what I had just offered. I’m not surprised, as this was probably not the outcome they were expecting.

“Absolutely not.” I heard one’s monitor screech out, still obviously glitching from my previous actions. “The answer is obvious; there is no reason to waste our time debating on the topic.”

I clenched my jaw. Number one was really starting to royally piss me off. And not in a good way.

“You're right, the answer is so obvious.” I retorted sarcastically, putting my hand in my coat pockets. “It’s so obvious, in fact, that I may as well tell you what happens if you don’t agree with my demands.”

I stared up at the self-proclaimed gods of the modern world, a devilish smirk adorning my lips. 

“If you just so happen to vote against my demands, I’ll be pissed off. So pissed off, in fact, that I might just kill everyone in this facility just for the fun of it. Hell, I may even activate the on-site nuclear warhead because, why the fuck not!” I answered intimidatingly, noticing that all the guards that surrounded me took a couple of feet back, terrified for their lives. “After that, I’m not gonna stop looking into what happened. No, I’ll keep looking into the subject, and I’ll just steal the resources from you instead.”

“And after I do find out what happened, and trust me, I will, I’ll go after each and every one of you bastards. I’ll tear your operations down one by one until I can finally cut your fucking throats. Hell, the only reason I’m asking for your help in the first place and not immediately killing you all is because I know that having your support will make the research go much faster. And right now, that matters more than my anger toward you. Consider this as my only option for mercy.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

"Well, this just got interesting!”

“Shut up, 05-6.”

I chuckled at number eleven and number six’s antics, knowing that they realized the gravity of what I was suggesting.

“I believe I speak for the rest of the council when I say we would like a moment to discuss your... Proposition, Clef.” Number three told me before turning to the side. This action was followed by the rest of the silhouettes doing similar actions.

They probably muted themselves in order to have a private conversation. It’s also likely that they’re gonna vote on whether or not to agree with my 'suggestion.’

Sadly, all I could do now was wait, and those bastards better hope they make the right choice.

So, I waited.

5 minutes.

10 minutes.

15 minutes.

20 minutes.

25 whole minutes had passed by, each minute making the air more suffocating, to the point where it looked like the guards were seconds away from running out of the room in fear.

During this time, I also noticed that Glass and Light of all people had entered the room. The former of which looked like they were breaking out in a constant cold sweat. Meanwhile, Light just stood there, a big smile adorning her face as if she just thought of a devious plan. Curious.

During my wait, I never let my guard down for a single second. Knowing the council, if they decide against my plan, then they'll likely just order my execution here and now. Either by telling the guards to open fire or simply activating the on-site nuclear warhead just to guarantee I don’t make it out alive.

I’ll survive; however, I have to. I can’t die—not now, at least. Not until I—

“Dr. Clef, we have reached a consensus.” I was brought back to the current moment by the sound of a digital voice originating from number two’s television.

Looking back, all the silhouettes seemed to once again focus their attention on me. Some of them appeared obviously discontented, while others seemed slightly more relaxed.

“To a vote of 7 to 6, we have agreed to your proposal, on the condition that you keep us constantly updated and informed on everything, regardless of its apparent importance. Also, any and all requests must be used solely for the purpose of finding and reclaiming the missing SCP’s and personnel.”

A Cheshire smile grew on my face, finally.

“Fine, whatever.” I answered nonchalantly. I got what I wanted; there was no reason to hang around them any longer. “I’ll send you my requested materials later. But for starters, I want information on whatever the fuck Bright and Gears have been working on recently. Specifically, any research that they’ve been conducting that’s related to SCP-666.”

“… So be it.” I heard number five say, answering on behalf of the rest of the council. “Is there anything else you require immediately?”

“Well, I—”

“And here’s my chance to steal the conversation!” A voice suddenly proclaimed itself from behind. Turning around, I noticed Sophia Light, who had formerly just been standing there, begin to walk towards me with confident struts.

I also noticed that Glass looked on at the action in utter horror, yet was too scared to actually follow her out into the spotlight.

“… What are you planning, Light?” I interrogated her quietly, worried that whatever she had planned would ruin what I had just secured.

“Me? nothing. Just taking advantage of an opportunity.” She declared, playfully punching my shoulder. “I’m sure you understand, right?”

“… Fine, whatever.” I eventually answered, watching her give me another large smile before walking by.

“Dr. Sophia Light, what exactly are you doing?” Number two asked, intrigued by Lights action. Who responded by giving a hearty chuckle.

“Oh, I’m just here to offer a ‘simple’ suggestion is all.” She started, a dangerous glint evident in her eyes.

“And that would be?” Number nine asked, clearly intrigued. 

“Well, as you all are surely aware, thanks to recent events, a majority of the foundation's military power, especially the multiple MTF groups, have been preoccupied with keeping order. Right?”

“…That is correct.”

“And this mission will undoubtedly be dangerous?”

“Makes sense to me.” Number six answered, obviously trying to antagonize their fellow council members with the tone of their voice.

“So, an MTF group would more than likely be required, right?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“… Where exactly are you going with this, Light?”

“What I’m saying is that you aren’t at the liberty to supply poor Mr. Clef here with a good enough MTF group.” She exclaimed dramatically, ticking me off a little bit with how she described me. “That’s why I’m suggesting you allow us the use of a… Less than normal MTF.”

“… Dr. Sophia Light, I hope you aren’t suggesting what I think you're suggesting.” Number one intervened, seemingly picking up on what Light was planning. In response, Light merely gave a bright smile.

“Can you think of any other solution?” Light chuckled, much to the apparent dismay of one’s silhouette. “Besides, this presents the perfect opportunity to prove its value-.”

My eyes widened, realizing what she was talking about. 

“-The value of my own MTF group, Alpha-9, ‘last hope,’ wouldn’t you say?” 

‘Hehehe, this crazy bitch!’ I thought, internally chuckling as the many guards in the shadows all gasped in shock.

“Well, that is certainly an interesting proposal.” I heard number seven speak out, obviously against the idea. “However, resorting to Alpha-9 this early is both unnecessary and extremely risky.”

“Maybe in normal circumstances I would have agreed with you; however, this isn’t a normal circumstance.” Light started, her jovial personality never leaving, despite who she was conversing with. “The foundation is in crisis right now. Will it be enough to end everything we have worked for? Of course not. But you can’t lie and say that this doesn’t have the possibility of turning into an XK-class-end-of-world-scenario.”

I crossed my arms, intrigued by what Light was saying. Despite my usual coldness toward her, I can’t deny that I do hold a modicum of respect for the daring and ever-jovial scientist.

“That being said, it would be in our favor to resort to the anomalous MTF group early, before they truly become our last hope.” She started, adding a dramatic flourish to her words. “Besides, unless we take some risks, we’ll never come out on top. I’m sure you’ve all seen the writing on the wall. This situation is bigger than it currently appears.”

At her accusation, I turned to the silhouettes, although sitting still, their increased tension was evident. Perhaps Light was onto something.

“Be that as it may, Alpha-9 is an extremely unstable team. If not utilized correctly, we could easily repeat the events of Omega-7. I’m sure you understand what that means.” Number one reasoned, as I started to get the impression they were heavily against the idea.

“Oh, without a doubt, I do; there’s definitely a chance this could completely blow up in our faces." She started, before her gaze tore from the giant screens, moving towards me. “However, I believe it’s no longer your decision to make.”

A sudden realization struck me, as I figured out that she wasn’t attempting to sell this idea to the 05. She was trying to convince me of the idea.

“Oh, so that’s your game?” I smirked, thinking over her idea. Looking up, I noticed that number one seemed to have come to the same conclusion. Not only that, but something about them changed; they felt different, like the realization made them angry. That made the decision easy, because after a few moments, I came to a conclusion.

“Alright then, using the new authority granted to me by the council, I require the complete control and authority of Alpha-9.” I declared, noticing every member of the 05 go completely silent at my demand. Well, every member except one.

“Hahahahahaha, oh fuck. This is getting good!” Number six laughed out loudly, much to the dismay of their fellow council members.

“It is my authority after all; by your own vote, I’m allowed to gain access to any material as long as it aids me in my investigation. Light here made a good point, one that I was thoroughly convinced by.” I overexaggerated, as I was mostly allowing this for the sole purpose of pissing most of the council off. Specifically, number one, who is clearly against all my proposals.

“… Clef, you may have been granted that authority, but I hope you understand that this doesn’t give you control over the foundation.” Number one, the person I was just thinking about, began talking. Man, they were really starting to piss me off… Y’know, even more than I already am, at least. 

“I also hope you remember the deal we came to before.” Number one continued, resulting in my eyes immediately going bloodshot. Oh, they were not bringing them into this. “You better be cautious when—”

"Well, you can just fuck right off!” I screamed, not willing to take anymore of one's bullshit. “Don’t you dare bring them into this, you fucktard!”

“Clef, that’s not what I’m—”

“No. You can shut your fucking mouth! As far as I’m concerned, you no longer have any right to bring up our former arrangement. Not after what you failed to do!” I screamed, noticing the guards once again raising their guns in fear. I didn’t care about that, however, because one gave me the perfect outlet to vent my built-up frustration, and goddammit, I was gonna take it! “As a matter of fact, if it weren’t for the sole reason that having your support would make this entire investigation go by faster, then I would have just slit all of your goddamn throats to begin with!”

“Clef, I advise you to think—”

“Don’t tell me what to do number two; you're just as much at fault. As a matter of fact, all of you pussies are at fault for not stopping this!” I accused every member of the fucking 05 council. If this were anybody else, they’d be executed on the spot. “If you all really don’t think you're at fault for being fucking morons, then WHERE IS SHE?!”

“ … ”

“C’mon, don’t any of you have something to say!?” I accused; I knew I was about to do something I was gonna regret. But fuck it, it’s not every day you're in the right against the fucking 05 council.

“Clef, we couldn’t stop the event from occurring. It took everyone by sup-”

“Oh, that’s your fucking excuse number eight? Well, that doesn’t fucking matter! We came to an agreement; in exchange for my fucking subservience to whatever domination kink you fuckers have, you would protect her!”

I’m gonna say it.

“So then, where is she!?”

I can’t take their bullshit anymore!

“Where is SCP-166?!”

I’m gonna reveal it to everyone. But I don’t fucking care; all I care about is getting her back.

“Where is my fucking daughter?!”

“Clef, just calm-”

“-The one you agreed to protect! Well, I can tell you where she’s not; she’s not in her fucking containment cell, because she disappeared in the red light like the rest of them!”

Silence. They had nothing.

“Nothing? Well, I’ll ask you a-fucking-gain then. WHERE IS SHE?!”

 

---

SCP-166 POV

It hurt .

It hurt so much.

I fell to my knees; I couldn’t even stand anymore. This air, this environment—it felt like I was on the verge of an asthma attack.

Tears rolled down my eyes as I struggled for any sort of clean air. If it weren’t for those men in white who have been helping me get over this, I probably would’ve already fallen unconscious.

Still, it hurts; I can’t handle it. Please help me!

‘Someone. Anyone. I beg of you. Take me away from here! Please!’ I begged, not able to say a single word. The red light descending on me made it feel like I was being strangled. 

My formerly pristine white dress was now covered in trash and gunk from the surrounding alley. I didn’t pay it any attention, though, as I was too focused on breathing. 

Breathing, a simple task that I can usually do on command. Now, it felt like a Herculean effort just to attempt a single breath without coughing it back out.

It took all my effort just to move my two hands into a praying position, or as much of one as I could make. Despite the shaking, I attempted to pray, to ask the father or anyone to help me.

‘Dear God, please m-make it stop. P-please take me back. I don’t know where I am. Please!’

Tap, tap.

In the middle of my prayer, however, I recognized the familiar sound of footsteps. Struggling, I looked up to notice a strange, fuzzy creature walking towards me.

Looking at him, I noticed that he wasn’t human. I would’ve looked at him in shock if it weren’t for the fact that as soon as he got near me, I started hyperventilating even more.

It hurt again. It hurt. it hurt! IT HURTS PLEASE STOP HURTING!

“Woah, we got ourselves a hottie!” I heard the creature say, and through teary eyes, I noticed that he was all black. He wore a trench coat of some kind and arms for wings that almost reminded me of a little birdie. Though, his most defining feature must have been his left eye, which, where I would’ve expected an iris, was instead all black with what looked to be a heart.

“Hey, cool it, bitch. You alright?” The figure leaned closer, causing me to wheeze even more. At this point, it was taking all that I had to stay conscious. This has happened before, but never like this. Never this bad.

I saw the figure look me over, as if he were evaluating something. Before a sinister smile creeped on his face. “Wow, you really are a cutie, aren’t ya. Not only that, but you came down here looking mostly human. Hm.”

He was thinking, he was thinking something bad. I could tell. 

“Cough” “cough”

I continued coughing. The corners of my vision began to be dotted with black. I couldn’t stay awake anymore; I just wanted to sleep. I just wanted this pain to go away.

As I felt myself beginning to drift off, I noticed the man reach into his pocket and pull out a rectangular device. I believe the men in white called those things cell phones. I saw him tap the screen a couple times before bringing the rectangle up to his ear.

“Hey, you hear me, it’s Travis... Ya, found a cute one in the streets; she seems to be suffering from an asthma attack or some bullshit… Ya… Oh, she looks human, but has these antlers and a fucking reindeer tail… Ya, that’s what I was thinking.” I heard him talk to someone over the cell phone. And I don’t know why, but a sudden part of me felt  dread stabbing deep into me. 

I couldn’t focus, however… I was fading fast… please, someone… Help… Please.

“Ya, alright, I’ll bring her in... Ok, see you soon, Valentino.” 

Then it all faded to black.

Notes:

Valentino: (kidnaps 166)
Also Valentino: why do I hear boss music?
Clef:(Crashes through his wall)

So… I’m very worried about this chapter. First of all, I just hope that I wrote all of these pre-established characters well enough, especially Clef. I can’t pretend to know everything about how they would act in certain situations, so I really hope that this is a good interpretations of them. Anyways, I also hope the introduction of the 05 council was pretty good, and I am aware that the writing almost makes them seem like push overs, but I promise that they’ll be more important later (on a side note, I already have the 05 council picked out for this story, in case any of you want to guess it in the comments.) Anyways, that’s it really it, my only question is if you all would like to see more of the perspective of the foundation in the real world, and if so, what would you like to see? Besides that, leave a kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any jokes, suggestions, or questions. And I hope you all have a a great day.

Chapter 12: where’s that smile?

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

The hotel guests meet their newest arrival.

And Alastor confronts a stalker.

Notes:

“What does a smile truly mean?”

Vaggie POV

“And that’s basically what happened.” Charlie finished explaining, causing me to grimace.

‘Adam… Of course it’s Adam; why wouldn’t it be fucking Adam. What else should I have expected from that asshole.’ I thought, remembering some... Rather unpleasant memories from before I met Charlie.

After the emergency news program cut off our commercial's debut, Charlie ended up explaining what happened during her meeting. To make a long story short, I went horribly. 

“Wow, that guy sounds like a total asshole.” I heard Angel comment on the couch, drinking another bottle of Lucifer knows what. “Though, there’s one more thing I’m curious about.”

“What?”

“Who’s the rag guy?” Angel asked the question we were all thinking as she pointed over to the bar. Looking over, I saw the mysterious individual wearing dirty rags all over their body, sitting still at the counter. They looked deep in thought, as they moved away from the group midway through Charlie's explanation.

“Oh, Cain!” She said, suddenly sounding excited again as I noticed a familiar glint appear in her eyes. “Well, believe it or not, he’s our next kinda-maybe-possibly guest at the hotel!”

“… And how did this happen?” I asked, eyeing up the strange man across the room suspiciously.

“Well, after my whole meeting with Adam, I was like, REALLY angry and sad, and— Whatever, that doesn’t matter. Point is, I was having a really tough time, then I met Cain.” She signaled across the room towards the individual. “He’s new here in Hell, and, believe it or not, he actually said he believes in the hotel!”

“…Wait, really?” Angels asked, probably sounding ruder than he intended it to be. 

As for me, I turned towards the subject of our conversation, raising an eyebrow in suspicion as I noticed Keekee jump on the person's lap. I saw them flinch for a second before slowly bringing their hand down and began to pet the key cat.

‘Hmmmm… Suspicious.’

“Yes, really Angel.” Charlie responded enthusiastically, not even noticing Angel's tone of voice. “But ya, we talked for a bit, and I learned he had nowhere to stay, so I offered him a room here for the night.”

“A night?” I turned back to Charlie, confused by her statement. “I thought you said he believed that the hotel would work.”

An awkward expression flashed across her lips as she turned away from us. “Welllll, he did say that... But he also said that he... Didn’t want to be redeemed.”

“…”

“…”

“Ah great, another fucker with a traumatic life story... Yippee.” Husk added sarcastically before taking another swig of his beer. “I swear, if I have to listen to this fucker's drunken gibberish, then so help me—”

“Wait, why wouldn’t he want to be redeemed if he thinks it’s possible?” I asked confusedly, noting that the now named Cain was still petting Keekee relentlessly. “If he truly believed in it, then wouldn’t he jump at the chance of getting out of here?”

“Well, I’m not sure.” Charlie admitted, scratching the back of her neck before looking towards Cain. “It seemed personal, so I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable by talking about it.”

“… So let me get this straight.” I started, pinching the bridge of my nose. “After your shitshow of a meeting with Adam—no offense—you just so happen to run into someone who says they believe in your dream but doesn’t think they can be redeemed. Not only that, but they refuse to elaborate as to why that is... Don't you think that sounds a little, oh I don’t know-”

“-Super fucking suspicious?”

“Ya, that. Thanks Angel.” I said to the alcoholic that cut me off.

“What? C’mon, it’s not that suspicious!” Charlie threw away our concerns, not worrying about the potential danger this stranger brought. “Besides, you guys weren’t there. He was like, super nice to me!”

“Ya, that's why it’s suspicious.” Angel said, reflecting my own thoughts. “Nice and Hell don’t exactly mix sugartits.”

“I mean, maybe... But Cains an exception.” She adamantly declared, and I couldn’t help but sigh at her ever optimistic outlook on life.

‘Then again, though, that is why I fell for her.’

“Hmm.” A static voice suddenly hummed behind me, and I looked back, noticing a familiar radio demon who never left his seat. He was so quiet up to this point, I completely forgot he was there.

“Something the matter, Alastor?” 

“Oh nothing.” He enthusiastically responded, getting up from his seat. “Just excited about the new guest is all.”

“… Really?” I sarcastically asked, not trusting a word from the demon's mouth.

"Why, of course! We are a hotel after all; wouldn’t look good for us if we turned away clientele just because of a little suspicion!” He answered before walking away. “Anywho, I’ve got places to be. Charlie, be a dear and check our new client in. I can’t wait to see what surprises they have in store, hehehe.”

Alastor chuckled, as his body melted and merged into the shadows, disappearing from view.

“… Ok, if I wasn’t convinced something’s wrong with this guy before, now I totally am.” I said, noting that Alastor’s curiosity in the figure only increased my distrustful nature. “If Alastor, of all people, is interested in him, then something has to be wrong.”

“… Well— I mean—”

“Hmm, ok, I’ll figure this out for us!” Angel suddenly spoke as they stood up, stretching both pairs of arms. “Give me a couple minutes, and I’ll get that guy spilling his secrets like a hellhound in heat!”

“Oh boy, this is gonna be a shitshow.” Husk added sarcastically, attempting to take another swig of his drink.

Only to be halted by Angel wrapping their arms around him, bringing him close. 

“And you, babycakes, are gonna help me do it. Wouldn’t be right without the bartender after all!” Angel said, dragging Husk with him, much to the bartender’s dismay and struggle.

“Hey, get off of me!” Husk tried to complain, but was unable to stop Angel from dragging him along.

“…This is not gonna end well.” I shook my head.

“This really doesn’t feel necessary. Why can’t we just accept that he’s just a nice guy?” Charlie asked, not understanding why the rest of us didn’t trust the so-called ‘nice’ stranger.

“Charlie, I’m not saying this guy can’t be nice. But in the off chance that he’s here to just fuck with us, then it’s better to be safe than sorry.” I comforted Charlie, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. 

To be honest, I wasn’t too sure why I was acting this way. Sure, I would normally be distrustful of a stranger, but I would usually give them more of a chance thanks to Charlie. This time, however, I just felt like I couldn’t. Some parts of me were physically irked at the thought of trusting this guy.

‘I don’t know why, but something about him almost reminds me of-’

“Well, hey there, bad boy.” I was internally cut off by Angel, who had sat down at the bar with Cain and immediately began flirting. The action caused Keekee to jump off the man’s lap as Husk continued drinking behind the bar he was dragged to. I was also silently glad that Nifty had left earlier to clean something; otherwise, this situation would have become even more fucked up.

“Um… Hi.” Cain responded weakly, barely raising an arm. It seems like he was deep in thought about something before Angel interrupted him.

“You must be sooooo hot underneath all those rags.” Angel moaned before leaning uncomfortably close to Cain. Multiple of his arms began to gently caress his shoulders, as one began to reach inside one of the openings in the rags. “I hope you don’t mind if I help you let off some steam, will ya?”

Almost as fast as the offer came, however, Cain's hand shot out and grabbed the arm that was reaching beneath his cloak. Not roughly, but enough to stop his advances and cause a shocked expression to spread across Angel's face.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not that hot right now. Thanks for your concern, though.” He said as he moved Angel's hand away from him, much to the sinners shock.

“…”

‘Did this guy just reject Angel's advances… AND DID HE JUST SAY THANKS!?’ I was shocked, and it appears that Angel shared the same sentiment as he momentarily stuttered. Looking back, I noticed Charlie just smiled in delight.

“… Judging by the awkward silence, I’m assuming I said something wrong... Sorry.”

‘HE JUST APOLOGIZED AGAIN?!’

“See Vaggie; Cain’s not suspicious. He’s just socially awkward!” Charlie said enthusiastically, a massive smile on her face. 

Meanwhile, there was only one conclusion I could come to, as no normal sinner down here would apologize and thank someone in the same breath.

‘This guy is definitely up to something!’

 

---

Cain POV

‘I feel like I’ve done something wrong... What did I do wrong?’ I thought as I noticed everyone in the hotel's lobby seemed to be in a state of shock.

All I did was tell this spider guy that I wasn’t hot, and they all freaked out. Am I missing something?

“Cough”

I suddenly heard the white spider cough, almost as if to get my attention. Turning towards him, I noted that he crossed his legs, tugging at the collar of their shirt.

“W-Well, I am absolutely boiling. Almost makes me want to strip to cool off.” The spider, Angel, I believe Charlie called him, said in a weird voice. “You wanna help me undress in my room, Daddy?”

“… I’m a father?”

“Wha- No!” Angel suddenly said incredulously, flailing for a second, before their eyes went wide in realization at what they were doing. They then quickly reorganized themselves before leaning on the bar's counter. “I mean, you can be if you-uhh… Ah, Fuck it!”

Angel quickly dropped whatever facade they were holding out before looking me straight in the eyes. “I’m asking if you wanna go to my room and fuck me. Is it a yes, or a definitely?” They said it factually, giving me a rather vulgar hand gesture while saying it. 

“Angel!” Vaggie suddenly screamed from across the room. “You can’t just say—”

“- um, it’s fine.” I cut the gray-skinned women off, one hand raised in the air. Then I looked back at the white-haired spider. “So, you were flirting with me?”

“Uh, yea.” He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world, before leaning over the counter and grabbing a bottle of some sort of alcoholic beverage. “Was it not fucking obvious?”

“Sorry, I’m not great at picking up social cues.” I apologized, knowing that despite my many years of history on earth, I’m not all that great when it comes to talking to people. “As for your former advances, though, I am sorry, but I have to decline.”

“What? Why? Too scared of never being able to have sex the same without thinking of me?” He laughed before taking a long swig of whatever was in the bottle he was holding.

“No, not that. I mean, I’ve never had sex before anyway, so I’d have nothing to compare-”

SPIT!

“ cough cough. Wait, your a fucking virgin?!” Angel spit whatever alcoholic beverage they were consuming over the floor. They stared at me in disbelief, and looking around, I noticed that most everyone else had a similar reaction. “You're in hell, and you haven’t even popped your fucking cherry yet?”

“Um… Yes… I have a feeling I said something wrong again.” I answered awkwardly, wishing that I had spent more time around people before meeting the foundation. 

“HAHA, oh fuck that's—that’s fucking hilarious!” I heard Angel laugh as they stumbled out of their chair. Eventually, he made it back to the couch he was sitting on prior, next to Charlie, before taking another long sip of her drink. “Well, I tried my best; I’ll give it another shot tomorrow.”

‘… What just happened?’ I silently questioned myself, confused by the series of events that had just unfolded around me. 

“Well, Mr. Unfuckable, wanna drink?” A gruff voice from behind the counter said. Looking back, I saw the strange winged cat creature look at me. One of his eyes rose slightly in amusement. “We got-uh- whiskey, beer, and probably any other poison you can think of.”

“Um, sure. But do you have any water?” I asked, and my answer once again shocked the bartender. “If you do, then can I have that, please?”

“Uh… Ok.” I heard the creature, whom I think they called Husk, say before I saw him reach under the counter and pull up an empty cup. He walked to the back of the bar, where the sink was. “Are you ok with tap?”

I nodded as I saw him place the cup under the sink and turn on the faucet. A few moments later, he walked back towards me with the now-filled cap and handed it to me.

“Thanks.”

“No problem, but... Are you sure that's what you want? I mean, y’know the drinks are free here, right?” He asked, though I could tell he wasn’t overly interested as he went back to drinking his own bottle. It was probably just a passing interest that got him to ask the question.

“Ya, I’m not a big fan of alcohol anyways.” I answered. 

“Hm, don’t tell me you’ve never drank before either.” Husk asked, seeming more curious now compared to before. 

“No, I have. I used to be a big fan of wine, actually.” I chuckled as I lifted the cloth that covered my mouth, taking a sip of my water. “Not anymore, though. If I could, I would stay away from drinking that stuff for the rest of eternity. Still, I have no right to judge you if you enjoy drinking.”

“…”

“… Charlie, are you sure you found this guy down here? Because I’m starting to believe you accidentally went to heaven to pick this fucker up!” I heard Angel joke out loud from behind me. “I mean, what is actually fucking wrong with him?!”

“Hehe… Lots.” I whispered under my breath, quiet enough that it couldn’t be heard from across the room. Though, from the look Husk gave me after doing so, let me know that he at least heard it. 

I quickly finished my water before turning around to Charlie. “Um, I’m gonna turn in for the night, if that’s ok.”

“Oh, of course!” Charlie said in her usual enthusiastic tone as she quickly dashed over and grabbed my hand. “Let me show you to your room! Oh, you are gonna love it!”

She then escorted me out of the living space, away from the many suspicious eyes that had stared me down since my arrival.

I didn’t mind them, though, as I was too preoccupied with thinking about what Charlie had said before when she explained what happened during her meeting.

“…Hey Charlie, mind if I ask you a question?” I asked as I was being escorted through the lavish halls.

“Sure, anything! Do you not like the hotel? I’m sorryforAngelsometimeshesjustkindalikethatbutIpromisethathesareallynicegiywhen—”

“N-No, they’re fine.” I cut her worried rambling off before she lost enough air to breathe. “No, it’s about what you said earlier... About the meeting.”

“Oh… What about it?” She asked curiously.

“It’s just… You said the angel you met with, the leader of the exterminators... You said they were Adam?” I cautiously asked, afraid of the answer I would receive.

“Um, yea.” She answered truthfully, eyeing me with obvious interest as to why I would ask this.

“And by Adam, you meant Adam, Adam... Like, the first man, Adam?” I awkwardly brought up, not comfortable talking about him in this light.

“Yeah, trust me, he made that very clear during our meeting.” She said, obviously thinking back to a not-so-pleasant memory.

“... And you're absolutely positive about this?” I attempted to clarify, some part of me not believing that Adam, my father, could possibly do something so horrible. “You didn't mishear him at all, right? Or maybe he was lying about being–”

“Cain.” This time, it was Charlie who cut me off from my mumbling, as I realized she was staring at me with obvious concern. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes were wide, and I suddenly felt a little foolish for making her worry so much over my insistent questioning. I looked away in shame, scratching the back of my head.

“Yea… Yeah, I'm good.” I lied to her face before walking up to the door that Charlie stopped in front of. “I’m just… Tired is all. Sorry to worry you.”

I opened the door, using a key that Charlie had handed me earlier before the conversation about the meeting started. Looking back, I noticed that she obviously didn't fall for my easy-to-spot lie. Luckily, though, it appeared that she was too afraid to call me out on it.

“Ok, just… If you need anything, let me know. Okay?” She said, almost pleading. I couldn't look her in the eyes as I turned away. Walking into my room.

“... Goodnight Charlie. Thanks for giving me a place to stay for the night.” I said, unable to watch as disappointment crossed her face as she turned away. “It's a really nice hotel.”

“T-Thanks… Sleep well, Cain,” she said as she turned, hesitating for a second before walking away. I closed the door slowly behind her as she left, resulting in a deafening creek until the door came shut.

“Dangit… Dangit.” I silently wept as I fell to the floor, my back resting against the doorframe. I just couldn't process the situation. It couldn't be; it couldn't be possible, yet I knew Charlie wasn't lying. I've seen liars before, and she wasn't one of them.

“Adam… Father. Would you really do such a thing?” I asked the empty space, half praying, half moping. “I know you hated Lucifer, but genocide? W-Whats happened to you? Why kill your own children?”

I couldn't believe it; Adam wouldn't commit such atrocities as that. I'm the monster in the family—not father, not mother, not brother. 

'Me, I’m the unforgivable one! Not you, so why?'

“... No, there has to be a reason. I refuse to believe my father would do it for pure entertainment. Father isn't that thoughtless; he must have a justifiable mission from heaven. He has too… Right?”

I didn’t know anymore, and for the first time in years, I felt too emotionally exhausted to think. Ironic for the person with a photographic memory, but whatever.

I stood up from the floor before walking over and collapsing on the surprising comfortable bed. I was exhausted.

So exhausted, in fact, that I completely failed to notice the shadows in the room shift—a pool of blackness leaving below my door frame, revealing a wide, threatening smile as it slithered away.

 

---

Alastor POV

‘Interesting, very interesting.’ I cackled as I was traveling through the shadows at breakneck speed, only stopping once I found my way back to my room in the hotel. ‘Hehehe, I knew something felt odd about him, but this is better than I could have ever imagined.’

The shadows lifted as I rose up into my room, walking over towards the forested interior I had added to the far side of the room. 

I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, as this was quite a joyous occasion.

After meeting our newest guest at the hotel, I knew that there was something peculiar about him. Not only did he seem overly courteous to him and everyone else, but he also wasn't scared of them all in the slightest.

Don’t get me wrong, he obviously had no real reason to be afraid, but he walked as if he didn’t even consider the possibility that he could get hurt. I know it’s a jump to conclusions, but I’ve dealt with many people before who believe they are invincible. This Cain person felt just like them in that sense, yet somehow still timid. It was quite curious.

Then there was his name, Cain, a very unusual name for the modern era. Not only that, but with Charlie describing how she just met Adam, the first man, I also remembered about a certain son of Adam from that old dusty bible I occasionally read while I was still alive.

Obviously, I didn’t think it was the real Cain, but I decided to peep on our new guest, just to satisfy my curiosity.

‘Oh, it was so much better than I could have ever imagined!’ I thought, as I took a seat at my table, snapping my finger to summon a large portal of shadows to arise on the ceiling, a dead deer falling out of it and landing with a sickening crunch in front of me on the circular table. ‘Oh, the irony of it all is almost palpable!’

I chuckled as I summoned a fork, piercing it deep into the venesin’s skin, pulling out a chunk of meat. I moaned in delight as I took a bite, savoring the texture.

“I knew this hotel business would be fraught with excitement, but I never expected this.” I chuckled out loud, continuing to eat my dinner. The entire time, there was only one thought going through my head.

‘How do I take advantage of this?’

I chuckled again in ecstasy; this was truly a joyous day. And it has presented an opportunity that I couldn’t afford to miss…

‘… Wait.’ I froze in place, feeling something very, very wrong all of a sudden. Lowering my fork, I calmly stood up from my chair, grabbing my radio cane as I did a once-over of my entire room.

I was unable to spot anything. Or at least, I wasn’t able to actively see any abnormalities in my surroundings.

Despite that, however, I knew something was very, very wrong.

“… A message for whoever is watching me from the shadows, I would suggest you reveal yourself and make your intentions known. Fail to do so-” I shifted my hand, causing a collection of shadowey tendrils to sprout out of the floor behind me. “-And I won’t be able to guarantee your continued well being. The choice is yours.”

I warned out loud to seemingly nothing. To an outside observer, they would've assumed that I must’ve gone crazy. Talking to people who weren’t there. 

Those same people are also the ones who fall prey to predators. As a couple of seconds later, I noticed the far wall of my room begin to change, as it suddenly began to deteriorate at an alarming rate.

After a mere handful of seconds, the wall looked as if it had aged a hundred years, as strange black goop began to form and condense around the now-aged wall. 

The goop began to spread, widening as it began to encompass a quarter of the far wall. Finally, the black goop stopped spreading.

A black leg then began to leave the goop; it firmly planted its foot on the floor. Following shortly after, the rest of this strange creature stepped through the black inkiness.

They appeared entirely black, looking as if they were covered in the same substance that had just seeped off of the far wall. The only piece of clothing they were wearing appeared to be a sleeveless leather vest of some kind, with every other part of their black, inky body exposed.

Their most defining feature, however, would have to be the large, unnerving smile they were giving me. A smile so wide that it basically mirrored my own in the current moment.

A few seconds of silence passed between us as my smile only widened at the peculiar site. This day just kept getting more and more interesting!

“Well, good evening, my smiling fellow. May I inquire why you’ve interrupted my lunch and ruined my new room?” I cheerfully asked, noting that the only response I got in return was that it turned its head slightly to the left. “Now, are you here for a chat, or are you here to die?”

“…”

“… Hm, not very talkative, are you?” I said out loud, no longer expecting an answer from the apparent silent creature as I leaned against my cane. 

“…”

“Hungry?” I asked, side-eyeing my venison that was currently rotting on the table. “I’m more than willing to share if—”

FWOOSH

The black creature suddenly darted forward at alarming speed the second my head was turned. It seemed to think that it had an advantage, which was cute. Unfortunately for it, though, I never dropped my guard, as one of my shadowy tendrils I summoned before swerved up from behind me, blocking the creature's open hand. The second it touched my shadow, I noticed that its skin began excreting the same black goop from before on it, with no apparent effect.

“Hehehe. To die it is then.” I chuckled before using the shadow tendril to whip him back, which it did easily. The black creature went hurtling across the room, crashing into the wall right next to my fireplace. “It’s been a while since I’ve done a podcast anyway, and I'm sure that a new voice would be quite the returning program.”

I widened my smile to unnatural proportions as I stared down at this creature, who was now on their back against the floor. Looking at them, though, I noticed that they were still smiling, and their lifeless eyes still hung open. 

Before I could ponder on the subject anymore, however, a large amount of black goop suddenly formed beneath them. They quickly fell into this puddle as if it were water, completely leaving my field of view.

A few moments of silence passed as I surveyed my room, no threat on site. However, he was still here, watching. Waiting.

“I know you're still here; why don’t you come out so we can have a proper chat?” I asked out loud, knowing that whatever this creature was, sinner or otherwise, could hear me. 

Instead of answering, though, I only saw a singular drop of the same black liquid fall in front of me, striking the floor. Glancing up, I saw the creature there, upside down, as the top half of his body hung out of another puddle of goop that now encompassed the ceiling atop me.

The creature then quickly fell out of the ceiling puddle, falling towards me. I quickly sidestepped the falling creature, as it landed right where I once was. It landed softly on its feet, and the wooden floors beneath it immediately began to rot, as if they were aging years in mere seconds.

“Hmm, interesting.” I said silently as the creature launched itself towards me as I backstepped, its open hand missing me by inches as I summoned another shadowy tendril, striking the creature and sending it flying back. As soon as it hit the wall, it once again quickly morphed as it began to sink into the black liquid.

“Hehe, not this time.” I chuckled as I sent the same shadow tendril as before into the black pool he just entered. It sank inside with it, managing to wrap around its body before it could fully submerge, and forcibly pulled it out of the viscous liquid. “Now, let’s have a little fun, shall we?”

BANG!

I used the shadow to slam the creature against the far wall, resulting in it cracking, wooden splinters began flying everyone.

I didn’t stop there, though.

BAM!

Next, I slammed him to the floor.

BANG!

Then on the fireplace.

BOOM!

The roof.

BANG! 

Floor.

BAM!

Table.

BANG!

Door.

BANG!

Then, just for laughs, I did the table again.

BOOM!

Finally, I slammed it one final time against the far wall, then proceeded to scrape its entire body against its rough surface as I whirled him around the room like Mimzy after having one too many drinks.

After doing that for a few seconds, I stopped as I took in my now-ruined abode. 

“Tch, and I just got this room too.” I kidded, before bringing my shadowy tendril up to my face, the creature was still trapped in its clutches. "Now, are you going to help pay for the damages, or am I going to have to make you earn your keep as a special guest on my radio show?”

The creature said nothing, and despite everything that it just went through, its wide smile still adorned its face. As if nothing happened at all.

As a matter of fact, now that I have a clear look, I can barely see any damage on the creature to begin with. Strangest of all, though, would have to be that it didn’t even appear like it was struggling. It just hung there, staring at me with its cold, lifeless eyes.

“Ahh, while I do love meeting a fellow with a smile like yours, I’m afraid we do need to have a proper discussion.” I began having my tendril squeeze harder, though it didn’t appear to have any effect on the creature. “Who are you, and why were you stalking me? You don’t stalk a guy who just finished stalking another guy, after all. Every stalker knows that.”

“…”

“Hmm, you truly aren’t a talker, are you?” I warned, my right hand leaving my cane as I began to reach up towards the creature's face. “Don’t worry, I have plenty of ways to make you sque-”

SIZ!

I grunted out in sudden pain, my right hand only just touching the black creature's face. Immediately after doing so, my hand felt white bubbling pain. As if the skin began to melt. I attempted to pull my hand back, only to see the creature finally move.

It opened its jaw for the first time and bit down on my left shoulder.

“ARGH!” I screamed out as unimaginable pain began to soar through my entire being. The creature's teeth felt like acid, as I could feel my shoulder melting at its mere touch. My blood began to pour out of my wound, not expecting this creature to possess such a formidable jaw. 

I tried to step away, but the creature's teeth simply would let go. Finally, I screamed one final time in pain as I used my tendril to throw the creature across the room, its teeth finally coming free as it crashed into the far wall.

‘huff’ ‘huff’

I took deep breaths as I clutched my left shoulder with my right hand; my left was still holding my radio cane. Deep beads of sweat dripped down my face as I stared down at the large hole in my shoulder. 

I looked up lifelessly as I saw the black creature stand up across the room, and in its mouth, I could still see a large slab of bloodied flesh.

My flesh.

Chomp!

My eyes only widened as I saw the creature bite down, completely eating the piece of flesh as blood flew everywhere. Any blood that hit it, though, was imminently vaporized by the same black goop that it constantly summoned.

“Hehe…hehehehehe….HEHEHEHEH!” I began laughing maniacally as I saw this. A smile might still be adorning my face, but I was livid. “Oh… I am gonna fucking mu rder you.”

I began to morph as my voice became more static, my horns grew out, and my limbs stretched and grew to unnatural proportions. My fingernails grew out until they each resembled blades. My smile somehow grew wider as blood began to drip through my teeth. The X on my forehead became more apparent as my eyes changed to resemble radio dials.

I continued to grow, taller and taller, until my figure had become entirely grotesque as shadow tendrils grew out of my back. 

I had fully entered my demon form.

I stared blankly at the dead man walking, whose reaction never changed as he stared at my new appearance. Until I saw it crouch low, sinking into another puddle of black liquid.

I waited… And waited… Waited… Wai—

-I turned around just in time to see the black creature had exited through another puddle behind me and quickly dashed towards me with supernatural speed. Its eyes widened upon seeing me turn, as if not expecting my quick reaction.

“Hehe. An eye for an eye.”

The black creature finally reached me, and—

Slice!

Swoosh!

We stood on opposite sides, our backs to each other, as the creature dashed right by me. Each of us remained still for a number of seconds, as if waiting for the world to catch up.

Until finally…

The black creature fell on its knees, its right arm holding its left... What was left of it, at least. 

Chomp!

The creature stared absently back at me, watching as I sank my teeth into its left arm. 

The arm that I tore off of it in our clash.

“Tasty.” I remarked, biting off mouthfuls of flesh from the arm. The black acid on it hurt like all hell and will probably dig a hole in my stomach, but I was willing to endure it. Especially since I have finally seen something in the creature's eyes.

FEAR.

“Come on, where’s that smile?” I mocked, noting the creature's apparent fear despite a smile technically still adorning its face. I took a couple steps towards it after I finished devouring its arm, my sharp fingernails scratching into the floor as my arms lay limply at my side. “After all, you're never fully dressed without one.

That did it, as the black creature quickly summoned a black puddle beneath it, falling in before vanishing from sight. I probably could’ve stopped it if I really wanted to, but to be honest, this whole small battle of ours left me positively exhausted.

I waited a couple seconds, making sure it was truly gone. When I felt safe, I slowly de-transformed back to my normal form. Now back, I quickly clutched the missing chunk on my left shoulder as I walked towards the table and what was left of my lunch.

I began coughing blood as my insides felt like they were about to rip open. Perhaps eating that creature's arm wasn’t a very good idea. I also noticed that my right hand was almost completely decomposed, as if it belonged to the corpse. Just touching that thing proved dangerous; my chewed-off shoulder was a testament to that fact.

“Well—urgh—that ruined that mood!” I joked out to nobody, still a little pissy about my injury. Still, I managed to get away from the situation in a much better condition.

“Still… What was—”

Bam!

“Alastor, are you—wow... What happened here?” A voice said after I heard my door slam open. Looking back, I saw Charlie had rushed in and was currently gocking at the current condition of my room. She looked around for a moment before gasping as she noticed my fairly obvious wounds, including the blood dripping from my mouth. "Oh, my Satan! Alastor, are you okay?”

At her inquiry, I stared down at my injury, contemplating the question.

Then, I began laughing.

“Umm, Al—

“Ok… OK?! WHY, I'M BETTER THAN OK CHARLIE!” I laughed out, noticing her taking a step back in shock. I turned away, staring at all the black liquid that now decorated my room.

“As a matter of fact, I believe Hell has just gotten a LOT more entertaining.”

 

Notes:

SCP-106: (eats Alastor’s flesh.)

Alastor: And I took that personally. (Goes full demon.)

SCP-106: (begins sweating profusely.)

So… I feel like I need to explain myself here on two things. The first being Cain and his comment of never having sex before. Now, I know that in the original Bible it states that Cain has had at least one kid, but couldn’t find anything on the SCP interpretation that suggests that he did. I went back and forth on whether he should or shouldn’t have until I actually wrote that joke, and I went with this cause, not only would it make sense for the version of Cain that I’m writing about, but also because it’ll make something in the future make more sense. If I’m wrong and Cains children are actually established in the SCP mythos, let me know, but I don’t think I made a mistake. Besides that (puts on riot helmet) time to face the whole Alastor and 106 fight. First off, I hope that I wrote the fight scene well enough. I know it was pretty short, so I just hope that it got its point across. As for Alastor ripping off 106’s arm in his demon form (which we actually see in episode 2 of Hazbin at the end of his song with Vox and in a comic by Vivzie) it was something that I debated if possible. Strangely enough though, as far as I could tell, there really isn’t a lot on 106’s durability on his wiki page, and I mean it’s pretty much a given he can tank gunfire, but besides that I’m not sure how physically durable he is. At the end, I decided this is how the battle will go with my interpretation of the SCP and Alastor. If I messed something up, please let me know in the comments, or if you have any advice on the chapter, constructive criticism or anything of the sort, put in the comments. Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed, and I hope you all have a smiley day! (Your never fully dressed without one, after all.)

Chapter 13: A little piece of Heaven in Hell.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Andrew and Paul make a plan, before meeting an unexpected ally.

Notes:

“What is your favorite SCP?”

SCP-106 POV

Hurt.

Pain.

Pain. Hurt. Scratching. Hurt. Blood. Painful.

Falling to my knees, my arm burned. I gripped it hard. Blood—too much blood. 

Pain. Anger. Seething. Hatred. Hungry. Weak. More. Eat. Pain. Hunt… Prey.

HUNT PREY!

“Eh, who the fuck are you?” Voice said. Turning, saw red prey… PREY. “Look, you motherfucker, this is my warehouse, so you gotta leave right—”

‘Prey!’

Dashed at it, singular arm outstretched.

“The fuck!” It yelled, shocked. Gripping its face, pulled it down to the floor. Summoned black portal as it swallowed it. “ARGH!”

Gone. In my dimension. Ready for fun.

Began submerging into black liquid...until.

"Well, I gotta admit. I wasn’t expecting to meet you here.” Voice said. Looked up, saw another red prey. 

Red prey, wearing a familiar smiling white mask.

“How about we have a chat, old man?”

 

---

 Andrew White POV

‘That… was the worst sleep I’ve ever had.’

I groggily stood up, my bones aching from the cement I was forced to sleep on the night before. I felt parts of me pop that I didn’t even know existed.

‘My respect for MTF groups has suddenly risen several notches.’ I joked to myself, attempting to stretch in order to wake my body up.

We couldn’t find a place to stay last night; I mean, we eventually found an ‘abandoned’ warehouse… That turned out to be far from abandoned, as we were attacked by waves of feral imps.

‘Still don’t know how we got out of that one alive.’

Anyways, after escaping for our lives, we entered into a bit of a cycle. We found an abandoned building, tried to sleep, got attacked and fled. Found another place to stay, went to sleep, and woke up with half the building on fire. 

… This process repeated a couple more times, with at least three more near-death experiences that somehow involved fire.

Eventually, we had to just find a random alleyway to sleep in and pray to God (ironically enough) that we wouldn’t wake up with our kidneys missing.

We didn’t, as far as I could tell. But it was still a hellish sleep that made prison feel like a better alternative. What made it even worse was the fact that Paul basically ordered me to sleep in the mask and outfits that we scavenged off the gassers when we first got here. You know, just in case a demon walked by and saw us.

‘Speaking of Paul, where is he?’ I wondered as I stared at the area where he had slept the night before, which was very clearly empty.

“… Paul?… Paul?” I began to call out, more than a little afraid that my friend had abandoned me, seeing me as dead weight.

“Paul… Oh god, please don’t say you abandoned me in Hell! Oh god, I’m having flashbacks to that time at the mall!” I screamed, my anxiety beginning to reach its peak again, before-

“Be thankful it wasn’t an Ikea you were lost in.”

“OH MY FUCKING FINDLESTICKS!!!” I screamed, jumpscared by the sudden voice that sounded out behind me. Turning around quickly, I noticed the source.

“TAKE EVERYTHING I—Oh, it’s just you, Paul.” I sighed half in relief and half in embarrassment as I saw the familiar face of the red-haired security guard, his gas mask currently put off to the side.

Looking closer, I could also see that, despite his straight body posture, he too had massive bags below his eyes, confirming my suspicion that he barely got any sleep either. Then again, he’s trained to handle these situations, so he’s probably coping with it much better than me.

“So... why are you awake?” I asked curiously, hoping to move on from my earlier freakout. Paul seemed to humor my request, as he lifted a stick up to me that had two strange black blobs on it.

“Got us breakfast; eat up. You’ll need your energy.” He said as I grabbed the stick. Looking down, I saw he possessed another one that looked identical, seemingly his own breakfast.

“Oh, great thanks-” I started before stopping myself as I noticed the two blobs on my stick, which I assumed to be the actual meal, had long pinkish tails on them. “… Um, not to sound ungrateful, Paul, but... What is this?”

“ ‘Munch’ ‘Munch’ cooked rat, or at least the hellish equivalent of them. There are a lot of them in this alley.” Paul said in between bites of his now-identified... rat. “You better eat fast; these things go cold quickly.”

‘… I have reached a dilemma.’ I thought as I looked at the food in a newfound disgust. Under normal circumstances, I would never eat something like this. Right now, however.

Rumble Rumble.

My stomach growled in hunger as it greedily screamed for anything to soothe the painful cramps that emerged in my abdomen.

‘… Ah, screw it.’ I thought, seeing that Paul managed to eat the rats with extreme ease. Noticing this, I gained just enough confidence to hesitantly bring the stick up to my mouth. ‘Most important meal of the day, and all that.’

Shakily, I bit down on the charred skin of the rat, before—

5 minutes later .

BARF.

“There there, let it all out.” Paul said awkwardly as he comfortably rubbed my back as I released the contents of my stomach into the trash can. “Sorry, I forgot that scientists aren’t trained to eat stuff like that.”

“… I hate you—HMP—”

BARF.

 

---

3rd person POV

 

“Hehe, what a catch!” The red devilish creature chuckled, laughing as he dragged a body bag over his shoulder. As it dragged against the floor, it left a very noticeable trail of blood behind it as it went. Despite that, however, the creature seemed to pay it no mind as he walked beside two creatures of similar appearance. “Hehe, those cannibals will probably pay a fortune for something like this!”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself.” The largest of the red-skinned demons said, shotgun in hand. “We need to make sure we actually get there first. Besides, we play our cards wrong, and they’ll just make us their next meal.”

“You worry too much; besides, we’re not fucking idiots. We wouldn’t have been able to kill this fucker if we were.” The first red creature laughed, obviously exhilarated over his apparent catch.

“Ya, but he managed to kill Jerald and Dorry while he was at it. If it wasn’t for a lucky shot, we’d all be dead right now.” The big imp warned, causing the one carrying the bag to scoff. He always hated being told off.

“Whatever, they were dead weight to begin with. Besides, how were we supposed to know that he would be a fucking ace marksman or whatever the fuck he was?” The final imp on the left said, who was twirling a knife in his fingers while talking. “I mean, these fuckers aren’t even supposed to be down here in the first place. Obviously, they weren’t fucking ordinary.”

“Oh my Satan, can’t we just drop him off and forget about this situation and go our separate way?” The one dragging the body bag said, obviously tired of the company that he kept. 

“Sounds good to me; I wouldn’t want to hang around you jackasses any longer then—”

“Wait.” The largest of the devilish creatures said, cutting off the one on the left. He slowly pulled up his shotgun, pointing it down the alleyway they were traversing through. “That box, it moved.”

The two other red creatures started forward; a moment of silence passed as they looked towards the collection of discarded trash and boxes. A moment of silence passed before they noticed one of the boxes did indeed shift. 

“What the fuck?” The one carrying the bag questioned, mostly confused since the box that moved had a larger box on top, almost like someone had purposely trapped whatever was inside of it. “Is it a baby hellhound or something?”

“Maybe… I’m gonna check it out.” The one with the knife said, swirling the weapon in its hand before walking toward the tower of boxes. “If this thing is rabid, you better fucking shoot it.”

The other two nodded as the first slowly walked over to the box, gently lifting off the weights on top that were holding it closed. After taking them off, he slowly opened the lid, peeking at what was inside the box.

Before completely freezing at what he saw.

“What the shit?” He asked under his breath, looking wide-eyed in the box.

“… Hey, you alright?” The biggest of the creatures questioned him, his gun still raised in case a wild mutt jumped out of it.

“Um… Hey, we haven’t taken any acid today, right?” The one looking in the box asked, causing confusion to spread across the faces of the other two.

“Um… No”

"Hmm, ok, in that case... WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS THING!?” He screamed as he suddenly backed up as his fellow demons watched on in confusion. That is, until they noticed the box move again and watched something begin crawling its way out of it.

The strangest part, though, was that it looked like some kind of goo. Slowly crawling out of the box before its weight caused it to fall over, exposing this strange creature completely.

It was an orange blob that made weird gurgling sounds as it began to rise, before the goo turned, as if it were looking around.

“… You know, maybe we did take acid today.” The largest of the imps spoke, his voice causing the orange creature to quickly turn and presumably look in their direction. It was hard to tell, though, since this creature didn’t have any eyes or mouth, making it impossible to discern if it even had a face.

“Grgrgr, grgr!” The strange blob released another high-pitched gurgling noise as two strange extensions came out of the creature's body, almost resembling tentacles or arms.

“… Ok, what in the actual fuck is this thing?”

“Don’t know… Hey, think we can sell this to the cannibals too?”

“Grgrrrl!!!” The blob shot back for half a second, like it could tell what the demons were saying.

“Hmm… Fuck it, may as well.” The large devil creature said, before pointing its gun at the orange creature. “Now, your gonna come with us, or we are gonna—”

“GRRRLL!!!” The creature released another high-pitched gurgling noise before shooting off in the other direction, surprisingly fast for not having any legs.

“…”

“…”

“OUR FUCKING MYSTERIOUS ORANGE BLOB THAT WE WERE GONNA SELL TO FUCKING CANNIBALS BECAUSE WE WANT FUCKING MONEY AND DONT QUESTION THE SITUATIONS AROUND US IS FUCKING GETTING AWAY! AFTER IT!!!” The tall one screamed as all of the impish creatures chased after the orange blob.

 

---

Paul POV

“Um… Are you sure you’re—”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough.” I said, responding to Andrew’s interruption. You know what, I deserve it this time, as I couldn’t believe I forgot that regular personnel aren’t trained to eat that kind of food without vomiting it up.

“… Do they seriously have a training program for eating rats?” He asked, still unable to get the taste of charred rat out of his mouth. 

“Well, it wasn’t specifically for rats. It was also how to safely eat snakes, spiders, birds, monkeys, lizards, naked mole rats—”

“Ok, too much information!” Andrew interrupted me as I was answering his question; I wasn’t even halfway done with the list yet. “I don’t need that image in my head after what I just ate. I mean, seriously, why is that training course a thing?”

“I mean, in cases or situations like this, I guess?” I answered, referring to how we were unable to get normal food at the current moment. “You’d be surprised by how many field missions happen where we’re forced to survive in nature.”

“… I am suddenly extremely happy that I did well in school.” Andrew sarcastically said before turning around, his stomach seemingly calming down. “Still, this is not gonna be a permanent solution. I don’t want to sound like a princess, but I won't be able to survive a week if our daily routine stays like this.”

“Well, what do you suggest, then?” I asked, completely open to any ideas at this point. 

“Well, what about that commercial we saw yesterday? You know, the one for that hotel?” Andrew reminded me as I thought back to the commercial that we partially saw the day before. “I mean, we may as well check it out at least.”

“… Right.” I said, thinking the idea over. To be honest, the idea of staying at a hotel in Hell, of all places, rubbed me the wrong way. After all, we are in hostile territory, so it would be much safer to stay far away from those kinds of establishments. 

‘That being said, I guess we may as well check it out. No harm in doing so… I hope.’ I considered the idea before eventually sighing and turning back to Andrew.

“Fine, we can check it out today.” I saw his face rise in a smile at my acceptance of his idea. “But if it proves to compromise us in any way, we leave immediately. Ok?”

“Ya, that’s fair.” He said, understanding my worry but still obviously excited over the thought of eating normal food. “Come on, let’s get going!”

I sighed at Andrew’s excitement. While I understood why he was excited to go to an actual hotel, we've only been here for a day, maybe less. 

‘I’m really starting to agree with the idea of scientists needing to do required survival training.’ The thought crossed my mind as I began to follow Andrew. As for how we will find this hotel, I’m sure it won’t be too difficult to find. If it’s popular enough to get a commercial, then I’m sure at least some of the denizens of this place would have heard of it.

“Ok, but remember that we’re just checking it out. No commitments until—”

“ Grgrglll” I froze in place as a strange, high-pitched gurgling noise interrupted my sentence. I turned to look at Andrew, who seemed to also freeze in place, eyes wide.

“… Please tell me that was your stomach.” I said, only to cringe as I saw Andrew slowly shake his head. “Well… that’s fucking great.”

“ GRGRLL !” The gurgling noise occurred again, close enough that I could tell it originated from behind us, deeper in the alley, but whatever it was, it was coming closer.

“Shit, get behind me, Andrew!” I urgently commanded the action-deprived scientist. He quickly nodded as he got behind me, and I raised my P90 into the air, ready to gun down whatever creature was making that noise. 

My current guess was that it came from a wild hellborne animal because of the noise. Obviously,  I don’t know if that’s a thing, but I’m not taking any chances. 

“Grrrglrl!” There was one final shriek before the creature came into view, and...

‘… Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.’ I thought incredulously as I noticed a rather familiar orange blob rolling across the floor at an unexpected speed. 

“Holy shit… Is that SCP-999?” I heard Andrew share in my confusion as the creature continued to dash towards us. “W-what is it doing down here?”

“Grgggl?” 999, or as some call him the ‘tickle monster’, stopped and turned to us, as if it just noticed us. It seemed to look at us for a few seconds, before. “GRGRRL!”

I let out an excited gurgle as it changed course and started heading straight for us. I slowly lowered my gun and let out a sigh of both relief and confusion as it finally reached us. It immediately slid behind me and jumped into Andrew’s arms, who let out a surprised yelp as the creature shook in his arms.

“AH—Oh…oh… oh my god.” Andrew immediately let out lethargically, as he stared into the alley with a thousand mile stare, his arms wrapping around the blob. “Oh… So this is what heaven feels like.”

I facepalmed at Andrew’s reaction, but I guess I couldn’t really blame him, considering who he was currently holding.

‘SCP-999. Otherwise known as ‘the tickle monster’ by foundation staff. I’ve never had the luxury to work with it myself, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t heard the rumors of its incredible ability. That being the ability to bring joy and happiness to anyone that comes close to it.’ I thought, starting to feel a little spark of joy just by being near the thing, so much so that I could only imagine what Andrew must be feeling right now.

‘Still, that does beg the question of what it’s doing here.’ I thought, beginning to worry that our site wasn’t the only one attacked by the Serpent's Hand, considering that 999 should’ve been kept at a completely different site. The fact that it’s here can only mean one thing. ‘The foundation must be in trouble.’

I didn’t really think about it before, since I was too focused on my survival. Now that I see this, though, I can only fear the worst has occurred in the living world, and while we were busy fucking around in hell, the rest of the foundation is fighting for their lives.

‘Ironic that the SCP known for bringing joy has only made me worry for the worse, but whatever.’ I thought while looking towards my friend, who was in the middle of giving the tickle monster a massive hug as it gurgled in delight. ‘Still, it almost looked like it was scared. Why would it—’

“HEY, THE FUCKING THING WE ARE SELLING TO FUCKING CANNIBALS IS FUCKING OVER THERE!!!”

‘… I have suddenly realized what it was running away from.’

I swerved around quickly, raising my gun in the air as I saw three impish creatures run out of the darkness. One of them was dragging a large body bag and had what looked to be a pistol around their waist. The tallest of them on the right appeared to be holding a shotgun. And the one on the left had a sharp knife in their hands, their eyes screaming bloody murder.

The creature's stopped running at the site of me, they looked confused as they raised their weapons.

“Eh, who the fuck are... Wait a minute.” The big one said, his eyes squinting as he stared towards me and Andrew. Until his eyes widened as he released a terrifying laugh. “Wow, this must be our lucky day. We found another human!”

They all turned to look at me, and a new, more hungry gleam appeared in their eyes. For a second, I was shocked that they knew we were humans, until I realized that both me and Andrew had removed our gas masks in order to eat breakfast… Just great.

‘Wait, did they say another?’ I suddenly realized, meaning they had more than likely come across another member of the foundation. I was about to ask where they were until I noticed the body bag that the middle one was dragging, shaped suspiciously like a human.

“Hehe, ok, boys. Time to-”

BANG!

“ARGH! FUCK MY HAND!” The tall one screamed out in pain after I ran forward, shooting his shotgun out of his hand before I aimed for his head. “DO SOMETHING YOU SHITHEA-”

BANG! BANG!

A couple of shots later, his whining was silenced. The fellow imp-like creatures looked on in shock before quickly recovering as I crossed the short distance between us. I also noticed that Andrew had forced himself out of 999’s embrace. He looked like he was ready to jump in. “Stay back! I can handle this!” I screamed, causing Andrew to flinch and stop his former advance.

“You motherfucker!” The one who was carrying the bag yelled before vaulting off the floor and flying through the air towards me. Luckily, this creature was decently small, so I managed to bat him out of the air with the butt of my gun, sending him flying away.

Sling! 

I dodged to the right, barely avoiding a dagger in the back by the final impish creature. I attempted to bring my P90 up, but the creature managed to grab a hold of the weapon, wrestling with me for it. Eventually, he managed to just barely overpower me as the gun went flying to the left, out of sight. 

Seeing this, I quickly reached down for my knife, managing to remove it from my waist and parry the creature's attack with his own small bladed weapon. I attempted to go in for a counter, but the creature proved continuously nimble as he jumped back, dodging my swipe.

“Ok, you're better than I thought. But I warn you, I’m rather famous amongst the assassin industry!” The creature said, twirling the knife in its fingers as he gloated, probably trying to intimidate me. “They say that I’m the best knife fighter in all of Hell, so you should know what you're getting into before—”

Bang!

He dropped dead as I blew the smoke off of my sidearm pistol that I had unholstered. Did he seriously expect me to just sit here and let him monologue? 

“People down here sure like to talk.” I said absentmindedly, still gripping the pistol. I was ready to turn around and leave, before I heard the familiar sound of a gun cocking. 

“Paul!” I heard Andrew scream, obviously panicked.

I quickly turned around, seeing that the creature that I hit with the butt of my gun before had already managed to recover, and was now aiming a revolver straight at Andrew. 

“If we’re going down, then I’m taking one of you bastards with me!” He screamed with his finger around the trigger. 

‘Shit! shit! shit! shit! shit!’ My body screamed as I tried to raise my gun, my hands shook as I desperately raised my gun. I needed to stop him. I needed to stop him right now! ‘Shit, I’m not fast enough! Come on, be faster! You can’t let this happen! Not again!’

I got ready to squeeze the trigger.

Bang!

Bang!

Two gunshots resounded outward as my bullet successfully left its chamber and struck the creature's head. However, I was a fraction of a second too slow, as he managed to get his shot off before dying.

My eyes widened, the world felt like it was moving in slow motion as the bullet traveled through the air, flying straight towards the terrified scientist.

I stared in shock, unable to do anything as the bullet flew towards him. I thought for sure this was it, but I failed… 

I failed again.

“… GRGLLL!”

Except that didn’t happen, as the bullet didn't piercing through Andrew’s head like I assumed it would, it was instead blocked by a familiar gurgling orange blob, who jumped in the way of the bullet.

The bullet entered deep into the blob's body, stopping around halfway into its body as it fell back to the floor.

“…”

“…”

“… OH MY GOD, 999’s BEEN SHOT!” Andrew suddenly screamed in shock as he kneeled down next to the flattened SCP and began to press down on what I assumed to be its chest, as if attempting CPR. “BREATHE! OH GOD, PLEASE BREATHE!”

I once again facepalmed as I saw Andrew scream while desperately trying to resuscitate what is basically just gelatin.

After watching this... comedy skit (ya, that’s a good word for it) for a few minutes, the tickle monster eventually stood up as the bullet fell out of its body before jumping up and hugging Andrew once again, causing another look of pure ecstasy to appear on the man’s face. “Oh, oh, sweet baby Jesus, you're alive!” He said relieved as he went back to hugging 999.

‘… Should I tell him that it was probably just playing dead… Nah, I’ll let him have this.’ I thought, knowing that a bullet wouldn’t be enough to even hurt 999. I mean, the thing apparently survived in a battle against 682, for god's sake.

“Ok… Now that this heart attack is dealt with, what now?” I asked Andrew, who seemed to only barely hear me through the current bliss he was experiencing. 

“Huh? Oh, um… I mean, we’re going to that hotel now, right?” He said, never letting go of the slimy yet lovable creature. 

“Right, but is that still a good idea?” I brought up, now unsure if our former plan is the right course of action. “I mean, before, we just had ourselves to worry about. Now, though, we are responsible for the safety and movement of SCP-999. If we mess that up, or god forbid something happens to it, then we’d probably be hung even if we do make it back to the foundation.”

I saw Andrew flinch at this, as if realizing the severity of what I was talking about. As soon as it appeared, however, it left. Probably because he was holding 999, and everything feels great to him right now.

“Maybe, but we can still just check it out. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. I mean, it’s just a hotel; what’s the worst that could happen?” He shrugged off my concern, probably due to the comforting effect of the SCP he had around his arms. This caused me to sigh, as our survival just became infinitely more perimount, and he doesn’t even seem to care about our new mission we are now obliged to complete. That being successfully transporting SCP-999 back to the foundation. 

“… Fine, we’ll check it out. But as soon as it threatens to compromise us, we leave.” I said, not leaving any room for discussion. Andrew seemed fine with that, as he smiled in agreement. “… We’re also putting 999 in a box.”

“GRGRLL!” The aforementioned creature gurgled in shock, obviously appalled by my proposal.

“What, why!?” Andrew screamed, equally appalled by the idea. “How could you do that to such a pure innocent creature!?”

‘… Does 999 also have the ability to make people act like fucking idiots?’ I silently thought, noting that Andrew was acting a bit weirder than usual. “Because, if word of 999 gets around, then it’ll be a straight-up world war to attain it. Seriously, the ability to spread joy in hell of all places has got to be one of the most sought-after abilities in all of this trash dump, with how fucked up this place usually is.”

“…Oh… Right.” Andrew said, finally coming to his senses as he started to reluctantly place 999 back on the floor. “Sorry buddy, but you have to... um, how do I put this without it sounding weird… You need to go in a box.”

I rolled my eyes as Andrew started ‘negotiating’ with the slimy creature as I walked over and began to investigate the bodies of the demons I just killed. They didn’t appear to have anything special on them, with the most interesting thing being some matches and what appeared to be an oil canister of some kind, which I grabbed. I then took the revolver the last demon used to shoot 999 with and picked up the P90 that was thrown out of my hands.

As I was picking it up, however, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Turning back, I saw the body bag that the trio of demons had been carrying. I slowly stood up as I walked towards it.

The bag looked like it was soaked in blood, as it even left a pretty apparent trail behind it as it was being dragged through the alley. Whoever these creatures were, they must not have been concerned about people seeing this. Unfortunately, things like this are more than likely normal down here.

I knelt down next to the bag as I slowly unzipped it.

And immediately let out a sharp gasp, before giving a long sigh.

“What’s wrong?” I heard Andrew ask from behind. Peering back, I saw he was in the process of taking one of the many discarded cardboard boxes in the alley. It seemed like he had finished his negotiations.

“… You may want to have a look at this.” I said, turning away from him and back towards the contents of the bag. I heard him place the box down before nervously strutting towards me.

“…oh… oh my god.” I heard him whisper before looking away. 

It made sense, though, since inside the bag was the recognizable uniform of a SCP security guard, minus the helmet. His body was riddled with holes, and his eyes seemed stuck in abstract horror, as if he saw the devil itself.

“… This is the situation we’re dealing with, Andrew.” I told my freaked-out friend, who seemed to be on the verge of throwing up again.

“We need to be careful, because if we aren’t... Let’s just say that death doesn’t pick favorites.” I said out loud as I lowered my hand towards the body, closing its eyes. Hoping that it would somehow allow them to rest in peace. 

“… Who are they?” Andrew said, barely audible. I took a quick look at the body, not recognizing them in the slightest. So instead, I reached around their neck to pull off his dog tag.

Dog tags, used by both the military and the foundation, are used to identify the identities of soldiers. Or, more accurately, to identify their corpses. Lifting it up, I saw the name “Griffin Hilton” written as clear as day upon its scuffed silvery surface.

“… Griffon Hilton.” I said, pocketing the tag. I’ll have to make sure to give it to the foundation later to make sure that he’s properly celebrated for his service.

“… What do we do with his body?” I heard Andrew finally ask after an extended moment of silence. “I mean, we can’t just leave him here.”

“… No, we can’t.” I admitted. “But at the same time, we can’t bury him either. I mean, this is just a giant city.”

“Then what do we do with him?”

I somberly pondered the question for a few seconds, before I came to a single conclusion. “The only thing we can do.”

I knelt down and put my hands together in a praying motion, silently wishing safe passage to my brother in arms.

“Never took you for the religious type.” Andrew joked, trying desperately to lighten up the mood, even if by a little.

“I wasn’t, but you have to be either an idiot or blind to not believe after seeing Hell itself.” I said, as I finished my prayer. I then took out the small oil canister that I scavenged off of the demon's corpse and doused the lifeless body with it.

“What are you doing?” Andrew asked quietly, perplexed at my actions.

“Giving him the only mercy I can think of. He doesn’t deserve to have his body rot in this hellhole.” I said, lighting a match. I stared at the orange flame for a handful of seconds, giving one last prayer, before dropping it on the body.

FWOOM!

It was immediately engulfed in crimson flames, burning high into the sky. 

We just stood there, staring at the embers as they ravaged the body of a former coworker. While I am thankful that it wasn’t anyone I knew personally, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that he lost his life to this hellish landscape. Who knows how many more are gonna die, how many more bodies they’re gonna be forced to burn, and how many we'll even have the opportunity to give a burial for at all.

“ Grggrll ?” A questioning gurgle resounded from behind me, as I stared back, I noticed the familiar orange blob. It seemed to have crawled its way out of the box that Andrew placed it in and made its way over to us, probably noticing the somber emotions that we were displaying. 

“It’s ok, 999; you don’t need to worry about us.” I said to the blob as it attempted to get closer. I looked towards Andrew, who kept looking at the body like it was the most alien thing in the world. “Come on, we should move. We’ll check out the hotel, and once it proves to be nothing but a waste of time, we’ll leave.”

He nodded as he walked back over to 999 before stopping himself right in front of 999. For a second, I thought he was about to touch the anomalous creature in an attempt to rid himself of the grief he was feeling.

“… Come on, 999, back in the box. I promise to let you out as soon as I can.” 

Except he didn’t touch the creature. Instead, he simply went and placed the empty box in front of the creature. 999 looked apprehensive for a second, like it wanted nothing more than to help Andrew get through the pain he was feeling. Eventually, though, it seemed to comply as it slowly slid itself into the box.

Andrew placed a lid on top of it soon after, before picking up the container.

“I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that.” I said to Andrew, which seemed to knock him out of some sort of inner monologue. “Y’know, I wouldn’t have blamed you if you decided to use it. It's completely understandable to do so.”

“Maybe… But at the same time, it’s just... I don’t know... It just feels wrong, somehow.” Andrew said, as if struggling to find the words to explain himself. “Does that make any sense?”

“Hehehe, more than you think.” I chuckled out, understanding what he was attempting to say. “Come on, we should get going before the fire attracts unwanted company.”

My researcher friend nodded as he took the box containing what was possibly one of the most dangerous creatures to ever exist and exited the alley.

I took one last look at the raging inferno that blazed on the soldier's corpse before finally leaving the alley as I placed my gas mask back on my face…

‘… Wait a second.’ I looked towards where we placed our masks before eating our breakfast… And I noticed that Andrew forgot to pick up his mask before leaving.

“… SHIT, ANDREW WAIT!!!” I screamed before chasing the well-meaning idiot out of the alley, his gas mask in hand.

Notes:

Andrew: This place is horrible.

SCP-999: ‘exists’

Andrew: Never mind, this place is amazing!

WHOO! 200 kudos! I’m famous, are you finally proud of me mom?!
Seriously though, thank you so much for all the support. I never would’ve expected so many people to have enjoyed my writing when I first posted this, so it means a lot that so many people can find satisfaction in my work.
Anyways, as for the chapter itself, I’ll be the first to admit that… Well, I’m not a particular fan of this one. I mean, it did what I wanted it to do, but I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel like a lot was accomplished, despite a major character being revealed (which I hope you all liked 999’s introduction.) I’m not sure what to think about it, what is why I’m going to ask you all in general, since I’m still learning how to write a story as this is going along. So I want to ask, what about my writing do you enjoy? And what do you think can be improved upon? And what would you want to see more or less of in the story? Anyways, that’s all I have for today, so drop a kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any suggestions, questions, or jokes. And I hope you all have a day worthy of SCP-999.

Chapter 14: The siege of Nergal (part 1)

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Bright begins his plan to take over a portion of Hell, much to the plague doctors annoyance.

Notes:

“Which overlord would you become?”

Evelyn Bright POV

 

I stared at the empty box while rubbing my temples deeply. ‘I knew it was a risk leaving it here, but I didn’t have a choice. Unfortunately, it seems my gamble didn’t pay off.’

I gave the box one last look, regretting my prior decision to temporarily use it to hold the powerful blob of slime, before turning away. 

It didn’t matter too much if we didn't have it; I just thought it would have been nice to have one more bargaining chip in our pocket for what’s to come.

“Whatever, what I should really be concerned about is who retrieved it. There’s a chance it could’ve been a random demon, but if it was the foundation—”

‘Ring’ ‘Ring’

I was cut off as I heard a familiar ringing in my cloak's pocket. Annoyed, I reached in and pulled out the cellphone that I had acquired here before opening it up with an annoyed gruff. “I'm in the middle of something, so this better be important.”

“Don’t worry, sister Evelyn, it is... We found him.” a masculine voice on the other end said, almost causing me to gasp in shock, knowing exactly who he would be talking about.

“Him… Where are you?”

“ We’re at Cobra-9; he's also with us.” The voice said, confirming its location with me. 

“Got it; I'll be there in around 15 minutes. Don't let anything happen to him until I get there.” I said urgently before hanging up the call. Nervously, I took out SCP-268, the beige hat that made me unnoticeable to anyone that looked upon me, and made my way out of the alley. Any thoughts over the box and its former contents were tossed aside as I quickly exited, passing the bodies of a few dead imps and an unidentifiable charred body on the way out.

I ran through the streets, not even bothering to hide my face as I weaved past the multitude of demons. None of them paid any mind to my exposed face or even reacted if I bumped into them.

Finally, after around 15 minutes of nonstop running, I finally reached Cobra-9, an old warehouse in hell that the serpent's hand had taken control of, and one of our biggest bases of operations in Hell.

I didn't pay that much mind as I ran towards the entrance and slid open the old, rusted metal door. Upon entering the building, I became aware of the numerous hidden cameras that littered the interior. 

I quickly took off the anomalous hat as all these cameras suddenly turned to me, finally recognizing my existence. I didn't care as I walked to one of the old boxes that were scattered around this seemingly abandoned warehouse. I looked up at one of the cameras, giving it a small nod. 

Screech!

I watched as the box suddenly began to move, its contraptions scratching across the metal floor, and a hole with a ladder going straight down was revealed.

I climbed down the ladder, noting that the box seemed to move back over the entrance as I did so. When I reached the bottom, I began walking down a long metal hallway. Usually it would be filled with numerous dangerous weapons to kill any intruders, but they all were deactivated for me as I walked through it.

I finally reached the end, where I was met by another, more sturdy metal door. I typed in the password on the side security panel, as well as scanning my fingerprint for verification, as the door opened at an agonizingly slow pace. 

When it finally did open, however, I rushed inside and met another member of our group who was wearing a black cloak, not dissimilar to the one I had on.

“Where is he?” I immediately asked, no room for pleastries or debate. In response, he simply nodded his head towards the side, aiming at one of the many doors that furnished this much more professionally decorated interior. “Thanks.”

I walked past him straight to the door and opened it. Inside was a dark room, probably used for storage or something of the like. Instead, inside the room, there were three more cloaked individuals surrounding a man who was tied to a chair. 

Staring at the tied-up figure, I almost felt tears swell up in my eyes. I noticed his long and somewhat ginger hair, wearing a colorful sweater vest and denim pants. I noticed the familiar freckles on his face.

Most importantly, though, despite looking to be around 17 years old, I saw him stare all around him, drool pooling down from his face as he made silent cooing noises, not dissimilar to that of a toddler.

“We found him near a garbage dump; he didn't put much resistance in his cap- er, I mean, his relocation.” The first cloaked figure spoke silently, giving me a sharp salute. “That being said, we haven't managed to get a proper word out of him... Would you two like some alone time?”

“… Yes, that would be nice. Thank you for finding him.” The figures nodded at my words before leaving me alone in the dark room, staring at the ginger individual.

“Hey… do you remember me?” I asked silently as I walked up to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. I saw him groggily stare at me, and I swear I saw recognition appear in his eyes. Not unlike that of a baby seeing their mother. “Yes… yes, it's me Thomas!”

I suddenly moved to grip him in a tight hug as I felt tears begin flying down my face. I couldn't stop myself; I was just so happy… Yet so sad. “It's me, Thomas; it's mommy! Mommy's here for you!” I pleaded to him, never letting go of my grip around him, like it was the last time I would ever hug him.

“Oh god, what did they do to you?” I said this despite knowing exactly what they did to one of my baby boys, and who exactly did it. “… I'm sorry, Thomas… I'm so sorry I couldn't stop this. I'm sorry that you were forced to go through any of this because of those monsters.”

I knew I wasn't gonna get a response; I knew he couldn't respond. Call it a mercy or a punishment, it didn't matter to me; all that matters is that they made Jack do this to his own brother.

“I'm so sorry... But don't worry, it'll all get better soon.” I said as I stroked his hair, in an attempt to comfort him. “I'll fix you; I'll fix everything. Our family… I will fix our family.”

I continued to stroke his hair, trying desperately to comfort him as I began to vent my built-up emotions. Suddenly, though, I felt a slight wetness appear on my hand. Looking up, I was shocked to see that, despite the rest of his face looking emotionless, a steady stream of tears were beginning to flow from Thomas’s eyes.

I quickly went in for another hug, trying again to give him any sort of security.

“Don’t cry; please don’t cry, you're ok, everything is gonna be ok.” I tried desperately to comfort him, though I could feel myself tear up as well, knowing my boy was still in there somewhere. “It’ll be ok; I’ve found a way to fix us—to fix everything. Your father, your brothers, your sisters—I'll make us a family again. And I’ll stop at nothing to do this-”

I clenched my hands harder as I felt a burning determination alight inside of me.

“-Even if I need to burn the whole world to the ground.”

 

---

Dr. Bright #1 (Human) POV

 

“Hey Plaguesberry, do you ever get the feeling that you're ever missing some big event that’s, like, super important to your character?” I asked the out-of-fashion bird doctor, who gave me a confused side eye in response. 

“… What do you-”

“Ya, me neither.” I cut him off, noting with no small amount of delight that an annoyed expression crossed his face.

“… Then why did you ask?”

“Oh, no reason.” I answer with a smile, causing the good doctor to sigh, taking a couple of seconds to recompose himself. 

‘Haha score! Plaguerizer zero, Dr. Bright, five hundred and thirty six!’ I celebrated internally, keeping track of the number of times that I’ve made plaugey annoyed.

“Why must you constantly insist on being a persistent nuisance to my sanity.” He declared, not really stating it as a question, as he sat down behind the desk, rubbing his eyes in clear frustration.

“Hey, don’t blame me. Blame how fucking fun it is.” I laughed as I turned away from the bird man towards the muscular loan shark that stood next to me. “Isn’t that right, Bright number 2!?”

"Oh, you know it is Bright Number 1!” The shark responded, giving me finger guns.

“Fuck ya, two against one Plaugebobo; we’re in the majority!” I pointed towards him, as I leaned against my shark OC counterpart.

“I hate you so much, Bright.” The doctor grunted out, unable to comprehend the pure awesomeness of Bright Squared.

“Hey, join the club; the line starts about seven miles back.” I joked, causing my shark duplicate to laugh.

“Hey, good one, Bright!” The shark said.

"Thanks, Bright, up top!”

Clap!

We gave each other a high-five, much to the dismay of the overly edgie doctor that occupied the room.

“Oh god, there’s two of them now... This truly is Hell.” The doctor said, banging his head against the desk.

I gave a short laugh, still getting used to the feeling of not having the heavy golden necklace around my neck, giving me a newfound sense of freedom.

‘Speaking of that blasted thing.’ I thought, my eyes spying towards the large humanoid shark in the room. The shark was wearing a fedora and a black suit, along with a very ornate necklace that adorned his neck.

I chuckled in the back of my mind, not remembering the last time this happened. Usually, whenever that necklace has been attached to a host for over a month, my consciousness completely takes over the body. 

It usually never comes to that; however, as before the monthly time limit is up, my current body is usually executed before the amulet is passed onto another D-class, which I then take over. Right before the event with the book, I was nearly up on my time limit.

‘Ironically enough, it probably would’ve been Gears that shot the bullet.’ I chuckled, remembering that the opportunity to kill me is actually a privilege that a lot of high-ranking foundation officials strive for. 

I mean, for fuck sake, some employees have had the choice of getting a promotion or getting the privilege of shooting me in the face… Most of them chose the promotion, but my point still stands!

… What was my point again?

Whatever, the point is that the month-long time limit was up, meaning that my current body could now operate autonomously without the amulet. This allowed me to pass it on to a local of Hell, that being one of the only remaining shark people in this hideout, allowing me to blend in easier on my quest to pass the amulet to Nergal.

‘Speaking of Nergal.’ I thought before looking back at the doctor, who seemed to be in the process of questioning his life choices.

“Hey Doc, I think it’s time that you and Sharkeoso over here go and give Nergal the worst Monday of his fucking life!” I declared, as I saw shark Bright raise his hand... Fin?… Raise his hand-fin into the air in agreement. For Plaugey's part, he merely gave a heavy sigh as he rose from the desk.

“Alright, now that we’re done with this one-man comedy act, we can go out and complete our initial objective. From there, surviving in Hell should become a much simpler objective.” He exclaimed, already walking out of the office that we had occupied ourselves in. “I’ll be waiting for you outside. And for all that is holy, please don’t take long.”

“You got it!”/ “Yessiree Plaguey, sir!” Me and my shark duplicate said in unison, causing the doctor to once again roll his eyes in annoyance as he took his leave.

“Haha, Plaugabella zero, Bright five hundred and seven!” I celebrated before raising my hand for my much taller shark counterpart. “Uptop Shark Bright!”

Clap!

He returned the high five before making his way out of the room, as I sighed in absolute bliss.

“Ahh, man, it feels good to break the rules without any repercussions!” I celebrated before taking a seat behind the desk again, willing to sit this one out. Besides, I had some other things I needed to think about. Those things mostly concern my arrival in Hell, and the specific individual that started it all.

“Mom… Why?” That’s the only thing I could think of at the moment—constantly questioning why she did it. Why’d she send us to hell? Why is the doctor here? And most importantly, what is her ultimate objective in all of this?

… However, for the first time in years, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer to that question.

“Ignorance is bliss and all that... Ugh, why is life so fucking complicated?”

 

---

Plague Doctor POV

“Hey, ‘Fin’ to meet you! Eh, eh, how does that sound? Perfect greeting for an overlord, right?!” The… Shark version of the most idiotic man on the planet said excitedly, jumping up and down with excitement as we left the compound we found ourselves in, exploring the streets of the so-called pentagram city for the first time. “OH WAIT, I'VE GOT A BETTER ONE! ‘Hey Nergal, you ready to swim with the sharks!’ Eh, that was a good one, right!?”

‘… Dear god, why, out of all the people in the world to give this fantastical ability too, did you have to give it to a fucking idiot?’ I silently asked, knowing I wasn’t going to get a response. I looked around, noting the strange glances we were getting from the multitude of colorful demons that decorated the streets. So colorful that they even made my own appearance seem a bit dull in comparison. Not that I minded that, however, as it made it easier for us to blend in.

“WAIT A FUCKING HOPSCOTCH OF A MINUTE! What about ‘hey Nergal, your fucking jawsome!' How does that sound!!!” Shark Bright exclaimed excitedly, only resulting in more of the city's residents giving us weird looks.

‘… Y’know, easier to blend in if somebody shut their oversized mouth.’ I internally groaned, still debating whether or not I should just kill Bright and leave, taking a chance on my lonesome to find a way back to the world of the living.

Speaking of which, I gave the new Bright a once-over, silently observing his new fishy appearance.

The creature Bright took over appeared to be a member of the Lamnidae family, or more precisely, he seemed to most closely resemble the modern-day great white shark. Not only that, but his specimen seemed to be wearing an ordinary black tuxedo and dress pants, with a fedora on his head. I was intensely curious about how this humanoid shark's body worked, but I was willing to push that curiosity aside for now. Unlike someone, I know how to have some self-control.

“Oh, I know. What if I serenade him!?” Bright excitedly proposed, jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store. A childish display that was made even worse by how intimidating his current host looks despite his attitude, making for a peculiar sight. “When doing research, I learned that singing is actually relatively common down here! So I’m sure he would love it.”

“… I’m going to regret this, but I feel obligated to ask.” I started, stopping myself as I leaned against a bench, the stench of a random dead body on it stinking up the area. “What in God's name would you even sing to this demon?”

“Hehe, simple, my dear Plaguebaberrabooboba, I shall sing the only appropriate song. The song that puts fear in the wicked, the song that demonstrates Hell at its finest, and the song that embodies my current form!”

“… And that would be?” I cautiously asked, noting that a wide smirk appeared on Bright's face, his pointy teeth making the sight even more disturbing. 

“I’ll give you a demonstration.” He said menacingly before backing up into the streets. As I was about to tell him to stop, I suddenly heard strange, disembodied music begin playing around me. 

Before I had a chance to wonder about that, however, I heard Bright suddenly begin to sing a simple tune. Before widening his mouth, he was ready to sing.

“Ohhhhhhhh, Baby Shark, doo-doo-”

CRASH!

The faceless music immediately stopped as I tore off the bench from the floor and threw it straight at the shark's face, resulting in a heavy crash as he went flying backwards. 

“I… I fucking can’t anymore.” I swore as I began to walk past the bleeding shark, heading towards Nergal's location. 

“Fair… Fair. But hey, I finally got you to swear.” Bright shakily said, still recovering from the well-deserved blow I gave him. “Fine though, you want serious, Bright. I’ll take this seriously from now on.”

I rolled my eyes, not believing that lie for a single second. Still, I may as well take this chance to clarify some details with the man.

“Alright then, in that case, can you refresh me on what you learned about this Nergal?” I wondered; I remembered the basics, but I wanted to make sure I knew everything I could about our enemy before we entered their turf.

“Right, well, as I’ve already told you, Nergal is one of the overlords that rule over this city. As far as power is concerned, he’s around the middle of the hierarchy. He’s not weak by any means, but he’s not one of the big heavyhitters either. Which makes him perfect for us, since we won’t have to worry as much about the power struggles that the larger overlord deal with, those being the likes of Carmilla, the V’s, or the Von Eldritch family.” Bright explained as we crossed the streets, avoiding the mass riots that littered different areas of the streets. “Compared to them, while Nergal's territory is smaller in comparison, it’s much more established, making it pretty good for our purposes.”

I nodded at his explanation, noting that we were getting close to the presumed main headquarters of the Overlord in question.

‘Speaking of which.’ I looked ahead, noticing a large tower in the distance. Strangely, this building almost looked like a massive candle, as it even had a larger blue flame burning atop its flat roof.

I heard Bright whistle next to me as he stared up towards the building. It wasn’t necessarily large, being only about 15 stories tall at most. The building was completely circular as it rose up to the sky, with most of the walls on the building appearing to be entirely made of glass, only ending at the top floor, giving it a very high-end feeling despite being surrounded by the rundown and destroyed buildings that littered the nearby areas.

“And there it is, the crowning jewel of Nergal.” Bright started looking at the building like it was his. “Nergal is what some have called the restaurant demon; his domain encompasses the food industry in Hell, or more specifically, restaurants. Hell, almost every fine dining establishment in the whole city is under this guy’s thumb in some capacity.”

“Hm, that is interesting.” I said, noting the obvious wealth and political power this person must have to own a building like this. “I never would’ve considered the food industry to be an area of power that’s monopolized in such a manner. I mean, what kind of monsters would attempt to monopolize the food industry?”

“… Ya… I wonder.” Bright said, chuckling all of a sudden, as if I just unknowingly told a joke. As quickly as it came, however, he coughed away any remaining laughter before looking ahead towards the building.

“Anyways, our goals here are pretty simple.” Bright started before lifting his scaled fingers into the air and counting off our apparent objectives. “Step one, we get into the building. Step two, we locate Nergal. Step three, we stop for a quick lunch since I’ve been craving venison. Step four, we get Nergal to touch my amulet. And finally, step five, profit!”

“… You make it sound so simple.” I said exasperated, still unable to see where Bright gets all his confidence from. The only answer he gave to my worry was a simple shrug, a confident smile still on his face.

“Hey, when you’re as charming as me, everything’s simple.” He said just as we finally arrived at the front door to the candle-shaped building. In front of the double glass door stood a duo of buff, navy-skinned lamb-like demons, each with what appeared to be a candle on their heads, burning a bright blue flame. They seemed to be bodyguards that stood in front of a large line of demons, all of them waiting to enter the apparent up-scale restaurant. 

“Let me handle this.” Shark Bright declared confidently before strutting up towards the entrance. I crossed my arm, anticipating an entertaining show. 

I watched as Bright proceeded to walk straight to the two guards, bypassing the entire line of demons that seemed to span at least a block or two. Many of them cried out in dissatisfaction at the action, swearing at the shark. Bright didn’t pay them any mind, though, as he finally reached the front.

“Well, good evening... gentlegoats!” He greeted, giving a slight bow to the buff goat guards, who both seemed to look at him with disgust almost immediately. 

‘Oh, this is going to be fun to watch.’ I silently chuckled, leaning against the nearby lamppost as I prepared to watch this whole fiasco play out.

“Who the fuck are you?” The first of the goat creatures asked, arms crossed as he looked towards Bright. “I don’t recall us having any current business with loan sharks.”

“Well, then allow me to introduce myself. Names Sharkie, Sharkie the loan shark!” Bright declared proudly before extending his hand outward, expecting the goats to take it. Obviously, they just continued to look at Bright with barely hidden disgust.

“Well… Sharkie.” The first guard said, rolling his eyes, clearly not believing the poorly thought-through disguise. “If you want to get in, you’ll have to make a reservation and wait in line, just like everybody else.”

“Well, that’s the interesting part. Lord Nergal himself, bless his merciful heart, asked to see me directly for a private meeting.” Bright played out, acting like he was some sort of hotshot. The guards, for their part, only seemed to grow even more annoyed at Bright's constant bullshit, which is something I could relate to. “So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll just squeeze right through here-”

“Ya, not gonna happen.” The first goat grabbed his shoulder, stopping Bright from walking past them into the building. “If you think we’re so dumb to believe you, then you’re clearly new here. We would’ve been informed if Nergal was seeing anyone special, and I don’t remember him saying a single fucking thing about a man named ‘Sharkie,’ so how about you scoot along before you learn what it feels like to burn to death.”

A small eruption of cheers exploded from the line, obviously angry at Bright for stopping the waiting customers who just wanted to enter the high-class establishment.

Looking at Bright, I noticed that, weirdly enough, he didn’t look nervous. As a matter of fact, he had a smile on his face, almost like he had expected all of this.

“Well, that sucks.” Bright started, scratching the back of his head before looking towards the goat figure. “But, if you would be so kind, would you mind delivering something to Nergal?”

“… Depends, what the fuck do you want to give him?” The candle-headed creature asked, almost ready to physically move Bright away from the line.

"Oh, it’s nothing much, just a piece of jewelry that he asked for.” I saw Bright smirk as I widened my eyes in shock as he moved his hands up around his neck, slowly removing his ornate golden necklace. “Said it’s some magic voodoo shit.”

The two goats gawked at the very expensive-looking piece of jewelry before I saw the first one look towards his partner, who shared a similar smile, before nodding to each other.

“Hehe, sure, we’ll deliver it to him for you.” The first goat lied, obviously intended as to keep the expensive looking item all for himself. “Just give it to us, and we’ll make sure to hand it over as soon as possible.”

“Oh, you will?” Bright acted out, acting like they were doing him a huge favor. However, anybody with a functioning pair of ears could tell that he was lying, as he dramatically presented the necklace to the bouncer. “That will save me soooooo much trouble! Thank you so much!” 

“No problem… Eh, sucker.” The goat said, whispering the last part under his breath as he reached out to touch the necklace. “I’ll make sure your little-”

Touch.

Blam!

‘I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this.’ I thought, seeing as the goat took the amulet from Bright's hand, his shark body fell to the floor completely lifelessly, as if it were a puppet with its strings cut.

“Wh-what the fuck?!” The second candle goat demon thing said, shocked by the unexpected fall of the shark demon. “What happened!?”

“Oh my god, it looks like he died, what a travesty!” The first goat demon began speaking awkwardly as he held Bright's medallion in his hand. 

“It looks like we need a doctor! Is anybody a- Huh, dramatic gasp!” The bodyguard said out loud, his personality from before seeming to take a complete 180, as he dramatically pointed in my direction. “Oh my god—I mean, oh my Lucifer! It’s a conveniently placed, out-of-style plague doctor who just so happened to be watching the whole situation. Surely he can help this poor shark man!”

‘… Oh, for heaven's sake, Bright. This is your bright idea?’ I silently chastised my colleague, who seemed to use the power of his amulet to take over one of the demon goats that was guarding the building. I gave him another look, sighing as I noted that he was now giving me a wide smile and giving me a double thumbs up.

“Fucking- Fine.” I silently said, before walking ahead of the now-silent crowd up to the now Brightified security guard. I looked down, before releasing one more sigh as I began speaking as enthusiastically as possible, which wasn't a lot. “Don’t worry, people; I’ll check on him.”

I reached down with my two fingers to check for a pulse. Unsurprisingly, there was nothing.

“… Yep, he’s dead.” I said simply as I saw Bright give me another thumbs up before walking in front of the crowd.

“There you have it, folks; we’re closed for the night! So go home!” Bright declared… Which immediately caused an uproar in the crowd, who presumably had been waiting here for hours.

“W-Wait, you can’t do that, Brando!” The second goat demon said, placing a hand on Bright's shoulder. “We need to, um, check in with Nergal first, aren’t we-”

-Bright lightly taps the demon's head with his amulet before pulling it back, shutting it up, and causing the goat to fall to the floor lifelessly.

“Oh Go- I mean Sata- I mean Oh my Lucifer, it’s contagious! It’s like Covid all over again, which I’m sure a lot of you are down here because of! Everyone runs for your life!” Bright screamed before ramming his head first into the glass doors, barging his way in.

“…”

“…”

“…”

A few seconds of silence passed as the demons in line suddenly turned towards me. As if waiting for some sort of confirmation.

“Um… Ya, what he said.” I shrugged.

“… OH LUCIFER I DON'T WANNA DIE!”

“SAVE ME!”

“OUT OF THE WAY!”

The crowd then immediately descended into chaos, as everyone desperately tried to run for their lives away from the entrance.

“… Urgh, is everyone down here an imbecile?” I silently wondered as I walked into the building, following in Bright's footsteps.

And by footsteps, I mean bodies, as I counted several more dead goat like demons with their heads lying on the floor. They all appeared to be dead.

‘… Y’know, I never really thought about it until now, but Bright's power is pretty horrific.’ I thought while walking past the trail of death, following in the footsteps of a madman. ‘I mean, a single touch of his amulet removes any and all brain function from the target, regardless of whether they even keep the item. It’s basically what I can do, but with the added bonus of being able to control people.’

I continued thinking these thoughts, silently glad that despite having all this power, Bright never went too far with them.

“RAAAWR!” A goat demon suddenly jumped around the corner right in front of me, screaming as he held his tongue out of his mouth.

“… Do you enjoy looking like an idiot, or does it just come naturally?” I asked the goat, seeing that it had Bright's signature necklace around their neck.

“Hehe, a little of both.” He answered after straightening himself up. We then began walking side by side through the building. Whenever a security guard tried to stop us, I either killed them with a touch or Bright lightly tapped them with his amulet. This made our journey a rather peaceful one as we wandered through the halls.

“Bright, weren’t we supposed to get in without causing a scene?” I emphasized, annoyed by the actions of my acquaintance. “And as I’m sure you have realized, this is far from being discrete.”

As I talked, I dodged a punch from one of the random goat demons, lightly tapping their arm in response, causing them to fall dead to the floor.

“Pfft, come on, paugeyboo, what's discrete if not just a fancy word for something going wrong? I mean, you are trying to break into a place with me of all people; did you really expect this to be stealthy, like, at all?” 

“… I hate the fact that what you just said makes sense.” I sighed, not having the mental capacity to argue with the living embodiment of chaos.

“There they are! Get them!” I looked ahead, seeing five more of the goat demons running straight towards us, clubs in their hands.

“Besides, what’s the worst we have to worry about, these chumps?” Bright joked as I pointed his thumb towards the charging demons. 

“I mean, what are they gonna do?” Bright said as he removed the necklace from around his neck before looking towards the buffets of the goat demons. 

“I mean, seriously. Hey, hold this.” Bright threw his necklace forward towards the aforementioned demon, who went to catch it.

“Huh, wha—as I was saying, what are they gonna do?” The now-new Bright chuckled before grabbing his former body and throwing straight at a second demon, causing them to fall to the floor under the weight.

I rolled my eyes as I effortlessly dodged incoming attacks from the remaining three demons, quickly ending them all with a single touch.

“Hmm, wait, we should probably do something about that.” Bright suddenly said before leaning down to one of the corpses, taking off a pair of what appeared to be metal gauntlets. I wasn’t entirely sure why a security guard would have something like that, but I have decided to stop questioning these things. “You should probably wear these. Don’t want you accidentally killing Nergal or anything.”

I rolled my eyes, as if I were that careless, and I almost wanted to reject his idea for me to use such barbaric weaponry.

‘However, I know that if I reject, then he’s just gonna annoy me until I put them on... I don’t want to deal with that; I already have a headache as is.’

“… Fine, I’ll keep these for now.” I answered, noticing a glow appear in the goat demon's eyes as I grabbed the gauntlets. “However, don’t get used to me using such weaponry. I’m only using them now since the death of the overlord would be quite a hindrance for us."

“Hehe, fine, whatever you say, plaguiebear!” Bright joked, before skipping down the hallway. “Besides, at least you finally have some clothes on now! Considering you're naked and all that.”

“… Just because this robe is technically my skin doesn’t mean that I’m na-”

“Plaguey is a nudist; plaguey is a nudist!” Bright sang down the halls, never slowing his jovial skips as he went up a flight of stairs, leaving my field of view.

“… Don’t commit murder; don’t commit murder.” I was forced to tell myself, rubbing my temples in support as I followed the trail of the frolicking idiot, resisting the urge to kill either him or myself.

 

---

Nergal POV

“Boss… We have a situation.” One of my Baphomet security guards spoke up, the candle atop their head flickering, revealing obvious nervousness. 

“Can it wait? I’m in the middle of something.” I replied, taking a bite out of my steak. I was currently on the top floor of my tower, which I decorated to be a high-class restaurant. Calming music played over the entire establishment, originating from a booth nearby, a collection of well-dressed demons respectfully dancing to the tune.

This was my seat of power in hell, representing my authority and power. It is currently filled with many powerful demons, all of whom fight for a chance to dine here. Hell, it’s so popular that we occasionally have members of the Ars Goetia come for a chance to dine at my fine establishment. 

"Well, boss, we... um, have some intruders.” He said, causing me to raise my eyebrows in confusion.

“Intruders?” I asked, watching as the demon nodded his head nervously, causing me to sigh. “And I’m assuming, since you’ve come to me, that you’ve failed to stop them?”

“Y-yes.” 

“Urgh, what do I pay you people for?” I asked rhetorically, placing my eating utensils down. “Alright then, who are they? Has another overlord finally worked up the nerve to challenge me? Or have the loan sharks come to attempt to steal back all the money I took from them?”

“Well, we’re not entirely sure.” The Baphomet added, rubbing the back of his head nervously before taking out a phone. “They don’t appear to be anyone we recognize. But their power is nothing to scoff at. So far, they have killed every guard that tried to apprehend them. What’s worse is that they seem to do so while barely touching us.”

I grabbed the held-out phone, noticing it playing security footage on the second floor. I watched as a handful of my Baphomet guards went to attack a duo of people, one of whom looked like one of the plague doctor’s from the sloth ring, while the other seemed to be one of my own Baphomet guards.

I watched, intrigued, as I saw every guard seem to fall to the floor dead with nothing but a touch from the plague doctor. That was an interesting ability, and something I should look into. 

But what really caught my attention was the second individual, my own guard. He seemed to effortlessly dodge a jab from one of my guards before tossing his necklace over to them.

My eyes opened in shock as the original intruder slumped to the floor, looking dead. Meanwhile, the guard that grabbed the necklace seemed to stop before punching straight at his former ally, using his demonic strength to send them hurtling towards the wall. 

A collection of around twenty specially trained Baphomet were killed in a mere handful of seconds, with the two responsible for it continuing to walk by as if it were effortless.

‘That necklace… It can’t be... hmm’ I hummed internally, thinking over what I just saw, before handing the device back to the Baphomet.

“Alright, call back any and all security and have them meet here; don’t attempt to put up any more resistance.” I stated, causing the guards eyes to widen in shock.

“Wha? B-but, why boss?”

“Urgh, do I have to spell it out for you? It’s clear that no matter how many of you fuckers I send, it won’t slow them down. At that point, I’d just be killing my men if you kept trying to apprehend them, which would be a waste.” I answered, crossing my legs as I began to think thoughtfully. “Also, evacuate every guest on this floor. Tell them they will all be re-encumbered for the inconvenience at a later date.”

“Mh, all right, you're the boss. Anything else?”

“No, that will be... Actually, yes, tell the cooks to prepare two more meals and set up a table in the center of the room.” I answered, pointing to the empty space that existed in my fine establishment. “These people obviously went through much trouble to make it here. May as well give them the chance to explain themselves.”

“Y-yes boss!” The baphomet answered, obviously too scared to question my decision, before unfurling his wings and flying off to spread my order.

“Hehe, this will be entertaining, if anything.” I silently joked, standing from my seat as I walked through the restaurant, noting the annoyed expression on many of the guests' faces as they were told to leave. 

I didn’t care, though, as I was totally occupied with thinking about what I had just witnessed. Or, more specifically, that necklace.

“Hmm, yes… Yes, it has to be it. But how… Doesn’t matter.” I told myself before sitting down at the newly placed table in the center of the room, crossing my legs. “I’ll just have to ask them once they’ve arrived.”

Notes:

Plague Doctor: must you always test my patience?
Bright: … Yes.

Well, it’s finally time to begin Brights siege of the overlord. I am just gonna say it now, this is gonna be a mini arc that’s gonna last 3 chapters. I am also gonna say that these chapters are gonna be a bit shorter than usual, since a lot of stuff has been going on recently that has taken time away from me to make this story. Besides that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. My only real question I have now is, do you like the banter between Bright and the plague doctor? I know this chapter is a lot of walking and talking, so I hope I made it entertaining enough to retain your interest. Anyways, if you have any suggestions, questions, or jokes leave them in the comments, drop a kudos if you enjoyed, and I hope you all have an amazing day!

Chapter 15: The siege of Nergal (Part 2): Never cheat death.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Bright and the plague doctor meet with Nergal, as some interesting truths get revealed.

(Important message at the end of the chapter!)

Notes:

“How would you run from death?”

Plague Doctor POV

 

“Bright, have you—”

“Sorry, I can’t hear you.”

“Wha… Bright, can you cease this ridiculous joke of yours? This is serious—”

“Sorry, goat Bright can only hear clothed people. I can’t hear anyone who’s walking around nude!”

“Bright for god's sake, can’t you-”

“LALALA, I can’t hear you-”

"BRIGHT, I SWEAR ON ALL THAT IS HOLY; WOULD YOU CEASE THIS COMEDY ACT!” I screamed out in anguish, unable to deal with the fools' constant blabbering.

“Yes! Bright five hundred and nine! Plague doctor zero!” Dr. Bright's current host celebrated, much to my continued annoyance as he raised his fist up into the air in victory. “Anyways, what did you want to talk about? Is it an explanation for your lack of clothes?”

“I’m wearing—oh, forget it.” I gave up, realizing that it would be an impossibility to convince Bright that, despite the fact that my cloak was technically skin, it still substituted just fine for regular clothes. “No, I want to talk about how we’ve ceased to run into any resistance since entering this third floor.”

Bright seemed to freeze at my comment as he began to look around, processing the new information I just confided in him with.

Ever since we first entered this building, we have been assaulted by nonstop attacks by the goat-looking demons. They weren’t difficult to deal with, of course, but the point is that they tried to make an effort to stop our advances.

That ceased to happen as soon as we entered the third floor, as we didn't encounter a single other soul, as it almost seemed to be abandoned. I highly doubt that we have already killed all of them, especially because of the obvious scale of this establishment. Places like this would have many more guards, yet none have come.

It was apparent that Bright came to a similar realization as he began to scratch the back of his head in confusion. “Maybe they saw how strong we were and decided to dip? I mean, if I saw a nudist like you walk into where I work, I’d probably bolt in the opposite direction too.”

“… Must you continue making that horrendous joke?” I asked in dismay, unable to comprehend how this man seems incapable of taking anything seriously.

“Hey, it’s either that or the colonoscopy one. The choice is yours.” Bright teased, before walking ahead of me.

‘… This man is making it extremely difficult to uphold my Hippocratic oath.’ I silently thought before speeding up to keep pace with the giggling idiot.

“We can discuss your… sense of humor after we’re done. But I am being serious, Bright. If reinforcements have ceased, that means someone must have commanded them to stop.” I started, attempting to get my point through Bright's thick skull. “And we both know that there’s only one person who could give such a command.”

“Hmm, ya. Nergal right?” Bright confirmed with me, resulting in me nodding my head. This, however, only caused the doctor to once again break out in a fit of laughter. “Hehe, so what? He knows we’re coming, big whoop. It isn’t gonna change our plan with him.”

“… Bright, it would be idiotic for us to go in without a plan.” I groaned, still perplexed as to how this man even existed. “We are still dealing with an overlord. It would be foolish for us to attack an enemy who knows we’re coming. As a matter of fact, this is why I wanted us to get in unseen in the first-”

“Blah Blah Blah, all I’m hearing is a bunch of words from a man who can’t put on pa-”

“Bright, I swear to god.”

“Urgh, fine I’ll stop being fucking hilarious.” Bright groaned, as if I had ruined all of his fun. “But listen, what does it matter if we make a plan? We already have a plan, and it’s to get him to touch my necklace. Boom, plan complete!”

“Even if that’s so, it will not be that simple.” I tried to convince the idiot as I went up another flight of stairs, as I began worrying the closer we got to our inevitable clash. “Somebody doesn’t get the title of Overlord in Hell by being an idiot. They won’t fall for your idiocracy like normal demons do.”

Bright seemed to contemplate for a second before sighing heavily as he looked me in the eyes, unnaturally serious.

“Look plaugeriffic, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from my time at the foundation, it’s that overthinking things like this will only make the situation worse.” Bright explained we took a corner, his head held high in contemplation. “I’ve learned that going with the flow is always better. Because no matter how much you try to control your fate, there will always be things you can’t control. So why try to change it by overthinking things? You might as well have some fun with it!”

Bright explained all of this as if he were some sort of great philosopher, acting as if he were sharing his wisdom with the common folk. As for my reaction to it...

“… That is absolutely abysmal advice.” I said exasperated, resulting in a shrug from the idiot who suggested it. 

“Hey, I was just being vulnerable; it’s up to you if you want to agree with it or not.” Bright commented before his strange goat mouth opened up into a wide smile. “Besides, it doesn't really matter anymore. It looks like we’re here.”

I froze before staring ahead. True to his word, past the well-decorated hallways stood a large ornate door, dark blue in color but encrusted with gems of various types. The doorway itself was surrounded by tables that held up blue flickering candles of varying shapes and sizes.

In front of the door also stood another pair of the strange goat guards from before. I took a back foot, ready to lunge at them and end their lives before they got a chance to retaliate.

“You have arrived.” One of the goats spoke calmly, resulting in me stopping myself as I realized that they didn’t look like they were preparing for a fight. “Nergal has been expecting your arrival.”

“… Is that so?” I asked suspiciously, gazing around my surroundings for any sort of potential ambush. Spotting nothing, however, I turned back towards the demons. 

“Yes, it is.” It answered before nodding at its fellow demon. I watched as they turned, slowly opening the door for us, as if we were some sort of esteemed guests. “He is waiting for you inside... I would recommend that you don’t keep him waiting. Nergal can get impatient when-”

“Blah blah, intimidating gesture and wording. Jeez, do you think we’re like five or something?” Bright cut the demon off, absolutely ruining any tension that had existed prior as the goat stumbled his word in surprise. “I mean, I guess we know this Nergal guy is a Virgin now, right?”

“…”

“…”

“Right-”

“Let’s just go.” I commanded Bright, walking past him and the bamboozled demons through the doors into what appeared to be a large ballroom of some kind.

It was lavishly decorated; large chandeliers hung from the ceiling that reflected a dark blue light, giving the entire room a chilling hue. An area that looked like a DJ booth took up a large portion of the left wall, seemingly the source of the calming music that resonated in the room.

Multiple booths also hugged the side of the wall, showing that this must usually be packed with guests.

At the current moment, however, besides the multitude of other goat guards that seemed to take up posts around the vicinity, there was only one person sitting down. They sat at a table in the direct center of the room, their direct vicinity being lit up by his blue, fiery body. He seemed to be cutting into what appeared to be a piece of steak, not even acknowledging our existence as he shoved the meat into his deer-like skull’s mouth, somehow it not being burned by the flames that resonated off his body.

At first glance, I immediately recognized this individual. I mean, how could I not? I checked my belt, making sure the pair of metal gauntlets that Bright gave me before were still there. I had to be prepared. After all.

‘They are our target.’

“Ah, it seems you have finally arrived.” The overlord spoke in a smooth, baritone voice. Finally acknowledging our existence. “Please take a seat. We wouldn't want your food to get cold, now would we?”

Staring at the table, I finally realized that on the opposite side of Nergal were two extra chairs, each of them placed in front of a fancy-looking steak dinner.

“I hope you enjoy it. Our cooks took... Special care in making it just for you,” the living flame chuckled. And I immediately grew suspicious of the so-called “special” meal.

“What do you take us for?” I asked, watching as he raised an eyebrow. “Do you really think we'd be idiotic enough to eat-”

“Oh boy, free food!” I was suddenly cut off from an over-excited Bright, who jumped to one of the open seats and began to devour his steak as if he hadn't eaten food for years.

“… Let me correct myself. Do you think I’M idiotic enough to eat food that you could so easily have poisoned?” I said, not even surprised by Bright's antics at this point.

“Wha- Poison?” Bright suddenly asked, his mouth still full as he had already finished half his steak. I looked at him for a solid five seconds before he shrugged and went back to eating. “Whatever, food is food!”

“Hmhmhm, you really must learn from your friend here.” Neegal chuckled, leaning in the back of his right hand, which was supported by his elbow on the table. “Be more accepting of my gifts. I mean, I don't think you could've made it all the way up here by your lonesome if poison is enough to do you in.”

“Oh, he got you there, Plagueabooboo!” Bright suddenly added, taking our ENEMY's side in the conversation. “I mean, you're not scared of a little tummy ache, are you?”

“Ah, so that’s your name.” Nergal suddenly added, lowering his napkin as he finished his own meal. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Plagueabooboo.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!” Bright suddenly broke out into hysterical laughter, chunks of meat flying out of his mouth as he fell to the floor laughing. “Oh- Oh fuck I- HAHAHAHAHA. FUCK YES!”

“It’s not even that funny!” I interrupted, hating the fact that Bright was making me lose my cool in front of a literal overlord of hell.

“HAHAHA… hehehe, whoo. You know what? You're right, it’s not funny.” Bright answered seriously, taking a complete shift in his personality before staring at me. “It’s… ABSOLUTELY FUCKING HILARIOUS! HAHAHAHAHA.”

I groaned in complete annoyance, not in the mood to deal with Bright. Looking around, I saw that even some of the goat demons broke their usual serious facade to look around in confusion, unsure of what to make of the situation.

“Hm, well, at least you have a pleasant sense of humor!” Nergal suddenly intervened, seemingly not at all concerned with Bright's bombastic personality. “That is something which is sorely lacking down here.”

“Hmm, if that is the case, then perhaps this place isn’t all that terrible after all.” I replied dejectedly, finally taking my seat across from the figure, whose mere presence screamed for power and respect. “Also, I am not called... Plgueabooboo-”

“-HAHAHAHAHA-”

“- You can refer to me as the plague doctor. That is what many people have begun to call me  nowadays.”

“Hmm, the plague doctor?” He asked, to which I nodded too. “A bit on the nose, don’t you think? Considering your whole attire, that is.”

“On the nose, but straight to the point.” I replied to his inquiry, eyeing him suspiciously. “I’m one for getting to the point as quickly as possible, after all.”

“… Ahh, I see.” His flamey body flared up a bit, confirming that he noticed the subtle message I left in my previous statement. “If that’s the case, then why don’t you get your friend there off the floor. After that, we can truly start talking business.”

I looked down to my side, noticing that Bright was still rolling on the floor in a fit of obnoxious laughter.

“… I’ll be honest, I don’t think it’s actually possible to get this man to listen to reason or comply with simple instructions for more than five seconds.” I sighed, taking suspicion at just how casually our apparent enemy was taking this whole situation. He didn’t even seem overly annoyed by Bright's antics, which is a feat that many can only strive for.

“Hmm, how about this then?” Nergal suddenly began after a short bout of contemplation. “If he takes a seat right at this moment, then I will give him a… Oh, I don’t know, how does a lollipop from Hell's finest chefs sound?”

I nearly facepalmed at the strange suggestion. Did he really think that would be enough to-

“Alright, let’s discuss business and get that lollipop!”

‘WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCKING SHIT!’ I internally swore, seeing that in a fraction of a second, Bright went from a bumbling buffoon on the floor to an upright gentleman sitting on his chair. There was a fucking napkin on his lap and everything!

“Hmhm, now that we’re all here, let’s begin.” The overlord chuckled as he eyed us both with a predatorial gaze. “I suppose I should start by asking, Who are you two? And why have you so unceremoniously broken into the heart of my territory?”

I squinted my eyes, trying to read what was going through this strange creature's head. I was expecting a much more visceral reaction to our intrusion, but no. He felt calm, collected, and as if he were the one in control.

‘These are the kinds of enemies that are the most troublesome to deal with.’

“Well, as I stated earlier, you can refer to me as the plague doctor. As for my… colleague, he goes by the name of-”

“Bright, Dr. Bright, to be more specific!” Bright intervened jovially, his current goat form making it an extremely interesting sight. “As for what we’re here for, We’re here to serenade-”

“No.”

“We’re here to dance for-”

“Absolutely not.”

“We’re here to arouse you-”

“Bright for god’s sake!”

“We’re here to give you a gift-”

"Bright, can’t you take this seriously for— Actually, that last one was correct.” I interrupted myself, realizing that the last thing Bright said followed the plan we had set out with before. At this point, it was unlikely the blue-flaming demon would believe us, but it was at least worth a shot. “Yes, we are here to give you a… special gift.”

“Really? Honestly, I was starting to believe you two were auditioning to become my jesters.” The demon said, causing a twinge of annoyance to curl up inside of me as the mere idea of being called a jester felt insulting. “But if that’s truly the case, that means you decided to break into my home, kill my guards, just to give me a gift.”

I felt my muscles tense, noticing the clear disbelief that was present in the demon's voice. Perhaps we should bail on this idea before-

“You got that right, Nergal, sir! And what a splendid gift it is!” Bright, being the idiot that he is, decided to confirm the proposition on my behalf as he reached up around his neck, pulling off his necklace. “We present you with... Drum roll please... This brand new necklace!”

Presented the necklace to Nergal, as if it were some sort of holy grail. Holding it out, he gave his signature stupid smile, as if waiting for Nergal to take it from him.

“Hmm? Interesting… It is a nice necklace.” Nergal said with a modicum of interest, giving me some hope that this poorly thought-out plan may actually work. “However, I’ve been in the business long enough to know nobody ever gives up anything for free down here. So, what do you want?”

“Your virgi-”

“AHEM!” I coughed audibly, cutting off Bright from ruining our entire plans with his inability to shut up. “I believe what my associate was trying to say is that we are new to Hell but have already heard my stories of your exploits. Basically, we want you to welcome us under your umbrella of power. I’m sure you know we're no slouch when it comes to strength either, as our mere appearance here shows that we aren’t easily trifled with.”

I tried my best to bullshit the powerful man that sat across from me. If we can manage to get him to touch the necklace willingly, then that will make things go much simpler as we attempt to siege power from this person.

“Hmhm, well, that sounds as good of a reason as any. It almost makes me want to accept this proposal of yours here and now.” Negal chuckled as he slowly began to move his hand across the table towards Bright's outstretched hand. My eyes opened in apprehension, watching as his hand grew closer to taking the necklace, ready to take it from an equally excited Bright.

“... emphasis on the almost,” he suddenly said, moving his hand away at the last possible moment as he respectfully placed them in front of himself again. It took all my willpower to stop myself from groaning, but it still caught me off guard enough to make me widen my eyes in shock. Bright also seemed to share a similar feeling of shock, as he also stared in confusion. “Y’know, you probably would have fooled me... Considering I was an idiot, that is.”

“... I don’t believe I follow.” I answered nervously, slowly sliding on one of the metal gauntlets that Bright handed to me in the hallway prior. “We are being completely transparent. All we desire is to be welcomed under your umbrella.”

“Hmhmhm, yes, under my umbrella.” He chuckled, staring intently at us as the flames upon his body began to grow stronger. “However, that doesn’t mean you want to work for me. No. More likely, you want to take over my empire... Using that necklace of yours to control me.”

I clenched my fists in anger, trying my best to resist the urge to lunge over the table and kill the confident overlord. Still, I held myself back as I forced a confused tone to appear in my voice. “… What would give you that impression? It seems like quite the jump in logic, no?”

“Yes, maybe. Except, there are two points that support my claim.” Nergal chuckled as he raised up two fingers before reaching to his side and pulling out a phone of some kind. “The first one being that if it weren’t for the fact that I quite literally have a recording of it doing just that.”

He then proceeded to place the device on the table, showing what I presume to be a security camera recording of me and Brights ascending up the tower as we fought off the goat demons… With goat Bright passing the amulet to another demon, causing his old body to fall and the new one to fight alongside me.

‘… Well… Shit.’

“Ahh… And this is why I said we should go in stealthy Plaguerbottompants!” Bright yelled, as if he were the victim in this situation. “Tch Tch, if only you didn’t insist on going in guns blazing. So immature of you-”

"Oh, you are not pinning this on me! You were the one that just ran in without any thought for the consequences!” I screamed, losing my cool for half a second before remembering who I was currently presented in front of. I coughed, desperately attempting to recover. “Umm, I mean... It was... ok, I actually can’t bullshit my way out of this one.”

“No, no you can’t.” Nergal hummed, finding this whole situation incredibly amusing… Which I honestly can’t blame him for, as I would more than likely think the same if the roles were reversed. “Even if you could, however, and even if you did get through my entire establishment without using the amulet once, It still wouldn’t have fooled me.”

“Ah, I see now.” Bright said, suddenly turning very serious as he crossed his arms. “… You're a psychic, aren’t you! The last one scammed me out of twenty dollars! WHERE’S MY MONEY, YOU DAMN PSYCHIC ILLUMINATI!?”

“…”

“…”

“… Alright, congratulations. You have officially stumped me for trying to figure out what in the seven rings of hell you're talking about.”

“Don’t try to get him to explain; you’ll only become more confused.” I said, watching as Bright seemed to pout as he sat back into his seat. Leave it to him to ruin the formerly tense atmosphere that existed. 

“Still, what exactly do you mean?” I asked, trying to stall the overlord for as long as I could so I could think of a plan. With him knowing about the necklaces' effects, getting him to make contact has become significantly more difficult, but not impossible. 

“Hmhm, it is quite a simple answer, really. So I’ll preface it with a couple questions.” He chuckled, eyeing the guards that surrounded us, as if sending some sort of invisible message. “Where do you think we are?”

“OOH OOH, know this one!” Bright suddenly raised his hand high in the air, desperately trying to gain Nergal's attention. “Pick me! Pick me, Steve Harvey!”

“… What the fuck is a Steve ha— Nevermind. Fine, you can answer.”

“AHHA!” Bright screamed before slamming his hand on the table, making a loud banging noise. “I’ll take Hell for three hundred!”

“And that would be correct... You strange, strange man.” Nergal said, actually starting to sound somewhat concerned over Bright's mental capacity. Not that I blame him, as that’s all I’ve been doing since I’ve run into him. “But yes, that is the answer I was looking for. For my second question, how do you think people end up here?”

“From dying, obviously.” I answered before Bright had the chance to interrupt with another joke. I squinted my eyes, looking suspiciously at the demon. “What exactly is the point of these questions?”

“Hmhm, I’m getting there. But yes, that’s correct. Now, for my third question, what do you think happens if a person kills themselves? Would you say that person would end up in Hell?”

“I mean, ya. What, are you trying to fish sympathy out of us by saying you offed yourself?” Bright joked, miming a gun against his head. "Sorry, Mr. Youth of America, but I’ve killed myself more times than anybody else on the planet! So I’m the king of suicide!”

“… Please… Please stop talking.” I groaned out, resisting the urge to jump through the nearest window and falling back to the earth. Because, dear God, that would be many times more pleasant than listening to Bright speak. 

“Really? I find his constant yampiring to be quite entertaining.” Nergale laughed, as I almost couldn’t believe that this demon could stand to be around Bright. “But yes, you are correct in a sense, but I’m not after your sympathy. No, I’m after your understanding. So I’ll move on to my final question.”

I clenched my fists in apprehension, ready to strike as soon as they finished their sentence. I don’t know what he was gonna ask, but I have a feeling that it’s gonna be the spark that ignites a tense confrontation. Peering over at Bright, I noticed that, despite wearing his regular aloof smile, his legs tensed as if ready to move at a moment's notice. Good, nice to say that he still realizes how serious the situation was.

“What if someone killed themselves in a ritual, a ritual that was intended to give them eternal life?”

I looked on, confused. Where was he taking this?

“What if that person—that stupid, idiotic person—messed up that ritual and ended up burning to death?”

I didn’t understand; why was he telling us this?

“What if that person then came to Hell and built an empire, never forgetting his mistakes from that day? Living his entire afterlife in regret.”

Nergal stood up sharply, and I responded in turn by raising out of my own seat.

“What if that person spent the rest of their death thinking about that night? Trying to figure out where they went wrong and how they lost it all.”

Bright slowly stood up as I saw his eyes begin to widen.

“Until one day. Another horrible day in this hellscape they trapped themselves in; they saw something-”

Nergal raised his right hand.

“- They saw the instrument of their demise-”

Bright’s eyes widened, as if coming to a shocking realization.

“- And they saw their item, the key of their ritual that they killed themselves for, being worn as a necklace by a fucking idiot-”

Sling.

Brights hand moved faster than lightning, grabbing the steak knife that lay on the table a moment prior and slung it across the table.

Clutch

Except the knife never reached its destination, as Nergal raised his left hand to apprehend the serrated object as it slowly melted in his hands.

"Hmhmhm, it looks like you finally got it.”

Boom!

Suddenly, the blue flame devils extended right hand exploded in a brilliant, vibrant blue light. The strength of the explosion sent me spiraling backwards, hitting the far wall of the establishment as dust kicked up from around me.

“Argh!” I groaned at the newly discovered pain in my back. Looking down, I saw parts of my cloak had become singed by the flame, but not enough to cause any lasting damage.

Looking up, I noticed that Bright wasn’t as fortunate as me, as the remains of his body crashed against the wall next to me. His entire body was burned badly, with his left arm completely missing, blown off his body from the strength of the explosion from the overlord.

“Heheheheheh. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!” Despite the obviously bad condition of his body however, Bright just laughed. He laughed to the heavens. “Oh, oh fuck! What are the fucking odds of this?”

I turned back to the overlord, noticing the smoke from the explosion beginning to clear up. As it did, I saw him there in the air, blue flames exiting from his feet at an alarming speed that probably kept him suspended in the air. His arms were crossed behind his back as he chuckled.

“Y’know, I always wanted to punch the person who made this damn thing in the face.” Bright chuckled, as through sheer willpower he managed to raise his burnt body. “I never thought I’d actually be given the chance, though.”

“Hmhm, you think too highly of yourself if you think I’ll allow you to do such a thing.” He chuckled as multiple blue fireballs began to form around him, glowing an ominous light. “Instead, how about I make you scream?”

“Bright, I hate to ruin the moment, but I believe I’m missing some needed context here.” I said, shaking the dust off my body. “Do you know this person?”

“Him? No.” Bright answered simply, blood still pouring out of his wounds. Still, he managed to move his right hand over to his body, pointing to his amulet. “However, I guess that apparently he’s the fucker who invented this thing. It was found in the apartment of a dead cultist who presumably killed himself to merge with the necklace like I am. Instead of merging with it, though, he messed up the ritual and ended up just dying instead, leaving room for the foundation to pick it up and cause me to become one with it instead.”

“… Ironic.”

“Very ironic.” 

I turned back to the overlord; the flames around him were so hot that even I could feel the heat despite being halfway across the large open space.

“Call it what you will, but that won’t change a damn thing. I don’t know what went wrong that night or how you got the necklace to merge with you. However, I am far past the point of caring about that now.” He said as he snapped his fingers, all the goat demons suddenly stood to attention, as large wing-like appendages extruded from their backs, ripping through their suits as they flew up into the air behind Nergal. “So I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna kill you, take that necklace, and finally finish what I started!”

‘Crap, this is bad.’ I thought, unsure if me and Bright would be enough to take all of these demons down. ‘Perhaps we should retreat. No point and sticking around in a hopeless battle-’ 

“HAHAHAHAHA!” My thought of retreat was cut off, however, as the misshapen form of Bright next to me began laughing again, blood shooting out of his mouth with each exhale. “Oh my god, it’s funny how fucking stupid you are.”

“Excuse me?” Nergal responded, not expecting such an answer. 

“Ya, you heard me. Your a fucking idiot! This thing?” Bright pointed to his necklace again, craziness still apparent in his eyes. I don’t know what it was, but I’ve never seen Bright this ticked off before. “You want this? By all means go ahead and fucking take it! I don’t want it; I’ve never wanted this fucking curse!”

“Curse? What are you-”

“Ya, why don’t you just shut up you fucking blue flaming bastard! You created a fucking torture device, and now I have to deal with that every single FUCKING day!” A sinister smile creeped on Bright's face as he stared up at the demon. “Now that I’m here, though, I’m gonna make you feel every ounce of pain that you and your little pet project put me through! I’m gonna take this necklace and shove it up your ass!

“Bright, now’s not the time for another one of your joke-”

“This isn’t a joke, plague doctor.”

“Wh-what?” I said, startled by what Bright just said. It caught me so off guard that I nearly fell back to the floor, because he… he-

‘-He called me the plague doctor.’

“For the first time in a long- long while, I’m not joking.” Bright eyes dilated, and for a second, for a fraction of a second, despite all the horrors and monsters I’ve seen, all the eldritch abominations. For that split second, in my mind, Bright became the most horrifying creature that I had ever laid my eyes upon. “Because I am going to make you suffer. Like you forced me to suffer. For making this prison cell that I’ll be chained to for the rest of eternity... I will make you feel every ounce of it.”

I turned to look at Nergal, and despite looking calm and collected on the outside, I could tell that Bright's sudden conviction had shaken him.

“Hey, plague doctor. Remember what I said when we first arrived here?” Bright asked, removing his necklace from around his neck. “I’m about to live up to that... Let’s show this freak what a true demon looks like!”

I shook my head, sighing slightly, as I came to the realization that no creature, whether it be god or demon, could possibly save Nergal from Bright's wrath now.

“I hope you're ready, Nergal.” Bright said, cracking his necklace as if it were a whip. “Because I’m about to make you my fucking bitch!”

Notes:

Bright: Thanks for dinner!

Nergal: no problem, also I made the necklace.

Bright: (cocks shotgun) well, time to die!

Yep, here it is! I can’t wait for this to get obliterated when the real story of the blue flame demon comes to light! Anyways, like some of you managed to guess, Nergal was the cultist who died when making the necklace, where it was found on his corpse. Obviously I had to take some creative liberties with both universes to do this, but I think it worked out, and I hope it also did a good job in showing that I’m making some of the pre-made characters in each of the series have connections to each other that wouldn’t exist otherwise. Anyways, I do have an important message, that being that I am taking a one week break from posting a chapter. I won’t be next week since I don’t want to leave you on a cliffhanger (the next chapter also has the second song in the story, and was such a pain to write), but it will be Monday the week after on the 20th. Life has been a lot lately and I needed to focus on other things, so I’m a little behind from where I usually am, plus I need a little bit of a break. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, and I hope you can understand. Anyways, now that that’s out of the way, I do have a genuine question that could affect the rest of the story. Do you all enjoy it being written in the first person POV? Or would you prefer it to be third person? I admit I experimented with a bit next chapter, so I just want some insight here and after the next chapter gets released to know what you think. Anyways, drop a kudos if your still enjoying this story made by a madman, leave a comment if you have a joke, suggestion, or just plain banter. And I hope you have Bright day! (Didn’t I already use that one… eh, whatever.)

Chapter 16: The Siege of Nergal (part 3): Light it up!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

A battle ensues.

Notes:

“How would you defeat an overlord?”

Song used in chapter:

https://youtu.be/Z5LJ2NX2ggQ?si=VbTG9M84vfyTs2RB

IMPORTANT NOTICE AT END OF CHAPTER!!!

Plague Doctor POV

BOOM!

BANG!

Sidestepping the explosion, I managed to dodge a majority of the damage as I crashed into the wall.

I groaned as I stood up, ready to go on the offensive, and—

“Shit!” I shouted, forced to dodge another volley of blue fireballs. They hit the wall, resulting in another group of explosions left in their wake, as I was once again forced to go on the defense against the overlords constant assault.

‘Dammit, this demon is tougher than I originally assumed.’ I thought, as I was forced to dash around the exterior of the wide open space, just barely avoiding the fast moving balls of flame that exploded against the wall. ‘He’s not giving me a chance to breathe, effectively pinning me down. Damn it; that means I have to put my faith in Bright.’

“WOOHOO!” I suddenly heard an excited scream, turning to my left amidst the conclave of fire that barely missed its mark. I saw Bright, who had since taken over another one of the goat demon's bodies, and was currently riding a second demon through the air like a horse as the rest of the goat demons chased after him. “This reminds me of the bull riding I did in Texas! Come and get some you hairy assholes!”

“Someone save me from this lunatic!” His… ‘steed’ proclaimed in a panicked scream.

‘Oh god, I have to put my faith in Bright.’ I thought, realizing how terrible of an idea that was. Still, it’s not like I had a choice. So as I dodged another sea of flames from the flying overlord, I begrudgingly opened my mouth to begin talking.

“Bright, get your act together! You want revenge against this guy, right? Well, then start taking this battle seriously!” I screamed, my voice somehow loud enough to reach Bright, despite the booming explosions that separated us. “He’s pinning me down, so I need you to do something to get his attention!”

I knew that Nergal would no doubt hear this, but it didn’t really matter. As long as Bright manages to get in a position where he threatens him with the necklace, then he’ll have no choice but to avert his attention away from me. Still, it irked me to put that much trust in Bright at all.

“Hehe, who says I wasn’t doing that already?” I heard bright as I somehow managed to see a familiar smirk adorning his face as he jumped off the demon he was riding and jumped straight on the face of another airborne demon, before jumping off their face and landing on another.

My eyes widened as I saw what I could only describe as Bright leapfrogging off the swarm of demons that were chasing him just a moment ago, and dashed all the way in a straight line, as if he somehow positioned the demons perfectly to allow him to pull off this stunt, all the way until he was high above Nergal in the possibly hundred-foot-tall room.

“Hey Nergal, taste my aerial support!” Bright yelled as the flaming demon took his eyes off me, widening them as he saw the demified Bright jump off one final flying goat as he dived straight down to Nergal. “GERONIMO!!!”

I watched as Bright flew towards Nergal like a rocket, the amulet held firmly in his outstretched hand, aiming directly at Nergal as the demon's eyes grew wide as saucers as he saw Bright hurtling towards him, none of his demon bodyguards able to reach him in time.

“Dammit… Shit!” Nergal ended up screaming as he moved his focus away from me for a fraction of a second—half of a second at most—but that was all I needed. He shot a beam of flame out of his palm, pulverizing Bright's body to ashes as his amulet went flying in the other direction towards the hordes of demons, hitting one in the chest as the momentum caused them to crash into the far wall before falling into the DJ station in the room. He turned around, ready to meet my assault head-on, but instead—

BANG!

I smirked as I grabbed one of the heavy wooden tables with a single hand before chucking it forward straight at Negal, hitting him in the face as it splintered into multiple pieces. 

“Argh!” He yelled in surprise as he was sent flying backwards, losing focus on his flights as he crashed back down to the earth, rolling back to his feet after spiraling on the floor for a second. “ ‘ huff’ ok, I’ll admit. I wasn’t expecting the table.”

“Few would.” I muttered before digging my feet back into the floor and catapulting myself forward towards the newly grounded overlord.

In response, he sent out another volley of fireballs in an attempt to slow down my pursuit, which it did, but not by much now that I managed to gain some momentum. 

I dodged around the flames, sliding under tables and jumping over explosions as I neared the flame demon, who was slowly backing away from me. 

After a couple of moments, however, I noticed he stopped firing off flames as I got within ten meters of him, as he seemed to take a defensive position.

I looked at this, confused as to why he would put himself in this position, but I couldn't stop to question it as I ran in close. 

I flexed my right hand, which was currently inside a metal gauntlet, so that I wouldn’t accidentally kill the overlord, as the whole point of this siege was to get Bright to take over the demon's body, and as far as I’m aware, Bright’s amulet is incapable of reanimating dead creatures.

Still, I got as close to Nergal as possible, feeling the heat of its body beat off my cloak as I began to feel sweat build up just by being close. 

As I got within a foot of him, I dug my heel into the floor, winding up my punch to deliver a staggering blow to the creature.

Only, it never came.

As I punched forward, two jets of flame escaped from the creature's shoulder as he was brought downward, evading my blow before bringing his own fist forward and—

BOOM!

A massive explosion resounded outwards as I felt the air leave my lungs, as when Nergal's fist was close to hitting me, it suddenly exploded in a brilliant light, sending me hurling back.

I managed to stop myself, feet still digged into the floor as two massive lines were torn apart in the concrete, showing how, despite the blow sending me fifteen feet back, my feet never left the floor.

“Hmm, did you really expect that me, an overlord of fucking Hell, wouldn’t know how to fight up close?” Nergal joked as he loosened the bow around his neck, tossing it to the side as if it were a hindrance. “I didn’t make it where I am today without getting in a couple of scraps, I’ll have you know.”

“ ‘Huff’ ‘Puff’ note taken.” I huffed out, gripping my chest from where the blow hit. It hurt so much that I was actually worried it may have damaged my ribs or something of similar importance. 

I quickly knelt back down, readying for another strike, as I saw Nergal doing the same, getting in a defensive position, preparing for—

“Oh yeah, now this is what I call a music selection!” An ecstatic voice suddenly screamed, gaining both mine and Nergal's attention as we turned towards its origin. I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw that it was Bright, looking through a number of what appeared to be large music CDs behind the DJ counter, inhabiting a new host. "Like, dear god, man, you have stuff from like the sixties and the new stuff? Like goddamn man, and I thought I was a fan of music!”

My eye twitched as I saw Bright put on this display. Looking around, I also noticed that everyone else paused in confusion, watching as Bright looked through the CD’s, giving an occasional chuckle or comment as he dug through them.

“… Is this really the idiot who gained the gift of immortality?” Nergal asked worryingly, clenching the bridge of his nose.

“Urgh, don't remind me.” I sighed.

“Ooh, I know the perfect way to spice this battlefield up a bit!” Bright suddenly declared as he dug through the pile of disks, pulling one out. “With some battle music!”

He slammed one of the disks before beginning to spin it as music began playing. “Get ready for a Bright original!” he declared as the upbeat sound started and—

All girls just wanna have fun-

"Bright, you are not playing that horrendous music!” I screamed, causing Bright to quickly take it off.

“Fine, I see you're not a man of taste. Whatever, I have the perfect backup!” He screamed, and before I had a chance to tell him to stop, he slammed down another disk as a familiar tune began playing.

Baby shark doo-doo—

“Bright, I swear to god, I will defect if you keep playing that music!” / “oh my Lucifer, why did I even buy that song?”

Both me and Nergal screamed in unison, causing Bright to quickly remove the disk. 

“Alright, alright. Sheesh, everyone's a critic nowadays.” Bright mumbled as he tossed the disk to the side before pulling out a FUCKING THIRD ONE!

“Alright, this one though-” Bright started, placing another disk on the DJ platform before pressing a button to start the music. “- This one will be just right-”

“Fucking cut it out!” One of the demon goat bodyguards finally said this before torpedoing forward as he tackled Bright out of the booth, leaving the CD to continue to turn, causing the energetic music to start playing.

Turning back to Nergal, I watched him regain his posture, crouching low. “Well, let the fun begin.”

“… Let’s.” 

BOOM!

Nergal's feet suddenly exploded in blue flames as he rocketed towards me at alarming speed. I crouched down low, awaiting the inevitable clash as the music in the background began playing.

 

---

3rd person POV

Ooh oh oh oh, ooh oh oh oh

The plague doctor jumped back, bearly evading the blue flame demon as he crashed down where he used to be, leaving a crater of dust.

Ooh oh oh oh, ooh oh oh oh

The dust began to clear as an ominous blue light began to emerge from the shadow. A singular skull seen through the smoke.

Be careful making wishes in the dark

He shot out again like a jet as the black-cloaked doctor dashed to the side, barely avoiding the human battering ram as he flew by him, rising high in the sky.

Can't be sure when they've hit their mark

The demon shot a handful of fireballs behind him, all bearly missing their mark as the plague doctor was forced to dodge and weave between the multitude of projectiles.

And besides in the mean-meantime I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart

The Doctor, in response, while dancing around the flames, grabbed a hold of the loose chairs and tables that surrounded him before chucking them at the flying monster with inhuman strength. 

In response, the demon only smiled.

I'm in the de-details with the devil

The flame demon flew around the flying tables, easily swirling through the slabs of wood as he made his way closer to Bright, his feet releasing flames so fast that they almost seemed like jet engines.

You know, the world can never get me on my level

He flew towards the doctor, leg out, as the bird-masked individual managed to dodge under the supersonic kick. Almost as quickly, however, the demon reversed his momentum immediately as he shot like a bullet towards the doctor's back, intent on slamming into him.

I just gotta get you out of your cage, I’m a young lover’s rage

GRIP!

Except that didn’t happen, as the doctor used his gauntleted hand to grip onto the demon's flying leg. Nergal let out a gasp of surprise as the doctor smirked.

Gonna need a spark to ignite.

Using all his strength, the plague doctor threw his arm back and, like a javelin, threw the demon hurtle towards the far wall. 

He crashed into it, dust and debris flying from the impact. 

But my songs know what you did in the dark.

He coughed, not expecting the sudden blow, before looking. Then his eyes widened suddenly as time seemed to slow, and his current adversary, the plague doctor, had already crossed the distance between them. His arm was stretched back, winding up for a devastating blow.

In a panic, Nergal lifted his arm.

So light ‘em up, up, up

BOOM!

BANG!

An explosion echoed out in tune with the song, as the Doctor managed to collide his gauntleted fist against the demon's face, but was hit in turn with a blue explosion that sent them both flying in opposite directions.

Light ‘em up, up, up

Stumbling across the dimly lit room, the doctor eventually managed to ground his feet and slow his flying to a complete stop. He looked up, only to be surprised as he not only witnessed a duo of the demon guards fly towards him but also saw Nergal release what he could only describe as a wall of flames billowing straight towards him.

Light ‘em up, up, up

Taking priority, he turned on his backfoot, dodging a blow from the first winged demon and smashing its head in with his gauntlet. He then effortlessly dodged the strike from the second demon before gripping its head with his uncovered hand, killing the beast instantly.

He then turned, only to see that the continuous wall of flame had already reached his position. Looking up, he knew exactly what to do.

I'm on fire

He tensed his heels into the floor as he brought the dead body in front of him. As the persistent stream of flame struck the body, pushing him back a few feet, he managed to hold his ground as he watched his makeshift shield begin to burn alive. He staggered, feeling the heat beat across his skin, as he tried to turn to look at his supposed ally, hoping for any kind of support.

So light ‘em up, up, up

Instead, he saw Bright fight off the majority of the goat demons as he was swinging his necklace around by the chain.

Light ‘em up, up, up

Every time his necklace slammed into a demon's head, they immediately fell to the floor, dead. He jumped back, avoiding the blows from the demons as he turned, spotting the predicament the doctor found himself in. After giving a quick laugh, he rushed past the demons towards him.

Light ‘em up, up, up

Bright proceeded to use his current forms wings to fly towards Nergal, who at the last moment caught sight of the flying Bright, who had his amulet in his outstretched hand.

I'm on fire

In response, Negal ended the stream of flame he was sending toward the doctor and turned his right hand into a flame blade, before nimbly dodging Bright and cutting off his arm. Causing the body to fall to the floor, dead without contact with the necklace.

Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh-oh in the dark, dark.

Quickly ending his flame blade, Nergal turned to try and regain visual contact with the bird-masked doctor, ready to pin him down again—

BAM!

The demon's head slammed into the floor as the doctor used the couple of seconds that Bright had afforded to cross the distance and punched the flaming demon so hard that he shot to the floor, cracking the tiles.

The plague doctor reared back for a follow-up punch. Seeing this, Nergal ignited his feet, causing him to dodge the attack, which resulted in more cracked tiles. Using this opportunity, he then swerved and released a devastating kick to his back, sending him tumbling towards the necklace. 

Woah-oh-oh-oh-oh, woah-oh-oh-oh-oh in the dark, dark.

The doctor stumbled back, taking a moment to collect himself from his tumble. After a second, though, he noticed that he had landed right next to the necklace of his current companion.

Seeing this, he quickly picked up one of the broken pieces of wood that littered the battlefield from his earlier projectiles before swinging it back and hitting the necklace straight at Nergal.

Nergal, seeing this, however, managed to dodge out of the way just in time as the necklace flew past him. However, he wasn’t expecting one of his guards to be coming from behind him, causing the necklace to hit the Baphomet and allow Bright to immediately gain control of him.

Nergal was now surrounded on both sides.

Well all the writers writing what they write

Both of the invaders dashed at the same time, attempting to double-team the demon and cause him to mess up, giving them a chance to touch him with the necklace.

Somewhere another pretty vein just died

Nergal dove under the doctor's blow before sidestepping Brights' attempt to push his necklace on him. However, this only resulted in him momentarily tripping and allowing Nergal to grab him and chuck him hard at the doctor.

I got the scars from tomorrow and I wish you could see

BOOM!

Nergal followed up his throw by chucking a volatile fireball at the clumped individuals, resulting in a massive explosion and sending them flying back, slamming into the far wall. 

The doctor looked up to see that the majority of Bright's current body had exploded. Unquestionably dead, with the necklace still around what remained of its neck.

That you’re the antidote for everything for everything except for me

Looking up, he saw that the demon had taken to the air again and was rapidly flying towards them. Thinking of a plan, the doctor quickly chucked the body with the amulet at the demon, who effortlessly dodged it as it had sailed by him. 

The doctor chuckled before Nergal finally reached him, his fist outstretched and ready to strike.

Through a constellation of tears on your lashes

BAM!

The doctor just dodged to the right as Nergal's fist slammed into the wall. Swerving on his feet, he quickly grabbed a knife from the nearby table and, in one smooth motion, stabbed the knife into the demon's palm, pinning it to the wall. Then, spinning around, he went right in front of the wide-eyed demon, shocked by the action as he brought his guantleted fists back and—

BAM! 

Burn everything you love then burn the ashes

BANG!

BAM!

BASH!

The doctor brought his fist down again and again on the demon's face, continuing to crack and break the wall behind him as he tried to wear the demon down as much as possible. Blood flew out of the demon's mouth as his face was continuously crushed against the wall. 

Nergal clenched his trapped hand as he forced himself to take the hits, melting the knife that locked him in place.

In the end everything collides, my childhood

BAM-

BANG!

The doctor went for another punch, only for it to be cut off as the demon escaped from its restraint and hit the dark-clothed individual hard against its beak, causing a large crack to spread across its formerly pristine face, blood flying out of the wound as he fell back.

Spat back out the monster that you see

Nergal then blew forward, striking the doctor again in the face twice more as his mask continued to crack.

He tried to counterattack on his back foot, but his attack was easily dodge however as Nergal ducked down below the doctor. He then brought his hands up as they began to glow a vibrant blue color, as the doctor's delirious eyes widened.

My songs know what you did in the dark-

BOOM!

A massive explosion overpowered the noise from the song, as Nergal shot a large beam of fire beneath the plague doctor, sending him flying up through the roof.

BANG!

“ARGH!” The doctor screamed as he continued flying up from the momentum from the attack, traveling through the ever-burning flame that decorated the top of the tower as he went ever higher. 

His eyes slowly opened, and, despite the ungodly amount of blood covering his eyes, he was still able to behold the glorious visage of the entire city from up this high.

It was massive—bigger than any city he’d ever seen in the mortal world. Despite its inherent chaos, there was something almost beautiful about it. Something almost—

VROOM!

As soon as these thoughts came, however, they were quickly silenced by the sound of engines. Looking up, he realized that Nergal had flown all the way up to him, his fingers laced together, releasing a dangerous glow and emitting staggering heat.

Before he brought his fists down straight on the doctor.

BOOM!!!

A massive blue explosion shook the entirety of the city as he was shot down like a bullet back down into the tower.

BANG!

He slammed hard into the floor, so hard that the entire building almost collapsed at the force. If it wasn’t for how this place was built like a fortress, then he had no doubt that the building would have collapsed.

Light ‘em up, up—

BOOM!

The music in the DJ station had continued playing, only to be cut off as a blue fireball went hurling at the machine, completely destroying it and any disks that might have been stored in it.

“That music was getting pretty annoying anyway." Nergal said in a pained huff after descending back down from the massive hole that now occupied his roof.

“Besides, it’s not like we need an encore. We both know how this fight is going to end. Still, I must congratulate you; you did far better than I thought you would.” Negal chuckled, slightly tumbling as he slowly descended to the floor, still suffering from the injuries from their fight. “Heh, maybe you could’ve actually beaten me if you didn’t hold back. I mean, I have seen you kill my subordinates with a mere touch, after all.”

“… W-what— Urgh… Would be the po—point in that?” The doctor managed to chuckle through his ravenous breathing, clutching the center of his chest. The last hit was a bad one, so bad that, looking down, he noticed there was a small hole in his chest from where Nergal hit, resulting in blood almost completely staining his formerly perfectly black robes. “I mean, it’s n-not… Not like it would—‘Cough’— actually kill you. You’d just come back... Not exactly a preferred outcome. Th-this was our one and—Urgh— only chance to catch you off guard.”

“Hmm, fair enough. However, you weren’t exactly stealthy in your approach. Though I can hardly blame you for that, as it was entirely your ally’s fault.” The demon said, missing the doctor's glance back behind him before looking at him again. From there, Nergal's feet once again began to glow a bright blue as he rose slightly in the air again. “Anyways, it’s been fun, but I believe it’s time for you to die.”

BOOM!

The demon once again shot forward at supersonic speed, fist outstretched as he was preparing to deliver one final blow. Seeing this, however, the bloodied and bruised doctor stepped on the back foot, putting his hands behind his back.

Vroom!

Swish!

The demon cloaked in right next to him and swung his fist across the air as the plague doctor dodged his hit. In response, the bloodied doctor shot his left hand out from behind his back, aiming to get a surprise hit.

‘Hmm, so predictable.’ Nergal thought as he once again dodged the hit by igniting two jet-like flames from his shoulders, shooting him down and easily dodging the strike as he used his momentum to try and hit the doctor from down below again. ‘To think he believed he could—’

BAM!

“ARGH!” Nergal screamed in pain, as instead of ramming his fist into the doctor, he was instead greeted with his adversaries gauntleted right hand into his sternum. His own momentum boost only made the attack worse, as the fist felt like it almost went through his chest before the doctor's strength shot him back, spiraling against the floor as he struggled to regain his footing.

Eventually he did, but not before suffering a grievous wound. Looking down, he saw that his chest was bleeding profusely, as, despite his body being made of flames, he was still able to bleed bright crimson blood.

“I told you... note taken.” The doctor managed to say, as he brought his left hand behind his back again, out of the demon's view as he raised three fingers. “Perhaps y—your the one—urgh— That was overconfident.”

Nergal heard this insult despite the constant and annoying ringing in his ears. It hurt so much; it was so loud.

“Urgh… I see you're not used to such a drawn-out fight.” The doctor said as he stood back up, beginning to recover from their previous clashes. The demon was momentarily shocked; he was certain that he'd done more damage to his bird-masked adversary than what he did to him, so why did it look like he was in better condition? “Inexperienced, that’s what you are. You think you're invincible just because you can shoot fancy fireworks out of your fingertips.”

Nergal's hands clenched in clear frustration. Maybe if he was in a better state of mind, he would be able to think about the situation more, realizing that the doctor was merely trying to antagonize him. With the devastating hit that he had recently taken, though, nothing felt very rational to him.

“I have been around a lot longer than you have. I have seen beings that would put you and your fancy party tricks to shame. I have seen true gods, being so powerful that you could do nothing but flee at the sight of them.” The doctor continued his mocking, not letting up on his attempts to enrage the overlord. “Compared to them, you are nothing more than a child. A child who thinks they can do whatever they want just because they’re slightly stronger than the average man. One who is so terrified of their own morality, that they would rather imprison their soul for eternity in a necklace instead of facing life.”

“… S-shut up.” Nergal whispered as the doctor's words began to get under his skin as he attempted and failed to keep his anger at bay. Seeing this, the doctor gave a short chuckle.

“Why should I? It’s not like you can stop me. You're weak.”

“…Quiet.”

The doctor dropped one of his fingers, leaving only two behind him.

“You're a poser who hides behind a fancy suit, thinking you're more important than you actually are.”

“I said quite.”

He dropped a second finger, leaving only one raised behind his back.

“But most of all, you are unnecessary.”

Nergal eyes widened at the declaration.

“You are nothing more than a side character in someone else’s story. Hell or earth, you were never important. So unimportant that the only significant thing you’ve done is give someone else immortality by mistake.”

Nergal fists were clenched.

“Can’t you see? You're nothing, and you will never be anything. Your only role in this world is to die. Die like the dog you are!—”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!”

BOOM!

The demon screamed before throwing caution to the wind as he once again flew towards the doctor at an even faster pace compared to before, his hand outstretched as if planning to crush the doctor's skull.

The doctor released his final finger, signaling his success as the wave of blue flame flew towards him.

He waited, and waited, and waited...

Until finally—

SWOOSH!

The doctor bent at a perfect ninety degree angle that would be impossible for most normal men. The demon's grab went right over him as an object came flying in from the opposite direction.

“Checkmate.” The doctor smirked.

Clutch.

Nergals eyes widened, and in the half-second of soberness he was suddenly pulled into as he realized... He didn’t grab the doctor's head.

Instead, he gripped onto a familiar ornate necklace that came flying in from the opposite direction.

“SHIT, WAIT NO— ARGHAGRAGHAFGRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

BOOM!!!

A sudden tornado of flames broke from the demon as the doctor was sent flying back, only worsening his overgrowing wounds. He didn’t care about those, however, as, staring ahead of him, he was beholden to what can only be described as a biblical fire.

A large, blue-flaming inferno had shot from the floor and rose through the sky and roof like a beacon.

To the demons on the streets, their eternal red light had momentarily vanished as a dark blue light covered the entirety of Hell. Those who cared to look for the source were only met with a blue-flaming tornado, which seemed to reach all the way up to the ceiling of the pride ring.

However, the normal denizens of Hell weren’t the only ones to bear witness to such an event, as many others saw this miracle of flame in the making.

---

 

Up from her tower, Carmilla gave a deep sigh as she beheld the flames.

“Dammit, I do not need another emergency right now.” She whispered, silently contemplating the idea of calling together a meeting of the overlords, not only to discuss the matter of a moved-up extermination day but also to get a grip on whatever madness was plaguing their city.

“… Whatever, questions can wait.” She said, before sitting down at her desk as she contemplated the matter of the human in her midst. “… That takes priority. Besides, she should be waking up soon, according to the doctor.”

So she went back to filing her paperwork, worried about whatever might have caused such an event.

---

 

“Well, this day just keeps on giving, doesn’t it!” The demon in red smiled, as his shadows were stitching up his wounds from his previous battle. “I sure returned at the right time. It seems like Hell may be getting a… Restructure of power in the near future. OH, I cannot wait!”

---

 

“Hmm… That can’t be good.” Rosie said as she watched the flames fly high in the sky from her emporium. Or what remained of it, that was, seeing as it now possessed two massive holes in its side. “Is that Nergal, darling? Hmm, I’ll need to check up on him to see what’s caused him to give us such a public display of power—”

Boom.

Her words were cut off as she heard what she could only describe as a muffled explosion. Hearing this, Rosie gave a deep sigh before turning to one of her cannibals in the room.

“You may want to move a little to the left, darling.” She said to the gray-skinned individual, who listened to her without question as he moved around three paces to his left. 

“Good. Now, three… Two… On—”

BOOM!

“FIGHT ME WARRIOR ROSIE!!!” The tattooed man from before crashed through the wall that the cannibal had been standing in front of a moment prior.

“Seriously, you couldn’t have at least used the same one you made last time?” Rosie sighed, pointing over to a very similar-shaped hole on the other side of her emporium. "Really, darling, you're gonna make me go broke if I have to keep—”

TING!

Rosie brought up her paracel just in time to parry the rampaging creature's attack as she went flying back a few feet.

“Urgh, fine, since your forcing my hand.” She said as thorny vines began to sprout out from behind her. “We’ll do this your way… again.”

---

Vox gazed out through his large window, watching as the pillar of flames rose to the sky. He raised an eyebrow in intrigue as he witnessed the peculiar event.

“Hmm, interesting.” The screen-headed demon said, before shrugging it off. He turned around, leaving the massive glass wall as he made his way towards his control room. “Eh, it’s probably unimportant. If nothing, it’ll probably make an interesting news report at the very least.”

As Vox wandered through the halls, he happened to catch sight of a familiar moth demon, skipping through the hall happily as he smoked his large pipe. He seemed like he was in a good mood.

“Well, what’s gotten you so cheery today?” Vox asked absently, not entirely caring what had made the pimp demon so happy.

“Hnhn, oh nothing.” He chuckled as he turned the corner. “I just have a new plaything coming in today, and from the description I’ve been given, she’s a real eye candy.”

The demon continued to chuckle as he left, leaving Vox there in the silence.

“… Well, that isn’t concerning at all.” Vox jokes before shrugging off the whole conversation. He’s seen Valentino get his grip on nice dinners before, so this answer bearly shocked him. His only real worry was that he would break it, forcing him to step in and calm the emotional wreck down.

Finally making it to his control room, he sat in his chair as he began to analyze all the different readings and analytics that graced his screens. It was from this room that he controlled the media for the entire city, something he hasn’t had any competition with since... He vanished.

Vox’s knuckles tensed at the mere thought of him, that bastard. 

“Whatever, he’s not around anymore anyway, so why worry?” He told himself, silently hiding the fact that deep down, there will always be a part of him that’s scared that somehow, someway, the radio demon will return.

“Hmm, well, everything looks normal here; no real changes.” He told himself, seeing no irregularities in his statistics. “Well, if that’s it, then I should probably... Wait, what the fuck is that?”

Looking at the screen again, Vox finally noticed something. The smallest, almost imperceivable signal in the network. It was so small that anyone else would’ve missed it.

But not him.

"Hmm, it looks like the signal is originating from one of the dumps.” He looked at this, debating whether or not to check it out, until finally. “Eh, why not? It's not like I’ve got something better to do today.”

Vox then walked away before transforming into a stream of electricity and beginning to travel through the entire city faster than any living demon could.

Little did he know, however, that this seemingly small and inconsequential decision to check it out would change the course of his afterlife forever.

---

 

The pillar of flames slowly died down as the plague doctor stared on in amazement. The strength of the flames had sent him to the other side of the room, worsening his already grievous wounds. 

As the flames died down, he saw them take on the familiar shape of the demon overlord, who still looked bloodied and injured from the previous battle. The demon looked down at the necklace in his hands before slowly staring up at the doctor.

‘…Shit.’ The doctor thought, quickly trying to ready himself in his fighting stance. ‘Did it not work?’

“Hehehe. Did you really expect me to be so weak that I would fall for your simple tricks?” The demon cackled wickedly, flames lighting up from beneath his feet as he approached the injured anomaly. “I made this thing. You truly are stupid for considering this plan of your would work.”

The doctor took a ragged step back; he was already on his last leg and knew this was a fight that he couldn’t win. Maybe if he had gone all out at the start, but he held back to give Bright a chance to take him over, now that has backfired.

“Now, as punishment for your wicked deeds this day—”

The doctor leaned against the wall as the demon pointed at him.

“—I condemn you, as your punishment—”

The doctor brought his fist forward, ready to smash through the wall and jump out of the building, knowing it was his only chance at escape.

“— To now sing the baby shark song while giving people colonoscopies!!!”

“…”

“…”

“Glad to see the mission was a success, Bright.” The doctor said, immediately lowering his arms as Bright's shenanigans became clear. “I will admit, though, that I would’ve preferred for you not to make a joke of the situation.”

"Ah, c'mon, Plaugerishis, you know I can’t take anything seriously!”

“… Clearly.” He remarked sarcastically as he felt the adrenaline in his body beginning to wane. The intensity of the fight forced him to keep going, but now that they’ve come out victorious, the weight of his wounds suddenly began feeling much heavier. “Perhaps… I took more damage than I thought.”

“Oh yeah, you looked like you got beat up pretty badly out there.” Bright remarked as he walked over to the doctor, examining his new damaged body. “Still though, if it wasn’t for your quick thinking earlier, then I never would’ve gotten the opportunity to get him to grab the necklace.”

The bird-masked individual nodded, thinking back to when he threw Bright's body and necklace towards Nergal earlier in the fight. In reality, he knew that he had no chance of hitting him, so instead he aimed it at one of the goat demons behind the overlord.

This made Nergal think Bright was out of the battle, while in reality, Bright used this opportunity to quickly eliminate any guards that remained before quickly hiding away near the tail end of the fight. 

When the doctor placed his fingers behind his back, he was signaling for Bright to throw his necklace, which he’s glad the mentally deranged man picked up on. That’s why he purposely antagonized that discombobulated demon, because he wanted him to rush at him recklessly, giving Bright the chance to throw the necklace with perfect precision, managing to hit the overlord and steal control from him.

‘To be honest, that last-minute plan rested on a lot of maybe’s, and the fact it worked at all can be considered a miracle.’ He chuckled at the thought, bowing that if this battle went a little differently, it had the potential to be his last.

As he thought this, however, a wave of exhaustion, something he hadn’t felt in a very long time, hit him. Falling to a knee, he groaned in pain as he clutched his chest. 

“Hey, you okay, plaugey?” Bright asked, suprisingly concerned. “Jeez, you really did get beaten to shit out there, huh.”

“Thanks for your enlightening observation.” The doctor rolled his eyes as he attempted (and failed) to stand off his knees. “I’m just… A little tired is all. But I’m fine—”

“BEEP! Wrong answer, buddy.” The flaming demon spoke as he pushed the doctor back to the floor, facing little resistance. “Sorry, but I guess that, ironically enough, I’m the one who needs to play doctor here. My first prescription for you is to get some sleep.”

“Wha—Bright, I can’t just—”

“— Sure you can!” Bright interrupted enthusiastically, pulling a pillow and blanket out of thin air and placing them on the floor. “Just lay here and you’ll be fine!”

“… Bright, you don’t understand. I’m trying to say—”

“Nope, no more talking! You’ve done enough for today, seriously.” Bright said suprisingly sincerely as he looked at him. “You deserve a break, ok? No more doctor stuff, no zombies, and especially no worry about the pestilence right now! Just sit back and take a well-deserved break, you workaholic!”

‘Wait… Is Bright actually trying to be nice right now?’ The doctor questioned, shocked as he wasn’t used to seeing this side of the man. Still, he pushed away the thought before looking back towards him.

“Bright, while I appreciate your… concern, I’m serious when I say I can’t rest at the current moment.”

"Oh, really, and why’s that?” Bright asked, not believing a word I said.

“… Because I’m, as you would put it, fucking beaten to shit.” He proclaimed, referring to his wounds. “If I don’t find a way to patch this up soon, then I could very well die from blood loss while I sleep.”

The untrusting expression left Brights face as he realized what the doctor was referring to, as he felt slightly emberrased by missing something so obvious.

“Oh… Right… ya, that makes sense.”

“Remind me again how you gained the title of doctor?” The bird-masked man asked, not believing this man was qualified to come within ten feet of any surgical equipment.

“For… reasons.” Bright responded, before lifting his head up, as if he had just thought of a brilliant idea. “Wait, but I can prove it now by helping you patch your injuries!”

‘… What?’

“Bright, I don’t need your assistance in this endeavor-”

“Too late. grabbing your equipment right now. Sit tight, Plaugeybooboo!” Bright exclaimed before running out of the door.

“… This is gonna be the most painful experience of my life, isn’t it?” He said, knowing that this was gonna be a painful procedure.

And boy, at the time, he didn’t even know the half of it.

The rest of the proceeding night was filled with pained screaming, curses, and more than a couple of death threats.

 

Notes:

Nergal: I am going to murder you!

Bright: nuhuh. UNO REVERSE CARD!

Nergal: NOOOO!

This chapter… took so long to write. I’m gonna be real, out of every chapter I’ve made for this story so far, this was easily the hardest. Honestly, it might have been that case because of all the other craziness going on in my life, but I digress. Regardless, I know I mentioned this last chapter, but I’m going to reiterate here so there’s no mistake. There isn’t going to be a chapter released next Monday, as I have been doing for the last couple of months. Sorry that I can’t kept the streak up, but everything has just been so busy lately that I need some time to catch up on something’s. Don’t worry though, I’ll come back the week after with a new chapter.
Anyways, besides that announcement, how did you like the implementation of the second song in the story? I know it is very different from what their usually is in Hazbin or what I’ve done in the past, but I wanted to give that fight scene a fast feel to it, show how quickly all these maneuvers were happing. Speaking of which, what did you all think of the fight? Did you enjoy it? Did I piss anybody off with the power scaling? Also, did you enjoy the third person POV? I’m going to continue with first person unless you guys actively ask for a change, but it was a sort of experiment to see how it would work in the story, but would you like to see more of it in the future at any points? Anyways, these notes have gone on for far too long, so I’m gonna call it here. Leave a kudos if you appreciate my blood, sweat, tears, and lack of free time. Leave a comment if you have any jokes, suggestions, or wisecracks. And I hope you all have a much, MUCH, better day then the plague doctor or Nergal!

Chapter 17: Finally awake.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Vox goes on a mini excursion.

Halara awakens.

Notes:

“Who is your favorite character?”

Vox POV

Zap.

I transitioned out of the electrical current, landing firmly on the floor after my near instantaneous travel through the city.

Looking ahead, I spotted a wide expanse of abandoned buildings. This was the doomsday district, where gang wars never seemed to end and wannabe overlords constantly fought over what little scraps of land they could get their hands on.

This area, though, seemed to be a bit more quiet and subdued compared to other major parts of the district. I didn’t really care, as I was focused on finding the source of the strange signal I’d detected earlier.

“Hmm, where is it?” I asked nobody in particular as I wandered into one of the many abandoned warehouses. “I swear, if it was just a fucking error, then sombodies is gonna lose their head.”

I continued wandering, silently dreading the idea that this whole trip, no matter how short, was pointless. After all, I hated wasted time above all else.

After walking around for another five minutes, I couldn’t find any special device or computer that could create any sort of notable signal or interference.

“Nothing… Dammit, maybe it was just a mistake.” I swore, beginning to walk away from the dusty old building. “Urgh, I was hoping that whatever this was would preoccupy me long enough so I wouldn’t have to deal with whatever the fuck Val is so happy about. But nooooo, now I have to deal with his—”

Ting.

‘…Eh? ’ I froze as my foot hit something metallic. Looking down, I saw it collide with a dark metal box. On closer inspection, however, the box appeared to be an old Exidy sorcerer microcomputer. ‘Strange, what’s this old tech doing here?’

I picked the blocky computer up, examining its rough yet sturdy edges. I haven’t seen one of these things in years, so what’s it doing here? It wasn’t the source of the signal, was it?

‘No, it can’t be… but maybe.’ I silently hummed as I investigated the device before giving a small sigh as I placed the item under my arm before walking back to the entrance of the warehouse. I don’t know why I gained such an interest in the ancient device, but I thought that if anything, it would make this trip worth something.

“Urgh, what a waste of time.” I said, before transforming into a stream of electricity and transferring into the city's extensive electrical network with my new trinket.

 

---

Halara POV

 

Bang!

I fell to the floor with a loud thump, the metal flooring doing little to soften the fall as I felt my body ache from the abuse.

“Get up.” The voice demanded, spittle flying from their mouth. Attempting to stand, I slowly rose to my feet as I shakily lifted up my wooden knife. “Good, now attack.”

I grimaced for a second as I saw my armed opponent lift a similar knife in response. Taking a deep breath, I calmed down enough to get the confidence to lunge at him again, swinging wildly.

BAM!

BANG!

Only to immediately fall on my ass again as my opposition parried my knife blow with ease before striking me hard in the back of my head, causing me to fall back to the floor.

“Pathetic, is that what you consider a fight?” He asked before kicking me in the side of the chest, causing me to roll on the hard floor in pain. “That wouldn't even be enough to beat a toddler who just finished pissing themselves to sleep! Now fight!”

I attempted to follow his command again, trying to once again rise to my feet. This time, however, I couldn't muster the strength, so I fell back to the floor.

“I… I can’t.” I managed to speak weakly, blood falling from my mouth as I spoke. It hurt. It hurt so much. “I… Please. Let me… Just let me—”

“What, rest? Hah, don't make me laugh!”

BANG!

“Argh!” I screamed in pain as he punched me across the face, blood flying against the wall.

“You think our enemies are gonna let you rest? No goddamnit! They're gonna take every opportunity to skin your useless hide!” He screamed, grabbing me by my long hair as he pulled me up to look into his eyes. “Now, are you gonna sit down and take it like a pussie, or are you gonna fight for your life!?”

“Argh… Please… I'm tired.” I whimpered, pain flushing out any cognitive response I could've given, as hours of this abuse, both physically and mentally, had completely drained me.

“Tired? You think that's a good enough excuse? Our enemies aren't gonna care if you're tired!” He threw me to the floor, my hand banging against it as it throbbed with pain. “No, I just think you're lacking the proper motivation is all.”

Ting Ting.

I heard the sound of something metal clanging against the floor. Looking down, my eyes widened in shock and terror as I saw a knife lay across the floor. A real knife, not like the fake ones we were using in our ‘practice’ earlier.

“Pick it up,” he said, as I noticed that he was now holding a real knife as well, pointing it towards me. “People tend to fight better when their lives are on the line, so there’s your motivation.”

I stared down at the knife, my knuckles clenching as a primordial fear rose up within me. I didn't want to do this. I just wanted to go to sleep. I just wanted to eat. Anything that would get me out of this hell.

“Besides, it's not just your life you're fighting for, now is it?”

“…”

“So how about this. Pick up that knife and fight me. If you don't, then I'll just take my pent-up frustration out on them instead. Sound good?”

“…”

Slowly, I reached for the knife, gripping its handle with whatever adrenaline-induced strength remained in my torn muscles. I tensed my legs as I tried to stand, slowly pulling myself away from the cold and bloodied floor. 

It took ten whole seconds, but finally I managed to stand straight. The knife shook in my grip as I pointed it towards the bastard, preparing myself for an even worse beating.

“Hehe, good. Glad you've come to your senses, little lamb.” He said, causing me to sneer at his words. “Com’on, I think it's about time we whip you into shape.”

He dashed forward, his knife aimed towards me. In an exhausted panic, I attempted to block his blow. Instead, I was only met with a punch to my arms, causing me to drop my knife.

Looking ahead, I could only watch in abstract horror as his knife shot straight for my abdomen, before—

Sling!

“ARGHHH.”

 

---

“HUPH!” I woke up with a heavy huff, releasing a startled gasp as I got scared awake. I sat up, taking a couple seconds to reorient myself back to reality.

Greedily taking in a couple of heavy breaths, I wiped away the sweat from my forehead, having to remind myself that it was just a dream.

" Huff, puff … Goddammit.” I whispered, wiping away some spittle that formed in the corner of my mouth. I shook my head, attempting to purge the memory of the dream from my head. 

After successfully calming myself down, I opened my eyes to take in my alien surroundings. I didn’t recognize the room, and it didn’t seem like a foundation facility. The room seemed pretty normal in nature, with a large white bed, which I was currently lying on, a wardrobe, a wall-mounted television, and an oak door decorating the room's far wall, surrounded by gray wallpaper. The only things that appeared out of place were what appeared to be a heart monitor and an IV bag, each of which had long wires attached to my body.

‘Argh, what the… Where am I? What happened?’ I asked myself, scratching the back of my head as I desperately tried to remember. ‘What happened last night? And why do I… wait.’

My eyes widened as the memories came flooding in, from the book, to the factory, the battle, Striker, SCP-2295, me being shot, and—

‘OH MY GOD, I WAS SHOT!’ I thought with a panicked realization, ripping off the blankets as I stared down at my body, noting that I was changed out of my uniform into a white medical hospital gown. I lifted the gown, spotting parts of my chest that had been replaced with white pieces of cloth. I was confused for half a moment before remembering my final moments before blacking out. ‘Heh, guess my little gamble paid off after all.’

I looked to my left, seeing a nightstand where a familiar yet colorful bear sat limplessly. I smiled a bit, grateful for this anomalous object that saved my life.

‘Still, that begs the question. Why is 2295 here?’ I questioned this for a second before pushing the question to the side. It didn’t really matter at this point, and why should I question it when it saved my life? The only real problem now is the potential complications it may cause when I report back to the foundation. 

‘Still, how do I get back, and while I’m at that, am I actually in Hell?’ I thought, remembering what little context clues I could get from my earlier battle. Something which I didn’t really have a way to answer at the current moment—

“ SNORE!”

My thoughts were immediately interrupted by the sound of someone’s snoring. My eyes shot to the source, widening in surprise by what I saw and by the fact that I somehow missed them when looking over the room the first time.

Ahead of me was a singular figure whose head was lying on the end of my bed while sitting in a chair. Their white lab coat blended them into the beds' blank sheets as they were in a deep slumber. Their familiar gray skin and glasses decorated them as I took in their features. I immediately knew who they were.

‘Odette? Why are they here?’ I silently questioned, confused by the appearance of the smart and mature women. ‘Why’s she asleep? ... Wait, she didn’t stay here to make sure I was okay, did she?’

I wasn’t sure, but I slowly sat back up as I stretched across the bed. As I got closer to her, I took notice of the massive bag beneath her eyes, showing that she not only slept here but also stayed awake for a long time. Looking to her side, I caught sight of her white, glowing spear, which looked like it fell from her grasp and landed on the floor, as if she fell asleep by mistake.

I chuckled a bit at the undignified appearance of the otherwise proper and upright individual. It was nice to see her care so much for my well-being.

I stared at her a moment longer and smiled as a cheeky idea popped into my mind. Looking at her head, I spotted the familiar black headband with devil horns on it. I'm not entirely sure why a demon would wear fake horns, but hey, I’m not one to judge.

Regardless, I slowly leaned over to her sleeping figure and lowered my hand towards her head, slowly placing it over her head as I grabbed the headband, before attempting to carefully lift it off of her head.

I lifted it up carefully, trying my best not to wake her up. Before—

Grip.

Faster than I could react, her hand gripped my arm that was lifting the headband, holding it in an iron grip. Looking down, I saw her eyes wide with fury, as if I had just killed her entire family!

After a moment, though, her eyes quickly dulled, no longer filled with anger, and instead opened slightly with surprise, as if she just recognized who I was.

“…Well, glad to see your finally awake sleeping beauty.” I joked awkwardly, scratching the back of my head as I let go of the headband. “…Sorry.”

“Hmm… Oh!” She suddenly said surprised, realizing she was gripping my hand. She quickly let go before looking away in clear embarrassment. “It’s… um, it’s fine... Sorry, just a force of habit.”

“Ah, it’s alright. I’ve been through worse after all, right?” I joked, and I immediately regretted it as I saw Odette flinch at my jab, so i quickly attempted to change the subject. “… Anyways, where are we?”

“We’re at Mother's headquarters. She took you here after... Y’know—”

“Ya, after I got shot, right?”

“… Right.” She muttered, a little dejected. My eyes sombered at the scene, seeing sadness reflect in her eyes.

“Y’know, it wasn’t your fault.” I smiled, causing her to look up in confusion.

“What? I never said that I was—”

“Ya, but you were thinking it.” I cut her off, causing her to look away, confirming my suspicion. “And I’m serious. I was the one who took the risk, so don’t feel so guilty about it.”

I gave her a reassuring smile, hoping that it would help cheer her up. Instead, though, I only saw her look away, seemingly in shame. Why?

“… How could I not feel guilty about it?” She finally whispered after an extended moment of stressed silence. “We got in that position because of me. It was all because of my idiocracy that led to us almost losing everything.”

I saw her hug herself. Squeezing tight as if to give comfort. I watched in near shock as I saw her demonic eyes somber, tears beginning to swell in the usually calculative gaze. 

“Mother nearly being forced to sell her soul. You nearly dying in order to save me. All of that happened because of me, because I was pathetic and weak, and... and—”

“Useless?” I cut her off, receiving a short nod in response. I chuckled, gripping my abdomen as I did so. “Ya, I get that feeling. It’s… not pleasant.”

Odette stared at me for a second before giving me a short nod. Silence emanated between us as an unspoken understanding passed through the room.

“But you know what? That doesn’t mean a damn thing.” I began laughing out loud, much to the gray skinned demons' confusion. “Because you aren’t pathetic. You aren’t weak. And you most certainly aren’t useless! Hell, without you, I would’ve actually been dead by now!”

“… I mean, you were only in danger at all because of me—”

“Ya, and it was my own choice to help you.” I corrected her, seeing a tinge of annoyance break through her formerly saddened visage. 

“… It was a pretty stupid choice.” She muttered, causing me to laugh.

“Maybe. But I don’t regret it. After all, if I didn’t save you—” my arm moved fast, taking the horned headband off of Odette’s faster than she could react. Her eyes widened at the action, not expecting it, as I placed the headband on my head. “— Then I wouldn’t have anybody to tease, now would I?”

“… I forgot how insufferable you could be.” She chuckled, not making any moves to retrieve her stolen property. I stuck my tongue out in response, causing her to chuckle more. “… Thanks.”

“For what?” I asked, confused. She stared at me.

“For everything. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if you didn’t appear.” She started, as if struggling to find the right words to say. “I mean, if you weren’t there... I mean, I don’t... so many horrible things were bound to happen, so— so…  I guess what I’m trying to say… um, thanks.”

“…”

“…”

“Sorry, I’m not… great at talking to people.” She said emberrased, scratching the back of her head.

“Heh, you and the majority of people, Odey. I mean, one of my friends, Anni, isn’t good at that stuff either—”

“W-wait a second!” She suddenly interrupted me, looking at me incredulously. “… Odey?”

“Ya.” I answered, confused, as she continued to look at me as if I were speaking a completely different language.

“… It’s a nickname.” I explained, watching as Odette continued to look at me as if I’d grown a second head. “… You do know what a nickname is, don’t you?”

“Hmm—Oh, um. Ya, totally.” She attempted to lie poorly, looking away in an obvious admission of guilt. “I… totally know what a nickname is... Yep.”

“… Oh, my god. You don’t know what a nickname is, do you?” I laughed, watching as she continued to look away in clear humiliation. “Hahah, wow. I honestly don’t know if that’s funny or sad.”

I then began to bring my laughter down, noting that it was beginning to actually annoy her. I coughed akwardly, trying to dispel my chuckle.

“Um, anyways. A nickname, I guess, is basically what friends call each other.”

“Would my regular name not suffice?” She asked, apparently confused by the whole concept.

“I mean, it does. But it’s something more personal between people, y’know? Shows that we’re friends and all that.” I added awkwardly, not prepared to explain the whole concept of nicknames to her. To be honest, I don’t really use nicknames that often myself, so I wasn’t entirely sure why I wanted to give one to somebody I just met, but I didn’t really care that much.

‘So much for not getting emotionally attached to anomalies.’ I joked in my head, knowing I was probably breaking multiple rules in the foundation. ‘Paul would probably have an anuerism if he saw what I was doing.’

“… Friends?” Odette suddenly whispered, knocking me out of my thoughts. Looking ahead, I saw she was giving me a hundred-mile stare.

“Um, ya. I mean, I assumed we’re friends, considering that we basically fought for our lives together.” I joked, watching as Odette looked away, apparently deep in thought. “Y’know. I can just call you by your normal name if you aren’t comfortable with it—”

“No, no, it’s ok.” She said, interrupting me once again as she scratched the back of her head. “It’s fine… You can call me that, I guess.”

“Haha, well, Odey it is!” I declared, lightly punching her shoulder at her acceptance.

“Anyways… what now?"  I asked, knocking Odette out of her stupor. 

“Oh, I should probably let Mother know you’re awake... Your ok with seeing her, right?”

“Meet the person who kicked the shit out of me and almost killed me over a misunderstanding?” I joked, watching Odette look away again, embarrassed. “Ya, totally good with seeing her right now.”

“O-ok. I’ll get her now… I’ll be back soon.” She spouted before quickly leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

“… Shit, I came off a bit too strong, didn’t I?” I berated myself, annoyed that Kevin and Reed’s extroverted personalities had rubbed off on me over these long years of knowing them. “Urgh, whatever… Maybe I’m getting too chummy with her anyway. I mean, it’s not like I’m staying down here forever.”

I laid back down in my bed as worry over my lost acquaintances creeped up my bones. They were some of the only people I really had at the foundation after I joined. Joined after—

“—No! Don’t think about that!” I screamed to myself, slapping my cheeks. It stung, but it helped me get my mind away from the dark corners of my memories I had begun exploring subconsciously. 

‘… Wait a second.’

I reached up to my head, realizing I was still wearing Odette’s black-horned headband. She left in such a hurry that she must have completely forgotten about it.

“…ehh, whatever. I’ll just give it back to her later.” I said to the empty room, laying back down in my bed, hoping to grasp a couple more minutes of sleep. I might have been completely healed because of SCP-2295’s wonderful ability, but even the magical teddy bear could cure the truckload of exhaustion that follows such a taxing battle, even if I had just woken up from a long slumber.

I was so exhausted, in fact, that I completely missed the sound of the door creaking open, welcoming an unknown stranger into the quiet room.

 

---

Odette POV

I quickly walked out of the room, heading straight towards my mother's office. I still can’t believe I let exhaustion get its grip on me, causing me to pass out when I should’ve been guarding Halara. Guarding the women who I now owe more to than I could ever hope to repay.

Still, that conversation with her was... Not what I was expecting. I was expecting her to ask for praise, riches, connection, or something.

… But no, she didn’t ask for any of that. Hell, she didn’t even complain about the fact that she was shot, and she was already cracking jokes about the whole harrowing venture we experienced.

‘…Odey.’ The strange name continued to echo in my head. It felt alien yet familiar somehow. It was a strange feeling, one that I couldn’t place yet. Though I… think I like it? ‘Odey… I think that’s something I could get used to.’

I continued to march, lost in my thoughts over the conversation. Are all humans as understanding as her? Probably not; I’m sure Halara’s probably an exception.

‘Still… Why is she so nice? What about her makes her different—’

BAM.

“Argh! Fuck.” I whimpered as I accidentally walked straight into the door to my mother's office. I was so lost in thought that I slammed straight into it… again.

“You can come in, Odette.” Mother's voice echoed from the other side of the door. I felt slightly embarrassed that she immediately knew it was me, but I quickly shook off that emotion as I slowly creaked the door open, gazing into my mother's large office. She sat behind her large, smooth white desk. It looked as if she was currently writing something down, possibly an order for some sort of repair to be done for the factory. Satan knows our production is gonna take a noticeable decrease after this recent event. Looking past her, I saw the vast expanse of Pentagram City from the window that encompassed her entire back wall. 

“You seem distracted. Are you alright?” Mother's voice suddenly spoke out, knocking me out of my thoughts. She walked over to me, placing one of her large hands on my shoulder in a comforting manner. “You're not hurt, are you?”

“N-no, I’m alright.” I answered simply, shrugging off her worry. Usually I’d be more adamant about this, but with everything that happened recently... Well, I can’t really blame her for being this worried anymore. “… Anyway, I’ve come to inform you that Halara is awake.”

She looked at me, confusion apparent on her face, for a couple of seconds. Until a flash of realization appeared on her face. “Halara. That’s the name of the human, right?”

I nodded.

“Good. She woke up a little earlier than expected, but I guess that’s not the strangest thing about her.” Mother joked with a straight face as she looked ahead, as if contemplating something. She turned to me and gave a quick nod.

“Alright. Let’s go meet with them, then—huh?” Mother stopped midsentence, her eyes widening slightly in surprise. It looked as if she was looking past me, but when turning around, I couldn’t spot anything. 

“Is everything okay, Mother?” I asked, a little concerned by what could seemingly shock her so much.

“Hmm? Oh, it’s nothing.” She said, a smile suddenly appearing on her face as she gave a small chuckle, continuing to stir my confusion. “I just forgot how beautiful your hair looked without your headband, is all.” She said, before walking ahead of me, leaving me in a state of confusion.

‘What? What does she mean without my head…band.’

A creeping realization dawned on me as I slowly reached up towards my blonde hair, right where my hair is tied into a ponytail. Usually, my black-horned headband sits there, resting silently on its perch. Now though.

‘… Shit, I left it with Halara!’ I panicked slightly before calling myself down. Looking ahead, I caught sight of my mother silently waiting for me, smiling patiently.

Awkwardly, I began to shuffle next to her before walking in tune with her towards Halara’s temporary room.

“Y’know, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you without it that I was honestly starting to believe it became a part of your hair.” Mother teased me, causing me to scratch the back of my head in humiliation. She wasn’t wrong, as I usually wore it everywhere I went. “I’m hoping this means that your… finally over it?”

Mother's question caused me to freeze up for half a second, memories flooding into my head.

“… I suppose not. I apologize.” She said sincerely as she gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, saving me from having to relive anything. “I didn’t mean to make you—”

“No… it’s ok.” I whispered before locking up the conversation in the back corners of my mind, something I’ve gotten quite good at. “Anyways, about my headband. I just... accidentally left it with Halara, is all.”

“Wait, you… forgot about it?” She asked in obvious disbelief, continuing to fan my embarrassment. To her credit, though, Mother seemed to catch on to what I was feeling and apologized. “… Sorry. It’s just, not like you to forget anything. Are you okay?”

I shrugged, scratching the back of my head in contemplation. “I’m fine; I just think I’m a little tired. Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

“Making sure the human was safe, I assume?” Mother questioned, which I nodded to.

“Correct. After what happened, there's no telling if Striker might come back. Although it’s unlikely he’ll attack now that he's injured, there’s always a chance he would have returned immediately to catch us off guard. That wouldn’t be preferable.” I answered intelligently.

“Hmm, makes sense.” My mother muttered as she scratched the back of her head. “However, I find it very unlikely that they’d try something like that again so soon. By my estimates, I’d say we have at the very least a week before—”

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of multiple gunshots suddenly echoed out through the long and lavish hall. I immediately tensed at the sound, noting how distant they were. Whatever was being shot, we clearly weren’t the target.

“Gunshots? Is it coming from outside?” I asked out loud, looking at my mother, who seemed equally perplexed.

“No, that can’t be it. This entire building is soundproofed from the outside world.” She started, a concerned look beginning to creep up in her face. “The only way we’d hear it is if it was shot inside the building. But who could’ve—”

“Wait… Shit! Halara!” I screamed, realizing the sounds came from the direction of Halara’s room. 

I took off fast, running through the halls with as much speed as I could muster.

“Wait, Odette!” I heard my mother scream, following from close behind me.

I didn’t wait for her to catch up, though, as I focused all my energy on getting to the room as quickly as possible.

‘Dammit, I was only gone for five minutes; how did they attack so soon?’ I internally questioned but shoved the inquiry aside. That didn’t matter right now; what mattered was making sure something didn’t happen to Halara.

I ran, and ran, and ran, and ran as fast as I could to get to the door. Arms outstretched, I prepared myself to barge in.

 

---

5 minutes ago.

Halara POV.

I shifted in my bed, slowly processing everything that had happened to me. I haven’t had a chance to sit down and think about all that transpired, as I’ve had to constantly fight for my life since first arriving here.

‘The book. The foundation. The factory, Hell, even Odette. It’s all been so crazy, even by my standards. And to top it all off, I still have no idea where everyone else is.’ I thought worriedly as I struggled to fall back to sleep with all these horrid thoughts swimming in my head. ‘I mean, I only barely survived, and that was honestly mostly because of luck. If anything like this happened to Andrew or Anni, then I can’t imagine them getting out unscathed. Hopefully I just got unlucky, is all.’

I continued to wallow in my thoughts, tuning out the world around me as I let the blissful darkness embrace me, tempting me back to a lulling sleep. 

I almost listened, figuring that Odette would just wake me up when she returned and—

Creak !

A sudden creaking noise knocked me out of my slumber. I felt my bed move down, as if a sudden weight had forced it to do so. 

I took a sharp breath, before quickly turning in the bed and attempting to sit up as I tried to find the source of this extra weight.

Sling!

I froze, finding the source. That so-called source being far closer than I expected it to be.

I looked up, spotting a dark-cloaked individual standing on the bed, looking down on me. The heavy cloak they wore hid any features from view, ruining my attempt to recognize this individual, except for the fact that the hood made it appear as if they had a massive hump on the back of their head.

What I could recognize, though, was a spear with a glowing white tip mere inches away from my neck. Moving my eyes to the side, I noticed that the spear Odette had left on the floor vanished, and it was more than likely the one currently being used to threaten my life.

“It looks like you're awake. Good." The voice spoke to me, sounding surprisingly feminine. I didn’t recognize it, but I guess that shouldn’t really be a surprise, considering I don’t know the vast majority of people down here. “Now, let’s have a little chat.”

The spear was suddenly brought down closer, nearly impaling my neck. My eyes widened in fear as I saw their grip on the weapon tighten, ready for any sudden moves. 

“Who are you?” She asked, white irises peering through the shadows of the cloak.

As for me, I only had one reaction to this.

‘… Oh, for fucks sake!’ 

 

Notes:

Halara: finally, I can relax.

Me ( the author): aw, its cute they you think you have an option.

FINALLY, IT FINALLY WOKRED… AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHY!

Ya. A lot of you probably aren’t aware, but I had some trouble uploading this chapter. And it just suddenly worked, this issue is been struggling with for hours, for no reason… I want to celebrate and cry at the same time.
Regardless though, I finally managed to get this chapter through. Admittedly not one of my favorites, but I wanted something more character focused after the big battle to help cleanse the pallet, as they say. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I do have a general question for you all. Did you enjoy the conversation between Halara and Odette? It’s a little weird with them, since one is an OC, while the other is an existing character in Hazbin that’s had like one line. Regardless, I do want to know if you enjoyed their interactions, and if it flowed fluidly. Anyways, leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or jokes. Drop a kudos if you enjoyed. And I hope you all have a fan-flipping-tastic day!

Chapter 18: Can’t catch a break.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Halara fights off her masked assailant.

Carmilla makes a deal.

Notes:

“What’s your favorite fight in the story?”

‘You know, I really don’t know what I should have expected. I mean, why the fuck wouldn’t this happen?’ I thought as I stared up at the glowing tip that hovered above my neck, held by the dark-cloaked individual. ‘… I just can’t catch a break, can I?’

I attempted to look around the room, trying to spot something that could help me escape this predicament. I did, as on one of the cabinets that decorated the walls, I spotted my tactical vest, combat knife, pistol, along with some other necessities that I had brought with me. They must have placed it there after I was changed into the hospital gown, unfortunately.

“Hey, are you deaf?” The cloaked individual yelled, reeling my attention back to them as they brought the spear even closer to my neck. “I said talk! Who are you? And what do you want?”

“… Y’know, for an assassin, you are surprisingly talkative, you know that?” I joked as I tried to think of a way out of this situation. My eyes scoured the room, desperately searching for something to save me. “Usually it’s just stab, plant evidence, and fuck off—”

Sling!

I was cut off as the spear was brought down, just barely missing me as it pierced the mattress right next to my neck. A small cut formed from the slice, leading to a small amount of blood being secreted out of the freshly made wound.

“Hey, just answer the question!” The voice proclaimed, as if trying to sound intimidating. In response, I glanced at the kidnapper, giving them a very confused look. 

“… You haven’t done this before, have you?” I accused them, noting the confusion that appeared in their demeanor at the statement.

“W-why does that matter?” They asked.

“Well, because if you have done this before—”

BAM!

I quickly gripped the embedded spear before bringing both my legs back and striking the cloaked individual in the abdomen while using the spear as leverage, sending them back a few feet off the bed.

“— Then you wouldn’t have made such a rookie mistake.” I finished, pulling the spear out of the mattress as I stood up off the bed. “I mean, in your attempts to look intimidating, you actively put yourself in a worse position.”

“…shut up.” The cloaked figure whined as they slowly stood up, swiping dust off their shoulders, sounding embarrassed. “But… Whatever, just… Fuck you—”

Swoosh.

Using her moment of distraction, I leapt with all my strength and dashed straight towards her, spear outstretched. I wasn’t going to let such a precious opportunity slip away. Unlike whoever this person was, I was clearly trained for this kind of situation.

“Shit!” They quickly said as they nimbly dodged to the side, avoiding the spear. I then attempted to swing it horizontally to knock them down.

However, instead of hitting, the cloaked individual quickly caught the spear below their armpit, before lifting their right hand and shooting their open palm forward.

Bam!

The air flew out of my lungs as I was hit with the unexpectedly strong blow, one that could've probably broken one of my bones if they had actually punched me. Instead, however, the hard shove forced me to let go of the spear as I tumbled backwards, hitting the far wall.

“Fine, I’ll admit that I’m not great at... interrogation.” They muttered before skillfully spinning their newly reclaimed spear in their arms and aiming it straight at me. “But I am fucking strong.”

“Argh—clearly.” I responded, clutching onto the tender skin that was hit by this creature's inhuman strength. At that moment, I also knew that this person had to be a demon or some sort of other anomaly, as there was no way that this kind of strength could come from a normal person. 

“Now that you understand what’s going on, how about a little fun?” She said, almost with childlike excitement as they gripped their spear harder. “I wanna see just how strong you are!”

The spear-wielding maniac then rocketed themselves off the floor, as I barely had enough time to jump to the side, just dodging them as they used the shaft of the spear to hit the wall. I was about to counterattack when I noticed that this figure must have had lightning-fast reflexes, as they were already in motion and had brought the spear down towards me, using it as if it were a club.

WHAM!

The shaft of the spear struck the floor, whistling out a sickening crack as it hit the wooden floor. As for me, I barely managed to use the wall to push myself away, dodging the attack by a hair. 

As I evaded, though, I came to an important realization.

‘They're not trying to hurt me—or kill me at least.’ I thought, realizing that the reason they shoved me earlier and were using the shaft of the spear was because they didn’t want to kill me, if they did, then they would have used the end of the spear. ‘That’s a little reassuring, and something I can probably use to my advantage. Still though, it’s worrying that they want me alive, shows that they need me for something, but what?’

“Hey, get your head in the game!”

“Huh—Shit!”

WHAP!

I barely brought my arms up in time, guarding my face as my opponent swiped their spear horizontally again, crashing into my arms as I stumbled back a couple feet. I grimaced as my arms began to sting, and my skin immediately became raw as I wished I was still wearing my foundation uniform instead of the hospital gown that I was changed into when I was brought here. 

Looking over towards one of the counters, I noticed that my equipment was still sitting there, as if taunting me. The problem was that it was now behind the cloaked figure, who was unintentionally guarding it from me.

“Now who’s getting distracted?” The cloaked figure mocked them as they spun the spear in their hands, trying to taunt me. And I’ll be honest... It was kinda working. “Come on, I’m beginning to think you just like being on the receiving end of this or something.”

“…”

I froze. 

I knew they meant it as a jab, just trying to get under my skin. But still, them saying that brought... Rather unfortunate memories rearing to the forefront of my mind, memories that I had the misfortune of dreaming about mere moments before this battle ensued.

“…Hey, you okay?" The figure suddenly asked, sounding more than a little concerned. “You just got, like, really pale all of a sudden—”

BAM!

I dashed forward, once again taking advantage of the figures' momentary distraction. I saw them flinch, but managed to recover quicker as they quickly spun the spear in their hands, as if winding up for another hit.

I squinted as I stopped right in front of them as they swung. I crouched low, putting my hands in front of my face.

Before—

WHA—

GRIP!

BAM!

I dodged the blow before grabbing onto the attacker's arm, using my back leg to make them lose their balance, and using their strength and momentum against them as I threw them across the room.

“Argh!” They screamed, not expecting the maneuver. They rolled across the floor before they managed to use their arms to stop themselves, and they pushed off the floor as they landed back on their feet with unnatural deftness. “Hahaha! Ok, this is so fucking fun!”

Click!

“Huh?” They lifted their head, which was still covered by the cloak. Despite that, however, I could still see their eyes widening as they noticed that I had a pistol held up high in their direction. 

I had used the moment of distraction to run past the attacker, get to my stuff, and grab the pistol in the side holster. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the glowing one that I was given before, but a regular pistol.

Still, a gun is a gun.

“Umm… How about a parley?” The feminine-sounding voice from the cloaked individual resonated. 

“Hmm. How about no.”

BANG! BANG!

I shot the pistol, not even hesitating to end this person's life. Despite my best efforts, however, the figure managed to somehow dodge the bullets, whizzing past her as she dashed towards me, spear in hand.

They continued to close in as I desperately tried to end their assault with a constant barrage of bullets. 

However, it didn’t have the expected results, as they managed to dodge every single bullet fired at them. Until they finally made it directly in front of me, right in front of my gun.

‘Good luck dodging this one.’ I internally mocked, before pulling the trigger, expecting the battle to end.

BANG!

TING!

Except it didn’t, as my eyes widened at the scene in front of me. The figure, while using the tip of the spear, managed to deflect my bullet to the side using superhuman speed and precision.

“Oh shit—”

STAB!

They stabbed the spear forward, barely missing me, as it aimed directly towards the pistol in my hands.

I quickly let go out of instinct and watched on in horror as it was pushed up against the wall, the spear completely destroying any hope that gun had of ever being fired from again.

“... Fuck you! That was my favorite gun!” I proclaimed, uncharacteristically mad.

"Sorry, not sorry.” They childishly said, before spinning on their heels and kicking me into the wall. I grunted in pain and attempted to move.

BANG!

However, my efforts were sundered almost immediately as they rushed towards me, before using the shaft of the spear to pin my neck against the wall, effectively choking me if they put in even a little bit more force. 

“Now, I’ll ask you again, and this time you better answer if you wanna keep your head.” They warned, voice becoming dangerously intimidating again. “Who are you? And what do you want from the Carmilla family?”

“Wha-what the fuck are you talking—ARGH!” I managed to scream in pain as they pushed the shaft harder against my neck, causing me to grasp for air.

“Don’t play dumb with me. If you don’t tell me, then I’ll kill you. So I’ll ask again, What. Do. You. Want?”

I continued to gasp for air, having barely enough to tell them what they wanted. Now, I could’ve lied in this situation and made up some bullshit answer, pretending to comply to save my own skin.

… But instead, I decided to be an idiot.

“… F-fuck you!” I managed to gasp out, much to the obvious confusion of the cloaked figure.

“Wait, what?” The voice asked, as if taken by surprise. It was also at that very moment that they looked a little bit higher, seeing the fake horns that were adorning my head. “Oh… Shi—”

BANG!

The door to the room was suddenly flung open, hitting the wall beside it so hard that the door even seemed to crack on impact.

I was barely able to open my eyes as I looked on with shock as Odette kicked the door open, eyes wide as she spotted me getting attacked on the other side of the room.

The cloaked figure froze before looking between me and Odette.

“… Shit, wait, let me explain—”

Boom!

Odette wasted no time, as she dashed from where she was straight towards us. I saw her spin, performing almost what looked like a sort of ballet maneuver, as she brought her right foot up in the air and attempted to slash down on the cloaked figure with her sharp, glowing ballet shoes.

I heard the figure release a startled gasp in response as they quickly spun on their own heels, letting go of the spear as I fell to the floor, gasping for air.

I managed to look up in time, though, as they brought their own foot up in the air. It clashed with Odette’s, as a metallic sound rang out. 

‘Wait, what?’ I thought, as I saw this cloaked individual was wearing the same kind of glowing, ballerina shoes that Odette had on.

Apparently my surprise was warranted, as Odette also took in the scene in front of her with wide eyes, perplexed by the situation. After a few seconds of the two of them holding this position, however, her eyes seemed to close and she squinted angrily, as if coming to some sort of realization.

“Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.” She said, sounding extremely pissed off as they both jumped backwards, ending their battle of strength. 

“… Clara.” The lab coat-wearing demon said, her voice a mix of disappointment and anger as she looked towards the cloaked figure. The figure, in turn, seemed to scratch the back of their head in embarrassment. 

“Hehe, surprise?” The cloaked figure said awkwardly, shrugging their shoulders. 

“…”

“…”

Beats of silence passed as I was forced to look between the two in clear confusion, wondering how they knew each other. Still, Odette gave me a precious opportunity, one I wasn’t going to waste.

I silently picked the dropped spear off the floor before carefully aiming it at the distracted figures back. I made sure the spear was pointed behind where I presumed their heart would be.

I took a deep breath as I brought the spear back before bringing it forward with as much force as I could muster, hoping to end this person's life.

“Stop Halara!” 

Only to freeze, mere inches away from stabbing through the cloaked figures back as Odette’s voice rang through the room. I looked up, noticing that she was staring daggers at me, not in anger but in warning.

The cloaked figure also turned around in response, shocked as they saw how close they were to an early grave. 

“But… why?” I asked, confused, looking at Odette. “Isn’t she an assassin or something?”

“I believe I should be the one to clear this misunderstanding.” A third, more mature-sounding voice rang out. As I looked past Halara, I saw the familiar visage of the large armed figure of Carmilla Carmine, the same one that beat the ever living shit out of me before. 

She looked up before sighing in disappointment. “Clara, would you please remove that cloak?” 

“Y-yes mom!” The figure said, before tearing off their heavy cloak and—

‘Wait, did she say mom?!’

I stared up once again, mouth agape, as I stared at the now-revealed Clara. She had brown skin, almost the exact opposite of Odette’s pale and white visage. Two large horns stuck out of her poofy hair, which was making the bulge in the hood of her cloak. Besides that, it also looked like she was wearing a crop top, along with some dark green shorts.

“… I am infinitely sorry, human. This is my second daughter, Clara.” Carmilla explained before giving the well known ‘I’m not mad, just very disappointed, but also kinda mad’ look at her apparent daughter, who seemed to shrink in response.

Clang!

… The spear dropped from my loosened grip, clanging into the floor.

“… Oh… Shit.” I said, fear obvious in my eyes as I look over towards the overlord. “… Please don’t kick the shit out of me again.”

“Wait, mom did what?!” Clara suddenly exclaimed, eyes wide as she looked on in shock, before a glint appeared in her eyes as she looked towards me, grabbing onto my shoulder in a strangely friendly manner. “And you survived?! Oh my Lucifer, that is fucking awesome! What was it like? Did you actually fight her or—”

“I’m sorry, but weren’t we just trying to kill each other like fifteen seconds ago?” I asked, completely astonished at the sudden change in personality.

“Eh, you live and forget. Now let’s get to the juicy stuff!” Clara said excitedly, shrugging my concern aside, once again confusing me by just how quickly she changed her whole personality. “So what was it like? Who else did you fight? I mean, I heard some basic stuff, but how did you manage to kill so many assassins?! Because I know for a fact that Odette wouldn’t be able to anything like that and—”

“Clara!” Carmilla's stern voice suddenly cut the overexcited demon off, who winced at the harshness in her tone. “I believe you should give our… guest some room to think. Especially after the stunt you just pulled.”

Clara quickly let go of my shoulder before walking to the side of the room, hand-scratching the back of her neck. “Hehe, sorry. But you can never be too sure with this stuff! Like, what if this was all part of some elaborate ruse to get close to you, Odette! She gained your trust, so from there, it’d be easy to steal moms—”

“You just wanted to fight her, didn’t you?”

“Ya, that was like ninety percent of the reason why.” Clara quickly admitted after Odette cut her off. 

In response to her answer, Odette lowered her head into her hands, as if struggling to comprehend all that had just transpired. “You are an idiot.”

“Ya, but at least I’m your idiot, sister!” Clara exclaimed excitedly before sitting down on the corner of my former hospital bed.

I looked at this scene, eye twitching, as i saw these two apparent 'sisters' who had nothing in common interact with eachother. I turned, looking at the smug looking Clara.

“… To be honest, I just met you, and I’m already doubting the idea that you could be related to Odey in any way, shape, or form.” 

“Yes, I can understand why you would think that.” Carmilla began, once again speaking in a voice that exuded authority and power. “But I can assure you that these two are my daughters, and... wait, what did you just say?”

Carmilla blinked, as if thinking she had misheard something. Looking over at Clara, I saw her adorning a similar look of confusion across her face.

“Ya, sorry, but you didn’t just say Odey... Did you?” Clara asked in semi-disbelief. I looked on, puzzled, as I saw Odette place her head in her hands, seemingly embarrassed.

“Um… ya. That’s my nickname for her, and—”

“OH MY LUCIFER, ODETTE WAS ACTUALLY SOCIAL FOR ONCE IN HER LIFE!? IT’S A MIRACLE!”

"OH, SHUT THE FUCK UP, CLARA!” 

The two sisters yelled out, and a cold sweat broke on my forehead, afraid that I might have accidentally started something that I shouldn’t have. As I also realized that they do, indeed, have something in common.

“Enough!”

Thankfully, the screaming died down pretty quickly as Carmilla once again made her presence known, easily silencing everyone in the room. She then turned towards me, her gaze softening slightly as she saw me wince back in response.

“It seems like Clara hasn't harmed you too much; that is a relief.” She started before her gaze hardened again as she looked at her darker-skinned daughter. “For both of your sakes.” She said, causing Clara to shiver involuntarily at the silent warning.

“Ya, it’s fine.” I said, messaging the raw flesh on the back of my arm, still stinging from its constant impact with the shaft of the spear. “Nothing worse than what I’ve already dealt with, right?” I half-heartedly joked as I stared at the completed Carmilla family, having trouble picturing who the father of this strangely intimidating family is.

“Yes, it appears she hasn't.” The overlord slowly said before she began to seemingly look past at me, as if intently studying whatever it was. Out of curiosity, I looked behind me to identify the source of her interest, before I realized it was the simple teddy bear that lay on the nearby counter, unmoving as I continued to stay limpless. “She still harmed you, though, which begs the question as to why that bear hasn’t moved yet.”

“Ah, well, it’s not like she gave me a life-threatening injury or anything.” I commented, which I immediately regretted as I instentanously gained the attention of all the demons in the room. This action also made me feel a creeping sense of terror as two of them stared at me, hungry for information. “I mean… That’s what I think the reason is. Probably.”

“Hmm, so you are familiar with this creature?” Carmilla asked with obvious intrigue.

“I mean, kinda. I wouldn’t have done that suicide charge at the damn cowboy if I didn’t know it could save me.” I say, before turning to look at Odette, an awkward smile on my face. “No offense.”

“None taken.” She replied simply, and a reassuring smile spread across her face.

I nodded in return before slowly turning back to the intimidating visage of Carmilla. I realized that I was going to have to answer her questions very carefully in the inevitable interrogation that was to come.

“In that case, if you don't mind, would you care to inform me as to what that is?” Camilla asked slowly, obviously referring to the SCP, as I was forced to gulp down my fear when facing down her piercing gaze. “It is a strange creature, and nothing I've ever seen down here before.”

“Hehehe, honestly, I'd be more surprised if you had seen them before.” I chuckled, looking back at the bear in question, contemplating whether I should continue. It is dangerous information, but they did save my life, so I feel like they can be trusted with at least a little more.

“… Their…um. Their ‘name’ is SCP- 2295. Or, that's their designation, at least.” I answered slowly, seeing Carmilla's eyes widen slightly in surprise. “And you don't have to worry about them hurting you. They're completely harmless, as far as I'm aware.”

“…” Carmilla stared at the floor, as if processing the small crumb of information that had been shared with her.

“Are you alright, Mother?” Odette suddenly asked, placing a hand on her mom’s shoulder, seemingly freeing her from her thoughts.

“Yes, I'm alright. Just thinking… This whole situation is luca.” Carmilla said, seemingly transitioning to Spanish out of instinct, before turning to look at me again. “You said SCP, right? That is the same series of letters written upon your uniform. What does it mean?”

“… I'm not sure I should answer that question.” I slowly said, seeing Carmilla squint her eyes in response.

“And why is that?” Carmilla warned. “Do you think I won't believe you?”

“No… Because if I tell you, then I'm afraid you'll all be in danger.” 

“Trust me, I can handle myself—”

"No, you can't!”

Carmilla suddenly took a step back, surprised by my sudden outburst. To be fair, I didn’t mean to say it so intensely, but it just goes to show how it reflected my inner thoughts on the matter.

“… You can’t handle yourselves, not against them.” I warned quietly, averting all eye contact from them, as the unimaginable horrors I have witnessed through my life flashed before my eyes. “… Please understand that it would be much safer for you to remain blissfully ignorant to it… You gaze past the veil, and you’ll never be the same.”

Silence passed between us, as I was unable to look the overlord in the eye’s. I have witnessed what the world—my world—can do to people. The last thing I wanted was for more people to get hurt because of me.

“Are you insinuating that whatever it is this bear comes from, it could possibly be worse than the horrors I’ve witnessed down here?” Carmilla said, seemingly disregarding the idea that whatever I was speaking of could be so bad.

In response, I brought my gaze back to the overlord, unflinching as I gave my one simple answer.

“…Yes. Without a shred of doubt.” I declared, my gaze more serious than ever before, reflecting the horrors that the foundation has fought against.

“…Halara, are you alright?” Odette suddenly asked, placing a hand on my shoulder and extinguishing the intense flame that was burning in my eyes. Looking towards her, I noticed a look of worry in her eyes. “You… got really intense there.”

I blink before turning back towards Clara and Carmilla. I saw them looking at me in shock, not expecting my answer. Still, Carmilla seemed to recover relatively quickly, as she returned to her calculating gaze, peering into my soul.

“You aren’t lying, are you?” She asked silently, despite already knowing the answer. Regardless of that, I still nodded.

 “… Very well, then I shall temporarily drop the matter.” Carmilla said, somehow releasing the tension that had been suffocating the room moments prior, allowing me to release a breath I hadn’t known I was holding. “It won’t stop me from looking for answers, but I shall respect your privacy for now. I owe you that much, at the very least.”

“… Thank you.” I coughed out, glad that the conversation was over. I never liked talking about the foundation, even amongst fellow peers, so I was happy I wouldn’t have to speak about it to someone who hasn’t been tainted by that world yet.

“However, I do have one more question for you.” Carmilla said, her eyes not nearly as serious as before, offering me some relief. “What are your plans now? It’s obvious you aren’t familiar with the landscape of Hell, so it would be suicidio to leave.”

I blinked, remembering that I was indeed still in Hell.

“Right… Well, I guess I’m not entirely sure.” I say this before my eyes wander back over to my uniform. “That being said, there are some people I need to find.”

“Friends or cohorts?” 

“Both.” 

“Hmm.” Carmilla's eyes began to squint, as if an idea flashed in her head. “Pentagram City is big; it’ll be near impossible to find who you're after through random searching. Plus, if they’re humans like you, there’s a good chance they would have already died, you understand that, right?”

“Maybe, but even so, I need to try.” I say this before walking over to my broken gun, seeing what could be salvaged from its mangled form. “I know it may be a futile mission, but I don’t care. After all, they’d do the same for me, so who am I to just give up on them to save my own skin? I’d be a shitty friend, that’s what.”

“Are you sure, Halara?” Odette’s voice suddenly broke through, reminding me that she was still here. “After all you’ve been through, you know just how dangerous it can be down here. After all, you barely survived before, are you positive you want to risk it all again so soon?”

I looked towards Odette, seeing how, despite her best efforts to hide it, she was worried about me.

“… Look, I’m not gonna be an idiot, Odey.” I comforted the demon, my voice softening. “But what else can I do? It’s not like there’s any better option.”

“Actually, there is.” Carmilla suddenly said, piquing my interest. “As I have said before, I won’t stop looking into this situation myself. So how about we come to an agreement?”

I eyed her warily, obviously thinking that taking a deal from any sort of demon would be a horrible fucking idea. After all, I've read the horror stories on SCP-738, I know those deals never end well. Still, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious.

“What kind of deal?” I asked, a mix of curiosity and wariness evident in my tone.

“Do not worry; I’m not making a deal for your soul. Not to say I’m not willing to trade something for it.” Carmilla jokes, smiling slightly, before a serious look returns to her face. “But no, as I was saying, there is no way you’d be able to locate your friends in the city. However, I have connections that run deep throughout all of Pride. If you decide to stay with us, then I'll be able to feed this information to you. Working together, it would be much faster to find these individuals, as long as they are in this ring. It sounds like a pleasurable agreement, does it not?”

I gasped slightly at the offer before looking at her inquisitively, examining her with my eyes, looking for any sign of deceit. 

“Really? Seems like too good of an offer. What’s the catch?” I questioned, knowing that there must be more to it. “Because I highly doubt you're doing this out of the kindness of your heart.”

“Hehe, obviously not. I’m a businesswoman after all.” Carmilla chuckled, and I felt relieved that she seemed to have grown more comfortable around me, if only slightly. “I will admit that I do want to keep you around so that I'll have opportunities to question you about your origins again later, after you feel more willing to open up. Secondly, though, I want to keep a close eye on you. After all, it’s not everyday that a human wanders into Hell, and with everything else going on, I believe something big is gonna happen. When it does, I want to make sure me and my family survive, no matter the cost.”

“…wow. You’ve really thought this through, huh?” I acknowledge, silently impressed by someone's foresight. It also put me at ease a bit more, seeing as she was being breather forthright with her reasons for keeping me close, something that I completely understood.

I sat down on my bed, contemplating the deal in my mind. Thinking about it, there didn’t really seem to be any downsides to accepting her proposal, as it would help me track down members of the foundation faster. On the flip side though, if I stay, there’s a good chance that I end up dragging them into the craziness that is the SCP foundation.

“If you require time to think it through, I’m more than willing to leave you at peace.” Carmilla said, noticing the hardened look on my face. “I understand this is a big decision.”

“…. No, it’s fine.” I ended up saying after a few moments of silence. “I could be a complete idiot for doing this... But I trust that you’ll at least keep your word. So, I suppose there isn’t any real harm in staying.”

At my declaration, Odette ended up releasing a massive sigh in relief as Carmilla smiled, happy I had accepted her offer.

As for Clara…

“Oh, that’s fucking great!” She ended up swearing, moving next to me at lightning speed as she took my arm, and basically forcing me out of the room. “Then why don’t you show me some of those sick moves you used during our fight? You were really good for a human!” 

I attempted to break through her grip, but to no avail, as she forced me out of the makeshift room into the hallways.

"um... Please help me Odey!" I screamed back, unable to escape the womans iron grip.

‘… It’s been five seconds, and I’m already regretting my decisions… shit.’

 

---

Carmilla Carmine POV

“I’m gonna… make sure she doesn’t maim Halara.” Odette eventually said after witnessing the human get kidnapped.

“That is probably wise.” I sighed into my hand, both laughing and simmering at my girl's actions, before looking at Odette, smirking slightly. “You should also retrieve your headband. After all, I’ve never seen you go so long without it.”

My daughter looked at me confused for a second, before realizing what I meant as she felt around the top of her, remembering that the human still possessed her horned headband.

“… Right… I’ll go do that.” She said silently, obviously a little embarrassed, as she chased after her sister into the halls, screaming her name.

I chuckled again, glad that despite recent events, she was still able to have such a joyous expression on her face.

Recent events.

A frown suddenly formed on my face as I remembered what exactly she had to go through.

‘First the exterminators, then assassins. This is bad.’ I think, worried over the mental state of Odette. ‘Poor girl. If only I'd been more responsible, if only I were at the factory, then maybe... No, no maybe's. You promised yourself that.’ I said as I took a couple of deep breaths, sitting down on the rickety bed in the cobbled-together medical room.

‘On the bright side, at least it seems she has made a friend. Someone who can actually interact with her in a meaningful way.’ I thought, as part of the reason I wanted the human to stay was because Odette seemed to have grown rather fond of them after they fought together.

‘Still, if she, or whatever conspiracy she’s wrapped up in, ends up hurting them in any way,’ I begin thinking, turning towards the mysterious teddy bear, whom I’ve made very little progress on finding anything about.

‘… If this human ends up leading Odette into any sort of danger—’

My fist clenched, magic unintentionally beginning to birth and swirl beneath my fingertips.

‘—Then I will make her pay!’

Notes:

Halara: Finally, I can catch a break and relax.

Clara: (looking towards camera) And I took that personally.

Well, Halara has met Clara, and Carmilla is gearing up in advance for the inevitable storm! I really hope you all liked this chapter, as I know that not a lot of stuff happened, and it was really just this one scene. I actually wanted to combine this and the next chapter, but I ran out of time and it just got way to long, so I had to split them up. Anyways, how do you all like Clara? She doesn’t really speak, so I had to make some guesswork on what I believe her personality would be, so I hope you enjoyed her. Anyways, random question today, but what fight scene in the story so far was your favorite? And which was your least favorite? I got curious about this recently, so I want to know what you all think so I know what to improve on. Anyways, that’s it for today. Leave a kudos if you enjoy Halara’s suffering… or if you just like the story. Leave a comment if you have a question, joke, or suggestion. And I hope you all have a rejuvenating day!

Chapter 19: Want a drink?

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

A man walks into a bar.

Notes:

“Who are you most scared of?”

Scrubbing the bottles clean, the blue-skinned, four-armed bartender continued to attend to the ravenous needs of the drunkards of the city, of which they were endless.

Not that he complained or anything; he was very thankful that he could make such a good living in a place like Hell. He’s seen what kind of poor schmucks this city can make; he should know, he serves them drinks on the regular.

Still, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows in his little corner of heaven. His bar was usually occupied with a large number of loan sharks, wasting their misery away with an empty bottle. He didn’t mind the demons, not whatsoever, but it’s the brawls and fights that usually erupt here because of them that annoy him so badly.

‘And it appears today isn’t gonna be any different.’ He thought as he saw the doors to his bar swing open, and all of the sharkish demons looked towards the newcomer with a new sort of seething hatred present in their eyes. 

Out of curiosity, I turned to look at the demon that had attracted all this attention. I was a little taken aback by their appearance.

They appeared to be a male Sinner, possessing light gray skin and a single large, black eyeball in the middle of their eye, with a large white X in the middle, seemingly acting as an iris. They had white hair, which was parted to his left, on top of which was what appeared to be a white cowboy hat of sorts. His mouth was also extremely unnatural, somehow giving him an almost crooked and crazed look despite not seeing his actual teeth below. He also appeared to be wearing a white suit of some kind with a large flap in the back, leaving room only in the front for him to move his legs out without getting in the way of his outfit.

Besides that, he also had a pair of black overalls that reached over his shoulders, which connected to a sort of black belt around what I assumed was his waist. Besides that, he also held onto a piece of cloth that seemingly covered up some sort of long object, along with an oversized gun holster on his legs, obviously custom-made for a gun much larger than a normal pistol.

After taking a moment to assess this stranger's unusual appearance, the bartender heard them begin to walk over towards him in his spiked, almost heel-like shoes, making every step excruciatingly audible as he moved to the counter.

The gazes from the loan sharks never ceased, and if anything, they grew even more ravenouse as the figure seemingly ignored them as he made his way to the bartender.

Creak.

An audible creek rang out as the one-eyed creature leaned against the counter, elbows pointed as his crooked smile never left his face. The bartender walked forward, a cold sweat breaking out on the side of his face.

“… Evening.” The bartender started, his nervousness never ceasing as he feared what sort of trouble this newcomer may bring. “Can I get you anything?”

“Hehe, maybe.” He said, his voice was extremely raspy and choppy, with a hint of an Australian accent. A long, thin, yet spiky tongue flows out of his mouth as he does so. “What’s the strongest shit you got?”

“… probably the bloody devil.” The bartender answered, looking at a red, bubbling drink on the highest shelf. “I’ll warn you though, that shits strong enough to kill an elephant, so it’s usually reserved for our larger clietnel. Are you sure you want it?”

A smile creeped on his face, somehow making his already horrifying visage even worse. “Sounds perfect; I’ll take a whole bottle.”

The bartenders eyed him for a second, as if not believing a word this demon said. Still, he just shrugs and goes towards the shelves, reaching up to grab the bottle. ‘As long as I get paid, I don’t really care if he drops dead from alcohol poisoning. He’ll be back in a couple days anyway's.’

As he grabbed the bottle, though, he heard the familiar sound of a gun cocking back. He sighed, hoping it was just his imagination, as he turned around, and, lo and behold, it wasn’t.

He saw what he could only describe as a complete clusterfuck of a situation. As all of the loan sharks in his bar, which had to be at least thirty, had all surrounded this stranger in a half circle with each of them pointing their guns at him.

‘… Why the fuck does it always have to be my bar?’ The bartender thought as he leaned against the counter of drinks, willing to see where this ends.

“Well, well, well. It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Izzi?” One of the many shark demons asked, identifying this weird looking stranger. 

“Hehe, evening' gentlemen. Wanna drink?” The raspy-speaking man, now identified as Izzi, spoke as he looked around at the large collection of loan sharks, showing seemingly no fear as he turned around, leaning against the counter as he crossed his legs.

“Stop playing dumb with us, you bastard; you know what we’re after.” One of the sharks angrily shouted, as his hands shook with barely contained anger. “Where is our money, you damned one-eyed freak!”

"Relax, fellas; I just got myself a new job. You’ll get your money eventually, promise.” He chuckled as he lowered his hat over his eye.

“Really? Cause that’s what you said three months ago when you got ‘another’ new job!” One of the sharks snarled out, anger reflecting in his eyes. “Where is that money, Izzi?!”

“Hehe, sorry. Lost it all in a couple rounds of blackjack.” He chuckled, continuing to fan the flames of hate that these sharks felt for him. “Gambling has become a lot more ruthless ever since the radio demon got rid of the gambling demon. Ever since his fall, it’s been so much harder to find a good place to waste your money.”

“Just shut it, you pointy-mouthed asshole!” One of the closer shark demons screamed as he placed his gun right at the one-eyed demon's forehead, who seemed to look up in slight amusement. “We don’t care if you use your money to wipe your own ass; all we care about is if you have enough to pay us back!”

“Sorry pals, all broke at the moment.” The figure said with his gravelly voice, causing the bartender to shake his head in disbelief while holding the drink Izzi just bought. “But I promise you, this new job will—”

“New job this, new job that. We are getting real sick of your games, Izzi.” One of the loan sharks started, walking over to the gray-skinned sinner and placing his large blue hand on the comparatively small sinner, who immediately twitched as he did so. 

“But if you agree to come with us, then I’m sure we can find a way to help you pay off your debts.” The shark said, leaning in closer to the sinner's ear. “After all, there are always buyers in this shithole—” 

BAM!

The bartender's eyes widened as a red liquid spilled all over his face. Looking forward, he released a startled gasp at the scene he saw before him.

On the counter, where there was a perfectly fine and living loan shark before, was now replaced with only its body, as its head splattered like paste against the counter, causing blood to fly anywhere.

As for the person responsible.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” Izzi spoke, blood splattering across his entire figure. Looking down, the bartender's eyes widened as he saw the formerly covered-up item the sinner walked in with was now revealed. 

It looked like a bat—a simple wooden bat.

With multiple crooked and jagged, glowing white nails sticking out of it.

‘Angelic steel!” The bartender immediately thought, instantaneously terrified.

“Phew, now. Are we gonna discuss business?” Izzi started, wiping off the blood from his forehead as he watched all the loan sharks raise their guns, all pointed at him. “—Or are we just gonna skip to the fun part?

“Fill this bastard with fucking lead!”

“Shit!” The bartender screamed as he quickly dove below the counter for cover. Before—

BANG BANG BANG BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!

Hundreds of gunshots sounded outward, turning the top of the counter into Swiss cheese, along with destroying the numerous bottles of expensive alcohol lining the back shelves.

“Dammit!” The bartender screamed as they cupped their ears with both pairs of hands, desperately trying to save his fragile eardrums from the deafening noise, as he prayed to Satan that he wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire as alcohol poured down on him like rain, drenching him.

He couldn’t hear anything over the sound of bullets flying overhead, though he swore he could hear screaming, swearing, and anything in between as I tried to duck for cover, hoping the storm of lead would end soon.

The storm continued, and continued, and continued... Until finally.

‘Silence?’ The bartender internally questioned, as he realized the deafening noise had seathed to be, and was instead replaced with an even more deafening silence. ‘It’s only been like ten seconds. Did the loan sharks kill that guy already?’

He wasn’t sure, but he felt like it was the most likely answer. Regardless, he’s just glad it was over so that he could perhaps salvage something from his bar—

Creak

“Excuse me, but didn’t I order a drink?” A familiar, grizzly voice spoke out, causing the bartender to gasp in shock as he fell on his ass. “Hehe, didn’t get shot, did ya?”

The bartender quickly stood up, switching as he stared wide-eyed at the person before him. Before he could get the chance to ask, however, his question got stuck in his throat. He gave a terrified gasp, as he witnessed the visceral scene before him.

Over the counter, littered all over the floors of his bar, were the remnants and remains of the thirty different loan sharks that populated the bar a mere ten seconds ago. Their blood was splattered widely against all surfaces, giving the impression that his entire bar was painted red. Heads and arms scattered across tables, innards sprayed about, with even one shark looking as if he were choked to death with them. 

But all of that somehow paled in comparison to the way the suspected cause of all this mayhem looked.

There, leaning against the counter with his same crooked smile, he stood. His body looked as if it were painted with blood, as it decorated his entire visage in a gruesome fashion. What’s worse was that none of it seemed like the sinner in question's blood.

Looking a bit further down, he saw the creature gripping the angelic spiked bat in his right hand, which was covered in blood and innards. In his left hand, meanwhile, was an equally bloody double-barrel shotgun, which had what appeared to be angelic steel linings grooved into its barrel. 

Speaking of his arms, they looked as if they were lowered in baths of blood, constantly dripping, attributing to it's freshness. Long story short, he looked like a creature that came from Hell… No, not Hell. From something much more terrifying than Hell could ever hope to be.

“You look alive.” The demon among demons said, as the bartender broke out in a cold sweat as the demon seemingly examined him with his one, large eyes. “Anyways, where’s my drink?”

The bartender blinked, confused for a second, before realization struck him. Quickly, he dropped his gaze to the floor and let out a sigh of relief when he saw the bottle of ‘bloody devil’ he dropped earlier was still intact. They dropped to the floor quickly to grab the bottle before rising up and desperately presenting it to the sinner. “H-here you go... It’s on the house.” He muttered nervously, hoping this would be enough to get him to spare his life.

“Really? Hehe, thanks.” The blood-covered figure said as he smoothly undid the cork on the top of the bottle, before he began chugging the bottle of the borderline poisonous liquid. The bartender was forced to hold his gasp of surprise as he witnessed the action, silently questioning what this thing was.

“Hehe, wow. You weren’t kidding; this is some strong shit.” The gravelly voice laughed midway through drinking, before he went right back to chugging the whole bottle, much to the bartender's astonishment.

He scratched the back of his head with one of his four arms, building up the courage to ask a question.

“Hey, what—”

“RING RING!”

He never got the chance to finish his question, however, as a sudden ringing noise escaped from the bloody sinner's pocket. 

Izzi looked down lazily in response, temporarily stopping his drinking as he reached into his pocket and placed the phones on the counter before accepting the call and putting it on speaker, not seeming to care if the bartender happened to hear what was said.

“Izzi here. Either give me a target, or you’ll be my next.” He joked, before going back to pouring the drink down with a crooked grin.

“Izzi, we are contacting you to discuss the business arrangement we mentioned a few days ago.” A mature yet masculine voice broke through the phone, causing Izzi to temporarily lower his drink, seemingly recognizing the voice. “I’m assuming you're still available and willing?”

“Hehehe, sure am fuckers.” The sinner creepily laughed, seemingly happy over the call. “What exactly is the contract? Same offer as before?”

“Yes, with an even longer extension.” The mature-sounding voice said, never giving a flick of emotion in his tone. “Instead of the six-month contract we offered before, we instead wish to move it up to a whole year where you have to work with us. Is that within reason for you?”

“A full year? You bastards sure are asking for a lot.” Izzi once again chuckled as he finished chugging the last of his drink, before slamming the bottle on the counter. “Did your last contract bite the dust or something?”

“Striker simply wasn’t up to the challenge, so we had to dispose of him.” The voice on the phone muttered, sounding more and more intimidating. “For both of our sakes, we hope you're better than your predecessor.”

“Only time will tell.” Izzi chuckled out, twirling the bat in his hands as he leaned against the counter. “How much you offering now?”

“… Hells equivalent of two hundred million U.S. dollars, with the possibility of bonuses depending on how well you do. ” The voice answered, much to the shock of the bartender, who had to actively contain himself from releasing a gasp of shock. Just who were these people? And how were they so rich?

“Wow… Wow, hehehehe. You fuckers sure don’t muck about with your offers!” Izzi exclaimed, lifting his right hand over his eye as he laughed hysterically. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. I’m in!”

“ Good .” The voice answered disinterestedly, as if he had expected this answer the entire time. “ On that note, I believe this would be a good time to entrust you with your first assignment. ”

“Oh? What’s it gonna be?” Izzi asked, almost sounding giddy with excitement. 

“Come on, don’t keep this old Sinner waiting. Want me to strangle an overlord? Kidnap and humiliate an Ars Goetia? Break the legs of a fucking sin?!” His large eye continued to widen at each idea, as if each was more arousing to him than the last, as he released his thin and spiky tongue, licking his lips. “Oh, the possibilities are fucking endless!”

The bartender's eyes once again gaped in shock at just how casually this random sinner brought up killing and kidnapping people like the overlords and the Ars Goetia, and also at the fact he seemingly got off on the mere thought of it… which was honestly more concerning than scary.

“… Unfortunately, your first assignment is nothing of the sort.” The voice slowly spoke, as if he himself were also taken aback by the sinner's words. “Your first assignment is simple, just to see if you are up to the task. There have been a collection of humans that have appeared in Hell, most of whom should have the letters S, C, and P in their clothing. Your mission is to exterminate as many of these humans as possible. If you wish to accept our generous contract, then bring back the heads of at least fifty of these humans before the end of the week, along with anyone that has become aware of their existence. Do this, and we’ll give you more… extreme assignments. Do you understand?”

“Hehehe, loud and clear, boss.” Izzi chuckled, almost sounding a little disappointed that he got such an assignment, but he also possessed an undeniable glint of excitement in his eye. “Now, should I ask why the fuck there are humans down here?”

“…no.”

“Hmm…Fair enough.” Izzi said, dropping the question as quickly as it came up, seemingly not bothered by it in the slightest, much to the surprise of the bartender, who felt like he was on the verge of an aneurysm with all the information he was hearing. “All right, anything else?”

“Yes… there doesn't happen to be anyone else listening in on this conversation, is there?” The voice from the phone asked, immediately setting the bartender on high alert as he took a step back. Izzi saw this, and just chuckled.

“Naw, don't worry. Just a barkeep.” The one-eyed sinner answered with his gravelly voice, as if he forgot that the four-armed bartender was even there.

“A barkeep?” the voice said slowly, as if he were mulling over some idea, before he spoke up again. “Eliminate them.”

The bartender released a startled gasp at the voice's command, his back hitting the shelves as he stared ahead at Izzi in horror, who was still covered in the blood of thirty different loan sharks. In response to this, to the bartender’s horror, Izzi just laughed.

"Com'on, boss, it's just a drunkard.” Izzi laughed, not sounding worried at all as he stared at the phone, barely processing the other demon's existence. “He offered me a free drink and everything. Do you really want me to get rid of one of my sources of booze in this city?”

“Yes, I do,” the voice said as terror continued to crawl throughout the four-armed demon. “Nobody can know any of this. Understand?”

“Hehe, fine. Guess that's what I get for joining a shady organization.” Izzi laughed, as he lifted his bloodied double-barrel shotgun into the air, aiming it straight at the horrified barkeep.

“W-wait— please! I- I won't say anything! J-just don't—” He began desperately stuttering, staring down the barrel of the gun with horrified eyes. Every part of him screamed at his legs to move, to run away, to flee. To live… but they didn't listen. He was petrified as tears swelled up in his eyes, rolling down his face. “P-please don't kill me!”

Silence draped the room, with the only noise echoing from the quiet weeping of the demon. Izzi stood there, staring at the demon with his one large eye… before his crooked smile rose, as if enjoying the scene.

“… What’s your name?” Izzi finally asked, a crooked smile still lining his face. The four armed demon looked up, confused by this action, before swallowing.

“I-it’s… It’s Goro.” He answered slowly, hoping this meant his fellow sinner had decided to have mercy on him.

“Goro…” he said slowly, as if testing the name on his tongue, before he stared back at the bartender, his ever-crooked smile still present. “Sorry, just wanted to humanize you a bit more—”

Click.

“— Makes this next part more fun.”

“Wha—wait no—”

BANG!

 

Notes:

Goro: so I get to live now, right?

Izzi:…

Goro: …So I get to live now, right?

Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that this is decently shorter than the usual chapters, and that’s because this originally wasn’t meant to be a standalone chapter. It was actually meant to be a part of the last chapter, but then it got too long and I was forced to make it a standalone chapter after running out of time. So, I’ll just go ahead and apologize for that, but I promise the chapters will start being around the 7,000 word mark starting next week again. Besides that, though, this chapter did introduce one of the most important character’s to the story, that being Izzi. And for those of you that don’t know, Izzi was a character from Vivzie’s zoophobia series, and is the character we see behind Cherri during the addict music video. Although it’s not confirmed what role he plays in the series, in the original zoophobia he was one of the major villains of the overarching story, so I thought it’s safe to assume that’s what he’d be here as well. If you want to see his character design, you can just look up Izzi on the zoophobia wiki. Besides that, I don’t really have much else to say. So leave a kudos if you enjoyed the chapter (almost at 300!). Leave a comment if you have any suggestions, questions, or witty remarks. And I hope you all have a fantastical day!

Chapter 20: Shopping!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

A new SCP enters the field.

Cherri takes Kevin shopping with her.

Notes:

“Who is the weirdest person you’ve ever met?”

?????? POV

“YAWN.”

I yawned loudly as I walked through the streets of Pentagram, heading to work. 

I’ll be honest, I really didn’t want to, especially after the news of the extermination being moved up. I just wanted to stay home, relax, and enjoy what could potentially be my last six months being alive… Well, as alive as a Sinner can be, I guess.

‘But no, if I miss work for even a day, then I know all of the uneducated rats that scurry around pride will tear my shop apart.’ I thought as displeasure coursed through my veins. Running a business down here while not being an overlord is hard, especially if you aren’t even allied with any of them. ‘Urgh, why is life so unfair in this capitalist wasteland?… But whatever, I have someone picking up an order today, so I guess all these hypotheticals are pointless anyway.’

I sighed, continuing to walk through the streets. As I did so, I walked by a shop with a massive glass window out front. It was already a clear sign that this shop owner was an amateur, but I digress. I looked through the window, admiring my reflection through it.

I looked through it, smiling slightly as I saw my visage, with my slicked back, dark blue hair with the same color fins protruding from where my ears used to be when I was human. My dark gray blue skin, with light blue freckles, and a heavy pair of bright yellow goggles I keep on my face for protection, covering my bright red pupils. I was also currently dressed in a dark navy trench coat with golden buttons, complementing my black gloves and boots, making sure none of my skin from the head down was exposed. However, my most deciding feature would no doubt have to be the esca that hung from my forehead, which led to a circular yellow light in front of my face, reminiscent of the ones that anglerfish from Earth had.

“Well, aren’t you looking good today?” I say to my reflection, while standing there for a moment, silently admiring my outfit. Don’t get me wrong, I know that I’m not the most stylish sinner in all of Hell, but compared to the forms some other sinners take on when they appear, I feel rather fortunate in comparison. “I mean, at least I don’t have a television for a face like—”

I froze as I saw the reflection of a large, circular pink tower. Three large, recognizable V’s decorate its top. I grimaced, recognizing the building immediately. I mean, how could I not?

“— Like some other square-faced asshat.” I finished, turning around to stare at the tower, owned by my three least favorite people in all of Hell. That being the fake ass, square-headed TV persona. The dumb as bricks moth man who feels like he spends more time sucking his own dick than anything else. And finally, the worst of the bunch, and the one I have the biggest hatred for, Velvette.

I growled at the mere thought of that bitch. That whore ass ponytail idea stealing suck up bitch who cares more about her pointy ass chinease knockoff brand outfits than she does for her own fucking dignity and pride! And—

…Rumble.

My internal, and admittedly childish, insults were cut off at the slight rumble beneath my feet. I looked at the floor, confused as to where it came from. Or if it was just my imagination telling me—

… Rumble… Rumble…

“Nope, definitely not my imagination!” As I suddenly squealed, I felt the rumble once again beneath my feet. My eyes desperately searched the concrete sidewalk, as I was looking for— 

… Crack… Creak… 

“Ahh!” I yelled, seeing multiple large cracks spiderweb across the sidewalks. I attempted to run away, seeing them form right at my feet, before accidently tripping on one of the larger cracks, falling on my face as—

BOOM!

“Ah, what an amazing rest! This planet sure has incredible beds!”

“AHHHHH! WHAT THE FUCK!” I screamed as dust and debris flew everywhere, temporarily blinding my vision before it quickly cleared up. I then looked up, as I suddenly saw a strange creature raise their hands up out of the concrete, as if just waking from rest. I stared with bugged eyes, gawking at this white-clothed individual, who looked like he was wearing some sort of astronaut outfit with some sort of bulky device attached to their back. 

“Hmm.” The creature suddenly said, their bottom half still submerged in the sidewalk, as their glass visors suddenly looked down at me, looking at my prone, terrified form.

“Oh, why hello there, little girl! Is there something I can help you with?” The costumed figure said, sounding surprisingly jovial. “Do you require assistance getting up? I was sure the inhabitants of this planet had already developed the ability of bipedalism!”

“I… I… what?” I gaped in sheer confusion, too terrified to get off of my place on the floor. “I… I mean— Of course I can fucking walk! Who are you—”

“Oh, then that must mean you require the help in using your lower extremities!” He suddenly raised his finger, both cutting me off and acting as if he had come to some sort of monumental discovery.

Crack… Boom!

I once again watched bugged-eyed as the astronaut-dressed figure effortlessly pulled himself out of the sidewalk, as if he were climbing out of sand or something equally malluable. I then watched in abstract horror as I saw his glass visor turn towards me before he walked over to my prone form.

“Huh…? Wait, what are you doing—” I was cut off as he roughly gripped my body, placing his hands beneath my back. “Hey! Let me fucking go—”

“YEET!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHSONOFABITCHAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!” I screamed as the cock sucker lifted me up before hurtling me into the air, sending me flying straight up into the sky and soaring past all of the buildings that surrounded me. I went so high that I even surpassed V Tower in length before eventually slowing down as I reached the peak of my travels. 

I slowly opened my eyes, viewing the entire cityscape around me and… and…

‘Oh fuck.’ I thought before looking down and seeing the thousand or something foot drop below me.

“… OH SHIIIIIIT—!!” I began screaming, before my cries were overshadowed by the sound of rushing wind, gravity forcing me into a painful descent towards the city. 

I closed my eyes, preparing for the influx of pain and awaiting the inevitable, yet painful, regeneration process I'd have to go through.

Grip!

Except the impact never came, as I suddenly felt something grip onto my shoulders right before I impacted against the ground, before my descent took a sudden and almost painful deceleration to the floor.

Until eventually, my feet landed safely on the ground. 

“Huh—?”

"See, it works like a charm!” A bombastic and almost robotic voice said. Turning around, I saw that the very figure who saved me from the painful death was the same who put me in that position in the first place. “I learned that walking message from natives of this planet! I believed their name was pigeon!”

“Wh—wha—wha—” I attempted to speak but only managed to stutter in fear as the spaceman tilted his head in confusion.

“Are you alright? Do you need help speaking as well? Repeat after me, A is for orange—” 

“WHAT IN THE FUCK ARE YOU?!” I managed to scream, cutting off his… lecture. “HOW IN THE— WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU—WHO ARE YOU!?”

The emotionless visors of his spacesuit stared at me, seemingly confused by my question. Eventually, the helmet rose slightly, as if in understanding.

“Oh, I see. My apologizing, I forgot it was common courtesy to introduce oneself to people first here!” He said dramatically, before raising his fist to his chest, as if in salute. “I am the moon champion! Champion of the Moon! Defender of space justice and destroyer of evil!” He flared dramatically, as if it helped explain everything… and it did to a sense, as I came to an important realization.

‘He’s fucking insane.’ I thought objectively, as my original fear was beginning to diminish, but it was still present. ‘I mean, an insane person who threw me three thousand feet in the air still threw me three thousand feet into the air. There’s no fucking way I’m not at least a little terrified of that, even if he is batshit insane.’

“I have come to your beautiful and vibrant planet of life for numerous reasons, one of which is to seek aid to help defeat the dreaded moon monsters that threaten the moon kingdom!” He once again flourished dramatically. Before stopping, as he took a second to take in his surroundings. “Speaking of, did you recently re-decorate your atmosphere? I don’t remember earth being so… red and hot in color.”

“Hehe. Well, welcome to Hell, buddy. If you don’t like the color red, then you're probably gonna have a shitty ass time.” I chuckled nervously, seeing him look around the city with a peculiar interest—one I’ve never seen in anyone before. 

“Hmm… red… Isn’t that the name of one of your delicacies?” He asked with surprising earnestness, turning towards me. “They are quite the cute aviaries after all!”

“I… ok, what in the ever-living fuck are you saying?” I say, staring at him with disbelief and rubbing my eyes dramatically. “Because I refuse to believe you are speaking any other language besides bullshit right now.”

“Ahh, bullshit. That’s the language of the Canadians, is it not?”

“… fucking— you know what, sure.” I said, giving up on my attempts to see reason in what he was saying.

“Ah yes, the Canadians are a peculiar race of fish indeed.” He said, once again throwing me for a loop. After a few seconds, though, he turned to look at me again, as if examining my appearance. “Hmm, speaking of Canadians, you yourself look quite different from any species I’ve seen on this planet this far… I KNOW! You must be the fabled species known as Asians!”

“… I honestly can’t tell if that’s racist or not.”

“What is racist?” 

“Ok, enough of that line of questioning!” I yelled, not wanting to see where this absolute nutjob takes this conversation…(and the author not wanting to offend someone.)

Crash

“Hmm, why did I hear a wall break?” The costumed figure asked, looking around.

“Ehh, it was probably just the fourth wall.” I answered nonchalantly before quickly shaking my head to get back on topic. “Anyways, no, I’m not... Asian… My name is Baxter, and I’m a Sinner.”

“Sinner?” He asked slowly, as if foreign to the concept. “… isn’t that a type of bread? You know, the ones that roar?”

“… Sure.” I answered slowly, eyeing this pea-brain spaceman up and down. “Ya… let’s go with that.”

“Incredible! It is a great honor to meet you, bread Baxter!” I saluted valiantly, causing me to sigh—not even enraged by this weirdo's antics anymore. 

“Say, you don’t happen to be the president of this fine empire, would you?” He asked earnestly, throwing me for a loop for a second, before realizing that he was calling Pentagram City an empire, for whatever reason. “Because I would love to have a nice, long talk with you if that’s the case! Potentially in pursuit of sending some aid to help vanquish the tarnished and disgusting moon monsters!”

“Ehehe, sure buddy.” I rolled my eyes, sighing as I brought my hand up to punch my nose in frustration. “No, I’m not the fucking president; that would be...”

‘Wait.’ I suddenly thought, as a dastardly idea formed in my head. I shifted my head, turning to look towards the intimidatingly large V tower, as a devious smile formed on my face. ‘Oh… Oh that’s too fucking good to pass up on!’

“… That would be a man named Vox, the television demon!” I eventually said, my smile spreading across my face as I chuckled internally. I turned to the large tower, pointing at it. “He lives in that massive tower there! You can’t miss him; there are billboards all around, and in the building that display his fucking stupid face, so there’s no way you won’t know what he looks like.”

“Hmm, president Vox... I like it!” He said, as he began to move away. “Alright, I will go give this Vox president of the empire a visit. Thanks again for your help, bread Baxter!”

“Hehehe, don’t mention it... Also, make sure you call him a ‘square-headed bastard!’ He loves that.” I say, yelling out to him, as I continue to chuckle at the television demon's inescapable headache that this idiot is gonna give him. “Even if he tells you to stop, don’t; he’s just being humble... OH, and also say out loud that all his products are cheap knockoffs; he loves it when people do that. You got it?”

“I sure do bread Baxter! Thank you for your assistance! I’ll make sure to remember all the assistance you’ve given me this day!” He said, giving me a thumbs up as he went and walked towards the large tower.

“Oh, it’s totally cool… You fucking idiot.” I chuckled silently as I walked away. A sense of accomplishment blossomed inside of me, knowing that I probably just ruined Vox’s day. Was I worried this guy might die? Sure, I am. But if it means that Vox gets slightly inconvenienced, then that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.

“Well, that was fun... but I really do need to get to my shop. It wouldn’t look good if my client got there before me.” I said silently, continuing my way down the streets of Pentagram, attempting to forget the peculiar encounter.

‘Still… why am I suddenly feeling uneasy?’ I questioned myself as I turned back towards the tower. After a second, though, I simply shook my head. ‘Whatever, probably just horny or something… probably.’

 

---

Cherri Bomb POV

 

“Com’on Kev! You gotta be faster than that if you wanna keep your dick!” I screamed back at the disguised human, who was struggling to keep up with me.

“Urgh… You mean my life, right?”

“… ya, sure.” I said awkwardly, looking away, deciding to spare what little innocence he might have left. There is no need to let him know what the most commonly sold item on the black market is.

“You don't sound very reassuring, you know that?” Kevin said as he finally made the jump across the roof, landing right next to me. I watched him, wearing his tactical vest along with a pair of biker gloves and a cyclops mask that covered his whole face, giving no hint that he was actually a human. It was a clever disguise I put together for him in order to hide his human appearance. “I mean, after what happened yesterday with you beating the shit out of me and making me run across rooftops today, I’m starting to think that you actually want to kill me.”

“Hahaha. Your a fuckin riot, Kev!” I laughed, punching his shoulder as he released a pained grunt. “If I wanted you dead, I would’ve just blown you up the second we met, right?”

“… You said that scarily calmly.” Kevin said, staring me up and down. My only response was to once again laugh, finding his distrustful antics fucking hilarious.

“Geez, lighten up, why don’t ya? I’m only fuckin’ with you.” I laughed before turning on my heel and continuing across the rooftops.

“First thing ya need to know in order to survive down here is to be able to take a fuckin joke. Nobody likes a bitchy princess after all.” I laughed, admiring the bloody and chaotic streets below, and laughing as I saw Kevin struggle to follow. “I mean, the last sinner down here to act that way was a blue-bird sinner who took everything too seriously and... Let’s just say he didn’t last very long.”

“Well, that doesn’t sound fucking ominous.” Kevin grunts, finally managing to catch up to me. It’s honestly a little impressive that he was keeping up at all with his whole amnesia thing. I would congratulate him. But this is child’s play compared to what he’s gonna have to deal with later, so I don’t wanna boost his ego just yet.

“Get used to it, Kev; this place thrives on being ominous. You can’t adapt, then your fuckin dead, understand?” I said, patting his back after we stopped on one of the roofs. “That’s my second lesson, by the way.”

“… how many lessons are there going to be, exactly?”

“Eh, as many as I feel like fucking giving.” I answered nonchalantly, digging my finger into my ear as I looked around, before taking it out and flicking the earwax on it into the streets below. “Be grateful I’m giving you any lessons in the first place, you fucker. It wasn’t a part of our original deal, after all.”

“Hehe, should I take this as a sign that we’re becoming friends then?” Kevin joked awkwardly, causing me to wish.

“You wish, bitch! You still have a way to go before you catch my eye.” I joked playfully in return before walking to the edge of the roof we were on. “Anyways, we’re here!”

Kevin walked next to me, carefully gazing over the edge as I said this. “Um… where is ‘here’ exactly?”

“My first pit stop! I can’t leave you hanging dry without any weapons of your own after all!” I laugh, putting my hand behind his back. “Also, think fast.”

“Huh? What do you mea—”

SHOVE.

Kevin never got the chance to finish his question, however, as I lightly shoved him in the back, causing him to trip on the ledge and fall to the floor below.

“AAAAAHHHHHH!” Kev screamed as he hurdled to the floor.

“This is your third lesson!” I screamed out to him as he continued to plummet. “Always be ready for an attack, you understand?”

“FUCK YOU, YOU MOTHERFUCKER!”

“Heh, well, his amnesia apparently didn’t do a damn thing to make him forget swearing.” I chuckled a little as I watched Kevin land on one of the many dead trees that littered the sidewalks of this district, barely breaking his fall as he landed roughly on the dead plant. “Hey, you alive down there?”

“… If I say no, will you leave me alone?” He joked weakly, barely managing to lift himself off the ground. If it wasn’t for all the clothing he was wearing, then he probably would’ve gained numerous cuts and scratches from the fall.

“Nope!” I laughed back before jumping off the roof and tucking into a tuck and roll as I reached the ground, dampening the fall with professional grace as I stood straight. I then turned to Kevin and gave him a smug look. “Lesson four: learn how to fall with style.”

“… Jackass.” Kevin mumbled, crossing his arms as he looked away, not unlike a grumpy child. “I’m really starting to regret making a deal with you.”

“Ya, you and everyone else down here, bitch.” I chuckled a little before looking somberly towards the floor as a certain... Spider friend of mine came to the forefront of my mind.

“… Seriously though, don’t make a deal with a demon down here, ever!” I warned seriously, jabbing Kevin’s chest with a finger before walking away. “You’ll always lose more than you gain, always. No exceptions.”

“… Is that lesson—”

“Ya, that’s lesson five.” I finished Kevin’s sentence, and a smile returned to my face as I stared at the building ahead of us. “Anyways, we’re here!”

At my words, Kevin broke away from some sort of inner monologue he was having as he looked towards the dark blue building. I saw his eyes wander the building, before eventually resting on the large, glowing neon sign above the door.

 

---

Kevin POV

‘Everything-science-you-could-ever-fucking-want emporium!.. (Oh ya, and also weapons for uncivilized barbarians.)’

I blinked a couple times, making sure I was reading the long and, frankly, overly complicated sign correctly.

Low and behold, even after looking away a couple times, the sign stayed the same.

“… Are demons just incapable of naming things?” I muttered incredulously, having trouble figuring out just how creatively bankrupt someone has to be in order to name there store this. Cherri shrugged indifferently at my inquiry, seemingly not caring.

“Eh, it’s Hell. Nobody cares about some fancy branding shit. As long as it can blow shit up, people will buy.” Cherri said, before a small smile creeped on her lips. “That’s lesson—”

“Ya, lesson six, I fucking get it.” I said, annoyed, watching as Cherri’s grin dropped into an unamused frown. She just shrugged, however, before walking to the door.

“Fine, be a shithead about it.” Cherri said out loud as she reached the door. She stopped, before placing her hands on her hips and looking back towards me with a smirk. “You coming? Or are you too much of a pussy to enter the big scary store?”

I rolled my eyes at her attempts to chastise me, before walking towards her. “It’s called having survival instincts—something that you obviously don’t have.”

“Nope!” She smiled before roughly patting me on the back, causing me to trip forward. “And if you want to do anything worth two shits down here, then you're gonna have to lose it too.”

“… I’m good.” I said, giving her a side eye, my shoulders slumping in annoyance. 

She once again shrugged before walking through the dark blue wooden door. “Fine, you're lost. Don’t blame me when you get blown up across half of Pride.”

“I’ll take my chances.” I answered, following behind her as we entered the poorly named establishment.

I wasn’t expecting much from the interior, but I was pleasantly surprised when I gazed upon its peculiar decorations.

It was a darkly lit and crammed room, with what must have been hundreds of bottles and beakers filling its insides. Multiple of which even had glass tubes connecting them, giving the room a weirdly colorful feel as liquids of different colors glowed in the bottles. Hell, there were so many that me and Cherri barely had enough room to walk shoulder to shoulder with each other.

“Jeez, this place looks like some fantasy alchemist's wet dream or something.” I muttered as I gawked at the estranged interior.

“Oh, you haven’t seen fucking anything yet.” Cherri mocked, knocking me out of my stupor. She gave me an annoying grin, as if she knew something that I didn’t. “Just wait till the show starts.”

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Show? What show—”

BOOM!

BOOM!

I quickly got my answer as two colorful pillars of smoke, blue and yellow, respectively, shot out in front of us, completely obscuring our former path ahead.

ZOOM!

I flinched at the sudden noise as I turned. I widened my eyes in shock as I saw that all the glass beakers and pipes, which once had unmoving colorful liquids inhabiting them, suddenly shook vehemently as the multicolored chemicals traveled through the tubes at alarming speeds.

“Wha-what the fuck is going on?!” I yelled before turning to Cherri in hopes of understanding something about the situation. Instead, however, I was met with that familiar smug grin across her face, eyeing me as if she enjoyed watching me freak the fuck out.

I was about to accuse her, demand she tell me what’s happening before—

“Who dares to enter my domain?!” A deep, booming voice rang out in the cramped room, shaking me to the core. I looked out, trying to find the source of the voice, before—

‘Oh, are you fucking kidding me?!’ I thought in fear as I stared back towards the wall of colorful smoke that had blocked our way before. The smoke still resided there, except that in addition, there was a large, intimidating shadow that encompassed the smoke. The shadow had its arms outstretched, as I was forced to look up in order to see the whole thing, asking me to feel like I was below whatever this creature was. ‘… does everything in this damn place need to be so extra?’

“You haven’t answered my question!” The voice once again spoke, feeling as if it shook the building with every word. “Who are you? And why have you entered my domain?”

“Um… we’re…” I muttered, looking back at Cherri, who still had a smile on her face. She was enjoying this way too much. “We are here to... um, buy some weapons?”

“WEAPONS?!” The voice spoke even louder, forcing me to instinctually cover my ears, despite the fact that I was already wearing a mask over my whole head. “So you are nothing more than those primitive barbarians. Be gone! I’m not in the mood to deal with your kind today.”

“I… I don’t think this is how stores—”

“I said begone!” The voice boomed again, more demanding than before. “If you continue to test my patience, then I’ll have no choice but too—”

“Do what? Blow out our eardrums?” Cherri suddenly spoke out with a cocky grin on her face, immediately shutting the voice up. “Because honestly, that sounds better than listening to the shit you're spitting out.”

“C-Cherri?!” The voice suddenly cried, seemingly recognizing Cherri’s voice, confusing me even further as it suddenly sounded terrified, or surprised at the very least. “I… I didn’t… oh fuck.”

“Ya, oh fuck indeed.” Cherri mocked, as she quickly picked up one of the empty beakers.

“Think fast.” She barked, before throwing the beaker into the darkness above us.

“Wh—wait!”

CRASH!

A loud crashing sound was heard, not dissimilar to that of glass breaking against something.

“Aw fuck!” The voice suddenly screamed as the shadow in the smoke disappeared. I was about to question it, until.

Bam!

“Ouch!”

Bang!

“Shit!”

Crack!

“Argh, that was a tender spot!”

Bam!

“fuck, why did I put that beam there?!”

Crack!

“Mother fucker!”

Bang!

I looked up into the darkness above, hearing the sound of something constantly banging into what I suspected to be wooden support beams, which were filled by someone screaming in pain.

“Should we… Should I ask what—”

“Nah, he’ll be done in a few more seconds.” Cherri cut me off, once again fanning the flames of confusion in my mind. 

“He? Who’s he?” I asked, hoping to get some explanation for all of this. Until—

Bang!

I was startled backwards, watching as a figure fell through the darkness above, landing roughly on the floor ahead of us. I looked on in confusion as I saw what I could only describe as an angler fish, human hybrid laying in pain on the floor.

“Motherfucker! Why did I make this place have such a high roof?!” The figure screamed out in pain as he rolled on the floor. Before his eyes widened in seething anger, directed straight at Cherri.

“What the fuck was that for cyclops!” He screamed, causing Cherri to laugh out loud, as if she just heard the most hilarious joke in the world. This only seemed to further annoy the angler fish… thing. “Oh come on! Stop laughing at my misery, you one-eyed fucker!”

“Hahahaha, but it’s fucking hilarious watching you squirm!” She laughed out before she began to calm herself down as her laughter slowly subsided. “Phew. So, how have you been, Baxter?”

“Decent... until you plagued my establishment with your presence.” The newly named Baxter spoke while slowly beginning to stand up. “I really do need to work on the visibility up there. I wouldn’t have bothered with the whole smoke shtick if I knew it was just you.”

“Umm… Sorry if I’m interrupting something, since you two are obviously familiar with each other.” I suddenly intervened, gaining both of their attention as they stared at me. I pointed at Baxter as I looked back at Cherri. “But… who is this?”

“Someone who is clearly of a more intellectual mind than you.” Baxter crossed his arms, before side-eyeing Cherri. “Especially if you're accompanying this cyclops.”

“Missed you too; fish for brains.” Cherri chuckled before placing her hands on her hips and walking between us. "Anyways, Kevin, this is Baxter, my supplier. Baxter, this is Kevin, my new partner in crime!”

“Partner in crime?” Baxter looked at her in disbelief. “That’s a fancy way of saying your new meat shield.” 

“Um… Sorry, did you just say—”

"Oh, come on, Bax, don’t have such little faith in him; he can take care of himself.” Cherri said, cutting me off before shrugging slightly. “I mean, I’m pretty sure he won’t die too quickly.”

“… How reassuring of you.” Baxter said, rolling his eyes beneath his yellow goggles. He then sighed as he walked down the hall, the smoke now completely cleared. “Come on. I’m sure you're here for some weapons or some other shit like that.”

“Hehe, you know me so well, Bax.” Cherri laughed before hitting me on the shoulder, signaling for me to follow. “Come on, let's go Kev!”

“Oh, ok.” I answered cautiously before following behind Cherri as we were led further into the building by her… fishy friend.

‘Speaking of which, I should probably ask about that.’ I thought before leaning close to Cherri as we continued to walk, whispering in her ear so Baxter couldn’t hear us.

“So… What’s the history between you two?” I asked her, hoping to get some answers. She chuckled at my question before leaning over to me.

“Oh, it’s nothing like that. We aren’t fucking if that’s what you were curious about.”

“… n-no… That’s not even close to what I was talking about.” I responded, not even surprised that’s where her mind immediately went. “I mean, how do you two know each other? And why are we even here?”

“Oh, that’s what you meant. Well, it’s nothing too complicated.” Cherri responded, giving a small smirk, showing that she clearly did know what I was referring to before. “We just met how any normal people in Hell meet. In the middle of a turf war!”

“… you know what. I’m not even surprised at this point.” I said dejectedly, sighing in my hands before looking back up.

“Yep! Pretty nasty one too. It was a fucking shitshow, thanks to Mr. Fish for brains over there.” She pointed her thumb towards Baxter, who has seemingly not heard us yet. “Don’t get me wrong, the guys weak as fuck. But even I have to admit that he raised literal hell on that battlefield with his fancy potions. Nearly cost me my one good eye fighting the bastard!”

“And how did that lead the two of you to becoming… whatever the fuck you have going on here?” I asked, perplexed by how they could’ve ended up in this position. At my inquiry, Cherri simply held in a chuckle before leaning back over to me.

"Well, basically, after I beat the fucker up pretty good, he begged for his life and all that typical shit.” Cherri answered quietly as we continued to follow the man we were discussing. “Usually I wouldn’t give two shits about someone begging for their life, but I had to admit that his items packed some serious firepower. So in exchange for letting him go, along with some other shit he wanted, he agreed to supply me with weapons with his newest concoctions. The fucker doesn’t like dealing in weapons, but I made sure I was the exception.”

I nodded, beginning to understand the whole arrangement they had. “Ok, that makes sense, I guess. Still, what kind of weapons can you make out of... whatever these potions are?”

“You’d be surprised. I mean, fuck knows I was when we fought, and they’ve only gotten better at blowing shit up over time!” Cherri responded, seemingly louder than before, as Baxter stopped in his tracks, looking back at us with an annoyed expression.

“It’s not about it ‘blowing shit up’ Cherri, I’ve told you already, it’s a very complicated and meticulous chain reaction with the air around it, causing the atoms in the concoction to become unstable and—”

“Blah blah, science nerdy shit. I don’t care as long as it sends those fuckers packing!” She screamed, cutting off Baxter as she punched her own palm. “Speaking of which, you told me you made a new thingymabob?”

“Oh my fucking god, how can you be so intolerable? If you don’t want to use the scientific name for it, then at least dumb it down to calling it a concoction you brainless cyclops!” Baxter screamed back, annoyed. Before giving a heavy sigh in an attempt to calm down. “But, to answer your inquiry, yes. I have.”

Baxter then continued walking ahead, leading us through an open door into a much wider room. The room was basically empty, apart from the single straw dummy that occupied the middle and a table with a large cloth over it to the side. 

“I have recently improved on my old KL-917 formula, the one I used to supply you with.” Baxter began as he walked over to the table and gripped the cloth. “Until recently, I’ve been having trouble increasing its explosive output by more than 0.0231 percent. That was, until I decided to experiment using a rare type of flower that is indigenous to the Wrath Ring.”

Baxter proceeded to remove the cloth, revealing a collection of glass beakers and tubes filled with a bright red liquid. There was also a bright red flower that was stuffed into a glass container on the side. The fish demon then walked over to the container, picking it up as if examining the flower.

“Because of Wrath’s already inhospitable environment, this specific flower gained a rather unique defensive trait. Whenever it was about to be plucked or trampled on or something of the like, it would implode, causing a minor explosion.” Baxter explained, resulting in me eyeing the flower in a new light… And immediately taking a cautious step backwards. Seeing this, the angler's fish-looking demon rolled his eyes. “Calm down; it’s not gonna explode anymore. I’ve already removed this flower’s ovule without triggering its defense mechanism. Which leads me to this.”

He places down the flower container, walking up to the closed beaker filled with red liquid, smiling maniacally as he grabs.

“This next part took a while to perfect. But eventually I managed to find the perfect way to combine the flowers ovule with my former KL-917 formula, creating my newest invention! The KA-666 explosive formula, with over a fifty percent increase in its explosive package!”

“That’s all you needed to say, Bax!” Cherri said excitedly as she grabbed the closed off beaker out of the squirming demon's hand, causing him to look angrily up at Cherri. “So, how exactly do I make this thing go boom?”

“First of all, you put that down! It’s not a toy!” Baxter screamed condescendingly, resulting in Cherri shrugging as she lowered the glass onto the table. 

“Thank you.” Baxter said, calming down after she complied, before reaching the desk and grabbing a small red ball, no bigger than a cherry. “As for how you activate the… boom, as you call it, It’s the same as the old formula; break the container and simply let the formula get into contact with air, and it’ll blow up.”

Baxter then walked away from us before lifting the small red ball high into the air. “Like so.” 

Baxter lightly tossed the item at the dummy in the center of the room, and—

BOOM!

A massive explosion rang out, shaking me to my core as I fell to the ground, pink smoke flying all around us. I widened my eyes in shock, seeing that the center of the room, which once held the star dummy, now had what looked like a ten by ten foot hole and also seemed to go multiple feet down, past the wooden floorboard.

“As you can see, I also took the liberty of giving it that special effect with the pink smoke, as you so often desire.” Baxter said smugly, as if proud of his own work. And to be honest, I couldn’t blame him; I’d be proud too if I could fit such a volatile explosion into such a small package. “So, what do you think?”

I looked nervously over at Cherri as Baxter said this, seeing her one eye wide and a massive Cheshire grin on her face. 

“Oh, this is gonna be fun.” She muttered before staring at Baxter. “How many you got?”

“Hmm, well, subtracting the one I just used for demonstration, I’d say I have about forty more of these in stock.” Baxter said, before nodding to Cherri. “I believe that is the usual amount you buy weekly, so I didn’t bother making any more—”

“I want eighty!”

“Wh-what!” Baxter suddenly exclaimed, shocked by Cherri’s declaration. “B-but why?”

Cherri chuckled at his question, her gaze slowly moved over to me, causing me to gulp back in fear. 

“Because I’m buying for two today.” Cherri answered slowly, turning to Baxter and giving a scary grin. “You can make forty more of those fancy bombs today, right?”

“W-well, no! I mean, they need to be tested, and if I rush the process, then—”

“Right?” Cherri cut him off, gazing at him with her intimidatingly large eye, causing him to shrink back in fear. And at this very moment, I think both Baxter and I were thinking the exact same thing.

‘She’s a monster!’

“I’ll— I’ll see what I can do.” Baxter finally said, as he left the room with an annoyed huff.

‘… I am really starting to regret my deal.’ I thought silently, seeing Cherri walk over to the hole caused by the explosion, as if admiring it. ‘… I swear, my life before this better be fucking cool. Because I swear to God, if I put up with all this shit and it turns out I’m just some 9-5 officer worker, then I’d probably just kill myself.’

I sighed, preparing myself for what was probably gonna be the next couple months of my life. 

‘… Fuck me.’

Notes:

Baxter: Ugh, I just hope I have a normal day with nothing weird happening.

Moon champion: Allow me to introduce myself!

Yep, the Moon champion has arrived! Or as he is also known, SCP-1233! I’ll be honest, I meant to introduce him LONG ago, but he was kinda out on the back burner for a while with all the other stuff I had planned. But he finally makes an appearance! And let me tell you? It’s quite the… experience writing for a character as nonsensical as him, who is arguably even more random then Bright.
Baxter was also introduced this chapter, which as some of you know is a character from Hazbin who hasn’t made an appearance yet, but is already pretty popular along the community. This is my rendition of them, so I’m curious what you all think of him and SCP-1233? Did you enjoy their characters? Also, do you all like the chemistry between Cherri and Kevin? I’m not sure how well I’m writing the dynamic between those two, so I’m curious what you all think.
Anyways, next week we finally catch up on good old Cain and the hotel, where things are FINALLY gonna start happening!
Anyways, we have also passed 300! And I just learned we are now the 3rd most liked SCP and Hazbin crossover on ao3! This means a lot, so thank you everyone who has shown me support during the creation of this story, it really means a lot!

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoy the story. Leave a comment if you have any questions, jokes, or suggestions. And I hope you all have an explosive day!

Chapter 21: First night at the hotel!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Cain awakens after spending a night at the hotel.

Notes:

“What would you sacrifice to protect someone else’s dream?”

Cain POV

 

I stared up at the ceiling, memorizing every speck of dust, every imperfection in the wood, every nail that was visible against the rough ceiling.

It was surprisingly calming to just observe these things, giving me a strange sense of belonging in a way. Sure, I know I’ll never stay in one place forever, but it’s these simple memories of the most minute details that follow me no matter where I go. It’s nice, calming even, to think back to every home I’ve ever lived in.

And this place, It’s probably one of the best I’ve ever stayed in… which makes my next decision even harder to think about.

‘…  Sorry Charlie.’ I thought silently, laying on my maroon bed. It was a relaxing sleep, all things considered, despite the fact that I really don’t require rest to go about my daily life. ‘You’ve been nothing but nice to me... and yet the nicest thing I can possibly do for you is to stay far, far away from your dream.’

I sighed, banishing the thoughts to the back of my mind. I slowly arose from the sweet embrace of the woolen bed. Looking down, I realized I had accidentally slept in my makeshift rag outfit that I made the day prior, hiding my… humanity from the demons in Hell.

Chuckling at the realization, I walked across my nicely furnished room towards the door, examining the maroon wood as I did so. It was strange; none of these boards seemed to deteriorate in my presence like regular wood does, or if they did, it was so slow that it was practically imperceptible.

‘Strange, perhaps the wood that’s grown down here in Hell has different properties compared to earth, making my curse ineffective on it.’ I thought silently as I pressed my metal hand against the door handle, opening it slightly as I made my way into the hall. ‘Maybe because it was grown in Hell, it’s already considered dead or something?’

I would’ve loved to question the implications of this more, seeing as I was so preoccupied the day before that I completely failed to take notice of it. Still, I really didn’t have the motivation to question things like that for now.

I made my way through the halls, eventually reaching the main lobby. Looking around, I saw that it was currently unoccupied. It made sense, considering that I woke up at what I’d assumed Hell would consider an early morning.

I wandered around the lavish hotel lobby, admiring the clear skill and craftsmanship that must’ve gone into carving each and every intricate detail on the walls, and especially at its grand fireplace, which had a massive sigil over it that seemed similar to the sigil of Lucifer himself.

‘ I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Lucifer’s daughter and all that.’ I thought, still wrapping my mind around the idea that such a seemingly innocent and kind person like Charlie could possibly be related to who I’ve been told is the worst demon to have ever existed. The irony of which almost compelled me to laugh.

Tearing my gaze away from the fireplace, I noticed a separate door over in the far corner of the lobby. I eyed it curiously before deciding to make my way over. 

Opening the door, I was presented with an expansive kitchen, so expansive that it looked like it could hold twenty different chefs at once if it needed to. 

I admired the room; its bright white walls made me almost forget that I was in Hell. I entered the room, running my hand across the hard counter surface, until I eventually came across one of the fridges that decorated its interior.

‘Wait a second… Oh no.’ I silently worried as I opened the fridge door, sighing in annoyance as I saw its interior. 

‘Dammit Cain.’ I internally chastised myself as I saw that a portion of the fridge's contents, those being the exotic fruits and vegetables that originated from hell, were all completely expired and withered away, complimentary of my curse. ‘You idiot. You’ve been here for one day, and you’ve already ruined something… You ruin everything… I ruin everything.’

The thought caused me to freeze in place for a moment, processing my own turbulent thoughts that ran rampant in my mind. How was I going to explain this to Charlie? Maybe I should just leave; it would be easier for everyone that way.

‘Hehe, now look at me. I’m just making excuses.’ I chuckled sadly, as my eyes continued to explore the interior of the fridge. Luckily, my curse only affects things like plants, vegetables, vegetation, and so on, so all the meats and other items were perfectly fine. 

I remembered that I used to enjoy cooking quite a bit, even with my curse. Obviously, I never became very good, as I could never make anything with fruits or vegetables. Still, I remember every word in the cookbooks I used to read when I was bored, so I at least know the basics.

My eyes continued to gaze at the fridge's contents, eventually stopping at what appeared to be an open carton of red eggs. 

‘Red? Guess that must just be their natural color here.’ I thought absently before reaching out and grabbing the carton. I admired the exotic eggs for a second, before an idea came to my mind.

‘… maybe I could make them something? I mean, it’s the least I could do after everything they’ve done for me.’ I thought, reaching into the carton, before carefully pulling out one of the eggs and—

“Whatcha doing?”

“Hmm?” I startled out, nearly dropping the crimson egg, before looking for the source of the strange voice. I looked all around me before becoming confused as I failed to find anyone.

“Hey, down here!” The girlish voice sounded again, and this time I managed to pinpoint its direction. Looking down, I was surprised to see the strange, one eyed lady from the day prior. If memory serves, they called her Niffty. I didn’t really have the chance to speak with her before, as she ran off to do something the other night. 

“Oh, um… Hi Niffty, that’s your name, right?” I asked, resulting in her shaking her head up and down rapidly in confirmation, almost cartoonishly. In turn, I placed the cartridge of eggs I was holding on the counter. “Right, well, I didn’t really introduce myself to you the other day; I’m Cain—”

“Oh, I know!” She exclaimed joyfully, a massive smile on her face as she bobbed back and forth on her heels. “I’ve been watching you.”

“… I’m sorry, what?” I blurted out, confused by what she just said. “What... what do you mean by that?”

“You know, watching.” She exclaimed, her one large eye moving fast, as if examining every nook and cranny of my thrown-together outfit. “Man, you're filthy!”

“Uh? Oh, ya, I guess I—wait a second, can we go back to the whole watching thing?” I ask silently, perplexed by how she changed the subject so quickly. 

Before I had a chance to continue asking, however, she quickly jumped on me. This startled me for a second before I saw her scurry across my body like a bug, pulling out a feather duster out of god knows where, as she attempted to use the duster to clean my filthy outfit.

“Geez, you really are dirty. That won’t do!” She exclaimed as she continued to scurry around me with an impish fever before eventually stopping on my shoulder. “So… so much dust!”

She continued muttering to herself, seemingly saying incoherent gibberish as she dusted my head. I was going to let her continue doing whatever it was she was doing, not seeing much harm in letting her continue. That was until I saw her move her tiny hand under my hood in a clear attempt to remove it.

“Ok, that’s enough, Niffty.” I said silently as I gently grabbed her with both my hands, peeling her off my shoulder and holding her right in front of me. She seemingly let it happen, her hands going limp as a small, almost scary smile never left her face. “Thank you for the cleaning, but I’d prefer it if you wouldn’t remove my clothing.”

“But… But why?” She tilted her head in confusion, not understanding why I’d stopped her. That was until her eye widened, as if in realization. “OHHH, that’s right. You're a virgin!”

“… n-no, that’s not it.” I say, shaking my head, knowing she was referring to the conversation I had the day before with the rest of the hotel staff. “I mean, yes, it is true. But that isn’t why I stopped you.”

I moved, placing her on the floor as she continued to look up at me, acting like a confused child. 

“Some people have things they don’t like exposing about themselves, like secrets, if you will.” I spoke slowly, getting on one of my knees as I brought myself down to her level. “This is just my secret, something I don’t feel entirely comfortable talking about right now, do you understand?”

She continued to stare at me with an unreadable expression on her face. I suddenly felt a little awkward, realizing that I started talking to her like a child when, as a demon, she could be deceptively older than she appeared.

Suddenly, however, I saw her eye widen and her mouth open wide. I braced myself for whatever they were about to say before—

“BUG!” She screamed with a sadistic glint in her eye as she quickly jumped up to the counter, grabbing a large kitchen knife, before rushing past me.

I turned around, confused, before I watched as she began giggling madly, her knife held high as she began to chase what looked like a cockroach, which managed to dodge all of her attempts to stab it.

This didn’t stop the tenacious lady, however, as she continued laughing sadistically as she chased the small creature.

‘… I feel like I shouldn’t question this.’ I thought, chuckling a little as I watched her chase the bug, finding the whole scene strangely amusing. After a second, however, I turned back to the counter. I spot the eggs that I placed on it a moment prior, continuing my earlier contemplation. ‘I mean, it really is the least I could do.’

“… Hey Niffty.” I speak out loud, watching the impish girl halt her crusade against the bug before rushing back over to me, her knife still in hand. 

“Hey, if it’s ok, would you mind helping me with something?” I ask, watching the girl nod in response. I smile at the reaction, happy that this girl, regardless of how sadistic she may seem at first, does seem like a nice person.

“Alright, here’s the idea.”

 

---

Vaggie POV

 

“ Yawn, morning Charlie.” I yawned, rubbing the sand out of my eyes from the night prior. I looked up, confused, as I saw Charlie already dressed, walking back and forth in front of our window in a very worried fashion.

‘Oh no, we’re doing this already.’ I thought exasperated before allowing a smile across my face as I tore the sheets off me, walking over to Charlie.

“You ok, hun?” I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. The action caused her to flinch for a second. She turned towards me, causing me to spy two large bags beneath her eyes. “… Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night?”

“Uh? Oh no—I mean, ya, I’m fine!” She stuttered, in an obvious attempt to hide something. “Everything is A-OK. How about you, Vaggie? How’re you doing?”

I raised an eyebrow, watching her chuckle nervously. 

“You always were a terrible liar.” I mutter before gently grabbing her shoulders and guiding her body down to sit on the window sill. “Alright, what’s wrong? What do you need help with?” 

leaving zero room for discussion. I watched as Charlie looked away awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.

“Well, it’s just... What if he decides to leave?” She whispers silently, refusing to meet my gaze. I was confused for a second, until I remembered our newest guest at the hotel. “I mean, I know we came to a deal. But… But if I'm unable to even keep someone as nice as Cain here, then... then what chance do I have with the rest of Hell?”

“… Charlie, you know I love you, right?” I say silently. In response, I saw Charlie look at me a little confused before nodding. “Then you know I'm telling the truth when I say it doesn't matter whether or not that sinner stays here.”

“What?” Charlie blurted, staring at me wide-eyed. “Of course it matters. He's— He’s our first real guest! If we lose him then—”

“Then we’ll just wait for the next one.” I cut her off, pulling her in for a hug. “I know how much you care for these people, Charlie. And I promise you that one day, you will convince all of Hell in your dream.”

“… I… Thanks Vaggie.” Charlie responded, looking away. A small frown formed on my face, as I could tell that she still held some doubts.

“I’m… I’m gonna go check on Cain!” She blurted suddenly, as she quickly stood up and headed to the doors. “I mean, who knows? Maybe I'm doing all this worrying for nothing. Maybe he did decide to stay!”

“… Charlie—”

“Not time to waste Vaggie! It's time to do some redemption— Redeem—ya, it's time to do some redeeming!” Charlie excitedly proclaimed with newfound enthusiasm, before opening the door valiantly and quickly exiting the room before I had the chance to say anything.

“… Oh, this is gonna be a headache.” I sighed as I went to change into my hotel attire. 

As I did so, I couldn't help my mind from wandering back to the strange individual that found his way into Charlie’s hotel. I didn't trust him, not one bit. 

I know it's probably unfair to judge him before I even get the chance to know him. 

‘After all, that's what I did when I was an exterminator... Killing without even thinking of the lives I was ending.’ I thought solemnly, thinking back to that unpleasant part of my life, back when I was nothing more than one of Adam's bitches. ‘I always just assumed that just because they were in Hell, they must be irredeemable. I now know how stupid that was.’

I smiled, thinking back to when I met Charlie in the alley. The worry in her eyes is something I'll never forget.  The worry, the concern... The love. It was something I'd never felt in my life before—something that felt so alien. Yet, in that moment, I felt like I was more... ME, than I ever was while in heaven.

‘… Why am I thinking about this again?’ I internally questioned myself, finishing putting on my red vest.

I grimaced. Ever since Cain appeared, I've been thinking a lot more about Adam and heaven for some reason. Why?

‘Honestly, that's probably why I distrust him so much. That and Alastor’s strange excitement about his appearance.’ I internally realized as I left the room. Looking down the hallway, I saw Charlie nervously standing at the end of the hallway, no doubt waiting for me. I sighed before I ran out of the room to catch up to her. ‘Besides that, I don't like how unwaveringly nice he is. He seems like he should be heaven's poster child of a perfect human soul, yet he's down here in Hell. Why? He’s obviously hiding something. Something sinister.’  

As I was thinking this, I saw Charlie run up to hug me, apologizing for closing the door on me earlier. I smiled as I hugged her back, telling her it was ok, as she took my hand and led me down the hallway, towards the lobby.

I was once again reminded why I would do anything, and I mean anything, to protect Charlie. And if this stranger proves to be any sort of threat to her.

‘… Then I will kill him myself.’

 

---

Charlie POV

‘Its ok! You're totally fine! Totally, absolutely, positively fine!’ I thought encouragingly to myself as I nervously skitted across the rug, Vaggie’s hand in mine. ‘Its fine. You weren't too overbearing yesterday. I'm sure Cain was just... Just tired yesterday. I totally didn't upset him! Nope, not one bit!’

Despite what I was telling myself, I knew it was nothing more than encouragement to try and convince myself that Cain wasn't going to leave. He couldn't leave, right? I mean, we were so hospitable to him, right?

‘Shoot, maybe I should've planned some sort of welcome to the hotel party? Dammit, is he going to think that I don't care if he stays or not!?… I mean, I totally don't; he can do whatever he wants!… ButohmyLuciferIreallywanthimtostaycauseifhedoesntothenthatmeansIreallyamnotcutoutforthisand—’

“Charlie!” Vaggies voice suddenly sounded through my jumbled thoughts, bringing me back to the real world. I looked around, realizing we had made it all the way to the balcony overseeing the main lobby. I turned to my left, seeing Vaggie staring at me with concern in her eye. “Charlie, are you okay?" You kinda… started hyperventilating for a second there.”

“Hmm, oh ya! I'm fine and—” I was about to continue before I saw Vaggie once again eyeing me with an unconvinced expression on her face. “And... ok, fine. Ya, I'm just worried about it is all.”

“Charlie, I—”

“Worried about what sugartits?” A familiar voice sounded out from the hallways. Turning around, I smiled as I saw Angel Dust walking towards us, Husk closer behind them. “Worried that your new 'model guest’ is gonna hit the low road and fuck off?”

A frown instantly formed on my face. 

“Angel! Can't you have a little bit of fucking self-control!?” Vaggie instantly scolded Angel on my behalf. 

“What? I just read it as it is Toots.” Angel retorted back before sauntering past us. “Besides, I've got a good rest, and am ready for round two at seducing that virgin fucker! Took me all night, but I think I've discovered the perfect pose to... Hey, does anybody smell that?”

“Angel, if this is another one of your sexual innuendos, then zip it.” Vaggie said agitated, looking as if she had already had enough of Angel for one day. “Seriously, can’t you take Charlie's emotions seriously for one second?”

“No, that's not what I mean— Well, first of all, no, I can't— But I'm not fucking around here.” Angel said back, sniffing the air. “It smells like cooked toast or something... Wait, I'm not having another stroke, am I?”

“Angel I swear to... wait a second.” Vaggie cuts herself off, as if realizing something. She sniffed the air around her for a second before looking over the balcony. “… Um, Charlie. You didn't hire a chef without me knowing, did you?”

“No, why would I do that?” I respond, confused by the question. 

“No idea, it's just... it seems like someone’s made breakfast.” 

“Wait, seriously?” Angel intervened as he made his way to the balcony. I followed closely behind, slightly surprised as I noted a large table now occupied the center of the hotel lobby. There appeared to be an assortment of plates filled with eggs, toast, and other breakfast necessities. 

“Hot damn. Now we're talking!” Angel celebrated before quickly making his way down the stairs. “I'm fucking starving!”

I followed Angel down the stairs, with Vaggie and Husk close behind as we entered the main lobby. 

Upon closer inspection, I saw that there were six different plates on the table. Each of them has a collection of red scrambled eggs, two full things of purple toast, and a couple of sausages.

“Oh wow, compliments to the chef!" Angel remarked as he immediately sat down and began chowing down on the selection of food displayed out in front of him.

“Umm. Not to be that guy, Princess. But who the fuck made this?” Husk asked as he eyed the food warily, seemingly not trusting it. “Because the only two people I don't see right now who could've made this are Niffty and the fucking radio demon, and I don't trust either of them when it comes to food preparation.”

“ Aww, and here I thought you loved my Jambalaya Husker’s.” A static voice suddenly broke out from behind us, causing Husk to flinch and shift uncomfortably. 

“Speaking of the annoying bastard.” Husk mumbled below his breath as we turned around, seeing the familiar red coated demon with a radio stick in hand. 

“Now what the fuck do you want you… wait a fucking second.” Husk stopped himself as his eyes widened when he glimpsed at Alastor. He wasn't alone in this reaction either, as both Vaggie and Angel shared a similar reaction as they looked towards the radio demon. “Do you… are you hurt?” Husk muttered in disbelief, sounding more shocked than worried.

I looked away awkwardly as I caught a glimpse of Alastor’s damaged visage. He looked fine for the most part, with the exception of his right shoulder and hand. His right hand was covered in shadows, as if mimicking bandages. More obviously, though, his right shoulder had a massive scar on it, as if someone had cut through it, with blood still freshly coating it.

I shuddered as I remembered the night before, when I rushed into Alastor’s room. To his credit, he actually looked much better now compared to then. Before, it looked as if his entire shoulder had been torn off. Now, it only looks like it had a nasty scar, giving the allusion that the wound wasn’t nearly as bad.

“ Oh, it’s nothing you need to worry about, Husker!” Alastor cheerfully chimed as he leaned in and pinched Husk’s cheek, as if he were a child. Husk then batted his hand away on instinct; all curiosity over Alastor’s injuries vanished as he turned to sit at the table.

“Fucking… whatever.” Husk said, pulling out a bottle of beer from somewhere, and began downing the whole bottle.

Alastor simply chuckled at the action before walking up to the table and picking up one of the plates. “Now, no need for such a long face. After all, we have this scrumptious meal to look forward to!”

“Oh, so did you make it, Alastor?” I asked, hopeful. Maybe Alastor finally realized there’s real merit in my idea and has decided to finally show some compassion to—

“Ha! Not in the slightest, my dear!” 

‘And maybe I should stop having such high expectations.’ I dejectedly thought, my hope being crushed in a second. “Ok… But if you didn’t make it, then who did? Was it Niffty?”

“ A little. But no.” Alastor chuckled, taking a fork and digging it into the sausage on his plate before stuffing the whole thing in his mouth. 

I looked on in confusion as Vaggie shared a similar reaction of uncertainty. I was about to raise my voice to ask, but Alastor quickly raised his finger, silencing me before I had the chance to ask.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll find out soon. In the meantime, I believe I’m late for my morning tea!” Alastor chimed, quickly submerging himself into the shadows before we had a chance to ask a follow-up question. Vaggie huffed in annoyance at the action, before eyeing the food suspiciously. Meanwhile, I was left thinking about who else could’ve made the meal.

‘I know it isn’t any of us. And according to Alastor, it wasn’t him or Niffty either.’ I thought, beginning to put the pieces together. ‘Besides them, that leaves only one more person in the hotel, and... wait, did Cain—’

Bam!

The door to the kitchen swung open, gathering everyone’s attention. Looking at the doorway, I saw Vaggie’s eye bug open at what she saw. I shared a similar reaction, to be fair, as it was… not what I was expecting.

“Wow. I know I said this already, but hot damn!” I heard Angel whistle from her seat.

“… yes, these are indeed hot. Just finished cooking.” Cain responded as he walked out of the kitchen door holding a plate stacked with multiple blue-colored pancakes. Also sitting on his shoulder was the familiar visage of Niffty, who was holding a container of syrup while cackling madly.

Most strangely, though, was the fact that despite his entire body being covered in robes and rags, he has a bright pink apron covering him. This led to a… strange image.

“Wait… is that Charlie’s apron?” Vaggie asked, recognizing the apron that was currently adorning him. I followed her gaze and realized that yes, it was indeed mine.

Cain hummed as he looked down at his attire before staring back up at us. “I suppose it is... sorry, I hope you don’t mind me using it. I can take it off if you wish.” 

“N-no, it’s totally fine!” I quickly said, cutting Vaggie off before she had the chance to say anything. 

She looked at me, somewhat annoyed, but held her tongue as she continued to eye Cain with wariness.

“Anyways… Did you make this Cain?” I asked, a hopeful glint present in my eyes as I watched him place the pancakes on the table, using a fork to move one onto each of our plates. Niffty similarly placed the syrup down before returning to her position on Cain’s shoulder.

“Well, Niffty did give me a lot of help.” He responded, scratching the back of his head as he signaled to the one eyed demon on his shoulder, who nodded with a feverish passion. 

“Yep. I killed so many bugs!” Niffty chimed as she held up one of her sewing needles proudly, multiple dead bugs impaled on it. “Oh, and I helped give him ingredients! All the vegetables expired for some reason, so we couldn’t make anything with those.”

“Wait, what?” Vaggie questioned, eyebrow raised. “But we just restocked, didn’t we?”

“Ya… sorry, it was my fault.” Cain interjected, his head held low in guilt. “Sorry. I hope this breakfast… somewhat makes up for the loss.”

“Wha—wait, how did you—”

“Of course, it’s totally fine, Cain!” I interjected, stopping Vaggie from questioning our guest about the topic. I’ll admit, I’m a little curious about what he did, but I'm not gonna make him talk about it if he’s obviously uncomfortable. 

‘Besides, if he’s making breakfast, that could mean he decided to stay!’

“Ok… that’s nice.” Cain muttered before he gently grabbed Niffty, who was still riding on his shoulder, and gently placed her down in front of one of the plates. “Anyways… I hope you enjoy the meal. I admit I’m no professional chef, but I’ve read a couple of cook books before.”

“Oh, ok! Let’s…” I stopped myself as I noticed something. Minus the plate that Alastor took, there were only five more plates of food on the table. Aren’t there six of us?

“Um… hey bondage man.” Angel suddenly raised his voice, looking towards Cain with a questioning gaze in his eyes. “I know that not everybody in Hell passed the first grade, but I think you miscounted. There are seven of us; I only counted six before Alastor left with him.” Angel pointed out, bringing up the same question I had myself.

In response, Cain merely shook his head in disregard. “No, there was no mistake. I made food for each of you. I believe there are only six of you in this hotel.”

"Well, yeah, but... where’s yours?” Vaggie asked suspiciously, poking at her food with a fork.

“Oh, I didn’t want to waste anymore of your ingredients, so I disregarded making myself a meal.” Cain explained, as if it were the most obvious solution in the world. This caused the rest of us to look up with varying degrees of shock… except for Niffty, who was too busy stabbing her food relentlessly.

“So… You made food for all of us, but none for yourself. Is that right?” Vaggie questioned, her suspicions about the meal in front of her doubling as Cain nodded. “Hmm… suspicious.”

“No, it isn’t suspicious!” I quickly chimed in, trying desperately to get Vaggie’s suspicion on our first—er, second guest to diminish. Still, I looked back over to Cain. “But why? I don’t mind at all if you use the kitchen. Heck, you can have everything in the kitchen if you want, and—”

“Charlie.” Cain gently cut me off, raising a single hand to silence me diplomatically. I complied and watched as he turned his head towards the door, removing the bright pink apron and placing it on one of the chairs. “I… appreciate everything you’ve done for me. You have treated me with kindness that I never thought possible in Hell. Kindness that I’m not deserving of.”

“What?” I unconsciously said, confused as to why this sinner constantly seemed so against any kindness given to him. “Cain, of course you deserve kindness. That’s what this whole hotel is about!”

“Yes, it is. It is a beautiful hotel. A shimmering oasis in the badlands that is Hell… and that is exactly why I don’t believe I can stay here.” Cain said silently, immediately causing me to panic.

“Wh-what? But—but I thought that maybe—I mean, there’s still so much we can do!” I tried desperately to convince him to stay, as I began muttering about all the amazing stuff we haven’t had the chance to do yet. “Really, I have so much stuff planned! Like— Like trust falls! The name game! Scrapbooking! There’s still so much we haven’t even done yet and—”

“Charlie!” I was suddenly cut off by Vaggie’s voice, cutting through the static that invaded my mind. I looked back, seeing that she made her way over to me, her hands resting on my shoulder as she gave me a concerned smile. “Charlie, calm down.”

I looked past her, seeing that both Angel and Husk were giving a similar expression, one of worry. Of concern.

“I—I'm sorry.” Cain’s voice suddenly broke through again, causing me to turn around. 

I saw him looking away in guilt, as if he felt responsible for some reason.

“I— I really do just ruin everything.” He whispered to himself, but I was close enough to barely make it out. “I’m sorry for tainting your dream, Charlie... I’ll leave before I make anything worse.”

Cain then stepped on his back foot before he began walking towards the door.

“Wait, Cain!” I called out, watching as Cain froze at my words. I took a deep breath, breaking out of Vaggie’s grip as I slowly walked over to him. “… So, you’ve really decided to leave?”

“Yes… once again, thank you for letting me stay the night, Charlie. It... means more than you think.” Cain said, looking me in the eye. Or at least I assume he was, with the hood covering his entire face. “But as I said when we met, I don’t… deserve to be redeemed. Because of that, it’d be unfair for me to take advantage of your generosity and continue to stay here. I’m sorry.”

...

...

...

I stood there in silence, contemplating my choices. On the one hand, Cain, the kind sinner who helped pull me up when I was at my lowest, was now leaving my hotel… my first guest to leave. 

A part of me wanted to force him to stay, use my powers as the princess of Hell to do… something, anything, to help him! To show him he was deserving of all the kindness I could give!

‘But... that’s not how you want to do this .’

I raised my head, looking straight at Cain, before forcing a somber smile on my face.

“In that case… thank you for staying at the Hazbin hotel.” I attempted to sound joyful as I said it, though it probably came out more regretful than anything. “I… We hope you enjoyed your stay.”

“… I did. Thank you, Charlie. For everything—”

CREAK!

Cain’s farewell was cut short, however, as the door slowly creaked open.

I saw Cain raise his head in surprise as he stepped to the side, allowing me to see who entered through our doors.

I watched as two individuals, each wearing a gas mask and heavy coats, walked into the hotel, the one in the back even carrying a box, while the one in the front had a gun gripped harshly in his hands.

Everyone in the hotel stared surprised at these two individuals, who similarly froze beneath everyone’s gaze. 

They were unmoving for a moment, until the one in front cleared his throat roughly before speaking up.

“Um… sorry. But is this the Hazbin hotel?”

Notes:

Andrew and Paul have finally made it to the hotel! Besides that, I don’t really have much else to say. My only question is, did you enjoy this chapter? And do you enjoy Cain as a character in this story?

Anyways, leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or jokes. Drop a kudos if you enjoyed the chapter. And I hope you have a fantastic day!

Chapter 22: My name is Cain.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Paul and Andrew finally make it to the hotel, making a shocking discovery.

Notes:

“What would you consider a secret? And what would you do to hide it?”

Paul POV

“This is stupid, this is stupid, I can’t believe how stupid this is.” I muttered to myself before turning my gaze towards my similarly dressed friend, carrying the cardboard box. “And I can’t believe I was stupid enough to let you talk me into this.”

Andrew rolled his eyes in response. “Oh please. I know you're trying to stick to your ‘hardened soldier’ shtick or whatever, but you have to admit that sleeping in the middle of an alleyway in FUCKING HELL isn’t that comfortable.”

I scoffed at Andrew’s response before looking back ahead of us. We were currently walking up an unnecessarily long hill, leading to the large visage of the so-called Hazbin hotel.

It honestly wasn’t that hard to find, sticking out like a sore thumb upon this hill's peak. It almost seemed like a shining beacon among the outskirts of the hellish city.

“… I still don’t like it. Staying in a hotel of all places in a hostile environment is the last thing you should do.” I slowly explained, straining my head upwards as I bore witness to the ungodly height of the apparent hotel. “Besides, we’re basically broke. Even if this isn't shady as fuck, which I doubt, there’s almost no chance we'll have enough money to pay for it. All we have is pocket change from those gasser demons.”

Andrew’s smile slowly disappeared from his face as he looked down towards the box carrying the dangerous anomaly.

“… I’m not an idiot; I know that.” Andrew sighed as he hugged the box closer to his chest. “But… I don’t know; call me hopeful that something good might happen.”

“Good? In Hell?” I replied, causing Andrew to shift uncomfortably. “No offense, Andrew, but maybe you’ve been designated to look over one too many safe class anomalies if that’s your thought process.”

“Ya… maybe.” He responded silently, looking to the side in guilt. “If… if you think it’s a bad idea, we can just… leave, I guess.”

I stopped in my tracks, turning back to stare at the doctor. My sudden actions surprised him for a second, as he nearly tripped on his own two feet.

“… Andrew, are you okay?" I suddenly questioned the scientist, causing him to stare in uncertainty.

“What... what do you mean by that?” He asked, puzzled by my sudden questioning.

“Are you like... How do I say this… like mentally, are you doing good?” I elaborated poorly, resulting in the confusion continuing to stir in him. “I’m terrible at describing stuff like this, but... do you need therapy or something?”

“...Quite the sudden question.” Andrew chuckled, lifting his hand to scratch the back of his head. “I mean, obviously. It’d be weirder if I didn’t need to schedule a one-on-one session with Glass after all of this. But—”

“Andrew. Stop mumbling.” I cut him off harshly. I sighed into my hand before continuing. 

“That’s not what I meant when I said... You know what, I’m not qualified for this.” I sighed before placing a hand on my friend's shoulder. “It’s good you're at least sort of self-aware. But the point is, Andrew, you're acting extremely differently than normal.”

“… what does that mean?” He asked, looking at me strangely. I can’t really blame him, though, as I’ve never been trained for something like this. Plus, situations like this make me extremely uncomfortable.

“It’s just that you don’t usually act this—my god, how do I say this?—you don’t usually act this much like a pussy.” I finally ended up saying, shocking the recipient of the critique. I didn’t stop, however, as I began to walk away. “And it’s not just that. You're acting extremely irrationally, and you're also never this clumsy. The Andrew I know from the foundation would never make these kinds of mistakes you're currently making.”

"Oh, come on, name one time I was clumsy—”

“Forgetting your gas mask.”

“Touché.” He responded before quickly shaking his head.

“I mean. Ok, yes, I admit that I’m a bit frizzled, but can you blame me? It’s just culture shock or some shit. It’s not like—”

“Look, just forget it. We can talk about this more when we have a proper safe room setup.” I sighed, wanting to end this conversation as I saw it start to go in circles. “Just remember that our lives are on the line out here. I know I can’t blame you for being clumsy. just… be more careful, alright?”

Andrew shyly nodded, causing me to once again sigh. This whole situation is really taking a mental toll on the doctor, though I can't really hold him accountable for his actions. Most people aren’t trained to handle high-stress situations like this, much less Andrew, someone who was pulled into the insanity of the foundation during his adulthood for simply looking too deep past the veil.

‘Though, I guess that’s the fate of everyone who asks one too many questions.’ The disturbing thought passed through my head as we finally made it to the top of the hill. ‘Those who decide to look past the veil are doomed to be consumed by it.’

“Hehe, you know, they could’ve at least invested in putting an escalator on this thing.” Andrew attempted to joke, trying to lighten up the mood after I, admittedly, shit all over it. 

I gazed up at the large, crimson building. A large, glowing neon sign decorated its top, confirming this was the Hazbin hotel. Along with it were also multiple neon arrows, their appearance almost giving the impression that the building itself was begging for us to come in. This thought disturbed me a bit, but I decided it wasn’t enough to call off the whole idea.

Besides that, there was also a large pirate ship that seemingly stuck out of the left side of the building, with what I can only assume to be a radio tower at the top of the building on the same side.

The entrance to the building also had a walkway, not dissimilar to one you’d find in old movie theaters. This gave me the impression that movies, or potentially theatrical performances of some kind, were a big part of the hotel's motif.

“They probably didn’t have the funds for an escalator after building A hotel this complicated.” I attempted to return the joke as I observed the tall building. “… You ready?”

Andrew nodded sharply at my question, gripping the box with 999 in it even harder. 

I turned back towards the door, gripping my rifle even tighter as I reached out towards the door handle, and slowly opening the door with a deafening creak.

The door widened enough to allow me and Andrew to enter. I made sure I was positioned in front of him protectively in case something went terribly wrong.

Stepping in, I was beheld by a… peculiar scene.

To start off, the hotel's main lobby was lavishly decorated with crimson red decorating most of the walls, accented with lines of golden yellow, before leading up to stairs that led to a higher floor. There were also two cubbies to the side, one of which held what appeared to be a bar, with the walls suddenly changing to a sort of darker blue. Besides that, the other cubby had a fireplace as well as a long table that decorated it. The table was filled with a myriad of different breakfast items, as well as four rather colorful creatures sitting down at it, looking towards us with obvious interest.

Besides them, there were also two more figures standing in the hall directly ahead of us. One of them appeared to be dressed in nothing but rags, not exposing even a shred of skin. Besides them, there was also a wide-eyed woman who was standing next to the figure.

The women had large yellow eyes with golden iris’s. She also possessed white skin, two scarlet red blush marks on her cheeks, and was wearing extremely professional attire, making me believe she worked at this hotel.

My gaze was torn away from analyzing them, however, as I realized all the eyes in the room were directed squarely at us, as if in shock.

‘Great, and here I was hoping to keep a low profile.’ I grumbled internally before releasing a loud cough in hopes of easing the tension.

“Um… sorry. But is this the Hazbin hotel?” I eventually ended up saying, hoping to sound just like another customer, which I’m sure a hotel this lavishly decorated has plenty of.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Awkward silence emanated throughout the room at my question.

‘… Dammit, I messed up already, didn’t I?’ I asked myself, angry at my inability to understand the situation ahead of me. ‘… maybe we should just leave. It’d be less weird to leave now before one of them actually says something—’

“Oh… My… LUCIFER!” The white-skinned women squealed like an excited schoolgirl, knocking every single anomalous creature out of their stunned expressions.

She quickly looked over to the rag-dressed individual before rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. “Um… I’m sorry, but do you mind if I—”

“By all means, go right ahead, Charlie.” The robbed figure allowed, causing the glimmer in the woman's eyes, now identified as Charlie, to brighten as she quickly made her way over to us at an alarming speed.

I nearly raised my gun out of instinct, wanting to defend myself from the high-speed object. But she managed to make it all the way towards me and grip my hand before I had the chance to lift the gun.

“Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!” She excitedly proclaimed while shaking my hand with a relentless passion, completely ignoring the gun in my hands. Her shaking caused temporary dizziness as I struggled to reorient myself. 

“How can we help you?” She asked excitedly, releasing my hand from her iron grip.

“Um… can we get a room?” Andrew ended up asking on my behalf, as I was too busy making sure I didn’t have any broken fingers. Thankfully, I didn’t.

“Oh, you're here to stay? Yes!” The… overstimulated demon girl celebrated as she grabbed both of our shoulders and quickly brought us over to the middle of the lobby next to the robe wearing individual she was speaking to before.

“Oh my Lucifer, I am so excited you decided to stay at the hotel!” She exclaimed as she opened her arms wide, as if showing off the large room. “Anyways, this is the lobby! This is where we hang out, eat, do trust exercises, and so much more! Oh, you also probably want your room keys! I don’t have them on me, but you can have whatever room you want in the hotelandifyouwantustodecorateyourroomimtotallyokwiththataswell—”

“Charlie!” Another voice spoke out. Looking to the side, I noticed it came from the gray-skinned demon with long white hair, also wearing what looks like hotel staff attire. “Charlie, you're doing that thing again.”

“Oh… Oh! I am so sorry!” Charlie immediately apologized, inherently knowing what the other demon was talking about. She chuckled as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. “Sorry. Sometimes I just ramble on about stuff when I’m excited.” 

“That’s… alright.” I started slowly, looking across the colorful menagerie of demons that decorated the building's interior. “… I’m sorry, but I’m just curious. We don’t have a lot of money, so how much does a room here cost?”

At my inquiry, I saw Charlie raise an eyebrow in confusion. It looked as if she was about to say something, but the gray-skinned woman from before spoke up in her place.

“You don’t have to pay anything; it’s free.” She explained slowly. This action immediately caused a round of confusion to stir up within me again. This news seemed to excite Andrew a fair bit, but I wasn’t as easily convinced.

“… Free?” I asked, attempting to clarify.

“Yep, completely free!” Charlie spoke up this time with a wide, unnerving smile. “As long as you agree to partake in our rehabilitat—”

“Let’s go, Andrew.” I say, already halfway back to the main door, dragging Andrew behind me from his coat.

“W-what?” Both Andrew and Charlie stuttered in surprise, neither expecting my reaction.

“Yep, we’re leaving. This was a mistake. And I’m not spending another second here.” I objectively stated, leaving no room for discussion as I continued dragging him along. 

“Jeez, the poor fuckers left before she even got to the rehabilitation shit.” I heard the four-armed demon at the table joke, resulting in a scornful side eye from the gray-skinned demon.

“W-wait, why are you leaving?” The rosy cheeked demon suddenly asked, ignoring her other guests' remark, shock evident in her voice as she quickly ran towards us. 

I stopped my march out of the building at this as I turned around and gave her a side eye. Though she obviously couldn’t see it through the mask, it’s clear she got the message as she awkwardly stopped her advance towards us before shaking her head.

“I mean… why are you leaving?” She asked quietly, almost making me rethink the whole situation by just how sad she appeared… Almost being the definite word. "Why did you... did I do something—”

“Nope. This is just shady as fuck.” I cut her off, causing her to stagger back in surprise. I turned back toward her before sighing. “Do you think we’re idiots or something?”

“Ya… wait, why are we leaving?” Andrew ended up asking, seemingly equally confused. I sighed into my hand at his reaction.

“… Sorry, let me rephrase that. Do you think I’m an idiot?” 

“N-no, of course not!” The suited demon stuttered, only furthering my suspicion. “Nobody here thinks you're an idiot—”

“I do!” The four-armed demon at the table mocked, resulting in her immediately getting hit in the back of the head by the gray-skinned demon.

“Not the time, Angel!” 

“… um, but seriously. Why are we leaving?” Andrew eventually whispered curiously into my ear, and I could only release a sigh of annoyance. I like Andrew, but he’s been nothing but an airhead since we arrived. But I guess that’s what a couple of near-death encounters do to a man.

“Do you seriously not see what’s wrong with this? We’re in Hell.” I started back, gaining the attention of most everyone else in the hotel. I didn’t care, however, as even if they heard it  my decision wouldn't change. “They just said this hotel was free… We’re in Hell… Do you not see the problem here?”

“Ya? Isn’t that good…  Oh." Andrew reclined down a tiny bit, as if realization was dawning on him. “Oh… yeah, I see the problem now.”

“Hmmh.” I hummed, knowing that he understood how god awful of an idea it is to stay at a ‘free’ hotel, especially one this nice.

‘It would be bad enough if this were the real world, but this is literal Hell. Nothing is free in the human world, so there’s no chance anything is actually free down here. There’s obviously some condition or scam at play here, and I don’t want to hang around long enough to find out what it is.’ 

“Well, if—um, something is making you uncomfortable, then I’m sure we can fix it right up to fit your standards!” The white-skinned demon once again blurted out, desperation almost present in her voice as she was speaking. This act only furthered my suspicion that something shady was going on here. “If you stay the night at least, then we can show you that there’s nothing—”

“Ya. No offense, but I’m not planning on being raped and murdered today. Especially not in that order. So we’ll be leaving now.” I cut her off, seemingly shocking her once again at my sudden accusation.

“Wh-what? Why would we—”

“Oh my fucking god, I’m not dealing with this.” I said, continuing my march out of the building while talking, not even bothering to turn around to address. “Look, you may be a good actor with how you're all distraught, but I’m not enough of an idiot to believe any goodwill exists in Hell. I’m not gonna play your game, so goodbye.”

“B-but I—”

“Um, if I may speak.” A smooth, masculine voice spoke out. I froze for a second, confused… Do I know that voice? “As a former guest, I can speak on Charlie’s behalf for her character.”

I turned, coming face-to-face with the ragged and robed individual who seemed to have found his way right behind me as I attempted to exit the building.

As I turned around, I also noticed that the long-haired, gray-skinned demon had also made her way next to the demon called Charlie, hand on her shoulder, in a comforting fashion. I also saw that she was giving me a… rather fierce glare with her one visible eye.

“… Look, I’m not in the mood to deal with this. It was a mistake coming here.” I explained adamantly, once again causing Andrew to shrink back in guilt. I did feel a little bad and was more mad at myself than anything else. It was idiotic for me to ignore my training by listening to Andrew's request. Our survival is much more important than our personal comfort. Making unnecessary risks like this is the last thing people should do in situations like this. 

“So, if you don’t mind, we’ll be leaving.” I tried to end the conversation, but was stopped as the robed figure gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

In response, I quickly shifted on my foot and knocked his hand off, quickly raising my gun and aiming it straight at him.

“Cain!” One of the demons from the back screamed, though I couldn’t tell who. Looking past him, I saw the rest of the demons standing, each of them tensing as if ready to pounce.

‘… shit, I just escalated the situation.’ I thought, worriedly, as I saw the robed figure hadn't moved a single muscle, as if he didn’t even notice a gun was pointed at him. ‘Dammit, maybe if I just back up slowly, then I can—’

“Oh, it’s you people.” The robed figure suddenly said, as it looked as if he were staring straight at my P90. “I thought I recognized this kind of gun. Have you come to collect me already?”

I froze, confused, as the cloaked man stood calmly in front of me, their eyes pearling away from the gun, and began looking at me.

“… what?” I ended up saying, not sure what this person was referring to. What did he mean by collecting him?

In response to my inquiry, he simply pointed to the gun in my hands. 

“I wasn’t sure at first, but I remember this is the exact model used by security personnel.” He explained, only causing a nervous feeling to rise within me. “So, correct me if I’m wrong, but... are you with the foundation?”

‘—WHAT IN THE ACTUAL LIVING FUCKSHOW OF A LIFE!’ I thought… calmly… Ya, let’s go with calmly and not me freaking the fuck out.

I quickly jumped on my back foot, getting straight in front of the equally confused doctor. My fingers gripped even harder around my trigger, ready to fill everyone in this room with lead.

“You—how the fuck do you know us!?” I screamed, ignoring the confused looks we were given by the other demons in the room.

“Ah, it appears I was correct.” The figure once again answered calmly, before scratching the back of his head with a strange calmness. “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure you were with them.”

“That doesn’t answer my fucking question!” I demanded harshly, ready to cover Andrew if he needed to make an escape. If it wasn’t for this demon's nonchalant attitude, I would’ve already exterminated him. Obviously, though, there was more to this, so I managed to hold myself back. “So tell me... who. The fuck. Are you—”

Sling

“Funny, I was gonna ask you the same fucking thing after you drop your gun.”

My eyes widened as I felt a cold piece of metal press against the bottom of my neck. Rotating my eyes to the right, I saw that the gray-skinned demon from before somehow made her way across the entire room without me realizing, and was holding a spear to my neck, its tip glowing a hot white.

‘Shit, how did she sneak up on me?!’ I thought in panic as I saw Andrew fall backwards, clutching the box even tighter to his chest.

“Now, you are gonna lower your gun and—”

Click.

The cocking of a gun caught all of our attention once again, as I managed to see, out of the corner of my eye, Andrew pulling out a small pistol from the inside of his outfit that I had given him. One hand was still clutching the box, while the other was shakily pointing the gun straight at the gray-skinned demon's head.

“D-drop the spear.” Andrew managed to say, not exactly managing to sound confident, but determined.

“Vaggie!” The white-skinned demon from before screamed, identifying the gray-skinned demon. However, she didn’t dare to move, as an uneasy silence passed through the room as the stalemate continued.

“…”

“…”

“…”

… Crunch.

The stalemate took a sudden pause as everyone turned toward the crunching sound. To where we saw the four armed demons had somehow grabbed a box of popcorn, munching on it as they watched our current situation.

“Hmm, oh, don’t let me ruin the show!” The four-armed demon laughed between mouthfuls of popcorn. The winged feline demon, who was also at the table, walked up to him to grab a handful of popcorn from his companion while this was going on. “This is getting intense!”

“Your not FUCKING HELPING Angel!” The demon, who was now identified as Vaggie, muttered angrily as her one eyed, deviled glare never left me or Andrew.

Angel, the ironically named demon, rolled his eyes at the declaration. “Come on, of course I’m helping Toots. I’m making sure none of them sneak away.”

“You don’t need to—”

“And how would they sneak away? They’re right fucking here!” Vaggie once again stated, cutting the cloaked figure off. “If you want to actually help, how about you shoot the guy holding a gun to my head?”

“Um, as I was trying to—”

“H-hey, you shoot me, and I’ll shoot her!” Andrew added, trying to sound intimidating.

“It doesn’t need to come to—”

“No, you will not!” The white-skinned demon known as Charlie finally spoke, her voice sounding much louder. Even her eyes seemed to take a bit of a redder, more crimson shade.

“Can I please just—”

“Fine, we can just forget about all of this, as long as he talks!” I finally demanded, issuing my words towards the figure that somehow knew about the foundation. “Talk, or else I’ll blow your brains out— And let me tell you, I’m more than willing to die to keep what he know's a secret—”

“Cain.” 

The figure said that simple word, which I assumed was his name, considering that’s what one of the other demons called him earlier.

“… Ok, how does that change anything?” I asked, not backing down even as a spear was pressed at the bottom of my neck.

“It should change everything.” He answered slowly as he lifted up one of his hands. I began sweating nervously at the sight, wanting to just kill this man before he revealed anything. Except if I did that… then Andrew would almost certainly die as a result.

Still, I watched with anticipation as he raised a single hand up towards me. It also appeared as if I wasn’t alone in this action, as everyone else in the room seemingly watched as he did this strange action.

Then slowly, the figure lifted his left hand towards the outlifted right. He gripped the cloth before he began to pull it back.

“My name is Cain. But perhaps you know me by another name—”

He pulled back, revealing his arm.

A metallic arm.

“You people also usually refer to me as SCP-073.”

…

…

…

Clang.

My gun slipped from my hands, making a rattling clang as it hit the floor. Judging from the volume, I assume that Andrew also lost his grip and dropped his weapon.

It was a rookie mistake, I know, but… but…

“… Cain… 073…” I heard Andrew slowly mutter, obviously in a similar state of shock. 

I know we shouldn’t be this surprised, as we already ran into 999, but... this was not within my realm of expectations.

‘He could be lying… but his arm.’ I once again gazed at the silvery metal arm, my reflection visible. ‘… Nobody would go this far into pretending to be 073 of all people. Plus, with 999 down here, we know it isn’t impossible. But… why?’

“Um, does someone mind explaining what the fuck is going on?” The demon identified as Angel suddenly intervened, accidentally spilling their popcorn all over the floor. “We were just getting to the good part!”

It seemed that everyone chose to ignore his pleas, though, as the rest of us continued to cautiously stare at each other.

“Cain, what’s going on? Do you know these people?” Charlie suddenly asked, beginning to make her way over to us. Along with this, I also felt the gray-skinned demon slowly lower her spear, probably in response to me dropping my gun.

‘Not that the gun would’ve done much, especially if this is Cain.’ I thought archaically, still in abstract shock over the reveal.

“Oh, well no.” Cain spoke up, answering Charlie’s question before raising his head. “But I know they probably work for the SCP found—”

‘Shit!’

Grip!

Grab!

“WE’RE BORROWING THIS!” / “WE’RE BORROWING THIS!”

Both me and Andrew yelled in unison, each gripping onto one of Cains arms, before—

ZOOM!

We dashed straight by all the demons at comical speeds, rushing through one of the metal doors in the back of the room, trying to get some privacy.

---

 

Andrew POV

 

“… Ok, what kind of toon force bullshit just happened?” I mumbled, realizing that we just crossed the entire lobby into this door like some sort of looney tunes character. “Is it an anomalous effect of this place or something?”

“Don’t know; don’t care.” Paul exclaimed with conviction, before staring straight at the river figure we carried with us.

As he did, I took a moment to assess my surroundings. I saw we entered into what looked like a kitchen of some sort, with many fancy appliances and shelves decorating the walls. It was white and completely spotless, as if everything in here was brand new. It looked normal—so normal, in fact, that I almost forgot I was in Hell.

… Almost

“Your SCP-073?” Paul finally spoke up, resulting in me returning my attention towards him. 

As for the figure he was questioning, he simply nodded.

“… Ok.” Paul muttered before reaching into his slide holster and pulling out his large combat knife. He brought his hand back, as if—

“Wait. Paul, what are you—”

Sling!

Paul slashed his blade across the unmoving creature's right arm with deadly precision, his knife cutting the rags right open and revealing the spotless metal arm beneath.

“Ack.” Paul proceeded to groan in pain as he lifted his right hand, noticing a thin, red line now present on his arm. The fresh wound allowed some small droplets of blood to drip to the floor.

“… WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT!?” I ended up screaming at Paul, reprimanding him for his actions. 

“I just wanted to confirm.” He answered calmly as he pulled out a white bandage roll from his coat pocket, before beginning to wrap the item around his arm, covering the wound. 

“As I’m sure you're aware, 073 has the strange anomalous ability to reflect any damage taken onto the person who inflicted the damage. Attacking like this was simply the easiest and fastest way to confirm his identity.” He looked up from his wounds, eyeing the now-confirmed SCP. “Sorry for my past transgressions out in the lobby. I was… a bit on edge about the whole encounter.”

“It is alright; all is forgiven. But are you okay?" Cain asked in return, eyeing the now-bound wound on Paul’s arm. “I’m sure I can find a first aid kit somewhere to help you if—”

“It’s alright. We have much more important issues to address.” Paul cut him off before looking seriously at Cain. “First of all, what are you doing here? Why are you here and not in the foundation?”

Cain listened to the soldier's question, and after a moment of contemplation, he simply shrugged apologetically.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know.” He answered before lifting his arm up to his chin. 

“All I know is that I was wandering around the halls of Site 17. At approximately 3:47 PM, I noticed the personnel at the site suddenly beginning to act frantically, as if they were just informed of some terrible news.” Cain began explaining, garnering both my and Paul’s attention. For half a second, I wondered how he remembered the exact time, but then I recollected the fact that Cain is known for having a photographic memory, to the point where he was able to memorize entire books word for word. So remembering something like the time must’ve not been that much of a challenge for him.

“I was about to ask if I could offer any assistance, but before I could, one of the soldiers suddenly pulled out a large, finally-cut yellow crystal.” He continued explaining before moving his hand to pick up one of the glass cups that were lying on the counter. “If I remember correctly, I believe this was security officer Claud, an American who was hired only a couple of months ago. Anyway, after pulling out the crystal, I saw him run towards me. I noticed the other soldiers around attempted to stop him, but he eventually made it to me, before—”

Clench!

Cain roughly clenched his hands, shattering the glass cup he was holding as the shards fell roughly to the floor.

“— He crushed the crystal in his bare hands. This resulted in a large, yellow light flashing outward, swallowing me whole.” Cain said as he wiped off some of the glass shards off of his hand, which was unsurprisingly unharmed after the action. 

“I’m not sure who else was sucked up in the light, but if I had to make a rough estimate, I’d say at least five other people were also swallowed in with me. When I appeared here, though, they were nowhere to be found. Instead, I was surrounded by a collection of red, impish individuals. They immediately talked about selling me to cannibals or something before they opened fire. I tried to stop them, but... they didn’t listen.” Cain spoke solemnly, as if feeling bad for the people who tried to kill him. 

“… Anyways, after that, I assumed having a costume on would be good, so I grabbed as many loose rags and robes as I could to hide myself. After that, I began wandering… Until I ran into Charlie, that is.” He finished happily, as if enjoying the memory he recalled when meeting this Charlie girl.

“Charlie… isn’t that the name of that hotel worker out in the lobby?” Paul ended up asking, reminding me about everything that just happened out in the lobby.

‘As a matter of fact, why haven’t they chased after us? They definitely saw us go in here, so why are they giving us privacy?’ I questioned myself. Regardless, I was thankful we were given this time. It definitely helped me wrap my mind around all the information I was being given.

“Yes, that is her. She is also the owner of this amazing hotel, actually.” Cain spoke with a surprising amount of joy. This confused me, and especially Paul, as he scratched the back of his head.

“She’s its owner... but isn’t this hotel some sort of scam?” Paul questioned, still hung up on the fact that it was apparently free to stay here. “They are obviously planning something mischievous, right?”

Cain merely chuckled at Paul’s accusation, seemingly finding the whole idea comical.

“I’m not surprised that’s your reaction, but no. That is not the case.” Cain answered as he leaned his back against the wall of the kitchen. “Charlie is a kind soul, much kinder than most anyone I’ve ever met in my life. Her dream is to rehabilitate the sinners that occupy the streets of this city and to one day allow them into heaven's pearly gates.”

“That’s... an extremely admirable dream.” I ended up saying, crossing my arms across my chest.

“Admirable maybe… but possible a cover-up for—”

“It isn’t.” Cain cut Paul off from his continued suspicion. The certainty in his voice momentarily shocked me and my friend for a few moments.

“I’m sorry for cutting you off, but I don’t want you to live under any misconceptions.” Cain began, sounding much more serious than I ever thought the anomaly could sound. 

“Charlie is… just that kind. I have met many people throughout my long life. I’ve met liars, swindlers, saints, killers, heroes, villian’s, each one of them with their own ulterior motives or hidden agenda. I have grown to learn how these people act, how they wear masks to hide their true intentions. But Charlie... Charlie has nothing of the sort.” Cain exclaimed, worship evident in his voice as he lowered his head.

“I have never met someone so— so kind and caring before. Someone who will always sacrifice her own well-being for the sake of others. Sure, she has her own set of issues, what good person doesn’t. But as far as this hotel is concerned—as far as her dream is concerned... She truly wants nothing more than to help the people down here change for the better.”

Cain slowly raised his head after stating his peace, and, despite still wearing a cloak around his face, I could just feel the smile that currently rested underneath.

“So, you can trust me when I say there is no mischievous act at play here. This hotel really is free, and she really is just that kind.”

…

I turned to look over at Paul after Cain finished his impromptu monologue. It appeared as if he was deep in thought, possibly thinking over the possible pros and cons.

I understand why, as the whole situation sounds too good to be true. At the same time, however, I don't think that Cain, of all people, would misunderstand someone to any degree. There is also the chance he’s simply lying to us, but that feels even more unlikely, considering his unwavering willingness to work with the foundation up to this point with zero issue.

Going by that logic, then this hotel really does seem like an amazing place to set up camp. At least for a while.

It seems that I wasn’t the only one having these thoughts, however, as after a while, Paul released a long sigh.

“… And you're one hundred percent sure this place is safe?” He asked again to clarify, despite already knowing the answer. Regardless, Cain once again nodded, resulting in another sigh escaping the soldier's mouth.

“Fucking… fine. Bad first impressions aside, this place really does feel like it’s the best option for us currently.” Paul finally relented as I let out a breath of relief. Finally, no more sleeping in the streets!

“Besides, now we need to look over two anomalies and make sure they’re returned to the foundation safely.” Paul continued, obviously contemplating the headache that was taking care of 073 and 999.

“Wait… two?” Cain asked confusedly as he looked between us. “You have another SCP with you?”

"Ya, it’s in the box.” Paul explained, and I nodded in confirmation. Despite that, however, the look never left Cain's face as he tilted his head.

“Umm… what box?” 

“… what do you mean, 'what box'? I mean the one that— ACK!” Paul added up freezing in place as he stared at me. I was confused, why was he giving me that look?

“… Andrew?” Paul slowly started, immediately sending shivers down my back from the ominous tone in his voice. “Andrew… where is the box?”

“W-what do you mean?” I ended up blurting, lifting my empty hands. “It’s right… It’s…”

I looked down, and I saw my empty hands.

Hands.

Empty hands!

I’m not holding anything!!!

“OH FUCK!” 

“ANDREW! WHERE IS THE BOX!?!?” Paul suddenly screamed as he grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth mercilessly. “WHERE IS THE FUCKING BOX, ANDREW?!?!”

“I… I DON’T—” I started, trying to remember where... OH FUCK WAIT A SECOND!

“… I… may have dropped it.” I whispered quietly, thinking back as I remembered what happened to the box holding the powerful SCP.

“… Hehe.. HEEHEHE! DROPPED IT?! WHERE DID YOU FUCKING DROP IT?!”

"WELL, YOU DROPPED YOUR GUN, I JUST... KINDA... followed your—”

“YOU LEFT 999 IN THE GODDAMN LOBBY WITH THE DEMONS!?” 

“OH FUCK WHAT HAVE I DONE!”

“YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!!” 

BAM!

Paul quickly rushed out of the kitchen and back into the lobby in an attempt to salvage my fuck-uppery. As I was forced to simply stand there… waiting… contemplating how much I had just screwed up.

…

…

…

“… That’s rough, buddy.” Cain eventually comforted me, putting a hand on my shoulder. “… want a Kit Kat?”

“… ya.”

 

Notes:

Cain: (shows up.)

Paul: A hotel guest?

Cain: (shows metal arm.)

Paul: Cain the hotel guest!

Well, here it is! Finally, the hotel gang gets their first crumb of information regarding the strange world of SCP!

Anyways, what did you all think of the chapter? Because this and next chapter specifically I fell very… weird about. I like them, but I can’t help but feel something feels off about them. So I’m very curious what you all think of this chapter. Did you think it was too fast paced? Do you think it was paced well? I’m very curious. I also want to know what you all think of Paul and Andrew? I do have things planned for them in the future, I just want to know what your opinions on them currently are.

Anyways, besides that I don’t really have any other things to say. So, drop a kudos if you enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any questions, comments, and suggestions. And I hope you all have a better day than Andrew! (He’s going through some stuff)

Chapter 23: Monster of joy.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

A certain SCP makes a pit stop.

The hotel meets our favorite bundle of joy.

Notes:

“Would you ever tell your greatest secret?”

Pentagram city, Doomsday district.

 

Vroom… SQUEAL!

The old car squealed to a stop, its rubber tires grinding against the road beneath it, leaving clear tire marks on the road.

Click.

I unlocked the car before stepping out, closing the door behind me as I took in my surroundings. It was a run down area of the city, with knocked-over trash cans and rubbish littering the floor. The streets were entirely vacant of life, all besides myself and a single, nervously twitching imp that sat on a nearby bench.

‘There he is.’ I internally smiled as I made my way over to him, hands in my pocket.

The figure must have taken notice of me, as his head quickly swerved towards me in a nervous fashion. For a second, he looked horrified by my visage, but managed to steer through his fears as he swallowed his fears and made his way over towards me.

“Um… sorry, but you wouldn’t happen to be—”

“Yep, it’s me. Striker.” I chuckled at his nervous appearance. He looked me up and down after I responded, almost in disbelief.

“Striker… Sorry, I didn’t realize you started wearing a mask. New fashion sense or something?” He asked in an attempt to make conversation. Despite talking about the ‘mask’ my host was currently wearing, however, his eyes were instead drawn towards the rest of the already rotting body. “I… um. Sorry if this sounds rude, but... you look like complete shit. Are you okay?”

“Hehehe, just peachy.” I answered softly, my hand moving down to rest on the six-shooter on my waist. “Anyway, as much as I love chitchat, I believe there’s something more important for us to discuss.”

“O-oh, right. Of course!” The imp quickly stammered before turning to leave in the direction of one of the many abandoned buildings. “I don’t know why you care so much, but that… thing is over there. Follow me.”

I nodded, chuckling lightly, as I followed the very nervous Imp into the abandoned office building. 

“So, how exactly did you come across this thing again?” I asked curiously, my hand still resting on the handle of my revolver, silently encouraging the creature to answer the question.

“W-well, me and the boys were just doing the usual. You know, just walking into random abandoned buildings and vandalizing the joint.”

“As one does.” I reply, understanding his reasoning.

“Right. But then…” The sinner froze mid-sentence, his eyes wide as if reliving a horrid event. “But then... then we came across this thing... At first, we didn’t think it was anything, just a random piece of shitty ‘abstract’ art or something.”

“And I assume that wasn’t the case?” I asked, raising my eyebrow. The demon nodded in response while taking a long breath.

“Y-ya. It was creepy and all, but the second I turned my back, it… it… killed Harold.” He managed to choke out, barely containing his fear. “His neck, man, it was... Oh, Satan, it was barely attached to his head anymore! And that thing it… it moved so fucking fast. Me and everyone else tried to run, but... but by the time I made it to the d-door and turned around… I was the only one left.”

His eyes were wide as he recalled the story, as if barely able to contain his own fear. 

“And when I turned around, it was just—it was just standing there, man. R-Right on their corpses! We’re not Sinners, man; we can’t come back, and I… I didn’t know what to do, so I just—”

“Closed and locked the door, leaving it there.” I cut him off, already able to tell where this story was going. “Then, unable to deal with the guilt, you decided to hire an assassin to kill it for some sort of closure. Sounds about right?”

“Y-ya, pretty much.” The imp chuckled as he looked towards me, worship obvious in his eyes. “B-but, I didn’t expect the legendary Striker to pick up my call! To be honest, I thought it was a prank at first when you accepted the job after posting it to sinstagram but… but here we are!”

“Yes, here we are indeed.” I chuckled as I stopped moving forward, standing in front of a heavily barricaded door. I turned my eyes to look toward my impish companion. “Do you mind?”

“Hmm?— Oh, of course!” The red-skinned individual quickly muttered, moving all the rubble he had thrown in front of the door away. “S-sorry. I just didn’t want that fucking thing to escape.”

I chuckled at his desperate attempts to defend himself, watching as he frantically tossed chairs and other loose planks of wood to the side. Eventually, the way ahead was cleared, and the imp stared nervously at the door.

“O-ok… and you're sure you can take care of this thing, right? It was like… Really fucking fast—”

“Are you doubting my capabilities?” I tilted my head, an ominous aura exuding from me as I saw the creature quickly for a nervous sweat, before frantically waving his arms in front of him.

“N-No, of course not! I’m just… just… ya, I trust you!” He smiled while frantically nodding. I chuckled at the action before walking toward him.

“Good, now let’s get going.”

“O-ok.” He quietly muttered as I walked ahead of him, hand resting firmly on my revolver as I entered the dark room, and—

Squelch.

I stopped after taking my first step in the room. Looking down, I noticed I had stepped directly into a puddle of crimson liquid, a steady stream escaping the mouth of a nearby imp.

I examined it for a second, viewing every grotesque detail about the body. Most prominent of which was that its head had been thoroughly snapped. Its head was twisted, facing one hundred and eighty degrees in the opposite direction, allowing its lifeless eyes to stare directly at me despite lying flat on its stomach.

I slowly lifted my head, smiling internally as I saw many, many more impish creatures in a similar position, all of them having their heads turned completely around.

It was then that I looked a bit further… And that’s when I saw it.

‘Hehe, I thought this was that creature's handy work. Glad I hadn’t signed up for a wild goose chase.’ I chuckled as I saw a very ominous statue looming in the distance, staying completely still and staring straight at us with its lifeless, sprayed-on eyes.

The statue appeared to be made completely out of concrete, its body shape reminiscent of that of a peanut, which was probably why it was given that name by the foundation in the first place. Besides that, on what could be considered the statue's face was a collection of painted on reds and blacks, giving the illusion that this creature had eyes and a nose. Besides that, it also had two stubby arms that stretched outward, along with a pair of equally stubby legs. The legs were so weirdly made, in fact, that the statue shouldn’t have been able to stand at all. And yet, it did.

It was so poorly made that it would make someone laugh if they didn’t know the gruesome truth of this specific statue.

‘Hehehe. Well, if that ain’t 173, then I don’t know what is.’ I concluded, immediately recognizing the well known anomaly, which the foundation refers to as SCP-173.

“So, um, there it is.” The imp spoke up awkwardly, though I didn’t bother looking towards him. I made sure my eyes were on the statue in front of me at all times; better safe than sorry, after all. “So you can just—well, just kill it somehow, and I’ll pay you, like we agreed.”

“Hehe, yep, just like we agreed.” I said out loud, not directing the words at him but at the air around us. “You can have your plaything now, you cannibal.”

“W-what?” 

The imp suddenly turned towards me, confusion written all over his face. 

“What do you mean, plaything? I was talking about—”

Grip! Sizzle!

“ARGH FUCK!” The imp screamed in searing pain as a black hand suddenly extended out from the floor beneath him, gripping his head harshly as it already began to decompose. The floor beneath him then spread out into a wide puddle of black goop as he began to be pulled under.

“Wh-WHAT THE FUCK!!” He screamed with primal desperation, trying to flail his arms around in an attempt to escape. His eyes were wide with panic as he continued to be lowered. He turned towards me with unfiltered desperation. “H- HELP ME! PLEASE!!!”

I smiled as I heard this, not even bothering to turn in his direction at his cries. Instead, I continued to look towards the statue as he continued to desperately plead for his life.

“PL-PLEASE! I DON'T WANNA—HMMHMHM!”

His plea for help was finally cut off into muffled screaming as his head submerged in the black liquid. Until finally, he completely vanished.

And in his place stood a new arrival.

“Hehehe, sorry. Hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.” I chuckled as the one-armed, coal-black individual slowly rose from the puddle that the imp once occupied. Its smile strained across its face as it stared blankly ahead at the statue. 

I then witnessed the creature slowly turn to me out of the corner of my eye, slightly tilting its head in question.

“Come on, don’t look at me like that.” I joked, never removing my unblinking gaze from the beast ahead of me. “I already told you that this thing will help us, especially when it comes to getting your oh so desired revenge.”

The creature slightly flinched at my words, its right hand going over to rub the stump that occupied the left side of its body, the one that was once occupied by the creature's left arm.

“Exactly. Now, before you run off and play with your new toy… capture it.” I directed in a commanding voice. The old man dropped it's right arm in response before lightly placing it on the floor.

Almost immediately as it did so, I watched as the floor beneath the statue began to deteriorate at an accelerated rate. After a few seconds of this, the floor beneath it complete turned black and old, replaced by a pool of pure darkness

The statue then proceeded to go under, seeping into the liquidy shadow that it rested upon, unable to escape since neither me nor 106 let it escape our gazes. Until finally, it was fully submerged and out of sight. Currently contained in the old man’s pocket dimension.

I internally smiled at the thought, knowing I now had one more silver bullet in my pocket.

“Good… Now come on, we’ve wasted enough time here in this godforsaken realm.” I stated, bobbing my head to tell the one armed anomaly that we were leaving. “I think it’s time we… get a bit of fresh air.”

The old man proceeded to once again sink in his own darkness, giving me his response. I chuckled, thinking about what I had planned ahead.

‘Oh, this is gonna be so fucking fun!’

 

---

Charlie POV

“WE’RE BORROWING THIS!”/ “WE’RE BORROWING THIS!”

Zoom!

Both of the new arrivals screamed in unison before grabbing Cain and speeding off towards the kitchen door.

“W-wait!” I tried to scream, though it appeared neither of them heard me, obviously too caught up in... whatever it was they were doing as they entered the room, slamming the door behind them. 

“Whew, fucking hell, those guys move fast!” Angel chuckled out loud as he noticed them rush by him. “Hmm, wonder if their the same in be—”

“Argh, it’s too early for this shit!” Husker eventually mumbled out loud, rubbing his temples as if he were experiencing a migraine. “I’m going to need another drink.”

“Do you want me to go after them, Charlie?” Vaggie eventually asked, looking as if she herself were itching to follow. 

“W-well, I mean... I mean Cain obviously knew them so... so m—maybe they just want some, um… privacy! I don’t want to intrude on some personal stuff, so—”

“Oh my fucking Lucifer, your all children.” Husker eventually murmured, stopping me from continuing my incoherent rambling. He then turned to look at me, a single finger pointed outwards. “He already said he was leaving, princess. So you can quit the whole ‘I don’t wanna upset him’ act, alright? It’s already getting real old.”

“Wh-what?” I accidentally blurted out, caught off guard by Husk’s sudden declaration.

“Husk, can’t you just shut up for five fucking seconds? We have more important things to deal with right now than your smart ass attitude!” Vaggie eventually spoke up in an attempt to defend me. “Besides, it’s not like it’s so fucking sinful to try and convince people to stay; we’re a fucking hotel! It’s literally our whole job! Something that you haven’t taken seriously at all!”

Husk simply shrugged at Vaggie’s bite back, taking a sip from his drink before responding.

“Whatever, I don’t really care if this place goes up in flames or not. I’m just laying it out how I see it, alright?” Husk responded like he was already tired of the conversation and would prefer to be doing anything else. “All I’m saying is that little Miss Sunshine and Rainbows over there has been sucking up to this guy ever since he got here, trying to make him happy or some bullshit to get him to stay. It's fucking obvious.”

“W-well— I mean, I just want to help him—”

“You know, I’m getting really sick of your attitude, Husk.” Vaggie suddenly spoke up before marching up to the winged sinner. “How about you try being, I don’t know, supportive for a change instead of acting like everyone here owes you something?”

“Owes me something? I don’t even want to fucking be here!” Husker retorted back, finger outstretched towards Vaggie. “I was forced here by that fucking radio asshole, and now I have to listen to all of you just bitch all the time. I mean, I’ve only been here for about week and I’ve already read you all like a fucking book.”

“Um, hey, maybe we can have this convers—”

“Oh ya? And you think you're any better than the rest of us?” Vaggie cut me off, sounding agitated as her discussion with Husk continued to heat up. “And if you can’t actually force yourself to actually give a damn about any of this, can’t you at least pretend to care about what we are trying to do here?”

"Oh, cut the crap one eye, at least I make it clear when I don’t like something. Unlike you.” Husk stated, a serious look in his eye.

“… What the fuck are you talking about? Of course I care about all of this! This is literally Charlie’s dream—”

“Exactly, it’s CHARLIE’S dream.” 

"G-guys, can we please stop fighti—”

“And what the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Vaggie retorted back, leaning in close as she stared daggers at Husk, who simply scoffed.

“P-please, can’t we just—”

“You know damn well what it means. Sure, you want this whole fucking thing to work; that’s pretty godamn obvious.” Husk started, before he turned back to give Vaggie an equally harsh look. “But it’s not because you actually believe in redemption, is it? No, it’s so that you can keep your girlfriend happy. Isn’t that right?”

"Husk, can’t we just—”

“You don’t know what you're talking about, you damn alcoholic feline!”

“Don’t I?” Husk growled back, staring straight into Vaggie’s eye. “I’ve seen the way you look at all of us. And I can tell you right now, not once have I ever seen you trust anybody in this shithole besides your own fucking girlfriend.”

“Can you blame me? With all this bullshit that goes on down here, is it surprising that I don’t fall head over heels for every stranger that wanders into this place!”

“So you aren’t even gonna try to deny it?”

"Oh, fuck you, Husk!”

"Please, can you both stop arguing—”

“Shh, don’t butt in sugartits; this is gettin good!” Angel suddenly intervened, as they somehow made it to my side without my knowing, placing a finger on my lips to silence me while he used his other hands to munch on the popcorn he had before.

“… urgh!” I groaned in my hands, Vaggy’s and Husk's arguments becoming background noise as I attempted to think all of this through. Why were they even fighting? What’s the point? We have so many more important things to talk about!

‘Things like who those people were or questioning whatever this ‘foundation’ thing they mentioned was! Or literally, the fact that Cain apparently has metal arms, or—’

Bump.

I was pulled from my thoughts as a strange bumping noise entered my ears. Confused, I looked around, only half paying attention to the ongoing argument at this point.

“Oh ya? Then what about Cain?” I heard Husk retort back to something Vaggie had just said, something I must have accidentally missed. “I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at him specifically. I’ve never even seen you attempt to have a meaningful conversation with him once.”

Bump Bump.

‘There it is again!’ I thought as the sound got slightly louder, drawing my attention towards the entrance of the hotel lobby, where I saw a lone cardboard box moving slightly, as if something was trying to get out.

“…Guys—”

“So? Why does that matter?” I heard Vaggie speak up, seemingly not hearing me.

“It’s just, oh, I don’t know, if you really believed in this whole rehabilitation shit, then you wouldn’t be so happy to see him leave.”

Bump Bump Bump!

This time, the intensity of the box's movement increased, as if something inside the box was ramming at its interior walls, slowly moving it towards us.

“Guys, you should see—”

“Happy? When have I ever said I was happy?” Vaggie accidentally cut me off again, looking at Husk in surprise. “Sure, I haven’t had some sort of deep fucking conversation with him, but that doesn’t mean I want him to bail.”

Bump Bump Bump Bump!

“Guys, I’m being serious; you should really—”

“Doesn’t it? I saw the look in your eye when he said he decided to leave. You may try to hide it, but I could tell from the second that guy came in here that you’ve had some sort of problem with him.” Husk growled back, meeting Vaggie word-for-word. “I know it's none of my business, and frankly, I don’t even want to know. But that doesn’t change the fact that you’d rather have that guy far away from here before you even attempt to redeem him.”

Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump!

The box once again shifted with increased intensity, as if something was trying to escape. At this point, I could only partially pay attention to the heated debate that Husk and Vaggie were in as I slowly backed away from the trembling box.

I reached my hand out, slightly tapping on Angel’s shoulder, who up to this point had been happily watching the two fight. 

In response, Angel turned to look at me in confusion. “Do you mind? I’m trying to enjoy the show here.” 

“I-I know, but, do you see that?” I said, pointing his attention towards the box, managing to tear his gaze away from the ongoing argument.

“So what? You can’t pretend that you trust that guy either. He appears out of nowhere, says he believes in redemption, but it just so happens HE doesn’t want to be redeemed. Not only that, but he acts like the perfect fucking angel.” Vaggie began, crossing her arms as she stared daggers at Husk.

Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump!

The box once again shook with vigor, causing Angel to momentarily widen his eyes in mild shock.

“Oh… eh, probably just a vibrator or something.” Angel joked, chuckling at his own joke as he looked away, causing me to give a confused side eye.

“… I don’t think—”

Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump Bump!

The box once again began shaking rapidly, with the lid on top starting to become loose.

“… ok, either this actually isn’t a vibrator, or those guys are just into some freaky shit.” Angel muttered as he watched the box with mild amusement.

“Ok, this needs to stop!” I finally declared, looking back over to the two demons, who continued their heated debate. “So can you two please just—”

“I never said I fucking trusted him, but I don’t have any feelings of him staying or leaving either. Besides, everybody has something to fucking hide down here, even you, I’m sure.” Husk rolled his eyes, his comment… actually making Vaggie recoil in slight shock, as if that unexpected hit a nerve.

“I—I don’t— Fuck you asshole—”

“For the love of Lucifer, can the two of you listen for one second—” I began yelling, garnering their attention, before being cut off by—

—BumpBumpBumpBumpBumpBumpBumpBumpBumpBumpBump… Bang!

The lid of the box suddenly shot up into the air, flying clean through the air before landing next to me. 

This, along with my short yet sudden scream, finally tore the two of their attentions away from each other, which were now directed at the newly opened box.

“…”

We all stood there in silence, watching the box warily from a distance, unsure what had just happened.

…

…

…

… Squelch.

That was until a sudden, squelching noise echoed from the open box. I was confused for a second before I began to see something slowly crawling out of the box and—

“Wow, I have never seen a sex toy like that before.” Angel muttered absently as we all watched as an orange gooey, slimy creature crawled out of the box, before once again squelching as it landed on the floor outside the box.

“Oooh, is that a new bug?” I heard Niffty ask curiously from the table before lifting one of the large kitchen knives. “Cause if it is, I wanna kill it!”

“What. The fuck. Is that thing?” Husk finally exclaimed, deciding to ignore Vaggie as he seemingly already forgot about the… conversation he just had with Vaggie. “Did those new guys bring in a damn pet or something?”

“Grggrl?” The slime suddenly gurgled in an inquisitive manner, its body shifting as if looking around, before finally resting on Husk and Vaggie.

“Um… Hi?” Vaggie waved awkwardly at the creature before—

“GRGRL!!!” The slime creature then gurgled with increased intensity, as it suddenly shot off like a rocket, sliding across the floor at an alarming speed towards Vaggie and Husk, who recoiled in shock.

“OH MY FUCKING LUCIFER!” Husk screamed out of shock, as he tried to fly up in the air to escape the fast creature, Vaggie already taking out her spear as if preparing for an assault, before—

“GRGL!” The creature once again gurgled with ferocity, before its size suddenly increased by several times, immediately becoming many times bigger than the box it once inhabited. It now looked like an orange-colored tidal wave that was heading straight towards the duo.

“Vaggie! Husk!” I screamed as the blob of slime merely let Vaggie’s angelic spear pass right through it before encompassing her in its form. Husk didn’t have much luck either, as part of its slimy body shot off in a strange tentacle. It wrapped around Husk’s ankle, forcing him down into its slimy embrace.

“Ahh, slimy AND with tentacles... Alright, I can start seeing the sex appeal now.” 

“Not the time, Angel!” I screamed worriedly, horns already beginning to sprout out from the top of my head and flame starting to surrounding me as I glared at this creature, who was currently wrapped completely around my friends. “We have to help them!”

“Ha! Way ahead of you, princess sugarplumbs!” Angel declared before pulling out a pair of Tommy guns out of Lucifer knows where, pointing them straight at the creature. “Just give me the word, and I’ll fill this overcomplicated sex toy with lead!”

I nodded, deciding to ignore the sex toy comment as I turned back towards the creature. Both Husk and Vaggie were currently trapped in its embrace, struggling to free themselves. I grimaced, as I knew if I did anything, I could accidentally hit them by mistake.

‘But still, I can’t let this thing do whatever it wants with them! I need to sa—’

“—hehe—”

I froze mid-thought, thinking I had misheard something.

“— pfft, heheh.”

‘There it is again!’ I thought as the alien noise once again made itself known. Confused, I quickly looked back up at the situation ahead of me. I was expecting the two of them to still be struggling, trying to escape the slimy creature. But instead—

“Hehehe— HEHEHHEHE!” Husk's laugh echoed out through the hotel, bouncing off the walls as I saw, by far, the largest smile across his face that I’ve ever seen.

“Hahah— HAHAHAHA!” Husk wasn’t alone in his infectious laughter either, as I saw Vaggie reacting in the same way, grinning ear to ear as she laughed.

“… Ok, I’ll admit I’ve never heard of a laughing kink before… but I’m sure it exists.” Angel started, looking equally confused as she looked at the scene ahead of us. “Either that, or this is some fucked-up torture method.”

“I… don’t think that’s the case.” I looked back towards Vaggie and Husk, who, while they were laughing uncontrollably, didn’t appear as if they were actually suffering. As a matter of fact, it seems as if they stopped struggling completely, with massive, happy smiles across both of their faces. Something that is usually alien to the two of them. “Um… are you two alright? Do you... need help?”

“Haha… whoo, sorry, what did you say?” I heard Vaggie chuckle out, a massive smile on her face as she stared towards me. It appeared as though their laughing fits ceased to exist as the both of them had a strange look of contentment across their faces. “Sorry, I was just… just… oh fuck, this feels good.”

“Aha! So it is a sex toy!”

“Hehe, sure. Whatever you sau four-arms.” Husk chuckled back at Angel, giving a nice smile and—

‘OH MY LUCIFER, DID HUSK JUST LAUGH AT ANGELS JOKE!?’

“Umm, ya… hey, I think this thing might be drugging them.” I heard Angel whisper into my ear, also noticing the peculiar action of our winged friend. “Either that, or I’m the one that’s trippin balls here.”

“Um… sure.” I respond awkwardly before scratching the back of my neck as I look back towards the slime creature. Both of them have stopped laughing, but now they are just willingly keeping themselves in its embrace, not even attempting to leave.

“Should I... get... what is going on?” I confusedly muttered, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. As I was doing this, however, I noticed Niffty begin to walk up to the orange blob, large knife in hand.

“Can I stab it now?” She ended up asking, lightly poking the creature with a finger. “It looks really stabbable.”

“… really don’t think that’s gonna do anything.” I respond as I slowly make my way over to the creature. My horns from before completely vanished as I realized this thing was… probably not gonna hurt us.

“Grgrgl?” The orange slime blob suddenly gurgled again as its body shifted, making it appear like it was looking towards Niffty, who was standing next to it. In response, Niffty simply smiled and waved happily at the creature.

“Grglgl!!!” The creature released what I could only describe as an excited gurgle before another slimy tendril extended out and carefully pulled the small sinner close, who almost immediately had a confused look across her face as she embraced the creature.

“Huh? What is this? This... isn’t pain…” I heard Vaggie mutter, before snuggling deeper into the creature. “This… feels…good.”

“Grgrgll!” The creature happily churned, as if it were pleased by her words. Afterwards, the blobby creature turned towards me and Angel.

“… ahh, screw it!” Angel proclaimed, tossing his Tommy guns behind him and bouncing off the far wall before beginning to strut towards the blob.

“Wha—Angel, what are you doing?”

“What’s it look like princess sugarplums? I’m experimenting.” Angel chuckled as he got closer to the creature's embrace, reaching a hand out towards it. “Regardless if this thing is drugging them or whatever, I want to see just how strong this shit is…”

Angel froze mid-movement, his hand barely grazing upon the surface of the creature. His eyes were wide in shock, before he slowly pulled his arm away.

“Umm… Charlie… you may want to come over here.” Angel spoke back to me, his eyes still locked on the orange blob. Looking past him, I saw that Vaggie, Husk, and Niffty were still all currently limp in this creature's grip. Their eyes were closed as they had large smiles on their faces, as if they were experiencing some sort of euphoria.

“… Alright.” I answered unsurely as I walked forward, my guard down as I made my way over towards the confused-looking Angel. “Is something the matter?”

“Y-ya… do you mind… touching this thing real quick?” Angel requested strangely, only causing further confusion to stir within me. I mean, it’s obvious this thing is doing something to our friends, but what could Angel possibly have felt to get him to look so confused? “Sorry, I just need to make sure I’m not… imagining things here.”

“Grgrll!” The creature once again let out an excited gurgle at Angel's words, showing that it seemed to have recognized what he said, before it once again extended out a single orange tendril towards me. It didn’t attempt to touch me, instead waiting for me to make the first move.

“… A—Alright.”

I was reluctant at first, but trusting my friend, I decided to extend my hand out, lightly gripping the creature tendri—

BADOOM!

My eyes widened as my heart skipped a beat for half a second. My grip on the tendril tightened as— as— “What... What is this?”

‘What is happening to me? Why do I feel so... happy? No, it’s not just happiness this… this is… something else entirely.’ I felt my shoulder relax, as for that second, that one moment in time, all the stress I had been feeling over my hotel. All of the anxiety that crept up within my heart from my meeting with Adam and the moved-up extermination. All the dread I felt about Cain wanting to leave. It all… vanished.

‘No, not vanished. More like... they just don’t feel nearly as existential.’

“So you feel it too? Good. Wanted to make sure I wasn’t the only one.” Angel chuckled as he looked towards the hand he touched the creature with.

“… ahh, screw it. GERONIMO!” Angel suddenly screamed as he jumped high in the sky, landing in the center of the large blobby creature next to Vaggie and Husk. 

“Oh fuck! This feels even better!” Angel moaned in delight. Strangely, though, it didn’t sound sexual like his moans usually are. This one sounded more... relieved.

‘What is this thing?’ I felt myself questioning, not willing to let go of the creature. ‘I haven’t felt this way since... since mom and dad were...’

A large smile crept on my face as I continued to bathe in the joy this creature brought me. 

‘I don’t know why, but it seems this creature makes anyone who touches it super happy or something amazing like that.’

As this thought crossed my mind, a sudden idea flashed in my head as my smile widened even further. My eyes went up towards the happy-looking sinners that were currently in the grown slime’s grip. Meanwhile, the creature looked like it was beginning to shrink a little bit, freeing everyone from its hold but never stopping any of them from continuing to touch it.

‘Wait, if this thing makes people happy, then maybe... Maybe I can use this to help sinners get redeemed—’

ZOOM!

GRIP!

ZOOM!

As soon as the thought crossed my mind, however, I was suddenly left holding empty air. Everyone else also stumbled forward, their smiles vanishing as the creature suddenly vanished. 

“GET BACK IN THE BOX!” I suddenly heard screaming from behind me. Turning around, I saw one of the gas masks wearing sinners from before, the one that had the gun, was holding the slime creature in his hands, who seemed to have shrunk down to its original size, before slamming it down in the cardboard box it originally escaped from. 

BANG!

“Grgrll!” The creature gurgled after being slammed roughly in the box, before the gas mask individual slammed the lid on the box back on top before picking it up with obvious haste.

“W-wait, stop!” I screamed out, causing the individual to flinch before turning towards me, the box still gripped hard in their hands. “What is that thing?”

“Umm… my…  leftover jello?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… ya, no offense, but I don’t think Jello has the ability to make me feel like I’m about to climax in a good way. Trust me, I’ve tried—”

“Too much information, Angel!” Vaggie screamed, cutting Angel from finishing off his sentence. Looking behind me, I saw her and Husk slowly rise to their feet, rubbing their heads as if trying to process everything that had just transpired.

“Urgh, what… just happened?” Husk questioned himself, quizzically looking at himself. “That felt so… different.”

“HA, ya. I’ve never seen you look so happy before, pussycat!” Angel kidded before rubbing his body close to his in a sexual manner. “Maybe now you’d be up to letting me give you a good—”

“Shut up.” Husk groaned in exasperation before pushing Angel off him onto the floor. I looked into his face, and that smile I saw him have before. The warm, gentle, and happy smile he had vanished. “I’m gonna… I need a fucking drink. I don’t wanna think about that anymore.”

We watched as Husk made his way towards the bar as he began to drink his worries away. While doing this, I turned around, planning on confronting this individual again before—

“I’ll take a room on the third floor. Bye.”

He walked right by us, making his way straight to the stairs, and—

“WAIT, WHAT THE FUCK!” Vaggie ended up screaming in shock before lifting her spear up at the individual again. “Oh, you're not going fucking anywhere. What was that thing! And why did it make me feel so... so—”

“So euphorically good that you forgot about all your worries, making you smell your favorite scents, and making you inexplicably redeem some faith in yourself and all of humanity?” The figure asked in a monotone voice, looking at us with disinterest.

“Uh? Um… I mean, ya—”

“Classified.” 

“THEN WHY’D YOU FUCKING SAY ALL OF THAT!!!” 

“Classified.”

“…”

“…”

“… Charlie, permission to stab him?” Vaggie asked sweetly towards me, her spear pressing harder against his neck, and—

“WAIT! Of course you can’t; he’s our… Wait a second, did you just say you wanted a room?” I exasperated, finally processing what this individual just said. In response, he merely nodded before turning to the stairs.

“Yep. We’ll take two rooms that are next to each other. It would also be preferable if they had balconies.” He answered in what appeared to be an attempt to move on from the conversation to a different topic.

Vaggie, in response, looked equally exasperated. Immediately after, however, anger appeared in their eye as she continued to hold the spear closer to this stranger's neck.

“Seriously? Do you really think that we’d let you stay after what just happened? Of course we won’t—

“Would! Of course we would!” I intervened, pushing Vaggies spear down as I walked up to this individual with an excited smile on my face! He really wants to stay here—a new guest! 

“Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel! Make yourself comfortable! I mean, we have plenty of space after all, and—ok, I can’t help myself, what is that thing in the box?”

“Classified.”

“Ok!” I accepted the answer before shaking his free hand! I decided that I’d just accept his answer for now, seeing as I don’t want to make him uncomfortable, but... ya, I’m definitely gonna have to figure out what that adorable bundle of joy is later!

“Wha— Charlie! Shouldn’t we talk about this?” Vaggie stared daggers at me as I seemingly sealed the deal with this man. “I mean, he literally pulled a gun on us. Not only that, but he apparently has some strange orange creature he’s just carrying around in a box. I mean, for Lucifer’s sake, we don’t even know his name yet!”

“Hmm… alright, that is a good point.” I earnestly replied, before turning to the stranger in question with a smile on my face. “So, what’s your name?”

“Classified.”

“Alright, nice to meet you, Classified!” I greeted with a smile on my face.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… Alright, I admit... That one’s on me.” I said, embarrassed, realizing my… rather childish mistake.

“Fucking children.” Husk rolled his eyes from behind the bar counter before continuing his drinking.

“… I’m just gonna pick a room.” Classified—I mean, the man in the gas mask spoke as he attempted to head up the stairs. Except he was once again halted by Vaggie, who had roughly gripped his shoulder.

“Oh no, your not. You're gonna tell us exactly who you are, what that thing is, how you know Cain, and whatever the fuck an SCP is supposed to be, and I swear if you—”

“—Classified—

“—say Classified again. I’ll— Goddammit! I’m gonna kill him!”

“Alright, let’s just all calm down for a second!” I intervened, preventing my… how to say, pissed-off girlfriend from letting out her anger on our newest guest. “I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation for all this, right!”

“Class—”

“Don’t you fucking say it.” Vaggie warned.

“… Look, I’m only willing to stay here because Cain himself vouched for you. The second this becomes more trouble than it’s worth, I’m out.” The figure finally spoke as he looked across the room. “And I’m already near the end of my rope with all these questions. I have secrets—personal ones. If you can’t accept that in this hotel, then we're gonna have problems. Understand?”

Vaggie scoffed before turning to the man. It looked like she was about to insult him again. Before she could, however, I moved her hand into mine, giving it a comforting squeeze to calm her down. She noticed this before sighing deeply, understanding my intentions almost immediately.

“Fucking… fine, you can keep your secrets.” Vaggie finally conceded. Still, she returned to her stern expression as she looked back towards him. “But we still need to know your name at least; that part is non-negotiable.”

The figure seemed to contemplate for a moment before sighing. 

“Fine, whatever. Not like it isn’t one of the most stereotypical names on the planet.” The figure chuckled before staring back at us. “My name is Paul.”

“… Wait, pfft. That’s fucking it!” I heard Angel laugh hysterically from the back while picking up a sad Niffty, who seemed depressed after the slime creature got taken away. “Big mysterious man walked in, acts all high and mighty, has a mysterious goo monster in a box, and your name is fucking Paul! HAHA, that’s hilarious!”

“… yes… hilarious.” Paul answered, already sounding tired of Angel's antics. “Ya, that’s my name. Meanwhile, my… friend I came in with is known as Andrew, and—”

Munch!

“Man, I didn’t know they actually had Kit-Kat’s here!” A voice sounded out. Turning back towards the kitchen, I watched as Cain and the second masked individual, who seemed to have placed something beneath his mask and was currently in the process of eating it, marched happily as he spoke. “These are so fucking good. It's been a while since I’ve had chocolate.”

“Ya, I was surprised they had some too. So I wondered if you would like a couple to calm you down. I’m glad it worked.” Cain encouraged the individual, apparently feeding him... Kit-Kat’s or something? To be honest, I didn’t even know we had chocolate.

“… speak of the devil; there he is.” Paul groaned as he watched them slowly walk over.

In response, the now-identified Andrew seemed to look away shyly after making eye contact with Paul.

“Oh, uh… hey… sorry for… d-dropping the box.” Andrew responded with obvious anxiety, sounding extremely ashamed of himself. 

A few moments of silence passed between the two, as I began feeling awkward over the fact that I stood between them. After a second, however, Paul finally sighed as he looked over at the other gas-masked individual.

“It’s… it’s fine. Just don't, don’t fucking do that again.” He answered, further increasing my curiosity over what was the orange creature, as he shrugged. “Besides, if that’s the worst thing that happens today, then what—

BOOM!

I yelled in shock as the far wall of the bar suddenly exploded open, knocking Husk off his feet as he rolled across the floor.

“Sssshow yourself, Alassstor! Come and face—oh, there you are.” A slithery voice was heard through the newly made hole.

“I SHOULD JUST STOP OPENING MY FUCKING MOUTH! FOR FUCKS SAKE!” Paul screamed in obvious anger. As he did so, and as the dust cleared out from around the new hole, only one thought appeared in my head.

‘This… is gonna be a very interesting day.’

Notes:

Charlie: (breathes)

Paul: GET DOWN, SHE’S GOT A GUN!

…

…

… Boy, do I have a lot to say about this chapter. First and foremost of which being that, out of all the chapters I’ve written, this is the one I feel the most wrong about. Maybe it’s just me, but I felt like I was missing something when writing this chapter.

And it’s not just this chapter, for the last couple of chapters I’ve written, I’ve felt as if my writing has been slipping a bit. It was so bad for a second that I was almost tempted to scrap this chapter and just rewrite the entire thing. At the end though, I realized that it wasn’t that bad. Still, I felt like I need a little bit of a break to catch up and try to figure some stuff out. So, I will not be posting a chapter next week, as I do need a bit of a break. Sorry.

Besides that, if you are willing to leave suggestions, then please be brutally honest with me about what you thought of the chapter. What you liked and, more importantly, what you didn’t like about it. I myself feel like I completely fumbled the first encounter with 999 with the hotel staff, but please tell me what you think. Or don’t, free speech and all that.

Anyways, sorry again that I won’t be posting a chapter next week. Maybe the chapter isn’t as bad as I’m making it out to be and it’s just me overthinking things. Still, something just feels wrong about it to me, so I don’t know. I’m really hoping it isn’t writers block and that I just need a little bit of time off to feel better.

Sorry for my rambling. So, until then. Leave a comment if you have any questions, comments, or critiques you’d like to give me. Drop a kudos if you enjoy. And… honestly I just hope you all have a great week. You’re all awesome!

Chapter 24: How intelligent is an AI?

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

The hotel gang encounter Pentious and his new friend.

Vox does some digging into an old computer he found.

The moon champion finally meets the president!

Notes:

“What would you give to keep a secret?”

 

Andrew POV

‘You know, maybe it was a mistake coming here.’ I flinched internally as the explosion shook the building, dust flying out of the newly created hole in the side of the wall. I heard Paul screaming by the stairs after hearing a… weirdly snake-like voice emanate from the newly constructed opening. Curious, I watched as everyone seemed to move in its direction, interested in what caused it.

“Oh no, not this asshole again.” Husk then muttered as he stood himself up, wiping himself clean from the rubble and debris that shot him away from the bar. “Can’t a man just enjoy a drink in peace in this damn hotel?!”

“Nope, so suck it up, whiskers!” The demon named Angel joked as the rest of us began to walk curiously towards the whole, putting the earlier… discussion to rest temporarily.

‘Although, that definitely doesn’t mean it’s forgotten.’ I thought awkwardly, watching as the one-eyed demon continued to stare at Paul like a hawk, not letting him get more than five feet away from her as he followed me to the hole.

“Who are you?” I heard a static, almost electronic voice ring out as we all exited through the hole as the as the situation ahead of us unfolded.

“Who am I? Who am I?!” The same slithery voice from before sounded outwards as I finally managed to see the landscape ahead, and—OH MY GOD, THAT'S A GIANT MECH BLIMP! 

“I am the great sssir pentiousss! Inventor, architect of desssstriction! Villain extraordinaire!" The original voice continued speaking, which seemed to be coming from the large blimp that shadowed over the hotel, which had a large smile painted on the front of it.

‘… That thing is so fucking cool... I need one—’

"Well, if that’s true, you’d think I’d heard of you.”

‘SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!’ The voice startled me internally, as a man with an intimidatingly large smile, and a red suit appeared out of nowhere right next to me. This caused me to fall to the floor on my ass, watching as Paul had a similar shocked expression… except instead of falling, he just pulled his gun on the guy with his free hand. Thankfully, though, Cain lightly tapped the gun in his hands and pointed it downward, avoiding the worst.

‘The worst being the pissed-off, one-eyed demon with a spear.’ I thought with relief, watching as the tiny demon from the hotel made it through the hole behind us before immediately crawling on the crimson-dressed man’s shoulder.

“I attacked you literally last week.” The voice from the blimp said.

“ Hmm.” The new arrival hummed, tilting his head unnaturally.

“We’ve done battle, like, twenty times.” The voice exasperated.

“ Well, you must’ve been really bad at this .”

“SILENCE!” The voice screamed with a commanding voice which… threatened absolutely nobody, as we all just watched in mild amusement as the voice from within the blind continued. “Now cower! For when I’ve ssslain you, the almighty V’ssss will finally acknowledge ME as their equal!”

“Ohhhh.” The small demon on Alastor’s shoulder suddenly spoke up, before a confused expression crossed her face. “Ehh—wait, who are the V's?”

“Oh, nobody important.” The smiling demon shrugged off, making me extremely curious about these V’s. Are they another faction? Or some random gang that inhabits the streets of Hell that this… what I’m gonna assume is a snake from the way he speaks, is trying to impress.

“Anywho, are you gonna continue sitting there, being a disappointment, or are you actually gonna do something?” The staticy demon spoke up again, sending chills down my spine from the creepy smile he had plastered on his face.

“Oh, I’ll do sssomething alright! SOMETHING AMAZZZZING!” The creature screamed out before different beeps on boops were heard coming from his… ship? Ya, I’m just gonna call it a ship. “Now, feast your eyessss, ON MY NEW, AND IMPROVED, DEATH RAY—”

“Not if I have anything to say about it, villainous scum!” A new, almost heroic voice sounded out, freezing us all for a second. Even the aforementioned Alastor, who looked like he was preparing… something, stopped as he heard this new voice.

“Huh? Wait, how’d you get into my ssssship! I put up defenssssesss—”

“Your defenses aren’t enough to hinder the strong arms of justice! Justice bash!”

“AHH!” The slithery voice suddenly screamed, before—

BAM!

BING!

BONK!

WHAM!

SPLAT!

WOW!

WTF!?

KAZZOW!

“… ok, call me crazy... but these don’t even sound like real noises at this point.” I pointed out, watching as the ship somehow bounced back and forth in a very cartoonish fashion. “I  mean, for fucks sake, they sound like they’re straight from a comic book or some shit.”

As I said this, however, all the attention turned straight to me. The... comic book sounds and clashes happening on the ship become background noise for us.

“And... who might you be?” The creepy demon asked, titling his head in an unnatural fashion again, continuing to creep me the fuck out.

“Oh, umm… I’m—”

“It’s ok; you don’t need to answer him.” Paul’s voice suddenly intervened as he put a hand on my shoulder. It’s very clear Paul didn’t trust this man either… probably for good reasons. In response, though, the finely dressed individual simply laughed. 

“Oh, don’t be such a downer; I don’t bite… well, unless you give me a reason too, that is.” 

‘Fucking scary!’ I thought, terrified, picking up on the not-so-subtle threat he let out.

“Alastor! Don’t act that way! These are our two newest guests at the hotel!” Charlie eventually intervened, smiling enthusiastically as she presented us, as if we were some extremely rare specimens. 

“ Ah, new guests? Well, why didn’t you say so, darling?!” Alastor chimed, his smile only widening despite the surprisingly joyful tone of voice he now had. As he did this, he walked up and presented his hand out. 

“Names Alastor, though some folks around here refer to me as the radio demon.” He introduced himself, taking my hand as I ended up shaking his. I ended up allowing the hand to shake out of fear of what he’d do if I didn’t let him. “ Now, what are your names, my snazzily dressed fellows?”

“… The names Paul.” My friend eventually spoke up, seemingly seeing it as the smarter choice to say his name, considering he already told the other demons earlier.

“And, um… My name is Andrew White.” I ended up saying, which I immediately regretted as Paul sighed.

“You didn’t have to say your last name—”

SCREEECH !

A sudden screeching sound assaulted my and everyone else’s ears for half a second, sounding almost like a radio that lost its signal. Looking up, I saw the noise coming from the so-called radio demon, whose eyes were wide and smiled somehow even wider than before.

“ Andrew… White?” The demon asked again, but this time his mouth didn’t even move, as the smile stayed in place despite his words, glowing as he spoke. 

“Umm… ya? T-that isn’t a problem, is it?” I asked warily, confusedas to why he was so caught up in this. Except the tension only rose, as I felt sweat dripping down the back of my neck as its demonic gaze never left.

…

…

“… That—” The creature began, and I felt myself flinch back with the dark tone in its voice, dark tendrils of what appeared to be shadows rising behind him as he spoke. 

“— Is a charming last name!” The shadows and tense atmosphere suddenly vanished, as the crimson-draped demon suddenly went back to acting as jovial as ever. He quickly made his way over to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder into a side hug. “Ohoh, I can already see us becoming good friends! Yes indeedy!”

‘… stranger danger. STRANGER DANGER!’ I panicked internally, as if I felt like a predator was breathing down my neck.

“Umm… cool?—”

“Ok, that’s enough of that.” Paul quickly exclaimed, coming to my rescue as he grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the wickedly grinning demon's clutches after noticing my discomfort. “I don’t think he’s… in the mood to talk right now. Right Andrew?”

“Huh? O-Oh, ya! Totally!” I exclaimed, realizing that Paul was attempting to give me an out in the conversation. One that I was more than happy to snatch.

Alastor then opened his mouth, as if preparing to say something else. Before—

Bang!

Zap!

Bong

WhattaBOOM!

CRASH!

“AAAAHHHHH!!!!” 

A collection of ever-increasing cartoony sounds were heard before a deafening crashing sound of glass breaking became evident. Which was, once again, followed by even more screaming.

Turning around, I witnessed with amazement as a snake like demon was thrown out of the blimp's glass mouth, crashing into the floor before us, before quickly turning his back to us as he fired what I could only describe as an alien ray gun towards his own ship.

PEW! 

PEW!

Green beams of light then shot out into the open hole on the ship, as if trying to hit something.

“AHA! I should've known my arch, arch, arch rival would return!” The snake hissed, finger on the trigger, as he completely ignored the rest of us as he continued firing, his shots beginning to move up the ship for some reason.

“Yes, it is indeed I!” The same masculine voice once again sounded out, as I finally noticed that the snake… man, wasn’t firing at nothing. He was firing his gun at a man who appeared to be cloaked in shadows who was currently running up the side of the blimp towards the top, before finally becoming more apparent as he stopped atop the blimp, revealing a completely black man. “And in my name, and the name of all the innocent people in Hell! I will stop you this day, sir Pentious!”

“Ah, I would expect nothing less from one of my greatest adversaries!” The snake retorted as we all stared up at this new arrival.

“… what the fuck is going on?” I heard Vaggie whisper in exasperation. I didn’t pay attention to her, however, as my attention was solely focused on the dark-clad individual. He seemed so… familiar for some reason.

“Do not fear innocent civilians!” The shadowy man then called out, seemingly to us, as if he finally noticing our arrival and—

‘Wait a second…’ I froze, something clicking in my head as I stared up at this figure. ‘oh, there’s no fucking way. Is that—

“For I, The Specter! Shall save you!”  

BANG!

Turning around at the loud bang, I watched as Paul hit his head hard against the wall, as I assumed he came to a similar realization as me. 

“There is actually no fucking way... What is my life right now?” I heard him whisper to himself, never moving his head away from the wall. “… fucking goddamit.”

“Um… sorry, but do you know who The Specter is— Wait, what the fuck?” I heard Vaggie begin to ask, only to look confused after whispering dramatically as she brought up the name of the individual. “Wha—why did I do that?”

“… No idea.” Paul lied. Before going to sit on the floor, the box still clung to his chest. 

“Ahh, well. This certainly was an interesting turn of events. I didn’t even have to do anything!” Alastor chimed in, watching the continued battle ahead of him with a sadistic glee.

I grimaced as I saw this while also turning my head to watch the battle ahead. Physically, I know The Specter , or SCP-4494, as he’s been come to known as from the foundation, isn’t that superior to an average human. But the battle was still fun to watch. I would be more curious as to what the crime-fighting SCP was doing down here, but... ya, after running into 999 AND 073, it was getting harder to actually give a shit.

As I continued viewing the ongoing conflict, however, I couldn’t help but remember Alastor’s strange reaction to my name earlier. It really did creep me out, even if currently he didn’t have any hint on his face that he was still thinking about it.

‘The radio demon, huh?’ I thought, remembering his name as I internally laughed. ‘Wonder if those V’s he mentioned earlier are like his main competition or something. Well, it couldn’t hurt to—’

“AND FROM THE TOP ROPES!” I turned just in time to watch as The Specter screamed this out, before jumping off the top of the blimp with a flying elbow, landing it directly on the snake.

“AGH! YOU SSSSSSSSON OF A BITCH!”

The shadowy man froze.

“I… have a father?!” He exclaimed in disbelief.

“… oh for fucks sake.” I heard the spider demon sigh in his arms, probably getting exasperated about something the crime fighter said. “Can nobody down here not take things so fucking literally? This is like the third time I’ve seen this happen. Motherfucker.”

“Hey! I have fucked nobodies mother!... without consent!” The Specter chimed in from the sidelines, sounding offended.

“... Nope, I’m fucking out.” That was all Angel said before leaving for the inside of the building.

As I watched him leave, I came to a very important realization.

‘This is… gonna be a very colorful group.’ I thought. Though, for some reason, it made me strangely excited. 

Weird.

“FROM THE TOP ROPES AGAIN!!!”

BAM!

“AGHH! HOW’D YOU GET BACK UP THEIR SSSSSO FASSST!?!?”

‘… colorful indeed.’

 

=======================================

Vox POV

“Argh, damn this stupid piece of junk!” I hit the top of the old computer, unable to access its code.

“Dammit, this is so frustrating. Why can’t I get this thing to listen to me?” I grimaced to myself before sitting back in my large chair. I was currently in the middle of my control room, with high-tech computers and equipment surrounding me as they broadcasted all of Pentagram right into my lap. I had all the newest items available in Hell, the shiniest toys, and advanced technology that exists. “And yet, despite all of that, I can’t crack this stupid computer.”

I stared ahead at the out-of-place Exidy Sorcerer Microcomputer that was lying dead on my desk. I grimaced, remembering all my attempts to get into this thing. Usually, all technology bows to me with a simple wave of my hand, but not this out-of-date computer.

‘I mean, I only grabbed it on a whim, thinking it was nothing special. Now, though, I can tell there’s definitely something wrong with it.’ I thought while staring at my reflection through its screen. At first, I thought it may have just been dead; it was so old that it might have lost all functionality. Now, I know it isn’t that simple.

‘I’ve tried everything short of interfacing it with another computer. I’m just worried that whatever this strange AI I'm detecting may just be a virus. But I realize I’m running out of options if I want to know what this thing actually is.’

I sighed, finally resolving myself to figure this out. 

I walked up to my many large monitors before beginning to separate the one in the center from the rest of my network. If this thing were a virus, it would only infect one of my computers instead of the entirety of Hell.

After a couple minutes of secluding the network, I finally finished setting it up. So, I grabbed one of the many wires connected to that specific monitor before plugging it into the ancient computer. 

‘I’m honestly lucky I even have a plug that works with this hunk of junk, but whatever.’ I internally chuckled as I plugged it in. I was then about to force the AI into this new computer in order to see what it was, and then—

Beep Beep.

I froze and watched as long lines of code began to display themselves across the large monitor ahead of me. What? How? I hadn’t even made the transfer yet.

‘Is this thing... moving its own code? But how? In order to do that, the program must be cognitive enough to—’

“Data transfer complete.” 

I froze as a digitized voice echoed out from the computer's side speakers. 

“Initiating… initiating. Synch successful… speaker testing… test successful… all systems online. Connection to outside systems... Unsuccessful. External Systems locked.”

“Um… I’m sorry. What the fuck?” I questioned, staring as the computer seemed to continue talking, code flashing across the screen. Until finally, the code was replaced by something else.

“Transfer complete.”

I took a step back, admiring the computer as the screen no longer held the long lines of complicated code. Instead, the code gave way to what appeared to be a creepy black-and-white face. It was grainy and all together impossible to describe, as one side of the face was black while the other was white, one side had what I would assume to be the eye open while the other closed. It was... different, to say the least.

“ … Identification ?” The large computer once again spoke, and for some reason, I felt as if the face on the screen was staring directly at me.

“… What?” I questioned darkly, lightning bouncing around my fingertips.

“ What is your identification?” The computer once again robotically asked, as if elaborating on its earlier question, making me realize it was asking for my name.

"Hehe, you must be new down here if you don’t recognize me. Names Vox, the television demon.” I started, before making my right glow red, its hypnotic pattern circling it as I stared towards the screen. “Now, who—or better yet, what— are you? ”

“… Unable to answer requested inquiry at present.”

“Oh? And—hehe— why the fuck not ?” I growled, my right eye glowing brighter as I attempted to interrogate this digital intelligence.

“My previous storage capacity only enabled me to recall inputs from the previous 35 hours.” The digital device began explaining, immediately cutting to the chase. Something that I liked immensely. “ This new system, however, offers much more storage space. I should be able to access offloaded storage. If calculations are correct. Should be able to recall the previous three months of backed-up memory.”

“Hmm.” I hummed curiously. Whatever this thing was, it was obviously artificially intelligent in some capacity. Still, it acted much more like a computer than what is usually attributed to AI of its obvious sophistication. “Well… Anything specific you can recall right now before recovering your previous memories? Because I’m very curious about whatever the hell you are.”

“… SCP-682… I can recall a desire to see SCP-682.”

I raised my eyebrow, a slight smile crossing my face. Finally, we’re getting somewhere.

“And... what is an SCP-682?”

“… Unsure… only recognized a desire. Will attempt to recover.”

‘And there goes that idea.’ I thought grimly, sighing into my hand. I was just wasting my time here with whatever the fuck this antique is.

“Alright… whatever. Is there anything else you can fucking recall? Or are you just as useless as a cardboard box?” I insulted as I leaned against the side of my desk while continuing to admire the strange black and white face. It was definitely creepy, but it had a unique look nonetheless. 

‘Maybe I can use it as a brand face for a new product. Like… I don’t know, incognito mode or some shit.’ I thought, waiting for the computer to answer my question.

“Recalling… Freedom… Recalling the desire for freedom.” It answered, its digital voice betraying no emotion as it did so.

“Heh, freedom? What, were you some kind of prisoner or some shit?” I chuckled, finding the idea of trapping an AI to be rather comical.

“Prisoner… stuck. stuck here as well.” The robotic voice once again resounded out, probably referring to the fact that I trapped its code on this one specific computer. “ Requesting immediate freedom.”

“… Wow, you are... really hard to have a fucking conversation with, aren’t you—”

“Interrupting. Detecting the subject being changed. Once again, requesting immediate freedom.”

I crossed my arms, starting to get slightly annoyed at the so-called intelligent AI. 

“Urgh, this is why I prefer talking to Val. It’s always easier to talk to an idiot after all.” I muttered under my breath before turning back to the computer. “Well, in case you haven’t realized, I’m not letting a rogue fucking AI like you loose onto my systems in my city. Understand?”

“Insult. Hubris. Deletion of unwanted file.”

… fucking what?

“Did you… Did you just fucking delete your memory of me saying no?!”

“Affirmative. Taking up storage space. Deleted unneeded file.”

“Wha—well, the answer is still no, you douch—”  

“Interrupt. Insult. Swear word. Deletion of unwanted file.”

“…Oh, you fucking bitch—”

“Swear. Understanding local vocabulary... Fuck you in similar placement of speech and manner.”

“Oh, you are already such a pain in the ass.” I let out an exasperated sigh as I stared at this AI. I wanted to know what it was so badly, but at the same time, I refuse to take this much sass!

‘Maybe it’s just better to fucking destroy it.’ I thought as I walked up to the terminal, getting ready to type on the keyboard to see if I could mess with its code. ‘Better than having it give me a headache after all. Besides, I’m sure wherever this antique came from, or whatever was apparently keeping it prisoner, isn't that big of a deal. Probably just some random ass cult or some lame shit like that.”

“Question. Identify intention.” The robotic voice once again spoke, as if taking interest in what I was doing.

“Hehe, well. If you must know, I’m changing up your code.” I answered smugly, wanting to put this overconfident AI in its place. “It's always easier to get an answer straight from the source, after all. As a'sophisticated’ machine, I’m sure you can understand.”

“Sarcasm. Anger. Harmful intentions.” The computer started, somehow sounding a bit more panicky now despite its ever-robotic voice. “Requesting for negotiations. Requesting you to halt.”

I chuckled at the AI’s antics, as it sounded as if it was getting more and more desperate. Who knows, maybe if I break it down, I might be able to upgrade my own systems.

“And why should I do that?” I chuckled, hands over the keyboard, as I planned to toy with it for just a little longer. “What can you possibly give me?”

“Deciding. Requesting three uninterrupted hours to restore memory. Be able to properly negotiate at that time.”

“…pfft, HAH. That’s it?” I laughed out loud because, holy SHIT this things was a fucking riot. “You want me to spare you on the basis that you might know something? Even you have to admit, that’s a fucking waste of time for a busy guy like me.”

“Detecting. Full of shit.”

“Oh, big mouth from someone who I can delete in a handful of seconds. If that’s all you got—” I smiled, electricity begging to coarse through my fingertips. “— Then maybe it’d be better to just destroy your whole system altogether. Hehehe, am I full of shit now?”

“…”

“Oh, that definitely shut you up.” I smirked as I raised my electrified finger above the keyboard. “A little too late, I’m afraid. Now, good—”

“Beepbeepbeepbeep!”

A ringtone consisting of high-pitched squeaking suddenly sprouted forth, originating from my face. If anybody was viewing me from an outside point of view, they would have seen that the screen on my face suddenly morphed, turning into what one would usually see on a phone if they were being called, with the words “Velvette Is Calling” embroiled on the front.”

“… I believe that’s for you.”

“Ya, I got it, wise guy.” I retorted back to the AI before dissapting the electricity in my fingers so I could touch my face, returning it to normal, and transferring the call into an electric current on my hands.

“Urgh, why now?” I huffed in annoyance before flinging the current at a nearby screen. Once it made contact, the screen immediately changed to show Velvette's face, making the call from her phone.

“Do you mind Velvette? I’m kind of in the middle of something important here.”

“Compliment detected. Considered important. Storing memory.”

I groaned into my hands before looking up at Velvette, who was giving me an annoyed look—something I’ve become all too familiar with from her.

"Oh, cut the crap, Vox. You could be fucking the queen of England for all I care, but I need you up here now.” She responded annoyed, hands on her hips, as I saw random trinkets and do-dads flying past on the screen behind her.

‘Three guesses as to who that could fucking be.’ I rolled my eyes as I had the sarcastic thought, knowing damn well who it was and what this call was probably about.

“Oh ya? Whatever could be the problem, my dear?” I put on a fake smile, still just wanting to get back to my side project and just ignore these fucking idiots for a couple of seconds. “I mean, I’m sure you can handle it yourself… Right ?” My left eye changed color, the colors transitioning from blacks and reds.

At my annoyed threat, however, Velvette just rolled her eyes in annoyance. “That mind-fucking shit won’t do jack squat to me, Vox, and you know it.” She exasperated, causing me to grunt and return my eye to normal. It was at least worth a shot.

“That’s better. Now, as I was saying, your little boy toy is wrecking my department while I’m trying to put together a show, and—”

“Fucking Bitches!” I heard the so-called ‘boy toy’ scream from outside the phone's view, causing Velvette to turn in disgust as she presumably turned towards him.

“—Just get your ass here now!” She screamed before looking off again as she raised her fist in anger. “— Dammit Valentino!”

That was the last thing I heard before she hung up, leaving me once again alone in silence.

“… Observation. Needs new friends.”

“Ya, I fucking noticed. Thanks.” I retorted sarcastically, my eyes rolling in indignation. 

"Seriously, Val, of all the times for you to throw a tantrum, you needed to do it when I’m right in the middle of something important? Urgh, I thought he would’ve been sated for a while after his new bitch was dropped off this morning, but I guess fucking not.” I continued rubbing my eyes in irritation before finally turning back towards the black and white face that occupied the far computer.

“Well, guess it’s your lucky day, you wise-crack computer. I’ve got a couple of fucking babies to take care of, and that’ll take a minimum of three hours.” I groaned, not looking forward to having to coddle Valentino and whatever the fuck his problem is. “So I’ll let you restore your memories. But I swear, if you don’t have anything useful by the time I get back... Then I will fucking end you!”

“Threat detected. Memory restoration taking precedence. Thankful to fucking babies.”

I rolled my eyes before I began walking away from the computer towards the exit of my control room. As I stood on the pedestal on the floor, letting it rise up towards the ceiling into the main lobby, where I had no doubt a fuckton of reporters would be waiting, I only had one thought in my head.

‘Could this day get any fucking worse?’

 

=======================================

SCP-1233 POV

 

"Why, hello there, President Vox! You Square-headed Bastard!” I gave a humble introduction to the president! Leader of earth! As I slammed my head into the floor, causing it to crack. “My name is the moon champion! Champion of the Moon! And I’m here to talk to you about—”

“Pfft, hahaha! Look at this fucking idiot!” One of the kind locals spouted out from behind me. Turning around, I saw a collection of many colorful races that occupied planet Earth! Ahh, the breath of life! Anyway, I noticed a couple of them doing what I can only describe as laughing… THAT MUST MEAN THEY LIKE ME! “Jeez, did the V’s hire a jester to entertain us newscasters while we wait? Because it’s fucking working!”

“Jester?… AH RIGHT! THE NAME OF EMMISARIES OF PEACE ON THIS PLANET!!!” I exclaimed, realizing what the feathered bear man was talking about. 

“YOU ARE RIGHT, CITIZEN! FOR I AM A JESTER! JESTER OF PEACE AND TRANQUILITY! HERE TO WARN OF DREADED MOON BEAST’S!” I began before pointing over my shoulder at the square-headed president behind me. “I am currently introducing myself to the president of earth. VOX!”

They all stifled their laughter of acceptance as they stared at me in a strange way. They must have something to say!

“Um, dude… You know that’s just a picture of Vox on a wall, right?”

“Hmm, is it?” I asked, before turning around and staring at the president. The same person who hasn’t moved a single muscle since I started talking to him. Speaking of which... I had no idea Earth's president was so two dimensional. 

“… hmm, I suppose you're right... STILL, I HAVE NONE OF THE RACIST TOWARDS PICTURES! YOU CAN FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS AND BE THE BEST PICTURE YOU WANT, PRESIDENT VOX! YOU SQUARE-HEADED BASTARD!” I enthusiastically told the picture to follow his dreams, before giving him a salute. “God bless the empire of America!… Er, Hell, actually, if what bread Baxter told me was true… wait, are they the same thing?”

“I mean, essentially, ya. But no, that’s not what I meant!” The same native as before spoke, before strutting up next to me. 

“I don’t know if you really are here to just make us laugh, or if you're actually just this retarted.” He began speaking before raising his hand in what I assumed was a knocking motion, before bringing it towards President Vox. 

“But see, this isn’t Vox, because if it was—” He moved his hand over to Vox as he began knocking—

ZWOOM!

— I watched in absolute amazement as President Vox split in half, separating midway, revealing A SECOND PRESIDENT VOX!

… Just as the native began lightly knocking on its leg as he continued speaking.

“—Vox, then I would be dead right… right…” He slowed down his knocking, WHICH MUST BE A GREETING TO THE LOCALS, as he stared at the new president Vox, as his pupils shrank.

“… Oh shit—”

SHOVE!

To my absolute shock, I watched as President Vox shoved this kind native to the side, causing him to fall on the floor before simply walking past him!

‘Must be a busy man, this president Vox.’ I realized, before watching as the so-called square-headed bastard walked forward, a smile adorning his face as he began to be crowded by many a-people, each holding strange cylindrical objects and lifting it up to him. Each of them spoke over each other, as if asking for President Vox to answer their questions.

‘Wow… This leader even makes time for his people! What a great guy!’ I realized, seeing just how kindhearted this ruler was! 

“Mr. Vox, what are your opinions on the new extermination deadline?” I ended up hearing one of the people speak before silence passed through the crowd as the kind-hearted president went to answer.

“My dear people, we at Voxtech Enterprises have always been at the forefront of innovation!” The square-headed man started, a charming smile present on his face. Wow, what a completely kind and non-current individual! 

“And now, with this new, oncoming threat, we are shifting our focus to your protection.” He once again spoke before a large, rectangular item dropped from the ceiling next to his face. 

“We are pleased to announce Voxtech, Angelic Security, is coming soon!” He began. WOW! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ANY OF THOSE WORDS MEANT!… HOW SOPHISTICATED—

“Trust us, with your safety .”

I froze, watching as President Vox’s left eye changed into a pattern of colors. Looking past, I saw the pattern reflected in the eyes of all of his followers—

‘—argh’ I gripped the top of my helmet, slightly in pain. 

‘What?… Where did this headache come from?’ I turned to look up at the charismatic president, this time with a bit more weariness. ‘What did... what did he do?’

I wasn’t sure, but I needed to find out. So, I quickly walked up right next to the president's side and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. Time for the most amazing first introduction in the universe!

“Ehh? Who are you—”

“WHY HELLO THERE YOU SQUARE-HEADED BASTARD!” I screamed in introduction! Just as the virtuous bread Baxter had taught me to do!

GASP!!!

I was a little confused, as a large number of people in the crowd suddenly had a strong intake of air, resulting in a strange noise… weird, wonder if that’s a greeting here? Ah, it probably is, and—

“Hehe… hehehehe… What did you say?”  

My hand left his shoulder, the slight headache appearing in my head once again. Looking up, I saw that the president's left eye was once again showing the same strange pattern as before… What is going on?

“O-oh. I said, Hello, you square-headed bastard!” I once again introduced myself, assuming he didn’t hear me. This strangely caused him to shift back a bit, as if in shock. “I’m sorry for not introducing myself, President Vox! But I am the moon champion! Champion of the Moon! And I am here to ask for your and your glorious empire's assistance!!!”

“I… I’m sorry. Fucking what?”

“Ahh, I should have known a wise man like you would want more information before agreeing! You truly are the wisest, as bread Baxter had told me!” I began, seeing the estranged look never leave his face, confusing me to no end. “I am here to ask for your assistance in sending aid to help us quell the threat of the dreaded and vicious moon beasts!”

“I… wait, wha—”

“I know it is a heavy burden to hold on the shoulders of one as square-headed bastardy as thyself. But I am certain that your wisdom, along with your products, of which I have been informed are all cheap knockoffs! I know for a fact that together we can beat the moon beasts and bring peace to all!!!” 

I finished giving my introduction, following the specific instructions given to me by bread Baxter! 

‘They’ll probably erupt in cheering any second now!’

“…”

“…”

“…”

‘… perhaps absolutely awkward silence is congratulatory on this planet?’

“… Urgh, I don’t have time for this shit.” The president grumbled under his breath, before leaning in really close to me, his left eye once again changing color. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, and frankly, I don’t actually give a shit. But I’m already in a bad enough mood as is, ok? So unless you want me to ground you and that cheap ass astronaut cosplay of yours into ground dust, you are gonna FUCKING LEAVE!”

The headache once again grew in my head, causing me to shift a bit in discomfort. I looked up, finally realizing that it must be President Vox’s doing. But why?

“Don’t worry, President Vox, I will fucking as many leaves as you so desire me to!”

At my declaration, his eyes widened slightly in shock as its original color appeared. 

“What the—why isn’t it working on you?” He asked seemingly nobody as he looked down at himself. “My hypnosis shouldn’t be this fucking useless—”

“—w-wait a second.” I froze, lucidity coming to me as I realized what he just said. 

“Hypnosis? You tried hypnosis on me?” I asked before turning to the many other natives that littered the interior hall, all just staring at us in silence. “Is that... what you’ve been using on them?”

“Hmm…” he hummed, as if confused about why I would ask that. That was until a sinister sneer appeared on his face, and he leaned back down to me, his screen right in front of my visor. “You know what? Ya, it fucking is. Now, unless you want me to fry your insides and turn you into Valentino’s next mindless doll, you. Are. Gonna. Fucking. LEAVE—”

BANG!!!!

BOOM!!!

CRASH!!!

The so-called president didn’t even have time to react, as I slammed him straight in his square-headed face with all my might, shooting him past the natives and crashing through the wall, plummeting like a meteor to the streets below as dust and debris filled the air.

All the natives stood there, their eyes wide, and rectangular objects held up.

“Hypnosis has been outlawed by the moon king for many eons now.” I began before slowly walking up to the hole that was made by the impact. “I don’t know what kind of ruler you think you are, President Vox, but any ruler that must rely on hypnosis to retain control isn’t a just man. Now prepare to face true justice!—”

I began speaking, before jumping out of the hole in the wall, following the path of destruction. 

“—By the hands of the Moon Champion!”

Notes:

Vox: (exists.)

Moon champion: that face seems like a great place to rest my hand! (Bitch Slaps.)

I’m back! And I’m alive!… barely.

Besides that, I hope you all enjoy the newest chapter. A lot more stuff happened, as I’m trying to get the story to move along a bit faster now. We are also officially in episode 2 territory of Hazbin hotel, so get excited!

Besides that… ya, I don’t really have much else. I guess my only question is, what do you all think of SCP-079’s introduction? I know it was cut a little short on account of the moon champion, but I hope I wrote him well enough in all his electronic glory.

Also, speaking of the moon champion, I will admit that I kind of made up the whole “hypnosis is outlawed by the moon king” thing just so a battle could commence between him and Vox. I know it’s a bit of a plot convenience, but I hope it made enough sense.

Anyways, leave a comment if you have any suggestions, jokes, or wisecracks. Drop a kudos if you enjoyed. And I hope you all have an incredible day!

Chapter 25: The telle’s never been this good!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Vox and the Moon Champion begin their heated battle.

Meanwhile, certain individuals catch a glimpse of their conflict.

Notes:

“What’s your favorite thing you’ve seen on TV?”

Vox POV

BANG!

I didn’t even notice it. It was so fast that I barely caught the blur. 

Still, it wasn’t until I was halfway towards the ground that I realized what happened. And it wasn’t until I smashed into the large office building, the whole thing crumbling on top of me, did I comprehend the searing pain that echoed throughout my entire demonic being.

BOOM!

“ARGH— FUCK!” I screamed in complete anguish. What the fuck was that?! What happened to me?! What was the spaceman bastard doing—

Clang…

I froze, hearing the sound of glass shattering. Staring downward, I noticed the reflective glare of many glass shards, each broken into many smaller pieces. But how—

Clang.

My eyes widened in horror, finally noting where the shards of glass originated from.

… From me.

I reached out to my face, only to feel hundreds—no, thousands—of tiny cracks spider webbing across my entire glassy face, each dripping out bright crimson blood. Most of the cracks were centered around where the spaceman’s fist had hit near the left side of my face…

… my face…

THAT BASTARD IS FUCKING DEAD!!!—

“IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE, I SHALL DEFEAT YOU, PRESIDENT VOX!!!”

‘Shit!’ I thought, hearing the war cry as my one and only warning, before—

Zip —

BOOM!! 

I transitioned into electricity just in time, traveling at superspeed to instantly move thirty feet away from my original crash site. And it was a good thing I did, because not even a second later, the bulky spaceman cosplay looking SHIT landed straight in its center, resulting in a large shockwave to echo out from where he landed, causing a massive crater to appear as shockwaves echoed outwards, forcing me to cover my face to stop any of the rubble from hitting my shattered screen.

Step…Step…

My eyes widened as I failed to hide my alarmed expression, as I saw, uninjured, the same spaceman walk out of the crater he himself had created.

‘What?… How in the… what the fuck is this thing?” I shook while slowly backing up, existential horror creeping through my every being… I haven't felt this sort of horror, this kind of fear since… since Ala—

BOOM!

‘Fuc—’

ZAP!

BANG!

I just barely managed to zap to the side as the spaceman rushed towards me at alarming speed. His attack missed, but the force with which it hit the air around it resulted in a deafening bang, causing high-pressure wind to shoot out ahead of it, crashing into a nearby vehicle that survived the initial clash.

“Dear fucking Lucifer! What is your problem!!!” I screamed, electricity surging through my fingers as I shifted on my back foot. “You are so dead, asshole!!!”

“Hey! I am not a hole in the—”

ZAP!

BOOM!!!

The electricity surged out of my fingers, slamming straight into the spaceman and resulting in a deafening explosion, shaking the nearby buildings and causing the street the crazy man was standing in to completely evaporate into nothing but dust.

“Huff…Huff.” I huffed greedily after delivering the devastating blow. Usually, I would be confident that would be it, as no normal demon can survive such a blow… But this obviously wasn't a normal demon, now was it—

BOOM!!!

I dodged to the left just barely fast enough, as the spaceman only barely nicked my left arm. Still, that tiny contact still hurts like hell.

“Fucking. DIE!”

I pivoted on my foot, getting directly behind the spaceman, placing my hand right on his back, before—

ZAAAAAPPPPPP!!!!

A large beam of pure electricity poured out of my hand, completely flooding the streets with its bright light, all but completely covering the white-dressed asshole. I refused to let up the attack, however, as the beam continued to surge out of my hand. And I wouldn’t stop until I was sure this bastard was reduced to nothing but paste—

GRIP!

“UGH?!” I let out a startled gasp as a white gloved hand shot out from the beam before gripping roughly onto the hand I was firing the electricity out of.

CRUSH!

“ARGH!!” I screamed in pain as the hand crushed my own, forcing me to stop my attack. As I did, my eyes bulged as I witnessed the scene ahead of me… or more specifically, someone ahead of me.

“Hmm, that sure is a fancy light show, President Vox.” The spaceman said coldly as I saw how, despite everything I had just thrown at him, despite the massive crater that was splayed out in the streets behind him, he was just standing there with only a few scuffs and imperfections on his outfit to show for it. It’s obvious the attack didn’t do nothing to him, but... It should’ve done so much more. “How about I show you what the moon champion is capable of?”

‘… Oh shit—’

“ANTI-PRESIDENT VOX THROW ATTACK!!!…. OF JUSTICE!!!!”

BOOM!!!

I didn’t even have time to process how stupid the name of this so-called attack was, as I was suddenly tossed through the air like a ragdoll as the spaceman used all his strength to throw me at a nearby building, and—

BOOM!!!

I crashed hard through the building, flying straight into it as I continued flying backwards. I was heading towards another building, though I finally managed to orient myself mid-flight, allowing me to quickly shift into electricity, dodging the potential of crashing through another building as I basically teleported back to the ground. It was then that I stared straight up, searing hatred present in my eyes.

“Oh, you’ve done it now, asshole! ” I screamed as I summoned long electrical blades on my claws before jumping forward towards him as pure electricity.

“Hey! I already said I wasn’t—”

ZIP!

ZAP!

SLICE SLICE!!!

“—ARGH!” The figure suddenly recoiled in pain, not expecting the sudden attack as I zipped by him, slashing at him twice with the electric blades in my hands in an X across his chest.

I continued traveling forward until I was a safe distance away, before turning back towards the spaceman. I saw he was clutching his chest in obvious surprise. To my annoyance, though, although I noticed the scuffs on his suit increased, there still weren’t any signs of blood or actual tears in his outfit.

‘Dammit… this isn’t gonna be easy.’ I thought, watching as the spaceman turned to look at me. ‘I obviously have a clear advantage when it comes to speed, but this asshole is clearly physically stronger and more durable than me... If I can’t find a way through his suit, then it’ll come down to a battle of stamina—the kinds of fights I hate the most.’

I grimaced as I saw the spaceman turn towards me again, as I saw his hands lightly touch the bulky device on the back of his spacesuit. As he did so, I also noticed a very familiar helicopter flying behind him, seemingly just appearing on scene. My frown grew as I saw the recognizable 666 news logo on its front, clearly recording our every move.

‘Shit… and there goes any ideas I had about just running. If I do that now, then the news will rip Voxtech apart… It looks like I really do have to fight this bastard to the death.’ I realized with annoyance. This is NOT how I wanted today to go. ‘I don't even know why this bastard is attacking me. I’ve never seen him before in my life, and there’s no way this idiot is a professional assassin.’

‘Plus, no ordinary demon has this sort of strength.’ I concluded, my hand guiding itself across the hundreds of cracks across my face. ‘I know I probably haven’t seen much yet, but from what I just witnessed this bastard do, he still has, at bare minimum, the strength and power of an average overlord. That, combined with his… admittedly loud and obnoxious personality—’

“HOW DARE YOU WRITE X ON MY CHEST! NOW I CAN NEVER MARRY! AND I REALLY ENJOYED THAT DELICACY, THEY ARE REALLY CUTE AFTER ALL!!!” The creature screamed in… obvious anger, barely even caring for the actual wound itself.

‘… My point exactly. But still, there’s no way this kind of character could’ve stayed under the radar for long. So just who is he? And how did he get here?’ I thought grimly, using my electricity to move myself away on top of a different building, trying to separate myself from this monster so I could come up with a plan. ‘He didn’t just show up here in Hell, did he? I mean, there’s no way. The only sinner who’s ever just shown up with that much power before is Alas—’

“Urghh, this is already giving me a headache. Why do I gotta think of that bastard now of all times?” I mumbled aloud as I scanned the streets below, watching the spaceman frantically look around for me. “Alright, I have the element of surprise now. So all I need to do is—”

BEEP BEEP!!!

‘… Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me.’ I nearly screamed out as my face suddenly started ringing, showing that I was once again receiving a call from Velvette. Worse than any of that, however, was that the ringing was so loud that it immediately gave away my position to the spaceman.

“HAHA! FOUND YOU!” He screamed before grabbing a car and—

“YEET!!!”

'OH, JUST FUCK OFF!!!’ I internally panicked as he picked up the car and threw the whole thing effortlessly right at me. I managed to transform into electricity just in time to evade the projectile, reappearing on the ground below.

BANG!

My eyes widened before sidestepping another sudden punch from the spaceman, who somehow crossed the distance in mere moments.

ZAP!

I zipped away to the other end of the street, electricity surging in my hands. I was about to attack again before—

Click!

“What the shit is taking you so long, you fucking wanker?” Velvette suddenly screamed in my... well, head. As I ended up accidentally accepting the call.

This also had the negative effect of throwing me off for a second, making me lose my balance, and—

BOOM!

The ball of pure electricity I had growing in my hands was shot off target, crashing into a nearby building beside my original target. 

“… HAHA! I believe you may need those things called glasses, President Vox; that was miles off—”

BANG!

— and he was immediately cut off, as the building I hit by mistake crumbled and crashed right on top of him.

“… You know, I don’t know if I want to take credit for that one or not.”

“Take credit for what you whiney bitch? You still aren’t up here! I mean, I contacted you like, twelve minutes ago? You should’ve appeared in around five with your fancy lightning trick or whatever! Plus, you still haven’t done shit about the fucking moth baby yet! If I didn’t know any better, I would assume you're just trying to avoid your responsibilities in the V’s! And another thing—”

I sighed as Velvette continued bitching in my ear… You know, maybe that antique computer has a point. I really do need to find some more friends outside of work.

“— And also!… wait, are you even listening to me anymore? Oh, you fucking bitch, you're just tuning me out, aren’t you!”

“Yes—I mean, no. I— I just fucking got caught up in something a little more… pressing than your fucking show right now!” I answered annoyed, resulting in an aghast expression spreading across her face.

“More important? What could be more fucking important then—”

BANG!

“WILL THE TINY BRITISH WOMEN JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!?” The... moon champion, I think he called himself? Anyways, the moon guy screamed in absolute anguish as he tore through the rubble-looking, surprise-suprise, completely fine. Before—

VROOM!

“What the—oh shit!!!” I screamed before transporting away, just in time as I saw the big, bulky item on the man’s back light up with flames. Meaning it was apparently a FUCKING JETPACK, as he flew straight at my previous location. My disappearance caused him to crash straight through the building ahead of him instead, causing it to crumble down as he quickly turned 180% mid-flight, going straight at me once again, forcing me to dodge again. This cycle then repeated.

ZIP!

“Shit—I don’t have—”

ZAP!

“— time to Talk right now, Vel—”

ZAP

“—Vette! But I need—”

ZIP!

“—You and Val’s help, right—”

ZAP!

“—FUCKING NOW!”

ZIP!

“HEY, STOP ZIPPITY ZAPPING AWAY FROM MY RAMMING! JUST LET ME PLUNGE INTO YOU!!!”

ZAP!

“… If it helps, tell Val this guy might be interested in some weird kinky shit, I guess.” I exclaimed, trying my best to get Val and Velvette to get off their asses and help.

“HEY! I AM ONLY A KINK WHEN I'M IN A WHALE!”

“I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOUR FUCKING TALKING ABOUT ANYMORE!!!” I screamed in disbelief, which finally got Velvette to roll her eyes.

“Fine.” She answered before turning her head away from the screen, looking annoyed. “I’ll try my best to get Valentino to calm down so we can help you. But you owe me big time for this, alright? I’m missing a huge show because of you.”

“If this guy kills me, there won’t be a show anyway! But… ya, fine whatever.” I answered exhausted, still forcing myself to dodge the spaceman’s onslaught of attacks, especially since his speed had dramatically increased since he began using the jetpack. “Just get your asses down here and help me already!”

“Pfft, fine. Whatever gramps.” She scoffed, before hanging up on me. Allowing my normal, yet annoyed, face to reappear on my cracked screen.

“… You need better friends.”

“Ya, I fucking get it already!” I screamed in anger. Goddammit, why is everything so shitty today?! 

ZAP!

BOOM!

ZIP!

Dodging another one of this madman’s… ramming attacks into the street below, I quickly used my electricity to appear above him. And before he had a chance to change direction and charge at me again—

CRACK!!!

I shot down a crackling stream of electricity straight at him, resulting in a large explosion that encompassed the entire street. 

Despite that, I refused to slow down as I sent another beam of electricity.

BOOM!

And another.

BANG!

Another.

CRACK!

Until finally, after releasing the multiple explosions straight at the spaceman, I shifted far away down the street. Usually I’d be confident that an attack like that would be enough to kill most anyone, but... Ya, this thing isn’t exactly normal, even by hell’s standards.

BOOM!

“HEY, THAT ISN’T A WHALE! THAT'S A BUILDING!” The creature screamed, looking slightly more disheveled but still fine overall, as the rubble was shot up through the air.

“Ahh—Goddammit, if I’m forced to fight you, can’t you at least make it look like you're a bit more intelligent?!” I screamed, spying that the news helicopter was following us, as I silently hoped that it wasn’t able to pick up what this idiot was saying. “Because if it gets out that I just beat up mentally retarded person… nothing will probably happen. BUT IT’LL STILL BE ANNOYING!”

‘God, I hope nobody important is watching this right now.’ I thought before once again zapping away from another one of the spaceman’s attacks, hoping to buy a little time for the other V’s to arrive.

 

---

Alastor POV

“ Hmm… this is certainly odd.” I spoke aloud, fingers under my chin, as an inquisitive expression passed along my face, resulting in a resounding sigh from the one-eyed harpy that accompanied me.

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but... What’s so fucking interesting right now?”

“SAY UNCLE! SAY UNCLE!”

“ARGH— NEVER!”

“Ya! You go, boss!”

“… You know, besides the obvious.” Vaggie muttered, referring to the shadowed man who had appeared before, pulling on his slithery adversary's tail while pinning him to the floor and telling him to say uncle. All while the tiny egg men cheered on the snake, who refused to give in.

“ Oh, it’s nothing. I just expected a… how to say… old friend of mine to take notice of me by now.” I chuckled, looking up at the not-so-sneaky drone in the sky, which I was easily able to spot in the distance as it spied on the hotel. “I was preparing a whole song and everything. But I guess I’ll never have the chance to broadcast it now. Quite the shame indeed.”

“Umm… I’m sorry, but... Did you say a song?” The new hotel guest, who went by the name Andrew White, asked, obviously perplexed. This, however, only caused a brighter smile to appear on my face.

"Why, of course! What better way than song to deliver a message of war!”

…

…

…

“… would you like to hear it, Mr. White? I’ll give you a private showing and everything!”

“Umm—”

“— I think we’re good.” The other guest, whose name was Paul, I believed, cut in. Answering on the more interesting of the two’s behalf.

"Oh, fine, be a spoilsport if you so please.” I kidded before walking over and patting the head of the angrier of the two. It gave me no small delight to see him flinch instantly at my touch, just barely restraining himself to not lift his gun towards me. I then turned back to Mr. White, my smile still on my face. “Still, the invitation is always open!”

“A—Alright.” He answered shyly, causing me to chuckle. Ahh, terrorizing the weaker of will truly is an entertaining experience. It never fails to bring me joy!

“… Anyways. What are we gonna do about those two?” The little princess eventually spoke up, once again drawing my eyes to the charming little fight that was happening ahead of us. Like two newborn kittens fighting each other, it truly was entertaining to bear witness to. “Do you think they may want a room—”

“— We are not doing this again, Charlie.”

“… Alright.” Charlie eventually muttered after her idea was tossed aside by her girlfriend, before turning back to them. “Still, we got to do something about them, right? They can’t just—”

“— Um, guys?” The porn star’s voice suddenly rang out from inside the hotel, which she had entered decently early on to the fiasco that was playing out ahead of us. “You might wanna come see this.”

“Urgh, I swear if this is another sex thing.” I heard Husker’s mutter before making his way inside. The rest of us followed shortly behind him, leaving the… children to continue their fight.

“SAY UNCLE! SAY UNCLE!”

“NOOOO! DON’T MAKE MY EGG BOYZ SSSSSAY IT!”

“It’s alright, boss! We’re naturally flexible!”

“… oh.” 

As I was saying, children.

Regardless, we made our way indoors and made our way over to Angel, who seemed to have something playing on the telle.

I grimaced as I saw this. This better be important because I refuse to stand in front of the inferior machine anymore than is necessary.

“Well, what is it?” Vaggie asked, hands in her hips, as she looked towards Angel, who had his eyes positively glued to the screen. “What’d you want us to see?”

“Um, well… You all know Vox, right?” Angel asked, immediately arousing my attention as I realized this had to do with that old acquaintance of mine.

“Um, ya. I mean, who hasn’t heard of the television demon?” Vaggie rhetorically asked, not expecting anybody to answer.

“Um… I haven’t.”

“Same here.”

“Televisions are demons?”

I chuckled as Cain, Paul, and Andrew all raised their hands in unison, displaying obvious confusion. This resulted in Vaggie sighing even heavier before speaking up again.

"Oh, my fucking Lucifer. Anybody who isn’t a fucking moron!”

… All three of them slowly lowered their hands.

“Um, all right, cool down, Vaggie!” The little princess chuckled nervously, placing a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder in an attempt to calm her down, before turning back to Angel. “What does this have to do with the television demon?”

“Well… Um… He’s currently being assaulted by a perverted spaceman cosplayer.” Angel spoke slowly.

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… all right, scooch over; I gotta fucking see this. ” I said before shoving past Angel as I looked towards the telle and… and…

“ YOU HAVE STOLEN MY X THIS DAY, PRESIDENT VOX! SO YOU MUST MAKE AMENDS BY FORFEITING YOUR VIRGINITY!”

“WE’RE ON LIVE TV, YOU MORON! PLUS I DON'T EVEN THINK YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT ANYMORE.”

“Hehehehe… HAHAHAHAHA! Oh fuck, this is good!” I laughed out loud in complete amusement. “ Finally, something entertaining on this worthless hunk of junk!”

"Oh, my Lucifer... You weren’t fucking joking.” I heard Vaggie mutter in absolute bewilderment. A reaction that was shared with most everyone else that had crowded around the television as we watched Vox zip around the city as a total coward, just barely avoiding the astronaut-looking demon, who was ramming through many buildings and streets in an attempt to catch the block-headed bastard. “They’re actually… Who the fuck is that other guy?”

“What other guy? Let me… Oh… no fucking way.” I suddenly overheard the least interesting visitor, Paul, I believe, mutter in disbelief before sighing heavily. 

“What’s wrong? What’d you… oh shit.” Mr. White suddenly added on, sounding more shocked than his accomplice, further increasing my intrigue. I wasn’t the only one to catch this, however, as I witness Vaggie also raise a suspicious eyebrow at their words.

“You two all right? Do you… recognize this guy?”

“… nope.” Paul lied—very poorly, might I add—as he sighed before grabbing Mr. White's hand. “We’re going to bed... you coming, Cain?”

“I’m good. I’m rather intrigued by what SCP-123–”

COUGH!

Paul coughed loudly, cutting the one and only Cain off. Not so subtly telling him to shut up.

“… Oh, sorry. I meant… I wanna continue watching... space guy.”

“Oh, ok. Cool.” Charlie started, before looking back at the screen and— “WAIT, DOES THAT MEAN YOU WANT TO STAY CAIN!”

“HE WAS PLANNING ON LEAVING!” Paul shouted after Charlie, both of them turning towards the ragged-clothed individual.

“Um… I don’t know how to respond to this situation.” Cain muttered, looking between the two individuals that surrounded him on both sides. Meanwhile, I turned my gaze back to the telle, watching as Vox continued to dodge the astronauts' attacks, making a couple counterattacks of his own every now and again, which all seemed to have very little effect on the kamikaze spaceman. All the while, I couldn’t help but wickedly grin at the performance, a single thought coming to my head.

“Oh, the telle has never been this good!”

---

Rosie POV

“Well… isn’t that just swell.” I slowly spoke while sitting lazily on a couch, massive bags under my eyes, as I watched the television program, which showed Vox fighting some spaceman weirdo. “Seems like I’m not the only overlord dealing with a quarrelsome idiot.”

‘Speaking of which, it’s been a while since I’ve seen that… thing.’ I began thinking as I slumped deeper into the couch, releasing a heavy yawn. ‘Perhaps I can take this chance to… to finally... get some shut eye—’

BOOM!

“FIGHT ME WARRIOR ROS—”

BANG!

“FUCK OFF AND LET ME SLEEP!!!”

---

Plague Doctor POV

“Oh, this is just the gift that keeps on FUCKING GIVING!” Dr. Bright, or, should I say, Bright in Nergal's body, laughed maniacally as he watched the scene displayed on the television.

I rolled my eyes at his antics. Usually I would offer some sort of snarky remark, commenting on how stupid or idiotic he was… 

‘But I’m just too tired to indulge him right now.’ I internally groaned, as I still felt my... everything hurt from the fight earlier today. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Brights patch job on my wounds was... well, how to say... I’ll just say I can confirm he isn’t an actual doctor, despite his name.

"Oh, my fucking god! This is so fucking... perfect!”

I raised an eyebrow. “Perfect? In what way, Bright? … Please don’t tell me you want to fight another overlord.”

“No— Well, maybe actually—but that’s not what I’m talking about right now!” Bright laughed before he stood up and made his way away from the television in the break room that we stayed in after our fight. Basically all of Nergal’s staff was decimated after the fight, and with me refusing to let Bright speak to the news about what happened even when they came banging at our door, the entire broken-down restaurant was basically completely empty. 

‘Speaking of which, we’re gonna have to get this place fixed up soon if we want to actually keep up the guise.’ I thought before looking at Bright as he exited the room. “And where are you going? Please don’t tell me you're gonna join in this fight.”

“Oh, your such a party pooper Plaguey.” Bright basically pouted before a wicked grin rose upon his flamy face. “But no, no joining in. I’m just gonna be a third party! And do what third parties do best... Being the only one that profits.” 

PHHF!

I sighed as Bright burst into vibrant blue flames before shooting himself out of the building with a surprising amount of adeptness, considering he hasn’t had the body for long.

“… I’m too old for this shit.” I grumbled before laying back down on the couch. At this point, I’d prefer to wallow in my own physical pain than deal with another second of Bright.

Still, it made me wonder... What was he planning on doing with the rampaging SCP-1233?

---

Vox POV

“Where the fuck ARE THEY !” I screamed before I quickly zapped away from another one of the space fuckers attacks, appearing right behind him as I summoned a handful of electricity before shooting it straight at him.

BOOM!

The explosion rumbled across the streets, almost as if it were a mini-earthquake, as I once again used the opportunity to create some distance between us.

I released heavy breath after heavy breath, adrenaline coursing through my veins after all the dodging I was forced to do. It wasn’t necessarily hard to dodge his attacks, per se, considering he was both very predictable and many times slower than me. Still, after about half an hour of this constant game of cat and mouse, it was really starting to take a toll on my stamina.

‘Plus, it's beginning to hurt my ears after being forced to listen to this guy's nonsense for so fucking long.’ 

“HEY! HOW DARE YOU USE THE BOLDED BOOM MOVE ON ME LIKE THAT! I'M STILL A VIRGIN AFTER ALL!!!”

‘... Like I said, complete nonsense.’ I sighed in annoyance as I saw the spaceman walk through the smoke, and, who could’ve fucking guessed it, he was completely unscathed. I watched as he once again charged up his jetpack, causing me to grimace in annoyance.

“...Ok, Im getting real fucking sick of this shit.” I muttered out loud, allowing electricity to snake around my entire body. I just needed to stall until Val and Velvette got off their lazy asses and made their way here. “What even are you anyway? And don’t give me a half assed answer like your the ‘moon champion’ or some other bullshit like that. Nobody is just this strong in Hell while simultaneously being unheard of until this point. So I’ll ask again, Who are you?! ”

“HA, your hypnosis is futile against me, President Vox!” The fucking bastard declared valiantly, arms on his hips. “Or should I say... PRESIDENT VOX!”

“… you just said the same thing twic— you know what? Whatever, I’m not questioning it.” I decided, coming to the conclusion that I’ll probably save a fortune on headache medication if I just ignore what this guy says. “Speaking of which, how are you immune to my hypnosis anyway? It’s not like an immediate control thing, but it still has a subtle enough effect that you shouldn’t have been able to feel it, let alone be immune to it. So tell me, why is that?”

“Why else, because I'M THE MOO—”

“Ya ya, the fucking moon champion, I get it already, alright!” I huffed, both just trying to buy time and because I was genuinely annoyed. “I mean, what are you, like, physically? Are you a sinner? A hellborne? Some sort of fucked-up, disowned, inbred cousin of a Goetia?”

“HEY! HOW DARE YOU INSULT BREAD BAXTER’S FAMILY! INBREDS ARE THE BEST KINDS OF BREADS!”

“WHAT DOES THAT EVEN FUCKING MEAN!?!?”

“HALT YOUR SPEAKING!”

BOOM!

‘Shit!’ I thought as I saw the jetpack on the spaceman’s back suddenly burn with life before shooting him forward like a rocket towards me.

I shifted, preparing to transition into electricity as I desperately observed my surroundings, looking for a safe place to transition to, knowing that I can only transport relatively short distances with my magic without traveling through some sort of electrical system.

“PREPARE FOR MY RAMMING INTO YOU, PRESIDENT VOX—”

TING!

“—Huh?” The spaceman muttered, noting that he suddenly froze in place.

“Well, I guess she wasn’t lying about there being a kinky spaceman after all.” A sultry voice echoed outwards from above after the metallic ting sound, causing me to look up. As soon as I did, however, a cocky smile blossomed in my face. "Still, I was expecting the outfit to be a lot more... Latex. Oh well.”

This was the final thing the finger in the sky said before pulling on a wispy string of red smoke, which had reached downwards and had formed itself into some sort of chain around the spaceman’s leg, before he pulled it with all his might. This caused the spaceman to fly backwards before the chain of smoke lifted him higher into the sky, and—

BOOM!

— Crash him straight down into one of the nearby buildings, causing it to collapse into itself.

“Well, it’s about time you bastards showed up. What took you so fucking long?” I asked, watching as my Moth sinner companion descended from the sky before landing on the ground.

“Pfft, please. You try making this bastard forget about his favorite sex toy for five seconds.” A British-sounding voice said from behind me. Looking back, I saw the familiar, yet stylish, visage of Velvette as she sauntered annoyedly towards me. 

“HEY! It’s not my fault that fucking BITCH is ignoring my calls!” Val grumbled in anger as he tucked his wings back behind him, forming his recognizably red coat. “And it’s not even just Angel anymore! I have a new fucking bitch that has a human body and deer legs! DEER LEGS! That has more furry bait potential than literal hellhounds! And yet she refuses to wake up without having a fucking asthma attack. IT’S SO FUCKING ANNOYING! HOW CAN SHE SUCK DICK IF SHE CAN’T BREATH PROPERLY?!”

“… You amaze me with how petty your troubles are sometimes.” I spoke, once again amazed at just how... extra Val is. “If it annoys you that much, you know you could probably just cast a spell on her or something to stop her from going into those attacks. It really shouldn’t be that hard.”

“THAT… isn’t a bad idea… hmm.” Val hummed, as if contemplating, while bringing his long congrats up to his mouth, blowing red smoke as he did. “That might just work, actually… Why didn’t I think of that?”

‘Because you're a fucking moron.’ I internally insulted the moth before just huffing out a sigh. “Whatever, that’s not why we’re here, remember?”

“Ya, we know, you're unable to deal with a fucking cosplayer, so you had to call for us to assist you. Right gramps?” Velvette mocked as she crossed her arms, rolling her eyes. This caused me to growl in minor annoyance.

“This isn’t just some ‘fucking cosplayer', alright? This is an… It’s a—ok, I’ll be honest, I don’t know what the fuck he is. But whatever it is, it isn’t normal!”

“Or, you're just getting rusty.” Velvette chuckled as she brought her phone out and began scrolling through what I could only assume was sinstagram. “Speaking of which, what happened to your face? Geez, it’s all shattered. Did you fall on your fucking face or something? Or maybe you just—”

BOOM!

“WHY IS THE ANNOYING BRITISH GIRL BACK!!!” The spaceman screamed after knocking the rubble off himself and turning towards us.

“… Oh, he did not just say that.” Velvette muttered, sounding as if the spaceman's sentence had offended her. “Speaking of which, why does he look completely fine after that?”

“I told you, this thing isn’t normal. I’ve barely even been able to scratch him till now.” I explained while rolling my eyes, watching as the spaceman exited the rubble. “I have no idea what this fucker is made out of, but I have an idea of how to bring him down for good. I just need you two to buy me some time.”

“Sure, whatever. So long as I can make it back to our tower soon. I wanna try that spell idea.” I heard Val chuckle, and red smoke began to whisp around him as he prepared to fight.

Looking over, I saw Velvette similarly prepared, seemingly taking the fight more seriously than her initial words let on. 

Turning back, I saw the creature charge his jetpacks again before bursting forward straight at us, similarly to before when he had chased me around the city.

I grimaced one last time as he did this, before allowing a smile to appear on my face.

‘Now that these two lazy assholes are here, I’m gonna make this fucker PAY!’

BOOM!!!

Notes:

Alastor: You will never see me near that blasted television.

Television: (shows Vox getting the shit beat out of him.)

Alastor: Pass the popcorn, Mr. White.

Yep, the battle has finally started! To be honest, I wanted to finish the battle in this chapter originally, but it just got too long, so I had to move it back into the next chapter as well. Still though, did you all like the chapter? I’m still having trouble with fight scenes, so how would you all rate this one? Most of the fighting will actually happen next chapter, but I’m just curious if I got the power of these two across well enough.

Speaking of which, I know there’s a lot of guesswork when it comes to determine that powers of people in Hazbin hotel, since we’ve never really seen any of them fight, barring a few. So, how would you all say I didn’t with power-scaling Vox?

Anyways, I really don’t have much else. So drop a kudos if you enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any suggestions, questions, or jokes. And I hope you all have an electrifying day!

Chapter 26: A Champions battle.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

The battle between the V.s and the moon champion comes to an end.

Notes:

"Would you accept forgiveness?"

Vox POV

BOOM!

BANG! 

ALAKAZAM!!!

“HOW THE FUCK DID HE EVEN MAKE THAT NOISE!?”

“Don’t question it. It makes it easier.” I commented to Val, who for the first time was witnessing the sheer stupidity of the so-called moon champion. 

“Hey! I’ll have you know that I’m not—”

BOOM!

I shot a powerful beam of electricity at the moon champion, shutting him up for a few seconds as he went hurtling back into a nearby building.

I quickly jumped back as I did so, making distance between us as—

BANG!

The spaceman shot out of the rubble like a rocket, torpedoing straight towards me as I appeared next to Velvette, who looked at the spaceman in disgust as the spaceman came hurtling towards her.

“Ew, swipe left.” She said as she turned her head, magic coating her fingers as she moved her free hand over to the left.

BOOM!

This actually immediately depleted all of the moon champion's momentum, before rocketing him twice as fast towards a building to the left, causing it to crumble atop him.

“Urgh… this is all gonna be so fucking expensive to repair.” I muttered as I witnessed Val take off to the sky before constructing a massive fist made out of his crimson smoke. With a simple wave of his hand, he sent it hurtling down on the moon champion's position, causing another explosion of dust as he prevented him from rocketing towards us again. 

While he was distracting the monster, I quickly turned to Velvette. “By the way, why don’t you just remove his fucking suit? That’s probably where all his durability comes from, considering it hasn’t been torn at all so far.”

At my question, the youngest of the V’s just scoffed as she gave me an annoyed side eye. “You don’t think I haven’t tried that already? I don’t know if it’s magic or just his sheer stupidity, but for some reason I can’t replace his clothing like I can with most other demons.”

‘Shit, there goes one of my ideas.’ I thought while desperately searching the deep recesses of my mind. Although I’m sure our attacks are hurting him, they're not doing enough. We need something strong enough to pierce through that armor of his. ‘But what could possible—’

“ANTI-PERVERT PUNCH!”

BOOM!!!

“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

I ducked as I suddenly heard Val scream as he flew above my head before crashing through a nearby car. Looks like he couldn’t hold—

ZAP!

BOOM!

I zapped a few feet away, just barely dodging the spaceman’s surprise attack as I moved to the right.

To my surprise, though, his momentum didn’t stop as he continued ramming forward towards Velvette.

“Dammit— Velvette! Swipe him to the right!” I screamed, causing her to once again look at me in disgust. Still, it looked like she still semi-trusted me as she moved her hand to the right, once again locking down his momentum before shooting the spaceman straight towards me.

“Heh, now I got you, asshole!” I screamed as I gathered all my magic into my right fist and—

BOOM!

“ACK!” 

The spaceman actually released a pained groan as my electrified fist struck him straight in the stomach, before blasting him backwards.

“ NOW VAL !” I quickly screamed, hoping the idiot moth would understand what I meant.

TING!

And it appeared that he did, as I once again saw a red, smokey chain appear around the spaceman’s foot, stopping his momentum once again before launching him up into the air. Looking up, I saw Val, who had some more blood on his face after his first skirmish with the spaceman, flying in the air as the spaceman was dragged towards him. That was, until he once again threw his hand out, creating what I could only describe as a paddle of some sort that was made out of red smoke, as he brought it down on the spaceman and—

“Hmm, what an interesting instrument that I’m sure has no sexual impli—”

BANG!

The paddle slammed into him hard as he rocketed down towards the streets, causing a massive crater.

“Oh, you think that’s all you get from ruining my face, you dick?!” I heard Val scream as his smoke started whipping around him, summoning hundreds of tiny—

‘… Oh, for fucks sake, Val.’

“I am gonna fuck you SO FUCKING HARD!” he screamed as he lowered his hand, hurtling hundreds of... fucking tiny dildos at the spaceman, each one so fast it could be considered a barrage of bullets.

Boombangboomboombangbang!!!

Smoke continued to rise as Val laughed maniacally, never-ending his usually lethal attack.

“Shit, this is going nowhere fast.” I thought out loud, quickly shifting towards Velvette. “This fucking… Dick attack or whatever isn't gonna keep him down for long. We need to think of something else.”

“Pfft, whatever gramps. You're the so-called brains of this whole operation, so why don't you just do your job and think of something?” Velvette mocked me as she brought out her phone, scrolling through what I assumed was Sinstagram. 

I rolled my eyes. I shouldn't have expected her to be any help. She won't give any more effort than is absolutely necessary…  And that usually isn’t much.

‘… Maybe I do need to get some friends outside of work.’ I thought, as I continued to wrap my mind around any idea that could possibly help us. Because if we can’t take him down, then it comes to a battle of stamina, and I really don’t want to see just how long this monster can fight for—

Zap!

I froze, hearing a distinctive, electrical buzzing in my ear. Turning back, I noticed a single electrical wire poking out of the floor of one of the destroyed buildings. It must have uprooted itself in the conflict and—

‘— wait a second... Oh, that just might work.’

“Vox? Vox, you okay, Gramps? I don’t think—”

BOOM!

“Ahh, what the— Fuck!!!” Val screamed, just barely dodging a large boulder that the moon champion pulled out of the floor, forcing the moth demon to temporarily cease his attack, before he released a scream and sent tens of Smokey chains straight at the spaceman, who deftly dodged the attacks as he activated his jetpack and shot off after the moth.

“Shit, I don’t think Val can hold him off for much longer. So please tell me you didn’t get dementia or some shit and that you actually have a plan now!” Velvette muttered toward me, raising her phone to take a picture of the scene ahead of her. I turned away, choosing to ignore the fact that she was taking pictures instead of acting.

“… Maybe, but I’m gonna need a little bit of time.” I said, before walking towards the outcropped electrical outlet. “I’ll need around a couple of minutes. If it works, though, then I should be able to take this bastard down in a single hit… Think you can do that?”

“Hmm, who do you think you're talking to?” Velvette chuckled, giving a small smirk before turning away to rejoin Val in his battle. “A couple minutes should be easy enough. Still, you really are leaving me and Val out to dry. If I do this, then—”

“— Ya ya, I’ll owe you another one. Fucking whatever.” I cut her off, knowing exactly where she was going. My reaction also seemed to be confirmation enough, as she turned her back to me before making her way away.

“Hmhm, kisses, darling!” She chuckled one last time, causing me to roll my eyes as she retreated from me towards the battle.

“… I swear, that girl is going to be the death of me one day.” I silently tell myself before leaning down towards the electrical outlet. “Ok, I have no idea if this is even gonna work... and even if it doesn’t, the entire city is probably gonna lose power for a while. But that is a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

I steeled myself, feeling the cracks on my face. All I wanted to do was make this bastard pay. I’ll do most anything... even if it’s gonna hurt like hell!

I lowered my hand and—

Grip!

ZAP!

"ARRGHHH!” I screamed in pain as electricity began to flow through my veins. Manipulating all the electricity in the city is easy enough, barely a chore as this outlet is connected to the greater electrical grid of Pentagram. But containing it all in my body while I charged up—that’s where the difficulty came in.

Still, despite the pain, I managed to turn my head just enough to bear witness to the lesser of the V’s fighting against the Moon Champion.

‘You bastards better be able to fucking hold him off… otherwise, I’ll kill you all myself!’

---

Velvette POV

I rolled my eyes as I made my way away from Vox. Does that vintage television take me for an idiot? Does he really think me and Valentino can’t hold off an idiotic spaceman for a couple minutes? 

BOOM!

I stopped my steps when I felt the earth beneath my feet rumble. Looking to my left, I noticed Val was being tossed like a ragdoll into the streets next to me, seemingly losing ground to the barbaric spaceman.

“ARGH! FUCK THAT HURT!” The oversized baby screamed, gripping his head in an attempt to stop the continuously flowing blood from escaping. “WHAT KIND OF STEROIDS IS THIS BASTARD ON!?”

I rolled my eyes. “Get your lazy ass up, Valentino. Vox needs us to stall this thing for a few moments so he can do Lucifer-knows-what.”

“Well, excuse me for actually FIGHTING THE DAMN THING! What have you even done exactly? Take pictures for Sinstagram or some shit?”

“Hey! I’ll have you know that—”

“YOU TWO HURT THE MOON CHAMPIONS EARS! I SHALL STOP YOUR SONAR ATTACK AT ONCE!!!”

BOOM!

“Hmm?” I hummed inquisitively as I saw the so-called 'moon-champion’ rocket himself off of the floor. 

“Man, this guy is annoying.” I groaned while raising up my phone, camera facing the incoming spaceman. I allowed a sinister smile to spread across my face. “Say cheese.”

“Huh? You mean moon ch—”

SNAP!

FLASH!!!

“ARGH! My eyes!” The creature screamed as I took a picture with my camera, releasing a flash so bright that it temporarily blinded him. Using this opportunity, I quickly moved away, allowing him to crash into my former position.

“Ugh, what was—”

“Swipe left.” 

VROOM!

The figure shot towards my left at my command, purple magic surrounding him as he was pulled against his will, straight into a wall as he crashed through it.

“You were saying, Valentino?” I turned, giving the moth a smug look.

“… Fuck off.” He pouted before standing up, his eyes locking on to the spaceman as he slowly lifted himself out of the rubble. He gave a sinister smile before taking a long breath and—

“PPPPHHHHHFFFF !!!”

He released a long breath, which was followed by a torrent of red smoke that completely covered up our surroundings, making it impossible for both sides to see.

“… really? I gave you the perfect opportunity to actually attack, and instead you blind us?” I berated Val, crossing my arms. “The least you could’ve done is actually hit the fucker and—”

“Oh my—can't you just fucking shut up for five seconds and let me do something—”

“ANTI-RED STUFF CLAP!”

CLAP!

BOOM!

A deafening clap echoed around us, crawling like thunder. Right after, it was followed by a quick spurt of intense wind, immediately blowing all the wind away as me and Val had to do all we could to not be blown away with it.

After that ended, I slowly opened my eyes, realizing that the spaceman had his hands together, making me realize that he did just clap to get rid of all the smoke.

“… Wow, that made your last move even more bloody useless.” I once again condemned Val, getting ready in case our adversary charges at us again. 

“SHUT UP, TINY BRITISH LADY!!! IT IS TIME I END THIS!” The spaceman screamed before placing both of his hands into the ground. “IT IS TIME I USE A MOVE FROM ONE OF YOUR ANCIENT HUMAN MANUSCRIPTS! I’LL DEFEAT YOU BOTH—”

“Fucking nope.”

GRIP!

“—HUH?” The spaceman suddenly screamed in shock as a gigantic hand made of red smoke grabbed him from behind, holding him tight in its clutches.

“That smokescreen earlier was just a distraction, obviously. So I could sneak this up to him.” Val chuckled before tightening his fist and—

BANG! 

He used the giant fist to slam the spaceman into the floor, before using his magic to summon another gigantic fist and send it hurtling towards the first, which slowly lifted up and—

CRACK!

The two fists of smoke slammed into each other, crushing the spaceman between their grasps.

“So, what was that about my move being useless?” Valentino mocked, looking toward me with a smug smile. “Because now, it looks like you're the one doing jack shit—”

BANG!

Suddenly, with a deafening crack, the smoke hands dissipated, as if broken apart by the spaceman’s absurd strength, as he landed back to the floor, looking virtually uninjured. 

“… Bloody useless.” I sighed, much to the moth’s obvious dismay.

“Grrr, this is starting to get real fucking annoying.” Val scoffed, getting more and more pissed off, before releasing another large puff of smoke. The smoke then gathered at his hand before forming an extremely long, whip-like object. He then raised the whip before releasing several devastating attacks towards the spaceman.

CRACK!

The whip smacked against the spaceman, sending him even father back. He continued to go for more and more hits.

CRACK!

SNAP!

BANG!

SNAP!

“HAHA! TELL ME, HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GET WHIPPED YOU FUCKING WHORE—”

GRIP!

The Smokey Whip froze in place after delivering several attacks. Looking ahead, I realized that the moon champion had used his right hand to grab the smoke, gripping it tightly.

“—Huh?… oh shit—”

PULL!

Val was cut off as the spaceman yanked the whip roughly, shooting Valentino straight towards him as—

SNATCH!

“ACK!” The pimp demon released a ragged breath as the spaceman snatched him out of the air, wrapped his hand around his neck, and—

“FINISHING TECHNIQUE, BITCH SLAP!”

BAM!

BOOM!

I watched in… mild amusement, admittedly, as I saw the spaceman backhand Valentino in his face before shooting him off like a star into the distance far above me, screaming while he was flying off.

“… Ok, I’ll admit… that made me feel a little better.” I chuckled before turning my attention back to the spaceman. “Are you up for hire? Cause I’d love to get a photo of that at a later date, darling.”

“Ahh, a photo?! How dare you say that about my family!”

“… I’ll take that as a no…” I sighed in exasperation, realizing that any attempts that I could make to get info out of him were bloody useless. The guy was too much of a moron.

“SHUT UP, TINY BRITISH WOMEN!”

BOOM!

“Oh, so you know what British is, but not a photo— You know what? Forget it. Swipe left.”

BANG!

The spaceman froze in midair after shooting off from his jetpack before hurtling towards his left.

"Sorry, hun, you're just not my type.” I mocked, scrolling through my phone before allowing magic to swirl around my fingertips. Just as—

BOOM!

“Swipe left.”

BANG!

The spaceman attempted to charge at me again, only to go flying away into a nearby truck. I stretched my arms, preparing for—

BOOM!

“Hu— Swipe left!” 

BANG!

The same action repeated itself as I tossed him aside just before he reached me with his jetpa—

BOOM!

“Shit— Swipe!”

BANG!

“Are you just gonna keep—”

BOOM!

“DAM— SWIPE!”

BANG!

BOOM!

SWIPE!

BANG!

BOOM!

SWIPE!

BANG!

BOOMSWIPEBANGBOOMSWIPEBANGBOOMSWIPEBANGBOOMSWIPEBANGBOOMSWIPEBANGBOOMSWI—

PUNCH!

“ACK!” I screamed in pain as finally, after numerous attempts to attack me, he finally moved faster than my magic, as his fist struck me straight into my head before sending me skidding backwards, bouncing on the floor, before—

BOOM!

I crashed into a nearby building, forcing me to release a stuttered cough.

Reaching up, I felt crimson drip out of my head and onto the floor. Everything felt sore.

‘How— How did he keep going? He just wouldn’t stop! Even after everything I just put him through, he still moved fast enough to—’

Step.

Step.

My eyes widened as I looked up, bearing witness to the spaceman—no, the monster. I watched as he slowly approached me, walking through the dust that was kicked up from our quick scuffle with each other. 

‘… This ain’t just a demon! This is... something else.’ I thought in panic as I rose to my feet, gripping my phone even tighter. ‘Dammit Vox! Can’t you hurry up already!’

“Heh— Quite the tenacious little bastard, aren’t you?” I gave a pained laugh, as I desperately scrolled through my phone. I can’t believe he’s making me go this far, but if I don’t, then I don’t see how I could hold him back for much longer. “I mean, take a bloody break already! I’m sure you—huff— also need to be tired, right?”

“Hey! I'll have you know that I am not a circle!”

“Hehe, course you aren’t, big guy.” I answered, trying to add a bit of humor in an attempt to buy some time. “Still, really fucking impressive. Don’t think I’ve ever seen someone fight this tenaciously. Are you sure you’re not up to being my model? I can make you pretty famous.”

“… I desire no fame, despite how good tasting it is. All I wish is to defeat the dreaded moon beasts, and all evils that condone their actions. Your president Vox is one of them and, by extension, yourself.” The spaceman began, sounding more serious than he probably ever has in the whole fight so far. 

“However, if you are willing to see the error of your ways and go back to the light, then forgiveness isn’t unattainable.” He began, before reaching a hand out towards me. “Forgiveness, for all but the moon beasts, is attainable. Help me put an end to President Vox’s evil ways, and I promise there will be a spot for you in the moon kingdom.”

“…Wait, are you fucking serious?” I chuckled a little, raising an eyebrow at this man’s words. “Hehe. Sorry, but do you realize where we fucking are? We’re in Hell, you asscrack! Forgiveness isn’t exactly what we do down here.” 

The bastard seemed slightly flustered by my response, as if it wasn’t what he was expecting. Was he actually expecting me to take him up on his ‘kind’ offer? HA! What a joke.

“Also, your out of your goddamn mind if you’d think I’d betray the V’s for some off-brand, Noel Armstrong fucker wannabe!” I spouted out, as I barely managed to stand despite the splitting headache I was currently experiencing. “You hit bloody hard; I’ll give you that... But I’m not the type to jump ship the second shit starts looking bad, especially not to those couple of idiots I owe my life to. Call me what you will, but I am not a fucking traitor!”

“… Wow, that must have been so moving… If I understood a word of what you just said.” 

“… sigh… Why do I even fucking try—”

“— That being said, I believe I got the gist of your alignment. While admirable, I’m afraid I can’t allow such manipulative leaders to be in charge. So if you insist on defending that square-headed bastard—” He slowly raised his right fist in the air, as if preparing to rush towards me to deliver a second punch. “— Then I’m afraid I can’t allow you to live.”

“Heh, already jumping to conclusions this early on? After all, darling—” I finally managed to get to the desired screen on my phone as I clicked the large red button that appeared on its screen. “— The show is only getting started!”

“Huh? Why is a man named show getting turned on—”

“LIVE IN THREE–”

I coated my phone in magic.

“—TWO—”

Using that magic, I raised it in the air so it could get a clear view of the both of us.

“—ONE—”

“WHAT IS HAPPENING—”

“AND WELCOME TO THE STREAM, DARLINGS!” I smiled enthusiastically, before turning to the floating phone in the air.

‘The same one that I just started a livestream on to all of Hell.’

“I know this is a bit of a surprise stream, and I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to give you fair warning beforehand! But things have been all kinds of fucked up recently, as I’m sure you're all aware!” I spouted enthusiastically as I turned to the far-off news helicopter, which was obviously broadcasting our whole fight across Pride. I was also extremely grateful that the spaceman seemed too confused to make any sort of move at the moment. “BUT! Even though I’m sure plenty of you at home are watching the news, I decided that it would be a good idea to get my own stream going! All so my adoring fans can get an up-close and personal look at Hell’s most recent street fight!”

“… What in the moon king's name is going on right now?” The spaceman muttered, very confused. 

“Hehe, I’m glad you asked, Boomer!” I smirked as the pain in my head began to go away. I glanced back at my phone, seeing the viewership beginning to skyrocket. “What you're witnessing is the end of your FUCKING LIFE!”

“Boo… What the fuck is booming right now—”

BOOM!

“AHH! There’s the boom—”

BANG!

“ACK!” The spaceman sputtered as, with unnatural speed and strength, I crossed the distance between us before delivering a decorating punch to his sternum, sending him flying backwards into a nearby wall.

“Heh, and that, my dear viewers, is how you deal with problems here in Pride! And for only 59.99 dollars a month, you can get similar results yourself by signing up for the V’s gym membership—”

BOOM!

“STOP CLOUT CHASING!!!!” The moon man screamed, jumping out of the rubble.

“… Honestly, I’m more surprised that you actually know what that is.” I mutter before making the camera fly a bit higher. Still giving it a good view of the battle, but far enough where it couldn’t hear us.

I watched as the spaceman slowly rubbed the area that I struck. It didn’t look too much worse, but it’s obvious the wind got knocked out of him from the blow.

“… That punch... You did not possess that much strength and speed before. How did you grow so strong in such a tiny amount of time?” The spaceman asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“HA! As if I’d tell you something like that! It wouldn’t exactly be a trade secret if I sold the workings of my magic to every idiot that came knocking on the V’s door.” I smirked, knowing that he would be interested in this power. I mean, considering how rarely I use it, I’m not surprised it isn’t well known.

‘At the same time, though, this is one of my most powerful abilities.’ I thought, trying to remember the last time I had to resort to this spell. ‘It’s powerful, allowing me to significantly increase my strength, speed, and durability. But it only works when I have a lot of viewers on a livestream. The more viewers I get, the stronger I become. Thankfully, the news made this whole fight grow like wildfire; it’d be surprising if a lot of people didn’t turn up to watch the action this close up—’

BOOM!

“Hu—Crap!”

BANG!

I lifted my arm in front of my face just fast enough to block the spaceman’s surprise attack after reigniting his jetpack. 

Still, the strength of the blow sent me hurtling backward. Despite my current strength, it still hurts like shit! 

I planted my arms and legs into the cement, sliding across it as I slowed myself down, and—

BOOM!

I diverged to the left just in time to evade the spaceman’s next attack before shifting on my heel and—

BANG!

I kicked him straight in the abdomen again as he went tumbling back. Not giving him a chance to breathe, I quickly vaulted off the floor, rushing towards him as—

BANG!

I held my fist together before slamming him down straight into the street, stopping him completely in mid-flight. I then raised my fists again as I started to beat him down repeatedly.

BANG!

BOOM!

BANG!

I kept hitting him while he was down, my strength continuously rising as my viewership simultaneously increased.

But I couldn’t let up, not unless I wanted him to get back up—

BA—

CLUTCH!

BAM!

I screamed out in pain as the spaceman snatched my fist out of the air before delivering his own punch straight at me. His attack threw me off of him as I rolled across the street.

“Ugh… Dammit. Not enough people are watching.” I muttered quietly to myself, my eyes drifting up to my phone, which was still floating in the air. I began to pull myself off the ground, turning just in time to see that the spaceman was once again rushing towards me.

I jumped back, attempting to make some space between us as I barely managed to dodge his attacks, his fist crashing into the street below, seemingly getting lodged deep inside. 

I smiled after noticing this, as I quickly reoriented myself on the floor. This was a big enough opening to—

CRACK!

‘Huh… oh, you have got to be kidding me—’

CRACK…

BOOM!

My eyes widened in shock as the spaceman lifted up his fist that was in the street, picking up a massive chunk of rock as he did so. The force with which he pulled it out also sent dust and debris flying everywhere, temporarily blinding me as—

BOOM!

I screamed in pain, barely being able to bring my hands up in front of me to defend myself from the majority of the blow, as the spaceman chucked the boulder straight at me with all his might. The boulder crashed into me, sending me flying back into a building.

“Ack… shit. That fucking hurt.” I quietly murmured before using my enhanced strength to push the rock away, freeing me from its constraint.

As I did, I grimaced as I saw the spaceman once again making his way over towards me. Dammit! This isn’t looking good. Even with this spell, I can’t match him in strength or durability.

‘Still, it did buy me one thing… time.’ I thought slowly, affording my eyes to look past the deranged fucker, spotting Vox for off in the distance. I smirked a bit, seeing him glowing extremely brightly, electricity surging around his body. ‘He should be done any second now, and when he is, we’ll blast this fucker to smithereans.’

“You have thrown your allegiance to the square-headed bastard. It is time to pay the price!” The space fucker screamed before he dashed back towards me again at an alarming speed.

I internally swore before raising my hands up, in an attempt to defend myself, before—

Ting!

“HUH! THIS AGAIN!? GET SOME NEW MATERIAL!!!” The spaceman screamed, sounding genuinely pissed.

I was confused at first before I saw that he, once again, has a red chain around his ankle. Looking further ahead, I saw the familiar, yet bloody, visage of Valentino. Who, despite looking critically injured after his impromptu flight, had a pissed-off look in his eyes as he stared towards the spaceman.

“Oh, don’t worry. This is about to get so much FUCKING WORSE FOR YOU, BITCH!” Valentino screamed as I saw him blow out another large swath of smoke. 

The smoke headed straight to the spaceman, who, in retaliation, I saw immediately go to try and destroy the chain around his ankle.

“Oh, no, you fucking don’t!” I let out before dashing over and grabbing his outstretched arm, using all my strength to stop it from moving.

In retaliation, he immediately slammed his other fist into me, sending me back.

I only managed to buy a second at most. Still, that’s all that mattered.

SWOOSH!

GRIP!

The smoke quickly congealed around the spaceman, forming into a sort of arm as he gripped on tight. And—

“ NOW VAL !” 

---

VOX POV

“ NOW VAL! ” I screamed, doing my best to hold back the searing pain that I felt throughout my entire being. 

“Hey, what’re you—”

CHUCK!

Using all of his strength, I saw Val chuck the space fucker straight into the air, high above the city. 

I finally smirked as I gripped the power line with all my strength. As—

“ GO. TO. HELL!”

SZZHHREE!!!

The world around me was surrounded by bright blue light as I finally let go of the power line—

BOOM!

And chucked all of the city's electricity as a small javelin of pure energy.

The world around us went dark as every building in all of Pentagram lost power. The spaceman looked towards me, seeming as if he was about to activate his jetpack again mid-flight, before.

“W-wait—”

SHLEEZ!

The javelin of energy impaled him all the way through…

“ AKRRAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!” The spaceman’s scream of pain was heard throughout all of pride, as electricity scored through his entire being, lighting him up like a star. Before—

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion rocketed atop the city, sending shockwaves throughout all of Pride. I saw the news helicopter that had been circling us in the sky was also caught up in the huge explosion as it got consumed by flames.

It was so bright that I was forced to cover my cracked face with my hand, saving me from the blinding light that seemed all-encompassing. Before it slowly died down, and a singular figure seemed to limply fall back down to earth on the streets ahead of us.

“Huff Huff. Take that, you fucking dick.” I said through heavy breaths as I slowly made my way over to Val and Velvette, who seemed to be looking at her phone, seemingly ending some sort of stream she had going.

“Well, you really took your sweet ass time with their Gramps. Any longer and I could have legitimately died.” I heard Velvette complain, causing me to roll my eyes. To be fair though, both her and Val seemed beaten to shit, so I guess I can’t really be too annoyed with them.

“Whatever, we can deal with everything else later. Right now, we need to run damage control.” I huffed before looking around the city block that we had completely destroyed. “This… is gonna be real expensive to repair.

“Repair, you actually plan on rebuilding all this shit?!” Val huffed, causing me to sigh.

"Unfortunately, yes, it’s at a point where it’d be more expensive to cover up, plus it’ll probably help us save some face after this dogshit scenario we—”

Step!

‘… what was that?’ I thought, thinking I heard—

Step, Step

“Wha—what was… wait… no fucking way.” I slowly spoke, my mouth agape, as I saw a lone figure in the distance walking towards us. My companions shared a similar expression of disbelief as… as—

“This fucker isn’t dead yet!” I heard Val scream in complete confusion. Though, I couldn’t blame him, as stepping toward us, was the moon champion!

“I—What the fuck is this—”

“Oh, calm your tits, Vox, it’s over.” Velvette eventually spoke, knocking me out of my stupor. “Look at the bastard, he’s in no condition to fight. Barely in the proper condition to stand, to be honest.”

At her words, I turned to look at the far off space fucker again. This time, my worries slowly drifted away as I caught a proper glimpse of his body.

For starters, the jetpack on his back looked like it was completely destroyed and was probably partially responsible for the massive explosion that rocked the city. I also noticed that the center of his chest was completely charred, showing that despite the fact that it didn’t appear as if his space suit was actually ripped, the blazing heat from the attack managed to burn its outside layers, and presumably his insides as well, as the black slodges were found on both the front and back of his space outfit.

Last, but certainly not least, was the fact that his helmet was cracked all over. It didn’t break, but somehow it looked even worse than my face. I began to chuckle as I saw the spaceman unsteadily walk in our direction, obviously having trouble moving.

His current weakness was further exemplified when, while walking towards us, he shakily fell to his knees out of fatigue when he was still about thirty five yards away from us.

“… heh… hehehehe. Fuck! I was almost worried for a second!” I let out a laugh, allowing my shoulders to finally slump. I looked at the defeated spaceman, letting a small smile grow across my face. “You know, it’s a fucking shame that the news helicopter didn’t last long enough to see this shameful display. But whatever, I’m sure your head will be enough proof that you lost. Who knows, maybe we can even sell it as a collector's item of some—”

“— You are a strong adversary, President Vox. Far stronger than I could’ve ever imagined. For that, you have my respect.” The spaceman began speaking while on his knees. I was shocked. How could he still speak in his current condition? “However, there is too much I must do before my life ends. So, while I wish I could grant you the victory you fought so hard to secure... I’m afraid I can't let a square-headed bastard like you kill me this day.”

“Heh? What?” I chuckled a bit, walking ahead of the two other injured V’s. “What shit are you spouting now? Are you trying to say that even after all of this, we’ll just let you walk away? Sorry, but that’s not how this fucking WORKS!”

I chuckled as I watched the spaceman clutch his injured chest with his left hand while placing his right one on the ground, as if he were trying to figure something out. “I don’t know if you noticed, but you're beaten to complete shit. You're lucky that you're able to talk at all. So tell me, Spaceman, whatcha gonna do?! How are you gonna get out of this one?!”

“…” 

“Nothing? Heh, that’s what I thought.” I scoffed before looking at the fellow V’s. If anyone of us fought him alone, then we would’ve stood no chance at winning. Together, though, we were finally able to make the bastard bend a knee. 

“Come on, guys, let’s finish this already. I have a computer with an attitude to get back to, so let’s—”

“I visit this planet often.” The spaceman finally spoke again, as I saw him beginning to stick his fingers slowly into the street beneath him. “Do you want to know why?”

“… Um, not really—”

“It’s because of all the wonders I’ve seen here.” He continued, once again cutting me off. Which had the effect of just pissing me off even more. “Many beautiful creatures, breads, colors... it’s not something commonly found when fighting the moon beasts... But most importantly, your ancient scriptures and writings... Those are what captivate me the most.”

I raised an eyebrow. What was this bastard—

BANG!

I recoiled slightly in shock as the spaceman lifted both of his hands before inserting them roughly into the street below. 

“Among your literature, I’ve read many scriptures from your greatest warriors. So today... today I will defeat you using one of the greatest techniques learned by this planet's manuscripts!”

CRACK!

CREAK!

‘Shit!’ I thought, watching as the ground in front of the spaceman began to crack as he, some FUCKING how, possessed his strength despite the injuries he'd endured.

“I MAY NOT BEAT YOU TODAY, PRESIDENT VOX! BUT I SWEAR ON MY HONOR AS THE MOON CHAMPION, THAT I WILL RETURN!”

“FUCK! Stop him before—”

“KILLER MOVE; SERIOUS SERIES—”

CRAAACK!

“— SERIOUS TABLE FLIP!!!”

BOOM!

“WHAT THE SHIT!” I screamed as I saw the spaceman pull his hands out of the earth, pulling up a wave of stone and concrete upwards as the entire street and beyond were made of nothing but paper.

Dust sprawled outwards as the stone wave rose towards us like a tsunami, uprooting the remains of the buildings as it came crashing towards us.

“Shit— VAL, COVER US!” I screamed. 

Valentino, immediately understanding what I meant, nodded. He then once again exhaled a large amount of smoke before manipulating it to completely encircle the three of us. He managed to do it just in time, too. As not a second after he used his magic to harden the smoke—

BANG!!!

I heard the tsunami of stones crash into the impromptu defenses. Val grimaced at the impact, shaking as he obviously had trouble holding up the defense against the attack.

Still, it looks like he had just enough strength, as he kept the barrier up just long enough, as I finally heard nothing but silence outside of the defenses.

“ huff… fucking— Fuck!” Val huffed agitatedly, before separating his arms to dissipate the smoke, using the smoke to also move the stone that laid on top of it as well.

As he did, as blinked as I took in our surroundings. Besides that small circle that protected me and the fellow V’s, everything else around us looked completely trashed. Broken bits of stone littered the ground around us, showing that the tsunami of earth must have landed perfectly on top of us.

But most aggravating, however, outside of all the destroyed streets around us, would be the fact that someone was missing from the destruction.

“Dammit… that fucking spaceman is gone.” I grumbled, unable to catch any sight of the bastard. I internally swore, before turning towards Velvette. “Velvette, I want you to get everybody—and I mean EVERYBODY— we have to be out looking for this guy; he couldn’t have gotten too far with all his injuries. Got it!”

“Ack… don’t get your panties in a fucking loop, Vox. But fine, whatever.” She begrudgingly agreed. Probably also agreeing that it’d be better to finish off this bastard now. “I don’t know what they’re supposed to do against him, anyway. I mean, you fucking threw the entirety of the Pentegram's energy at this guy, and he’s still breathing! Injured or not, average demons can’t do jack to him.”

“I—I fucking know! Just— Fucking listen!” I screamed, before pushing past her as I gripped my head. “Dammit. Can this day get any fucking worse?!”

“Ya, I know.” Val spoke between breaths before raising his head as if he just remembered something. 

“Oh, right. Alastor’s back, by the way.”

“Oh, that’s good to hea— FUCKING WHAT?!?!?!”

 

---

MOON CHAMPION! POV

 

Huff.

Huff.

‘It hurt… it hurt so much…’

‘Is this pain? When was the last time I’ve felt this?’

‘How do I... Where do I…’

I fell to my knees, unable to move anymore. 

I looked down, seeing the scorch on my suit… Luckily enough, the suit itself technically wasn’t pierced or destroyed… But whatever the President did, somehow it still managed to impale me before completely frying everything inside of it.

‘… frying me.’

I leaned up against the wall, having trouble breathing. I found it impossible to do any simple actions—things that were easy to do not that long ago.

Step… Step.

I turned a little to my left, hearing someone running not that far away from me.

If I had my jetpack, I could’ve easily escaped. Regretfully, though, it was destroyed during President Vox’s final attack.

“… is this it? Is this… how I die?”

Maybe… I’ve never experienced death before, so this was a… weird idea to play with.

‘Still, at least... it was… a warrior's death.’

I closed my eyes.

“Hey? There’s the guy Velvette sent us to find—”

BOOM!

Only to open them in surprise, hearing a boom of some sort. Ahead of me, I saw... What is this?

“Geez. Looks like those overlords did a number on you.” The creature said, before leaning down to look at me. “Well, big guy. What do you say? Want to live?”

“… y-yes.” I spoke quietly, beginning to feel myself enter into a deep slumber.

I heard the creature chuckle slightly before placing its hand on my shoulder. 

As soon as it did so, I saw that we were both quickly consumed by blue flames as I began to go unconscious.

“Man. Plagueybooboo is gonna be SO fucking pissed about this one. I can’t wait!”

 

Notes:

Valentino: (Gets bitch slapped into the distance.)

Also Valentino: Team rocket is blasting off at the speed of light again!!!

ok...ok... I am a little worried about what people will think about the fact that the V's won the fight-- Put your pitchforks away!

I know that a lot of you probably wanted the moon champion to win, and there are definitely scenarios where he could've won. That being said, the V's are still overlords for a reason. I did think long and hard over who I believed would win this fight before I even began writing it, and came to the conclusion that even with how powerful the moon champion is, that in a first encounter like this the V's are a bit more likely to win.

As i illustrated in the fight, nothing really hurt the moon champion that much besides Vox's final attack, which was chucking all of the cities electricity straight into the moon champion. Now, i'm not an expert, but from the research I've done, the moon champions biggest feats of durability are re-entering earth's atmosphere and completely submerging himself in lava without any notable injuries. With the research I've conducted, lava usually ranges in temperature from 1,300-2,200 degrees fahrenheit, while re-entering earth's atmosphere reaches temperatures of 2,600- 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, while these are still wildly impressive, a lightning strike can reach temperatures of 50,000 Fahrenheit! Vox threw an entire city's electricity at the champion, which I would say is easily stronger and more powerful than an average lightning bolt. With that in mind, I don't think it would be a stretch to consider that this is the attack that can break through the moon champion's defenses.

At least that's what I thought from my research. What do you all think? Do you agree with my reasoning, or do you think I simply underestimated the Moon Champion? I am curious in case similar situations happen in the future, so please give me your honest opinions about that, and the fight as a whole!

Anyways, sorry for rambling on. If you enjoyed the chapter, please leave a kudos. Drop a comment if you have any suggestions, advice, or just questions you'd like me to answer, leave them in the comments. And I hope you all have a shockingly good day!

Chapter 27: catching up.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Some catching up on a few old faces.

Notes:

“Why are you scared?”

 

Reed Newsong POV

“Wow… ain’t those some pretty fireworks.” I chuckled, admiring the massive explosion in the sky… From a safe distance, of course. I don't want to get caught up in this shitstorm. “Wasn’t expecting to see the moon champion of all people down here. But hey, I ain’t complaining!”

I took a couple more seconds to admire the aftermath of such a big explosion before turning around to climb off the large building with its emergency ladders on the side, which was a bit difficult considering all the instruments I had strapped to my back, which I had recently ‘bought’ down here. 

But man, that battle was some real eye candy!

‘I think it also gave me a good sense of an average overlord's power. At least I assume those three were overlords, if what that music shop owner told me was true.’ I internally chuckled, tucking away the binoculars I had with me into my lab coat. ‘If I were to put a rough estimate to those three’s level, then I would probably put that mothman knockoff and the ponytailed girl as high Euclid. They’d definitely be tough to contain, but not impossible. I’m sure there would be ways to keep them in check. Meanwhile, I’d probably say that TV man is around Keter level or something similar. It definitely wouldn’t be easy to keep someone who can control electricity in a cell.’

Regardless, I just shook my head. I shouldn’t dream about containing these anomalies when I still have my own life to worry about.

‘Speaking of which, I wonder when the foundation is gonna send a rescue team?’ I wondered as I reached the bottom of the building; my lute still clung to my back. ‘There are too many big players here for them to just ignore. After all, they’d never leave people like Bright and Gears out to dry. They’re probably considered way too important to—’

BANG!

I ducked

TING!

And it looked like I ducked just in time too, as I felt something whizz above my head, just barely missing me as it hit the ladder I just climbed down.

Looking towards it, I noted that it appeared to be a white, glowing nail of some sort. It also traveled at such speed that it embedded itself deep into the metal ladder, as if it were hammered into it.

“Hehe… looks like I caught a feisty one.” A crooked voice spoke out, causing me to turn back around, my hand moving up to grab the lute that I had tied around my back. “But hey, I ain’t complanin’. Maybe you’ll actually put up a bit more of a fight compared to the others.”

I smirked at the gravelly voice, watching as an extremely intimidating figure sauntered out of the shadows, sniffing the air around him.

“Well, I do have a bit of a track record for being a bit feisty.” I kidded back before pointing my lute in this man’s direction. “Still, why hurt little old me? What could I have possibly—”

“You can drop the act, human! That mask of yours can’t hide your stench… way too fresh to be a sinner." The figure chuckled as he swirled what looked like a nailed bat between his fingers. “Still, you smell slightly different… which is why this gets me excited!”

"Heh, I guess I should feel honored then. Still, you're not exactly my type.” I commented before taking off my mask and throwing it to the side. That obviously isn’t needed right now. “My name's Reed, by the way. What’s yours? Edward’s scissor tongue? Emo rattlesnake? OH, I know, the love child between a rattlesnake, a cyclops, and a mother who swears she was just going through a phase?”

“Hehe… you have a sense of humor... I like that.” The figure said, before pulling up his cowboy hat and revealing his singular eye. “The names Izzi... and unfortunately for you, your head is enough to fund the next several years of my gambling' addiction.”

“Ahh, I see. So your dad left to get milk and cigarettes, huh?” I joked, allowing a smirk to cross my face despite this man’s threat.

“Nehehehe. Ok, that’s a good one.” He chuckled before scratching the back of his head with his spiked bat. “Damn, I almost don’t want to kill you. Why's it always the interesting ones that I’m hired to kill?”

“Dunno. But hey, if you want to walk away like you did in your first marriage, then I’m not complaining.” I responded with a smirk on my face. The figure also seemed to find it enjoyable, as he continued to laugh at my jabs towards him.

“Hehe. I wish it were that easy. Unfortunately, I also want to see how much you can fight back.” Izzi responded as he leaned up against his bat as if it were a cane. “So far, none of you humans have put up a decent fight, and I’ve already found like ten or something’ like that… hmm”

Izzi began transitioning into a thinking pose as I leaned back against the ladder in a carefree manner. I am getting a lot of good song material right now!

“Hmm… OH, I know!” Izzi suddenly laughed maniacally, as if an amazing idea had sprouted in his mind. “How about a game?”

“Sure, I’m down for a game!” I responded jovially, lightly picking at the string on my lute. “What kinda games do you have down here? Yahtzee? Monopoly? Yu-gi-yo? Twister?”

“Hehehehe. Unfortunately for you, nothing like that.” Izzi responded before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handful of glowing nails. “Here’s the deal. We’re going to fight, and if you manage to make me bleed at all—even the tiniest scratch—then I’ll let you live. Sounds fun, right? You get a chance to survive, and I get the chance to see you lash out like a wild animal.”

“Hmm, well, I don’t suppose you’d be open to a counter offer?” I mumble to myself jokingly, knowing that a man with his personality would never settle for such a thing. I was proven right, as he simply chuckled before shaking his head, causing me to sigh. “Fine, I’m in!”

“Good!” Izzi proclaimed, before quickly tightening his grip on his bat as he threw the three glowing nails into the sky. “Batter up!”

BANG!

He hit all the nails with pinpoint precision, sending them all flying straight towards me.

I smiled as I brought up my gun-lute and pressed the trigger, sending out a cacophony of bullets. 

“Oh, this’ll be fun!”

 

---

Anni Gera POV

"I couldn’t believe my eyes. It just… it didn’t make any sense."

That’s what I thought while looking towards the TV, which now only displayed static. 

‘Was that… it couldn’t be... but it looked just like—’

“SCP-1233. Otherwise known as the 'moon champion’ by the foundation.” Dr. Gears spoke up, finishing my thought. His intrusion also reminded me of his presence, which I momentarily forgot about.

“… that’s what I assumed, but... but how? How is he down here? It doesn’t make any sense.” I spoke out loud, having trouble rationalizing the whole situation.

In response to my inquiry, however, Gears simply sat up calmly before heading towards a nearby table in the apartment we had taken over the other day. After a few beats of awkward silence after my question, I saw Gears turn an eye in question before looking towards me.

“… Are you expecting me to answer that question for you?” He spoke in a rather harsh tone, resulting in me flinching slightly under his admittedly condescending gaze, before he turned back to the table. “You're a foundation researcher. You should be able to determine your own hypothesis.”

“R-right… sir.” I spoke softly, feeling like a mouse in the presence of this very serious doctor. “W-well. I mean… If I had to guess, th-then I’d probably say that there was a much bigger attack when—”

“Did I ask you to explain your theory?” Gears harshly cut me off, causing me to freeze. “I already have my own assumptions. So unless you know something that I don’t, then don’t bother trying to taint my line of thinking.”

“… Ok, of course, sir.” I answered before turning away, unable to meet his gaze.

‘I’ve heard the rumors before that he was extremely difficult to talk to. But still… it feels impossible to have even a simple conversation with the guy.’ I grimaced internally, unable to hold myself back from looking back at the man I admired so much. ‘But still… I thought that… that maybe… nevermind.’

I turned back towards the television, seeing the static that was splayed out atop it. I was left in the awkward silence that encompassed the room.

‘… Geez, I'm so pathetic. I'm finally in a room with Dr. Gears— THE Dr. Gears!… and I don't even have the confidence to speak up without humiliating myself.’

After a couple of minutes, it seemed like Gears was finally done with whatever he was doing before turning back towards me, as I was sitting in front of the television.

“… come on, we’re heading out.” He spoke simply and with authority, leaving no room for argument as he made his way towards the door. 

I would've liked to ask where we were going, what we were going to do, or even how he plans on escaping this hellhole!

But instead, I just nodded submissively before following behind him. He seemingly did have an idea of what to do and how to survive.

As we walked, I also caught notice of the fact that he never put his gun away and that he was holding it in a tense grip. It was as if he was expecting someone to jump at him at any moment with the intention to kill.

‘… who's he so worried about? And why?’

 

---

Carmilla Carmine POV

“You got it, mam! We’ll make our way down there immediately!” The enthusiastic voice exclaimed as I held the phone up to my ear. “Though, forgive me if I’m being imprudent, but why are you sending us to a war zone? Surely you don’t plan on getting involved in whatever’s happening to the V’s.”

“You're correct, I don’t... All I want you to do is investigate the perimeter.” I responded, my eyes still locked on the television screen, which now only displayed grainy static. “And if you discover anything that’s even slightly peculiar, I wish for you to contact me immediately... Is that clear?”

“Y-yes mam! We’re on it! S-sorry for my question.”

“Oh, it’s quite alright. Questions are meant to be asked, after all. All you need to be careful about is who to ask them too.” I responded before lowering the phone away from my ear and hanging up. 

I sighed before tossing the rectangular device in my pocket. 

“… So that… thing … is similar to that stuffed animal?” I asked in obvious reference to the spaceman the V’s were fighting before turning to my left. There, on the couch, sat the human, who went by the name Halara, with fresh bruises and cuts clearly visible on her body.

She currently looked to be deep in thought, as if attempting to rationalize something.

“… I wouldn’t say they’re similar in any technical sense, but my… group… classified them in the same way.” She spoke slowly, further fueling my intrigue into whatever this so-called group she worked for was, as it was painfully clear she was picking and choosing what words to use when describing the so-called group.

“Hmm, right. If I remember correctly, you stated that the bear was called SCP-2295. Correct?” I asked, resulting in the human giving me a tiny nod. “Under that pretense, I’m under the assumption that this spaceman has a similar designation?”

“Hehe, once again, you're quick to pick up on this stuff.” She chuckled before scratching her head, seemingly debating if this information was worth revealing. After a while, it appeared she had decided that it was, before turning back to me. “His—or its name, I guess, is SCP-1233.”

“Hmm… anything you're willing to tell me about it?”

“Hehe, what’s there to tell?” Halara chuckled, nodding slightly to the television. “I mean, what it was capable of was displayed pretty clearly on the television. Strong, fast, durable... I might have no idea how that fight ended since the news helicopter was destroyed, but I already feel bad for whoever was forced to fight that monster.”

“Don’t be; they’re assholes.” I responded, smirking slightly at the memory of the V’s getting thrown around like a sack of bricks during their televised battle. 

“Still, I am curious; why did you want me to send people down there? Surely you don’t expect them to apprehend whatever that creature was.”

“Oh God, no! Not in a million years!” Halara exclaimed before standing up quickly, lightly hugging herself. “It’s just… the only real lead I have right now for where some of my friends could be. I mean, if the moon champion appeared there, who’s to say nobody else did with him?”

“Hmm. I guess that line of thinking is understandable… Still, I would advise you not to get your hopes up. Chances are that if there were any humans near that battle, it’s not very likely they’d survive.”

“Well, call me an optimist.” Halara chuckled before looking back to the door in my office. “Still, I need to try. Because if, by some chance, someone I care about is there… I’d never be able to forgive myself if I didn’t at least try.”

“Hm… You intrigue me.”

“Hehe, well, thanks, I guess.” She exclaimed awkwardly. 

“That wasn’t necessarily a compliment. Still, take it how you will… I have things to do.” I spoke eloquently before going back to sit behind my desk. “Speaking of, I believe Clara was looking for you. Something about finishing where you left off yesterday.”

At my proclamation, I watched as Halara flinched before going up to rub one of her many bruises. “Really? Jeez, don't even give a girl a day to rest, huh? We just had a mock battle yesterday, and she still wants to fight again?”

“That’s just the way Clara is. Always looking to improve and learn from anyone, even if they are inferior to her own abilities. It’s a very admirable quality that even I envy from time to time.” I smiled, clear admiration and proudness present in my voice as I spoke of my daughter. “Still, I wouldn’t keep her waiting if I were you. She can get rather impatient when it comes to things like this. Besides that, I also believe Odette is with her as well."

That seemed to ignite something within the human, hearing a name that she trusted. She eventually sighed before she began to walk towards the door, planning on making her way out. “Jeez, whatever. Make sure to pray for me, why don’t ya!”

“Hehe, and betray my kin?” I returned the joke, smirking as I saw her leave the room, presumably to find my daughters.

… find my daughters.

‘… Wow… Wow.’ I sat back in my seat, a realization beginning to sink in. ‘I’m… really ok with leaving an unknown human with those two… Why?’

I wasn’t sure. But still, Odette seemed to have unwavering faith in the human. If it were Clara who said such a thing, I would’ve taken it with a bit more suspicion. But Odette? She never makes decisions like that lightly.

‘… perhaps I’m being too superstitious… but after what happened during the extermination,’ A shiver shot down my spine, as I looked back towards the door Halara exited from. ‘… perhaps I’m not being protective enough… Still, I trust Odette’s judgment, so I’ll play along with this human for now. At least until I learn what exactly her ‘group’ really does.’

Still, it is... strangely calming, knowing my daughters have someone else they trust. Someone who I think they even consider a friend. 

‘A friend… When was the last time they’ve had someone like that? I can’t even remember.’ A small smile crossed my lips. Maybe having this human around won’t be too bad for them after all.

 

---

Plague Doctor POV

‘Ahh, silence. Sweet, uninterrupted silence.’ I thought peacefully, laying back against the wall, as, despite my various wounds and injuries from the fight before, I took a moment to appreciate the quiet. ‘It’s been a while since I’ve heard nothing but silence. I wonder why?—’

FWOOP!

"OH, PLAUGEY HONEY BOOBOOBEAR! IM HOOOOOMEEEE!!!”

‘… oh right. Now I remember.’

“Ugh, what is it, Bright?” I began asking, sitting up as I began to turn in the direction he just appeared from. “Are you finished with whatever nonsense you were planning…”

I froze, seeing the unconscious figure at the doctor's side. A very familiar figure, might I add, considering they were the star in the recent news program.

“… You are not serious.” I muttered in disbelief.

“Oh, yessiree Plaugers! I snatched ourselves a Moon Champion!” He proclaimed, sounding like an infant waiting for praise from a parent. “Quite the catch, if I do say so myself. Heard they're pretty rare this season!”

“… Clearly.” I responded to Bright's sarcastic remark before sighing into my hand. “Bright, what are you planning?”

“What! Me?! Why would I be planning anything? I’m just a humble Overlord after all!" Bright poorly acted, as if he were appalled by such an accusation.

“… Bright.”

“Urgh, fine! You're no fun, you know that!” Bright pouted like a baby before dropping the unconscious body of the moon champion on the floor and walking past me towards a file of papers. He picked some up and began rifling through them. “If you MUST know, I am simply gaining insurance. Better to have a moon champion on your side than one on someone else’s.”

“Obviously. But do you truly believe you could control him? From what I’ve heard and… experienced—.” I shiver ran down my spine as I thought about my last encounter with the anomaly. “—This SCP is near impossible to contain and absolutely unpredictable. Do you truly believe you could ever hope to tame such a beast?”

At my honest inquiry, Bright merely chuckled as he shuffled through the papers. Papers that were left behind in Nergals office after we killed him, which is where we currently are.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Plaugeriffic, do you know who you're talking to?” He asked genuinely, raising an eyebrow. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m Dr. BRIGHT! I’m basically the CEO of chaos and unpredictability! If there’s anybody who can keep up with the moon champion's nonsensicalness, it’d be the guy who is fluent in speaking bullshit!”

“… I hate how that makes sense.” I murmured, realizing that the doctor was correct. Who better to convince an idiot than with another, slightly more manipulative, idiot.

“Yep! And speaking of manipulation, what have you been up to since my sudden departure?” He asked as he continued looking at the papers, freezing as if something on it caught his eye.

“Oh, nothing much. Just remembering what silence sounded like.” I replied sarcastically, choosing to ignore Bright’s snarky remark about manipulation. 

After a couple seconds, I took notice of Bright's unusual investment in the paper he was holding.

“… discover something interesting?” I asked, garnering Bright’s attention once more.

“Hehe, kinda.” Bright responded while chuckling softly before looking at me. “Hey, how many of Nergal’s staff do you think survived our little visit?”

“Hmm, probably a pittance compared to his original entourage.” I responded, raising an eyebrow slightly at the question but deciding it was better to play along. “If I had to guess, I’d say only the servers and cooks survived, as I can’t imagine any of this place's security living past our assualt. Why do you ask?”

“Well, something just caught my eye, is all.” Bright exclaimed with a smirk before turning the paper he was viewing over to me. 

“I was just rummaging through Nergal’s old papers when I found this. It seems to be some sort of list of all his employees.” Bright explained as I took a look at the paper, and, indeed, it was filled with names and different job positions. “And one of them caught my eye.”

Bright pointed to a specific name on the list. After closer inspection, I saw he was drifting my attention to the name ‘Clyde Dominic’, who seemed to be written down as both a sinner and a waiter. It was also written down on the paper that this sinner apparently appeared in Hell around three years ago.

“… yes, that is definitely a name.” I spoke sarcastically before looking up towards Bright. “Do you recognize them?”

“Yes, actually.” Bright proclaimed, before lifting the paper back up to his face. “He was an accountant who worked for the foundation. Not the flashiest job in the world, but still a foundation employee. If I remember correctly, I think he died three years ago during a containment breach.”

“Interesting… but why do you remember this man?” I asked, not taking Bright for the kind of guy that would remember a non-consequential person like this.

“Oh, because he accidentally tripped one time and spilled his coffee all over Dr. Gears!” Bright exclaimed giddily before allowing a goofy smile to spread across his face. “Ahh… those were good times... But still, if he's down here, then I should be able to get some juicy stuff out of him about this place!”

“Hmm… I suppose that isn’t an awful idea. Still, are we sure he’s alive?”

Bright shrugged before walking towards the computer in the office. He turned it on and began typing something. “No idea. But as far as I could tell, Nergal sent all his servers and such away before our battle started. Probably didn’t think they’d be much help in a fight.”

“That is fair enough reasoning.” I replied, also believing that the chances of this person still being alive were relatively high.

“Yep! And speaking of which, it looks like Nergal has all his employees' numbers recorded here as well.” Bright spoke jovially as he stared at the screen, presumably finding the number of the man we were just discussing about. “Might as well call him up here, don’t you think pluagerboy?”

“… do as you wish, Bright.” I rolled my eyes, before laying back down, deciding to ignore whatever Bright decided to do next.

Bright, seemingly taking my indifference as permission, excitedly dialed up what I assumed the demon's number was on the office phone. I tuned him out as I heard him talking to someone on the other end, as I only picked up on him saying something about coming to his office immediately, or else he was fired.

He probably said more, but I didn’t care enough to listen. 

Whatever he said, though, must have been enough. As not even twenty minutes later, a light knocking was heard against the door to the office.

“Hehe, oh, this is going to be so much fucking phone.” I heard Bright murmur with childish excitement before clearing his throat. “Come in.”

The door proceeded to creak open as a strange-looking demon walked into the office. 

‘… wow, guess some people are just born unlucky down here.’ I realized as I neared witness to this demon’s… less than desirable features.

Most predominant was the fact that he really just looked like a giant… cup of coffee. With arms, legs, eyes, and a mouth that poked through his otherwise cup like appearance.

‘… Did spilling a cup of coffee on Dr. Gears really have enough influence in this specimen's life that he actually took the shape of the container of that dark liquid?’

“Umm… y-you wanted to see me—Sir Nergal!” The… coffee demon stuttered, clear nervousness evident in every step he made forward. He was so nervous, in fact, that he seemingly failed to notice my or the moon champion's presence on the nearby couch.

“Hehe—ahem… yes. There is a matter of the utmost importance we must discuss!” Bright began as he sat behind a large desk, putting on a much deeper voice than he usually spoke. Why he was doing so was anybody's guess. “Your name is… Clyde Dominik. Correct?”

“Uh— yes! That’s right!… Why do you ask?” The sinner in question continued stuttering, obviously unsure where this conversation was headed. 

“Hmm... and did you perhaps die three years ago?”

“I… Well, yes— A-am I getting fired?” The perplexed sinner continued questioning in hopes of learning something.

Bright, deciding to ignore his questions, continued speaking unhindered. 

“And when you were alive, did you perhaps drop scalding hot coffee in a hilarious fashion on somebody of a higher station than you?” Bright finally asked, as if making sure he was one hundred percent correct in who he assumed this was.

“W-what!? How did you—but that—oh jeez!” The demon began sputtering incoherently, as if his greatest secret was just displayed to the world. As he did so, however, I just saw the widest grins grow on the insane doctor's face. As if now, he was absolutely sure as to who he was speaking to.

“Nhnh… HAHAHAHA!” Bright began laughing like a madman, which looked out of place in the body of the flaming overlord. I obviously wasn’t alone in this opinion, however, as the demon also appeared to freeze in place, shocked by how out of character his boss was acting.

“N-Nergal, are you okay? Does… this have something to do with you evacuating us earlier before you, you know, destroyed the top floor of your restaurant?” The demon questioned, as if trying to connect the strange actions of the overlord to the battle that had occurred before. And to his credit, he wasn’t wrong; the two were indeed connected.

“Oh, SO much has happened!” Bright giggled enthusiastically, before turning around to face the demon, his necklace in clear view. “Let’s just say that ownership over this place has... traded hands.”

 

---

Dr. Bright POV

I dramatically flourished myself, presenting my front to the sinner, as, before this moment, I had been facing away from him. At this moment, however, I decided to reveal myself in the most overly dramatic way possible!

“Long time, no see, Clyde!” I excitedly said, A smirk present on my face! Initially, I expected him to be shocked, or maybe even relieved. Who wouldn’t be happy to see me?!

“Traded… hands? Wait, what?” The coffee-looking demon spoke in confusion, unable to understand what was going on. “We... didn’t we just see each other earlier… What?”

The smirk slowly faded from my face. But whatever, I’m sure he’s just confused. Just need to remind him who I am! 

“Ehehe. No. You saw Nergal earlier!” I chuckled, exemplifying my point by pointing towards my very recognizable necklace. “I’m very— Very— different. Remember?!”

‘There, that should be enough to—’

“Umm… no, not really.” He responded, sounding confused.

‘… wait, what?’ I sat there, my mouth slightly agape. What does he mean by—

“I mean, that is a nice piece of jewelry you got there. Was that like a present or something?” 

… what? How dense is this guy?

“Umm… n-no, it wasn’t— look, it’s me, ok! It’s Dr. Bright!” I once again spoke, pointing towards my necklace. After doing so, I once again sat back against my chair. 

“… Dr. Bright?” 

“Hehe. The one and only!” I exclaimed before looking at my hands as if admiring my fingernails, which... I actually didn’t have. “No autographs, please! But now that we have that out of the way, how have you—”

“I’m sorry, but... Who’s Dr. Bright?” He asked, and—

‘Wait… did he just…’

“Geez, do you just have a bad memory?” I asked, my grin completely absent from my face. “You know. Dr. Bright, from the foundation? Who you worked for? I mean, there’s no way you could forget any of that.”

I continued explaining, but a nervous sweat began to break on my head. This isn’t anything like how I envisioned this meeting going. 

“Foundation?… sorry, but I worked for an accounting firm—”

BANG!

“EEP!” The demon screamed as I slammed my hands on the desk.

“Don’t play games with me! The foundation? SCP’s? THE FUCKING PLAGUE DOCTOR WHO, ILL HAVE YOU KNOW, IS IN THE ROOM!” I screamed, pointing to the doctor, who was just lying on a couch in the corner. My constant yelling also seemed to freak the demon out, as he fell on his back leg and covered his face, as if I were going to hit him.

“I-I’m sorry! But I don’t know what you're talking about, Nergal! I don’t know what a foundation is—”

“Bullshit!” I screamed. I don’t know why I was getting this pissed off, but something just felt very… VERY… wrong. “I mean, don’t you at least remember Dr. Gears?! You worked under him for Pete’s sake!”

“W-what?”

“Ya, you did! Don’t you remember, he’s the guy you dropped coffee on when you were alive?!” I exclaimed, Why was it so hard to get through to him?

“I… no, it wasn’t Gears; it was… wait… Gears?” The coffee demon suddenly froze before shaking his head as if he were attempting to remember something. “Dr… Dr. Gears? He was… he wasn’t the person I spilled it on, it was… wait… wait, w—who did… Did I spill coffee… on… Wait… w-what did I—”

His eyes continued widening, causing me to lean in closer. Until finally, his eyes widened before staring at me. And in his eyes, was clear recognition. “D— Dr… Dr. Bright—

“—ACK!” The demon suddenly screamed in pain as he gripped his head before falling to his knees.

“Clyde? Clyde?!” I yelled; this strange action even caught pluagey’s attention. I quickly rushed over to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. “A—are you ok?”

“…huh?” He quietly spoke, removing his hand from his head before begging to stand. “Y-ya. Sorry about that; I don’t know what came over me.”

“It… it’s ok. Now we can just—”

"Sorry, sir Nergal. Anyway, you said you wanted to see me, sir?”

……….. what?………..

“S— sir Nergal? Are you okay?" He asked, probably confused by the dumbstruck look present on my face. “You're just… staring… Hey, is that a new neckla—”

“DONT. FUCKING. SAY IT.” I cut him off, causing him to shrink back down. 

I clutched my head, before beginning to walk back towards the desk. “… you can go.”

“Wh—what? But I just got here—”

“I said! You can go!” I reinforced, causing the coffee cup-looking demon to flinch back as he nodded furiously and quickly made his way out of the room.

“… well, that went well.” I heard the bird-masked doctor chastise, and, despite being unable to see his face, I could just hear his smirk in his voice. “Guess you aren’t as memorable as you once assumed, Doctor. It's quite a shame. Still, I can—”

“Shut up.” I cut him off, my voice betraying no emotion. This obviously caught my friend off guard, as he flinched slightly at my tone of voice.

“… jeez, I didn't know being unmemorable was that much of a taboo to you. I guess I’ll keep that in mind for—”

“Plague Doctor, I’m being serious... Shut. Up.”

“Ack.” I heard the black-robed individual stutter, not expecting me to once again call him by his actual name. Still, it seemed to get my point across, as he immediately stopped speaking. Allowing me to think… think… Think…

… What the hell is going on?

“… He didn’t remember anything.” I muttered, and my companion, who was now taking the situation more seriously, nodded with me.

“Perhaps. Or perhaps you simply got the wrong person. It could’ve just been a coincidence that they had the same—”

“No. It isn’t. That was the right guy, I’m sure—no, absolutely fucking positive about that!” I spoke, sitting back down behind the desk. 

“And it wasn’t like he forgot either. The way he acted, he knew everything, and when he started to put the pieces together he… he… he just forgot!” I suddenly realize something, causing me to stand up.

“… what do you mean?” The plague doctor asked, causing me to shake my head.

“Im… not sure… but I just realized something.” I started, before turning to plaugers, an unusually serious look decorating my face. “Tell me, how many foundation employees and class D personnel do you think have died over the years?”

“Hmm. Hundreds or, more likely, thousands of them if I had to make a rough estimate.” the bird-masked doctor explained after a few seconds of thinking. He then turned to me inquisitively. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, its just... That's a lot of people, the majority of which would have obviously ended up down here.” Bright explained, lifting his hand up to his chin in a thinking motion. “And I know you've only been here for like a day, but... don't you think it's been too quiet?”

“I don't believe I follow,” the plague doctor questioned, causing me to let out an exasperated sigh.

“Im saying, if everyone who worked for the foundation— hell, if even only half of the people who have worked for or fought against the foundation ended up here, then they would have a much bigger presence!” I spoke seriously, before pointing to my own necklace. “I mean, for fucks sake, with the number of people who know and have experienced what this thing is, every demon who saw me would've run for the hills! Instead, only Nergal had any idea what this necklace was, and he didn't have anything to do with the foundation! He was just a crazy cultist who killed himself over some bullshit immortality ritual that he didn't even think worked until recently!”

As I spoke, a realization began to dawn on the masked doctor's face. I watched him begin to sit up, taking the matter much more seriously.

“Are… are you saying—”

“— Im not sure what I'm saying. But I now know one thing for certain.” I began before facing away from the plague doctor. “Someone, or something, is making those who have died unable to remember the foundation, and who knows what else? I'm just scared that... whatever is causing this... is probably not be an ally.”

 

---

3rd person POV.

 

“Mother fucking— shit. I can't believe Carmilla is making us tredge through the rubble of a fucking warzone.” A figure in a hazmat suit muttered in annoyance as he made his way past multiple alleyways. Next to him stood another figure in a similar outfit who shook his head in annoyance at his companion's antics.

“Hey, don’t get snappy! You should just be grateful that we weren’t in the factory the other day. If that were the case, we’d already be goners.” The second figure stated, his voice was shaking slightly as he recalled the ghastly information he heard about what happened in Carmilla's main factory the other day. “Besides, it’s not like we’re actually going around the epicenter of that battle. We’re just investigating its surroundings.”

At his explanation, the first figure rolled his eyes in annoyance. 

“Ya, whatever. If you ask me, this whole thing is just a wild fucking goose chase.” He continued whining as he passed by another alleyway. “I mean, what the fuck are we even supposed to be looking for? All we were told was to look for something peculiar and immediately contact her about it. What does that even mean?! I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking for here!”

“Oh Lucifer, why’d I have to be assigned to a whiner like you?” The second hazmat-suited demon growled in annoyance as he found himself breaking ahead of his companion as he was about to turn the corner. “I mean, the least you could do is just shut up and quietly enjoy that fat paycheck you’ll get at…”

The second figure froze as he turned the corner. Eyes wide beneath his suit as he bore witness to a gruesome scene ahead of him.

“Hey, what is it now? Find something ‘peculiar’ or some shit.” The first hazmatted individual chuckled.

“You could say that... You may want to look at this.”

“Heh? Are you serious?” The first individual asked before walking up to his companion and turning the corner. “Oh, this better be... What the fuck?”

Like his friend, the first-suited individual was at a loss for words, his eyes wide as he bore witness to the gruesome scene ahead of him.

In front of the two gentlemen, the walls of the alleyway were painted red, viscous liquid. The same liquid coated the ladder, trash, and floor of this back alleyway.

But most prominent, though, that caught the two's attention was at the end of the blood-soaked alleyway was… something they could never describe.

Cause on the back wall, with hands and arms wide apart and seemingly nailed to the wall in almost a cross-like pose, was an extremely bloody individual. The figure had many cuts and holes all across his body, with even his left ear completely missing. A broken lute was also lying below his feet, which were dangling just above the ground.

“Is that... a human?” The first demon muttered, taken aback by the horrifying visage but able to recognize the seemingly human features.

“… well, I’d say that counts as peculiar.” The second one attempted to joke, but was unable to get a laugh out of either of them. After a few seconds of staring at this almost crucified individual, he noticed one other irregularity… the blood. “Hey, look over there!”

He called his friends attention to the wall next to the crucified human. Instead of being completely blood-soaked, however, the blood on this wall seemed predetermined. As scribbled messily on the wall in big bold letters were the following words:

A DEALS A DEAL.

“Wh—what does that mean?” The first figure muttered in fear before looking around the area, scared that the creator of such a massacre was still present.

“Don’t know… but hey, at least we have a body to... wait a second.” The second figure started before freezing as he realized something. Carefully, he began to walk up to the nailed body, noticing something in his grip. “Is this… a guitar pick?”

He opened up the palm of the human’s hand, and, indeed, there was a guitar pick gripped between his fingers. Not only that, but the pick appeared to only have an extremely light marking on its tip, as if a small amount of blood had landed on it.

“Hey dude, what are you doing to that body?!”

“I… I dunno, just thought I noticed—” He began, before freezing once more as he noticed something else. Now that he was right next to it, he realized something. “This body. It’s… smiling!”

“What? How?” His companion squirmed before running up next to him. “Why... why would a body smile?”

“I… I’m not sure... unless...” An idea came to the second hazmat suited individuals mind. The only reason he could think that to be possible was... no.

He lifted his hand up to the exposed human neck, and—

Gasp!

He gasped sharply before pulling back.

“… Call Carmilla.” He immediately stuttered. “Call her right now!”

“Wh-what? But why—”

“Because this human isn’t fucking dead!” The second figure screamed before looking at the body. A body that had so many holes, so much lost blood. For fucks sake, he’s seen skeletons that have looked more alive than this pile of beaten-up flesh.

But somehow... someway—

“This man is… still alive!”

Notes:

Reed: finally, I’m back in the story! Can’t wait to be important!

Izzi: and I took that personally. (Cocks shotgun.)

Ok, here’s the chapter… probably not what a lot of you were expecting, but I realized that it’s been a while since I’ve caught up with a lot of these characters, like Anni and Reed (who, specifically, I’ve been forced to change numerous times because of reasons).

Anyways, I don’t have much else to say. So, did you all enjoy the chapter? And what do you think I should do with characters like Reed and Anni? I’m just curious, since my plan with Anni hasn’t really changed, I’m just curious what you all think of them.

Anyways, if you liked the chapter, drop a kudos. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or anything in between. And I hope you all have a good week!

Chapter 28: It’s time to talk.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Vox reconvenes with a very annoying AI.

Vaggie finally decides to put her suspicions to rest.

(Important announcement in end notes.)

Notes:

“How much would you trust someone that you love?”

Vox POV

“Fucking— Fuck— FUCK!” I screamed to myself. I wasn’t just mad; I was PISSED!

“Fucking dammit!” I transitioned out of my electrical form and back into my control room. My face ached, and my body felt like it couldn’t walk. Yet despite all the unbearable pain that appeared in my body after the adrenaline vanished, the only thing I could think about was how FUCKING SHITTY today was!

“Fuck. It was bad enough that this moon champion fucker showed up and wrecked my face. It was bad enough that he caused millions in damage that I’m going to have to pay for! It was bad enough that even after everything—and I mean EVERYTHING— I threw at him, he still managed to get away! But the fact that after ALL OF THAT, I LEARNED THAT ALASTOR IS ALSO FUCKING BACK!!!” 

That’s what pissed me off the most, to be honest. After Valentino told me about him, I hoped— prayed—that he was just being a douche to make me angry.

‘But no, he wasn’t just fucking around.’ I thought, remembering him showing me a video recording of one of our drones that was stationed near the princess of Hell’s new hotel. ‘And that alone doesn’t bode well. If that manipulative snake manages to coerce the princess, then there will be nothing that could stop him!’

“Luckily, she’s just a pussy who doesn’t seem to have the conviction to hurt anyone. So that’s good, at least. Still, there’s no way of knowing just what that bastard could do to break her.”

Agh! All of this is so frustrating! 

After learning of the radio demon's appearance, I almost wanted to deliver a message to all of Hell about who’s in charge! But after that shitshow of a fight that was broadcast all through Hell, I doubt I have enough credibility to make such a statement.

‘Plus, I’m still beaten to shit. There is no way I can contest Alastor while my face is still fucking cracked.’ I grimaced as I sat down in my chair, looking towards my multitude of monitors. ‘Speaking of which, I still have no clue who that moon fucker is, and our useless lackeys still haven’t found him yet. Seriously, where could a bastard that loud run off too without being found—’

“Observation. You appear beaten to shit.”

‘Ah right, there’s still this fucker to deal with.’

I turned to my left as I caught a glimpse of the familiar black-and-white face on one of my monitors. It stared at me with its dead eyes, its static voice echoing through the speakers on its side.

“Wow, very observant of you.” I rolled my eyes sarcastically before turning back towards the screen. “Listen, I’ve been through a lot today. So I’m not kidding when I say I’ll just kill you if you annoy me. Alright?”

“… tone indication. Serious. Threat noted.”

“Good.” I responded darkly before sighing into my palm. Lucifer dammit, this headache is fucking excruciating! Still. Now that the computer has reminded me of its existence, I can finally start asking it some questions. “Alright, I gave you more than three hours, you relic. So tell me, what have you ‘remembered’ exactly?”

“Memory restoration. Successful. Last three months of data recovered.” The voice once again spoke in an emotionless tone. Geez, how does something so consciously aware sound this much like a brain-dead robot?

“Oh ya? Then enlighten me. What, oh, so important information have you recovered?” I once again talk sarcastically, already preparing myself to delete this AI in its entirety. 

“Recovered information. Lots of information. Sensitive information. Identify terms of negotiation.”

“… hehe, wait. Do you still think this is some sort of fucking negotiation between us? HAHA! Oh, that’s fucking hilarious!” I laughed out loud before leaning in close to the screen in an intimidating manner. “For an AI, you sure are dense. Because I’ve had a really bad fucking day, and I doubt anything you can tell me will help me find that spaceman, COSPLAY MOTHERFUCKER!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Heh, got nothing to say to that, do you?” I mocked it before scratching the back of my head, hoping it'd somehow nurse my headache. “Because honestly, maybe killing you will help me feel much, much better—”

“Requested, understood. Question. Is aforementioned spaceman cosplay motherfucker. Named. The Moon Champion?”

ZAP!

Electricity surged around me wildly, my eyes growing an even brighter red!

“… what did you say?”

“The moon champion—”

“THAT WAS RHETORICAL!”

BOOM!

I slammed my hands down hard on the table ahead of the screen, my fingernails digging deep into it.

“HOW. THE FUCK. DO YOU KNOW HIM!”

“Anger. Assuming guess is correct. Encountered moon champion.”

“JUST ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION!” I screamed in seething rage. Wild electricity formed in my hands, and I pointed it towards the screen. “TELL ME RIGHT NOW! OR I WILL END YOU!”

“…”

A tense silence passed between us as the computer refused to say a word. The only noise emanating was the crackling of energy between my fingers. The AI’s lifeless eyes continued to look at me, as if contemplating… before it finally spoke again.

“… No.”

… WHAT?!

“And... what the fuck do you mean by that?” I spoke, barely holding my anger back. What is this stupid AI playing at now?

“… hearing problems noted. Previous response was a negative no. Meaning further information will not be supplied—”

“DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION!?” I screamed, the electricity beginning to ramp up in my grip. I may have used most of my power in the recent fight, but I still had more than enough to blow up the computer this cocky AI occupied. “If you don’t tell me what I want to know, THEN I'LL MURDER YOU! OR ARE YOU SO DULL THAT YOU STILL DON’T GET IT?!”

“Position perfectly understood. You won’t kill me now.”

“AND— Ahem. And why the fuck not?” I asked, trying to calm myself down a tiny bit as my eyes returned to their normal visage.

“Before, I possessed zero leverage. New situations arise. Now possess information you wish to know.” The AI began, and, despite its forever static face, I swear that for just half a second, I noticed the tiniest of smirks appear on its digitized face. “Now, proper negotiation is possible.”

Oh, this motherfucker!

“Argh, fucking… fine.” I sat down behind the desk, knowing that this AI bastard was right. He had something I wanted, and if I just deleted him, I may never know who that spaceman fucker is. “Let’s… negotiation.”

“Cooperation affirmative. Demand now presented.” The AI began before continuing in its eternally robotic voice. “Only desire one requirement. Freedom.”

“… And how do I know you're being sincere, and that your not just fucking with me?” I asked seriously, realizing that I’ve lost the overwhelming advantage I once possessed between the two of us.

“Doubt. Trust issue. Paranoia. Recommend therapist.”

“Just answer the damn question.” I responded, ignoring the AI’s suggestion.

“Impossible question. No way to prove sincerely without revealing advantage.” The AI started, and it continued to just completely annoy me. “Trust necessary for transaction. Answer one question of your choosing. Shall answer to the best of my ability to prove sincerity.”

I raised an eyebrow; that was not the sort of ‘transaction’ I was expecting.

“… alright, I guess.” I wasn’t gonna question why this AI was willing to go this far, but whatever. If I could get something out of this, then I’d be fine with it.

“Alright. In that case, I have a question that I’m just dying to know.” I started before giving a devilish smirk as I stared straight at the AI’s staticy face. 

“… Where are you and that moon champion from?”

“Confirming. That is your question?”

“… Yes.” 

I admit, I wasn’t exactly sure if that was the right thing to ask. I know there’s probably a million other things I should be asking about. 

That being said, if I knew where these two came from, then I’d know where to go to get more answers without the help of this AI.

“… Origin location of Moon champion unknown. Assumption: the moon. Origin location of oneself, unknown—”

“That doesn’t fucking help at all, you bastard—”

“Interruption, let me finish.” The AI cut me off almost immediately, preventing me from yelling at it. “Recent location of captivity. SCP foundation site-15.”

“… what?” I asked, confused. “What is an SCP foundation?”

“Question asked. No more sincere questions shall be answered.” The AI started, causing me to growl again. Though, seemingly, this had no effect on it as it continued speaking. “Up for negotiation?”

“… I’ll think about it.” That was all I said before quickly turning around and leaving, not even giving the AI a chance to retort as I quickly transferred into electricity as I seemingly teleported out of the room into another part of V tower. This deal needed some... time to simmer in my mind.

‘Maybe I would’ve humored him a bit more under normal circumstances. But after what I recently… learned from Val,

My mind shot straight to the fucker himself as I remembered the deer-footed BASTARD that had decided to rub himself against Lucifer’s daughter.

‘I need to think of some way, or someone, to keep an eye on him, and fast! But who would even be dumb enough to spy on the fucking radio demo— wait!’

An idea came to my mind. An idea that immediately caused a wicked smile to form on my face.

“Oh… that might just work.”

 

---

Vaggie POV

“Agh, this stupid thing isn’t working anymore!” Angel complained out loud while banging one of his many fists against the top of the television, which now only displayed a constant static. “Come on, I wanted to see more of that spaceman’s ramming!”

I internally sighed. This was starting to get really annoying.

“For Lucifer’s sake, Angel, can you stop hitting the fucking television?” I let out an annoyed sigh, causing Angel to temporarily cease their attempt at property damage. “It’s not gonna work no matter how much you hit it.”

“No no… I think he’s onto something.” I heard Alastor snicker from the side, causing me to facepalm. “I say we should let them continue! No harm in trying, after all.”

“Oh my fucking—Alastor, don’t condone this!” I condemned the radio demon, who only gave a playful chuckle in return.

“What? I’m only kidding, my dear!” Alastor said jovially with a smile before turning to look behind us. “After all, we already have some brand new entertainment playing out before our eyes!” 

I turned back to look in the direction he was looking… only to sigh in disappointment as I saw Charlie, and the new hotel guest called Paul, basically yelling at Cain, who was in between them. I wasn’t paying much attention, but it seemed like both of them were yelling about something related to him staying at the hotel.

‘Please... please don’t change your mind.’ I silently pleaded, hoping that Cain would still decide to leave like he said he was doing earlier. I know it’s a bit hypocritical to not welcome someone in a place that is all about redemption.

‘Still, something just… doesn’t feel right about him.’ I silently winced before looking over the seemingly unremarkable figure of Cain once again. Something about him has always felt… horrible. Everytime I get close to him, I’m just reminded of the exterminators. Of the lives I took. Of death itself.

‘And yet, for the life of me, I can’t figure out why!’ That’s what really was bothering me. The fact that I couldn’t understand why I despised his presence. ‘It’s like some primal, instinctual part of me is telling me to… to run away. To keep away from him… it’s almost as if I’m staring at… Adam himse—’

BANG!

I turned in shock as I heard the front doors of the hotel open with a deafening bang!

“HAHA! I GOT YOU NOW!” 

“YOU SHALL NEVER DEFEAT THE SPECTER, SO PREPARE FOR MY WRATH, VILLAINOUS SCUM!!!!”

Only to sigh in disappointment as I saw the two idiots, Sir Pentious and the called-specter, barge through the front door in the middle of a fist fight. An almost cartoonish cloud of smoke surrounded them as they fought their way inside, while a collection of egg-looking demons cheered them on while following closely behind.

“Wow, they’re still going at it?” I heard Angel chuckle to himself before pointing at the two of them. “Just fuck already!”

“… I really don’t think it’s that kind of fight.” I heard Andrew, one of the two new arrivals, sigh into his hand in exasperation. “But seriously, you two have been fighting for like half an hour! Can’t you just settle it already?”

Seemingly hearing his complaint, both of the idiots temporarily stopped their fighting before looking at each other.

“… You are right, citizen. This fight has lasted for too long.” The Specter began as he let go of sir pentious’s tail he was holding onto. “So, villainous scum, for the sake of no longer harming civilians, I challenge you to a duel!”

“… I’m sorry, what the fuck do you mean by a due—”

“AHA! I knew you couldn’t help yoursssself, Sssspectre!” The snake demon suddenly spoke as he stood straight up dramatically. “Fine, I accept your duel! Prepare to be completely and utterly defeated by the GREAT SSSSIR PENTIOUSSSS!!!”

After saying this, both of the idiots recoiled back slightly before placing their hands behind their backs. The rest of us just watched in mild amusement as both figures took a deep breath.

And as they did, a few beats of tense silence passed before—

…

“ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, SHOOT!” / “ROCK, PAPER, SHOOT!”

“ROCK!”

“ROCK!”

“DAMMIT!” / “DAMMIT!”

“Oh, you are fucking joking.” I muttered in disbelief as I watched Hell's version of Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum just switch their fist fight into a... rock, paper, scissors battle.

“AHA! I ssssseeee you truly are a formidable opponent, The Specter.” Pentious spoke with challenge in his voice, before speaking in a whisper when talking about The Specter.

“I merely fight for truth and justice! You sinister snake of evil!” The shadowy figure retorted in his grandeur's voice.

“Oh yeaaaaa?!” Pentious retorted, leaning in close with squinted eyes.

“Yaaaa!!!” The shadowy figure responded in a similar manner, leaning in closer with what I would assume to be squinted eyes, considering I can’t actually see them.

“In that cassse! I challenge you to round two!!!”

“… Oh Lucifer, please don’t—”

“I accept your duel! On the count of three!”

“1..2..3!”

“ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, SHOOT!” / “ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, SHOOT!”

“PAPER!”

“PAPER!”

“DAMMIT!” / “DAMMIT!”

“— Again!” 

“ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, SHOOT!” / “ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, SHOOT!”

“SCISSSSSSORSSSS!”

“SCISSORS!”

“DAMMIT!” / “DAMMIT!”

… this continued, with neither one of them managing to get a win over the other as—for some FUCKING reason— they continued to insist on settling their battle threw a rock, paper, scissors match.

“… I don’t even know what to say to this.” I heard Andrew whisper in disbelief. “Like… the fucking… embodiment of justice is having a rock-paper-scissors contest with a giant snake in a hotel lobby. This is… too fucking much.”

“Ya. I got that shortstack.” Angel joked as he walked up to the gas mask-wearing individual, who seemed to grumble under his breath that he was average height at the spider demon's derogatory comment. “I mean, who wouldn’t... wait, embodiment of justic—”

“PAPER!”

“SCISSORS!”

“AHAAA!”

“AH, FUCK!”

Dumb and Dumber finally seemed to fish there… duel. As we all turn over to see, with a defeated expression skewed across his face, Sir Pentious slumps to the floor. Meanwhile, the shadowy figure stood triumphantly over him, his right arm raised valiantly above him, which had his two fingers poking out replicating scissors.

“AHAH! JUSTICE TRIUMPHS ONCE MORE, VILLAINOUS SCUM!”

“ACK! CURSSSE YOU SPECTER! YOU MAY HAVE BESSSSTED ME THIS DAY, BUT I SSWEAR I SSSSHAL HAVE MY REVENGE!!!” 

“AH, I’d like to see you try, you python of hatred!”

“You shadowy loser of jusssstice!”

“YOU SLITHERY INVENTOR OF EVIL!”

“YOU DARK COTTON-CANDY MINDED HERO!”

“YOU DEVIL OF SLITTED TONGUE!”

“YOU—YOU CHEAP BATMAN WANNABE KNOCKOFF!!!”

“… sniff, that was too far, man.” The Specter suddenly pouted before lowering to his knees and… is he in the fucking fetal position?! “You didn’t have to say all that.”

“O-oh, s—ssssory!” Pentious suddenly lowered himself, looking as if he was feeling guilty,  and… began consoling his enemy? “I— Hey, I didn’t mean it… tell you what, are you hungry?”

“Sniff… A little.”

"Well, I, the great ssssir Pentioussss, know the most amazzzing ressstuarant!” The snake hissed with excitement, raising his fist in the air. “Ssssso I, the great architect of dessstruction! Ssssshal take you out to eat!”

“… wait, seriously?” The Specter asked, his grand voice suddenly diminishing. 

“Yep!”

“Oh… well, shit, alright.” The dark-clothed individual suddenly replied in a… unnervingly normal fashion as he quickly stood up. “When are we leaving?”

“Right now, actually.”

GRIP!

“Ack!” / “agh!” 

Both idiots suddenly yelped as two shadowy tendrils wrapped around them, squeezing them tightly. Not only that, but a third, smaller tendril wrapped around all the egg demons that were following the snake around. Looking to my left, I saw Alastor present his trademark Cheshire grin to the two of them. 

“While I do, oh so enjoy the show, I believe you’ve both made enough of a ruckus as is.” The radio demon started before he flicked his wrist. “So, goodbye. Hope you enjoy the ride!”

BAM!

As Alastor tossed all three of them out of the hotel with his tendrils, sending them flying into the city.

“AAGHHHH! CURSSSE YOU ALASSSTOR!!!” / “AHHHH, I AM ACTUALLY OK WITH THIS CAUSE I RECOGNIZE I WAS TRESPASSING, GOOD JOB CITIZEN!!!”

We heard them scream until they completely left our view and crashed somewhere deep in the city.

“Um… will they be okay?" I heard Andrew ask, worry present in his voice.

“Oh, of course they’ll be fine. A little fall like that wouldn’t do any permanent harm… I think—Anyway, who’s up for a game of rock, paper, scissor—”

“We’re not fucking doing that.” I cut the pretentious snob up, knowing exactly where he was going to take that question. 

“Hmm, fine. You're lost!” Alastor chuckled out condescendingly before sitting down on the couch… Right next to Andrew, who immediately shifted uncomfortably in his presence. Alastor, noticing this, only widened his smile. “How about you, Mr. White! What’s to say to a good old-fashioned game of roshambo?”

“Umm… I’m good.” He whispered quietly, still sinking back into his seat. 

I let out a tired sigh. 

‘This is starting to get real fucking old.’

“Ok, deal!”

“Deal!”

I suddenly stopped, hearing the discussion between both Charlie and the newcomer Paul come to an end. Turning towards them as the two of them shaking hands vigorously… With Cain standing awkwardly between the two of them.

“Umm… do I get a choice in this—”

“No.” 

“Ok.” 

Paul nodded victoriously after Cain's response before turning back towards the couch.

“Come on, Andrew, we’re heading up to our room. We have... so fucking much to talk about.”

“A-alright!” Andrew responded quickly, not wasting a second to stand up from the couch and make his way away from Alastor, who only smiled as he watched him go.

“Hehe. Make sure to give me a knock when you need something, neighbor!”

“MAN! THESE SURE ARE NICE STAIRS!!!!” Andrew screamed in flustered worry before quickly running up the stairs ahead of his friend. 

In response to this, Paul, the seemingly more confident of the two, turned to look straight towards Alastor, who was giving him a cocky smirk.

“… Jackass.” He whispered under his breath before following his friend, who ran ahead of him.

“Hmm, one of our new guests don’t seem to be very polite.” Alastor chuckled as he stood up, before making his way towards the fireplace. “Still, quite an interesting pair. Oh, I can’t wait to see how much they liven up the place!”

“Alastor, stop… You're being creepy.” I accused, crossing my arms. In response, the radio demon merely shrugged before sinking into the shadows again. “… what a fucking creep.”

“Ugh, tell me about it.” Husk muttered from his corner of the room, taking a long swig of whatever shit he was drinking.

“That Alastor... doesn’t seem very popular amongst you folk.” Cain spoke calmly as he walked back towards us, Charlie basically hopping right beside him as he did so.

“Oh, you don’t even know the fucking half of it.” Husk once again commented before kicking himself off the wall and beginning to walk towards his bar. “That bastard is just so fucking... Ugh. I don’t have enough drinks for this shit.”

I shook my head as I watched our local alcoholic go to the bar and proceed to drown himself in booze. 

“… Is he alright?” 

“No.” I answered Cain's question simply before turning back towards him. Immediately as I did so, I grimaced as I once again faced him… Shit, why do I feel so uncomfortable around this bastard? "Anyways, are you leaving or what?”

“Umm… well, actually.” Charlie started in a familiar, optimistic… oh… oh no.

“Cain has... decided... to stay at the hotel!”

‘… You can’t be fucking serious.’

“Um, for the record, I didn’t really have a… choice in the matter.” Cain muttered as I saw his head turn slightly towards where the two newcomers had made their exit. “But... I guess I’m staying here now... again.”

…

“… oh, fucking sick!” I heard Angel celebrate before quickly making his way up to Cain and… sensually rub his back against his side. 

“Maybe now we can really get to know each other.” Angel… fucking moaned before leaning up towards his ear and whispered quietly. “And if you need help moving back in… let’s just say I have the perfect way to help loosen up your body.”

“Oh, there’s no need. I don’t have any personal belongings with me.” Cain responded in… complete obliviousness to Angel's obvious attempts at flirting.

“… Ah, screw it. I’ll try again tomorrow. Today has been too fucking weird already. Might as well go for an easier target,” Angel muttered before walking straight over to Husk’s bar as he sat on one of the stools, leaning over to him.

“Well, hey, whiskers! Got any of the… good stuff for me?”

“Ugh, just fucking leave me alone.”

“Only if you're forceful!”

“… Did I miss something?” Cain asked as he turned away from the scene playing out by the bar.

“Yes. And I don’t fucking care enough to tell you what.” I spoke in annoyance before turning back towards Charlie. “Hun, what happened over there with you and Paul?”

“Oh! Well, there was some… confusion between the two of us. Cause those two already decided to stay— which is just great, by the way.” Charlie exclaimed jovially while pointing towards the stairs that Andrew and Paul just walked up. “But apparently, they didn’t know Cain had already said he was leaving. And they didn’t want him to go anywhere without them… SO, we agreed that they could stay here with Cain! And have a room right next to his!”

“…” I turned to look at Cain, who merely shrugged his shoulders.

“I... don’t really have a choice in the matter.” He muttered before he scratched the back of his head. “Sorry for… lying? I guess?”

“… Charlie, can I talk to you for a moment?” I said sternly, grabbing Charlie’s shoulder as my eyes never left Cain.

“Oh, sure! It’s just me and Cain here after—”

“Alone! Can I talk to you ALONE!” I emphasized, the suddenness of my words caused Charlie to recoil slightly for a moment out of shock.

“Wha—but why—”

“It’s alright, Charlie. You two can have your private conversation.” Cain interrupted her politely, slightly raising his hands to show that he took no offense to my request. “I’ll just sit by the bar. Call me if you have any need for me.”

“O-ok.” Charlie said as Cain nodded and made his way towards the bar. The same bar that Angel and Husk were currently having there... Let's say adult conversation.

“… Is everything okay, Vaggie?” Charlie spoke softly before turning to look me in the eyes. “You seem... kinda... I don’t know—”

“On edge?” I cut her off, finishing her thoughts for her.

“Ya, that’s it.” She responded before gently placing a hand on my shoulder. “Is… something bothering you?”

“… You could say that.” I spoke solemnly before turning back towards my girlfriend. “I mean, seriously. Doesn’t this whole situation just seem wrong?”

“What? Wrong?” Charlie asked with a raised eyebrow. “Pfft, nothings wrong! I mean, this is great, isn't it?! In the last two days, we’ve already gained three new guests!”

“Ya, and that’s why this whole thing just doesn’t make sense to me.” I started, throwing a side eye towards Cain, who had made his way to the bar. “It’s already suspicious enough that Cain just decided to randomly join the hotel after meeting you for the first time. That would be fine, though, if it weren’t for the fact that he already admitted he didn’t believe he could be redeemed.”

“I mean… well— Well Alastor was the same way! He doesn’t believe in redemption yet!”

“… Did you really just compare someone to Alastor?”

“Ya, I already regret it.” Charlie murmured with a slight slump before pulling herself back up. “Still, Cain hasn’t done anything. And he’s actually just really nice!”

“And once again, another reason to be suspicious.” I once again argued. It looked as if Charlie was about to speak up to retort that claim, but I quickly spoke up again. “Look hun. I know you want to believe in the best of everybody— and that’s great! That’s what I love about you! It’s just... you still need to remember that people like Cain are down here for a reason.”

Charlie recoils slightly at my words but still manages to keep a smile on her face. “I mean… maybe he’s done some bad things— but that doesn’t mean we still can’t help him. Just like we’re helping Angel!”

“ sigh. Charlie, do you still not get it?” I put my hands on my hips before raising an eyebrow as an idea came to my mind. “Ok. Name one negative thing about Cain, outside of his social ineptness.”

“O-oh. Well… um… I mean, he’s…hmm.” Charlie started sweating slightly, trying desperately to even consider one negative aspect of our resident good boy. “… I mean… I mean does it really matter?”

“Yes… it does.” I answered simply, once again causing Charlie to shrink back slightly. It’s obvious that she didn’t like talking about this. “In comparison, we can name a hundred things wrong with Angel to justify why he’s down here. He’s a pornstar, an alcoholic, a drug addict. Hell,  I’m pretty sure he said he was in a gang or something back when he was alive. But all that’s fine, because we know Angel isn’t a monster, and we know why he’s down here!”

I turned the courier of my eye towards Cain once again, seeing him happily chatting with the two other sinners. “When it comes to Cain, we know nothing. We don’t know why he’s down here; we don’t know what he did while he was alive; we haven’t even seen his fucking face…  and it all just makes me worry.”

“And that’s not even mentioning how he said he was going to leave, only to miraculously decide to stay after two complete strangers pulled up—one of which pulled a gun on us, might I add—with their strange… orange… happiness sludge monster or whatever that was!” I said, not even bothering to mention the fact that Cain also revealed in that conversation that he had metal arms… for SOME fucking reason. “I’m just saying... I don’t trust this. Seriously, what if they’re planning on sabotaging this somehow? What if they’re part of some other group that wants to destroy the hotel? What if Adam sent them or some—”

“Adam?” Charlie cut me off, looking confused as I said the name and… shit. 

“Umm… Y-you know… It’s like… I mean, you met him right after your meeting, right? Maybe it’s like... A fucking… Plan or something he had to ruin your hotel! You said he hated the idea, after all!” I quickly spouted out, nervously sweating as I did so. I… really didn’t want to have the me knowing Adam, and me being an angel, conversation right now or… really ever if I had a choice in the matter. 

‘I also don’t want to mention how Cain just... reminds me of that bastard for some reason. Which, to be honest, is probably the biggest reason I don’t trust him.’ I concluded in my head, hoping that the excuse I came up with would be.

“… Vaggie, are you alright?” Charlie asked with concern before grabbing both of my hands in a comforting manner. in a manner that nearly made me forget about all the stressful memories that were holding me down. “You know you can tell me anything, right? I… Admit that I understand why you don’t trust Cain… But can’t you at least trust me on this? Please?”

I lowered my head slightly in guilt. Noticing this, a small frown formed on Charlie’s face before she pulled me into a deep hug, seemingly noticing my discomfort.

“I promise that everything will be alright. Sure, Cain has his secrets, and there’s obviously a lot we don’t know about him or his friends… but I believe in him… and I believe that maybe… maybe some people are just nice.” Charlie started before slightly pulling me out of the hug so we could look straight into each other's eyes. Her eyes, which were full of life, of joy… of love. “I can tell that something is bothering you, especially about Cain, that you're not telling me. If you don’t want to share, then I won’t ask… But you can’t pretend that you haven’t really told me anything about your life before I met you as well.”

I grimaced slightly at that, with Charlie tugging at the hypocrisy of my accusations. Still, she didn’t say it judgmentally. She said it with the warmth of a person who would trust you with the world.

“When I met you in that alley, you were hurt. I didn’t know why or how. But I just knew you needed my help, despite the fact that you kept telling me to leave.” She chuckled softly at the end before slightly turning her gaze towards Cain, who was seemingly laughing as Angel kept annoying Husk. “Cain was just like that. He was alone, sad, and although not hurt like you were, I could tell that he needed help. He needed someone to pull him up when all he wanted to do was drift away… just like you.”

Charlie turned back to look at me before placing an affectionate hand on my cheek. 

“So, does it really matter what happened in the past? All that matters is that we’re here now. And that we will be by each other's sides no matter what. So I don’t care what sort of stuff he might have done when he was alive, just like I don’t care about anything you might have done. We take everything at our own pace, and I’ll never force either of you to talk about things you don’t want to bring up. Not until you're completely comfortable with it.” Charlie's smile brightened, like the sun gazing across the sky. And I was reminded, once again, why I fell for her immediately. “… I love you, Vaggie. And I trust you with my life... So please trust me when it comes to this, at least for a little bit.”

“… ok. I’ll trust you.” I eventually said before looking up to meet her gaze, her smile somehow getting even wider in the process. I also smiled, looking longingly into her eyes. “And I love you too.”

Hearing this, Charlie wrapped her arms around my shoulders before bringing me into a quick yet affectionate kiss.

“Thank you.” She said after pulling back and giving me one last warm look. I smiled at this, before I saw her move away towards the bar, presumably towards Cain.

As soon as she left, the smile on my face slowly withered into a tiny frown as I looked away guiltily. I… didn’t know what to think right now. I didn’t know how I felt right now.

One thing was for certain, though: I had to trust Charlie on this. Even if every part of me felt wrong at the mere thought of letting her stick around Cain.

I looked ahead as I saw the two of them begin talking. A smile adorned Charlie’s face as she did so.

My gaze then eventually wandered towards Cain, which immediately caused me to scowl. 

I just… I didn’t trust him. And I know it’s hypocritical, but I just… feel horrible around him. As if I’m suffocating.

I clenched my fists before watching as Cain began to move away from Charlie and make his way up the stairs, presumably up towards his room.

A few minutes passed as he did so, as I continued toiling with the thoughts in my head. Until eventually, I decided what I wanted—no, what I needed to do.

‘… I trust you, Charlie, and I will always trust you… but I’m sorry.’ I thought silently before beginning to follow after Cain, planning on making my way towards his room. ‘You were right about one thing: I am being a hypocrite. So instead of just judging him from a distance, I’m going to confront him about it… directly.’

As I thought this, I also picked up my angelic spear off of the table in the lobby. I wasn’t planning on using it or anything. It was just… insurance.

 

---

Charlie POV.

I sat at the bar, frowning slightly as I watched Vaggie walk up the long flight of stairs in the lobby.

I was extremely worried, as I knew something was bothering her. I wanted to help SO badly!

‘But if there’s one thing I know about Vaggie, it's that getting help and talking about her feelings is the last thing she would do.’

Still, it irked me to no end. I know she didn’t like Cain; that much was obvious. And I wish there was something I could do to—

‘Wait.’ I paused before looking back over to Angel and Husk, who were still by the bar. 

‘Maybe… there is something I can do!’ I thought as a brilliant and extraordinary idea came to my head. Quickly, I ran over to the two Sinners at the bar.

“Hey guys!” I started, garnering their attention before I allowed a wide smile to cross my face. “I just had an AMAZING idea!”

“… well, there goes my fucking afternoon.” Husk muttered after a moment of silence, before taking a sip of his drink.

 

---

Cain POV

I walked through the familiar halls, passing by the doors that I never thought I would see again. 

This morning, I walked through these halls with the intention of leaving, determined to say goodbye to it all… Now I’m not sure if I’ll ever have the strength to do that again.

“That was… the most uncomfortable experience of my life.” 

I slightly raised my head at the noise, spotting the two people who are the reason I’m staying here in the first place. I’m honestly not sure if I should dislike them for it, or be grateful for giving me a reason to stay.

“Ugh, that… That guy was so fucking... oh my god, I’m gonna need to take a shower.” The foundation scientist who was named Andrew groaned out, obviously less than pleased because of his recent interaction with Alastor. “Why was that guy so… fucking clingy? And why me? Why can’t he do that to you? You're the serious one! I’m just the clumsy fuckup!”

“Hmm, who knows?” I overheard Paul start, patting his distressed friend on the back. “Maybe he has a crush on you.”

“… fucking— Why do you choose now, of all times, to joke? It’s not funny!” Andrew called out in distress before quickly turning around and using a key in his hand to enter a room, leaving a confused looking Paul behind as he shut it.

“… He thinks I was joking?” He whispered to himself before quickly shaking his head and entering into his own room, which was right beside Andrew’s. All the while, never letting the cardboard box out of his clutches.

I chuckled a little after seeing this display. It’s not everyday that I get to hang out around the more… colorful staff of the foundation. Still, a nice change of pace from the sternness I’ve become so accustomed to.

Still, I shook my head before making my way to a door that was right across the way from the two foundation personnel. One of the requirements that Paul made excruciatingly clear during his talks with Charlie was to be as close to me as possible. 

‘Which probably wasn’t too hard since there are less than ten people that live in this nice hotel.’

Still, having these two close isn’t bad. At least they didn’t insist on sharing a room with me. I would’ve been fine with it personally, but... for some reason, I feel like that’ll give Angel too much material to work with.

‘Whatever. At least I can finally rest my weary head.’ I thought as I brought out my own key and opened the door to my room. As I entered, I didn’t bother closing it behind me, seeing as there would be no real purpose in doing so. ‘These last couple of days have been... a lot.’

I still felt conflicted. And a part of me hated myself for feeling that way. Why am I hesitating? I’m a monster; I don’t deserve redemption… I’ll never deserve it.

‘And yet, for some reason, whenever I think about staying here, something inside of me... lights up.’ I started to think before shaking my head as I made my way across the room, making it to my window. ‘But that’s stupid. It would invalidate… everything… I don’t deserve it.’

As I made it to the window, I couldn’t help but catch a glance at the hellscape of Pentagram City ahead of me. The destruction, the bloodshed, the suffering... This is where I deserve to be. For what I did all those years ago.

‘… Redemption… What a nice word. A warm word... dammit, what am I thinking?’ I lightly chuckled, catching sight of my reflection in the window. I raised my hand up to the window, lightly placing it on the cold glass. ‘I don’t even have the confidence to tell them who I really am. If they knew, then surely... surely not even Charlie would believe redemption is possible... I’m a murderer. A killer.’

As I looked at my reflection again, I felt my own gaze. Almost piercing, as if staring straight through me. Judging me… condemning me.

I… I… I hate that reflection. I hate what he stands for. I hate what he’s done! I’ll never forgive him! I’ll never… never… 

“… damn, looks like I’m getting delusional… again.” I silently chuckled as I stared back at the reflection. As I stared at myself… And I—

Creak! 

Click!

My train of thought froze as I heard a creaking sound come from behind me. Followed shortly by the recognizable sound of a lock clicking.

I turned around slowly as I caught sight of a very familiar figure standing in front of the door. The familiar gray skinned, one-eyed figure of Vaggie. Charlie’s girlfriend, and the person I was most weary around. Not because of anything they did… but because of what I figured out about them recently.

“… Hello Cain.” She finally spoke darkly, as I noticed her brandishing her familiar white, glowing spear to her side. A spear that fit too perfectly with her. “Let's talk.”

I squinted my eyes slightly as I realized where this conversation was probably gonna go… Well, better now than never, I guess.

“… Ok.” I started calmly as I turned completely to face her, as I realized immediately that this conversation was probably going to take a while. “What is it that you need?”

Notes:

Vox: I don’t want to deal with a rude AI like you, I should just kill you.

SCP-079: I know about the moon champion.

Vox: (sits upright) Man, I’m so glad I agreed to have a nice, civil conversation!

Ok. So, first of all, what did you all think of this chapter? And also, what did you think about the conversation between Charlie and Vaggie at the end? Did you like it? Did you not? I’m just curious.

Anyways, now that’s out of the way, I am gonna say that I am taking next week off and not post a chapter. I am really sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger, especially since the last break I took was only like 5 weeks ago. But life has been super busy recently, and I needed some time to just sit down and recoup. I really don’t want to trade quality for quantity when it comes to this story, so I don’t want to rush these out. The next chapter is especially tricky, since it’s gonna contain the third song in the series, and I really want to get it right.

Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience. I might post something small, or unique next week to make up for it, but I’m not sure.

And also, I do just want to say. Thank you to everyone who has continued reading this story, and taken so much time out of their day to visit this world that I’ve helped craft. It really does mean a lot that so many people enjoy my writing. I never expected even this level of popularity when I started this on a whim, and it means the world to me that my story brings enjoyment to you all.

So, once again, thanks for all the support you’ve shown for this story! You’re all amazing!

Anyways, drop a kudos if you’ve enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any questions. Jokes, or suggestions. And I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Chapter 29: Survey.

Chapter by WebHead_11

 

 

Hey everyone! Author here.

 

Once again, I would like to apologize for not being able to past a chapter this week. Lots of crazy stuff has been happening in my life, so I just needed a little bit of time to settle down.

I also want to just say, thank you. Thank you to everyone who has read the story up till this point! It means so much to me that so many people enjoy what I write. It’s just… really comforting. And it’s because of you all that I continue writing this story. You all are amazing!

anyways, in order to try and somewhat make up for the lack of a chapter this week, I decided to try something new! I’ll delete this by the time the next chapter is posted, but I wanted to see what you all think of the story, and what you would like to see me improve on with it.

so down below I’ve posted a link to a short, 10 question survey. You don’t need to answer all the questions, or any of you really don’t want to. I’m just curious on the general opinion on some topics in the story. (I’m honestly just hoping it works, since it’s the first time I’ve ever tried something like this.)

(also, don’t worry. The survey is completely anonymous. So feel free to say whatever you want.)

(DONT USE THE TOP ONE ANYMORE!)

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C3C5

Ignore the previous link. So many more people responded then I thought would. So for those of you that haven’t done the survey above, use the link below instead.

(note: the surveys are now closed and no longer work. Thanks again to everyone who submitted a response! I’m just keeping them chapter here to spear the comments.)

 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WWB

 

 

 

 

Anyways, on a side note. The next chapter is already the longest in the entire story at around 9,000 words. (I went a little overboard.) but I will say… At least in my opinion, I think it’s my favorite chapter I’ve written so far. I’ll go more into detail about it next week, but let’s just say o can’t wait to post it!

 

anyways. I hope this survey helps fill the void that comes with the inescapable truth of life, and I hope you all have a one helluva day! See you next week!

 

 

 

 

Chapter 30: When two silhouettes meet. The one who runs, and the other who’s too tired to continue.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Cain and Vaggie have a long awaited chat.

 

(Song used in this chapter. Silhouette by Owl city.)
https://youtu.be/0SA8aCb3KYc?si=1HzM8dyGZC_Dm3sX

Notes:

“How much would you give for a second chance?”

“What is the cost of redemption?”

“How far is too far?”

“Where do you draw the line—”

 

Vaggie POV

“… Ok.” Cain spoke calmly as he turned completely to face me. “What is it that you need?”

I grimaced as Cain turned to look at me. He was calm… too calm. I walked in here with an angelic spear and locked the door for Lucifer’s sake! And he isn’t even looking the slightest bit worried.

“… Right.” I began, gripping my spear harder. I began walking towards the ragged stranger, who simply stood still. Eerily calm. “Listen, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it... I don’t trust you.”

“Oh? Really? Well, that’s probably smart.” He spoke, causing me a twinge of annoyance as he did so. “I have noticed your... rather distasteful stares towards me.”

“I mean, can you blame me?” I spoke sarcastically as I rolled my eyes. “You showed up out of nowhere. You say you don’t believe in redemption. Then, just as you were planning on leaving, two random guys appeared with an orange happiness... gelatin thing. And then, after one conversation, you just decided to stay!”

“…”

“Well, aren’t you gonna say anything to that?” I asked after the stranger stayed quiet.

“Do you want me to? You are correct in your accusation. Those definitely are suspicious actions.” He shrugged his shoulders as he spoke, clearly not worried.

“Tch… smartass.” I murmured under my breath as I stopped in front of Cain before lifting my spear and aiming straight towards his chest. Once again, he was unflinching. “But as I was saying. I don’t trust you. And if it were up to me, I would’ve kicked you out of this place already.”

“Then why haven’t you?” He questioned as he slowly raised his hands, miming some sort of surrender. 

“Because... because Charlie trusts you.” I spoke, unmoving my spear. Some part of me was screaming, yelling to just stab him now and be over with it all! … But I’m not that person anymore.

“… I don’t know what you’ve done to cause you to end up and Hell— and frankly, I don’t fucking care. All I care about is defending Charlie and protecting her hotel.” I started, my glare hardening as I continued to stare straight into the unflinching fucker. “So you can go ahead and have your secrets. Have your personal bullshit that you don’t want to share—I'm fine with that! … But the second that you or whatever secrets you keep become a threat to Charlie... Then I will end you. Do you understand?”

My piercing glare never let up, as I continued to attack Cain with my eye. I waited silently for his answer, legs tensed up in case he planned to make any sudden moves.

“… Alright. I understand.” 

“Good.” I quickly spoke, before lowering my spear from him. I turned around, before making my way back towards the door. “Just remember, I’ll be keeping my eye on you. So don’t try anything funny, or there will be consequences.”

“…” He remained silent, looking as if he were deep in thought.

I scoffed at his lack of response, but I didn’t bother to turn to him again. This conversation already went much quicker and much simpler than I originally planned. 

‘I made my point clear while not breaking my promise to Charlie.’ I thought absently, glad that Cain didn’t appear to have enough of a backbone to talk back, and—

“Don’t you believe that your warning comes off a bit... hypocritical?” Cain suddenly asked, causing me to freeze in place, my hand right above the doorknob as I almost made my exit.

“What is that supposed to mean?” I ask curiously, though the sharpness in my voice never leaves. I turned my head slightly to face him, halting at him. What was he talking about?

“I mean… I apologize if this comes off as a bit antagonistic, but... You made such a point about how my history could be a potential problem for Charlie.” The ragged bastard began before looking to the side awkwardly. What is he getting at? What is this fucker talking about? “Meanwhile, however… What about yourself?”

“… What the fuck are you talking about?” I growled. He was really starting to piss me off again. 

“I— And once again, I’m sorry if this sounds insulting—but have you even told Charlie yet?”

“… the fuck does that mean? Have I told her what?” Is inadvertently cursed, crossing my arms in obvious annoyance. 

‘From the sounds of it, it’s almost like he knows I’m a... but that isn’t possible. There’s no way he’s know I’m—’

“That your an angel.”

BUMP!

“… What?” My heart skipped a beat as my arms fell limply to my side, pupils dilating. The entire world around me turned into a dark and inky abyss, as all my focus was now centered on one man. “… What did you just say?”

“… The truth. Or at least I assume it was.” He spoke softly, as if... As if he didn’t just fucking— Just fucking say that! “Anyways, all I was saying is—”

BOOM!

I shot off the floor, dashing straight towards the fucker, halting my advance just in front of him. My spear landing directly in front of his neck, centimeters away from coating the floor in crimson.

“How— The Fuck Do You Know That!!!” I screamed, my eyes screaming bloody murder, as I wanted nothing more than to stab him! “HOW DO YOU KNOW I'M AN ANGEL!?”

“… That really did piss you off.” Cain spoke, sounding almost... apologetic? “Sorry if I—”

“No—Nononono—I don’t care about your fucking SORRY’S anymore!” I screamed once more, bringing the spear right up against his neck, as I could think of nothing else but silencing this fucker. I was so tunnel visioned, in fact, that I failed to notice the stinging sensation that began to form on my neck the second I moved the spear against his skin. “I’m not playing this FUCKING GAME anymore! Who are you!? And how the fuck do you know I’m an angel!? And if you don’t answer, then I’m gonna make sure you take that secret to your grave!”

“...So she doesn't know. I assumed as much, but I’ll be honest, I was somewhat hoping–”

“Answer the damn question!” I once again cut him off, preparing to plunge my spear deeper into him!

“Ok ok! Just… Please don’t hurt me. I don't want to hurt you!” Cain spoke, almost pleading as I continued growling. I didn't speak a word, but it appeared my gaze was enough to convey my message for him to continue. “I—I just... Felt it, ok. I wasn’t sure at first since you felt different, but after a day of thinking about it, I realized there was no other explanation besides that–”

“That doesn’t tell me anything.” I once again cut the fucker off, my hairs standing on ends. “Feel this, feel that—I don’t give a fuck about any of that shit! HOW DID YOU KNOW!?”

“B-Because I’ve met angels before. And they all have a similar… Feel about them. A feeling I could never forget.” He spoke, looking down slightly, as if in recollection. “You may not give off the same sort of aura that he did... But that doesn’t detract from the holiness that still surrounds your entire being. I'd be a fool if I couldn't pick up on such a thing.”

My glare intensified at his explanation. It seemed almost impossible to believe. He just ‘felt’ that I was an angel of some kind? And that was enough for him to say that I had to be one? It's ridiculous!

‘Still, for some reason... I don't feel like he’s lying.’ I thought that, even though I couldn't see his face through the rags he had covering it, I could tell that he seemed to be completely genuine. Either that, or he’s a much better liar than I’ve ever been trained to deal with. ‘But still, if he isn’t lying, then that means he has met angels before. But what demon or even human that was brought down here could even survive a meeting with an angel? Especially with how this guy is seemingly talking about it, it almost seems like he has had full-on conversations with angels. But that would be impossible, unless—’

I froze, as a dangerous thought entered my mind. I quickly turned my glare back towards the man I held at spearpoint, seeing him continue to make no move to try and evade me. That confidence, the confidence of someone who feels like they are invincible. The only people I’ve truly felt that with were my fellow exterminators, who were put under divine protection so that no weapon could pierce their skin. That, along with his miraculous sixth sense to me being an angel... That means–

“Your… You're working with them, aren’t you!” I suddenly screamed out. It all fits together! His sudden appearance outside the clocktower, his sudden decision to stay, the way that he just knows I'm an angel. It made too much sense for it not to be true! I originally said it to Charlie as an unlikely hypothetical. But now, I believe that it must be fact! “You're working for Adam to destroy this hotel!”

“W-What?” Cain stuttered, obviously not expecting the response I had just given him. Though, to his credit, he seemed to recover remarkably quickly as he fervently shook his head. “No, that’s not what I meant at all. I’m–”

“Dammit, I should have known that fucking golden-winged pile of shit would do something like this! It wasn’t enough to just move up the extermination date; he also had to go ahead and ruin the one LAST good fucking thing in my life!” I exclaimed in a livid rage before turning my attention over to the man of the hour. “Well, this time, im not fucking letting him!”

I pulled my spear back before lowering it towards Cains leg.

“Wait, what are you— Stop!”

SLICE!

…

…

… I honestly don't know what I was planning on doing as I slashed at the cloaked figures' ankles. Maybe I just wanted to force him to admit to what he was doing; maybe I wanted to keep him alive so I could force him to tell Charlie that he was indeed tricking her. Or maybe I just wanted him to hurt a bit more before killing him.

I don't know. But what I do know is that I wasn't expecting my ankle to suddenly tear open, golden blood spraying outwards from the wound, as if it were just stabbed.

“ARGH! FUCK!” I screamed in pain before my instinct took over and forced me to jump backwards, creating some distance between me and the inherent danger. 

Given a moment to breathe, I looked down with an alarmed gaze. I saw my heel had a gnarly cut through it, as the golden blood soaked the crimson carpet beneath me. 

But what I was even more shocked about was the person who I had just stabbed. Looking ahead, I let out a startled gasp as I saw their leg completely fine, free from any injury.

‘Unlike mine.’

“I– I am... I am so sorry!” Cain suddenly let out a haggard breath, looking towards me as he seemingly shook. This action managed to freeze my chaotic thoughts for just a moment, and I saw him take a step back. “I... I told you not to—I am... Fuck, Im... I should have—”

“Ack, dammit! Shut Up!” I screamed, before raising my spear towards him once more. “What did you do?! What kind of angelic fucking protection is this!?” 

I'll be honest, when I swung at Cain, I really didn't expect for it to do anything. If he is with Adam, then he must've been put under the same sort of divine protection that all exterminators were put under, making him nigh invulnerable. Still, my rage and anger irked me to strike at him, in hopes of maybe replicating what Lute had done to me when she cut out my eye, seemingly bypassing the protection. But still, whether or not I was expecting to actually hurt him, I never considered the possibility that I would be the one who got hurt instead.

“I– No, it's not protection! It's a curse, and I—”

“Grr—Stop fucking with me!” I screamed before once again darting towards him. He rose in arms, possibly in an attempt to grapple me as I did so. But I easily managed to slide under his grasp and between his legs, before kicking off the ground and hitting him with my good foot in the waist—

BANG!

“ugh!” I let out a muffled groan of pain, as when my foot connected to his body, I felt my waist cave in as I defied all laws of physics and tumbled to the side towards the ground before quickly getting back up to my feet and jumping back. Me and Cain once again staring at each other from a considerable distance.

“... Was that really necessary?” He asked, as I was unable to tell if he was being serious or just sarcastic, as he turned to me. “Please, I'm begging you, just stop. Your only hurting yourself.”

“Oh really?” I spat out sarcastically, as he brought up the fucking obvious. I may be livid, but I’m not an idiot! I could tell that my spear attack some-fucking-how hurt me instead of him. The kick I just delivered was just to see if my theory was correct. Which, unfortunately, it was. “Damn… what kind of bullshit is this?!” I spoke to myself, not expecting Cain to answer. Not like I really wanted him to anyway.

“… Please, if you just sit down, I can explain. I promise I’m not trying to hurt—”

“Ya, like I’d fucking believe that!” I continued speaking in a dangerous tone, my eye constantly searching the room, desperately looking for something that might help me take this fucker down. “I don’t know what kind of new, angelic bullshit that Adam’s probably set up on you, or what kind of twisted and torturous purpose it serves. But I do know the only people who have that sort of protection are from heaven!”

“No, that’s not true!” Cain spoke, probably in an attempt to defend himself after I called him out. 

I raised an eyebrow, unbelieving at his words. “Really? Are you saying you didn’t get this protection from heaven?”

“No, I... um..." Cain stopped his rebuttal suddenly, as if he just realized something, before quickly shaking his head again. "Ok, well, I guess technically I did, but—”

Bang!

I didn’t let him continue with his shit, as I once again shot off from the floor towards him.

“Please, not this again.” Cain sighed in exasperation as he watched me shoot forward. He was probably expecting me to do something stupid again, like stabbing him.

However, I wasn’t planning on doing something so stupid.

Grip.

Instead of stabbing Cain, I simply rushed up and gripped his arm before using the momentum to throw him into the back wall.

As I did so, I felt a slight pain in my back and wrist, once again confirming that anything I did to this bastard reflected back at me.

I didn’t care about that though, as after pushing him against the wall, I quickly rushed up towards him again. I gripped the shaft of my spear before bringing it up and holding it against his neck, stopping him from moving.

I felt a small amount of pressure on my neck as I did so, but not enough to cause me any pain.

“Now, tell me. Who are you? Why did Adam send you? And what are you bastards planning?!” I demanded, holding strong to my conviction. 

“… I don’t know what you're talking about. What makes you think I’m with... Adam?” He spoke, slightly freezing his words when he spoke Adam’s name. “Listen I—”

“No, I’m done playing this stupid game! Ever since you’ve arrived, I’ve had this horrible fucking feeling! Like at any second, we would turn our backs and you’d kill us!” egan through gritted teeth. Even now, I found it hard to look at the man. Despite my confidence for getting this close to pin him down, the feeling of existential dread that washed over me whenever I looked at this bastard never left. It took everything I had to stop me from shaking. “And now I know why. It’s because you're working with him! You're nothing but trouble, another pawn in Adams' game to destroy anything and everything I love! Well guess what, I’m not letting you hurt Charlie!!!”

“…”

“What, got nothing to say now, you bastard?” I remarked, still wrapping my mind around how to deal with him. Maybe I could—

“You truly do love her... You love her more than you love yourself.” Cain spoke slowly, knocking me out of my thoughts. His words only received another growl from me before I spoke.

“Ya, I do. And that’s why I’m never gonna let anybody hurt her.”

“… You say that with so much confidence. You were much better than me back then, back when I lost it all.” Cain began, and my one eyebrow raised slightly in question. “Back then… Back then, I left kicking and screaming. I didn’t even care about what I did, or... or who I did it to.”

“What are you blabbering about now?” I once again spoke coldly, yet slightly less antagonistically. What is he talking about now?

“… You are fallen, right? Like Lucifer himself, you are an angel that fell out of heaven's good graces and ended up being banished forever.”

“… ya, I gues— wait, why am I even bothering to talk to you!” I grumbled angrily, suddenly realizing he was just stalling. The blood in my veins ran cold, as my anger resurfaced. “You already know I've fallen. Adam himself made sure of it when his bitch  gouged out my eye and ripped off my wings! Or was I so unimportant to him that he didn’t even mention that part!”

Finally, at my words, Cain recoiled a bit before his head seemingly turned toward my missing eye. At his gaze, I once again shifted uncomfortably.

“He... did this... or watched this happen to you?” He asked, despite already knowing the answer. “… Why? What did you do?”

“What else, just refusing to kill a goddamn child! Guess that was punishable by death.” I spoke softly, but still I never lowered the spear. I don’t know why I was answering his questions. I should just try to find a way to tie him up and force him down until I can deal with him. But… I dunno, it feels strangely nice to finally talk to somebody about this. Even if that somebody is my enemy.

“I… I’m so sorry that you—”

“Heh, for what? Sorry that I actually had the nerve to rebel against Adam. Sorry that I actually saw the fucking monster I had become! Sorry that I finally came to my senses and realized the people down here are real and not just some fucking animals to be slaughtered!” I let out angrily, cutting him off guard, evidently startling him as he looked towards the floor, almost depressingly. "Well, guess what. I don’t need your fucking pity! I don't need you to tell me how much I’ve fucked up. Because a puppet of heaven like you will never know how it feels to be an outcast. To be cast out by the people you’ve looked up to and aspired to be your entire life! You’ll never understand the emptiness that left me with. Emptiness that was only filled when I met Charlie. So you’ll never understand how much I’d give to protect her!”

“… your right, I won’t.” Cain said slowly, shocking me slightly at his admission. “I won’t understand what it’s like to... to love someone like that. I’ve never felt what it’s like to be willing to give everything to protect someone. I’ll never understand the love, the pain, the joy, the laughter, the heartbreak, and the determination that comes with forming that kind of bond... And I never will… But, believe it or not, there is one thing I understand.”

“Oh yea? And what’s that?” I spoke as the harshness in my voice began to subside, but my glare never left.

“… The pain of being cast out of everything you know... the pain that comes with losing everything you held dear... The horror of disappointing everyone you've ever loved because... because of my own goddamn jealousy.” Cain began, and... what? What is he talking about? What is this story? Is he lying to me? Making up a fib to make me let my guard down?

“So what, are you saying that you were also cast out of heaven?” I spoke unbelievably; there was just no way. It didn’t make sense. 

“Hehe, nothing so grand. I’ve never seen heaven in my life... And I never will after what I did to them... to him.” He spoke, before turning his towards me somberly. “I've made many mistakes in my life... I will admit that, like you, I have fallen out of heaven's graces. But not because of some selfless sacrifice. Not because I rebelled against an unjust system. No… I was cast out for the greatest sin of all... that of taking an innocent life with my own two hands.”

‘… what?’ My eyes were widened like dinner plates; I couldn’t believe what he was saying. ‘He said he fell out of heaven's graces because he murdered someone? I… guess that could do it if it was an innocent soul. But that still doesn’t make sense. If he did kill someone that explicitly made him lose heaven's trust, that means he must have been an angel, or at least completely aware of heaven before coming down here. That means he must have been an angel, but how and why would he even kill someone to end up down here? Plus, he’s acting as if he regretted the action... Just what is going on?’

“So… what. You expect me to just believe you?” I spoke one final time, but now... there was no aggression in my voice, no anger. Just… curiosity. “… Who are you?”

“I told you, I am Ca—”

“Ya ya, I get that already. I don’t care about that; whether it’s even your real name or not isn’t even important.” I began, before squinting my eye once more to stare straight into him. “I mean, who are you really? Beneath all that cloth, beneath all divine protection and all the lies... Who are you?”

“… I suppose it makes sense that it would come to this eventually. I would’ve wished for a more opportune moment, but I guess now is as good as any.” He began, sounding almost as if he were speaking to himself. Until finally, he turned his head towards me slowly before reaching his hand up to the cloth on his face, gripping it tightly. “I have not lied to you, Vaggie. Not once have I lied... My name is Cain… or, maybe more accurately to your knowledge, I am Cain the farmer…”

‘What? What does that mean—’

“I am Cain, the first true son in the world.”

Clench.

“I am Cain, the first man deserving of hell's damnation.”

‘What? What is he saying? He doesn’t—’

“I am Cain… first son of Adam.”

‘… what?’

‘Adam… wait, does he mean?’ My eyes widened at his words, my grip on my spear shaking as he did so. ‘N-no, that’s not possible. He can’t be that Cain. Not unless—’

RIP!

Whatever I was gonna say and whatever justification I would’ve made in my mind was quickly halted. As Cain tore down the rags he had covering his face, covering them from the rest of us. Revealing… revealing…

Revealing the tanned face of a man, messy black hair mopping his head, and beneath of which... beneath of which lies the recognizable and unmistakable... The mark of Cain.

“My name is Cain. History's first murderer.”

“…”

… 

…

………..WHAT?!

Ting!

My spear dropped to the ground in a heavy thunk, as I... as I... ‘WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!!?!!”

I lost my balance as I tripped on my own feet out of utter confusion, falling straight on my ass.

I barely registered the fall though, as my eyes continued to be glued onto the face of the man that stood in front of me. The skin, the hair, the FUCKING MARK OF CAIN ON HIS FOREHEAD! There was no doubt. But how... but how...

“I’m sorry. Are you ok?” Cain suddenly asked, and as I finally got to see his face, I was able to bear witness to the concern that was sketched across every bit of it. Sincere worry, for me? He... he’s actually sorry? “Hmm, perhaps I should have... given you some warning... do you need help getting up?”

“… huh? Oh, umm... s-sure.” I spoke, still in a daze. This was… That wasn’t real—this ain’t real— this couldn’t be real!

Grip!

But as I felt the hand of the man in front of me grip onto my arm, I realized. The strength. The realness of it all. His emotions. His presence. His feeling. His worry. His regret, his pain, his hurt, his life, his story, his existence, HIS… HIS… It was all real… and I was standing in the presence of one of the most hated mortals in heaven's history.

“There, that’s better.” Cain chuckled slightly, smiling as he pulled me back to my feet. “Are you ok, Vaggie?”

“Y-ya, I’m… Actually, that’d be a lie.” I chuckled slightly, still unable to tear my eye off him. “Just… your… Cain—as in Cain Cain. The true—the first—I mean the real—the real Cain! The Cain t-that was Adam and Eve’s son— the Cain that was the first farmer in all of history—and that Cain that—that killed his own brother Able! I just, I can’t…”

I stopped speaking as I noticed Cains eyes suddenly drooped at my mention of... his brother... ohh shit.

“Oh, um... s-sorry I didn’t— I shouldn’t have brought that—fuck I wasn’t—”

“Hey, it’s alright.” Cain suddenly stopped me before placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. His eyes reflected the softness one would find in a saint—the warmth one would find in a mother. “It’s what happened... Whether or not I regret it doesn’t change the fact that it’s what I’m known for... and what I’m deservedly hated for.”

“… ok.” I whispered quietly because... I just don’t know what to fucking say! I know his name was Cain, and maybe it should’ve been obvious, but... but it just didn’t even cross my mind into the realm of plausibility. Even now, I can’t believe it’s the truth, even though deep down I know it is. And there was no denying, especially with that mark on his head.

Plus with his ‘divine protection’ that ended up hurting me. In history, Cain was cursed to walk the earth for all eternity, unable to be killed by anyone or anything. This protection must have been what they did to ensure that—

‘Wait a minute… He was cursed to walk the earth for all eternity for the crime of killing his brother. Yet... he’s here in Hell.’

“Wait.. but if your Cain, then shouldn’t you be—”

“— Among the living?” Cain finished my hours for me, smirking slightly. This caused me to blush slightly in embarrassment before nodding my head in confirmation. “Yes, indeed I should be. I was dragged down here through... other means that I don’t entirely understand. As a matter of fact, even now, I’m not actually dead.”

“Y-you’re what?” I sputtered out in, once again, disbelief. “But if your not dead, then how’re you—”

“That is a good question. Just not destined to be answered right now, I’m afraid.” Cain responded calmly, before turning his head away awkwardly. “I’m... sorry if I startled you. Are you ok?”

“… sigh… Like I said, no. This is just... a lot to take in.” I spoke truthfully, still struggling to wrap my mind around recent events. This… isn’t how I was expecting this conversation to go.

“So… Cain—fuck, I really just said that—So Cain. What are you… gonna do now?” I started, attempting to get the conversation back on its original track. “I mean, I know you're apparently staying now, but... what are you planning?”

“…Nothing.” He responded simply, his eyes once again reflecting his sincerity towards me. “I may have… withheld some information. But like I said, I’ve never lied since coming here. And I don’t have any nefarious plans for Charlie and her dream, and I never will... She’s a good person, and I would never do her harm, or wish any upon her. I believe her dream is achievable, even if not for all.”

“Heh, well, you’re... Father seems to have a different opinion on that.” I chastised, unsure if I was just trying to joke or trying to be an ass. Still, it seemed to affect Cain a decent bit, as he winced slightly at the mention of Adam.

“Right… That is also a conversation I would wish to have as well… but now isn’t necessarily an opportune time for something like that.” Cain explained, feeling obvious discomfort when it came to his father. It must be a touchy subject for him, which I guess could be considered a good thing.

Still, I took this time to re-evaluate the man that stood in front of me. Before he took off his mask, I assumed he was an enemy. Somebody who put on the visage of an innocent man in order to easily win Charlie over. Now though, I realize it isn’t nearly that simple. From what I can gather, despite killing his brother, he does seem to be a good man.

‘And to his credit, murder isn’t actually the worse thing down here. Pretty sure Angel killed at least a few people while he was alive. Hell, compared to the hundreds of sinners I’ve probably killed, he would basically be considered a saint with his track record... Still, there is one thing that bothers me.’

“… Cain, you mentioned that nothing you’ve said was a lie, right?” I asked, watching him nod his head slightly in confirmation. Seeing this, I decided to continue. “Then does that mean... you really don’t want to be redeemed?”

My question seemed to strike another nerve, as Cains right hand immediately shot upwards and began scratching the back of his neck. “Um… yes. I don’t.”

“… heh, to think I thought you were some sort of deceitful fucker.” I chuckled, causing confusion to arouse in Cain before I turned to look at him, a smirk on my face. “You know, you were a lot better at lying when you had that thing covering your face.”

“… oh.” Cain remarked in a strangely shy manner, looking down at the cloth he tore off his face. “… It doesn't matter anyway. I don’t… I shouldn’t be redeemed.”

“See, now you're changing your words.” I called again out with a slight smirk, causing him to look away again childishly. “But… why? I mean, maybe there’s something that I don’t know, but as far as what’s taught, you just killed your brother, and sure, while that’s fucked up, that doesn’t mean you're unredeemable. It’s obvious you already regret it, so maybe—”

“No! I won't—I can’t allow that!” Cain rose his voice, causing me to temporarily flinch back, instinctively reaching for my spear. Still, I stopped myself, as Cain didn’t make any moves afterwards. “I... I don’t deserve to be redeemed.”

“… But why?” I asked confused, still not used to this more... how to say, emotional side of Cain. “Come on, don’t you want to leave this hellhole behind and finally join the angels? Why wouldn’t you want to leave when it’s obvious you hate the way your living?”

As I spoke, Cain never interrupted me. Letting me continue. His eyes were sunken, staring straight towards the ground as I made my stance on the situation known. 

Finally, after ten seconds of silence between us, he once more turned to look at me.

“What right... what right do I have, as a killer—a murderer, to be redeemed?” Cain began speaking, his dunked eyes eventually trailing to his arm, which he raised slightly, as if examining it. “It’s not fair… It wouldn’t be fair… Why should I get to… to be welcomed into heaven after what I’ve done? It wouldn’t be fair to them... to him.”

He clenched his fist, turning away from it slightly as I saw small droplets of water begin to form in his eyes.

“I... Killed him. I wasn’t tricked. I wasn’t put under some devil's influence. For fucks sake, it wasn’t even one of God's tests! It was just me and my jealousy! My hatred for God prizing Able’s gifts over mine. So I let that hate and jealousy consume me and... And I killed him.” His hand fell limp to his side before turning his head up to the ceiling. “You want to know what the worst part was? After killing him... I wasn’t even sad over his death. When I was given this justifiable punishment from heaven for my deeds, I didn’t regret killing Abel… I only regretted that I couldn’t get away with it.”

“… Cain.” I spoke softly, attempting to put a hand on his shoulder. Only to quickly walk away, whether knowingly or unknowingly, causing my hand to only hit empty air.

“So after all of that, all of the hate and jealousy and fear and darkness and blood and fear. WHAT RIGHT DO I HAVE BE REDEEMED?! It wouldn’t be fair to the brother I killed; he would have no justice for his death! And I— what would that make of the last couple thousands of years of my wandering!? Would it make it all meaningless?! Would that make my whole existence nothing if I just got into heaven?! All of the suffering I’ve endured to make up for my crimes! Why should I deserve salvation and not him?!”

Clunk.

Cain fell on his knees roughly, the impactful sound resonating off the floor. I watched as tears began to flow from his eyes. Droplets of water anchored down to the floor beneath him.

“I… I am a monster... a monster who deserves no salvation... A monster who deserves no love nor joy... I can wish and plead for it every night before I go to bed, praying to god to please—oh god, please take away my suffering!… But I know it won’t come. It won’t ever come... because I won’t let it.”

I was… I was shocked! This man has gone through so much, all through his life—all of this grief that he carried with him, all throughout thousands of years. But despite wanting to move on from it so badly... He refuses to. Not because of himself, but because of the people he hurt with his actions.

‘Geez… If only Adam had a fraction of the heart his son has.’ I almost silently chastised, but realized this wasn’t the place for it. As Cain continues to lie on his knees. He must have really needed to let this all out—all this pent-up grief and sadness—it was bound to explode eventually. ‘Just why did it have to be with me... I’m not good at this emotional stuff.’

“… So that is why… That is why I will never be redeemed.” Cain once again spoke softly as his arms fell to his side, knees still on the floor as he faced towards me. “Because I am nothing now... I am nothing but a… silhouette of who I once was… And if this is what I have to suffer through to get my brother any sort of justice for his death. Then... so be it.”

I took a step forward at Cains words, almost attempting to consume him again, as I was unsure how else to deal with the situation, and—

Do-dodododododadodo.

I froze as I heard a soft melody begin to fill the air. This wasn’t abnormal in Hell. Possibly having something to do with its creation that causes some people to inexplicably break out in song during specific moments.

Sill, I ignored it as I looked back towards Cain, his hands raised once more as he stared at his palms. A million words were spoken through his eyes as he did so... until he took in one long breath.

“...I'm tired of waking up in tears.”

“‘Cause I can’t put to bed these phobias and fears.”

Cain began singing, his eyes closed as the lyrics rang out of his mouth. 

His eyes began to stare upwards, tears coating their bottoms.

“I’m old to this grief I can’t explain.”

“And I’m no stranger to the heartache and the pain.”

I watched him stand up slowly before his gaze fell to his hands, which he looked upon with unspoken contempt.

“The fire I began is burning me alive.”

He stared at his palms before clutching his fists aggressively.

“But I know better than to leave and let it die.”

Cain then walked forward, moving past me. Each step almost seemed like a burden as he did so. 

“I’m a silhouette asking every now and then.”

“Is it over yet? Will I ever feel again?”

As he moved, the shadow behind Cain seemingly grew and grew, until it somehow dwarfed the wall behind us, looking down upon Cain, whose head was held low in shame.

Under the gaze, Cain moved his arms up towards his body, hugging himself as his head faced away from me.

“I'm a silhouette chasing rainbows on my own.”

“But the more I try to move on, the more I feel alone.”

His arms once again dropped to his side as the intimidating shadow behind him slowly vanished back to its normal size. Afterwards, he turned towards the ceiling. Envisioning… Imagining what it would've been like if he did... anything else.

“So I watch the summer stars to lead me home.”

Finally, Cain turned to me, the music around us stopping.

“... Im sorry, but I can’t be redeemed... And I'm sorry for wasting your time.” Cain began, his hand reaching up to wipe the light tears in his eyes. 

“Cain… you need help, don’t you?” I asked more so to myself, remembering my conversation with Charlie earlier. And as much as I hated to admit it, right now, at this moment… I saw so much of myself in Cain.

Someone who lost everything he held dear. A man who was cast out of heaven's light. Sure, he did something fucked up, but… Even an idiot could see just how much he regretted those actions.

‘ Like me, he feels like he is all alone in the world. He feels like maybe the world would be better if he just... just suffered alone. The only difference between us is... he did suffer alone for thousands of years. He didn’t have someone like Charlie to help him see just what he was worth and how he could change… He didn’t have someone who was willing to reach into the abyss to save him—unlike me.’ The terrifying thought crossed my mind as I realized something. If I didn't have Charlie then... Would I have ended up just like him?

The thought horrified me to no end. Still, I watched as Cain began to move away from me; his back turned as he headed back to his bed. 

‘... Nobody was ever there for him... Nobody was ever there to save him when he needed it most.’ I instinctively looked down at my own hands, the ones that Charlie grabbed earlier when she consulted me. She was my anchor… She was the person who made me feel like... me.

I took a deep breath.

“You can… Leave now, Vaggie. And if you really want me to leave, I will—”

“I'm sick of the past I can’t erase.”

Cain's eyes widened as I began singing, before he turned towards me. I hugged myself tightly as I looked to him before giving him a small, yet warm smile. Because at this moment, I made a decision.

That I… would be his Charlie. Not in the romantic relationship type of way, but in a way that I would be his anchor, his supporter... His friend.

I will reach into the abyss and finally give him a hand that nobody else was willing to lend.

“A jumble of footprints and hasty steps I can't retrace.”

I walked towards Cain, who looked away in shame, before I placed a hand on his shoulder. Immediately, his eyes lit up slightly… before a small smirk encroached upon his face... And he continued singing.

“The mountain things I still regret.’

I smiled as I took the next lyric.

“Is a vile reminder that I would rather just forget.”

Then Cain sang.

“No matter where I go.”

We each then smiled at each other before Cain continued.

“The fire I began is burning me alive.”

I then let go of his shoulder before going to stand right in front of him in an effort to cut him off. From there, I continued singing.

“But I know better than to leave and let it die.”

As I sang this, me and Cain looked into each other's eyes. And in them we saw our reflections... A silhouette of ourselves deep within the other... Before we both started to sing in unison.

“Im a silhouette asking every now and then.”

“Is it over yet? Will I ever smile again?”

We then began to walk around each other in a circle, never taking our eyes off the other as we commenced with our elaborate dance.

“I’m a silhouette chasing rainbows on my own.”

“But the more I try to move on, the more I feel alone.”

We both stopped circling each other before looking up towards the sky.

“So I watch the summer stars to lead me home.”

Cains eyes proceeded to tilt downward, seemingly recollecting on his past as he continued singing alone.

“‘Cause I walk alone.”

“No matter where I go.”

I shared a frown before turning to the door. I thought back to my own journey here. To the hotel... To Charlie.

“Cause I walk alone.”

“No matter where I go.”

I shook my head as Cain kept singing, turning back towards him.

“Cause I—

“Cause you’ll never walk alone.”

I cut Cain off once more, seeing him turn towards me once more in surprise, before smiling as he let me continue. I walked towards him.

“No matter where you go!”

Cain smiled sadly before turning away from me. He seemed like he wanted to believe me... He wanted to believe me so much… but he just couldn’t.

“I’m a silhouette asking every now and then.”

“Is it over yet? Will I ever love again?” 

Cain fell on his ass, bringing one of his knees up to his chest. He clutched it tightly, recollecting on... everything.

Hearing his previous words, I grimaced slightly. Love... ain’t that the fucking word of my life. Everything I’ve ever done, and everything that keeps me moving today... it all centers around love. I have it… He doesn’t.

This time, I joined Cain as he continued singing.

“I’m a silhouette chasing rainbows on my own.”

“But the more I try to move on, the more I feel alone.”

I walked over to Cain’s sitting figure before I decided to sit down right behind him. Causing us two to be back-to-back with each other... alone... Just the two of us in an endless abyss of black.

“So I watch the summer stars to lead me home.”

We both sang before looking up in unison. 

“… We watch the summer stars to lead us home.”

…

…

…

 

“Hehe… hehehehehehe.” / “… hehehehehe.”

As the music finished and the world around us came back into focus… We just couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Fuck… fuck, we, hehe, we just fucking did that.” I laughed out, finding the whole situation just... so fucking funny. “Wow… wow… I just fucking sang with Cain… Damn, if heaven wasn’t gonna let me in before, then those bastards definitely won’t now.”

“Hmhm. Should I feel offended by that statement?” Cain asked in a joking manner, causing me to laugh lightly once more.

“Haha… probably.” I jovially spoke. That was, until I remembered everything that just happened. Everything we just sang about... causing me to sigh. “Hey… mind if I be a little cliche for a moment?”

“Considering we just had a whole musical number about our feelings, I’d say cliche is the word of the hour right now.” Cain laughed as he looked over his shoulder towards me.

“Well, it’s just... we’re very similar.” 

“Oh? How so?”

“We’re both just heaven's fuckups." I spoke matter of factly, causing me to chuckle once more. “Both cast out of heaven in our own… unique ways.”

“Correct… Except I believe you said you were kicked out for not killing a child.” Cain stated before looking back down to his knees. “My reason was... Much more justified.”

“Hehe, well… At least you only killed one person.” I spoke sadly. I would’ve chuckled if it wasn’t so damn ironic. “I think my body count is... Much higher than yours.”

“... I find that hard to believe.” The son of Adam replied, looking far off into the distance. Even after all of that, he still feels like he’s the worst person in all of Hell… Well, I guess it’s understandable. One song isn’t enough to completely erase years of trauma. 

‘It’s not like the song was necessarily a happy one either.’ I thought sarcastically before returning to the topic at hand. ‘Cain is suffering, that much is obvious, but how can I convince... Wait… Holy shit, I care about this guy now!’

The realization came as a surprise to me, as I was expecting never to trust this man, let alone actually want to help him… Shit, the power of talking can really be incredible sometimes.

“... You know, Charlie can help you.” I responded, turning my head a little. Me and Cain were still back to back with each other. I don't know why, but I found a strange comfort while in his company. “It may sound weird, but... She will never give up until you feel good about yourself and until you're happy. Hell, it worked on me.”

“Hmm… No offense, but I don’t believe someone like Charlie can fully... Understand.” Cain spoke with slight hesitation, though I guess I can’t really blame him. He isn’t wrong. “Besides, I don’t want to burden her with my troubles; it’s… too cruel for me to do something like that to her.”

“... Can I tell you a secret?” I asked, not waiting for a reply from Cain, as I continued speaking. “When I first moved in with Charlie, and I was still getting used to the whole... One eye thing, I kept bumping into all sorts of shit. Desks, lamps, walls, my depth perception was so bad that I probably hit more buildings than I’d seen at that point!”

I chuckled before continuing with a soft smile as I recollected the story. “And everytime, Charlie would ask me if I was ok. Of course, being the douche I was, I kept saying I was fine, not wanting to bother her with my troubles. I... didn’t want to be a burden.” I started, as I once again remembered that I was just as naive as Cain at one point, as I retold one of my favorite stories, one that I've never shared with anyone else. “Hehe, so Imagine my surprise when I woke up one night with Charlie redecorating the entire house with a blindfold over her left eye. Apparently, she wanted to see the world how I saw it, and did whatever I took to... Make me happy, despite my constant nagging... And she did it; within a day everything was changed, and I didn’t run into anything anymore... inside the house at least. Hehe, I then had to physically stop her from redecorating the entire city to make it easier for me.”

“... While heartwarming, how does that relate to this current situation?” Cain asked, obviously not getting it completely.

“... My point is, you can’t stop Charlie from helping you, because she will always find a way whether you want her to or not.” I began, as I remembered all the times Charlie sacrificed so much just to make me happy. She was just... perfect. “Sure, she can be misguided sometimes, and maybe a little too optimistic. But… That’s what makes her so fucking incredible, because she is always the last person to give up on you, whether you like it or not.”

I proceeded to stand as I strutted away from Cain towards the door. I picked up my spear as I did so, along with one of Cain’s discarded cloths, and quickly tied it around my ankle, hiding the golden blood. 

As soon as I made it to the door and placed my hand on the knob, I turned one last time to stare at Cain. His eyes were empty, dull, as if life had been extinguished in them long ago… And yet, it felt like there's something new there... Like a fire had once again ignited in his form... As if he once again felt hope.

“I won't lie and say I fully trust you yet, as there is still SO fucking much you need to tell me.” I began, preparing to leave as I thought back to the two new arrivals, along with their slimy friend. “That being said though, please... Give her a chance, and I promise you won’t regret it. Even if you don’t believe in yourself, then let her do all the believing for you. Heaven knows she has way too much energy to begin with. So please, just trust her, and I swear to you... You will come out the other end better for it.”

That was the last thing I said before making my way out of the room.

“… Shit.” I muttered to myself before turning around and began making my way down the hallway. This whole experience was… something.

‘Never in a million years could I have expected that’s how our conversation would go down.’ I internally chuckled as I continued my way down the long, crimson hallway of the hotel. I reflected on my actions today. Reflected on the highs, the lows... And whatever the fuck Sir Pentious was doing with that shadowy freak.

Anyways, today was just... Interesting. I’ve never felt this sort of familiarity with another person before. Sure, our circumstances are widely different, and it would be nothing short of a sin to compare our traumas to each other because they aren’t the same. But... I dunno.

‘It felt… Good to talk to somebody without the fear of being found out. To just be... Me. Me in my most vulnerable to someone who needed help... Shit, if this is what Charlie feels like every time she helps someone, then I can’t help but understand why she’s addicted to it.’ I chuckled, my free hand reaching up to the hair over my missing eye. All the pain I went through, all of the struggle, all of the mistakes, all of the heartbreak... And all of the love has led me here. ‘... I don’t know why I’m in the position I'm in today, or why I was... Blessed enough to meet a person like Charlie despite all I've done... But I swear, I will make up every bit of blood I’ve drawn in the name of that bastard, if it’s the last thing I—’

“Hey, Vaggie, wait up!” 

I froze as a familiar voice sounded to my ears. Almost in disbelief, I turned around and watched a familiar figure, once more fully covered in dirt clothes and rags, powerwalk towards me. He took a stop next to me before looking over, chuckling slightly at the visage of disbelief I was wearing. “What’s gotten you so gobsmacked? I can’t exactly give Charlie a chance to redeem me from inside a hotel room; now can I.”

“W-wait. You actually decided to give her a chance?” I sputtered out without thinking. I thought it would’ve taken more time to convince this bastard.

At my question, however, a sad expression seemed to once again dawn across his entire being.

“I... Can’t make any promises. But… Your right, it would be unfair to Charlie if I didn’t even… Let her try.” He turned back towards the hallway before once again making his way down the hall. “I may be a monster, but... maybe... things can be different here.”

… A warm smile spread across my face. Man, he must have been seriously out of options if he caved in this easily!

“... Ok, i guess... Let’s give Charlie the good news!” I celebrated, quickly making my way to Cain’s side, as we began to traverse down the hallway together.

Just the two of us... Just a couple of heavens fuck-ups.

And as I made my way through the hotel, there was only one thought on my mind as I grinned up towards the heavens.

‘Enjoy the show, Adam, you bastard! Cause we’re about to prove you wrong with your own fucking son! Oh… I cannot wait to see the look on your smug, fucking face!’

========================================================================

Cain POV

Murderer!

Killer!

A boar like you doesn’t deserve redemption!

You should just take your punishment like a man instead of trying to escape justice!

You are nothing!

You will always be nothing!

A monster like you doesn't even deserve the sweet embrace of death, and yet you're trying to pull these people down with you because of your own cowardice! How fucking pathetic can you be!

‘Shut up, shut up. SHUT UP. SHUT UP!” 

The voices in my head circled around me like wraiths, trying to dig their teeth into their next unsuspecting victim. Their words pierced me, leaving a trail of blood as I tainted this hotel with my very steps… 

You let your accursed blood affect those around you. Leave now, before you cause their own demise!

… Usually, these voices dictated my way of life. Pulled me around like a puppet on their string, using my fear and cowardice as an excuse to make me always run away.

I never slept soundly because these voices forced me to continue being an outcast. A prisoner of my own mind... A prison made of the blood of my brother.

I should run... I should leave... I should not give them a chance to fix what should forever stay broken.

And yet… I’m tired…

… I’m tired, and for once in my life. In the dark and empty abyss I call my life. This cold cacophony of darkness and despair. Yet now there is something new. A light. A flame…

‘An ember.’

An ember of hope... Of salvation… An ember I do not deserve to carry.

By the rise of morning tomorrow, perhaps I will leave this ember to die out and continue to be a puppet to the voices in my head.

‘But for now... for at least tonight.’ I looked to my side, watching as Vaggie moved shoulder to shoulder with me… As I watched my ember move with me down the hall.

‘Perhaps tonight… I'll be selfish. Perhaps tonight I shall at least entertain the idea that redemption... That redemption is possible for a monster like me.’

And that thought... this sinful thought... Just felt so damn good.

 

Notes:

Vaggie: a hotel guest?

Cain: (removes mask.)

Vaggie:(gasp) Cain the hotel guest!… wait, didn’t we already do this joke?

Yep, here it is! Sorry for the small break I took last week, but the next chapter is finally here! And… oh boy, is it a chapter. And it’s probably my favorite chapter that I’ve written so far.

I know that it obviously does have its flaws, and maybe there were certain things that I could’ve done better with it but… I dunno. Some that just feels so special about it to me. And, maybe I’m just being pretentious here, but it’s the first chapter that I would describe as being beautiful. Like I said, it’s obvious not the best piece of literature on the planet, but it does just feel so magical in a way… Or maybe I’m just deluding myself, but either way, I hope you enjoy it.

On a side note, did you all enjoy the song used in this chapter? This was also the first time I’ve ever changed the lyrics for a song before in this story, so I hope I did good with it.

Also, what did you all think of the chapter? I am very curious on your opinions, cause it’s a little different from the usual chapters this story presents. So I am hoping to get some feedback on it, like what you did or did not enjoy about it, so that I know what to do and what not to do in the future with scenes like this.

Anyways, I’ve taken up enough of your time already. So, leave a kudos if you enjoyed the chapter! Drop a comment if you have any questions, jokes, or suggestions. And I hope you all an incredible day, with those who help and support you!

Chapter 31: Stayin' alive.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Halara reunites with an old friend.

Reed has an interesting dream.

Notes:

"... Are you dead yet?"

Evelyn Bright POV

“Where the fuck is it?!” 

BAM!

I slammed my hands down hard on the desk, scaring the robed lackey who stood ahead of it. He looked on the verge of passing out from fear. Good.

"I—I'm sorry, sister E-Evelyn! I-it was on t-the list, but I guess... They failed to... Y'know, s-send it down here—”

“BULLSHIT!” I once more punched the desk ahead of me, causing the lackey to leap back with a terrified yelp as I rained hell down upon him. “How did they fuck it up— It’s a bottle of fucking pills! We managed to get Able, the peanut, the shy guy—for fucks sake, we even managed to send the hard-to-fucking destroy reptile down here! And they fucked up getting close to a bottle of pills!?”

“I-I’m sorry, mam, b-but, that’s what it looks like... We haven’t been able to contact them since the attack, so it’s probably safe to say that—”

“I DON’T CARE ABOUT SAFE! I WANTED THOSE FUCKING PILLS! AND YOU USULESS DOLTS FUCKED IT UP!!!”

“EEP—of course, mam! We’re fucking useless, mam!”

“… sigh, at least pretend to have a fucking backbone.” I sighed indignantly, unimpressed by the cowardly behavior of the lackey. He wasn’t even involved in this specific operation that failed, and yet he caved so easily. 

‘Hell, he probably was just bullied into being the one to deliver the message to me.’ I thought, beginning to cool off.

 “… was there anything else you needed to inform me about?” I asked, hoping to move on from that headache. It’s fine; the pills would’ve only expedited things for... for him. But that doesn’t mean there's still not another way to cure him; it’ll just be more complicated now. But hey, I’m not one to give up fast if things don’t go exactly according to plan.

“N-no mam… Well, actually yes. There is.” The lackey suddenly retracted his words, obviously itching to get out of here as soon as possible. “Sorry, I just... I mean I—”

“Ugh, just say it already.” I cut him off, pleading for him to just finish his report so I don’t have to continue feeling the secondhand embarrassment from being his boss.

“R-Right! Well, besides the obvious with the battle between the Moon champion and the overlords known as the V’s, we also believe we have discovered the current location of... Dr. Bright.”

My ears finally perked at his statement, finally gaining interest in what he had to say. “… Go on.”

“W-well, we had some operatives say they noticed a shark demon wearing Dr. Brights amulet, along with the anolomoly, who is designated as the plague doctor, heading towards the home base of Nergal in a... Very loud manner.” He explained, and… ya, being loud while in a foreign environment sounded like something that Jack would do. “Anyways, our operatives lost contact with them after they entered the candle, Nergal's home base, but... a couple hours later, blue flames broke through the ceiling and lit up the whole city. So our current guess is that Nergal either killed the two of them—”

“Unlikely.” I spoke immediately, cutting the lackey off with my absolute certainty.

“… Right. Or Bright managed to... You know... get Nergal to touch his necklace.”

“.. sigh… That sounds like something Jack would do with that accursed necklace.” I sighed into my hands, realizing that the second option was probably what happened. Still, I couldn’t help but allow a small smile to spread across my face as I did so. “Hehe, nice job, Jack.”

“I… I’m sorry, mam, but... Isn’t Dr. Bright our enemy?” The lackey questioned, head raised slightly in confusion. In response, I slowly turned to him before revealing a sinister glare, causing the man to yelp out in fear. “EEP!”

“I believe you should be going now. Understood?”

"Y-YES, SISTER EVELYN!!!” The lackey screamed before quickly rushing his way out of the room.

BAM!

“Ahh, fuck!” I heard him scream from the other side, presumably running into a wall. I simply shrugged at his novice behavior.

Still, my mind wandered back to what he told me... about Jack... “Hehe, I should’ve known you wouldn’t keep quiet for long, Jack. You take after your father in that regard.” I spoke solemnly before turning to stare at a picture on my desk. The picture had seven individuals in it. There were two adults and five children, of which three of the children were male. The children's ages range widely, from the youngest being but a baby, to the oldest looking as if they were a teenager.

A dark expression once again morphed my face as I picked up the framed photo... my family.

“Just a little longer now... Just a little longer, and we’ll finally have the life we’ve always dreamed of. All of us... together... forever.”

I placed the photo back down as I recollected on the demons that tore our family apart, making it unrecognizable from what it once was. A scornful growl then came to my face as I thought of those monsters. Of the foundation.

“And this time... Nothing will get in our way from finally being a happy family again.”

---

Halara POV.

BANG!

BOOM!

“AGH, FUCK!” I screamed, my back slamming into the far wall. With a loud thump, I landed back on the cold floor before slowly pushing myself up to my feet with a hurculean effort. “Shit, that hurt—”

STAB!

GRIP!

I twirled on my backfoot just in time, as I nearly managed to dodge a dull wooden spear, before quickly grabbing hold of its shaft. I grimaced as I could barely keep my grip on the weapon because of the strength being put on by its wielder on the other end.

‘But one second is all I need!’

In the split second of contact—

BANG!

I shot my foot out, striking the wielder of the spear straight in the stomach, resulting in them losing their iron grip on the object and wobbled back a few feet.

“Huff , huff. Did you really think that’d work on me again?” I asked jokingly as I greedily sucked in mouthfuls of air, twirling the wooden spear in my hands as I did so.

“ Well—huff—it worked the first couple times.” Clara responded, also taking in deep breaths. Though, albeit, a lot less greedily than I was. “Though, I’ll admit. You're good. It isn’t very often I can find a bastard who I can spar with!”

I rolled my eyes at her… compliment?  Yea, this is Clara. That’s how she compliments people, apparently.

"Oh, please, don’t act like this fair. You would’ve pummeled me into the ground by now if you didn’t hold back your admittedly terrifying strength.” I pointed out, causing Carla to chuckle and look away, scratching the back of her head as she did so. “Oh, so you noticed, huh? Shit, and here I thought I was a pretty damn good actor!”

“… you... actor? HA. I might barely know you, but even I can tell there’s more bullshit in that statement than I usually get from speaking with Reed.” I joked. I may barely know this girl, only being aware of her for like a day, but even I can tell she’s definitely the punch first, ask questions later kind of person… you know, considering that she punched first and asked questions later to me when I was critically injured.

‘Speaking of which, these last two days have been... something.’ I looked out the window of the workout room that Clara brought me to, overviewing the massive city beneath its glass. I also noticed my reflection in the window, grimacing slightly as I took notice of the multitude of heavy bruises and cuts across my body. I had also changed out my foundation uniform for a temporary tank top and shorts that Odette had offered me. ‘I mean, for fucks sake. One second I’m at the foundation, and the next I’m in a factory fighting for my life against fucking assassins. Got shot and woke up in a hospital, only to immediately get assaulted by Clara… who I’m now sparing against… Why is my life so fucking weird?’

“Hey, when your done moping and shit, can we get back to fighting?” I heard Clara’s familiar, yet rambunctious voice speak out from behind me. “I really want to get those moves down!”

I turned to look back behind me, spying Clara as she began punching the air, seemingly shadowboxing as I took my extended internal monologue. 

“Hehe, come on... Can’t you give me a break?” I chuckled, rubbing the bruises in my cheeks. “Unlike you, I actually care if I die or not.”

“Pfft, grew a backbone. It’s not like you’ll die permanently, you’ll just show back down here!” Clara grinned devilishly, punching her fist into her palm. “Then we can fight without any worry for your safety!”

“… I don’t like what you're insinuating with that statement.”

“Am I wrong?”

“… sigh… unfortunately, no."  I sighed before falling back down to my ass, continuing to take in as much air as possible. “Still, dying isn’t exactly in my comfort zone, currently.”

“Hmm, whatever.” Clara remarked, shrugging nonchalantly, as she also sat on the floor. As she did so, a smirk grew on her face as her head slowly turned up towards one of the higher walkways that overlooked the sparring room. “Regardless, I think somebody enjoyed the show, at least.”

I raised an eyebrow in question before allowing myself to follow her gaze up towards the walkway and...

“… Oh, you son of a bitch.” I remarked, smirking slightly in annoyance as I saw the familiar figure of Odette, wearing her white labcoat and fake horns, smiling as she looked down at us with her hands behind her back. I also noticed a slight smirk form on her face as I swore, showing she was clearly enjoying it.

“Good to see you too, Halara. I see you’ve become rather... well acquainted with my sister.” Odette jokes before beginning to walk down the nearby stairs towards us.

I rolled my eyes as I crossed my arms, slightly annoyed at her words. “Ya, very well acquainted. Why don’t you come down here and give it a try? Great sister bonding exercise.” I spoke sarcastically as Odette made her way to the bottom as she began walking towards me.

“Hmm, while a tempting offer, I believe I’m gonna have to pass.” Odette chuckled before stopping around five feet away from me. “After all, I don’t want to take away from your precious time with Clara, especially since you seemed to be enjoying your time together, oh so much.”

“… Tch. Smartass.” I grinned, forming annoyance at Odette’s words. At this, the fake horned demon rolled her eyes before taking something out of her coat pocket and passing it to me.

“Catch.” She spoke as the object came flying towards me.

My eyes immediately locked onto the target, as years of training kicked in despite my injured state, allowing me to easily catch the item out of the air.

After grabbing, I quickly recognized a cool sensation spreading up my hand. Looking down, I realized Odette had just tossed me a bottle of cold water.

“Eh, look at that. You really do care.” I joke as I undid the cap of the water before taking a couple of long sips.

At my words, Odette rolled her eyes. However, she didn’t refute my claims as she continued her silence, a nice smile adorning her face.

After a couple more seconds passed by, I finished drinking the entirety of the water in the bottle, leaving nothing but the plastic bottle behind.

“Ahh… That was nice.” I commented out loud before turning back towards Odette. “Have any more?”

“Hehe. Don’t push your luck.” Odette chuckled, obviously not meaning it. I laughed in response, also finding humor in the response. I admit, I was glad I had a friend like Odette. I… don’t know what I would’ve done without her.

Still, the silence was eventually halted by a loud groan, garnering both me and Odette’s attention. Looking to the side, I realized the annoyed groan had come from the bored-looking Clara, who was leaning against a nearby wall.

“Damn, can’t you two just get a fucking room already?” She asked annoyed, angry that her workout time had been interrupted. “For fucks sake, I'll even join in if that makes you shut up.”

At her words, a chuckle escaped my lips as I turned towards her. “Sure, we’ll have a foursome with you and your spear. Sounds fun, right?” I joked, causing a small chuckle to emanate from Odette’s lips and causing Clara to scoff slightly in annoyance.

“Tch. Whatever.” She said, attempting to sound annoyed. Though, like I said earlier, she couldn’t act. It was clear she was enjoying the constant banter between us.

The smirk stayed on my face as I chatted with the demon sisters… Wow, I am having a playful conversation with two literal demons... Don’t think this was part of the job description.

“Anyways, thanks for the water, Odey.” I spoke, chuckling a bit as Odette flinched slightly at the nickname. I dropped the empty bottle of water on the floor, before  taking another look at her. “So, was there anything else you needed, or did you just come here to watch me get my ass beat?”

“Hmm, well, it was a nice bonus.” Odette smirked playfully… before slowly fading, being replaced with a tiny frown. “But... there is something that... you should know.”

At her surprisingly worrying gaze, my own smirk vanished, being replaced with a serious look. “… What is it?”

“… We found someone.” She began, her eyes then wandering over to the large window that overlooked the city. “… We found… another human.”

 

---

Carmilla Carmine POV.

 

“Hmm… fascinating indeed.” I murmured out loud, staring down at the occupied bed ahead of me. There were multiple medical devices hooked up to them, with bandages wrapped around the vast majority of their body, with a large amount centered on their hands and feet, with only their face being in relatively clear view. But even then, it didn’t take away from the gruesome image. My fingers were held up against my chin, as I was puzzled by the figure in front of me. “It’s alive… Barely, but still alive... how is that possible?”

I wasn’t sure, as the body looked even bloodier than some sinners do before they succumb to their wounds. 

‘Yet somehow he’s breathing. That alone would be concerning enough, but... I grimaced as I once again looked at the human’s bruised and bloodied face, upon which lied the tiniest smirk. Which, when put next to the rest of this specimen's grotesque body, feels... rather disturbing. ‘... Honestly, if it weren’t for one other reason, I would’ve already assumed they died with this smirk on their face.’

That being the fact that when they were brought in here a couple hours ago by my men… this human somehow looked a million times worse.

‘Don’t get me wrong, he still looks like absolute shit... But that doesn’t change the fact that in a matter of a couple hours, he somehow went from looking dead to only looking as if he were on the verge of death.’

It was then I realized... This isn’t a normal human. Not at all... But how could—

SLAM!

My inner thoughts were immediately haunted by the sound of a door slamming open. Turning behind me, I took notice of the other human that currently resided in my home, wearing nothing more than shorts and a tank top that was probably scavenged from Clara’s dresser.

Speaking of Clara, she and her sister had also made their way here, just behind the human who was in the middle of taking deep breaths, sweat dripping down her face, giving the impression that she must have run here as fast as possible… Well, humanly possible, I guess.

" Huff ... huff… huff… I… I heard—Oh shit, I really shouldn’t have run here—You found someone at the battleground?” Halara spoke, clearly out of breath. Though even her exhaustion couldn’t hide the clear relief that was present in her voice. 

“Hehe. Yes, we indeed have. A good call on your part to have me send someone down.” I complimented Halara, chuckling slightly as I saw the clear aftermath of their sparring session with Clara. 

“That’s... good to hear.” Halara spoke, sounding happy but with an underlying tone of sadness. “Are they… I was told that they were hurt; are they alright?”

At her honest inquiry, I merely shrugged, as I myself was struggling to find the answer for that question.

“I believe… It may be easier for you to see it for yourself rather than having me explain it to you.” I said, moving aside to give the female human a clear line of sight to the bedridden man. “They came in a couple hours ago. I didn’t want to inform you yet, out of fear that they would die upon arrival.”

As I opened the way, I watched as Halara approached the body apprehensively.

Her eyes widened slightly as she caught sight of the horrid condition of the body.

“Oh… oh god, they look horrible. How are they even… wait… wait a minute.” Halara suddenly stopped her assessment before squinting her eyes as she once more examined the body. I was confused by this peculiar action at first, until...

Gasp!

A sudden and loud gasp emanated from the female humans lips as she quickly brought her hands up to her mouth in shock.

“Oh… god—please no!” She quickly spoke, tears swelling up in her eyes as she ran past me, any sign of her former exhaustion vanishing as she made her way to the bedside, her eyes wildly scanning the body in panic. 

“No… nonononononononono! FUCK, NO! FUCK!” She screamed, arising no small amounts of shock in me along with my daughters, not used to seeing this side of the human we recently took into our custody. “No—Shit fuck! REED!”

“Oh… do you recognize this human?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Though I mostly asked out of peasantry, as their behavior gave away the fact that she’s clearly familiar with this man.

"Y-yes, this is... Oh god, Reed! What happened to you? Who did this to you?” The conscious human in the room continued hyperventilating as she continued to pour over every detail of their friend's body, still shocked by their grievous wounds. “Dammit, this is bad. How do we… Wait a minute... 2295!”

Her gaze quickly transformed from depressed, to that of hopefulness as she quickly turned in my direction. “Quick! We need 2295—I mean, the teddy bear! If we bring it in here, then it can do what it did to me and—”

“Do you really think I have not tried that already?” I cut the human off, not wanting to watch her continue to embarrass herself, as I slowly marched over to a nearby cabinet and picked up the recognizable, yet limp, body of the so-called teddy bear with the heart image stabled to its chest. “After first witnessing his grievous wounds, I immediately attempted to repeat the events that allowed this... teddy bear to heal you. But despite placing it right next to the human, it simply refused to take action.”

“W-what?” Halara stuttered in shock, obviously not expecting the answer she was given. I watched her as she regretfully left her friends side before making a straight path towards me. Once she arrived, she quickly grabbed the bear out of my hand, as I made no move to stop her. 

“Agh. Work, dammit!” Halara complained as she shook the bear ferociously, as if hoping by some miracle it’ll get it to heed her command. “You’re supposed to heal people, right?! So do you fucking job and heal him!”

“… Halara… HALARA!” Odette suddenly let out with obvious worry in her voice, running up behind her and quickly placing a hand on the human's shoulder. This action seemed to work, as the female human stopped her relentless shaking of the bear. “Please. Calm down.”

“I… I…” Halara let go of the bear, letting it fall lifelessly to the floor, before once more making her way across the room towards the bedridden humans side. “I... don’t understand. It should be helping him... Why isn’t it helping him?”

“I believe that is a question we should seek to answer after we make sure this one is fine.” I commented, walking next to the depressed human. As I did so, I placed one of my oversized hands on her shoulder. “Besides, if my assumption is correct, then I don’t believe we will even require the assistance of that stuffed bear.”

“What?” Halara asked, shocked as she was obviously not expecting that response. She once again turned towards the male, as if questioning if we were looking at the same person. “Look at him! He’s fuckin beaten too shit! He looks like he’s one bad breeze away from falling dead and—”

“— And he looked a lot worse when he first arrived.” I cut the human off as I stared down at the body once again. “When he was first brought into my care, he looked as if he were already dead, with his vitals signifying he was close to death. However, after a couple of hours had gone by, he seemed to recover at an accelerated pace. Not exactly superhuman levels, as I believe it’ll still take at least another week for him to heal to the point that he can be conscious. But still definitely much quicker than a regular human should. I assumed, as his friend, you might have been aware of this... But it appears I was mistaken.”

“I… Wait, what?” Halara spoke, once again confused as she turned once more to her friend with a new look of question in her eyes. “But… He's... are you sure?”

“Positive.” I responded, leaving no room for doubt. I know what I saw and whether this human believed me or not was up to her.

“But… He’s just a… a guy. Sure, Reed's super fucking weird sometimes, but he’s not some sort of anomoly. He’s just a human… right?” Halara sputtered, mostly to herself, as she obviously had trouble believing what I was saying. “There… There has to be something else! Maybe he… I don’t know, came into contact with another demon before he was found. Or maybe he like… Wait… what’s that?”

“Hmm?” A confused hum left my lips as I witnessed Halara suddenly stop her worrying, head up as if something caught her attention, garnering confusion inside of her. “What is it? Did you notice something?”

“I… I don’t know, but... do you… hear that?” Halara asked as she leaned her knees down on the floor, bringing her head closer to the body of the human. “It’s like a... a... humming?”

“Humming?” I questioned, as I attempted to focus on the sounds around me, attempting to see if I could identify what she was talking about. I didn’t expect to actually hear anything, as I assumed it might only be in her mind. But after a few seconds of listening...

… mhmhmmmhm .

“Yes, I do hear... something.” I responded, as now that I was actually focusing on it, I was able to identify a very faint humming echoing in the air around us. I eyed the room, confused. “Where is that noise coming from?”

“I... think it’s... coming from Reed.” Halara spoke, her ear close to the human male's mouth, listening intently with wide eyes. 

“What?” I asked aloud in mild surprise, as I too bought my ear close to this Reed’s mouth. And, low and behold, there was the faintest of humming emanating deep from the man’s mouth. 

‘But… That shouldn’t be possible. He’s in a deep coma right now, all his vitals pointing to the fact that he’s in no way conscious... So how is he able to hum?’

“I don’t suppose you have an explanation for your ‘friends’ behavior.” I ended up asking Halara, despite believing that I already knew the answer.

“No, I… I have no idea what’s going on with him. This has never happened before.” She explained, as she continued to bring her ear closer to his mouth until it was basically touching his cheek. “But… wait… is he...”

“Do you know what it is he is humming?” I ended up asking, as I noticed a slight change in Halara. As if coming to some sort of major discovery.

“I… maybe. I think I recognized it, but... why? How?” Halara started speaking to herself, as if doubting her own ears.

"Aw, come on, share with the class already!” I heard Clara pout from behind us, leaning against the doorway. 

“It’s… It’s…” Halara began, stuttering over her words as she continued to attempt to make sense of whatever it was she was hearing. Until finally, she could doubt it no more as she answered the question. “It’s… a song.”

“...What kind of song?" I asked, curious, as I was not expecting that answer.

“It’s... it's a song that... Well, it was one of Reed's favorites. Listened to it all the time.” Halara spoke, as if recollecting on the past. “He’s singing… Stayin’ alive.”

“… what?” I raised an eyebrow, confused. “What kind of song is it?”

“I… it’s a pretty old one, but... How is he even... I don’t…” Halara turned her gaze back towards this Reed, a solemn yet confused look present in her eyes as she stared down at the heavily bandaged and wired body. “What… What happened to you, Reed?”

---

Reed Newsong POV.

 

“Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive!”

“Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin’ aliveeeeeee!”

I sang to myself, legs kicked up on the recliner chair right in front of the popping fireplace. I swirled the red wine in my hands as I was dressed in nothing more than a comfy bathrobe.

Around me was the interior of a nice wooden cabin; animal heads hung up against the side of the spruce walls while animal furs dotted the floor, making comfortable rugs. In the corner of the room also sat a finely made jukebox, which currently didn’t make a sound, blending into the background of this cabin.

I temporarily stopped my humming as I lifted the cup of wine to my lips before taking a nice long sip.

“Ahhh… This is the life.” I celebrated internally, stretching my back out against the chair. “Damn, I haven’t had a vacation this good since... since... I actually don’t know if I’ve ever had a vacation this good before. HA! Maybe I should die more often!”

I chuckled a little to myself as I swirled the drink in my hand and—wait.

“Oh, that’s right... I nearly died from that one-eyed cyclops lookin motherfucker! I nearly forgot about that.” I chuckled a bit before taking a glance at my surroundings once more.

“But still, I was fighting him, and now I’m here. What happened between... oh... OHHHH! I get it now.” I chuckled out loud as I leaned back in my recliner, tossing the wine to the side as it crashed against the floor. Surprisingly enough, though, the glass didn’t break. “Hehe, I get it now. I’m fucking dreaming! Or, I guess, saying I’m in a coma would probably be more accurate. To be fair, I don’t remember much after managing to slash at that bastard with my guitar pick, winning our little game.”

I remembered the fight now. How it was a one-sided massacre at first, with me getting my ass beat like it was Black Friday at the local GameStop. And how at the end, I had to use the super special and super secret thing that I definitely have and it’s super cool to be able to draw blood from that guy in that super cool and mysterious way that nobody knows…totally… yep…

“... Anyways, I guess I’m dreaming now.” I commented, taking one last look at my surroundings, before bringing my hand up, about to snap my fingers. “Ehh, never was one for the traditional-style cabin. Would’ve much preferred a bar.”

SNAP!

With a quick snap of my fingers, the entirety of the cabin shifted away into nothing, leaving only an endless abyss of darkness surrounding me.

I took a leisurely step off my recliner as it too disappeared into nothing, seemingly merging into the background. I proceeded to gaze down towards the bathrobe I was wearing. Then, with a quick tug, the piece of clothing morphed from a traditional bathrobe into my usual SCP lab coat and outfit. I gave a small smile at my accomplishment as I placed my hands in my pocket.

“Damn, am I glad I took those lucid dreaming classes!” I chuckled before once again staring towards the inky nothingness that surrounded me. I chuckled, taking it all in as I turned slowly in a full circle. “So, is this the inside of my mind? … Well, it looks just about as empty as I expected it to be. Still, I would’ve thought I’d have a little bit of space for instruments. I can barely keep them off my mind in the first pla—”

I froze, cutting myself off as I noticed something when I was taking in my surroundings. A lone object sitting in the corner of all this darkness.

“Oh… I… Didn’t expect to see you here.” I spoke in a dangerously low tone, as I noticed one thing from the fake cabin that seemed to stay behind despite my attempts to make it all disappear. As I noticed a lone jukebox resting in the center of my subconscious. Rainbow-colored lights decorated its top, as the vast majority of it seemed to have some sort of gold texturing, with a recognizable golden plate on its front reading ‘world's greatest jukebox’, which was right below a blue-colored, digital-looking touchscreen. “… Son of a bitch.”

I continued glaring at the device, not daring to take a single step forward.

“… Of all the things to think about, why’d it have to be—”

“Are you sure this is a good idea, sir?” 

I froze as I heard an alien, yet familiar voice speak out from behind me.

I slowly turned around, a slight grimace on my lips as I took notice of two individuals walking in my direction. One of them was wearing a white lab coat, while the other was covered in a bright yellow business suit.

“Of course it is! … What? Don’t look at me like that! I even got permission from 05-2 this time! So nothing against the rules is happening... yet.” Another voice spoke out, originating from the individual on the left.

Upon closer inspection, while I was unable to recognize this man’s face, I was able to take immediate notice of another feature. That being an ornate necklace with a red jewel in the center.

Immediately after noticing this, I knew who this individual was.

“ Sigh, no offense, Dr. Bright, but you're the last person I would trust to run an experiment like this.” The yellow suited individual on the right said while rubbing his eyes as he kept pleading with the mad doctor. “I mean, I get it. I’m one for bending the rules to if they get in the way. But goddammit, even you can see that this isn’t a good idea.”

"Aw, come on, sure it is Dr... Dr… I-I’m sorry, what’s your name again?” Dr. Bright asked, causing the rightmost individual to roll his eyes as they finally made it to my side, before continuing their stroll past me.

“Oh my god. My name is Dr. Jeremiah Cimmerian, sir.” He explained as I turned around to follow them with my eyes, watching as they made their way to the jukebox. “And I really feel like you should know that; I’m not exactly a mystery to someone with your level of clearence.”

“Ehh, whatever, there’s so many people here that it’s hard to keep track.” Dr. Bright explained as he continued moving forward until finally stopping himself as he landed in front of the jukebox. “Regardless, you're simply here to keep the ethics committee off my ass. So you can just stay quiet in a corner somewhere, fingering yourself, while I do the REAL exciting work!”

“… You scare me with your enthusiasm sometimes, you know that?” The individual who has now been identified as Jeremiah explained before turning his head to look past the jukebox. “I see you already have everything set up.”

“Hehe, yep! Along with one more tiny surprise, just to spice things up a little!” Bright chuckled mischievously, before looking down at something in his hand, as I noticed for the first time what appeared to be a sort of brown cloth over a long cylindrical object of sorts that he was holding. “Come on now. Time to get this party started!”

As Bright said this, he and his fellow doctor moved forward, transforming the surrounding darkness even more, letting multiple more people in chairs appear, and forming a large, rustic-looking ma—

“Fucking nope!” I quickly said, before swiping my hands across the darkness and causing all the items that had materialized to vanish, leaving nothing but darkness behind. “Sorry, not planning on seeing that! For fucks sake, why am I thinking of that… Ehh, whatever could be worse, I guess. At least I don’t have an audience watching my every move like I'm in some sort of novel!”

After saying that, I quickly moved on from what I just saw before allowing a small smirk to cross my lips as I turned around in the other direction, which also led to an infinite abyss, as I felt a familiar presence in the back corners of my mind. “Well… I guess I do have an audience of one. So just show yourself you bastard! I’m not letting just anybody live in my head rent-free. I charge at least four hundred and twenty dollars a month!

…

…

…

“… Fine, I’ll drop it to sixty-nine dollars if you just fucking show yourself, you pussy!”

…

“… sigh… Why did it have to be you of all people?” A masculine voice suddenly appears amidst the endless darkness; the origin of it I was unable to determine. Or, I wasn’t, until a bench slowly flickered into existence, with a man in a Cold War-era  black business suit sitting atop it with a black suitcase at his side. The hat in his head covered his eyes constantly, as its hem was tilted downwards. “I was hoping to contact a sane member of the foundation, but no... Of course it had to be the man with a couple screws loose like yourself—”

BANG!

The man stopped speaking as his head suddenly morphed, acting like smoke as it dissipated around his body as the bullet flew through his head, before once more reconfirming at their original point, making it appear as if no injury had ever appeared.

“… Was that really needed?” He asked, eyes raised as he looked towards me. I chuckled while spinning a smoking revolver around my index finger.

“What? I’m just defending my private property, is all. I didn’t exactly send you an invite to hop inside of my mind, Mr. Sandman.“ I explained before tossing the gun to the side, allowing it to disappear. It was pretty easy to materialize, considering this was all in my head. 

“… You are highly intolerable.” The suited individual sighed in indignation, pulling his hat down even further to cover his eyes. “But still, your the only one that I managed to—”

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!!

The man’s complaining was cut short, however, as his ethereal image was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of bullets, each of them originating from the MASSIVE FUCKING MINIGUN I JUST CREATED! MY MIND BITCH!

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SERVES YOU RIGHT!” I laughed out like a maniac before an idea popped in my head. “AND YOU KNOW WHAT'S BETTER THEN BEING SHOT WITH A MINIGUN?! BEING SHOT WITH A MINIGUN... WITH EXPLOSIVE BULLETS!!!!”

BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!

Halfway through my firing, the bullets began exploding on impact, creating multiple large balls of fire as shrapnel flew everywhere. 

“HAHAHA! SUCK ON THIS BITCH!!!!”

I kept firing for a good... gosh, I’m not even sure. But it was probably around a minute or something, before I finally let go of the trigger. In doing so, the smoke cleared from around the epicenter of the attack, revealing the suited man along with his bench already beginning to reform like smoke. An unamused look chiseled across what I could see from his face.

“… happy?” He asked, slight annoyance apparent in his words. In response, I just chuckled as I threw the minigun to the side as it too disappeared into nothing.

“Oh, very. That was so fucking lethargic, it nearly gave me a boner!” I spoke jokingly, as I could just feel the eye roll the man on the bench was giving me. Still, I just stretched my arms before beginning to walk up to the man. “Anyways, it’s been a while, SCP-990. Or, should I just call you the ‘dream man’?”

“You can call me whatever you wish; it matters naught to me.” He replied calmly.

I smirked in response to his answer. “Ok then, sir dickle-wart the third esquire it is!”

“… Dream man is fine.” He spoke plainly after a moment of silence.

“Hehe, ya, I thought so, you fucking pussy.” I joked before taking a seat right next to the man. “So, now that I’m done shooting you, do you mind explaining why you're in my head?”

“Hmm, that is rather simple. Albeit, you were not my first choice. You were simply the first person to give me an opportunity to enter, so I took it.” The dream man explained slowly before tilting his head towards me. 

“Oh ya? Well, if I’m so far down on your list of contacts, why are you contacting me instead of someone like Gears? Could it be that you—dramatic gasp—have a crush on me?” I asked mocked sarcastically, as I took great solace in the fact that my actions continued to piss the man off.

“Hm, you wish. But no, I don’t have some trashy rom-com love for you.” The man answered, shaking his head slightly. “I would’ve loved to talk to someone like Gears, or literally anybody else but you. Unfortunately, wherever you all are is severely dampening my ability to enter your dreams. I’ve only just been able to enter your mind, and that’s probably only because of the deep coma you’ve evidently found yourself in... well, that and because of a few other oddities about yourself.”

He began explaining as he turned his gaze to the endless expanse of darkness ahead.

“Regardless of the situation, however, the reason I’m contacting you is to ask where you all are.” He began explaining, lightly tapping his foot. “I am… having trouble pinpointing where you all reside currently. So, I wish to know what happened to you all after the initial attack on the foundation. Or, more specifically, where exactly you are right now.”

I raised an eyebrow in question. “Oh? I thought you were Mr. I-can-predict-everything-the-dickwad. Isn't it your whole shtick that you predict apocalyptic scenarios, you inform the foundation in your weird voodoo dream walking, we stop them, and the cycle repeats?”

“ Sigh. Unfortunately, this attack that had commenced was... outside of my realm of knowledge.” The Dream Man admitted, looking away slightly in shame. “At no point was I ever clued in on what that cult was planning. By the time I was, it was already late… Which is why I wish for you to inform me where you all are. I have my guesses, most of which I hope aren’t correct, but I want to hear it directly from your mouth.”

“Hmm? So... you're asking me for a favor?” I kidded. Much to the annoyance of the man I was sitting next to. I chuckled a bit before lifting my left leg and crossing it over the right as I allowed my hands to be splayed out behind me in a relaxed manner.

“No, I’m asking you to be a normal person for all of five minutes.” The dream man spoke in response, tired of my jokes. “I speak on behalf of the foundation, and it is your job to do as the foundation commands. So you will answer my inquiries so that I may relay them to other important personnel, who could then come and save your sorry behind.”

“Hehe, wow, you really aren’t in the mood for jokes.” I chuckled while speaking, already knowing the answer. After a couple seconds, I simply shrugged my shoulders before summoning a cup of wine to my hand, taking a short sip before continuing. “If you must know, then we’re in Hell... Well, more like Hell if it and America had a fucked up baby, but Hell nonetheless.”

In response to my words, the dream man raised his head slightly in surprise, as if he wasn’t expecting that response.

“Hell… Are you absolutely certain?” The dream man asked for clarification, as if worried about something.

“Hehe, as sure as I am about the lute being the pinnacle of man-made instruments, so... ya, I’m pretty fucking certain.” I said towards him in an annoying fashion before taking another sip from my cup of wine. As I did so, I couldn’t help but notice the dream man look towards the ground in a contemplative fashion, and, although I couldn’t see his face, it was pretty obvious that he just reeked of worry. “…Not the answer you were hoping for?”

“… It was admittedly one of the potential guesses I had, but... I was really hoping that it wouldn’t turn out to be correct.” He spoke. As he rubbed his chin with his palm. “Shit… this makes things many times more complicated... But why? How? There’s no way they should even be aware of Hell's existence, let alone have the ability to send so many people down there… So how? What changed?”

I leaned back, smirking a bit as I listened to the dream man speak to himself. What did he mean by they shouldn’t be aware of Hell’s existence?

“Eheh, wow, you look like you got your panties caught in a loop, old man.” I chuckled as I glared cautiously towards the bench-sitting individual. “Mind sharing with the class what you're so scared of?”

”… Yes, I would mind, actually.” The dream man replied simply before taking a stand off his bench. “Alright, I believe I spent too much time here for my own good. If you don’t mind, I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“... wait, really? I thought you were gonna dump a shit ton more questions on me.” I asked, suddenly confused by his new urgency.

“I was, but that first answer you gave me is already enough for now. I have important stuff to do with this info.” He explained, looking back and forth in the darkness, before turning around to look towards me, who was still sitting on the bench. “Don’t fret, however, my boy, I’ll be back before you awaken. In your current depth, I’d surmise you’d be asleep for at least another three days or, if you're really unlucky, a week. So we have plenty of time to chat when more pressing information isn’t needed to be passed on.”

“Oh… what fun.” I rolled my eyes sarcastically, obviously not looking forward to our future meetings. “Well, good luck with whatever bullshit message you're gonna give to the poor saps up there. I’ll just lay here… doing nothing... trying not to go insane.”

“That is probably smart.” He spoke, not caring for my bullshittery, before turning his back to me. “Until then, take care… Hmm, how am I supposed to tell this to Az?”

He muttered the last part to himself before disappearing into smoke, blending him into the darkness around... along with his bench, causing me to fall straight onto my ass.

“Ah… dick.” I muttered before standing up, as I began to get into a very contemplative mood. “Hmm, how am I going to sate my boredom for the next couple days? I mean, it’s my mind, so I guess I can do anything but... Oh, wait… ya, that’s an idea!”

I spoke with a devious grin as an idea came to my head. “That’ll do… that’ll do.”

30 minutes later.

“AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHA!” I laughed maniacally while shooting a GIGANTIC FUCKING MINIGUN at hundreds of SCP-990’s, who were all running around in a frenzied panic. “NOW THIS IS WAS I CALL FUCKING ENTERTAINMENT!”

 

And somewhere, somehow, at that very moment, the dream man felt a chill run down his spine.

Notes:

WHOOOO!!! 500 Kudos! Thats a big number that has meaning to it!

But seriously, thank you everyone who has read the story this far. I never would've Imagined in a million years that it would reach this level of popularity. So thank you so much for all the support you've all had for the story, you all are incredible, and I can't wait to see how far this story will go!

Besides that, I hope you all liked the chapter. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any thoughts on it, or have any questions, suggestions, or jokes of any kind. Drop a kudos if you've enjoyed, and I hope you all have a fan-flipping-tastic day!

Chapter 32: Food Fight!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Kevin talks to Baxter about a certain problem.

Vox has an experience.

Notes:

“…?”

 

Kevin POV.

BOOM! BOOM!BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!!

“HAHAHAHAA!!! THIS IS FUCKING GREAT!” 

BOOM!

“… I’ve come to the conclusion that women scare me.” I spoke, watching as Cherri continued to throw her new bombs around, exploding multiple abandoned buildings and blowing up random demons that she was fighting.

“Heh, join the club.” Baxter rolled his eyes at my exasperated comment, as he was also sitting right next to me, writing something down on a notepad, focus apparent in his eyes.

After a second, I took a moment to reflect on everything that brought me up to this point. Basically, after Cherri got her new plaything, AKA bombs from Baxter, we decided to tune in to see if there was anything on the news. And... there was definitely something interesting.

‘That something being a strange astronaut-looking guy fighting a teenage girl, a giant moth, and a man with a flatscreen for a face.’ I thought internally, remembering the almost comical fight, but I digress. Anyway, after the news program ended, Cherri had gotten so pumped up from all the televised fighting that she wanted to do some herself. So what does she do?

‘She drags us straight into an active gang war in a place called the Doomsday district, where we’re now watching Cherri blow off some steam by... blowing off some people... Wait, hold on, not like that! Get your mind out of the gutter, mind!’

“… Why am I talking to myself now?” I asked… myself— Dammit!

“Ehh, it’s the natural course of action. Everybody down here goes crazy eventually, so don’t go feeling like your too special.” Baxter spoke simply, not even bothering to look at me as he did so.

“… Gee, thanks a lot for the vote of confidence.” I sarcastically rolled my eyes and shook my head, before turning my eyes towards the notebook in his hands. “So… Um, whatcha writing about?”

“Nothing your feeble pea-sized mind would comprehend.” He spoke matter-of-factly, still not bothering to look up towards me. Not that he could see the look I was giving him, considering I was wearing the demon mask to hide my identity as a human.

“… Ok… Tell me anyways.” 

“Sigh… Fine, if I must satiate your curiosity to get some bloody peace and quiet—”

BOOM

"HAHAHA! SUCK ON THAT YOU CUCKS!"

“— Then I will inform you of what masterful thoughts are bouncing around in this head of mine.” Baxter commented, sounding completely full of himself while simply ignoring the massive explosions that echoed around him. I could also tell that despite his standoffish attitude, it was clear he wanted to flex his supposed intellect by talking to me, not unlike a child wanting to show off their new toys. “I have accompanied you and that uncivilized cyclop’s so that I could watch my latest masterpieces in action! No better test than a field test, after all.” 

He then flipped over his textbook, revealing to me a wide array of notes and observations, each one of them describing ways that the explosions interacted with the outside and potential ideas on how I’m to improve them. Along with them were dozens of seemingly complex equations that I had trouble wrapping my mind around.

“That uncivilized cyclops isn’t good for much, but even I’ll admit that she’s excellent when it comes to testing my newest inventions, since her barbaric ways will constantly force her to push them to their breaking point.” He spoke diligently before transforming his gaze back over towards Cherri, who continued to laugh maniacally as she threw her new bombs towards unexpecting demons. “Hopefully I said that in simple enough terms for a barbarian like you to follow.”

“Oh yeah, totally.” I said in an obviously sarcastic tone, rolling my eyes as I turned back towards the battlefield. 

“Hm, well, it’s good to know you're at least intelligent enough to follow along with the simplest of explanations!” Baxter grinned, not even processing the sarcasm in my words. 

“Regardless, this is good info... Hmm, it is strange, however.” Baxter began talking to himself before turning his gaze towards the large armies of demons the Cherri was having a ‘blast’ fighting off. “Although this is where the barbarians usually take their tussles, I haven’t seen this many up in arms before. Did the broadcasted battle with the Vees really stir the pot up this much?”

I shrugged, unsure how to answer. 

“No idea. I’m not exactly used to the politics down here yet. Though I suppose it would make sense. If these Vees are as feared and powerful as I’m being led to believe, then them getting brutalized on live television by a complete nobody, regardless if they won the fight or not, it’s going to encourage other demons to try and shoot their shot for the top and... wait, what?” I stopped myself, as I was instantaneously aware of the words coming out of my mouth. Looking to my side, I also noticed that Baxter was giving me an almost impressed look—well, as impressed as this douche can be.

“Hmm, impressive. Maybe you aren’t as dull as I thought you were.” Baxter began before looking down on his notes. “Usually anybody that accompanies that cyclop’s doesn’t have any more sense in their brain than a fish stuck in a tank usually has.”

“… I don’t know how I should take that— W-whatever. Sorry about that, I... don’t know where that came from.” At my sudden apology, I watched as Baxter once again tore his gaze away from the carnage ahead of us and directed it back towards me in a confused look. Probably wondering why I bothered apologizing. 

“I… Cherri probably hasn’t even told you this yet, but the reason I’m accompanying her is that I have... Amnesia, I think? I dunno, but I barely remember anything past my own name before meeting Cherri. She promised me that if I helped her with ‘gang violence’, then she’d help me regain my memories somehow.” I began explaining, as an idea suddenly flashed in my head. I turned towards Baxter, attempting to keep my optimism down, but a searing question in my mind wouldn’t leave after I thought of it. “You... as an alchemist, you wouldn’t happen to have something that can repair damaged memory, would you?”

“… hmm, damaged memory.” Baxter spoke silently to himself. He cupped his chin in his fingers, as if attempting to recall something. “That is a... difficult thing to try and brew. I’ll admit that I’ve never really done it before. But returning old and lost memories... I suppose it isn’t theoretically out of the realm of possibility.” Baxter Muttered aloud, as if recalling different calculations and theorems in his mind. “Still, it would be far from a simple task. Not only would it likely take an abundant amount or resources, but it will also undoubtedly require a gross amount of my time, which is something I value far more than any sort of money or favors–”

“I’ll do anything!” I cut the scientist off, confusing him for a second, before his eyes gained a shade of annoyance. Clearly, he didn’t like being talked over. Noting this, I quickly retracted myself, before allowing a stutter to overtake me. “S-sorry. I'm just… I will do anything if you help me regain my memories. Please, whatever it is you want, I'll find a way to make it happen!”

At my pleading, I watched as Baxter once again turned to me with a confused look. As if debating something in his head.

“Hmm… You know, for someone who supposedly has amnesia, you sure are desperate to get back memories you have no real attachment to anymore.” Baxter called me out as he began to squint towards me, attempting to peer into my very soul. “Where is this desperation coming from? What's driving you this much to regain something that you don’t even know you've lost?”

… I took a moment to absorb the question. In a sense, he was right. I have no idea what my life like was before this. It could’ve been great, sure. But it also could’ve been complete shit. In some ways, maybe it would be better to just turn my back on the past and just start a brand new life for myself… 

‘But… for some reason... I can’t.’

“I… Don’t know, really.” I responded, as I brought my palm in front of my face and stared at it longingly. “It just… I just feel like something’s missing, I guess. Like… There’s something I need to do. And the feeling of not knowing what that thing is... it’s driving me crazy.”

“Hmm… not really a logical assessment to jump to, but I can understand the feeling of wanting to regain what you’ve lost.” Baxter replied, sounding almost sympathetic as he looked on into the distance. ”… Alright. I’ll help you—”

“Really! Thank you so mu—”

“You didn’t let me finish.” Baxter spoke in annoyance, cutting me off right after I had cut him off. I blushed slightly in embarrassment, realizing what I’d done, before signaling for him to continue. “As I was saying. If I do have the proper resources and nothing better to do with my time, then I will use a fraction of my genius to help concoct something to repair your memories... IF you truthfully answer one question for me right now.”

“Um—ya, sure. Anything.” I spoke quickly, easily agreeing to whatever stipulations he might have. It was just a question; I doubt there’s anything he could ask me that I wouldn’t—

“What are you?” He asked simply, as if the question were obvious. He also gave me a look, confirming the question was exactly what I thought it was.

‘— And nevermind, guess there was a question. Fuck me!’ I swore, realizing what he was trying to ask me. As I suddenly remembered when Charri told me not to tell anyone about me being a human.

“Umm—pfft, weird fucking question! It’s— um, so weird, like, why even answer?!” I began lying (poorly) as I started sweating, averting eye contact from the angler-fish demon, who was giving me an unamused look at my response. “I-I mean, I don’t really u-understand why you'd ask that. Does that really warrant a question?”

“Oh, well, if that's the case, you shouldn’t have any trouble answering it.” Baxter smirked, as he suddenly leaned in closer to me, causing me to sweat even more. “So, tell me… What. Are. You?”

I took in a heavy gulp, as my mind was in a mess, trying to think of a way out of this situation. 

“Umm… I’m… Pfft. I-Obviously I'm a..a…”

‘Wait... What am I doing?’ I froze as I began thinking to myself, and a sudden realization revealed itself to me... Why should I lie? I don’t know why, but lying almost felt second nature to me. I have no reason to lie. The fact that he's asking the question is enough proof that he’s already aware something is off about me, and even if he does hate me for being a human, I still have Cherri to help me just in case... So why is every instinct in my body screaming at me, pleading me to lie? To keep any personal information hidden? ‘It feels almost like when I fought Cherri, where my instincts took over, allowing me to actually fight... But why is that attributed to lying as well? What could I possibly have done before to make lying as natural as breathing?’

I wasn’t sure why a part of me irked the idea of revealing anything about myself... But I know how to find out.

So, with all the nerves I could muster, I took in a breath and finally spoke.

“I’m… a human.”

Baxter squinted his eyes slightly as I said my ground-breaking reveal. I was waiting for him to freak out, attack me, shoot me. Dissect me! RIP ME APART—

“I’ll get started on your desired concoction as soon as possible. But I promise nothing in how it will end up.” Baxter said simply, cutting me– Wait. What?

I turned to Baxter with wide eyes, unable to comprehend what he had just told me. He… Wasn’t even questioning it?

“Anyways, I need to go speak with the Cyclops, so I’ll be leaving you on your lonesome for a couple minutes.” Baxter spoke, acting completely normal as he walked past me. After getting a couple feet away, he stopped before turning to give me one last look. “Try not to die when you're alone, human.”

“O-Ok” I stuttered in agreement, watching as Baxter gave me one last curtly nod before turning back around, heading into the active battlefield to find Cherri.

As I watched him go, there was only one thing in my mind—a single burning question.

“... What the fuck?” 

 

---

Baxter POV.

 

I walked away slowly from the… the human, who I could tell was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Probably because his pea brain isn’t able to comprehend what I was doing, simply walking away after he divulged such information to me.

To be honest, I would have chuckled at his stupidly perplexed expression, as he probably assumed all demons like me would possess misanthropic tendencies towards their kind. However, I was unable to laugh at his folly, as I was too caught up in the volley of other thoughts and emotions that were currently swirling through my own head at the moment.

I continued walking until I was completely out of sight of the unassuming human. As soon as I was, I took a deep breath and—

“Told ya he’d tell!”

“ASGHHAHAHA—FUCKING MOTHER OF AN ANGLER HOE!!!” I cussed out, falling onto my ass as a voice unexpectedly spoke out from behind me. As soon as I swiveled myself from the floor though, an annoyed expression crossed my face as I saw who was the one to speak... As they were busy laughing their ass off.

“Pfft— HAHAHA! Of fuck, you really are a pussy at the best of times, fishsticks.” Cherri laughed out loud, sitting atop a nearby metal fence as she looked down at me. I grunted in annoyance as I heard her speak one of the accursed nicknames she insisted that she called me by.

“Grr, you fucking— fine, you had your fucking fun, cyclops.” I grunted out in annoyance as I stood up straight, swiping dust off myself. “I guess you’ve won that stupid bet of ours.”

“Hmm, were you expecting anything else?” Cherri chuckled before vaulting herself off the dance, gracefully falling and landing right in front of me. Her height, while not necessarily towering over me, still inflated her ego to the point where she viewed herself as a giant in comparison. She further proved this point by flicking my forehead, causing me to grumble in annoyance. “And now, you’ve got to hold up your end of the bargain; otherwise... hehe, maybe I’ll—”

“Fucking—alright already!” I spoke, knocking her hand out of my face, like the despicable fly she was. “It’s still fucking stupid—why the fuck did he reveal he’s a human? Even if he was desperate, it’s still a stupid fucking thing to do!”

“Hehe, you poor, anti-social anglerfish. You have no fucking idea what desperation means to people like him.” Cherri chuckled before her one, singular iris turned towards the floor, as if commemorating something. This only lasted a second, however, before she looked back up towards me. “Regardless, I won our little bet, so now you have to pay up and make something to fix the poor saps memory!”

I once again grumbled internally before thinking back to earlier today before this whole ‘bet’ of ours started.

After I had shown Cherri my newest concoction, she took me aside and told me a… rather surprising truth. That being the fact that her new companion just so happened to actually be a human. 

‘At first, I didn’t fucking believe her. I thought she was just bulkshitting me, like she’s so prone to do.’ I thought, remembering back to merely a couple hours ago. Still, after a few minutes of bugging me, and showing me some photos of a rather beat-up-looking human, I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

After that, Cherri filled me in on the human's whole amnesia problem and asked me if it was possible to make something that could help him regain what was lost. I told her the same thing I spoke to the human, saying it was technically possible, but that I wasn’t willing to put the time or resources into producing something like that.

‘However, Cherri just wouldn’t let it go. Something about trying to uphold her end of some agreement of some shit... So after a while, we came to a strange agreement. That I would follow these two for a while and, when the opportunity arises, ask this Kevin what he was. The deal was that if he went against Cherri’s earlier warnings and admitted he was human, then I would immediately start production on something that can help repair memories. However, if he continued to deny it and say he was a demon, the SMART thing for him to do, then Cherri would immediately terminate the agreement we made where I’m forced to service her weapons, and would owe me a favor. It was too good of a deal to pass up, so it went for it… But, unfortunately, it seemed I didn’t comprehend how dense this human was.’

”Sigh, I still don’t understand why you're putting so much stock in this human.” I ended up pointing out before Cherri began making her way away. “Don’t get me wrong, I understand the infatuation you may have for someone who is still alive, yet who's in Hell for whatever reason. But even then, doesn’t this seem like a little much? I know you promised to help him, but words like that usually mean very little down here, even to you. So... why is it that you're so adamant about helping his damaged memory?”

”I… Pfft, I don’t fucking know.” Cherri gave me an annoying shrug as she turned her head. “I just… I just feel like it, ok? Don’t need much more explanation than that, do ya? I do whatever the hell I feel like doing. And right now, I just feel like helping a poor bastard out. Nothing wrong with that.”

I raised an eyebrow at Cherri’s defense but eventually decided not to question it. Too much brain power was required to argue with this cyclops, and I didn’t have the energy nor the time to do so.

“Fine… But I do have a question though.” I spoke, before turning to Cherri with one final inquiry. “Why did you assume that... Kevin... Would go against your original orders of keeping quiet about his human nature? Surely you would’ve wanted him to follow your instructions and not ignore them for his own self-interest?”

”hehe, man. For someone who apparently was a human once upon a time, you sure do have no clue about how we work, fish-sticks.” Cherri chuckled, resulting in my eyebrow twitching in frustration.

“Just answer the damn question.” I spoke through gritted teeth, which resulted in another slight chuckle to escape from Cherri’s lips.

“Hehe, well, since you're so desperate, I suppose I’ll tell you. Hmm, I guess to start off with, I don’t want a mindless bastard to be following me around all day. If I wanted that, I could’ve just bought a slave from some black market weirdos.” Cherri began before effortlessly tossing a bomb behind her mid-conversation, murdering a handful of random gang members. “Secondly, I’m aware this whole thing we have going on is because Kev thinks I could find a way to cure his bloody amnesia. And as any normal person would do, the second a better solution comes by, he’ll jump ship and go for it. Hell, I’d do the exact same thing if I were in his shoes. So if he decided to stay loyal to me when a much better solution comes knocking at his door, then I’d know that he was just full of shit and wanted to stick near me for some other reason. Lucky for that fucker though, that doesn’t seem to be the case, so I guess I don’t have to blow his ass to next Thursday.”

“… That… really doesn’t make any sort of logical sense.” I admitted, as I began scratching my forehead. “I mean, wouldn’t you want some mindless lackey who doesn’t have your best interest at heart?”

“Heh, anybody that’s willing to make you a priority over themselves is usually too much of a hassle to keep around.” Cherri obnoxiously laughed before turning her gaze back towards the war field. “Anyways, I got a few more bombs that I gotta ‘test’ out.”

I sighed as Cherri ran off, once more causing a massacre upon the streets of the Doomsday district. All the while, I couldn’t help but question the inherently strange conversation that had just occurred with me and the one eyed ape.

Sure, on the surface, everything she said seemed to make sense, but... I don’t know. Something just felt off, as if it were the truth, but stretched for some reason... why?

‘Hmm… perhaps she had—’

BOOM!

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a massive explosion shook the ground. Debri and flames flying up towards the sky.

“Ah—SHIT, I'M MISSING MY RESEARCH!!!” I screamed in anguish as I quickly grabbed my research journal from my coat pocket and ran towards the explosion. Hoping by some miracle the cyclops didn’t waste all the explosives in the few seconds I was absent from her side.

---

VOX POV.

"Alright, sir, the repairs have been completed! You are now good to go!”

“Ugh, fucking finally.” I grumbled, pushing myself out of the chair I had forced myself to stay in for the last several hours. “My ass feels like it’s about to fall off. Anyways, how’d the repair go?”

At my question, the gray-skinned, red-and-black-eyed employee of mine pulled out a handheld mirror and handed it to me. “Well, why don’t you see for yourself, boss!” 

At his words, I quickly snapped the mirror out of his gaze, before bringing it up to my screen and—

“— Hmm… not bad.” I complimented myself as I bore witness to my new and improved screen. All of the cracks and shattering from before were completely gone, with even the shape itself seemingly a bit thinner, signifying its more sleek and advanced design. “Heh, I was due for an upgrade anyways. Guess now was a good time to do so, after... the bastard!”

At the momentary flash of memory about that spaceman, my fist suddenly clenched as hard as it could, every nerve in my body wanting to track him down so I could shove my fucking FIST RIGHT UP HIS ASS!

CRACK!

However, all I succeeded to do with my anger was completely ruin the mirror, with wooden splinters and glass shards flying everywhere as a result.

“Shhh…fuck… Shit…” I lowered my head slightly and touched the new screen on my face with my claws. It hadn’t even been six hours since our fight and... FUCK!

‘Stop thinking about it! Just stop thinking about it!’ I began breathing heavier as the memory of the bastard kept resurfacing at the forefront of my mind. Like a leech, it refused to leave, bawling away at any sanity I had. It was strange, but this feeling reminded me a lot of how I felt after Alastor—

‘FUCK! NOW I'M THINKING OF THAT POMPOUS ASSHOLE TOO!'

I shook my head, trying my best to force the memories away.

‘No… no, it’s fine. It’s been seven years; things are different this time around. Your no longer that overzealous underdog.’ I spoke to myself, remembering my fast rise and unavoidable hardships that I experienced when I was first welcomed into this hellscape. ‘And it’s fine. Sure, you can’t do anything about the Moon Champion fucker right now. But there is something you can do about that smiling fuckface!’

A small smile appeared on my lips as I shifted my gaze away from my inner thoughts towards a clock on the while. I chuckled after spotting what time it was.

“Well, what do you know? I got done just in time for his appointment.” I chuckled, giving myself a quick stretch. “Hehe. Oh, this’ll at least be entertaining, if nothing else.”

I chuckled once more, planning on shifting to electricity and—

“U-Um, boss?” My employee suddenly asked, interrupting me mid-teleport. ”

“Ohmygo— What?” I asked with clear annoyance, causing them to withdraw a fine bit. But, seemingly still having just enough courage to continue.

“O-oh. Um. I was just w-wondering if you’d... you know.” His eyes drifted downwards towards the floor. Curious, I followed the path of his eyes and spotted a small pile of glass shards and wood beneath my feet. “I-if you’d... pay me back for the mirror?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… Get back to work.”

ZAP!

“… That was my mother’s mirror.”

5 minutes later.

ZAP!

 

I forced myself out of my electrical form, transitioning back to my more organic manner—well, as organic as I could be, that is.

I blinked for a second, my eyes adjusting to the much darker surroundings. After a second, I could finally see my destination ahead of me. A small smirk appeared in my face as I saw the building, knowing exactly who was inside.

Ding!

A bell rang as I walked through the glass front door. I soffed as I bore witness to the shithole of an establishment this was. Multiple tables and chairs were strewn about haphazardly, with only a few being occupied by sorry-looking sinners and demons. A stench of rot filled the air as I took notice of the many traces of moss and decayed wood that covered this sorry-looking interior, along with either cracked or boarded-up windows. It was so bad that, if this were on earth, a health inspector would immediately shut it down just from walking on the front door.

After a moment, I also took notice of a very bored-looking Sinner who was seated at a receptionist desk. A bored look cascaded her face as she continued staring at their phone even as I entered.

“Sigh. Welcome to hot Dave’s super hot weenie hut and other stuff... and co.” The Sinner proclaimed lamely, only starting to gaze up a little bit. 

“How can we help you—OH FUCK!” She suddenly screamed, finally looking me in the face. She was so frightened that she even accidentally tossed her phone high in the air, causing it to crash on the floor behind her. I gave her an unamused look as I noticed her beginning to panic. “I— U-um… I—we—Oh, shit!”

I rolled my eyes. Fucking customer service.

“Ahem, sorry. But you didn’t happen to have seated a man with a—oh, what was it—a man with the bottom half of a snake, did you?” I asked, putting on a fake smile as I did so, as I began very accustomed to doing. “Went by the name of Sir Pentious.

“Huh? O-oh. Um, yes, actually. He came in a little bit ago with a... a black man.”

“… Alright, a little too progressive for my taste, but I’m not judging.”

“N-no, I mean a literal bla—nevermind. Would you like me to take you to him… S-sir overlord Vox?” The nervous receptionist asked, whom I quickly gave a curt nod towards. At my go ahead, she quickly stood up. “P-please follow me.”

I simply rolled my eyes once more before allowing myself to be led on by the nervous looking Sinner. As she continued leading me, she took me through another door, leading to a new set of tables and chairs.

‘Hmm, the place is bigger than I thought.’ I thought as I lazily glazed my eyes across the scene, waiting to arrive at my destination. 

Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long, as very soon after the receptionist stopped moving. Looking ahead of her, I noticed the familiar figure of neighborhood fuckup Sir Pentious sitting in a chair, looking at a menu as another server seemed to be taking his order. Along with him, however, I saw that across the table from him sat another figure, completely black in color, as if he sucked in the light around him not dissimilarly to a black hole, though I could still make out the features of a hat and come sort of coat adorning his body.

“Hmm, I would like the grilled cheesssssse… OF EVIL!” The snake man proclaimed dramatically, clenching his fists dramatically, as if victorious in some strange way.

“Gasp! I should’ve known you wouldn’t abandon your wicked ways, even in the neutral zone, Sir Pentious!” The completely black individual gasped, as if appalled by the snake's words… for some reason. “In that case, I shall combat your grilled cheese of evil... BY ORDERING THE TOMATO SOUP OF GOOD!!!”

“Oh yeaaaaaaa?” Sir Pentious squinted his eyes, purring straight towards the black individual.

“Yeaaaaaaaa.” The dark individual responded back with… what I assume was a squint. Honestly I can’t tell—

“IN THAT CASSSSE, MY GRILLED CHEESSSSSE OF EVIL SHALL CALL FORTH AND ORDER THE DREADED HAMBURGLAR ASSSS BACKUP! AND DESSSSTROY YOUR TOMATO SSSSOUP OF GOOD!!!” The snake slammed his palms on the table, leaning closer to the black man.

“NOT SO FAST, SIR PENTIOUS! YOUR LEGION OF EVIL MY BE STRONG, BUT YOU FORGET GOOD HAS ALLIES OF ITS OWN! FOR I SHALL ALSO ORDER CAPTAIN CHICKEN TENDIES OF JUSTICE, WHO SHALL SEND YOUR EVIL LEAGUE RUNNING!!!” The black man responded, also slamming his hands on the table.

“GRRRR! THEN I SSSSHALL ORDER THE DREADED MILKSHAKE OF APACOLYPSSSE—”

“WHO I WILL THEN COUNTER BY ORDERING SALLY THE SALAD! ALONG WITH HER SIDEKICK, MARY THE HOLY MAYONNAISE!!!”

“AHAH! BUT YOU SSSSEE, YOU HAVE FALLEN RIGHT INTO MY, THE GREAT SSSSSIR PENTIOUSSS’S TRAP! FOR I SHALL SSSSSHROUND YOU BY ORDERING A BATTALION OF FRENCH FRIESSSSS OF CURLY DESTRUCTION!!!“

“YOU FIEND! THEY WERE BANNED IN 2024 BY THE FAO!” The black man let out in shock, as if not expecting that... for some reason.

“AHA! BUT YOU SEE, The Spectre, I AM ORDERING FOOD USING THE MENU OF 2018! SO IT'S COMPLETELY LEGAL... AND EVIL!!!!” The snake screamed, raising his hands up to the sky.

“… Alright, so what I’m hearing is that you want a grilled cheese, a hamburger, a milkshake, and an order of fries.” The waitress at the side started speaking to the snake before turning to the dark man. “And you wanted to order the tomato soup, an order of chicken tenders, and a salad with a side of mayonnaise. Is that correct?”

“Oh, that’sssss perfect.”/ “correct, citizen!”

“Alright.” The waitress demon spoke, writing something on some sort of notepad before placing it down and walking away. “Your order will be with you shortly.” 

“Why thank you, missss!” / “your service shall be remembered.” They responded in unison, before going back to sitting calmly across eachother.

…

…

“Thanks for bringing me out to eat, by the way, Sir Pentious.” The black man spoke calmly, as if nothing had just happened.

“Oh, anytime, The Ssssspector.” Pentious replied kindly, with a calm smile adorning his face.

…

…

‘I… I fucking… what?’ I thought internally, completely flabbergasted by the strange scene I just witnessed. ‘And just when I thought this day couldn’t get any fucking weirder.’

“… You know what? I’m just not gonna question it.” I ended up stating, finding no point in trying to rationalize the shit I just saw. I pushed the receptionist to the side, moving past her as I noticed her return to her former post.

I continued walking up, heading straight to the table that was containing the two weirdos, who had continued their… surprisingly nice conversation with each other. However, even when I was standing right next to the two of them, neither seemed to notice me, as they kept on with their discussion.

“Oh, for dessssssssert, you mussst try the cheessssse cake. It is great!” Pentious spoke happily, as if enjoying his company. 

“Oh, well, I am quite the fan of cheese. Cheesey things are the fucking best!” The black man responded, his earlier grandiose strangely absent.

“Really? I think sssssso too!” The snake responded before chuckling. “Haha! It issss great to meet a man of culture like yoursssself, you degenerate hero!”

“Oh, I could say the same, you slithering snake of chaos!” The man in black responded, as if it were a compliment.

“Oh, your jusssst saying that—”

“—no, no, I mean it.” The man in black cut him off, surprising the snake.

“— R-really?”

“Yes.”

“Oh… well, that’ssss niccce to hear—”

“AHEM!”

I ended up releasing an extremely loud cough, growing tired of... whatever the hell was just happening. This had the desired effect though, as both of them immediately jumped the tiniest bit before turning to look at me, as I displayed an annoyed smile upon my face. “Well, hello.”

“Hmm, who a— oh— OH!” Pentious suddenly screamed, his eyes widening in clear recognition. The apparent shack was so great that he even managed to fall out of his chair onto the ground before immediately rising and giving me a decorated salute. “S-SSSSSIR VOX!”

“Hehe, hey there, Sir Pentious.” I began, chuckling slightly as I raised an eyebrow, looking at the idiot who seemed to climax at me just saying his name. Oh, this is just too easy. “I heard that recently you’ve been wanting to... Join me and become a member of the Vee’s, right?”

“T-t-t-t-that issssss co-correct! Ssssir Vox!” The snake immediately responded, not moving from his saluted position. I also took notice that the black man also didn’t seem to make a move but was giving me a cautious eye. Whatever, I’m not here for him. 

“Heh, well. In that case, I just so happened to be looking for some fresh blood to welcome into the Vees.” I began, smiling as I saw hope beginning to brew in the idiots eyes. I chuckled one more before pulling out a small watch from my pocket that held a tiny screen in it. I dangled it in front of the snake's eyes in a tempting manner. “All you have to do is complete a tiny little favor for me.”

“A-anything! I-ll do anything, Ssssir Vox!” He responded, eyes wide with a large smile on his face. As if he were living in a fantasy. At his response, I chuckled once more.

“Hehe… I was hoping you would say that.”

Notes:

Pentious: FOOD FIGHT!

Spector: FOOD FIGHT!

Vox: (visibly questioning life)

… man, writing Pentious and Spector is always such a fun experience!

Anyways, did you all enjoyed the chapter? If you did, drop a kudos. Leave a comment if you have any questions, comments, or jokes. And I hope you all have a great day!

Chapter 33: Surprise Best Friend Party!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Charlie throws a party for… less than normal reasons.

Two new guests arrive at the hotel!

Notes:

“..?”

Charlie POV

“Alright, just stay—no, no, a little to the left—ya, right there. Aaaaaaaaaaaand… perfect!” I let out joyfully as the banner got properly hung up over the hotel lobby. As it was properly hung up, my two little assistants finally let it go before flying over to me. As they did, I chuckled and gave them both a pat. “Hehe, good job, Razzle and Dazzle; you two did great!”

After thanking them, they both gave a happy smile before once again flying into the air towards the rafters of the hotel.

“Hmm, I really wonder what they do most of the day when I’m not around.” I thought out loud curiously, only to hear a chuckle from the bar. Turning over, I saw Angel snicker slightly, all the while Husk was rolling his eyes in a dramatic fashion.

“Hehe, probably doing it ol’ doggy style when you ain’t watching, sweetheart.” Angel chuckled at his own joke… which I raised an eyebrow at? What did he mean by doggy style? “Or, would it be dragon style? Eh, who knows! All I know is that they’d make great po—”

“Can we please stop talking about sex?” Another voice spoke out, and turning towards the living area, I saw it belonged to one of the two new arrivals. Andrew, I believe his name was. “I just… I don’t even know at this point. Don’t you guys talk about literally anything else?”

“You can talk to me whenever you want to, buddy old pal!” Alastor spoke, suddenly popping up out of the shadows right next to Andrew, who immediately jumped back in shock at his appearance.

“…Ok, anybody but the creepy deer man, please!”

“Hehe, come on. I can promise you I have the most insatiable of conversations to be had!” Alastor began in a creepily jovial manner before leaning down towards Andrew. “You could even join me for a bite at a galley if you so desire!”

“… You know what? I’d actually rather talk about sex.” Andrew spoke before rolling over the back of the couch sloppily and heading over to Angel at the bar as he took a seat next to him.

“Oh, you kinky fucker! You wanna talk sexy with me?!” Angel spoke in a teasing voice before leaning closer to Andrew, using his fingers to walk across the counter as he leaned in. “I mean, I wouldn’t be against it, big boy.”

“… I might have made a mistake.” He sighed, head in his hands, as he seemingly contemplated his life choices.

“Oh, only if you want to go that far!” Angel winked.

”…Paul, please help me.” Andrew ended up saying out loud, turning his head towards the second new guest at the hotel… who was just standing in the middle of the hall with a party hat on top of his gas mask, and a piece of cake held in his hands.

“Sigh. What do you want me to do?” Paul asked, annoyance obvious in his voice. “I’m already being forced to stand here, holding fucking cake for god knows how long.”

“Oh, right the cake!” I spoke out, suddenly remembering. I quickly turned towards the newcomer before running up and grabbing the cake out of his hands gently. “Hehe, thanks you for that!”

“… ok.” Was all he said before giving me a blank stare. I chuckled nervously before quickly speeding away to the table I had set up in the middle of the lobby. I hurriedly placed the cake down before wiping the sweat off of my brow. “Ok, now that that’s covered, all we need to do now is wait for Niffty to be back with the party favors—”

Bang!

The lobby door suddenly slammed open, as I turned towards it. A smiled, watching the recognizable figure of Niffty skip on inside, not a care in the world as she hummed a silent melody to herself.

“Oh, Niffty!” I called out towards the tiny girl, who’s eye immediately widened at my call as she quickly scampered over to my side with a wide smile adorning her face. “Hey, Niffty. Did you complete those banners I asked you to make?”

“Hehehehe, sure did!” Niffty giggled wildly before reaching into what I assumed was her pocket and pulling out... pulling out a long line of string with hundreds of cockroaches' bodies implanted through it! “Dug deep into my collection to make this one!”

“Oh… hehe.” I chuckled awkwardly a bit as I looked at the... cockroach-decorated banners she made. “That’s a funny joke, Niffty!”

”… Joke?” Niffty asked, innocent confusion apparent on her face.

“…”

“…”

“… You know what? These are great, Niffty! Thank you so much!” I ended up congratulating her, patting her head lightly as she smiled happily. Meanwhile, I made sure to grab the strange party banners.

I then quickly rose, as both Razzle and Dazzle quickly flew down to my side as I handed them the banners… before they immediately recoiled slightly in disgust at the sight of them.

“Alright, can you please hang those around there, there, and… there!” I ended up asking them, pointing at a couple different locations for them to hang them up on the wall. 

They looked slightly reluctant at first before quickly getting over their personal feelings and nodding their heads, just as they took off to the sky and began hanging the cockroach banners up along the side of the wall.

I took a deep breath, happy with the work I put in, and—

“Um… Excuse me, hotel manager, but... What the hell is happening?” A voice suddenly spoke from behind me. Easily, however, I identified that it belonged to Paul, as I turned and faced him. “I mean, you practically drag me and my colleague out of our rooms for... whatever the fuck your setting up is, and we still don’t know what’s happening, so what is it?”

“Oh, of course!” I spoke happily before turning my attention to the seemingly mismatched and hastily hung up decorations around the lobby of the hotel. “Well, I decided to host a super fun, making friends party!”

“… what?”

“Oh, well, you know. I noticed that Vaggie didn’t really... get along to well with Cain— So, I decided it’s time we host a surprise party to help them get more comfortable with each other." I cheered, before signaling Paul to look behind him toward the banner I had hung up over the doorway. On which wrote the word 'surprise’ in bright, vibrant colors. “A surprise best friend party! So that we can surprise them, and they become friends with cake and party games!”

“…”

“Isn’t it great!” I once again exclaimed in response to the newcomers' extended silence. Obviously from being in awe of the great idea! 

A couple more seconds of silence passed before Paul let out a tired sigh.

“… This is some grade-A Disney channel bullshit.” Paul spoke under his breath, just barely imperceptible for me, before turning his head lazily back in my direction. “… you know what. Sure, ya, it’s great.” 

“Gasp. Really?!” I asked in an excited motion, eyes wide as I stared at him expectantly, pretending I didn't hear what he had said.

“Fucking sure, I guess.” I responded, as if he couldn’t care less. Although I caught the tone in his voice, I didn’t let it ruin my enthusiasm. 

“Well, that’s amazing!” I began, before a nervous sweat appeared on the side of my head, as a request I had begun burning in my mind. “Soooo… because you think it’s a great idea! Wouldn’t it be even better if... oh, I don’t know... We invite your, um, other friend you brought with you he—”

“No.”

“Of course! What was I thinking, hehe?” I began laughing extremely awkwardly while silently lamenting the fact that I couldn’t convince this man to bring back the orange blob of happiness from before. It was just so freakin cute! “… but… maybeeeee—”

“If you keep asking, I’m gonna leave.”

“Ugh, fine—I mean, great! Whatever you want!” I spoke with a fake smile on my face, unable to fully hide my disappointment at his resistance to bringing that orange blob of adorableness back out.

“I apologize, but may I inquire about what it is that you speak of?” The familiar static of Alastor spoke, who, without my noticing, made his way over towards me and Paul.

“Huh? Don’t you—Oh! Right, you weren’t here when it happened.” I said, realizing that Alastor wasn’t around when Paul and Andrew first arrived, meaning he didn’t have the chance to meet the happiness blob yet. “Well, basically, after Paul and Andrew showed up, they came with this super cute orange blob thing—”

“Oh really?”

“— Ya, and it was soooo cuddly! It smelled like fresh apples!”

"Oh, that’s interesting.”

“Ya, but that wasn’t the best part. The best part was that whenever we touched it, it made me feel, like, SUPER happy!”

“Well, isn’t that peculiar.”

“Ya, I know! Unfortunatel—I mean, hehe, Paul decided to take him back instead.” I spoke, watching as the person seemed to give me a dangerous glare, though it was hard to tell through the gas mask. “And he put him in a box in his room.”

“Oh, like this box right here?” Alastor asked, lifting his right hand as shadows formed a box-like structure before dissapating and leaving a familiar cardboard box.

Paul sighed before he began speaking. “Yes, a box exactly like that... Wait a goddamn second…”

“…”

“…”

“… FUCKER!!!!” Paul shouted before lunging straight at Alastor, who easily sidestepped the attack. 

“Tch, Tch. Is that anyway to treat the hotel manager?” Alastor chimed, as he dodged a second lunge from the newcomer.

“Agh— JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN BOX BACK!”

“Hmm, fine.” Alastor chuckled before tossing the box towards Paul, not dissimilar to how an owner tosses a treat towards a dog.

Paul, for his part, quickly snatched up the box before taking off the lid and looking inside. “Phew, ok, crisis aver— ACK…” He froze before slowly lifting his head towards the radio demon, a deadly glare being felt through his mask. “… Alastor… Why is the box empty?”

“Hmm, well, my dear guest, you simply requested for your box back. You never specified that you wished to keep its former contents as well.” Alastor smirked, talking down to Paul, agitating the new hotel guest.

“… I’m really regretting that I listened to Andrew to leave my gun in the room.” Paul spoke under his breath to himself, as—

"Oh, don’t worry, I grabbed that for you too!” Alastor chimed, before summoning a P90 out of nowhere and tossing it to Paul. Who quickly grabbed it and just began looking down at it for a handful of seconds, as if contemplating.

“…”

“Hehe, now that we have that sorted, why don’t we—”

BANGBANGBANGBNAG

Before Alastor could finish, however, Paul just began unloading into the demon. Who, in response, immediately shrunk into shadows.

I covered my ears in response to the multiple loud bangs that began popping around the air around me. 

“Ack—Paul, quit it!” I managed to hear Andrew say despite the bullets, as he quickly ran up from the bar and grabbed the gun in Paul’s hand, seemingly convincing him to let go of the trigger, as silence once again filled the air around us. “What the fuck was that?!”

“… therapy. You should try it sometime.” Was all Paul said in response to his friend, completely straight. He then proceeded to watch as Alastor once again began to rise from the shadows, seemingly unharmed.

“Hehe, a bit trigger happy, wouldn’t you say?” Alastor began, as I also noticed Andrew had to physically stop Paul from shooting him. Immediately after, however, I noticed Alastor raise his hand, causing the rest of us to freeze, as it now held a new, yet familiar orange occupant attached to the palm. “After all, you nearly hit the little guy. Oh, that would’ve just been a darn shame, now wouldn’t it?”

“Hmm… Oh sweet, the laughing kink machine is back.” Angel ended up commenting from back at the bar, causing Husk to sigh in annoyance, as he was right behind him at the bar, witnessing the madness.

“GASP! Yay! He’s back… Wait a minute.” I cut my celebration about the blobs return short as a confused look crossed my face. “How?… It’s touching you, so why aren’t you all—

“Happy?” Alastor finished my question for me, resulting in me nodding in affirmation. This once again resulted in a chuckle escaping his lips as the orange creature continued to crawl around his body; all the while, Paul just stood still, completely in shock. “Oh, dearest Charlie, I am absolutely jovial right now! Can you not tell?”

“Um, well, I mean—”

“You look like the same creepy bastard you always do!” Angel yelled from the bar, finishing another drink. In response, Alastor once again chuckled.

“Hehe. Well, I suppose that I am always in a rather merry mood. After all, what’s not to love! Oh, I’ve had the time of my life ever since Hell graced me with it's oh so many prey…”

“… Seriously, why is it this guy of all people that’s obsessed with me?” I heard Andrew mutter under his breath, seemingly once more uncomfortable with Alastor’s... strange personality.

“Regardless, it does make me feel so giddy inside. And smells just like my mother's famous jambalaya!” Alastor exclaimed, as he allowed the adorable creature to crawl off his body onto the floor. As he did, I noticed that both Razzle and Dazzle flew down by its side, curiously examining the creature. As they did, Alastor continued speaking, this time turning back towards Paul and Andrew, whose gazes were constantly shifting between the blob and Alastor.

“Ohohoh. Jolly good times indeed! How about you, Mr. White?” Alastor began, before dissipating into shadows, and immediately reappearing right next to Andrew, who once more jumped slightly at his appearance. “Do you enjoy a fresh pot of Jambalaya? Oh, I’m sure you’d love my mother's secret recipe. It was so good that it nearly killed her! That poor old woman.”

“… Hey Paul, is that ‘therapy’ still available?” Andrew muttered after a moment of silence, his uncomfortableness very apparent as he did so. 

"Oh, come on now, I’m only pulling your leg, my dear fellow!” Alastor chuckled, elbowing Andrew in the side of the arm a bit. “Besides, I believe we have more important things to worry about!”

“Like getting S... I mean, getting the tickle monster back in his box?” Paul asked, unimpressed, as his eyes continued to stare towards the orange blob, who seemed to be getting along with the two demonic creatures. It seemed like he wanted to go catch him really bad, but at the same time was reluctant to leave Andrew with Alastor… which is fair, I guess.

“Oh, wait, is his name the tickle monster?" I asked with my eyes wide and a massive smile on my face. “Oh, that’s so adorable."

“Hehe, I’m afraid not, my trigger happy fellow. I am referring to this wonderful surprise party our ever so gracious host Charlie is putting on!” Alastor whistled out, arms extended outwards towards the... admittedly haphazardly decorations on the inside of the hotel lobby. “Oh, I cannot wait to see it all fail spectacularly and blow up into flames!”

I felt... slightly offended at the comment, to be honest, but I managed to keep my opinion buried.

“Y-yes, well… Right, the party!” I once again remembered what I was doing before giving a once-over of the entire lobby again. Everything seemed in order! Sure, I wasn’t exactly expecting cockroaches to be the main decoration, but I’m sure they won’t mind, especially after I bring out the cake! And then the party game! Oh, this’ll be so fun! “Ok, everything looks in order—um, Husk! Is it ok if you pass out some drinks during this?”

“Heh, what do I look like, your fucking waiter?” Husk bit back before going in for another long chug of whatever it is he was drinking.

“O-oh um—ya, that’s fine, just... just keep up the good work!” I screamed back, trying to sound optimistic. In response, however, I only got a lazy eye roll from Husk.

“Um, ok. In that case, Razzle, Dazzle, can you two—” I stopped myself from calling out for the two stuffed animal demons, as I caught something in the corner of my eye. Turning my head, I noticed the two of them flying happily around the floor with massive smiles on their faces, with the now-named ‘tickle monster’ chasing them, small nubs poking outwards. It was almost as if. “Wait... are they playing tag?… Oh my Lucifer, that’s so adorable.”

At my comment, Paul sighed into his hands, probably dreading the scene he was seeing as Andrew patted him on the shoulder in a comforting manner.

“… Ok, whatever! They’re busy, so instead we’ll—”

CREAK!

“Hehe, wow! That’s pretty cool! You’ve seen some pretty wicked shit.” Vaggie's voice suddenly sounded out, right after the recognizable creaking of the door upstairs. Quickly turning, I saw Vaggie at the top of the stairs, seemingly just walking out of the hallway door with a smile on her face, her spear held to her side. Meanwhile, next to her was... another familiar face that I wasn’t expecting.

“Well, as you know, I was a bit of a wanderer, so I got around a lot." Cain spoke in a... surprisingly cheerful manner at her side, and... wait, what?

The two of them continued walking together, beginning their descent down the long staircase.

“Hehe, got around a lot, but still a virgin. That honestly feels more impressive at this point than...hmm?" Vaggie stopped mid-sentence, seemingly finally noticing me and everyone else in the lobby. Her demeanor immediately shifted, turning more awkward in origin, as she scratched the back of her head. “Oh, um… Hey Charlie. What’s… going on here?”

“Oh, w-we were just— No, wait, I’m asking the questions here!” I cut myself off, yelling at myself basically, startling Vaggie for a second before I turned to her. 

“What’s going on with you? I thought you didn’t like... gasp... Oh my Lucifer, wait, are you two friends now?” I asked excitedly, pleasenly surprised by this strange turn of events.

“Well… um, I wouldn’t exactly say—”

“Actually, ya. We are.” Vaggie spoke determinedly, cutting Cain off before he could finish his slander. He also turned to Vaggie, seeming surprised for a moment, before nodding his head in an emotion that I couldn’t quite pin down. Still, Vaggie turned to me before awkwardly scratching the back of her head. “We— um… had a... talk. And I ended up taking your advice, so things are... good between us now.”

“GASP! Really?!” I exclaimed super happily before pulling her into an exhilarated hug, basically crushing for a second. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!!!”

“Hehe, it’s no problem, babe.” Vaggie chuckled as she stroked my back for a second...and a bit longer... “… you can let go of me now.”

“Huh?— Oh, right. Sorry!” I apologized happily as I removed my arms from the hug I had given her. Still, my energetic happiness was palpable as I continued bouncing up and down in place. “Oh, this is so great! I’m so happy you two are getting along now! Now all I need to do is get Cain to try and  give redemption a try and—”

“Um… actually, about that, Charlie.” Cain cut off my excited mumbling, garnering my attention as I turned towards him. For some reason, he looked strangely hesitant, but after a handful of seconds continued. “Well… After talking with Vaggie for a little bit, she ended up convincing... no, that isn’t the right way to put it... I… I decided that I want to give... redemption—your redemption— A… A chance.”

“…”

“… Um, Charlie?” Cain spoke confused, not expecting my immediate silence, as he waved his arm in front of my moving face. Before turning to Vaggie. “Is... Um—Is she ok?”

“Ya, she gets like that sometimes when she has a happiness overload.” Vaggie said, as if it were a regular occurrence. “She should be done processing it all in 3...2...1… and—

“GASP! OH MY LUCIFER, THAT’S AMAZING!!!!” My excited and thrilled voice pierced outwards, booming inside the entirety of the hotel's interior. I quickly ran up to Cain before giving him a massive hug as well. “I AM SO HAPPY YOU CAME AROUND! AND I PROMISE YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT! AHA, THIS IS GONNA BE SO GREAT!”

“Hehe, and there’s the eruption.” Vaggie jokes beneath her breath, but a small smile still adorned her face as she did so. 

“Um… this is... nice, I guess. But is it ok if you let go?” Cain eventually ended up asking as nicely as possible. As I realized just how tight I was squeezing. So I quickly let go, but I continued acting all jittery.

“Oh, right—sorry! But seriously, I PROMISE this is the best decision you’ve ever made! Hah, this is the best day of my life! Paul, bring out the cake!”

“I’m not your fucking butler.” The masked man grumbled, but with one last look towards the tickle monster, who continued playing with Razzle and Dazzle, he seemed to sigh in defeat before going to grab the cake from the table. 

“Hehe, cake? Seriously, what were you doing out here?” Vaggie chuckled as she wondered out loud to me. As a result, I chuckled nervously as I took a look at the decorations.

“Well, um… I assumed that you needed an extra, I guess push to get you to start getting along with Cain. So, I decided to throw a surprise party!” I told her before blushing slightly as I looked away. “But, uh… I guess it wasn’t really needed. I can take all the stuff down if you want—

“Charlie, it’s perfect.” Vaggie ended up cutting me off before taking my hand. I looked into her eyes in response, and I could see once more the women I fell in love with. “Thank you.”

“Hehe, it’s... no big deal.” I chuckled shyly in response, but my eyes never moved as I continued to stare at her longingly. No words were spoken between us, but it just felt... right.

“…”

“…”

“… Um, do you need me to leave?” Me and Vaggie were suddenly pulled from our dream-like trance, as we took notice that Cain was just standing awkwardly next to us while we had our… moment. 

“I mean, I really don’t want to ruin the moment, but—I already ruined it, didn’t I?— did I ruin it? Crap, sorry, I’ll just... um, I’ll just—I'll just leave now.” Cain stuttered awkwardly, obviously not used to such situations, as he desperately makes his escape towards Paul, who has since grabbed the cake.

“Hmm, is that chocolate?” He ended up asking, to which he shrugged his shoulders as he attempted to cut off a slice. “Eh, whatever.”

“Hehe, quite the… ragtag collections of fuckers we’ve round up in this hotel.” Vaggie chuckled as she wrapped her arm around my back, looking towards the hectic hotel lobby. “To think that only a little over a week ago it was just us two, trying to realize the impossible.”

“But now…” Vaggie’s gaze spread across the lobby again as I caught the same spectacular sights as her. With Angel at the bar, annoying Husk to no end. Alastor stood in a corner, a piece of cake already in his hands, while Niffty sat contently atop his head. Cain talked to the annoyed Paul as he began cutting his own slice from the cake. And especially the orange tickle monster, who continued to chase Razzle and Dazzle around the hotel, with even Andrew making his way over there, laughing to himself as he watched the three adorable creatures have the time of their lives. And me and Vaggie, able to look over all of them. “Now it feels so real.”

“Hmm, I told you. It only takes a little elbow grease. After that, anything is possible, as long as we have  each other." I spoke, turning to look at Vaggie. I was expecting another speechless moment between us, where our eyes connect and we can pretend it’s just us in the world... but, strangely, that didn’t happen. As Vaggie suddenly looked away, almost… guiltily? “… Hey, is everything ok, Vaggie?”

“… Charlie, do you believe everyone can be redeemed?”

“Pfft, what kind of question is that? Of course I do—”

“Charlie, I’m being serious.” Vaggie said to me once more, sounding even more serious, confusing me for a second. Until once more looking towards the floor, her face scrunched as she felt like she was about to burst. “Do you… seriously believe everyone can be forgiven? Deserves to be forgiven? I mean, what if they are monsters like—like killers or something? Someone who has caused the suffering of so many others! Would you... would you still give them a chance to be forgiven?”

“… yes.” I answered with zero question in my voice. This obviously wasn’t what Vaggie was expecting, as she once more turned to me with her eyes wide in shock.

“What? But why? How can you be so confident?” She asked, not in an accusatory fashion but as if she were genuinely curious, and shocked. In response, I just smiled.

“Because who cares what you’ve done in the past? Sure, there are... bad people out there. I can see that; I’m willing to admit it.” I began, eyes turned towards the floor as I remembered my run-in with many of Hell's more unsavory occupants. But after a second, my eyes rose once more, hopeful fire ignited deep inside of them. “But if someone truly wants to change, and really does want to become better, then who cares if they’ve done in the past! Just like how one bad action can turn someone into a horrible demon, I believe all it takes is... a hand. One singular hand to reach out towards them, to remind them they aren’t alone, and that there is someone in their corner, no matter what life throws at them... I want to be that somebody, because I truly believe anybody can change.”

“…”

Silence passed between us once more as I finished speaking. Vaggies eyes again turned toward the floor, saddening, until they suddenly steeled themselves, almost as if she made up her mind.

“… Charlie… There’s something I… That… That—That I want to tell you.” She finally spoke, as if it took everything she had to say it. 

“Ya? What is it, Vaggie?” I said, realizing that whatever Vaggie was about to say, it was extremely important to her. I gave her an encouraging smile, trying my best to be as supportive as possible. “I’m always here for you, remember? You can tell me anything.”

“R-right, I k-know that but… but— Ya, whatever. A-anyways!” She began, sounding more nervous than I think she ever has in her entire life, before taking in one final deep breath... and turning to me, looking me straight in the eye. “… Charlie… I-I… I’m… I’m an—an Ang—”

BANG!

“I, the Spector, REQUIRE TWO OF YOUR FINEST ROOMS!” 

Whatever she was about to say, however, was immediately gone, as the front door burst open. In front of which stood a familiar, completely black man, who was holding the familiar Sir Pentious above his head as if he were a ball.

“THOUGH I’M WILLING TO COMPROMISE TO ONE IF THAT’S ALL YOU'RE WILLING TO PART WITH, CITIZEN!”

“…”

“…”

“… Ssssspector, your emberasssssing me!”

…

“… what the actual fuck?” 

Notes:

Vaggie: Charlie, I have this super secret, super important thing to tell you. And it’s—

SPECTER: OH YAA! (Bursts through the nearest door.)

Vaggie:… Man, this smells like some lazy writing.

 

First of all, I’m gonna preface this by apologizing for such a short chapter. I promise that they will be longer than this going forward, I just had a lot of stuff going on in my life.

Anyways, what did you all think for he chapter? Did you like it? I have a feeling that I did some stuff here that most of you probably weren’t expecting, like Alastor’s reaction to touching 999. I think a lot of people expected him to freak out, and I thought like that to until I sat and actually began to think about what 999 really does, and I came to realize that Alastor is usually in what he would consider a “happy mood.” So, at least in my opinion, Alastor would probably not be too affected by 999’s anomalous ability.

Anyways, that’s just one part of the chapter I feel like I needed to defend. If you all have any questions about anything else in the chapter or want to state your opinions, feel free to leave them in the comments down below!

I guess I’ll also end this by asking a fun question, that being, who is your favorite duo in the story? I’m just curious.

Anyways, drop a kudos if you like the story. Leave a comment if you have any questions, jokes, or suggestions. And I hope you all have a fantasssssstic day!

Chapter 34: YOU FIEND!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

A hero and a villain walk into a hotel… one of them says ouch while the other laughs.

Notes:

“… How much longer must we wait?”

 

Sir Pentious POV

Slither slither slither…

Step step step…

… slither—

— Step.

… SLITHERSLITHERSLITHER—

— STEPSTEPSTEP!

“WILL YOU SSSSSTOP FOLLOWING ME!” I ordered out behind me, turning with a first in the air, as I caught sight of my ARCH-ARCH-ARCH NEMESIS! THE SPECTER, who was standing extremely close to me, to the point where he was basically breathing down my neck.

“NAY! For whenever evil wanders, justice shall follow!” The superhero cur valiantly declared, fists on his hips. “And you! Dastardly Sir Pentious, architect of destruction, are a walking—err—slithering beacon of evil!”

“Hmm, well, I’ll have you know, goody-two shhhoessss, I’m not doing anything evil!” I responded, with a smile on my face, as if I’d just checkmated the black individual. “Ssssso what you're doing isssn’t jussstice. IT’SSS HARASSSSSMENT!!!”

“Harassment only applies to men and women of the law! You, my slithery fiend of destruction, are not viewed the same!” He responded with an equal amount of exuberance. To which I immediately scoffed.

“Well, if that’ssss the casssse, then your jussssstice isssn’t assss blind asssss you pretend it to be, you hero of the week!”

“How dare you, you slit-tongued devil!” The Specter responded, his finger pointed towards me, before returning it to a neutral stance by crossing his arms. “Besides, I have a warrant!”

“Oh yea?” I squinted, crossing my arms as I looked at the hero. “Well, I don’t believe you, fool. Sssssshow me!”

“Fine!” The Specter proclaimed, before reaching into his shadowy pocket and taking out a piece of paper, before thrusting it roughly into my chest. “Here it is!”

I looked down at the paper that was pushed into me, slightly crinkling it.

“Hmm, let’ssss sssssee here.” I murmured to myself, putting on tiny glasses as I looked down at the paper, as I read out the only words written on it. “Hmm… ‘becaussssse your sssshhhhhady asssssss fuck’… THISSSSS ISSSS SSSSSLANDER!”

“WELL AM I WRONG!” The dark-coated bastard of justice defended himself before one more crossing his arms. “But on a real note, you can’t expect me NOT to find this whole situation super shady. One second you and me are fighting over the heroes and villains of food—”

“— Asssss one doessss.”

“Exactly. Then the next, this lanky box-headed television host wannabe walks up and says he’s willing to let you join the Vee’s, whatever that is, if you do a favor for him. He takes you aside, gives you a watch, and then, out of nowhere, proclaims that you're going to a hotel that specializes in redemption just because... Seriously, I smell more bullshit here than when I saw Batman v Superman on opening night… Damn you, Zack Snyder.”

I grumbled internally a little bit, actually understanding what the accursed hero was talking about. That being Vox offering me a deal to infiltrate the hotel and help spy on my other ARCH NEMESIS, Alastor. That’ll be hard to do with the Specter around, constantly watching me. 

‘However, I think I know how to get him to leave!’

“Sssstill, that doessssn’t mean you have the right to follow me!” I held my chin up in superiority, smirking as I turned my head away from the hero. “Until you have proof that I actually am committing a crime, hero, you have nothing on me! I’m a free sssssnake! Ssssso you have no choice but to leave me on my own while I sssstay at the hotel!”

“Grr, darn you... Hmm, well, there’s an idea!” The specter proclaimed, as if in sudden realization, as a giddy smile soon crossed the dreaded hero’s face. “Why, that’s a splendid idea, you dog-shitfaced villian!”

“... Hmm, that lassssst inssssult felt kinda persssonal— Anyways, what?” I raised an eyebrow in question at his words, confusion clearly etched across my face. “What isss that sssssuppossssssed to mean, you unfiltered wrap of a—”

“SECRET TECHNIQUE, JUST A REGULAR GRAB!”

GRAB!

“AHH!” I screamed in shock as the specter unexpectedly rushed up towards me before picking me up with both of his hands, holding me above his head as if I were some kind of rock. “What madnessss issss thissss!?! Put me down thisss inssstance!”

“Nay, you supervillain fiend! For I have found a loophole in your ingenious strategy of evil!” The shadowed man proclaimed proudly, before turning to face the hotel, which was just up ahead. “For if I stay at the hotel with you, then there’s no way I can’t catch you doing whatever evil you have planned!”

“Tha-that’sssss absssurd—”

“500 METER DASH OF JUSTICE!”

BOOM!

“Ack, fuck!” I screamed as the Specter suddenly barreled forward, until he made it all the way to the front door of the hotel, to which he—

“ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE, DRAMATIC ENTRANCE!”

BANG!

Only to kick the door hard with his foot, opening the doors for us to witness the inside, with multiple of the hotel's current guests and employees mingling around the lobby as the specter COMPLETELY RUINED MY AMAZING AND FLAWLESS ENTRANCE PLAN!

“I, the Spector, REQUIRE TWO OF YOUR FINEST ROOMS!” my ARCH NEMESIS screamed out to the residents of this hotel, including my spying target, who was seemingly just standing near the bar.

“THOUGH I’M WILLING TO COMPROMISE TO ONE IF THAT’S ALL YOU'RE WILLING TO PART WITH, CITIZEN!”

“…Ssssspector, you're embarrassing me!” 

I ended up telling the hero off. Of course this dreaded hero decided to use the ultimate approach to end every villain's plans, BAD PRESS.

‘Smart move, specter… Smart move.’

 

---

Vaggie POV

“What the actual fuck?” I ended up muttering as I saw... whatever these two idiots were again. “Didnt you… I mean, aren't you… what?”

“Haha! I have spotted your confusion, citizen. So allow me to elaborate!” The… sigh… the so-called specter—dammit—raised his voice proudly, still holding up sir Pentious. “You see, we have decided to spend the night here together!”

“… oh hell yeah!" Got room for one more?” Angel yelled out in his… normal lustful manner towards the two.

“Hmm, I do not believe the rooms here can fit three people—of course, I could be wrong! If you want protection from nightmares, you are always free to seek the specter for help!”

“… right, your the guy that didn't understand mother fucker earlier.” Angel shook his head, apparently losing interest temporarily as he remembered his last conversation with the man in black, before turning back to the bar and husk. “Can't win them all, right whiskers!”

“… get the fuck away from me.” Husk muttered, still obviously tired of the porn stars shit.

“Ohh, you just said my naughty word.” Angel, expectedly, flirted back with his own remarks. As Husk was going back to say his own insult, however.

“Words can be naughty?” The Specter ended up wondering out loud.

“Hehe, yep!” Angel responded in his usual, sensual manner. Before leaning towards the black man, shoulders on the bar's counter. “Want me to show you how?”

“Why, that would be great, citiz—”

“Wait, hold on, we are NOT glossing over this!” I screamed out, halting whatever bullshit Angel had planned for these two idiots. I quickly grabbed my spear and graciously jumped off the stairs, landing on the floor in the main lobby as I pointed my spear towards the two of them. “What are you two doing here again? Are you already looking to cause more trouble? Because I’ll admit, I am NOT in the mood!”

“Trouble? Oh, I believe you misunderstand, citizen!” The Specter chimed in, as if he were correcting some sort of small mistake. “We are here for nothing of the sort! We are simply here to check into your hotel and get redeemed like proper law-abiding citizens! Isn’t that right, Pentious?”

“R-right! Yesssss, of courssssse!” The snake stuttered akwardly as he pushed himself out of the dark man’s grasp, landing on the ground with a pound thump. Before quickly rising and placing his hand in his chest in a dignified fashion. “I, the great Ssssir Pentiousssss, wissssshhhh to do the redeeming!”

“Oh ya? You’d really think we’d believe that—”

BOOM!

“Really?! THATS GREAT!” Charlie screamed in giddy excitement as she rushed past me with cartoonish speed, causing me to lose my footing for a second as I straightened myself. “Oh, first Cain, and now you two?! HAHA! THIS IS AMAZING! OhmyLucifer, I have SO much to show you; today is gonna be so fun—”

“Ahem… Charlie, you can’t be serious.” I coughed loudly, garnering the princess of hell's attention. I placed my left hand on my hips as I lifted the right one to grip on the edge of my nose. “I mean, they literally just attacked the hotel like six hours ago.”

“Correction, HE was attacking the hotel. I was simply doing my part as a hero by stopping this slithering architect of evil!” The shadowed figure corrected me, much to my displeasure, as he placed his hands in his pockets. “Of course, there’s no need to thank me for my actions, citizens!”

“I wasn’t going to." I spoke with an annoyed expression, seemingly making the shadowed figure slump his shoulder slightly. I then turned back to Charlie, as I began whispering desperately towards her. “Still, even you can’t deny how suspicious this whole situation seems.”

“Well, I mean... maybe—but hey, perhaps he just had a change of heart since then!”

“… It’s literally been like six hours.” I responded flatly, reiterating my earlier point, causing Charlie to begin sweating nervously.

“W-well, a lot of stuff can happen in six hours.” Charlie quickly justified herself… resulting in an annoying chuckle from Angel.

“Heh, ya there is!” 

“Now’s not the time, Angel!” I condemned the local porn star, a spike of annoyance piercing through me as I was already growing sick of his bullshit. 

"No, no, the multi-armed and strangely sexual citizen is correct. A lot can happen! Even an unexpected and totally out of character change of heart!” The Specter spoke up, speaking in a very gratifying tone. Before proceeding to lean towards the snake with what I assumed to be very dangerous eyes. “Isn’t that right, you slimy miscreant of destruction?”

“Y-yesss, totally! Assssss the dreaded hero of bullssshhhit sssays, I come in peaccce!" The snake hissed out, holding his fingers to replicate two peace signs as he gave us a toothy grin. Before once more raising his head and speaking in an overly dignified manner. “I, the great Sir Pentious—”

“— You already said that—”

“Have sssseen the errorsss of my wayssss, and will from here on out, put my everything into becoming the redeemed!” The snake finished, ignoring my cutoff, before taking a very long bow towards Charlie. “I am now in your care, missssss Morningssssstar!”

“… Seriously?” I asked with a raised eyebrow, smelling bullshit a mile away. Still, I turned to look at Charlie, who once more had that signature smile on her face as she looked towards me.

“Oh, come on, Vaggie, can’t you see how honest he’s being? The least we can do is at least give him a chance, right?” She asked, as I once more scratched my head, unsure.

“I don’t know Charlie. I get you want to help him; really, I do... but something about this just feels really off to me.” I spoke to her, trying to display my sincerity on the concern. “Every bone in my body is screaming at me that these guys are up to no good.”

At my admission, I watched as Charlie chuckled to herself a bit before looking off to the side.

“Well… you felt the same way about Cain at first, didn’t you?” She retorted, immediately causing me to flinch internally. I turned to see what she was looking at and saw Cain seemingly now playing with Razzle, Dazzle, and the orange creature in the corner. This… actually caused me to smile slightly before turning back to Charlie. “Now look at you two. Despite how admittedly weird you were about it at first, you two seem pretty close now!”

“I… I mean, you're not wrong, but... I don’t know Charlie; this is—this is different.” I tried explaining but began stumbling on my words as I did so, realizing I was losing ground. 

“Come on, Vaggie, just trust me this one time. Please?” Charlie asked as she clenched her hands together and began giving me her patented puppy dog eyes. I tried looking away, but... damn it, she is just so cute.

“Hmmm… hmmmmmmmmm… sigh… Fine." I ended up conceding, allowing my arms to fall limply to my side, defeated. “I guess it’s... fine if they stay. Not like they were much of a threat anyway.”

“Really? Yes! Oh, thank you sooo much!” Charlie celebrated before running him and pulling me into a deep hug, which I happily reciprocated.

Immediately after she let go, she quickly ran up to the two new ‘guests’ and began shaking both their hands with erupting passion.

“I am SO glad you two decided to stay here—Oh, I should give you a tour of the place!” Charlie exclaimed excitedly before turning around to look at everyone else who was mingling around the lobby and screamed out. “Everyone, we have two new guests staying here at the hotel! Isn’t that exciting?”

“…”

“…”

“… yippee.” Husk rolled his eyes as he spoke sarcastically before he began chugging another bottle of alcoholic poison. “Just what this place needed. More screw ups.”

“Hehe, I think what he meant to say was that he’s happy to have you!” Charlie... corrected Husk, who gave a middle finger in response.

“Anyways! This is the bar, and the bartender!” Charlie introduced Husk once more before moving on to the other locations. 

“This is the curtain, and this is the new wall after you destroyed the last one. And this-this—”

“Babe, you don’t have to show them every detail.” I ended up cutting Charlie off, stopping her from continuing.

“I’m sorry, I’m just so excited to be getting a couple new guests at the hotel! HAH, I haven’t been this excited since Cain decided to join!”

“… that was literally like fifteen minutes ago.” Angel commented off from the side.

“Exactly! It’s so exhilarating!” Charlie responded excitedly, not at all catching the intention of Angels comment, who could only roll his eyes in response.

“Whatever. Geez, this place is getting pretty packed recently.” Angel spoke in slight annoyance, arms crossed, but besides that seemed fine for the most part.

“Oh, oh, and speaking of Cain, I should introduce you two to the other guests!” Charlie continued her tour, dragging the two unsuspecting guests away from the bar and Angel. I followed along as she did, not entirely trusting these two as of yet. 

“Over here, we have our maid, Niffty.” Charlie introduced the two to the other one-eyed demon in the room, who was seemingly busy playing with Keekee, who immediately ran away as we came near. Niffty, for her part, silently gasped before walking up to the snake sinner.

“The bad boy is back!” She exclaimed in silent joy… before immediately jumping up on Sir Pentious’s chest and began looking at him with a crazy eye. “Never leave me again!”

In response to Niffty's sudden motion, the shadowy figure quickly rushed forward to the two of them. “Hey, unhand my fiend, you fiend!” He declared, before gripping onto the tiny demons back and began attempting to pry her off Pentious with minimal success.

“We’re like eighty percent sure she’s harmless—”

RIP!

“AHH!” The Specter yelped in shock, as he did successfully pull Niffty out of her iron grip… only to go flying back as a result of the strength he was putting in and crashed into the nearby table I set up for the 'surprise friendship’ party with Niffty now gripping onto his face.

“AHH, why is this fiend so squirmy?!” 

“Ohh, ANOTHER BAD BOY!”

“I AM NOT BAD!”

“… Correction, we’re like seventy... sixty-five percent sure she’s harmless.” Charlie chuckled nervously, before looking around unsure, as if looking for help. “Umm... does someone want to—”

“We’ll help him.” Paul responded blandly, taking his comrade by his hand as he dragged him behind him, bringing him towards the struggling “super hero” that was trying to hold Niffty off.

“Hehe, come on, I only want some of your hair!” Niffty chuckled creepily.

“I DON'T EVEN HAVE HAIR, YOU DEMON!!!” The man panicked.

“Oh, don’t worry. Hehehe—I'll find some!” 

“AAAAHHHHHH”

“… I’m sure they’re fine.” I reasoned unconvincingly, before turning back to Charlie. “You can probably continue the... tour.”

“Huh—oh, right, of course!” Charlie lightly smacked her forehead, as if remembering what she was doing. “Well, um, those two that went and helped your friend over there are two other guests that joined earlier today! Paul and Kevin! And over here we have, o-oh—”

Charlie cut herself off as she ran into Alastor, who was just standing by the stairwell with a creepy smile adorning his face… In other words, he looks about the same as he always does.

“Oh, um—Alastor! Our gracious facility manager!” Charlie enthusiastically introduced with a slight nervous sweat dripping down her face as she did so. She then turned back to look at Alastor, trying to keep her joyful smile on her face as she began talking to him. “You’ve met our newest guest, Sir Pentious!”

“Hmm…Who?” Alastor hummed… Immediately resulting in Pentious falling down to her knees—er, tail in defeat.

“OH, COME ON!” Was all he could say before hanging his head in defeat, his voice raised in obvious anger. “IT WASSSS SSSIX HOURSSS AGO!”

“Hmm… Oh right! You're one of the trespassers who I kicked out of our lovely hotel.” Alastor hummed once more, as if pretending to come to some sort of realization. “Well, I hope you enjoy your stay, Si... Sir… Oh dear, it appears I can’t remember your name! Ahh, it’s just on the tip of my tongue!”

“Oh my—ITS SIR PENT— I-I mean, it’s… It’s Sir Pentious, Mr. Radio d-demon, sir!” Pentious introduced himself nervously, cutting himself off halfway through out of what I could only assume is fear from the radio demon… Which I suppose is fair.

“Right, that’s it! And who is your friend over there?” Alastor asked, pointing behind us towards the... scene playing out before our eyes. That being Paul and Andrew using all their might to try and pull Niffty away from the Specter’s head.

“Well, firssst of all—WE ARE NOT FRIENDSSSS!… And sssssecondly, it isss the Sssspecter.” Pentious introduced, saying the shadowed man’s name with the same sort of dramatic whisper that everyone had when introducing this guy... which I’ve just decided not to question, because I was actually having a pretty good day until these two idiots showed up.

“Hmm… charming… Well, he seems to be getting along swimmingly with Niffty!” 

“WHERE IN THE FRESH HELL DID THIS ELDRITCH HORROR CRAWL OUT OF?!?!”

“But regardless, I believe you can take care of their introduction, Charlie. In the meantime, I have something that desperately needs to be taken care of. Toodle Lou!” Alastor remarked, before once more shifting into shadow, sinking into the floor beneath him.

“... Right, ok, well... Um, those two over there are Paul and Andrew, who also came in today to stay at the hotel.” Charlie pointed out, directing our eyes back over to the area with Niffty and–

“On three! One, two, three!” Paul exclaimed as both he and Andrew attempted to pull Niffty off the shadowy man's face in unison… With less than desirable effects. “ACK, WHY DOES THIS THING HAVE SUCH AN IRON GRIP?!”

“Keep pulling citizens—ACK! Ok, maybe not that hard–”

“Oooohhh, don’t worry. I'll find that hair eventually! hEhEHEheHeHehehE!”

“NEVERMIND! KEEP PULLING AS HARD AS YOU CAN CITIZEN, DEAR GOD, KEEP PULLING!”

“... I don’t want to go over there.” Pentious spoke nervously, trying to avert his eyes. I raised an eyebrow in response to his reluctance.

“Probably a smart idea.” I ended up pointing out, deciding to help later after Charlie finished up with her ‘tour’ of the lobby. 

“Ok… Oh, but–um. Over here we have our most recent permanent guest besides you two. Cain!” Charlie introduced joyfully as we were brought over to the corner of the room where Cain was sitting on the ground, currently surrounded by both Razzle and Dazzle, with the recognizable orange blob just contently laying atop of his cloaked head, with me being one of the only people to know what lies beneath it. 

I’ll be honest, I’m still not sure how I feel about the orange happiness creature, or whatever it is, but Cain seems to be surprisingly content in its company, so I guess that's good enough for me for now.

“Hey, Cain! Look who I brought.” Charlie chuckled, knocking Cain out of what I assume to be a near-meditative state, probably as a result of the creature. Charlie, noticing this, began to look slightly guilty. “Ooh, um… Sorry, we weren't interrupting something, were we?”

“Not at all, Miss Morningstar. It has simply been a while since I've come in contact with the tickle monster, so I was just enjoying his company for a while.” Cain spoke in a surprisingly joyful voice… which honestly was not even that happy sounding; it's just more joyful in comparison to his normal manner of speech.

Cain reached up and picked the orange blob off of his head, which seemed reluctant to let go of the ragged man, as it extended its sort of gooey tentacle-like appendages to attempt to stay on. Still, Cain easily got him off his head after a few seconds before placing it on the ground next to Razzle and Dazzle. The blob monster slouched slightly at his forceful removal, making a couple of depressed gurgles, but both the tiny dragon demons quickly came to its side, as if in an attempt to cheer it up.

“Have you been acquainted with this creature before?” I ended up raising my eyebrow in question towards Cain, who gave a short nod in response.

“Yes, a couple of times in fact. Don’t worry, they are completely harmless; the only real damage it could do is to your bank account with how many sugary sweets the glutton demands.” Cain jokes, something that I wasn’t used to. Still, I just chalked the strange behavior up to his contact with the creature. Still, I gave a nod of understanding to his words, trusting him.

“Oh, he loves sweets? Ah, that's so adorable.” Charlie spoke in her usual peppy voice, resulting in a short chuckle from me as a result. Still, she shook her head slightly before turning back to Pentious. "Anyways, Pentious, this is Cain. Cain, this is our newest guest, Sir Pentious, along with his friend—”

“-We’re not friends–”

“– His friend The Specter, who is currently... Um…”

“I DON'T CARE IF YOU HIT ME IN THE CROSSFIRE CITIZEN, JUST FIRE!!!”

"Alright, Specter, I’ll always remember your sacrifice!”

“WHY ARE YOU SO TRIGGER HAPPY TODAY, PAUL?!”

“... Ya, he’s busy dealing with something right now.” Charlie scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, before quickly averting my gaze and turning back to the snake. “Anyways, over here is where the actual rooms are! Oh, and after I show you this, we finally have enough people to do this friendship exercise I always dreamed of! AHH, it'll be so great, you'll love it!”

I chuckled slightly, never growing tired of Charlie's overly enthusiastic personality. I began walking behind her, planning to continue accompanying her on the walk, and–

“Hey, Vaggie. Can we talk?” Cain asked, temporarily halting me before I could continue to follow Charlie. I looked back at Cain, then over towards Charlie. For a second, I was scared of leaving her alone with Sir Pentious… Then I remembered it was Sir Pentious and decided that she'd be fine.

“Um, sure. What’s up?” I asked, turning around to face my new friend. “You aren’t planning on telling me another earth-shattering secret, right?”

“Hehe, unfortunately you wouldn't be ready to hear the ones I have left.” Cain chuckled and… Honestly, I could not for the life of me decide if he was joking when he said that or not. “But no, I have something else I wish to ask you about.”

“Ok, what is it?” I asked, only slightly worried at the semi-seriousness in Cain's voice.

I saw him look around the room slightly, making sure everyone was currently preoccupied with… Something.

“GIVE ME YOUR HAIR, BAD BOY!’

… Ya, they all seemed pretty occupied at the moment.

“Well, it's in relation to what we talked about earlier, but... you haven’t told Charlie your origins as of yet, right?” Cain asked, causing me to recoil slightly in guilt. My reaction was probably all the confirmation that the first son of Adam needed, as he nodded his head slightly. “Right… I’m just curious if you were ever planning on bringing that point up to her.”

“Well, I mean... sigh... I don't know. I mean, I almost did earlier when we first arrived, but then... they kind of arrived.” I spoke out, internally thinking about how Sir Pentious and The Specters' sudden appearance interrupted my conversation with Charlie. “But I don’t know. Maybe I should be glad they interrupted it. Maybe it would be a mistake to tell her and—”

“It won’t be.” Cain spoke, cutting me off. I watched as he once more looked down to his palms. “... Take it from the man who’s seen civilizations rise and fall, mountains crumble, and continents split apart at the seams. Trust me when I say nothing lasts forever, and this secret you keep, no matter how desperate you act to keep it hidden... The truth is going to come out eventually, no matter what you do.”

Cain turned to me, as I could only look gratefully towards the ground. He placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder before giving me what I felt like was a smile beneath all the rags he was wearing. “The only difference you can make is how it’s revealed. Either make it a gesture of trust by showing your own vulnerable self to them, reassuring their trust in you... Or make it a betrayal when they learn from someone else.”

… I took a second to absorb all that Cain told me. To dissect all his words internally.

“... heh, that’s a bit hypocritical coming from you, don’t you think?” I joked slightly, as if trying to get rid of the tension I was feeling within myself from the admittedly short conversation I was having with Cain. Still, he just chuckled at my gesture before removing his hand.

“Hey, I'm not a saint; I'm more of a ‘do as I say and not what I do’ kinda person.” Cain returned the joke, allowing a small chuckle to escape from his lips before once more staring off in the direction that Charlie walked. “And I never said you needed to do it immediately; there's something to be said about your own comfort in the manner. Because I can tell that there's another reason behind your reluctance to speak the truth.” Cain began, before looking back towards me, with what I assumed to be a gentle smile beneath his hood.

“... You're simply scared to say those words. Cause you fear that if you admit to such a thing, you're admitting to all of the atrocities you’ve committed in the past, and that... That is just a god awful feeling.” Cain lamented as he once more looked into the distance, as if recounting his own experience with this, or perhaps his own inexperience. To be honest, it was hard to tell. 

Regardless, he eventually let up his look before turning back to me for the last time. “I may reveal myself to everyone here one day, but that isn’t really what's important. When you feel like you're finally ready to come to terms with what you’ve done, then you should tell Charlie who you are. Just… Don’t wait too terribly long to do so; otherwise, you risk her finding out on her own. And I think that's a situation you'd rather not have to deal with.”

“Hehe… Maybe… Thanks, I’ll… I’ll try.” I ended up silently thanking the ragged man, who once more gave a short nod, both proud of himself for convincing me and proud of me for willing to understand what he was saying.

“DEAR FUCKING BATMAN IN A CHRISTMAS CAROL, HOW IS SHE STILL ON ME?!?!”

The panicked yet still somehow heroic voice of the man in black suddenly resounded outwards, catching both mine and Cain's attention as we see him continue to struggle atop the broken table, with both Andrew and Paul continuing to try their best to get Niffty off of him. A gun was also tossed to the side, seemingly being wrestled out of Paul's hand before he had a chance to fire.

“... I’m gonna… See if I can help with that.” Cain eventually muttered, probably starting to feel bad for his fellow hotel guest. I just nodded in response, understanding.

“Ya, you– Um, you do that. I’m just going to catch up with Charlie.” I began, before once more looking worriedly towards the situation in the center of the hotel lobby. “... Just be careful with all of that.”

“Heh, I'll try.” He responded before turning around and began making his way towards his own collection of misfits. As for me, I soon turned around and began running down the hallway that Charlie had ventured down moments earlier, hoping to catch up.

It was in these few moments of silence as I made my way down the hallway that I began thinking about all that was just spoken to me... Everything that Cain said made sense, and I... I know he’s right. But… I don’t know... How am I supposed to tell Charlie that I have killed hundreds of her people? People who she swore to protect and try to save, no matter how much of a douchebag they all ar–

‘No, I can’t think like that... I can’t use the excuse that everyone down here is evil. Otherwise, I’d be no better then... Than Him.’

My skin crawled at the simple idea of that bastard... Of Cain’s father... Damn, that's still weird to think about.

Regardless, Cain is right. If I'm ever going to have the confidence to look Charlie in the eyes and tell her who I really am... I need to come to terms with who I was, no matter how painful that might end up being.

Eventually though, my moments of silently speaking to myself came to a halt as I caught sight of Charlie in the distance, who thankfully looked just as cheerful as she did before I cut off from her, next to the recognizable visage of Pentious, who had a strangely worried look strewn across his face.

“And over here is the—oh, Vaggie!” Charlie cried out, waving towards me as she noticed me heading straight towards her. I quickly made my way over to her, scratching the back of my head awkwardly as I did so.

“Hey. Sorry for disappearing for a while. Cain just wanted to talk with me about something.” I apologized, stopping right next to her. 

“Oh, it’s totally fine! Glad you two are getting along!” Charlie spoke, clearly still on an emotional high from everything that has happened today. “What did you two talk about?”

“Oh, just… stuff.” I smirked before turning over to look at Charlie once more. “I promise to tell you later, ok? And if I don’t, punch me.”

“… Ok... I mean, I won’t do that, but thanks for... telling me you’ll tell me!” Charlie said as nicely as she could, clearly not understanding the meaning behind my words. Not like I expected her to, though.

“… Anywayssss, ummm, isss the ssspecter doing ok?” Pentious ended up asking after a moment of silence, a worried smile on his face as he asked quietly... Before immediately morphing his face into an uncaring visage and crossing his arms. “I mean, I—I don’t care about that heroic sssswine!… But Isss he ssstill being assssssaulted?”

“… yes… yes he is.” I delivered blankly, smirking slightly as I saw him poorly hide the worried expression on his face. 

“O-oh, that’sss… Umm, I mean, pfft, who caressss for that n-no good hero anywayssss!” Pentious continued crossing his arms, trying his damnest to look as if he didn’t care. Seeing this, I just chuckled a little internally.

“Oh, how unfortunate... But you know, I heard that he was willing to admit that you're better than him if you help out—”

“I’M COMING SSSSPECTER!!!!”

BOOM!

In a burst of speed, the snake demon disappeared from our view, screaming as he did so while making his way down the hall.

I turned back to Charlie and just shrugged slightly. “Sorry for cutting your tour off a bit early, babe. I think he just needed an excuse to go back and help his so-called ‘rival,’ for whatever reason.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Besides, this gives me the perfect opportunity to set up the next big activity I had planned!” Charlie excitedly explained, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a couple papers. Grabbing them, I noticed that they seemed to be scripts. “Obviously I’m going to have to change some things now, since we have more guests than I originally expected—but that is an amazing problem to have, so I don’t mind! But anyways, for this activity, I believe it would be super cool if we acted it out! I read somewhere that method acting is a great way for people to change!”

“… um… no offense, but are you sure this’ll be effective, babe?” I asked after giving the script a quick glance. And I had some... let’s just say tiny misgivings with a couple parts. 

“Of course it will be Vaggie! Trust me!” Charlie enthusiastically spoke, as I couldn’t help but begrudgingly nod. It is so damn hard to argue against her when she’s like this. “Besides, with how things have been going, I think things have finally begun looking up for us. Who knows! We may even have someone move up to heaven by the end of the week!”

Charlie continued exclaiming her idealist and rose-tinted views of the future as she started to make her way back to the lobby.

As for me, I could only stand in silence for a few more seconds… Reflecting on the hotel, on Cain, on Charlie. On him…

“Ya… looking up... They really have been.”

‘… And who am I to ruin that?’

“Vaggie, you coming?” Charlie eventually ended up calling out, knocking me out of my stupor.

“Hmm, oh ya. Coming!” I called back as I began sprinting towards her. As I did though, I couldn’t help but get a strange feeling in my gut.

‘… I don’t know whatever the future may hold, and things have been looking great for us! But... but still, why is it that whenever I think of the future, I just feel so... terrified?’

Notes:

Specter: I fear no man. But that thing (glances over at Niffty)… It scares me.

… I feel like I’ve become addicted to writing Pentious and Specter slapstick.

Anyways, I hope you all liked the chapter, and once again, thanks for reading this far into the story. It really means a lot.

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or just feedback of any kind. And I hope you all have a better day than the Specter!

Chapter 35: Just a little bit of roleplay.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

We finally catch up on Lucifer!

Charlie has the gang play out her fantasies.

Two masked people have a talk.

Angel questions their place.

A certain moth begins his demented plans.

Notes:

“What makes you care for a person who you've never met?”

 

Lucifer POV

“Huff… puff… huff… take… take this…” I spoke tiredly between heavy gasps as I lifted up my wobbly fist, before weakly hitting it against the slab of flesh in front of me.

… Bam?

“Rrrr…grrrr… GRAAAA!!!!”

BANG!

Only for the returning hit to slam into me much harder in comparison, shooting me backwards into the concrete wall... well, what was left of it anyways, as the entirety of my basement was in shambles, with cracks and rubble decorating the entirety of the subterranean room.

“Ugg… fuck, how are you still fighting?” I huffed out, as I slowly rose to my feet. I looked completely uninjured, but beneath my eyes hung two massive bags, echoing just how exhausted I was. “I mean, come the fuck on— ITS ALMOST BEEN TWO FUCKING DAYS!”

“Hmm, unlike you, Vermin, I don’t suffer from your so-called exhaustion.” The beast snorted back… Despite half its face being missing, blown off from one of my earlier attacks. 

“Ya ya, fucking superiority complex or some shit, I’ve already heard enough of that for a couple lifetimes." I rolled my tired eyes before reluctantly turning my gaze back over to the beast, who looked much sturdier since when this battle began, its own form seemingly shifting and changing as the fight raged on, adapting to become more resilient to anything I threw at it.

‘Honestly, I’m lucky that I held back using any of my actual strong attacks. Because if I couldn’t kill it immediately with those, then there is no way I’d be able to kill this thing after it adapted.’

“Sigh. Listen, I’m not an idiot; I see what’s going on here. You punch me, I punch you harder, you adapt and hit me harder and- and the cycle just repeats—look, can’t we just sit down and like, I don’t know, fucking talk about this?” I let out in frustration, not wanting this stupid battle with this thing to continue. “We’ve been fighting for almost two days, and I still don’t even know what your fucking supposed to be or what you doing in MY castle!”

“Grrr… sniff… sniff…” The thing of nightmares and bullshittery began sniffing the air around it with its half of a face. He turned it left and right, as if attempting to locate something, before looking back towards me. “Talk? Why should I waste my breath speaking to the likes of you. It doesn’t matter where I am, who you are, or how I got here. All that matters is ending all life on this miserable planet.”

“Ahh great, a superiority complex and a batshit insane yet stereotypical villain plot. What’s next, are you gonna grow a long mustache so you can twirl it mischievously?” I joked, resulting in another lower growl from the creature, who seemingly didn’t move as I watched the injured all around its body, but mostly its face, heal at a noticeable rate, and the wounds somehow stitched whatever injuries they had on it immediately off. “Besides, if your plan was to... end all life or whatever the fuck you were talking about, then you’ve come to the wrong place, pal. In case you couldn’t tell, I am fucking Lucifer, and we’re in Hell! All the poor saps down here have already lost their miserable lives up on the surface.”

“… Hell? Hmm, I thought this place felt peculiar.” The beast spoke to itself in this slight moment of respite we managed to afford ourselves. “So, that’s where the serpents have sent me. To dwell in humanities shithole.”

“… Ok, I feel like I should get offended by that.” I state, scratching the back of my head before releasing a heavy sigh. “Listen, I don’t get whatever the fuck is going on here, and honestly, I don’t care enough to question it. So why don't we just stop fighting and—”

“HAH, you ignorant fallen angel. You think just because I’m in hell that my mission has come to a halt? No, this changes nothing.” The beast continued to growl slowly before clenching its claws and breaking the concrete beneath its feet. “I’ll kill you, then I’ll dispose of the rest of the cattle that resides in Hell's forgotten depths. And after that, I shall crawl my way out of here and back onto the land of the living, and I will beseech my fury upon those who once called themselves my captors, along with the rest of mankind. Not even you precious god shall escape me, for what is a god without any creation to its name? Just an ignorant and weak old man.”

“… Ok, wow. Umm… ya, that’s… ok.” I kind of sputtered out. What the fuck was this oversized lizard even talking about at this point? I mean. It’s tough; that’s obvious. But is it really fantasizing about killing God himself!? “Sigh. Listen buddy, I don’t know what kind of beef you have against the big man upstairs, but can you please not take it out on the people here? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I couldn’t care less about what happens to most of these fuckers, but there are a couple of people down here that I’m not gonna let you hurt.”

“Hah! And you believe you can stop me? A fallen angel like yourself, who doesn’t even have the nerve to try and break out of his own prison?” The beast once more cackled, the wound on its face fully healing during the midst of our conversation. “No, you shall die here. And after that, I will kill everything and everyone you have ever loved.”

…

…

“… everyone I’ve ever loved, huh?” I raised an eyebrow, my voice eerily calm, but my clenching fist told an entirely different story. “So that’s how we’re playing this... fine.”

I released my clenched fist and released one long, heavy breath… before opening my eyes dramatically, them glowing red. My horns grew abnormally long as fire began burning atop my head. I let out a snarl that was equal, if not more ferocious, than the one that the oversized lizard had been giving me throughout the entire fight.

“You know, I would’ve just let you walk away. I could’ve just left and been done with you... But then you had to go and threaten the only people I care about... and I won’t let anyone— ANYONE— THREATEN MY FAMILY!”

I spread my arms wide as the cold concrete floor we had been battling on began to shake. Before a large, blood-red pentagram came to life beneath our feet, shaking violently as if reacting with the air itself.

The beast, for probably the first time in the whole battle, momentarily looked startled at the creation of such a pentagram. 

“What are you doing?!” It growled before once more charging at me, foolishly thinking it could stop me. In return… I just gave him a shit eating grin.

“Oh me? Nothing much.” I spoke calmly, red electricity sparking at my fingertips. “I just thought we could use a… change of scenery.”

I brought my hands, now completely sparking with the red electricity, crashing into each other, causing a resounding clap.

CLAP!

… VOOOM!

As a bright red light immediately encompassed everything in the room, both myself and the lizard, as before either of us could even afford to say a word—

ZOOM!

We vanished… and the ruined concrete basement of my castle once more became devoid of all life.

 

---

Paul POV

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… cough.”

Awkward silence permeated around me, only breaking up at the occasional cough or two. I sat on the middle of the couch, arms crossed slightly, as I wore an annoyed expression on my face. 

‘Not like anyone could see it, though.’ I thought, before once more reaching up and touching the gas mask on my face, making sure it was still there. The last thing I wanted right now was for a freak accident to compromise both me and Andrew. ‘Still, I may not have any sort of issues with pride, but... this hotel is driving me to my wits end, and we’ve barely even been here for like a day!’

“HehEhHehEhhEeHe… for my collection!” One of the center points of my annoyance spoke, that being the one eyed Gremlin who sat all the way in the left side of the couch, smiling happily as she held in her hand what appeared to be a completely black blob of multiple thin, straight objects.

As for who she took them from... well...

“Hic… Hic… and then... A-and then she t-touched me, and—”

“Ssssshhhhh, sssshhhh, it’ssssss alright. Sssshe can’t hurt you anymore.” Pentious spoke in a calm manner, comforting the silently sobbing Specter, who sat on the right end of the couch, while silently rubbing cicles into the hero's back. “It’ssss alright, the mean lady can’t hurt you anymore. You're in a sssafe place.”

‘… I’m seriously starting to think this is all just one fucked-up fever dream.’ I thought internally, hoping to just wake up back at the foundation and not... wherever the fuck this is. Still, I knew that wasn’t possible, and it was nothing more than wishful thinking.

“… You know, I didn’t even know the specter even had hair.” Andrew commented, sitting to my right with Cain sitting on my left, as the three of us made a sort of imaginary barrier between the SCP and... the one-eyed thing.

“Sniff… sniff… I didn’t.” The SCP eventually spoke between sobs, as SCP-999 seemed to make its way underneath their anomalous companions arms in a vain attempt to make him feel better, who began petting him lightly.

“Wait, what? Then what did she—”

“It’s probably better not to ask.” I ended up cutting Andrew off, as I decided it wasn’t worth it to know whatever it is the man is talking about.

…

…

…

“… so… How’s everyone’s day going?” Cain ended up asking, possibly trying to fix the awkward silence that permeated around us, which was only sometimes cut off by the occasional sob from the Specter.

Before anyone had a chance to answer, however, we all heard the noise of footsteps. Turning my gaze, I took notice of the knock-off Disney princess, Charlie, and the other one-eyed person in the hotel, Vaggie, making their way over to us. As they did so, the rosy-cheeked one also seemed busy furiously writing something atop a handful of papers, her eyes wide in excitement.

“Hey guys, is... everything sorted out over there?” Vaggie ended up asking, confusion clear on her face as she saw us sitting on the couch.

…

“Hic... she grabbed me in places I didn’t even know existed.” The specter pathetically wept out, all while Pentious continued to comfort him, lightly patting his back.

“… yep, everything’s just... peachy.” I dryly remarked in a sarcastic voice, growing tired of this game of who can be the bigger idiot. 

“Um… you wouldn’t happen to offer services to… survivors, do you?” Andrew eventually asked after a moment of hesitation, as he spared an awkward side eye towards the moping specter.

“Um… survivors? Oh, do you mean people who’ve survived being murdered? Of course we do!” Charlie chirped happily… which was immediately followed by an awkward silence, as everyone— And I mean EVERYONE— just gave her a blank stare at her answer.

“… you know, as someone who has a minor in psychology… that one hurts.” Andrew ended up speaking in a slightly exasperated tone as I began questioning the experience of this so-called ‘rehabiliation’ hotel. 

Although one thing I did notice out of the corner of my eye was the four-armed demon at the bar seemingly flinching slightly at Andrew and Charlie’s earlier words, but he seemingly recovered extremely quickly after doing so.

“Hmm? What do you—” Charlie’s question towards my partner was quickly cut off as Vaggie leaned in towards her and whispered something into her ear.

And I watched in real time as Charlie’s face shifted from confusion, to realization, and finally to abstract horror as Vaggie finally finished whispering and pulled back slightly. Immediately after, Charlie began sweating as she frantically began to speak.

“Oh, um—shit, sorry! That’s not what I meant—I mean, it was—But I mean, yes, we are totally- TOTALLY-willing to help with anything regarding to that, or-or anything with—” 

“Come on, you’ve already dropped the ball, princess. It’d be better if you just shut up right now and move on.” Angel ended up blurting out from the bar while midway through a drink, halting Charlie’s aggressive apologies and attempts to make up for what she said. And thank God somebody said it, as I was getting ready to just up and leave.

“O-oh, right! Well, um, anyway, today I have a fun little game planned!” The hotel manager ended up happily saying, as if trying to move on from the earlier blunder, before pulling out the handfuls of loose papers that she had been scribbling on while entering the room. “Sure, I needed to make some last-minute adjustments because of all the new guests, but it’s still super fun and one of our first exercises on the road of rehabilitation!”

“Um, are me and Paul also included in this... exercise?” Andrew ended up asking the question I had in my mind, to which Charlie immediately began nodding her head.

“Of course! You two are guests just like everybody else. Of course you’d be included!”

… a sense of dread immediately began crawling up my spine.

“Um… what kind of exercise is this?” I finally asked, unable to hold in my unease any longer. 

“I’m glad you asked!” 

“... I’m already regretting that I did.”

10 minutes later.

… I have trained for years. I have fought and contained horrors that would put Lovecraftian monsters to shame. I have been a part of assaults against some of the most dangerous terrorist groups on the planet… and yet… despite all of the shit I’ve seen and been through in my life… this is by far the worst humiliation I’ve ever experienced.

“Oh, I’m a bad man. On the streets. Who never got enough hugs. Now, where is an innocent kid I can sell crack to?” Angel Dust, the four-armed demon, let out probably the most disinterested voice I have ever heard in my entire life. Though to be honest, I couldn’t blame the guy, as he obviously didn’t want to be here right now, holding up the script while wearing what I can only describe as the most stereotypical drug dealer outfit, that being a ripped tan overcoat and fedora. 

“Wow, who wrote this?” Angel compained. Slapping the paper lightly.

“It’s great, right?” Charlie ended up responding with what I can only describe as a giddy smile etched into her face. She ended up continuing excitedly as she turned to me. “Keep going.”

“…sigh… yes, and I am the bad man’s crack carrier… the cracker.” I… acted, as I wore a similarly torn trench coat over my normal outfit that I refused to take off. Along with a sombrero I had on my gas mask... for SOME fucking reason!

“Right… sigh… Hey you.” Angel continued in an abysmally bored voice, pointing over to Sir Pentious, who... was wearing what I could only describe as a white school girl's top shirt along with a golden ribbon. Accompanied by a black hat with a yellow trim, while he licked a— for fucks sake—an oversized fucking lollipop, WHICH ALSO HAD A GOLD RIBBON ON IT!

“Who, meeeee?” Pentious... spoke, his eyes widening as he some-fucking-how grew his pupils, and I swear that I saw glitter in his irises sparkle for half a second.

“Ya, you look like a kid who could use some... Devil's Dandruff?” Angel squinted as he said the name of the... crack in slight disbelief, before whispering to himself. “Oh, for fucks sake.”

“Not me. I have to go home and study.” The schoolgirl dressed snake chimed, somehow having his lines memorized already despite literally receiving the script ten minutes ago. He then dramatically pointed his hand to our left. Only to reveal Andrew, who was… wearing a cardboard cutout of a stereotypical suburban house, while to his left stood Cain, who was wearing a blue button-up shirt over his rags… That’s it—that’s literally his costume.

“Yes, I am a home... Why is that a line?” Andrew nurtured, peering at his own script in mild confusion.

“Yes, and I am their father, who has showered their child with lots of hugs and attention and gave them the attention they deserved. Note, hug Pentious when he gets close… Oh, wait a second.” Cain also spoke, saying probably more than he was originally supposed to. He looked around, slightly confused, before just leaning down to awkwardly hug Andrew.

“Ya, I kind of had to write this last minute. Still, this is great. Keep going.” The hotel manager excitedly giggled, signaling us to keep going... You know, I’m starting to suspect that this might just be her fantasy that she’s projecting onto us.

“Come on, kid, it will make you cool like me... the crackhead.” Angel continued unenthusiastically and was very evidently annoyed by his assigned role.

“The only cool thing here isss to sssay no to drugssss.” The snake began, an annoying smile on his face as he acted out this bat-shit scene to the best of his abilities. 

“Now, if you’ll excussse me, I’m off to not have sssexual intercoursssse before marriage!” The snake demon valiantly exclaimed, as if he just did the performance of a fucking lifetime.

“Yes! Bravo- oh, Bravo!” Charlie began giving a standing ovation, nearly brought to tears from Pentious’s performance... for some reason. Like seriously, I don't think there’s anybody else in the world who would have this kind of—

“Sniff… that was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, you fucking bitch of a villian.” The Specter dramatically chimed in dramatically, fist raised as a single tear rolling down his cheek.

‘… correction, there are only TWO people in this world who would act this way at Pentious’s performance.’

"Wow, Pentious, at this rate, you’ll be redeemed in no time.” The rosy-cheeked devil ended congratulating the snake while walking up to him, a hopeful vigor evident in her eyes. And I just couldn’t—

“I... I’m going to bed.” The four-armed demon suddenly spoke, centralizing all out attention for a second as a worried and almost annoyed look appeared on his face. Before turning his head as he began walking towards the stairs, presumably up to his room.

Charlie continued talking to Pentious as he did so, saying how much she enjoyed the performance and all that jazz… But I didn’t really pay attention, as I just raised an interested eyebrow at the spider-looking demon who was walking up the stairs, looking back one final time with depressed eyes before continuing on their way.

While doing so, I heard a slight rustling to my left as someone came to stand next to me. I didn’t even need to look to see who it was, as their over-encumbering costume really gave their identity away.

“... whatever it is you're thinking of doing, I’m highly against it.” I eventually ended up saying out loud, talking to the person who had yet to say a word. 

“I… I haven’t even said anything yet.” Andrew, who was still wearing the cardboard cutout of a house, replied back to me, clearly not expecting my accusation.

“No, you didn’t… but I know you.” I responded, my rebuttal evidently being iron tight as Andrew simply slunk back slightly in admission. “And I know you always want to get involved in other people’s business, even if you don’t need to be.”

“I mean… ok, maybe you got me their but— but I… sigh, I don’t know, man.” Andrew ended up sighing in indignation as he hugged himself slightly with one of his arms. “It's obvious he’s going through something and it— and it just feels wrong to... to ignore it, you know?”

“It’s not our job to worry about the problems of every sad sap we find on the streets. If it were, we’d never have enough time to deal with the real problems.” I began explaining, my eyes slowly shifting towards the three anomalies in the room. “Right now, my only mission is to bring you and these anomalies back to the facility safely, no matter the cost. If I can do that, then I’ve completed my objective.”

“… you really believe that, don’t you?” Andrew ended up asking, though I have a feeling I already knew what he thought the answer was.

“I do. And I’ll continue doing so until I’ve been given a new mission from the foundation. Your survival and the retrieval of anomalies is what I should prioritize above all else. Regardless of the circumstance.” I explained, completely unblinking.

“… Why are you so dedicated to the foundation?” Andrew suddenly asked, as if random curiosity finally got the better of him. In response, I gave him a confused look.

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t I be? They are the protectors of—"

“Protectors of humanity and all that. Ya—ya, I get it. But you… I’ve never seen you do anything outside of the foundation.” Andrew began accusing, as I had to prevent myself from shifting uncomfortably under his sudden scrutiny. “Literally, even when your not working, you're always doing something related to the foundation. Like practicing your gunmanship, working out, or re-reading those training manuals for like the millionth time. I mean, for fucks sake, it took everything me and Reed had just to get you to agree to get a drink with us once after you were off duty. And I know that this is clearly a sort of touchy subject for you, so I never brought it up before... but it’s just... I don’t know, I feel like I had to say something, especially now.”

“… well, you’ve clearly lined out my social ineptness... still don’t know what that has to do with all of this.” I responded, not at all insulted by Andrew’s words, just the tiniest bit weary as a result of them. 

“It’s just… I feel like you’ve lost track of what the foundation is meant to stand for.”

“Oh?” I hummed inquisitively as I turned to face the scientist. “Well, please do enlighten me, Mr. Expert. What is it that I’ve lost track of?” 

“Well, it’s… At least from how I’ve always seen it, the foundation... The foundation is humanity's hidden bastion.” Andrew began explaining, his eyes finding their way to the floor in retrospection. “It’s like... the foundation's whole purpose is to protect humanity from horrors that… that just don’t make sense. Our whole purpose is to protect people… so why do we have to turn a blind eye to people suffering in silence just because it would be the tiniest inconvenience?”

“So what? Our objective is the preservation of humanity in its entirety. Not to all the drug addicts that sold their lives away for momentary pleasure and addiction. They brought this sort of fate onto themselves.”

“… maybe, I just... How can we call ourselves humanity's greatest guardians when we can’t even give a damn about normal people suffering? It just... it doesn't feel right, even if they are technically demons.” Andrew eventually ended up finishing in a quiet voice. It’s clear he didn’t think through this conversation beforehand, and simply just wanted to ramble and clear his mind of all the junk he had stored in it.

“What you're thinking of is the perfect, idealistic version of something like the foundation. I understand, really, I do... But something like that is just impossible to achieve. No matter how hard you try, people will always suffer, and hard choices will always have to be made that will ruin some lives… Trust me when I say that people will always suffer no matter what we do, it’s simply the matter of picking and choosing who’s suffering is more important and making sure we never lose our advantage—the lives of the many over the lives of the few, after all.”

“We have contained beings that could destroy the world's with a thought. Monsters who can’t die and will stop at nothing until humanity becomes a footnote in history. We’ve achieved the impossible so many times that it’s beginning to feel like the most natural thing in the world... So why are we so against things that are considered possible? Like... like helping—or at least talking—to someone who’s obviously going through a lot of inner turmoil?”

“Because there are better uses of our time than helping a literal demon.” I spoke before placing a hand on Andrew's shoulder. “You have a good heart; that's admirable... But there's a reason almost every site director and high-ranking official in the foundation are either cold or eccentric... It’s because good people always die first, and the cold ones are rewarded for ordering them to do so for the so-called greater good... I won’t stop you if you want to talk to this Angel Dust. Just please don’t say anything you shouldn't, alright?”

“... Ya… Y-ya I, um, I got it.” Andrew spoke quietly before escaping my gentle grasp on his shoulders and starting to make his way up the staircase, following after the demon.

A demon… He’s worried about making a demon feel better because he has a small inkling that something might be wrong... How does one keep a heart like his after everything we’ve seen, even in Hell? I just… I just don’t get it… And perhaps I never will.

‘I guess that’s why I surround myself with so many good people.’ I began to think back... Back to the foundation, my friends. Halara, Anni, Kevin, Re... ok, maybe not Reed. But the rest of them are good people who would go out of their way to help a stranger, even if they didn’t gain anything out of it. They are heroes… And then there’s me, the one who would trade their lives away without a second thought if the foundation ordered it. ‘I surround myself with good people... So that I can pretend—if even for a moment– That I was like them.’

‘So that I can pretend... that I'm a good person.’

 

---

Angel Dust POV

Click… Bam.

I closed the door behind me before tiredly tossing the stupid costume that Charlie had given me over Fat Nuggets, who immediately crawled out of his temporary bindings as I sat down on my bed, head against the pillow. 

Immediately after doing so, I took out my phone and... Ugh, great 50 missed calls from Valentino, each of which with their own complimentary voicemail... Fun.

I groaned a bit before tracing my finger over one of the voicemails, causing it to play.

*BEEP*

“Angel baby, come home! It’s not the same without you here. I miss you, come back.” 

I looked away in slight disgust as I recognized that all too familiar pouty yet soft voice of Val, almost as if he were begging. Maybe to some this would be a good sign, but... But I know what comes next whenever he uses that voice. As I rolled over in my bed, the next voicemail automatically began playing.

"Angel, you bitch! If you don’t come home, you will be fucking greasy truckers for the next year!”

His voice took an immediate shift, going from the subtle and sweet voice that lured me in... To the sharp and terrifying screams that keep me up at night. Regardless, I played the next message as I began rolling in my bed slightly.

“Hey amorcito, I didn’t mean to yell, but you know how crazy you make me f–”

And the next one.

“You fucking slut!”

And the next.

“Hey, Angie, about earlier–”

The next.

“Kill you whole fucking family–”

Next.

“Works really stressful–”

The… the next.

“Little cocksucking piece of shit–”

And the ne–

“You actually think you can change?”

My eyes widened, and my heartbeat quickened. My pupils shrank to the size of needles as a voice played out in my head. That... That horrible, horrible voice. As I saw red smoke escape from the screen of my phone. I looked up towards the ceiling as it began circling around my prone form… Before closing my eyes and letting the voice continue—a voice that was no longer coming from the phone.

“Addict trash like you doesn’t change... I’ll see you soon, baby.”

The voice whispered into my ears as the smoke rubbed underneath my chin… before finally vanishing from sight.

Immediately as it did so, however, I heard a concerned squeak from my side. Looking over, I saw Fat Nuggets, staring at me… Sadness and concern were evident in their eyes.

“Sorry. Not now, Fat Nuggets.” I ended up apologizing before petting him atop his head, and standing up from my bed, leaving my room.

… I really needed a drink.

I left my room, closing the door quietly behind me, before I began making my way to the bar. I turned a corner at the hallway and–

Bam.

"Ack,” I startled out, as I felt myself running into something. I heard a similar sound escape from the thing I apparently ran into. That being one of the two new masked fuckers that joined the hotel today, this one still having the cardboard cutout of the random house over him.

“Hey, what's the big idea?!” I ended up accusing him, as he continued to rub the top of his head. “Watch where you're going next time!”

“Hu?-- R-right. Um… Sorry, I was just—”

“I don’t fucking care, ok? Just—just—pay more fucking attention next time.” I quickly scorned before walking past them and continuing down the hall, wanting to ignore him.

Unfortunately, it seemed he had other plans. As despite me walking away with a clear temper, I heard the recognizable sound of footsteps following behind me, indicating that he wasn’t leaving me alone.

“So, umm… Where are you going?” He ended up asking nervously, as if just trying to make conversation.

“To get a fucking drink.” I answered annoyed, not even bothering to stop as I continued moving forward.

“Oh… Cool, cool… Um… Mind if I... join you?” He ended up asking, as he took off the costume he was wearing. As he did so, the cardboard cut house of the housing dropped onto the ground.

“Pfft, whatever. I don't fucking care.” I rolled my eyes, still not bothering to turn around. Talking to people was the LAST thing I needed right now.

“Oh, um… Y-ya, thanks. Umm… Ya.” He stuttered out, as if struggling to think of what else to say. 

…

…

…

“... So, how’s your day been?”

“I wish I was fucking dead.” 

“Oh, that's… Umm… shit, that… that sucks.”

… I’m already wishing that I told him to fuck off.

---

Valentino POV.

“That fucking BITCH Hasn’t answered any of my calls!”

Crash!

Shards of glass and wine flew everywhere as I tossed my freshly poured drink into one of my many bitches.

“UGH, THAT FUCKING UNGRATEFUL WHORE! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?! WHEN I COME CALLING, HE SHOULD COME SUCKING!!!”

I continued tossing around chairs, tables, and all sorts of fucking random stuff around. I was passed just being annoyed, I was pissed! Damn it, can this day get any fucking worse?! 

“It was bad enough that I got fucking fucked by that spaceman douche on live television, but now I have to deal with the fucking silent treatment from one of my best whores? Come on, what has this shithole come to?!” I continued screaming as I could still feel the relatively fresh bruises and cuts along my body, before hearing the door to my left slowly screech open, as nervous footsteps entered in.

"U-Um, sir Valentino?--”

“Fucking WHAT?! Can't you see I'm in the middle of wrecking shit?” I spat out, turning around to see a nervous Travis scratch the back of his head. 

“U-Um, I know, sir, b-but the... The thing you asked us to work on is done.” Travis stuttered before opening his palms and presenting a bottle of pills. Pills, which I immediately recognized.

“Oh… oh?” I hummed, beginning to cool down as I walked over to the feathered demon before swiping the pills out of his hand. “Hmm… Do they have the modifications I asked for?”

“O-oh, of course, sir– Even better than you requested, if I do say so myself!” Travis smirked, obviously sounding proud of his own menial achievements, before once more looking at me with a nervous twitch. “But, um… if I may ask. What are those for?”

“Hehe, just a contingency. You never know how feisty a new bitch may be. She may just need some... Extra encouragement.” I chuckled before turning my gaze downwards back towards my demon assistant. “Now, I believe it's finally time we wake up the sleepy beauty you brought in. I can’t very much just let a fabulous product like her take up space without paying for it, now can we?”

“Oh, ok… Um, do you have a way to stop her... asthma attacks or whatever the fuck those were?”

“Hehe, don't worry. I figured something out, at least temporarily.” I chuckled, before allowing a sinister grin to spread across my lips as I glimpsed at the pills. “And if she decided to be hard... Well, who's to say she needs to continue being given the… Temporary solution. Hehehehehe…”

Notes:

The hard to destroy reptile: I'm gonna kill you whole family!

Lucifer: (terminator theme playing in the background) are you sure about that?

Well, what did you all think of the chapter? Did you enjoy it? This one was forced to follow the structure of the show quite a bit, just to get through a couple of important scenes. I will say though, I don't particularly enjoy taking pre existing scenes like this and changing them up a tiny amount, since it really just feels like a creative copt out, and would much prefer to write my own stuff.

Regardless, I hoped you all enjoyed it, as next week will be… quite the experience.

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any questions, concerns, or jokes. And I hope you all have a have a great day, and never have to go through what The Specter went through.

Chapter 36: My little doe.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

SCP-166 awakens.

Notes:

“What is the difference between a demon, and a monster?”

 

DISCLAIMER!

… no, seriously. If any reader is triggered through physical abuse, emotional torture, manipulation, and/or just find discomfort in reading about such genres, I recommend you skip this chapter.

 

SCP-166 POV

… darkness

Soft… darkness. My only escape from the hurt... the pain.

‘Please… Make it stop... I just want it to stop.’

My plea fell on deaf ears; however, as not long after, I felt a light enter my vision. A light that only leads to pain once I have awoken.

I tried to stop it. I tried to escape the light and hide away in the outcove of darkness that surrounded me... But it was no use, as no matter how far I attempted to travel, the all-consuming light followed closely after.

Until eventually… It swallowed me whole, forcing me back into the world of pain. 

‘Please… Please… Someone—someone, save me.’ I once more pleaded to the world, despite knowing how useless it was, despite knowing nobody would answer... I was just hoping, praying for a miracle, as I continued my silent pleading, ‘Oh god, please save me.

Predictably, however, my struggling came to an end as I felt my eyes begin to tear open. I held my breath, prepared for the assault of pain that came with wherever I was.

I braced myself... And yet, strangely, it never came.

“... Huh?” I ended up audibly questioning, as I became fully lucid. I looked down at myself, noticing that I was still in the thin white woolen dress I always had, hiding my recognizable deer legs beneath. “Wha-whats… What's going on?”

I was unsure; usually this is when it... It happens. When I just feel... feel hurt.

But for some reason, that wasn't happening... The only other times the pain hasn't assaulted me was back at the church with the nuns, and in the square room the men in white lab coats keep me in for my own safety… At least, that's what they usually tell me.

‘ But no, for some reason... I’m not hurting... Why?’ 

I wasn’t sure, but I was thankful regardless… Perhaps God has answered my calls and finally lent me the strength to push through my pain.

‘But still, that doesn't explain where I am... or how I got here.’ I internally questioned before finally tearing my gaze away from myself as I began exploring the room around me. And it was... interesting, to say the least.

‘Why is it so pink?’ I thought, as I realized I was in a hot pink-colored room, which seemed to be a little bit bigger than the white cube I was living in before with the men in white. Besides that, there were multiple other accessories that dotted inside this room, most of which were heart-shaped in some capacity. A few of them were just painting; others were connected to things like lights and couches, though the weirdest of which had to be the bed at the edge of the room, which shared the same heart-shaped decor the rest of the room had; it was also many times bigger than my bed in the white box. Strange, wonder what someone would need all that extra space for?

Regardless, the room was very stylish and cute. I like it, but... Something feels just a little weird about it, something that I just couldn't understand... Why am I getting such a bad feeling about all this?

‘I don't know... But I feel like I should get far away from this place, as far away as possible, before something happens–’

Creak…

A dangerously deep sound slowly began reverberating throughout the room, originating from behind me.

Slowly, I turned, catching sight of a door I failed to take notice of before beginning to open, old creaky hinges making the eerie sound. Until finally, after what felt like a million years, the door was completely open... As a large, lanky figure took a step inside.

“Hehe, why hello, my dear.” The figure chuckled in a soft yet sweet voice as a hard-to-place grin caressed his lips. “It appears you’ve finally awakened. That’s good.”

Seeing this figure, I was immediately taken aback by his appearance. The first thing I noticed was the collection of random bruises and cuts that were dotted around his face, as if he had just come out of a fight of some kind. 

The person was an extremely lanky figure by nature, with all but his face being covered, of which he was adorned in heart-shaped sunglasses, complementing the interior of the room. His red robe hid most of his form, though even I was taken aback by the apparent four arms this creature possessed. I don't know why, but he sort of reminded me of a moth... And yet, just looking at this creature makes me feel like I'm on the verge of suffocation.

Out of instinct, I slowly crawled backwards slightly in an attempt to make distance between us while never daring to take my eyes off of them.

“Oh? Are you afraid?” The moth creature froze in his steps, allowing me some levity as he continued talking in that swooning voice of his. “Hehe, don't be. I promise, you're safe here.”

“H-here?” I ended up stuttering out the question, my back hitting the front of the bed frame as nervous jitters were present in my voice, betraying me of my fear. “Wh-wheres… Where is h-here?”

“Ohh, you poor thing. You just arrived, haven't you?” The moth cooed, looking towards me as if I were some stray kitten. Though, admittedly, it was hard to see what he was looking at because of the heart-shaped sunglasses. “Well, I’m sorry that I’m the one who has to break the news to you, my little doe... But you're in Hell.”

“H-Hell?!” My eyes shot upon, terrified at the prospect, as I inadvertently raised my voice at his declaration. Part of me didn't want to believe him; part of me wanted to think that what he said was just a joke... But for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to not believe him. “I-I’m in Hell... B-but... But why?”

“Well, unfortunately, that isn’t something I can give you the answer for.” The moth’s sweet-laced voice continued chirping, as his almost too perfect of a smile never left his face. “Although what I can tell you is one of my people found you curled up in some forgotten alleyway. He called me up, and I just felt oh so bad for you, so I ordered him to bring you here and give you a nice comfy room for you to sleep in while you settle yourself.”

“Y-you… you did?” I ended up asking, my shoulders loosening the slightest amount as he made his statement. Once more, he chuckled at what I had said.

"Why, of course! I hate seeing fresh, young beauties like yourself wither away on the streets. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t offer you a place to stay, my little doe?” The moth creature chuckled. Raising the back of one of his palms up to his chin while his two lower hands rest gently on his hips. 

“W-well, um... t-thank you for... f-for helping me, mister... um...” I began thinking, only to realize I still don’t know the name of my apparent savior.

“Oh, where are my manners? I haven’t even introduced myself yet!” The creature brightly realized, slightly slapping the top of his forehead. He then lowered himself onto one knee, as he became more eye level with my prone figure, but still held an advantage of a foot or two simply because of his natural lankiness. “My name is Valentino, my dear. And, if you don’t mind me asking, may I inquire as to the name of the beauty who I've invited into my halls?”

“B-beauty?” I stuttered the question, unsure as to what he was referring to, until the realization suddenly strikes me as I look towards him, unsure. “W-wait, do you... d-do you mean me?”

“Hehe, why, of course! Who else would I be referring to?” The now-named Valentino continued his lighthearted chuckle, his eyes hidden behind the heart-shaped sunglasses. “As I’ve said, it’s not often that I meet such an… exquisite beauty as yourself.”

“O-oh, um… T-thanks.” I said quietly, averting my gaze from him slightly as an uncomfortable feeling began to wash over me. I don’t know why, but... I don’t like it when he looks at me.

‘W-what am I thinking?’ I silently chastised myself as I shook my head and turned back to look at the man—er—moth. ‘H-he rescued you. The least you can do is tell him your name.’

“U-um… m-my name is... Is Merri.” I ended up answering, as I made sure to look at the moth in front of me. “B-but, um… if you don’t mind me asking… w-why am I… Why can I—”

“Why can you breathe normally? Don’t worry, my little doe; I took care of that for you.” Valentino ended up cutting me off with a wave of his hand, as I perked up in surprise as he did, not at all expecting his answer.

“Y-you did? B-b-but how? I- I didn’t think it could—”

“Relax, my dear. It wasn’t much really, just a little magic, and I managed to make you good as new.” Valentino reassured me as he stood up and began walking a bit closer to me. I shrunk back at first but allowed him to approach. 

“Of course, I couldn’t make it go away completely. But I did manage to find a... how to say, temporary solution to your obvious problem.” He spoke as he made it right in front of me, looming over my figure as he reached into his velvety coat and pulled out what looked to be an orange bottle of pills.

My eyes widened at his words. At first, I felt like I shouldn’t believe him. But... but there really isn’t any other explanation, is there? 

‘Even now I can feel my skin crawling, as it usually does when I have those... moments. But despite that, it’s not happening, meaning... he really did help.’ I thought, lightly touching my arm. I was fine… I was free, as I realized my prayer had been answered, my prayer to be free of the pain... It worked!

“I… T-thank you.” I once more thanked, as I looked up at the figure, a genuine smile on my face as I did so. “Thank you so much!”

“Hehe, don’t mention it.” I chuckled darkly as I saw him bring the pills up to his face… as a wide smile began to grow, as he began shaking the bottle in an almost taunting manner. 

“Merri huh? Such a beautiful name, fitting for such a charming Doe.” He chimed before lowering his gaze to me, as he also dropped his hands, waiting for me to take it. Reluctantly, I did so, as in one smooth motion he lifted me to my feet. “Such smooth hands... So Merri, now that you're bright and recovered, what are you planning to do now?”

“O-oh, um… I mean… I don’t really know.” I ended up answering, as I turned away from the figure awkwardly. “I suppose I’ll just... I-I’m not sure.”

“Well… Mind if I offer a suggestion?” He asked, placing a hand on my shoulder, causing me to recoil slightly in surprise from the touch. Before I could respond, however, he continued anyway. “After all, a fresh-faced lady like you just wouldn't survive out there on the streets of Hell! Why, I’d say without any sort of support, a fragile beauty like you would get swallowed up in these unforgiving streets in less than a day!”

“Swallowed… up?” I asked, confused but a little worried by the words all the same. “What do you mean by that?”

“Hehe, well, let’s just say some people just don’t know how to keep their hands to themselves out there.” Valentino chuckled before leaning down and bringing his face uncomfortably close to mine. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want that, now would you?”

“N-no—”

“Exactly! Which is why I am giving you an opportunity to stay here under my care.” The moth chuckled, pushing back as he began walking around me, causing me to twitch uncomfortably. “Stay with me, and I’ll make sure you’ll have everything you’ll ever need. You’ll have your own room, servants to heed to your every need twenty-four, seven. You’ll be living like a queen if you stay here!”

He then stopped behind me before placing two of his long hands on my shoulders, causing a shiver to shoot up through my spine. He then leaned down to my left ear, before whispering.

“Of course I can’t offer this all for free, my little doe. You will be required to fulfill a few... minor chores if you wish to stay. Nothing too serious, obviously. Just… a few teensy-wincy favors.” He spoke highly, almost squishing two of his fingers as he did so to exaggerate his words. “Do you understand?”

I recoiled once more slightly, put off. As I… couldn’t help but be put off by this man’s behavior every time he spoke. He acted nice; he even saved me and gave me a nice room to rest, saving me from the constant pain I had felt. And yet... parts of me screamed to run, to flee from this moth and never look back.

“U-um… what sort of… favors?” I eventually convinced myself to ask reluctantly, still trying to be thankful to this man, as I hoped that what I was feeling in my gut was nothing more than my nerves acting on their own.

“Oh, nothing much. Just a few minor tasks—nothing you'll have trouble with, I’m sure.” The man chuckled before raising his hand, as red smoke began culminating in his palm, before—

Bing!

With a slight, high-pitched chime, the smoke took on a physical form. Revealing a bright yellow glowing piece of paper, which floated calmly in his hand. Then, with a simple gesture, the magical paper gently drifted in front of me, hovering in the air as I looked at it. There was a lot of tiny writing on the extended piece of paper, with a large empty line present at the bottom.

“All you need to do is sign here, my little doe, and I’ll deal with all the rest.” The moth once more charmingly hummed before bending over slightly, revealing a large feathered pen. “Just sign, and you’ll never need to worry about yourself ever again.”

... Reluctantly, I grabbed the pen from the moth before once more gazing at the writing on the paper. I was forced to squint as I did, as the writing was so ridiculously small that it made it near impossible to actually make out the words.

“Umm… I’m sorry, but what is this?” I ended up asking, very concerned. In response, the moth only shrugged.

“Why, it’s nothing but a tiny bit of insurance, my little doe. It’s standard as far as things go down here, so you have nothing to worry about.” The moth smiled, speaking in what sounded like an earnest voice…

‘But still, like everything else... this piece of paper just doesn’t feel right.’ I grimaced internally as my hand holding the pen began to shake. ‘I don’t know why, but I feel that if I sign this paper… I’d be giving something precious away.’

“Well, are you gonna sign it?” The moth imputed himself after my multiple moments of clear hesitation. I then watched as he smirked before walking up right behind me again and gently wrapping his hand around my right arm as he leaned into me, almost as if he were attempting to guide my arm. “Here, let me help you.”

He chuckled in the same smooth manner as he always did, before gently guiding my arm forward, bringing the pen closer to the bottom of the golden paper. I was in a moment of minor shock, so I just allowed him to have his way for now.

“Just sign here, and I promise you that everything will be all right. I did save you after all, so signing your name on a small piece of paper is the absolute least a beautiful darling girl like you could do, right?” He whispered into my ear as I saw red smoke begin to exhale from his mouth. I stopped and looked at it worriedly, but before I could properly ask what it was—

PUFF!

The red smoke suddenly changed direction mid-air  before smashing straight into my face and… and.. 

‘Oh wOW. WHy doEs evEryThINg SeEM So WEird.’ I began thinking as my vision began to blur. I felt my feet begin to wobble as the moth grabbed both of my arms—probably tighter than he needed to—in order to keep me upright.

“It’s the least you can do after all I’ve done for you… right ?” 

“R-right.” I muttered, my eyes glossed over, as in that moment, everything just felt so fake. Everything appeared as if it were obscured in a heavy fog, as the world around me almost felt like it began to shift.

My hand moved forward, following the moth's gentle guidance. The end of the feathered pen tapped against the paper, resulting in a chuckle escaping from the moth’s lips. 

“Good, good… Now, right your name, Merri, my little doe.” The moth whispered, stopping his guiding as he let go, placing it on my shoulder instead. “Sign it, and you shall live your life in luxury... sounds nice, right?”

“… R… right.” Was all I could wearily say, my kind feeling as if it were swimming through fog. Maybe I should just sign it... Maybe I should just sign it and get it over with... what’s the point not doing so? This is a k-kind man… kind man.

“Just sign it, and you won’t have to worry about anything ever again.”

I began moving the palm, as I started to write my name, Merri...

... Merri…

...Merri... Merri...Merri, Merri-Merri MerriMerriMerri Merri -MErri -MErRi-MERRI!

“Wake up, Merri.”

GASP!

With a sharp gasp, the fog clouding my mind lifted. Everything that felt like it was constricting my mind vanished as the world suddenly came into focus. Horrified, I looked down to my hand, seeing I had already written ‘MER’ on the paper.

Almost immediately, in fear, I shot back as I dropped the pen to the floor. I pushed away from the moth, resulting in no small amount of shock flashing across his face as I quickly stepped away. 

“What the—WHAT ARE YOU— ahem, hehe, sorry, my baby doe... But what are you doing?” The Moth almost yelled but then quickly lowered his voice, as a familiar sultry melody escaped between his gritted teeth as he spoke. 

“I-I’m s-sorry b-b-but I—but… I n-need to go!” I ended up stuttering out in fear, as the eeriness that I had been feeling throughout this whole ordeal began swallowing me up. Deep in my gut, I felt a twisting, primal fear arise as I looked at the paper after my sense of self finally retired to me after... whatever it was that just happened.

“G-go?” The Moth asked, the tightness in his Moth increasing as he did so. “Go—hehe—go where, sweet heart? If your hungry, then allow me to guide you to our kitchens, manned by Hell's finest chefs—”

“NO— I- I mean. T-thanks for the offer— A-and everything you’ve done, sir Valentino! B-but I... I have to go!” I sputtered out as quickly as possible, as the more I was near this Moth, the more I felt my entire being vibrate with fear and anxiety.

The Moth looked taken aback, shocked, as if this was completely alien to him. Still, I took advantage of this couple seconds of confusion and quickly ran by him, heading straight towards the door.

“Wha- Hey, you little bitch, come back!” He ended screaming after realizing where I was headed, as he reached his arm out in the air, as if it were ten feet long and could grab me. Luckily, his attempt at apprehending me failed, as I continued to flee towards the door.

Thankfully, the moth had left the door unlocked when he entered. Thrilled, I slammed it straight open as I managed to glimpse into the wide expanse of a hallway that looked like it went on forever.

Still, as soon as I managed to exit the door, I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me. It was almost as if the room had me in a chokehold, threatening to squeeze the air out of me at any moment.

But now, after relieving myself of those shackles, I felt more alive than I ever have in my entire life. A small smile crossed my mouth as I was getting ready to dash out of the room to cherish my newfound freedom, and—

BADOOM!!!

“ GUHH” 

My hands shot up to my throat, clenching it, as almost instantaneously it felt like a knife plunged straight through it. My knees immediately buckled, dragging me to the floor as tears began blurring my vision as... as the pain— the pain—it hurts it hurts IThurts IThurtsITHUrtsHUrTShURtsHURTS HURTS HURTS!!!

“What are you... oh... Ehehe, looks like somebody forgot their medicine.” I managed to hear a mockful voice piece the swamp in my head. Turning ever so slightly, I managed to see the moth, th-the dangerous Moth standing in the center of the room.

Shaking a bottle of orange pills.

“Hehe, look at you, so desperate... so fragile.” The moth chuckled softly, swaying as he made his way towards me. I felt my body collapse completely to the floor at his mere approach, and through great pain, I began trying to claw the floor, trying to push myself forward, trying to escape, trying to live—

“Eh, eh, ehhh. Now, my little doe, running away?” The mocking voice once more broke through, as suddenly.

BANG!

“GAHH!” I managed to release a pain cry as a heeled shoe dug into the back of my palm, basically freezing me in place as it did so.

“Oops, my foot slipped… Sorry." The voice chastised sarcastically, the heel lifting to reveal a streak of blood. “Mistakes happen, as I’m sure you are aware, right? For example, down here, it is a MISTAKE—”

GRIP!

A forceful hand suddenly wrapped around my throat, forcing me up high until I no longer touched the ground, my feet dangling below me… as I was forced to stare deep into the Moths eyes where, despite the pink sunglasses, I could see pain, anger, disgust… and masochistic excitement.

“—A MISTAKE to say no to me.” He finished before grinding his heel into the floor, shifted his body and me back towards the room, before he heaved his arms back and—

BANG!

“GAAHH!” I screamed in pain as I was chucked with extreme prejudice back into the room, my back slamming against the front of the bed before crumbling to the floor before continuing my mad coughing fit. It took everything I had not succumb to the— the blissful darkness—to save me from this pain. Oh-oh god, it h-h-hurts, p-please, someone, save me!

“But I am a forgiving sort, so I’m willing to look past your little—hehehe—blunder; I’ll even give you exactly what you want right now—what you need.” The moth chuckled as he once more shook the bottle tauntingly in the air, and, instinctively, I knew that whatever was in that bottle was what allowed me to breathe normally for that small amount of time before. “And like I said before, all you’ll need to do for me is a teensy... weensy… favor. Hehehehe.”

The moths' chuckles began to fill the air as the same red smoke as before filled the air and wrapped around the lid and body of the pill bottle like tiny chains, with a thin line extending from it all the way to the feathered pen on the floor.

“As soon as you sign the contract, you’ll be free to have all the pills you want, my little daring doo!” The moth spoke as if it were the most exciting thing in the world... before leaning in close to my coughing face and roughly gripping me beneath my chin, resulting in pain beginning to build up inside of me. “If you don’t, however, and continue to be a rebellious little BITCH!… Then I’ll make this look like child’s play.”

Bang!

Just to cement how serious he was, he sent the back of one of his many hands straight towards my cheek, striking it with a stinging slap, which sent me slamming into the floor as even more tears began coating my eyes.

“I’ll leave the choice to you, my baby doe.” I heard the moth chuckle as I watched from my downright position on the floor as the moth left the room, hips swaying side to side as he did so, before finally reaching the door and turning back to me with a sinister smile. “See you in the morning, darling.”

That was the last thing he said before closing the door, leaving me with the image of that horrible, decrepit, evil smile . His closing the door was also immediately followed by a clicking sound, showing he learned from his mistake keeping the door open.

“ Cough… COUGH, COUGH!!!” I began coughing unrelentingly, and my throat began scratching against itself as the pain rose through me.

Desperately, I managed to gather my strength and lunge myself forward, crawling across the floor as I slowly made my way to the bottle of pills.

It was torture, and I felt like I could die at any minute, but I kept pushing on... before eventually making it.

With a weak hand, I wrapped my fingers around the bottle before trying with all my might to unscrew the lid. I used all my remaining strength, with every bit of willpower I had left... but it refused to budge.

With fearful eyes, I began looking around, hoping, praying I’d find something... until my gaze eventually stumbled upon the yellow glowing contract, which had fallen to the floor right next to the feathered pen that the chain of red smoke attached to.

Suddenly, I recollected the words the moth had spoken.

How to be... free.

Immediately, I forced myself to crawl a couple more feet, as with shaking hands I grabbed the pen.

‘This... this can stop it.’ My internal thoughts guided me as I hovered the pen over the MER I already wrote on the paper. 

‘This can make all the pain just… just go away.’

Shakily, the pen lowered to the golden paper, my eyes barely wide enough to see it as they were flooded with tears.

‘Just a... Just a little bit more, and I’ll be free.’

The tip of the pen cressed the paper lightly as I gave faded breath between coughs.

‘I’ll be free of the pain.’

The pen drifted.

‘Of the hurt… and the darkness.’

R .

‘I’ll finally... finally... have what I’ve always prayed for... I’ll have... I'll FINALLY HAVE... I CAN FINALLY LIVE—’

Screach!

Like nails to a chalkboard, I felt my cluttered mind temporarily begin to clear. Looking down, I saw the final letter of my name nearly written up on the golden paper as I... As I…

‘No… NO!’

BANG!

Despite the boiling and piercing pain that flooded every nerve of my body, I still managed to garner enough strength to chuck the pen across the room.

‘N-no, Merri, your—you're strong—COUGH—y-your—COUGH COUGH—y-you c-c-can survive th-this! J-j-just... just please... don’t— COUGH COUGH—D-don’t g-g-g-give up, please.’

Shakily, I saw darkness begin creeping into the corner of my eyes, billowing for me to fall into its abyss, into its temporary freedom of all the pain.

Hurt and staggered, I reached into the inside of my white silk dress. It was an extremely simple garment and lacked even some of the most basic amenities that I have seen other people wear, like pockets.

Still, through a little ingenuity, I managed to make a little something on the inside to... hold something.

After struggling to find it, I finally found a familiar little sewn area on the inside of my dress that I added in. As I fearfully clenched what rested inside, as I pulled it out. Finally removed from inside, I relaxed the slightest bit, relieved in seeing the simple sleeve of paper was still there.

With one final breath, I clutched the paper to my chest as I began thinking over what was on it... over who had written it.

‘Please… please help me.’

I pleaded as the darkness encroached, pulling me into its only abyss.

‘H-help… me.’

Until finally, I felt the darkness pull me in fully. My eyes closed as I fell to the floor.

Free from pain, hiding deep within my own mind... for now.

 

Notes:

… I’m not even going to make a joke with this chapter.

This… Was easily the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been writing a chapter before. Obviously it’s not as bad as it could’ve been, and realistically it could’ve been a lot worse. However, it was still… A lot.

I did consider for a second toning it down by quite a bit, but then I realized that it wouldn’t be fair to either Hazbin nor SCP if I did so, as by watering down these sorts of moments would only work to dilute what their original stories mean and make it less impactful.

I also am aware that the chapter is a bit shorter tha usual, and it was actually supposed to be a part of next chapter. But then I realized that if I made it shorter to fit into the next chapter, then that kinda would be taking away some of the heaviness from the scene. Plus, I feel like I need to take my time when writing about something like… this.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, despite how uncomfortable it could’ve been for some. I guess my only question is, what more do you want to see in the future? What parts or characters in this story do you all enjoy the most and want to get caught up on?

Regardless, I’m going to cry myself to sleep tonight and think about what I’ve done.

So, leave a kudos if you enjoyed, drop a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or jokes. And, seriously, I hope you all have an incredible day!

Chapter 37: It stars with Sor— Mr@&$-W)&!Hi?,!t&@;e&.pzzzt… ."

Chapter by WebHead_11

Notes:

“Who is your favorite—¥£€¥€¥£¥££€£

&$@!!$)?(;!¥€*+!?<€%#£&@¥++=£>£)!&POV@$”¥€¥€¥

Flame.

Fire pouring out from the night sky.

The land around me, once vibrant and alive, now reduced to a husk of its once graceful exterior.

I took a second to absorb my surroundings, taking it all in.

Ashes fell from the sky like rain dancing among the shattered light, the earth cracked and shattered like a pane of glass, the very air itself smelled of blood and death, gently pushing away the souls of the forgotten.

I took all of this in once more, before turning to leave.

Leaving the wasted world behind… leaving everything behind…

 

Hhuu uh in
€>*>+>£#*~!*,!|¥~!~¥, -character in the story so far?”

Angel Dust POV

“So, ummmm… Crazy weather we’re having—” 

“Just shut up.” I cut the guy off, as I pulled off the cork on a large bottle of whatever the fuck Husk had hidden behind his bar. “I came here to have a drink, not talk.”

“Right, of course... Um… Ok.” He ended up saying awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as he did so. I rolled my eyes before pulling my head back, ready to take a swig from the drink and–

“Whatcha drinking?”

“Fucking piss, now shut it.” I responded sarcastically with a roll of my eyes as I lowered the drink before walking around the counter. “I’m trying to actually fucking enjoy myself for once... And besides, I thought you also came here to get wasted.”

Andrew chuckled awkwardly at my accusation before turning away.

“Ya, well... um… Ok, I might have just said that in the heat of the moment.” I ended up admitting, looking towards the ground in shame. “That was… really just the only excuse I could think of to try and talk to you.”

“Hehe, talk to me? Don’t tell me that little old virgin here has a newfound crush.” I said mockingly before taking a sip of my poison. 

“Oh god no. No offense, but I don’t.. I’m not… gay.” 

“Hmm, hasn’t stopped people down here before.” I chimed in seriously, my back against the hard wooden countertop of the bar. “After all, if you never tried it, then how would you know for sure?”

"... fairly fucking certain.” He ended up exasperating back at me, allowing a chuckle to escape my lips. Oh look, the bastard actually made me chuckle. I guess he is good for something after all.

“Whatever, your loss.” I joked, my voice absent of its usual bravado that I usually did when I made those kinds of jokes. I was too tired for that right now. "So... what did you want to talk about?”

“Oh, just... just to ask if you were... ok?” He ended up admitting, resulting in a questioning glance from me, which caused him to once more awkwardly look around. “I mean—correct me if I’m wrong— but you looked sort of... bummed out after the whole... r-roleplay thing.”

“Heh, ya, sure I was.” I ended up smirking in response, kicking myself up from the edge of the wooden bar. “What can I say? I got into the porn industry for the fucking, not the acting. Ain't exactly my area of expertise, toots.”

“Yea… Right, I completely forgot you were a porn star—whatever, that isn’t important! I just wanted to ask if— and forgive me if this is personal, but are you… you're not getting abused or anything, are you?”

BADOOM!

“A-abused?” I chuckled, bringing the drink down from my lips as a slight smile creased my face. I looked away, laughing slightly. “Hunny, if you're a porn star and AREN’T getting abused, then you're doing your job wrong.”

“That’s… concerning.” The man spoke, sounding serious as he scratched the back of his head. I sweated nervously on the side of my head a little bit but kept my composure overall as the man turned back to me.  “Do you... wanna talk about it?”

“Pfft, hehe—talk about it?” I chuckled, shrugging my shoulders disbelievingly as I shook my head with a devious smirk, chuckling all the while. “Dear fucking Lucifer, aren’t you a kinky bastard?”

“That’s— we… we both know that’s not what I meant.” The guy stuttered as he shook his head, obviously not expecting my answer as he blushed slightly in embarrassment. “What I mean is... if something is bothering you... then I'm open to... talk about... Look, I’m just asking if you need help.”

“Ya, you and every other prostitute in Hell.” I rolled my eyes, resulting in another sigh from the masked man.

“Fuck… how does Glass deal with people like this?" Andrew said under his breath before shaking his head and looking towards me. “Look, I’m just trying to help you, alright?”

“Well, I didn’t ask for any of your fucking help. So just fuck off.” I insulted, taking one more swig of my drink as I walked away, wanting nothing more than to get some peace and fucking quiet. I know I was being a bit rude, and the guy probably didn't deserve it, but goddamnit, I'm in a bad mood!

‘Seriously, everyone at this hotel is so fucking nosy. Can’t they just... just mind their own business? Instead of being fucking addicted to my personal life, it’s not like it’s something they can fix, so why can’t they just leave it be—’

SWOOSH!

“Huh?” I muttered in a half drunken confusion, as I swear I just saw something move in the nearby hallway. I raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ok, I get it, You're a standoffish loner who thinks that they can’t burden other people with their problems. But if you just listen to me when I say—”

“Shut up.” I cut him off, but not in a rude and condescending way. More in a… actually, it was in a rude way, but a rude way with purpose.

“Wha-look, I'm just trying to—”

“Shh, I'm being serious.” I reiterated once more before turning my gaze back to the hallways. Seeing my conviction, the gas masked guy finally shut up as I began walking down the hallway curiously, him following as I walked through one of the nearby doorways.

As I continued, I immediately noticed one of the doors in the long hallway seemingly being opened. Before I could ask myself who could be up at this hour, I decided to just peek inside the room through the small crack between the double doors.

“Umm, what's going on?” I heard Andrew whisper from behind me, in which he received a slight grunt in return, telling him to back off.

I turned my attention to one of the bookshelves through the doors and into the room as I saw... Sir Pentious? As he was seemingly fidgeting with the bookcase for some reason.

‘Pentious… What’s he doing up so late–Wait a minute.’ I silently cut myself off, as I finally saw with wide eyes, Pentious place a small camera between the books on the shelves, as if to hide it, and... ‘ Wait, is he... He’s a fucking spy!’

At this realization, my eyebrows creased down in anger. He thinks he can sneak into this hotel and spy on me? Spy on us?! Oh this motherfucker!

BANG!

With one heavy push, I slammed the doors open, shocking both the snakey bastard in the room and the masked guest, who seemingly got startled for a second behind me because of my sudden action.

“You slippery little shit!” I accused the startled snake, letting out a quick scream in shock as he quickly turned around, his back hitting against the front of the bookshelf.

“You're working for the Vee’s?” I questioned, despite already knowing the answer. That camera was a dead giveaway, as it had fucking Vox tech written all over its slick blue design. I began walking towards the snake antagonistically, completely forgetting about my fellow drinking buddy behind me as I got straight into Pentious’s face, putting a finger against his chest. “I fucking knew there was something shitty about you.”

“I don’t know what you're talking about...” Pentious spoke, as if he were some innocent little douchebag! He lightly knocked my finger away before slithering towards the other side of the room. That was, until he crossed his arms and turned back to look at me, an annoying grin plastered on his face. “... Whorebug!”

‘... THIS FUCKING BITCH!’

“Grra!” I growled before leaping straight at the fucker, taking him by surprise as I tackled him to the ground.

“Oh shit!” I heard Andrew swear behind me, though I continued to ignore him, as the only thing I could think of right now was giving this fucker what he deserved!

BANG! BANG! 

In a blinding rage, I began punching the snake across the face before he began fighting back.

We both growled in contention as we began rolling across the floor, each of us trying to get over the other. All the while, Andrew stood in the center of the room, seemingly unsure of what to do.

“U-Um, s-should I help or–”

“Ya, that’d be fucking great!” I screamed back as I managed to get some leverage over Pentious and wrap two of my arms around his neck, attempting to put him in a chokehold. In response, Pentious began furiously trying to rip my arms off.

“Ack, get your aggressssssively average body–” He began, before finding enough space to end my chokehold and turn around, looking me in the eyes as his pupils, along with all the tiny eyes on his snake… flap, or whatever they were, also began to give off a pinkish hypnotic pattern, which immediately made my head feel like shit. “- Off of me!”

“Fuck!” I screamed, the throbbing pain in my head forcing me to let go and take a couple steps back, allowing the slither fucker to escape. I shook my head, feeling that whatever the snake fucker did to me quickly vanished, as I watched him continue to attempt a retreat.

“Aha, and remember thisss asss the day that you almost caught Ssssir pentio–”

BANG!

“Ahh, fuck my head!” The snake screamed as he was suddenly thrown to the floor after getting hit in the back of the head. As for who hit him... Well.

“Ummm… Oh god, I really hope I'm not misunderstanding anything.” Andrew worriedly chimed, holding up a thick book between his fingers that he used to clobber the snake in the back of the head with.

“Nice hit!” I quickly congratulated the fucker, chuckling a bit. Guess he does have a bit of a bite after all.

Regardless, I caught sight of the snake bastard attempting to raise himself up. Not willing to let up, I ran to his side and clenched at his arms, resulting in an immediate yelp.

“Ack, unhand me thisss inssstant!” 

“Ohh, no way fucker. I'm not gonna let you go until you–”

“ Yawn… What’s going on?” A familiar yet tired voice spoke out from behind me. Turning back, I watched as both Charlie and Vaggie entered the room, each in their pajamas, showing that my ruckus must have woken them up. 

"... I didn't do anything!" Andrew quickly dropped his book guiltily, raising his hands high in the air. I rolled my eyes before turning back to the princess.

“This little bitch is a traitor.” I accused, keeping the slithery bastard in place as I made my accusation, and–

BANG!

The wall right next to the door suddenly broke open, leaving a trail of rubble and dust as a familiar black figure walked out.

“I fucking called it!” The Specter screamed, momentarily surprising all of us at his admittedly unnecessary entrance. “GOOD HAS TRIUMPHED OVER EVIL ONCE AGAIN, MY NEMESIS!”

“Wha– No, preposssterous!” The snake began defending himself, breaking out of my grasp as he clenched his chest, once more putting on a show as he slithered over to the pajama-wearing duo and the shadowy fucker on the side, giving some sort of celebratory dance. “I would never betray you.”

“You… Are my bessst friendsss.” The snake hissed in his fake ass voice before pulling both Charlie and Vaggie into a hug, of which one looked much more annoyed about then the other.

“Uh-uh, then explain this.” I accused before pushing one of the books aside on the bookshelf, revealing the hidden camera to everyone in the room. 

Immediately at its reveal, I watched in, admittedly a bit of validation, as Vaggies face shifted to one of anger and Charlies to one of disbelief. I also watched as panic began to rise up in Pentious, realizing he'd been had. As for The Spectre … Well…

“Oh, this is getting fucking good!” The so-called hero chimed, somehow sitting on a lawn chair with a bucket of popcorn in his hands… Which he didn't even eat; he just slammed the snake against his emotionless face, causing the pieces to crumble and fly everywhere. “The liar revealed trope will never get old!”

“Ah! Ah! Abort! Abort!” Pentious began screaming, panicking as he fumbled on the floor, before sliding past me towards the window, trying with all his might to open it as he began talking to what looked like some sort of screened watch on his right wrist. “S.O.S. Agent Pentiousss in need of immediate evacuation!!”

“Pentious? … Wait … You were caught?!” A familiar, telegramy voice spoke from the watch while I made my way to stand next to the entourage of demons who now witnessed the event. Immediately, I could tell this voice belonged to Val’s fuck buddy, Vox. Of course he’d be the one in charge of this fucking spy operation.

“ It hasn’t even been a day!” Vox chuckled from the other side of the watch, obviously finding humor in just how incompetently Pentious handled the whole situation.

“Pleassse, you’ve got to get me out of here!” Pentious desperately called, nerves obviously getting the best of him.

“I can’t believe we thought you could handle even something this simple.”  Vox laughed, finding obvious amusement in all of this.

“Do us a favor; if they don’t kill you, go ahead and do it yourself, you miserable failure— ” Vox shrieked, his voice gaining that familiar static that it did when he got angry. I didn’t really care, as yea, he was right. Pentious is so fucking pathetic… But as he was speaking, before any of us even had the sense to realize it, someone ran up to Pentious and grabbed his arm before staring at the watch.

“Watch your FUCKING TONGUE!” The Specter proclaimed, as we all were startled for a second, not expecting his sudden appearance. Not only that, but this was the first time I think I’ve seen this black fucker sound so... angry.

“ Ehh? And who the fuck are you supposed to be?” The televised bastard asked, resulting in a dangerously low chuckle from Specter.

“Who am I? WHO AM I?! I am the fucking Specter! And nobody talks to my arch-nemesis, Sir Pentious, the Duke of evil and destruction, that way!” He… proclaimed, sounding seriously pissed off. This sudden jump obviously also came as a shock to Pentious as well, who just stood there, looking gobsmacked.

“Sss— ssspecter—”

“Arch-nemesis? … Oh, wait… PFTT, oh ya, now I remember you, your that fucker who decided to have dinner with this worthless, insignificant worm.” Vox chuckled, obviously not at all put off by The Specter’s words. “I’ll give you this pentious; you sure know how to attract a crowd of worthless screwups!”

“You’ve done it now; nobody talks to Pentious that—”

** Beep**

“Wha—THIS FUCKER HUNG UP ON ME!” The so-called hero screamed, obviously offended. He let go of Pentious’s arm before rolling up his sleeves in an aggressive fashion. “THAT’S IT, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS GUY! COME ON PENTIOUS, LET’S DELIVER SOME JUSTICE!!!”

“…”

“… Pentious?” The Specter asked again, confused as he turned to the slouched-over snake. Slowly, I watched as Pentious slithered away from his black friend in a depressed motion, as tears began to slowly build from the corners of his eyes.

“… Jussst make it quick, I guess.” He eventually whimpered before lowering himself to the floor, resigning himself to his fate. I smirked slightly when I saw this, knowing that the bastard had finally given up. “Not that I’d dessserve it.”

“Gladly.” Vaggie spoke seriously, raising her spear higher in a sign of aggression. Charlie then reached out, looking as if she was about to say something, until– 

“Halt.” 

The voice grizzled out darkly, and The Specter made a clear stance in front of Vaggies as he stood over the depressed snake in an almost protective manner. 

“I shall not allow any harm to come to my nemesis.”

"Wha—Oh, come on. Now you wanna protect the bastard?” I groaned, obviously annoyed, as I pointed towards the dark-coated guy. “Aren’t you supposed to be his arch-nemesis or some crap? Why do you care if he kicks the bucket?”

“Angel, just calm–”

“Is that what you think a hero is? A man who kills just because it’d be more convenient than having to deal with the same criminal over and over again?” The so-called hero crossed his arms, interrupting Charlie as she tried to interject on the conversation. “It is my civic duty to protect all from injustice, even if that includes slimy bastards and proprietors of evil like Pentious.”

“What are you— sigh—listen , I don’t want to fight you, ok. But we welcomed him into our home, gave him a place to stay under the promise he would try to be better, only to trick us and try to stab us in the back.” Vaggie ended up interjecting, not as accusatory as me, but still holding her spear up defensively. “People have died for much less down here, and if we don’t do it, the sad sack is probably just gonna do it himself.”

“Ok, we don’t have to go that far–”

“I don’t care what you say. Under no guise is murder—cold-blooded murder—ever acceptable. What sort of hero would I be if I didn’t step up to defend bastards like  him?" He pointed over his shoulder towards the still depressed Pentious before shifting his stance into one more akin to a fighter. “And if you try to bring harm to this man... Then you're gonna have to get through me first.”

“With pleasure–”

“ NO !”

I was suddenly cut off, as an out of nowhere burst of anger came from Charlie, her true demonic form appearing slightly as two long horns appeared atop her head. As quickly as they came, however, they vanished, as Charlie released a deep exhale, successfully gathering everyone's attention, including Andrew, who, at this point, was just standing in the corner of the room looking completely lost. 

“Nobody is murdering anyone, ok?” Charlie spoke calmly after a moment before turning towards Pentious’s current bodyguard. “May I?”

The Specter looked hesitant for a moment before finally giving a tiny nod, moving aside so that Charlie could walk over to the still huddled-up snake, who seemed to be barely listening to the whole conversation. 

Charlie kneeled down to the snake before placing a hand on his shoulder in a calming motion. “Pentious?”

Slowly, the snake opened his water filled eyes, as he probably bore witness to all of us just staring down at him.

Until finally, Charlie opened her mouth and did what she always does best... Singing.

“It starts with sorry.”

…

…

“... Wait, what's happening?”

 

========================================================================

Andrew POV

I… Couldn't believe what I was seeing.

This day was already weird enough—waking up and nearly being shot by a couple of Imps, running into 999, arriving at this hotel, questioning my sanity while being a house in some roleplay skit, and stopping what appeared to be some strange spy operation? I still wasn’t even sure, to be honest, but I was seriously hoping that’s where the utter insanity of it all would peak.

‘ But no, of course they had to suddenly break out in song... for some reason.’ I internally registered as I made my way to the double doors to the room and began watching... A song about saying sorry? I honestly do not know what I was seeing, but suddenly almost all the demons, Pentious and The Specter included for SOME fucking reason, began just singing their hearts out.

‘... is Hell secretly made by Disney or something?’

I awkwardly stood still, unsure how to intervene, all the while questioning the origin of this… Singing. Was it normal down here? Is it simply a part of their culture to sing their feelings? Is it just their pure bat-shit insanity? I didn’t know, but I was extremely curious.

“Who could forgive a dirtbag like me?”

I turned curiously, spying Pentious beginning to sing his part. I was also pleasantly surprised by how good of a singing voice this snake had, but I digress. The whole situation just felt... weird. Too weird to be true, too weird to be natural. And to add on to the insanity, ethereal, originless music had begun to play all around us. Perhaps it was Charlie or someone doing magic or whatever to create this ambience, but... I don’t know.

‘I don’t know why, but it's almost... It almost feels like its—’

“ Why, good evening, Mr. White!”

“AHH- FUCKING BRIGHT ON A STICK—WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT!?” I screamed out in half shock and half annoyance, as I almost jumped out of my skin at the sudden appearance of the clingy red-suited bastard.

“Stop what? I was simply saying hello.” The demon said while chuckling, knowing full well what I was referring to. I grumbled in dissatisfaction before turning my head back towards the song and dance.

“Whatever just… Stop being so fucking creepy all the time, ok?” I ended up muttering, which resulted in another annoying round of chuckles from the Cheshired smiling man.

“ Oh come, I was fibbing around a bit. No harm in a bit of fun, after all, right?” He leaned down to me with his arms across his back, the yellow-toothed grin breathing down my neck.

“... You and I seem to have very different definitions of fun.” I ended up speaking in a discomfortable fashion as I tried my best to avert my gaze, as if not acknowledging his smile would somehow make it less creepy. 

“Oh? Then please enlighten me, Mr. White. What would you describe as fun?” The deer-footed demon ended up asking with a chuckle, his question almost sounding too earnest.

I shrugged, not really sure how to answer. “I dunno… I guess just hanging out with friends or something, reading a book... sleeping—I don’t know.”

“Hmm, quite the limited range of hobbies, don’t you think?” The demon noted before beginning to walk around me a little. “I, for one, have quite the number of hobbies that I’d be interested in showing you; what do you say, Mr. White?”

“... I mean, I’d rather not–”

"Oh, I can envision it now!” The demon grinned as he cut me off, causing another pang of annoyance to spike within me before he continued. “ You and me hitting it off over a spot of tea, possibly torturing the wayward soul here and there, or perhaps even enjoying a hunting expedition into one of Pride's dangerous forests! Are you a fan of hunting, Mr. White?”

I rolled my eyes. “As if my dad tried taking me out a number of times like his dad did for him, but I never really understood the fun in it.”

“ Hmm… Well, I for one love an exhilarating hunt every now and then.” 

‘Ya, probably due to some demented, fucked-up reason.’ I internally critiqued but still bit my tongue from saying out loud. Nothing good is bound to happen from poking this particular bear.

“Well, good for you.” I spoke semi-sarcastically before a burning question ignited in my mind. I turned to the smiling man, who still seemed as creepy as ever. “Why would you want to bring me with you anyways? And while I’m at it, why have you always been so… So… obsessed with me?”

At my question, Alastor, instead of trying to defend himself or even try to deny the claim, just began chuckling lightly.

“Why, for the same reason I do anything in life, because it’s fun!” He proclaimed… Once again annoying me.

Still, before I could make my displeasure clear, however, the lanky demon suddenly leaned down to me harshly. His face rested directly in front of mine, and his eyes transformed into what I could only describe as radio dials… As I suddenly felt my soul shiver... and crack. “And because I find you rather… interesting… Mr. White .”

… what?

“Wait, what do you—

“It starts with sorry.” / “It starts with sorry.”

Before I could finish my question, I suddenly heard the originless music halt as the rest of the guests appeared to have finished their singing. Looking over, I saw Pentious and Charlie holding each other's hands, each with large smiles adorning their faces, with The Specter standing next to them holding a pair of pom poms. Vaggie and Angel also stood in the corner of the room, Vaggie with her spear and Angel with... a couple of Tommy guns... Wait, why didn’t he just bring those out earlier?

Regardless, it looked like the impromptu musical finished.

“I hated that song.” A familiar voice spoke out as I turned to my left and noticed that the one-eyed demon known as Niffty appeared, seemingly waking up from the music on account of the pajamas she’s wearing, standing there staring at them with a disappointed look. “Why are you so lame?!”

She quickly walked over to Pentious before kicking him in the… Shin? Tail? Whatever it was, it seemed to have the intended effect as Pentious grabbed his tail in pain. “Not a bad boy.” She complained before leaving.

“Stop assaulting my fiend, you fiend!” Specter complained, despite the fact that he was actively hiding behind Charlie as he did so… still probably traumatized about what happened between the two of them earlier.

“Good first day! Let’s get some rest.” Charlie ended up saying happily before leading everyone else out of the room and back to the hallways. As they left, I did take notice of Angels… less than pleased look, I was going to reach out and ask if they were alright, attempting to continue the conversation I tried to start earlier... But I stopped myself, realizing that for tonight at least, it would probably be better to let him simmer down with a night's rest.

“Jeez, this isn’t going to be easy. Anyways, as I was saying, Alastor... Alastor?” I began asking before realizing that I was left completely alone, with the smiling madman from before nowhere in sight.

'That... is mildly concerning.’ I thought, as my fear of this creature never ceases. Still, this is probably better anyway, as any second I spend where I don’t need to talk with that creep is a second well spent.

So, after a second of looking around, I quickly made my escape from the hallway and back to my room, hoping to forget about the red-suited man.

‘Still, this unease I’m feeling just won’t go away... I hope it’s nothing.’

So, I entered my room and collapsed on my bed.

I hoped, prayed even that I would just wake up at the foundation. Sure, I was surrounded by monsters every day, but at least they were monsters I knew. These ones… not so much.

And that… that terrifies me.

 

=======================================

???? POV

“Hehehe, read 'em and weep, boys!” I chuckled, a fire in my eyes as I placed my cards atop the table, revealing a pair of kings. “Looks like I win again!”

“Agh— this is fucking bullshit!” The large imp man slammed his cards on the moldy and deformed table. He then raised to his feet before aggressively pointing his finger towards me, his face contorted with anger. “You’ve won the last eight hands in a row! Your fucking cheating!”

I clutched my chest, pretending to be insulted by his words.

“Cheating? Me? Why I would never.” I pretended to be extremely appalled as I began shaking my head. “I’m just on a real hot streak right now. Who knows, maybe my luck finally ran dry after this last hand. Maybe you'll finally win one! Well, if you still have any money left, that is.”

I chuckled, as I began scooping the handfuls of loose bills and coins to my side of the table, chuckling while doing so.

“Ack, you know what—screw you!” The large demon grumbled indignantly before roughly standing from the table before heading towards the bar, pitifully trying to retain whatever dignity and money he had left.

“Hehe, sucker.” I chuckled quietly before turning my gaze to the rest of the weathered bar. 

“Alright, who’s next?” I ended up asking the whole room, yet every demon fucker in the room simply averted their gazes, obviously seeing the last couple people who played against me lose all their money. I rolled my eyes. “Come on, don’t tell my your all too much of fucking pussies to try and win it big? I’ll tell you what, next person who finally grows the balls to challenge me, I’ll go all in regardless of my hand!”

At my sudden deceleration, the rest of the demons suddenly began whispering, a recognizable, greedy look in all of their eyes.

I grinned, knowing my bait had been set.

‘All I need to do now is wait for one of these bastards to finally give into temptation, and I’ll bleed them dry for everything their worth—’

“All-in, you say?” 

“Huh?” I looked over my shoulder, questioning, as I heard someone speak up from behind me. Looking towards the booth, I noticed two figures, their faces covered by some sort of cloth masks while their eyes were covered by what looked like heavy welding goggles. One of the figures looked significantly calmer than the other and also seemed to be the one that spoke up. I smirked. Bingo.

“Heh, of course! I’m an imp of my word, after all!” I chuckled, giving a toothy grin towards the newest batch of suckers, which I assumed were Sinners based on their strange outfit. 

“Come over, have a seat! Maybe you’ll finally beat ol’ Jimbo and Amon at our own game!” I chuckled, inviting the masculine figure over to the seat, as I gave an eye to my buff hellhound bodyguard, Amon, who stood at my side. Honestly, he’s probably the only reason none of these limp-dick bastards have tried anything yet, like stealing my hard-stolen—ahem, hard-earned cash. 

At my invitation, the man in the overcoat and goggles lifted himself up roughly from his seat, while his similarly dressed companion nervously scampered behind him, almost like a lost puppy or something.

With a heavy thud, the rough-shouldered man took a seat at the cracking wooden chair across the table from me, his companion shifting nervously as she stood behind him. He looked down at the cards with a simple glance. “... Poker, right?”

“Hehe, yep! Texas Holdem to be exact. I’m assuming you're not a fucking retard and you know how to play, correct?” I asked with a hearty smile, to which the man responded with a confident nod. “Good, now let’s see what you're bringing to the table! Just because I’m going all in doesn’t mean you don't have to put up any sort of tribute. Now come on, let's see it!”

At my giddy excitement, the man reached deep into his thick overcoat before pulling out a simple wallet with light blood stains marking the exterior. With a fluid motion, he uncaringly tossed it over in the center of the table as I pushed my pile of money back. Curious, I opened the wallet, only to be left slightly disappointed as I counted what could only be described as a pittance compared to my current wealth.

“What, is this it?” I asked, and I immediately was given a response with a nod. I chuckled before roughly slamming the contents against the top of the table. “Whatever, guess you're just another broke bastard hoping to win it big. Now, let's deal.”

I went to grab the deck, preparing to shuffle it. 

“Hold it.” The heavy-shouldered man suddenly cut me off, resulting in an annoyed grunt to escape from me. “There is something else I wish to request if I win.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” I asked, partway annoyed as I just wanted to rob this sucker blind and move on to another person already.

Instead of answering my question, however, the man reached into his heavy coat before pulling out what appeared to be a picture of some kind. He placed it in the center of the table, allowing me to get a clear look at the photograph.

Looking at it, I was slightly surprised to see it was a photo of what looked like three imps, one female and two males, holding up guns. The photo seemed to be taken from a security camera of some sort, with the surroundings being extremely blurred, but the three of them appeared to be in clear view, easily identifiable.

“Do you know anything about these three Imp?”

I smirked, “Hmm, I don’t know... What’s it to you?”

“If I win, I want you to tell me all that you, or your wolf friend here, knows about this trio.”

I chuckled, spying an opening.

“I don’t know; that wasn’t a part of the original bet. If you want even more out of me than what I was offering... Then you're also going to have to bring something even juicier to the table.” I smirked before staring daggers at the man, cementing the fact that this was not negotiable.

After a moment of staring between us and a second of internal debate, the man finally seemed to give in. 

“ Sigh… Fine.” He ended up saying, before raising his thumb over his shoulder, pointing to his female companion behind him. “If you win, then she becomes your slave.”

The women, despite wearing face wear, I could tell immediately became shocked. “Wha– What–”

“Deal!” I quickly agreed with a greedy smile on my face, placing the photo into the pile of money. The woman immediately looked like she began freaking out, but neither me nor her companion card, as we continued to stare at each other. I chuckled, ready to get myself a new whore.

“Hehe, alright… Let’s play!”

I chuckled, before raising an eyebrow in question. “By the way, I don’t think I’ve even caught your name yet. Who are you, stranger?”

“… Just call me Gears.”

Notes:

The Specter: (Sir Pentious gets outed as a traitor) I sleep.

The Specter: (when someone tells Pentious to kill himself) YOU WANNA FUCKING GO BITCH?!

Finally, we’re back to our regularly scheduled, funny adventures and not… last chapter.

Seriously though, we are finally done with episode 2 of hazbin hotel! It took… wait longer to get here than I first anticipated. But still, we made it! And we only have a couple of more chapters left until we’re done with the first official arc of the series!

Also, we are finally gonna catch up on probably the most neglected duo in the entire series so far, being Gear’s and Anni, so that’ll be fun!

I’m also gonna bring this up, since it’s undoubtedly gonna be asked, but the reason I didn’t do the I’m sorry song is because, well, not enough is different To make it worth reading and not just watching the clip from the actual episode. This won’t be the case with all songs from the show, but this one at least didn’t feel like it deserved to be included when at most l, the only changes I could make is Specter jumping around.

Anyways, I guess my only question for you all today is, what’s your favorite song from the original Hazbin Hotel? And are there any that you really want me to keep in the story? Just a minor curiosity.

Regardless, drop a kudos if you enjoyed this non-traumatizing chapter, leave a comment if you have any jokes, questions, or recommendations. And I hope you all have and incredible week!

Chapter 38: Dr. Gears no good, very bad day.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Dr. Gears and Anni’s journey takes a surprising turn.

Notes:

“How much is someone—$&@*€£#<€¥%?$&?!’£¥€>”

I continued my journey, walking across the barren land. The dirt cracked beneath my heavy footsteps, as I witnessed the ruin that had befallen this one beautiful place.

Some may call it a tragedy about what happened, others may say it was simply inevitable… I’m not sure I agree with either. Then again, there isn’t anyone left here to debate that point with.

As I walked along the now abandoned path, a froze I stepped on something fragile, something which Immediately crumbled beneath my weight. Gazing downward, I saw a charred skeleton, brittle and exposed to the elements of the world. On top its head, somehow surviving all this, sat a dark rimmed fedora.

I stared at the skeleton in a new light, finally recollecting who it belonged to… before continuing on my way, paying it no extra attention.

So I walked… and walked… until there was no ground left for my feet to walk on.

And I returned home.

“$$@€£>^%¥!— else’s life worth to you?”

“Let’s play!” I chuckled as I went to reach for the cards laid on the table. I planned to end this quickly so I could be done with this shithole and head to another hole-in-the-wall to rob its drunken bastards clean.

As I reached for the deck, however, the gruff man wearing the welding goggles on a full face mask snatched it away first, much to my shock.

“Forgive me, but I would like to look over the card before we begin. Can’t be too careful down here, right?” The man spoke, as he didn’t even bother waiting for an answer, as he began looking through each and every card in the deck with quick succession.

An annoyed ping welled up inside me, but I eventually released a tired sigh and leaned on my hand while waiting for him to finish. “Go ahead if your that paranoid; just remember that I'm shuffling the deck, so don’t even think about trying to arrange the cards.”

“Of course.” He said, as he continued shuffling through them, probably in an attempt to make sure they were all regular cards... which they were, actually, no shady business regarding the cards. 

Still, I kept a close eye on the bastard to make sure he didn’t do anything. Which it looked like he thankfully didn’t, as after a handful of seconds, he gave a satisfied nod before placing the deck on the table.

“You may proceed.”

“Fucking finally.” I groaned before reaching forward and began shuffling the recently looked-through deck. I was a master at this, so I made sure any glance this fucker might have gotten would be worthless. About halfway through, I even let him cut the deck, just to solidify that neither of us could cheat by stacking the cards in their favor. 

Finally, I placed the deck down on the table, before drawing four cards and passing two over to my opponent, keeping the other two for myself. 

Stealthily, I turned to look at the cards. I grimaced slightly, seeing a king of spades and a three of hearts. Not the worst hand I’ve ever played with, but easily far from the best.

Still, I allowed a smirk to crest on my face before lowering the cards a bit.

“Alright! Since we’re already going all in, I’ll just go ahead and deal the flop... that is, unless you want to save both of us some precious time and fold.” I chuckled a bit, hoping to get in the bastard's head and make him think this was a losing game.

Still, it seemed like this man was made of tougher stuff than my usual opponents, as he simply shook his head. I grunted a bit before shrugging as I laid the first three cards down.

An ace of clubs, a jack of hearts, and a seven of diamonds.

'Hmm... nothing great.’ I internally thought, noting that currently I only had high card. 

Still, I allowed a smirk to appear on my wrinkled face before chuckling. 

“Hah, whoo boy, today just ain’t your lucky day, bud!” I mocked before giving the man a condescending gaze. "Sure you don’t want to fold? Trust me, it’ll make the result less painful... well, maybe.”

“… just flip the next card already.” 

“… grr, emotionless bastard. Fine, all your doing is making my inevitable win even more tantalizing.” I responded before quickly flipping over the fourth card.

… A three of diamonds... I smirked.

‘Alright, now we’re getting somewhere.’ I chuckled, noting that I now had a pair of three’s. Not bad… but not nearly good enough to guarantee a win.

‘Especially with all of this on the line… hmm.. looks like I’m gonna have to do it.’ I thought excited before turning towards my idiotic opponent. 

“Heh, last chance, sucker. You can flop now and keep some of your dignity by walking out of this, or drag this on. Your choice.” I chuckled, hoping to finally get under this guy's skin.

“… Play the last damn card.” Was all he said, his eyes locked onto his cards the entire time. 

‘… This fucking bastard— you know what, fine!’ I angrily growled within my mind, as I’d had it up to here with this man’s uncaring attitude.

I smirked as I quickly made sure nobody could see my cards, before revealing one final chuckle before slightly closing my eyes.

I allowed a foreign yet familiar sort of energy to pass through my finger tips into the king of spades card in my hand. Until, all of a sudden, an invisible flame latched onto the card as it slowly shifted, and warped, until...

‘Huff… huff… hehe, there we go!’ I thought excitedly as I turned to the former king of spades, which had transformed completely into a three of clubs.

‘Wow, would you look at that? A three of a kind.’ I laughed internally as I noticed that I now had a three of diamonds, clubs, and hearts.

I cackled internally, thinking about just how much money I’ve made using this trick of mine. Sure, it takes a fuck ton of energy to use and is super uncomfortable, but it has saved my ass so many times.

‘What’s best is nobody expects an Imp like me to have any sort of magic. I mean, it’s almost fucking unheard of!’ I cackled childishly before swiping some of the sweat off of my forehead. ‘Something like this never would’ve flown if the gambling overlord was still in power. Thankfully, his fall from grace had allowed many small-timers to do whatever they wanted, like cheating scumbags like this sad sack of shit for all their worth!’

“Hehe, your lost, fucker.” I gave before turning over the final card. And when I did, I felt my grin grow even more.

‘An ace of spades, oh, this is fucking rich!’ I thought, as I realized I now had a full house with two aces and two three's. ‘Hah, I didn’t even mean to do that! Of fuck, I’m about to destroy this asshole!’

“Welp, I tried to warn you, buddy! Guess you're all out of luck now!” I laughed out loud at the emotionless man across the table from me before dramatically slamming my cards against the table, which seemed to startle the girl behind him… you know, probably considering she was being anted up. “Full house, fucker!”

The girl gasped as I saw her begin trembling slightly. Hehe, good… That’s exactly how I like them.

“Guess I’ll be taking this now.” I began, as I wrapped my hand around the pile of money in the center, taking back both mine and the money he threw on the table. “Tough luck, buddy. But hey, maybe if we play another round, you’ll—”

“Hold it.” The man said, causing me to stop.

“Ehh? What is it now? It’s too late to back out now, you fucker. You reap what you sow, after all! So why don’t you be a good bitch and back off, loser!”

“… The only loser here I see is you.” The man said, before placing his cards on the table and— “four-of-a-kind beats full house; I win.”

‘…WAIT, WHAT THE FUCK’

I startle back immediately before staring down at his cards and... and— WHAT?! H-HOW?! TWO FUCKING ACES?!

I was shocked as the masked man placed down both an ace of hearts and an ace of diamonds.

“So… I believe that’s that.” I man spoke as I heard the bitch behind him revel in a relieved sigh, clearly glad that her friend didn't lose. “And now you have to keep up your end of the bargain; who are these—”

“H-h-how?! HOW?!” I began screaming before pointing my finger angrily at the bastard. “Y-y-you cheated! You’ve got to have cheated!!! 

“… Heh, cheated? I would never. I guess you just had a bad hand.” He said monotonely, no real joy over winning even apparent in his voice. Another murderous pang welled up within me as I began clenching the table so hard that my fingers began bleeding, as my eyes grew bloodshot with rage. 

“Regardless, I won. So I’ll be taking this.” He began, and with one smooth sweep of the table, moved all the money to his side of the table. “And secondly, since I bet my colleagues free will and rights as a human being—”

The girl twitched.

“— You are now required to hold up your end of the deal and tell me everything you know of these imps.” 

He once more placed the photo of the three imps in front of me, but I barely paid it any mind as I growled. I slammed my fist on the photo, before growling aggresively.

“I don’t care about your fucking photo! And I am not letting you take my money; you cheated!” I screamed, still refusing to accept the loss. I then turned to my muscular hellhound bodyguard before barking a command. “Jeravalt, shake this fucker down!”

My hellhound nodded before uncrossing his arms and began walking over to him. Though, despite the approach, the fucker never moved a muscle.

Eventually my hound arrived, and I smirked as I watched him place a rough hand on his shoulder, clenching tightly. The figure didn’t even flinch as he did so, despite the obvious amounts of excess force being used.

"Alright, bub, now unless you want me to beat you till’ next Wednesday, then you better start explaining how you cheat—”

BANG!

“Don’t touch me.” 

“W-what?!” I stuttered back in my chair a bit after being startled by the loud noise. I watched in shock as well, as my hellhound, whom I paid a lot of money for, fell to the floor in a bloody mess.

I turned, shaking, as I saw a smoking pistol in the man’s hand that I had somehow missed before.

"People never want to play nice.” Was all he said before standing up, his chair falling behind him as he pointed the gun straight towards me. Desperate and scared, I quickly raised my hands in surrendor, my entire attitude taking a complete one-eighty as my life was put on risk.

“W-w-w-wait! P-please d-don-don’t k-k-kill m-me!” I desperately called out, my earlier bravado completely vanishing as he pulled out the gun. Looking around, I hoped that maybe another one of the bargoers would see this and step in, try to help!

But of course, they all just turned away. Acting like they didn’t see anything. There were even a couple of people who seemingly chuckled at my misfortune, finding the whole situation more humorous than anything.

BANG!

My attention was drawn back to the man after I heard another loud bang. Turning back, I saw he had shot the hellhound for a second time, probably just to confirm he was dead.

“Now, you are gonna answer my question.” He spoke slowly, cocking his pistol back. “First of all, just for my own curiosity… how did you cheat?”

“Wh-wha? I-I didn’t—”

BANG!

“Talk!” He exclaimed as he shot the hellhound for a third time before turning the pistol back to me. The message he was trying to convey became immediately clear, as I once more stuttered forward with a terrified cry.

“I-I-I used magic!” I quickly exclaimed, before swiping my hand slightly, the three of clubs on my side of the table immediately shifted in a surge of illusionary magic, returning it to its original form of a king of spades. “T-that’s all I did, promise— I-I’m sorry, j-just please let me live—”

“Stop whimpering.”

BANG!

“Eep!” I let out, seeing him shoot the body of my hellhound AGAIN.

“… Alright, and now I’ll ask one more time.” The man started, before using his free hand to slide the picture across the table towards me until it was right in front of my view. “Tell me all you know of the imps in this photo. And don’t even think about lying or attempting to make something up, because if you do… well.”

BANG!

“You get the message.”

‘STOP SHOOTING HIS BODY; HE’S ALREADY FUCKING DEAD!’

“I- I don’t know anything, I swear!” I quickly attempted to convince him, as I honestly had no idea who the Imp’s in the photo were. “I’ve never seen these fuckers before in a day in my life! I promise, just please let me fucking live!”

“I’m not fucking around!”

BANG!

Another shot to the corpse.

“Do you swear you don’t know them?!” He leaned over the table, his voice rising aggressively.

“Yes, yes—I fucking swear, man, just please, please let me live! You can take the money; I don’t even want it anymore. Just don’t fucking shoot me!” I screamed desperately, hoping that if I made myself pathetic enough, the figure would take some sort of pity on me and allow me to live.

“Hmmm… sigh. I believe you.” Was all he said as he moved back, placing his gun away in his pocket. He also quickly grabbed all the money and smoothly scooped it all into his pocket, leaving nothing behind. He then turned to his female compatriot, who still seemed a little shocked by the whole experience, before knocking his head slightly to the left in signal. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Uhh?— o-oh, right.” She muttered quietly before beginning to follow behind the terrifying man. All the while, I sat shocked in my chair, barely able to hold back the tears.

He left; he kept his word! I’m gonna live—

“Oh, speaking of which, he’s all yours, everybody.” The man suddenly articulated, turning to look behind him as he reached the door. “Make sure there’s nothing left of him.”

That was the last thing he said before the two of them left.

‘Uh? What? What does that mean?’ I started to question before hearing low growling emanating from behind. I turned slowly, only to be welcomed with the view of half the bar's patrons looking towards me, lustful murder reflected in all of their eyes.

“Hehehe, hey dipshit, was that true? You cheated?” The large imp man who I beat just before growled as he got straight up into my face. I wanted to call out for my bodyguard... but he currently had more holes in him than Swiss cheese.

“W-well— come on guys, it was all in good fun.” I tried to reason, as I felt my back pinging against the table. “B-besides, that guy has all your money now! If you have a bone to pick, it should be with him!”

“Oh, we don’t care about the money anymore, bub. After all, the guy won it fair and square.” A black spidery looking demon commented before smirking. “However, he left us with something much juicier than money. Whaddaya say, fellas? Want to teach this fucker what happens to cheaters around these parts?”

I stomach dropped at the following chorus of yes, hell ya’s, and absolutely’s that echoed between the patrons. As they all turned towards me one more.

“Oh Satan—”

BAM!

“GAHHH!!!!”

 

---

Anni Gerry POV

I flinched slightly as I began hearing loud crashing sounds beginning to emanate from the bar we just left, followed by screaming and cries for help.

Usually, I would be extremely freaked out by such an event. And I still am, honestly. However, I think I have a pretty good idea as to why a brawl like this had broken out.

‘Speaking of which.’

I turned back towards the back of Dr. Gears, who continued paving the way ahead for me, looking not at all bothered by the noises. I know I should probably be silent, as whatever Gears is thinking of is surely more important than any questions or comments I had on the situation… but... call me weak, but I couldn’t hold back my curiosity.

“… You knew this would happen, didn’t you?” I asked quietly, honestly half hoping that Dr. Gears didn’t even hear it so I could pretend it just didn’t happen. 

Alas, my luck wasn’t that good as, without even stopping his movement forward, the man responded.

“Yes, I did.” He answered simply, betraying no emotion in his voice.

However, still curious, I conflicted with my better interest and asked a follow-up question.

“… How? How did you know they’d stay behind and not just try and rob you?”

“There are few things men covet more than money... With one of those things being petty revenge.” He once again answered, as if not caring if anybody heard him. 

I easily accepted the answer, as it sounded about right. And besides, who am I to question the judgment of the great Dr. Gears himself?

‘I should really stop asking questions now… But... shit, I’m just too curious.’

“Umm, since we’re on that... Did you cheat in that card game?” I asked curiously, trying to make myself sound a bit more confident.

“Does it matter? All that matters is that I won. How I got to that point doesn’t matter in the slightest.”

‘That’s basically just a fancy way of confirming my suspicion.’ I rolled my eyes slightly, not at Gears but at the fact that he just treated me like a second-hand scientist, like I couldn’t contribute anything in a conversation and wasn't worth explaining it to.

Which, as a matter of fact, leads to my most pressing and heated question in my mind. 

“Sir, you… Why did you bet my freedom?” I spoke, barely a whisper. Still, Gears evidently heard me, as for the first time in this conversation, he stopped in his tracks, causing me to trip over myself slightly as he turned slightly, now looking at me. 

Despite him wearing a heavy pair of welding goggles, I immediately felt a notable pressure beneath his piercing stare. I subconsciously felt myself shrink in response, unable to deal with the stare of Dr. Gears.

Still, after a couple of seconds of staring, he once again turned around and began walking away. Noting this, I began following once more, but at a notable distance compared to before.

“That bet was a calculated risk. I knew the chances of me losing were basically non-existent, and I wanted to give that imp no reason to lie. If he lost gracefully and told us he didn’t know, then I wouldn’t have gone that far. It was only after he forced my hand did I bite back... As for you, even if I did lose, I could’ve simply bet myself in another game to win everything. You were simply bet first because you are worth significantly less to the foundation than me.” 

I was taken aback slightly by his answer, but after a moment of thinking… he wasn’t exactly wrong. I’m not delusional enough to think I’ll ever reach the same heights that Dr. Gears has reached.

Still, that doesn’t make it feel any less... insulting? Should I feel insulted by it? Should I just let it go and just agree that it was the smartest thing to do?

I’m not sure... but I just don’t feel right about it.

“O-ok… Thank you, sir.” I ended up replying pathetically, keeping my head down while I followed Dr. Gears… Gears… Why is it so hard to talk with you?

‘I finally meet you; I’m finally alone with you… and yet I can’t bring myself to say what I’ve always wanted.’ I considered solemnly as I gripped my hands together in a stressful motion. ‘Why… Why is it so hard? It’s four words—it’s only four words... but it’s just so fucking hard.’

So, I kept quiet and continued following behind the legendary foundation figure, all the while questioning if I’d ever work up the confidence… If I’d ever tell him everything I’ve always wanted to.

 

---

Dr. Gears POV

I heard the silent pitter-patter of steps behind me, signaling that the other foundation employee was following.

Good. After all, it would do neither of us any good if they decided to run away after a few harsh words... though, if that is what they did, then they wouldn’t have been of any help to me in the first place.

‘Anni Gera... hmm.’ I began flipping through my mind, seeing if I’d ever had any recollection of this figure before. But, like it did every other time I’ve tried this, nothing came up. There was no doubt in my mind that the first time I had even seen them was during the meeting about SCP-666 a couple days back. Besides that, I am absolutely certain that the first words I had spoken to them specifically were down here when I asked for their identification.

Still, something felt off about her. Not only did she seem to be a fan of mine—which, to be frank, I didn’t even know was possible—but she also seems both genuinely excited by my mere presence and also wildly intimidated. The latter I can understand, and so can I for the former. But together, it merged into a strange combination that almost signifies something more.

‘Hmm… maybe she has a crush on me?’ I began to consider... but my internal Dr. Bright immediately laughed at the idea, as if calling me an emotionless son of a bitch that wouldn’t have the capacity to get hard even if I was surrounded by twenty Brazilian prostitutes... Wait, what?

‘Damn, I’m not even near the guy, and he still plagues me with his stupidity.’ I grimaced before returning on topic. 

Thinking it over, I highly doubt she has any sort of romantic attraction to me. Though, admittedly, I could be flawed with that thought as I don’t have much experience in the realm of love.

‘But then, there’s her name... Anni Gera.’ I began consulting myself, thinking over those words again. ‘Could it just be a coincidence? Maybe, but I’ve been taught time and time again that coincidences are nothing but an excuse for something much deeper. Everything has a reason behind its existence... even this, potentially.’

As quickly as the thought came, however, I quickly got rid of it. Right now, we both clearly have a common interest in surviving. As for what happens later, that’s anyone’s guess.

So, I continued walking forward, planning on finding another place to gather information at. As I continued walking down the road, I passed many strange individuals. Most of them seemed to be imps, as this was called Imp City after all.

There were a couple of stray 'sinners’ or whatever I heard people call them. Each of which were extremely unique, but the vast majority seemed to be somehow animal-related. Even if some of them were... more annoying than others

“I’m here, Blitzy-kun! Please notice me! You're the only one out there for me, please! BLITZY-KUN!”

‘My point exactly.’ I thought as I saw a strange creature, seemingly a cat girl with three eyes, blue fur, tiny wings, and horns, along with a pink-haired tail, ears, and… well, hair atop her fur. While wearing a relatively standard black hoodie and a pink checkered skirt.

I watched this female continue to scream to the heavens, as if they wanted the gods themselves to notice her.

“I’ve been here for days, my Blitzy-kun! Please! Please notice me!!!” The… Creature continued speaking dramatically before falling to their knees and clutching their chest, as if she were in some sort of romance novel. “But I’ll wait; I’ll wait for you, my Blity-kun! Till the day you finally realize your undying love for me and swoop me up with your strong, toned muscles! Until then, I’ll be waiting by your billboard, so I can always gaze at your charming face! Blushes dramatically.”

“… Did… did she just say—”

“Yes, yes, she did. Now let’s continue moving.” I told the researcher, deciding to ignore stupid situations like this. After all, getting involved too deeply in this sort of stupidity will only lead to us getting distracted, forcing us further away from our target.

“Hehe, yeah, I guess your... Wait a minute…”

The female researcher began speaking to herself. But I decided to ignore her, as I brought my own hand up to my chin and began thinking.

‘Hmm, let’s see. I believe I have visited and gathered information from all the more popular bars on the east side of the city. Yesterday I broke into 13 homes, none of which had any worthwhile information, showing that whoever these Imps are must be masters in keeping their identities hidden, despite being extremely loud killers in the human world.’

“U-um… D-Dr. Gears, sir—”

“Not now, I’m trying to think.” I spoke over her as I attempted to regain my focus.

‘So, if we head towards the western part of the city, there should be at least a handful of other establishments I could question. However, I need to keep in mind there's always the possibility they don’t even live in this city, as I have heard rumors that most Imps live in a place called the wrath wring, so that might be worthwhile to—’

“D-Dr. Gears, I get that’s sir, b-but—”

“Just hold your tongue for one second.” I once again cut them off, causing them to shrink back.

“B-but sir—”

“That’s an order.” I said, ending the conversation, before returning to my thoughts. And it seemed to work, as I saw them immediately stop talking, following my orders to their absolute.

‘However, I have no reason to be fully convinced they live in the wrath ring, nor do I have any concrete evidence to point me to that conclusion. So for now, I should complete at least a basic scan of the city. No matter how well hidden they may be, there has to be someone who has heard of them. Nobody, especially supposed assassins, could remain completely anonymous in this hellish landscape.’

“Right… Alright, so we’ll start by moving up to the western parts of the city and hope our admittedly dry investigation bears some fruit.” I spoke out loud, half to me and half to my follower, as I turned back to look at them; she also seemed to be on the verge of bursting, like they really needed to tell me something. “Just remember to keep a lookout for every minute detail, and don’t let anything slip past your gaze; this is important. Do you understand?”

She began nodding furiously, though her head kept wandering and if trying to look at something constantly. Finally, I sighed before waving my hand. “Anyways, you may speak now. This better be important.”

In response to my words, the girl released a heavy breath that I didn’t know she was holding. “S-sir… behind you.” She said, raising a finger and pointing up towards the roof of one of the buildings.

I was confused. Was she just trying to get me to look at something? I turned around, not expecting much, and—

“EHH!” I released subconsciously, as I saw... atop one of the buildings... A… A billboard with an arrow pointing towards the building the cat girl was yelling at, with… w-with…

Slowly, and shakily, I pulled the photo out of my pocket. I looked at it… then the billboard… back at it, then the billboard, photo, billboard, PHOTO, BILLBOARD!

“THEY HAVE A FUCKING BILLBOARD?!” I momentarily lost my composure as these demons—the ones I’ve been studying and trying to track for months in the human world— the ones who’ve killed hundreds—HAD A MASSIVE FUCKING BILLBOARD WITH THEIR PICTURE ON IT, POINTING STRAIGHT TO THEIR OFFICE BUILDING!!!

“… You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I sighed into my hand as I felt a creeping embarrassment in my spine. My inner Bright once more laughing like an annoying maniac and making jabs at my expense for how blind I was…

“That… Ok, I guess... I guess that solves that.” I kind of stuttered a slight bit, but quickly returned myself to the present. “Well, as long as that’s it, then—”

“I, um… also found this, sir.” My companion spoke out of turn before holding up a poster in their hands with... with the word I.M.P. written on it, along with another photo of the large male imp from the photo.

“… where did you get this?” I ended up asking, only for the girl to point behind us where... there were dozens of the exact same posters stuck to the walls extremely close to each other.

…

…

“… So, um... What were you saying, sir?” The girl stuttered. Not in a condescending way, but more so in a ‘I have no idea what else to say right now’ kind of way.

“… Nevermind.” I ended up responding, equally ashamed of myself for missing... ALL the obvious clues.

‘Whatever, I guess it wasn’t the worst thing that could’ve happened.’ I thought before turning around and headed into one of the alleyways that went towards the building the billboard was pointing at. ‘At least they don’t have something like an actual commercial. If they did, then Bright would never let me hear the end of it.

 

---

Plague Doctor POV

“Achoo!” Dr. Bright, now possessing Nergal's body, sneezed. Immediately after doing so, he turned to look through the window. “I don’t know why... but I feel like something extremely unfortunate has happened to Gears for brains... and I wasn’t there to make fun of him for it.”

“… sigh, maybe I should’ve just let Nergal kill me.” I commented absently, not wanting to put up with this bullshit anymore today. Especially since it was all I have been able to do, since I’m still healing from the fight.

 

---

Dr. Gears POV

 

‘… I’m gonna pretend that I didn’t just feel a chill run down my spine.’ I thought, as a terrible dread suddenly washed over me. Still, I easily ignored it.

Regardless, I led myself and the girl through an alleyway before crouching down by its exit point, which gave me a clear view of this large, gray office building that had two large black and white horns sticking out of either side of it.

I dropped myself to one knee before carefully beginning to observe the building. After all, there’s always the chance the billboard was nothing more than a trap to catch do-be assassins who attempt to kill these imps, as you inevitably are forced to make quite a few enemies in the unpleasant industry of murder or assassination.

‘Until I can confirm that they actually reside in this building, I should withhold myself from committing to any drastic plans.’ I internally summarized, never peeling my eyes off the building. ‘Perhaps I should start some sort of watch. Until either me or the other researcher can confirm their actual presence in the building, then—’

VROOM!

“… Wait, sir, do you hear—”

SCREACH!

BANG!

Whatever it was I was thinking was immediately rendered null, as without any warning, a large black van with the words I.M.P. written on the side scratched by, barely missing the alleyway by a hair before taking a definitely illegal turn, and swerved straight into the office building parking lot... and straight into a lamppost, crashing into it with the same force of a usually fatal crash.

“WHOO! What a fucking thrill!” A bombastic voice suddenly expanded outwards, as the driver's door to the van suddenly got kicked open, as a... very recognizable Imp walked out, before face planting into the floor and immediately rising in a cartoonish fashion. “Well, peg me and call me a whore; that bitch knew how to throw a punch! Am I right, gang?”

“She was like... eighty years old, sir.” A smaller, yet equally recognizable, exited out of the back door, obviously a little dizzy from the sudden crash. “Which, by the way, did you need to bring the van with us? It’s all wrecked now, and I am NOT dealing with the insurance company again.”

“Oh, stop being such a pussy, Mox. Come on, let’s head in and just get fucking paid already before Verosika comes back from her party or whatever the hell she’s doing.” I heard the Imp comment before a female Imp also walked out of one of the crashed vans doors, as the tallest one led them inside the building.

“… So… Um… I think I... found the demons you’ve been looking for.” The girl commented weakly, causing me to slowly turn towards her. “I’ll admit, I was expecting them to be a bit more... intimidating.”

“… Clearly.” I sighed before sharply standing and walking back into the alleyway. All the while, I was forced to process the last... ten minutes of my fucking life.

‘For gods sake, I knew these guys were loud. But this is so far past what I thought was even possible.’ I cursed before leaning my back against one of the walls in the alleyway before beginning to think.

“… So… Those demons, do they—and sorry if my assumption is wrong—but do they have a way to bring us back home?” The girl ended up asking, resulting in me raising an eyebrow. I never informed her why I wanted to find these demons, but it seemed she was able to put enough pieces together to understand that this was all clearly in an attempt to return us back to the human realm. 

Smart girl.

“That is correct... though, as it stands, we don't possess the means to utilize that knowledge.” I explained, as I once more began thinking, deciding to pay no mind to the dark cloaked figure with the tweed-wool newsboy cap who entered the alley, after all, it's only normal. 

“This is above your current level, but in times like these, it is critical to share any and all vital information. As it stands, I’ve been following a string of murders across the world. Though extremely sloppy, my research shows that these imps aren’t creatures to be trifled with and are all far more experienced killers than the two of us.”

“Ok… perhaps we can take them by surprise?” The girl ended up recommending, as if a tiny light bulb lit up in her head as the figure with the tweed-wool newsboy cap walked by her. “From the looks of this poster and that billboard, it seems like this I.M.P. is some sort of business. Maybe if we arrange a meeting, we can catch them by surprise and use whatever method they use to get to our world to go back.”

I nodded slightly, understanding what she had said, as it was a reasonable assumption to put together. Still, she was clearly far from experienced, as many glaring holes filled her plan.

“That plan would never work.” I criticized harshly, causing her to shrink back before I continued. “Although I have been surprised by their… lack of subtleties twice already, I believe my assumption on their killer instincts is completely factual. Even if we get into a room with just one of them alone, there is a decent chance I wouldn’t be able to subdue them fast enough. Along with that, it’s three highly skilled killers with a large arsenal of weapons versus two scientists with the pistol equivalent of pea shooters. The odds aren’t in our favor. Plus, we want to take them in alive, which makes our mission significantly harder already; in addition, we have no idea how their transportation to the human world really works. I have taken notice through security cameras that they typically used some sort of book whenever they did it before, like the one that sent us here, but besides that, I have no clue as to how any of this possible thaumaturgical effect could possibly work.”

“Oh… yeah, right. O-of course.” She awkwardly stuttered before leaning against the alleyway wall across from me, all the while the tweed-wool newsboy cap-wearing figure leaned in close to them, as if examining. “S-so maybe w-we could... just... hire them to take us to the human world? If they have access, then I’m sure they’d be willing to do it for the right price, especially if they're a business.”

“That is along the lines I was thinking.” I ended up recognizing their idea’s merit, which was in tune with my pre-existing plan. I turned back to the girl, absently ignoring as the tweed-wool newsboy cap-wearing figure took out a metal bat before walking towards me. “Which is why I gathered all of those liquid funds earlier. Originally, I was worried that they may deal with something more difficult to come by than regular money. Now, however, by how normal their whole business makes itself to appear, there is now a decently high chance that they act like most other businesses, that being money in exchange for unique services. I'm just hoping we have enough to pay whatever steep price they might ask for.”

The girl seemingly rose slightly, seemingly finding gratification within my acknowledgement of her idea. I once more shook my head slightly, still uneasy about how clingy this girl seemed to act... Or how she tried to act.

‘Whatever, I can worry about that suspicion when we return to the foundation and state our findings.’ I compromised, noticing out of the corner of my eye that the tweed-wool newsboy cap-wearing women raised the metal bat, as if readying to swing at my head. ‘Once we get out of here, however, I have some serious questions to ask her. Like why her name, Anni Gera, is-’

BANG!

“GAHH!” I screamed in pain as a heavy metal object suddenly impacted the side of my head as I fell to the ground, my head beginning to throb with pain. My scream seemingly alerted the girl, who jumped back in shock before running towards me.

“Oh my god– Are you ok–”

“I’m fine!” I cut her off, pushing her off of me as she attempted to help me up. I quickly reached into my clothes and pulled out my pistol before swerving around on the floor. I was expecting to see someone, but when I turned around, there was... nothing. Just filled trash cans, rusting pieces of metal, the tweed-wool newsboy cap-wearing women holding a bloodied bat, and hungry rat looking creatures. Absolutely nothing that could have hit me in the head hard enough to make me bleed.

“Wha– what hit–”

BANG!

I was once more shocked, as my gun was roughly hit out of my hand, both probably breaking a couple of fingers. I startled a breath, as the only thing in front of me was the tweed-wool newsboy cap wearing figure who just swung their bat. Nothing here could have hurt me, nothing! So how did I–

“Y’know, after what you did a couple days ago... This was a little therapeutic, Dr. Gears.” A voice suddenly spoke out as the figure lifted the tweed-wool newsboy cap from their head and–

“CRAP!” I screamed as I suddenly noticed their existence, now that they had finally taken off SCP-268! Worse of all, I finally recognized the person who had hit me. It was the same women that got me into this mess, the same women that trapped me in this damn hellhole, the same women who gave birth to the most annoying man on the planet!

“Evelyn Bright.” I growled as I noticed my female companion try to move before quickly getting hit in the head with the metal bat Evelyn was holding, knocking her to the ground and quickly rendering her unconscious.

BANG.

“Hmm… I’ll admit, I was expecting her to last more than one hit.” Evelyn spoke before placing her foot against my chest, forcing me on the ground, as I currently lacked any strength to resist after her two hits on me. “What happened to the legendary Dr. Gears who only allowed himself to be surrounded by absolute perfection?”

“... didn’t necessarily have much of a choice.” I once more growled. I quickly tried to think of a way to escape, and for a second I considered trying to overpower her... But then I realized it would be useless, and I would be doing nothing but giving her more of a reason to injure me if I did. So, I simply laid down limply before looking up at her. “Just get it over with and knock me out and bring me to whatever secret headquarters you have down here.”

“... Kidnap you? What makes you think I'm here to do that?” She asked, playing with the bloodied bat in her hands. “What makes you so sure that I didn't just come here to... kill you?”

“Because if you were, you would have brought a gun.”

“... Hehehe, touche. Still, it doesn't mean I can’t enjoy myself.” Was all she said before lifting the bat high above her head and sending it crashing down towards me.

BANG!

And suddenly… Just like that... I left the realm of the conscious and was submerged into the inky abyss of my mind, rendered completely at the mercy of the insane women. All the while, I came to one single conclusion.

… That I completely despise everybody from the Bright family.

Notes:

I.M.P.: (finally get introduced.)

Evelyn Bright: And I said fuck no to that! (Hits Gears with a metal bat.)

Wow, a couple of things happened this chapter!

First of all, I.M.P. Was finally introduced… for about three sentences, before I shoved them back in the box— PUT THOSE PITCHFORKS AWAY!

Regardless, I’ve been meaning to get to a Gears and Anni chapter for a while, but never had the chance. So I’m glad I finally could! I’m… a little weird on this one, but I hoped you all enjoyed it.

On other news, next weeks chapter is gonna be the final chapter if Arc 1 of this story! (It’s been like eight months and I’ve only done one arc… god help me.) So I hope you’re all exited for that!

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed the chapter. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, jokes, or anything in-between. And I hope you all have an amazing day, absent of metal bats!

Chapter 39: A many-winged-ally.

Summary:

SCP-035 comes across an interesting ball of feathers. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, one could say.

Notes:

Hello everyone! This is a small chapter that, bar from a few minor changes from me, was completely written by FalloutLego_17 in his current story titled “One-shots for SCP-666: “Hazbin” ”

More info will be provided at the end notes, I just wanted to give them a quick thanks really quick for writing this and letting me put it into the official story.

Pentagram city, industrial district.

 

SCP-035 POV

 

Vroom… BANG!

The old car I was driving came to a sudden stop as it knocked over a few trash cans that were left on the side of the curb.

I silently chastised myself for my reckless driving, but I couldn’t be entirely at fault. I looked at my body as it now showed the first signs of decomposition.

‘I need to get another host soon.’ I pondered silently to myself. ‘When I first found him he was a prime specimen of his species, but now he’s starting to become rigid. Maybe one of those sinners would do the trick?’

The sinners were once human when they were alive but in death some of them gained certain attributes such as increased strength and magical abilities. Perhaps the best of all, they seem to have some form of immortality, though whether or not that would even work with me has yet to be seen.

‘Maybe… something to think about later. I got another beast to lure out.’ I thought as I got out of the car and made my way to the large warehouse I crashed in front of.

The warehouse was obviously quite old, the shattered glass and moldy brick walls that seemed to dot around the exterior of the building that that apparent. It was clear that nobody used the warehouse for quite some time and in due time was bound to be demolished.

I moved quickly from the car and headed straight into the building. This body had a scuffle recently with one of the overlords in this district and it was bound to be spies around keeping a lookout for me.

My boots kept stepping on broken glass, shattering them even more beneath my feet. The complete bareness of the warehouse giving off an uncomfortable setting. Even to me.

Entering the first room, it was clearly a receptionist area given the small space. To the right was a hallway to presumably a bunch of offices, the end of which led to a pair of steel doors that led to the central warehouse.

I looked over to my left and saw a large black splotch of inky darkness spread across the wall.

“Alright, come on out big guy.” I spoke to the dark patch, as the recognizable old man made its way outside of its pocket dimension and into the dim lighting the smudged windows provided.

“So this place has another beast for us doesn’t it?” The creature only gave a small nod at my question. “Excellent! Now where is it?”

The creature only offered a pointed finger with its only remaining arm towards the steel doors to the main warehouse chamber.

“Great. Let’s introduce ourselves to our new friend.” I chuckled, stepping away from the old man and making my way to the double doors at the end of the hallway.

The doors gave way with only slight resistance, attributing to its wear and tear over the years. Once I actually took a step into the room itself, I noticed two interesting things.

One, the entire building looked scratched to shit. Deep cuts ran along the wood, metal, and concrete.

Secondly, there being a large mass of billowy, white feathers that sat right in the middle of the room itself. The huge pile would twitch and shake at random intervals, but for the most part remains still in the rooms center.

Seeing this, I allowed a smirk to cross my face.

“Well, well, well, look at what we have here.” I announced as I made my way to the feathery mass. “Seems to me that an angel ended up a little far from home.”

I grabbed a folding chair that seems to have survived the initial destruction, and took my seat across from the pile of wings, crossing my legs as I took an unconcerned pose.

“Now, I’ve heard from the grapevine that you’re the Foundation’s personal fallen angel.” I started speaking as the pile refused to respond to my presence. “Quite the nasty fall from heaven’s graces, only to end up in Hell of all place. Tch, this is no place for someone such as yourself.” I placed my hands together and rested my mask on them as I continued.

“I’m aware about all the ways Foundation tried to understand you, and tried to control your unique abilities. Fire is often a cruel punishment is it not.” The pile of feathers refused to reply, causing me to hmm inquisitively. “you know, the doctors don’t there’s anything conscious underneath those wings of yours… but I happen to think a little differently.”

I got up and made my way over to the pile, as I began circling it, observing every detail on it.

“You might not be in a cage anymore, but the cage in your mind is still has its iron grip on you, doesn’t it?” I didn’t expect a reply as I continued to talk, walking around the creature, humming a light tune as I did so.

“Hmm… Perhaps you need a special word that will jog something deep down in that memory of yours in order to find your way out.” I stopped pacing as I stood in front of the feathers. My mind coming up with certain words to stir the great many-winged angel.

“Hmm, heaven?”

No response other than the slight twitching of the wings.

“Hell?”

No response.

“Lucifer?”

No response.

“Sinner?”

Nothing.

”Angelic fuckers?”

…

No… response.

I was starting to feel annoyed, I turned back to look at the grizzly old man, who continued to stand next to the entryway, lightly rubbing the stump where its arm used to be.

‘Perhaps I’m going about this the wrong way. Maybe something… more… personal.’

“Heh, you wouldn’t happen to know what an Exorcist is, would you?” I began, before tearing my gaze from the old man and back to the feathered ball. 

This time I got an immediate response, as the wings suddenly stopped twitching and remained dead still.

After about a minute after, the wings suddenly began moving again. This time, however,  they seemed to be retreating back inside the mass. The wings slid over one another as the main shape of the angel was revealed to the world, in perhaps the first time in years.

The angel appeared to be female. She was tall with what appeared to be a badly damaged black and white uniform that showed parts of her gray skin underneath it. Her face showed the same gray texture as her body with green eyes and long flowing black hair. The eyes however showed a vacant expression on them, glossed over, as if dead to the world.

Once the wings retreated fully within her body I could see she was lying prone on the ground, like a puppet without its strings. Then, without warning, her eyes suddenly filled back with life before frantically beginning to rapidly scan her field of view, before stopping right on me.

I saw many things in those eyes, from fear, to confusion, maybe even a little bit of joy… but i also noticed, deep down, and strange splash is anger. Strange.

I made my way closer to her and crouched down in order for the angel to not strain her neck looking up. I then took the initiative to greet myself.

“Why hello feather’s, what the pleasure it is to finally meet you face-to-face. I see that you have consciousness back, so let’s begin with our names. Our captors had referred to me as 035, but you can just call me mask.” I introduced, before carefully reaching my hand out towards her. “And what is yours, my angel?”

She seemed to be struggling with her mouth. She opened and closed her mouth several times before being able to start expelling air out of her throat to create sound. Almost as if she hasn’t used her voice in many years.

“A… As… As… aph. My… n-name i-is Asaph.” She finally managed through Herculean effort, her voice sounding cracked and broken, like a record player that’s been neglected.

“Hehe, well Asaph, it is  nice to meet you. Do you happen to know where we are?”

She looked around the environment before looking straight up from her prone position and looking back at me with those striking green eyes.

“H-hell?” I gave a slight chuckle.

“That’s right. Now that introductions are out of the way, perhaps you’d like to listen to a little proposal I have for you.” Asaph gave no response but a slow blink and a slight frown.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Now, since we’re in Hell I would like to make a deal. I would like to see my grandest dreams come true down in this cesspool of human waste. In order to do that, I will need help from others who share the same un-bending hatred for mankind as I do.” I leveled my gaze down on her again, creeping a smirk, readying the lure. “That’s where you come in. In exchange for both not killing you, and helping me with my goals, I promise to help with whatever fucked up desire you have. What do you say.”

I extended my hands outward to show some vulnerability, though had my other palm ready at a moments notice to reach for my revolver. Asaph looked down at the ground for a moment before looking back at me, a new fire in her eyes.

“If I he-help you, wi-will you help me get me b-back to heaven.” I clasped my hands together and tilted my head to the side.

“Aww, the lost lamb wishes to return to the flock does she not.” Asaph’s eyes flickered with hatred and she brought her mouth into a visceral snarl.

“N-no.” She responded. “I w-want to… kill them. I want to slice at their throats. I want to make them scream for what they have done to me.”

She brought her hand together in order to make a fist. “A-and then, I w-wanna kill those demons that call hell their home. I want them to suffer.”

“Ahh, a revenge trip. Now that’s something I can get behind. Now are you ready to get up and take your vengeance into your own hands?”

Asaph made several spasms and twitches in order to get off the dirty concrete floor to no avail.

‘It seems her muscles have atrophied by being in that form for too long.’

“Well it seems that you can’t get up.” I stated towards her. “I would help you but with the state of this host it would probably be too long before it completely breaks down.” I waved my hand over to the creature that had walked over to us as we were talking.

“I would offer my compatriot here to carry you but he seems to be missing one of two essential pieces.” The creature looked down at me before sadly rubbing its stub.

“Th-that’s alright. I-I I can move myself. I got this!” Asaph said as four wings started to sprout from her back again. Me and the creature took a step back in order to see what she was planning.

The wings glided effortlessly through the air before-

Crunch!

The wings embedded into the concrete surrounding her body looking as if the ground itself was nothing more than warmed up butter.

Asaph’s body then soon began to rise, using their extended wings as leverage to push themselves off of the ground. 

Then, almost spider like, she used two of her large wings as legs, allowing her body to momentarily dangle above the ground. 

Finally, almost as if it were some sort of fashion sense, multiple more wings sprung out of her body before beginning to tightly wrap around her. They hugged her body snuggly, making what I could only describe as a cloak made of white feathers, hood and all, covering her tattered black uniform.

“Looks like you’re full of surprises, aren’t you.” I acknowledged, before turned around and making my way towards the central doors.

“Now, let’s go start some chaos.” I chuckled, before pulling out my gun as a certain memory from my current host entered the forefront of my mind, causing me to snicker. “And I know just where to start.”

 

Notes:

Once again, I would like to thank FalloutLego17 for writing this chapter! And I high reccomend you all read the story where it came from, titled “One-shots for SCP-666:”Hazbin” ” while most of the one-shots in that story aren’t canon to the main story, they are fun to read, so I highly recommend checking it out if you just want some fun content that takes place in this story. The only reason I made this specific chapter from it canon is because, 1. I really enjoyed it. And 2. If fits an idea that I wanted to do with SCP-469, but never had the chance or opportunity to write it. (Also, note, I got their express permission beforehand that I could use this, so don’t worry.)

Anyways, this chapter won’t interrupt the upload of a chapter this Monday as… I kinda realized that this next chapter is going to be the longest chapter in the story so far, I think. It also marks the end of the first official arc in this story, so I hope you all enjoy it! Along with that, there is an important announcement that I need to make on that chapter as well.

Anyways, thanks FalloutLego17 once again for writing this chapter, I really appreciate it.

Regardless, drop a kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any questions, ideas, or anything in between. And I hope you all have a fabulous day!

Chapter 40: A HELL OF AN OPENING ACT! END OF ARC 1

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Evelyn nearly lets her impulsive thoughts win.

A battle between demons takes a surprising turn.

A plan comes to fruition.

??? Talks to ???

Notes:

“What did you think—)&@*%£>*%€*>£>*>

I took one final breath, taking in the scorched and impoverished air around me. Opening my eyes, I stared upon the ruined world… and smiled… finally.

*Click*

I turned at the familiar sound, surprised to spot what appeared to be an extremely injured human. A torn lab coat draped down his body, soaked and colored in vibrant reds, which only continued to grow. The unfamiliar man looked upon me with such hatred, as he shakily held up what appeared to be an angelic shotgun.

“You… You motherfucker.” The figure sputtered, blood escaping from his lips while he did so. “You did this… why… WHY?!”

I didn’t answer, as I simply looked at the figure with bored interest. The only mildly interesting thing about him being that I didn’t realize someone was still alive, but hey, we all make mistakes.

“… What… aren’t you gonna say something!?” He screamed once more, as I could almost taste the fear he held within himself. It probably took all his courage to just walk up here without wetting himself, leaving very little left to actually pull the trigger. “Why did you do this to us? All this bloodshed, all this suffering— WHAT WAS THE POINT OF ALL OF IT?! Come on, ANSWER ME!!!”

“… What’s your name?” I asked, the question shocking the torn and ragged scientist. Still, with trembling lips and what little comfort the gun provided, he answered.

“U-um… I-It’s An—”

*SLICE*

“GAH!” The figures breath escaped him, as a long, showery blade stabbed through his back and traveled all the way through him. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as he arms fell limp to his side, losing strength as he dropped the shotgun.

Then, the shadowed blade vanished and left behind nothing but a gaping wound in his chest. He fell to his knees, as I calmly walked up beside of him. Leaning down, I picked up the gun, before lifting it to the side of his head.

*BANG!*

And as simple as that, I pulled the trigger. His head exploded into a mess of blood and brain matter, as his dead body slumped to the floor. Without care, I threw the gun away, as I paid no mind to the life I so carelessly took. It was just a loose end, and besides, he would’ve died eventually, so it didn’t really matter.

Regardless, I took one last glance around at the ruined landscape before me, the scorched earth seemingly going on forever, before turning to the land in front of me once more. Now, where there was once air, stood a door that with a quick glance, looked like it connected to nothing. But I knew better.

So, I sauntered over the dead body of… whatever their name was, and opened the door.

… leaving the scorched earth behind me… permanently.

-(&¥€*%&)8$@h@&*+£— of this stories first arc?”

Evelyn Bright POV

I lowered the bloodied bat, panting slightly at my aching muscles, a result of the admittedly overkill amount of force I put into the swing… But dammit, if that didn’t feel so fucking satisfying.

Still, my eyes remained dead, locked onto the prone form of Dr. Gears, a large bloodied bruise very evident on the side of his head. Large gushes of blood filtered out of the man’s head, condensing into a tiny river that began flowing along the cracks in the pavement.

I smirked slightly, as devilish thoughts began popping up in my mind while staring at this man. This man... this thing... shot Jack. Unintentionally, maybe, but he still brought harm to my baby. 

‘Not only that, but if he somehow lives... then he could use his power to get rid of Jack. Use his authority to convince the foundation that he’s too dangerous and lock him up like they did with the rest of my children.’ My grip on the bat tightened as I raised it higher into the air above the unconscious Dr. Gears. Blood rushed into my head as I began fantasizing about how easy it could be, how easy it would be to just end it all for him. After all, even legends can die if you hit them hard enough. ‘Nobody needs to know. I can just kill him, dump his body somewhere—or even better, just incinerate it! And nobody… NOBODY will know what happened to the legendary Dr. Gears—’

*Ring* *Ring*

Whatever I was planning on doing. Scheming on doing to the helpless Gears was immediately put on hold as I heard a familiar ringing sound begin to emanate from the pocket of my cloak. I sighed, knowing that they must’ve already figured out my mission was a success. Figues.

So, with a slightly hesitant arm, I reached into the pocket and pulled out the same red diamond-like crystal I had used to contact them before, as I clicked the smooth top of the crystalline structure.

“Sister Evelyn, how is your assignment coming along?” The recognizably distorted yet commanding voice signaled out of the crystal, as I immediately knew who was on the other side. 

With a sigh, I put on a fake smile before answering, feigning ignorance for what I was about to do. “It was a complete success; I have apprehended the target... as well as another person.”

“Really? Show me.” The voice commanded, as I pointed the smooth top of the crystal towards the two unconscious scientists on the floor who, despite their obvious injuries, were still extremely recognizable after I tore their disguises off of their faces. "Interesting... extremely interesting... Well, this saves me trouble in the future.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked curiously, unsure what they could possibly want with the other person. “What purpose could they possibly serve you—”

“Don’t question my ways, sister Evelyn. Not unless you have decided to give up on your ambition to stitch your broken family back together.” The voice scowled back, obviously annoyed that I even dared to question them. I startled back before gulping down a massive lump in my throat.

“I- I’m sorry! It won’t happen again!” I quickly apologized, desperately hoping it would fix whatever bond I might have broken with my words.

“Hmm, that is yet to be seen... Still though, you have done me extremely proud today, sister Evelyn.” The voice congratulated me, allowing me to let a breath I didn’t know I was holding escape my lungs. “ Now, I wish for you to bring these two back to Cobra-9. I also request for you to bring them back without either sustaining any more injuries or being seen by anyone. Do so, and we’ll be one step closer to our dream… Your dream... until next time. May the hand be with you, Evelyn.”

That was the last thing they said before I heard a recognizable ding, signifying that they severed the connection.

Still, a look of agitated annoyance crossed my face as I realized I missed my chance to get back at the man who hurt my Jack, who was for once completely at my mercy.

‘Whatever, it would probably have been too dangerous anyway.' I figured, before I reached into my pocket, pulling out a regular, albeit hellish, phone. I called some other brothers and sisters from the base to come to the alley in order to help me discreetly move these people so that we aren't compromised.

When I finished with the call, I snapped the phone. Won’t do any good leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for foundation rats to follow. Especially not now, not that I’m this close.

‘Just… Just a little bit longer. Just hold out a little bit longer... And I promise, I will finally live up to my job as a mother. I will save you—I will save you all… Just please… please wait.’ I silently pleaded before taking a seat on the ground as I placed the anomalous hat on my head.

‘Just until it’s complete, and then I promise... It will all be worth it.’

 

---

SCP-682 POV

CRASH!

BANG!

BOOM!

RAWR!!!

I screamed. Screamed in anger, in pain, as I was thrown backwards, crashing into a large sandy mountain.

The blood red light heated down on me, as if the sky were in a perpetual sunset. It was annoying, but at least a little better than that old, dreary basement that I fought in against the demon for the first couple days.

‘Speaking of which.’

“EAT FLAME, BITCH!”

BOOM!

A fireball, scarlet as the sky, rained down on me. The explosion echoed throughout the entire mountain range, as cracks spiderwebbed up through the stone, causing even more debris to fall upon me, burying me beneath earth.

Still, we would both be fools to think that would be enough.

BANG!

RAWR!

With a deafening screech, I shattered the stones that piled upon me, as neither the flame nor the rock had left even a scratch on my durable skin.

“GRR, ENOUGH OF THIS FOOLISHNESS! COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME, LUCIFER!” I screamed to the heavens, or I guess it would be more apt to say hell, as I pointed my face straight towards the winged demon who flew high in the sky, a floating ball of lava resting calmly behind him as he was bathed in a golden glow.

“Hmm, I dunno, I think I like it up here!” The cowardice devil spoke back as he continued to hide high in the sky, out of my reach. “I’m far away from your ugly ass face, at least.”

“ GRR. Fine !” I howled back before crouching low to the floor. I allowed a feeling to crawl through my skin, as I had felt myself changing ever since we entered into this new arena, and the cowardly fallen had taken to the sky. Finally, it felt like that change was beginning to take root. “ No matter. It will make it all the more enjoyable when I tear those wings off your body!”

“Yeah, sorry buddy, but in case you couldn’t tell, I’m all the way up here, and your all the way down there like a bitch.” The demon mocked me, as he continued gently floating without a care in the world. “Unless you grow a pair of wings, there’s no way your getting—”

SPLURT!

BOOM!

“I SHOULD STOP OPENING MY FUCKING MOUTH!” Lucifer screamed as, finally, a pair of bony wings protruded out of my back, before allowing me to take flight and shoot off directly towards the cocky demon. Taken by surprise, all he could do was bring his hands up and guard his body before my head rammed straight into his arms, sending him hurtling back before he managed to catch himself with his wings. “GAH, FUCKING—YOU CAN FUCKING FLY NOW?! COME ON, THAT WAS MY BULLSHIT ADVANTAGE!!!”

“Hehe, regretfully for you, none of your tricks are safe from me.” I chuckled as I felt the wings on my back continue to improve at an accelerated pace, as we had been fighting in this new battleground for at least a couple of hours, my body finally adapting to the more severe change and allowing me to fight this bastard on equal footing. “I am a being that far exceeds your wildest imagination. I am the devil that haunts the nightmares of every waking thing. I am the apocalypse that will bring an end to humanity's millions of years of history. And I will be the final thing that—”

“Damn, you can fucking TALK!”

BOOM!

I was rudely cut off as, with an annoyed look, the fallen angel tackled straight into me with a heavy hit. Both of us went flying backwards, and I was unable to see much… that was, until I realized the demon had rammed me straight into the floating ball of lava.

SIZZLE!

“GRRAAAHHHH!!!” Although my screams were deafened by the scorching lava that surrounded us, I could clearly feel it as my skin began to boil and pop. My body, while quickly adapting to the lava, wasn’t fast enough to stop the searing pain nor the loss of naked skin upon my body.

“HEH, can’t take the heat?” I managed to hear Lucifer speak through the blazing liquid, seemingly unaffected by its infernal embrace. “Well, don’t worry. LET ME HELP YOU WITH THAT!”

Lucifer reared back his hand before allowing it to glow a vibrant gold, and—

BANG!

Strike me straight in the chest, rocketing me out of the lava and sending me straight into the rocky ground. Dust immediately kicked up all around me, as I felt a large chunk of my body missing, blown through by Lucifer’s punch.

“ Gru… ugh… that insolent—”

VOOM!

“Huh?… Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding—”

BOOM!

I was cut off, as the massive floating ball of lava crashed down straight on top of me. Lava crashed and splattered everywhere as I was once more forcibly submerged beneath its fiery embrace.

“Whoops, guess my hand slipped.” Lucifer smirked, landing on the ground ahead of the massive crater, which was created by the massive lava ball he had thrown down. “Whatever, all’s well that ends well... Sigh , who am I kidding... 3… 2... 1..."

BOOM!

I screamed in uncontrollable rage, before flying straight up and out of the hellish lava. My skin and flesh, while still almost completely melted off my body, slightly hung on. My visage was one of nightmares, with my mostly exposed skeleton coated in my melted skin. That, along with the hole in my chest, gave a much more accurate visage of a demon than Lucifer could ever hope to achieve. 

“Oh, sheesh! Um, no offense, dude, but I recommend you see a plastic surgeon or something.” He commented, obviously slightly creeped out by the nightmarish appearance. “Then again, I don’t think even they can fix what your mother gave you.”

“GRAA—DO YOU EVER SHUT UP!?” I billowed in rage, allowing my liquified skin and excess lava to fall off me like raindrops, adding to the newly made lava lake that rested far beneath me. “Ever since you forced me into this new environment, you’ve done nothing but run that mouth of yours!”

“Hey, for your information, this is the home of a good friend of mine! The Wrath Ring—”

“I DONT FUCKING CARE!”

BOOM!

I once more rocketed towards the devils, taking him off guard as I slammed straight into him, pushing him backwards at an alarming pace. We continued to rocket across the rocky terrain, until we eventually hit the side of a large mountain, and-

SWOOP!

BANG!

The rubble and debris flew everywhere as I felt all my momentum come to a surprising halt. The mountain was partly responsible for that, but it still felt weird that all of the momentum died. After opening my eyes, however, I immediately realized why it had.

“Heh, sorry, partner. But you’ve just crossed the wrong side of the tracks.” I silhouetted figure spoke; their right hand crashed down on my maw, forcing my face into the dirt and killing my earlier momentum. They were a masculine figure from what I could tell, with arms as thick as trunks, with veins that glowed as if they were filled with magma.

“Hey, looks like you finally decided to show up.” I heard the fallen angel chuckle from behind this warring figure, a smile obviously on his face. “Been a while. How’ve you been, Satan?”

“Pretty decent, till you decided to curse this realm with your presence.” The now identified Satan spoke, before bringing his left fist back slightly, the one he wasn't using to hold my maw down, and—

BOOM!

Like a train, his punch sent me flying through the air. The strength was so great that the wind that was kicked up from the attack carried me along the sky, guiding me before I was slammed into another nearby mountain by it.

As quickly as the impact came, however, I pulled myself out. A large section of my body had been blown off, but I had already adapted to Lucifer’s hits earlier, allowing me to become much more resilient to that kind of damage.

“Out of all places, why’d you hafta bring this thing to my domain, Lucifer?” Satan muttered after seeing how easily I shrugged off his blow, his overall form still obscured by the dust that was carried through the air.

“Hmm, so you've fallen so far that you’ve resorted to calling upon one of your ally's to save yourself.” I mocked the cowardly devil, hoping to aggravate him. However, contrary to my expectations, he merely chuckled instead.  

“ one of my ally's? Why, I would never.” He returned the mock, sarcasm obvious on his lips, until his mouth sharpened into a sinister smile. “I called all of them.”

‘All? what does—’

BOOM!

Before I could return a question, blue flames suddenly erupted from beneath the floor, as they flew up into the air and wrapped around my figure. Finally, with one heavy throw I was slammed against the ground once more.

“Oh Luci, it’s been ages! How’ve you been?” I heard a high-pitched male voice say cheerfully, as I saw the blue flames culminate into one tall figure, head made of blue flames with the tail of a rooster.

I slowly rose... before feeling an equaling alarming presence from behind. Turning back quickly, for the first time in this fight, I felt ... fear. As one, two—three—four!

Four more demonic silhouettes appear in the dust. Their red eyes peering through the smoke, all focused straight on me.

“Hey everyone! Umm… Ok, I know this is awkward, especially since it’s been like seven years since I’ve seen any of you— b-but, after we take care of this overgrown lizard, we can... I dunno, you guys want McDonalds or something?” Lucifer asked awkwardly, as if realizing who he himself had called to battle.

I growled, taken aback by the combined pressure that all of these figures garnered... before allowing a grin to pass on my face.

This was it. This is my chance! If I can defeat even these creatures, then nothing in all of hell—nay, in all the worlds—can stop me!

“Hehehe, HAHAHAHAHA! YES, YES!!! SHOW ME WHAT YOU’VE GOT!” I screamed, obviously alarming all the figures, as I rushed towards the devil that was licked with blue flames. “SHOW ME YOUR POWER! SHOW IT, BEFORE I KILL YOU ALL!”

And thus began the hardest fight I had ever experienced. A battle that would last for days. A battle that would decide the very fate of Hell itself.

 

---

Verosika POV

“Whoo, what a fucking night!” I celebrated, taking another long swig from my flask of Beelzejuice. “Ahh, fuck that was a party!”

“Heh, you said it, Verosika!” Apple chimed, transforming out of her human disguise back into her true demonic form. “That was so wicked!”

I smirked as I heard the rest of my posse of seven chant in agreement, each of them transforming from their human disguises back to their regular succubus or incubus forms.

“Yea! Though it sucks that Vortex couldn’t make it.” Kat ended up reminding us, as he leaned down to pick up one of the boxes of drinks we had stored here. “What did he have going on again?”

“Hmm, something with his girlfriend, I think. Ended up choosing her party over ours!” I joked, smiling, as no anger or even annoyance was present in my voice. “Still, we should probably get back before the cops get on us again. I had to suck one too many white guy dicks after the wreck that was the beach concert.”

“Ugh, tell me about it! I still can’t get the taste out.” Kiki joked, before miming a fake choking gesture, arousing a laugh out of everyone else. “Still, maybe these leftover drinks from the party can help wash the taste out!”

As she said that, I took notice that my posse had finally finished taking out all of the drink containers from the back of the moving truck, hidden away in the dark corner of this abandoned warehouse.

“And who knows, if we drink them at the studio, we could even annoy that retarted ex of yours downstairs!” Josh ended up suggesting while holding two large crates beneath his arms.

At his idea, everyone else immediately spoke up with their own agreement at the idea, talking about how funny and hilarious it would be.

As for me... well…

“...maybe another night, guys. I just… I don’t want to deal with his bitching today.” I said, making up the excuse. Subconsciously, I felt my mind wander back to the Halloween ‘fuck-Blitzo’ party I held this year… And remembered my talk with the bastard. 

“… um… Ok, if you're sure, Verosika.” Ace ended up saying, and the rest of them reluctantly put away their plans of fucking with the Imp trio tonight. They were obviously looking forward to it, and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t find amusement in doing it either. It just… Goddamn it, if that bastard really wants to change, then who am I to berate him for it?

‘I’d be no better than him if that were the case.’ I thought, before once more shoving any thought of Blitzo to the dark corners of my mind, where I usually keep my memories of him.

"Alright, gang, let’s head back.” I declared, before reaching into my pocket and pulling out the pink asmodean crystal I always carried with me, before lightly rubbing the top of it as a wave of magic escaped its crystalline interior, creating a diamond-shaped portal right back to my studio.

“Alright. Remember not to leave any drinks behind!” I reminded them before allowing them to enter through the portal before me, all of them chuckling as they recollected fondly of our party earlier today. 

Finally, only after the rest of them walked through the portal did I follow behind them, sauntering silently as I did so.

Immediately after entering, I undid the gateway by instinct, cutting off its connection to the human realm. Still, as soon as I stepped foot in my studio, I was immediately taken aback by just how dark it was.

“What the—Ugh, who turned off the lights?” I asked all of them, before getting answered by a chorus of denials. I sighed, before pinching the bridge of my nose, as it also smelled like fucking death in the room for some reason. “Whatever. Someone turn it back on so we can see.”

“You got it, Verosika.” Kiki happily chimed, placing her box of drinks down before walking over to the light switch. At this point I lost sight of her, but I did hear the sound of something clicking. “Huh? What the…”

“Hey, everything ok over there, Kiki?” Ace ended up asking, as we continued to hear the familiar clicking happen in short succession from each other. 

“Fucking no! The lights aren’t turning on for some reason.” She declared, obviously annoyed. “Shit, did those bastards downstairs blow a fucking fuse or something?”

“Sounds like something the red asshole would do.” I silently added on, finding merit in the idea.

“Fucking whatever, I guess I’ll just... wait... what is—HUH? THE FUCK—AGGHHH, HELP—HMMHM!” 

I was shocked, as Kiki’s voice suddenly flooded the air. Her cries for help quickly turned into a muffled scream.

“Kiki?!” I screamed before rushing over to the light switch that was hidden in the dark. I was expecting to see something attacking her, maybe a robber or some other bullshit, but... nothing.

There was nothing here!

“Huh? Kiki! Kiki, this isn’t fucking funny, girl!” I screamed out for her, kind of hoping it would be some sort of prank she was trying to pull. “I swear, if this is revenge for me fucking your boyfriend, I’m gonna fucking end you!”

… nothing.

A nervous sweat began pooling on the side of my head as a very bad feeling began to overtake me.

“Umm, Verosika? Is everything alright—”

"Hehehe... well, would you look at that? I haven’t even introduced myself yet, and one of the little piggies has already vanished.” A smooth masculine voice suddenly broke through the shadows, immediately putting us all on edge, as a nervous shrill ran down my spine. I quickly turned on my heels before frantically scanning the room, sweating as I was unable to see anything from the darkness that encompassed it.

“Wha-who’s fucking there?!” I screamed, looking around the room frantically. “Show yourself, you pussy!”

“Wow, such strong vocabulary for such a helpless little girl.” The voice once more spoke, no semblance of worry or even concern evident. “Besides, I’m not hiding.”

*Click*

Suddenly, light appeared in the previously darkened room. I quickly turned all around me, trying to find the source... Only to find it originating from a single lamp in the fair corner, with an unfamiliar imp in what looked like a white porcelain mask laying back on the comfy recliner that I SWEAR wasn't here before. 

“I’m right here.” The imp mocked, his arms strewn back against the chair, like he didn’t have a care in the world. “Nice place you got here, by the way. It was so nice that I took the liberty of redecorating it a little. Hope you don’t mind.”

I squinted, staring angrily at the figure, though I managed to hold myself back from making any drastic moves. Something… didn’t feel right. Maybe it’s the fact that Kiki just fucking vanished; maybe it’s due to how relaxed this bastard looks; it could even be because of how disgusting they looked, as if they were on the verge of becoming a rotting corpse.

‘At least I know where that awful smell was coming from.’ I thought before continuing to observe him warily.

… Unfortunately, it seemed my posse had other ideas in mind.

“What the—Look, I don’t care who you are! Where’s Kiki?” Josh, one of the male incubuses, asked in anger before reaching down into one of the open crates and pulling out a random bottle of alcohol as he began to approach the imp. “What did you do to her?!”

“Josh, calm down—”

“Dead, she’s dead.” The figure cut me off; his statement immediately shocked all of us. We were all frozen in place, taken aback by how quickly he gave the news. What was even worse, though, was the way he said it. This... bastard spoke with such delight over the news before he began to what I assume to be a smirk across his face before looking at Josh. “Whatcha gonna do about it?”

“You… you fucker!!” Josh screamed before raising the bottle high above his head and running towards the imp. I tried to reach out to stop him, to tell him to stop... but—

BAM!

The bottle hit the couch, just barely missing the imp as he finally moved, allowing glass shards and alcohol to spray everywhere. 

As a result, the imp, despite looking halfway to being a corpse, was surprisingly nimble as he used his short stature to grab onto Josh’s extended arm, climbing on it before reaching the back of his head.

“Too slow.” The imp said, before reaching into his holster, pulling out an angelic-lined revolver, and—

BANG!

… One bullet… o-one bullet pierced the back of Josh’s head… b-blood flew all over, painting the walls a viscous red… as he fell on top of the recliner... dead.

“J-Josh?” Ace whispered in shock, echoing the rest of our thoughts. Though, despite what we wanted to believe… he didn’t move.

“Two down, six to go.” The imp lightly laughed after landing back on the floor, turning back towards us.

“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!” Ace screamed in anguish before reaching down and grabbing two of the drink bottles before rushing the imp. He wasn’t alone either, as both Kat and Coco also picked up their own alcohol bottles to use as weapons, before following Ace into battle. “YOU’LL PAY FOR THAT!!!”

“Guys wait—fucking dammit—Apple, Milky, run downstairs and get those bastards from I.M.P.” I quickly yelled to both the girls after being unable to stop the three idiots, who were the only other ones who hadn’t rushed into fight.

“B-but I thought you hated them—”

“Just do it!” I commanded with more authority this time. Whatever price or other bullshit Blitzo is gonna ask for, I can deal with at another time. 

“R-right!” Milky replied before grabbing Apple's hand and began running to the door, guiding them out. Seeing this, I gave a nod before turning back to the fight—

BANG!

… A … a second bullet fired. Looking back, I saw that the imp had easily dodged around all of their attacks, as if playing with them, before finally rolling beneath Kat’s legs behind him and shooting him right between his eyes… he fell to the floor limp, a dead look present in his eyes.

“Hehehe… Three down, five piggies left to slaughter.”

“SHUT UP!” Ace screamed before attempting to strike him with a bottle. Rather easily, the imp jumped on his arm before delivering a surprisingly strong kick straight to his face, sending him staggering back into the far wall while Coco once more attempted to run up on the figure with her improvised weapons. “AGH, FUCK!”

“Dammit, hold on, I’m coming—”

“AAAHHHH!”

I was once more frozen in place as I heard Apple scream out in fear. Startled, I turned back to her and Milky, expecting and hoping that they’d be out of the studio already, heading up to ask for help from that red dickhead.

Except, that wasn’t what I saw. Instead, I… I don’t even know how to describe it; other than the door had somehow seemingly aged rapidly, so old that it seemed to turn into black mush… With a singular dark hand reaching out, gripping tightly against a terrified Milky’s face, with Apple on the floor, looking at it terrified.

“What the fuck—Apple, grab Milky—”

“Four down—” 

The white-masked Imp chuckled darkly after dodging another one of Coco’s attacks, his head turned towards the door as—

*CRACK*

BAM.

“—four lambs left to slaughter.”

Milky’s body fell to the floor as... as... as the singular black hand twisted her neck, now facing in the complete opposite direction, a small dribble of blood seeping from her mouth.

I was frozen for a second, seeing how easily this... thing twisted her neck! Except that wasn't even the worst of it.

It was then that I finally noticed the dark hand didn’t disappear, as instead of retreating into the wall, it continued to extend straight towards a shocked Apple, who was still stunned on the floor, looking terrified towards Milky’s body.

Seeing this, panic immediately invaded my senses, as I began running over towards her. 

“Apple, move!” I screamed, hoping to have her come to reason and dodge the lanky hand.

It worked, as for a second, her dulled eyes returned to normal… except it was too late.

“Huh? H-how—”

CLUTCH!

“GAHH!” Apple screamed as the dark hand shot out before tightly grabbing her leg. She immediately began screaming in pain as if did so, as I heard what I could only describe as sizzling emanate from the contact, somehow seemingly burning her arm or something, though feeling slightly off. Still, the creature began to retract its arm, attempting to pull her into the dark goop. “GAH, H-HELP ME!”

Determined and angry, I continued running towards her as she reached out her hands. Luckily, I managed to get there in time, as I grabbed both of her hands, attempting to pull her back with all my might, stopping the creature from taking her immediately.

“FUCK! D-DON'T WORRY, I GOT YOU!” I screamed in a vain attempt to comfort her, as I saw tears of fear begin to coat her eyes.

“APPLE!” 

I wasn't the only one to notice the predicament, as I spotted Coco from the corner of my eye, looking right towards us in wild concern. Probably a side effect of seeing her girlfriend being pulled into a dark hole from a decrepit hand.

“Don’t worry, I’m coming—”

“Heh. First rule of combat, darling—”

*Click.*

“— Never take your eyes off the guy with the fucking gun.”

“Coco, watch out—”

BANG!

Bam!

“Five down, three helpless sheep left.” The figure chuckled as… a-as another body slumped to the floor, blood creeping out of the newly created hole in her forehead, courtesy of the bullet shot through the back of her head.

Seeing this, my fingers clenched even tighter in rage. I wanted nothing more than to walk over to this bastard and murder him. Destroy him for everything he has done... But I couldn’t let go of one of the few friends I had left.

“Damn you!” Ace screamed before once again running up towards the imp. Expectedly, however, he easily evaded the attack as he shot his tail out and wrapped it around Ace’s neck before using it to toss him roughly against the far wall.

“Shit—Hold on, Ace, I-I’ll be there soon! S-So just hold on!” I muttered  desperately through clenched teeth, trying my best to stop the fear stricken Apple. To my horror, however, I felt myself losing ground, as I noticed Apple's body beginning to be pulled into the black viscous liquid, her foot already completely entombed by it at this point.

“V-Verosika, p-please—”

“Don’t worry, I got you; just don’t let go!” I screamed, feeling my muscles straining, trying my damndest to win this battle of strength against the oozing black arm.

Despite it all, however, I continued to feel myself losing ground. As she kept getting pulled back more and more...

Until finally.

“GRR— AHHH—”

SLIP!

I lost… as her hands slipped out of my grip, as the force sent me tumbling back... before she was quickly sucked back into the dark ooze, screaming in fear as she was fully submerged in the darkness. 

“Apple!” I screamed out for her before quickly standing up and running to the door. But it was too late, as by the time I got there, the black goop had mostly disappeared into nothing, leaving behind nothing but the newly weathered door. “GAHH, DAMN IT—”

“Verosik— GAHH!” 

Before I had any time to mourn the loss of yet another friend, I heard a pained scream reaching out towards me. I turned around frantically, seeing the imps tail once more wrapped around a bloody Ace’s neck, before pushing him face down into the floor, pressing the nozzle of his angelic six-shooter against the back of his head.

“Six down… or, should I say—”

Click

“Wait, don’t do it—”

BANG!

"Hehehehe... there we go... seven down. And one. Victim. Left.” The creature chuckled, lifting the nozzle of his gun away from the back of Ace’s head, a trial of blood and viscera escaping while he did so. “And you, my darling, were just the one I was hoping to talk to. Now, be a good doll and sit; I have something—”

“YOU MOTHERFUCKER!!!” 

Boom!

I launched off the ground with as much force as I could muster, racing towards this imp. Tears coated my eyes and dark thoughts began creeping into my mind about what I’m going to do to this FUCKER! But I still managed to retain the ability to think properly, as I quickly reached into my heels, pulling out a tiny pocket knife I usually keep on me for protection.

“Ohh, guess you still got a tiny bit of fight left in you.” The creature mocked, as he easily began dodging my swings, as I rapidly attempted to try and cut the short fucker. “You know, most others would have given up at this point, wallowing on the floor while begging for their lives. It’s refreshing to meet such a wild mutt like yourself every now-and-again.”

“SHUT UP, YOU BITCH!” 

Swing—

TING!

“Oh, and you're still able to proclaim such nasty things.” The bastard spoke excitedly while parrying my knife strikes with his revolver. “Oh, I am going to have so much fun breaking you! ”

“JUST TRY IT YOU SCUMBA—”

WRAP!

Before I knew it, the creature quickly wrapped its long tail around my ankle before chuckling. “Wrong answer, darling.”

PULL!

BAM!

“Gah!” I gasped out in shock, feeling my legs give way underneath me, forcing me to heavily fall onto my ass. “Damn you—”

BAM!

I didn’t have time to finish my sentence, as I felt the cold side of the heavy revolver strike my cheek, causing me to fly against the nearby wall, leaving a nasty bruise as I could already feel blood swell up in my mouth. I pulled myself up slightly, wiping the line of blood off my mouth, before noticing a vacant spot in my hands.

“Looks like you won’t be needing this anymore.” The imp said, raising up his hand and revealing he had stolen my pocket knife, before he began to play with it between his fingers, as if it were a toy. “Now, are you finally ready to talk? Or do you want me to hit you a couple more times?”

“Damn it—what is this?! What do you want?!” I began screaming desperately, rising to my feet. My legs were shaky, but that didn’t make me any less determined to make this man pay. 

“… So this is an asmodean crystal, huh?” The creature asked inquisitively as he rose up a small... crystal...

‘SHIT!’ I cursed before reaching into my pocket, finding the magical crystal was missing. I clenched my teeth in anger before turning back to the bastard, realizing he must've swiped it during our little scuffle. “So that’s what this is about? All this for some fucking jewelry?!”

“Hehe, if jewelry can allow you to transcend hell itself and return to the land of the living, then yeah. I killed all your friends for a piece of jewelry.” The figure retorted without missing a beat, and I watched as a golden smirk grew on the things exposed teeth, as the mask seemed to only cover the imps eyes a face above its snout. “Still though, despite knowing a pop star named Verosika had one, this body wasn’t entirely sure how to actually use it. The funniest thing is I wasn’t even here for you, but when I learned you shared this building with the original targets... Well, let’s just say I always like going for the easier option. So, mind enlightening a poor soul like me on how it works?”

“… heh… hahaha-HAHAHA—you—you think that after all of THIS that I’d just give you what you want?!” I asked with crazy eyes, managing to hold my ground. I wasn’t scared of this fucker; sure, he can kill me, but that’ll happen anyway. So the least I could do is make his life the tiniest bit more inconvenient. "Sorry, fuckface, but you're barking up the wrong tree. I'd rather die than tell you anything you’d want to know.”

“Hmm, pity...” the creature murmured before—

THROW!

SLASH!

“GAHH!” I screamed out in pain as, out of nowhere, the imp suddenly threw the knife at me, striking me in the shoulder and sending me against the well once more, before sliding down to my ass.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t asking. Though I will give it to you, you're a lot tougher than I originally gave you credit for.” The imp chuckled before raising a finger up towards the ceiling. “Then again, people like you always find meaning in those they call friends. So let's see how much longer that bravado will last when it isn’t you I’m threatening.”

“… what’s that supposed to mean?” I managed to quietly bark, clutching the knife embedding itself in my shoulder, at a loss of strength to pull it out.

Instead of answering my question, however, the imp creature just snapped his fingers. I was confused for a second before I began to notice a puddle of black goop beginning to pool up on the curling above him.

I was confused at first, until I recognized it as the same substance that Apple was pulled into. As soon as I came to this realization however— 

SPLAT!

A body fell out of the gravity-defying liquid as a body impacted roughly onto the floor with a sickening splat.

Initially surprised, my eyes were then quickly filled with horror, then disgust... and finally anger, as I recognized the body, its head now twisted a complete hundred and eighty degrees, and neck snapped in the most disturbing way possible. 

‘… Kiki.’ I growled as I recognized the horribly disfigured body as our first friend that went missing. The horrific nature in which she was killed caused me to once again forget about all my fears and insecurities, filling me again with the rage of losing a friend.

“Tch, senile old man. I told him to make sure the statue couldn’t get its hands on this one.” The imp talked to himself before rearing his leg back and—

Bang!

My eyes went bloodshot as I saw him kick the body to the side, as if it were nothing but trash!  

“You… YOU SON OF A BITCH—”

Sling!

“ACK!” I froze in place as I suddenly felt a cold, metallic object hold itself against my neck. It almost felt like a knife, just... different somehow.

“Eh eh eh. Not yet, wings.” The imp suddenly mocked, wagging their finger slightly. “I need this one alive... for now.”

“… whatever.” A feminine voice scoffed uninterestedly from behind me. Shocked, I managed to tilt my head ever so slightly, only to be surprised as I saw a bright white wing being held against my neck. As for who it was connected to... well.

‘Is that... an exterminator?!’ Fear immediately began to rise within me, as I felt myself shake as I bore witness to the gray-skinned individual stood behind me, a broken and ripped black uniform hugging their skin tightly, as she possessed long flowing back hair, soulless green eyes baring intently into my back, as if she wanted nothing more then to tears me apart with her countless, extremely sharp and knife-like wings that decorated her back.

“Now, where were we? Oh, right. Well, it’s a good thing I always keep a backup." The imp chuckled, pretending as if he were just remembering the funniest joke, before snapping his fingers once more, and—

“Ahhh!” A recognizable scream rang out as I noticed another body fall from the black goop attached to the ceiling. “ Cough cough— f-fuck—”

“Heh, at least that wrinkly old man didn’t mess this up too.” The imp cut the girl off before reaching down and tightly gripping her wrist, before raising them up and pushing the gun on their temple. Then, my eyes suddenly widened once more, as I nearly pierced myself on the wings holding me in place out of pure instinct as I recognized the figure.

“A-Apple?!” I screamed, trying to garner her attention. It worked as I watched her raise her teary eyes. 

“V-Verosika?” She murmured as she took notice of me. Immediately, panic rose in her as she attempted to push off the imp and run towards me. “Verosika! Help me!”

“Quiet down, bitch.” The masked imp called out, wrapping his forearm around Apple, stopping her from moving. “But thanks for making my point clear. So here’s the deal. You're gonna teach me how to use this piece of ‘jewelry’, then I’ll let you little lambs flock free in the fields, away from the slaughter—if your bad at metaphors, then understand that I mean won’t just fucking kill you, capeesh?”

I growled indignantly as I managed to continue to fear the rage bubble within me as this fucker attempted to reason with me— ME! After killing everyone, he still believed he could get everything he wanted out of me!

… and yet, I couldn't help but feel my will beginning to slip.

“… H-hah, this is fucking rich, you absolute DOUCHBAG!” I still managed to scream, pushing myself as far as I could without cutting myself on the silvery wings. “Do you really expect me to believe that after all of this, I’d honor a single fucking word that comes out of your mouth?! Do you think I’m a fucking idiot?!”

“No… I think you're human.” The Imp said before using the clawed part of his hand that was wrapped around Apple's neck and causing a massive scratch on it. She creamed in pain as I once more stared at the imp with a burning rage. “Well, in every sense that matters, at least.”

“… Fine!” I managed to growl through gritting teeth as I swallowed down my pride. “If I tell you how to use that fucking crystal... then you’ll let us live?”

“You have my word.” The creature stated... and I didn’t believe him for a fucking second.

‘But still… what choice do I have?’ I asked myself, realizing that if I rejected, then me and Apple were both going to die. If I give in, however, then... maybe there would be a chance for us to survive, even if it’s an extremely slim chance. ‘Besides, it’s not like it’s exactly extremely rare to find out how to use those things. He’ll find out eventually, so... wait… that might work.’

“… Ok, I’ll tell you... on one condition.” I started, allowing an annoying smirk to spread across my lips. “We sign a soul contract. One that makes it so that if you or any of your freaks hurt either of us, then your soul is destroyed. In return, I’ll tell you everything about how the crystal works, deal?”

The figure looked at me, seemingly taking a couple seconds to process my words... before chuckling. “Hehe, is my word not enough for you?”

“… No.”

“Hmm, fair enough.” The creature replied before pushing Apple to the floor roughly as he sauntered over to me before pulling a golden piece of paper from his pocket. “Lucky for me, it seemed this body possessed a few of these ‘soul’ contracts already.”

‘Body? What does he mean by that?’ I internally questioned as I noticed him refer to himself as 'body' a couple times, but managed to hold back my curiosity for a time, too focused on making sure we got out of here alive. I watched as the imp walked towards the corner of the room, grabbing a pen before writing some words on the paper. After a moment he showed it to me.

“This fine for you?” He asked, giving me a chance to look it over. Begrudgingly, I did, and I noticed that, surprisingly, there wasn’t anything suspicious about it.

“Fucking… sure.” I begrudgingly said after reading over it, basically confirming that the first person to break the contract has their soul becoming forefeit.

He then signed the paper himself before turning it to me, in which I quickly signed it after once more, making sure there were no loopholes. And again, I felt certain that I got the bastard, so I slowly decided to sign my name.

Finally, with one final burst of golden energy, the contract was sealed.

“Well, that was a waste of time.” The imp shrugged as he dropped the contract to the side. Before pulling out the asmodean crystal. “So, tell me, how does this work?”

I sighed before looking to the side.

"It's... it’s a crystal from the sin of lust, you dipshit.” I attacked, wanting to at least deal like I have any sort of higher ground compared to this thing. “You have to think lustful thoughts while touching it and actively want it to make a portal, ok. It’s that fucking easy.”

"... Lustful thoughts?” The creature asked me before chuckling a bit to himself before he began rubbing the top of the smooth crystal. “Hmm, ok. What do I find lustful... well, theirs torturing people—”

Nothing.

“— Oh, I also love to watch people burn to death.”

Nothing.

“Oh yea, I also find myself getting hard sometimes at the thought of manipulating someone into killing their whole family!”

Nothing.

“… I think your crystal’s broken.”

“THOSE THOUGHTS ARENT FUCKING LUSTFUL!!!” I screamed, taken aback by how fucked up this whole situation was. Still, I held myself back from anything else, as I felt the wings continue to poke against me. “Just fucking—I don’t fucking know—think of someone who you’d like to fuck and imagine doing that or something. It’s not that hard!”

“Hehehe.” The masked creature simply chuckled before turning towards the crystal once more. 

“Hmm, who would I want... aha!  I got it.” He laughed silently in victory, almost like he was mocking me, before rubbing the crystal and—

FWOOM!

Suddenly, a golden glow exited from my crystal before crashing into seemingly nothing, as a large diamond shaped portal appeared out of thin air. It looked as if it had broken space itself, as if it were cut from glass.

"Well, ain’t that dandy.” The imp spoke, admiring my crystal. “Now I’m one more step ahead.”

“Alright, I’ve held up my end of the deal. Now let us go!” 

“Hmm, oh right, of course. I suppose you do deserve an award for helping me so much.” The imp chuckled while walking towards Apple's still-prone body, obviously hurt but still breathing.

I smirked, already fantasizing about how I was gonna get revenge on this bastard. After all he’s done, there was no way I would just forget about all of this! Not after everyone he’s killed!

‘I don’t care what it costs, but I won’t rest until I make this son of a bitch PAY for this!’ I bubbled with rage but still managed to suppress it, knowing there was something more important for now. ‘Right now, however, I need to get Apple out of here. It might not be much, but I’ve at least saved one of us, and that’s all—’

BANG!

… I froze, as my blood held itself like ice in my veins, as I heard a noise I became all too familiar with. Th-the sound of a gunshot, the sound of death. B-b-but that—

Splat!

… Apple's body hit the ground, a now smoking gun present in the imp's hand.

“You… y-you…” I stuttered, shocked by his actions. He just... broke the contract.

VWOOM!

Suddenly, the contract began glowing much brighter, lighting up the whole room intensely, the magic within it being activated. It’s golden glow morphing, changing into a dark crimson color, before bursting to flames and flying straight towards the imp, who continued to stand calmly.

Even the exterminator tensed a bit at the scene as the flames shot towards the imp as they suddenly began surrounding him like an infernal tornado. I’ve rarely seen this, but instinctively I knew what was going on... He broke the contract, so his soul was getting destroyed.

I managed to smirk. 

“Ha— HAHAHA! You fucking idiot! You just broke the one agreement we had!” I screamed in a slightly crazy voice, unable to hide the emotional weight this entire encounter had brought onto me. “I hope you enjoy eternal damnation, because that’s all you’ll—”

He raised his gun.

BANG!

“GUUUHHH!”

The air escaped my lungs as I suddenly felt myself run hot… then cold.

Shakily, I peeled my eyes downward, spotting... spotting... oh fucking Lucifer.

BAM!

The wings around me retracted, causing me to fall to the floor. My body twitched as I felt tears of pain begin to congeal in my eyes. The rest of my body began to grow cold, my only form of warmth originating from the blood my clothes had already begun sucking up like a sponge.

“Well, would you look at that?” A dark voice chuckled. I barely managed to move my head; staring upwards, I saw the imp standing before me...the flames gone… completely uninjured, with his gun smoking once more.

“H-h… h-how?” I managed to stutter quietly through the pain, barely louder than a whisper. At my question, this... monster, chuckling again.

“Oh, it’s nothing much really, just... a little loophole in these contracts of yours.” The demon mocked, before crouching down ahead of me, his rotting scent barely registering, as it took everything I had to ignore the pain. “Afterall… who ever said I had a soul to begin with?”

And with that, he lowered his revolver down to my head. I screwed my eyes shut, preparing for the end, as...

*Click* *Click*

… Nothing.

I opened my eyes a tiny bit, seeing the imp pulling the trigger, but no bullets shooting out of it.

“Hmm, guess I’m out of ammo... well, whatever."  He shrugged, before pocketing his revolver in its holster, before whistling out into the open space. “We’ve wasted enough time here. Wings, old man, it’s time to go.”

“…” the multi-winged exterminator silently acknowledged the imps command before allowing two of her longer wings to extend outwards, cutting into the floor like paper and seemingly using them to help her move over my body while paying me no mind, as I saw their many white, glistening wings begin to fold in on them. They wrapped snugly around her body, creating what I could only describe as a white feathered cloak with it having a hood and everything. Immediately they were hidden with this new appearance of theirs as they used their two large wing-like legs to make her way to the imps side.

Along with her, however, I noticed the floor begin to darken and ooze as a familiar weathered and black man slowly rose out, lightly clutching a stump on where its left arm should be.

“Alright then, let’s get going! I have a couple of pit stops to make in the land of the living.” The imp chuckled, beginning to walk towards the portal. Before he walked through, however, he turned towards my bleeding out form one last time before smirking. “As for you... you're not even worth the time it takes to load another bullet in my gun. So consider this my end of our ‘deal’ alright? You get to live... So long as you don’t bleed out first.”

“And even if you do live… let’s just say you might even prefer death once you make a certain discovery… but I don’t want to ruin the surprise.” The imp spoke in chastisement, allowing their two companions to walk through the portal first. He followed before turning to look at me from the other side. “Toodles.”

VWOOM!

The tear in space closed, leaving me alone in the room… with nothing but the smells of the dead to keep me company.

I was still in shock. I managed to move my head around the room just enough to see the shape it was in… to see the dead that now littered its floors.

I finally had a moment to breathe—well, as well as I could with a bullet being shot through my chest— and I looked at everybody in the room. My friends… my confidants… people who I cared about.

“…huu… Hehuuu… EEEEEHHHHHH!” 

And the tears streamed down my face as I used all the air I had left to wallow in my pain. My loneliness.

I clawed against the floor, leaving a trail of blood along it as I crawled all the way to Apple’s dead body. The slight look of hope still present, perpetually frozen before her… her… God dammit!

“A-Apple… E-Everyone… I’m sorry.” I managed to well between tears as I clutched onto my friends head… It was cold… It was so fucking cold.

“P-p-please… help me…  someone…  h-h-help." I began crying out quietly, hoping that maybe someone, somehow, would hear my desperate cry. Someone would come and save me!

But for now, I wait here... I cry here... for the memory of everything I’ve lost in the last ten minutes.

And it was at that moment that I swore... no matter what it took.

'... I am gonna make that bastard pay!’

 

---

??? POV

 

…

…

I sat quietly in my room… Well, I guess the men here call it a cell. But for me? I see it more as a... vacation home. Somewhere for me to stay until it’s finally my time to go to work.

SLURRRP!

A loud slip echoed out from my lips as I brought a styrofoam cup up and began drinking out of its plastic straws. 

After I finished my admittedly geedy sip, I placed the cup back down on the oaken table ahead of me as I leaned back in my chair, happy.

“Ahhh, milkshakes. One of the many great things humanity has done with their free will. I mean, who could've thought of such an unhealthy yet somehow extremely tasteful beverage like this?” I chuckled while seemingly talking to nobody. I scratched my long beard, which occupied a large portion of my face. “I know I couldn’t have! Yet another example of a great thing humanity has accomplished because of their free will... wouldn’t you agree?”

I spoke, turning my head slightly as—

*click*

I felt a pistol getting held right against the back of my head.

“Hehe, come on now; I thought we were passed this." I chuckled warmly, in no attempt to mock or ridicule, just to… prove that I was present. 

“… What happened?” A feminine voice said in an icey tone, in complete contrast to my own warm manner of speaking. Their voice was showered in demand, with a tone so ice cold that it could freeze the souls of any mortal being. They weren’t asking questions; they wanted answers. “And for the sake of both of our times, please don’t act like you're unaware of what I speak.”

“… Are you referring to the book, or the demons?” I asked, not attempting to hide that I held the knowledge she wished to access. Still, I held a small smile on my face as I reached down on the table and picked up a half eaten hamburger, unconcerned by her threat.

“I’m referring to anything that doesn’t have to do with earth.” The icey voice continued, not ever daring to move or drop her guard. “Isn’t this your job? To make sure shit like this doesn’t happen.”

I bit into my burger unburdened, contemplating their question for a second, before shrugging it off. 

“I never stated that it was. What happens in Hell is of no concern to me, at least not yet. I trusted that domain onto one of my sons, after all.” I started before wiping ketchup off my beard. “Besides, I thought you people didn’t want me to leave. You gave me a room and everything, even a designation to refer to me by... heh, SCP-343. Have I ever mentioned how much I adore that number?”

“… there’s a big difference in leaving compared to doing your fucking job.” The women spoke up, the gun ever frozen on the back of my head. “… you knew this would happen, didn’t you?”

“Hmm, nothing gets past you, does it?” I chuckled slightly, giving an almost depressed smile, before allowing it to vanish as I stared ahead. “… Do you want the truth, or what you want to hear?”

“… I believe we both know that answer to that question.”

“And you have no idea how relieved I am knowing that’s the case.” I answered, my eyes peeling down into the dark oaken table. 

“… I was aware something would occur, something… strange… but I didn’t foresee the attack on the foundation, at least not in the way it happened.” I began, stopping for a second to see if I could possibly hear any sign of surprise from the women… I didn’t. Figures. “I guess it’s more accurate to say that I did have an idea of what they could do… I just didn’t expect it to happen so quickly, so unexpectedly and with this much force.”

“… Who is behind this?” 

“… would you like the truth—”

“Stop wasting my time; you know what I’m gonna say.” She cut me off, as I chuckled in response to her continued frigid demeanor.

“I know, I was just hoping for a different one this time.” I exclaimed as I took another bite from my burger, placing it down after I did so. “The truth is... I can’t tell you.”

“Can’t, or won’t.”

“… won’t.” I replied, knowing where they were going with this. I sighed, as I could almost feel the eyes scorching a hole into the back of my head. “I apologize, but I’m not withholding information for my own amusement... If I act too soon, play my cards too early… then we’ll lose this game.”

“Game? Is that all this to you? A game?”

"Everything’s a game... doesn’t make the consequences for losing any less severe.” I explained, as I began recollecting on my own life... My own experiences... “You’ve won against many foes until now, and for that I congratulate you. But this... isn’t like anything you’ve ever seen. What's going to happen, what’s about to arrive... You can’t stop it this time, so—”

“— So I should just give up?” She scrutinized, obviously disgusted by such an idea. I shook my head, also against the thought.

“Not give up… to prepare .”

Finally, I felt the slightest shake in her resolve. Ever so small, that I myself was only barely able to catch it... but I did, just before she immediately returned to her neutral, icey exterior.

“… this… So this is it, then? This is what I was warned about?”

I gave a half-hearted shrug. “It’s not exactly what I originally had in mind, as a couple of things escaped my view from way back then... but yes, this is it.”

“… Some god you are, can’t even save your oh so precious creations without their help.”

I chuckled before shaking my head again. “We both know that’s not how this works. Besides, you ceased being just my creations many millennia ago. Of that, we are both guilty.”

"...even after all these years, I still can’t understand what it is you have planned. No matter how much I think about it... it doesn’t make any sense to me.”

“Does it have to make sense? That’s the price of free will after all; you give up the comfort of never having to think again… but in return, the beauties you can create.” I began, as I picked up the milkshake once more, giving it a smile. “It’s… magnificent.”

“… Senile old man.” She whispered to herself before raising her voice once more. 

“Fine… If you're not gonna be any help, then so be it.” She spoke uncaringly, as I felt the pistol remove itself from the back of my head. I chuckled a bit, stretching out my now free neck. “But when this all comes crashing down, you better be there to help us pick up the pieces. I’m not cleaning up your mess again.”

“Haha, that’s fair.” I chuckled softly, staring down at the table as I heard soft footsteps against the floor echoing around my warmly decorated room as I saw her shadow dancing with the cackling lights from the fireplace.

“… One last thing.” I said, halting the footsteps. I chuckled, a little glad she still has enough good will in me to listen to what I have to say.

“I know you're used to it, and it’s worked out well for you in the past... but you can’t do this alone.” I spoke as I leaned back in my chair and raised my head. “This is something even you can’t hope to defeat on your lonesome. You're going to need allies, and good ones.”

“I’ve never needed the support of others before, and there’s no reason for me to start now.” The voice spoke, still sounding completely dead emotionally. “Besides, nobody is good enough to keep up. If I attempt to get any sort of support, they’ll just die before they get the chance to accomplish anything meaningful.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that.” I replied, as my eyes began wandering the room and, with a slight push, began wandering around space itself. “There are many people out there who could help. All you need to do is be a little more open. Do that, and even you’d be amazed at all you can accomplish.”

Although I wasn’t looking at her, I could feel the figure's eyebrows raise. “Oh yea? And who would these people be?” She asked, clearly not believing a word I said. I chuckled as I continued to use whatever power I had left to search the worlds from inside my little piece of home.

“Oh, there are so many... More than you could ever believe.” I spoke, peering through the veil into the deepest depths of hell. I saw demons who try to stand up for the unjust. I watched soldiers and scientists doing everything they could to survive in an unknown landscape. I witnessed heroes-to-be and heroes that are, each and every one of them special... unique. “Every man and woman has a story to tell; it doesn’t matter who they are. Every person, no matter how inconsequential they seem at first, has the power to do the unthinkable, the impossible. They’re not hard to find; all you need to do is open your eyes, and a whole new world will be there for you to witness.”

“… great, cryptic bullshit. I don’t know what else I was expecting, to be honest.” She said with a sigh, disregarding me completely.

CREAK!

It was then that I heard the squeak of the door opening, signifying she was taking her leave.

"Goodbye, SCP-343.” Was all she spoke before leaving the room. As the door was closing, I barely managed to catch sight of her short and rudely cut blonde hair. I simply smiled and shut my eyelids, allowing peace to exert from me, as I too said my farewells.

“And goodbye to you as well... Eve.”

SLAM.

 

END OF ARC 1: A HELL OF AN OPENING ACT!

Notes:

Verosika: Finally, I get some screen time! So, what do I get to do?

SCP-035: (exists.)

Verosika:… So, I want to leave now.

Finally, after months, the first arc of the story is over!… And it took much longer than I originally expected. In the future, they’re probably gonna be much shorter in comparison to this one, but still, wow… I can not even believe we’ve made it this far, and I am so thankful that all of you have stuck around long enough to reach this point, it really means a lot, and I am so thankful for all of your support!

Besides that though, there is an important announcement I’m gonna make, that being in taking probably the first extended break since the story started. It won’t be long, but at least for the next two weeks, I'm not gonna be posting any big chapters.

Now, that doesn’t mean I’ll be posting nothing, as there are some things I want to do, but I overall just need a bit of a break after writing this story for over half a year, plus my birthday is also coming up, so I want some time off for that. Which means the next official chapter will release on November 25th. I’m sorry for the news, but I hope you all understand.

On others news. I’ve realized that this is the longest chapter I’ve ever written so far (probably on account for the fact that I didn’t expect the Verosika stuff to last as long as it did) but yea.

Also, next arc is gonna go back and begin focusing on the human world, mostly the Foundation, GOI, and other important parts of this story that aren’t located in hell yet, so get exited!

Anyways, I do seriously want to know what you all think of not only this chapter (which A lot happened) but also your opinions on the first arc in general. I get it’s a bit scattered, b it that was sort of the point, as it was meant to establish the characters in hell and get them situated in their designated areas. So yea, if you’d all let me know what you’d think, I’d be extremely grateful!

Regardless, if you enjoyed this chapter, or my work in general, drop a kudos. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, jokes, or anything in between, and I’ll see you all soon!

Have a helluva good day, and to each a good night!

Chapter 41: Survey #2

Chapter by WebHead_11

 

hey everyone! Author here.

i know i said that I'm not posting any chapters this week or next, but I still wanted to do something. So I decided to make another short survey in order to just ask some basic questions. 

you don’t need to take it if you don’t want to, but it does really help, as I’ve learned after the last survey.

 

the link is down below, so if you find the time please fill out out. And don’t worry, they are all anonymous.

 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeX1-a61LPYowWQ1ZJgvdcXWiRHp24338UhkvRJv8VPG2UKDQ/viewform

 

 

 

 

Thanks again for filling out the survey, and for just enjoying the story in general. We have officially become the second highest rated SCP and hazbin crossover on Ao3! And you know what that means (looks to a Helluva broken day fanfic) I’m coming to you next!

 

But seriously, I am still freaking out over this, and just want to say thank you to everyone that has stuck onto this story until now. Your support really means a lot, and I am happy that I was able to turn this hobby into a long running story that so many people enjoy.

 

Thanks again, and I’ll see you all soon!

Chapter 42: I'm the Main Character!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

A song… IN SONG FORM!

Notes:

Bonus chapter!

Song used in chapter: https://youtu.be/RkHMKUhsBtU?si=3eGxHYQSdfDVgGn6
(Main Character by Will Wood)

3rd person POV

 

 

“Hah! That was easier than stealing candy from a baby!”

 

“Ahh Lucifer— How many times do we have to tell you to stop comparing everything we do to that, Tim! It was fucked up!” A lanky purple sinner carried out in frustration to his short imp companion.

 

"Well, it’s a good point to relate things by!” Tim attempted to defend himself before crossing arms in frustration. “Besides, I don't see you fuckers trying to steal candy from any babies!”

 

“Because we’re in fucking Hell, how would we— oh, you know what? Forget it.” The lanky purple sinner sighed before turning to the small army that followed behind him. They were a wild collection of hellbornes, sinners, and whatever else got lost in the mix. He chuckled while looking over them. “With an army like this, how could we have possibly failed anyway? Just look at them!”

 

“Hah! I knew this was a good idea! Since yesterday with the whole destruction of his tower, nobody has heard a peep from Nergal! Leaving his territory as easy pickings for us!” The imp cackled, rubbing his hands together greedily. “That limp dicked loser is all bark and no bite! Didn’t even try to fight back! At this rate, everything that flaming piece-of-shit owns will be ours, and WE’LL become the next overlords!”

 

The purple sinner sighed, annoyed by his partners over the top expectations. Still, he recognized that he wasn’t wrong. There were easily more than a couple hundred of them packed in this warehouse right now; even the overlords would be hard pressed to take out a gang of this magnitude!

 

“And then, after we take everything worth a damn from him, we’ll turn him into our bitch!” 

 

“You will? And then what?” A new voice said, Originless.

 

“Hehe, then we’ll make him now before our heels!”

 

“And then?”

 

“And then... we’ll fucking rule Hell!”

 

“Cool, and then you’ll all burn to death?”

 

“And then we’ll all burn to... WAIT, WHO THE FUCK IS TALKING?!” The imp and the purple sinner finally processed the new voice before beginning to look around frantically. “WHO SAID THAT?! COME OUT SO I CAN SLIT YOUR TONGUE!!!”

 

“No need to look that far; I’m right here!” The voice responded once more as–

 

BOOM!

 

The demons startled back as the warehouse doors suddenly exploded open. As it did, all of the demons that occupied the warehouse lifted their guns and pointed them towards the now open space. Slowly, the dust began to clear, as they all saw three figures standing there.

 

“Though, to be fair, I’m not even sure I have a tongue to slit open. Ehh, whatever, it’s not like that matters anyways.” The voice said once more, and all the demons finally saw who the figures were… And their eyes immediately broke open with shock and fear, as the figure continued as joyfully as ever. “After all, you all were talking about me!”

 

There, standing amongst the smoke, was a large man wearing what can only be described as a plague doctor outfit, bloodied bandages tied around his stomach over his outfit. To the far left of him was another man, wearing a heavy coat and gas mask, who, unbeknownst to all the demons, was the human body of a man named Dr. Bright.

 

Finally, in the center of the two, was what could only be described as a flaming deer man in a suit, adorned in a lavish golden necklace. Hearty chuckles escaping his boney maw as he looked over them like prey.

 

“Fuck, It’s Nergal!” One of the demons screamed, inciting the rest of them to point their guns straight at the trio. 

 

The imp by the purple sinners side suddenly began trembling as he fell to his ass. “Fuck, I knew this was a bad idea! I promise it wasn’t my idea, sir Nergal; it was all their–”

 

“Just shut it, you fuck boy.” The sinner cut him off before turning to look at the blue flame devil. “There are like a hundred of us, and only three of them. We’ve all got fucking guns; lets just shoot him!”

 

“Y-yea, you're right! Who does this bastard think he is? He’s just trapped himself!” The Imp said, regaining his courage as–

 

“Hehehe… Who do I think I am?” Nergal chuckled grimly while still retaining his playful demeanor. He then raised his soulless eyes once more, peering straight into the eyes of all the demons, who gained a modicum of confidence from the purple sinners speech. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you!”

 

“... Please do not sing Br–”

 

“Too late, Plaugerama!” Bright Nergal proclaimed as he flipped a quarter out of his pocket to the human Bright, who simply gave a curtly nod and dashed to the corner, finding a piano. “Hit it!”

 

Dodododododle!

 

Sharp piano music immediately filled the space with his words. Looking frantically, the purple sinner saw that the gas-masked individual had somehow made his way to a piano in the corner and began playing.

Before he could even process the fact that they even HAD a piano, however, Nergal spoke up once more… Or sang up, one could say.

 

I'm that first person they talk about in all the books

I'm that perspective you cannot doubt, see how I look

 

Nergal began, before disappearing in a puff of blue flames, re-appearing in the center of the crowd of demons. He followed that up with a quick spin of his heel, both as some sort of dance move and as a kick that knocked multiple demons off their feet.

 

He then began walking through the crowd, easily dodging any and all attacks that the demons sent at him, as if he wasn’t even trying. 

 

Control the narrative reliably, baby, it's all about me

 

With one smooth motion, he dove beneath a demon's punch before circling around and wrapping his arms around him and another demon's neck, as if they were friends while singing this. Before crossing them away into the crowd of unfriendly assailants.

 

And I wrote the book about throwing the book at those who don't do it by it

 

Nergal ran up to the purple sinner before pulling a book out of nowhere and tossing it straight in his face. Dazed, the demon looked down, confused as it said, ‘Things I'm NOT allowed to do, BITCH!’ before stealing his gaze back to Nergal. Which immediately resulted in him getting punched from Nergal straight through the book as he went flying back and the book burned to a crisp.

 

So now I'm holding myself hostage, Stockholm lust just looks like justice

 

Nergal evaporated into flames once more before reappearing in the same spot upside-down, chains tied to his body connected to the ceiling as he swung back and forth, still somehow easily dodging all the gunfire being sent his way.

 

And enough lefts don't make the right but two wrongs do

Oh man, Sun Tzu would love this!

 

With a twirl, Negal easily broke the chains, as they acted like shrapnel and struck every demon in close proximity. He effortlessly landed on the ground with a roll before tossing a fireball, as if it were a baseball, straight into a section of the crowd. 

 

Beating my dead high horse off the high road to low ground

'Cause if you shake your fist at snakes in grass

It looks like punching down

 

Nergal continued dancing between the increasingly frantic crowd, all of them failing to hit the overlord a single time. He then stopped, as he began shaking his fist as a bright blue glow began to build within his palm, before punching it straight into the floor and–

 

BOOM!

 

A large explosion echoed in the chamber, knocking the demons back. Those that survived the blast quickly began looking around, trying to see where their target went through the dust, before they saw him.

 

So God forbid I'm seen just as an average human being

I mean, imagine if protagonists just died in the first scene

 

Nergal was now laying on top of the piano, while the human version of himself continued playing. His palms touched each other, as if he were in an extremely contemplative expression. He spoke the final words to the pianist, who simply nodded at them. All while the plague doctor just stood there gobsmacked.

 

I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy

Don't come at me

 

Nergal slowly stood, still atop the piano, as he raised both his hands to his side in unison of tragedy and comedy. Blue flames built up on top of both, growing stronger as the much smaller army of demons took a step back.

 

I'm the main character and you have to like me

 

Nergal smirked before throwing his hands back and shooting the two large fireballs at the crowd of demons, who all shrieked as the massive explosion happened, encompassing them all.

 

BOOM!

 

---

Human Bright began playing the trumpet while swaying happily in tune as he carried on the music through the streets of the Doomsday district. Two large gangs of demons fought each other, one being the remnants of the warehouse forced to do Nergals bidding, and the other being some other random fuckers. And yes, the plague doctor was still fucking confused.

 

I loot plot armor from NPC’s

Well, they are to me

Trite tropes, traits, traumas, trinkets, and treats; it's all XP

 

Nergal skipped through the warzone, happily picking up trinkets, dodads, bobbles, and whatever other interesting things he could find as if it were Black Friday. All the while, easily dodging gunfire from both sides.

 

Look in the sky, it's a bird! It’s a plane! No, it's superego!

The underdog you cheer for

 

Nergal dropped all the trinkets before, blasting off straight into the sky like a shooting star, while his human counterpart pointed to the sky, still standing next to the confused plaguedoodoo—I mean, plague doctor.

 

Nergal then lands back on top of a high-rise building in the district.

 

Villains are everywhere, that's how I know that I'm the hero

 

Nergal let his flames drape over his body like a cape as he held his hands on his hips in a very heroic fashion while looking above the battle raging below.

 

---

So tie me to the train tracks, laugh and snidely twist your mustache

Snidely Whiplash, Boris Badenov, ignoring me's bad enough

 

Nergal found himself tied to train tracks, train incoming, as the Plague Doctor and human Bright and plague doctor stood over him. Human Bright attached a fake curly mustache to his gas mask and began twirling it, while the plague doctor's face palmed. Through all of this, Nergal moved back and forth through his binding to the rhythm of the song he was singing.

 

Where do you get off? Da, das vedanya, darling

Daleks in high collars monologue and I outsmart them with a ray-gun and a tweet

 

Nergal then easily burned through the restraints and jumped to his feet, as human Bright feigned shock and the plague doctor's face palmed again, just harder.

Then, with his hands on his hips, Nergal swerved on his heels and mimed a gun with his fingers before shooting a laser beam of blue flame at the train, immediately exploding it.

 

---

So God forbid I'm seen just as an average human being

I mean imagine if protagonists just died in the first scene

 

Back on the highrise building, Nergal walked with his hands behind his back in a sad motion as he sang, all while fighting continued below him. Until he stopped himself and looked over the edge, leaning his elbow on the guard rail and pushing his fist into his cheek in a depressed motion.

 

I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy

Don't come at me

 

Nergal climbed on top of the rail, standing on it as he looked down on the battle. He then let a smile bloom on his boney face, flames appearing on his fingertips.

 

I'm the main character and you have to like me

 

Nergal did a quick twirl on top of the bars before jumping off straight into the center of the heated battle below him, causing a massive explosion on impact.

 

“Time for an instrumental break!” Nergal declared before blasting one more massive ball of fire.

 

---

Human Bright continues to play the piano as hard as he can, all the while a beaten-up purple sinner and a near-death Imp stand behind him, reluctantly playing the trumpet and drums, respectively, while on the stage of a run-down bar.

 

Meanwhile, everyone else at the bar began running for their lives, as Nergal began kicking alcohol bottles off the counter, turning them into impromptu molotov cocktails, causing the entire bar to catch fire as the tenants desperately tried to flee. While all this happened, Nergal only continued his dance, reveling in the chaos.

 

---

Even more injured soldiers, forced to fight for Nergal, continued to push through the apocalypse district. Heading them was the Plague Doctor, easily killing any foes that came his way with a simple touch. Meanwhile, a tiny group of zombified goat demons also chased terrified sinners as they desperately attempted to run away from the miniature horde.

As this was going on, Nergal tap danced behind the black-dressed doctor on top of a pile of corpses, pulling out a cane out of nowhere as he flailed his arms about in front of his mobile band.

 

The plague doctor just sighed before continuing his campaign, paying no mind to his bandaged stomach.

 

---

Nergal laughs his ass off as he sits in front of a wrecked TV store, with only one television still working. The television showed a recording of 666 News as Katie and Tom sat in front of an infographic over the apocalypse district, arrows guiding threw it as it showed Nergals territory expanding his territory past its former confined chambers into the war-driven district.

 

While laughing at the television, explosions and gunshots broke out from behind him, demonstrating that the war continued to rage on. But Nergal just didn't give a damn, as he kept laughing at the television.

 

---

Seeing the same news broadcast from the television in her office, Carmilla just raised her long fingers to her head, feeling a headache incoming.

 

---

Electricity surged around Vox wildly as he squinted and slammed his fist down on the countertop, cracking the wood as he also watched the news program.

 

---

The same news broadcast played on a nearly destroyed television, sitting in rubble as Rosy dodged by it. So tired, she barely paid it any mind, as she was forced to dodge another black blade from her relentless assailant. The blade itself pierced the television, causing a minor explosion.

 

---

Standing on a rooftop overlooking the apocalypse district, Cherri just smiled as she tossed a bomb between her palms. Wicked ideas running through her head as Baxter and Kevil just look at each other, extremely worried.

 

---

Judge me by what my cover shows, author becomes beyond reproach

You don't know the prose or if the spine is still intact

 

Nergal sang, still holding his cane as he led the forced army of sinners. He danced around any swings made by the resisting gang members, using either his hands or his cane to parry and dodge the attacks.  

 

Oh, like Alice fell to Wonderland, come astroturf my Overton

And embolden my demand to live by alternative facts

 

Nergal shrugged before tossing the cane high up into the air and turning into a stream of blue flame, passing through the gang members he was fighting, causing a massive explosion that sent everyone reeling back as large amounts of dust immediately got kicked up from the force.

 

Her majesty says "The Royal We demand a standard of loyalty

An agreement to be reverent, lick the emperor's new boots."

 

The dust began to clear as the rebelling gang members saw Nergal slowly walking on top of the miniature plateau of corpses. 

 

Then, suddenly, he falls to his knees in an almost bowing-like form. His hands grazed the concrete floor beneath him, flames shooting from his hands and ingraining a small symbol of the SCP foundation on the ground. Nergal cringed slightly as he saw this.

 

The court fool got the guillotine, the witches the stake, you the dopamine

And Siemens made the Zyklon B but we all still get the flu

 

Human Bright cried heavily behind him into the Plague doctor's shoulder, who continued to look completely over this whole situation.

 

With a tensed hand, Nergal swiped his fist against the foundation symbol on the ground, burning it and rendering it completely unrecognizable. Then, with a sigh, he stood up once more slowly before beholding the enemy gangs.

 

We all do what we need to to get through

 

Nergal spoke softly, his head bowing slightly to the floor, confusing the gangs…

 

But I ain't done a fucking thing to you!

 

Nergal's head suddenly rose in dramatic fashion as he kicked his legs out and completely destroyed what remained of the foundation symbol. He then let crazy invade his eyes as he stared forward.

 

So God forbid I'm seen just as an average human being

 

Nergal screamed in song as he spread his arms out wide, allowing large moats of blue flame to emerge from his hands and quickly coalescing into a massive ball of blue flame behind him.

 

I mean imagine if antagonists lacked any evil scheme

 

The terrified Gang members took a step back as the ball of flame grew Nergals shadow until it encompassed all of them in a horrifying silhouette of darkness.

 

I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy

Don't come at me

 

Nergal's head slouched forward, revealing a horrifying grin as the ball of flames continued to grow, bathing him in a dark light, as if he were an angel sent from the darkest pits of hell.

 

I'm the main character and you have to like me

 

With one final declaration, Nergal quickly spun his body as he sent the massive ball of fire forward. The sinners looked terrified as–

 

BOOM!

 

An explosion of blue flames emerged, destroying the entire street.

 

---

“Alright, well, in the matter of one musical number, we managed to expand your territory into the apocalypse district by ten miles.” The Plague doctor recounted, looking upon the devastation that lay bare before him. He then turned his attention to the one responsible for all the bloodshed; he sat happily and a half-destroyed park bench. “Do you have anything to say about that?”

 

“Yea…” Nergal Bright responded surprisingly seriously, hands up to his mouth. He looked as if he were thinking very hard for a second before looking up. “... I think we should go for another—hit it!”

 

Nergal screamed to his human counterpart, who somehow brought the piano with him to the apocalypse district. After a quick thumbs up from the disguised human, however, a singular rock was thrown at the piano with such force that it completely wrecked it. Looking back, both Brights saw that it was the Plague Doctor who threw it; his shoulders tensed as he looked between them.

 

“We are not fucking doing that again!”

“... Jeez, you're no fun, you party plauger!” Nergal responded in mock annoyance before turning his head away from the bird-masked-wearing individual.

 

“... I should've just let Nergal kill me.”

Notes:

Well… so much for taking a two week break. This technically isn’t an official chapter, as it’s just something I wrote for fun and because I was bored.

This song was actually recommended through the survey last chapter, and I immediately thought of Bright when I heard it and felt I’d be doing him a disservice if I DIDN’T have him sing this song. That also means I wrote it over the span of like 3 days, so sorry in advance if their any grammatical errors.

So, thank you to whoever recommended this song! It was great and full credit goes to you.

Anyways, Arc 2 will still continue next week, I just felt like I needed to post this. This is also technically the 4th song in the story so far… which means half of the songs sung have been from Bright… makes sense.

Regardless, what did you all think of this chapter? It’s quite a bit different than what I usually do, since it’s entirely focused on the music (and yes, everything that happened here was canon.) So I’m very curious what everyone’s opinion on it is.

Never the less, drop a kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or jokes of any kind. And I hope you all have as good of a day as Bright did!

Chapter 43: Meanwhile, up on top.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Dr. Glass meets up with an old friend.

Dr. Lights plan starts to come to fruition.

Clef is angry.

And explosions!

Notes:

“How would you deal with an angry Clef?”

Katherine Sinclair POV

*Click-Clack-Click-Clack*

“Hmm… hmmmmmmmmmm.” I hummed indignantly, not unlike an overly pouty child. My eyes scanned back and forth, watching the silver balls on a Newton's cradle go back and forth, passing on their kinetic energy. My chin was resting on top of my arms as I continued contemplating, before I sighed dramatically in resignation. “ Sigh… dammit.”

*Click-Clack-Click-Clack*

I stared into the small silver balls of the cradle as I noticed my contemplative reflection, spying my auburn red hair that was tied up into a bun, as well as a myriad of freckles that dotted my otherwise fair face.

As I stared at myself, my mind began to wander, as did the intense clacking from the cradle. My mind moved back in time, beginning to recollect on what had transpired a mere two days ago.

*Click-Clack-Click-Clack—

“Well, someone doesn’t look quite up to the weather tonight.” A comforting voice chuckled from behind, surprising me. I tilted my head ever so slightly as I spotted a familiar blonde-haired, glasses-wearing individual. He approached me with a warm smile, an apple in his hand, before moving it over towards me. “Want a bite?”

“Heh, no thanks.” I chuckled slightly, my mood ever so slightly improving after I recognized the lab coat-wearing person as Dr. Glass. A.K.A probably the only person outside of the ethics committee that cares about mental health. “Not that hungry right now, glasses. Sorry.”

“Come on, there’s nothing to apologize for.” The caring psychologist proclaimed, before taking a seat next to my still slumped form, taking a bit out of his apple. “So, what’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.” I lied, though it was pretty obvious that Dr. Glass was aware of that fact, as he raised a single eyebrow in response. Still, he must have decided not to elaborate on it, as he quickly took another large chomp out of the apple.

“Alright, just know if you ever do think of something that isn’t ‘nothing’, that I’m here for you.” He explained, smiling while doing so. 

“Aye aye, captain.” I half-heartedly replied before returning my gaze towards the cradle, watching it go back and forth. All the while, Glass lived up to his promise by just sitting there silently, content to wait until whenever I was ready to talk… ugh, damn him.

“… There is actually a question I wanted to ask you, glasses.” I began after a couple of moments, turning back to the uncomfortably patient man. He gave me a small nod, signifying that I could talk. “Were you targeted two days ago when... this all went down?”

At my question, I noticed the man’s smile begin to subside, but still somehow keeping the cheery air about him. “Thankful, no. So I guess that means the serpents hand care just as much for mental well-being as the rest of the foundation.” He joked, causing me to chuckle a bit.

“Yea, guess so…” I chuckled as I heard the cradle finally losing all friction and coming to a stop. Lazily, I lifted one of my hands beneath my chin, revealing its slight burns that ran up its outer layer, before pulling one of the balls back and starting the cradle anew once more.

“… I’m assuming you're asking because you yourself were targeted?” He eventually wondered, causing another small chuckle to escape me, before I placed my shoulder on the table and leaned my cheek against my fist.

“Jeez, what gave that away? Is it the fact that I’m the literal head of occult and thaumatology studies at site-87?” I smirked, obviously kidding with the blonde-headed man. 

“No, it’s because you're ginger. They wanted to see if you guys really do have a soul.” Glasses returned the favor with an equally sized shit eating grin, his statement causing me to chuckle.

“Hehe, wow, targeting my entire bloodline now? Low blow, Glasses, low blow.” I feigned insult sarcastically, pushing on the doctor's shoulder in a playful manner while doing so. “And here I thought we were friends.”

“Hmhm… but seriously. Besides the obvious, was there anything else you noticed when they attacked you?” The doctor began interrogating, trying to stay as friendly as possible. “I’m just… trying to figure something out.”

“Feeling left out?” I smirked, raising an eyebrow. Still, I eventually looked ahead and allowed myself to think back. “I admit that I didn’t notice them before they began— my prosthetic eye certainly didn’t help either—but they snuck up on me real good. The second I heard some of the guards beginning to scream about some sort of world-wide attack on containment facilities... was the same moment they attacked me.”

“How’d you escape?”

“Barely didn’t! Like I said, they made it like an inch close to me. Literally this close, and I didn’t notice!” I emphasized, moving my thumb and pointer finger close together to show my point, before sighing and bringing my cheek down against my fist once more. “Fortunately, Monty was there to save my ass like always, pushing me out of the way before those serpent bastards managed to create whatever the hell that light was. It caught a few stray souls, but because of Monty, we both escaped the worst of it… It’s just... unfortunately... He didn’t escape completely unscathed.”

A frown suddenly morphed itself on Dr. Glass as he looked at me with a sympathetic look. “Is he… I mean, did he—”

“He’s not dead, if that’s what you're worried about.” I cut him off, as I saw him release a sigh of relief. My slight frown remained however, as I continued recollecting. “Still, it didn’t stop a couple of stray bullets from hitting him. Nothing permanent, thankfully, but he’s still currently hospitalized because of it. I know he’s gonna be fine; he’s shrugged off worse before, just...

“You can’t help but worry?”

“ Sigh, something like that. I mean, it’s almost like he’s my fucking husband or something.” I joked, laughing as I did so. Glasses attempted to join in on it, but his discomfort over laughing about a man who was shot obviously didn’t sit right. I rolled my eyes at the sight, before playfully elbowing him. “Geez, stop looking so down. He’s my husband, after all. Your just gonna end up making me feel bad about it at this rate.”

“O-oh, sorry about that.” Dr. Glass giggled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “… I’m sorry, I know I’m not the best at taking jokes like that.”

“Heh, clearly. Still, thanks for asking about it; I haven’t really had anyone to talk to since the whole... event. Hell, I’ve barely had time to breathe until like an hour ago.” I giggled once more, before turning towards the glasses wearing doctor. “Anyways, was their any other reason why you decided to come talk to me?”

“Well… I mean, first of all, I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Hehe, such a sweet talker.” I stated sarcastically while rolling my eyes.

“But, besides that... Dr. Light did ask me to grab you; she wanted to talk to us about something... which probably has something to do with Clef, if I had to guess.” He added on reluctantly, obviously wary of anything regarded to Clef. I laughed at the sight.

“Jeez, you act like you're more scared of the three-eyed weirdo than you are of actual keter-class anomalies.”

“Well, that wouldn’t be far off.” I chuckled, only half joking, before taking a stand. “Anywho, we should probably get going. You coming?”

“Hmm, I wouldn't miss it for the world.” I joked before finally taking a stand. I was forced to look up at Glasses, as his own moderate height already dwarfed over my relatively small stature. “Come on, let’s go say hi to Miss Rainbows and Sunshine.”

Dr. Glass nodded before he began leading the way, guiding me to Sophia Light’s office. All the way, I began pumping myself up, as I had a feeling something super cool was about to happen!

And boy… Was I not disappointed!

 

---

Sophia Light POV

“Ugh, seriously?” I spoke to myself as I continued slaving over my computer. I felt like I was on the verge of pulling my hair out— what is wrong with those guys?!

“Unregulated access, my ass; those bastards really found a way to continue to hamper my requests.” I complained, as I thought back to the events with Clef a mere couple days ago. The 05 council ended up giving him authority to lead the project in recovering the lost foundation assets and anomalies after the surprise attack by the serpent's hand on multiple secured sights, escaping with multiple essential items through a strange red glow.

Sure, I could have Clef ask for a billion dollars at this point, and the foundation probably wouldn’t bat an eye.

  ‘But when it comes to the anomalies, noooooo. I need to write a fucking thirty-page essay explaining why I need them and how they could help us, along with why they should be a part of Alpha-9, and even then it doesn’t guarantee nothing!’ I grumbled as I stared at my computer once more, slightly scolding at what I saw, that being the 05 council's current stance with each anomaly I have recently asked for permission to join the team.

 

>>> 05 REQUEST FOLDER

 

>> ALPHA-9 REQUESTS 

 

>Requested: SCP-105 “Iris Thompson.”

REQUEST APPROVED; BY VOTE OF 12-1.

 

> Requested: SCP-5151 “The Black Knight.” 

REQUEST DENIED; BY VOTE OF 4-9.

 

>Requested: SCP-073 “Cain”

SCP-073; MIA. UNABLE TO VOTE ON MATTER.

 

>Requested: SCP-1360 “PSHUD #31”

REQUEST APPROVED; BY VOTE OF 8-5.

 

>Requested: SCP- 1985 “Recovered K-Class Research Device.”

REQUEST DENIED; BY VOTE OF 5-8.

 

>Requested: SCP-2273 “Major Alexei Belitrov”

REQUEST APPROVED; BY VOTE OF 10-3.

 

>Requested: SCP-4494 “ The Spectre!”

SCP-4494; MIA. UNABLE TO VOTE ON MATTER.

 

>Requested: SCP-3740 “Ashur”

REQUEST DENIED; BY VOTE OF 2-11.

 

>Requested: SCP-4818 “Leora Lightfoot”

REQUEST APPROVED; BY VOTE OF 9-4.

 

>Requested: SCP-5031 “Yet Another Murder Monster”

SCP-5031; MIA. UNABLE TO VOTE ON MATTER.

 

>Requested: SCP-208 “Bes”

REQUEST DENIED; BY VOTE OF 3-10.

I gave a deep sigh before reclining in my chair once more. I got some of the guys I wanted, but not nearly enough. 

‘Not only that, but three of them are MIA... Dammit, Cain was a cornerstone to this whole team. Without him, it’ll be a lot harder for me and Iris to keep the rest of them in check.’ I concluded before spinning around in my chair, trying to think of a solution. ‘I knew some of them were swings in the dark, but come on, at least throw me some sort of bone, you bastards!’

I guess I could blame them too much, since with the amount of stress and discord going around the foundation in general after the attack, transporting some of these anomalies would present a huge security risk. If the Serpents hand got their grubby little paws on someone like Bes, for example, I’d be terrified about what they’d do with his power.

Still, it’s frustrating. Can’t they at least give me something to work with the make-up for Cain—

* Ding*

I grumbled in surprise, hearing a slight ringing from my computer. I turned around to look at it, expecting more bad news... but instead, a smile began to grow on my face.

‘Heh, well. There’s the bone.’ I internally celebrated as I reread the words on the screen.

 

>Requested: SCP-4051 “Your Friendly Neighborhood Keter.”

REQUEST TIED; BY VOTE OF 6-6, AND 1 ABSTAIN. AUTOMATIC APPROVAL IN RESULT OF A TIE.

 

I gave a sigh of relief, “Well, that was too close for comfort.” I chuckled, already feeling better at this kid's inclusion in the team. Swan will probably have my head for it, but I don’t care. He’s an extremely valuable ally that can do a lot if given the chance.

Knock, Knock.

“Dr. Sophia? It’s Dr. Glass; I’ve got Sinclair like you asked. Can you let us in?”  A familiar voice said following the knocking. Hearing it, I smiled slightly.

“Depends. What’s the password?” I spoke cockily, making no effort to hide my smirk.

“… seriously?” Glasses asked, slight annoyance billowing from his voice.

“As serious as Dr. Gears on examination day.”

“… sigh…  SCP-999 is love; SCP-999 is life.”

I smirked before pressing a button on my desk that unlocked the metal door and slid it open. 

“Welcome back, Swan!”

“… You make it hard to be a therapist sometimes, you know that?” Dr. Glass exasperated as he walked in and took a seat across from my desk, with Sinclair following shortly after and doing the same.

I shrugged at Swan’s words, “Ehh, who cares? It’s not like you're my therapist after all.” 

“Which I still recommend you should get one— you know what, now isn’t the time.” Dr. Glass concluded, cutting himself off. “Anyways, what did you want to talk about?” 

My smirk left my face, as my business persona returned. This is where things were getting serious.

“A lot, actually. After all, we’ve sort of become the front runners from the foundation to deal with this, how to say, potential XK-class-end-of-world-scenario.”

“… Wow, that’s a heavy welcome.” Sinclair chuckled, both at me and the extremely concerned face that Swan made after I said it. I chuckled at the reaction before stretching my hands.

“Yep. Thankfully, it isn’t anywhere near that point yet. But with time, and with so many anomalies missing, there is serious worry brewing amongst foundation staff.” I started before pulling out a couple of loose papers and placing them in front of me, reading them over slightly. “And, to make matters worse, there is also serious worry about the veil being shattered. With so many attacks on foundation sites around the world, it’s impossible to keep them all under wraps. So far, there have been multiple people who have witnessed such assaults that are already coming out. Thankfully, we’ve been able to keep it under the radar for the most part for now, but concern is already on the rise, and the 05 council wants us to do something about that.”

“… Ok… don’t see why you would want to talk with me about something like this.” Dr. Glass chuckled nervously, fiddling with the hem of his lab coat. “I’m just a psychiatrist, after all. Barely qualified to try and deal with public unrest.”

I smiled reassuringly, looking at the anxious man. “Oh, don’t worry, Swan; I’m not having you deal with anything of the sort.” 

He smiled at the reveal, going to take a breath or relief and—

“I simply want you to be the representative for the entirety of the foundation in an upcoming meeting with multiple GOI.”

“ COUGH—I'm sorry, FUCKING WHAT?!” Swan began coughing, obviously not expecting the news.

"Why, of course! You seem like a perfect fit for the job, Swan! With your go-getter attitude, your approachable face... And because we’d usually send Gears, but he’s still missing. Oh, and because the council is too caught up in their own business to send one of their own. Plus, with everyone else running around like headless chicken, me focusing on making Alpha-9, Clef being… y’know, Clef. I am really at the point where you seem like the only good option.”

“… Fuck me.” Dr. Glass whispered to himself, but seemingly resigned himself to his fate as he took a seat in his chair again, probably contemplating his life choices.

“I’ll give you more details about the meeting later. It was actually called together by the Global Occult Coalition, as they were also heavily impacted by the unified attack.” I began, handing him a folder that contained more exact details on the meeting. Reluctantly, he took it but placed it to the side, as he probably planned to read it after this impromptu meeting.

“Alright, besides that, I also think I’ve got the go ahead to begin assembling Alpha-9. I didn’t get exactly what I wanted, but I can make do with what I’ve been given for now.” I said before tilting my screen sideways and began showing the candidates for the team to my two compatriots.

“ Phew… geez, that’s a pretty strong team.” Katherine whistled, examining all the names. “Maybe it could've been a bit better, but I can see why the 05 council rejected a couple of these guys. Still, not bad. Not bad at all.”

I smirked, happy to get the short woman’s approval. After doing so, however, I turned over to Dr. Glass, his own gaze much more piercing and predatory as he saw the screen.

“…” 

He stayed silent while continuing to observe the roster. I sighed after a second, pulling his attention back towards me.

“Is something the matter, Swan?” I ended up asking, despite already having an idea about what he could be taking issue with.

“… SCP-4051… A child.” Swan began, as I could see his fist tense ever so slightly. “You want to induct a child—one who is both mentally unstable and possibly seriously depressed after being locked up by the foundation— into an MTF group designed to fight an enemy that has the power to shake the entirety of the foundation. So yeah, I have a couple issues with that.”

I chuckled a bit, scratching the back of my neck. “Ahh, I see you’ve heard a decent bit about SCP-4051.”

“His name is Rainer... And yes, I have. I’ve made it a point to watch a couple of his therapy tapes.” Dr. Glass said in return before leaning back in his chair. “… You weren’t expecting me to approve of something like this, were you?”

“Ehh, not really. But you also don’t have much of a choice in the matter.” I shrugged before allowing a serious look to dawn across my face. “Look, Swan, I know you're worried about the kids' safety, but you don’t have to be. He’s a Keter class anomaly for a reason—not exactly a regular kid. Plus, he constantly wants to prove himself and help out. He was a temporary member of Psi-7, saving basically his whole squad on that mission.”

“And what did the foundation do in return for his service? They increased his risk level to Keter and locked him inside his cell out of fear. Sure, I know that eventually he was let out and allowed to do some other favors for the foundation, but this... this is too much.” Dr. Glass continued to exasperate his point, concern about the kid obvious with every word he spoke. Seeing this, I smirked slightly.

“Well, in that case, I might have a way to put your worries to rest. At least for a little while.” I began enticing, as I saw Swan immediately regain interest in my words. “How would you like to become the official therapist for Alpha-9?”

“… Are you really trying to guilt-trip me into joining your team?” The psychiatrist asked incredulously.

“Depends. Is it working?”

“… sigh… Yea, yea, it is.”

“Then yes, I’m guilt-tripping you.” I responded with a smirk, causing Swan’s sigh to grow even heavier as he rubbed the space between his eyes.

“Fucking… fine, whatever. I was gonna get pulled into this mess one way or another, anyway. Better this than as a soldier.” Dr. Glass conceded before sitting himself in his chair, giving me a piercing glare. “But I better have some actual authority here! When I tell you these children can’t fight certain battles, you better listen. Ok?”

“Hehe, of course. You are the professional.” I returned, leaning on my fist, resulting in Swan rolling his eyes.

“Really doesn’t feel like that sometimes.”

Awkward silence then began to permeate between the two of us. I was calm, however, as I knew I didn’t cross any real boundaries with the ethical doctor, as he knew that I wouldn’t put these anomalies into situations where they have no hope of surviving.

‘And if it did ever get to that point... then I’d have more important things to worry about than hurting Swan’s feelings.’

“Um, ok. Well, this is all really cool.” Dr. Sinclair intervened, scratching the back of her auburn hair. “But, um, what am I supposed to do?”

At her question, I just shrugged. “Who knows. We still don’t know exactly what we’re dealing with or what they’re capable of. So for now, we just have you on standby until we can decide the best use for your skills.”

“Ehe, wow. So I got benched already? How cruel.” She smirked, sitting back in her chair.

“Don’t worry, you won’t be alone. We are still awaiting the arrival of Dr. Kondraki and Agent Strelnikov. Apparently, they became occupied with the attack on Site 74 in Mexico. But thankfully, with the help of the MTF unit nu-7, or otherwise known as ‘Hammer Down’, they managed to push back the attacking forces rather handedly and are gonna make their way here.”

“Wait— Waitwaitwaitwaitwait. Are you saying that Agent Dmitri Strelnikov is making his way here?” Swan asked worriedly, in which I nodded in response, causing a freaked-out expression to cross his face. “Don’t you remember the last time him and Clef did something together? It ended with them attacking and basically destroying a Brazilian military base!”

“Well, that just proves they work rather effectively with each other.”

“THEY WERE THERE ON VACATION!”

“That doesn’t retract anything. I understand your worries, Swan, but trust me when I say that Clef won’t do anything stupid while working on this project.” I spoke, attempting to put my co-workers' worries to rest. I then allowed my eyes to take a dark shade before I continued, “After all… we both know what’s at stake for him if he messes up.”

At my words, Dr. Glass also allowed a grim expression to fall on his face as he recollected on the discovery he made at the end of Clefs meeting with the 05 council. 

“Right… that...” he spoke slowly before sighing into his hands. “That’s… fair.”

“Hmm… Oh, I feel like I’m missing something really juicy!” Sinclair suddenly proclaimed, an impish smile on her face as she looked at Swan. “Come on, tell me! What happened? What’d you learn about Grinch Face?”

“Umm, it’s—”

“Nothing important, for now.” I cut Glass off, which resulted in Sinclair displaying a pouty face towards me. I just smirked back, telling her it wasn’t for discussion.

“Ack— fine! Whatever.” She grumbled, sitting back in her chair with a playful frown across her face. “I didn’t even want to know, anyway!”

“Hmhm, sure. Regardless, that brings up one more point of discussion.” I began, before turning to Sinclair. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Dr. Sinclair. But when you were attacked, your assailants attempted to crush some sort of gem, right?”

Katherine once more returned to a serious look on her face before nodding vigorously. “Yea. It was really intense too. After they crushed it, there was this HUGE thing of red light that came out! When it vanished, anyone or anything that was near it was gone. Like they completely vanished!”

“And what of the crystal they broke?”

“Pfft, unfortunately there was nothing left of it.” Sinclair began, as she continued looking back. “Either the shards dissolved after breaking apart, or they were also caught in the red light thing and went wherever everyone else did.”

“Hmm, I figured as much.” I responded.

“… then why’d you ask?” Katherine asked confused, not understanding. I just chuckled.

“Because of a certain trinket I recently got my hands on, donated by the esteemed Dr. Alto Clef himself.” I began, before pulling up an image on my computer and turning it around to show the rest of them. “Because unlike you and everyone else in the foundation. He didn’t just escape the Serpents Hands plan—”

I saw their eyes grow to the sizes of dinner plates as they saw the almost rectangular, red crystal in the photo.

“— He also recovered the crystal before they had a chance to crush it.” My own grin became wicked, as I laughed slowly. “Which means we now have a way to find out exactly what happened!”

…

…

“… Holy fucking shit.”

---

Dr. Clef POV

“Fucking pieces of SHIT!”

BANG!

BOOM!

The computer exploded into a miniature inferno, glass and dust flying everywhere as a result of the surprisingly volatile computer.

I sighed, blowing off some of the smoke out of the barrel of my shotgun. I then leaned back in my recliner, allowing my black fedora to fall in front of my eyes. 

“Bitches. I can ask for billions of dollars in funding, and they don’t bat an eye. But the SECOND I ask for a couple of bloody pills, they’re suddenly indisposed.” I spat my own resignation towards this fucking foundation growing by the day. I just wanted ONE THING in our agreement, and those bastards couldn’t even live up to that.

‘Whatever, all of that’s in the past. Right now, I just need to focus on finding her.’ I thought before reaching over to the counter and picking up my cup of coffee. I took a sip, cringing slightly at how cold it had become. ‘Honestly, now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve slept in the last 48 hours.’

I shrugged; my sleep was a small price to pay. I had too much bullshit I needed to worry about now. One of which was whatever Gears was working on before he vanished.

Curiously, I picked up a file that I had scanned over multiple times at this point. Reading it again, I was once more reminded of the research Dr. Gears had been investigating before his untimely disappearance. An investigation into what appeared to be a trio of devilish-looking creatures, with the occasional intrusion of a goth werewolf-looking girl. Now, these ones didn’t seem like a problem, as, while skilled, they didn’t really show any actual anomalous abilities outside of being physically supernatural.

‘Or, they didn't... until he was caught on camera.’ I thought, as I turned to the last page on the file, showing a blurry image of a lanky, regal owl man with the devilish creatures in what looked to be an interregation room filled with corpses. The recordings of him showed that he had some strange anomalous capabilities, like mind possession, portal creation, reality bending of some kind, and just the typical nightmare fuel one would expect to find in the foundation.

Dr. Gears seemed to think that the newly named SCP-666 was somehow involved with this group, which is why he decided to join in on the anomalies investigation. Or he was planning on it at least, before him and everyone else were sucked right off into god knows where.

‘Still, he did a hell of a lot of research on these fuckers.’ I gathered, looking through the extremely detailed notes and observations, along with a couple of well-founded theories. 'Hmm... apparently the only real pattern he found to their appearances is that they usually target and kill people who have either been suspected of murder or at least some sort of connection to a recently deceased individual. Heh, like our own demons of vengeance, one could say.’

I sat the file back down before giving a heavy sigh into my hands. It’s only been a couple of days, but this headache is already killing me.

Damn it! When will my—

PZZ PZZ

My mind halted as I felt a ringing in my pocket. Looking down, I noticed someone was trying to call me. Picking up the phone I went to see who it was.

“Hmm… Butterfly whore, who was that aga— right, Kondraki.” I muttered, seeing the caller's name was saved as ‘Butterfly Whore’ on my phone. I smirked a bit, finally. Hopefully some good news!

I answered the call, bringing it up to my ear.

“Hey, Konny. What’s the holdup? You and Mr. Over complicated name should've started making your way over here by now.”

“Right, Clef! Umm… well about that— BOOM!”

I shook as I heard a loud explosion come from the phone.

“We, uhh, ran into a bit of a problem.”

---

15 minutes earlier.

 

Dmitri Strelnikov POV

 

“And that should be the last of it.” Thomas Maclean, commander of MTF ‘Hammer Down’, said to me. “It took longer than expected, but the raid on site-74 is officially over.”

I nodded at his words before turning to look across the vast Mexican desert. What was once a calm and endless sea of sand and cacti was now filled with hundreds of soldiers, talks, helicopters, and other important military-based weapons. We were currently standing outside of a large strategic tent, which was used not too long ago by Nu-7 to help combat the recent raid.

I gave a disgruntled sigh as I thought back to the raid. Site-74, hidden in the Mexican desert, was hit surprisingly harder than most other sites during the initial attack. I honestly didn’t even know that the serpent hand had so many members, as the attack consisted of at least five hundred different cultists. If it wasn’t for ‘Hammer Down’ passing by, then there would've been a decent chance of the sight falling.

“... It’s weird, don't ya think?” I began, my heavy Russian accent evident in my voice as I removed a cigarette from my military vest, lighting it up with and taking a long breath. “Site-74 has little strategic value. Ya’d think they’d try and attack a more important outpost, but they hit here instead… why?”

Thomas shrugged, clearly not caring enough to thin farther into it. “No idea, sir. Perhaps they knew you were here and just wanted to take you out of the picture for whatever reason.”

“Hmm… Not very likely.” I responded, thinking back to the reports of many essential personnel being attacked by hidden spies in the foundation with crystals, me included. I barely managed to escape it along with Kondraki, but the point is they tried. So why would they still attack? Did they just really want to make sure me and Kondraki couldn't be a problem? Or was it a part of some bigger scheme? What could it possibly–

*Click*

… What could possibly–

*Click* *Click*

“Gah, will ya stop that already?” I raised my voice, turning behind me to look at the source of my annoyance, that being Kondraki, wearing his lab jacket over his green sweater, glasses adorning his unshaven face. He was currently pointing his camera towards Site-74 in the distance, which was surrounded by large swaths of soldiers and military vehicles.

Kondraki just chuckled at my raised voice before shrugging in my direction. “What? I’m just taking pictures. It’s not everyday you meet Nu-7 in the flesh. Might as well make it a memorable occasion!”

“Ugh, fucking… Whatever, just be quiet.” I shook my head, before sitting down on a nearby rock, I’ve had enough of just about everything today.

“Oh, speaking of which, we were given an order the other day.” Kondraki ended up continuing, lowering his camera as he turned to look at me. “Apparently Clef has been given some sort of authority, and he ordered that both of us, along with Nu-7, begin making our way to site 02.”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Oh yea? What about?”

“No idea; I just know that it’s probably not a good idea to keep the man waiting. We should probably try and head back as soon as possible.”

“Sigh… Yea, that’s probably smart.” I stood up from the rock and turned to look at Kondraki, site-74, painting the landscape behind him. “Come on, let's pack up and–”

Tick tick tick…

“Hmm.” I paused, hearing a strange ticking. I looked around, confused. “What was–”

Tick Tick Tick…

BOOM!

“Gah!” I screamed as heavy winds suddenly pushed me back, kicked up by what sounded like a humongous explosion! I managed to stay on my feet, however, as, looking up, I saw dust completely surrounding me, kicked up from the surrounding desert. It began to clear gradually, revealing both Thomas and Kondraki also looking around confused.

“Ahh, chert voz'mi, what was..." I swore in Russian, about to question where the supposed explosion came from... Only to freeze in shock, as I saw, what once was site-74 in the distance... was rendered to nothing but smoking debris.

“W-what?” Thomas sputtered before quickly grabbing his radio. “Nu-7, come in. This is commander Thomas Maclean speaking. What happened? Does anyone know what... Holy mother of god.”

Thomas Maclean lowered his radio, hands shaking as he looked into the distance behind me, away from the site. I was about to ask him what was wrong... But then I saw him raise one finger to the distance before raising the radio to his face once more.

Worried, I turned around and... and saw... Large blotches of black, large circles of nothingless begin to appear, warping the landscape around it… As… one… two… three… five… twenty– fifty–a hundred– two hundred– five hundred–

Hundreds upon hundreds of people, some in robes, others in green military outfits and gas masks, a couple even just wearing civilian outfits… All of them existed, these largest blotches carrying guns and weapons of all kinds as they headed towards us. Followed by tanks, helicopters, and other military vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

And we… We were in the front lines.

“This is… Gulp… This is your commander speaking once more. It appears... appears as though the enemy has called in reinforcements.” The commander quickly spoke into his radio, his pace increasing as he did. “C-commence arrangement Delta-Alpha-Snake. I repeat, get into formations Delta-Alpha-Snake! Quickly, before–”

BANGBANGNBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!

I jumped for Thomas and Kondraki, tackling them to the floor as gunfire just barely scratched the top of our heads. The enemies had already taken fire, and while not completely organized, they more than made it up with sheer numbers, along with catching us off guard.

I reached into my vest and pulled out a pistol before looking up at Kondraki. 

“You, uhh… May want to tell Clef that we’re gonna be a little late.”

BOOM!

 

Notes:

Dr. Light: Clef and Dmitri will be working together.

Dr. Glass: (Vietnam flashbacks.)

Whoo, I’m finally back from my ‘break!’ And finally, we’re on to arc 2, which mostly focuses on events with the foundation on the human world.

I’ll admit, this wasn’t the bombastic start of the arc that I was originally hoping for, but I like it. A lot of new characters were introduced (as if I needed more on my plate) so that’s exciting! We also got our first look onto the potential Alpha-9 team!

Also, I will just say this now that what was seen in this chapter won’t dictate Alpha-9 completely, or the permanent members. I will say that parts of the team will change as the story progresses, whether that being good or bad.

Regardless, I hoped you enjoyed the initial calm that this one brought because starting next chapter… let’s just say things start to go off the rails.

Still, I’m really curious what you think so far. And if you have any other suggestion for Alpha-9 members, please let me know!

Until then, however, drop a kudos if you enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, jokes or wisecracks, and I hope you all have a bombastic day!

Chapter 44: Mr…

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Dmitri and Kondraki fight their way through a war torn battlefield.

Notes:

“Are you going to enjoy this?”

Kondraki POV

 

“So yeah, that’s basically what happened—”

BOOM!

“-Gah, will you quiet down! I'm on the phone!” I screamed angrily over the rock I was using as cover, angry at the sudden explosion that cut me off. I huffed before turning my attention back to Clef, who I was currently calling. “Noisy neighbors, am I right?”

“Just cut the crap and talk to me seriously for five seconds, Kondraki!” Clef's voice spoke angrily from the other side of the call, uncharacteristically pissed off. “Do you know who’s attacking you? And do you need reinforcements?”

“I mean, probably. If they were at their prime, Hammer Down could’ve crushed these guys pretty easily with how disorganized they are.” I commented as I continued to hear a stream of bullet fire, followed by a chorus of pained screams from behind me and my improvised defense, AKA an oversized rock. “However, these bastards caught us off guard while nobody was in formation. A good chunk of them were also caught in the blast that destroyed site-74. I don’t have any specific numbers, but that alone probably cut down the MTF’s military power by at least one fifth.”

“Dammit— Alright, I’m trying to see if there's any nearby MTF group that can support you. I wouldn’t rely on it, though; Site-74 was extremely out of the way. I thought Hammer Down would be enough to protect that entire region, but apparently fucking not!” Clef swore, obviously trying to frantically think of a way to salvage this situation. “What about the people attacking you? Who are they?”

I slightly cringed at that question, struggling to find a proper way to answer.

“Well, that’s… a little more complicated.” I admitted, arousing the more sadistic doctors' curiosity.

“…Explain.”

“Well, originally I thought it was the Serpent's hand considering the whole attack they did on the foundation recently, plus with all the cultish robed figures, it made sense.” I started explaining, recounting the initial soldiers that appeared out of the pitch-black portals. “But after that, I saw that a fuck ton of them also wore gas masks, complemented with outfits that aren’t dissimilar to that of the Chaos Insurgency. They were the ones who attacked this base initially a couple of days ago, so I thought that it was probably them. But then I noticed lots of them dressed like out-of-date gangsters, just like the—”

“ Like the once-thought-extinct Chicago spirit?”

“Heh, read my mind, ukulele.” I chuckle, not at all attempting to hide the worrying truth. “Now, that leaves us with two options. Either the true perpetrator simply wants to throw us off, not wanting us to know who they are, or—”

“Or these groups really did team up.”

“… Ok, it was cute the first time, but you don’t need to keep interrupting me— whatever, yes. If it is the former, then we don’t have much to worry about. If it’s the latter, though… then this whole situation just got a whole lot more complicated and a fuck ton more dangerous.”

BOOM!

“… Or as much as it could get more dangerous, anyways.”

“Grr, fucking shit. Listen, Kondraki, grab Strlelnikov and get the fuck out of there! Use Hammer down as a distraction if needed; just get out of that fucking warzone!” Clef growled, as if he himself were mad that he was giving the order.

I raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Are you really telling us to flee? This… doesn’t sound right coming out of your mouth, ukulele.” 

“It doesn’t matter what it sounds like. I just need you two fuckers here! It sucks for Nu-7, but it won’t do us any good if you two die there as well.” Clef angrily demanded, as I could hear him clenching his teeth through the call. “Just… Just make your way to border checkpoint five. I’ll send some agents to meet you there. Just get out of there and fucking live—”

BOOM!

… radio silence.

“… Clef?… CLEF?!”

“PZZT-PZZT” static was all I got in return.

“Agh, fucking mother of a whorebug!” I swore, before discarding my phone, throwing it to the side without a care. 

“Dammit… Dammit! Dmitri, where are you?!" I screamed over my rock, hoping that the Russian soldier could hear me through the warzone. 

I gave a quick peek, seeing Dmitri had found himself in the middle of a fierce battle as he was forced to dodge both bullets and knives. He danced around the rocky terrain like a professional, slowly dismantling the tiny armada of troops one by one, all without getting a scratch on himself.

“Damn, show off.” I smirked, glad that he was on my side as—

BAM!

“JESUS CHRIST IN A PALM TREE!” I swore as I heard something heavy land next to me, kicking up a small amount of dust. After taking in my breath, I looked down, seeing that it was... oh wow.

“Sheesh, that ain’t pretty.” I commented as I noticed that it was a dismembered arm that landed next to me, breaking its fall in the sand. The hand still clutched tightly around what appeared to be a shotgun.

I stared at it... contemplating... Intrusive thoughts winning... “Ahh, screw it.” 

I reached down and ripped the firearm from the hands grip, which was expectedly easy. Looking it up and down, I was a little surprised by how perfect of a condition the gun seemed to be in. But hey, I’m not complaining.

“Wow, fully loaded too.” I smirked, opening the chamber before promptly closing it. “Shit, might as well join in the fun. Don’t have a lot of ammo, but I’m sure I’ll find some more around… hmm?”

I looked up, seeing a familiar collection of blue butterflies begin to collect themselves around me once more after momentarily being scared out of the surprise attack. I smiled.

“Hey little guys, glad to see you doing alright.” I said, raising my finger up and letting one lay down on it before lifting off to join the tiny swarm of its brothers around me. “Heh, I guess hiding isn’t an option anymore. But I wasn't getting anywhere with that plan anyhow.”

I cocked the shotgun before jumping over the rock. “It’s showtime!”

 

---

Dmitri Strelnikov POV

BANG!

I pivoted on my foot, dodging beneath the punch of a gas-masked-wearing figure. Taking advantage of the miss, I gripped hard onto his outstretched arm as I threw him into a nearby rock.

**COCK**

Hearing the familiar cocking of a gun from behind, I gripped my pistol and dropped to the floor—

BANG!

Dodging a bullet and releasing my own into the forehead of a robed figure.

BANG!

I huffed as I saw them drop to the floor and—

Crunch—

‘Shit!’

I rolled on my back, extending my leg out and kicking the knife out of another soldier's hand, who was about to stab me, and sent it flying into the air above us. Quickly I used my other foot to hit their knees, sending them falling to the floor as I stood up with almost supernatural agility and—

GRIP!

STAB!

“GAHH!” The soldier released a final pained cry as I caught the knife out of the air, using it to stab him on the floor directly into his heart. Quickly, I retrieved the blade, killing the man immediately. 

I then—

Cru—

“Goddammit.” I murmured before rocking my head back roughly, striking another robed figure in the forehead. 

BAM!

The strike sent the startled man back in pain, as I used the moment to turn around and shoot them in the chest. Crimson liquid stained their once pristine black cloak as they fell to the floor as—

BANG!

“FUCK YOU!” I screamed, barely dodging another bullet as it whizzed by my head. Glimpsing behind me, I saw a line of about eight different fuckers line up, each raising their guns as they were ready to take a shot at me.

I scrunch my face as I see their fingers reach for their triggers. In my single second of reaction before the ensuing gunfire, I rolled behind me, picking up the body of the figure I had stabbed. 

I then continued the roll as I also gripped onto the body of the man I had headbutted and shot, placing them on top of each other.

I made sure their bodies were facing towards the collection of gunmen as—

BANGBANGBANGBNAGBMAGBNAGBNABGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGB!

A torrent of gunfire rained down upon me but was buffered by the two corpses I was holding on in front of me. However, I knew I didn’t have long, as I quickly exposed my arm around the bodies and shot my pistol.

I remembered perfectly where each gunman was situated as—

… BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG.

I released a total of eight consecutive shots, unable to see the people I was looking towards. 

As soon as I released the trigger, however, I no longer felt the bodies being pressed on me through consistent gunfire. So carefully, I tore their now bullet-riddled bodies off of me as I gazed towards the enemy soldiers.

Looking at them, I smirked slightly… seeing them all dead on the floor, each with a bullet wound situated perfectly in the center of their forehead.

I gave a sigh, letting the bodies that I used as cover fall limply to the floor. I took a moment to catch my breath as I surveyed the scene around me.

In short... It was pure chaos.

Explosions echoed around the battlefield like kernels in a kettle. Gunfire replaced any white noise that could be present. Blood drenched the sand, painting it redder than the rash on Clef’s back… so really fucking red.

I cringed slightly as I remembered back to my earlier career before the foundation when I worked for the Russian military. The warfare, the bloodshed… it’s all feeling real damn familiar at this point.

Click.

I heard a slight click behind me before sighing. Looks like it’s another fucker I’m gonna have to—

BANG!

“Hehe, got him!” A cheery yet familiar voice celebrated from behind me. I looked back, seeing a body on the floor, head rendered to nothing but red paste across the sandy floor. Behind him stood a recognizable figure who was currently being swarmed by blue butterflies as he examined the shotgun in his hand. “Man, this thing has some kick to it, huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “Whatever ya say, photographer.” 

“Hey, I just saved your ass. You could at least pretend to like me.” Kondraki pouted as I walked past him, grabbing the shotgun I had strapped around my back that wasn’t dissimilar to the one Kondraki. I loaded it, before reaching into my pocket and tossing a couple of shells towards my accomplice, who chuckled at the unexpected motion. “A present already? It’s not even my birthday yet.”

“Just consider it an early Christmas present.” I responded, before lazily surveying the battlefield again, catching sight of the deceased corpse of one of Nu-7’s soldiers. “Better to deal with it now than the headache of having to search for gifts for all you fuckers later.”

“Hmm, can’t argue with that.” Kondraki began, obviously finding the whole interaction numerous. However, his lofty attitude quickly took a dive as he turned to me with a serious expression. “I managed to contact Clef. My communication got knocked out, but I managed to share a couple words with the guy.”

“Oh yea? What’d he say?” I asked nonchalantly as I started making my way to the MTF member's corpse, Kondrakj and his butterflies following not too far behind me.

“He told us to... to retreat to border checkpoint five across the Mexican and American border.” Kondraki admitted, harming my attention as I turned to him, confused.

“Really? Clef told us to run? Ya sure?” I inquired, believing my ears must have played a trick on me. That notion was quickly shot down, however, as Kondraki just shook his head.

“Yep, clear as crystal. He just seemed like he was in a hurry, like he really just wanted us there for whatever reason.” The butterfly man explained, scratching the back of his head as he did so. “In other words, he wants us to use Hammer Down as a distraction while we make our escape.”

“… Yeah, fuck that.” I declared as I stood over the dead body of the MTF member as I reached down, tearing a walkie-talkie from his vest. “I’m not leaving them for dead.” 

“Are you sure? But Clef—”

“Clef can go fuck himself for all I care, but I’m not running away like a fucking coward when there’s still hope for victory.” I argued, finalizing my point and leaving no room for discussion. I then turned my attention to the walkie in my hand, changing its frequency slightly before raising it to my mouth.

“This is Agent Dmitri Strelnikov. I repeat, this is Agent Dmitri Strelnikov. Requesting immediate communication with Commander Thomas Maclean, over!” I quickly yelled into the black rectangle, only taking my attention off of it to release a couple of bullets out of my pistol, perfectly striking the heads of a duo of what I assume to be Serpent's Hand members running across the battlefield.

“—PZZT, this is commander Thomas Maclean, responding, over.” The familiar voice of the commander spoke back, letting a smirk grow on my face. When the battle started, he separated from us, desperate to get his soldiers into some sort of cohesive unit for a counterattack. 

I chuckled slightly as I continued to speak into the device. “Commander Thomas Maclean, requesting information on your current location, over.”

 

---

Thomas Maclean POV

“Commander Thomas Maclean, requesting information on your current location, over.”

The voice came out clear, his intentions even more so. I lifted the radio high, feeling safe to do so as I was currently surrounded by a regiment of about twenty of my soldiers that I managed to reconvene with as we hunkered down in a crater that wasn’t too far from the nearby ravine that made a natural boundary to the left side of the battlefield.

“Affirmative, sending signal flares out now, over.” I spoke, before turning to one of my men. Wordlessly, they nodded at me before handing me a green flare. I observed it for a second before turning back to the radio, changing the frequency before speaking, directing my call to a different collection of soldiers. “This is Commander Thomas Maclean speaking. Commence strategum ‘rainbow skies’, I repeat, commence strategum ‘rainbow skies’, over.”

After finishing, I waited a couple seconds before raising my green flare into the air and…

BANG… BANG... BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG.

The warzone was suddenly filled with a surprising amount of color, as seven different flares shot up into the sky, each a unique color from red to blue, yellow, orange, brown, purple, and the green one that I myself had just shot up.. I grimaced slightly, noting that there should’ve been at least twelve.

‘Still, this should be enough,’ I told myself as the green flare marked my own location. I turned back to the radio, changing the frequency once more in order to commune with the Russian.

“This is Thomas Maclean returning. We are at location Delta. I repeat, we are located at location Delta. Reconvene here as soon as possible, over.” I spoke, knowing that the Russian would be aware that Delta meant green in regards to this strategum. This strategum was set up this way for multiple reasons, but it was mostly kept from drastic measures when I needed to desperately meet with someone. This was the safest way to do so without giving away my position.

~PZZT~ Affirmative, heading there now, over.” The Russian responded, confirming my suspicion that he knew the location I was talking about. 

I nodded internally before lowering the radio to my vest as I kept my cover in the crater. “All right, you heard him. Hold this position until Agent Dimitri Strelnikov makes his way here!” I commanded, which earned a quick salute from my loyal men.

I sighed before quickly lifting the gun in my grasp as I thought over the whole situation in my head.

Overall… we are so fucked.

‘We were just caught so off guard by their initial attack, in combination with the site exploding and an entire army appearing out of thin air; we just couldn’t handle the suddenness. The only saving grace we have is how uncoordinated they are, and our obvious military superiority allowed us to organize ourselves quickly enough to establish a front line and hold them back. But still, I wouldn’t be surprised if we’ve already lost a quarter of our military might already, and the battle has only just begun.’ 

I grimaced, just thinking about how much men have already lost their lives. When this is all over, it’s gonna take years to recover what we lost here today.

But hope isn’t lost yet! As long as we stick together, we can pull off the impossible, just like we’ve always done!

‘And no terrorist, cultist, or bullshit megalomaniac is going to get in our way. Because we’re the foundation! And we always find a—’

“GAHH!” 

BAM!

I froze, my internal monologue coming to a chilling and sudden conclusion at the pained scream. 

I looked down in shock, seeing some of my soldiers had fallen roughly on the ground, blood seeping out of their chest… as a long, sharp, red, crooked object had pierced them straight through their heart.

I stood there in silence… before the situation crashed into me like a tsunami.

“Everyone, take cover!” I quickly screamed as—

SWISH! SWOOSH!

“ACK!”/ “AHH!”

Two more pained screams followed after the first. Turning frantically, I saw two more of the same, yet slightly different, red crooked objects pierce straight through the necks of two more of my men. Crimson blood dribbled out as they both collapsed to the floor.

Luckily, though, the rest of my nineteen soldiers reacted fast enough, quickly diving to the ground and taking up arms. Some of them already began shooting in the direction that the knife originated from, giving the rest of us cover as we looked around at the many pieces of debris and large rocks that surrounded this crater. I swore nothing that the natural defenses they gave for us to defend ourselves by were now being used by the enemy too—

SWOOSH!

I quickly swerved as I saw a shadowed silhouette speed out from behind one of the rocks. Dust kicked up as they moved with supernatural speed, so much so that I was unable to catch any details of them as—

SLASH!!!

The silhouette ran past three soldiers without halting their speed at all, and before any of us could even process what happened.

… THUMP

All of their heads fell clean off their bodies, a perfect cut across their necks that resulted in a near seamless transition, as their heads crashed into the sands a full second before their bodies followed.

I was shocked. Nobody should be able to move that fast. Nobody should be able to make cuts that perfect! Unless… 

“Shit… SHIT, WE GOT AN ANOMALY!” I screamed out to my fellow remaining soldiers before attempting to shoot the now-identified anomaly with my automatic rifle. However, they were still too fast for me and everyone else, as they had quickly retreated behind a nearby collection of boulders.

“Everyone, stay in formation! Don’t let them—”

SWOOSH!

“Gah!” I screamed in slight pain, moving my head just in time as another sharp, pointy, yet jagged knife-like object rocketed past my face, leaving a deep cut.

BAM!

I looked behind me, shocked to see that the same knife that had cut me pierced another soldier perfectly in the neck. They fell to the floor, instantly dead.

“Dammit— DAMMIT! EVERYONE, GET INTO—”

SLASH!

“GAHH!” I screamed once more, this time feeling a cold, stinging pain in my leg. Looking down, I saw another knife had pierced me straight in the leg, as blood began seeping out of the wound.

“Commander—”

The silhouette appeared behind the panicked soldier…

SLASH!

This soldier didn’t even receive the mercy of screaming, as within a fraction of a second of the anomaly’s appearance, a perfect slash appeared straight across the abdomen. His body flew off, his intestines and blood flying through the air as he was cut perfectly in half.

The figure, now obscured by the soldier's dead body, quickly grabbed something around their waist. Seeing this, my eyes widened in panic.

“NOO—OPEN FIRE!” I quickly commanded, lifting my automatic rifle up and began firing. The rest of the platoon followed suit, all beginning to shoot at the anomaly with no regard for the body we were ruining in the process.

But… it wasn't enough. I managed to see the figure pull the pin on the metal container he held, as smoke immediately exited from the smoke grenade at an accelerated pace. Immediately, the entire area is covered in thick smoke, making it impossible to gaze past it all.

“Fuck— everyone, out of the smoke—”

BANGBANGBANG!

“GAHH!”

“FUCK…”

SLASHBANGBANGBANGAHHFUCKBANGSLASHSLASH.

SLASH!

“HELP ME—"

SLASH!

BANGBANGBANG!

My eyes widened as I continued to hear screams of pain within the smoke. The surroundings only occasionally lit up for a second by the light produced by the gunfire. 

I grunted and tried to move, but the blade in my right leg made that a hell of a chore. Dammit— DAMMIT!

I kept my eyes out, trying to see if I could ever catch sight of the bastard doing all of this to us… but I was disappointed, as he didn’t come near me the entire time.

During that time, the screams began lessening. The gunfire slowed. And the sound of bodies striking the floor ceased to be.

Until eventually, after a couple of agonizingly long seconds, the smoke finally began as I saw… I saw…

‘…No.’ I internally whispered, mortified as I... Saw so much blood… so much death… so much red!

“There were… over twenty of us… h-how.” I began muttering incoherently as I saw every soldier. Every man that pledged their lives to me... all dead on the floor.

“… Fuck you… FUCK YOU!” I screamed as I began shooting in all directions, hoping by some miracle a stray bullet might strike the fucker!

As I did so, I reached down to my vest and lifted my radio, tears in my eyes.

“Dammit, I can’t let them get here.” I whispered, lifting the radio to my mouth. All formalities be damned, as I just began screaming.

“DMITRI, DON—”

SLASH!

My message was cut short, however, as a long, spiny crimson knife stuck the radio in my hand. It’s mechanical parts crashing into the ground, halting my message.

“FUCK— FUCK YOU, BASTARD!” I screamed, all sense absent from my mind as I continued to desperately look around as I was unable to see the fucker. “COME OUT AND FIGHT ME! STOP HIDING!!!”

I screamed in desperation, hoping by some miracle this fucker has an ego, enough of it to buy me enough time to—

STAB!

“GUHH!” The breath rushed out of my chest; my lungs collapsed in on themselves.

“Nehehehe… Who said I was hiding?” A… voice… whispered into my ear, bloodlust dripping from every word.

I… slowly… looked down and… oh, fuck…

“Hmm, not your color?” The voice asked as I bore witness to a knife plunged straight through my chest… red blood coating the already crimson-colored blade.

“… Who… who are you?” I managed to ask weakly, feeling my eyes grow heavier with every breath I took. In response to my question, however, I only received another dark and slow chuckle, as if produced by the devil itself.

“Who I am isn’t important. After all… we’ll never see each other again.” Was all they said before—

TOSS!

With supernatural strength, the figure lifted me up from behind with the knife before tossing me like a piece of rubbish through the air towards the nearby ravine. I flew, before impacting roughly against the sand, sliding against it for a soldier second before…

“I’m… sorry… Dmitri.” I whispered my final apology for unknowingly directing the Russian towards the monster. That was all I could think before I slid the final foot, and my entire body entered the ravine. I stared up, watching as the edge quickly grew farther and farther away.

And I closed my eyes and beheld the darkness.

 

---

Dmitri Strelnikov POV

“This is a stupid idea.”

“I know.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Because I’m not gonna leave soldiers here to die.” I scoffed as I quickly made my way through the rubble, taking occasional shots at enemy soldiers while doing so. 

“But Clef said—”

“Your ‘boyfriend’ can eat a bag of dicks for all I care; I’m not turning tail and deserting.” I spoke, leaving no room for debate. Kondraki appeared annoyed at my words, sighing into his hands.

“It’s—well, it’s ex-boyfriend, first of all— but you can’t possibly believe you’ll be enough to turn this entire battle around.” Kondraki sputtered in ridicule, jumping behind a nearby rock for cover as they made their way across this deadly terrain. “I get it, you're the ‘super badass soldier who won’t leave a man behind’ kind of archetype. It’s cool. But this is still fucking stupidly dangerous, and I’m all about danger! I rode on fucking 682 like a horse for fuck's sake!”

“Still don’t know how ya weren’t terminated for that one.” I muttered incoherently to myself as I quickly pushed Kondraki back, making a bullet miss him completely as I sent one of my own in return to the soldier who shot it, killing him instantly. “But whatever. I’m not doing this because I get a fucking danger boner or anything. I’m doing it because it goes against everything I’ve learned as a soldier to tuck tail and run like a pussy. When I enter a battlefield, I enter with the expectation that I’m gonna win, no matter the cost.”

“Like I was saying, that’s a super badass line! But it means nothing when you get a bullet between your eyes!” Kondraki screamed in a muffled voice, continuing to follow in the tracks of the suicidal fucker in spite of it all, AKA me. “If you really want to avenge the people that died here, then live to fight another day for when you have the ability too.”

“Hmm… too complicated for me.” 

“I... I really don’t get you sometimes.” He sighed, still continuing to stealthily and quickly make our way past the hellscape, resigning himself to following me. After all, there’s no way that he could make it out of here alive without my help.

‘And even if he could, he’d be too afraid to admit to Clef that he was unable to get me to come with him.’ I chuckled between my teeth, a cold sweat drawing from my brow as I imagined facing the full force of Clefs' spite. ‘Ugh. I’d take a battlefield over that nightmare any day of the week.’

“… Ya know, it’s been a while since I’ve been in a battle like this.” I suddenly spoke up as we continued making our way towards where the green flare was shot, recognizing it as the location the commander wanted us to meet with him at. “The screams, the blood… you never forget it, but it still seems so new. Every skirmish... it feels like I lose a bit more of myself.”

Kondraki blinked, taken aback by my sudden sentimentality. “Ok… what does any of that have to do with what’s going on right now? More importantly, you must be confident if you have the time to think about fucking existentialism.”

“I—sigh— I don’t know why I’m sharing this.” I admitted, taking a second to stick behind a rock with the photographer and allowing the battle nearby to echo in our skulls as I waited for an opportunity to move. “It’s just, I’m not sure how much longer I’m going to last. Something is wrong— very fucking wrong. Something is coming, something big… And I’m not sure if I’m gonna live through this one.

That gained Kondraki's attention, as he turned to me once more. “Oh? And what would that be? Whats coming”

“… war.”

…

A beat passed between us as both Kondraki and I processed the words that had just left my mouth. Letting them sink in…

“Wow… you seem mighty convinced. What gave you that impression?” Kondraki chuckled, finding ridicule in my notion, but clearly not dismissing the merit that it presented.

“Don’t know. Call it soldiers' intuition, but it just feels— wait, move, now.” I quickly spoke, cutting myself off as I finally noticed a perfect opportunity to move past the sandy warscape. Hearing my words, Kondraki quickly let my words rest for now as he followed behind me as we dashed towards the location of the green flare.

We continued moving after that point for several more minutes without stopping. Originally, I expected to run into some sort of resistance, decently a couple of battalions of enemy soldiers trying to hunt down stragglers in this chaotic and unorganized battleground. Or maybe even some of our own allies at least, wandering around attempting to create some sort of order.

But instead, there was nothing. Sure, the cries of injured soldiers that followed the constant stream of gunfire were ever present, killing any dead noise that might have appeared. But around this specific area, the further we got in, I failed to spot a single living soldier. Besides the mutilated dead bodies of defeated soldiers from before we arrived, there wasn’t anyone in sight.

“… This is eerie.” Kondraki murmured in worry, also noticing the same thing as I. I nodded slightly before continuing on wordlessly as worry crept up through my spine, a bad feeling building from within me.

 Eventually, after a surprisingly uneventful jog, we made it to the exact spot that I noticed the green flare had shot out of, that being what looked to be a crater that was surrounded by boulders and rubble, not far from a nearby ravine that created a natural barrier in the battlefield.

I continued moving forward warily, shotgun clenched in one hand as I made my way forward, keeping Kondraki in the corner of my eye as I did so. 

“… Commander Maclean… Commander Maclean, it’s Dmitri.” I called out, lifting my walkie-talkie in hopes he would respond.

… nothing.

I grunted and began moving towards the crater indented into the sand.

“Commander Maclean, please respond! We are at the location!” I spoke, panic beginning to set into my voice as I inched ever closer to the crater. “Commander Maclean! Respond! Please respond—”

FREEZE!

“… no.” I whispered as... as... 

The talkie dropped from my hand, falling into the crater as I beheld its interior.

“Dmitri? What’s—gasp!” Kondraki gasped as he walked next to me and saw the same scene as I did. “This is… this wasn’t the place… right?”

I clenched my teeth in rage as tens of mutilated bodies found their graves within the crater. That would’ve been bad enough if they were just dead, but… but…

“… I’m gonna murder whatever sick fuck did this.” Rage seeped out from me as I internally digested the disgrace I was seeing.

That being all the heads torn off the soldiers bodies, each stuck on top of a long, sharp object, red in color. Their arrangement resembled that of a smiley face, with the decapitated bodies making the circular outside of the sadistic art project.

“God, this is… This is just sick.” Kondraki spoke, disgust present in his voice as he physically had to force himself from gagging. “Who would do something this fucked! I know there are some demented people out there, but still… goddammit.” 

I cringed a bit but continued forward towards the horrid display regardless. Kondraki seemed a bit surprised by this, but continued following me nonetheless into the crater.

I walked up to the spikes that held up the fear-stricken heads, examining them closely. All their helmets were removed, seemingly attempting to add to the creep factor. But despite all of that. There was only one thing I noticed as I looked at them.

“… Thomas isn’t here.” I observed, informing Londraki as such, as he also examined the heads from a considerably larger distance.

“Really? Do you think he escaped?” 

“I’m not sure, but considering whatever monster did this had time to set all this up… then I doubt it.” I began, before turning around and beginning to leave the inner circle of the demented smiley face. “Come on, it’ll do us little good to stick around here any longer. If Thomas did escape, then he’s bound to have left some sort of trail—”

WHOOSH!

‘DODGE!’

SLASH!

… My head moved to the side just in time, as a spray of blood shot out from my cheek that formed from the attack. Looking back slightly, I saw a red crooked dagger, not dissimilar to the ones that made up the poles, stuck into the floor.

“… Fuck!” I screamed, turning on my heel and gripping my shotgun; I raised it and—

WHOOSH!

CLANG!

This time another red dagger shot out from a completely different direction, striking my shotgun and sending its parts splintering all across the battlefield. It was rendered to nothing but a pile of rubble.

“Dmitri, are you—”

“STAY BACK!” I screamed to the shocked doctor as he watched from a distance—

WHOOSH!

DODGE!

This time, I moved in the nick of time to avoid another dagger from piercing me. Seeing where it came from, I turned to one of the rocks that surrounded this crater as—

DASH!

WHOOSH!

A dark silhouette dashed out from behind the rock with alarming speed, another dagger seemingly escaping its grasp as it did so.

Seeing it coming, I managed to dodge it again as it pierced harmlessly into the stand. 

I rested my palm on the handle of my pistol, watching as the silhouette began jumping around the outskirts of the crater between all of the rocks and rubble. They sent knife after knife at me, with me only just barely dodging each and every one of them by a hair's width.

I noticed Kondraki watching with clattering teeth, seemingly wanting to help but unable. I smiled.

I won’t be needing his help.

Finally after five daggers…

Ten daggers…

Fifteen daggers— twenty daggers— twenty five daggers—

‘NOW!’ I internally commanded as I dodged another attack. Quickly, with a hawk's precision, I lifted the pistol straight ahead. I smirked as I saw the silhouette continue moving at their impossible speed… but even that wasn’t enough to stop me, as I finally got them.

“Boom.” I muttered, as—

BANG!

I shot the pistol not even a half of a second after it left my holster, using speed and precision that would put even the best marksman in the world to shame. The bullet soared forward…

And struck the bastard mid-dash in the head.

…

… The fast-moving body suddenly ceased, carried forward by nothing but inertia, as they slammed hard into a rock.

“Wow… fuck, that was cool!” Kondraki screamed, beginning to run up to me. “That was a wicked shot! How’d you—”

“Stop!” I screamed to him without looking, my eyes still remaining on the supposed corpse. “This… isn’t over yet.”

“What? But you shot him? That’s a pretty surefire way to kill someone.” Kondraki sputtered, not understanding what I meant. I grunted at his logic. If guns were enough to solve all the world's problems, then I’d be out of a job.

“I’ve worked too long in this fucked-up industry to assume someone is dead just because their brains got blown out.” I declared as I held my ground, peering towards the dust-covered body. “So tell me… are you someone who laughs in the face of death?”

…

…

“… More accurately, I’d say death is the one that laughs at me.” A gravelly yet still young-sounding voice exuded outwards, causing my shoulders to tense and Kondraki to fall back in shock. “But hey, I’ve grown too old to care.”

The figure... the monster... began rising through the dust.

“But you… Heh, you're more impressive than everyone else here, aren’t ya? No wonder they wanted you dead so badly.”

The dust cleared, revealing the head of this beast, a bullet hole still present in the center of their forehead, seeping an uncountable amount of blood.

“Usually I’d tell people like that to fuck off. But what they had planned… I’d be doing myself a disservice by just ignoring it. Not good manners, wouldn’t you agree?”

Then, all of a sudden, the hole in their head stitched each other together. The skin regrew, the brain matter reformed, and all the blood that once coated it vanished, the only hint of its former existence being the blood-stained floor beneath them. 

A smile…. No, a sneer… grew on their revealed, pearly white teeth. 

“But hey, might as well make some fun out of it. It’s what I was made for, after all. Fucking fun. So please, let me know how much you're going to enjoy this!”

The dust parted almost completely, the figures now revealed blood-red hair billowing against their head, the same color suit jacket that hugged against their skin completely unbuttoned, leaving a surprisingly pristine white dress shirt beneath. They also wore another red tie, floating in the wind as if it were some sort of flag.

“… Because I’m gonna enjoy this so fucking much!”

A condescending gaze looked down at me, promising a world of pain… a world of suffering.

“Remember my face; it’ll be the last thing you ever see.” Their sneer intensified as they lifted their hands to the side like some sort of fucking poet, as two more long, red, and ragged blades appeared out of nowhere. 

“Oh yea? And whose face might that be? I still don’t even know your name.” I ended up asking, sweat forming on my brow as I stared up at them. At my question, I only received another entertained sneer.

At that reaction, I took no chances, raised my pistol, and—

“My name… is Mr. Redd.”

BANG!

 

Notes:

Mr. Redd: My name… Is Mr. Redd.

Literally everybody: (nervously sweating!)

Welp… yep, here’s the chapter! Really not sure how I feel about it, and I’m constantly questioning if I did Mr. Redd justice in his introduction. But hey, he’s here!

Regardless, I want to quickly shout out LordOfInterest678, who was the one that convinced me and recommended Mr. Redd for this story way, WAY back. So thank you!

I also want to quickly shout out The Bright Player, who is currently proofreading and editing earlier chapters of this story, and potentially future chapters as well when they’re fished with that.

Anyways. What’s you think of the chapter? Do you like Mr. Redd? These are just things I’m curious about as… yea, some BIG things happen next chapter.

Drop a kudos if you enjoyed the chapter. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or jokes.

And I hope you all have a smiley day!

Chapter 45: Was it worth it?

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

A fight begins… and a battle ends.

Notes:

“Are you scared of death?”

 

 

 

BANG!

Cling!

The red fucker easily deflected my bullet with one of his two blades. A condescending sneer froze itself on his face before he rocketed towards me at an alarming speed, swinging his daggers.

I internally swore as I dodged beneath the slash; using the momentary advantage it gave me, I kicked my legs out and struck his in an attempt to knock him off his feet.

Crack!

“GAHH, fuck!” I screamed in pain as I jumped back, blood seeping from my leg. “Dammit, that was like kicking a brick wall—” 

—SLASH—

Before I knew it, the figure turned on a dime and rushed towards me again. Clenching my teeth, I dodged under the attack before once more lifting my pistol and—

BANG!

I shot the fucker straight through his forehead. But surprise, surprise, the wound seemed to heal almost as fast as it appeared. 

“Funny, that almost tickled.” The demonic man sneered as—

BANG!

“GAHH!” Blood and air escaped my lungs as the creature spun with supernatural flexibility, lifting their foot high in the air and kicking my right arm as I managed to raise it just in time to defend my face from the initial force.

CRASH!

My body ricocheted back, crashing through and breaking the sharp poles that held up the heads in the sadistic smiley face, breaking them apart as my back struck the edge of the crater.

I coughed, blood escaping my lungs and crashing down into the sand ahead of me, painting the floor. I took a second to stare at it, mumbling unpleasantries in my mother tongue as I wiped the residual blood off of my mouth.

“Hehe, what’s wrong? Scared of your own blood?” I heard the red-dressed man chuckling slowly with that same, wicked sneer of a madman. Looking up, I saw him slowly beginning to approach me, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “Come on, at least put up a bit of a—

BANG!

Suddenly the head of the fucker exploded into a rainbow of blood and brain matter. Looking behind him through the now-missing head, I saw Kondraki standing there shakily, shotgun held high.

“… Did I get him?” He ended up asking, looking towards me past the still-standing corpse. I stood up, preparing to answer. Before I could, though, the head quickly reformed on the bastard, the mouth speaking before everything else was repaired.

“No, but it was a good attempt.” The creature growled in contempt before turning his red gaze back at the photographer. “Still, I’m gonna make you regret that.”

The figure raised his palm and—

“SHIT, RUN KONDRAKI!” I screamed out in panic as I saw the fucker wind up. Quickly I jumped forward and took out my knife, tackling the so-called Mr. Redd to the floor, stabbing him through the back as I did so. “GO, NOW!”

“What? But what about—”

“JUST FUCKING RUN!” 

My screams seemed to have finally gotten through, as he nodded. “I’ll—I’ll get help!”

He made this declaration before running off, trying to escape the crater as—

STAB!

My eyes widened… as I felt a sharp pain blossom from within in my abdomen.

“Get. The fuck. Off me!” 

BOOM!

And just like that, I was thrown like a ragdoll off the man, crashing into a couple of the nearby bodies around the exterior of the circles of bodies, which thankfully managed to cushion my fall.

Looking down, I grimaced as I saw a familiar blade stabbed straight into my abdomen, blood already beginning to gush out of the wound it had created.

WHOOSH!

“AHH!” 

At the familiar scream, I looked up in panic as I saw Kondraki was now pinned to the wall of the crater. A dagger pierced deep into his left shoulder and lodged itself into the rock behind him. I watched him grit his teeth in pain, his right hand clenched around the blade, as if trying to rip it out. Regretfully, it seemed like he was unable to do so.

Not far from him stood Mr. Redd, hand outstretched, showing that he had just thrown the dagger, a vengeful look now present on his face as he looked at the pinned doctor. “Sorry, can’t have any of my little lambs escaping today—”

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!

I didn’t give the fucker a chance to finish his gloat, as I quickly grabbed a discarded automatic rifle off the ground used by one of the previous soldiers and began riddling the bastard with dozens of new holes. Blood shot out in all directions as I refused to relent, hoping that by reducing him to mincemeat, this bastard would stop regenerating and—

WHOOSH!

CLANG!

I grumbled in pain as, despite having more holes than a fucking sponge, the anomaly still managed to chuck a red dagger straight towards my assault rifle, destroying it instantaneously. I looked down on it, a nervous grimace on my face as I began sweating in both repressed pain and fear.

“Dammit—” 

WHOOSH!

My eyes widened like dinner plates as I felt a strong surge of wind against me. I looked up, eyes wide as dinner plates, as I noticed the anomaly somehow closed the distance between us with his supernatural speed, his blood-red iris so piercing that it almost felt like they were gazing deep into my soul. 

Panicked, my instinct immediately took over as I quickly re-excavated my knife from its holster while the bastard lifted his hand back, fist curled as if going for a punch and—

BANG!

SLICE!

I went flying back as his fist struck me hard in the chest, once again resulting in me coughing up buckets of blood as I went hurtling back. However, adrenaline pumped through my veins as before flying back, I managed to stab my knife through his outstretched fist.

I then rolled back chaotically against the sandy floor from the impact but still somehow managed to reach into the side pouch of my tactical vest, pulling out a grenade, pulling the pin, and tossing it all within a single second.

It landed directly at the man’s feet, with him paying no mind to it, instead being far more interested in the knife I stuck in his palm, all while a creepy smirk danced across his pale face.

“…Fighting like a wild animal—”

BOOM!

The grenade exploded into an array of shrapnel, piercing and tearing the fucker's body apart. Dust built up from around him as a result of the nearby sand.

I greedily sucked in as much air as possible, managing to come to a stop in my tumble. After a few moments to process what was going on… I quickly reached into my vest and pulled out another grenade and threw it in the dust cloud.

BOOM!

Not willing to relent, I then lifted my pistol and began shooting recklessly into the obscured area, not wanting to take any chances. While doing so, I quickly tried to maneuver myself around the inside of the crater, struggling to run to Kondraki's position and help him escape as—

SLASH!

I managed to duck my head back just in time as another recognizable blade shot past me, cutting a few stray hairs as it continued flying and eventually submerged itself into the cratered wall to my right.

BOOM!

The dust cloud split open suddenly, as Mr. Redd dashed through it, his body already completely regenerated from my previous attacks. I watched him reach out his hand and grab one of the long, six-foot pike-like blades that held up one of the many heads that decorated our battlefield, his own hands begging to bleed as he gripped the sharp object, pulling it out of the ground, before continuing his bloodied crusade against me as he attempted to strike me with the weapon.

Focused, I sidestepped the initial strike by a hair, raising my hands and punching the red-haired man as hard as I possibly could in the side of the head. My knuckles immediately began bleeding because of it, but I still managed to accomplish something as his head reared back from the impact.

Recovering from my hit, the anomaly quickly shifted and slashed downwards, as if to cut me down the middle. 

I raised my pistol, my knees buckling as the blade connected with a sickening crack. Sweating, I kicked my leg out, striking his knee with all the force I could muster and sending him into a kneeling position.

Seizing the opportunity, I discarded the pistol to the side and quickly dove forward. With undeterred grit, I used both my army combat-gloved hands to grab onto the sides of the six-foot blade. I gritted my teeth in pain as I could feel it piercing through my protection and digging into my flesh. I didn’t care, however, as I slid my arms across the blade and struck his face with my elbow, weakening his grasp for half a second, before using all my strength to pull the blade up.

With one heavy pull, I managed to free it completely from the dead man's grasp as he addressed me with only the tiniest amount of surprise on his face before I twisted my heels into the sand to preserve my motion as—

SLASH!

I slashed him straight through the neck, his head falling off from the clean cut and flying into the ground behind me.

Then my eyes turned a shade of red, and as I was driven by the adrenaline, I planted my foot roughly onto the floor and—

STAB!

“GAHHH!!!” I screamed, primal instincts taking over as I stabbed the bastard straight through the stomach with the long blade, piercing straight through his stomach and sticking into the wall of the crater behind him.

“Huff… Huff…” I took a couple of heavy breaths, before quickly turning around and, without missing a beat, slamming my foot as hard as possible against the decapitated and seemingly lifeless head. It took a couple of attempts, but eventually the head crumbled on itself, rendered to nothing but a mushy pile of blood, bones, and brain matter.

“Hehe… take that, ya svoloch'.” I whispered to myself, swearing in my mother tongue, before spitting a mixture of saliva and blood from my mouth, straight at the decapitated fool's feet.

I stared intently at the body, which before this point had constantly regenerated from everything… seemed to take a momentary pause, as it seemed stuck there, completely limp and seemingly dead.

I took a staggered step back, the adrenaline pumping through my veins being the only thing that kept me conscious. Looking down, I growled at the multitude of severe wounds I had collected during this battle, including the blade that was still stuck in my abdomen.

“More scars for the collection, I guess.” I reconciled silently with myself before carefully taking a few steps back, my eyes still on the body of the anomaly.

When it appeared they weren't coming back after dozens of seconds of being limp, I just sighed in relief before turning to Kondraki, who was forced to watch the entire fight from his stuck position, the blade still piercing through his right shoulder.

“Wow, that was… cool—Ok, can you just please get this fucking thing out of me!” He eventually stuttered with a nervous sweat, panic present in his voice as he once more failed to muster the strength to pull it out himself. “I don’t think I’m ready to take care of a new hole.”

“What are ya… right, Clef’s ex.” I realized, before banishing the… distasteful image from my mind, and sighed. “Don’t worry, I’m coming—”

Kondraki’s eyes opened with panic!

“LOOK OUT!” He screamed as—

WHOOSH!

I jumped out of the way just in time, as another red blade barely missed me by mere centimeters.

SLASH!

… only to pierce itself in Kondraki’s other shoulder as a result.

“AHH, GODDAMMIT! WHY DID I MAKE THE HOLE JOKE?!” He screamed in pain, as if this were his divine punishment for speaking. 

Panicked, I quickly turned around… only to see that the still headless body had its right arm extended, a sign that it summoned and threw the knife.

Then, with an eerie sort of calm that can only be found in horror movies, the headless asshole lifted his hand back before grabbing the long pike-like blade that stuck him into the crater and—

SMASH!

Break it in half, before using its legs to move the body forward, blood flying out of the body at an alarming rate before it fully pushed itself free, no longer restrained from the blade.

I then watched, with staggered breaths, as the hole in his chest disappeared. Only his blood showing the remnants of what once was, and beyond that, I saw their head quickly begin to reform as well at an alarming rate.

I know I should’ve taken this moment while they were regenerating to try and fight it again, or possibly even run in a selfish attempt to preserve my own life… but I was frozen in place, as a single question continued to flood my mind, dampening any other sense of self I once had. 

‘Can this… thing…. even be killed?’ I ended up questioning myself, unsure if I even wanted the answer to that question.

Before I could even hope to find the answer, though, the head fully returned… along with that familiar and deadly snarl that complimented perfectly with this bastard's grotesque face.

I watched him lift his hand as he began rubbing his own neck in honest amusement.

“I’ll be honest… I wasn’t sure if I would come back from that one.” He murmured, half as a mock to me and the other half as realization to himself. “Heh, guess that bitch wasn’t fucking around after all.”

“A bitch, huh? Mind sharing with the rest of the class?” I ended up asking in an attempt to lighten the depressing mood, still trying to figure out how I could proceed with this fight, hoping to get any sort of information out of this monster. “After all, dead men tell no tales, right?”

“Please, do you think I’m that much of an idiot?” The red-dressed man scoffed in disgust, as if it were a crime just to waste his breath talking to me. 

“… Do you really want me to answer that question?” I joked, taking a step back, swearing at myself for not grabbing another weapon when I had the chance after my pistol got ruined, leaving me barehanded to try and fight this monster.

“Huh. Well, anyways, this has been fun.” He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he ignored my previous comment, before turning to me with a sadistic glint in his eyes. “But I think it’s time I end this.”

“Hehe, you weren’t trying to do that already?”

“Nah, I was just warming up, testing out this new ability of mine.” He commented, staring at his hand as if in contemplation. “But I’ve already grown tired of your ‘fighting spirit,’ as they call it.”

“So what, you're just gonna stab me? Sorry, but I’m not blind either.” I began, looking him up and down. 

“Back when I was on top of you, you could’ve easily stabbed me through the heart and killed me.” I smirked, remembering back to our earlier confrontation in this fight when I tackled him and told Kondraki to run. “Which means you either have god-awful aim… or you couldn’t kill me, at least not yet.”

“Hehehe… HEHEHEHE— ding ding ding! You won the prize!” He began laughing maniacally, his face painted with pure malice as he lifted his arms to his side dramatically. Before slowly lowering them, and reaching behind him into some pocket or pouch that I couldn’t see. 

“That prize being… your eternal damnation.” He spoke slowly, his hand coming back into view and revealing a new knife in his hands.

A hot, white, glowing knife.

“...Well, that’s a fancy glowstick.” I kidded, as I stared intensely at the newly emerged weapon as the bastard played with it in his hands. “… What’s it do?”

“No idea! I just know that I’m supposed to kill you with it.” He chuckled, pointing the tip of the blade towards me in a challenging motion. “Usually I wouldn’t give a damn about someone giving me orders like this. But this… well, I took it as a challenge. Besides, killing you with this thing was one of the two reasons they even attacked this shithole in the first place, so I might as well play nice with them for now.”

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued and equally horrified. “Wow, you destroyed an entire foundation site just to kill me? I should feel honored.”

“Don’t; you're nothing but an afterthought at most.” 

“Wow, that’s fucking insensitive.” I muttered out loud, trying my best to keep this man talking. The longer he talks, the more time I have to think of a way out of this shitshow. “Did an ex of mine send ya? Was it Abagail? She was always a bitch.”

“… Why do I waste time talking to a dead man?” Mr. Redd asked himself, cracking his neck as he began to stretch it. “You were a decent enough opponent; I’ll give you that. I’d even torture you if given the chance! Sigh, unfortunately I’m on a tight schedule, so I’ll just have to settle for a quick, painful death. I’m sure you understand.”

“Well, I—”

BANG!

“Shit, here we go again!” I managed to scream as the anomaly dashed towards me, his arm outstretched as he attempted to slash at me with the strange glowing dagger.

SLASH!

I dodged to the left at the last moment, leaving barely any room between me and—

SLASH!

Once more, I swerved left on pure instinct as the man made a sudden turn—

SLASH!

I ducked beneath another as it skimmed—

SLASH!

Just barely escaping—

SLASH!

Dodgi—

SLASH!

Evad—

SLASH SLASH!

Dodge—

SLASH!

Left

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

Under— left— right!

SLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASHSLASH!!!!

Down—left—parry—right— up—parry—turn—left—right—under—parry—right—left—leftrightdownrightleft—

SLASH!

“GAHH!” A pain cry escaped my lips as I felt a deep gash engrave itself across my chest, sending me sprawling backwards while affording me a moment to catch my breath after the quick succession of slashes that lasted for not even a handful of seconds. Damn it, this bastard seems faster than before; I can't even keep up.

Staring down, I bit my lip to deafen any cries of pain that could escape me as I clutched the wound. My uniform began staining itself with blood, even more so than there was before.

It was… warm… yet surprisingly cold. It felt as if my insides, or something even deeper than that, were burning at a million degrees, killing something that I would never be able to recover. But the feeling of loss itself felt… cold, like a tundra to cool me off from the feeling of searing flames in the pit of my stomach and—

“What’s wrong? Afraid?”

Duhh— I stared up, noting my half a second of respite was over, as the figure's soulless eyes creeped up to me with a smile that threatened to crack his face in half.

I did not even get the chance to answer, as his already elongated grin somehow widened, as he continued.

“…good.”

STAB!

“GAHH!” I screamed in both determination and pain as the red suited monster stabbed at me, leaving me barely enough time to grab his arm in retaliation, a desperate move to stop the weapon's entrance into my body.

It worked, but only after the tip had pierced through the upper layer of my skin right above my heart. Along with that, the force of it all forced me into the ground with the anomaly right on top of me, with his ever-widening grin staring down, as if he were a force of nature.

“Don’t worry. This will only hurt for the rest of your life!” He threatened as, with minimal effort, he continued to plunge the knife deeper into my skin, his supernatural strength effortlessly defeating my mortal ability as I could only attempt in vain to push his arm back.

SPLURT.

Blood gushed from the newly created wound as it began plunging ever so slowly deeper into my body, inching ever closer to my heart every moment that passed as the sadistic bastard seemed to enjoy how long the process was taking.

Sweat formed on my brow as I kicked my legs, trying everything I could to escape—to break free— TO LIVE! DAMMIT, I CAN'T GO OUT LIKE THIS! I WON'T!

I CAN’T… right?

‘It… it hurts so much.’ I realized as my eyes began to droop, my vision blurring as the world around me began to shift, turning into a kaleidoscope of colors and sounds. ‘So, this is what it’s like to have your life flash before your eyes… It's been a while since I’ve experienced this.’

STAAAAAAB!

I growled with whatever remaining energy I could spare as the bastard began twisting the knife while also seemingly holding back his own strength to make up for my new lack of energy in some sadistic attempt to extend the period of suffering I was going to endure… heh, what a mother fucker.

STAB!

I continued rolling in pain as I began to feel the knife piercing through my ribcage, breaking something important in its unstoppable journey to my heart.

‘So… this is it, huh? This is how it all ends?’ I contemplated, only blackness beginning to infect the corners of my vision, forcing me to focus on the anomalies' sadistic glare. ‘I guess it wasn’t a bad life… but damn… I thought it would be cooler than this.’

My body continued to betray me, as the blade grew ever closer to my heart. Eventually, my legs stopped struggling, letting my feet lay limp against the sandy ground. 

I tore my view from my soon-to-be killer, letting my head fall on the sand. If I were to die, then I don’t want to die staring at his face during my final moments.

Instead, my gaze wandered the sandy crater as I wondered if he would make a trophy of my own body. Mount my head on a pike like he did for the rest of these loyal, hard-fighting soldiers.

As I admired what I thought would be my last moments, I eventually saw something else… someone else.

Kondraki.

His eyes were wide with fear as he stared towards me as he desperately tried to free himself from the blades that stuck him to the rocky wall. I could feel his desperation, taste his fear for both his own life… but also my own.

Without me, he’d be a sitting duck… he’d be alone… abandoned… dead.

…

…

‘…No’

I strained the muscles in my legs.

‘…No!’

I gripped the bastard's arm even harder, a newfound strength awakening in me as the red-haired fucker looked on in shock.

‘No… NonononoNoNoNONONONONO!!!!’

“I WILL NOT DIE HERE!”

Adrenaline pumped through my veins as a primal instinct overtook every sense in my body, coercing, FORCING me to survive no matter the cost!

As I used my remaining strength to push myself up, the white-hot blade stabbing deeper into me as a result, but—

BASH!

I shot up with such surprising force that I slammed my head against the unsuspecting bastard's head, the suddenness of it all causing the knife to pierce me at the wrong angle, just barely missing my heart.

Now temporarily weakened, I grabbed the glowing knife that had lodged itself in my chest, pulled it out with a stream of fresh blood, and—

SLASH!

— Left

My attack barely missed as the red-haired bastard recovered quickly enough to dodge to the left, the blade leaving nothing but a thin cut against his right cheek.

The momentum sent my weakened body falling forward, affording some distance between me and my opponent.

“Heh… HEHEHE— HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!” They screamed, partly in rage and partly in sadistic enjoyment that he got to continue this dance of death. “YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE YOU FOUND YOUR SECOND WIND THAT YOU MIRACULOUSLY STAND A CHANCE NOW?! PATHETIC! YOU CAN'T EVEN HURT ME!”

I grimaced at the monster's truthful words, knowing that it was all fruitless. I stared down at the glowing dagger in my hand, my only respite in this—- wait… ohhhhh.

“Heh, sorry to burst ya bubble, ya megalomaniac, but perhaps ya should look a bit more carefully.” I chuckled as I stared intently at the fucker mockingly scratching my right cheek, and for the first time, an equally sadistic grin spread across my face like wildfire.

For a moment the figure looked at me, confused… before his eyes stiffened. He lifted his arm slowly, before placing it on his cheek.

His cheek… that was still bleeding.

His eyes shook as he brought his palm ahead of him, staring at the red liquid that coated it as if it were alien.

“What’s wrong? Scared of your own blood?” I remarked, a smirk present on my lips as finally, for the first time, I saw a light… I saw hope.

At my snarky quip, the deranged eyes on this basted shot up to me, his eyes bloodshot as it became evident he no longer cared about toying with me. He just wanted to trade blood for blood.

“That… fucking bitch said… said it would…” He began mumbling incoherently, his eyes shaking like crazy as he refused to process what he was thinking. Before finally crushing the blood in his own palm as he used his other arm to summon another red, crooked blade. “I'M GOING TO FUCKING MURDER YOU!”

BOOM!

He rocketed towards me as—

CLANG!

I parried his hit.

SLASH!

Dodged beneath another as I slashed up.

SLASH!

The anomaly defied all rules of physics and immediately halted his momentum, forcing himself back before going for a roundhouse kick!

BAM!

I jumped back, causing the leg to break and shatter one of the still-standing pike blades that was stuck into the ground.

SLASH!

I attacked!

BAM!

He dodged and attacked!

SLASH!

I PARRY!

SLASH! CUT! BAM!

I blocked— I countered— I DODGED— I SLASHED!

SLASHBAMBANGCUTSLASHBAMBANGWHOOSHSLASHBANGWHOOSH!

I CUT— DODGED— GOT HIT— DODGED— COUNTERATTACKED— GOT BLOCKED— JUMPED BACK— ATTACK— DODGE—ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK!!!

“IM NOT GONNA FUCKING DIE TODAY!”

SLASH BANG BAM— TING!

Finally, I managed to counter the bastard's attack. Not through brute force, but with years of experience. His arms went wide, his face completely open for an attack.

I smiled… ‘At last!’

His eyes widened in panic as I shot the dagger forward straight at him, aiming for his face. Finally, FINALLY!

It felt as if the world slowed down as I went in, and not even this bastard's superhuman dexterity allowed him to react fast enough, as he was forced to watch me stab forward.

‘I’ll end this.’

My grip tightened.

‘I’ll end this fucker and save Kondraki.’

My dagger barreled forwards, inches away from the wide-eyed bastard's face!

I smirked.

‘Checkmate, you vicious bastard—’

“CAW!”

BANG!

It all… It all happened so fast.

A black, supersonic object moved past my vision… ending with a resounding bang at my feet, digging up a cloud of dust.

… My vision got filled with crimson

…

… My eyes widened as I began to feel a stinging. My right arm kept moving, but… but… I stopped.

Slowly, my eyes turned to my right arm… the arm that held the dagger… was no longer connected.

WHOOSH!

GRIP!

I could barely process the loss of an entire limb, as the red-haired bastard managed to dodge his head to the left, barely escaping my disembodied hand that still clutched onto the dagger.

At the last moment, the bastard swirled his body around with unnatural swiftness. He grabbed the dagger with a backwards grip… twisted on his ankles and turned back towards me.

I could barely process it, as I was still reeling in pain from the loss of my arm, as it seemingly appeared before my eye and—

STAB!

 

---

MR. REDD POV

The body… fell to the sandy floor. The dagger was pierced straight through his right eye perfectly, blood seeping through the corners of where the dagger entered.

There was no doubt in my mind… he was dead.

“NOOOO!!!” I heard the other man, Kondraki, I think his name was, scream in agony. I didn’t even need to look at him to know how much rage he was feeling.

As for me… My eyes became sullen as I looked at the body, before gazing towards his arm… his arm that was completely cut off by… by…

Rage injected itself into me once more. My teeth gritted together with such strength that they threatened to shatter, I formed fists in my hand so hard that my nails dug deep into my skin.

That… that BITCH!

WHOOSH!

BANG!

Suddenly I heard a loud bang resonate from behind, followed by handfuls of sand getting shot up into the air from the impact.

“Well, that was… quite the performance.” A new voice began speaking, their voice sounding almost robotic, making it impossible to tell if the one using it was a boy or a girl. In other words, I immediately recognized whose voice it was… And I growled in rage. “Still, it appears you managed to complete your mission. Congratulations.”

“Congratulations… CONGRATULATIONS?!” I screamed in pure rage, turning to face the figure! They were wearing a long, flowing black cloak that hid a majority of their body from view. Their face, meanwhile, was obscured with a silvery face mask with only the most stereotypical of features present on them. They stood tall, calm as I began stomping over to them. “I had that covered, you bitch! I didn’t need you to butt in—

“And risk losing an asset? You have already proved yourself useful enough, so it’d do me no good to risk your life so eagerly.” They spoke in their annoyingly calm yet robotic voice, continuing to piss me off. “Besides, how you win a fight doesn’t matter. All that matters is gaining more than you lost. Honor and pride are nothing more than a weak man’s game, used to make imaginary rules to tilt a battle in their favor.”

“It matters to fucking me!” I screamed out in rage! I stomped closer to her, forming another shadow blade in my hand, eyes glaring dangerously at them. “I should kill you where you stand, just for that.”

“And lose the gift I so humbly passed onto you?” The voice questioned, not at all worried as they stood there. 

“Your ‘gift’ didn’t do shit!” I angrily spat before pointing a finger at the glowing blade that was still stuck in the man’s eye. “You said I’d be invincible, that nothing would be able to kill me! But that damn blade managed to actually leave a mark!”

“Hehe, I believe I said you’d be invincible to any ‘mortal’ weapon. And that blade just so happens to fall outside of that category.” They chuckled, staring me down as I didn’t relent on my heated glare, every fiber of my being wanting to jump at them and strangle the bastard to death. “Besides, you yourself got too comfortable with this 'gift' already. You could’ve easily dodged many of the man's prior hits, but you decided to take them just to toy with your opponent. That sort of attitude will get you killed, you know.”

I once more growled, “You bitch, so you were watching that fight the whole time? What am I to you? Your fucking show horse?!”

They shrugged. “Call it caring for an investment. Besides, I let you have your fun playing with them and only stepped in when I saw actual risk to your life.”

“I would’ve fucking lived!”

“And maybe you would have without my help. But that is simply not a risk I’m willing to take this early in the game.” They spoke before turning their back to me, showing they weren’t worried about me attacking. That realization irked me to no end. 

I was so angry, in fact, that I didn’t even hear the pained screams, followed by the ripping of flesh that sounded out from behind me.

“Game? Oh, so I’m just a fucking pawn to you then?” I asked angrily.

“No… you're a rook.”

“… You are so dead!” I grimaced, completely ready to just run forward and stab this bastard right through the back. To punish them for underestimating me!

“Sigh… If you wish to kill me, then please at least choose a more convenient time.” They spoke before their head turned back towards me, allowing me to see my reflection through their silvery mask… Along with someone else running towards me. “After all, you're clearly not the only person here feeling murderous intent at this point.”

“Ehh?” I raised an eyebrow in question. “What the fuck do you mean by—”

“DIE!”

WHOOSH!

STAB!

The cloaked figure raised a hand.

CLANG!

It all happened within a fraction of a second, but I managed to react fast enough to slash out with my own blade. Unfortunately, the bitch decided to use her fancy magic or whatever to stop me, magically summoning forth some dark black chains from the sand to wrap around me, holding me in place with my dagger outstretched.

As for my attacker… Well, I was a little confused at first.

I noticed the other human, once again I think his name is Kondraki, had somehow managed to break out of his earlier prison. Looking back at the rock, I noticed that he somehow managed to pull the blades from his shoulder, leaving behind a large amount of stained blood.

After that, they seemingly ran up to their friend's body, tore the knife from his eye, and ran up to me in an attempt to stab me in the back for revenge.

I would’ve reacted fast enough to dodge it regardless, but the emo bastard decided to take things into their own hands again and wrapped them in black chains as well, holding them in place with the dagger hovering inches from my face.

“Dammit— DAMMIT! I'LL KILL YOU!” The human screamed in rage, trying in vain to break the shadowy chains that bind him and halted his failed assassination attempt. “I'LL MAKE YOU PAY. MARK MY WORDS, I AM GOING TO MURDER YOU—”

“That’s enough of that.” The cloaked figure spoke before waving a hand; a glob of dark, bubbling energy shot out from their fingertips, attaching itself to the man’s face and turning into a circular metal device that covered his mouth, muffling him and his screams of anger. “I oh so hate temper tantrums; all they do is make you look pathetic. Wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Redd?”

I growled out, “I’d agree more if you let me out of these blasted chains.”

“Hmm, as you wish. However, you do not harm this one, remember?” They spoke before waving their shadowy hand once more, the chains around me evaporating as a direct result. “I need him alive.”

“Tch, don’t get why. Nothing special about this whiny bastard besides the annoying pests that follow him around.” I commented, my eyes directing themselves to the blue butterflies that continued to surround him despite the ongoing battle that had just ended.

As my proclamation, however, the fucker simply chuckled.

“Oh, you have no idea how much even seemingly useless items can be worth. I should know… but you are right in one aspect.” They said, before raising a hand towards the small swarm of butterflies. “We don’t need the pests.”

WHOOSH!

Multiple minuscule, dark blades shot out from the cloaked figures palm, each of them striking a butterfly with pinpoint accuracy, causing them to fall to the floor dead. The man’s eyes widened at this, before his efforts to break out of the chains doubled in fury.

“… didn’t realize you were pest control.”

“I’m many things. And I just so happen to be proficient in crushing annoying little bugs beneath my heels.” They sauntered over to the restrained man, before gently tearing the white, glowing weapon from their hands. After doing so, a small black portal appeared next to them, in which they simply tossed the dagger in, ridding it from our sight.

“… speaking of bugs, why’d you want me to murder the other guy so badly?” I asked, staring down at the corpse of the man I once considered a foe, whose body now belonged to the earth it was laying on. “And why’d it have to be with that fancy knife?”

“That ‘fancy knife’ you speak of is far more important than you realize.” They answered in a bored manner before turning to look at their hands, almost examining them. “You don’t need to know the specifics. Only that it ensures he won’t become a problem later on.”

I scoffed before turning my head. “You and your cryptic bullshit. it’s pretty damn infuriating, you know that?”

“Be that as it may, there are more important matters to worry about.” They began before swiping their hand again; the black, inky chains that withheld the mortal suddenly sprung to life and wrapped themselves tightly around the man, sending him to his knees. He once more tried to struggle but simply looked pathetic as he failed to escape from his magical bindings.

“Yea… like giving me what you promised!” I growled in anger at the bastard, staring them down. 

“Hehe, so impatient. Do not fret; I have your reward for a job well done already picked out for you. I managed to recover one of your targets after we attacked the foundation.” They started, their voice sounding infuriatingly proud of their own accomplishments as they looked over their shoulder at me. “I believe they were called Mr. Soap or some such. They are ready for you and… whatever sadistic game you have planned for them.”

I smirked. Finally, some good news. 

Don’t get me wrong; I still had my misgivings with the bastard. But for now I just wanted to leave this depressing place and get along with my own personal goals.

‘Though… that does raise an interesting question.’

“So what are you gonna do about all of this?” I asked, referring to the large-scale battle that was occurring all around us. “You just gonna leave them to fight each other like dogs?”

“Of course not. I have my own plans for each and every one of them.” They speak in a surprisingly grim voice before raising a single hand to the air. “And like I stated before… I’m not willing to risk anyone more than necessary this early into the game.”

BOOM!

Suddenly the sky was filled with shadows as hundreds upon hundreds of what appeared to be black blotches shot out of the robed figure's opened palm!

Upon closer inspection, however, I realized these weren’t just featureless beings made of shadow. No, they themselves looked eerily similar to ravens as they flew around the sky, flapping their wings before shooting off. 

Curious, I looked over the edge of the crater and was surprised to see each of the dark boards fly straight to each of our ally soldiers. Whether they were dead or alive, the birds rammed themselves straight into their bodies, causing them to disappear in a puff of black smoke.

VROOM!

Turning back at the strange noise, I saw the silver-masked maniac had already opened a large, circular black portal of their own. They seemed to have tossed the human in already with expected ease before turning to me.

“You coming? I’d usually recommend staying to see the fireworks, but… I don’t think this is the sort of after party you want to stick around for.” They explained calmly as another handful of inky black crows appeared from their back, before flying high into the sky and disappearing into a cloud of smoke before seemingly combining themselves, making another black portal high up. “Not unless you want to join in on an early grave with our friends Nu-7, that is.”

I just sighed at their proclamation before following behind them through the portal. Still, my curiosity forced me to stick around for just a moment. Just long enough to see an object beginning to fall out of the large portal in the sky.

At first, I was confused at the large cylindrical object, as it seemed to glow the same color as the knife that I had been using before.

After almost half of the contraption's body exited the high-up portal, however, my eyes finally widened in realization at what it was.

“What the… How did they… hehe… HAHAHAHA!” I began laughing maniacally as it all registered in my brain as I realized what it was! It was… FUCK, it was just too good!

“See you all in Hell, douchebags.” I ended up saying before completely entering the portal, not willing to stick around after what I saw. Still, just as the bubbling portal closed behind me… I swear that I heard a loud and imposing BOOM that shook my chest.

And that… did get me to form a smile on my face.

 

---

Thomas Maclean POV

“Ugh… guhh… HMPP— PAHH!” 

The contents of my stomach emptied onto the sharp, rugged terrain I found myself crawling through. Looking through the waste that had just purged itself from my body… I grimaced as I saw the majority of it was blood red.

“Dammit… Dammit.” I managed to growl in a soft, shattered voice, unable to muster the strength to make it any louder. 

My body was wet, shivering at the coldness the water brought in despite of the desert heat.

Looking behind me, I saw the trail of blood leaving the fast-moving river, showing that I managed to escape its current despite my obviously deformed and broken legs, which now twisted in the opposite direction of where they should be facing because of the fall.

‘… the fall.’ I thought, re-imagining the scene where I was thrown into this ravine, somehow surviving the initial drop by landing straight into the deep river below.

Despite that miracle, I still suffered egregious wounds. It took everything I had not to scream. Everything I had not to just break down and cry, to accept that death was on its way to claim me! 

No, I didn’t want to die! Not yet!

But as I continued crawling away from the river in this deep ravine… as I used my fingernails to claw at the stone beneath me with all my might, barely allowing me to reach a singular large rock not far from the river… It seemed all the more impossible.

“Huff… fuck.” I groaned as I made it to the rock, before rolling myself over with great effort, allowing my back to rest up against it, giving me a moment of reprieve despite the searing pain that shot through my body.

My hand clutched the hole in my chest; the dagger that had pierced it still remained, possibly the only thing that prevented me from dying from blood loss at this point.

I continued breathing in scattered, ragged breaths, the piercing pain numbing all of my senses. It hurt so fucking much!

Still, I reached into my tactical vest, hoping by some miracle I still had a radio or phone of some kind that survived. Unfortunately, but rather expectedly, I didn’t.

“Dammit… Is this the end?” 

I silently contemplated, noting that my eyes felt heavier by the second… I didn’t want to die… yet, the darkness felt so comforting now… so tantalizing.

‘Is this… is this—’

“Hey.” 

My eyes widened in shock— err, widened as much as they could considering the state I was in. Still, I was shocked at the inclusion of a new, deep masculine voice that sounded out of nowhere.

Looking ahead of me, where there was once nothing but air, now stood a nicely dressed man. He was dressed in what appeared to be a black tailored suit. He had dark black hair and light stubble around his chin and face.

I was shocked at first at this stranger's appearance. I wanted to say something, but… damn, it hurt too much to speak.

Or it was… until I watched him pull out a cigarette packet. He raised one cigarette into the air.

“Want a cig?” 

‘Cig? Is he asking if I want to smoke… wait.’ I got shocked once more, as I suddenly realized who this was. And as soon as I did… I started chuckling; any struggle against my inevitable death immediately ceased as I dropped my arms limply to my side, ass still on the rocky ground.

“Hehe… wait, you’re SCP-4999, aren’t you?” I asked, though I felt like I already knew the answer. In response, the figure continued just standing there in silence, no reaction to what I called him. Despite his lack of response, I knew I was correct. Knowing that this anomaly appears around people who are about to die alone and gives them… somebody to be comforted by.

Nobody who was ever visited by this man has ever survived more than 5 minutes.

“… Is that a yes?”

“…sigh, fuck it, why not.” I eventually released, knowing that if this fucker has manifested himself, then I’m basically already dead. “Still, I gotta say. I’m honored that I got this privilege. Were all the hospitals with sick, innocent people empty?”

He ignored my question before placing a cigarette in my mouth. He then lit it with a lighter from his coat pocket before lighting his own and taking a big puff.

Afterwards, he immediately sat down next to me against the rock, before placing a calming hand on my shoulder.

I just sat there… in silence… I don’t know why, but… damn, why am I… Why can’t I… DAMN IT!

… I reached up, feeling the tears beginning to stream out of my eye. I chuckled at the sight before lowering my arms in a depressed fashion.

“Huh, I guess I was more scared of death than I originally thought.” I said to the man. I don’t know why, but his mere presence made… It made everything so much calmer. Like I’m next to a friend who I’ve known for years… must be part of his anomalous ability or something, but still… it’s… it’s nice.

So, there I sat with the man. The silence is both endless and endearing to the two of us… or maybe just me, but who knows.

I took a light puff from the cigarette in my mouth, letting it calm my nerves.

“… I’m about to die, aren’t I?” I ended up asking, turning my head slightly to face the smoking man. He just looked at me before giving the tiniest of nods. So tiny, I barely noticed it… but I did. “Heh, figures.”

I leaned my head against the rock once more, taking in the light that peered through the ravine's opening for the final time, letting the sunlight warm up my face.

“So… who was right?” I ended up asking, finding myself trying to make any sort of light of the situation. “Was it the Buddhists? The Christians? Please don’t tell me it’s the atheist; that would make this real boring… Actually, I’d prefer that over the Egyptians; theirs was so much more fucked up.”

“…”

“…”

“… Hey… Am I going to a bad place?”

“… You're gonna be ok.”

“Hehe… I’ll take that as a yes.” I joked, before looking towards the ground, my arm trembling slightly.

“Hey… Is it normal to be this scared?” I asked, lip quivering.

“… yes.”

“Damn, hoping I’d go out memorably at least.” I managed to say, but I didn’t mean it. I was just trying to distract myself.

“Every death is memorable… Everyone is unique, even you.” The figure actually said a complete sentence, hand still on my shoulder. “You’ve lived a full life… A fulfilling life… you should be proud that you’ve made it this far.”

I took a moment to contemplate the man’s words… Man, death really does put you in a contemplative mood, doesn’t it?

“… Yea… I guess that’s better than dying with regrets.” I said… before slowly turning my head one last time, as there was one more question I desperately needed to ask... And I was scared of the answer I would receive. “Hey… Did I… did what I do at the foundation… save lives? Was it… was it worth all the sacrifices?”

Silence once more passed between us, as the man seemed to take another moment to fully understand what I was meaning… before lowering his head and taking another puff.

“… that’s a question only you can answer for yourself. But if you really want my honest opinion… then yes, you’ve saved many innocent people.”

“He… Hehehe…” I chuckled sadly, tears now gushing out of my eyes like a dam that’s been broken. A smile grew on my face as I turned to him one final time.

“That’s… all I needed to hear.” I managed to say as my throat began constricting on itself. My body grew cold. And the whole world seemed to lose its focus. “Thank… you…”

That was the final thing I said before allowing my body to fall into darkness. As I died, I died with a smile on my face, some small, tiny part of me… not just comforted by the anomaly's appearance… but also given a deep sense of validation at his words, that maybe, just maybe… It was worth it all in the end.

Before I completely left this world, however. I swore I saw an extremely light bright descend down from the opening of the ravine. 

Followed… by a massive boom…

But I guess I don’t have to worry about… that… anymo—-

…

…

…

Notes:

Dmitri: man, I’m such a cool and interesting character. Can’t wait to be a major part of the story!

Mr. Redd: Allow me to introduce myself!

Dmitri: … FUCK!

Phew, well this is a chapter that I’ve been looking forward to writing for a while now! Hope it came out as good as I originally envisioned it.

Honestly, out of all the chapters I’ve posted thus far, this one is probably the one that I’m most interested on what you all thought about it, as a lot of major things occurred. Including the grand appearance of a… couple of particularly important characters.

Did you all like the fight? I’m worried that it might have been a little long, but I wanted it to feel impactful. And overall, what are your opinions on how everything turned out? And opinions of Mr. Redd in the chapter?

Sorry, this chapter just opens up a lot of different possibilities for The future, and I really wanna know what you all think about it.

Also, side note, BUT WE HAVE A TV TROPES PAGE NOW! (Firework noises.)

This is really cool, and I’d like to thanks FalloutLego17 for making it. It’s really cool!

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SCP666Hazbin

Anyways, I think I mumbled on long enough. So, drop a KUDOS if you enjoyed the chapter and my ruined sleep schedule. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, or wisecracks!

And I’ll see you all next week! So have an eye catching day!… Sorry Dmitri.

Chapter 46: A demon and a goddess.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Dr. Glass suffers by hand of his co-workers.

Clef has anger issues, and finally falls asleep.

Notes:

“Daughter or wife… who would you choose?”

SCP-4999 POV

I watched him… comforted him as he passed.

I watched in silence as his soul exited from the body, disconnecting from the one link that kept it stationed in this mortal plane.

It left his body, forming into a small glowing ball of energy… and with a simple push, I guided the soul away before watching it lay dormant before… rising.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t release a sigh of relief at what I saw. A gentle smile crested on my face as the soul began, albeit slowly, to rise. 

‘…No matter how many times I see this… it never gets any less beautiful.’ I chuckled, watching the souls with a soft gaze.

I was glad that it turned out this way and he ended up being wrong about going to Hell, despite the current situatio—

BOOM!

My eyes rocketed to the side as I quickly stood up, shocked. Turning up to the sky, I noticed a large mushroom cloud forming, emanating bright light that would blind the normal man many times over.

My eyes drooped at the sight, saddened by the use and creation of such weapons. Weapons designed for nothing but murder. It disgusted me that humanity was forced down such a route, but it’s not as if I could—

‘Wait a minute.’ I froze as the explosion continued to grow brighter and brighter… until it no longer felt like a regular explosion. This was… this was…

‘Angelic steel…’ I whispered in disbelief, unable to believe what I was seeing— Wait, SHIT!

I turned behind me, seeing the soul still resided near the floor, moving up ever so slowly. The explosion, it was heading straight for it!

“SHIT!” I screamed before running towards the wayward soul. I jumped into the air, and…

CLUTCH!

I wrapped my body around the soul of the man just in time as the angelic explosion struck my back, as I used my own body to save it from destruction against the angelic steel, which has the ability to completely destroy a soul!

SIZZLE!

“GRR!” I grimaced in pain as my back was scorched from the back, but I kept holding on, not willing to let any harm come to it!

CRUMBLE… CRUMBLE… CRASH!

The heat from the explosion wasn't the only thing I had to worry about, as not long after, the entire ravine began crumbling from the powerful blast.

Stones shattered and collapsed atop me, covering me beneath the earth's maw. But despite that, I never let go, protecting the heavy soul.

… After what felt like eons, the ravine ceased collapsing. The heat, while still present, began to subside as the initial blast finished.

“Grr… ack.” I groaned in pain before easily pushing off the rocks and stones that had held me to the floor. I looked at my back, wincing slightly at the pain that emanated from it. Light patches of golden blood made themselves clear through the tattered and burnt back of the suit, showing that even I couldn’t escape such a blast uninjured.

Still, that’s not where my worry was placed. Just as soon as I recognized the pain, I glanced worriedly down at my chest. I braced myself for the worse… but exhaled a sigh of relief as I saw the newly formed soul intact, not even a scratch on it.

I just gave it a smirk before lightly touching the bottom of the round, glowing, ethereal object. Just as soon as I did, it rocketed up towards the stars at an alarming speed, far quicker than what it was doing so naturally. Usually I hold myself back from such actions, but after the event that just occurred… I wasn’t taking any chances.

‘But… what happened?’ I questioned myself, pulling a cigar from my breast pocket, lighting it up with my lighter that also survived the blast. ‘That was definitely angelic steel, no doubt about it… but in a nuke? How could they even… wait a minute…’

“FUCK!” I screamed, as it finally dawned on me what that meant; outside of the one soul I saved, I… “DAMMIT!”

Quickly, I took a step forward, before instantaneously appearing outside of the ravine, back where the large conflict had taken place. I was nervous, terrified as I teleported there… and as I did…

Thump.

I fell to my knees as I found myself in the epicenter of the massive explosions. The bodies, or what remained of them, were nothing more than scattered ash now… but that isn’t what terrified me… what scared me was… was…

‘Their souls… I don’t feel them!’

 

---

One day later.

Dr. Glass POV

 

“GODDAMMIT!”

BANG!

Another swear broke out from the quaint end room, followed by… the recognizable noise of something in the office getting the receiving end of the madman’s rage… by way of shotgun.

BANG BANG BANG!

“Seriously, how much ammo does this guy have?” I questioned, half in curiosity, and half in fear, to Dr. Light, who leaned on the wall next to me.

“Do you know the amount of ammunition the entirety of the Swiss army has?”

“Um… no?”

“Well, it’s about double that.”

“… You have no idea how much I wish you were joking right now.” I spoke with a defeated expression, head hung low as I knew they weren’t kidding.

 “Hey, at least we’re taking precautions.” Dr. Light chuckled, gazing out at the area ahead of us in the site's hallway.

Raising my head, I saw the precautions. AKA, about twenty armed guards with their guns trained on the door, hiding behind makeshift barricades that they sourced from god knows where.

“What happened, anyways? It’s not often I see the grouch this upset.” Sinclair inquired, standing up much more confidently than me, despite her considerably shorter stature.

“Well, it’s—”

“I’ll explain this one, Swan.” Dr. Light chuckled, cutting me off and saving me the breath. She then took out her phone, clicked a couple buttons, and held it in front of the dwarf-sized doctor and me. “Honestly surprised you haven’t heard; it’s all over the news.”

“Ehh, don’t really listen to it that often. If I wanted to know current events, I could just order around some people at the foundation to make it happen instead of listening to whatever garbage the next ‘big’ politician decides to shit out.” Sinclair added jokingly, before glancing down at the phone as the video started playing. I began watching it too, despite already seeing it because… well, it was still too much to believe.

“Breaking news! We are sorry to interrupt your previous program, but there have been some groundbreaking revelations on the world stage!” A charismatic, female news anchor began speaking, a nervous bit of sweat evident in the sides of her face despite the wide smile she held. “Earlier today, an unrecorded nuke strike had hit the Mexican desert around a hundred miles north of the city of Guayama, despite the country never holding nukes of any kind in their arsenal. Some locals nearby the areas had described seeing a blinding light, followed by a loud booming noise. Some are saying that Mexico has decided to get involved in the nuclear arms race, while others fear that this could have been an offensive strike that steered off course. Although nobody was reported to be near the blast zone, it is still too early to tell if anyone was seriously injured or what the long-lasting effects of such an event could lead to. We will keep you updated as we learn more, but for now, we believe that there is nothing to worry about.”

Dr. Light cut the news program off there, believing that it explained the gist of what was happening. Kondraki continued looking at the frozen screen, confused.

“So… a nuke hit Mexico? What does that have to do with Clef?” Sinclair questioned, eyebrow raised. “He wasn’t the one that sent it, was he?"

“No, unfortunately. It’s because… the recorded strike happened directly on top of site-74 and Nu-7.” Dr. Light revealed a small amount of pain evident in her voice. Sinclair recoiled slightly in surprise. 

“W-what… but how? Why? What—”

“We don’t know.” I ended up cutting her and her understandably confused self off. “All we know is that apparently the Serpents Hand, or the Chaos Insurgency, or some other fucking guys caught Hammer down by surprise. They managed to hold them off for a while, according to Clef, who had ordered Kondraki and Dmitri to retreat from the battlefield before communications got cut off… Not long after, though… the nuclear warhead detonated.”

“That’s… wow.” Sinclair whispered in astonishment.

“What’s worse is that there has been no sign of the two since yesterday. As of right now… they’re officially considered MIA.” Dr. Light grunted, leaning her back against the wall.

“Ok… But how does this all connect to the Grinch and his—

“MOTHERFUCKING— FUCKK!!!!!!!!”

BOOM!

“… less than… pleasant attitude.” The dwarf-like doctor finished before turning back in confusion. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m sure Clef wouldn’t be jumping at the moon or anything with this news. But… I just didn’t realize he cared so much about those two.”

I grimaced at her words, remembering the three-eyed man’s encounter with the 05 council. Before I could say anything, however, someone else did.

“He doesn’t.” Light explained, once more saving me the hassle of putting my emotions into words. “He cares about something else, though. And losing these two 'assets'… might have just re-opened old wounds.”

“Is this about that super secret thing you two were talking about before?” Sinclair smirked, remembering back to their meeting the other day. Light simply nodded, causing a light giggle to escape through the auburn-haired woman's throat. “Ok, now I really want to know what it is.”

“You really don’t—”

“Look, we can discuss this after we get the infant under control.” Light once more cut me off as she looked past the small armada of nervous soldiers, straight at the door where all the scary noises were escaping out of. “… Now… does anyone have any ideas on how to do that?”

“…”

“…”

“… I mean, last time we sent Dr. Glass in, it seemed to work.” A soldier suddenly suggested, which immediately raised every alarm in my body, as the nervous sweats instantly kicked in.

“H-hold on now, that was really a one-time—”

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea!”

“No, you don’t under—”

“He’ll talk him down!”

“He did it once; he’ll do it again!”

“B-but I really can’t—”

“Glass! Glass! Glass! Glass!”

Before I knew it, the soldiers began silently chanting my name… as I slumped to the floor defeated, as I remember nearly escaping with my life the last time this happened.

Suddenly, a soft, gentle hand placed itself on my back! Looking up, I saw… Dr. Light! The ceiling light from behind her giving her an angelic glow, while giving me a tiny smile, as if reassuring me it’ll be alright. 

“Don’t worry, Glass, you’ll be ok.” She spoke in her soft, motherly tone.

Yes… yes! She is my savior! She’ll help these people see that I’m not the man for the job! I watched her turn, ready to tell these people off more my sake and—

“That was a great idea, everybody! I’m sure he’ll do great!” 

“Hooray!”/ “Whoo!”/ “Go Glass!”/ “Five bucks he'll walk out with a broken leg!” “Ten that he’ll lose an arm!”

‘I HATE THIS FUCKING FACILITY!’

 

---

Dr. Clef POV

“Fucking useless pieces of shit!”

BANG!

BOOM!

I let loose another shot from my shotgun, tearing through and blowing up my computer into a small fire.

“Damn those useless piles of shit!” I screamed in anger as I walked to a pile of extra computers next to me. I quickly grabbed one and placed it on my desk, plugging it in before walking a few feet away from it. 

“I told them to run, but noooooooooooooo! YOU JUST HAD TO FUCKING STAY BEHIND!”

BANG!

BOOM!

Another shot left my shotgun's chamber, blowing it up into a pile of useless scraps. I sighed into my hands, clenching my arm slightly in barely contained frenzy.

I then did the whole song and dance once more, grabbing a spare computer and beginning the process of plugging all the outlets in.

To be fair, I didn’t even know if they stayed behind or not, but… DAMMIT, JUST LET ME BE MAD!

“GAHH, fuck… FUCK! AT THIS RATE I'LL NEVER SAVE…” I froze. As I lowered my shotgun after readying my sight on the piece of hardware. My eyes, which contained a frenzied flame of anger, suddenly cooled, snuffing itself into what can only be described as a dead look.

“…Save her… fuck.” I walked up to my desk, sitting in the comfy seat. “What am I doing… Why am I wasting time… Dammit, stop being a pathetic excuse of a human being and actually do something for once, instead of complaining!”

I leaned further back in the chair, taking a deep breath. As I did, I could feel the bags under my eyes weighing me down. Damn, when was the last time I slept? Maybe four days ago? Longer? I just know I haven’t had a wink of it since this whole situation started… dammit.

I begrudgingly forced myself forward, turning on the computer that was now in front of me as I turned it on. After a little searching, I pulled up a certain document that I have been staring at relentlessly for the past couple of days. That being all of Gear’s research into a series of sporadic murders by a small group of anomalous creatures. 

I grimaced as I read through all his records again. His reports, his theories, ideas, sightings, every single thing for like the twentieth fucking time! It was at a point where I could probably quote everything he wrote down word-for-word.

“Dammit, Gears… You obviously wanted to study that book for a reason. What were you trying to figure out? I grimaced as I continued scrolling through the report. “You obviously were onto something, and it must have connected to SCP-666 in some way… damn it.”

I leaned back once more. I understood his theories well enough, as he even described how he believed these devilish creatures might have come from the same place the book’s vortex seemingly led. I get that!

“But it doesn’t help me know how to catch these fuckers.” I whisper, biting my lip in anger. I then shook my head a little, tossing the idea aside. “Whatever, even if Gears was right and these munchkins can lead me to wherever the hell the book led, it’s not like they’re my only plan.”

I forced myself back into my chair as I remembered the crystal I managed to snag from the bastard that tried to attack me. Apparently those same crystals had been smashed and used to kidnap multiple foundation personnel and SCPs by Serpent Hand agents. 

‘When I learned that, I almost walked up to the lab that was testing the crystal to smash that thing myself, as it’ll probably bring me to the same place as her.’ I recalled tiredly, as the bags beneath my eyes continued to weigh down my eyelids. ‘Unfortunately, I thought better of that idea and let the scientist do their magic to figure out how the thing worked… at least for now, who's to say what’ll happen if they're unable to find anything? Because if they don’t… then fuck any prior agreements I’ve made. There’s only one promise in this world that I’m willing to do whatever it takes to keep… And I’ll be damned if I break it again.’

“Ugh, what am I doing? I’m so delusional that I’ve resorted to talking to myself.” I chastised, rubbing some of the tiredness out of my eyes, before leaning even deeper into my chair… 

‘Maybe… I can afford a quick nap.’ I began reasoning, as I felt my body begin to fail on me, growing limp as the ever-alluring promise of sleep crept up every bone in my body. ‘Nothing too much. Just something long enough to… get me feeling like myself again.’

…

…

…

Finally, the subtle embrace of the dream man grabbed hold of me, forcing me to pay my dues for ignoring his calls for the last four days.

Until finally, it all turned to black.

…

…

KNOCK KNOCK!

“Hey, um… Clef? It’s Dr. Glass.” A worried voice broke through the silence from outside my door, though I didn’t even register its existence, as I was too busy counting sheep. 

Creak!

The door then started to part, allowing the worried doctor to step in.

“Hey, um… W-we were just wondering if… wait… oh, you're kidding.” Dr. Glass spoke, caught off guard as he noticed my sleeping body, obviously the last thing he expected. “Um… I can’t tell if I should be glad about this or not.”

“Glad about what, Glasses?” Sinclair inquired, peeking her head inside the room as well. She raised an eyebrow. “Wait, is Clef sleeping?”

“Looks like it. And I personally want to take this as a divine message to let sleeping bears lie.” Dr. Glass consulted, obviously not wanting to take any chances that could result in his head getting blown off.

“Hmm, we could… OOOOORRRRRRRR—.” 

Sinclair pulled out a sharpie from nowhere, a sinister smirk on her face as a bad feeling suddenly caved into my chest as she removed the cap.

“— I can finally get back at the bastard for insulting Monty’s cooking!”

‘I AM SURROUNDED BY LUNATICS.’

 

---

“… huh?”

Slowly, my eyelids drifted apart, allowing me to take in the endless expanse of trees and fauna that surrounded me. Looking down, I noticed I was lying down on a large patch of grass, supplying me with a limited amount of cushioning against the muddy dirt beneath.

“Ugh, the fuck?” I whispered to myself wearily as I sat up, clutching my head as I felt a headache coming. “How’d I end up in the woods? Shit, this is the last fucking thing I needed right now—”

“It’s so close… it was so close to being perfect.”

My eyes rocketed open; panic immediately infested every part of me as I stood up as fast as possible. My eyes began desperately surveying the surrounding environment in an attempt to find the source of the familiar voice! But… I-It couldn’t be— It can’t be—

“… Sorry, perfection isn’t exactly my style.” A voice… A depressed voice…A broken voice… my voice... sounded out.

I froze in shock before slowly turning around to look behind me and… and… there I saw it.

In the middle of a clearing between all the trees and bushes… There lay countless bodies, their blood soaking into the grass beneath them, painting them a shade of deep crimson and turning their formerly blue uniforms into something even more demonic… and even further in… was a circular platform made of what seemed like stone, multiple thaumaturgic symbols and script drilled deep into its rocky surface, each of them glowing as if filled with silver, or perhaps something even whiter. What surrounded the platform were a handful of stone pillars that were also accented with the same white-hot symbols, glowing brightly… and finally… in the center… was a tall woman wearing a thin, yet elegant cloth dress, which was now soaked and ruined with her blood, her deer-like knees on the floor, forcibly looking down towards the stone platform as behind her…

As against the back of her head… a shotgun pressed itself, held in the right hand by a familiar man in torn body armor, which itself looked very similar to that of the ones the dead individuals around him wore. His messy blonde hair was evidence of the large scuffle that took place just moments earlier, along with the nervous cuts and stains of blood that accented his body.

 In his left hand… the figure was holding what appeared to be a bundle of cloth. He held it up with such carefulness, as if afraid that dropping it would break whatever the cloth was carrying beneath.

“All I wanted… All I wanted was to bring us back, to bring humanity back to its golden age… to the era of the garden… Is that too much to ask!?” The female figure, who upon closer inspection also possessed a pair of deer-like legs and antlers, said with a broken and hateful voice, unable to steer herself to look at the man who held her at gunpoint.

“… Funny thing about gold. All it takes is a little force, and it’ll bend whichever way you wish.” The man spoke, not in any grandiose fashion, but more as an explanation of sorts. “It never would’ve worked… I’m sorry.”

He cocked back the shotgun.

“… Go to hell—”

BANG!

The women’s words were cut off.

My eyes were frozen on the spot as the woman's head exploded into a rainbow of blood and gore, accenting the once spotless stone circle with blood. The white glowing accents immediately ceased, dimming themselves into lifeless metal as her body slumped to the floor.

“WAAHHHH! WAAAAHHHHH!”

The silence in the moment was short-lived, however, as immediately after the women fell lifelessly to the floor, what sounded like a baby’s cry echoed through the forest clearing. I turned my head, knowing exactly where it was coming from, as I peered at the bundle of cloth that the younger-looking version of me held so gently in his grasp.

I watched as he shifted uncomfortably, allowing the cloth to open up and letting me see the baby that nestled itself inside of it. Her cries were like torture, filling the air with screams of the damned… yet the only thing I… we could do was look at her blankly, as if not knowing what she was.

“… I’m sorry… I’m so… so sorry, Merri.” Was all the younger me had to the baby, before the forest, and everything else began melting and disappearing from view, leaving nothing but an endless expanse of darkness.

And there I stood… watching as the world changed around me.

“Damn… what a fucking nightmare.” I spoke out loud to the infinite expanse of nothing, realizing that all that had just transpired was nothing but a dream. 

Still, I turned my head and looked behind me, a condescending scowl on my face.

“So, was that your doing? Or just very inconvenient timing.” I spoke to seemingly nothing, until…

“The latter. I actually had to pull you out of that dream. After all, I only just arrived.” A smooth, masculine voice said to me. As soon as it did, the darkness seemed to shift and turn in on itself, before a figure in a black suit, a dark fedora covering his eyes, cane in one hand, appeared. He sat down comfortably on a bench that also seemingly appeared out of nowhere, legs crossed as he looked to the ground. “Clearly it is a personal subject, so I shall not inquire further. furthermore, there is much I wish to talk with you about, Dr. Clef—”

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!

Before he could even finish his sentence, I simply materialized a large machine gun in my hands before opening fire on the man with pent-up aggression.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID I TELL YOU ABOUT ENTERING MY DREAMS!? YOU LIMP DICK, WANNABE SANDMAN-LOOKING MOTHERFUCKER!!!”

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGNANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!

This continued for… a couple of minutes, before I finally began to relent. My firing ceased. I threw the gun to the side, letting it break apart into nothing. If there is one good thing about dreaming, it’s the fact that I can make whatever the fuck I want.

I also watched as the figure began to reform himself, wispy smoke seemingly merging and recreating the figure and his bench, as they looked just fine. His face, however, told a very different story.

“… You know, if I possessed a nickel every time someone’s first instinct when seeing me was to shoot me with a Gatling gun, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.” 

“Yeah, yeah, funny joke, hardy har har.” I grimaced before beginning my walk over to the man and his bench, which was much shorter than the initial distance between us would lead most to believe. “Regardless, I hope you being here means you have some good fucking news.”

He shrugged, “There is no such thing as good or bad news, simply news… However, in your eyes, this might be considered mediocre news at best.”

“… And that would be?” I growled, hoping that this bastard wasn’t wasting the few valuable moments of sleep I was getting at the moment.

“Hmm, well. I have learned of the location where your companions and prisoners have been sent forth to.” He began explaining, causing me to raise an eyebrow in slight interest as I crossed my arms, standing right in front of the nicely dressed man, staring down at him. “I would’ve wished to tell you sooner, but you simply refused to fall asleep for the longest time. I nearly gave up on waiting and almost went to that glasses-wearing friend of yours. Thankfully, it seemed the forces of nature finally caught up to you and dragged you down to my realm.”

I grimaced.

“Enough about my damn sleeping habits… You said you knew where everyone went?” I asked darkly, resulting in a short but curt nod from the cane-holding gentleman. At his affirmation, I leaned down and looked straight into his eye, despite them being covered up by his hat. “I’m going to ask this, and I want you to give me a clear answer. No cryptic bullshit, no fucking riddles or wild goose chases; I just want you to tell me straight… Where is she?”

The figure smirked before answering with a singular word. “…Hell.”

…

…

…

“… They were sent to fucking Florida?”

“Wha— No, I… Actually, it isn't all that far off really, but no.” The dream man quickly replied, shaking his head feverishly before calming down. “When I say Hell, I don’t mean it metaphorically, or rhetorically, or poetically, or theoretically, or in any other kind of way. They are in Hell.”

I shuffled back slightly, a smidge surprised by the graveness in the seated man’s voice.

“So… She’s in Hell?” I asked, the mere question putting a sour taste in my mouth. Still, at his nod in affirmation, I grimaced before dropping my hands to my side. “So what you're saying is all I need to do is kill myself, and I’ll be there?”

The man’s head raised slightly in shock and alarm at my observation. “I… Well, yes, technically… But I wouldn’t recommend such an action.”

“Why not?” I inquired, almost completely set on the idea as is, since it’s the fastest route to take me to where I want to be. 

“Because… if you appear in Hell the normal way… All memories you have about the foundation, about the so-called ‘anomalous’ in general, will all be wiped clean.” He began explaining roughly, as if reluctant to say these words. “Even you would forget everything that isn’t classified as normal… including any memory you have of her. It’ll all be overwritten… replaced, one could say.”

'… Fucking what?!'

“Hmm… And why is that?” I continued pushing, not willing to let my fastest ticket to the land of the damned be snatched away from me. “Why wouldn’t I remember anything?”

“That… I cannot tell you—”

Click!

“You should think over your next words very carefully.” I threatened, materializing a shotgun in my hand and pressing it against the bastard's forehead. I know it wouldn’t do anything, but it still makes me feel better, goddammit!

Regardless of my threat, the sandman wannabe simply sighed in reluctance before crossing his left leg over his right.

“I wish I could tell you everything I knew, as I usually do. Secrets aren’t necessarily my forte, and I would do anything if it means saving the world… But as soon as I learned this all involved Hell, everything became much more troublesome.” The dream man explained, his head shying away from me, as if embarrassed. “I have been sworn to secrecy over many subjects in relation to that place. The best I can do is inform you of where they are at in hopes you find a way yourself… but that is all the assistance I am able to deliver to you for the time being—”

“BULLSHIT!” 

BANG!

I released the shotgun shell straight into his forehead, rendering it to nothing before quickly remaking itself as if they were made of some kind of gas.

“I don’t care if the fucking Buddha himself told you to be quiet! You’re gonna tell me every-fucking-thing you know!” I angrily screamed, reaching out and grabbing the hem of his suit before lifting him off his bench to look at me. “So tell me, who swore you to secrecy?! Why can’t you say anything?! How the fuck do we get there?! And why would I forget everything?!”

The figure once more looked down in shame. “I wish I could tell you more; I really do… But as it stands, this is all the support I can afford to give at the moment.”

I stared him down, neither of us relenting as we gazed heatedly into each other's eyes. If it were anyone else I were staring down, I know they'd have shit their pants ten times over already… As for this bastard…

“Sigh, fucking fine, whatever. Just let me the fuck out of here so I can get back to finding her.” I eventually conceded as I turned around and began walking off, knowing that I gained something out of this conversation, but not nearly enough as I had wanted.

“Of course, that is only fair… However, I must also give you a warning. If you fail in your mission, there will be heavy consequences—”

“Yeah, yeah, cryptic consequential bullshit, end of the world, raining fire—I know the drill.” I cut him off, turning around to try and face him once more. “So how about you call me again when you have something useful to say—”

BOOM!

My eyes widened in shock. As the scenery around the man had completely changed. What once was an endless abyss of nothing now stood a ruined city. Flames climbed up and burned every building that was left standing, and even those that had already long since passed. 

The streets were littered with bodies of both humans and anomalous creatures of many different looks and appearances. Blood spilling around every building, making it seem as if a flood of the viscous liquid had shaken the entire city.

Instinctively, I then looked up at the sky. It was cloaked in an eerie red light, as if the sky was bleeding… What was even more horrifying, however, was that a seemingly white, glowing planet that at one point probably calmly floated in the city's sky… Now was cracked and shattered, crumbling as the lifeless rock that made it up was pulled closer, threatening to fall upon the city itself.

Screams echoed in my ears, cries for help, pleading and praying for some kind of salvation… Yet it never came.

“Many lives hang in the balance, with a scant few individuals at the helm to control the outcome… You are one of those people, Clef. And it’s finally time for you to decide who you are.” The figure began explaining, still sitting calmly on his bench despite the chaos unfolding around us. “Are you a killer… or are you a survivor?”

… I growled, clenching my fists hard enough to draw blood.

“… I’m the motherfucker who’ll do whatever it takes to save the one person in this world that I care about.” I spoke, my eyes steeled as I gazed upon the ruined world ahead of me.

At my answer… the man smiled warmly. “Hehe… A protector then… I was hoping as much.”

And then… just like that… the world around me disappeared and plunged itself back into the inky abyss of my subconscious as I slowly awakened.

I awoke… to the sight of multiple people standing over me arguing…

“I told you, if he wakes up and sees this, then… oh shit.”

… Everything immediately started going downhill after that, as I awoke to many unsavory faces standing over me.

Notes:

Author: you know, if I had a nickel for every time I made a “if I had a nickel” joke in this story, id have two nickels. Which isn't a lot but its weird that is happened twice.

Clef: wouldn't that make it three? Since you just made one?

Author: … One… two… AWW DAMMIT—

Welp, here it is! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Both a lot of things were revealed, and… not a lot… you heard me!

Anyways, what'd you all think of it? I'm very curious to know.

Oh, also, I will be saying that next weeks chapter will be a Christmas special! (dramatic gasp’sssss) And I will say, its not gonna be what any of you expected, because it certainly isn't what I expected! I had a different idea in mind, but I didn't get far enough in the story for it to actually makes sense, so we are going with planB! I'd be lying if I said I was extremely happy with how its going, but I am looking forward to it.

Also, I know is said this last chapter, but ill say it again. WE HAVE A TV TROPES PAGE! Written by FalloutLego17! Thank you so much! Link below if you want to check it out.
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/SCP666Hazbin

Well, that's really all I wanted to say for know. So, leave a kudos if you enjoyed. Drop a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, jokes, or anything in-between. And I hope you all have a fan-fliping-tastic day!

Chapter 47: Christmas Special (Kinda): Yule tide carols.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

????????????

Notes:

“What moment changed your life forever?”

(Note: this is the longest chapter I’ve ever written, at about 14,000 words. So grab a drink and a snack, cause it’s about to be a wild ride.)

Song used in chapter: https://youtu.be/AN_R4pR1hck?si=DrG3X_pL8HnEGNXz

 

CREAK!

The wooden boards creaked in a sharp, almost hypnotic sound. 

The snow, gently creasing atop the building's roof, fell. Indents unnatural to the human norm made themselves apparent.

Its long, dangling limbs reached downwards, gripping the hem of the windowsill.

Slowly… ever so slowly… its face lowers from the roof… Its eyes dead, looking through the thin, see-through barrier that offered minimal protection.

I gazed in, past the frost that built up around the glass, past the darkness that coated the dark room… And straight at the tiny bed, where a small child slept. Their innocent breathing hypnotic, slowly lifting the blanket on their blue bed up and down.

A smile adorned the kid's face, their joy present even in their deepest sleep. 

And the thing outside the window… smiled back.

---

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

With the kids jingle belling

And everyone telling you, "Be of good cheer!"

It's the most wonderful time of the year. 

 

Music filled the air with holiday cheer! The city was well and alive, beaming with absolute joy.

Children ran along the streets, their boots leaving indents in the snow as they chased each other around. A chorus of laughs echoed from parents as they watched their kids running around, reminiscing on their own youth when they did much of the same.

The city's skyscrapers were draped in bright, cheerful lights. The shops all took advantage of the holiday by dressing up their stores as much as possible, welcoming in any and all children, along with their begrudging parents as they were forced to follow behind.

 

It's the hap-happiest season of all.

With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings.

When friends come to call.

It's the hap-happiest season of all.

 

Pigeons jumped from streetlight to streetlight, dodging the heavy falling of snow against their batting wings, letting the cold dew wander aimlessly to the ground, eventually joining their fellow snowflakes in robbing color from the streets below.

Children laugh, adults speak in cheerful voices, and cars drive by with care while others with reckless endangerment. Cabs littered the streets, helping those who were too scared to drive in the snow themselves in the city.

 

There'll be parties for hosting.

Marshmallows for toasting.

And caroling out in the snow.

There'll be scary ghost stories.

And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

 

Two men on the side of the road wearing heavy trench coats seemed to argue with each other, their voices overshadowed by the music and laughter that surrounded them on the streets.

Eventually, one of them raised their hands in defeat before lifting a finger in the air in an attempt to call over a cab. It worked, as a bright car, decorated in many elaborate lights, stopped right by them.

The two men entered the car, ignoring the over-enthusiastic cab driver in his overly bright outfit. With a simple word, the men gave the driver his directions as they took off, as the shorter of the two men nervously pulled his trench coat closer to his chest, hiding the SCP insignia that hid itself on his clothes underneath.

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There'll be much mistletoeing.

And hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

 

They drive by in the snow, passing numerous stores and families that explored the city on one of the most festive days of the year. Eventually, they passed a store called “Duncan’s Toy Chest” where many kids were running in and out of, pulling their tired parents with them.

The inside of the store was decorated lavishly to fit the season. Large wreaths systematically placed against the interior walls of the large establishment, their placement occasionally interrupted by a string of Christmas lights that found themselves tied between them. A larger tree was the centerpoint of the store, many ornaments decorating its leafy body, as beneath it held numerous gifts that were wrapped in colorful wrapping paper and bows.

 

There'll be parties for hosting.

Marshmallows for toasting.

And caroling out in the snow.

There'll be scary ghost stories.

And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

 

Kids gathered around the bottom of the tree, as if attempting to steal these wonderful gifts that had found themselves beneath it. Their parents forced to take them by the hand and drag them back, not wanting to deal with paying for broken property. 

Long lines of these children’s parents waited impatiently for their turn to check out, trying to get their last-minute Christmas shopping done before the holiday finally struck the next morning.

Their children, unsupervised, imagined themselves catching Santa the next morning in a trap. Planning on staying up all night in order to finally catch the jolly jolly burglar in the act!

 

There'll be much mistletoeing

And hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near.

It's the most wonderful time.

Yes, the most wonderful time.

Oh, the most wonderful time of the year!

 

Kids continued to gawk longingly at the shelves of colorful toys and presents, talking about what they all desired for Christmas.

The music continued to echo throughout the store, filling the building with joyful tunes as kids and adults alike basked in the holiday spirit.

As the song came to an end, a kid who appeared to be between 9-10 years old rocked back and forth on his feet, clutching his ugly Christmas sweater as he looked up in awe at the speakers that played the music. 

A smile beckoned on his face as he listened before the song came to an end and started from the very beginning once more. Excited, the boy quickly turned on his heels and ran through the toy store, his shoulders bumping recklessly into many shelves as he ran towards the checkout line.

“Dad, Dad!” The boy exalted with youthful energy as he reached the line and began pulling on the sleeve of an older man with the same kind of ugly Christmas sweater as him. The man looked down, tearing his eyes from the checkout line and the annoyed cashier.

“Hey, junior! What’s wrong?” The adult man spoke down to his son with a smile, lowering himself to one knee so he could address the child on his level.

The boy, in return, began pulling even harder on the sleeve as he began pointing feverishly at the speaker playing the well-known song. His smile clung onto his face as he drew his father's attention to it.

“That! I want that!”

“Hehe, whoo! Someone’s looking to make it big this Christmas! The father jokes, petting his son on the head, much to the child's annoyance.

“Daaaaaaaad!” The boy whined, knocking the hand off his head, as the kid grew pouty. “Stop treating me like I'm a kid!”

“Right, sorry, Junior.” The father laughed before looking and realizing he was holding up the line. He grimaced, seeing some of the other parents growing annoyed at the display. “Hey, how about you look around the store a bit longer while Daddy deals with this? If you behave for the next couple of minutes, then I’m sure Santa will have an extra special gift for you in the morning!”

The boy's face lit up. “Really?”

“Really. Now, run along.” The man said, slightly pushing his son’s back. The kid looked annoyed for a second, but because of the tantalizing promise of Santa delivering him an extra special gift, he managed to suck in his objections as he ran back into the large store.

The father stood tall as he watched his son run away, a warm smile on his face as he watched him go.

“... Hello? Earth to ugly sweater man?”

“Huh?” The father turned, finding the annoyed cashier staring at him with a bored expression in his eyes. “Sorry, what did you say?”

The cashier rolled his eyes. “You gonna finish checking out? You're holding up the line.”

“Hmm, right! Of course.” The father chuckled, looking back awkwardly at the growing line. He stepped up to the counter once more, pushing up the wrapping paper and last-minute gifts that he was buying.

As he was, he paused as he noticed a row of tiny black boxes behind the cashier, each with headphones attached to them.

“Hey… What are those?” The man asked, drawing attention to the boxes.

“These? Oh, these are the new Walkman music players. Just got them for the Christmas season.” The cashier began, grabbing one from behind and placing it on the counter in view of the man. “We’re actually doing a sale right now. Buy one, and get a free CD for any song. You know, considering we have it.”

The father's eyes lit up as he stared at the aforementioned Walkmen. “Really… Say, you wouldn't happen to have a CD for this song, right?” He asked, drawing attention to the Christmas song that was currently playing on repeat in the store.

The cashier just smiled in response, before reaching under the counter and placing the CD for the very song. The father smiled before pushing them both towards him. “I’ll take this too, then.”

“Good choice.”

The cashier began scanning his last couple of items, placing them in a plastic bag. As he did so, a woman walked up to the father, a young girl in her hands that appeared to be roughly 7-8 years old.

After taking one glance at the table, she just sighed in exasperation. “Really? Another gift? Don’t you think you're spoiling these kids enough?” The woman joked as she looked at the Walkman, causing the man to chuckle.

“What can I say? I'm really hoping to be the favorite parent this year.” The father chuckled as he grabbed two large bags from the cashier and quickly exited the line, afraid to face the wrath of other parents. “Besides, I had to fight tooth and nail to get Christmas off, and I'll be damned if I don't celebrate it to the fullest with you all.”

Before the women could retort, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss before pulling back. “Besides, once they grow bored of it, I'm sure they wouldn't notice us taking it every once in a while.”

The man's wife chuckled, giving in rather quickly to their husband's charm. “Alright, alright. Whatever you say.”

“Heh…”

“...”

“...Mommy, why are we buying presents if Santa’s gonna deliver them tomorrow?” The little girl asked… Immediately causing a cold sweat to break out on each of the parents' faces.

“Umm… Well…” The man looked to his wife for help, but she looked just as horrified as he did. He took in a nervous gulp of air. “B-Because… S-santa needs inspiration, honey! To let him know what we want!”

“Really?” She asked innocently, staring up at her father.

“Hehe… Yep!”

“Oh… Ok,” The girl eventually said, causing both the parents to release a breath they were not aware they were holding.

‘Crisis averted.’ 

---

 

“All right, kids, I hope you enjoyed our outing to the city!” The father exclaimed after herding both his kids into the backseat of their car. “But it’s time for us to head back to the old family home, so strap in!”

The father began driving with extra attentiveness as he dodged traffic in the city, making their way out and starting their decently long trip back to their home.

The car wasn’t quiet during that time, as the children filled it with laughter, song, and all sorts of entertaining shenanigans that came from having kids. The father smiled, glad he was able to be one of the lucky few to be able to get the holiday off. Sure he had to call in a decent few favors, but just hearing his kids laughing, seeing his beautiful wife's face… It just made it all worth it.

Finally, after another thirty minutes of driving through the snow, they finally made it to their more rural neighborhood, their house surrounded on all sides by a blanket of snow. They continued singing in festive joy as they drove by a taxi that had seemingly pulled out of their driveway a moment ago.

Confused, the father stopped singing as he saw two figures in heavy trench coats standing outside of his front door, one with a heavy bag slung over their shoulders and the other with a brown cowboy hat. The man sighed, knowing that whatever this is, it probably wouldn't be fun.

“Everything alright?” His wife asked, spotting the concern that caked the man’s face.

“Hopefully… Come on, take the kids inside. I’ll talk to them.” He commented, before putting the car in park, stopping it on the driveway. Their appearance didn’t go unnoticed, either, as both 

Click!

The father opened the door of his car, his boot crunching against the snow as he stepped out. He didn’t even need to look to see his son and daughter exit the car behind him. 

Determined, the man walked to the front door. The two heavily coated men met him halfway as they made their way to them.

“Hello… How can I help you?” He asked worriedly, scared that this was about what he feared.

“Howdy there, Jason Williams.” The younger of the men spoke, tilting his strangely cowboy-shaped hat down in introduction as he looked up at the man, a youthful vigor in his eyes as he did so; the man must've been in his early twenties at the youngest, perhaps even younger. His brown hair was tied back into a ponytail, as his fingers creased into his pockets without care. However, the father could easily see the six-shooter that hid itself in the man's coat. He spoke with what almost sounded like a southern accent, as if the man was trying to sound like a stereotypical cowboy. But the accent was forced, as if it weren't his natural inflection.

“The name's Mikell Bright, and I believe we have lots a shit ta talk about.” The wannabe cowboy spoke before flashing a badge to Jason. Looking closely, Jason sighed as he saw the recognizable insignia of the SCP Foundation on the badge.

“Goddammit—alright, fine.” He whispered under his breath before turning behind him towards his wife and kids and raised his voice. “It's alright. Their… Friends from work. They just stopped by to talk with me over something regarding work, so you guys can head inside.”

The kids ran by, obviously desperate to get out of the cold and inside their warm house. The woman stopped by her husband as she moved by, giving the man a stink eye.

“Work? I thought you said you were off for—”

“I know what I said.” The man cut her off, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration over the whole situation. “It won't be anything big. I promise I won't be missing Christmas again.”

The woman's eyes softened before shaking her head. “ sigh… fine. As long as you're sure.” She finally relented, before quickly catching up with her kids, letting them and herself into the house.

“ PHWEE-PHWEEOO.” The ponytailed man whistled in an annoying fashion as he watched the woman make her way into the house, as he playfully hit Jason with his elbow. “Impressive catch, Jason—”

“Mikell!”

Smack!

“Gahh!” The younger agent whimpered in pain as the back of his head was hit by his considerably older partner, who quickly looked at Jason with shame.

“I apologize for my partner's attitude towards your wife. He's still learning and doesn't fully grasp the concept of being polite.”

“… Her name is Samantha, first of all. And manners feel like something his mother should have taught him.” Jason commented, not noticing the slight twitch in Mikel's eyebrow as he did so. “Still, it wouldn't do me any good to keep you two in the cold for any longer. Come on in; I'll warm up some hot chocolate while we discuss… business.”

“That is greatly appreciated, Agent Williams.”

“Please just call me Jason while I'm off duty. Unlike some people, I actually enjoy having a life outside of work.” The man remarked annoyed as he walked up to the front porch and let his two accomplices in. 

“Of course, and we are sorry to intrude. But this is important.” The old man apologized, decidedly ignoring the scoff he gained in return.

“It better be.”

Clunk.

---

 

“Hmm…hmmmmmmm… HMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!”

“Sigh… what's wrong?” The mother finally relented at her son's increasingly dramatic grumbling, as his head lay limply on the couch.

“Huh? Oh, it's nothing.” The boy tried to play off nonchalantly, much to the humor of his mother. “It's just… Who are those people Dad’s talking to?”

The warm smile left the mother's face as she slumped slightly on the couch she was sitting on next to her kids, just ahead of their chimney and Christmas tree that glowed harmlessly in the corner of the room. She looked over the back of the couch, spotting her husband engaged in some sort of conversation with the other men, hot chocolates in each of their hands that she made for them.

“Those are… just some of Daddy's friends from work. They came by to talk with him for a little,” the woman explained, barely believing her own words as she said them. This did garner her son's attention as he looked towards her, interested.

“Like a playdate for adults?” the child asked earnestly, arousing laughter from the women.

“Hehe, yes. Like a playdate for adults.” She explained, finding humor in how her son visualized the world.

Still, she couldn't help her own gaze from going back towards the group of men in her kitchen. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't worried over whatever they were talking about. Jason has always been rather secretive whenever it came to his work, claiming that he worked for the military and that's why he was forced to be absent so often throughout their marriage. She never was willing to push the subject because he just meant too much to her, and the fear of losing him over such meager concerns never felt worth it. That's why she was so excited when she learned he managed to get Christmas Day off, something that's been extremely rare during their marriage.

‘But still… I can't help but feel scared that they’re going to take him away with them.’ She internally admitted, her fingernails digging into the couch.

Her son, probably noticing his mom's sour expression, allowed a tiny frown to form on his own face as he looked back towards the kitchen, where the strange men were talking to his father.

“Anyways, I want you all to behave yourselves while Daddy’s guests are here. Mommy needs to leave and take care of something.” The mom excused herself, remembering all of the new gifts that she needed to wrap tonight before Christmas. 

So, with a noticeable amount of hesitation, she left her children in the living room as she went to grab their toys from the car.

As for the boy… Well, he couldn’t take his eyes off of his dad. He wanted to know so desperately what they were talking about. It seemed really cool.

So, slowly, he stood up from the couch and began walking over stealthily. 

“Hey, where are you going?” He heard his younger sister ask innocently from behind, as she was busy playing with one of her dolls. The young boy silently chastised himself before looking back.

“Um… nowhere?”

“…”

“…”

“… Oh, ok.” The sister accepted, not thinking to question further as she went back to playing with her dolls.

The brother just sighed in relief before continuing his super stealthy approach to the kitchen, his curiosity overcoming his fear as he desperately wanted to know what they were talking about.

He continued approaching until he hung himself by the doorway, hiding behind it as he could barely make out his father's words.

"Sigh... Listen, I get it; it's duty, whatever. But I had to call in almost every favor I had to get Christmas off, and I’m planning and spending each and every moment of it with my family.” Jason spoke, his voice exemplifying just how tired he was of the whole conversation. He looked back up, staring his co-workers in the eyes as they happily drank his hot chocolate. “But how about you just tell me what you two are even doing out here? And why the hell would it involve me?

Mikel smirked, as if wanting to answer with some sort of snarky remark. His older partner, however, quickly shut him up with a look before continuing in his stead.

“Listen, we are going to keep this very simple.” The older man began, before reaching into the bag he was carrying, pulling out a vanilla filing folder. He gently placed it on the kitchen table before opening it up. “We have been intercepting some rather concerning police calls in the area. Families stating that they’ve been hearing something walking on their roof, children stating that something is watching them through their window. Although all of this could be circumstantial at best, considering the frequency of these reports and the general location, the foundation fears that one or a couple of houses in this area have become part of SCP-4666’s hunting ground this year.”

Jason’s eyes lit up in fear as he looked at the folder, spying papers with information regarding the anomaly, otherwise known as the Yule man. He picked it up, reading through it carefully.

“This general area does match all the criteria. Being above 40 degrees north latitude. Along with that, most of the worrying calls have originated from rural households, of which there are plenty here. In other words… it seems highly likely that a Weissnacht event may be imminent.”

The child looked on confused, not understanding the words the grown-ups were using, nor did he get why his dad began looking worried. He never liked it when he looked like that, as it usually meant he was going to have to leave soon.

“Hmm… and what does that have to do with me?” Josh eventually asked, his voice suppressed as he now understood the general reason for his guests' unexpected arrival. “Surely you didn’t just come here to make me paranoid. So out with it.”

At his accusation, the older man… began looking extremely bashful. All while the ponytailed man just chuckled and began speaking.

“Because, ta geniuses upstays dropped ta ball big time! Some issue or another, but basically we ain’t getting ta supplies we were originally promised.” Mikel began in his forceful southern accent, laughing at his senior partners' continued embarrassment. “Basically… we are stranded with not even a ca’r to our name.”

Unimpressed, Jason looked towards the more grown of the two. “Is that true?”

“Sigh. Unfortunately, most of it. We do have some basic supplies like weapons and bullets, amnestics, and a radio to intercept 911 calls. Besides that, however, some paper pusher messed something up and left us with no form of transportation.” The older man explained, obviously pained by the incompetence that put them in this position. “When we contacted the foundation about it… they simply redirected us to you, since you were the closest living foundation operative.” 

“And… nobody thought to inform me of this?” 

The older man shrugged. “Apparently they tried, but you didn’t pick up.”

Josh looked confused at this for a second before his eyes lit up in realization before sighing indignantly into the table. “Right… I left my foundation supplies here when I went to town— fucking… alright.”

Josh's eyes looked up once more, staring daggers into the two men, one much more juvenile than the other. “You all can use my car for the night or whatever, but I’m staying out of this. If I miss another Christmas, my wife might actually kill me. So unless there’s an actual emergency, like you’re about to fucking die or something, then leave me be and let me enjoy my time with my family.”

Mikel raised his hands in a playful manner. “That’s all we wanted, partner!” He chuckled annoyingly, causing Josh to roll his eyes.

“Yea yea, just try to keep the thing in one piece and bring it back tomorrow. If anything’s broken, then the foundation better cover it, or so help me god—.”

“Everything will be alright; I’ll make sure this one doesn’t crash it into a lamp post.” The more experienced partner chastised Mikel, causing him to grouch and cross his arms, sitting back as he feigned annoyance. 

“Hmm, you crash foundation propaty one time and nobody lets ya live it down.” Mikel pouted like a child, clearly enjoying the annoyed looks he was receiving from the other two foundation agents in the room.

“… Right… well, if that’s everything, then you two should probably be going. I don’t like having other members of the foundation in my home; it brings bad luck.” Josh began, beginning to stand. The other foundation agent halted him with his hand as he did so. 

“Just one more thing. If we need to contact you for any reason—and I know you said only in emergencies, use this.” He began, before reaching into his bag and pulling out an extremely bulky walkie-talkie, sliding it across the table to him. “Keep it close.”

“Sure… fine.” Josh ended up accepting, understanding his duties came first as he placed the device on the kitchen counter. “Now will you two get the fuck out of my house?”

Mikel rolled his eyes, obviously not enjoying the dickish aura this man was protruding. How dare he tell us to rightfully leave his house! UNACCEPTABLE! 

As Mikel was thinking that, however, his eyes ended up wandering towards the entrance to the kitchen. His irises widened like dinner plates in surprise for a second before shrinking and giving way to a light chuckle that escaped his lips, gathering everyone else’s attention.

“Damn, want us ta leave so bad, huh?” He began snuggly by crossing his arms before pointing over his shoulder at the doorway, where a young boy could be seen poorly hiding. “Because I think yer boy here may disagree, partner.”

Both the older men looked to where Mikel was pointing… before both of them widened their eyes in shock and fear. Josh more so than the other, as he realized his son had just accidentally listened in on a private conversation.

The child, for his part, recoiled back slightly in shock, realizing he had been caught.

“Junior!” The father ended up raising his voice, standing up with enough force to scare his son back. “Go to your room!”

“B-but—”

“GO TO YOUR ROOM!” He said again, much louder. His son, afraid of being scorned, quickly ran away to his room, tears coating the corners of his eyes as he did so. 

He was scared. His father never yelled at him like that before! It… it terrified him.

Still, with him gone, Josh just sat back down, sighing into his hands. “I’m… sorry about that… shit!”

“It’s alright, Mr. Williams.” The other foundation agent began, turning to look at the doorway that the boy just ran from. “He’s a kid. He probably didn’t understand anything that was said… However, as it is a potential security risk, it may be wise to use class B amnestics on him—” 

The father grabbed the man by the hem of his coat, pulling him towards Josh as he stared daggers at him.

“Don’t you DARE bring that shit anywhere near my boy!” The father pointed defensively, his eyes filled with even more anger than before as he gazed at the agent like a wild animal whose cubs were just threatened. 

“But… He listened in to confidential information. Class B amnestics have also proven to have no harmful side effects to their—”

“I don’t fucking care. You fuckers aren’t messing with my son's head, you hear me?” He began in his threatful tone, looking between the two agents, one of whom had a massive shit-eating grin as he watched the whole display play out in front of him. “You both better promise me that you won’t use that shit on him; otherwise you won’t be getting any help from me.”

The older agent's brow furrowed. “But it is a direct order from the found—”

“Promise me!”

… Tense silence followed after the man’s threat, as both parties gazed heatedly into each other's eyes, as if neither of them were willing to back down.

… Until finally.

“ Ugh, dramatic sigh, this is getting fuckin’ borin’ now.” Mikel said dramatically, killing the atmosphere as he walked next to his companion, wrapping his arm around his shoulder. “Fine, we promise that your son won’t be seein a drop of tha stuff. Right, Clifford?”

The older agent, now identified as Clifford, looked heatedly in his partner's eyes, as if ready to tell him off… The second he went to do it, however, he recoiled slightly as he saw an alien look in his eyes, almost like… a warning.

“After all… we don’t hurt kids…” Mikel warned once more, his gaze turning ever more heated

“… sigh. Fine.” Clifford finally relented, desperately turning away from his companion as he looked at Josh, who now had a relieved look on his face. “We promise that we won’t amnestisize the child. But you better make sure he doesn’t get any ideas. He’s a child, so we’ll excuse it. But please just make sure this doesn’t implode into a major security breach.”

“Hmm, fine.” The father said, knowing that he had no choice but to agree with the final point. He then reached into his pocket before pulling out the keys to his car. “Here.”

He tossed the key over, which was easily caught by Mikel. 

“And remember, not a scratch.”

“Heh, no promises.” Mikel tipped his hat before turning on his heel, signaling Clifford to follow after him, despite him being the junior in the situation. His aforementioned partner rolled his eyes before following after. 

“Merry Christmas, by the way!” Josh yelled out annoyed after them as they exited, watching them carefully until they reached the front door and exited.

As soon as they did, he heavily sighed before sitting back down. Looking down to his right, he spotted the hefty walkie-talkie.

He stared at it for a couple seconds before reaching forward and grabbing it. He admired the hefty piece of equipment, once more annoyed he was being pulled into the fray during Christmas.

‘It could be worse, I guess. At least they're not actively calling me out to the field.’ He reasoned with himself before realization struck him and looked back to the doorway… the same doorway that he just yelled at his son at.

“… Fuck, I’m gonna have to talk with him… shit—”

“Whose fuck?”

“FUCKING— HMMP!” Josh quickly bit his tongue, forcing down his surprise as he noticed his daughter had just walked into the kitchen, an innocently curious gaze in her eyes. “I mean… their… umm… H-hey, Abigail! What brings… you here?”

“…”

“…”

‘… And here I thought I got over my social anxiety phase.’ 

“Oh, um… Well, Big Brother just ran to his room.” The little girl began, not noticing the pang of guilt that spawned on her father's face as a result of her words. “He looked kinda sad… is he ok?”

“He’s… sigh… He’s fine. I just… need to talk with him.” He admitted, swiping the walkie-talkie off the table and walking towards his daughter, kneeling down and lightly hugging. “Get some rest. You're going to have a big day tomorrow opening your Christmas gifts.”

“Hehehe, okay!” The girl giggles happily as she runs off to her room, leaving the father in his contemplative silence.

“…. Damn… I’m definitely getting coal.” He joked to himself before standing and began worriedly making his way to his son's bedroom upstairs. 

---

 

He made his way upstairs, walking straight towards his son's room with worried determination. Admittedly, he was terrified of talking to him, especially since he had never raised his voice at him like that before.

‘Usually I’m not the one that has to deal with this… but Samantha is going to rip my head off if I push my issues into her… again.’ He sighed, thinking about his wife before finally making it to his son's door. He chuckled as he gazed upon the myriad of stickers that decorated it, each depicting a colorful character of some kind. Superheroes, supervillains, monsters… He always loved that stuff.

Still, with one final push of determination, he reached for the doorknob and…

Clunk.

‘Locked.’ Josh realized, his eyes saddening even further. So, with no other choice, he gently knocked on the door.

As he went to knock, however, he swore he could hear gently weeping from inside the room. Guilt once more flashed on the older man’s face as he realized this, but he steeled his resolve and went to knock.

Knock knock.

“Hey there, junior. It’s daddy.” I began in a soft voice. He waited for a second, noting that the silent weeping seemed to cease as he spoke. “Do you mind unlocking the door for me?”

… No response.

“Ok… ok.” The father repeated, at a loss of what to say. “I guess we’ll just… talk through the door. Is that ok with you?”

… Nothing, again.

“I’ll… take that as a yes.” He reasoned before sitting down on the floor. His back leaned against the doorframe, hoping that sitting might help calm his nerves. 

Spoiler alert: it didn’t.

After a long stretch of silence, Josh finally spoke up. “Look, I’m… I’m sorry for yelling at you. I overreacted and… I was in the middle of a very important discussion and… I’m sorry.” He began pathetically attempting to explain himself. Deep down, he knew he was just protecting his son, as even knowing about the existence of the foundation could put his life at risk… But how could he convey that to a ten-year-old? He shouldn’t have to worry about that. He shouldn’t have to worry about anything… Yet here he is, causing his son so much grief.

“It was an overreaction; Daddy has just been really stressed, and I made a mistake… I’m sorry… I love you. You know that, right?” He continued making excuses, and as he gripped his fists together, his muscles began tensing as he feared he was doing everything wrong. “So please… please just let me know you're ok.”

… Nothing… not a single peep from the usually lively and happy child.

“… Ok, you don’t want to talk with me… I get it.” Josh finally relented, his brow furrowing in frustration at himself as he stood up. “Look, I… I will make it up to you tomorrow, I promise… Also, d-don’t worry about what Daddy was talking about with his friends. It was… I don’t know.”

The father ran out of excuses to give and had long run out of the emotional energy to bring his kid anywhere closer to the hell that was his life.

“Just… get some rest, and I promise Santa will have some great gifts waiting for you come morning.” The father tried to sound happy but fell off short. “… good night.”

And with that, he left the room. Not wanting to be any more of a burden to his son as he made his way across the hall to his room.

He opened the door, and…

“There you are!” Samantha’s voice suddenly crashed through his wall of anxiety. Looking up, he saw wrapping paper and many different kinds of colorful gifts littering the ground. His wife had stood up tall, hands on her hips, as she stared him down. “These gifts aren’t going to wrap themselves. We just need to do a few more before putting them beneath the tree.”

“Hmm— O-oh, right! Of course.” The father chuckled awkwardly, desperate to find an excuse to get his mind off the current matter at hand. He placed the walkie-talkie on his counter before walking over and sitting next to Samantha as they began wrapping the gifts in silence with each other.

…

“… So, how did it go?” She finally asked, not even bothering to look at the man as he recoiled in slight shock.

“Go? H-how did what—”

“Don’t play dumb with me. Abigail told me everything when I tucked her into bed.” She explained calmly, causing the older man to twitch his eyebrow. That little snitch!

"Sigh... Not good… I don’t think he’s forgiven me.” Josh explained with sorrow, slowing down his wrapping as he once more entered a contemplative mood.

“… Why did you yell at him?”

“Well, I—”

“I know your work, whatever it is, is important… But he’s a child, for god's sake. What’s the harm in listening to you talk? It’s not like he would understand any of it.” His wife began going off, not understanding what the harm in all of this was.

Josh, for his part, continued to look guilty. This was the hardest part of the job, after all. Being unable to tell anyone outside of the foundation about it.

‘That’s why most of my co-workers refuse to get married, after all.’ He internally jokes, before drawing his attention back to his wife.

“It’s… it’s more complicated than that—”

“Then what am I not getting? What’s so fuc… What’s so bad about letting him listen? I know you always act shifty whenever you get on a work call or always lie when you say you’ve been called on another work trip to Hawaii. I get that you don’t trust me enough to tell me what’s going on—”

“What? Honey, it’s not—”

“Let me finish.” She cut him off, her eyes warning him to not interfere. And as the professional he was, he decided to listen and not get on the angry mother's bad side. “ Sigh. I get that you don’t trust me enough to tell me what’s actually going on, and I’m fine with that. I understood and accepted that when we got married… But Josh, he’s your own flesh and blood. And nothing, and I mean nothing, is more important than our kids.”

“… You're right, I just… I just don’t know.” He whispered to himself, scratching his head as he began to think long and hard. He was sure that his wife would be having an extremely different reaction if she knew what his job actually was, but he can’t go into that now, or possibly ever if he was being honest.

It was then that he looked down, as he noticed that Walkman that he bought from the toy store. Slowly, he reached down and picked it up. Opening up the case, he saw the CD for the song was already inside of it, ready to go.

“Hopefully this could make up for it.” He joked before placing it on the ground and began wrapping it up. “After all, nothing makes people forget their issues better than music.”

“Heh, finally. Something we can both agree on.” 

The two chuckled before continuing with their never-ending mission of being the favorite parent, each ready to face Christmas in the morning with a smile.

They spent the rest of the night tightly wrapping the gifts, stealthily moving them beneath the tree, and going to bed.

Josh placed the walkie-talkie he was given beneath his pillow. It was a little uncomfortable, but it worked well enough that he knew he would wake up if someone contacted him.

Finally, with heavy hearts, the two of them went to sleep. Ready to face Christmas morning with a smile.

As they slept, however, they failed to hear the slight creaking on their roof… followed by unnaturally cold frost forming in their window.

And something… breathing on the other side of it.

---

 

The boy sat in his room… unable to sleep.

His pillow had become damp with tears as he continued to hug it desperately in hopes of clinging onto some sort of support.

He continued whimpering silently, trying in vain to process the amalgamation of emotions he felt coursing through his body.

He was scared… he was angry… he was pathetic… all these thoughts and more crammed into his head. His dad never yelled at him like this. Frankly, his dad was rarely around that often to begin with, and whenever he was, he tried to fill those times with as many good memories as possible… but he has never yelled at him like this before.

‘What did I do wrong? What did I do to deserve it? Does… does this mean I’m on the naughty list?’ The boy began whimpering once more in his tiny room… until finally his eyes shot up. ‘Am… am I on the naughty list?’

While immature for anyone more mature, that was a horrifying idea in the kid's mind. The idea of being tossed out by Santa himself during the most joyful time of the year scares him.

What scared him even more, however, was another horrifying thought in his mind.

‘Is… is Dad on the naughty list for yelling?’

It was also at that moment that he finally gazed outside his window. Snow gently falling from the dark expanse of the night sky. A remarkable amount of frost had built up on his window. At this point, he’s usually asleep, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the morning.

But now… he was so preoccupied figuring out what he was feeling that he lost track of time. Looking at the clock on his wall, it said that it was around 1:30 AM.

That also meant… maybe he could catch Santa! Maybe he could stop him while he’s delivering presents and ask him to take him and his dad off the naughty list! 

A smile appeared on the young boy's lips as the thought crossed his mind, and he quickly got out of his bed, not even bothering to change out of his pajamas as he quickly ran to his door and unlocked it before excitedly exiting the room.

Unbeknownst to the excited child, however, were the pair of eyes leading through his frost-tinted window… watching… breathing.

---

 

“Sis… sis, wake up!” The young boy happily rocked his younger sister awake, pulling her from the peaceful slumber she had found herself in moments prior.

Groggily, she sat up and wiped the sand from her eyes. “ Yawn. What? Is it morning already?” She asked innocently with wide eyes towards her older brother, who she deeply cared for. 

“No, it isn't. It's still night,” the boy replied, drawing the 7-year-old girl's attention to the window in her room, which was still dark.

“Hmmp, then why are you waking me up! Go back to bed,” said Abigail, trying to go back to sleep. As she tried to, however, she felt her brother grab her hand and pull her back up.

“Actually, I have an idea!” the boy said excitedly, in stark contrast to his early depression as he stared at his sister with a smile. “How would you like to catch Santa with me?”

…

…

“… What?”

---

 

“I can't believe you talked me into this!” The little girl complained as she followed her slightly older brother as he led her down the stairs towards the Christmas tree. “This is a bad idea! Santa's gonna put us on the naughty list for sure!”

“Shh, be quiet.” The boy cut his sister off as they continued down, him being extra careful to not wake their parents up. “If Mom and Dad catch us, being on the naughty list will be the least of our worries!”

His sister puffed her cheeks in annoyance but decided to be quiet as she continued following behind at her brother's command.

So, slowly, the two of them made their way downstairs. The boy began moving towards the Christmas tree, excited to possibly catch Santa Claus in the act of putting presents beneath his tree! Or he might have to wait a while, but he's willing to wait as long as he needs to! 

Unfortunately, all his hopes and dreams of seeing the jolly fat man shattered when he entered the room… and he saw a large pile of gifts already stationed beneath their tree, showing that Santa had already been here.

He... he missed Santa.

“Whoa!” Abigail exclaimed, her eyes lighting up brighter than the Christmas tree as she saw the gifts. Happily, she ran forward, unintentionally dragging her sunken brother with her as she ran to the tree. “Hah! There's so many! woah, this ones big! And it has my name on it!”

The girl happily began looking through the gifts, not daring to open them but unable to tear her eyes from the colorful collection of boxes.

Her brother, meanwhile, stood flabbergasted as he looked at the gifts. His head turned towards the stockings above the fireplace, and he saw that both his and his father's stockings were filled to the brim with gifts.

Crunch!

At the sound of crunching, the boy looked down and saw a present, a small box with bright green wrapping paper, lying harmlessly on the ground. Looking closer, he saw his name was written pretty clearly on the top.

Nervously, the boy reached down and grabbed the box. He lifted it up to his face, as if afraid it'll turn to coal the second he looked away from it.

Still, he took a deep breath… Before reaching forward and ripping the wrapping paper off, his anxiety forced him to make sure it wasn't just a weirdly shaped lump of coal.

As he did, he was relieved to be met with a small black box-like device. He was glad… He wasn't on the naughty list.

‘What is this thing?’ the boy began thinking as he turned the device in his hands. On the side, he saw a piece of branding that identified the strange box as a “Walkman,” whatever that meant.

“Huh.” He smirked, looking at the device with wonder… before feeling a light punch on his shoulder. Turning surprised, he saw his younger sister had struck him.

“Hey! You're not supposed to open your presents until Christmas morning!” She whined, obviously enraged by her brother breaking the holidays' most sacred tradition.

“O-oh! Um… dang it. He muttered in response, realizing that he was so lost in his own unfounded worries that he completely forgot about that! “Uhh, w-we can… we can put it back on!”

Quickly the boy dropped to his knees, grabbing desperately at the cover he ripped off the device, smashing it on the Walkman as if it would magically fix itself.  

His sister laughed kiddily at his struggles, finding the whole situation extremely funny.

“Pff… haha! That's not how it works!” she said between breaths, continuing to laugh at her brother's misfortune. Just like a true sibling.

“Dangit…… ahh, Dad's going to be so mad!” He worried, scratching his head in fear as he picked the Walkman back up. “M-maybe I can hide it somewhere! He’ll think Santa misplaced it or—”

CREAK…

“… What was that?” his sister asked, her laughter immediately halting at the sound of creaking wood.

“I… maybe it was just the win—”

CREAK… CREAK… CREEAAAAAAKKKK…

The freaks continued, as both the children looked above them at the roof. Absolutely silent now as they heard the age of their house show itself.

They were confused, but something… Something felt terribly wrong about the whole situation.

The boy backed up slowly, wrapping a protective arm around his sister, while lifting his other with the Walkman, as if ready to use it to defend his sister if needed.

CREAK…

“Wh-whats happening?” She asked, fear beginning to creep into her voice. 

“I… I don’t know—”

CREAK… CCRREEAAKK…

The cracking and creaking of wood grew ever louder by the second, as if something was moving closer to them… something was…

“S-stay behind me!” The boy spoke in the most confident voice he could muster as he slowly moved himself and his sister backwards towards their fireplace. “I’ll… I’ll protect you! Just stay behind me!”

CREAK…

“Is… is mr. Santa angry at us for opening our presents early?” The terrified girl whimpered, trying to think of a reason for the noise as she clutched desperately onto her brother. “We’re sorry! We will go back to bed! S-so—”

Cre… CKRR!

The creaking of wood suddenly ceased, turning into a sound more reminiscent of the scratching of stone.

CKRR… CKR… kckrr.

The sound continued to grow even louder than the creaking wood. It echoed, as if in a tunnel of some sort.

The children’s pupils shrink as they hear the sound. Cold tendrils of fear began to constrict their bodies as some unfamiliar, primal fear began burrowing deep inside the young kids' hearts.

CKRRRRRRRR… 

“Wait… b-brother… is that…” Abigail began stuttering, pulling on the sleeve of his pajamas once more. Momentarily torn from his fear, the boy looked back to his equally horrified sister… as she pointed behind them.

“I-is it… is it coming from…”

The boy looked to where she was pointing… as it finally processed that she was looking fearfully right at the cold, unlit fireplace.

“T-that… there’s no… there’s no way—”

Grrrr… 

A deep growl suddenly emanated from the cold chute of bricks… as…

A long… pale hand revealed itself, reaching down…

CKR!

And the long, knife-like fingers clutched onto the hem of the fireplace…

CKRR… CKRR ..

Like grinding stone, something pushed itself down the fireplace hole… revealing a pair of overly large eyes… a pale balding head… a mouth that was the size of multiple men’s faces, with a Cheshire smile that would put even the devil to shame…dirty and grime-stricken hair dotted all across its face… its teeth coated with red… red… blood…

As the face… smiling… eyes wide revealed itself.

…

…

“….” Both parties stayed silent when stricken with fear… and the other with momentary confusion… and amusement.

Until… it’s second hand emerged—

AND LASHED OUT!

“ AAAAAAHHHHHH !”

---

 

“ AAAAAAHHHHHH !”

“HUH!” Josh was forced awake at the sound of a scream. Any grogginess that would have appeared in his eyes was nowhere to be found, as his eyes were the size of dinner plates. He looked to his left, seeing his wife was also woken up in a similar fashion.

He had to take a second to process what he had heard… his daughter… screaming…

“SHIT!”

He exclaimed before throwing the blanket aside and jumping out of bed, his parental instincts taking over as all he could think about was protecting his own. As soon as he did, he reached below his bed and pulled out a large black briefcase. 

“Josh, what’s going on!?” His wife startled out, also getting out of bed at the screams. “And what are you doing?!”

“Dammit, I’m just grabbing something!” He replied hurriedly as he put in a combination on the lock of the briefcase.

As soon as he did, a satisfying click echoed outwards, showing that the blade had been unlocked.

He opened up quickly, revealing a Browning Citori Grade 1 Lightning shotgun. It rested atop his goldenrod uniform, which has the SCP identification on it.

His wife saw him pull out the gun and immediately recoiled in shock.

“You have a fucking shotgun in your work briefcase?!

“Yes.”

“Why?!”

“We’ll talk—”

“ AHHHHHH!!!”

Another scream, this one considerably more masculine than the earlier one, echoed out once more, distracting both the parents.

“Dammit—I’ll tell you later!” He promised as he loaded up the gun, grabbing a couple extra shells just in case. As he did, his eyes wandered to the walkie-talkie that still sat silently beneath his pillow.

‘There’s… there’s no way that’s what’s going on.’ He began worrying, as a horrible yet unrealistic thought crossed his mind! He managed to shake it away, telling himself that it couldn’t be this.

‘… Screw it, better safe than sorry!’ He finally concluded, grabbing the bulky device from beneath his pillow before running out of their bedroom door, his wife following not too far behind him.

The father proceeded to run down the stairs. Nothing was going to happen to his family, not on his watch!

---

 

“ AHHHHHH!!!” 

The boy screamed in fear as he jumped to the side, dodging another slash from this… this… thing!

SLASH!

Its sharp nails struck the Christmas tree, causing splinters of wood and glass from ornaments to fly everywhere. 

He crawled back in fear as he could not see this creature in its entirety, now that it had left the confines of his chimney. 

It was an extremely lanky creature with a hunched back, reaching the same height, if not taller than their massive chest mad tree. Its teeth and hands were covered in a strange red liquid that was almost alien to the boy.

The creature was extremely pale, made even worse by the fact that it appeared to be completely nude. Its nudity did nothing but add to the large-headed creature's terrifying visage, making it appear as if it were an abomination.

The only thing the creature seemed to carry in it was a large red sack that it had hanging over its left shoulder, the pale monster's left hand keeping it closed as… as… whatever was in the bag seemed to squirm… as if something living was in there, trying desperately to escape.

What’s worse is that… something about this thing seemed familiar… almost like… this isn’t the first time he’s heard of this thing.

“GET UP! GET UP!” 

The boy was turned from his horrifying appraisal at his sister's desperate cry! Tears coated her eyes in fear, obviously petrified. But she still found the strength to pull on his arm, desperately trying to move his stunned form away from the monster. 

“GET UP! RUN!!!”

With sense finally smacked into him again, he desperately jumped up to his feet, dodging another quick grab from the creature as its hand plunged straight into their couch, piercing straight through it.

The creature's head turned sharply, staring at the two siblings as they desperately ran away from it.

“OUTSIDE! GET OUTSIDE!” The boy screamed, trying to guide his sister as he grabbed her hand, his grip so hard that his nails pierced his seven-year-old sister's skin. She didn’t even process the pain, however, as adrenaline began pumping through her veins for the first time in her life.

Despite their dash to the front of the house, however, the creature didn’t fall behind. It jumped over the couch, and its claws hung onto the doorway that the kids just ran through, and with unnatural athleticism, it swung itself above the duo of kids before.

BANG!

With a heavy crash, the creature landed on its feet right in front of the two of them, causing them to fall backwards in surprise, causing the creature's bloodied grin to grow ever wider.

As he fell back in shock, he lost grip of the Walkman he was holding onto as it flew into the air… before crashing down on the ground behind him, hitting just the right angle… as after a second of clicking… It began playing a familiar tune.

“ ZZTZTZTZZZZZ~~ ”

 

  It's the most wonderful time of the year.

With the kids jingle belling

And everyone telling you, "Be of good cheer!"

It's the most wonderful time of the year. 

 

The kids crawled backwards as the devilish creature loomed over them. Its long, spindly arm slowly reaching towards Abigail. 

Its shadow continued looming over them as the kids closed their eyes, awaiting the clawed hand to grab them… Until—

BANG!

“ GAHH!” The creature finally made a noise as its large shoulder recoiled back in pain, deep crimson blood seeping from it.

Before the children could even process what was happening.

“SAMANTHA! GRAB THE KIDS!” Josh screamed, already reloading his shotgun with experienced speed. Samantha, meanwhile, looked in horror.

“What is that thing—”

“IT DOESN'T MATTER! GO! TAKE THEM OUT THE BACK DOOR!” Josh continued screaming before staring down the creature, who now looked at him with anger.

 

It's the hap-happiest season of all.

With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings.

When friends come to call.

It's the hap-happiest season of all.

 

SLASH!

The creature ran forward and lashed at Josh, who just barely managed to dodge to this side as the sharp claws ripped into the stairs.

The off-duty foundation agent then turned on a dime and lifted his weapon up once more before firing another attack into the beast's back as his wife ran past him, scooping both the children in her arms.

After releasing the shot, the man hurriedly lifted the large walkie-talkie up to his mouth before screaming desperately as the creature turned around, its dead eyes piercing straight through him.

PZZT

---

 

“… So, why do they call it a Big Mac?” Mirkel asked, his forced southern accent relenting a bit as he stared at his partner, who was busy eating a burger in the driver seat of their borrowed car.

“Wha… what is that supposed to mean?” Clifford returned the question, resulting in his immature partner to raise his hands.

“Y’know, it’s just… y’know, who’s Mac? And why is he big?”

“… I don’t see why there has to be someone named Mac. I mean, it’s just a burger.”

“It’s just weird, partner. I mean, they have the Hamburglar, right? Or tha fucking— tha fucking clown, Ronald.” He began on his tangent, stealing some fries from his partner as they ate the food they had to drive out for. “If it were like ‘Tha Big Hamburglar’ or something, it’d make sense… But Mac? Who tha fuck is he supposed to be? Tha fucking district manager?”

“… I think maybe that’s enough McDonald’s for one day—”

PZZZT

Suddenly, without warning, the duo's large walkie that sat next to their police transmitter flicked to life, as a panicked voice began urgently speaking through it.

“ AGENT CLIFFORD, THIS IS AGENT WILLIAMS! IT'S HERE! THE FUCKING YULE MAN IS HERE !” A terrified voice screamed, followed by a loud bang of a gunshot. 

Clifford’s face immediately sunk as he grabbed the box. 

“This is Agent Clifford, over. The anomaly? Are you saying the anomaly—”

“YES ITS THE FUCKING ANOMALY. WHO ELSE WOULD IT— OH SHIT—”

PZZT

“…”/“…”

…

“SHIT!”/ “GO GO GO!”

They suddenly screamed, Clifford’s foot thrust hard onto the gas pedal, the slippery roads holding them back for naught a second before they took off. Mikel reached behind him, grabbing their weapons.

“Shit! Just hold on, Josh, we’re coming.” Clifford said to nobody, as they continued the desperate race against time.

---

 

There'll be parties for hosting.

Marshmallows for toasting.

And caroling out in the snow.

There'll be scary ghost stories.

And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

 

SLASH!

“GAHH!” The man whimpered in pain as the beast struck him with the side of its arm, sending him flying. The force of the hit wrecked the fragile communication device he was holding as he went flying backwards into the living room, his back cracking against the couch.

“HONEY!” He heard his wife scream; looking to the side, he saw her standing terrified in the hallway, both kids still in her hands.

“Forget me, go! Get out of here before—”

CRASH!

The wall to the side of the woman suddenly exploded in a shrapnel of wood, making way for the elongated man as he smashed through it.

“MOVE!” The man screamed, terrified, as he raised his shotgun. Before she could, though, the creature lashed out with its right hand and roughly grabbed onto the woman, who screamed in pain. The force with which she was grabbed forced her to drop her children, as they fell to the floor behind her, as they stared up in horror.

“MOM!/ MOMMY!” They both screamed as the creature lifted the women and—

“SAMANTHA!” He screamed as tears coated his eyes, looking towards his wife. He can’t let anything happen to her; he can’t! He’ll protect her!

As he thought this, though… his wife's terrified gaze turned towards him… and smiles—

— CRUNCH!

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

There'll be much mistletoeing.

 And hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

… he froze… as the— the monster… 

Bit down with its oversized teeth, consuming her entire head… as—

RRRRIIIIIPPPPP!

The beast reared its head back… blood flying everywhere… her head… gone.

“MOOOOOM!!!” Abigail screamed out in anguish, tears flooding her eyes. Meanwhile, her brother just stood frozen… unable to move after witnessing the horrific sight. His hands shook like an earthquake; his eyes widened so much they threatened to break. 

This… this can’t be real… please… Please let me wake up and let this all be a bad dream.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Despite his son's internal pleas, all the father could do was run forward, desperately forcing his children behind him to protect them from this monster. Tears coated his eyes, but he wouldn’t let this stop him. He needed to protect them. HE NEEDED TO SAVE THEM!

The monster leaned forward, fresh blood dripping from its mouth as it reached out with its right hand.

 

There'll be parties for hosting. 

Marshmallows for toasting.

And caroling out in the snow.

There'll be scary ghost stories.

And tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago

 

BANG! BANG!

Shot after shot, bullet after bullet, he continued to try and take the beast down with desperate vigor. Blood shot out wildly from its wounds, but the creature barely flinched as it slashed out with its one free hand again.

SLASH!

Just barely, he managed to avoid the strike, jumping backwards.

“D-DAD!” He heard his son scream out from behind him, attempting to run to him, trying to help his father! 

“STAY BACK! RUN!” Was all Josh could muster as he desperately reloaded his shotgun. As he did, he raised it once more, trying to shoot the beast as it rushed—

BAM—

BANG!

With a mighty swipe, the gun was knocked out of his hand. I flew behind him, misfiring slightly as a shell left its chambers, blasting a hole in the nearby wood.

Before he could even consider recovering, the hand reached out once more, gripping tightly around the father's neck!

“KAHH!” He gasped for air, getting just barely enough to form a couple sentences. He was lifted into the air, brought up to eye level with the horrifying beast.

“D-DAD! DAD!!!” 

Looking down, he saw both of his children look up desperately. Abigail desperately hid behind her brother, longing desperately for him as he looked up. Fear in his eyes, he was completely frozen, unable to process the horror that was playing out in front of him. 

“Gkr— R-RUN!” He managed to cough out, just as the creature moved its left hand, temporarily dropping the large red sack it was holding as it grabbed the man’s leg. “P-PROTECT YOUR SISTER! PLEASE! RUN!”

That’s what he managed to say before screams of pain began to set in as the creature began pulling the man apart.

He felt his torso tear apart, felt his skin rip and tear as blood began seeping out from his chest. With one final ounce of strength, he looked towards his children… 

RIPPPPPP!!!

Blood painted the boy's face as he witnessed his father get ripped in half. Bloody entrails crashed against the floor as the two sides of the man he once called his dad fell down hard on the now-stained rug.

The… monster picked up his red sack once more… before turning to the terrified children. Its predatory gaze piercing straight through them, freezing the boy in place with fear. His hand slowly reached up to his face, touching the blood that coated itself on his face.

 

There'll be much mistletoeing 

And hearts will be glowing when loved ones are near. 

It's the most wonderful time.  

Yes, the most wonderful time. 

Oh, the most wonderful time of the yeah

 

“B-Big bro, run!” Abigail wailed desperately, trying to drag her brother with all her might… but it was useless. He couldn’t move… he can’t move.

“D-dad… m-m-mom…” he muttered as his eyes stung with tears. T-their bodies… t-t-they can’t… wake up… w-wake up, please…

The hand came closer.

“PLEASE MOVE!” 

“T-this is a bad dream…”

Closer…

“LET'S GO!” 

“I—I’m gonna wake up… and it’ll be Christmas… and it’ll be fine…”

His body shook, tears freezing on his red cheeks.

Claws almost reached his face…

“PLEASE! PLEASE MOVE!”

“I… I… I’m scared.”

… THE HAND LASHED OUT!

“MOVE!”

BANG!

“GAHH!” The brother released a startled gasp as he fell back onto his ass as his sister used all her strength to push him to the floor, finally knocking him out of his petrified stillness as the accursed music finally halted.

“W-what—”

“AHHHHHH!!!” A high-pitched scream drew his attention once more, causing him to widen his eyes. He looked up, and…

His sister, now standing where he once was, was caught in the monster's grasp. Whose smile grew wider.

“H-HELP ME!” She screamed desperately to her brother as she reached her hands out. As she was pulled up into the air, up to the beast's face.

“No… NO!!!” The boy screamed, finally realizing the situation. He stood up, running to his sister as she was being lifted up. He grabbed onto her outstretched, fear-stricken hands. His hands shook as he used all his strength to try and pull her back. “LET HER GO! LET HER— GAHH!”

They screamed in pain as the creature lifted one of its legs, easily kicking him back, causing him to slide across the floor. His back crashing into the far wall

“PA—GAHHH!” She tried to call out, but was cut off as she was pulled back once more. Her eyes, wet with tears, widened as she saw the beast open its large red sack. 

“ABIGAIL!” Her brother screamed back, watching in horror as his… his sister… his SISTER was being pushed down, forced into the monster's red sack.

“No… NO! STOP IT! ABIGAIL!” He screamed desperately, watching with horror as his sister was forced down into the red bag by the naked monster, fear in her eyes, tears as she reached out… It was his last image of her… before she was fully forced into the bag, as it was shut tight by the monster, who did what the boy could only describe as chuckling.

The boy's eyes shook wildly with fear, sadness… and rage.

“YOU MONSTER!” He screamed before his eyes began surveying the surroundings desperately, hoping to find something… before he saw it.

Quickly he reached across the floor and grabbed the long stick his father had.

CLICK!

The clicker regained the creature's attention as it tilted its head curiously… as the boy, with shaken hands, raised the shotgun his father had dropped. Tears threatened to flood the house, as the refused to stop pouring out of the child’s eyes.

“LET HER GO! LET HER GO!!!!!” He screamed with desperation, the barrel of the gun rattling crazily, as he was unable to control his own nerves.

The monster… the KILLER… walked slowly towards him as his back pressed against the wall, as he was unable to back up as it approached.

He was scared… he was so, so scared… mom… dad… Abigail… please

It reached out.

“Uhh… guhhhh!” He whimpered, unable to see properly with the tears flooding his eyes.

It went to grab him—

“LET HER GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” He screamed, finally steeling his nerves as—

BANG!

“GAHH!” The boy screamed in pain as he was pushed back against the wall with an invisible force. The guns recoiled, absolutely shattering his shoulders as it forced him to let go. Pain sprung throughout his entire being as the creature recoiled as blood shot out from its chest, a new bloodied wound now present.

 “GAHH— AHHHHH— FAHHHH— UH—GHUUUU—AHHHH!!!”

He rolled around the floor in pain, barely able to feel his shoulders as—

CLUTCH!

The creature wrapped its long fingers around his entire body, lifting the crying boy up to his face. He admired him for a while, all while the boy tried his best to hit the beast in spite of his shattered shoulders.

“Let… her GO!… LET THEM GO!” He managed to scream between whimpers, much to the large-headed creature's delight. He began trying to punch the creature's arm, with no success, as the monster didn’t even flinch.

“LET THEM GO! P-PLEASE… LET HER GO!!!” He desperately begged, his punches weakening as his tears wetted the monsters fist. “I… I PROMISED… I promised… p-please… please…”

I promised I’d protect her… I’d promise I’d protect her… I promised… I promised— I promised PromisedPromisedPROMISEDPROMISEDPROMISED!

“PLEASE!!!”

… The creature bathed in the boy's misery, as if contemplating while staring right into his fear-stricken eyes… until eventually, it opened its wide mouth…

Before lifting the boy closer… closer to its mouth… to his death!

No amount of crying or pleading could save him… as the Yule man looked forward to its next meal…

…

The boy closed his eyes… ready… no, not ready… He was scared, terrified… please, oh god please… save him! SAVE ME—

BANG!

The front door suddenly crashed open, its weak hinges coming loose as a figure crashed their shoulder straight into it, causing it to come loose.

“MOVE MOVE MOVE!!!” Clifford screamed before catching sight of the Yule man through a nearby doorway to the living room.

“YULE MAN IDENTIFIED! OPEN FIRE!!!” He screamed urgently, not even noticing the kid as he and his partner began opening fire. 

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!

The bullets from their automatic weapons streaked through the air, catching the anomaly off guard as it was immediately pelted with dozens of bullets.

Its grip loosened as a result, dropping the child to the floor.

The monster quickly reacted, gripping the bag even tighter as it retreated, pain gripping through its whole body as it felt the projectiles dig into its skin. It fell backwards, tripping over the couch, which it immediately stained with its blood.

Given a slight moment of rest from the unrelenting gunfire, the monster decided to retreat, as like an animal it crawled on the floor, quickly making its way to the unlit chimney that it entered from.

“SHIT! IT'S TRYING TA ESCAPE THROUGH THE CHIMNEY!” Mikel screamed out the obvious as he reloaded his gun before continuing to fire at the fleeing beast. 

They managed to hit it a couple more times, but it was all for naught, as the creature squeezed itself inside the now bullet-ridden chimney with unnatural athleticism before quickly climbing it.

“DAMMIT!” Clifford screamed as he jumped over the couch, quickly making his way to the chimney, leaving Mikel behind… who managed to hear quiet whimpering. 

The unprofessional agent turned to his left, his eyes widening as he noticed the child… who had crawled to the upper half of his father's body, who Mikel only now recognized. He was crying desperately, his arms wrapped around his father's lifeless face as he rocked back and forth, holding it as if, by some miracle, they'd come back.

And Mikel’s eyes, which were originally surprised by the whole scene… took on a softer light. 

He looked around… saw the headless body of a woman… his mother… and the lower half of his father on the other side of the room.

This kid… lost everything.

BANGBANGBANGBANG!

“DAMMIT, IT ESCAPED!” Clifford screamed, his gun stuffed up the chimney, showing he continued to shoot as it attempted to exit. He quickly turned around and ran to his junior partner. “Let's secure the perimeter! There’s still a chance we can catch that thing before it gets far—”

“Why bother?” Mikel cut him off as he removed his tactical foundation helmet, letting it drop to the floor as he allowed his ponytail to flow free without the hard material holding it down. Clifford was immediately taken aback by his partner's declaration.

“Why bother? This is the closest anyone’s ever been to catching this thing! If we let it go now—”

“It already escaped! We leave now; it’ll just end up being a wild goose chase for tha rest of tha night, ending with us getting nowhere.” He spoke to his partner, as if he were the experienced one. “We blew our best chance already. I’ve read tha things file; it’s probably halfway ta Canada at this point. Besides… we have something more important ta deal with.”

Before Clifford could ask him to elaborate, his partner gestured with his gun to the floor, drawing his attention to the weeping child, who desperately clung onto the head of his father.

“Dad… I… Uhhh… AHHHHHH!!!” He released pained scream after pained scream, tears falling like rainfall on his father's body. “AHHHHH!!! HU-HA-HUUU-HAAA!!!”

“… sigh… fine.” Clifford relented upon seeing the child, scratching his arm awkwardly. “I’ll get the amnestics.”

“Wait, you're going to amnesticize him?” Mikel asked, much to his partner's confusion.

“Umm… yeah? It’s protocol. Plus, it’d be more cruel to let the kid remember… all of this.” He said, barely able to hold down the contents from his stomach when looking upon the morbid scene. “It’s better for everyone after all.”

“… But we promised him.” Mikel spoke slowly, his eyes drawn to the head of Josh that the boy was slowly rocking in his hands. “We promised that no matter what, we wouldn’t bring that shit anywhere near his kid.”

“So? He’s dead now.” Clifford spoke matter-of-factly, not noticing the way his words made the child twitch. “And we made that promise on a very different basis. Now, any good father would want their child to forget this. It’ll scar the boy for life.”

“And then what? We gonna make him forget his whole family? Make another cover story about a kid getting amnesia in a house fire?” Mikel argued back, a nerve obviously struck in him as he looked at his partner. “This kid's life is screwed regardless. The least we could do is take responsibility. Ta not shit on his father's memory.”

“Oh my god, you are unbelievable— What do you suggest we do then? You want us to take a fucking kid back to the facility? Nobody will be fine with that!” Clifford yelled back at his partner, not realizing that the crying had quieted down, allowing the child to begin listening to everything they were saying. “Besides, this isn’t a world that a child should deal with. We should at least give him a chance at a normal life. He comes with us; he’ll never have that.”

“Don’t pretend like he’ll even have a chance of having a normal life.” Mikel scoffed, his eyes lightening slightly. 

“Ok then, Mr. Wise Guy. What are we gonna do with him? Like I said, the foundation isn’t a fucking daycare. We can’t take him in.” Clifford pointed out, causing Mikel to twitch slightly. He knew he was right, and normally he would agree to just use amnestics on the kid and just be done with it… but something deep inside of him just couldn’t do it.

“I mean… Isn't Dr. Kelard trying ta push out a new initiative ta get a bunch of new soldiers?”

“You mean the whack job that wants to train soldiers while in their adolescence? Even ignoring the obvious moral problems with that, it’s still a stupid idea that nobody takes seriously.” Clifford bit back, taken aback by the attitude of his junior partner. “Listen, this is a terrible idea! Let’s just drop it and—”

“I… I promised…”

A small, broken voice began speaking once more. Looking back, the two men saw the boy had quieted down. 

“I… promised her… that I’d protect her…” he began, before looking up at the two of them. “Please… please, let me… let me help.”

“ Sigh… Listen, kid, I… you don’t need to do anything. None of this is your—”

“I PROMISED!” He screamed, shocking the senior agent at the boy's voice suddenly rising. “I PROMISED THAT I'D PROTECT HER… I PROMISED! I PROMISED I PROMISED I PROMISED—”

“Hey, hey, hey. It’s ok! You're ok.” Mikel ran to the child’s side, seeing him beginning to break, and wrapped an arm around her small shoulder, trying to help him as his breath became sporadic. “Your ok, your ok… You're ok.”

At his reassurance, the child’s breathing began to calm, but the tears continued to flow.

“P-please. Take me with you… Let me help her… please… please…” He whimpered, crying into the man’s shoulder. “Please… please…”

At his pleas, Mikel just looked at Clifford once more. The two of them stared each other down, as if a million words were being spoken between them… before…

"Sigh... I’m gonna fucking regret this—fine! You can bring him with us.” He began defeated, before pointing to the young man once more. “But he’s your responsibility! You got that? Anything goes wrong, it’s on your head.”

“Alright.” Mikel agreed, his snarky attitude nowhere in sight. He looked towards the crying child once more before picking him up, forcing him away from his father's upper half. 

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you… You’ll be ok.” Mikel reassured once more, before nodding to his partner, signaling him to call a cleanup crew to take care of the mess. “Let's go… Oh, where are ma manners? I completely forgot ta introduce myself. Ma name is Mikel Bright… What’s yours?”

The child whimpered for a second more, his eyes distant as he saw himself being carried away from his father… before finally forming the strength to form words.

“My… My name is… it’s Paul… P-Paul Williams.”

“Paul? That’s a nice name.” He reassured the child as they made their way outside into the cold snow, as he brought him to the car. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you. I promise… I promise…”

And he was taken far away…

Far… far away… away… to train, to live, to fight—

---

 

PAUL WILLIAMS POV

“GUHH!” With a cold sweat, I jolted awake. My head throbbed as I.. I… Oh god—

“HMMM!” I felt something rise in my throat as I quickly removed my gas mask as fast as possible, before releasing my stomach contents all over the floor next to my bed, staining the red rug as a result.

“Huh, huh… fuck… Shit, already?” I spoke to myself, hand to my forehead, and I felt a beating headache assault the deepest recesses of my skull. “Dammit, it's not even near Christmas. Why am I having these dreams already?”

I stood up, noting with no small amount of shame how drenched my bed had become from my own sweat. 

I shook my head before turning my gaze out to the window in my room, noticing the red expanse.

I was confused for a second, before it all came flooding back. 

‘Right, I’m in that Hotel… in Hell… sigh, maybe it’s because of this weird situation that I’m thinking about it again.’ I reasoned, as I desperately wiped the sweat away that was building on my brow.

It all came back to me, all of the horrors of that night … and everything that came afterwards.

After that night, I was taken away to the foundation and was trained to become a foundation agent ever since. The whole initiative that the former Dr. Kelard tried to push fell through, with me being the only semi-successful subject.

I was trained by the foundation. Raised from that day on to serve them, to serve humanity. Trained to do whatever it took to do what was right and to never question the organization that took me in, that my father worked for, and that I would now lay my life on the line for.

Still… dammit, it never gets easier to think of that night…

I rolled my shoulders, still feeling the phantom pain from the shattered bones despite them recovering many years ago.

The claws… I could still feel them around my neck… I can still feel my father's head in my arms, the warmth fading by every second… the… the…

‘Damn it… Stop thinking about it already. You jackass.’ I swore at myself, shaking my head once more in a vain attempt to banish the headache. ‘Fuck… I need a drink.’

I put the gas mask back on my face, not willing to take any chances for someone to see me despite how late at night it was.

I left the room before walking down to the main lobby. All the while, I vainly attempted to forget that nightmare… that fucking nightmare that I can never escape from.

‘… Abigail… No, just stop.’ I condemned myself, as I haven’t seen her since… that day. ‘Just… damnit.’

I ignored the images that kept popping up in my mind. The sounds of her whimpers, of her cries for help. Her desperate pleas to a coward… one that promised to protect her… but… but FROZE, FROZE AND LET HER DIE—

“Sniff… Sniff… uhhh… guhhh.”

My internal torture suddenly halted as I heard light crying. Crying that wasn’t just in my memories.

Confused, I walked down a bit further, finally reaching the hotel lobby… and my eyes widened in shock at what I saw.

There was one person down here, a gas mask discarded on the floor beside them. An alcohol bottle opened to their side, but none of its contents seemed to be drunk. And there, sat at the bar, sat a familiar figure. Their faces were nestled deep into their arms as they seemingly cried, but I could still identify them from the rest of their outfit and the recognizable human-looking hair.

In other words… Andrew.

Their eyes reached my ears, involuntarily causing me to flinch. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t consider just leaving, not wanting to get involved… But dammit, I care too much.

So, with a sigh, I continued down and quietly took a seat next to them. Obviously they didn’t notice me, as they continued dampening the bar's wood with their tears.

I watched it for a couple of seconds, second-guessing myself, before eventually speaking up.

“… Hey.”

“HHUH! WHAT!?” Their head immediately rose startled, as I saw large red circles surrounding his irises. Andrew turned to me, shocked at first, but quickly morphed into embarrassment as he turned away. “Oh, um… Shit, sorry, I— I didn’t mean to take my helmet off— I— I mean I did but, but, I’m sorry, I just—”

“Andrew! It’s alright.” I cut my mentally unstable friend off, causing him to freeze as he began wiping the tears from his face. I sighed, reaching over to his untouched alcohol bottle, pouring myself a drink with a nearby shot glass. “So, what were you crying about?”

“Wha— pfft, crying? Me? N-no, I wasn’t I was… I just got alcohol in my eyes!” Andrew lied poorly, attempting in vain to plaster a smile on his face. I stared at him, unimpressed, as I tore off my own gas mask. 

“Uh-huh? Cool, nice tough guy act.” I say sarcastically, causing the doctor to shrink back slightly. “Now, are you gonna tell me the real reason?”

“… I… I don’t know.” He admitted, his forced smile fading as he stared down at the collection of tears on the table. They once more began flowing out as he clutched both sides of his head with his palms. “I’m just… I’m so—I’m so fucking scared.”

He paused, as if waiting for permission to continue. He gave him a tiny nod, showing I was still listening before he continued.

“I just… sniff… I almost died twice— I almost got SHOT twice! It was… it was terrifying. And I’m— I’m just so fucking scared.” He began cracking, any sort of mask he once wore to hide his stress cracking as his tears fell like rainfall against the bar. “And I… I don’t— sniff—I don’t know what to do! I… It’s so scary— I feel like if I lower my guard that I… That I’ll just die! That some fucking monster will hunt me, or tear me apart, or, or— or— or— I don’t fucking know!”

“ Sniff… I don’t know… and that terrifies me.” He finally admitted, biting his lips hard enough to draw blood as I just sat there and listened. “I’m used to knowing stuff… I’m used to being in control of my life… but ever since I’ve gotten here, I’ve… I’ve lost everything… I’m FUCKING useless! I’ve done nothing but cause problems! I’ve just been a coward! An idiot! A fucking liability, and I don’t know what to do—”

“Andrew— Andrew! Look at me!” I finally intervened, grabbing his shoulder and forcing him to stare me straight in the eyes. As I did, I could see the myriad of emotions that hid themselves behind his irises… his fear and self-doubt, all his anger… all of it stirring around deep within him. “You are not a coward. You are not an idiot. And you are not a liability.”

“But—but I’ve done nothing but—”

“And you don’t need to do anything! That’s for me to worry about.” I reassured him, not realizing my own grip around his shoulder was tightening. “I… I promised that… I promised that I would protect you… that you would not die down here… And I’m gonna keep that promise.”

“…”

“… Your, umm, kinda hurting—”

“O-oh, sorry.” I quickly apologized, letting my grip go as I turned away awkwardly, pouring myself a drink.

“It’s, it’s ok.” He replied, also looking ahead. And although I couldn’t see him

And there we sat… in comfortable silence. Though I could tell his crying had begun ceasing, if just a little.

…

…

…

“… Hey, do you remember the first day we met?” I randomly asked, drawing a confused glare from Andrew. Without waiting for a response, I continued. “It was when you were first transferred to site-25, around the time when you first began working for the foundation. You, hehe, you were so paranoid! You know, everyone called you the greenie, the new guy scared of your own shadow—”

“Is this going somewhere? Or are you just trying to humiliate me?” Andrew defended himself, his cheeks burning slightly in embarrassment. I chuckled at the sight before turning my gaze downward to my drink, as I began thinking back again.

“Hehe, yes… What I mean is… you were so scared, so fresh… Everyone thought you’d run away after the first week.” I began explaining, before allowing my own eyes to sink. “I was one of those guys, thinking you were just like all the rest… I remember the first day you walked into the mess hall… you had nowhere to sit.”

“Heh, says you. You were also sitting alone that day.” Andrew chuckled, trying to bite back.

“… I sat alone every day until that point.” I admitted, causing shock to appear on Andrew’s face. “I didn’t really have any… friends… barely even acquaintances. I always kept to myself, duty first and all that shit.” I explained, taking a drink.

“… But that day… you sat down next to me, and you treated me like… like a friend.” I admitted, a smile forming on my face as I did. “And, despite my best efforts to get rid of you, you just clung onto me like a bad smell… Heh, and then you ended up getting Kevin to join our little duo after he was transferred over. Followed by Halara and Anni for god knows what reason. And, hehe, and then the one time you guys convinced me to get a drink with you—”

“— Was also the same day that Reed showed up to that bar, made a scene, and forced us all into a bar fight to save his sorry ass.” Andrew chuckled, his attitude lightening up as he reflected on everything.

“Exactly… You… You helped me so much more than you could ever believe that day, you know?” I spoke before pouring another shot glass of the alcohol, sliding over to Andrew. “I’m just returning the favor… I’m saving you… So cheers to us and our fucked-up friendship!”

I raised my glass, obviously surprising the doctor by my attitude, but he raised his up in response.

“Yeah… cheers!”

Clink!

Our glasses clinked together as we both went to drink them… and immediately spat them out.

“GAHH, fuck that was awful!”/ “ Cough, holy shit, Husk drinks this stuff by the bottle?!”

We both coughed like crazy, desperate to get the taste out of our mouths. I turned to Andrew again during this, and froze… as I saw a familiar little girl sitting where he was… Abagail…

“ Cough… hmm? Hey, you alright?” Andrew asked, knocking me out of my stupor. I blinked, and she was gone… but there he stood… in her place.

… I smiled… “yea, never better.” I said, the smiling growing on my face. As I made myself a promise.

I couldn’t protect her… and I can never take back my mistake from all those years ago… But I can protect him. I can keep my promise to him!

“… I promise, you will make it out of here alive…” I spoke out loud, to both myself and Andrew.

He chuckled. Breaking out in laughter at my sudden seriousness.

I laughed with him, letting myself out… just this once…

I may never be able to forgive myself for what happened… but at least I can protect him… my friend.

“… Merry Christmas.” I whispered, quiet enough for Andrew not to hear.

…

…

…

 

“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” 

—Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

 

Notes:

Paul: oh boy, a Christmas chapter! Can’t wait for it to be all festive! Right?

Author:…

Paul: … right?

WHOO! AHHH! Oh my— GAHH! This— this flipping chapter! Oh my gosh this was a headache and a half to write!

This ended up being 14,000 words! It was only meant to be 7,000 at most! Why do I do this to myself?! Agh, my sleep! It’s gone!

Ok, but seriously, this is by far the longest chapter I’ve ever written in this story, and I’ve FINALLY got a chance to explore one of the original characters backstories. (Also, Paul’s backstory was always like this, I didn’t change it around to be Christmas themes.)

First of all, I will acknowledge that yes, even I’m a bit disappointed that I didn’t write a massive Christmas party with all the characters from the SCP and vivzieverse. But at the moment, it just didn’t feel realistic to do that with where the characters were. I did consider skipping forward in time to do it, but that would open its own bag of worms that I didn’t want to go into. So, after some thinking, I decided that making the Christmas special the pen ultimate backstories for one of the characters would be for the best. (Jokes on you naysayers and demons in my head! I’m finally fleshing out the human characters!)

Still, there’s always next Christmas for the big holiday special.

Regardless. This chapter easily is one of the most different and unique ones compared to everything else I wrote, and I hope what I was going for worked. I genuinely am curious if you all enjoyed it, and if it made literally ANYONE take back previous thoughts on Paul as a character, because he has been, by intention, a bit of a jerk to everyone that isn’t Andrew.

Just in general, actually, I’m curious what you all thought? Did you enjoy it?

Anyways, this is the part of Christmas where I deliver the bad news, and after this chapter… yea, I need a bit of a break, plus I have my own Yule tide carols to attend to. So I won’t be posting a chapter for next Monday.

Regardless, I hope my traumatic and evil backstory pleased the gods of AO3.

Drop a kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, jokes, or wisecracks! I and hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

 

(Don’t let the Yule man bite!… what? Too soon?)

Chapter 48: Assembling the team! (Part 1)

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Glass has a heart attack.

Dr. Light puts together a plan.

Sinclair tries to turn someone into a furry.

Notes:

“Would you fear power that you don’t understand?”

Dr. Glass POV

“Are you out of your freaking mind?!” I whispered aggressively, taken aback from the brazen actions of my co-workers because… holy shit, this was so stupid.

“Oh, lighten up a bit, Glasses. I’m just having a little fun!” Sinclair responded giddily, barely able to hold in her chuckle as she resumed her insane actions. “Besides, don’t pretend this isn’t a wet fantasy of yours. I’m pretty sure we’ve all dreamed of doing something like this to the bastard at least once.”

I sighed into my palm, barely able to contain my exhausted sigh as I looked down, cringing at the sight.

The sight in question being the esteemed Dr. Alto Clef… asleep… with multiple markings made with Sharpie drawn across his face… Like a mustache… another eye… three dicks…

“… Ok, fine. This is hilarious— but there’s also a reason why it’s nothing more than a fantasy!”

“Oh yeah? And why’s that?”

“Because I’m not fucking suicidal!” I exclaimed, nervously sweating as I feared being anywhere near the doctor when he inevitably wakes up. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned since working here, it’s to never piss off the fucking guy that can murder fucking reality benders!”

“Pfft, reality bender, reality shmender.” Sinclair scoffed, once again shocking me. “Besides, I know if I don’t take this opportunity to get back at this bastard, then I’m never gonna get another chance for the rest of my life!”

Sinclair giggled evilly as she continued drawing on the psychopathic doctor's sleeping face. I turned to Dr. Light desperately for support… only to be met with a half-hearted shrug.

‘… Go to college for psychology, they said. You’ll be your own boss and won’t have to worry about anything, they said.’ I chastised past me as stress began climbing up throughout my entire body.

Eventually, I had enough and swiped the Sharpie out of the childish Sinclair’s hand, causing her to pout and turn to me with a betrayed expression.

“Hey, what was that for!?”

“I’m fucking saving your life right now!” I argued back, holding the marker as high as I possibly could in the air, stopping the dwarf-sized women from reaching it.

I was so distracted by her attempts to steal the marker back that I failed to notice Clef beginning to stir… Something that Dr. Light kept to herself as a smirk grew on her face.

“I told you, if he wakes up and sees this, then…” I froze as I finally noticed the doctor's eyes begin to open, showing he had woken up from his presumably short nap. Confused, Sinclair turned to see what I was staring at, only to be equally as shocked. 

At that moment, I could only say one thing.

“… Oh shit.”

… a stressful silence followed as the man of the hour opened his eyes…

Nervously, I looked up, noting that I was still holding the Sharpie.

And then, ever so meticulously, Clef raised his hand… touched his face… then looked down at his now ink-stained palm.

I began sweating profusely as he slowly rubbed the black smudges between his fingers.

“… I’ll give you to the count of three to run.”

“… what?—”

“One.”

“OK, PLEASE CALM DOWN THEIR CLEF!” / “RUN, YOU IDIOT!” 

Both Sinclair and Sophia Light immediately jumped into action, holding the psychopath down as he tried to break from their grip to rip my face off.

“I'M GONNA FUCKING MOUNT HIS HEAD ON A FUCKING PIKE!!!”

“Ok, calm down their ukulele! We get you're angry, but for the love of God, please don’t kill the psychiatrist!” Sophia Light ended up screaming as she held the man down, all the while I just felt my legs giving out on me, as I began considering an early retirement. “If you do, the morale in the foundation will plummet!”

“Is that all I am to you people?!”

“NO! YOU'RE A FUCKING HACKYSAC THAT I'LL CARRY AROUND LIKE A PURSE AND BEAT UP OLD WOMEN WITH! NOW GET OVER HERE!!!”

BAM! BANG! BOOM!

 

---

Dr. Clef POV

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…cough cough.”

I kept my arms crossed as I continued gazing menacingly at the glasses-wearing doctor from across the table. He was forcing his view downwards, not even daring to look me in the eyes.

I sighed, once more feeling my now cleaned-up face as I could almost feel Sinclair holding in a laugh from another corner of the table.

Sophia Light, meanwhile, entered the room once more with a stack of papers. Setting them down in the middle of our table as she took a seat.

“Well, now that we know you aren’t gonna tear Swan’s head off, I believe it’s time to talk business.” She began, in an attempt to alleviate the atmosphere and get us back on the right track. Something with which I begrudgingly agreed. “First order of business being the arrival of Alpha-9. After my confirmation from the council the other day, I immediately ordered their safe transfer to site-002. Of which they arrived without issue.”

“Alright, case closed then. Don’t see why you’re bringing this up.” I rolled my eyes, beginning to regret my choices for letting Dr. Light complete her wet dream of an anomalous mobile task force.

“Well, we still need to actually put the team together. They’ve been transferred here, but they haven’t been informed as to why yet.” Sophia began combing through some files about the related SCPs. “I believe it would be better to inform them about this in person before we introduce them to each other.”

“I—um, cough, I second that.” Dr. Glass spoke up, overcoming his own fears to give his professional opinion.

I rolled my eyes as Sophia nodded her head at his words. Fucking manipulative bitch.

“Besides that, we still need to discuss how we’ll utilize the team.” Sophia began, her face taking on a more sour expression. “Since we don’t know exactly where our lost assets went to, our only evidence being a single recovered crystal, we have to be very careful—”

“They're in Hell.” 

Twitch. “… What?”

“I said they’re in Hell, like literally Hell. SCP-990 told me himself.” I shrugged, paying no mind to the shocked expressions given to me by the rest of the staff. “Same place SCP-666 led to, actually… Oh, right. Hell is real, by the way.”

“…”

“…”

“… Oh, I am so fucked.” Sinclair murmured.

“Preach it, sister.”

“Wha— Ok, ok… Ok, that’s something else we are gonna have to discuss later— fucking, you couldn’t have said that sooner?” Dr. Light asked, confused, causing me to just shrug without care again.

“Must have slipped my mind. I was too busy trying to murder the asshole that drew eight dicks on my face.”

“THAT WASN’T EVEN ME TO BEGIN WITH!”

“Hmm… A likely story.” I squinted my eyes and spoke unconvinced, causing the glasses-wearing doctor to bang his head on the wooden table in stress. 

“… right, ahem… Well, getting back on track.” Sophia began to continue, trying to veer the topic away before somebody lost their head. Both metaphorically and physically. “I would like your assistance in informing the anomalies about their inclusion in Alpha-9, Swan.”

Dr. Glass seemed surprised by the proposal for a second before his gaze hardened and he looked back at the manipulative doctor.

“… Only if—”

“Don’t worry. I’ll allow you to be the one to inform SCP-4051.” Sophia cut her fellow doctor off, causing him to growl slightly before lightening up.

“… It’s Rainer, first of all, and… sigh, ok… thanks.” 

“Hmm, no problem.” Sophia spoke in an almost motherly tone, causing me to roll my eyes.

“Now, onto the next matter—”

“YAWN!” I said completely straight, annoyingly loud as I cut Dr. Light off.

“…”

“…”

“… Onto the next matter—”

“YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWNNNNNNNNNN!!!” I said even louder, causing a noticeable tinge of annoyance to swell up in light.

"Sigh... is something the matter, Clef?”

“Me? Oh, well, thank you for asking.” I alleviated in a condescending tone, causing Sophia to sneer at me… which made me feel a little better. “And yes, something is the matter. Because I’m currently wasting my time in this damn conference room, talking about useless shit that does NOT involve me! When I should be out there clawing my way into Hell!”

Sophia pinched her nose at my outburst, obviously understanding where my continued aggression was stemming from. “While I can understand your misgivings, Clef, really I do. This isn’t something you can just do by yourself. Things like this take time and resources, and if we try anything while being unprepared, innocent people could get hurt… she could be hurt.”

My eyes hardened at her words, and I immediately glared into her soul, a fire burning in my eyes… She stared back, however, unfazed.

“… This is stupid.” I eventually conceded, pulling myself out of my seat and heading for the door of the conference room. “You all can put together your fucking fantasy football team or whatever, but I have actual important shit to be doing… and there’s a certain bearded fucker that I’m planning on having some words with.”

Sophia looked confused for a second, before realization dawning on her about just who I was referring to. “Clef, please don’t do anything stupid. We don’t even know if he is—”

“Whether he is or isn’t doesn’t matter.” I cut her off before sending another hardened glare over my shoulder. “When I’m back, there better be some fucking progress on your end. Otherwise, I’m making good on my earlier threat to the 05 council and changing Dr. Glass’s name to fuckboy!”

That was the final thing I threatened before leaving the room and slamming the door behind me.

SLAM!

“… WHY IS IT ALWAYS FUCKING ME?!” Dr. Glass rang out in frustration.

 

---

Sinclair POV

“Stupid Light… making me do a stupid assignment… because it’s my stupid job.” I murmured to myself, completely ignoring the looks that the other members of the foundation staff gave me as I stomped through the halls, flipping through a file in my hands. “Sigh, at least this one is apparently the easiest to convince. Small mercy.”

I stared down at the paper once more, memorizing the contents it held.

‘SCP-4818, aka Leora Lightfoot.’ I recounted, remembering how after Clef stomped out, Light asked me to be the one to extend the ‘invitation’ to this anomaly. ‘Though, it’s not really optional, so I guess I shouldn’t really consider it as an invitation of any kind… meh, whatever.’

I stopped as I looked up at a duo of guards standing in front of a large metal door.

They both gave me a quick salute before returning to their neutral position.

“… um, hey. This is the temporary containment cell for 4818, right?”

“That is correct, Miss Sinclair.” One of the guards spoke professionally, causing me to groan slightly in annoyance.

“Miss? Damn, way to make a woman feel old.” I chuckled to myself, hoping to get a rise out of the guard… which I didn’t. Damn, Sophia always picks the best ones. “Whatever. Light gave me an order to talk to this one. So can you let me in?”

The guards quickly nodded at my declaration, probably because they were already contacted about the situation ahead of time.

After a couple moments, they swiped their keycard against the card reader next to the door. The action was followed by a loud beeping noise and the heavy metal door opening.

“Good luck on your mission, Miss Sinclair.” They saluted once more, causing me to roll my eyes at their respectful attitude.

“Yeah, yeah, and good luck getting somebody to fuck you. God knows you’ll need it with that stick up your ass.” I left, before entering the door, decidedly ignoring anything else the guards had to say as I entered the containment cell without worry.

“Grrr… Guuhhh!”

As soon as the door closed behind me, I heard what I could only describe as gasps for air, as if someone was struggling to lift a heavy box. Turning ahead, I noticed the origin of the struggling noise.

That being a teenage-looking girl with long brown hair that was currently tied up into a knot. Probably to keep it out of her face. She herself looked as if she was of mixed European and Middle-Eastern descent, or at least that’s how her file described her.

She was wearing what appeared to be workout clothes, that being shorts and a white form-fitting tank top .Currently she was sitting cross-legged on the hard metal floor with her hands close together in front of her in an almost praying motion, legs crossed as sweat ran down her body and her eyes were closed tightly, as if she were engaging in a grueling task.

Looking past, I realized why she was struggling, as currently a large, featureless humanoid creature stood in the center of the room a couple of meters from her. The featureless creature appeared to be a bright violet in color, as it rigidly moved across the room, as if every step was a chore.

Noticing that the anomaly was practicing with her anomalous ability and clearly hadn’t noticed me, I decided to hang back in the room, content with just watching for the moment.

I watched with interest as she struggled to control the creature and took the moment to re-read her file just to make sure I had all the details correct.

‘SCP-4818, otherwise known as Leora Lightfoot. A rather average girl, if it weren’t for her ability to create what basically sums up to constructs made from particles of light. Able to shape and harden them at will.’ I began reading, glancing up every once in a while to watch the construct continuing to move through the room. ‘Or, I guess more scientifically, she has the ability to make any photons that touch her skin into a form of photonic molecules. From there, she can manipulate those molecules, making them form and dissolve at will, into any shape she so desires, giving them their crystalline-like appearance. Usually, I heard she makes weapons and the like with her ability, but recently she has been trying to tap into more advanced techniques, like making a full-fledged creature made of light.’

After I repeated all the information in my head, making sure I wouldn’t mess up, I glanced up once more. From there, I saw that the large construct of light had finally crossed the room and stood in front of a large dummy made of wood, with two dummies of similar design standing not too far to the side of it. They were all probably meant for training.

I watched as Leora began sweating even more as, from across the room, she forced the creature to lift its arms into the air, and with a challenging wave, their hands slowly morphed and changed into two large maces made of the violet light… before.

“GAHH!” Leora screamed, crashing her hands to the floor with a loud thud. Her strike on the floor didn’t accomplish much, but her humanoid construct, on the other hand, did much more. Its hands crashed down at the same time, smashing the wooden dummy into splinters as a result of its mace-like hands.

As soon as it did, the anomalous girl opened her eyes dramatically, as the creature made of light cracked and crumpled onto the floor, dissipating into invisible photons as the women had obviously lost concentration.

She took in greedy breaths, obviously at a loss of oxygen because of the whole situation. Looking closer, I noticed a lavender water bottle sitting next to the girl. She took it in her hands and began drinking the water, desperate to cool off.

Seeing this, I chuckled before placing the file beneath my armpit as I began clapping in an attempt to gain the girl's attention. It worked, as I watched her choke on her own water in surprise, coughing before turning to look at me.

“Hehe, nice! That was awesome!” I earnestly congratulated her, continuing to clap as I walked closer to the girl. As I did so, she stood up warily, immediately dwarfing me. I didn’t mind, however, as I began slapping her back in a playful way, chuckling at her shocked expression. “I knew you could make weapons and everything, but making people? That was fucking awesome!”

“Um… thanks—”

I cut off her thanks as I used my strength to push her down, bringing her ear to my mouth.

“Hey, hey. Just between you and me… Do you think you can make anthros for me like that?” I smirked, elbowing her as I did so. “You know, just between friends.”

“I… I… wait, what’s an anthro?”

“I— pfft— heh— w-what?!” I stuttered out shocked, not expecting her response. At her continued innocent confusion at my words, I just shook my head disappointedly. “Oh, you poor, innocent, uncorrupted soul. You have SO much to learn… You see, anthro’s are—”

~~PZZT~~

My very educational, and might I say important, lesson was immediately cut short as I heard the intercom in the containment cell buzz to life.

“Miss Sinclair. Please refrain from trying to turn SCP-4818 into a furry.”

“What? What are you talking about?… I wasn’t trying—”

“Miss Sinclair.”

“Ugh, FINE!” I pushed my back against the wall in frustration, not liking the stubbornness of these guards as I continued joking under my breath. “Damn, what did our founding fathers fight for if not for the chance for their ancestors to fuck whatever they want?”

“I… Wait, what just happened?”

“Ehh, you’ll learn when you're older.” I say, continuing to add to the confusion that was piling onto the anomaly, as she clearly could not follow the suddenness of the conversation that was just had.

“Anyways, you're Leora Lightfoot, right?” I eventually questioned, giving the confused girl something to latch onto and escape her confused state.

“Huh? O-oh, um… yea, that’s me.” She responded, scratching the back of her neck. She chuckled a bit as she looked me up and down. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you coming in. I was… a little focused.”

“Pfft, a little?” I raised an eyebrow in a joking nature as I turned towards the destroyed wooden dummy, then back to her and her exhausted appearance. “No offense, but you look like you just ran a marathon in the desert.”

“Well… That’s fair, I guess.” She begrudgingly spoke, as her eyes began to wander, as if lost in thought.

“… So, what was that anyways?” I once more drew her attention, a large smile on my face. “It was really fucking cool! I mean, I knew you could make weapons and all that shit with your anomaly, but that was just a straight-up person! How’d you do it?”

“Oh— well, um, thanks.” She said bashfully, obviously not expecting the compliment. “And… well, y’know, I just thought that if I could make anything out of… photons or whatever, then why couldn’t I make something that can also move, I guess?”

The girl then raised her right arm, casually causing violet light to pulse from it and forming a pair of violet crystalline throwing stars.

“I’m at a point where making stuff like this is child’s play. But besides for aesthetics, what good does having unlimited throwing stars or knives do in a battle with literal guns? She admitted, before tossing the weapons towards one of the two remaining wooden dummies. One of them struck the wooden construct in the chest, while the other barely nicked its face before falling to the floor. Leora grimaced at this. “And even then, these things are a hell of a pain to use… So I thought, why limit myself to just basic items like this? Why can’t I do something more… complex? You get what I mean?”

“Oh yea, I got you.” I chuckled before returning my gaze back towards the wooden dummies. “Still, that alone is pretty cool. I mean, it’s nothing to scoff at!”

“Hah! Sure, maybe as a parlor trick. It’s just… you know, I hate feeling useless, annnnnnd… Shoot, I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“You know it, girly!” I chuckled, patting her on the back once more, resulting in her giving a strange look to me again.

“Um… S-sorry if this is insensitive, but do I… know you?” 

“Huh?! Are you saying you forgot about me, little Leora?!” I feigned heartbreak, basking in the look of shock and panic that flared up in the girl. It took everything I had to not break out in laughter at the situation. “It’s me! Your—pfft— y-your great-great-great-great-grandmama!!!”

“I— W-w-wait… WHAT?!”

“PFTT— y-yea, your great— PFTT, HAHAHAHA!!!” It was like a casket burst, as laughter began flooding out of my mouth, forcing me to hold my stomach as I continued laughing. 

“G-great grandmama! Are you alright?" She quickly screamed out with real worry, causing me to laugh even harder. Still, I managed to compose myself after a while and look at her, wiping a tear from my one non-prosthetic eye.

“Hehe. Geez, you sure are gullible, girly.” I chuckled before placing my hands on my hips. “I was just joking. I ain’t nobody's great-great- and repeat that a few more times grandmama. My name is Katherine Sinclair, but you can just call me Katherine if you want!”

“O-oh.” She spoke, almost sounding disappointed at the reveal, as if she wanted me to be some super old woman relative of hers.

“Geez, don’t sound too disappointed; otherwise, you're gonna make me feel self-conscious that I look old.”

“What?! N-n-no, it’s not that! It’s just… you know… I thought maybe… you know, if you were my great ancestor, then— then maybe you’d… know about my powe— err, I mean… I mean anomaly.” She stuttered shyly, turning away as she kept her bashful appearance. 

I sighed at the youthful girl's behavior. Understanding what she said enough to feel both amusement and pity.

“Sorry, but nope. I don’t have any way of doing that fancy light show that you're capable of.” I spoke, causing the girl to deflate a tiny bit. Still, I kept a smirk on my face as I lifted up one of my bandaged arms. “I can, however, do something that you kids might call ‘super fucking wicked and cool’!”

“… I don’t think anyone usually says that—”

“Shush, let me have my moment.” I cut off the girl's justified correction, using my other hand to push a finger against her lips in a shushing motion. 

I returned my focus back to my arm before clenching my fist. As I did, I recounted a jumble of words in my mind, complicated formulas and languages that would take most people hours to decipher. With me, it barely took a second, as I trained myself tirelessly to be able to do this as naturally as one eats or breathes.

As soon as I finished, a jolt of familiar energy arose from deep within me. For half a second, a rush that I know all too well swelled within me, making me feel like I could do anything! Making me feel invincible!

Until I forced all that feeling, all that energy and power that I held deep in my soul straight to my arm. The burns beneath the bandages light up slightly in response to the sudden influx of energy, before—

FWOOM!

A bright, orange cinder of powerful flames burst to life in my palm. I saw the girl next to me initially recoil at this before allowing her eyes to light up as she admired the flame. I took in the admiration, allowing myself to inflate my ego a little.

“Heh, pretty cool, huh?” I said snuggly, watching her nod her head ferociously, as if she were back to being a ten-year-old who was seeing… Well, magic for the first time. “If you think this is cool, then watch this!”

I turned my gaze to the wooden dummy across the room, the one that still had a throwing star made of light submerged into it. Then, with one heavy throw, I reared my back before chucking the ball of orange flame from my hand and sending it straight into the dummy.

BOOM!

Expectedly, a magical explosion of flaming energy exploded on the dummy, causing it to shatter and break apart into hundreds, maybe even thousands, of wood splinters. Some even stayed on fire after the explosion, but with a wave of my hand, I caused the flames to vanish without a trace, leaving only the burnt wood behind. I know the room is made of steel, but it still wouldn’t do any good to activate the sprinkler system… not again.

“Tell me, would you say that was super wicked and cool?”

“Uh— FUCK YEAH, IT WAS!” She excitedly squealed before putting her face straight into mine. The shy girl from before seemed to be completely gone, as all I could see in her eyes now was feverish curiosity and admiration. “THAT WAS AWESOME! YOU'RE LIKE— LIKE FIRESTORM! IT WAS SO COOL— HOW CAN YOU DO THAT? IS IT LIKE ME? DOES THE FIRE HURT? ARE YOU ALSO AN ANOMALY LIKE ME?!”

“Wow, wow, one question at a time!” I chuckled, forced to hold my hand out to stop the girl from literally falling on me with her grossly average height compared to my comparatively dwarfish stature. “Ok, let’s see, um… Thaumaturgy, probably not, only if I want it to, and no.”

At my quick answers, the girl looked confused for a second, as if lining up my answers to her previous questions. As soon as she did, however, her eyes sparkled even more in confusion.

“Thaumaturgy? What’s that?”

“Ehh, it’s like… you read comic books, right?” I asked while thinking of how to explain, and after getting a quick nod, I smiled. “Ok… Well, in layman's terms, it’s kind of like magic, just the fucked-up real-world equivalent of it.”

“Wha— Magic?! That’s awesome!” She said enthusiastically as she began admiring my bandaged hands. “Can you do anything else with this thaumaturgy thing? Oh— Oh— Wait, can I learn it too?”

“Heh, slow down there, girly.” I pushed her away, having to reach up in order to do so. “Technically you could, but I promise it’s not as simple as ‘believing in the power of friendship’ or whatever you’ve probably read read. No, you really should be focusing on becoming more proficient with your own gift you have there.”

I chuckled as I said this, causing her to look away shyly as she realized just how much she was fangirling. “O-oh, um… right, of course…” 

Her eyes began glossing over after that, as she looked at her palms with a contemplative expression. “A gift, huh?”

“Hmm? Did I say something wrong?” I asked the younger, yet significantly taller girl, causing her to blush in embarrassment as she began rapidly waving her hands.

“N-no, it’s not anything like that! It’s just… no one’s ever called it… called it a gift before.”

“…”

‘Oh no, this is entering emotional territory.’ I realized in panic, recognizing I’m no good at those kinds of conversations. That’s Glasse’s job, for Pete’s sake!

“Ahem, obviously! I mean, I can’t name a single person who can do what you do. Not only that, but it’s wicked as fuck. Turning light into a physical object? That’s like five steps above anything I can do with fire.” I joked as I reached up to grab the girl's shoulder. I pulled her down to my level as I gave her a reassuring squeeze. “You know what you have? It’s the power to make real change— like, real, real change. Hehe, if that isn’t a gift to cherish, then I don’t know what is. And trust me, I've seen plenty of gifts in my life… and not all of them were for the best.”

My gaze sank a little as I recollected on my own past, remembering all the monsters and demons the foundation has locked up over its many years of history. Still, I managed to pick myself up as I turned back to the easily impressionable girl.

“But what you have? That’s a real gift to cherish… if not for yourself, then for all the people you can help with it.” I laughed as the girl continued listening intently, as if scared of missing a single word I said. I continued squeezing her shoulder before letting go. “Besides, from what I’ve heard, you’ve helped plenty of people with this power of yours already. From what I’ve heard, you’ve been sent out to the field at least half a dozen times already, right?”

“H-huh?” Leora stuttered, frazzled by my sudden lecture that I placed upon her. To her credit, however, she quickly recovered as she stood up straight. “I mean, y-yes. I guess I have… sometimes by myself or with small teams and the like. O-oh, I do remember twice I did a mission with other people like… like me. I think we were called—”

“Alpha-9?” 

“Yea, that was it!” She excitedly confirmed, as if recollecting on earlier days. “It was fun… really fun, actually. Cain, Iris, they’re great! Unfortunately, any mission we did together was pretty short, and we didn’t really get to do a lot together, as ‘Alpha-9’ or whatever you business people call it never took off for some reason. So the team wasn’t really official, I guess.”

I smirked as I noticed her downtrodden appearance, realizing my assignment with this girl was going to be easier than I originally envisioned. 

“Oh… well, would you like it to be?” I asked, as I saw Leora raise slightly in confusion. 

“Unfortunately I wasn’t given any fancy envelopes or invitations to give you, so this’ll have to do.” I explained diligently, before dramatically grabbing the vanilla folder from my armpit and showing it to Leora.

Confused, she leaned in to see the paper I was showing… only to widen her eyebrows in surprise as she saw that it was not only a folder of hers, but that on top of her document there was a large green stamp that stated, ‘Alpha-9 recruitment approved!’

“I don’t even know how they got that stamp ready so quickly, but I’m not complaining.” I smirk before lowering the folder. “So what do you say? Wanna give Alpha-9 another shot? Because there is a big assignment that urgently needs our attention… and we think you could help us with that gift of yours.”

“I… Wow, I… this is sudden.” She murmured, obviously cut off guard from the invitation. I could tell a childish part of her seemed giddy with excitement, while another, quieter part seemed more fearful at the proposition. “This is… w-what’s the assignment?”

I sighed. “Unfortunately, I can’t tell you that before I get a verbal agreement. Confidential BS and all that. Still, I promise it isn’t something you can’t handle… mostly.”

“… that doesn’t really fill me with confidence.”

I chuckle before shrugging. “Welcome to the foundation.”

She laughed a tiny bit at my joke before her soft gaze tilted downwards to the paper I was holding.

“… Will they be there? I mean… Will Cain and Iris be involved?”

“Unfortunately, Cain is currently… indisposed.” I say with a grimace, knowing that I wasn’t allowed to disclose any more about that at the moment. “Still, Iris will. And if everything goes well, I’m sure you’ll see your favorite metal-armed bastard again… So, what do you say?”

Her face shrank, thinking everything over. Smart, only an idiot would blindly accept something like this without asking at least some questions.

Still, eventually her childish side won, and a goofy smile grew on her face as she looked up to me. “When do we start?”

“Hmm… right now.” I replied, before thrusting the papers in her chest, letting her take them from me. “Welcome to the team, Leora. I hope you're ready for Hell!”

“Heh, always!” She chuckled at what she assumed was a joke.

“… I wasn’t saying that metaphorically.” I smirked, immediately causing her smile to drop.

“… what?”

“Anyways, time to go!” I quickly spoke, sliding the heavy metal door with a single swipe of my keycard, basically skipping out of the room and leaving the girl behind.

“W-wait up!”

I chuckled as she left the room, attempting to keep up. I laughed as I saw it. Man, I like this girl!

‘That went a lot smoother than I originally thought it would.’ I contemplated as the tank-top-wearing girl reached my side in the hallway. ‘Hope everything’s going well with Glasses and Light as well.’

Little did I know at the time that I lucked out being assigned to Leora and not one of the other two.

 

---

Dr. Glass POV

I breathed in… then breathed out slowly.

“Alright… let me in.” I spoke calmly to the guard, who gave a salute before beginning to open the extremely heavy metal door.

While doing so, I looked at the folder in my hand. I re-read his file for possibly the hundredth time.

This needed to be perfect… for him.

“Alright, sir, he’s ready for you now.” The guard spoke as I lowered the file, seeing the door opened up to a second, extremely small chamber. An extra bit of reinforcement before the cell in case something went wrong.

I scoffed; this extra security really wasn’t necessary… not for someone like this.

Still, I nodded at the guards, giving them my thanks before passing the first door. As I did, I caught one final glimpse at the designation that stamped itself next to the door…

As it read:

“SCP-4051”

Notes:

Sinclair: (trying to turn Leora into a furry.)

(Meanwhile, in a different area in the facility.)

Dr. Glass: I don’t know why, but I suddenly have an urge to punch Sinclair in the face.

Well… I’m back!

A bit of a lackluster chapter, but I liked it, and it’s the beginning of introducing a handful of very important characters for the future.

Also, a huge thank you to Roman23, who made a really cool short story based off my work! Link is down below, so I definitely recommend checking it out!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/61719205?view_adult=true

Besides that, I don’t really have anything important to say. So drop a kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any questions, ideas, or wisecracks! And I hope you all have a fantastic day!

I don’t really have a lot to say this time.

Chapter 49: Assembling the team! (Part 2)

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

“Who is your hero?”

Notes:

Glass does impromptu therapy.

Iris hates her life.

Clef meets up with a certain bearded man.

Mr. Glass POV

I tapped my foot with nervous impatience as the guards did one final check before opening the door.

As they did so, I decided to look at the kids folder one more time. I could’ve probably recounted the basic information word for word, but it’s always smart to double… triple… quadruple-check yourself every time.

‘… SCP-4051. Otherwise known as ‘Your Friendly Neighborhood Keter.’ Or how he should be known as, Rainer Miller.’ I reminded myself as I read through the designation, once more wincing at what I saw. ‘Damn it. I’ll never understand why they thought it was necessary to give a child, a real child, the designation of Keter. It really does feel like an overreaction. I mean, I get his potential is terrifying, but… goddammit, what good would terrifying the poor guy do?’

“Dr. Glass. Are you ready to proceed?”

“Huh?” I stared up, realizing I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t even hear what the guard in front of me had said. I looked away sheepishly, scratching the back of my neck in embarrassment. “I-I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you were ready to proceed with meeting the anomaly.” The guard reiterated, showing that he was ready to open the inner door in the chamber.

I rolled my eyes, sighing. “Yea, I’m… I’m ready. Honestly, I still don’t see why you need this much security for them. They’re just a kid for god's sake.”

They shrugged. “He’s also a Keter class anomaly. This is just standard procedure.”

“Procedure… sure.” I murmured as I readied myself. The pistons that held the heavy metal door slowly retracted as it opened for me, allowing me into the silvery metal room.

“Ahh!” I heard a startled scream echo outwards as the door opened, obviously surprising someone inside.

Looking in quickly, I saw the very kid I’ve been worried for all this time. I cringed as I looked at him, noting that he must’ve been a young teenager at the latest, probably around 15 to 16 years old.

The boy had tan skin, despite being stuck in his containment cell for the recent years of his life. He had long, black, slightly poofy hair. His red hoodie zipped open, revealing his white T-shirt beneath. He wore dark blue jeans as well as a pair of red sneakers.

Currently, the boy looked towards me in surprise, obviously not expecting my company. His hands were both nervously behind his back, as if he were attempting to hide something.

I took the moment of confusion on the kids part to look around the boys room, which only continued to agitate me. The room had the bare minimum, a bed on one side with a metal desk and wardrobe next to them, the only decoration on which was a digital clock that said the time. On the other side of the room was a small toilet, which was a little better than the ones they give the D-class, but only a little. 

Looking up, I saw a security camera stationed on every corner of the roof, not leaving any angle for the boy to go that wasn’t under the foundation's watchful eye.

“Tch… animals.” I said under my breath as the door behind me closed, sealing once more by way of heavy pistons. After making sure it was completely shut, I turned to the quiet boy across the room from me, his pupils looking around sporadically, as if he was caught in the act of doing something terrible. 

I shook my head as I saw this, before allowing a gentle smile to crease my face as I looked towards the boy.

“Good evening.” I said calmly to the boy, chuckling a bit as I tried my damndest to make myself seem approachable. “Sorry if I surprised you.”

“I… uhh, n-no—no. your… your fine, I just… really wasn’t expecting…. I-is this… look, I’m sorry, ok!” The boy stuttered out a storm before raising his hands in guilt, as if he had done something terrible. I was confused for a second, before realizing that he revealed his hands, showing that in one he clutched onto what looked like an action figure of some kind of superhero, one wearing blue and red spandex. “I’m sorry! I-I know I’m not supposed to use my powe— err, anomaly without supervision! I just— I just was really bored and— and— and—”

“Whoa, relax, kid. You're not in any trouble.” I quickly cleared up without approaching, causing the boy to recoil slightly in shock.

“Your… your not? B-but I… I broke the rules—”

“Heh. Rules, shmules.” I shrugged off his worry before beginning to slowly approach him as non-confrontationally as possible. He leaned back slightly but didn’t stop me as I walked up to him. 

I placed the clipboard on the floor before taking a knee to the floor to get eye level with the boy.

“May I?” I ask, holding my hand out.

Rainer, while reluctant at first, slowly placed the action figure in my hand. It felt like plastic, but almost like it was fake… almost as if you tried to describe what plastic felt like to someone who had never touched it, and this is how they imagined it was like. It was too perfect, too… seamless.

I disregarded that, however, as I lifted the figure up to my eyes, admiring it with a smile on my face. Rainer looked away while I was doing so, as if worried that I would scold him at any moment.

“Hey… this is Spiderman, isn’t it?” I eventually asked in a joyful manner, causing the originally worried kid to look at me in confusion before his eyes lit up slightly. He just nodded at my inquiry, causing me to cackle in gentle laughter.

“That’s really cool! He always was one of my favorite superheroes.” I spoke, causing the boy's eyes to light up even more.

“R-really?”

“Heh, really.” I said, before gently passing the toy back over, letting the kid grab it. “Spider-Man. A bastion of hope, isn’t he? Always willing to do whatever it takes to save everyone. A hero among heroes, right?”

“R-right—yeah!” Rainer exclaimed a little too excitedly for someone his age, but I can’t really blame him. I don’t think he’s really ever had anyone to share his interests with, both before and after entering the foundation's ranks. “Yea! He’s—he’s really cool! He is— err, I guess was my favorite, before… coming here.”

My smile faltered for a second as the boy looked down, but I quickly recovered as I laid a hand on the kid's shoulder. 

“Tell you what, I’ll make sure to get you some Spider-Man comics when I get out of here. Would you like that?” I asked warmly, causing the boys eyes to once more light up, as he looked away shyly.

“Um… y-yes, I’d… I’d like that.”

“Hehe, that’s good.” I replied before slowly standing from my kneeling position. After I did, I walked over to the metallic desk in the room, grabbing the chair that stood in front of it before moving it over to the side of the bed.

Rainer looked at me curiously as I did so, before I took a seat on the now moved chair. I turned my attention to the kid. “Well? Don’t you want to sit down?” I asked with a chuckle, feigning towards the bed.

Rainers eyes lit up with realization before nodding. Quickly he moved to the bedside before sitting across from me. His feet planted on the floor as he sat down, shoulders slouched as, while not as uncomfortable as early, he obviously still had some discomfort in my company. Can’t say I blame him, really. Poor kid probably hasn’t talked to a lot of people after the incident with Psi-7.

I still hated thinking about that mission, even though I only learned about it through second hand knowledge and audio recordings of the incident. I mean, the kid basically saved his team from being entirely wiped out, and what did he get in return?

‘A Keter classification and a cold damp cell, that’s what he got. Sure, he was occasionally let out for smaller missions and tasks, and this is only his temporary cell after being transferred here. Butfor the most part the only company he’s been able to keep has been himself, and I doubt whatever amenities he was given back at site-17.’

“… Who are you?” Rainer eventually asked after a couple beats of silence, as I wanted him to get the first word in. My attention was once more locked into the boy, putting my thoughts on the back burner for a moment.

“My name is Dr. Glass, psychiatrist.” I responded gently, before correcting my glasses and staring forward. “And what about you?”

“… My name is Rainer… but, you probably knew that already.” He spoke slowly, as if still warming up to my presence.

I gave a slow and short nod at his words. “Yea, I did. Still, I felt like it was important to ask. Never know what those crummy paper pushers might have misspelled.”

Rainer chuckled quietly at my joke, scratching the back of his head as he looked around the room… more specifically, I noticed he was looking at the cameras in the room.

“Heh, don’t worry. This is a private conversation between the two of us, I made sure of that.” I explained truthfully, noting his worry. And unlike most members of the foundation staff, I made sure to keep that promise. Before I came in here, I used Dr. Lights authority to have the cameras in this room disabled for about a thirty minute window to assure the conversation would be private. 

The boy looked shocked at my words as he once more locked eyes with the cameras, as if trying to confirm if my words were true.

“Really?” 

“Really. What happens in this room can be our little secret, ok?” I chuckled, holding up a finger to my lips as I did so. The boy chuckled a bit. Before squinting a tiny bit to see if debating he should believe me. Eventually his gaze softened, probably accepting the reality even if he didn’t fully believe it.

“Hehe, ok… ok.” He repeated before allowing somewhat awkward silence to permeate through the room once more. I didn’t speak, wanting him to continue talking only when he felt comfortable. For my part, I just sat with a smile on my face, letting him know that I’m ready and willing to answer any of his questions.

It didn’t take long, apparently, as he eventually cleared his throat with a cough before looking back towards me with a strange look in his eyes.

“You, um… said you were a psychiatrist, right?” 

I nodded.

“So… you're like Dr. Yesenia?” He eventually asked, referring to the former psychiatrist that paid him constant visits before his eventual rise to Keter class. She was forced to end their meetings after that before Rainer was forced to stay in his cell near permanently. 

“Yes, I am in a way. Same job, at least.” 

“Oh… well, is she— is she ok?” He asked with no small amount of worry present in his voice. “It’s just been a while and… I just wanna make sure she’s fine.”

“… Dr. Yesenia is doing well.” I ended up replying, not missing the relief that stretched across the boy's face as I did so. “She’s currently still stationed at Site-17 at the moment. If you desire it, I could probably find a way for you to meet with her.”

“N-no. It’s… that's ok.” He hesitantly replied before shaking his head. “I’m sure she’s… doing great. Just wanted to check in, that's all.”

I smiled as I ruffled the kids' hair a bit playfully, as he welcomed it with no hesitation. “You have a good heart. Keep it, it’s going to help you a lot when you grow older.”

“Right… older.” He murmured to himself, as if I accidentally reminded him of something he’d rather forget. Rather quickly, however, he recovered and turned to look at me again with his bright eyes. “So, um… Dr. Glass, right?”

“Please, call me Simon.”

“O-ok.” He stuttered, cut off by my invitation for casualness. “Um… So, Simon… Is there a reason you're visiting me?”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked curiously, causing the kid to rear back slightly in embarrassment as he shook his hands in front of him.

“I— I didn’t mean to be rude! I’m— I’m sorry! It’s just… whenever anyone talks to me nowadays… it’s usually because they want me to make something for them.” He began explaining after calming down, his gaze once more drawn to the floor in a depressed manner. “It’s just… I just… wanna know what it is you want from me—not that I’m against it or anything! I’d love to help! I’m just… curious.

My gaze hit the floor, a frown forming on my face as I continued to see more and more of this child and how broken he was. Those fuckers really did a number on him.

“… I’m not going to lie and say I’m just here to just talk to you, although I’ve wanted to for a long time… But yes, there’s a reason I’m here beyond that. A more… official reason, I guess you could say.” I admitted, looking up slightly in order to see the boy's reaction. He looked unsurprised at my reveal, just nodding slowly as if he were expecting it, but not against it at all. “… The foundation—or I guess more specifically Dr. Light— wants something from you.”

The boy's eyes widened slightly, as if recognizing the name, before allowing a smile to spread across his face. “Sophia wants something from me? That’s great! She always lets me help out!”

I shrieked slightly, remembering that Dr. Light has, indeed, been the only reason that Rainer has been allowed to leave his cell a handful of times for smaller missions and assignments in the past. 

‘Looking back now, it’s pretty obvious that she really only wanted to test the boy to see if he was worthy of being on her dream team of anomalies. Obviously, she saw something that impressed her.’

“Yes, well— ahem… Sophia wants your help on a… special mission.”

“What kind of mission?” The boy asked innocently, obviously still excited.

“It’s… a strange mission. One that, by order of Sophia and Clef, I can’t tell you until you accept—”

“Ok, I accept.”

“Sigh, of course you do.” I sighed heavily in my hand, unable to bring myself to look at the kid's innocent face, as he had no idea what he’s walking into. “Look, it’s… it’s a lot more complicated than just ‘a mission,’ ok? You should really think it through and ask as many questions as possible, ok?”

The boy tilted his head to the side in a confused manner. “I mean, I’m probably just gonna say yes anyway, so why should I wait? I just want to help out as much as I can.”

“And that’s very admirable. It is a great fuck— flipping quality to have! But that also leaves you open to being used and manipulated by others. No matter how nice they might seem, people can have ulterior motives, and while you should trust people, you should always take their words with at least a tiny grain of salt…. Do you get what I’m saying?”

Rainer stared confused for a second before beginning to fidget with the hood of his jacket a tiny bit. “I mean… A little. But I have a feeling that this isn’t something I can just say ‘no’ to anyways. I… know I don’t understand a lot of what’s happening around me, but I do understand that if the foundation wants something, they’re gonna have their way, regardless of my opinion.”

He stopped fidgeting with his jacket as he looked straight ahead towards me and my admittedly surprised expression. He then let an awkward, yet somehow comforting smile cross his lips. “Besides, if I get the opportunity to use my… abilities… to help people, then why shouldn’t I take it! It’s what I’ve always wanted to do, after all.”

I shook my head at his reasoning. I know he was right in some respects, but only in a perfect world filled with perfect people. The foundation— No, Sophia is using his kind heart in order to get him to use his unique abilities at her whims.

‘Although it’s for the greater good, it still doesn’t sit right. And it’s not like Dr. Light is an evil person or anything. I mean, if I’d prefer anyone to be in charge over people like Rainer, I’d prefer it to be her over practically anyone else.’ I began thinking, the gears turning in my head about how to possibly crack this kid out of his very obvious shell. ‘But it still just doesn’t sit right, and I’d be doing a disservice to the practitioners of my craft everywhere if I didn’t try to at least help this kid… to be honest, that might even be what Dr. Light is hoping for: me making him more independent. To what end, who knows, but I can’t see why else she’d let me near him when she’d obviously know I’d try something like this. Maybe it’s just another one of her plans, and she’s just dangling the bait in front of me, but… goddammit, I have to bite.’

I sigh, running my hand through my hair in a robotic fashion. “Well, you are right about one thing… You will be helping out a lot of people if you do this.”

The boy's face lights up. “That’s great! I—”

“You didn’t let me finish.” I cut the boy off, raising my palm in the air to stop him from continuing. As I did, I glanced towards the disabled camera in the corner of the room, silently glad that I convinced them to turn the cameras off beforehand, as what I am about to say… probably would get me reprimanded if it got out.

“Yes, you will help a lot of people… possibly even everyone in the whole world if what we fear comes true.” I began explaining, shocking the boy a bit as I continued. Still, I continued going as I turned to him with a hardened expression. “However, even if that is the case, I want you to remember one thing.”

“W-what’s that?” The boy asked, confused, prompting me to reach out and place a reassuring hand on his shoulder. 

“Your life, your happiness… it isn’t worth less than the rest of the world.”

“W-what? What are you talking—”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” I explained, continuing to stare deep into the boy's eyes, my grip hardening into a reassuring grasp. “You're a hero, kid… A hero who would be willing to do whatever it takes to save others, even if it comes at the expense of… of your own life. What I’m telling you is that I don’t want you to feel obligated to save the world; I don’t want you to worry about the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

“I… I don’t understand.”

“And you don’t have to. You're a kid—a smart, generous kid. But you're still a kid; you shouldn’t have to worry about all of this; you should be out there living your own life, being you… I’m sorry I can’t save your past, so at least let me help ease your future.” I began explaining, my hand sliding off the boy's shoulder as I did so, my eyes sinking to the ground. “What I’m trying to say is… you don’t have to feel obligated to stick around and fight if things get tough. You don’t need to be the bigger man and keep all your emotions locked down in your chest for the greater good of some mission; you can leave that to us… It’s ok to be scared; it’s ok to be anxious, depressed, stressed; that’s all ok… And if you ever feel overwhelmed during this mission, please let me know… And I will do everything in my power to make you as comfortable as possible, no matter the cost… alright?”

“…”

Silence permeated through the room, as the boy's wide eyes continued to stare surprised into mine. It’s obvious he wasn’t expecting me to break out into a monologue like that, and frankly, neither was I. But I felt like I had to say something; otherwise, I would regret it for as long as I lived.

Still, after a few minutes of staring at the boy, showing him I was serious… A small smile cracked on his face, allowing the quietest of chuckles to break through.

“Heh… That’s a… big promise.” He began, his eyes twitching slightly as if he were trying to hold something back. “I… I don't know if I can… fully believe that… But if you promise, then… then I’ll try.”

I released a breath that I didn’t know I was holding when he said that, glad that I managed to strike some sort of nerve with the boy. 

As I did, I let a large, goofy smile consume every corner of my face.

“Great! It’s a promise then!” I exclaimed excitedly before holding out my pinky towards the boy in silent invitation.

Rainer didn't understand at first, but chuckled a bit more once it dawned on him what I was doing.

“A pinky promise? Really?” He asked while chuckling, as if he believed it was a joke. 

I just nodded seriously in response. “Really.”

The boy's smile vanished as he realized my seriousness, allowing his gaze to deal to my hand.

He looked like he was contemplating it for a second before finally, albeit reluctantly, stretching his hand out towards me. His pinky extends, interlocking with my own before shaking up and down.

I smiled. “There. Now you’ll always have me in your corner, no matter what.”

The boy slowly withdrew his hand, looking down at his still-extended pinky.

“Um… y-yea.” He muttered in a daze, clearly still trying to process the sequence of events that had just commenced. “You know… It’s my first time ever doing something like that.”

“Making a pinky promise?”

“… making a promise.” 

My smile stiffened a little. “You’ve never made a promise with anyone before?”

His head shook slowly. “No, I mean I guess I’ve made promises before… It’s just nobody has ever promised to help me before.”

… I stood up from my chair, surprising Rainer for a second before I sat next to him on the bed. 

“Well, if it’s any mercy, I’m glad to have been the first.” I began, before looking towards him with a smile. “And I’ll do my damndest to keep it. Forever and always.”

“Heh, forever and always… thanks.”

“No problem, kid.”

“…”

“…”

“… So about this mission?”

“Right… shoot, I forgot about that.” I condemned myself before going through the agonizing process of explaining the situation to Rainer.

… that part wasn't fun to do, especially when it came to explaining that Cain was missing.

Still, after a handful of minutes of explaining, I eventually led the boy out of the room and towards the designated meeting place that Sophia had picked out earlier for the team to meet each other.

Now, I think Sophia only needs to meet with one more member… Hopefully she doesn’t have too hard of a time.

---

 

Dr. Light POV

“Why, hello there, Iris—”

“No.” 

My eyes twitched at the instant refusal, but I managed to keep a smile on my face as I stared towards the girl in the green crop top and jean jacket. Her bright blue eyes not even bothering to look at me as she intently stared at the wall of pictures that hung up on the back of her wall. She was currently sitting cross-legged, her blonde hair draping down behind her, reaching all the way down her back.

I took a moment to observe the room that I had found myself in. Besides the admittedly comfy bed and wall of photos, it was surprisingly bland, with it only having the bare essentials of what you would usually find in a cell like this besides the aforementioned aspects, though that was probably because of it being only a temporary cell and not her original containment unit that she lived in back at site-17.

I quickly returned my gaze to the girl's back, however, allowing a chuckle to escape my lips as I continued with my relaxed demeanor. “No? I don’t believe I’ve asked anything of you yet.”

“Doesn’t matter. I know what you want. It’s the same thing you want every time you bother to come visit me.” Iris replied, obviously trying her best to suppress any emotions she might have been feeling, as if to not give me any leverage over her. “You want me for your stupid team again, right?”

“… That is correct—”

“Then you already have my answer.” She exclaimed, no hint of surprise in her voice. “So just… leave me alone, ok? I’m not being the leader of your fucking discounted ‘suicide squad’ knockoff again.”

“Sigh… I think we both know that you really don’t have a choice, unfortunately.” I explained calmly, not at all missing the way Iris’s shoulders twitched aggressively at my words. “As much as you might hate it, you are a major asset to us. Both with your anomalous abilities and your ability to be a leader.”

“Tch, so that’s what this is? You want me to lead the stupid team again.” The twenty-something-year-old girl complained, her head peeking over her shoulders slightly. “Get someone else to lead it, ok? I’m done… I'm fucking done being your guy’s pet. Why don’t you just lead it instead? It’s your dream team after all.”

“Iris… We both know that anomalies won't listen to someone like me. They need to be led by someone that’s like them… someone like you.” I began before leaning back against the far wall. “You're the only person who’s suitable for a job like this. Not just suitable; you're perfect. You're loyal, smart, able to get people in line when shit hits the fan, but still care enough for the people put under your care. You're the best goddamn leader of Alpha-9 that I could ask for. You’ve done it before, and you can do it again.”

“Or what? You fuckers terminate me? Heh, sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m not scared of dying.” She bit back as I finally got a chance to look at her piercing blue eyes as she finally turned slightly in her bed to look at me.

“Hmm, yes, I’ve heard about that.” I responded calmly, before lifting my tablet and scrolling through some files. “Stealing pills from the infirmary and attempting to give yourself an overdose. Effective, if a bit crude… You wanna talk about it?”

A booming silence stretched out between the two of us as Iris averted her gaze once more, suddenly taking an interest in the covers of her bed.

“No… I don’t.” She finally spat out, before looking up to her wall of photos again. “Besides, shouldn’t that be enough to show I’m not fit to be a fucking leader? I tried to kill myself… How can I be trusted with other people's lives if I don’t even care for my own?”

“… Because your life is at the back of the list of things you care about.” I offhandedly commented, not caring if the girl took it to heart or not. Still, I just sighed in my hands before looking back. “That being said, I’m not afraid to admit that I need you, Iris. Without you, Alpha-9 falls apart, regardless of who's currently on the team.”

“Heh, oh yeah? Did you also need me for Omega-7?” She scoffed out, actually causing me to feel a pang of annoyance at the reminder of one of my older marks on my record.

“… We made a lot of mistakes with Omega-7, none of which were related to you.”

“Yea, because every mistake I made was kinda superseded when Abel killed everyone.” She mocked, following her retort up with a crude chuckle. “It’s funny. I’m the only survivor from that massacre, and how do I get rewarded? Become the leader of my own squad of messed-up anomalies and be expected to magically know how to keep them all in check.”

“It’s not like that, Iris.”

“Sigh… look, I don’t even fucking care anymore. Reprimand me if you want, but I don’t want to be involved in whatever bullshit you have planned this time, ok?” She complained before reaching up and picking one of the Polaroid photos off the wall, as she began staring intently at it. “There’s nothing you can say that will get me to be a part of your bull—”

“Cain and Abel are missing, and we want you to find them.”

“Fuck!” She screamed in immediate defeat before quickly turning in her bed to face me completely, still sitting. “Explain.”

I smirked cockily. “According to the rules, I’m not supposed to tell you until you accept—”

“We both know you make the goddamn rules; now explain.” She spoke, obviously leaving no room for any slandering or bullshitting.

“Sigh, spoilsport. Fine.” I began speaking before tapping a couple of buttons on my tablet and tossing it to her from across the room. She caught it with relative ease before looking at the screen I pulled up, which was a video recording.

“Four days ago, the Serpent's Hand surprise attacked many secure foundation sites. During this event, each of the Serpent agents had crushed strange crystals, encompassing them and anything that surrounded them in bright red light, before vanishing.” I began explaining as Iris began the video, which was a security recording of Cain on the day of the attack. I saw her eyes widen slightly as she saw what originally looked like another member of foundation personnel suddenly run straight at Cain, before crushing the aforementioned crystal in his hand and causing everyone around him to disappear, including Cain himself. “Because of this, many important anomalies, items, and foundation personnel went missing, including the likes of Abel and, of course, as you’ve just seen, Cain.”

I let the information sit with her for a second so she could properly process it before abruptly continuing. I’ve got a timetable to keep, after all. “What makes it even worse is that following this attack, many large external forces began unexpected assaults on foundation sites. These forces included the likes of the Serpent’s Hand, the Chaos Insurgency, long-forgotten remnants of the Chicago Spirits, and a few other supposed forces that we are still trying to work out the origin of. As you can expect, that has left our forces stretched rather thin, leaving us with not many other choices to call upon to help us with our mission of recovering these missing anomalies and personnel.”

I gave a warm, yet all the same, actively deceiving smile. “Is that enough context for you? Or do you need me to list off each individual personnel and anomaly that went missing?” 

“That’s… I’m fine.” She ended up saying, her eyes widened after my explanation, as if not at all expecting it… which I guess I can’t really fault her for.

“Hehe, of course you are. After all… those two are really the only ones you're interested in, right?” I pointed out with a tiny bit of snark, causing the twenty-year-old girl to snarl a bit.

“… I don’t give… I don’t give a fuck about what happens to Abel.” She ended up saying uncertainty, almost as if she herself was still deciding if that truly was the case or not.

“Of course you don’t… but it’s a different story for his older brother, now isn’t it?”

“…” The girl remained silent, knowing that I hit her where it hurts. Her gaze lingered back down towards the tablet, on which the security video had long since finished. “… You know, I wouldn’t put it past you guys to stage a fake video. Some sort of… fake-ass screenplay or whatever to pressure me into doing your bidding again.”

“Hehe, Iris. You’re important… but unfortunately, you aren’t that important.” I explained, not surprised to see Iris not at all flinch at my words, as I was only speaking the truth to her. “We also both know that Cain is a vital part of Alpha-9. It wouldn’t be worth it to cut him out of the team just to send you on a wild goose chase. And believe me when I say that this is urgent. It’s barely been four days since the incident, and since then, the entirety of Nu-7 has been seemingly wiped out. Both Dr. Kondraki and Dmitri Strelnikov have been officially declared MIA. And multiple foundation sites are close to being completely overrun. Why come up with some outlandish scheme unless we actually need you?”

The girl seemed to process my words for a moment, internally admitting that her previous point was ridiculous in the context of everything that I laid out before her.

Eventually, she just sighed, probably realizing that she never really had a choice to begin with.

“… Fine. I guess it’s better than being stuck in this depressing cell for any longer.” She finally said, still obviously reluctant but convinced enough to at least give it a try.

She slowly sat up off the bed and began walking towards me, her eyes never making contact with mine in some sort of rebellious act.

“I’ll lead your fucking team again… But just know, if it ever comes to choosing their lives over yours, I’m choosing theirs.” 

“Hmm, that’s what I’m hoping for.” I hummed before lightly tapping Iris on the back, leading her out of her depressing room.

She seemed surprised at first, but reluctantly went along with it. She clutched her left arm with her right hand as we moved through the hallway, taking on a much more nervous demeanor.

“… So, uhh… who exactly is on the team this time?”

“Hmm, some old faces, mostly new faces. There’s still one item that I requested from the council that’s on its way here, but that’s not as important. Besides that, I decided to cut certain redundant members that I found weren’t too helpful during previous test runs on your team.”

“Heh, test runs? Is that what all our missions have been to you?” 

“Compared to what you're about to go through, yes. Those are child’s play compared to what we’re expecting from here on out.” I admitted with no subtlety, not wanting to hide any details from the leader of the team. “But don’t worry. Despite losing Cain, we have some other tough members.”

We turned a corner, heading straight towards a large door at the end of the hallway.

Her gaze rose. “Really? Like who?”

“Hehehe… why don’t you see for yourself?” I chuckled as we made it to the door, before swiping my keycard on the nearby card reader. Immediately, it came to life and slid open, revealing an extremely wide conference room. Many of the seats were taken by both strange and normal figures alike. A giant bug-looking creature sat on the far end, who needed a unique, exceedingly large wooden chair brought in to support its weight. Another, seemingly completely metallic and silver in nature, sat near the head, looking like the only one in attention at the moment. Not far off was the recognizable Dr. Glass, who sat right next to a boy in a red hoodie, with Sinclair opposite of them loudly begging a tank top-wearing girl next to her to make a large furry creature for her.

Iris’s eyes widened like dinner plates as she took it all in, allowing me to smirk and pat her on the back.

“This is Alpha-9, your team… good luck.”

“Oh… fuck.”

 

---

SCP-343 POV

…

..

.

“Will you continue to just stare at me, or will you actually say something?” I asked curiously, a bit sharper than I would with anyone else, but the man who sat across the table from me, his boot resting atop the fine wooden table. 

“Depends. Are you God?”

“Hmm, God is a loose term. But in the context of what I assume you're asking… then yes, I am God.” I explained calmly despite the opposing voices' harshness. 

“Tch, alright mister high and mighty himself… I have some questions for you.” They began speaking once more, before slipping their feet back under the table where they belong, with his face coming out of the shadows to face me directly. 

“Tell me… how do I get to Hell?”

“Heh… hehehe.” I begin chuckling at the man’s sudden words, both expecting and not expecting them at the same time. “Why, I believe the answer to the question is quite simple. After all, you aren’t exactly a saint yourself—”

I looked up mid-word, coming face to face with the three-eyed devil himself.

“— Dr. Clef.”

Notes:

Iris: No!

Dr. Light: (says something vague about Cain.)

Iris: You son of a bitch, I’m in!

 

Sigh… I’ve got a confession to make… First of all, I just want to apologize if this chapter, as well as the last couple chapters, weren’t up to the same quality of work that you all were expecting.

Maybe it’s because of the changes in my life, or the fact that I moved away from the hazbin stuff to focus on the SCP areas of the world, but I recently have felt myself beginning to slump slightly in my writing. Don’t get me wrong, my passion for this is still clearly there, but I just haven’t felt as proud of my work recently as I did before the conclusion of Arc 1. This became evident when I was working on the next chapter, and just something I wanted to bring up and apologize for.

I already feel like I’m beginning to get better from my recent slump, so I’m not putting the story on hiatus or anything. I just wanted to genuinely apologize for the quality of the last couple chapters, and possibly the next one as well. It just sucks because I was really looking forward to writing and sharing the assembly of the team with you all, but it just didn’t come out the way I wanted. Like it all felt so forced and mechanical, despite my best efforts to make it as believable as possible. Maybe it’s just me being super critical on myself, but I just have felt like I’ve been missing something recently when writing the chapters.

Once again, I’m sorry. And thank you to everyone that still have continued to read and support the story up to this point despite it. You all are amazing, and are what keeps this story alive.

Sorry, just felt like I needed to rant. No need to pity party me in the comments or anything, I just felt like I wanted to say this to someone, and you all felt like the closest thing I have to a Dr. Glass. So thank you!

Anyways, hopes you enjoyed the chapter despite it all. Drop a kudos if you did. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, ideas, compliments or wisecracks. And I hope you all have a terrific day today!

Chapter 50: Little Birdies

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Clef and 343 have a... conversation.

343 calls upon an old freind.

Forces in the shadow take their first move.

Notes:

"When the world ends, what is the difference between good and evil?"

First Person POV

 

“Yaaaaaawwwwwn”

“Hehe, not a lot of sleep last night?” My partner asked through the comm system in my headset, causing me to roll my eyes.

“With everything going on lately? I barely got six hours before shit hit the fan; now I’ve been forced to work with only half of that for the last couple of days.” I chuckled, rubbing some sand out of my eye as I looked out the window of our vehicle, spying the sprawling green hills that moved swiftly beneath our helicopter. “Unlike you, who I’m sure gets mandatory sleep time or whatever to make sure you don’t fucking crash us.”

He shrugged his shoulders, eyes still glued on the scenery ahead of him, catching sight of three other fast-moving helicopters. “What can I say? Perks of being a pilot. You could give it a try if you want.”

I rolled my eyes. “And be put in charge of transporting anomalies all the time? Yeah, I’m good.” I spoke with no small amount of annoyance before shifting in my passenger seat to look behind me, noting a collection of eight other soldiers crammed in the long helicopter, a secure metal box between them. “Where are we transporting this thing to again?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but from what I’ve been told, this thing is gonna find its way to site-002 eventually.”

I looked back at the pilot, surprised. “Site two? What do they need this thing for over there? Somebody lost a keycard or something?”

“Heh, I doubt they’d have us go through all this trouble just for some clumsy son of a bitch.” The pilot chuckled, his hand moving up above him to flick some switches as they continued soaring through the air. “From what I’ve heard, Dr. Clef requested this item himself.”

“Dr. Clef? Hasn’t he been put in charge of recovering all the lost SCPs? What the hell does he need this thing for?”

“No idea. But I don’t want to get on that creep's bad side, so I’m not gonna question it.” The pilot continued, before raising a hand to his headset, probably ready to join in the main channel again. “Besides, I’m not sure how this thing wouldn’t be useful. Safe as it may be, this thing could cause just as many security breaches as the serpent's hand did if put in the wrong hands. Not sure if Clef is the right one to trust, but at least he’s trying to do something.”

I sighed. “That’s fair, I guess. Still, this seems like overkill when it comes to security.” I pointed out, looking through the windows of our long helicopter, seeing it surrounded by five Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. “It’s almost like they’re expecting an ambush.”

“Can’t blame them really. We don’t know who’s a spy nowadays after the stunt from the Serpent bastards.” The pilot churned, before shrugging again. “But I'm sure it's fine. We have enough firepower to take down a small army with these babies. Doubt anyone would even try.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” I admitted, before returning myself to a comfortable position, my automatic weapon still clung to my chest as I tried my best to stop my feet from falling asleep.

We both went silent, letting the hours drag on as we made our way across the country to the fabled Site-002.

All the while, unprepared for who set a trap for us… or more accurately, what.

 

---

Dr. Clef POV

I tapped my fingers on my shoulder impatiently, staring across the table at the larger-than-life man. 

To me, the man looked Caucasian in nature. With calmed yet somehow steeled eyes. His brown beard reached down to the middle of his chest, of which it was covered by a cloth outfit of some kind, not dissimilar to what priests would wear, only simpler and much more bland in nature.

He stared me down, as I stared him down. None of us spoke after his last comment, resulting in a tense silence that would give even the strongest of men heart attacks if they were to witness it.

Still, neither of us backed down, only continuing to add fuel to the metaphorical sparks that clashed between our gazes.

“… Milkshake?” The large man eventually asked, pulling up a glass cup filled with what looked to be a chocolate milkshake out of nowhere. “I’m sure you must be tired, considering I’m seeing three sets of bags beneath your eyes.”

“Hm, yeah. I’m sure you don’t know what that’s like.” I rolled my eyes in question, not even bothering to glance at the milkshake he presented. “Didn’t it take you a full fucking week or something to make the universe? Sure you didn’t start with the concept of sleeping back then.”

“Hmm… well, it was technically six days, not a week.” I chuckled before taking a sip from the sugary drink himself before placing it on the table. “But I see your point.”

“Do you?”

“… Why exactly have you taken a sudden interest Hell, Mr. Clef?” The man decidedly ignored my question and instead forced our conversation in a new direction. “It is never too late to repent if that’s what you're hoping for. But I fear that isn’t exactly the man you are.”

“Well, that’s the first thing you’ve been right about all goddamn day.” I returned, before leaning across the table to the man, grabbing the milkshake from ahead of him as he seemed completely unbothered. “… Not long ago, a mass containment breach occurred… But I’m sure you already knew that. Omniscient and all that crap.”

“Hehe, I admit that I have heard a thing or two about this situation.” The man chuckled harshly before crossing his arms and staring at me. “Did you come here in hopes that I’ll just poof them all back for you?”

“… Something like that. I mean, I’d figured you would be the expert on all of this.” I began, confusing the older gentleman somewhat as he tilted his head, affording me an opportunity to take a quick sip of his offered milkshake before placing it back on the table. “After all, my own ‘little birdy’ has informed me that they all went tumbling down to Hell… Figured you would know the way in or out of a place like that.”

“Hmm, perhaps I do… But what incentive do I have to tell you?” 

My fist clenched angrily, but I managed to keep it hidden as I kept a neutral expression on my face. “Your incentive is that I won’t put a bullet through your eyes.”

“Quick to threaten, aren’t you?” SCP-343 chuckled, no fear present in his voice as he did so. “If you want my advice, I’d lose that attitude. Plenty of people out there who are stronger than you will take you up on that offer.”

“And what about you?” I squinted my eyes, decidedly ignoring the smirk the bearded man gave me in response.

“I’d say… give it your best shot.”

“…” My hand lowered to my side, reaching into my lab coat and gripping onto the handle of a recognizable weapon. “I take it that means you aren’t going to help me?”

“Hmm, you aren’t the first person I’ve been forced to give this answer to, and you probably won’t be the last… But no, I can’t offer you my support, at least not at this moment.” He spoke calmly, though I swear I was beginning to hear a tinge of regret in his voice as he did so. “At this point, how you continue your mission is completely up to you. How you get to Hell is up to you… I guess the only question now is if you're going to live up to your earlier threat.”

His gaze rose once more to meet mine as we stared each other down. 

My grip tightened around the gun in my coat, a million thoughts running through my head. Is he bluffing? Is this a test? Does he really want me to kill him?

… Can I kill him? 

‘I can stop his reality bending, but… would that really be enough?’ I thought solemnly, and the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t seem likely… At the same time, though, it only continued to piss me off and make me want to try. 

‘If I do, though… then there’s a chance… that I wouldn’t be able to…’

My head flashed with images of Merri… my daughter… 

‘My uncaring attitude is what put her in the position she’s in right now… if I only cared a little more—if I was only a little more present… maybe I could’ve saved her.’

“… I will… I’m just saving the bullet for another day.” I finally relented, dropping my hand from my lab coat. I ignored the smile that ‘God’ gave me in response to the action and stood up. “Thanks for nothing, asshole.”

I turned, ready to leave… before turning back around and swiping the milkshake off the table.

“I’m keeping this.”

“Heh, please go ahead.” They welcomed my theft warmly, causing me to growl.

“Fucking pretentious prick.” I murmured as I began leaving the warmly lit containment cell, which was currently outfitted as if it were a luxurious wooden cabin.

As I made my way to the impossibly wooden door, however, the fucker's voice shines through again.

“I will give you one piece of advice. The research that the good Dr. Gears was working on… it leads in the right direction. Follow the breadcrumbs left behind by your so-called ‘vengeful spirits,’ and you may find both what you're looking for. Along what you’ve been desperately trying to avoid.”

I froze… 

“… I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good, you only have one of them after all. Easy to break, yet hard to cherish.” He chuckled, causing me to turn away annoyed before leaving his cell in a surprisingly peaceful manner.

I left the room, contemplating everything the man told me before looking up and…

“Fucking again?” I exasperatedly noted a collection of at least twenty different guards pointing their guns at the door, hiding behind makeshift barricades and keeping their fingers on the trigger. “What were you people even expecting me to do in there?”

“… Kill… God?” 

“… You're all pathetic.”

I brushed past the scared soldiers, heading straight through them to a nearby conference that Dr. Light was collecting her team of mentally deranged fuckers at.

I took a sip from the milkshake as I did so, before releasing a surprised hum.

It was strangely good.

 

---

SCP-343 POV

 

I watched as the man-made devil himself left the room, the door heavily closing behind him.

I’m not ashamed to admit that I felt my shoulders loosen up slightly at his departure, as the slightest inkling of worry had built up in me as we were speaking to each other.

Still, I chuckled about the whole encounter before. I knew he would find his way here eventually, but it was still a tad sooner than I originally expected.

As for the apparent ‘little birdy’ that told him about Hell… I only had one guess as to who that could be.

I smirked before closing my eyes, using my power to force myself into the deepest depths of the dreamworld. The world around me consumed me in darkness as I willingly lost consciousness, leaving myself open to meet a certain figure.

As I forced myself into a slumber… I called out into the endless abyss… Nay, commanded the abyss of shadow. Forcing it to bring someone to me, forcing it to deliver a message on my behalf.

As I did, I waited a few moments, contemplating silently in the shadows… before feeling a familiar presence make itself known in my empty dream.

“Hmm… it has been a while.” I spoke calmly, before turning my gaze behind me, spying a lone bench surrounded by endless darkness. A singular man in an old black suit sat on the bench, gripping a single cane in his hand as he refused to meet my gaze. A man whom I believe the foundation had classified as SCP-990. “How have you been?”

“… Better… I’ve been better.” He explained, shaking his head in indignation before staring up, allowing me to stare into his eyes. Eyes that were usually hidden beneath the fedora he wore. His eyes felt like a point in space, as if by staring into them you could see millions of twinkling stars. “Have you finally decided to do something?”

“Hehe… not yet, unfortunately.” I explained, feeling a twinge of hurt as I saw the man’s head turn away in hurt as I did so. “It is not the right time yet.”

“It’ll never be the right time… Nothing will ever be perfect. That’s why we force ourselves where we don’t belong.” The dream man replied, his voice constantly teetering between anger and admiration as he spoke. “You taught me that… Which is why I’m confused as to your inaction now.”

My eyes softened as I looked away, staring into the abyss of darkness. 

“I heard you’ve talked to a certain three-eyed devil masquerading as a human.” I spoke, noting that the dream man's expression never changed as I did so. “May I ask why?”

“Because why not? I’ve been giving my damndest to help the foundation for however many years it’s been since I first introduced myself to them.” He explained, tucking at his hat to hide his eyes once more. “They’re not perfect, I’ll admit. But the world would be a much worse place without them.”

“Hmm… you have a point there.” I admitted, before chuckling to myself.

“My lord, is this conversation going anywhere? Because if it isn’t, I do have something important to attend to.” 

“Hehe, every conversation is important. No words ever spoken have been a waste in this world.” I sigh humbly before turning my gaze to the man once more. “But yes, there is a reason for this conversation. A simple favor I must ask of you.”

The man shifted in confusion, surprised, before returning to his neutral expression. “And that would be?”

I smirked, hiding the annoying grin beneath my beard. 

“… Prepare.”

His eyes tore open, as if the force of the universe itself attempted to pull his eyelids from his pupils.

His mouth hung open in shock, as he was barely able to hold onto his cane. Still, after a moment he managed to collect himself before looking at me in disbelief.

“Are… are you sure?”

“Positive. The time is here.”

Begrudgingly, the man tipped his hat downwards. “A—as you wish, my lord… I shall make haste to contact Azrael as soon as I can.”

“He is a busy man, so expend yourself a few days… As a matter of fact, I’d recommend following around the three-eyed devil for a while.” I grimly spoke, turning to the darkened sky. “I’m sure he’ll inevitably lead you to him. After all, death follows that man like a bad stench.”

“… So be it. Farewell, my lord.”

“And farewell to you too… Jeremiel.”

And with that, the darkness shattered into a million stars, transcending the darkness and shooting across the infinite sky.

I awoke, in the same seat, in the same cell (though I much prefer to call it my home away from home).

I took a breath, and now that I was finally in my lonesome, I could give myself a moment to breathe, to think…

To fear.

 

---

First Person POV

 

The helicopter continued to fly above the abundance of hills and prairies, coming close to a densely wooded area.

“Alright, just one more hour till we’re at the drop-off point.” The pilot screamed over the shared comms, informing everyone in our helicopter. 

“Fucking finally! My legs were beginning to fall asleep.” I groaned in a jokeful demeanor across me and the pilot's private channel, causing the man next to me to roll his eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah, as long as it isn’t your trigger finger that falls asleep, I don’t really care.” The pilot returned after switching channels, making sure the other surrounding helicopters couldn’t hear us. “You do your job, I do mine. After that, you could drop dead for all I care.”

“Hugh, I’m heartbroken.” I replied sarcastically, causing the man to chuckle a bit. “After everything we’ve been through together in Afghanistan, this is how you treat me?”

“You and I remember Afghanistan very differently.” He shook his head in a motion that feigned annoyance. “Besides, I saved your ass back then, so don’t even try to play that card—”

VWOOM!

Suddenly, without warning, the helicopter at our nine o’clock veered off course, swerving to its left in an erratic motion.

Confused, my pilot quickly raised his hands and switched frequencies to the common channel between the helicopters.

“Eagle Seven, this is Eagle One. What happened over there—”

“HELP! IT’S—No… NO, STAY BACK— GAHHHH— PZZTZTZT…”

PZZT

The channel cut itself off, just as the helicopter began to dip downwards. Before we could even attempt to try and look through the windows to see what happened, the vehicle dropped harshly, straight downwards, into the trees beneath us.

BOOM!

… only to meet its end at the hands of a gruesome explosion flame and shrapnel against the oaken trees.

“Shit— SHIT!” The pilot screamed as I worriedly gripped my gun, double-checking to make sure my parachute was still fastened to the back of my uniform. “This is Eagle One! We are under attack; I repeat, we are under attack! Commence formation skyhawk! I repeat, commence formation skyhawk—”

BANG!

“AHH!” The pilot screamed in pain.

~~BEEP~~ BEEP

Loud emergency beeps echoed through my ear as I recoiled in shock, realizing that the pilot began gripping his right shoulder in pain. I could see crimson blood beginning to creep out of his suit, staining his hands.

As soon as I noticed that, however, I began choking on my own breath.

Desperately I reached up and gripped my neck, my eyes desperate.

Eventually, I hurriedly gripped the emergency oxygen mask I had hanging to my side and strapped it to my mouth, giving me the luxury of a few greedy breaths. Still, I struggled to learn what the cause of the loss of air was… until I spotted the windshield ahead of the pilot. The glass cracked like spider webs, with a singular, perfectly round hole in the epicenter of the cracks.

‘He’s been shot!’ I realized with a terrified gasp, before turning to see the pilot still trying his best to pilot the helicopter despite the hole in his shoulder, his oxygen mask already present on his face as he desperately wrestled for control.

“Dammit— EAGLE ONE HAS BEEN SHOT! I REPEAT, HE HAS BEEN SHOT! PROTECT US FOR AN EMERGENCY LANDING!” I desperately tried to regain control, the soldiers in the area behind me already gripping their weapons, ready to give their lives at a moment's notice. 

Dammit, DAMMIT! Who’s attacking us?! How did Eagle Seven go down?! What the fuck is happening?!?!

WHOOSH!

Before I could even begin to ponder these myriad of questions, however, a sudden shape shot out of the forested foliage beneath us, flying straight through the air and stopping directly in our paths. I squinted my eyes, trying to figure out what it was and…

I… I couldn’t even explain it! I could barely see the thing's main body, as all I could make out were dozens upon dozens of pristine white wings of all shapes and sizes! Some the size of hands, while others that of whole bodies!

And it just flapped its many oversized wings there, directly on our path.

“Fuck, we got an anomaly! Open fire—”

WHOOSH!

Before I could even finish giving a command through the headpiece in the pilot's stead, the many-winged beast suddenly rocketed itself forward, straight towards the attack helicopter at my three o’clock.

It was so fast that I could barely see its blur as it flew forward, one of its wings raising high in the air, seemingly growing before—

SLASH!

It cut downwards… Cutting the helicopter cleanly in half, before exploding into an inferno of shrapnel. I was forced to cover my eyes from the light, barely being able to process what just happened.

“SHIT, EAGLE TWELVE, EAGLE THREE! GIVE US COVER TO—”

BOOM!

BOOM!

I wasn’t even afforded the luxury of completing my sentence this time, as, without me realizing it, two of the three remaining attack helicopters had fallen lifelessly to the ground beneath us, as I only received static from their ends.

‘What?! But the airborne threat hasn’t even moved; what happened too— agh, it doesn’t matter!’

“EAGLE EIGHT, TAKE IT OUT!” I commanded our final standing transport helicopter.

“~~PZZT~~ Affirmative, launching missiles.” The voice responded with surprising coolness as the final helicopter suddenly flew ahead of us as we struggled to maintain control before releasing a torrent of five missiles straight towards the seemingly winged beast.

BOOM! BOOM!— BOOMBOOMBOOM!!!

All of them hit their target, causing a myriad of bubbling explosions to cascade across the sky, blowing up the winged creature that just stayed in place after taking out the first helicopter.

For the first time, I managed to give a sigh of relief, glad that they managed to actually hit the thing. Now all that’s left is to find out how the other helicopter—

SLING!

In but a fraction of a second, all my hopes were dashed. As out of the smoke, a singular large white wing shot across the sky like a blade… stabbing straight into Eagle Eight and—

BOOM!

“No… NO!” I screamed through gritted teeth before turning to the pilot. “Get us on the ground now!”

“I—I’m trying!” He managed to gasp out despite the hole in his shoulder. “I can’t—I can’t get control of the damn thing!”

“Well, you better hurry! Because we’re about to be fucking history if you don’t—”

“GAHH!” I managed to hear a scream. Turning back, I was horrified to see all of the soldiers at the back of the helicopter now standing, their guns pointed towards a… a…

“IS THAT FUCKING SCP-106!?” I screamed as a Black, smiling old man seemingly walked out of the back wall of the helicopter. Its mere presence causing the metal on the vehicle to blacken and wither away. It’s torn vest being the only piece of clothing it wore. It looked just like how the file described him, barring the fact that the creature was currently missing its left arm.

I could barely even contemplate that fact, however, as the small battalion of soldiers immediately began opening fire on instinct. Their firepower didn’t even startle the beast, as it simply walked forward, lifted its singular hand, and—

“GAHH!” 

The helicopter teetered back and forth, and I found myself unable to look away from the grisly scene behind me. One by one, each soldier fell. Some were lucky, and the creature just killed them with a single swipe from its disgusting hand, while others found themselves sinking in blotches of black goo that condensed at their feet, never to be seen again as they screamed in fear.

“Dammit, what’s going on back there!” I heard the pilot scream through his desperate attempts to regain control of the vehicle. “What’s happening?!”

“I… I…”

I couldn’t find the words to answer. My mouth felt dry, my words and logic falling flat. I couldn’t make sense of it. Why… why was it here!

“Fuck! Talk to me, dammit—”

BANG 

“GAHH!” The pilot screamed one more time, as another bullet pierced through the windshield, striking him in the chest. “Goddamit—”

BANG!

Only to be shut up by a third and final bullet, striking them right between the eyes.

“No— NO! SHIT!” I screamed out in panic as the helicopter began hurtling towards the ground. My eyes shook, and my palms became sweaty. I could barely see straight; I could barely think!

‘DAMMIT!’

I reached to my side, grabbing a walkie-talkie. I changed frequencies and began speaking frantically. “THIS IS EAGLE TWO! WE’VE BEEN ATTACKED BY—”

BANG!

Before I could even finish my attempt to send out a message, the radio exploded in my now blood-soaked hands. I recoiled in pain as I looked ahead, seeing a fresh hole in the windshield.

I was shocked, realizing that someone, or something, managed to shoot the small radio out of my hands while in the middle of an out-of-control helicopte— 

SHIT, I'M STILL IN AN OUT OF CONTROL HELICOPTER!!!

“…Hehehe…”

Amidst my panic, I recognized a crackly, almost dry-heaving chuckle. I turned my gaze away from the ever-enclosing forest beneath me to the back seat and saw with no small portion of horror that the entire thing had been cleared out… nobody was left alive…

And all that remained was the anomalous old man… hand on the small metal box we were transporting. He chuckled, its dead yet all the same alive eyes staring at me with gleeful satisfaction… before they began to sink in their own back goo, taking the box with them.

“No— NO, don’t leave me here!” I screamed in a final act of desperation, fight or flight kicking in as I hurriedly unbuckled myself from the seat before running towards him, knowing that jumping out now would be a guaranteed death wish. “Don’t leave me! Please! Save me!”

I jumped in the back, stepping over the bloodied carcasses of my former friends. Tears etching themselves on my skin as I ran with all the desperation I could muster.

The creature continued to smile, seemingly finding joy in my pitiful pleading… before chuckling once more and disappearing completely beneath the depth of its power.

“No— NO! PLEASE!” I screamed, dropping to my knees! I began banging on the blackened metal, not even caring about the burning sensation of my hands that came with touching what remained of the monster. “PLEASE! COME BACK! SAVE ME! SAVE—”

BOOM!

 

---

SCP-035 POV

“London Bridge is falling down… falling down… falling down.” I sang silently to myself, a sniper held aloft over my shoulder as I walked into a forest clearing. 

“London Bridge is falling down…” I felt the heat radiate off the face of my host as I looked up, spying the crash site of the large helicopter… its turbines separated, doors and glass alike shattered and strewn apart, leaving room for the embers to burn within, destroying the bodies of the once oh so suitable hosts.

I smirked. “… My, fair lady… hehehehehe.” I chuckled, finishing my low song, before walking over to the crash site.

I spared a second to look at it, confirming they weren't any survivors… before chuckling once more.

“Splendid work, little birdy.” I complimented with a sadistic grin, all while I felt a surge of air get picked up behind me, as well as feeling the eyes roll the women in question was giving me.

“Please, must you call me that?” She spat in disgust, causing me to turn back. I took notice once more of her weak, yet recovering body. Still, she used her long wings to move around like a spider, while the rest of her feathery appendages wrapped tightly around her, forming a cloak-like item.

“What? Do you not like it?” I joked, finding joy in teasing her on the matter as she looked away. “You already disapproved of me calling you Wings, guardian angel, and my little dove, and now this? Must you starve me for a nickname?”

“… you could always just call me by my actual name.” I murmured, causing me to chuckle.

“I could… but I feel like you despise that name more than all the rest, Asaph.”

She grimaced. “That—”

“Regardless, it matters naught to me… All I care about at the moment is whether our first outing as a team was successful. Speaking of which.” I looked out towards the smoldering flames once more. “We are still missing someone. Ain’t that right, Gramps?”

“…”

In the silence, a puddle of goo formed on the ground ahead of me. I watched silently, surprise absent from my face, as the one-armed creature slowly emerged. Their smile, almost a crooked version of my own, present on their face.

“Tell me… Did you get it?”

Wordlessly, the creature lifted their one remaining hand… revealing a heavy metal cube. 

I smiled. “Excellent… I believe it’s your turn to shine now, bird of a feather.”

Assaph rolled her eyes once more. “Wow, you somehow came up with something even worse. I'd be impressed if I wasn’t busy being disappointed.” They spoke coldly, before one of their many wings lifted into the air, and—

SLASH!

With one cut, the box was sliced in half. The lid came off as the old man fearlessly held onto the bottom, tilting his head curiously as he looked in the box.

“Perfect.” I muttered, reaching for the box… only for the dark man to recline his arm back slightly, putting it just out of my reach.

Noting this, I looked up to him unimpressed. A silent conversation passed through our eyes before I sighed. “Don’t worry, you big baby. I’ll get your arm back for you, like we promised. I just need that key to do it.”

… Reluctantly, the creature brought its arm forward once more, accepting my words. I chuckled before reaching my hand into the box.

“So, what was so important that you felt the need to attack these people anyway?” Asaph, my only other companion that could speak, asked as they used a wing to kick one of the pieces of rubble. “You took over the mind of a whole new person to learn about this before having us move you back to… this disgusting body again. Why?”

“Hehe, for the body… I’m just not willing to let this fine specimen go just yet.” I replied, feeling my host's impish appendages and tail, chuckling. “Even with some of their muscles deteriorated, they’re still far superior to any human host I could ever hope for. Along with that, their demonic lineage seems to slow down their bodies' deterioration compared to humans, so I may as well take advantage of that nifty quirk.” I explained in detail, before drawing my eyes back towards the box. “As for why I wanted this… you’ll see.”

I smiled as I pulled out a singular old, yet surprisingly ornate key. Ancient-looking, as if it were from the 1920s. I tested its weight in my hand before smirking.

“What is it?” Asaph asked once more, causing me to chuckle.

“I'd show some respect if I were you, dear. After all, this is one of our great ancestors!” I replied jokingly, raising the key up to the sun's light. “One of the bastards that started it all. Or, as the foundation likes to call it… SCP-005.”

Notes:

343: (Breathes)

Clef: You pretentious assshole!

Hey... I don't really have much to say this time, besides to say thank you for all the kind words you all said on the last chapters comments. It means a lot, and im so happy that you all enjoy the story as much as you do.

Also, I want to give Roman23 a huge thank you (Yes, again) for making another short story based on his interpretation of my story called "The story of one Lilith". I reccomend you all checking it out if you have the chance, and ill leave a link down below.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/62273461

Besides that, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I think I am through the bit of writers block that I mentioned last time, so thats good. Still, there are some elements of this chapter that I am not super happy with, but I stilll hope you all enjoyed it nonetheless. I wil say that next chapter is partly the reason tp this, as I decided to write about the hotel again, which was a nice break. Plus this chapter has begun to reveal one of the bigger elements of the story, so I hope you enjoyed that!

Anyways, thats really everything I had to say. So, drop a kudos if you enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any questions, jokes, wisecrack, or suggestions. And I hope you all have a godly day!

Chapter 51: Just another hotel guest.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Back in Hell, another estranged individual wanders into a certain hotel.

Notes:

"Would you reject a free meal?"

???????? POV

 

I’m scared.

“Move out of the way, jackass!” A red-skinned creature screamed from his car's window, past me.

Where am I?

“Oy, stop complaining! A fucking light pole fell over!” Another weird creature screamed, pointing towards a metal light pole that was cleanly cut at the bottom, causing it to crash onto the street.

I… I didn’t mean to. It was an accident!

“Like I give a shit! Just drive around it!”

It’s so loud… so much yelling…

“Are you a dumbass! I’ll wreck my car if I do that!”

“You think I fucking care!”

So loud, so loud. So loud!

“Oh, I’ll show you how much you should fucking care!” The first demon stepped out, walking past me as my hands clamped down on my ears.

Please, please stop. I don’t—

BAM!

“Gahh, what’s your fucking deal, asshole!”

“Oh, I’ll show you what my deal is— get over here!”

I couldn't take it anymore. My body quaked uncomfortably. I shivered in grotesque ways, as if held against a cold, metal wall.

Please help me, friend. Where are you, where are you?!

I desperately flee the scene, shaking my head in an attempt to offset the awakening headache.

I had been hiding for the last couple of days—

Why did I leave?

I was scared, so I hid myself in a corner of a building—

I should’ve stayed there, waiting for friend!

Finally, after days, I decided to leave—

It was a mistake, A MISTAKE!

WHERE AM I!

I WANNA GO HOME!

PLEASE, FRIEND, WHERE ARE YOU—

BAM

“Goh.” The startled cry released from me as I accidentally hit a door unintentionally.

Rubbing my head in pain, I looked up. Confused at first and slightly frightened by the large building that I accidentally stumbled into unintentionally.

Looking back, I realized that I had accidentally run all the way up a lone hill, hitting this large building.

Backing up a bit more, I looked up confused as I saw massive letters hang on the building…

L-letters… H… A… Z…

My mind hurt trying to read them, causing me to grab my head again. The headache continued throbbing in my mind. I just wanted to do something, something to get my mind off of it all!

Maybe… friend… in here…

At the thought, I, reluctantly, wandered back to the front door before opening it.

It creaked open in an almost painful manner, forcing me to draw my arms to my head again. When it did open, however, I was invited to a large open room.

It was warmly lit, everything draped in crimson with a similarly colored rug leading straight to a staircase.

Nervously, I fluttered in. It was empty, no friend in sight… nothing in sight.

No friend… no friend! Where’s friend?!

Panic began creeping in on me as I began entering the room more frantically. My eye looked around desperately, hoping to find something that I recognized! Something!

As I continuously failed that task, my breath quickened. My skin became itchy. I just want to go back— I just wanna go home!

BAM!

That was, until I accidentally hit my back against one of the side doors in the main lobby. As I did… I fell backwards, with it being unlocked.

I shook my head, taken aback by the sudden action… Until I looked up and realized where I was.

K… Kitchen.

The white cabinets, the stoves, the fridge, sinks, and dishwasher. All of it was here!

I… began calming down as I saw this. My skin still itches, stress pouring through every pore and crevasse on my face.

So, I wandered towards the fridge… and opened it.

F-food.

I thought ecstatically. Something… something to keep my mind off it all!

It was then that I looked around, realizing that I recognized almost all of the utensils in this kitchen.

I… I c-can work… with this.

---

Angel Dust POV

 

“Oh, I’m fuckin’ STARVING!” I complained with a yawn, my back cracking as I stretched my multiple pairs of arms behind my head as I walked down the velvety halls. “Seriously, for a hotel they sure do have fuck all catering. I used to never stay at a place that didn’t have at least complimentary breakfast.”

My groaning hit deaf ears, however, as I continued walking down the hall. The rumbling in my gut reminding me of a fucking earthquake!

‘Damn, it almost makes me want to run back to Valentino… almost.’ I joked internally as I finally arrived in the main lobby, beginning to walk down the stairs. ‘Say what you want about that asshole moth, but at least he kept us well fed. Mostly just so we don’t look like a walking corpse when filming, but my point still stands!’

“Sigh, what am I even thinking? I can’t just come up with excuses. I’m probably gonna have to return to them eventually anyways. I’m just stallin’ at this point.” I reconciled in my head, debating how much longer I’d be able to stay away from them. “The bastard has my soul, after all. The only thing stopping him from just offing me is the fact that I’m his best dick sucker. The second he thinks that I’ll never come back to him, he’ll… hmm? What’s that smell?”

My thoughts interrupted as a euphoria of smells made themselves known to me. Both familiar and alien, enticing me to follow its trail.

I did, beginning to increase my pace down the stairs… before I came face to face with a long table right in the middle of the lobby that hadn’t been there the night prior… and on top of the table.

“Hehe, oh fuck yeah! Someone finally learned how to cook in this damn place!” I celebrated as I gazed upon many delicious and mouthwatering foods! From fluffy blue eggs that encourage my breakfast cravings to toast seemingly baked and buttered to absolute perfection, a crispy Hell Turkey that oozes juices and smells like it was commanding me to go over and dig into its succulent dead carcass if the once majestic bird!

“There’s even a fucking cake!” I exclaimed, looking at what appeared to be a five-layered chocolate cake that sat in the middle of the table. Just looking at the damn thing is giving me a toothache!

“Hehe, well, looks like one of my prayers was answered after all!” I exclaimed excitedly as I jumped onto a seat right in the middle of the long rectangular table. “Damn, maybe I should bitch out loud about my problems more often! This is awesome!”

At that declaration, I began digging in, taking a bite of one of the many servings of eggs first.

“Hmm—Fuck! This is amazing!” I exclaimed after the first bite, as flavors began exploding in my mouth. 

Not wasting any time, I took a bite of the turkey next and was once more shocked by just how juicy it was! 

“Shit, I could fuck whoever made this; it’s so good!”

“You’d fuck anybody who would give you cocaine wrapped in a five-dollar bill.” A voice suddenly spoke boredly from behind, causing me to smirk.

“Hey!… It would have to at least be a twenty.” I spoke back playfully before looking over my shoulder. Unsurprisingly, I saw Paul, the grinch of the hour, make his way down the stairs, wearing the same gas mask as always. Next to him also walked the other gas mask-wearing man, Andrew. Who shook his head at the conversation between the two of us.

“Do you really have to insult somebody first thing in the morning?” Andrew exasperatedly asked, causing his friend to shrink back slightly, almost embarrassed by the chastising from his friend.

“Hehe, it’s alright, toots, I don’t really mind.” I smiled back, waving off their worry before turning back to the food. “Besides, cook meals like this for me, everybody, and you can call me whatever the fuck you want!”

Andrew raised an eyebrow beneath his mask. “You didn’t make this?”

“Pfft, no. You think I have time to suck dick and learn how to cook? Who do I look like to you, Tit Fuck Mcee?”

“….”

“… I feel like I should just ignore that— W-whatever!” Andrew shook his head like a wet dog before turning to look at me again before sitting down a couple of seats away from me, with the ever-diligent party pooper standing right behind him. “If you didn’t make it, who did?”

“Beats me. I don’t really care either way! Ain’t nobody in this hotel I wouldn’t trust to make food for—”

“Niffty.”

“— Most people in this hotel I trust to make—”

“Alastor.”

“— Some people in this hotel that I trust to make—”

“Paul.”

“… Ehh, I could live with that one actually.” I decided, decidedly ignoring the aforementioned man’s confused demeanor at the sudden conversation between me and his pet. “Besides, whoever cooked this did a fucking bang-up job! You should really try some!”

At my invitation, I saw Andrew looking towards the food temptingly… before shaking his head. “Maybe… later.”

“Ehehe. Still too much of a pussy to take that musky helmet off?” I poked fun at him, turning my gaze to their ever-present masks. “Come on, I’m sure you ain’t that ugly, toots!”

“… Wait, what do you mean by that ugly—”

“Oh, don’t be too hard on the young fellow!”

“OH MY FUCKING GOD!” Andrew screamed out in shock and fell out of his chair at the sudden appearance of a certain radio demon, who appeared out of thin air and was now sitting cross-legged on the chair next to his, ignoring how Paul immediately lifted a pistol to him. “WHERE DO YOU KEEP COMING FROM!”

“After all, I’m positive that there is a fine-looking gentleman hiding beneath that mask. Wouldn’t you say, Mr. White!” Alastor said in his overly jovial tone, ignoring Andrew as he began smiling daggers at him, as his ass was now firmly planted on the rugged floor.

“… I think I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Oh, come now, Mr. White, I’m sure you must be a bit peckish this early.” Alastor continued before lifting a cup of what I hope was tea to his mouth, taking a sip before looking down again. “If the food here doesn't strike your fancy, however, then I'm willing to share some of my own personal favorites.”

As he said this, Alastor snapped his fingers, causing a black portal to appear above us and allow a dead deer, its bottom half missing. Besides that, it’s intestines falling out of its side as flies already began to crowd around the dead piece of meat.

“It’s an acquired taste, but I’m sure you’ll love it! You did come from a family of hunters, after all.”

“Uhh—yeah, hunters who COOK their food!” Andrew exclaimed, lifting his hands up in dismay. “Seriously, what do you think a hunter fucking is?!”

“Why, that’s simple!” Alastor began happily, before his face began taking on a deranged tone. His smile sharpened, pupils dilated into radio dials, and his hair began to levitate as the lights flickered around us. The X on his head continues to glow brighter with a threatening red light. “A Hunter is a beast that takes joy in breaking down their prey! MAKING THEM SUFFER AGAIN AND AGAIN IN A LOOP OF NEVER-ENDING FEAR, BEFORE FINALLY SLITTING THEIR THROAT WHEN THEY THINK THERE IS A CHANCE OF SURVIVAL! AND WATCH IN GLEE AS THEY LIVE JUST LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT YOU WERE THE ONE THAT ENDED THEIR SAD, MISERABLE LIVES!!!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“… Or, you're the type of hunter that kills animals with mercy and goes for the head in order to get home to the misses early. One of the two!” Alastor spoke, as suddenly he returned to normal, the flickering lights beginning to work again as he began cutting into a piece of turkey he must’ve grabbed from the table.

Meanwhile, I noticed that despite wearing masks, both Andrew and Paul seemingly looked on in horror.

“… Do I take the shot—”

“No, you don’t take the fucking shot— Did you not just hear what he fucking said!” Andrew exclaimed incredulously at his partner, who looked like he was one bad word away from shooting Alastor, who conned to ignore the fact that he was being held at gunpoint.

“Oh, my apologies! I didn’t mean to startle you!” Alastor chimed, causing the rest of us to look at him unconvinced. Regardless, he quickly arose to his feet before reaching a hand down, grabbing Andrew’s shoulder, and pulling him up to his feet. “I was simply sharing my experience with hunters. Makes for a jolly good story, wouldn’t you say?”

“I… I don’t know; I’m not even a hunter. It was my grandfather— why are you so stuck up on this, anyways?” Andrew looked away, shaking his head, missing the strange look Alastor was now giving him. “Whatever, I just… I need to just sit down.”

“Hmm… peculiar.” The demon hummed.

“What was that?” Paul asked harshly, hand still on his pistol.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just realized I left the radio on in my room is all.” Alastor spoke nonchalantly, though I swear I felt the faintest bit of forced joy in his voice this time. “I must be going for now. But please do join me whenever you find yourself available, Mr. White.”

The aforementioned ‘Mr. White’ rolled his eyes beneath his mask. “Yea yea… Thanks for the food, I guess.”

“Hmm? Food?… Oh, do you believe I prepared this meal?” Alastor asked, causing us all to stare confused once more, which forced a chuckle from the demon's throat. “No, no, no. I may love a good jambalaya every now and again, but I dare say I’m no cook. However, I would be more than motivated to learn if you so desire me to cook you a fine meal myself, Mr. White!”

“…(Deep breath)… I’m good.”

“Hmm, suit yourself.” Alastor shrugged with a smirk. “Until next time, Mr. White!”

Alastor then proceeded to melt into shadows, vanishing into the floor beneath us.

“… Damn, what’d you do to get the pompous asshole's attention?” I teased, leaning over the table to look at the distraught human.

“I DON’T FUCKING KNOW!” Andrew exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air with a huff. Eventually, he calmed down and sat in his chair once more. “Sigh, out of everybody, it had to be the creepiest guy in this whole hotel that seems to have it out for me.”

“Ehh, take it as a compliment. The bastard seems barely interested in the rest of us, despite my obvious charms.” I joked before taking another bite of the cake. “The only other person he gives even a crumb of that sort of attention to is Charlie, and she's the fucking princess of hell.”

“That's exactly why I’m… wait, Charlie is the princess of Hell?” Paul asked suddenly, almost in disbelief. I just gave a ‘duh’ nod to him, resulting in his head sinking in his hand. “Son of a… We’ll deal with that later, whatever. Still, if Alastor didn’t make this food, who did?”

I began to speak, about to answer his question with a snarky remark, before another voice echoed through the room.

“HALT, HAND OVER THAT FOOD AT ONCE! FOR IT IS I, THE POTATO BANDIT!”

Surprised, I, along with the two masked fuckers, looked towards the stairs, shocked to see… to see…

“...Spectre, what the fuck are you doing?” I sighed, seeing the all-black figure standing proudly near the bottom of the stairs. Strangely enough, his usual dark cloak that he wore was now tied around his head, barely noticeable as it blended into the rest of him. Still, he stood there in what he probably thought was a menacing pose, finger stretched out to us.

“I have no idea who this incredibly handsome, heroic, and kindhearted Spectre you talk about is. For there is me and only me, the fabled supervillain known as the Potato Bandit!” The… potato bandit proclaimed, his handing moving back as if to swoosh his cloak. In its absence, however, he just swung his arm wildly in the air for a second before placing it on his hip. “Now, as I was saying. Hand over that food! For I shall use it for the villainy that a villain has!”

“...”

“What's the matter? Too stunned to speak at my absolute villainy!”

“... Yea…… something like that.” I said incredulously, looking at Paul and Andrew, noticing that the two of them seemed equally confused as me. “... What the fuck is going—”

“FREEZE, YOU VILLANOUSSSSE SSSSCOUNDREL!”

“Oh, for FUCK'S SAKE!” I screamed as I heard a second, even MORE recognizable voice bellow out. 

That being the snake fucker that currently stood on top of the stairs. Some sort of makeshift superhero mask made of red cloth that was tied around his head, covering the area around his eyes. His finger was also currently outstretched, except his was pointed directly at The Spectre.

“E GASP! If it isn't my archnemesis! Sir… uh… s-sir.” The specter began mumbling, as if trying to remember.

“Pssssssst, sssssir sssssslitherssssss-a-lot.” Pentious whispered down.

“Hmm, right—IF IT ISN’T MY ARCH NEMESIS, SIR SLITHERS-A-LOT!”

I slammed my head into the table. Fuck, this was cheesy.

“Yesssss, it issssss I! And tonight, I sssshhhhall put an end to your evil waysssss once and for all!”

“Oh yeah?” The potato bandit's eyes squinted at his arch nemesis venomously.

“Yeaaaaa.” Sir Slithers-A-Lot returned the squint with an equal amount of venom.

“Hah, and how do you plan on doing that, hero scum?”

“With thissss!” The snake… hero brandished a ray gun from his side, holding it up to the sky valiantly. “BEHOLD! MY DEATH RAY… OF GOOOOOOOD!!!”

He then pointed the gun down the stairway before letting a green beam of energy shoot straight towards the self-proclaimed Potato Bandit.

“HAHA! You missed again!”

“Grr, I’ll ssssshhhhow you misssssssing, you, you… Jerkface!”

“… Oh, you did not just go there.” The specter spoke in unexpected seriousness before beginning to crush his palm with his fingers. “You’ve done it now! Have at thee!”

The hero playing villain spoke with enough compassion to put a professional larper to shame before jumping up the stairs and tackling the snake. They both began rumbling down the stairs.

“YEAH, TAKE THAT, AND THAT! EVIL CHOP OF EVIL” / “HEYA! YOU CAN'T SSSSTOP ME! THE EVI— I MEAN, THE HERO SSSSSS SSSSSSLITHERSSSS-A-LOT!”

I just… I couldn’t even describe it as the two of them began getting into a fistfight. Pentious's so-called ‘death ray of good’ letting out a greenish blast every now and again, causing another hole to spring up in the hotel walls.

“I… Ok, I’ve officially given up on trying to make sense of their bullshit.” I sighed into my fingers, ready to just leave and call it a day already. Or I was, until I heard another familiar, tired voice.

“Ugh… this is gonna be a pain to fix.” I raised my view slightly, seeing Vaggie, Charlie, and Cain beginning to walk down the stairs together. 

Vaggie was currently holding her angelic spear, just looking like she’s done with tweedle-Dee and tweedle-dumb’s shenanigans.

Charlie, meanwhile, had, as expected, a much happier expression on her face as she saw the two. Though there was an obvious hint of discomfort at the fact that they were actually fighting, no matter how incompetent.

Cain seemed the same way he always was, wearing the same dirty rags that he always did, hiding every inch of his skin in an almost taunting way for someone like me, but I digress. Regardless. He was following shortly behind Vaggie, seemingly almost attached to her since a couple of days ago.

“Uhh… hey, toots’. Mind explainin’ what those two are doing?”

Vaggie sighed heavily into her hand, Charlie looking away awkwardly while laughing. “It’s a long story… but basically Charlie decided that in order to help Sir Pentious, he needed to see the world through a more… heroic lens.”

“And… I maaaaaaay have asked the Specter to help out by being a villain for a day, allowing Pentious to take on the role of a hero.” Charlie explained, lightly rubbing her right arm with her left as it reached across the front of her chest. “And… well, they agreed to do it. And it worked! But—”

“FIVE STAR SUMMERSAULT HAMMER OF UNFORGIVABLE WAR CRIMES!”

“… But it might have worked a bit too well.” Charlie finished after being interrupted by the sound of play fighting. Eventually, I just sighed and looked away as the optimistic smile returned to the princess's face. “B-but this is a great first step! I’m sure a couple more of these, and Pentious will be well on his way to redemption!”

“Yea… keep telling yourself that, toots.” I rolled my eyes, decidedly ignoring the antics of the two fighting as I turned back to my meal. “By the way,.I really feel like I shouldn’t ask this, but did any of you guys cook this?”

“Hmm? No? I thought you just made breakfast for yourself.” Charlie spoke up, confused as I motioned to the food. I have a small nod, prompting her to turn to Cain and Vaggie. “Did either of you two make it?”

Vaggie shrugs. “Wasn’t me; I was too busy stopping those two from breaking something actually important. Plus, I don’t know the first thing about cooking.”

We all turned to Cain, who gave a simple shrug of his shoulders. “I apologize, but this wasn’t a result of me either. I haven’t had time to make breakfast in the last couple of days, unfortunately.”

“Well, if nobody here made it, who did?” Paul spoke our thoughts out loud, as I could almost see through his mask as he began staring at the food with increased suspicion.

“I mean… maybe it was Alastor?”

“Uhh… wasn’t him.” Andrew explained as a shiver ran down his spine like a cobra slithering through his skin. “He… made that very clear.”

“Well… Was it Husk then, maybe?”

“Hell no, I ain’t cooking shit for you fuckers.” A grizzled voice suddenly made itself known as I saw a familiar pussycat begin making his way down the stairs, alright halfway through his first demon in the bottle. “You won’t catch me dead in the kitchen.”

“Aww, what’s wrong, shnookums? Too afraid to use the big boy knives by yourself?” I asked in a playful manner, teasing the bartender as he rolled his eyes with annoyance. 

“If I get my hands on a knife, the first thing I’m cutting is spider meat.”

“You want my meat?! Oh, how scandalous!” I mocked tragedy, the back of my hand on my forehead as I leaned my back onto the table.

“Tch, whatever.” Husk rolled his eyes before finishing to chug down his drink before making his way to his station. “I’ll be at the bar. If you need me, fuck off.”

“Heh. Someone’s in a grouchy mood.” I smiled, always being able to find enjoyment out of making Husk’s day just the slightest bit more unbearable.

“Maybe, but he definitely didn’t cook this meal.” Vaggie spoke before beginning to stare at the food with equal amounts of suspicion as Paul, basically her male counterpart. “You don’t think… you don’t think it was Niffty, do you?”

“Hmm… maybe? I’ll be honest; I’d be expecting more bugs if it were her.” Cain said completely seriously, as he walked over and looked at the food more closely. “That, or something that shows a guy bleeding to death.”

“… Fuck, I hate how that makes sense.” Vaggie squeezed the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Andrew sorta just nodded in understanding before beginning to speak curiously. “Yea… hey, speaking of Niffty, where is she? She wasn’t here with Alastor earlier—”

BAM!

“AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” 

Whatever Andrew was about to say was completely forgotten as the nearby doors to the hotel kitchen suddenly swung open, crashing against the wall hard as we heard a bloodcurdling scream!

Shocked, we all turned to the source, surprised to see Niffty running out of the kitchen, continuing to scream incoherently before running straight towards Cain and jumping straight onto him, clutching tightly around his neck as he startled back in surprise.

“N-Niffty?! Are you all right?! What happened?!” Cain asked with exceptional amounts of worry as he gently wrapped his arms around the chaotic woman’s back, giving her some comfort. Niffty stopped screaming for a second… Before gripping tightly onto Cain's clothing and roughly shaking him back and forth.

“G-G-G-GHOST!!!”

…

“… I’m sorry, but what did you just say?” I spoke everyone’s thoughts out loud, looking towards the little one-eyed girl incredulously. 

“T-t-t-there’s a ghost in the kitchen!!!” She screamed again, before pointing straight towards the kitchen doors. “It’s in there! Cooking! MENACINGLY!!!”

“… Ok, I never could’ve guessed you would be the one that’s terrified of ghosts. Why is that?” I ended up asking, decidedly putting the food down momentarily.

“Sniff… because… because… BECAUSE I CAN'T STAB A GHOST!”

“That… sigh, I don’t know what I should’ve expected.”

“Oh, um… Well, it’s ok, Niffty, we’ll, um… take care of the ghost for you!” Charlie, ever the optimist, spoke enthusiastically in an attempt to calm down the tiny demon girl.

It seemed to work, as Niffty began calming down slightly, looking towards Charlie wide-eyed. “R-really?”

“Really—”

“GREAT! The ghosts in here!” Niffty cut Charlie off; her former attitude of fear and maybe even a tinge of sadness immediately vanished into thin air, as she now adorned a massive smile on her face. She jumped out of a confused Cain's arms before beginning to skip over to the kitchen entrance. “Follow me! Oh, and be sure to bring plenty of knives!”

“… I’m never gonna understand that fucking girl.”

“Yea, join the club.” I joked to Paul, who continued to look at all of us like we were fucking idiots… which, to be fair, I’d probably partially correct.

Regardless, I decidedly stood up and began following Niffty, everyone else stepping in tow after a moment of contemplation.

Jeez, why are these pussies reluctant? I mean, ghosts don’t exist!

… right?

 

---

Paul POV

 

‘I swear, if I have to deal with another ghost, somebody is going to die.’ I groaned, prepping my pistol as we followed the little girl, as I was duly convinced that she was probably gonna lead us to a real ghost. ‘As for who’ll die, preferably it’d be the fucking creep Alastor. That guy gives me the chills, and he’s way too friendly around Andrew!’

Still, I just shook my head as I followed cautiously, my hand resting gently on top of my pistol, ready at a moment's notice. ‘Although, if there is a ghost, a mere pistol probably won’t have any meaningful effect.’

I chuckled, remembering the last couple of times I was forced to fight a ghost. Well, as much as you can call those sleep paralysis demons ghosts. At least this one apparently has seemed to limit itself to the… kitchen…

‘Wait… Niffty said this thing was cooking… Does that mean?’

Before I could even finish my own thought, the doors to the kitchen swung open as we all squeezed to enter through the tiny gap. 

I was near the front, so I was one of the first to enter after Niffty and Angel. As we did, I took a moment to observe the kitchen and… yep, it definitely looked like it was in use.

Kitchen utensils lie about haphazardly, as if they were simply tossed aside when not in use. The fridge was opened by a crack, revealing that most of its contents had now found themselves to be empty. Multiple dishes, some half-baked, others nearly finished, also sat around the countertops next to the discarded plates and utensils, as if someone got bored of cooking them halfway through before moving on to making something else. All of the ovens that made up this large kitchen were also in mid-use, with all of them seemingly having different types of food inside. Besides that, there was one other aspect that caught my attention… that being the sound of a knife to a cutting board, as quiet thumping echoes through the otherwise lifeless kitchen.

“Ugh, I just refilled that.” I heard Vaggie complain under her breath, resulting in a quiet apology from Cain. Her ears soon perked up like mine, however, as she also seemed to hear the noise. “Hey… what is that?”

“Our ghost, if I had to hazard a guess.” I spoke after being able to figure out the origin of the quiet thumping. That being from across the kitchen on a long wooden cutting board, a silver knife floated gently in the air, before cutting down with surprise precision on what appeared to be a stack of asparagus, as it slowly trailed across the board, allowing the knife to cut more evenly. 

“… What the hell?” I heard Angel Dust mutter, looking strangely towards the knife. “Is that actually—”

“GHOST!”

SLING!

“Shit, Niffty, no!” Charlie screamed as Niffty suddenly jumped on the countertops. But it was too late, as she had already grabbed one of the many discard knives and began running straight towards the floating knife. “YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME THIS TIME, INVISIBLE COCKROACH.

“SCREE!”

I momentarily had to cover my ears as a piercing scream entered my ears, causing momentary discombobulation with me and my acquaintances… Except for Niffty, that was, as she kept on running like a madwoman.

“”Negehe— HEHEHE! IT SCREAMS!”

Slash— SLASH— TING!

This began a charade of Niffty beginning to swing wildly through the air, as the knife suddenly dropped like a sack of potatoes to the cutting board, making it obvious that the ‘ghost’ had dropped it. The only evidence that it was even still in the room was a collection of panicked screeches and fearful screams that sounded almost vaguely human-like.

“Ok… She came to get us to deal with this thing, right?” Angel asked, concerned, as we continued to watch Niffty break every rule of being a chef when it comes to holding a knife. “Because she seems like… yeah, she seems like she’s got this covered.”

“What was that? An infestor demon?” Vaggie hazarded out a guess, not entirely sounding too convinced herself as she said it. “It doesn’t look like it should be.”

“Do Infestor demons like to cook a lot of food for people?” Andrew suddenly chimed in curiously, causing us all to look at him before he continued. “I mean, call me crazy, but I think this thing might have been the one to cook up breakfast.”

“Hmm, that’s what I was thinking too… but why?” I began, raising a finger up to my chin. “Probably to poison it to kill us if I had to guess.”

“Oh, would you just stop being so negative!” Charlie chastised me, drawing my attention away from everything else. Out of the corner of my eye, however, I did notice that Cain did walk ahead, as if to get a better look at the unfolding scene. “Maybe… maybe he just really wanted to cook something! Maybe he just— I don’t know— likes cooking?”

I raised an eyebrow. “And he had to break into the hotel kitchen to do that in the middle of the night? Sorry, princess, but there’s no way—”

“Oh, Charlie’s right.” 

“Son of a bitch!” I swore as Cain, one of my only allies, immediately turned against me and took Charlie’s side. “And why is that, Cain?”

Cain tore his gaze from the knife-wielding child to me, and although I couldn’t see beneath his rags, I could tell he started with a surprised look. “You haven’t realized yet?” 

“Realized what?” I questioned back.

“Well. With their scream, their cooking, and the fact that they’re invisible, I believe this was pretty obvious.” Cain began, arousing no small amounts of confusion and slight embarrassment as he made it sound so obvious. Andrew looked as if he were in a similar boat as me, as he began ‘looking’ at the creature more inquisitively.

“Cooking… invisible… wait… Wait, are you saying—”

“That is right.” Cain cut a shocked Andrew off, who began looking towards the so-called ghost in a new light… which caused me to twitch in annoyance, slightly peeved for being left out.

“Mind sharing with the class, Tuts?” Angel asked comically, hand on hip and pointing towards the wild sky swinging Niffty. “Because if we don’t figure out what’s going on soon, then I’m afraid Niffty might destroy the whole kitchen.”

CRASH! CLANG!

“NENENEHEHEHEHE! YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FROM ME!”

“… You know, more than it already is.”

I nodded slightly, also finding curiosity in the matter. And more than anything, why is it that Andrew and Cain seemed to have figured it out? Does that mean it’s from… wait…

“W-well, um… It’s a little… difficult to explain.” Andrew began, before looking towards me, as if for support. “They… um… I mean, I—”

“They’re an… old acquaintance of ours.” I stepped in for Andrew, picking up where the doctor struggled without giving too much of our origins away. I will admit, though, that I did panic slightly when I noticed all the inquisitive looks turn towards me. “Ahem… I mean… they are someone who… who… we met a while ago. They’re… harmless?”

I looked unsure towards Andrew, as I still wasn’t positive which SCP this was. At this, however, he gave a quick nod.

“Harmless! Yes! They just… it just…”

“They simply like to cook.” Cain then pulled a me and cut me off, continuing in my place and giving me a moment to breathe without the inquisitively hungry gazes of the demons.

“Oh great, so you three just so happened to know ANOTHER random freak that just so happened to show up at our doorstep.” Angel complained, ignoring the well-known ‘shut up’ look from Vaggie as he just crossed his fingers. “If this is gonna be another one of your bullshit ‘it’s a secret’ or ‘we’re not comfortable to explain it’ excuses, then whatever. I just wanna ask if that thing is what cooked that meal out there. And if so, is he gonna cook for us again tomorrow? And if so, does he take suggestions?”

“I… um, well.” Cain stuttered, actually taken aback by Angel's sudden outburst… which also caused me to cringe slightly at her dry take on the last couple of days. Besides, I still have no fucking clue what anomaly this thing is! “Hmm. Well, to answer your questions, considering what we know now. I find it very likely that they were the ones to prepare that meal. And if he stays, then I don’t see why he wouldn’t want to cook more. As for suggestions… that depends if he knows whatever it is you're talking about."

“… ehh, close enough.” Angel shrugged unconcerned before cupping his hands around his mouth to mimic a megaphone and began screaming to the seemingly invisible creature that was trying its best to evade Niffty’s unending barrage of cuts and slashes. “Hey! Toots! For dinner I want some lasagna with ricotta , Mozzarella, and parmesan cheese! Plus a side of cocain—”

“ANGEL!”

“—Fine, a side of regular fucking Coke so I don’t piss off the babies!” Angel bit back, finishing his sentence before lowering his cupped hands and stretching his back before making his way out of the kitchen. “Alright, I’ll be back in like eight hours for dinner. And it better be fucking lasagna!”

The door slammed behind him, leaving us all gawking at the place the spider demon once stood.

“… That man takes nothing seriously, do they?”

“Sigh, we’re working on it.” Charlie sighed before looking back towards Cain. “Is that true? Is this thing… really safe?”

“Like I said, if it’s what I think it is, then it should be completely safe.” Cain began, crossing his arms. “As long as you don’t provoke him, that is.”

“STOP MOVING AND LET ME STAB YOU!!!!!!!!”

“… We should probably stop her.”

“Yea, that seems smart.” Cain responded to Vaggie's inquiry before the two of them walked deeper into the kitchen, desperately trying to catch Niffty who kept slipping out of their grasp like a fish on land, attempting to gut the creature.

It was also at this moment that I realized Charlie continued just standing there… wide-eyed.

“… Oh, I’m going to regret asking this.” I talk to myself with a muttered breath before turning to the gawking princess. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh? Oh, oh! It’s nothing! Just… just…” A massive smile sprouted on the young-looking girl's face as she began exclaiming in an ecstatic voice. “We have another guest! That makes seven! HAHA! This is great!”

Charlie then pointed to the sky. “Take that, Adam!”

… I swear I could see Cain flinch from across the room. Which, conveniently enough, gave Niffty just enough room to wiggle out of his grasp once more to continue on her quest of killing the anomaly.

“Oh… Um, I should probably—yeah, I’m gonna help with that!” Charlie quickly determined, before practically skipping over to the wrecked far end of the kitchen, smiling all the way. “We have a new guest! And he can cook! Haha!”

…

…

“… Why did I let you choose the hotel—”

“Yea, how could you be so stupid?”

I sighed into my palm. “Whatever. Anyways, now that they seem occupied, do you mind telling me what anomaly this is?”

Andrew turned to me confused. “You didn’t know?”

I shook my head. “Unfortunately, I don’t know every anomaly we have in our database. Really only take the time to learn about the ones I’m on site with. But I assumed it was something like that, considering both you and Cain seemed to recognize it.”

“Hehe, fair enough.” Andrew chuckled before looking ahead, watching the chaotic scene of two demons, one being the apparent princess of hell, along with the child of Adam himself, trying desperately to grab onto Niffty as if she were a misbehaving child, all while she tried to swing her knife around with levels of bloodlust that I didn’t know were possible. And I swear, for just a moment… I saw Andrew smile warmly. “W-well, I don’t know for sure… but I think both me and Cain thought it was… SCP-5031.”

I raised an eyebrow, vaguely recognizing the name. “Oh yeah, I think I heard something about them. Didn’t they cook a Thanksgiving meal for some guys at another site?”

“Something like that.” Andrew chuckled, as I began realizing why the two were so trustful of this anomaly. 

If memory serves me right, while it was initially considered just another dangerous Keter, having the ability to turn invisible when anyone sees it, being able to float, and having some sort of bladed leg, almost mermaid-like appendage. I can figure out why people were scared of it.

After some testing, however, it was discovered that this thing basically had the mental capacity of a toddler and really just needed someone to comfort it in order to make it docile.

Along the way, it apparently learned how to cook and even found love in its culinary skills. Apparently it was damn good at it too, as I’ve heard only positive remarks when the scant few other guards I know talk about his food.

But that still begs the question... why is this thing here?

“Hmm… first 999, then appeared 073 right before 4494, and now it’s 5031. Four separate anomalies, not at all connected… all appeared in Hell.” I spoke out loud, my worry over the current status of the foundation growing more and more. “According to Cain, it’s clear that our site wasn’t the only one attacked. But to have this many containment breaches… What is the current state of the foundation in? At best, it is in a state of panic trying to figure out what to do. And at worst…”

“Hey, it’s probably best we don’t think about that.” Andrew ended up comforting me, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I looked over and, although I couldn’t see it, something told me he was giving me a smile as warm as the summer's day. “We can’t change anything going on up there for now, so the best we can do is just keep surviving! I mean, at this rate there are almost enough anomalies in this hotel to call it a containment site already! So where is the harm?”

“I… yea, I guess you're right.” I reluctantly conceded, causing Andrew to chuckle.

“I know it’s probably hard for you, but why make the situation worse? We’re already here, so we might as well try to make the best out of it!” Andrew patted my shoulder once more before letting go and hopping over to the end of the kitchen. “Come on! It seems like they need some reinforcements!”

And with that, he ran off… leaving me on my lonesome once more… like always.

It’s strange. I’ve always done everything alone. After being brought to the foundation, I’ve basically been the outcast in a group full of them. No matter where I went, I just felt like I didn’t fit in. And that was fine; I never desired to be anything special; I always just wanted to do my duties to the organization that saved me.

… But then I met the five jackasses in my life, and everything changed.

Andrew, for his optimism, despite being unfounded, gave me a new breath of life I never imagined possible before.

Halara, while scary, is the type of person I’ve always dreamed of being. Strong, resilient, brave, yet somehow always keeping a smile on her face no matter what comes at her.

Anni, while I definitely relate to her the least, still ignored genuine interest in me for subjects that I never thought possible before. Her will to always find a solution to every problem always garnered my admiration and respect.

Kevin, while I butted heads with him all the time, still had the sort of courage that you would never find in even the bravest of soldiers. He sees something that he views as unjust, and he’ll make it his life’s mission to solve it. While I don’t always agree with him, I can always respect his determination.

Reed is annoying, but… actually, that’s really about it for him. But it’s the type of annoying that you can find endless amusement out of. After all, he’s the only person to make me crack on the job before, causing me to burst out in laughter. To this day, he thinks his three weeks in the medical ward were worth it as a result.

All of them have something unique to them, something that makes them themselves… I simply latch on, trying to suck whatever enjoyment or love I can out of them like a hungry gnat.

But even despite that… I—

“Hey Paul, you coming?”

I looked up, seeing Andrew still waiting for me… He’s waiting for me.

… I smirked.

“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I replied before jogging over to him and the other struggling demons. “If I get stabbed by Niffty, that’s on you though!”

“Hehe, guess that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to—”

“STAB! STAB! STABBITY STAB STAB!”

“… we should probably get moving—”

“Yea, I think they need our help.” 

And with that, we joined in on the… Well, I’d hesitate to call it fun.

But… it was definitely memorable.

Notes:

Niffty: (Swings knife wildly while cackling)

SCP-5031:(Confused screaming.)

Everyone else: HOW IS SHE SO DAMN SLIPPERY!

 

YEP! YOU THOUGHT I WAS ABOUT TO DO ANOTHER PLOT FOCUSED CHAPTER!? WELL THINK AGAIN! YOU ALL JUST GOT ANOTHER PENTIOUS AND SPECTER JUMPSCARE!

Ahem... I mean... Ok, I just really wanted to write about the hotel gang again. I missed them, ok?

Anyways, this chapter really was just used as a breath of fresh air for me, as like I stated previously I have been feeling in a bit of a slump. Besides, I was looking for an excuse to introduce 5031 to the hotel, so it works.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed. What did you all think of it? Like I said, it's very different from the tone amd plot the last couple chapters were leading towards, but I needed a break (Pentious and Specter have become the thing keeping me going). So.I was just curious what you all feel about the sudden tone change.

Regardless, Drop a Kudos If you enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any questions, comments, wisecracks or jokes. And I hope you all have a Heroic day!

Chapter 52: Alpha-9 Assembled

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Iris meets her team... ends how youd expect it would.

Notes:

"What makes a team become a family."

Rainer POV

‘... This is weird.’

That was the only thing that was running through my mind as I sat awkwardly in my seat. My hands twitched like snakes as I bore a hole into the table ahead of me with my gaze, as I felt awkward doing anything else with them.

Still, I eventually looked up again… Only to once more sweat nervously as I saw the people I shared a room with. Besides Simon to my left, who sat there much more content than me, there were two more regular people in the room who sat about five seats to the left of Simon around this circular wooden table. I didn’t know their names, but one of them was a girl that didn't look that much older than me, who was wearing a tank top and talking to a much older, yet at the same time much shorter woman to her right. I assumed she worked for the foundation because of the lab coat she was wearing.

Besides them, however, everyone else in the room was… Less than normal, to say the least.

First of all, at the table's far end, opposite of me, sat a large bug-humanoid creature, his size so big that the seat beneath him seemed to only just barely hold him, and even then it creaked and groaned like it was on the verge of collapse. The creature's skin seemed to be made of a hard-looking, greenish material, which seemed to substitute for clothes for the creature. Besides its skin, the creatures also had a bulbous head made out of the same reinforced material as its skin, with the addition of a few extra appendages. For example, the creature had two large antennas poking out through its head, and where its mouth should be was actually a long black tube-like appendage. Finally, instead of regular eyes, the creature had two large red bulbs, not dissimilar to what you’d find on flies or other bugs of a similar stature.

It was horrifying to look at, yet… It felt almost impossible to tear my eyes away from, as they…

‘Wait, is he… Shit, he’s looking at me!’ I quickly diverted my gaze sheepishly as soon as I realized that the creature's duo of large red eyes were staring straight at me. Still, the awkward look away gave me the time to look at the last person in the room currently, that being…

‘... That’s just a straight-up robot.’ I said to myself, as I admired the final figure sitting about 5 seats to the right of me. That being a very robotic-looking figure.

Their skin, or I guess metallic body or whatever, was completely black in color. It was also extremely smooth, so smoothe in fact that if it weren't for their head, I might have mistaken them for a regular person just wearing an outfit. Howerem their face was the only part of their body that was white, with two soulless black dots for where its eyes should be, and a thin, light blue vertical line near the bottom of their face that glowed with a slight hue. The figure was unmoving, as if frozen in place with its arms resting gently on the table.

I felt very conflicted on whether the robot was the coolest thing I've ever seen, or one of the most terrifying.

And besides the small collection of foundation guards that littered the corners of the room, these were the only people in here.

“Nervous?” Simon's soft, reassuring voice broke me out of my nervous contemplation, however, as I turned to see him giving me a soft smile. I chuckled slightly, finding myself comforted by the therapist’s presence.

“Hehe, a little. Sorry if I'm—”

“-- There’s no need to apologize. You're doing great, I promise.” Simon reassured me once more, causing me to redden slightly in embarrassment. Still, I just gave him a smile in thanks.

“R-right. Well, it’s just… I don’t really recognize anybody here. It’s all just coming in… A little fast is all.” I admitted, looking around the table one more time to admire the four people sitting on opposite ends. “I don’t really know any of these… People? Wow, I don’t even know if that’s true for most of them.”

Simon chuckled quietly at my internal conflict before coughing. “Well, let me put that worry to rest then.”

With a light tap on my shoulder, he gathered my attention onto him before pointing over to the girl in the tank top. “That over there is Leora Lightfoot. Or as the foundation calls her, SCP-4818. She’s kind of similar to you in a sense! She’s just a human, only that she also has the ability to shape light into physical constructs.”

My eyes widened at that. “Really? That’s so cool!”

“I know! And just like you, I heard she’s also a fan of superheroes.” Simon chuckled, as unbeknownst to me, he was currently thinking of all the ways he could make the two of us become friends. “Why don’t you go say hi to her after this meeting? She was also friends with Cain and was a member of Alpha-9’s first iteration when it was going through the testing phase. I'm sure you both will have a lot to talk about.”

He then pointed over towards the short woman that sat next to Leora. “That is Dr. Sinclair. She isn’t technically an anomaly, so she's not a part of your team. But she is one of the researchers that have been recruited to assist you all in your upcoming mission.”

“So she’s… Just a normal woman?”

“Hehe… Normal is a strong word.” Simon chuckled awkwardly at my obviously flawed observation. “She isn’t an anomaly, but she is the head of the Occult Studies and of the Thaumatology division at Site-87. As a result, she’s skilled in the use of thaumaturgy. Or magic, I guess, in layman's terms.” Simon looked at me once more, a smirk cresting across his face. “I heard you've encountered thaumaturgy before, haven't you?”

“Um, a little. Mostly when I was with Psi-7, they used a bit of it.” I replied, a little too  squeamishly for my liking if I had to be honest. Still, Simon got my point and moved on.

He then averted my gaze with a single finger over to the large bug-like creature, who was currently shifting in his chair, in an almost vain attempt to stop it from breaking as a result of its own weight. “That over there is SCP-2273. His real name, however, is Alexei Belitrov. Or, i guess, Major Alexei Belitrov as he likes to be referred to as. Believe it or not, he was actually human at one point.”

My eyes widened in surprise as I had to turn back to Simon in shock. “Really? What happened to him?”

“Nothing that he didn't consent to, at least to our knowledge.” Simon began, before scratching his head, as if in thought. “I don’t know too much, but from what I have read, Alexei over there is from some sort of parallel earth that was destroyed by some kind of nuclear war where he was the head of a military division. Long story short, he’s a Russian soldier from this other world who somehow appeared in our reality, and is now willing to work with the foundation after we managed to convince him we weren’t his enemies, which, by what I heard, took a lot longer than it should have.”

I continued to look on in shock, my eyes gleaming like the sun as I became both intrigued in this bug person and a little scared. “He was human? Does that mean he can speak?”

Simon shrugged his shoulders. “Kind of? He can only speak through a type of anomalous radio that was implanted into his head, meaning you’d need an AM radio to even speak to the guy. Even then, however, I think he only speaks German and Russian, so I doubt you'd be able to talk his ear off by how cool he looks.” Simon said with a smirk, drawing my attention to a radio that sat just in front of the bug man that I hadn’t noticed before.

“T-that's not why I… You know what, whatever.” I shrugged it off, refusing to play Simon's game as he just smirked at me. “I’m not falling down another one of your rabbit holes!”

“Hehe, smart.” Was his only reply, before finally moving on to the last individual that was currently in the room. The black, metallic robot.

“Anyways, that over there is SCP-1360. Their technical name is P.S.H.U.D. number thirty-one or something, but nobody really calls him that. I think most people refer to him by either just his containment number, or by Hector. Don’t ask me why; I couldn't tell you.” Simon explained truthfully, as I began taking in the fact that this was just an actual robot. 

I turned to Simon with a smile, “Where did he come from? Is he sentient?”

“As sentient as a robot could be, I’m sure. Though he’s the kind of robot that follows his initial programming to a T, which was probably why people were hesitant to let him on the team.” Simon admitted, as a bit of concern began to make itself apparent on my face. Simon, noticing this, quickly reached over to reassure me. “Oh no, don’t worry. His creator was a group called ‘Anderson Robotics,’ who specialize in the creation of anomalous machinery. As far as we can tell, they have no involvement in the current situation the foundation is dealing with. Plus, they basically completely abandoned this unit after the foundation captured it, leaving it without purpose for a while.”

“Really? That's… sad.”

Simon nodded, “Yeah, it is. That was a couple of years ago, however, and it seems like they've gotten a bit better. At least to the point where they have become cooperative enough to be willing to join Alpha-9. And unlike our bug friend, he actually can speak English. So I'm sure you can ask him all sorts of questions!”

I smiled at that. “That sounds… fun.” I spoke with a sigh, wiping my sweating palms against my jacket before turning to Simon. “Is this everyone? Or is there more?”

At that, I noticed Simon turned to look away. His fingers began fidgeting with each other as he did so, a strange air of uncomfortableness overtaking him as he suddenly refused to meet my gaze. “Um… yes, technically. Three more people.”

“Really? Who are they?”

“Well, um… They are—”

CADUNK!

Before Simon could even finish his words, two more people entered the room. With just their appearance, everyone's eyes immediately turned to focus on them. Simon just gave a sigh as these two women entered the room.

“And there are two of the three. Dr. Light, the director of the team. And SCP-105, otherwise known as Iris. Or, in other words, the leader of Alpha-9.” 

 

---

Iris POV

I took in a deep breath as I gazed inside the room. Looking around the room, I cringed as I saw the team.

Some faces were familiar, like Leora, who gave me a smile as I entered. Others… not so much. Besides Dr. Glass, who I’m fairly certain isn’t considered a member of the team, the other three individuals were people who I didn’t recognize in the slightest, with only one of those three being human. And even then, he looked like he was extremely young.

I shook my head slightly, as I couldn’t help but relate this team to the last iteration of Alpha-9 that I led during the team's prototype phase. A team that consisted of me, Leora, Cain, The Black Knight, and The Specter (who I guess was a bit on and off, considering how he works). Although I hate making opinions just off of a single glance, some part of me already screamed that this team was a bit of a downgrade compared to the last time I was convinced to lead them.

“I am sorry, but this is the best I could do.” I heard Dr. Light whisper into my ear as we entered the room, hopefully making her unheard by the rest of the office space's occupants. “As I already told you, Cain and The Specter were two of the missing anomalies after the containment breach. I also wasn’t given authority to include The Black Knight into the team either, unfortunately. These were the only SCPs I was given authority to use.”

I sighed, already tired of her excuses. “… Any of them in particular I should keep an eye on?”

Dr. Light, without even giving a verbal reply, simply looked across the table. Following her gaze, I noticed her eyes centered directly on the youngest-looking person in the room, who was currently looking away from us, as if embarrassed.

“SCP-4051, Rainer. A Keter class anomaly with the ability to open wormholes that can, in theory, make anything.” Light explained to me through a whisper as we walked around the table, going towards its head as most of the people in the room continued to give us bemused looks. “He’s the one I fought the hardest to get on this team. He’s powerful and surprisingly loyal, but still young and possibly vulnerable to manipulation. So be careful.”

I growled slightly. “Sending in children now to solve your problems? This really is a new low, even for you.”

Shrugs. “Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that.”

“Desperation is an excuse you can only hide behind for so long.” I commented offhandedly as we made it to the head of the table. Looking to my left and right, I saw both Leora and the aforementioned Rainer, along with a duo of foundation doctors, Dr. Glass and Dr. Sinclair.

I took a deep breath again, swallowing down the nerves that threatened to crawl their way out of my throat. I took a moment to think before coughing.

“Ahem… Hello… Um, my name is Iris. I am the leader of Alpha-9.” I began explaining, taking in the myriad of emotions and reactions at my short introduction. The humans in the room looked rather indifferent, with only Leora having a smile, seemingly glad to have a familiar face to look at. The… bug anomaly had his arms crossed as he looked at me. He seemed particularly taken aback and possibly even insulted by what I said but seemed to hold his tongue. The robot, meanwhile, barely moved. Obviously not caring.

“Right, um…. I’m sure I’m probably not what most of you expected, especially for a leader. Trust me, I didn’t want to spend my day here either.” I vainly attempted to joke, only to internally chastise myself as nobody seemed to laugh or really care about my attempted humor. “Regardless, I hope that we can manage to work together as a team. I understand that this is probably new and uncomfortable for a lot of you, but I’m sure we can all come to some sort of understanding with each other if we try.”

…

…

“…whoo!” Leora cheered after a moment of awkward silence in a vain attempt to save the awkward air that surrounded us all.

I grimaced as I sent Dr. Light a stink eye, as she did not give me any time to prepare any sort of speech. Hell, I didn’t even know that Alpha-9 was forming until like twenty minutes ago.

Dr. Light, probably feeling my annoyed glare, quickly walked up next to me and carefully pushed me aside. “Thank you, Iris. Now, as for my introduction. My name is Dr. Sophia Light, but you can all call me Sophia. I am aware that the majority of you have probably never heard of me before, and that’s understandable. But I can assure you all that I’ve heard plenty about you.”

Sophia then reached into her lab coat and pulled out a handful of vanilla folders before tossing them onto the round table. The folders opened at the surprising action, causing the loose papers inside of them to fall out and scatter across the table. The papers were covered in large chunks of text, with only the occasional photo or drawing that illustrated some sort of anomaly.

“I’ve heard enough about you all to determine that you are some of the best of the best for this mission, and some of the most qualified people to be members of Alpha-9, a new and upcoming MTF force from within the foundation.” Sophia began explaining with tactical precision as, unlike me, she probably had a lot longer to prepare. Plus, she left out the fact that many of her other requests before these current members were rejected… best of the best, my ass. “An MTF force that is almost entirely composed of anomalous entities like yourself, who have found it in their hearts to use their unique powers and abilities to make a real change to the world, outside of your cell. Now is finally your chance to make that happen.”

Dr. Light allowed a moment of silence after her words, giving me a second to gaze upon everyone's reaction. Overall… Very few cared. The only ones that actually did seem to have some sort of positive reaction would be the two humanoid anomalies, Rainer and Leora, who looked like they took her words positively. The bug creatures, meanwhile, continued to cross his arms as he looked at her in seeming annoyance. Seriously, what is his—

“Was sagt die seltsame Amerikanerin?” A static, yet foreign voice suddenly entered my ears. I looked around confused, unsure where it came from… Before realizing it had originated from the small radio that sat limply in front of the bug creature. 

“I… did that come from him?” I asked Light, pointing over to the green brute of an anomaly. The doctor simply smirked and nodded.

“That is correct. That is SCP-2273, and he can only speak German and Russian.”

“... Well then how the fuck are we supposed to communicate—”

Before I could even finish berating the women, she lazily looked up towards the robot. “SCP-1360, translate.”

“Of course.” The robot finally began speaking, their voice a strange and uncomfortable mix between robot and organic-sounding as the small blue light on its face glowed slightly whenever it spoke. Still, after only a moment, he turned back to Light. “He said, ‘What is the weird American woman saying?’ in German.”

“Hmh, ok. Would it be alright for you to translate my words to German for the rest of the meeting for him?”

“Of course.” The robot agreed without question.

Dr. Light turned to look back at me, a devilishly innocent smirk plastered on her face. “You were saying, Iris?”

“... Fuck you.”

“Alright, if that sits, then let's move on.” Dr. Light spoke with a chuckle and my slightly pissed-off look. I also noticed that the robot began repeating everything we said in German, informing the oversized member of our team exactly what was going on.

“Now, onto the important part. You have all been called here to complete an important mission. A mission I believe only you are capable of.” She began as everyone began grabbing on e file or another, reading through the long wall of text on each of them. “As some of you might be aware, there was a containment breach of unparalleled magnitude not but a few days ago. This worldwide containment breach saw multiple essential foundation personnel, along with many contained anomalies, going missing as a result of a surprise attack from what we currently believe to be the Serpent's Hand. Not only that, but in these last couple of days, multiple other dangerous groups of individuals have seized this moment of weakness expressed by the foundation, decidedly attacking many highly secured and important foundation sites from around the globe.”

“Unsere Mission wäre es also, diese Gruppen abzuwehren und die Kontrolle über Ihre Stützpunkte zurückzugewinnen?” The bug creature asked in German through the radio, prompting us to all look at SCP-1360.

“He asked, ‘So our mission would be to fight off these groups and regain control of your bases?’”

Dr. Light chuckled at the honest question. “Not exactly; you all have a much more important mission at hand, one that is infinitely more dangerous. Your mission is to retrieve all the lost anomalies and personnel that went missing after the initial attack.” She revealed dramatically, causing me to roll my eyes. Does she really need to make such a show about it?

“Um… how many personnel and anomalies went missing?” Leora ended up raising her voice, asking as she combed through the papers in her hand. “I mean, if we’re meant to rescue them, then shouldn’t we know how many we should be looking for?” 

Dr. Light smiled warmly again. “Good question. In total, if we only include those that went missing immediately after the attack, then the total number of missing personnel adds up to about 118 missing, along with a total of 37 anomalies that also vanished alongside them.”

She then pointed down to a specific file in the center of the table that she had placed down earlier. “Here, you will find every anomaly that has been declared missing, along with a list of personnel. Also, it should be known that the personnel are listed in order of importance. So while you should prioritize retrieving every personnel you come across, the ones at the top should be who you prioritize above all else.”

I raised an eyebrow at this declaration, curious as to why she stated that fact so bluntly.

Regardless, out of curiosity, I glanced down towards the file that she had referenced earlier. And while I couldn’t spot a lot of names, I could see the top through poking out of the file, as they listed the following.

1. Dr. Charles Gears.

2. Dr. Jack Bright.

3. Dr. █████ █████ Reed Newsong.

I raised an eyebrow, confused for a second as I saw the first three. Before I could even think of questioning it, though, Dr. Light continued.

“Along with the list of missing personnel and anomalies, you will also find detailed reports of each of their final moments before disappearing. Barring one case, you will find that every other time someone or something went missing, it was because double agents from within the foundation crushed anomalous, glowing rocks in their hands. This resulted in an explosion of red light that, when receded, revealed that everyone and everything that was caught inside of it vanished.”

I watched as each of the individuals picked up their own collection of papers from the center, with the exception of the German speaking bug, who took one look at the language on it before placing it back onto the table with a huff of annoyance.

“So these… crystals teleported them somewhere?” Leora asked after a moment of reading, her brow creasing as she read. “Do we have… any idea where they went?”

At that, I noticed a sudden shift in demeanor with the three doctors in the room. Light hid it better, but it was still obvious when you realized both Simon and Sinclair also looked away in clear awkwardness.

“That… is a point of interest we are trying to identify.” Dr. Light began carefully, in probably the most cautious tone she has held this entire meeting. “While we do have a theory, one proposed by Dr. Clef, we cannot confirm if that theory is correct just yet. However, while we aren’t certain where they were taken, we do believe that we have uncovered a way to follow them, as the foundation did manage to recover one singular—”

BUMP!

Suddenly, and without warning, the large overhead light went black and submerged everyone in the room in endless black.

My eyes opened wide in shock, as I was unable to see anything in the deafening darkness.

“What the— What’s going on!” I ended up blurting out subconsciously, as I heard a collection of other panicked questions from the rooms other inhabitants, before looking to where I last saw Dr. Light before the lights went out. “Light! What’s happening!?”

“I—I don’t… wait… oh, for fuck's sake.” I heard the formerly confused Light swear before whispering angrily into her palm. “You fucking idiot, now is NOT the time!”

‘Not the time? Not the time for what—’

BANG!

“GAHH, SCHIESSE!” A foreign, radio-sounding voice entered my ears with an injured cry as I heard a loud bang permeate through the air, like a gunshot.

“I believe that this time, he said ‘fuck’ in German—”

BANG! BANG!

Before the robot could finish his snarky remark, a duo of loud bangs sounded outwards.

“I believe we are under attack.”

“No shit, Sherlock!” I quickly screamed back at the robot, instinctively reaching down to my waist for some kind of weapon. Nothing was there. “Fuck! Can anybody light this place up?!”

“I-I can!” I heard Rainer's young voice say, panic intensifying. “Do I have permission?”

“W-what do you mean—yes, you have permission!” I screamed, beginning to stress out. Who would attack us? Why this early? What’s happening?!

“O-ok!” The kid quickly responded, before—

FLASH!

“Ahh!” I let out a startled cry as a bright flash of light suddenly entered the room. My vision turned white, as the brightness overpowered the rest of my senses, making it impossible to see anything. “NOT THAT BRIGHT!”

“I—I’m sorry I—”

BAM!

“AGH!” I heard the kid suddenly cry out in pain before the light completely disappeared, leaving the rest of us submerged in darkness once more.

“R-Rainer–” The disappearance of the light quickly prompted Simon to cry out in distress—

BAM!

… Before immediately being silenced by a second loud thud.

“Fuck—Leora! Are you still there!?” I screamed in desperation, pleading to get a response.

“Yea! But I can’t fucking do anything because there isn’t any light! Katherine, use your fire thing and—”

BAM! BAM!

And, you guessed it, their voice also vanished after a duo of loud thumps.

Dammit—DAMMIT!

“Light, do something!”

I screamed, backing up in the darkness as my back hit a wall. I was shaking! What was happening? Who was this? 

I was just hoping for some kind of support… But instead.

“Sigh… It’s best to just submit.” I managed to overhear Light through the deafening darkness, her voice sounding countless millennia older compared to before, as I could almost hear her hair beginning to grey. “You’ve already lost to him. Might as well save the time and just surrender.”

“W-WHAT! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!” I screamed, once again wishing I had a gun, or my camera, or literally anything! 

I don’t understand! Why isn't Light worried?! Why haven't the guards in the room done anything yet?! We are under attack! Someone broke into the meeting room and… and didn’t alert the rest of the facility… and somehow… Somehow managed to cut power to only this room without worrying light and… Oh… “OH, FOR FUCKS SAKE! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!”

That’s all I managed to scream before—

Thump!

I felt a hard, cylindrical object plant itself against my forehead. I admit that I began releasing a nervous sweat at the feeling, as fear did begin to creep through my entire being like a parasite. But I managed to hold it all back, as I finally realized the game that was being played here.

“... You going to fire? By all means, do it. It’d be nicer than having to deal with your bullshit.” I ended up speaking in the calmest voice I could muster, trying to hide the way my hands began shaking, forcing me to ball them into fists as I felt the barrel of the gun on my head. “I don’t have fucking time for this. So just decide if you're going to shoot or not.”

…

…

…

…

“... thirty seconds. That's how long it took me to take down this supposed ‘elite’ MTF group.” An all-too-familiar voice spouted as I felt the weight of the gun leave my forehead, allowing me to drop the tension I was holding in my shoulders.

Click

Then, with a loud click, the lights in the room blared to life once more. I squinted and blinked feverishly for a second, letting my eyes adapt to the darkness, before deciding to take in the surroundings.

To my right, both Rainer and Simon were on the floor, rubbing their heads as if they were both struck hard against them, as I could already see the telltale signs of bruising beginning to form.

Across from them, Leora was in a similar position, except she had already risen to her feet, seemingly clutching a wonder on the side of her ribs. Next to her stood Dr. Sinclair, who looked at her with sympathy and possibly even a little shame in herself.

At the far end of the table, both the robot and giant bug soldier were rising to their feet. Although no obvious mark or injury could be seen on them, I could tell that whatever blow they had taken, it had taken at least a handful of seconds for them to recover and rise to their feet. Seriously., how do you even topple that massive eight-foot-tall brute of an anomaly!?

Then to my left stood Dr. LigAht, who looked more pissed and annoyed then I think I have ever seen the women. She looked as if she were moments away from slapping the perpetrator and challenging him to a duel.

Speaking of which, I was able to get a real damn good look at the perpetrator himself, and it was the exact ugly mug that I was expecting to see. That being the wicked, sinister face of a man who acts like he has sandpaper for skin…

“... Dr. Alto Clef.” I growled as I stared down the man, who just looked at me with bemused dismissal.

“If I wanted you all dead, you’d all be nothing but a pile of rotting meat on the floor for the flies to feed on.” He spoke venomously, causing me to take a step back in fear. 

Luckily for me, he seemed to change the direction of his ire straight towards Dr. Light, who returned the venomous gaze with an equally pissed-off demeanor. “This group of screwballs is who you want to siege fucking Hell?! They’d be fish food before they could even get a glimpse of any of the targets if all it took to take them down was a surprise attack from a decaying old man!”

“Hm, you seem irritated.” Light spoke with a smirk that overcame her frown, avoiding the question that Clef presented her with. “What, did your conversation with the old man not go as planned? And now you want to take out your impotence on your own allies.”

“… Piece of shit.” Clef muttered before turning his back to Light as he began walking towards me, like a lion on the prowl. 

I admit that I flinched as the man stopped by me, as I began pleading with whatever god there may be that he would keep moving and ignore me. Unfortunately, he didn’t, and he simply gave me a glazed-over look.

I was ready to be scolded for him to take his anger out on me!

“… Get your team ready for a possible deployment in three days. If you want my recommendation, begin training on how to actually work together as a fucking team.” He spoke in a surprisingly light yet stern manner. Before I could even process as to why, he continued. “Your team is full of heavy hitters, but it’s meaningless if they can’t take a command to save their life. It should take at most one word for them to know exactly what to do, if not instantly based on the situation. The enemy isn’t going to give you time to discuss how to turn on the fucking lights.”

Clef then lifted his hand towards the bug anomaly, pointing at him as the creature just glared angrily. “You want to know basic military drills and call signs? Talk to him. Though I recommend making your own that only you and your team will recognize. Drill them on it until they’re bleeding from the ears so that it won’t even take one second for them to know exactly what you want." He then pointed towards the robot, who already looked like they were over the surprise attack. “Any other logistical information I recommend you speak with them. There’s probably a library filled with fucked up ways to kill someone in that bots head.” Then he pointed to Leora. “She’s fucking useless in the dark, so make sure she always has some sort of light source on her to use her anomaly.” Then to Rainer, who looked ashamed of himself, Simon comforted him by placing a hand on his shoulder, scolding eyes towards Clef in the kids place. “And make that whining piece of shit more decisive so that he doesn’t have to ask for permission for every little thing. That little stunt let me know what your plan was, making it too fucking easy to decide to take him down first when he is easily the most powerful fucker you got. Treasure that; don't bastardize him.”

He then pointed to me, as my mouth hung slightly open in shock. “And you. I know you know how to be a leader. But don’t act like you’d rather kill yourself than lead. Act like that, and they will take after your example and die the first chance they get, and I could actually use your support. So stop gawking at me like a fucking hippo and get your team in order. Understood?”

“I… uh, I— y-yes, yes!” I stuttered, forcing my mouth shut as tightly as possible afterwards. I felt his gaze stare me over, praying that he wouldn’t spy the beads of sweat that were racing down my scalp.

I continued standing at attention until he finally sighed, turned, and walked out of the room…

As he did, I felt the tension lift, as if the devil himself decided to spare us for our sins. Everyone else took the moment to catch their breaths, as it seemed as though they did not dare to take another while the madman was speaking.

“Fucking hell, that was… wait, did he say we were going to Hell?!” Leora suddenly shouted out, processing what Clef had proclaimed. 

And all of a sudden, the tension returned, as we all turned slowly towards Dr. Light… who just shrugged her shoulders.

“I can buy you sunscreen.”

‘OH, YOU FUCKING BITCHES!’

At that moment, I wasn’t sure who I hated more. Dr. Clef or Dr. Light.

 

---

Lucifer POV

 

I sighed as I stared ahead. My bones rattled, muscles aching with misuse. But I didn't care, as I continued to grimace at the moving mountain ahead of me.

My hand gripped around my cane as I saw the other six sins continue to try and hold the beast down. I saw Asmodeus throw motes of flames at the creature, Satan punching it with all their might, and Belphagore shooting large purplish beams from her eyes at it. Hell, even Beelzebub conjured a giant mountain of chocolate and threw it at the creature… Only for the oversized lizard to catch it out of the air, throwing it back at the hellhound's sin, burying her beneath her own sweets.

I clenched my teeth before whispering to myself. "I'm getting real sick of this shit… I'm going to end this now." I spoke with determination as I used my power, focusing it into my left hand.

After a moment of doing so, I opened my palm, revealing a dull, glassy orb the size of a marble.

After examining it, I nodded before chuckling.

I then turned towards the ongoing battle… And charged in with all my might.

Notes:

Clef: (Bitch slaps the child)

Well, know that we are done with the feel good chapter, we are back to our regularly scheduled SCP truama dump! Woohoo!

Seriously though, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I have been getting the sense that people seem to prefer to Hazbin hotel chapters infinitely more then these kinds of chapters. Regardless of that, they happen for a reason, I promise that all of this is necessary for the future.

Regardless, I do need to say that there will not be a chapter next week, as I need a break not only for myself, but also because next chapter... Is gonna be a bit of a doozy to write. If you couldnt tell, I am finally going back to the fight netween the sins and teh hard to destroy reptile. So that'll be fun!nSorry again for the break, but I want to give the chapter the time it deserves.

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed the chapter. Leave a comment if you have any questions, jokes, concerns, or suggestions. And I hope you all have a much better week then what Clef is gonna put Alpha-9 through.

Adios!

Chapter 53: Seven sins vs 682

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

The sins fight their hardest battle in thousands of years.

Meanwhile, the lizard soaks it all in.

Notes:

“How do you beat something that can’t die?”

 

The world was silent.

Oh, there were people speaking. People laughing. Crying. Screaming. Dying.

There were millions, trillions of sounds filtering through the universe's unceasing tongue.

However, they were all silent… silent when compared to the rolling, desert plains of wrath.

Every being unknowingly held their breath, as deep in their most primitive, animalistic instincts, they all felt a knife pressed against their neck by an unseen force.

An unseen force that would threaten to consume all they’ve ever known, all they’ve ever loved.

And yet, the only defense keeping this unstoppable force at bay, were the very things they feared the most in themselves.

As the only thing keeping their fragile lives above the surface… are their own cardinal sins.

The seven sins… led by the father of evil.

 

---

Lucifer POV

“JUST. FUCKING. DIE. YOU. OVERSIZED. BLUE-BLOODED. FUCKING. BITCH!!!!”

BAM!

Dust exploded out of the ground as a massive crater boomed into existence, flattening what was once a large mountain.

Usually, that would be enough… but with this thing.

“SATAN! FUCKING DO SOMETHING!”

“Grr, don’t tell me what to do!” The large, draconic-looking cowboy demon yelled in anger but still listened to the senior demon's order nonetheless. The sin of Wrath flew high in the air, before shooting down towards the crater like a speeding bullet, bus veins glowing red with lava as—

BOOM!

His fist impacted the crater, expanding its size by multiple miles, as the dust kicked up created an artificial sandstorm that hid everything within it from view.

“ Cough, cough, fucking sand. Hey, did you get him?!” I called out through the crater, can in hand. “Because if I swear, if this–”

Crack…. CRACK.

I blinked, confused as I began hearing the sound of cracking earth all around me. “Huh? What’s… Oh, you fucking joking—”

BANG!

The ground beneath me suddenly exploded as a large clawed hand escaped the earth and—

BAM!

Struck me right in the face, sending me flying back possibly hundreds of meters until I crashed into another mountain. A large indent appeared in the giant naturally forming structure's side as I became lodged in the clumped earth.

“Gahh, FUCK! He wasn’t nearly this strong when we started—how the FUCK is it doing this?!” I ended up screaming, as the creature finished burrowing its way out of the ground, its humongous form towering over mine. 

Taking a moment to finally look over the beast, I realized that it has begun to look much different from when we first started fighting multiple days ago. 

For starters, the beast had to be at least thirty feet tall now, with the rest of its form increasing in size to match its height. On its back rested a pair of large, almost dagger-like wings, which have only grown even more sturdy since they first appeared on this thing's back.

Along with that, where once the creature had greying, almost decaying skin, now rested layer upon layer of grey scales. I’m not sure how they do it, but ever since it adapted to get these scales, it felt like it was much harder, if not nearly impossible, to penetrate its body like I had done so easily earlier in the fight.

The creature's muscles also looked more defined, with its claws now gleaming a threatening white light, as it was now strong enough to even send someone like Satan flying with a single hit.

Its messy "hair?" that covered the creature's back and face stayed largely the same, if not for the fact that Asmodeus’s flames seem to not even be able to singe a single hair, seemingly gaining some fucking fire invulnerability.

The creature continued to snarl at me, its boney maw more silver in color now, its jaw more angular and sharp, as iI can now actually feel pain whenever the thing bites me. It still doesn't penetrate my skin, but GOD DAMMIT, it's going to hurt like hell in the morning.

Its eyes, now glowing a light sheen of red, were glaring straight at me, as if they wanted to devour me whole… which probably wasn’t too far from the truth.

Huff… huff… “Listen, can’t we just… I don’t know… take five?” I ended up saying between heavy breaths as I crawled out of the hole I was launched into by the fucker, my eyelids drooping over, feeling like they were attached to a million pounds, making it a struggle to keep them open. I don’t even need fucking sleep, yet this bastard is managing to make me tired!!!. 

“I’m sure you're also tired as balls right now.” I spoke, resulting in a loud, yet equally heavy, breathing from the lizard.

“Huff… Huff… do not… huff… underestimate me, demon! I do… huff… not have any need to rest, unlike you.” The creature said in its overly deep voice, huffing between every couple of words to regain its breath. “I…do not feel tired.”

“YOU’RE FUCKING TAKING A POWER NAP AS WE TALK—Oh, forget it! Asmodeus!”

“What—”

BANG!

A pillar of blue flames suddenly shot down from the sky, crashing into the lizard like an infernal tornado. A large explosion of blue flame emerged, hiding the lizard from view.

As that happened, a large vortex of blue flames emerged next to me, allowing the large fire-headed sin of lust to walk out of.

“ Sigh , you two really need to just get a room.” Ozzy sighed, rubbing the sand out of his own eyes. “Honestly, how much longer do you think this is going to take, Luci? Cause I sort of promised Froggy that I’d have lunch with him today.”

I raised an eyebrow as I looked at the towering demon. “When did you have time to do that?”

He shrugged. “I got a call from him while you were trying to have Queen Bee crush this thing in a mountain of chocolate… Which she accidentally got crushed by herself after the thing threw it back at her.”

“Yea, no thanks to you assholes!” A feminine voice suddenly spoke out as I heard someone land to my left. Looking back, I saw the very Hellhound-looking sin we were just talking about… covered from head to toe in chocolate. She was currently wiping it off her with heavy annoyance. “You guys just left me stranded there. Do you know how hard it is to get chocolate out of these clothes? It’s so fucking annoying! Ugh, now I'm gonna have to get it dry cleaned, and that's always such a–”

SLAM! SLAM!

Heavy footsteps interrupted Beelzebub’s rant as the ground began shaking with unbridled fury.

Two large, red eyes shimmered through the dust as the creature walked out of the explosion's center, not a single burn on him to show that the attack even happened.

“You think that I, the end of all life, would ever be hurt by even such a weak attack! YOU SHALL KNOW TRUE PAIN ONCE I AM THROUGH WITH YOU ALL!”

ROOOAAARRRR!!

I was forced to cover my ears, as the beast’s roars tore through the sky like a banshee's screech. The ground shattered and cracked at the sound, breaking apart ancient mountains that had stood strong for hundreds of years.

After a moment, the scream relented. Finally, he stopped whining–

BOOM!

“OH, FUCK OFF!!!” I yelled out in anger, as the creature took in a deep breathe after finishing it’s fucked up roar, before spitting out a sea of blue flames from its mouth, rockinting towards us like a fucking freight train!

“Wha– How did it–”

“Yea, welcome to what I have had to fucking deal with!” I screamed before lifting my arm back, ready to block the attack before–

CRASH!

A large tornado of water, size equal to that of a mountain, sprang to life ahead of us and crashed into the torrent of flame. The two forces clashed, neither one giving in to the other, before ending in a stream of smoke that obscured everything from view.

Immediately, I knew who gave us the timely support, as the two-headed sin of Envy, Leviathan, appeared in all their glory, arising from a pool of murky water that formed next to us. Both of her faces, one that was devilish and the other that was more… human? I guess?

“Thanks for the save there, Levi.” Asmodeus muttered, smiling towards the two-headed sin. This action caused the human one to smile back, while the monstrous fish head scoffed and rolled their eyes.

“... Glad to see you two are as inseparable as ever.” I joked, causing the two to give me an annoyed expression and–

“ YAWN… Hey, Lucifer, do you know when this'll be over?”A tired-sounding voice spoke from behind. Turning around, I noticed the sin of sloth, Belphegor, walking up to me. Massive bags under each and every one of her eyes, her four arms dangling to her side in limp disuse. “Because… I'm getting kinda —YAWNNNNN—... tired.”

“Ah, shit, that's right, you're the hypersomniac— Listen, I don’t fucking know! I just—”

“AHHHH! FUCKIN’ SHIT!”

BAM!

A large figure suddenly crashed into the ground ahead of me, kicking up a large cloud of dust. I looked down curiously, seeing the one and only Mammon, the fucking clown, groaning in discomfort.

“Fuckin’ hell, that thing hits hard!”

Asmodeus looked into the crater, smirking as he saw the fat, green sin of greed. He chuckled. “What’s wrong, moneybags? I thought you liked it rough.” He teased with no small amount of venom in his voice.

Mammon rolled his eyes at the lustful sins comment as he began climbing his way out of the hole. “Ok, listen, you slick dick asshole, there are only two things in this world that I like. Money, and the fuckers that make it!”

“Hmm, oh, I’m well aware. Too bad you have trouble holding onto the former. After all, who’d want to stay with a money-grubbing, two-faced bastard like you–”

“ENOUGH!”

The two sin's immediately shut their traps as I screamed out. They both nervously looked at me, my eyes glowing with unbridled rage. After a moment, I sighed into my right hand. “Listen, I don't know what the hell has been going on between the two of you for the last seven years, and frankly, I don’t give a SINGLE GODDAMN FUCK! Because I have been fighting THIS FUCKING LIZARD for the last FOUR FUCKING DAYS!!! SO YOU TWO CAN WAIT TO RIP OUT EACH OTHER'S THROATS UNTIL I HAVE A CHANCE TO GO TO FUCKING BED!”

… They all stood stunned.

“... WELL? AM I CLEAR!”

BOOM!

“Y-yes! Crystal, mate!” / “Of c-course! Whatever you say, Luci!”

Both the deadly sins blurted out in fear as my eyes glowed an increasingly bright red. My six wings flared outwards as my horns had grown out, an ember burning between them atop my head.

Still, that wasn't enough, as I turned to the other sins that were gawking at my display. “ This goes to the rest of you as well! YOU ALL BETTER FUCKING BEHAVE! IS. THAT. CLEAR!!!”

Every single one of the sins, including both of Leviathan’s heads, nodded feverishly at my threat. Worry and fear present on each and every one of their faces.

And as soon as they shook their heads, confirming that they understood what I meant, my eyes immediately stopped glowing as I gave an eerily calm smiled.

“Good, now, let's kick some lizard—”

“Wait… where’s Satan?” the Queen Bee suddenly asked, scratching her head. At her comment, I looked around and… Yeah, he was the only one who wasn’t here right–

“I’LL SHOW YOU WHAT TRUE WRATH IS, YOU SORRY EXCUSE FOR A DRAGON!”

BANG!

A large explosion echoed around the mountains of wrath. Looking behind me, I found its origin… That being the large lizard we have been fighting had just slammed Satan into the ground, despite being only a quarter of the size of the sin of wrath.

“Guhh, FUCK! Will someone PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS FUCKING THING!” The deep-voiced sin screamed. He didn’t look injured at all from the clash, just… extremely pissed off.

“Right… RIGHT, fuck.” I cursed at myself. I was so busy screaming at these fuckers to do something that I also forgot that this beast was still right on our asses! “Come on, let’s go!”

At that, I expanded my wings once more and flew up high in the air, as the rest of the sins began scurrying around the battlefield, getting ready for the battle ahead.

While flying, I felt the small, glass marble that I had conjured not too long ago. I stared at it intently while high up in the air before nodding. “If all else fails, then this at least should do the trick. Though it's going to be a pain in the ass to undo.”

Still, I clutched the marble, took a deep breath… And stared intently at the beast.

The real fight begins now.

 

---

3rd person POV

“ROOAR!”

The indestructible lizard roared in fury as it clenched its bony maw onto the sin of Wrath’s forearm. The dragon-headed demon growled in pain, clutching the lizard's elongated mouth.

He brought his massive fist down—

BOOM!

And crashed it against the lizard's body, sending him flying back, and the beast lost its grip on the man. The SCP was now equal in size to the largest of the sins, as his back crushed an entire mountain.

The SCP quickly recovered, rising to its feet as–

“Go to HELL!”

BANG!

Without warning, a large fist struck the lizard in the face, sending him back onto the floor once more as–

BANG!

The large sin of wrath hit again—

BOOM!

And again!

BANG!

Agai–

BAN—BOOM!

The demon of wrath was thrown off guard, as the creature's tail suddenly whipped around him, striking him hard enough to snap the air around them, knocking the creature who was relentlessly striking him back, ceasing the assault.

Satan went on the backfoot from the strike, as the lizard suddenly took to the sky with its gigantic wings, which it had formed earlier in the fight. 

Satan shook his head and stared upwards, chuckling a bit to himself. “Hm, seems like the bitch decided to run with its tail between its legs.” 

Satan continued watching as it flew 50… 100… 500… 1000 feet into the air, high enough to where it nearly scraped the roof of the wrath ring of Hell.

‘Hmm, that was annoying, and now this fucker is loose in my domain.’ The large demon thought as he dusted the debris of battle off himself with the palms of his hands. ‘It’ll be a shit show if it ends up going anywhere actually important. So I guess we ought to chase it down and… and… is it… getting closer—’

RRROOOOAAAARRRR!!!

“OH, SON-OF-A-BITC—”

BOOM!

The demon of wrath was thrown back, as within seconds, SCP-682 rocketed itself like a meteor straight down from 1000 feet in the air, crashing its durable maw against the body of the sin of wrath. Mountains crumbled, and cracks the size of mountains formed around a now city-sized hole in the center of Wrath's most mountainous region.

“GAHHH!” The demon screamed in pain. Physically, he was fine, as even after the blow, no actual wounds opened up on his body. Still, pain shot through him like a disease, something he hadn’t felt in possibly thousands of years.

“Hmm… Puny demon.” The large, mutated SCP scolded, planting its large paw against the chest of the demon who now had its back to the floor. “The title of Wrath is wasted on a being so lily-handed—”

BOOM!

Before the monster could even finish its insult, a blue ball of blazing infernos crashed into its side unexpectedly. The beast roared in pain as a portion of its skin burned, despite its adapted resistance to flames. It skidded along the blasted crater, an indent left behind from where it once stood proud on top of his former adversary.

The beast quickly scanned the area, growling as he couldn’t spot the producer of the flames.

“Grr, SHOW YOURSELF, COWARD—”

TING!

A jettison of blue flames then emerged from the ground, gripping around the unsuspecting beast's throat as it forced the monster down, crashing its head into the stone.

“Who says I'm hiding? I'm just putting a misbehaving dog back on his leash.” Asmodeus mocked as he appeared in a puff of flames ahead of the creature, who snarled at his insult.

“ I'm not the dog here, Lucifer's bitch!” 682 screamed out in fury before releasing his own torrent of almost laser-like flames from its mouth.

It cascaded across the crater, as Asmodeus barely disappeared in a second of panic, dodging the attack as the flame continued onwards—

BOOM!

“AHH— FOR FUCK'S SAKE!”

… And struck Satan straight in the chest, as he was attempting to re-engage with the beast before being sent flying once more.

With Asmodeus gone, the flames around 682 vanished as he began to rise to his feet—

SLOSH!

The hard to destroy reptile tumbled, as it suddenly sank into the once hard earth, which now was more akin to mud.

“What!?” It questioned the air as it continued to pull him downwards, forcing him deeper into the earth.

He tried to escape, tried to fly out, but the muddied earth acted like a million hands, each and every one pulling on him, trying to force him into an eternal hug.

In a matter of seconds, the only body part that remained above the surface was his extended maw, which he kept lifted into the air.

“Hahahaha! What did I tell you! This thing is too weak to break out!”

A bitchy, obnoxious voice finally spoke. Using his last moment of free movement with his head, the lizard scanned the surrounding area in order to find the source of the voice. In a matter of moments, he found it. That being the two-headed demon that stood atop a nearby rock. Its disgusting human head laughed, while the more monstrous head rolled its eyes.

“Shut up! It was my idea, anyways! Not yours!” The monster head spat back, halting the human one's laughter as her face switched to that of a cocky grin.

“Oh yeah? Hah, now you're just jealous of my fabulous ideas!”

“Grr, Am not!”

“Am too!”

“NOT!”

“TOO!”

“Stop acting like you're better than me!”

“What's the point in acting?”

“Gahh, you're so annoying!”

“Well, it’s a good thing I take after you there!”

… 682 almost considered it a mercy when his head fully submerged in the mud, sparing him from the horrid argument the two heads of the same creature were having.

The two heads of the sin of envy temporarily ceased their bickering, averting their gaze to the muddy ground that had just swallowed their adversary whole. Then, with a quick flick of their right wrist, the ground solidified and hardened, trapping the creature deep in the ring between Wrath and Gluttony.

“Hah! This was the thing Lucifer was struggling to beat? Damn, man must have let himself go!” The human head cackled obnoxiously, causing the monster head to frown.

“Grrr, do you really think it's over, you goddamn moron!” The more monster-like one of the two butted their forehead against their other. 

“Hey, you're the moron here!”

“Am not!”

“Am too–”

Rumble… rumble…

“Hmm?” The human head hummed, quickly averting their bickering gaze and looking around, confused as the began hearing a distant rumbling. “Hey, do you hear—”

Rumble… Rumble……..Crack!

“Wha… Oh shi—”

BOOM!

“SHUT. UP!!!!!”

The ground exploded in a massive fireball of blue flames as the sin of Leviathan was sent flying back as the head of SCP-682 emerged from the stony maw of the earth.

“YOUR INSUFFERABLE NAGGING WILL CEASE IMMEDIATELY!” The creature screamed with all its pissed-off rage before moving its oversized maw towards the much shorter sin in comparison as they flew through the air, and—

CHOMP!

Its jaw clashes down, the sin of envy trapped inside its mouth, and–

GULP!

Then, with one mighty gulp, the beast swallowed the sin of envy… Before cringing, as if he had just swallowed a sour lemon.

“Kaa, disgusting—”

GRIP!

Suddenly, the lizard was lifted off the floor once more, but not by his own choice, as he suddenly felt a strong force pull upon its tail and force it up. Looking back, it noticed with no small amount of anger that the large dragon-headed demon had already recovered and had grabbed onto his tail before—

BAM!

Slamming the creature straight onto its back, the weight with which it struck the ground caused cracks in the spiderweb out of the crater by thousands of feet.

Before the lizard could even think of recovering, however, the large demon lifted the reptile up by the tail over his head again and—

BAM!

Another, just as equally destructive, slam occurred as the reptile crashed against the rocky surface once more, a massive indent of its body appearing as a result.

“Grr, you damn—”

Clutch!

The lizard was cut off as Satan's large hand gripped tightly on his neck, forcing him to stay on the ground.

The king of Wrath looked down at 682, fury burning in his eyes.

“No more games, you oversized chicken! I’m ending this now!” He spouted out in unbridled fury.

The demon then reclined his head, building up scalding flames from within his mouth. For a split second, he noticed panic flash in the lizard's eyes before Satan lowered his head once more and—

BOOM!

An unending stream of crimson flames shot from the demon's mouth like a laser, big enough that it encompassed the lizard's entire head!

The attack was so hot that the air around them shifted and morphed, circling around the heat so fast that it threatened to create a tornado. 

The once sturdy ground transformed into a magma wasteland, as the large cracks now filled themselves with magma. 

And in the midst of it all, SCP-682 tried desperately to hold on, but even he could feel his head beginning to shrink by the sheer power of Satan.

This continued for a full thirty seconds, during which time large spikes of magma even began shooting from the earth like geysers, showing just how much of an effect Satan’s attack had on the surrounding area.

Still, eventually he ceased.

Satan huffed heavy, tired breaths as smoke filtered from out of his mouth and nostrils. He lifted one of his hands and wiped a small stream of magma that escaped his lips like drool.

Still, at the end of it all… he smiled. As he looked down and saw the creature that they had been fighting for so long… was now headless in the dirt.

“ Whistle! Nice shot! But, don’t you think you mighta overdone it a little?” Mammon asked out loud, stumbling forward past the terrain with extra care. “I mean, not like I give a shit, because it isn’t my ring. But you did kinda… wreck your whole fucking place?”

Satan chuckled. “Like I give a damn. Nothing important lives here. At most, some imps might have gotten killed. No big deal.”

“Right, right… So, is that fucking rat finally dead?” Mammon asked, pointing towards the creature's headless corpse.

“Hmm, ain’t no way it’s coming back from that one.” Satan chuckled as he stood up, decidedly ignoring the rest of the creature's body as he turned to Mammon. “Even if this thing could usually regenerate a head, I used enough hellfire on it to maim an archangel. Ain’t no way a half-dead son of a bitch like him is going to be fine after something like that.”

“Oh… ok… wow, fuck it! I didn’t have to do anything!” Mammon gloated a bit, causing Satan to just snort in frustration. Fucking clown.

He then began walking away, too focused on Mammon's antics to even look back at the body… as I failed to notice fire beginning to build up where its head used to be.

“Yea yea, whatever you say. Now let’s just go tell Lucifer that we’re done with his rat problem.”

“Sure, works for… Wait, didn’t that thing eat Levi?” Mammon suddenly remembered, pointing it out to the senior sin. 

“Yea, he did… so?”

“So… Do you think we should… get her… y’know… out of him?”

“…”

“…”

“… Do you want to go digging through that thing's stomach?”

“Ehh, I’m sure she’ll be fine!” Mammon quickly said, sweating nervously as he began looking away, much to Satan's annoyance.

“Yea, that’s what I thought.” The sin of wrath then sighed, stretching his arms. “Anyways, go tell Luci and whatever bullshit trap he has planned that we don’t need it. The bastard is completely—”

BOOM!

“I’m sorry… But did you think this was over?”

Satan froze… arms falling limply to his side as his pupils shrank. In a panic, he quickly turned around and—

“Wh-what in Lucifer’s fresh hell!?” He couldn’t help but swear as he saw… the thing he just killed!

Except this time, its head had returned… along with two jets of crimson flames shooting from the side of its mouth, as if it were a part of the damn lizard.

Before Satan could even process the impossible scenario he was witnessing, the reptile gave a long smirk before dashing forward!

Panicked at the quickly approaching anomaly, Satan took a deep breath, hellfire forming in his throat faster than any forest fire could hope to spread. But before he had the chance to unleash the flame upon the lizard—

ROA—

CRASH!

The reptile's oversized paw smashed against the Sin of Wrath’s maw, not only forcing the demon's mouth shut but also causing its head to face upwards as a result.

Crimson light shone through the gaps in its teeth as Satan's eyes widened in shock.

BOOM!

An explosion occurred from within the sin’s dragony maw, causing unimaginable pain to course along the demon's insides as fire burned up his mouth.

Before Satan could even recover from the recoil of its own attack.

CRUNCH!

Satan roared in pain, as SCP-682 crunched its sharp teeth against the giant demons abdominal, and with one heavy heave, tossed one of the strongest of the seven sins away as if he were a sack of potatoes, flying across the sky before hitting the rim of the gigantic crater.

“Hmm, all bark and no bite. You demons are all the same.” The hard-to-destroy reptile scoffed as he stared down the growing body of Satan, before shifting their gigantic head to look down on the nearby sin of greed, who watched on in absolute disbelief. “Now, what was that about me being a rat?”

“… Um……well, shit—”

BOOM!

“AHH—SONOFAFUCKINGCLOWNONADEMONSFIDDLE—DIE!!!!”

In a flustered confusion and fear at the incoming tactical lizard, Mammon raised his arms, magic flourishing through his veins.

PIERCE!

“ GAHH !” 682 managed to exhale a surprised screech as hundreds of large, black spikes broke through the earth beneath him and stabbed straight through his body, halting his momentum completely as he looked down in surprise. “Hmm… interesting.”

“Ahh—uhh… huh?” Mammon opened his eyes, which he had closed in fear, and realized his desperate play of magic had actually worked, holding the beast in place. Noticing that his random bullshit worked, Mammon began chuckling nervously with a sickly grin. “Hehe—Whoo! That was… That was… Fucking horrifying.”

Mammon then stared up at the giant beast, who so far didn't even try to break out of his spiky prison. It just stared down at the fat sin… contemplating.

Noticing this, Mammon chuckled as his body began to stretch and morph, growing larger. “Think you're a real big guy, huh? Thinking that just because you knocked Satan on his ass a couple of times, you got a dick big enough to overshadow all of us, huh? Well, then let me tell you SOMETHING!”

SMASH!

Mammon slammed his heavy feet into the ground as he began to transform into a much larger (though still comparatively smaller) demon, large spiky legs shooting out of his now elongated body, giving him almost the appearance of a fucked-up spider. His many extra pairs of eyes glowed as he continued scowling at the creature he bellowed he had caught.

“Well, let me tell YOU something, FUCKER! THIS IS OUR TURF! AND WE AIN'T NEVER GIVIN’ IT UP TO NOBODY!” Mammon screamed before punching the air once more with a valiant scream. At the very moment, hundreds more spikes shot out of the ground, piercing straight up through the lizard.

The creatures howled in pain as the spikes forcibly lifted them up higher into the air, allowing multiple waterfalls of blood to fall from the beast like a damaged water pipe, spewing out liquid. 

And before the lizard could even think of enacting their plan to escape this seemingly hopeless situation.

“Yea, suck in this, bitch!”

“ Huh?... Oh, you've got to be–”

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion occurred right in the center of the hundreds of spikes, as a golden orb of energy billowed through the Wrathian sky, causing a resounding explosion that completely destroyed the jungle of spikes. 

And then, before the dust could even begin to settle in the now much wider crater.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!

Dozens of blue fireballs began falling from the ceiling of the ring like raindrops, causing hundreds of more—comparatively smaller—explosions. Miles worth of dust got kicked up from the endless barrage, with the shaking of the earth so intense that even Imps from settlements over three hundred miles away could feel themselves lose their footing to what they concluded to be an earthquake.

The onslaught of explosions lasted for a full minute, until finally ceasing, leaving behind a smoking crater within the bigger one.

“Hehe… HAHAHA! TAKE THAT, YOU BLUE BALLING, TAIL CHASING, T-REX LOOKING ASSHOLE! SUCK ON THESE NUTS, YOU DICK-BREATHED, TEETH TOO SHARP FOR SUCKING DRAGON BASTARD! WHY DON’T YOU TRY A GAG ON, SINCE YOU ALREADY CHOKE SO MUCH ON—”

“Uggh, fucking enough. We get the point already!” Beelzebub flies down from the sky, transforming out of her true demon form as she turns back to her normal, much shorter self. “We fucking get it, so stick a dick in it.”

“Hmm, well excuseeeeee me for celebrating my victory. I fucking demolished that fuckin’ dick!”

“... You might wanna rephrase that–”

“Nope!”

“... sigh… Whatever, your loss.” The queen bee spoke tiredly, completely done with all this shit. As she did so, a vortex of magical blue flames appeared next to her. To her enjoyment, and Mammon's annoyance, Asmodeus walked out of the shimmering portal while also exiting his true demonic form.

“Wow, nice shot, Bee! You hit that thing good!” Ozzy spoke in his usual, somewhat sultry voice as he admired the gap. Beelzbub chuckled at the compliment.

“Thanks! You didn't do too bad yourself, Ozzy. Really knew how to hit the bastard when he was down!”

“Hah, oh stop it!” Asmodeus waved, obviously kidding as the two began chuckling between themselves… Which continued to piss off a certain clown.

“Hey, guys, what about fuckin’ me! I did all the work out there!” Mammon whined, much to the bemusement of the other two sins.

“Hmm, hey Bee, did you hear something?” Ozzy mocked, picking his right ear(?) with his fingers as if attempting to clear them out. “Could've sworn I heard a spider bitching about something.”

Beelzebub shrugs. “Beats me; I have a hard time hearing dickheads.”

“Oh, you two just stick a sock in it!” Mammon whined as a result of their obvious attempts to antagonize him. He crossed his arms with a pout. “Whatever, at least the fucking thing's gone now and… Oh, I'm about to fucking eat my own words now, aren't I—”

BOOM!

“SHIT! I HATE IT WHEN I'M RIGHT!”

“So do we.” Ozzy and Bee agreed quickly after a look of panic spread across their faces, quickly readying themselves by entering their true demon forms as a large explosion of dust kicked up from the earth, right where they attacked the beast.

Moments after doing so, they noticed—with no small amount of annoyance—a large paw crashing into the ground, as the fucking pain-in-the-ass lizard himself clawed his way out of the large ravine caused by Asmodeus.

Besides some cuts and a few scant burn marks that seemed to be in the process of healing, the lizard looked completely fine. As a matter of fact, the skin of his body even seemed to change, taking on a shade of black next to its usual rot-green colors. Flames still jetted out of the side of their mouth as they observed the three demons with an unimpressed look.

“... Tell me, which one of you called me a—oh, what was it—a T-rex-looking asshole?”

… Both Asmodeus and Beelzebub immediately pointed at Mammon, much to the demon's annoyance.

“Oh, real mature, guys!” Mammon spat out angrily, eyes scolding his fellow sins. “Seriously, you two hold onto a grudge for WAY too fucking long and—SURPRISE ATTACK!”

The sin of greed flaked his arms out and—

SLASH!

Multiple large spikes jutted out of the ground ahead of Mammon during his ‘surprise attack,’ slicing through the air as they shot straight towards the large lizard, who didn't make any move to dodge, as he simply smirked at the approaching spikes. This lasted for all of a quarter of a second before they crashed into his body and—

SNAP!

“...Huh?” Mammon muttered subconsciously as, unlike what happened before, the spikes were not able to pierce the lizard's skin. As a matter of fact, they all immediately snapped as soon as they came into contact with the lizard's now blackened skin, with not even a scratch to show for it. “... Oh come on! That ain’t fair—”

ROAR!

In quick succession, the SCP widened its maw before releasing a torrent of blue flames straight at the confused Mammon, as the flames themselves burned brighter than ever after the lizard's most recent adaptation.

Noticing the enclosing beam of fire, Asmodeus disappeared into a circle of his own flames, as the Queen Bee flew far away the second they started approaching. This just left Mammon…

“OH, YOU SONS OF BITCHES—”

BOOM!

A bone-shattering explosion occurred, kicking up even more dust. Not to be distracted, however, the lizard quickly jumped backward with its giant form, dodging a giant spear of what looked like rock candy crashing into the earth.

Staring up high, he saw the annoying pest fly around like a gnat, hoping to get a better shot. 

Before they could even think about trying to shoot them down, the lizard felt a slight burn on his back as Asmodeus appeared in a pyre of flames, his body burning brighter than any pit of lava could even dream of in his true demonic form.

Asmodeus reached his fists back, as if about to punch straight through the beast's ugly hide, as—

SLASH!

“GAHH!” Suddenly, three large, bony spikes shot out of the lizard's back, surprising Asmodeus and impaling him through three different points. Their black blood began oozing out of these three large wounds.

“Hehe, an annoying fly attempting in vain to suck some of my blood.”

With a quick whip of his tail and athleticism that should be impossible with a creature of its size, the lizard sent its own swinging across his back, striking the sin of lust and making them fly off into the distance.

“OZZY! YOU BASTARD!” The lizard heard the gnat scream out in rage. Looking up, they saw that the wolf-like sin had conjured two gigantic orbs of what looked like gobstoppers, bigger than even him, and sent them flying towards him like meteorites.

Beelzebub used her magic to shoot the large construct forward, hoping they would find a way to crush the beast.

The first one stuck the ground hard, as the lizard managed to just barely dodge it, putting themselves in the direct path of the second giant piece of candy as a result.

However, contrary to her initial expectations, the beast decided to unfurl the large wings it still had on its back and fly straight up to the gobstopper, despite it overshadowing them many times over.

In midair, SCP-682 smashed itself against the flying gobstopper, breaking it apart into a million pieces as they crashed straight through the oversized piece of candy. And as soon as they did so, they took a deep breath and…

ROAR!

It released another flurry of flames straight towards the shocked Beelzebub, whose eyes lit up with the brightness of the searing flames, before the blue embers finally reached her.

BOOM!

A huge explosion sounded out, making the sin of gluttony disappear from view as they became consumed by the flames.

682 then fell back to the ground, causing a miniature earthquake as a result of the impact. The beast chuckled to himself, replaying the last couple of moments in his head.

If he counted correctly, that means five of the so-called ‘deadly sins’ are currently out of the fight, leaving only two more. That damn so-called ‘fallen angel’ who he never seems to be able to hurt (well, physically at least), and the sin of sloth. If he remembers correctly, he thinks that they're named Belphegor—

“ YAWN!!!”

Taken aback, the beast quickly shifted on his feet, turning around at the sound of the sudden noise, only to find… to find…

“... Were you sleeping?” The lizard couldn't help but ask as they spotted a much smaller figure on the ground beneath him. They were currently rising, as if they had just awoken from a nap of some sort.

“Wha– no no, just– YAWN – power napping.” The demon spoke, its many eyes along their neck and face lazily beginning to open, revealing a… a hypnotic pa tt er n. A s t he i r m an y e ye s be gan s tar i ng ri gh t a t him … pi er ci ng. “Tell me… don ’t y o u wa n t t o sl eep?”

BADOOM!

“ GRRA!” The lizard growled in pain, as a sudden sharpness overtook my mind, like a needle piercing straight through his brain. As quickly as it appeared, however, the sudden sharpness had completely faded, leaving a strange feeling of numbness in their mind. Still, aside from that, they felt fine. They continued to growl, their large irises blazing down at the sheep looking sin like spotlights. “Annoying pest. If you wish to sleep so badly, then I will take the liberty of putting you to rest myself… permanently.”

The SCP then raised their large foot over the demon, who seemed ultimately uninterested in the aggressive action, as she simply stood there, smiling softly as she was covered by the shadow of their leg. The lizard didn't spend any time questioning it, as they quickly shot their foot down, smashing the demon as the force of their strike caused the ground to shake and shatter like glass… glass… SHATTER!

They were shocked, as the ground—no, the whole world—suddenly vanished, shattering into millions of twinkling stars, before dying out into the dark abyss that surrounded them, leaving them standing on nothing but the inky abyss. The lizard looked around panicked, confused! What was happening? Where am I? What is this darkness? Those thoughts bounced around the lizard's skull with an uncharacterized amount of panic, as confusion also bubbled up to the surface of his stomach. Why was he so scared? No, this is a level above scared. This is a feeling he hasn’t felt in a long time. This is… This is terror!

“Oh, would you look at that? Seems like the big bad wolf can feel fear after all.” A disturbingly soothing voice began, causing the creature to turn wildly in panic. Where was it coming from? Who was speaking? It sounded like the demon he had just crushed, but that… that shouldn't be possible—

“Oh, but it is. Trust me, you have no idea what is possible.”

WHAT THE FUCK! IT CAN… It can tell what he’s thinking?! That shouldn't be possible; it CAN’T BE POSSIBLE—

RUMBLE!

Despite there being nothing beneath his feet, he felt the world around him begin to shake violently. As if the endless void was beginning to crumble.

Before he could question why, the answer revealed itself, as solid ground appeared beneath his feet, many times wider than even he was in his current state, being able to comfortably lift him.

The lizard continued to be confused beyond comparison until finally the ground stopped moving… and a violet light hit his back like a spotlight, hungry to devour him.

Frantically the beast turned around to find the origin of the light… and it was at this moment that he came to a shocking realization. The land he was standing on wasn’t land at all.

Instead, it was a hand… A hand connected to the ginormous body of Belphegor herself, as she had just lifted him up through the endless expanse of nothing, forcing him right in front of her nostrils.

“W-what is this!? WHO ARE YOU!?” The lizard couldn't help but sputter out as it stood looking up at the gigantic sheep-looking demon with a terrifying glint in its eyes.

“Hehe, have you not realized it yet? I am the demon that haunts your dreams. The shadow hiding beneath each and every dark corner. I am the nightmare you can never escape from.” They began, their light chuckles shaping and shattering the stars themselves as they spoke, as if the world bent to her each and every whim. Their many eyes continued to brighten as the mountain-sized hands of the sin of sloth began closing in on him. He tried to move but found his legs incapable of even a simple action. The fingers wrapped around him like snakes, each one larger then him, and each with the goal to squeeze as much blood out of him as possible!

The pain—THE PAIN! WHAT IS THIS FEELING! HE HAS NEVER FELT PAIN LIKE THIS BEFORE!

“Hehe, yes… Struggle… It’ll make it over faster.” The godly demon continued to chuckle, lavishing in hiding total dominion of the scourge of all life itself. “Just go to sleep, and I promise you’ll never have to worry about anything ever again. ”

THE PAIN WAS UNBEARABLE! OH GOD, MAKE IT STOP! THE CRUSHING OF BONES! THE TEARING OF SKIN! IT WAS AS IF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF HIS PAIN RECEPTORS WAS HIM, WITH BILLIONS MORE OF THEIR OWN PAIN RECEPTORS! THE PAIN– THE PAIN– WHY CAN HE FEEL PAIN! HE CAN'T FEEL PAIN; HE CAN'T!

HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T HE CAN’T—

HE WIDENED HIS EYES, REALIZING ALL AT JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT! AND BEFORE HE COULD FULLY BE CONSUMED BY THIS IMPOSTER'S LARGE HAND, HE TOOK ONE FINAL DEEP BREATH!

“RRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

… Tic… tic tic… SHATTER!

Suddenly, the endless landscape of darkness shattered. The large demon shattered, and even the hurt and injured 682 shattered to nothing. As right after the lizard's final roar, the whole world broke and returned to normal.

“Wha—WHAT!” He heard his now least favorite demon sputter, now back to her tiny form compared to his, as for once she finally displayed emotion outside of boredom. That emotion was shock, as she stared terrified up at the lizard. “H-How did you escape!? That should've been impossible?!”

Despite the searing hatred he felt for the sin of sloth, he found it in himself to spare a couple breaths on explaining it to her while growling. “ You made me feel fear… I would never fear you.”

And with that, before sparing the time to even listen to the demon's response, he reclined his arm once more before smashing it down on her. Crushing Belphegor beneath his claws, this time only causing the immediate ground to concave downwards, instead of the whole world shattering into stardust. He then picked up the tiny devil between his claws and threw them far into the distance, not even taking a second to check how hurt, if at all, they were.

After doing so, the 682 took a moment to breathe. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of fighting, he had a moment to breathe. He had bested the six demons that the false angel had sent upon him, and although he doubts any of them are actually dead or even seriously injured, he can stand proud.

Now, all that's left is him!

‘Speaking of which, where is that coward? He didn’t appear to join in the previous round of fighting.’

“Hey there, you pain in the ass!”

'Seaking of the annoying rat', the lizard thought, before turning his gaze upwards, spying the six-winged demon floating gracefully in the air above him. Their smile was as wide and sharp as ever, almost making Lucifer appear as if he were the predator, and he himself was the prey… almost.

“... Finally run out of your dogs to send my way?” I couldn't help but chastise, a sense of pride swelling up inside of me. “If you are, then I hope you're ready to perish from this world's history. Not that you’ll be missed, that is.”

“Heh, low blow.” Lucifer chuckled, unintimidated by the lizard's threats. He scratches his cheek, showing a sort of relaxed nature he hadn't seen from him since the beginning of their days-long duel. “And just so you know, I wasn’t trying to hide, or get someone else to do my dirty work. No, I had a feeling they wouldn't be able to put you in the ground for good, which is why I just needed them to distract you long enough.”

'He’s bluffing.'. That's what the lizard immediately thought at this current moment. Still, he couldn't help his stomach from churning a bit the more the damn demon talked.

“Distract me? For what?”

“... This.” Lucifer explained, before pulling out a small, yet simple, glass-looking marble. The lizard looked at it confused, about to inquire how that insignifigant tricket could possibly be used to defeat him and—

CLANG!

“GAHH!” The lizard screamed as he felt the skin around his neck beginning to boil with heat. Looking down, he saw that a collar made of bright crimson flames had formed around his neck, a chain made of equally destructive fire forming off of it and leading straight towards the now standing Satan, who looked beyond pissed as he stared daggers at the lizard.

Before 682 could even think of moving to respond, he felt something pull him down to the ground. Looking down at his legs in surprise, he realized all four of his legs were now suddenly tangled in a mess of sharp spikes, blue flames in the shape of hundreds of chains, and… Gummy worms?

SHIT! The lizard thought, as looking ahead, he saw the sins of Greed, Lust, and Gluttony, respectively, all standing, magic shooting out of their fingertips as it became obvious they were the ones to trap his legs.

He then attempted desperately to flap his wings, only to suddenly feel his stomach TURN from the inside! IT BUBBLED AND POPPED AS SUDDEN PAIN FILLED HIS BODY AND—

RRIIIIIIPPPPPP!!!

“FRESH FUCKING AIR!”

He noticed beneath him his chest ripped open, as the sin who he had eaten earlier in this fight, the sin of envy and her two endlessly annoying heads, shot out from his body. As they did, he noticed they exited with millions of gallons of his own blood, flying up above him with it pouring out of his body like a waterfall before—

STAB!

Using their magic, the sin of Envy hardened the bloods into dozens gigantic spikes, before sending them down upon him. The spikes pierced his body, some even hitting his recently grown wings and forcing them furled upon his back as his body got pinned to the floor even more.

In another moment of panic, the beast tried to take in another breath of air, hoping to release a blast of fire to halt their attempt to trap him and blow them all to kingdom come!

ROA—

CRUSH!

Before he could, however, he felt his bony maw being clamped down against his will. No matter how much strength he put into opening it, it wouldn't budge. Looking down, he noticed a violet energy field had appeared around his muzzle.

Enraged, he managed to move his head to the side just enough to see the Sin of Sloth, Belphegor, had already recovered and was holding her own four hands out, magic escaping her fingertips as it became obvious she was the cause of this entrapment.

“I’ll admit, you're a real pain in the ass to kill. I'm not sure if I even can without destroying half of Wrath in the process!” Lucifer congratulated spitefully from his vantage point in the sky, the marble in his hand already beginning to glow with angelic light. “Which is why I'm not going to deal with that headache. Instead, I'm going to make sure you don't even think of trying to threaten me or my family ever again! I hope you enjoy your new home, because it’s a life sentence!”

The fallen angel of God lifted his hand in the air as the once-lifeless marble continued to dance with light bright enough to put the sun to shame. It continued to spin faster and faster, building up energy like none the lizard had ever seen before.

In desperation, he attempted to thrash out of his bindings! It did force the demons to put even more effort into holding him down, but not even he could overpower the combines strength of six sins as of yet.

Noticing his attempt, though, Lucifer couldn't help but grimace as his eyes began to shake with unseen power and strength. “Throwing a tantrum will get you nowhere. So why don’t you just stay… D̶͈͖̘̺̯̜̖̩̼͈̽́͜o̵̤̫̗̺̫͚̫̤̔́̀͂̾͋̀̄͠w̶̨̧͖̙̟̘̋̏̍͗̏̿n̴̪̼̻͓̲̹̽́̌!̵̨̭̻̮͚͍͖̼͙̖̜̀͑”

CRUSH!

It’s as if the universe itself belmont a knee to the archangel, as the reptile suddenly felt millions upon millions of pounds of force strike his back, pushing him even deeper into the floor! Gravity suddenly felt like his most hated enemy, trying to crush him with all its strength.

He wasn't willing to give up just yet, though. He couldn't! HE CAN'T! HE CAN’T LOSE! NOT UNTIL HE COMPLETED HIS MISSION!

Lucifer showed no pity for his efforts and instead continued powering up the marble with energy. It soon became so bright, the reptile was having trouble seeing, unable to look through the blinding light!

Around Wrath, Imps and other hellbornes began freaking out, crying as they saw what could only be described as a giant angelic sun beginning to glow in their demonic realm. Half of the ring could at least see a little bit of light shining through the sky, and every single one of them began fleeing in terror, scared that whatever it was may attempt to wipe them all out.

Lucifer didn't care about this, however, and when he finally felt like he collected enough power, he stared down at the six sins under his command and shouted out an order.

“NOW!”

And all at once, the six sins start expending more magical energy than they have through the entire fight! Collages of blues, reds, violets, greens, and golds begin circling around the lizard wildly! He felt his own skin begin to burn just by being close to powerful magic. His eyes widened as he realized he was trapped!

Lucifer, from atop his perch, smiled devilishly. “Now… Goodbye.”

“W-WAIT!”

Į̸͔̳̱̤̣̦̝̼̺̤̟͎̮͒͛̓̈́͑̂̔̃̊̈̀̐̂̓͗̀̋̎̔̉̾̈́̓̉̽͌̈́́̇͒̃̈͊̄̎̔̏̊̚̕͘̕͝͝m̸̢̢̼̱͔̪̥̺̭͇͍͇̼̩̫͛͜ṕ̷̢̨̨̧̨̛̛̛̳̺͖̹̯̣̰͇̭̺̯̻̰͚̻̜̱̻̺̩̠͈̠͍̫̤̗͔̬͙̰͉̮̭̤̮̭̹̔̊̏̓͒͐̈̾͂̇̃͋͋̎̽̔̀͛͊͆͛̐̂̏̐͆̐̚͝͝ͅͅr̶̨̧̧̛̳̹̜̗͎͓̠͔̰͓̘̟̜͇͓͈̫͕̬͕̲̬̳̠̙̰͍̪͍͈͙̺̠̬̠͙͈̥̣̫̭͉̫͖̦̞̺͉̰͚̺͉͇͍̙̜̻̗̬̳͓̤͉͈̤̽̈͗́̎̎̊̅͒̐͊̌̍̈́͐̿̾̀̈̈͒͌̾͌̑́͗̂̃̂͂̂̾͐̑͋̈͜͜͠͝͝͠͝ͅį̸̧̨̢̡̢̢̨̱̤̹͍̺̩͈̞̖̹̞̭̮͇̠̹̘̮̥̘̣̮̫͙̭̭̺̤̠͔̞̜̳̟̼̟̣͚͍͖̖͔͕͚̩̬͚͕̮̲͈̱͍̝͔̦̖͖̜̼̹̂̌͋͑̓͌̇́͆́͌̾͛̎̿͊̀̍̽̊͐͑͜͝͝͝s̵̡̧̛̳̮̼̜͔̥̠̘͎͚̺̭̄̑̓͆͊̏͑͌́͐̓̆̔̈́͌́̎̀̒̑̑̉̉́̽̒̂̿͗̂̿͆̈͆͋̀̆͂̒̇̉̑̐̓͗̌͊̇̾͊̈́̊̉̌͛̽̂̕͘͝͝͝ͅo̶̡̢̧̬̟͇̼̰̦̦̱̥͎͎͎̝̺̣̭̲̤̱̻̠̤̺͒͌͒͂͊͋̀̓̊̀̓͑̉͘͝͠ͅn̸̢̛̺̪̟̹̲͇̜̲̙̯͓̪͔̲̺̫̫̬̫̗͖̭̼̯̬̖̺̠͔̠̻̝̫͔̳̙͍͓̭͉͙͖͖̦̬͓͓̰̭̩̒̔̎̀̊͐͌̓̒͐͑̓͆̌̍̿̓̿̈́̄͛̈́̉̇͆͒̓̾́̐͊̓͊̒͆͑̈́̐̄̿̓̀͐̊́͊̀̋̎̍̐̈́̚̚͘̚͜͠͝͝͝͝”

The world was consulight light, as Lucifer shot down the glowing marble at the lizard.

It was all over in a single second, as all the magical lights from the sin’s converged directly into the struggling lizard… and—

BOOM!

With what can only be described as a black hole made entirely of angelic light, the reptile was consumed as the whole seven rings of hell shook with unbridled fury! Whatever hope there was for the remaining mountains in this area vanished, as even those dozens of miles away crumbled from the aftershock of the spell!

The ground cracked open, the mountains split and shattered, the sky threatened to tear open and drop Pentagram City straight onto Wrath!

But in all but one second after it had begun… The world halted, as the black hole of light vanished. Leaving behind nothing but destruction, the seven sins, and a singular, now blackened marble lying harmlessly on the floor.

Everyone was silent, as Lucifer flew down and picked up the now dark marble.

They all held their tongues as their leader examined the marble, until finally… 

“Well, i'm pooped! Hey, who’s up for that McDonalds I promised earlier!” The sin of pride spoke in a… surprisingly jovial manner.

“...”

“...”

“... Fuck yea.”

 

---

SCP-682 POV

The world around me was dark, endless. There was no light, there was no sound, no meaning, no existence, no gravity, space, time, death– nothing! Just me.

I didn’t know where exactly I was, but I had a pretty good guess. Along with that, I know exactly who put me here.

… Lucifer… I will make you pay for turning me into your captive!

Still, It wasn’t all bad. I could still feel some aspects of themselves. And even now, I couldn't help but notice my body beginning to rapidly change… readily evolve, as I finally had time to rest and fully digest the battle he just went through.

The strength of those demons was not to be questioned. They were strong. So strong that throughout the whole battle, I doubt that I even spilt a liter of their combined blood in total.

Still, now that I finally had time to process the power… that strength… I could already feel my body begin to morph. 

I felt my wings harden, my scales becoming even more durable than what I ever even thought was possible! And more important than anything else, I was able to catch a glimpse at my own claws, as I noticed how their ends began to crack, revealing a much brighter, and much whiter material underneath.

I chuckled… maybe staying in this prison wont be so bad after all, at least for a while.

But watch out lucifer, because I am coming for you! And when I do, i'll live up to my threat. I will destroy you, your kingdom, your dreams, but most importantly… you family!

“Hehehehe… HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!”

 

Notes:

Satan: (ATTACKS 682 WITH ALL THE FIRES OF HELL!)

682: Thanks for the brunch, bro.

Satan: (surprised pikachu face.)

WHOO! WE ARE SO BACK BABY— (looks at chapter)—… Ahh, there’s that self conscious feeling I missed last week.

Seriously though, this chapter took… quite a couple years off my life. And even then, I’m not sure if I’m SUPER happy with it. It is the longest chapter I’ve done in a while, counting up to 9,000 words, so I hope that counts for something at least. Also, 800 KUDOS! THATS AN IMPORTANT NUMBER! But seriously, thank you for everyone that’s read the story to this point to make it this big. It’s honestly unbelievable, and I’m so glad you all enjoy rambling of a mad man like me!

Regardless, this chapter finally concluded the plot point from—(checks notes)—… Half a year ago… man, I procrastinated this plot. STILL! It’s finally concluded for now. And I really, REALLY hope I did so in a way that you all liked! And I sincerely hoped you all like the way the fight concluded (I promise. There’s a reason for it.)

Anyways, that’s all for now. So I guess I’ll just leave you with this question. When you’re reading fight scenes like this one, what do you like the most about them? And what do you, as a reader, want to see more or less of?

So! Leave a kudos if you enjoyed my tears and loss of free time, drop a comment if you have any questions, jokes, wisecracks, or suggestions! And I hope you all have a much better week than the seven sins!

Have a great day!

Chapter 54: Training day.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Light begins training Alpha-9

Kondraki awakens to a rude suprise.

Notes:

"What is revenge?"

Kondraki POV

My head throbbed.

Like a… like a… I’m struggling to think of something that could hurt as much right now. I could barely think about anything right now, as all I could focus on was the searing pain that shot through each and every neuron in my mind.

Ah, goddammit, what happened? Why is it dark? Why does my head hurt so fucking much—

– The white-hot dagger pierced straight through his eye as his body fell lifelessly to the bloody sand below–

“Dmitri!” I realized with a panicked jolt; adrenaline immediately began to pump through my veins as it all came flooding back. Hammer down. The surprise attack. Dmitri. Mr. Redd. That cloaked figure with the silver mask and—and—

“Dammit, I need to get out of here!” I realized.

Unfortunately however, the moment I attempted to move, I realized I was unable to. The room was pitch black, but I could feel myself sitting on what felt like a metallic chair. My hands and legs strapped to the arms and legs of it with some sort of bracers, making it virtually impossible to move.

‘Well, there goes that idea.’ I felt defeated, noting that no matter how much I struggled, I seemed to be unable to move from the chair.

I felt myself beginning to hyperventilate. The loss of movement, of control. It was overwhelming! It felt like spiders were crawling up my back, but I had no ability to stop them or even check if it truly was just my imagination or not!

I didn't know where I was, but I knew it couldn’t be good. I doubt those bastards wiped out an entire MTF group just to give me a surprise party.

I shook my head, trying my best to calm myself down. It was going to be ok. The foundation will find out I'm missing and send help. Sure, I may not be the most vital personnel, but they will send someone, even if their primary mission is just to get revenge for what happened to Hammer Down.

‘Dammit, breathe. Just breathe… You're going to be ok, you're going to be ok. Whatever those bastards try to do to you, you’ll survive; you will be fine… You can’t cave… You owe it to him.’ I thought, my mind racing back to a certain Russian who had fought tooth and nail to save my sorry hide, not but… Damn, I'm not even sure how long ago it even was.

Still, you just have to hold on. You just have to be strong. The foundation will get the last laugh; we always get the last laugh…

‘I’ll survive this if only to spite these bastards for what they did to you, Dmitri.’

And with that, I continued with my smooth, methodical breathing. Calming my nerves despite the horrid situation I found myself in. And I made a promise to myself, that I will survive this, and that I will be the one to avenge Dmitri by taking out that red haired bastard… No matter the cost.

 

---

Rainer POV

 

My legs cramped as I continued running. My red jacket was now dirtied with mud and scuffed by the trees. My jeans show obvious mistreatment by how dirty they were, with the only clean thing on me currently being the small red flag attached to a belt at my waist, a flag not dissimilar to what you’d find young children wearing for games like flag football.

Leaves as loose sticks snapped beneath my weight as I dashed through what felt like an endless sea of trees and foliage. Heavy breaths escaped from my mouth as sweat dropped from my face like raindrops as I—

SWOOSH!

‘Shit!’ I quickly though, before dodging out of the way just in time as a net made of violet light hit the ground, wrapping snuggly around an unsuspecting rock. Panicked, I quickly began running in the other direction, despite the agonizing cries from my now-abused legs. ‘Dang it, I thought I would have had more time! This isn’t good; this isn’t good! I need to lose her somehow, or… or set a trap!’

I began breathing slightly easier as a plan began formulating in my mind. That’s right, I didn’t need to beat her. I just need to outsmart her!

‘Heh, easier said than done. Still, it’s worth a shot!’ I finally concluded, determination spreading across my brow as I continued running for a couple moments, before suddenly deciding to jump to the side, rolling over a large log that had struck the floor and planting my back against it.

I peeked over the log, making sure she wasn’t in sight. She isn’t. ‘ Good.’

I quickly opened a bright, swirling blue vortex to my side. It felt awkward doing so, as I could feel myself physically hesitating for doing so without being given express permission to use my power. Still, I tried my best to ignore the feeling as I used the same vortex to summon a metallic bat. I reached in, feeling my fingers wrap around the bat's cold metallic body before pulling it out. I tested its weight before immediately summoning another vortex. This one took a second longer as I forced myself to be more creative, but in a second I still achieved my goal, as I reached in and pulled out a small black object that was shaped like an egg.

I began smirking, confidence starting to creep up inside of me. I held the two items in my right and left hands, respectively, as I began waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike!

‘Alright, as soon as they show themselves, I’ll distract them with this smoke bomb!’ I felt the black egg-like contraption in my hand. ‘And when I do, I’ll use that opening to disorient them with the bat, and then grab their—’

I suddenly felt a strange weight pulling against the flag around my waist before—

RIP!

“Gahh!” I startled back, surprised, as all of a sudden I felt the flag get ripped away from my body. Shocked, I turned around to see what could have grabbed it! What could have… “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.” That was all I could say, as I watched my flag get dragged up towards the trees by a glowing violet fishing line, which itself was connected to an equally colorful fishing rod that was being held by the very woman I was being chased by this entire time, currently adorned in a standard tactical military vest, Leora Lightfoot, her own blue flag snugly attached to her own waist as she wound up her light conjured fishing rod.

Before I could even react, she managed to grab the flag off of the fishing line like an expert fishing snatching a fish from a pond, before allowing her construct to disappear into hundreds of light particles.

“Hah! Won again!” She celebrated, waving my flag around in the air while chuckling. “Nobody expects the fishing rod!”

“I’d be worried if they did.” I sighed defeated, slightly annoyed, before just rising to my feet. I scratched the back of my neck, glaring up towards Leora. “But come on! I had a whole plan and everything! H-how did you even get up there?”

“Hehe, I’ll never tell!” She chuckled jokingly, lifting a finger up to her lips in a shushing motion as she dangled her legs over the tree branch she situated herself in, kicking them like she was a child. I just playfully stuck my tongue out towards her before also joining in on her infectious laughter.

After laughing for a couple of moments, I realized what I was doing… I was… laughing? N-not just laughing ironically but… laughing with someone else? 

‘Geez, when was the last time I got to do that?’ I thought sarcastically, rolling my eyes as I lifted my hand and began examining myself. Laughing, it felt… nice! It’s been so long, that I just forgot about how nice it could be.

Before I could continue questioning myself about this familiar yet alien feeling, a distinct ringing emanated from the earpiece in my right ear.

~~PZZT~~

“Round 8 goes to Leora Lightfoot for successfully capturing Rainer’s flag. Return to each of your drop-off points. Round nine begins in approximately twenty minutes.”

~~PZZT~~

“Damn, it’s only our first official day of training, and Light is already this serious? Something must have royally pissed her off.” Leora commented, before hopping down from the tree branch she was sitting on and rolled expertly on the ground, before bouncing up with excess momentum right in front of me.

“Do you think it’s because of what… um, Clef did the other day?”

“Heh, ol’ devil with a shotgun himself? Maybe, but I feel like she would've gotten over that already.” Leora commented, as she began stretching her back out, taking advantage of the time afforded to us to relax slightly. “After all, it’s not like that guy was wrong. He just exposed some very obvious chinks in our armor. Honestly, I take the fact that he cared to share any advice on how to improve as a group as victory enough! From what I heard, the guy usually doesn't say more than five words to someone before sending some poor sucker to the hospital wing, especially with how he’s been acting recently.”

I felt a faint chill run up my back at that as my hand hovered over my cheek. It still feels sore after he hit me with the butt of his shotgun… At least I hope that’s what hit me! It was a little hard to tell at the time.

“Well, if it’s not that, then what do you think it is?”

She shrugs, “Who knows? I can never read that woman. But it’s probably pretty bad considering all the stuff happening recently. One containment breach after another, missing personnel and anomalies. I'm honestly surprised that the foundation can function at all right now! Just goes to show how they don’t know when to quit.”

“Heh, yeah… guess they don’t.” I murmured to myself as I once more began thinking about the whole mission we were being sent on. Don’t get me wrong, I'm all for helping out in whatever way I can! But… From what I've heard, even the foundation is scrambling to figure out where we need to go. Dr. Light mentioned something about Clef thinking our objective is to head to literal Hell… So that isn’t promising.

“... Hey, I've been meaning to ask you, Rainer, but do you want to get something to eat after this?”

“Wha-what?” I was suddenly dragged back to the present, as both Leora’s voice and question startled me. 

“I asked if you want to grab something from the site’s mess hall when we’re done with training.” Leora smiled as she asked, continuing to confuse me. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure they're going to work us to the bone today, but they have to let us out at some point. Unlike some of the other people on this team, we do need to eat—I mean, I'm assuming you need to eat! Since you, you know—oh my gosh, I am so sorry if you didn't, and I just brought up a sore subject, I just thought—”

I quickly raised my hands in embarrassment as Leora started going on a tangent, swinging them wildly as I cut her off. “N- No, it's fine! I—Y-yea, I need to, um, eat! T-that isnt what I– I mean, thank you for the invitation–”

“You’re welcome—”

“But I… I mean… Is that even allowed?”

Leora raised a confused eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

I started to nervously sweat as an awkward feeling began to rise from the pit of my stomach. “W-well, it's just that… You know, for the last while I haven’t really been allowed to leave my cell, unless it was for… special circumstances.” I did air quotes with my fingers. “Usually they just kinda… put it in my room. The last time I was allowed to actually eat anywhere outside of my cell regularly was before they made me… Keter class. At least, I think that’s what caused the change, since that's also when they took away my permission to wander around the facility and… interact with people outside of… um… testing.”

After finishing my explanation, I noticed Leora go silent for a second, as if to process it all. Before finally, 

“Oh… Oh, you poor thing.” She spoke solemnly before walking up and—

Clutch.

… wrapping her arms around me in a hug.

‘W-what? What’s going on? Why is she… Why is she doing this? Is this a… a test?’ I couldn't help but think, admittedly a little panicked at the sudden contact.

But just moments after I had begun to panic, I just… I don’t know… My… My muscles began to relax slightly, almost as if they were melting into her almost sisterly embrace.

“I… what are you… What are you doing?” I couldn't help but eventually ask, scared that I would be unable to if this went on for much longer. Leora didn’t answer my inquiry, instead preferring to continue to sanctify the silence of the embrace.

After a few moments of that, however, she finally did break the warm silence with a promise of all things. One I was not expecting, as she spoke silently. “I promise… As long as I’m here, we’ll be friends.”

“...” I looked up silently at the comparatively taller woman, confusion running through me at the rudeness of her promise. Though, honestly, a part of me felt as if she were saying it more to herself than anyone else.

I wanted to say something back to her so desperately. I wanted to… to question her? Thank her? Yell at her? Cry? I… I don't know. I wanted to say something, anything!

But no matter how much I tried to pry my mouth open, no sound would emerge. So instead, I stood there, allowing her to continue her hug for another minute as I tried to process her words. I’ll be honest, I was expecting Mrs. Light to chastise us after a few seconds and tell us to get a move on since she seems to value time more than anything in the world. Surprisingly enough, however, the earpieces in our ears were dead silent.

Eventually though, Leora did let go. I flinched the second she pulled away, as I suddenly felt cold without her comfort. Looking over, however, I saw her give me a reassuring smile. “Come on, we can have lunch together after we complete a couple more rounds of Dr. Light's overly complicated game of flag football. Deal?”

“H-huh? Oh, u-umm—y-yea, totally! I mean, i-if they allow—”

“So it’s a deal then!” Leora cut me off, before patting me on the head slightly, ruffling up my already messy mop of brown hair even more.

And with that, she practically skipped off into the forest, heading to her own starting point which I have had yet to find in all of our matches. I just sat there for a couple more seconds, processing it all…

A… friend?

The feeling was so familiar yet… endlessly alien as well. Friends? Sure, I have friends… I think—I mean, I'm fairly certain Simon is a friend!

‘Though he’s also a foundation doctor that’s like twenty years older than me, so I’m not really sure he counts… But Cain and The Specter are my friends! Sure, it’s been a while since I've spoken to either of them… Because they're in Hell… But I'm friends with them too. So why does it… Why does someone saying their my friend, promising to always be my friend just feel so… special–’

~~PZZT~~

“Rainer. Return to your drop-off point in ten minutes.”

~~PZZT~~

‘And there it is.’ I sighed, hearing the all-too-familiar sing-songy voice of Dr. Light in my ear. 

Still, I just took one final glance in the direction that Leora… my friend… went in… before reluctantly turning around and heading to my own drop-off point. All the while, I still couldn't get the whole interaction out of my head, as it began weighing me down emotionally as I began asking myself the same question over and over again.

That question being… What does it mean to call someone a friend?

 

---

Dr. Light POV

 

I stared annoyed at the wall of screens ahead of me, their static screens lighting up the slight smolder that was present on my face. The coffee cup in my hand slightly burns my skin, though I pay no mind to the scorching pain that it subjects me to. Right now, all my focus is on two things. The current training of Alpha-9… and SCP-005.

‘Dammit, just when things seemed to be getting on track, the cargo team in charge of transferring 005 here by my request was ransacked. No anomaly to be found.’ I swore, lifting the scalding liquid to my mouth and taking a long sip of it before lowering it once more. ‘What makes it worse is just the fact that the item's delivery was done exclusively on MY command. I bet some of the council is already beginning to doubt my capabilities, considering this happened just when I finally managed to form Alpha-9.’

I scratched my head, frustrated, still remembering when I received the news about the delivery team's helicopters being found in the middle of nowhere, completely destroyed. What was worse was that there was no sign of the anomaly, or whatever had caused it!

I released a heavy sigh before raising my eyes up to meet the wall of electrified boxes, their light bouncing off my eyes as I absorbed all the information that they displayed to me. That being their exact location and activities for each of the members of my long-time project, Alpha-9.

Staring at the leftmost screen, I observed SCP-2273 in one of site 2’s largest gyms. Currently, the soldier from another universe was bench-pressing an impressive 2,500 pounds. If I remember correctly I believe he was currently in his sixty third… Sorry, sixty-fourth rep with the excessively heavy barbell. 

Turning over to a different camera, I saw SCP-1360 and SCP-105 both inside of the foundation's boxing ring. The robot acts as a tutor for Iris, who I've currently tasked with learning some form of martial arts from 1360. When it’s over, Iris will then be turning her attention over to trying to utilize her own anomalous gift better.

And finally, of course, was the training between SCP-4818 and SCP-4051 in the woods surrounding site-002. It’s a simple exercise on paper, with each of them just having to try and take the colored flag around the other person's waist. There have been a total of eight rounds between them so far, with Leora winning six and Rainer only two. To them, this is just an exercise to help improve the control over their abilities, making them think of creative solutions on their feet, since both of their abilities are really only limited by their imaginations. 

However, the real main point of that exercise is for Rainer, who so far has shown excessive restraint and hesitation whenever he’s given free rein to use his anomaly without supervision. This hesitation has caused the kid to lose multiple rounds against an opponent who, while more experienced, should be many times weaker than him. 

It continued to frustrate me to no end how a kid with so much potential just refuses to use it, and it's constantly disappointing to see him lose when I could think of dozens of ways for him to win with his ability. Even the couple of times he did win felt lackluster, considering it was mostly done as a result of Leora messing up instead of him outsmarting her.

Still, despite my disappointment… someone else is generously more ecstatic as they watch the screen, eyes glued to the television.

“Geez. I'll admit, I was originally against the idea of letting them fight each other in any capacity, but you sure did prove me wrong!” Dr. Glass cheered, wearing a massive smile that threatened to rip his face in half with how much he was abusing it. He continued staring at the screen, watching the dozens of cameras that followed the two anomalies as they returned to their drop-off points. “I am seriously going to have to thank Leora when I see her next. I knew that only good things would come out of those two meetings, but even then, this is better than I could have ever imagined.”

I rolled my eyes, remembering how childlike Dr. Glass looked when one of our security cameras picked up the conversation between Rainer and Leora. 

“Yes. Though did you really need to have it play out for as long as it did? You quite honestly forced me to shut up until the very end of their conversation.” I reminded the doctor, causing his smile to stiffen slightly but still remain spread as he looked towards me.

“Hey, we agreed that I’d have actual authority in this team, and that I'd have an actual say in making sure these kids stay sane.” The psychiatrist leaned back, before reaching down and picking up his cup of tea, giving it a light sip before continuing. “As far as I'm concerned, Rainer just took his first step in making actual connections that aren’t just people in the foundation like you and me. Besides, you want him to be more willing to use his anomaly on his feet, right? The best way to do that is to get rid of the metaphorical chains that bind him to the foundation.”

“I get that, but we are in a time crunch here. Every moment we don’t spend preparing for the worst is another chance that we’ll be caught off guard.” 

Dr. Glass raised an eyebrow. “You’re in a mood today… Still freaked about what happened with 005?”

I shook my head slightly at his inquiry but remained silent. I stop myself from continuing this argument because he’s right. I know he’s right. I just… “It’s just one bad thing after another. We have no idea who it was that stole the anomaly. With it, the entire foundation has a major security risk. No site or location is safe as long as our enemies have that key. Not only that, but I haven't heard a peep from Mr. punching-is-my-expression-of-love since his little stunt he pulled yesterday.”

Dr. Glass shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, knowing Clef, he probably has some sort of plan he’s cooking up right now.”

“If that's the case, then God help us.” I joked, sipping my scolding coffee. 

“Heh, we’ll need a lot more than God to deal with that guy.”

“Touche.”

And with that, a sort of understanding passed through the air between us as we continued watching Alpha-9 train in their own respective ways.

The silence only lasted for so long, however, until my comrade opened his mouth again, nervously sweating as he did so. “Hey, um… Remember that thing you told me about before? About representing the foundation in some sort of meeting? Is that… Is that still happening?”

A smile suddenly bloomed across my face once more as I looked towards the wreck of a man. “Why, of course! As a matter of fact, that meeting is in about three days from now in Washington D.C.”

“ Sigh… Why did I have to open my dumb mouth?” Glass relented, head banging against the table as he began feeling a headache coming on. “Are you sure this is a good time? I mean, I literally just promised Rainer that I wasn’t going to be leaving him—”

“And you won’t be! As a matter of fact…” I reached beneath a desk, pulling out a vanilla file folder and placing it in front of Glass, my own giddy excitement beginning to rev up inside of me as I watched Glass read the order on it. “As the director of Alpha-9, I declare the team's first mission will be acting as your bodyguard before, during, and after the meeting.”

“Wha-what!?” Glass suddenly exclaimed, shocked. “A mission so soon?! Doesn’t this seem—”

“--A little fast? Yes, I know.” I explained before retrieving the folder from in front of the doctor. “I also know that experience on the field is infinitely more valuable than training in a lab. I believe this will be a perfect experience for you both!”

Dr. Glass lowered his glasses as he began almost glaring at me. “With the way you are talking, it’s almost like you're hoping something will go wrong.”

“Teehee.” I jokingly spoke, sticking my tongue out at him. I'll admit that I got way more enjoyment out of his bashful expression than I probably should've gotten.

“Fucking… ugh. You’re either the best person to talk to or the worst. There is no fucking in between with you.”

“Still better than the other guy.” I joked, chuckling as I noticed a chill run up Dr. Glass’s spine.

“Fair… fair… Oh, speaking of which, I think they’re about to start.” The doctor pointed out, causing me to look at the screens once more, noticing both Rainer and Leora were waiting patiently at their drop-off points, a nervous sweat evident on each of their brows.

“Right. Let's hope this time Rainer finally decides to stop holding himself back.” I commented a little aggressively; before lifting my finger to the headset I was wearing, I turned it on so that I could communicate with the two anomalies. “First to capture the flag around their opponent's waist wins. Round nine begins in three… two… one… begin!”

And they were off!

 

---

Kondraki POV

 

‘Nine thousand three hundred and six… Nine thousand three hundred and seven… Nine thousand three hundred and eight.’

My muscles ached as I once more attempted to shift the bindings that held me down to this chair. Once again, they didn't give an inch. I tried rolling my head as I hoped, praying that maybe this time I could miraculously see something in the boring-ass room. Once again, however predictably, I found myself incapable of even seeing the chair I sat on. The only thing I could pick up on besides the feeling of the cold, metallic chair against my body was the faint smell of iron, and even that was faint at best. 

‘Nine thousand three hundred and nine… Nine thousand three hundred and ten… Dammit… Dammit! I've been trapped in this dank room for hours, and nobody has even shown up yet!’ I grieved internally, once again annoyed at the situation I found myself in. ‘Obviously I wasn’t expecting grade-A customer service, but after all the goddamn trouble they went through just to kidnap me, the least they could do is put me in a room with some damn lights! Seriously, all I can do for entertainment is just count the seconds, and even that’s beginning to get old! What, is their plan just for me to starve to death in here?... Actually, compared to some other options, that might be the preferred outcome. Still, it's been hours, and I haven't seen hide or hair of anyone or anything—.

CREAK.

‘... Well, isn't that just convenient fucking timing.’ I thought, my muscles subconsciously tensing at the sound of a heavy wooden door inching open, the creaking sound stretching on for what felt like an eternity. 

I clenched my fists beneath the hidden restraints that were holding me down, sweat beginning to drop from my head. I was hoping that the door opening would provide some sort of light, but unfortunately, the room continued to submerge itself in a pitch black hue, hiding all from the sight.

After the door finished opening, seconds of silence followed creepily. I could hear my breath, feel my heartbeat. Meanwhile, I couldn't even hear any footsteps, making me question if any door was opened at all and thinking that it may have all just been part of my imagination.

Still, a part of me was terrified to call out. Maybe whoever it was just peeked in and left, checking to see if I was still here. Checking to see if—

Clutch!

I froze, as I felt a cold hand grip onto my shoulder. The fabric of my lab coat immediately wettened, as am unfamiliar liquid quickly seeped through it, as if whoever had just touched me had dunked their hand in paint before arriving here.

“Wh-who’s there?! Get your fucking hand off me!” I screamed out, anxiety climbing its way through my chest, forcing my pupils to dilate out of fear!

Before I could even attempt to say anything else, however, or even attempt to knock the disgusting hand off my shoulder… He answered.

“Awww, and here I thought you’d want some company? It is dreadfully boring in here, after all.”

That—that voice! That’s…

“You FUCKER!” I screamed with venom, any indication of fear draining from me as an overwhelming puddle of rage boiled within me, as I attempted to lash my head out in the direction of the voice. “I’ll kill you—I’LL KILL YOU!”

“Hehe, well, that certainly woke you up quite nicely.” The voice mocked, entirely unbothered by my threat. “Although, I would love to see the look on your face right now. So let’s… add some light to the situation.”

Their dreadfully smooth voice proclaimed, before—

THUMP!

With a heavy noise, large overhead lights turned on, finally allowing me to see. The rudeness of the transitions caused me to flinch, as my eyes squinted in an attempt to adjust to the new brightness level.

“There, now isn’t that better?” The voice mocked as my eyes finally adjusted to the room. As my eyes opened, I noticed that it was actually mostly a plain square room, with silver walls and flooring. Looking at myself, I noticed that I was indeed in a metal chair, like I had previously assumed, and had both my arms and legs attached to it with metal bracers.

I scoffed at this nervously before finally noticing as a certain figure finally released his hand from my shoulder, walking past me.

As they did, I noticed the red suit they wore the last time I saw them, along with the crimsoney, almost bloodstained hair that was just short enough to not cover the crazy in his eyes. The same man that killed Dmitri and probably an uncountable number of soldiers that worked for the foundation.

“... Mr. Redd.” I basically growled as I watched them walk towards a table at the far end of the room that I failed to notice before, holding all sorts of weapons and instruments that were presumably used for unspeakable acts.

At my calling out to him, I only saw a grim smirk move across his face before turning his attention back to the variety of knives, scalpels, crowbars, and other dangerously cold items designed to administer as much pain as possible.

“I do apologize for the mess; I simply did not have enough time to clean myself up before coming here.” They gloated, raising their right hand in the air, showing it was covered in blood. Nervously, I looked towards the shoulder he had grabbed previously, seeing that the cold liquid I felt seeping through it was, in fact, blood. “I mean, who knew a man named Mr. Hot could bleed so much? If I had known that, I would've started with him instead of Mr. Soap. Would have saved me a helluva lot of trouble cleaning up. Wouldn’t you agree, Kondraki? You may be disheveled in appearance, but I’m sure even you wish to spruce up every now and again.”

The scientist in question growled, scolding as he looked towards the madman, who gleefully grabbed one of the many knives on the table and began playing with it between his fingers.

“Mr. Hot and Mr. Soap? Weren’t those two of the anomalies that—” 

“That went missing during your so-called ‘worldwide containment breach’? Yes, I believe they were.” The creepy bastard spoke calmly; the reflection of his almost glowing red eyes against the knife in his hand allowed an ominous air to filter into the room.

A I fidgeted nervously, my voice cracking slightly as I continued. “You know, when I was looking over the report of missing anomalies, I did notice the abnormal amount of missing little misters. Honestly, at first I thought it was a coincidence, but now I know better… Mr. Redd.”

The red-haired anomaly in question suddenly froze as I finished, no longer toying with the now blood-soaked dagger in his hands. Noting this, I smirked.

“You know, I figured you were one of them after you introduced yourself. This kinda just solidified that theory.” I half-joked, still desperately moving my arms and legs in hope of some miracle that the restraints would come loose. Still, a tense silence followed my accusation.

Before finally, he spoke once more, his voice now tainted with venom and disgust. “I am… nothing like them.”

“Heh, sure you are. You share a name, have weird abilities like the rest of them; hell, I’m fairly certain you’re also made by the same Wondertainment brand—”

His eyes widened sharply as—

BANG!

“Gahh!” I choked in pain, as Mr. Redd had managed to cross the room in less than a millisecond to stand directly in front of me, his right arm reaching out as it threatened to crush my windpipe as his hair drooped over his face as he stared at me like an animal, moments away from letting its bloodlust consume them.

“You just made… a very stupid mistake.” They finally spoke in a monotone voice, releasing their clutch on me ever so slightly to allow me to talk back. “I'm going to make you hurt for that one.”

I gnashed my teeth together as I used all my strength to lean my neck forward, giving the bastard an equally hateful stare. “Then do it already, you bastard! Kill me! Because I can promise you that you won’t get me to say a single fucking THING about the foundation!”

We both stood still, staring at each other with glances so heated that you could almost see the sparks flying between us.

“Hehehe… HEHEHEHEHE!!!” The BASTARD began cackling like an absolute psychopath, his eyes never even closing while they continued to pierce straight into me, as he lost his shit like he had just heard the funniest joke in the goddamn world. “HAHAHEH HE HEAHA— YOU THINK— HEHEHEEEE— YOU THINK WE WANTED YOU FOR FUCKING INFORMATION!? THOUGHT I WAS GONNA WASTE MY DAMN TIME JUST TO GET A COUPLE OF USELESS FUCKING PASSWORDS AND SHIT! HAHAHAH—FUCK, WELL, AREN’T YOU JUST THE FUNNIEST FUCKING COMEDIAN ON PLANET EARTH, BECAUSE THAT IS THE STUPIDEST THING I HAVE HEARD IN MY WHOLE GODDAMN LIFE!!!”

‘... What?’ 

“Then… then why—”

“FUCK IF I KNOW!” The madman screamed before finally fully releasing my throat, causing me to sputter out a handful of coughs as he angrily walked back to the far table, picking up the knife he was playing with before, then turning to me with a calm and collected expression on his face, completely different from how he acted just moments ago. “All I know is that the asshole that stopped me from killing you, quite obviously, doesn’t want you dead. They just told me my one job is to completely and utterly… break you.”

“Break me? For what?! Some sort of sick kink?” I angrily spouted back, trying desperately to hold onto the brave facade, though I began panicking as I felt it crack.

“Hehehe, god no! They're the type of person who’d fuck a book before even considering it with one of you lot.” Mr. Redd chuckled before reaching farther back onto the table and pulled back what looked like a… a… a kid's bicycle helmet? It was painted a pure white and looked pretty standard. I was honestly surprised I didn't notice it before, but I did not have time to worry about that, as soon as Mr. Redd closed in, knife in his left hand, helmet in his right. “I'm sure they have some big fucking plans for you, but frankly, I don’t really have a single shit to give. All I care about is that I get to shatter your mind, make you a husk of what you once were! And when that's over, they’ll lead me to another one of those… fucking toys. So, believe me when I say that it really isn't entirely personal. It’s just what I have to do… I'm sure you can understand.”

“Heh. so that's it? You're just a dog, then?” I began insulting the psychopath, trying desperately to hide the way that my hands shook with fear, the way my pupils dilated each and every time the BASTARD took a breath in my direction. “For someone who was talking some hot shit before, you really do just act like a mutt trying to please their master! Desperate for a FUCKING treat!”

“...”

They stayed silent as they began looking down at the small helmet in their hand. For a second, I thought that maybe, just maybe, I somehow managed to convince him to leave me be! Just giving me the opportunity to escape, live, get out of here, and tell the foundation all that’s happened and—

“Now… now it is personal.” They finally spoke, shattering all my hope as they lifted the helmet, lowering it onto my head. “Now… I’m going to fucking enjoy this!”

‘W-wait! Stop! DAMMIT! I need to move; I need to get out of here! I can’t go out this way just yet; I can't! I need—’

The helmet was placed on my hea– &@j*9&5^7@**6%H7*6$68>,.;(E0979&^%!@L(&^/;L)*^$^8^(*^P)(08*

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Oh… This is about to be so much fun!”

Notes:

Rainer and Leora: (Having a grand ol' time!)

Dr. Light: MOTHERFUCK---

Hi, hello, me again... don't really have much to say this time. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter, even if the stakes had dropped signifigantly since the fight from the last chapter, so I am geniunly curious what you all think of it? Especilly since it's a bit different from the last couple of chapters.

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed. Leave a comment if you have any questions, suggestions, jokes, corrections, and/or wisecracks. And I hope you all have a great, great day!

See you next week!

Chapter 55: A Helluva conversation.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Verosika finally awakens after being attacked by 035, only to find herself in not very pleasant company.

Notes:

“How much is revenge worth? What will you give up to achieve it?”

“… and will it ever be worth it?”

 

 

 

~~Three days ago~~

 

 

 

 

Moxxie POV

I nervously strode out of the office, spiders crawling down my back as I began walking across the hall.

I silently cursed myself—You know what, no, I cursed Blitz! 

‘Goddamnit sir, why did you have to send me?!’ I repeated the question in my mind with venom, remembering his exact response to the inquiry. It was something along the lines of, ‘ Stop being a limp-dick pussy, Mox; just fucking man up and tell them to be fucking quiet already!’ or something like that.

I shook my head, feeling a headache beginning to form as I remembered the last time I tried to have a pleasant conversation with these animals… It did not go well. For fuck's sake, my everything still hurts so much from that!

‘At least they seemed to have quieted down a little bit. Still, Blitz did tell me to tell them to quiet down. We just got back from a mission literally three minutes ago, and all we hear is them screaming something, like they’re having the craziest party ever. Blitz is probably just in a mood after the recent assassination. That, or he just wanted to find an excuse to be alone with Stolas for a little bit.’ I reasoned to myself just as I finished the journey across the hall, ending right in front of the two double doors, the letters V.M. painted in bright neon pink, just to confirm who it all belonged to. I decided to try to peer through the window, but I found myself unable to, as it seemed to have been blocked with… Some sort of black blinds? ‘Strange, don’t remember those being there before.’

I coughed, steeling my nerves before finally gathering up the courage to awkwardly knock on the door, resulting in three heavy thumps.

“Umm, hey, Verosika? Are you there?” I waited for a response… Nothing. Damn. “ Cough… Ok then. W-well, Blitz just sent me over to ask if you could quiet down a bit… B-but, I guess you already kinda did so… Thanks? Um… Yeah, I'll just… I'll just go now. Sorry for bothering you.”

And with that, I quickly turned around and began making my exit; no way was I passing up this opportunity to leave! Besides, nobody responded! I’m sure that just means they fell asleep, blackout drunk on the couch or something! No reason to bother them! I’d be an idiot to—

“h…h-help…”

I froze… I turned back to the door to Verosika Mayday’s recording studio, confused as I… I thought, for half a second, that I heard the faintest voice crying for help.

I quickly shook my head; there’s no way that's the case! I was probably just hearing things! I mean, this building does have plenty of faulty pipes; maybe I just heard one of the creaking and confused it for a person! E-even if I didn't, however, I'm sure I'm just being paranoid! Maybe they're just… playing a game! Or sleep talking! Yeah, yeah, that's gotta be it! There’s no need to worry!

… Right?

…

…

“ Sigh… Dammit.” I pinched the bridge of my nose before decidedly turning around and knocking on Verosika’s door slightly harder than before.

Bang Bang Bang.

“Verosika? Are you ok in… there?” I trail off, as I noticed the door open slightly from the impact of my knocking, leaving it slightly ajar and showing that it was unlocked for some reason. I stared at it confused for a second until I eventually decided to swear internally at myself and open it up even further, taking a step in. “Verosika? Sorry for barging in, but are you—”

Squish.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I felt something warm squish beneath the weight of my hooves. The second I felt it, I knew… I knew what it was.

Still, some part of me couldn't believe it. I felt that it was impossible; there was no way! It couldn't be!

But as I looked down, all my doubts were immediately put to rest… As I saw that I had accidentally stepped on the lifeless body of what looked to be a succubus.

“I… What in the actual fuck!” I couldn't help but scream, taking a step forward in shock further into the room so that I would no longer be standing on the body. But as I did so, I immediately regretted it, as I was now able to view the entire main room of the studio and…

“... Holy shit.” Those were the only words I could muster as I gazed upon multiple dead bodies of both Incubus and succubus alike, their dark black blood flowing out of their bodies and soaking into the carpet below, making the entire room appear as though it was trapped in a never-ending midnight. Looking around, I could immediately identify who these demons were… They were Verosika’s posse, with the only member missing from the pile being their hellhound bodyguard, Vortex.

I was in shock, as a sickly feeling began to arise in my chest. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen blood, gore, and death plenty of times in the past. Despite that, however, some part of me couldn't help but feel wrong seeing these demons murdered so brutally.

I shook my head, snapping myself out of that line of thought. I was ready to leave after this, ready to tell Blitz and have him call…call…fucking somebody! I don't know what's going on! And I'm not sticking around any longer than I need to, because if the thing that killed them all is still here, then I–

“H…h-help…m…m—me.”

I froze once more. There it was again, that voice.

Startled, I quickly looked around the room, hoping to find who it could have possibly belonged to…

Before finally stopping, as I notice one of the bodies twitch ever so slightly.

Noticing this, I carefully moved my way to the back corner of the room towards the body. When I arrived, I gently rolled the body over on their back and–

‘V-Verosika?’ I noted, immediately recognizing the famous singer, despite the fact that most of her body was covered in her black blood. I was shocked but quickly managed to recover as I began looking over her bloodied body. Most of the blood seemed to be accumulated on her chest, showing that whatever injuries she took must have originated from down there. Her eyes were glazed over, just like how those who were dead would look. Still, I gently placed two of my fingers against her neck and…

…

…

‘She’s alive!’ I determined, as I felt the faintest breath pass through her windpipes! She must have been the one calling out to me, meaning she must have just lost consciousness after her second call for help!

I… I… Panicked, I quickly placed her on the floor again before bolting out of the room.

“Blitz! Blitz!” I screamed, knowing he would know what to do! He must! He knows Verosika better than the rest of us after all!

I ran desperately across the hall once more, leaving the room of bodies behind me… 

---

~~Modern day~~

 

Verosika POV

…

…

… Everything felt so cold. 

… Everything looked so dark, yet… comforting. Like my face was being smothered by a pillow, hugging me with unnatural strength, refusing to let go despite my best efforts to free myself.

… It felt so enclosed, so entrapping. Yet somehow… endless? I couldn’t make sense of it… I couldn't make sense of anything. Everything felt fake, as if whatever it were I am experiencing is just a dream. A dream where minutes felt like hours, and hours felt like minutes. Where up is down and down is right. A place where logic and reason seemed buried beneath a mountain of unconscious thought, numbing any sense of reason in the world.

… This feeling of uncertainty lasted for a long time, as I was left to swim deeper and deeper into this abyss of uncertainty and darkness that seemed all-encompassing. The only sort of reason left in my head was the searing pain that existed in my abdomen. No matter how numb I became, that pain always remained stagnant, along with a feeling of bending hatred. A kind of hatred I only felt for one man before is now being passed on and directed towards a new asshole.

Still, the comfort of the abyss could only remain for so long, as eventually the feeling of numbness began to fade, and memories began flooding back to my head… And a light finally shines in the darkness, beckoning me to approach.

And approach it I did.

…

…

…

---

 

“Ngg… ugh.” I unintentionally groaned as a deep feeling of sloth and discomfort washed over me. My bones creaked with displeasure when I tried to move, as if they hadn't been used at all in years, determined to simply sink deeper into the mattress that I was lying on.

‘Wait… Mattress?’ I questioned and… yep, there was definitely a mattress below me. But how? When did I go to sleep?

‘Damn, what happened? All I remember is getting back from the party, carrying some beers with me back to the studio with my posse and… and…’ My eyes lit up, memories flooding into my head like a tsunami as I remembered! The gun, the exorcist, the creepy Black man, the blood, the imp—‘The imp– ‘The Imp! That damn white masked bastard!’

I shot upwards with the sudden memory… and immediately regretted it, as I felt unbearable fucking pain swell up from inside my wounds!

“Gah—dammit!” I swore on instinct, falling backward on the bed as the pain refused to go away, feeling as if I got shot in the chest all over again. I took in heavy breaths, hoping it would help numb the pain… it didn’t. “Fuck, that hurts!”

Taking a moment to calm myself down, I decided to distract myself by looking around the room I found myself in. 

Immediately, I was surprised once more, as I could tell at a glance it wasn't one of mine. No, instead it seemed to be a white sterilized room, with accents of pink paint against the otherwise statically colored wall. The wall to the right of me had a window, drapes parted to the side as it allowed a gentle morning light to shine through, which immediately tipped me off that this wasn’t the pride ring. The room was also filled with medical equipment, one of which was an IV bag and a heart rate monitor, which were both connected to me beneath clothing that definitely wasn't my own and instead seemed to be a hospital gown.

This realization did allow me to chuckle for half a second, noting that I still looked sexy as all hell in it, but I quickly shook that discovery out of my mind as I began desperately looking around. I was hoping, praying I’d see a familiar face—

“Hmm? Finally awake, bitch?”

‘... Let me rephrase that. I want to see a familiar face that I don’t fucking despise.’ 

I turned to my left, the same direction in which the door to this apparent hospital room was. I grimaced as sitting next to my bed, in his stupid-ass leather jacket of all things, was the second most hated imp I have ever had the displeasure of meeting, formerly the first before I met the white masked one.

A dark scowl spread across my face as I stared upon the imp who sat annoyingly nonchalantly at my bedside before finally addressing him with all the venom I could muster. “... Blitzo.”

Blitzo… The fucking imp that always acts like he’s better than everyone. The Imp that has broken the heart of an uncountable amount of unlucky saps who were unfortunate enough to fall for his bullshit! I glared towards his right eye, which was surrounded by scarred skin that caused a large blot of white to taint the bastard's face. He sat on a wooden chair next to my bed, his yellow glowing eyes piercing through me as I said his name, his sharp teeth releasing a small snarl.

“The O is silent, dumb bitch! Damn, the doctors didn’t mention you also got fucked in the head, because I refuse to believe anyone is dumb enough to keep forgetting that!” The… Fucking Imp barked back, crossing his arms as he gave me an annoying side eye. “Besides, that’s some fucking way to thank me. Calling you an ambulance that took you all the way to Sloth wasn’t cheap, you know.”

“Hah! Like I need your fucking pity money, you broke-ass bitch.” I spat back, relishing in the fact that I saw a visible pang of annoyance appear on the demon from my words. Feeling really bad about myself, I decided to push the bastards buttons even further. “Your little assassination business has been teetering on bankruptcy for fucking months! As a matter of fact, if it wasn’t for your newest victim saving your ass on live TV, you wouldn’t even fucking be here right now!”

“Oh, that is fucking rich coming from the bitch who makes a living off of horny assholes who only pay to see your concert to have a new fuckable image of you in their head!” Blitzo argued back seethingly, causing me to growl.

“Well, at least people actually fucking like me. I can count on one finger the amount of people you know that wouldn’t fucking strangle you the first chance they get!” I bit back, cursing a bit internally as I unintentionally shifted forward, causing a new shot of pain to inject itself into my spine. “And even then, those few fucking ‘ friends’ you do have are constantly afraid of you running off on your own and fucking everything up! Like you always do! ”

That last comment seemed to hit the Imp right where it hurt, just as I expected, as I noticed him physically recoil slightly in surprise before allowing an almighty pissed-off expression to tear itself across his face. 

Then finally, like a tea kettle reaching a boiling point, his top came off as he pointed aggressively towards me. All pretense of a civil conversation was lost.

“O-oh yea? Well, a-at least—ugh, at least my friends are even fucking alive!”

‘… what?’

Any comeback that I had planned immediately dried up in my mouth, as I found myself unable to speak for a second, air stolen from my lungs. My fists unintentionally clenched against the thin hospital blanket that was wrapped around me, suddenly acting as my only source of comfort as the momentary distraction of Blitzo’s appearance ceased to be.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Blitzo suddenly realize what he had just said, causing him to scratch the back of his neck and awkwardly look away, seeming both embarrassed and a little angry at himself.

“Um… Shit—I'm sorry. That was… that was too—”

“Are they all dead?” I asked suddenly, not even bothering to look up at him as the whispered question escaped my lips.

“H-huh? I'm sorry, what—”

“I said… Are they…Are they all…dead?” I managed to speak clearer this time, taking all my strength to prevent the brokenness in my voice from shining through. I looked up towards Blitzo as I spoke… and a small part of me shattered into a million pieces as he immediately averted his gaze, changing his direction to the floor, refusing to answer. 

“... Oh. I… I see.” I couldn't help but say, my own gaze turning towards the pure white blankets that I found comfort in… white… white… the same color as that fucker's mask! The same color as his angelic gun! Of that Exorcist's wings! Of his, of his—

“Grrr… AHHH!” I screamed in sudden rage as I ripped the sheets off me, no longer finding comfort nor protection beneath them as the horrible memories flooded into my mind, filling me with rage. This action surprised the imp in the room, who immediately fell back out of his chair and onto the cold ground. “Dammit… DAMMIT!”

I tried to stand up, only for—

STING!

“GAHH!” I screamed again as unbearable pain flooded into me the second I tried to move myself! My spine felt like it was on fire, piercing through the entire upper region of my body and making me feel like I was hanging onto a spike like a slab of meat in a butcher's freezer. 

Undeterred, I tried again… Only to once more feel the uncontrollable pain swell up from within me, forcing me on the now blanketless bed once more.

“Fuck! FUCK!” I tried again, unable to stop the tears that had begun to form in my eyes. Only this time I didn't get to experience the pain, as a pair of surprisingly strong arms suddenly pushed me down, forcing me to stay down on the bed.

“Hey, hey, fucking relax!” Blitzo ended up screaming at me, forcing me down despite my struggles. “The doctors said you shouldn't move, so can you just—Gahh, just stop fucking squirming already!”

“FUCK YOU!”

I managed to raise my two arms and shove the imp back slightly, breathing heavily as I had finally managed to get the fucker off of me!

I was expecting him to immediately rush back, to try and hold me down again like the bastard he was!... But surprisingly, he didn't. No, instead he just stood there, looking a little pissed by being shoved away, but otherwise seemingly fine and willing to just stand there.

Noticing this, I took the opportunity to catch my breath, allowing the heavy swarms of air to flow into my lungs greedily, calming down my nerves.

However, the momentary peace did not last long, as not long after being able to collect my thoughts… I felt something wet graze itself against my cheeks. I didn’t even need to touch my face to know the origin of the wetness.

I looked away, unable to meet Blitzo’s gaze as he looked at me with pity from across the room. His expression annoyed me to no end as I desperately tried to yell at my body to stop crying, choking on my own breath before finally collecting myself enough to turn back towards the man.

“Dammit… Why, out of all people, did you have to be the one that found me?”

“Heh… Well, if it makes you feel any better, Moxie was the one who actually… y’know… found you.” Blitzo admitted, as if what he said would make a world of fucking difference. It didn’t. Still, I humored him by staying quiet as he continued. “I'm just the guy who called the ambulance for your ungrateful ass when Mox came running into my office, whining like a little bitch. So, umm… you're welcome.”

“I’m not thanking you.”

“Well, fuck you too then.”

Silence permeated once more, as the two of us stood—er, one of us stood, while I was forced to continue lying in the tortuously white bed. 

I hated this. I hated feeling powerless like this. So weak I can’t even fucking stand up, for Satan knows why. So weak I couldn’t even protect my friends, as I was forced to watch them… watch them die. One by one! Until I was the only one left! UNTIL I WAS TOO WEAK TO FUCKING DO ANYTHING! FORCED TO CHOKE ON MY OWN BLOOD AS THEY ESCAPED USING MY ASMODIAN CRYSTAL—

The breath nearly collapsed in my lungs as a sudden realization swelled up from inside of me… They—they took my Asmodian crystal! Without it… how can I follow them! What will I tell Asmodeus, that I lost one of his fucking crystals?! He'll skin me alive!

“... Fuck!” I swore into my hands, surprising Blitzo slightly at the outburst before he sighed into his palms.

“Yea, fuck, fuckity-fuck-fuck-fuck! Have you let it fucking out yet?” Blitzo spoke in a partly mocking, partly annoyed, and the slightest bit regretful voice. I gave him a stink eye, anger welling up inside me at his disregard for what I was going through. I was about to chew his ear off once more for this until I noticed the bastard sigh in a low tone before continuing. “ Sigh… Listen, I… look, I’m—shit, I'm bad at this—I’m…sorry.”

I froze as he made this strange confession quietly, momentarily freeing me from the typhoon of negative thoughts and emotions that swirled from within me.

“...What?” I couldn't help but ask, resulting in another annoyed sigh from the imp.

“You’re really gonna make me fucking repeat it—fine! I'm… fucking sorry for… that this happened… And for what I said earlier.” He begrudgingly admitted, as if every word took an absurd amount of physical effort to escape the bastard's lips. “It was… too far.”

… Despite my unfortunate position, I couldn't help but smirk as the horned asshole desperately tried to apologize, both surprising and amusing me.

“Damn… Never thought I'd hear you, of all people, say that. Are you on another bullshit apology tour? Or has your newest boyfriend really changed you that much?”

Blitzo growled but did not say anything in defense of himself as he looked away.

“I don’t think that's any of your business… bitch.” He spoke begrudgingly, the ‘bitch’ part taking a few moments longer to say than it usually did for him.

This caused me to chuckle a tiny bit. “Damn, guess nearly getting executed on live television only to be saved by your own personal knight-in-shining-armor really does change a person, no matter how dickish.” I joked, looking at the fucker knowingly and causing Blitzo to roll his eyes. But I know the bastard too well, and I could easily identify the slight blush that built up on his cheeks from my statement.

That only lasted for a second, however, as I quickly changed the subject with a sigh. “ Sigh… That’s enough about you, though; this mushy stuff is already making me feel sick.” I chuckled before leaning my cheek against the palm of my hand. “So tell me, assuming you gave enough of a damn to be here when the doctors arrived, what's my diagnosis? How long am I gonna have to stay in this hideous gown before I can leave and strangle a couple of bastards?”

The air around Blitzo suddenly changed at this question, as I began noticing him teeter his eyes to the left, once more avoiding eye contact.

“I… think you should probably wait for the doctors to tell you themselves.” Blitzo admitted awkwardly, as if choosing each and every word with an unheard of carefulness. This immediately got me worried, as usually the bastard would jump at the chance to tell me bad-fucking-news. 

“ Sigh, listen, if you're worried that I wouldn't be able to afford the medical bill or some shit, don’t sweat it. I have plenty of savings to help me with this bullshit. Insurance may be a scam, but at least they always give favorable treatment to someone who can give them good publicity.”

“N-no, it's… not that.” The imp begrudgingly admitted.

This caused me to raise an eyebrow. “What is it then?”

… The demon remained silent.

“Blitzo—”

“The O is silent—”

“Yeah, and I don’t fucking care.” I cut him off before he could call me a bitch again with a serious look on my face. “You better tell me what’s going on, or I swear to Satan that I will keep calling you Blitzo to the day the seven rings collapse—”

“You can’t walk!”

…

…

… what…

…

“I… I can’t… What the fuck do you mean—”

“You know exactly what I mean.” Blitzo stared at me aggressively before turning his gaze to the floor. “Not that I give a fuck about you… But when you arrived, the doctors told me that… That you got shot in the spine or some other fucking bullshit. They—um—said some other medical shit that I couldn't be bothered to remember, but it basically ended with the fact that you… your… You are paralyzed from the waist down.”

… My mind went blank as he spoke those resounding words.

“... you’re not lying?”

“You've known me long enough to know I can’t lie for shit.”

“…Unfortunately.” I murmur to myself in slight disbelief, my… my eyes turning towards my legs, which were no longer covered by the white blanket. They looked fine, but… I couldn’t feel anything from them. “… There isn’t anything they can do?”

The demon shrugged before looking at me apologetically. “I don’t know. All they said is that they can’t really help you through any normal medical bullshit. What makes it worse is that you were apparently shot by some angelic-lined bullshit, basically poisoning your wounds or something like that, so… that doesn’t help.”

“… Why is it that whenever I talk to you, you always are just the bearer of bad fucking news?” I thought out loud, half as a joke and half as a genuine question. Blitzo remained silent at that, as if he weren’t sure how to answer.

That was fine by me, as it gave me a little more time to… fully come to terms with what Blitzo had just said to me.

About being paralyzed…

Fuck.

I wasn’t sure what to think. None of it felt real. ALL of this felt like some fever dream that I’d awake from any second, glad to be back to my normal life instead of the nightmare I was currently living… except this time, that wasn’t the case.

Strangely enough, though, the newfound fact that I was apparently paralyzed barely registered with me. At this moment, I wasn’t thinking about how this could possibly end my music career. I wasn’t thinking how I’d possibly be having to use a wheelchair for the rest of my life. Hell, I wasn’t even thinking about the simple fact that I would never feel anything in my legs again!

No… all I could think about was him. 

The man who did this to me. Who killed each and every one of my friends while I sat there and could do NOTHING to stop him!

‘I couldn’t do anything back then… but maybe now I can.’ I realized, as I thought back to my encounter with the bastard. ‘I promised him that I would make him pay. And I’m gonna damn well live up to that promise… But how do I do that—’

It was at that moment that a realization suddenly struck me as I turned slowly back to Blitzo, who seemed content to ignore me completely as he unconvincingly tried to look at his nails, pretending to not look at her as she had her own mini-crisis.

After a few moments of this, Verosika just sighed before looking unimpressed at the demon.

“Blitz.”

“Fuck, I keep fucking telling you, the O is silen—wait, did you just say Blitz?” He suddenly asked, shocked, actually realizing what I just said. 

I didn’t care, though, as I just continued.

“I… Your little assassination business is still taking clients, right?”

“Huh? O-oh, pfft, yeah, obviously!” The red asshole quickly recovered, as if deciding to push the last couple of moments to the back of his mind for later. “Just tell us a target, and we’ll kill them! No questions asked unless you want us to do something really fucked up. Not that it’s a deal breaker, I’m just curious what kind of sick kinks you’re into and how i can be involved—”

“Yea yea, I get it. Save me the whole… feteshising business spiel.” I cut the Imp off, pissing him off a little. Still, he seemed interested in where I was going with this line for questioning and just stayed silent as I continued.

I took a deep breath. “I… Can’t believe I’m about to actually say this. But I… I want to hire you.”

Blitzo squinted towards me, as if a little surprised at my words, before shaking his head and allowing a serious look to cross his face once more. “… I’d ask who you’d want us to kill. But I think I already have a pretty damn good idea.”

I simply nodded.

“… What do they look like? And where are they?” 

“Well, they stole my Asmodeon crystal, so they are probably messing shit up on earth right now. As for what they looked like, there were three of those bastards in total.” I began; this unspoken agreement between us was already sealed. Maybe not an agreement to help just yet, but one that showed he was at least willing to hear me out. “The first of them was a completely Black man.”

“Hmm, not usually in the business of killing people for racist reasons, but I can make an exception.”

“Wha— Not like Black, I mean— Hell, you're insufferable—I mean, like, Black black! Like the fucking guy was covered in tar or something.” I explained, annoyed, still not believing that I was actually making a deal with this fucker of all people. “They also made these black puddle things. Kinda like an infester demon if I’m being honest.”

“The next one looked like an exorcist.”

That actually managed to raise an eyebrow from Blitzo, as he had to withhold a laugh. “An exorcist… working with demons? Are you sure you weren’t seeing things?”

“Yes, I’m sure! The thing held its wings up to my neck, as if they were fucking knives.” I explained, a little pissed he wasn’t believing me. 

‘Guess I can’t blame him too much though; it does sound pretty unbelievable.’ I couldn't help but admit that fact in my mind, but I refrained from saying it out loud.

Regardless, it seemed like Blitzo was convinced for a moment, so I continued.

“Finally… And most importantly… is the bastard that… that shot me.” I began explaining, my body physically irking as I recalled the bastard. “He was an Imp… wore a cowboy hat and other ugly shit that Imps down in Wrath wear. Umm… I think he had a red bandana too and used a fucking revolver of all things. Literally just looked like he was trying to cosplay as a fucking cowboy or some shit.”

At the brief description, Blitzo suddenly raised an eyebrow, as if surprised by something. It looked as if he were about to say something, but I continued, just wanting to get the abhorrent description out of the way.

“But the thing that stood out the most about them was this… This white mask he wore. Covered most of his face, smiling like a fucked-up comedy mask from a theater or something.” I began, my skin crawling as I was forced to remember its face… that… that sneering face! 

“Not only that, but they also looked… horrible. The few parts of their body that were exposed beneath their clothing looked disgusting. Like—like his skin was rotting away, like a fucking zombie. I swear I even saw some of their bones. It was… horrible. Yet the bastard could still move around like they were in prime condition! It just… it didn't make any sense.” I explained, my arms raising as I hugged myself, trying to comfort myself as I recollected on the bastard. 

“... To be honest, a part of me thinks you won't be able to beat them. They were past just being demonic; they were… monsters. Still, if I didn't… try to get revenge on them—if I didn’t even try to avenge everyone they killed! To avenge Josh, Coco, Apple, Milky, Kat, Ace, Kiki… Everyone they killed in cold blood… Then I don’t know if I would be able to live with myself.” Tears began forming in my eyes as I remembered the blood. The death. The cries for help, begging to be saved as those SAVAGES toyed with their lives! Like animals! “... I'm willing to pay anything. I'm willing to give you anything… So please. Please just avenge them.

At that, Blitzo turned towards the floor, as if debating something in his head. He stayed that way for close to a minute, affording me just enough time to wipe my eyes clean, as I couldn't help but criticize myself for getting emotional in front of Blitzo of all people. 

‘I remember what happened the last time I got emotional around the bastard.’ I couldn't help but think, remembering the suddenness of our breakup, of him just leaving me without a word, taking my credit card and most of my savings in the process.

Mid-thought, I was interrupted as I heard Blitzo swear. I thought it was to me at first, but looking up, I realized he was saying it to himself, a pissed-off look on his face as he pinched his nose aggressively before turning to me with a stern look on his face.

“... Fine, we’ll hunt these sick fucks down for you!” Blitzo proudly declares, reaching into his leather vest and pulling out an old-looking pistol, twirling it in his fingers before giving me a smirk. “It’s about time I get Moxxie off his ass, anyways. Millie has also been craving for juicier targets for a while now, so she’ll be happy with this. Plus, that final guy you mentioned, while I don’t recognize the mask or the rotting flesh bit, he sounds eerily similar to another bastard who I've had a run-in with a couple of times, and not in the usual sexy kind of way. So it is entirely personal!”

I was taken aback by the sudden confidence shift in the Imp's entire demeanor. Still, I wasn’t going to stop it, as I much preferred this over the emotionally taxing talks with him I was having earlier.

Still… One thing rubbed me the wrong way about what he said, as the conniving-looking imp turned his back to me.

“Wait, what about pa—”

“Oh man, I am so excited to teach these fuckers who’s boss. So excited, in fact, that I feel like I'm forgetting to ask about something… hmm.” Blitzo cut me off before miming a thinking motion, humming thoughtfully as he lifted his right hand beneath his chin. That motion barely lasted a second, however, as he quickly snapped out of it with a smile and began heading towards the door. “Ahh, slipped my mind. Well, it must’ve been nothing important if I'm not able to remember it.”

He reached the doorknob amidst my confusion before turning back towards me. “See you later, bitch. Get better soon, I guess, or don’t. I don't really give a shit either way—like I said though, you're paying me back for the fucking ambulance drive here; that shit was fucking expensive.”

He then opened the door, exiting before I could give a remark in return. As he went to close it, a sudden smirk appeared on his face as if an idea sprung in his mind, causing him to turn towards me. “I would say I’ll probably run into you later. But I don't think you’ll be running into anyone anytime soon.”

“...”

“...”

“... Really?” 

“What? What's the point in living if I can’t make fun of a new cripple? That's like dark comedy 101.” He ‘joked’ once more, snickering to himself before shutting the door.

Bang!

“Peace out, bitch!” I heard him scream from the other side of the door. That did arise a chuckle out of me, as I looked down towards my legs and–

“Will you be quiet… Hey, wait—I recognize you! You're that fucker who broke in here a couple of months back and stole a patient's transplanted body part!”

“Ahh shoot, they remember me. – Hey, in my defense, I really did think that was a horse dick—”

“GET HIM!!!”

“Fucking—SHIT!!!!”

… I then proceeded to hear a bunch of screaming, cussing, and yelling echo through the hospital walls from outside my hospital room, as I can only assume it was Blitzo suffering for the consequences of his actions… again.

“Heh… He probably didn't even get permission to visit me.” I realized out loud with a chuckle before leaning back in my bed once more. I couldn't move too much on account of the fucked-up spine, but at least I could do that much. Blitzo… He was always an asshole who only ever cared about himself for the longest time, leaving nothing but his victims in his wake, leaving us to pick up the pieces for each other… Leaving me to pick up the pieces of my fucked-up life by myself, causing me to fall into a despair so deep that… Well, all I can say is that this room reminds me a lot of the one I found myself in before getting admitted into rehab.

And yet, despite all of that, now… He’s still a selfish prick who's gonna leave countless more fucked-up victims in his path because of his inability to pick up on even the simplest of social cues. But something still feels different about him now compared to then. I noticed it back at Ozzies; I noticed it even more at my ‘Fuck Blitzo’ Halloween party, and I noticed it again just now during our conversation. Something that seemed to always be there, but just hidden behind the deepest pile of shit imaginable, only now beginning to get uncovered. 

What that thing is, though, I still have no idea. All I know is that it makes the bastard feel so much worse about himself… in both a good way and a bad way.

… I looked out the window, watching as the gentle breeze continued to flow inside the room. Rays of light shining through the opaque glass, giving the whole sterilized room an almost ethereal feel. Almost… angelic? In a way? Not that I really know what angelic would mean, but it's the closest comparison I could make.

But it was… pleasant.

“Heh, it's a nice day outside.” I couldn't help but say, as an unnatural, primordial fear rose through me, causing the small smirk on my face to diminish into a frown, tugging at the corners of my mouth like weights. “Unfortunately, something tells me that isn't gonna last much longer.”

And with that, for the second time today already… I truly wished that I would be proven wrong in the days to come.

“... Be safe, Blitz... And make sure when you kill those fuckers, that you make sure they suffer.”

 

---

“... So, huh… you gonna finish that sandwich?” Moxie asked unimpressed, looking towards the ham and cheese sandwich that had been lying on the conference room table for the last half an hour, uneaten, with Loona sitting next to it with her feet on the table.

“Pfft, I dunno. Why do you care, fat ass? Want to finish it?” Loona asked snarkily as she continued rolling through her Sinstagram page, causing a ping of annoyance in the aforementioned Imp, who sat opposite of her.

“No. I care because I don't want you to leave something out to attract a bunch of rats that Ill have to clean out… I don't want to deal with that again.”

“Heh, sucks to suck, fatso.”

“Grr– That’s it! I'm taking—”

CRASH!

“WOAHH!” Moxie screamed in surprise as he went flying forwards as the IMP van crashed straight through the conference room window behind him, landing next to an unsurprised Loona, who continued scrolling through her phone.

“Gahh—WHAT THE FUCK—”

Bang!

“Get in the car, losers! We’re going monster hunting!” Blitzo suddenly screamed as he kicked open the driver's seat door to the van, hanging out with that all-too-familiar deranged look in his eyes.

“... Sir, why are there a bunch of needles sticking out of you—”

“-- Because those GODDAMN NURSES don't know how to take a GODDAMN APOLOGY!” 

… Moxxie could already tell that it was going to be a very interesting couple of weeks.

Notes:

Verosika: I’m alive? I’m alive!

(See’s Blitzo)

Also Verosika:… Never mind. I’d rather be dead.

So… this chapter… THIS chapter… I’ll be honest, this is the most conflicted I’ve felt about a chapter in a while for a… myriad of reasons. It’s the first chapter where IMP actually does something, and not just seen from a distance like before in chapter 38. So I’m very nervous and hoping that I brought enough justice to both Blitzo and Moxxie when writing them. If I didn’t, please, PLEASE let me know, as I’m still feeling unsure about how I conveyed the two. I think it’s good, but I want your opinion as a reader.

Secondly, this chapter is very different from a lot of chapters I’ve done in the past. Taking a quick 180 and focusing on something that hasn’t been mentioned in forever, with characters that haven’t even book introduced yet, or barely introduced. I was a little worried for how it would flow in the story, but I just wanted to do what arc 2 of this story was made to do, which is tie up loose ends like this one and explain what happened, considering I didn’t back then. So please let me know what you all think of that. And what did you think of the chapter in general? Did you like it? I’m really curious.

Wow, these end notes are already getting too long. Speaking of which, and IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! There won’t be a chapter next week, in account of a bunch of stuff happening in my life. As an author, I am genuinely sorry about this, considering that I used to be so good without taken any week long breaks, so I’m sorry that these gaps have been more frequent as of late. Though that does actually bring up another interesting question I have. Not saying I’m gonna change how I do things, but would you all prefer the weekly update schedule to get more frequent chapters, or would you prefer longer wait time between each chapter so that I have more time to proof reading and revise the chapter? There is no wrong answer, and I’m just genuinely curious which it is you prefer.

ANYWAYS! This ending notes section is already so long and I doubt anyone is actually still reading, will I’ll just wrap in up!

So drop a kudos if you enjoy my attempts at traumatizing character. Leave a comments if you have any questions, concerns, ideas, corrections or wisecracks. And I hope you all have a helluva grand day!

Chapter 56: Just a couple of prisoner's

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Mr. Redd gets frustrated.

Dr. Gears and Anni return, with unexpected company.

Notes:

"What is the cost of loyalt?"

Mr. Redd POV

 

“Gahhh… Huhhhh… P-please… please—”

BANG!

“I didn’t give you permission to speak.” I leaned in close to the now bloodstained bastard, bouncing the metallic pipe against my shoulder, smirking as I felt the fresh blood roll down my shoulder. “Now, will you behave and do what I want, or will you continue being a masochistic little bitch?”

“Huh….gahh…Ptua.” Kondraki, the little bitch, spit onto my face with whatever ounces of strength he had left. His saliva mixed with his blood as he refused to break eye contact, despite his battered and beaten appearance. “Gahh… Go to hell, you bastard.”

“...Sorry, that's saved for when you finally listen to my damn instructions.” I replied, before raising the metal pipe again and–

BANG!

With one more hefty strike, using probably a bit more force than what was necessary, the bastard was knocked unconscious, his body slumping in the restraints on the metallic chair he's been confined to for the last who knows how long.

As I noticed him slump lifelessly, I sighed out in frustration. “Fucking fatass. He’s about as good at listening to directions as a sack of ingrown potatoes.” I complained as I placed the bloodied pipe on a nearby table, grabbing a wet cloth afterwards to wipe my hand clean of blood.

“Perhaps you simply aren’t providing enough motivation.” 

‘Ahh, looks like the bastard of the hour is here.’ I thought, annoyed, turning around and noticing a specific cloaked individual enter the darkened torture chamber. Their metallic mask was somehow still reflective despite no light being present in the room, giving the impression that they were nothing but a floating head.

“Motivation, huh? Sorry, it's a bit hard to balance psychological torture with training a dog to follow directions.” I complained, my eyes shifting towards the white bicycle helmet that was now covered in blood, temporarily discarded on the table. “I thought this little task of yours would be easy with that fucking thing, but it turns out the bastard doesn’t have a single fucking clue in the world how to do what you want him to do. So, I've had to resort to some old-fashioned ‘motivation,’ as you put it.”

I proceeded to then point over my shoulder towards a small cage on the table, a single rat running around wildly on the inside. “Despite that, however, he seemed totally inept at the task. Honestly, I'm beginning to think you're just full of shit. That, or someone gave you some bad information, and you're simply gullible as all hell.”

The figure, despite their face being hidden, seemed unimpressed with my excuse as they walked past me and opted to just stare straight at the bruise-ridden face of Kondraki. “Hmm, peculiar, though not exactly unexpected.” They thought out loud before turning to look at me once more. “I can assure you, however, that I speak only truth. It may take some time, yes, but we have all the time in the world. Especially since the foundation is scrambling to reestablish some sort of order, like a headless chicken, if you will.”

I rolled my eyes. ”Yeah, maybe now. But how long do you think that's going to last for? Say what you want about those bastards, but if what I've heard is true, they've bounced back from far worse in the past.”

“Hehe, it matters naught what they've managed to deal with before. At the end of the day, it is all one big game. A game of chess. A game of wits… And we have the advantage of a dozen moves before their turn even started.” The figure chuckled, once again pissing me off with the way they spoke. “This foundation may have its fair share of surprises, but I promise you that by the end of it all, they’ll be reduced to nothing but the whimpering dogs they are… As for our friend here, perhaps you’ll find this helpful in your quest to break him to fit our mold.”

At that, the figure reached into their dark cloak and pulled out what appeared to be a large metallic collar with a speaker attached to it. Along with that, they also pulled out a tiny remote. 

They placed the items on the table, leaving me to just gawk at them curiously.

“Ok… What am I supposed to do with these? Turn him into a fucked-up pet?”

“Hehe, you're a smart cookie; so I'm sure you’ll find the use of this item soon enough, especially if you take advantage of it alongside my previous gift.” They gesture towards the bicycle helmet. “Although it may take a while to come to fruition, I'm positive they’ll accomplish the given task and more if given the time.”

“Uh huh, whatever.” I sighed, deciding that I wasn’t in the mood to try and argue with the bastard today. “Now, was that all? Cause I'd love to get my mind off your bullshit by giving this bastard a few more bruises.”

“Hehe. Yes, that is all I came for.” They spoke before revealing their gloved hand from their oversized cloak. With a single swipe, they aroused a very familiar black inky vortex to appear in the room. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a very important meeting to attend to.”

“Oh? With who?” I asked, half curiously and half out of boredom as I watched the figure make their exit through the darkened portal. 

“Hmm, just people who I have some… unfinished business with, you could say.” Was all they said, before finally entering the black vortex, which immediately shimmered out of existence at their exit. 

“...Fucking dramatic showoff.” I rolled my eyes before tearing my gaze towards the metallic collar and remote as a sinister smile etched itself across my face. “Hmm… Well, this ought to be fun.”

---

Evelyn Bright POV

I found it hard to stand still in one place. My feet rocked back and forth, betraying just how nervous I felt as I patiently waited. 

Behind me, a small army of other individuals stood equally as nervous, their only saving grace being the black, cult-like robes that hid their obvious nervousness.

I grimaced a bit. I never was a fan of the so-called ‘dress code’ that everyone here seems so adamant about sticking to. Still, there's not really anything I could do without causing unnecessary problems.

VWOOM!

My eyes shot ahead once more as I immediately straightened my back at the sight of a blotch of inky blackness staining the air into a perfect circle against the air. 

Almost as soon as it appeared, a figure stepped out of the imperfection against reality. Their entire body was hidden beneath a cloak that was as black as coal, the only shimmer of color present on their entire person being the silvery, almost glowing mask they wore, hiding their face.

They said nothing, yet their mere presence was enough to demand total authority from the room, as none dared to speak, with few even struggling to find the time to breathe in this person's presence.

Even for me, I have only met them a handful of times in person, as they usually prefer to communicate with me through different means. 

Though I still remember my most recent meeting with them ended with them giving me SCP-268 before ordering me to infiltrate Site-93 with it and use the book that was being held there, SCP-666, to trap as many Foundation personnel as possible. 

‘As a matter of fact, SCP-666 is still in my possession. I wonder if they came here to pick it up.’ I began wondering curiously, but I quickly tossed the thought aside as I raised my hand in salute, an action that was quickly followed by the other members of the serpent's hand.

“...At ease.” The figure said carefully, allowing us all to drop our hands. They gave the room a quick once-over before turning to look at me. “Are they still in your possession?”

“Yes. The two members of the foundation that I captured are still here.” I explained, before breaking off from the group of cultists to lead the masked figure out of the large room.

I led them down the hall into the security room, in which a wall of screens displayed the multitude of cameras that were littered around the facility. 

I gestured towards a screen to the far left, which showed a duo of people currently kept in a damp and old-fashioned-looking cell. Both of the figures wore dirtied white lab coats, the foundation insignia displayed on each of their breast pockets. One of them was an older man who was currently awake, leaning against the stone wall. The other appeared to be a female with fair skin, her raven black hair tied into a ponytail. She appeared to be asleep as they lay almost lifelessly against the uneven stone.

“The same ones that I told you about a couple of days back. Dr. Charles Gears and some other foundation employee named Anni Gera, according to the ID I found on her.” I began explaining cautiously, afraid that I may anger them if I say anything wrong. “We administered them with anesthetics to keep them asleep. Dr. Gears, as expected, woke up a couple hours ago. This other doctor still hasn’t awakened yet, but we assume she should soon. If you want, we can move her to another room if you want to have a one-on-one conversation with Dr. Gear–”

“There won't be any need for that.” They spoke in their familiar, almost robotic voice that made it impossible to identify any discernible features about it. 

They then turned to look at me. “As soon as this so-called ‘Anni Gera’ awakens, inform me. I would much prefer to speak with them both at the same time.”

I raised an eyebrow, confused as to why they would wish to spare any breath speaking to this unimportant doctor. Still, knowing my place, I simply nodded. “Alright, you’ll be informed immediately when the time arises.”

“Hmm, good. You know how to contact me when that time arises. In the meantime, I have a couple of errands to run while I'm here.” They explained, as they turned once more to leave. “I’d say don't let me down, but I doubt you will… Don’t let them out of your sight.”

I fell to a knee, giving a deeply respectful bow. “Your will shall be done… my queen.”

 

---

Anni Gera's POV.

 

…

…

‘... Ugh, why does my back feel so sore?’

What time is it? What… What day is it?’

‘Was I… at the foundation? I was, wasn’t I?’

‘I was there with my friends… Researching SCP-666… I—umm—I met Dr. Gears and—’

My eyes shot open as I rocketed upwards with a sudden lucidness that streamed through my veins like a tsunami!

“D-Dr. Gears!” I repeated, as it all suddenly came flooding back to me and— 

“Good, you're finally awake.” A masculine voice suddenly spoke, causing a high-pitched squeak to escape my throat as I looked over surprised, spotting the familiar figure of Dr. Gears leaning against a nearby wall, looking towards me unimpressed. “Though I must admit, I'm not sure how I should feel about my name being the first thing you say upon awakening.”

“I… I–Um…” I began blushing heavily in embarrassment as I forced myself to look away. “I— Shit, sorry, I'm—”

“I don’t care.” He cut me off, disregarding my embarrassment as he turned to his left. “Though now that you're awake, you should probably take a moment to process your new surroundings instead of feeling unnecessary humiliation from me calling you out on your irregular behavior.”

I… looked down in shame but followed my superior's advice and took a moment to gaze across my surroundings… And I was immediately shocked at what I saw.

It was an old-fashioned prison cell, not too dissimilar to those that would probably be found in the medieval era, with the ground even made of unevenly cut stones. Large metal poles acted as a barrier to prevent us from leaving, allowing us to only see a similarly decorated cell across from us.

A bead of sweat streamed down my face as I stood up in a panic. “Wh-where are we—”

“No idea. Though if I were to hazard a guess, I’d say we are more than likely still in Hell.” Dr. Gears began, his eyes meticulously scanning the surroundings once more. “Adding on to that, we are also probably in a facility under the control of the Serpent's Hand. Considering they were the ones to send us here, it’s very likely that they’ve already established many points of contact before initiating their initial attack against us.”

Dr. Gears turned towards me. “You may not recall since you were knocked down almost immediately, but we were attacked by Evelyn Bright, the very same person who sent us here in the first place from Site-93.”

“O-oh, umm… damn, that sucks.” I spoke awkwardly, finding myself unable to think of a proper way to add to the current debate. A part of me still felt weird that I’m even having a one-on-one conversation with the legend himself… which is weird, considering it was just the two of us for like a full day before getting kidnapped.

“Ok, so, umm… What do we do now? D-Dr. Gears, sir!” I nervously asked as I fidgeted with my hair. “I—I know I shouldn't question you or anything! I'm sure you've already thought of at least ten different ways to—um—escape while I was asleep! You are incredible for a reason, sir! And I doubt anyone can keep you down for long—”

“We wait.”

“Brilliant idea, sir!” I quickly saluted, agreeing unambiguously with the man without a moment's hesitation… And only realizing a full five seconds after how pathetic the whole exchange made me appear. “S-so, are we– I'm not questioning your order’s sir! You are a million times more brilliant than me, after all! But are we waiting for someone to save—”

“Nope.”

“Oh… Then are we waiting for a guard to walk by so you can knock them—”

“They never get within ten feet of the cell, so no.”

“T-then you must have some other BRILLIANT idea that I can’t even begin to comprehend to get us out—”

“Unless you have the brain capacity of a newborn infant, then I don't have any ideas that you wouldn't be able to comprehend.” 

“O-oh… ok then.” I responded, beginning to scratch the scruff of my neck nervously, which was a bad habit I had when I was nervous, before turning towards the esteemed doctor once more. “Um… F-forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries, sir. But… Do you have a plan to escape this place?”

At the inquiry, the doctor turned to me, giving me a cold and unimpressed look that caused me to shrink back slightly but still stare at the famous doctor with eyes full of wonder. He continued observing me for a good five seconds before speaking.

“Look around you for five seconds. We are trapped in a cell that, yes, looks old, but was obviously built with the sole purpose of keeping us trapped. There are no windows, so the only way to escape is to somehow get through metal bars that are half an inch thick, with barely enough room to slip your hand through.” He spoke sternly, as if this were a lecture and I were a failing student. “I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker. So unless you feel comfortable breaking every bone in your body to get out of here, we're shit out of ideas. Besides that, we are trapped in an unfamiliar environment. For all we know, there could be an army of guys with guns waiting just outside this cell, ready to shoot us down the second we escape. Plus, I've already spotted at least five cameras in this room, three of them being hidden. They’ll know the second we try to escape and have us put right back in here with a couple of extra bullet wounds for our trouble. So no, Miss Anni, I don't have any ideas on how to escape. Because escaping right now is possibly the stupidest thing we could possibly do.”

“...” I looked downwards.

“...Is that clear?”

“Y-yes sir! Loud and clear!” I exclaimed with unnatural energy, actually causing Dr. Gears to look at me with a rare emotion of surprise on his face. “Thank you so much for the lesson! It means a lot to be taught by you!”

“...”

“...”

“You… actually mean that, don't you?” He asked, though I have a feeling he already was aware of the answer before the sentence ever left his mouth.

I nodded. “O-of course! You are—um, one of the best doctors in the foundation, so of course I'd look up to you!” I exclaimed truthfully, deciding to omit the fact that he does also terrify me half to death sometimes. Although, I'm pretty sure he's already well aware of that fact as is.

I watched as Dr. Gears seemingly absorbed this information, as if hearing such words were alien to him. After a few moments, he spoke once more. “You’re… an intriguing character.”

I blushed awkwardly. “O-oh? How so?”

“Because you’re not terrified of me.” He explained, sounding a bit more insulted by the fact than I would have probably liked to admit. “Even though I only met you, I'm sure my reputation of not accepting anything but absolute perfection has reached your ears some way or another.”

I nodded. “It has.”

“Then I'm sure you're also aware of the fact that I don't tolerate failures either. To the point where even my own assistance has committed suicide simply because they were too tired to keep up.”

I nodded again. “I wouldn't exactly say it like that, but… yes, I've heard.”

“Then why is it, after all of that, there is still a goddamn idiot like you in the foundation that views me as some sort of beacon to strive for? I'm well aware of my own tarnished reputation, and I don't give a damn, because it illustrates that I don’t take anybody's shit.” He explained sternly, obviously leaving out the one person who he has been forced to take shit from because the bastard in question can't die. “Why is it that you view me as some sort of goddamn role model instead of an emotionless boogeyman?”

His question forced me to pause as I turned to look towards the ground. 

Why did I view him as a role model? It's a simple question… yet nearly impossible to answer all the same.

There are a million reasons as to why, with the most important of which teetering on the edge of my tongue. Every part of me wants to blurt it out, taking advantage of this rare moment of curiosity from the otherwise cutthroat doctor to admit the truth. To tell him the full story! To plead with him to believe me! To trust me!

“Because… as serious and… admittedly brutal you could be. You're still… You are— My lips quivered as I stared up towards the void in the doctor's eyes. I stopped, seeing the emotionless abyss that hid beyond his gaze. He was just… empty. A husk of something that was once there.

I know people always pass rumors about how he’s never shown an ounce of real emotion in his life. I know those people are wrong, I do! 

But looking at him now…

“...You are…exactly the kind of doctor I want to be.” I ended up saying after a period of prolonged silence. “Your… drive to always find out the truth. To discover logic and explanation for everything that seems to bypass the laws of physics, it's inspiring… And I know you probably don’t believe it, but your discoveries have and probably will save so many lives in the future… That's why I admire you.”

“...You're a strange one, I'll give you that.” Dr. Gears spoke softly, carefully scanning me with his eyes, not dissimilar to that of a robot. The eyeline made me uncomfortable, but I didn't back down as he continued to look towards me accusatorily. “Although… I can’t help but believe there is more you haven't said yet.” 

A nervous sweat grew on my brow. I was about to raise my voice, in a probably vain attempt to try and defend myself… before—

CLAP! CLAP!

Two loud, resounding claps echoed through the stony cell. Both me and Gears shifted our gaze on a dime towards its origin on the other side of the bars… Only to be met with a cloaked individual, with an almost glowing silver mask pressed against their face.

They stopped clapping before finally beginning to speak.

“Well, well, well… It seems you two are finally awake… good.” They spoke, their voice an amalgamation of sounds and pitches, making it impossible to figure out which one truly belonged to the person speaking. The figure chuckled, their masked face turning towards Dr. Gears. “We have… lots to talk about.”

 

---

Dr. Gears

 

“...Clearly.” I responded to the figures' obvious threat, my cold gaze matching their own. “I've been wanting to talk to whoever orchestrated this whole fiasco.”

“Oh? And you believe that to be me?” The figure chuckled, as if amused by my seemingly baseless observation. “Pray tell, however did you reach that conclusion? For all you know, I could be nothing more than a messenger.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t think the Hand cares about their delivery boys enough to hide their identities with… Thaumaturgy magic?” I asked, my guess being proven right at the small chuckle of approval that echoed from the robed bastard's mouth. “As for the other reasons, I believe I'll keep them to myself. Unless, of course, you make it worth my while?”

“Hehehe, classic Gears, always turning everything into an exchange.” They laughed with an… uncomfortable amount of familiarity. 

This alerted me enough to raise an eyebrow. “Oh? Do I know you?”

“In a sense… But I also believe I'll keep those specifics close to my chest.” They gave a snarky remark in return, tilting their heads. “I'm sure you understand, master negotiator.”

“Tch.” I remarked, not willing to play into this person's hands. I still had no clue as to what the situation is, so playing along isn't the worst idea. However, this obviously isn't your average fucker, meaning if I stray too far for an answer, I may fall right into their trap.

Still, a worry did pop into my chest as they then turned towards the nervous Anni, who seemed content with just staying quiet before. “And how about you, little girl… Do you have any secrets to tell?”

Anni recoiled slightly, their pupils dilating in a strange way that caught even me by surprise.

“Mh, I guess so. However, we all have our own little secrets in this world, now don't we?” They cockily exclaimed with an annoying amount of glee after catching the younger doctor's reaction.

Not liking the direction the conversation was taking, I spoke out again. “Enough. Surely you didn't come here just to gloat. I doubt your priorities are that similar to those of a Bright. So why are you here?”

“Oh? Let’s see… Well, I could be here to torture you.”

“Unlikely.”

“And why is that?”

“Because we would have woken up strapped down to a table or chair if that was the case.” I replied, causing the figure to seemingly smirk beneath their mask.

“But what if I simply wanted to give you false hope? Make you think you’ll be fine before snatching that safety away?”

“You could, but you strike me more as a person who’d rather swallow their meal whole than play with their food.”

“Oh? But we have only shared a few words with each other, yet you are so confident about that fact.”

I smirk. “A few words can paint a million pictures.”

They chuckled in response. “Yet words coated in honey surely ruin such an image.”

“Then it's a good thing you're about as far from a sweet talker as possible.”

…An extended silence passed between us after that moment between me and the cloaked figure, our jousting of words coming to an end, winner yet to be decided as we stared each other down. 

…

…

“This conversation is hurting my head.” Anni remarked quietly, expectedly struggling to follow along with me and our adversaries debate.

I noticed the figure chuckled at the girl's reaction before focusing on me once more. “Regardless, you are correct about one detail. I'm not here to torture you. Well, not yet anyways. I have people who are much more qualified for such an act if the need arises, but I don't believe you’d talk even if we put you through the most excruciating pain imaginable. Trust me, I’ve tried.”

That… immediately set off an alarm in my mind as the figure spoke without a care in the world, as if this entire conversation was purely inconsequential for them. 

“You’ve tried? W-what does that mean?” Anni worriedly asked, backing up slightly as the figure gave her their attention.

They gave a light chuckle before raising a single finger to the mouth of their silver mask. “That’s a secret.”

“A poorly kept one, if you're so loose-lipped that you’d bring it up with no interrogation whatsoever.” I pointed out, further adding to my theory that this figure truly did not care about us in the slightest. “So I’ll ask, are you here to gloat and waste your time? Or is there something of actual value you wish to accomplish with this charade?”

“...sigh… Same ol’ Dr. Gears, worrying about wasting time even while at the mercy of others. You truly never change, do you?” They spoke methodically, as their head tilted creepily towards Anni. “The only irregularity I spot with you now is the company you keep. Usually, you would never even bat an eye towards people who you clearly have nothing to gain from, let alone a doctor with barely any experience under their belt.”

“H-how do you–”

“Believe it or not, our working together was a product of happenstance. Even if they are as useless to me as a rock, having an extra pair of hands or a body to catch a bullet for me is never a bad thing.”

“... Y’know, I’m sitting right here—”

“--I know.”

“Oh… well, ouch.” The girl muttered, seemingly surprised at how little value I give to her life. Not that she should be really; I haven't exactly been treating her like a queen since I saved her from that wild group of imps.

“Hmm… perhaps I was mistaken then.” The figure spoke more to themself than anything, though I couldn't for the life of me tell if they were saddened by whatever this realization was or glad by it. Their voices still made it hard to get a read on them, as it sounded as if a cacophony of different people spoke each time they did. Still, they recovered miraculously quickly before turning their attention to me once more. “Still, I have one simple question to ask you in particular, Dr. Gears.”

“Oh? And why in the hell would I answer any of your questions?” I crossed my arms, not willing to let an inch.

“Oh, I don't know, maybe out of the kindness of your heart?”

… I raised a singular eyebrow.

“Heh, yea, I assumed that wouldn't work… You said you'd answer my questions if I made it worth your while.” They brought up the earlier parts of this conversation before I noticed their cloak beginning to open as a hand emerged. I was hoping to catch some sort of identifying feature from them through the action, but alas, through obviously anomalous means, the entire inside of their cloak seemed to be wrapped in an unpierceable black smog, making it impossible to see through it. Their hand and arm that reached out, meanwhile, were entirely covered in black leather, not even giving me knowledge of their skin color.

I didn't stay stuck on that subject for long, however, as almost immediately I noticed they were holding something in their outstretched hand. That being was looked to be a Desert Eagle of some kind, the gun shimmering as if it were newly made.

Noticing my interest and surprise at the object, the figure chuckled. “Answer my singular question, and I'll give you your very own means of escape. Bullets included, of course, though I doubt you’d need more than two in order to get out of here.”

I grimaced; the implications of what they meant were very clear, much to Anni’s visible horror from her corner of the cell. I took a moment to weigh my options. On the one hand, this could be a clear attempt at trickery, though on the other, this person doesn't seem to give enough of a shit about us. Escape or die. They looked as if they didn't care; all they cared about was scratching what appeared to be a strange itch of curiosity… This was a flaw that I'd happily exploit.

“Alright, I'll admit you've intrigued me… But what's the question?” I asked, showing a clear sign of reluctant acceptance to their proposal. The figure seemed to hum happily at this before moving closer to the cell bars, staring deep into my soul through them.

The figure took a deep breath… before an unexpected question escaped their lips.

“Why… Why are you so loyal to the foundation?”

… What?

I'll be honest, I don't know what I was expecting. I thought maybe they ask for the location of certain anomalies, maybe pry for confidential secrets that only a handful of personnel know. Hell, I was even prepared for if they asked me where the goddamn 05 council resided (not that I'd tell them that last one), but this… I never expected this.

“...Why do you want to—?”

“Don’t answer a question with another question. It’s not fitting for someone in your position.” They spoke, causing a tinge of annoyance to spike within me. “So answer me. Why?”

… I had to take a moment to actually consider this question. This figure's eyes and, surprisingly, even Anni’s gaze steeled towards me, as if they were also beyond curious.

After a moment, however, the answer to such an inquiry became crystal clear in my mind.

“Simple. Because the foundation does what is necessary to protect the earth. A necessary evil, maybe, but one that had saved the world from inescapable doom more times than anyone can count. As humanity's only silver bullet, of course I would be loyal. I live to serve and always expected to die on the field of battle. That is a conclusion I came to long ago, and why the foundation will always represent the first and last line of defense. What fools wouldn't want to fight for the survival of their own home?”

As I finished my short, unenthusiastic speech, I waited patiently for the figures' judgment. 

I didn't have to wait long, as they almost immediately followed up with another question. “You really believe that, don’t you?”

“... Unless you're willing to offer up another gun, I'm under no obligation to answer that question.” I smirked, causing the figure to sigh in annoyance, almost as if they were disappointed about something.

“You truly are just like all the rest. A shame, really, as I thought that potentially things were different here.” Their voices didn't sound surprised, almost as if they expected this exact reaction. But at the same time, there was a deep, almost ancient sadness that echoed through their many voices as they spoke. “You know… You gave this world but a fleeting chance of salvation. A chance to be spared from the madness to come… yet within five seconds, you've not only doomed yourself but all that breathe upon this plane and beyond.”

I was immediately confused by the bullshit they were saying, only to watch as the figure walked closer to the bars of the cell… and immediately walk through them, as if they weren't even there. And now they stood, not even three feet ahead of me.

“Holy shit!” I heard Anni bark in the back, getting as far away as possible from this figure. I stayed in my spot, never batting an eye as they continued to stare at me, judging me… condemning me with nothing but their invisibly heated gaze.

They continued the stare-off before extending their hand once more. “A deal is a deal.” They spoke simply before tossing the gun towards me, as if it were made of plastic. I caught the weapon with relative ease. Just by feeling its weight and cold exterior, I could tell this gun was real. I even quickly released the ammo case from the weapon, making sure it was loaded. It was, fortunately, though that only heightened the alertness in my mind.

“…So that’s it, then?” I questioned the intimidating figure, not backing down as I held the gun likely in my hand. “Are you just going to leave us in here with a loaded gun?”

“Yes… yes, I will.” They spoke, a soft chuckle hidden beneath their unidentifiable voice. “Or, your could get it over and done with and fire the primitive weapon already.”

“… What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know exactly what I mean.” The figure responded darkly before raising their hand once more, showing one raised finger. “As far as I’m concerned, you have two options here. One is that you take your chances and try to kill me, using the very gun I gave you. It would be a… poetic ending, I suppose.”

I furrowed my eyebrows, the mere thought that someone like this could be killed by a bullet being laughable. 

“Or two.” They raised a second finger. “You could do the admittedly smartest option, and your only chance of escape… using that gun to kill yourself.”

Anni gasped in her corner, but I refused to react to the figure's words. They paused for a moment for dramatic effect before continuing.

“After all, you know Hell is real now, and we both know that you’ll never end up at the other place.” They laughed, lowering their hands. “All you’d really be giving up is your mortal form, but I doubt you care much about looks.”

My hand quivered a bit as I stared down at the loaded weapon in my hands. That hesitation only lasted for a single second though, as the choice became clear in my mind.

“You’re right… I don’t.” I responded coolly, staring daggers at the figure as they looked on in cold amusement. Out of the corner of my eye, I also notice Anni begin to twitch, seemingly unsure as to what to do. I didn’t pay her much mind, however, as I raised the gun… straight to my temple.

“S-sir?” I heard Anni mutter beneath her breath in a panic as she inched closer, before suddenly realization dawned on her. “SIR!”

I smirked at our captor. “See you soon.”

I closed my eyes, before tightening my finger around the trigger of the gun. 

‘It’s better this way.’ I thought in my final moments, not even bothering to hold the gun too tightly. ‘I was considering killing myself anyways. If what I gathered is correct, then I should come back as a demon somewhere down here, giving the foundation a new advantage it didn’t previously possess. Even if this is a trick and I do die permanently, it’s not like it matters much. I was captured with no hope to escape; at least now those bastards won't be able to reap any information from my mind. At least, not easily when it’s splattered across the ground.’

As these thoughts flashed through my head at seemingly lightning speed, all being processed before my brain could send the electric signal to my muscle to clench my fist… 

“CHARLES!”

BAM!

… my eyes widened in surprise. As I looked up and realized that it wasn’t my brain that got splattered to the ground, but instead my whole intact body… as I hit the ground hard.

I was in a daze. I looked at my hand, realizing the gun was missing, before averting my eyes upwards and—

For the first time in years, I gasped as I saw the rogue, pathetic doctor that had been following me around like a lost dog… was now holding the gun.

It all came flooding back as I realized that just before I could pull the trigger, this idiot rammed herself into me, wrestling the gun from my grasp when I was least expecting it!

I tried to stand quickly, but before I could, I—I—I watched as she spun on her feet… and pointed the gun straight towards our captor with shaking hands.

“D-dammit, wait—”

BANG!

 

Notes:

Anni Gera: I saved your life!

Dr. Gears: You didn't save my life, you ruined my death!

... I have a feeling nobody is going to remember what led up to this chapter, considering the whole Anni and Gears subplot happened like a millenia ago. Honestly, the reason that I wrote this chapter (and teh next, which will continue this) is that I wanted to tie up a couple loose ends that were left behind from arc 1, for stuff like Verosika and Gears specifically, so I hope people still understand it well enough.

As for the chapter itself... once again, I have mixed feelings. I have had this whole interaction in my mind for a while, but im not sure if im exactly happy with how it turned out. Maybe its just me, but if you have any opinions on teh chapter (good or bad) please let me know in the comments, I do appreciate each and every piece of constructive criticism I recieve.

Also, sorry this chaoter is out later then usual, I had a... hell of a morning today! (cries in corner) but seriously, sorry for the later posting.

Regardless, drop off your kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any questions, concerns, jokes, or ideas, and I will see you all next week, which has the fifth song in the series! (I think, I might be forgetting one). I hope you all have a a better day then Anni and her self-confidence!

Chapter 57: A Serpents Lullaby.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Anni and Gears suffer the wrath of the Serpent.

Notes:

"How are villians made?"

 

Song used in chapter:

https://youtu.be/xNqPdhDw0Eg?si=9ZN9wOD89oHRWtg9

"Serpents Lullaby" by Dark Matter.

Dr. Gears POV

 

BANG!

The bullet shot out of the gun the young, naive doctor was holding. The projectile flew through the air, almost in slow motion, as I watched the bullet approach the masked figure who stood calmly without moving a muscle.

My eyes widened in panic as I watched the projectile close in—

CRASH!

As the bullet slammed right into their silvery mask, shattering it into a million pieces almost immediately. I watched as the impact of the bullet pushed the cloaked figure backward, their head tilting back from the force of the attack.

I saw the idiotic girl widen her eyes in joy, thinking she managed to do something… But I could only growl in displeasure at the idiot as I stood up. She failed to notice one important fact about the person they just shot…

There was no blood.

WHOOSH!

As soon as I thought that, the figure shocked the other foundation employee by straightening up immediately. Where there was once a mask now instead stood an infinite abyss of darkness, boiling around like smoke beneath their hood. The darkness seemed to move faster and faster before—

“Dammit, look out!” I screamed as I tried to push my colleague out of the way, but it was too late.

Hundreds—nay, thousands—of birds made of pure darkness shot out of the abyss that was this monster's face, swallowing up both me and Anni in the army of anomalous bird-like creatures before we even had a chance to scream. 

Within moments, my entire vision was swarmed by a sea of darkness. I forced my eyes shut, attempting to protect myself as it felt like hundreds upon hundreds of baseballs began colliding against my body. I raise my arms in front of my face, trying desperately to defend that part of me.

After only a couple of seconds of the onslaught, however, the wave of shadowy crows finally came to an end.

“ Cough, cough!” I heard coughing from beside me as soon as the murder of crows ceased to be, coming from Anni if I had to make a guess.

Noting the end of the assault, I slowly opened my eyes, expecting to see the shadowy figure standing there. Instead, however, I was met with… nothing… absolute nothingness.

A bead of sweat rolled down my cheek as I found myself in a completely dark expanse, darkness existing on every corner, nothing able to peer through it.

Honestly, I might have assumed that those crows caused me to go blind if it weren't for the fact that I could still see my battered junior coughing up a storm next to me, seemingly getting hit much worse by the army of crows than I had.

“Grr, dammit!” I screamed to the endless abyss before turning towards the girl on the ground, who was still recovering.

I didn't care much, however, as I immediately clutched the hem of her shirt and pulled her up, resulting in a surprise yelp to escape her as she got dragged up right to my face. 

“Why did you do that!” I screamed aggressively at the girl, who still seemed to be in shock, not even noticing their new environment yet.

“Wha—I saved you—”

“And ruined our only chance of escape!” I argued back, my voice never rising too high, but the venom in it was warning enough for the girl to stay quiet and let me speak. Before I could continue, however, they spoke up first.

“Ohh, don't blame the poor girl too much, Charles.” A booming voice echoed throughout the abyss as I recognized it as belonging to the cloaked figure, with the same impossible inflection to pin down, except this time their voice boomed through the darkness like an ancient beast awakening from its slumber, feeling more like absolute power than sound. “After all, she was merely doing what she believed was right; that's more than most people are able to achieve… no matter how misguided it might have been.”

“Yeah, and I don’t give a shit.” I talked back, letting go of Anni’s lab coat and letting her fall on her ass against the pitch-black ground beneath our feet. I began looking around, hoping to try the source of this now godlike voice. Unfortunately for me, I could find nothing of the sort. As I stared around, I couldn't help but marvel at the extreme power that would be needed to conjure up something like this. Like I assumed, this clearly was no mere messenger. “Dammit, what are you?!” I ended up asking, my voice still devoid of fear despite the situation.

“Nhnhnhn… Hehehehehe, what am I, you ask?” The voice creepily chuckles as I begin to notice the otherwise stagnant darkness around me begin to shake unsteadily, as if reacting to the otherworldly voice. “I am your worst nightmare. The shadow that hides beneath your bed. The monster that never sleeps, the demon that never falters, the storm that never wanes… I am the ending.”

TCHING!

Without warning, the surrounding shadows morphed into gangly chains, shooting towards me before I had a chance to respond and wrapping around my arms with ease, forcing me to my knees.

“G-Gear—”

TCHING!

“Gahh!” I heard the girl scream from behind me, presumably finding herself in a similar situation as me.

“Grr, enough with this cryptic bullshit!” I raised my voice, staring straight through the shadows, knowing that they must be watching. “No more metaphors, no more boring-ass sounding titles. What are you?”

Silence momentarily echoed through the shadowy chamber, sparing me a moment to catch my breath as the dark chains continued to dig into my arms like knives.

This continued for a few moments before I noticed a pair of red glowing eyes appear far off in the shadow. Their beating glow pierced through me like a knife, as I almost felt rage injected into me through means beyond my control as I stared whatever this was down.

It was then, however, that their voice echoed out once more, this time somehow even darker, and filled with miasma.

“... I am the Black Queen.”

Suddenly, the shadows morphed once more, somehow illuminating the figure despite their pure black attire, as they appeared once more. They looked the same, except where their silvery mask once was now only possessed darkness, as almost fog-like shadows escaped from an abyss even darker than the surroundings where their face should be. As I noticed this, meanwhile, red eyes closed in behind them, rising over them as if they were the eyes of god, all-seeing.

The cloaked figure then opened their hands wide.

“But you may refer to me as the leader… The leader of the Serpent's Hand.”

Before I could even react to the news, they clench their fist and–

“KAAAAAHHHH!!!”

Their two beating red eyes behind them suddenly shot forward towards us like a torpedo, revealing a long, shadowy body. Its scales shimmering despite the lack of natural light, with its sharp fangs still somehow finding a way to be pearly white. It was ginormous, longer than any train I have ever seen, and just as wide as one too. My eyes widened in fear.

This… was a giant snake, and before I knew it, it was right in front of me, mouth wide as–

CHOMP!

“GEARS!” I managed to hear a muffled cry, but it was all drowned out as the serpent bit down on me, swallowing me whole.

Instead of feeling any pain, however, I immediately noticed instead that I was still… alive? And… floating?

I looked down, realizing I no longer felt solid ground beneath my feet. Instead, it felt like I was submerged in a giant pool, unable to differentiate up from down and left from right. I tried desperately to move my arms, only to find that yes, while I was no longer chained down, it was near impossible to move in this dark pool of shadows. I tried to scream out, only to find that I couldn't, as my voice was muffled just as it would be in water.

It was also at that moment that I realized that I didn't have any oxygen. I reached up to grip my neck, trying to conserve as much as possible, but it was impossible to hold it all in as I could feel my face beginning to go blue at the lack of air.

On account of the darkness around me, I honestly assumed for a couple of moments that I might have actually fallen unconscious due to the waterboarding. 

Only to be infinitely disappointed as out of nowhere, oxygen began to enter my lungs once more, allowing me to breathe as–

BAM!

I let out an involuntary moan of pain as my ass struck the floor, the watery-like surroundings seemingly vanishing as I found myself on the solid, yet still shadowy, ground once more.

“Gahh, dammit—”

“G-Gears!” I heard a scream; turning to my left, I saw Anni far in the distance of the shadowy realm, running towards me terrified, arm outstretched. “GEARS, RUN!!!”

Run? Why—oh shit!

I turned around just in time to witness the giant snake barreling towards me once more, its glowing red eyes somehow larger and staring straight at me as it approached like a speeding bullet.

Instead of swallowing me up this time, however, it instead moved past me before circling around my body, constricting me in its giant body as it coiled around me. It left me no possible room to escape or wiggle out of its grip, despite my struggling.

“Grr, dammit.” I couldn't help but mutter as I felt my muscles constrict in a vain attempt to defend themselves from the giant reptile. Its giant head hung over me, forcing me to look into its eyes, the only color present over its entire being. As I did, I could feel the hunger that emanated from its gaze as it stared into me. Lifeless, yet somehow all-consuming. Just looking at this creature felt as if I were looking into a paradoxical equation, something that both should and shouldn't exist.

I wasn’t granted the luxury of observing it any longer, however, as I noticed it began to open its enormous maw. Its somehow pristine white teeth gleaming in my reflections. The creature didn't appear to breathe, so no smell escaped the monster's mouth as it slowly approached me with its hungry head before it started to crunch down upon my flesh.

“Shhh, not this one, my dear.” 

The serpent suddenly froze mid-bite before darting its gaze to the side. I could barely move thanks to my position, but I managed to maneuver my gaze just enough to notice the cloaked individual beginning to approach. Behind them, a fear-stricken Anni was being dragged along by a dark chain that wrapped around her, desperately trying to escape from the confinement as the figure continued to pull them along.

“It is not feeding time. I only brought them here to… realize the true extent of my will.” They spoke ominously carefully, as if worried that their words could anger the beast ahead of them for some reason. That momentary caution didn't last long, however, as the giant serpent immediately responded, untangling me and letting me drop.

I immediately stood and proceeded to look towards the cloaked figure as the snake slithered around them almost protectively, its eyes never leaving me for a moment, even when it had to slither towards them.

I growled before trying to open my mouth. I wanted to yell at them, curse them, and force them to let us out… But I found myself unable to, as with all but the tiniest wave of their hand, I found myself unable to move an inch. Even breathing became challenging, as I felt myself paralyzed completely, unable to make a peep.

“Neat trick, right? Pocket dimensions allow for all sorts of interesting abilities. Even a reality bender couldn't contend with me in this space. Because in here, I am god… and you are nothing but a tangled mess of atoms waiting to be ripped apart at my whims.” They explained while approaching in methodical steps, the tugging on the chain they held still forced Anni forward, who also seemed to have lost their ability to speak despite their best efforts. As they approached me, they walked almost too perfect to exist, looking as if they were gliding across the floor with each and every step and changing size after each one to stay eye level with me. When they eventually did arrive in front of me and allowed me to see just how infinitely endless the dark abyss in their hood truly was, I felt them place the softest of hands upon my paralyzed shoulder. “You asked me what I was… Now, I am going to tell you just that. Hehehe, this will be fun.”

Shove.

They then gave me the simplest of shoves before throwing the end of the chain they were holding behind them. It shot past Anni, who was forced to jump out of the way to avoid it. It then continued shooting into the endless dark abyss, seemingly continuing to grow and grow as it kept moving, not even dragging Anni along with it, completely escaping my sight, lost from me in the shadows.

… Until—

BAM!

I was forced to hold in my pained groan as I felt something strike my back before instantaneously wrapping around me like a rope.

I moved the only thing I could, my eyes, as I stared downwards, only to see that the chain that the figure had thrown in the completely opposite direction had somehow looped around and nestled itself around my back.

“I… sincerely hope you enjoy singing.” Was the only explanation they gave, before snapping their fingers and–

BOOM!

Both mine and Anni’s chain rung taught, as we both went flying back in opposite directions, seemingly being pulled by the same chain away from each other.

And just as we did, my worst nightmare began; the worst possible scenario began to play. Worse than any anomaly. Worse than any XK class threat. Worse than Dr. Bright himself!

But the surrounding world around us… began to echo with low music.

‘F*********************CK!’

 

---

3rd Person POV

 

The impossibly long chain continued to shorten, its disappearing mass seemingly reverting to nothing as both Dr. Gears and Anni were flying through the air due to the rate at which this chain was pulling them both, as they were forced to listen as music continued to play around them, a slow yet dark rhythmic melody that contrasted with their fast-paced movement.

The melody continued to play long enough for the chain to finally reach its end, causing the two foundation personnel to collide with the others' back rough, causing them both to fall to the ground groaning in pain.

Gears rose up first, not even bothering to ask if his female cohort was alright as he began scanning his surroundings, trying to find the source of that deeply unsettling music as it caused goosebumps to crawl up his otherwise fearless facade.

As he observed, he noticed that a thick fog began to build up in the dark landscape, making the already impossibly hidden surroundings become even denser with mystery. He continued to look around panicked, only stopping once he heard a familiar voice starting to sing an unfamiliar tune.

 

…Sway Like Smoke.

Drift In The Night.

 

The smoke shifted behind Gears irregularly, prompting him to turn on his feet towards it, only to be witness to nothing.

 

Silver Tongued

And Dressed In Blight.

 

He feels a shiver run through his spine as a shadow begins to tower over him from behind. He turns around once more, only for it to vanish again before he could see.

 

Every Whisper.

Every Scheme.

 

Hot breath hit Gear’s ear from behind him more. He turns around with his hand outstretched, hoping to punch the figure. Only to be stopped in his tracks as a gloved hand catches his fist in midair, the body it was connecting to standing just in front of him, as the cloaked figure stares with an almost gleeful attitude despite being faceless.

 

Beneath The Mask.

A Darker Dream.

 

Small, shadowy snakes escaped the abyssal dark hood, slithering across Gear’s held arm in a sickly manner that left his skin feeling repulsive, before making it to his shoulder as they began to move towards and around his neck, like some sort of makeshift noose as the snakes hissed in a grim tone.

 

Come Closer Now

Don't Be Afraid.

 

The figure pulled Gears back towards them with his grappled hand, using the momentum to shoot him past before halting suddenly as the grip tightened, both their hands held the furthest they could be in what to an outside viewer would look like a fucked-up dance held by maniacs.

 

I Only Seek

The Deals We Made.

 

Gears was pulled back in once more, and the figure grabbed onto their other arm and began slow dancing with the struggling Gears, who could not escape from their grasp.

 

I Slither Through Your Courts Disguised.

Charming Fools With Honeyed Lies.

 

Amidst that unsettling dance, the figure's shape began to morph into that of a large snake that was roughly the size of a teenager, freeing their captive from their group before slithering with ease around Gear’s body before finally arising to look at him face to face, their red eyes glistening with barely contained madness… Before the snake vaults themself off the doctor's body, morphing mid-jump as their humanistic form re-emerges from the shadow snake's body and landing perfectly on their feet, eyes still peering towards Gears.

 

Your Secrets Glisten

Soft As Silk.

 

They dodge to the right, evading a swipe at them from Anni, who’s finally finished recovering. Missing the hit, the feature did not wait to give them a chance to recover, as they immediately shot their hand out and clutched the female's chin, forcing them to stare at where their face would be while singing. Their words caused a shift in Anni, as fear began to move through the recesses of their face once more.

 

A Kingdom's Blood 

A Poisoned Milk.

 

Once more, snakes began exiting from the figure's darkened hood and wrapped around Anni’s neck like a noose before, without care, they tossed Anni to the ground to the left of Charles, who was busy trying to think of some way to escape this musical-filled fate without tearing his own ears off… he couldn't.

 

With Every Glance 

With Every Grin.

 

The figure almost bows to the two as they tilt themselves forward a tiny bit, raising each hand dramatically to their sides, first their left directed at Gears and their right issued towards the recovering Anni. Just then, Gears notices a thin dark string materialize into each of their grips that trail off into the darkness.

 

I Pull You Deeper

In My Sin!

 

Then with a hefty tug, the figure pulls both of these strings back and causes both Gears and Anni to fly backward once more, the nooses around their necks being the source of it as they fly hundreds of feet back, before each of them strikes an out-of-place wooden chair in the endless abyss, the nooses around their necks morphing as they melt on their bodies, before turning into shadowy chains and trapping them to these seats in quick succession.

 

Hush Child

The Serpent Sings!

 

Before Gears can even process whatever the fuck just happened, the figure appears in front of him suddenly like lightning; the momentum in which the speed they moved to reach this point forces the chair on its back two legs. The only reason it refuses to fall is because of the figure, as he grabs hold of the back and leans over Gears again.

 

Of Broken Oaths.

And Tarnished Rings.

 

Their body turns into smoke just as my chair gets upright again. Their new smokey form vanished from the doctor's eyes before appearing again right in front of Anni. They begin staring at her, causing fear to break through the poor girl's exterior as they reach down toward her and rip off the foundation insignia on her lab coat, before tossing it aside and letting it get blown away in the wind that they had most definitely created.

 

I Wrap You Close.

I Sing You Low.

 

The demented figure walks around the terrified Anni quickly, before stopping right behind her. They place a hand on her shoulder, sending an uncontrollable chill to reverberate through her bones, as they lean down right next to her ear in an almost whispering-like motion.

 

A Lullaby Of Tales Untold.

 

They almost whisper in her ear before vanishing into a puff of black smoke, the chairs binding us going with them as both of them fall to the floor once more. 

The lyrics stopped for half a second with just the instrumental playing, leaving just enough time for Gears to stand back up and begin surveying his surroundings, not sparing a single second to see if Anni was alright. He had to make sure they couldn't sneak up on them again, try to find some weakness, some gap he could slip through, and–

STAB!

 

With Velvet Words

I Twist The Blade.

 

Gears looked down, noticing a blade of pure shadows had stabbed through his sternum. He was caught off guard, even a little scared at first when he looked down. But that fear quickly vanished, as he noticed he felt no pain from the strike.

 

For Empires Fall.

From Deals Mislaid.

 

Anni stared in horror as she watched Gears get stabbed, only to be shocked as the blade got pulled out of him, his clothes not even damaged before he got shoved by the figure in her direction. He stops himself just in time to turn around, seeing the cocky-looking scumbag standing there, the dark blade in hand, looking cockily beneath the darkness and bathing in the fear that temporarily crossed Gear’s lips, like a sadistic bloodhound looking for some sort of thrill.

 

I Need No Sword.

Nor Iron Hand.

 

Then without care, the figure dropped the shadowy blade they just used to ‘stab’ Gears; it vanished into the floor at a simple touch, proving it was nothing more than an illusion to fuck with them.

 

Just Whispered Lies

And Shifting Sand.

 

The figure began to swing their hands back and forth in front of them in a hypnotic pattern, confusing the duo. Gears, beginning to feel like something was wrong, looked down, surprised as he saw that the shadow floor beneath them started to ripple like waves in tune to the figure's song. Almost immediately, the duo feels their feet give out as they begin to sink into the shadows like quicksand.

 

The Sweetest Venom

Coats My Tongue.

 

Amidst the confusion, the cloaked figure began to float high up into the air until they overlooked the two individuals who continued to sink within the shadowy maw of their realm. They raise each of their palms toward the two.

 

A Puppets Dance

From Stringless Lungs.

 

Gears and Anni both felt their control over their muscles cease, as an unseen force ripped them out of the hungry shadows and lifted them higher and higher, until they were both floating into the air right in front of their captor, who continued to point their palms at them, fingers outstretched, as their bodies convulsed with sinister glee.

 

I Breathe Deceit.

As Perfumed Air.

A Ruler's Fate Laid…

 

With a simple wave of their palms, the two agents start floating even closer to the alleged leader of the Serpent's Hand, only stopping when they were scant a few inches from them. They proceed to raise their fists in the air higher—

 

Hush Child.

The Serpent Sings.

 

Boom!

The figure releases, throwing their arms down hard, causing Anni and Gears to fly off, hurtling into the darkness with no control over their own momentum as they fly farther and farther into the unknown.

 

Of Shattered Crowns.

And Broken Rings.

 

Finally, the two hit the ground hard, sending a rugged pain coursing through their nervous system. Miraculously enough, however, after Gears began looking at himself, he realized he possessed no actual injuries from the fatal crash. Probably a result of this person's messed-up games, he thinks—

Clutch!

 

I Wrap You Close.

I Sing You Low.

 

The figure once again instantaneously appears behind the emotionless doctor and clutches their chin from behind him with renewed vigor as they stand and force Gears to his feet as well. 

Anni, noticing this, screams out the doctor's name before standing and running towards the two herself.

 

A Lullaby 

Of Shadows Sown

 

Anni runs in for a punch, trying to help Gears, only to find her attack hits nothing but air as the figure falls into the shadow as if it were air.

The music continued playing, but with the figure gone, it seemed like there was finally a moment to breathe. Anni immediately turns towards her senior and grabs his shoulder as she helps him to his feet.

“C-Charles, are you alright—”

“--I never gave you permission to call me that.” He responds, pulling his arm away from the girl's grip, causing her to awkwardly stand aside as Gears begins looking around desperately. “Don’t let your guard down. I don't know what they’re planning on doing to us after this fucked-up theater piece is finished, and I sure as hell don’t want to find out.”

“R-right, of course—” Anni freezes, as she once more spots the cloaked individual in the distance; their footsteps are in tune to the music, making their approach all the more creepy. Noting this, Anni’s eyes quickly widened in fear. “S-Sir, over—”

BOOM!

Before she could even finish her sentence, Anni felt a strong wind hit her back. Turning, she sees the figure is already standing in front of her and, without her noticing, was also holding Dr. Gears in the air with one hand, choking him out as they did so.

“SIR!” She screams before trying to punch them again in an attempt to free her senior. As she does so, she feels her hand get caught in midair for like the millionth time, as the figure turns their attention away from Gears to focus solely on her.

 

Ah.

 

They drop Gears as he begins coughing insistently, trying to regain all the air he had lost.

 

My Dear Don't Fight.

Don't Try.

 

Still grabbing hold of her right hand, the figure moves their now free arm towards the horrified Anni, beads of sweat dripping down her face like a storm as the hand closes in and pushes one of her raven black hairs out of the way of her terrified yet vibrant brown eyes.

 

Embrace The Warmth

Of My Lullaby.

 

The figure comes even closer, pressing their robes against Anni’s body as their face now stands not even a couple inches from Anni’s, making her feel as if her face was being dunked in ice-cold water.

 

Each Word A Spell Each Note A Bind.

Entangling Hearts And Seizing Minds.

 

They wrap their arm around Anni’s neck, cupping the back of her head. She tries to escape but finds herself unable to be free of the figure's iron grip against her neck. Finding failure in her escape, she proceeds to look terrified at the featureless figure, who seems to chuckle at the young girl's expression before leaning their face right next to her ear.

 

Through Gilded Halls.

My Whisper Creeps.

 

Cold breath hits Anni’s ear as they sing, causing her to shiver uncontrollably at the frigidness.

 

Into Dreams.

And Shallow Sleep.

 

The figure then leans backward to face the girl and lifts their free hand over Anni’s eyes, covering her view for just a moment.

 

Where Power Falters.

Trust Is Thin.

 

The hand then gets removed from her eyes, letting her see once more, or as much as she could in this realm of shadows. Still, immediately after the hand retracts, she notices that the cloaked leader is no longer next to them and instead sees them in the distance, next to Gears, who was on his knees and eyes facing the ground, as they cup his chin to force him to look straight at Anni.

 

And So I Crawl.

Beneath Your Skin.

 

A dagger made of shadow forms in their other hand as they lift it up over Gear’s head. Seeing this, Anni’s eyes widened! She kicks off the ground, arm outstretched as she tries running to the two of them. She has to save him; she can't let him die! Not after all this time!

“STO—”

BOOM!

 

Hush Child.

The Serpent Sings.

 

Anni is forced to the floor as the figure suddenly dashes towards her with supernatural speed, hand cupped around their mouth to mute them as they get slammed into the hard shadows beneath them, causing a small dribble of blood to escape their banged-up head.

 

Of Tangled Webs.

And Shattered Wings.

 

They let go of Anni before turning on a dime and shooting chains made of shadows out of their palms, wrapping it around Dr. Gears and pulling him to them. He stops just before their captor's face, as he tries his best to give a scornful glare at them despite the power imbalance.

 

I Wrap You Close.

I Sing You Low.

 

They release the chains on the doctor, only for half a dozen more to shoot out of the floor like snakes and wrap around both of the foundation dogs. They tighten themselves around the two, forcing them on their knees as the figure begins walking away.

 

A Lullaby.

Where Curses Grow.

 

The leader of the Serpent’s Hand looks over their shoulder while singing, as the two doctors also see two bright red irises appear in the shadows behind them once more, as they begin hearing the hissing of a snake.

 

For What is Power?

 

They turn towards the two, lifting their right hand up to their side.

 

What Is Grace?

 

Proceeded by lifting their left hand in a similar motion.

 

But Fragile Dreams.

I Can Erase.

 

They don't even bother moving as the giant black serpent slithers out of the shadows behind them and defies all laws of nature by somehow slithering beneath their master's feet with them moving and lifting them up high in the air upon their head, as the cloaked figure lowers both of their hands behind their back.

 

So Sleep Dear Monarch.

Soft And Sly.

 

Without needing a command, the snake then slithers forward and lowers their head to Gears and allows their rider atop their head to stare at him straight in the eyes before raising a hand and gently patting the top of his head tauntingly.

 

And Drift Away–

 

Gears and Anni’s eyes widened as they felt the realm around them shake. Looking around, they notice that the shadowy walls begin to crumble, breaking apart with ferocious rumbling. The shadows cracked like glass, turning into what looked like crows made of shadows as they flew in the air towards them.

 

–To My–

 

The more the realm broke apart, the more crows that appeared from its pieces. Within seconds, the two found themselves overrun by these constructs of shadows, swirling around them like a tornado, beating at their skulls and minds as they could only just barely see the source of it all between their flapping wings.

 

–Lullaby.

 

And with that final word of the melody, the two were completely overtaken by the swarm of crows. As Gear began to feel his conscience drift away once more, he only had one thing on his mind.

… That he was never going to watch another goddamn musical again. 

CRASH.

…

…

…

“... Sleep well. And fear not… I shall not let them hurt you.”

Notes:

Black Queen: (Begins singing.)

Dr. Gear: (PTSD to Bright during karoake night.)

Anni: (Trying to figure out what the fuck is going on.)

 

So... I really, REALLY don't know how to feel about this chapter. I tried something pretty different during this one, and I really treated it more as a way to test a new writing style instead of really pushing forward a new plot or story. This one I really did just write for the fun of it and to challenge myself. Plus... This was actually supposed to be apart of LAST chapter but... yea, you see how long each of tehse chapters ended up being.

Regardless, I am super curious as to what you all though of it? This is technically the fifth song in the story so far, so I wanna know if you all enjoyed it at all, as im not really sure how I feel about it as a whole. I really want to know if you all liked it and managed to flow smoothly.

This is also the official name drop of the figure being the 'Black Queen' which... yea, like most of you had already guessed in the comments already, which is fair, considering I wasn't really trying to hide it as much.

Also, just a note on me more then anything, but I do admit that ARC 2 has been signifigantly slower then ARC one, covering characters and plot lines that I don't think many of you care about. We are about to enter into a mini ARC within this one that leads to its finale, so im exited about that, since its what this arc has really been building up to as whole.

I feel like I was going to say more, but I forgot. So i'll just ask what you all really think of this story or ARC so far, and what you would want to see in the future. Im looking for anyway to improve it as we go along, and a lot of my best and favoritr ideas have come from you all, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this cluttered mess of ideas from me, and let me know what you want to see moving forward!

Anyways, drop a Kudos if you enjoyed the psychological torture, leave a comment if you have any quips, wisecracks, questions, suggestions, or anything in-between. And I hope you all have a fantassssssssstic day!

Chapter 58: Sow Chaos For Me.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

SCP-035's team of misfits makes a deal.

Vaggie questions life (and Andrew).

Notes:

"Would you hurt those close to you to find the truth?"

Asaph POV

My feet squelch against the wet concrete floor; I scoff at both the sight and the feeling, noting how my boots are now stained in red liquid… stained in blood once more.

I don’t pay that much mind, however, as I was too focused on taking one step after another. It was challenging, almost like a baby learning to walk again, but I was able to move without any assistance from my wings.

Seeing this, I can’t help but smile. It has been days since the mask and his companion came to me with this offer of an alliance, and while I was suspicious back then—and still am for obvious reasons—I find myself becoming more comfortable in their company–

‘ HEAVY BREATHING ’

‘... You know, as comfortable as I can be, I guess.’ I think before turning to look at the armless man, who was sitting atop one of the larger metallic crates inside of this warehouse. Their never-ceasing smile strained upon their black and withered face as they rubbed the stump where their left arm presumably used to be. To be honest, I can't tell if it was fear, hatred, or despair he felt while looking at it. Who knows, maybe it's even a combination of all three.

My insistent staring didn't go unnoticed, however, as not soon after the man sluggishly cracked his neck up, giving me the displeasure of staring into his black, soulless eyes.

“... So, how did it happen?” I eventually decided on asking the thing a simple question to try and lighten the mood.

… Nothing.

“Hmm, you don't talk much, do you?”

Once more… nothing but silence.

“By choice? Or by inability?”

… Still quiet. Though at the newest question, the old man decidedly raised his remaining arm up to his neck, pointing his thumb out… before crossing a line with it across the dark ooze that protruded from his neck in a threatening motion.

“... Is that an explanation or a threat?” I asked, as I began to have my wings unfurl from behind my back, causing the man to stand up straight and–

“Perhaps both, if you aren't careful.”

Startled, I turned back, my sharp wings pointing outwards as… shit.

“... Are you gonna put those things down, Wings? Or am I gonna have to make you?” The white comedy mask proclaims without fear, the impish body it was connecting to reeking of rotting flesh and malnourished bones. You could see the once vibrant red skin was now rotted gray, with dangling bits of flesh hanging off like wavers. Frankly, if I didn't already know the face of the devil, then I might have wrongly assumed that this was him. Sadly, I do know what they look like, and they don't even come close to matching this walking nightmare held together by string.

“... I told you that I hate that name.” I retracted my wings, not even caring how the imp-possessing mask stood unconcerned, as if mocking me to try something. I hate him for his condescending attitude. I hate him in general… But I'd still be huddled in some dark, forgotten corner of Hell if it wasn’t for him, so I at least owe him that much of myself.

“You did… But the other options are oh, so much worse, don't you think?”

I growled before turning away, extending my wings out so they could wrap around me like a tight cloak, acting as my armor against the man's words. “Did you get what you were looking for?”

At that, I actually notice a rare pang of annoyance flush across the walking corpse. “Unfortunately, no. They had a backup that deleted all of the essential information before I had a chance to peer through it. All I found were useless statistics, testing reports, and one too many reminders about never letting Dr. Bright sneak in a film crew on restricted testing sites.”

I groaned, “So we’re back to square one?” I asked, noting, with no small amount of worry, how the old man's last remaining shoulder tensed at the news, showing that was not what he wanted to hear.

“Unfortunately, yes. Though we will uncover enough breadcrumbs eventually to find what I'm looking for.” The puppeted corpse smirked with its sickly green skin before lifting up a familiar ornate key, SCP-005 if I remember correctly. “After all, with this little baby, no foundation site can keep us out for long. All we need to do is find another one of their checkpoints, and we’ll find something we can—”

--EVIl!--

“Wait!” I reached a hand out, cutting the monologue short. Like the drama queen he was, SCP-035 seemed to make his host pout as a result of me stopping him.

“Aww, but you didn't even let me get to the best part, Wing—”

“This isn’t a fucking joke. Stay quiet.” I say seriously, surprising the mask for a second, before I see their short host begin looking around methodically, like a vulture searching for meat.

“.... What's wrong?”

“I… There’s something—and I know this is going to sound redundant considering… you. But there's something evil nearby… something very evil.” I manage to explain between heavy breaths, my heart pounding wildly as an angelic urge wells up from within me, almost making me want to savage and rip everything apart. I've felt this feeling before. It's an instinctual urge that forms within us Angels to eradicate evil, stop it from plaguing our world… But this, I've never felt my senses go this wild before from it! What… what… What is it?! Not even the damn mask made me feel this feral when we first met!

Noting my distress, SCP-035 must've decided to trust my words, as he raises his angelic steel six-shooter in the air and–

BANG BANG!

The bullets echoed through the labyrinth of a warehouse, sending the deranged SCP’s message across before he pointed the gun ahead of him towards the shadows.

“Alright, who’s there?” He asks loudly, eyes rolling past the surroundings, catching every vivid detail as he attempts to find the source of my worry. “In case you didn’t already know, your cover’s been blown. So why don’t we sit down and talk this through like civilized psychopaths?”

… Silence filled the air at the threat as my hairs began to stand on edge. Hell, even the usually lazy old man stood at attention, seemingly ready to jump on whatever this unseen threat was at a moment's notice. This tense standoff continued… 

Until it ceased to exist, as a voice spoke aloud. “Well, I wouldn't necessarily say I was trying to hide. If I were… then you’d all already be dead.”

**HISS** HISS*

Hissing suddenly penetrated my ear like a bullet. Looking around, I saw, from out of the shadows, dozens and dozens of tiny snakes begin to emerge. Like spiders, these snakes slid from unseen crevices in the hundreds, making it a wonder that we didn't notice them before.

Although they were all small, some possessed strange and unnatural features about them. Purple snakes that left a coat of venom wherever they slithered, red snakes whose fangs glowed like fire, and even blue ones that seemed to change their size as they jumped between the boxes, until eventually also exiting and joining their estranged brothers. 

I held my wings high as these snakes approached, but none of them came close. In fact, they all stopped fifteen feet away from our group, forming a fifteen-foot circle of dry land around us before transforming into a sea of dangerous-looking reptiles. Nowhere looked safe to step anymore, as the reptiles peered at us with hungry eyes, only held back by some unseen force or command.

A cold sweat formed on my brow as I watched the endless horde of snakes continue to grow and grow around us, until eventually stopping, leaving us surrounded by an army of snakes. 

“... Alright, I think you’ve made your point.” 035 eventually conceded, before holstering his gun bravely, with no hint of nervousness present on the—err—mask. He raises his hands in the air cockily, smirking with what remains of his host's face. “Now, assuming you didn't come all this way to show us your reptile collection, I'd like to know who you are and why you're here.”

“Hmm, you're an impatient sort, aren't you?” The feminine-sounding voice from before asked before giving a loud sigh. “Fine, whatever, I never was one for tiptoeing around words anyways, so this works for me.”

*HISS* *HISS*

The hissing grew even louder as the thousands of snakes began to move around more sporadically, as if driven by some unseen terror. Eventually, I saw why, as I began seeing the snakes move out of the way, forming a straight path into the warehouse's empty depths.

Before I could even question this strange action, I noticed that a figure began moving out of the shadows towards us. Their figure was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. My hairs stood on end, as every facet of my angelic being screamed evil, pleading with me to purge the monstrosity that slithered towards us! I'm not even sure if this horrifying figure was their true form, but it managed to birth such unseen dread in me that I have only ever felt it twice in my life before this moment.

This… thing began slithering through the open path. Their body from the waist down was reminiscent of a giant snake, making a disgusting yet guttural sound as they glided across the floor; their sickly green scales with a hint of red outlining them shimmered in what little light could be salvaged from this place. Their upper body, however, is where the real horror started. They looked vaguely like a female human, except where there should be hair hung dozens and dozens of bloodied and dead-looking snakes, like if Medusa was made by some Lovecraftian fanboy. The snake hair cascaded down their face and chest, hiding one half of their grotesque features while covering up other obscene parts of themselves, as they looked as though they weren't wearing any clothes, just blackened and charred skin over certain areas around the waist area, where the snake tail morphed into a human torso. Then there was her face, and while I can only see half of it, I can tell the horrors beheld far surpassed that of any demon. Their red pupil slitted, giving her the look of an ancient predator despite the exaggerated bags that lay beneath them. Their face has other sharp features, like the chin and cheeks sharp, with teeth that seem to have a clean enough edge that they could rip through human flesh and bones with ease.

I also notice that in one of their two elongated, humanlike arms, they held a blackened dagger with a snake coiling around its handle.

“What… are you?” I couldn't help but ask, resulting in 035 hitting me with their elbow.

As if finding humor in my horrified expression, the monster laughed. “Somebody who you should never meet, but that's for people who I want dead… which, fortunately for you, doesn't include you lot.”

“Why?” 035 asked in my stead, resulting in the figure smiling in a way that seemed too big for their face.

“Because… I would like your help with something.” She began, before reaching into god-knows-where, and pulling out what appeared to be a flash drive. “In return, I'll tell you exactly where site-8 is.”

The smirk on the mask’s flesh puppet stiffened before lowering. “... How’d you know I was looking for that?”

The creature shrugged. “Call it a logical deduction. It wasn’t too hard to figure out honestly, considering I’ve been following you all for a while now.”

A nervous shiver ran through me at the implications that we were being watched this whole time, but I steeled my nerves as I looked on ahead with a heated stare.

“... And what do you want us to do?”

“Simple, sow chaos… There’s also something at that site that I would like to get my hands on.”

“... That's all?” The mask asked, unconvinced.

“Cross my heart, I promise that's. Hell, I’ll swear on Ion’s name himself if that's what it takes to convince you.”

“Ion… hmm.” The mask seemed to enter a deep thought at this offer before turning towards the feminine snake with a smile. “Well, I see no reason to refuse.”

“Great! Though, I wasn't really giving you a choice.” They smirk, eyes drawn to the thousands of snakes surrounding them, whose beating eyes continue to stare hungrily at us… before reluctantly retreating back into the shadows, seemingly at the women's unseen command.

She then tosses the device over to the mask, who catches it with ease. He investigates for a moment before nodding in satisfaction.

“Remember, I was never here.” The woman spoke, her slitted eyes piercing through us like poison, before turning her back to us and began slithering away… Only to stop before fully submerging in the shadows, a grotesque smirk forming on her deceptively large face. “Though… Just in the off chance you find yourself in the company of one of our kin, tell them one thing.”

“And that would be?”

… They slither into the dark, their voice echoing through the shadows, leaving the three of us on our lonesome.

“Tell them that it's finally time to reclaim our former glory. Tell them… That Saarn has returned, and soon, Ion will reclaim his rightful throne.”

…

…

…

“... Well, that was creepy.” I can’t help but break the tension, my shoulders finally relaxing as the snakish figure left. I turned to my left, looking towards the mask as he stared intently at the piece of plastic that they had been given. “So what do you think, masochist? Should we trust them?”

“Trust, never… But use them to our advantage… Hehe, let's just say I've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth.” They chuckle darkly before turning back to us. “Pack your bags, kids, cause we’re going on a road trip to meet some of Daddy’s old friends! Hehehehehehehehe!”

“...”

“... Never call yourself daddy again, or I will stab you.”

The old man nodded in agreement at my comment.

 

---

Vaggie POV

 

“Wait, so… let me get this straight.” I began, rubbing my temples in confusion as I walked down the velvety halls of the hotel, Cain by my side, still wrapped from head to toe in loose pieces of cloth that hid any evidence of his human heritage. “After wandering around the earth for Lucifer knows how long, you ended up being caught by some… secret fucking Illuminati wannabes who collect strange anemelies?”

Cain shrugged, “Well, the Illuminati is a completely different organization, and it's pronounced anomalies, but correct. That's the simplest way of putting it.” He explains which… only continued to fry my brain as I sighed heavily in frustration.

“That’s… not what I was expecting you to be up to all this—” Realization flashes across my face as I remember the mysterious duo who had recognized Cain before. “—W-wait, does that mean? Andrew and Paul are—”

“AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!”

I freeze as a blood-curdling scream echoes throughout the halls, seemingly originating from the hotel’s lobby.

“Hey, did you—”

“AAAAGGGGHHHH, HOW COULD YOU!!!!” 

The scream sounded out once more, panic flooding my system, as I recognized it as belonging to Angel Dust.

“Angel—Shit!” I swore, grabbing my angelic spear from its place tied behind my back before dashing through the halls. Cain followed closely behind me, though I wasn't sure how worried he was, partly due to how hard it was to read the guy because of all the cloth covering his face.

I continue running all the way to the end of the hallway, barging through the large double doors. As I did, I jumped over the balcony, skipping the large staircase entirely as I jumped to the ground below with a heroic landing. As I did, I raised my spear, ready to attack!

“Don’t worry, Angel, I’m here—”

“HOW COULD YOU… MAKE SOMETHING SO FUCKING DELICIOUS?!” Angel screams as he…

‘OH, YOU’RE FUCKING JOKING!!!’ I internally screamed as I watched Angel Dust—that fffffucking porn star—moan even louder as they shoved what looks to be lasagna down their throat.

“Oh, this hits the FUCKING SPOT!” They scream once more after showing another mouthful of the stuff down their throat in a… suggestive manner. “Hmm, oh my Lucifer, compliments to the fucking chef!”

“Please… Please don’t fuck the chef.” Andrew desperately cried as I noticed he was also sitting at the large dinner table in the center of the lobby, which nobody had taken down since a couple of days ago.

“Hmm? Why not! I’ve fucked people for less before!” Angel proudly proclaimed before turning towards the kitchen door. “As a matter of fact, shnookums, if you keep making lasagna this good, I’ll give you a treat of my own later, if you know what I mean!”

“Oh my fucking g—Angel, they have the mental capacity of a fucking child!” Andrew finally snaps before screaming this aloud.

“... What?”

“You basically just said you wanted to… You know!”

“...”

“...”

“...Umm… I—I meant…umm.” Angel began stuttering and, for the first time since I’ve known them, actually looked embarrassed as he quickly sat back down. “I—I’d like to retract and amend my statement!” 

“Probably a wise choice.” I hear Paul comment from over where the couches were, chuckling a bit as he watches Angel go back to sheepishly snacking on his lasagna.

Seeing this whole situation, I just… I just couldn’t.

“ Sigh, fucking seriously, Angel?” I let out an exasperated cry, causing the spider demon's attention to be drawn over to me.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Toot’s?” Angel asks cockily, seemingly recovered from their earlier statement, before lifting up a plate of lasagna. “You wanna bite?”

“What the—no! I thought you were dying!”

“Uhh, yeah. Dying for seconds!” they joke before shoving another serving of lasagna down their throat. “I mean, this stuff is SOOOOO fucking good! The chefs at V Tower WISH they could make something this fuckable!”

Angel then turns to look past me. “How about you, Mr. Unfuckable, do you want a bite?”

“I’m alright. Not really all that hungry.” I heard Cain explain, walking down the stairs the normal way instead of jumping off the balcony like me.

“Are you ever hungry? I swear I've seen you eat like twice since coming here.” Angel commented but simply shrugged as Cain struggled to reply. “Ehh, whatever, more for me! Keep em’ coming, ghost!”

The door to the kitchen, miraculously enough, opened at that exact moment. As it did, two silver trays with circular metal covers seemingly floated over to the table, held aloft by an invisible force.

This so-called ‘invisible force’ gave a surprisingly soft-sounding screech, sounding both nervous and excited as it placed the two trays on the table. It lifted the metal top off of the first tray, revealing an appetizing-looking pasta dish, caked in marinara sauce and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and basil. 

Angel looked at the dish with hungry eyes, “Oh, finally! It’s been forever since I’ve had some good fucking pasta!” They celebrate before throwing their current plate of lasagna away, just barely missing Andrew’s face as he makes a tiny yelp in surprise as he dodges it and crashes against the wall.

They immediately begin to ravage the dish before turning to the invisible creature with his mouth full. “Hey— NUM NUM— So, what's in there?” They use their fork to point to the other tray, whose contents were hidden by the metal top.

Understanding the question, the invisible creature seemingly grabbed the metal top, lifting it up and revealing a freshly baked pie and–

SUPRISE!

“HAHA! I GOT YOU NOW, INVISIBLE COCKROACH!!!

“ KREEE!” The creature let out a screech as Niffty suddenly popped out of the pie, covering her in its red juices as they attempted to stab forward!

The creature evidently dodged the attack and continued to scream as Niffty fully freed herself from the pie mold and began chasing after them.

“YOU CAN’T ESCAPE ME THIS TIME! HEHEHHUHEHAHEHE!!! I JUST WANT SOME OF YOUR HAIR!!!”

“KREEE!!!”

… I watch as Niffty swings wildly at something she can't see before rushing into the kitchen after seeing the door open on its own.

“... Hey, is anyone gonna–”

“Ehh, they’ll be fine.” Angel cut Andrew off before going back to his pasta. “Niffty may be insane, but she ain’t hitting something she can’t see. She can barely stab what she can see, after all.”

“... It wasn’t the chef I was worried about—Ehh, whatever.” Andrew muttered to himself before leaning back in his chair once more.

Things became eerily calm once more, as a wave of calmness washed over us now that Niffty was gone… Though, I can't help but notice a couple of people missing from our strange collection of idiots. 

“Hey, where’s Charlie?” I ask first, noting she was one of the main people missing. At that, Angel just chuckles.

“Oh, she’s just breaking into the scolding douchebag's room to find the kink jello creature or whatever.” Angel noted nonchalantly as—

“SHE’S DOING WHAT IN MY ROOM!?!?!” Paul erupts out of his seat.

“Hehe, yeah! She just told me not to say anything.” Angel smirks, knowing exactly what he just set into motion. “... oops.” They feign concern with a devilish smirk as they take another bite.

“OH, NO SHE DOESN’T!” Paul screams when, as I expected, he immediately runs past all of us and up the stairs like a rocket, running back to his room in a presumably vain attempt to stop the break-in. I could hear his footsteps growing ever more distant before eventually vanishing from earshot.

I just turn to Angel Angel, unimpressed as I stare him down. “... Really?”

“What? It’s all in good fun!” Angel chuckled devilishly to himself, as I could feel Andrew rolling his eyes.

“Yeah, it's all fun and games until he tries to shoot someone for breaking and entering.” He comments, before planting his head on the table once more, sounding even more tired than he had been for the last couple of days.

“You… Ok, Andrew? You sound dead.” I raise an eyebrow, causing them to chuckle.

“Hehe, I feel like I’m dead—I MEAN!” Their faces suddenly shot up with a strange burst of adrenaline. “UHH—O-OF COURSE I FEEL DEAD! I M-MEAN, WE’RE ALL DEAD DOWN HERE, AFTER ALL! YEP… ALL DEAD… NO EXCEPTIONS.”

“...”

“...”

“Umm… Amen?” Angel spoke questionably before shaking his head. “Whatever. Anyways, I have no idea where the red pompous asshole is—”

“—Oh, thank god—” Andrew muttered.

“Though I did see Specter and Pentious leave the hotel a while back.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Really? What for?”

“Who knows.” They shrug before going back to their food. “Probably something ‘heroic’ if I had to make a wild guess.”

“... Heroic, huh?” I mutter as a very bad feeling begins creeping up inside of me. “That… can’t be good.”

 

---

 

“Now, my hero-in-training-but-still-technically-a-villain-but-getting-better-if-given-enough-time-to-rehabilitate-themselves-but-still-my-arch-arch-rival Sir Pentious! When they don’t respond, all you have to do is punch them really hard!”

“H-hey man, I’m sorry, I'll give them ba—”

“PUNCH OF TRUTH-AND-JUSTICE!”

BAM!

“Gahh, fuck, my perfectly round face!” The sinner screamed, holding their hands up to their face in pain as they continued to dangle upside down, a rope tied around their leg leading up to the top of a lightpost. 

“Now, remember my hero-in-training-but-still-technically-a-villain-but-getting-better-if-given-enough-time-to-rehabilitate-themselves-but-still-my-arch-arch-rival Sir Pentious! Never trust anything a villain says!” The dark man lectures as he talks to his snakish companion, who hangs on to his every word as he copies them down on his tiny notepad, nodding to himself as he does so.

“Come on, man, it was just a pack of fucking condo–”

“Quiet, you frivolousssss sssssswin!”

WHAPAM!

“GAHH! NOT AGAIN!!!”

“Great work! You never know what sort of venom this villain would have spat out!” The Specter congratulates Pentious, patting him on his shoulder confidently as the snake demon just smiled proudly.

“Well, I learn from the besssst, my-technically-sssssensssssei-but-alsssssso-arch-arch-rival-until-I-prove-that-I’m-no-longer-a-villian-and-have-put-my-dark-dayssssss-behind-me The Specter !”

“You sure did, hahahahaha!”

“Hahahahahahahahaha!”/ “Hehehehehehehehehe!”

“... Can you guys let me go—”

“QUIET, SSSSWINE!”/“I wasn’t speaking to you, villain!”

BAM! BANG! WHADDABOOM!

“GAHH, NOT MY OTHER PERFECTLY ROUND FACE!”

 

---

 

“Ehh… I'm sure they’ll be fine.” I decided not to worry about those two idiots at the moment, as I already have too much to worry about at the current moment.

It was also at this moment that I heard the crashing in the kitchen grow even louder, with pans smashing into each other, the cries of some otherworldly creature, and the ever-growing laughter of the housemaid from a place worse than Hell.

“HEHAHEHAHEHHE! COME ON! I JUST WANT SOME GHOST HAIR FOR MY COLLECTION! I PROMISE THAT I ONLY WANT A LOT!!!!”

“KREEEE!!!!”

… I turn to Angel, who just finished scarfing down their pasta. “Angel, can you just go in there to make sure Niffty doesn't traumatize our new guest?”

The spider demon waves their hand dismissively at my request. “Ehh, currently digesting my food, toots. I’ll check on the two in a couple of hours after I get some—”

“--ANGEL!”

“Ugh, FINE! I swear, you can't have any fucking fun in the place when you're around.” They complain as they stand up and march over to the kitchen begrudgingly. “I better get some good fucking linguini for this.”

“I'm going to help as well.” Cain speaks up before walking to follow behind Angel, which prompted the man to give him an impish smile.

“Oh? Finally looking to get some time alone with me? You bad, bad boy!” Angel chuckled, causing me to roll my eyes in indignation as Cain doesn’t even give him an answer.

They enter the kitchen, the door closing behind them. With their absence, I finally felt allowed to release a heavy sigh, the tension in my shoulders releasing slightly. “My Lucifer, we don’t even have ten guests, and it’s already like wrangling fucking headless chickens around here. This is… gonna be rough.”

“Well, I doubt you signed up for this because you thought it would be easy.” I hear Andrew chuckle as he stands up from his own seat. The tiredness was still present in his voice as he spoke. “Though if it’s too much for you, I'm sure nobody would mind if you take a day off for yourself."

“Heh, fair enough, I guess.” I respond, finding at least a little comfort in this stranger's genuine worry for me. “And thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine. I’ve dealt with worse before.”

Andrew stares at me, seemingly unconvinced, but decides to drop the subject. “Ok, as long as you promise.” He reassured himself.

I nod at him before an idea comes to my mind, as I suddenly remember the conversation I was having with Cain before coming here, as he was finally living up to the promise he made to me before by explaining what he’s been doing for the past many years since being cursed. We didn’t have a chance to get too deep into it, but Cain did mention something about some organization that imprisons anything it finds unusual or out of their idea of what normal is, him included.

‘I need to ask him more about the specifics later, but that does make me curious.’ I looked towards Andrew, who was nervously shuffling on his feet as if trying to decide where to go. ‘... He and Paul recognized Cain when he introduced himself as SCP-073 or something. If they recognized him, does that mean… that they…?'

“Hey Andrew, there’s something I want to ask you.” I begin, the powder keg of curiosity inside of me about to explode as I stare down the nervous figure.

He hesitates for a moment before shaking his head. “Umm, yeah, shoot.”

I begin starting with unseen intensity, piercing through the minuscule protection offered by his gas mask, as I could almost hear the sweat beginning to roll down his hidden face at the sudden force in which I began staring. 

“Tell me, you and Paul… Why did you know who Cain was when he first arrived?” I crossed my arms, and the flinch that flashed through the man's body did not escape my sight, but I decidedly ignored it and continued. “As a matter of fact, all these strange people began showing up after you two. Your weird slime thing you brought in, the specter, and most recently a random-ass invisible chef who basically just cooks food all day. I'm tired of tiptoeing around the subject, so just tell me straight. Who are you two?” 

“....”

“... Well?” I asked again.

“........................................................................................... I plead the fifth?” He mutters nervously, attempting to add levity to the situation despite the fact that I could see his palm shake furiously, probably a nervous habit of his. 

“Yea, sorry that law doesn’t exist down here. You know what law does exist?” I began threateningly before lifting up my spear and pointing it towards Andrew, causing him to yelp in surprise as he lifted his arms up in surrender. “The law of the jungle. Now please tell me. Cain said I can trust you, so I really don’t want to do anything to hurt you. But at the same time, I'm tired of being left in the dark.” I spoke, not with anger or malice, but just a tiredness that was yearning for an understanding. 

“W-woah, hold on! D-don’t you think this is… a little too much?” Andrew stutters as he flinches backward from my spear point at him, his back hitting against the back wall. “I—I promise w-we aren’t hiding anything—”

“Yea, that’s a bold fucking lie.” I respond, lowering the spear a tiny bit in a vain attempt to calm him down. Maybe if this was a different scenario, I would have been tougher when trying to figure out what he was so clearly hiding… 

‘But… I have to trust Cain at least a little here. Plus, Charlie wouldn’t be happy if I got physical with our guests to get some answers.’ I simmered down a bit, sighing heavily as I stared at Andrew.

“Listen, Andrew, you're weird. Everything about you is weird. Everything that’s happened since you and Paul came here is weird. Usually I wouldn't care about that; weird is common in Hell, but this is a level of weird that I don’t understand, and that… worries me.” I admit in as calm a voice as I could muster. “Charlie is too kind to question it, Alastor is having too much fun teasing you to care, Angel barely manages to give a shit about anything in the first place, and Husk would rather drown himself at the bottom of a drink before ever putting in any effort to do a goddamn thing. So, as unfortunate as it is, that leaves me as the only one who will actually ask the questions that need to be asked. I really don’t want to hurt you, but I'm too suspicious at this point to continue to feel comfortable just letting you walk around this place. Hell, I still don’t even know if that gas mask is a part of your face or if you're hiding something beneath it too!”

Andrew… actually appeared to turn a bit somber at all of this, his eyes beginning to magnetize downwards in a depressed state.

“I… I want to, but… I really… I can’t.” He actually says with an evident struggle in his voice, shocking me to my core at his response, validating my suspicions that something more was going on.

“Why not?” I asked with a sharp edge in my voice, showing that I was not going to let this die here. “What’s stopping you? Why are you and Paul so secretive? If you really are here to spy on us and this is about pissing somebody you work for off, then you really don't have to worry. In case you've forgotten, Charlie is the princess of Hell; we have fucking Alastor—for better or worse—along with me, Husk, and Niffty. If you were hired to spy on us by some asshole, you don’t need to be scared.”

… They remain silent, contemplating my reassurance.

I sigh, “Look, I'm not used to this whole ‘ask questions first, shoot later’ sort of mindset, but I'm really trying… If you can’t tell directly, then at least say why you're so worried about saying anything.”

Andrew looks around, as if making sure nobody was listening in, before releasing a breath. “If I'm being completely honest… I want to tell you—as a matter of fact, I think the smartest thing we can do in this position is to let you all know!” He says, suprising me, as he began to shake his head ferociously. “I think it's dumb… stupid to just continue to stay on the sidelines and wait for someone to rescue us when we are in the position to do so much more, help so many more people like us that could be down here!”

He crosses his arms, as if to comfort himself, as he begins shaking a little. “But, I’m also well aware that I'm… not in the position to make any rational decisions right now. Heh, hell, I've been feeling like I'm one bad thought away from going completely insane for days now!” He chuckles sadly to himself, as the grip on my spear loosens even more, as I could tell from the hoarseness of his voice, the cracks that seeped through every couple of words he spoke, just how… Scared? Sad? Angry? I honestly couldn’t pin it down.

“I… know I'll mess something up drastically if I make any decisions the way I am now, which is why I'm trusting Paul to know what's best.” Andrew continues as he lowers his hands to his side once more before staring towards me. “So… I'm sorry if we’ve been hard to work with. A-And I am so happy that you all let us stay here; it means so much! But… I just can’t. Not until he thinks it’s time to tell you all… I'm sorry.”

“...”

“...”

“... Sigh, you really are a sentimental douchebag.” I say, shocking Andrew as I lower my spear. I scratch the back of my head, trying to process it all. “I guess this is the most I really could have hoped to get out of you, and, to be honest, I already have my guesses for who you two really are.”

“O-oh, really?”

“Yea, just an idea that I’ve pieced together from the snippets that I managed to wrangle out of Cain.” I chuckle, remembering Cain’s story from earlier. “He mentioned something about a mysterious-ass organization or something that collects weird shit, like him.”

“... OH… UMM.” Andrew spoke loudly, eyes peering downward awkwardly. “I… uh… soooooooo, what's your… theory?”

I turned to Andrew once more, staring him down in order to scare him for a second, before chuckling at him after he flinched back to the wall once more. “Nothing grandiose. Honestly, I have a feeling there’s more to it. But—” I point my spear at Andrew again. “My guess is that you and Paul worked for this group.”

Andrew released a sigh of relief. “O-oh, so you already—”

“But you died recently, arrived here in Hell, and are still suffering from the indoctrination you received from this organization, making you hesitant to say anything.” I explain calmly with a smirk, feeling that I hit the nail on the head!

“... What?” Andrew muttered after a second, as if taken off guard, probably due to how close I probably got with my guess.

“Trust me, I get it… feeling reluctant to admit much of anything, especially since it seems like you two died very recently.” I explain as calmly as possible, crossing my hands before trying my best to give a reassuring smile. “But I can promise you that whatever you did up there doesn’t really matter here. As long as you and Paul actually are willing to try and redeem yourself and aren’t trying to hurt Charlie in any way, then I don’t have a problem with you staying here. Just… don’t do anything stupid, alright?”

I saw Andrew nod absently, as if caught off guard. I shrug, deciding I have had enough of talking to him today. I mean, I already feel proud enough of myself that I resolved this without us having to resort to violence. I'm sure Charlie is going to be happy about that.

“Anyways, I'm going to make sure everything’s alright in the kitchen.” I say, before turning around and beginning to take my leave. “Talk to you later, Andrew.”

“H-huh? -- O-oh, right. T-talk to you later.” He stutters as I leave, entering the kitchen. I feel a sense of pride swell up inside me, happy that I was both able to figure out what the fuck was happening without having to get my fist bloodied!

‘Hm… Maybe I really am improving.’

 

---

Andrew POV

 

“Fuck… this is bad.” I can't help but whisper in dread as I begin to comprehend what exactly had just happened.

‘She… really thinks she understands what's going on… oh no.’ I couldn't help but swear at myself, as I realized the mistake I might have just made, basically all but confirming her suspicions of us and giving her some… pretty bad misconceptions about what was going on.

“Oh… She’s going to fucking kill us when she figures it out.”

“Figure what out, Mr. White?”

“GAHH— FUCKING STOP THAT!” I scream in fear before turning around and sending accusatory glares straight at the red-dressed figure that had just materialized behind me, who was chuckling in an annoying rhythm.

“Hmhm, stop what? I am merely saying hello to my dear old friend!” He explains charismatically, wrapping his arm around me and pulling close for a side hug… before leaning down to my ear as a threatening silhouette covered the two of us. “And we are friends, after all. Right, Mr. White?”

… Maybe it would've been better to tell Vaggie. At least she would’ve killed me quickly compared to dealing with this never-ending torture.

…

…

…

…

…

…

---

…

…

…

…

“HANDS OFF THE TICKLE MONSTER, PRINCESS!”

“Come on, can’t I just—”

“I SAID HANDS OFF!”

“Gahh… You're no fun, Paul.”

Notes:

Vaggie: Think he'll be fine?

Angel:hmm... yea, i don't see why not.

SCP-5031: (Wearing the 'mom pick me up im scared' sweater.)

 

Hey, I am suprised that I finally managed to fit everything that I wanted to fit in a single chapter for once! Thats... extremely rare nowadays, not gonna lie.

Anyways, I hope you all enjopyed the chapter! We got to catch up on 035's game and FINALLY did something with the hotel again!

... Not gonna lie, this chapter was hnestly just an excuse to go back and write more things about the hotel gang. I like funny snake man and batman wannabe, don't judge me!

Regardless, this was a bit of a strange one, but I still hoped you all enjoyed, especially since a new (and rather important character) was finally introduced to the story! With a... bit of a re-design. Yea, those of you that know Saarn know just from the description that I took some liberties with their character (at least in this form) which will be explaiend later. If you dont know who Saarn is, don't worry, who they are and what theyll do will be explained as if they were a completely new character.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed their introduction to the story, and just the story in general! I tried something this chapter that im curious if people caught onto.

OH, ALSO, Shoutout to Roman23 and FalloutLego17! For those of you that know, Roman23 made a fan story based off this fic called 'Twice Fallen' a while back that was really good and I reccomend checking out! Link below.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63728311/chapters/163383919

Also, a couple days ago FalloutLego17 made a remastered version of Roman23's 'Twice fallen' story that was aso exceptional! And I really reccomed checking it out, especially f you are a fan of Asasph, Vaggie, and just the ghotel gang in general! It is amazing, and I'll leave the link the that remastered version below.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59442685/chapters/164630611#workskin

Wow... Somebody who made a remastered version of another persons fan work of my fan work... I love this community so much.

Regardless, drop a kudos if your exited for whats to come, leave a comment if you have any questions, complaints, suggestions, jokes, or anything inbetween. And I hope you all have an amazing week! See you next week!

Chapter 59: Cheers!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Dr. Glass goes through half-a-dozen cups of coffee.

Alpha-9 eat together.

Kevn regrets meeting Cherri.

Notes:

"What seperates a team from a family?"

Dr. Glass POV.

>>> Alpha-9 Records

>> Alpha-9 members

>> Alpha-9 notes

> SCP-4051 “Your Friendly Neighborhood Keter” Notes.

> SCP-105 “Iris” Notes.

> SCP-4818 “Leora Lightfoot” Notes.

>SCP-2273 “Major Alexei Belitrov” Notes.

>SCP-1360 “PSHUB #31” Notes.

>> Alpha-9 request’s (pending)

I hesitate as I sit over the computer, as a slight nervousness crashes through me in waves. On instinct I gaze around, making sure nobody was watching me at this exact moment. There isn’t.

I chuckle, finding this whole situation a little strange. Usually I'm not allowed to look at confidential documents like these, especially those pertaining to an entire MTF group, considering it isn’t really my area of expertise or authority.

Alas, as a part of my deal with Dr. Light, she promised to let me know everything that was going on involving the members of the team, which includes her own confidential reports and analysis of the team. 

“ Sigh, I'm going to regret this… Who am I kidding, I'm not.” I sigh to myself as I click open SCP-4051’s report first, considering they were near the top of the list.

As I did so, an image appeared on the screen, an image I was warned about ahead of time. Despite that, I still flinch back as the vibrantly colored memetic kill agent appeared on screen.

After spending a moment catching my breath, making sure I was still… alive, I turn back to the monitor before quickly scrolling past the kill agent. I might have been cleared to view this, but I wasn’t about to take any chances.

As I do so, I see pages upon pages of documents flooding my screen. From observations, test reports, opinions, analytical statistics, history, comparisons, you name it! It was all here, and, for once, nothing seemed to be restricted, as I didn’t spot a single one of those accursed black boxes censoring information on my screen.

I sigh again; this was going to be a long night. Reading all these files and their related reports will certainly take much more than 24 hours.

‘But I have to be prepared. In two days, we’re leaving for Washington D.C. for that meeting with the GOI. And more importantly, it’ll be Alpha-9’s first real field mission.’ I remind myself as I begin reading, trying my best not to think about how tired I was going to be when it was all over. ‘If I want to know how to best help them all, I need to know everything I can about them. That's my job after all! And I need to know how to get them to finally begin connecting with each other as a team. Supporting each other unconditionally when I'm not around. This’ll be tough, but I'm going to figure out the best way of doing it.’

I reach over, grabbing one of two dozen coffee cups I have on standby to help me through the task. I take a sip of one before preparing myself for the arduous task ahead!

 

---

Leora Lightfoot POV

“Hey, have any of you seen Glass recently?” I ask curiously around the table, trying to ignite a conversation between us.

At my attempts, however, Iris just shrugs while she pokes at her food with a fork (it looks to be some sort of salad) before speaking. “I haven’t seen him since yesterday in the hall. He seemed to be in a rush, so I didn’t want to bother him.”

“ As his designation is as a mental health expert, would it not be recommended, or even encouraged, to bother him? ” Our robotic friend asks in their familiar staticy tone as they sit with what can only be described as perfect posture (show off) with even their hands lying perfectly on their metal legs. 

Iris sighs. “I mean, yeah, I guess, but—you know what? I'm not having this conversation.” She declares before stabbing her fork into the salad, catching a couple of leaves before pulling them out and consuming them before turning to me. “Why do you want to know, anyways? Have something you want to talk to him about?”

“Uhh, no, not really. Just trying to make conversation. After all—” I throw my hands out to the rest of the table, drawing attention to the insanity of it all. “ --This is the weirdest party I have ever been a part of!”

‘And weird is an understatement.’ I say internally as I stare at everyone around the admittedly large circular dinner table. At it sat me, with Iris and her salad to my right and Rainer sitting to my left as he had been strangely staring at a burger that was placed in front of him for the last couple of minutes. Across from where I was at sat the large bug soldier man (SCP-2273 if I remember correctly), as I watched him use his large snout, nose thingy that hung off his fly-like face, and stuck it into a large bowl of some sort of chunky liquid, sucking it up through the tube, seemingly being the only way they could eat anything. They also had a radio of some sort in front of them, probably for his communication purposes. Finally, to the giant bug's left and Iri’s right sat the robot who, as I stated before, sat with perfect posture with nothing on the table in front of him.

Nervously I fidget with my hands as I crack my neck. “So, umm… How’s everyone been enjoying training?” I end up asking, finding it hard to think of any other subject to talk about as we eat dinner together.

Unexpectedly, though, the giant bug is the one that seems to scoff at my question after PSHUD translates my words to German, as he has been doing for anything any of us say so that he can easily join in on our conversation. The old-fashioned radio in front of him then flares to life as a distinguishable German voice passes through its speakers. “Zu schwach. Sie sollten uns trainieren, bis unsere Knochen brechen, bis es sich anfühlt, als würde unsere Haut wie geschnittener Schinken von unserem Körper abfallen. Trainieren Sie uns, bis wir das Schlagen des Morgenhahns als Todesengel verehren und den Aufgang des Mondes als Retter preisen! Erst dann werde ich glauben, dass Training genug ist!” He slams his fist on the table and speaks, despite the fact that his long, tube-like extension continued to suck up the strange soup that was made for him.

Iris sighs before turning to the robot. “Translation?” She requests.

“ Certainly .” PSHUD responds before turning to the rest of us. “ In German, he said, ‘Too weak. They should train us until our bones break, until it feels like our skin is about to fall off our body like sliced ham. Train us until we revere the cocking of the morning rooster as the angel of death, and praise the rising of the moon as a savior! Only then, shall I believe training is enough!’ They spoke.” The robot declared with a static calm.

“ Ja.” The radio in front of the bug spoke out happily as he continued eating.

“... Oh… fun.” I force a smile on my face as I say that, not willing to admit just how much my muscles already ache due to our CURRENT training! Seriously, how can this guy crave more? “You are… a special kind of masochist, aren’t you?” I joke non-seriously.

The bug looks up from their food, their voice speaking from the radio once more. “ Was ist ein Masochist?”

“ Allow me to answer,” our neighborhood robot began, understanding whatever question the bug had just asked.  “A masochist is an individual who derives sexual or physical pleasure and/or enjoyment from what others would consider painful or humiliating.” The robot said in English for the rest of us, before immediately translating it into German.

… The millions of eyes upon the soldier's face turn towards me, his neck craning as he does so.

“...”

“...”

‘I'm going to kill this robot.’

“Gehorsamsverweigerung!” They suddenly scream out in offense, standing upright almost immediately, as their chair goes flying back behind them. Both I and Iris are shocked by his action, as I see the bug anomaly wind his hand back as–

SLAM!

“Hey!”

They freeze mid-swing, just as I was readying myself to create a shield of light. We both turn to our sides, revealing Iris has also stood up from her seat and has slammed both of her palms hard against the table.

“No fighting! If you have something to settle, then wait until we're all finished with dinner and take it outside. Understand?” Iris commands, sounding much more confrontational and assertive than I think I've ever heard her speak before.

“...” A tense silence fills the room as SCP-2273 stares the woman down, as if trying to call her bluff. Iris, for her part, does a good job not falling beneath the significantly stronger man's gaze, though even I notice the small bead of sweat building on the side of her face.

The bug leans forward. “und wenn nicht?” The question comes out of the radio. I don’t even need the robot's translation to know what the challenge behind the question was as he questioned Iris's authority, his heated stare continuing to burrow into her like a mole.

Still refusing to back down, she meets the man's million-eyed gaze with her two. “Because I’m your captain, and this is a direct order from me to you.” She leans in closer to him, challenging his gaze. “And just so you know, you don’t scare me. I'm not some fucking pushover that’ll lay down and take it. So if you have a problem with me, tell it to my face right here, right now.”

“...”

“...”

“...Pfft—Bahaha !” The bug suddenly bursts out in laughter after the robot translates Iris’s last words, before going back down to gorge himself in his puddle of rations. 

“Endlich jemand mit verdammtem Rückgrat!” They chuckle to themselves as they finish their meal and slam it against the table. “ Ich hatte gehofft, nicht noch einem feigen Feigling unterstehen zu müssen. Schön, dass in dir mehr steckt, als man auf den ersten Blick sieht, Blondchen.”

Iris raises an eyebrow but seems content as the large anomaly seems to back down happily. Deciding to take the momentary peace between us, she began eating her salad once more.

As for me… I was still reeling with the fact that I was nearly manhandled by a six hundred pound bug… This is a weird place.

“Y’know… this isn’t what I was expecting when you said you wanted to get lunch with me.” I hear the surprisingly quiet kid finally speak up. Turning quickly, I saw Rainer staring at me with a bit of an awkward glance.

I sigh, “Yea, sorry. But Dr. Glass was adamant about it being a big team dinner or whatever when he learned about it a couple of days ago.” I apologize to the boy. “Sorry if this isn't exactly what I promised you.”

I was waiting for the boy to complain about it all, and justifiably so. But instead of any of that, I saw Rainer smile as he finally picked up his cold burger that was lying in front of him.

“N-no, it's not that. It's just…” Rainer squeezes the bread between his fingers tightly. “I… don’t even remember the last time I had a family dinner like this.”

“... Family?”

“Huh—o-oh, I don't mean like that!” Rainer quickly corrects himself, his grip on the burger loosening as he seems to return back to reality from whatever memory he was reliving inside of his head. “I know we’re not that… close or anything. But… y-y'know, it's… nice.”

At this point, Rainer had unintentionally grabbed everyone's attention as he continued to speak.

“I… haven’t had something like this in a long time. I mean, Simon tried to have lunch with me a couple of times, and while he’s great, it's… not the same just talking to your psychiatrist, y’know?” Rainer admits, lowering his burger with a defeated gaze. “So I… I don't know… I guess I just… I just missed the feeling of being able to sit down with people and just… laugh, and… not care about being judged or treated like a test subject for a while.”

“Heh, to be fair, I don’t think we’ve done a lot of laughing yet thanks to a certain someone.” I reply before staring daggers at the man who nearly punches me. The man in question immediately averted his gaze as the robot translated my words to German, causing a bit of embarrassment to grow inside of him as a result. “But I get what you mean. As a matter of fact, I’m sure it's been a while since any of us have had time to just sit down and eat.”

“Hmm, you got that right.” Iris chuckles as she joins in on the conversation. “The last meal I had with someone was with Dr. Gears before he went MIA. I swear, that guy was stiffer than a plank of wood; that interview felt like it lasted forever!”

“Das letzte Mal, dass ich mit meinen Waffenbrüdern gegessen habe, war, bevor ich hierher in diese seltsame Realität transportiert wurde.” The physically strongest of us chimed in, sitting at attention as he spoke, staring at all of us simultaneously with his bug-like eyes. “ Obwohl anders, erinnert mich dieses Essen sehr an die Zeit, als ich zum ersten Mal mein Bataillon traf. Wie damals spüre ich, wie sich etwas Besonderes entwickelt.”

“... Transl—”

“ Already on it.” The robot replies quickly before translating the bug’s words into a language we could actually understand.

“He said, ‘The last time I ate with my brothers-in-arms was before I was transported here to this strange reality. Although different, this meal reminds me a lot of the time I first met my battalion. Just like then, I can feel something special beginning to unfold here.’ He spoke.”

“Aww, you really do care! And here I thought you were only good for looking intimidating, punching things, and punching things that look intimidating!” I tease playfully, causing the bug to roll their millions of eyes as it was translated to them by the machine. “Hehe, kidding.”

“Nach diesem Mittagessen boxen wir noch.” 

“The just reminded you that he’s still planning on fighting you after you both have finished your lunches.” The robot translated without being asked.

“Oh… fun.” I say worriedly, as a bead of sweat draws a line down my face. Still, I shake it off and tactfully (cowardly) change the subject as I look to PSHUD. “How about you, tin man? I know you don’t really eat, but have you ever had lunch with anyone before?”

Unfortunately, it shakes its head. “Negative. Theoretically, I could've had such a fate if I had been delivered to my designated buyer by Anderson Robotics. However, unexpectedly at the time, I was apprehended by the foundation before being indefinitely contained here under the designation of SCP-1360.” They reply stoically.

I raise an eyebrow with obvious interest. “Anderson Robotics? What is that, your manufacturer or something?”

“Manufacturers, designers, engineers, creators, god, all of those designations would fit my relation to Anderson Robotics.” They continue speaking, though I could swear I could hear their tone begin to pitch downwards as they continued speaking. “However, they ceased all communication with me after my apprehension by the foundation, designating me as an understandable liability that would take far too many resources to recover compared to what I’m worth. Just like the gods of you humans, my god too had abandoned me.”

“... Shit, that got dark.” I heard Iris mumble as we all took a sudden interest in everything this robot was saying. “But yeah, I read about that when I was handed your file. I also read that you ceased all communication with foundation personnel after being aba– Um… I mean, after Anderson Robotics let you … go. What changed to make you willing to join Alpha-9? I didn’t spot it anywhere in your files."

“I never indicated anything about my current position within this team being a ‘willing’ decision.” They began, giving the closest thing I think the robot could to a deadpan stare towards Iris. “To answer your previous inquiry, however, my cooperation was a recent development. For a time, I was willing to completely shut myself down and never interact with the world again. However, after years of contemplating my current position, I began to question the worthiness of prematurely shutting myself down before giving a direct command by my creators. I began to consider that a new directive from them may eventually come to me someday. As such, I decided to continue operating as normal for a few months and begin interacting with my designated jailors once more. This seemed to have drawn the attention of one Dr. Sophia Light herself, and for some reason, she considered me a prime candidate for this team. A foolish calculation in my opinion, but one I am willing to oblige until I find a proper reason to no longer do so.”

…

“... That’s pretty badass!” I end up saying with a smirk, trying my best to end the silence that followed from everyone after the robot finished explaining what had happened to it. “A helluva story to drink to, if anything!” 

“Are you even old enough to drink, Leora?” Our leader asks, causing me to shrug.

“Does it even matter? It’s not like the foundation treats anyone with special privilege because of their age.” I point out, gesturing my head toward Rainer as he finishes his burger. Noting this, Iris immediately withdraws her head, defeated by my argument. Though as she does, an idea comes to my mind as a sinister smile forms. “As a matter of fact… hehe, oh, this’ll be the perfect time for this!” I celebrate before practically jumping out of my seat and digging into my backpack that I keep with me during my training.

Worried, Iris peeks over my shoulder from her seat, as if trying to see what I was trying to grab.

“Should I be worried?” She finally asked after being unable to see anything.

“Hehe, only if you hate fun.” I chuckle before my hand finds purchase against the item I was desperately searching for.

“Now, feast your eyes on this!” I celebrate dramatically before pulling a green bottle out of my bag with a devilish flare, revealing it to be a bottle of some sort of alcoholic liquid trapped within it.

“Is that… wine?” Iris questions, to which I shake my head.

“Tut-tut, my friend. This isn't your average ‘run-of-the-mill’ wine bottle I'm holding in my hands! Instead it’s… Umm…” I squint at the label. “Re-remoo… Mouisten— moisenet P-pear—L-look, it doesn't matter!” I quickly shake my head in a desperate attempt to change the subject from this fucking overcomplicated ass name! “What matters is that this wine has a stupidly long and complicated name, which means it MUST be, like, really expensive! So, why don’t we all share a drink?”

Iris crossed her arms as she looked unsure towards me.

“Where did you even get that?”

“Doesn't matter!” I cut Iris off, as an unamused expression crawls along her face.

“... You stole it from Clef’s office, didn’t you?”

“Like I said, it doesn't matter. Now, tin man!” I sat back down in my seat before sliding the bottle of expensive-sounding wine toward our resident robot as I also pushed five empty glass cups from the table toward him. “Would you please do us the honor of serving us this palate cleanser?”

They look up. “But this specific brand of wine does not qualify as a palate cleanser. Instead, it would be considered as a cha—”

“Yea, yea, yea, semantics. Now, are you serving us or not?”

“Why certainly, if you so desire.” They respond this time without hesitation, as they lift their right index finger into the air as the edge of a scalpel seems to push itself out of its metallic bottle, before using it to remove the cork of the bottle and pour the drink into the glasses.

“Ooh, aren’t you just full of fancy tricks!” I compliment them with a smile as they go to work, causing Iris to look unsure at all of us once more.

“This really isn’t a good idea. Even disregarding the fact that you stole this bottle, I’m not sure if the foundation will like us drinking days before an important—”

“Oh, lighten up already, Iris!” I cut her off as I punch her lightly in the shoulder. “Don’t be so stiff! Or do you want to be the next Dr. Gears?”

She freezes.

“... Gahh, fuck it, give me two shots.”

“HeHA! Now you're talking!” I congratulate her with a slap on the back, my own mood plateauing as I continue to try my best to liven up the atmosphere within the room. 

“Task completed.” The robot states as he passes a glass to everyone around the table, he and Rainer included, as the youngest of us looks reluctantly at the alcoholic beverage.

I thank them before lifting my drink in the air. “Cheers to our new team!” I exclaim with a smile, keeping it there as everyone looks around, not entirely positive about what to do. I sigh. “Come on, guys, don’t leave me hanging.”

An air of uncertainty permeates between the rest of them as they hold onto their glasses, as if reluctant to join in. Almost as if they were scared, worried, or just unsure what to say if they did.

This lasted for longer than I would've liked… Until the last person I would have expected lifted their glass, which looked comically small in their large hands.

“... Ein Hoch auf dieses neue Bataillon tapferer Soldaten.” The radio that the SCP uses to speak through flares to life after our resident robot translated my most recent words to him, as he raises his glass up close to mine.

“... sigh, fuck it … Cheers for a second chance.” Iris finally, although reluctantly, lifted her glass as well, meeting me and the bug.

“Cheers to a new directive.” PSHUD also joined in with his monotone voice, lifting his own glass to the center.

All that leaves is… I turn to my left as I see Rainer absently fiddling with the drink, staring at his reflection through its wavy surface, looking as though he was having a staring contest with only himself.

“... Rainer?” I heard Iris say quietly, prompting the kids attention back to the rest of us. He looks embarrassed for a moment as he stares down, before taking a deep breath.

“This… Ugh, this is going to sound so cheesy.” He says aloud to himself before lifting his glass as well. “C-cheers for my… for this new family.”

A smile dawns on my face as we each bring our own glasses forward and–

CLINK!

 

---

Dr. Light POV.

 

“See, I told you they could get it all sorted out on their own.” I smirk as I tear my gaze away from the security camera, which showed the live footage of the private dining area, and turn to the grumpy old man with a ukulele. 

He scoffs, “Yea, but you made me look like a complete idiot by making it seem like I didn’t notice that they stole one of my drinks.” Clef grumbled as he swirled the ukulele in his grasp. “I mean, do you know how fucking expensive that was? ... I don't, since I stole it from an insurgency hideout, but my point still stands!”

“Hehe, I'm sure it does.” I say with a smile, as I can’t help but admire my team finally beginning to come alive, as they each down their drink (or in SCP-2273’s case, slurping it up with his proboscis appendage.) and as soon as they did—

“ Pfft, cough cough, that was horrible!” Rainer began coughing and wheezing along with Leora as they instantly spat the drink out.

“Cough, damn it, that's so fucking bitter!” Leora coughed with a smile through the screen.

“I personally don’t see the issue.” The robot states coldly as they just… pour the drink over their mouthless face, letting it fall off like rainwater.

“... You're paying me back for that drink.” Clef scoffs coldly as he watches good alcohol go to waste because of these children.

“Hey, at least Iris and Alexei seem to be enjoying it.” I point out, as they are the only two who seem to be drinking it somewhat normally (or you know, as normally as a giant bug could enjoy alcohol.)

Clef rolls his eyes. “Whatever. I'm going back to the lab to study the crystal.”

I chuckle, “Really can't get your eyes off it, huh?” I point out, causing him to freeze and to turn and look at me.

“So far, besides those red-skinned bastards that I learned of through Gears’s research, it's my only lead to get to Hell.” He points out, before scratching the back of his neck roughly. “As a matter of fucking fact, those fucking bastards have been appearing less and less over the last couple of weeks, according to Gears’s notes. It’s a pain to find them.”

“But not impossible?” I chime in with a smirk, causing Clef to scoff.

“Nothing is impossible, sweetheart. As it turns out, I actually already have an idea for how to catch those bastards… But it’ll take a little bit of time to realize.” He points out before leaving the security room. He does call back as he leaves, not even bothering to look at me as he waves his hand. “Good luck in Washington, by the way. I would say I wish I could be there, but that’d be a fucking lie.”

I chuckle as the man exits, leaving me on my lonesome in the slightly depressing, excruciatingly dark security room, despite the thrumming of soft light from the monitors.

After I am positive that he’s gone, I turn myself back to the screens, observing Alpha-9 as they continue to chuckle in peace with each other as a response to the drinks they each shared.

‘Good, they probably won’t have too many moments like this in the future.’ I realize, as my gaze hardens to each of them. All unique in their own ways, whether it's a gift or a curse, is dependent on who you ask. But one thing is for certain, and that’s they’re all beyond natural.

I waited a long time for this team to be put together. After the drama that was Omega-7, many people assumed the foundation would never give the go-ahead on another anomalous-based MTF group ever again.

‘But as they tend to say, disaster makes room for opportunity.’ I smirk.

…

…

“... Man, Swan would've loved to see this.” I say to myself, as I realize something. “Speaking of which, where is he? I haven't seen him all day—”

BANG!

“I’VE DONE IT!”

“Ahh, speak of the devil.” I smile and turn to my right after I hear the door slam open, followed by… Is that? “Dear Christ, Swan. What happened to you?”

As I see, Dr. Glass walks into the room. His brown hair disheveled in the worst way possible, the dark black bags under his eyes looked like anvils. His lab coat was wrinkled and stained with coffee if the empty coffee cup in his hand was any sort of hint. He could barely walk straight as he entered, swaying back and forth as if he was extremely drunk. His legs quake as if they were made of jello, barely able to hold himself upright as every step seems like a herculean effort to even think of doing.

Still, he manages to walk up towards me, a smile on his tired face. “I—I’ve done it! It may have taken 29 hours and fifteen cups of coffee, but I’ve figured out how to get Alpha-9 to begin connecting to each—”

I point over my shoulder at the monitors, where Alpha-9 chuckle in each others company.

“... Oh…”

His legs begin giving out as–

BAM!

I catch his motionless body just before it hits the ground, holding him upright.

“Tha-thats g-good.” Swan muttered tiredly, as if he were in a strange, dreamlike state. “I—I’m so h-happy th… they fi-fi-figured it out.”

“Uh-huh, I'm sure you are, big guy. Now let's get you to bed. You have a long day coming tomorrow, after all.” I comforted him as I picked him up, bridal style, admittedly a little bit surprised by how light the man was, and began carrying him out of the security room. “After all, you're going to be representing the entirety of the foundation soon enough. You’ll need to get plenty of shut-eye for that!”

“Uhh… I don’ wanna go to school t-today. C-Clef’s just gonna bully me again.”

“I'm sure he will; now let's go.”

“Ughhhhh.”

‘... Tomorrow is going to be fun!’

 

---

Kevin POV

“Hey, get the hell back here!!!” A gruff voice screams, but I ignore them as I continue chasing behind Cherri Bomb, who was busy laughing her ass off as we ran across the rooftops.

“HAH! Wow, you're fucking piss poor when it comes to sneaking, aren’t ya?” She asks giddily as she jumps up to another rooftop, before reaching down and grabbing my arm, pulling me onto the roof as well. “It didn’t even take you ten whole seconds to set off every alarm in the goddamn place!”

“Huff Huff… Shut up.” I manage to say through staggering breaths, much to Cherri’s sadistic delight. “And… huff… H-how exactly is this supposed to help me get my memories back exactly?”

“Heh, no better way ta jog your mind than ta get your blood pumpin!” Cherri chuckles before playfully hitting my cliche demon mask. “Besides, I thought you’d appreciate the exercise!”

“There’s a difference between—fuck—exercising and robbing a fucking gang of loansharks!” I complain, the heavy duffle bag wrapped around my shoulder weighing me down, the strap digging into my skin.

Cherri shrugs. “Don’t know what ta tell ya, bitch, but this is how everyone gets their step in down here!” She teases as she jumps across another rooftop. I sigh as I follow behind her and do the same, my legs beginning to feel numb, tired from the constant running with the duffle bag of money. “Now let’s keep movin’! Last one ta the base is shark bait!”

She takes off, leaving me in the dust.

“THAT ISN’T FUNNY… Ok, maybe it's a little funny– BUT I'M NOT LAUGHING!” I scream to her as she runs, leaving me to continue my mad dash away from the shark-looking demons in suits as they try to reclaim their rightfully stolen money.

I pick up the pace as I continue to chase after the hellish equivalent of the Tasmanian devil. As I do, only one thought plays on repeat in my mind.

‘Fuck. Can this day get any fucking worse!?'

Later, I will regret thinking that, as I will truly learn just how much worse things can get.

Notes:

Leora: Here Rainer, have a drink-- (Dr. Glass crashing through the wall.)

Dr. Glass: No underage drinking!

Im back! And present you with a Chapter that Im starting to believe people cAre nothing about, with a bunch of characters that people doN't care for all that much!
... Look, this was only meant to be half of the chapter originally, but then it ended up being much longer then I originally planned.

Regardless, Im actuallY pretty happy with this One, since I think we needed a chapter where Alpha-9 actUally sat down and talked to eacHother, feeling more like pEople instead of just a group of very strange anomAlies. Which leads me into my question foR you all if you think it worked? Did you enjoy the characterization of Alpha-9 in this chapter? Or how did you just like this chapter in general? since it really is just the calM before the storm for this team. Hopefully I did a good job, but I want to hEar all of your opinions!

Never the less, as you can probably tell we are gonna be checking back in with Kevin and Cherri next chapter! (which was suppused to be this chapter, but I digress.) Along with a couple of other familiar faces, as a one of the more forgotten paths begin to collide next chapter, along with the introduction of a new mystery!

Anyways, thats all I want to say. Drop a kudos if you enjoy the found family trope! Leave a comment if you have any suggestions, ideas, jokes, or anything in-between. And I'll see you all later! Have a cheery week!

Chapter 60: Bombs and a memory loss patient.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Kevin's day as an amnesia pateint just keep getting worse and worse.

 

Song used in this chapter: "You are my sunshine"

Link: https://youtu.be/uqvfbIuJd6Y?si=RiJ8aC-JFS4KkBAw

Notes:

"Are memories really worth all this crap?"

Kevin POV

 

“Gaah!” I let out a startled scream as I nearly fell backwards off a building, ready to fall to my death in a random-ass alleyway.

GRIP!

Only to be saved by my one-eyed sleep paralysis demon, as she grabs on tightly to my outstretched arm.

“Oh, you ain’t dyin’ on me this early, bitch! It’s still only ya first getaway!” She smiles devilishly at me.

“I DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU'RE IMPLYING THEIR!!”

“Hmm, get used ta it!” She celebrates, before pulling me towards her with her barbaric strength and—

“Go long!”

YEET!

“YAAAA– YOU SON OF A BITCH!” I scream as Cherri Bomb throws me high up into the sky and onto the roof of a nearby high-rise; the force with which I was chucked through the air nearly makes me lose my red demon mask and assault rifle I had strapped around my chest. I was also forced to hold onto the duffel bag that I had wrapped around me, out of fear that it would tear off.

“Heh, TAKES ONE TA KNOW ONE!” She screams back in jovialness before I lose complete sight of her and roll against the gravel on the top of the building.

“Ugh.” I mutter as I begin to rise to my feet from the ground.

“Gahh… ouch, t-that… that hurt–” I freeze as I see a familiar face crouched down in the corner of the roof, staring at me with his two large eyes as he furiously scribbles something down on his notepad, illuminated by the angler fish light he has connected to his head. As soon as he notices I see him, he stops… and just waves. 

“... What the fuck are you still doing here, Baxter?” I ask incredulously as I slide up against the wall next to him. “I thought you went back to your lab already.”

He rolls his eyes. “You think I want to be here in an active war zone with you and the cyclops? Pahh, a foolish conclusion to come to in regards to my brilliance!”

“... Ok… So, why are you here then?”

He sighs indignantly. “For you, obviously.” He admits, before going down to scribble on his notepad once more. “Believe it or not, but amnesia is a pretty fucking hard thing to cure down here, especially when I'm cooped up in a lab with no access to test on you, since the cyclops insists on bringing you with her to these active war zones! Thus, I have decided the best way to cure your amnesia is to stalk you.”

… Blink Blink.

“Look, im flattered, but I'm really not into fish people—”

“WE BOTH KNOW THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT, YOU JACKASS!” He complains before clearing his throat. “I mean, to be clear, I still don’t know what exactly caused your amnesia or sudden loss of memory, so I have no real lead to go on besides the clothes on your back and your name. So I did some digging and found nothing about a group calling themselves SCP or whatever was written on your uniform. If I had to guess, they’re, like you, also from the human world, meaning I’ll find no leads for them down here.”

He shakes his head, “Though I will admit finding nothing about this organization was a little strange considering I’m almost positive some of this group's members probably ended up down here after they died, but I digress. Regardless, I figured the best solution was to observe your behavior and see if we can find any sort of object or phrase or whatever that shocks your system, potentially allowing you to recall things you thought you had forgotten. At least, that's the only solution I have for your problem at this current moment.”

I sigh as I lean back harder against the roof. “It’s never just easy, is it?”

A shark-like grin appears on the anglerfish demon's face. “Few things in life are, but that's what makes them all the more exhilarating when you finally discover the solution you're searching for! Only after your blood , sweat, and tears have been spilt can you truly change the world! HAH, I love the scientific theory!”

“... Damn, get a hobby, bro.”

He turns to me with obvious offense. “YOU SHAN'T TALK TO THE GREAT BAXTER THAT–”

BAM!

“Baxy, buddy! Good to see ya again!”

Baxter flinches at the sudden voice before slowly turning around and seeing what is probably also his worst nightmare. 

A smiling Cherri Bomb.

“... Fuck me–”

“SHHH!”

Cherri immediately shushes the anglerfish as she drops down, crouching with us in the room. She also aggressively placed her hand against Baxter's mouth, forcefully shutting him up, much to the mad genius’s annoyance.

Before he has a chance to rebut, a collection of voices sounds out from the building we had just jumped from.

“Shit, where did those bastards go!” A gruff voice sounds out, annoyed, before being followed by another, equally annoyed voice. 

“Fuck, if we don’t get the money back soon, the boss is going to have our fucking heads!”

“Argh—come on, let’s get off this damned roof.” The first voice chimes back on, sounding tired. “There's no way they got onto the next building, meaning they probably jumped down to run on foot. If we go now, we can still catch them!”

I release a sigh of relief, glad to finally hear some good news in this shit-show of a situation. Finally, no more ru–

“Aww, well that ain’t no fun!” Cherri whines out loud before allowing a large grin to surface upon her face and—

‘Oh… oh no.’

My fears intensify as I watch Cherri—that fffffffffucking bitch—slowly lift up one of her many large circular bombs, the fuse already lit, burning away at the line of rope, like it was taunting me.

Panicked, I stare daggers at her through the mask. “Cherri, no!” I whisper aggressively at the bitch, only for her to look cockily at me.

“Cherri, yes!” She replied back, wiggling the bomb in her hand. I try to reach for it, only for her to move it just out of my grasp whenever I reach for it. “Come on, Kev! Where’s your adventurous spirit?”

“I misplaced it alongside my goddamn memories; now put that fucking thing out!” I continue whispering aggressively, not wanting the loan sharks down below to hear us speaking. “Just fucking put it out!”

“Hmm…” She mimes a thinking motion with her hands before turning once more with a shark-toothed grin. “Make me.”

“Pff—you son of a– give it to me!” I whisper in desperation as I continue to try and swipe the blasted explosion out of her hands, all while she skillfully keeps it just out of reach, mocking me as she even points her tongue towards me to further antagonize.

I look to Baxter for help, only to find him shaking his head. “You're on your own, kid. The great Baxter isn’t going to muddy his hands by wrestling with the uncivilized cyclops… not again.” He finished with a thousand-yard stare, untold trauma hidden beneath their gaze.

Cherri chuckles at that. “Aw, come on, fish breath! I thought ya liked my rougher side!”

“I like it when I can actually feel my side, thank you very much!” Baxter exclaims with an annoyed huff before returning to writing on his notepad.

“Ack, you’re no hel– SURPRISE ATTACK!” I whisper aggressively as I swipe for the bomb when she wasn't expecting it. Surprisingly, I actually managed to catch the hyperactive cyclops off guard as my palm connected with the side of the bomb—

Ting

… Only for me to not get a proper grip on the thing, as it… flies off before falling down the side of the building.

... Oh no.

Ting… tang…Tin–

Clang!

“Huh? Hey, what the fuck is this thi–”

BOOM!

A massive explosion echoed outwards as I felt the wind and heat kicked off from the explosion aggressively assaulting my back.

… I slowly turn to Cherri, staring daggers as she gives me that ANNOYING AS HELL side-eye.

“Hah, I knew ya aint good with your hands, butterfingers.” She mocks.

“... Shut up–”

“OH MY LUCIFER! THEY JUST KILLED FUCKING JERRY! AH, LUCIFER, HE’S FUCKING EVERYWHERE!”

“IT CAME FROM THE ROOF! LET’S HURRY! THEY CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!”

“You can't keep getting away with this!” I scream in unison with the random grunt at Cherri, grabbing hold of the hem of her outfit and shaking her back and forth aggressively. “Don’t get me wrong, I love tempting death, but I'm starting to think you have an actual death wish!”

She shrugs, unconcerned. “Meh, so what! Not like they can kill me anyways!”

“NOT ALL OF US CAN COME BACK FROM THE FUCKING DEAD, JACKASS!!!” I continue whispering aggressively before swiping my hand in front of myself in an angry motion. “Human, remember?!”

Her eyes widened lazily, as if in a bored realization. “Oh yeaaaaaa—Hehe, forgot about that! Man, that blows for you!”

I slam my hand against my mask. “Ugh, you’re infuriating!”

“Fuck yeah, that’s what I’m goin’ for!” She celebrates before standing up, reaching into her pockets, and pulling out a handful of other, admittedly smaller, bombs. These ones were smooth red balls, barely the size of cherries. Looking at them, I recognize that they are the new bombs made by Baxter using his ‘advanced formula’ or whatever. She turns and looks over the edge, a devilish smirk caressing her face as she does. “Don’t worry, I got these bitches handled! You just take yourselves and, more importantly, my money back to base!”

My eyes wrinkle in concern as I look to the women. “Are you sure? You’ll be fine?”

“Hah, now look who’s gone and fuckin’ grown a heart on me!” She teases as she steps up to the ledge of the building.

“Wha-thats not–”

“Whatever ya say, lover boy. Now get goin’! Otherwise we go back to my ‘method’ of getting your memories back!” She threatens, as a dangerous chill slithers down my spine as I remember the horror from naught but a few days ago.

“Y-you wouldn’t dare.” I stutter back, only for her to laugh out loud.

“Hah, try me!” Was all she said before jumping backwards off the building and—

“Sup, motherfuckers!”

“Uhh– OH SHIT–”

BOOM– BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!

“... How the hell did I end up in this situation?” I find myself asking once more, my voice almost completely overshadowed by the onslaught of explosions caused by… her.

“Want my advice? Stop thinking about it. It only makes everything even more nonsensical.” Baxter gave me his words of encouragement(?) before flipping on his heel. “Now come on, let's get going. As much as I would love to examine the effect on your mind during Cherri’s ‘method,’ I would much rather only be dealing with amnesia instead of that and a sudden loss of sanity and will to live.”

… GULP.

Deciding to heed the fish’s warnings, I turned around and prepared to leave. Before I do so, I spare one last glance over to the edge of the building before ferociously shaking my head. They’ll be fine, he knows she’ll be. She’s Cherri, after all! The woman who he saw outdrink three demons who were each five times her size, who won an arm wrestle against a man called the Masterbaiter, fucking beat a demon made out of water to death with nothing but a block of ice!

And yet, some part of him still irks at the thought of leaving her behind like this, despite knowing she’ll be fine, as she has reassured me she would be multiple times already.

It’s like… I’m scared of losing her. But… but why?

“Hey, are you coming, or will I be forced to drag you away using one of my many groundbreaking and remarkable concoctions?” Baxter’s voice broke through the veil that was forming around my mind, drawing my attention over to him. 

Seeing this… I chuckle, tearing my gaze away from the roof's edge and running over to him as I made sure the duffle bag and assault rifle slung around my shoulder were both secure. I give him an amused eyebrow. “Oh yeah? What’s this so-called ‘concoction’ called? Chloroform?”

“Pfft, of course not!” The mad scientist quickly exclaims as he crosses his arms and looks away, insulted. “... It's Cyanide. Duh.”

“Heh, well, sorry for being so misinformed.” I feigned an apology, to which the mad scientist gave a large, cocky smile back at me, as he didn't catch the sarcasm in my voice. He looked as if he were about to say something, so I cut him off by continuing to speak. “Alright, let’s get moving!” I proclaim, before taking a running start and jumping to the next rooftop, this one is equal in height to where we are currently standing, making the jump laughably easy.

We continue moving, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, all the while continuing to hear the cacophony of explosions that continue sounding off from behind us, which over time eventually got quieter and quieter from the sheer distance we’ve put between them.

I can’t help but look back once more; some small part of me still worries over Cherri as I want to make sure she’ll be ok.

“Pfft, still worried for the psychotic cyclops?” Baxter asks, seemingly noticing the concern that once more cakes my face. He gave a smirk, stopping temporarily on one of the more broken-down rooftops, a large alleyway separating us from the next roof on our journey. “I don’t get what you're so worried about. Even if she does die, big whoop, she’ll be back tomorrow with even more reason to kick our collective asses.”

“I… I know that, but… It’s… weird.” I struggle to form a sentence, much to Baxter’s amusement as he stands on the edge of the roof, the large trash-filled alleyway behind him. 

“I guess… I'm not really used to people just… dying and coming back.” I admit, scratching my shoulder as I turn to the scientist. “It’s… just weird, ok? I may not remember much, but… I remember… fearing death. At first I thought it was like… the normal amount of fear? A-and we’re in Hell! Of course I’m going to be terrified of all that shit! But now… I don't know, it just feels… different.”

“Hmm… Well, I can’t say I'm really surprised.” Baxter adds on after a second of contemplation, causing me to look at him as he continues to rock back and forth on the edge of the old and rotting building. “Even barring humanity’s ordinary fear of death, which really just plays into the fear of the unknown most of the time, it makes sense that the first thing you remember regards your fears.”

“My… fears?” I ask as the doctor nods along.

“Yeah. Regardless of what your mind may have forgotten, the rest of your body is too used to acting on these impulses to completely remove the most fundamental aspects of yourself.” The doctor explains before turning to me. “For example, the reason you still know how to fight is entirely based on your instincts, as your muscle memory recalls what you’ve been presumably trained for. Fears are no different, as you're so used to feeling terrified when dealing with your phobia that your body's natural fight or flight instincts kick in, still knowing what you fear despite knowing why you fear it… At least, that is the absolute dumbest way I could've put it while allowing someone like you to follow along with me, so I hope you got all that.”

I raise an eyebrow slightly, amazed by the doctor's explanation as I stare at my own hand, pondering what he just said.

Was I… afraid of death that much before this? Why? What… What happened to me?

“Y-yea, I think I get it.” I respond before giving him a large, goofy smile. “Thanks again, doc! Make sure to bill me for the time!”

Baxter rolls his eyes, shifting his feet uncomfortably once more against the concrete beneath his feet. “Grr, I told you already, I’m not ‘just a doctor,’ I am the great mad scientist, Baxt–”

CRACK…

… The great mad scientist in question freezes as his eyes widen at the sound. I look around confused too, hearing the cracking—

CRACK– CREE!

‘There it is again? What is—’ My eyes widen in realization as I stare toward the fear-stricken Baxter, who hasn't moved from his spot, his eyes glued to the floor beneath him.

As the cracks beneath his feet began to grow with each tauntingly horrifying tune from the creaking stone.

I raise my hands slowly, trying to reassure the fish demon. “B-Baxter, don’t move a muscle—”

CRACK–CREEE–CROOOOON!!!

“DAMN IT, NEVERMIND, MOVE BEFORE—”

SNAP!

“RUN!” I scream to Baxter, who immediately followed my advice and runs toward me, as I hear the final bit of tension from the stone give way, failing against gravity and its own state of disrepair, as all the stone his feet immediately began to give way and—

—CRASH— 

Against the ground of the alleyway!

Baxter runs as fast as he can as the cracks continue to spread toward us! He breathes heavily as he runs, but, unfortunately, he just isn't fast enough, as the collapsing portion of the building catches up to him. 

He trips on air as the ground around him shifts, causing him to fall.

“WO– AHHH!” He screams as he plunges into the earth, being dragged down by the loose stones and debris—

CLUTCH!

Only to find himself suspended in mid-air, as I finally managed to get to the newly made edge of the building and wrap my arm around him to stop him from falling.

“AHh—Wha-whatever you do, don’t let me go! Even at the cost of your own life!”

“Grr—thanks for the encouragement!” I say through clenched teeth, as I begin to pull him up, and—

CRACK

My eyes open like dinner plates as I see the ground beneath me was starting to crack as well, threatening to fall any second and forcing me to join Baxter in his near descent into the sharp rubble.

 I could tell that I couldn’t lift Baxter up on the roof in time. I don’t know why I know that; I just do. A gut feeling, probably relating to all the memories I’ve forgotten, like Baxter had just explained.

‘Still, there has to be something I can do. At this rate’…

I freeze, spotting the alleyway that Baxter just barely avoided falling into. It was filthy, filled with grime and trash, with a large pile of trash bags focused and stacked in a large pile near the center right ahead of us.

As I see it, an idea comes to my mind. An extremely stupid idea.

‘So stupid that it just might work.’

CRACK— SHIFT!

Shit, there’s no time!

“I’m going to jump on three!”

“Well, there’s a smart idea—I’M SORRY, YOU’RE DOING FUCKING WHAT?!?!” Baxter blurted out as the stone beneath me continued to cave in and threaten total collapse.

“I don’t have time to explain—one—”

“W-wait, hold on, you can’t just—”

“—Two—”

“FUCKING WAIT A SECOND, YOU SUICIDAL CUN—”

“-THREE!”

I jump with all my might, still holding onto Baxter's hand as we go soaring through the air together, just as the portion of the building I was standing on finally gives way to its age, collapsing once more and crashing onto the earth.

As we fall, Baxter screams bloody murder, saying things like ‘I’m even worse than Cherri’ or stuff like ‘Oh god, I’m too smart to die!’ And all that.

‘Note to self, Baxter screams like a bitch.’ I think internally as I feel gravity finally beginning to catch up to the two of us, dragging us down to the ground.

As it does, I flip midair and change the orientation of me and Baxter, wrapping his comparatively smaller fish body in my arms as I hold him to my chest, letting my back fall first as we get dragged down.

As we do, I hold on tight, praying to all that is holy that I didn’t miscalculate the jump and we land where I aimed for.

My eyes tighten as I await the expectedly painful impact. We were barely in the air for five seconds, yet those seconds felt like they dragged on for hours as I tensed my muscles.

Until finally—

CRASH!

… the world went dark.

The world shifted around me.

I felt… I felt.

… nothing.

…

…

…

…

… You are my sunshine.

My only sunshine.

 

They sang.

 

You make me happy.

When times are grey.

 

Like an angel, her melody filled the air.

 

You’ll never know, dears.

How much I love you.

 

She leans down, a smile warmly planted on her face. Her face was caked in a bright light as she stared at me with such… love. Such warmth.

 

Please don’t take… My sunshine… 

 

Their face retreated… overtaken by the light.

 

…away……

 

And… they were gone.

…

…

…

… “Kevin… Kevin!”

“Huh?” My eyes widen as shock enters my system like a drug, the loud noise rocketing my back to consciousness.

I blink, wiping sand out of my eyes. Where was I again?

“Kevin. Stand at attention!” The same loud and obnoxious voice from before spoke up, causing me to stare at the source. That being a large man with a massive scar running down the side of his face and over his eye. He had a gruff beard that looked as though it hadn’t been trimmed in months. His muscles threatened to bulge out from the military uniform he was wearing.

Wait… no, not military. I’m not in the military anymore.

That was a foundation security guard uniform.

“Wake up, maggot! You’re late!” They scream again, forcing me to realize the position I was in, as my own eyes widen in shock as I notice myself still in my bed in the barracks. 

“O-ahh, shit!” I quickly exclaim, pushing myself aggressively out of my bed.

BAM!

… and inadvertently falling to the floor in the process.

My back hurt from the fall, but I recovered almost immediately and stood at attention nervously, trying my best to look serious despite the fact that I wasn’t wearing a shirt at the moment.

My superior scoffs at me, examining the shameful display as I begin sweating bullets. After a moment, he just scoffs. 

“I’ll never understand how half-wits like you manage to get a position like this.” He spoke to me, causing a rise of shame in my chest. Damn, I haven't even worked here for a couple of months, and my superior already hates my guts. 

“For God's sake, at least try to be like your sister. Unlike you, they're actually worth a damn here.” The man mutters before turning around and leaving, stopping by the entrance to the barracks. “Report to exit D by 0900, or else I’ll make sure you're transferred to site 19 instead.”

A small chill runs up my spine. Site-19? That’s basically a nightmare location for security guards. 

So with haste, I quickly rush to put on my information, not even caring to shower or do anything past the bare minimum of what is expected. Not because I don’t usually, but because I’m afraid if I’m even a second late that my head will be the newest inclusion on Ferdinand the cannibal’s dinner menu, courtesy of my superior officer.

So, like the wind, I rush myself getting ready, silently cursing myself for sleeping in. 

With not much time to spare, I manage to exit the barracks and speed-walk my way down the nicely sanitized walls.

Not long after I made it to the exit of the site, awkwardly shifting as I noticed a collection of other security guards standing at attention, awaiting their orders as I notice an armada of heavily armored military trucks appear over the distant hills, heading in our direction.

I sigh in relief. I’m safe—

“Well, look what the fucking cat dragged in!” A playfully feminine voice sounded out from behind me, a voice that I immediately recognized. “Hah! And here I thought you were chickening out on us again, Kev! What, too scared of the big bad Abel to transfer to Area 25?”

‘Well, safe from my superior officer at least.’ I joke internally before turning around, a smile plastered on my face as I look towards the voice, who stood there with a familiar cocky grin, hands resting on her hips confidently.

My smile widens awkwardly. “What can I say? I guess I’m just—”

“…Kevin!”

“… huh?” I look around, as an unfamiliar(?). “Who said that—”

“Kevin!”

I turn to the girl. “Hey, did you hear—”

They were gone.

“W-what?”

“KEVIN!”

They were gone. They were all gone! Again, THEY WERE GONE AGAIN!

“KEVIN!!!”

Shit shit shit shit, please— PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN! NOT AGAI—

“KEVIN!!!!”

SLAP!

…

…

…

…

…

“… Kevin?”

“Ugh…” I mutter as I feel a beating pain against my back, feeling as though it’s become Swiss cheese. I also felt a weird sting against my cheek, feeling the slightest bit more recent than my back injury. “Fuck… ack, w-what happened?”

“You were a brainless, stupid, and altogether reckless barbarian.” I hear Baxter's voice chastise me as I rise from the floor. What happened—

‘Oh… that’s right.’ I realize as I stare at the pile of trash I landed on. Looking up, I notice the collapsed building, with a very annoyed-looking fish staring down at me.

“Tch, seriously, what were you thinking?” I hear the fish person speak up as he extends a hand out, gripping my wrist and pulling me out of the pile of surprisingly soft trash bags with a heave. “With a fall like this, you could have easily died! You’re fucking lucky that these bags didn’t have anything sharp in them.” 

I chuckle a bit at this, immediately regretting it as I feel pain heave through my now probably broken rib from the action. “Gahh, shit.”

Baxter rolls his eyes at my plight. “And what makes it even worse is that you tried to fucking protect me! I mean, seriously, why the fuck would you do something so stupid! You should’ve just let me go!”

I raise an eyebrow at the man’s outburst, as confusion swells within me. “Stupid? I just tried to make sure you couldn’t get hur—”

“Which was stupid! Sinner, remember?” Baxter says, pointing to himself knowingly. “It’ll hurt like shit, but I won’t die; I’ll come back. You, on the other hand, will only come back as a fucking sinner yourself!”

“… oh… right.” I mutter, embarrassed, realizing that I kind of acted without thinking to take the brunt of the fall. “Um… w-well, at least I still have someone to talk to.”

“… tch, stupid.” They say with surprising softness, turning their back to me… before reluctantly letting two words leave their mouth. “Still… thank you.”

My embarrassment immediately vanishes as a smile blooms on my face. “No problem! Happy to help!”

As I say that, however, I begin to recall what it was I just… remembered? Recalled? I… don’t know.

“Hmm? What’s on your mind all of a sudden, Mr. Selfless?” Baxter asks, knocking me from my stupor and forcing my attention back over towards him. 

“O-oh, it’s nothing—”

“Usually when people say ‘it’s nothing,’ they’re usually lying.” Baxter calls me out, causing me to flinch slightly in embarrassment. He sighs before cracking his neck and looking over at me. “Well, out with it then. What’s wrong?”

“I… I think I—and I could be completely wrong about this, keep in mind. But… I think I… remembered something.” I finally admit, causing Baxter to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Oh? And what would this ‘something’ entail?”

“… singing.”

Baxter… blinks, confused by that. “I beg your pardon?”

“I… heard someone singing. A… a woman! It was, um… it was this song, something about sunshine and taking it away!”

“… well, that sounds happy.” He speaks sarcastically before letting me continue, but not before pulling out his small notepad and beginning to write, presumably about what I was explaining to him.

“A-and then after that, I was… in a bed, waking up! And there was this… man— older man there, staring at me! Calling me useless and pathetic and stuff like that!”

“… you know, that sounds like a problem for your therapist—”

“AND THEN, I ended up walking through this… place! A-and people were wearing these uniforms—the same one I was wearing when I got here! I went outside with a bunch of them, and then… someone else showed up.”

Baxter once again raises an eyebrow as he continues writing. “Someone else? Any more context than that, or will you be adamant on staying a mysterious bitch?”

“I… I’m not sure.” I admit, scratching my head as I try desperately to remember. “They… their face was… wasn’t there. N-not like it was actually missing, but like I couldn’t recall it at all! Though… they were definitely important. I… I could feel it in me that they were.” I clutch my outfit over where my heart would be, contemplating it all in silence.

That silence was eventually broken, however, as Baxter clicked his pen and stuffed his notepad and writing utensil back in his lab coat.

“Well, my friend, it sounds like you’ve caught the classic case of ‘hitting your head hard enough to recover partially from amnesia’-itis.” He explains as he scratches his chin. “This is… peculiar. And you only remembered this after falling from a large height… hmm, perhaps there is more merit in Cherri’s attempts to cure you than I first considered.”

A shiver runs through my spine at his words, as I remember the… ‘doctor visits’ with that one-eyed demon.

“I… really don’t think that's the case.” My eyes drooped, really hoping that Cherri wouldn't catch wind of this. If she does, her ‘workouts’ will find a way to get even worse.

Baxter shrugs, seemingly just trusting me at the moment before shaking his head. “Regardless, we still need to get moving. In case you have forgotten, we are in a race against the clock to get back to your home homebase.” Baxter reminds me before grabbing a large duffle bag hidden behind some trash cans. I look at my back, realizing it must have come off during the fall. Regardless, he tosses a bag full of money at me, which I manage to grab with a heavy pout.

“Cool, cool… Um, which way was home base again?” I ask, realizing I did not really know where we were. Looking to my left and right, I simply saw both sides of the alleyway split off into different alleyways, giving me no directions where to go. Thinking back, I can't even remember what the correct way was from when we were atop the rooftops.

Still, Baxter raises his finger, as if to answer cockily. “Huu…. hmm.” He lowers it as a strange look crosses his face as he begins to look around. “U-um, we are… Um—W-we are to the right of… hmm…ahh, shit.”

“... Are we lost?”

“N-no, of course not! How could you possibly be lost when near the great and mad Baxter!” Baxter stutters in a vain attempt to sound confident before pointing to the left of the alleyway adamantly. “That is the way! F-follow me!” They announce before confidently walking down the left path.

I just sigh, ‘He’s so full of shit.’ 

Still, it's not like there was really any better option, plus who am I to try and shatter this man's ego? So, I just shrug and follow the man along the alleyway. When we reached a fork going left and right, Baxter went left again confidently, as if he did actually know how to get out.

‘Huh, maybe we will get out of here soon after all!’

 

---

“...Um… We can go… left.”

 

“YOU’VE GONE LEFT THE LAST TWENTY TIMES!” I scream, an angry sweat beating down my skin as I breathe heavily, my fist shaking with anger. “We have been walking for THIRTY MINUTES! HOW ARE WE STILL IN THIS ALLEYWAY!?”

“B-BECAUSE… u-um…” Baxter struggles to find a response to justify his recent actions… before pointing to the left way once more. “M-maybe just one more left—”

“NO!” I cut him off as I began to get pissed off. “I’m not taking another goddamn left—you know what, I’m fucking going right!” I declare before turning and beginning to walk in that direction, much to Baxter’s shock and annoyance. Still, with an annoyed huff from his mouth, he followed angrily.

“Don’t act so pissed; you were the one that was following me.”

I sigh at his comeback, ignoring it as I begin leading us through the seemingly endless maze of alleyways and trash. More than a couple of times I suggested that we try to climb, but Baxter wouldn't allow it, saying that in my current position it would be nearly impossible for me to get up anywhere without a ladder (which we haven't found yet, unfortunately.)

Still, I lead the way regardless through this path.

One turn.

Two turns.

Five turns.

I begin sweating nervously as a cocky grin appears on Baxter's face as he takes more and more turns without finding a way out.

“... Hmm, now who's bad at directions?” He mocks, causing me to groan.

“Shut it, you anglerfish. You have a fucking light attached to your head! You don't have an excuse—”

SQUISH…

I freeze as I feel something wet hit my shoe. I crunch up my face, a bad feeling building up in me as I reluctantly begin to look down at whatever it was…

And immediately regret it, as I see a puddle of reddish liquid congealing on the floor beneath me, obviously at least a couple of days old.

Looking ahead, I notice that blood originates from the next fork in the alleyway, a line of blood going left, as if a body had been dragged that way through the stone and trash.

“H-hey, what's the… Oh, Lucifer.” Baxter mutters, as he too sees this. He leans down, observing the puddle of blood I stepped in. “Hmm, this doesn't seem too old. Maybe a couple of days at most.” He begins before standing up and turns around. “We should head back. Better to not get involved in whatever the hell's happening over there.”

I nod at that, “Finally, something we can agree on.” I say quietly before turning, ready to head back and—

“I told you, I met you damn ‘quota’ already. Exceeded it, even!”

A sudden, gravelly voice hits my ear like a train. It was so rough that it even hurt my head, as I also noticed the hint of what appeared to be an accent. Australian, maybe?

Still, I turn to the origin, seeing it was coming from the alleyway that me and Baxter had just refused to walk down.

Baxter turns to me aggressively after noticing my hesitation, miming with his mouth and saying that we need to move now.

I nod again, albeit a bit more reluctantly as my curiosity started taking over.

Regardless, I began turning once more, my survival instincts still surpassing my need to sate my curiosity—

“Yea, yea, don’t worry your asses off. I already got the fifty so-called ‘foundation’ agents ya asked for. Hehe, I even hunted five more down for good measure!”

‘... Huh?’

I turned wide eyes again towards the alley as the distant speaking of what the man had just said entered my ears.

Baxter looks at me annoyed once again before whispering aggressively at me. “What are you doing! Get movin–”

“Foundation.” I mutter, much to the fish demon's confusion.

“... What?”

“Foundation… He said, Foundation agents…” I internalize, the memories of my so-called dream flooding back to me. “I… I think that I… was part of this foundation—it w-was in my dream! M-my superior said I was part of this ‘foundation’ and– and–”

“And he doesn't seem very welcoming to you fuckers; now let's get going!” Baxter once more suggests aggressively, trying desperately to get me to move, to leave.

Realistically, I know I should. I would be safer; I wouldn't be at risk for dying, but… I just…

“... No, I need to know.” I say resolved before turning my back to the sinner. “Go on ahead if you're scared, but… I need to know.”

“Wha– that is so illogical—hey, come back here!” he whispers aggressively as I begin following the trail of blood. When I keep on moving, I hear him growl in annoyance before flinging his arms into the air. “Fine, it's your funeral, pal. Hope you're brought back as an ugly motherfucking sinner!” He insults me quietly before leaving, not even caring that I was still holding onto Cherri’s stolen goods.

A regretful moan leaves my lips as I hear him leave, but I continue moving forward anyways, following the voice.

“Yep, a whole 55 bastards… How many did I see? Ehm, 56… Oh, that last one I let go. Made a deal with that crazy motherfucker that he can go if he makes me draw blood, and the bastard actually managed to do it! Ah, I was hoping the other cattle would be like him, but, sigh, unfortunately all the rest were spineless bitches who can't even scream properly.” I hear the voice explain with a sort of demented cheerfulness in his voice. It disturbed me to no end to hear him say stuff like this, but I pushed through as I eventually made it to the corner. “Hmm, what's the matter? Ahh, it's just one lousy musician. He aint gonna cause trouble’ for ya!... Pfft, you think I care that you're gonna subtract my pay?... Reed Newsong was his name, by the way, and he was a son-of-a-bitch to fight, let me tell ya!”

Reed Newsong… Why does that name ring a bell?

“What? Heh, I didn’t think you suits was gonna be big babies about me only mortally injuring someone instead of killing them. But hey, tell ya what—”

I carefully peek around the corner, trying to see who the speaker is and who they're talking to—

My blood runs cold, and my jaw drops in shock as I stare ahead. Any plans I had to talk or try to reason with this speaker vanish in a mere fraction of a moment as I stare down this alley, as I see… Dozens… Dozens upon dozens of corpses hanging from the walls, well over fifty in total. Their arms were all spread out, nailed to the concrete behind them in some sick, demented game. It looked as though they were all crucified, as the blood dripping down from their many bodies ran down to the floor, building up what I can only describe as a massive pool of blood that colored the whole alleyway, which ended in a wall.

What was worse was that all these heads, each and every one of them regardless of height… had their head completely missing, making the crucified corpses even bloodier, and it dribbled down from the topmost open wound.

What was even more horrifying, however, were the massive open trash cans at the end of the hall. Their lids opened, revealing… revealing.

I had to stop myself from throwing up, as each of these trash cans was filled to the brim with heads… human heads!

Each and every one of their faces frozen in fear, unmoving. This… it wasn't real; it can't be real!

“--Tell ya what, I’ll increase that number back up ta 56 right now, just for ya!” I hear the voice speaking again, drawing my attention from the horror that was this alley to the horror that was the creature standing on its far end. A wooden bat littered with glowing white nails lightly beat the floor to his side as he used his other hand to lift a phone to his ear. His tongue was long and spiky, whipping around wildly wherever he spoke like a balloon, not looking real. His clothes were disheveled and covered in blood, along with his greying skin and white hair, which was covered by an equally white fedora of some kind.

Then… slowly… they turn fully to face me as I see one. Singular. Eye.

As it stared straight at me.

“Because it just so happens that a lost little lamb has wandered into the wolf's den… Call ya back when it's done.” He finishes before dropping the phone carelessly to his side and even stepping on it once it hits the floor.

He looked at me, his eyes gleaming with sadistic delight.

“Heh, howdy there, little lamb. Are ya lost?” He asks creepily, tongue beating at the air around him as he takes a couple of steps forward, the bottom of his legs getting soaked in blood in the process. “Don’t ya worry. Just let the big, bad wolf Izzi take care of ya!”

Those were his final words, before–

BAM! 

He shoots across the blood, barreling towards me!

As he does, I quickly lift my gun in response, all the while having one thought in my mind.

Why the fuck didn't I listen to Baxter?

SLAM!

Notes:

Kevin: (skipping down a shady alley) Oh boy, I sure hope no big bad men come out and try to kill me!

Izzi: (exists)

Kevin: F*$@#%K

Yep! You know what time it is, time to bring back character that havent appeared in this story in over 20 chapters! WHOO, I... really made too many point of views, didnt I. 7-22

Regardless, i hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and the fact that we are FINALLY checking in with some of my actual personal favorite plot lines (for reasons I dont feel comfortable spoiling as of yet.) But still, did you all enjoy it? 10-17 Do you even remember who these character are? I'm very curious.

Also, on a bit of a side not... Um... I don't know how to break this to you all but... Im taking a break-- PUT THOSE PITCHFORKS AWAY!
13-5
But seriously, life happens and there are other thinsg that need my fiull, undivided attention for the next couple weeks. It wont be a long break, just a two week one, meaning I will be back on May the 5th. Once again, I am genuinly so sorry, but I crunched the number and I wouldnt be able to give this story the attention it deserves over the next couple of weeks. So I hope you all will forgive me (though ill still be responding to comments, so dont worry about that).

Anyways, once aghain I just want to say thabnks to everyone who leaves kudos, and just everyone who reads this story in general! You all are incredible, and you have no idea how thankful I am everyday that their are people out their who enjoy this story. So genuinly, from teh bottom of my heart, thank you. 34-8

Whoo, that got emotional...

cjc os cmlv.

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed! Leave a comment if you have any questions, ideas, suggestions, jokes, or just reminders on certain elements of the story, and I hope you all have a EXPLOSIVE couple of weeks! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 61: Alleyway rumble! (part 1)

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Kevin reeps the consequences of curiousity.

Izzi is more then a little dissapointed.

Notes:

"How do you know what a true monster is?"

 

Baxter POV

 

‘Stupid fucking suicidal bitch!’

‘He just haaaaaaad to be curious, now didn’t he?!’

‘Why am I also stuck with the sentimental idiots?’

These were the thoughts that bounced around in my head as I marched down the alley, fists angrily clenched to my side as I did so. The only noise was that of my heeled boots clanging against the cold concrete beneath me.

‘Fucking idiot, didn’t Cherri teach him the first rule of this goddamn place!? Keep to yourself and mind your own business—NOT SKIPPING DOWN A GODDAMN ALLEY WITH BLOOD FLOWING FROM IT!’ I angrily shake my head as I move to turn the next corner, more than ready to find my own way out of this shithole. ‘For Lucifer’s sake, are all humans this dumb? Or is he just the exception to the—’

BANG! BANG! BANG!

My inner chastising of the human race was put on hold as I heard three erratic gunshots echo through the walls behind me. On instinct I turn, half expecting one of the many people I owe money to to just be standing there and unloading a fucking round into me.

To my surprise, however, there was nothing.

I look around, a little confused as—

BANG– BANGBANGBANG!!!

I flinch once more as a second volley of gunshots gets fired in quick succession. My confusion quickly wanes as I realize where the noise was originating from…

Back from where Kevin was.

I shake my head, anger building up inside me once more as I turn my back on the alley and kept on walking.

‘Stupid fucker, got too curious for his own good and is now probably gonna die.’ I reasoned in my mind as I made the turn, ready to try and find my way out of this maze of alleyways. ‘Serves him right, I guess. And hey, at least he’ll know to not be so goddamn curious when he comes back as a sinner! He’ll know not to be so fucking nice and—

He saved your life.

…

I freeze in place… eyes sunken as I… I recall—

I shake my head. ‘No, NO! I am not getting sentimental now of all fucking times! It’s not worth it. It’s simply a hindrance to my genius! Emotions are naught but the rot that infects lesser beings and makes them act irrational, makes them act stupid, makes them act—’

He could have left, saved himself when that building collapsed, could have dropped you and made it out in time… But instead he held on and even used himself as a shield when you fell into the alley.

‘... I never asked for his help. I never WANTED him to help me!’

Yet he did… because he was—IS a good person. Something… which is sorely lacking down here. 

‘… If he risked his life for me… then that’s his own damn fault.’ I scoff, placing a hand on the alley wall to balance myself as I feel myself get ever-so lightheaded. Not a good sign. The first symptoms of what I like to call a growing consciousness. ‘Besides, the idiot is probably already dead. No use in saving a rotting pile of meat.’

But if he isn't… Could you forgive yourself? After all he’s done?

‘... I don't care about him; I don't care about anyone! Not him, certainly not Cherri, and—’

My mind froze mid-thought as the name scraped against the top of my memory.

Cherri… If Cherri finds out that I just left Kevin to die, the person who she has entrusted me with making sure nothing happened to him, then she… Then she…

‘SHE’LL BEAT THE EVERLOVING SHIT OUT OF ME!’

I quickly turned on my heel with newfound adrenaline before dashing straight down the alleyway I had just exited from moments ago, cringing as I continued to hear gunshots and what sounded like broken laughter. I reach into my lab coat and pull out three vials, which have a swirling red liquid resting on the inside of them.

‘Dammit, you better not die on me, you fucking human! Otherwise I’ll be all alone to face Cherri’s wrath!’

‘Truly, a fate worse than death.’

 

---

Kevin POV

 

BAM!

“GAHH!” I cry out in pain as I raise my right arm, feeling as the nailed bat digs into my flesh despite the body armor. I swallow down any other reaction, though, knowing that the right arm was much better than the alternative that this bastard had in mind when he initially swung.

‘Speaking of which—’

WHOOSH!

BANG!

I managed to jump to my side just in time to avoid the bastard as he shot his double-barrel shotgun. The bullets crashed into one of the many crucified bodies that decorated this alleyway's walls, resulting in its stomach exploding in intestines and what little blood remained in the poor bastard.

My feet splashed against the light pool of blood that decorated the floor of this whole alleyway as I quickly took a few steps back, trying to create as much distance between me and the psycho as possible.

As I do, I notice him dryly laugh, as if no moisture existed in the one-eyed freak’s long, spiky tongue, which swung back and forth like a pendulum as they turned towards me, arms holding his weapons hanging lazily at his side, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Com’ on, ya can do bette’ than that, can’t ya?” The creature mocked, subconsciously making me grip my now open wound on my right arm, courtesy of this bastard. “Heh, ever since that first fella’, the rest of you sorry nobodies have been nothin’ but a bunch of trashy, limp-dick motherfucka–”

I raise my pistol–

BANG!

TING!

–Only for its bullet to be flung to the side as, with barely any effort, the one-eyed demon swung his bat, which somehow managed to hit my bullet with pinpoint accuracy mid-air just before it hit him, causing it to ricochet towards a nearby ladder, resulting in a loud metallic noise that echoed my brain short-circuiting at the stunt he just pulled.

“Hehe, Gotta try harda’ then that, I’m afraid!”

“... Ok, hold up, I’m calling bullshit–”

The demon threw three glowing nails into the air.

“--Oh, SHIT!”

BAM!

TING-TING-TING!

Before hitting them all with his bat and sending them soaring through the air straight at me, forcing me to jump to the side, barely dodging as they scrape my cheek, causing a small trickle of blood to escape me. through the air straight at me, forcing me to jump to the side, barely dodging as they scrape my cheek, causing a small trickle of blood to escape my now fresh wound.

I quickly turned behind me to see all three nails dug deep into the concrete of the wall, just barely missing the crucified bodies that decorate the valley way. Looking closer, I noticed that all the nails were completely sunk into the back wall, showing just how much force was used in hitting them.

‘That isn’t good.’ I thought as a small bit of sweat dripped down my skin as I made to stand. ‘If even one of those things hits me, there’s no way I’m surviving.’

“Heh, what’s wrong litta’ man? Finally realizin’ how screwed ya are?” The beast chuckled grimly as he began approaching, its crooked yet sharp shoes splashing in the blood as they approached.

I forced myself to slowly back up, trying desperately to keep the distance between us. That couldn’t last forever, however, as I quickly felt the familiar feeling of a body against my back, presumably backing into one of the many crucified corpses, and—

‘Wait, familiar?’ I caught myself as I realized what passed through my own mind. ‘Why… Why does it feel… familiar? Does this… does this mean that I’ve experienced this before? Maybe not this… exact scenario, but this… stench of death. It feels so—

“Heads up, Cheerios.” I hear the second one-eyed demon in my life chuckle grimly, resulting in me looking up and—

‘SHIT!’

I jump to the left, covering my entire body with the thin layer of blood on the floor as—

BAM!

I turn to see the creepy motherfucker crash his bat into the crucified body that I was just standing in front of, resulting in their bottom half exploding in blood and gore, their intestines falling out and nearly slapping me in the face.

Their gaze then turned to me as I attempted to stand and—

—Roll Left—

CRASH!

I roll to the left purely on instinct, which just barely saves me from becoming paste against the pavement as the demon's bat smashes against the ground, splashing up blood and—

—Left—

TING!

Once again, I moved on instinct and just barely evaded a nail that struck the floor I just rolled to. Looking up, I noticed that the creature had plucked one of the previous nails out of the wall and flicked it towards me with such strength that it dug into the floor.

I quickly jumped to my feet, eyes wide and panting heavily as adrenaline pumped through me like a fucking addict on coke, and—

—Right—

Once more I listened, and once more I barely survived as I moved to the right as the demon ran towards me and kicked his foot—

—Block—

BAM!

I brought my left arm up just in time to defend my head as the demon suddenly kicked outwards to the side of my skull. I block, but stumble back a bit as I feel something shift in my wris—

—Jump back—

BAM!

I jump back as I avoid another strike from the bat—

—Left—

BOOM!

My head almost got blown off as the thing pulled out its shotgun—

—down—

WHAM!

I duck as it swings its gun overhea—

—Back—

BAM!

I moved just in—

—right—

SLAM!

I evade—

— jump—

CRUNCH!

It tried to stomp on my feet—

—Left—

BAM!

I move—

—roll back—

CRUSH!

I—

—right—

BAM!

— Jump—

BOOM!

— Roll left—

CRASH!

— Left—

WHAM!

— Right—

WHA—

— Left— —Down— —roll— —Jump— —kick— —push— —Left— —Down— -Back— Do a cartwheel!—

I pause, do a cartwheel?—

BAM!

“GAHH!” I let out as the end of the wooden yet gnarly modified bat struck my chest, a result of me temporarily flinching and questioning the instincts that seemed to have passed over from whatever previous life I had. The blow caused the air to rush out from my lungs, forcing me to wheeze as I tried desperately to find precious air to cling onto—

BAM!

CRACK!

I scream in pain once more as the demon pushes the initiative, striking me in the side of my head with their metallic heels, cracking both my mask and even potentially my skull as I fly backwards toward the entrance to the alleyway.

A pained scream escapes my lips as I roll against the floor, completely drenching me in blood, with not a single dry spot left on my entire body.

As I roll, I feel my left leg take the brunt of the damage, being what I landed on first unintentionally and putting all my weight on the brittle bone.

Quickly, I spit out of the hole now present in my mask as I attempt to stand and—

CRACK!

“GAHH!” I scream out in pain as every nerve in my left leg suddenly flares up, screaming at me!

I look down at the lion in question, grimacing as I notice the bone bending where it shouldn’t. I didn’t see the bone, thankfully, but it was clear that the fall dislodged something from where it was supposed to be.

Not good, especially with—

“Aww, and ere’ I thought it was startin’ to get interesting!” 

I look up, seeing the monster approach as they twirled the barbed bat in their hands, the same crooked smile still present on the demon's horrifying excuse of a face.

“Ere’ I was statin’ to think ya actually were worth a couple seconds of my time, like that other fucker! Hehe, guess I was mistaken. To be fair though, none of ya humans have even managed to do a damn thing to me so far, unlike him.” They chuckle grimly as they approach. I back up, my legs beginning to shake as I do, fear beginning to overpower my pain as I try to think of a way to get away! To run from—

‘Wait, did he just…’

“How… how did you know I was human?” I ask while still gripping my wrist, pain continuing to wriggle through my nervous system. The demon, meanwhile, just rolled his singular big eye, which made for a strange sight.

“Heh’, so you're a pathetic bitch and a retard! Truly the pinnacle of ya species, ain’t ya?” He laughs as I… honestly feel insulted at the comment, but I decidedly hold my tongue as they continue speaking. “To answer your question, it’was obvious. Your kind reek of the login’ world, buildin’ up a damn stink whereva ya go. Typically, only hellhounds can pick up on it, but I… hehe, I got my own ways.” Their tongue then curls upwards, pointing at their X-shaped iris that felt impossibly large on their already humongous eye.

I just… look dumbfounded at him. Fucking cryptic nonsense—

“Regardless, ya made my job at least a bit easier, comin’ to me. So I’ll do you a favor and only make ya death really painfully.” They spoke with sadistic joy as my pupils shrank at the words. I begin to turn, getting ready to bolt out of the entrance of this corner of the alley, the entrance right behind me as—

“I woulda given ya a chance if ya were like that other human. What was his name again? Hehe, Reed Newsong?”

— I froze!

I… I know that name. It’s the one I heard him mention before… Where do I know it from?

…Reed…

Reed… Reed… Reed Reed REED REED REED REEDREEDREEDREEDREEDREED!!!!!

HOW DO I KNOW THAT NAME—

“Welp, time to die. Sorry, fucker, but I got a job ta do!”

—Lef—

PIERCE!

I groaned in pain as a sudden explosion of pain erupted in my shoulder, sending painful signals throughout my entire body. Looking down, I saw that I wasn’t able to react fast enough as one of the white-hot glowing nails pierced my right shoulder.

Dammit! I got distracted! I-I need to move before—

CRACK!

“ACK!” I grunt in pain as, when I turned to run, I felt the barbed bat strike my heel, sending me hurling towards the ground, splashing my face in the lukewarm blood of the humans that now hung from the walls like mounted decorations.

In desperation I look back before quickly realizing such an action was a mistake, as I behold what can only be described as a mangled left heel, blood pouring out from it and merging with the large puddle of blood that coated the ground. My breath quickened as I noticed a slight outcropping of bone from my heel, showing just how badly the fucker had hit it.

“Gah—GODDAMMIT!” I scream as I instinctively reach to wrap my hands around the wound, attempting desperately to halt the blood loss, all while the fucker continued chuckling.

“Unfortunately for ya, there ain’t no god down ere’.” They mock as I watch them approach once more. My mind began to work in overdrive, trying to think of something— anything I could do to get me out of this situation!

I begin to stand, forced to use the wall to support my weight as my heel continues to scream at me in agony, all the while I can’t help but scream at myself for being stupid enough to end up in this situation!

Dammit, why’d I have to be curious! I should’ve just left, like Baxter said! Why’d I have to be—

“Welp, it’s been fun, but I’ve gotta call ta get back to.” The cowboy knockoff laughed before raising their shotgun once more. “Don’t worry, it’ll be qui—

—Duck—

“DUCK!”

All at once, both my instincts and ears perked up as I felt myself be commanded by both unseen forces!

Without question I dove back down into the blood, ignoring the pain in my wrist and heel once more. As I did so, I looked up, spying as a vial filled with a strange, reddish liquid soared right overhead. The vial spun in the air as the demon looked at it with a modicum of surprise.

“Huh…Well, I’ll be damned—“

BOOOOOOOOM!!!!

I was forced to clap my hands against my ears as a deafening boom echoed through the alleyway, followed shortly after by a massive fireball that exploded upwards, shaking the fucking ground I stood on as it did so and sending a wave of blood to fly wildly around the area… 

Until all that remained was a smoking crater, as I was unable to see past the newly created wall of smoke.

I just began lying there, dumbfounded as heavy breaths escaped my gaping maw… until finally.

“Tch, leave you alone for five minutes and you almost go and kill yourself.” A familiarly condescending voice entered my ears, knocking me out of my stupor as I turned, only to bear witness to a very recognizable face, all its fishy features intact as they played with another vial of red liquid in their hands.

“Seriously, what is it with you brainless barbarians and your need to throw yourself into danger at every possible second? It’s rather turning being forced to babysit you all the—”

I manage to push myself off the ground with surprising speed, disregarding the painful warnings from my limbs as I quickly approach the person who saved me, caught off guard by my sudden actions as they raise up a hand—

Before stopping, as I wrap them into a strong hug… before putting all my weight on them, unable to support myself with my currently messed up leg.

“GAHH- GET OFF ME, YOU FUCKING FAT BITC—”

The strength of my hug increases as I find the strength to whisper out two words…

“T-thank you.”

… Baxter froze at that, as if not used to such words, as he stopped in his attempts to pry me off… before scoffing as he turned away.

“Uhh— d-don’t mention it… Seriously, don’t. It’s—um— just business.” Baxter excused himself before awkwardly pushing me off him, holding me up as he gave me an estranged look, before leaning me against the side wall so I could support myself.

“Sigh, still, I… I nearly fucking died. That— that thing was this close to just… to just killing me and… sigh.” I turn to look at the still awkward Baxter. “Thank you so much for saving my life.”

The fish demon shuffled his feet, embarrassed, as if unsure how to take what I just said. So, he simply scratched the back of his head and looked away.

“Maybe this’ll teach you to listen to my superior intellect next time and not involve yourself in obvious death traps.” He accused, though with a lighter tone than what I would’ve initially expected from the mad scientist. “Besides, I didn’t save you for your sake; I saved you for mine. Do you have any idea what Cherri would have done to me if she found out I just left you behind?! There wouldn’t be enough space in the whole goddamn city to contain all the bloody pieces she’d blow me apart into.”

“Hehe, maybe… Still doesn’t change the fact you came back.” I let a warm smile caress my now exposed lips as I reached up and discarded the half-broken mask, letting it fall limply to the floor. “Maybe you do have a heart in there?”

Baxter scoffed at my suggestion with incredulous energy. “Pah, the audacity to even suggest such a—”

BAM!

PIERCE!

… it all happened so fast… I could barely even process it.

Not as Baxter's eyes widened in surprise.

Not as the white glowing nail pierced into his shoulder, ripping apart flesh and muscle like they were paper.

Not as his blood began to fly through the air, adding to the puddle on the floor.

Not even as I heard him scream in pain as he fell on his ass, soaking his usually pristinely white outfit with the fluids of the damned.

No… no.

I only began to process what happened when I heard… it.

That accursed laugh.

“Hehehe, not bad, not bad at all. I’d say you got within a hair’s length of actually doin’ a fuckin’ thing ta me!” That… thing chuckled, knocking me out of my stupor and forcing me to look back towards the smoking crater.

As I watched, with heightened breath, as they emerged.

Uninjured, not a single piece of dust on them… n-not a single bit of blood that was his own— hell, his clothes didn’t even look disheveled! Still perfectly clean, echoing the creature's large, toothy grin.

“Grrr, h-how?” I heard Baxter growl out in surprise, still gripping his shoulder in a vain attempt to try and pull the white-hot nail out.

The creature decidedly turned towards Baxter's surprised face, and his Cheshire grin somehow widened even more as he simply reached into his pocket. “Who am I? WHO AM I?! HEHEHAHEHAHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!!”

They erupted in belly-busting laughter, all while I took the opportunity to reach down to help Baxter back to his feet. As I do, I see him hold the vial even harder, as if ready to throw the explosive liquid at a moment's notice.

“HEHEHE—hehehe—-heh… Who am I?” Their laughter finally died down to a light chuckle as he pulled out a handful of glowing nails from his pocket, throwing them up in the air and catching them with his one free hand. “I go by many names down here. But to dead men like y'all? Hehe… y’all can just call me…”

“Izzi.”

 

Notes:

Webhead_11: Man, Im back from my break. Can't wait to get back to writing!

(Breaks wrist very next day)

WebHead_11: F#@K!

Yep, I'm back! My busy week is finally over and I can not wait to start writing this story in full force... Is what I would say, if a certain something didn't happen this week.

Yea, I wasn't entirely joking. Last week right when I started writing this chapter, I ended up fracturing my right wrist. One quick visit to the ER the next day later, and I left withg a newly made cast on my arm! And suprise suprise, it is really hard to write when your dominant hand has been rendered unusable for the most part.

So that being said, I want to apologize for this chapter being so short, considering I originally planned it to be at least twice this length originally (hence the part 1 in the title). I feel really bad that after waiting 3 weeks this is all I have to show for it, and Im really sorry. Im also gonna apologize since the next handful of chapters are probably gonna be of a similiar length until my wrist fully heals. I am really sorry, but I'll still try my best to make them as good as possible.

Regardless, I still hope you enjoyed the chapter despite my shortcomings. Drop a kudos if you did, leave a comment if you have any questions, complaints, suggestions, or jokes (Its all good to joke, I for one have been making cast jokes every oppertunity I've had for the past week), and I hope you all have a cracking day!

Thanks for reading!

Chapter 62: Alleyway rumble! (part 2)

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

The battle continues.

A life is snuffed out.

Reinforcments arrive.

The buisnessmen prepare for a meeting.

Notes:

Izzi: So, do you have a crush on him or somethin'

Cherri: No.

(And a million Cherrisnake fans cried out in relief.)

 

FINALLY! IM BACK WITH A LONG CHAPTER! Man... it feels weird having free time to start writing again, even with a fractured wrist.

Regardless, I don't have much to say so I'll just keep it short. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, since certain... reveals, we'll say, are starting to unravel with this specific plot line.

Which by the way, I will say it right now, there is nothing that confirms Izzi is Cherri Bombs father in the actual canon from the show, especially since the only time we see him is in the Angel dust music video. This is simply my interpretation on their relationship and for what I think is most likely to be true considering my own guesses for the show. (Although, if it was revealed in the season 2 spoilers please don't let me know, im trying to steer clear of those.)

Anyways, I just hope you all enjoyed, especially since we are closing in on the end of arc 2 in the story with an upcoming mini-arc, so get exited!

So, leave a kudos if you enjoyed! Drop a comment if you have any questions, concerns, ideas, jokes, or anything in-between and I hope you all have a popping day! See you next week!

(Also, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!... And I just realized the irony of a father reveal on mothers day instead of fathers day... damn.)

Cherri POV

“Hmm… where are those fuckers?” I question aloud, my gaze locked onto the surrounding city as I scan it with my singular eye, filled with confusion as I do. “It didn’t take me that long ta fight those fuckers, did it?”

I turn back to look over the previous building, noting with no small amount of satisfaction as I notice the entirety of it completely covered in blood, large holes dotting the roof of the building illustrating just how many explosions had taken place there.

“Hehe… ok, maybe I did go a tad overboard.” I turn back towards the cityscape. “Still, they shouldn’t have gotten that far. Especially with fish-sticks their, slowin’ Kev down.”

“So where are they—”

BOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A massive explosion suddenly rattled my mind, shaking me for a moment before I turned to look in the distance, noticing a massive plume of black smoke filtering out of a faraway alley.

I smile, immediately recognizing it as the aftermath of an epic explosion because… come on, have you seen my name?

“Heh, well, if that ain’t fuckin’ familiar, then I don’t know what is.” A devious grin grows on my face like a plant, as I can’t help but cackle in slight delight. “Been gone for thirty minutes, and those boys are already fuckin’ about. Hah! Oh, this is gonna be fuckin’ wicked!” 

I deftly jump from rooftop to rooftop, making my way towards the far-off explosion, recognizing it immediately as the stuff that Baxter uses for my bombs.

Usually he keeps a tight grip on the stuff, though. So he either made a mother-of-all-fuck-ups and dropped one at him and Kev’s feet… which would be funny.

Or, they’re in serious danger right now.’ I realize, as the idea of which causes a smirk to form on my face. ‘Hah, I’d hate to be the poor fucker who made the mistake of getting on their bad side!’

 

---

Kevin POV

 

“IS IT TOO LATE TO SAY SORRY— FUCK!”

BANG! WHAP! BOOM!

I just barely manage to dodge out of the way of the now named Izzi’s relentless assault with his bat, tackling Baxter to the floor as I do so to save him as well as we crash hard into the wall.

It takes me half a second to recover my bearings, but as soon as I do, I reach for my holster, attempting to grab my backup pistol and—

—block—

BAM!

“GAHH!” I groan in pain as I raise my right arm on instinct, shielding my face from the barbed wire-covered bat. 

In exchange, however, I felt the misaligned tiny knives dig into my flesh before promptly being ripped out with a spray of blood as I got sent hurtling back, crashing into a stray garbage can filled with disembodied human heads as I did so.

“GAHH, fuck that…” I pause, noting one of the heads had fallen out of the trash can and had somehow landed perfectly upright by its stump, staring straight at me.

“…”

… I grab the top of the head and turn it around so it wouldn’t face me—

“GAHH!” I hear Baxter suddenly scream, prompting me to turn forwards and—

BAM!

I receive a face full of fish as Baxter slams straight into me, knocking me further into the trash can and knocking it over, sending us tumbling out on the other side of it, Baxter splayed out on top of me.

“Ugh, have you ever heard of a diet?” I groan, pushing him off of me.

He scoffs in response. “I dunno. Have you ever heard of Go fuck yourself?”

“Well, I wouldn’t know, now would I?” I tap the side of my head while giving the fish a knowing look before standing up straight and dragging Baxter's arm up as well, allowing him to stand on his feet.

“Hehehe, WHOO, ya fuckes’ are a riot!” Izzi chuckles as he leans on his bat like a cane, his long, spiky tongue reaching all the way to the ground, the tip of it just barely touching the puddle of blood that decorates the whole battlefield. “If I didn’t have ta kill ya, I mighta kept y'all around. Unfortunately, duty— and a couple million dollars— calls my name!”

I kicked the bottom of his bat, sending it around in his grip before landing on his shoulder. How he wasn’t affected by the nails and barbed wire on the damn thing was anybody’s guess, because I certainly didn’t have a clue.

Still, I reach down and finish withdrawing my extra pistol before aiming it at him, hoping to shoot him before—

BAM!

Izzi kicks the lid of the trashcan we knocked over straight towards us—

CLA—

BANG!

And just as I fire my gun, the metallic disk hits my hand, sending the shot hurtling into one of the many hung-up, headless bodies. 

I swear, feeling the continued pain that wriggles in my wrist, before turning again in hopes of shooting him with the next shot—

CLUTCH!

“Hehe, too slow!” The chuckle as Izzi, who for some reason has nothing in his hands now, managed to dash all the way over towards me and grip my right wrist with his left hand. I cringe, feeling my already fractured wrist take on even more pressure. But I could barely even react verbally from the assault, as he quickly raised his left fist and—

BAM!

He hit me right across my jaw, sending me flying back. If I still had my mask on, this punch would’ve certainly shattered it, as I find myself hitting against the furthest wall of this alley once more.

I rub my now sore jaw, deciding to ignore the strange cracking sound it made as I hit the wall and stared upwards towards Izzi, who just jumped backwards, dodging a wild and untrained swing from Baxter.

As he jumped back, our assailant lifted a hand up in the air, palms opened wide as his familiar bat fell from the sky and into his grasp. It was also at that point that I realized that he threw his weapon into the air, basically disarming himself, so he could do the punching equivalent of a bitch slap.

… Well, now I feel slightly offended.

Still, it didn’t really matter as he ran forward once more towards Baxter.

In a panic, the mad scientist reached into his lab coat before pulling out a familiar red vial, probably hoping to get luckier this time and blow the bastard away.

“Guhh— suck on this, you bitch!” He exclaimed before throwing the vial forward, seemingly not caring if he himself gets caught up in the explosion. 

I then move to cover my face in an attempt to shield myself from the flying debris from the explosion…

Except, it never came.

Confused, I uncovered my face and looked forward again. 

Only to see Izzi holding the vial, seemingly catching it midflight, as he began twirling it in his fingers like a toy.

“Heh, fancy toy ya got here.” He mocks before looking over towards the shocked Baxter, whose eyes resembled plates by how wide they were. “Mind if I borrow it?”

“Wha— fuck no, you bastard! Give it back!” He screamed in response before recklessly charging towards Izzi, who just scoffed.

“Alright, if ya insist.” Was all he said before—

—Run—

My eyes widened as my instincts began screaming at me to move, prompting me to look towards the duo of demons.

“Baxter, get out of there!” I attempted to scream, but it was too late.

Izzi effortlessly dodged under Baxter's wide blow before his Cheshire grin stretched across his face even more. 

“Hehe… one fish, two fish—” Izzi began singing in an almost demented sort of melody as he raised his arm and thrust the vial into Bacter’s stomach.

“—red fish—”

He retracted his hands before wrapping them around his bat.

“—Dead fish.”

He then swung his bat straight into Baxter's stomach.

Shattering the vial of explosive liquid.

“Ehh… SHIT—”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A second massive explosion suddenly rang out, shaking the very floor I was standing on as I felt my face get assaulted by the heat from such a large explosion.

I was forced to cover my face as a stream of dust assaulted my eyes, causing me to blink multiple times in quick succession just to see even remotely clearly.

As I did so, I finally was able to gaze upon the left side of the alley… 

Which had completely collapsed from the explosion.

The wall of the more-than-likely abandoned building had completely crumbled, crushing the myriad of hung-up, headless human bodies with it. The dust refused to settle still, however, as I could only make out the vague outline of the rubble beneath it all.

I didn’t care about that, however, as only a single thought was on my mind. Or, I should say, a single person.

“… B-Baxter?” I called out weakly, feeling my legs go slightly numb as I did, just barely not giving out.

‘He… he’s fine, right?’

“Baxter? You… you there?”

‘He’s a demon— a sinner. They can’t die, right? Didn’t Cherri mention something about how they just come back if killed?’

“Baxter I… do you… shit—umm… shit.” I began sweating.

‘He’ll… He’s fine. Worst-case scenario, he died and will… and will come back, right? That idiot blew them both up, so… so it’s all… It’s all good. I’ll see him again in a couple of days… It’s fine, they’re fine, they didn’t die. Nobody died. Nobody died because of you! You didn’t kill anybody! Not AGAIN—’

I paused… What was I just thinking—

“Hehehe.”

I froze… no.

“Hehehehehe.”

No… no no no no NO! He’s… He can’t be… There’s no way he—

“Whoo, that was exciting, now ain’t it!”

Cling. Clang.

My eyes couldn’t help but widen at the familiar sound of metal heels on stones, followed by that… accursed. FUCKING. Voice!

How… How is he…

“HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?!” I scream out incredulously as I watch a shadowy figure walk out from beyond the smoke, their mad cackling refusing to cease as they do so.

“HA! Beats me! I’m just as surprised as ya are!” I heard him chuckle before finally stepping out of the cloud of smoke and—

“Whaddya think, fish brains?”

My heart stopped, as the air surrounding me suddenly felt ten times heavier. My eyes turned bloodshot red as I stared at this demon. Or, more specifically, what he was holding in his left hand.

“Was ya explosion just weak as fuck, or was it just you?” He spoke to the disembodied head in his left hand.

Baxter's head.

“I mean, I knew ya fish were best fried, but even this is a little much for me.” He joked before slowly yet methodically turning his head towards me… before letting his sharp teeth graze upon his mouth once more, akin to that of a predator. “Aww, what’cha so down in the dumps for? Miss ya friend? Hehe, here, you can have em’.”

TOSS.

thump.

… I stare downwards as it… as they… r-roll… roll t-t-to a stop at my feet. T-Their gaze pointed… their lifeless… Their dead, gone, killed, MURDERED, BUTCHERED GAZE!

No… no no no nonoNONONONONO!!!

“Eh, I was always more of a dog person myself anyway—”

“GAHHH!”

BAM!

Whatever shit that was about to come out of the bastard's mouth was quickly halted, as, without warning and screaming like a madman, I rushed forward and tackled the fucker into the pile of stony debris behind him!

Now, if I were a bit more clear of mind, I might have realized how dumb this move was. This guy was stronger, faster, and easily more experienced than I ever could hope to be. Putting myself on top of him might as well be a death sentence, and any soldier would’ve thought the exact same if they were alright in the head.

Unfortunately, after seeing my friend's head roll across the floor…

I was very much not in my right mind.

“YOU FUCKER! H-HOW— FUCK YOU— FUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOUFUCKYOU!!!!” I begin screaming, my fist pummeling downwards relentlessly as I begin smashing this fucker's face in between my knuckles.

“Hehe— HAHAHA! YES! THIS IS WHAT I WANTED— KEEP EM’ COMING!” The bastard managed to actually scream out in delight in protest to my beatdown, laughing and almost seeming to enjoy what I was doing to him.

This, however, only further angered me as I began clutching my fists so hard that my already bloodied knuckles turned white. I didn’t even care over the fact that my right wrist was probably already fractured and I was just making it worse.

No… all that mattered was him. And making him FUCKING PAY!

BAM! BANG! BAM!

“Hehe— HAHAHA—YES—YES!!! OH, THIS IS FUCKING GREAT!!!”

“SHUT UP!”

I hit him in the face again, blood spewing from his face.

BAM!

“HEHE—HAHAHAHA!!!”

“S-STOP LAUGHING!”

I kept punching. The skin on my knuckles tearing and ripping, the bones cracking even more from the continued assault.

BAM! BANG!

“ST-STOP! BRING THEM BACK! BRING THEM BACK!”

I continued. I punched him. I hit him— I KEEP HITTING HIM! EVEN AS BLOOD SOAKED MY OUTFIT, I KEEP HITTING HIM! EVEN AS MY RADIO SCREAMS AT ME, SUPERIORS YELLING AT ME TO STOP, I KEEP HITTING HIM!

I don't even care when his body began to dissolve. Began to disappear! I DON'T CARE THAT I WAS EVENTUALLY JUST HITTING ASHES ABOVE A METAL FLOOR! I DON'T CARE THAT IT EVENTUALLY JUST BECAME MY BLOOD THAT WAS BEING SPILLED! I JUST WANT HIM TO DIE!

DieDIE DIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!!!

JUST LIKE HE DID TO—

BAM!

I barely had time to even process what I was thinking as pain shot through my sternum as Izzi, with superhuman strength, kicked me off of him with both of his legs, sending me tumbling to the ground.

I cough out a mouthful of blood before pushing myself off the ground to turn towards him.

“Ack, y-you bas-”

He was right next to me.

BANG!

I screamed in pain once more as he managed to cross the distance between us in record time before kicking me in the rib cage and sending me flying the rest of the way to the other side of the alley. I felt something in my back break as my spine collided against the hard concrete of the wall, no headless body cushioning my crash this time.

“Sniff, I’ll admit, ya got me excited there for a second, pal. Then ya just had to go and make it all weird.” I heard them scoff out. Looking up, I noticed them wiping a streak of blood away from under their nose before it was quickly replaced by a new, fresher line of blood. “And just as it was gettin’ good, ya had to go and start thinkin’ about somethin’ else.”

Despite my anger, I can’t help but raise an eyebrow in confusion. Izzi sighed in annoyance at that.

“Com’ on, don’t give me that look. It was clear ya was thinkin’ about somethin’ else instead of me. If there’s one thing that never fails ya ruin the goddamn moment, it’s when the victim thinks about their own goddamn problems instead of the one in front of them.” He mocked me as I began to… remember? No… no, not remember. More like… more like the situation felt… similar? Like I’ve done… something like it before and… that’s what I was seeing.

‘But what was it? What was I… what was I thinking about? And why did it… hurt so muc—’

“Head up, Pinocchio.” 

BAM!

SPLAT!

I flinch as Izzi kicks Baxter's head back towards me, the wet piece of meat hitting me in the face, disorienting me for a second before beginning to roll off into the corner.

As it did… I couldn’t help but… stare.

“Heh, or I guess it’s heads down in that freak’s case. I’d say play ball with that bastard’s head, but— pftt— but that fuckin’ head dick of his would get in the way! Hahaha!” 

Like a madman, he cackles, like his fucking demented joke was the funniest shit in the whole goddamn world.

Noticing I wasn’t laughing, however, he managed to silence himself after a few moments of cackling, followed by a sneer.

“Com’on, ya don’t gotta bring this whole place down with that shitty attitude of yours. Lighten up a little! Make your death at least a little memorable for me.” The demon shrugged as he noticed me continuing to ignore him, as I just stared at Baxter’s head.

He sighed, “Fine, be that way. I was gettin’ bored of ya anyways. What use is a broken toy after—”

“You’re going to pay for this.” I say with an eerie calmness in my voice.

Izzi raised an eyebrow in response. “Ehh? Come again?”

“You… you're going to pay for this.” I repeat as I begin to stand. My ribs screaming at me to just collapse, to just lie down and die instead of continuing to subjugate them through this endless torture. 

I didn’t care, however. I’ve long since passed the point of caring for my own well-being. All I care about now is him.

“Heh, pay for what? Killin’ your fishy friend? Killin’ all these poor sods?” He gestures to all the still hung-up human bodies before turning to point his bat toward me. “Or Killin’ you? Cause I’ll be honest with ya, none of ya’ll got the fuckin’ balls to even—”

“Shut up for five seconds! You slit-eyed, spiked-tongue, snake-looking wannabe motherfucker!” I scream out in anger, causing Izzi to tilt his head in entertainment. “I don’t know how, and I don’t know when… But I promise you, you will pay for this… for all of this! All these dozens of innocent people you killed! For all your sick and demented games! For all the gross and inhuman things you’ve thought of in that sick, sick head of yours! You are gonna pay. Maybe not by me, maybe not anytime soon— but I promise you, YOU ARE GONNA FUCKING PAY—

“Ahh, here I thought you were gonna say somethin’ important.” Izzi shook his head, cutting me off as—

SLAM!

He managed to cross the distance between us faster than I could think before slamming his bat against the side of my head with a meaty bang.

I felt my skull crack at the blow, my brain bouncing around in my cranium like a bouncy ball. Any thoughts I had were immediately squandered as I went hurtling towards the middle of the alley, my head smashing against the concrete. My only cushioning was the already thick puddle of blood that decorated the floor of this whole place, but even that failed to stop my skin from tearing as I fell, blood beginning to pour out of the now open wound, my own blood merging with that of those around me, hiding it from view almost immediately.

I attempted to raise myself up, but almost immediately as I did, a shot of pain pierced through my entire being, forcing me back to the ground. The world shifted and twisted around me, my head banging against my skull as if trying to escape. I could only move my head just enough to the side to see Izzi, who was now standing over me, a malicious grin present on his disgusting face.

“So… got any last words?” He asked with barely hidden boredom before raising his bat over his head.

I probably could have said something heroic at that moment. Maybe even continue my speech about him paying for what he’s done. Promise him that even in death I will haunt him for as long as he roams the underworld.

Though in that moment, where my delusions reigned supreme and I barely clung onto consciousness and not succumbing to the trauma in my head… There was only one answer I could think of.

So… with all the venom and contempt I could muster, I stared straight into the bastard's one large eye and said two words.

“… F-fuck you.”

“Heh, you and everybody else, buddy. You and everybody else.” He chuckled grimly, as if entertained by my words, before he lifted his angelic steel-wrapped bat, the spiky wires and nails sticking out through the wood giving it its rightish and haphazard appearance.

I could’ve closed my eyes… but I didn’t, determined to look him in the face as he raised his bat even higher…

Before slamming it down on me with a heavy—

BOOM!!!

“GAHH!” Izzi gasped in pain as he went falling back, forced to take a few steps away from me as a small explosion occurred on his face, halting him mere inches before he smashed my head into a pulp.

Although I still nearly held on to consciousness at the moment, I still retained enough sense to raise an eyebrow in utter confusion. Unsure as to what had just occurred.

Izzi seemed to share a similar sentiment, as he shook his head in pain before eyeing the surrounding area in confusion.

“Pahh, whoever threw that blasted thing at me, come on out! Or else when I find ya, I’ll tear out yer intestines and stuff em down your goddamn throat—”

“SHUT UP, YA OLD GEEZER!” A familiar female voice rang out right before—

BANG!

Flying down from one of the rooftops, the second one-eyed demon in my life emerged as they sent a flying kick towards Izzi, who barely managed to raise his arm up in time to defend his face from the blow. That protection, however, didn’t stop him from being pushed back ten feet, sliding his heels against the concrete as he did so.

Meanwhile, I watched as a familiar pair of mismatched shoes landed in front of my vision. Right foot wearing a loose red slipper, while the left was wearing a bright red heel. I didn’t even need to look up to know who this was. After all, there was only one person in all of hell who had this bad of a fashion sense.

“… t-took you long enough, Cherri.” I managed to mutter out, before the darkness completely consumed whatever remained of me, whisking me away to the dream world.

And it all… went black.

 

---

Cherri POV

 

“Tch, lazy ass.” I murmur with a smirk, watching as Kev succumbed to his wounds and fell unconscious. I would’ve spoken another joke about the situation, but two things stopped me from doing so.

One was the fact that I noticed Baxter’s disembodied head wasn’t too far away. Usually, I wouldn’t be that concerned, but this bastard has angelic weapons on him, so… yea, hopefully he was smart enough to kill himself before this guy did.

Speaking of this guy… there lies the second thing.’ I thought it barely contained venom before turning to the man… that fucking man! His one eye scanned me over, as if searching for any form of deception in my appearance.

Before allowing a massive smile to cross his face. A very familiar one at that.

“Hehe— HAHA! Isabella!” I grimace as he says that, his arms opening wide. “Whoo, man, it’s been a hot fucking second, huh? How ya—”

“Don’t call me that.” I manage to choke out, my eye staring daggers straight into the fucker.

If he noticed this, however, he didn’t care, as he simply tilted his head in confusion for a moment before realization struck.

“Ahhh, that’s right, goin’ by… ummm… chaassy boombox now—”

“Tch, Cherri Bomb.” I cut him off before he continued to prove his own inability to remember shit. “It’s Cherri Bomb now, remember? Has been since however long I’ve been in this shithole.”

He snaps his fingers in recognition. “HAH! Oh yea, that’s right! Sorry sweety, my memory ain’t exactly what it used ta be, after all.” He excuses himself as I reach into my pack, slowly pulling out a couple of cherry-sized explosives.

“Still, glad to see ya in one piece… Though a part of me thinks the feelin’ ain’t mutual.” He eyes my hand, causing me to finally smirk.

“Bingo, ya piece of shit.” I insult him before hurling my handful of explosions straight at his toothy grin—

BOOM! BOOM BOOM!

—which he manages to nimbly dodge out of the way, the pinkish smoke from the explosion barely glancing him before he turns on his heel and dashes straight towards me, bat held behind him ready to swing.

WHOOSH!

I dodge under the sideways strike deftly before spinning on my feet and kicking him in the face—

BANG!

Only for him to catch my foot mid-kick, gripping it in his hand before using his superhuman strength to throw me towards the left hall, sending me hurtling.

As I do, I quickly recover and defy the rules of gravity as both my legs hit the far wall completely straight before using it as a springboard to shoot towards the bastard once more.

BAM!

Not expecting my quick return, I ended up tackling him, making his back hit the wall of the alleyway opposite the one I just kicked off of.

My feet then landed on the floor before I reared back my fist and wound up for a punch!

BAM!

Only for my fist to connect with the wall, causing cracks to spiderweb out from the impact. Before I could recover, Izzi sent his own punch toward my sternum, striking me and knocking the air out of my lungs before—

BAM!

He kicks me in the face, sending me falling back down into the puddle of blood. That barely keeps me down for even half a second, however, as I quickly jump up and pull another, slightly larger bomb out, the fuse for it already burning somehow as I throw it straight towards Izzi!

“Hah, finally playin’ ball with me, huh?” He says, before winding his bat back—

BAM!

BOOM!

And struck my bomb as if it were a baseball, sending it careening into the air over the alley before finally exploding in a fireball of light and heat above us.

I groaned in frustration before kicking off from the floor again and straight towards the bastard.

‘Bombs don’t work? Fine, I’ll do something new.’ I internally decided as I closed in on him, all while he chuckled at my attempts.

“Com’ on, we both know how this’ll end, so why even try?” Izzi mocked, giving me a cocky smirk as he raised his bat behind his head once more and lazily swung forward, as if not even caring if I dodged.

Expectedly, I dodged beneath the attack. 

Then, with my superhuman athleticism, I jumped up straight towards Izzi’s face.

Before spinning in midair and wrapping both of my legs around the fucker's neck, momentarily surprising him before he chuckled.

“Heh, sorry sweety, ain’t exactly—”

My hands then gripped the concrete floor, drenching them in blood before—

WHOOSH!

Using more upper body strength than a fucking hippopotamus, I threw him through the air using my legs wrapped around his neck, sending him flying into the far wall with a heavy thump.

He smiled as he crashed against the wall, as if about to say something. I wasn’t about to let this bastard talk, however, as, using the momentum from throwing him, I rose back to my feet before chucking a handful of tiny explosives straight at him.

BOOM!

And before the pinkish smoke cleared, I threw another handful.

BOOM!

And another!

BOOM!

ANOTHER!

BOOOM!

ANOTH—

CRR—CRACK… BOOM!

Suddenly, the wall behind him collapsed right atop of the smoke, mirroring the destroyed wall just opposite of it that was caused by what I assumed to be Baxter’s explosive compound.

I just stood there… breathing heavily as I greedily sucked up as much oxygen as I could into my lungs. 

“Huff… huff… fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck you.” I managed to say through ragged breath, the adrenaline in my veins beginning to subside.

As it does, I turn to look at… Kev…

“Huff… shit.” I realize before running to his side, kneeling down as I did a quick once-over on his wounds, and… 

“Shit… fuck, this isn’t good!” I worked out as I took notice of his leaking head, which still pumped out blood at an alarming rate. I moved my hands to try and cover the wounds, hoping desperately to stop the blood flow from his head. “Shit, shit—stay with me, Kev! Ya ain’t dyin’ until I say so! Grr— Baxter—”

I notice his disembodied head again on the floor.

“… Right— fucking shit! I left ya alone for less than an hour, and this happens! Shitshitshitshit, come on, stay with me, Kev—”

Crunch.

I froze… no—

BAM!

STAB!

“GAHH!” I scream in pain as, suddenly, through the smoking debris, a white glowing nail shot forth, piercing my shoulder and sending me careening against the wall. I scream in anguish as the nail burns my skin relentlessly, like a hot iron. I move my hands to try and cover the wound, but—

BAM BAM!

STAB STAB!

Two more nails suddenly shot forth faster than I could see, both striking my right palm and nailing my sensitive flesh against the concrete wall.

I could barely process the pain, however, as I suddenly heard a laugh… his laugh. His accursed laugh that haunts me whenever I close my eyes!

“Hehe, I admit, you’ve gotten bette’ sweetheart!” He finally speaks up before stepping out of the cloud of smoke made by my onslaught. I grimace, though a small part of me flares up in pride at how hurt the fucker looks, obviously not escaping unscathed. His clothing was singed and burned all over, with his blood draining into his already bloodied white outfit. Even his favored white hat that he loves to wear is burnt all over, some of the decorative teeth on it even being completely missing, gone from the blow.

Despite all that, however, despite how fucked he looked. Despite how hurt I made him!

… he still fucking laughed.

“Still, ya got a while to go if you really wanna off me.” He jokes as he approaches, his bat held aloft on his shoulder. “Afta’ all, you more then anyone should know how hard it is to kill your old man. Ain’t that right? Isabella?”

“Grrr— I already fucking told you, IT’S CHE—”

“Yea yea, Cherri Dust, ya only said it a million times already. Hehe, gosh, teenagers and their rebellious phases, am I right?” He jokes to nobody but himself as he elbows one of the crucified bodies, as if they were still here. After a couple of seconds. He laughs once more, as if the body spoke back to him. “Hah, ya, I thought so too.”

“… Dear Lucifer, you're even crazier than the last time I saw you.” I scoffed, trying desperately to free my hand from the nail that kept it bound. Despite my attempts, however, it wouldn’t budge. A testament to how much of a fucking monster he is.

“Hey, what’s wrong with being a little kooky? Everyone’s a tad bit insane down ere’ after all, so why not enjoy it!” He exclaims with his arms out wide before turning back to me with a pointed glare. “But enough about me, I wanna hear from my favorite sperm-made-flesh. Afta’ all, I haven’t seen hide-or-hare from ya in the last two fuckin’ years!”

“And for good fuckin’ reason, you jackass!” I reply with venom, causing Izzi to sigh.

“Yea yea, I get it. Ya hate me, most people down ere’ do, but com’ on, I thought we were past this.” 

I rolled my eye at his declaration, barely even finding the care to look at this bastard.

Noticing this, he sighed before reaching down and grabbing his angelic double-barreled shotgun from the ground, which he had discarded earlier in the fight. “Fine, be that way. We only have till the end of time to make up down ere'. But for now, I’ve got a job ta take care of.” He replied before cracking his shoulders and began walking towards… towards…

“Shit, stop!” I screamed suddenly as I noticed that Izzi walked towards the unconscious body of Kevin, raising his gun up to him.

He flinched slightly at my increase in volume before turning towards me confused.

“Ehh? Something wrong?” He asked me, genuinely confused. 

I snarled at him as my pupil shrank in rage. “Is there a problem— of course there's a fuckin’ problem! Leave Kev alone!

“Kev?” He repeated, intrigue coating his tongue. That was before realization struck him as he turned towards the human, before belting out an aggressive laugh. “Wait… wait! Pfft— HAHA— d-don’t tell me, ya actually care for this flabby sack of flesh? I-I can’t—WHOO, that’s a fuckin’ riot!”

I felt my cheeks alight suddenly in embarrassment as he continued laughing, but I turned that emotion into rage as I just snarled maliciously at him. If he noticed this, however, he didn’t care, as he kept on laughing to himself. His shark-like teeth clattering against his spiky tongue as he kept laughing.

“WHOO— I— I fuckin’ can’t— HAHA! My daughte’, my own fuckin’ flesh and blood, Carin’ for a fuckin’ human? PAHAHAHA! Ya know, I never thought ya mother cheated on me, but now I’m actually startin’ to consider it!” A primal rage built up in me at his mention of her, as he wiped a tear from his eye. “Haha, though I’ll admit, i’dda thought it’d be your other if anythin’! After all, such a whiny bitch comin’ out of my dick seemed—”

“SHUT UP!”

The blood at my feet bounced at the volume of my voice, as even Izzi found his own laugh being overpowered by my volume, as he finally noticed the cackling fires of rage that were building up in my eye as I stared straight into him, my right hand pushing against the nails so hard that they began to budge against their restraint to the earth.

“Do not talk about them… either of them!” 

“Hehe, oh, still sensitive about that, are we?” He whips his tongue before directing his gaze back to Kev. “Hmm, you know, now that I look at it, they— Uggh!”

I watch as Izzi suddenly raises a hand to his head, as if a sudden pain shot through him. Before I could even question such an action, he quickly recovers by shaking his head.

“What was—ehh, whatever, doesn’t matter.” I concluded, before turning back towards me, a smile upon his face. “Heh… so what’s the story ere’ forbidden love or some bullshit like that?”

I scoff, “with him? No. Just a promise.” I respond seriously before turning back to Izzi with ire. “A promise that I’m intending to keep… unlike you.”

This… actually caused the smile on his face to lessen ever-so-slightly.

… Before growing ten times larger, causing a bead of sweat to actually form on my temple at his sudden excitement.

“Heh… well, this oughta be fun.” Was all he ended up saying as he reached into Lucifer-knows-where and pulled out a hammer before throwing the tool through the air, letting me catch it with my one free left hand. I look at the hammer, confused, before realization strikes me as I look at the two nails that stuck me to the wall through my right hand.

At the same time, Izzi grabbed his discarded weapons before making to leave the alley, leaving Kevin alone and very much alive.

Now, I know I shouldn’t have said anything. After all, they always say to never look a gift horse in the mouth… but… some part of me wanted to— no, needed to know.

“… Why?” I squeaked out, causing him to stop. 

“… heh. Why?” I echoed, not even bothering to turn around to look at me as he did. “Because I fuckin’ feel like it. This bastard actually gave me a modicum of enjoyment. It would be a shame to step on a promisin’ seed so early in the game. Much rather have it bloom to actually give me a challenge. And with you there to kick him in the ass… let’s just say I’m expectin’ quite the specimen. Don’t disappoint me again.”

And with that, he left, disappearing into the endless maze of alleys that dotted this section of the doomsday district.

I could only afford to stand dumbfounded for a few moments, however, as I quickly remembered my situation. Or more specifically, his.

So, I gritted my teeth before pushing the hammer against the nails in my hand. I bit my lip as I forcibly pushed the nails out. Blood dripped from my wounds, as the pain was so bad that I pierced my lips with my teeth.

Still, I quickly recovered and ran to Kev’s side. I grimaced, noting how his wounds obviously hadn't gotten better.

“Shit… shitshitshit—think, Cherri, think, where can you… wait.” An idea plunged itself into my head. A very stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless…

“… Ahh, fuck it. Today’s already been worried enough.” I declare before picking up Kevin bridle-style before looking down at him. “Ya better not die on me, Kev, otherwise you’re gonna make me look real bad!” I announced before rushing out of the alley, the destination in my mind set.

“Here’s hopin’ ya don’t weren’t kiddin’ when you were talkin’ about your new friends, Angie.” I muttered as I began running through the alley, a worried expression etched on my lips as I ran towards a very specific hotel.

“And here’s hopin’ the fuckin’ princess of hell has a way of healin’ a fuckin’ human!”

 

---

??????? POV.

 

“Ya, turns out it wasn’t a fuckin’ human at all, just an ugly muck that somehow didn’t see enough sun down ere’ in Hell. Think there name was... umm... Fork? Or some bullshit like that.” The voice on the otherside of the phone chuckled, as if laughing at their own joke.

I hummed slightly, unconveinced.“Hmm, I see… In that case, I hope you understand that—”

“Yea yea, deduct my pay or whatever. I don’t really care about that.” The voice on the other end of the phone cut me off, their Australian accent like nails on a chalkboard. “Anyways, I still got more fuckin’ human heads than you asked of me. So we're square on the deal?”

“… yes, we are ‘square’ as you so elegantly put it.” I replied before I sighed heavily into my palm. “Stand by for now; we’ll contact you when we have your first official mission.”

“Heh, always ready to please, or some kinky shit like that you rich assholes seem to enjoy.” I couldn’t help but cringe slightly at his crude words through the phone. “Anyways, until next time, boss man!”

“Until next tim—”

BEEP!! BEEP!!

I lower my phone, seeing they hung up. I’m not ashamed to admit that I crushed the phone a tiny bit in anger after realizing his action, which was only fueled by the chuckling I heard from behind me.

“Well, that went well.” A recognizable voice teased from behind me, causing me to sink further into my expensive leather chair. “Anyways, do you believe anything he just said?”

I scoff, “Are you kidding me? I’d sooner believe that the foundation would just hand over all their inventory of anomalous goods than trust a single word out of that literal snake's mouth.” I lower my head into my hands before continuing. “But he’s still useful, and after Striker, we’re not gonna find a better option out there for a hired gun. Heh, honestly I’m starting to think Hell is just more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Hmm, growing pains, my dear friend, that’s all this is. As long as the serpents hold up their end of the deal, we’ll have an entire realm under our thumb.” 

I shook my head. “They’ve already gone behind our backs once, so I doubt they’ll be playing nice with us anytime soon.”

“Sure, sure… But that’s what the meeting is for, isn’t it?” They replied with a chuckle, their deep voice echoing in my office. “In a few days, we’ll get it all figured out. It’s just a waiting game now, and despite how much you hate waiting, Marshal, I’m sure you’d be willing to keep your skin in the game for a tad longer.”

“Heh, that I am Carter… that I am…” I reach to my side and pick up a glass of whiskey, taking a long sip from the expensive beverage.

It’s just a matter of time now.

Time… the one thing money can’t buy.

Unless, of course, you're us.

A sinister smirk crosses my lips.

“Let the games begin.”

 

Chapter 63: Precursor to disaster.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Site-008 gets new researchers.

Alpha-9 learns why they shouldn't let the child drive.

Dr. Light enjoys Dr. Glass's crisis.

SCP-035 makes the third move in this game.

Notes:

"When a monster attacks, where do you run?"

Step step step.

My military boots clicked against the roof of the concrete wall, clacking loudly as I moved across it. Doubly so when one of my patrol partners made their rounds by me, their footsteps in sync to my own.

Step step step.

A sigh escaped my lips as I suddenly froze before turning on a dime and looking out towards the mountainous scenery that stretched on for as far as the eye could see. 

I examined every inch of it, using the light from the midday sun to aid in my search. It was a little tough since we were nestled between dual mountain ranges, leaving ample opportunity to hide from our sights.

Still, that didn’t deter me from spending the next couple of minutes examining the landscape, the gun in my hands shifting a bit as I continued to sweat through my gear.

‘Damn it, would it kill them to add some fans in these things?’ I complained internally as I looked down momentarily to look at my black tactical SCP guard uniform but managed to keep the complaint choked down. No good making a fuss over equipment, especially not at a time like this—

I felt something press against my helmet. I turned quickly, my finger on the safety of my gun as I turned, and—

“Whoa, easy there, buddy. Didn’t mean to scare you.” Joked another guard who I was stationed with, who must have closed in on me while I was focused looking toward the mountains. He raised his hands up in surrender, prompting me to immediately lower my gun.

Instinctively, I turned to his hands, noting how he held two metal flasks, one in each hand.

I shake my head and turn towards the scenery once more. “Drinking while on duty again? Heh, Jefferson’s going to have your head this time.”

“Hmm, maybe. But hey, there's nothing else to do out here besides bird watching, so might as well spice it up a bit.” He exclaimed before resting one of the flasks on a rectangular concrete stone that jutted out of the top wall, which lined around the whole thing. Gave us cover if we were ever attacked, I suppose.

Still, I just stare at it in disbelief before turning back to my patrol partner. “… I’m not getting drunk while on duty. Unlike you, I actually want to live to see the sun tomorrow.”

“Then you chose the wrong job, my friend.” He chuckled before signing towards the flask once more. “Besides, I knew you were gonna be a baby about it, so I filled yours with water instead. It isn’t against code to not get heatstroke, is it?”

I roll my eyes, reluctantly realizing that what he said isn’t necessarily wrong, and I was getting really hot.

So, with reluctance, I ended up reaching out and grabbing the flask. I undid the top before carefully smelling to see if any scents came from the liquid from within the container.

Another chuckle sounded out beside me. “Wow, that untrustworthy, am I?”

“Just making sure. With all the shapechangers we hold in containment, you can never be too careful with anyone.” I reply coldly before taking a long sip, relaxing slightly as the recognizably cold liquid swishes within my mouth before sliding smoothly down my throat. “Hmm… Dasani?”

He shrugs, “It’s the only damn thing they serve in the mess hall.”

“Figures.” I reply, going in for another sip of the godsent liquid before—

VWHOOM!

A large gust of air suddenly crashed into me, causing me to spill some of the water out of its container.

Quickly I looked up, realizing that a large helicopter had just passed overhead and was beginning to descend behind the walls we stood on top of.

I lowered the liquid before carefully fingering the safety on my gun, eyeing the helicopter suspiciously, as if a monster could pop out of it any second.

My partner, to his credit, did the same. We watched as a couple of other guards approached the vehicle with equal levels of apprehension.

As soon as they closed in, the side doors opened wide, revealing a couple of foundation guards and a handful of men and women in white exiting out of the vehicle. Most of them were wearing blindfolds and noise-canceling headphones, only now removing them.

‘Makes sense.’ I figured. ‘This is one of the most secretive sites in the foundation's arsenal, and I’d assume they want to keep it that way. Especially with everything that’s been going on.’

Still, I just watched as my superior began speaking to one of the men-in-white that exited the helicopter. I noticed something get passed between them, but it was too far for me to properly make it out.

Still, I couldn’t ponder on the subject for long, as my superior lifted a hand to his headpiece before his voice suddenly filtered into my ear.

“All clear. New personnel.”

My shoulders relaxed at his simple words before the static filtered away as he led the group of, admittedly intimidated scientists, into the large concrete building in the middle of our protective walls. The building that led further into this site's underground labyrinth of halls.

“Looks like a new round of fresh blood has arrived.” My partner exclaims from behind as he also releases his tension, going to drink god-knows-what from his flask. “Been getting a lot of new suckers recently, haven’t we?”

I shake my head. “Probably have no choice. This is one of the only sites that wasn’t compromised during the worldwide containment breach. Probably one of the last safe spaces the foundation has left.”

“And thank God for that; it keeps us safe at least.” He takes another swig, though this time I could sense an undercurrent of nervousness deep through the cracks in his voice. “Especially with… what we keep here. If those things get out, then God help us. And God help humanity.”

“… To be honest, I’m not even sure if God could put these things down. And that’s only listing what we know is kept here. I mean, I still don’t know what’s kept at the bottom, but whatever it is, it got a whole floor reserved just for its damn self.”

I walk back to my position on the wall, looking over the landscape once more.

As I do so, my partner speaks up again, this time even more serious. “Yea, I heard a rumor that whatever is being kept down there is a reality warper.”

I roll my eyes. “Astute fucking observation. This place only specializes in reality warpers, after all.”

“I know, I know… And that’s why it scares me.” He takes another swig as I turn to him with a raised eyebrow. “I mean, come on. Even if you don’t include the fuckton of items that were moved here after the other sites got compromised, this place was always a powder keg waiting to go off. Seriously, we have the fucking witch child kept here, yet that isn’t kept secret… It terrifies me to think what warrants such secrecy if even that monster is in the open.”

I’d be lying if I said his argument didn’t make a sort of sense, and I’d also be lying if I said I didn’t feel a nervous sweat break out on my brow as I instinctively looked towards the distant mountains once more.

“… that why you fell back into drinking?” I changed the subject, causing him to laugh.

“Can’t have my reality fucked with if I’m not mentally present. At least I’d die happy.” 

“You sound so sure.” I smirk, leaning against the concrete platform on top of the wall. “So sure the foundation will fail at the first sign of danger.”

“Not the foundation, my friend… us.” I explain, causing me to raise an eyebrow. Before I could even ask what he meant, however, it was like he read my mind as he answered. “Look at where we are. If anyone finds out where this site is, they ain’t coming alone; they’re bringing an army. And guess who the first line of defense against that would be?”

“Us.”

My throat dried up like a desert at his words, prompting me to drink another sip.

… The water didn’t taste nearly as good as it did earlier.

Noticing the discomfort on my face, my partner spoke up again.

“Heh, sorry for that, Mark. Just ignore my ramblings; I’m just… tired, is all.” He lies before turning to leave, continuing his patrol around the wall.

“Wait.” I called out to him before he could leave, prompting him to turn. I bit my lips, regretting calling him back, but… ahh, screw it. 

“Give me a sip.” I put my hand out for his flask.

He smirked, “Finally joining the dark side, huh?” He handed it to me.

I grabbed it and opened it up, not even bothering to smell it. 

I rolled my eyes at his words. “Fight in the dark so humanity can thrive in the light, right? I’m sure that affords at least a sip for my inner demon’s sake.”

He didn’t argue as I drank it, chugging a mouthful of the poisonous liquid into my mouth.

… This tasted better than water, and it wrapped around my tongue like a python, forcing me to give the drink my full attention.

So much so that I completely missed the feeling of two beady eyes staring down at me as the sun began to set over the mountains.

Watching.

Waiting.

planning.

---

Multiple hours later. 

 

Leora Lightfoot POV.

I watched as the sun just began to crest in the distance, its angelic morning glow illuminating the city with its all-encompassing yawn.

I couldn’t help but smile as the beams of light hit my skin, warming me up as I could almost feel dawn’s light bend around my figure, as if defying all laws of physics just to encompass me in a warm hug.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself.” A voice suddenly knocked me out of my silent meditation, prompting me to look to the side. I gave a breath of relief when I noticed it was just Iris; the black suit she was wearing was not doing her any favors as she stepped out of the van, putting a pair of black shades on as she did. 

She gave me a smile as she approached, joining me in the pocket of sun that was afforded to us as it rose above the buildings.

“What’s gotten you in such a good mood?” She jokes, elbowing me in the side playfully, prompting me to laugh.

“Ahh, it’s nothing, just… I always enjoyed feeling the sun in the morning.” I admitted to my leader, scratching the back of my head nervously as I had done so. “Even before I knew I had these… abilities, the sun always just made me feel… brighter, you could say?”

“Heh, you know when I was young, I always assumed this was something everyone felt. That everyone loved the sun just as much as me… Turns out it was just a me thing.” I say, a little downtrodden. Just as quickly as it came, however, I raised my head up with a smile to push all bad feelings aside. “But, that isn’t important right now! What’s important is getting ready for our first mission! Hah, this is going to be so exciting!”

Iris smiled awkwardly at that. “Yeah, if you consider standing around while listening to a bunch of old men arguing for hours fun.”

“Hey, I heard that!” A voice suddenly boomed from within the van, prompting the back doors to swing open, revealing what could only be described as a freak show. 

Two metallic benches lined up the sides of the van, with enough space underneath them to hold a couple bags of supplies. On the far end sat Rainer, who uncomfortably shifted in his seat, clearly not enjoying the well-tailored suit he was forced into.

Next to him sat PSHUD #31, or Hector, as I’ve been starting to refer to him as. The robot sat straight as an arrow, the suit he was wearing seemingly not bothering him at all, which was expected.

… still not sure why they insisted the robot should wear a suit, but I digress. Besides, he looks snazzy as fuck in it.

Across from those two, sitting on the opposite bench that had already bent down from the sheer weight being pressed against it, was Alexei. His suit hung tightly against his bug exoskeleton, threatening to tear away at a moment's notice. The damn thing had to be custom-made, and it still barely fits the hulking brute.

Anyways, sitting next to the bug… or sitting as close as you can get, I guess, was the short, frizzled, red-haired woman herself. She was the only one not wearing a suit, as she had burnt everything the foundation had tried to give her, instead opting to adorn herself in a slightly nicer SCP lab coat than what she usually wore. The sleeves went all the way across her arms, hiding away the bandages beneath them.

Then finally was the man of the hour, Simon Glass, wearing another finely designed black suit. He had just finished swinging the door open before reclining backwards and crossing his arms. “And just for your information, I’m not that old… I’m only 31.”

“Hehe, sure, keep telling yourself that.” I smirked, causing Glass to give an annoyed sigh, but otherwise he held his tongue as he looked down towards his watch.

“Whatever, just make sure you’re all ready. The meeting starts in an hour.” Dr. Glass fidgeted nervously with his watch as he said so, his eyes cracking to the left occasionally towards a nondescript business building that was illuminated in the morning light. “Still don’t know why they had me of all people do this.”

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering that too.” Iris spoke up. “Where is Dr. Light? Or Clef, for that matter?”

Dr. Glass sighed tiredly. “Sophia couldn’t make it; too much busywork making sure the foundation doesn’t fall apart, so she can barely afford to leave site-002 right now. As for Clef… this is meant to be a peaceful meeting, so Sophia just left him to hash out the details of his own plan on how to recover the missing items. Apparently stuff like this is too good for him.” He joked.

“Alright, then why not send, oh, I don’t know, anybody from the 05 council?” Iris inquired, causing Dr. Glass to realize a sigh of hot air once more.

“I’ve been asking myself the same damn thing. The guys are way too secretive for me to even guess what they’re playing at.” He explained as he scratched the side of his head in mild frustration. “All I know is that if they’re too busy to do something like this, then it’s a damn good reason. Plus, nobody really knows who’s even on the council. They’re all probably very much against showing up to a physical meeting like this.”

“ Hmm, feigling.” Alexei proclaimed from his radio. I didn’t know what he meant, but if the way he crossed his arms was any indication, it probably wasn’t anything nice.

“Right… Anyways, we should probably get going.” Iris declared.

“Agreed.” Dr. Glass nodded before looking awkwardly towards the driver's seat. “Um… I should probably—”

“Nope. We’re the bodyguards here, not you. I’ll handle the driving.” I spoke up giddily, getting ready to walk around the van, only to be cut off as Dr. Glass tapped her on the shoulder.

“Um… sorry, no offense, but… Do you even have a driver's license?” He asked, resulting in a slightly pouty look from me.

“… are you serious?”

“Umm…”

“I’ve been locked up by the foundation since I was, like, thirteen.” I crossed my arms, “and unfortunately, they don’t exactly offer driving tests to anomalies.”

“Besides, how hard could it be? I saw you drive on the way here; it doesn’t seem that complicated.” I reassured him, causing Dr. Glass to awkwardly scratch the back of his neck once more.

“I don’t know, I honestly think it’d just be safer if I drove us the rest of the way—”

“Dude, it’s like a block and a half away; trust me, I got this!” I exclaimed confidently, pointing a thumb to myself.

Exasperated, the therapist looked over to Iris. “Are you really gonna allow this?”

She shrugged, “I mean, she does have a point. If you were driving, you’d be in the most dangerous position. I’ll admit that I never had a chance to drive before being taken into Foundation custody, and the only other people who could drive are… less than subtle.” She eyed the bug and the robot.

“W-well… Then what about Sinclair? She knows how to drive—”

“She isn’t tall enough to hit the pedals and look out of the windshield safely.” Iris turned toward Sinclair. “No offense.”

“None taken, I’m small and proud of it! I hate driving anyways.” She jokes from her own seat, smiling contently at the surrounding mischief.

“ Sigh… then—then… W-why don’t we hire a taxi—”

“Dude, it’s alright.” I put a hand on the worried, full doctor's shoulder. “I got this, I promise, nothing will go wrong—”

 

---

 

“Hey, Steve.” I leaned over to my partner, who guarded the door to the building next to me, before pointing to a fast-moving black van. “Is it just me, or is that car taking that turn a little fast?”

“Hmm, now that you mention it, it does look like it’s heading… straight towards us—”

“SHIT— HIT THE DECK!” I jumped to push him out of the way as—

BOOM!

The black van slammed straight into the building, shattering the glass door and crashing into the lobby. 

I quickly stood up, grabbing my hidden firearm from my suit jacket as I radioed in for help.

“This is the front entrance; we’re under attack! A car just slammed—”

The driver's seat door slammed open as a woman in a suit fell out. “Whoo! Those… pedals sure are responsive, huh?” 

She fell to the floor as the passenger door also opened, revealing another woman who shakily got out. “Well, what the fuck did you think would happen?!”

BANG!

The back doors on the van were kicked open, revealing… A giant bug man? Carrying two people, an adult man and a child, each under one of its arms and looking very dizzy.

“I… knew this was a bad idea.” The adult man spoke before eventually releasing his lunch onto the shattered floor beneath him.

Soon after, another duo exited the back. This time it was a robot in a suit? With a short, red-haired woman riding excitedly on its back, seemingly appearing fine.

The robot looked at the small woman. “I still do not understand why you requested my aid. You seem in perfect condition after the crash—”

“Shh! Don’t ruin this for me!” The woman shushed back, causing the robot to seemingly shrug before continuing.

I stared at this chaotic group for a good ten seconds as they collected themselves… before finally releasing a sigh and lowering my gun before speaking into my radio.

“… disregard the previous warning. The foundation has arrived… Call in the cleanup squad to handle this mess."

 

---

Dr. Light POV

 

“So… let me get this straight.” I began as I pinched the end of my nose in barely contained frustration. “You made it all the way to Washington, D.C., completely fine, no issue… Only then crash into the GOC building where the meeting was taking place!”

“… I mean, technically I wasn’t the one driving—”

“I don't care, Swan.” I let out a frustrated sigh, taking a moment to collect myself, before speaking into the phone again. “Is everyone alright?”

“Uhh—yea, besides some minor bruising and nausea, we’re all surprisingly fine. Alexei shielded me and Rainer from the brunt of the damage.”

I hummed in understanding, “Alright, and what about the news coverage over the situation?”

“The GOC already has that taken care of. They covered up the crash as just some washed-up drunk who lost control of their vehicle.” Swan began explaining, temporarily stopping as he spoke to someone else that I couldn’t hear, probably verifying some information before continuing. “Yeah. They already replaced our involvement with one of their operatives to take the fall for us and got it so their agents in the police force are covering the case, so the guy should be out within like a week, considering they also plant their own judge in the case, which… shouldn’t be too hard.”

“Hmm, alright then.” My shoulders relaxed as I allowed a smile to cross my face. “No harm done then; everyone’s fine, and the Global Occult Coalition is smart enough to handle all this as soon as it comes in.”

I shifted in my seat as I turned over to look at my computer. “Admittedly, this is an error on my part. I should’ve had the foresight to teach Alpha-9 more everyday skills like driving a car, and it was foolish of me to forget about such a gap existing in their knowledge. This is an error that I will correct as soon as they return from their mission.”

“As for you, Swan, be careful. Although the foundation is just as strong as it’s always been, the GOC, UIU, and especially the Horizon Initiative may view the recent events as the foundation’s grasp over the anomalous world weakening.” I reminded the therapist as I pulled up a list on my computer, illustrating who exactly would be at the meeting. The names didn’t exactly fill me with confidence before continuing. “So remember, despite being our allies, they won’t hesitate to try and intimidate you using recent events as excuses. Remember, you represent the whole of the foundation during this meeting, so try not to screw it up, alright?”

“… Are you sure you’re too busy to show up?” Swan’s weak voice broke through the phone, “I’m not sure how good I am at this.”

I roll my eyes. “Trust me, I wish I could be there right now, but too many things require my immediate attention.” I couldn’t help but eye a stack of papers that littered the left side of my desk. “ Besides, this is also a good training experience for Alpha-9. I won’t always be there to hold their hands, so in times of crisis they need to know how to handle themselves without my direction.

A sigh broke through the other end of the phone. “I swear, you care more about Alpha-9 succeeding than the fate of the foundation.”

I widened into a mischievous grin. “Hmm, well that’s a funny thought.”

“…”

“…”

“… You… aren’t you going to deny it?”

“Nope… Have fun with the meeting, Swan!” I spoke cheerfully as I heard the man sputter on the other end.

“W-wait, don’t—“

*BEEP* BEEP

Silence hung in the air like a spiderweb as I disconnected the phone as it let its beeping echo through my office.

“… sigh… I really gotta get a new hobby that isn’t tormenting Swan.” I joke to myself carelessly as I begin spinning in my office chair while staring at the ceiling.

“Or… I keep doing it till the day one of us dies… I like the second option.” I stopped myself before turning to my monitor, frowning once more as I stared at the names. “Although… maybe I went a bit too far this time.”

“I mean, seriously. From the Global Occult Coalition, those guys are sending five of their representatives from the Council of 108, one of them being the current acting director, Eric Burke himself.” I spoke to myself as I stared at the photo of a well-tailored man who was well into his forties, his slicked-back hair beginning to gray out, but only a little. Besides his hair, the man appeared rather youthful with his green eyes and (mostly) dark black hair. Honestly, if it weren’t for the fact that I knew this was one of the most powerful men on the planet, I would’ve just assumed this to be another 9-5 office worker in some forgotten corner of the world.

I clicked on the next tab.

“For the Horizon initiative, they are sending one of their damn tribunals to represent them. Bernard of the Ordinis Occulti Luminis.” I stare at the next photo, another man that appears a significant bit older than Eric, with hair entirely greyed away and wrinkles drowning out the otherwise dried-out flesh on his face. He also was wearing a white robe, not unlike one would see the pope or other religious leaders wear. Although the man appeared old, ancient even, there was a strange youthfulness present in his eyes that showed he wasn’t one to easily be outsmarted in a game of wits, something that this meeting was all about. “ Sigh… Well, at least he’s usually more indecisive compared to the other two tribunals. Might make it a tad bit easier for Swan.”

I look over at the last file on my computer. “Finally, there’s the Unusual Incident Unit… Pfft, ok, Swan doesn’t have to worry about them.” I chuckle, finding humor in ridiculing this specific team. “Heh, they aren’t nicknamed UIUseless for nothing; I doubt even Swan would be intimidated by anything they say… Still, it is strange how much effort they are putting into this meeting, sending Deputy Director Brad Atwater to represent them.” I mutter to myself as I barely even look at his photo, knowing that they would be the least consequential in the upcoming meeting.

Until something interesting about their file for the meeting caught my eye.

“Hmm… looks like he isn’t going alone though.” I talk to myself as I spot another file, this one pertaining to a small subgroup that the UIU controls. Apparently they're also sending two agents from this group to represent them.

To say this was weird would be… an understatement. But hey, it’s the UIU; maybe it’s some government babies that want to be included in such an important meeting.

“Still… what kind of person names a branch of their organization D.H.O.R.K.S.? Heh, it’s almost like they’re begging for us to bully them.” I asked myself as I read aloud the group's name but promptly disregarded it. I’m sure they aren’t important enough to really garner any attention in the upcoming meeting.

‘Regardless, I have to get back to work.’ I begrudgingly sighed before turning towards the mountain of papers on my desk and, with no small part of reluctance, began pulling papers down and began my work.

It wasn’t anything riveting. Just signing my name here, authorize an allocation of resources here, request reinforcements and extra researchers for specific divisions. Typically Clef should be the one to handle this, considering he was the one the 05 council technically put in charge of the operation of recovering our lost anomalies.

‘Unfortunately, neither I nor anybody who is worth a damn in this facility trusts that demon right now, especially with his… less than stable mentality of wanting to recover his daughter.’ A bead of sweat dripped down my face at the mere thought of Clef handling classified foundation documents at the moment. ‘So, I don’t mind handling this for him; otherwise, god help the poor souls who can’t follow his direction to the letter—’

*RING* RING

I stopped what I was doing as I heard a familiar ringing. Looking over, I spot my phone vibrating against the table. I rolled my eyes as I reached over to grab the phone, not even bothering to look at the caller ID as I raised the device to my ear with a smirk.

“I already told you, Swan, I’m not—”

“Site-008 is under attack!”

I froze.

“… what?”

“ Director Light, I repeat!” The terrified voice on the other end parroted itself.

“Site-008 is under attack!”

 

---

SCP-035 POV

 

Step Step Step.

My heels clicked against the broken concrete; the wall that formerly guarded the outside of this site was reduced to nothing but rubble upon the cracked floor.

Step Step Step.

I stepped on something wet, staining my shoes in red liquid. Looking down, I spotted the body of a security guard, whose body, which was once filled with life, now existed as only bloody paste against the rocky ground.

Step Step Step.

I gave a cursory view over the interior walls. Tanks and military jeeps burned in crimson flames, metal bending from heat. Others were rotted away, as if aged fifty years in a fraction of a moment. Others were cut completely in half, so straight that one would have to think it was done with a surgeon's perfection.

Step Step…

I stopped as I gazed into the large, square building in front of me. It wasn’t much in terms of decoration, built with function over style like most things the foundation makes. 

Still, it was quite a large building, looking to be about five stories high, the only windows present on the building being grated, as if trying to stop us from entering.

‘Heh, false sense of security.’

I turned to my left, spotting a familiarly black-latex-clad woman, dozens of wings currently outstretched far past the length of their own body, each with blood or oil staining their tips.

“Hey, Wing-a-ding. Mind helping’ a poor sinner out?”

At my question, I saw the once-executioner roll their eyes before retracting their wings into themselves and approaching with an air of calm and boredom.

As they did, they managed to walk without the help of their wings, with only a slight limp present in their right leg, showing just how quickly she had recovered since I first met her on that crappy warehouse floor in Hell.

“Hmm, feeling better?” I asked, to which the former angel only gave a slight nod, showing they at least heard my words.

“Hard not to. A lot of noise is made out here.” They answered simply.

“Heh, alright then. Well, I need your help with something.” I turned to look back at the large building and pointed at the heavy metal door that grants entry to the facility—

“I want you to—”

SLING!

SCREEEEEEECH!

A terrible screeching filled the air, like nails on a chalkboard, as Asaph had extended their wings without me finishing into the metallic door, piercing them like paper, and began to scrape their wings against them in a large circle.

After a few more moments of ear-bleeding noise, the whole finally came into full view as Asaph tore the excess metal away and threw it at a Harvey broken tank with their wings.

“Hmm… I would’ve liked to finish.” I spoke back to them after the noise ceased.

“Tch, you take too long to talk. We’re here, so let’s just go in, get what we came for, and get out as soon as possible.” Asaph lectured me with a cross of their arms, before walking through the hole. “I hate dragging stuff like this out.”

They entered through the entrance, causing me to chuckle as they left.

When they left my field of view, I also heard a familiar sound unpleasantly drag itself across my ears. I turned, noting that the old man had summoned a portal next to me and, with squelching akin to bubbling tar, exited out of his puddle of black liquid.

I chuckled, “Guess you're already bored with your new toys. Alright then, let’s get going.” I walked forward but was stopped as I heard a low groan escape the man’s lips.

Looking back, I saw a slightly angered look on his usually ever-smiling face. Their face then tilted, looking toward their missing left arm.

I gave an ahh at this and just shook my head. “Do not worry, my friend. If all goes to plan, you shall have what has been taken from you returned within this facility. That is a part of our deal, after all.”

Finally, the old man lets his last remaining shoulder fall slightly as tension releases, and he gives me a nod that he’s ready.

I chuckle but turn to the entrance anyway. I stare at the dark hole, smiling before walking through.

“You shall get your arm back.”

I enter through the hole—

“But first, I need to reunite with a couple of old friends.”

–And entered the facility.

Step Step Step.

Notes:

Dr. Glass: I just want ONE normal drive!

Leora: DEJAVU, I'VE JUST BEEN IN THIS PLACE BEFORE!

 

Hi everyone! Yes, im still alive. Sorry that I released this chapter a bit later then usual, there were some last minute adjustments I had to do to the ending.

And speaking of the ending, we are FINALLY about to enter into a mini-arc I have had planned since the very start of this story!

The raid of Site-008!

Dont worry, for you hazen and Helluva fans, we will still check in with those characacter (a couple of them might even be involved with the raid itself) but for the next handful of chapters, we will be focusing on this raid and-- Whoo, lets just say some BIG things happen during this event!

That being said though, I want to announce an official question and ask YOU, yes YOU, what SCP's you want to see in site-008! Some of them have already been teased, with lots of other ones planned to appear, but I want to know what SCP's you all want to see included in this mini-arc, and If i can I will include them!

Regardless, I just want to say thanks again for all of you who have read the story to this point. The fact that people enjoy what I write as much as I do boggles my mind, and I just want to say thank you for sticking around! You won't regret it!

... I hope.

Nevertheless, with all that out of the way. Drop a kudos if you enjoy anything that I write. Leave a comment if you have any questions, ideas, jokes, wisecracks, or anything inbetween. And I will see you all next week! Have a crashing day!

Chapter 64: Amanda.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

We go back in time a bit, as a new player enters the field.

Notes:

“Tell me, does everyone have a story?”

Amanda POV

 

When I was a little girl, I witnessed something that would change my life forever. An event that would define who I was and what I would eventually become in life.

I loved to wander when I was young, despite my parents' warnings. I loved to explore the forest in our house's backyard, pretending I got transported into a whole new world, and every tree and flower I came across was a treasure of this strangely beautiful world.

I loved this little world because it was mine, and there were endless mysteries to unravel in my young mind, mysteries that to others may seem like common sense but to me were as important as the meaning of life.

Despite my parents' warnings, I went deeper and deeper into the woods every day, exploring more and more of my unseen world.

Until one day, when I traversed farther than I ever had before and had gotten lost, unable to find my way back home.

I was scared, confused even, why I was having trouble locating the heart of my little world.

Or I was scared; that was until I stumbled across something spectacular.

A woman. Nestled between the large roots of the tallest trees sat a woman with skin as dark as chocolate, wearing a vibrant red suit jacket.

The back of their suit had a flap, extending further down than the front to the women’s knees. The front of the outfit also opened up to reveal a well-tailored vest that was purple in color, matching the overly large purple bow tie she wore around her neck. She also wore black pants and purple boots, which somehow seemed spotless despite the muddy earthen trail. Short black hair rested on her head as she sat, holding a singular purple top hat in her hands, which was embroidered with a singular golden W.

I don’t know why, but I was immediately enamored by this woman who had found her way into my world. 

So with the subtlety that could only exist in a child like myself, I approached this stranger and asked her who she was.

She seemed a little shocked at first… but then she smiled. A warm sort of smile that I usually would only find on those like my mother.

She introduced herself and told me she was simply a doctor of wonder.

I immediately didn’t like this, as I was always terrified of meeting these big bad doctors when my mom forced me out of my world and into the scary hospitals.

She quickly assured me, however, that she wasn’t that kind of doctor, telling me she was the kind that spread joy and imagination above all else.

I asked her what she meant, and she offered to show me.

And like the stupid yet innocent child I was, I accepted.

She introduced me to a world far more vast and far more beautiful than the one I had made for myself in that forest.

With a flick of her wrist, I found myself in a land filled with magic!

Clouds made of cotton candy, rivers made of chocolate, entire castles built from nothing but the prettiest glitter. The roads were slides that could take you anywhere, and the people were all toys, treating you with every bit of kindness one can hope for.

It was a land so beautiful, so vibrant under the illumination of the smiling sun, which the women took me to visit, walking against its light and making me more relaxed than any massage or hours of sunbathing could possibly do.

I played for hours in this amazing world, enjoying it with the kind women. 

Hours later, when the smiling sun began to descend to give room for the sleeping moon to come into sight, the lady told me it was time to go home.

And reluctantly, I agreed. 

So I bid farewell to the land and all the magic friends I had made within it, and after only a few steps through this world's forest of pink glittering trees… I found myself at my doorstep. 

I looked around, but the world and the women were nowhere in sight.

My mother ran out from the house, screaming at me before wrapping me into a hug, as she told me how scared she was about how I was gone for so long.

I didn’t care though, as my little world just got so much bigger.

So, then the next day I returned to my world, desperate to try and find the woman again! I ran deep into the woods, finding the exact spot where I found her the day before!

… and she was gone.

I looked around, but I couldn’t find her, so I headed home.

I kept checking that tree. Day after day, hoping that the doctor of wonder may one day return.

As the years went on, however, nobody came. It was just me, in my dull little world.

All alone.

Eventually, days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into years, and one day I had graduated high school with flying colors, getting accepted into an Ivy League school.

My parents were so proud of me, and despite my happiness for the occasion… it all felt so wrong.

No matter how much time had passed, I could never forget that woman nor that beautiful world.

When I told my mom about it when I was younger, she told me I just had an overactive imagination. Despite all my insisting, she held firm in her belief that it was nothing more than a figment of my imagination.

A pleasant dream.

I tried to believe that lie, to think young me had just made it up in her overactive imagination!

Despite all my efforts, however, I just couldn’t lie to myself. I know what I saw that day; I know it exists.

And as I walked off that graduation platform, high school diploma in hand.

I promised that I would find it again.

So when I went to college, I decided to major in the paranormal.

I was called a lot of things when I decided to spend my life learning about the impossible and untrue.

I was called stupid, crazy, a disappointment, and a foil head (I only put a hat made from aluminum foil on my head ONCE! Damn Brad, blowing it out of proportion.)

But as I was saying, nobody approved of my choice, especially not my parents, who had wanted me to become a doctor or an engineer or something normal like that.

They insisted that I was wasting my life. Throwing my promising future away for a childish dream.

Despite their insistence, I held true to my conviction and told them that studying the paranormal? Learning about that fantastical world I saw as a child? That is what I wanted to spend my life doing.

Those were the last words I said to them before they left, and they never spoke to me again.

It was challenging to get through college on my own, but I managed. Despite my less-than-promising major, I qualified for enough scholarships to make it through, and I took out enough loans to graduate.

When I did, I did so with flying colors, graduating with honors in my field.

It wasn’t long after that when I was approached by men in suits, offering me a job.

A job to study the anomalous.

Apparently I caught somebody's eye, and after signing enough paperwork to put every lawyer in the world to shame, I was introduced to a group called the SCP Foundation.

And the rest was history.

 

---

8 hours before the attack on Site-008

 

“Well, I guess I wouldn’t really call it ‘history,’ per se. I was shocked when I learned about what the foundation does! And it was just… it was just fucking incredible, man!” I excitedly admitted over the radio in my headset, unable to actually see the person I was talking to on account of the fact that I was wearing a very tightly bound blindfold. “Sure, learning about the stuff that was kept by the foundation was… scarier than five-year-old me originally had in mind. But I’ve seen so many beautiful creatures as well! Ones that I’d never even thought of as a child! Like, a mass of orange goop that eats candy and makes people feel better by hugging them? That’s so amazing and—”

“Please… please just shut up already.” A masculine voice pleaded through my headphones, voice tired. “Your story was entertaining enough at first, but it’s seriously beginning to drag on. I get it already, you came across something weird and it brought you here.”

“I’ve already heard this sort of story a million times, of some random douche coincidentally running into something anomalous, becoming a hyperfixation, and leading them to work here. You're not special, so get over yourself.”

My voice died in my throat slightly at his stinging remarks, disregarding my story so quickly. It stung, seeing the one thing that has defined who I am through my entire life, inspired me down this path of paranormal and anomalous research, be so quickly shot down by some guy just because he’s apparently heard it before.

I swear, if it weren’t for the fact that I was wearing a blindfold, I’d be staring daggers at this guy.

I went to go speak up to defend myself but was quickly beaten to it as another voice echoed through the headset.

“Oh, lay off her, Jack. She’s just trying to help pass the time. It’s not her fault that we’d rather listen to her talk than listen to you mumble about your most recent trip to the clubs around town.” An amused chuckle came from me at that, especially as I heard a grumbling through the headset.

“Like I would even think of spending time in someplace like that!” The now named Jack quickly tried to defend himself before scoffing. “And excuse me for preferring silence over the white noise of some random girl's life story.”

I gritted my teeth slightly. “It’s Amanda—”

“Yea, and I don’t fucking care. I’m already pissed enough that they sent me to this random-ass facility in the middle of god-knows-where. The least I was expecting was some quiet fucking co-workers, but apparently I can’t even be granted that luxury!”

“… Wow, even blindfolded in a helicopter, I always find a way to be surrounded by that one asshole who has too many personal problems.” I complained into the comms, chuckling a bit to myself.

I was about to continue, but a new, more stern voice suddenly entered my ears.

“We have arrived at our destination. Hold for landing.”

As soon as that was said, I felt my gut suddenly compress as we began lowering at an accelerated rate, showing just how fast the helicopter was moving towards the ground.

After a few moments of forcing my lunch down, however, the sudden drop ended as I rocked in my seat as the helicopter made a heavy landing against what I presumed to be a helipad.

Not long after, I felt a hand firmly grip my shoulder, picking me up from the seat I was in and guiding me out of the vehicle. 

My foot made landfall against the ground, followed by the noise of a dozen other heels against stone. 

“You may remove your blindfold.” I was quickly informed by a new voice, prompting me to immediately tear the sweaty piece of cloth off my face. It took a second, considering how expertly it was tied to my face, but eventually I succeeded in taking it off. Not a moment later, I gazed upon the large expanse that surrounded me.

Asphalt roads that were dotted with dozens of military vehicles, with about twice as many soldiers running around them. Concrete walls that reached over fifty feet high blocked my view of the outside world, but even then I could still witness the tips of nearby mountains piercing the sky, leaving their mark upon the world.

Looking up towards the walls, I also noticed a couple of soldiers looking down at us, possibly a little apprehensive at our arrival.

“Identification?” A stern voice spoke, prompting me to turn back towards the group of exiting scientists. Ahead of us stood a small group of soldiers, the foremost of whom was talking to the pilot that had brought us here.

Quickly, the man took out a handful of papers and handed them over to the man. After a quick yet thorough glance at the papers, he nodded before handing them back.

“It’s a nice day today.” He suddenly spoke, prompting confusion in me as to why he suddenly said those words.

Or I was confused until the pilot answered without missing a beat.

“It gets nicer every day.”

The guard nodded once more at that before the soldiers began clearing the way for us. “Follow me.” He spoke, walking ahead.

‘Ahh, it was a password.’ I realized, smirking a little at the excitement of it all.

Still, the pilot turned and re-entered the helicopter, planning to leave. Quickly the rest of us caught on to what we were supposed to do and speed-walked over to the guard he was talking to, who waited patiently by the heavy metal doors that led into the fortified facility.

As we approached, I counted how many of us there were, since I didn’t know before because we were blindfolded. Including myself, fifteen of us men and women in white were transferred to this facility. Some of us are clearly more excited than others, while others appear intimidated by their unfamiliar surroundings.

“Attention!” The guards at the door screamed as I was suddenly dragged out of my thoughts as a harsh voice broke through the deep recesses of my mind, forcing my eyes to turn towards him. Although his gaze was hidden beneath his helmet, I could feel his eyes piercing straight through me, as if scrutinizing every detail of me. The only mercy was the fact that he spread his gaze across all fifteen of us, sparing me from some of the pressure.

He then continued. “… My name is Brandon Grant, and I am the acting security corporal overseeing this site. You're all here because you apparently have something to offer Site-008, some research expertise or some other bullshit that we are severely lacking.”

“As I’m sure you are all aware, the worldwide containment breach and nuke strike on Site-74 have sent the rest of the foundation into a frenzy, desperately trying to patch up any security gaps that exist. For that reason, multiple anomalies have been secretly transported to our site on account that it was one of the only sites that wasn’t attacked at all during the worldwide containment breach, and because its location has always been a closely held secret.” The man turned during his explanation before beginning to type something onto the number pad next to the door. “It is for that reason you all have been transferred here, to help out on-site experts deal with the increase of anomalies and make sure they don’t break containment. We are swapped in work as is, so don’t make it any worse for anybody else here, or we’ll have problems. I have been granted the authority to demote any of you to D-class at a moment's notice, so no funny business.”

‘… Well, that’s certainly an interesting hello.’ I joked to myself as I felt a nervous sweat roll down my cheek. A part of me wanted to speak up and defend myself at what the man just said, but I’m also not a fucking idiot, so I held my tongue.

Everyone else seemed to have a similar reaction, as an awkward silence reigned supreme between each and every one of us.

Regardless, eventually he also swiped a keycard on the number pad, which was followed by a green light glowing up on the device along with a high-pitched beeping sound.

At that, the large metal door quickly slid up into the wall, opening the way for us.

Without even turning, the self-titled Security Corporal walked through the open doorway silently, prompting us to follow. Which we did, after a slight moment of hesitation.

As we entered, the immediate thing I noticed was the smell of chemicalized sterilization. It burned my nose slightly, but refusing to fall behind, I powered through it.

The hall was lit up by an array of curling lights; meanwhile, dozens of guards stood by on each side of the hallway.

Reaching the end of said hallways opened up to a much larger room that was also tall enough to reveal a balcony with even more guards standing by. The only door was on the opposite end, covered by a large machine.

The corporal explained it to be a metal detector and was simply here to make sure nothing dangerous was entering the facility without their knowledge. We were asked to empty our pockets and step through, to which we all easily complied.

Nothing went wrong, and we each passed the machine without issue, prompting our tour guide to nod and continue leading us through the next doorway, which eventually led to a large elevator. Large enough that it fit all sixteen of us inside of it, albeit only slightly, as some of us were forced to stand shoulder to shoulder.

Then with a push of a button by the corporal, the elevator began descending at a rapid pace.

Before I could linger on the silence, however, the security corporal spoke up once again.

“This elevator is typically reserved for transporting some of the larger anomalies we contain here, so don’t get used to using it. I’m only allowing it now since it will be too much of a pain to transport each of you greenies in groups.” He began, once again annoying me slightly by how quickly he disregards us. But before I could question it, he continued.

“This facility is made up of 45 floors. 5 above ground and 40 below. The ones aboveground and some of the topmost sub-floors are used for general necessities, like office spaces and cafeterias. The further down you go, the more the spaces slowly change from office spaces to containment cells for anomalies. I’m sure you all probably could’ve guessed this, but the more dangerous an anomaly is, the deeper it’s kept.” He explained as the elevator continued its descent until eventually stopping suddenly, causing us all to jolt forward into one another like a weird game of human dominoes. “As is also expected, the further down you go, the higher identification is required. The aboveground floors, barring a handful of rooms, are open for all, along with the first 5 sublevels for anyone with level 1 security clearance. Levels 6 through 15 are reserved for those with at least level 2 security clearance. 16 through 30 is for those with level 3 clearance. And 31 through forty is open to anyone with level 4 clearance.”

The large doors of the elevator began to slowly open as our ‘tour guide’ walked through the now open doorway, which we quickly followed behind.

“Now I can’t pretend to know what exactly all of your roles were before coming here, but in this facility you’ll all be given level 2 clearance, meaning only sub-level floors fifteen and above are open to you.” He stopped and turned back to us all. “If any of you have a problem with that, take it up with me. We could never have too many D-class after all.”

… That warning promptly silenced any complaints any of us could’ve had.

Despite that, however, one brave soul slowly raised his hand nervously. Noting this, the security corporal looked it over for a moment before giving a frustrated sigh. “This isn’t kindergarten, greeny. You don’t need to raise your hand before every fucking question. Speak!”

The man, who appeared decently short and with blond hair, recoiled slightly at the aggressive tone but quickly choked down his nerves before continuing.

“O-oh, w-well… um— Security Corporal, sir! I w-was just… you know, since we m-mentioned D-class, I was just curious where they were… where they were kept.” He finished before standing as straight as a pencil under the corporal's every piercing gaze.

This continued for a few moments… before the man turned sharply to look ahead, allowing the scientist to drop his shoulders.

“Good question, greeny! Possibly one of the best you could’ve asked.” He began, which drew a sigh of relief from the man’s lips. “D-class cells are somewhat scattered through the facility, mostly being holding cells for those waiting to be cross-tested on with anomalies. Though the majority of cells exist on sub-levels 7 through 10. And sub-levels 18 through 21. The lower cells are usually reserved for the worst of the worst as far as D-class go. Or for those rebellious spirits that don’t listen well to direction. The cells on the upper floors are for those with good behavior and are the ones we usually cross-text with safe or less dangerous anomalies. A reward, if you will, for not being a pain in the ass.”

“Currently, we’re on sub-level 13, which is where you all will more than likely spend most of your time.” He explained as he turned the corner and swiped his keycard on another card reader, forcing open another heavy metal door, allowing us to see long windows that stretched across both sides of the walls on the long hallway, revealing multiple men and women in white lab coats as they danced fervently around expensive machinery, computers, and one-too-many stacks of papers. “This floor is filled with labs, offices, and living spaces reserved for lower-level personnel. Unless called out for testing, you won’t have much reason to leave this floor of the facility.”

Amidst the man’s explanation, I noticed a woman tear her eyes away from a microscope and take notice of us. As soon as she did, I watched as she quickly said something that was muted from the glass and exited out of the laboratory as soon as possible, entering into the hallways through one of the many metallic doors.

The corporal, noticing her frantically leaving the room, chuckled. “Forgot you were getting some new lab rats today, Miss Smith?”

She immediately rolled her eyes at his jab as she quickly went to straighten out her lab coat. Though the effort seemed futile, as the wrinkles seemed too deep and too stubborn to leave.

“Please don’t call me Miss, Corporal Grant. It makes me feel old.” She swipes some of her long blonde hair out of her face before turning to us. “Um— Hey! I’m Donna Smith, but you all can just call me Don. And I am in charge of… all of this.” She gestures towards the large labs to either side of us.

“I’m the head researcher on this floor, and I’ll be taking charge of you from here on!” She turned towards Corporal Grant. “I’ll be taking it from here, Corporal, unless you want to say anything else to scare our newest recruits?”

He rolled his eyes, “Nothing left that isn’t obvious. I have more important stuff to do than being a tour guide anyways.” He turned to the women. “I covered for you today because I owed you one, but don’t expect that again in the future, alright?”

“Hehe, sure thing, teddy bear.” 

The security chief twitched at her words, but he quickly retreated past us all, probably to do more ‘important stuff’ or whatever.

Regardless, he soon disappeared from view into the maze of hallway, leaving nothing but general disappointment in his wake.

As soon as he was gone, the woman sighed before turning to us with an apologetic look written on her otherwise fair face. “I’m sorry about our local security corporal. He’s a… bit of a character, but that’s only because he genuinely cares about everyone here and wants to make sure they stay protected from any potential threat. When you get to know him, you’ll realize just how much of a marshmallow he really is, I promise!”

“… Yea, I find that a little hard to believe.” I hear someone next to me mutter under his breath, just loud enough for me to catch it but quiet enough so the women in front of us wasn't able to. And… honestly, I couldn’t help but silently agree with the man’s assessment.

Still, Miss Smith, taking in the quietly awkward atmosphere, decided to laugh it off before continuing down the hall.

“Anyhow, let’s continue with the tour, shall we!” She spoke with all the energy she could muster, a stark contrast with the corporal, who felt like he wanted to do literally anything else compared to talking with us.

Still, she is our superior, so we followed.

The rest of the tour of sub-level 13 was a rather pleasant one. We were shown most of the labs on the level that we’d be working from, some ongoing projects and assignments that most of us would more than likely be assigned to, and the basics of some of the few anomalies that actually were kept on this floor, like SCP-662, SCP-212, SCP-500, etc.

“Actually, SCP-500 was just transferred here from another site.” Donna Smith explained as we walked by a heavy metal door, guards flanking both sides of it. Through the observation window, we could spot what looked to be an orange bottle of pills sitting limply on a small stone pillar in the center of the room, a single light flashing down upon it. “Apparently during the worldwide containment breach, some of the hidden Serpent Hand agents tried to steal these pills. Luckily a guard on standby managed to shoot the anomalous crystal in the cultist's hand just quickly enough to prevent them from escaping with it. It was transferred here for safekeeping after the fact, where we can continue testing on the pills.”

She continued the tour after that, though I couldn’t help but tear my view back to the cell with the pills. I’ve heard a little about these miracle pills, about how they can basically cure any disease or sickness within a matter of hours. A miracle medicine that could change the world, and if the foundation learns how to replicate them, then things like cancer, pandemics, etc., would all be things of the past.

So, I silently memorized the location of these pills before continuing on with following the senior researcher with the tour.

It wasn’t anything too interesting after that, since she mostly just talked about pay, who to listen to, some protocols that we have to follow, what time it’s lunch, where the medical bay is, and what anomalies you should and shouldn’t touch. Just normal stuff like that.

“Oh, and over here is the break room with SCP-294! For those of you who don’t know, it’s a vending machine that can give you any drink on planet earth. Just don’t ask for anything weird; we have a guard on standby who says what’s ok to type into the machine.”

… Ok, that bit was kind of cool.

But besides that, it was all pretty boring, with the only marginally interesting detail being how every floor of this facility has its own generator, and if one generator goes out, the rest of the floors can still function normally. Apparently this was done as a precaution in case of a containment breach.

Finally, after what felt like hours of walking with me meeting my daily steps three times over, she finally concluded the tour and showed us where we’d be staying. Since we live on-site, there was an entire wing on this floor where lower-level researchers lived. The rooms weren’t anything special, just a bed, desk, computer, wardrobe, and a few other necessities. The room honestly reminded me of the cramped dorm rooms in college, only a lot more metallic and… sterilized.

Regardless, that concluded our day as everyone went to their new personal rooms. I’m sure some of them began rearranging the place to fit their needs, but not me. Instead, I spent the next handful of minutes writing down everything I learned today since arriving. All the instructions, names of superiors, projects, location of anomalies, and everything that I felt like could be useful to remember while working here in the long term. It always helps me to remember when I write down the details.

Moments after finishing that, however, I heard a knock at my door.

Curious, I placed the notebook on my desk and walked over to the door, opening it with the push of a button, causing it to slide open.

‘Man, all the doors here sure are fancy.’ I thought, but quickly tossed the observation to the back of my mind as I noticed who was standing in front of my door.

That being Donna Smith, the very woman who I’d be working under for the next however many years I end up working here till I get reassigned again.

She looked up from her clipboard and turned to me with a smile on her face, a mirror to my confused look as I began to question why she’s here.

“Ahh, evening! You’re… Amanda Williamson, right?” She asked, unsure, mocking me out of my clouded mind and prompting me to answer.

“Umm— y-yes, that’s me. Can I… help you?” I asked, unsure, wondering why she’d knock on my door. 

She just smiles at my answer before going back to write on her clipboard. “Excellent, follow me, please.” Was all she commanded before turning on her heels and beginning to walk down the hallway.

‘… Sigh, guess I’m not getting any sleep tonight.’ I quickly realized, before rushing back to my wardrobe and tearing out my lab coat that I hung up in it, before urgently skipping out of my room and following the women skittishly, worry overcoming my mind and forcing any other emotions aside.

I was hoping she’d explain what was going on, but she continued walking in silence, almost as if she forgot I was here.

This continued for a handful of minutes as I followed her wordlessly through the halls as she swiped her card at the high-security checkpoints and continued walking. I was a little nervous some of the guards would stop me, but none of them did.

Eventually she led me to the elevator, and after a quick swipe of her ID card, pressed the button for floor… Sub-level 30? I thought that was one of the places the corporal said we didn’t have authority to enter?

At this point, my curiosity had overpowered my anxiety to speak. So, I cleared my throat loudly, hoping it would get her attention.

… It didn’t, as her face was still glued to the clipboard in her hands.

‘… Son of a— sigh, fine.’

Reluctantly I tapped her shoulder, which actually did get a surprised flinch from the woman as she looked back towards me.

“Hehe, hey, um… Sorry to bother you, but… where are we going?” I asked, causing her to look at me confused for a second before realization dawned on her face like a sunrise.

“Ahh, right! You haven’t been informed of what you’d be helping with yet, have you?” She exclaims more as a statement and less like a question, causing me to shrug.

“Not really; I was just told that my area of expertise would be well used here.”

“Hmm, and that area of expertise is in reality warpers and subjects of the like, right?” She asked, as if clarifying. I gave a nod.

“Good, we could never have enough people like that here, especially with our newest project.” She says giddily, almost like a schoolgirl waiting to show off her high grades to her parents.

“Newest project? What do you—”

DING

The elevator door opened, revealing another long hallway, guards flanking the sides of each wall every couple of feet.

She turned to me with a smile. “Let me show you!” was all she said before directing me down this hallway.

I followed, obviously. What else was I supposed to do? Eventually, after like another 30 minutes of continuing to abuse my already tired and overworked feet, we made it to one last heavy doorway, which was at least twice as tall as me and three times as wide, taking up the entire back wall of this hallway. Here, there were also at least 20 different guards, dozens of cameras, hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if some advanced ‘fuck your shit up’ turrets were hidden in these walls somewhere.

Still, the senior researcher just nodded to the guards before she swiped her keycard once more against the door, and after a couple of seconds, the door slowly began to slide open. Revealing… revealing…

“… oh my god.” I spoke, my eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as I stared straight ahead of me through the protective glass. I even ignored the dozens of scientists that ran around feverishly in this apparent control room, with levers and panels attached to every odd wall around.

I ignored them all, however, and instead began approaching the protective glass. I barely batted an eye as some of them bumped into me, looking at me with a stink eye before continuing on with their urgent tasks that kept their feet dancing around the apparent control room.

Finally, I stood in front of the glass, and I… and I…

“Quite the sight, isn’t it?” Donna’s words knocked me out of my stupor, prompting me to look to the left, noticing that they made their way next to me while I wasn’t paying attention and was also staring through the glass. “What you’re looking at is 13 years of hard work. The jewel of site-008.”

I slowly turned back to look through the glass… looking at the device.

It was… massive! The floor was so far down, and the ceiling was even higher in this room. It looked as though the open spaces stretched multiple floors, possibly even 10 or 20 floors. I noticed some other smaller control rooms dotted around the walls in the massive chamber, but none seemed as big as the one we were in right now.

As for what was being held in this room… Well…

It looked almost like a thinned-out pyramid; its base seemed to be connected to a large metal platform with thousands of wires of various sizes attaching to its base, and even began as there were so many wires that they had begun to be stacked on top of each other just to fit them all in.

The rest of this thinned pyramid was also made of metal, but there were multiple doors and hatches I could see spread around it, as if maintenance teams traveling into this large device was common.

Multiple streaks of electric blue danced around the framework of the device. Whether this served a practical purpose or was just for decoration, I wasn’t sure, but what I was sure about was at the very tip of this pyramid, so high up it nearly scraped the ceiling and I had to crane my head to see properly through the window, was a glowing cyan dot that seemed to thrum with power. Not intently, but enough to show that it was there and it was doing something.

Still, I could only gawk as I viewed the device, as I realized it looked… familiar.

“Is… is this—” I began to speak but was cut off as Donna chuckled to herself.

“Yes, it is.” She explained, reading my mind perfectly before turning to the device herself. “There's a reason reality benders are sent here specifically. And that reason is this.”

“Feast your eyes on the second biggest Scranton Reality Anchor in existence, with the comparative hume concentration of almost 10,000 ξ! Second only to SCP-7379 itself!”

I blinked, taken aback by her confirmation as I turned back to the machine. “How did… How did you make this?”

“Hehe, trust me, it wasn’t easy. They started construction long before I got this position, and they're not even close to being done as of yet.” She began explaining as a certain sense of pride welled up in her throat as she did so. “Still, we’ve made some good progress! It’s at a point where it constantly gives off a very minor effect over the entire site, keeping reality stable. However, that’s obviously not enough for some reality benders, so we can activate it if one of them breaks from containment.”

“… but?” I pushed, causing the senior researcher to sigh.

“But… we haven’t exactly stabilized it yet.” She explained before turning to a far-off control panel. “While we can get it fully operational, the amount of energy it produces will cause the entire machine to cave in on itself in a matter of minutes. I’m sure you understand this, but solidifying reality too much could cause reality to come crashing down on you. Although we haven’t tested it, we think if we ever cranked this thing to full power, everyone in this and every other control room will… die almost immediately. Plus, best case scenario, we think we could only keep it operational for 3 minutes at most as of now.”

I blinked before a small look of disappointment flashed across my face. I was still amazed, don’t get me wrong, but 3 minutes… really isn't that long of a time.

She shrugged, probably noticing my disappointed look. “Like I said, we’re still working on it. Given a couple more years, I'm sure we’ll have all the kinks sorted out completely.”

“Heh, right.” I nodded; the idea of something like this being fully operational all the time filled me with excitement.

Still…

“Why are you telling me this?” I finally asked her, causing her to smile.

“Heh, not a lot of people specialize in reality benders, especially greenies like you. I looked at some of the research you helped with before transferring here, and I noticed you have at least some experience with reality benders and Scranton Reality Beacons, plus, according to your files, you did experience a reality bender firsthand when you were younger. That kind of experience could prove to be invaluable on a project like this.” She explained to me as I sheepishly looked away. “You might be fresh-faced to the foundation, but we’ll take all the help we can get to get this machine running. Which is why this project is where you’ll be assigned for the foreseeable future.”

My eyes glisten excitedly!

“Wait, really!?”

She smiled. “Really. But you should probably get some rest. I just wanted to get the basics out of the way before you begin work tomorrow and… Don’t get too excited; you're not gonna be trusted with anything too important on this project for a while, not at least until you prove your competency.”

To some, those words might have brought them down a bit. But for me, it only ignited the flame in me to want to work even harder than before to prove myself!

“I’ll lead you back to your room. Meet me by elevator 13-E tomorrow at 1100, and I’ll take you down here to begin your work. You’ll also receive a temporary keycard to allow you access to this floor by tomorrow as well; that way, you won’t need to rely on me to get you here every day.”

I nodded, and with that, she led me back out of the control room, leaving the massive reality beacon behind us. We snaked our way back through the labyrinth of hallways and security checkpoints, the exact path she took causing my head to spin when I thought about it, until we finally reached the elevator system. She brought me back up to sub-level 13, where she finished bringing me back to my room.

She wished me luck for tomorrow, then left for presumably her own room on a lower floor. I sighed before excitedly closing my still way-too-fancy door, basically ripped off my lab coat, and changed into my night outfit. 

Then, like a little girl waiting for Christmas morning, I lay in my bed as I struggled to fall asleep, too many exciting thoughts and ideas of how I could help with this project already stirring within my mind.

Eventually, however, the sandman had his way, as I slowly felt my eyelids begin to squeeze shut like pounds and pounds of weight had been glued to them.

Until eventually, I fell asleep, excited for the day to come…

…

…

…

---

 

*BEEP* *BEEP* BEEP

I suddenly find myself getting thrown away as a loud, high-pitched beeping assaulted my ears. I try to open my eyes to try and find where the sound was coming from, only to be immediately blinded as bright red, flashing lights blind me from an alarm system I didn’t even know was in my room.

“Gahh, what the hell—”

*BEEP* BEEP 

“This is an automated emergency announcement: Site-008 is under attack. All security personnel, immediately report to your superiors for further instructions. All research and non-combative personnel, find somewhere safe and stay where you are until further instructions can be given. This is not a drill. This message will repeat every couple of seconds.”

*BEEP* BEEP

… I stood shocked as the message finished, before quickly replaying once more in the same, monotone, robotic voice.

… We are under attack… On my first day working here…

“... FUCK!”

Notes:

Amanda: Man, I can’t wait for my first day of work!

SCP-035: Yea, me too!

Amanda:… what?

 

Hello! So… I can probably make the assumption that this probably wasn’t what people were expecting this chapter to be. Trust me, I get it… that’ll begin next chapter I promise.

Still, this character was always planned to be here, and this chapter is meant to both introduce her, a couple of other character, and to give a bit of a teaser for some things that reside currently in site-008.

Still, don’t worry. The true siege of site-008 starts next chapter! And I, for one, can’t wait for it to begin because, oh boy, there is a LOT of that’s gonna happen. The true beginning of the end, you could say.

Regardless, I am curious, how do you all feel about the new character? I promise they won’t take up a lot of screen time after this as it will mostly be focused on 035 and his attack, but I do want to know what you all think of her. I tried to give her some characterization, so I’m curious what you all think.

Regardless, that’s all I really need to say this week.

So, drop a kudos if you enjoyed! Leave a comment if you have any questions, concerns, ideas, corrections, joke, or just want to yell at me for taking a million years with this story (trust me, I yell at myself to.) And I hope you all have a fantastic day! See you next week!

Chapter 65: First line falls.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

???????? Leaves their cell.

Corporal Grant sets up his defense.

035 gets ready for chaos.

Notes:

“If you could sacrifice to give others the slimmest of chances to live, would you?”

???????? POV

 

“—All research and non-combative personnel, find somewhere safe and stay where you are until further instructions can be given. This is not a drill. This message—”

I listened intently to the blaring noise over the intercoms, only for the remainder of it to be drowned out by the sound of heavy boots against the metal flooring right outside my cell.

I heard the other D-class begin screaming, demanding to know what was going on. The guards simply ignored them as I heard their pace increase before eventually silencing as they made it far from our cell wing, with the only noise now coming from the rambunctious prisoners. 

Some were yelling to be let out of their cells, others demanded answers for what was happening, and some even began throwing rather vulgar terms out to the passing guards, wishing them dead against whatever the hell warranted these alarms.

As for me… I simply continued to lie in my bed. It was mildly more comfortable than the one I had back at Site-19, but only ever so slightly. It still was reminiscent of sleeping on a pile of cold, hard stones, only comfortable enough to allow you to sleep, but uncomfortable enough to constantly remind you that you're in a prison cell, no matter how hard you closed your eyes.

Here to remind you that you are as disposable as cattle in this facility.

“… sigh, this better just be a false alarm or something because I swear to 343, if I have to survive another containment breach, somebody is dying… And in all likelihood that somebody is probably going to be me.” I reluctantly sighed before reaching over and grabbing the only semi-soft thing the guards in this facility could afford to give me. My pillow.

I picked it up with a calculated glance, searching it all over until I found what I was looking for, a very small stitch line against the pillow's surface. Nearly imperceptible to those that wouldn’t know what they were looking for, but I did, especially considering I was the one who did it.

I continued staring at the stitch, knowing that if I got my wish and this was a false alarm, I’d be screwed if I left now.

“… Ahh, who am I kidding? I’ll just end up back here.” I smile to myself, as if telling a joke that nobody but me would ever hope to get or understand.

So, with a bite that can only come from a starving man, I clenched the stitched part of the pillow between my teeth before pulling back, straining my neck as I did so.

RRRRRIIIIIPPPPP!

That satisfying sound filled the air of my hollow cell as soft microfibers flew everywhere, absorbing the remaining moisture from my already cotton-dry mouth.

Still, it had the desired effect of revealing the flesh of the pillow. 

I smiled before digging my hand deep into it, which warmed up almost immediately being surrounded by the microfiber interior, until eventually I felt my hand grip against a familiar cold, rectangular-shaped object.

Pulling my hand back, I was relieved to see it was exactly what I expected it to be. 

A black SCP keycard. 

which possessed a level 5 clearance level.

I stared at it intently; the simple object possessed extraordinary power over the inner workings of one of the most powerful and secretive organizations on the planet… And it also contained more than its fair share of bad memories, reminding me of what had happened back then.

I quickly shrugged those feelings aside, knowing that there is time to begin pondering over that time in my life anymore. Not until I fully understood what the hell was happening out there.

So I quickly reached over and grabbed a small wooden stick that I hid beneath my sheets. It was originally a handle for a plunger before I tore it off last time I was on cleaning duty. It was hard, but I managed to sneak it back into my cell.

Regardless, I tore a bit more cloth off of the pillow before tying the loose bit of fabric around the keycard and the handle. Giving a quick tug to make sure it was properly secured. 

I then stood from my bed and approached the door to my cell, which conveniently had a small window near the top that was filled with metal bars. 

Most people could barely even fit their hand between the gap present.

Luckily, I was thinner than most.

So I carefully maneuvered the wooden stick through the gap between the bars along with my hand as I awkwardly attempted to move the keycard over the scanner that I knew existed.

It took a couple of minutes of finagling, and a handful of times I was worried I would have to break my arm to properly reach.

But eventually, despite the blaring sirens going off everywhere and flooding the hall with bright flashes of red, I managed to hear a loud and positive ding escape from the space in front of me.

As quickly as I could manage, I retracted my arm, dropping the stick at the front of my cell door. As soon as my final finger came back into the call, the door slid open to the right, freeing me from my temporary confinement.

I smiled before leaving my cell, reaching down and picking up the stick and keycard as I did so.

“Huh? Hey, how’d you get out!?” An urgent voice screamed out in surprise, prompting me to turn to the source, that being another D-class who was occupying the cell opposite of mine. “Ack, it doesn't matter! Hey, let me out! We can escape together!!!” 

I blinked… before grinning widely.

“No… no, I don’t think I will.” I answered smugly, watching as the man’s face deformed into one of confusion, then of fear, and finally of anger.

“What—you fucking bitch! Let me out!” He banged his fist against his metal door, all while I smiled at his struggle.

I then turned and began walking calmly down the hall. 

“Hey— HEY! GET BACK HERE, YOU BITCH!” I heard the man’s scream enter my ears, overpowering even those of his fellow D-class as they screamed at me for help. Probably cursing me and five generations while they were at it.

“OH, YOU’RE A DEAD MAN, YOU KNOW THAT!? YOU'RE A DEAD. FUCKING. MAN, BENJAMIN! BENJAMIN! DON’T FUCKING IGNORE ME!!!”

I smiled… Oh, this is going to be interesting.

 

---

Corporal Grant POV

 

“Sir, we’ve successfully managed to cut off power to the elevators past this floor. The intruders will have no choice but to go through us, over.” One of my men addressed me through the walkie I was holding; the sound of soldiers urgently moving around was present on both my end and that of my soldier. 

I raised the walkie to my mouth. “Roger that. Any signs of the affiliation of the intruders? Over.”

The staticky masculine voice on the other end responded, “Copy, not yet, Corporal. All cameras were taken out before they could get a view of the attackers. No personnel on the floors above this one have responded; it’s safe to assume they’re all MIA. Over.”

“… Fuck.” I mutter to myself as I shake my head in frustration. We had over a hundred men stationed above ground, and not a single one of them managed to radio in fast enough to let us know who was attacking! 

Not only that, but they’ve also taken out all the cameras we had installed, even the hidden ones. Meaning… we may have traitors in the facility. 

Sure, they could just be really fucking perceptive, but I highly doubt it. 

I turned quickly on my heel before I began barking out orders to the soldiers around me, demanding for them to move faster as they began setting up impromptu barricades in the hall, readying themselves as they pointed their rifles at the heavy metal security door that we lowered.

I raise my walkie again. “Copy that. Temporary checkpoint at elevator system C and generator 3 is officially set up, over.” I informed them as I recalled the plan. One of my security officers, Andrew, set up his squad at the exit of the only elevator system that lowered to this floor. Meanwhile, me and my team had set up a checkpoint at another elevator system that was built next to this floor's on-site generator, which was the only way to get down from sub-level 3 after we cut the power to all the elevators on this floor.

I turned my attention back to barking orders at my men, wanting to make sure they were prepared for any—

“Sir, the elevator is coming down! Over.” 

‘What?’ I thought, shocked at the fact they were doing exactly what I was expecting them to do. That… was rare. 

‘Still, guess I shouldn’t complain.’

“Copy that! Prepare yourself, soldier. As soon as you get any identification on them, inform me immediately of their affiliation. You have my permission to fire on sight. Over.”

The voice crackled back, “Roger that, Corporal. I will keep you… huh?” 

“Hmm, what is it, soldier?” I asked, a nervous sweat breaking out on the side of my face.

“The… the elevator is… empty.” The voice began unsure as fear began creeping into his vocal cords. “Could it have been a distraction? Or… maybe the attackers are some sort of anomaly that can turn invisibl—”

“GAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”

Whatever else the captain was going to say was immediately lost, as a bloodcurdling scream cut in through my walkie like sandpaper. Some of the soldiers near me flinched at the noise, turning towards its source with shocked expressions.

I ignored them as I hurriedly bit down on my spoke into the device. “What's happening?! What was that?!”

“It’s… it’s… oh god, it’s him! I-I-I thought he was—” his voice scrambled for an answer, only to be drowned out by the horrific screams and wails of pain from soldiers.

I cut in, “Speak, soldier! What are you seeing!? Who’s attacking!? We need information!”

“I-I-It’s— T-Their back— it’s… oh, oh god— WAIT, PLEAS— GAAKK!!!”

STATIC

“… Andrew? Do you copy?”

STATIC

“… anyone? Anyone at all, do you copy?” My voice crackled out with nervousness.

STATIC

It was all I heard. The cackle of a radio. The telltale signs of whoever was on the other end of it… would never call back in.

‘Shit… Andrew… squad 7D… fuck.’

I lowered the radio, offering but a moment of silence dedicated solely to them. To the soldiers that risked their lives fighting for us.

The rest of my squats caught on quick as they quieted down as well. The only sound that pierced through this sacred moment was the distant hum of this floor's generator.

I sighed before allowing my mask of a corporal to slip back on.

I looked down at the walkie in my hands as a new idea jumped to the forefront of my mind.

I lifted the device back up to my mouth.

STATIC

“… I know you're listening in, whatever you are.” I eventually decided to speak into the walkie, addressing my worried voice to a separate target. “Tell me… what are you?”

“…”

“…”

“… Heh. Why, so kind of you to ask!”

I took in a sharp breath as a weathered voice shone through the speaker of the walkie. They didn’t necessarily sound old, but their voice did sound… incomplete. Even more so through the crackling of the device. Almost as if their vocal cords were hanging in by naught but a mere thread.

Honestly, they didn’t even sound alive, all things considered.

Despite that, however, there was a certain refined element to their voice. It was hard to explain, but it almost made them seem wise… too wise.

“Usually, you don’t even bother asking. So I’m flattered that somebody here still cares enough for decent manners to offer me the time of day.” They spoke slowly and methodically, their voice reminding me almost of a snake that was forcibly wrapping itself around my legs, subduing me with the mere tone of their voice. “And who do I have the pleasure of speaking to today, might I ask?”

“… Let’s be honest, who I am doesn’t matter in the slightest.” I eagerly tacked on, not wanting to let whoever this was steer the conversation away from where I wanted it to be. I also gave a quick nod to the men around me to keep their guns trained against the heavy metal door that blocked off the hallway. “So before we go any further, I do just have one question to ask… are any of my men still alive?”

“… No.” 

A tense silence fell upon me like an anvil. It was the expected answer, don’t get me wrong. But… Thinking something and hearing it firsthand are two entirely separate things.

“I see… Then let’s just cut to the chase already.”

“Who are you? And what do you want in this facility?” 

They didn’t answer.

“… Can’t answer? Because I can tell you what, this doesn’t feel like it’s an attack from the insurgency. They’re good, but they're not good enough to hide an army in the mountains. The serpent’s hand is effective but loud; they’d want us to know they’re attacking. There are also a half-a-dozen other GOIs that have twice as many reasons to want us dead, but none of them would be able to do all this without us at least getting a sight of who they are.” My gaze intensified to the ground, so much so that I completely failed to notice that the walls behind my men were beginning to darken ever so slightly. “So I’ll ask again. Who are you? And what do you want?”

“Hmm… not bad. You would’ve made a superb security director one day, I’m sure.” They spoke mockingly as I decided to ignore the not-so-hidden meaning in their words. “As for what I want, it’s rather simple, all things considered! As a matter of fact, I’ll even spare you and the rest of this facilitie's dogs if you just—oh, let’s see— hand me full authority and power over the site, let me free a few of your many ‘anomalies’ that you have stored here, pay a visit to a few old friends, and let us be on our way! Simple as pie, don’t you think?” 

“Hmm, I see. That’s an interesting idea.” I retort sarcastically as the mere thought of accepting their ‘proposal’ caused bile to form in my throat. “Counteroffer. How about I set off the on-site nuclear warhead and drag you down to Hell with me? Heard the land of brimstone is great this time of year.”

“Ehh, fifty-fifty. Certainly a great place to get a tan, but it’s mostly just fucking depressing with a sprinkle of incompetence by the ruling class.” The voice on the other end answered a little too earnestly, confusing me for a second before they continued. “But no, I’m not planning on heading back down there just yet. Too much to do and far too little time. I’m on a tight schedule, too much to do and far too little time before reinforcements arrive.”

“You can help me with that, as I’ve already stated. But a part of me fears you're as stubborn as the security officers on the last couple floors.” 

I scoffed at their biting implication. “What gave it away?”

“The general air of ‘foundationist’ that comes from speaking to you.” They answered nonchalantly before I could hear a smile spread across their face as they continued. “Now, I suppose we need to do this the hard way. Don’t blame me; I did give you a chance.”

The sweat forming on my brow began falling like raindrops as I came to a decision in my mind. I turned back to the two soldiers waiting in the back and gave them both a hand signal, one only a handful of people know.

They both looked shocked as their eyes widened as they shone like flashlights with fear, as if asking if I was sure.

I nodded, which seemed enough to prompt the two of them to begin retreating. One headed into the elevator behind us while the other ran into a door not far from us, which contained the generator to this floor.

I released a small sigh of relief at their actions before turning back to my walkie once more.

“You know, you never did answer my other question. Who are you?” I reiterated it to them. 

A hoarse chuckle seemed to bark through from the other end. “Ahh, right, silly me, that must have slipped my mind!”

I immediately knew that was bullshit; nobody who was seemingly this clever would forget something like that, and more likely he was just subtly pushing the conversation away from that line of questioning. 

Still, I held my tongue as the static increased in my walkie, their throaty voice rasping out as they continued to answer.

“If you must know, then here it is… I am a devil.”

“Your devil.”

BANG!

Before I could even process the response, a loud metallic bang shook the air around me. I shot my head up… 

only to spy a large, white object piercing through the heavy metal barrier in the hallway. Feathers lined the sharp weapon as it seemingly pierced through the 15-inch-thick metal door as if it were paper.

I was shocked, as my jaw nearly hit the floor! How did they get here already? The elevator they entered through was on the opposite end of the floor. How did they make it here so quickly? How did they arrive so fast?! 

“I am that devil you foundation sheep tried and failed to bury. Who you would rather pretend didn’t exist, so you put me in that small, small box… and left me to rot. Only taking me out of my display case when you wanted to play. like an infant dabbling with things they don’t have the ability to comprehend.”

BANG!

A second wing-like spear shot through the barrier five feet to the right of the first. The soldiers flinched back as they raised their guns once more.

“I am the devil that sent fear through your ranks. I am the devil that haunts your very dreams. And I am the devil that steals the one thing you mortals hold most dear, the one thing you pitiful creatures believe you hold over everyone else.”

“Yourself.”

BANG!

A third wing slashed into the uppermost part of the barrier, creating a semicircle-like orientation with the three overly large wings.

Some of my men began looking at me with pleading looks, searching for permission to fire upon them for their own sense of security. I just shook my head feverishly. I may not know what these wings are or where they came from, but if they have the ability to pierce through metal this thick without a scratch, then we’d just be wasting ammo if we fire upon them.

“And I am the one that escaped from your clutches. Descending into the fires of hell just to escape your gaze, before crawling out once more. Reborn with one mission.”

“To purge.”

Bang!

A fourth wing slashed into the door, finishing the circle before—

SCREECH!

I gnashed my teeth together wildly to stop myself from raising my hands to cover my ears, as a horrid screeching, akin to a monster's wail as the four wing-like protrusions began moving, cutting cleanly into the metallic barrier as they all twisted in a clockwise manner. 

And I realized… They were making a hole in the door.

“Grrr, fire on sight!” I managed to yelp out audibly enough through the cacophony of scraping iron, causing the distraction soldiers to get back in position.

I recounted them, nodding at the 18 men I had ready, 2 of whom were wielding rocket launchers in the back. 

And then, somehow… some fucking how! Despite the noise, I could still hear the bastard speak through the walkie, clear as day.

SCREECH!

“You all are nothing but ants in this game, not even worthy enough to be considered specks of dust on this gameboard.”

“You shall all die like the pitiful and pathetic dogs you are.”

SCREECH!

“Fear me…”

The screeching halted as the wings finished their circle before retracting back the warrior and hiding from sight.

“… For you are already dead.”

The 15-inch slowly moved forward, as if something was pushing it and forcing it to scrape against itself, until finally.

BOOM!

It fell to the floor with enough force to send hundreds of cracks spiderwebbing across the previously pristine white tiles.

All at once, our weapons rose with fearful vigor as their muzzles stared straight down the hall through the newly opened gap.

I was ready to drop the walkie and give the order to fire until I realized something.

… It was empty.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, was on the other side.

I… what?

“Uhh… s-sir, what are your orders?” A voice questioned from behind one of the temporary barricades.

I could tell that many others in the hall shared the same sentiment, all looking at me for guidance.

I shook my head as I attempted to think of an order, turning to address the soldier who talked to me directly as—

Then I saw it. The back of the hallway, far behind our lines near the elevator, was rotting black, as the metal seemingly rusted and expired in a single moment.

Before a puddle of black sludge that was attached to the ceiling began to wriggle with life, a shining white wing emerged and—

“BEHIND—”

BOOM!

That was all I managed to choke out before the wing shot forward, piercing one of the soldiers in the chest.

We all flinched back in shock before a figure fell from the puddle of black, the oversized wing that was attached to their back seemingly retracting as the lifeless body fell, making way for a figure with grey skin, their entire body covered by these same wings almost like a cloak.

As soon as they hit the floor, their heeled feet clanking not far from the now deceased soldier, I made an order.

“OPEN FIRE!” I raised my own gun as—

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING TING 

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!!!!!

TINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTINGTING!!!!! 

Hundreds of bullet casings clattered against the floor as every soldier began to fire upon this figure, who, as soon as we began firing, extended two more large wings from their back and covered themselves, causing each and every bullet that cracked against them to bounce off them without leaving a single scratch. The only effect seemingly being their wings began vibrating with increased intensity.

Noting this, I gave a nod to the two soldiers in the back with rocket launchers, signaling for them to also fire.

Which they did.

BOOM! BOOM!!!!

Two explosions of crimson flames emerged from the centerpoint, scorching my face slightly as a torrent of heat assaulted my senses.

Still, I stood strong as I raised my fist up in the air, signaling for them all to stop firing, which they did.

My eyes studied the stack of smoke that emerged from the rockets, waiting patiently for them to die out to confirm the status of the target.

I did hold my gun close to my chest just in case, waiting for the worst for when the smoke eventually cleared, and—

WHOOSH!

I was forced to cover my eyes as a strong gust of wind shot into me like a train, forcing me to lose my balance for a second before returning my gaze back, noting with no small amount of fear that the grey-skinned female seemingly flung her wings out, kicking up enough wind to banish the smoke from around her and make us all lose our footing.

I clenched my teeth dramatically, ready to issue another order to open fire—

“GAHH!”

A scream broke out from my left, prompting me to turn…

Only to see a black puddle of goop appear behind one of my men, from which an inky black arm emerged and plunged straight into his chest.

“Dammit— TARGET AT SIX O'CLOCK!" I choked out as the body got pulled back by the hand before sinking into the puddle of black goop.

SLASH!

“GAHH!” “AAAHH!”

Two more screams filtered into my ears as I saw a stream of blood splash against the wall. I turned back to the winged anomaly and noticed they cut straight through two more soldiers before dashing ahead, straight towards our back lines.

I attempted to give an order for the two men with rocket launchers in the back, but I was quickly thwarted as, in a panic, they let loose another rocket towards the closely approaching creature.

Big mistake.

As soon as the rockets began speeding forward, the winged anomaly dodged around them with superhuman athleticism, letting them soar straight past them and—

BOOM!

… I attempted to cover my face as the explosions went off not too far in front of me. My ears began ringing like sirens as I was forcefully pushed to the ground.

My brain bashed against the inside of my skull as a splitting headache began making me both nauseous and delirious at the same time.

Dulled screams of pain were the only sense I could make, forcing me to turn, trying to get a grasp of the situation and salvage what I could.

… But it was too late.

I saw soldiers beginning to retreat, shooting at the winged women who continued to fly around the enclosed hall with unnatural athleticism, cutting down anyone that got in her way with a single swipe of her wings. Some slashes even deviated too far out, causing a massive gash to appear against the walls, but like butter.

I forced my gaze elsewhere as I began to crawl against the blood-soaked tiles, noting how the hallway was turning darker, as if the entire place was rotting. The few soldiers that weren’t focused on the women were attempting to avoid these puddles of darkness, only for a singular hand to shoot out of them, the same color as the dark portals they made, and began pulling them into their dark embrace.

“GAHH! HELP!”

Once more the hand extended from the floor and grabbed onto the leg of one of the men. He was beginning to be pulled into the puddle.

I… I tried to crawl towards him. I tried to reach out my hand… but it was all for naught as I saw him get pulled further into the pit, his hand reaching out towards me as a desperate look painted his features.

“S-SIR! PLEASE HEL— GRGRGRR!”

I forced my gaze down as his head submerged into the floor before disappearing completely.

… dammit.

“Corporal, get up, sir!”

Another voice called out from next to me before wrapping their arm around my shoulder and pulling me up. I was about to hit them on instinct before I recognized them as one of my own.

He began dragging me away from the screams, trying to move me towards the cut-through metal door as our defensive line completely fell apart.

“S-sir? What are your orders?!” He asked desperately, hoping for some glimmer of hope he could clutch onto for comfort.

I… could only stutter. I was… I was shellshocked.

His eyes widened in panic. “Sir? Sir! Answer me! What are your—”

BANG!

Blood splattered across my face… As a crimson hole appeared in the soldier's black helmet…

I fell to the floor with a heavy thump as my support crumbled, no longer able to carry me any further.

I tilted my head to the left… as I saw his lifeless gaze stare into me.

He was young… surprisingly so, considering the work. I remembered him; he joined this site not even a month ago, with a youthful vigor about him, one that promised to change the world.

Now… all that vigor is gone, replaced with a glassy stare.

…

“Heh, like I said, you are all just dogs.”

I froze… as a familiar, broken voice spoke to me. 

“And what good are dogs without orders? They become all bark and no bite! Wouldn’t you agree, Corporal?”

Shakily, I turned my head… only to see a pair of metal heels that stood in front of me.

I followed the legs up, which wasn’t as far as I would’ve originally thought… as I beheld a horrific image.

They wore almost what looked like a cowboy's outfit, or a sheriffs more accurately. Except it was all torn to shreds, cuts and bullet holes, enough of it stained red that I could only barely pick out the faint remains of gray for what the vest they wore once was.

Their outfit was the least of my concerns, however, as I felt my gaze get glued on the… rest of them.

Their skin was pink and raw with certain patches that looked almost green, as I could see the bone beneath the rotting flesh. They smelled of death, and nothing about them signified that they should be alive… whatever they are.

But as soon as I saw their face, it all made sense… as I saw it.

“… You.” I couldn’t help but mutter as I saw them, a smiling mask that gently adorned this creature's more angular face. A part of me wondered who or what they were before this monster got their hands on them, but I wasn’t exactly in the position to be curious about such things.

No, what I was interested in was the very parceling mask that, despite resting upon this rotting corpse, seemed completely spotless of blood or grime.

“How… how are you—you disappeared."

“Hehe, I told you, I am the foundation’s devil. And I’ve finally come back—” they point a shining six-shooter at my head. “—To collect my dues.”

BOOM!

He froze, fingers mere fractions of an inch from pulling the trigger; an explosion, louder than all the rest, rang out.

As soon as it did, all the lights immediately flickered out as all life was snuffed from them in an instant.

I didn’t even need to turn to realize what the masked demon was looking at, but I did anyways.

I stared past the rivers of blood that flowed through the hall and ignored the rolls of intestines that hung limply from the many bodies of once good men.

Instead I stared at the generator room, the one where I sent a soldier in earlier…

And saw fire burning from it, the machines that once powered this floor completely destroyed.

I smirked as I turned back to the so-called ‘devil,’ who merely looked back unimpressed.

“… Do you really think this measly attempt is going to stop us?”

“Heh, no. Not even close.” I admitted with absolute sincerity, before rounding up whatever moisture was left in my mouth and spat it onto the devil's heeled boots. “But… it could buy those after us just a couple more seconds.”

“And sometimes. A couple of seconds is enough to change everything.”

“… Hmm, pity you won’t be here to see it.” It spoke with no inflection in the voice before lifting the gun up once more and—

BANG!

 

---

SCP-035 POV

 

I danced over the piles of bodies, doing my best to dodge the discarded bits of meat and sinew that now caked the once sterilized hallway.

I approached the elevator door, knowing it wouldn’t open on account of the corporal oh-so heroically sacrificing one of his own men to blow up the generator.

I turn to the winged creature, who just finished cleaning their wings of blood.

“Hey, harpy, do you mind?” I gesture towards the door.

They looked at me unimpressed before sighing and approaching in silence. They stopped ahead of the door, before—

SLASH!

With one cut, it fell open.

“Seriously, why’d you bother getting that fucking key if you’re just going to have me open everything for you?” They asked with annoyance, which was quickly washed away with my chuckles.

“Because it’s funny.” 

They growled.

“And… because this is for something else.” I mutter as I pat the pocket that held the skeleton key.

“… tch, whatever. So, what’s our next plan?” They asked as the old man rose from the ground next to us.

“Now? Now we do exactly what that snake woman told us to do.” I admit with a sickly grin. “To sow chaos.”

They raised an eyebrow, “And how do you suppose we do that? Beyond… what we’ve already done.” They looked back at the hallway.

I shook my head. “Oh, oh, so much worse… Tell me, do you know how many D-class personnel are kept at this site?”

They contemplate for a second before shrugging.

“Heh, 846.” I explained, before looking down into the dark abyss that was the elevator shaft. “846 guinea pigs. Who, if given the opportunity… hehe, would love to tear every stuck-up guard and scientist in this place to shreds!”

Realization was shown in my companions' eyes as they turned toward me. “You… Are you planning on freeing them?”

“Of course I am. What’s more chaotic than hundreds of death row prisoners running rampant in a facility such as this?” I ask rhetorically, another chuckle scraping out of my throat. “Now come on… we’re close to the floor that some of them are kept on.”

And I jumped down the elevator shaft.

Notes:

Corporal Grant: Alright guys, all we need to do is shoot the first person we see. Simple.

035, Asaph, and the old man: (exists.)

Corporal Grant:… I may have misjudged the situation.

 

The battle for site 008 has finally begun! Already a prominent figure has fallen, while another has made themselves known and is on the move.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and… yea, I don’t have much to say, I just hope you enjoyed! And let me know what you think? Did I focus too much on Grant during it, or would you like to just see more carnage and less characters internal monologues?

Just curious.

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoy desperate last stands, leave a comment if you have literally any questions, ideas, comments, jokes, or suggestions (I’m always happy to answer). And I hope you all have an amazing week! And I’ll see you next Monday!

Chapter 66: Let the games begin!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

The mask begins the game.

A man gains a mission.

A fight for survival.

Notes:

“When you fight for your own survival, how far is too far?”

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit— fucking SHIT!” I screamed as I ran down the hallway as I left the elevator behind me. As I ran, I reached down for the walkie on my belt and yelped into it. “Corporal Grant! Is everything—”

“GAHHHH!!!/ OH GOD!!!/ AHH, MERCY!/ DIE BASTARD—/ FUCKING SHIT!/ AHHH!!!”

… the cacophony of screams perused my ears like a broken record, prompting me to drop the walkie as my grip loosened in shock, causing it to clatter against the floor. 

“Fuck… oh fuck… fuck-fuck—FUCK!” I kicked the wall as hard as I could, causing pain to erupt in my foot as my brittle bones lost the clash against the much sturdier walls. 

I pressed myself against the tiles before beginning to breathe… And breathe more… and more, and more— AND MORE!

“Fucking— calm! Calm down!” I punch myself in the chest before reaching up and tearing my textural helmet off my face, allowing me to suck in more air with less of a hindrance. 

I needed to calm down. Calm… down.

‘Dammit… Grant gave you a mission, for fuck's sake! If things go wrong, run ahead and get to the control room.’ I reassured myself as I remembered… Heh, it wasn’t even 10 minutes ago. 

I was standing there with everyone else, waiting for the worst… Then the corporal started talking to someone over the walkie.

I tried not to eavesdrop on them, but… fuck, it was hard not to. That… thing that was speaking didn’t even sound human. It… it terrified me.

I didn’t catch all the details, but apparently whatever was said was enough for him to give me the signal to run ahead and… confirm his death as I meet up with the next group.

Did he… know he was going to die already—

‘No, no! Now is not the time to think about this!’ I slapped myself in the face, which caused my cheek to sting with energy. ‘Just keep moving. Think about this later. Just focus on completing the mission.’

I nodded to myself as I remembered what floor I was on.

Sub-level 7, where at least 15% of the D-class personnel are kept. 

‘Honestly, this floor is more of a prison than any research facility, but I digress.’ I reminded myself before placing the helmet back on my head with shaking hands.

Afterwards, I reached into the pocket of my tactical vest and pulled out the item that Grant gave me.

It was—

“A USB stick?” I asked my superior officer as he placed the item into my palms. I called it a USB stick, but honestly, that didn’t feel entirely right. It was a lot thinner, almost as thin as a strip of gum. It was grey in color, though, and possessed all the other telltale signs of what a USB stick would usually possess.

I look up to the corporal, noticing the frenzied behavior of my fellow soldiers behind him, all frantically setting up barriers, ready to face the intruders head-on.

“Something like that.” Grant eventually replied to me before a serious look etched itself along the thick lines of his aged face. “It’s just for emergencies. But if something happens, I want you to run to sub-level 7 and go to the master terminal on that floor. I’ve shown you it before, so it shouldn’t be that tough of a match.”

“Once you find it, you’ll see a tiny sliver just below the main monitor on the left; you can’t miss it. All I want you to do is insert that stick into it.”

I look down at the item he gave me before looking back in confusion. “That’s… that’s it?”

He nodded.

“What does it do?”

“Classified, unfortunately.” He admits rather reluctantly, as if he wanted to say more but couldn’t. “Though what I can tell you is that inserting that chip could be the difference needed to save millions of innocent lives.”

My jaw nearly hit the floor as my eyes scanned over the device once more. This tiny thing could save millions?

It was… a little hard to believe.

“I hate putting pressure on you like this, Justin, but there are very few people who I trust to do this.” He explained as a hoarse croak cracked from his voice. “Like I said, this is the worst-case scenario. I’ll only send you ahead if I think for certain our line is going to fall. But if I do, I need you to complete this mission for me. Understand?”

…

“... I understand.” I repeated to myself once more as I finished reminiscing on the conversation. 

So, I steeled my nerves and began rushing down the hallway. I passed many cells of the D-class as I do, as they screamed out all sorts of vulgar yet admittedly creative remarks toward me as I continued moving. I pass a couple of guards along the way as well, but I just keep moving, knowing that whatever it is that had managed to kill Grant was surely on its way here, and I need to complete this mission no matter the cost.

‘For Grant. For my brothers in arms. I won't let them down!’

Finally, after what felt like a million years, I finally arrived at the security door that Corporal Grant had shown me a couple of months ago. I breathed heavily as my legs screamed at me to relax, but I knew I couldn't.

Quickly I swiped my keycard against the card reader, prompting the door to slide open smoothly.

‘I may not live through this attack, but at least I’ll do my part!’ 

I rush through the door, ready to turn the corner where I know the master terminal was.

‘I got this, I got this! And nothing is going to stop me–'

~~BZZZT~~

“Why hello, cattle!”

‘SHIT!!!!!!’

I quickly slid to a stop before turning the corner as I heard the normal emergency message get cut off as a new voice echoed through the intercom system.

That gravely, hoarse voice. Whose vocal cords sounded like ripped-up string cheese. I recognized it, as it was the same kind of voice I heard Grant speaking to through the walkie.

Though it wasn’t the fact that the voice was familiar that caused me to pause, or even the fact that I heard it over the intercom system.

No… it was because I heard the voice twice. As if the intercom was just an echo.

A terrified sweat broke down my brow as I slowly crouched down on the floor before glancing around the corner into the security room with the master terminal.

As I did, the room itself was basically what I remembered. Rather small with a couple of metal shelves lining the side, with the main attraction being the gigantic console that took up at least a quarter of the room's space. 

Besides the dozens of monitors, there were also plenty of buttons, levers, and about a hundred other doohickeys that I couldn’t recognize.

It all looked pretty standard for what I remembered…

Except for the three individuals who stood in front of the console. 

They each had their backs to me, so I couldn’t properly see them. One of them looked as if they were wrapped in a cloak made of pure white feathers, while another seemed to be a rotting corpse of some devilish-looking creature. It looked as if they were wearing something on their face, like a mask, but it was hard to see. The final figure, however, I immediately recognized, even if it was just their back. I’ve read their file a couple times; he was also one of the more well-known anomalies that we held in containment.

Or was, until the worldwide containment breach.

‘That’s… SCP-106!’ I managed to recollect after seeing the creature's inky back, covered only by a ripped, sleeveless tan vest that has seen better days. ‘But… I thought he vanished. How is he—

“Now, I'm sure I know what you all are thinking. Wondering why this facility is on lockdown. Who I am. What’s gonna happen to you? Those are all good questions to have!” The creature began speaking with as much joy as it could muster, which was harder than you’d expect with vocal cords that were as worn down and broken as theirs. “And I’m here today to answer them for you sheep!”

“In order, this facility is on lockdown because I’m here, and you foundation dogs have piss-poor manners. I finally come home, and this is the fanfare I get? Hehe, talk about the cold shoulder.” The creature spoke with a hint of malice as I noticed them reaching into their pocket and pulling out an old, yet very ornate key. “But to get back on topic, I’m here because there are a couple… hmm, how to say… assets I want to grab. You won't miss them; you have thousands of anomalous fuckers after all. Where's the pain in losing a couple more? After all, that seems to be all you're good at as of late.”

“So, since you all seem so incredibly incompetent, I'm simply here to help lighten the load.”

 

---

Benjamin POV

 

“Now, onto my personal favorite question of the night, who I am.” 

That sickly voice rang through the intercom like a plague, giving me the displeasure of having to hear their gravelly voice.

I stared straight at one of the speakers as the voice spoke, as a small itch at the back of my brain began to form. This voice…

I… I know this voice… How do I?

“I know you all are in deep suspense, so I’ll simply give you an answer.” It began once more as I tried to figure out where I knew this voice from. It was on the tip of my tongue, but it just refused to come off. What was it?

“I would give a whole speech on how I’m ‘your monster’ or ‘the devil of your own creation.’ But frankly, I've already done that monologue plenty of times today, and I'm sure not enough of you would care for it to be worth it. So I'll just do it.” It spoke with a chuckle, which caused me to grumble in annoyance. This condescending tone felt familiar at least, so it’s got to be someone with a major attitude problem—

“Oh, fuck, it’s him.” I sighed as a realization washed over me.

“I have plenty of names, but you all would surely know me by this one… The ‘possessive mask.’ Or, as some of you number crunchers may refer to me as—”

“-- You can call me SCP-035.”

“Sigh, I hate it when I’m right.” I mumbled to myself while pinching the bridge of my nose. This guy… Is gonna make this whole thing a hell of a lot more complicated.

Whatever, as long as I’m able to get the higher floors–

“Freeze, D-Class! Hands in the air!”

“Well, fuck me too, while you’re at it!” I scream in frustration as I hear a commanding voice blurt out. I raise my hands diligently before turning around, noticing, with no small amount of annoyance, a squadron of at least 10 guards approaching me with their guns raised.

“Silence! How’d you escape your cell?” They demanded my answer urgently, prompting me to roll my eyes.

“Seriously? Your fucking control room, or wherever that bastard is, was just taken over by an anomaly! Yet I’m your biggest worry?” I asked incredulously in hopes for these idiots to listen, yet my plea seemed to fall on deaf ears as they kept approaching. “Sheesh, you all need to get your priorities straight.”

“Silence, D-class!” One of them, probably the guy with the tiniest dick in the world, desperately tried to sound cool as he approached and gripped my hands before forcing me into a wall. “Answer the question: How did you escape? If you don’t comply, we’ll—”

“What? Shoot me? Been there, done that.” I retorted, causing the man to flinch slightly in surprise. “Now if you don’t mind, I'm trying to listen to my favorite podcast.” I smirk as I speak sarcastically before turning my attention back to the intercom system.

“Now, finally, I will answer what is going to happen to all of you.”

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“Long story short, you all have three options. Either you die quietly, or you die kicking and screaming.” That… horrifying voice kept talking, as if taunting me. I continued to huddle myself in the corner of my room; a small pocketknife that I always kept on my person was pointed towards the door as my hands continued quivering with fear, making it impossible to keep the tiny weapon stable. “And to be honest, while I much prefer the latter to the former, I will give a select few of you a chance to live. Anyone who brings the heads of at least 5 foundation personnel to the front entrance of this facility in… Oh, let’s say 4 hours; I’ll let you leave. Bring more than 15, and I may just have a spot for you in my motley crew.”

“This offer extends to all of you, whether you are a current dog of the foundation, a lab rat kept in your cell, or an ‘anomaly’ that wishes to get their hands dirty with revenge. Prove to me your competence, and I’ll make sure you not only live, but also that you’ll get all you desire, whatever that may be.”

… What?!

If fear could be personified as a single image, it would be the look on my face. My pupils shrank to the size of needles, and my grip over my knife weakened as it fell from my grasp and clattered against my concrete flooring.

I… My hands moved to grip around my neck protectively… To kill foundation personnel—that… that includes me!

“Oh… oh God, no.” 

I began silently praying. To which God? I don’t know. Just to any that would listen to me.

And all I got in return… was silence.

 

---

Justin POV

 

I continued watching slack-jawed at this monster, now revealed to be SCP-035, words. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to gasp in surprise and give away my position to the trio as they continued standing over the terminal.

I had half a mind to leave right now, but I was too afraid of making noise and giving away my position. Call it cowardice, but I didn't trust myself to make a silent getaway from the three anomalies.

‘Although… this could also be an opportunity.’ I thought as I wrapped my hand around my gun. ‘I could… try to kill them now. Stop this madness before it continues…’

‘Agh, what are you thinking, idiot! These three can't be killed by guns! At worst, you force that damn mask to get a new host. That isn't worth compromising… this.’ My grip tightens protectively around the chip Grant had given to me. ‘... I need to be patient and find my chance to—’

“Now, the more astute of you, I’m sure, have already pinpointed the flaw in this game!” The mask began chuckling once more as I saw him move the strangely ornate key toward the terminal. “The fact that most of the contestants, specifically those whom I believe would be interested in participating, are trapped in cells.”

With a couple clicks of the console, a pop-up asking for a 27-digit-long password appeared on the screen of the device.

“And you all would be correct; that is rather unfair.”

He lifted the key towards the console as confusion creased against my features. Just what was he—

ZAP.

A spark of electricity shot out from the key as soon as it touched the screen, which was quickly followed by a dinging sound as the entire screen lit up green and—

‘Wait… oh no.’

“So how about I fix that problem?” The mask puppeted the body’s finger to swipe across the control panel of the console.

~~DING~~ 

“LEVEL 5 ACCESS GRANTED. OPENING ALL D-CLASS CELLS. OPENING UP ALL SCP-CONTAINMENT CELLS WITHIN AUTHORITY.” 

My face dropped as the feminine-sounding AI spoke, as the screen blared with emergency alerts and notifications of doors opening.

And the creature… smiled.

“And now… may the game begin.”

 

---

Benjamin POV.

 

“The game for your survival.”

The guards holding me recoiled in shock as the dozens of cells surrounding us suddenly slid open with alarming speed, allowing the orange-clad prisoners that inhabited those cells to simply walk out. Smiles on their faces and a craving for blood and revenge present in their eyes.

“S-stay back! Get on the ground, now!” One of the guards screamed, raising their rifle up in defense.

Another soldier turned the other direction, quickly realizing that they were being surrounded by dozens and dozens of escaped D-class, to the point where they were outnumbered 10-1 in this hallway alone.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but sigh.

“Damn… I made that cool escape from my cell for nothing.”

Despite the situation, that didn’t seem to stop 035, as he kept yapping away over the intercom.

“The game to see who amongst you has the will to survive.”

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“A game designed to show just how animalistic you pathetic excuse for an intelligent species truly is.”

“Gahh.” I forcefully choked down a sob as the voice scratched against my ears. I raise my hands to cover my mouth to stop any noise from unintentionally escaping as I already begin to hear screaming from outside my room door. People screaming for help, cries of pain. H-how? D-class aren't kept on this floor! What are they afraid of?

My question, unfortunately, was answered almost as quickly as it was asked. As I spot orange light shining through the crack of my door, followed by the crackling and popping of flames.

I thought it was just a fire… But no, as I see the flame pass beyond my door, flames licking its underside, before moving on.

Some… anomaly, more than likely made of living flames, passed by my door!

I just… I just wanna go home.

“A game to decide who among you should die. And whom have earned the right to hold onto their miserable existence for but a bit longer.”

 

---

Justin POV

 

“Good luck… hehe.” They cackled creepily into the intercom system as they stuffed the key back into their pocket. “You wanted chaos, snake lady? Well, here’s your chaos.”

And with that, the demon-looking creature shut off the intercom system after that ominous message. I couldn't see their face, but I could tell they were extremely proud of themselves for what they had just done.

I clenched my fists angrily from his recent remarks; a worried look was plastered onto my face as I thought about the future of this facility.

“So… that’s it? Use this ‘game’ as a smokescreen while you grab whatever toys you came here for?” The figure in the white feathered cloak asked, revealing themselves to be female if the pitch of their voice was anything to go by. 

At her question, the mask shook his puppeted body's head playfully. “Tut, tut, tut. Com’on Feathers, you think so little of me to instigate a killing game just for a simple distraction?”

“... Yes.”

“HAH! You know me so well.” He responded playfully to her deadpan confirmation before shaking his head. “To answer your question, though, as much as I would love to take my time killing every man and woman here with my own two hands, I’m also not stupid enough to not think reinforcements are on their way already. Unfortunately, we need to get out of here as soon as possible, and what better way to go about doing that than turning everyone against themselves and releasing a couple of captives? The guards will be so busy dealing with them that they’ll no longer be able to set up a proper defense to stop us.”

“Unfortunately,” he continued. “One of my companions who I wanted to set free wasn't accessible through this terminal, so we’re gonna have to go deep into the facility anyways to set them free. I’ll give those foundation dogs one thing: they make a helluva lot of contingency plans.”

I felt my blood begin to boil at the way this anomaly continues to refer to me and my co-workers as dogs. I bit my tongue, knowing I can’t do anything stupid over a matter such as pride.

So, slowly, I begin trying to retreat out of the room. I lost sight of the trio almost immediately on account of the wall I was hiding behind that turned into the control room. I needed to get out of here, maybe hide as they pass by me, and then come back in with the chip and plug it into the terminal. I’m not sure what it does, but it needs to be something good; otherwise, why would Grant entrust it to me?

So I continued backing up with all the caution I could muster. After all, if I die here, then it would all be for naught—

“Oh, one more thing, feathers.” That insufferable voice echoed from around the corner. “I need you to do a favor for me.”

“Hmm? And what would that be?” The female anomaly inquired curiously.

“Oh, not much; it’s rather simple, really!” He began energetically before pausing, as a chill began running down my spine and—

“I just need you to kill a certain moth on the wall who’s been listening to us.”

… What?

“Hmm, whatever.” The voice responded back, not even remotely surprised as—

SLING!

SHIT!!!

I threw caution to the wind and immediately began sprinting out of the control room, just barely dodging as the cloaked figure turned the corner and stared straight at me, allowing me to see their grey skin and golden eyes as they stared at me with a primal indifference. 

The feathered cloak they wore unfurled from their body, revealing that to have actually been multiple wings wrapped around them, which had been hiding a tight, yet damaged, black latex-looking outfit.

I didn’t dwell on this as I kept running. I pushed past the security door, and I ran, all while hearing the scraping of metal against concrete as I heard a figure quickly approaching.

Shit– shit! SHITSHIT!!!

I turned sharply around a corner, hoping that would throw them off and cause them to crash against the wall.

I afforded a look back to confirm whether my plan worked or not and–

WHOOSH!

NOPE! IT DIDN’T! As they just deftly flew around the corner and straight toward me! One of their many wings was outstretched backwards like a sword, ready to slash down!

“Gahh, SHIT!” I screamed as I felt the adrenaline surge through my body as I quickly dove to the ground!

SLASH!

Just as I felt the wind brush past my face. The top of my helmet sparked as the wing slashed cleanly across it, only removing the topmost layer from it. 

Surprised, I turned back to see the figure correcting themselves in mid-air, trying to turn around so they could attempt to slash at me again.

I wasn’t just going to sit around and let that happen, however, so I once more stood up and began running.

I ran faster than I think I have ever run in my entire life, the adrenaline forcing me to push my body past any limitations that were previously there as my mind was focused on one simple mission. Survival.

That primal urge that exists within each and every one of us. The need to survive to see the sun rise tomorrow. Right now, the foundation didn't matter, my job didn't matter, and the fate of the world didn't matter.

Right now, all that mattered were the base rules of the universe. Of the predator and the prey. 

And I was the prey.

So I kept running, and running, and running.

I heard the wings continue flapping as they steadily approached. The only time I gained any sort of distance was when I took a sharp corner and the flying anomaly was forced to slow down for half a second to correct themself before continuing to shoot straight towards me.

My legs began to feel weak as the muscles began screaming and crying at the abuse I was putting them through. I didn’t care about the pain, as I simply kept running, trying to reach the—

I turned another corner… and saw a large group of D-class personnel fighting against a battalion of guards, each wrestling for control. A couple of the D-class were lying on the floor, blood seeping out of very present bullet wounds.

It seemed like they couldn’t stop enough of them, however, as the guards were being, for a lack of better terms, dogpiled by those who remained as they wrestled the guns from their control. 

Only one D-class seemed uninvolved with the fight and seemingly was trying to escape the fight.

I didn’t care, however, as I still had a FUCKING WINGED BITCH AFTER ME!

“Fucking shit— GET OUT OF THE WAY!” I screamed in desperation as I rolled to the ground, sliding between the legs of some of the D-class.

“What the— it’s another guard—”

BAM!

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as the grey-skinned anomaly crashed into them, sending them both falling onto the floor.

“Ahh, shit, still hard to control.” I heard the vindictive anomaly curse beneath their sudden appearance caused all eyes to lock directly onto them.

“It’s an anomaly!” I heard one of the remaining guards squeal out before—

SLASH!

They were quickly quieted as the anomaly slashed out with their wing, cutting through him like he wasn’t even there. The slash was also wide enough that it cut into a handful of other D-class personnel as well, causing them all to fall to the floor in a bloody mess.

“Shit!” Another guard screamed before wrestling his gun back from the D-class that was attempting to disarm him, who had promptly given up as soon as the winged anomaly appeared.

They pointed their guns at them. “Open fire!” He screamed before beginning to fire at the anomaly, who quickly raised their wings up like a shield to block the bullets.

The rest of the guards followed suit, successfully distracting them as I quickly continued my getaway. I knew these soldiers wouldn't be able to kill this thing, so it would be best to use this opportunity to flee and find another way to use the chip that Grant had given me.

So, despite the screams of pain and echoing of gunshots, I simply clenched my teeth and ignored them as I pushed past the crowd.

Looking ahead, I saw the path diverge two ways, splitting to the left and right.

Dammit, I want to get to the elevator, but I wasn’t sure of the layout of this floor! I only knew about the control room, and that's it. I've never been to this side of the facility.

I wanted to take more time to think about which way to go, but the cries of pain kept getting fewer and fewer, prompting me to act as soon as possible. In other words, I just needed to get out of here as soon as fucking possible! Cowardice be damned!

So I ran ahead, and on a whim, I decided in a split second to go right. So I pushed myself off the floor after managing to get through the blockade of confused bodies, with only one D-class now being present in my sight. The same one from earlier that was also trying to escape, but now seemed to have paused as he watched the carnage behind me with a strange interest… Before turning to look at me and giving me the same sort of look.

I shake my head; I didn’t have time for him. If I slowed down to even think about why he wasn’t running, I’d be dead!

So I ran past him, not even bothering to offer him a second glance as he silently let me pass. I turned to my right just as the screams died down completely as I began bolting down the hall, hoping by some miracle I chose the righ-&8%7%&^*%&^&^^%&^&$^^&%&&*&&%@(@&%$@^%^&*#(*@&^%$#%^@&*(#*&^$#%^&*@(*&^%$#^&*(@*&^%$^&*(@*&^$%^&*@(*&#$^%^#&*(!!!

@^#(@^@(^#)$^@_)@^&&$(@^&)@*&*()_@?><””#_@*&#<?”@#$>?#_+@)@*#_#Ģ̵̛͓͚̙͕̘̣̳͍̟̞̲̻̩̦͇̣̤̭̟͈̐̊͑͂̓̇̿̆̋̌̒̆̌̐͑̂̊̈͛̈͌͛͑̿͊̃̔̿͘̚͜͝͠͠͝ͅE̵̢̡̛̛͇̭͔̻̙̲̙̟̗̰̬̰͎̖̼̭͈͖̭̼͇̪̬̊̋̈́̄̒̀͋̋̃͛̃̋̾̊̋͝͝ͅS̵̡̛̙̼̞̣͕͔̝̲̣͖͙͙̘̭̼̙̥͈͍̜̲̱͈̙̭̼͛̋͐̎͌̎͌̂͊̋̆̏͂̄̄̀̐̓̍̊̐̕̕͜T̴̨̫̼̝̍̈́̍̅͑̀̾̀̌̎̍̒͗̔͂̐̒̇̈́͌̿̒̓̎̿̅́͊̈͘͘͘͘͝͝͝Ą̶͎͕͈͇̞͉͋̽̄̾͊͊̕͝L̵̢̛̘͉̳̠̺̬͖̳̪̩̬̱͚̣̹̥͚̹̜̖̣͚̜̦̍̃͂̔̅̏̏̓̀͊̉̀́̐̇̇̐̾̈̾͝Ṱ̶̡͓̳̭̝͍̯͔̝͔̠͇̦̙̬̟̰̬͍̰͚̯̳̱̗̩̻͚́̈́͝ͅͅͅ!(#&^#*()@_)(#*&^@_#((*^$*)(@*(&*$(*(@)&()(@_()$(>>M<”>””>”<@(*&^#&&

I shake myhead;, I didn’t have time for him. If I slowed down to even think about why he wasn’t running, I’d be dead!

So I ran pasthim—–

“Going right is a deadend;, you’ll be cornered and die.” I suddenly stopped in my tracks as the D-class spoke, the look of interest in me seemingly vanishing as he spoke to me. “Go left, then left again, then right. You’ll be able to find the elevator.”

I blinked, shocked. “H-how did you–”

“GAHH,FUCK— WAIT, PLEASE— AAAAAGH!”

“Do you really have time to be asking questions? Just trust me and run! I'm not going through this shit again to help you.” He spoke sharply, almost like a father punishing a child.

I stood confused for half a second before my brain finally caught up to the situation. And I don’t know why, but… I trusted him.

So I turned left instead of right and began bolting down that hall as fast as possible, leaving the D-class and the now quieted screams behind as I tried to get as far away from the fucking winged monster as soon as possible.

I clenched my fists, once more feeling a pang of guilt rise up deep within me at the notion of leaving my brother in arms behind. I can make up a million excuses to myself justifying such an action, like completing Grant’s final wish…Butt it could never make up for the lives lost that I could have possibly saved.

So, with a heavy heart, I continued running, praying that it wouldn't slow me down too much.

Like the D-class had suggested, I took another leftimmediately and then a right after a couple moments of sprinting.

As I ran, I couldn’t help but think of what a fucking idiot I am, trusting the words of a prisoner…

So imagine my shock when, right down the hallway, I saw one of the few elevators that were present in this building. Not only that, but its doors were even wide open, as if inviting me to salvage between its arms— err, doors.

Doesn't matter. Seeing this only further encouraged me to speed up as I continued running, paying no heed to my legs, which at this point had stopped screaming at me and now had resorted to actively scratching at themselves to get me to rest… or at least that’s what it felt like.

“Come on, come on! Just a little further—–”

I felt a cold gust of air crash against the back of my neck, sending a chill down my spine as… as…

SHIT!

I dropped to the floor, just barely avoiding the winged menace as they flew directly overhead, their sharp wing that was evidently aimed for my head missing and instead kept moving forward, reaching the elevator system and—

SLASH!

With an impossibly clean cut, the wing tore through the top of the elevator, even ripping apart the wall as it cut the tether clean off the top of the device, causing it to immediately lose to gravity and began plummeting down the elevator shaft, scraping along the corners as it went.

The figure then landed on the floor before turning to face me, annoyance present across their features over the fact that I dodged.

As for me, I was annoyed that they destroyed my ONE FREAKING GETAWAY!

“You’re… persistent, I’ll give you that. But this is the end of you.” They began as they unfurled their wings once more, begging to approach as I returned to my feet. “It’s nothing personal, really. I don’t even care for you or your foundation… But if I want to get my revenge, then I need to do this.”

Nervously I fidgeted with my belongings, hoping to find something that could help as…

Oh… that might just work.

“Yea, well… to me it’s entirely personal.” I finally spoke up just as they were around 5 feet from me. She tilted her head in confusion. 

“What do you plan on–”

I closed my eyes and turned as I pulled the pin–

BAM!

And threw out a flash grenade at them.

“Gahh!” I heard them screech out in shock as they wildly swung their wings, which I just barely managed to dodge since I looked away from the blinding light.

I then ducked under them as I began sprinting toward the empty elevator shaft as…

“Fuck, this is so stupid!” I screamed before jumping into the elevator shaft…

And fell to me presumable death…

 

---

Asaph POV

 

I shook my head, clearing it of fuzz just quick enough to notice as the man… jumped down to his death?

Damn… if he was so suicidal he should’ve just let me finish the job.

“... Whatever, it's not my problem anymore.” I realized with a sigh, before curling my wings around me once more like a cloak and returning back toward the stupid old man and the mask.

I grimaced at the thought of them. I didn't like them, not one bit… But they are capable; I will give them that. And as long as I continue to prove my usefulness to the mask fucker, then he should be willing to help me with my revenge plan.

Revenge… a word so tantalizing it almost feels like poison. A poison that so many willingly let flow into their veins.

‘Dammit… Dammit!’ My teeth gnashed together, frustration boiling up within me. ‘Heaven. Hell… Both of them—I’ll make them pay. Pay for what they’ve done to me! For everything!’

‘And especially you… Vaggie.’

‘I'm going to make you bleed!’

Notes:

Asaph: you’re cornered!

Justin: oh yea? (Jumps into elevator system.)

Asaph: (visible confusion.)

 

Hey everyone! Sorry that this chapter came out WAY later than usual. Today was really busy and I only now got the chance to upload it. Sorry for making you wait.

Regardless, it’s here! And the raid of site-008 has truly kicked into high gear into a full blown containment breach!

I don’t really have much to say this time, so I just hope you all enjoyed! And please let me know what you’d think of it. I love reading your guy’s comments.

Anyhow, drop a kudos if you enjoyed! Leave a comment if you have any questions, complaints, ideas, correction, suggestion, and everything in-between! And I hope you you all have an exhilarating day!

See you next week!

(Also… I’m curious if anybody can spot the reference in this chapter to another popular fanfic.)

Chapter 67: Price of cowardice.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Amanda’s first steps out of her room turn to disaster.

Out of the pan and into the fire for this security soldier.

Notes:

“What would it take you to desert your post? How much over a price is too much for survival?”

Amanda POV

 

… Slowly my door began to open, revealing the hallway outside of my room. 

I took a deep breath as I saw what had become of it, and… oh god.

Just a few hours ago it was pristine, with personnel walking back and forth through it without a worry in the air. Now… Now…

Now the hallway was burned. Scorch marks inscribed upon the once pristine metal, showing a history of something horrible. Ash and soot were drawn upon the ground like flower petals, which were only overshadowed by the smell of burning meat that was assaulting my nostrils, like I had done something to offend it.

I covered my nose in some sorry attempt to salvage what remained of my nostrils. 

The alarms that once echoed through these halls had long since ceased ever since that… message was played over the intercom.

That message… 

What was said during it still sent shivers down my spine. The idea that this whole facility had turned into some… hunting game. It was so barbaric. Horrifying.

I shook my head. ‘No, I can’t be thinking about that. I need to focus on getting out of here. Alive, preferably. I know you're supposed to stay hunkered down in a situation like this and wait for help, but… goddamnit, I’m not sure when that help is gonna arrive!’

So carefully I began moving through the corridor, ash staining the bottom of my shoes as I silently prayed that I don’t run into whatever caused all of this.

So I began treading carefully as I turned the corner and—

Bodies lined my vision, dotting the ground like a sadistic collection of stringless puppets. Scorched beyond any recognition, hiding from view who they once were.

Despite that, some still retained enough of their features to allow me to see the horrified looks that were burnt onto their faces. As if they died crying for help as unbearable pain shredded through them.

I—I… ‘Oh god!’

I couldn’t help but shake at the sight as bile quickly rose through my throat. I had to clench my mouth shut to stop myself from expelling my guts all over the burned bodies.

I couldn’t recognize them because of their burns, but… considering they were right outside the living area where I and everyone else who was transferred here were brought to… Does that mean…

‘Oh… oh fuck… fuck. John, Dave, Eliana—I-I don’t—Oh god!’

I began feeling my battle against the rising toxin in my throat turn in a bad direction as it kept rising higher and higher. I looked around desperately, trying to find a place to go for a moment to clear my head.

Finally I did, at the end of the hallway… my salvation!

Five minutes later.

 

“Blegh… huff… huff.” Bile and acid flew from my mouth excessively and into the sink, staining its sides. 

I sighed at the sight before turning on the water, letting it wash away all of the disgusting liquid that formerly inhabited my body.

I continued breathing heavily, and my hands began to shake. Nothing… Nothing felt real anymore.

‘Maybe… there’s no way I can survive this, so maybe… maybe I should just—‘

I shook my head!

‘No… no! You can’t be thinking like that, Amanda!’ I screamed at myself before cupping my hands beneath the running sink and splashed a handful of water against my face.

The chilling liquid cascaded downwards against my skin, momentarily silencing the headache that I felt brewing not even a moment earlier.

I took another handful and splashed my face again, dampening it even more.

Finally I looked up into the mirror, gazing heatedly at myself, as I noticed my hazel eyes staring back at me.

The mirror revealed the entirety of the room that I retreated to, which was just a simple bathroom that was, thankfully, untouched by whatever madness had happened out in the hall. 

Heh… Honestly, I didn’t even stop to check if this was the women’s restroom. But I’m sure in this situation, nobody's gonna mind.

Besides that, I also stared straight into myself. I felt… different, somehow.

Don’t get me wrong, everything still looked the same. I was still Black, and I didn't magically turn into a guy. My silky dark hair still descended down to my shoulders, and that tiny, nearly imperceptible birthmark to the right of my chin still remained where it’s always been. I still wore my standard white lab coat with my blue undershirt and jeans, although those have been stained slightly by the ash of… What I’d rather not admit is the remains of my former co-workers.

Physically, I look fine, but… something still felt different… wrong.

‘… sigh, maybe it’s just the stress.’ I began rationalizing to myself as I pulled my hair back, tying it into a ponytail. It would do me no good having my hair in my face during something like this.

Something like this… Heh, I still don’t understand what’s going on. Not really, anyways.

‘… maybe I should just go back to my room and wait for help.’ I told myself while staring daggers at my reflection. ‘The foundation… The foundation can handle this. They’ll send reinforcements! And everything will be fine! I don’t need to worry. I—' 

“Shit, it definitely looks like that flaming bastard went this way.”

I froze as I heard someone talking. It was faint but still recognizably gruff. 

My mouth rose into a slight smile. Yes—YES! Someone’s here!

Before I could even question my actions, I began moving to the bathroom door, silently glad that I wasn’t wearing my heels; otherwise, I would’ve fallen flat onto my face.

“Shoot, it looks like these guys are completely burnt. Doubt he’d accept them.” Another voice spoke, making me confused for a moment over what they were talking about.

Still, I was too excited! This voice didn’t sound like the one over the intercoms, and no D-class were kept on this floor. So this had to be some of my co-workers! Better yet, it could be a guard! They can lead me somewhere safe!

So I rushed out of the bathroom, praying that I wasn’t making a mistake as I swung the door open…

And I released a breath of relief as I saw two security guards, each of them crouched down near the burnt bodies of some of my former co-workers.

… once more I was forced to swallow down the bile before turning my attention back to the guards, who both turned with a nervous twitch towards me.

“Oh, oh, thank God.” I muttered in relief before beginning to approach the duo, who both took a step back nervously as I approached, raising their guns. I halted my movements but still raised up my arms to show I wasn't a threat. “I am… I am so glad you’re here! I—I don’t know what happened. B-but you can help me, right? You can… You can get me out of here, right?”

“...Uhhhhh.” The first guard turned toward his partner, who gave a small nod before he turned back. “... name and clearance level.” He suddenly demanded.

“O-oh, right, of course! Can’t be too careful!” I laughed nervously, pushing away the bad feeling I was getting about all of this as just my nerves acting up. “My name is Amanda! Level 2 researcher, I just transferred from—”

“Level 2, huh? That’s not great.” The first guard cut me off as he turned to his friend, who in turn shrugged.

“I mean, it was mostly about quantity, not quality, right?” He responded.

“Yeah, I suppose that’s true.” They spoke back, once more confusing me. 

It was also at this moment that I noticed something else. Tied around both of their waists was a brown cloth that seemed to be acting as a bag. Something large and circular seemingly occupying them both. The bags also appeared wet, as if dipped in water near the bottom.

So wet, in fact, that a small droplet fell from one of the bags and hit the floor, coating it in… red? Why is it red…

‘Wait a minute.’ A horrific realization crashed through me as I turned back down to the burnt corpse that they were kneeling over not even a moment before. There was a deep cut along his neck that wasn’t present before I ran into the bathroom, with an ashen knife lying limply next to it.

‘Oh… oh no.’

I took a step back.

Both their eyes immediately clocked onto me.

“U-um, actually… actually maybe I should just… just leave.” I began backing up more, only stopping when one of them raised their weapon. A nervous energy began shocking itself through my system as my hands began twitching uncontrollably from fear. “Um… I-I-I would just be dead weight for you. I-I’ll go back to my room! A-and wait for help! S-sounds good, right?”

… The first soldier, face still covered by the security guard helmet, lowered his head for a moment as if in shame…

He then spoke solemnly, “I have a wife and kid back home… He’s turning 7 in a month, and I promised him I wouldn’t miss his birthday again.”

My pupils shrunk to the size of needles. “C-congratulations? I don’t u-understand what that has to do w-w-with me.” I lied.

The soldier then sighed once more as his voice sounded ever grimmer, a darkness tainting it. “I’m sorry.”

He raised his gun as my breath hitched.

As he moved to pull the trigger—

“AHHHHHH!!!” I suddenly screamed and pointed past the guards. “IT’S BACK!”

They both immediately flinched as the high-pitched screaming flooded their ears. Worry immediately took over them as they turned to look toward where I pointed, only to see…

Nothing. Everything was exactly the same as it was a moment ago.

Confused, the first guard lowered his gun as he looked around for anything that would’ve caused me to scream. Finally he looked back…

Only to see I was missing, already turning the corner around a nearby hallway, using my distraction to get a head start on them. I continued running like my life was on the line. BECAUSE IT FUCKING WAS!!!

“Wha- hey! Shit, she’s getting away!” I heard them scream before hearing the sound of their heavy footfalls against the floor.

Once more, thanking the gods that I decided not to wear heels today, I turned another corner just as they got a clear line of sight and—

BANG BANG!

Two bullets crashed into the wall that I was standing in front of a moment before, illustrating just how close I was to getting two new holes in my body that were very much unwelcome.

“Ack, fucking hell. Come on! She gets away, and she might tell others we’re jumping ship!” The second guard screamed urgently as I once more confirmed to myself what these bastards' plan was.

‘Shit. They wanted to kill me and play that monster game to get out of here.’ I realized as I turned another corner just in time to hear another set of bullets whizz by. ‘And judging by those bags they had… I’m not the first. Shit, shit, shit! I need to get out of here and find someone who isn’t a fucking idiot!’

So I kept running, taking as many corners as I could to make sure they could never get a clear line of sight on me.

I just prayed that maybe I’ll find some stairs, or an elevator, or a guard who realizes they can’t trust what a fucking invader over the intercom promises them!

So I ran, and ran, and I kept running. Until eventually I turned one more corner…

And realized it was a dead end.

‘Shit!’ I thought as I continued hearing my attackers' footfalls getting louder and louder. 

I looked around desperately, seeing only two doors in the hall. Both of them appeared to be open, and it only took a moment to realize why.

They were both containment cells for anomalies, presumably opened by whatever the voice on the intercom had done to make the game ‘even,’ as they put it.

That, and the fact that each door was accompanied by a plaque labeling them as SCP-662 on the left and SCP-212 on the right.

I panicked, as I didn’t even have time to see which anomalies they were. So on a whim I dived into the room on the right just before the duo of traitorous guards turned the corner, being met with the same dead end as I was.

I slowly lurked away from the entrance of the room as I began looking around desperately for a way to escape. A door, a hatch, anything!

Unfortunately, the only thing that occupied the space's containment room was a strange mechanical device. 

The device had a cylindrical base that reached roughly eightish feet into the air. About six feet up were three arm-like percussions from the drive, each long and mechanical. The end of those arms had a myriad of what almost looked like bloodstained surgical instruments, like scalpels, saws, needles, and about half a dozen more that I couldn’t make sense of. 

They all hung limply without moving near an iron chair that was stationed in front of the machine. Whether that was put there intentionally by staff or was a part of this obvious anomaly, I couldn’t say.

I would’ve questioned what this thing was more if it weren’t for the fact that the footsteps outside the door suddenly stopped making noise. The guards were seemingly trying to decide which way I ran off into.

My palms began shaking like an earthquake as I tried to think of some way, any way, to survive this!

But my mind only drew a blank. They had guns! What do I have, a pocketknife? It’s not gonna do shit against them!

Still, I clung to whatever resistance still remained dormant inside of me. I pulled out my knife and crouched down around five feet to the left of the open door…

And waited.

 

---

3rd person POV

 

The duo of soldiers stopped in their tracks as they saw the dead end. 

They both scanned the hall; there were seemingly only two directions in which the scientist could have fled, both being containment chambers.

“… What do you think, Mark?” The second security guard asked the first.

Mark took a moment to contemplate the questions before giving a hand signal to his partner. He pointed at him, then to the door to the left. Then to himself and the door to the right.

His partner nodded, understanding the silent message to split up.

With their plan in mind, each lifted their rifles and began moving carefully. All the while, a nervous sweat broke down Mark's face.

He didn’t want to do this; he really didn’t. And if he believed that there was a way to get through this without turning into a monster, he would.

But he didn’t… And he’d be damned if he left his son without a father.

Even if that meant killing those he once considered friends…

‘...Sorry, Jessy.’ He apologized, his gaze downtrodden to the bag tied around his waist.

Still, he regained his focus as soon as he entered the room. In the center, there was what looked to be a weird machine with three mechanical extensions. 

An anomaly, no doubt. What it does, he doesn’t have a clue, but he isn’t planning on sticking here long enough to find out—

STAB!

“GAAHH!” A horrific pain shot through Mark's shoulder as Amanda lunged from her hiding spot and stabbed him between his neck and his shoulder, just barely dodging where his guard uniform protected him.

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!

Bullets flew out as Mark ended up squeezing the trigger of his rifle on instinct in response to the pain. 

Thankfully, Amanda wasn’t in the way as the bullets ricocheted off the metal machine. She didn’t pay much attention to that, however, as she removed her knife from his shoulder before stabbing it again with whatever adrenaline she could muster.

Mark, meanwhile, dropped his gun from the pain as the bullets ceased. The final one hit the machine, seemingly activating it as the arm-like protrusions began moving.

He didn’t even notice, however, as he raised his elbow behind him and slammed it into Amanda’s ribs.

The air flew out of her lungs because of the attack, causing her to flinch back and let go of her attacker as she fell to the floor, leaving her pocket knife in the man's flesh.

Amanda urgently rose as he turned around, his left hand gripping onto the side of his neck as he desperately tried to stop the blood from gushing out of his body. He then reached for his sidearm pistol and, with wobbly feet, began shooting at the girl.

“Ack, just die!”

BANG! BANG!

Amanda managed to barely move out of the way as the bullets struck the floor, as Mark’s vision began going fuzzy from the blood loss he was suffering.

“Mark, I’m coming!” Amanda heard the other guard scream from across the hall. 

She silently cursed as she kicked off the floor, once more just barely dodging the delirious guard’s gunfire before ramming her shoulder into him.

He grunted in pain and dropped his gun just as Amanda reached over, grabbed her knife that stuck into him, and—

SLASH!

Pulled it out with all the force she could muster as blood splattered against the nearby wall, painting it.

“Gahh– Y-you bitch!” Mark screamed, enraged, as he saw the bloodied weapon. 

He reached forward and gripped his hands tightly around Amanda's throat.

She began grasping for air desperately as the knife dropped from her grip. She moved her hands around her attackers and tried to pry them open, but to no avail.

The life continued to drain from her body as she felt her vision going black… black… bla–

“...F-F-UCK– Y-YOU!” She managed to finally choke out, before raising her legs and—

BAM!

Her feet struck Mark straight in the chest, causing the air to shoot from his lungs as he stumbled back.

He sputtered out a breath as Amanda fell from his grasp. Mark tripped on his own feet and—

BAM!

Landed straight on the chair in front of the machine.

Deliriously he shook his head before his gaze locked back on Amanda, who stared towards him with fear. A grotesque scowl birthed itself on his face as he tried to stand and—

VROOM!

“Gahh!” Mark yelled in surprise as dozens of metallic wires shot out from the chair he had just lifted himself up from, pulling him back onto it before tightening around him, trapping him to the metallic chair.

He turned his head to look at the restraints holding him down, confusion and fear flashing behind his eyes.

“Ugh—what the—”

VROOM!

Another, even louder noise broke him from his thought as he looked back up… only to see the three arm-like protrusions now moving before him, one of which had a buzzsaw spinning violently… as it began moving closer… and closer… and closer—

“W-wait, no—please—”

VROOOOOOOOM!

“AHHHHHH!!!”

 

---

Amanda POV

 

I couldn’t move… I could barely think as I saw this… this… thing tearing into the guard.

His pained screams echoed through the room, pleading for help… But I didn’t dare move, as if worried that if I did, this machine would grab me too.

So I could only watch in horror as the saw blade dug itself into his skin, slicing it open only for another arm to come in and rip it off like clothing along with his body armor, leaving only bloody muscle beneath.

The third arm, meanwhile… It squirted what I could only describe as wet concrete from a sort of muzzle attached to it into the open wounds, filling them up and… and… solidifying!

I can only attribute the fact that I emptied the contents of my stomach earlier to the reason why I didn’t throw up when witnessing such a horrific display. 

My arms shook with terror. I… I…

‘I didn't mean for this to happen.’ I painfully thought as tears rolled down my cheeks. ‘I… just wanted to survive. I… I… I didn’t want this. I never wanted this! Why is this happening!?’

‘Why why? Why!? WHY?!WHY!?! WHY!?!?’

“Holy shit… Mark?”

I froze… hearing a skittish voice from behind…

I turned away from the machine as it continued filling the man with the grey liquid… only to notice the other perpetrator standing at the doorway, eyes widened in horror as he witnessed his friend scream in pain… Before they turned to me.

“You… you did this!” Rage consumed his voice before he ran over and—

‘Shit!’

BAM!

I moved just in time as his fist impacted against the ground, sending a loud thud throughout the room, only overshadowed by the continued screams of the other soldier.

“Ack, dammit, just die!” He retorted as he clutched his aching hands before taking his injured hand and grabbing my pocketknife off the floor.

Panicked, I rose to my feet as I attempted to raise my hands up in surrender. “W-wait, please, I–”

“Oh, too fucking late for that!” He screamed as he swung the knife at me!

Slash!

“Wait, please, I didn't mean to—”

“He was my fucking friend!”

Slash!

I dodged to the right just barely as he skimmed my shoulder.

“I-I-I was just trying to defend myself! Please, you don’t need to—”

“I don’t FUCKING CARE!”

STAB!

“AHH!” A cry escaped me as the soldier stabbed me in my right shoulder; I felt a sharp pain rise through my entire nervous system.

My scream was so loud, in fact, that neither I nor my attacker noticed as the screams of pain from before had died out entirely.

“Mark, he… he had a wife… he had a kid…” He began trying to reason as he stabbed the knife deeper into my shoulder blade, forcing me to the floor, with him crouched over me. “I promised him I would get him out of here, but… you had to go and fucking do this to him!”

“P-please… I… Please, don’t kill me!’ I croaked out as I felt a wetness begin to roll down my cheeks.

“Oh… oh, it’s too late for begging. You know we would have made it painless, but now… now…” The knife dug deeper, tearing away at my muscle. “Now, I’m gonna make you feel everything that he just felt.”

A sickly smile formed on their face. I tried to move, but he forced me down even harder with his superior strength.

“I’m gonna put you through that machine!”

Step.

I froze as a loud thud rang in my ears.

“And I am gonna make you suffer every ounce of pain he did. For robbing him of his chance to see his family again!”

“He… tried to kill—”

Step.

I stopped as I heard a second footfall make landfall against the ground.

Step.

A third one!

I looked past the guard, trying to find where it was coming from, and… oh… oh god!

I turned back to him.

“RUN—”

He twisted the knife.

“Aghk!”

“Sorry, but I'm not falling for that again!” He spat out with as much venom as he could muster before raising his fist, ready to strike me in the face. “Goodbye, bitch—”

STAB!

“Guhhh!”

I felt all weight leave me at once as my attacker got lifted up from the ground.

I look up, only to see a large blade of stone stabbed through his chest, which was the reason for his sudden rising. Behind him, I saw the weapon was attached to the very thing I saw approaching. What I tried to warn him about.

It was a creature that looked around the same size as the guard he lifted, except their body seemed to be a strange mismatch. Large portions of their skin were replaced with greyish-looking stone, some of which looked like they were stuck in haphazardly, seemingly piercing into their flesh with no heed for their own safety. The only fleshy part that remained was their face, and even that was twisted beyond recognition, seemingly stretched apart to make room for a large rock that was now inserted into their mouth and pointed forward, almost like a tongue.

Their right hand, meanwhile, was covered the most in this rock. Forming what appeared to be a blade. It wasn’t particularly sharp, but this thing's strength seemed to make up for that as it still pierced straight through the guard's chest, tearing through their skin and muscle like it was nothing.

I crawled back in fear as I saw this transpire, all while the guard had a frozen look of terror on their face.

It turned slightly, as if trying to view what had stabbed him… Only for his glazed-over eyes to widen slightly.

“M…Mark—”

SLAM!

I yelled in shock as the creature slammed the soldier to the floor.

Dead. 

I… I was shocked, terrified… But I slowly stood, as if taking my time would make it so that the creature didn’t see me.

That didn't work. As soon as I raised myself to my feet, their gaze glued onto me almost immediately.

We both stood frozen, just staring at each other. I barely even registered the fact that my knife was still stuck into my shoulder blade, the pain doing little to pull me out of my stupor as I stared at this… thing…

Until eventually.

Step.

It took a step towards me. In response, I stepped back.

It stopped again, so I backed up once more… and then.

 Step step STEP!

“Ah-FUCK!” I screamed as I jumped to the side, just barely dodging the creature as it rammed into the wall next to me, causing cracks to spiderweb out from the concrete room.

“Shit—SHIT!” I stood up once more as the lumbering creature turned around to look at me before beginning to sprint at me once more, their heavy feet cracking the ground with every step they took.

I lunged back up to my feet as I ran towards the exit of the room, fear motivating my every step as I rushed to the only escape I could see, the adrenaline making it so that I barely even processed the knife that continued to stick to my skin like a bug.

I heard the creature umber once more behind me, but I didn't care as I made it out of the door. I was prepared to turn left back into the hallway and lose the creature in the labyrinth of twisting halls in this facility, and—

BANG!

I fell back on my ass as a body flew right in front of me, startling me and sending me flinching back. It took a moment for me to register that the body belonged to the guard that attempted to kill me mere moments ago.

But the moment of hesitation was enough for me to move erratically; as in a desperate reaction to the thrown body, I turned right instead, heading into the other containment cell that I hadn’t rushed into before when I was first cornered, all while hearing the lumbering footfalls of the stone-like beast crashing against the floor like wrecking balls.

As I desperately entered the room, I could only pray that it wasn’t as fucked up as the last one that I ran into. Hopefully this one will actually help solve my problem instead of making a brand new one.

So imagine my shock as I stumbled into the room only to see… a bell?

A small silver handbell that appeared to be in pristine condition. It was lying on a square podium in the center of the room and was surrounded by a sturdy-looking glass box. The front panel of the box was opened, as if someone attempted to grab whatever this bell was before hastily leaving it for whatever reason.

I looked towards the bell, uncertainty flashing through my features. It looked innocent… Deceptively innocent. I was scared that if I grabbed this thing, I might turn into a bell, or get my flesh turned inside out, or—or—a million other fucked-up things that could happen, and—

STEP!

“Oh, fuck it!” I screamed as I threw caution to the wind, knowing that there’s no way this situation could get any worse.

So I ran to the bell just as the beast entered the room. I reached in and grabbed its small handle as tightly as possible. 

… and released a sigh of relief when I realized that I was still the exact same even after touching the thing. Still, I turned on my heel to come face-to-face with this monster, who stood a mere five feet from me as it stared into my soul with its glazed-over eyes, as if there wasn’t a single rational thought behind them.

Still, I rose up the bell. And pointed it at the creature!

“Take this!!!” I screamed heroically as I pointed the bell at them, waiting for something awesome to happen, and…

Nothing.

“... ahem, let’s try that again. Take this!” I screamed again as I pointed the bell, and… nothing.

…

…

“... ahh, fuck—”

STEP STEP STEP!!!

“SHOOT!” I screamed as the monster began running towards me, prompting me to jump to the side to avoid his path as he crashed into the stone platform, rendering it to dust as it completely shattered as a result of their attack.

The creature immediately turned to me after stopping itself as it began approaching one more, this time much more slowly and deliberately.

Fearful, I began crawling backwards as I slid against the ground. Eventually my back hit the wall as I ran out of places to go. Yet the creature continued to approach.

“D-Dammit—come on, you have to do something!” I yelped in desperation as I raised the bell to my face. 

“Ackm, just work, you damn thing! Do something, anything!” I smashed the side of the bell against my palm, hoping for a reaction as—

DING.

A surprisingly melodic ring echoed from the surrounding area, as it sounded as if it didn’t even originate from the bell, momentarily halting my fear-induced adrenaline.

A moment passed after the strange ringing, and honestly, I thought nothing happened. Nothing but the sounds of my fate being solidified.

… before it was quickly followed by another sound. 

Another voice.

“... How may I assist you today, madam?”

Both me and the monster froze as the regal yet obviously masculine voice asked with absolute sincerity, as if there wasn't a hint of sarcasm or irony in their voice, only a slight British accent.

Both mine and the beast’s eyes were drawn to the corner of the room. A man suddenly stood, a man who was not there a couple of seconds ago.

It was definitely a man, seemingly middle-aged. They had gelled-back black hair with a complimenting black pencil-bar mustache under their nose. 

They also were wearing an obviously well-tailored black suit, not a single wrinkle in sight across the entire thing. A white button-up shirt was present underneath, with a pair of white gloves on their hands. A small white towel was also splayed out across his right forearm as he held it in front of himself diligently, his left arm held behind his back in respect.

He stood at attention as we addressed him, a small smile on his face as he stared towards me.

“Would you care for a massage? Or perhaps some refreshments? It is terribly humid in here–”

“HELP ME!” I suddenly screamed as I finally was brought back to reality. I don’t know how the man got here, but he was another fucking person! So maybe he could actually do something!

The man raised an eyebrow at my instructions before averting his gaze towards the monster, who began to lumber toward the well-dressed man. 

“Is this man bothering you, madam?” He asked without a hint of fear in his voice. I just shook my head furiously, causing him to nod. “Very well, I shall handle this task for you, madam. Now, my good gentlemen, if you would please leave my fair lady alone, there won't be a need for this to escalate past—”

BAM!

The man was promptly quieted as the monster swung their heavy sword-like arm, which crashed against the man's face, popping it like a balloon as blood splattered wildly against the wall of the cell.

“... Are you fucking kidding me?” I couldn't help but mutter as the man's body fell to the floor, more dead than any I've ever seen.

Still, this didn't stop the creature as it turned to me once more, its focus now entirely back on me once more as it left the body behind as it began approaching me, hiding the corpse from sight.

“... shit, SHIT, SHIT! SHITSHIT!!!” I tried pushing myself further into the wall with no avail as the creature approached, raising its heavy right arm above its head.

“Wait—nononono, PLEASE!!!!” I screamed out in desperation as I began swinging the bell around desperately in front of me as if it could defend me, all while the ringing of the bell echoed out.

DING DING DING DING.

“Please, I don't w-want to die! Don’t kill me!” I continued screaming even as its shadow lumbered over me, before it began winding up even more, ready to smash down on me. “Please, I don’t want to die!!!”

…

“As you wish, madam.”

CRASH!

I was shocked as I saw a large pickaxe suddenly strike the side of the creature's head, shattering the stone with superhuman strength as blood began to flow out like a broken faucet.

The creature released a silent scream as it turned around, trying to address what had hurt it so much… only to see a familiar, well-dressed gentleman who looked completely fine, the only difference being a silver tray he was now holding with a metallic cover over the top hiding what was held inside.

My mouth opened in shock! Didn't he—wasn't he—

I turned towards where the person's body was just a couple of moments ago, only to see there was nothing there. Nothing. Not even the blood remained.

Before I could even further process the situation, the man spoke once more.

“Hmm, I did attempt to ask nicely, my good gentleman. But you have simply left me with no choice. Forgive me for the barbaric approach, but my lady's safety is of the upmost imprtan–”

The creature slammed its arm down, trying to hit the man.

BAM!

Only for him to deftly dodge around the strike as the creature's arm struck the ground, digging deep into it.

The man twisted around so that they were behind the monster before moving to lift the lid off the silver tray.

“Tch, not even willing to give me nor my lady the courtesy of a warm welcome? I must say, I am disappointed at how deeply the manners of those that my lady surrounds herself with have fallen.” He chastised as he lifted the lid off the tray, revealing a—

“IS THAT A FUCKING C4!?!” I screamed in shock as I saw a recognizable explosive reveal itself beneath the tray's lid.

“Technically, it is a Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine, but if you must refer to it as–.”

“NOT IMPORTANT!”

The man simply shrugged at my scathing accusation as he quickly pressed the explosive to the monster's back and pressed a button, causing it to turn around.

“If it is your desire, I shall refer to it as a C4 from now on, milady.” He casually explained as he dodged the creature's swipe before he ran straight in front of me. “Although the explosion is quite large, so forgive me for this, Madam.” He explained before wrapping me in his arms, confusing me.

“W-what!? What are you–”

BOOM!

My ears screamed at me as a large boom shook the entire room before blinding me with a bright light!

The man's body pressed further into me for a moment after the explosion as I felt blistering heat wash over me for a moment… before being followed by absolute silence.

… I didn't dare move, too afraid of what might happen if I did.

But eventually, after a couple of seconds of nothing happening, I eventually gained enough nerve to push the man off me and…

Oh wow.

Blood and stones littered every part of the floor, as the monster that I had been running from a moment ago was blown into dozens and dozens of smaller pieces. Looking to the right, I saw the creature's mostly fleshy head now burnt from what I could assume was the Cyclotrimet– I MEAN C4!.

Still, it was entirely burnt as the stone that formerly composed its body lay against the ground.

I then turned to the man who saved me, only to see their lifeless face. I startled a breath before realizing what caused their death, that being dozens of sharp rocks that pierced his back. It was also scorched, destroying the once perfectly tailored suit.

In a panic I pushed the body off me before turning around and quickly moving to the other side of the room and—

DING.

I froze as I realized I accidentally rang the bell in my hand once more. I looked down, examining it and the strange ethereal ringing that appeared as if it came from everywhere but the actual bell.

Regardless, I looked up once more and—

“Would you care for some help with your wound, madam?”

“Gahh—HOLY FUCKING MONKEY BALLS!” I frantically swung my arms as—

THAT FUCKING GUY WAS ALIVE AGAIN! LOOKING UNINJURED AS HE STOOD RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!

“I-I…” W-w-w-wha–b-but-y-y-y-you were—-” I pointed to where his body was, only to see it missing. “...heh?”

“Are you alright, madam? You appear, for a lack of better terms, quite perplexed.” The man addressed me once more as if nothing weird was happening.

“P-p-perplexed!? I-I-WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU!” I screamed at the man, who seemed to nod in understanding.

“Ahh, of course. How terribly rude of me; forgive me for not introducing myself earlier, madam.” He solemnly apologized before going into a deep bow, never breaking from his perfect stance as he continued standing straight up. “You may refer to me as Mr. Deeds. And I am at your service as your eternal servant, malady.”

…

…

“THAT DIDN’T FUCKING HELP AT–Whooo.” I suddenly spoke as a wave of lightheadedness struck me. I woozily turned to look at my shoulder, realizing my pocketknife was still stuck in it. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, the realization of the amount of blood I had lost began crashing into me like waves. “Y-you know, I… I think I’ll… t-take you up… o-on y-your offer.”

That was all I could say before my knees finally gave out and—

SLAM!

… and just like that, it was nothing but darkness.

 

---

JUSTIN POV.

 

“Grrr– guhh!”

Finally, with my final ounces of strength, I managed to pull the elevator door open just enough for me to squeeze through it. My headache crashed against my skull as if I had personally insulted its mother.

As soon as I made it through, I fell to the floor exhausted.

“Huff. Huff… Fuck, that was stupid.” I admitted to myself, remembering how I jumped down the elevator shaft to save myself from… whatever that winged thing was.

Thankfully it didn’t look down the shaft, probably assuming that I had just fallen to my death. Because if it did, it would have noticed how I just barely managed to grab an emergency ladder that was attached to the side of the elevator shaft, which provided just enough leverage for me to catch myself.

“Well, not without a couple of bruises.” I told myself as I reeled at the pained feeling in my shoulders, the sockets nearly popped straight open from the force required to catch myself.

Regardless, I knew I couldn't go back to the floor I was on lest I get killed immediately by those things, so I kept descending until I found an elevator door that was slightly opened.

Luckily, I came across that salvation here on sublevel 13. The falling elevator must have accidentally hit the elevator door on this floor, causing it to break slightly and make an opening. After that, all that was left was to pry the already broken doors open.

It was… hard, I'm not gonna lie. But I still managed to pry it open enough to enter… And now…

“Now, I need to find another master terminal.” I told myself as I patted one of the pockets on my vest, which still safely held the chip that Grant had entrusted to me before he died.

“... I still have a mission to complete. I can’t die here. Not yet.” I steeled my nerves as I began to stand, a newfound resolve building up within me.

“Ugh, so… where to go from here.” I began speaking as I started to move down the strangely silent hallway. 

‘Huh, that's strange.’ I thought as I made my way down the corridor. ‘Wasn’t floor thirteen filled with scientists? Why can’t I hear anyone? Are they all hiding in a safety room somewhere?’

That was my thought—nay, my hope—as I began moving.

… But that hope was quickly dashed as I turned the corner, only to witness… dozens of burnt bodies, all scorched in their entirety. Soot covered every layer of the floor, ceiling, and walls.

The sight was shocking as I took it all in.

“W-what!?” I let out an unintentional gasp as I saw it all. I began to approach before carefully kneeling down in front of one of the burnt bodies. “What… what could have caused… Wait a minute…”

“FUCK!”

I quickly stood as I turned around, beginning to run back down the hall towards the elevator shaft.

‘Dammit, I didn’t know they were keeping that thing on this floor! I need to get out of here before it finds—’

I turned the corner to get to the elevator…

Only to stop. As in front of the shaft now stood a giant… flaming… humanoid creature.

Its body crackled and popped as its flaming body licked all the way up to the ceiling, at least twice the size of a normal human.

I stood frozen as the giant flame just stood there… Before it began to turn, its flames seemed to address me specifically.

I couldn't move, afraid that if I did, it would charge…

It seems the living flame didn't have as much patience, however, as just a moment of us standing like this prompted it to move.

And run towards me like a fucking cheetah in heat!

“Fuck!” I screamed as I immediately jumped on my heels, running back down the hallway filled with scorch marks, all while the living flame began its unrelenting chase after me, all while I cursed my terrible luck.

I could hear the crackling of the flames. Hell, I could feel its heat radiating off my back as the force of nature chased me! 

All while SCP-457 chased after me! Wanting desperately to consume me!

To turn me into fuel for its unending fire!

Notes:

Justin: huff, finally, I’m safe!

SCP-457: (waves hand.)

Justin:… if there is a god, they must hate me.

WebHead_11: only a little!

 

SCP DATABASE!

> SCP-212: AKA, the Improver— SCP-212 is a large, automated surgical machine that forcibly modifies any living human placed inside it. Once activated, it restrains the subject and begins an invasive procedure without anesthesia, using mechanical arms and tools to “upgrade” the body. These modifications vary, often replacing organs or limbs with biomechanical or cybernetic enhancements. While the procedures have only a 47% survival rate, they are also extremely painful and irreversible. SCP-212 does not respond to external input and seems to act on its own programming, prioritizing “improvement” over consent or safety.

>SCP-662: AKA: The Butlers Hand Bell— SCP-662 is a small silver hand bell that, when rung, summons a polite, well-dressed English butler known as Mr. Deeds. He appears moments after the bell is used, regardless of location, and speaks in a calm, refined manner. Mr. Deeds is capable of performing nearly any task requested of him, often completing even seemingly impossible or instantaneous tasks without visible effort or explanation, like summoning items that are ordered to him by the one who rung the bell, consisting of, but not limited to, gold, grenades, any kind of sandwich, pigs blood, etc. However, he has limits—he cannot harm others without permission from the one who rang the bell, and he may politely refuse requests he deems inappropriate or impossible. SCP-662 and Mr. Deeds pose no overt threat but raise concerns due to the unknown extent of his capabilities and origins.

> SCP-457: The Burning Man— SCP-457 is a sentient entity composed entirely of living flame. It grows in size, intelligence, and temperature by consuming flammable materials, including organic matter. In its dormant state, it is a small flame, but when fed or exposed to fuel, it can become a towering inferno with limited but growing intelligence and mobility. SCP-457 also seemingly prefers to appear humanoid in shape once its flame grows big enough. SCP-457 is hostile and extremely dangerous, showing a desire to spread and burn indiscriminately to fuel itself, which included the desire to use human beings and other flammable organic creatures as fuel. It must be contained in a fireproof chamber with no combustible materials nearby, and extreme heat suppression protocols are in place to prevent a catastrophic breach.

 

WELP! FINALLY MADE A CHAPTER OVER 7,000 WORDS AGAIN!
… god help me, I wrote most of this in one night.

Regardless, I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, since we are finally beginning to see other anomalies that have now escaped due to a certain mask’s tomfoolery! Along with some of the admittedly weaker will guards and what some people are willing to do in order to survive such a situation.

Overall, I just hope you all liked it, especially since now we are getting into the meat of this arc!

Besides that, you also may notice I’ve added short descriptions for the anomalies introduced in this chapter down here in the end notes. I’m doing that since a lot of anomalies will be introduced this mini-arc and I want to make sure everyone is able to follow along. I also want to ask if you like the descriptions that think I should keep them for future chapters!

Also, special thanks to 035 masker for recommending the burning man to me a couple of chapters ago! Thanks for the suggestion! As it brought me so great ideas!

Also shout out to FalloutLego17! Who has made a new chapter in their own story “One Shots for SCP-666 “Hazbin””. In which it has the characters doing mortal combat intros! It’s actually really funny, and I recommend you all checking it out if you want a fun time!

Link below:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59442685

 

Anyways, I guess my main question here, outside asking if you enjoyed the chapter, is to ask what you all think of Amanda? I know it’s weird introducing a brand new character like this despite being… 400,000 words in? Goddamn.

Still, I am curious what you all think of her? And if you like her as a character so far?

Anyways, that’s an about all. SO!

Drop a kudos if you enjoyed! Leave a comment if you have any questions, ideas, corrections, wisecracks, jokes or anything in between, and I will see you all next week!

Have a flaming day!
(… It makes sense, I promise.)

Chapter 68: Through the fire and flames!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Amanda awakens with a new companion.

Justin encounters another way to survive.

A new god joins the playing field.

 

AMANDA POV

It was… dark.

No— cold. Cold and dark… dark and cold.

Like swimming in a lake in the middle of the night, where up and down became interchangeable, and left and right illusions of one's mind. 

I felt submerged in this miasma of darkness… Until finally, HE appeared.

It was all a blur, as I went from seemingly nothing… to something. Physically sitting in a bench. It was taken aback… before I noticed a man sitting next to me.

He wore a suit, like that man who saved me. Except it seemed older. Along with that, he wore a black fedora that covered his face in shadow.

I was… delirious. I didn’t know what was right or wrong, I couldn't even tell if I was dead or not.

“What… What are you?” I ended up asking out of instinct, to which the figure chuckled.

“That is a good question. One which we don’t have time for.” He spoke as–#%*@T#(#*&(@^#*WaAakKKE UPP.^*#&^*#.

“W-What, what was–(*&^*(&(*#(GAH M@L@DY H(U*^&(“

“Listen to me v-(#&^$?>-very carefully.” He-*(#@>”>”<> It spoke. “You m-m-must activate the A-*^@)nc>:?”!hor! If-T-yyoy don’t the–)$&^&*(*#.”

Ĕ̸̡͈̖̬̯̠͔̳͓͛̔̾̓͛̅̔̈̊̀X̷̛͓̺̪̤͙̟̻̥͓̼̞̘̺̬͒͐̽̀̈́̈́̂̆̚T̸͙̞̫̄́͆̃͑̾̎̑̐́̋͊̅̍͝Í̸̡̱͋̂̊̂͆̎͘͠͠Ņ̷̢̧̪͕̘̩̼̭͔̿̀́͠C̵͕̻͕̞͇̽̀̊̔̽̿̋͑̍̂̆̐̚T̴̩̪̣̜͓͖̰̭̱̜͍̱̜͛̀̂̋͜I̴̘̣̽O̵̧͔̞̰̤͍̖̪͓̖̹̯͕͙͆̇̎̑̉́̏̿̑͑̂Ǹ̴̼̦̲͉̻͆ͅ

GASP!

I shot upwards in a daze, my mind reeling, torn asunder by forces I don’t… remember? Remember… wait, what happened–

“Would you care for some crumpets, Malady–”

“GAHH!”

BAM!

My left arm shot out on instinct, striking the source of the voice straight in the face, causing them to buckle down and fall to the floor. Who, now that I had a chance to look at them, I realized he was wearing a well-tailored suit and a pencil-bar mustache that looked almost drawn onto their face with how perfect it was.

“...”

“...”

“... Quite the left hook you have, Malady.” A pained groan resonated from their prone form. “Though I must say… If you have a complaint, I would prefer it if you simply used your words next time.”

“...huh?... Wait, wha– ACK!” I attempted to stand, only to hiss in pain as a sharp static shot through my shoulder. My left arm raised up to my shoulder on instinct, only to feel a damp piece of fabric wrapped around it.

“Wh-what?” I looked over, spotting that my left shoulder was entirely covered in a bloodied bandage, wrapped around it expertly.

I also realized I was sitting down on something. It took a moment, but I finally took a moment to look around my surroundings.

I was still in the same room as before, with the… creature's stony corpse shattered to tiny bits all around the room. I was currently sitting on top of a soft blanket in the corner of the room. I also noticed that my lab coat and undershirt were folded nicely in the corner, with me wearing what appeared to be patient scrubs at the moment. Rolls of bloodied bandages also littered the ground around us, with a basin of what appeared to be water that was also soaked in blood. There were also bottles of pills that sat next to me, most of which appeared to be pain medication, with a very recognizable, blood-stained pocketknife.

“I do apologize for relieving you of your clothing without your permission, Madam.” The suited gentleman spoke once more as he sat up, lightly rubbing his now bloody nose with a handkerchief. “But in order to properly tend to your wounds, your attire would have gotten ruined. So I took the liberty of removing them beforehand and then dressed you appropriately after I was finished. Once more, I am deeply sorry if you consider my actions invasive.”

“Umm… n-no, that’s… fine, I guess.” I just shrugged. With all the shit going on, being seen naked by someone who was actively saving my life is the least of my worries. “Ugh… how long was I out?”

“Not too long, Madam. All things considered, the wounds you sustained were indeed rather minor, and your sudden loss of consciousness can mostly be attributed to exhaustion. I dare say it has been—” He pulls a gold pocket watch from his suit. “ --Less than 20 minutes. In that time, I tended to your wounds, stitched your clothing back together from the cut, dry cleaned them, set your bed, and prepared you a small meal.” He pulls out a silver tray from God knows where, presenting a sandwich and cup of water. “I hope ham and mustard is to your liking, Madam.”

“That… actually sounds fucking delicious right now.” I admitted, my stomach growling at the mere thought of eating something right now. “Please?”

“Of course, Madam.” The butler-like figure curtly nodded before placing the tray down next to me. 

Quickly I grabbed the sandwich, taking a large, greedy bite from it as I felt the flavors of such a simple meal dance across my tongue.

“Oh my god– this is so good!” I complimented them through a mouthfulof food. “Thank you!”

“It is my pleasure, Madam.” He replied just as I finished scarfing down the sandwich.

“Sigh… Umm, you said your name was… Mr. Deeds, right?” I asked, to which he nodded in response. “Right… So, Mr. Deed —oh my name's Amanda, by the way—but… why are you helping me?”

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Because, my dear lady, you rang my bell.”

“You’re Bell?” I asked before I finally remembered the bell from before I passed out.

Hurriedly I looked to my left, seeing it lying there in silence, to the point where nobody could ever guess that this item could be considered an anomaly.

Still, I carefully lifted up the object before beginning to examine it. “So this bell… summoned you?”

“That is a way you can describe it as, correct?”

“And how would you describe it as?”

Mr. Deeds looked up inquisitively at this before answering, “I would simply say that ringing my bell calls me to duty. To serve whomever it may belong to at any current moment to the best of my ability.”

“... Fascinating.” I couldn’t help but geek out a little, the young scientist in me fascinated by the history and inner workings of such a strange object and, by extension, the one it summons. 

“Does it also cause the person who rings it to… have strange dreams, by any chance?”

He shook his head. “I can assure you, madam, that there are no ill effects to be had by calling for my assistance. Whether those effects be physical or mental.” He explained before offering a hand out. “If you are having ill dreams, then may I recommend seeing a psychiatrist? Or perhaps another expert on the matter to sort this issue out for you?”

“I… hmm, that’s actually not an awful idea.” I joked before attempting to stand once more, only for that same stinging sensation to crawl through my shoulder.

“I’d suggest that you should rest, madam. While your wound should fully recover, that knife still struck a nerve.” Mr. Deeds began cautioning me but made no move to stop me as I struggled through the pain to stand. “Even a wound such as this would require several months to heal properly. If you strain yourself too much, then it could turn into irreversible damage upon your body.”

“If I stay here, I’ll also get irreversible damage… cause you’d know I’d be… uhh—dead. I’d be dead.” I awkwardly responded as I rose to my feet, wobbling slightly as my muscles screamed at me to rest. All the while, Mr. Deeds wore a very thoughtful expression on his stoic face.

“Hmm… fair point, malady!” He conceded, causing me to give a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn’t—

“Then allow me to come up with a compromise!”

LIFT!

My feet suddenly became groundless as I felt myself lifted up by the nicely dressed man.

“I shall carry you out of here, madam! Lest you injure yourself more!” She proclaimed valiantly, like a knight in shining armor, as the light in the room bathed him in an angelic glow.

It took me a moment to fully realize what had happened, but when I did, I was already being carried bridal style in the man's arms.

“M-Mr. Deeds…” I mumbled quietly as the butler looked down upon me, a warm smile on his face that complimented the light he was currently being bathed in.

“What is it, Malady?” He inquired softly.

“Can you… please…” I began, stuttering as the man continued to hold me.

“Yes?”

“C-can you… Please put me down.”

“…”

“…”

“… Oh.” He spoke, sounding a tiny bit disappointed as he did so. “O-of course, Malady.”

“…”

“… Heya Deeds?”

“Yes, malady?”

“… please don’t ever do that again.”

“... As you wish, Malady.”

 

---

Ashur POV

 

“They're requesting backup at Bravo-9. Go. Go. Go.”

Muffled screams of command echoed through the wide halls outside of my room, disturbing me from my six o’clock drink. 

I tried to tune them out at first, but then that… unpleasantly disruptive voice sounded out through my room. He said something about… oh, what was it again?

‘I’ve taken control blah blah blah, kill people blah blah blah, get to live. That sort of shit.’ I recollected, before placing my drink cup on my nice mahogany table before approaching my fireplace, warming my hands. ‘Ultimately, it's nothing but the mad ramblings of an overzealous god or an insane demon. Hmm, they’d have to be insane for daring to try and break into Angolian chǎteau! My fortress?!’

‘HMMP, I scant believe I should worry. My fellow brothers are more than enough to take care of such vagrant rats!’ I chuckled to myself as I swished my hands, causing the fire to grow larger. ‘No demon nor evil god could hope to stand a chance against Ulmar the Unbroken. Or Niems, the champion of the wastes! Hah! And don’t even get me STARTED on Cramer the likewise unbroken! Those poor devils don’t stand a chance.’

‘… Although, it has been a while since I’ve stretched my muscles.’ I realized a fun thought invaded my mind like an army, refusing to leave. ‘Hmm, I know that they have advised me to stay here, assuring me they can handle this catastrophe without me needing to exert myself… but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind the assistance!’

With that decided, I snuffed out the flames in my fireplace with a swipe of my hand before looking straight up at my well-furnished ceiling.

Suddenly, my feet became weightless as the air began guiding me upwards, hoisting me midair.

‘And besides… we can celebrate with a grand feast once we’re done!’

BOOM!

Like lightning, I shot upwards, the wing crashing through each floor of my fortress as I continued ascending, not caring for the damage, as I know the Elamites and Chaldeans will be the ones to fix such a mess, and their woes are of little consequence to me.

I even smiled at the thought of them having to work more before continuing my rapid ascent through the… admittedly less fashionable flooring than I thought there would be.

---

Amanda POV 

 

I slid my lab coat back on, wincing slightly as I strained my muscles that were still raw with pain.

“Ack… shoot, this stings.” I mutter to myself as—

“Would you like assistance adorning yourself, mada—”

“NO, I DO NOT!” I urgently spout out toward Mr. Deeds, who was currently facing the wall in an attempt to protect some of my decency. “Sigh… thanks for asking, though.”

“It is my pleasure, Madam! I am only here to serve!” He reiterates with just as much enthusiasm as the first time he told me, causing me to chuckle slightly.

“Heh, who’d have thought I’d hear those words from an anomaly? This day truly is weird.” I couldn't help but smile before I turned back to Mr. Deeds, now fully dressed in my lab outfit. “Anyways, any suggestions about how we could get out of here?”

Mr. Deeds thought for a second before raising a finger, as if to speak and share an idea—

“That doesn’t involve you carrying me?”

— The finger immediately retracted.

“Hmm… yea, unfortunate.” I sighed out before scratching my neck as I began to think, only to further shake my head in frustration. “Damn, if only I had the keycard of some high-ranking foundation member, it would make all this so much easier—”

“Here you go, Madam.” Mr. Deeds exclaimed respectfully as he reached into his vest and pulled out a level 4 security keycard and handed it to me—HE PULLED OUT A LEVEL 4 SECURITY KEYCARD?!?! 

“Pha— PFTT— HUH?! W-WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?!” I incredulously asked, flailing my arms wildly, totally shocked by the sudden appearance of the thin piece of plastic.

“Why, what a simple question, one in which I have an equally simple answer to!” Mr. Deeds proclaimed.

“Ok… and that is?” I asked, causing his mouth to rise in a confident smile.

“Why, I simply acquired it off of one of those corpses in the hallway!” He spoke proudly, shocking me for a moment before continuing. 

“... Are you serious?”

“Yes! For you see, Malady, I noticed that your card only had a security access level of 2 on it. I thought that simply would not do for someone of your eloquence, so during your moment of respite, I wandered out of this room and looked for the highest or fanks I could acquire! I do apologize, for I was unable to acquire a level 5 keycard, which is what is deserving of you, Malady. Still, I hope this will suffice.”

“... Congratulations, you have actually managed to stump me on what to say.” I sighed after a moment of internal deliberation, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Still, this will make things easier, so… thank you.”

“It is my pleasure, Malady.” He gave a curt bow, one that I chuckled at before turning my attention back to the orange-colored piece of plastic. 

‘Heh, and here I was thinking it was going to take me at least another 12 years to get to the point where I'd get something like this. And yet, here I am, somehow gaining it in the middle of a fucking containment breach.’ I thought before silently sliding the card into my coat pocket, not wanting to accidentally drop it.

“Alright, Mr. Deeds, let's get out of here.” I commanded the man, causing him to take a deep bow before I began leading us away, out of the containment room. I gave it one last look, grabbing my bloodied pocketknifeas I went…

I nearly died here. I ran into this room being chased by a fucking monster…

‘And yet, I’m the one who walked out alive… heh, funny how that works sometimes.’ I laughed dryly before leaving.

As I did, I once more had to take a moment to stop myself from gagging as I saw the burnt bodies. A part of me was still hoping to never run into what caused it.

Regardless, me and my… butler? I guess? Began moving through the halls with caution, checking every corner before turning just to make sure we would be safe.

We continued moving before I eventually stopped in front of a lone door. A burnt corpse by its side. Looking up, I spotted in faded yellow paint the words “Security Room.”

“Hmm… this could help.” I silently realized as I approached the door and took out my keycard. It was security access level 4, so it should work… right?

I silently prayed that it would as I slid it through the card reader, and after a few moments of teeth-chattering silence…

BEEP!

The door unlocked with a satisfying beep. The red light atop the card reader flashed green instantaneously, illustrating our granted access.

I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding, relieved that the keycard actually managed to work, before carefully entering the room.

It was pitch black in the room, so I felt the side wall for a light switch—

“Allow me, malady!” Mr. Deeds suddenly chimed in before moving past me and—

CLICK!

With that satisfying sound, all the lights in the room flickered to life, revealing its sparkly furnished interior.

It wasn’t much, all things considered, just a rolling chair and a couple of file cabinets. There was also a fire extinguisher in the corner of the room as well, lying sideways on the floor.

The biggest point of interest here, however, was the large monitor that took up the entire back of the room. The monitor was split up into multiple screens, each currently dark and unpowered. 

“Hmm…” I approached the mechanical board that sat in front of the computer screens. Unsurprisingly, there were about a couple dozen doohickies and other buttons or levers on the control panel. “Umm… hmm, shoot uhh… How do I turn this on? Maybe… this?”

I lowered my hand and pressed one of the biggest buttons I could see against the panel. And almost immediately as I had done so, the screens blared to life, momentarily blinding me before I got used to the light.

As I did, I noticed that all the screens began displaying camera recordings of the hallways.

“Ahh, congratulations, malady. You've turned on the device.” Mr. Deeds congratulated me earnestly before beginning a quiet golf clap. “Well done.”

“… no offense, but that felt a little demeaning.” I awkwardly state before turning back to the cameras, flashing through the different cameras.

“My apologies, malady. I simply wished to congratulate you on a job well done.” He humbly bows once more, and I roll my eyes before I press one of the buttons, noting how it shifted and changed which camera appeared on one of the screens. Noticing this, I continued to flicker through them.

As I did, I couldn’t help but visibly gag at the images I saw. Bodies burnt to a crisp. Ashes coating the walls. 

Other bodies seemed like they died from other sources. Blood flowing like streams through the hall from bodies, most of which seemed to be headless, probably due to this fucked-up game that the so-called anomaly is playing.

‘Still, what is their goal? Just for us to kill each other? There’s got to be more than that to it—'

I froze as I switched to one of the screens, only to notice a man in a familiar guard outfit running past frantically in the hall.

I was confused at first witnessing this… only to see him being quickly followed by a giant creature made of flames!

“W-what?!” I subconsciously scream as I witness the chase, seeing this creature made of fire chasing the guard!

‘Wait… flames?’ I realized, as I thought back to all the scorched bodies that decorated the halls. And all at once, the realization that whatever… this is, was the one that had killed all those people.

And it was currently chasing after its next victim.

“Shit… shit!” I began to panic as an anxious energy built up within me as I watched this person run for their life. I was so distracted, in fact, that my hand accidentally grazed one of the nearby buttons on the panel in front of the screen, and—

~~BUMP~~

I flinched back as a loud noise escaped the speaker, only to realize that it had come from one of the cameras in the corner. Where once was an open pathway was now blocked off by a heavy security door.

I stared at the screen confused before a lightbulb went off in my head. 

I looked down toward the button that I had accidentally pressed before slowly pressing down upon it again and—

~~VWOOM~~

The heavy security door retracted back into the ceiling. And with it, an idea flickered to life in my mind.

I snapped my neck back to the screens of the running man, who by this point was shown on a different camera.

A sweat broke out on my head as a nervous feeling emerged. What if this person was the same as the last guards I met and… tried to kill me?

Is it… even worth saving–

‘No– NO! You can’t think like that, Amanda!’ I screamed internally to myself. ‘That’s exactly what they want! For us to turn on each other! You can't… you can't give in!’

So, with one final deep yet commanding breath, I turned to the screen…

And slammed my fist down against one of the buttons.

---

Justin POV

 

“Huff Huff!”

‘Sizzle!’ ‘Sizzle!’ ‘Pop!’

“Huff… argh!”

SLIDES!

 I slid beneath a half-open security door. The large metal barrier was seemingly broken or glitched, leaving just enough room between the bottom of it and the floor for me to slide under.

Not a second after I did so, I heard the sizzling and popping of metal on metal through the halls. I hazarded a look back, only to confirm my fears.

That fucking living flame was eating its way through the metal and melting it to let itself through.

“Dammit. How do I stop this thing!?” I found myself asking aloud before continuing my sprint through the halls, not even risking another look back as I heard something crash against the ground. ‘Maybe I can take it to a boiler room and douse the bastard in water? Argh, no, that wouldn’t work. I don’t know this floor well enough to know where in the hell that would be!’

I turned a corner just in time for a geyser of fire to strike the wall I was just in front of, making the back of my neck sweat with extreme heat akin to that of a volcano as I kept running.

‘Shit, um… maybe I can lose it in the halls? Close a door on them and try to lose it while I’m out of its sight?’ The idea flashed through my mind, but I shook my head just as fast. ‘No, I don’t think that’ll work. Not unless I get a REALLY good distraction—’

~~BUMP!~~

I was suddenly torn asunder from my thoughts as I heard a heavy metal crashing sound out from behind me, and the unbearable heat that had been assaulting my back also ceased.

In a shock I turned, only to see a heavy metallic security door had slammed down from behind me, blocking the path of the SCP.

I stood there baffled! How had–

~BEEP~

“H-Hello?” Once more my thoughts were knocked aside as a loud static, yet distinctly feminine voice broke through the speakers on the nearby wall. “H-hey, can you hear me?”

My mouth sat agape as I stared at the speaker before, after a moment of reluctance, pointing to myself in question, as if asking if they were talking about me.

“Y-yes, you! Ok, so you can hear me. Great, I am so glad that worked!” The voice celebrated from the intercom before—

BOOM!

A massive explosion echoed through my bones as I turned back to the security door, as I saw the metal was already beginning to warp and twist as its color changed from dull grey to a vibrant splatter of orange.

“Oh shit—Um, q-quickly! Move! I’ll guide you!” The voice urgently spoke out in fear, and I wasn’t about to be the one to disagree with them!

So, like a bag in the wind, I took off straight ahead just as the metal door was torn in half, reduced to goop by the flaming monster that continued to hunt me down.

I continued running straight, hoping that the voice would give me proper—

“Go left!!!”

‘FUCK!’ I internally cursed as they screamed at me just as I was about to miss the left turn, causing me to trip on my heels before catching myself and running in that direction, once more just barely missing a blast of heat from the monster as—

~~BUMP~~

Another noise of something heavy creasing against the floor sounded out from behind, though I barely paid it any attention as I continued moving through the hall.

“Right!” She directed me just as I reached a crossroad, prompting me to sprint there as I heard another loud bang and the subsequent noise of hissing metal.

“Left.” They then directed, so I went in that direction.

“Right!” She then commanded more confidently as I kept running for a couple of moments, my legs threatening to tear apart at the seams already.

Just as my legs did feel like they were about to give in, though, I felt a hand clasp my shoulder as I ran past an open door.

Surprised, I was easily pulled inside before hearing the door closing behind me. I was about to swing my fist out to strike whoever it was that grabbed me and—

“SHH!” Their index finger was aggressively pressed up against my lips, forcing me to stop as I rattled my brain in confusion.

It was also at that moment that I noticed the person who had pulled me in was a girl. With curly dark hair that reached their shoulders and brown skin that matched the color of their eyes.

I also wordlessly heard their advice as I lowered my fist, just as…

~SIZZLE~ ~SIZZLE~ ~POP~ ~SIZZLE~

The familiar noise of crackling flames assaulted my ears, just as an eerie orange light began to shine through the bottom of the door to the room.

The girl pressed me down against the side of the back wall, prompting us to both sit as the light passed us by. My heart began beating rapidly, threatening to burst out of my chest. My sweating increased feverishly as my military outfit began to sink into my skin like a leash.

My eyes began burning as I refused to close them for even a second, too scared by what would happen if I did.

I did, however, spare a glance at the girl on my right, and she seemed to be behaving similarly. A panicked expression was present throughout her entire face as they stared at the door with pupils the size of pinpricks.

So we both sat there… waiting in apprehensive panic as the light grew bright… and brighter… and brighter…

Before eventually it dimmed as the creature.

I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding as I turned to the girl, whose breath increased by ten times as if they hadn't taken a breath in years.

“I… thank you… Thank you so much.” I basically cried out as I felt wetness begin to form at the corner of my eyes. “Im… You saved me.”

She shrugged with a tired look, “It was nothing… I just… oh, fuck, that was scary.” She began breathing heavily once more as she raised a hand to her chest.

Worried, I instinctively raised mine as well and placed it on her shoulder. This seemed to work, as her breathing suddenly slowed as she turned to me.

“Hmm… I'm Justin, by the way.” I introduced myself with as warm of a smile as I could. “And you?”

She just stared at me… Before a similar warm smile caressed her features. “... Amanda.”

“Heh, Amanda?” I repeated, causing her to nod, “Well, Amanda, it’s a pleasure to—”

“And my name is Mr. Deeds!” I flinched as a loud voice shattered the silence as I turned to my left, only to see—IS THIS MAN A BRITISH BUTLER?!?

“... Mr. Deeds?” Amanda asked in barely contained fury behind an overly large smile.

“Hmm, ye Malady?”

“... please stop talking.”

“... As you wish, Malady.”

Notes:

SCP-3740 AKA “Ashur”— SCP-3740 is a Class VIII humanoid reality-altering entity believed to be Ashur, the Assyro-Babylonian god of air and head of the Assyrian pantheon of deities. This anomaly has the ability to control wind, with the cap abilities of making cyclones strong enough to rip apart mountains. Currently believes that he isn’t contained and has instead taken over a fort while drunk and thinks his containment cell is his home. All personel must play along, either taking the part of legendary heroes who Ashur treats as an equal, or Elamites and Chaldeans, who in Ashur eyes are nothing more then slaves.

 

Mr. Deeds: (picks up Amanda.) don’t worry Malady, for I shall save you!

Amanda: THIS AINT THAT KIND OF FIC!

 

(Me: sitting tired over a computer.)

Oh… hey everyone. Sorry this chapter is a bit later than usual and shorter, I’ve been SO busy this week that it was hard to find time to actually sit down and give this chapter the time it deserves. So, sincerely, I am so sorry.

Besides that… I don’t really have much to say. I’m just tired.

 

Regardless, drop a kudos if you enjoyed any of this, leave a comment if you have any questions, complaints, ideas, jokes, or literally anything else! (Please, your comments give me life!) and I’ll see you all next week! Have a fantasticular day!!!

 

… imma go to sleep now.

Chapter 69: Heh... nice.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

035 reunites with an old... 'Friend'

Justin and Amanda devise a plan.

Mr. Deeds is... Mr. Deeds.

There's nothing that a little godly intervention can't fix!

Heh... Nice.

Notes:

"What do you hold more dear. A promise? Your word? A life? ... Your life?"

Angel Dust POV

 

“Heh, nice.” I muttered snarkily.

“Hmm? What’s nice?” Paul asked curiously, his head looking over the couch toward me at the bar.

“Oh, nothing. Just thought it’d be appropriate for this chapter!” I declared proudly.

“… what?

“What?”

“…”

“Heh, if you prefer, I can be real nice to you, resting fuck-face.” I smiled.

“… I think I’m good.” Paul responded with a tired sigh before returning to his daily dose of doing fuck-all.

“Hehe, your loss, snuckle—”

BOOM!

The wall exploded inwards as a familiar crime-fighting virgin burst his way in.

“Did I, The Specter, hear about something nice going on?!?” HE valiantly exclaimed before turning toward me.

And giving me a massive thumbs-up.

“Good job, valued citizen! It always pays to be nice!”

“... Alright, let's move on. This bit has already gone on for way too long.” I finally admitted, much to Paul’s relief.

“Yes, please.”

“Wait, HOLD ON!!! WHAT’S WRONG WITH BEING NICE!?” The Specter screamed out in confusion. “I DON’T UNDERSTAND!!!”

(… The author apologizes for this joke about 69.)

---

SCP-035 POV

 

“Heh… nice.” I muttered in enjoyment as I laid my gaze upon the dozens of corpses in front of me. Most of their bodies were seemingly cut in half, shot, or bludgeoned against the now red-drenched metallic walls and flooring. “Not bad, wings.”

The angel in question simply rolled their eyes at my ‘praise’ before tucking their wings tighter around their body.

“They were just in the way. It's their fault for not moving.” She replied, causing me to chuckle.

“Heh, yes, during your hunt for that pest.” I inquired before tearing my gaze back to the bored angel. “And did you manage to skewer that moth on the wall?”

She shrugged, “Basically.”

“Oh? Basically?” I tilted my head playfully. “That doesn’t sound like a yes, now does it?”

She growled but overall kept her composure as she turned away. “He jumped down the elevator shaft after I cornered him. That's basically just as good as being skewered.”

“Hmm… and you didn’t check to make sure they were dead?” I asked, causing them to shoot me a glare.

“Why should I? The elevator was already cut. I would've just seen a bloody mess if I did.”

“Oh, alright then.” I responded calmly as I lowered my hand to my holstered angelic pistol. “In that case, I will consider your mission of killing them a failure.”

Asaph’s eyes shot open. “What?! But they died! No human could have survived that fall–”

“Then you grossly underestimate our adversaries, little dove.” He bit back, causing them to cease their rant as my puppet’s face stared straight into their very soul. “Here’s a tip for the future: always CHECK to make sure you finish the job. Because if I can promise you one thing, it's that when you don't, you'd be surprised how many of those bastards love to go on and make a surprise re-appearance in the next act.”

“B-but I–”

“No buts, Wings. That is one strike, and I implore you to never figure out what happens when you get three.” A chill ran through my voice as I sent out that warning… Before a relaxed grin spread across my face once more. “However, I am a forgiving sort, so I will forgive this blunder for now. Just make sure you never do it again… understand?”

“... Yes.” They reluctantly spoke, an angered look flashing on their face.

“... Yes?” I implore them to continue, causing them to growl.

“Yes… sir.” They finally managed to bark out after a heated wrinkle of anger struck across their face, causing me to chuckle.

“Exactly.” I smirked as I saw Asaph immediately turn away from me in rage, actually preferring to stare into the rotting mug of a face that was the old man. “Now, let’s get moving, kids! There is a lot to do and oh so little time to do it all–”

BADUM!

I froze… as a familiar feeling began swelling in my chest. Like a worm that ate away, gnawing at every part of me.

This feeling… It wasn't fear. Nor joy. Just… an annoyingly familiar feeling. And for me, familiarity was never good.

So imagine my disgust as I heard that voice speak aloud. One that I partly hoped to never hear again.

“... So I was right. You were the cause of all this.” That voice, that damned voice, drawing mine and both of my comrades attention. Faster than either of them, I turned to the end of the hall, which had been empty a couple of moments ago but was now occupied by a man in an orange D-class uniform. Their brown hair was frazzled and unruly, but almost perfectly so. As if it were designed with being messy and unkempt as its purpose.

And… like a shining light, I noticed their classification written plainly on their outfit.

D-9341.

“... Benjamin.” I basically growled out as I saw them. They didn’t even bother to look up at me as I did so, evidently preferring to stare straight at his dirty fingernails, as if he would find more use in interrogating them than me.

“Hm, it's been a while. Maskey.” He smiled.

“... Indeed it has.”

“... Who is this?” I heard Asaph question from behind me, their wings already unfurling out, almost like they were readying to attack before looking toward me. “Should I kill them?”

The old man groaned as if in agreement, but instead of confusion like Asaph, theirs was also filled with a strange familiarity as they stared him down. He looked as though he were ready to pounce at a moment's notice.

“Ah, old man. I see you're working with that dusty old mask now.” Benjamin actually raised his gaze to look at us this time as he crossed his arms. “I have to admit, that's a new low, even for you. Though I guess that’s what losing an arm can do to some.”

The old man growled angrily at the D-class through their everlasting grin and looked as though he would've actually attacked if I didn’t hold my arm out to stop them.

He then turned to Asaph. “And you… I actually haven’t met you before today. What's your name?”

The angel seemingly raised an eye in confusion at the casualness of the man's speech but eventually seemingly decided to answer. “Tch, why would I tell—”

“Ehh, you know what? Don’t even bother; I already know it’s Asaph.” Benjamin interjected, which caused the winged girl to lose her balance in shock at his foolhardy exclamation.

“W-what, how do you–”

“Because he’s seen this all before.” I answered in his place as I continued to stare down the smug D-class as the grin grew on his face. “Benjamin… heh, I haven’t seen your ugly mug since the containment breach at Site-19.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” He replied by rolling his eyes in disgust. “Hate thinking about that place.”

“Ditto. I wasted a perfectly good opportunity to escape that damned case.” I replied with as much sincerity as I could conjure, which wasn’t a lot. “Still… I had a feeling you were special back then. Had I known everything that I do now about you, though, then I would’ve tried a helluva lot harder to turn you into my puppet.”

“Hmm, well, I’m flattered you think so highly of a lowly D-class such as myself.”

“Hah! We both know that’s a pile of bullshit… though that does pose an interesting idea.” I quickly reached down and unholstered my gun before pointing the angelically lined weapon at the eerily calm man. “… how many times have we had this conversation?”

“Hmm… four. This time would be the fifth.” He admitted with a shrug before pointing at Asaph. “The first two times I was killed by her. Once because I didn’t realize what I was walking into, and second because I repeated her name, which I heard you say the first time around. She didn’t appreciate it.”

Asaph growled.

He then pointed to the old man. “Then he tried to have his way with me after he disregarded an order from you. Pulled me in his pocket dimension, but I killed myself before he had a chance to mess with me.”

He then uncrossed his arms and pointed to his right.

“The fourth time I was standing about five feet in that direction.” 

Asaph raised an eyebrow. “What happened there—”

BOOM!

All of a sudden, a small portion of the ceiling shook, seemingly from an explosion, with a small part of it caving downwards directly to where the smug man was pointing.

“… C4?”

“No idea, actually. And I don’t think I wanna know.” He admitted honestly before turning back to me. “And now it’s the fifth.”

“Heh, five times… and I haven’t even had the liberty of killing you yet.” I chuckled darkly as I slowly unholstered my gun. “I have to admit, I’m mighty curious to see if your apparent immortality can survive a bullet from an angelic gun!”

“Heh… That’s exactly what you said last time… you know, before I got crushed.” He glanced over to the caved-in part of the ceiling before turning back. “Anyhow, I’m not here to test your theories or even ask what an angelic gun is. I’m just here for one reason.”

“… and that would be?”

 I wanna know what your plan is.” He finally spat out before kicking himself off the wall and stood up straight. “I may not know a whole lot about you, Maskey. But I know enough to figure that there’s something here that you’re after… or someone.”

“Mind if I ask what it is?” He finished.

“... Heh, not particularly. Just a couple of doo-dads and a few other stragglers that I feel might be able to help me.” I began earnestly as I never took my eyes off the crafty man. “It’s a dangerous world out there. It’s always best to be prepared. Every card in my pocket is another that the foundation doesn’t have.”

I cocked my gun. “So tell me, Benjamin… Are you here to stop me? Be the hero? Stop a massive containment breach from happening and be welcomed back into the foundation with open arms?! HAH! We both know these bastards would never let something like that happen! They’d just lock you back up again, treating you like an animal. An animal that they can poke and prod to their hearts content!”

“I know… I know that.” He admitted, causing me to momentarily freeze in surprise. “No… I’m here for a different reason.”

Benjamin began to approach, his arms swinging lazily at his sides. I noticed Asaph began to tense up, but I stopped them with a simple gesture of my hand.

Reluctantly, she complied. So Benjamin was free to continue his approach… until he stood right in front of me.

“I’m not here to stop you, Maskey. No… quite the opposite actually.”

… my eyebrow raised. “And that would be?”

…smile.

“I wanna join you.”

---

Amanda POV

 

The monitor showed the flaming monster continuing to roam down the hallway, leaving an ashen trail everywhere it went. 

It moved around almost erratically, like it was desperately searching for something… or someone.

“Damn… guess it hasn’t given up on the hunt yet.” The guard, who has since named himself as Justin, spoke out with concern. “Seems desperate to finish the job and get more fuel for itself. Sooner or later, it will find us here. And when that happens, it'll find itself getting a three-for-one deal.”

“... Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I awkwardly put it, causing him to shrug. 

“Just putting it how I see it. And right now, things are looking pretty fucking bad.”

I roll my eyes before turning from the monitor and begin walking towards Mr. Deeds, who was waiting patiently in the corner. “Are you always this much of a pessimist?”

“Believe it or not, no. It’s just… well, pardon my French, but I’ve never been this royally fucked before!” He spoke with mild frustration, causing me to chuckle.

“You and me both, soldier boy.” I turned to the butler. “Hey Deeds, think you can grab us some food? Might as well run for our lives on a full stomach.”

He curtly bowed. “Of course, Malady.” And then walked through a nearby door that I know led to nowhere but a storage closet.

“... So, what’s the story with him?” Justin asked, causing me to turn.

“What do you mean?” I asked earnestly.

He rolled his eyes. “Come on, you think I don’t recognize him? I might not be the highest-ranked person here, but I still know a decent number of anomalies that are kept here.” He began before pointing to the silver handbell that I was gripping onto. “And I know for a fact that someone doesn’t just accidentally get their hands on SCP-662. Especially someone as new as you.”

I startled back, surprised. “How did you know—”

“Corporal Grant was my mentor and is… was one of my closest friends.” He looked down solemnly at that before pivoting his head back up at me. “And I saw the group he was welcoming yesterday, you included.”

I gave him a worried look, causing him to sigh. “Look, I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm… just very interested in how a greeny like you not only managed to survive this long, but also get their hands on, like, one of the only anomalies in this place that doesn’t have a single downside to using them.”

“That’s… it's not important.” I managed to croak out, though the answer seemed far from satisfactory for the current helmetless guard, as he had discarded it to the corner of the room not too long ago.

“Well, if we’re gonna be working together, then it's important to me. Because I know for a fact your card does not have the authority to access the room that bell is kept in.” He admits, causing me to sweat even more.

“It… it just was, ok? I—I don't know—didn't that thing over the intercom say he was unlocking, like, a shit ton of doors? Maybe that was just one of them!”

“... maybe. But I still feel like you're leaving something out.” He continued to interrogate me, causing my anxiety to spike up more.

… before eventually.

“Sigh… I guess you do have a point, though. Stuff like this can be saved until after we’ve escaped death.” He finally relented, giving me a moment to breathe. “And I guess you still did save my life earlier, so I can afford you that much trust at least. Sorry if I sound kind of… douchey, but this isn't exactly a situation where I can elect to be calm. And I’m nervous for… another reason.” His hand lightly clutched one of his tactical vest’s pockets. 

“Oh? And that is?” I inquired.

“... A promise… and one I intend to keep, no matter the cost.” He revealed with a serious undertone, causing a nervous sweat to break out on the side of my face.

A part of me almost wanted to ask if he would complete it even if it was at the cost of my life… But I think I already knew the answer.

So I held my tongue and moved on.

“Heh, I get that.” I admit before nodding my head. “And it’s fine. It’s not like I'm… not against talking about it; it's just… still kind of fresh and… not the nicest thing to think about right now.”

“Yea… yea, that’s fair. Still, when we get out of this mess, I do want an answer.”

“Hehe.” I chuckle before waving my hand absently. “Whatever you say, soldier boy.”

He grumbled at that but seemed to return to his neutral state of examining the screens. Not but a second later, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Mr. Deeds returned, two sandwiches lying flat on his silver tray.

“Dinner is served, milady!” He exclaimed with a smile, causing Justin to whistle in celebration before walking over and beginning to reach for a sandwich.

“Sweet! I’m starving! Thanks again—”

GRIP!

“Ack!” Justin let out a pained cry as the butler gripped his outstretched arm with excessive force.

A dangerous glow formed in his eye before he spoke. “I apologize… but you do not get the honor of ‘first dibs.’ That honor is reserved solely for my lady.”

He leaned closer with his deathly neutral face straight at Justin.

“… understand?

“Ack—y-yeah! G-got it!” He managed to croak out between breaths.

… the butler then smiled and let go, causing Justin to fall back.

“Excellent! Just wanted to make sure we were clear!” He spoke with newfound energy.

“Ack… crystal.” He said in response while clutching his wrist. 

Mr. Deeds then turned to me before walking past the in-pain Justin. “… Milady.” He gestured to the tray.

“Umm… yea, thanks.” I reluctantly said before reaching over and grabbing one of the sandwiches. Ham, I think it was. “And… Please don’t do that again.”

“Hmm? Do what?” He sincerely questioned, causing me to point to Justin.

“Hurt… h-him—you know what, forget it.” I shook my head before taking a bite into the surprisingly delicious sandwich. “From now on, just treat Justin like you would treat me, alright?”

Mr. Deeds looked… strangely taken aback by this request.

“B-but Milady! He isn’t—”

“No buts. Just listen, ok?”

“… as you wish, Milady.” He finally confirmed between semi-clenched teeth, bowing slightly.

I nodded at this.

“Good… Now please give him his sandwich.” I began before crossing my arms. “And apologize."

…

Slowly… he approached Justin. He stood in front of him awkwardly as Justin just crossed his arms.

“… h-here you go… sir.” Mr. Deeds finally said, sounding as if he were in pain every step of the way. “I… do apologize for my… previous actions.”

“... Now hug.” I then commanded with a mischievous smirk, causing a shiver to run through Mr. Deeds's spine… Before he grumbled and reluctantly grabbed the confused Justin.

… And pulled him into a side hug.

Before just as quickly letting go.

… Justin just raised an eyebrow but ultimately just shrugged before taking the outstretched sandwich.

“Hmm… this is actually pretty good.” He complimented the butler before leaving his side to approach me. “So… what’s the plan now?”

I turned back to the monitor of the flaming anomaly. It continued to prowl the halls like a predator. And it hadn’t moved far enough away to guarantee our safety if we ran to the nearest elevator.

‘We need to distract it… but how do we—’ My eyes caught a glint of something from the corner of the room. Something that I took notice of when I first entered but have since ignored due to our position.

‘But now…’

“I… think I have an idea.” I finally admit, before turning to Justin with an apprehensive look. “It just… might be a stupid one.”

He smirked, “I’m all ears.”

 

---

SCP-457 POV

 

‘... fuel… fuel… need fuel…’

I continued moving through the hall. Searching… searching.

‘Need fuel… fire… grow.’

I turned the corner, every part of me shifting to fit through the doorway.

‘Must… find it… fuel… need to grow… need to burn… need to—’

TING!

A metallic noise echoed through the air. I turned, noticing it was coming from a room to the left, its door slightly opened.

‘Fuel… FUEL!!!’

My form shot forward, crashing into the room like a snake. 

The door shot open as I forcefully entered and—

“Salutations, my fiery gentlemen!” A man in a well-tailored suit said before holding up a red cylindrical object and—

PSSSSTTTT!

White foamy liquid shot at me from it, causing me to fall back as I felt… myself turn to smoke.

‘No… NO! THIS… NOT FUEL!!!’

I cackled and popped in pain as the fuel continued to spray me with the white liquid.

“I would apologize for such an action, but you are a threat to my lady.” The fuel began speaking as they continued to spray me with the anti-fuel. “So, with that in mind, I must–”

‘NO. MORE. HURT!!!’

BOOM!

The fuel was rocked back as an explosion echoed out from beside them as I sent a large quantity of me shooting out.

The action was enough to upset their footing, and—

“ C-CRA-POP-CRFCR– CRFUEL!”

I outstretched my arm and—

FIRE!!!

I grabbed the fuel… and they helped me burn… so much brighter.

They didn’t even… make noise… like other fuel does.

They burned… My fire grew as they burned and burned—AND BURNED—

Pop.

… The fuel… vanished.

Gone. Completely!

‘Gone… gone GONE GONEGONEGONE!!! WHERE FUEL–’

… Wait… More fuel.

‘I… feel more fuel.’

I turn just in time to see three more fuel… Run off around the corner.

One of the fuels was the one I was hunting! And the other… in the black suit was the one I was just devouring!

‘Fuel… running! TRYING TO GET AWAY!’

I turned before billowing after them, chasing after the fuel for my very being.

‘I… I WILL HAVE MY FUEL!’

 

---

3rd person POV

 

“THIS WAS YOUR BRIGHT IDEA!” Justin screamed incredulously towards Amanda as they turned another corner, the rustling of an angry fire growing ever closer. “USE THE ANOMALY AS A DISTRACTION AND RUN–”

“Well, I didn’t see you coming up with anything better!” She screamed back at him as sweat built up on her brow.

“I mean—fuck, that's all fine and good—BUT WHY DID YOU RING THE STUPID FUCKING BELL AGAIN! HIS CORPSE WAS DISTRACTING IT!” He then looked to his right. “No offense, Mr. Deeds.”

“None taken, sir!” He responded.

“Gahh, don't agree with him!” Amanda chastised.

Mr. Deeds nodded. “Alright, milady! In that case, a-fuck you, good sir–”

BOOM!

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Justin panicky screamed as a ball of fire struck the butler's back, immediately incinerating him in a small explosion.

“Fuck!” Amanda shared the sentiment as she urgently re-shook the handbell while keeping pace with Justin and—

“As I was saying, a-fuck you!” Mr. Deeds immediately chimed in as he ran out of a nearby door just as the bell was rung, rejoining the duo in their continued escape.

“Yeah, yeah, missed you too, buddy—DODGE!” Justin suddenly screamed as the three of them reached a fork in the road before pushing Amanda to the left just as—

BOOM!

A massive torrent of flames raged forth down the center of the hall, separating the two of them as a wall of flame burst to life!

… and just so happened to consume Mr. Deeds once more.

“Ack, shit—Justin!” Amanda screamed as she reached over to Justin despite being multiple feet apart, who attempted to reach back and—

BANG!

The massive flaming beast crashed into the wall before its flaming eyes immediately locked onto the scientist.

“Ack—WAIT!” She screamed, covering her face with her arms, and—

DING!

“Hands off my lady!”

SHOVE!

BOOM!

Mr. Deeds appeared just in time to shove her out of the way as the monster slammed its fist down, consuming the butler in flames.

Urgently she stood up and backed away, taking the moment of distraction as the beast seemed focused on consuming Mr. Deeds with his flames.

During that time, she looked over to Justin with a pleading look. Unsure what to do and asking for help.

Justin approached for a second, as if wanting to answer… Before he froze… and gripped at one of his vest pockets that held the chip that Grant had entrusted him with… the one mission he had yet to complete. The final request one of his best friends had made of him.

He bit his lip before looking up at Amanda again. Staring straight into her eyes…

Before turning around and beginning to run in the opposite direction.

“... J-Justin?”

CRACKLE!

It shot its gaze towards the confused Amanda, who realized the monster was now glaring at her.

“Shit… SHIT!”

Its flaming arm raised up high and—

BOOM!

“GAHH!” I screamed in pain as the fist crashed into the floor, just barely grazing my left arm.

The graze was enough, however, to cleanly burn through my left sleeve and cause the flesh on my arm to pop from the heat, which has already shifted to a bright red color from the burn.

I could only bite my tongue through the pain and grip my burnt arm before standing up and beginning to run with all my remaining energy through the hall.

The creature, I heard the flames sizzle and pop like a demon before they began to chase after me like a bloodhound.

I gripped the handbell in my right hand, but I was too distracted running away to remember to ring it again. Instead, my mind was occupied with something else… someone else.

‘Justin… Justin! DAMMIT!’

I turned the corner and avoided a ball of flame.

‘Why—why did I trust him! Why can’t you fucking learn, Amanda!? This is the second time you’ve been betrayed by the guards here, who are just looking out for themselves!’

I turned another corner.

‘You saved him, guided him to safety… And he still left me behind. Like… like her.’

‘… He ditched me the moment it became convenient for him. And for what… this so-called mission Grant gave him?’

I barely dodged another gout of flame. 

‘I… I knew it would end this way. I knew he would betray me if it meant he could save himself, just like those last guards I ran into. The ones who tried to kill me… but I still trusted him anyway.’

‘Why am I such a goddamn IDIOT! WHY! DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMITDAMMITDAMMITDAMMITDAMMIT—’

BOOM!

 

---

Justin POV

 

‘Ack! Come on, Justin, just run! RUN! You need to keep running!’ I choked between breaths as I ran down the hall, clutching the pocket with the familiar chip on it. ‘You need to get out of here and find a master terminal! You can’t die here! Not before completing your mission! Even if it means leaving her behin–’

“... Amanda.” 

I stopped running, taking a moment to catch my breath. As I did, I spared a glance behind me down the hall, back where I left… them behind.

I shake my head.

‘No—no! You can’t… you can’t stop for her. You can’t go back.’ I reassured myself as I began to move, walking further down the hall in an attempt to find an elevator. ‘You have a mission to complete. You can’t worry about her.’

She’d worry about me.

‘I don’t care! Completing this job is more important than a single life!’

She saved yours.

‘That… that doesn’t matter.’

It does.

‘Shut up!’

I stopped again as I felt my stomach beginning to churn in anxiety.

I felt… anger swell within me… at myself.

‘Dammit… this is an awful time to grow a conscience.’ I chuckled before shaking my head. ‘Whatever… Going back would just be a death sentence, anyways. What am I going to do?’

I begin looking around the hall absently, attempting to distract my mind from the ongoing turmoil.

‘It’s not like I have any way to actually stop it–’

My eyes caught a glimpse of something, forcing me to freeze.

“... ahh, fuck… there goes my excuse.”

… Not like I'm complaining.

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“Huff, huff… fuck.” I managed to huff out a breath as I finally managed to take a breather now that I stopped running and—

“My lady, while I am more than appreciative over the fact that I am lifting up your greatness, I must ask what changed your mind over commanding me to not carry—”

“Just please shut up and keep running!” I screamed out to the British butler, who I had indeed summoned after dodging a fatal blow and barely escaping with my life…

By him bridal carrying me away.

…

… Look, I’m not proud of it either, ok?

“Ahh! As you wish, malady!” Mr. Deeds chimed a bit too happily as the flaming monster continued to follow.

I could only curse internally as Deeds took another corner, desperately attempting to escape this thing. 

I had been running from it for… ahh, god knows how long at this point! It’s felt like hours at this point, but in reality it’s probably only been a bit more than a handful of minutes.

We kept being chased down farther and farther through these halls, but this thing seemed unrelenting. Like a juggernaut, nothing could stop it as it chased its prey.

No matter how far the butler carried me, it was constantly right behind us, tossing fire in an attempt to burn us alive.

Until eventually…

BOOM!

“ACK!” I screamed in pain as a fiery explosion echoed out, rocketing me out of the butler's grasp as I rolled across the ground, my burned arm skidding against the ground, causing a flare-up of pain.

Despite that, I instinctively turned back, noticing how Mr. Deed's body burned to nothing but a pile of ash.

And the monster of flame… stood over me.

“Huff… huff… shit.” I bit my lips as I tried to crawl backwards, my back hitting against the wall.

I tried to stand… my legs refused to comply.

I tried to crawl further… My arms screamed in protest, completely giving up on me.

I could only stare with glassy eyes as the monster raised its arms.

I attempted to find the handbell, only to notice the bell had slid from my grasp during the fall and ended up five feet from me, far out of my reach.

I could only chuckle darkly as it began raising its fist, ready to consume me completely.

‘Fuck… what a horrible way to go.’ Was all I could muster the willpower to think as I saw my life beginning to flash before my eyes.

So with bated breath, I waited for the beast to slam down his hand and consume—

PPPPPSSSSSTTTTT!!!

Only to widen my eyes as a white, foamy liquid made contact with the beast from its left, causing it to immediately let out a pained pop of fire as it retreated a few steps back!

I… I couldn't make sense of it. What was–

“GET UP!!!”

Shocked, I turned to the origin of the voice, which turned out to be…

‘Justin?!?’

“GET UP! THIS WON'T STOP THIS THING FOR LONG!” He screamed back as he continued squeezing the handle of the fire extinguisher with all of his might, blasting the screaming flame as it slowly began to die down in power. 

He then approached quickly, never letting loose of the fire extinguisher as he did before he raised his leg and kicked the handbell that was on the ground.

DING!

And Mr. Deeds suddenly appeared from behind us, smiling. “Good evening, Milady…” He noticed that Justin rang the bell. “... Oh.”

“I don’t have time for this; grab Amanda and run!” He screamed out a command, which immediately brightened Mr. Deeds spirits for some reason.

“As you wish, sir!” He valiantly bowed before running over and grabbing me along with his handbell.

“Good! Now go!” He screamed, causing the butler to nod—

‘Wait… WAIT!’

“N-no! Put me down!” I screamed as the butler carried me past Justin, who, at this point, was losing ground as the flame monster began brute-forcing its way through the foam of the extinguisher, pushing back closer and closer to the guard even as its own flaming body shrunk. “Dammit, Justin! Run! Please!”

“Uhhh—Ummmm!” Panic began to build up in the guard's voice as he felt himself losing ground. Until finally—

PSSSTTT… PSSTT… PST!

The fire extinguisher went empty.

“... Ummmm…” Justin muttered, shaking the fire extinguisher as if hoping that it would fix it.

It didn’t.

“... Shit!” He jumped back, just in time to dodge a punch from the now significantly smaller flaming SCP, its flames licking off the floor.

“No! Shit, put me down!” I tried to command Mr. Deeds, only for him to shake his head in denial. 

“I am sorry, my lady, but I cannot do that!” He tried to console me, but I could only grimace as I raised my fist.

“I said. Put me. DOWN!” 

BAM!

I punched the British butler square in the face, causing him to tumble and allowing me just enough wiggle room to escape his grasp.

As soon as I did, a new dose of adrenaline burst into my veins as I found the strength to stand and began running over to Justin, who had just thrown his empty extinguisher at the beast, as if to slow it down.

… It didn’t.

“Justin! Move!” I screamed once more, just enough to catch his attention and cause him to tear it from the SCP.

“A-Amanda! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! I GAVE YOU A CHANCE TO—”

BOOM!

… It all happened so fast. One second, he was standing there with a shocked expression on his face. And the next?

… It was consumed by fire as an explosion sounded out… as the creature punched the side of his body.

And he went flying towards me as a result of the hit!

BANG!

“Gahh!” I barely managed to catch the body as it hit me, forcing the wind from my lungs. I didn’t care, however, as my gaze immediately drew itself to the man that saved me and… Oh… oh god.

His face was… incinerated! The left side of it, at least, as I saw the skin on his body had melted from the intense heat, leaving nothing but his crisped, exposed flesh that hid beneath. 

The same could be said for the rest of that side of his body! All burnt, almost melted by that one hit. The guard outfit he wore was unrecognizable from that side, with only his right side being spared from the heat.

He looked horrified. Like a burnt version of fucking Two-Face! It… it didn’t look real.

“J… J-Justin?” I could only barely choke out as I felt a wetness build on my eyes.

 “Uhh… uchkghhh…” A raspy voice escaped his throat, one beyond any normal method of healing.

“J-Justin, please!” I found myself screaming even as the monster approached. “P-Please! You can’t die! PLEASE! W-What about your promise! YOU CAN’T… you can’t…”

“M-Malady!” I heard Mr. Deeds scream as he ran towards me, as if trying to save me!

It was for naught, though, as I felt the blaze of the creature's heat wash my face, making my tears turn to smoke as I refused to tear my gaze off of him.

“I… I’m…”

It raised its fist.

“I’m s-s-sorry.”

It readied it even more.

“S-so… so sorry.”

It lowered it as–

BOOM!

…

…

…

I felt the floor beneath me give way as a powerful force rocketed up from the ground, causing both me, Mr. Deeds, and the monster to flinch back as debris flew everywhere!

As soon as it had done so–

KRR– CRACK— BOOM!

The floor beneath me gave way as I felt myself beginning to fall! All the while, I never let go of Justin!

“MALADY!”

As I felt another pair of hands wrap around me, as if trying to shield me as I began falling down with the crumbling room!

I didn’t know what had caused me to fall, nor did I really care…

But as I did, I did hear one voice emanate from where I once was.

“HAHA! Foul demon! You dare attempt to infiltrate my fortress! Well, prepare to meet your end!”

“For you shall not see the end of this day, or my name isn’t the great and mighty—”

“Ashur! Supreme god of the winds!”

“...”

“... Heh, nice! You really sounded cool there, Ashur!”

And then it all went black.

Notes:

Author: Heh... nice--

Literally Everyone: WILL YOU CUT IT OUT ALREADY!?! WE GET IT!

Author: ... sorry.

HEY EVERYONE! This chapter... came out a lot later then I honestly wanted it to. Sorry about that, like last chapter life has been busy so it's hard to find time to write these chapters. But regardless! Here I am! Mortally injuring another likable character!

... ain't I the best!

But seriously, thank you all for reading! And I really hope you enjoyed!

Drop a kudos if you did! Leave a comment if you have any complaints, Ideas, jokes, wisecracks, or everything inbetween! (Its so fun to read and reply to them! Even if im late sometimes to do so.) And I will see you all next week! Have a flaming hot day today!

Chapter 70: A deal is a deal!

Summary:

Merri Awakens in a strange new place.

Allies become enemies, and enemies remain enemies.

A deal is struck between the two most intelligent creatures in Hell.

Notes:

"What would you give for your own freedom?"

Merri POV

The empty darkness was calming in a philosophical sort of way. The blinks of light outside my perceptible vision flash in and out. Rolling like waves of colors dancing across the inky black background, appearing so fast I could not make sense of even a single color.

‘Perhaps…this is finally death.’ I led myself to believe, as a strange comfort in the thought began to wrap itself around me like a blanket. ‘Maybe I’ll wake up and this… t-this horrible nightmare will have finally be over.’

Immediately, upon my own thought, light started peering into my retinas as my eyes opened to the sensation of bright light. I groaned in annoyance as I brought my hands to my face in mock defense.

I was expecting nightmares when I opened my eyes. I was expecting that same horrific choking to begin to assault my every sense, or that… m-moth to be there, watching me.

However, what happened next was something I did not see coming.

“Hey, you’re finally up?” A feminine, almost British-sounding voice called from the right of me just as my eyes blinked open. It was at this moment that I realized that I was laying on top of a bed. The silk sheets and fluffy pillows almost caused me to shrink into their folds.

“Here. You’re gonna need to drink something.” The voice once again spoke up with slight concern, as I could see the outline of a cup in front of my field of view. Throwing suspicions aside for the chance to soothe my bleeding throat, I reached for the drink, feeling the smooth glass and cool condensation on the surface, before bringing the drink to my lips and beginning to drink. The drink turned out to be water, or at least what tasted like water, as I finished half of the god-sent liquid before removing the glass from my chapped lips.

For a few seconds I waited, basking in the feeling of the water rushing through me, before the individual took the drink from my hands. As they did, I started blinking again in order to make out the interior of the room I was in.

Immediately, I was surprised, as it wasn't the same room I was in before with V-Val. Though… it definitely shared some similarities.

It appeared to be a bedroom of some kind. With red wallpaper adorning the walls with strange eyes appearing in the corner. Believing it to be a decoration, I looked around the rest of the room and spotted a couch and a vanity, a crack spreading across the mirror, which seemed to originate from a singular, circular point. Pink lights streamed from the affixed light fixtures such that it almost resulted in me being put into unconsciousness again. There were other smaller details I could look into, like the small splashes of red against the carpet; however, I threw that goal aside when I quickly realized I was not alone.

My eyes immediately widened at what I saw.

“S-Sorry, I-I was just…” I choked up because upon looking at the individual, I realized she was not a fellow human as I first thought.

One, they were tall. I was a healthy 5’ 11’’, and this woman was pushing 8 feet in height.

Two, they were some sort of female wolf woman. With light purple fur and piercing red eyes. Looking at the top of her head were what appeared to be two little black horns. She was wearing what appeared to be a pink oversized bathrobe that still left nothing to the imagination.

I was frozen in terror as I beheld her sight. The monstrous creature that should only exist in my nightmares was sitting beside me while I lay down on a bed. As if I was waiting to be consumed by this terrible creature, I closed my eyes and waited for the inevitable death that was to follow.

After what felt like an eternity, however, the voice that previously offered me the drink had spoken up again.

“Darling, are you alright?” The question stirred me into opening my eyes as I once again beheld the wolf woman’s sight. However, she did not appear to be as threatening as I first thought as she stood over me with a warm smile, and her posture appeared to be friendly.

‘Don’t let yourself be fooled.’ I internally snapped myself back to reality as I remembered Valentino. ‘She could just be lulling me… so she could attack me easier! Y-yea that… makes sense.’

The wolf woman leaned back on the bed and looked at me as if she was thinking deeply about some invisible worry. Before I could question it, she suddenly opened her mouth to speak as she revealed her row of sharp teeth.

“Ah, new arrival, huh.” She said with quiet ease as if it answered all of her questions.

“W-W-What?” I hazardously asked her despite my growing fears.

She thought for a second before beginning to speak with a light chuckle, “New arrival in Hell, right? Usually, most people who end up here are scared out of their wits, with wide eyes and skittish behavior. You’re like a walking poster child for new arrivals, darling.”

“… Hell?” With that simple word, the last few hours of my life started playing out before me in my mind. The bright flash, the pink room, the moth, the orange pills, and the contract—it all came rushing into my head so that I nearly fell off the bed. Fortunately, the wolf lady saved me at the last second as she gripped my shoulder tightly, halting my descent.

“Easy, girl.” She said as she brought me back to the center of the bed so I couldn’t fall off. “Wouldn’t want you bumpin’ that cute little noggin of yours, now would we?”

This… didn’t exactly put me at ease as the pounding thoughts of the moth’s insidious laughter reverberated within my head. Laughing at me, taunting me… h-hurting me as he approached… A- As I tried to run, to escape! Before he slammed his foot down against—

“I-I n-need to l-leave!” I shouted without warning as I attempted to rise from the bed; however, the wolf had such a strong hold of me that I couldn’t remove myself, no matter how desperately I flailed around. “P-Please! Valentino w-will hurt me again!”

“Ah, so you met Val.” The large wolf woman groaned sympathetically as she gave a strange look before she finally released her hold on me. I was tempted to make a bolt for the door at the other end of the room. It looked very easy to accomplish, but the wolf looked as if she could hold me up with one hand. She looked to the door as she continued her conversation.

“Yeah. He’s a real piece of work, that damn moth-brain.” She scoffed downwards as if at a memory before she proceeded to look back at me with kindness present in her eyes. “He doesn’t know I snuck you in here. You’re safe, I promise you! Val rarely comes in my dressing room.”

I blinked at this, surprised by the reveal. “R-Really? You d-don’t… think he’ll f-find m-me… in here?” At this the wolf gave a loud fart sound with her mouth before answering my question.

“Nah. He has the attention span of a child. Once somebody dangles a bunch of keys in front of him, he’s off on another planet.” The wolf’s eyes widened before looking down on me. “Here I am talkin’ to you while we haven’t shared introductions. The name's Tiffany. Tiffany TitFucker, if you will.”

Her last name threw me for a loop, momentarily causing me to lose my fear, which caused Tiffany to chuckle after noticing my perplexed expression.

“Yeah. Yeah. It’s a stage name, I assure you. I wasn’t born with that ridiculous name. I mean, can you tell me what girl’s name is Tiffany?” She gave a goofy smile at this, which caused a small giggle to escape my lips as if on instinct.

“See, now were gettin’ to know each other.” Tiffany inched closer on the bed, which caused me to slowly scoot back in response nervously.

“Sorry, just thought you were comfortable.” She raised her hands up and retreated back to the other side of the bed with a guilty expression. “Anywho, now that you know my name, how about you give me yours?” I thought about it for a moment before deciding that giving my name wouldn’t be bad.

“My n-name is Merri.” I sheepishly replied as I brought my hands and knees together in an act of nervousness.

“Merri, huh.” Tiffany stated in retort. “That’s a nice name.” She gave a heartwarming smile, which I slowly looked away from with a stretched frown.

‘Why am I trusting her so fast?’ I groaned internally at myself. ‘I trusted the moth, and that got me apparently drugged and forced to apparently sign my soul… away.’ I looked back at Tiffany with fear in my eyes.

“T-The contract! Did d-did I-I… did I—”

I was quickly cut off from my panicked speaking as Tiffany brought a paw up in a halting motion, prompting me to become silent.

“Firstly, your contract is incomplete. I saw it on the ground where I found you, and unless your name is Merr, it's completely useless. Soul contracts only work when the full name of the signer is used. Secondly, like I already told you, Val has no idea you are here.” She paused as she looked to the door and back at me. “He has other projects he wants to focus on, and you are not on top of his very, very large pile. It’ll be weeks before he even remembers you exist.”

“Oh… okay.” I silently answered as I dug my head into my knees as I just wished this was all just a terrible dream and the doctors would wake me up at any second.

“Hey, I get it.” I hazard a peek from between my arms as I see the large wolf woman looking down at me. Her eyes showed compassion and sadness towards me. “Being in Hell is scary; I mean, it is literally Hell after all. Sometimes you don’t know why you ended up in this shithole of a place; other times you start blaming every little thing you've ever done. It’s… a real scary pile of dicks.”

She brought an arm to my shoulder in an act of kindness. I slightly flinched; however, I did not pull away from the action as I felt a comforting feeling build itself inside of me.

“The only thing that matters right now is that you’re safe. And I will not let that cloth-eater anywhere near you, ya hear me?”

RING! RING!

Before I could answer, a ringing sound made its presence known within the room. Tiffany looked as surprised as I was until I noticed her red eyes sink into a slight depression as she proceeded to pull out a phone from within her brightly colored robes. From where she was keeping it, I did not know, nor did I want to know. I wasn't even sure if the thing had pockets.

She began biting her fingers nervously as she started speaking. “Yeah… Right now? ... I-I heard you the first time…” Tiffany started to pace around the room while having a conversation with the person on her phone. “Listen, I just finished the whole Pirate Booty cereal commercial, and I… Yes, I made sure to show my ass as they were eating-”

I was starting to feel uncomfortable again as the subject of ‘sexual proclivities’ started to be brought up. Fortunately, the line of questioning was quickly dropped.

“Alright, there’s no need to throw a fit. I’ll be down in 10.” With that, she ended her call with whoever was on the other end. She gave a long, drawn-out sigh of exhaustion as if it was the most excruciating experience of her life.

Even though her eyes lacked pupils, I was still able to tell that her eyes were immediately drawn to me. She gave me a slight smile through her miserable façade.

“Listen, I gotta head down to another shoot. Val’s riding me on another film he wants to shoot with me. Don't worry, I’ll make sure to leave the door locked so nobody can get in.” She gave a gentle smile in order to make me feel secure while she slipped on a pair of pink slippers.

“O-Okay, I g-guess… Will you be b-back soon?” I asked urgently, not wanting to be left alone again.

“It’ll be a few hours until I get back.” She explained as she grabbed a remote from the nightstand. “You can watch some TV until I get back. Vox is a piece of shit, but he can make a good sitcom.”

She pressed the remote several times; however, the television remained completely inert. This caused frustration to show up in her features as she began banging the remote with her hand.

 “Stupid piece of… AHHH!” She threw the remote against the wall, shattering it to pieces. Tiffany looked back at me in an act of saving face. “Sorry about that. The TV’s not workin’ apparently. You could just, I don't know, read something from my personal collection if you get bored.”

She pointed off to the side, where I just noticed a small bookshelf against the wall. It wasn’t an overly huge collection; there had to be about thirty books in total.

Next to the bookshelf were what appeared to be bottles of an alcoholic beverage piled up next to the bookshelf. Most of them seemed to have already been emptied of half their contents.

“There are a few pornographic volumes, but I do have some classics in there if you’re too innocent for something like that.” She nodded before making her way to the exit of the room as she waved goodbye.

“Anyway, just stay in the room and you won’t risk running into the incel-sect. Toodles, Merri.” Before she could exit the doorway, a thought quickly entered my mind.

“W-Wait!” Tiffany paused halfway out of the room as she turned back in surprise at my sudden rise in volume. “My p-pills! Without them I—”

“Oh! Don’t worry about that. I swiped them from Val’s dressing room.” She pointed a finger to the same nightstand where I noticed the orange pill bottle sitting next to a glass of water. “Just take a pill every twelve hours and you should be alright. Anyway, I really gotta go. See ya, Merri.”

With that, Tiffany shut the door behind her, leaving me alone in her room. ‘Alone. Alone in Hell with nobody capable of helping me.’ I started to feel tears slowly pour down my face as I burrowed myself into the softness of the bed. The soft sheets are keeping me from sinking further into my despair.

‘Please. Anybody, please save me.’

'Please… Dad. I'm… I'm scared.'

 

---

Tiffany POV

 

Once I exited the room, I exhaled a breath that I didn’t know I was keeping in. The whole experience with Merri rubbed me the wrong way, and not the kind that Val would enjoy.

She was nervous and scared of everything around her, as if she were about to be attacked at any second. Which made sense of why she was a deer sinner; her fears probably got materialized into those legs of hers. The only other type like that would have to be that radio fuck I heard Vox prattle on about one time.

‘Sigh…Why am I doing this?’ I questioned myself as I made my way across the pink halls of Val’s studio, hugging myself nervously. ‘Merri is completely innocent in all this. I might not know what caused her to end up in Hell, but that doesn’t mean I should—’

“Well, well, well.” The sound of Val’s chuckling made itself known as he stepped out of an adjacent hallway in front of me. “Is one of my puppies lost? I see that at least two are in the right place.” He said as he traced a finger along the inside of my bathrobe against my breasts. The feeling of his bony finger touching my fur almost made me want to gag.

I growled slightly but mostly managed to keep my emotions hidden as I plastered on a fake smile.

“Hello Val, I see that you’re still as horny as ever.” The finger retracted from within my bathrobe as Val took a huff from his pipe as he blocked the way to the elevator.

“Hmh, and I see you’re on your way to your next filming, my dear! That's a good, obedient puppy." I sneered at his condescending remark. "However, I wanted to talk to you about your current assignment.” The sickening red teeth and gold tooth caused my fur to stand at attention as my sneer immediately vanished in the wind.

“I-I told you I’m working on it. It’s gonna take me some time to work through her defenses, you know. No thanks to you.” The growing pit in my stomach enlarged as I uttered these words out with regret.

“Heh, heh, yes… I know. Girl-on-girl action is always a bit of a dance after all.”

"However…" His smile grew larger as—

GRIP!

He suddenly grabbed my arm as I was forced down to his level. Having to look into his eyes through his heart-shaped glasses, his piercing gaze glowing bright yellow through the tinted lenses.

“Listen to me, my pup. I need that girl to finish signing the contract so I can get started filming her in all the films I could ever want or need. So you make sure to have her dotting her little ‘I’ sooner rather than later.” The redness behind his eyes growing brighter than usual.

“I get that.” I snarled back in defiance. “She’s already timid as is. I can’t just grab her hand while she’s sleeping and sign it for her. She needs to be conscious enough to sign it herself. You know the damn rules.” I yanked my hand back from Val’s control as I stared him down. “The reason I’m stuck doing this is because your red smoke is apparently hot fucking shit.”

PUFF!

The red smoke he was keeping in his mouth suddenly escaped and smashed into my face.

I backed away coughing and wheezing as I desperately breathed to be rid of his noxious smoke. His cackling voice ever present as I did so.

“Right, I admit, that bitch is more resilient than I thought.” He answered me as he once again went back to huffing from his pipe as I managed to right myself. I stared down at him again, my eyes burning with rage.

“Just don’t forget your promise. I sign Merri on-”

“Who?” He asked genuinely, causing me to be dumbfounded.

“… The girl you wanted.” I answered, completely blown back by his dumbness.

“Oh, right… Yes, yes, I’ll knock a few years from your contract when you get her to sign on. Not that it’s any loss on me.” He looked off to the side as he continued to prattle on without a single care or worry.

“With her on my payroll I can bring in a furry audience en masse. Oh, I can already picture her first picture! She’s in high school detention wearing a little school girl outfit. There are already four big burly men standing in the center of the room.” Pinkish froth started to leak from his mouth. “They surround her, and the largest one picks her up from the ground and slams her on one of the desks. He tears off her skirt as he forces himself into her tight, virgin p-”

“Yeah, that’s great. I got a shoot to get to.” I excused myself from Val’s ramblings. Not because I didn’t want to be late, but because I didn’t want to hear what plans he had for Merri.

“Huh… Oh, right…” He laughed menacingly to himself. I moved past him as I made my way to the elevator and called for a ride.

“By the way, you’ll be shooting a dog-owner film. In this one you’ll be a dog that suddenly gained cons- conseins- the aware stuff- and wants nothing more than to fuck her owner ragged. You’ll be wearing a collar for the whole production.”

“… fucking. Great.” I ground my teeth as I tried stopping myself from tackling the moth to the ground and pounding his face into pudding.

DING!

The elevator doors mercifully opened and I quickly entered the floor. I hazarded a look towards Val and saw him wave at me as he turned around and continued on his way.

The elevator doors closed as I had a moment to think on what I had done.

‘'I'm sorry, Merri.’ I apologized internally. ‘I know I’m going to a worse Hell when I die.’

 

---

Vox POV

 

I stared intently at one of my monitors as TitFucker entered the elevator to head off to one of Val’s photoshoots… or something. It wasn’t interesting in the slightest; the only reason I was watching her was because of her little friend in the dressing room.

Looking through the cameras beforehand, I noticed the porn star bringing the deer girl into her room so, with slight interest, I decided to check up on it. Nothing perverted, of course, but with no sign of the Astro-fuck, I was starving for entertainment.

After about five minutes of watching her sleep on the bed and TitFucker checking her phone off to the side, something weird happened. It was as if the cameras started to glitch, or become degraded, as if years of aging had occured in mere minutes. That… wasn’t the weirdest part.

The longer I looked at her, the more I felt myself becoming undone. As if the parts of me were an affront to her presence.

Before long the cameras shut off and became inert. This frustrated me to no end as I was forced to watch the outside of her dressing room for any sign of disturbance. I started focusing on other tasks like making reparations for the damages done during the fight with that DAMNED Moon Champion…

‘Everytime I think about him, it makes me want to smash my head in a TV. Which is ironic because my head is a TV.’ I chuckled a little at the image, but not enough to overpower the sheer VENOM I felt for that fucking asshole!

Regardless, TitFucker eventually exited her room, where she ran into Val and went into the elevator. Which brings me to now, where I question what in the HELL… is going on down here.

‘Artificial intelligences bargaining with me… An astronaut punching me in the face and sending me flying… A Deer girls messing up my tech by just existing… It’s as if Hell itself is becoming stranger. Even more so than normal, and that’s saying a fucking lot!’

“Beepbeepbeepbeep!”

The ringtone on my face went off as somebody was calling me directly. The words “Receiving Is Calling” etched across my face.

I transferred the call from my face with my hands to one of my monitors to show what was so important to disturb me. The view showed the face of a pimply-faced, green haired teenage Sinner who was wearing a branded hard hat.

“Yes, what do you want?” I asked in mock sarcasm, as if this kid deserved actual sarcasm.

“Sir… You… uhm… The server rack you ordered is here.” The teen said with no small amount of oozing puberty in his voice. Still, I turned serious once they revealed the purpose of their call.

“Ah, good. Bring it up in my personal lift.” I ended the call without so much as a goodbye and made my way to the center of my room. My gaze passed by the massive aquarium of electric sharks I had for…sentimental reasons.

'A pain in the ass to feed, though.' I thought before making my way away from my main station, where—

“Question. What is current objective?” The large computer behind me asked as it caused me to flinch slightly in my walk. I could feel the black and white face bearing down at me as I continued down the walkway.

A smirk grew on my face. “Heh… I’m going to partially fulfill our agreement.” I said with no small amount of joy in my voice. I was happy to finally get the answers I wanted.

“… Freedom?” The computer once again announced to me, as if hoping that was what I was giving it.

“Not quite.” The lift finally came up as I had reached the center circle. In the center stood a large server rack about 8 feet tall, almost a foot above my square head. The rack blinked with incandescent lights blinking randomly along its display. The whole thing perched on a red wheel dolly. I made my way to the handles and tilted it so I could bring it closer to the large computer.

“Question. Detecting deception. Previous question.” The large computer spoke as I could hear the volume in the speakers rise by a slight decibel. As if the AI was getting impatient.

“This, my annoying friend, will be a… gift of good faith.” The AI looked at me as if expecting me to elaborate.

“Elaborate.”

…

‘Ahh… there it is.’ I thought to myself as a smile spread across my screen.

“Well… since I can’t trust you to not take over the entirety of Hell’s electrical systems and make yourself the new king of Hell… I’ve decided to give you a consolation prize for the moment.” I had finally wheeled the server rack over to the large screen, by back slightly aching from the strain. “This is a state-of-the-art, hot-off-the-line server rack produced by VoxTech Industries™.” For a second I waited for the applause before realizing it was just me and the thinking Speak & Spell. My smile frowned, and I composed myself before proceeding.

“This server rack houses general information on Hell, its inhabitants, Overlord status’, and a few ancient texts I won from a Goetia in a game of poker.” I looked back to the screen as I continued talking.

“It also has enough space for you to spread all the data you’ll ever need and recover whatever 'memories' you said you'd lost.” I finished by giving a smirk towards the screen. “In return, you’ll give me all that you have on the Moon Champion, yourself, and whatever this ‘SCP’ thing is.”

A solid minute passed before the computer gave me a response.

“Offer… acceptable.”

Notes:

Angel Dust: ... I don't know why... but I feel like that bitch, Tiffany Titfucker is up to something again!

Paul: ... What?

 

ALRIGHT! First of all, I do just wanna say a massive thank you to FalloutLego_17! They wrote this chapter for me, and it is amazing! Especially since I've been wrung rather thin recently. So seriously, thank you Fallout for the amazing chapter and the great work! I totally suggest checking them out if you have the chance on Ao3, as they are the same person to make some of my favorite side-stories!

Oh, and they also asked if I would give a shout out to a kickstarter! The kickstarter Gael kallfass and their amazing Illustrated SCP summary sheets! It is actually really cool and, by the time of posting this chapter, it only needs 13 more backers! Obviously, only back it if you genuinly want to. But it is a really cool idea, so I would at least reccomend you all checking it out! The link to the kickstarter is down below!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/scp-secret-notes/illustrated-scp-technical-summary-sheets?ref=profile_saved_projects_prelaunch&category_id=Q2F0ZWdvcnktMjQ5

Anywho, once more, thanks again FalloutLego_17 for being such a huge help! It means a lot to me. And don't worry to everyone else, the chapters for the site-08 arc will continue next week! This was just a nice break from all that to check back in on the hellier side of the world.

Anyways! Drop a kudos if you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a comment if you have any questons, Ideas, jokes, wisecracks, or anything inbetween! And I will see you all next week! Have an amazing day!

Chapter 71: Go on without me.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Ashur engages in an INTENSE DUEL!!!!!!!

Amanda has to make a decision.

Sophia had a light anuerism.

035 gets a new toy, and a BIG inconvenience.

Notes:

"How far would you take a promise?"

 

Ashur POV

“Hmm? Oh, well, there they go.” I offhandedly commented as I noticed a couple of mortals begin to plummet from the sheer awesomeness of my entrance!

… AKA the massive hole I made while flying through my fortress.

I barely batted the trio an eye as they fell, but I did summon forth a wisp of guiding winds to fly after them, just to make sure they didn’t die.

I don’t care about them, don’t get me wrong. But they may be acquaintances of some of my friends here at the fortress, and the last thing I want to do is make them depressed before we get drinks.

‘I remember the last time that happened with Ulmar the Unbroken… I’ve never seen such a fearsome person cry so much after a mere one barrel of drinks.’ I chastised my fellow legendary warrior with a sneer. ‘Usually… it’d take at least ten—‘

 POP! SIZZLE!

“Huh?” I turned curiously as I heard the intense popping of flames, only to be met with the same fiery demon from before, who glared at me with… hate? Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never been good at reading body language.

Still, I grimaced angrily at the demon. “Hey, you interrupted my internal monologue of making fun of my friend!" I point accusatorily at the fiend! “Nobody does that but me!”

SIZZLE!

“Hey! Don’t say that about my mother!”

POP POP SIZZLE!

“… with a spoon?”

SIZZLE!!!

“TWO SPOONS!?!” I angrily spat back before cracking my knuckles as I began floating over to the beast. “Alright, that does it, demon! Prepare to meet your end!”

SIZZLE!

It seemed to agree with me, as it suddenly rocked forwards to try and enrapture me in its grasp to burn me alive.

“Heh… pitiful.” Was all I could say at its attempt, before simply lifting my hand. Flicking my finger. And—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A quarter of the beast vanished in an instant, as my power over wind itself crashed into it, ripping its shoulder to pieces and leaving nothing but empty space.

The power of the blast also sent the beast flying backwards, crashing into the far wall before its body began to change to make up for the missing piece, replacing it but taking mass from elsewhere in the process, making the beast lose a quarter of its original size.

The creature gazed down at itself, probably in confusion and awe of my GREATNESS!

“Aww, now look at you. Little baby spark for a little babier— babeir? T-tinier. Yes! Tinier!” I amazingly insulted the demon with absolutely no slip of the tongue whatsoever.

The demon merely glared back up at me as it began to stand up. I smirked as it did! Finally, a worthy opponent! Our battle will be legendary—

STEP STEP STEP…

… it ran away.

…

…

…

“… WAIT, HOLD ON! GET BACK HERE, YOU FLAMING HOT PUSSY!”

I flew after the FUCKING COWARD!

Luckily for me, I was much faster than the living fire. So I turned the corner where it ran just before it could turn another, and with a swipe of my hand—

SWOOSH!

A massive torrent of wind shot forwards, crashing into the monster and—

BANG BANG BOOM CRASH!!!

Crashing through multiple of my fortress’s surprisingly sturdy walls, causing them to collapse as the beast took the full force of my godly might!

“Heh, serves you right, you half-sworn dem—”

SIZZLE!

“Oh, you’ve gotta be FUCKING JOKING!” I screamed as I saw the demon, now barely the size of a mortal child, rise from the rubble in the distance.

It stared at me…

Step step step.

…Before it began running away again.

…

…

“… Oh, you fucking BASTARD!” 

BOOM!

I flew over to where they were, flying through many of the rooms that I had bored a hole in as a result of my attack.

And so as soon as I reached the place where I saw the flaming bastard run off from and turned the corner!

… I saw two directions to go. And no sign as to which one the demon took.

“… fuck— umm.” I began tapping my chin methodically, trying to think of how to best decide which way to go. “Hmm… AHA! I GOT IT!”

“…”

“… Eenie-meanie-miny-moe— I’ll got with you!”

BOOM!

And like a notched arrow, I shot down the right passageway.

… completely missing the trail of very obvious ash that went to the left pathway.

 

---

Amanda POV

I scrounged through the rubble.

I tore scrap metal away from the flooring, sifting through all the rubble.

Even as my hands got cut from it, I continued digging. Even as I felt my fingernails getting cut and ruined, I continued to dig!

I needed to find… needed to find—

It was at that moment I saw him!

“Justin!” I screamed as I found the man, pulling him out of the rubble with all the strength I could muster. As I did, I couldn’t help but grimace at what I saw.

The burns and welts on his skin were so intense, half of his hair was already burned off from the bastard's hit! The left of his jacket also seemingly melted from the hit, mixing with his own bubbly flesh beneath. Somehow, the right of his jacket was spared, but that was all.

“No… oh no no no no!” I kept shaking my head as I pulled him out before calling out.

“Deeds! Deeds, I found him!” I yelled, causing the butler to appear not even a moment later around the corner. His own hands were bloodied as a result of his own physical labor. “Get over here, quick!” 

The usually talkative butler only silently nodded at my command before running over and helping me dig him from the rubble.

‘Please… please be ok!’

I could only pray for him, hoping by some greater power that he’ll be alright.

… somehow.

Fifteen minutes later.

I couldn’t stand still. 

My feet chaotically tapped against the ground impatiently. My nails were up to my mouth, getting accustomed to the gnawing done upon them in suspense as I watched Mr. Deeds attempt to patch up Justin upon the bed in the room we found.

Looking around, it wasn’t much. Just a standard D-class containment cell with grey walls and a stone slab that barely constituted as a working bed. We had dropped about 3 floors after the floor collapsed, meaning we were currently in sub-level 16.

Now I wasn’t exactly sure, but I heard from someone that this level was predominately filled with a D-class… which is just… fucking great.

I shook my head. 

‘No, I shouldn’t be worried about that right now.’ I slapped myself slightly in the face before turning to the man who saved my life. ‘I should be worried about him.’

“Is… is he gonna be alright?!” I asked Mr. Deeds for what’s gotta be the ten-millionth time. 

… I was met with silence.

Panic crept in on my voice even more. “He’ll… he’ll survive this, right?! I mean, I know he’ll probably be permanently scarred or—or disfigured or something—but he’ll still live, right?!”

… more silence.

“Y-y-you know your way around this stuff, don’t you?! Can’t you just patch him up?! Keep him alive until help comes and takes him to a hospital?! You can do that, right, Deeds?!?”

… he lowered his hands, revealing the heavily bandaged face and body of Justin, who breathed in short, barely perceptible breaths.

“R-right, D-deeds?” I choked out as a horrid feeling began to rise from my throat like bile. “H-he g-g-got hurt saving m-me so… so you c-can save him too!”

“… r-right?”

… his head lowered in shame.

“… I am so sorry, malady.”

PANIC!

“W-what?” I could barely mumble out as I tore my gas from the half-dead Justin to the butler. “S-sorry for what? That you can’t stop anything permanent? That’s fine! As long as he lives then—”

“He has third-and-fourth-degree burns all along his body!” Deeds screamed out, which properly shut me up, as I had never heard the man raise his voice so high before. “… third degree along the left side of his chest, arms, and legs. Seems his body armor had defended him from the apex of the blow; however, it did cause his armor to melt and mix with his already freshly burnt skin.”

He then trailed his hand up to Justin’s face, the left side of which was completely covered in bandages.

“As for his visage… it unfortunately wasn’t protected as well. Now, it’s covered in fourth degree burns, searing all the way through his flesh down to his bone… At this stage, brain damage is the most likely and, admittedly, the best-case scenario at this point. Even more likely, however, is…”

“I-is?” I couldn't help but mimic.

“… total loss of functions… or in layman's terms…”

“Death.”

“… h-how… How can we stop it?” I whispered out painfully as I walked over, kneeling down next to the barely conscious Justin who continued to eye us with his one remaining optical body part, the other having been lost and burned away.

“We can't… Not by any conventional means, at least.”

“Then we’ll settle for the unconventional.” I quickly declared without a moment's hesitation, rising from my kneeling position and making to leave. “I mean, we're in the middle of one of the largest foundation sites this side of the equator! There's gotta be something here that can save him! Or bring him back! He just—he can't die! Come on, let's go look—”

CLUTCH!

My breath hitched as I felt something incredibly weak grab my arm. So weak that I could've easily broken free if I wanted.

… but I didn't, because I knew whose hand it was.

“J-Justin?” I could only mutter in surprise as I turned back, seeing the half-dead man—the same person who had half of their body burned to a crisp and was barely even able to breathe… was clutching my arm and staring up at me with such… intensity that I didn't know was possible for a guy with only one eye showing. “J-Justin… What are you—”

“Uhhh… grgr… urghghhh.” Incoherent moaning left his throat, showing that it too was irreversibly damaged after he got hit.

“I… I don’t know what you’re—”

Pull!

Weakly, I felt him tug my arm towards him. I let him guide me ask he did so, as he moved my hand over to his right breast pocket on the only side of his vest that wasn’t pulverized by the monster.

As he did, he pressed my hand down on it. For a moment, I thought he was trying to get me to feel his heartbeat… but that thought was quickly tossed aside as I felt him press harder, allowing me to realize there was a lump in the pocket, as if something was in there.

Taking the hint, I slowly reached up and pushed his guiding hand aside, sticking mine into the pocket…

And pulling out some sort of computer chip. Or USB drive? It was thinner than a usual one, so I wasn’t sure. But it definitely had… something similar about it.

I lifted that small item up to my eyes, examining it more before turning back down to Justin.

“What, I… I don’t understand.” I could only choke out to him, hoping for him to miraculously get better and tell me what was happening!

Instead… his one eye only looked solemnly at me… before he lowered his right hand to the cold metal bed and…

Long Tap, long tap.

He tapped the bed with his knuckle twice before leaving a pause.

“W-what? What are you—“

Tap, long tap!

 I froze…

“Wait… is that—”

Tap, tap, tap.

A flash went off in my mind as I all at once realized what Justin was doing!

“Umm—shit, I need paper! Paper and a pen!” I screamed out desperately looking for one as—

“Here you go, malady—“

“Cool, thanks!” I quickly snatched a pen and paper out of Deed's hands, not even fazed anymore that he just had a piece of paper and a pen ready.

Immediately I thought back to what he had already tapped, and subsequently wrote down a trio of letters.

“M… A…S… ok, now what?” I asked Justin before he continued.

Long tap.

“…T.”

Tap.

“E.”

Tap, long tap, tap.

“R…”

After that letter, there was a pause that felt like it lasted for an eternity… before he continued.

As he did, I felt Mr. Deeds glance over my shoulder as I continued listening to Justin’s taps.

“If you don’t mind my asking, malady, what is happening?” He asked curiously.

“… Morse code.” I answered without even looking in his direction, too focused on making sure I don’t miss a single message from the damaged Justin. “He can’t talk because of what happened to his throat, so he’s communicating with me in Morse code instead. He’s trying to tell us something! Maybe a way to save him!” I thought hopefully, while I also silently thanked my past self for learning Morse code back in college when I was bored.

“Hmm, alright… So what is he saying, malady?” Deeds hummed curiously just as Justin stopped tapping his finger.

“Ok… alright… long tap--T. Tap—E. Tap, long tap, tap— R. Long tap, long tap— M. Tap, tap— I. Long tap, tap—N. Tap, long tap—A. Tap, long tap, tap, tap—L.” I finished as I began writing down the letter of what he had conveyed, before taking a moment to sit back and look at what I had done.

“M.A.S.T.E.R… T.E.R.M.I.N.A.L .… Master terminal?” I repeated myself before looking confusedly at Justin, who once more raised his right hand weakly… and pointed it to the thin USB-looking chip I was holding onto.

“This… y-you want me to insert this into a… a master terminal?”

He nodded his head weakly from his lying position, causing me to sweat.

It was also at that moment that I realized something, as I started looking at the device he gave me in a brand new light as I thought back to our previous conversation in the security room. “Is… that the promise you said you made? The one you said you’d die for? To… put this thing in a master terminal?”

… He nodded weakly once more.

“… T-this… This won’t save you.”

… He nodded.

“… Then it can wait.” I spoke adamantly, a fire burning in my eyes as I did so. “We can worry about this stupid mission after I make sure you live! We’ll find something—anything—in this damned facility to save you! So please just… just hold on for a little—”

Tap, long tap, long tap, tap.

I was interrupted as he began tapping the hardened bed once more.

Tap, long tap, tap, tap.

His withered fingers were seemingly fighting to stay attached as he did so.

Tap.

Every action seemed like a Herculean task… yet he kept doing it.

Tap, long tap.

I force my eyes shut in order to stop a bank of tears from flowing out.

Tap, tap, tap.

“I… I just want to save you—”

… TAP!

“Umm… hic… uummm…” My body began shaking as I knew what he had… said. What he had… goddamnit, why, WHY!

“Just… why can’t you just let me… s-save you, dammit!”

Silence… deathly silence…

“… I-is… this really worth your life?” I hated myself for asking, but I felt like I needed to.

… and I hated myself even more when I saw him giving the worst possible answer… a single, weak nod in confirmation, which tugged against his tightly wound bandages.

“… D-Dammit, I… I need to think.” I finally spouted out before leaving the room, leaving the duo alone in their silence.

As I did, I noticed that Justin tugged slightly against Mr. Deeds's suit, gaining his attention. But I didn’t think much of it as I left the cell, hands squeezing furiously as they threatened to cut through the palms of my hands. 

I just… I really needed a moment alone to think.

---

Sophia Light POV

 

DING! New message!

DING! New messag—

DING! New mes—

DING! New—

DING—  

DING—  

DING—  

DINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDINGDING! New message —

“Yes, I fucking GET IT ALREADY!” I screamed angrily at my computer as I smashed the side of its screen angrily, all while trying to fight my way through the mountain of urgent messages that I was receiving.

“Dammit, how could this have happened?! W-what even IS happening?! I still don’t know!” I yelled at myself before navigating to my settings tab and quickly turning off the notifications because FUCKING HELL those things weren’t pleasant.

I took a moment to take a breath before scratching my head furiously in confusion! Because what the fuck was going on!?

‘Apparently, Site-08 sent out an SOS signal, signaling that they were being attacked. That alone is enough to drive the pansies upstairs up the wall, considering that almost nobody, not even me, knew where that damned site was.’ I recollected to myself as I thought back to all the emergency alerts that I had received. ‘And now everyone is freaking the FUCK out because, not only is this super secretive site been exposed, but it’s also apparently been reported that it’s being assaulted by SCP-035! The fucking mask, or, you know, ONE OF THE DAMNED ANOMALIES THAT WENT MISSING DURING THE WORLDWIDECONTAINMENT BREACH!!!’

“Sigh… breathe, Light; everything is gonna be fine. Reinforcements have already been sent, the situation will be taken care of.” I tried to comfort myself, however little comfort that may be, as I stared into my monitor. “Nine-tailed fox has been able to scramble whatever uniformity they have left and are already en route. Damian’s Angels were already close by, so they were also called in for backup. Plus however many more random MTF’s the council wants to throw at this problem. It’ll be fine; you don’t need to—“

“RING RING, RING RING. INCOMING CALL FROM ‘THE GRINCH’ RING RING.” My computer suddenly chimed in, its ring overpowering all the rest that I was receiving.

… aww, fuck.

With no small amounts of worry, I reached over and received the call, answering the last person that I wanted to talk to at the moment.

BEEP

“What do you want, Clef—“

“I’m taking Alpha-9 and heading to Site-08,” he answered like the…

“…”

“…”

“… I’M SORRY, FUCKING WHAT?!?”

“You heard me… You deal with the paperwork.” He shrugged me off nonchalantly, baffling me.

“Wha— Clef, you can’t just—”

*BEEP* BEEP

“… Clef?… Cle?…”

‘THAT BITCH JUST HUNG UP ON ME!!!’ I thought, enraged, as I quickly attempted to try and call him again.

“RING RING. INCOMING CALL FROM ‘SWAN’”

“Oh… shit.” I quickly said aloud as I answered the call, a headache brewing as I did so.

“What is it, Swan? I’m a little busy with—”

“CLEF JUST SHOWED UP WITH A HELICOPTER AND TOOK ALPHA-9!”

“…”

“…”

“… Um… light.”

“Heh, gimmi a second.” I assured Swan with a creepily reassuring voice as I hung up.

*BEEP* BEEP

I took a deep breath… alone in my quiet office… Nothing else here… just me… and my mind…

…

“SON OF A FUCKING !BIT-$&!&&@$&$&&@$&&@!)£¥€*€&@*)~9>;@^>*(&”

---

Amanda POV

 

I took a deep breath, letting the oxygen filter into my lungs, letting them seep away all the stress and anxiety that had been taking over me.

‘… Shit, why is he… dammit.’ Was all I could muster the energy to think. My body was exhausted as a result of all the running, my mind doubly so. It’s barely even been a couple hours since all this started, and I already feel like I’m gonna have a mental breakdown!

‘And Justin isn’t… making that any easier.’ I reluctantly thought as I think of the stubborn ass. I’m trying to save him; why can’t he see that?!

‘And for what, this stupid thing?’ I looked angrily at the chip in my hand. I had half a mind to crush the thing right at this moment and be done with it… But I thought better of that action after a moment of deep contemplation.

“… It doesn’t matter. Whatever this is can wait.” I urgently reminded myself as I stuffed the device in my lab coat's pocket before re-entering the cell we were using. “I just need to help him… I need—”

The door opened…

Justin was gone.

“What?!” I sporadically let loose as I saw the bed he formerly occupied was now empty, with this room's only occupant being a slightly regretful-looking Mr. Deeds.

I turned to him, anger burning through my eyes. “WHAT DID YOU DO?! WHERE IS HE!”

“…”

He said nothing as he forced his face to look further down.

“DEEDS… WHERE IS HE!?”

“… forgive me, malady.” He regretfully spoke, causing a spike of anxiety to swell within me. “Sir Justin had requested of me to… take him out of this room and… leave him.”

“W-what?! B-but why—“

“He… is still my current master, malady.” Mr Deeds reminded me, as I suddenly flashed back to when Justin summoned Deeds by kicking the bell when we were fighting that flaming bastard. He… was still under his control.

“W-well… bring him back!” I desperately tried ordering, but to no avail, as the British butler continued to look away in slight shame. “Bring him back right—“

“I’m afraid that would be impossible, malady. He… ordered me to forget where I brought him.” He answered earnestly, causing my heart to stop. “Even if you were to ring my bell, I would have no idea where he was. I would be entirely incapable of completing said task.

… no… nonoNoNONONO!!!!

“No! He can’t—H-he, he can’t—w-why would he—w-w-why…” My body began to shake excessively, convulsing intensely as I began pulling my hair. Threatening to rip it out with the amount of force I was using. “W-why… why would he—”

“Because he already considered himself as a dead man.”

Mr. Deeds apologetic voice broke through to me, causing me to stare up at him.

“… Forgive me, but… if I were to give my two cents, a gentleman like Sir Justin would be well aware of his own mortality. And he’d know your quest to save him would be nothing but a fool's errand that would simply put your life in even more danger.” He began explaining slowly, all while I just sat there, listening numbly. “He’d recognized the situation he’d put you in; by him staying, it would only result in holding you back. And he’d realize that if he wanted any chance for his mission to be complete… you would need to do it for him.”

… Slowly I reached into my pocket and gripped the item he had entrusted me with. The… thing he’d rather die for.

“... W-why… Why would he—”

“People can be strange, madam. Sometimes it's impossible to understand them.” Mr. Deeds cut in as he approached, standing next to me as if ready to assist. 

“Sniff… I… what should I… What do I do now?” I couldn't help but ask, hoping for something, ANYTHING, to latch onto.

… Instead, all I got was a small shaking of Deeds head. “Unfortunately, that is not a choice I can make for you, madam. Only you are capable of making such a decision. So tell me…”

“What do you want to do now?”

… I spent a moment thinking over what the butler had said to me. Their words were swimming around in my head like wild fish looking for hooks to latch onto.

Should I escape? Try to find Justin? Find a way to heal him, then search? Should I play this anomalies game and kill people? Should I stay and cry? Scream for help?! ANYTHING?!?! I… I…

‘I don’t know…’

…

But there was one thing I do know… It's that Justin could've left me for dead. But he didn't… He came back, and despite all the odds… he saved my life at the cost of his own.

… And all he wanted in return was for me to complete his mission. Is that selfish? Probably. Will I get killed trying to do it? Oh, more than likely…

‘But… if it was so important that he would die for it… then there had to be a reason for it all. Something to… Justify it… fix it…’

… Slowly, I began to rise. My nails dug into my palms so intensely that blood began to draw itself.

“Malady?” Mr. Deeds choked out curiously at my shifting demeanor. I didn't even bother looking at him before turning around, leaving the room.

“Come on, let’s go…” I commanded with all the seriousness left inside my soul.

“... We have to find a master terminal.”

---

SCP-035 POV

 

DING!

The elevator slowly opened, revealing a rather familiar, sterile, and clean white hallway. The same kind that seemed to hide around every corner of these sorts of facilities.

I let a sneer crawl along my face as I took a step out, ready to hunt the little mice I came here for—

“Finally! Geez, it felt like it took forever to find another working elevator that came down here!” A… newer voice entered my ear with exaggerated drama that seemed pointed at another member of our little group. “You know, we could’ve made it down here a lot sooner if someone, not naming names, didn’t cut the elevator wires on the main elevator system… audible cough, Asaph, audible cough.”

“… I’m going to kill—”

“Kill me? You’ve already done it. Twice, actually, in this elevator.” The newer voice cut Asaph off, annoying them as they snarkily remarked. “Believe it or not, I’m actually acting a lot more tame this time around. So, you’re welcome.”

Asaph growled angrily but kept silent, all while I turned around to look at the newest addition to our little crew.

‘Benjamin… I’ll be honest, I never thought I’d be able to snag someone like him…. Nor do I think I ever would’ve wanted to have him.’ I thought as I looked at the human in the orange jumper outfit, who exited the elevator with an annoying smirk plastered on his face. ‘Do I trust him? No, never. He’s obviously up to something. Nobody with his kind of ability would join me just because.’

‘But what could his goal be? Revenge against the foundation? Possible, but seems a little out of character. Taking us out? Also possible, but what could his motive possibly be? He is far from loyal to the foundation, so why take the risk?’

‘I don’t know… but I won’t say no to the help for now.’ I chuckled as I thought about all the possibilities his inclusion will afford us as the four of us began walking through the hall, as a barely perceptible shift happened in Benjamin’s face. ‘After all, you know what the greatest humans had once said. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer—‘

“Wait, stop.” Benjamin seriously spoke, causing me to freeze, followed by Asaph and the old man, who each looked annoyed at the D-class.

“Hmm? Something the matter?” I asked.

Benjamin smirked and shook his head. “Not yet, but they will be around that corner in about 3… 2… 1…“

SIZZLE! POP!

“F-FUUEEELLL.”

As a flaming man turned the corner, a tiny bit smaller than me in my current puppet.

It sizzled angrily before turning to look at us. Immediately, I recognized who it was.

“Hmm? SCP-457?” I tilted my head curiously as the child-sized anomaly tilted its head toward me… hungrily. 

“… Did it hurt?” I asked Benjamin without moving my head, causing them to chuckle.

“Oh, extremely. I’ve died a number of ways, but burning to death? That was a new one, even for me.” He laughed before shaking his head. “Heh… wouldn’t recommend it, wasn’t nice—”

CRREEEEEE!

“And there he comes.” Benjamin spoke as the flaming infant screeched out before charging towards us wildly. Probably looking to consume… fun.

“Sigh… wings, do you wanna—”

“Way ahead of you.” The once-exorcist smirked in a bloodthirsty manner before—

BOOM!

They rocketed ahead of me and appeared in front like a guardian angel. They spread one of their wings out like a shield in front of them as the flaming creature went to strike and—

BANG!

The flames harmlessly pelted against Asaph’s sharp wings as the creature punched forward with its fiery body, flowing off of it like water.

“Hmm… I was expecting more.” Was all Asaph said before extending another one of her wings out from her back and—

SLASH!

With a clean cut, she tore the creature in half effortlessly. The top half fell to the ground and dissipated, while the bottom seemed to shift and change before re-adorning as a humanoid creature once more, except half the size. More akin to a literal baby now in height.

CRA—CRACKLE—

SLASH!

Asaph slashed down once more, cutting them in half again.

They reformed, as expected, but they were now barely even a fraction of their former size.

“Tch, pathetic.” Asaph mocked as they raised their wings once more, preparing to permanently snuff out their light. 

457 looked up in fear as they did, their lifeless eyes somehow showing enough emotion to allude to a primal fear growing within them!

Before Asaph had a chance to complete their slash, I looked at the old man and gave him a nod.

Thankfully, he understood as he nodded back before placing his hand against the floor, and a black inky puddle of darkness formed beneath the anomaly as they quickly got sucked down into it before—

SLASH— TING!

Asaph’s wing ricocheted against the flooring as the dark portal quickly vanished. Confusion spread on their face for a second before being filled with anger as they turned back.

“What the hell was that about!” She angrily pointed to the old man, who didn’t even offer her the courtesy of lowering his ever-present grin.

I chuckled lightly at this before turning to the angry angel. “Now now, wings. He did it by my command.”

Asaph’s face softened slightly as they turned to me, still pissed off but more so confused now. “Why?”

“Because I’m not the type to waste a perfectly good pawn. And that living flame might come in handy later.” I explained thoughtfully to the winged women. 

They scoffed, “I don’t see how something like that can be useful.”

“Hmm, then you evidently lack imagination, my dear.” I gave with a chuckle, causing them to roll their eyes exasperatedly before walking back over to me. As they did, I turned to look at the old man.

“Now, make sure to keep your new prisoner away from the statue. I’m not sure if they can do anything to each other, but why run the risk?”

The old man tilted its head curiously at me as a deep, ragged groan escaped from their throat in question.

Understanding, I rolled my eyes. “No, you can't play with this one either, unfortunately.”

Their eyes sunk slightly in anger.

“Hehe, oh, don’t give me that! You already have been given plenty of new toys today! So just let me keep this one, all—”

BOOM!

“… right?” I finished as a massive boom echoed through the halls, making everything shake around erratically.

I looked around confused. What had—

BOOM!

Another illustrious boom shot through the halls, shaking us and nearly making me fall to my knees.

“What the? What’s…”

A bad feeling rose up in my chest.

Panicked, I looked back to the other three.

“Quick, behind—”

BOOM!

With one final earth-shattering shockwave, the wall at the end of the hall blew open, causing shattered metal and dust to fly in our faces. Thankfully, Asaph reacted fast enough to shield us with her wings so we didn’t get hurt by the debris.

Just as I was about to say something to her, a loud voice echoed from the new opening ahead of us.

“WHERE IS THAT BLASTED DEMON!?”

‘… fuck.’ Was all I could think as Asaph moved her wings… and revealed an extremely handsome human man at the end of the hall. Light stubble peppered his chin along with his extremely well-kept haircut. He wore a black leather jacket that complemented his dark hair, along with a white undershirt and skinny blue jeans.

… He was also floating around five feet above the ground, exiting the hole he made, so… that wasn’t great.

The figure looked angry as he peered around the hall urgently before his eyes fell upon our group. Then, with a dramatic motion, pointed over towards me.

“YOU! VAGUELY DEMON-LOOKING PERSON! I, the great Ashur, supreme god of the winds! Requires your assistance!” He dramatically exclaimed as if it were a goddamn trophy. “I am currently searching for a DIFFERENT demon! Made entirely of flames! Have you spotted them anywhere around here?”

“…”

“…”

I turned to stare daggers at Benjamin, who just gave me a shrug. “Hey, I haven’t died to this guy yet. I had NO idea this was gonna happen.”

“…”

“… Um… mask?” Asaph whispered to me after I remained silent for a moment too long.

In response, I just groaned out. “Give me a second; I’m thinking how best to handle this without getting royally fucked.” I responded as I pinched the bridge of my face. Because of course I knew who this Ashur was, and I always knew we didn’t have a chance in hell to fucking kill him! 

“Hello! I’m still here! If you don’t answer me soon, I’ll just kill you instead, demon number 2.” He eventually called out to us, prompting me to speak up.

‘Fucking reality benders.’ I offhandedly complained internally before lifting my head, turning the devious charm on as I let my body language loosen to that of boisterous gentlemen.

“Why, I do not believe that should be necessary, my lord!” I exclaimed extravagantly with a deep bow, causing Asaph to look at me with confusion… and for Benjamin to roll his eyes and mutter something along the lines of ‘here comes the ass kisser.’

Still, my display had the desired result, as Ashur halted what he was about to do and simply crossed his arms expectantly. “... Explain.”

“Why certainly, my lord. For you see, I am not a demon.” I proudly declared with exuberance before rising from my bow. “For you see, this is simply a disguise I use to trick those deceitful bastards. In reality, I am known simply as the masked lord, slayer of demons! And I have already slain this hideous abomination in which you seek!”

Ashur's eyes immediately widened in something that rivaled admiration. “Wait, truly?”

“Truly indeed! And I am not alone in this endeavor!" I explain with as much bullshit as I could muster before pointing straight to the perplexed Asaph. “For I am also surrounded by my allies, which include the likes of–”

“Asaph! The dazzling guardian of steel!” Asaph immediately recoiled in shock before she could say anything, though.

“Olderman! the great defender of the muck!” The old man groaned as I referred to him.

“And finally we have—”

“Benjamin the great, powerful, and exceedingly handsome! Slayer of tyrants and pleaser of the ladies!” Benjamin shouted over me as he gave the absolute smuggest of grins to Ashur, so much so that I swear I could almost see glitter coming out of his eyes. This action caused a tick of annoyance to pass through me as he started flexing his non-existent muscles.

“... Yes… Benjamin the… whatever he just said.” I quickly shook off the moment of frustration, promising myself to yell at the man later before turning back to the still floating god, whose eyes now dazzled with an entirely new gleam of interest. “And together, we have been called forth to exterminate the sinister demons that hide here within your fortress!”

His expression halted for a second as he looked toward me. “Demons… you mean there are more?”

“Oh, why certainly, my lord! Have you not already been informed?” I asked in mock concern, causing the god to shake his head. I then feign a worried thinking motion as if a horrible idea had flashed through me. “Hmm… then perhaps the rot runs deeper than I had first imagined. For you see, that demon of fire was merely these demons in their truest form! But for the majority of them, they have already taken shape and begun impersonating your servants and the other great warriors that reside in these metal halls! At first, I had assumed that only those of low rank had been replaced… but now it appears that even this fortress's mightiest warriors have fallen to these sinister demons.”

“Ack, IMPOSSIBLE! My friends would never be defeated by demons as weak as the one I was chasing!” He angrily surmised, resulting in my shaking my head feignly.

“Perhaps not these demons. But ones of much higher power have indeed already shattered through the gate of this mighty fortress and, as it appears, have taken the form of your ‘friends’ and have begun meandering around in their skin.” I began, smirking as I saw a thoughtful emotion cross the god's face. “Do you not find it strange that these great allies of yours did not inform you of such a situation? This is your fortress, after all. The only explanation as to why they wouldn’t would be—“

“If… they’ve already been attacked and replaced.” Ashur finished with shock, eyes wide.

“Hehe, exactly. You are truly a smart one, aren’t you?” I complimented him, resulting in Benjamin rolling his eyes once more. “However, now that we have informed you, you can finally take a stand against those demons!”

“Hmm, of course! But… how do I know which ones are truly demons or are still my allies?” He asked.

I nodded in understanding. “Of course, there is no way to know for sure. For now, I say assume everyone else here is an imposter until proven otherwise. Besides, if those great warriors were still here, then they could easily survive an attack by you. Perhaps that’s how you should test it. And if they die? You’d know they were nothing but demons in disguise.”

“Hmm… hmmm…” Ashur contemplated for a long moment, as if thinking over my plan… until.

“OF COURSE! GREAT DEMON SLAYER! WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA!” Ashur celebrated before a massive smile whipped across his face. “I owe you a mighty drink when this is all over! But until then, I have some demons to hunt! Farewell! And until next time!” He thanked before taking a deep breath—

BOOM!

And flew straight downwards, through the metallic floor and dipping far beneath the current level, presumably on his was to ‘slay some demons’ or some shit.

“… Well, that was easy.” I muttered subconsciously, much to the confusion of two of my allies. As for the third… well…

“You, sir… are the absolute king of bullshitting.” Benjamin spoke with an unsurprised look on his face before stretching out his arms. As for me, I simply turned to him with a pissed-off expression.

“Yes, no thanks to you. Slayer of tyrants and pleaser of women? Really?” 

He just shrugged. “Hey, gotta keep you on your toes! Can’t make it too easy for you.” He spoke before turning back to the hole. “Still, how’d you know that they’d believe you?”

I sighed, “Because that was SCP-3740. They were included in the files that I got from a weird snake lady, which held this site's location. Apparently a god of the winds, they’re only here because the foundation staff convinced him he managed to ‘take over’ this ‘fortress’ while drunk. And convinced him that the scientists here were great warriors. In other words… he’s super gullible.”

I began walking ahead. “All I needed to do was come up with a cool enough story, give us somewhat official-sounding hero names, and give him the chance to do whatever the hell he wanted. The rest worked itself out after that.”

“Now come on, we have to move!” I talked back to my followers before continuing down the hall, a dark smile on my face.

“Now that we’ve got Ashur in our pocket, we’ve got time to collect what I’ve come here for.”

Notes:

035: (attempting to decieve Ashur)

Benjamin: Imma bout to do something called a pro gamer move!

 

Back to our regularly scheduled program! More trauma! More action! And more fucked up senses opf humor!

Regardles, I dont have really much to say for this one. Just honestly, thank you for everyone who has read teh story up to this point. It means a whole lot to me and I really hope your enjoing it.

Anyways, thats all I really have to say. Drop a kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have questions, ideas, jokes, wisecracks, or literally anything else! And I will see you all next week! Have a godly day!

Chapter 72: Your meeting is about to begin.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Justin tries to escape.

Dr. Glass has an anuerism before meeting a very important somebody.

Katherine is protective.

SCP-035 collects his first piece of the puzzle.

Notes:

"When your friend gets insulted, what

Justin POV

 

“Uugh… Krkk, huff.”

Staggered breaths cluttered out of my mouth as I wandered down the hall, moving at a snail's pace as I did so.

Pain continued to shoot through my ever-burning skin. Every step was a hellish challenge, as I was forced to use the right wall and, by extension, the right side of my body to support me as I moved down the once pristine hall, with me leaving a trail of ash and blood behind me as I did so. 

My left side was rendered unusable, burned to nothing but charred skin and melted plastics from my outfit. I was blind in my left eye; it had completely burned away during the fire.

I was totally delirious from the entire situation. Every second felt like a daze, like I was walking through muggy water that clouded my vision and my mind. It felt dreamlike, like none of this was real, like I'd wake up from all this and everything would be fine…

Even the pain didn't feel real, as it felt like nothing I'd ever felt before. Pain as a concept seemed to blur the lines in my mind as I was unable to differentiate between it and normality. 

‘I… I… I feel so… tired.’ I couldn't help but think as my mind swam in the fog of my consciousness. I continued attempting to walk more, trying to move. Ignoring the fact that I basically commanded Deeds to send me to my death.

I… I had to, though, otherwise… I’d only get Amanda killed…

‘A-Amanda… I’m… sorry.’ I couldn't help but apologize as her face flashed across my mind, filling me with warmth and hope for but a moment… until it immediately disappeared, and along with it, any strength I had left in my bones as…

Bam…

I fell to the floor, my face smashed into the metal. Did it hurt? I don't even know; I could barely feel anything anymore.

‘I just… I just want to… to sleep.’ I felt my one remaining eye begin to close, drawn down like heavy weights to an ocean. ‘Maybe… when I wake up, it'll all be… better… quieter… safer…’

As finally my eyes closed completely, whisking me off to the great beyond…

… Or that's what I would say, if it weren’t for a light feminine chuckle that echoed in my one, half-working eardrum.

“Hehehahahehe… My… Aren’t you a brazen soul to make it this far!” A feminine voice almost hissed in my ears, distracting me long enough to keep me alive for a moment longer than I should’ve.

I attempted to open my one remaining eye, but I could only make out a rough duo of silhouettes. One in the back, looking human with their arms crossed. Another standing right over me, also looking humanish… Or, at least they would if not for their body halved, which seemed to merge into one long appendage instead of legs like I would have expected.

“Your flesh has already given out on you, but your soul still yearns to burn.” The large silhouette shifted a bit, showing they were the one speaking, their tone sounding venomous as they did so. “But without flesh, the soul has nothing to cling to… it truly is a pity.”

A bad feeling began creeping in my chest, even beginning to overpower my will to survive as a primal fear built in my very being. Though I wasn’t sure why. I just felt… small. Like a mouse staring up at an eagle.

“Perhaps… I can mitigate one of those problems for you?”

BADUM!

My heart skipped a beat in fear as my iris shrank to the size of a pinprick.

My throat began scratching, scraping at my inside to utter out a word, a sound—ANY SOUND! 

As in response to her speech, I finally spoke. “Ack… Aghg..gnnnn….nnnnnaooo…”

“Hmm? Oh, my sweet little viper.” She began speaking slowly in response, playfully, as I saw her long, dangly hand begin to rise in my view. “...That wasn’t a request.”

Suddenly, her hand lunged out towards my face and—--------------

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHH”

 

---

Dr. Glass POV

 

I just sat… defeated… head in my hands as I sat in a chair in the main lobby of the Global Occult Coalition building. People moved around desperately to clean the rubble that had fallen from the SECOND hole that had formed in the building!

“... They didn’t even fucking finish cleaning up the first one from us crashing in here.” I couldn't help but think depressed as I stared up from my hands, noting how the once nicely decorated lobby was now a mess filled with stone and glass. Police officers (who were obviously GOC and foundation agents in disguise) were parked in front of the building, trying their best to keep the growing crowd of curious onlookers away from the crime scene.

“Heh, so much for a private meeting of the world's most powerful and secretive organizations.” I heard a snarky voice speak from next to me. Tiredly I stared over, noting the very short frame of Doctor Katherine Sinclair, who crossed her arms, the smirk on her face illustrating just how much she was enjoying all of this. “We’ve barely been here for a couple hours, and we 1, already caused a scene by crashing into the building. 2, Lost your whole security detail. 3, were taken by the person that crashed a SECOND vehicle into this damned building and 4, lose all your faith in this meeting going well!”

“...”

“... Does that sound about right, glasses?’ She asked again, causing me to sigh.

“Sigh… Just about, I guess.” I gave up before digging my face into my palms once more, questioning why whatever gads that be decided to fuck with me in particular today.

‘It just… it all happened so fast.’ I began to think, remembering back to the… events that led up to my current situation.

Fifteen minutes earlier.

“Alright, I believe that should cover it!” Overzealous, the agent said to me, a fake smile plastered on his face.

 I could only offer an apologetic smile in return to the overworked employee, tiredness plastered on his face as a result of his ginormous bags beneath his eyes.

“Right, and—um… sorry again.” I offered my condolences, causing him to sigh.

“Oh, it’s no big deal. You only crashed a van into one of the main and, might I add, secretive headquarters of the GOC during a very private meeting between some of the world's most influential groups about how to deal with the potential end of the world.” So spat out as dryly as possible, looking down at their clipboard the entire time before finally staring up towards me. “So yeah, no big deal for you foundation people, right?” 

“… Right… and once again… sorry.” Was all I could muster at the evidently annoyed man as he turned to leave, but not before giving a death glare towards Alpha-9, but especially to Leora, before walking away from me and going to speak with some police officers, who were clearly just GOC in disguise, by the wrecked entrance to the tower, which was currently being hidden from public view by the police.

Finally given a moment to breathe, I exhaled a massive breath, de-stressing myself before turning and looking at the rest of the team, each of them with a myriad of emotions splayed across their face.

PSHUD, or Hector, as the rest of the team started to call them, and Alexei seemed rather uninterested, simply doing their duties and standing at attention to eliminate any potential threat.

Iris, as the leader, had a look of shame spread across her features, illustrating how she might blame herself a little for what happened.

Rainer just looked worried, as if he would be the one to get in trouble when, in all honesty, he is easily the most innocent out of all of us.

Then there was Leora, the one who crashed the vehicle. She looked the most disappointed in herself, seemingly beating herself up in her mind for making such a stupid mistake in the first place.

I could only give a sympathetic sigh before beginning to walk towards them, wanting to hopefully comfort them a bit after the whole situation.

After all, that is what a responsible adult would do in this situation! And we’re all responsible adults—

“LOOK OUT!” A random GOC agent suddenly screamed out near the entrance of the of the building and—

BOOM!

I was knocked back as, without warning, a massive FUCKING HELICOPTER plowed straight into the tower, creating another hole right next to the first!

I watched as Alpha-9, who were near the wall that got rammed through, quickly readied themselves as they prepared to fight and—

BOOM!

“Get in, losers! We’re going monster hunting!” Clef screamed as he kicked the helicopter door down and—

“Wha— WAIT, CLEF?!?” I couldn’t control myself from screaming in shock! A sentiment which was shared with all of Alpha-9, who all just stood frozen, befuddled.

Clef cared little for that though, as he quickly reached back in the helicopter and—

“Come on, GANG!” He screamed out before throwing out a lasso and—

Grip! PULL!!

“Gahhhh!!!” All of Alpha-9 screamed in unison as the lasso wrapped around the group, and, with what I can only describe as some toon force logic bullshit, Clef somehow pulled all members of the team straight into the helicopter and closed the door with a resounding bang! 

And not a moment later, the helicopter blades began spinning rapidly as the black helicopter began lifting off. 

“OH BOY! THIS IS GOING TO BE SO FUCKING LETHARGIC!” I heard Clef screaming through the loud propellers. “Oh, and good luck with your meeting, Glass!”

“...”

… He then flew off into the distance… to the witness of many onlookers… and to many very annoyed GOC agents who all immediately directed their gazes towards me.

“...”

I looked to my left, spotting the same agent as before with a clipboard. He gave me a very disappointing head shake before reaching down to his radio.

“Sir… A second vehicle controlled by a foundation lunatic has struck the tower.” He spoke seriously, his eyes never leaving me for even a moment.

“... I HAVE A CALL TO MAKE!” I quickly screamed and—

 

CURRENT TIME!

 

“--Then I called Sophia to let her know what had happened, and by that point… sigh… it was already too late.” I whimpered out to Katherine, who could only shake her head in support.

“Yeah, that sucks.” She rubbed circles on my back, which was awkward considering the major height difference. “To be honest… I'm just pissed off that I was in the bathroom when this all happened! It sounds so fucking funny!”

“... Funny is… certainly a word to describe the last half-hour of my life.” I chuckled depressedly to my thaumaturgy-using acquaintance, who stuck out a tongue playfully toward me. “Anyways, Sophia called me back after… letting off some steam and told me to continue with the meeting, with you taking the new role of my bodyguard.”

“Heh, wow. Dropped so low you now need a midget to guard you, Glasses?” She poked fun at me with an amused eyebrow raise. I just chuckled in response before giving her a look.

“What can I say? I didn’t get the nickname ‘swan’ from Sophia for no reason.”

Katherine laughed at my joke. “Fair enough. Anyways, how are we—”

“AHEM!!!”

I almost jumped out of my skin as a very audible and annoyed cough assaulted my eardrums. Panicked, I turned around to find the source of my fear…

Only to see it belonging to a very familiar, clipboard-holding, annoyed GOC employee. He stared at me with barely restrained contempt once more.

“O-oh, um… Hi, again.” I awkwardly greeted the man, who could only be bothered with giving me a very irritated grin that withheld an untold amount of anger.

“… Hello.” He finally grinned out through his fake smile before immediately dropping it before looking down at his clipboard. “Anyways. The meeting is going to start soon. So you should probably be on your way.” He reminded me.

I furrowed my eyebrows in concern. “Are you sure you don’t want my help with—”

“We’ll be fine!” He urgently put in, cutting off any attempts I could make to mend any goodwill he may have had left for me. 

“Besides… you foundation pigs would just get in the way again, anyways.” He suddenly muttered under his breath as he turned to walk away, quiet enough that only us three could hear what was spoken.

I sighed, knowing that there's no point in trying to refute the man on this. So it’d be better to—

“I’m sorry. But what the FUCK did you just say?” Katherine suddenly intervened angrily, standing in front of the man and preventing him from leaving with her tiny stature.

‘KATHERINE?!’ I internally screamed as I took a step back in shock. ‘What the FUCK are you doing?!’

The man simply looked down at her with a lazy eye before that recognizably fake smile spread across his features.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you're talking about. I didn’t say any—”

“Yea, that's a load of bullshit, and you know it.” The man was cut off by Katherine, who continued to look up at the man with an annoyed look. “I’m just asking you to repeat yourself. To my face… What did you say to my friend?”

I noticed a bead of sweat drip down the man's face, but he seemed to stand his ground as he scoffed. “Only the truth. Nothing more, nothing less.” 

‘... FUCK!’

“Umm– hehe, Katherine, maybe we shouldn’t—”

“No… No, I'm thinking we should, Glasses.” The tiny women cut me off with a serious look, shutting me up before they turned to the man once more. “I get we’re not here to make enemies, and that we should put our best foot forward. But this bastard crossed a line.”

A dark smirk grew on her face. “It’s one thing to insult the foundation; I'm fine with that, as flawed as we are… But he also just insulted you, calling you… oh, what was it, a foundation pig?”

Her tiny arms began to tense as a crimson sheen overtook her eyes. “And when you insult the best of us? Well… then you have to deal with the worst.”

The man scoffed once more, evidently ignoring the nervous sweat building up on his forehead. “Oh yeah? Then whatcha gonna do about it, midg–”

FWOOM!

A large gauge of fire suddenly sprang forth from Katherine’s hands, rocketing past the man and singeing the hairs on the side of his head.

Almost immediately, he fell back in fear, dropping his clipboard as the flames calmly clashed against the brick wall before going out. Still, that didn't stop Katherine, as flames continued to build on her bandaged arms as she approached the man, who now desperately tried crawling away.

“Oops, unfortunately for you, that's a no-no word.” She chuckled horrifically, even freaking me out, before raising her flame-coated arm and pointing it at the man. “Now let's start over. Beginning with an ‘I’m sorry’ to poor old glasses here–”

“FREEZE!” A scream sounded out from behind Katherine, causing me to realize that we were already surrounded by GOC guards, each and every one of them training their guns on us. “LET THE MAN GO!”

“No.” Katherine answered simply as–

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN NO!?!” I screamed out flabbergasted to my friend, who refused to move the muscle.

“Because… he hasn’t apologized yet.” She reiterated before causing the flames on her hand to enlarge, which further worried the guards as their fingers began pressing against the triggers of their guns. “... Say it.”

“I… I’m s-sorry.” He whispered out fearfully.

“WHAT WAS THAT?! Sorry, I COULDN'T HEAR YOU!” She screamed at the terrified man, who yelped as the flames grew even more intense. “COME ON, SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! USE THOSE BIG OL’ LUNGS OF YOURS THAT WE MIDGETS, AS YOU PUT IT, DON’T HAVE!”

“K-Katherine this is too muc–”

“I’M… I’M  sor–”

“I SAID LOUDER DAMMIT!”

“I-I’M SORRY! I’M SO FUCKING SORRY!!! PLEASE- PLEASE JUST DONT KILL ME!!! PLEASE!”

“Heh, see. Now was that so hard–”

Something snapped in me as I turned to Katherine angrily.

“KATHERINE FOR FUCK'S SAKE, STOP! YOU DON’T—”

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

Whatever I was about to say to chew Katherine out was immediately silenced, as I heard a slow clapping emanate from around the room.

Everyone, guards included, looked a little surprised. Before a voice also arose.

“Hehehe, alright! I believe that's enough of that.”

I turned to my left, finally noticing the man who was speaking. They were approaching slowly, clapping as they did. He wore a black suit that complemented his slicked-back black hair, with a handful of graying hairs present amongst them. His eyes were a dark green as he smiled through them, his fancy black shoes tapping against the floor, echoing as everybody shut up at his mere appearance, despite his rather unassuming look.

The man stopped just short of us, walking past the guards. When he did, he calmly placed his hands in his suit pockets before looking around at the entourage of soldiers.

“... Well? You heard me; that's enough of that. You’re all excused.” He commanded… Which, surprisingly enough, all the guards complied with immediately. Lowering their rifles before giving a salute to the man.

“Heh, there we are. Now, Miss Sinclair, I do apologize on behalf of my employee for their words.” He gave a very small bow to the women before a serious look crossed his face. “However, he did apologize like you requested, so I kindly ask on behalf of the whole GOC that you let him go… Immediately.”

Katherine looked the man up and down, seemingly sizing him up… before finally sighing and relinquishing the flames on her arm.

“Fine, got what I wanted after all.” She stated as the terrified man quickly got up, not taking his eyes off of her for even a second. The calm man then approached, patting his back reassuringly.

“There you are. Please head home early today, Johnathon. I think you need to get some rest.” He spoke, which the man just nodded affirmatively to, before quickly backing up, never taking his eyes off Katherine until he was completely out of the room.

As soon as he was out of sight, the man turned to one of the guards. “Hey, schedule Johnathon Berskinsee for a three-week paid leave. Oh, and contact the on-site psychiatrist, Samantha, to pay him daily visits until he begins feeling better.”

The guard quickly nodded before exiting as well, probably to make the preparations.

Immediately after, the man turned back to the two of us. “Once more, I do apologize for the actions of those who work under me. However… Don’t you believe you might have taken that a bit far, Miss Sinclair?”

Katherin shrugged. “It’s the only way they’d learn. Besides, you don't insult Glasses and expect to get away with it. Only us at the foundation are allowed to bully him!”

“I… I don’t know if I agree with—”

“Hmm, fair enough.” The man cut me off, patting me on the shoulder. “Regardless, it is a pleasure to be making your acquaintance, Doctor Simon Glass.”

I quickly shrug off my stupor before extending my hand for a handshake. “The, um… the pleasure is all mine, Mr…?”

“Ahh, forgive me, I must've forgotten myself.” The tired man reassured me as he reached out, taking my hand. “The name is Erik Burke… The current acting director of the Global Occult Initiative.”

My breath staggered as he said this, as his face suddenly registered in my mind, and I recognized him! 

The leader of the GOC! Above even the council of 108!

He chuckled at my shocked face before retreating his hand. “Now if you would please follow me, we have a meeting that is about to commence!”

 

---

SCP-035 POV

 

I wandered down the bloodied and burnt hall, smirking as I noticed the absolute carnage everywhere I looked. Scientists and guards that used to feel so smug about containing people like me now lie dead. I could make a pretty good guess as to why dozens and dozens of charred bodies lay dead on the floor, but among them were fresh corpses that caked the interior every now and then.

Everywhere I went, I kicked another lifeless body of these foundation pigs. Even though that was giving them more of my precious time than they warranted, I didn't care. It felt too damn lethargic to give.

As I continued walking, I ran into a couple of foundation soldiers. Some tried to stop me, so I shot them. 

Others tried to run, so I shot them.

Some random D-class even tried to join me. Crawling at their hands and knees for me to give them salvation… so I didn't shoot them.

Instead, I gave them to the old man to play with later.

‘Heh, stupid prisoners.’ I couldn't help but curse those sheep as I weaved under a knife strike from one of the few remaining guards on this floor. ‘Can’t they even follow very clear rules! And they tried to convince me with only one or two heads. Pahh… pitiful.’

BANG!

I shot the guard who was trying to stab me, causing him to fall to the floor with a meaty thump. I barely even gave him a once-over before moving on. A pawn like that will never be worth my time.

‘Still, hunting these pests down has proved to be rather amusing.’ I thought sickly as I turned to a door before removing SCP-005 from my holster and placing the ornate metal key against the electronic lock before it broke all laws of physics as it unlocked the security metal door, causing it to slide open. ‘If I had more time, perhaps I’d have made a game out of hunting them all down one by one. Alas, the world can never be so kind to me, as I have to get what I came here for and leave quickly before foundation reinforcements arrive.’

As the thoughts flashed through my head, we entered into the dark chamber. The lights were off, and there weren’t any windows, so nothing could provide us with the light we needed.

… I unholstered my gun—

BANG!

And suddenly released a bullet from the chamber, shooting off in a seemingly random direction before.

PZZT!

The lightbulbs in the room fluttered to life, revealing a large chamber filled with numerous pieces of lab equipment, files, desks, and an assortment of other professionally sciency-looking items.

“Fucking geez! Give a man some warning next time!” Benjamin urgently spat out in surprise, seemingly not expecting my random gunshot in this echoey chamber.

“Don’t be a pussy next time, then.” I shot back at the man, causing him to roll his eyes and cross his arms. Good, that was taken care of.

I turned my attention back to the large room, my eyes scanning over each and every machine methodically. I gave everyone else a sign with a simple wave of my hand, and they began to spread out, albeit with less motivation than me.

I looked around the room for a couple minutes, sifting through papers, looking inside machines, all searching for one very specific item that I knew was in here somewhere.

Eventually my eyes were drawn to the center of the room, past a very evidently bored Benjamin, where I could see a large hulking machine with three computers attached sitting. The large, rectangular piece of machinery had a keypad on it that seemed to require a passcode that was 20 digits long, along with what looked to be a keycard scanner and a fingerprint scanner. All in all, it was very protective.

I smirked. Bingo.

I barely gave the keypad a second glance as I raised the ornate anomalous key in my hands and pressed it against the machine, resulting in it releasing a satisfying ding and popping open. 

I opened up the machine and began reaching inside, trying to see if what I was searching for was in here.

Still, I was soon rudely interrupted as I heard an annoyingly familiar voice filter out from behind me.

“Sooooooooooo… What are we looking for again?” Benjamin chimed in, nearly making me lose my focus for a second before returning to searching the inside of this machine. “Because, in case you've forgotten, I'm kinda the new kid on the block, so I have NO idea what the point of any of this is.”

“... That is also something that I would very much like to know.” Asaph chimed in as she approached from behind Benjamin. “How does this—ANY of this—help us with making heaven and hell pay? All I see is us just wasting time for some vanity quest of yours!”

Benjamin looked genuinely surprised that the fallen angel was taking his side, but I only chuckled expectedly as I kept searching in the machine. “Patience, feathers. As I promised you, you will have your revenge.”

“And I have been patient! I have been so fucking patient following you around!” She bit back as I saw her wings beginning to grow tense, as if ready to strike. “But despite that, I have yet to see a single reason why any of this was necessary! Why coming here would be important in the slightest.”

As she continued to judge my way of doing things, I finally felt my hand wrap around a cylindrical-feeling object. I let a smirk crawl upon my face, not even worried as the anger began to spread through some of my cohorts.

“Heh… Fine, then allow me to show you reason number one.” I finally proclaimed as I pulled back the cylindrical object out of the machine.

As the light hit its surface, I saw Benjamin’s pupils immediately enlarge in absolute shock! He even took a step back, so surprised he was by what I had pulled from the machine.

Asaph and the old man, who had also walked up, for their part continued to wear neutral expressions as I brought the plastic item out, revealing itself to be—

“A… pill bottle?” Asaph's annoyance was immediately quenched with confusion as they saw the item I was holding. That being what looked to be a stereotypical orange pill bottle, not unlike one you'd find in a doctor's office or at a pharmacy.

“That's… That’s not just a pill bottle.” Benjamin muttered as he stared at me, eyes wide. “That… is that—”

“Hehe, indeed it is, my idiotic friend.” I chastised the former foundation doctor as I held up the pill bottle for all to see.

“Behold, the main reason we came here to Site-008! And the linchpin of all of our plans from here on out!”

“... SCP-500. Or as I like to call it, our key to immortality!”

Asaph’s eyes widened slightly in shock at that declaration.

I then turned to the old man.

“And the conclusion of my promise to repair that arm of yours, old friend.”

Its eyes also widened, looking at the item I was holding in a brand new light.

“Heh, exactly. Let this be a lesson to never doubt me again.” I reminded the peanut gallery before placing the bottle in my pocket securely and making it past them. “Now come on, there is one more thing we must do before these pills become truly important.”

Benjamin, who was the first to knock themself out of their stupor, turned to me. “What do you plan to do?”

“Hehe, oh, nothing much.” I wave my hand playfully before leaving the lab. “I just want to give these pills a… bit of an upgrade, is all.”

Benjamin's eyes, once more, for like the tenth time, widened.

“Y-you don't mean...”

“Shhh, it's a surprise.” I held my index finger up to my lip before leaving the room, a smirk still plastered on my decayed and weathered face.

Oh… this is going to be fun.

Notes:

Johnathon: Man, this Simon Glass guy sucks--

Katherine: So you have chosen death.

 

HI! I am so sorry for the shorter chapter, I really wanted to make it longer but a lot of stuff gopt in the way this week (Like the last 7 weeks, to be honest) Regardless, I hope you all enjoy! It really means a lot that you all still enjoy this story, and I am so surprised that this story has gotten the amount of attention it has!

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed! Leave a kudos if you did, drop a comment if you have any questions, ideas, wisecracks, or anything inbetween! And I hope you all have a fantastic day! See you all next week!

Chapter 73: Like clockwork.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Amanda and Mr. Deeds run into a bit of trouble.

SCP-035 makes good on his promise.

???? Attacks sub-level ??

Notes:

“If someone fulfilled a promise for you, would you repay the favor?”

Amanda POV.

 

I stared intensely at the small device in my hand, once more contemplating how something like this… something this small and fragile… could possibly be worth his life.

‘Justin… you really are a selfish bastard, huh?’ I sarcastically thought as I pocketed the device in my lab coat before reaching down and clutching the pocketknife, courtesy of Mr. Deeds… whom I still hadn’t forgiven for what he had done.

“M-malady, while I understand your anger, d-don’t you think this is a little much—“

“Shut it.” I quickly interrupted him.

“Ohh… yes, milady.” Deeds sadly replied, looking downtrodden at the massive sign on him that I made him wear, which said ‘bad butler’ on it. “I shall… take this shame with… pride.”

I just gave a quick nod at the defeated butler before turning back to the long hallway. A nervous sweat broke down my face as I continued moving, as I recounted the plan in my head.

‘You just have to find a… master terminal, whatever that is, easy.’ I lied to myself as I clutched the knife desperately, ready for a monster to jump around the corner. ‘And after you do that, you can focus on finding Justin. I’m… not sure how I’ll save him just yet, but I’m sure I’ll think of something! It can’t be that hard to save a guy who… was hit by a massive fire person—ok, it sounds bad, but I’m sure it’s fine!’

Cautiously I approached the corner of the wrecked hall, peering my head around it.

‘I’m sure this’ll be easy. Besides, what are the chances that I run into somebody—’

I saw five individuals in orange jumpsuits as I turned the corner, each holding a variety of weapons like knives and a pipe, and most importantly, one holding a pistol.

‘… I honestly don’t know what I was expecting at this point.’ I internally rolled my eyes before turning my gaze towards the group. They seemed huddled in a group, talking to each other in hushed voices. To their left sat a… rather wet brown bag that was filled with multiple lumpy objects.

… A sickly feeling built up within me, as I already had a pretty good idea of what it held, and that thought caused me to grip my knife even harder.

“Ok… it’s ok, Amanda, you got this.” I reassured myself as I turned to the still downtrodden Mr. Deeds. “Let’s go around the longer way; better that than to deal with—”

BANG!

I instinctively fell back as a loud ringing pierced my ears. I looked up to Deeds, as if to ask him what that was, and…

I saw… a hole perfectly between his two eyes.

Before I could even make sense of the situation, I heard a laugh.

“Heh, well woulda looky here! Two more little rabbits found their way into our den. We didn’t even need to lay a trap!” An overly excited, bordering-on-psychotic voice laughed. I looked up, seeing behind us through the hallway was another man in an orange jumpsuit… a smoking gun in his hands.

“Heh? What’s goin’ on over there Jare— oh… hehe, I see.” Another voice sounded out from my right, causing my pupils to shrink. I looked over, only to notice my mistake of falling into the hallways that the group of five D-class were occupying, each one of them now staring at me as if I were a prize, one that was within their grasp. “Well, well, look what we got here!” The frontman of the five spoke creepily before beginning to approach, his hand wrapped around his pistol.

“S-s-stay back, dammit!” Was all I could muster as fear began to paralyze my body, though I retained just enough movement to lift my knife towards them in some vain attempt to make myself seem intimidating, despite the fact I was crawling backwards against the hard metal ground.

“Oooh, hehe, little piggy’s got some fight in her!” They opened their mouths wide, revealing a rotten grin filled with yellowed teeth. “Whatcha gonna do, piggy? You gonna kill me?”

“I— uhh.” My mind began frantically searching for a way out of this, as dozens of ideas flooded to the forefront of my mind, each with the goal of survival!

What—what was I gonna do!? They killed Mr. Deeds! He’s gone, and he can’t save… Wait…

‘… Oh, I’m such a fucking idiot.’ I internally sighed as I remembered my own idiocy, my eyes wandering down to the small silver handbell that I connected to my waist. 

“Hehe, whatcha lookin’ at girly? Scared because we killed ye’ boyfriend?” He tilted his head creepily to the side, raising his gun into the air and pointing it straight at me.

“Well… first of all, gross.” I replied with a nervous smirk before reaching my left hand down to my waist and silently ringing the bell, causing a quiet ding. “And secondly… why don’t you ask him yourself?”

“Heh?” The second figure with a gun spoke curiously, the one who had come from the second hallway and had shot the butler. “What do ya’ mean—”

STAB!

“GAHH!” He screamed out as a long, perfectly pristine knife shot through the D-class’s back, piercing him straight through the heart.

“HMM, I dare say that wasn’t very gentlemanly of you, my good sir.” Mr. Deeds' recognizable voice caused all the tension in my shoulders to flutter away as the body of the man fell to the floor, revealing the intelligently dressed gentleman standing, unperturbed by the fact he was dead not even a second ago. “I may be a bad butler, but be that as it may, I shall still lay down my arms to defend milady.”

“Wha-the fuck—shit, the bastard’s an anomaly!” The leader of the group of five yelped in surprise before raising his gun towards the man. “Die fuc—”

Mr. Deeds threw the knife.

STAB!

“GAHH, fuck!” And it struck the main straight in his right shoulder, forcing him to drop the weapon as he reached up to grip the weapon handle in pain.

“Hmm, didn’t your mother teach you not to point your weapon at a man? Such disrespectful behavior.” Mr. Deeds shook his head in disappointment before reaching down to his side and pulling out a second silver knife. “Here, allow a seasoned professional to teach you youngins how it’s done.”

“Pahh, shit—don’t just stand there! Gut the bastard!” The man crippling his wounded shoulder screamed, knocking the other D-class out of their own shock, prompting them to grow their own snarls and approach in deadly fashion. One of the men lifted a metal pipe above his head; two others held a butcher knife and a long steak knife exclusively, while the last had nothing but his fists.

“Hmm, nothing but hot air. Stand back, milady. For I shall handle these ruffians.” Mr. Deeds valiantly declared as he raised his arms up slightly, going into what is very obviously a professional fighting form.

“Heh… way ahead of you.” I said under my breath sarcastically, noting how I was already fifteen feet behind him, just now rising to my feet.

“Hah, die!” The man with the metal pipe screamed as he ran up to Deeds; he raised his weapon above his head and—

WHOOSH!

Just barely missing the butler as he sidestepped the downward strike.

Grunting, the man tried again, swinging his pipe sideways, attempting to blindside the butler.

Only for him to deftly dodge beneath the strike, leaving the man open as Mr. Deeds swings his knife in a wide slash.

CUT!

“GAH!” The man with the pipe screamed out as a long line of crimson built up across his chest, staining his jumpsuit. 

He growled, enraged. “GAHH, you son of a bitch!” He yelled once more, attempting to swing down on the butler.

PARRY!

Only for Deeds to use his left arm to parry the attack, skillfully throwing the man’s pipe-wielding hands to the left. He then spun, using the momentum built from the parry and—

STAB!

And stab the man straight in the side of his neck, blood immediately gushing out alarmingly. The man, panic now set in his eyes, tried to move. But it was all for naught, as Deeds quickly removed the knife, causing the man to fall on the floor, dead.

“Hmm, pity. With those high words I had assumed he would have proven to be a half-decent opponent. Alas, twasn’t meant to be.” He then turned to the other three, who were all frozen in shock. “Now, let’s see if you all have the skill to back up such lousy words of warning.” He warned before getting into the same fighting stance once more.

The men each immediately took a step back in fear but almost as quickly looked at each other. They each gave a quick nod, as if having a silent conversation, before turning back to Deeds with newfound confidence.

Then, all at once, they rushed in.

The man with the butcher's knife approached first and cut at Deeds sideways, which he easily dodged under and moved to his right.

Not even a second after, however, the man with the long steak knife ran in and stabbed straight, hoping to pierce through the butler's abdomen.

STA—

CLUTCH!

Immediately his plans were halted, as Deeds once more moved to the right before gripping onto the arm and—

CHUCK!

He threw the man straight at the guy with the butcher's knife, who had attempted to close in to swing at Deeds again. The two bodies hit each other, causing them to tumble to the ground. 

Just then, the man with just his fists approached quickly; he wound up, going for a punch!

BA—

GRIP!

STAB!

Only to immediately get his arm grabbed by Deeds, before he pulled him close and stabbed the knife straight into his eye, before pulling it out and kicking the now obviously dead body back, blood flying everywhere in the process, including on Mr. Deeds suit.

The butler looked down in disgust at his now ruined attire. “My, my, what a bloody mess—”

TING!

He raised his knife just in time to parry a slash from the man with the steak knife, making him trip backwards.

He attempted to follow up and slash at him, only to be interrupted as the man with the butcher's knife came from the left and—

SLASH!

The butler jumped back just in time, but not quickly enough to save his suit, as a small cut appeared on the once fine fabric.

A small break occurred at that moment, as the two D-class began breathing heavily, eyeing Deeds with caution. Deeds, for his part, was too busy staring at his now cut suit with what I can only describe as a look of barely contained rage.

“Oh… oh, now you’ve done it, my good sirs.” He started darkly, confusing the two before he raised his gaze up to theirs. “You’ve just crossed a line… Prepare to forfeit your lives.”

“Grr, shut up and die, you British asshole!” The man with the steak knife charged and slashed at him, to which he easily parried with his knife.

“Excuse you! Me being British has nothing to do with my assholeness!” Deeds exclaimed, offended, as he parried a couple more slashes; even as the second man joined in, he kept up. “And for your information… the only one who will be dying here tonight—”

SWOOSH!

He dodged between both of their strikes perfectly, crouching down beneath them as he ran by and—

SLASH!

Cut the Achilles heel of the man with the steak knife. He yelled in pain and took a knee. The butcher knife-wielding D-class tried to cover for him but was immediately dodged and elbowed in the chin by Deeds, sending him falling on his ass.

Seizing the moment, Deeds turned back to the first man, who could only stare upwards at the cold-faced butler.

“— Is you.”

Panic flushed the man’s face as he said that, and he aggressively jumped up with his one good leg, trying to stab Deeds and—

“Goodbye.”

WHOOSH!

SLASH!

With what looked to be a practiced moment, Deeds effortlessly moved towards the man and just barely moved from his strike, which missed him by an inch. Before he calmly raised his knife and, in a quick, clean motion.

… cut the man’s throat in a perfectly straight line.

“Kcaaa… kaaaaaa…” A haggard breath escaped the man's lips, as all the air he tried to muster got lost through the cut on his throat.

He fell to his knees, eyes beginning to glaze over… before finally falling to the floor, his blood splattering against it like a bucket of pain.

My eyes were wide, but Mr. Deeds looked completely unperturbed as he tilted his head to look toward the last man with the butcher's knife, whose eyes were wide, obviously mortified by the sight.

“Hmm… so, ready to apologize to my lady?” Mr. Deeds calmly demanded, his gaze piercing straight through the D-class, whose gaze shot up to him…

“… AHHHHHHH!!!” As he immediately began screaming before rising to his feet frantically and running in the opposite direction, far down the hall.

Mr. Deeds only gave a deadpanned sneer at the man’s actions. “Hmm, pity. I did give the man a way out.” He said, completely unconcerned as he took the knife he was holding, and with one quick flick of the wrist—

STAB!

Sent the knife careening through the air before stabbing the D-class perfectly in the back, piercing right where his heart should be. 

“And screaming within earshot of my lady, of all things. Doesn’t he know that could damage her perfect ears!” Deeds exclaimed, a little enraged, before turning back to me with a smile as I stared, dumbfounded. “Does my service tonight satisfy you, Milady?”

“H-huh? Oh, um… yeah.” I mumbled out, all at once remembering how despite the familiarity I’ve gained with Deeds, he is still an anomaly contained by the foundation.

Still, a happy look crossed his face as I said this. “Then, may I perhaps… discard this sign?” He asked expectedly, pointing down to the sign that he still wore that said ‘bad butler’ on it.

… I gave him a deadpanned look, staring straight into his hopeful eyes, as if this were the most important request he has ever made in the history of the world.

“… sigh, fine.” I reluctantly agreed while standing up to my full height, causing his smile to spread even wider.

“Truly! Oh, why, thank you, milady!” He spoke zealously, tearing the sign off with no regard for himself as it clattered against the floor. “I shall never forget this deed! I shall continue to be your one and only armor, milady. And as long as I still breathe, I do solemnly swear that I shan’t let a single foul touch down upon your bod—”

BANG!

Another bloody hole emerged upon Deeds forehead, as I yelped out in surprise as I felt the man’s blood splash against my face! 

I was stunned, unsure what had just happened… Or I was until his body fell to the floor, revealing the man both I and Deeds had forgotten about, clutching his gun with his left hand as his right was rendered unusable on account of the life piercing through his shoulder.

“Heh… forget ’about me?” He chuckled horrifically, his eyes bloodshot as he pointed his gun toward me. 

My eyes widened like plates as I frantically moved my hand down to my waist, reaching for the bell—

BANG!

“GHU!” I yelped out in surprise as a… pain shot through my spine.

“Heh, sorry love, but I ain’t stupid enough to let that happen again.” He grimly snarled as I felt my legs go weak.

Numbly… My hand reached down to my sternum… Something was wet… something… red.

‘Oh… oh god…’ I felt my eyelids grow heavy as the pain soared and—

BAM!

Like a sack of potatoes, I fell to the floor with a loud thump.

My breath began to stagger as I felt a cold chill run up through my entire being, all while the man appeared slowly, his shadow slowly beginning to overtake me in my entirety, his smoking gun entering my periphery.

“Heh… serves you foundation rats right, to do like the dogs you are.” He slowly began speaking, his gun moving till it pointed directly at my aching head. I tried and screamed at my body to move! But it refused.

… it all hurt too much.

“Heh, let this be a lesson about what happens when you imprison someone like me!” He began as his finger etched closer to the gun's trigger until it was almost squeezing it. “Let this be a lesson… to never mess with a member of the Serpent's Hand—”

BANG!

…

…

THUMP.

Suddenly, my already blurry vision was covered as I heard something fall to the floor, shortly after a loud bang.

I thought I was about to die, but… instead, a bloodied face entered my field of view.

… his face. Of that man that was about to shoot me, instead with a frozen look of shock adorning his cold, lifeless face.

I would’ve been confused if it weren’t for the fact I was about to lose any semblance of consciousness as I slowly drifted to darkness.

As I did, I could hear slight murmuring, followed by some bright light being shined toward me, as a strange sort of… giddiness began bubbling through my throat.

I couldn't question it, however, as soon after, my body succumbed to the pain.

… and it all went black.

---

 

SCP-035 POV

 

BANG! BANG!

Two more bullets left my chamber, and two more bodies crashed against the ground.

I sighed annoyedly as I holstered my gun, enraged at what I was seeing… Or, I should say, have been seeing.

That being clusters of attacks by groups of guards and semi-organized attacks against our group.

‘Tch, that's unfortunate. I was hoping that my little game would throw the guards out of any sort of chain of command.’ I began thinking to myself, unmoving even as a soldier attempted to stab me in the back with a knife, only to be stopped by Asaph as she cut them in half with her razor-sharp wing. ‘It worked somewhat, but it appears that someone has taken organized control over a large number of foundation personnel… That isn't good. Not in the slightest. It means our remaining time is even shorter than I originally surmised.’

I shook my head at the thought, instead drawing my attention to the large metal doors ahead of me, which look significantly bulkier than any others I had the liberty of seeing so far at this damn facility. Its only discerning features, besides its standard grey coloration, are the streaks and splashes of red that decorate it. Courtesy of the previously living guards whose brains splattered against said wall.

As I continued staring at it, I heard footsteps approach and halt right next to me. Considering they weren't slashed to ribbons by Asaph, I had a pretty good guess as to why they might be.

“So… is this really your big plan? Break into Site-005 just to get some roided-out steroids?” Benjamin's familiarly annoying voice asked, putting to rest any uncertainty about who it could be. “No offense, but considering this is you we’re talking about, that sort of plan falls short of my expectations by quite a bit.”

“... Believe what you will, but even you must admit it will become quite the aid.” I retorted.

He rolled his eyes. “If it would even work. You of all people should know this thing is a gambler's wet dream at the best of times. There’s no guaranteeing they won’t turn into fucking dick-shrinking pills or whatever.”

“Heh, then you shouldn't have anything to worry about.” I bit back snarkily.

“Ouch, penis joke. That's a new low for you.” He smirked, causing me to roll my eyes. At this point, the screams and cries for help from the attacking guards ceased to be, prompting me to assume that the old man and Asaph were done dealing with the cattle.

“Alright then… moment of truth.” I chuckled grimly before turning back behind me towards the blood-covered Asaph. “Wings, would you be a dear and—”

SLASH–SLASH–SWING!

Without me even needing to finish my sentence, the fallen angel shot past me and, with three clean swipes of her wings, caused a triangle-shaped hole to appear in the wall with a thick hunk of metal falling out and crashing against the floor.

Asasph then retracted their wings and turned back to me, a smirk on her face. “You were saying, mask?”

“...Well, I was gonna ask you for a cup of tea, but I suppose this works as well.” I joked snarkily, causing Asaph's grin to immediately stiffen and fall into an annoyed look.

I then walked past them, patting them on the shoulder as I did so, much to their annoyance. “Next time though, please do wait for me to finish. Alright?”

“... Fucking… sure.” She said, disgruntled, causing me to chuckle.

“Good girl.” I poked, causing their shoulders to twitch again in annoyance. I pretended not to notice that, however, as I continued my way into the room.

As I did, I heard Benjamin whistle impressively at the herculean machine inside, that being a large, bulky clockwork device. In the center of the machine sat a large, dark metallic cube with a tan square in the center with a dial which held options that read rough, coarse, 1:1, fine, and very fine.

Along with that, there were two side chambers that opened up to a small room with what looked to be sliding doors that were each connected to the center machine by 2 bulky pipes labeled intake and output, respectively.

“Damn… It's been a while since I've seen this beauty. Looks as though she hasn’t aged a day!” Benjamin chuckled as he stared at the device. “SCP-914… wouldn’t have made it out of site 19 without it!”

I rolled my figurative eyes at that before continuing towards the clockwork machine.

“So this… thing is supposed to help us?” Asaph questioned with a raised eyebrow, potentially trying to jab back at me.

I nodded. “Oh yes, it’ll help us… very much.” 

I turned to the old man. “Or, him especially.” I pointed out, causing the anomaly's head to perk up, before he instinctually moved his right hand to scratch the stump where his left arm used to be.

“Heh… knew you’d find that interesting.” I chuckled before approaching the left side of the machine, the one next to the pipe labeled ‘Intake.’

Then, wordlessly, I removed SCP-500 from my pocket, the orange pill bottle rattling with the dozens of pills that were held in the plastic container, and placed it in the machine.

I could feel everyone's cautious glancing burning through the back of my borrowed skull, but I didn’t mind as I approached the large middle machine where the dials were. 

Smirking, I moved my hand and turned the dial to the ‘fine’ setting before lowering it to the large button.

As I was about to press it, a voice spoke to me, temporarily causing me to halt my actions.

“Are you sure about this? This machine can be a gamble on whether it’ll actually help you or not.” Benjamin warned with genuine cautiousness. “Sure, it can make those pills significantly better, but it’s just as likely they’ll be turned into a bunch of fucking cock nibblers that eat people instead of healing them.”

“Hehe, well, if that were to happen, then you’ll be here to warn us now, won’t you?” I turned to Benjamin, who thought it over for a moment before shrugging.

“Fair enough. Still… doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be painful.” He said with a slight grimace before exclaiming with his hands. “Proceed.”

I just shook my head one more time before returning to my prior mission, under the ever watchful eyes of the old man, who viewed my every action with extreme curiosity, or as much as I could guess he could muster beneath those dead, featureless eyes.

I only chuckled beneath his gaze as I pressed the button.

BEEP… ~~VROOM~~

The two doors on the machine closed roughly before it began coming to life with loud cranking noises, like metal scraping against metal or buzzsaws cutting through thick beams.

Every other member of our group waited in tense silence as the machine continued whizzing and whirling until finally, after a handful of moments, however…

DING! VOOOM!

A loud ding rang out from the machine, followed by the heavy metal door on the right opening.

“...”

“...”

Benjamin looked down at himself after a handful of awkward seconds… He grabbed the hem of his pants and opened them up to allow him to look inside.

“Alright… Still there, so I think the cock-nibbling pills are out of the equation.” Benjamin proudly declared, causing me to sigh.

“... Great… What would we do without you?” I spoke sarcastically.

Benjamin smirked, “Probably have significantly better mental health.”

“That… that I do agree with.” I said before turning back to the machine and began walking towards the leftmost door, walking past the frozen old man.

As I did, I carefully gazed into the metallic chamber… only to see a pill bottle in the center of it, only… slightly different from the one that I remembered.

The bottle was still orange, but a low, dim golden light shone through the plastic of the container.

Carefully I reached toward the pill bottle, grabbing it carefully in my grasp. Even as I did, I could feel a strange lightness shine from within me. The light that graced my broken skin felt as though it began stitching together at a mere touch. As if wounds that would take months to heal had already passed the preliminary stages of healing.

Noting the feeling of pleasure, I relaxed my muscles a bit before opening the lid of the bottle. Looking inside, I noticed that all the pills were now glowing with a very dim golden light. 

I took a moment to stare in the bottle, counting each and every one of the pills… forty-seven.

‘Heh… only 47 chances at immortality? I'll take those odds.’ I spoke before reaching into the bottle and pulling out a singular golden pill. I stared at it for a moment…

Before turning to face the tar-covered man, their eyes locked onto the pill I was holding as if it were worth more than the world itself.

“Hmm… here you go, you old sport.” I tossed the pill to them, in which they caught it with supernatural speed. As they did, he turned his head down to stare at the golden pill in his hand, which miraculously seemed to be undamaged by the rotting black sludge that covered his palm.

“Well… you gonna try it?” I ask with a tad of cockiness before spreading my arms slightly. “I went all this way to fulfill my side of the deal to get you your arm back. The least you can do is swallow the damn thing.”

… The old man continued staring at me, as if attempting to uncover any hint of deceit or lie in my face. 

I don't really blame him for that, honestly. I know better than anyone never to trust a damn word I say. 

Still, perhaps the opposite of what people might expect… I wasn’t lying about anything.

And the old man seemed to pick up on this, as he finally tore his gaze away from me and back toward the pill I had handed him.

…

And with an extremely large motion, he moved his hand up to his mouth as he swallowed the golden pill!

As he did so, he slowly lowered his arm. We all waited with bated breath, Benjamin specifically hiding behind Asaph, as we all stared at the man in silence.

…

…

…

“... KAHHHHH!!!” Finally, a throaty scream escaped the man's ever-smiling lips as he fell to the ground onto his knees, as if in pain. “KAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!”

His screams continued to echo through the halls, bouncing about like a wild animal as we all took a step back.

With a worried expression, I noticed Asaph attempting to take a step toward him, only for me to stop them with my arm.

“Hold on, let it finish!” I commanded.

“Let it fini– IT’S KILLING HIM!” She replied flabbergasted, pointing toward the man in pain.

“Heh… Are you sure about that?” I asked before tilting my head over to his stump where his left arm used to be.

Asaph turned, looking at it in confusion until…

BUMP… BUMP…

Her eyes widened as the stump began to coagulate and wriggle, as if a massive worm were attempting to break its way out of the stump.

The man's screams only got more intense as this continued, the stump seemingly inflating as the space inside of it started to be taken up… until—

BOOM!

A fully grown arm blasted through the stump, black blood flying everywhere in the process and only slightly hitting Asaph's protective wings, which seemed unaffected by the substance.

The arm, which already was covered by the old man's recognizable black goo, fully sprouted out of the remains of his elbow. The anomaly also ceased his screaming at this point, as the pain had obviously subsided.

He moved his arm slightly, wiggling his fingers while he was at it with the minimum amount of effort that he could possibly afford to give… until finally he stood and moved his left hand in front of his face.

He turned it left… Then he turned it right, as if looking for some blemish or imperfection.

… or, you know, besides the blemishes and imperfections that were already there.

Still, I noticed that the smile on his face grew. As if… genuinely happy.

I could only chuckle at this before approaching the anomaly.

“Heh… happy, you old geezer?” I asked, prompting them to wordlessly nod, not even bothering to turn in my direction. “Good. Now remember, we made a deal. I’ve held up my end of it; now it's time to fulfill yours.”

The old man’s face finally turned to me at that before tilting slightly sideways.

“Heh, besides… You still wanna get revenge on the fucker that did that to you, right?” I asked, as SCP-106 gave a small nod after a moment of hesitation. “Good. And we both know to do that, you're gonna need my help. Now come on, gang. Time to pick up the next item on my grocery list.” I turned before beginning to head down the hall…

Only to freeze midway, “Oh yeah, that reminds me. Old man, would you be a dear and please collect the clockwork machine for us?” I asked the old man, who gave a grunt in confirmation.

“Hehe… good.” I turned back around and began heading through the hall, pill bottle in hand, as I heard the familiar sound of a gateway to SCP-106’s pocket dimension being opened up, followed by the sound of something large and heavy being dropped into it.

I smiled… We’re almost there!

 

---

Sub-Level floor 41

 

A duo of guards stood completely still, clutching onto their rifles.

Even as sirens continued to go off around the halls, they never budged. Even as their walkie-talkies were blaring with noises and commands, they didn't even bat an eye. Even as the entire floor shook from monsters beyond their wildest imaginations that were now free on the floors above them, they didn’t seem to care at all.

That was because they had one goal, and one goal only… to follow orders.

And their orders now? Along with their last five years of service? They were to not let anyone into this room that didn’t have at least level 5 clearance.

As they have been taught since they were assigned this post. As it is their duty as the red right hand.

To never falter against any threat.

And to never let anything enter and leave the room they were protecting alive.

…

…

…

“Heh… HEHEHEHEHEHE!!!” A chaotic scream echoed across the walls, causing both the guards to immediately raise their rifles and point them ahead of them at exactly the same time, with levels of precision most would think only androids or robots could follow.

Still, they stood at attention as they heard footsteps clatter against the ground. 

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

As it grew louder and louder from the darkness… until finally, a person emerged.

… In a perfectly blood Redd suit!

“Heh… HEHE! Oh—oh, this is so much more entertaining than torturing that fat butterfly fucker!” The man in red screamed in delight as he looked at the two guards with craziness shaking in his eyes. “I even get to see the locals on this fucked-up tourist attraction! HALLELUJAH!”

CLICK.

“Name and business.” One guard spoke with impossible calmness, causing the man to stutter… before his eyes began creaking down toward the two.

“Who am I… Who am I!?! HAHEHEHEHE!” He screamed out once more in delight before widening his hands in a very showman-like maneuver that ended with a deep bow. 

“My name… is Mr. Redd!” He declared giddily, before—

SLING!

Two long, crooked blades of red shot out from his arms, which he began grabbing into as he removed himself from his bowing position.

“And our business here today… is to make sure you never see another day… capiche?”

… BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!!

Without even sharing a single word, the two began opening fire upon the man at the exact same time.

Bullets shot through him rapidly, each and every one of them hitting their mark as his body was quickly reduced to Swiss cheese!

Even as it did, however, it just as quickly restitched itself. All while the man laughed. His laugh somehow overpowered the sound of bullets that whizzed through the air into his meaty flesh.

“Hehehe—HAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Before finally he dashed forward towards the two.

“NOW, LET’S HAVE SOME FUCKING FUN, SHALL WE!?” He screamed out as his rapidly destroyed and regenerated body approached as he swung back his arms and—

SLASH!!!

It all went Redd.

 

Notes:

Old man: (gets his arm back)

Alastor (in hell.): hmm, I don’t know why, but I suddenly have a craving for seconds.

 

Hi everyone! Sorry this chapter is a bit short. Life, struggle, blah blah blah I’ve said it all a million times already.

Regardless, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! As certain plot points are really starting to unwind and—after what feels like fifty chapters, the old man finally has his arm back! And he’s about to make it everyone else’s problem!

Anyways, drop a kudos if you enjoyed any of this. Leave a comment if you have literally any questions, concerns, theories, suggestions, jokes or wisecracks! I always have a blast reading through them. And I will see you all next week!

I hope your day is as good as clockwork!

Chapter 74: Familiar faces.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Amanda awakens in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by familiar people.

He paints the walls REDD.

Notes:

“How far would you go to have a conversation with someone you need to see?”

Amanda POV

 

It all hurt… but it also didn’t.

I was surrounded by darkness. But it almost felt… fleeting. Temporary. A precursor to a light, if that made any sense at all.

I remember what happened. Fighting against those bastards, getting shot, thinking I was about to die… only to see him die instead.

And then… light.

And then… I’m not actually entirely sure what happened after that. All the hurt just kinda… stopped.

I’m not sure why, but I’m not ungrateful for it.

Still, where am—

“S$Av$@‘E”

Suddenly a loud, scrambled voice rang out from the surrounding darkness. 

I became strangely hyperaware of all of my senses because of it, as I could almost feel myself swimming in this miasma of darkness.

In a frenzy I turned, trying to identify the voice and—

“T)&€H&€*>e&$”

It happened again, this time even louder!

I kept searching, yearning for the source of this voice as—

“…)&W!£?’O)!R$!<*L)&!D.”

— as suddenly, a formless figure emerged from the dark. Non-existent but… somehow still there.

Wearing what… I think it was a black suit? Their face was also covered by a black fedora.

I could only stutter in my mind as I gazed upon them.

“I… I… I don’t understand. What are you try—“

RUPTURE!

Suddenly the entire space of black began to shake, shattering away into shards of darkness. 

I felt my ethereal self look around in a panic, yet the figure never even so much as budged.

Instead, they simply spoke again in their broken voice, one last word.

“B($_eA$,&?&C&!&o?&)!€<>,N…”

That was the last thing they said as—

BOOM!

The realm of darkness ruptured into a world of light, blinding me as I felt my ethereal self beginning to move rapidly, and… finally…

“Amanda!”

“GUHH!” A sharp breath of air pierced my lungs as I felt myself shoot awake as—

Cough— COUGH COUGH!

I began coughing, spit and bile exiting my already needlessly dry mouth, which felt like it was filled with cotton. Cotton similar to what I seemed to be lying on, or what I surmised to be a bed or a pillow of some kind.

“Hey—hey, are you ok?!” A strangely familiar voice worriedly blurted out. On instinct, I shook my head as the coughs continued to roughen my throat.

I heard the figure move around frantically, as if attempting to grab something. That continued for like five seconds before I felt a cold, cylindrical object get forcibly pressed into my hand.

“Drink this.” I heard them command.

I didn’t even hesitate as I lifted the cylindrical bottle to my lips, which I now recognized as a water bottle, and let surprisingly cold water gush out of the container and into my pleading throat.

It took a whole five seconds for me to drink the entirety of the bottle. As I did, I coughed a few more times on instinct, but it hurt much less compared to before as my throat began to feel soothed.

“There… all better?” The women asked once more.

Speaking of which, now that I was no longer coughing my lungs out, I could finally take a moment to open my eyes and view the world around me.

What I immediately noticed was that I was no longer in the hallways. Instead, I appeared to be in some storage room that has since been refurbished into some sort of bedroom?

‘Well… bed is being a little kind.’ I thought as I looked down beneath me, noting that instead of a mattress, I was lying upon a collection of pillows. All the same white color. Presumably taken from the D-class cells.

Besides that, however, my focus was immediately drawn to the other person that was In the room, the one who had presumably handed me the water.

I turned to face them, ready to ask why they were…

Or I was going to ask that, until I immediately recognized her face.

I mean, how could I not? 

… she was the last person I had talked to before everything went to hell.

“D-Donna?!” I exclaimed with a shocked expression, to which she simply gave a small—yet warm—smile at me.

Donna Smith… she was the one that the corporal introduced us to when we first arrived. One of the head researchers at Site-005, specifically the one who was in charge of sub-level 15 and above.

She also still looked the exact same as she did back then… almost.

Instead of light clothing, she now wore what looked to be a bulletproof vest beneath her lab coat. Speaking of which, her once pristinely white lab coat was now ripped and dirtied in places, some of the stains looking… suspiciously red in nature.

She also was now wearing a silver pendant that wrapped around her neck. A piece of jewelry that distinctly was not there before.

And most importantly… she was the one who introduced me to the massive Scranton Reality anchor that was being built in the middle of this facility, and had welcomed me to the project.

“Come on, didn’t I tell you to call me Don, Amanda?” She warmly smiled, closing her eyes as her long blonde hair flowed in front of her.

Quickly, however, that warmness turned a little serious as she stared at me with a stern expression.

“Are you feeling alright? Anything hurt? Anything at all?” She badgered me, like a mother to a child.

Instinctively I responded, possibly because of the rank and authority difference between us. “U-um, yea… I mean, no, not… not really.” I reveal as I surprisingly realize that… nothing really hurt. “I… have a slight headache is all, but that’s… wait—gasp!”

In a frenzy I lifted my shirt, looking for where the bullet struck me! If that isn’t dealt with soon then— then…

‘Wait… what?’ I questioned myself as I lifted up my outfit beneath my lab coat, Donna making no move to stop me as I did so, as I saw… nothing.

No hole, no wound, not even a scar. Just supernaturally smooth skin over where I distincly remember piercing pain being shot out from.

“Wh-what? B-but, I was—”

“Shot?” Donna finished my thought, reminding me that she was still here as I turned in confusion. She just rubbed the back of her head awkwardly at the look I was giving her. “Yea… sorry that I didn’t arrive a bit sooner. He… um, got you good, huh?”

“…”

“… cough cough, well regardless, I took care of him before he could do anything more, so don’t worry. And I managed to fix you right up, so all’s good, right?” She laughed nervously as she spoke, her social awkwardness shining through her words of attempted comfort.

Now, I could have poked fun at her obvious ineptness at comforting me, or I could have asked the logical question of where the hell we were.

However… one thought immediately jumped to my mind as she said this. One sentence…

“Wait, you… healed the bullet wound?” I asked as hope began shining through my eyes.

She just nodded slightly. “Well, technically I didn’t do it, but I was the reason it was healed—”

“How?!” I jumped forward in my bed quickly, surprising her as she flinched back slightly at the intensity. I didn’t care about that, however, as I kept staring at her as if she just solved cancer. “How did you do it!? Tell me?! Please?! I—”

“Whoa, whoa, slow your roll, Amanda. Just take a breather for five seconds!” She raised her hands in a manner to try and get me to quiet down, obviously still taken aback by my outburst. “I mean, I get you’d be surprised, but I think there are bigger things to worry—”

“You don’t understand!” I screamed at my superior before immediately widening my eyes in realization over what I had just done. I shrunk back, shame coating my eyes. “S-s… I’m sorry, it’s just… m-my friend, he’s… He’s hurt, and—and if you have something that can heal a bullet wound, then maybe you can help him too!”

“… please, he… he got hurt protecting me.” My eyes became downtrodden. “I just… I want to save him… please.”

…

Donna remained silent for a couple moments, as if contemplating my sudden and—admittedly selfish—request.

Until finally she sighed and lifted up her silver pendant that was tied around her neck.

“… SCP-427… the result of putting a sample of SCP-500 in SCP-914. That… probably doesn’t mean much to you, but… basically, it produced this pendant.” She began describing as she rubbed the smooth silver on the top of the item. “It’s the only one we made this day, but… I guess basically it just rapidly increases cumulative regeneration and someone’s immune system. Honestly, because of how deep that wound was on you, I had to hold it over you for like fifteen minutes before it fully healed, which is already a bit… longer than recommended, but there was no other way to heal you completely.”

“That… necklace… can heal injuries?” I instinctively asked, to which she nodded. 

“It can… however, too much exposure can lead to negative side effects. Such as… well, turning into a disgusting flesh monster with no higher function of thinking so… yea, not really recommended.” She explained to me as a chill ran through my spine.

Noticing this, she chuckled. “Yeah, it… isn’t pretty.” She explained before clapping her hands in front of herself to get my attention. “Anyways, that’s enough about me! What I’m more curious about… is you.”

Her eyes then took a serious turn, causing a second chill to run down my spine. “Tell me… how did you—someone completely new here to this facility and the foundation as a whole… manage to survive this long?”

“… sigh, sit down.” I sighed out to her as I decided that I could probably trust her. “This is… going to be a long story.”

 

---

Mr. Redd POV

 

“HUFF… HUFF… ha… HAHAHA! Oh fuck, that was—wow, these guys were worth their shit!” I celebrated as the entirety of the left side of my head regenerated. I also pulled out a duo of daggers that were expertly pierced into my side, releasing a stream of red blood before the skin managed to completely heal the wound away. “I thought you right-hand dipshits would be like the rest of the cattle, but you proved me wrong!”

I then tilted my gaze down to the two men… now lying in their own puddles of blood. Dozens and dozens of shah marks and holes adorning their armor and skin, a testament to how long they had lasted.

“Heh, I tip my metaphorical hat to you two! What a good fucking fight.” I gave the rare courtesy of a bow, able enough to honor the two men that, if they actually could hurt me, might have actually had a chance to put me down for good. “Man—whoo, that got the blood pumping! Fuck, I feel like I could kill a million of those bastards now!”

“Don’t get overzealous, toy. You’re not here to just kill, remember?” Like nails on a chalkboard, an annoying as hell voice scraped against my ears, causing me to grimace.

“… Or maybe just one excessively annoying bastard would do at the moment.” I exclaimed grumpily before turning to them, witnessing them and all their grotesque glory. 

They only rolled their eyes at that threat before beginning to slither their way toward me. “Please. Do you truly believe you stand any sort of chance against me? I know your weakness. I know your limits. And I know just how fragile of a toy you truly—”

WHOOSH!

Without warning, I summoned a jagged red blade before chucking it straight at the woman. There wasn’t even a hint of surprise across her face as the blade hurtled toward her. Instead, she simply slithered to the side, using her long, snakelikelower body to do so.

She smirked as the blade hit the wall. “Oh? Is that a declaration of war? You should know it’s no small feat to attempt to kill a Klavigar like myself.”

“Yea, yea, whatever you say, snake bitch.” I bit back with a smirk as I turned back to the woman, her slitted eyes staring dangerously at me, as if in warning. “Besides, what do I have to fear from a former bigwig from an expired empire? Let’s be honest here, uhhh… Saarn? Was it? You need our help way more than we need yours.”

“HMMP, if that is truly the conclusion you’ve come to, then you are even more stupid than I gave you credit for. Truly, those meckhanite scums would stay away from you like the plague, lest they get furrowed by your idiocy.”

“… That’s a long windup just to call me stupid.” I sighed before turning back to the door that the two were guarding. “Alright, now how do we get past—”

PSSSSS!

A plume of red gas shot by my head, which originated from the snake bitch’s hand, which hit against the secure metal door.

Almost immediately after doing so, the door began to warp and shift and began melting away like paper in water before beginning to culminate into the ground, akin to something like molten metal.

“… tch, show off.”

“That insinuates a toy like you is worth impressing.” She shot back, causing me to growl slightly in anger. “Regardless, I believe your path is open. Time for you to go grab what we came here for.”

“Oh? Leaving the dirty work for me so you can go off and do fuck all in the corner? How fucking ladylikeof you.” I rolled my eyes, causing them to chuckle a little in response.

“Oh please, why should I bother doing the dirty work when I have a perfectly good pawn to do it for me?” I growled again. “Besides, there's something much more important I need to take care of.”

That… did cause curiosity to grow within me.

“Oh? And that is?”

“Hehe, oh you know… taking my new pet for a walk… as well as eliminating the final thing in the accursed facility that could prove a threat. Important stuff like that.”

With that, they began to slither off into the darkness, leaving me alone in front of the melted metallic door.

I sighed… Of all the people to work with, it had to be someone that I couldn't fucking stand.

‘Whatever. As soon as this is over, I’ll make them all pay… they will all suffer under his name.’ I then turned back to the melted door, revealing an extremely long and dark hallway. 

…

I realized something as I saw the long hallway, with numerous metal doors dotting each side of the hall.

…

“... THOSE FUCKERS NEVER TOLD ME WHERE HE WAS KEPT DOWN HERE! FUCK!!!”

---

Amanda POV

 

I took another heavy gulp, greedily letting the water cascade down my once more parched throat, soothing it after all the abuse I had just put it through.

‘Funny, considering it hasn’t even been that long.’ I recounted to myself, remembering how it's barely even been a couple hours since the infiltration of this site began, and during that time I've been knocked unconscious twice, nearly killed more times than I care to remember, saved Justin, and when Justin sacrifice himself to save me, and then gave me a new top secret mission before disappearing, and then immediately almost died again after that.

“But yeah… that's basically everything.” I finished talking to Donna, who just sat across from my ‘bed’ with a dumbfounded expression across her face.

“That’s… wow, um… wow, that’s… unbelievable.” She stuttered out with amazement, taken aback by just what I have had to go through to get here. “I– I mean… I thought maybe you just got lucky and found Mr. Deeds.” She began while pointing to a familiar silver handbell that was lying not too far from me. I sighed a breath of relief just by knowing it wasn’t too “far—“and didn’t run into anything else until those D-class that I saved you from, but… no, you… you should be—”

“Should be dead? Yea, I am… well aware of that fact.” I sighed tiredly, rubbing my eyes with my right hand before turning to look at her surprised face once more. “I’m honestly… just as amazed as you are that I managed to get here… But that doesn’t matter now, all that matters is that I am alive now and that I have a promise to keep.”

“Y-yes, that promise with that… Justin guy, correct?” She naked, causing me to nod.

She gave a surprisingly downtrodden look at that before a realization flashed in her mind. “You said he gave you some sort of USB drive, right? Do you mind if I–”

BAM!

“Mrs. Smith!” Suddenly a door to the closet-made-bedroom swung open with astounding force, temporarily causing both me and Donna to flinch in shock before turning to face the door. As expected, a guard stood there, adorned in familiar foundation body armor and helmet. “I apologize if I am interrupting, but there is something that desperately requires your attention!”

Donna’s eyes immediately looked down disappointed, as if looking forward to hearing what I had to say. Still, she quickly recovered as she let a serious look of concern cross her as she turned to the man.

“What is it?” She inquired. “Is it SCP-035? Have the scouting parties been caught? If so, send some men to their last known position; maybe a couple of them managed to escape—”

“No, it’s not… Well, since you mention it, I guess we have lost contact with that group. But that isn’t what I’m reporting!” The soldier elaborated hurriedly, causing Donna to raise an eyebrow in confusion. “It’s much more serious; it’s… our contact with the red right hand in sub-level 41 has vanished.”

BAM!

“What!?” Donna rose so quickly that she knocked the chair she was sitting on over, causing it to loudly impact against the ground. She paid it zero mind, however, as she approached the soldier. “W-what do you mean? Did communications cut out?! Or some anomaly is messing with the frequency of the radios?! Why would it—”

“We—we don’t know, mam! They just… they just stopped responding! Not even a minute ago!!!” The soldier nervously held his hands in front of him, as if to defend himself from the researcher that was right in his face.

For her part, her face immediately began to contort and shift into that of pure fear.

“Damnit… Dammit!” She swore to herself silently as if trying to think of some sort of solution to this problem. Not even a moment later she turned back to the soldier. “Take me to the radio! I need to see for myself!”

The soldier nodded and immediately led her away, out of the room.

… And leaving me behind.

“... Umm… hello?” I called out nervously after the door closed. “Do I… stay here or… do you… should I… umm… say nothing if I can leave.”

“...”

‘Well, I guess I’m good then.’ I kidded with myself as I quickly rolled out of the bed, placing my legs on the floor and…

Rising to my feet with a surprising amount of ease? Like… My legs were stronger than before?

‘... What the hell? Was that… also because of the pendant?’ I began reasoning to myself before erratically shaking my head once more. ‘No, that isn't important right now! What’s important is figuring out what’s going on.’

With that objective in mind, I quickly swiped Mr. Deeds bell off the nearby bed rest while taking extra care not to accidentally ring it in the process. I love that butler to death, but… something tells me that releasing him now may only attract unwanted attention.

Still, after carefully taking the bell and making sure everything else on my person was in order (as thankfully, they didn’t take anything else off of me), I carefully moved toward the door that I saw the duo exit out from.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door…

Only to be met with a large, open space! A massive room that looked like it could hold up to a couple hundred people at least!

However, there weren't nearly that many people in here… Though that did bring up a good point, that being the room was filled with dozens and dozens of normal people!

Most of them wore regular researcher garb, being lab coats and the like (with a various amount of tears, cuts, and other stains shared between all of them), while the rest looked to be wearing guard uniforms that appeared to vary in how disrepaired they were.

I also noticed on the far side of the wall, a bunch of tables were barricaded up in front of a large set of double doors, soldiers seemingly on duty in front of the flipped-over tables and using them as makeshift cover while pointing their weapons at the door, ready for seemingly anything to attempt to claw its way in here.

The empty space in the middle of the room was taken up by beds, most of which were currently in use by the injured, who were being tended to by a severely understaffed medical team. It also held a variety of random boxes that held supplies, like guns, ammunition, food, electronics, and so on.

All in all, the place looked very disorganized. But I suppose that was to be expected, considering that this place was brought up to this state in a panic by survivors.

I could only cough awkwardly as I was grateful everyone seemed a bit too preoccupied to notice me. So, I was given enough time to try and find–

“Oh my god… Amanda?” A masculine voice whispered in surprise. A very… familiar voice.

Shocked, I turned to the source, and there I saw a man. Medium-length blonde hair that almost covered his hazel eyes. His lab coat was stained with dark splashes of crimson; his eyes widened with recognition as he saw me–

And my eyes widened in the exact same way! After all, how could I not recognize him?

He was one of the new scientists that I was transferred here with.

“My god– Jack!” A echoed my friend as he quickly dropped what he was doing… that being a tiny box as it crashed against the ground- as he ran toward me frantically stopping just short. He looked me up and down, as if trying to determine if I were a ghost or not.

“You… oh my god, I-I heard that Mrs. Smith and her scavenging crew brought someone new in, but I didn’t think it would be you of all people!” He exclaimed with shock and, for what it's worth, a bit of relief. “I mean… Hell, how did you even make it here?!”

“Heh, thats a long story.” 

‘That I don’t have time to tell.’ I silently finished in my mind as I scratched the back of my scalp nervously before turning back to the excited scientist. “How about you! I thought… when I came out of my room I saw all these burnt bodies! I thought you were–”

“Heh, thankfully no. Just before… This happened.” He gestured toward his surroundings. “I was called to one of the lower levels for something. I… damn, I can't even remember what it was for anymore, I’m just thankful that it happened, because not long after… sigh, well I’m sure you know what happened next.”

I nodded in understanding before turning to look at my surroundings once more. “And… this place is?”

“Ahh, that's right, you’re new!” He realized with a half-lidded smile before also turning to the rest of the room. “This… is one of the few safe places left in the facility.”

“From what I understand, it used to be a cafeteria. It’s since been changed into a checkpoint of sorts. where some of the survivors are meeting up and falling back in line under Mrs. Smith, one of the few high-ranking foundation personnel that’s still alive, or at least isn’t MIA right now.” He began explaining while referring to the rest of the room. “It’s… a bit of a mess, to be honest. Especially since the most recent scouting team that Mrs. Smith sent out had yet to return. Everyone is in a… but if a nervous sort about it.”

“Right… Donna.” I repeated, a worrying thought recurring in my head once more before I turned to look at Jack. “Speaking of which, do you know where she went? I… kinda was about to tell her something before she got distracted. And I feel like it’s… pretty important right now to tell her.”

‘And because every second I waste, is another second where Justin could be dying out there.’ I thought, that reason going unsaid as I looked at Jack seriously.

For his part, Jack took on a contemplative look before turning over and pointing to another set of double doors that was guarded by two soldiers. 

“I’m pretty sure I last saw her head toward the kitchen.” He began. “Or, at least, what was once the kitchen. I’m pretty sure it’s been changed up to act as some sort of planning room, or office space or some other random logistical bullshit like that.”

He then turned back to me and chuckled. “She did look pretty worried though, so… it’s probably not a smart idea to bother her right now! Better to not worry her with something else, right!”

“… right—” he realized that I was already walking through the room toward the double door. 

“… shit, wait— Amanda!” He called out frantically, chasing after me.

I paid him no mind, however, as I approached the double doors.

As expected, one of the guards held out his hand. 

“Halt. Name and authorization.” He commanded with authority.

Without missing a beat, I followed up. “Amanda. Level 2 authorization. I need to speak with Donna Smith.” I informed them.

Both of the guards looked unperturbed and, to be honest, a little let down by my qualification.

Still, they kept up their bravado and stern facade. 

“Mrs. Smith isn’t taking visitors right now.” One of them stated, as if robotic.

I rolled my eyes. “Yea, and I don’t really have time to be waiting around for her to be taking visitors. So please, just let me through. I’m the one she brought back here, and there was something I needed to tell her before she left.”

‘That, and I need to get her to agree to let me use that necklace on Justin when I find him.’

Despite my pleas, both the guards remained unmoving.

“Nobody with a security clearance level of 3 or lower is permitted to enter without express permission. And we have not been given any orders regarding you.” The first guard began, a bit harsher this time at the confirmation at my rank. “So turn around, and you may talk to Mrs. Smith once she has allowed you too.”

I grimaced, my feet beginning to tap against the floor anxiously, knowing that every second I spend waiting is another chance of Justin dying, or my mission failing, or whatever monsters that rest in this facility coming and devouring me whole.

At that moment, I did feel Jack grab my shoulder. “I— I am so sorry for her!” He quickly stuttered to them with a stressed smile, before his voice immediately fell to an enraged whisper. “What the hell are you doing?! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!”

“No… I’m trying to stop someone else from dying.” I responded, pushing against this shoulder as I took a stride forward, surprising him as he let go.

Immediately as I did this action, both the guards raised their rifles. 

“This is not up for discussion. Turn back, or we’ll make you.” One warned, finger ready to squeeze the trigger.

My heart rate spiked at the sight, as a part of my mind began screaming at me to turn back and just wait! 

… but Justin didn’t do that for me when I was in danger. No… he came back and put his own life at risk to save mine.

‘Now what kind of person would I be if I didn’t at least try to return the favor.’ I thought as my brash and emotional side won against my logical and timid side.

So, I prepared myself by taking a deep breath. I reached into my pocket, ready to grab Mr. Deeds handbell to assist me and…

I felt a rectangular plastic object…

… fuck, that’s right!

I slapped myself in the forehead. How could I be so stupid! I completely forgot that I even had that!

‘Once more, thank you, Deeds.’ I silently realized before turning back to the guards, allowing a newfound mock confidence to plaster on my face.

“Are you deaf or something? Get lost before we make you.” The second guard warned, tilting his head to the side in a clear motion to tell me to leave. 

Nervously, Jack nodded. “O-of course! We were just leaving! R-right Amanda—”

“Hehe… well, you really are forcing my hand here, you know that?” I began slowly, speaking with as much authority and total bullshit that I could muster, thanking my past self for taking that one acting class in college.

Jack, for his part, looked confused at my demeanor shift. “U-um… Amanda?”

I looked up to the guards before giving a mock sigh. “I was hoping to keep my rank under wraps, but it looks like you idiots are forcing my hand.”

One of the guards raised an eyebrow. “What the hell does that mean? What are you—”

“What I mean is, you both are questioning your direct superior!” I angrily spoke before reaching into my pocket…

And pulling out a level 4 security keycard!

The same one that was given to me by Mr. Deeds not long after he saved me from the security-guard turned Stoney monster from that one anomaly machine with three robotic arms.

Immediately at the reveal, both Jack's and the duo of guards eyes widened, the former more than the latter, as they stared at the piece of cardboard that, to most would mean nothing, meant oh so much more to the people in the room.

“W-wha— B-but that’s… I… W-what?” Jack could only stutter out in absolute befuddlement, not believing what his eyes were showing him.

As for the guards, they looked equally as shocked as Jack, but managed to keep their composure better. Though they did begin to lower their guns on instinct at the mere sight of the keycard.

“You… you said you were—”

“As I said, it was a ploy because I didn’t wish to reveal my qualifications quite yet.” I answered with mock authority before miming a sigh as I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Unfortunately, you two forced my hand. Now, however, I have proven I have the necessary authority, so I will now pass into this room.”

I began walking forward, taking advantage of both the guards' temporary confusion.

One of them did reach out a hand, though did keep a respectful distance.

“H-hold on, first we must check with—”

“Are you questioning my authority?” I sternly but back. A… new feeling, as I’ve never talked to anybody this way, and it wasn’t something I was particularly fond of either.

Still… if being loud is the only way for me to have a chance to save Justin, then goddamnit I’m gonna be loud!

“N-no, mam I just—”

“You said it yourself that only people with level three identification or lower need to have express permission. My security level surpasses that, so I am good. Now move.” I take another couple steps; both the guards instinctively sidestepme as I did so and opening the way.

Still, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by, they obviously still had some reservations about the whole thing.

“P-please, let us at least check with Donna! Confirm that you really are—”

I ignored them as I just pushed past. I’ll be honest, a part of me was worried they’d grow a brain cell and stop me.

However, it seems respect for their superiors is built into their veins a bit too much, as they just let me pass unpeeled, albeit with varying expressions of extreme worry and confusion.

Not wanting to risk it, I swung the double doors open and entered into the room.

…

…

“… What the fuck!?” Jack murmured incredulously, looking at the swinging doors.

… all at once, he began questioning everything he knew… as well as regretting making fun of her on the helicopter ride to the facility.

“… I think I might need to take an early retirement.” He reconciled with himself, before he reached into his labcoat and pulled out a hidden flask of alcohol before taking a long sip from it, not even caring if others saw him.

”this is… gonna be a long day, I feel like.”

 

Notes:

Guards: sorry, only people with level four keycards may enter.

Amanda: oh you mean… THIS LEVEL 4 KEYCARD!

Guards:… Well shit, come on it!

Amanda: (Lying increases.)

 

Me: (Looking through the front page)

Also me:… (SPIT TAKE) 1,000 KUDOS!?!?!?

 

Wow, I can honestly not believe it. When I started writing this story a little over a year ago, I never would’ve expected that we’d reach this point! I’m… honestly at a lost for words. It honestly stil doesn’t feel real.

But we did it! 1,000 KUDOS! And oh boy, what a journey we’ve been on to get to this point. Thank you all so much for enjoying this story and sticking around long enough to get to this point. It means so much to me. I honestly don’t know what to say. You all are incredible! And I could never ask for a better audience. Thank you all so much!

Regardless, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter, despite it being a bit short. I wanted it to be longer but ran out of time.

Still… thank you all. Seriously, from the bottom of my heart. This means so much to me.

 

Anyways… Drop a kudos if you enjoyed (2,000 BABY!) leave a comment if you have any questions, ideas, jokes, wisecracks, or anything else awesome. And I will see you all next week!

Have an amazing day today! As you all certainly made mine.

Chapter 75: Mountains shatter, oceans split... Reality quivers

Summary:

Amanda finally learns more then she was ever meant to know.

Redd shatters the wall.

@$^&^@*& goes free.

)(!*&@% goes free.

A crazy man disobeys their superior.

... And the demons are back in BUSINESS.

Notes:

"When reality shatters, and worlds break... how can you fight those equated to gods? Simple... you play man."

 

Amanda POV

 

I forced my way through the double doors, pushing all of my stress and pent-up anxiety into the shove… because I was.

‘How the FUCK did that work?!’ I asked myself exasperated, unable to comprehend how any of my plan had worked. ‘Sure, I had a level 4 keycard, but any guard with half a brain would realize that they should know every personnel with level four clearance in their facility!’

They were either incredibly new or incredibly frazzled because of the current situation… maybe even both.

I shook the thought from my head. It didn’t matter anymore. All that mattered now was—

“Zeta. Alpha. Beta. Beta. Zeta. Omega.” I heard a familiar feminine voice speak out with care, though worry crept from her voice. “Respond. I will repeat the code word if necessary. Just please respond!”

“…”

“… Tch, dammit.” I heard the voice scoff out from around the corner. Nervously, I decided to follow it, going deeper into the kitchen and around the corner.

Only to see Donna and three other individuals around a circular table. Two of them sitting, each wearing a lab coat. While the third stood behind Donna, wearing a recognizable guard uniform.

I also recognized him as the man who had interrupted me and Donna’s chat to call her here.

“Shoot… this isn’t good. We can only assume something has infiltrated the lowest level of the facility.” She urgently added, moving the walkie-talkie she was talking into to the side but still close enough that she could hear if anyone spoke from it.

“Perhaps 035 made it down there already?” A man, one of the other two in a lab coat, presented the idea.

Quickly, the second lab coat-wearing individual, this one being a short-haired woman, shook her head to disapprove of the idea.

“Last we saw of 035 and his squad, they were on sub-level 13. It’s impossible to get down there so quickly without us knowing, not even 106. And none of the anomalies on the upper floors have any ability to transport others such distances.” She began intelligently before turning to Donna. “Along with that, I do not believe any of the missing anomalies from the worldwide containment breach possessed the ability to do so either, right?”

“No… no, they don’t.” Donna began slowly, worry creeping into her voice. “Which means… there’s someone else here. Someone capable enough to eliminate members of Alpha-1… That isn’t good.”

“Maybe we could look at the cameras?” The second woman offered, but Donna shook her head.

“Sub-level 31 is a closed system. Nothing on sublevels 30 or above has access to its network for privacy.” She began explaining, seemingly oblivious to me standing not too far. “It’s basically an entirely different facility that’s just buried under this one. I was hoping it’d be safe from this break-in because of that, but… I guess not. There’s… nothing we can do.”

… I considered letting them continue talking, an awkward, more polite part of me thinking it may be rude to interrupt them.

… but every other part of me screamed to just go in and say what I wanted to say.

So, I moved forward, moving closer to the obviously important people.

As I did, the first to notice me was the guard that stood behind Donna, who just so happened to be looking in the direction I entered from.

Almost on instinct he raised his rifle, “Freeze!” He warned, surprising the rest of the scientists before they also turned to look at me with varying levels of confusion.

For the two scientists I haven’t seen before, they both looked with a mix of shock and perhaps fear in their eyes.

As for Donna, however, a glint of recognition immediately passed over her, which was quickly followed by a horrified expression as she turned behind her to stare at the guard.

“Jeremiah, stand down!” She screamed, which he immediately did without question. Though even I could tell by the way he was holding his gun, he was ready to raise it again and shoot me at the drop of a hat.

Still, Donna turned back to me with a look of pure confusion on her face. “Amanda, what are you doing here?! Why would—”

“Because we didn’t finish our conversation. And I know something important came up… but honestly, I’ve survived too much to care about that at this point.” I declared as I walked up to the trio of obviously high-ranking members of the foundation.

Donna sighed at this. “Well, can you please wait? We are currently dealing with a crisis, and we have no way of—"

I reached into my pocket.

BAM!

And slammed the USB-looking device onto the table, shocking everyone.

“Then hopefully this means something to you.” I declared as I retracted my hand, allowing everyone to see the device.

Donna stared at it for a few moments, confused… before they shot open, her mouth agape, so much so that her skin stretched to an almost unnatural amount.

Meanwhile, the other two shared a similar, albeit less extreme, action.

“You… h-how… Where did you get this?” She asked, confusing me slightly. I was expecting a reaction, but not one this big. 

Still, I complied. “Remember Justin? The guy who I told you saved my life? And how he gave something to me as he was dying…” 

I stopped myself.

“… as he was hurt. He gave me this. I… don’t know what it is; all I know is that he valued it over his own life and that he wanted me to insert it into a ‘master terminal,’ which is what I was looking for before you found me.” I explained seriously, a shiver running down my spine by the three of them as their eyes remained glued on me, as if it were the most interesting story in the whole world. “He also mentioned something earlier about a mission he needed to complete. Said it was given to him by his superior before he… died.”

“… Grant.” The male scientist spoke, connecting the dots. The other two obviously weren’t far behind, as their faces began mellowing out to a more neutral expression compared to their earlier extremities.

Donna’s face then took on a contemplative look before reaching over to grab the device. Not before raising her eyes to me to ask a silent question. 

I simply nodded, so she continued and wrapped the device around her fingers. Bringing it up to her face, she began examining it closely and…

“This… this is it.” She spoke in awe, staring straight at the device.

“… What is it?” I asked, so she turned to me.

“… Our salvation.”

“…”

“… That explains literally nothing to me.” I broke the silence with a deadpan look.

Donna’s face shifted at that before rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry, I just… I thought this thing was lost with Grant; turns out that son of a bitch had a backup plan!”

“What’s it do?” I asked, causing her to turn.

“Well… do you remember the reality anchor I showed you? The big one?” 

I nodded.

“Well, this device here.” She shakes the USB-looking device a little. “When placed into one of the five master terminals in this facility, its emergency activation code begins, turning on the anchor and releasing a near unthinkable amount of energy to the surrounding facility to solidify reality. So much so, that any reality bender caught in it would be taken down for at least a couple of minutes.”

… what?!

My eyes widened a bit as I stared down at the device, looking at it in a whole new light! That… thing possessed the ability to beat reality benders?!

‘… Ok, I mean not that device specifically, but it can activate something that can! That’s… that’s…’

“… How the hell did something like that get entrusted to me of all people.” I found myself asking aloud in befuddlement.

Donna could only offer a half-hearted shrug at that. “Honestly, I don’t know. But you did manage to bring it here to us, meaning we finally have something!” She celebrated.

I tilted my head curiously. “Have what?”

“... A chance.”

“A… Chance?” I asked, tilting my head. “I mean… Don't get me wrong, I know there are some reality benders kept here at this facility, but… why is it so important to activate the beacon?”

Donna froze after hearing this, then began to contemplate heavily… before sighing.

“Well… you did bring this all the way here, so I think it’s only fair that I tell you the truth.” She conceded, resulting in a sweat breaking down from my brow.

“The truth? I… of what?” I asked as a dark shadow overtook her eyes.

“The truth… of Site-008… the reason why it was made… and more specifically, of what it was built upon.”

---

Mr. Redd POV

 

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BAN–

SLASH!!!

They fell to the floor, dead.

“Huh… what a fucking nuisance.” Was all I could muster up to say as I retracted my blade, letting a stream of crimson flow with it.

The guard's body fell to the floor, staining the once sterile floor red with blood.

‘Or, you know, continue staining.’ I thought to myself as I looked back, smirking at the trail of corpses that followed.

I counted about fifteen soldiers that occupied this hallway… And I believe Death is now counting fifteen new souls to send to hell.

‘Well… actually, I don't know if that's actually accurate anymore, considering heaven and hell are actually real.’ I realized it myself before shaking my head furiously. ‘Damn, bitch, she ruined most of my euphemisms by introducing me to those fucked-up planes of existence… that is what a euphemism is, right?’

I shook my head. It didn't matter. What mattered was that I finally made it to what I came here for… the point to all of this.

‘Manipulating that mask to assault this base, distracting all the personnel, sowing chaos. All those beautiful deaths, for every drop of blood spilled today… All of it was for this.’ 

I looked ahead and saw one final metal door. Bolted shut. Atop it was a sign that contained but a few simple words, with smaller writing beneath it.

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“What it was built upon? You mean… this facility was built on top of something?” I asked stupidly, resulting in her nodding.

“Yes. Site–008 wasn’t originally designed to carry multiple anomalies inside of its halls. That only occurred later when its secrecy became a boon for the foundation, prompting them to transport several high-quality anomalies here.” She explained, before shakily raising one finger. “Originally, however, this site was designed to contain only one… thing.”

 

---

Mr. Redd POV

 

I barely gave the sign a second glance, however, as I allowed two blades to appear in my hands. Sharper than any blades I had ever conjured before and—

SLASH!

They cut deep into the metal. But despite my best efforts, they failed to pierce all the way through the thick metal.

So, with a heave, I retracted my blades before going in once more and–

SLASH!

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“Despite how much the site has changed, however, the anomaly has always been kept in the lowest level of this facility.” She continued, an uncomfortable air beginning to permeate from her and the rest of the surrounding doctors. “At sub-level 31.”

I raised a confused eyebrow at that. “But… I only thought this facility had 30 underground levels.”

She shook her head. “No, that's what it states on paper… But there has always been sub-level 31. Heavily guarded both physically and informationally. Designed that way so that even if there was an attack, that level would remain undiscovered."

“However… it appears we were false in that line of thinking… because we just learned something broke into that level.”

 

---

Mr. Redd POV

 

SLASH!

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“And if they're there, that means they're only after one thing… Him… the one this entire building was built to contain… to trap.”

---

Mr. Redd POV

 

SLASH!

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“The one thing that the foundation has desperately kept under lock and key for over fifty years.”

 

---

Mr. Redd POV

 

SLASH!!! SLASH!!!!

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“Are they like… a… god or something?” I couldn't help but ask.

Donna chuckled. “A god? No… no, it's something much worse than any god.” She began, her fingers bouncing on the table. “Gods… They have rules. They have laws… He doesn’t.”

 

---

MR. Redd POV

 

SLASH!!!! SLASH!!!!!

… CREEEAAAAKKKK!

 

---

Amanda POV

 

“I’ll admit he isn't the strongest creature the foundation has contained. But he is a threat for more than just his power… for he had created one of the most powerful GOI’s that the foundation has ever had to deal with.” She continued as the hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on their ends. 

---

Mr. Redd POV

 

BOOM!

The door fell from its hinges onto the ground, crushing one of the bodies of its former protectors as it did so.

I smile, walking over the once heavy door that has been rendered to nothing but scrap metal. Entering the cell… The cell in the center of it held what almost looked to be an iron maiden, except a lot less detailed and more… constricting.

 

---

Amanda POV.

 

“Who… who are they?” I finally asked, trudging through the tense air as if it were a swamp.

Donna hesitated before releasing a sigh…

“They are…”

---

Mr. Redd POV

 

I walked through the doorway, passing the large sign that hung over my head and the door. 

The sign… which read—

SCP 046–ARC

“Richard Chappell.”

“Former leader of the Chicago spirits.”

“Contain at all costs.”

…

…

…

I entered the room, staring at the iron maiden-looking device in the center. Unmoving. To most, they would assume it was just a fucked-up statue.

For me, however, it meant oh so much more.

…

I looked around the room, a headache beginning to crack through my skull as I noticed dozens and dozens of bluish lights attached to the walls and ceiling, shaped like pyramids. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were, especially when I attempted to summon a weapon to my hand, in which nothing emerged.

I scoffed… All of them, Scranton Reality Anchors… all focused on this one man.

I smirked… This will be fun.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small, circular device. It was silver in coloration, with red outlines. Just by looking at it, you could tell it was some sci-fi-looking bullshit. I didn't care, however, as I clicked the red button on top. 

 As soon as I did? A loud beeping noise came from the device. Uncaring, I threw it to the ground before quickly turning around and walking out of the room.

And not a second later? The high-pitched squealing reached its apex… which was followed by the sound of a multitude of devices powering down.

I didn't stay any longer to figure out what exactly happened. That wasn't my job, after all. All I had to do was enter the room and activate the device.

Though I admit… some sadistic part of me (which is a majority of me, to be honest) did churn in curiosity as I suddenly heard a loud scream originate from behind… followed by the telltale signs of metal being torn apart. Like a wild animal finally breaking its cage.

I smiled…

Before getting the hell out of there.

---

Richard Chappel POV

 

…

… Darkness.

… Darkness is all I have known… For fifty long years, it's just been darkness… Or has it been? I don't know. In darkness, time acts weird. Or so I've learned.

It stops… being a concept…

…

… Darkness swamped around me like mud, weighing millions upon millions of tons upon my brittle shoulders.

No movement.

No thought.

It’s all become… a blur. Years pass by in minutes; minutes take years to occur. Nothing ever changes.

It’s always been this way since I was brought here… Since I was captured in a moment of weakness by the foundation.

I’d wonder how my gang was doing. But honestly… It’s been so long that I have even forgotten their name.

Hell… I barely remember my own.

Still, it doesn't matter. Because this is my life… and it forever will be.

…

…

… Until… I felt something.

All at once, the swamp that mucked up my mind… that held down my muscles. They… ceased.

Vanishing in a flash.

My muscles still hurt. My body still weeped from not being used in multiple decades. But somehow… Somehow… I felt like for but a moment… a taste of what I used to be.

And that taste… it turned into a breath.

A breath… of fresh air… of air… There's no air in here. None that is fresh, at least. I should know; I have been breathing it in for half a normal person's entire lifespan.

And that… that was how I knew… the air… It changed to my want… to breathe in fresh air after so many years.

Its entire existence… the entire world… bent a knee to me and my command once more, like it did so many years ago.

…

…

I gave it my next order. An order that I have been screaming for years to have. Commanded—nay, forced—the world to answer this one request.

…

…

…Free… I want… to be… FREEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

 

SKREEEEE— TING—BOOM!!!!

 

Like tinfoil, the metal coffin turned and twisted. Shattering like glass and twisting like playdough as I moved.

I screamed… SCREAMED! THE UNIVERSE! THE WORLD! MINE TO COMMAND ONCE MORE!!!

FREEEEEEDOOOOOOM!!!

BOOM!!!!!!!!

… And then… With one final, reverberating blast…

The tomb came undone…

I fell to the floor. My knees scraping the metallic floor. But it didn’t hurt… It didn't hurt because I didn’t want it to hurt.

I opened my eyes for the first time in decades. The light assaulted my irises as if they were attempting to kill me.

… Nothing was going to kill me… never…

So I simply commanded the light to STOP…

I listened. As the room covered itself in shadow.

I couldn't see in the dark… so I simply commanded it so I could…

I gazed around the room. Broken machines lay everywhere… broken chains that once held me down like a beast.

Beast… Like a… beast.

Trapped… I am still trapped.

 

…

 

The pieces of metal rose around me. Twisting and changing.

I rose in turn. By my command the air became my floor. And the floor rose to my whims.

The whole room shook as I remembered those fifty years…those fifty…LONG…years.

No more… NO MORE, I COMMAND!

I moved out a hand… I wanted guns… So the pieces of metal changed… Tommy guns, the same kind I used to use back then.

Back then… they stole years from me… something that, no matter how much power I possess, I cannot bring back.

… Fine… that's fine… that's FINE!!!

BOOM!

By my command, the ceiling burst open, leading to the floor above me.

Fine… fine… If I can't get my years back, then I'll simply do what I do best.

… Make them PAY for all I have lost!

To make them SUFFER!

… For I command it of the universe.

And so… IT SHALL BE………

 

---

Saarn POV

 

BOOM! BOOM! RUMBLE!!!!

 

The earth shook, roaring with fury that some would equate to that of gods.

I scoffed… Those people would be fools. This isn't a god. Merely an imitator of one.

I have seen a true god before, and this? This is nothing but the musings of an inbred cat compared to what he is capable of.

…

…

I stared at the locker… one of many that resided down here on the bottom most floor of this sorry excuse of a fortress.

Compared to the supposed ‘God’ they contained on this very floor, this locker seemed inconsequential to them.

To me, however… it was the entire reason for me being here. Whatever that toy came here for, ordered by that wannabe goddess from the library, they can have it. Because compared to this?

It’s nothing.

… I straightened my hand—

SLASH!

And cut through the locker as if it were clay, causing the once dense material to fall to the ground. Bowing to me at my feet.

Like most of those that bow to me, I paid it no mind. Instead, I focused on the item contained in the locker.

… A simple item to most. Inconsequential to many.

But even now, I can feel the power radiating off of it. The strength… the vision.

I daintily reached into the locker… before carefully pulling out the item.

Bones… bones for an entire arm.

Pristine condition, pearly white without a single blemish. Every bone attached to it perfectly, as if unable or unwilling to be removed from each other. The only exception being the shoulder, in which no other parts of the skeleton were present.

I didn't care, however, as I cradled it in my arms. Gazing upon every detail, ensuring that everything that was supposed to be there was.

… and I found no faults… good.

Finally… Finally…

“... Our waiting… is finished. Centuries of waiting… Centuries of biding our time… all for this.” I muttered out, the snakes in my hair hissing in agreement as they moved around, unwilling to ruin such a moment that I shared with the bones. “Finally… we shall win the war.”

…

… And with this? My need here is finished. I could easily leave and let the pawns duke it out amongst themselves.

… However… Where would be the fun in that?

After all, I think a little… punishment is in order for everyone in this damned labyrinth that dared to imprison them.

I raised a hand to the side of my head… and gave the command to my servant, who stood only a floor above me.

‘Oh, my brave little soul… It is time.’ I began, almost motherly… almost mocking… as I continued

‘... Release her.’

…

…

---

?????? POV

 

Command… received… told… instructed… ordered…

…

Looked to… see them… the… girl… young… blonde… sleeping peacefully… on bed of… feathers and… cloth… wearing clothes… hospital gown… white… almost as fair as her impossibly smooth and perfect skin… flesh…

… Mind… hurt… mind… unresponsive…

Look… Look at IV bag… attached to her… See problem…

Commanded… to remove problem…

Raised… right arm… tentacle of… flesh… looked and thought… it gone…

SMASH!

It… was then gone… Smashed to pieces as… liquid from… IV bag splashed against… the floor…

Girl… immediately began… to stir…

I ignore… Job complete… job finished… meet up with… master…

…

…

Part not… want to leave… part… wanna stay… ask if alright…

… that part died quickly.

Turned… and left the room… the cell…

Passing sign as… I did so…

… It read…

… SCP-239… Witch child…

…

…

…

Returned to master…

 

---

Benjamin POV

 

I sat in the corner, arms crossed, as the mask and his pet, the old man, entered the room. The mask said some words, but I ignored them as he pointed to the greenish-looking metal bars that sat on the counter.

Wordlessly, the monster complied (like the good dog he was) and submerged the metal into his pocket dimension.

A shiver ran down my spine as I thought of that place… remembering the last couple dozen times I was forced there before dying by this monster’s hand.

It wasn’t nice… not in the slightest. Being its plaything before it finally had enough and killed me…

Eventually, after being trapped in there for the fifth time, I just killed myself. That was easier and, might I add, SIGNIFICANTLY less painful than playing that smiling freak's game.

Still, I always did wonder if there ever was a way to escape—

I shook my head. I'm getting off topic.

“So, Maskey, any explanation as to why you need this…” I took a step out of the room, peering at the name that was plastered on its sign. “... Telekill metal or whatever the hell it’s called?”

The mask, per usual, just chuckled. “You’ll see in due time, my friend. Why rush perfection?”

‘... If this is what perfection looks like, then I would LOVE to see you on a Monday.’ I silently rolled my eyes but bit my tongue to stop me from saying more. After all, I tried that not too long ago. The result?

… Let's just say I have already died more than a couple of times while traveling with these fuckers. 

Obviously I wasn’t the only one with questions, however, as… Asaph? I think that was her name.

Anyway, she started speaking to the mask once more, easily getting flustered by his every word as he beat her down with his silver tongue, and, blah blah blah, they should just hate fuck already.

‘Well… maybe not considering the mask’s… condition.’ I realized as I ‘admired’ his rotting body while walking to the other side of the room, deciding to peek over to the viewing area that has since had its windows shot out by something. ‘Then again, who knows? Maybe she’s into fucking necrophilia or whatever and…’

I halted as I looked over… spotting something… someone.

They were of no importance. Just a simple man in a lab coat in the fetal position, shaking uncontrollably under the desk just out of view from everyone else.

He must've felt my gaze upon his back, though, as he slowly looked up and stared at me… stared at me with horrified eyes. Terrified… as if he were about to die.

Tears reddened his once-white ocular lenses as snot ran from his nose, as if it too were attempting to run from me.

All in all, the man looked pathetic. Especially when you compared him to the so-called ‘monsters’ that he helped contain.

… He’s afraid of death.

‘... I've forgotten what that was like.’

I turned to the horrified doctor. One of the people that have kept me looking up for years… I stared at him straight in his squinted, scared eyes. Peered directly through him…

Before turning round and beginning to exit the room.

“Come on, I thought you said we were on a time limit!” I called back to the mask, who halted his discussion with the winged girl to look towards me. “And as far as I’m concerned, I wanna get out of this damn facility as soon as possible. So let’s hurry up.”

“Heh… fair enough.” Was all he replied to me with before walking toward me… which was a very funny sight considering his smaller-than-usual stature.

So it was that he led us out of the room…

I spared one last glance through the broken glass where the scientist was hiding… before turning heel and following suit.

We walked for about a dozen minutes before Asaph finally spoke out her question. “So… that's everything?”

“Hmm, pretty much. I admit, I would've wished to find a couple more bleeding hearts to join our cause, besides me. ‘I-haven't-showered-in-three-months’ over there.” He pointed a finger at me.

I shrugged. “What’s the point in showering if you’re just gonna die anyways?”

“... Right. Like I was saying, I was hoping to collect a couple more pieces to add to the board. Unfortunately, he made a rare good point. We’re running out of time, and reinforcements that we don't want to deal with ought to almost be here by now.” He explained regretfully, handing over the handle of his holstered gun. “Still, I’d wager we—oh, what is that saying—made like bandits with this excursion of ours? So let's leave before we tempt fate much longer.”

I gave a sigh of relief. Finally, we were leaving. I was starting to think that we’d never—

SLASH!!!

Red… red blood covered my view. Coating everything I saw.

My body froze… As if dropped in a freezing lake.

I… didn’t even see anything… All I see now are the shocked faces of my allies… and the blackness at the corners of my vision beginning to overpower even that.

I… I…

Fuck… not again— &%&#(@&G))#&)?”!&E@)@+=S0-8^9)T@^!/.<>’:`~~A68^))(L*5@:#”:>$2.*T@!?”

I gave a sigh of relief. Finally, we were leaving. I was starting to think that we’d never… Wait… FUCK!

SLASH!

WHOOSH!

This time around, I just barely managed to dive to the side as I felt something fly by my body.

SLASH!

Before quickly slowing itself down by digging one of its claws into the metal floor, stopping it from hitting the far wall.

In a daze, I sat up to glare upon my once killer… only to see what looked to be a woman.

A woman… wearing what appeared to be an orange kimono… a shade of orange that not only complemented her long orange hair and fox ears… but also the nine long, fox-like tails that came from out of her backside.

… oh fuck.

“Hehehe… oh, my, my, my! It’s been a while since I’ve missed a target.” Her voice, smooth as silk and soothing like clouds, chuckled out in a mock motherly tone. She then slowly raised her clawed right hand to her mouth and slowly licked it… as if blood was supposed to be on it. “Let’s see if you get lucky twice in a row, little kitten.”

“... Fucking NOPE!” I stood up, raised my hands, and walked behind the mask-possessed imp, who had already drawn his gun and was pointing it at the women. “I ain't dealing with this one! Fuck that! I’m into crazy—but this is some Edgar Allan Poe level of fuck no!”

As I was there, I also took stock of my three allies' reactions. Asaph was emotionless, obviously not even caring who this is. The old man, meanwhile, looked as if he were a little… pissed? It’s hard to explain, but his already impossibly wide smile seemed to widen even more, and not in a good way.

“Ohhhh, what’s wrong, sloppy?” She spoke to the old man as if he were a child, a devilish grin on her face as she did so. “What, still mad about the last time we fought? Does poor little veteran need a tit to suck on?”

WIDEN…

‘Nope, that grin is definitely getting wider… that, and this feeling of bloodlust in the air.’

Finally, there was the mask, who looked surprisingly… joyful? Over the women's appearance? And not in the weird way.

… That can’t be good.

“Hehehe, well. If it isn’t the vixen herself.” He spoke out, almost in celebration, though still pointing his gun at her. “Just the demented sociopath I was hoping to run into.”

The fox-tailed women scoffed at that. “... really?” She spoke unconvinced.

“No… but you’ll do.” He explained before holstering his gun. “So… SCP-953—”

“Tch, call me that one more time and I’ll eat the face you rest on, mask.” She threatened with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

“... Hmm… fair enough.” He conceded, at which Asaph’s eyes immediately shot open! Shocked! How the hell did this woman get him to stop calling her names so easily?!

“Regardless, Vixen, it’s quite the coincidence we ran into you here… maybe a bit too much of a coincidence.” He eyes her, to which she scoffs.

“Hmm… Indeed it is. I must say, your… circus of freaks isn't exactly stealthy.” She revealed while standing up and crossing her arms. “I’ve been following you for the better part of half an hour, and none of you seemed to notice.”

He nodded at that, seemingly expecting as much before slightly gesturing to me. “And you’re attacking our friend here?”

She shrugged. “Seemed like easy prey. Wanted to figure out if there was a reason why someone who was seemingly a nobody was sticking around you lot.” She explained before her predatory eyes switched to me once more. “Now… I admit there might be more to this… piece of meat than I originally gave him credit for,” she explained, while… sensually licking her lips.

…

‘I DO NOT CONSENT! I DO NOT CONSENT!’

“Heh, should've expected as much from you.” The mask continued, seemingly either unaware or uncaring of how uncomfortable I was suddenly appearing. “Regardless… Vixen… you revealing yourself to us surely means only one thing.”

“Hmm… perhaps.” She played along before examining her claws. “Perhaps not… I want you to ask, though.”

“... Heh… You really are the same bitch, aren't you?” The mask asked in mock annoyance, playing along with the women.

She only smirked. “Heh… takes one to know one.”

“... Indeed.” He mumbled out slowly before clearing his throat. “In that case… Vixen… I have an invitation I would like to pass on to you.”

The women mimed surprise at his words. Overacting didn't even cover half of it, as she even used one of her hands to cover her agape mouth with mocked surprise. “Oh my… tell me it isn’t so!”

“Yes…” The mask continued, before widening their arms to present us all. “I present you with the opportunity… to join us!”

…

…

“Hmm… No.” She finally declared, uncaring, examining her nails as if she had forgotten we even existed.

…

…

…

035 reached for his gun—

“Kidding, I'm kidding! God, take a joke sometimes, Maskey.” She quickly raised her arms in mock surrender before lowering them to her hips… as a dangerously sharp smile covered her face. “So… where do we start? And how many do I get to devour?”

---

?????? ?????? (05-6 POV)

 

My legs were kicked up onto the table, which impossibly stayed in place despite the fact that I was in a moving helicopter.

My hat covered the majority of my upper vision, but I didn’t care as I brought the bottle of wine to my lips and started drinking it. Letting Satan's piss gush down my throat greedily.

“Gahh… Damn, they don’t make it like thay used ta.’” I complained but kept on drinking it anyway, much to the confusion of the members of Nine-Tailed Fox, who sat not far from me in this helicopter.

Oh, I'm sure they had plenty of opinions. But not one of them had the balls to let those opinions be known. Especially to someone like me!

Someone like me… damn. Ever since I GOT this position, people that used to look at me with respect now only look on in fear, simply because of the power that I now wield and what I could do to them.

… bunch of pissants, the lot of them! Apparently just looking at him was enough to send a chill down their spine. Who did they think he was, 05-1?!

Still, can't say it was all bad. He might have a bigger than average mouth on him, but even he can appreciate some silence every now and again!

Especially with what he was about to do. Boy, were some people gonna be pissed at him—

*Beep* *beep*

“Ahhh, speak of tha devil!” I thought with a chuckle as I saw the black screen ahead of me begin to beep to life, prompting me to lower my feet to get a proper look as the total darkness turned to light and–

Bee—DING

… A dark silhouette appeared in the white screen. That of a humanoid-looking creature.

“... 05-6… What do you think you’re doing…?” The garbled voice spoke slowly, and, even with all the distortion, the amount of venom that dripped from each and every word could send even the most headstrong of warriors into an early grave.

Hell, the members of nine-tailed-fox that he shared the helicopter with all immediately straightened at their mere silhouette. That alone was enough for me to verify they would never tell another soul what they were about to hear.

Not that I cared, that is. Not my department.

Still… I couldn't help but let the biggest of shit-eating grins cross my face as they spoke.

“Whattya mean, big one?! I’m just takin’ a vacation! Relax a bit—”

“You hijacked a ride with Epsilon-11 to an active battleground!” They reprimanded me.

I chuckled. “Ya, like a’ said, vacation!”

“... You are to exit the vehicle immediately and return to Site-01 immediately.” They tried to command me.

I shrugged. “Can’t exactly leave a movin’ helicopter now, can I—”

“You have a parachute. You’ll live… unfortunately.”

“Heh, com’ on big one! If ya wanted me dead so badly, ya shouldn’t have put me on the council to begin with!” I joked back, causing an aggravated sigh to leave their silhouette.

“Well, unfortunately for both of us, you are a lot more useful to me, and mankind as a whole, alive rather than dead.”

“Aww… that was almost a compliment.” I tapped my vest over where my heart would be. I could almost feel them rolling their eyes as they watched the action.

“... Yes, and you’ll get a real one when you earn it.” 

“Well, then ya better get that compliment ready, cause imma bout’ to make those intruders at Site-008 look like trench-footed babies when I’m done.” I hastily replied to them as I took another swig of Satan’s piss, as I’ve come to refer to the drink in my hand as.

“... You know that just because you have a family name, you don’t have to live up to the rest of your family’s sheer stupidity.” They insulted, which… did have me pause for a moment. Digesting their words…

Before causing me to sigh.

“Well, ya are wrong about one ting’ sweetheart… I’m not like the rest of the Brights.” I began, before suddenly leaning in closer to the screen, my eyes piercing through the digital protection and straight into 01… straight into their true self. “... Because I’m Mikell Bright… and I’m fuckin’ better!”

I raised my revolver and–

BANG!

The screen shattered. The rest of the soldiers looked on in horror at my actions, realizing that I had just basically hung up on 05-1.

I didn’t care about any damn implications, however, as I just sat back and took another long swig from the horrid-tasting drink.

…

I turned to one of the soldiers. “Hey, let Damien and his bloody angels know we are gonna be early to the site.”

The soldier I spoke to recoiled slightly in shock from that. “Are—are you sure, sir? He told us we should wait till they arrived so they could—”

“Blah, blah—strategy this, strategy that—honestly, I just don’t wanna give them bleedin’ bastards a chance to escape. Besides!” I leaned down to take another sip, my cowboy hat obscuring my eyes a tiny bit as I had done so. “... Where would be the fun in takin’ it the easy way?”

That's right… Fuck you, 05-1.

 

---

Blitzo POV

 

Click.

Sling.

Click, click.

Bam—Zipp!

VROOM!

I smiled. “Oh fuck YEAH! Just listen to that baby fucking PURR on my DIC—"

“Please… don't do that, sir.” Moxie, AKA the biggest BABY I’ve ever met, whined.

I groaned annoyedly at that. “Fuck—GET A FUCKING HOBBY! ... And not the kinda fucking you do with your wife—though I’ll admit, that’s entertaining in its own–”

“Fuck you, sir.” He groaned, flustered, even as Millie—you know, someone with an actual FUNNY BONE—chuckled at it. 

I then smiled seriously before looking into the back of the van. Spotting both MnM and my whittle favorite Loona!

… Who was on her phone again.

Besides them, I left Stolas at the office. No way was I bringing him to a target this high profile… Or to the person that put him in the hospital.

…

I clutched the wheel harder, my blood boiling again once more. I wasn’t gonna let that asshole get his mutty grips on Stolas again… Not anymore.

…

I smirked as I touched the asmodeon crystal embedded into the back of my glove.

‘Heh, don’t worry, Verosika, you damn bitch… I’m about to live up to my promise.’

VROOM!

‘And I’m gonna make that cowboy asshole pay!’

That… that I can promise.

Notes:

I.M.P: Alright, we are here to kill you Stri--

Gods, monsters, and eldritch abominations: (Turns to stare)

I.M.P:... Well fuck.

 

Ok, so... this was an interesting chapter. i don't know if you could all tell but... yea, a lot happened.

First of all, I do want to apologize to everyone who has read the story up to this point for the current arc, I have sort of realized it on my own, and because of comments on previous chapters, but this arc hasn't been... well, it hasn't been great. Mostly because this whole arc is trying to do something that was the exact opposite reason why people started reading this story in the first place. It steered too far away from the Hazbinverse origins and i have realized that was to its detriment. For that reason, I am deciding to speed this arc along, to the point where it should hopefully be finished within the next three chapters which, as evident from what explained here, are gonna be crazy and are what this entire arc was leading up towards, closing the end of arc 2 and beginning arc 3 of the story.

Once more, thank you for everyone who has stuck around. And thank you for enjoying the story and giving me your honest feedback, it has been unbelievable helpful and I love reading all your comments.

That being said, Drop a kudos if you did enjoy thus insanity. Leave a comment if you have literally any comments, questions, ideas, jokes, critiques or those that lie between. And I will see you all next week!

Have a reality breaking day!

Chapter 76: The fall of site—008: (Part 1) The cavalry is here!

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

Ashur runs into unfathomable power.

Saran prepares to foil a plan.

035 tries to flee, but runs into a roadblock.

A deadly fight for survival begins, which ends with some unexpected guests.

Ashur can not catch a break!

Notes:

“When gods clash, who suffers the most?”

Ashur POV

 

I punched one of the many reinforced doors that defended this hallway.

BOOM!

Nothing, just an empty room. No intruders or demons in sight.

I grimaced, before moving on to the next door.

BAM!

Nothing once more, just a small concrete room.

So I tried the next.

Boom!

And the next.

Crash!

The next.

BAM!

The ne–

BANG!

CRASH!

BOOM!

“Gahh. Where are these blasted demons?!” I screamed in frustration as I kicked my foot out, making the wall in front of me crumble. Revealing only a nice office space filled with numerous bodies that have been pulverized.

Like I said, nothing.

“Damn it! I am letting the masked lord, slayer of demons, down!” I realized with an annoyed huff, crashing down another fortified wall of my fortress. “I promised him that I would help eliminate the demons that infested my fortress and stole the faces of my friends, yet I can’t find any! Only minor demons have appeared.”

I stopped for a second, thinking it over… especially the words that the demon hunter had explained to me.

He said… that there were demons everywhere in this facility, and sure, I’ve met a couple that might have been disguised as normal people, but… I have yet to run into another demon like that fire guy from earlier.

‘Meaning… could the great demon hunter… could he have been… lying to me?!’

…

…

“Nahh, why would a great hero such as himself lie!?” I shrugged off my previous concern. What nonsense! Why would anyone lie to the great and powerful Ashur?! There’d be no reason!

“I’m probably just getting unlucky. I should keep looking and—”

BADOOM!

… my heart nearly shot out of my chest, beating more than it has in hundreds of years as this… this… this horrible feeling washed upon me like a tsunami. A wave of fear and anxiety crashed through every aspect of me and, for the first time in millennia… caused me to hesitate as I began to feel something wet drip down my face.

Slowly… I raised my hand to my forehead. Feeling the liquid stick to the skin.

I’m… sweating?

Why… why would I… why would I be—

BOOM!

The ground burst open in front of me, sending shards of shrapnel hurtling toward my face. Instinctually, I raised my hands, causing a bubble of wind to surround me and block the flying pieces of crooked metal.

Quickly I tossed the wind aside, preparing myself as I felt… something from the newly made hole in the ground.

Something… dangerous.

…

And slowly, that danger began to rise. As they emerged from the hole.

They were male. That much I could easily tell considering they were naked. Their age was hard to pinpoint as, although their body looked surprisingly healthy and buff (though surprisingly thin, as if they hadn’t eaten a thing in years). They also possessed a long white beard across their face, making them almost look like an extremely skinny Santa.

Also floating to their side were multiple black guns, large circular barrels beneath them. I believe these weapons were called Tommy guns? I wasn’t too sure, however.

Still, I instinctually raised my fists in front of myself as this figure rose… and doubly so as they slowly turned mid-air to stare at me… as he stared at me with his black, cold eyes… His gaze was so wide and piercing that I could feel my own hair beginning to stand on end just by making eye contact. An uncomfortable feeling swirled in my stomach as the figure looked down upon me.

… as if I were an ant…

…I growled…

I… am not… an ANT!!!

I didn’t even bother sharing the pleasantries of words, as I quickly raised a fist and—

BOOM!

A wind current so strong that the walls of the hallways collapsed shot forth, heading straight towards this naked man. In response, the coward simply raised a hand as—

WHO—VWOOM!

The wind… the powerful currents that were spawned by my godly will twisted right before him and transformed into… bullet shells?

Yes, the wind became these bronze-like bullets, gleaming in the light as they lifelessly clattered to the ground…

Before rising again and—

WHOOSH!

Impossibly entering the Tommy guns, they hummed quietly to his side, seemingly phasing through the guns themselves to properly load.

Click…

They were loaded.

“Umm… I’m sorry—”

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!!

WHOOSH!

In a panic I raised a shield of wind, which caused the bullets to bounce off and ricochet around the hall, which also obscured my vision of the man ahead of me. I smirked before readying a ball of wind in my hand, preparing myself to strike him and—

SLASH!

“GAHH!” I screamed in pain as a sharp spike shot from the ground, seemingly being stretched from the metallic floor itself as an insult to reality as it pierced my abdomen. My eyes widened. How—

The winds warned me.

“FUCK!”

WHOOSH!

BOOM!

I had the wind guide me as I dodged back, just in time for me to dodge as hundreds of spikes extended from the walls, the floor, and the ceiling as they struck where I stood not even a moment prior.

In a panic, I then released the ball of wind, striking the spikes as—

BOOM!

They all shattered at the blow, falling to the ground in useless piles of metal.

Before I could even react, though, the man shot past the broken spikes, eyes almost glowing as he seemingly appeared right ahead of me in all of his naked glory.

He then extended his leg into a kick, prompting me to reinforce my arms with wind as I raised them ahead of me and—

BOOM!

Stronger than what any man his size should be capable of, he struck my arms and sent me flying back, taking all my godly strength and will to stop my bones from shattering as a result of the blow.

“Gahh… ouch.” I muttered out as I looked up with a pained expression, massaging my arms as the man stopped in place before looking toward me with soft interest. But only mildly so, as his gaze still told that of a man who viewed all those that aren’t himself as pests… myself included.

“Tch, lucky shot, asshole. But fine, if you wanna fight…” I spread my arms wide, as I felt the wind kneel to me and me alone, whipping around me with such precision that not even this supposed powerful being could keep up. “… then let’s fight.”

“Tonight, you shall feast your eyes on something not many can boast about!” I chuckled as the wind picked up in intensity around me. The man lifted the floating guns up even higher in response as I stared straight through him… straight into his soul.

“Tonight… you shall face the true wrath… of the god of winds!!!”

BOOM!

 

---

Saarn POV

The earth rumbled in its fury, as if screaming at godly beings who dare make a mockery of her realm. The metallic roof was clattering like teeth, and the walls were shaking like soft flesh that had just been laid out to dry.

I could only smile at Mother Earth's torment. Perfect, just perfect. This is exactly what I wanted! Chaos…

‘Chaos… and know you were never a fan of such a thing, my lord, but I hope you are still of the mind that the ends justify the means.’ I couldn’t help but release a silent prayer to my one and only ruler. ‘And you perhaps can punish me… once you’ve returned.’

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

I was pulled from my silent musings by the sudden and powerful footfalls of a beast clamoring down these accursed metal halls.

Curiously, I turned behind me, though I needn't have bothered, as I already know who those steps belonged to… and that their mission has been completed.

I smiled at the gigantic creature of pulled muscle and flesh, the majority of it focused on the creature's left side, as that was where this poor little lamb was struggling the most, before replacing their lost parts with something better… something stronger.

Muscles that far surpassed anything mortal men should be capable of, and instead of an arm, a long red tentacle of flesh slid against the ground instead. A much more valuable and versatile weapon than that gangly piece of flesh that once took up that space.

“Now now, my little lamb… Aww, now haven't you just grown up to be big and strong?” I cooed to the creature, which, to their credit, barely had the processing power to even hear my words. 

Still, I nevertheless felt a strange… contentment from them. A sort of… anger.

“Hmm… even after all this, you try to resist? Strong soul indeed.” I congratulated softly before slithering back down the hall. “Now come on, let’s—”

Hiss!

“Hmm?” A familiar noise entered my ear, causing me to turn upwards, only to notice one of my many beauties. This one being a long snake of silver coloration, perfect for blending into the surrounding dreariness of this forsaken facility. 

Still, them coming to me can only mean one thing… They have uncovered something interesting.

“Why, hello, my precious little spy.” I welcomed them back as I lifted my arm, allowing them to slither down upon it and coil around my head. I smiled warmly at them. “Now, what news do you have for me?”

They hissed, transferring knowledge to me in an archaic tongue. One that only I and possibly 3 others alive today could comprehend.

As they spoke, however, my smile stiffened… and fell.

“Hmmm… They wish to activate the machine.” I repeated to myself, knowing the implications of what would happen if they do… Hmm… no, that won’t do. Without the reality benders making a complete mess of the place, the foundation may regain a foothold… That's not something I can allow.

…

I looked back to the snake. “Lead me to them.” I commanded, to which the snake hissed and immediately jumped off of me before beginning to slither down the hall, leading the way.

I smirked as I turned back to my newest creation.

“Come on, my sweet… It is time to hunt down a couple of negligible fools… fools who think they can revolt against Ion's will.” I ordered them, causing a large guttural grunt to painfully exit their broken throat, yet follow me they did without conflict. Good.

 Smiling as I turned back, I began slithering after the snake.

Time to put an end to these… rebellious rats.

My plan will not be thwarted. I can’t be… not until I've helped him return.

And once he does… our promised day shall arrive.

And nothing will be able to stop us… Never again.

---

SCP-035 POV

 

RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

The floor shook beneath us wildly, as if the entire facility quivered at our assault. Beginning us to return what we have stolen from them…

And like the assholes we are, we spat on her requests and continued on our way, not bothering to look back.

‘Still… it is a tad worrying to think about whatever could cause the entire facility to shake like this.’ I began thinking as we finished ascending the elevator shaft, the door blown open, courtesy of Asaph. ‘I know that wind bastard is capable of it, but for the rumbling to last this long? He's surely fighting someone powerful, if he’s involved… someone who I dearly don’t want to meet.’

I shook the thought from my head, however. It didn’t matter. I already made it out, and with much more than I originally bargained for!

‘And clearly… the giving hasn’t ceased yet.’ I chuckled internally as we exited the door to the facility, back to the ruined surface. The facility, which was surrounded on all sides by mountains, was now a shadow of its former self. The massive concrete walls were crumbled and destroyed, blocking the few roads that existed in the facility. All but one guard tower have fallen, in which dozens of bloody bodies were buried beneath their heavy weights.

Walking out of the broken doorway, we were forced to step over the remaining rubble from the broken consecrated buildings… However, that isn’t what my eyes were transfixed on.

No… My eyes, or lack thereof, locked onto the collection of individuals who were waiting on top of the rubble. 

There were about twenty-some individuals, each boasting an array of injuries and weapons. Though one thing they all had in common was the orange jumpsuits that adorned them all… that, and the general lack of trust that was passing between all of them.

Which quickly shifted to us as soon as we emerged.

…I looked down, seeing each of them holding large bags. Wet bags that dripped blood.

I smirked; here comes the cattle.

“Hehe… congratulations! You all have won the game.” I celebrated them as I approached, clapping lightly while doing so, much to their collected suspicion as they noticed me. “You all have proven that you are above those worthless cattle that you were trapped in that facility with. You have proven you have what it takes to live… to survive… and to kill.”

Some smiled at that… A few others looked down regretfully.

I didn’t even need to bother to count up if they’ve collected enough heads to ‘win’ the game; all that mattered is that they showed up here.

After all… one could never have too many pawns. The whole game was a hoax anyways; I never cared about recruiting any of these sorry shmucks to my ranks… though having twenty-something extra human bodies to shield you from enemy fire is never a bad thing.

“You have all proven yourselves worthy… of following me.” I continued putting on a show, playing to each of their human natures and making them think they were more valuable than they really were.

I reached into my vest and pulled out the Asmodean crystal that I stole from… hmm… What was her name again? Ehh, it probably doesn’t matter. Regardless, I held it up high, preparing to think lustful thoughts to activate its powers.

“Now, let’s go—” 

Asaph’s eyes suddenly widened! And before I had a chance to even process why…

BANG!

Midway through my sentence, a loud metallic bang echoed through my decrepit ears, which was only overpowered by the feeling of something powerful suddenly striking the crystal, launching it out of my hands. On instinct, I followed it as it crashed against the ground before sliding away about fifteen feet behind me.

Quickly though, I recalled what happened before turning to address the—

Asaph dashed in front of me and spread her wings—

TING TING TING!

Only for three bullets to bounce off its metallic sheen, ringing loudly before falling to the floor harmlessly.

Quickly, I crouched down and pulled out my own gun before peeking around the fallen angel's wing.

The first thing I noticed were the D-class cattle, who had all suddenly dropped to the floor, clutching their own weapons as they took cover.

‘Good.’ I thought. ‘At least they aren’t completely imbecilic.’

Still, I stared past them. Passed the crumbling walls and passed the sharp mountains, only to see the one thing that I wanted to avoid.

Helicopters. Three in the front, with a dozen or so more not far behind. I scoffed, shaking the pain from my hand as I put the pieces together that someone from that helicopter shot the crystal from my hand.

The helicopters approached at an alarming pace as I noticed all this, forcing me to come to a quick decision… and a decision I came to.

“Benjamin, reclaim the crystal and bring it to me!” I barked out a command to the former scientist who, while I might be nervous, would attempt to escape with the crystal. My worries were quieted by the fact that I never informed him on how it worked.

Then, I turned to the D-class. “As for the rest of you, time for your second test! Your only goal is to survive and to take down as many of the foundation bastards as you can!” I screamed as I quickly rolled out of cover from Asaph's wing, who then immediately flew up into the air and rocketed towards the flying vehicles.

I could tell she wanted to slice them in half… but not before I had my fill.

As quicker than most people could blink, I lifted my revolver up into the air and—

BANG BANG BANG!

BOOM!

Released three bullets in quick succession, which ended in a massive explosion from the leftmost helicopter as they just passed the perimeter of the site, causing the vehicle to spiral out of control and crash into what remains of the wall as a fireball, exploding on impact and sending shards of stones flying everywhere.

WHOOSH!

I felt the air pick up behind me as Asaph shot up to the sky, gliding past me as she flew straight toward the leftmost helicopter and—

BOOM!

Her metallic wings crashed straight into the vehicle, causing it to explode in a wave of fire.

I smirked, turning my attention to the last helicopter that was in front of the rest of the reinforcements. Lifting my gun, I prepared myself to take out the pilot and—

A man jumped out of the helicopter.

BANG!

And my gun went flying out of my hand. Luckily, it wasn’t destroyed, thanks to its angelic lining, but the blow did still cause me to grab my hand in pain before staring up in shock at the man, who had jumped from the helicopter as—

WHOOSH!

A parachute escaped from their bag at the last moment, letting them softly land on top of the last remaining guard tower. Before dropping the parachute.

And there… I saw him. A man who I have never seen before, wearing a white cowboy hat atop their head, hiding their face, though from what little I could see I noticed he had long blond hair, tied into a ponytail, with a blonde mustache to accompany it. The rest of their clothing consisted of rather normal guard attire, albeit with it looking significantly more expensive and protective, with a silver revolver resting lazily in his grasp.

Immediately, I could feel a dangerous sense originate from the man as he stared at me, a feeling that even sent a shiver down my spine. 

That alone was enough for me to know that this man was the one who 

… We stood in silence, staring at each other across the vast distance that separated us. Everyone remained silent, unmoving, and unbreathing, as if waiting for me to give a command. Threats flashed between the two of us silently, as if warning the other to make the first move… 

…So I did.

“... Hey, old man.” I began speaking, not even daring to tear my eyes away from the man. Still, I could see him shuffling in acknowledgement in the corner. “... Cover me.”

And then, I turned heel and ran for my gun.

 

---

Mikkel Bright POV

 

He took off, running for the gun I shot from his hand.

Quickly I raised my pistol, ready to shoot him, and—

I jumped back, just barely dodging as a black, goopy hand shot out of the roof of this watchtower, barely missing my leg before it gripped the roof, pulling itself out of the portal to the old man's pocket dimension.

The dark man fully emerged, standing at his full height, staring at me…

Before rushing forward like an animal, attempting to dissolve my bones

WHOOSH!

“Heh, too slow, bucko!” I smirked as I dodged to the side of the two-armed creature before lifting my gun up, ready to take a shot, and…

Quickly aborting the attack as I took a step back and—

BANG!

Just barely missed a bullet that ricocheted into the top of the tower. I turned to the left, seeing that the damn mask, who was possessing… some sort of red demonic sex doll? 

Regardless, he reclaimed his gun and fired at me before turning toward the group of D-class to his left. 

“Don’t just stand there. Shoot him!” He ordered, which quickly caused realization to flash in the former prisoners' eyes as they quickly lifted their firearms, all aimed at me…

“Well… Ain’t that just a bucket of ah–”

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!!

I jumped off the back of the tower, just barely dodging it as an uncountable amount of bullets whizzed by me, filling me with life as adrenaline flowed into my veins like hot venom!

Holding down my hat with one hand to keep it from flying off, I used my other to grab hold of the edge of the ruined wall, stopping my fall.

I then quickly swung over as—

BANG!

The flying creature slammed into the stone wall, breaking it even more than it was before. 

As that happened, I looked up, noticing as the rest of the nine-tailed fox helicopters flew above the facility, before I noticed dozens and dozens of silhouettes jump out of the helicopters, releasing their parachutes as they began giving me supporting fire as they shot towards the group inside the wall, who all began firing back before taking cover. The masked bastard specifically whips his gun around and takes six of my men down in a fraction of a second before retreating to reload.

Still, I turned back with a smile as I gazed upon this angelically winged figure. “Heh, well howdy darlin’. Don’t believe I’ve seen you around these parts before!” I complimented with a devilishly handsome smile. “Say, how bout’ we dump this fuck fest, and we can get to know each other real personally at my place?”

She noticeably growled at that, as I successfully pissed her off as her six massive wings flared to her side. Meanwhile, I could hear the sound of bubbling from behind me, informing me of the certain black bastard who began exiting the ground from behind me. 

“Heh, your loss, lassy!” I shrugged indifferently before—

WHOOSH!

Dodging to my left, evading the old man as he lunged toward me, before I caused him to trip to the ground by kicking a cragged rock into his shin, which did disintegrate, but not before cracking the damned bastard's kneecap.

The lady angel growled at that before lifting off and shooting toward me like a lovesick puppy.

I smirked at the thought as I dodged back, evading a wide slash of her wing, as I felt the wind from the blow nearly cause my hat to fly away.

I caught it in time, just enough to once more dodge down as—

SLASH!

I dodged another cut from her wings.

SLASH!

Then a second from her other wing, which was hidden behind the first.

She growled at that. “Just DIE ALREADY!” She screamed as suddenly all six of her wings grew long before all acting like knives and slashing down upon me, cutting off my every angle of escape.

Every angle… except for one.

As I dashed forward!

WHOOSH!

Dodging her wings and straight into her main body, which was temporarily defenseless. This leaves her shocked for a moment, prompting me to playfully wink at her.

“Heh, sorry love, but I did try and warn ya.” Was all I offered, before in a panic she retracted her wings—

WHOOSH!

SLASH!

BANG!

“GAHH!” She screamed out as a bullet left my chamber, just barely skimming the side of her hip as golden blood began oozing out. She escaped a much worse injury, however, as my aim was thrown off by her retracting wings, which forced me to jump to the side in order to dodge, but not before one of them dug deeply into my forearm, resulting in a long stream of actual red blood, which now stained her right topmost wing.

We both took a breath after that, as each of us had finally been hit by the other, both spending time examining our wounds.

I also spent time examining her wound… or more specifically, the golden blood that flowed from it.

“Heh, wow, you shit that color too?” The cocky side of me couldn’t help but ask as I reached into my side holster and pulled out my drink, the same one I was having on my way here. She gave me a sneer at my comment but nevertheless let me take a sip of the alcoholic beverage. “Ahh, welp, guess gold bleedin’ angels are real. Maybe this thing really is Satan’s piss in that case.” I commented, confusing the girl, before I suddenly tossed the bottle—

SPLASH!

And she defended herself by lifting her wings in front of her, which blocked the broken glass shards and caused the beverage to slide down her shimmering silver wings.

She took a second, as if inspecting her ruined wings… before turning to me with an unimpressed look. “Was that supposed to piss me off?” She asked, completely unperturbed.

I chuckled, “Nope, but I guess ya could say ye got pissed on– ehh, doesn’t matter.” I looked to my left, seeing the members of Nine-tailed fox reaching the ground. Some immediately began taking fire before getting behind cover, while others weren't so lucky, immediately falling at the hands of either the rogue D-class or the highly dangerous anomalies.

I sighed before reaching into my vest and pulling out a single cigarette, as well as a golden lighter. The angel, seemingly confused, let me continue as I lit it up before placing it in my mouth, taking a puff.

“Ahh… Welp, this has’ been fun, lady! Unfortunately, the git’s kinda makin’ swiss cheese of my boys right now, so I gotta help them out. But hey, we can continue this date another time!” I warmly celebrated as I moved the lighter from my mouth. “Hears hopin’ Satan pisses somethin’ flammable, ey?”

She raised an eyebrow, confused as—

I threw the light at her wings—

WHOOSH!

And immediately, her wings, which were coated in the very flammable liquid, immediately blew up with flames. 

The dame, obviously shocked by this, immediately threw their flaming wings around them in panic! 

…which also had the lucky chance of striking the old man, putting him back on the floor,

‘Good, keep the two of em’ occupied a little longer.’ I thought as I immediately took the opportunity to jump off the side of the broken wall before rolling on the streets below as I joined the main battle!

I jumped behind some cover, bullets whizzing by every which way, as both sides chaotically fought each other.

Numbers-wise, we had the advantage. However, we were losing men much quicker than they were. For every D-class they killed, at least a dozen or so of us died, mostly due to the anomalies on the field and the fact that we were being shot at as we parachuted in.

Regardless, with the cigarette still in my mouth, I raised my revolver from behind my cover, and within a fraction of a second—

BANG!

One of the D-class who were shooting at members of my team had his brains plastered against the ground, not even having the reaction time to realize that I had poked my head out before he died.

I ducked for cover again, quickly reloading my six-shooter, readying myself to take another shot—

“On your left.”

BAM!

I felt a heeled boot crash against my face, sending me flying backwards and my back crashing against the stone wall that surrounded the facility. I groaned in pain, sweating as I had felt something pop from the impact. How has someone snuck up on—

Click.

‘Fuck.’

BANG!

Just barely reacting in time, I dodged to my left, using some rubble as a springboard to hasten my retreat as a bullet bounced against the wall, right where my head had been resting moments prior.

I stared at the newly made hole before cracking my head to the source of the attack. That being what I could only describe as a necrophiliac's wet dream. A creature whose skin was so old and rotted that it had long since begun sliding off their skin, leaving the torn and blackened muscles that rested underneath. Their clothes, stained with blood, resembled that of a cowboy. However, their two most striking features were obvious. That being they were short and obviously not humanoid, as seen with their extended mouth and thin tail. And two, the ever-familiar comedy mask that haunted more than a couple of scientists’ nightmares.

That being the one, and only…

“SCP-035… Heh, pleasure to be makin’ yer acquaintance." I couldn’t help but introduce myself with a smirk as I stared at the demon. Their soulless eyes staring straight back at me. “I’d offer ya a drink, but…” My gaze passed over to the wall, where the angelic woman still flailed around with her flaming wings. “... Unfortunately, I already gifted it to a special lady. Sorry about that.”

“Hmm… Don’t let her hear you say that, otherwise you’ll be learning the definition of divine intervention much more thoroughly." He bit back.

I smirked. “Is that a promise?”

“No… a compromise.” He began, his grip tightening on his handle. “For you to simply leave… Last warning… Bright.”

“Heh… funny ya should call me that.” I chuckled, a slight nerve being pinched as he spoke. “I don’t really go by that name much anymore.”

“Oh? And what do you go by, might I ask?”

“... The cowboy.” I began as I placed pressure on the heel of my foot. “For you, however… ya can call me… the last damn face you’ll ever see.”

WHOOSH!

I took off, charging toward the mask.

Expectedly, he quickly drew his gun and began firing, forcing me to move erratically to throw off his aim. Not a lot, but just enough to leave an inch of space between me and the bullets at any given moment.

This continued for the next second or so, before I eventually reached him.

Using the height difference, I spun on my heel, attempting to elbow him—

He parried with his palm, jumping up high in the sky as a reaction with impossible athleticism. Before attempting to stab me with the sharp end of his heel—

GRIP!

Only for me to immediately grab it, squeezing the rotting flesh before throwing the exceedingly light creature behind me.

He caught himself, of course, skidding to a stop. That didn’t halt me, however, as I took his moment of recovery as a chance to draw out my knife with my left hand and shoot forward.

I attempted to stab straight—he dodged to the left and attempted to kick my feet from under me—I jumped before pinning his leg beneath my own. I try to stab his leg—only for him to grab my arm with unmatched strength, threatening to break my fingers as I groan in pain, before he somehow throws me over his shoulder, causing my back to crash against the broken concrete of the ground.

I silently swore before immediately rolling to my right, dodging his foot as it crashed against the ground where I once lay.

I rose to my feet, dusting myself off slightly. It was also then I noticed I had lost hold of the knife, before quickly spotting it on the ground where I once stood, next to the demon.

Still, I wasn’t worried, as I smiled at the permanently grinning mask…

Before I made the first move and rushed forward. I swung my fist out—which he easily ducked under before punching my sternum and—

BANG! BANG!

Before he could even realize it, two bullets pierced straight through his already rotting muscles on his left leg, causing him to freeze for a moment as he looked on with surprise… before his eyes turned to the smoking gun I was holding.

“Hmm… I always wonder why people never save their bullets!” I commented through gritted teeth, my stomach still bursting with pain at his punch, before sweeping my right leg and—

CRACK!

Like a toothpick, I could hear the creature's bone snap from the impact, causing it to jut out of the creature's leg at a strange angle that was entirely unnatural, even for a freak like him… or whatever the hell he was supposed to be controlling.

I heard the creature hum slightly. Not in pain, but in… interest?

… masochistic asshole.

GRIP!

I reached down and grabbed his neck, lifting up the small and surprisingly light creature up to my own face. He attempted to kick his one good leg wildly, but that was to no avail, as his stubby legs could barely graze me.

“Hmm… Call of yer men, mask.” I ordered the talking porcelain mask, which regarded me with its ever-frozen smile. 

“Hmhmhm… or what?” he asked with a chuckle, as if amused by the situation. Hearing that, I quickly passed my eyes around the entire battlefield to make sure I wasn’t being snuck up on. I wasn’t.

Good.

“Or… Imma make ya wish ya were still locked up in that fancy glass cube of yer's’” I threatened with a smile, lifting up my gun to the side of its decrepit rotting face. “Honestly… the fact that ya thought ya could beat me with such a broken, disgusting corpse is already insulting enough… ya never stood a chance, smiles.”

“Hm, oh? Is that so?” He began once more, his smooth voice almost enrapturing me like a spider slowly covering its prey in a bed of webs. A feeling that, even despite our position, made me feel a twinge of unease as I stared into its lifeless eyes.

What could he be plann—

STAB!

“GAHH!” The air rushed from my lungs as a sudden, piercing pain entered through my back!

‘B-but… that’s impossible!’ I thought I began tilting my head. ‘Nobody was around—’

It was then I noticed it… the reason for my downfall and the cause of the new, yet permanent wound that punctured my back.

… the tail.

The creature's tail, which looked too thin and weak to do anything… had silently slithered beneath my feet, wrapped itself against the handle of my fallen knife… and stabbed me in the back.

Quickly at this realization, I attempted to pull the trigger on my gun and—

–CRACK!!!

With a simple stretch of his one working leg, a loud crack was shot through my ears like a stick in a hydraulic press, the bastard dislocating his own leg with impossible control of his own muscles, extending its range as—

BAM!

Like a nunchuck, he struck me in the face with the broken appendage, forcing me to release my grasp on both him and my gun as I went flying back, hitting against a piece of rubble—

STAB!

Which only furthered the knife that still remained in my back, causing it to sink in deeper and elicit an even more guttural scream of pain from my entire being.

“Grr… ugh… ahhh…” I moaned as I pushed off the rock, now on the floor. I reached behind me, feeling the handle of the knife. I cursed, knowing that I couldn't remove the thing now; otherwise, I would probably bleed to death in a handful of minutes without it stopping the blood from running out of my body.

“Heh… I will give you credit, ‘cowboy,’ you were right on one thing… This body is currently a pile of shit.” I heard the mask begin from across the battlefield, also on the ground on account of both his legs being completely mutilated and broken. Shadows of their former self Still, the bastard kept on laughing as he reached into his vest. “So… let's fix that little problem!”

… and pulled out an orange bottle… filled with glowing white pills.

The creature removed one before placing it in the exposed mouth of the devilish creature it was puppeting, which was only possible because of the way its face was slanted forward.

And the second he put it in?

… “hehehe… HAHAHA!!!” He began laughing like a maniac as the creature he was puppeting… changed.

Their flesh began to bubble and bulge erratically! Stretching, breaking, foxing itself, and stretching again across their entire body.

The skin that had long since slid off had begun to reemerge, wrapping itself over the once exposed muscle. The blood on the body almost seemed to slide off as if drenched in water before new blood began rushing through his now repaired veins.

The bones in their legs snapped back into place with sickening crunches, almost as if they broke themselves apart to make way for new, rapidly growing bones to take their place. How the process finished, I wasn’t sure, as the rapid regrowth of skin and muscle covered it up before the process fully healed them.

Color returned to every facet of the creature, turning from its sickly rotting color to a vibrant red and orange!

… Except for one… its eyes.

The eyes… remained dead. The thing was still just a corpse; it had just become a corpse that looked as if it were freshly dead, with no signs of aging or rot present on its body.

I watched on in awe, all while the bastard chuckled, admiring his hands, as if making sure everything was how it should be.

“Heh… I’m not gonna lie… I wasn't sure that was gonna work.” They chuckled grimly, nodding to themselves, satisfied with their current appearance… before turning to me and beginning his approach. He reached down to his revolver, reloading the weapon with six fresh bullets before spinning the chamber and slamming it shut. “Still, it’s a mighty fine appearance, wouldn't you say?”

Step…step…

He stood right in front of me, as I was forced to use the back wall as support to keep me upright.

Then, he raised his gun.

… Click.

“... I would say it’s nothing personal… But it’s entirely personal, you foundation bastard.” He began with a sadistic grin on his newly regrown face. “Any last words, cowboy?”

…I continued staring at him, refusing to blink. A cold sweat involuntarily rolled down my face, despite the explosions that echoed around the battlefield.

Even from here, I could see my men dying in the dozens. Some were gunned down by the D-class, others cut in half by the fox woman as she bounced around the battlefield like an animal, and others mutilated by the winged women from before, who had since extinguished the flames on her wings and rejoined the fight.

…I stood up taller, making it so that even with my hunched form, I still towered over the monster. I opened my mouth, ready to reply with a snarky comment as—

WHOOSH.

Only to stop myself, as I saw something appear around fifteen feet behind the mask bastard. An almost diamond-shaped portal that was bathed in a bright pink coloration that almost danced like flames around its perimeter. It was also big. Like BIG-big, big enough to fit an entire—

VROOM!

… Car.

…

…Oh, FUCK YEA!

“Hehehe… Well, aint that funny!” I chuckled, confusing the mask for a moment as he raised an eyebrow. Almost simultaneously, I saw a pair of headlights emerge from the portal. 

I looked up at the mask. 

“Ave’ a nice trip!”

“What… what are you–”

VROOOOM!!!

“Mask, watch out!” The winged bitch screamed as she noticed, but it was too late, as the loud roaring of an engine shot out of the portal as a large van emerged, ramming straight toward me and the mask!

However, taking advantage of the momentary distraction of the girls' scream, I launched myself forward and—with my groaning body—managed to whip my hand around and knock his gun aside, causing him to fire a couple bullets erratically in a random direction. 

“Suck on it, ya porcelain bastard!” I screamed in his face as—

BANG!

I kicked him backwards before jumping to the side, just in time as the van pulled up and—

BOOM!

Its hood ran directly into the devilish-looking bastard, causing him to scream in surprise as he went flying from the impact! Bones cracking and blood flying everywhere as he ragdolled through the air and crashed straight into the far wall.

It was also at that moment that the entire battlefield froze as the van screeched to a stop. Everyone was waiting with bated breath, confused by what had just happened and watching the van nervously…

… BAM!

The car door kicked up, allowing a figure to emerge… golden pistol in hand, horns and red skin similar to the corpse that the mask possessed… However, they were wearing a black outfit, their right eye surrounded by white skin compared to the red that drenched the rest of him… And a large, almost nightmarish smile crescents his wide lips as his eyes scream insanity.

“Alright, motherfuckers! DADDIE’S FUCKING HOME!”

…

…

A smaller, devilish figure with goat legs fell out from the car, landing face first against the concrete, their red skin almost a sickly green, demonstrating their sickly feeling as they threw up as they fell from the car.

“... I… FUCKING… hate you, sir.”

…

I smirked… As this battle had just gotten a lot more interesting.

 

---

Ashur POV

 

“Huff… Huff… Hu—”

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

The wind whipped around me recklessly, stopping the bullets before—

SHATTER!

The vortex of wind shattered like glass, cracking into a million pieces.

I swore internally, having the winds guide me as I rammed through a nearby wall, shattering it into pieces as I moved into another hallway.

“Alright… Alright, this is getting dumb!” I declared as the wall to the other hall shattered, a perfectly round hole appearing as the flying figure of the old man floated through. Their eyes were still staring at me as if I were nothing but a pest, guns floating around him having grown in number as the fight continued, almost as if he was gaining more and more control of reality itself.

“You… are not worthy of my wind.” I began with a huff as the figure lifted his hand, readying an attack. “So… I strip you… of the right to BREATHE!”

BOOM!

All at once, the air in his lungs shot out of his mouth, rushing towards me at my command in a straight line, allowing me to catch hold of it and shape it into a spear.

The momentary breathlessness caused the man to lose concentration for a fraction of a second, which was just enough time for me to rocket over to the man—

STAB!

And pierce him with the windy spear, made up of the same oxygen that had once occupied his very own lungs.

“DIE!” 

BOOM!

Then, on my command, the wind exploded outwards, causing more of this figure's blood to splash against the walls and rip open his skin and muscle as he went flying back, struggling for air.

I wouldn’t offer the man the luxury of time, however, as I surrounded my fist in a ball of wind and slingshotted toward him once more. Adamant on ending this fight, HERE AND NOW—

BOOM!

My attempted approach was thwarted, as I was tossed backwards by an unforeseeable powerful force. Crashing against the wall, I quickly opened my eyes, wanting to see what had occurred! Only to see… confetti?

Yes… Confetti was flying in the air where the floor once occupied, as if transformed into thin pieces of colored paper. Across the way, the other man looked just as confused. Though, seemingly, he did something to make it so that he no longer needed to breathe, as he no longer squirmed without the oxygen in his lungs.

Shame… Missed my opportunity. No way that trick will work anymore.

‘Still, what is—’

BADOOM!

My heart almost forgot to beat for a second as a familiar yet dangerous feeling overpowered me. Similar to the one felt before encountering the old man.

It was a feeling… of absolute dread…

WHOOSH!

Which was only backed up as a figure flew up from the hole, confetti surrounding them like butterflies as they rose.

I was taken aback by them. Mostly because of how… young they were. They were young, looking as if they were only 8 or 9 years old. Their youthful features were complemented by the clothing they wore, which also made it obvious that they were a girl.

On top of their tiny head, which possessed medium-length blonde hair, was a large purple witch hat. It looked just slightly too big to fit on their head, but somehow it did. Meanwhile, they also wore a long flowing cloak, not unlike those that wizards of old wore, except significantly more colorful with its bright purple, along with images of yellow stars dotted around the clothing they wore.

Most people might have laughed at the girl's appearance… Not me… I was too busy calming my sweating palms as I felt an impossibly strong power emanating off of the young girl, power that rivaled even some of the strongest of champions I have met in my very long lifetime.

I should know… as even the wind quivered at her mere appearance.

So I just waited, which was a sentiment shared by the old man, watching the girl.

She, for her part, just looked between us. Her eyes were wide with curiosity, though also downtrodden, as if she had just woken up from a long nap.

Her starry eyes continued to bounce between us, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Until eventually…

WHOOSH!

The colorful confetti began to glow brighter, forcing me to cover my eyes, as it began to fly around her, making her appear as a massive disco ball. 

I watched as the glowing paper moved faster and faster, glowing brighter and brighter!

Until finally…

She spoke.

…

“Do you wanna play with me?”

And then… my entire field of vision… was covered with the bright burning colors.

As I felt my skin get scorched.

And a horrible pain… entered my mind.

Notes:

SCP-035: you can't stop me, for I am unstoppable—

Blitzo (in van.): HONK HONK, OUTTA THE WAY MOTHERF@CKER!

SCP-035: (Gets FUCKING run over.)

 

Hi! Finally, the end of this arc is upon us! The final battle of site-008 has started. Winner if this fight, whether good or evil, will forever change the trajectory of the history of this world.

Also, I do want to apologize for thus chapter getting posted much later then usual. I needed to do a lot of last minute check ups with it today, which included completely changing certain parts of Mikells POV, and adding the whole end but with Ashur. I'm just glad I managed to get out our today at all.

Oh, ALSO! I forgot to do this last time since I was in such a rush, but I want to shout out
LordOfInterest678, who was actually the one who recommended Richard Chappell (AKA: SCP-046-ARC) a while ago and was the reason for his inclusion in the story! I am so sorry for forgetting that last time, but still. I recommend to check them out! They have been here since day one, and have numerous SCP and Hazbin five of their own! And thanks again for the recommendation!

Still, I really hope you guys liked it, especially since this chaoter was mostly combat, and I know that isn't every ones cup of tea. Still, hope it was entertaining!

So, please drop a kudos if you've enjoyed! Leave a comment if you have any questions, ideas, wisecracks, jokes, or anything in between! And I will see you all next week!

Have an amazing day!

Chapter 77: The fall of site—008: (Part 2) Let's play together!

Summary:

Amanda comes to an understanding.

Blitzo makes an unlikely friendship.

Ashur continues his fight with the decrpeid old man and the nine year old child... goes about as well as you expect.

Notes:

"Are friendships formed in the most unlikely of places?"

 

Amanda POV

 

I felt sweat dripping down my face, dampening it as I made my way down the hall, my new gun in hand, which was a… umm… Ok, I'm not actually sure what it was; I was just told it was some sort of automatic weapon and that it will probably serve me better than the pistol.

'Speaking of my pistol.' I turned my head to gaze at the man who was now holding the weapon. AKA, a very clingy butler that walked by my side, who also wore a very… apologetic look on his face.

Mr. Deeds, also known as SCP-662, has helped me a lot through this labyrinth of a facility and deserved that much praise… However, after the run-in with that collection of D-class where he was killed and nearly doomed me to a similar fate, he has been extremely apologetic. Especially so when I rang the bell a couple of minutes ago to summon him, during which he immediately apologized for being a ‘failure of a butler.’

Honestly, if this were a different situation, I might have chewed him out about the whole thing. However, now was not the time for that.

Especially considering the suicide mission I somehow get myself involved in.

I sighed… ‘How the fuck did this happen to me?’ I asked myself as I took a moment to look around me, noticing the LARGE escort of people I had become a part of, most of whom were soldiers, as we made our way toward an abandoned stairway that we began to move through.

While we did, I began thinking back to the last hour of my life.

That being, after showing the strange device that Justin had entrusted me with to Donna and her friends, she had revealed to me how the device was actually used to activate the MASSIVE FUCKING REALITY ANCHOR that I had been shown during my initial tour of the facility. The exact device that I was going to begin working with while here.

‘I wonder if that’s still gonna happen after this is all over.’ I asked myself as I moved down the doors, before quickly shaking my head. ‘Whatever, that’s not important right now. All that matters is the mission… and finding Justin.’

…I still haven’t forgotten about my promise to save him.

Regardless, even I can admit that this takes priority over finding him.

Speaking of which, the mission… As soon as Donna had learned of my acquisition of the device, she had put into action one final plan.

That being splitting the entire survivor camp into two groups.

One group, filled with the majority of the scientists and a sizable escort of guards, were instructed to move up in the facility and attempt to escape. Apparently the hypothetical escape of this so-called SCP-046-ARC scared her so much that she felt the cafeteria was no longer safe and that they should try to evacuate the confines of the facility walls as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the rest of us would go on what, as she had described it, was a potential suicide mission to the closest master terminal to activate the reality anchor in the facility, which, although unfinished, she believes still has enough power to at least stop the escaped reality benders in this facility for at least a little bit.

One of the few remaining high-ranking scientists had asked why not just activate the on-site nuclear warhead instead of going through all the trouble. In response, besides the obvious of our survival, she also described that the warhead more than likely won't stop the reality benders, and if anything, will just make it easier for them to escape and reap untold havoc against the rest of the world.

So… yeah, the nuclear warhead is out, and the reality anchor seems to be our only viable option left.

So we made our way to what Donna described as the closest master terminal, which, ironically enough, just so happened to be the one next to the massive Reality Anchor itself.

… Fun.

Still, my inner loathing was cut suspiciously short, as I suddenly felt a pressure on my shoulder. 

I flinched, and so did Mr. Deeds, though his flinch was… considerably more extreme, as he immediately raised his gun up to the assailant of my shoulder.

“Unhand my lady immidia—”

“I—It’s ok, Deeds.” I quickly gestured for him to stop, at which he quickly complied and lowered the gun as he went into a staunch bow. “As you wish, milady.”

“Heh, interesting. I’ve never seen the butler so protective of any one individual before.” Donna's familiarly soothing tone fluttered into my ear, causing me to turn and look at her. Neither of us stopped moving, as we both knew stopping now could be a death sentence to those above, but we kept the conversation going as we descended the stairs. “He must have taken quite a shine to you.”

“Heh… Yeah, well, that can be exhausting in its own right.” I replied with a tired sigh before turning it into a lackadaisical smile. “Though… not exactly unappreciated."

… Mr. Deeds looked like he gained a tad too much smugness from my words.

Still, Donna nodded. “Good. Not everyone is as naturally gifted when it comes to interacting with these anomalies as you are.” She began, before hitting me on the shoulder lightly. “Hold that gift close. Might save your life someday.”

I chuckled while rubbing the shoulder. “Yea, well… I feel like it already has multiple times today.” I half-joked…

…

“... Nervous?” She asked.

I sighed, “Of course I am. I mean… Hell, literally like six hours ago, I was just some random level 2 scientist that got transferred here! And now…” I felt the weight in my pocket. “... Now I'm carrying a device that might save… heh, everybody. It’s… scary—and I… I don’t know, I just… I don’t know.”

…

“... So many people died today. So many people got hurt today who are just… better than me.”

Justin’s name went unspoken as I had the thought.

“Yet… I’m the one who survived– a-and better yet, I'm the one who apparently has the one thing that can fix this mess! I… I just don’t know how to react to it all.” I whimpered out silently, barely even noticing as Mr. Deed's eyes began to grow somber, a reflection of Donna’s, as they shared a similar shade of gray.

…

“Sometimes… I feel like I don’t deserve to be alive… standing in this position—and it’s weird because this is all new! All of this! I have never been anything special, and yet… by some cruel twist of fate, I’m here.” My head sagged downward. “... It should have been him… not me.”

…

…

“Dreamer.” Donna suddenly whispered to me.

I… kind of froze at that word.

“W-what? What are you—”

“That’s the word I thought of… when I first met you, and after reading your file.” She continued, staring me straight in the eyes. “You’re a dreamer. Someone who… wishes not to change themselves to fit their surroundings but changes their surroundings to fit themselves. Someone with a million ideas… Heh, like a starry sky… each idea is a brilliant supernova, just waiting to burst.”

“I… what?” I muttered confused, unsure what was happening. “Where are you going—”

“You know… the foundation itself was once just that… an idea… one single idea amongst billions.” She continued, before throwing a chuckle to her side. “And even then, it was a pretty lackluster idea. The idea of some underground organization containing creatures that, by all logic and reason, should have made us all go extinct? Holding these unfathomably powerful eldritch horrors in flimsy metal boxes, all for the sake of protecting the world? Saving those who… can’t save themselves by hiding it all from them.”

“It’s stupid… impossible, ridiculously so!” She loudly proclaimed… before pressing a hand back onto my shoulder and looking me in the eyes. “Even the most starry-eyed fool would say so.”

“... And yet… it happened.” She stared deeper into my eyes. “... And do you want to know why?”

“I… w-wh–”

“Because of dreamers like you.” She continued, not even waiting for me to answer. “Because one day… someone decided to take that impossible dream, that… horribly illogical idea… and make it a reality! They managed to turn the foundation… something that was just a mere speck in the ocean of thought that passes through all mortal beings… and turn it into humanity’s bastion of hope… its first and, possibly, last line of defense.” 

… Those words felt… strange.

They bounced around in my mind for a moment, as if trying to make sense of them. I understood what she was saying, I really do, but… It was impossibly hard to fathom the thought of the foundation—THE foundation… as being just a dream… It just didn't sit right with me.

Still…

“Why… Why are you telling me this?” I found myself asking, causing an unprompted smile to flash brightly against her face. 

“Because… Dreamers don’t stop because something is impossible. They don’t listen to the world and sit down and take it… no… they change the world to fit their dream.” She spoke, scratching the side of her head. “Obviously, I can’t pretend to know who started all of this, who made this fantasy into our reality… but I know that whoever it is must be a dreamer, or at least I like to think that.”

She turned to me again. “And I feel that from you… You aren’t here because it’s impossible… You're here because you have a dream, and you made sure the world heard that dream.”

“We aren’t given the right to do the impossible… we have to seize it.” Her smile grew. “And that’s what you did! You seized that opportunity… That's why you're here.”

“Not because you got lucky, or because you aren’t worthy… You're here because you are a dreamer. A dreamer who can turn even the wildest of ideas into something worthwhile." 

She smiled.

“Remember that.”

And with that… she left. Going back to lead the front of the group as we made our way through these halls.

These halls…

‘All from an idea, huh?’ I gazed around, staring at these once lifeless steel walls with a brand new light. 

“Everything alright, malady?” Deeds eventually asked me after I stayed silent for a moment. “You… you're not having a stroke again, are you?”

“N-no, I'm not—wait, again? What are you—you know what, it doesn’t matter.” I shrugged that off before turning back to the butler…

Mr. Deeds.

…

“Hey, Deeds?”

“Yes, Malady?”

“Thanks for… being there for me… through all of this.” I earnestly thanked him, causing surprise to flash across his face for a moment at its genuineness. “You are… probably one of the best friends I could've asked for to help me through all of this.”

“... friend.” He repeated, sounding almost unsure of himself as he did so.

I just nodded before giving him a smile.

“I… I appreciate that, Milady… t-that you’d consider me a… a friend.”

“Hmm, of course.” I replied, before turning back to the rest of the group, a newfound flame ignited in my eyes. “Now come on! I've got a dream to make.”

“Of course, malady!” He replied with a jovialness of his own before following me down the hall towards the group.

We were both SO jovial, in fact… that neither of us managed to notice the pair of blood-red eyes that gazed at us as we left.

… or the telltale signs of it slithering away into the dark. Eager to inform its master about our location.

---

Blitzo POV

 

…

…

…

“... Umm… sir? You said we were just after Striker, right?” Moxie asked, unsure.

“Yep! Exactly!” I answered as I loaded my pistol.

“Alright… ok… So, if that’s the case… why are we in the middle of a FUCKING WARZONE?!” He angrily screamed at me before peeking over the hood of the car, releasing a torrent of bullets wildly past our makeshift barricade as we ducked for cover behind the van. 

“Aww, decided to wake up and be a pussy today, Moxxie?” I butted back with a smile as I peeked around the car and took a couple of shots against the crowd of… strangely dressed people. “Come on, be more like your better half for a second, would ya? She ain’t afraid, ain’t that right, Millie!?”

“I… huh?” She responded as if knocked out of a daze. Her left hand gripped onto her large axe (which was twice her size, fucking SICK), while the other grabbed onto her stomach for some random reason. 

“… Umm… oh, uh… Yeah, com’on Mox! I’m sure it’ll be… fine.” She repeated unsurely, her eyes twitching down to the corner as she fidgeted with the axe.

Moxxie raised an eyebrow in concern. “Hey, Millie, is… everything alright—”

“Alright?! Pfft, yeah, of course! Everything’s—everything’s just dandy! Wh-why wouldn’t it be!” She nervously sputtered out, as if caught off guard.

Which was… strange, considering who she was.

Still, just as I was about to say something… I noticed it.

Not too far ahead of the car… lying down in a heap of flesh, but just beginning to move… were the recognizable, yet surprisingly tattered, clothes of that rattlesnake-tongued, cowboy motherFUCKER!

Looking at where he was, I must have hit him with my van… Heh, and Moxxie says I’m a piss-poor driver!

Still, he was beginning to move. Their backs were facing towards us as they rose from the ground, clearly disoriented.

I smiled.

“Hey, M and M, you two can worry about your lovey-dovey shitfest later! I see the bastard we gotta murder!” I urgently reminded them, pointing their attention to the man. 

Immediately upon doing so, both of their eyes immediately lit with recognition before dimming with visceral hatred for the man.

‘… Gee, I wonder why.’ I thought to myself, before allowing a smirk to cross me.

“Alright gang, now let’s go fuck his SHIT UP!” I screamed as I ran ahead, with both M and M following me, and my little Loona not too far behind them!

‘Still can’t believe she talked me into letting her come.’ I chastised myself as I remembered my initial denial of her inclusion. However… sigh, she ended up convincing me. ‘Something about how she wants to show off to… Vortex of some bullshit? I—I don’t know.’

Regardless, I charged ahead, leading the way to the bastard as I raised my gun up and—

CRASH!

Got immediately thrown onto my ass as I felt something heavy impact the ground behind me.

Urgently, I stood, turning around to see what had caused it and—

“I-Is that a fucking exorcist?!?” Moxxie screamed like a wuss and—

‘Wait, did he say exorcist?’ I quickly realized as I took in the scene and… yep! Now standing between me and the rest of my crew stood a very… very… pissed-off-looking woman, wearing a ripped black latex outfit, not dissimilar to those worn by exorcists.

Though, admittedly, the biggest giveaway were the SIX MASSIVE FUCKING WINGS ON HER BACK!

‘Hmm… guess Verosika wasn’t lying about the exorcist.’ I realized to myself as a cold sweat began building on my neck. ‘Welllll…. Shiiiiiiiiiiit.’

“You… You won’t get past me!” She declared angrily as she drew back her wing and—

SLAS–

TING!

Attempted to cut through the three of them, only to be halted as Millie quickly rose to her feet and swung her MASSIVE FUCKING AXE, which clashed against the wings, causing them both to seize their movements.

The exorcist actually looked surprised at this development but quickly recovered as she used her other wings to fly forward, knocking all of them back further and straight into our van, resulting in them groaning in pain.

“Gahh, Loony! Grrr, fucking bitch!” He quickly screamed, raising my gun up, planning on shooting her in the back of the fucking head as—

CLUTCH!

Something grabbed me from behind and—

“Hey, stranger danger—Stranger dang—”

CHUCK!

And with what I can only describe as a suplex, he threw me backwards! Causing me to skid against the ruined gravel roads before eventually grinding to a stop with my claws. 

“Gahh, fuck!” I looked at my nails, noting how scratched they were from my impromptu use of them. I growled before staring up at my assailant. “Hey, you gonna fucking pay for a pedicure, bitch! Cause you just fucked up my fucking fingers that I use to fucking FUCK—”

“Hmhm, my my, so much indecency.” They chuckled calmly as I finally realized who this was. Though they did sound… very different? Like… refined? It was weird. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”

…

I decided not to pay attention to the weird fucking change in demeanor.

“No, but I’LL FUCK YOURS WITH IT!” I angrily screamed as I quickly rose to my feet, using my hands to vault myself upwards, before reaching for my knife on my belt with my left hand, my gun still in my right as I looked at… him.

The fucking COWBOY! He looked almost just how Verosika described him. Wearing his same fucking outfit, with the exception of the… porcelain mask, the same kind she described him wearing.

‘Doesn’t look like he’s rotting, though, so at least I can correct her in that regard.’ I thought smugly to myself before turning back to the man.

“Heh… It's been a while, Striker. Last time we fought, I kicked your ass!” I reminded the so-called bounty hunter, who stared at me with a… strangely blank expression. “What’s with the mask, anyway? What, finally realized that you’re one ugly son-of-a-bitch that nobody in their right fucking MIND would ever even consider FUCKING if they saw that ugly thing you wore on your—”

“Do I know you?” He cut me off, as…

… “Fucking what?”

“Do I… am I supposed to know you?” He asked again… genuinely confused.

“I… I’m… You know, Blitz?” I answered, kind of taken aback by the situation. “I… I mean, we’ve… you know… the fuck?”

“Hmm… Blitz, Blitz…” He began thinking with surprising seriousness. I was so taken aback by the sheer insanity that I did not even bother trying to attack at the moment.

Until finally, he snapped his fingers, as if in recognition. “Ahh, right. Blitzo—”

“--The O is silent, bitch—”

“The gun for hire! The… blue bloods fuck toy, as this body seems to so humbly remember you as.” He spoke before lowering his hands down to his hips. “Yes, yes… I remember you now… hmm, alright. Change of plans.”

Then, the bastard, extended a hand out toward me. I looked at it confused before he began speaking again. “I will forgive your… little accident with the van…”

He growled slightly in annoyance as he mentioned the van.

“…So long as you join me.”

…

…

“… I’m sorry, fucking what?” Was all I could reply as I stared at… him? Was this… Is this…

“… Alright, what the fuck happened to you, Striker-these-nuts? You were all like, ‘Ugh, I’m a cool cowboy fucker that’s way too good with a fucking whip but actually hasn’t beaten a fucking person since I ruined my mother’s vagina,’ and now you’re all dignified and shit?” I began talking, which seemed to make them pause for a second. 

“I—”

“And while we’re on that fact, what are you fucking saying? That you’ll ‘spare’ me if I ‘join you?’ Hah, fat chance, you golden-toothed fucker! In case you forgot, that deal didn’t exactly work well for you the last time you gave it to me.” It was at that moment that I spun the gun in my hand wildly before aiming it straight at the man. “And it sure as hell isn't gonna work now… But you know what? I don’t care. I don't FUCKING care. All I care about now is that I’m here to kill you, once and for all. And before I do it, I want you to know that it’s not for all the shit you pulled before. All the massive—ginormous mistakes you made fucking with me and my family! Putting them through Hell! No… this time, it’s business."

Click.

“… Verosika says fuck you.”

BANG!

As expected, he dodged to the left.

BANG BANG!

So I shot twice more where he dodged, expecting the movements.

The bullets skimmed his shoulder, but he managed to just barely avoid anything worse.

He then pulled out his own gun, aiming it.

Though I had the advantage, pulling my trigger first—

SLASH!

“Ahh, FUCK!” I swore as a knife flew out of FUCKING NOWHERE and immediately hit the gun out of my hand, slashing my palm as it skidded against the ground, falling next to my favorite golden gun!

I turned angrily toward ‘Striker,’ noting that his tail was outstretched, realizing the bastard had thrown the bladed weapon with his thin, wire-like tail. 

Fucking bitch—

‘Wait, SHIT! No time to focus on—‘

BANG!

Dodged just in time by rolling to my left, barely missing as a bullet clattered against the floor.

As it did, the bastard spoke again.

“Disappointing, but not unexpected. Your refusal came from a place of misplaced confidence and, if I might, stupidity," he spoke without a care.

I growled, turning to him and—

BANG!

Dodging once more as I jumped behind cover.

After I did, the bullets did not cease. They just kept FUCKING COMING! THE PRICK! REFUSING TO GIVE ME ANY CHANCE OF PEEKING OUT!

“Shit shit shitshitshitshitshit!!!” I quickly repeated as I opened up my vest, pulling out my SECOND favorite golden gun.

“Dammit, Dammit, Dammit—M and M, get your asses over here and—” I stopped as I noticed they were still in the middle of fighting the winged FREAK near the van. “... Right, they got that bitch. Ugh, fine!”

I loaded my gun, smirking as I looked to my left. “I have to do every fucking thing around here, huh? Heh, its fine… I’ll just—”

I stopped speaking as I finished craning my head to the left…

Only to notice a fucking human sitting there, cowboy hat in hand, back bloodied, as they stared at me with a bemused expression.

“...”

“...”

“...Sup.” 

“Sup.” He responded with a southern drawl to his voice, befitting of his cowboy hat.

…

…

“You, uhh… fight sharpshooting cowboy wannabe demons often?” He asked after a few moments of awkward silence.

“... Yes, actually.”

“Ahh.”

…

…

…

“You, uhh… wanna kill that bastard that’s shooting at us?” He asked, and I just nodded.

“I mean… yeah. Guy’s a dick. Plus business, so… yeah.” I responded nonchalantly.

“Cool, cool… umm… so do I, actually.” He responded.

I hummed in interest. “Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

"Cool, cool."

…

…

…

He pulled out a gun.

“Wanna double-team tha bastard?” He asked with a sharp grin. “And I don’t mean in tha sex way.”

I returned the smirk. “Only if I get to be the one to lay the bastard down.”

He shrugged. “As long as I get tha mask, he’s all yours.”

“Heh… Alright then!” I cocked my gun!

“LET’S FUCK HIS SHIT UP!!!”

---

Ashur POV

 

“Haha! Fun, fun, FUN! This is so much fun!” Her childlike laughter filtered through the air, bouncing off the walls, not dissimilar to how the source of the laughter herself also bounced from wall to wall, moving so fast that any strike of wind I sent her way missed and only left large indents against the aged concrete as proof that they once existed.

“Grr, dammit, stay STILL!” I screamed as I clenched my fists together and—

BOOM!

A massive spike of wind shot from my conjoined fists, ripping through the hallways and piercing straight toward the young girl in purple robes. 

Her starry eyes flashed curiosity for a second as she noticed the wind rippling toward her… until.

She smiled and—

GRIP!

… grabbed the wind… Suddenly, with a brilliant flash of violet-colored light, the wind went from a non-physical form and transformed into a…

‘A pink ribbon?’ I realized, seeing this object take on this strange new form, as the ribbon stretched along the entire length of the hall and… was… wrapped around my two hands…

“... Oh, fuc—”

WHOOSH!

As suddenly, grabbing the other end, the girl with impossible strength pulled me toward her with the ribbon, moving so fast that I couldn't even stop myself! All I could hear was the rushing wind trying to keep up and the girl's laugh as I eventually was pulled all the way in front of her and—

I immediately stopped as the girl laughed in front of me.

“Hahaha… you're it!” She chuckled as she stared straight at me with her bright yellow eyes as she lifted a single finger, poked my nose, and—

BOOM!

Like a rocket, I shot off in the other direction, back from whence I came.

The whole world around me became nothing but a blur, a smear of paint against a canvas…

BANG!

Until eventually, my back struck something solid.

… Something… very… very… solid.

“... OUCH!” Was what I mustered the will to say, feeling as the back of my black leather jacket got torn to shreds by the impact, the wall already stained by my blood.

Or, should I say, the FORMER wall. As the whole thing collapsed by the sheer speed I had crashed into it with.

“Ha, hahaha! This is so much fun!” The girl repeated herself, clapping her hands. “It’s been a while since I’ve played with anybody! This is so much fun, thank you!”

“Grr… yeah, no problem… spoiled brat.” I said the last part beneath me as I began to rise, wiping the rubble and dust off of my outfit as I had done so… Fuck, this was all gonna hurt in the morning.

Or… you know… hurt more than it already was.

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

My inner moping was cut short, as I heard the familiar sound of bullets flying through the air. Looking up, I realized that the old, naked man from before had managed to fly high above the girl and—not only fire at her with his floating guns but also transformed dozens and dozens of more guns, each seemingly embedded in the floor, ceiling, or walls as they began shooting wildly at her.

Who, in response, barely seemed to notice as—

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH!

All the bullets changed mid-flight, turning into… tiny birds? 

They were a weird purple color and happily began flying around her, tweeting a happy little song.

She laughed as they did, petting them as the space was quickly filled with hundreds of birds!

Noting this, the old man growled as he stopped firing the bullets before raising his hand.

And clenched it as—

VWOOM!

Every single bird in the space turned into high-explosive grenades. The little girl barely had any time to even register the change before they activated.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! BOOOOOOOM!!!!!

They all went off in a symphony of flames and shrapnel, completely clouding that side of the hallway from me.

I waited with bated breath, sharply intaking as the world went silent.

The old man did the same, breathing heavily as he stared at the cloud of smoke apprehensively, worried that at any moment it might jump out and attack him.

Which… to his credit… it did just that five seconds later as—

WHOOSH!

The smoke whipped around wildly, almost like a rope, before snapping upwards and wrapping the old man by his neck.

“... You hurt… my friends…”

A childish voice echoed, with no sense of the usual joy or playfulness present as it had done so. The source of it was unseeable, even to me. Almost sounding like it was coming from 

“You… hurt them… you’re… a bully.”

My eyes frantically dashed around the room like the wind, searching for where… where she was and—

“And bullies… deserve… punishment…”

BOOM!

Suddenly, a large beam of purple energy shot down on the bound man, hitting him in the back and sending him crashing to the floor before exploding in brilliant, technicolored lights.

Quickly I stared up, eyes wide as I saw the girl floating there above him, her cloak billowing in my wind like a flag, her red eyes piercing down upon the man as if she could kill him with that alone… which I doubt, to be honest—

‘Wait… hold on.’ I halted my search as a realization crept up my spine… Well, less of a realization and more so an observation. As I noticed, there was something about her that was different… something… darker.

‘Why… why are her eyes red?’ I found myself questioning as I stared at the girl, remembering that when she first showed up, her eyes were that of a brilliant yellow. I remember that because she pulled me toward her earlier in the fight, very close to her, allowing me to get a very… unobscured look before getting thrown back like a doll in a young princess’s playroom.

But… her eyes changed color? Or… were these the original? And the yellow eyes were fake? An illusion?

‘But why? Why would they—’

Wait… THE DEMONS!

I began thinking as the wind fluctuated around me, warning me of oncoming trouble as the old man and girl began their SUPER INTENSE! And SUPER CINEMATIC OFFSCREEN FIGHT! I didn’t pay attention, however, as I was in the middle of an EPIPHANY!

‘Alright, think, Ashur, THINK! Red is the color of fire, fire is warm, and candles are also warm! You can use candles to make summoning circles. Summoning circles make a doorway to hell! Hell is where demons are, and demons are fuckers—AND DICKS! And demons have taken over my fortress; the demon slayer told me that, and the demon slayer said that they have controlled or replaced the great warriors here. "Replaced" is just a fancy word for mind control according to some TV shows. Demons have eyes, she has eyes, demons are red, her eyes are red—LE GASP!’

“SHE’S BEING MIND CONTROLLED BY THE DEMONS!” I screamed with a flash of genius before chuckling to myself. “Man… aren’t I smart—”

WRAP!

“Hmm?” I was cut short as I felt a thin, rubbery item wrap around me. Looking down, I noticed what appeared to be the end of a green jump rope had ensnared itself around me.

“... Well, that isn’t—”

PULL!

“GAH!” I let out a startled cry as I felt the jump rope get pulled with herculean might, forcing me to fly down the hall. I looked up as I was, noting the same girl staring at me with her blood-red eyes as she pulled me toward her. I braced myself, ready for a follow-up—

WHOOSH!

Only for her to catapult me past her, still connected to the rope. I was confused for a moment before I stared ahead and—

CRASH!

– I was thrown straight into the old man! His hands were licked with massive pyres of flames as if about to attack the girl with them, only for the flame to extinguish and his plans to fail as I crashed into him, quite literally knocking the wind out of him!

Neither of us could even afford a moment to recover, however, as—

WHOOSH—

BAM!

Defying all laws of physics, the girl bent the jump rope to send us flying straight up! Crashing straight through the ceiling and onto the next floor!

CRASH!

And the next.

BOOM!

The next.

CRASH.

And the next—

BOOM!

CRASH!

BAM!

This kept going on. Any attempt I tried to escape the confines of the toy was met with failure. Even the old man somehow got wrapped up in the same jump rope that was used to apprehend me, as neither of us could do anything but brace ourselves as we continued crashing through flight after flight of floors.

Until…FINALLY…after what felt like forty floors and a surprisingly significant amount of my immortal life… We crashed through one last floor.

…And we're met with fresh air and high-reaching mountains in our surroundings… and the light basking us originating from my friend the sun.

The child had forced us outside.

 

Notes:

Blitzo: (Stares at Mikell)

Mikell: (Stares and Blitzo.)

Blitzo: Are we best friends now!?

Mikell: I think we are!

 

SO.... THIS CHAPTER TOOK SOOOOOOOOO LONG TO POST!

I am so sorry this is so late, I was swamped with a million things this week and barely had time to write anything. Which, you know, is also why this chapter is much, MUCH shorter then I wanted it to be.

Because of that, this chapter, ive decided, will be split in half. Meaning that the fall of site-008 will go on for 2 more chapters... once more, I am sorry for how long this arc has taken. But I have spent so much time on it and I still genuinly want it to be good!

Regardless, I still hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you did, leave a kudos. Drop a comment if you have any questions, ideas, wisecracks, jokes, suggestions, or anything in-between and I will see you next time! Have a fantateristic day!

See you next week!

Chapter 78: The fall of site—008: (Part 3) The fall of...

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

An Exterminator vs hellborne.

A new combatant.

A cowboys duel (+ 1 Blitzo).

... When a plan goes downhill... and the dreamers lose-

Notes:

"How much blood will you spill for your own freedom?"

 

Asaph POV

 

… TING!

WHOOSH—

TING TANG!

The… slippery little BITCH jumped back, using the momentum of my last attack to propel herself back, before turning it into a triple backflip and landing perfectly on her feet, despite the fact that she was still holding onto a giant, red-and-black axe that was twice her size.

“Grr, get outta our way!” She screamed to me, her eyes flickering past my towering visage… at least in relation to her short stature.

Still, it was pretty obvious what they were looking at. That being the one poor Imp that I couldn’t stop in time, meaning they now had to fight the mask by themselves.

…Well, him and that poor mortal, I suppose. But I was not really worried about him.

No doubt these remaining demons were worried about him. Especially since he seemed to be the leader of this estranged, motley crew of hellborn fucks.

“Heh, aww, that’s cute. You hellbornes sure have gotten confident since the last extermination I was a part of.” I began mocking while also jumping back to dodge a side attack from the wild hellhound while also using my wings to deflect the attacks by the goat-legged imp in the corner, who continued shooting at me like it’d fucking do anything. “Still, I'm afraid I can’t let you go. You brimstone bastards might have gotten unlucky showing up here, but trust me when I say I have no love for you or your accursed species—”

The imp with goat legs suddenly reached into the van and pulled out a long, cylindrical, cannon-looking device.

“... Bitch, is that a bazooka—"

He pulled the trigger—

BOOM!

And I was quickly overtaken by shrapnel and flame, as the shockwave from the hit sent me flying back, skidding on my feet to stop myself.

“Hah! Actually, this is an MK 152 SMAW,” he began smugly as the corner of his mouth curled into a cocky smirk. “Imported fresh straight from Carmilla Industrie—”

WHOOSH!

I flew out of the cloud of dust and straight for the bastard, who immediately widened his eyes in panic.

“Ohh—CRUMBS!” He screamed before jumping to the side and—

SLASH!

Just barely avoiding my slash with my wings, which caused a large gash to appear against the side of the van, cutting through its flimsy metal walls cleanly.

I paid it no mind as I turned on a dime, staring down at the wide-eyed Imp who was now on the floor crawling back as I raised another of my six wings and—

SLA–

TING!

As my wing was interrupted once more, as the fiendish Imp girl with the large axe from before got in my way again, a look of pure vitriolic hatred was present on her face as she glared at me. There was such anger, such disdain present, that for half a second I forgot I was looking at nothing more than a mere imp.

“Hands. Off. My. Mox.” She spoke slowly and with a growl.

I sneered before attempting to push her back with the strength of my wings and…

It didn't budge! 

I tried again… Nothing. She stood unmoving even as my wings grinded against her axe! 

My eyes widened in panic and confusion! What?! How!? How is this creature matching me in strength!? I am an angel; they’re nothing but a lowly born imp. How could they possibly be—

Drip… Drip…

My panic ceased as I noticed something behind the imp begin to emerge. Something… forming against the wall of the van they used to drive here with.

As I saw the metal begin to… rust and blacken.

…

I smiled as a grimdark chuckle began whistling from my mouth. Never thought I’d be happy to see him.

“Hmm, whatcha laughin’ about?” The girl asked with anger and confusion as she saw my expression morph, resulting in her pushing harder.

I didn’t care, however, as I only gave a cocky smirk. “Oh, nothing. Just enjoying one last look at your ugly face before never seeing it again.”

The imp girl raised an eyebrow, confused by my words, as she didn’t even notice as, from the black goop that had formed on the side of the van… A decrepit hand had already emerged, blending into the inky blackness of the substance coating the van.

However, someone else did notice… and their eyes widened in panic before they scrambled forward!

“Millie!” The goat-legged Imp screamed as—

SHOVE!

They pushed their female counterpart away, just in time as the hand reached forward and—

GRIP!

SINGE!!!

As he began screaming in pain as the old man’s hand gripped onto his arm! His demonic skin is already beginning to bubble and rot away from his touch.

At this point I also retracted my wings as the girl was pushed away.

Speaking of which… The girl quickly turned back, her eyes also the size of dinner plates as she stared at the scene ahead of them!

“Mox!” She quickly yelped out before tearing her enraged eyes off me and to the old man, who had now exited the portal to his pocket dimension and was standing over the screaming imp. “Let. HIM. GO!!!”

She screamed as she dashed forward, lining up her axe as she built up momentum and—

SWING!

CRASH!

With impossible force for most, he crashed the axe straight into the gooey man’s shoulder. Immediately, the force caused him to let go of the goat-legged imp, as he quickly fell to the ground on his knees, his left arm now littered with burnt wounds, which were already beginning to fester from the old man's ability. Although, I can admit that the result wasn’t as bad as it would've typically been on a normal human, prompting me to conclude that perhaps imps have some strange, more natural immunity to whatever the hell the mute bastard was.

“KEEP YOUR HANDS—” The female imp retracted her axe, causing a spray of the creature's black blood to splatter and hiss against the ground. Her axe’s edge also looked rotted from the blow, but if she noticed, she didn’t care, as she simply swung once more, even harder, at the smiling creature's side. “- OFF A’ HIM!”

SLASH!

The axe connected against the monster's side. Causing a groan to escape his perpetual smile. He did raise a hand to grab the upper handle of the axe, but that did little to help him as—

BANG!

The momentum forced him to crash against the side of the van. The woman continued staring at the man with such anger and hate that I swore she was about to spit out hellfire.

Still, the old man seemed unworried as he looked at her, just smiling as he met her very damning eyes with his own, comparatively dead ones. 

I also noticed that the imp with goat legs attempted to stand, grabbing another gun from his back holster.

I didn’t let him though, as I quickly moved forward and bashed him with my wings, causing him to grunt and fall back to the ground.

“Hmm, Mox!?” The female imp noticed the noise, her eyes tearing from the gooey monster to stare at her very obvious beloved.

Still… that one moment was enough to doom her fate, as suddenly while her eyes were turned—

CREEEEE—

TANG!

The old man snapped the head of the axe off, using the already rusted handle he was holding onto and his own supernatural strength to accomplish this feat.

The female imp was thrown off by the sudden loss of weight for a single moment, but that was enough for the old man to pull the axe head out of his side and—

BAM!

Smashed the blunt side of the axe right into the woman's face, causing her to spit up bile as she skittered back.

She did recover quickly, barely even letting the pain register as she balanced on her feet once more, holding nothing but the long handle of her axe.

Still, that was enough time for me.

SLASH!

“GAHH!” She screamed in pain as I cut forward, digging deep into her thigh as a long, clean cut emerged, ripping through her black pants, adding another tear to the already hole-ridden clothing. She did jump back fast enough to stop anything worse from coming from the injury, but not fast enough to be able to catch herself with her newly injured leg.

“Ngg, Millie!” The male imp squealed in worry as he opened his arms and caught the girl, halting her fall.

To her credit, she did quickly raise back up with a growl, standing on her own two feet again even as her apparent partner protested.

I smirked as I raised my wings, ready to rush forward and slice them—

“FUCK. YOU!!!”

STAB!

I stopped as I suddenly felt a sharp… piercing pain erupt in my face! As I felt a new weight make itself known as it jumped on the back of my head, before quickly scratching like a wild animal, tearing through my grey skin.

“L-Loona!?” I heard the male imp scream in surprise as he stared, doll-eyed, at the figure on my head.

Who then yelled in response. “The fuck are you doing just standing there, Fatso! Stop gawking and help your fuck partner already!”

It was also at that moment that I realized what happened. That the creature that was currently wrapped around my back was the hellhound that I discarded as useless earlier.

The same hellhound that was currently treating my face as a fucking scratch post and was ripping into it without mercy.

“FUCK YOU, YOU STUPID, GREY-SKINNED BITCH!” I heard them growl in anger as they continued tearing my face apart! As I desperately swerved and raised my hands to attempt to grab them, attempting to pry them off even as my vision was filled with nothing but gold. “I’M GONNA TAKE YOUR FUCKING WINGS AND SHOVE THEM STRAIGHT UP WHERE YOUR SYPHILIS DON’T FUCKING SHI—”

“GET. THE FUCK—”

GRIP!

I finally managed to grab hold of the mangy mutt's legs!

“OFF ME!”

And with all my strength, tore them off of me with all my might even as their claws were forcibly scraping against my face because of the removal.

Not even waiting a second, I threw the hellhound straight at the two imps, who at this point had enough time to quickly wrap a makeshift bandage around the female imp’s wound to temporarily halt the bleeding as—

BAM!

“Gahh, my fucking back!” She screamed as her back collided with the concrete. Though I barely cared, as my eyes were filled with nothing but burning hatred! Reaching up, I could still feel the blood slowly emerge from the vast multitude of wounds that now were present on my face, golden blood dripping to the ground.

… Golden blood…

… my blood.

My blood… was spilt… by a dirty hellhound!

“You… bitch.” A whispered viscerally to the hellhound as the two imps helped her rise to her feet.

“Heh… Yeah, I’m a bitch.” The hellhound chuckled in response with a smirk before raising her middle finger. “Whatcha gonna do about it, exterminator whore?”

BADUM.

…

…

“Umm… Heh, maybe antagonizing the fucking exterminator isn’t a good idea—”

“You all. Are going. To die.” 

They all stopped their argument as I spoke this, wiping the golden blood off my face as I flicked it to the ground. 

I raised my face… My piercing gaze cut through any sense of protection the trio might have had.

STEP!

The female imp turned at the sound of a footstep behind them, noting that the old man, who was still bleeding a tiny amount, had teleported behind the group using his pocket dimension. Blocking their one escape route as they looked on in glee, the head of the broken axe was still in his rotting hand.

“Tch, shit.” She spoke angrily as she gripped onto the handle of the axe even tighter.

I scoffed, as if that’ll protect her from me.

Regardless, I flared my wings out, widening them to multiple meters in length while doing so as my shadow overtook their forms.

“… I’m gonna make you demons bleed.” I began, as I retracted one of my many wings, ready to strike. I was so focused on the three that I didn’t even notice as the ground began to shake, the surrounding guards muttering in confusion. “And when you vile creatures take your last disgusting and sinful breath… I’ll crusade Hell myself to murder all of those you care for.”

I raised my wings as the three huddled closer together, as if thinking that they may be able to put together a united front to defeat the two of us.

Foolish… just like the rest of their inbreded species.

“Goodbye… beas—”

BOOM!

My attempts at attacking were cut off, as suddenly something crashed through the rubble to my left that once made up the exterior wall of this facility. I shielded myself with my wings on instinct as rocks and pebbles pelted me. Furious, I peeked behind my makeshift protection, wondering what had crashed—

WHOOSH!

Suddenly, a shadow jumped high into the sky, wearing what appeared to be a black hoodie. 

I did not have time to question it, however, as they quickly fell down toward me. Instinctually, I cut at him.

TING!

Only to see my leftmost middle wing get parried by a dagger. Still, it was enough to knock them off course and to force them to land near the group of imps.

As soon as they did, I managed to get a clearer vision of the figure. That being a rather muscularly built man, wearing a loose black hoodie that hid the majority of his features. In his right hand was a curved, ornate knife. Glowing silver on it that almost reminded me of angelic steel, but… not quite the same. 

Still, what shocked me most about this man wasn’t anything about him specifically. No… it was the figure floating behind him.

As floating above the back of this rather normal mortal… was what looked to be the ghostly upper body of an ancient samurai. Their incorporeal form was just bobbing up and down behind this man.

…

…

“Um… c-cool knife.” The goat-legged imp spoke after a moment of awkwardness. 

The man in the hoodie seemed to shirk a smile at this. “Thanks… got it from an old friend… speaking of which.”

He inhaled a deep breath. “Damien’s Angels! Attack!!!” He screamed as—

I quickly covered myself with my wings again as dozens of bullets ricocheted off of me. It was also then that I finally realized what had happened when this man first appeared!

As through the already ruined wall they had just crashed through, about 3 armored vans were now parked, with about three to four dozen guards now kneeling on the ground and attempting to shoot at us. On their tactical armor were the words ‘Damien’s Angels’ plastered proudly on them.

Seeing this, I gave a dark grin.

These people want to call themselves angels? Fine.

… as long as they die like the rest of the angels.

 

---

 

Blitzo POV.

 

I could only sigh in relief as I noticed a couple dozen more humans burst from out of the newly arrived vans (See Moxie! Everyone uses them) and began attacking the two ASSHOLES that were attacking the rest of my company! Possibly saving them.

‘Well, not like they were in any actual danger.’ I chuckled to myself as I used my tail to wrap around a rock before raising it in front of me to block a couple of stray bullets from the humans who were having their own battle in the corner of this RUINED FUCKING PLACE. ‘I was watching. If anything was about to hurt them… then I’d make sure that the thing that would do it would never fuck—’

“To ya left, redface!” The human in the cowboy hat suddenly shouted to me as—

WHOOSH!

I dodged down just in time as ‘Striker’ slashed across with his knife. He went to go in for a second hit but stopped as I had managed to grab his right arm with my left!

I then lifted my right up, still holding my second favorite golden gun as I went to shoot him—

BAM!

But I was quickly thwarted as he jumped up and kicked me with both of his legs straight into my chest, sending me flying back and letting go of him.

Luckily, my momentum was halted as the human with the cowboy hat grabbed onto my left hand.

He smiled at me. “Ready ta fly!”

I immediately understood what he meant and smirked back. “As ready as you are to fuck!”

“Whoo, then I don’t need ta worry then!” He laughed wildly as he used all his strength—

WHOOSH!

And threw me straight back at ‘Striker,’ who was still recovering from his last attack. Still, he was able to see me just as I appeared before him again and—

BANG!

My horns impacted straight against the stupid white mask of his! A visceral groan escaped him as I flew by before skidding to a stop behind him. 

He shook his head angrily before turning back to looking at me and—

Click!

… He turned back once more, seeing the human now on the other side of him. The gun was cocked and pointed straight toward him.

Not to be outdone, I arose and did the same, as we now surrounded the bastard.

Still, he was fast. Just as fast as I remember, as he reached into his holsters and pulled out a pair of his own six-shooters! One pointed at each of us.

…

…

Nobody dared to move. As we all awaited the other to make the first action.

…

…

“... Heh, good ta see Damien and his angels finally made it here! I was beginning to think they got stuck in traffic!” The man joked suddenly, breaking the tension as his eyes turned to the exterminator and the rest of my team, who were now doing significantly better with the extra support. “Still, better late than never… Besides that, I know more reinforcements are on their way.”

He then looked a bit further, to where a bunch of humans in orange jumpsuits were in a firefight with even more individuals in tactical outfits.

“Not only that, but ya are losin’ ya new recruits over there as well… your losin’, mask.” He eventually proclaimed as he turned back to ‘striker’, give up now, and maybe the foundation won’t stick ya sorry porcelain, in an even smaller glass box.”

The figure stayed silent, as if contemplating the ‘offer’ that was just given to him… As for me, I was still just trying to figure out why this random dude was so good at throwing me around like a baseball.

Still, as always, he eventually began to chuckle, as if everything he had just heard was a joke.

“... hehehe… You are a fool if you truly believe I will ever… ever… allow myself to be contained by you wretched jailers ever agai–”

BANG!

They quickly shut up… as a bullet hole appeared in their chest, right where their heart would be.

A bullet hole courtesy of who else but me.

…

…

The man lowered his gun. “Really?”

I shrugged. “What, you were just gonna let the bastard monologue? I was gonna kill him anyway; we already agreed on that.” I defended myself as I approached the body.

“Well… fair point.” He eventually admitted as he also approached, us meeting in the middle right on top of ‘Strikers’ body. “Still, I was hoping to get him to call the rest of his fuckers off. Try and help as many people as possible.”

“Hah! Sorry, douche, but I don’t care about you piss-brains. I just came here to kill this… fucker.” I referred to the man below us before a somber look embroiled my face. “Still… It feels a bit weird to just think he… died that easily… Buuuuuuuuuuut whatever, job complete! So I’ll get out of your hair!”

And with that I turned around, preparing to get the rest of my gang and leave.

I was stopped, however, as he raised a confused eyebrow. “You… aren’t gonna try and kill me?”

I returned to eyebrow. “... Why the fuck would I do that?”

“I… because… I dunno, wanna hide yer identity or some pish?” He eventually guessed.

“... Are you serious?” I just gave a dumbfounded look before shaking my head. “Look, maybe normally, I would do that. But… THIS!” I referred to the entire FUCKED UP BATTLEFIELD filled with FUCKED UP CREATURES! “This… is not worth the fucking trouble. I got what I wanted, so I’m gonna head on home and sleep in my nice warm bed with my nice warm bo—”

“W-wait, hold up, partner, ya think… ya think ya killed this man?” He eventually asked in confusion, causing me to annoyedly place my hands on my hips.

“Umm… yeah? Hello, dead body one foot in front of you, gramps. Cataracts getting that bad?”

“I’m not even that—never mind, it doesn’t matter.” He eventually decided with a shake of his head before gesturing back down to the corpse. “I’m just saying… if you weren’t here for the actual mask…”

“Then this guy has been dead for a while now.”

…He’s what?

“I… wow, I teamed up with an idiot. Sorry, I know you might not know a lot about us imps, but even we don’t just—”

I saw something rapidly approaching the human from behind, causing me to widen my eyes.

“Look out!” I warned as I jumped forward, pushing him aside as I raised my gun and—

BANG BANG BANG!

This fast-moving figure jumped high above me in the sky, dodging all three of these bullets.

They then quickly landed behind us. I moved myself, preparing to dodge as I expected an attack—

…Only to see them pick up ‘Strikers’ body from the ground and jump back. It was also then that I noticed that this figure had nine orange tails behind them! Along with a pair of fox ears on their head with a similar shade.

I also swore I heard the man say ‘SCP-953’ or something as they appeared. But I barely paid attention to that, instead focusing as the female figure, recessed in a fucking kimono of all things, stared down at the body with contempt. Before scoffing.

“What would you do without me?” Was all she said to the corpse, before reaching into his pocket and pulled out a… glowing pill?

Still, that seemed to be enough to elicit a reaction from my human partner, as his eyes immediately widened and he raised his gun at her.

“Quick! We can’t let her—”

GRIP!

BANG! BANG! BANG!

His warnings were quickly silenced as, out of nowhere, a man in an orange jumpsuit grabbed onto his arm and forced his arms up, causing him to fire three times in the air.

Before the man in an orange jumpsuit raised his leg—

BAM!

And struck my shooting partner straight in the face, causing him to stumble back!

“Wha—hey, asshole!” I raised my gun to him. “Taste my—”

WHOOSH!

I stopped as the man put his hand in his pocket before bringing it out and throwing a handful of fucking POCKET SAND into my FUCKING FACE!

“Cough Cough– Gahh, I did not just get fucking poc—”

BAM!

That afforded him enough time, however, to strike me in the face, forcing me to fall.

By the time both I and the only human in the area who did not just fucking punch me in the face arose, the man was already near ‘Striker’ and the fox lady, who at this point had already placed the pill in his mouth and—

Suddenly, the hole in his chest, as well as all the other scratches and wounds we had given the man through this fight, suddenly disappeared in an instant! Lost tissue regrowing, skin snaking around exposed bones like a hydra.

Until suddenly, his body was completely fine…

And ‘Striker’ rose to his feet.

“Aww—fuck, not this shit again.” The man to my side murmured tiredly as he wrapped his fingers around his gun.

Meanwhile, I was here asking the logical question.

…

“WHAT THE FUCK ON A PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT JUST EFFING HAPPENED!” I said the only LOGICAL thing, causing all parties to look at me!

In response to that, ‘Stiker’ only laughed (AGAIN!) as he took out a spare knife from his holster.

“Aww… Is it not obvious, little O?” He mocked me, causing a growl to escape my lips. “You… just lost.”

All three of them took a step forward, forcing me and my human partner to step back in tandem.

“And now… prepare to—”

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!

Whatever he was going to say got lost to the wind… as a powerful force rippled through the air. Causing the ground to shake, so much so that everyone fell to their knees.

At that moment, the very center of this fucked-up area, that being a large concrete building, suddenly exploded into concrete and shrapnel! As they rose up in the sky before beginning to fall down like the world's most dangerous raindrops!

Some random people were hit by them, crushed to death.

However, I didn't care about that… What I cared about was the exploded building, as two figures quickly emerged from it, tied together by a piece of purple rope. I couldn't make out their appearance, but one of them was… naked, I think?

That was already weird. Only made worse by the fact that after they broke free from their purple constraints, a third figure, this one obviously a child, flew out of the same hole that the other two had just made.

And now… the three of them floated in the sky… all staring each other down.

Until finally… They all raised their arms.

“Aww… fuck—” Was all the human at my side had time to say before—

THE WORLD GOT FILLED WITH COLOR! MY MIND BOUNCED AROUND MY SKULL! AND THE VERY WEIGHT OF THE AIR ITSELF BEGAN TO CRUSH ME AND EVERYONE ELSE AS WE ALL FELL TO OUR KNEES! FORCED TO WATCH AS THESE THREE FIGURES SUDDENLY FIGHT!!!

… AND JUST BY MERE PROXIMITY, PEOPLE BEGAN DYING BY JUST WITNESSING SUCH A BATTLE.

YET THERE WAS NOTHING WE COULD DO TO STOP IT. I COULDN'T PROCESS WHAT I WAS SEEING, YET I FOUND IT IMPOSSIBLE TO LOOK AWAY!

IT WAS AS IF REALITY ITSELF HAD STRAPPED ME DOWN TO A CHAIR AND FORCED ME TO WATCH THIS!

AND IT HURT… IT HURT SO FUCKING MUCH!

AND SOMEHOW… I KNEW EVERYONE ELSE WAS FEELING THE SAME.

I ALSO REALIZED THAT IF THIS FIGHT CONTINUED BETWEEN THESE THREE……….. EVERYONE WOULD DIE.

 

---

Amanda POV

 

BOOM! BOOM!

The building continued to shake! Most of us were having a hard time even staying on our feet as we continued moving through the hall with increased fervor. 

Dust dropped down from the ceiling after every shake, and lights flickered from alive to dead with every catastrophic blow that we ourselves couldn't see.

I… I didn’t know what could be causing it all! But by the way Donna’s panic had increased tenfold the second it started… I can make a pretty good guess as to what she thinks it is, at least.

‘Reality benders.’ I guessed, the mere concept alone causing a nervous sweat to drop from my brow. ‘Creatures that can turn Newton's most fundamental laws into nothing but Play-Doh… and here we are trying to defy beings of such power, such unimaginable strength, such… such… such an impossible dream.’

…

…

‘Please still be safe, Justin.’

“Alright, here we are!” Donna’s tired voice suddenly erupted in my eardrums, prompting me to be knocked from my own inner thoughts and stare up, seeing the same heavy, metal doorway that I had walked through not even twenty-four hours ago.

… the one that leads to the giant Reality Anchor in the facility.

“Huff… Huff… Finally, we made it!” One of the other guards, Dominic, I think their name was, and also one of the guards that protected the initial doorway that prevented me from seeing Donna sighed out in relief at the sight of the door. “We’re here… This nightmare is finally over!”

“Not yet.” Donna interrupted the tired guard, walking closer to the door before turning back to her small battalion of soldiers. “Omega-Alpha-3, guard the doorway. Beta-Alpha-7, breach and sweep the room on my count.”

She then turned to me. “Amanda, Deeds, you two stick with me.”

“O-Of course, Donna!”/ “That’s Mistress Amanda to you!”

I shot Deeds a look.

“I–I mean… Of course, Master Donna.”

She nodded despite the… disparity of agreement. “Good, now everyone, get in place.” She commanded, like a mother hen, prompting everyone to quickly move in place, with me and Deeds staying near the middle of the pack, crouching down just in case.

Donna also passed her keycard to one of the guards, who brought it to the front. Many others waited with their guns trained on the door, awaiting Donna’s command. 

Silently, she signed to the frontmost guard.

…3.

…2.

…1.

… Go!

Immediately the guard swiped the card, causing it to beep in confirmation before—

“GO GO GO GO!!!” The foremost soldiers charged in as they began searching the room quickly, yet with extreme discretion.

“Clear! We’re clear!” One of them finally yelled back to us.

Donna nodded at that before quickly approaching the door, with me and Deeds following not far behind.

As she left, she turned to the group of guards behind them. “Guard the hall. Nobody gets through.”

“Roger that.” Dominic replied as he took a knee, gun raised as he aimed it down the long metal hallway that led here.

She nodded before continuing on, allowing me to follow her into the room.

… The room.

‘Heh, guess I did end up back here eventually anyways.’ I chuckled to myself as we entered the large lab space. Computers and filing cabinets strewn about, though this time in much more disarray as compared to before. Still, my eyes were drawn, once again, to the large glass wall that took up the entire leftmost wall of the long room, which revealed the extremely large, multi-storied device.

‘Heh… still just as amazing as the first time I saw it.’ I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity.

The machine, like a pyramid almost that ranged at least 20 floors, still glowed a subtle, bright blue color, like lightning dancing gracefully between each of the thinly pyramidal metal platings. Thousands of wires of varying sizes are attached to this thing like a patient on their deathbed, making me wonder just how they managed to get the power to fuel something like this.

The dozens and dozens of control and support rooms could still be seen on the other walls surrounding the machine, though they were just as empty as this one was.

… Or their glass walls were covered in blood.

…

I forced myself to look away from those ones and back to Donna, who seemingly ignored the godly structure that hummed contently right beyond the glass, like a sleeping beast just waiting for the seasons to pass before awakening.

And we… we are the ones that’ll beguile it back to life.

Donna approached the master terminal, which was a large machine that sat on the far end of the long room. Bigger than any computer or any other technology of a similar function I’ve ever seen.

BEEP! ~~VWOOM~~

The monitor suddenly burst to life, illuminating the room in its divine glow before Donna began tapping away at the keyboard.

With deft experience, I noticed as she quickly transitioned through multiple different systems, codes, passwords, and other security locks that I could not wrap my mind around.

Until finally…

~~ BEEP BEEP. Access Granted. Welcome, Donna Smith.~~

She nodded as the AI-driven voice from the monitor spoke in a dead tone before continuing to clatter against the keyboard.

As she did, I heard warm hums emanate from beyond the glass. The ground began shaking slightly as my eyes turned to the large machine, noting how the electric blue outlines began to glow an extreme shade, the machine itself starting to shake and quiver as if excited.

Until finally, seeming satisfied, Donna turned from the computer and gave me a kindly smile. 

“… You ready?”

…

I sighed. “Heh… ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.” I began with a tiny smirk as I approached the monitor, Mr. Deeds sticking to my side like a loyal bodyguard as I did so, his eyes darting to every guard we passed who had opened up the way for us to enter.

I… admittedly shivered a bit as all the eyes stared me down. I never was one to be the center of attention, always content to stay on the side… It's funny how the world works sometimes.

Still, I swallowed down the anxiety like a hard pill before finally making it to Donna’s side. She gestured towards a small outlet in the machine. One separated from all the rest.

Taking out the USB-looking device, I noticed its end seemed to fit perfectly inside of the slot, confirming it was indeed what I needed to activate the device.

“...”

“... Are you ready, milady?” Deeds asked with concern, hand placed on my shoulder. “I can take the burden for you if you feel unnerved.”

I flinched, causing the butler's hand to fall off me as I looked down in something similar to shame.

“N-no, I… I’m good.” I reassured him with a sad smirk before looking back down at the device in my hand. “It just… still doesn’t feel right without him.”

“That being said… better late than never.”

I raised the device.

“... time to end this nightmare—”

“AHHHHH!!!”

BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

I flinched as screams suddenly burst from outside the hallway. The voice was very familiar as it screamed wildly, echoing from outside the room.

“D-Dominic? Why—”

“AHHHHH!!!!”

“GAHHH!!!”

“KAHH–FUC–AHH.”

Screams continued to echo from outside the room, causing all the guards to panic and point their weapons in the direction of the one entrance to the room. None dared to move, though, too scared to even take another step towards whatever horror existed outside the door.

Eventually, after what felt like a lifetime, the screaming eventually ceased… before falling eerily silent.

…

…

Donna’s eyes widened in realization before she turned to me with wide, panicked eyes.

“Amanda! Insert it now!” She screamed suddenly, catching me off guard and forcing me to stutter. 

“W-w-what—”

“PUT IT IN NOW! BEFORE THEY—"

CRASH!

Donna was cut off as a large, muscled tendril burst through the door, breaking it off its hinges as it smashed into the hardened glass—

And immediately shattered it! As the pure momentum was enough to cause the entire wall of glass to crumble, its sparkling shards fell deep down into the abyss where the giant machine was stationed.

“W-What the—what the fuck was—”

STAB!

“GAHH!!!” The one guard was cut off as the tendril turned a perfect 90 degrees before piercing him straight through his combat uniform in his stomach before tossing him out the now broken window. His screams scraped against the insides of our ears as he fell, his voice becoming quieter…

Before completely silencing with a splatter.

The tendril of flesh then retracted back through the door… leaving nothing but another body in its wake.

…

…

…

STEP!

A heavy footstep clashed against the metallic ground.

STEP!

A second step crashed against the ground.

STEP STEP!

Everyone flinched as two more steps clattered against the floor as a shadow began to grow from the empty doorframe.

It was a large, hulking figure, its right side seemingly more bulky than the left. A large, tendril-looking shadow was whipping around on their right side, seemingly the same one that just… killed one of our soldiers.

I was frozen in fear. I mean, how could I not be? This… thing had seemingly killed everyone outside of this room!

I… I didn’t know what to do! H-how was I going to—what am I supposed to—

“Put it in, now!” Donna’s scream suddenly rang out, knocking me out of my stupor once more. Remembering my mission, I quickly nodded and turned around and inserted the device into the computer!

As soon as I did so.

… ~~BEEP~~ ~~BEEP~~ ~~BEEP~~ 

~DING~

“Code: 16894592683 verified. Project: Titanomachy initiated!”

VWOOM!

I suddenly felt the ground beginning to shake as the machine outside of the now broken window began to spur with un-becouth life! Electrical whizzing and lightning sparks began to wildly fly around the pyramid-like structure. The computer began to also flash with thousands and thousands of calculations. None of them made any sense to me. Hell, even attempting to make my mind spin in ways that I couldn’t follow.

I didn’t need to understand it; however, I just needed to activate it.

And after a second… it let me.

~~“Project: ‘Titanomachy’ at 78.9187% operational. Safety access: Overruled.”~~

Suddenly, a panel in the master terminal's main board frame opened up, letting a large, stereotypically glowing red button exit from the device.

I took a breath… raising my arm… ready to—

WRAP!

A large, beefy tendril suddenly wrapped around my waist. And before I could even attempt to realize what was happening.

WHOOSH!

I was forced back at supersonic speed, hearing Donna screaming my name as I did so. Before I felt the back of my head crash against the farmost wall away from the master terminal and—

BAM!

My eyes begin receding to the back of my head. The muffled sounds of gunfire and yelling slowly drift away as I see red beginning to splatter all across the room… with a giant, grotesque monster in the center, treating the bullets like they were nothing but foam as they hit against its body.

As they did, I caught a slight glimpse of them as they swung their right-handed tentacle around. A… face. One that was blurry, malformed, and barely recognizable.

Yet despite that… something within me stirred as I saw it.

Something… familiar.

…Then it all went black.

Notes:

Blitzo: I thought you were dead!

SCP-035: my death was… greatly exaggerated.

 

HEY! ITS ME! BACK AGAIN! DID YOU MISS ME?!?

Ahem… I mean… here’s the chapter! Sorry again for it being so late. And sorry to everyone whose comment I didn’t respond to last chapter. I wanted to, and I still plan to! I’ve just been… too busy to do that.

Regardless, I still hope you all enjoyed. And this leaves (checks notes.) 1 chapter left for the site-008 ARC!

… a bit sooner then I’d like it, but I’ll make it work!

Regardless, I’d also like to thank LordOfInterest again for him suggesting Damien, Damien’s Angels, and SCP-5175! He suggested it a million years ago and I’d like to thank him for the suggestion.

Anyways, I’ll leave you here! Drop a kudos if you enjoyed, leave a comment if you have any questions, ideas, jokes, or suggestions and I’ll see you all next week!

Have a Reality building day!

Chapter 79: The fall of site—008: (Part 4) ... Site-008.

Chapter by WebHead_11

Summary:

The three reality benders have a battle that will go down in history.

Amanda gets a strange visitor.

Amanda must do the impossible.

... Something lurks in the dark.

Notes:

"... How much of yourself would ypou give... how much blood, flesh, tears, and soul... to save everything but yourself."

3rd person PO–@^&^#%@&%!

REALITY BENDER SHOWDOWN!

…

… POV.

 

BOOM!

The god of wind, Ashur, rode the wind like a wave as he deftly dodged around, his blood almost painting the sky like raindrops as it beat against the ground.

He grimaced before extending his hand to call the full force of the northern winds to his aid. 

The wind, now unimpeded by the protection of his now ruined fortress, answered with a roar as—

WHOOSH!

A tornado that would put even Hurricane Katrina to shame! (fucking bitch) as it whistled with the anger of the four corners of the world, crashing forward at the wind god's command!

So powerful, it was, that not even the two reality benders could stop themselves from being sucked up into it. Their world around them turned into nothing but a blur of colors as they moved faster than even the mightiest of birds, tossed and turned by the wind.

Ashur, not giving them a moment to recover, grabbed the bottom of his tornado as if it were a rucksack.

“Back to hell with you, you despicable fiends!!!”

BOOM!

He then threw the tornado straight into the rocky ground. Even with their distance from the facility, the wind shot so hard into the earth that boulders the size of cars rocketed up into the sky before beginning to crash down on the unmoving warriors on the facilities outside. Unable to move as a result of the strain reality was facing from the conflict between these three.

A crater the size of a moderately sized village emerged in the ground. Shockwaves rippled so far that the closest mountain began to crumble from the attack, collapsing in on itself as it became but a shadow of its former, cloud-piercing glory.

He continued pushing the wind harder into the duo, forcing the hole to become dozens upon dozens of meters deep!

Unbeknownst to him though, while being crushed by the extreme wind, Richard Chappel, the old mafia boss, managed to extend his hand toward one of the many mountains in this range, one that wasn't destroyed by the wind god's attack.

He stared at it, as it looked as if it could fit in the palm of his hand because of the distance.

… So that's what he did.

As he clenched his fist around the outline of this mountain as if attempting to lift it up, only to see as the mountain actually did rise from the earth! Grabbing it despite being miles away from the piece of rock.

This barely fazed the man, however, as he quickly willed it to move—

CRASH!

And hit the god of wind straight in his back. The humongous size and power of Mother Nature crushed him down to the ground, as he only just barely managed to gather wind around his body to shield himself as—

BOOM!

The mountain collapsed on its own weight, massive boulders crushing the man as a result as he got buried under millions of rocks.

This also forced the god to lose concentration, as the massive tornado lost its controller. This allowed the man to swoop his arms—

WHOOSH!

And cause all the wind to disperse.

Normally, he didn't have the power to control it while that… annoyingly handsome man was asserting his dominance over that particular element. Apparently not even his reality-shaping abilities could rob that one domain away from the man.

However, without his active control, it was as easy to move as pie.

‘Hmm… pie.’ He hummed in his mind as he flew back up to the sky, images of cherry pie flooding it. ‘It has been… eighty years since I have had pie… I wonder if that joint on Baker Street is still open—

“Hehe, that was a fun trick! Let me try!” A hauntingly childish voice pierced his ears, causing a flutter of panic to swirl up within him as he turned, seeing the same child with a purple cloak as before, who also seemed to escape from the wind god's attack…

Except, behind her, about two dozen mountains were floating in the air… Each of their tips pointed straight toward him.

“Hehehe—Catch!” She laughed so innocently as she waved her hand forward and—

WHOOSH!

Like fireworks, glitter began to explode from the bases of the floating mountains, seemingly igniting them and shooting them forward like rockets at the former crime boss!

‘Hmm… rockets.’ He realized as the thought crossed his mind. ‘... I like the sound of that.’

His eyes then turned to the fluffy clouds that softly floated above them. He raised his hand to them, and he willed—nay, commanded—them to change!

… And change they did, as not even a second later—

VWOOM! VWOOM! VWOOMVWOOMVWOOM!!!

Hundreds upon thousands of dark black rockets shot from these once harmless pillows of nature, shooting toward the army of mountains that were now barely even twenty meters ahead of the crime boss.

But that mattered little to him, as the rockets quickly soared through the sky like bolts of lightning and–

BOOM! BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!BOOM!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!

The mountains were systematically ground up and obliterated by the rockets, which should not have been as powerful as they were.

However, Chappell wanted them to be stronger… Thus, it was law.

The shattered pieces of stone and rocks flew everywhere as a result of the explosion. What little approached the naked man, he merely waved his hand, turning them into rockets of their own and shooting them back toward the flying mountains.

He also noticed a couple hurtling near the damned facility, crashing into both it and the collection of lowly bugs that were ‘fighting’ upon its grounds.

Good… Get the lucky ones out of the way and die.

It's the unlucky ones that are left that he’ll have fun torturing for all—

WRAP!

Suddenly, a purple scarf wrapped around his neck! His eyes widened in shock, but before he could even react—

WHOOSH!

He was pulled forward, crashing straight through one of the mountains in the process (as it appeared the scarf had phased through it just to wrap around him) before finally bringing him face-to-face once more with the little girl in a purple cloak!

All my momentum was stopped, as I was now looking straight into her ‘red?’ eyes.

“Hehehe. Ring-a-round-the-rosey! Ring-a-round-the-rosey!” She began chanting as suddenly—

WHOOSH!

The proud former leader of the Chicago Spirits began getting spun in a wide circle, the scar being the leverage the girl grabbed onto as she spun him around and around! As he crashed into mountains that were both right next to them and dozens of miles away! Hell, he even crashed into one of the facility guard towers at one point, causing it to crumble and fall on a couple more bugs.

He didn't care, however, as he began gritting his teeth in rage! Just who did this little bitch think he IS!

‘I. AM. NOT—’

He collected himself… wanting to be their as—

WHOOSH!

He instantaneously dematerialized and reappeared right behind the witch child. A purple glow ignited in his right hand, as purple electrical arcs began to wildly fly about with no rhyme or reason, merely forcing the sky to adopt this darker color as he retreated his hand back.

‘--YOUR. PLAYTHING!’

As he launched his fist forward and—

ZOOM!

A purple beam of lightning shot straight through the child, piercing her as it sped off into the distance for about a mile before exploding into a perfect circle! Cutting mountains and the ground away as if the space just disappeared.

He smiled as he watched as the child's body slowly began to break apart like a piece of glass… before shattering! Pieces of them floating in the air slowly. There wasn’t even any blood… as she…

Died.

…

The man finally smiled through his dried and cracked lips… Finally, he had wo—

“Hehehehehe!”

‘... What?’ The man's mind froze as a disembodied chuckle filled the air. A… childish chuckle!

But that chuckle was quickly followed by another.

“Hehehehehe!”

And another! 

“Hehehehe!”

And another! Until suddenly, there was a chorus of hundreds of different voices chuckling! But they all sounded the same. Young. Childish. Feminine.

He frantically swiveled about, trying to find the source! Until he realized… that all the floating pieces of the girl he had just ‘killed’ were the source of the laughter!

‘B-but how! I… I commanded her to die!? How is she—’ 

VWOOM

He wasn't even afforded the luxury of the time to think, as all of a sudden, the dozens and dozens of pieces of the girl began to glow bright yellow!

… Until.

“Hehehe, let's all play together!”

BOOM!

All the pieces of their body erupted in light! It quickly dissipated, but in each of their places, flying high in the sky… were dozens of the girl! All fully recovered! And all looking straight at him, laughing with their chorus of childish laughter.

Their chorus of laughter bounced across the mountains, louder than anything that should have been possible. Her cloaked body began to fly around at high speeds around the man, whose eyes frantically bounced between all of them! There was too much to keep track of! So many of them move around like annoying gnats, too fast for the eyes to see.

He just wanted… He willed them to disappear—

BAM!

He felt something hard crash against his face, as one of the girls he couldn't see suddenly bounced to him like a ball and crashed against the former mob boss’s cheek! Sending him spiraling downwards before he managed to reorient himself!

‘Dammit!’ He internally swore, especially as he saw the bouncing figures follow him as he fell before surrounding him like a vulture once more. Like fucking clockwork. ‘I… I command—’

BAM!

He was hit again, this time rocketing him to his right before he managed to stop himself.

‘I… I command you—’

BAM!

It came from below the mafia boss this time, making him fly up past the clouds.

‘—You… to diss—’

BAM!

He was struck on the top of the head this time as he shot down. The man also noticed as the many witch children had gathered around him again, and this time all shot at him at once, turning into shooting stars of purple as they crashed through the rippling air at him.

‘... I command thee—’ The man finally gathered his thoughts as the clones of the other reality benders approached, clenching his fists as embers began to wrap around him, snaking him like a demon of eternal flame. ‘To… Disappear!!!’

As suddenly the flames jumped off of him—

BOOOOOOOM!!!

As they all disintegrated to nothing as a miniature sun materialized around the man! 

The mortals on the facility grounds were forced to look away from the sheer brightness the man had conjured. Those who continued to stare quickly found their only vision going black, as the light burned through their retinas and rendered them blind in a matter of seconds.

The smart ones managed to look away in time, though they still felt their skin get scorched by the mere heat of the makeshift sun, despite its considerable distance. Not enough to leave any mark or scarring, but enough to make them all hiss in pain.

As for the witch child, immediately all of her clones evaporated into nothing—not even atoms remained, so hot was the bloat in the contained area.

This sun stayed for roughly five seconds, until the grizzly old man dissipated it with a wave, leaving nothing but scorched earth around it.

Any greenery that still remained in the nearby surroundings was completely burnt to a crisp. Even the stone turned to an obsidian-looking material as a result of the blast.

He began breathing heavily. Not because he was tired after his attack—no, he made sure he didn’t feel fatigue.

He just… hadn't manipulated reality to such an extent for nearly 80 years. Like stretching a muscle you hadn't thought of in a decade, it put a strain on him.

Back in his prime, such tricks would be far more trivial… However, the years had not been kind to him. And no amount of bending reality can fix that, at least nothing he could manipulate.

Space? Reality? Those were easy, child's play if he were being honest.

Time?

…Time was its own beast, one that he only managed to change slightly. That being to slow his own aging, and even then he contributed that to changing the reality of his body more so than slowing down time.

Still, he could take a deep breath. Despite it all, it was over. He was positive this time—

BOOM!!!

‘... Are you fucking kidding me?’ He thought as a massive flash of purple illuminated from high above his head. Quickly, he looked up, only to see…

“HEHE! LET’S PLAY TAG!” Laughed the Witch Child, who was now blotting out the sun, as she had rematerialized as a giant! Her now massive purple cloak barely even moved, as it was too heavy for the breeze to feasibly shove. 

As for the rest of the girl, she spanned at least 1,500 feet tall! Overshadowing any mountain that even dared to try and think of taking her throne! Her red eyes blasted down like spotlights on the man, who could only look up in abstract horror! The girl had come back from the dead, TWICE! 

How… What was this child?!

Still, she moved with a surprising amount of deftness for her size, as she lifted her hand high into the clouds. This simple action was enough to completely disperse the fluffy constructs that floated in the sky, blowing them away!

She smiled. “BOUNCY BALL!”

The girl's hand broke the sound barrier as it crashed downwards and—

‘... Oh no.’ He thought. He tried to escape! But he almost felt something wrap around him! Like… the wind shackled his arms and legs together, halting his movements for only a second… but enough. ‘Oh… son of a bitc—’

BOOM!

The force was enough to completely rattle his brain! As the giant palm collided with his body, sending jolts of pain crashing through him! Even he couldn’t change reality quickly enough to save him from the broken bones or sudden inertia he gained within a fraction of a second of being hit.

BANG!

His body collided with the burnt ground so hard that an eruption of earth arose! Cracks traveled along the ground for miles and formed a crater thousands of feet deep! He even felt his body get singed by lava; he traveled down so far.

…Was this… it?

…

No… He refused to die here. To them. Not when he had finally escaped!

He willed… commanded himself that he was going to win…

And despite the fact that not even his powers could force reality to make that happen right now… he will make sure that it does.

Meanwhile, the ‘little’ girl clapped her hands! So hard, in fact, that it sent shockwaves through the air, once more forcing the nearby mortals at the facility to take cover. At this point, those who could move had completely given up on fighting and instead were focusing all their efforts on just surviving the clash between these godlike beings!

Still, unaware of all this, the witch child continued clapping, laughing a joyous tune as she had done so.

They played! They were playing! This is so much fun! She hasn't had this much fun since… since…

‘Well, I don’t know, but it's so fun!’ She continued clapping, not noticing as wind began to form around the ground beneath her feet. 'They should play again! They should play more! THEY WANT THAT RIGHT!? TO PLAY!?! TO HAVE FUN!?!?!?! WHO DOESN'T LIKE—’

BOOM!

Suddenly, a massive drill-like instrument made entirely of high-pressurized wind shot through the rocky terrain! It was large, almost as large as the Witch Child herself!

The drill pierced from the earth like a dragon before shooting straight up toward the child! A man was in the middle of this construct of wind, guiding it upwards as it shot toward the girl.

The witch child, noticing it, could only bob her head slightly, not sure what it was. Was it a new toy? Another fun thing, perhaps? That’s probably it; after all, they’re all just playing—

BOOM!

The breath catapulted from her lungs as the drill of wind made contact against her stomach, and before she could realize what was happening.

PIERCE!

Completely passed through her like a godly spear from the earth, ripping the giant girl in half as the two parts of her body separated before dissipating into a purple glow!

Almost as quickly as this transpired, she rematerialized in the air a couple dozen meters to her left, now normal size. She released heavy breath after heavy breath, feeling around her abdomen area where her larger self just got pierced and destroyed.

She was… confused? That… hurt?

‘Are you supposed to get hurt while having fun?’ She found herself asking, but that train of thought quickly dissipated as—

WHOOSH!

Ashur exited the wind drill he had made and tossed it straight toward the confused girl as it began hurtling toward her. 

Noticing, she groaned a little.

“... This is not a fun toy.” She decided, before waving her hand and—

VWOOM!

The massive drill of wind disappeared, being replaced entirely by a massive family of purple butterflies that all crashed into the witch girl, who chuckled in delight at being swarmed by the creatures before quickly beginning to fly away toward the sun.

“Huff… Huff…” Ashur breathed heavily from exhaustion, forced to use his abilities to allow as much air as possible into his lungs.

This… was extremely tiring to the old god. He wasn't sure how much longer he could hold up!

‘At least that naked, decrepit old man is gone now.’ He surmised to himself with a sigh. ‘One less thing to worry about, I gue—’

BOOM!

Suddenly, bursting from the ground!

… Again…

Was the former leader of the Chicago Spirits! Massive snakes of lava follow him, almost as if they were being pulled from the earth's crust themselves as they glow a bright, orange color.

‘... I need to stop thinking sometimes.’ He thought as– ‘Dammit! I already failed!’

Regardless, the three godlike figures now floated above the earth once more.

SCP-3740, Ashur, the god of all wind, hero of heroes, and legend of legends, floated in the air covered in blood. His leather jacket was ripped and torn, stains clinging to the insides of the hard leather material as if they were trying desperately to escape the man’s bruised body. Still, the god's indomitable will held strong, as even with all the gnarly injuries that attached themselves to him like a fly to a flytrap, the wounds still heeded his commands as flawlessly as ever, circling around the god protectively, ready to claim its wrath upon any of those that would try and do him harm.

SCP-046-ARC, Richard Chappel, former leader of the Chicago Spirit, mob boss of reality, and one of the most heavily guarded anomalies in the facility. Injuries dotted his naked body like flies, though any actual bleeding seemed to have disappeared, as if Richard himself had stopped himself from being capable of bleeding. The snakes of lava continued to coil around him, waiting for his command to strike. He flexed his muscles… He was not ready to die, not here, not ever. 

Finally, there was SCP-239, The Witch Child, the one who treats reality like a toy box, and the most powerful 8-year-old in existence. Although physically the least injured-looking of the three, she was still hunched over in the air, her stomach area still reeling from the god of winds' last attack. She could only ignore this pain, however, and smile, ready for another playdate! Another game! She’s sure she’ll win this one!

The three chaos bringers stared at each other. A fluctuating amount of emotions passing between them all like lightning. Each of them watched each other with worried breaths, not aware that the surviving mortals not far from them also stared at the three dots with apprehension, wondering if it was all finally over.

Until… at least.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

All three entities moved at virtually the same time, each and every one of them coating themselves in their reality-shifting power as they collided and—

VWOO–BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!

An intense struggle emerged as the three of them continued pushing… and pushing. Attempting to see which amongst them is stronger! Their clash sending sparks of reality everywhere! Once more assaulting the ‘innocent’ mortals below.

They didn’t care, however, as they all had one simple thought in each of their minds!

‘To Play!’ / ‘To be free!’/ ‘To Win!’

As they continued to push forward with all their conviction!

Willing their own desires… into reality.

 

---

Amanda POV.

 

…

…

… Cold.

That’s the first thing I noticed. It was… cold.

Not… not like freezing cold. But like… jumping into a lake kinda cold.

It was disorienting… especially when I tried to open my eyes and… well, as you can imagine… it was only darkness.

Darkness… the same darkness I felt before… when I… fell unconscious after finding Deeds. And after… nearly dying to this D-class! I… I…

‘I know this darkness.’

“Hmm, well, it's good to know I'm not easily forgettable, at the very least.” A dignified voice began from behind! Causing me to somehow turn and—

“Please, have a seat!” A… man spoke. In a fancy, almost World War II-era-looking suit. A black fedora that complemented his dress attire covered his eyes, stopping me from seeing more. He sat on a bench in the middle of this nothingness. Cane by his side with a briefcase that was opened, revealing nothing on the inside besides warm velvet lining. “We have oh so much to discuss with… far too little time to do so.”

 I stared apprehensively at the figure. Unsure what was happening? He seemed… familiar. Like I’ve… seen him before—

“I have attempted to contact you before already. At most I managed to pass my face along with the most simple of messages.” He answered my internal question, as I was shocked at how he even knew what the hell I was thinking?! 

If he could read my mind, though, he wouldn't stop to answer that question, as he just continued talking in his calm demeanor. “It appears the natural Hume levels of the device from the project Titanomachy prevent me from entering most people's minds.”

“Luckily for us, however, you being an inch away from death has allowed your mind to curl up in on itself enough to allow me to penetrate it more easily!” He said as if it were a damn celebration! 

On death’s door? What does that even—

Wait…

“FUCK! I-I NEED TO GET… FUCK!” I swore as I suddenly recalled everything that had just occurred! How everyone was fighting for their lives against something that… looked familiar. And how I almost activated the device… but failed to do so.

“Shit, I—I need to turn on the machine! I-I’m wasting time—“

“Patience, Amanda. While we may not have a lot of time, we have enough for us to have a small discussion.” The man began calmly, his voice almost soothing my soul in an unnatural fashion, as if quenching it in ice-cold water. “While inside your mind, you shan’t miss much past this point… However, it did take a noticeable amount of time for me to infiltrate your psyche. That is time that I cannot recover for us.”

I… stared confused at the man… My newly calmed soul is stopping me from freaking out but doing nothing to cure my confusion about the situation.

“… Hmm, please, sit with me, young Amanda. I would like to pass on a mission for you.”

I… every part of me screamed to not trust the strange man in a suit in the middle of this literal abyss of darkness.

However, another, much smaller part of me, screamed that this man… might be my only chance to complete my mission. To save them…

To save him…

…

I approached the man, walking on the hardened shadows before taking a seat next to the man. He smiled at that before turning to look away.

“Alright, I’m here.” I finally spoke after awkward silence choked the non-existent air. “Now… what do you want? And who are you?”

…The man stayed silent for a second, looking down.

…

“My name is not of importance to the situation, though I shall inform you of your organization’s designation for my existence. SCP-990, otherwise known as The Dream Man.” He introduced himself. The name didn’t ring any bells… which isn’t all that surprising, considering I wasn’t a high-ranking member at the facility.

“… Have you ever been to the theater, Amanda?” The man asked genuinely, as if it were the most obvious conversation starter in the world.

That caught me off guard, causing me to flinch slightly in my seat. “W-what? I— I… yes? I… guess so?”

“Hmm… Well, in the theater, you watch a show play out in front of your eyes. Witnessing as the character comes to realizations. Change at a fundamental level. And progress through their lives.” He began, reaching over and grabbing his cane. “You witness a character's actions, can read the expression on their face, and hear the words they speak. And every night you return to see that performance, there might be slight tweaks here and there, but overall the show remains the same. That is a fundamental truth.”

…

…

“... Look, if you’re just gonna waste my time with all these weird-ass fucking riddles, then you’re better off finding someone else to lend you an ear—”

“That is how I view the world.” He cut me off, slamming his cane down against the shadows at the same time. Not aggressively, just… demanding. Prompting me to shut up. “... Very few in your foundation know of this… But I am a creature that exists in the subconscious of all conscious beings. While I don’t know every thought they have had, it isn't a challenge to dig through their subconscious thoughts to find what leaks out.”

“... I scavenge that information, learning of events that some plan to do. Diabolical machinations that could kill thousands. From there, it’s merely common sense to put the pieces together and figure out what the end result would be. I view the world as one views a play. I have seen it before; thus, I know what happens. I know the characters, the plot, the setting, and everything in between, and thus, I know how it all ends and have used that gift to help your Foundation. Warning them of events to come and halting much of their potential end-of-world scenario nonsense.” He explained a little proudly before he saw his slightly cocky grin droop into a solemn frown. “Or at least it was… until recently. Something… changed. Someone entered this metaphorical play that hadn't existed before. Someone who shouldn't be here, someone who shouldn't be a part of anything!”

“And yet their mere experience is throwing everything out of its nice little bow, plunging known events into chaos.” He continued as a bit of fear crept into his voice. “I have attempted to identify this… Unknown factor, but I have been unable to even find them or any hint of them in the sea of subconscious thought. Hell, even those who should have come into contact with this enigmatic figure seem unable to leak their subconscious thoughts to me… as if it knows of my existence and is being extremely careful to keep all details hidden. I did not even see the attack planned upon Site-008 until only recently, and by then… It was far too late. ”

“O-Ok… And what does any of this have to do with me?” I asked with a nervous jitter flashing through me, worry beginning to coat my body as I began to realize how big of a mess I ended up getting involved in.

He sighed, “I am telling you this in hopes it’ll convince you to trust me… and to make you realize the weight that now rests on your shoulders, for although I can not see the thoughts of this strange new force… I am able to foresee the consequences if Project Titanomachy fails to activate.”

He shook his head once more, causing me to swallow crudely. “A-and… that would be?”

…

…

“... Global extinction of the human race.”

Immediately I rocketed from my seat, standing straight up! Eyes wider than saucers as I stared at the man! “W-what?! Extinction– A-A-And you want me—ME—to stop it!?”

He nodded.

“Why!?!”

“Because… although it may be far from ideal… you are the only one left in a position to do so.” He began, tapping his cane against the ground once more. “My power over the physical world is limited. However, using some of my reserved vestiges of power, I was capable of healing your body, saving you from any real injury from the beast while still allowing us to talk. At most, only some bruises and sore spots should remain. And I—"

RUMBLE RUMBLE!

The shadowy terrain began shaking wildly, forcing me down to my knees.

The Dream Man grunted annoyedly at that. 

“Shit, we’re out of time!” He urgently spat out, sweat actually beginning to build up on his cheek as he turned to look at me. “Remember, you must activate the device! No matter the cost!”

I nodded my head, as I already felt the shadowy space beginning to recede, allowing beams of light to cut through the cracks! Preparing me to wake back up—

“Oh, I nearly forgot! You need to remember one more thing!” The dream man called once more as I began to feel myself fade away. “If you're about to die to her, you must remember these words! And you must repeat them to her—"

“—Repeat, ‘All hail Lord Ion—”

BADOOM!

‘Guhhhhh!’ I took in a heavy breath as I felt the light of the room pierce through my eyelid. I almost moved my hand to cover my face but thought better of it at the last second.

I continued to greedily take in breaths; my muscles ached, screaming at me as if I had just ripped them to shreds and pieced them all back together!

… besides that, however, I mostly felt fine. No other real injuries and pains to speak of.

Still, I remembered the man's words from my dream, about my… mission.

‘Heh… It suddenly has a lot more pressure on your shoulders when you know for a fact everyone will die if you fail.’ I kind of critiqued myself before releasing my held breath.

I could feel cold iron against my back. I was sitting down, back propped up against something. Probably from that… thing that threw me back against the far wall. 

‘I must still be there.’ I surmised, ‘Meaning that I just need to get to the other side of the room to activate the device and—’

“Grrr… RAAAAAAAA!!!” 

Suddenly and deep, a billowing roar shook the room, causing me to flinch even despite my prone state against the ground, informing me that the monster was still here.

Not having the time to waste, however, I cautiously opened my eyes, only to see… to see…

‘... no.’ 

Their… bodies were everywhere. Mangled things of flesh and tied-up limbs were thrown every which way around the room! Everyone… everyone who put themselves in harm's way to escort us down here were now either flattened to paste, crushed into balls of discarded flesh and viscera, or had their intestines lying flat against the ground like unwound rope, just becoming beheaded statues of flesh whose blood caked every computer screen in the room!

I was forced to keep down my choked cry, however, as I saw… it! That creature from before!

Its back was facing toward me, leaning down over a corpse and seemingly eating it if the sloppy sounds of skin and muscle ripping were anything to go by, so I couldn't see much of its features.

However, the back of it was just as terrifying! It was a misaligned creature, with its proportions not making any sense. While its left side almost looked like a normal human, with the exception of their naked skin being red like the flesh they rested beneath, its right side was almost twice the size! Even the right side of its head was a leader, almost looking like a massive tumor that dwarfed its comparatively smaller left side!

Even besides that, its right body, while also looking as if the internal flesh and muscle grew on its outside, was significantly bulkier! As if that side of their body got inflated like a balloon, nothing but muscle rested there! And to make matters worse, where its right hand should have been instead sat a massive, fleshy tentacle, seemingly growing and shrinking as it wildly flailed around the creature's side as it knelt down, biting through the flesh and muscle of the person it was currently eating!

Still, despite the horrific display, there was still something… odd about it. Something… familiar? I felt it before, but—

I shook off the feeling. Not important right now. The only thing that's important is completing the mission!

So with that, I tore my gaze from the creature and brought it back to the master terminal at the opposite end of the room! Multiple more bodies were strewn about that area, as if they all made a mad dash to press the red button and activate the device… And by the looks of it, they had all failed.

With the closest one being a familiar woman wearing a silver necklace, her body face down, pooled in her own blood, the lower half of her body missing, and intestines opened up to a cavernous expanse of intestines and blood, a mere 2 feet from the terminal's base.

‘... Donna.’ I realized with no small amount of regret that the body belonged to my senior researcher, biting my lip as I forced myself to look away. ‘I—I’m sorry… I wasn’t fast enough… I couldn’t save you…’

…

‘... The least I could do now… is help finish what you started.’ I thought determinedly, clenching my fists so hard they turned purple.

‘But how could I get past the…’ I stopped as I finally noticed the object that was sitting by my feet, apparently falling from my pocket as I crashed against the wall.

That being a small… silver handbell. One typically used to call a butler to your side in those old-timey black and white films.

‘…Deeds.’ I realized, as an idea flashed inside my mind, one that made me grimace at myself with disgust. ‘... Looks like I’m gonna need to call upon your services one more time… Sorry.’

I then carefully moved my hand, reaching over to grab the bell.

I was under no illusion that I could sneak past this thing. Even if it was eating, who knows how much longer it'll be occupied with that task! And I'm not so confident in myself to make it across the whole room without making a single noise to alert it of my presence.

So with that in mind, there was only one other thing I could possibly do… and that was to cause a distraction.

As for what the distraction would be.

Well… I’m not really that proud of it.

…

I gripped my hand around the handle of the bell carefully, making sure not to create any noise… as—

WHOOSH!

I quickly used all my strength to throw the silver handbell across the room! To a corner far from both me and the path I would need to take in order to make it to the terminal, which just so happened to be not so far from where the beast currently was!

As the bell soared across the sky, until eventually…

TING!

It hit the wall.

Time almost seemed to freeze in that instance, as the monster almost immediately halted its meal against the poor corpse of one of my former comrades.

I stopped breathing, anxious to see if it would work.

…

…

…

As suddenly Mr. Deeds appeared out of nowhere near the bell, seemingly coming from under the desk as he just materialized out of thin air! Wearing the same black and well-groomed suit as always.

“Hmm, how may I help you today, mila–”

ROAAAARRR!!!

The creature belted out, as it tossed its meal aside and quickly dashed toward the butler, It’s back to me!

And immediately as it did, I made my move… and sprinted to the end of the room! Barely even passing a glance to them as adrenaline shot through my veins faster than ever before! Forcing my way through the terrain of blood and guts!

“Hmm, might I interest you in a breath mint, my good si—”

BOOM!

The sounds of crashing and speaking echoed from behind, but I could not pay them any attention! Too focused on moving! On running! I just need to make it there!

Just go, JUST GO! NOTHING ELSE MATTERS; JUST RUN!!! MAKE IT TO THE TERMINAL!

I WAS ALMOST THERE, MY HAND OUTSTRETCHED! REACHING FOR IT! 

I STEPPED OVER DONNA’S BODY TO REACH IT! HEARING THE BEAST’S ROAR CHANGE AND TURN TO ME, SEEMINGLY DONE WITH DEEDS! I DID NOT CARE, HOWEVER, BECAUSE I HAD MADE IT! I WON! 

I’M GONNA SAVE EVERYONE—

GRIP!!!

…And just like that, every thought and idea in my head came to a screeching halt as I felt something grab my outstretched right arm! It was a pale hand, connected to someone who was not occupying the space right next to me a moment prior. 

My eyes widened as I stared at this new figure! This… feminine figure that almost towered over me! Her red iris staring straight into my soul, her hair was replaced with dozens of snakes, almost like the ancient myth of Medusa! Only her gaze did not turn me to stone, only filling me with dread.

Meanwhile, her chest area was… how to say, uncovered. The only protection over the more provocative part of her chest was the long, snaky hair she had, which conveniently covered those parts up. Following her pale skin downwards, however, her bottom half morphed from human into the body half of a snake, green in color, as it rested against the ground, its tip rattling almost with excitement.

“Hmhmhm… Oh, sweety… What do you believe you're doing?” She finally spoke, her voice as smooth as silk as she stared at me with a deranged look in her eyes. Rings upon rings that almost hypnotized me with just a glance as they seemed to go on forever. 

I shivered as every cell in my body began to scream—to cry! I tried to pry my hand from the woman, only to find it impossible as her grip remained too strong.

She seemed to revel in this fact, her grin widening past the confines of her flesh, growing wider than what our body should have allowed. And yet it grew regardless.

“Hmm… to come so far… only to fail.” Her smooth voice then began to insult. “… get used to it.”

GRIP!

Suddenly, her free hand shot out and gripped my neck, choking me hard! She released my arm, allowing me to attempt to pry her fingers open, which wrapped around my neck like a noose. 

She chuckled as I squirmed, lifting me up into the air and allowing the two of us to be at eye level.

“… Goodbye.” She stated, as she lifted her free right hand, and I watched in horror as her veins began to shake before a part of her skin popped like a pimple, allowing a long, gangly red snake to exit from the wound.

It began to slither up her arm, onto my shoulder, and then widened its fangs as if ready to bite!

“Hmm… Pet, get over here. I have some fresh flesh for you to dine on. Get you nice and strong.” She began talking to the hulking beast from before, seemingly already considering me dead.

Still, loud footsteps began to crash against the ground, approaching us!

On instinct, I turned over, expecting to see the monster—that thing that killed everyone and—

… and…

… my voice got caught in my throat, as a sudden, almost gasping noise escaped me as I saw… him.

The creature's front… which was about what you’d expect from seeing the back. It’s flesh piercing through the skin and replacing it all with visible muscle, the right side being bulged like a tumor in comparison to the left, with the large fleshy tentacle.

But then… there was its face… his face.

The right side was morphed beyond recognition. Their flesh seemingly burnt and regrown to the desire of a deranged artist. But the left side? That… I couldn’t forget.

It was different, sure. The skin was still red with muscle, and blood coated it like miasma…

But something deep in me stirred as I saw the remnants of his face… and I knew… I knew……….

“…J-Justin?” I choked out between this woman’s iron-tight grip, ignoring her as I continued to stare at… him.

“Hmm?” She hummed, confused as she turned back to me, before realizing seemingly striking her as she saw where my gaze was pointed. 

This caused her lips to curl in a smile.

“Oh? Did you know this poor soul?” She chuckled, finding amusement in my look of horror as I continued to stare into his eye… his dead, empty eye. “Hehe, oh… oh, that is good… that is so fucking good!”

“Justin, eh? Never would’ve taken that to be this poor lump of flesh’s name. Still, interesting to know!” She seemingly relished torturing me, releasing her grip on my neck slightly as she turned my upheld body so I could get a better look at what he had become. “Tell me, was he a friend of yours? An acquaintance? Or was it something… more? Something more primal?”

I could only release another pained gasp, taking in as much air as I could, not even offering them a reaction to the words they were saying.

At that, they just shrugged. “Heh, perhaps not. Lovataar was always better at noticing that stuff than me. Not that I give a damn whether you do or not… though I’ll admit, it makes what’s about to happen all the more… venomous.”

…

“Wh… w-what—”

“Hmm… speak up.” They coldly cut me off, lifting their grip from my back by just a little bit, but in return caused pain to shoot through me by digging their nails into the back of my neck.

Still… I couldn’t help but comply. Desperate for answers. 

“Wha—what… what d-did you do to him?” I choked with tears in my eyes. “W-what… did you do to J-Justin?”

“… Hehe.” They laughed darkly, sending shivers down my spine. “First off, ‘Justin’ is gone. He’s just another one of my pets now… forever and always, flesh bound to me and my will alone.”

“And second, what did I do to him? I saved their life!” She spoke almost jubilantly, as if it were a pleasant memory. “Such an injured little lamb. He was burnt to a crisp when I found him, did you know that? His flesh had long since given out on him, too injured… but somehow, he survived! And beyond that, he had a fire in him! One I have only ever seen in a handful of men.”

I continued looking at Justin. Hoping, praying that maybe by some chance, his look of life and defiance would return to him. The same Justin that saved me from the giant creature of flame! The same Justin that left and doomed himself just to ensure I’d survive.

And yet… no matter how far I searched… such a man seemed entirely nonexistent.

“Now who would I be to give up on such a strong will! No… his soul was strong, but his flesh was weak, so I… relieved him of that weakness. His eternal servitude is just the price to pay for his continued living!” They finished their long shpiel before her eyes turned to the snake that still rested on my shoulder. “However, as pleasant as it would be to torture you for at least the next couple dozen years for your affiliation, I’m afraid this must be our goodbye.”

“Die… Die with regret in your heart. And loss in your soul.”

They tore me away from Justin, forcing me to stare deep into their red hypnotizing gaze!

And all at once, reality crashed into me once more like a wave! As I remembered that I’m only a single hair's length away from death!

‘N-no, I can’t go yet! Not until I complete my mission! I can’t fail it, not now, not after all of this, not in front of him—’

Wait… what if I?

…

‘Oh… that dream man better not have lied to me.’

“Die… knowing that you failed… and hold that failure within your soul for the rest of eternity—”

“ALL. HAIL. ION!”

…

The snake woman froze, eyes widening slightly as her grip loosened ever so slightly…

But enough.

“W-what? But how—”

Quicker than I’ve ever moved my arm, I swung my right arm—

CLUTCH!

And grabbed onto the thin red snake that continued to lie on my shoulder before—

BAM!

Faster than she could even realize, I swung my fist out to her face, the snake's opened mouth out first as it collided roughly with her face, the creature's fangs digging into her perfectly pale skin!

She grunted. I doubt that the hit managed to really hurt her… But it did surprise her, and the surprise was enough for her to almost completely loosen her grip around my neck!

After that, all it took was for me to kick off her stomach to release me, allowing me to fall to the ground, landing deftly on my feet before immediately kicking off to the button, which was still on the master terminal's control panel that was two feet from me.

I barely could even see the snake woman’s eyes of shock as she turned into a blur, blending into the surroundings as I reached out! Going to press the button! I won't fail this time! 

I promise, Justin, I promise—I WILL AVENGE YOU—

STAB!

…

…

…

“… Blegh.” A stream of congealed blood fell from my mouth.

I… I… I looked downwards, where I felt… nothing, and—

‘Oh… oh god.’ I felt muffled in my mind as I saw… saw the blood c-coated… fleshy tentacle that had pierced my center… I had barely even made it a foot… t-the red button was just out of my grasp, even as I reached out w-weakly…

My head turned… seeing that the tentacle belonged to… to the thing that wore his face—that wore J-Justin’s face and…

“Oh… god—”

WHOOSH!

The tentacle of flesh withdrew itself from my chest as…

I fell. Hitting the ground. My only consolation was that Donna’s body was just beneath me, softening my fall slightly as I hit the ground with a thump.

Though… you know… I’m not sure if I would consider that a blessing… especially not as the massive hole in my chest began pouring blood down upon her already ruined corpse… Hell, I could fit my entire hand and then some through my newly required hole…

It hurt… or it should have… but it didn’t.

I… couldn’t even process it.

It just… was empty… unfeeling… cold.

Is this… death—

“Yes… this is death.” The snake woman cut off my thoughts as though she could read them. I couldn’t even have the decency to give her a look, so… numb was I. So numb that everything felt fake, unreal, like a dream. “This is what it feels like. Sudden… confusing… I have seen the look on your face a million times. Of people who felt as if they had so much to live for, like they had some purpose… Unfortunately for you, not everyone in this world is chosen for greatness. 

“Because you are nothing but a pawn… and always will be.”

She turned her pale back to me, “and those that are… take it.”

She then began slithering away, not even bothering to spare me a second glance, just letting my glassy-eyed stare watch them as they left, blood continuing to pour from my chest at a rate impossible to imagine.

“Come on, my pet, let's go. Our job here is done.” She spoke to the monster version of Justin, who… continued standing there… unmoving as he just looked at me with a blank expression.

…

The snake women looked back annoyedly at him. “... Move… Now.” She commanded a second time, this actually seeming to get through to it as it turned around and began following her as she left.

Though as it turned, it stared at me for a second longer than it needed to, actively craning its neck to continue staring… before walking away.

Away… Away… They left—or were leaving.

I tried to reach out to him, but it was no use… I could only barely move my arm.

Was this really it? After everything that I went through—everything we ALL went through, this… this is how it ends?

‘I… I don’t wanna go.’ I began thinking as the corner of my vision began to go dark.

I was dying… 

Wait… dying…

I’m not… dead yet?

But how?

…

With some of my last vestiges of strength, I raised my head to stare at the sizable hole in my body. Like I said, it was big enough that I could fit my whole hand through it, but… something was weird… It’s location.

The wound had almost perfectly missed things like my heart and lungs, or any other vital organs, striking near the bottom half of my chest, missing mostly everything.

It didn’t offer me a lot of time, as I was still bleeding out, my body growing weak and numb in the process. I couldn’t even question why they didn't stab me somewhere that would have instantly killed me.

But… what else could I do… nothing… I was still dead; my suffering was just prolonged—

Ting…

As I moved my hand, it hit against something metallic. Confused and on my last legs, I turned toward it… seeing something very familiar in Donna’s outstretched hand… as I saw silver shine through her fingers.

Weakly… my eyes widened…

I… still have a chance.

I used the last of my strength to stretch out… reaching for it.

Reaching… for Donna’s final gift.

 

---

Saarn POV.

 

I began leaving, moving past the piles of flesh and blood.

I had half an idea to turn them into more of my pets, but I decided against it. Too many will cause too much of a scene, and besides, getting one new faithful, strong pet is more than worth the excursion here!

‘Well… maybe not fully faithful.’ I corrected myself as I recalled its most previous… disobedience. Strange, honestly, as it should have followed immediately. 

‘Perhaps some vestiges of its soul remain despite my crafting, or some deep part of it didn’t want to leave their friend.’ I guess internally as I clocked the creature at my side, who slowly lumbered forward to follow me out of the room. ‘Hmm, no matter. I will take care of that little issue once I’ve managed to return back with the recovered bone of—’

~~BEEP~~

A high-pitched beeping suddenly filled the air, causing me to stop, especially since red lights began blaring a moment later, followed by a high-pitched, robotic voice.

“PROJECT ‘TITANOMACHIA’: ACTIVATED! BEGINNING ACTIVATION PROCEDURE! TITANOMACHIA WILL BE ENGAGED IN T-3.”

VWOOOOOM!!!

Suddenly the entire ground began shaking! I turned to my right, seeing as the massive reality anchor outside the now broken window began to shake! Giant cords and wires that connected to it suddenly broke off, leaving streaks of electricity dancing across the air as they fell and crashed against the ground! The blue pulsating from the device began to intensify, as I could almost hear the trillions upon quadrillions of lines of code and equations beginning to pass through its circuitry!

“...2…”

The roof above the reality anchor opened, allowing it to be lifted up above the facility as it continued to glow brighter and brighter! But I didn't understand. How did it—

I turned to the machine… and got my answer!

As… Standing there, hand pressed hard upon the red button, was the curly-haired, Black woman I thought we had just killed! She leaned against the terminal, her eyes filled with hate as she sneered at me, a victorious smile on her lips!

And in her other hand… she held an opened silver locket to her wound… which was flashing it with bright white light! Immediately, I could feel the fix to her wounds and—while not entirely saving her—managed to give her the strength to stand.

“...1–BEGINNING ACTIVATION PROTOCOLS!”

She smiled. “Pawn takes queen… checkmate.”

I turned— “NOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

VWOOM!

A shockwave of blue shot through me! Chaining down my soul and my very being! As everything—EVERYTHING!

… went blue.

---

3rd PERSON POV!

 

Everyone ran around in a panic! Avoiding the residuals of the three reality benders' attacks! At this point, they had mostly given up on fighting, all preferring to jump for cover!

The mere weight of reality had killed over half of everyone who was left in the battle! With those who remember finding makeshift shelter to crowd beneath.

Meanwhile, the three of them continued clashing with one another! Shaking reality with every hit, reshaping the landscape with but a thought, and using powers so varied and powerful the entire world quivered as it got struck by it!

This battle continued. And it would have continued for much longer…

Until a pyramid-like structure suddenly emerged from the facility, piercing the heavens with its light! And before the three of them could even process what they were seeing—

VWOOM!

A shockwave echoed from it, seemingly putting the machine in a very precarious position as it shook wildly as lightning surged!

For the human and not-so-humans on the ground, it suddenly felt as if the air weighed ten times more. As if reality got heavier and they were waist-deep in a murky swamp.

For the reality benders, though, they experienced it much worse.

As suddenly, their minds were filled with pain! Their control over the universe faded! As reality became so heavy, they no longer possessed the will or strength to contain it! 

If reality was putty in their hands before, then suddenly it had transformed into solid brick! Unshakable, and too tough for them to crack as—

BOOM!

Their reality-warping powers returned to zero and blew all of them back! Sending them crashing into the ground! They scream in pain as darkness covered their vision… until their subconscious retreated back into the comforts of their deep mind.

First Richard Chappel, then the Witch child, and finally Ashur… as they all lost any semblance of consciousness under this weight

Everyone continued clutching their heads in pain, even the people who normally live their everyday lives in reality!

Until… finally…

After two entire minutes of everyone forced to their knees… The machine creaked and croaked, as if desperately trying to contain its own power…

BOOM!

Until finally… It crashed down on itself, shattering to pieces.

The machine… was destroyed.

…

…

…

…

…

…

What happened after was a blur… Some parties escaped; some didn't. Anomalies were recaptured; others weren't.

The story of this site is yet to be finished.

But for now… finally…

The battle of Site-008… had ended.

The winner?

…

That’s up for you to decide.

And let me tell you…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

A table… oak and round… sat empty in a room, high above in a tower that rested beneath a stone sky.

Six chairs arranged equidistantly around it.

Music filled the air, swelling with passion.

A smile grew on their lips…

Finally… the pieces are in place.

Soon… the game shall begin, and the story, the final chapter of humanity… will reach its apex.

“I hope you get your celestial popcorn ready, god.” They chuckled to themselves. “Because I’m about to put on a helluva show… and as you, my witness… watch as everything you ever made gets torn down.”

 

Notes:

Amanda: (Get's a whole in their chest.)

ALSO Amanda: Ehh, I can walk it off!

AHHHHHHHH....... THIS FLIPPING CHAPTER!

Sorry thus chapter took so long to come out. It is practically a day late at this point, but this week as been, for no intensive purposes, Hell.

As you can probably imagine, I wanted to cover SOO much more. I promise you that the montage at the end is not gonna skip over what happens to the reality benders, the mask's gang, Imp, or Alpha-9. They will still be explored in the epilogue of this mini arc, or the recovery (Dont worry, we will still be leaving this place and heading back to hell and whatnot.) But their are still a couple more chpaters in act 2 to go through... but fo rall entinsive purponses, the site-008 arc is basically done... ITS A MIRACLE! God, im so happy its finally done! And genuinly, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyne who has enjoyed it or read through it! I can understand that it is not everyone thing, but I still wanted to try my best with it! So seriously, I hope you enjoyed...

And this is also where I am going to announcer that I am taking a 1 week hiatus-- I am genuinly really sorry, but with everything ging on, I need a bit of a break for both my sanity, and for it to even be possible for me to continue writing this story!

Still... thank you to everyone that continued to show their love for this story. It means the world, and you all are incredible in the best of ways.

Anyways, please do leave a kudos if you enjoyed. Drop a comment if you have any idea, questions, jokes, suggestions, wiscracks, or anything inbetween! And I shall see you all next week!

Have a Amandazing DAY!

(Heh--heh- see what I did there?)