บท 5: Chapter 5: Working at the hotel?
*
You woke up completely terrified from a nightmare. You'd fallen into a bottomless well and had been accompanied by cries of agony and images of your victims, before falling into the mouth of a demon deer.
*
You quickly straightened up, awakening your wounds. You moaned in pain, grabbing your arms.
You put one hand on your head and you felt bandages on your forehead. You frowned with confusion, and you looked at your hands. They were also bandaged, as were your arms, ankles and chest. You no longer had your clothes on you, only your underwear. Did someone save you? You were confused, who would be stupid enough to save you?
You looked around you. You were in a small single room that looked like a hotel room. The walls were black, the sheets of the bed you were in were white. You had a small fridge at your disposal as well as a wardrobe, a television, and a desk with a pile of clothes and a telephone on it.
*
At that moment, you realized where you were. The person who saved you was undoubtedly the princess of hell. Everything was coming back to you slowly. Your fight against the Radio Demon, your escape, your meeting with the princess... everything became clearer.
You got up from the bed and headed for the clothes that were at your disposal. Unfortunately, this was a huge mistake. Your legs couldn't support your weight and you fell to the ground. Your head was really hurting you, it was as if a jackhammer was pounding your head all the time. You touched your forehead for a little longer and felt that you had a fever. You growled and quickly ignored this sad reality. You grabbed the clothes and put them on.
*
It was a little black skirt and a blue shirt. It was a fairly simple outfit. You didn't bother to put on the black tights, you just wanted to get out of this place and go home. However, you had noticed that you no longer had your knife on you, it could be really a bad handicap considering your condition.
So you carefully left your room, the princess could be nice to her people, but nevertheless you didn't trust the other demons who might reside in these places.
You walked while leaning against the walls to avoid falling to the ground.
Unfortunately this precaution wasn't enough, you fell to the ground again because of your headache.
"Fucking deer…" you whispered.
*
You could hold back from crying but it was very difficult.
You suddenly heard voices. You pinched your lips and went down the stairs on your right. You stopped on each step to avoid falling. Every step was a great effort for you. Each time one of your feet touched the ground a sharp and aggressive pain went up all your spine and contracted all your nerves, it was real torture, moreover, the fever didn't help anything.
*
Once you went down the stairs you saw a group of people talking. Among them was the princess. She was accompanied by an extremely thin white spider with 6 legs, and a girl with white hair, a grey complexion, and an X over one of her eyes.
The princess turned to you and gave you a welcoming smile.
*
"Oh, I'm glad to see you're awake, I'm Charlie," she said as she introduced herself. "This is Angel." She pointed to the spider.
*
"Hello Baby~" he said in a sensual tone.
"And this is Vaggie."
"Hi..." she said coldly.
"Could we know your name?" asked Charlie.
*
You pinched your lips and then replied rather timidly while looking away.
Oh, how much you hated introducing yourself...
*
"(Y / N)... (Y / N) (L / N)...Your Highness..."
"Oh no, no 'Your Highness' with me, call me Charlie instead. It's a pleasure to meet you (Y / N), welcome to The Happy Hotel!"
*
Your ears rose on your head.
*
"Oh, you mean the hotel for rehabilitating sinners?"
"Yes, that's right. I could no longer see my people being exterminated. I absolutely had to do something."
*
You coughed slightly and leaned against the wall to be able to answer her.
*
"It's so noble and so naive of you. You think that inside of every demon there's a rainbow. But for many there is nothing inside. They will never change."
*
Charlie answered you with a faint smile.
*
"I'm sure everyone can change if they want to. Some people just don't have confidence in themselves, they think it's too late to save their soul, but I know it's never too late to change."
*
You were going to answer, but your headache resumed. You grabbed your head, wincing in pain. Charlie rushed to you.
*
"You should sit down (Y / N). Vaggie, can you get some water?"
*
While Vaggie was away looking for a glass of water, Charlie took you to a small living room. She put you on the couch and stood in front of you. Angel had settled a little further away and was sucking on some kind of ice cream or a lollipop, you couldn't see well from where you were.
*
"Forgive me for asking you this question, but who did this to you?"
*
You looked down while Vaggie was giving you the water. You took a sip and thanked her.
*
"I don't want to talk about it," you said coldly. "But thank you for saving me... without you that son of a bitch would have certainly killed me or..."
"Or?"
"No, forget about what I just said."
*
You finished your drink and got up weakly.
*
"I have to go home. Thank you again for treating me." You took a step but you were forced to sit down because of the pain from your injuries.
"It wouldn't be reasonable (Y / N), many of your injuries are deep and some of them are really serious. It's better if you stay here for a while. If some demons see you in this state, what do you think will happen? You're hurt and would be at the mercy of them," said Vaggie.
*
You growled, but you had to admit that she was right. You nodded and dug yourself into the couch.
"How did you get here?" asked Charlie.
"I was killed after being tortured and humiliated," you explained. "Please... I don't feel ready to talk about it."
"Of course, I understand."
*
You turned to Vaggie and asked her.
*
"How long have you been here?"
"Not very long, I died in 2014, Angel has been here much longer than I have."
*
You nodded and turned to Charlie who had lost her smile and was looking at her feet. You didn't say anything.
*
"Charlie, are you all right?" asked Vaggie.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she said as she stood up, and walked towards the front door. She opened it and looked outside for a moment.
*
"Is it because of the TV fiasco?" you asked Vaggie
"Yes, certainly. She had put so much effort into this..." explained the white-haired girl, lowering her head. She moaned in anger, as if she was angry at herself. "I told her it was a bad idea... I should have... I should have convinced her to not to do that damn interview."
*
Again, that feeling gnawed at your heart. You couldn't help but feel sorry for them and it pissed you off. You thought about it, and a dilemma formed in your mind.
*
Leave or help.
*
You sighed.
*
No.
*
And despite what your brain was telling you, you said:
*
"I can help you for a short period."
*
Vaggie's eyes widened in surprise.
*
"Excuse me?"
*
Fool. What have you done?
*
"I will help you for a short period, I promise. Let's just say I'm paying back what I owed someone when I was still alive," you said, putting one hand on your belly.
*
Vaggie quickly noticed your gesture but didn't ask you any questions about it. She was quite perplexed by your statement, but you seemed sincere. She frowned with suspicion and then decided to trust you and keep an eye on you.
*
You took your glass, then you got up and asked where the kitchen was. Meanwhile Charlie had closed the door.
*
"I can go to the kitchen for you, you don't have to get up," said Vaggie, looking away.
*
You shook your head and thanked her. That's when you heard someone knocking on the door. You shrugged and went to the kitchen.
You filled your glass with water, then drank silently while asking yourself several questions.
Why did you feel so good here? You were not supposed to get attached to others since... since you lost them. You were to remain that lone wolf. It was a promise you made to yourself a long time ago. Yet, for this naive girl and her stupid project, you broke it off without really questioning yourself. You really wanted to help her, however, it meant denying what you had become. " Change" in a way.
You sighed as you touched your stomach. You had never been able to keep the promise you made to him in your lifetime... maybe it was a sign? A chance?
You shook your head. It didn't matter if this was a chance or not. You could not be saved, the weight of your sins was too heavy, you had to get used to that idea. However, helping demons who really wanted to change was a way of honouring part of that promise you made to him, and thus appeasing those regrets that were gnawing at you from within.
*
Suddenly, you smelled a sweet smell. It immediately relaxed you and made you hungry.
Oh dear Lucifer, it smelled so good. It was really strange... it reminded you a lot of the smell of-
*
...
*
Wait a minute...
*
It wasn't him , right?
*
Your blood froze instantly. A sudden fear spread in your body that it might be him. You went through the drawers and took a knife. You knew you had very little chance of getting away with it if it was the Radio Demon, turning into a wolf was out of your reach, your legs couldn't handle another marathon, and your wounds would slow you down too much, however you didn't want to die without a fight.
*
You slowly walked towards the entrance with great discretion. What was he doing here? Did Charlie know him? You were not reassured at all, especially when you recognized his voice.
*
"I haven't been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA... so many orphans."
*
His words made you sick. Such a bastard, how could he laugh at that? Your body began to tremble with disgust. Without thinking twice, you prepared to throw your knife in his face, but Vaggie was faster than you.
*
"Stop right there!" she ordered, threatening him with a spear.
*
She swore something in Spanish and continued in a serious tone.
*
"I know your game, and I'm not going to let you hurt anyone here. You pompous, cheesy, talk-show shitlord."
*
You prepared to attack despite your headache and injuries. He really wasn't going to like that remark. You knew that...
*
"Heh heh, if I really wanted to hurt anyone here..." He leaned his head to the side and his eyes turned to radio dials. "I would have done so already..."
*
Voodoo symbols flew around him and a horrible static noise pierced your eardrums. After a few seconds everything calmed down. The deer had regained a "normal" face and continued with a cheerful tone.
*
"No! I'm here because I want to help."
*
Your mouth opened with surprise, you almost dropped your knife. Wait... Charlie wasn't going to say yes, right? It was the fucking Radio Demon, shit! He certainly wanted something, why would a demon like him want to help the princess?
However, with a rather depressed look, you realized that she would probably give him a chance... she had done it for you when you were the "White Wolf".
With a sigh, you came out of hiding and you looked at the demon with the most threatening look you could, asking with a cold tone and a mocking smile.
*
"Really, Radio Demon?"
*
He raised his head towards your voice's direction. You could see the amazement in his eyes. He really didn't think you were going to stay here after Charlie saved you. No, you were a proud and a solitary person to him.
You felt your stomach twist when you noticed that he had no trace of the wounds you had inflicted on him during your fight. He didn't even have a fucking scratch! He even took the trouble to fix his horrible monocle!
*
"What a happy coincidence to find you here, my dear..." His smile was slightly tense. It was obvious that he wasn't happy that you were here.
"Do you know each other?" asked Vaggie, frowning.
"We know each other very well..." you said somberly.
*
The atmosphere had become tense. Your (E / C) eyes never left those of the demonic deer in front of you. Your jaw and fists were clenched. You were trying to control yourself, to contain this boiling hatred in your mind. Oh, you wanted so much to make his provocative smile disappear from his face. You cursed yourself for a moment, you had given your word, you were going to help this hotel.
However, on the other hand, did that mean that you had to work with the one who had tried to make you disappear? What irony.
Nevertheless, you knew that you were protected by Charlie. If this demon really wanted to work with her, he had to earn her trust, which was not easy given the fearful expression of the princess.
*
"We met once in hell some time after her arrival," said the Radio Demon with a smile on his face.
*
His sarcastic tone made you smile.
*
"Yeah, and it was deadly bloody ..." you said, licking your lips while trying to control your desire for flesh.
*
Charlie looked at you with concern and Vaggie understood what happened between the two of you.
*
"Charlie, don't accept his offer, (Y / N) is already helping us and believe me, I have a lot more confidence in her than in that self-centered bastard."
*
Charlie's eyes widened.
*
"Is that true (Y / N)? Will you help us?"
"For a short period. It's just to pay off a debt I owe someone."
*
The Radio Demon frowned and tilted his head to the side while analyzing your words. A debt? The one about saving you from his claws? No, it wasn't that, there was something else but he couldn't see what it was. Besides, who could you owe something to? You always acted alone, you had never asked for someone's help since you were in hell.
Were you trying to repay, in a way, someone you knew who was still alive? It was very likely but he was not completely sure of that.
Well, It didn't matter to whom you owed this debt. You were going to interfere with his plans and he was sure of that.
You may be hurt, your bandages were irrefutable proof of that, but he knew that it was only a matter of time, and that soon you would be able to pierce his flesh with your teeth again.
His smile stretched slightly when he thought of the pain emanating from his wounds... he'd loved that sweet pain, he'd loved your cries and pleas, it was pure delight for his ears... Oh, he would give all the money in the world to be able to taste that feeling again when your fangs and your knife pierced his skin.
*
"That's fantastic news," Charlie shouted, clapping her hands, getting him out of his thoughts.
"I'm glad you like it," you answered her with a faint smile.
*
Suddenly you felt bad, your headache had resumed again. Your body swung back and forth and a horrible desire to sleep began to take over you. You leaned firmly against the wall with a tight smile, desperately trying to hide your discomfort from everyone and, especially, from the deer demon. A drop of sweat ran down your face as you tried not to crack. The man in red noticed it and managed to read through your mask with great ease. Seeing you fighting the pain particularly amused him, he wondered how long you could keep up your forced smile and pretend that everything was fine.
*
"Miss (Y / N), I think you should sit down," he advised you, using your name in a slightly mocking tone.
*
This alerted Vaggie and Charlie who immediately turned to you.
*
"Is something wrong, (Y / N)?" asked Charlie.
*
You tried to reassure her, but your face was betraying you. You were pale and completely soaked in sweat.
*
"Go lie down."
"Charlie, I'm fine."
"(Y / N), really, you can barely stand up, you-"
"I'm. Fine. Charlie," you growled. "I just need to sit down."
*
No, you didn't want to go to bed, especially not with Mr. Radio Maniac around. You left the entrance and went back to the sofa.
Of course you had to trip and fall to the ground. You heard quick steps coming towards you. Charlie and Vaggie helped you get on the couch. You closed your eyes for a moment, and thanked them.
*
"Are you sure you don't want us to take you back to your room?" Charlie asked.
"Yes... yes... just... give me a few minutes, okay? Just a few minutes, it'll pass, I've been through worse in my life," you said with a little forced laugh.
*
Yes, you'd been through worse... Much worse. A pain that was incomparable to what you were experiencing right now.
The two girls nodded. Vaggie stayed with you and Charlie went to talk to Alastor.
Angel settled next to you on the couch. He looked at you for a moment and shrugged his shoulders.
*
"So what's the deal with Smiles over there?" he asked Vaggie.
"Wait, You've never heard of him before? You've been here longer than me."
*
Angel shrugged his shoulders.
*
"The Radio Demon, one of the most powerful beings hell has ever seen?"
"Meh, not big on politics."
*
You listened carefully to all the information that Vaggie was explaining to Angel.
*
"Decades ago, Alastor manifested in hell. Seemingly overnight, he began to topple Overlords who had been dominant for centuries. That kind of raw power had never been harnessed by a mortal soul before. Then, he broadcasted his carnage all throughout hell, just so everyone could witness his ability. Sinners started calling him... the Radio Demon. As lazy as that is. Many have speculated what unimaginable force enabled him to rival our world's most ancient and destructive evils. But one thing's for sure-"
*
This time, Vaggie's voice was so threatening that you opened your eyes to look at her.
*
"He's an unpredictable source of danger, a wicked spirit of mystery, and a violent monster of chaos, the likes of which we can't risk getting involved with, unless we want to end up erased !"
*
Okay, you'd be lying if you said that her story didn't give you chills. You hadn't learned much more than Samantha told you, but the little extra details were always good to take. So "Alastor" was his name. You were perplexed. It was a real demon's name. The executioner of Satan, to be more exact. Was that really his name? You hadn't really met people called "Alastor" in your life, it was such a rare first name. It was the Welsh or German variant, "Alexander", that was used more often.
Honestly, that wasn't the most important thing, and after listening to Vaggie, you had to admit that it suited him well.
*
"You done?" asked Angel, annoyed.
*
You had to admit that you were quite disturbed by his lack of interest. The spider looked at the Radio Demon and laughed.
*
"He looks like a strawberry pimp."
*
You slowly turned your head towards Angel, then to Alastor. A smile appeared on your face and you started laughing. Of course, laughing only woke up your wounds, but you couldn't help it.
You quickly calmed down when you saw Charlie and Alastor looking at you, and took a break.
How long had it been since you'd laughed like this? Yeah, you had laughed more in hell than in your whole life. It felt so good. You took a deep breath and lay down on the couch.
*
"Okay everyone, Alastor will stay with us," Charlie said.
"WHAT?! NO WAY CHARLIE!" Vaggie screamed.
*
You didn't say anything. You knew this was going to happen.
*
"Vaggie, please, let's give him a chance."
"B-But…"
"Come on, I need to talk to you."
*
The girl nodded and followed Charlie. Angel shrugged while looking rather suspicious towards, but at the same time "interested" in, the deer demon. He got up and left the hotel to buy drugs. You were now alone with the Radio Demon.
You looked at each other for a couple of minutes.
You were trying to keep your smile on your face, a way for you to challenge him. Of course you were terrified that he would finish what he started, however you knew he was stuck for the moment.
*
"Well, I see that we will have to work together," he said as he took a chair in front of you.
"Indeed," you answered in a cold tone.
*
He observed you for a moment. It quickly made you uncomfortable. You locked your eyes with his and you warned him.
*
"During all the time of our 'collaboration', I will try to prevent the wolf I have become from devouring you Alastor, however I promise you nothing."
*
The demon laughed and stood up.
*
"Oh come on, my dear. Why don't we start all over again? I no longer see any point in hurting you. I think you understood the message about 'hurting those around me'..."
*
" Hurt "? He must have been talking about Mimzy... You preferred not to say anything about it and nodded.
*
"Yes, I understand. Just a piece of advice, don't tempt me. I may have made mistakes during our fight..... I wouldn't make the same mistakes twice."
*
Your smile became a little more mischievous.
*
"So you want us to start over, huh?"
"Yes, I think it would be more conducive to the development of this hotel."
*
He had a point. Fighting would only damage the hotel's reputation, but on the other hand... you couldn't trust him. Not after everything you learned about him, not after you saw what he was capable of.
You were going to say something but you were interrupted by Alastor who had reached out his hand to you.
*
"Hello, I'm Alastor, what's your name, my dear?"
*
You laughed at him, but you accepted his gesture, even if he made you sick and your "ceasefire" would probably not last more than a day. You were doing it for Charlie and for the well-being of the hotel.
*
"Nice to meet you, Alastor, I'm (Y / N) (L / N)," you introduced yourself while firmly shaking his hand.
*
And as you expected... his grip was just as tight and painful as yours.
*
*
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