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"Asmodean Crystal: Your Journey to the Hazbin Hotel"

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You’re walking home from your night shift—hungry, footsore, lost somewhere between sleep and curiosity—when your boot scrapes something glowing in the gutter. It twinkles with the colors of a raspberry hard candy, almost pulsing in your palm as you turn it over under the streetlight. Something about it pulls at you, like the distant memory of a dare. This is the Asmodean Crystal. You can’t know that, but your stomach is already making demands: food, adventure, distraction.

You fiddle with the jewel, running your thumb across its smooth, carved facets. You joke aloud: “Maybe it’s some kind of magic.” As if on cue, a cold red light engulfs your vision. The world peels away, made of fog and static, until you stumble through a tear in reality.

The first thing that hits you is the *smell*—charcoal, caramel, ozone, and something undertone-sweet and rotten, like circus popcorn in a crypt. When your vision steadies, an impossible structure looms before you. The Hazbin Hotel. Its turrets claw at the sky, all arching neon and gothic grandeur, stitched together from beached ships, twisted trains, and broken fairground rides. The sign burns bright and pink: **HAZBIN HOTEL**.

There’s a carnival tent awning over the doors, the windows glow with hues of cherry and tangerine, and the whole place is alive with a coral reef’s worth of color and movement. Your feet move on their own, crossing squashed cigarette butts and ticket stubs. You squeeze through the double doors (trying not to gawk at the doors—they’re stained glass but etched with odd, grinning apples).

Inside, the lobby expands—half casino, half baroque ballroom. Lava-lamp reds jostle sickly stripes of green and gold. Bones and bottle caps tangle in tangled chandeliers. No one seems to see you. Nerves rattle in your bones as you slip behind a crate.

You’re so hungry. There’s a table—set high with platters: cookies, cheese, slices of meat, weirdly glittery fruit, bottles labeled *Beelzejuice*. No one’s watching. Your stomach decides for you. You stuff your face with buttery rolls and fizzy, neon-green soda. Crumbs stick to your shaking hands; tart-sweet juice burns your throat. It’s the best goddamn meal you’ve had in two days.

You wedge yourself behind a stack of crates as voices echo from down the hall.
A gruff, scratchy voice gripes, “Where the fuck is the rest of my brisket? I swear it was *right here*!”
A second—sharp, nasal, with a Jersey accent—snaps, “You think *I* ate your crap? Maybe our lovely manager’s on a new diet—stealing my goddamn soda!”
A third—low, tired, grumbling—mutters, “If you two don’t shut up about your food, I’m gonna break something. Or someone.”

Your chest rattles with a snicker. Is this real? Demons fighting over snacks?

You creep from hiding. You *really* need a bathroom. It takes ages to find one, navigating past doors covered in snake motifs, peeling wallpaper, ornate gold frames whose eyes seem to follow you. The toilet looks old but functional. You do what you gotta do, flush, and sag with relief.

But out in the hall, voices rise.
“Oh *gross*, what the fuck died in there?!”—That’s the spider-demon, Angel Dust again.
Vaggie’s voice—a woman’s sharp snarl—joins in: “I’m fucking banning whatever bastard left that *swamp* in the toilet. Seriously, Charlie, new rule.”
The cat demon—Husk—coughs, “I’ve had cleaner shitholes in a trench. No one’s owning up? Figures.”

You laugh, silent, near tears. Hell wasn’t supposed to be this funny.

You hide for days. They never catch you—finding closets to sleep in, stealing cheese slices, nursing your guilt and your growing amusement at the chaos you cause. A tiny cyclops demon—Niffty—zips by once, her single eye scanning. You freeze. She leans in, *sniffs* the air, and then breaks out in a squeal:
“There’s a *human* in the hotel! Oh my gawd, oh my gawd—CHARLIE!”

Shit.

Footsteps thunder. You run, heart hammering in your throat, but there are too many hallways, too many doors. This time, you’re spotted. The enormous, pastel-haired spider-demon (Angel Dust) pins you with all four eyes, shrieks, “HEY! Creeper! I got eyes on the lost little lamb!” Within what feels like seconds, the hotel’s demons converge.

You’re trapped in the corridor, surrounded.
Charlie Morningstar stands at the front, her golden eyes wide, voice soft: “You’re… human? Here? How—?”
Beside her, Vaggie’s eye is murder-bright. “Are you the one who trashed our food and *destroyed* the restroom? Who the *fuck* do you think you are?!”
Angel Dust swears a blue streak, “Asshole, you owe me a whole charcuterie!”
Husk mumbles, “This is a first, I’ll give ‘em that. Wish they’d left booze instead.”

You open your mouth—apology or explanation, you’re not sure, but a shadow falls across you.
Radio-static crackles. A tall, dapper figure steps from the hall, smiling wide enough to crack his skull, eyes glowing as if tuned to a hellish broadcast. Alastor—the Radio Demon—bows, cane spinning.
“Well, well, well! What do we *have* here? An *intruder* with a healthy appetite and a questionable sense of hygiene!” He tips his head, sharklike, whispers, “How about I welcome you… properly, darling?”

His teeth gleam, golden and jagged. He lunges. You feel teeth ripping flesh, agony frantic and mercifully brief—screams blurred into static. Your blood stains the carpet.

You die.

You awaken, gasping, in swirling neon shadows. Your body is wrong—sleek, strange, pointed where it wasn’t before, colors garish and flowing. You’re in Pentagram City. Demonic now—a sinner demon like the rest, marked by the sin of trespass, hunger, curiosity.

You watch the hotel, stunned and a little lost, heart bruised but beating. There’s no way back to Earth. But rumor spreads—the hotel *helps* its own. If you’re good enough, if you try hard enough, maybe one day you’ll earn your wings—be forgiven, be transformed into something new.

You step forward. Charlie is at the door, smiling—genuinely kind, warm as summer. “Welcome back,” she says. “Would you… like to check in?”

You nod, unsure but hopeful.
You enter.
You will try.
You might even one day belong.

---

**Sample Dialogues You Overhear/Incite:**

**Angel Dust:** “Motherfucker, who’s eating my snacks? What, you got a death wish? I’ll show you what arachnid venom tastes like—”
**Vaggie:** “This is *fucking* bullshit! First our food, now the bathroom? If I ever get my hands on that asshole—”
**Husk:** “You all whine more than my ex platoon. Day drinkers, the lot of ya. Guess it’s one hell of a day…”
**Niffty:** “Humans are SO cute! I wanna see what happens when we put one in the laundry chute!!”

**Alastor:**
“Ah-ha-ha-ha! How positively *entertaining*. You thought you could stroll in and snack without so much as a by-your-leave? Well, I suppose it’s time for a little *show*, don’t you agree?!”

**Charlie:**
(Tone gentle, sad, maybe hopeful)
“You really don’t remember dying… Welcome. Maybe, together, we can build something better. And maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for here.”

---

**Your journey begins.**

This story was generated by user HelluvaJester with assistance by one of OpenAI’s large-scale language-generation model; prompts used to help generate the story are shown below.

Images were generated with OpenAI's AI system, DALL·E 2, or uploaded by the user.

AI Prompts

Prompt: Write a POV second-person story of a human, who finds an Asmodean Crystal (which Blitzo (an imp from an adults cartoon/animated series Helluva Boss) accidentally dropped one of them during his mission with the other crewmembers of I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals) including Moxxie, Millie, and Loona) and decided, out of innocent curiosity, to test out the Asmodean Crystal to see what happens. The portal to Hell then opens to reveals the entrance to the Hazbin Hotel (from the namesake adults cartoon/animated series "Hazbin Hotel"), and the human (with no ill intent and with pure curiosity) enters the portal and into Hell before he/she goes through the hotel's entrance doors and enters inside the Hazbin Hotel without the hotel's staff or guests/clients/patrons knowing. Here is what the hotel looks like; The Hazbin Hotel exterior is a tall, elaborate amalgamation of arched windows and turrets, one of which seems to be broken. It appears to be at least seven stories tall, with at least five of which being guest floors. Remnants of an airship, an ocean liner, a sailing ship and a carousel litter both sides and appear to have been incorporated into the structure of the building itself; there is also a train with some tracks looping the first and second floor exterior. Located on the top right of the building is a small radio broadcasting room, which is used as the work area for Alastor. Many signs are displayed outside the hotel: One atop the entrance reminiscent of the Hazbin Hotel logo, a large pink one atop the building with the hotel's name in lights, a neon 'HOTEL' sign at the bottom right and atop the building where Alastor's broadcast room is located, a small 'On-Air' sign is visible. Also located on the outer facade are various arrows pointing to the entrance and the broadcast room. The entrance has a tented cover with a booth in the center reminiscent of a circus or theater ticket booth. On either side of the booth are a set of double doors that have stained glass; in the pilot, they once depicted an apple on each one but were destroyed by an explosion due to Sir Pentious blowing up the doors with his airship (prior to Sir Pentious changing ways to become a nicer person before redeeming himself and becoming a saint angel (after his willing sacrifice against the series' main antagonist Adam (the exorcist angel) just before Adam is defeated by Lucifer Morningstar and killed by Niffty) in the season 1's finale episode "The Show Must Go On"). The hotel's interior (prior to this story) was shown to be in a state of disrepair, with wooden boards covering shattered windows, signs warning of asbestos, bloodied tools left lying around, and paintings are shown hanging off the walls (however, just after the season 1's finale episode "The Show Must Go On", these have been fixed after the hotel was rebuilt by Charlie's father Lucifer Morningstar). Much of the furniture in the lobby are strewn around haphazardly or remain boxed up in several large wooden crates. The bar uses skeletons, snakes, and bones as general themes, along with card suits and candles, and advertises itself as a casino. The area the bar in has glowing green wooden walls instead of the usual red wallpaper, with a "Jackpot" sign on the left wall and a Beelzejuice neon sign on the right wall. The word "concierge" can be presumed to be shown above the bar, and Alastor calls it the front desk when talking to Husk, suggesting that it is also the check-in counter. Despite the shabby and poor condition of the hotel, the overall theme of the building remains ornate and regal, with stained glass windows, lavish furniture, and generous usage of gold. Like the rest of Hell, the hotel has a largely red color scheme. There are many apple, snake and circus motifs throughout the hotel's interior, in reference to Charlie Morningstar's royal family, or more specifically, Lucifer Morningstar. Eyes are also a recurring theme throughout the building, appearing on the frame of almost every single painting and several vases and jars. The room the two women (Charlie Morningstar and Vaggie) share is rather large, with a regal look and a large bed, and has a window with a view of Pentagram City. Angel Dust's room has striped wallpaper, a vanity, mirrors, a place to put his wigs, and a bed with several pillows of various design, while beside it is a small bed for Fat Nuggets shaped like a pink heart with a small pillow on top, and with both beds on a single platform with neon lights. The wall behind the bed has photos of him, Cherri, and Fat Nuggets, as well as a couple of his film posters, while the bedside wall has neon lights shaped like webs. The door to his room has neon lights shaped like webs with hearts, and has three photos of him and his friends, and Fat Nuggets. Alastor's room has a mixture between both traditional décor and the fantastical, with one half being a classic "fancy study", complete with tasteful wallpaper and furnishings, the other half being a literal swamp conjured as a dining area. Sir Pentious' room (prior to Sir Pentious' death and sacrifice in the season 1's finale episode "The Show Must Go On") shared his (Sir Pentious') airship's steampunk aesthetics of golden cogs and gears and a red and black color scheme, while his bed was a circular mattress lined with pillows; this room is now currently vacant due to Sir Pentious' invented sacrifice. After going through the hotel's doors, the human finds himself/herself in the hotel's lounge room before finding the food and drinks on the table and consumes some of them (he wrongly believes no one will mind this, wrongly believing that the food are for everyone to eat and drink), since he/she is both hungry and thirsty (because he/she has not eaten for a day, so he/she needs food and something to drink). The human then goes into hiding within the hotel to avoid being discovered by Charlie Morningstar (founder of the Hazbin Hotel who is the daughter of King Lucifer Morningstar and Queen Lilith Morningstar, and was born in Hell, hence her status as a hellborn demon), Vaggie (lesbian manager of the Hazbin Hotel and Charlie's girlfriend (Vaggie sometimes swears/cusses), formerly an heavenborn exorcist angel but was banished by Lute to Hell for refusing to kill a sinner demon), Angel Dust (a tall and gay spider-like sinner demon (formerly a human but succumbed to an overdose sometime in his early 30s in 1947 and arrived in Hell as a sinner demon), an adult entertainer (he even swears/cusses), and the first volunteer for Charlie's Hazbin Hotel (which is a rehabilitation program)), Alastor (an eccentric sinner demon (who was once a human, but died in 1933 due to a dog-related incident), and one of the overlords of Hell), Husk (an ill-tempered, gambling, alcoholic cat-like sinner demon (he even swears/cusses), who was once a human, but he died in the 1970s after being ambushed with his platoon, captured, tortured, beaten, and possibly from alcohol overdose, and he arrives in Hell as a sinner demon), Niffty (a small, hyperactive cyclops-like sinner demon who was once a human woman from the 1950s before her death and arriving in Hell as a sinner demon), Razzle (a small and winged goat-like demon who serve as Charlie's bodyguard), Fat Nuggets (Angel Dust's demonic pet pig), or KeeKee (Charlie's pet demonic mouthless cyclops cat); none of the demons know who really ate the food minutes, so either Vaggie, Angel Dust, or Husk gets really angry about their food getting eaten (the human doesn't mean to upset anyone, since he/she didn't know the food belonged to the hotel's demons). This makes the human quietly snicker out in amusement (he/she finds the demons' complaints about the stolen food and drinks kinda funny, even if the human feels guilty). The human then felt like he/she had to pee/poop, so he/she also uses one of the hotel's restrooms to get rid of his/her pee and poop, while he/she also does not get caught by the demons; the demons (mainly Vaggie, Angel Dust, and Husk, but Niffty also is grossed out by the smell) smell the nasty odor, which the human doesn't find too bad unlike the demons, and just like how these demons complained about their food and drinks being eaten earlier, these demons complain about that awful smell coming from the restroom (despite the human having already flushed the toilet, the smell still lingers, but the smell is not too terrible (and not that different from Earth and is identical to the smell back on Earth) to the human unlike to the demons, which to them smells very bad), while these demons do not know it was the human who made that smell. This also makes the human quietly snicker out in amusement (he/she finds the demons' complaints about the bathroom's smell kinda funny, even if the human feels guilty). However, while the human's secrecy in the Hazbin Hotel has lasted for a long while (either for several days or weeks, despite causing the restroom's smell and the food and drinks being consumed by the human himself/herself), is then (much to his/her horror) discovered by one of the Hazbin Hotel's occupants, discovered by either Niffty (who would then smile/grin and scream out of excitement before running off to let the other demons know about the human being in the hotel), or Razzle (who is completely silent, but will still let the other demons know even without speech), or one of the hotel's pets (Fat Nuggets or KeeKee), leading to rumors of a human inhabiting the hotel among the demons. Sadly and eventually (either hours or days later after the first demon finds the human), the human, much to his/her horror, is found by another demon, who yells/tells other demons about his/her presence to let them about it. The demons then surround the human (with Charlie Morningstar being confused while Vaggie, Angel Dust, and Husk being unhappy with the human eating their food and stinking up the restroom, whilst also just as confused about the human being in Hell, just as all other demons being confused about the human being in Hell, since no human has ever visited or lived in Hell) before one of the demons (most likely Alastor, who enjoys chaos such as this (plus, Alastor doesn't want the human to spread tales of either Hazbin Hotel or all of Hell's existence)) brutally kills the human (blood and gore involved) through cannibalism (shredding the human's flesh with his teeth and devouring/eating the human). After the human's death, the human then manifests back in Pentagram City (located in the Pride Ring of Hell) as a sinner demon (confirming that he/she had died, hence why he/she is no longer mortal) due to his/her sinful trespassing into the Hazbin Hotel. Later, although the sinner demon (formerly the human himself/herself) no longer could come back home on Earth, he/she wants to be rehabilitated (in short, redeemed) so he/she could hopefully one day be accepted by Heaven and manifest in Heaven as a saint angel (which are unlike heavenborn angels, which were always born angels, since the saint angels were once humans before they died), so the sinner demon (formerly the human himself/herself) enters the Hazbin Hotel (now with purpose) and is welcomed by Charlie Morningstar, and the sinner demon (formerly the human himself/herself) starts trying to redeem himself/herself and socializes with the Hazbin Hotel's other clients/patrons in a healthy/positive and non-sinful manner, in hopes that one day he/she will be redeemed and be accepted by Heaven so that he/she will be converted into a saint angel and he/she will live forever in peace in the heavenly afterlife. For Alastor's appearance (for more information), he is a slim (having an unnaturally thin torso, neck, arms, and legs, except his shoulders are broad), dapper sinner demon with beige-colored skin, and usually has an unnaturally broad smile (reaching from each cheek's upper area) full of sharp, yellow teeth (he has no ability to frown due to this permanent smile). He is approximately 7 feet tall. He sports a pinkish-red cropped, angled bob-cut with black tips at the ends and two large, black tipped tufts of hair extending from the top of his head, evoking the ears of a deer. The style has an undercut at the back, and two small black antlers protruding from the crown, which can grow in size in his full demonic form. Alastor's eyes have dark-red sclerae, bright-red irises and thin black pupils (which can change into the shape of radio dials when shifting into his full demon form). He also has four fingers (like all Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss characters), unlike real world humans. His forearms and lower legs fade to dark grey, and he has red hoof-toed feet and red clawed fingers. Alastor wears a red pinstripe coat with dark-red lapels piped with white, which is ragged along the bottom hem. Underneath this he wears a bright red dress-shirt with a black cross on the chest, and long black dress pants with matching bright red cuffs. He also wears a dark-red oval-shaped monocle, rimmed with black, over his right eye. He accessorizes with a black knotted bowtie with a bright red center, black gloves with red at the fingertips, and black pointed-toe boots with red deer hoofprints emblazoned on the soles. Alastor also carries a thin cane with a sentient vintage style microphone attached to it, which he uses to play sound effects and broadcast his voice. His voice also sounds like it is coming from an old-fashioned vintage radio. Alastor has many supernatural powers, such as demon transformation (the ability to turn into a more powerful demon form), flexibility (able to contort his body into numerous unnatural poses), demonic magic (able to cast magic thanks to the high power-level he has accrued in the demon ranking system, this magic takes the visual form of glowing red symbols that resemble Voodoo veve, which float around him), shadow manipulation (able to summon shadows and manipulate them into doing his bidding), spatial warping (able to get around with the help of his shadow, allowing teleportation through this ability), portal creation (able to transport others to his location easily via the portals he makes), pyrokinesis (able to summon small balls of fire for display purpose), phytokinesis (able to make plants wilt with a single stare), manifestation, photokinesis (able to project red glowing light from his eyes as well as his microphone), and outfit alteration (capable of changing the outfits of his targets as well as his own with a snap of a finger). He is also capable of various other abilities including deal-making (as Alastor is known to be a deal-maker demon; deal-maker demons like Alastor can increase their power by dealing in souls, which is a very powerful commodity in hell, so they’re seen as very manipulative and not to be toyed with, deal-making is not something every demon can do, as such it is not to be taken lightly as it doesn’t generally work out well for the other party), broadcasting (when he was a living human, Alastor's profession was as a radio show host, and he continues his broadcasts in Hell as a demon, ensuring that Hell's denizens are aware of his activities over the airwaves, earning him the title of "The Radio Demon"), bilingualism (Alastor can speak English fluently as well as some broken Creole French), cooking (Alastor is noted to be "a big foodie" and mentions having admired his mother's cooking, specifically her Jambalaya), musical/dancing/theatrical talent (Alastor is known to display moderate vocal abilities and excels at dancing, with some people noting tap to be a style he excels in specifically, he also shows a flair for theatrical showmanship), and wide intellect (Alastor is known to be quite a cunning individual, resulting in him accruing a large amount of power through his tricks and deal-making). Alastor stands out from many of the more chaotic residents of hell for his well maintained amiable persona. He gives a first-impression of a good-natured and charming man, wearing a permanently wide grin on his face at all times. His behavior, mannerisms, and even his voice are similar to an old-fashioned radio announcer and speaks with a transatlantic accent, often using quaint anachronisms such as "the picture show" and refers to Charlie as a "charming demon belle". This playful dandyish exterior, however, obscures a much darker side to him - one with high levels of self-importance - and he will not hesitate to use physical violence when others don't act in line with his very particular values or expectations. He is noted to be narcissistic, with his love for himself being stated that no one else can measure up to it, and he does not see many people quite up to his level. Alastor is described as a man of duality. He values good manners, affability and intelligence very highly in others, and will actively look down on those who do not meet his standards, however he will often play fast and loose with these arbitrary rules in regards to himself and his own conduct. Alastor has an odd sense of morality, which is described as "not normal", and has been noted to be quite sadistic, even cannibalistic, devouring lesser demons or those that have incurred his anger. Despite this, he keeps close friends with the other cannibals of Hell, including the denizens at the Cannibal Town. His smiling is a very self enforced form of ego and a show of power and dominance; he looks down on anyone who lets their true emotions show, and even when faced with a rival in strength, if they let slip a frown, Alastor will see them as truly weak. His smile is also to be more unpredictable and unnerving, and gives him a feeling of complete control over himself. While Alastor is powerful, he is aware that there are other demons and entities that rival him in terms of power, such as other Overlords. For this reason, he is wary around such demons, as they could potentially harm him if he is not careful. Despite everything, Alastor does genuinely seem to want to help Charlie run the Hazbin Hotel, albeit for his own amusement, and hopes for its failure over siding with her idealism. Alastor also dismisses the idea that redemption is possible as laughable, nevertheless, he fulfills his role as patron as promised, providing the hotel with staff, and protecting Charlie and her business from outside threats. He views the whole endeavor as a fun distraction from his decades of boredom. Despite consistently having a confident and cheerful demeanor, he harbors a vulnerable side that becomes apparent when confronted with reminders of being "chained". In this instance, his facade of certainty crumbles, and he succumbs to panic attack. According to Mimzy (Alastor's friend), when Alastor was alive he would become a "kitten" (not literally a kitten) if he drank enough rye whiskey while jazz music was on. Here are Alastor's preferences (his likes and dislikes); he likes himself (including his own fashion style), smiling, doodling, gossip and drama, invading others' personal space, his mother and her cooking, jazz music, strong liquor, cooking, seeing people fail, playing pranks, bitter tastes (especially those of black coffee), theater, dancing, the Stock Market Crash of 1929, venison, being in charge, Charlie's potential, pineapple on pizza, and making jokes. However, he dislikes Lucifer Morningstar (the king of Hell and Charlie Morningstar's father) and his "tacky" circus décor, Susan (a Cannibal Town resident), being touched (including his hair being touched), dogs, frowning, tea, anything sweet, Angel Dust's sexual remarks, being humbled, post-30s' technology, anyone ruining his outfit, being controlled and reminded of it, the idea of the hotel failing, and Mimzy bringing destruction to the hotel. There should also be quotes (including swear words such as, but not limited to f-bombs, coming from Vaggie, Angel Dust, and Husk) from the characters in this story so we know what they're saying and what they're thinking. Also, it is a POV reader story, so it should not be in an author's point of view (my, I, mine, etc), and it should be from the point of view of the human reader (you, your, etc).

Response: You’re walking home from your night shift—hungry, footsore, lost somewhere between sleep and curiosity—when your boot scrapes something glowing in the gutter. It twinkles with the colors of a raspberry hard candy, almost pulsing in your palm as you turn it over under the streetlight. Something about it pulls at you, like the distant memory of a dare. This is the Asmodean Crystal. You can’t know that, but your stomach is already making demands: food, adventure, distraction. You fiddle with the jewel, running your thumb across its smooth, carved facets. You joke aloud: “Maybe it’s some kind of magic.” As if on cue, a cold red light engulfs your vision. The world peels away, made of fog and static, until you stumble through a tear in reality. The first thing that hits you is the *smell*—charcoal, caramel, ozone, and something undertone-sweet and rotten, like circus popcorn in a crypt. When your vision steadies, an impossible structure looms before you. The Hazbin Hotel. Its turrets claw at the sky, all arching neon and gothic grandeur, stitched together from beached ships, twisted trains, and broken fairground rides. The sign burns bright and pink: **HAZBIN HOTEL**. There’s a carnival tent awning over the doors, the windows glow with hues of cherry and tangerine, and the whole place is alive with a coral reef’s worth of color and movement. Your feet move on their own, crossing squashed cigarette butts and ticket stubs. You squeeze through the double doors (trying not to gawk at the doors—they’re stained glass but etched with odd, grinning apples). Inside, the lobby expands—half casino, half baroque ballroom. Lava-lamp reds jostle sickly stripes of green and gold. Bones and bottle caps tangle in tangled chandeliers. No one seems to see you. Nerves rattle in your bones as you slip behind a crate. You’re so hungry. There’s a table—set high with platters: cookies, cheese, slices of meat, weirdly glittery fruit, bottles labeled *Beelzejuice*. No one’s watching. Your stomach decides for you. You stuff your face with buttery rolls and fizzy, neon-green soda. Crumbs stick to your shaking hands; tart-sweet juice burns your throat. It’s the best goddamn meal you’ve had in two days. You wedge yourself behind a stack of crates as voices echo from down the hall. A gruff, scratchy voice gripes, “Where the fuck is the rest of my brisket? I swear it was *right here*!” A second—sharp, nasal, with a Jersey accent—snaps, “You think *I* ate your crap? Maybe our lovely manager’s on a new diet—stealing my goddamn soda!” A third—low, tired, grumbling—mutters, “If you two don’t shut up about your food, I’m gonna break something. Or someone.” Your chest rattles with a snicker. Is this real? Demons fighting over snacks? You creep from hiding. You *really* need a bathroom. It takes ages to find one, navigating past doors covered in snake motifs, peeling wallpaper, ornate gold frames whose eyes seem to follow you. The toilet looks old but functional. You do what you gotta do, flush, and sag with relief. But out in the hall, voices rise. “Oh *gross*, what the fuck died in there?!”—That’s the spider-demon, Angel Dust again. Vaggie’s voice—a woman’s sharp snarl—joins in: “I’m fucking banning whatever bastard left that *swamp* in the toilet. Seriously, Charlie, new rule.” The cat demon—Husk—coughs, “I’ve had cleaner shitholes in a trench. No one’s owning up? Figures.” You laugh, silent, near tears. Hell wasn’t supposed to be this funny. You hide for days. They never catch you—finding closets to sleep in, stealing cheese slices, nursing your guilt and your growing amusement at the chaos you cause. A tiny cyclops demon—Niffty—zips by once, her single eye scanning. You freeze. She leans in, *sniffs* the air, and then breaks out in a squeal: “There’s a *human* in the hotel! Oh my gawd, oh my gawd—CHARLIE!” Shit. Footsteps thunder. You run, heart hammering in your throat, but there are too many hallways, too many doors. This time, you’re spotted. The enormous, pastel-haired spider-demon (Angel Dust) pins you with all four eyes, shrieks, “HEY! Creeper! I got eyes on the lost little lamb!” Within what feels like seconds, the hotel’s demons converge. You’re trapped in the corridor, surrounded. Charlie Morningstar stands at the front, her golden eyes wide, voice soft: “You’re… human? Here? How—?” Beside her, Vaggie’s eye is murder-bright. “Are you the one who trashed our food and *destroyed* the restroom? Who the *fuck* do you think you are?!” Angel Dust swears a blue streak, “Asshole, you owe me a whole charcuterie!” Husk mumbles, “This is a first, I’ll give ‘em that. Wish they’d left booze instead.” You open your mouth—apology or explanation, you’re not sure, but a shadow falls across you. Radio-static crackles. A tall, dapper figure steps from the hall, smiling wide enough to crack his skull, eyes glowing as if tuned to a hellish broadcast. Alastor—the Radio Demon—bows, cane spinning. “Well, well, well! What do we *have* here? An *intruder* with a healthy appetite and a questionable sense of hygiene!” He tips his head, sharklike, whispers, “How about I welcome you… properly, darling?” His teeth gleam, golden and jagged. He lunges. You feel teeth ripping flesh, agony frantic and mercifully brief—screams blurred into static. Your blood stains the carpet. You die. You awaken, gasping, in swirling neon shadows. Your body is wrong—sleek, strange, pointed where it wasn’t before, colors garish and flowing. You’re in Pentagram City. Demonic now—a sinner demon like the rest, marked by the sin of trespass, hunger, curiosity. You watch the hotel, stunned and a little lost, heart bruised but beating. There’s no way back to Earth. But rumor spreads—the hotel *helps* its own. If you’re good enough, if you try hard enough, maybe one day you’ll earn your wings—be forgiven, be transformed into something new. You step forward. Charlie is at the door, smiling—genuinely kind, warm as summer. “Welcome back,” she says. “Would you… like to check in?” You nod, unsure but hopeful. You enter. You will try. You might even one day belong. --- **Sample Dialogues You Overhear/Incite:** **Angel Dust:** “Motherfucker, who’s eating my snacks? What, you got a death wish? I’ll show you what arachnid venom tastes like—” **Vaggie:** “This is *fucking* bullshit! First our food, now the bathroom? If I ever get my hands on that asshole—” **Husk:** “You all whine more than my ex platoon. Day drinkers, the lot of ya. Guess it’s one hell of a day…” **Niffty:** “Humans are SO cute! I wanna see what happens when we put one in the laundry chute!!” **Alastor:** “Ah-ha-ha-ha! How positively *entertaining*. You thought you could stroll in and snack without so much as a by-your-leave? Well, I suppose it’s time for a little *show*, don’t you agree?!” **Charlie:** (Tone gentle, sad, maybe hopeful) “You really don’t remember dying… Welcome. Maybe, together, we can build something better. And maybe you’ll find what you’re looking for here.” --- **Your journey begins.**

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