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It had only taken a few moments for the path of Vaggie’s life to take an entirely new direction. A few moments of hesitation, of weakness, and she had lost her home, her friends, and her eye. How was she possibly going to fight with an eye missing?
It wasn’t like that actually mattered now, she thought. Who was she going to fight? The Sinners? Now, she was one of them. What right did she have to go against any of them? What was the point in fighting if she had nothing to fight for anymore?
Maybe there was a way for her to get back into Heaven, back to her friends, back to Adam’s army. But would they even want her anymore? Surely, everyone had heard by now that she was a traitor. Why had she stayed her hand back then, anyway? Because the little demon looked weak and afraid, shivering and whimpering against the wall? It was an act. She knew it was an act. That demon probably would have gone on to kill myriad Sinners and probably even hurt her fellow Angels.
Quit thinking like that, she thought. She wasn’t an Angel anymore.
Maybe she could still fight. Maybe, if she killed enough Sinners, she could get Adam’s attention. She could get them to see that she knew the error of her ways. That she was loyal to them.
There had to be a way out of Hell, because what was the alternative? Spending the rest of her life surrounded by abusers, and cannibals, and serial killers? And abusive cannibalistic serial killers? It was Hell, so surely someone that awful had to exist.
She felt tears welling up in her eye. How the fuck was she going to do this? She was weak, now, weaponless, and alone.
Well, she thought, she wasn’t completely alone. Emotionally? Yes. But physically, not quite, because she was sharing a giant mansion with…a girl. A girl who had patched up her eye and saved her from bleeding out and was somewhere in the house–somewhere close by, Vaggie knew, because she could hear the sound of pacing footsteps if she listened carefully.
It was unclear, so far, what her deal was. The girl–Carly?–seemed nice enough, but so had the little demon who got her in this situation in the first place, and so had countless past demons Vaggie had killed before they could kill her.
Vaggie felt her heart start to race. She had heard horrible stories of the Sinners, here, stories of ones who tortured, mutilated, raped, enslaved others. In Heaven, Vaggie had never had to think about death–but maybe death was a blessing compared to living down here. What was this girl planning to do to her? The fact that she seemed so disarmingly nice was even worse. It was the most benign-seeming Sinners who were the most deranged deep down, right?
Vaggie felt her stomach starting to ache. It was a newish sensation, but she knew what it meant. She needed to eat something. What did they eat in Hell? Rotting flesh? Eyeballs? She’d rather die. Really. Maybe, she thought, she’d end up dying of starvation, and then she wouldn’t have to worry about all this anymore…
Her body wasn’t listening to her, though. Somehow, she was standing on her feet beside her bed, though her legs began to ache as soon as she started moving. She staggered through the hallway and into a large room. Vaggie crinkled her nose. The walls were lined with trash and dirty plates and piles of papers. Definitely not something you’d see in Heaven, she thought. She bristled when she spotted the girl in the center of the room. She was walking in circles, mumbling to herself, her fingers clutching tufts of her long, blonde hair. Pretty hair, Vaggie couldn’t help but think. But this girl was clearly not doing well. When she spotted Vaggie, her eyes seemed to light up and she gave her a wide smile.
“Oh, hi! Good morning! Um…I mean, is it morning? I think it’s still morning.”
“Uh…” Vaggie started, her voice hoarse. She cleared her throat, but before she could speak, the girl started talking again.
“How did you sleep? Do you need to sleep? No, sorry. That’s a dumb question. Most Sinners do.”
“I slept fine,” Vaggie said after a moment. “Thank you.”
“Oh! Oh, good! I’m so glad!” the girl exclaimed, and took a step towards her. Instinctively, Vaggie took a step back. The girl’s face fell for a moment, then she backed away as she gave her another smile.
“You must be hungry, right? I think you need to eat…right? Sorry, no. That’s a stupid question. Of course you do.”
This girl didn’t seem threatening. If anything, she seemed almost sad. Who had made her doubt herself so much? Why was she being so apologetic to a random stranger like Vaggie? A random Sinner like Vaggie?
What the hell is wrong with me? Vaggie thought. Thinking the woman in front of her wasn’t a threat when she was at least a foot taller than her. Not to mention the state that Vaggie was in, she thought as the ache in her legs and her chest became more pronounced. She could’ve been overpowered by almost anyone, let alone a demon who was so much larger than her.
“Um…Geez, I’m so sorry, but I forgot your name. Could you remind me, please?” the girl said.
Oh, fuck, thought Vaggie. She had just been staring at the girl after she asked her a question.
“It’s V…”
Her name, given to her by Adam. Adam, who she was never the biggest fan of, to be honest, but serving him made her happy. Maybe it was because, thanks to him, she got to be surrounded by an amazing group of women, or maybe it was because he believed in her abilities enough to let her serve on the front lines again and again. Maybe it was because he gave her the chance to be useful. He gave her a purpose.
The girl took a small step forward, then jolted backward.
“Sorry, what did you say?” she asked with a small smile.
“Um…It’s…Vaggie,” Vaggie said, changing up the pronunciation slightly. She didn’t know why she did that. Maybe she didn’t want to be recognized (but who down here would recognize her?), or maybe she just wasn’t thinking straight with the growing, gnawing pain in her stomach.
“Vaggie?” the girl repeated.
Vaggie nodded.
“Oh, that’s a great name! It’s…unique! I love it! I haven’t heard it before. I’m Charlie, by the way. I guess you knew that already. Sorry.”
Vaggie couldn’t help herself from chuckling.The fact that this giant demon woman couldn’t stop apologizing was just not what she had envisioned when she had thought of all the Sinners she’d encounter in Hell.
“Do you always apologize this much?” Vaggie asked, giving her a small smile.
Charlie’s cheeks flushed.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I mean–shit. I mean…”
The girl laughed nervously.
“I haven’t really…I’m a little rusty, social-wise. It’s been a while since I had a visitor! Or talked to anyone in person, really. Or over the phone. Or…at all.”
This girl really didn’t seem like a threat, thought Vaggie. But that was probably just what she wanted her to think. Charlie probably wanted her to let her guard down, so that she’d be even easier to victimize.
“You said you were hungry, right? I can make breakfast for us! You just sit tight,” she said.
“Okay,” Vaggie said. “Thanks.”
Should she watch the woman cook? Maybe she was going to poison the food.
As Charlie turned to walk away, Vaggie said, “Charlie?”
The woman nearly jumped, chuckled, and turned back to Vaggie with a smile.
“Yes?”
“Do you think I could…help you?”
“Oh, I don’t want you to trouble yourself!” Charlie said. “You just need to focus on getting better. You were hurt pretty badly. You should really be taking it easy.”
That sounded like a reasonable explanation, thought Vaggie, but it could have easily been an excuse. Still, it wasn’t as though Vaggie could think of a way to request to be in the kitchen without looking suspicious herself.
“Thanks,” Vaggie said again.
She didn’t feel comfortable sitting, so she stood in the center of the room as she heard Charlie working in the adjacent room, humming to herself as something clattered and clanged. Well, Vaggie thought, she guessed she’d find out what kind of food they served in Hell. Vaggie began looking around. She knew this place was large, but she hadn’t realized how large. The foyer alone probably could have fit a third of all the Exorcists. Not to mention the myriad bedrooms and bathrooms she had to pass by to get to it. Vaggie was sure that it wasn’t easy to come by a place like this. What kind of atrocities did Charlie have to commit to get it?
And though it seemed like such a nice place, it was certainly in disarray. There was hardly a path to walk through with the various piles of items that littered the floor, and the walls were caked in dust. The walls also, she noticed, had pictures. A lot of pictures. A lot of pictures that seemed to have Charlie in them–but a younger version. Sometimes, she was alone in the pictures; other times, she was with a man and a woman who looked somewhat similar to her–her parents?–as well as her standing next to other, creepy-looking demons.
Demons really did look disgusting, she thought as she felt her stomach turn. There was no way she would ever get used to them.
Suddenly, she heard a crash come from the kitchen. Instinctively, Vaggie rushed inside. She saw some sort of yellow substance spattered on the floor next to broken plates. Her stomach turned. It wasn’t quite the color of Angel blood, but the fact that it was so similar…Did Charlie know what she was? Was she taunting her? Playing a subtle mind-game to get Vaggie to–
Charlie whimpered and tears began streaming down her face.
“I’m really fucking this up,” she muttered quietly as her voice cracked.
Vaggie’s body, again, seemed to move on its own and she found herself right beside the woman, wiping her tears with her thumb.
“Why are you upset?” Vaggie said quietly. “I’m the one who should be freaking out here.”
“You?” Charlie repeated, looking up at Vaggie with her big, red eyes, and Vaggie felt her stomach flip. “Why?”
Vaggie chuckled.
“I’m…I’m hurt. I’m injured. I’m in no state to fight. You could really hurt me if you wanted to.”
Why the fuck did she just say that? Vaggie thought. If the woman wasn’t having those thoughts–and surely she was–then she certainly would now.
“Oh,” Charlie said with a sniffle. “O–Oh, yeah, I guess…I guess it’s like that out there, huh?”
Of course it was, thought Vaggie. It was Hell!
“I–I would never hurt you, Vaggie. I promise,” Charlie said. “Not that…Why would you believe me? Sorry. I…I’ll prove it to you. You can stay here as long as you want until you get better, and I’ll help you. I won’t do anything weird, I promise.”
Vaggie felt herself slowly starting to relax, though she knew she shouldn’t be. She needed to be vigilant. Charlie was a demon! A monster!
“Why are you being so nice to me?” Vaggie asked.
“Um…I–I don’t know,” Charlie said, and was quiet for a moment as she caught her breath in-between sniffles. “You looked like you needed help.”
“So, is that your thing?” Vaggie said, giving her a small smile. “You just go around helping people who look like they need it?”
“I wouldn’t call it my thing,” Charlie said with a quiet chuckle. “I mean…I guess, I’d like for it to be my thing. Like I said, I haven’t really gotten out in a while. But, I thought the Extermination was as good a time as any.”
She laughed, and Vaggie didn’t get it. Of course a Sinner would have a strange sense of humor.
Suddenly, Vaggie’s stomach grumbled loudly.
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Charlie said, wiping her eyes again and standing up. “You must be starving, and I screwed up breakfast.”
Though Vaggie felt wary of Hell’s cuisine, she couldn’t deny that she was starving. She pointed to the yellow goop on the floor.
“What is that?” she asked.
“Well, it was scrambled eggs,” Charlie said, and put a hand on her head. “God, if my mom could see how dirty it is here, she would flip. Back at home, the floor was so clean that you could eat off it. I really need to clean up. I know I do.”
“Scrambled eggs?” Vaggie repeated.
“Yeah! Haven’t you had them before?” Charlie asked.
Vaggie shook her head.
“These are actually from the surface! From chickens!” Charlie exclaimed with a smile. “I hope I can go there someday. I mean, I like it here, don’t get me wrong. It’s my home. But I’ve read about so many amazing things there. Like…Like horses! And kittens! And–Sorry, I don’t know why I’m telling you this. You obviously used to live there.”
Vaggie had no memory or knowledge of Earth, but Charlie didn’t need to know that. Even if she seemed nice, the less she knew about Vaggie, the harder she would be to exploit.
“Yeah! Yeah, the Surface! Of course I know all about it.”
“Vaggie, did you ever see a horse? Like, up close? In person?”
The woman’s face was so full of enthusiasm that Vaggie couldn’t bear to say no.
“Uh…yeah,” Vaggie said with a small chuckle. “Yeah, it was…very cool.”
“That’s amazing! I wanna hear all about your time on Earth sometime!”
“Sure,” Vaggie said after a pause. “Sure, but after breakfast.”
Charlie demonstrated how to prepare the food to Vaggie, and she took to it quickly–and was obviously better at it than Charlie. As they sat down to eat, Vaggie couldn’t help but think how delicious it smelled.
“Well? Isn’t it good?” Charlie said, beaming at Vaggie.
Vaggie took a deep breath and put a small forkful into her mouth. She was expecting it to taste like rotting meat or sour milk or any other number of disgusting things you would obviously find in Hell, but it actually tasted fantastic–satisfying, and slightly sweet and salty.
Vaggie nodded.
“I’m so happy,” Charlie said. “This is the first time I’ve cooked in ages, honestly, and it turned out pretty good! I mean, after I ruined the first try.”
“This is the best food I’ve had in a while,” Vaggie said, and Charlie grinned at her.
Why, she thought, was she being nice to this girl? Vaggie knew that it was only a matter of time until Charlie was going to reveal her true colors. But maybe she was playing the long game.
As Vaggie slowly regained her strength, she and Charlie settled into a pattern where they would share breakfast and chat, then (at Vaggie’s suggestion), they would do a little work to tidy up the mansion together, and then Vaggie would spend the remainder of the day in her room–resting, mostly, but sometimes she would find some comfort in running through segments of the combat drills that she used to do daily.
Vaggie began noticing little changes in Charlie. Her smiles seemed a little wider, she spent less time muttering to herself, and she began to stop apologizing so much. Vaggie couldn’t help but realize how cute the woman was, no matter how ridiculous it was to think that a Sinner, a demon, could be anything resembling cute.
But Charlie was especially cute when she was curious. Her eyes would widen and she would lean in close, closer than she probably realized.
“Hey, so, you don’t have to tell me this if you don’t want to,” Charlie said one morning, “but…you’re so nice. How did you end up in Hell?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” Vaggie said with a smile.
“Oh, I was born here,” Charlie said. “I thought you…Sorry, that’s pretty arrogant of me. It’s not like the Morningstars have an amazing reputation lately, with the way things are.”
It was at moments like these, when Charlie alluded to some common knowledge of Hell that Vaggie would have known if she were a regular Sinner, that Vaggie felt tense.
“Uh…born here? Wow. That’s…Of course you are. I don’t know why I said that.”
Charlie chuckled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
“What, do I make you a little nervous?” she said.
Something in Charlie’s tone made Vaggie’s face start to flush.
“Uh…Um…”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Charlie said. “Sorry, Vaggie. I don’t know why I said that.”
There she goes again, thought Vaggie. There was something so endearing–but also exasperating–about her.
“Oh my Lord, girl, stop apologizing!” Vaggie said. “I thought you were getting better at that lately.”
“Sorr–fuck,” Charlie muttered. “Was I?”
Vaggie chuckled.
“Yeah, you were,” Vaggie said.
“So,” Charlie started after taking a bite of her food. “What about you? Why are you here? If–If you want to talk about it.”
“Um…not really,” Vaggie said quietly.
“Oh, that’s okay! That’s okay. No pressure. I know it can be a touchy subject.”
“Yeah,” Vaggie said softly, feeling her chest tighten. “I guess I…I was too violent. I fought a lot, and I thought I was fighting for the right thing. I just wanted to protect people. But there are some people who aren’t worth protecting, and I know that, now.”
Vaggie blinked her tears away as she thought of her friends, friends she would never see again. She felt Charlie place her hand on top of hers.
“I’m sorry, Vaggie. It sounds like whoever that was didn’t deserve you,” she said. “And…I like that you’re violent. I–I mean…Not in a weird way. I just mean…It’s cool that you can fight and stuff. I’ve seen you messing around with that old spear sometimes, and you look really cool.”
Vaggie felt herself blushing again.
“Th–Thanks,” she said. Why did she sound so nervous?
“I mean it,” Charlie said, her voice getting a little louder. “You’re really cool, Vaggie. You’re tough and you’re strong, but you’ve got such a good heart. I know this sounds cheesy, but…My dad always talks about how horrible everyone down here is, and I always get so mad when he says stuff like that, but, honestly, I was starting to believe it. But then, I met you, and…”
Charlie’s voice trailed off just as it began to waver. There were tears in her eyes.
“Oh, don’t cry,” Vaggie said softly, moving to wipe her tears.
“No, no, it’s a good cry, Vaggie,” Charlie said with a small laugh.
She smiled at Vaggie in a way that made her stomach flip, as though she was in awe of her. Her, who lost everything she’d ever had, who judged the Sinners that surrounded them when she was just the same as they were. Unworthy of Heaven, weak and pathetic and–
‘You just…You give me so much hope,” Charlie said, beaming.
The woman looked so beautiful when she smiled, Vaggie thought, and Vaggie wanted to make her smile as much as possible. The adorable, crinkled lines at the corners of her sparkling red eyes that stretched to meet her cute red cheeks, the fullness of her black lips…
It had only taken a few moments for Vaggie’s to take an entirely new direction, and she knew that the same thing was about to happen again as she leaned in to kiss Charlie.