Hazbinphobia: Thrill of the Hunt

The Hell in the world of Zoophobia was very similar to the realm of Hazbin Hotel. The sky was crimson red, with wisps of black clouds lined up. Droopy black trees had downward hanging branches, casting strange strangled shadows on the lava-cracked ground. A nearby sign in the ground read, “Welcome to Hell: Enjoy your stay!”

A mansion stood proudly flanked by several drooping trees. The front had four dark pillars to the left and right of the front door. Black steps led to the front door. An upside down cross was displayed on the triangular uppermost structure. The mansion also had rows of windows with shutters along the sides. Behind the mansion stood a rocky mosque-like building with sharp spires reaching toward the sky. A black eye design with a small red slit and streams of blood running down was a prominent part of the design.

The palace inside had rocky walls and streams of lava, fire and brimstone in every room. On a dark desk stood four white candles emitting small red flames. Another taller candle lit up the hallway nearby.

A furry blue faced short creature was holding a clipboard and a feathered quill in his hands. “Hmmmm…” he pondered, scrutinizing as he looked down. He had yellow eyes and a blue face, with red ends of fur just above his eyes. He wore a red and black cape, fastened with a skull at his neck.

He wrote down on his clipboard and turned to his two subordinates. One was dark red, and furry with short striped horns. The other demon was green and furry, with black and green striped horns curled inwards like a ram.

“Okay! Let’s try this again…” he said. “Who is counting the souls arriving on the east side of Hell today?”

The red demon raised his hand. “I am!” he called.

“Alright,” said the blue guard demon. “Bob is on east. How about the west?”

The two demons stared, blank faced.

“Anyone?”

The red demon coughed.

The red demon spoke in a stutter. “Well…Major Styx…Sir…Carl was on the west side but he was fed to hell hounds by a demon gang…ya know how things happen over there…”

The green demon was opening his mouth, looking at a small flying creature in the air.

“Demon gang?!” Major Styx demanded. “Well fine, so who wants to replace him then?!”

“Uhhhhh…” both stuttered fearfully, looking off to the sides.

The green demon spoke. “Well sir…the west side is where the worst demons are…they make our jobs with the souls kinda…hard…shouldn’t somebody more…I dunno…strong…”

Major Styx was flabbergasted. “How come I am just now learning of this unruly demon stuff???”

The red demon shrugged, both hands out. “Well you never come to our faculty meetings…”

Major Styx glared at him, a red blood river flowing in the background.

“Do you know how much trouble I will be in if Lucifer finds out souls are not being counted?!”

A low voice sounded from behind him. “Souls are not being…what?”

Major Styx froze.

He turned around, eyes wide and stared at the face of the devil himself, towering above him.

Lucifer had the slender head of a bull, and large glowing red eyes. His face was dark gray, designed with black spirals and upside down crosses. His mouth glowed in lava colors; a red slit down his nose, giving the appearance of lava inside his face. He had several pairs of large horns, two small ones from his head, two large ones extending outward in curves and a third pair of them beside his forehead. He wore a dark elaborate robe with Satanic symbols on it.

“OH MY FREAKING GOSH, SATAN!” Major Styx yelped. “Wha…what are you doing here, sire?”

“I was looking for my son…what is it about souls?” Lucifer stared down with suspicious eyes. He was never pleased when Hells work wasn’t completed in a timely manner.

Major Styx held up a finger, dumbstruck. Glancing off to the side a bit, he decided to change the subject.

“You said you’re looking for Damian?”

Damian was a brown furry 16 year old creature who was attending the Safe Haven School. Troublesome and outgoing, he loved to prank others and mess around. He also wore a red and black outfit.

“Yess,” Lucifer said. “He was absent for his weekend performance. My wife was rather irate.”

“The queen?” asked Major Styx. “Oh how dreadful…I have not seen the prince all day, sire!”

Lucifer turned his head toward him. “You are sure you do not have any idea where Damian might be???”

“N-no sire! Of course not!”

“Fine. Report to me if you find him…”

“Of course, sire!”

After Lucifer left, Major Styx whirled toward a pink colored door with a heart covered sign that read “Knock please!”

“Tentadora!!”

He grumbled as he made his way to the door. If anyone knew where the prince would be, it would be his nanny.

“Tentadora!” he yelled as he pushed the door open. “Wh…ngh!”

The room was empty, safe for a round pink bed with a heart-shaped headboard with two pillows on it. Pipes ran along the bed. Pink bottles of makeup lined a vanity mirror with lights along the rim. A piece of paper with hearts and a winking face in pink was taped to the side.

“Woman!!! Get back here and tell me where the dark prince is!!!” Major Styx yelled in frustration.

A tall slender woman appeared with a poof of pink smoke. Tentadora. She wore a low-cut dress of dark pink along with matching high heels. Her hair was dark pink and long, with streaks of white. Her face was white and her eyes were pink with red pupils, heavily done with eyeshadow. With prominent breasts, swaying hips, and hourglass figure, she could rival Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Indeed, several animal students had stared at her with drooling mouths, claiming she was “damn hot” to Damian’s utter embarrassment. She would often display a friendly, over-loving jubilant attitude to everyone she met.

“Tentadora!” Major Styx bellowed, running up to her, incredibly short in comparison. “Where is the dark prince??!!”

Tentadora spoke in a musical voice. “He’s at his little school film club! You know that, Pixie Styx!”

She rubbed his head, Major Styx not pleased.

“He’s still attending the club??!! It’s bad enough he’s attending the school! But if he misses appointments with his parents for “clubs,” they’ll find out what’s going on for sure!”

Tentadora merely laughed and cupped his cheeks in her hands. “Yooou worry tooo much,” she sang.

Major Styx slapped her aside. “Don’t touch me, woman! As Damian’s caretakers, WE are responsible for him. And it will be OUR heads if he is caught.”

“I know that!” said Tentadora. “But things are fine. He is really happy on Earth! You know it is good for him.”

“Yes. But I do not think it is wise to push things! What about his tutor here?!”

“Daxler is never going to catch on.”

In a classroom, a stuffed doll of Damian sat on a chair in front of a desk. A tall demon with a deer skull head, a monocle under his right eye socket and large black antlers was writing on a chalkboard. On the chalkboard was a drawing of Earth, the cross of Saint Peter (upside down cross) and “how do we use this symbol to represent us?”

“Now boy. Can you tell me what key elements are known to make up Hell’s surroundings?”

“Yes! Correct! Fire and brimstone indeed! Brilliant, my boy!”

Back up in the palace, Major Styx spoke. “Well…his father IS looking for him now. So he must come home…where is he?”

“Gove me a mo!” Tentadora said in a drone-like voice. “I need new batteries first. Then we can both fetch him.”

“Fine! Meet me in the hall.”

Tenadora closed the door and lay down in a corner, hooking up a wire to the back of her head.

“Vile woman,” Major Styx muttered as he walked away.

“Heh, heh…”

Peering from behind a corner was a mischievous demon with the appearance of a deviant teenage boy. He grinned a row of sharp teeth and his eyes were black sclera with red pupils. His hair was short and gray, the same color as his shirt. A pair of black and red headphones with skulls on them covered his ears. He wore a black choker with red spikes around his neck, along with a necklace with a red pendant.

The teen jumped from behind the corner and covered Major Styx’s eyes. “Guess who, sticks?!” he yelled.

Major Styx’s freed himself and whirled around. “Do not touch me! Juvenile! Bozzwick!!”

The teen leaned casually against the wall. “So I heard the head honcho is lookin’ for Damian…He sure goes missing a lot, huh??”

Major Styx scoffed. “He is most likely wandering someplace he shouldn’t!”

“Uncle Styx?!” chirped a fury of voices from below.

He looked down and saw three demon triplets with pink skin, small horns, pointed tails and long rabbit-like ears. The first one had red upside down crosses in their eyes, the one in the middle had a pentagram and an eye slit, while the last one had pink spirals in their eyes.

The middle one asked, “Where is Damian?”

“All of you, stop asking me things!” Major Styx yelled as the triplets giggled.

“General Major Styx,” said another voice.

A tall woman with gray hair wrapped in a bun, walked over. Hilda. Her eyes were large and black, her face pale. She wore a long old-fashioned dark lavender dress with a large skirt, buttons and a white frilly collar.

“Do not yell at the children for asking a simple question.”

The triplets jumped around and crawled on him.

“They are not children! They are brats!” he argued.

“Alright, Styx, let’s head on upstairs and get Damian from the “evil” surface w…” She stuttered in gibberish, realizing her slip-up too late.

“He’s on the surface?” asked the teen.

Hilda and the triplets stared in curiosity while Major Styx closed his eyes and sighed in annoyance. Tentadora had stupidly given them away!

‘W-well I-I- he-he…”

Major Styx cut in, Tentadora’s breasts flopping over his head.

“Fine! Yes he is! And now that you all know, it is on you as well if his parents find out!”

Hilda crossed her arms. “Well I, for one, am very disappointed in you two for this. Deliberately lying to your head of house. Leaving the prince unattended! He could be overwhelmed, he is not ready for so much…”

Tentadora glared and leaned her face in. “Shut up, Hilda. I know what is best for Damian. I raised him.” She pointed down with her finger as a gesture. A lone servant girl wearing a maid’s outfit with colorful eyes looked on in worry.

Hilda narrowed her eyes and a door opened as pink magic surrounded the door and her hand.

Damian’s room was a mess. The bed with red curtains was unmade and there were piles of paper and clothing all over the floor. A bull skull hung over the door and a lone guitar leaned against the wall.

“Oh yes, and you did a bang up job with that, dearie,” Hilda spoke in sarcasm. “Such a disciplined, well-organized child. It’s a wonder he can dress himself…”

“HEY!” both Major Styx and Tentadora yelled in protest.

“Damian is very disciplined!” Major Styx argued as he talked on. Bozzwick leaned against the wall, bored.

The teen grinned. “So it sounds like the dame is up on the surface world!”

One of the triplets held up a sign with question marks.

“Where do you think he is on Earth?” they asked.

The teen looked at the distracted individuals…a great opportunity. “I have a hunch…follow me girls…”

Hilda continued, “You do understand why it is exceedingly unwise to allow the young prince out amongst the surface world inhabitants. His powers and personality are just not suited for that. He is meant to be here, and to be trained to take his place in this kingdom…THAT world is too distracting from his rightful path.”

She critiqued Tentadora, who stood sadly. “And I don’t mean to be so blunt, Tentadora, but you and your wreckless personality have rubbed off on him far too much. I’ll do my part in making sure his parents are none the wiser. And you two see to it that Damian is returned post-haste. As well as the devils and Bozzwick from the looks of things…”

Major Styx pulled out clumps of blue hair. How could they have let those tricksters escape?

The courtyard at Safe Haven was adorned with smooth cobblestones along the ground and the walls. Cherry blossom trees stood off to the side as a golden griffin fountain trickled softly. A yin-yang symbol adorned the elaborate green roof held up by pillars.  A peaceful quiet day in the grounds of the Safe Haven was interrupted by a loud BOOM! A flash of pink and a swirl of skull spirits frightened nearby girls sitting on a bench. The one in the middle, with teal feathers in her long white hair had been doing her nails in between two female twins with short brown hair.

Bozzwick and the demonic triplets appeared, all grinning evilly in a pose.

“So this is it, huh?” Bozzwick asked. “Well, we best get looking for Dame.” He glance in the direction of the girls… “After havin’ a lil fun!”

He slid behind them and wrapped his arms around the three. “Hey, ladiesss,” he hissed as the three sat in fear.

One of the triplets held up a sign that read “boys” and rolled her eyes. The leader elbowed her other sister with a grin, who stood confused.

Cameron, the human woman with blonde hair, walked down the hall with a sigh. She still had to get used to the place. Although the animals and shapeshifters around her had been friendly, she was still practically afraid of anything that moved. She had zoophobia, the extreme fear of animals…and this was the worst place she could possibly be stuck in. But then again, things weren’t completely bad. She did make friends with the cheetah, and several of the students. She wished that she could go back home to her city. Then again, she did have a job, and back when she had an interview with the strange woman, she was willing to do anything to not suffer unemployment. One pink spirit hissed at her, making her step back.

A whooshing sound roared from behind her. Pink light with pink spirits flew in circles before two figures appeared: Major Styx and Tentadora.

“Hellooooo dearie!” chirped Tentadora. “Do you work here? I was hoping to know when the after school film club lets out! My pumpkin doodle bum is in there and we need to take him home.”

“The film club?” she asked. Cameron looked though a book on the school clubs. “Uhhh…It actually let out about forty minutes ago…”

“Oh my,” breathed Tentadora. Major Styx scowled, ear and eye twitching.

“This is all your fault!!” he yelled at Tentadora.

“Oh hush!” she replied. “We have time to find him. He can’t have gone far!”

“Don’t tell me to hush, woman!” Major Styx spat.

Tentadora pulled a stunned Cameron into a tight hug. “Thank you for your help, ginger snap!” She let go. “This will be an adventure!”

Major Styx groaned out loud as he walked beside her.

Cameron took some anti-anxiety meds. Then right as she looked up…

RAAAAARRR!

The three triplets were standing on top of each other. The one with spiral eyes opened her large mouth, full of fangs and a long black tongue.

“AHHHHHHHHH!” Cameron screamed and ran for her life. The triplets flew after her, laughing.

She ran into a room and held the door behind her. “They’re after me!” she yelled as the triplets pounded on the door.

“What in tar…Cam?” asked a teacher with tattered blonde hair, red eyes and a beak-like mouth.

The spirits shoved the door open on top of Cameron.

“Eyy baby!” one teased. Another one held a sign that read “Sorry about the door!”

“Well, I’ll be!” she exclaimed. “These here are Hell Sprites!” She held one in her hands. Another sprite hugged a red fox teacher. “We’re looking for our master Damian!” she said.

“Ain’t that the devil’s kid?” the blonde teacher asked.

One of the spirts bit the fox’s tail and he yelped.

Damian had been found in a market place. The brown furry demon was standing on four large limbs, growling and yelling at a white, God-fearing cat. Addison, Z Alastor, Z Mimzy, Sahara and some of his other friends, were trying to get him to calm down. Addison had white hair and wore green. Sahara was dark skinned and wore purple and a purple head covering. Earlier, Damian was enjoying looking at comics that were on sale. Then the preaching cat told them to worship God to save their souls.

Bozzwick was enjoying the show from behind a corner. “Perfect…this is gonna be fun…”

Damian roared in pain as he was shot in the neck.

“Freeze, demon sucka!” called two thin white monsters with flashing red and blue eyes. “In the name of S.H authority!”

Major Styx and Tentadora were walking out from a building with neon men and women’s signs on them.

“That! Was not a gentleman’s club! I can’t believe you convinced me Damian would go into the horrid place.”

He still couldn’t get that horrid image of a feminine dressing white demon spider dancing on a pole out of his head.

“You are very gullible, Styx,” Tentadora teased. “And your face was beyond priceless.”

Just then, she gasped and her eyes turned black with red upside down crosses in the center.

“What is it?!” Styx asked.

A white hot iron collar was shoved onto Damian’s neck, choking him and making him yell in agony.

Tentadora gasped. “Damian is in danger!”

“Don’t fight it, demon!” said Pose. “Po, did you send the alert to Xirxine?”

“Yeh!” said his comrade.

“Looks like they’ll have a new test subject!”

Bozzwick grinned widely. His rival was going to experience hell on earth…and everyone around him was going to be blamed for it!

Addison and Sahara looked on in fear when…

BOOM!

Tentadora leaped into the air, summoning a round saw in her hands. With a swift move, she sliced apart the chain that held Damian. Damian gasped for breath.

Damian plummeted down into Major Styx’s arms.

“TOUCH THE PRINCE AGAIN,” she roared in a robotic voice at the police, “AND I’LL TEAR YOU AND YOUR UGLY ASS TWIN APART, THEN TIE YOUR BITS TOGETHER AND PUT ON PUPPET SHOWS!”

The ground burst open with a loud crash and Lucifer emerged from lava. Everyone froze. He roared at Styx and Tentadora, the obnoxious white cat, frightened as well.

Lucifer opened his mouth wide and stairs formed, leading down to Hell.

“HOME! NOW!” he bellowed.

Major Styx followed a sad Tentadora, holding Damian in her arms.

“Come on you two,” said Styx, looking back at Damian’s two demon friends.

Z Mimzy was a demon with pale skin, short hair and a dark dress. Z Alastor had black and red hair, with long furry ears with deer antlers. He wore a black dress coat with an upside down cross symbol on a red undershirt. His eyes were red, his teeth yellow, and smile strained. Although he never frowned, his emotions could be seen through his eyes and posture. The two of them, hand in hand, followed close behind.

 Lucifer’s mouth closed and he lowered back into the ground, like molten lava.

Unfortunately for Bozzwick, his rival was now safe, eliminating any chances of him ruling Hell and messing around with everyone for his enjoyment.

“God fuckin’ dammit!” he cursed.

The group walked up a flight of stairs, the archway made of stalactites of flames. Windows and balconies hung overhead, while skulls with antlers decorated the walls.

“Are we in trouble, Tenta?” Though, he already knew the answer.

“Maybe a lil, baby,” she replied.

Styx clutched his blue furry head. “I told you! I told you this was all a bad idea from the start!”

They walked further on toward the double doors to the throne room.

Z Alastor looked at his friend, concern in his eyes. He took out a red cloth with gold leaf designs and a face on it. He held it up for him to see and began to sing:

“Smile, even though your heart is aching…

Smile, even though it’s breaking…

When there are clouds in the sky…

You’ll get by…”

He had sung the song several times to hypnotize mortals into doing random deeds for him. It was a way for him to curb some of the boredom that came with school. The “magic show” act was so ridiculous every time, that Damian let out a small smile. Z Alastor was part deer, like Autumn, another friendly fellow of theirs at school. Z Alastor was a great kid, even when he loved to mess around with fellow deer classmates. Ironically, he also loved deer meat, so he was also unpredictable.

A chandelier of skulls and antlers hung from the high ceiling, two of the eye sockets glowing red. The group entered the royal hall. On the wall above the door was a glowing black and red upside down cross. The walls were etched with various symbols: pentagrams, circles and the Leviathan symbol: a sideways 8 with two crosses above it.

Another wall displayed glowing sigils of different colors. Skulls spilled streams of lava into holes, which made up pillars.

“DAMIAN!!”

“Yes, daddy…” Damian said in a small voice. He slipped out of his nanny’s arms and stood up.

Red light shone from a round window high above, with an upside down cross making up the middle part.

There sat Lucifer on his part of the throne a chair made from skulls, the seat and back part black. The handle was made up of a skull. Large antlers rose up from his throne at the very top, making him look like he had even more intimidating horns from a distance. The floor under his feet was full of a dozen red eyes of various sizes.  

The other half of the throne was pink, with the rim curving upward toward the top. The handle consisted of a pink heart.

Narissa was the queen of Hell and she lay on her side of the throne in a robe similar to her husband’s. She was much smaller and had the appearance of a brown slender fox-like creature with long eyelashes. She wore black pointed crown on her head and wore necklaces, one of which was an upside down cross. A small light purple bipedal cat stood off to the side, holding a transparent scroll in her paws. She looked innocent enough, but she was actually a demon fighter and head of the royal guard.

“What is the meaning of this?” Lucifer rumbled.

“Dad…I was just…h-hanging out with my fr…”

“SILENCE!” Lucifer roared, making the room shudder. “You are not permitted on the surface, and there are laws against demons in Safe Haven. You could have been killed!”

“Sire…” added Tentadora, Styx beside her. “We did manage a direct appeal some time ago with one of Safe Haven’s head peacekeepers…we…”

“SILENCE!” he yelled again, everyone cowering back.

“You two are Damian’s caretakers and my heads of staff. You should know better than to make decisions like this without consulting me first! I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU TWO…”

His mouth opened wide, revealing sharp fangs stained with blood.

The two of them closed their eyes, bracing for the worst…

“Dad!” Damian yelled, stepping between them. “I begged them for months for this! I hate it here all the time! I just wanted a little freedom…”

Lucifer opened his mouth in rage; “YOU HAVE…”

He was stopped short when Narissa put a paw up. “Why do you hate it here, baby?” she asked.

“Well I…I don’t feel like…I have a life here…”

Damian touched his furry fingers together.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Damian lowered his head. “Well…I mean…like…” He tried to get the words out without hurting his parent’s feelings.

“…I love it here, my family and…it’s cool and stuff…but…I’m not allowed to go out and explore here at all…’cause it’s ‘too dangerous,’ so I’m stuck in the palace all the time…and learning about our culture n’ stuff…but the surface world is…so much bigger…and diverse…and ya know…”

He took a breath. “It’s just…” His legs twitched and fidgeted. “I want a chance to explore my own life. I’m sorry mum…”

Narissa stared at her son, lava making up the veins and sclera of her eyes.

Both his parents knew that the surface world was dangerous…not only because of other monsters like vampires and malevolent beings, but also the animals…and the humans themselves. Safe Haven had been created to help protect refuge creatures from being harmed and discriminated by the dominant human population on Earth.

Clearly, Earth was nowhere near the friendliness of a Zootopia.

However, both Lucifer and Narissa wanted was best for him…like any parent, they wanted their child to be happy. He was an outspoken teenager, who desired to be independent and do things on his own. Letting a child leave the nest was hard for any parent…but especially hard when a demon was willing to go into a dangerous unpredictable world.

Lucifer pondered in thought. Major Styx and Tentadora looked on, still as statues.

“Once his safety is assured, I’ll allow it. But if you two ever act on things without my permission…I will not be so docile…”

“Yes sir,” they both said.

Damian beamed as he stood between his caretakers. He rushed into his father’s arms. “Thank you, daddy! Thank you so much!”

A warm feeling came over Lucifer as he son hugged him.

Lucifer remembered back when Damian was younger and he wanted to play the banjo. Damian had followed his father, sat down and began to play the banjo. Lucifer looked down in disapproval.

“Hi’ ya daddy!” he greeted.

“Son, how many times have I told you to get rid of that useless thing? Why don’t you play a more sinister instrument? Like the violin? It would be much more suiting.”

“But I enjoy it, dad.”

Lucifer turned around, eyes glowing. “Son, I mean it.”

Damian strummed the strings and stuck his tongue out playfully. He laughed until Lucifer tugged the instrument from his hands. Damian gasped.

Damian tugged on his father’s robe. “Hey dad, no! Give it back!”

Lucifer threw the banjo down into a pit of lava. A spirit screamed when it hit.

Damian burst into tears. “Dad, why did you do that?!”

“Because…” Lucifer growled, his face close, “You will never learn how to be a fearsome demon playing that silly thing.”

Damian whimpered and raced into his room.

Lucifer walked toward it, a somber look on his face. He held a violin in his hands.

Lucifer knocked on the door with his claw.

Damian buried his face in pillows. In his room were signs reading “The Muppets,” ”Nicky Ninja” and a family picture on a bedside table. A stuffed demon lay on his bed.

“Son?”

Damian burst out of his room in anger. “What?!”

“Why don’t you give the violin a try?”

He handed him the instrument.

“I just want you to gain a more evil demeanor,” Lucifer said.

There was a loud snap.

Damian had smashed the violin against the ground, the instrument in pieces. Damian crossed his arms.

Both of them burst into laughter after a moment. Damian had gotten payback, one destroyed instrument for another. Damian laughed and jumped into his father’s arms. They both shared a hug.

Back in the present, Damian’s mother soon joined in in the family hug.

“I love you guys so much!” he said.

“I love you too, my son,” said Narissa.

Z Mimzy and Z Alastor smiled and did a dance in celebration.

Tentadora had tears coming from her eyes as she smiled. She looked at Major Styx with an “I told you so,” smirk.

“Okay sooooo…What did I say from the start? Hmm?”

“Woman. Do not start,” Major Styx replied.

Before Damian left, Lucifer spoke to him in a low voice. “Be wary around your friend Alastor. He’s unpredictable and he might be too evil even for you. He has dark powers as well, I sense them.”

“But, dad, he’s my friend. He would never to anything like that. Sure, he may be a trickster and a doe womanizer, and a bit too happy, but he’s harmless.”

“You may be right…but if there’s someone else out there just like him…someone far worse…promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I promise.”

Not too far away, Bozzwick and the sprite siblings returned to Hell. He peered through a crack in the door and hissed in anger. There was the prince, in his parent’s arms…if was like the world was mocking the gray haired teen.

He sulked down the hall until he heard two voices. One was the voice of a woman with yellow eyes, magic humming around her. The other voice was male and it sounded distorted. Both seemed to thrive on messing with others for their own enjoyment.

Bozzwick listened to the conservation and the more he listened, the wider his grin became.

Apparently, if his ears heard right, a demon from another world was planning to create some chaos of his own.

And best of all…he was planning to take out some of Damian’s friends.

He heard two names and a place: Mimzy, Alastor, and Safe Haven.

He grinned and walked away, feeling much better than before.

It wasn’t long before Damian and all his friends were back in school. Addison, Sahara, Kayla, Jackson, Z Alastor and Z Mimzy were happy to see him in good spirits.

“How you been?! Everything okay at home?” asked Addison.

“Doin’ great! My parents are finally on board with me comin’ up here! So now I’m free as a bird!”

“You did kinda freak us out, Dame,” Sahara mentioned.

“Yeah! What was that the other day?” Addison asked.

Damian laughed. “No clue! Guess I just got pushed over the edge. You guys know how hard it is to get me mad!”

“You can’t take anything seriously!” said Sahara.

“You’re just jelly since you aren’t this laid back,” said Damian.

The group of friends continued on.

Not too far away, Z Alastor and Z Mimzy were sitting together in the drama classroom. They had just performed a duet together and Gustav had approved. The two of them watched as other students went on stage for their acts: Sahara tried to create a pink potion in a cauldron, only to have it blow up in her face once again. Jack tried to sign but kept tripping unexpectedly and falling flat on his furry face.

“Next!” called Gustav.

Kayla and Luke dressed up in costumes and sang on stage, which put them at first place in the Talent Show tryouts. Cameron stood in the far back, as far away from the animals as possible.

“Alright everyone!” said Jackie, the parrot-human music teacher, clapping her hands. “Today, I’d like to introduce you to some new students. Come on up!”

Two young deer walked silently up on stage. The first one was a yellow doe with a somewhat spotted coat. She turned into her human form. The second one was a light red colored doe with red eyes.

“I’m Summer,” said the yellow girl. “But I’m sure you already know me. My siblings are Soring, Winter, and Autumn. I’ve transferred to a few other classes.”

“Wonderful! Great to see you and welcome!” Jackie beamed. “Who’s your friend?”

Summer looked at the smiling red doe.

“I’m Janet,” said the deer. “But people usually call me Jane Doe.”

Several classmates chuckled.

“How’d you come here?” Jackie asked.

Janet turned her head slightly to the side. “Well…I met Summer the other day. She was so nice that she took me into Safe Haven.”

Summer spoke up. “She said that there are human hunters who were chasing her down the street. She was scared and didn’t have anywhere to go.”

“I…I don’t have any family,” Janet said, her head lowered. “There was nowhere else to go. But sweet Summer here introduced me to Safe haven and Phoenix Academy. I’m very excited to be here.”

“How wonderful, Janet, welcome to our class!” said Jackie.

Janet and Summer took their seats as the rest of the auditions continued. Z Alastor in his human form waved to Janet, who waved back.

Soon, class was over. Janet, Z Mimzy, Summer, and Z Alastor happily walked the grounds, three of them in deer form, save for Mimzy.

“Hello there, ladies,” said Z Alastor, merging between Summer and Janet in his red and black deer form.

“That’s a bit too close, Alastor,” Summer complained.

“What, am I too much for you, my dear?” he said with a wink.

Janet held back a giggle.

“I mean it, Al.”

Z Alastor stood in front of her, with his ever present grin. The yellow deer shrunk back. Z Mimzy stood and swayed her hips in Z Alastor’s direction.

“Aw come on, summer! I’m your new best friend! Let’s relax, have some fun, deer to deer. It’s not like anyone else besides your siblings cares about you.”

“Y-you’re wrong! I know you think teasing me and my family is a joke, but it’s not. We are all one big family, so I can do what I want.”

He shape-shifted into Summer’s human form, his red eyes out of place. Summer gasped and stepped back.

“Like my new look? Heh heh. You should try shape-shifting some more…get more advanced if you catch my drift.”

He turned back to his deer form.

“Dab in dark magic? I don’t think so,” Summer said. “I’ve seen the pranks you pull: tripping others with tentacles, creating holes to Hell for others to fall through. Singing songs to hypnotize people during magic shows. It’s not funny.”

“It is to me,” Z Alastor grinned. “After all, the world is a stage…”

“…and the stage is a world of entertainment,” Janet finished.

The rest of the group turned to look.

“H-how did you finish my sentence?” Z Alastor asked with a laugh.

Janet smiled. “It’s probably a lucky guess.”

Z Alastor leaned closer, “Or perhaps we were meant to be…” Janet giggled as Z Alastor leaned in for a kiss.

“Gross,” Summer made a face. “Have fun Janet, I’m outta here.”

“Bye, Summer! Have fun in class!”

Z Alastor laughed. “As much fun as this is, pretty one, I need to go to class myself. Gotta check in to see how Damian’s doing.” Z Mimzy leaned against Z Alastor. “And my boyfriend’s due for a midnight dance at the jazz club tonight.”

“Okay then,” said Janet. “One last hug?”

Z Alastor grinned. “Don’t mind if I do.”

The two deer embraced. Summer turned around to see them hugging and rolled her eyes. Then Summer saw something very strange. Janet’s smile somehow grew wider, showing sharp teeth that turned a sickly yellow. Her eyes seemed to glow redder than before. Her hooves morphed into claws and black antlers sprayed from her head. The sharp claws gripped hard onto Z Alastor’s fur. Mimzy stepped back.

Summer gasped. “Alastor!”

Z Alastor opened his eyes and turned around to see Summer. At the same time, Janet’s morphed face lifted up and spoke in a low demonic radio voice.

“Hellllloooo….”

Before Z Alastor knew what was happening, a flaming portal in the ground had opened up below their feet. Z Alastor struggled, a shocked look on his face, before he fell through. Mimzy tried to run, but a lone black tentacle seized her by the waist and dragged her screaming, into the hole.

“Hey! Hey!” Summer ran over on all fours…but the portal had already closed.

“What’s going on?” Damian asked, running over.

“Alastor and Mimzy…they’re g-gone! Some monster just took them and vanished.”

“What?!”

Summer and Damian raced ahead. “We have to tell the red-haired woman and the others! I think they went over to your Hell home world!”

In his human-like form, Z Alastor landed with a thump onto brown grass. He stood up and looked around. There were tall bare trees spread out, their dry branches reaching toward a crimson sky. There was a city not too far away, and strangely enough, a large red neon pentagram was glowing above it.

This didn’t feel like the Hell he had known every time he visited Damian. It seemed vaster…more vivid…more modern than fire and brimstone everywhere.

A shrill scream made him alert. It was coming from deep into the woods. He raced toward the sound. Red spots of blood appeared in the dirt below, glistening. The blood spots grew more frequent as he continued on. His heart speed up.

“Go away, demon, get away from me!”

The voice again…it was definitely Mimzy.

“Two Mimzy’s in Hell…” purred a low voice. “Tsk, tsk… that just won’t do. Good bye, sweetheart.”

Mimzy was pinned down to the side of a tree, a tall man looming over her. Her scream turned into a gurgle as a sharp knife was inserted into her chest. The blood staining her dark dress could barely be seen. The man twisted the knife and Z Mimzy’s dark eyes rolled into the back of her head. 

Z Alastor had made it onto the scene, just as Z Mimzy’s severed head was seen in a pair of four fingered gloved hands.

“Let her go!”

“I just did,” said the voice with a laugh. “Her soul now roams free in the void.”

Z Alastor’s smile fell for the first time in years, but he quickly grinned again to hide his fear and disgust.

But the demon standing there seemed to sense every feeling he had.

“Hello, there fellow stranger! Sorry for the sudden trip, but I thought you’d like to see this wonderful world of Hell.”

Z Alastor summoned a round staff in his hands that glowed red.

“W-who are you?”

“You’re Alastor, yes?” the man asked. “Why, I’m Alastor, too! You are me…and I am you. Though, perhaps, I’m the better version.”

Alastor stepped out of the shadows. His dress coat was similar to Z Alastor’s outfit, except it was blood red instead of mostly black. His shoes were black and his pants a dark red color. Both had red undershirts with the upside down black cross design. His face was more gray in color than Z Alastor’s, though his eyes were red, the very same as his own eyes. His tuffs were red and black, thicker and not nearly as long. His teeth were sharp and yellow, and a monocle rested under his right eye. Black antlers stuck from his head, his hair red and black. He carried a red vintage microphone staff in his left hand. Alastor’s outfit was less like a vampire’s like Z Alastor’s…and more of what a man would wear in the 1920s.

“Y-you killed her.”

“Yep I did. And I’m gonna eat her soon. You’re more than welcome to join me.”

“Y-you’re gonna eat her?!”

Alastor laughed. “What? Never seen a demon eat another demon before?”

“Well…I’ve only visited Hell a few times, and there are tons of monsters that eat others. I just wasn’t expecting someone so…so…”

Alastor tilted his head. “So human-looking?”

Z Alastor paused. “How did…?”

“How did I read your mind?” Alastor chuckled. “Well, it’s simple, you and I are pretty much the same person. All it takes is a little focus and magic. Now, quick quiz, what’s my favorite food?”

A dish of rice, sausage, vegetables and deer meat came to his mind as he focused hard. “A gumbo dish called…jum…bal…ia?”

Alastor chuckled. “It’s Jambalaya, but close enough. Alright my turn. You’re favorite food is…venison. Just like me.”

Z Alastor gasped. “Impossible.”

Alastor snapped his fingers and a large gray deer appeared in front of him, already cut and skinned.

“Have fun,” Alastor said before walking back toward the demon woman’s corpse. Z Alastor couldn’t help but dig in. Savory meat and blood filled his mouth. Z Alastor had finished eating just as his counterpart had finished as well.

Alastor appeared behind him, clawed hands on his shoulders. Z Alastor pleasantly shivered.

“So…like I was saying before…yes, I used to be human. That was decades ago. I manifested here in Hell and have conquered several territories. You were born in your Hell, correct?”

“Yes. I’m a demon,” said Z Alastor.

“As am I.” He stepped over to face him.

“Listen, what made you think it was a good fucking idea to just pull me outta nowhere like that? To just snatch me from my world and eat my girlfriend? You think I’m some kinda, joke?”

“Hmm…maybe,” Alastor said with a grin. His staff lit up and he spoke into it.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen! It’s your favorite host, Alastor, live from the woods. Here I have a very special guest with me, who’s so special, he practically is me! Say hello, Alastor!”

Z Alastor smiled nervously. “Hello there, folks.”

Alastor continued, “I picked up this fine little fellow from another dimension. It seems like my influence has caught the attention of other beings. A gracious woman with yellow eyes and white hair came along and granted me access to an interesting little world called the Safe Haven. Apparently, she’s been letting vampires and monsters into that area to potentially cause a mass panic among the residents there. In fact, she sent a mortal human there, because she knew she was deathly afraid of animals! Bahahahaha! The world of Zoophobia! An entertaining story if I do say so myself. A refuge for animals, heheh… almost as silly as a hotel that redeems sinners. It’s the Hazbin Hotel, be sure to check in. Anyway, she told me about little Alastor here and how he is so similar to me. So I decided to bring him here and…have a little fun with him. It’s not every day you get to meet people so similar to yourself. Well then, stay tuned for more folks, and remember, you’re never fully dressed without a smile!”

The microphone blinked off.

Z Alasor grinned. “So, what did you mean when you said you were going to “have fun” with me?”

“Well…as much as I enjoy your company, I can’t have anyone around who could pose a challenge…especially someone with dark magic like yourself.”

“Like this?”

Z Alastor shot a volley of fire into the air with his mouth, forming a portal.

“Impressive,” said Alastor, looking upwards. “Unfortunately…”

He waved his staff and the portal vanished before Z Alastor could reach it; “I cannot allow you to leave this world.”

“My friends…”

“You won’t need them anymore.”

“Is it true you have no family?”

“Not anymore, no.”

“I…I can’t believe I kissed you earlier…when you were a female deer…”

Alastor laughed and showed him two bloody palms. “I’ll admit, shapeshifting took a lot of energy outta me. But no matter. I still have plenty left for our meet, greet, and eat.”

Z Alastor laughed. “I must be gay.”

“No,” said Alastor. “I don’t think you are. Me? I’m asexual. I’m not interested in romance or anything.” Alastor’s staff vanished, as did his counterpart’s.

“T-then why’d you kiss me?”

“Well partly because it was all part of the act. The lovely yellow eyed woman told me your weakness.”

“And the other reason…”

Alastor stepped closer to him, cupping Z Alastor’s cheeks… “I’m not into sex nor romance…but I do love myself more than anyone.”

At the same moment, the two demons leaned their faces close to each other, their noses touching. Their lips brushed for a moment before they lightly kissed. They locked eyes, Alastor’s teeth lightly nipping his counterpart’s bottom lip.

“May I?” he whispered.

Z Alastor grinned. “Ya don’t need to ask.”

Their lips locked together, the kiss longer and deeper. Two long demon tongues met in the middle, each getting a taste of the other. Z Alastor’s knees buckled underneath him as a lavender tongue invaded his mouth. Z Alastor reached over with his white and red gloved hand and stroked Alastor’s deer-like tuffs. His black and red fluffy tail started to wag as he sighed in contentment. Z Alastor’s hands snaked around his counterpart’s waist while Alastor’s did the same.

Z Alastor let out a yelp of pain and pleasure as Alastor’s teeth sunk into his tongue. The coppery drops of demon blood dilated Alastor’s pupils. Their lips parted.

After a moment, Alastor stroked Z Alastor’s pale neck with his gloved finger tips. The very ends of Alastor’s teeth grazed the skin of his neck…then sunk in without warning. Z Alastor opened his mouth in a pained yelp as rivers of demon blood flowed down his neck. Alastor’s hands were holding him steady, along with a few tentacles that held his arms and legs in place. Through the sharp, throbbing pain, he could feel the side to side motions of Alastor’s tongue lapping up the gushing blood.

“Mmmmmm…” The blood, veins and flesh were as tasty as ever to Alastor. It was a sweet combination of venison and demon meat that resulted in a unique flavor that filled his mouth. Alastor savored every moment. He was tempted to end him there on the spot, but he wanted to play around with his counterpart some more.

The two demons soon parted and stood back, both panting heavily. Z Alastor fell to the ground after the tentacles had released him. He stood up on shaky legs. The bleeding in his neck had stopped and the wound was already beginning to close.

“You’re an endless supply of food,” Alastor laughed. “I wish I could keep you around longer.” His mouth was watering and his eyes glowed red as narrow slits. Z Alastor could swore that the asexual demon just had a well-hidden orgasm. He glanced off to the side with an audible gasp.

“Heh,” Z Alastor smirked, “I believe I just…turned on the radio.”

A “ba dum tis” sound came from a shadow spirit behind a drum set. Alastor turned toward the spirit with a glare, who cowered and vanished.

“Oh, I wanna try something,” said Z Alastor once he caught his breath. “Close your eyes.”

Alastor closed his eyes and snapped his fingers. Black tentacles wrapped Z Alastor’s legs together just when he was about to flee.

Alastor opened his eyes and there stood an exact replica of himself.

“Hello folks, I’m Alastor!” said Z Alastor. “Don’t forget to smile everybody!”

Alastor laughed. “Impressive. You even got my radio voice down.”

“Impressive. You even got my radio voice down,” Z Alastor repeated.

“Are you copying me?” he asked.

“Are you copying me?” Z Alastor repeated.

A pause.

“Stop it!” both shouted as they pointed at each other. “I’m gonna kill you!”

They summoned their staffs and they both clashed, as sparks of electricity flew from the tops. Voodoo symbols spiraled around them, screams filled Z Alastor’s staff while radio static came from the microphone. Both their black antlers grew.

Not too far away, a drunk Angel Dust hobbled along the street, Charlie helping him walk. Angel Dust hiccupped and gasped, pointing.

“Look! Two strawberry pimps!”

“What?” Charlie asked.

“Double Alastor’s,” Angel swooned, nearly falling over. Charlie helped steady him. Charlie peered off into the distance.

“Angel, it’s just Alastor fighting another overlord. He does that all the time.”

“Double deer daddies, oh my Satan. I’m telling ya…they’re gonna suck my dick and make clones to take over this here pit of Hell. Yes sir ree ee ee…”

Charlie sighed. “You can’t keep getting drunk or high. You have to eventually redeem yourself. Come on, let’s get back to the hotel.”

“Please, for me, make me stay rent-free…”

“You know Vaggie’s not gonna be happy about this.”

The two Alastor’s summoned spirits, fire, portals, and giant-size dolls which attacked each other. The dolls had long blonde hair, glasses, and had bandanas decorated with feathered quills.

Green electricity shot from both their staffs and clashed together. The result sent an explosion that sent both of them backwards. The explosion disintegrated the portals, dolls, tentacles and other conjured weapons. Pentagram City briefly experienced a blackout. There was a chorus of yells and curses from the city.

Both stood up and brushed themselves off.

“It seems we are in a stalemate,” Alastor said. He spoke in French.

“It seems we are in a stalemate,” Z Alastor said. “Um…” He paused and spoke a gibberish version of what he heard.

“Ha!” Alastor smirked. “You can’t speak French.”

“No fair!”

“When am I ever fair?”

Alastor moved out of the way just as a boulder came crashing down to where he was standing moments before.

“You’re not very fair yourself.”

“But we’re the same person!”

“Exactly.”

“Hey, I look good in this form,” Z Alastor said.

“Why thank you. Wanna see something fun?”

Z Alastor nodded.

“Close your eyes.”

Z Alastor did so.

After a moment, he felt a tap on the shoulder.

He opened his eyes.

Alastor wasn’t there anymore. Instead he was starting into the eyes of a light brown skinned human male with an ear to ear smile. He had large brown eyes and round glasses, along with short brown hair and a pointed chin. He was wearing a red shirt with a white undershirt and a black bow tie below his neck. He wore gray pants and black shoes. In his hand was a small gray microphone.

“What the…?”

The human’s mouth moved up and down like it was made of wood instead of flesh.

“Hello, dear dapper!”

“Ack!” Z Alastor stepped back in shock.

The man’s voice sounded different as well, more of a New Orleans accent.

Alastor morphed from shadow and laughed. He was holding a life-size puppet in his hands.

“You should’ve seen your face. Priceless!”

“Did you just conjure that thing?”

“Yep.”

He held the puppet and spoke in his human accent without moving his mouth. His eyes turned to red dials. It looked like the puppet was speaking.

“You’re never fully dressed without a smile!”

“Why a random human…oh wait a minute…”

Alastor pulled a string from behind the puppet and the mouth moved.

“This was my lovely human form!”

“Gheez that’s creepy,” he said. “I don’t even think that’s how puppets actually work.”

“Well, I can make them work in any way I’d like.”

Alastor moved the puppet closer to Z Alastor’s face. “You think this is creepy? Oh just you wait,” he said, moving the mouth up and down. “I have an organ made entirely of furbies that I can play!” He snapped his fingers and Z Alastor returned to his bipedal form.

“What’s a furby?” Z Alastor asked.

“Why, it’s an adorable furry toy that mortals play with.” He pointed in the distance. “Like that one over there!”

Z Alastor turned to look behind him. He looked too long because, in a second, a loud blast rang through his head.

The demon gasped loudly and collapsed to the ground. He turned over and let out a snicker. The puppet had vanished and the Radio Demon was now holding a brown hunting rifle.

Z Alastor stood up and shook his head, blood flying everywhere.

“Nice try, Alastor, but I can’t die. No mortals can ever kill me.”

“Ah that’s true,” Alastor said. “But…I’m not a mortal anymore, remember? I’m, “alive” like you as it were. Only able to die in certain circumstances. I can hunt pretty much anything…or anyone.”

Alastor shot him again, this time right between the eyes. “Life is full of irony,” he thought.

Z Alastor slowly stood up, dizzy. “I believe I lost some more brain cells that time!”

“You never had any to begin with,” Alastor said.

He nodded at the shadow spirit who did the “ba dum tis” sound again.

“C-can you hunt more deer for me?” Z Alastor asked. “I’m still hungry.”

“Why certainly! I’ve hunted deer for a while, both here and when I was alive. But, do you know what’s more fun than hunting deer?”

His smile grew wider.

“W-what?” asked Z Alastor.

“Hunting down humans and mortals. Seeing the looks on their faces when they realize that death is upon them. Oh, and I’m a cannibal as well, so it was fun tasting them afterwards.”

“I…don’t know what to say about that…”

“You don’t have to say anything! It’s a lot of fun.”

Alastor peered closer at Z Alastor’s head. “Did you head just heal up?”

“Yes!” he said. “My body can regenerate from any kind of wound.”

“Hmm…is that why you like being in pain so much? Very peculiar.”

A click from his gun.

“I…don’t…” he began. “…Yahhhaa!”

Alastor shot him in the foot and Z Alastor smiled with gasping breaths.

“I saw that look in your eyes. Most of my victims would beg for their lives or cry when I hurt them.”

An idea came to him.  

“Say…do you wanna play a game?”

Z Alastor’s eyes lit up. “What kind of game?”

“Well, it’s sorta like hide and seek. You hide in the woods for a while I try to find you. The Hazbin Hotel lies somewhere in these woods,” he lied. “If you can make it there, consider yourself free to go back to your world.”

“Why would a hotel be in the woods?”

“This is Hell, anything’s possible here.”

Z Alastor grinned. “You bet I’ll make it back.”

“But, if I catch you, then you’ll stay here forever and I’ll decide what do to with you. I’ll give you a hint…it’s related to an activity we did…that’s necessary for survival…”

“Y-you’re a hunter? And you’re gonna…”

Alastor made munching sounds with his mouth. 

“…eat me?!”

Z Alastor blushed and shivered, drool dropping from his mouth. He had a literal deer in the headlights look.

“My, and I thought Angel Dust was horny,” said Alastor. “Don’t worry. You can’t die right? You’ll still be able to think and stuff. Who knows, you might become my partner in crime someday.” He held out his hand, green electricity sparking around it.

“I thought you said…”

“That I didn’t want anyone with similar powers to challenge me? Think of this…as a way to prove yourself…trickster to trickster. If you can outsmart me, by all means, come back and join me.”

“But I won’t. Because I’m going back to Safe Haven.”

Alastor chuckled. “Let’s find out then, dear fellow.”

Alastor held out his hand. “So, do we have a deal?”

Z Alastor held out his hand. “My deal is that I make the deals.”

“I said it first.”

“Well, I thought it first.”

Alastor tilted his head and let out a dramatic sigh. “Dear Alastor, for every second you waste here, your friends grow more worried about you. Any longer and they will surely give up any hope of finding you.”

“No, they won’t,” Z Alastor protested.

“Inside of every demon is a lost cause,” Alastor stated, petting Z Alastor’s head.

“That means you’re one as well.”

“Touché,” he said. “So would you like to hear about the real Hazbin Hotel? It’s a luxurious place and I’ll let you stay free of charge!”

“Drop the salesman act!” Z Alastor said. “Just let me find my friends and return home.”

“You’ll do anything to return, yes?”

Z Alastor nodded.

Alastor held out his hand. “So, it’s a deal then?”

Z Alastor took a breath and shook it.

“Excellent! I knew you would agree. I’ll give you a ten second head start.”

Z Alastor scoffed. “Of course. I’ve escaped mortals every time. And you’re no exception.”

He transformed into a red and black deer.

Alastor grinned and reloaded his gun. “Starting…now.”

“So long, sucka!” He conjured a cloth into Alastor’s face and ran off.

Alastor removed the cloth to find no sign of the deer. He turned his head all the way around and saw the flash of a furry tail disappear into the shadows.

His eyes turned to red radio dials. “We’ll see about that, my friend.”

Z Alastor happily bounced up and down as he skipped and zigzagged through the forest. He kept his eyes peeled for any sign of a tall building that could be the hotel. So far, he couldn’t see anything, save for a vampire vulture who sat perched on one of the tree branches. Z Alastor slowed his pace and sat behind a tree to catchy his breath. As fun as hanging out with his counterpart was, he had to return to Safe Haven.

He looked around and laughed under his breath. There was no mention of not being allowed to cheat in this game of his. Why not just leave instead? The other Alastor wouldn’t even see it coming!

Taking a deep breath, his wounds now healed, Z Alastor closed his eyes. There was a faint ripple in space and time, a red glowing slash in the space in front of him.

Just a little wider…

Soon, he could see the faint glimpse of blue sky and buildings.

The world suddenly turned black. With an “Oof!” Z Alastor was flung backwards, skidding across the dirt. He quickly stood up and summoned his staff. Red electricity sparked from it…illuminating the path in front.

The path that was now blocked by a large shadow with a similar appearance to his counterpart. The shadow opened his mouth in a long blue grin, his eyes glowing the same color. He trailed a shadowy finger along the fold in space and time, sealing it shut.

“Darn it,” he cursed.

The shadow lifted a finger and shot a red firework into the air. It exploded with a crackle like a flare signal.

Z Alastor suddenly froze. There was a faint sound of approaching footsteps coming from the direction which he came. His deer ears twitched.

The shadow lunged forward to grab onto him, but Z Alastor knocked the shadow back with his head. As soon as he was free, he bolted to the far right. The shadow hissed in frustration and swooped off into the air.

“Freeze!”

A human Alastor had materialized in front of him, holding a rifle. Z Alastor skidded to a stop, eyes wide. He looked around for a way to escape. He moved to the right and the man appeared in front of him. He moved to the left and the same thing happened.

A shot rang out in the distance, way off the mark. Z Alastor suspected it was just a scare tactic. Strangely, it didn’t come from the hunter in front of him.

Z Alastor thought for sure, he could sense someone crouching behind a bush not too far away. The footsteps sounded too solid to be made by a shadow. And it didn’t make sense for a human to move so fast in front of him.

Z Alastor scoffed and jumped forward…right through the illusion.

“That was close,” he thought. “Ooh, how about this one!”

He concentrated hard and teleported himself behind a tree. He focused and there, morphing from shadow, was a clone of himself, another red and black deer.

The clone tiptoed off into the distance, where Alastor’s shadow spotted it. Several other shadows joined in as the red deer clone screamed and ran. Seizing the opportunity, Z Alastor dashed off, careful not to step on rocks or twigs. To his sudden delight, there was a building in the distance with stain glass windows and a circus tent that served as roof of sorts.

“The Hazbin Hotel!” he breathed. He ran as fast as he could up the hill. A few shadows appeared and tried to hold him down, but Z Alastor bucked them away with powerful kicks. He made some of them disappear with a burst of magic. He ran ahead and tripped on a black tentacle. He fell to the ground and quickly heaved himself up.

Now would’ve been a good time for the shadows to seize him.

But there was no one around.

Wasting no time, Z Alastor raced up to the building. He stopped just short of the entrance and narrowed his eyes. Taking a rock in his mouth, he threw it at the door, in case there was an underground mine somewhere. Instead the hotel faded in and out…another illusion.

Z Alastor cursed himself for believing his counterpart. This obviously wasn’t the real hotel. The real hotel could only be…

He peered off into the distance…

In Pentagram City.

“Well I won, you bastard,” he thought. “I made it to your “hotel” in the woods. Can I go home now?”

No answer. The hotel faded away, leaving nothing but a large hill of dirt.

Back down in the woods, Alastor’s shadow laughed as he cornered a red and black deer, cowering against a boulder. He reached out a hand…and the deer exploded in a flash of light.

The shadows shrieked in surprise and scattered.

Alastor’s shadow shook his head, and stared at his red clad owner. Alastor stared with red dialed eyes, having witnessed the whole thing. He tapped his foot.

“You should know that the little Alastor never frowns. You were chasing a decoy.”

The shadow bowed his head in apology.

“I’d say he’s probably at my illusionary hotel by now. Knowing about magic, he’s figured it all out.”

The shadow spoke backwards to him.

“Why aren’t we going after him? That’s simple. We know it’d be risky for him to travel all the way to the real hotel. Which you should watch over for a bit, just in case.”

The shadow nodded and flew off.

“No,” he said to himself. “He still thinks he’s won. So I’ll just…send him on his way.”

Z Alastor paced back and forth, unsure of what to do. He was tempted to hide, but he sensed that Alastor knew everything about the woods. He’d just find him and he’d have nowhere to run.

His thoughts were interrupted by a ripple in time. A portal opened up, revealing blue sky, green grass, and familiar buildings.

At this point, Z Alastor didn’t care if this was an illusion or not. He stepped through, cautiously. He turned back into his human-like form. No one seemed to be around, not even the students who could fly. But the cobblestone grounds, trees, and shops…they were all there.

Z Alastor was so happy that he didn’t notice how certain things appeared to be out of place. He would’ve seen that the golden fountain was not the original griffin but a gargoyle with antlers. The yin-yang symbol above an entrance had large black and white eyes in place of the dots. The grass itself was fake…everything flickered just in the slightest, barely enough for Z Alastor to notice.

A dresser appeared that had two objects on it. One was a picture of Z Alastor, Damian and Bozzwick posed in Hell. Damian was grinning and doing peace signs while Bozzwick held out his middle finger.

The second one was a tan colored, old fashioned radio that took up much of the space on the dresser. The radio had a small dial that moved against white space within panels. A large smile of sharp teeth decorated the lower part of the device.

“That is the coolest, creepiest thing I’ve ever seen!” Z Alastor exclaimed. “I bet it’s not even real.”

He moved his hand to it and felt a solid surface. It was real.

The radio blinked to life with a crackle, moments after he touched it. He moved his hand away and stared at the round dials, which seemed to be turning by themselves. “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” flowed from it. Z Alastor did a small dance as jazz music played over the vocals.

Z Alastor shook his head. “Distractions! Nope!”

He was about to walk away when the song abruptly stopped. Familiar voices came through the radio.

“Alastor…”

It sounded like Z Mimzy’s voice.

“Oh I love you so much, my dapper deer!”

Yep, it definitely was her.

“Hello?” he called.

But wait. Z Mimzy was dead, wasn’t she? He heard Z Mimzy’s screams again, the same recorded screams he heard before her death.

“Hey Al. Hope you’re doing alright, bud.”

“Damian?”

He leaned in closer. “It’s me! I’m stuck in another realm. Please come get your butts over here!”

Damian’s voice rang through again, in between static.

“He doesn’t know what he’s doing! He just throws himself out at guys all the time! Fancy, snobby guys apparently…”

“What? No! I do not! What are you talking about?”

“I think you are wayyy overreacting, dude,” came Sahara’s voice. Damian sighed.

A low radio voice came though and said, “Zoophobia, that’s all folks.”

Z Alastor shook the radio in annoyance. “This is so not fun…”

Several bullets had flown through his back from behind. He stumbled, trying to right himself. He looked up and saw Alastor’s Shadow and a horde of shadows flying around, turning the sky dark. Sure enough, Alastor was holding his gun, chuckling as he stood behind the portal.

Dark tentacles sprang out from the ground, wrapping tightly around Z Alastor’s waist, and holding his arms in place. He freed himself with his magic, only for Alastor to shoot him again, this time in the throat.

Blood splashed out before his eyes as he let out a sound between a laugh and a gurgling choke.

Alastor appeared behind him…he could see the pale grinning face as he looked up into darkness.

“It seems this high speed chase has come to an end. I did enjoy hunting you, it was quite fun. Since, you can regenerate when you’re awake…”

Z Alastor lost his focus when a large silver microphone appeared out of thin air and landed hard on his head. Black spots danced across his vision. He wondered if the black spots before him were making the static noise nearby.

Z Alastor looked down and saw several shadowy arms pick him up.

“W-where am I…”

“…going?” Alastor finished. The illusionary world faded, revealing the real dark barren world of Hell, just outside the woods.

“You’re going on air! Be sure to stay tuned!”

Z Alastor cursed himself for falling for the trap. He looked behind him…just now remembering that Alastor was commonly called the Radio Demon…

…because the radio on the desk was now hovering in the air, much larger in size, the white teeth parting away.

This wasn’t how he thought things would go. Z Alastor struggled and roared, but it was no use. The static grew louder as his head was moved closer to the radio, inch by inch. Soon enough, his whole body was sucked into the device. The static was overwhelming to him.

Alastor laughed manically as the mouth of sharp teeth closed with a clang, leaving him in darkness.

His pleas were drowned out by grinding gears, static and faint sounds of music. The tentacles let go of him, leaving him floating in dark, cramped space. His head throbbed again. The music sounded so catchy, so swell…his body swayed to the distant beats. He was at music’s mercy.

His body felt heavy, disoriented.

He closed his eyes and let himself go limp…

Once Z Alastor regained consciousness, he found himself in his deer form, staring at the red sky of Hell. There was a strange wooden thing that appeared to be in the way. His skin felt bare…and an uncomfortable heat burned against his back.

He was tied to a wooden spit, black tentacles binding his nimble body to the wooden pole. His hooves were tied up with enchanted rope.

“Hey, my friend, you’re awake! Splendid!”

Z Alastor grinned and sighed at Alastor, who was sitting in a conjured chair near the fire pit. “How did I get into this mess?”

“How indeed. Looks like I won that time.” His staff was lit up. He spoke about the hunt, and how he had captured his counterpart. Z Alastor cringed when Alastor described how he had stabbed Z Mimzy in gory detail and then ate her. He then told a few jokes.

“What did the buck say before I killed it? ‘Oh dear, it’s Alastor!’”

Audience laughter came from the microphone.

“Oh here’s a good one. Knock, knock,” Alastor said in a low voice. He added a “who’s there?” in his regular voice. “Radio. Radio who? Radio not, here I come! Hahahahahaha!”

Z Alastor rolled his eyes.

“You said that if I made it to the Hazbin Hotel, I could be back home,” Z Alastor said. “But it was obviously a trick.”

Alastor laughed. “Of course! I never mentioned anything about the real Hazbin Hotel. Hehhehheh! And you briefly thought it would actually be in the woods.”

“And that trap earlier…”

“Oh, right. I used my staff to record what was going on around me…the things people said. I had to do it in shadow form and where no one would see me. I only came out when I was in my doe disguise. Having you go through a decoy portal, a false sense that you could win against me and escape. It was quite entertaining seeing you fail in the end.”

He burst out into laughter.

I’ll admit, it took a lot of energy out of me, so I had to go get some rest. One of the reasons why I trapped you inside my radio.”

Z Alastor focused on teleporting away…but a green aura surrounded him, keeping him in place.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Alastor said in a sing-song voice. “Remember that deal we agreed on? They one where you would do anything to try and get back home? Well, since I caught you, that means I can do whatever I please with you. And that means… no more magic and no more running form you.”

Z Alastor’s deer ears drooped, his face in shock.

Alastor grinned at his helpless counterpart, who had turned into his bipedal form, still bound tight. Alastor’s shadow hovered nearby, bearing a large grin and holding a knife and fork in his hands.

Alastor held a sharp knife in his right hand, the green flames from below casting eerie light against the blade. “Alright then, my friend…it’s time to eat.”

Alastor hummed as he made a long gash in Z Alastor’s skin. His clothing had been removed with the snap of Alastor’s fingers, his private parts covered. He felt his cheeks go hot as Alastor roamed his eyes over his pale body. The deep cut had been made along his abdomen, little trails of blood flowing out along his flesh. The knife went in deeper, scraping against tendons and nerves.

Z Alastor couldn’t help it when he arched his back and yelled out curses. He felt the wound open wider. Alastor’s hands dug in just as the wound slowly began to close.

“Let’s see, we have some organs over here, plenty of muscle, nice and red. I bet your liver would taste excellent over the fire.”

He slowly detached the insides as Z Alastor screamed again. The pain and peculiar pleasure was overwhelming now. Alastor moved up toward the upper part of his chest, slicing off flesh in messy round pieces. For him, it was a trivial as cutting up slices of sausage on a cutting board. Z Alastor’s head spun as Alastor began to remove a brown end of his liver.

“Ah…ahhh…aaalastor!” he yelled.

Alastor just stared and snickered while shaking his head. Z Alastor took deep shaking breaths.

The squeezing of the tentacles around him was soon too much…especially around his penis and groin. He arched his back and screamed as his erection occurred. He panted some more as the erotic sensations gradually ceased.

He must have dosed off because a few moments later, he opened his eyes and Alastor was chewing up the last parts of the cooked liver on a conjured white plate in his lap.

He spotted Z Alastor, eyes fluttering open.

“Oh, you doing alright over there?”

Z Alastor could only nod weakly in response. The healing magic flowing in his veins was weakly pulsing through him, trying to heal as much of him as possible. But Alastor was eating him awfully fast, and it was even hard for his magic to catch up.

Alastor licked his lips. “Still grinning this entire time? I’m impressed. And I do like seeing your big smile.”

Z Alastor let himself relax as more sharp pain flared through him, adrenaline coursing through him. Alastor ran his tongue along and in nearly every cut he had marked on Z Alastor’s skin. Z Alastor was being touched and tasted all over. His blood sizzled as it rained down into the green fire below.

After what seemed like an hour, Alastor waved his staff. Z Alastor felt his body shrink, along with the tentacles that held him in place. The green flames went out, providing brief relief from the intense heat. He felt himself land into a giant glove-covered hand, with four large claws curved slightly above him. Two claws curled around him and lifted him up.

Z Alastor was soon met with a large dark maw in front of him, filled with sharp yellow teeth and a lavender tongue pulsing below. The fingers released him, and he was tossed into the warm, saliva-filled darkness. He felt himself being moved around haphazardly by the strong tongue. Sharp yellow teeth sunk into his back, legs, and arms, emitting another groan from him.

Without a moment’s notice, the saliva-coated demon was pushed to the back of Alastor’s throat, a red uvula hanging from above. With a last shove from the tongue, the demon soon fell down the downward tunnel of tissue, his decent propelled by contracting muscles pushing him down. He yelled with fear and excitement before he landed, head-first into the boiling stomach acid below.

Z Alastor was surrounded by heat and flooded with intense pain. He had never felt so alive before. At the same time, he knew that Alastor was right…he had failed, and he was never going to return to his world.

He shifted back and forth between his deer form and human form, trying to use all his power to regenerate. But for every part that returned, another body part would soon be disintegrated. The only thing keeping him together was his soul and a network of atoms and magic.

“Enjoying yourself in there?”

Z Alastor flinched and giggled at the sound of Alastor’s voice. “I can still find a way out,” Z Alastor claimed, “and I’ll have some fun down here…I guess.”

“Perhaps you’re right on the second thing,” said Alastor, “It’s fruitless to try and escape now. The question is…can you last for an eternity here? Even a strong morsel like you will eventually give up on trying to regenerate. And with your soul trapped here in the same place…left with nothing but your thoughts of utter failure…”

He cackled. “It could get extremely boring, don’t you think? You can’t die, remember?”

Z Alastor’s smile cracked and fell, his last form of dominance and defense. His weakness now exposed…his vulnerability crushing him. It was even worse when he could hear Alastor bragging about his victory into his microphone. Now all of Hell knew of his defeat.

Alastor had sensed his counterpart falling apart…literally and metaphorically. For him, there was nothing better than to witness first-hand, the entertaining defeat of his victims, and sensing their despair and helplessness. Even if that person was an alternate version of himself. He rubbed his stomach in satiated satisfaction.

His dominance was affirmed once more, even more so now that everyone in Hell knew of his fight with his other self. If Alastor could defeat someone as powerful as himself…then victory was practically within his reach in the future. Spreading fear and hysteria…a great bonus as Hell’s one and only radio host.

“So, my dear fellow,” Alastor said. “I’ll make one last deal with you. One that you can’t refuse in your current state. You can either stew around in here, forever in your misery and pleasure for eternity…or…you can be free once again.”

“Free?” Z Alastor asked.

“Yes indeed. Free to roam the void for eternity! Death!” His microphone blinked off.

Z Alastor breathed in shock through the acid. He lifted his head up…feeling like he was drowning in lava.

“But…but…”

“You can’t die? Heheheheh. Just because someone is immortal, doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to kill them. It could be anything, divine weapons, explosions, selling your soul…which I’m suggesting you do…”

“Get…get me outta here!” Z Alastor was screaming in panic now. “Somebody help me!”

“Ah, so now you beg for your life, just like every other lost cause who comes my way. I thought you enjoyed excruciating pain. I mean, there’s not much left for you, anyway. And might I say…thank you for providing me with some much needed fun. I’ll be sure to cherish our memories together for a long time.”

Alastor laughed again as Z Alastor whimpered and blushed. How easy it would be to just let himself be digested forever.

“So…do we have a deal?”

“No,” Z Alastor stuttered.

“Aw come on. You don’t have to worry about shaking my hand. All you have to do is say yes.”

“Well I’m not gonna.”

“Oh ho ho ho ho! I think you will. I know you…because I am you and vice versa.”

“No, no! I will not!” Z Alastor yelled.

“I think you will!”

“I think I won’t!”

“I think I won’t!”

“I think you will!”

“I don’t think you won’t!”

“What?! I do think I will!”

“So it’s…not, not a deal? A non-existent deal?”

“Yes!”

“Splendid, a deal it is then!”

Green light and shadows swirled around him as he shifted from deer to demon beyond his control. He felt his energy, his soul, his very essence being sucked away. Whatever was left of his body was feeling cold and numb, despite the humid heat. He screamed at the top of his lungs. The last streams of dark black and red energy left his eyes and mouth. His bodily remains fell away, absorbed and digested. Z Alastor’s staff appeared in the air outside and then promptly shattered into a dozen pieces… before being burned away in a sea of static and symbols.

Alastor hummed a happy tune as he headed back to the Hazbin Hotel. He stared straight ahead as if looking at some unseen watcher.

 “There can only be one Alastor.”

Damian rushed into one of the offices, his friends following close behind.

“Damian,” said the woman with red hair, Salvia.  “I’m sorry for you to hear this but… your friends and classmates Alastor and Mimzy were… taken away…”

The cheetah vice principal and the principal stood in worry beside the wall.

“Yes, I know…”

 “…by another powerful demon.”

“Where?!”

 “The demon’s in Hell,” she said.

“I gotta save them!” Damian said. “What are we waitin’ for?”

The red haired woman held up a hand, “I’m afraid it’s too late for that. The culprit has already returned to his own world. You see, it is a Hell vastly different from the one you come from. In that timeline, no safe haven exists for inter species in their living world. There are powerful demons in your home-world, but over there…many of the demons…were once human.”

“That’s totally nuts!”

“Alas, it is true. Just like those in Hell, they cannot die save for a few circumstances. You’ve heard of the Archangel Adina and her demon henchman Fitch, right?”

“No…”

“Best that you don’t ever deal with them. They torture demons in any dimension. In the other Hell, there are dark exterminating creatures that kill off demons once a year.”

“Gosh dammit,” Damian breathed. “At least we don’t have to worry about that.”

“But I’m getting off topic,” she said.

“You mean…this demon has my friends in his world?”

“Indeed he did. But now…”

Her silence spoke a thousand worlds.

“No. No, no, no.” Damian shook his head. “You’re saying they can’t come back?”

The woman nodded. “Yes, this demon killed both of them. Trust me…you do not want to know how.”

Damian sank to his knees. First Addison was going off with a pompous Gustav teacher he didn’t know. And now…two of his friends were gone forever.

How could this be happening?

For a moment he had sympathy for his furry cousin Jackson, who was cursed with constant pain and bad luck. 

He opened the door and his friends embraced him in a hug. Everyone somehow knew what had happened. Gustav and Addison held hands, which made Damian scowl through his tears. Summer lower her head in sadness. “I know he was an annoying jerk who was potentially evil but still…he was just a kid…”

“Who was this demon?” Damian asked before he left.

“I’m afraid…you already know the answer to that. One with the same name as your friend…but with powers amplified.”

The door closed.

If it was the one he thought it was…

The demon that Lucifer had warned him about more than once…

The one whom Lucifer had said was too much of an evil influence, even for the young Anti-Christ.

A demon more devious and mysterious than his dark deer shapeshifting friend had been.

The one who had stripped away his friends’ very essences and existence…

Alastor, the Radio Demon.