I fell into Hell.
A woman with bright, white hair woke me up. She found me in the street outside of some fighting ring. Neither of us is sure how long I was out until she found me. Everything's still a bit fuzzy, but I could vaguely make out that she was speaking to me. Her voice is kind, a little scratchy, but kind.
"Hey, kid." She says, gently shaking my shoulder. My head is pounding. "Kid, are you alright? What are you doing out here?"
I squeezed my eyes closed, then flashed them open again. The air here feels like it's full of smog and smoke, making my lungs feel a bit choked. "Huh?"
The woman chuckles at me. If she feels comfortable enough to laugh at my confusion then I'm probably not hurt too bad. "Are you alright? How'd you get out here?"
"I, uh..." I clear my throat. It feels a bit raw, almost as though I'd screamed for hours before I woke up. Everything around us is tinted red, and I couldn't see the sky from where I was. "I'm not sure what's going on, I'm sorry." An awkward laugh slipped out from my mouth and I scratched the back of my head. "Who are you?"
"I'm Exodus, you can call me Ex." She offered her hand out to help me up, I happily took it and shakily got to my feet. "You got a name?"
I paused briefly and stretched my back, gazing at our surroundings. It seemed like we were in a small city, but no one roamed the streets. Was it nighttime? "My name's Meerkat, I think?" I cleared my throat again. "Please, call me Meer. I don't like my full name."
"Meer, huh? Sounds good to me." Exodus smiled softly and gestured for me to follow her down the street. There weren't any cars lining the roads, no street signs, and no other people strolling through town. This place looked abandoned. The two of us took a left turn before Exodus spoke up again. "So, do you remember why you were laying on the ground outside of Ring B?"
I glanced nervously in her direction, not because she made me nervous, but because I genuinely didn't remember anything before falling and hitting the sidewalk. Now that I think about it, Ex doesn't make me nervous at all. She gives off a very trusting and warm aura. Like a big sister, or a mom.
"Not really," I responded to Ex after thinking for a bit. "Is there something I'm supposed to remember? Did I lose my memory?" A gasp escaped my lips. "Did I know you before? I'm so sorry."
Exodus laughed lightly, waving a hand at me to relax. Her laugh is warm, just like her aura. "Woah, kid, slow down a second." I took a deep breath, returning my stride to match hers as we turned down a dirt road. I'm not sure how we got to the back roads so fast, it seemed like we were in the city a few seconds ago. "You're a fresh face for me. The real question is, do you know where you are?"
"Well, I know I'm in Hell."
"That's good. Do you know how you got here?"
"I fell."
Ex giggled. "I mean, yeah, everyone does." We took a right, making our way down a long driveway with forest on either side of us. "What I mean to ask is, were you human before? Or an angel?"
Her question took a moment to register in my mind, freezing me in place. Was I not human now? If she's asking, then she must not be either. "Wait... are you saying I'm not a human?"
"With that hair?" Exodus turned around and walked backward, the look on her face screaming 'shocked'. "Please, you're probably one of the strongest demons down here."
"I'm a demon?!" I couldn't help but scream the question, my nerves getting the best of me. Sure, I knew I was in Hell, but I thought maybe this entire encounter was the beginning of a torture tactic. "Hold on, hold on, hold on." I shook off my anxiety and jogged to catch up with Ex. Once I joined her side, she spun around and started walking forward again. "What about my hair? I'm so confused."
Exodus giggled again, shaking her head a little. "I'll explain everything once we're inside. I've got a friend who was just like you once upon a time."
Quickly, I nodded, following her down the driveway to what I assumed was her house. A small clearing opened up into a large yard. All of the grass and trees surrounding us this far have been dead, and this place is no different. In the center of the clearing sat a run-down, white mansion with a few shattered windows and peeling paint on the columns guarding the entrance to the front door. Hell makes everything a little messed up. It feels as if 'what once was, is no more' was a place.
The two of us slowly made our way up the grand stairs toward the front door. Exodus grabbed the handle and swung it open, gesturing for me to walk in first. I stepped into the threshold and glanced behind me, taking in Ex's features for a second. If I had to guess her age, I'd say about twenty-five. She was wearing a tight grey bodysuit with a tank top, a black, tattered old sweatshirt around her waist, black converse, and a black hoodie string wrapped around her left bicep.
I stepped into the foyer with a small smile, turning to gawk at her home. An imperial staircase greeted us about twenty feet into the house, with hallways sitting on my left and right. Everything in here was so clean and elegant compared to the outside. The floors looked like they were made of marble, shining under the giant chandelier hanging above us.
"Hazu!" I jumped at the sound of Exodus shouting, almost forgetting she was here while I stared at everything. "Hey, Hazu! You here?" Ex shuffled to the bottom of the staircase, cupping her hands around her mouth to make her voice travel up it. "Sorry, I'm late! I ran into a newbie while I was out! He doesn't even know he's a demon!"
"So I am a demon?" I mumble, scratching the back of my head.
"Yes." Exodus whispers.
We waited for a moment, listening for a response from whoever 'Hazu' was. Footsteps clicked down the hallway upstairs before a man appeared at the top of them. Our jaws dropped when the two of us made eye contact, but he recovered a lot faster than I could. I couldn't help but continue to stare at him. He was beautiful; black, wavy hair fading to gray tips sat down on his shoulders, his eyes were a beautiful golden color, and he had a few scars decorating his left eye and the corner of his mouth on the left side. Cute freckles dotted across his nose and cheeks, and he looked outrageously tall. Like, maybe 6'2.
"A newbie, huh? Lemme get a good look at him." Confidence coated his voice as he dropped from the top of the staircase, landing perfectly in front of me with a smirk on his face. He was gorgeous up close, I could feel my face heating up.
"Oh, Hazu, you'll like him, I'm sure." Exodus snickered. You could practically hear her roll her eyes.
Hazu took his time looking me over, walking a full circle around me. "Hi." I stuttered out, biting my lip out of habit. My nervous tick was about to give my immediate infatuation away.
"Hey," Hazu smirked, leaning in closer. "White hair, huh?" When he smirked, I could see a bit of a fang poke out and bite his bottom lip. He's a demon. A really hot demon.
"That's the first thing I noticed about him too, besides him laying in the middle of the sidewalk.
"Hazu hummed quietly and tilted his head, tapping my chin with his index finger. "So you're really strong... and pretty hot." My face burned at the compliments, flushing my cheeks a dark rose color. "Do you remember anything before...?"
Exodus stepped closer to us, crossing her arms over her chest. "Before I woke him up? Nada."
The man blinked a few times, glancing at Ex. "Where did you find him?"
"Outside of Ring B, unconscious. Meer here could barely remember his name, just like you."
"Just like me," Hazu smirked again, gazing back into my eyes. I could get lost in his forever, I'd never felt so pulled in by anyone this quickly before. Maybe it was the all-black outfit; jacket, t-shirt, shoes. He looked classy and put together, but at the same time extremely reckless and full of courage. His aura was warm too, but a warm one that made me feel flustered. He made my brain move slower, and made my voice disappear without regret.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, preparing to ask the million-dollar question. "How do you guys know that I'm one hundred percent a demon?"
"Because we're demons. Everyone here that isn't a tortured soul is a demon." Hazu replied, brushing past me. Butterflies exploded throughout my stomach, the air left my lungs. What was it about him that made me feel like this? "I just wonder what kind of demon you are."
"What kind?"
"Yeah," he confirmed, grinning. "Like, I'm a demon of the night. I'm a lot stronger in shadows and the dark, that's when my true demon form comes out."
I tilted my head at him as he leaned against the staircase to my left. "True demon form?"
Hazu raised his eyebrows in surprise and glared at Ex. "Let me fight him."
My jaw dropped, gasping. "Fight me?! Why?"
"So we know what kind of demon you are, Meer." He held his hand out for me to take it. I hesitated for a split second until our eyes met. "I won't hurt you, I promise. You can trust me." And for some reason, I did, so I slid my hand into his. Who else did I have to trust besides the two people I'd just met?