[ Sup dudes! I still think that it's crazy I've aged twice since I started writing this. I hope my writing has improved. And, I'm back with another chapter. Did anyone enjoy that small cliffhanger? :)
Once again, medical inaccuracies and small gore! ]
A loud crash echos throughout the room as a potted plant is thrown into the nearest wall and smashed to bits upon impact. An imp ducks his head down as a small expensive statue is thrown towards him, just barely grazing one of his horns. He muffles a shriek of fear.
“A fool i$ what he think$ of me-” The loud voice booms. “But he i$ the fool, for he doe$ not know what he ha$ $tarted!”
The sin of greed was doubled over on his desk. Letting out pained groan as he straightens up to reveal his face that is smeared with thick blood; Some half dried, some fresh and dripping down his face from the gaping wound where his right eye once was.
In hand, held tightly and dappled with blood, a small white envelope.
Mammon gives a small cackle, that grows in volume for only a moment before he goes silent. “Lucifer him$elf will certainly under$tand why i might be a tad...up$et about my dear brother tre$pa$$ing into my beloved ring and behaving $o traitorou$ly. Over an imp of all thing$.”
The imp cowers. “Yes sir, I-i will deliver the letter r-right away, sir!” The poor thing squeaks, eyes darting around in search of an exit should his king want something alive to take out his anger upon.
“NO! I can do it my$elf, How dare you a$$ume I am incapable!” With a flick of his finger, a small portal opened and the letter dropped through. It would find it's way to Lucifer. The kings screech could be heard all throughout the building. But not as clearly as the imps screams as he desperately tried to escape his lords wrath. To no avail.
It seemed as though there were thousands of demons all shoved together into the same small room. Only more and more nurses and doctors flooded through the door, through the suffocating waves of panic Barbie managed to feel for her brothers arm, and grabbing his hand tightly she pulled him towards the door with her.
They had to get out of the room if Fizzarolli would get to have a chance! She knew, and she didn't want her brother to have to see someone he knew die. Never again.
The loud sounds of various beeping and screeching of machines and panicking voices of doctors shouting orders to one another hurt her ears. Out of the corner of her eye she sees one grabbing onto a defibrillator.
Asmodeus stood so still she thought perhaps he had turned himself to stone from distress. But quickly noticed as an imp doctor spoke to him. Gently assuring that they'd do everything they could and that he needed to say out of the way; for Fizzarolli.
Slowly, he steps backward. Glancing from the door to the bed where Fizzarolli should be, struggling to catch a glimpse of him through the multiple doctors. Eventually he's lightly nudged out of the room by some nurses.
Barbie squeezes out directly behind him, making sure her brother is out in front of her. Turning back in time to see the door shut in her face.
Suddenly, she finds that the silence is worse than the chaotic noise.
She turns to face Asmodeus, who is already on his knees. Pure devastation evident on his face. Her eyes are torn from the sin when she hears her brothers light sob, she rushes over to him and pulls him into a hug. What has happened in the time that I thought you were dead? She wants to ask. But doesn't.
She doesn't notice the sin has picked himself up off the ground, and is startlingly close behind her. “This is completely your fault.” he states, staring coldly at Blitzo.
She pulls away, glancing from one to the other. “I'm gonna be real honest, up until today I didn't know either my brother or Fizzarolli were alive.” Blitzo backs away from the sin, slowly.
“But before you..” She gulps. “-kill him..can you at least let him fill me in on, why all of this is happening?” She nervously asks.
“The luckiest you'd be is if I left you alive.” His voice is all too calm and Barbie feels paralyzed with fear.
He takes another step towards the cowering imp, who doesn't bother to try and run.
Then the door burst open, an imp doctor stumbling out and shouting. “H-He's alive! It worked, we've restarted his heart, he's got a heartbeat!”
Asmodeus freezes in place, his head turns towards the door to the hospital room. Blitzo scurries backwards until he's just out of the sin's reach. Barbie's eyes widen. Is it a miracle?
“W-we can't exactly have visitors just yet, he's still in an unstable condition. But he is alive.” The doctor assures, popping back into the room and shutting the door behind him.
Asmodeus slowly nods, sitting himself on the ground by the door.
Unknown to any of them, down in the pride ring a small portal has opened. A delivery labeled as important has arrived and the king has sat in front of his luxurious fireplace to read the newly delivered letter.
“Do you think it's important?” His queen asks, taking a delicate sip from her tea.
“Mammon labels everything as important, my darling. I'm not very worried.” He chuckles, bringing his own cup to his mouth.
“Hm, is that blood?” She'll ask.
“Likely. He's probably had another one of his tantrums and taken it out on some poor hellborn.” He says around his cup. Opening the letter and beginning to read the contents.
A few moments later, he chokes out his tea.
“He's awake!”
A small imp shouts, throwing the door open and running into the hallway. Asmodeus startles, getting up to his feet. Blitzo and Barbie do the same.
The imp doctor shouts again, “Oh, yes! He's awake!” They cheer.
Whilst many nurses and doctors start leaving the room; one mumbles something about not being paid enough.
Blitzo starts towards the door, but stops. Barbie stays next to him and they both watch the sin anxiously enter the room.
He shuts the door behind him, quietly. He turns back to face the imp in the hospital bed. Machines finally beeping normally. “Fizzy?” He lightly calls out.
It's quiet for a moment but then-
“W-who's that? Sounds like- Ozzie, is that you?” The imps gravely voice sounds raw, and tired. He's still laying down, not sitting up or moving. “Yes. yes, my love. It's me, everything is going to be okay.” The sin comforts, bringing himself as close as possible to the imps side.
“Huh. My head kinda hurts.”
Asmodeus holds the imps hand gently. “Can you remember what happened?” He asks. The imps face twists with pain, “B-blitzo. He fucking pushed me off stage. I think he was trying to help me?”
Asmodeus blinks. “That is what he said.”
Fizzarolli tenses, “Where is he?” The imp asks.
“He's...outside, I can have him leave if you'd like.”
Fizzarolli starts to shake his head, but winces in pain. “No, no. I-i want to speak with him, please.” The imp mumbles.
Asmodeus is taken aback, but nods and after pressing a small kiss to the imps hand he gets up and towards the door.
Outside, Blitzo is frantically explaining something. While Barbie's eyes are growing bigger by the second. “-And so obviously I knew he was talking about striker. And I didn't want him dead or anything so i-” Asmodeus cuts him off, avoiding eye contact. “Er. Eh, Fizz says he...wants to talk to you.”
“Oh, o-okay.” Blitzo suddenly seems more nervous. He turns to his sister. “Nope. He still thinks I'm dead so I'm just going to stay here until after you tell him so that he doesn't die of shock.” She quickly puts, and then backs away from him. He sighs and turns towards the door, figeting with his fingers anxiously.
He steps into the doorway, glancing at his old friend. “You sure you wanna talk to me?” He asks. Fizzarolli turns over in his bed to face him, “I mean, if you want me to say thanks for saving my life, then yeah. You should probably get to where I can see you.”
Asmodeus moves to the side, allowing blitzo to step fully into the room. “Sorry. you know, about everything.” Blitzo states.
Fizzarolli nods, “Yeah, me too. I haven't exactly been very fair.”
The silence that grows in the room is suffocating. And fizzarolli decides to break it.
“Thanks, asshole.”
Blitzo looks up at him. “Huh?”
Fizzarolli chuckles. “You just want me to say it twice. Thanks for saving my life, you asshole.”
Blitzo responds, “Yeah. Of course.” Stepping close enough that he's next to Fizzarolli's bed.
Fizzarolli gives a small laugh, “I guess I owe you one, dumbfuck.”
Blitzo starts to smile, then his eyes widen in realization. “Oh, so I should probably tell you that Barbie's actually not dead.”
Fizzarolli goes still, “Uh, are you being serious? Because that'd be a fucked up Joke.”
“I swear I'm not joking and I even have proof of life-” He starts, and Barbie pokes her head in the door. “I can hear you, and that's a bad way to say that, Blitzo.”
“How many times do I have to say that the O is fucking silent?” He cries.
“W-what the fuck, Oh shit, did I die?!”
Fizz shouts.
Asmodeus is at his other side in an instant, “No of course you didn't. Well, you did. B-but only for a minute! do you want them to leave?”
“Huh?! Wait no, it's okay. They can stay.”
Fizzarolli says.
Barbie sighs. “Turns out dear old dad is a bit more of an asshat than I thought.” She starts, “He told me that Fizzarolli and Blitzo died in the fire and there was nothing left of blitzo's body. Obviously I believed him when he said that because he made sure I got to see...” She trail's off.
She avoids looking at Fizzarolli, “What was left of you.” She mumbles.
That said enough.
“So, he decided we'd move down to sloth. Nice and far away.” She clicks her tounge.
Blitzo's confusion pokes through. “Why would he do all that?” He asks.
Barbie shrugs. “Don't know. The old bastard retired, I don't even know where he is.”
Before anyone could ask anymore questions, a nurse invited herself into the room. “Excuse me? Visiting hours are going to be cut short. The patient needs to rest, please.”
Barbie glances at the nurse, she sighs and nods. Pinching her brother and earning a surprise yelp from him, she laughs and leaves the room. “You're dead for years and then immediately decide you're going to be an annoying shithead. Perfect.” He groans, and then follows her out.
Asmodeus turns to Fizzarolli, he nuzzles their foreheads together. “I'll be back as soon as I can, love.” Pecks the imp on the head, and then slowly leaves the room. The nurse following him.
Fizzarolli sits there silently.
His head hurts, and he's all alone.
He sighs, and sinks into the bed. Trying to get to sleep.
It's not working.
He's too anxious.
He can't stop wondering,
Why is his left half so tightly bandaged?
Okay yeah, he knows he was fucking shot.
But, how bad is it?
He pulls together as much strength as he can, and sits up. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed. Pushing his weight onto his legs, he sways for a moment.
Tensing he lets go of the chair beside him that he had leaned on so he wouldn't fall. He slowly and unsteadily makes his way to the bathroom in the corner.
He turns the corner and catches a glimpse of his reflection, he startles. He can hardly see his own face. Anxiety present, he leans into the sink countertop and slowly starts to unravel some of the bandages.
He watches as they fall into the sink, and slowly he looks up into the mirror.
He stares, his left eye is gone. Deep bruising all around his face, fresh stitches along the side of his head towards his eye socket, the eyelid sunken and slightly bloody.
He grows dizzy, suddenly realizing exactly how bad the pain is. He groans, wrapping the bandages back around his face. Hopefully nobody would notice he had removed them.
He's so distracted by the intense pain that he hardly notices the waterfall of tears pouring from his right eye.
He lets out a sob, using one metal hand to try and muffle the sound. He sinks to the ground, hoping everyone will just leave him alone for a while longer.
For a moment he wonders why demons have to keep saving him; Because it seems like every time they do, he loses more parts of himself.
“Why don't they just let me die?”
[2,190 words]