We see Lee as he still sits behind the corner of the hallway. His legs had given into the fear he felt , causing him to slowly slink downwards with his back leaning against the wall until he sits on the floor. He was shaking slightly and very pissed off with himself.
Lee: (why did I let them hurt Ruby!?WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! You're an idiot Lee! An idiot for not helping! An idiot for being a stupid coward)
He started throwing insults one after the other at himself , clearly he was angry with his choice. He made a dumb decision that could've costed not only his life but Ruby's and AJ's, too. He buries his masked face into his gloved palms in frustration , tears threatening to come out of his eyes.
Ruby: Lee , are you ok?
Ruby asks as Lee looks up as he
again snaps out of his thoughts , failing to realize that Ruby now stood in front of him.
Lee: l-I'm sorry Ruby...I d-don't know what came over me. I l-let them hurt you. They could've hurt AJ too and it would al be because of me. Who am kidding it was a bad idea to stay with you , I don't want to mess with your life. I'm sorry.
He stutters out as he looks down at his boots in shame, not daring to look Ruby in the eyes. If she didn't hate him before, then she does now. He should just leave before he makes everything worse , maybe that's for the best. Lee stands up and walks to the door but stops as he was about to reach for the door handle when Ruby calls out to him.
Ruby: Lee, wait! Look , I know you didn't mean to hide , I would've done the same if I were in your shoes. It's not your fault , being scared is what makes us who we are. In the end, it depends on whether or not we face those fears , it makes us stronger. We've only known each other for a day and I know that deep down you are a good person. A person who just wants to help. Just (*whimpers*) , just please don't leave us.
She asks in a begging tone as she begins to cry , the fear and pain had taken it's toll by now. Lee slowly backs away from the door and walks over to hug Ruby as her cries are muffled by Lee's robes. Ruby calms down slightly , Lee hands her a tissue out of instinct.
Lee: (I don't remember carrying a tissue at all, but I'm glad i did)
Ruby: t-thank you.
She thanks him as she wipes her tears and blows her nose into the tissue , recollecting herself
Lee: you're welcome. Ruby , I know somethings on your mind, so please talk to me. If it will make you feel better.
Ruby looks at him and sits on the couch.
Ruby: there's no point in hiding it anymore. There's a reason I live alone , why I raise AJ by myself , why everyone here has tax collectors on their backs. I've got a story to tell, and it's gonna take a while to get it all out , so best have a seat.
Lee nods, then looks around and finds a wooden chair flipped onto the side. He sets it up straight but as he sits on it , the legs of the chair gives out, and it breaks apart immediately as Lee sits on it.
Lee:
He gets up quickly , looks at Ruby, and apologizes
Lee: sorry
Ruby: (*giggles*) Not your fault , this whole place is ready to come down anyway. Goddamn miracle it hasn't already.
Lee sits on the couch this time opposite Ruby.
Ruby: so , where to begin. Where should I start?
Lee: I'm actually very curious about your husband, since AJ is your son and all ,then where is he?
Ruby: I remember it like it was yesterday. I was 18 at the time, and I had graduated from high school at the time. My parents were very proud of me , it looked like things were going better for us for once in our life. I wanted to be a teacher and inspire young minds.
Lee: a noble goal to strive towards, and also what do you mean by "better for us" ? (So Hell actually has a school system , this day is just full of surprises)
Ruby: well , my family and I were not very privileged when growing up. Imps and Hellborns are in the lower part of Hell's hierarchy and a position in it is mostly determined purely by the strength of the individual in the hierarchy , because of this everyone in Imp City tries their hardest to get by and survive , we Imps have no special powers or magical abilities.
Lee: hmmm , very interesting. (There's definitely a problem within Imp City , the only question here is , where?)
Ruby: when I turned 22 I met my husband , Alvin. I got married to him 2 years later , it was the most happiest moment of my life when things finally went our way. During that time, I gave birth to Alvin Jr , we both called him AJ for short. Things went uphill from there , but it all came crashing down when the yearly extermination began.
Lee: "yearly extermination" , what is that exactly?
Ruby: it's a day that happens before the beginning of a new year. It was announced that Hell is currently suffering an "overpopulation problem."
She says while quoting with her hands.
Lee: "overpopulation"? What kind of excuse is that , if the demons , sinners or whatever kind of ruler over Hell has power beyond imagination, why not use it to create more space for everyone who ends up here? But aside from that what does the Extermination involve.
Lee was quite interested in knowing what really went on in Hell and this whole extermination thing , does everyone get bugs and rodents all throughout the day or something , because it sounds like it. He laughed at the thought , that would just be ridiculous. He focused his attention on Ruby as she continued to speak.
Ruby: I've never seen much of it as I am afraid to step foot outside the house , but from what I've heard and seen on the news , Angels come down from heaven to brutally slaughter and kill every sinner in Hell , this goes on for a full 24 hours. As for the solution you mentioned, I myself do not know why they don't use magic to create more space. There are times Imps and Hellborns are confused for sinners and are killed as well. It's beyond unfortunate.
Lee listened to every word she was saying though there was one thing on his mind right now , something like-
Lee: wait a second , oi , oi, oi
Lee: so you're telling me that Angels , the innocent beings created from light , the Angels that serve God , come down to Hell in order to solve the overpopulation problem by killing?
He asks in a shocked voice , wanting to make sure that everything he heard was correct. Ruby nods in confirmation.
Ruby: surprising isn't it , even I expected better from Angels. However , what I noticed about them is that once they reach Hell they become Fallen Angels , their body and wing colour turns black , they sport threatening LED masks and lastly they have horns with a glowing halo. I managed to snag a photo out of blind luck , here take a look.
Ruby says as she takes out the photo for Lee to see.
Lee: who sent them here?
Ruby: not sure , but I know for a fact that this is not God's doing.
Lee: God does work in mysterious ways. Though I can confirm that this is something that he would not do. What's the point of killing someone again? Wait a second.
Ruby put's the photo away.
Ruby: what is it.
She asks
Lee: you said that Angels come down here to kill sinners , correct?
Ruby nods , answering his question.
Lee: how does that even work , that person is dead so how can they die again?
Ruby: simple, they use holy weapons.
Lee: holy weapons?
Ruby: weapons created in Heaven that are used by the Exterminators to permanently kill or destroy someone's very soul that still ties them to this reality. Exterminators make dumb decisions and sometimes leave a few of their weapons behind , all of it is then sold on the black market or sold off to hired mercenaries , hitman , bodyguards , assassins or local gangs.
Lee: out of curiosity, what happens to these victims after they are killed with such weapons?
Such power should not be messed with or thrown about.
Ruby: no one really knows what happens to them , all I know is that their souls are destroyed, that's as far as my knowledge goes.
This was intriguing to Lee , sinners , Imps and Hellborns can actually be killed. Lee slowly connected the dots and figured out what Ruby had just explained , and it shocked him altogether. It all happened on that fateful day that her new life broke apart.
Ruby: you figured it out...haven't you?
Ruby says as she looks down in sadness. Lee nods as he understood what she had meant to say.
Lee: I apologize for your loss Ruby.
He says in a solemn tone. Ruby's story struck a nerve in him , Lee knew what it felt like to lose someone you love.
Ruby: no need to apologize , it wasn't your fault Lee. My husband just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It's true , he died on Extermination Day , but I was glad we said our goodbyes to each other before he passed away. As I held him in my arms and as he held me in his.
Her eyes were red at this point from all the tears that had been shed today. She almost lost everything and yet she still perseveres through all that pain and trouble. Lee needed to change the subject.
Lee: there's not much I can say to cheer you up Ruby , but if you ever need support I'm here for you. You can count on it.
Ruby: thank you Lee.
She thanks Lee as she gives him a warm smile , oh how it felt good to smile again.
Lee: you're welcome. Now another thing is , why does everyone here pay a certain "fee"? Those three men mentioned something about paying off dues. Could you enlighten me about it.
She lowers her head in thought , contemplating whether to tell Lee or not. She had already told him a lot of things about her life by now , might as well tell it to the end.
Ruby: alright. After Alvin passed away I tried to move in with my parents , but the trip was too expensive and I was almost broke. I contacted and filled them in on my situation , my dad insisted that he should pay the money for trip , but I refused. This was my problem and I needed to handle it like the grown woman I am. A few days later I tried applying for every job and ended up being turned down multiple times
because i would've "distracted all the men from their work " , as they said. Some jobs involved prostitution which I immediately stepped away from as quickly as possible , I will not lose my dignity. The next day an overlord by the name of Valentino, who also runs a strip club and prostitution business , all those poor women , he somehow bought the land we live on , some of us didn't have the money to find another place to settle down so we stayed but we had to move eventually. The Mayor reached out to Valentino and managed to strike a deal with him , the deal being that "everyone who wishes to live and stay on his land must pay a tax of 300 souls a week ." The problem is the majority of the Imps and Hellborns don't nearly earn as much as those at the top , as I stated earlier.
Lee: (300 souls , what the absolute fu-!!)
His thoughts were cut off as Ruby continued.
Ruby: if anyone is unable to hold up their end of this deal , their valuables would be taken to pay off their tax and they would be forcibly removed from Valentino's premises , without question.
I currently work as a gardener , though that window is closing. I don't know if I can find another job to pay off the taxes. If I lose my job AJ and I will have to live on the streets...I just can't let that happen , i won't let that happen...
She spoke in-between grits trying to relieve her frustration. Lee gave her sometime to cool down.
Lee: you don't have to say anymore than you have already , if it troubles you then I won't pry or bring this topic up again.
Clearly he had heard enough. All these poor people were suffering so much , yet they still persevere, they still fight on. He was going to make things right.
Ruby: thank you.
She looks to her right out the window noticing how dark it is. It was night and everyone deserved a goodnight rest.
Ruby: well , it's dark out now. Maybe you should get some rest , I know I do.
They both get up and walk through the hallway.
Lee: thank you Ruby , for everything.
Ruby looks at him and smiles warmly. Oh how bright smiles made Lee's day/night.
Ruby: no problem.
She stops as she reaches her room as Lee does the same upstairs. They look at each other. Lee smiles under his mask.
Ruby: goodnight Lee.
Lee: goodnight Ruby.
With that said and done they both close their doors. Rubby cuddles next to AJ and falls asleep glad to finally have someone as a true friend.
Meanwhile Lee was still awake as he lied down on the bed thinking about what Ruby had explained to him. Thinking was all he could do at this point , though it made organizing his thoughts easier. For now he needed to get some sleep , he has a big day ahead of him tomorrow.
Lee: I'm gonna help you Ruby , I'm going to help everyone. That's a promise.
He says finally giving into sleep as he is whisked away to the land of dreams.
His journey had just begun.
(A;N sorry this chapter took so long. Apparently I forgot to mention I was studying for exams. With that being said)
PEACE
If you're wondering where I got the idea for this chapter , here it is. Skip to 0:19