Chapter Text
The life of a hell-born,
It always felt so surreal, billions of people on earth, millions in heaven and hell, and yet you could still be so easily thrown to the bottom of the barrel. No one ever cared for the hellborns. It was all about the hottest new sinners, and the growing power of the overlords and royalty. While you sat there, staring at your smoke-stained walls with chipped paint, the other imps next door engaged in a violent fight. You got up from your bed and slowly dragged your feet to the other side of your apartment, the sounds of screams, punches, and broken glass grew louder. You slammed your fist against the wall, causing debris of drywall to fly to your feet. “Would you two CHILL THE FUCK OUT,” you slammed his fist once more then immediately grimaced upon the sight of your fist now halfway through the wall. The throbbing in your head relaxed as the two on the other side quieted down. “Fucking finally,” you eased your hand out of the wall, wiping whatever dust remained on the thigh of your pants. The room went eerily quiet, the void of the dark room swallowed you whole, embracing you in a cool blanket. Although you yearned to haul yourself back to bed it felt as if your feet were glued to the ground, and before you knew it your body lowered itself to the floor.
The smell of smoke and alcohol that made its home on his carpet long ago teased your senses, and tears welled up in your eyes- once one spilled it was impossible to stop. You felt suffocated in the barren room, trapped in the confines of broken walls and cracked windows, the more you cried the harder it became to breathe as your throat and lungs betrayed you. Waking up every day in the garbage hole had to be the worst thing in the world, only aggravating you more knowing that there are people out there that don’t even fathom the idea of an 80-hour work week and live in luxury.
But that’s just the life of a hellborn, worked down to the bone and stepped all over like a doormat.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
You stir awake as the sound of your alarm forces its way into your brain, as the dim red light of the pentagram sun shines directly into your eyes. “Shittt,” you sat up and stretched, sighing in relief as you listened to the pops coming from your back. “I really have to stop doing that,” you groaned, this would’ve been the 3rd-time this week you sought comfort on the dirty floor.
After picking up your phone, you force the rest of your body up, going ahead to do your usual morning routine and dressing up in your uniform, dark blue coveralls with your name tag on the front. Not even bothering to get breakfast, you ran out the door, imps big and small littered the apartment’s halls, some face-planted on the ground and reeked of pure alcohol.
You had a simple job, to clean up after the shitty mess wreckless sinners left over after partying all night in the bar. By all means it wasn’t the best place in town but sinners flock to this place like flies for the cheap booze.
As a result, there was never a shortage of puke, blood, urine, glass, and mysterious liquid you sincerely hope was not cum. There would always be a couple of sinners left in the bar black-out drunk, so whenever you cleaned you made sure to be as careful as possible to not stir them awake. You remembered the last time you made that mistake, never again. If you’re lucky, you’d just get cursed out a ton, but on the harsher end, they would not hesitate to kick, bite, or stab. But you wouldn’t trade this job for the world, you’ve had your fair share of work and by far this was the most sustainable for you.
After you had wiped down the tables and swept up the glass, you grabbed your headphones and mop, mentally preparing yourself for whatever gross substance would accumulate in your bucket.
The repetitive motion of the mop against the sticky floor became a soothing rhythm, a hypnotic dance that lulled you into a trance-like state. As you navigated around discarded bottles and overturned chairs, your thoughts wandered. Even though the smell of vomit lingered in the air, you kept going, finding comfort in the routine of your work.
You mopped around 80% of the bar now, as you approached the far right side, your bucket sloshing with the unpleasant mixture of water and grime, you couldn’t help but feel accomplished with how you transformed this biohazard of a place into something brand new once again for that sweet paycheck.
Before you could dip your mop into the bucket for another sweep, your boss's voice interrupted your thoughts. "Hey, hold up a sec," he called out, his tone serious.
You turned to face him, a smile forming on your lips, “Heyyy teach what’s up-” but the look on his face stopped you in your tracks. There was a heaviness to his expression, a weight that you couldn't quite place.
"We need to talk," he said, his voice somber as he motioned for you to follow him to his office. This can’t be good. Once you two settled in the office he passed a stack of papers in front of you.
"What's… going on?" you asked, trying to keep your voice steady despite the rising tide of worry.
Your boss sighed heavily, his gaze flickering away from yours as if unable to bear the weight of your questioning eyes. "I'm afraid I have some bad news," he began, his voice strained with regret.
Your pulse quickened, dread settling like a heavy stone in the depths of your gut. "Bad news?" you echoed, your voice barely a whisper. He nodded solemnly, his expression grave. "I received a notice from upper management this morning," he explained, his words measured and deliberate. "They've decided to downsize the staff, and unfortunately...your position has been eliminated."
The words hit you like a physical blow, knocking the breath from your lungs as a wave of disbelief washed over you. "Eliminated?" you echoed again, the word tasting bitter on your tongue.
Your boss nodded again, his features etched with sympathy. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice heavy with remorse. "There's nothing I can do. It's out of my hands." A numbness settled over you, enveloping you like a shroud as you struggled to process the sudden turn of events.
"Nonono what...what the fuck am I supposed to do now?" you whispered, the words barely audible as they escaped your lips. Your boss's gaze softened, and then he gestured down toward the stack of papers in front of you. “Well, luckily for you Mammon is hiring at the moment-”
“No fucking way,” you interrupted “Are you kidding? That guy is shittier than every other person in hell! He literally gives pennies to his employees and treats us like his little servants!” Your boss stood up and gathered a couple of folders from his desk, “I’m sorry but that's all I can offer to ya, even if he’s not your style we both know you can’t afford to just sit around.” Your boss begins to walk out while you stare down at the tops of your feet and fidget with your hands. “Don’t put the offer completely out of the question alright, you may finish up today but after this will be the last time you’ll clock in.”
Well, shit.
Dragging your feet along the familiar path home, each step heavier than the last, you couldn't shake the feeling of numb disbelief that clung to you like a suffocating fog. The weight of your boss's words pressed down on you, a constant reminder of the uncertainty that loomed in the future.
As you approached your dilapidated apartment building, the sight of its crumbling facade filled you with a sense of dread. You glanced at the paper your boss gave you, Mammon’s logo laughing in your face.
Suddenly, a sudden screech of tires shattered the silence of the evening air. Your heart leaped into your throat as you instinctively jerked back, narrowly avoiding the speeding car that careened past you with reckless abandon.
“THAT'S A GOOD WAY TO KILL SOMEBODY,” you yelled, you watched as the car crashed face-first into a telephone pole. The driver, another imp with huge horns, runs out to inspect the damage made, “DAMMIT!” he screams bringing his hand up to his mouth to bite at his finger, but you weren’t having it using whatever energy you had left you walked up to the driver and crossed your arms.
“Are you fucking insane!?” The driver looks at you and waves you off as if you hadn’t said anything at all. “Not now bitch, I just broke my car,” this only makes you step closer and shover the other shoulder “You almost broke my fucking face!”
He’s finally at your attention "Oh get the fuck over yourself! I'm dealing with a disaster here!" he says, gesturing wildly to his car, which is emitting smoke from under the hood. "So what if I almost hit you!" The other imp storms off, muttering under his breath, typing away at his phone “Stupid fucking car, stupid fucking pole, stupid- Heyyy Loonie think you could pick me up? I uh- I crashed it… again…”
You stomped next to the other imp, shoving your shoulder against his as you passed. “Good luck with your car asshole,” as you leave the scene, unbeknownst to you the guy behind you flashes a middle finger your way.
—
It’s been a few days since and you could’ve sworn that the bags under your eyes could get any deeper. You adjusted your worn-out tie and prepared yourself to walk back into your apartment once more.
Job hunting is a nightmare, nearly every open position you could find was only to be an incredibly underpaid public servant. Or a stripper.
You hated looking into the eyes of every employer, who’d assumed at a glance that you were another desperate imp willing to lap up any offer you were given, no matter how small the wage was.
“I’m evicted!?” you stared at the paper stapled to your apartment door, your jaw dropped so low that your chin could collect dust. You stormed off, heading straight towards the landlord's office which happens to be on your same floor, you disregarded any manners and forced your way in with brute force. The landlord sat there, surrounded by boxes and papers with his feet propped up on the desk- he appeared to be expecting you. “Oh don’t act surprised! You’re way overdue on your rent. I will NOT allow freeloaders to stay in my building!” he sneered, leaning back in his chair. You ignored them and stormed up to snatch the landlord up by the collar, "Way overdue!? It’s been two days since I told you I’m looking for another job!"
He smirked, seemingly unfazed by your aggression. "Rules are rules. You had your chance to pay up, and you didn’t. Now, if you don’t let go of me, I’ll do worse than just evict you."
“Yet you’ll allow any bimbo to squat here like it’s no skin off your back.”
Reluctantly, you released him, the frustration boiling inside you. With nowhere else to turn, you left the office, the landlord maintained a smug look on his face and yelled out “They pay me in ways you never could!”
Stepping into the chaotic streets of Hell. You wandered, the eviction notice still clutched in your hand.
The first week on the streets was brutal. You quickly learned to navigate the dark alleys and avoid the more dangerous parts of the city. Sleep was a luxury you couldn't afford, and every sound had you on edge. You scavenged what you could, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity amidst the chaos.
On the third night, as the cold seeped into your bones, you found a relatively quiet corner near an abandoned warehouse. Exhaustion weighed heavy on you, and you managed to catch a few hours of restless sleep. By day, you wandered the bustling streets, looking for work or a way to earn some quick cash, but opportunities were scarce. The city of Hell was unforgiving to the desperate.
As the sun dipped below the horizon on the fifth day, you found yourself in a particularly desolate part of town. Hunger gnawed at your insides, and the eviction notice, now crumpled and worn, served as a constant reminder of your plight.
You turned a corner and collided with a solid figure. The impact sent you both stumbling back, and you instinctively reached for the knife hidden in your jacket.
"Watch where you’re going!" you snapped, regaining your balance and glaring at the stranger.
The figure straightened up, revealing a familiar tall imp that you had run into earlier, red eyes glinting in the dim light. His expression quickly shifted from surprise to a mischievous grin. “Oh heyyy I remember you, you were that whiny bum from last week,” you quickly avert your gaze and push past the other.
“Leave me alone” you grumbled, keeping your eyes glued to the ground. To your misfortune, however, you heard a second pair of footsteps trail behind you, “I know ever since that day I was wondering about you, so likeeee are you just another sad sap that lives on the streets.”
You stopped in your tracks and glared at him. “Why the hell are you following me, go away!” He stumbled his way over to you, wrapping his arm over your shoulders “Awww come onnn don’t act like that, you’re way too sexy to have a frown on that face anyway,” you were incredibly weirded out and you shrunk back from his touch.
In your proximity, you smelt something all too familiar, and your suspicions were confirmed as you watched him take a huge swig from the bottle nestled in his hand.
“Name’s Blitzø the uh… ‘O’ is silent, what’s yours,” he smiled and held out his hand for a handshake.
You looked down at it wearily, merely pinching his wrist between your thumb and forefinger like it’s infected, to push it back towards Blitzø’s body.
“Well… uhm, Blitzø this was fun and all but I would like to go back to avoiding you.”
You turned your back to him, and without warning, he lunged at you, his movements quick and fluid despite his drunken state. You dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding his strike, and countered with a slash of your own. Blitzø parried effortlessly, the clang of metal echoing through the alley.
The two of you exchanged blows, each attack met with a counter. The fight was a dance of lethal precision, and you found yourself oddly exhilarated. Blitzø’s skill was undeniable, but you matched him move for move.
Blitzø feinted left, then swept your legs out from under you. You hit the ground hard, your knife skittering out of reach. He pinned you down, his face inches from yours, his breath hot against your skin.
"Not bad," he murmured, his voice low and edged with admiration. "You've got potential."
You struggled beneath him, your heart pounding. "Get off me!"
He smirked, his gaze lingering on your face. "Or what? You’ll kill me?" He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I think we both know you can’t even if you fucking tried."
A spark of defiance flared within you, and you surged upwards, catching him off guard. You managed to flip him over, reversing your position. Now you were on top, your hands pressing against his chest. “Ready to give up yet?” you heaved, Blitzøonly smiled and took a glance over your face, “yknow, I could use someone like you…” in your moment of confusion, Blitzø took the advantage to grab your arms and push you back- he scrambles up to his feet. “I run an assassination company, to give sinners revenge by killing fuckers in… the real… world…” In between each pause, you swung at him, each time dodging causing you to groan in frustration. You reach to grab Blitzø’s collar, and once it was in your hold you swung him around and slammed him against the wall.
Blitzø grimaced and panted in exhaustion, but he still held a smile on his face, “Aren’t… aren’t you tired of being on these crappy streets? I’ll pay you, good pretty boy, trust me you won’t regret iiittt.”
“Shut up,” you mutter, the offer slips its way into your head, causing you to loosen your grip on the other. Blitzø notices this immediately and smiles in triumph, “I know a desperate look when I see one~”
He trails his hand down to his pocket and swiftly pulls out what appears to be a business card. With his free hand Blitzø caresses the surface of your chest “Call me~ I’ll set up a meeting for you m’kay?”
You grab the card and shift away from his reach. Seemingly satisfied, Blitzø’s drunken state stumbles his way out of the alley, wobbling in every step.