Chapter 11: Deal or No Deal?

When I finally came to from my pain-induced vision, I was in my room lying in my bed. My head was pounding, and my left arm still burned with the same fury as a blowtorch. My entire body felt like it was anchored to the bed as I struggled to roll onto my side and get my wings out from underneath me. Outside, the clocktower in the distance read that it was a quarter after eight. I'd been out of it for at least two hours.

Vaggie and Angel Dust were right at my side, looking me over with a shared look of concern. I made an attempt to sit up, only to fall back against my pillow.

"Take it easy there, toots," Angel said softly, "Don't strain yourself, now."

I let out a groan as I rested a hand against my head, "What happened?"

"Well, you sort of blacked out," Vaggie explained, "Alastor caught you as you went down. Charlie and Lilith were furious."

"And Lucifer?"

"He left. Care to fill us in on the rest?"

I swallowed as the reality of my situation started to hit me. The circumstances that led to me being sent to Hell were bad enough; paganism, witchcraft, murder, greed, and so on. Now I had a few deals with Lucifer and Sir Pentious on top of that! The evidence was etched into my very skin; my left forearm alight with the eerie green contract marks of the two demons. I had never seen them up until now, as they had been laying dormant. Out of sight, out of mind. Whatever Lucifer did must have reawakened them, causing the marks to burn and show up visibly from under my skin. With every deal I counted, redemption was looking more and more like an uphill battle with each passing minute.

I explained as much as I could to Angel and Vaggie. All of my power and insight, the entire reason I was as good of a witch as I was, was because of Lucifer. Past Me essentially used him as a crutch, maintaining a friendly relationship with the ruler of Hell in order to get exactly what I wanted. My debt to him was probably miles deep, and from the way he spoke to me earlier, I most likely still had a great deal left to pay back.

As for Sir Pentious... Well, my debt to him was only as deep as one would expect from a wannabe supervillain. During his reign of the south side, the orders he'd give me were usually tame. Typically, I'd be in charge of babysitting the EggBois; helping them along with their tasks during the day, and keeping them warm by tucking them under my wings at night. Back then, there were only a small handful of those rotten little Humpty Dumpties running around, but after he'd succeeded in creating a high-powered cloning device, the number of Eggbois I and the other winged demons could manage became more difficult each day.

And then Sir Pentious discovered my abilities. Not only was I a mother hen to no less than six EggBois at any given time. I also became the snake demon's personal fortune teller, and it was never just one reading that he wanted. Oh, no! He wanted insight on every angle to every one of his schemes, and it better have gone according to his plan, or else there was hell to pay. Every time I tried to give him a warning about trouble that was looming overhead, or he received an unsatisfactory reading, it led to a world of pain and misery for me. I'd be lucky if he just slapped me, or pelted me with insults. Sometimes I'd be subjected to days without food or water; however long it took for Sir Pentious's fortune to change, or for his readings to come to fruition.

That was how I met Hector. He was the one who kept me going through those dark, miserable times. All the way up until the day Alastor seized the south side from Sir Pentious's grasp; something else that I had tried to warn him about. I thought that was the end of it. I thought that I was finally free. I thought I would never have to worry about that bastard ever again.

I was wrong. The contract remained, and I still had a debt to pay.

Angel and Vaggie had seething looks on their faces as I finished spinning my tale, though I couldn't tell if they were mad at Lucifer and Sir Pentious, or me. Either would have been understandable. I thought I would be an easier case to handle. Give up smoking, put a lid on my potty mouth, use my abilities to help others, and do what was right instead of what was easy. Now, with a multitude of contracts in the way, my road to redemption just got a thousand times harder.

Vaggie eventually simmered down and took a calming breath.

"We'll find a way to sort this all out once you feel better," she said, "For now, get some rest. Al should be stopping by soon to bring you dinner."

"What?!" Angel screeched, "Are we seriously not goin' to talk about this?! This is fucked! This is seriously, seriously fucked!"

"It's fine, Angel," I piped up, "I'll figure out a way to get myself out of this mess. I always do."

Angel Dust looked like he wanted to argue, but bit his tongue as he forced himself to turn and follow Vaggie out the door. He stopped halfway across the room and tossed a glance back to me from over his shoulder.

"I hope you're right about that, June," he said in a low voice, "Contracts ain't easy to get out of. Three years of silence and ol' Luci still wants somethin' from you? It can only mean what he wants is no small errand."

"I know," I responded, "I'll work it out somehow. You'll see."

Angel said nothing more as he exited my room. I placed my hands on my lap as I started racking my brain for solutions. How exactly was I going to work this out? I had at least four deals that I could remember off the top of my head, and it took an ungodly amount of time just to get out of one! Even if I started trying to pay back my debt right this second, I'd probably still be at it for a couple of centuries. What the hell was I supposed to do?!

Red filled my peripheral vision as the door to my room swung closed, revealing the tall, thin silhouette of Alastor standing in the corner. His unexpected appearance nearly made me leap from my bed. His toothy yellow, smile stretched from ear to ear as his eyes lit up with an unfathomable amount of eagerness. They narrowed as they locked onto me; hungry, almost like I was a full-course meal set out in front of him.

"Do you have to be so creepy?" I asked, curling my lip in a snarl, "You almost scared the shit out of me!"

"I just couldn't help but overhear your little delema," he hummed, sauntering up to me with a skip in his step, "It would seem you've gotten yourself into quite the pickle, haven't you?"

I let out a frustrated grunt, "You got that right. This ain't gonna be no cakewalk, that's for sure."

Alastor regarded me with a look that I could only describe as, well, cheeky. It looked like he was enjoying seeing me struggle with my inner turmoil. He sat down at the edge of my bed, the hunger in his eyes intensifying as they moved from the markings on my arm to my sullen expression.

"You know, Miss Charms," he piped up, "I do know a thing or two about deals, and I have quite a bit of power and influence as one of Hell's overlords."

"Your point?"

A menacing look of sly mischief crossed the Radio Demon's face, his smile broadening as the red glow of his eyes increased. His aura was suffocating, filled with something sinister and riddled with wicked intent.

"How would you like all those deals to just... go away?"

If I didn't know any better, I would have leapt out at him and accepted the offer right then and there. The thing of the matter was that I did know better. I knew what he was implying, and although it was tempting, I was not about to dig myself deeper into the hole that I had already buried myself in.

"It's not that simple, is it?" I countered, "You want me to make a deal with you just to rid myself of the ones I already have? I'm not as stupid as I Iook, you know. I know this is only going to end with me owing you favors until the end of time."

"Aw, come on, Juniper!" Alastor seem to sing as he twirled on his toes, "Live a little!One little deal to rid yourself of many. Only needing to repay one demon, instead of two. That sounds like a bargain to me!"

"It sounds like a trap! I mean, what do you have to gain by accepting three, four, maybe even more deals? What's in it for you?"

"Entertainment."

I rolled my eyes, "Of course..."

"And the power of the deal is very much mutual. I'm not greedy like ol' Lucifer. Should you require any talents of mine, you need only call on me, and vice versa."

I'm not gonna lie, his pitch was insanely tempting. A snap of my fingers, and I could call upon the Radio Demon whenever I needed him. Maybe I could get him to open the lid on the mysteries surrounding him, and all he would require in exchange were my services. That meant readings, spells, magic; all the insight he wanted on anything that he needed it for.

What the hell would Alastor want with that?!

"Be straight with me, Al," I said, leaning forward on my bed, "Why do you really want to take on my deals? What's in it for you?"

Alastor tossed a glance over his shoulder, almost as if he were checking to see if anyone was listening in on our conversation. It would be more than a little awkward if Vaggie or Charlie were about to walk in on us having this little discussion. He leaned forward and lowered his voice into white-noise-filled whisper that rattled with a beast-like growl.

"Power."

The word hit me like a brick as I recoiled with confusion, "What?"

"Power, my dear," Alastor repeated, "Even you should know that I am well-known for making deals. Do you think that I was somehow born wielding all this power? Much like how you obtained your abilities by making deals with Lucifer, I obtained mine by making deals with, well, everyone. Beasts, overlords, and even the lowly street urchins of this world have something of value they can lend me in exchange for my help. More deals equals more power. That's why I'm offering to take up your contracts."

I stared at the Radio Demon in stunned silence. It was all coming together. His power was likely kickstarted in the same way mine had been, by making deals with Lucifer. That little seed of power laid out the foundation for his territorial takeover. A few deals here, a bit of genocide there, and before anyone knew it, Alastor had all demons and creatures that he could call upon as needed. It also explained why he looked so drained from time to time. Using that kind of power took a toll after a while, sucking the energy out of the user until they were too weak to carry on. Dealmakers had to take the good with the bad. They made deals to maintain power and control so they could remain dominant for as long as possible, and they made deals in order to have the physical strength to continue using that power.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked.

"Like I said before," Alastor shrugged, "If you'd like to know anything that pertains to me, you need only ask. And I think I can trust that this information will stay solely between the two of us."

"Right."

Alastor leaned back and shot me a charismatic smile, "So? What do you say, Miss Charms? Do we have a deal?"

I tapped my fingers against my thighs as I tried to dumb down the terms of his offer.

"The power of the Radio Demon, as well as full-time access to any and all information about him that I want. A number of deals with Lucifer and Sir Pentious off my hands, all in exchange for amusement, power, and the use of my abilities whenever you so desire. That sound about right to you?"

"Yes, indeedy!"

I leaned back against my pillows and sighed. I couldn't believe that I was actually considering letting the red-clad demon talk me into this. One would think Lucifer's little stunt in the lobby, and being put on my ass by the pain of multiple contract seals would have taught me to stay far, far away from making any more deals with other charming personalities. And yet, here I was, gripping the covers to keep myself from sticking out my hand. Vaggie and Charlie would kill me, and I'm pretty sure it'd cost more than a ten-dollar bill for breaking probably one of the biggest rules in the hotel. I could lose any possibility of redemption, possibly forever.

But was it worth the sacrifice?

Looking back up at Alastor, I took in every expression his face conveyed. He was eager, hungry, and brimming with anticipation as he stuck out a hand. The eerie green light his palms emitted was accompanied by an electric hum; raw power that was ready and waiting to close the deal. However at the same time, I felt desperation rolling off of him. If anything, he wanted to make this deal just as badly as I wanted to be rid of my past contracts. If he was as reliant on dealmaking just to keep himself going like I thought he was, then I wouldn't doubt it.

Slowly, I lifted my hand and pushed his aside.

"Sorry, Al," I said, "But I really feel like this is something that I need to work out on my own."

Alastor took my rejection gracefully, throwing his hands up in a shrug as the anticipation drained from his face.

"The offer still stands, if you change your mind," he hummed. He snapped his fingers and presented me with a plate of steak and mashed potatoes, "Enjoy!"

My mouth watered at the meal in front of me, but my attention veered back to Alastor as he began making his way towards my door.

"Hey, Al?" I called out to him, "What was that deal I saw you making with Lucifer earlier?"

The Radio Demon stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned towards me. I'm pretty sure he was wondering just how I knew about that little transgression when I had been far out of his sight.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about," he said, "Just a settlement between two ol' chaps, and nothing more."

And with that, Alastor vanished out the door, leaving me to stare daggers at him long after the door closed behind him. Everything about that statement had been a blatant lie.

It was the next morning before I was well enough to climb out of bed. I had finally caught up on all of the sleep I had missed over the past few days, and was able to join the rest of the hotel in the dining room for breakfast. This wasn't going to be a laid back sort of day, though. I had plenty of things on my plate that I intended to work on.

The first thing was going to the palace and meeting with Lucifer to discuss just how much I was indebted to him for the past deals I had made. Given that I had passed out on him yesterday and the fact that he had left before I had woken up, I was sure that there was a number of things that we still needed to discuss. The second thing on my agenda was tracking down Sir Pentious and trying to get him to let go of the deal we had made. He had helped me back when I needed him, and I had done so much for that son of a bitch since I arrived in Hell that I felt like I had more than repaid him for his services.

If I didn't get anywhere with either of them, I still had a friend in the south side that could probably work something out before I had to resort to considering taking Alastor up on his offer from last night. And that would only happen if I had zero options left at my disposal.

After breakfast, I sat down with Charlie to discuss my plans. Heaven didn't accept those that were still tethered to other demons, and she needed to know that there was something in the works. Not just with me, but that Alastor was plotting something, too.

"I can't believe he actually tried to talk you into another deal!" she gasped, standing in a corner in my room as I prepared to head out, "Maybe he had good intentions by trying to get you out of the deals you already have, but he should know that isn't a good way to go about it."

"Somehow I feel like his intentions are anything but good," I stated, "He has his own agenda, that much I do know. Where I fit into that is still unclear."

"I'm just glad you had the courage to say no to him. I'm proud of you, June."

I gave her a thankful smile as I slung my bag of supplies over my shoulder and threw on my cloak.

"Well, here goes nothing," I sighed, "Wish me luck."

Charlie nodded, trying to keep up a hopeful smile as I headed out the door. It fell into a look of worry, however, as I started down the hall and in the direction of the hotel's front entrance. Her concern was understandable. No matter how big or small it might be, there was a chance that all of this would fail. There was a chance that Lucifer and Sir Pentious wouldn't let go of their deals. There was a chance that my friend in the south side wouldn't be able to help me. There was a chance that I'd be left with nothing I could do but fall back on my last resort. There was a chance that this, all of this, could mean never achieving redemption.

And, as terrifying as that was, some part of me was okay with that. Some part of me was okay with staying down here. In the three years I had been in Hell, I hadn't seen a single one of my victims. In the beginning, I had tried asking for them, but they were nowhere to be found. I was hoping to at least be able to apologize for every bit of harm that I had caused, and that guilt still ate me alive every single day. There was a possibility that meant that all the people I had hurt were living their best afterlife in Heaven. Even if I managed to be completely rehabilitated, what was I supposed to do when I saw them again? Would I really be able to face them after everything I had done?

Once again I found myself coming back to the same question I'd been asking myself since I arrived at the Hazbin Hotel. Was I really worthy of redemption?

"Hey, June!"

The sudden voice yanked me out of my thoughts with a start. As I entered the lobby, Niffty scurried up to me as Husk trailed lazily behind. I could see the skepticism printed on their faces, especially as they eyed my cloak and my bag.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Husk grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Out," I replied curtly, "I've got a few things that I need to take care of."

"We heard. Al told us everything."

So much for keeping it between us. Then again, I had told Charlie about our little exchange last night, so I guess that made us even.

"So?" I asked, "I didn't take the deal. I've got enough of those on my hands."

"We came to warn you, June," Niffty piped up, twiddling her fingers as she shifted her weight on the tips of her toes, "Making a deal with Al is a very bad idea!"

"Ya think? Why do you think I said no?"

"Just take it from somebody who's been there before," Husk said, "He ain't exactly the worst demon you could make a deal with, but he's definitely the most annoying."

"You mean you both made deals with him?"

Husk and Niffty nodded in unison.

"The things he asks for in return are usually small," Husk continued, "Operating the front desk at a crummy hotel, for instance, or helping him in a fight, but he'll have you do it a million times over before he decides he'sbeen paid in full. And it gets even worse if you decide to ask something from him."

"What Husker is saying is that we don't want to see you end up like us," Niffty explained, "I really do like Alastor as a person, but deep down I really regret making a deal with him."

My heart twisted as I looked into the eye of the little cyclopian girl. Seeing someone as cheery as her brought down to a disheartened mess was heartbreaking, and only fueled my determination to do this on my own even further.

"All I want to know is why?" I stated, "Why would Al want a witch in his toolbox? He has more power in one of his pinkie fingers than I do in my entire body. What could he possibly want with me?"

"It isn't you that he wants," Husk said, "It's your deals. Whatever you were given when you made the deal, he wants it. Giving it to him will make him more powerful; less touchable than he is now. You'll just be another one of his peons to be used whenever it's convenient for him. It's all about power."

"Take our advice and don't make a deal with Alastor!" Niffty chimed in, "You don't need his help just to get out of your other deals. It won't be worth it."

"Don't worry," I said, "I've got a few options lined up that just might work. There's just one more thing that I really want to know, though."

"What's that?" Husk inquired.

I took a step back and stared the cat demon down, "What is Alastor planning?"

Husk's reaction to the question confirmed every suspicion that had been plaguing my mind since last night. His eyes widened as his ears twitched, his tail lashed nervously across the floor. There was a conflicted look on his face; a look that said he wanted to tell me what he knew, yet dreading the consequences that could result from it. Niffty took the easy way out and zoomed off to continue her duties, but Husk stayed rooted where his stood.

Eventually, he let out a sigh, "Vox."

The very mention of the name sent shockwaves of fright down my spine, "What the hell does he want with someone like Vox?!"

"It's a petty rivalry they have going. Al's pretty strong, but it wouldn't take much for Vox to put him on his ass."

That was no joke! Vox was one of the most powerful demon overlords to ever land in Hell. He might have been a little funny-looking, given that he had a TV for a head, but he wasn't one to be trifled with. Something as simple as a handshake could lead to an electric shock strong enough to fry a demon to a crisp. Rumor has it he was able to hypnotize people into doing his bidding, and if he couldn't then he most certainly was working on it. He didn't take any kind of shit from anyone, and was typically described as being apathetic, blunt, and as dull as a dishwasher; the complete opposite of Alastor.

"Alastor wants the power to take him down," Husk said, "Why? I dunno, but he'll need to become stronger in order to do it. That's what his deal is about. That'swhy he wants your contracts."

I started turning the entire scenario over in my head. A familiar song started up in the back of my mind, one that I used to listen on a loop for hours until I nearly went insane: Video Killed the Radio Star. I knew just how powerful Vox was. Not strong enough to rival Lucifer, but just enough that the line separating him from the likes of pure-blooded demons were blurred. No matter how I spliced it, no matter what I tried to think up to find something justifiable in it, my mind only came up with one conclusion.

Alastor was a fucking idiot.