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a-hazbin-reader · 1 month

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WHERE'S THE REST OF IT

The Soul is a Precious Thing

Being stuck at home didn't sound appealing in the slightest, so Jean decided to join her mother at her job. She was always eager to learn new things and Sawyer could use an extra pair of hands. It turns out to be more fun than expected.

I have to say, I feel good about getting two of these chapters up. It feels like it's something to occupy the mind until the third chapter comes out. And believe me, it's going to be interesting. This chapter is also lightly proofread, but may be up for revision one day.

One more thing: should you choose to read this on AO3, I also have my OC profiles listed as a story on my account. I can also post them on my page here if you want that as well. I will be posting the AO3 link.

Once again, Hazbin Hotel along with its characters and plot belong to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano. My characters and plot belong to me! Alright, without further ado, chapter 2 starts now!

Chapter 2: Family Business

More days went by, and Jean’s recovery was successful. With a nice, long discussion, both agreed that life would continue on as if they had never been separated. At least for the time being.

“Well, this is it,” Sawyer waved to Jean to enter a storefront with her. “This is my shop.”

Jean looked around in wonder. Her mother had told her about the business she started up, first utilizing any junk she could find, tinkering, repairing and repurposing it until it became popular among the other sinners. She was eventually able to start a business to create and repair appliances and other technology.

This was the first time since she had found Jean coming here and so, she decided to show her.

“Wow…”

Her mother smiled, “I’m glad you’re amazed, but you haven’t even seen the actual workshop yet. That’s where the real magic happens.”

She gently grabbed her shoulder, nudging her through the store and towards the back. With the way Sawyer had spoken of it, Jean had many imaginings of what it looked like as she pulled the curtain open. As it turned out, it was so much more than that.

The first word that came to mind was: messy. But of course, with as many projects as she had it was going to be pretty disorganized.

“I have to say, I’m quite proud of this. It’s certainly nothing extravagant, but it's something I built myself. It’s almost like the diner all over again, isn’t it?”

That’s right, Jean reminisced. I remember mom was working at a diner when we had to move. Her boss, the owner, was such a sweet old guy. He ended up leaving her in charge of the diner. It made sense then that she would start a business of her own.

“Yeah. It really is.”

Ding, ding!

Both turned at the sound of the ringing bell. It seems a customer had just arrived. Sawyer gestured for her to stay put as she went to welcome the potential customer. Maybe even a regular.

“Sal, what a pleasant surprise.”

So it was someone she at least knew by name, Jean couldn’t help but think as she inched closer to the curtain.

“Couldn’t help it, Sawyer. You’re always such a fucking delight, plus I caught wind that ya had to close up shop for a while. Saw you were back and wanted ta see for m’self.”

She could detect sarcasm in his tone. Not hostile, but not necessarily friendly either.

“So nice to see I’ve been missed. You here for your microwave, then?”

“Hell yeah, I am. You’re lucky you’re good at what ya do. Couldn’ even enjoy my leftovers these past few weeks.”

Her mother laughed, “Don’t get your boxer briefs in a twist. Let me just fetch it from the back.”

Jean backed away as her mother strode through the curtain, humming to herself as she ran a hand over the various appliances.She stopped at the mentioned microwave, a small tag attached that read ‘Sal’. She heaved it up and brought it back out to the front.

“There ya go. That’ll be the usual, please.”

Jean took this time to look around at the rest of her workshop. Along with the parts and projects, There were also many manuals she assumed was used to aid her in her repairs.

“Sorry about that, honey. I wanted it to be just us today, but I guess I forgot to lock the door.”

“Can I help?”

Sawyer blinked at her, “You…you want to help? Here in the shop?”

Jean nodded, “Yeah. I wanna help.”

“I…I suppose we can find something for you.”

And so, Jean began her apprenticeship. Each day she would join her mother in her workshop. If she wasn’t assisting her mother in repairing, she would be studying the manuals. They were fairly easy to come by since people just threw them away upon purchasing their new products. Fucking morons, Sawyer would mutter under her breath on the days in which they would go out scavenging for spare parts.

It honestly wasn’t too different from what she saw her mother did when they were still alive. Having as little money as they did, they had to make their belongings last as long as possible. Rather than buy new stuff, Sawyer always found a way to make them work again.

It was pretty fun working with her mother in the shop. At the very least, it was better than being alone and constantly cooped up in their home. Although having to interact with the customers that came through was a lot to adapt to. Most of them were as pleasant as it could be as far as sinners go, but others were far less pleasant.

Whatever awful behavior they directed at her, however, was quickly shut down by Sawyer. That in itself had few possible outcomes. Some would shut their mouth and continue on in fear of her wrath. Some would take their business elsewhere, either muttering curses or whimpering under their breath. As for the rest who didn’t heed her warnings, the storefront windows would glow from the bright flashes inside before said sinner was thrown through the door. With how badly burnt and smoking their bodies were, it would be in their best interest to never return.

As the months went by, Jean became more accustomed to the interactions. She knew the regulars by name and most were even quite friendly with her.

“Here. Your first project.”

A cardboard box was, one day, placed in front of her. Jean furrowed her brow, “What exactly is this supposed to be?”

“A blender. A customer just came in complaining about it dying on him. I want you to have a look at it and fix it. It seems simple enough for your first job.”

“Um…okay. I guess I’ll…get to it then,” Jean, still unsure, scooped the box into her arms. Just as she was moving to one of the workbenches, the familiar ringing of the bell drew Sawyer’s attention.

“Go ahead and get started while I take care of this.”

“Okay.”

Sawyer moved through the curtain and up to the front counter. Said customer seemed to be one of the more unsavory sort, but nothing she couldn’t handle.

“Welcome, what can I do for you today?”

He gave her a suave sleazy grin, “Yeah, there is something. Word on the street is you're the one to go to when I need somethin’ fixed. Is that right?”

Sporting a strained smile, Sawyer was already done with this guy, “Right enough for it to become a rumor, apparently. Are you in need of my services?”

“You could say that. Why don’cha close up shop for a bit and we can take this to the back so I can show ya what kind of job I need done.”

Yup, she fucking knew it. There was no shortage of degenerate perverts in Hell, but it wasn’t often that they dared be so bold in her store. Considering the reputation she had built up around these parts, this guy was either freshly dead, a masochist, or just plain stupid.

“Sir, I’m afraid you’re a bit lost. I think you’d have better luck in the Entertainment District for the kind of job you’re in need of.”

She always felt it only fair that she allowed those who behaved like this to correct themselves. The passive aggressive undertones are usually all she needed. This guy, however, seemed to be the stubborn type. Or the dense type. Maybe both.

“Don’t be like that, sweetheart. Whatever these fuckers are payin’ ya to fix their shit or whatever, I can pay double. Triple depending on how far you’re willing to go.”

God, did she just want to deck this guy. Even in death, she had to deal with the worst of the worst. Then again, this was Hell. It’s meant to be a punishment.

“I’m afraid I’m not for sale. As I suggested, you should take your business down to the Entertainment District.”

“Is that right?” his eyes drifted to the curtain leading to the back. “How about your little helper? She sure sounded cute. How much do ya want for just a bit of her time?”

Her yellow eyes shimmered, sparks starting to shoot from the ends of her hair as well as the tips of her fingers,

“Your money's no good here. Get out. I won’t say it again.”

“You know what? Why am I askin’ you? I should just ask’er myself. You don’t mind, right?”

Then the fucker had the absolute audacity to not only ignore her order, but to bypass the counter and try and enter her workshop. Not only without permission, but with the intention of propositioning something so disgusting to HER CHILD.

Her hand snatched his wrist in an instant, throwing him back while still keeping her grip firm. She didn’t care for resorting to this, and she certainly didn't want her daughter to see this side of her, but it seemed to be the only way these…people seem to learn. The only thing she hoped was Jean was far enough in the back that she wouldn’t hear it. Or anything prior to that for that matter.

“Fuck’s wrong with you, bitch?!” The sinner tried yanking his arm away, only serving to make Sawyer sink her claws deeper and draw blood.

He started to feel a tingling sensation as the sparks seemed to grow. Said feeling started traveling throughout the rest of his body. His defiant glare was quickly devolving into one of fear as the shop owner began to change.

Her hair flared out as the electricity spread throughout her body. She gritted her teeth and hissed, her eyes fully golden and glowing,

“ You are what’s wrong, but not for much longer .”

Jean bit her lip as she looked over the blender. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it on the outside, so she would need to take it apart to find the source of the problem. She’ll need the toolbox for this, it seems.

The lights started to flicker, going between dim and bright before there was a loud boom. It startled her out of her seat and onto the floor. It almost sounded like thunder. The lights then returned to their normal, consistent glow.

“Mama? Mama, what happened?!”

Barely a second later, Sawyer entered the workshop. She wore a satisfied grin as she used a towel, wiping any trace of blood from her hands.

“Nothing to worry about, sweetie. Just an unruly customer, but I handled it. Now, let’s have a look at that blender.”

Meanwhile, outside the store…

Sinners gathered around after hearing the commotion. A lot were wide-eyed in confusion and fear, but most of them were unsurprised considering where the body had come flying out of. He was charred and burnt beyond recognition, still twitching every now and then.

“And...I think that should do it.”

Jean felt quite satisfied with herself at the final result of her assigned project. The issue, from what she could tell, was a burnt out motor. It had taken her about two weeks as it turned out to be more difficult than she first thought.

“I see. Shall we test it, then?”

She nodded eagerly as she brought out the ice cream and milk. She had been craving a milkshake for the longest time since arriving in Hell. With the proper amount of each, the top was sealed with the lid and she switched the power on with great anticipation.

The blender whirred to life, the motor sounding loud but smooth as it continued spinning. Jean bounced in glee, her eyes shining in pride at her work. Sawyer nodded with a pleased smile,

“Not bad at all. Replacing a motor is a fairly complex task. I would say at this rate, you’ll be moving onto the big things in no time at all.”

“Uh-huh,” Jean nodded absentmindedly as she switched the device off. She detached the pitcher and brought it close, fully determined to drink straight from it.

Her mother frowned, her hand grabbing Jean’s just as she was about to remove the lid, “Remember, this isn’t our blender. Besides, I taught you better than that. Go and grab a cup for it.”

Jean gulped, smiling awkwardly, “Sorry, mom. I’ll do that. It’s too bad we don’t have any french fries. French fries and milkshakes are the best together.”

Sawyer watched as her child scampered off with her treat. Her smile returned and she sighed in contentment. As bad as Hell was, if most days could be just like this, she could imagine actually enjoying the rest of her afterlife here.

Luck, surprisingly enough, was on Sawyer’s side in that regard. For many years, the two worked together in that shop. Most of the days were spent in the workshop, whether it be for their own appliances or others for their profit. As it turned out, they had more money for themselves since, thanks to Sawyer, they didn’t have to worry about an electric bill.

There were days where they would have a day out together. They could be shopping, going to the movies, or even visiting some of the restaurants. It was a pleasant surprise to find there were places in Pentagram City that didn’t involve sex, violence, or drugs.

As accustomed to Hell as Jean had become, she was still wary about being out and about on her own. Sawyer understood her fear. Her child, unfortunately, had the appearance of someone who was such an easy target. One could argue that she looked so meek that she wouldn’t even be worth the effort. That was a chance neither were willing to take.

Along with that, Sawyer had to begrudgingly admit: Jean was a terrible navigator. For all her life, it seemed that she just didn’t have a sense of direction. For the love of God, she once got lost in a jungle gym! It did get better as she aged, but not by much.

Fortunately, that wouldn’t be a problem as they were entering a new age of technology and with that, a new device: hellphones. Everyone had one and they were no exception. Sawyer had to admit, it was quite a useful device, especially if they were ever separated from each other. Not that she’d allow that to happen.

“Hey, mom,” Jean piped up one day while the two enjoyed dinner. Her mother hummed in acknowledgement, and so she continued, “I was just thinking. Everyone’s been using these hellphones for a while now. I’ve been hearing a lot about how the prices to fix them up are outrageously high. I even checked and they’re right. They really are!

So, I was thinking that since we’ve been working with the computers, we have the tools we need. We could offer hellphone repair services. We can even just do the troubleshooting and not charge much to make it more appealing. What do you think?”

“Hmm. Not a bad idea. The business has been running a bit slow lately. It could be an opportunity to move forward with the times. It’s important for the business to be able to adapt if we want to stay afloat. Let’s see what we can do tomorrow.”

And so they did. Countless hours were spent learning about the inner workings of the hellphones, even as they became more advanced. Everything from the hardware to the softwear. After all, they had all of eternity to learn, so why not?

It was a rough start, but word started spreading and the customer circulation started picking up. Sinners came from all around for hellphone repair, so much so that they didn’t even consider the shop a place for appliance repair anymore. It was even to the point where Sawyer needed to hire a few extra hands, mainly to deal with the inventory and maintenance of the shop.

“Welcome, what can we do for you today?” Jean greeted with a smile.

“Yeah, hey. I heard you guys do hellphone repairs. Mine keeps freezing on me no matter what I do. Could you take a look at it?”

“Sure thing. Let’s have a look.”

The phone was placed in her hand and she gave it a once-over, “Ooh. Fancy. I’ve never seen this kind of phone before.”

“Really? They’re the hottest thing right now. I see them everywhere I go.”

“Well, it’s really nice. I especially like the design on it.”

The advanced piece of technology was lightweight and sleek. She could even make out her own reflection and still able to make out what she assumed was the maker’s logo.

The red circles that surrounded a large cyan V.

The next day…

“That should do it. Be careful not to drop it in the toilet again. Maybe get a case for it, too,” Jean explained as she came from the back with said device. “Anyway, that will be $50, please.”

“Shit, are you serious?! That’s cheap as fuck! I’d be paying, like, triple the amount if I went were I got it.”

Profanities aside, the sinner had a large grin as he handed her the cash before grabbing the phone.

“Eh, it wasn’t that hard of a repair. It’s a good thing you fished it out when you did, and even better that the toilet was just cleaned. Feel free to drop by if you need anything else.”

“You can count on that!”

Upon leaving the shop, said sinner got to work, typing vigorously away on his Vphone’s keyboard.

“ 5 stars all the way. Fixed up my Vphone as good as new after dropping it in the toilet. Had to wait longer, but the money I saved made it fucking worth it. The cashier was pretty cute, too. Would definitely smash. Anyway, if you got a Vphone in need of fixing on the cheap, this is the place to go.”

After that review went out, it was as if a switch was flipped. More and more people showed up almost overnight requesting service for their phones. It didn’t even stop at the phones: soon they brought in tablets, laptops, and desktops. Strangely enough, the one thing they all had in common was they all had that same ‘V’ logo.

That’s how it was for months on end. There were slow times every now and then, but the sheer number of sinners bringing in these particular devices. was enough to provide a profit for them alone.

“It’s crazy how much the business is booming ever since we started servicing hellphones, huh?”

“I have to admit, I didn’t think people cared so much about these electronics,” Sawyer commented, locking up the shop for the day. Both mother and daughter made their way down the street, on their way home. “A lot of them come in with the most frivolous problems that they could have fixed themselves had they not discarded their manuals. Idiots, the lot of them.”

“Yeah…”

Jean had to admit, it did get on her nerves, too. Then again, both did decide to take on this endeavor, so of course they are more knowledgeable on it than the average sinner.

“Still, all of this is thanks to you,” Jean laughed as her mother ruffled her hair, pulling her into a side hug. “This was your idea, after all. I’m glad you talked me into it.”

In a different part of Pentagram City, there stood a large tower in the Entertainment District. Or as many normally called it, the Vee District, named after the powerful Overlords who ruled it. The district was their kingdom and that tower, their castle.

The tower, dubbed the Vee Tower, was bustling with activity. All of their workers diligently accomplishing their tasks. While most of the tower was busy, it was mostly calm, all except for one room.

In a conference room, most of those inside were tense and silent. In fact, the only noise that could be heard was the crackling of sparks and the tapping of claws against the polished wood at the head of the table. Their boss was in quite a foul mood, and they knew it was in their best interest to not speak until spoken to.

Their boss, Vox of VoxTek Enterprises, stared each and every one of them down. While it normally did feel nice to know they knew who was in control, he was in no mood this time. His claws stopped their tapping, now digging into the wood as he finally spoke,

“I’ve called you all here because I want answers. It’s the end of the quarter and here I am seeing a net loss, specifically in our IT repair and maintenance. Ê̶͜x̶̗̫̀p̵̗̽ͅl̴̺̈́ạ̶̈i̶̫̳͠n̴͕͊̆,̷̜́ ̶͈͆͆n̷̩̓̆ö̵̗́͊w̵̨͛ͅ.”

They began to sweat at his glitching voice. Still, they did their best to obey his order.

“W-well, Mr. Vox, sir, at first, we thought it was just a slow period. Just the products running smoothly and not in need of maintenance; however, we found it was a significant decrease compared to past quarters. It’s…abnormal.”

“No shit, it’s abnormal. I asked for answers, not for you to tell me what I already fucking know! Do you have it or not?!”

A shaky clearing of the throat brought Vox’s gaze to one of his employees, “Well, s-sir. I believe I do.”

He narrowed his glowing red eyes, “Well? Out with it.”

“A-as I was saying, “I thought it was abnormal as well, but everything was running as it should, so I decided to do some snooping outside of VoxTek and I found these.”

He pushed a manilla folder across the table where his boss’s claws latched onto, dragging it closer to him,

“And what, exactly, am I looking at?”

“These are ratings and reviews of a little shop in the inner city. Apparently, they’re supposed to be a repair shop that expanded their services to electronics such as ours. I even highlighted the ones specifically mentioning VoxTek products. It seems they’ve provided exceptional service at a fraction of what we charge.”

Vox’s claws clenched into the table, dragging them as his other hand held the papers. So, some little nobody thought they could move in and steal business away from him and get away with it?! This wouldn’t do.

“What else?”

“I managed to get an address and even the owner’s name. A fellow named Sawyer, it seems.”

“I see. Well then, I guess I’ll have to have this Sawyer brought in for a friendly little chat.”

I really liked that I found a cursed text generator for this. It feels good to have something that adds to the more demonic moments. As you can see, I used it for Vox when he’s glitching. He will be using his hypnotic powers in the next chapter, so here is how I’m going to make it easy to tell the difference. The context should make it obvious enough, but this is just in case.

T̸̞̓͛h̷̟̑i̷͓͂̏s̴̨͈͂͆ is when he is glitching. T̸̞̓͛h̷̟̑i̷͓͂̏s̴̨͈͂͆ is when he’s using his hypnotic power. So basically, the former is in bold, and the latter is in bold and italics.

@a-hazbin-reader

#reblog #WOOOOOOOOO #LET'S FUCKING GOOO

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a-hazbin-reader · 1 month

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HERE WE GO FUCK YES

The Soul is a Precious Thing

When you're in Hell, it can be difficult to make a peaceful life for yourself. While it's the farthest thing from peaceful, Jean and her mother, Sawyer, managed to find some semblance of normalcy. Nothing lasts forever, though, and the mother and child find themselves torn apart by the powerful Overlords known as the Vees. Barely an adult herself, Jean struggles to find her way to make a life for herself. Turns out, Hell can be pretty damn scary when you're all on your own.

Set before the events of Hazbin Hotel. Meant to be a prologue before the main plot.

Hazbin Hotel, its characters and plot belong to Vivienne "Vivziepop" Medrano. My characters and plot belong to me. I hope you enjoy!

~~~

Chapter 1: A Story of Scars

TW: mentions of self-harm, suicide, and attempted sexual assault. Nothing explicit, but it was only fair to warn any readers sensitive to these subjects.

She could remember seeing white at first. All white-no. There was red, too. So much red, but not nearly as much as there was white. That much, she was certain. It was cold, very cold. As weak as she was, she was more than certain she felt chilled to the bone. Was it the cold that was making her so weak?

…No, not quite. The warmth being sapped from her body was only part of it. She didn’t know how she knew, but she just did. She could just feel herself becoming weaker, unable to even muster the will to keep her eyes open.

The white and red were fading away into blackness. Perhaps once the colors disappeared completely, so too would the rest of her remaining strength.

Strangely, it didn’t. It almost felt as if she had regained all of her lost energy in an instant. So she opened her eyes again. There was no more white nor black, but there was plenty of red.

A gasp was torn from Jean’s throat as her eyes flashed open, darting around her new surroundings. Her other senses seemed to register much faster than her sight as she pushed herself up to her knees. The sounds of gunfire, sirens, and screams. The stench of fire and brimstone. The feeling of broken concrete under her fingers. She could even taste smoke and sulfur, making her gag and cough.

Then she saw red everywhere: on the buildings, in the sky, it was practically everywhere. As of now, she seemed to be in the middle of a dark alley. So red-

…!

Memories before she awoke began surfacing and she brought her arms out to confirm it. Except, rather than finding answers, all she found were more questions. One thing was confirmed: on both of her forearms, two long white scars were drawn. A haunting reminder of what she had just done to herself, though the scars were not what were disturbing her most at the moment.

Those white scars were plastered on pale blue skin where her forearms were practically swollen with how large they had become. She spent a good few moments just gaping in horror at her arms, her breathing becoming unsteady and loud.

SMASH !

Jean yelped and scrambled away from the spray of strong-smelling alcohol and the shattered glass it came from. She didn’t bother to investigate where it came from as a hostile voice shrieked,

“SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I MAKE YOU, BITCH!”

The girl didn’t bother sticking around to see if the voice’s owner would make good on that threat. She bolted to the alley’s exit, now fully aware of how light her clothing was against her body. That’s right, she was wearing pajamas last she remembered. Perhaps that would explain why she still felt so cold.

Jean rounded the corner of the building, pressing her back against the brick wall as she caught her breath. Her eyes were still wide, adapting quickly to the brightness upon exiting the dark alley. It was still all red, but now just a bright red. And everything was in chaos.

A myriad of strange looking creatures were all over the place, fighting and running, robbing and rioting. If anything wasn’t on fire, then it was either broken, dirty, or covered in blood. She pushed herself into the brick to distance herself from the strange things barrelling down the sidewalk.

She slowly began to move, keeping as far from the center as possible. That was, of course, until she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a shop window. Her skin really did take on an icy blue, almost white tone. Even her hair and eyes were different. What were once black locks she was raking her fingers through were now that of a deep blue with white ends.

And as for eyes, she imagined it wouldn’t have mattered all that much. She remembered having bright blue eyes before things went black, Now, her sclera was blue with white irises. No matter the color, they would have been filled with terror and tears.

Gazing back over her shoulder, she looked over the “creatures” around her. Were…were these things people, too?

It had been a few weeks since Jean had entered this waking nightmare that seemed to have no end. Any time she had tried to ask for help of any kind, she was met with many different responses. None of them were friendly.

She never stayed in one place for very long being too afraid to do so. A wandering soul, she was, desperate for any form of stability. Of safety. Of comfort. She had found none so far.

Jean quietly sniffled to herself, shivering as she held herself to keep warm. Many had given her strange looks, seeing as plenty were seen wearing far less clothing while having no issue with being cold. She did her best to ignore the stares and keep to herself. She found that keeping her head down and staying quiet was the only way she knew to not cause trouble.

At least until it wasn’t.

The shivering girl jumped with a yelp at the sound of slamming. She frantically looked around, only to furrow her brow when it wasn’t coming from just one place. Everyone seemed to be scrambling for cover, slamming doors and windows shut. They all looked on edge, even full-on afraid, but of what? The entire street was deserted at this point.

Actually, the silence felt much heavier and overwhelming than the sounds of daily carnage and chaos ever did. As did the emptiness of the surrounding area, all devoid of life. As hard as she strained her ears, Jean struggled to hear anything even from a distance. It was as if the population of the whole city had simply vanished.

Suddenly, the silence was erased at the bellowing of a siren. This wasn’t like the normal sirens she heard on the daily. There was something foreboding about it, as if seeing those who had scurried away to find cover finally made sense. And that now she really should be doing the same.

Before Jean could do so, however, a screech stunned her into place as she observed someone round the corner of the street further away. He stumbled down the sidewalk just as a flash of gray swooped through the air after him. It came down at him and struck him with a flash of silver and red. He crumpled to the ground, never to rise again.

Any color in her face drained away, the young girl covering her mouth to swallow any screams or bile that threatened to come out. She backed away, hoping to slip away before she could be noticed. It was for nothing as the new creature turned its attention to her.

Large wings unfurled from its back while gripping onto the spear it wielded. The entity ascended with mighty strokes as three more of its kind grouped together behind it. This lit a fire under Jean to start running away from the obvious danger.

It was hard for her to know for certain how long the chase lasted. It was all a blur, now seeing more carnage caused by these winged beings. Between the ones she first encountered and the ones she saw in front of her, she didn’t even know if she was still being chased. She didn’t want to know.

A silent scream got caught in her throat as searing pain in her shoulder caused her to buckle and collapse onto the ground. She shrieked at the feeling of boots stomping down onto her back, keeping her in place as more surrounded her. The pain intensified as the spear in her shoulder stabbed further into her and made her shriek crack after going up in volume.

Clearly the creatures were taking too much pleasure in their torture lest they would have noticed sparks beginning to dance around them. They would have noticed how quickly they built up until the flock let out shrieks of their own as they were attacked with high voltage electricity.

Jean’s attacker, the only one spared from this onslaught, diverted her attention from her target in an attempt to find the source of this attack that had ended just as quickly as it began.

That proved to be foolish as a bolt of lightning struck her, throwing her straight through a building’s already decrepit wall. The debris came crashing down upon her as her sisters fell to the ground, their ever-grinning masks hiding any pain they may have felt as they remained paralyzed. They weren’t dead, not even close, but they wouldn’t be moving any time soon assuming they were conscious enough to do so to even try.

The sparks died down, but not before giving form to the one who interfered with their hunt. She was quite tall and dignified as she observed her handiwork. Electricity danced along her long, blue hair before calming down entirely. She glanced over her shoulder at the girl, who had long gone quiet, but still very much alive.

Jean whimpered at the aching in her shoulder. It hurt so badly she suddenly wished she could just fall back into the void, anything to make the pain go away.

“Try not to move. That exorcist wounded you pretty deeply. It’s a good thing I got there when I did or else you could have lost that arm. Or worse.”

Jean could feel she was lying on her belly as she had to shift her head to follow the woman’s voice. Though her hair blocked her vision, she could make out a blurry figure glowing under the lights. Yes, the body shape and voice made her sure her savior was a woman.

This was a first. Literally nobody had been this kind to her since arriving in this awful place weeks ago. The closest she had come to such hospitality were those that had not followed through on the threats that were hurled at her.

Yet, strangely enough, this kindness made her feel anxious. She didn’t know this person nor did she even know where she was. For all she knew this woman could be even worse company than those winged hunters that caused the aching in her shoulder.

With a rise in adrenaline, Jean yelped as she rolled over off of what she now found was a couch and onto the floor. As much as it ended up hurting her, it ended up barely mattering as she felt hands grab onto her and caused her to start thrashing.

“Stop, stop! You’ll tear your stitches-!”

The girl couldn’t care less, almost successfully squirming free of her captor only to be pinned down back onto the couch. It did little to deter her from trying to escape as she now resorted to scratching and biting.

“Calm down! You’re not in any danger!”

All that seemed to do was cause her panic to grow, not believing the stranger’s words. Even going as far biting down on her arm. Hard.

“JEAN! STOP FIGHTING ME!”

…!

Her body went limp on instinct, not exactly calm, but not fully panicking anymore. Her heart had skipped a beat as she removed her teeth. No…it couldn’t be…

“M-Mama…?”

The woman sighed heavily, “Finally. Are you back with me, baby?”

The younger woman’s eyes became misty, gazing up as she felt familiar fingers combing through her hair. Those fingers now had claws, though they scratched at her scalp in a way that was more pleasant that she would care to admit in that moment.

This woman was her mother. Her form may have changed, but there was no doubt in her heart that this was her. Warm, soft, yellow eyes filled with nothing but love smiled down at her as gently as her lips did.

It was too much for Jean, who hiccupped and sobbed as the dam burst as her head pressed against her mother’s shoulder. The woman, Sawyer, pulled her into her lap, cradling her head into the crook of her neck.

“Oh, my baby. How could you have ended up in such an awful place?”

Sawyer had discovered the answer through the muffled sobs of her child who now lay on the couch, softly snoring after crying her poor heart out. She mulled over all that she had learned these past few hours as she held the dirty clothing she found Jean in earlier. So dirty to the point she wondered if it was worth even trying to clean.

Three years. It had really only been three years since she had died and left her child all alone. With all that went on in Hell, it feels like it had been so much longer. From what little she could decipher through her daughter’s episode, she had arrived weeks ago, wandering the streets, cold and alone.

It had concerned her from the start that she was frigid to the touch, but the state of her arms made her wretch in horror the first time she saw them. Two long white scars running up her large forearms formed a haunting image in her mind. Not only that, but when treating her wound, she could make out older, fainter scars that were much smaller.

Sawyer was determined to get the full story in due time. For now, the poor thing needed to recover. She would also need to find more clean clothes for her as well as get her cleaned up. It felt like entering motherhood all over again and, honestly, she couldn’t be happier.

She set the dirty clothing into the basket, being sure to check for anything in her pockets. She did indeed find something, after all. In the breast pocket of her sleep shirt, she pulled out a photograph.

Oh. Oh, now this was a pleasant surprise. She and Jean had the biggest smiles on their faces while enjoying some cotton candy at the county fair in their hometown. She remembered that day so very well. Jean had been so excited to see the farm animals and indulge in all the sweets she could get her hands on.

Sawyer couldn’t help but smile. Her girl had quite the sweet tooth back then, even as a teenager. She wondered if that had changed since then.

“Mama…?”

“Yes, baby?”

The words had slipped by pure habit as she turned to the doorway. The clothes she currently wore were far too large for her frame. She rubbed at her tired eyes, red and swollen from hours of crying.

“Jeannie, what are you doing up? You should be resting.”

“Sorry. I woke up and didn’t know where you were. I just…I don’t wanna be alone.”

God, did that weak voice do things to her as a mother. It reminded her of when Jean was just a little girl, toddling to her mother’s bedroom in the middle of the night after having a nightmare. And now, having been all on her own for so long only to land herself in the worst place imaginable. She placed the photo on a nearby counter.

“Okay. This can wait until later. Let’s go to sleep.”

Jean showed great improvement over the next few days, slowly regaining her strength. Her mother was practically at her beck and call, getting anything she ever needed. Most of the time, all she wanted was her to stay with her, relishing in the first bit of comfort and safety she had experienced in so long.

“Jean,” Sawyer began one night, after serving some form of stew for dinner. “Please, come sit with me.”

Curious, her daughter obediently took a place on the couch. As much as she had mentally prepared herself to ask, she wasn't so sure about hearing the stories behind those scars.

“What is it, mom?”

Taking a breath, Sawyer continued, “Honey, I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need to know what happened. Before you ended up down here.”

Jean’s face fell and her eyes went downcast, “Wh-what do you mean?”

“Sweetheart, you’re cold as ice. And these scars,” her mother gently took her hands in her own, thumbs rubbing over the faded white lines near her wrist. She felt her daughter pull at her grip, but she remained firm. “I’m not mad, honey, but you know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

It was quiet for a moment or two before there was any response. There was a sniffle followed by the racking of her shoulders. Jean’s eyes became misty again, tears threatening to fall. Even so, she finally responded,

“I’m sorry, mama. I-I tried, I really did. After you died, it was so hard! They took me away and I just kept messing up because I kept getting yelled at and sent back! I don’t know why I did it, I just didn’t know what else to do! I just kept doing it and I couldn’t stop!”

Sawyer kept her expression neutral, allowing her child to let out all the emotion she needed to in that moment. Of course, indignation did course through her at the thought of Jean being mistreated, but she needed to remain calm. She simply continued to hold her daughter’s hands throughout her episode.

“It’s okay, baby. Take all the time you need.”

That seemed to cause her sobs to get worse, her words becoming a bit more difficult to decipher,

“I-I don’t know, I mean if anybody noticed they didn’t do anything. It just kept getting worse and worse, and then when he touched me, I told him no, but he just-”

…!

“I’m sorry, what ?”

The suddenness of her voice changing from being filled with honey to venom was startling. So much so that Jean paused in shock though the tears still flowed.

Her yellow eyes were glowing as she snarled, “Somebody touched you? Who touched you ?!”

Her long hair, a bright electric blue, swayed as sparks began to dance off of each lock. Those sparks quickly turned violent and lashed out. Any nearby light bulbs flashed before exploding, making Jean pull her hands away to shield herself from the broken glass that scattered through the air.

Losing contact with her daughter was a metaphorical flipping of a switch, bringing Sawyer out of her rage. The electricity in the air died down as she took a deep breath before embracing Jean.

“Shh. I’m sorry I scared you, honey. I won’t let it happen again. I’m not angry with you.”

Just the piece of absolute shit who had better hope was someone my daughter couldn’t identify. Otherwise, he better get used to sleeping with one eye open.

“I know,” Jean sniffed. “H-he tried to touch me and I tried to push him away. He was getting rougher and it all happened so fast. There were a pair of scissors on the dresser, so I just grabbed them and went for his eye…”

Well then, I guess that little bitch isn’t sleeping, now is he? But there are no shortage of one-eyed degenerates down here…

Jean then continued, wheezing between sobs at this point, “He wasn’t alone and I panicked, so I just ran outside. There was a blizzard, but I was too scared to stay, so I ran into the woods until I couldn’t anymore. I was just on my knees, in the snow in the middle of nowhere. I was just so…I couldn’t take it anymore and then, I still had the scissors so I…I…”

Her voice cracked before devolving back into incomprehensible sobbing. That was fine, though. Sawyer could piece together what went on from there. Everything finally made sense.

“Oh, my girl. I’m so sorry you had to suffer so much all alone,” she pulled her closer, cradling her head against her chest. “I’m here now. I’ll never let you hurt like that again. I promise.”

Well, that wraps up chapter 1 and chapter 2 will be up shortly. I should also mention that while I'm not new to writing, I am new to posting on Tumblr. I will figure out how to make a masterlist of some kind, but for now, you can read it like this or you can read it on my AO3 account.

@a-hazbin-reader I told you I'd tag you when I posted it. If anyone else is interested, just let me know.

#reblog #I LOVE TO SEE #THINGS COME TO #FRUITION #THIS IS IT #THIS IS MY DREAM

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