[2020+] Hellbound

Chapter One: So It Begins

The cells in Hell's prisons were cold and hopeless. No light could be seen for cell blocks upon cell blocks, only eternal darkness. Luckily, this demon, Braja, could see in the dark. Some of the others weren't so lucky.

His cell was very cramped, however. He could barely move without his arms bumping into the walls. Oh, and the outfit he was forced to wear is at best awful taste. At worst he saw it as abuse.

The day started like the regular. Only leftover scraps or trash for food... No clean water, just whatever dripped between the cracks in the walls... Demons in the other cells, damned or traitors to the "all mighty king" screaming for hours and hours.

The guards seemed to hate it as much as the prisoners. They would constantly groan and gripe endlessly about their problems. At least they weren't in sinfully small containers for the rest of ever.

Arms and legs crossed, the demon turned to face one of the other walls in his cell. His whiskers twitched along with his tail. The screams were so loud that he could feel the vibrations in the floor.

A day or two longer in this hell and he'd go insane himself.

After a few moments of dwelling in his despair, there was a loud clicking sound in his cell. His ears pricked as he turned to face the door. His tail curled and his eyes widened.

Braja could see the light of Hell's day in his cell as one of the demons hesitantly opened the cell door. His spirits lifted.

"FINALLY!" He thought triumphantly. "I am FREE!!"

"The king wants to see ya," the guard growled, spitting out his toothpick.

Braja's heart sank. He thought his demons finally saw his letter for help.

"Fantastic, now I am stuck doing who knows what with the king..." He complained internally. Now he wanted to go back into his cell.

The guard grabbed him by the arm and tugged him out of his cell. He was grumbling inaudible nonsense under his breath while grippening his grasp.

On the other side of the hall yet another door opened, revealing a slender wolf demon.

As Braja looked over at the other demon, it noticed him. The demon winked, pulling one of his arms free for a short-lived wave before another guard pulled it behind his back.

Braja rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath.

"Why were we freed? I can assume that the other demon is as much of a traitor as I am... We're in the same hall." The three eyed demon pondered to himself.

They were tossed into the throne room. Braja could see the two others standing in the room. One had hypnotic eyes, and the eyes he noticed, red-orange and with a satanic gleam, belonged to Faita.

"Guards!" Exousia snapped. "Check these boys for any weapons, will you?"

The guards ran their hands down their sides, borderline violating the two demons. After that, the guards patted them down.

The other demon glanced back at the guard, eyes glowing. "You aren't gonna find anything on me babe."

"Check their mouths too." He demanded. His foot tapped against the dusty tiled floor.

The guards gave the king a strange look before opening their mouths, and sure enough, a guard pulled a razor from the other demon's mouth.

The angel crossed his arms, eyebrows raised. "I knew someone would hide some..." He walked over and snatched the razor away from the guard.

His eyes widened after a few moments of inspection. "Angel blade melted into the shape of a razor?"

The demon in the back of the room tensed.

Braja glanced at the restrained demon, who was grinning through bloody teeth. "You got it!"

"Huh... Just like you, Erastis..." The king snarled.

He flung the razor straight above Erastis' head. The demon froze, along with the guard behind him.

"Well, I bet you traitors are wondering why I brought you here in the first place." Exousia started with a shrug. "Skrel here told me that it would be a good idea to bring you two out of prison for some deal making."

"I ain't doin any deal making. That bullshit is behind me." Erastis sneered.

Faita turned to face the demon. "Really? Well you see, if you refuse to do as I ask, you are... replaceable." He held up his arm, ready to snap his fingers.

Erastis flinched. In the corner, Skrel's tail lashed back and forth as he fidgeted with his suit. Braja did not respond, however. This was all part of Exousia's absurd "intimidation game."

"Yeah, as I thought," the king scowled, "anyways, before I was rudely interrupted, I was going to mention this."

Exousia pulled two amulets from his trench coat pocket. "These beauties will give me the ability to see what you are doing anytime. If you plot against me, I will know. If you try to escape, I will know. If you try to kill me, I will know." He glanced at Braja.

The demon stood stiff and returned the same glance sarcastically.

He only rolled his eyes as he turned away. "Guards, you may excuse yourselves."

The guards let go of the once restrained demons and ran out, snatching their own weapons as they reached the doorway. Exousia watched them with tense eyes until they closed the door.

"One final thing..." There was a pause as Exousia gripped the two demons' shoulders. Erastis stiffened. "There is a place for you and some of the other deal makers to stay. It's an abandoned factory in the South. It's old... But you guys should be fine."

All it took was a blink and they were in front of an old building. Exousia was gone.

"Well... Looks like we got some dealing to do." Erastis declared, fiddling with the amulet on his neck.

Braja continued to stare at his new temporary home with a pained groan.