Seven Deadly Sins

Chapter Eighty: One Step Forward

The demons were standing at the edge of the Bloody Mansion, in the garden, just ahead of an open gate leading to the forest. They were looking at the exit with uncertainty, almost as if they expected something bad to happen.

"So, who goes first?" Sloth asked. He wanted to run out of here, but felt frozen to the floor.

"Why? You think that there's a catch?" replied Wrath, who wouldn't be so surprised if there was more to their freedom. They all had a hard time believing that the Devil would just let them go. "Honestly, I think that Lucifer hates me the most, but maybe he waits for one of us to cross the line and then-"

"And then what?" Envy rolled her eyes, gazing at Gluttony, who was sitting on the grass with a croissant in his hands. He was wearing a T-shirt, even though it was winter. But neither of them was cold.

"Who knows what the Devil prepared." Wrath shrugged. He was wondering where Lust and Pride were. They still didn't come back and it couldn't mean anything good.

"Cowards," Envy muttered and without hesitation she crossed the line between the Bloody Mansion and the forest. She stopped at the other side and waited a few seconds, but nothing happened. She was free. They all were.

And there was no catch, because Lucifer got what he wanted. He knew where the Spell Breaker was and he got Greed. She stayed behind for them. And they didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. Who knows when will be the next time they get to see her?

"Dudes, we're finally free." Sloth laughed and walked out of the garden. "Yes!" he screamed, throwing his hands into the air. "After all this time, we can rock and roll. Awesome!" Out of this happiness he laid down on the grass next to the line of trees. It was so good. This grass felt so much better than the grass in their garden.

"What are you doing?" Envy came to him, casting a shadow over his silhouette.

"I'm going to take a nap. The journey to Hell was exhausting. Saving Earth and Shane's soul was even harder. I deserve to have some sleep now. Goodnight, Envy, please, I don't want to be disturbed. Find yourself another part of the grass."

She sighted. He might've chosen a better place for a nap once he was freed. But for Sloth it seemed like the best place on Earth – only because it was outside of the Bloody Mansion. And he believed that now, when he was free, he had plenty of time to go and try out various spots on Earth. Maybe he'll create his own ranking of the best places to sleep in. 

"Quite lovely." Envy shrugged. She just hoped that Sloth won't disappear, before saying at least goodbye to them. "What about you, Gluttony?"

"I think I'm going to do some grocery shopping. Or maybe I should go to the restaurant? Nobody cooked for me, since-" He didn't end, thinking about his dear friend from the past. "I'm gonna see if humans are better, but I doubt it."

Now, Envy looked at Wrath, looking for some support in him.

"Aren't we going to look for the others? Pride and Lust still didn't come back. And where is Hailie? Shane?"

Envy nodded at his words, unaware that Shane was standing by the door leading to the garden. Seeing the four demons, he returned to the house. He was looking for Hailie in every room, but he couldn't find her. Thanks to Envy he realized that she still hadn't come back from Hell, along with Lust and Pride. But there was one more missing. He had no idea why nobody spoke about Greed's absence.

He came to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, trying to calm himself down. Surely, Lust wouldn't let the Devil hurt Hailie. Right? He wasn't sure of anything anymore, but he was worried sick without her.