Adder

Chapter 4: Highway to Hell

   Adder's newfound realization that her birth father was the devil was an obvious shock to her, so much so that she laughed. "You've gotta be joking, right?"

   No form of amusement crossed the man's face. "No, Adder. I'm the devil you learned about from those sad excuses of foster parents you had." He sighed, looking down at his fingernails and inspecting them for dirt. "It's a bit upsetting that you don't believe me, darling."

   Adder furrowed her brows together in mock confusion. "Why would I believe you? There's no logical reason that I should believe that you're 'the devil,' Mr. Lucifer, or whoever you are. For all I know you could just be a weird stalker guy who is claiming to be my father for the benefits of my po-"

   "Oh, hush. Darling, I'm stronger than your little emotional outbursts because truly, that's all they really are," He huffed after dropping his hand to his side, giving her a bored look. "I'm offering you something you've never had. Family. That and a chance to learn how to strengthen and control your powers."

   Adder was still unsure about him, but she thought it might be funny to make him prove that he was Mr. King-of-Hell himself. "Take me to hell, then."

   "Excuse me?" Lucifer cocked an eyebrow in her direction.

   "If you really are the devil, take me to hell," She stated plainly. Ryu stood silently, watching as the two went back and forth and ready to jump in if anything happened.

   "Well, I mean that was the plan anyway. I guess we'll just skip to it?" A small smile crept onto his lips before he snapped his fingers. The sound of thunderous stomping began to pound against Adder and Ryu's ears, the both of them covering them to ease the sound. They could feel the earth shaking beneath their feet as two black shrouded horses sped towards the group, pulling a carriage behind them. The horses came to an abrupt stop right in front of Lucifer, who greeted them kindly. Upon closer look at the creatures, Adder noticed they looked as if they were decaying. They acted like normal horses, but they looked as if they'd been dead for a long time. She took a step forward towards the creatures, who paid mind to her presence by snorting air through their snouts. Their eyes were a cloudy white, looking as if they should be blind.

   There's no way they're blind, right?

   Reaching out her hand, she pet the horse closest to her, running her palm along the bridge of its nose. To her surprise, there was no coat at all. The horse was nothing but black skin and pointy bones. Adder had been so distracted by the horses, she hadn't noticed Lucifer climbed into the carriage.

   "Chop chop, darling. Let's get this show on the road," He said, seeming to rush her with the tone of his voice. She backed away from the horses and walked over to the carriage, stepping up onto the first step.

   "Ryu's coming too, right?" She asked, looking at Lucifer who had just gotten himself comfortable on the plush red seats.

   He sighed, not even taking a moment to glance her way. "Yes, I'd almost forgotten about that reptile you call a friend. He better hurry, we only have room for two in here."

   Adder looked over at Ryu, and he nodded, having heard what Lucifer had said. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, before exhaling. His skin began to sparkle amongst the moonlight before his body began to compress and take shape into the snake form that had become so familiar to Adder over the years. She stepped down from the carriage and grabbed his clothes from the ground before walking back to it and climbing in. Ryu followed her and curled himself into a spiral on the floor across from their feet.

   "Anything else you want to add before we begin the trek?" Lucifer asked, glancing over at Adder with his eyebrow raised.

   "Oh! My bag-" He snapped his fingers and they were off.