The Radio Demon's Soulmate ¥ Alastor Hazbin Hotel

Chapter 1

New Orleans, Louisiana, August 30th, 2023

The air felt hot and heavy as I leaped down from the stage. After singing for hours, my white dress stuck with sweat across my back. I perform Fridays and Saturdays at the Bayou Saloon. Something felt different tonight though. There was anticipation in my chest that wanted to crawl up my throat. I glance at the bar and see Eris and her friends waving me over. I shuffle my feet across the dirty floor tiredly.

"Danika, you did so good," Eris squeals and hugs me with a tight grip. After I'm done working, I always sit with the bartender, Theo, and have a drink. He was missing tonight tho. Maybe Theo calling off for the first time ever is what threw off my game.

"Really? I felt like I didn't perform my best tonight," I respond shyly and look down.

"You did seem a little... distracted tonight, but your voice was top-notch as per usual," Dolios reassures me. I peered into his green eyes in search for a lie. The only feature I noticed was that his eyes were not glossy from drinking. He was sober unlike most nights he is here.

"I think I'm just having one of those weird nights," I shrug, "Theo pre-made a batch of his amazing margaritas if you guys want some?"

"Actually, we were wondering if you wanted to come out with us tonight?" Lily, Dolios's girlfriend, offered with a hopeful tone. Usually I would want to go home in a little bit, but my bad night made going out seem like a fantastic idea. Maybe I need time away from always studying or being cooped up.

"Where are you guys headed?" I ask and notice Eris glance at Lily. I can't see her expression through her thick, dark hair.

"This is going to sound weird bu-" Lily starts to explain, but Dolios cuts her off.

"We are going to a cemetery. We hang out there sometimes," he says and looks at me carefully.

I laugh nervously and reply, "A cemetery? I'm not really into creepy stuff... Why there?"

"We go there and smoke and hangout. Nobody is there at night, so it's a convenient place for us to have our sessions," says Lily quickly.

I look over at Eris. I talk to her the most out of the trio. She is a marketing major too and hates it just as much as me. We discuss professors we loathe and our dislike for stock-obsessed frat boys. She gives me a reassuring nod.

"It's super fun, I promise. It being creepy is what makes it exciting," Eris gleams and grabs my hand. "None of that stuff is real anyways, ghosts and whatnot," she goes on pressing. The location is odd to me, but what would I know about going out? All I do is hang out with my roommate at our apartment. I almost laugh out loud at my ridiculous reasoning for going to a cemetery at night.

"Alright, I'm in," I give a defeated sigh.

***

"How do you manage to not get lost in this place?" Lily groans and weaves through the graves.

"Do you guys get lost often?" I question. I make note of memorable gravestones in case I get confused. There were many elaborate ones in this cemetery.

"Lily is just being dramatic," Eris announces flatly, "We only got lost on our first visit here."

I felt exposed. The streetlights were far, so I was struggling to make out everyone's faces and the tombstones. I feel a hot breath on my neck as I keep walking. I suck in my breath and turn my head around quickly. Only Eris was behind me, several feet apart.

"Wow, look at that mausoleum up there. Let's go check it out," Dolios shouts back at us and then starts jogging toward it. The gnawing anticipation returns as I look up to see the crypt. It was huge. It was more like a shrunken palace of darkness. The outside looked to be painted black.