Hazbin Hotel: Sins and Second Chances

Chapter 18

Today was not a happy day in Hell. It was a terrible, soul crushing day. Charlie sat slumped against the door of Heaven's embassy, her chin resting on her knees as tears streamed down her face. The towering structure that loomed over her was a harsh reminder of her failure. It could have been a symbol of hope. An embassy that might have connected Heaven to her vision of redemption, now felt like an oppressive force that kept her from making her dream a reality.

She had believed so deeply in her mission, and believed Heaven would have stood with her. After all, wasn't Heaven supposed to be about redemption? About saving souls? But the meeting with Adam had shattered all that. It hadn't been a discussion, it had been a total mockery. Her words, her dreams of rehabilitation, of giving the sinners of Hell a second chance had been laughed at and brushed aside as though they were nothing. Adam had taken joy in tearing down everything she stood for and Lute's cold dismissal had stung even more. The weight of that rejection sat heavy on her chest now.

She pulled her knees closer to her chest, hugging herself tightly as she fought back the sobs that kept bubbling up.

"You're an idiot, Charlie." She whispered through her tears, her voice cracked. The words echoed in her mind, the harsh and unforgiving words those Angels told her. It brought out the self-doubt she had tried so hard to keep buried. She wiped her face, but the tears wouldn't stop. They just coming, each one a reminder of the painful truth she had been forced to confront.

Heaven didn't care.

They didn't want to save the souls of Hell. They only cared about perfection, about keeping themselves separated from Hell and its inhabitants. Redemption? Forgiveness? There weren't even interested in those concepts, not for the souls who they had deem too far fallen. They were disposable in their eyes. And nothing can convince them to see things from her perspective. They had written her off before she'd even begun.

And now... now she had to go back to the Hotel. How could she return after this? How could she tell Vaggie that she had failed? What would her father say? Would he say I told you so? The thought of it made her sick to her stomach. She had even risked everything by bringing Zack down here. Soul napping him from the living world. Away from his life, his body, and into a place where the vices he struggled with are more available, with demons who would be more than happy to corrupt him and drag his soul down here permanently.

All because she was desperate enough to make her plan work. What was she even doing? Did she really think grabbing a recovering alcoholic therapist would change anything? Let along be a good idea? How blind she was to even think that.

And now the Angels were coming back in six months. The exorcist would return, and this time, they would know about the Hotel. She had no doubt that they would hit it hard. Even if they can't touch her, it won't stop them from coming for the ones she was trying to save. The thought of losing them all, Vaggie, Angel, Hust, Niffty, and even Alastor, was unbearable.

She wiped her tears away, trying to push down the panic rising inside her. No. She couldn't give up now. If Heaven wouldn't help her, she would just have to show them. She had six months. That was enough time. It had to be enough time. She would prove to them that redemption was possible, even in Hell. She would redeem a soul in six months even if it killed her!

"There's no job a Morningstar can't handle." She whispered to herself, repeating the words her father had drilled into her since she was young. She took a deep breath, steadying herself. No more tears. There was no time for tears. She needed to be brave, to be strong. She couldn't let this defeat her. She can't let this dream die in vain.

Charlie stood up slowly, wiping the last of her tears away. Her heart ached, but her determination burned within her chest even more now.

Six months.