Chapter 32: A Divine and a terrifying Thunderclap

*

You descended the stairs with an empty air, and tried to control your thoughts and your unbearable hunger . Your shadow watched you anxiously and tried to put its hand on your shoulder in a gesture of comfort, but you pushed it away coldly.

"Don't.Touch. Me. "You warned darkly. "Take your place on the wall and don't bother me." You ordered while continuing your descent.

The shadow looked at you for a moment with a downcast look and then did what you ordered without the slightest noise, not wanting to offend you further.

You looked over your shoulder to see if your shadow obeyed and then with a cold air you continued down the steps to the ground floor until you heard the malicious voice of Thénardier who seemed to speak with Charlie.

"Oh if only you knew your Highness! " He cried out in a dramatic tone as if he were about to cry. Surprised enough, you hid in the shadows to observe what he was saying to the princess. Mirar was there and seemed rather worried because he looked everywhere with his many eyes, Fos, on the other hand, seemed really annoyed, he observed the red and golden doors with a rather disinterested air, which testified to his lack of interest in the speech of the brown rat.

"Um, it's Charlie," replied the princess with an embarrassed face, her discomfort was easily noticeable as she was looking for a way out of your... "partner."

"Charlie... " Thénardier corrected "oh if only you knew! Life in hell is getting harder and harder every year! I remember in the 19th century the demons still had honor but now, absolutly not! No way to completely trust others out of an agreement! Besides, my wife, oh my sweet wife preferred to drop me to go with another demon! It's so heartbreaking! Such indignity! I've lost so much money in the last 10 years and now I'm having to work like a common scavenger for others! Oh Lucifer, if you only knew how hard it is to be unable to provide for yourself because of such selfish souls..." Was he crying at his knees? "It's so distressing to see how much money has become indispensable year after year, oh if only I could get a little more of it to change my miserable life! I would be so happy!"

Was that rat implicitly asking him for money or were you dreaming?

"Indeed..." Charlie replied with a tense smile, trying to remain polite in all circumstances.

"Isn't it rather because of stingy people like you that hell has hardened? "said Fos with disdain

"Fos! How dare you? I've always been loyal and kept my promises," replied the rat, standing up and facing the lamppost man who didn't even deny looking at him.

"When you couldn't get your customers drunk to death until they forgot about you, yes."

Okay, you had to step up. You slowly walked down the stairs and quietly walked over to the rat who hadn't noticed you.

"Well, you might as well ask The Boss for a raise, she is just right here," Fos added with a chuckle.

"What?" the rat turned around and his eyes immediately met yours, almost immediately he let out a high-pitched scream from his throat and backed away by trembling all over his bones.

"Ah! B-B-Boss! Didn't hear you coming!"

You looked at him coldly and then turned your attention to Fos.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"You're welcome, my lady."

Charlie took the opportunity to ask you.

"So, um, are these the demons that work for you Y/N?"

"Indeed. This is Fos, the one who runs the newspaper I told you about." You explained by pointing at the lamppost man, and this is Thénardier and Mirar.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," said the princess, clapping her hands.

"It's also a pleasure to meet a person so rich- " the rat had cut himself when he saw your black look "as energetic as you, heh heh..." he quickly corrected himself.

You used a more neutral expression and then asked.

"Fos, about the article you're going to publish in the newspaper about the interview, I'd like to know if you'd like Alastor to react to it."

The lamppost man froze on the spot, his red eyes looked at you in a completely inverted air as if you had announced something serious to him.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I've had a complication with Vox, Alastor won't be able to react directly to our interview, it's only through you that he will be able to react"

"Oh, so that's the famous rumor...? "Mirar whispered.

Your head turned in his direction and you leaned your head to the side to get him to explain.

"Oh um well, at the studio word got out about your discussion with Vox and Val because of Velvet," explained the blue demon, groping his hands, "um... and also the boss - I mean Vox came to me and asked me to film your interview."

Your eyes widened

"Really? " you asked in amazement.

"Yes, actually he trusts me, I've been working with him for a long time and he thinks I'd never dare betray him. "Shyly laughed the blue demon

It was very good news, the pride of that square head worked in your favor. It was really a fluke.

"That's fantastic news, Mirar. " You responded with a smile. You turned to Fos and gave him a questioning look to see his answer.

"... Does Alastor know? "Fos asked.

"Yes he does. He'll want to talk to you about it, by the way."

The lamppost man crossed his arms and took a few random steps around the room. Judging by his grunting and the number of times he touched his "face" he was not pleased at all.

"Hmm, think of the benefits this will bring you! " intervened charlie

Fos gave her a strangely cold look this time.

"Well, I mean, um... it'll be great publicity for you."

"That's not really the problem," replied Fos. "I don't want to be indebted to a guy like him. He's the reason I lost all my influence."

Before you could protest you heard static in your ears. You winced in pain and then turned your head to the noise. Alastor suddenly stood next to you with a huge smile on his face.

*

"Fos! What a pleasure to see you again my old friend! It's been so long since I've seen you." Greeted the demon with enthusiasm.

You didn't need to look at Fos to feel that he was holding back from attacking the deer, the tension in the air you felt was enough to warn you that the situation could degenerate at any moment.

Thernardier hid behind Charlie and seemed to be looking for a way out to get away. Mirar had put a trembling hand behind his back, he probably had a gun, but his fear was clearly perceptible from his shaking.

"Indeed it's been a long time, Alastor, I'm really glad to see you again too. You haven't changed, still true to yourself..." The bitterness in Fos's voice was chilling, you also noticed that he put his hands behind his back as if to avoid making a false move and maintained an aggressive smile on his face.

"Oh? I'm very happy to hear that my friend! Y/N my dear, do you mind if I talk to our dear editor alone? "He asked you in a jovial tone that did not bode well for your ears.

You glanced at Fos and asked for his approval. He nodded confidently.

"It's okay, as long as the conversation remains courteous and friendly I don't see any problem. Isn't that right, Charlie?" You asked...

"Oh yes, of course! " replied the princess with a smile.

"Wonderful, well, since there are no objections, we'll come back later see you later everyone" said Alastor as he disappeared with Fos...probably in his office...

There was a heavy silence in the hall, even though you had no doubt that Fos knew how to defend himself and that Alastor had no interest in attacking him, you were still anxious. Alastor could be touchy and Fos seemed to have a deep resentment towards this demon deer.

*

"Um... Charlie?" Mirar suddenly asked hesitantly.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Rahhh come on Mirar, you can't be serious... "grumbled the Therardier, crossing his arms in disgust.

Serious about what?

"Well, if The Boss doesn't mind... I um... I'd like to try and redeem myself after the interview is over."

Your mouth oppened instantly in surprise at this unexpected statement. Charlie had the same reaction as you, her eyes then began to shine with hope and gratitude.

"Oh of course! If Y/N is ok with that, you can come anytime Mirar, we'd love to help you." She said, taking her hands with a broad, enthusiastic smile.

The blue demon turned to you and silently asked your opinion.

"I have no problem with that, however, once you are officially a resident of the hotel I want you to follow the rules and keep me informed about what's going on in hell, do we agree Mirar?"

"I promise, boss, thank you. "Gratefully thanked the demon

Thernardier rolled his eyes with annoyance but preferred not to attract your wrath on him with a disparaging remark.

"Um, Charlie, isn't Vaggie with you?"

"Oh! Well, she went with Boris to run some errands for me, they should be back in a little while. " she replied, she paused and then said, why don't we all talk together in the living room? It will be better than staying here."

*

You nodded your head and then your group moved towards the living room and settled on the various bloody red armchairs decorated with many bright yellow eyes.

Thénardier preferred to stand aside and drink Husk's specialties, Mirar remained shy but answered you honestly when you asked him questions from time to time.

Thénardier had also informed you of some information about Katie Killjoy that could be juicy to tell to the general public, especially since he had found some very compromising pictures.

You had seen some of them, and although you were disgusted to see her in action with several demons above her, you had to admit that it was a good start to humiliate her and make her lose her credibility. The rat had also told you that one of her acquaintances could certainly give you a very interesting video in which she clearly stated her very acidic opinion of the many listeners who were listening to her program.

*

You had to admit, even though this rat didn't have a personality to your liking, he was doing a very good job. You were starting to move your pieces around on that macabre chessboard and setting up your game to take on Vox and all that corrupt media junk down to the bone.

You could feel your will and determination growing from second to second just at that thought. Yes, you were going to take them down, you were going to break them. Whatever it cost you, you were going to clear the name of the princess and this hotel.

You put one hand on your belly, then took a deep breath.

You were going to keep your promise.

*

"Sorry for the wait, my dear fellows! " A voice shouted that took you out of your thoughts abruptly.

Alastor appeared with Fos in the living room. The lamppost man had a rather serious face but seemed a little more relaxed than before, which was certainly a harbinger of good news.

"So you finally got along? " you asked in a slightly haughty tone.

To your great surprise Husk seemed to be interested in the conversation, even though he remained silent. It was strange, it was as if he didn't believe in it.

"Indeed, my dear Y/N, we've arrived there, my dear Fos, do the honors, explain to them our little arrangement."

Fos took a moment to observe each person in the room and then cleared his throat.

"We've agreed to some kind of partnership. Alastor will give me more visibility thanks to his radio broadcasts, we will organize debates on different subjects but the majority will be about the hotel, we will also involve listeners to get an outside opinion and thus help the hotel in its development."

You took a little peek at Charlie, and she seemed to agree with the idea.

"You both don't really believe in this project, you're not afraid that it will damage the reputation of the hotel," you said, quite skeptical.

"And that's where you come in my dear! After your interview, Fos will write an article relaying all your wonderful arguments to defend this hotel! So we'll have the pros and cons."

"Moreover," continued Fos, "demons, like the majority of human beings, like to be important. To be listened to, will flatter their ego and unconsciously they will be interested in the hotel, even if they don't necessarily go there. When we talk about a controversial subject, society reflects and takes an interest in it, this phenomenon leads to the formation of several opinions and, a fortiori, to extraordinarily powerful publicity and visibility. "The lamppost explained, raising his chin while he proudly used a few Latin words. "In return for this collaboration, Alastor will be able to react to my articles."

Charlie nodded her head with a big smile completely won over by the agreement of the two demons in front of her, she jumped from her seat and threw herself on the demons to hug them with a face radiating absolute happiness. Unfortunately she could only catch Fos because Alastor had retreated a little.

"THANK YOU! "she cried out with tears in her eyes "Thank you all"

The stunned face of Fos almost made you laugh, the lamppost man seemed frozen in place and not really understand such joy and gratitude. He had a little redness on his face and he gently pushed Charlie away, looking away.

"Oh it's nothing, I just combined my wonderful pen with the voice of the radio demon to fulfill my contract with Y/N," Fos clumsily defended himself, hiding pitifully behind his ego. "But you know, princess, nothing's won yet."

"Oh, don't be so defeatist, my friend! "Alastor intervened, wrapping his right arm around the neck of the lamppost. "With the boldness and eloquence of our White wolf, as well as with my oratory and persuasiveness, the demons will step on each other to visit this hotel."

"It's lucky your modesty isn't an essential part of our plan" you whispered silently with annoyance.

"What did you say Y/N? »

"Oh nothing at all"

*

The radio demon gave you a condescending smile and then prepared to continue his personal praise, unfortunately a horrible static noise came out of his mouth surprising everyone, including him.

You blinked with astonishment, even husk, Fos and Charlie looked surprised, for Thénardier it was different, out of fear, he hidden himelf in a corner of the room and was silently watching the scene.

Alastor tried to speak again but the same horrible sound came out of his throat. His smile twisted in frustration and his irises turned into waves, as if he was trying to find a frequency where he could speak again. There was nothing he could do.

He turned on his microphone... no sound.

Alastor stared at the room with wide eyes for a brief moment and tried to speak again... Nothing....

It was like he'd gone mute.

Even though his face was almost calm, you could feel it boiling inside.

"What's going on, Alastor? "You asked innocently." "Have you lost the signal?"

Alastor twisted his head towards you at an inhuman angle as if to threaten you not to make another joke like that.

"Maybe a chillwave pill would help you get back on the right frequency." You dared to joke again, winning an embarrassed little laugh from Charlie. Husk and Fos were holding back laughs, too.

So they were about to come towards you but a burst of laughter froze him in place, surprising the whole group, even you. It was Nikolai's voice. You looked around you but there was no trace of the little beagle. The laughter grew louder until you saw the child appear next to Alastor with a small white wooden radio in his hands.

Your mouth slowly opened in amazement as Charlie Fos Thénardier and Husk looked at Alastor with big frightened eyes.

The child noticed early on that no one was laughing at his little joke and then tilted his head in confusion.

" What?"

You knew that Niky was at fault and that he had to take the consequences which, in view of your contract with Alastor, would result in a powerful black look coupled with an extremely unpleasant static noise to the ears. Without saying a word you had pointed at Alastor.

And at that very moment the child's face turned white.

"Oh... you can see me so that means... "He turned slowly to meet Alastor's nightmarish face two centimetres away from his own in a noise of unbearable static. The child was silent for a few seconds and then with a terrorized smile, sang

"Каaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaлинкa" Almost instantly, he ran behind you finishing his verse "калинка, калинка моя! В саду саду ягода малинка малинка, малинка моя!"

(A/N: It's a famous russian song named Kalinka)

The child looked at you with eyes begging for a little help, but even though you were very proud of the ingenuity of this little joker, you had to admit that Alastor had a right to be angry and you made your point with a rather maternal smile and a shrug of the shoulders. Nikolai tugged his tongue a little at the idea of apologizing, but he knew it was the best solution.

"Hum sorry for that B-Al, but it would have surprised me if you agreed to play the ... "lab's deer" sooooooooooooooo I thought it would be easier to make me invisible and test the capabilities of this radio/wave jammer on you discreetly unfortunately Y/N had the good idea to make me laugh."

The deer tilted his head to the side, decidedly this kid was really a pebble in the shoe, but he had to admit that this child had a way with ideas.

"Well, I have to say it was a very unexpected event, little one. Congratulations on this invention, however, I think I need hardly tell you... not to use it again."

"Yeeeeah don't worry I understood! heh heh. Nevertheless I'm too happy it's working, I'll be able to create with my brother a little scrambler that will allow you to distract Vox during the interview Y/N, but it won't cancel the powers of a demon, so be careful."

You stretched your lips into a soft smile and kissed the boy on the forehead...

"I promise you, my angel, thank you."

"Oh yeah! By the way, you can keep the radio, I think you need that more than me. " laughed the child. "I painted it white. I thought it suited you better. "

Alastor's smile stretched discreetly as he waited for your answer.

"All right, I'll keep it." You said looking at the object, at least you could listen carefully to Alastor's broadcasts and foresee a possible low blow from him.

"You're welcome," said the child, crossing his arms behind his head.

Suddenly a horrible noise was heard from outside.

*

DONG...DONG...

Charlie reacted instantly, her body had tensed up and her eyes filled with an emotion you didn't want to see in her... fear.

The once pleasant room had suddenly turned frosty, everyone had lost their smile and started shaking, and the least reassuring thing was that Alastor was starting to smile devilishly.

Thénardier screamed in terror and ran into a random room and hid there shouting "no no no no no !". Fos and Mirar were both on their guard. As for Husk, he looked around him with a confused look.

"Da fuck?"

"Oh my! That's surprising."Smiled Alastor with a dark look that gave you several chills on the back. Nikolai, in turn, hid behind you and started to shake.

DONG...DONG...

"What's going on? " you asked by putting your right arm back to hold Nikolai against you.

"CHARLIE! " shouted a voice from outside.

*

The princess rushed into the hotel lobby and opened the door to find Vaggie completely out of breath and Boris. Her white hair was completely tousled and her face soaked in sweat. Boris was in the same condition and seemed just as worried. He gave you that look you knew by heart, that look that said something bad was going to happen.

The moth girl threw herself at the blonde and grabbed her shoulders in complete panic.

"Charlie... the clock! The clock! "She cried out in trembling fear. "The clock's just stop working correctly."

There was a great silence, Fos and Alastor had had a small reaction, unlike the others who looked more confused than anything else.

DONG...DONG...

Charlie was petrified on the spot, like Vaggie hit the pause button. She slowly raised her head outward and ran out of the hotel. Vaggie was on her heels, your little group followed them as well. Charlie ran for a few minutes pushing the demons in his path with a quick "excuse me".

At last you had arrived in a square already crowded with demons. They all encircled a threatening violet and red clock, the base was decorated with several posters, almost all of them spoke of extermination. In the center, a demonic shadow with red eyes and sharp teeth was drawn. You had slowly raised your head.

DONG...DONG....

The words Next clense and "days" were written on it, separated by a kind of roulette wheel divided into 3 with numbers from 0 to 9.

Just above was the famous dial decorated with a satanic star and an eye in its center.

However the thing that was wrong was that the hands were moving violently around the clock at a variable speed stopping from time to time and the numbers indicating the days of the year turned continuously in a stressful noise.

DONG...DONG...

The clock strikes again. Strangely your body tensed and your heart tightened when the sound reached your ears as you watched the dial and the hands revolving around it.

Some of the demons in the square were having panic attacks, others just looked confused, but you felt a powerful terror emanating from each of them. You had taken a look at Charlie, her face was torn by many emotions such as anger, fear and despair, tears were streaming down her face as she struggled to move her head from side to side or even to speak. Her body was shaking like a leaf. Vaggie on her side held her hand but could not take her eyes off the clock.

You turned your head towards Fos who was frozen in place and staring at the clock in a kind of trance, Boris and Mirar didn't seem to understand exactly what was happening, but, still seemed worried. Nikolai was clinging to you trembling with all his body.

With a deep breath, you turned to the last person in the group.

DONG...DONG...

Alastor looked particularly amused, his body was shaking not with fear, but with excitement, an excitement so strong, that you could feel it from where you were . Suddenly the deer burst out laughing, a few demons dared to look at him but for the vast majority they could not take their eyes off the hands of the clock.

You swallowed with difficulty your saliva, smelling of shivers all over your body...

You were afraid.

"Alastor... what's going on? "you asked in a voice similar to a whisper.

The deer calmed down and looked at you with a big smile that perfectly reflected the sadistic pleasure he was feeling right now, and in a deep threatening voice, he answered your question.

"Exterminations my dear, nothing but exterminations... " He laughed again as he approached you and leaned in your direction, locking your eyes to his bright red eyes.

"̴̼͑̾͜͠U̸̪͖̞̾̔͝n̴̡͔͒̓͝p̸͙͇͖̐̈́͆ŕ̵͇͚̟͑͝e̴̻͚͒͋͠d̸̙̟̙͐̔͝i̵̢̦̓́͘͜c̴̢͓͉̒͝͝t̸͖̙͔͋͌̿a̵̘̪͔̒̿̕b̸̘̼̀͜͝͝l̸̻̟͙͒̐͝ë̴̢̼͓́͆́ e̵̞̦̾̈́̈́͜x̵̢̙͙̓͆̽t̵̺̙̻͒͑̈́e̸͇͚̪͐͠͠r̵͉̘͑͒̽m̵̡̘͍̈́͑̈́i̴̼̟̟͊̐͝n̵̝̻͎̓̀͒a̵̺̞̒̒̀͜t̴͍͍͓̾̒̒i̴̘̠͎͐͊͝o̵̟͇͇̐͝n̵̼͖̔̚̚͜s̸͍̺͍̔̓͆ c̵͇̠͍̈́̓̚o̴̡͖̪̿̕̕u̸̠̺͓͒͝l̸̙̼̝̔̔̀d̸͎͍͍͒͑ ö̵͕́̓͘͜ć̵͉̻͙̓̚c̵̟͍͉͊̀͊u̵͉̽͊͐͜r̵͎͉͌͌͊͜ á̴͇͕͖͝ẗ̵̢͇́͋̓ ä̸̫̺͙́͊̽n̴͓̟͖͐͑y̴̢̫̞͊̈́̕ t̸̺̟͎͆̈́̈́i̴͕͙͋͛m̴̡̘͕̈́͆͘e̴̫͕̫̔̈́͝ o̴͖͚͆͛͛f̴̝͉̾̽̕ ț̵̘̘͆̐̽h̴͕͙͌̕e̵̞͔͕͆̀͠ y̸̝̝̾̾͜͝è̵̫̞͖̒͝a̴͖͓̾̾̕͜r̵͓̝̔͆͝.̸͚͔͌͒͜"̵̡͉͎̿̔͝

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