Hello, I would be grateful if you could help me and my children to save our lives from this war and the danger of death. We lost my husband in this damned war and no one is helping me. Please help me by donating and participating so that we can escape out of Gaza to safety.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-kifah-and-her-children-in-gaza-crisis
My family in Gaza lives under indescribable difficult conditions. The home that was once our safe haven is now a source of anxiety and fear. My father used to work hard to provide for us, but the war stopped everything, leaving us facing hardships without support. My younger siblings dream of living a normal life, playing and studying without fear of the future. Every help we receive means life, means hope for a better tomorrow. We need a hand to reach out to us, to light our way and ease this pain. Your donation is not just money, it is hope and an opportunity for a dignified lifehttps://gofund.me/ba5b76e9
I have made the first chapter in ao3 now, and I'll post all of my other chapters up there soon!
Hello dear friends, 🌟
I'm Mahmoud Jihad from Gaza. My family and I have lost everything—our home, my university, all of it. Now, we find ourselves living in a flimsy tent after losing everything. I was studying Information Technology and supporting my family, but now we are left with nothing. 😔
We are enduring unimaginable destruction and desperately need your help to survive. 😭 Even a small donation can make a huge difference. Every single contribution is a spark of hope in this dark time. ✨
Our campaign has been verified by: @beesandwatermelons ✅ #190 and @gazavetters ✅ #63.
You can make a difference by supporting us through this GoFundMe link: https://gofund.me/463cbf01
From the depths of our hearts, thank you. Let's rebuild our lives together. 🙏❤️
Thank you so much for your generosity and support!
Your donations will directly help us in rebuilding our lives. Thank you again for your kindness and generosity! 🌹
I put more effort into this as it's more like a character sheet than anything. I also made a weapon design I am happy with! I think it fits Tang well. (also, don't mention how drastically inconsistent my style is. It just morphs whenever I try to draw this guy I guess)
Also, here are some close-ups of the writing. If you can't read my chicken scratch, then it is listed under the images.
Image 1: Wrapped hands
You don't wanna know how long this man(?) spent annotating this thing
Image 2: weapon from dead friend
Oooo, spooky
★ Soul Searching ★ 1
(Oh, look! Another Tang au)
(TW some descriptions of throwing up, but it's very brief)
Sunlight shines onto Pisgy's early in the afternoon, bathing everything in a warm, cozy light. The sign outside is shown brightly to the busy streets.
The weathering on the door and outside counter gives it a homey look. Everything to the way the windows are opened just enough to let the smell of noodles out, to the chalk announcement board with swoopy letters making its charm.
Inside the hole-in-the-wall restaurant, the sound of bubbling and the flickering lights above add to its atmosphere. The growing pile of to-go orders now shoved to the side so the chef can see the lobby.
Barely anyone is actually sitting in the restaurant. Just the chef in the back, with a green teenager and an older looking man with glasses sitting at the bar.
The chef seems to be fed up with the both of them. "Can't you two do something other than taking up valuable space while I'm working?!"
The man in the glasses just shrugs and smirks at the outburst, continuing to sip some noodles he grabbed from the ever growing to-go pile. "Pisgy, Pisgy, Pisgy. If we were to leave, who would give you such riveting conversation? And besides, we're patiently waiting for Mk to come back."
Pisgy just glares at the man before speaking up louder than the first time. "Mei is waiting for Mk to come back." Pisgy gesture with a wooden spoon to Mei, who's looking at her phone with an unserious expression.
The man with glasses just raises a brow in response. Pisgy sighs heavily before continuing his rant. "And heck, so am I! He's left so many orders here, I could probably afford to fire him if I sold 'em all myself!
"Now what are you even doing? Mooching off of Mk's generosity for free noodles, and just sitting in front of me with a smug look on your face like I'm an idiot, which I'm not! Your so lucky I don't kick you out any time you set foot in here Tang."
Tang just laughs in response, spilling some sauce onto the ground as he readjusts his glasses to look at Pisgy. "Oh please Pisgy, you know you love me~" He said in a jaunty tone, smirk never falling. "If you didn't, I would've been in the hospital by now! Probably with a wooden spoon lodged in my head."
Tang continues to chuckle, with Mei joining in soon after Pisgy stomps off back to the kitchen, grumbling up a storm.
"He's always so grumpy! Maybe he's a bit more ticked today because Mk 'ain't back yet for all those orders." Mei says to Tang absent-mindedly, eyes focused on her screen as she slouches on her stool.
Tang huffed, amused. "Hah, maybe. I just think he has his apron in a twist all the time." He giggles at his own joke before pulling a stained and well-worn book off the counter.
"Journey to the West ", a classic in Tangs' personal opinion. He immeadietly flips the long time annotated pages to a specific bookmark, stopping right on top of a bright red post-it note.
Most of his scribbles were how inaccurate some of the legends were, how the stories were twisted to be seen in a good light for an easier consumption, Tang guesses. It hurt him to see so many people enjoy these fake stories, but at least he knew most of the truth.
However, there were parts that were kept somewhat accurate. Those were the ones Tang liked to reread the most, ones marked with bright red, from the only version available in metrapolis.
1, 2, 3.
4 red post-its fly past his vision as he takes in the legends, smirking at some passages before the next page was turned.
An hour had passed if Tang had to guess. The pile stopped growing after Pisgy gave up on Mk coming back in time. He's now sitting next to Tang on the bar, with Mei sitting at one of the nearby tables, seemingly still scrolling on her phone.
Tang had been working on his fifth bowl of to-go noodles when the ground started to rumble violently. It shook everything in the shop; things like chairs toppled over and loose kitchenware fell to the floor.
Mei screamed as her phone flew out of her hands and onto the table, Pisgy tried to stabilize himself on the counter while swearing up a storm, and Tang held up his bowl so nothing spilled out, one hand on the bowl the other holding on the counter for dear life.
It finally subsides after a couple of seconds, leaving the shop in disarray. "What the heck was that?!" Pisgy shouted as he righted himself back onto a bar stool.
"Ugh, I don't know, piggy. That was definitely stronger than a mega street race or an out-of-control party at the anti-gravity arcade." Mei answered as she sprawled across the table to take back her now cracked phone. She let out a small Aww, man! afterwards.
Tang had been gasping the entire time, seemingly trying to regain lost breath from the mysterious earthquake. "I don't know how *huff* you guys recover *huff* so quickly like that! Phew. It took all my strength just to save these precious noodles!" Tabg held up the bowl as some sort of proof, with half its contents missing.
"Maybe that's just because you're old, Tang." Mei smirked at him. Tang just scoffed after her with Pisgy giving an amused huff in the background.
Tang put his bowl of noodles back onto the counter before bending down to retrieve his book. It had a few noodle stains, but it's been through much worse than that. It isn't that bad.
Just as Tang sat back onto his stool, the restaurant doors burst open with a winded Mk in the middle of them.
"Mk! Where have you been? We've been stacked through the roof with noodles that were ordered ages ago! Our customers have already given ZERO STARS Mk!" Pisgy said, grabbing Mk by the ear and sitting him down across from him at one of the tables.
"Now you better have a good reason for this, or else I'm cutting your pay for a month with full work hours."
Mk seemed to go through a mix of sheepishness, awe, confusion, and shock before he answered in long winded rambles.
"Pisgy, Mei, Tang, the legend of the Demon Bull King is real! The Demon Bull King family took Monkey Kings staff off his prison, which I took in return to defend myself, and now he's probably out there wrecking everything! And now he's probably after me too because I have the staff and all those legends Mr. Tang told me were true, and now I'm freaking out!" Mk finished his ramble by lifting up the red and gold staff in his hand.
The restaurant was silent... before hysterical laughter from Pisgy and Mei filled the restaurant. "Bahahaha! You can't expect me to believe that kid! Those are all just legends!" Mei spoke up. "Hahahahah! Yeah, Mk! Are you sure you didn't get a concusion from that earthquake?"
Mk pouted as he raised the staff once again. "But I'm telling the truth! This is the Monkey Kings staff, and all those legends were true! You at least believe me, right Mr. Tang?"
But Tang didn't answer. He just stared at the staff blankly. His hands dug into the pages of his book until they were wrinkled beyond repair. "Mr. Tang? You okay there?" Mk asked in concern.
"That's... that's Sun Wukongs staff." Tang whispered through short breaths, still staring at the staff.
Mk quickly turned around to Pisgy and Mei. "See? At least someone sensible believed me."
Pisgy scoffed before challenging Mk. "If that really is the Monkey Kings staff, then why don't you show off some of its oH MY-"
But it was too late, as the staff elongated quicker than light and smashed straight through one of Pisgy's tables.
Mk showed them a bright smile. "Haha! See that?! That was freaking monkey power -"
Sounds of scraping metal and something hitting the floor stopped Mk mid sentence. Everybody turned around to face the bar.
Tang was on the floor, shaking violently with laboring breaths between small mumbling. His stool and book strewn to the sides as Tang kept staring at the staff, eyes unseen behind the reflections in his glasses.
Pisgy rushed over quickly, reaching out to shake Tang on the shoulder. "Woah, woah. Tang, are you doing alright there?"
But before Pisgy could even tough Tang's shoulder, his arm was swat away with a surprising amount of force. Pisgy cursed as Tang gasped and mumbled something out in response. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Pisgy. I'm sorry, I'm sorry; I just, I was shocked to see Sun- erm, the Monkey Kings staff in person like that, with the implications of the Demon Bull King back out again in out city."
Pisgy just huffed, "You're fine, Tang." Pisgy slowly put his hand around Tang's shoulders, giving them a slight squeeze.
"Thanks, Pisgy. I'll just... I'm gonna need some time for a moment. Go get Sandy; I'm sure he'll have some ideas about this." Tang gave a wobly smile as he slowly stood up.
Pisgy gave a scrutinizing look before seemingly giving up. "Yeah, you're right. He would know what to do." Pisgy turned back to the worried looking Mk and Mei. "Were gonna go meet my friend Sandy. He was THE MOST blood thirsty person I knew before..."
Their voices faded out of the restaurant as Pisgy ushered them out, with Tang left standing in the lobby. He just stood and let his smile drop for a moment. Eyes seemingly glazed over as he slowly walked back to Pisgy's bathroom.
His thoughts became louder and louder as he got closer and closer, collapsing as they started to become akin to stabbing his skull. Tang grits his teeth in pain as he lurches forward. Tears ran down his face along with black liquid out of his mouth, dripping onto the tile. He threw up.
Dark liquid and chunks of what looked like characol flooded into the toilet. He coughed violently before sagging onto the floor, mouth tasting like ash.
Tang takes off his glasses and puts them to the side as he puts the toilet seat down and flushed it. He sat on the toilet seat and forced himself to take deep breaths.
He thinks back to Pisgy, Mei, Mk, and that fucking staff... he hopes they'll be ok.
Previous || Next
Hello my dears! I, Asmaa, ask you to support my campaign to help me reach my goal. 🙏 I am now in desperate need of your support to help me stay alive and safe. Gaza is a very dangerous place, both in terms of living standards and souls. I need your financial support so that I can get the basic needs of my family. Please help a family survive through your small donations or through your shares to others. And reblog. The campaign is going very slowly. 🙏🍉💔
★ Soul Searching ★ 2
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tang had been in that bathroom for hours, taking deep, controlled breaths to calm himself down. He would never have wanted this to happen; not ever.
Mk, not knowing what he's gotten himself into drives his thoughts to that staff. He kept thinking back to Mk, too, how he would have that thing for the rest of his life...
He really hoped this was just a horrible dream his head made up.
However, his delusions were soon broken as the doors to the noodle shop slammed open. "Tang! We need to leave for Flower Fruit Mountain now!" Pigsy yelled throughout the restaurant.
Tang came running into the lobby. "What!?" He had a distressed look on his face before he shifted it to one of bewilderment. "Wait, that place actually exists, too?!"
Pigsy just grabbed Tang's hand, dragging him out of the building before responding. "Yeah, that place apparently exists, too, and we need a map to get there. That's why we need you and all your books on those myths you're obsessed with to make it there."
Tang stalled at that, looking back at the noodle shop. "Well, I left it in the shop... y'know, the one with all the sticky notes..."
Pigsy just stared, sighed, then let got of Tang's hand. "Just go quickly. We need to get there as soon as possible."
Tang just nodded before running back into the restaurant and sitting down onto a bar stool. He took the book off the counter and erratically flipped through the pages, settling on a hand drawn map.
He stared at it; taking it in that this is reality now. He took a final deep breath before pocketing the book and heading back outside.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"AHHHH-"
Pigsy rushed through the city, carrying Tang on his back. Tang, seemingly not being used to this speed, was screaming in terror the entire time.
When they finally reached Sandy's boat, Tang was panting and leaning on one of the rails. "Don't just, *huff* pick me up and run like that again!" He managed between breaths.
Pigsy just scoffed. "It was the quickest way to get here. You would've slowed us down on foot." Tang seemed offended, but before he could respond, Sandy came out of the boat door and onto the deck.
He hulked over Tang and Pigsy before bending down with a smile on his face. "Hello there! You must be Tang; nice to meet you!" Sandy took Tang's arm and yanked it up and down, leaving Tang a bit disheveled.
Tang quickly fixed his outfit and hair before Mei popped out of the open door and started to speak. "Hey Sandy, is Pigsy back with Tang yet? We really need to get going."
"Over here, Mei." Pigsy gruffed out, getting Mei's attention. "Hey, you guys are back! Now Mr. Tang, you really need to give Sandy that map." Mei stated before walking back into the boat.
Tang just sighed as he walked forward to Sandy, taking his book out of his jacket and reluctantly putting it in the awaiting hands. "The map is at the end of the book. Please be careful with it."
Sandy smiled at Tang as he straightened his back. "Of course! I won't let anything happen to it. Let me treat you to a cup of tea when this is over."
Tang smiled back. "I'll hold you to that." He promised as he walked by the boat door and sat down on one of the deck benches.
Pigsy frowned at that, a worried look passing over his face as he looked at Sandy. "Something's wrong. I don't know what, but something's wrong with Tang." Pigsy looked back to where Tang sat down. Tang is staring at the open ocean, seemingly lost in thought.
Sandy hummed, "I could tell. That's why I offered some tea. He's stressed over something, but I'm not entirely sure what."
Pigsy sighed. "Let's just get this over with. Find the Monkey King and let him handle this." Sandy nodded before going back inside the boat, leaving the door slightly open.
Pigsy gave one last glance to Tang before going inside the boat and closing the door behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The boat ride was long for Tang. The inevitable slowly creeping forth as they got closer and closer to Flower Fruit Mountain. The waves became more fierce as they progressed.
Tang could already feel the heat and smell the ash as they approached they outer ring; a ring around Flower Fruit Mountain that consisted only of volcanoes. The lava in the water stops boats from getting through with all the volcanic rock in the way.
He still can't fathom why he's even here again. All they needed was his map to get Sun Wukong so he could go clean up one of his poorly-dealt-with problems.
But he's already on the boat, getting closer and closer to the one place he has tried to avoid all these years.
Tang just sighs as he looks towards the choppy water surrounding the boat. Sea breeze blowing through his hair and the occasional sea spray flowing up to the deck.
He almost misses the water as Sandy carefully docks the boat at the edge of the volcanic ring, taking out metal stakes and large rope to secure it. Mk jumps out first, followed by Mei, then Pigsy and Sandy.
"What is this?" Mk shouted out loud, gripping the staff tightly. Tang walked up to the rail, leaning over it so Mk could hear. "It's the defense measure of Flower Fruit Mountain. This ring of volcanoes protects it from unwanted visitors."
"Wait, does that include us?" Pigsy suddenly asks. Tang just shrugs at that. "Well, we better be quick, anyways. Demon Bull King isn't just gonna disappear." Mk suddenly says as he goes running into the ring.
"Mk, wait on us!" Pigsy calls out to an Mk growing smaller and smaller. "At least watch out for the lava walls!" Tang shouts to Mk, if a bit frantically.
"Wait, what- OOMF" Mk fell back onto his butt as magma spouted from a crack in the volcanic rock, simmering the edges of his Har.
"You better run after him." Tang groaned, rubbing his temples while leaning on the rail. Sandy and Mei immeadietly ran to Mk's side while Pigsy hesitated, looking back to Tang.
"Aren't you going to come with us?" Pigsy asked, leaning on the rail before looking to Mei, who was frantically patting Mk's head to put out the flames with Sandy fanning Mk with the same motive.
Tang's small smile strained on his face as he also looked to the trio. He took another deep breath before looking back to Pigsy. "I don't think I'd be useful out there. What could I do if a random villain showed up? Bore them to death with my constant rambling?" Tang huffed at his own comment.
"You guys will be okay without me this time. Besides, I don't want to go out in that heat and ruin all this hard work." Tang flipped his hair for added effect. This got a small chuckle out of Pigsy, so Tang counted that as a win.
"Ok, I'll stop botherin' ya. You can look after the boat while we're gone. Don't set anything on fire." Pigsy said with a serious tone. Tang full on laughed at that, doubling over the rail.
"Haha! Don't worry about it, Pigsy. I'll be fine. Just make sure you and everyone else stay safe on the way there, too. Also, make sure to step back if you feel vibrations under your feet."
Pigsy huffed in response, picking himself off the railing and starting to walk towards the group. He waves back to Tang before booking it up to the group and pulling them back before more magma could roast them alive.
Tang had waved back, watching as the bickering group slowly faded into the smoke and ash. After their figure were no longer visible, he let his face fall before heading into the boat, locking the door and sliding back against it.
He put his head into his knees, wrapping his arms around himself.
"You'll be fine." He whispered. "You have moved on from it all. You can't be affected by his mere presence or mention anymore." His vision started to blur.
Then Tang fell back into old habits, taking deep, slow breaths to regain his composure. In, wait, then out. Again and again.
After many rounds of breathing, he was finally able to raise his head, letting it smack against the boat door. He groaned, slowly stood up, and finally made his way to an actual chair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tang had found himself wandering around the boat, picking up anything that seemed interesting and just rolling with how everything worked.
The cats had been avoiding him, hissing at his presence and then jumping onto the nearest surface away from him. Tang had just sighed as he picked up a boat manual and sat as a comfy blue couch.
The book was nothing particularly interesting, but Tang needed something to keep his brain occupied (and to silence his anxiety). It worked for the most part.
However, his thoughts always wondered to Mk. Why was he even able to lift the damn thing, how he had found that place where it was buried, and what his connections were to Sun Wukong.
Tang was sure Mk had no ill intentions; his feelings were like an open book to Tang. This is how he had noticed the shift in Mk to begin with; how he had changed drastically.
And what was Sun Wukong planning with a successor? Tang could tell from the smothering gold covering Mk's spirit. Why would he let someone else wield the staff so suddenly, giving all his powers to a literal teenager?! And how would this affect everyone Mk is close to!?
Tang couldn't focus on the manual anymore.
He sighed. Stop thinking so much about it. This has nothing to do with you, he thought. You're completely fine; unaffected. It's not like he would've-
*WOOOOSH*
The boat creaks as a harsh gust of wind sends it tilting back and forth. Tang fell onto the ground with the furniture sliding along with him. With the therapy cats strewn across the entire inside, Tang quickly ran to unlock the door and look out from the deck.
He blanched at what he saw. Freaking PRINCESS IRON FAN was BATTLING THE GANG.
How did she find them!? Shit shit shit shit this was bad. He couldn't tell much from the distance, but Tang knew that this lady was mainly going against Mk. The continuous recoil from the staff was enough indication.
Plumes of smoke kept rising up at odd angles, with rumbles coming quickly and shaking up the boat even more. Tang quickly jumped over the rail and grounded his feet to the volcanic rock.
He started to madly pull out the metal pegs one by one, throwing them up onto the deck and wrapping all the rope on his shoulders as he could feel the gang getting closer and closer. The recoiling had stopped, and this is what worried him the most.
He barely took the small quakes into account as he finally got the last peg up on the deck, quickly jumping, grabbing the railing, and pulling himself over again. He could see them running straight for the boat, and he quickly through the rope/pegs into an open container before shutting it.
Now, he could clearly see their silhouettes as they ran from the now VERY active volcanoes. He could see Pigsy, Sandy, Mei... wait. Where's Mk!?
Tang's train of thought was shattered as everyone jumped up onto the deck, making it dip before Sandy rushed to the wheel. He steered that boat away from the ring so fast that no one had time to get inside.
Now they're silently speeding away. Total silence encompasses everyone out on deck. Pigsy was sitting down, arm around Mei's shoulders. Tang was right next to them, gripping the rail as he looked blankly at the ocean.
"What happened." Tang voiced blankly. Pigsy looked up with a concerned expression. "Tang....." Tang snapped his neck to look directly at Pigsy. "What. Happened." He repeated.
Pigsy closed his eyes for a second, slowly rubbing a sobbing Mei's back. "She... she was after the staff and took it from Mk. In the process she... she blasted him and sent him flying somewhere, and we don't know where he is or if he even survived the blast." Pigsy's voice wavered as he responded.
A shocked expression took over Tang's face before he schooled it into distraught expression. He never said anything back for the entire ride. Just looking back out at the ocean, a blank look stuck on his face.
He knew Mk wasn't dead. Before they ran, Tang could still clearly feel the strong thrum of Mk's spirit, even if it was weaker than before.
But Tang couldn't tell them this without proof; proof Tang couldn't willingly give. So, he kept quiet and eventually put a hand on Pigsy's shoulder for the remainder of the ride.
When the boat was finally parked, only Sandy moved to secure it and turn the engine off, eventually joining everyone else on the deck silently.
Tang couldn't take it anymore. "We can't just sit here doing nothing." He suddenly sputtered. Everyone looked to him with concern. "Demon Bull King and his family have already taken too much from us. We can't just sit here and do nothing while they continue what we already tried to stop." Tang looked up to everyone.
"Mk would've kept going. He would've wanted everyone to be safe and to be happy again. We have to finish what we started. For Mk, and for everything else we might lose at the end of this. We need to be strong for Mk, to honor his memory by helping his last effort. We can at least try for his sake."
This seemed to have shaken everyone out of their grief, even if by just a bit. "*sniff* yeah! We need to kick those guys butts for what they did!" Mei shouted out, wiping her tears as she stood up.
"There will be many robots trying to kill us, that with the added main family will not be east for us alone." Pigsy warned, rising back up next to Tang.
"We know. But we have to do something. Anything to help fight against the Demon Bull King. For Mk." Tang stated
"For Mk!" Mei shouted.
"For the kid!" Yelled Pigsy.
"For MK!" Sandy exclaimed.
For Mk.
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This is so good!!!! I especially love the staff!
I was at another con today and took more pics in my Tang cosplay, so might as well post them :)
Hello🤗❤️
I hope you are well🌹
Can you help me get my voice heard
and share my family's story?🙏🏻
Can you Reblog my post from my blog?
By helping to reblog my story, you could
save a family from death and war.🌹
Thank you very much🌸
🕊️❤️🌹🙏🏻
-- TW kinda detailed gore/violence and death ahead --
The being got pelted with rain as it walked along the sidewalk, trying to find some proper shelter. The rain never ended as it shivered in its torn clothing.
It briefly inspected its surroundings as it walked, seeing how the rain turns yellow and sizzles when it touches anything. Its brown clothes started to gain small burns from the downpour after a while.
The sidewalks were cracked with unknown stains, burns, and fluids stuck in the gutters. These discolored the puddles and small streams from the storm, making everything seem polluted and unsavory.
Everything else looked like your average town back in New Oreans, but something was off about this place. Everything seemed uncanny. Where small details should be, there were slights in what its memory provided.
It eventually found something when it passed a boarded up speakeasy with the name 113 Club. It had an alley with stone steps leading up to a side door, with a small awning it could probably fit under.
It immeadietly ran towards the awning before crouching down at the top of the stairs, barely staying out of the acid.
As soon as it no longer felt the burning sensation, it sagged onto the stairs slightly. It started to breathe slower and closed its eyes for a second of rest.
Then it opened its eyes again, seeing this place now with focused vision. It now realized what it had found odd about the place. The building had sharper angles and desigbs than what it had remebered, with many shades of red and black coloring the entire area.
Even the plants and sky were red from what it could see through the storm clouds. The clouds themselves seemed darker than usually possible, not even mentioning the precipitation that came from them.
It leaned back onto the locked door, feeling the rough wood and peeling paint against its back. It tilted its head up, looking towards the clouds.
'How did I wind up... here?' It thought. Closing its eyes, it tried to recall the events leading up to this, but all it turned up was blurry visions and static.
The being tilted its head down in thought, trying to think of anything from before it got stuck in this place. But its mind seemed scattered; as only bits came back to it.
It started to get irritated. 'Why can't I remember anything. What... happened to me.' The rain seemed to fall harder, hissing as it hit the ground more and more, becoming unbearable to the beings' sensitive ears.
It huffed, putting its head in its arms. Gritting its teeth, it tried to think back again. Anything to try and-
*BANG*
The being snaps its head up, ears flicking in alert. It looked to the sky.
*BANG*
Lightning strikes the open street, thunder crackling to life a second later. Its pupils turn to pinpricks, with the shadows lashing out, tearing up the wall behind it.
But the being didn't notice, as that strike finally jogged its memory.
A gunshot. It remembered a gunshot.
It... He was running. From who, he didn't know. He could only feel his shoes imprinting onto the soil as he fled.
He remembers hunting dogs barking in the background as he tried to escape; bullets flying past his head as he weaved through the dense forest.
His pursuer was never far behind, though, as the noise of the dogs seemed to only get closer and closer at every second.
He ran and lightly jumped over the protruding roots and shrubs that covered the familiar forest floor, some lowering or diverting their branches to make an easier path.
But the pursuer was never slowed down, it seemed, as the weighted steps of the hunter were still heard behind him.
Even when he was weaving between thick trunks and sheltered by the shadows cast by the moon, the hunter never let up. He supposed he could respect the tenacity.
Bullets often shot into nearby trees, throwing debris in every direction. He occasionally got nicked in the neck, arms, and torso, but nothing was too severe; he had to keep running anyway.
Yelling could suddenly be heard, curses of every scale being spat out in anger alongside the furious howels of those beasts the sloppy hunter had brought with him.
A certain click from reloading was all he got before he had to dodge again, bullets whistling by as he laughed at the absurdity, the noise echoing through the trees.
His grin grew as the soil turned to mud: signifying that the bayou was getting close. The smell of musk and stale water filled his nose as a strong breeze blew throughout.
His dress shoes were probably completely ruined by now: the mud sticking to his soles. The ground is now filled with small, muddy puddles as he kept going deeper and deeper into his bayou.
He could feel his power slowly growing; shadows flickering at the edges of his vision. Water splashed up to his pant cuff as he crashed through progressively bigger puddles.
Almost there. Another bullet whistled by his head, lodging into a tree a couple of inches away from his head. Just a bit more.
The footsteps behind him suddenly became silent. A sense of unease filled him as he continued his pace. He wasn't going to stop just because some Joe decided to-
*BANG*
White hot pain suddenly shot up from his left calf, causing his leg to collapse at the shock. He quickly had a face full of dirt, his brown framed glasses shattered on the ground.
What just happened.
He felt blood slowly run down his leg and onto the ground. He tried to stand up, but shots of pain from his leg quickly threw him back down again. Ha! It'll take more than that to keep me-
The world started to spin around him, the shadows from the trees growing in size as he failed to pull himself forward.
Then thosewretched dogs found him; they rushed at him with immense speed.
He felt the teeth sinking into his flesh, tearing out the muscles with ease, taking chunks out at a time. The pain flashed up in waves as he felt more and more blood flow down his limbs and soak into the mud.
He clenched his jaw, throwing his body, trying to get the dogs off of him. With the little strength he had, he was able to pull out a knife from his belt and slash one of the beasts across the stomach.
It fell back, and he focused his slashes onto the second dog. He was able to strike two of its legs before it finally staggered away. He took a quick breath, the comforting smell of murky water and moss helping clear his head slightly.
The mud stuck to his skin as he crawled forward. He was so close now. He just needed a bit further. He needed to get to the water.
He dug his hands deep into the earth, pulling himself forward again. But the pain from everything became too much; his vision becoming cloudy from the blood loss.
The blood created a dark trail as it colored the soil he was laying on, the deeper slashes on his left arm giving most of the scarlet liquid away. The scratches and bites on his body became almost unnoticeable.
He could barely see the swamp up ahead. The still water brought back some determination as he tried to crawl through the pain.
But he was never that lucky.
He remembers the boots stepping in the mud behind him, leisurely walking up behind, the hunter taking his precious time, as to drag on this entire dabacol.
He couldn't see the pursuer clearly, as his glasses werent for nothing and the blood loss obviously did some things to his vision. The hunter had pulled him to lay on his back, staring him down.
The hunter suddenly stepped onto his right leg, using his full weight until the bone snapped. He never screamed, though. Only an annoying grin plastered on his face with bloody teeth.
He cackled once again. That was a good show. A daring chase throughout his home territory, real riveting! He saw how the shadows crept in on the man, who stared at his face unknowingly.
His grin stretched farther. Oh, he had the urge to laugh right again! But, he couldn't without it becoming repetitive-
*Snap!*
A branch cracked in the forest. The shadows scurried away as the hunter jerked violently, seemingly out of whatever trance he was in.
The grinning man quickly looked to the sound. A deer stood tall bathed in moonlight. Staring at the duo with blackened eyes. His eyes widened.
The man had barely any time to react before cold metal collided with his temple, pushing his head back into the cold, smooth mud.
*BANG*
Another strike of lightning, the thunder echoing through the alleyway. It was farther away this time. The rain had let up a bit since he had been, well, reminiscing.
His breathing was heavy, body now rigid from the rain, mostly. He stared at the downpore; wondering. 'I... died.'
He closed his eyes once again, the notion absurd enough to be featured on one of those radionovelas he'd heard about.
'Beloved radio host, actually the Bayou Butcher of New Orleans, killed in bayou where he buried his victims!' He could imagine. He huffed out a shallow laugh.
The acid rain had let up almost entirely, leaving the slight smell in the air after a downpour. He looked out to the street again, seeing all the boarded up doors and windows and cracks on the buildings. His stomach twisted.
He huffed before standing up once again and walking back out onto the street. He smoothly jumped over any overturned concrete or piece of rubbish in his way, as he went in a random direction.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The hotel had been going a bit slower than Charlie would have liked. A week after that incident on 666 News and not even one sinner had come asking for more details!
She even got Husk to help remodel the hotel a bit. Even if there was more green and purple than she would've liked in certain rooms.
Angel complained about the noise, saying he needed his beauty rest in order to keep the bucks flowing in. That caused Husk to mutter something she couldn't hear, and all of a sudden, she had to tear the two away from each other before furniture went flying.
They stayed away from each other the rest of the remodeling process.
Nifty also helped in the past week! Just, eh, in her own way. She was always skittering around the halls, stabbing the carpet after any remaining bugs. There was never any lasting damage to the floor, though, and all the dust and cobwebs were gone!
Now, besides remodeling, Charlie made many different posters for the hotel down in the lobby, just to stick all around Pentagram City and get the word out.
She obviously gave her drawing expertise to the design, but she almost always forgot to put the actual contact information, focused on the happy picture. So, she asked for help from Alastor, and he agreed! He never left the front desk, though; drawing and sketching on the bar counter.
However, he always forgot to put her phone number on there and kept writing 'Hazbin Hotel' instead of Happy Hotel. Whenever she asked, he just said, "I would never endorse those frivilous, jumbled picture cards! Anywho, the name is for your branding! No sinner with self-respect would go to any establishment called the 'Happy Hotel'. The other name fits the image of this city much better!"
She never really got what he meant by that. This was a place to help sinners gain happiness and reform from their sins to stop the extermination! But, she didn't change any posters out of politeness.
Vaggie was annoyed at her decision and started to grimace at the front desk whenever she passed through the lobby. She told Charlie that he was mocking them, but Charlie saw the effort Alastor put in to color and draw each poster for her.
So, when all of them were done, she called everyone to come to the lobby lounge for an important discussion.
"Ok! So, the hotel has been up for a bit, and no one seems to have noticed our hotel yet." Charlie starts, matter-of-factly to the group of people in the lobby.
Angel snickered at his perch on the love seat, with Husk giving a skeptical expression towards Charlie on the armchair.
Vaggie clenched her fists, narrowing her eyes beside Charlie, who seemed undisturbed by the feedback. "Now, I have made pairs to go out and put up posters up in the streets for the hotel. I will also be counting this as a bonding activity!"
Charlie poofed up some flashcards from a wave of her hand. "I'll list the pairs, and then each pair can go grab a stack to stick onto windows, walls, or electric poles." Charlie stated. "And only those things." Vaggie then emphasized.
A scoff from Angel is all they got in response.
"Ok, so the pairs start with me and Nifty, Husk and Vaggie, and lastly, Angel and Alastor." She read flipping through the index cards.
No groans sounded, so Charlie took that as a win, but Alastor did speak up. "Charlie dear, I'm afraid that at least one of us should stay at the hotel. To make sure no sinner tries anything while we're away."
"Oh, uh, that's a good point..." Charlie seems to think it over. Vaggie started to open her mouth, but Alastor cut her off.
"Well my dear, I think the best course for us is to leave the staff out of this little excursion." He casually suggested, eyes intently focusing on the glass he was cleaning.
"That does make sense... ok, that means that only two pairs will go out to put up fliers today. Vaggie and Husk can go to the west side, and I am now with Angel in the east side since Al and Nifty will stay at the hotel. Any objections?" Charlie asks.
No one put up any major fuss about the pairings, mainly waiting for Charlie to continue. Charlie seemed pleased with the results.
"Ok then! Let's go out and put up some posters, people!"
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