Chapter Text
Soon enough, they were taken, and it wasn’t much longer until they were nothing more than a puppet on a string. After taking a bullet meant for another, they ended up in a place they only knew through stories and scripture.
Eden’s life began normally; an exciting life turning to an eventful death. A crazy life turned into an afterlife full of pain and suffering, ending with something they never knew could happen. Eden’s life was no longer theirs to live. It belonged to the first person they trusted easily enough to take and trap.
“I told you to clean this shit up!” The creature stood over Eden, easily towering over them. His hand swept over the table, knocking over the glassware. Eden stood firm, looking the moth-like man in the eyes. They didn’t yield as he threw a glass past their head, shattering against the wall, nor when a piece of it pierced their already bloodied arm.
“I’m not yours to boss around.” They spoke in a low voice.
Valentino shot Eden a look, more hungry than anything. “You dare speak to me like that. I should erase you where you stand, but that’d be no fun.”
He sauntered towards Eden, anger flickering from his eyes, almost lighting up the room with a magenta glow. Before Eden could react, Valentino took a shard of glass, tearing deep into the side of their shoulder. With a cry, Eden fell to their side in pain. A kick to the stomach left them coughing. Eden couldn’t manage to look up at Valentino let alone take in a breath. Red smoke filled the air around Eden, draining what little energy they had left.
“Val.” A familiar voice spoke. “What have I told you?”
“Your owned souls are always the most useless. At least mine are good for a fuck if nothing else.” Valentino scowled.
“Let me deal with it.” Vox sighed, exasperated.
Valentino let out a dark chuckle. “Make sure they’re in a worse state than they are now.”
The light clack of heels signaled Valentino's departure, and another set of footsteps stopped next to Eden. A hand carefully gripped the shard of glass embedded in their shoulder, slowly pulling it out.
Eden gasped at the sudden sensation, tensing up in pain as the shard broke free. A cold hand took a hold of their face, slowly lifting it up to meet his gaze.
“Look at me.” He said, but Eden kept their eyes closed. Something prodded their side, which sent an electric jolt through their body.
“I said look at me.” He repeated. Eden reluctantly met Vox’s gaze, his face showing clear disappointment.
“What did you do to aggravate Val like that?” He inquired in a calm tone.
Eden spat at Vox’s shoes, not wanting to answer, but another jolt of electricity persuaded them. “Apparently I forgot to clean a table I didn’t know existed.”
Vox let out a laugh, a grainy static like you would hear from one of those old box televisions. He laced his arms under Eden, effortlessly picking them up off the ground as if they were weightless.
“Let me go.” Eden struggled to break free of his grasp, but Vox held on firmly “I can walk on my own.”
Despite their own words, Eden doubted they’d be able to stand on their own. Whatever bullshit magic Valentino manifested drained their energy faster than anything he had used before.
“I don’t think you are in any position to make demands,” Vox said, glancing down at Eden’s side. Eden followed his gaze, watching a wire embed into their side like an IV drip. Eden groaned, the motion of Vox’s walk inducing the start of a migraine.
The walk was short, although arduous, traveling through a door, down the hall, and into a small room. The room was bare, consisting of a small twin-size bed, a bathroom off to the side, and a singular wooden stool. It more resembled a jail cell than a bedroom. Vox set Eden down on the bed, tearing a section off of the bedsheet and drenching it in water. He kneeled next to Eden, cleaning the blood and small glass shards off of their arm.
He worked in silence, not saying a word. He pressed the damp cloth to the larger wound on Eden’s shoulder. “Keep pressure on this if you don’t want to bleed out.”
Eden mindlessly pressed their hand to the cloth, keeping their eyes trained on the ceiling above. Vox sat on the stool, his eyes never leaving Eden’s body, watching over it as if they were a mere object. The two sat in silence for a minute before Vox ruined it.
“It’s already been a week, why can’t you behave?” He said.
A laugh left Eden’s mouth. “You said you would protect me from Hell. Wasn’t that our deal?
“And have I not done my part?” Eden could hear the sneer in Vox’s voice. It wasn’t their fault they fell right before the yearly exterminations. They were desperate, not to mention naïve. If they knew what they were getting into, they would have never foolishly taken the deal in the first place.
Eden turned their head towards the wall, wanting nothing more than to be alone. Unfortunately, he made it clear that he was still there by sending electricity through Eden’s body, this one much sharper than the others.
Yet again, Eden cried out, tears starting to form in their eyes. “Would you please stop doing that?”
They felt the wire retract before Vox spoke again. “See, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Besides, you have yet to answer my question. Have I, or have I not done my part?”
“You have,” Eden said quietly.
“I’m sorry?” Now Vox was just teasing them.
“You fucking have. Ok? You took me in when the angels came down. You kept me alive. Fucking shit, you did your part is that what you wanted to hear?” Eden's voice got louder until they ended up screaming. By the end, Eden was out of breath, frustrated and angry at themselves for getting into this mess. They tensed expecting another shock from the outburst, but Vox only laughed. He stood up, standing over Eden, and placed a hand on their cheek, the subtle feeling of static sending a shiver down their spine.
“By the time I am done with you, you will learn your place in my world.” With that, Vox left the room, closing the door behind him. Eden could hear the distinct sound of a deadbolt lock closing, trapping them in the room.
Eden rolled over onto their side, facing the wall in defeat. The now dirty cloth fell off their shoulder, fresh blood again flowing freely from their wound. Eden let out a scream, their fist pounding into the hard mattress. Whether it was a scream of pain or frustration, they couldn’t tell.
Soon enough they were taken, and it wasn’t much longer until they were nothing more than a puppet on a string. Eden’s life, soul, and body belonged to Vox. They had no idea what they got themselves into. They could only guess what Vox wanted their soul for. Was it for servitude? Was it to harass? Were they a bargaining chip? Not like they were worth anything anyways. Valentino made that abundantly clear. They should have known. This was Hell after all. Nothing good happens down here. They were naïve, a newly fallen soul in the underworld.
Eden closed their eyes, hoping to fall asleep quickly. Every night the same imagery floated through their mind. A warehouse. Screens are plastered on every wall. Static. Screams of a battlefield. It was during a raid when Eden fell. The warehouse where they worked hosted a mirage of servers, rows upon rows of machines running day and night mining for data. Only a select few individuals were given access to the servers, and even fewer knew how it worked. Information concerning some of the most influential figures and governments in the world. The kind of knowledge that could easily spark chaos worldwide if brought to the light of day. Eden knew every little secret held behind a password. There was nothing they couldn’t find. The group thought they were safe, invisible, that is until someone slipped up.
Cursed to spend their days recalling their death, Eden watches it on repeat every time they close their eyes. Every single moment, from the sounds of gunshots to the feeling of the bullet piercing skin. Every waking moment is haunted by an experience they will never forget.. The soldier wasn’t aiming at them. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, doing something they’d forever regret. Now, a large bright blue X plastered at the base of their neck serves as a stain on their very soul visible to all.