Infernum Infantem - Epilogue (4/23/23)

[DAQ]

Best part of Wednesdays. NEW CHAPTER

Worst part of Wednesdays: next chapter isn't until Sunday ??

[FloridaKid]

Another great chapter! Can’t wait to learn what’s on Vic’s mind. If your pattern holds true, we only have about 8 chapters left…gotta find out soon (I hope).

[TerranV]

Guessing Vic lost her previous girlfriend and thats what made her want to destroy the world. Now she's grappling with how having Nia in her life is finally allowing her to move on.

[LittleFallenPrincess]

On 3/22/2023 at 5:33 PM, DAQ said:

Best part of Wednesdays. NEW CHAPTER

Worst part of Wednesdays: next chapter isn't until Sunday ??

Awww I'm sorry! But only one more day now and you get the next chapter!

On 3/23/2023 at 12:53 AM, FloridaKid said:

Another great chapter! Can’t wait to learn what’s on Vic’s mind. If your pattern holds true, we only have about 8 chapters left…gotta find out soon (I hope).

Thank you! 8 chapters and an epilogue. Honestly, with the size of the epilogue in this one... I'd say 9 chapters as I'll be releasing that on a different day rather than the same (which I've never done before, but it's worth it, I promise!).

On 3/23/2023 at 3:14 AM, TerranV said:

Guessing Vic lost her previous girlfriend and thats what made her want to destroy the world. Now she's grappling with how having Nia in her life is finally allowing her to move on.

Ooooh good theory! ? Maybe you'll find out if you're correct or not in the next chapter...

[YourFNF]

Could also be an actual child? ?

[LittleFallenPrincess]

 

 

 

Chapter 33: History

-Victoria-

Infernum Infantem – LittleFallenPrincess

 

 

The following day…

 

I woke up with the biggest headache and the world’s worst hangover.

Reminder: Don’t try to outdrink your problems. Or Beatrice. She will beat you every time.

“Oww….” I said, clutching my head as I removed the sheets from me and sat up in bed. “What the hell happened…”

I scanned the room to see that I had fallen asleep in my own bed at least, but my clothes were strewn everywhere. Quickly looking down, I was completely stark naked, so I quickly grabbed the sheet and dashed out of bed.

Which was a mistake.

I stumbled and plummeted to the floor, crashing on the hard wooden floor.

“Owwww…” I cried out.

I lay there for a second, trying to clear my head a bit more so I could stand up, when I heard shuffling outside the door.

Followed by a knock.

“Vic? You okay?” Beatrice’s lovely voice came from the other side of the door. “I’m coming in. Hope you’re decent…”

I couldn’t argue or say anything, I just accepted my fate as she walked in and took one look at me.

Before laughing her arse off.

“Oh Vic… need some help?” She asked, walking over and offering her hand out.

“P… Please…”

 

Once Beatrice had helped me to my feet, then to the shower, then to my wardrobe, and then once I was dressed again, she sat me down on the edge of my bed.

“What happened last night?” I asked her, still feeling a bit groggy even after the quick shower.

“You don’t remember?”

“No…”

“We ordered that stuff for Nia…” She paused, as if she was hoping that was enough.

“Oh yeah…”

“Then your anxious arse decided to panic about talking to Nia.” Bea just rolled her eyes at me and shook her head.

“Wait… what?”

“I noticed it at dinner. You were distant. Then when you started to panic, you also started drinking.”

“I was panicking? About wha… oh… oh god…”

I remembered now.

Things were getting serious with Nia. I mean I had even shot a guy to protect her. Sure, Geoff didn’t die, but still… that’s a pretty serious commitment. Things were going so quickly and I need… need to tell her…

“So… you remember now?” Bea asked.

I nodded awkwardly before realising something.

“Oh shit! Wait, did I ever check on Nia?”

“No. But don’t worry, I did. Calmed her down as best I could, told her you were dealing with some stuff not related to her. Being Nia though… She's still worrying. So you better talk to her today, okay?”

“Yeah. I think I owe her that.”

“Look, it’ll be fine. I know you don’t like thinking about the past, but she needs to know.”

“Yeah. I mean… it’s the reason we ended up summoning her after all. Fine. Just… Can I get a coffee?”

“I’ll make you one of my extra special hangover cure breakfasts.” Bea winked at me.

“Where’s Nia right now?”

“In her room. Do you want to go talk to her?”

“Not yet. Not about that at least, not right now anyway. But for now, I think I need to go and apologise for last night.”

“I think that’s a good idea. Poor girl… for a demon she’s pretty considerate. When I went to talk to her last night, all she worried about was you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She was worried she had upset you or something. I reassured her as best as I could without telling her anything. It’s your story to tell, after all.”

“Thanks Bea. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I smiled up at her as she hovered over me.

“Know how you can repay me? Talk to her. I don’t want you scaring her away like you scared away all your one night stands over the years. She’s special and I like her. She makes this place feel like a home again. And she brings out something in you that I haven’t seen in forever. Plus she’s an adorable little…” She shrugged her shoulders and laughed.

“That she is. And don’t worry, I’m not going to let anything ruin this. I will move Heaven and Earth to protect that girl.”

“Good. Now go talk to your girlfriend and make her feel better. Then the two of you come downstairs for some breakfast!” Bea ordered.

 

I stood outside Nia’s door, breathing in and out slowly, trying to calm myself down.

I didn’t want to see her hurt face. I didn’t want to see the look of disappointment on it. But… I deserved it. She didn’t.

I should’ve just told her everything from the start. I mean it’s not even that bad. I just… I’m scared to think about it and I avoid it at all costs. I was so driven by revenge for so many years that… that now I’m… lost. And scared to go back.

One last deep breath, and I knocked on the door lightly.

“Come in.” I heard Nia say.

Opening the door slowly, peeking my head in, I saw Nia lay on her bed, her bedroom a mess, with her leg up over the other and her GameGirl in her hands. She was wearing her smart white blouse that I bought her for work that one time, but with a black jean jacket over the top of it and matching black jeans over a very thick nappy that wasn’t noticeable unless you were into this kind of thing.

“What do you want?” She asked abruptly.

“I came here to apologise.” I replied, walking into the room and closing the door behind me.

“What for?” She asked, not even looking away from her game.

“For being an ass last night…”

“That’s an understatement…” She mumbled, but she made sure to mumble loud enough so that I could hear how disappointed she was.

“I’m sorry.”

“Well… apology accepted. Under one condition.” She turned away from her game finally and looked at me with her cold, demonic stare.

“Yes?” I replied, sheepishly.

“Give me a kiss, then tell me what’s up.”

“I can do the former, but I’d like to leave the latter until later, if that’s okay.” I was finding it hard to maintain eye contact with her at this point.

“Did I stutter?” She replied.

Her sudden dominance startled me as I looked directly at her.

‘This is what she’s probably like in Hell. When she isn’t around me.’

“Okay. I’ll tell you everything. Can I lay next to you?” I asked, pointing at the empty side of the bed. She nodded, so I took the chance to lay down before she changed her mind, climbing on the bed next to her and sitting with my back against the headboard.

“Kiss first.” I said, reaching over and kissing her cheek softly. “Right. So…”

“So…” She replied.

“Ugh. I don’t know where to begin.”

“Maybe begin at the start? That’s usually a good place to begin…” She said, rolling her eyes.

“Good point. Right… you know that night… the night we summoned you?”

“Yes, how could I forget? You tore me away from my life in Hell…”

‘Is that… is that how she truly feels, or is that just her lashing out because she’s angry right now?’

“Sorry. I didn’t mean that. Continue…” She said, making me feel a ping of relief.

“You know how we messed it up?”

“Yeah. You were trying to summon the brat of darkness or whatever you called him.”

“And do you remember why?” I asked her.

“Yeah, you nerds were trying to end the world. And now I’ve spent time here, I really don’t understand why you wanted to do that…”

“That. That right there. Right… well my associates… sorry, ex-associates… They wanted to restart the world. They wanted to end the current one so they can start afresh with themselves in power. They wanted to remake the world in their image.”

“You say that as if you wanted something different…” She replied, and being the clever woman I fell in love with, she figured it out without me even having to explain.

“I did. I… wanted to end it all. No starting over. Just… wipe it out and be done with it.”

“You can hear how that doesn’t sound better, right? That is worse than their plan. Why would you want to end it?”

“Look, I’ve only ever told Beatrice this. She’s the only person I’ve entrusted with my secret.”

“Lucky her…”

“And now I’m telling you.”

She suddenly shut up and looked at me, a mix of anger and concern in her eyes.

“Go on then…”

“I was twenty.” I began, opening up the vault I had buried within myself years ago.

“So this was…”

“About forty years ago. It was a different time then.”

“How so?”

“People like me… we weren’t exactly accepted.”

“Accepted? People like you?” Nia seemed confused.

“I’m a lesbian.”

“Oh my… Really? I never would have guessed! And?” She replied jokingly, but still not understanding.

“You weren’t on Earth then. It got rough for queer people like me.”

“Oh… yeah I don’t understand why humans care so much about all that. Sex is sex. Love is love. Just… you know… accept it and move on?”

“Sadly… a lot of people couldn’t back then.”

“What happened?”

“I met a girl. It’s how all tragic lesbian romances start. Her name was Anna.”

“Oh… I think I see where this is going.”

“I met her at a bar. We connected instantly. Fell in love. You know the classic stories… Couldn’t be apart from each other. Felt like I found my soulmate. We were together for a few years, even moved in together, when one night…”

I found it hard to carry on. My chest felt tight and I could feel tears forming in my eyes.

“You don’t have to carry on…”

“No, you need to know. Just… give me a second.”

Nia reached over and took my hand in hers, and suddenly everything felt… better. Not fixed… just… a bit better.

“When you’re ready, Vic.” She said, rubbing the palm of my hand with her thumb.

“We… were out for a few drinks one evening. A Christmas work party at a pub in the centre of the city. It was going well. I was even out to all my coworkers, and they were relatively accepting of me and her. It was our first night out together as a couple where everyone knew and we could be ourselves.”

I took a deep breath before continuing.

“Anyway… the night concluded and we were a little tipsy, so we decided to call it a night. I wanted to call us a cab, but Anna wanted to walk as it was a romantic winter’s evening and the snow was falling gently. And because I wanted to make her happy… I agreed to it. So we headed home, through the snow, our thick winter coats wrapped around us as we huddled close together, holding arms. We got about half way…”

I burst out in tears as the memories came flooding back to me, the ones I had buried deep inside and left to fester into pure hatred.

“It’s okay, Vic…” Nia replied, squeezing my hand.

“...And we were stopped. By two large, aggressive-looking men. They… they were just general creeps, trying to flirt and intimidate us, just the usual catcalling bullshit. But Anna called me babe, by accident, whilst trying to get me to ignore them and… well the men realised Anna and I weren’t just friends. Dykes… lezzas… the usual slurs. The f-slur was thrown around a lot as they walked closer and closer, cracking their knuckles as their faces looked full of hatred.”

“Oh no…” Nia put her free hand up to her mouth.

“I… I woke up in the hospital. Broken jaw, broken nose, broken arm…”

“Oh… Vic…” Nia shuffled over quickly and hugged me tightly.

“...But I got off easy. Anna… Anna was on life support when I came to.”

“I’m… I don’t know what to say.”

“That alone… that wasn’t the cause of my hatred for the world. That wasn’t the thing that sent me spiralling to find a way to end it all.”

Nia looked up at me, confused.

“Then what was?” She asked.

“They wouldn’t let me see her. Told me I wasn’t ‘family’. Problem was… Anna’s family were homophobes. Real nasty ones. As soon as Anna came out to them, they kicked her out… told her she was a ‘freak’ and an ‘abomination’ and all the usual curses thrown around at queer people. Anna hadn’t talked to them in years. But still… I wasn’t her family in the Hospital’s eyes. Because they wouldn’t take me seriously when I said I was her girlfriend.”

“Oh…”

“Then her parents turned up. Looked at me like I had corrupted their innocent daughter and turned her gay. Like I was a villain. They stayed in the hospital for a couple of days with Anna. I was still recovering in a nearby ward, so I snuck out as much as I could to try and see my girlfriend. Then one night… I overheard them talking to Anna’s doctor. They had to make a medical decision on behalf of Anna, as she was still in a coma. But they didn’t care about their daughter. They picked the easiest option for them. I tried arguing, tried protesting… but they wouldn’t listen to me as I wasn’t ‘family’ and because we couldn’t marry at the time… I had no legal right to make decisions for her.”

I could see tears forming in Nia’s eyes.

“What… what happened?” She sobbed.

“Anna died a day later. Due to their ignorant, shitty decision.”

Nia burst out into full-on crying.

“And… and that’s when I gave up. I gave up caring about anyone or anything. I hated how people saw people like me and Anna. How they treated us. I let that hate fester for years. Society slowly started treating us with more respect, more compassion… but by then, the damage was already done. That’s when I met the old leader of the cult. He felt empathy for my situation and you know how it is… religions and cults and all that roping vulnerable people in… anyway, yeah… I followed along and over the years my plan to end the world just became… a part of me. Everything I did, everything I built up… was all leading to that night.”

Nia wrapped her arms around me and squeezed tightly.

“But then we summoned you by accident. And that’s when the hatred lifted. The haze in front of my eyes dissipated and I saw hope and love once again. You… you brought me back from the edge, Nia. And I could never thank you enough. I just wish I had met you sooner…”

“You stupid, lovely human!” She said, crying into my chest.

I pulled out my arms from the constricting hug and wrapped them around her, joining in the tear-fest.

“I’m glad it didn’t work. I don’t want the world to end anymore, not now it’s got you in it.” I whispered down to her.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, just snuggling each other in silence as we both let out all the tears in our system.

“But…” Nia went to ask a question before pulling back and removing her face from my chest.

“But what sweetie?”

“But what about Beatrice?” She asked.

“What about her?”

“She was okay with you wanting to end the world and all that?”

“I think she figured it was just a phase. Or maybe she didn’t care. I don’t know hun, you’d have to ask her yourself. I’ve been too scared to ask her why she never spoke up or argued when all that stuff came up. Talking of Beatrice… are you up for an extra special breakfast that she’s preparing for us?”

“What’s so special about it?”

“It’s a great hangover cure.”

“I thought I smelled something on your breath…” Nia said, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah sorry… Mummy got a bit worried last night.” I shrugged my shoulders in response.

“I’m glad you told me.”

“Me too. Right… Do you need a change?”

“No. I changed myself.”

“You did? Well we can’t have that anymore… from now on, if you need a change, you ask Beatrice or me, okay sweetie?”

“Yes Mummy…” She buried her head deeper into my chest, trying to hide her most-likely blushy face.

 

Walking down the hallway, my girlfriend’s hand clutching mine as I listened closely to the crinkling of her new underwear, I couldn’t help but feel like a massive weight had been removed from my chest.

When I first met her… and my stupid, selfish need to lash out at the world for its lack of empathy just… disappeared… I felt like most of the weight that was crushing my soul had been lifted. But then slowly, as I got closer to Nia… it returned. Clearly I just needed to get it off my chest and not hide anything from her. Now I felt more free than ever, with no guilt or hatred in my heart anymore. 

Okay… well not much guilt. I still feel guilt regarding Anna. I still feel guilt for going along with this ridiculous plan to end the world. And I still feel guilt for all my actions, including keeping secrets from Nia.

But not for shooting Geoff.

Fuck Geoff.

As we turned the corner and arrived in the main hallway, I felt a cool breeze flow through the hall, sending shivers down my spine.

“Bea? Did you leave the door open?” I called out, clutching Nia’s hand tighter.

No response.

“BEA?” I called out louder. She should be able to hear us from here…

We crept closer and closer to the kitchen.

The lights were on.

But there was no sound coming from it.

No mixing sounds, no frying sounds, no gentle hum from Beatrice like usual…

Just… silence.

“Stay close…” I whispered to Nia. She clutched my hand as tight as she could and crept closer to my back.

Suddenly I felt a tug.

And my hand was free.

Nia was no longer holding it.

As I turned around, the last thing I saw before it all went black… was a large object as it swung for my head.

 

 

 

=========================================================

And so we finally find out her reason for everything. Sorry for the mean cliffhanger... but at the same time... it's only going to get worse from here.

?

 

 

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them!

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New chapters of Infernum Infantem every Wednesday/Sunday!

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[Moon3ye]

Absolutely logical and comprehensible reason to end the world.

And if you look at what's going on in the US, I would understand anyone who still wants to do it.

I've got used to the cliffhanger.

I would have been more surprised if they actually got breakfast.

I'm curious to see who it was.

Demons or the cult around Geoff.

[kerry]

My only reaction to the ending was the f-word.

[Kahlez]

2 hours ago, Moon3ye said:

Demons or the cult around Geoff.

It would also be possible that both teamed up and that would be probably a problem.

[TerranV]

Yeah I'm going with the cult and demons teaming up. 

Oooh, but the cult doesn't know they are working with actual demons. They just think they got really effective help.

[FloridaKid]

Yeah… I’m going with cult here. I don’t imagine demons would need to hit you with an iron skillet and up to this point Nia has been able to sense demon presence.

So glad Vic finally opened up to Nia <nope…not me wiping away some tears…just my allergies> People can be so ignorant and inconsiderate. Unfortunately, you don’t have to look far IRL to see that many of those prejudices still exist and are being amplified people who simply cannot understand or accept anything that differs from their narrow view of what the world “should be.”

9 hours ago, LittleFallenPrincess said:

it's only going to get worse from here.

Only YOU could have a cliffhanger after the cliffhanger. ?

[YourFNF]

18 hours ago, LittleFallenPrincess said:

Nia was no longer holding it.

As I turned around, the last thing I saw before it all went black… was a large object as it swung for my head.

Yeah 100% empathize with with what Vic is going through

And surprise of course our hero's are kidnapped before I can even have my morning coffee *sighs and rubs my temple then sparks up one of my menthol's... Exhaling a cloud of smoke as I slap a speed load into the Ruger Super War-hawk I pick up off desk and spin the cylinder before snapping it closed with a flick of the wrist humming in time with the music playing on my terminal as I walk over to the rack of cutlery on the wall...*

"Put on your Sundays, we're gonna dig a hole
Put on your Sundays, we're gonna dig a hole

Was a body, was a body on the chapel step
Was a body, was a body on the chapel step
Someone left it there broken with a sack for a head
A body on the step and lies all about
Was a body, was a body on the chapel step
Was a body, was a body on the chapel step

Put on your Sundays, we're gonna dig a hole
Put on your Sundays, we're gonna dig a hole"

 

[LittleFallenPrincess]

 

 

 

Chapter 34: Invasion

-Nia-

Infernum Infantem – LittleFallenPrincess

 

 

I held on to Vic’s hand as tightly as I could.

I could tell she was nervous by the lack of sound coming from the kitchen, which in turn made me feel nervous. So I did exactly as she told me.

We neared the door to the kitchen, and just as I took one step further, one step closer to Mummy… I felt something wrap itself around my waist and pull me back, breaking the connection between my Mummy and I.

And before I could react, before I could fight back, I heard a quick incantation in my ear and suddenly the world became hazy and everything appeared to be moving a lot slower than normal.

I was feeling drowsy.

‘I… thoughts… hard…’

‘Mummy… need… protect…’

And as my eyes started getting heavier and heavier, I saw a shadowy figure lunge at Mummy with a large object, aiming it directly at her head.

 

As I came to, my eyes were still struggling to open due to the heaviness I felt from before… and I felt… cold? The same chill I felt the first night I arrived here on Earth.

I could hear… mumbling.

No.

Wait.

It was a spell. The chanting and rhythm of it was a clear giveaway that whoever had ambushed us was now casting a spell around me.

Whilst I worked on opening my eyes, I quickly did a check of the rest of my body, moving each part of it to check it was all there and working.

And it was.

Problem was… I could barely move any of my limbs, each of them were tied down somehow, and I was now lying on my back. And by the feeling of something cold wrapped around my wrists and ankles, and the weight of them… I had a feeling they’re probably chains.

I even tried my tail, but that was stuck, though by something much lighter. I guess you can’t get chains for thin tails like mine.

My head was swirling still, probably the after effects of the incantation that was whispered to me. Bastards… when I get out of here, they’ll pay.

‘OH SHIT! VIC!’ I thought to myself as I remembered what had happened in the last moments of consciousness in the hallway. ‘Someone swung at Vic, probably knocking her out or… no… she can’t have died. She has her amulet. That would have protected her. But she’s still probably unconscious somewhere. I hope she’s okay. Please be okay.’

The chanting continued.

‘Wait… how long was I out?’

There was no way of knowing just yet, I needed to get more information, so I focused on opening my eyes, putting all my energy into overcoming whatever spell these bastards had cast on me. I continued focusing on opening my eyes for a few more minutes as the chanting continued even more, never stopping, not even once. Like… don’t these weirdos need air or anything? Maybe a glass of water?

I felt a small twinge in the corner of my eye.

‘THERE! I THINK I’VE GOT IT!’ I cheered to myself silently. And after a couple of moments, I overcame whatever spell it was and opened my eyes. ‘Thank Lucifer for demonic resilience to spells, that could’ve taken a lot longer.’

The light invaded my sight as I carefully opened them, allowing them to adjust to the new brightness. It wasn’t very bright, it was only dimly lit at best, but it was still much brighter than the darkness I was just experiencing. The blurry image in front of me slowly focused and adapted until I could finally see my surroundings clearly.

And then I rolled my eyes.

“...Geoff.” I muttered, unimpressed.

I looked around at my surroundings. I was back in the cellar that I first arrived in, the one under Victoria’s estate, but it was… different.

It was still cold as balls, but it was set up in a way that resembled some kind of… ‘Wait… am I on a fucking altar?’

Candles surrounded the cellar, and some even surrounded me. Sigils and runes decorated the floor, and a large binding circle surrounded the altar. A chalice and a knife and a few other occult items decorated the altar.

Standing next to me was the arsehole himself… Geoff. In some black, priest-y robes and a stupid hat, chanting with his stupid fucking face as he looked down at me. Then stood around altar, in a circle, were the rest of his dumb fuckin band of cultists, wearing similar garbs to the ‘head dumbass’ himself, all chanting the same thing.

Then confirming my suspicions, I checked if I was correct regarding the chains. Yup. I was. I was chained to a large wooden altar with a red cloth draped over it, splaying me out like a fucking sex doll. And… ‘HEY! DON’T USE DUCT TAPE ON MY FUCKING TAIL!’

At least I was still wearing my clothes and not some stupid white robe or whatever these dickheads think is good sacrificial clothing. Though I realised not only had they taken my fucking shoes for some reason, but I was still wearing the nappy I had changed myself into earlier… I just hoped that it hadn’t been noticed by anyone. Because that’s totally a priority right now… stupid brain.

I assume this is some kind of sacrifice or trade anyway. Though knowing how incompetent this lot are… they could be ordering a fucking happy meal and a small electric drill for all they know.

“Ah… I see you’re awake.” Geoff said, as he stopped chanting. The others continued still, as the new head honcho decided to chat to his captive.

“Ah… I see you’re alive…” I replied, as snarkily as I could.

“You think a little bullet could stop me?”

“Let me get a bigger bullet and let me have a go this time…” I grinned.

“You’ve got wit. I’ll give you that. But you made the mistake of siding with that traitor.”

“Siding with a lovely, thoughtful, amazing woman over…”

I looked him up and down and laughed, not even finishing my sentence.

“Yeah well that won’t matter.” He seemed pissed.

“And why not, Gee-off?” I taunted him. 

“Because we’re trading you to the Dark Lord himself.”

“Herself.” I corrected him.

“Ha… yeah right…”

‘Sexist fuck.’

“Seriously? You think God would banish down his favourite son for a teensy weensy rebellion? If Lucifer was a son, they would have just said ‘boys will be boys’ and let him off with a slapped wrist. No… SHE got cast down, banished and demonised.”

“Shut up, demon.” He snapped at me.

“Fair enough… just… thought you may want to show some respect to her if you wanted a better deal…” I said, shrugging my shoulders and rolling my eyes. “What about Vic? Is she okay?”

“She’s alive. Tied up upstairs with that little Witch of hers. Don’t worry, they won’t be coming to save you anytime soon… at least not until we’re done with you and gotten what we want. And by then, it’ll be too late. Victoria will get to watch the world burn and start anew… but she won’t be in a position of power in the new world. She’ll suffer, along with the rest of the rabble.” Gee-off replied.

“You really think this will work? You really think Lucifer will just hand over this ‘Child of darkness’ or whatever?”

“When we trade you over, yes.”

“Then you’re even stupider than I thought.” I laughed.

“Shut up, or do I have to gag you?”

“You… no. Eww. That hot librarian over there though… she could gag me any day…” I said out loud, so that everyone could hear. I looked over at the only woman in the group, who appeared to be blushing.

‘Wait… what if…’

I tried turning my charm on. The power I had as a succubus allowed me to charm any human I wanted. But I could feel resistance as I tried turning it on. Like the switch would click, but the light wasn’t turning on. Damn binding circle probably…

‘Fuck.’

“We’re nearly done anyway. Maybe you can see your precious Victoria in Hell.” Gee-off grinned.

Oh he shouldn’t have said that.

I tugged against the chains angrily, but they didn’t budge. I put all my anger and hatred for this arsehole into breaking free of this bondage… but it wasn’t enough. The binding circle was preventing me from doing any of my normal demonic things. No charm, no enhanced strength. The only thing that seemed to work was the slight resistance to harmful spells. But even that was slower than normal.

No… I was helpless.

But then… was this actually going to work? Would Lucifer actually give in to these dweebs’ demands? Maybe? Probably not if you ask me… but I couldn’t risk it. I couldn’t allow these arseholes to take charge of the new world they create. I certainly couldn’t allow anything  bad to happen to Vic…

So I continued struggling, trying my hardest to break free. Geoff just smiled as he continued chanting along with the other cultists. Some rubbish in Latin. My Latin is a bit rusty, all I could pick up was ‘darkness’, ‘child’ and ‘cheeseburger’... no wait… hamburger. 

 

Suddenly the door to the cellar burst open and in stormed Victoria, in all her glory. The chanting stopped in an instant and we all turned to look at her, with various different reactions on our faces. Some were shocked, Geoff was pissed, and I was grinning like a fucking maniac as I couldn’t wait for her to show these guys what happens when you mess with her.

Vic’s nose was bleeding, her face was knocked up a bit, but she still looked as gorgeous and radiant as ever as she walked in, gun in hand, pointing it at each member of the cult, switching targets every few seconds without firing a shot.

“Vic… put down the gun…” Carmine said, holding his hands out in a defensive stance.

They all backed away from the circle slowly, keeping their eyes on her as she slowly crept closer and closer to the binding circle.

“Back… the fuck… off…” she said, coughing a bit as she threatened them all.

She probably couldn’t take them all on. Not quickly enough anyway. She could take a couple of them down with her gun, but she’d be swarmed by the others before she could turn. So she kept the fear of being one of the ones to go down as her shield, making them all back off slowly. Clever Mummy.

“Just… let me take her… and no one has to die…” Vic said, her eyes darting from cultist to cultist as she shuffled forwards slowly, getting closer and closer to the altar I was still stuck on.

I mean… if they’re all wearing amulets, they probably can’t die. But it’ll still hurt like a motherfucker and they’ll wish they had died. So that’s probably why they didn’t just rush her.

“Don’t be so hasty… Victoria…” Geoff said, holding his hands up to his head.

“Shut the FUCK up. You invade my home, kidnap my girlfriend and assault me and my housekeeper. You’re lucky I don’t kill you all.” She replied as she reached the altar. “Uncuff her. NOW!” She said, pointing the gun at Geoff.

My heart was racing in excitement and dread as I not only worried about her safety, but also the possibility that she had risked her life to come save me.

Me…

A demon…

Who never felt worthy of anyone.

She loved me enough to save me.

Geoff quickly got to work, pulling out a key to remove the chains from my wrists and ankles. Vic finished the job by carefully ripping the duct tape off my tail, freeing it from the altar.

“Come on, baby…” She said, grabbing my arm and lifting me carefully off the table, supporting me as I struggled to stand by myself. “I’ve got you.”

“You’re making a big mistake…” Raven said from behind her.

Quickly turning us around, Vic saw the other cultists standing in a line, blocking the exit to the cellar. We had only taken our eyes off them for a second…

“Move… now…” Vic ordered.

I tried to help, I tried to turn my charm on… but it wasn’t working. I still felt weak…

“NOW!” She roared.

They still didn’t move.

And just as I heard footsteps coming from behind, before I could turn back around, I saw Vic lunge her chest forward. Followed by… blood dripping from the corner of her mouth.

No.

Wait.

She didn’t lunge.

No.

Geoff…

The knife in his hand… the one from the altar.

It had pierced her back, pushing her forward.

He then wrapped his arm around her neck…

…Removed her amulet…

…And threw it to the ground, smashing it.

 

 

 

 

=========================================================

*hides*

I warned you...

Sorry for the cliffhangers (at the same time... not that sorry... I love your reactions. my Patreons haaaaaaated me after this one.)

And also, this is one of my fave chapters personally. Not for the cliffhanger, I'm not that evil!

 

 

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them!

Thank you to all my patrons for their support!

Don't forget, the next 4 chapters of Infernum Infantem are available on my Patreon which can be found here if you go for the second tier. You get two weeks early access to chapters of Infernum Infantem.

New chapters of Infernum Infantem every Wednesday/Sunday!

Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

[Kahlez]

Yeah that took a dark turn but given that this story is written by an actual demon it had to happen 

[TerranV]

And now Nia goes full demon murder succubus on them. 

I was unaware there was a Latin word for hamburger.

[Moon3ye]

I've known you long enough not to be surprised by what you just did.

I'm curious to see what happens next and of course I have my suspicions.

[YourFNF]

Whelp if Nia doesn't turn these fuckers into actual hamburger I've got piano wire and rebar to shove into places it absolutely does not belong.

And unlike Vic I absolutely will finish the job.

[FloridaKid]

5 hours ago, YourFNF said:

Whelp if Nia doesn't turn these fuckers into actual hamburger I've got piano wire and rebar to shove into places it absolutely does not belong.

Probably should have mentioned it much earlier, but I love reading your comments (here and elsewhere). ? I read on a tablet and have the screen zoomed in slightly, which means I have to swipe left a bit to see the author of a comment, but I can always recognize yours before I swipe over.

On 3/29/2023 at 2:14 PM, LittleFallenPrincess said:

Me…

A demon…

Who never felt worthy of anyone.

She loved me enough to save me.

Wow. I love how much this says about the story to this point. Perhaps this is why it’s one of your favorite chapters? No way Vic dies here. If nothing else, I’m betting on love to overcome anything these idiots can throw at them. You claim to be mean, but I know better.

[LittleFallenPrincess]

On 3/29/2023 at 8:14 PM, Kahlez said:

Yeah that took a dark turn but given that this story is written by an actual demon it had to happen 

?? *proudly wiggles*

On 3/30/2023 at 2:52 AM, TerranV said:

And now Nia goes full demon murder succubus on them. 

I was unaware there was a Latin word for hamburger.

I don't think there is. At least known to humans. Demons probably had one and added it to some rituals as a joke. I mean I would totally do that if I could... ?

On 3/30/2023 at 3:26 AM, Moon3ye said:

I've known you long enough not to be surprised by what you just did.

I'm curious to see what happens next and of course I have my suspicions.

*whistles innocently...* ?

12 hours ago, YourFNF said:

Whelp if Nia doesn't turn these fuckers into actual hamburger I've got piano wire and rebar to shove into places it absolutely does not belong.

And unlike Vic I absolutely will finish the job.

I can always trust you to defend my characters, thank you ?

7 hours ago, FloridaKid said:

Probably should have mentioned it much earlier, but I love reading your comments (here and elsewhere). ? I read on a tablet and have the screen zoomed in slightly, which means I have to swipe left a bit to see the author of a comment, but I can always recognize yours before I swipe over.

Wow. I love how much this says about the story to this point. Perhaps this is why it’s one of your favorite chapters? No way Vic dies here. If nothing else, I’m betting on love to overcome anything these idiots can throw at them. You claim to be mean, but I know better.

Partially that, partially the drama, partially the jokes (still quite proud of myself for the Lucifer bit). It was very emotional and I knew people would want to hunt me down for the mean cliffhanger ?

[YourFNF]

11 hours ago, FloridaKid said:

robably should have mentioned it much earlier, but I love reading your comments (here and elsewhere). ? I read on a tablet and have the screen zoomed in slightly, which means I have to swipe left a bit to see the author of a comment, but I can always recognize yours before I swipe over.

 

3 hours ago, LittleFallenPrincess said:

I can always trust you to defend my characters, thank you ?

[FloridaKid]

15 hours ago, LittleFallenPrincess said:

still quite proud of myself for the Lucifer bit

I do love how you flipped the script on that one! I also love the “Gee-off” line. Makes me think of how the puppet Peanut refers to ventriloquist Jefah-fah Dun-Ham.

[LittleFallenPrincess]

 

 

 

Chapter 35: Death

-Victoria-

Infernum Infantem – LittleFallenPrincess

 

 

The cold creep of death engulfed me.

The familiar feeling I had already felt a few times in my life had finally won.

In the past, my amulet had prevented that creep from winning. But now my amulet is gone…

This was it for me.

 

It had all gone dark. I felt the life fade from my body as I crumpled to the floor. And I awaited the inevitable.

Was it going to be a bright light or the fiery pit? How about complete darkness? Would I wake up in another body after being reincarnated? I had read many books on death, but no one had an actual answer. At least no one in the books I had read. And Nia… Nia hadn’t told me much about the process. I knew there was a Heaven and a Hell, Nia had made that very clear, but she hadn’t mentioned any other afterlife to me. So I waited for what would happen. Who would be right in the end?

I sat there, on the cold dark cellar floor, just a few feet from my lifeless body, the frozen figures from the last few moments of my existence standing like posed mannequins.

As soon as I died, time slowed down to a crawl until eventually it froze completely. My body lay on the floor, Nia was in shock as Geoff held the bloody dagger that he had plunged into my back. The other cultists were all running over to Nia to grab her… 

…But it was silent. 

…Still. 

Like a painting, it looked like a scene that showed the very moment my soul left my body. My ghostly form I now inhabited just sat here, unable to feel anything but cold. I couldn’t touch anything, interact with anything, and I couldn’t seem to leave the room. I had tried. So I resigned myself to just sitting on the floor here, waiting for something… anything to happen. Surely something must happen, right?

 

“Is this seat taken?”

The sudden break in silence scared the shit out of me as I fell back and turned to the source of the noise.

A hooded figure in a black robe stood there, looking down at me, pointing at the space next to where I was sitting.

“Wait… Death?” I replied.

“Well… yeah. Who else were you expecting?” They replied with a familiar English accent, shrugging their shoulders.

“Oh… I just wasn’t expecting to see… the Death. I thought maybe I’d just get sent to wherever I belonged.”

“I like to personally see every single soul off to their respective afterlife.”

“Wait… respective afterlife? So…?”

“Yes, they’re all correct. Except that one involving the pig and the ice cream truck. That was just a stoner’s idea when he smoked too much that somehow went viral.” They replied. “So… Can I sit there?”

“Oh… of course…”

“Thanks.”

Before they sat down, Death lifted both of their hands and grabbed the hood of their enormous black robe, pulling it back, revealing their true form.

 

“Wait… Anna?” I blurted out, my mouth open in shock.

I couldn’t believe it. The same beautiful face. The same black hair, heavy eyeliner and pierced nose.

“Not quite.” She replied.

Upon closer inspection… she… I could tell she wasn’t Anna. But she looked very similar.

“Wait… so… huh?” I was confused, and I think my face displayed it adequately.

“You thought Death had a face? Had an ethnicity? Or did you think I’d be that scary depiction of myself where I’m a large skeleton? I was created to ferry the souls of the recently departed to their respective afterlives. I am here to bring comfort and relief to those who have been taken from this world. So my appearance changes based on who died. A skeleton would just scare people.”

“Ah… so you look similar to someone who brought comfort to the deceased person?” I asked, after figuring it out.

“I read that you were clever.” Not-Anna replied.

“You… read that? Huh?”

“I know when everyone will die. And their life stories. My library is infinite. And you appear in some very interesting stories.”

“Oh… well… I’m flattered?” I replied, awkwardly.

“But yes, to answer your question, I take on the appearance of someone the deceased found most comforting. Whether that’s someone’s mother, grandma, father, best friend, coworker, drug dealer… whatever they need, I appear as that person. But thanks to afterlife copyright laws I can’t look just like them. Plus it would just really creep them out if I appeared as someone who was still alive at the time of their death. No, what I do is appear as someone who resembles the person they find most comforting, but… not quite that person.”

“Oh, like when you lose your Mum at the supermarket and you’re looking around and you see like a blonde woman with a trolley and you run over and it’s not her, it’s just someone who looks like your Mum?” I said.

“I… that’s weirdly specific, but actually… yes. I would’ve just said celebrity impersonator or someone you saw on the street that looked like someone who you hadn’t seen in a while, but yeah… I guess your analogy works too. I may remember that one.”

“So… how does it work then?” I asked, changing the subject.

“You mean the whole afterlife thing?”

“Yeah. Like…”

“If you believe in reincarnation, you get reincarnated depending on how you believe it to work. So some come back as another human, some come back as a snail or whatever. If you believe in Heaven and Hell, your sins and your guilt determine which of those two places you end up in. Then there's the field of reeds, complete darkness, good place, bad place… it’s amazing how many different afterlives your silly race has created in the afterlife purely through belief.”

“So what about me?”

“Well you were an atheist in life, correct?” Death asked.

“Yeah…”

“But you knew of Heaven and Hell, thanks to your relationship with the demon.”

“Wait… so does that mean?”

“I’m afraid so. You’re bound to the rules of Heaven and Hell. If you had known the other afterlives actually existed… I’m not actually sure what would happen. Normal humans never end up in that situation. Other beings, like your demon girlfriend, have their own special rules for their death, which makes sense seeing as they know more about the afterlife than others, though none more so than I.”

“So what, my sins and guilt decide if I go up or down?” I asked, not happy with this outcome.

“Pretty much. Or at least it normally would…” Death trailed off.

“‘Normally’ would? Why won’t it now?”

“The circumstances of your death.”

“...What about them?”

“Do you notice anything about the image you see before you?” She said, pointing towards the frozen world in front of us, the cultists and Nia all frozen completely still.

“I got stabbed.”

“You got stabbed… by a ritual knife. Whilst during a sacrificial ritual.”

I turned to Death and looked her in the eyes.

“SERIOUSLY? I wasn’t even the intended sacrifice! So I go down because of a fucking technicality?” I sighed.

“Sorry. Those are the rules. Your body and soul were technically sacrificed to the ‘Dark Lord’. Though I call her Lucy.”

“So… Hell eh? What’s it like?” I asked.

“You’re pretty calm, considering you’ve just been unfairly damned to Hell, due for an eternity of torture…”

“Shit happens.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“Shit, does indeed, happen.”

“So what about you?”

“What about me?” Death asked, confused.

“Where do you go when you die? If you know all the afterlives… what happens to you?”

“I… you really are pretty clever for a human.”

“Thanks. So… go on… I’m interested.”

“I… don’t actually know.” She replied, her words sounding… surprised.

Death looked down at the ground and took a deep breath. 

“Great. You’ve gone and given the ‘living embodiment of death’... anxiety. Honestly… I’ve got a feeling Hell should be more scared of you, than you are of it…”

“Sorry. I just… I like to learn things. Wait… has no one ever asked you this?”

“No. You’re a special case due to your knowledge of the afterlife, the special relationship you had with the demon, and the nature of your death. And that damn amulet of yours which kept me away for so bloody long… So yes, normally you wouldn’t be having this deep conversation with me. I would have done a bit of small talk with you, comforted you, and gently led you to the afterlife of your belief. But you… look, I don’t get to have a decent conversation these days. So I’m making the most of it. Normally I wouldn’t be allowed this kind of chat. It’s been decades since the last time I got to have a proper conversation with someone. Not since that damn Witch business.”

“Well you’re doing a great job.” I complimented them. As if that’s a normal, everyday thing… Complimenting Death…

“Thanks. Except for the existential crisis part…” Death sighed.

“Yeah… sorry about that. I just… I’m wanting a bit of calm before the torturing. Just one more question?” I asked.

“One more, then I must be going. I know time stands still, but I’m a busy being. There was an accident on the M6, a big collision. Lots of souls to direct.”

“Will she be okay?”

“Sorry Victoria. I can’t tell you of other’s fates, or details of their deaths. I know Nia though. She’ll be fine in the long run. She’s got her big sis looking out for her.”

“Big… sis?”

And before I could get an answer, the ground opened up and I plummeted through the Earth.

 

My heart was racing as I plummeted through a large hole, a huge vertical tunnel with Earth, lava and fire surrounding me on all sides. My hair flowing backwards, constantly getting into my face. 

This was it. I was on my way to Hell. 

‘Just… let Nia be okay… please…’ I thought to myself as I plummeted to my fate.

I fell and fell, until I saw a figure ahead of me. A figure who was also falling. Are they… are they also a doomed soul? They weren’t screaming or shouting or anything. They were just calmly falling with their arms crossed. If anything… They looked like they were having a nap. 

I was getting closer and closer to them, until I reached a certain point then I was stuck at a steady pace a few feet behind them. They looked like a normal guy. Business suit, short hair, typical rich white guy.

“Umm… hello?” I asked, my body contorting as I tried to steady it so it was facing one way as I continued falling.

“Oh hi. Welcome to the back of the line!” He replied with an American accent.

I paused for a second. I couldn’t believe this.

“This is a queue? FUCKING SERIOUSLY? Of course there’s a queue into Hell. So we just continue falling forever until we reach the front of the queue?” I asked the strange American man.

“Yeah.” He replied.

“How long have you been here?”

“No idea. Lost track of time. Through the line I sorta found out that time works differently in Hell or some shit like that?” He replied.

“Great. Well, I’m British. I was born to queue.”

“Yeah well now that the pleasantries are over with… keep your mouth shut. I don’t want to have to listen to a woman the entire time.”

‘There we go… I forgot this was a queue for probably the worst people on Earth. There won’t be many doomed souls in the queue. Thankfully I’d rather not talk to a sexist pig anyway. That’s torture enough…’  

 

After what seemed like an eternity, the American in front of me was the only one in front of me. Suddenly, he shot ahead, disappearing out of view and leaving me in place, with what looked like an endless line of souls behind me. Sadly the one behind me was just as chatty as the American, so I was forced to queue for a lifetime in silence. Still, better than having to listen to someone who gossips…

‘My turn next I guess…’

Suddenly I shot forward, out of the queue. Landing in…

An office?

The most beige, depressing, private office ever. And in a very uncomfortable office chair in front of a large desk.

The walls were beige, the furniture looked like it was all from the 70s, the temperature wasn’t too hot, but it was definitely that awkward humidity you feel in an office during summer… with no air conditioning.

I looked over to the glass wall by the door and saw… more offices. No fire, no brimstone… just… bureaucracy.

“Name.” A voice said from in front of me.

“Oh… umm… Victoria Delacroix.” I said, as I turned around to see a demon who looked very similar to that one who showed up on my door the night me and Nia… you know… 

This demon was wearing a shirt that barely fit his ripped physique, along with a tie, some dorky-looking glasses on the end of his nose, and a little name badge on his breast pocket that said ‘Goz’gor’. And he didn’t even look up at me.

“V… V… V… Ah! Victoria Dela… oh.” His face dropped and he looked up at me suddenly with a nervous face.

“Is something wrong?” In my best ‘try to be as nice as possible to the demon about to assign your torture in Hell’ voice.

“Let me… umm… get my manager…”

 

 

 

 

=========================================================

 

And people thought I wouldn't let her die... 😈

*waddles away, crinkling and laughing*

 

I hope everyone enjoys this chapter! Please leave likes and comments and all that fun stuff, I love reading them!

Thank you to all my patrons for their support!

Don't forget, the next 4 chapters of Infernum Infantem are available on my Patreon which can be found here if you go for the second tier. You get two weeks early access to chapters of Infernum Infantem.

New chapters of Infernum Infantem every Wednesday/Sunday!

Also just a quick note: I don't mind people saving this story for personal reading. But I'd appreciate it if people didn't post it elsewhere, even if you're just suggesting it to other people. If you want to show others, please send them a link to the first page of this post! Thanks!

[YourFNF]

2 hours ago, LittleFallenPrincess said:

“Is something wrong?” In my best ‘try to be as nice as possible to the demon about to assign your torture in Hell’ voice.

“Let me… umm… get my manager…”

 

Somehow I'm actually not surprised? Knowing that an afterlife is on the table means death doesn't end the narrative necessarily.

Also I feel like Vic's reaction on dying would basically be mine, or I might go full catharsis breakdown. I think it would a coin toss for me.

Also the fuck is this about a pig and an ice cream truck? *confused head tilt* 😅😆

[TerranV]

The conversation with Death reminded me of Discworld. 

I'm gonna guess that Lucy herself is Nia's big sis.

[YourFNF]

It would be curious to see where I wind up actually.... I was raised Christian but rejected that shit hard. I'm an atheist leaning agnostic with pagan tendencies but don't really like capital "B", "Believe" in any thing in particular. I basically have an attitude that it's a coin toss what happens after. So would it just be lottery for me? Or would my GF being a witch and claiming personal insight that she shared effect things?

2 minutes ago, TerranV said:

he conversation with Death reminded me of Discworld. 

Yep! Very Gaiman and Pratchett inspired. I could definitely see the influence.