Chapter 1: Violet

It was getting close to closing time as Violet Kash looked around her place of work, Nicole’s Café, at the remaining customers, all that was left was a blonde woman roughly Violets age sitting at the counter in a hoodie that was two sizes too big, a small group of five college football players huddled around a small table, and a punk rock guy in the corner with a mess of thick black lines tattooed all over his arms. Violet knew that since this was her first time closing nothing could go wrong, her boss Nicole had put a lot of trust in her, and if tonight went according to plan she knew she’d be guaranteed a promotion to assistant manager. She walked to the door and flipped the open sign to the closed position; she then turned and spoke to the remaining customers.

“Nicole’s Café will be officially closed in about five minutes, so if you could all finish your drinks before then I would really appreciate that.”

She spoke in her friendliest manner and gave a big smile. Whole the blonde girl nodded in acknowledgment and the punk gave her a thumbs up, Violet noticed the group of football players didn’t move at all. Violet walked over to them to see if they had heard her, as she got closer the largest of the five stood up and turned to her.

“Can I help you, sir?”

“Well I was just talking with my boys and telling them how nice you looked, so I was wondering if you wanted to get a bite to eat with me once you were done your work here?”

Violet chuckled slightly.

“I’m sorry sir but I’m afraid you’re barking up the wrong tree.”

The man looked a little confused at her statement but he continued on.

“How about you just come and hang out at this party we’re going to then, I’m sure our other friend would love to meet you.”

He moved closer as he spoke and Violet began to back away, she was getting a bad feeling from this guy and his friends.

“I’m sorry I can’t tonight.”

As Violet turned to walk away the man grabbed her wrist and instinctively she reacted, slapping him across the face. The force of the slap made the man turn away from her, and all four of his friends bolted upright from their seats.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, are you okay!?”

Violet felt terrible but as the man turned back towards her, her feelings turned to that of dread, the man’s’ eyes had turned pitch black and he was staring right at Violet as if he was looking into her soul. Violet looked at his friends behind him and saw that all four of them now had pitch black eyes as well. Then in unison all five men began to speak.

“Come with us Violet Kash, follow us to the abyss, where you deserve to be.”

They spoke with one voice that sounded inhuman and layered, and before Violet could comprehend what was happening the men let out an ear piercing shriek unlike anything she had ever heard before, her hands instinctively covered her ears as she back away to the counter, and as she moved away from these things shrieking at her she saw out of the corner of her eye that the blonde woman was on her feet. In one fluid motion the woman kicked the chair she had been sitting on up into the air and caught it by the back rest, she then leapt towards the man closest to her and Violet and swung the chair at him. It struck with such force he was hurled into air and slammed into the wall to Violets left. The moment the chair connected the other four men were silenced and the woman turned to Violet.

“Run Violet, get out of here now!”

She spoke in forceful manner but also in a way that made Violet feel cared for. It took but a moment for Violet to heed the woman’s advice and she took off towards the door, and when she was within a few feet of the door one of the men made his way between Violet and her exit with inhuman speed. She stopped and watched as the man began to change in front of her eyes. His skin began to change colour, becoming a dark gray, and Violet winced as she heard the sound of bones breaking as the man’s limbs extended by about one or two feet, his features became more angular, and his fingers grew into long pointed talons. The men spoke in unison again.

“If you will not come with us then we must bring you to our lord in pieces.”

“Now now boys, is that anyway to speak to a nice young woman, I’d say it’s about time to head home wouldn’t you?

Violet looked towards the voice that just spoke and noticed the punk in the corner was now sitting on top of his table looking towards Violet and the creature. She also noticed the other four men had changed the same way the one close to her had, and the blonde woman was standing at the ready, looking like she was about to strike the creatures. Violet didn’t know what to do so she said the first thing that came to her mind.

“Please don’t sit on the tables.”

She couldn’t believe in the middle of this intense moment the only thing she could do was tell the punk not to sit on a table.

“Oh, sorry about that.”

The punk hopped off the table and began to walk towards the creatures. Violet was unsure how he could seem so nonchalant in this moment. Suddenly the creature by Violet lunged at her and before she could blink the blonde woman leapt towards the creature and twisted with inhuman speed and landed a side kick to the creatures face before it could hurt Violet. She then tore of her large hoodie and a flash of light blinded Violet for a split second but the moment it passed she saw the woman in front of her now had a pair of large majestic white wings protruding from her back, and a large silver mallet in her hands.

“Don’t worry Violet, I’ve got this.”

As the blonde said this the four creatures that were still standing attacked, and Violet watched as the winged woman swung her mallet connecting with all four creature sending them flying. Then out of nowhere the punk appeared beside Violet.

“I know she said that she’s got his but a little help never hurt, did it?”

Violet looked as the tattoos on the punks left arm began to move towards his hand, and as this happened she also saw the creature to their left get up and jump towards them.

“Look out!”

Violet screamed at the punk but he just smiled as he raised his left hand and a pure black gun appeared in his hand, he pulled the trigger and a strange bullet tore its way through the creature turning the thing to ash as it made its way through it. The punk winked at Violet as the gun turned back into the tattoos on his arm, and he made his way towards the brawl between the woman and the other four creatures. As he walked Violet noticed the tattoos on his right arm move this time and they became a long black pole, the punk then pulled back and swung at another creature, as it swung a long curved blade grew out of the top of the pole and it sliced through the creature once again turning it to ash.

The winged woman lifted her mallet as Violet turned her attention to her and brought it down on one of the creatures, and this creature also burst into ash, and after this without hesitation the woman jabbed the handle of her mallet into the gut of another creature. She turned as the creature grasped its stomach in pain and she swung the mallet down onto its head, creating another pile of ash. The last creature looked back and forth at the punk and the woman, even with its monstrous face Violet could tell it was afraid. The punk stepped back and gestured to the woman as if he was saying he wanted her to finish this one, and the woman smiled, curtsied, and held her mallet in front of her vertically, it began to glow brightly and change and with a split second it turned into a silver bow, she pulled back on the bowstring and an arrow of light appeared. She let the arrow loose and its tore through the creatures face, and one last pile of ash hit the floor as all become calm once more.

“I didn’t realize it was you at first but your scythe kind of gave you away. Thank you for the assistance sir.”

“Don’t be so formal, you could’ve taken him down by yourself, I just helped it go a bit quicker.”

The punk smiled as he said this to the woman. Violet just didn’t know what was happening, who were these two people, and what just happened? She spoke up.

“Um, excuse me, but who the hell are you, what the hell was that, and what the hell did you just do to those things!?”

The woman turned to Violet.

“Well my name is Casstia and I’m your guardian angel, those ‘things’ were a creature called Legion, he’s a demon hive mind with multiple bodies, and we just banished him back to where it came from, a place called The Hellscape.”

She gave Violet a warm smile after she finished speaking to her. It made Violet feel calm and comfortable, which was amazing considering what just happened. Violet then looked at the punk whose tattoos had all returned back to their original spots.

“And you?”

He chuckled at the question ever so slightly as he help out his hand for a handshake.

“Well Miss Kash, my name is Azrael,”

Violet shook his hand, and the moment they touched she felt colder but also as if she had met this man before.

“But you may know me better by one of my other names, I am the Grim Reaper.”

Violet froze, she was literally shaking Death’s hand.