Fiction| Urban Fantasy | Supernatural | Angels & Demons

Luci’s New Hell: A Friend in Need

The bigger and better version of Luci’s New Hell — Episode 11

“FBI, open up!” Nikki shouted and banged against the door with as much force as she could muster.

Jessica stared with a mix of shock and amusement. A few moments later the door creaked open to reveal a brown-haired, wide-eyed man in nothing but his underwear. His look of fear and apprehension quickly faded away and turned to anger.

“Nikki? What the heck are you doing?” Tony growled.

“Whitey tighties?” Nikki offered a dissatisfied look. “I always thought you were at least a boxer briefs kind of guy.”

Tony frowned and shielded his crotch with his hand. “Surely you didn’t come banging on my door in the middle of the night just to judge my choice of underwear.”

Jessica leaned forward with hunched shoulders. “Tony, we need a place to stay,” she said with pleading eyes.

Tony leaned his head back and sighed deeply. “Fine,” he said and stepped to the side just in time before Nikki barged her way through the doorway and plopped down on the couch.

“Thanks,” Jessica said casting a wary glance behind her back.

Tony excused himself for a few moments and returned wearing a pair of sweatpants. He sleepily rubbed his eyes, “Care to explain what’s going on?”

Jessica nervously glanced at Nikki. She was unsure how much they could trust Tony, especially considering the former coworkers’ rocky past. Her former moments of bravery seemed to melt away as she wished to hide deeper within the shadows of her hood.

“We were being followed by someone from the club,” Nikki said meeting Jessica’s gaze.

Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Of course, the club was involved. You just can’t leave that place alone, can you? It’s no wonder Bryce fired you,” he scolded.

Nikki’s ears burned with rage. She balled her fist and readied to push off from the couch, “Listen here you little shit-” Jessica quickly reached out and placed a hand on her leg urging her to stop.

“You’re right…” Nikki said in a deflated tone.

“There are extra blankets inside the ottoman,” Tony said with crossed arms and turned his back. “I want you both gone by morning because some people have a day job to go to,” he said while walking away.

“Fuck that guy,” Nikki growled and angrily tore the pink hoodie off, for a moment she was trapped like a snared fox.

“Was he always like this?” Jessica asked quietly.

“Yeah,” Nikki said sinking into the couch. “He’s kind of a jerk.”

“I was going to say pretentious asshole,” Jessica lovingly smirked.

“Yes!” Nikki laughed. “Him and Bryce both. They’ve always had it out for me.”

“So why Tony?” she asked. “Isn’t there someone else that you’re close to that could help us?”

Nikki pursed her lips and averted her gaze. She fidgeted like a child under the judgmental gaze of a displeased parent.

“Nikki?”

“I don’t have any other friends,” she finally admitted.

“That’s not true you have tons of friends.”

“Name one,” Nikki retorted.

“Umm,” Jessica stammered. She was caught off guard and struggled to think of an answer. “What about some of the girls from the club?”

“Those snobbish bitches? They don’t care about anyone but themselves,” she scoffed.

“Well, I’m sure there’s someone-” she began to say before she was cut off.

“There’s not,” Nikki snapped defensively. She turned her solemn gaze downward as a tear streaked down her cheek. “You’re all I have…”

“Oh Nikki,” Jessica said sadly. She leaned in close and pulled her friend into a tight embrace. Together they sat in silence with heads touching and wallowed in their self-pity until they both had fallen asleep clutching each other.

Several hours passed when Jessica was stirred awake by Tony shuffling about the house. A TV in the kitchen quietly played the local morning news while he ate a bowl of cereal.

Slowly, she slipped from Nikki’s warm embrace and slinked away. “Hey,” she said in a hushed tone. “I just wanted to say thanks for taking us in.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said between bites.

Jessica cast a glance over her shoulder to Nikki and smiled at her sleeping form. Her pink hair was as messy and wild as she was. “We’ve been having a tough time lately so you really have no idea how much this helps.” She glanced up and noticed Tony was staring intently at her with his mouth half open.

“What is that on your head?” he asked, mouth still half full of cereal.

“What do you mean,” Jessica’s voice trailed off. Her hand reached up and felt her exposed horns. Her eyes went wide upon realizing her hood had fallen. “It’s umm… For a cosplay,” she stammered quickly. Her attention was quickly snatched away by the TV when a picture of herself appeared on the screen.

Authorities are on the hunt for a woman named Jessica Loving. She is wanted for vandalism and the possible murder of Nicole Marshall. If you have any information on the whereabouts of either of these individuals please contact the police immediately and use extreme caution. The suspect is believed to be armed and very dangerous.

Jessica and Tony both stared at the TV in stunned silence for several moments. His eyes darted to the phone on the counter and his hand twitched toward it.

“Tony please,” Jessica begged, “It’s not what it looks like!”

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