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Tripping and stumbling, falling forwards while wheezing and regretting every fast-food item he'd ever consumed, Anarchy Warlock hurtled down the levels of Hell hand-in-hand with the succubus girl that he really wished was his girlfriend, though Rap wouldn't let her be.

Zombies chewed at his robe, dragging behind him through the muck and filth, their long, drawn-out groans of 'beeeeeans' following his every footstep as they relished the taste of his spilled breakfast. Swooping, flapping harpies screeched as the two teens trampled through their territory, kicking up the carefully assembled sticks and reeds of their nests in their bid to reach Pandemonium in one piece.

The skeletons still rattled along, bits of them dropping along the way like breadcrumbs leaving a trail in a fairytale.

Anar swung wildly with the long bone he'd armed himself with, cussing under his breath - which was now very ragged indeed, whipping his tail at the putrified remains of the ghouls who were consuming his clothing. This robe had to last him another year at least! It was already torn and gummed and stained beyond recognition.

His trainers were sodden from mud and slime. Meredith's high heels were thick with grime, and the bottom of her lovely gothic black lace ensemble was now dirty brown.

They'd got a whole cohort of hideous monstrosities behind them now, slithering and crawling, creeping and flying, every jump down towards the epicentre of Hell bringing a fresh batch of critters with it, determined to make a morsel out of them. As they rushed after their warm, living quarry, they jostled and squabbled, lashing out at each other, fighting amongst themselves.

Jaws snapped, claws reached and with every obstacle and fall that hindered the students, they got agonisingly closer until Anar could feel evil breath upon him.

Meredith's grip was fiercely tight as she clung onto him. She no longer looked immaculate and enchanting; her pale complexion was rosy and glowing, her shiny, luscious locks splattered with gloopy swamp water, expensive Estee Lauder plum coloured lip-gloss had been mercilessly smudged with every wipe of her flouncy sleeve across her sweaty face; getting closer to the rumbling, boiling furnaces was making them almost steam from all the swift running they had been doing.

Hitting a rock with the front of her sequinned shoe, she instantly went down, flailing, but this time Anar just didn't have the energy to counterbalance and keep her on her feet, so with a grunt, he too went tumbling down to the silty, hot ground.

In a moment they were overcome, rushed on by the terrible legion, with teeth bared in their faces, claws snagging at their clothes, their mortal stench promising a tasty treat to the undead denizens.

Meredith gripped her amulet but couldn't concentrate on summoning a spell; she spluttered at a long thick tongue that wasn't her aardvark's as it licked at her skin, she batted away a zombie, taking its nose clean off, coughing on the cloudy dust entering her lungs, and crying at the raking of her scalp by curved harpy claws.

Anar thumped a slimy, tentacled thing as it slithered up his leg. He punched a ghoul in the side of its brittle head, his fist plowing straight through to the other side, a disgusting stream of brains and other unpleasant biological elements spraying over his snout. A skeleton's bony hand scratched at his cheek. A jagged tooth loomed into view. Meredith's panicked cries rang in his ears. He kicked, and struggled, and fought...

Something large and green leapt up into the air with a primal roar and came crashing down on the pile of Hell inhabitants, large curved, scythe-like toe-claws ripping at rotting flesh, long scaly jaws sinking down into the mass of bodies and slicing through effortlessly. With furious swipes, and sweeps of its elegant, narrow head, bones cracked, wings tore and whole heads were sent rolling away across the landscape.

Rave tossed a bothersome harpy by its skinny, feathery leg, dashing it senseless as it crashed down with a shriek, flexing his long hand-claws before digging them into a groaning pale figure, pulling its bloated stomach open to spill out in a triumphant, gory mess.

"Who's next?!" he demanded with a happy bellow, watching as the gibbering hoard of indescribable loathsomeness scrambled to get back. Tail thumping, eyes burning, Rave's scales glistened with blood as he stomped, his footprints sinking deep from his heavy bulk, looking more fearsome than anything the Underworld could produce as he lunged after his prey, sending them scattering. "Mess with the mammal, you mess with ME!" he screeched in warning.

Meredith brushed his grey, cut, bloody cheek tenderly, "you're hurt," she whispered, "oh Anar, you were so brave..."

"Break it up! I'm not going through this again! Come along, miss suckie, get away from him!" Rap chided, tugging at her sleeve.

Meredith glared at the little fussy raptor, her bright eyes narrowing. She wrinkled her nose and promptly dipped her head, smooching her lovely grey boy who offered no resistance whatsoever, rather thinking this was the least he was owed after keeping Meredith intact this long after all they'd been through.

"She's snacking on you, you plonker!"

"I'm doing no such thing!" she retaliated with a snarl of her plump lips, "so get your facts straight, peanut-brain!"

Anar tried to say something but was immediately shushed.

"You ran off with Crowley! Nothing but trouble!" Rap put his hands on his skinny hips.

"I'm trouble? Have you took a good look at yourself, recently? Stomping around the cafeteria, fighting Alexis, causing a ruckus in the library..."

Rave came lumbering back to them as they got to their feet and dusted themselves down, he was looking pleased with himself; "I took on the Underworld, and I won," he grinned, "badass or what?"

Rap's face softened as he smiled at his partner, "you were amazing, dear, so dangerous!"

"We knew you'd be gettin' yourself in a pickle, big ears, it's what you're good at."

Anar could only nod in agreement, he did seem to have a knack, didn't he? "I never expected you to follow me to Hell," he admitted, "but I am so flipping grateful you did!"

"I knew that bastard would try to do you in!" Rave frowned, "Just like a demon, too, send you somewhere dangerous and let icky monsters do the deed, instead of gettin' his stupid red hands dirty."

Rap brightened, "just you wait 'til you see what we've set up for him when you get back, you're going to be so pleased!"

Anar raised his grey eyebrows, "oh? I'm surprised at you, Rap, you're not the plotting kind."

"He's getting a dose of karma - with a cherry on top!" the little raptor snapped with a fold of his arms.

"Can't wait. Except," Anar sighed, "we've got to get back to the College yet. Then I've got to somehow get into clean clothes..."

"What? You look amazing!" Rap looked his aardvark pal up and down, "covered in blood, scratches on your face, proper Hallowe'en get-up that is! Like Rave said, we'll get you a scythe and jobs a good'un."

"But my robe," he regarded the rips and tears critically.

"You're not having mine, it's far too fabulous."

"It does look quite reaper-esque," Meredith smiled. "If you've changed your mind on the headless horseman look."

"Who cares what he looks like? I've run out of sweets! Let's get going. Anyways, I wanna do that treasure hunt so I get to be a squirrel."

Anar took Meredith's hand as they walked into the city of Hell - Pandemonium, taking in the sights and curious creatures within. Two large lizards, one succubus, one trainee demon; all completely fitting in and not looking one bit out of place as they joined the crowd, while a procession of assorted curiosities paraded along, accompanied by blaring music from speakers and glowing floodlights. Witches, Hell-hounds, satyrs, fauns, minotaurs, cyclops, snakefolk, imps, archfiends, resurrecteds, ghouls, zombies and spectres clapped along and cheered at the entertainment and party atmosphere.

Ahead, the dark spinning form of the Underworld link could be seen. Their destination. Their way home.

Anar felt that no matter how long it was until he was here again, it would be too soon.

They skirted around the mass gathering and approached the glowing blue circle on the ground, the doorway to the tunnel in the sky.

It shimmered as a speck of light travelled down. Someone or something was descending.

A broad-shouldered figure appeared with a crackle of energy and a grey head lifted, looking straight at them.

Long ears flickered, round snout exhaled, dark grey eyes narrowed. The long horns curved backwards between a graceful sweep of gelled black hair. Skeletal wings clacked. An equally bony tail scuffed the circle behind him, sending sparks.

"What are you doing down here?!" he demanded, delicate fangs showing.

Anar faltered, stepping back, "erm, I'm, erm,"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY ROBE?!"

Rave watched Anar cower, and wanted to bite this shouty demon, but Rap held him back with a shake of his head.

Meredith released his hand and hid behind Rap.

"Sorry, father."

Clawed, grey fingers grabbed at Anar's upper arm, making him flinch, and shook him before striking him across the face, re-opening his cheek wound, "you dare! Shameful little freak! Get back up there and do something I can actually be proud of you for! Hanging around with these lazy layabouts isn't going to get you into the Inner Circle! There's a prince of Hell in your intake, you should be following them around, learning from them, leeching! Lurking! I can't call - THIS"- he grabbed Anar's snout and let it go with a distasteful snort, "- my son!" With a swish of his fine silken coat and a toss of his proud head, the senior demon turned his back on his child, "we're all so disappointed in you, Anar, for how you turned out. I hope you know that. Never forget it." He made to walk away.

"If I do well in college, can I come home at term break?" Anar asked in a small voice.

"Forget it! We don't want you - you and your, your strangeness! You can stay with your uncle Mortimer. He deserves you! Ugh!"

Security cleared a path as he prowled through to the front of the stage area, taking his place on a seat, sat next to various other important-looking minions.

Rap's hand gently lay on his grey friend's shaking arm, soothing with his quiet voice as they stepped upon the link, making their way back to the college and the Hallowe'en celebrations ahead.

Rave was quiet.

Meredith wasn't quite sure what she'd been caught up with, but she knew a Director when she saw one. You didn't mess with them, they were Satan's elite. The likes of Crowley were born into demonic royalty, they were granted access into the Inner Circle of Hell by birth-right; the Director's got there by ambition and misdeeds, a thirst for power and a cold disregard for other's suffering. She watched as Anar furiously rubbed his pretty grey eyes, his cheek was a red streaky mess and Rap was trying to comfort him without embarrassing him while doing so.

"That demon was a right nasty piece of work," Rave finally said. "I was gonna thump him one! You really going to work with people like that? I said you were stupid!"

"Rave!" Rap snapped, "not now! Can't you think before speaking, at least this once?"

"He shouldn't let big ugly geezers like that boss him about! What was he, anyway? Looked like a donkey. Evil Eeyore," he snorted.

Rap's mouth flapped, speechless at his partner's lack of intelligence.

Meredith gave Anar a small smile as they appeared in a college room, back to relative safety. "I'm going to put a clean dress and pair of heels on, ok, hot stuff? I'll catch up to you later, when we do our offerings and stuff."

Anar's lip quivered and he nodded, trying to put on a brave face in front of the girl he really fancied.

She gave him a quick press of her lips, a stroke of an ear, and she was gone, trailing bits of mud behind her.

"Hey, are you ok?" Rap asked, "I don't have any of my kit on me to help you feel better, sorry."

"I'm alright. I'll be fine. You know me," Anar sniffed. "All that worrying about doing well, getting my marks, yeah? Waste of time. Might as well not bother. Sod it. We'll break all the rules. Tell all the teachers to eff off. What's the worst that can happen?"

"Oh yeah, this sounds like summat I can get behind," Rave said, tail swaying.

"Let's get Rap a witch's hat, me a scythe, and maybe some clothes that don't smell of gone off milk."

"You lead, we'll follow, mate."

"Thanks, Rap."

The launderette was empty. Nobody was washing clothes on Hallowe'en! Some hapless souls had, however, left their drying in and not collected it from the previous day. Anar found a t shirt, black, with an anarchy A symbol printed on it. How perfect was that? He couldn't have been luckier! A robe that was a little faded but wasn't chewed by zombies lay at the bottom of a dryer drum, and a pair of black Lee Cooper jeans that fitted well enough were pulled on. His trainers he was stuck with, but his dirty jumper cleaned them nearly like new with a hard rub.

He'd had a quick shower, his hair was clean, his cheek no longer a mess, his eyes were somewhat red and puffy, but he swore from now on he would do whatever it took to get himself thrown out. He'd go back to Warlock Court. No more being a demon! It couldn't be that hard, right? Don't do the work. Just walk out. What could they do to stop you? Hallowe'en was the perfect opportunity to wander the streets and find his way to Stonehenge. All he needed was his amulet. Alexis would regret ever crossing him! Rap had something in store for the rotten human, didn't he? Anar was quite looking forward to finding out what.

Rave was excited about some scientific experiment he could take part in if they did a treasure hunt. Anar owed Rave a solid.

He'd need to phone Monty using a payphone and let him know he was going to stay with him.

Giving his stolen outfit a tug and a pull, he was ready to embrace the true spirit of Hallowe'en and be the embodiment of mischief, first off by getting himself a scythe, then by calling Destroyer, and lastly galloping around the enchanted building knocking down anything or anyone who got in his way!