Three years ago.
The temperature gauge on Alessia's dash on her beat-up Ford 2008 pickup truck shows it is -20 outside. "How can it be so cold outside?" Muttering under her breath, she pulls out the black knitted scarf she picked at the dollar store and wraps it securely around her head. All Alessia wants is to be back home, under her comforter and reading a book. She was covering a shift for a co-worker who begged her to cover her. Looking at the bar before her, Alessia backs out of the parking lot. At least she can go home now.
It's only been a few months since she wandered into the small Midwest town. Alessia wasn't sure why she moved her, was she running away? Maybe. Her life in Georgia could have been better. She was an orphan and grew up in the foster system. When she turned 18 a few months back, Alessia couldn't move out fast enough.
As soon as she was able to, she worked. Alessia saved up money for a car and a place to call home. Now that she is in the middle of nowhere, life isn't perfect, but she can at least call things her own. She has her truck, apartment, and a bearable job.
Alessia is happy.
Pulling out into the deserted road, it was past 2 am and wasn't even a road. It was more like playing a guessing game because, to Alessia's dismay, it was snowing, and she couldn't make out the highway.
Letting out a deep sigh, she heads to her apartment. The downside of the midwest was the winter months, and she didn't realize that the one thing she would miss from her southern town was the mild winters.
Pop!
The noise brings Alessia out of her thoughts. She looks in her rearview mirror and is the only one on the road. Did she hit something? Alessia wasn't sure and shrugs her shoulders. Her stirring wheel yanks to the right, catching her off guard. Alessia tries to yank it back, but the truck heads towards a steep ditch. Trying to take back control of the car, Alessia hits the brakes.
The truck flips over and rolls a few times down the ditch. As the truck came to a stop, Alessia was upside down, and the windshield was busted and blowing in the cold winter air. Everything happened too fast for Alessia to comprehend that her body screamed in pain.
A flash of light appears in the window, and a man is holding a flashlight.
"Can you hear me?" A man's voice calls out, and he shines his flashlight into the truck.
Alessia tries to yell that she is okay. But her mouth wasn't moving. She tried to wave her arms, yet they didn't budge.
The man smashes the driver's window and looks Alessia up and down. He reaches for her neck and checks her pulse. His face goes pale, and he steps away from her truck while talking to someone on the phone.
Why isn't he getting her out of the truck? Is she that badly injured? Alessia can't feel her body. The cold is probably numbing the pain.
The following 20 mins were a blur for Alessia. Fire trucks, ambulances, and police showed up. They eventually got her out of the truck, and she still couldn't talk or move. It felt like she was watching a movie and witnessing someone being rescued even though it was herself being saved. When they started to do CPR, she knew what had happened.
She is dead.
* * *
Present day.
Another man appears, just like the long black hair guy, but his hair is a vibrate red and shorter. A single braid on the long side dangled in front of his face. It has a gem at the end. It wasn't something she has seen before. He, of course, is also just as beautiful.
Alessia needs more time to admire how they look like they stepped out of a movie set. Instead, she uses this opportunity to get her a** in gear and MOVE. She pushes her shaking legs to their feet and forces herself to move quickly.
"Look, she is trying to get away again." The man with black hair was in front of her again. A groan slips out of her mouth. A smirk appears on his face, amused by Alessia's frustration. She rolls her eyes, feeling annoyed by this situation. The fear she felt earlier is starting to fade away, and the anger bottling up is about to erupt from her.
The one thing Alessia hates more than feeling weak is men who think she is weak.
"Move." She demands.
"Marcus, let her go." The redhead appears, and he looks at her with sympathy. At least this demon, man, or whatever they are, seems nice. The man with black hair needs to relax a bit. All Alessia wants is to leave, tend to her wound, and take a hot shower. Then, she would worry about these two.
"If you call me by that filthy human name again, I will slit your throat." He turns to the redhead with his hand on his sword.
"Calm down, Zagreus. We agreed that we would use an easier or more human name!" The redhead mutters and doesn't seem threatened by the sword.
Alessia was standing there in disbelief. What in the heavens is happening today? Forgetting that she was wounded, the pain on her side returns, and she winces. She needs to get out of her and back to her car.
They both are standing in front of her but not really paying attention to Alessia, backing away slowly from them. She makes enough space and decides to run for it.
Going as fast as she can go, Alessia darts into the thicker part of the woods. She can hear them still bickering and wonders what their relationship is like.
The higher rank demons are more verbal and are the ones that can speak multiple languages. They can easily trick humans and appear like regular people or possess humans. But that is where the similarity ends. Alessia can still see their true ugly nature.
Those two guys are far from typical demons that Alessia deals with, and their aura is powerful. Right now, the best thing for her to do is get to safety and away from them.
"You don't need to run." A voice yells from behind Alessia, wincing again as her side throbs in pain. She steals a glance over her shoulders. It was the redhead.
"I am not going to harm you, and I talk to Zagreus, who agrees not to touch you again. Can we please talk?" His voice drops one octave as if trying to sound harmless.
"Why would I trust you? And why the hell would I trust that man? He is trying to kill me. Please leave me alone, I will ignore that I was almost murdered today, and I'll forget that I met you two as long as you let me leave in peace." Alessia yells over her shoulders. She quickens her pace and keeps zig-zagging through the trees.
Alessia feels a grip on her shoulders, and she shrieks in surprise. Looking towards her right, it once again was the redhead.
"Please stop running. I can smell your blood, which means you are wounded. Let me have a look?"
His green eyes are like emeralds, they are beautiful, but Alessia can't trust him.
"How do I know you are not trying to kill me?" She spits out, glaring at him.
He rubs his hair and flashes an innocent smile. Alessia sighs to herself. Even his smile is model worthy.
Wack!
Alessia's body drops to the ground, her head spins, and her vision becomes blurry. She looks up at the sky, and the redhead and the man name Zagreus look down at her. The redhead glares at Zagreus.
She feels like throwing up, and Alessia can feel her eyes becoming heavy, and she blacks out.
"Why did you do that?" Donn yells at Zagreus.
"She wasn't going to stop running, and it was just a little tap on the back of her neck. She will be fine." Zagreus is already annoyed at Donn for not letting him kill her.
"You are ruthless as always. Since you knocked her out, you get to carry her."
"What?" Zagreus says with annoyance as he looks at the girl on the ground.
"It's only right, Zagreus, anyways. Please hurry up and pick her up. We need to return to the underworld." Donn looks out towards the trees; the air in this realm is becoming more polluted by the demons.
Looking back at Zagreus, he picks up the unknown woman and angrily throws her over his shoulder.
"Let's go." He mutters angrily.