“Let us move on, I have a particularly lazy individual who won’t get me the contract, find him and make him pay, with this new power,” Varek said waving his glowing hand.

“What is it?” Spike said.

“A barrier in exchange for your sense ability, now move it, I have little patience right now,” Varek said sounding frustrated.

“Fine…” Spike said as he made his way to the portal.

“And don’t come back without the contract,” Varek said.

“I know…” Spike said as he entered through the portal.

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Slothful business

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Spike made his way through the portal and saw he was standing in front of an electronic gate in a large building.

“Hell has tech-”

“Oceans remember?” Varek said.

“Oh yeah,” Spike sighed and he continued on, going up to the door and he didn’t notice a laser trap that when he walked through it an alarm went off.

“Huh?” Spike said before a camera came out of the wall and looked at him.

“Can I help you?...” A slow and tedious voice asked.

“Um, yes, can you please get me your boss on the phone,” Spike asked.

“.....Nooo…” The voice droned.

“What? Why?” Spike asked.

“I’m too tired to reach for the intercom button, and frankly he’s never willing to come out of his penthouse, so-”

“I’m here on behalf of Varek!” Spike called and the voice paused.

“On second thought… I’ll get him,” The voice said and the camera left, two minutes later another one on the opposite side of the gate came out.

“Yeah? Whaddya want? I hope this was important enough to interrupt my game for-” A nasally voice sneered over the camera before Spike spoke.

“Varek,” Spike said simply and he heard a spit take on the other side.

“V-Varek? Where?” The voice demanded.

“He’s not here, he sent me, look I just want the contract and-”

“Aw come on, he said I had a few weeks left! How long ago was that?” Spike heard the voice ask someone else, then a voice responded and he did another spittake.

“A few weeks ago?! Why didn’t anyone tell me!?” He demanded.

“Sorry Louie, you didn’t want to be disturbed,” The voice said a little more clearly this time.

“You useless-” Spike’s eye twitched as he listened to this banter before he called out.

“HEY! My family is in danger I need to get moving! So please just hand it over,” Spike said.

“Hmmph… sure, fine whatever… come up and get it, I’m not making the trip down there,” The voice known as Louie said and the gate opened.

“Thank goodness, someone, willing to-” Spike said as he walked in before a bullet ricocheted off the ground in front of his foot and he jumped.

“Dang it! The sights off!” He heard Louie exclaim.

“Aaah!” Spike cried diving behind cover as more shots hit the ground he was standing in before.

“When will you learn boy?... Demons don’t play fairly,” Varek said.

“Good to know!” Spike said as he noticed something bouncing near him and he saw a grenade.

“Tch!” Spike ran away as the bomb blew up, looking up he saw the attackers were turrets on the front door with cameras attached.

Spike ran around a corner and saw more turrets looking at him, he hid again as a few more shots nearly got him.

“Where’s the shards!?” Spike asked.

“There are none,” Varek said.

“What?” Spike asked for clarification.

“You're in the circle of sloth, Do you think the denizens here are active enough to actually collect soul shards? They mostly just put others to work so they don’t have to,” Varek explained.

“...Makes sense,” Spike said before he peeked around the corner and a few more shots missed him.

“DARN IT! Why didn’t the sights on these turrets get fixed?!” Louie demanded.

“...I’m too tired too…” Another voice said.

“Ugh, you're so lucky slapping you requires movement,” Louie growled.

“This place almost sounds like it’ll be easier, I mean the monsters are too lazy to come after me,” Spike said.

“They have their ways,” Varek said with a chuckle.

“How-” Spike heard doors opening.

“Suddenly the door the turrets were guarding opened and a floating chair came out.

“Huh?” Spike said seeing what looked like a sloth on a chair.

“Ugh, I hate work…” The sloth said.

“Stop whining and take care of him!” Louie demanded, over the camera intercom.

“Ok ok…” The sloth drove the flying chair towards Spike who poked his head out.

“This guy doesn’t seem so threatening,” Spike said.

“Trust me, I am…” The sloth said before slowly pressing a button and suddenly the arms of the chair opened and guns came out.

“Oh no…” Spike got up and ran back around the corner as the sloth opened fire on him.

“Please just die so I can go back to reading…” The sloth drove after him.

“Aaah!” Spike ran as the sloth rounded the corner and fired at him, Spike took cover around a corner below the cameras guarding the front door.

“Just cornered yourself… whatever…” He mumbled as he pressed the joystick forward and drove towards Spike’s position.

“What do I do!?” Spike exclaimed as he rounded the corner.

“Alright… let’s get this over with…” The sloth pressed another button and the chair aimed a bomb launcher at Spike.

“Oh no, what do I do?!” Spike asked.

“Ugh, do I need to keep bailing you out boy?... use your barrier!” Varek sighed exasperatedly.

“Ok!” Spike used his barrier power just in time as the sloth fired on him and an explosion occurred.

“Dealt with…” He said before widening his eyes in shock seeing Spike was still there with a barrier around him, not only that he accidentally blew a hole in the door.

“Go on,” Varek said.

“Alright!” Spike turned and ran inside.

“....Ooops…” The sloth said.

Spike ran down a hallway and found himself in what appeared to be a factory, making strange things, like the chair that the sloth was using.

And the workers were sloths as well.

“I didn’t think the sin sloth meant it literally…” Spike said.

“HEY!” Spike turned to see a camera looking at him “How did you get in?! Workers!” Louie ordered and they turned towards the camera “The one who kills him gets to take a break! DO IT!” Louie said and the workers looked at eachother and nodded before climbing in their chairs and driving towards him.

“Why is it never easy!?” Spike said as he ran towards a staircase as they all fired on him.

Spike took cover at the top of the stairs as bullets riddled the walls.

“YOU IDIOTS! HE’S UP THERE!” Louie exclaimed.

“Sorry…” They said as they drove their floating chairs up the stairs after Spike.

As they made their way up to Spike, Spike took the opportunity in the cease-fire to run across the catwalks.

“Where is the safe?” Spike asked.

“In the top floor of this place, where Louie is,” Varek responded.

“Ok- AAAH!” Spike fell as one sloth shot a rocket and it blew up the catwalk sending Spike falling.

2 lives “Wow, you died to a literal sloth, how embarrassing,” Varek chuckled.

Spike came to on the ground where he landed and he got up but when he looked he saw the sloths rounding a corner and taking aim.

“Crap!” Spike rolled behind the cover as they opened fire on him.

“Better move,” Varek said.

“I will!” Spike said as he looked for a way out of this, and saw a path deeper into the production area and he got up and ran when there was a ceasefire.

Spike ran for it and made it to a conveyor line, Spike vaulted over it avoiding the path of another rocket and he ran on.

“Is there an elevator? Or stairs?” Spike asked.

“I’m not holding your hand every time mortal, figure it out,” Varek said as Spike ran on.

“Thanks a lot…” Spike said as he paused behind a machine looking around for any threats.

When Spike looked at the other side of the factory he saw an elevator.

“Alright,” Spike said as he got down low and snuck his way over there.

Spike continued sneaking and he hid under a conveyor line when a sloth drove by, using vanish to keep hidden.

“Uuugh, work…” The Sloth sighed.

“Almost there,” Spike said as he saw a chance and he crawled over to the elevator and opened it.

Unfortunately, this drew the attention of the other Sloths and they began driving over.

“Get him…” The sloth up from said but in a non-intimidating way.

“C’mon c’mon!” Spike frantically pressed the button over and over again until it closed.

Spike gave a sigh of relief as the elevator went up and he waited as the elevator arrived on the second floor.

As Spike poked his head out and he stepped out and he made his way out towards a hallway that led to a fancy door.

Spike carefully made his way to the door and he cautiously opened it.

As he opened it bad smells came from within and he winced but he looked in and saw something unsettling.

A large fat caterpillar-like monster with folds of skin and he was laying on a sofa… which was also floating…

“This is the weirdest hell yet,” Spike said.

“Agreed, the safes over by Lazy Louie,” Varek said.

“Ok,” Spike snuck over and peeked over the massive caterpillar creature and saw the safe under his armpit.

“HEY!” Louie said in his nasally wheezy voice.

“Uh… yeah?” Spike asked.

“If you're here to… give me my chips, just leave them on the table next to me,” Louie said.

Spike knew there was no way to get the safe from around him so he decided to snatch it, he ran out in front of Louie who, despite being a lazy guy, reacted quickly and covered the safe with his fat arm.

“HEY! Waitaminute, you're that guy that wants to rob me blind and get me kicked out by that jerk Varek!” Louie wheezed as he spoke.

“...Yes, please, I need that contract, my family-”

“Don’t care, you take my contract, I’ll need to get a job again! I’m not working at that horrid fast-food restaurant again, those cannibal psychos wanted to eat me every shift!” Louie said.

“Varek will feed my children and wife to hellhounds!” Spike exclaimed hoping he was sympathetic.

“Cry me a river, look bud, Louie looks out for number one,” Louie said.

“GIVE IT!” Spike tried to grab the safe but Louie shoved him back, with his greater size.

“Ugh, stop making me move so much, it's tiring,” Louie said.

Spike looked up and he ran at Louie again but Louie picked him up and threw him to the ground.

“Get lost buddy, I have video games to play,” Louie said.

“How do I get it? This tub of lard won’t budge,” Spike complained.

“One thing I know about Louie is that he hates movement, he’s that lazy,” Varek said.

“I get that but-” Spike paused and got an idea “Hmm, alright,” Spike then used vanish again.

“Huh? Where did-” Suddenly Louie was smacked in the face “Ow! Hey!” Louie swung his hand out but he was smacked again and again from different angles and Louie began getting frustrated and he started swinging his arm around trying to hit his invisible opponent.

Louie began to yell in anger and when Spike stood in front of him visible again he tried to grab him only to accidentally fall out of his chair exposing the safe.

“Ooof!” Louie grunted “Aw man, now I gotta get up!...” Louie complained.

“Sorry about this, but I won’t let him hurt my family,” Spike said as he grabbed the contract out of the safe and tried to leave.

“NOOO! WAIT!” Louie cried and Spike paused “If you give him that, I’ll lose everything! Please!” Louie pleaded.

“....Cry me a river, my family comes first,” Spike said as he ran out of the room.

“NONONO!” Louie struggled to his many feet and he began a gradual chase of Spike “That contract is miiiine!” Louie chased Spike down the hall and Spike ran from the giant caterpillar but paused when he saw the elevator open and more sloths entered the hall.

“There he is…” The sloth up front said as they all aimed their guns.

“Waitwaitwaitwait! Don’t shoot you nimrods, I’m in the line of fire!” Louie said.

“Sorry boss,” The sloths said.

“....I got one chance,” Spike said glancing out the window and he ran for it.

“NOOOO!” Louie lunged and missed Spike and Spike fell to the ground, using a barrier to soften the landing and he got up and ran for it.

“That little!” Louie cursed after him and he turned to the sloths “Well?! Stop him!” Louie demanded.

“....But that’s so much work,” The Sloths sighed.

“.....Note to self, get less lazy employees next time…” Louie slumped over sadly.

Spike made it back to the portal without much else to worry about.

YOU ESCAPED!

Spike stumbled through the portal and panted before slamming the contract on the desk.

“Fantastic, you're surviving much longer than I expected,” Varek said picking the contract up and sliding it into his desk drawer.

“That one wasn’t hard at all to be honest, I hope the rest are like that,” Spike said.

“Do not get cocky boy, the circle of sloth is easy to survive in, compared to the others at least, but this next one should shatter your confidence,” Varek said

“What now?” Spike asked.

“Do tell, how are you with cold?” Varek asked.

Next time: Amidst a red background a huge shadowy being with a bald head and a stocky body, huge arms and he seemed to be wearing an apron.

He held out something that looked like an ice cream cone and said in a deep voice.

“Ice cream….you scream… we all scream… for ice cream…” He sang in a quiet tone.

Author's Note

It's a bit of a small chapter, this was probably Spike's easiest one yet, helps that in the circle of sloth, everyone is lazy.

I decided on a more lighthearted one to ease the dread for some people but trust me, things go back to dark after this chapter.