Names For Diavolo

On a seemingly average winter day, Jolyne, known in the workplace as the apathetic new recruit, was staying late at her job at Blueworks Incorporated. Her job as an accountant was as thrilling as it sounds but at least it paid her bills. A job so tedious where she sat a computer all day wasn’t really her style anyway. She’d rather be exploring the world in a private jet with a pet tiger and a surplus of the finest champagne. But here she was, clacking away at the keyboard in her deserted office building. She sighed with relief as she typed in the final report of the day and stood up to stretch. For the first time in hours, she looked out her window and was shocked to see mountains of snow crowding the building. This had to be the worst blizzard to hit her town in decades and she didn’t even know it was happening! 

“Great,” she thought to herself. “Being forced to stay at this crappy job for longer is exactly what I needed.” Just as Jolyne was reaching for the phone on her desk, the entire building went dark and all electronics powered down. She mumbled curses and slammed the phone down. “Could this get any worse?” she thought. After taking a few deep breaths, she began to plan what she should do next. She went to the exit and tried shoving the door but the packed snow wouldn’t budge. She tried the windows and second exit but her efforts were futile. The entire building was frozen shut. At this moment, Jolyne felt panic arise within but she was able to drown this out by making a plan. “Stay calm, Jolyne.” she thought. “A panic attack wouldn’t be a helpful response to this situation so stay calm. I can’t be the only one left in the entire building, right? I should look for someone else.” She grabbed the emergency flashlight from under her desk and set out to explore the building. Despite working there for two weeks, she hadn’t been given a tour of the entire office. If she was being completely honest, she knew little about what the company actually did. All she had to do was keep a record of the amount of money that was being spent. As she walked through the unfamiliar and confusing hallways, a shiver ran down her spine. This part of the building felt like an old hospital that reeked of bleach. Peering into the darkness, a large door with a warning sign loomed at the end of the hallway. The closer she got to the door, the sign on the door became legible. Painted in black was the message “Reap what you sow. When you look for trouble, you will find it.” Jolyne froze in puzzlement. “What the hell does this mean?” she thought. She had already been skeptical of Blueworks but this was just weird. “Why would someone paint such a creepy message in an office building?” After staring for a few moments, Jolyne gulped and pushed down her fear. She knew that she had to get out of the building and there could be something useful behind the door. She extended her arm and placed a finger on the doorknob. A light tingling sensation flowed through her hand as she placed her entire hand around the handle. Before she could react, the numbness turned to a sharp pain that crawled up her arm and across her body. She yelped and yanked at her arm but her fingers seemed to be glued down. The pain rippled through her abdomen and she let out one final scream of desperation before she went unconscious. 

After an undetermined amount of time, Jolyne woke up in a daze. Her head felt like it was going to burst and she tried to place her hand on her forehead but she realized her wrists were chained to the ground. Panic struck her heart as she made futile attempts to free herself from the shackles. She looked up and had never been more confused or terrified. The room was lit by candles and the architecture mimicked the gloomy and gothic architecture of 15th century Europe. “W-where am I?” she said aloud. A looming figure crawled from the shadows. “Who’s there? Show yourself!” Jolyne cried. The figure took off the hood shielding its eyes and two red orbs stared directly at Jolyne. 

“I am not a monster,” growled the silhouette. “I’m not…” it trailed off. “I am, I am… what am I? I am… a chronicler of sorts yes, yes that sounds right. I write these events down for my master and you are next in line.” The features of the beast were indistinct but Jolyne made out a terrifying grin plastered across its face. “Now tell me,” it continued. “What is your name? I must know, you see, I write these events down for my master.” Silent tears streamed down Jolyne’s cheeks as the creature crawled nearer. “Be not afraid,” it hummed through a smile. “I’ll tell you my name if you promise to tell me yours. I’m Doppio. See it’s not difficult. What’s your name? I must write these events down for my master.” Jolyne knew she had no other choice but to speak. 

“Jo…” the figure glared patiently. “Go on,” it mumbled. Jolyne gulped. “I’m Jolyne Cujoh,” she said with fear. Doppio smiled menacingly. “Excellent!” Doppio giggled. “Diavolo will be pleased. I write these events down for my master, you see. It makes him so happy.” At that moment Jolyne felt an itch from below her skin as if her organs were being prodded and poked. The itch grew to a stabbing sensation and she writhed in pain. Doppio let out a hysterical laugh. “Oh Jolyne what a curious one you are. Diavolo will be here soon to sing for you and he will be so pleased. Won’t it be lovely to hear a song written just for you? And I’m sure you will feel so much better after opening up your mind, and your flesh if we’re speaking literally haha!" Jolyne cried out as she felt her skin begin to tear. Thousands of needles appeared from under her skin and stabbed her flesh from the inside out. She couldn’t understand how she had ended up in such a bizarre situation because of a blizzard. The last thing she heard before losing consciousness once again was Doppio’s laughter and a deep voice humming her name. 

Jolyne heard a faint voice calling her name. As she became aware of her surroundings, she quickly sat up in terror. She looked around. She was back in the office building sitting in her cubicle. “What the… what just happened? Was it all a dream?” She shuddered. “Despite how real it felt, it must have been.”

“Jolyne!” a deep voice shouted. “Why are you sleeping on the job? You know our company policy strictly forbids that.” Jolyne turned to face her boss in shock. “I- I’m so sorry boss. This will not happen again.” She looked down. “Now Jolyne, we have a new recruit and I’m assigning you to teach him the ropes of this company,” said the boss. Jolyne looked up again. Sure enough, next to her boss was a young man with neatly braided pink hair. He seemed timid but happy to be there. To Jolyne, he almost seemed familiar, but she couldn’t figure out why. “I trust that you will teach him everything he needs to know here at Blueworks,” the boss continued. “I’ll leave you to it, Ms. Cujoh.” The boss turned and walked back to his office in a determined manner. Jolyne let all the fear from her nightmare wash away and she looked towards the young man. “H-hello nice to meet you uh, Ms. Cujoh.” He smiled nervously. “Please call me Jolyne. Ms. Cujoh feels too formal for me. I suppose I should give you a quick tour of the office.” She grabbed a clipboard and stood up. The boy turned to the window and gasped. “Oh look it’s snowing! I haven’t seen weather like this in years, isn't it beautiful?” Jolyne turned and shrugged. “I prefer the warm summer months. Now let's get going, follow me.” Jolyne turned towards the hallway and the boy followed close behind. “By the way,” she said. “I never got your name.” A glint of red flashed across the boy’s eyes. “Oh of course,” he said with a gentle smile. “My name is Doppio.”