Souls - XX

“Very well, come with me.”

He nods over his shoulder to a Lincoln TownCar that I swear wasn’t there a moment ago. Makes sense, was else would a demon in a suit drive?

I slip into the leather passenger seat and wait. Looking down I see that the blood from my thighs is smearing the tan seats a shade of burgundy. The demon doesn’t seem to mind. I glance around the car, when I reach the back seat I feel the heat of vomit trying to escape my throat. I force it back down. There is a corpse, it’s head oblong as a result of something crushing it. The eyeballs are gone.

The demon in a suit sits down in the driver seat, already on the phone.

“Yes, a proposed addendum has been presented. Yes sir. That’s right. One moment.” He holds the phone out to me. “He’d like to speak to you.”

“Yeah?”

“Sounds like you have had quite the journey since we last spoke.”

I want to scream ‘fuck you’ into the phone at the top of my lungs, but refrain.

“Mmmmhmmm.” 

He laughs, “Such language.”

“Did your guy here tell you what I want?”

“He did indeed. Just when I thought you were boring, you go and do something interesting again. You have nothing to bargain, you’ve lost your daughter, you’ve lost your cargo, and here you are making demands.”

“I’m not your fucking toy,” my anger is overflowing, “and I’m not an idiot. I know you're doing this for your own amusement. All of it. Just give me what I ask for and I’ll give you the best fucking show of your life.”

There’s silence on the other end of the phone. Then a click. He hung up.

Shit.

“Very interesting.”

My heart thuds hard against my ribcage, trying desperately to escape the sound of his voice.

I look up to the rearview mirror. The body in the backseat rising up, empty eye sockets looking back at me.

“How’s this, you sign the document with the new addendum right now and I’ll have Astaroth here take you into town, to that diner you somehow thought was a good idea to stop at, and you can do with you like with the wrath you have requested?

I nod.

“Very good, I’ll even give you until you complete my task to collect. I really want you to meet Jesus. He’s quite the character. After that though, don’t be silly and try to escape it. Be a good girl.”

“I’ll deliver.”

“Good, I’d hate to have to send someone after you and your daughter. Assuming she’s still alive.” The corpse’s toothless mouth stretches into a grin.

I can’t help it, I turn and punch Lucifer right in the goddam mouth. The head is softer than it should be, my fist goes deeper than it should. Lucifer laughs. 

“There’s my fascinating girl. Keep it up.”

The corpse loses all animation, slips off my fist, and collapses back into the seat. 

I turn back to the front and Astaroth. He nods.

“Ready then?”

“Ready and willing.”

He holds out the contract, a new paragraph freshly added to the bottom. I sign. He smiles and slips it into his briefcase. 

“Alright then, let’s be on our way.”

He pulls the car onto the road and turns it to the opposite way I was walking.

“I wasn’t going the right way?”

“Not even a little bit.”

The car accelerates and we’re on our way.