The Deal

by David Gallie

  ‘Why is Lisa in Hell?’

  During the conversations, I had with my new employer, I had not once seen any real sign of emotion until I asked that question. The look he shot me was one of puzzlement, and maybe even a little surprise.

  ‘You know as well as I do Samuel that taking a life is a sin, but taking the lives of innocent’s, well that’s a whole new ball game where no redemption is offered at all by either me or that absentee landlord you call God.’

  ‘Are you sure this is my Lisa you are talking about?’ It was a stupid question, but I was just too dumbfounded to say anything else.

  He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, silently questioning my stupidity.

  ‘I know every single soul who enters my kingdom, either by choice or by force. Either way, they are there to pay for their sins, so don’t dare question me.’

  ‘I’m not trying to provoke you. I’m just trying to understand how my wife, a kindergarten teacher, should end up languishing in hell.’

  ‘Well if you stay loyal to me I’ll show you the truth. Until I’m satisfied that you’re on my side, I wold advise you to leave the subject well alone.’

  That last statement was like a kick in the throat. How on this earth was I supposed to forget about the fact that the woman I had devoted five years of my life to was probably screaming in agony in some dark corner of hell while I was up here making a deal to save my own skin.

  It was all wrong on so many levels but I was trapped. If I told him what I really thought of him then I was going to my own little private torture chamber, where I would most likely never be seen again. At least if I sealed the deal now I bought something more valuable than the horned one's word, time.

  It would soon be on my side, and I would then be able to search for the truth. I needed to know why Lisa, a kind, and softly spoken teacher was sent to hell when that sixteen wheeler crushed the life out of her.

  I needed to know for the sake of my own sanity.

  ‘One last thing.’ He said, turning from the small pile of ashes where Argatol had fallen, to look straight at me. ‘Where is the bullet?’

  This was my chance to play with fire, in a very literal sense. I had started to form the idea that he had handed me one of his own secret weapons when I used it on the guard earlier, and even though I’ll probably always wear a scar on my cheek it saved me from being slaughtered by an ancient demon.

  So, I had decided that it was something that wouldn’t just be useful; it was an object that was absolutely essential to my survival in the years to come.

  ‘Looks like it went the same way as your friend.’ I said, praying to every God I could remember the name of that he didn’t call my bluff.

  I watched as he looked at the last few ashes of Argatol’s body being blown away. There was no emotion on his face, not even a pretend mask of sadness or sorrow at his loss. And those icy blue eyes gave away nothing if he was feeling anything at all.

  ‘Well, it’s with its one true owner then.’ He said finally, as the last wisps of ash were blown away by the ethereal wind. ‘Do we have a deal, Samuel?’

  ‘I do what you ask in return you give me eternal life? It’s a tough sell, but I accept.’ I felt bitter at being on the receiving end of a rough deal but it wasn’t the first time I had experienced such tactics in my life and I was sure it wouldn’t be my last.

  I watched as he turned to face me full on and put his hand out in front of me. I knew fine well that as soon as my skin connected with his, the deal was sealed. I did not know how I knew this; it was just there in the very dark recesses of my subconscious.

  I put my hand out and within the split second that my skin connected with his I felt a sudden, searing pain, course through my entire body. I could feel my body want to drop and no matter how hard I tried to stop it, I slumped to my knees, teeth gritted so tightly I was sure they were going to crack and splinter under the pressure.

  Tears streamed from my eyes as I fought to remain conscious, but the pain was so intense I felt certain I was already in hell. I had been tricked and the deal really was nothing but a ploy to get me to do his bidding before he fucked me over.

  And then, as soon as it came, the pain stopped and followed quickly after it was wave after wave of euphoria. At one point I felt so high I could feel the excitement reach my groin and cause the appropriate reaction.

  All around me the room seemed to be vibrating so fast and so hard that it was shaking itself into a blur. The walls and doors melded together in a collage of glass, steel, and concrete.

  ‘Quod vides fecisse, factum ducas.’ I heard the words being uttered and then suddenly everything stopped.

  There was no pain, no joy, no nothing except the shallowness I had been feeling already for the last countless years.

  I noted that I was still down on my knees. Still in possession of the bullet and still in the waiting area of the hospital I had fought so damn hard to reach just to finish what I had started.

  He stood over me, there was the possibility of a smile on his face, but I will never be sure for certain.

  ‘I see many great things in your future, Samuel.’ He said as I rose to my feet, albeit a little shakily. ‘Don’t disappoint me.’

  He stared at me for a little longer than I felt comfortable with, in fact, he made me squirm under the gaze of his ice blue eyes. I should have said something respectful like the way a chastised child would talk to their father, but instead all I felt inclined to give him was a simple nod of acknowledgment.

  ‘I’ll be in touch.’ The words hung in the air like an ominous odor that no amount of air freshener would be able to get rid of, and then like a mirage, he faded away into the ether.

  Slowly, all the sounds and smells you would associate with a hospital began to flood back into my senses like I had been blind to them during the small amount of time it had taken for me to bring Argatol down.

  I still felt stunned as I wandered towards the entrance to the waiting room. Outside, beyond the massive panes of glass which enclosed the area, I could see my Mercedes being slowly buried under an unrelenting blanket of snow.

  As I made my way outside, not feeling the biting cold that the fresh snow storm had brought with it, I felt a sudden realization that for me at least, it was going to be a very long winter. One I was not sure I was going to be able to get through on my own.

  I felt a sense of desolation as I slipped behind the wheel of the battered luxury car which was still happily idling away just like I had left it a few minutes ago. The clock on the dashboard stated it was two minutes past midnight.

  Putting the car into gear and steering it towards the city streets, I decided that it was a perfect time to get myself a drink.

  PART 2:

  SOUL PROTECTION

  I sat alone in the darkness of the bedroom, sipping on a shot of whiskey while my mind wandered to a different time and place. I could see my wife Lisa in all her vibrant beauty, walking towards me. Her smile as radiant as I always remembered it.

  She was almost at our beat up old car, the wind kicking up a dervish of dust from the road which brushed against her hard enough so that she would try and protect her eyes but not enough to make that wonderful smile falter.

  Then came the sound which signalled the end. The sound of a flatbed truck honking its horn just before it impacted with her body and stealing her from me for good.

  I could feel the cold glass slip from my fingers and tumble to the floor where it landed with a soft thud, as fresh tears welled in my eyes once again.

  It had been over five years since Lisa was taken from me. During that time I had managed to get by. I had slipped back into my old ways as a hired gun which had left me feeling emotionally dead as far as caring for or about, anyone in this world.

  Unfortunately, this had brought me face to face with my new and current employer. The most evil being known to the human race: The devil. As I wiped away the fresh tears I thought it strange that I had once considered being a hitman as
doing the devil's work, and here I was now on call 24/7 for the dark lord himself.

  The thought of him made me reach for the small gold ring I now wore on my index finger. A replacement wedding ring of sorts, except this one, used to be a bullet. A bullet that was not for me to keep, but I had somehow managed to hide it from my all-knowing master.

  Frustration had been building inside during the days after my fateful meeting with Satan. I now had the pleasure of being Immortal and equipped with my now magical ring, I had the power to go toe to toe with some of the most dangerous humans and demons my employer can think to send my way.

  My frustration grew from the fact that despite these so-called gifts I wasn’t strong enough to take on the one being that could free the love of my life from her prison in Hell. However, what stopped me from lashing out and doing something that would ultimately lead to my own stay in purgatory was the fact that I felt I was getting closer to Lisa. I may be in Hell but I could sense that things were changing.

  Satan, despite all his power, must have weaknesses just like everyone else. If a magical bullet, which was now my new wedding ring, could hammer a demon into the oblivion then there must be something either on Earth or in Hell that could give me the upper hand if I ever have to clash heads with his royal darkness.

  I knew I would need some serious firepower before I could ever consider challenging him, but someday I was going to have to stand up to him if I wanted to get the answers I was looking for, where Lisa was concerned.

  Glancing down at the spilled whiskey, I realised that my tears had all but gone, leaving in their wake a set of dry streaks down my flushed cheeks.

  A voice in my head politely told me I should make some effort to clean up my mess, but the bedroom and the apartment did not belong to me and I had no inclination to give a shit.

  As if to re-enforce that thought, a low groan emanated from the bed on which I was sitting. I turned to look at the bloody mess that was once a man. In fact, he was a young man who had made the mistake of trying to steal from the local church which apparently Satan had a serious problem with.

  I tried to ask why he should care less but I was not so politely told that I wouldn't possibly understand and should just do as I was told.

  Doing as I was told involved following the young thief back to this bare and depressing apartment. Once I was sure he was sleeping I let myself in and found him out cold on the bed.

  Personally, I thought the thief’s punishment should have been a good smacking around, and a reminder that stealing wouldn't be good for his future health but my new boss had more, much more bloodthirsty things in mind.

  ‘Gut him!’ His vicious and yet softly spoken words were like a whisper in my ear and as much as I would have loved to ignore them I knew I simply couldn't. Not if I wanted to remain free at least.

  With my orders firmly lodged in my head I took a detour into my victim’s kitchen. It took a surprisingly short amount of time before I located a sharp enough knife and then I was heading back to the bedroom.

  The gun was my preferred weapon of choice when it came to such nefarious activities such as murder. Knives still felt way to cruel of a way to take anyone's life.

  But his Royal darkness wanted the man, a thief, who I could only guess must have sold his loot on because I could find no holy item of any value on or near him, to be butchered and that was what I was going to have to give him.

  I took a few seconds to ready myself as I stood over the sleeping man. Then without thinking any more about it I brought the sharp end of the blade down hard on his gullet.

  His eyelids flew open in both surprise and horror as the blade pierced his skin and sank three-quarters of the way in.

  I stared only for a brief moment at his cold blue eyes before I started to rip him open from top to bottom using the knife like a saw because it wasn't quite as sharp as I had first thought.

  The thief made only a few gurgling sounds as the cold blade sliced its way through his stomach and a few seconds later I removed the knife as I watched his rib cage flop open like a woman's handbag. His internal organs had been damaged beyond repair and his convulsing body was simply going through the last motions of life.

  So it was with surprise that I turned to see his eyes were still open and looking at me from the other side of the bed. I wasn't exactly a pro when it came to knives but I had felt pretty certain he wouldn't survive the sheer amount of pain I had inflicted on him only minutes ago.

  ‘You should finish him off. Our master grows impatient.’ The voice was deep yet hollow. Like there was no emotion behind it at all.

  I spun around on the bed to see the tall monk standing, or possibly floating, in the corner near the door. He wore a long black hooded robe with an ornate gold design embroidered around the cuffs and the rim of the hood. I had no idea what the strange symbols meant but I was pretty sure if he worked for the devil then they probably meant something badass like I fart exploding bullets or something to that effect.

  ‘Our master has no patience at all.’ I said glumly, my voice a little coarse.

  ‘Be careful how you speak about our Lord. He has the propensity to know when a soul is not completely on his side.’ The monk’s voice seemed to echo from the darkness of his hood. There was no face that I could see, only an unending darkness which probably mirrored the colour of his soul.

  I stood up, feeling a little pissed that my quality time with the gurgling, blood-soaked mess, laying on top of the bed had been so rudely disturbed.

  Although most of my anger came bubbling up from the fact that it was just too easy for Satan and his cronies to walk into my life at any time they so pleased.

  Yet there was also a part of me that was kind of grateful for a different face to talk to even if there didn't seem to be one under that heavy robe.

  ‘I made the deal and I have done everything he has asked of me. But he can't expect me to like it.’ I said, standing over the gutted thief and slamming the knife down onto his still beating heart.

  Silence enveloped the room and although I couldn't see his eyes I could feel the monks gaze follow me as I moved to stand in front of him.

  ‘There ya’ go. Job done.’ I said through gritted teeth. As angry as I may have felt there seemed no point in even attempting to vent it out on the monk. There was an aura around him that made me want to keep my distance.

  The monk turned to look at my fresh new victim laying there on the bed with innards exposed to the world. He seemed to soak in every detail of the massacre before turning his attention back to me.

  ‘Our master will be most pleased with your work.’ There was a hesitation in the monks voice, an –apprehensive silence like he had more to say.

  ‘Well, that's my dirty deed done for the day now if you don't mind I would like to go and get some sleep before our good friend Satan sets me up with another murderous task.’

  I moved to step past him but before I could even put my foot down he shot out an arm, a black gloved palm stopping me in my tracks.

  ‘I understand that your deal encompasses demands only made by our master. However I would like to request your help with a matter that would keep me and my brothers in his good graces.’ I couldn't be sure, but for a moment, I was certain I could detect a note of fear in the monks’ voice. Which of course was odd in its own way considering he was born into the darkness instead of dragged into it like us earthbound souls.

  ‘Sorry but the less I have to deal with all the shit Hell has to throw at me the better I feel.’ His palm was still extended outwards and I made no move to try and get past him despite the fact that by refusing him I could very well end up in some seriously deep shit.

  ‘I can't make the kind of deals our master can, but if you are willing to help us we can give you something that will help you break the bond between you and or master.’

  Suddenly I felt very interested in what this rather frightening being had to say.

  ‘The only way to break the deal is to accept a
n eternity in Hell. I'm not willing to go that far until I can get my wife out of there.’ I kept my words guarded. There was no reason not to think the monks offer could be one of Satan’s little tricks.

  ‘Oh, there is a way to break the deal Samuel and still keep the gifts bestowed upon you by our dark saviour. However, you must help me and my brothers before I am willing to tell you more.’ I'm pretty certain at that point there was a grotesque, twisted smile, growing on his face. ‘I assure you, there is no trickery involved.’

  I could feel the craving for a cigarette suddenly take hold and after a moment of searching, I finally found my pack and lighter and lit one up. The intoxicating smoke was like a brief burst of heaven for my body.

  ‘Okay.’ I said. Exhaling a cloud of smoke with a gust of air. ‘What do you want from me?’

  ‘I and my brothers are guardians of a very special scroll which dictates the bond between demon and Hell. It has magical properties which prevent some of our lord's more important demon lords from travelling through onto the earthly plane…’

  I could already tell where this was going and decided to complete the story for him.

  ‘Let me guess. One such Demon Lord has stolen this sacred scroll and used it to drag his slimy ass into this world and you want me to get rid of him and get your scroll back.’

  The monk seemed to shift a little uncomfortably at the mention of the scroll. This was obviously a sore spot for him.

  ‘You are right about the scroll being stolen, however, to break its spell you have to burn it in Argol’s Fire. Once the holder of the scroll does that a permanent portal will open allowing passage between both worlds. Hermetia is a very powerful demon capable of great death and carnage. He has no care for the human race and would simply come here to destroy it.’