Bargaining with the Devil

[Calyxxx]

She chuckled to herself.

"No, I don't suppose so." She turned and began walking down the street. "You'd might as well follow me then." She shot a look back at him to make sure he was before continuing her strut down the road.

"There's lots for you to learn now. You are dead. Nothing we can do about that, plus it was part of our arrangement, so I don't feel too bad about it. Since you are property of me, you now do as I tell you. Don't worry, you won't be alone, there's plenty of other people to talk to. Besides me, that is."

She stopped walking and turned around.

"Are you ready?"

 

[gagonthis]

He sighed as he followed her down the road. Death wasn't nearly as dramatic as he'd been expecting. No dead relatives beckoning him towards the light, no final judgement... though he supposed he'd just been judged on earth and found wanting, and found an idiot. He looked around, expecting to the see the scenery change to the images he had traditionally associated with death. Rather he just kept moving forward, following in her wake as people moved out of his way almost subconsciously.
He swallowed as she turned around, her eyes seeming to pierce right through him. He wondered what she meant by there being other people to talk to. He decided to keep his mouth shut and see what was coming though. No sense asking questions when he didn't have the first clue what was going on. "I... yes I'm ready." He said with a cringe.

 

[Calyxxx]

"Close your eyes." She commanded him, smirking as he shut them. She closed hers as well, for only an instant before opening them again, to find she was home. Home, of course, for one such as she, meant a sprawling castle filled with every dark image imaginable.

"OK, open." She turned away from him and walked towards her chair in the center of the mail hall.

 

[gagonthis]

He blinked at her command, considering telling her to shove off... but what good would it do? She'd already made it perfectly clear he wasn't going to be able to resist her, he had willingly and stupidly given away his soul. Sighing heavily he closed his eyes. He felt a pressure, almost as if he were being crushed by the weight of the entire world. He tried to cry out but nothing came out of his mouth. A mere moment later it was gone. He heard her command to reopen his eyes and he did, gaping in surprise and awe at the sight before him. "Are we.... I mean... is this... hell?" He asked as he took in the dark throne room he was in.

 

[Calyxxx]

She seated herself in the chair smiled at him.

"It is whatever you want it to be. Either way, it is now your home." Her eyes showed pity for him and she straightened her face to hide it.

"You can call me Lucy, if you'd like. No sense not knowing my name. I'll also show you to where you will be staying, but for now, you may need some time to just absorb everything."

 

[gagonthis]

"What... what exactly are you going to have me do here? Torture me for your amusement?" Christ what had he done he kept thinking as he looked around. He was in hell, he'd been killed and sold his soul to, for lack of a better word, the devil. "I... I suppose I should see where I'll be staying... It's... not a lake of fire is it?" He asked, fear making his voice quake.

 

[Calyxxx]

She shook her head and tsked loudly.

"No, no, no, my dear. Torture, indeed. How primitive. I only need for you to do me a few tasks, every now and again. In exchange, you will have a wonderful existence here. We'll let you get settled in before we worry about those."

She stood and beckoned him to follow her, climbing a flight of stairs.

"Hell is not as bad as one might expect. Especially for one lucky to be contractually bound to me." As she spoke, she stopped in front of a large, ornately carved door, and flung it open. Before them was a large, stately looking four-poster bed, in a mahogany paneled room. A large, flat-paneled television was hung on the wall, and a large, hand-carved armoir stood on one side. She walked in, and opened a door off to one side, revealing a large bathroom.

"This is all yours. Feel free to redecorate at your will. Ask any of the attendants you find walking around for assistance. They are people who's souls are also bound to me. Don't cross me or you'll find yourself doing mindless work as well."

 

[gagonthis]

He blinked as she threw open the door, exposing his living quarters to him. He cringed as he looked, expecting to see implements of torture that would be used on him for eternity or the most primitive furnishings, perhaps like a prison cell for all eternity. So he blinked in surprise as he took in the scene before him. It was a grander room than any he had seen before. "This.... this is all mine?" He asked as he looked around in awe. He peeked into the bathroom as she opened it. "So... even though I'm dead I still have to...." He gestured at the toilet, not wanting to put words to his thought.

 

[Calyxxx]

She shrugged her shoulders at him and giggled quietly.

"Honestly, it's just to make you feel more at home. It may take a while for you to wrap your mind around the fact that you are, in fact, dead. When you want the bathroom to be gone, it just won't be here anymore."

She moved to a panel of the wall and took hold of it, folding it back to reveal a closet.

"There's some clothing in here, add to it as you wish"

 

[gagonthis]

He was having a very hard time wrapping his head aorund anything, but now that she mentioned it he did feel completely human. None of the differences he had expected to feel were there, he felt as if nothing had happened to him earlier in the day. All of this was boggling his mind but he hung on her very word, still looking for some hint of what she wanted with him. "Ah... ummmm how exactly do I go about adding clothing? Are there malls here?" He asked with a nervous chuckle.

 

[Calyxxx]

She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall.

"Again, the attendants will be happy to help you out, if you'd prefer to do it on your own, though, The Chest is here for you." She motioned to what looked like an old steam trunk sitting at the bottom of the bed.

"Think what you want, and then open The Chest. Voila!" She chuckled again and pushed herself forwards from the wall, to kneel in front of The Chest. She closed her eyes and opened it. Smiling, she reached her hand inside and pulled out an apple, tossing it towards him.

 

[gagonthis]

He caught the apple with a look of surprise and skeptisim at the chest. He walked forwards towards it, picturing the first thing that came to his mind, which was oddly enough a large trout. He opened the chest, sticking his hand in, still expecting something very bad to happen. Instead he felt the slick feel of something and jumped backwards when it hopped, knocking the chest over. The fish spilled out onto the floor and he jumped back.
He looked in wonder at the chest, walking over to it, looking at it with a mixture of awe and fear. "So... anything I want will come out of that?" He asked looking at her. "What... what exactly do you want me to do for you?"

 

[Calyxxx]

Lucy chuckled, watching the fish flop around on the floor, watching him sputter about.

"What do I want you to do for me? Well, I have a few things in mind. I don't want to overwhelm you just yet though. For now," She stepped towards him and put her hand on his face, letting it glide slowly down his neck, his chest, and settling on the waist of his pants. "you just settle in."

 

[gagonthis]

He was still very unnerved by everything that was going on. He was dead, but he still felt completely alive. Nothing seemed change besides the location he was at and the fact that he had a magic trunk that could give him apples and fish if he wanted. Perhaps the part that unnerved him the most was that this woman, who he now believed was the devil... She didn't seem interested in torturing him or anything. He frowned and nodded his agreement to her statement, shivering in pleasure and fear as her touch roamed his body. "Ooo...Ok, I'll try to do that."

 

[Calyxxx]

She raised an eyebrow at him and let her hand fall lower, cupping the warm flesh between his legs.

"There will be plenty of time for what I want later."

 

[gagonthis]

He nearly choked as she grabbed him between his legs. He cringed, expecting a flash of hot pain to follow as she did whatever evil she was going to do to him. Instead he just stood there, stupid expression on his face as she looked at him. He blushed, stepping away as he heard her words. "You mean... I'm going to.... ahhhh that is..." He stammered.

 

[Calyxxx]

Lucy giggled softly to herself, hearing him sputter and stumble over his words. Slowly, she walked from the room, ready to head back down to her chair. She spoke over her shoulder as she did.

"We'll be having dinner in 30 minutes. I suggest you clean yourself up and put on something nice to wear."

 

[gagonthis]

He watched her as she went, his eyes focused on her behind as she walked away. He sighed and tore his eyes off her body, looking around the room again. It had been quite the day and it was finally beginning to take its toll on him. He felt worn out, both physically and mentally. He felt like he wanted to sleep for a year. But she had told him to be ready for dinner in half an hour. He sighed as he made his way over to the shower, stripping his dirty clothing off and stepping into the water. Everything here made him jump, he expected scorpions or some other manner of torture to come out of the shower head. Nothing happened. He sighed, wondering how long it would take him to gt used to the idea that hell wasn't what he thought. He toweled off, going to the trunk and looking at it skeptically. He shrugged and pictured in his mind a finely cut Aramani suit. He opened the thing up and there it was. He dressed himself and made his way out of the room, looking around for the dining room.

 

[Calyxxx]

She was seated at the end of a long dining table when he wandered into the room.

"Just on time, thank you. Please have a seat" She motioned to the many chairs placed around the table. "It will just be us for dinner tonight, so please sit wherever you choose. Also note that you will not always be sitting at the table to eat. Tonight I let you, as it is your first night."

She waved at an attendant who scurried away before returning with two steaming plates of food. The plates were placed in front of them, and Lucy lifted the silver lid from hers.

"Ah, looks like a walnut crusted salmon steak with pasta and salad for me. What did they bring for you?"

 

[gagonthis]

He found a servant wandering the hall and though the person gave him the creeps slightly he was able to point him towards the dining hall. He walked in to see Lucy sitting at the head of a very long table. She indictated for him to have a seat and he took one right next to her, afraid of offending her. He watched as the servants brought the food in, suddenly feeling his stomach growl. "so the dead have to eat as well?" He asked as he watched the servants leave. Was that to be his fate? Just another servant in this massive dark palace? He lifted the lid on his platter, his eyes lighting at what he saw, a large ribeye steak sat, still sizzling, next to a large pile of mashed potatoes. "Oh wow, this looks delicious.." He said softly.

 

[Calyxxx]

She smiled and urged him to eat, digging into her own plate. Soon a bottle of wine was brought to the table an an attendant poured two glasses.

"So," Lucy started, pointing her fork at him, "I have the feeling you are still confused. You do not yet understand what your role down here will be for me. You will soon find out, and you will find your niche. Hell is not all it is said to be on the surface. That is, unless I want it to be. For those who serve me well, Hell can be better than Heaven."

 

[gagonthis]

He sipped his wine, his eyes widening. It was the best thing he had ever tasted. He thought to ask after the wintage, but realized he probably didn't want to know the answer. He dug into his steak, it was cooked perfectly. juicy as he liked it. "Wow.... you have some good cooks down here.." He said absently, and realized how stupid he must sound. "I am very confused. I expected that since I sold my soul to you I would be tortured for eternity.. that's what I was led to believe the deal usually was."

 

[Calyxxx]

Lucy cackled, amused at his statement.

"Tortured? One is only tortured when they have deserved it, or have made me angry. The deals I make with the living benefit them, for short periods of time, but are only made when there is something for me to gain from it. In the case of yourself," She licked her lips and put down her fork, eyes on his mouth. "you have something I want, I offered you a bargain in order to get it, and soon enough you will be fulfilling your purpose here. Until then, you have just to enjoy yourself." She smiled a wicked smile at him and waved an attendant over to clear her plate.

"Take Bastien here, " She pointed to the attendant scurrying away, "he is very loyal. He worked in the eighteenth century serving under a powerful man. A man who ended up hanged for treason against Britain. So loyal was Bastien, that he endured torture at the hands of the government in order to protect his master's secrets. I offered him an escape from the prison cell he was in, in exchange for his soul. He is my most loyal attendant, and lives a very comfortable life outside of my service."

 

[gagonthis]

He frowned as he listened to the story, wondering if it could possibly be true or if it was simply a lie meant to pull the woll over his eyes. The fellow, Bastien she'd said his name was, didn't look as if he was suffering any undue pain, but if she really controlled his soul how could he know if she was being honest of not? He sighed heavily, thoughts running through his head before finally realizing that it didn't matter whether she was lying or not. She controlled him fully, he had signed her bloody contract and now he was hers. Better to start things off on the right foot than to instantly land himself on the devil's bad side. He frowned slightly still wondering exactly what purpose is was he was to fulfill, what it was she 'wanted' from him. What could someone like her possibly need? "Well, I know I do not have much choice in the matter, but I offer myself to you freely." He said after thinking it over for several moments.

 

[Calyxxx]

A grin spread across her face and she clasped her hands together, resting them on the table.

"Excellent. I'm glad you're coming to terms with this arrangement. You will learn your fate soon enough. I will fetch you from your quarters later this evening." With a soft chuckle, Lucy stood from the table and nodded slightly to him.

"I will see you then."