Until Death Brings You

Chapter 6:

      “NO Alexandria don’t do this. I’m not worth it. Don’t make a deal with this demon.” Robert reached towards his daughter, the coughing fit leaving him too weak to move.

           Alistar’s dark eyes began to glow red, his demon-self breaking through the human façade as the thought of this mortal girl’s soul in his claws. His teeth began to grow pointed in his mouth, and his fingers dug in just a little tighter into her shoulder, red staining the shirt as blood began to well at the site. “My dear, you might want to listen to your dying father. I’m not to sure you understand the implications of what you are asking.”

           Alex held still, refusing to flinch as pain radiated from her shoulder. She tilted her head, green eyes meeting the increasing red eyes. Her expression was stern, and although Alistar could see the flashes of fear, he was impressed by the way determined look. “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t have offered my soul. But I don’t only want him to keep his soul, I expect you to make him better as well. If God won’t answer my prayers, then maybe you will.”

           Alex spat the word God out as if it were a swear, and Alistar was starting to like this mortal girl more and more.

           Holding his other hand out, he lifted it slightly to the ceiling. “My dear, by giving up your soul, you will be damning yourself to eternity in Hell. It won’t be glamorous, and it won’t be fun. Many beings are in Hell for some very… unsavory crimes. But if you are willing to give your soul, I certainly wouldn’t turn down the offer.” He closed the distance between them, his face mere centimeters from Alex’s. His breath brushed against Alex, and she couldn’t help but think it smelled of campfires.

           Her voice was defiant as she tried to pull back to give herself a little distance. “I’m not stupid. Of course, Hell is filled with criminals, sociopaths, and psychopaths, but I can defend myself just fine. If my dad is okay, I’ll be okay. He’s a good man. He’s done nothing but help people his whole life. I won’t allow for his soul to be tortured for all of eternity.”

           Robert croaked, his arm falling limply at his side. “Alex, please, no. Don’t do this. Alistar, if you have any humanity left in you, you won’t take my little girls’ soul. She deserves a long life; she won’t survive in Hell.”

           Alistar’s eyes turned briefly towards Robert before they snapped back towards Alex. His hand came back down to her face, a finger stroking the girl’s cheek lightly. He was getting addicted to this cocky and determined demeanor this mortal was putting on and couldn’t keep the glee from his face. “Alex, my dear girl, if you are willing to offer your soul, then I will take it. But I’m not completely heartless. Let your father have a chance to explain why he sold his soul in the first place before you choose Hell as your next stop after this wretched mortal coil.”

           Alex nodded slowly, trying not to flinch away from Alistar’s finger as he continued to stroke her cheek. Turning her gaze towards her dad, she swallowed thickly before speaking. “Dad, why did you sell your soul?”

           Robert locked eyes with his daughter for only a few seconds before casting his gaze to the floor. He moved to lean against the bed, his head falling back on the mattress. He closed his eyes, sighing deeply before he spoke. “I… well your mother and I were trying for years to have a baby. It was all your mother could talk about.” Pausing, he tried to compose himself before moving on. “We tried, for so long we tried. Your mother prayed, and I prayed, and she was sure, that as long as she continued to pray, that they would be answered.”

           At this, Alistar snorted, his grin growing ever wider. “Please. God and his army of murdering, blood thirsty angels care nothing for you mortals.”

           Alex snapped her gaze to the demon, glaring at him and silently telling him to shut up with her eyes. Alistar simply shrugged before gesturing for Robert to keep going.

           Robert’s head remained bowed, but he caught the movement from the corner of his eyes. “After 8 years… After IVF rounds, and money, and blood, sweat, and tears… We were finally told that we would never be able to have a child of our own.” Alex could hear her fathers voice begin to waver and saw as tears started to fall. “Your mother was devastated. She didn’t think she could live without having a baby of her own. She didn’t want to do adoption, not if it meant that she couldn’t have you…”

           “Hm, so humans can play God to try and create life, then pray when they have clearly gone against God’s decisions? Funny how things work.”

           Robert nodded, “Well, our prayers were answered, or so we thought, when a demon that called himself Metstalo came to us one day. I tried to tell your mother that it wasn’t worth dealing with a demon to have a child, but she didn’t listen. She made her deal, to be able to have a child, and that’s when she became pregnant with you. To be honest, after the first six months, we forgot about the deal, and we were so happy to be having you.”

           Alistar raised an eyebrow, looking between Alex and her father. The name Metstalo gave face to the demon who Alistar was helping. He wasn’t anywhere near as strong as him. Teller must have his information incorrect, or he had been lied to because Metstalo was a simple crossroads demon. Sure, being strong enough to broker a deal for a human soul was impressive in Hell, but lots of demons gained the ability at some point.

           “When it was time to have you, your mother and I rushed to the hospital. We thought everything was fine… that is until your bother lost consciousness. She was losing a lot of blood, and the doctors weren’t sure either of you were going to make it… Metstalo showed up, similar to how this demon has showed up now, waiting for your mom to pass and take her soul. It wasn’t fair though. He traded her soul so that she could be a mother… raise a child.” His eyes flicked towards Alistar who held up a hand.

           “Sir, Metstalo is known for his deals being extremely quick and one-sided, although I’m sure you know there are hazards to playing around with this kind of magic.” He shrugged lightly and waited for Robert to continue.

           Robert nodded, turning his gaze towards his daughter. “I told Metstalo to take my soul, right there and then, to save the both of you, but he refused. He said that he was unwilling to bargain one soul for two, and he already had a contract with your mother. I didn’t know what to do. Your mother knew what she wanted though. As her soul started to pass over, Metstalo told me I could offer up my soul for your own… so that you could go on living. I knew it would be what your mother wanted, so I made my deal with him… and now I’m dying.” Robert moved his head to look at Alex. “There is absolutely no reason to sell your soul to this man. Absolutely none whatsoever. I’ve lived my life, now you need to live yours.”

           Alex clenched her hands into balls at her side, tears falling down her face as her father had finished with what happened. Alistar wiped one away, tilting her head to look up at him again. “So now that you know the truth, do you still want to sell your soul in hopes of saving your father?”

           Alex’s mind was filled with guilt. Images of her mother and father trying for years, and the heartbreak of never falling pregnant. She thought about her mom, giving up everything just to have the chance at a child. She thought of her dad, who loved his wife so much that he was willing to give up his soul for the both of them to survive but was coerced into only saving his daughter. She didn’t know why, but she felt like, without her, then her parents would still be alive, even if they had made their own choices.

           Steeling her resolve, she moved to hold on to Alistar’s arm that was still stroking her face lightly. “If I give my soul, could I amend the contract beforehand?”

           Alistar was intrigued, surprised that the girl was still willing to make deal after hearing what her father had said. “It depends my dear. If you have questions, I would ask them now.”

           “Even though my father’s soul is spoken for, if I gave my soul would you make it so that his soul was free, and he would be able to live out the rest of his life free and in good health?”

           “If you are asking if I can break the contract between Metstalo and your father, I can, but it’s not a light thing to do.”

           “And if you broke the contract between them, could that mean my mom’s contract with Metstalo could be broken as well?”

           “That one is a bit trickier. Can her bond and contract between Metstalo and her be broken? Yes. Will she be able to leave Hell and live out the rest of her eternity in Heaven or Purgatory? No. She would ‘essentially’ be a free soul in Hell, needing to answer to none if Metstalo no longer held a contract for her.”

           Alex’s face was smooth, her eyes twitching as she thought about what to do. If she played this right, then maybe she could safe both her father’s soul from Hell, and at least get her mother away from the demon that seemed to be at the heart of all this.

           “Then here is the deal I want to make.” Robert shook his head, but Alex ignored him. Her stomach was churning with guilt as it was her birth that caused all of this. Logically, she knew that her mother asked a demon for help, but she didn’t deserve to rot for the rest of eternity under a demon who was doing God knew what. It was obvious from the get-go that Metstalo was going to make sure he got her mother’s soul as soon as possible without breaking the contract.

           Turning her gaze to bore into Alistar’s eyes, she took a steadying breath before continuing. “I want you to kill Metstalo, get rid of him so he can not hurt anymore souls. In doing so, I want you to destroy my father’s contract, so that his soul is not taken, and free my mother, and who only knows who else from that demon’s grasp.”

           The grin Alistar had twitched, then grew impossibly wider as his eyes hazed over a little at the thought of what blood would be involved. Shaking his head, he thought over the detailed of Alex’s request. “If I do this my dear, then I get your soul in return. Am I correct?”

           Alex nodded her head, “Yes, you get my soul instead.”

           Alistar nodded as well, his claws finally retracting from the young girl’s shoulder. “Then you have yourself a deal Alexandria Amberson.” The shadows in the room seemed to shift and grow towards the three in the room, the lights blinking out quickly.

           Alex reached a handout, an invite to shake hands to close the deal, but Alistar chuckled and tutted lightly, bringing a finger up. “Alex, when you make a deal with a demon, the only way to seal the deal, is with a kiss.” Green eyes widened, but she was determined to see this through, and she stood, rooted to the spot as the demon moved into her personal space once more. Long, muscled arms wrapped around the girl, and he used his cane to tilt her head up so that red could lock with green. Moving his head down, he brushed his breathe ghosted across Alex’s face. A hand came up to cradle her cheek and neck, keeping her head angled properly as he finally sealed their lips together.

           Alex stood frozen for a few moments, hands at her side as the demon started to kiss her. What she thought was going to be a chase kiss turned into tongues battling, and her arms shot up to hold tight to his jacket. The world seemed to grow dark around them, and her eyes slipped close. Her body began to burn, and Alistar’s voice reverberated in her mind as the kiss continued.

           And just like that, as her air supply became short, and she might have started to struggle, Alistar was gone, and she was left, crumbling to the ground in the middle of the hospital room.