The Devil Buys My Soul Ch. 01-02

"That's disgusting," Satan said with a shake of his head, but he didn't look particularly bothered by it. I stared at him and felt an overwhelming hatred, but I was too weak to do anything other than glare. Even that was almost too much effort.

"How long?" I asked after taking a deep breath.

"About a month," he replied. I groaned. A month wasted!

"I have to get out of here!" I snapped, but fell to the ground as I tried to make my way to the door.

"It looks like poor Sandy will be Shelly's toy for the rest of her life," he teased. "That is unless you're willing to use one of your wishes." I groaned again as I tried to come up with any answer other than that. I looked down at myself and realized just how bad off I was. A month without food might be too much to recover from. Especially considering the time constraint, but I just couldn't get myself to use one of my wishes.

I grit my teeth, stood and stumbled to the phone. I was surprised that there was a dial tone until I remembered part of our deal. Cutting the phone line would break the Devil's non-interference agreement.

"Hello," I said after dialing 911. "I need an ambulance." I gave the address and some bullshit story about falling. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain my starvation, but I ignored that for now. I hung up the phone and slouched on the chair.

"So, not willing to use a wish," Satan said with a sigh.

"I'm not going to waste one so soon. I may need it to find Sandy," I replied. Again, he shrugged and smiled. I shook my head and added, "You really are evil."

"But of course, I am the Devil," he said, still smiling. The horns and tail reappeared as well as the wave of dread.

"I hope you burn as much as the souls you steal!" I snapped with more energy then I though I had left. I was really madder at myself than him. I accepted his first gift and almost died because of it. I lost a month, possibly two before I was back on my feet. What a fool!

"Did you think that the horn, tail and feeling of dread were all just props?" he asked as they all disappeared. "Well, you might be right, but then again, maybe not. After all, I am evil incarnate with or without such things."

I surged up from the chair and took a swing at him. He stepped back with a laugh as I fell to floor. I groaned as he stood over me. He was smiling as usual.

"What? You can't possibly be mad at me," he said as he looked down into my eyes. "I told you that the only thing Lillith would cost you was time."

"Only time? I'm nearly dead from starvation! You said that she was only a temptation. You said there was no traps involved!"

"Oh, that," he said nonchalantly. "Well, I lied there. I am the Devil after all." The anger disappeared and the oddity of the situation hit me. I laughed despite myself.

"Go to hell!" I said, still laughing.

"I plan to," he replied, but then turned to the bedroom and called, "Lillith! It's time to go." The succubus came out of the room looking as enticing as always. She walked up to me and kissed me.

"Why don't we go somewhere where we can be alone?" she asked. I was tempted. Despite everything that happened to me, I was still tempted. She was that alluring.

"You know, seeing you again makes me feel less like a fool," I said, ignoring her offer as I fought to raise myself back to the chair. "I'm only human and you are certainly every man's fantasy. How could I possibly deny you?"

"Then come with me!" she said, sounding almost as if she were begging. "I can continue to fulfill your fantasies!"

"No, the time for fantasies is over," I sighed. "Besides, if I go with you, I'll die and burn without ever using my wishes."

"But if you leave me I will be punished for failure!" she cried. I looked at her and shrugged.

"Aren't you the one who convinced me that you are a demon, not a woman?" I asked. "You should be use to your master's punishments. Besides, I doubt fire and brimstone will even hurt you."

"You don't understand!" she said, this time crying for real. "I'm a succubus! He won't have me tortured. He'll simply deny me sexual gratification. That's true hell for one of my kind!"

"I'm sorry," I said with a shrug as I fell into the chair. I could hear the sirens getting closer. "Hopefully our last month together will give you memories to keep you going until he uses you again." The Devil briefly looked annoyed that Lillith wasn't able to entice me to make the same mistake again.

"Begone! You've failed me!" Satan snapped as Lillith. "I may deny you your sexual gratification for eons!" Lillith cried out in some foreign language, but disappeared before I could make out any of the words.

"What? A day or two before you send her out again?" I asked with a smile. "She's far too valuable to not use."

"I wish!" Satan snapped. "I'll have to punish her for at least a century. That's my standard punishment for a succubus that fails me. I can't let my minions think I have favorites."

"You're the Devil. Of course you have favorites!" I replied, causing him to laugh.

"Maybe I'll let her out again in fifty years for good behavior," he joked. I shrugged as he added, "I have to be going. The ambulance has arrived."

"I hope you fall into a black hole and never find your way out," I said without any heat.

"Who do you think created black holes?" I smiled despite myself as he disappeared.

"I could learn to like you if you weren't so damned evil!" I called out. I thought I heard an echo of laughter.

I was light headed and found myself giggling at the situation. After all, even though I was near death and already a month behind, probably two, at least I survived the Devil's gift with all three of my wishes intact. Besides, how many men could say they slept with a succubus and survived?

I could hear the front door being forced open. It sounded much farther away than the fifteen feet I knew it to be. I lost track of things as shadows that eventually turned into men hovered over me. I frowned as my thoughts cleared. I felt myself being lifted, but I was oblivious to the people in the room. The oxygen and whatever else they gave me got rid of the giddiness I was feeling. My good mood disappeared as I remembered Sandy. I pictured her with Shelly standing over her laughing.

My stupidity and weakness almost caused me to fail before I really got started. I knew the Devil would try and trick me when we made the deal. He told me so! Yet, I let myself be swayed by Lillith and almost died. That would have been bad enough, but it would have meant that I failed Sandy.

I was tired of failing in my life. Perhaps I just never had the right reason to win. I decided that Sandy would be that reason. I loved her and she needed me. I couldn't explain why I loved her, especially since I only saw her once since high school. I wasn't even sure she loved me in return, but it didn't matter. I would not let anything get in the way of rescuing her. Not even the Devil.

"Watch out Satan! I won't make the same mistake again!"

"What did he say?" one of the emergency people asked.

"Who knows? It sounded like nonsense to me. He's delirious," his partner answered as they wheeled me out.