Goetic Justice

He shook his head.

"Who taught you magick?"

"Nobody, I read about it on my own," he snapped. "Listen, I'm getting pretty tired of you people questioning my competence. All that matters is that I summoned Orobas and that we have a contract. You have to do what I say, and I say that I don't need to know the ins and outs of what's going on as long as I get results. Whatever goes on under the hood is your business and not mine."

She seemed taken aback by his sudden fearlessness, blinking her ovine eyes at him.

"Very well. Magick is subtle. Far from producing instant results, it takes time and preparation to achieve what you desire. You asked for Orobas to find you work and to turn your life around, the simplest way to do that is through your own efforts, aided by his powers and counsel."

"Well we have two weeks, so the sooner we get started, the better."

She nodded her head, and Ryan wondered how heavy those horns were, or if she was even a physical manifestation and had any mass at all. He wanted to reach out a hand and touch the downy, wool-like material that covered her body in places, but he didn't dare. While he presumed to be in control of these demons, he didn't want to push his luck. The relationship felt tentative enough as it was.

"Very well, I will commune with my master and return shortly."

"Wait!" Ryan blurted as he gestured for her to stop, and she blinked at him with those inhuman eyes. "What should I call you?"

"Nahash."

And just as quickly as she had come, she was gone, the lingering smell of sulfur the only evidence that she had ever been in the room. Ryan sank back down into the couch, a cold shiver running down his spine, and he lifted the upturned slice of pizza from the faux leather cushion that he had dropped in his alarm when she had manifested.

It was one thing to summon a demon, but it was quite another to have them randomly popping in and out of reality like fucking whack-a-moles. He put a hand to his chest, feeling the rapid beating of his heart, and he wiped cold sweat from his brow. He didn't really feel in control of the situation anymore. He had made a contract with Orobas, not with this Nahash who claimed to represent him, but at least things were moving along.

He picked up his controller again, turning his attention back to the television. There wasn't much he could do right now other than wait for her to reappear.

CHAPTER 3: TANGIBLE RESULTS

Ryan was hunched over the kitchen sink washing dishes when Nahash appeared again, that same cold haze and the stench of sulfur alerting him to her imminent manifestation. A feeling of instinctual dread washed over him as he sensed her presence behind him, as if his mind rejected her on some subconscious level, an aberration that offended the laws of nature and should not have existed.

One of the plates that he was washing slipped out of his grasp and broke, the crack of the ceramic making him jump out of his skin, and he spun around to greet her with his hands still covered in soap suds.

"I have returned," Nahash said, in that oddly musical voice.

"H-Hi," he muttered weakly, looking up at the enormous demon as she towered over him and trying to keep his eyes off her ample bust for fear of offending her.

"My master, Prince Orobas, has instructed me on how we must proceed. Treat my word as you would his, heed me and your contract with him shall be completed."

At this point Ryan just wanted this nonsense to be over with as soon as possible. As much as he needed the help, he was feeling increasingly like he had done something very wrong. Maybe that was his immortal soul speaking, the implications of demons being real raised many other theological and existential questions that he dared not think about too deeply, or maybe it was just his common sense.

"Fire away," he replied, and she cocked her head at him curiously. "Continue," he clarified.

"I have the power to see into the hearts of men, and my master sees past, present and future flowing before him with great clarity. You need only state what position you seek, I will sense if that is your true desire, and then my master will plot the course of action most likely to see your request realized."

"Hang on," Ryan said as he dried his hands on a dishcloth, "you're going to have to elaborate a little on how all of this works. Why do you need to see into my heart to know what I want? Can't I just tell you? If Orobas can see into the future, then why does he need my input at all? Can't he just see what I'm going to decide in advance?"

She planted her hands on her wide hips, an oddly human gesture coming from such an alien creature, and he felt his cheeks redden as he sensed that he was about to be chastised.

"This ignorance of magick must be rectified if we are to continue," she complained. "You understand nothing of our ways, and thus your requests are uninformed and made more difficult to fulfill."

"Is this going to take long? Should I sit down?"

She gestured towards the kitchen table, and Ryan pulled up a chair. Nahash was so large that none of his furniture would have supported her and so she stood on her cloven hooves as she began her lecture.

"Time is not linear, and the future is not set in stone, our actions in the present influence and change its course. Imagine a winding river flowing before you, splitting into channels and creeks, infinite possibilities that stretch out as far as the eye can see. Each of those possibilities is a choice that might be made, an action that might be taken to change the course of history. But in order for a path to be chosen, there must be conviction. You must decide upon which path to take, and entertain no doubts. Unless you are confident in your decisions, then my master's powers will not be reliable."

"I think I understand, though that's a hell of a lot less effective than I had hoped. Will Orobas at least be able to see if an interview will go successfully, or whether I'll be hired or not?"

"That depends on you, his prescience reaches only as far as your decisions do, but the advantages that it confers are beyond anything in mortal experience."

"And what's this about you seeing into my heart? I don't remember requesting that, why is it necessary? Doesn't Orobas trust me to know what I want?"

She scrutinized him with her yellow eyes, those horizontal pupils burning into him, and he wondered if she was using her power right now.

"You are brash, you act without thought, my master was wise to see that quality in you and to assign me as your familiar. Some of your requests were vague and ill-thought-out. In the future, you should be clearer when you ask a demon to make you happy or to turn your life around. You are very fortunate that my master is loyal to his charges and does not deceive, or your happiness might have taken the form of being transformed into a crawling beast, your mind made simple enough to be satisfied by eating and rutting."

Ryan's blood ran cold, he had taken such care to formulate his request and yet in the heat of the moment it had come out less concise than he had intended, his excitement and fear getting the better of him. If he had chosen to summon one of the other demons that he had considered besides Orobas, he might be a rat right now, crawling through the building in search of insects to eat and wiring to chew.

"So you're here to make sure that I don't mess up any future requests?" Ryan asked, a little embarrassed at the thought that they didn't think he could be trusted to articulate himself.

"In part, yes, but I will also supervise you in your efforts and relay to you the instructions and premonitions of my master."

Ryan leaned on the table, resting his head in his hands as he took it all in, Nahash watching him as she waited for a response.

"Alright, so you want me to think about what kind of job I want? Can it be anything I like? What if I asked you to make me an astronaut or a professional golfer?"

"That was not stipulated in the contract. You asked for work that would pay enough to allow you to live within your means, and that you would enjoy. I advise you to keep your requests humble and grounded, time is short and the more reasonable your requests, the more expedient the results."

"Okay, okay, I wasn't really serious. So I need to look for work, and I don't have a car, which means that I need something in the city that's close enough for me to reach via public transportation."

"Very well, unless you require my assistance I will take my leave of you and return to my master's side. He will inform me when you have found a suitable position."

"Hang on," Ryan sputtered, "aren't you going to help me? Doesn't Orobas have some ability that will let me know where to look, or which job I'm going to like?"

"As I explained, his prescience extends only as far into the future as your decisions do. When your mind is made up, I will return."

She faded from reality again, disappearing before his very eyes like a mirage, shimmering as if her corporeal form had been but a haze of heat on a sun-beaten road. Ryan leaned on his hand and loosed an exasperated sigh. He was starting to question why he even needed the help of these demons if he had to job hunt on his own, who knew if there were even positions available right now? Would Orobas even be able to fulfill his end of the deal if Ryan couldn't find anything? Oh well, better get started. The longer he took, the less time the demons would have to take care of the finer details.

***

Ryan rubbed his eyes, they were red and itchy from staring at a computer monitor for so long. It was three in the morning, and he had been scouring job listing sites for hours. There was nothing in range, he could blame the economy or his own overspecialization in white-collar work, but there wasn't one job close enough that he could reach it by bus or subway that he was remotely suited to. He had moved here specifically to take advantage of a position that had been offered to him out of college, and the commute had not been a concern, he lived within a ten-minute bus ride of the damned office complex.

The best that he could find on such short notice was an opening on the city garbage collection route and an internship at an auto dealer, but those wouldn't bring in nearly enough to afford the absurd rent on his apartment. Besides, Orobas had agreed to find him a job that paid well and that he enjoyed, he wasn't about to accept a job as a garbage truck driver. No disrespect to the city workers, without them the trash would be piling on the streets, but it wasn't what he had in mind for a fulfilling career. He leaned his head on his keyboard, exhaling and cursing his bad luck, it was hopeless.

The temperature in the room suddenly plummeted, that now familiar smell of sulfur rising to his nose as vapors swirled in the air. Nahash was back, her oppressive presence bearing down on him as she appeared in the corner of the room, her sheer size and mass no less alarming to him now than when he had first laid eyes on her.

"I didn't find anything yet," he complained, "what are you doing back here?"

"You must increase the range of your search," she replied, "look farther afield for the positions that you seek."

"But I don't have a car," Ryan replied incredulously, "how the hell am I supposed to get there if I can't take public transport?"

"You shall have what you require, take this." She reached out a hand, fingers tipped with black claws that contrasted with her unnaturally pale skin, looking almost like hooves themselves. In her palm a slip of paper materialized, Ryan watching with fascination as it was borne from an orange flame, as if footage of it being burned to ash was being played back in reverse. He reached out a hand and took it, his fingers brushing her claw-like nails. He could feel their rough texture, and his digits did not pass through her as if she were a ghost, she had a physical form that he could interact with. Interesting...

He held up the slip of paper, there was an address written on it in looping, calligraphic text.

"Go to this place, set out by the stroke of seven tomorrow morning, walk briskly but do not hurry. Buy a coffee and a donut on your way and whatever happens, do not argue with her, leave promptly. You will be accosted by a drunken vagrant, be generous with him and treat him as you would a friend, but see him on his way. Sleep tonight, for you will need the rest."

"What? What's going to happen? Where are you sending me?"

"Heed my instructions, and you will see your problem solved," she said as her voice faded and her body seemed to lose its definition. Like salt dissolving in water, she faded and was gone, Ryan left holding the piece of paper as he stared at the empty space where she had been but moments ago.

He read it again, and then entered the address into his computer, the map software showing him a mall that was within walking distance of his apartment. What on Earth could he find at a mall that would help his job search? She hadn't been willing to provide any more information, so he didn't have much of a choice, he'd do as she instructed and hope for some tangible results.

He shut down the computer and headed off to bed, that demonic smell still lingering in the air. To be honest, he had been glad to be so occupied with a project, anything to keep his head off that pillow. He had found that his nights were lonely and restless without Becky's warm body to keep him company. Like a puppy that won't sleep at night without a clock placed under a pillow to simulate its mother's heartbeat, he missed the presence of another person terribly, the lack of simple comforts like the hypnotic breathing of a partner or the warm contact of their skin leaving him with a kind of insomnia.

He would have to do his best, there was no helping it right now.

***

Ryan left the stairwell of his apartment building and stepped out onto the street, it had just gone seven and the air was still cool, the sidewalk wet from the previous night's rain. He zipped up his jacket and buried his hands in his pockets. It was a brisk autumn day, and the city was just starting to wake up, cars beginning to clog the roads as its inhabitants made their way to work. The sidewalks were still relatively clear, and so he set off in the direction of the mall, his sneakers crunching fallen leaves underfoot as the colorful trees that lined the street shed their foliage.

He went over Nahash's instructions in his head as he winded past other pedestrians, trying to make sense of them. Who was he supposed to avoid arguing with and what was going to happen when he reached his destination? She had been so vague, and yet oddly specific at the same time, Orobas must have foreseen something and told her to relay to him only what information he needed.

He could go for a coffee and a donut though, a macchiato might be a good start to what was apparently going to be a busy day, and he'd sell his soul to these demons before he turned down a cruller. There was only one coffee shop on the route that took him to the mall, and after a short walk, he arrived outside, stepping through the door and taking a place in a short line. There weren't many people here yet, but it would be bustling before long, and he waited impatiently for his turn. The smell of fresh coffee was soothing and familiar. He wasn't much of a morning person, and so caffeine was his crutch when he had to wake up early to catch the bus.

Would he miss whatever unspoken deadline Orobas had set if he took too long? No, Nahash had told him not to hurry, he had to trust that everything would work out the way that had been foreseen.

When his turn came, he stepped up to the counter, and his stomach knotted as he saw Becky standing at the register. Her dark hair was tied back in a bun, and she was wearing green overalls with the company logo on her breast. Of course, she worked as a barista at this chain, she usually didn't start work until after he had already set off and so he had never encountered her on the job before. Her eyes widened as she recognized him, and then narrowed, he had been radio silent since they had broken up and he hadn't contacted her in over a month.

"Hey...Becky..."

"Ryan," she answered dismissively.

"I'll have a...uh...a macchiato and a cruller."

Her eyes flashed with fury, and she spun her head around to make sure that her manager wasn't in earshot before leaning over the counter to whisper angrily to him.

"That's all you've got to say me?" she hissed. "You don't speak to me for a month, and then you show up here asking for coffee?"

"Well you work at a coffee shop," he replied, gesturing to her overalls. She fumed, looking like she wanted to vault over the counter and lay into him, but it wasn't worth her job. "Besides, you made your feelings pretty clear, why would I care what you had to say about it after you stormed out of my apartment?"

"Three years and you don't even try to contact me, you don't reply to my messages on social media, you never answer your phone! A real man wouldn't just let me go like that without a fight."

"Why on Earth would I want to get back together with you after what you did?"

"Hey, I broke up with you," she spat.

"Yeah, if you consider getting caught sleeping around breaking up with someone."

She was about ready to go off on one of her catty rants, no doubt full of expletives and derogatory statements about his manhood and his financial situation, but then he remembered what Nahash had told him.

'Whatever happens, do not argue with her.'

This was it, this was what she had been talking about, the vague and cryptic instructions that had been relayed to him were already falling into place. It was like struggling with a puzzle before finally understanding how it fit together, that click of realization when you got your head around the problem.

"You're such a pussy Ryan, you didn't even-"

He held up a hand to cut her off, and her face contorted with rage, her brow furrowed and her lips pursed.

"A macchiato and a cruller please."

"How dare you," she started, but he silenced her again with another wave of his hand.

"I have places to be, Becky. Don't make me talk to your manager."

She slinked off to fetch his order and returned after a minute, sliding the paper bag across the counter begrudgingly and slamming his coffee down on the polished wood. She shot him a dirty look, then rang him up, foisting the crumpled receipt into his waiting hand.

"Enjoy your beverage, sir," she spat, her voice dripping with venom. He turned and left without another word, feeling her eyes burning holes into his back as he stepped out onto the street, the cool wind blowing his hair and rustling his paper bag. He set off towards the mall again, a spring in his step as he sipped his coffee. He had to admit that it had felt pretty good to shut Becky down like that. Had she cheated on him for attention then? As some kind of punishment for him failing to keep her entertained? Oh, what did it matter, he wouldn't be able to forgive her either way. He still felt a knot in his stomach when he thought about her, like someone was twisting a hot knife in his gut, but he already felt a little better. It was nice to be outside again, feeling the breeze on his face and the crisp air in his lungs, getting some exercise rather than sitting in front of a screen and trying to blank reality from his mind.

The hot coffee warmed his belly, and he fished inside the bag for his donut, taking a bite of the twisted dough and then sucking the sweet glaze from his fingers as he walked. As Nahash had instructed, his pace was brisk, but he wasn't hurrying. The city was coming to life around him, traffic coming to a standstill as cars blocked the road, bicycles weaving between them as people hurried to work. Pedestrians carrying briefcases and umbrellas emerged from subway stairwells, crowds of them milling about like ants clad in overcoats, the bustle and cacophony oddly soothing to him.