A Hell of a Bargain

Adriel crept down the uneven staircase as the prism of light that scattered through the chapel’s ornate stained glass receded behind him.

The inky blackness consuming everything in its path as he grappled with the cool, damp walls of the hidden passage that seemed to descend into hell itself.

The pungent smell of brimstone grew stronger with each step as thoughts of returning to his previous existence drowned out the knot in his stomach that screamed turn back.

His Mother’s soul did nothing to stop her from shooting too much poison into her veins, it just hovered on the ceiling, watching her suffocate while Adriel beg her to wake up, then fleeing like a petty thief the moment she’d taken her last gasp.

He didn’t want to end up broken like her so he sought out a buyer willing to provide cars, boats, women, and all the lavish perks of excess living in exchange for something he had no use for, his soul.

Reaching the bottom step he could see the Devil and his legal team waiting by an oversized conference table set amidst the endless inferno, contract in hand…

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