An Arrangement was Made

Chapter 33: Mistake

 Adam sat down next to Charlie. She was still bawling. She barely even registered that he was in the car with her. The little red lamb in the front seat started driving. Just in time too. They had been sitting in here long enough for Adam to consider yelling at the poor thing.

Charlie felt completely stuck. She hated herself for ever considering divorce. For the past two days she had been tempted by it. It would've been so easy to terminate the contract and everything could go back to normal, but she just couldn't do it. 18 million souls a year...

That was how many people had to die every single year to keep hell's population from growing any further. She couldn't condemn 18 million people to die every single year just for her and Adam to be happy. The cost was too high. Soon though she might not have a choice. 18 million people a year. She couldn't redeem that many souls. Charlie was only one person; she didn't have that kind of capacity. No wonder Katie Killjoy had laughed at her. No wonder everyone laughed at her. They had all seen what she couldn't. The number was too big.

Charlie's crying was really starting to get on Adam's nerves. It was such an annoying sound. What reason did she have to cry anyway? This was her fucking decision. She had trapped both of them and for what? Some worthless murderers she didn't even know?

Her father condemned far more than 18 million people to die every single year. Death was a constant on earth. Every single day 150,000 humans died. There was no way to outrun it, there was no way to hide from it, it wasn't scheduled or predictable like his exorcists. What would she know about the inevitability of death anyway? She was an immortal being living amongst immortals. It was foreign to her. Unfamiliar. Unpredictable. Unfair.

She was like him when he was young.

"Would you stop fucking crying?! You sound like a dying cat!"

"I-I-I'm sorry!" She managed to force out through shaky sobs. She was only crying worse now.

"What's wrong with you?! We had a deal!"

"I'm sorry!" She repeated. She wiped her eyes. "I-I just-"

"I DON'T GIVE A FUCK! I promised not to kill your friends if you divorced me. Why didn't you?!"

"I can't! I just can't!" She curled into a tight ball. She tried to keep her weeping as quiet as she could. It wasn't much better. Adam grabbed a shot glass out of the cupholder and smashed it into the floor.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" He scratched at his helmet, wishing his claws were meeting skin instead. Charlie was too scared to move. She hid her head under her arms and hoped that he didn't turn his wrath onto her.

She braved a glance at him after several moments of silence. He had hidden himself in his wings. Silent minutes passed, both parties being too consumed with their own emotions to say anything more.

.

"Hey Charlie?" Adam finally said.

"Yeah?"

"I have an idea." He stretched himself out to lay down.

"Yeah?" Charlie loosened her ball.

"What if you beat me on camera? Then Sera would have to let us get a divorce."

"No." She responded. "Then she would start up the exterminations again. Besides that, I don't want to hurt you."

"Pff. As if you could. You got weak little stick arms." He squeezed one between two fingers to demonstrate. "Nothing but bone."

"What if you hit me on camera?" She suggested instead.

"Nah. They either wouldn't care OR they would kick me out of heaven entirely. Wouldn't solve anything either way."