Running the Line of Death

Chapter 7

Ashton's surroundings began to disappear; blackness taking its place. Lucifer watched with a straight face, as Ashton's body collapsed and faded from Wonderland; Ashton was going back to Earth. He woke up, his bloodshot eyes darted open. Ashton was back in bed with Lucifer, who was cuddling Ashton's body tightly.

"Ashton..."It sounded like Lucifer's voice calling out, but he was fast asleep. "Ashton... Don't f‒", the voice called again; this time it sounded like it was cut off. Ashton rubbed his eyes before glaring at the alarm clock that read: 1:46 A.M. He turned to face Lucifer; he admired the way Lucifer looked so innocent as he slept. Ashton smiled and leaned in; desperately wanting to taste the peacefulness of Lucifer's lips. Only inches away, Lucifer stirred. Ashton pulled away, regaining control of his body; unsure of what had just happened. Lucifer stirred again; but this time, in a more violent manner. Ashton assumed he was still in Wonderland; but what was going on? Panicking, Ashton shook Lucifer vigorously in attempts to wake him.

"Lucifer! Lucifer, wake up!"

In an instant, Lucifer stopped shaking and turned to face Ashton; still sleeping. Ashton couldn't steady his breath, no matter how hard he tried; he was still on edge from what happened and nervous for what's going to happen next. Lucifer murmured something repetitively; each time he said it, he got louder.

"Kiss me Ashton... Kiss me... please...", Lucifer whispered.

Ashton hesitated, unsure what to do. Lucifer was still sleeping; what if he didn't actually wanted to kiss Ashton? What if it wasn't Lucifer? Lucifer leaned in, in his sleep; then, all at once, jerked away quickly. With that, he finally woke up and smiled at Ashton's terrified facial expression.

"Hey sweetcheeks.", Lucifer flirted.

Ashton was thrown off guard and it showed in his tone of voice. "Hey, you ok?"

Lucifer's eyes sparkled a different colour. His once deep brown eyes had now transitioned to a glistening, bright green. His tan skin faded to a paler tone. Ashton was still staring at a complete stranger; but he was still deeply attracted to him. Lucifer spoke again.

"You okay, hun?"

Ashton blanked for a moment, completely confused at what was going on,. Lucifer was acting completely different. He shook his head in disbelief, subtly, and responded to Lucifer's question.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good, I love you, Ashton."

Lucifer leaned in for a kiss and waited for Ashton to kiss him. Ashton froze, everything left his body and he was expressionless.

"Lo- Love me?' Ashton repeated the words like they were profound terms; like absolute blasphemy.

"Yes, love. I want you to be mine, Ashton. Will you be my boyfriend?", Lucifer gleamed.

Again, Ashton was silent, unsure how to respond. It took Ashton a few minutes to regain his senses before replying.

"Yes... Ye- Yeah... Of course..." Ashton was still stuck in disbelief.

Lucifer smiled and leaned in once more for a kiss. He hoped Ashton would lean in and kiss back. Ashton did lean in, but pulled Lucifer into a tight hug. Something in his head told him not to kiss Lucifer. Nothing in the moment was making sense; and Ashton needed answers. For now, though, he would continue to at least act normal.

Realizing he wasn't getting a kiss, Lucifer yawned and made a suggestion. "Hey love, it's the crack ass of dawn. We should probably should go back to bed."

Tired and confused, Ashton just nodded and turned back to his side, facing opposite of Lucifer. He felt Lucifer wrap his arms around Ashton's small waist, and pull towards him so Lucifer was cuddling Ashton, before both of them eventually passed out.

It was a different place this time. A large yard covered with light snow in front of a home; at least the shadow of one. Opposite of the home was a wooded area. There was a girl in a white nightgown; long brown hair falling to the centre of her back, emerging from the shadows. The girl's skin appeared pale and ice cold; but her face was a bright red from the frozen tears falling from her bright green eyes. One hand was clenched tight like she was holding something as she headed to the woods; Ashton followed quietly. The girl stopped a few feet into the woods; snow falling delicately onto her hair. Ashton watched emotionless as she tilted her head back, releasing whatever had been in her clenched fist. The girl turned to face the direction of the house, mouthing her final words, 'goodbye'. She laid down, accepting her final fate, and rested peacefully while she waited for her heart to come to a complete stop. Ashton watched the girl's chest rise and fall slower and slower, until it stopped. He turned, unaffected by the tragedy, and began walking back towards the house.

The rooms and setup seemed familiar. Walking in the front door, the first room was the living room; in front of that was a kitchen and to the right of it was a hallway. On the left of the hall was the bathroom; and adjacent from that was a bedroom with no one in it. To the right of the bedroom was the master bedroom. Ashton peered into the bathroom and noticed open bottles of pills spilt everywhere. He left the light on and walked over to peer into the master bedroom. The door was cracked open and he could just barely make out the faces of whom were sleeping. Ashton creaked the door open just a little more to let the bathroom light stream in and reveal their identities.

Everything fell pitch black. Ashton could feel his surroundings change rapidly and only a dim light shining down on Lucifer.

"So let's get this straight. If I become your personal 'slave' for a year, you'll take away my death-runner curse and I can go to heaven? Even if I take my life?", Lucifer asked towards complete darkness.

An unfamiliar voice broke through the direction Lucifer had spoken to. "That's right. Just sign this contract with your blood and the deal will be final."

Ashton heard a cringing, maniacal laughter as he witnessed Lucifer slit his wrist and sign the contract. When Lucifer finished, there was a quick burst of flames before darkness consumed it once more. After a moment he saw the similar scene, as if it were like a play; but this time Lucifer was pissed.

"WHAT THE FUCK! You said―It's been a year! I've done everything you've asked and I'm still a fucking death-runner!"

Ashton stayed silent as he heard the same cynical laughter and voice emerge from the darkness.

"You stupid fool, don't you know not to make deals with the devil; or to even read the fine print of a contract? The actual contract stated, 'when you're ready to die, you will be sentenced to hell for one year to do as I please. Then and only then, will your curse be lifeted and you can go to Heaven."

"That's bullshit!"

That was the last thing Ashton saw before it went black again and he was back in the hallway. This time the faces in bed were much easier to make out; but Ashton now wished he had unseen them. Dropping to the floor, mouth wide open, tears streaming down his cheeks, Ashton realised it was his foster parents. The house was the one he's living in, and the girl... The girl was their daughter! Ashton's heart began to beat rapidly and irregularly as fear overwhelmed him. He ran, sprinted, to the lifeless girl to see who she was; to confirm who she was. He face brought him to his knees. The girl was Willow.