Darned to Heck

Hot Damn

After walking through the tunnel we entered another humongous cavern, but this time it wasn't empty. It was filled floor to ceiling with machinery, all sorts of things that I had never seen before. Massive contraptions being pushed, pulled, wound and operated by countless numbers of people. All of whom had a look of absolute desperation and exhaustion on their faces, they looked terrified.

Mersheas and Taureel led me up some more miraculously appearing steps to a large platform sticking out over the machinery and people high up in the rock face. A few demons that were the same species as my current captors stood by the edge of the platform, holding menacing looking metal weapons and glancing down over the people with an expression that told me they sorely wanted to use them. Further back on the platform was a desk, again formed from the black rock.

"You're late."

Sat behind this desk was the voice that had spoken. A man calmly filling out paperwork, or was it? He definitely looked human enough, or more accurately godly enough.

Damn he's hot. I blushed as his red eyes - yep, definitely a demon- flashed to mine and a sly smile crossed his gorgeous lips. He really was hotter than hell (turns out it's actually just a nice toasty warm, but for the purposes of this metaphor imagine a scalding inferno.)

"I'm flattered, truly. However Miss Jones this is hardly the time to be fantasising about such things as what you would have me do to you. There is the small matter of your paperwork that must be seen to first."

"...you...can..."

"I can read every thought that crosses your mind, yes." He replied, still smirking.

Shiiiiit

I turned from slightly flushed to completely beet red in a matter of seconds as I recalled the not too 'family friendly' thoughts that had entered my head whilst I had been staring at his immaculate jawline, his beautiful raven black hair, his.... fuck.

I hung my head in shame as I realised for the second time, how completely not private my thoughts were in front of this demon. I swear I heard him laugh quietly as he opened a desk drawer and smoothly drew out a piece of paper, whilst simultaneously summoning a pot of ink with a quill in it from his left using some invisible force. He laid them both at the front of the desk, and motioned for me to approach.

Mersheas and Taureel released my arms and I tried to walk confidently towards the desk. I say tried to because I was still mortified at being called out on my thoughts and was therefore paying absolutely zero attention to my surroundings as I wallowed in a pit of shame. This caused me to trip over my own feet and fly head first towards the desk.

Anticipating the pain of faceplanting solid rock I scrunched my eyes shut and threw my arms out wildly, bracing for impact. I felt myself being caught roughly and returned upright. I kept my eyes shut and felt the fire of embarrassment rise up my face as I fervently wished to be somewhere else.

"You really are a trouble maker, aren't you?"

I knew it. Of course I had to be saved by the sexy demon. It couldn't have been a weird looking one like Mersheas or egg. I sighed and opened my eyes "Yeah well, as soon as I wake up from this weird ass dream I won't be causing any more trouble for anyone."

"Dream? Unfortunately this is not a dream, this is your new reality. You were hit by a car, your neck was snapped, and now you are to serve the remainder of eternity here, in hell."

Well that was very concise. "Sure sure, and I suppose this is the contract to sign away my soul?" I scoffed, picking up the piece of paper from the desk and flapping it around.

"Not quite," he smiled. "This just states that you agree to your terms of service."

"And if I don't agree?"

"That is not an option." He held out the quill and pointed to a line at the bottom of the page.

"Why bother having it then?"

"Formalities." A sly smile revealed his perfect teeth.

I sighed again and took the quill. It was only a dream right, what's the worst that could happen? Dipping it into the ink I signed on the line and handed it back to him. He clicked the fingers of his empty hand causing the paper to ignite and burn rapidly, disappearing without a trace. I felt the heat flare as it burned away, pretty realistic for a dream I had to admit.

"Return her to the souls." He waved dismissively as he walked back around his desk with enough grace to make a panther jealous.

"Yes sir."

Mersheas and Taureel returned to my sides once again, though this time did not feel the need to grab my arms. We walked back down the steps, passing another terrified looking human who was being dragged, kicking and screaming via a fistful of hair by another white demon. A look of envy crossed the faces of my own captors, what on earth had I let myself in for?