Unnatural// 5SOS & 1D

Hellish// part two

z.m: Across a Crowded Street

If that demon knew what was good for him, he would damn well show up again. My mother wasn't getting any better, in fact our conditions were both worsening but it's not like my mom knew I was dying. I hadn't told her because.. Well, how am I supposed to tell my cancer ridden mother that our genes were similar. That I had cancer too. It was disgusting. It was twisted. And I had to do something to fix this.

I guess I should be trying to save myself, that's what my mom would want. I am her only daughter after all but what kind of daughter would I be if I saved myself when I could save my mom? It would be damn right selfish. My momma raised me better than that. I moved the cardboard cup around and around in my hands, feeling the coffee slosh around inside of it. Of course, my momma also didn't raise me to make deals with the devil.

When I first began looking into ways to save my mom, there weren't many options to choose from. I could, A. Summon an angel, tether them to earth and demand that they fix my mother. B. Rely on a witch to cast a spell on my mom. C. Summon a demon and hope for the best. Clearly, I chose option C but it was option C for a reason, it wasn't my first choice.

Summoning an angel took a lot of ritualistic materials that were either unattainable or worth the kind of money I could only dream of having. The witch deal didn't workout to well seeing as I could never find a reliable enough source. Everyone was a phony or fake and I needed something real, something concrete. Maybe summoning angels and demons doesn't sound too concrete but, there was enough lore and stories about both of these things to make it seem like it was actually possible.

So I borrowed an old dusty book from the library that the librarian was even startled to see that they still had. "Are you sure you want this honey? This book.." a pause. "Well its not right for young ladies such as yourself."

"It's just a book." I replied calmly, trying to pay it off. The librarian pursed her lips.

"That's just it dear. It may just be a book but there's somethin'... Something about it that I just can't explain. We've tried getting rid of it, believe me. After the last person who checked it out ended up.." She stopped talking here and tried to plaster a smile on end face. "Well anyways honey, are you quite sure this is the book you need?"

"Positive." And so she checked it out to me. It hadn't been handed out since the late nineties and if that librarians sentence ended the way I think it did, I could see why they would try to hide it. A book checked out by a dead person wouldn't exactly be in high demand.

As the light turned green for everyone to start crossing the street, I lifted my eyes and pushed some of my curly hair out of the way. It was more wild today than usual but I didn't mind. Maneuvering through people, I huffed a little at how slow everyone was going. Stepping onto the curb on the other side of the road, I looked up and immediately locked eyes with a man just down the block. It was him. It was the demon.

He smiled when he saw me and when he blinked, his eyes were pitch black. He was standing there, rubbing his chin and dressed up like a business man. He beckoned me forward before his eyes flickered back to natural colors. Turning around, he walked into a coffee shop. I felt rage bubble up inside of me. Who the hell did he think he was? Why was he going against the rules of deal making? Did he think I didn't know? Why was he toying with me like this?

Despite already having coffee in my hands, I dumped the beverage into a nearby trashcan and stalked towards the hippyish looking store front. When I pushed open the door, a bell rang above my head and the baristas behind the counter greeted with a smile saying, "Welcome to Coffee World!" I tried not to look pissed off.

The demon was sitting by a window, leaning back in his chair ad watching me. A pretty waiter girl seemed to be trying to take his order but he wasn't paying much attention to the red head in front of him. As I walked closer, he held up his hand to stop the girl from taking. "Whatever the special is. I'll have that." He glanced up at her with a small smirk that seemed to make the girl melt.

"R-right away sir." She nearly ran into me as I moved to sit at the table. "Oh, hello Miss." she glanced back at this demon and seemed to deflate a little as I sat down. Yuck, she probably thought we were together. I frowned as she walked away.

"Why so glum babe."

"Don't call me babe and don't patronize me." I hissed, finally facing him. "Who the hell do you think you are?" He chuckled lightly, leaning towards me, his arms on the table.

"The man whose going to save dear old mom." I swallowed hard. He's got me there.

"What is all of this? The waiting game? Why not make a deal for my soul right away?" Glancing around the coffee shop, I tried to see if anyone was in earshot of listening. There was one table of giggling girls who kept glancing our way so I host them a look and the brunette turned back around towards her friend.

"Because it'll be fun for me." My head whipped around to look at him.

"Fun?" I demanded angrily.

"Yes, fun. I've been quite bored in hell and thought, why not try to make a deal with a pretty girl." I scoffed. He probably says that to all the young girls trying to sell their souls. "You just happen to be the unlucky girl I chose." He runs a hand through his hair and sits up straight, smiling at me. He's got that whole bad boy look about him. Like he could fuck you good in bed but still be a gentleman to your parents. Maybe he's betting on me falling for his literal devilish charm, but it's not going to work.

"Then settle the deal with me." I commanded. "I'm certainly not getting any younger and my mom isn't going to get any better." He licks his lips slowly.

"See, that's what I don't get about you. Why are you trying to save your mom when you could be saving yourself."

"Here is your coffee sir. Can I get you anything Miss."

"No." I reply coldly, glaring at the man across from me.

"Don't be rude darling. She'll have a hazelnut coffee please." The girl scuttles away, off to do his bidding without even saying, 'That will be right out for you.' I furrow my eyebrows.

"What makes you think I want that?" I demanded. "And don't call me darling." A slight confused look crosses his gorgeous features.

"It's what you were drinking outside wasn't it?" How did he know that?

"Well I dumped it for a reason. Looking at you makes me sick." He frowns, his bottom lip pushing out.

"I thought most women liked this body."

"But its not yours and knowing that makes me want to puke my guts out." He shrugs.

"That would hurt." I roll my eyes. "No matter, there's no need to be so aggressive sweetheart." I groaned.

"Oh my god, stop using those nicknames like we're some sort of couple. We're not even friends. I don't even know you."

"Well what would you like me to call you? Morgan? It's such a plain name for a beautiful girl." I didn't know how to reply to that so I just sort of stared at him as the girl came back with my coffee. She was saying something, probably asking if we needed anything else but the demon dismissed her with some reply and a wave of his hand. Why did he call me beautiful? Do demons even know the concept?

"Don't call me anything and make the damn deal with me or I'll find another crossroads demon who would be more than happy to take my soul." He chuckled, lifting his cups to his lips and taking a slow sip. "What's so funny?" I demanded as he set his drink down.

"Nobody would dare touch what is mine." A chill ran down my spine as he said that. His? I wasn't his? Why was he being so cocky? Why do I have more questions than answers?

"I'm not yours." He sighed.

"Nevertheless, this deal is mine. Nobody else will come when you call." That made me furious. I stood up.

"Oh yeah, watch me." And watch me he did. He watched me walk right out of the coffee shop and out into the street. When I glanced at my watch, I realized I was late for work which only made me angrier. If I hadn't stopped to talk to him I would have been on time but he sidetracked me and then tried to confuse me. I would find another crossroads, meet another demon. I wasn't going to listen to this asshole. I was going to save my mom even if I had to bring forth a hundred demons.