&quot;You know,&quot; I said, once his scream had died down, &quot;as bargains go, yours was pretty disappointing in its terms.&quot; &quot;W-what?&quot; Thunder boomed outside, and the raven on the car's hood tapped on the windshield with its beak. &quot;You know, the usual demand for modest wealth and power.&quot; I paused, lit a cigarette with a small flame that licked out from my thumbnail. &quot;You offered your wife's body and soul rather than your own, but you went above and beyond the call with your part's execution.&quot; He'd recovered from his initial surprise, narrowed his eyes at me. &quot;Does that mean it worked? Do I get what I want?&quot; I laughed, a sound rich and deep like rumbling stone. &quot;Sure, if that's all you want.&quot; &quot;What do you mean?&quot; &quot;It's been decades since last I saw such artistry. The way you flayed her flesh and dissected the moorings of her soul - it was beautiful. Have you ever considered a job in Hell?&quot; Flames rose behind my irises, a disconcerting trick I like to use in shattering my human guise. &quot;What's in it for me?&quot; 2007-12-24T17:01:10Z http://ficlets.com/feed/story/844 <p><strong>shudder</strong> man that was creepy as hell. Well done :)</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/844?basename=30000 2007-12-24T17:01:10Z Melia http://ficlets.com/authors/melia <p>That&#8217;s utterly disconcerting. If that was your intention, it was achieved flawlessly. (Actually, it was even if it wasn&#8217;t your intention.)</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/844?basename=27626 2007-12-11T20:26:17Z The Lady http://ficlets.com/authors/scapegrace <p>human guise. Thrilling, a most excellent sequel.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/844?basename=27534 2007-12-11T01:45:28Z Snarky http://ficlets.com/authors/snarky <p>ohmygodohmygod. that is so spooky and it sucks me in. please, please sequel this, i love where you took it. it would be great if you got around to describing hell in a future sequel in this series. your description of it, i&#8217;m sure, would be amazing. :]</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/844?basename=27321 2007-12-09T18:07:15Z emma jo_234 http://ficlets.com/authors/emmaj <p>haha. awesome.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/844?basename=5558 2007-07-27T04:16:11Z RunningWithScissors http://ficlets.com/authors/hopeless_x0 <p>This is getting spookier all the time.</p> http://ficlets.com/stories/844?basename=307 2007-03-20T13:38:15Z Pat J http://ficlets.com/authors/pj