Warnings: Loose mentions of religion are made throughout the story. Nothing too bad though, but it's called for because of the plot.
Disclaimer: I don't claim any following mentioned characters or brands.

It was a loud collision. Sparks flew from crunched metal twisted and contorted into grotesque positions. The sound was almost unbearable, exploding into eardrums; glass shattering into a million and more pieces, all scattered across the paved gravel. It was fast. So fast. Plowing uncontrollably across the bare street until it eventually stopped when it had struck a tree, gasps were contained in passing cars until a half of dozen of them came to a screeching halt, screams and cell phones held close to their mouths.

No survivors.

"Hello? Hello? I'd like to report a car accident, I – oh god, it's terrible! Please, please send someone to help! No, no, I don't see anyone moving – does that. . . oh please, good lord, save the poor soul!"

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My eyes are opened. Why is everything so black? Where am I? What happened?

"You're dead." The answer was brutal and sharp. "Strain your eyes more, you'll eventually see again."

She did as she was told, feeling heat rise to her face as she concentrated hard on trying to outline her surroundings seemingly painted with complete darkness. Gradually the black fog lifted and her vision cleared, suddenly finding herself facing a man wearing a gray suit monitoring her carefully through disdainful eyes.

"Lillian Truscott," he read from the clipboard located in his left hand, directing his previous gaze from her and toward it to briefly scan over the paperwork. He walked around her and toward the blank room's ebony desk, propping himself promptly in its seat. "16. Parents divorced. Fair grades."

As he continued speaking, Lilly then noticed she was sprawled across the room's forest green carpet and quickly fumbled to her feet to better level herself with the strange man. She took a few cautious steps forward, touching the two seats facing his desk to make certain this wasn't a dream she was currently trapped in. "Who are you? Where. . . Where am I?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her questions and titled his head slightly to indicate to the wall aside of them. In return she turned toward its direction, her eyes widening when she read one of the hanging signs: WELCOME TO HELL.

Suddenly, a bubbling feeling, something akin to fear, terror, panic, and hysteria all mixed into one messy emotion, exploded within her.

"I'm in hell?!" she screamed. "But-but – I didn't anything wrong! This has to be a mistake – I'm not even supposed to be dead yet!"

"Hmm, it appears no one was anticipating your death quite yet," answered the man steadily. "That's why you were sent here. There weren't enough preparations made 'upstairs' for your death. They're out of space."

Lilly felt tears prickle at her eyes at the idea of no longer existing on earth with such a compromising future ahead of her, the aspect of going to hell just didn't seem to mean anything. She was dead for heaven's sake. Sinking realization had seemingly drowned the worry of going to hell out.

"So they're sending me here instead?" she cried faintly, bringing trembling hands to cradle her aching face. "I wasn't even supposed to die today?"

"Correct, which gives me a reason to help you live again," the man answered, suddenly her terror was shadowed with curiosity.

Anxiety ballooned in her stomach at the word 'live', however, she wasn't ignorant, she knew she'd have to pay some sort of wager in return. The blonde dropped her hands from her face, regaining her earlier composure and faced the seated man. "Live again? But how? I'm already dead, right?"

"Technically, your soul was meant for Heaven," he explained, "I have really no use for you. But if you can exchange your soul with someone else's that's doomed to here, then I suppose there's no reason why I can't grant your life back."

"But wouldn't that be weird? I mean, if I died today and didn't get my soul exchanged for someone else's until another month or so and then just hopped back into earth, wouldn't that be strange? Scientifically impossible?" Lilly frowned, the proprosal seemed to become less and less appealing as she continued to think it over. Yeah, this definitely didn't sound like a good idea at all.

"If you successfully exchange your soul with another's than you'd be placed on earth an hour before you died." he informed.

Lilly felt her frown deepen as hopelessness gradually wrapped around her mind, rendering her even more forlorn than before. "But how could I convince someone to exchange their soul with mine? That's impossible. Everyone wants to live."

"I'm perfectly certain you'll find some way to persuade them otherwise," he smiled wickedly. "If you're desperate enough to live again, that is. And you are, aren't you Lillian?"

"Yes," she breathed despondently before she could control herself. "More than anything." It wasn't her time to go, no, not with her SATs coming up, junior prom, road trips, dates, eventually graduating, going to college, getting married, starting her own family. It just wasn't her time to go. Not now.

His smile widened at her response. "Then sign on the dotted line," he ordered as he pushed the clipboard holding several documents compiled to appear to be somewhat of a contract across the desk and toward her. He then snapped his fingers and a red pen materialized in her previously empty hand. "I'm giving you two months to complete the task. If you fail, then you're condemned to here for eternity as I assume you already know. But do keep in mind, you're allowed to do anything in order to obtain the assigned soul. Lie, deceit, nothing is wrong my books. Do what you can."

"So. . . then, how do I make it official?" She swallowed down the fear and anxiety rising in her throat. Was she really making a deal like this? This forbidden?

"The appointed soul must simply say he or she wants to exchange souls," the man answered. "And if you happen to follow through with the exchange you won't be judged by it when you eventually do die, therefore, given an equal chance to enter heaven. Now with that said, just sign and you'll be assigned to someone to retrieve their soul."

Lilly inhaled a deep breath, feeling as if she was flushing down every moral she once associated herself with. This was wrong. But her unexpected death was just as bad. She didn't want to die yet. She had so many things to do and even more things to accomplish. She just simply couldn't be dead. The feeling of guilt was suddenly overshadowed with complete denial and desperation.

"Alright, deal." she eventually agreed, slowly embedding her name on the paper.

"Excellent," he smirked, "try your best and remember, it's your life that's at stake." He held out his hand, ugly and contorted with a tint of red in the skin's pigment. She hesitantly took it, wearily shaking his significantly larger hand with hers. "Lillian Truscott, you've just made a deal with the devil himself."

Suddenly everything went black.

Author's Notes: Well, yeah. Um, end of chapter, woo? Anyways, I really enjoy the concept of the story but I'd also really like some sort of feedback on what you guys think. I might delete and repost if I feel it isn't up to snuff with my inspiration and whatnot. Or I might just delete for good, whatcha think?