Faster. Faster, come on, I thought. Move your fucking legs faster. My lungs burned with every breath I gulped down, terrified that my next would be my last. The snarling and howling told me just how close they were but I forced myself to go faster. The pounding of my boots slapping the slick gravel seemed ridiculously loud, signaling exactly where I was with every stride. I didn't dare look back for fear of seeing them but it was no use. One of them nipped at my heels, causing me to tumble and that moment of weakness gave them the opportunity to jump onto my shoulders, pushing me to the ground. I closed my eyes and waited for them to end my life but nothing came. Slowly, I didn't want to startle them, I rolled onto my back and saw a man in a fitted black suit and stripped tie standing a couple yards back. His thinning black hair ruffled slightly in the nightly breeze. It looked as if he hadn't shaved in a few days and his dark eyes gleamed menacingly. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Why do they always run?" he muttered, "You should know there's no escaping. But it's always fun to play tag, isn't it sweetheart?"
I flinched, "Don't call me that." The man smiled and help up his hand in surrender, "My apologies." His Scottish accent made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He started circling me like a hungry wolf. "Whats going on? Who are you?" He chuckled. "Why sweetheart, I'm the king of hell," he flung his arms out to make an impression, "and I have come to collect my payment." The king smiled sweetly, "You didn't forget, did you? It was marked on your calender." The damn deal. I made it five years ago, and as I look around, at the very same crossroad we were currently occupying. Irony is a bitch. I did it to save my siblings. They were alive through a tube, thats what the doctor told me, if I turned the wheel a millisecond later, I would be in their state as well. It was all my fault that my brother and sister died, their blood was on my hands. My eyes fluttered when I remembered the price of the arrangement. "My soul," I swallowed, "Your here for my soul."
"Thats right sweetheart, I knew you were a smart one."
"And the king of hell came to give me a personal send off?" A smirk curled my chapped lips up.
"I'm honored, your highness."
His eyes narrowed ever so slightly at my comment, causing a dangerous feeling of triumph to slowly ignite. "Lets just say your... deposit is greatly desired by many." He raised his hand.
"WAIT!" At my sudden outburst, his hand stilled. I let out a ragged breath and raked my hands through my tangled hair. "Please, just give me another year," A roaring laughter that erupted from the kings mouth frightened me. "Just to-to say goodbye." "Sweetheart-" He wiped an imaginary tear from his lashes, " You had five years to say goodbye, what makes you think that I would give you another year? If I did that to everyone that whimpered for another lousy year to breath this polluted air, then I wouldn't be a very good business man, now would I?" I scrambled to my feet, knees quivering from the exhaustion of the run. " Please, I'll give you anything you want, my money, my car, my house. You name it and its yours."The man chuckled under his breath, "You don't seem to understand darling, there is nothing of yours that I desire, nothing will satisfy me but your soul." He flicked his wrist.
Immediately, three massive creatures hurled themselves in my direction. They looked like dogs but they weren't, they seemed to be made of some sort of smoke. They looked like dogs from hell. Their terrible red eyes locked onto me as their claws sunk into my stomach and legs like softened butter. A violent wave pain shook my body as the first hellhound tore a chunk of my thigh clean off. A disturbing scream rang in the night and I wondered if someone was in trouble when I realized that horrifying, shrill sound was me and then another ripped from my chest. I felt their claws rake down, almost as if intentionally dragging out the pain, from my throat to my navel. My eyes widen when the spurts of my blood coated their gruesome snouts and washed the ground a crimson red. There was so much of it that I could smell the copper of pennies. I tried to get away, oh fucking god did I try, but they just kept tearing and ripping and shredding every part of my body and there was nothing I could do about it. I tilted my head slightly till I could see the king of hell, he smiled and waved.
His words engraved behind my eyelids, ' SEE YOU IN HELL'