Most people go mad in hell; if it's not the torture, then it's the time. Demons think they've been here for eternity and human souls realise they're never going to get to leave. It's enough to make even the sanest person crack.

I wasn't bothered by being here or for the punishments Crowley and his minions dished out. What got me was being alone in a metal case so small that I couldn't move my hands or feet. No light could get in and all I could smell was blood, and hear scream after scream. It sounds pathetic, but after a while, even I started to crack.

Crowley was desperate to make me his pet, to strip me of my self-respect until I was begging him to stop. He wanted me to call him 'Master' like his other freaks; the thought made me want to puke. I wouldn't bow to that pig no matter what he did.

I was back in my cage now, my blood-spattered hair hanging limply over my face, my throat raw from screaming. I wasn't one to try to stay quiet for the sake of looking heroic, I screamed because it fucking hurt.

You used to laugh at people who screamed. A quiet voice echoed through my mind. I was too tired to argue with any of my thoughts but it was true. When I was batting for Lucifer's team, I used to laugh at how pitiful humans were; they didn't appreciate Lucifer's vision for the world and for that they deserved to die. The Winchester's might call that evil, but how many had they killed for their cause? Besides, I didn't have to care about a bunch of weak souls who'd end up in Heaven anyway. I muttered this aloud to myself just to feel better.

"Not all of us do, how many humans here are just playthings for the master of the house?" A dreary, sarcastic voice caused me to whirl around and I nearly banged my head on the top of the cage. I didn't notice this before but there was a small hole in the wall, too small to let light in but big enough to let the person on the other side be heard.

"You can't ignore me, you know," the voice drifted through again, sounding more insistent and desperate, "we're both alone so you might as well listen."

"Who are you?" I'd only ever heard screams before, never had anyone spoken or tried to cry out for help.

"My name's Bethan. Human. What about you?"

"Meg, demon...just about."

I tried to peer through the hole but it was too dark. Bethan must have guessed what I was trying to do, however, because I heard shuffling and felt hot air on my cheek. I could feel her breathing.

"That better? How does a demon get stuck in here? Aren't you meant to be with the King or whatever he's called?"

"He's Crowley, and not exactly. I preferred the old boss of this place so that pig has me in here for treason if you like. I did try to kill him after all, more than once."

Bethan giggled a little which made me think she'd gone mad like the rest of them. She sounded so young but I couldn't work her out without seeing her face.

"Why are you here?" I asked, "did you make a deal with him?" Most humans did and they then ended up here, though a lot here were murderers and rapists. I couldn't see this girl being anything worse than a pick-pocket.

Bethan didn't answer for a while but when she did, she sounded full of guilt and regret. "A guy at school was showing a book off, one about crossroads demons. I thought it was weird and something he'd got just to get attention from the other kids, but I asked him if I could read it. It told me how to summon a demon and that they'd grant you a wish, a bit like a genie."

"What did you ask for?" I'd watched Lucifer kill hundreds of innocent people, some of them children. I'd never cared about who died and who went to Heaven or Hell, and really it was the girl's fault for making a deal with a demon. No matter what I told myself, though, it still didn't sit well with me.

"I asked what any friendless teenager would ask for. I asked to be the most loved, popular girl in my whole town just so I wouldn't be bullied or disappoint my parents or be stuck in my miserable old life."

"And instead you're stuck in Hell. Good trade."

"It was a good two years, don't knock it."

"Two years? You're meant to get ten!" How had Crowley taken the kid so early? Even he never went back on his word. He might have been a cold-hearted, manipulative bastard but when it came to deals, he kept his word.

"The crossroads demon made the whole town love me, Meg, that big a wish cost me a few years."

"You accepted those terms?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't care." Her honesty made my head spin and I was struggling to keep up. I'd seen humans cry and beg for their lives when it came to cash in their deals; they would run from the hell hounds and even try to make another deal just to buy themselves time. This girl had made a deal because she'd had a crap life and now that she was in Hell, she hadn't asked to be saved. All she'd asked for was for me to talk to her.

"Do you care now?" I tried to sound as sarcastic as possible, to rid myself of the pity I felt, "you're stuck in Hell because you couldn't deal with your issues." It was meant to hurt her but instead, it made me wince.

"No, I don't care now." Was it me, or was she laughing? "I got what I wanted and now I have you to talk to. I guess you wouldn't understand what human life is like, what with you being a demon."

Bethan really didn't like being alone, I was beginning to understand. Her being nonchalant made me think Crowley didn't put her on the rack like the criminals and the traitors, but then again he didn't waste his time torturing souls when he couldn't gain anything from it.

"Meg, what do you look like?" Bethan whispered so close to my ear that I jumped. It was such a stupid question that, had I been in my right mind, I would have scoffed and said something harsh or sarcastic. Pain and boredom, however, made any question welcome just for the distraction. This girl hadn't seen anything outside her cell for a long time, I guessed, so it was only fair to answer her.

"Well, I've got brown eyes and I used to have really dark brown hair but now it's blonde and sort of wavy." That was all I could tell her, I'd never had to really look at myself before. This was a meat suit and I'd never thought something like that would matter to a person.

"You sound really nice looking. My mom, she had blonde hair too." Bethan sighed wistfully and then went silent. I didn't ask her what she looked like or what her mom was like because I could hear footsteps marching our way. The smell of metal and sweat overpowered my senses -the smell of demons who'd been down here for centuries, torturing millions of souls -and before he could reach my cell or open the door I knew I had to say what I needed to. I reached for the hole and stuck a finger through, relief pouring through me when Bethan's finger touched mine.

"You're not alone Bethan, not anymore. I'll stay with you." I kept my finger wrapped around hers until the door opened.