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Chapter 38: Propositions
Micky didn't understand how he got in the basement, but he knew that Barbas must have had something to do with it. He didn't hesitate to try and escape, even though a part of him knew that it was probably going to be futile; Barbas wouldn't have transported him down here and made it easy to escape. Barbas wanted him to be alone so he could face his fears. Sure enough, when he ran up the stairs and tried to open the door, he couldn't make it budge. Giving up on the door, he turned around and walked back to the center of the basement.
"Alright," he said preparing himself. The only way he was going to get out of here was to overcome his fear. "You got me. I'm alone so you can try and scare me now."
"Oh, I know I can't scare you," answered a voice from the shadows. "You're much better than that."
"What do you mean?" Micky asked as the Devil walked closer to him.
"You're too smart and strong to be fooled as easily as your friends," the Devil answered. "No, I have something else planned for you."
"Like what?" Micky asked tensing up and preparing himself for an attack. He wasn't sure if this was a trick or not, but he wasn't going to show any sign of fear.
"You've proven yourself to be very smart and gifted," the Devil answered with a smile. "No mortal has ever been able to hurt me before. You did and I have to commend you for that."
"What does that mean?" Micky said starting to get a little more worried.
"It means you could be an asset to me," the Devil answered.
"What are you talking about?" Micky asked although he had a bad feeling he knew where this was going.
"Think about it, Micky," the Devil said. "Someone who can cause injury to me, one of the strongest demons in the world, is incredibly gifted. You deserve to have those talents put to better use rather behind a rickety old drum set performing silly songs with lesser beings."
"My friends aren't lesser beings," Micky snarled.
"They aren't on the same level as you," the Devil answered. "Not nearly on the same level as you. They've done nothing but hold you back. With my help, you could do whatever you want. Have whatever your heart desires."
"My heart desires to be with my friends," Micky answered. "And they are not holding me back."
"Aren't they?" the Devil laughed. "You're the one who fought against your anger and overcame it first. You're the one who thought to go to the magic shop and seek help from Piper. As I recall, Michael told you not to do it. You knew better and did it anyway. If you hadn't done that, you never would have defeated me. You're friends all owe their victories to you."
"We work together," Micky said. "What are you trying to get at here? You want me to join you or something? You must be insane if you think that's going to happen."
"You can have everything you've ever wanted," the Devil said.
"I already have everything I want," Micky spat back. "Except for one thing: I want you to leave me and my friends alone."
"Micky, you aren't listening to me," the Devil said. "Fame, power, fortune; everything you've ever wanted and more could be at your fingertips. All you have to do is agree to work with me."
"I told you," Micky answered. "I have everything I want, save for you leaving us alone. It's not going to happen. There's nothing you can tempt me with. I don't want fame or fortune or power. I want my friends. What did you do with them?"
"They are fine, for now," the Devil said. "Why don't I show you what I could offer you?"
"No," Micky said defiantly. "There's nothing you can show me to make me want to work with you. I don't care if you could give me a mansion with millions of dollars and anything else that goes with it. Not. Gonna. Happen. Give it up and move on."
"I need you on my side, Micky," the Devil said getting angry now.
"Well, tough," Micky answered. "I will never do anything to help you. I will never work with you. Ever. Now let me go so I can see my friends."
"It's not that easy, Micky," the Devil sneered menacingly. "You will join me, eventually. Every man has a price. I just need to find yours." Micky ran back up the stairs to try and escape out the door again, but he had barely made it to the bottom of the stairs when he felt something hit him in the gut and push him across the room. Micky crashed hard into the wall and felt pain through his whole back. He tried to push himself up to fight, but felt something heavy push him back down.
"Let me go," Micky gasped out through the pain.
"All you have to do is sign my contract, Micky," the Devil laughed. "You'll be given more power than you can ever imagine and you'll be able to work alongside the most feared and hated beings on the face of the Earth."
"Never," Micky grunted out.
"I'm sure with enough time I can persuade you," the Devil laughed and kicked Micky in the gut. "Never is a very strong word." Micky tried once again to stand up and fight back, but there was still an invisible force pushing him down. Far above him, Micky heard his friends calling for him. The force holding him down weakened as though the Devil had lost a bit of his concentration. Micky jumped up and tackled the Devil to the ground. He balled his hands into fists and punched the Devil in the face a few times until he realized the Devil was bleeding. Micky jumped off the Devil and ran towards the stairs again to try and escape.
"Davy!" he yelled. "Peter! Mike! I'm down here!" He reached the top of the stairs and started pounding on the door trying to open it. Again it wouldn't open, but now he heard his friends on the other side. He heard the Devil laughing behind him and Micky threw his whole body into the door to try and bust it open. It finally cracked with his force and his friends' and burst open. Micky climbed through it, but felt something grab his ankles and pull him back. Peter and Mike reached out and grabbed his arms to try and help pull him back through the door, but the force pulling him further into the basement was stronger. He barely even felt them trying to pull him to safety before he was thrown back down the stairs.
"Micky, no!" Mike, Peter, and Davy yelled as Micky tumbled down the stairs and hit the ground hard. The three of them ran down the stairs after him and tried to help him, but the Devil was waiting for them. Micky could only watch as the Devil snapped his fingers and the stairs his friends were climbing down snapped causing them all to fall on top of him.
"Well, this changes things a little," the Devil smiled. He snapped his fingers again and Mike was pulled by an invisible force across the room where he slammed into the wall followed by Peter and Davy.
"No!" Micky yelled trying to get up and help them, but was once again held down by something he couldn't see.
"Yes, this is very interesting indeed," the Devil laughed. Micky could only watch as chains appeared to grow out of the wall and bind his friends against it. "I think that I very well may have found your price, Micky."
"No," Micky breathed as he realized what the Devil meant.
"All you have to do is agree," the Devil laughed.
"What's he talking about, Micky?" Mike asked.
"You lay a finger on them and I swear I will kill you!" Micky roared trying to fight to break free of the invisible force holding him.
"You may have been able to hurt me, Micky," the Devil said as he wiped the blood from his nose. "Twice now even. But you cannot and will not ever be able to kill me. I am immortal."
"Micky, what is he talking about?" Mike asked again. "Agree to what!?"
"Whatever it is, don't do it, Micky!" Davy yelled trying to fight to get loose.
"I'm sorry, guys," Micky said. "He wants me to join him."
"You must be pretty stupid if you think that's ever going to happen," Mike snapped at the Devil.
"Why would you even want him to work with you?" Peter asked.
"He's a lot stronger and more talented than any of you give him credit for," the Devil answered with a laugh.
"That's not fair!" Peter exclaimed. "We know exactly how good he is!"
"You're just mad because it looks like he kicked your butt again," Mike laughed.
"No, see I need someone with his skill," the Devil said showing a slight trace of anger. "Without him, you never would have gotten as far as you have. And that's why I want him. The first mortal to ever hurt me. Can you imagine what he'd be capable of with a little extra power?"
"Sure, but you need him to agree to it," Mike sneered. "And he never will."
"Are you sure about that?" the Devil said with a sickening smile. Micky wanted to yell at them to stop taunting the Devil. Didn't they understand that the Devil was going to hurt them to get Micky to agree?
"Positive," Mike said. "Micky, I don't care what happens. Promise me you won't do it."
"Mike," Micky choked out under the force of the force still holding him back from his friends. "He's going to hurt you."
"I don't care if he kills us," Peter said. "Don't give in to him! Your soul will be lost forever!"
"Promise us," Davy repeated.
"We'll figure a way out of this," Mike said. "We always have."
"I'm afraid you're stuck this time," the Devil sneered. "You may have somehow overcome your fears, but those chains are steel and magically bound to the wall. How do you expect to break free?"
"I don't know yet, but I have faith it'll work out for us," Mike snapped.
"Do you?" the Devil asked snapping his fingers and making a long knife appear in his hand. Micky could only watch as the Devil moved in one quick motion and plunged the knife through Mike's chest.
"NO!" Micky screamed over Davy and Peter's own gasps. The chains binding Mike snapped and he collapsed to the floor. The weight holding Micky back disappeared and Micky shot across the room like a bullet to lift his fallen friend and cradle him in his arms.
"How's your faith now?" the Devil laughed as Micky held Mike in his arms. Micky looked down at Mike, his vision blurred heavily through the tears in his eyes.
"Mike, it's going to be ok, just hold on," Micky cried.
"Don't do it, Micky," Mike choked out. "Promise me. Don't let him win."
"I'm so sorry, Mike," Micky cried.
"Promise me," Mike said again. Micky didn't know what to say or do. He could tell Mike was about to die and there wasn't any way that anyone could get in to help save him. There was really only one way Micky could save Mike's life right now.
"I can't let you guys get hurt again," Micky answered. "I have to help you."
"Micky?" Peter asked through tears.
"If I agree to this, can I save him still?" Micky asked the Devil ignoring Peter.
"Perhaps," the Devil answered. "Not sure you'd want to though."
"Micky…" Davy cried, pleading with him not to do this. But he and Peter didn't understand. They couldn't feel Mike dying in their arms.
"What do you mean?" Micky asked quickly. He knew he didn't have much time to save Mike and he had to make sure he could.
"You'll be changed," the Devil answered. "The power will corrupt you. You won't be human anymore."
"Micky, don't," Mike begged through rasping breaths. "I don't want to be saved that way. Promise me you won't." Micky crumbled a little. He knew what the Devil meant: Micky would become a demon like him and if that happened, there was no guarantee he'd want to use his powers to save Mike even if he could.
"Mike…" Micky answered through tears. He still didn't know what to do and he could feel Mike slipping away with each passing second.
"Make a decision, Micky," the Devil sneered.
"I can't," Micky sobbed. "Please don't do this. Don't make me."
"I must warn you," the Devil said. "I'm not very patient. Don't make me wait, Micky."
"Micky," Mike breathed. He was almost gone and there was nothing Micky could do; Mike could only barely form words. "Please. Don't."
"I promise you I will destroy him," Micky said. He nearly lost it when he felt Mike go limp in his arms and Mike's eyes closed. He couldn't feel Mike breathing anymore and suddenly he felt a surge of anger rush through him. He barely heard Peter and Davy sobbing, still chained to the wall, as he gently laid Mike on the ground. He heard the Devil snickering in the background and the sound was like a jolt of electricity ran through Micky. Before he knew what he was doing, he jumped up and charged the Devil again. Micky was able to slam the Devil into the wall and punch him in the face one more time before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
"No more games, Micky," the Devil said reappearing behind him. Micky turned slowly, anger still filling every inch of him, and saw the Devil standing next to Davy with the knife that had just been in Mike's chest. "I will not let you get the better of me again."
"Don't touch him," Micky snarled clenching his fists tightly.
"Or what?" the Devil said. "You agree to sign my contract and I'll let them go."
"Don't!" Davy exclaimed. "Please!"
"Micky, don't do it!" Peter yelled.
"You gonna listen to them or are you going to save them?" the Devil laughed.
"Micky, you can't believe him," Davy said. "You can't believe that he's not going to just kill us anyway."
"You sign that contract and you won't care what happens to us," Peter added. "You won't be human anymore."
"Please, Micky," Davy pled. "I'd rather be dead than see that happen to you."
"You know what?" the Devil said smiling. "My patience has worn thin." He snapped his fingers and disappeared before Micky could run across the room and reach him again.
"Micky!" Peter yelled. "Davy!" His voice was panicked and strangled and Micky turned to see a new chain had appeared around Davy's throat. And it was getting tighter.
"No!" Micky yelled and ran to try and pull the chain away from his friend's neck. But it was steel and no match for Micky, no matter how much strength his anger had given him. He pulled with all his might, but the chains got even tighter. Micky could hear a sickening rattling noise from Davy as he arched and contorted his body as best as he could to try and get air into his lungs.
"Davy, no," Peter was sobbing uncontrollably trying to break free of the chains around him.
"Let him go!" Micky screamed. Davy's face was turning blue and he wasn't fighting as hard anymore. "Don't do this! I may not be able to kill you, but I swear if you kill him and I will make you suffer for the rest of my life!"
"Sign my contract," the Devil's voice said from everywhere and nowhere at once. Micky stared into Davy's eyes and knew what he was thinking. Davy was pleading with Micky not to sign the contract. And then Davy went limp and Micky crumbled even further. He sank to the ground on his knees and sobbed. He felt broken and everything else around him didn't matter. Noises were deafened and his world felt like it was falling apart. Mike was dead and now Davy was dead. A small spark was ignited inside him as he realized that Peter was still alive. He jumped up and started trying to pull on the chains binding Peter to the wall, but Micky couldn't do anything to these chains either.
"Micky," Peter sobbed. "Get out of here."
"I'm not leaving without you," Micky said trying harder to pull on the chains. Finally the wall itself cracked and the chains loosened enough for Micky to help pull Peter out of them. Micky grabbed Peter's hand and pulled him toward the stairs. He didn't want to leave Mike and Davy behind, but he had to save Peter. He couldn't lose Peter, too. They ran up the stairs two at a time, but froze at the top when the Devil appeared in front of them.
"Where do you think you're going?" the Devil asked smiling. He reached out and pushed Micky back. Micky tried to stop himself from falling, but he fell right into Peter and the two of them tumbled down the stairs. Micky felt his head crack on the ground and his head exploded with pain.
"Peter, you ok?" Micky asked pushing himself up from the ground. He got no response from Peter and his heart sank. Peter lay next to him facing the opposite direction. And he didn't appear to be breathing. "Peter?" Micky grabbed Peter and turned his face to look at him. His eyes were open, but they were blank.
"Well, isn't that interesting," the Devil laughed walking down the stairs. "Looks like a broken neck. I didn't even mean for that to happen."
"NO!" Micky screamed.
"Why don't I give you some space with your friends," the Devil said. "You can join me after. You need time to mourn their losses." Micky was too distraught to fight back. He couldn't have anyway as the Devil disappeared. Micky collapsed on top of Peter and began sobbing uncontrollably into his chest that wasn't moving anymore. All his friends were dead and there wasn't a thing he could do to help them.