Randy tightly gripped the tin that was holding an old driver's license, the bone of a black cat, at least, that's what the lady at that weird shop had told him it was, and some graveyard dirt.

It was as if he was afraid he would somehow lose its ingredients. It was late, and very dark. He'd picked a secluded back road with one lonely street lamp to sell his soul. He took a steadying breath before kneeling and making quick work of burying the tin.

He waited, shifting his weight from one foot to another. Suddenly, a brisk rush of wind blew along the lonely road and Randy closed his eyes to prevent dust from flying into them. Just a moment later, his eyes opened and a tall, thin woman stood in front of him with raven black hair.

She blinked, eyes turning completely black.

Randy felt a shiver run up his spine.

She blinked again, her eyes returning to the icy blue color of the eyes belonging to her vessel. A smirk played across her face and she took a moment to brush off some dirt from her pants.

"Well, well, well…. Mr. Randall Spect. Let me guess. Here to make a deal to bring back dear old granny?" The demon's voice was teasing and sarcastic.

It incensed him.

"N-no." Randy said, trying to sound confident.

The demon laughed at him. "N-n-n-no?" She mocked him. "Alright, I'll bite. What the hell do you want?"

Randy tried to hide his trembling hands in his pocket. He cleared his throat.

"I'm here to make a deal. I want to sell my soul in exchange for the curse on my family to be lifted."

The demon hummed to herself, seemingly intrigued. She began pacing slowly in a line back and forth in front of Randy, twirling a finger through a lock of her hair as she did.

"Well, I could be inclined to make that deal for you. But, it sounds like we're talking about a generational curse. One that's been around for a long time. That's going to take a lot of soul power to break that." She stopped for a moment, her shoe drawing a circle in the dirt.

"What do you mean?" Randy asked.

"Well," she said, beginning to pace again, "I mean, my power comes from your soul. Breaking a family curse? That requires a little more than just your soul." She had made her way directly in front of Randy, pointing a long, black nailed finger to his chest. He gulped.

"What else will you need?"

"Well, here's the deal. Family is all about sacrifice, right? I know you're in love with that Maggie girl. I don't really know what you see in her. She's awfully boring. But," her hands had moved to his collar. She was adjusting it and smoothing her hands down his chest.

"But, you'll have to sacrifice everything to break this curse, Randall. So will she. I mean, we're talking about her and her whole family. They'll have to die, too."

"What?! No!"

"I'm afraid it's the only way, Randall. Curses like the one in your family are complicated. You have to sacrifice the one you love and her family in order to save your family. Of course, I'll be coming to collect your soul in ten years."

She patted his chest and backed away from him a bit.

"Whaddaya say, Randy?" Do we got ourselves a deal?"

"N-no!" he shouted immediately.

He closed his eyes, breathing through his nose for a moment to collect himself.

"Wait, you actually think that you might have a chance with Maggie? Randy, honey, you proposed to her and she went running for the hills. She never really loved you and she's never going to love you again. All of this…. Unrequited pining over her… frankly? It's pathetic. She's holding you back, you know. If you break this family curse, you'll be able to find your true love. Your soulmate. Something no one in your family has been able to do for hundreds of years. In fact, she's holding your whole family's future back."

Randy thought about it for a minute.

This demon wasn't wrong. He'd given his entire heart to Maggie and she left him. Why was he holding on to her? Of course, her and her family didn't deserve to die but, it was a small price to pay in comparison to the years and years of generational trauma that had plagued his family. He'd be the hero of his family after this, even if he burned in hell for eternity. His family would remember him. God, he could have a family after this. Find someone who really did care about him and love him. Ten years wasn't a lot of time…. But he'd make it worth it.

Could he do it though? Could he really condemn her to death? And not just Maggie, but her whole family?

He could already feel the guilt and the shame creep in.

"How 'bout this, buckaroo?" The demon began, sensing his internal conflict, "I'll sweeten the pot. I won't take Maggie's whole family by hellhounds and I won't take them all at once. Maggie will have the most time. She'll get a year, maybe two. Hell, I'm excited to see how it'll all pan out." She chuckled.

He didn't know if that offer made it better or worse, to be honest.

"I'm not going to wait around all night, Randall. I need a decision…. Now."

She pressed him, sensing his desperation.

"Are they going to go to heaven?" He asked.

The demons eyebrows shot up.

"That's not up to me."

"But I mean, if I make this deal, and they die, they won't go to hell because of this deal, will they?" He clarified.

"No."

"Fine. What do I have to do?"

She smiled.

"Just a quick lip lock, honey."