Part 3 – Deal with The Devil
Judy stared at the vixen with a sour look.
"You made me live through my death for a second time, so you better have a good reason for needing me," she said through gritted teeth.
The blue-eyed devil gave a lazy smile.
"Oh trust me, I do," Lucy stated as she kicked her legs back and forth. "See, I manage the souls of the damned down here, so it's my job to keep them here where they're to be tormented for all of eternity. The thing is, it gets boring after a while. So from time to time, I have Sam bring me a poor soul so I can entertain myself."
The vixen jumped down from her desk and started pacing in front of Judy.
"This time, however, the soul managed to escape to your world while Sam had him in transport to my office here."
"Why can't you just go after him?" Judy asked.
"As much as I'd love to, I can't," Lucy admitted. "Not unless I'm summoned there, and even then, I'd be restricted to where I was summoned. It's some stupid rule that the Big Guy imposed a while back; too complicated to explain. And I can't send any of the demons either, because all they're good for is torture. Not to mention the flak I'd get from upstairs."
Judy's host stopped in her tracks and gave a heavy sigh.
"So my only option was to pluck a soul that hadn't passed through Judgement yet. And that soul just so happens to be you."
"Me?" The bunny asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"You want me to catch a soul that you lost," Judy repeated in brief.
"Correct."
"Why would I want to do your dirty work?"
"See, that's where I help you," Lucy said as she approached the bunny. "You just recently died, so your body is still in that alley. I can get you back there, if you decide to help me."
Judy paused at this. From what she understood, the vixen was offering to bring her back to life in exchange for helping her. There had to be something more to this though, this was The Devil she was talking to anyway.
"What's the catch?" She asked.
"I'm sorry?" Lucy replied, caught off guard.
"What happens after I catch your lost soul?" Judy clarified.
"You get to keep living, until you die again, of course."
"And what, you'll keep my soul when I die?"
Lucy held her face in her paws and groaned very audibly.
"What is wrong with you mortals?!" She exclaimed, frantic. "Every time I try to make a deal, it's always 'Are you gonna take my soul?'! Why would I want your soul?! I've already got enough souls to deal with; I don't need any more unless you have to be here!"
Of all the reactions Judy was expecting, this was not one of them.
"So you're not going to take my soul?" She dared to ask.
"NO!" The vixen yelled, the fireplace emphasized her point with a large wall of flames.
"Okay," Judy meekly replied. "I'll help."
This calmed down her host and the flames returned to their regular size.
"Thank you," she replied as she conjured up a paper with a twirl of her fingers. "You'll have to sign this contract so that we can actually get on with this."
She offered the contract to Judy who scoured the contents rapidly.
"So do I sign in-"
"Pen," Lucy stated with a slight irritation in her voice as she waved one in front of her.
"Right," Judy nervously giggled.
As Judy finished up her signature, the contract went up in smoke along with the pen in her paw.
"Okay!" Lucy exclaimed with a clap of her paws. "Sam, you can come in now."
"As you wish, my Lady," the bat answered as he appeared next to Judy, causing her to jump.
"You have the collar?" The vixen asked.
"Of course," Sam replied as he produced a small metal box from under his wing. "I assume that my Lady wishes that our guest takes this."
"Yes Sam, we've made a deal. She catches our misplaced soul and she gets to live again," Lucy explained. "This collar is set to summon me once it's activated. Once you've placed it on its neck, just press the button. Don't worry, it'll auto-adjust."
Judy weighed the small box in her paw. It wasn't as heavy as it looked; on one side was a transparent button. She slipped it into one of her belt pouches.
"What now?" Judy asked.
"Now I send you back," Lucy stated as she leaned close to the bunny. "If you need any advice or information, you have my number. Oh, and say 'Hi' to Baggins for me."
"Wait! How will I find the soul?!"
"You'll know," The vixen smiled as she flicked Judy's forehead.
The bunny fell to the floor and was engulfed in darkness.
…
Judy woke up staring at the empty sky. Looking around, she recognized the alley where she was chasing the badger. As the bunny sat up, she noticed the pool of blood she was in, which she hurriedly jumped out of.
The events flashed in her mind again; the badger, the gun, Nick. Judy ran down the alley, following the trail of her blood that Nick had left.
AN: Seriously though, pop-culture gives a pretty bad rap for The Devil...