The early morning light filtered through the windows of the small Seattle apartment, but Sam felt none of its warmth. His head ached from the night before, a dull, persistent throb that settled behind his eyes. Regret lingered in his mouth, bitter and unshakable. He had lost. Not just a game, he had lost Andi. The thought gnawed at him, even as the dull ache in his skull begged for him to forget. He couldn't. The Devil had won. And Sam had given up more than he was willing to admit.
He sat up in bed, rubbing his face, the weight of yesterday still hanging on him like a bad dream. He'd lost. Andi's soul was tied up in whatever terrible fate the Devil had in store for her, and his was long gone, already claimed. There was nothing left to do but wait for the inevitable.
He couldn't stay in his room. Not with the silence and the pressure building inside him. He needed to get out. Away from the apartment, away from the suffocating guilt, away from everything that reminded him of how he'd failed.
He pulled on his hoodie and slipped out of the room. The faint sound of Ben's snoring drifted from the living room, where Ben was sprawled out on the couch, one arm dangling off the side, looking as if he had no idea where he ended and the couch began. Sock, meanwhile, was lying on the floor in some kind of contorted yoga pose that looked painful even when he was asleep. His arm was wrapped around a pillow, mouth slightly open, mumbling something that Sam was pretty sure was an elaborate conspiracy theory.
Sam tried not to wake them as he slipped out the door and into the cool morning air. Seattle was still asleep, the streets quiet and still, with only the faint hum of early traffic in the distance. The world seemed out of sync with everything Sam was feeling. He couldn't figure out how to make sense of any of it.
He walked aimlessly through the empty streets, his fingers brushing his pockets, lost in thought. What the hell was going to happen to Andi? The suspense was killing him. The Devil hadn't told him what she was going to have to do while she was alive, only that her soul was his prize. Sam knew they were both going to Hell when they died. That much was certain. But what about now? What kind of life would Andi have while she was still breathing, still here, in the world Sam had dragged her into?
He pulled his hands into his pockets, trying to shake the thought, but it clung to him like a shadow, following him through the empty streets. He needed to know what the Devil was going to do with her, needed it more than anything. Every time he thought about it, his chest tightened, and he felt like he might choke on the guilt. He'd dragged her into this mess. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve any of this.
He turned a corner and saw the familiar record store up ahead. Something about it felt like a lifeline, a small moment of normalcy in the middle of the chaos. He stepped inside, letting the cool air from the store hit him, a break from the suffocating thoughts swirling in his mind. The store was mostly empty, quiet, the kind of place that felt like it belonged to another time. The smell of old records filled the air, and Sam felt the briefest flicker of nostalgia.
He wandered through the aisles, fingers brushing over old album spines. Soundgarden. Pearl Jam. Nirvana. The music that had shaped his youth, before everything had gone off the rails. Then his hand landed on Dirt by Alice in Chains. And he froze.
The cover stared back at him. A woman buried up to her neck in cracked desert earth, her eyes distant, waiting. Maybe for someone to save her. Maybe for the ground to swallow her whole.
"You've got to be kidding me."
The voice was smooth, familiar, and unwelcome.
"Down in a Hole," the Devil mused, appearing beside him. "Losing my soul. Real subtle, huh? Almost like it was written just for you."
Sam sighed, barely sparing him a glance. "What do you want?"
The Devil smiled. "Just checking in. Making sure everything's running smoothly."
Sam gave him a flat look. "Cut the act. I'm not in the mood."
The Devil chuckled. "Fair enough. You've had a rough couple of days. Hardly a winning streak."
Sam grit his teeth. "I lost. I get it. You don't have to rub it in."
The Devil grinned, leaning casually against the nearest shelf. "Oh, I'm not rubbing it in. I'm just enjoying the view. After all, who doesn't love a good trainwreck?"
Sam's stomach twisted. "Andi. What's going to happen to her?"
The Devil's grin didn't falter, but his voice grew a touch colder. "She's going to work. A little administrative job, nothing too exciting."
Sam blinked, his mind scrambling to make sense of what he was hearing. "You mean – she's going to work at the DMV?!"
The Devil shrugged. "She'll be reporting to Gladys. I'm sure Andi will enjoy all the paperwork. Gives her time to reflect."
Sam's heart sank, the words echoing in his head. "Gladys? Andi's going to have to work with her?"
The Devil smirked. "You should be thanking me. I thought you liked the idea of her having a stable job. No more risk, no more danger. Paperwork. It's very bureaucratic. And hey, it's a union job. With benefits!"
Sam's heart clenched. "She'll be stuck there, doing... that? Forever?" The bitterness in his voice was impossible to ignore.
The Devil shrugged again, unbothered. "Well, not forever..." he said, letting the weight of his words settle in. "But you know, it's a lot more comfortable than being out on the streets, getting chased by escaped souls. I thought you'd appreciate the... stability."
Sam's head spun. The words felt like they were suffocating him. "She didn't ask for this. She didn't sign up for any of this."
The Devil gave him a long look. "Neither did you. But look at you now. Together, Sammy. A package deal. I've got a nice little corner picked out for you both in Hell. A special place."
Sam didn't respond. His chest tightened, and he felt like he might be sick.
He paid for the album and left the store, the cold morning air biting at his skin. The Devil followed, a silent shadow at his back.
As they walked down the street, the silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating. Sam was wrestling with the thought of Andi, trapped in that bureaucratic hell, while his mind scrambled for any kind of hope. He spoke, the words coming out sharper than he intended. "You really enjoy this, don't you? Just messing with people's lives, crushing them under your thumb."
The Devil's smile stretched wider, his gaze never leaving Sam. "Oh, I don't need to mess with anyone, Sam. People do just fine on their own, stumbling through life, making choices they can't take back." He glanced around, his voice growing darker, almost absentminded. "It's a delicate thing, isn't it? Life. One wrong move and everything falls apart. But most don't realize that until it's too late."
He met Sam's eyes, his tone turning even quieter, more dangerous. "But hey, it's not my problem, right? They all get the lesson when it comes, whether they're ready or not."
The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning, but before Sam could respond...
A bus came barreling down the street, its tires screeching as it swerved and struck a homeless man standing in the middle of the road. Sam's stomach dropped as he watched the man crumple to the ground, unmoving.
The scene unfolded in a blur of chaos. The bus driver slammed on the brakes, horrified, but it was too late. The man had already fallen, his body twisted and still on the pavement. The driver leapt from the bus, screaming for help, his hands shaking as he crouched beside the man, his face pale and full of dread.
A crowd quickly gathered, murmuring in disbelief. A woman was crying, her hand covering her mouth as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. People stepped back, some in shock, others too horrified to move. The air was thick with the sound of sirens in the distance.
The homeless man was dead. But the damage wasn't confined to him.
The bus driver, eyes wide with panic, kept repeating, "I didn't see him, I didn't see him!" His hands were trembling, his breath coming in short gasps as he knelt beside the man's body.
As Sam stared at the wreckage, a cold realization washed over him.
The Devil was right. One wrong move, and everything fell apart.
And that was the truth Sam couldn't escape.