Suicide Killed The Body, Not The Soul

Pestilence (25)

"Hello, Clare," He said to me.

I bit my bottom lip and looked away from Pestilence. I gulped slightly and didn't dare make a sound. This was my meek self coming out again.

"I've been hearing many stories about you," Pestilence said.

When I didn't respond, he continued.

"I believe you want this?" He said.

I looked up and saw him holding the key. The bronze key.

"This is the last one you need, right?" He asked.

I nodded and glanced at Dawson. He was watching me as if trying to tell me to act with caution.

"Well, it's yours," Pestilence said.

"What?" I asked.

"The key is yours. I have no use for it anyway," Pestilence said. "Besides, if Lucifer ever found out I was here I'd have hell to pay. I don't know if you've heard, but I'm sort of banished from this place."

"So, I can just take it?" I wondered.

"Sure. Go right ahead... but, just one tiny thing," Pestilence said.

Here it comes. Here comes the catch.

"In order for you to get this little key from me, I want something from you," He said.

"What? Anything!" I said.

I needed that key! I would do anything to get that damn key from his greasy fingers. I needed to get Jake and I, most of all, needed to beat Lucifer at his own game.

"I want your soul."

I didn't think I'd heard him correctly.

"Um...what?"

"You heard me. I want your soul. Then you can have the key," He said matter-of-factly.

"Clare, don't even listen to him. It isn't worth it," Dawson told me.

"What do you mean it isn't worth it?" I turned to him. "Saving Jake isn't worth it to you?"

"Not worth this, Clare. Not worth this!"

"If I were to give you my soul," I said to Pestilence, "what would that make me exactly?"

Pestilence smiled and pointed to Dawson, "It would make you him."

I thought for a moment about what he meant by that, and then I understood. Pestilence wanted me to become a demon, like Dawson.

"You want me to be a demon?" I asked.

Pestilence nodded.

"Clare, this is crazy! You are not going to become one of us!" Dawson said.

"I will do whatever it takes to bring Jake back!" I said.

"What are you gonna do when you find him?" Dawson yelled at me.

"What?"

"What exactly do you think is going to happen when you get your little 'boyfriend' back?" Dawson fumed. "Do you think you're magically going to find a way out of here? Become human again on Earth? Start a fucking family and grow old together? What the fuck are you gonna do once you get him back?"

I paused for a second and stared at Dawson. I couldn't believe he was saying these things to me. After all that we've been through together in the pit. After all of the things we've seen and done just to get Jake back, and now he wants to call it quits?

"And that being said, Clare," He continued, "how do you even know if your going to get out of the Hell room once you've been let in. I told you that it's nearly impossible for anyone to get out once they've been in."