How to Sell Your Soul

Chapter 3: The Auditor

Maybe May will pay her soul off sooner than later... She'd been able to work sixty hours a week for the past month, easily making her payment. She was even in the positive by over four hundred dollars! Which was a feat considering she only made five dollars an hour after they took her living expenses out! There was nothing she really needed that she didn't have at the apartment. She and Denarios usually met for breakfast and dinner, and her lunch was covered at work per her contact. If she kept it up she could walk out with enough money to situate herself once this was done!

She thought about it during her lunch... Funny to think that eating with demons was normal for her now. And actually very enjoyable. She didn't really hang out with many of the demons other than Denarios and the girls at work, which by the way look human up at the loan counter in the front office. Guess knowing that you're giving your soul to demons that look human is easier than demons that, well, look like demons. But Eve... May stayed away from her as much as possible! And all of the others just looked at her like a thorn in their side when she walked through the apartment lobby.

The job wasn't exactly what she meant by decent, but it was work! There were runner Demons that would listen for people in need, and then bring them to the office to take their loan out. Then they would take them home. Same thing when they had to make a payment. Of course May couldn't travel like that so she was one of the people that took care of them once they were in the office. There were a lot of state and federal laws to follow on top of it all. Very interesting considering this is not a normal company. May wondered who controlled that for companies like this. Does the government know they exist? The office was topside outside of Vegas. It looked just like any other business.

~

Denarios sat in his office going over paperwork. One day you're in Heaven doing your job... Next you're in Hell doing pretty much the same damn thing! He laughed to himself... Wonder what the humans would think if they really knew that angels and demons had to do paperwork! Of course Heaven wouldn't let him hang out with a human on a daily basis. It was only temporary. When she paid off her soul she would be free to go. In a lot of aspects Hell was more benevolent than Heaven. Sometimes...

Just then he heard singing... He knew that voice. But why was it reaching him all the way down here? She wasn't calling his name. Nor was he checking in on her, as he did from time to time simply through his abilities (which she knew nothing about). He shook his head. The only other voice that had the power to reach him would be that of a Seraph, but that was impossible! Unless...

~

One second she was in the back room by herself, eating lunch singing along to a song coming through a radio, the next there was a hand over her mouth making her jump halfway out of her chair. She heard Denarios whisper in her ear.

"Shhh..." He walked around with his hand still over her mouth. "I'm pretty damn sure he's already looking for you." He shook his head. "Damn." He said slowly taking his hand from her mouth.

"One, you scared the crap out of me... Two, who is looking for me?" May asked quietly.

As if on que Ginger opened the door and poked her head in from the front office. "Oh you're here? Well it's a good thing cause the state auditor is here, and yes it's 'him'." She said looking irritated. "Oh and he's also asking to see the new hire..." She trailed off as she left them alone in the back room.

"I had a feeling he was already here. Damn again. Clock back in. It's time for you to meet the auditor."

"Uh okay." Who was this auditor and why did he need to meet her and how did Denarios know to show up when he did and why did Ginger sound like that when she mentioned him and...

"Oh for my sake breathe!" Be damned if he was ever going to put his mouth on hers he would hope it wouldn't have to be to bring her back to life! Did I really just think that? These thoughts are becoming way too common. And now is not the time to be having one. He had to deal with 'him'.

May followed Denarios up to the front office after she swiped her card. The man she saw in the lobby of the office could only be described as perfect. Perfect hair, perfect face, perfect shape, perfect suit... It's actually kind of nauseating! So was the way he was looking at her. Kind of like the other demons in the apartment building. But it felt different being near this guy.

Then the man in the suit let out of bellowing laugh! "You find 'me' nauseating to look at? You must have been mucking around at this job for too long. I apologize for not reaching you first." He looked Denarios up and down in disgust. "Before he did."

"She called my department not yours." Denarios said with a grin on his face.

"You should let me save your soul." He grinned at May. "I'm pretty sure I can make it more enjoyable than working with this riffraff."

Denarios grabbed May's wrist with one hand and pulled her closer to him, his other hand started to grow talons out of the ends of his fingertips. The she demons in the office visibly backed off with their jaws hanging, including Candy and Ginger. "My contract, my ward Aurum!"

This was the first time May had seen any demonic features of his. But it didn't scare her. Maybe because she already knew him. "It's okay Denarios. Aren't you going to get in trouble with the state auditor?" She asked with genuine concern.

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'there is no real separation of church and state'?" Aurum asked as he laughed again. "I'm not your average state auditor. I'm an angel."

May's eyes grew large. "An angel?" She was shocked. What was one of those doing here?

"I didn't appreciate the stalker calling card." Denarios stated coolly. "Sending her voice down to me so I knew you were watching her. Shameful even for you."

Aurum had no idea what in heaven he was talking about. Better not let that piece of info slide by though. He just played along with it. "I didn't know you would be so defensive about a human. I was just playing with you."

What in the hell was that look Aurum had just now? He hated that damn angel so much! He felt May slip her wrist out of his hand and walk towards Aurum. If he was controlling her, he would rip his currently non visible wings off! Just then he saw her place her hands on the counter across from him and stare him eye to eye.

"Are there any files you need to see or was this a social visit? Cause that seems like a very unproductive and unprofessional use of time. If you don't mind I'd like to get back to work and you're holding up the line. I've got my soul to buy back, you know, unless you want to prevent that from happening...?"

Now Denarios had his jaw hanging. Dude she just told him off!

"Where did you find this one?" Aurum asked with one eyebrow raised.

"Don't talk over me like I'm not here. I found him in a way. I was homeless on a park bench! And now here I am. I said I was willing to sell my soul for a job. Not my fault only one side was listening. Your operator must have been on lunch and missed my call." There was something about this guy that completely pissed May off.

"Aw Snap!" Ginger shouted. "You go human!"

"It's just as she says." Denarios walked up next to her not being able to keep the smile off his face. "If you do need anything you know where to find us."

Just then Aurum looked deep into May's eyes. Why did her eyes look so familiar? There was ever only one person, well angel, that had ever spoken to him that way. He had a bit of digging to do with this one. It almost seemed like she had a distaste for his presence. "No, nothing right now. But I'll be back in a week for the quarterly audit." He said as he turned to leave. "Interesting human." He said to himself as he walked out the door.

~

When May walked through the door to the apartment lobby all of the demons there turned and stared at her. What? Did she spill something on herself?

One demon began to clap, then another one! Soon the rest standing there joined in! One on the side shouted "Way to tell Aurum off!". Then another "It's about time someone stood up for one of us!".

What does one of us mean? All the demons? Is there something going on that she didn't know about?