Crossroads

“Must be a real weight off your chest, huh?” The sound that followed was outside the realm of laughing or coughing, but a strange mixture of both that elicited the same hair raising reaction of nails trying to claw their way through a chalkboard. Sasha elected to ignore it. Instead, she focused on gathering her things, which had been strewn across the dirt packed crossroads in the commotion. She rubbed her fingers together, disgust filling the now empty pit in her stomach as she peeled the blood soaked pages of her book apart. Pity, it was her only copy, too. 

“C’mon,” the voice cajoled, and she indulged the being with a blank stare. “All I have on record is you giving up your soul - nothing in here about tossing in your humor, too!” It had a sardonic smile stretched across its face, making the skin look like a poor man’s wax figurine or a bargain bin halloween mask. Not particularly impressive. One would think, Sasha certainly did, that a devil would have some magnetism to it, an aura of power. Instead, it just stood there with the attitude of a smug bastard who is convinced it knows far more than you ever will, and isn't afraid to say it. 

“I didn’t give up my soul.” She corrected, annoyance seeping through her own, more human mask of attempted nonchalance. “I sold it. There was an exchange involved.” The devil wiggled its eyebrows, frozen mask shattering, skin now twisting and contorting in a way that made Sasha turn back to tying up her bag of salt.

“Semantics.” With a clicking of claws, the devil waved away her statement. 

“Semantics?” The annoyance took another step closer to anger, and she had to pause to take stock of the situation at hand before she tripped into rage. She forced a breath of the sulfur drenched air into her lungs. Of course the devil was going to needle at her, that’s what they do. She got what she came for, there was nothing more to do. Just ignore, and it’d go away. “You’d think a devil would revel in arbitrary semantics.” The words escaped from her mouth before she had a chance to catch them.

“Oh! Sasha!” While the solid black eyes didn’t lend themselves to emotion, Sasha could tell they had lit up at her jab. “You think I’ve scammed you, do you? Took you for a ride? Hustled you, did I? Did a bit of an honest graft? Double crossed you in a sucker game?” It was on a roll, and had no signs of stopping, to Sasha’s chagrin. “Pulled a fast one on you? Beguiled you with my snake oil flimflammery?”

“No.” She packed away her emptied vials of blood back into their respective slots in her attaché. “I got exactly what I asked for, and you got exactly what you asked for as well. Nothing more, nothing less.” 

“Certainly.” She stared at the devil a moment, expecting it to say something, to continue,  but it just twirled its own seemingly empty bottle between its clawed hands. She cursed her lack of knowledge regarding the appearance of souls. The idea of a soul being some sort of silvery white mist, or even a glowing ball of light, made sense to her, and she stood by it, despite the mockery from the devil that had ensued from her misconstruction. Embarrassment or no, she had made the executive decision that she didn’t care. Either way, she knew she should take whatever it said with a grain of salt. 

“Well… thanks.” If someone had told Sasha she would have to make an awkward goodbye with a devil a week ago, she would have appreciated it, since the summoning she was looking at didn’t have a specific closing ritual. She was definitely one for preparation, but she had assumed it would have disappeared when the deal was made, not stick around to make snide remarks. A solution to her conundrum of a courteous escape came to her.  “Now that I’ve sold off my morals, there’s no reason to be polite.” She turned abruptly to leave, a small smirk crawling its way onto her face. She had to admit she was looking forward to how liberating a lack of ethics would be. Helpful with her newly acquired necromantic tendencies.

There was that sound again, a hacking noise that threatened to rip her eardrums right out of her skull. It took all of her willpower to stop her face from twisting into a cheap imitation of its. 

 “Ah! Ah!” The cackle rose in both pitch and volume as the devil spun in the air, and finally Sasha snapped.

“What’s so funny?” She demanded.

“No! Nothing, nothing. That is funny though.” The devil seemed to get a hold of itself – assuming it ever wasn’t in control, and its dissolving into giggles was more of an act than anything– “Ah. Nothing. Truly.” Sasha narrowed her eyes, reaching into her bag for the bottle of holy water she had borrowed off a priest.

“If it’s about our deal, I have a right to know.”

“First of all… no you don’t,” Sasha sloshed the water in a way she hoped was threatening, taking a smug sort of pleasure in the devil starting to sweat. “Second of all… see you in a year!” It gave a lazy salute, a curtsey that was somehow steeped in irony, and lecherously diffused into smoke. 

This was definitely troubling. She’d be a fool to dismiss it out of hand… Sasha pondered as she made her way back to her house from the crossroads, taking care to keep to the backroads. Then again, she’d also be a fool to take the devil at its word. It probably wanted to freak her out, throw her off her game before it left – possibly driving her to make another deal, this time trading something more than her soul - her life, perhaps? Her health? Unacceptable. 

Well. At any rate, she’d take note of this, and make sure her power didn’t have too many side effects or unseen consequences. She had read the contract pretty thoroughly, so she was confident that if she'd been tricked it would ultimately be inconsequential.  

-

She should have asked for superhuman strength. Or maybe a wheelbarrow. Her muscles tensed as once more she wrapped her arms around the corpse, methodically dragging it across the graveyard. Leaves crunched under her boots as she took care to breathe through her mouth, avoiding the rotting, though strangely medicinal, scent emitting from the body. What was society’s obsession with embalming? Sure, it preserved the body fine, which was helpful when she wanted one that was more… intact. But the chemicals… horrible not just for resurrection, but for the environment, too! Not that she was much of an environmentalist… Though, in a way, you could say she recycled. 

She shook herself out of her thoughts as she tipped the body unceremoniously into the trunk of her car, slightly cringing at the dull thunk it made as it hit the floor. If it was alive, it would have hurt. Sasha began the trek back to the grave, intent on filling the now-empty grave up before morning. It wouldn’t do to have her graverobbing be immediately obvious. She glanced up into the sky, proud that she had been able to hit the graveyard at the perfect time;  when the clouds hung low to the earth, blocking the moon’s reflective light. 

Divination wasn’t one of the powers she got, of course, that would be ridiculous; Sasha had just gotten fairly good at tracking weather patterns. Necromancy would be nothing if she also didn’t research and plan. Power is wasted on the weak, or worse, unmotivated. 

Her calloused hands rubbed against the shovel, as she methodically filled the empty hole, taking care to avoid spilling too much dirt on the flowers that littered the grave site. Carnations, poppies, marigolds. She bet he didn’t even like those flowers, his family just placing them on his grave because that’s what society expects, as if killing flowers could make up for a human life.

-

“Wow! Thanks, Miss!” The kid stared up at her with shining eyes and a wide smile. Sasha ever so politely ignored the gap in his teeth, focusing more on the squirming cat in his arms. A black cat too, how fitting. “My mom said Cosmo wasn’t going to make it!” If the kid had told her his name, she hadn’t bothered to remember. 

“Hmm.” She said, continuing to eye the creature, which had begun to settle. Resurrection probably took a lot out of it. “I mean, yes. Of course. It is ever so important to help an animal in need, remember that.” Was she laying it on a bit thick? The kid didn’t seem to notice.

“Yeah! That’s right! And he’s such a sweet kitty, he never, he never bites or anything!” He plastered his face into the cat's fur, and Sasha allowed herself a genuine smile before fixing the kid with a steely look.

“Remember… come to me if there’s any more trouble with him. Anything at all. I want to know about it.” The kid nodded his thanks and ran off across the drive, where his mom was waiting, confused but not willing to question it. The mom enveloped her son in a hug, and scratched behind the cat's ears, talking about something Sasha couldn’t hear as she maneuvered the cat into a carrier. She returned the mother’s waves before stepping back into her home, heading straight to her notebook to record her thoughts.

It would have been easier to get a cat herself to test out if there were any long term side effects to resurrection without her puppet-like control over the being. But that… would have taken a lot of effort. Much more convenient to just promote her services as an “homeopathic animal healer” and wait for someone desperate enough to just hand over the pet no questions asked. 

She made both a mental and physical note to check in on Cosmo from time to time.

-

As the year grew closer to a close, Sasha started to feel increasingly self-satisfied. Sure, the necromancy wasn’t super cut and dry - in every meaning of the words - but she hadn’t exactly expected it to be, and in all honesty she was thrilled there was still mystery in it, questions left unanswered. 

She waved her hand, and her animated pile of bones chattered, carrying her bag for her, and started to follow closer behind. Sasha would be lying if part of that wasn’t to show off for the devil. Not that she really wanted its stamp of approval, but that cackling had struck a nerve, and she wanted to rub in its stupid face how she had mastered the art of necromancy. She’d be the one laughing now. 

The moon was bright, and the fog became illuminated, as a slight chill settled over the crossroads. Sasha shivered, pulling her coat closer, and mentally ran over the ritual again. It was kind of ridiculous that she had to summon it for a second time, but that was a prerequisite, apparently. It wasn’t very clear on why there needed to be another summoning, a year after the first, but Sasha wasn’t one to tempt fate. 

Checking her watch once more, she directed her skeleton follower to start setting up candles, while she started pouring out vials of blood (much easier to get than last time, she’d had a lot of practice extracting blood from both willing and unwilling subjects). Maybe that’s why so many people made unfair deals – they were already dizzy from blood loss when they signed. She chanted the words found scribbled in the back of a dusty tome, and waited.

And waited.

And waited…

She glanced down at her watch. Stole a peek at the skeleton, who, like always, was expressionless. Sasha quickly thought through what she had done, trying to think if it was possible she had done the ritual wrong… a ridiculous thought, to be sure. 

Just as she was beginning to think to redo the summoning, the earth cracked, a dull red light pulsated, and she grimaced as thick smoke poured out, clogging the clearing.

“You’re late.” Sasha spoke, unamused as the devil stuck a claw into the bloodstained dirt, licking it off with a forked tongue. 

“Dead man’s blood? What am I, chopped liver?” The voice whined. “Hang on, that’d actually be nice, you have any?” Sasha rolled her eyes, no longer concerned with this devil’s irreverent antics. 

“The ritual should have worked an hour ago.”

“Oh, you know. Traffic was real bad.” Even with no pupils, Sasha could tell it was glancing around, having far too much fun. She didn’t respond, and the devil continued. “Aw, hey, don’t tell me you still don’t have a sense of humor?”

“As long as I’m not penalized, I have no qualms with your tardiness.” The devil let out a dramatic sigh, swishing its tail. 

“Yeah yeah, you’re fine. Your soul is in good hands.” The devil pulled out the bottle, tossing it into the air, and Sasha had a brief moment of panic before the devil caught it again. “So! Satisfied with the deal? Want to make another one? I have great power to bestow upon you, you want it, etc etc yada yada?” Ah. It was becoming clear, this was just an attempt at another deal. She wasn’t foolish enough to fall for it. 

“No, devil.” She drew herself up to her full height, ignoring when the devil started hovering a couple inches higher. “I am content with my deal. As you can see.” She gestured to the skeleton, and waved her hand to make it wave its. 

“Neat trick! Neat trick!” The devil clapped its hands, in a way that could be construed sarcastically, or could be a genuine attempt at comradery. “If that’s all…” The devil let out a sigh. “I suppose…” Another sigh. “I’ll leave… forever…” 

“Yes, that is all. Begone, devil.” Sasha dusted off her hands, taking a couple steps back, wanting to leave, but also wanting to ensure the devil got banished back to hell. It wouldn’t do to have it running around, causing whatever mayhem that seemed to delight it. 

“You sure? You already sold your soul, do you really need all that other stuff too? How about… your memory? Ooo! Your everlasting servitude?” The devil started counting off on its claws.

“No.”

“Fine fine… enjoy your… moral-less existence.” Sasha was about to respond that she would, actually, but her words were interrupted by a barely suppressed snicker. “You don’t still believe that, do you?”

Sasha froze, trying to figure out the devil’s game, what its play was. “Oh! Horrid hells! You do!” It spun in the air, clutching what passed for its torso as heaving laughs shook its entire body. “Ah! You’d think! You’d think, wouldn’t you?” A cool dread made its home in between her shoulder blades, leaking into her stomach.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, and truly, I don’t care.”

“Oh… you humans… are so stupid.” The devil straightened, and Sasha, against her better judgment, moved closer. She didn’t trust this devil, to be sure, but she couldn’t let it have the last laugh, either way.

“You know what I think?” Sasha raised a finger, to emphasize her point. The devil, to its credit, had the sense to look mildly interested. “I think you’re just trying to fuck with me. I’m not falling for it.” The devil started to clap, and this time the sarcasm was certain. 

“Me? I would never.” Its hand gave a “so-so” motion. “Eh. Maybe. No, really, I just think it’s funny you think your morals and ethical scrumples are somehow tied up with your soul. Like, who told you that?” 

Sasha hated to admit it, but it did have a point. She did make a pretty bold assumption. But that’s how it worked, right? Your soul, your essence as a person, must house who you are as a person - your good, your bad, your sense of right and wrong. 

“Morality: a human invention.” The devil seemed bored.  

“Wait, so-” She clenched her fists together to keep her hands from shaking. “What are you saying?” The devil shrugged. 

“Do you need your soul to tell you what actions are harmful or helpful? It’s all in here, Sash!” The devil tapped its shoulder. “Oh, wait, brains are here, aren’t they?” A hollow sound emitted as it tapped on the side of its head. 

“Isn’t, isn’t that what you want? A good soul? That’s why you make deals?” 

“Huh!” A grin, showing far too many teeth. “No, I just want souls. They make a pretty good snack, you know.” Sasha didn’t respond, for one not having the energy to parse out whether or not it was joking, and two, her mind was too busy doing cartwheels to form a coherent thought. She tried not to let it show, mustering her strength. 

“Anyway Sasha, if a soul determined if someone was good or evil, or what morals they had, no one would ever change, they’d just be stagnant. Most people aren’t. You! On the other hand.” The devil ran a tongue over its teeth, then put it back in its pocket. Sasha didn’t want to know where it got it in the first place. “All I can say is… good luck!” The devil gave a deep bow, which turned into a somersault, as it sunk deep back into the ground. She stared at the dirt, as if it was going to make things any more clear. Sasha snapped her fingers, and her skeleton, loyal and faithful, jumped to gather her belongings. 

This changed nothing.