Sunday, December 16, 2018

Glaring sunlight and oppressive silence greeted him when he opened his eyes. Rising from the bed, he reached for his mobile and jerked awake when he saw that it was close to noon. A quiet Sunday afternoon could only mean one thing, the family had stepped out for lunch. It had been a regular practice when he had been stationed at home and could spend Sundays with his family, one which freed them from the culinary restrictions placed by his mother and wife. Those were happy days though today he felt lost and lonely, wondering what it meant that he had been left behind for a family lunch.

The rational part of him admonished him, he was responsible for his exclusion because he had been stupid but he wallowed in self-pity for a while, till he decided that it was better if his family maintained their distance for some more time. It would lead to unnecessary questions if he looked as bad as he felt.

A look at the bathroom mirror proved him wrong; he looked worse than he felt. With pasty skin, large bags under his bloodshot eyes and sporting a scruffy grey beard, he was a sight, more likely to cause horror than pity. Pushing his emotional turmoil aside, he decided to focus on making himself presentable.

An hour later, after a hot shower and a shave, he looked and felt better, despite the nicks on his face. With a stiff right shoulder, he had been forced to use only his left hand, which had gotten rid of the scruff but had left behind a few cuts. A small price to pay for the improved looks, he decided.

His good mood continued when he managed to make himself a decent cup of coffee. Coffee had to be a panacea.

The joy lasted till he stepped into his study and found Luc waiting for him. All the thoughts that he had pushed to the back of his mind now rushed to the fore and he remembered what he had to do.

"Aha! My favourite human of the moment."

Those words stung. Raghuveer was not enamoured to learn that he was the Devil's favourite, it rattled him.. Attempting to get his emotions under control he walked inside and towards his desk. Perversely, he did not like the Devil in his house yet there was nothing he could do, he had made a deal and he would have to see it through.

Lucifer stood by the window that faced the back garden, a narrow strip of green grass and few wildflowers. The sun shone through the window, creating a dusty halo around him and Raghuveer wondered how he had once thought him to be handsome. Luc was still handsome but the smile was now more like a sneer and he disliked arrogance that radiated from him.

"What do you want?"

His voice was sharper than he had intended but Raghuveer did not care. He had killed six people, in as many days. The niggling doubts and the faint stirrings of remorse that had haunted him in the initial days were now tougher to ignore. He could only hope that today when he killed for the last time, it would be enough. It had to be, he determined, it had to be worth selling his soul and his morality to the Devil.

Cradling his right arm, he down sat in the chair; he could feel Lucifer's gaze bore into him, but he could not meet his eyes. Eyes that were black fathomless pools, and even from a distance, he could feel those depths. And what frightened him was the realisation that he was losing himself to the darkness.

Luc's voice broke the silence, the tone betraying no emotion, "I am sure you know why I am here, but in case you need a reminder, it is time for the final one."

The name was a mere whisper, but it resounded like thunder in his head. The colour drained from his face and he was sure that Luc could hear the sound of his thudding heart. Frozen in his place, he realised the Devil would always extract more than what he promised. He should have known, at least guessed; instead, he had allowed hope to cloud his judgement and let the Devil lead him on a merry chase. A hunt that might have benefited the Devil but had destroyed his integrity, the one thing that he had always valued.

How stupid he must have been to put his faith in the Devil, the idea now clearly contradictory, even in his numb state. And all that he had done was a waste, lives taken in vain.

Raghuveer looked at Lucifer, with a faint wish that it was all a joke, that there was no way in hell he was expected to kill the person Luc had named. A wish that burnt away at the seriousness on Luc's face. Yet he could not stop the question that tumbled out, "Why?"

"Having second thoughts? You did not have any scruples over the last few days?"

"That is different, they deserved to die."

"By your judgement?"

There was a pause, something in the way Lucifer spoke that sentence, the quiet sarcasm that made his skin crawl. He answered, though his voice lost some conviction, "They did deserve to die, you know it too, you are the one who showed me..."

Luc shrugged, "I do not truly have to give you reasons, do I? I need it done. And as to your counter that I gave you enough cause for the others; I chose to do so because you would be foolish enough to justify your killing of them."

Raghuveer flinched as though he had been slapped, "You lied?"

"No, it would more of omission of all the relevant facts, just enough to allow you to reach the conclusions I wanted."

Despair exploded in him, six people had died by his hand so that Tarun could have the life he felt he deserved. But there was no way he could kill the seventh.

"I do not think I can do it."

"Now you are being stubborn, not to mention stupid. Why should anything stop you now or have you forgotten what the deal was?"

"I remember and you promised that each...," he swallowed and rushed on, "...kill would increase Tarun's chances by thirteen per cent. By now it around eighty per cent and it is enough. I cannot do it anymore."

Lucifer's laughter sent chills up his spine. His knuckles turned white as he clutched the handles of his chair and he stammered, "You promised, you cannot..."

"Do not dare tell me what I can or cannot do." Lucifer thundered and Raghuveer blanched at the vehemence in that voice.

"I agreed to the terms you said, but you must remember that I also mentioned 'successful' and if you refuse now I might not deem those to be to my utmost satisfaction. In which case...you get the drift, right? "

Take your time, but I do not have all eternity. And I mean it. I expect your answer by evening and..."

"if I do not agree, you will renege on your deal. Nonna was right, the Devil should never be trusted."

His voice was bitter as he spoke but Raghuveer did not care about antagonising the Devil, after hearing everything he but he was bemused when he heard Luc reply in a soft tone, "I was not planning to, but since you expect me to do so, maybe I will live up to your expectations. Your Nonna must have told you to be careful about what you should wish for?"

Raghuveer sank into the chair as he understood how futile his hopes of being able to save Tarun were. Trusting the Devil had been a mistake from the start but hoping that he would stick to his word was sheer madness.

In the end, hope had destroyed him.

That did not go so well, did it? Who do you think Lucifer wanted dead, and Raghuveer could not do it? Any guesses? Please let me know.

Thank you for reading,
Nyna