The
Bargain Hunter
by
Kathi
Deavers
The
crossroads were deserted, just as Tommy had hoped.
He figured they would be since most motorists steered clear of this
particular crossroads after “the
incident” that had occurred here over two year ago.
Five people had died of mysterious causes late one November’s night . .
. had died
in a most gruesome manner. They
were found the next day, burnt to a crisp, with crosses stuck through various
parts of their bodies.
Naturally,
murder was the first assumption, but the coroner’s report stated that the
burning was a result of internal combustion and the stab wounds were
self-inflicted. A second opinion
revealed the same results, so their deaths remained an unexplainable mystery,
one that most people weren’t comfortable talking about.
The few who did, only said, “It’s the devil’s work!
Stay away from them roads. Evil
doings is all that happens there!”
That’s
what Tommy was counting on. That’s
why Tommy was there.
Tommy
Warr was a twenty-year-old nobody. At
least, that’s how he felt about himself.
He was 5' 10” and 145 pounds of skin and bones.
He was average in looks, still wearing his teenage acne, and was a
delivery boy for the local grocery store. He
felt like he was a complete and total loser in life and he wanted better.
He came to the crossroads hoping that the rumors were true.
He wanted to strike up a bargain with the Devil, his soul in exchange for
rugged good looks and happiness. He
wanted to feel like he was somebody. He
wanted to stand out in a crowd. Desperate
and depressed, this was his final hope.
Mowery’s
Crossroads were located two miles outside of town.
They were way back in the country so the only traffic before the deaths
were a few of the local farmers in their pickup trucks or on their tractors.
Now however, being very superstitious, the farmers took alternate routes,
leaving the dirt crossroads completely deserted.
Weeds now covered the area where the connecting roads used to be. Tommy barely recognized them once he’d reached them. He stumbled over an overgrown tree root and ended up face down in the middle of the crossroads. It took him a few moments to realize he had arrived, and once he did, took a few minutes to catch his breath. Not wanting anyone to know where he was or what he was doing, he had parked his Gremlin at work and walked the whole way, all four miles of it. His legs felt like rubber and his feet felt very hot. He took his shoes off, and stretched out in the shade of a huge oak tree.
The
birds were chirping above him and there was a gentle breeze softly swaying the
branches of the trees. Unaware of
just how tired he was, he soon fell asleep.
An
hour later, he was awakened by the sound of an approaching vehicle.
He scrambled behind the oak tree, watching for the car.
Then, before it reached him, it turned off on a side road, leaving him by
himself once again.
Tommy
looked around for his backpack. Finding
it, he pulled out a bottle of club soda and drank it.
While he was enjoying the soda, he saw something shimmering underneath
the weeds by the side of the road. He
walked over to the object, picking it up to examine it.
It was a black crystal shaped like an octagon, pointed at each end.
It was an inch in diameter and three inches in length.
Looking closely at the crystal, Tommy thought that he saw a darkness
pulsating from within it. He
noticed that it was warm to the touch, but not the kind of warmth generated by
the sun. It was an evil, menacing
warmth that was filtering into his body. He
could feel its power and he liked it.
“Well,
well, my little crystal, are you here for me?”
Tommy asked while staring deep into its ebony abyss.
The
darkness in the middle of the crystal pulsated.
“I
see. Tell me crystal, just how
powerful are you?”
It
immediately became so hot that Tommy dropped it on the ground, leaving a red
imprint on the palm of his hand. For
a brief moment, it angered him, but when he glanced over at it, he saw that the
darkness inside was growing and it was now larger than the circumference of the
crystal itself. Inside his head, he
heard something in a deep voice ask, “What is it that you desire?”
Thinking
that he had imagined the voice, Tommy didn’t respond.
It spoke again, “You are not imagining this, so I’ll ask you again.
What is it that you desire? You
came to seek me out, now is your chance to speak.
What do you want?”
Realizing
the crystal was speaking to him, Tommy replied, “I want you to make me
good-looking. I want to be happy.
I’m tired of being a nobody. I
want everyone to notice me.”
“And
what do I get for granting you this wish?”
“I’ll
give you anything you ask. What do
you want in return?” Tommy asked without hesitation.
“The
price is quite costly. It will cost
you your eternal soul. Are you
willing to give that to me?”
This
question made Tommy shudder. It
wasn’t the question itself, but rather the hunger and greed that he could
sense beneath the surface. But, he
was desperate and willing to pay any price for a taste of a better life, so he
agreed.
“Yes,
I will give you my soul if you grant my request.”
“So be it, then,” it said and a dark ray came out of it, completely covering Tommy’s body. The blackness enshrouded him for a few minutes and then disappeared. The crystal vanished, and in its place was a large mirror. Tommy ran over to it, gazing at his new reflection.
Tommy
was amazed at what he saw looking back at him.
All of his pimples were gone, leaving a smooth, flawless complexion.
His hair was a bolder blonde, and the blue in his eyes were now two
shades darker and much more brilliant. He
noticed his arms and legs and how much stronger they were now.
His shorts that were once baggy were now cutting off his circulation.
He couldn’t believe the change. He
was everything he had always wished himself to be!
For the first time in his entire life, he was overwhelmed with happiness.
He was jumping around in circles, yelling when he heard a voice behind
him.
“Well,
I don’t guess I have to ask, but I will anyway.
Are you happy with the changes I made for you?”
The
voice startled Tommy. He jerked
around to see what or who was talking to him.
“Speak
up, boy! Cat got you tongue?”
“I…..you…..are…,”
was all he could say.
“I
am who you think I am, Satan. I can
tell by your expression that I’m not quite what you expected.
Nevertheless, you knew very well whom you were dealing with when we made
our little bargain. Why are you now
acting so surprised?”
“I…well…I….just….thought
that the deal was finished.”
“Oh
it is, young fellow. I just need to
know if you are happy with the way that you turned out.
Are you?”
“Yes,
I am very happy! You gave me just
what I wanted.”
“Good,
I’m very glad to hear that. Since
you are pleased with my work, I’ve fulfilled my end of the bargain.
Now, it is time for you to fulfill your end.
I’m here to collect. Are
you ready to pay up?”
“Wha….wha….what
do you mean it’s time to collect?”
“I
mean just what I said. It is time
for you to pay me for my services. You
asked me to do something for you, I did. I
gave you exactly what you wanted; you said so yourself.
“This can’t be! This just isn’t fair!” Tommy was starting to get nervous.
“Have
you forgotten who you are dealing with? I’m
not exactly known for my fairness. Besides,
this has nothing to do with being fair or not being fair, we had an agreement
and you must abide by it.”
“I
know we had an agreement and I’m willing to pay up, it’s just that I
haven’t had enough time to enjoy my new appearance.
I want more time!”
“I’m
sorry, well actually, I’m not, but giving you time was not part of the
agreement. You said you wanted to
be good-looking and happy. Now, you
are both. My end of the bargain has
been fulfilled, just as yours is about to be. Come, it’s time to go.”
“Wait!
I also said I wanted to be noticed!
That part of our agreement hasn’t been filled!”
“It
will be soon enough. It will be
soon enough!” Satan said, and
laughed a hideous laugh. It made
Tommy shudder. “Enough of this
idol chatter! I’ve been
here too long already,” he said as he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
A
strong odor of sulfur filled the air, causing Tommy to cough.
After the smoke cleared, he surveyed the area looking for any traps.
Finding none, he sighed. Just
as he began to relax, he noticed that his body temperature felt like it was
rising. Sweat started running down
his face. He picked up the mirror
and saw that his skin was turning red. His
hair began to smoke and the blood vessels in his eyes were exploding.
Smoke was coming out of his ears and nose.
He was on fire, but not on the outside of his body, he was burning from
the inside out.
Dancing
around in circles, he felt his internal organs giving out one by one.
His skin was tearing open, leaving long, dry gaps, turning a crisp, black
color. The internal pressure caused
his eyeballs to pop out of his head. They
were swinging around the bottom of his nose, held in place by the retinal artery
and the optic nerve. He was still
very much alive and in excruciating pain. Each
breath came harder and harder, until finally his lungs exploded, leaving Tommy
dead.
The
next day, a farmer happened to notice smoke rising from the crossroads.
When he investigated the smoke, he found the charred remains of Tommy
Warr.
The
authorities were called in and an autopsy revealed that Tommy had died from
spontaneous internal combustion. For
a few weeks, he was in all the newspapers, as well as headlining the evening
news.
Tommy
went on record as being the sixth mysterious death at Mowery’s Crossroads, and
for a time, he was a household name.
The last part of the bargain had been fulfilled. He had been noticed.
The End