My Personal Demon

Epilogue

Hell wasn't what I expected it to be.

The green lawns and white picket fences hardly screamed eternal punishment. But that was where I was. The gold lettering on the sign in front of the town said so.

Abandon all hope ye who enter here.

I pushed open the golden gates, noticing that my skin was suspiciously free of wrinkles. The last time I checked, I was ninety-one years old. I peer into a window of one of the identical homes on the street and do a double take.

Sixty years of aging had vanished from my body. My gray hairs were jet black again, shining with youth. My skin was smooth and taunt, glowing as if I spent my entire existence relaxing on a beach. The sparkle had returned to my hazel eyes, reversing my vision deterioration.

Eventually, I pried myself away from my reflection. I continued down the road, pulled by an unseen force forward.

Women were emerging from the houses, holding various gardening tools in their pale gloved hands. Although some wore stylish hats and sunglasses as they trimmed flowering bushes, they all donned identical bright pink floral dresses. Not to mention there was the same shade of rose smeared on their mouths like they all bought the same lipstick.

They were all pretty, beautiful, even, in the way a well-arranged bouquet was, but there was something about them that hurt to look at. Maybe it was the fluorescence of their clothes or the anxiety I saw in the tenseness of their bodies. For some reason, I got the impression that at any moment, these women were going to combust or charge at me with their shears.

Shaking off the uneasy feeling, I approached one of them, kneeling beside her as she transferred pots of petunias into the soil.

"Excuse me," I said. "Could I speak with you for a moment?"

She frowned at the intrusion. "I need to get the garden ready before my husband gets back. It's got to be better than whatever the neighbors come up with. I won't tolerate any sabotage–"

She stops speaking mid-sentence, finally getting a good look at me. "You're new here. We haven't had someone fresh in a while."

She peels off her gloves, sticking out her hand. "Margaret. Welcome to the neighborhood. You'll be assigned your new home and husband in no time. We're all a happy family here."

I take her hand, noticing the silvery scars running up and down the length of her arm. Cigarette burns dotted the back of her hand, fresh and bleeding.

"You're hurt," I blurted.

"Oh, this? This doesn't matter down here, especially since we all died. You get used to the pain," she reassured me. The smile she gives me shakes me to my core.

I get up to my feet, continuing my walk down the road. The other women on the block start to notice my presence, looking at me with a hungry expression in their eyes. I wondered if I could run back to the gates out front and escape the neighborhood.

But that wasn't where I was meant to go. I stop at the end of the road, standing before my new home. There was someone inside, waiting for me. I could see their silhouette at the window and hear the music drifting through the curtains.

I raise my arm, preparing to knock on the door. Whoever was inside could be the same breed of monster that abused Margaret. I was planning to give them a piece of my mind about the neighborhood before the door swung open on its own and pulled me in.

A pair of arms wrapped around me, trapping me in their embrace. I pull away, ready to punch this person in the face. But then, I freeze.

"Jesper?"

He pulls me back into him, kissing the top of my head. "I've missed you."

I hugged him back, not quite believing what I was seeing. "Is it really you?" I've imagined him too many times over the years. He could've been a well-crafted hallucination.

"I know I'm sixty years too late," he said. "But it really is me. We're going to be together for the rest of eternity. I promise."

"Eternity," I echoed, unable to conceptualize the length of time. "That's how long my punishment will be, right?"

He pressed his lips into a thin line, unable to look at me. We were in Hell, after all. I knew what the consequences were for giving up my soul for the person I loved.

"I saw those women out there. Will that be my fate?"

"Not if I can help it. You haven't done anything wrong. You don't deserve what I've designed for them."

My blood ran cold. "How can anyone deserve that? They could become better people."

"Yvette, the people here are beyond redemption. They've had many chances in life to do the right thing. None of them care about morality or feel any bit of remorse like you do. They're just monsters in human skin."

"Then what am I? Surely the other demons have something worse planned for me. You said that I was going to face eternal damnation."

He paused. "I've spoken with them about it. You giving me your soul has been punishment enough. I've spent most of your life driving away all of your other chances at romance. You've been in my possession from the moment I met you. Keeping me company for the rest of your afterlife is your eternal damnation."

His words sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't dispute the logic.

"You won't be allowed to see anyone from your past," he continued. "Nor will you be allowed to know what happens to them. In this neighborhood, you'll be restricted from making friends with any of the residents. This is mostly for your safety. You will accompany me on most if not all of my hellish duties. Is that clear?"

A laugh escapes my lips. "What do you hope to accomplish by telling me this?"

"Believe it or not, you've helped me a great deal by giving me your soul. I've climbed the ranks of Hell, so much so that I design punishments rather than administer them. I just want to protect you and return the favor. I'm going to make Hell the closest thing to paradise for you," he said adamantly.

How was it that he seemed more handsome than ever?

"You don't have to do any of this," I started.

"But I do. I love you too much to let you go again. Please spend eternity with me."

He was on his knees, pressing his head to my feet. My heart thudded in my chest. After all these years, I still felt the same way about him.

"I'm yours. From now until eternity."

The End.