I remember that night clearly. The night when the end began and the world I knew shattered. I was naïve and lost in my suffering, personally inviting h*ll into my life. But of course to understand the story I have to go back to the beginning. It all begins in a quiet simple town, with a young man named William. He was the one who started the whole ordeal.

William wasn’t quite all that unique. In fact, most people didn’t know his name. He was just another loner, another invisible student among the hundreds you would find at any school. He was skinny and tall with short, dyed blue hair and dark, brown eyes. His smooth, white skin and frail body; a clear sign of his hate for the outdoors. He had no friends, no hobbies, and no life. See, he was a really strange boy. Mature for his age and filled with arrogance, he viewed others as nuisances. Unable to stand on the same level as him, the herds of high school students did nothing but irritate poor William. He longed for intelligent conversation, and prayed to meet someone who could give him that simple pleasure. Someone he could openly talk with without having to dumb down everything he said. For most of his life he had been alone, waiting for such a person to finally appear in his life. Eventually she did. Her name was Clarissa. A quiet and beautiful girl will long, brown hair and hazel eyes. She was, remarkably, the exact replica of William in every possible way. Everything that they could have in common, they did. Needless to say, the two hit it off and became a loving couple. Claiming superiority, they spent their hours sitting in the background of the school, bad-mouthing all those that passed by. Never had William felt such a connection to a person. He loved her, and she loved him.

But as everyone knows, life is a cruel thing. On June 3rd, 2006, at exactly 11:15 pm, Clarissa died; the victim of a hit and run. No one knows who the driver was. All witnesses could say was that as the girl crossed the street, a guy in a large truck ran a red light and the rest, is history.

William couldn’t take the shock. He had lost the only person he ever had a connection with. The only girl he had ever loved and cared for. The only person he could ever consider spending his life with. In an instant he had gone from the top of the world, into a pit of despair. He decided that a life without Clarissa was not a life worth living. On June 4th at exactly 11:30 pm he locked himself in his room, and pushed a loaded gun into his mouth, determined to commit suicide. Looking back on it now, maybe that would have been the better choice. The h*ll that came after was a far worse fate.

“Oh come on now, you don’t want to do that,” said a voice behind William. In shock, William jerked his head towards the sound. There he saw a tall elegant man, in a black suit and red tie; his long, black hair combed back and resting on his shoulders. He was remarkably pale, but most peculiar of all; his eyes were a mystifying scarlet color. “Who are you? How did you get in here,” questioned William nervously.

“I go by many names,” said the stranger, “But who I am doesn’t really matter. After all, this is about you my dear William. I’ve been watching you closely, and I must say I am truly sorry for your loss.” He took a pause and stepped forward. “Poor Clarissa, didn’t even see it coming did she?”

“How do you know about her,” demanded William.

“Does it really matter,” he replied as he ran his hand through his hair. “I could say I’m a friend, a relative, an admirer…..” He walked over to the William’s bed and picked up his suicide letter smiling to himself. “A lover…”

“SHUT UP,” William yelled in a fit of rage. “SHE LOVED ME! AND THERE WASN’T ANYONE ELSE!” He stood there wide-eyed, glaring at the man, breathing heavily. “And now,” he continued as the rage subsided, “She’s….not…..”

Unable to say the words he cried silently, a stream of tears rolling down his cheeks. The strange man chuckled a little, looked William straight in the eyes and said calmly, “What if I could give her back to you.”

William’s heart skipped a beat. “What did you say?”

“Exactly as you heard, my boy. What if I could return what was taken from you?”

Bring her back? William dared not believe it. Who was this strange man who came out of seemingly nowhere and offered such impossible promises, he wondered.

“You can’t bring her back,” whispered William, “The dead stay dead. She’s gone. Forever.”

“Ah, but see I can definitely promise you that you will see her again. However, there is a price. Don’t worry it’s nothing huge or out of the question.” He tossed William’s letter and walked over to him. “If you wish to see your loved one again, I promise to tell you how. All you have to do,” he said excitedly, his scarlet eyes flashing, “Is give me, your soul.”

A wave of realization hit William the second those words left the man’s mouth. He had seen enough movies and read enough books to recognize the cliché scenario. “You,” he said cautiously, “You couldn’t possibly be him. You’re the…” The stranger cut him off with a hand and calmly replied, “The one and only.”

William was in awe. Here before him was Satan himself. Had this been another time he would have been scared for his life but instead, he now felt excitement. If this man truly was the devil, there is no doubt that he had the power to bring his dear Clarissa back.

“Satan, I want nothing more than to see Clarissa again, but I know you might try to cheat me out of it somehow. You are the devil after all.” The man stood there silently for a second, eyeing William with a look of amusement. “Very well,” he said, “How about this. I will give you a condition, and if you can accomplish it, I will bring Clarissa back free of charge. Your soul will stay with you, I promise.”

William became wary. “What is this condition,” he asked.

A dark smile spread across the devil’s face as he replied, “Kill for me a relative of your dear Clarissa. Using their blood, I will resurrect her. That is the condition.”
William shuddered at the thought of it. But this was a chance. With this he could bring back his Clarissa, and if his soul would remain his, there was all the more reason. “Alright, we have a deal,” he agreed.

The devil extended his hand and they shook. “Oh, but a word of advice William. The second you say the words ‘I want to die’ our contract will be null and your soul will be mine.

William smiled and laughed a little. “Why would I ever say that?”

As the devil walked out of the room he replied, “You’d be surprised what I can make people say.”

The very next day William followed Clarissa’s only brother, Marcus, home and snuck into his house while he was distracted. He hid in his closet with a knife in hand and waited for him to come in.

William’s heart was racing. He had never killed someone before, and his hands were shaking violently. But this was for Clarissa. He would do anything to bring her back. Even if it meant killing her brother.

When Marcus walked in and sat on his bed, William jumped out of the closet, ran at Marcus, and thrust the blade into his throat without a moment’s hesitation. As he bled out and gasped for air, his eyes found William and stared at him in horror, as if screaming ‘Why?’

William stood there, trembling at what he had just done. There on the floor was a living person, dying by his hands. He broke down on the floor and started sobbing at his sin.

In his confusion Marcus grew angry and with his last bit of strength he pulled the knife from his throat and stabbed William through the heart. Marcus gave him one last hateful look and then collapsed. On June 5, 11:45 pm Marcus was murdered.

William screamed in pain and fell backwards, the life quickly rushing out of his body. Realizing he only had a few moments left to live, he struggled to shout his last few words. “SATAN,” he yelled, “He is dead…..and soon…. I will be too. Please, let me see her one more time before I go. Please, I beg you. Let me see my Clarissa.”

Satan appeared before him with the same dark smile and said softly, “Of course, William, I always keep my part of the deal.”

He pointed towards the ground in front of William and a fog filled the space. As it cleared a body could be seen. William’s eyes filled with tears, “Clarissa,” he whispered, “My only love, Clarissa.” She turned her head to stare at him, her face every bit as beautiful as William remembered it. “Yes, Clarissa it’s me, it’s…”

In an instant her face showed a great fear and she began to scream hysterically. She started to writhe in pain and screamed more violently with each passing second. “CLARISSA,” yelled William desperately. He turned to face Satan. “WHAT DID YOU DO? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?”

The devil gazed at him with the cruelest look imaginable on his face and replied, “I didn’t do anything my dear William. I just kept up my part of the bargain.” He laughed silently. “Though, I guess I should have mentioned that the dead don’t belong in the world of the living. By bringing her here, she is in the worst torment you can possibly think of. Nothing I could ever do is, as horrible as the pain she is feeling right now.” He threw back his head and cackled sadistically. “You have brought her a fate worse than h*ll William! I’m so proud.” William’s eyes widened and all he could do was cry and lay there, listening to the only person he ever loved scream in agony, all because of his selfishness. He went insane at that moment, slowly bleeding to death on the floor. “I deserve this,” he whimpered, “I deserve to die…….I want to die.” Satan gave him one last perverse look and walked out, leaving William, knowing he would be seeing him very soon. Poor William died that night, June 6th 2006 at exactly midnight. Yet another victim of Satan’s false promises.

Some of you may be wondering where I fit into all this. Well, the truth is that pitiful William was me. Now I suffer for eternity in the deepest layer of h*ll, while my sweet Clarissa looks down on me from the heavens above, a look of disappointment and hate permanently etched onto her face. In the end, that may be the greatest punishment that the devil has given me. I was nothing more than a toy in the hands of Satan’s deception.