Things were definitely not going as she planned. Monique stood on the side of the dirt road, the wind sending chills down her spine despite the intense heat. Smoke billowed up from the engine of her now useless car. She leaned over the engine, trying to get a better look hoping to salvage something, but without success. The mountains grew darker as the sun began setting, she was running out of time. She was in the middle of a desert and no one knew she had left. No one was going to find her, and she wanted to make sure of that. Reluctantly she made her way to the back of the car, retrieving her belongings. Tossing her bag over her shoulder she began to walk, hoping to find someone who could give her a ride to the nearest motel.
Several hours passed as Monique walked. "I must be on the most deserted road on the planet," she grumbled. She was exhausted and her phone was nearly dead, meaning she would have no light to guide her way. She'd walked for several miles, the stinging of blisters had numbed to a dull ache as she trudged on. Even though it was late at night, the heat was intense. Sweat was beading on her forehead, making her black hair stick to her face. Her legs were screaming at her, begging her to stop. She reached a crossroads, leaving her with three options. She could turn left, right or just keep going straight. But which way lead to help? Abruptly her phone's flashlight went out, plunging her into the dark. She couldn't see a thing other than the silhouette of the mountains against the sky. With a groan she sat down, her decision made. She would wait until morning, or until someone came down the road. Leaning against her duffel bag, she stretched her legs out in front of her. Her aching muscles welcomed the relief as she began dozing.
The crunch of dirt caught her attention, making her sit up and look around. A man was walking down the road towards her. He held a lantern in his hand, letting Monique make out his features. He was tall, with dark hair and a handsome face with bright blue eyes. He was well dressed, wearing a business suit that seemed too clean. He flashed a smile when his eyes landed on her. "Hello. What brings you here?" His voice was low, with a calmness that made it seem like he'd expected this. Monique swallowed, a lump forming in her throat. Her blood seemed to freeze as the man approached her. Something about him seemed off, but she couldn't figure out what that was. She stood quickly, ready to run if she needs to. The man stopped, just inches away as he asked again, "What brings you out here?"
Monique felt her heart race, the man seemed to pull the answer from her with just a glance. "Car trouble." she shrugged. It wasn't exactly a lie, but she wasn't going to tell him why she drove out here in the first place. He smirks, sending a chill down her spine.
"What a coincidence. I have the same problem." He pointed in the direction he'd come from. "Ran out of gas about three miles back. Decided to try and find a gas station." Monique raised an eyebrow. His story didn't make any sense to her. How had he kept his clothes so clean if he'd been walking for three miles? She was filthy after one mile of hiking through the dust, and that had been several hours ago.
Arms crossing she narrowed her eyes, "Who are you?" He gives her an amused look, setting his lantern on the ground, creating eerie shadows on his face.
"I'm a businessman. I was on my way to meet a client." He reached into his pocket casually pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. "Do you smoke?" Monique quickly shook her head, causing the man to shrug before lighting the cigarette, taking a long slow drag from it, "Now that I've answered your question it's my turn. Why are you running away?"
Monique's jaw dropped as the man blew smoke into the air, "How did you know I was running away?" He sighs and gestures to her bag, still lying in the dirt. Blushing she nods, "Oh...Right. Well, it's complicated..." rubbing her arm she kept her eyes on the dirt between the two of them.
He shrugs and chuckles. "I'm alright with complicated. I'm not going anywhere, so tell me all about it." He watched her with a gentle smile, coaxing her to speak.
"Well...alright. I'll tell you." Her walls came down and she told him everything. She told him about how she thought her life was in a rut. About how she couldn't escape her rich family's shadow. She moved her hands through the air as she spoke, as she tried to gather her thoughts. "Everyone who knows me only wants to know me because of who my family is. They don't even care about who I am and who I want to be." Her father was the CEO of a major computer company, making his name known throughout the world. Monique hated that people treated her like she was a princess. Anyone with a romantic interest in her was in love with the money they would receive. She hated her life, and she decided to do something about it. "So I decided to attend an out of state college. To do what I always wanted to do, which would be to teach."
"But your father found out and forbid it I'm guessing." He interrupted, again guessing correctly.
Monique stared at him in disbelief, "Yeah... you seem to know an awful lot about me. Who are you and why are you really out here?"
The man doesn't answer, instead, he continues to smoke, waving his hand dismissively. "Continue your story. Then I will answer your questions."
Monique sighs at that, "Alright, but I expect actual answers." She points at his chest aggressively before gathering her thoughts. "Yes, my dad found out and totally freaked. He accused me of being ungrateful and insisted that I didn't need to work at all because of his job. Well, we got into a huge fight and I decided once the dust had settled, that I was leaving. So I packed my bags, got into a car he didn't use and started driving." She glares at the man as he casually drops the withered cigarette butt into the dust, "Then I ended up here. Now, who are you?"
The man smirks at her, "My name is Aamon. Like I said I'm a businessman... of sorts." He starts to walk around her, "You sound like you've been through a horrible time. You must hate your family." Monique stayed where she stood, watching Aamon circle her. His voice sounded stranger than it did before. Like several people were talking at once.
She shook her head, "I don't hate them... I just... want to make myself known for who I am and not by my family."
Aamon grinned at her words, chuckling softly. "I told you that I was on my way to meet a client... well I suppose I should tell you that I was referring to you." He turned to face her, his eyes now a glowing blood red. Monique shrieked and leaped backward, falling onto the road. Aamon smiled and reaches a hand out to her to help her up, "I can give you exactly what you want."
She started to crawl backward, to put as much space between them as possible. She clumsily got to her feet, her heart racing. "What the hell are you!?" Her voice trembled as her fear took hold.
"That doesn't matter. The only thing that matters right now, is what you want." Aamon walked towards her, his hands behind his back. "You're tired of living under the shadow of your family's wealth, you want to be free, to start over. I can do that for you." Monique backed away further, reaching the center of the crossroads. "Wouldn't you like to start over Monique?"
Monique swallowed. She was terrified, but at the same time, his offer was exactly what she wanted. "What's the catch?"
He smiles, "The catch is that you have to pay a price. I'll collect the payment in ten years. That should give you enough time to start over, and live the life you want." Monique blinked in surprise, lowering her gaze to the ground as she thought about it. Ten years. That would be more than enough time to get a payment together. She'd be able to do what she wanted to do, she could make real friends who weren't just digging for gold. She looked up, surprised to find Aamon standing close to her. "Well. Do we have a deal?" He extended his hand to her, ready to seal the deal.
Monique took a deep breath, "Deal." Taking his hand, Monique felt an odd burning in her chest as they shook hands.
"I'll see you in ten years." His voice reverted back to its original coolness, as he turned on his heel, and walked off into the night. Monique watched him leave, a feeling of dread and regret filling her. Before she could question anything, a pair of headlights appeared in the distance. Monique ran to her bag, picking it up and waving her hands to try and flag down the car. The van pulled over and rolled down the window.
A small elderly woman leaned down to try and see her clearly, "Do you need a ride dear?"
Monique nods, "Yes, please. Could you take me to the nearest motel?" The woman nods and lets Monique climb into the passenger seat. Monique settles down, relishing the cold air that fills the van. Her eyes were heavy with exhaustion, and Monique found herself falling asleep as the old woman told her stories. She fell asleep, missing the woman's warning.
"It's a good thing I found you when I did. You know I met a demon at those crossroads once, and I'd hate to see such a sweet girl sell her soul."
