Chapter 11
The scene begins in the heart of Hell, where Jack and Maddie Fenton are bound by chains, each facing a different torment. The weight of their regret and horror lingers in the air. Their son, Danny, has already signed the Soul Contract with the Devil, and both parents are painfully aware of the consequences.
Devil, standing before them, watches with a twisted smile. His power exudes in the heavy atmosphere. Dice, on the other hand, takes a seat across the room, watching the unfolding scene, seemingly detached yet deeply entertained.
The Devil (dark and calm): “It’s funny, isn’t it? You tried so hard to protect him from the dark forces. And yet, all it took was a simple agreement to tear it all down.”
Maddie and Jack are silent, their gazes fixed on the ground. They remember the day Danny signed the Soul Contract, the moment he made that choice.
The regret is heavy in the air. Jack looks up at the Devil, his eyes wild with desperation.
Jack (pleading, anger rising): “Why? Why did you let him—why did you make him sign that damn contract?!”
Devil (mockingly): “It wasn’t me, Jack. Your son made the choice. He wanted out. He wanted to feed my hunger. Now he’s helping me with that hunger.”
(He leans in, his voice dripping with venom.) “Tell me... do you feel proud?”
Maddie (shaking, voice trembling): “You tricked him... we tried to protect him! He’s just a child! He didn’t know—”
Devil (interrupting with a dark chuckle): “A child, yes. But a willing child. He didn’t ask for your help when he signed the contract, did he?”
Dice, observing from a distance, steps forward with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with twisted amusement. He directs his attention to Maddie, his tone almost playful.
Dice: “You should be careful, Maddie. You’ve been so focused on keeping him from the darkness, yet you missed the moment when he embraced it. He signed the contract with us—willingly. No questions, no hesitation.”
Maddie’s face pales, her mind reeling from the realization.
Maddie (whispering, broken): “He... he chose this?”
(Her voice cracks.) “He really chose this over us?”
Dice’s voice softens, almost as though he’s trying to console her, but the cruelty in his eyes is unmistakable.
Dice: “Oh, darling, you missed the signs. Your precious boy was never the same after he met us. He craved the darkness, the power... and now he’s giving it to him. All while you were busy pretending everything was fine.”
Meanwhile, the Devil steps closer to Jack, his eyes cold and calculating. His voice is low, almost a whisper, but it holds immense power.
Devil (taunting): “Tell me, Jack... how does it feel to know that your son is already serving me? And worse... he’s already killing people just to satisfy my hunger. Your precious boy—your hero—is no better than the worst of them.”
Jack’s face twists in agony, his fists clenching, but he can’t escape the truth. His son has already become a tool for the Devil.
Devil (grinning darkly): “Don’t try to fight it. He’s too far gone now. You can’t save him. I’ve already claimed his soul, and he helps me with every kill.”
Maddie, shaking with sobs, looks at Jack, and the two of them are overwhelmed by the devastation of their failure. They had failed their son, failed to stop him from falling into the Devil’s grasp.
At that moment, Dice’s voice cuts through the tension as he stands up and walks toward Maddie.
Dice (casually): “Why not let me entertain you a little? How about a game? Something to take your mind off... everything.”
Maddie, still in shock, looks at Dice, but she can’t bring herself to speak. She’s lost, consumed by the weight of the truth.
Dice (grinning widely): “Oh come on, you might actually enjoy it! A little casino game, just the two of us. Let’s see if Lady Luck is on your side today.”
Maddie hesitates, but her gaze shifts to Jack, who’s still locked in a staring contest with the Devil, consumed by rage and regret. She nods silently and moves toward Dice, a glimmer of distraction the only thing she can hope for.
Dice guides her toward a table, setting up the cards and chips. His casual demeanor is almost a mockery of the tragedy surrounding them. Meanwhile, the Devil, still looming over Jack, takes pleasure in tormenting him further.
Devil (grinning at Jack): “You don’t get to escape this. Not even in your dreams.”
As Maddie begins to play with Dice, Jack, broken and shattered, watches in silence. The weight of his son’s choices is now more than he can bear. The truth, the gut-wrenching truth, is that Danny is beyond saving. The Devil’s grip on him is ironclad.
The scene continues in Hell, where Maddie and Jack are left in their respective torments. The Devil and Dice, each with their own twisted enjoyment, keep a careful watch.
While Maddie distracts herself with the casino game Dice set up, Jack’s fury simmers beneath the surface. The Devil had him cornered in a way he never thought possible. He wasn’t just a defeated father; he was a broken man, struggling to reconcile the fact that Danny—his son—was lost to darkness.
The Devil (dark and knowing): “It’s funny, isn’t it? All those years of trying to protect him. All those false hopes. And now, your son is helping me feast. He’s out there, in the world, fulfilling his purpose… and he’s good at it.”
Jack, unable to bear the mockery any longer, lashes out.
Jack (furious, shaking with rage): “You bastard! You are the reason for all this! You twisted him into this monster!”
Devil (smirking, unfazed by the outburst): “Oh, Jack... it was his choice. I didn’t twist anything. He wanted to prove he was powerful enough. And I just gave him the means to do so.”
(Devil leans in closer, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.) “You know, it’s a shame you didn’t notice the signs sooner. Your son was already flirting with the darkness... and you didn’t stop him.”
The Devil steps back, his expression almost pitying as he watches Jack struggle with the weight of those words. He can feel Jack’s pain, but he doesn’t care. He thrives on it.
Meanwhile, Dice, still occupied with Maddie at the casino table, glances over at the pair. His green eyes glitter with mischief as he lets the tension build. He knows how to play his part, and right now, his game with Maddie is just a distraction—a means of keeping her distracted while the real damage is done.
Dice (playfully, grinning): “You know, Maddie, your luck is improving. Maybe you’re finally catching on.”
(He deals another card with fluid motion, his eyes twinkling beneath the dim lights of the casino.) “But it doesn’t matter, does it? You’ll never win in this place. Not with all the chaos that’s hanging over your head.”
Maddie (sighing, resigned): “I never expected to win. Not anymore.”
(She pauses, eyes dark and distant.) “It’s just... all of this. My son, what he’s become. What we let happen to him.”
Dice (shrugging, his tone light and indifferent): “Well, it’s done now. He’s ours. Your son chose this path. He’s feeding the hunger, bringing me more souls. And no one can change that.”
Maddie’s hand trembles as she takes the next card. Her heart aches, the grief gnawing at her. There’s no escaping the fact that Danny, her little boy, has been consumed by the very darkness she spent her life fighting. The thought is suffocating.
Back with Jack, the Devil watches him with a twisted sense of satisfaction.
Devil (mocking): “Your son is already out there, feeding me. And you, Jack… you’re just wasting your time thinking you can change any of it. The darkness has already taken him. It’s only a matter of time before he comes back, and I’ll be waiting.”
(The Devil grins cruelly.) “And when he does... it won’t just be your family he’s tearing apart.”
Jack, despite himself, flinches at the thought. His son, the one he’d protected for so long, is no longer the innocent child he remembered. He’s part of the very hell Jack fought against, now a tool of the Devil himself.
But even as his heart aches, a part of him refuses to give in completely.
Jack (gritting his teeth): “I won’t stop fighting. Even if it’s too late for Danny… I’ll find a way to make things right.”
The Devil’s laugh rings through the air, sharp and cruel.
Devil (mocking): “Oh, Jack… you’re wasting your breath. There is no saving him now. He’s mine. Your son is beyond your reach.”
As Maddie and Jack continue to grapple with their failures, their tormenters begin to enjoy themselves in twisted ways. Dice, still seated next to Maddie, watches with a smirk. His mind, however, keeps drifting to the earlier moments. He can’t shake the memory of that evening under the stars—the 5th date he and Devil had shared.
Dice’s mind drifts back to that night, where everything had felt so perfect. They had gone to dinner, a casual affair that ended up turning into something far deeper. Devil had been radiant that night, the warmth of his presence mixed with his charm, his humor, and that flicker of something softer in his eyes when he’d looked at Dice.
The stargazing that followed had been nothing short of magical. Devil, knowing the constellations like the back of his hand, had pointed them out to Dice, sharing his knowledge with a quiet pride. Dice had soaked in every moment, feeling himself falling deeper. Devil’s voice, smooth as silk, had a way of making every word sound enchanting. And when their lips had met, it wasn’t just passion that had surged between them, it was something far more powerful.
Dice had been captivated by Devil that night. The moment they had shared wasn’t just physical—it was emotional, raw, and real. And as they’d slowly undressed, lost in each other’s touch, Dice had surrendered completely to the Devil’s presence, feeling a heat between them that was unstoppable. The world around them seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them under the watchful gaze of the moon.
In that moment, Dice knew: no matter the cost, he was in this. He was bound to the Devil in ways that could never be undone.
The moment snaps back to reality as Dice looks at Maddie, his smirk returning.
Dice (playfully, almost teasing): “Don’t worry, Maddie. You’re losing, but maybe your luck will change soon. Just remember—nothing stays the same forever.”
(He pauses, his expression shifting.) “But some things? They’re unbreakable.”
As Maddie stares at him, lost in thought, Dice’s mind drifts back to that magical night, and the love he shares with the Devil, now etched in his soul forever.
The casino game continues, each card a reminder of Maddie’s losing streak. Dice watches her intently, as if savoring every moment of her despair. Meanwhile, Jack remains locked in his struggle with the Devil, his futile attempts to deny the truth of what has happened to Danny causing his internal turmoil to rise to the surface.
But the time for games is running out. The Devil, sensing the moment of weakness, decides to take matters into his own hands.
The Devil (with a twisted grin): “You’ve both spent so much time trying to fix what’s already been broken… but you can’t change the inevitable. You will lose.”
With that, the air around them grows heavy, thick with darkness. The ground trembles beneath them, and the walls of the casino seem to warp and bend. Maddie’s breath catches in her throat as she instinctively tries to stand, but her feet feel like they’re rooted to the spot.
Dice (glancing up from the table, amused yet sinister): “Maddie, dear, you should know by now... you can’t escape the inevitable. Not in this place.”
(He chuckles softly.) “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”
Jack, in his desperate defiance, starts to lash out against the Devil. His hands crackle with energy, a futile attempt to break free from the constraints of the hellish realm.
Jack (desperately): “I won’t let you take him from me! Danny is still my son, and I’ll—”
Devil (snarling, cutting him off): “Enough! Your son is already mine, Jack. It’s far too late for you to make any difference.”
The Devil’s eyes glow a fiery red as he raises his hand. Suddenly, the shadows around Jack and Maddie intensify, swirling into a vortex of darkness. Their bodies tremble as the pull of the void grows stronger.
Maddie’s eyes widen in fear as she tries to resist, but the pull is too much. She can feel her soul being ripped from her body, every ounce of her life force being siphoned away. Her mouth opens in a silent scream, but no sound escapes. Her hand reaches for the table, but her grip slips as the darkness envelops her.
Maddie (gasping): “No... no... not like this... Danny...”
(Her voice trails off, as her very essence begins to tear free from her mortal shell.)
Jack, too, is powerless to stop the relentless force pulling at him. His heart races as he tries to fight back, but it’s futile. The Devil’s grip on him is ironclad.
Jack (screaming in agony): “DANNY!!!”
With a sickening tear, both their souls are ripped from their bodies, leaving behind only hollow vessels. Their spirits are wrenched into the very core of Hell, powerless to resist the command of the Devil.
Dice watches from a distance, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement as he feels the tremor of their souls being torn asunder. The casino around them fades, the game forgotten as the final moments of Maddie and Jack unfold.
Dice (to himself, almost contemplative): “Such a shame. They really thought they could save him, didn’t they?”
(His lips curl into a smile.) “Well, at least they’re together now. In Hell.”
The Devil, now holding both their souls, grins with satisfaction. His eyes lock onto Dice, and for a brief moment, there’s a quiet understanding between them. Both know the power they wield. Both know the torment they’ve caused.
Devil (mockingly, with a dark chuckle): “They fought so hard to save what was lost. But in the end, they just gave me what I wanted.”
(He throws a glance at Dice, who’s still watching him with a glint of dark amusement.) “And now, they’re mine, forever.”
And so, with Maddie and Jack’s souls torn from their bodies and devoured by the Devil, their last hope evaporates into nothingness. The weight of their failure is now heavy upon their spirits, lost to the very hell they sought to defy.
The Devil, now holding both Maddie and Jack’s souls in his grasp, lets out a deep, satisfied chuckle, looking at Dice with a gleam in his eye. He could feel the weight of their souls, heavy with regret, swirling around his fingers.
Devil (grinning): “I think... I’ll keep these for myself, Dice. Just this once.”
Dice (raising an eyebrow, his lips curling slightly): “Oh? Not sharing today? I must admit, I’m surprised. Usually, you’re more generous.”
Devil (his eyes narrowing): “Not today. These two have caused enough trouble. They thought they could stop me... but in the end, they just gave me exactly what I wanted.”
Dice (smirking): “I see. You want all the fun for yourself, huh? Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”
The Devil’s grip tightens around their souls, as he slowly absorbs them, savoring every moment of their despair and defeat. He looks at Dice one last time, a dark satisfaction in his eyes.
Devil (with a deep, almost tender tone): “For now, let me have my victory, Dice. We’ll see what happens after I’ve... enjoyed my spoils.”
Dice (with a small, knowing smile): “As you wish, Devil. Just don’t take too long... I do enjoy the games we play together.”