Jack Catabasis tapped his slim, pedicured index finger against his nose.
“So, it’s a trip you want.”
Devon nodded, eager to confirm. Kate, anger on her face, tugged on his shirt sleeve, but he ignored her. This was too big an opportunity to pass up. Devon, his face fresh and young, pushed his black hair out of his face and looked right at Jack. For a second, Devon thought he saw a red flicker in Jack’s eyes, but it was gone as soon as he searched for it again. A trick of the dim warehouse lights no doubt. Over Kate’s silent protestations, he responded to his boss.
“Yes. A trip. That’s a good word for it. Me and Kate want to go on a trip.”
“Then a trip it shall be! Somewhere warm?”
Devon nodded again, visions of palm trees and coconuts in his head, pushing out all of his and Kate’s earlier conversations about a Paris honeymoon.
“Excellent. I have the perfect place in mind then. Somewhere down under. All expenses paid of course. The best accommodations. My treat.”
“Wow, Jack. That’s awfully generous.”
Kate hissed under her breath but said nothing more. This was Devon’s boss after all. He needed this job.
“Think nothing of it. You’re one of my best employees, and I couldn’t be happier for you and your beautiful wife. We’re close here, I mean that more than just in a rhetorical sense. Though now that I think about it, and you can say no of course. There is a favor you could do me while you’re on your trip.”
“Of course. Just say the word. What it is Kate? Stop that. I just bought this shirt!”
Kate stopped tugging at Devon’s shirt, disgust in her eyes. She took a deep breath to steel herself and look at Jack.
“What’s this about a favor?”
“Oh, it’s nothing my dear Kate, nothing at all. Just an errand that I need Jack to run while you’re enjoying your honeymoon. It’ll only take up an hour or two of your time. Delivery of a package. Get a message while Jack’s on his trip and you won’t even notice he’s gone. I’d do it myself, but since you’ll be in the vicinity, I figured…”
Devon responded before Kate could ruin his opportunity with any more questions.
“We’ll do it. Of course, Mr. Catabasis. Sorry about her. She gets silly sometimes. We’ll do it.”
Kate stared in open disbelief at her husband.
“Excellent. No need to apologize. I’ll send you the details. In the meantime, I do have some paperwork here that I need you to sign. Release forms, contracts, hotel stuff, you know the drill.”
Jack handed Devon a stack of papers. They were neatly organized, red tabs marking where Devon had to sign and initial. Devon looked through them, rifling through the pile. He looked back at his boss. Jack had already turned to his computer, engrossed in emails.
“This is for the vacation? It’s an awful lot of-“
Jack waved him off.
“It’s all standard stuff. Legal ass-covering. If you don’t want to go on the trip, you don’t have to sign.”
Jack began reaching for the stack, but Devon pulled them away.
“No, no. It’s okay. Just wondering that’s all. No problem.”
Devon began signing and initialing, using the black pen that Jack had provided him. It took him a few minutes, he had to shake out his wrist a few times, but eventually, he got to the end. He handed the pen to Kate. She shook her head. Devon looked at her. She shook her head again.
“No.”
“Kate.”
“No. I won’t.”
Jack looked up from his work, surprised that the pair was still there. He smiled at Devon.
“All good?”
“Yes sir. Is it okay if Kate doesn’t sign?”
Jack stared a Kate, looking her up and down as if judging a prize steer. Then he smiled a big toothy grin.
“Of course. No problem at all. This is all just a safety measure after all.”
Jack took the stack of papers from Devon, glanced through them, and then filed the stack away in a drawer of his desk. He turned back to the couple, still smiling that broad, wide, grin of his.
“We’re all set then. I’ll let you two enjoy the next couple of days. My people will send Devon the details, flight information, all that stuff, and then in no time, you two will be on your trip. Winter is the perfect time to go south after all.”
Jack and Devon shook hands. Kate had gone before their palms had even touched.
Kate was in the passenger seat of the Kia when Devon came out of the warehouse.
“What the hell was that Kate?”
“What the hell was that Devon? You were just going to ask for a few days off! For our honeymoon. In Paris. Now we’re going to some unknown tropical island or wherever the hell we’re going. And you’re doing some sort of sketchy errand for your boss?”
“But, he’s paying for it.”
“He’s a boss. We’re going to be stuck in some po-dunk hotel, full of teens on spring break! You’ve always said he’s a cheapskate. You hate him. What was all that crap about being close anyway? Just last night you said you didn’t think he knew your name. Now he’s sending us on some trip? What were those documents you were signing? Did you even read them?”
“Sure, I read them. It was hotel forms. It’s fine. It’s fine!”
“That packet was thicker than your skull. No way was that about a hotel.”
“It’s fine Kate. It’s fine.”
“It’s your head Devon.”
Tensions between Kate and Devon had thawed a little by the time of their trip. The resort they were staying at was, by every single account they could find, a five-star experience. Jack had bought them first-class plane tickets, and the errand Devon had to run wouldn’t take more than thirty minutes according to Google Maps. The package Jack had given Devon fit in his pocket.
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The day of the trip they were back to their normal lovey-dovey selves. Neither Kate nor Devon had ever flown first-class on a domestic flight, let alone an international one. The hot towels, free snacks, and free drinks had them feeling like royalty. Kate was reading the newest Colleen Hoover book and Devon was watching some episodes of Below Deck he had downloaded onto his phone. Every so often their fingers would graze and they would stare at each other for a while.
The flight did not feel the advertised five hours long. Before they realized it their seats were in the upright position, and their tray tables were stowed. The green grass and black tarmac of the airport came up to meet their plane. Then it kept coming and kept coming, faster and faster. The cabin lights turned off, alarms started blaring, and the air hosts screamed.
The plane hit the ground. But it did not explode, it burrowed into the dark earth until only a deep hole remained. Deeper, deeper, and deeper the plane went. The impact killed most of the people, and suffocation everyone else, except for Devon, who yelled in terror the entire time. Finally, the plane came to a halt.
Devon looked out the window. He didn’t know why, but he did. Outside, he saw, just a few feet away, Jack Catabasis looking at him. Jack waved and called to him. Unsure of himself, losing his grasp on reality, Devon took off his seatbelt, stepped over Kate’s dead body, and exited the plane via the emergency landing slide. He walked over to the smiling Jack.
“Do you have my package, Devon?”
Mechanically, Devon reached into his pocket and drew out the small rectangular package, wrapped in brown paper. He handed it to the man.
Jack tore off the paper, revealing a package of Marlboro Red Slims. He tapped one out of the package, put it in his mouth, lit it, and inhaled deeply. He blew out a smoke ring and looked at Devon.
“Only one left alive. Guess it pays to make a deal with the devil huh Devon?””
“I-?”
“You can thank me later. Welcome to hell, kid.”
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I suspect most deals with the devil are way more subtle. For instance, picking up that Colleen Hoover novel seems like the act of someone who gave away their soul without the promise of anything in return at all.