Hell has no limits, but neither does a friend’s
love...
Actor Simon Kidd can’t believe his ears when
he learns that his former costar, Alan Ricks, is part of a traveling
theater company in Georgia. Just a year before, Alan had been
one of the hottest names in Hollywood. What was he doing performing
Doctor Faustus in a tent?
Simon decides to investigate, but when he
finally tracks down Alan, he learns that hell is breaking loose
in Georgia, and the Devil deals it hard. What’s the true value
of a soul? And how much is Simon willing to risk in order to win
Alan’s freedom?
Excerpt
...“They were dark days,” Alan said. “And then…I
met Grace. She was so beautiful, and I just felt drawn to her.
I don’t know what I would have done if she ignored me,
but she never did. She was an extra on some television show.
I don’t even remember anymore. I asked her if she would
go to LA with me because I had been offered a pilot. She drove
across the country with me, and by the time we reached California,
I knew I had to marry her. And so I did. No money, no real prospects,
and I had to do some work I’m not very proud of to raise
enough money to get us back to New York. I guess we were happy,
then. But…when she told me she was pregnant, I knew I could
never go back to that apartment. I couldn’t do it, Simon.”
“But by the time she was pregnant with Liza, you were
opening a show on Broadway,” Simon pointed out. “You
weren’t in danger of going back to that apartment.”
“No, the fear came before the gig. That’s when I…made
my bargain.”
“I still don’t understand that. I mean, Doctor Faustus
isn’t real.”
“I didn’t call him to me, if that’s what you’re
wondering. I didn’t find any ancient spells or employ witchcraft
or even pray to him. When Grace told me she was pregnant, I
excused myself and I just…I broke down. I was so afraid.
I had always wanted kids, but I couldn’t stand the thought
of my baby sharing a bedroom with rats. And then…I got
a phone call.”
“Lucifer contacted you over the phone?”
Alan shrugged. “That’s not even the weirdest part
of this story.”
“It’s pretty weird. Where was he calling from?”
“I didn’t think to ask. I mean, it’s not like
he introduced himself as the Dark Lord when I answered the phone.”
“How did he introduce himself?”
“He said he was a friend. And he had an offer for me,
if I was interested. Now, at that point, I was always interested.
I didn’t even care about the details. So I asked him what
it was.”
“And he asked you for your soul?” Simon asked, not
quite joking, not quite serious.
“Are you going to keep interrupting me? Trust me, this
story will go faster if you just let me tell it.”
“Sorry.”
“He basically told me that he’d give me ten years
of professional success, and provide a lifetime of security
for my children, and all I had to do was sign over my soul.”
“Why did you think this guy wasn’t a crackpot?”
Simon tried to imagine receiving a similar call and he simply
couldn’t wrap his mind around it. For one thing, he wouldn’t
have stayed on the line long enough to hear the bizarre offer.
But even if he had, he would have laughed it off.
“I did think the guy was a crackpot. Do you really think
that I thought for a moment I was signing over my soul? I know
how crazy that is. So I told him sure, that sounded good, and
I hung up. Apparently, that counts as an oral contract.”
“What happens if you try to leave?”
“I can’t.”
Simon sighed with frustration. “Yes, I know. The contract.
But what happens if you try?”
“No, you don’t understand. I literally cannot leave.
When I try to get away from the road show, it’s like running
in place. Like I’m in that apartment again, and no matter
how hard or how fast I run, I’m always stuck in place.”
“You’re right, I don’t understand.”
Alan ran his hand over his face. “Look, if I started walking
down this road, I’d never leave the road. I would just
keep walking and walking and walking.”
“You can only travel with the rest of the production.”
“Exactly.”
“And you’re just going to stay here forever?”
Alan shrugged again...
