No place to hide

Finally Monday came. Samantha couldn't believe her enormous luck. She could go out again, she was finally free from that unusual prison.

Still dressed in heavy pajamas, the young woman stood by the window and watched the raindrops attack the glass. It was a gloomy day, but that wouldn't have affected her cheerful and carefree mood.

"Young Lady, breakfast is ready."

Sam turned to look at Claude in the doorway and found him with a confused look. She had become accustomed to their constant presence but certainly not yet in their ways.

"Still have to change?" the demon murmured as he approached her wardrobe. "I would have assumed that you were ready to set foot out of here even earlier than necessary."

He pulled out a dark green skirt and one of the shirts she had attached to the crutches and laid them on the bed.

Then, while the brunette watched him distractedly, she noticed that he was approaching the underwear drawer and blushed with a deep tomato red.

Certain she couldn't reach him in time, she took the brush on the windowsill and pulled it against him.

The object circled for a few moments in the air but the demon, warning him to arrive, moved away at the last second and turned even more confused than when he entered.

"What the hell are you going to do, perverted demon !? Stay away from my clothes!"

"I assure you I have no interest in-" he began but was interrupted by a flying radio alarm clock.

"So, you are demons."

The two nodded synchronously.

"Demons who enter into contracts with humans."

Again a nod.

"And that they owe me gratitude for taking them off the street."

She ran a hand through her hair as a severe headache started beating again.

"I already told you, you don't need to be grateful for anything." She ran her fingers over the sides of her temples, pushing and hoping that the pain would go away with that simple pressure. "You were attacking each other, I didn't save you from anything."

What escaped her as she stared at the surface of the kitchen table was the significant look that the two demons had exchanged silently.

"In any case, there is still a significant intrusion." The amber-eyed demon added.

"Then do something, anything that will make you disappear immediately." she begged, desperate to conclude those terrible negotiations.

The two looked at each other again before turning to her again.

"For that, we need a contract."

Sam opened her mouth and eyes at the same time, looking at them as if they had just drunk each other's brains.

"I will never sell my soul to the devil!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sebastian chuckled. "Well, there must definitely be something you want from us." He answered flirtatiously but after seeing her dark and pissed expression he decided to fly over. "Wealth, fame, power ... revenge ..."

The last word seemed to tread with nostalgia, confusing her more than necessary.

"Do you think I will sell my soul for such useless things? I had a perfect life before you two came in to destroy it. I'll probably end up analyzing for this..." she sighed tiredly. "I will never make a contract with you."

Claude shrugged, as if it were a matter of little consequence. "Then I guess nobody will leave here very soon."

The path to work went smoothly like oil.

The subway was as crowded as ever. Men and women with their work bags and some crazy tourist who had ventured despite the day didn't bode well.

Sam squeezed her briefcase against her stomach as she sat on a desk and looked around.

Nobody seemed to notice her for any reason and everyone seemed completely normal people, unaware of all the paranormal that surrounded them. For a moment, she prayed that time would flow back again to allow her to appreciate more that monotony that had invaded her days for years. The whole situation seemed so unreal.

Reminding her that everything was real, however, was the strong feeling of being observed but soon, inside her office on the third floor, she would be the most peaceful and safest person in the world.

The brunette would do her research, investigate what could hurt them or some spell that could have sent them back to hell as quickly as possible.

When she got out of the vehicle, she continued on foot along the usual road and as she passed the alley of the days before, she cursed herself for stopping.

The sliding doors of the bank continued to open and close as customers and associates entered and left the building.

When Sam approached them the sweet PUFF that emanated almost made her want to cry.

The lobby was huge, allowing people to wait and operate with serenity, privacy and comfort.

When she stood beside a counter, very close to the stairs area, a man with auburn hair and a sweet smile looked at her curiously.

"Good morning, Henry." She anticipated, raising a hand in case he hadn't heard from the operation he was carrying out with a customer.

"Good morning, Samantha. You finally recovered." He replied back, returning to give immediate attention to the person over the counter.

The girl nodded, albeit with a little hesitation and quickly advanced towards the elevator that would take her straight to her safe place.

She pressed the button and said hello to the two colleagues on the upper floor who were waiting for the transport with her.

Her bank had more than 50 floors so she was unlikely to get to know even half of those who worked there.

Moreover, relations with those on the lower or upper floors were seldom due to lack of time. And each floor was assigned a job.

Once she reached her plan, she found it packed with people, as usual. Her area made itself available to the customer so the relationship was in close contact with other people.

When Sam passed in front of her best colleague's office, she smiled.

"Good morning, Isy. How have these days gone without me?" asked the brunette as she appeared just beyond the door.

The young woman seemed to light up at the sight of her figure and stretched out her small hands.

"Sam! You left me alone to feed these vultures!" she moaned as the Cox advanced and grabbed her hands in hers as if to share the sense of unease.

She smiled.

"Forgive me and thank you for replacing me." Sam reached over the desk and put a hand on her shoulder. "Whatever you need, don't hesitate to ask."

Her colleague nodded, convinced of her honesty and fairness and watched Sam come out of the room to head towards hers.

When she found herself in front of it and inserted the keys inside the classic glass door that recited her name and her job, a ringing voice reached her.

"Miss Cox, good morning. How are you today?"

Samantha warned the bank manager to join her as she untangled herself with the lock without then looking up at her.

"Oh, beautifully, director. I think nothing can ruin this day."

Finally the door opened and with a wide smile she entered, still turning her back on her superior and rapidly advancing towards her desk.

"Well that's a good thing. So our new intern will have the pleasure of getting to know your quiet side." The woman chuckled.

The brunette sat on the leather chair with a sigh of pleasure and finally her gaze turned to the woman.

Her fingers instinctively tightened on the two armrests as her head began to fill with steam, which she was sure would come out of her ears at one moment or another.

"I'm Sebastian Michaelis, the new intern. It will be a real pleasure to assist you."

And he stretched his right hand over the desk as a purple flash shone in the depths of his red eyes.

The manageress was watching her morbidly, as if expecting the same friendliness and, although shocked, Sam let common sense guide her to shake the hand of the devil who had followed her to work.

"M-Very pleasure, Mr. Michaelis. Yes, I'm sure it will be an excellent experience." And she tried to hold it with all the force that her human body was able to pull out. But he only smiled in response.

"Well. Sebastian ... I can call you Sebastian, can't I?" the director corrected immediately, touching the man's arm with an unnatural flirtatious air that the brunette would never have expected from her.

"But of course, it's a privilege for me." He replied making the bile rise in her throat. Had that bastard really used that kind of skills to get in there?

"Samantha will help you with all the paperwork and then you will depend a little on her decisions." And the hand wandered on the demon's back in a clear caress. "And mine, of course."

After another couple of exchanges, the manager convinced herself to leave the office and Sam followed her to close the door and then quickly turned to the demon.

"Are you serious?" she hissed, to prevent anyone in the other rooms from hearing.

The apparent man ran a hand through his hair, pulling a lock in front of his eyes. At that moment he was wearing a classic suit with a jacket and tie and Sam tried not to think about how good he could be in those clothes.

"Well, you didn't really think I'd leave you unprotected." The devil replied, with the most innocent air he managed to gather.

The girl tightened her skirt into a fist that could have penetrated even the flesh of the palms with tension.

"Protection? This is control. You also want to check me out of the house!"

She felt her breathing reach the limit as she went into hyperventilation. She couldn't believe it, she had no space. They were quickly closing her in a box.

She brought a hand to her throat, trying to recover the air that had failed to collect to oxygenate her brain and think of a solution.

"Miss, are you all right?"

When his cadaveric hand reached her face, panic gripped her mind and, before she realized, a strong backhand hit the demon's cheek, taking him by surprise and causing him to withdraw his hand.

"Do not touch me!"

Samantha's voice rose a couple of octaves but quickly regained control, looking around to make sure no one had seen or listened to her outburst.

She didn't know what was wrong with her, but seeing that flash of freedom being ripped away made her uncontrollable for a couple of minutes.

"Why? Why are you doing this to me? I only helped you..." she couldn't understand that surreal situation. It wasn't possible that her perfect life had been ruined by a single good gesture from her.

It wasn't fair, was it?

"You can't understand, miss." Sebastian replied, still moving one hand towards her shoulder and squeezing it slightly as if to comfort her.

Being close to the window, the demon's red eyes lit up as soon as he saw that unmistakable red helmet and black motorcycle suit under the building.

The figure seemed to be answering something on its cell phone and after a last look around it resumed its journey, making the vehicle roar.