Discovering Hell [COMPLETED]

Chapter Nine

Crowley had been pacing all night--back and forth across the ugly, orange carpet of the motel room. He wasn't used to doing his own dirty work--that was the point of other demons. He was bored, cooped up in the motel for two days.

He had posted two demons, Radnar and Theo, at the door of the motel room and two more, Kim and Andy, were stationed at each of the two windows. He had taken other precautions, of course, to prevent Castiel from popping in unannounced.

Meg was sitting on the motel room floor, handcuffed to the bed post. Crowley had let Radnar and Theo have a little fun with her a few hours earlier and she was still recovering. He was going to have to supervise next time. He hadn't realized so many demons hated Meg as much as he did.

Finally, hours after what was expected, his phone rang. "Ah, Castiel. I knew you'd call."

"Crowley," he growled. "Tell us what you have."

"Oh Lauren didn't share? Put it on speaker phone and let's all have a little truth telling moment." Crowley chuckled as Castiel fumbled with the phone for a minute. "Am I on speaker now?" His pride welling up inside him. This was too good.

"Yeah, you're on speaker," Sam snapped.

"Ah, the moose speaks. Now, Lauren..."

"He has a demon by the name of Meg..." She sounded unsure about what she was saying.

"No," Castiel growled, "no, you killed her."

He grinned. "The perks of being the King of hell. I can do what I want with whoever I want. This time, I'll guard her myself and I won't be so nice as to let her die. Her torture will be endless, until her soul is just as twisted and dark as mine. Can you all live with that? I know you can't...Clarence," he added that last bit on just to spite Castiel. "You have twenty four hours. Call me when you've made your choice." He was ready to end the conversation right then, but apparently the others had something more to say.

"How do we know you have her?" Sam asked.

"You don't trust me?" Crowley feigned being hurt.

"Damn right we don't trust you," Dean said. "Let us talk to Meg."

Crowley clenched his teeth. Of course they had no reason to trust him but he hadn't when anybody questioned him. He stormed over to where Meg sat, her head leaning against the post and her eyes closed. Blood dripped from a wound in her shoulder onto the hideous carpet and her left eye was swollen so badly that it was just a slit. Bruises covered her body and Crowley almost pitied her. There was a long gash from her temple to her jaw and her wrists were red and swollen from the demon trap handcuffs.

"You're friends want a little proof of life." He grabbed her hair and yanked backwards, forcing her to look up at him with her one good eye. He pressed the phone to the side of her face. "Say hello."

"Go to hell," she spat at him weakly. Her breathing was laboured and Crowley guessed she had a few cracked, maybe broken, ribs.

"Good enough," he shrugged. He threw her head back down and put the phone back to his face. "Satisfied? Twenty four hours; don't be late. I'm not big on second chances." He hung up the phone and chucked it at a wall, listening to it crunch and shatter. "Don't you dare let her escape," he spat at the other demons.

Then he disappeared.