to hell and back.

A/N: hey everyone, sorry for the super long hiatus.. BUT MY WRITER'S BLOCK IS GONE SO YAY!

Husk still has the note.

Alastor downs his entire drink in one horrifyingly long gulp. It must have burned his throat, but he shows no signs of feeling. His emotionless red eyes blink down at the empty whiskey cup, which is now sitting on the counter, then back up at me. I try to shake off the unsettling feeling that slithers over my skin, giving me goosebumps. His stare has a way of doing that to me.

"Husk, my dear, will you give me and Danielle a moment here?" Alastor asks cheerfully, flashing Husk a grin. His voice is so fake with cheer that I almost gag.

Husk nods, remaining mute. I don't look at him for fear of Alastor noticing and thinking something is up. I mean, he probably already knows that something is up, but I don't want to give him any more clues. Husk walks to the other end of the bar and makes himself busy, looking as untroubled as ever.

"So. Danielle," he begins, folding his hands over his legs. "How are you?"

"Since when do you care?"

"Since right this second."

I roll my eyes, trying to act comfortable, but in reality, my heart is beating too fast to be comfortable. "Well, I'm fine."

"How lovely," he says with a wicked smile. I take a moment to process his words. "You and Husk don't talk much, do you?"

I frown, my thumbs idly rubbing together in my lap. "Not really. Only when I come to the bar. Why?"

"Oh, I'm just wondering. He's pretty close with Angel, you know. They have an intimate relationship of sorts. Complicated, if you ask them," Alastor says. It seems as though he's talking about nothing important, which isn't like him. Maybe he's trying to get to something.

He pauses to let his words sink in.

"Wait a minute," I say, holding my hand up. I look at the ground, the gears in my brain turning wildly.

Does he know about the note? Or even the phone call? He thinks I haven't talked to either of them since Vaggie interrupted Alastor and I near the lake.

Maybe he doesn't know.

"Is something bothering you?" he asks, mockingly. "Your heart is beating quite fast. Do you need another glass of rum?"

I blink. His words only make my heart beat faster. How does he know I'm so anxious? "No, I've had enough to drink," I tell him, my voice remaining surprisingly flat.

Alastor nods curtly. "Sure, sure, sweetheart. Whatever makes you feel... comfortable." He pauses, his grin widening, as it somehow always manages to do. "We need to talk business. Not here, not now," he says, a look of both caution and condifence falling over his face. An odd combination, but one that suits Alastor well. "Later tonight, come to the woods again. Maybe I'll tell you... some details."

My breath hitches. Details? Does that mean that he's going to tell me what he's planning? This could be exactly what I need. If he tells me the details of, well, whatever this is, then I can tell Charlie. Charlie will know how to stop him, I hope.

As I'm thinking about this, my gaze drifts away from Alastor just in time to see Husk dart around from behind the bar counter and leave. Why he's leaving, I don't know, but I hope that he gives my note to someone. I bite my lip a little as Husk successfully exits through the main double doors.

"Okay," I say, remaining calm. "Details. Yeah. That will work." And it will work. I train my eyes at him, trying to appear as placid as I can.

"Good." He sounds final, like this will be the choice in the game that determines which path I will take. That actually describes this pretty well, except it's not a game. It's real-no, sorry, the after-life. This might just lead me to whatever final chaotic events there are to come.