The village green was right where I knew it would be. I'd managed to find my way back there without any issue, which was pretty good going considering it had been dark, not to mention pure accident the last time I'd found myself there. The bench I was facing, the same one I had chosen to sit on the night Frances had sacked me, however, was empty. There were another two in front of the line of hedgerow a little further along the road, but they were empty also. I should have know it wouldn't be simple; nothing ever was.

“Bollocks!” I cursed as I slumped heavily down onto the bench, causing the old wooden slats to groan loudly in protest.

“Tut, tut, tut. Now what kind of language is that to use, love?” The crooning voice made me jump. Why hadn't I guessed he'd be lurking in that damn hedge again?

“Shit, Frank. Do you have to keep doing that to me.” I clutched a hand to my chest and felt the racing of my heart beneath my fingers. He hadn't scared me that much, but it had very quickly dawned on me that this was now the moment of truth. I'd been so focussed on the task of finding Frank that I hadn't thought enough about how I would approach things when I finally did find him. Perhaps, fortunately for me, he already knew exactly why I was there.

His chuckling laughter was coupled with the rustling of the bushes as he crashed his way out of the hedge and ambled around to face me.

“So finally come crawling back to me have you love? Realised old Frankie had something useful to say, huh?” His blotchy red face was strangely animated, his grey eyes wide with gleeful excitement. He'd been looking forward to this moment.

“You knew what was going to happen didn't you? Knew I'd have to come back to you in the end. I don't understand, what did I do wrong?”

The words came out much more desperate and pleading than I had anticipated they would, and they elicited another round of sinister chuckles from Frank.

“Aww, aren't we a poor hard done by girlie. Found yourself in such a mess haven't we. Could have saved yourself a lot of problems if only you listened to me earlier. And now here we are, you're hoping I'm going to just rush in and save the day. Well...What's. In. It. For. Me?”

He emphasised each word, pausing between every one as he moved closer, invading my personal space until he had a palm laid flat on the bench either side of my legs. His face was so close to mine I could smell the stale alcohol from his previous night's binge on his breath. And I frowned, something had occurred to me properly for the first time.

I looked up, straight into Frank's eyes, and I wondered out loud, “I don't know. What is in it for you?”

Frank frowned and leaned back a little giving me some breathing room; for which I was thankful. He hadn't been expecting that response. I should have asked him what he wanted in return for his precious information, offered to give him absolutely anything if only he'd help me. But once again, just being in Frank's presence caused a wave of suspicion to roll over me. What was in it for him?

When we'd had this encounter before - beyond thinking our meeting was pure coincidental – I'd just assumed the prospect of being freed to cause some destruction on the surface was that much more appealing than whatever he'd been offered from the demons for his 'services'.

By all accounts he'd been in the village much longer than I had. It had taken some digging to figure that out, but most people had seemed to notice a definitive change in Frank's behaviour several months ago. He'd always been a drinker but the binging had started suddenly and so far hadn't stopped, marking the time the Whisperer had taken possession of him. I'd realised by this point that I'd been sent to this village specifically because of Frank's presence there, it was not some happy coincidence. But, now that I had put two and two together, started to see the situation for what it really was, Frank's place in it became a little more blurry. How would helping me ever be of any benefit to him? I just couldn't see any good side, and I started to fear being double-crossed.

“Ahaha,” Frank laughed, his eyes narrowed and a smirk twisted at his lips. “So she has got a brain up there after all.” He pressed his index finger against my forehead and I jumped at the heat that radiated from his flesh.

I brushed his hand away and stood up so he was forced to back up a pace.

“Well, let's face it, you're not likely to help me out of the goodness of your heart. So what do you really get out of this?”

I was sure by now the stakes on my life had changed. The demons must have anticipated I might return to the village to seek out Frank, maybe even sweetened their deal with him. Was the appeal of freedom, considering all the potential repercussions of disobeying, still worth it?

“Maybe I'm just tired of having to do everything they tell me. Perhaps I plan to go out with a bang, ever think of that love? Not everything is all about you!”

That finger jabbed me in the forehead once again and I angrily slapped it away. I was so stupid to have come back here, they knew it was the only avenue of information I had to go on. I'm surprised there wasn't a welcoming committee waiting when we turned up at Jesse's house.

“And how do I know you're telling the truth?”

My voice shook as the words tumbled out. I was afraid of Frank again, fearing what I might have allowed myself to be lured into. But a big part of me still really needed to know the truth, and Frank had that truth. Maybe he'd as least have the courtesy to tell me before he killed me, or turned me over to the demons.

“Weeeell, you don't. You're just going to have to trust little old Frank. Now won't that be fun.”

He'd slung an arm around my shoulders as he spoke, holding me tightly against him so that, even as I struggled to push him off he wouldn't be moved. His free hand started to trace a trail up and down my neck, the touch of his fingers on my skin made my flesh crawl and I struggled to choke out the words past the bile that rose in my throat.

“So what do you want? I take it your previous price no longer stands.”

I was hoping my interest in offering him something he might want would make him let go of me, start him mincing excitedly around again, or something much of the sort, but it only caused him to clutch me tighter. His musty old parka smelled like an outhouse and I gagged. First thing I was going to do once I found myself back at Jesse's would be to jump in the shower.

“Oh now that is the big money question, isn't it, hmmm. See I still quite fancy seeing your pretty little face once I can shed this meat bag. You never seen one of us loose up here before have you, love?”

His eyes flashed black for a moment, deep and dark as pitch but were back to Frank's usual grey within a blink. I didn't respond to his question. It might have been legitimate interest, but he was also goading me, trying to make me slip up and let him slip that skin before he'd given me anything. I shook my head, that was enough of an answer without having to directly affirm the presence of the demon inside that body.

He chuckled, amused by my caution – I seemed to be able to amuse him by doing very little at all, I never would have pegged myself to be so funny. “Oh it's going to be a sight all right!” He twirled me around so fast that my head span and he was suddenly facing me, a hand on each one of my shoulders and his face so close again I could feel the damp heat of his breath. “But you're right, helping you out has become a somewhat more hazardous occupation since we last met – I didn't realise quite how much they want you – so lets discuss how you're going to sweeten this pot for me hmm. Make it worth my while.”

“I've already asked you what it is you want. Stop hinting and baiting me and just come out with it. You know you've already got something in mind, you wouldn't be talking with me otherwise. So what is it? Come on, drop the bomb.”

“Well aren't you a kill joy. I thought we could have a nice, old fashioned haggling session, but if you're sooo determined to rush things along...if I were you I wouldn't be so quick to wish your life away...” He burst into another round of chuckling as I reached the end of my tether.

I shoved him away from me with as much strength as I could gather in my trembling limbs and he stumbled backwards, the grin never leaving his face which frustrated me even further. I didn't know why I buzzed with such anxiety, but the more Frank stalled and danced around the subject the more frayed my nerves became.

“For fuck's sake, Frank. Just spit it out.”

“Oooh, touchy touchy. Now didn't I warn you about that language once already?” He started to creep around me in a circle, like a predator stalking his prey. His sing-song voice belying the threat I could see in his eyes which had bled back to their dark black pits. “Buuut, fun as it is to make you squirm lovie, I suppose I'll put you out of your misery. There will be more fun to be had once I'm free of this human skin after all.

“So how about we say, you release me, I'll tell you what you want to know – every sad and sorry detail about the mess you've gone and landed yourself in – then you can run on your merry way, live whatever kind of a life you can make for yourself....” he paused, almost making his offer sound appealing, tempting me to accept his terms before he had finished. But I just knew he had another clause to add, something I wasn't going to like; so I stayed silent until he was forced to continue. “And I take your little boyfriend on a trip. He's become a pretty valuable commodity down in Hell you know, I reckon turning him will buy me out of any trouble I might be in for helping you. A win win situation. How could you ever refuse?”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “How could I refuse?” While Frank's offer hadn't been quite as horrible as I had been anticipating, it pulled right on that guilty conscience of mine. I'd already put Jesse through so much shit, I couldn't just hand him to the demons; it might make my life easier, but it certainly wouldn't ease my conscience any. “How could you ever think I'd actually go for an offer like that more like? No. Not a chance. I've done enough to fuck up that man's life, I'm not about to turn him over to you!”

Frank frowned at me and shook his head. “Huh, and there I thought they were exaggerating. you really have gone soft on that boy. I mean he's sort of sweet I suppose, in a simple, oafish sort of way. But he's a human, what do you care what happens to him. Save your own skin, love. You know it's your only real option.”

“Ask for something else, there must be something you want more than Jesse.”

He stared at me for a long moment of silence, the cogs turning in his mind as he mulled over his options. “Hmm, nope. Can't think of a thing. It's that or nothing sweetheart, make your decision. That human meat bag you're so sweet on, or the information you so desperately want?”

“Forget it Frank, you' re getting nothing out of me, not for those terms. Come find me when you think of a better price.”

I backed away quickly before I changed my mind and hurried back down the street. The words had sounded much more firm and decisive than I felt, the demon in me was keen to hand Jesse over, he'd been expendable from the beginning, I'd been trying to corrupt him from the start. A trip to Hell would be just another part of the job, it would be so hard. But the human side of me that was suffering such a crisis of conscience couldn't let him go not to save myself, I couldn't be that cold not now I'd grown to know and, dare I even admit it to myself, care for the man.

Though now I'd landed myself in an even bigger predicament. Without Frank's information I had nothing new to work on, no clue how to approach redeeming myself – if that was even an option any more – but Frank had mentioned something else that had me worried. An unintentional slip, or information that just wasn't worth anything to him, it didn't matter, one thing I now knew for sure, the demons were well aware of my affection for Jesse.

I had a feeling the Whisperer that had possessed Maura was responsible for dishing out that nice little package of gossip, and what if now Frank would find some way to report back to them, confirm the truth of the story? I might not have had anything tangible to work on, but they certainly would. They'd know if they wanted to get to me, they need only go through Jesse. I had to warn him.

“Shit!” I cursed to myself as I set off at a run down the road. “I am so screwed.”