"The difficulty is not so great to die for a friend, as to find a friend worth dying for."

- Homer

                                                                                  ***

Her breath was like a hurricane in her ears. Her realm of focus had narrowed to three things: her breathing, her heart and the piece of paper laying on the floor, white and falsely innocent.

She released a shaky breath, then knelt, fingers hovering over the paper. Like it might burn her if she touched it, she hesitated. Jumping to her feet, she snatched up his phone instead, swiping at the screen. To her surprise, it unlocked easily.

The first screen to appear was an unsent text—one addressed to her.

Galloway sat on the bed, her eyes scanning uselessly over the words twice before her brain engaged and she understood what she was reading.

I didn't put it together until it was too late and I hope I can get far enough away. Hell would probably send the closest one after me, huh? I'm trying to run so it isn't you. I know they'll get me. I just don't want this to add to your nightmares. This ISN'T your fault and you couldn't have stopped it. Thank you. For everything.

Her eyes clouded and she blinked hard, holding her breath. She didn't want to make any sound that would draw Logan up here.

The tears clung to her lashes, refusing to fall. The time stamp said 3:45 AM. She scrolled through the call log of her own phone to find he'd typed out the message right after she'd ended their last conversation. He'd been gone. Running for his life while she'd been giving in to temptation.

Finally letting her breath out, she slid off the mattress to kneel in front of the page again. Giving herself a shake, she snatched the paper up, reading it.

Caleb Powers.

She hadn't known his last name. She'd never asked and he'd never offered.

Deal drawn, March 12, 2008 AD.

The bastards had cut him short. Ten years instead of twenty-five.

One Soul, currently possessed by the seller Caleb Powers, in exchange for the life and health of one Alex Winters. (Not renegotiable if aforementioned Alex Winters is injured or killed beyond the circumstances of this voluntary and binding contract.)

She had a stark memory of him talking to someone named Alex. Galloway wondered if this person knew what Caleb had done for him. In all reality, she doubted it. Caleb would have kept this absolutely silent, no one knowing until they had to burn his torn, mangled body. Until they had no other course of action except mourning him.

Collection Deadline: March 12, 2018. No later than Midnight.

Galloway stared at today's date, then glared at nothing. Her fingers scrambled for the phone she'd put down, automatically dialing the first few numbers of the phone she'd left with Sirius. Then she froze.

No.

She couldn't call him. Sirius wouldn't hesitate. He'd drag Caleb to the pit himself if he had to. He would never let her try and find Caleb a way out. He would...kill the Hunter. He'd do it without pity, without remorse.

She knew he would.

Galloway stood, crushing the paper in her hand. Leaving her phone laying next to Caleb's on the bed, she went down the stairs as sedately as she could manage. Logan couldn't know anything was wrong. He'd try to stop her.

Jazz music, the only thing Logan liked about his home state of Louisiana, drifted from the living room. She found him there, sitting cross-legged on the floor surrounded by stacks of books. Taking a moment to mouth what she wanted to say to herself, she wiped one more time at her face, then looked over his shoulder. "I think I'm going to head back. I've only had like a hour nap in the last twenty-four."

"Thanks for lying," Logan said distractedly, flipping through the pages of two books simultaneously. 

The next part of her rehearsal got hung up and she raised an eyebrow. He turned halfway around to look at her and said, "When you mention sleep, I just get this feeling you don't mean the one that involves rapid eye movement and dreams."

Shaking her head, her mouth tasting like cardboard, she gave him what she hoped was a smile and said, "Well, if my lying makes you happier..."

"For this it does," he muttered, turning back to his books.

"What are those?" Galloway asked, attention caught by the strange markings on the pages Logan was perusing. She could practically feel Caleb getting farther and farther away.

"Enochian. Rhys is wondering if maybe the language of angels, fallen or otherwise, and elder demons might work as a...bolt on the gates, I guess."

Her fingers found their way to the keys in her pocket. Jingling them slightly, she asked, "What do you think?"

Logan sighed, then stretched before standing up. "I think at this rate my eyes are going to pop out of my head due to the strain."

"Lo, seriously," she pressed, peering at the ancient symbols.

With a shrug, he made the bones in his neck pop, then said, "I think if you paint any of those suckers on any kind of doorway in blood, then demons won't be able to travel through it. In or out."

She stared at the symbols.

Logan stretched once more, arching his back in a catlike way. He let out a great sigh and said, "I need coffee. Or cocaine. Do you want to stick around for some?"

"I swore off the hard stuff," she said absently, crouching next to the second book. It had many more symbols crowded onto its pages.

The witch hummed in amusement, then disappeared into the kitchen. Galloway thoughtfully ran her finger along a page, then tore it out as soon as she heard water running. Quickly she tore out a second page, then shouted, "I'm leaving now! Don't let Rhys boss you around!"

Logan shouted something back, but she was already running out the door. Panting, she unlocked the car, then tore off toward the east. Something told her Caleb would try to get as close to home as he could manage.

She sped through the sleepy neighborhood, ignoring stoplights and double yellow lines.

Her body trembled and she gripped the steering wheel tighter, wondering why she was chasing him.

                                                                                 ~~~

Staring at the peaceful forest, Galloway wondered why he'd decided to stop here. Closing her eyes, she let that gentle tugging sensation of a nearby Debt pull her forward.

It had taken her the entire rest of the day to even get this close to him. Moonlight filtered through dark branches, sparking off the nearby stream. The air was wintry and crisp, cooling the tears that trickled down her cheeks.

He stood in a little clear spot, his head bowed as he looked down at the glittering water. A gun hung loosely in his hand. "You weren't supposed to follow me."

Salt sparkled in the moonlight, forming a perfect circle around him. He turned to look at her. "I didn't want to fight you."

She stepped out of the shadows. Hoarsely, she asked, "You thought I'd take you?"

"You have to," he whispered, his voice carrying easily through the quiet night air. His eyes were dark holes threatening to swallow her. "And I can't just lay down and die. That will not be the last thing I do on this Earth."

Galloway pulled the piece of paper out of her back pocket, then unfolded it, showing it to him. "If you'd told us, Logan could have hidden you. If I couldn't find you, I couldn't collect. It happens sometimes. Hell doesn't like it, but if you can prove you made an effort, they won't punish you too badly."

He choked out a hoarse laugh. The laugh stopped when she pulled a small bag out of her coat pocket. He blinked. "What's that?"

Her hand shook as she extended the peace offering. "It's a get out of Hell free card."

It had been in the bag Logan had taken from what was left of the Chevelle. She'd barely remembered it before she'd gone sprinting after Caleb.

Caleb blinked slowly. Then he shook his head, his tanned skin bleached of all color by the moonlight. "You can't."

"I won't kill you," she said, her voice breaking. "I can't."

"You can't let me go!" he shouted, voice echoing eerily around them. "That's why I tried to run. Why did you follow me?"

"Because I don't want to stand next to your pyre!" she shouted back. She swiped angrily at her face, then threw the hex bag at his feet. "I have too few friends, Caleb. And not enough family. I will not burn you! I just won't."

Caleb was staring at the hex bag, shaking his head slowly. In three long strides, she was across the space between them. She scooped the bag up, then pressed it into his hand. Looking up at him, she pleaded, "Run. You have to run. Don't stop, don't look back. Please."

Dumbly, he repeated, "Family?"

Turning her face away from him, her eyes closing against a new onslaught of fear and sadness, she choked out, "Yeah. So don't ask this of me. I was there when they burned my brothers. I watched as they buried my parents' ashes. And I'll be there when my sister's gone. Please don't..." She pressed a hand to her mouth. "Don't ask this."

"If you let me go, they'll take you to Hell." His fingers were loose around the hex bag. She put her hand over his, tightening his grip.

"I'd rather let Hell paint the world in my blood than have yours on my hands," she admitted miserably. "I can't live with that, Caleb. Don't ask me to try."

"It's more than your life or mine, Galloway," he said, starting to get mad. He gestured around with the barrel of his gun. "This is about keeping you out of Hell and keeping the gates shut. You can't let that go! You can't let me live, and say fuck the world because of me! I won't let you. I'd... I'd kill myself before I let that happen."

She froze, staring up at him and saw the seriousness in his dark eyes. And she couldn't let him. Her mind raced, until finally, she called his bluff. Crossing her arms, she said, "You don't have the stomach for suicide, Caleb."

He chuckled darkly. "Oh, don't I?"

She shouted as he moved the gun up toward his head, yanking his arm to the side. The gun went off right next to her ear, making the world sway and wobble in front of her. Caleb gave her a blank, startled look, and she was flooded with fury at his selfishness.

Snatching the gun away from him, she threw it into the creek, then slapped him across the face as hard as she could. He stumbled a little to the side, his hand going to his cheek. Over the painful pressure in her ear, she heard him swear at her.

Pressing her hand to her ear, she felt a warm wetness and wondered if Collectors could be rendered deaf. Caleb saw the blood and took a small step toward her, but she shook her head. Hissing, she said, "If you have any shred of kindness in you, you'll leave. If you care about me in any tiny way, you'll take this chance and run."

Caleb bowed his head, scrubbing his hands viciously through his hair. Looking up, he grabbed her by her arms and shook her. "Don't you get it? I do care about you! I care enough to go to Hell so you don't have to. Why won't you let me?"

"Because I didn't save you so you could jump head first into the pit like I did," she shrieked, her voice distant and tinny in her own ears. "You owe me your life, Caleb! You owe me. And this will leave you nothing but dead and still in debt. I won't let them turn you inside out! I won't let them turn you into a demon."

He paled even further, the evidence of her abuse turning dark purple. Nodding emphatically, sensing she'd gained ground, she said, "Is it worth it, knowing you'll become that? I can fight them better than you can, Caleb. So let me!"

Shaking his head, he took a hesitant step back, then quietly said, "You become a demon?"

"They aren't all fallen angels," she said quickly, almost stumbling over her words. "They'll warp your Soul, then they'll take it, leaving nothing but a shell filled with evil."

His lips parted and desperately, he said, "You can't let the gates be opened."

With a sigh of relief, she flung her arms around him, pulling him close. His arms wrapped around her and she gasped, "I won't. Go, please!"

Caleb pulled away, pressing his hand hard against his eyes. Unsteadily, he said, "What about the Hound?"

Her stomach plummeted toward her feet. "I'll deal with Sirius."

He shook his head, eyes red-rimmed. "He'll kill you." He hesitated, then said, "Come with me."

She blinked stupidly. "What?"

"He doesn't love you, Galloway. He can't. And some part of you knows that! You'll go back to him and his loyalty to Hell will force him to tear you apart. Your blood will be on his hands." He offered her his own, as if he were trying to show that his hands could never be drenched in her life. "If I can run, then you can run with me."

She broke her own heart, hesitating. But she couldn't leave him. Wouldn't, even if he could be the death of her. Shakily, she stepped back from him. When he stood stubbornly, she raised her gun.

His eyes widened with shock and perhaps betrayal, but then she said, "If you don't go, right now, I'll kill you and I won't collect. Heaven won't take you and Hell can't touch you. You'll become a ghost, Caleb. Doomed to a half-existence. Maybe you'll become a vengeful spirit and kill every blonde woman who happens to stumble across this patch of earth."

"Why?" he whispered, voice distraught.

Her hand trembled. Voice breaking, she said, "Because I'd rather you become a ghost that I can maybe free a hundred years down the road, than have to face you becoming a demon. Because inevitably Theron would use you to hurt me, and you'd enjoy being used."

This seemed to break his last wall of resistance and he nodded. Swallowing hard, he said, "Goodbye, Galloway."

"Bye," she whispered as he turned.

A growl rumbled like thunder through the trees around them and Galloway's heart seized in her chest. Turning, they watched as a towering figure slipped out of the shadows. Her breath shook as Khali's red eye glowed, hot as hellfire.

With a feral grin, he said, "You know you just killed yourself, don't you, Galloway?"

Raising her chin, tightening her fingers around the grip of her gun to stop them from trembling, she said, "Yup. Run along like a good little lapdog and tell Theron my contract's void."

Khali sighed and she motioned for Caleb to leave, but he stayed locked in place. She startled when bloody lightning streaked through the air around them. It was followed by a clap of thunder that popped her ears.

Then Galloway dropped to her knees, screaming.

Like a branding iron had been shoved through her chest, she could feel it searing her Soul.

"The key is one brave enough to betray Hell," Khali quoted. "I name you oathbreaker."

There was another spear of crimson lightning and the pain abruptly ceased, leaving Galloway in a state of nebulous shock. Khali laughed and she felt as Caleb knelt down next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, and she leaned forward, blood bubbling from her mouth. She retched, the crimson liquid fountaining between her fingers. 

"Tricky little piece that. Until Theron had the idea of using a Hunter. He knew it would only be a matter of time until we found someone you couldn't collect." Khali snickered again. "Now I get to take you both."

She shoved Caleb. When he hesitated, she snapped, "I can survive a lot more than you can. Trust me! You won't be able to fight him. I can."

He shook his head and she pushed him again, shoving him into the creek. A sinister howl split the air and she turned to find a huge mastiff snapping its jagged teeth at her. Caleb shouted something and she spun around, sending a bullet flying right past his ear. He flinched away, giving her a look she didn't have the time to decipher.

"Go!" she ordered. Another growl rippled the air around her, but she didn't turn until Caleb did, disappearing into the trees.

Khali jumped toward the right, trying to chase after him, but Galloway leapt in front of him, making him skid to a halt. She grinned, the expression as feral as any he could manage, and said, "Does that mean you can't hurt me? I bet it does. Theron doesn't like damaged goods. At least, not the ones he can't use."

The Hellhound snarled, pacing a heavy circle around her. She shifted into his way every time he turned toward the direction Caleb had taken. Slobber dripped from his jowls as he frothed, snarling and snapping at her.

Her mind raced. She couldn't outrun him. She couldn't kill him, not with the silver bullets she had. Silver hurt Hounds, but the only thing that would kill them was a demon blade. She didn't have one of those.

Khali lunged at her and she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit home...then thudded into a tree. Galloway's eyes widened in horror as Khali shifted into a formless cloud of darkness, thick and unnatural that the bullet passed right through. There was a hideous laugh, then he settled into the shape of a man and said, "I guess Sirius hasn't mastered that. It's not surprising. Controlling the darkness takes a while to learn. Leaves no trace."

"You've been watching me," she realized, her voice remote.

"Waiting for you to fuck up," Khali agreed. "Didn't have to wait long." His outline started to waver and his voice ghosted toward her. "Theron doesn't care if you get a little torn up. We can just put you back together down there."

Galloway took one step back, seeing nothing but claws and teeth as he lunged toward her. She raised her gun but Khali barreled into her, his claws tracing a shallow cut down her thigh as he knocked her to the ground.

He placed his claws against her stomach, red eye terrible as he looked down at her. He showed his fangs in what might have been a smile and she tensed, waiting for him to tear her guts out.

A vicious snarl made her jump and a blur of shadow plowed into Khali.

Sirius knocked the other Hellhound away, then twisted away from him, positioning himself in front of Galloway, body crouched low to the ground. His ears were flattened against his skull, the thick fur along his spine standing straight on end. His claws tore into the earth beneath him and he snarled, peeling his lips back from his white fangs. 

Galloway frantically wrapped her jacket as tightly as she could around her leg, the cut bleeding fast, then pulled herself to her feet with the help of a tree.

Khali snarled something back and Sirius bristled even further. Her breath caught as they lunged at each other.

In horrified awe, she watched as they circled and clashed. Their claws tore into each other's hide, leaving bleeding lines. Her hand came up to her mouth when Sirius turned to a man and lashed a foot out at Khali. His foot cracked into the other Hellhound's skull, then Sirius was a wolf again and they were back at it.

Her leg gave out and she watched as they flashed back and forth between human and hound, fighting brutally. A high pitched yelp had her back on her feet as Sirius scrambled up from his back. He bared his flat, human teeth, blood trickling down his face. She shouted when he lunged at Khali, plowing the mastiff back into the ground.

Sirius morphed as he jumped, then buried his teeth into Khali's neck, thrashing his head back and forth. Khali let out a gurgling, dying scream and Sirius tossed a chunk of his throat to the side.

The other Hound slumped to the ground, twitching as he bled out. Stumbling backwards, Sirius turned to a man then fell, his eyes burning into his brother's. He spat, "I told you. You touch her, you die. Have fun in Purgatory."

The fire in Khali's eye died, his body going still, and Sirius dragged himself to his feet, just to fall to his knees at her side. Blood trickled down the side of his temple, more smearing around his mouth in a backwards half-mask. Strands of flesh clung to his claws.

Claw marks left weeping lines on his arms and chest. Teeth had created bloody punctures everywhere. Slowly, she met his eyes, shrinking back from the fury she found there.

He dragged her to her feet, ignoring the small whimpering sound she made as her leg buckled. His claws digging into her arms, he shook her and snarled, "What are you doing, Galloway?"

His shirt was in rags around him and she watched as blood leaked from a hole above his collarbone in rapid bursts, matching his heart beat.

"You're hurt," she said, rather stupidly.

He let her go to show hands slicked with blood dark as oil. "He's been following you. I smelled him around the building as soon as you left and tracked him here."

He grabbed her again, his blood-slick hands sliding over her skin. "What are you doing? Why did you let the Hunter go?"

Galloway swallowed, her mouth dry as she remembered Caleb's warning.

"Why?" Sirius bellowed. Shaking her again, he hissed, "Do you know what it means that he was following you? Do you know what it means that you broke your contract?"

She opened her mouth, but he placed a hand over her heart. His eyes drifted shut, then popped open, the pupils constricted. "You're marked," he whispered.

Shuddering, she said, "He didn't deserve to go to Hell, Sirius. Please. Please just let him go, he's a good man. Take me if you have to."

Sirius bared his teeth. "That's not for you to decide!" he spat. "He made a Deal. He wanted to play and now you're the one who'll pay. What were you thinking?"

Fear and anger made her shove her hands into his chest, pushing him away. She immediately collapsed to the ground, the cut burning like fire. Glaring up at him, she yelled, "I was thinking if things had turned out differently, I would have been just like him! I'd be nothing but a Hunter. I was thinking that I owed him for his family." She sucked in a breath, then said, "He had me dead to rights, Sirius, and he didn't pull the trigger!"

Shaking her head, her voice rose one last time. "I was thinking he was desperate and I know what that feels like!"

Sirius let out a hard breath and crouched next to her. He ran his hands through his hair, the blood slicking it back from his face. She sucked in a startled gasp when he lunged forward and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. Snarling, he said in a low voice, "I don't give a damn about the fucking Hunter, Galloway! But they're going to get him anyway. All you've accomplished is blacklisting yourself completely and making sure that good man," he said the words with vicious contempt, "gets collected the hard way."

Galloway laughed, the sound hollow and absurd. "They won't be able to find him."

His mouth pulled down at the corners. "Hex bag?"

"Hex bag," she confirmed. "One hundred percent guaranteed to keep any bat out of Hell off your ass."

Sirius's eyes closed, his hands shaking. "And you gave it to him?"

She nodded.

"Why?"

"Because I can't hide from you!" she burst out, then covered her mouth.

He froze, eyes flashing open. Slowly, he asked, "You still think you have to hide from me?"

She shook her head, then nodded, then shrugged. Close to tears, she gasped, "I don't know!"

Sirius' mouth pressed into a terrible line, but he nodded, then dragged her to her feet once more. When she whimpered, blood soaking her leg, he picked her up even as his muscles trembled. Looking down at her, he said, "I probably deserve that. But the only place I'm taking you is far from here."

She shut her eyes. "Where?"

He pressed his lips to her hair. "I have no idea."