Faustian Bargain

"My name is [REDACTED] and I'm here with Ms. [REDACTED].

"She is not bound by any legal obligation or coercion. The information she will share is done of her own free will.

"(Exhale)With that said, you may begin whenever you like."

"It works better if you ask me a question."

"Very well. How does it all work?"

"Like a well-oiled machine."

(Silence)

"It starts with a client, if that's what you're asking"

"How do they find you?"

"They don't. They find someone who can. Who knows who I am."

"Then?"

"Then they tell the genie their three wishes. Who they desire to be. Yes? A butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker."

"At what cost?"

"An offering."

"A sacrifice."

"If you like."

"To the Entity?"

"...Yes."

"Then what happens next?"

"We confirm target. Locate them. Watch them. Then maybe they go for vacation. Maybe they pick AirB&B. Maybe we host AirB&B. Maybe they like coffee. And maybe they're never seen or heard from again."

(Silence)

"You see, we operate underneath your ground. Yes?

"Every hole, leads to our gaping mouth.

"Your vacation package is cheap—affordable, because tourism is good for economy.

"No.

"So our menu stays full."

(Silence)

"(Clears Throat) Is-is that what happened to [REDACTED]? Wrong place, wrong time?"

"(Pause...) This one is...complicated. Our client didn't just want a life upgrade, he wanted to BE [REDACTED]. Wanted his life. His mind. His future."

"Is that kind of thing, possible?'

"It is perfectly possible, yes. All things are possible through the Entity—that is—when the transactional requirements are met."

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"[...] I worked closely with her, to develop a plan."

"And by, her, you mean [REDACTED]."

"Yes. Our client's accomplice. To swap destinies with someone, you need to drain them of their energy; their vitality; their life force."

"How do you do that?"

"Sex.

"Sex?"

"Sex. To [REDACTED], he had just met the love of his life. Out of nowhere. But unbeknownst to him of course, she was only there to siphon. To steal his energy, and bring it back to our client. To transfer the spirit.

Thus, the target's misfortune, becomes our client's fortune. We must suffocate him in it. Only allowing the target to draw air to experience the next threat. The next obstacle. The next fear. Job loss. Money trouble. Car trouble. Whatever causes him to bleed despair. A never-ending ritual of torment. We even...[REDACTED]."

"Speaking in terms of society, how would you define yourselves as a collective—as a group."

"We are a doctor in your hometown, a judge in your court, a bus driver at your nearest school, a police officer in your county; we are a sitting member of your elect, WE are a fly on your wall...

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"[...] She was key. She had no idea she was helping us destroy his life and hers. We fed her lies and she washed them down with champagne."

"So let me get this straight, your client was involved with the target's current partner and his future counterpart?"

"Yes."

"Bloody hell.

"So where did it all go wrong? I mean...how did it all fall apart?

(Silence)

"Things got...out of hand. Our client lost his energetic bond with the target."

"Lost? What about his accomplice? The sexual thread?"

"She had been lying to us it seemed. She told us she had it all under control and we trusted her blindly. The truth was, she had fallen for the target. She tried to hide it, but eventually it became impossible to cover."

"Imagine that. The hitman became the shield. I almost hate to ask, but why not send in the henchman? One of your many, operatives in plain sight."

"We tried. It was not so simple, you see. Something...was protecting him."

"Something?

"God?"

"HAhahaha.......accidents started happening. To all of us. Misfortune. Unexplainable injuries."

"Is that what happened to you? Why you won't show your face anymore?"

"(Pause) The Entity was promised a life. A soul."

(Silence)

.......

"Are you afraid, Ms. [REDACTED]?"

(She quotes)

"Contract is law. Law is of lifetimes. Of blood and tithe. The Reaping will move through them like a plague. Making dust of their bones and rot of their flesh."