The Price of a Soul [Chapter 6.1]

The story so far: Quinn makes a deal with a demon named Azazel - who has somehow been forced into a robotic body. Three years later, Quinn is a runaway and Azazel is going by the name Issac. The two of them are traveling the country in search of the people who made Issac the way he is now, but run into a little roadblock when their newest (and best) lead is killed by a hunter.

After taking a bus to the next town over, they run into Issac's friend Bell at a hotel called Abe's Lodge. But before Quinn and Issac could get to their room, they find out about a series of disappearances that have been taking place around town. They decide to investigate the latest disappearance by going to a haunted house called Lowland Haunts.

After getting several clues, they return to their hotel room and have a discussion on Quinn's past. The last chapter ends with Issac revealing that some demons are fallen angels.

Author's Note: After reading through some reviews, it's come to my attention that I completely forgot to name the town. I've finally settled on a name for it - Moriah - so don't be surprised when the name pops up in the next few chapters! 

Chapter 6

If the tissues in Issac's pocket hadn't given it away, his suggestion to have an early dinner at Moriah's only bar and restaurant made it clear that he had expected Quinn to be upset after their conversation. Moriah had other restaurants, but they were all cheap fast food places – and Quinn could only have so many greasy burgers in a single week. By the time that they returned to their room that night, her conversations with Issac from earlier in the day felt like a distant memory. It really shouldn't have been a surprise to either one of them when Quinn fell asleep in the middle of watching TV.

The next morning, Quinn was greeted by the familiar sight of Issac sitting in the armchair in the corner of the room. The chairs and places they were never in were never the same, but the position always was: one leg crossed over the other, one arm on the armrest, and the other holding up a book in front of a seemingly emotionless face. He gave her a nod as she got up – too engrossed in his copy of Dante's Inferno to pay all that much attention.

Quinn went through the same routine she always did. She ironed her clothes, even though her plain t-shirt had only a few wrinkles. She took a shower and tried to remember if she had seen the brand of shampoo before. Then she dried her hair, slipped a headband in as a last-ditch attempt to fully wake up by getting the hair out of her face, and joined Issac as they went to the breakfast buffet.

By the time they arrived, a few other hotel guests were already lingering at marble counters and wooden tables. Quinn tried to keep her focus on the cereal dispensers and fridge as she grabbed a yogurt, but it was hard keeping her gaze away. She caught a glimpse of a pair of fangs like Bell's. Their owner was eating a piece of toast and drinking a very dark cup of what was either cranberry juice or blood. Another person had eyes that were almost like an animal's; they devoured a piece of bacon in a single go. A third person had hair that was bright blue, right down to its roots. Her eyes were just as impossible: one pink and one purple. If it wasn't for the fact that both eyes had been as blue as her hair a second before, Quinn would have thought that they were just contacts.

And then there was Bell, who was flickering among all of the guests and chatting with them about almost anything under the sun. Quinn gave a little smile as she grabbed an apple from a nearby bowl; it was a calming place to start her morning in.

She joined Issac at the table he had saved underneath the TV. It was too loud in the buffet room to hear what was on the TV, but he still had his eyes on it. It wasn't until she peeled open the top of the yogurt that he finally looked over at her.

“How did you sleep?” he asked.

“Good,” she said. “I think I had a nice dream, but I don't remember it.”

Issac gave a small nod. Quinn looked down at his side of the table. He usually grabbed a piece of fruit to make it look like he could eat and saved it Quinn to have later, but his spot was surprisingly empty.

She plunged her plastic spoon into the yogurt cup. “What should we do today?”

He glanced back at the TV behind them.

“The weather report predicts clear skies and cool weather today,” he said, turning back to face her. “We could talk a walk through town.”

Quinn paused, the spoon awkwardly lingering in the air. “Shouldn't we look for more clues?”

Issac folded his hands together and placed them on the table; his body would have looked unnaturally still to anyone who didn't know that his body was made of electronics. Quinn could hear the soft, gentle whir of Issac's motors going. It was too soft for anyone who wasn't used to the noise to notice, but even Quinn started tuning it out after awhile. “We could revisit Lowland Haunts, but I doubt that it would be open so early in the morning. We could also go to Adam or Gabriel's addresses, but I doubt we would get far with either one of them. Adam's apartment likely is closed off to visitors, and Gabriel probably wouldn't let either one of us in.”

Quinn let out a tiny sigh.

It felt wrong to take a break right after they had just gotten a lead, but she also knew that Issac probably had a point. Maybe walking around town would help them stumble onto some kind of clue.

“Walking around town sounds good,” she finally relented.