“Yeah, what is that?”

“It sounds like someone crying,” I say. Usually I would just ignore it, but the fact that they tipped us off to this location makes me want to check it out.

We walk around a few shipping containers, our steps making slight slopping noises as we walk on the wet pier. The sounds are coming from a woman, hunched over by a shipping container. Likely in her late twenties, she’s cradling her head between her palms. Her blonde hair is wet and plastered to her face. She’s clawing at her skin as she tucks her body close to her.

“Make it stop, make it fucking stop,” she cries.

She slaps her own head hard against the shipping container she’s leaned against as she continues speaking to herself. She doesn’t even notice us approaching.

Asmodeus crouches down next to her, and she flinches. She stares at him wide-eyed. I can tell she knows what we are by how scared she is.

“Please. Please don’t do it again. Just make it stop.”

“What did they do to you?” Asmo asks in a soft voice.

“I watched her. I could see and feel everything. With my hands. She used my hands.” She holds her hands out in front of her. They’re shaking and cold. No evidence of her doing any wrongdoings, but it’s clear that she feels responsible.

“Do you know the being who did this to you?” I ask her.

“She called herself Mara,” she says and winces after she says the name. She looks around like speaking her name might bring her back to collect her again. “I need to make it go away. I need it to stop.” She smacks her head again, hard.

“I could make it go away,” Asmo says kindly to her, giving her his dazzling smile.

“You can. Can you make it go away?” The sad woman looks at him with hope in her eyes. I suppose Asmo’s methods are better than this woman’s suffering as he gets down on his haunches and gets closer to her.

“Is that what you want?” he asks.

“Yes,” she pleads, grabbing his shirt. “Make it go away.”

I watch as Asmodeus cups her jaw, almost like a tender embrace, as his other hand wraps around her neck. She smiles at him, almost like she knows the raging in her head is going to stop. He quickly snaps her neck with his powerful hands and the woman collapses to the floor.

“Information and a collected soul,” he says, sucking his teeth. “Not so bad of a night, after all.

“Luckily, Kas left before we found her.”

“No way am I letting that selfish bitch take this demon down.” Usually Asmo is a lazy prick and doesn’t like doing work. I’m kind of glad Kas came in and lit a fire under his ass.

“Mara doesn’t sound familiar,” I say.

“We should update Lucifer,” Asmo says, and I nod my head. Keeping secrets from the devil is one way to have your soul ripped apart. No fucking thank you. I have too much to look forward to. Like a little witch I have devious plans with.