Lunchtime

"Hey, Charlie," Ralph said as his coworker took a seat next to him.

"Hiya, Ralph," Charlie said, putting his brown paper lunch sack on the cafeteria table.

"Whatcha got for lunch today?" Ralph asked, making conversation.

"Pastrami on rye," Charlie said as he pulled a sandwich, still wrapped in butcher paper from the deli, from the sack.

"Nice!" Ralph said, nodding his head enthusiastically. "You go to Petrucci's?"

"Nah," Charlie said as he unwrapped his sandwich. "Went to a deli that Rick recommended. Some place called Applegate's."

"Never heard of 'em," Ralph said, picking at his reheated meatloaf leftovers. "They new?"

"I guess," Charlie said, shrugging. He picked up one half of his sandwich, which had been cut diagonally, and took a bite. The sandwich was stacked high with thinly sliced meat and included spicy brown mustard and a healthy portion of sauerkraut. Even though the sandwich had been made about ten minutes prior, the meat was still warm, the toppings still cool, and the bread wasn’t the least bit soggy.

Ralph watched as Charlie bit into the sandwich, envious of his friend’s lunch. However, as Charlie took the first bite, he change: the color drained from his face and dark circles surrounded his eyes, his fingertips turned a ghastly gray and his nails nearly black, his dark brown hair darkened until it was jet black, and his normally plump build shrank until he was gaunt and his cheeks were sunken in. The change was complete almost instantly.

Ralph, not believing what he was seeing, blinked hard. When he opened his eyes, Charlie looked normal again.

"You feelin' okay?" Ralph asked.

"Yeah, why?" Charlie said, his mouth full.

"This is gonna sound crazy," Ralph said, "but you looked like you died for a second."

"Oh, that," Charlie said, nodding to himself. "So, the thing with Applegate's is, by eating their food, I've sold my everlasting soul to the devil and will spend all of eternity being tortured in hell."

Ralph's eyebrows shot up in shock. "You sold your soul for a sandwich?"

Charlie nodded as he took another bite.

"Was it worth it?" asked Ralph, still in shock. "How's the sandwich?"

"I'm not gonna lie," Charlie said between chews, "this is one killer sandwich. I'll probably go there again tomorrow."

Ralph stared at his now-damned friend, his eyes wide with disbelief. He shook his head and looked back at his own lunch. After a moment, he looked back at Charlie, who was clearly enjoying his lunch.

Ralph asked: "Mind picking me up one?"