The Summoning

She opened her eyes after a few moments of having blacked out. Her head was still dizzy after the impact on the bedpost and the pain on her forearm was excruciating. The stink of burning flesh prickled her nostrils. All around her, the flames were growing wilder and brighter, slowly consuming walls and curtains and furniture. She struggled futilely to suck in some air through the smoke.

A low, liquid sound from somewhere near caught her attention and she weakly turned her head to the side. Her lips parted in a silent cry. Through hazed eyes, she saw the grayish, shrinking mass wobbling and convulsing, flames still dancing on its surface. Blisters were swelling up and then popping across its surface. The heavy stink of sulfur in the air was suffocating.

A tear streaked her temple. She wheezed, unable to breathe anymore as the ever-present smoke filled her lungs and muddled her senses. Her vision blurred and darkened until everything went black.

Laurie ran through the dormitory corridor in a hurry, her high, dark pink pigtails bobbing saucily behind her and her high heels clicking audibly on the slate floor. Many of the boys that were standing nearby turned to check her out as she passed by them. Even though her hardcore gothic style didn't appeal to all, her pretty face and firm young body, combined with that skimpy top, mini leather skirt and fishnet stockings were enough to draw every male's attention.

The girl finally stopped in front of room 20B and took a couple of deep breaths. She then knocked on the door and, without waiting for an answer, opened it and entered the room.

It was dark inside. Black painted walls, blood-red curtains and lots of reversed crosses and skulls made up the bedroom decoration. Numerous black candles burned all around the room while the smell of some kind of incense hovered in the air.

"Hi!" Laurie greeted cheerfully and took a seat on one of the chairs.

She looked at the other two girls that were already there, waiting for her. The one was around her age, with short cropped black hair and heavy gothic makeup. She was Jane. She was sitting at the edge of the bed with a heavy, old-looking tome on her lap. The other girl was sitting on a large cushion on the floor. She looked a bit older and had died red hair. She was dressed in black and looked quite stern as she looked up at Laurie. Laurie had never seen her before.

"I'm sorry I'm late," the pink-haired girl apologized. "That jerk, Hopkins, kept us ten more minutes." She snorted as she crossed her long legs. "Morals. Pfff, what a waste of a class."

"Tell me about it," Jane agreed. "I had to take his class twice. It's a surprise I didn't slit my wrists after that. Anyway, this is Claris," she introduced, gesturing towards the red-haired woman. "Claris, this is Laurie. I've talked to you about her."

The woman named Claris simply nodded.

"Jane has told me a lot about you, too," Laurie said enthusiastically. "I've been dying to talk to you. I want to ask you so much."

"Really?"

"Oh, yeah! Is it true that you've been to actual rites?"

Claris raised an eyebrow and a foxy grin curved her thin, dark red lips.

"That's so cool!" Laurie exclaimed. "I wish I had, too."

"It's much more that 'cool', my dear," Claris corrected. "A satanic ritual is a sacred ordinance, a sacrament. It's not to be taken lightly."

Laurie lowered her head slightly. "Of course. I know that."

"So… are we gonna do it tonight?" Jane asked, glancing over at the redhead.

"Tonight."

"Have you ever done that before?" Laurie asked fervently.

Claris shook her head. "No, it's my first time, too," she admitted. "But I've watched a summoning before."

Laurie's wide eyes showed her thrill. "Are we really gonna summon a demon? I mean, will it really happen?"

"What have we been planning all this time?" Jane reminded.

"But… I don't know. Will one really come? Amber says all this stuff is a load of bullcrap and-"

"Amber!" Jane sneered. The irritation was obvious on her face as she tapped her foot on the floor. "Amber, Amber, Amber! Will you ever stop talking about her like she's some know-it-all genius? She doesn't know it all, okay? She doesn't know shit! She's just a freaking poser. Don't listen to her."

Laurie looked down, her shoulders drooping.

"Your friend would be amazed and terrified if she knew the truth about what's real and what's not," Claris said in a serious tone. The pale light of the candles cast otherworldly shadows over her face. "Maybe you'll tell her after you have seen with your own eyes tonight."

"It's gonna be exciting, right?" Laurie asked, regaining her previous enthusiasm.

Claris smirked. "More than you can imagine. Just think about it; a real demon before our very eyes. We'll get the privilege of servicing such a powerful, dark creature." Her smirk widened, her eyes gleaming with a dirty, vile light. "And if he's young and handsome…" her voice trailed off for effect and she licked her lips shamelessly.

Both girls stared at her with round eyes.

"I can't wait," Jane murmured in a husky voice. "Do you really think he's gonna be fuckable?"

"Most likely," Claris reassured. "Most of them look gorgeous, males and females alike. I mean, think about it; if you got to choose what you looked like, wouldn't you choose the best possible looks? I've seen one of them once, about a month ago. A male one. I only caught a glimpse of him, but damn, he was to die for. Tall, muscular with green eyes. I was at a gathering and suddenly our gazes met." The woman shuddered at the memory. "His eyes were so deep and fiery, his stare so intense, I almost came at the spot. A woman I once met at a gathering, Odhalis, had sex with a demon and she told me it was an out-of-this-world experience. I'm telling you; it's gonna be the best thing that even happened to us."

Laurie, who was listening to the woman carefully, swallowed audibly. "But… will he want to take us?" she asked almost meekly.

"Don't worry about that. Most demons are sex fiends. After all, lust is a sin, isn't it? With their insatiable sex drive, they're willing to fuck anything with a hole or two, especially if it's pretty. And you, from what I see, will have no problem with that."

Laurie smiled, a light pink tinting her cheeks. "The truth is I'm quite popular with the male population," she admitted. "I guess I'll have to test my luck with the demons' population, too, now."

"Alright, enough with the dirty talking," Jane interrupted and stood up from the bed. "I'm all worked up now. Let's get going."

"Agreed. It's almost nine," Claris said, checking her watch. "We have many preparations to do for the ritual."

Laurie jumped up, a broad smile on her face.

"Let's do it!"

Amber brought another chip to her mouth and munched audibly. The TV screen across from her filled with chopped fingers that began falling down on a Japanese woman inside the ladies' room.

"You know who would appreciate this movie?" she absently asked as she stroked Damian's fur. The orange cat purred beside her. "Laurie would," the girl informed the pet and pushed the pause button. "Let's see where our girl is," she said as she took hold of her cell phone. She dialed Laurie's number and brought it to her ear. "Let's see, let's see…"

She let the phone ring for several moments. "Hmm, I wonder where she is…" Amber said as she lowered the cell. "Anyway, I'll try again later."

Leaving down the cell phone, she retrieved the remote and resumed the movie. Sinking back into the sofa, she watched as the woman ran out of the restroom screaming.

"Will you finally turn that thing off? Who's calling you so persistently, anyway?" Jane chided in annoyance.

"Sorry," Laurie murmured and rushed to her bag.

She took out her cell phone just as it stopped ringing. Another call from Amber. Unfortunately, she couldn't answer or call back. First of all, it would irritate Jane, given her dislike towards Amber – which was mutual. And second, if she told Amber where she was, her friend would definitely disapprove and try to convince her to go home. So, it was best to call her tomorrow, when all this was over. Laurie switched her cell off and put it back inside her bag.

Returning to the center of the vast room, she found Claris on her knees on the floor, drawing a complex symbol with red chalk on the floor. In the meantime, Jane was carefully placing thick, black candles all around the symbol.

This was an old, empty warehouse at the outskirts of the city. Claris had said that 'Satan's Children', the satanic cult of the city, used this place, among others, as their gathering place. First, the girls had gathered the necessary equipment – which included the chalk, the candles and the living sacrifice – and then, they had used Claris' car to get to this warehouse. Now, they were finishing the preparations for the summoning.

"Do you need any help?" Laurie asked as she stood next to the red-haired woman.

"No, it's okay. I'm almost done here." Drawing a couple of last lines, Claris tossed the small remnant of the chalk away and stood up. "Alright. Done." She checked her watch. "It's almost twelve," she announced. "Time to begin. Jane, bring the sacrifice."

Jane placed down the last candle and rushed to the corner where they'd left the brown, sackcloth bag. She grabbed the bag and dragged her to the middle of the room, even as something inside jerked and cackled. Claris was pouring a dark red powder in the center of the weird symbol on the floor and murmuring some mystic words, as Jane approached and dropped the bag in front of her.

"Take it out," Claris ordered.

The black-haired girl untied the rope and opened the bag. A rooster fell out of the bag. It thrashed abound and cackled maniacally, flattering its short wings, but it remained where it was, since its legs were tied together.

"Take your positions, girls," Claris ordered, grabbing the rooster by the neck. As the other two stood around the symbol, she took a step forth and with her free hand, presented a sharp, serrated knife. "This is our offering to you, oh, Dark One. Please accept our gift and grant us your presence."

Rising the knife high in the air, she brought it out with force, slicing the rooster's throat. Blood splattered all over the place and Claris angled the rooster so that most of it would land on the red powder in the middle of the symbol. After most of it was shed, the girl threw the dead rooster aside and took her place at the circumference of the symbol.

"Let us begin, sisters," she said in a hoarse voice and lifted her hands in front of her.

Laurie and Jane mimicked her and they all started chanting the arcane hymn they had already memorized.

Amber woke up with a start. She looked around her for a few seconds until she realized she was still in the small living room. An old western played on the TV. Amber turned it off and glanced sleepily at the clock on the wall; a quarter past twelve.

Amber yawned, stretching her arms.

"Where is your mistress, Damie?" she asked the cat that was sleeping next to her on the cushion. "I'm going to bed, alright? You wait for Laurie here, mm?"

She scratched the cat's ears and got up from the couch, making it to her bedroom.

Laurie didn't know how long she and the other two were chanting that passage. At first, nothing happened. But after a while, something changed in the atmosphere of the warehouse. The air got heavy and a subtle smell of sulfur filled the room, gradually growing heavier.

Suddenly, the blood-drenched powder in the center of the symbol burst in flames. Laurie gasped and took a step back, but Claris shot her a sideways glare, motioning for her to keep chanting and the girl obeyed. The flames got wilder and started burning higher and higher. Far away voices that sounded alarmingly like screams and angry yells filled the room.

Laurie watched wide-eyed as a tall, dark shadow emerged behind the black flames. For a moment, she thought she saw a hideous monster before the black flames thickened even more and consumed it. A moment later, the fire erupted with a loud clatter and all three girls fell backwards, several feet away from the symbol.

Laurie groaned as she sat up on the dirty floor. She rubbed her head and looked up to see what had happened. Her mouth gaped at the sight she witnessed. The flames had died off and in the center of the symbol now stood a tall man. Was he… was he really a demon? Muscles rippled all over across his body, hard and bulging. His legs were thick and strong, his arms looked like they could smash rocks. Long, blonde hair cascaded down his broad shoulders. Laurie bit her lip when her eyes fell on the area between his legs. She gulped, remembering Claris' words about bedding a demon. When he raised his bowed head, golden strands parting to reveal his face, the girl gasped. He had to be the most handsome man she had ever seen; his face was beautiful, yet masculine, with chiseled features and sharp cheekbones and a full, sensual mouth.

The other two girls were also feasting their eyes on him, mesmerized by the demon. Claris slowly stood up, catching the demon's attention, whose eyes focused on her.

"Oh, powerful Lord," she praised. "Thank you for listening to our call and coming to us. Thank you so much." She was peeling off her clothes as she stalked closer to him, swaying her hips seductively as she went. "I promise to be a proper servant for you, my Master." She reached him and kneeled right in front of him, while Laurie and Jane watched in awe. "Please, let me serve you the best I can," Claris said huskily and reached a hand towards the demon's member.

But before she reached it, strong fingers wrapped around her wrist, twisting it painfully. Claris let out a yelp of surprise and pain and instinctively tried to pull back. The demon wrapped his other fist into her hair and jerked her head back.

"You dirty, little worm," he spat, his voice resounding, deep and mocking, through the walls of the old warehouse. "You think I have any desire to fuck your weak, disgusting body?" he scorned. "You will service me, though."

And with that, he let go of her wrist and attacked her exposed throat. Sharp, claw-like nails sliced through the tender skin, tearing off half of the woman's throat. Blood sprayed all over, staining the pale skin of his legs and stomach and the demon laughed, letting the woman's lifeless body fall back.

Laurie screamed. She knew now that she had to run. Yet, her legs felt like pudding and wouldn't obey her will to move. She stayed there as she watched the demon licking the woman's blood off his hand. What kind of nightmare had she gotten herself into?

The girl felt a hand squeezing her shoulder and tugging at her arm.

"Come on, come on!" Jane shouted next to her.

Laurie finally managed to stand up. She cast a last frightened glance at the demon and then ran after Jane, who was already running towards the door.

"Wait, Jane!" she called, but then tripped over something and landed hard on the floor.

Heart pounding like crazy, she tried to get back up, when iron fingers closed over a pigtail, yanking her head back. Laurie screamed to squirm away, but the demon simply grinned cruelly down on her.

"No, please!" she begged. "Jane! Don't leave me! Jane!"

But when she looked around again, Jane was already gone, leaving the door half open. Tears welled up in Laurie's eyes as she turned to the demon towering over her. His blood-stained hand shot out to her face.

Hope you liked the beginning of this new story. Reviews will be highly appreciated ;) Smooch!