I went darker this week. Here's "Devil's Rave," inspired by this prompt:
DEVIL’S RAVE
Joey kicked at the trash littering the ground. “What happened to this place?” he asked.
“Gangs. Raves. Junkies. Homeless people. Homeless junkies. Once Mom and Dad closed the business…you name it,” Hannah muttered.
“They never told me—”
“Well, you never came around, did you?” her harsh tone softened a little. “I know Dad didn’t…”
“Accept my ‘lifestyle choices?’ Yeah, I got that message when he stopped paying my tuition.” Joey crinkled his nose at the smell of weed, urine, and death that hung in the air. “Maybe what we get for this place will pay off my school loans.”
“Um…about that…” It was Hannah’s turn to kick the trash. “There’s some thing you need to meet.” She gestured at the ‘666’ painted on one of the concrete footers in a complex pattern, then called “Danziel!”.
A red mist formed between the two, which slowly solidified into a horned demon who had to hunch over even within the twelve-foot ceiling. Its tail lashed about as it eyed Joey hungrily.
“Whaddya want?” it growled.
Joey jumped back, his face a horrified mask. “What the—”
“Joey, this Danziel,” Hannah interrupted. “Danz, this is my brother, Joey.” Danziel grunted a greeting, and Hannah continued. “Apparently, somebody held a summoning and bound Danziel here.”
Joey’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Somebody?”
Hannah shrugged. “Okay, it was me.”
Shaking his head, Joey asked, “How do we get rid of him?” Danziel’s fetid breath made Joey cover his nose. “No offense,” he added quickly. Danziel grunted again.
“One hundred human sacrifices,” Hannah said matter-of-factly. “Hence…” She spread her arms to indicate the derelict space. “We’re up to ninety-nine.”
A flick of her wrist signaled Danziel, who grabbed Joey with his claws.
“I have school loans, too,” Hannah mumbled.
Her words were lost to Joey’s screams.
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