“So we need an offering and an intention.” James said, “The second part is straightforward, but what do we have that will make a demon take the time to visit?” He turned to look at Brad.

Brad held his hands up. “What? Don’t look at me, just because I’m hosting doesn’t mean I have to give something up.”

James pressed further, “We need something, and last I checked, you don’t keep my prized possessions stashed away in your house”

“You don’t carry anything on you? No pictures of your family in your wallet?”

“Of course not, I don’t want to see my brother’s ugly face when I’m out.”

I sensed things were getting a bit heated between the two and stepped in.

“Guys relax. If you can’t decide, let’s just use the book. A book about demons must be important enough to us, if this is all real, for one to come.”

Brad mulled it over in silence for a moment. “I’m not against it, like I said, it’s just an inheritance from my grandpa.”

“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem like a good idea to get rid of the supposed guidebook if we do manage to properly summon one of these things.” Said James.

“Let’s be honest, would we really use it? I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t have the time to be reading.”

James looked unconvinced. “Still, it doesn’t feel right.”

Maybe my pride was still wounded. The more I looked at the book, the more I wanted to get rid of it.

“Do you have any other ideas?”

He didn’t say anything.

“Then we’ll use the book. Now, quickly, Chris will be back soon, and you can kiss this idea goodbye then.”

James and Brad both nodded, and we got ready. All three of us sat in a triangle on the floor with the book in the middle of us, joining our hands together to form a complete circle. There had been much greater detail for what to do if you were only one person. But it was surprisingly easy if there was more than one person. It had something to do with the circuit of energy apparently. On your own you had to do many things to complete it, with others it was much simpler. The energy could just flow through each of us.

I looked at both Brad and James. “You guys still want to do this?”

Brad laughed. “Don’t get cold feet now.”

“I was asking for your sakes.”

“Sure you were.”

“Why would I- nevermind let’s just get on with this.”

We all began to say the words of the spell which we had written on a piece of paper. Some language that I didn’t recognise, but I said the words anyway. As we spoke, I felt an unusual discomfort when I looked at the words. Almost like the sounds we were making didn’t belong to what we had written.

I began to feel a dull headache coming on. My hands, or the ones I was holding, began to get clammy. My heart started to beat harder in my chest, I could even hear its rhythmic pulsing. My stomach began to spin and I had to focus to not spew out my pizza.

Just when I felt like I was going to have to stop, there was a change. A light blue haze had formed around our bodies, slowly drifting anti-clockwise.

I locked eyes with the others and they looked as shocked as I felt, but after a brief nod, we continued chanting. I didn’t know why, but I knew that if I stopped now, I wouldn’t just be sick on the floor. Something much worse would happen.

So, even as my symptoms got worse, I continued to chant. Until finally, we reached a crescendo, and the gradually increasing aura became tinged with a deep crimson. The book faded into nothingness, and before our eyes, in the middle of our circle, something began to appear. Slowly materializing into existence from the feet up, until it’s head was formed and it towered above us, only a short distance from the ceiling.

It had hooves of a goat, with fur darker than I had ever seen before. Above the hooves, I couldn’t make out any features, because a large billowing robe covered its body. Gold patterns decorated the flat black. They were some of the most intricate designs I had ever seen, and yet simple so that they could be easily observed. The sensation they created in my mind was almost paradoxical. But, my curiosity over its clothes didn’t last long.

Seated upon its neck was a clearly male human head. There could be no mistake about that, yet it felt entirely wrong to accept that. Plastered across half its face was a wide smile, not the kind that makes you feel warm and welcome. No. It was the kind that makes you feel in danger, like a prisoner of war being taken to the torture room. Knowing that unspeakable horror awaits you, and there being nothing you could do to prevent it.

But it wasn’t just the mouth that created such a horrifying smile. It was also the eyes. They were widely open, and focused intently on me. Even as I sat muted in fear, they didn’t blink. Not once. It felt as though they were unwrapping me, peeling my skin off and brutally dissecting my body.

“What the fuck.” I couldn’t tell who said it, but it brought me back into control and I quickly diverted my gaze to my friends.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

They were lucky, from their angle, they wouldn’t have seen much of it’s face. It had been facing directly towards me. Yet they were in a state of open mouthed terror.

James let go of my hand and pointed at the demon.

“What is that?” He said, trembling, as the red gas around us dissipated into our surroundings.

That wasn’t good. Not at all. By breaking contact, he had broken our only line of defense. The circle of energy was supposed to act as both a portal and a shield.

The demon didn’t respond, but turned its head around further than should be possible to look at him. Even though James already looked scared, he began to shake even more, and his breathing became ragged.

Then the demon turned to look at Brad and a similar reaction followed, before it returned its gaze to me. Although I could only tell from the corner of my eyes. There was no way that I could bring myself to look again.

It leaned down closer to me, before speaking, in a voice that rang out in several different pitches at once. A little girl’s voice, a croaky old man’s, a screaming woman, and more that I couldn’t identify.

“Why are you so weak?”

A question. Weak? This monster thought I was weak? Then, could I only die helplessly?

My bones trembled throughout my body, and I grit my teeth. I couldn’t fight this thing, there was no way. I could never fight it, we were entirely different. For the first time in my life, I felt the inferiority of being prey to a predator at the top of the food chain.

It bent closer to me, it’s head only a couple feet away from mine. I had to say something, if only to stall its approach for even a second.

“What do you mean by weak?” I barely stuttered it out.

“You offered me the legacy of the scourge, but your power cannot even compare to a fraction of his might. Why?”

What the hell was the scourge? I had no idea what it was talking about, but it wasn’t moving closer for the time being, so I had to continue.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, what is the scourge?” I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.

The demon didn’t say anything for a moment, then it erupted in laughter. A discordant symphony rang through the room, as its head violently shook.

“Foolish humans, you are all the same, all disappointing. Only one of your kind has ever had any value. Yes, only that man could make me feel fear. None can compare.”

It returned to a standing posture. It had made a decision. “For wasting my time.”

No. I didn’t want to hear anymore.

“You will all die.”

The hammer was brought down upon our fate.

Everything we had lived for, everything we wanted, everything we loved; we would never see again.

It was too much for Brad and James. Both their faces were wrought into an ugly expression as tears flowed down their cheeks.

Brad cried. “No!” He covered his face with his hands. “I don’t want to die!”

James got onto his knees and put his head to the ground, before he shouted. “Please! Don’t kill me!”

I looked at them, but with different emotions than I expected. I should have been pleading with them, I was scared too. So why was I feeling such an intense rejection?

What were they doing? Why were they groveling? Did they not want to leave the world with any dignity?

I didn’t know why but anger welled up inside of me as I stared at them. I forgot about the terror of the demon and watched them in their pathetic state.

“You guys, what are you doing?”

They didn’t move.

“Why are you lowering your heads?”

They didn’t move again. I raised my voice.

“Why are you lowering your heads?”

No change. I shouted to the point that my vocal chords scratched.

“Why are you lowering your heads?”

This time, they heard it, and gradually brought themselves up to look at me. All the while, that cruel monster kept it’s eyes trained on me, just watching. Why wasn’t it doing anything? It didn’t matter.

“Why did you lower your heads?”

Both of them opened their mouths to say something, but no sound came out.

I gazed upon the grief-stricken faces of my closest friends. I couldn’t let them die like this, not without their pride. I had to do something.

That monster wouldn’t respond to begging. It was obvious he didn’t care. But there had to be something that he would answer to.

I locked eyes with it. Fear coursed through my blood again.

It didn’t matter. The surge of anger at my friend’s subservience blotted it out.

“Demon, why did you answer our summons?”

It didn’t hesitate to answer. “To hunt. But there is no hunt to be had here. You are all far beneath me.”

I wasn’t beneath. I wouldn’t accept it.

I stood up, as I prepared for my final stand. If this didn’t work, then it was the end.

“Form a contract with me. I will offer up everything. I will give you your hunt. In return, give us time to prepare.”

The demon’s head shook violently once more, and it’s smile seemed to grow even larger somehow

“How audacious! Very well, I will accept your contract.”

It held out a hand. I grabbed it, without hesitation and felt something in my body tighten. I didn’t care, that sensation meant it had worked. We would survive another day.

“I will appear before you in one year, and we will fight to the death.” It turned its head to the window on the front of the house. “That human outside is your friend?”

I realized my mistake. The contract had involved the summoners. But, Chris hadn’t had any part in the summoning. Which meant… No.

The demon reached its arm into a small mass of black gas that had suddenly appeared, and then pulled it out. It held something in his hand, and as I saw it I almost threw up on the spot.

Its thin hands were gripping onto hair. It was holding the head of a person.

At that moment, its smile felt more threatening than ever.

The black gas wrapped around the demon dissipated, taking the monster away as the head dropped onto the floor.

It was Chris.