Come.” Sam headed toward the
building. The faint sound of the freeway nearby could be heard as
we got closer. I could also hear the flutter of helicopters in
surrounding neighborhoods. I looked around and saw one just a few
blocks away shining its light down on the buildings below.
“You sure no one is going to notice us
here?”
“No one comes around here anymore.” We
walked along the side of the building and found a small door on the
side. It was even darker. Sam pulled the door open and motioned for
me to enter. The inside was about as nice as the outside. The floor
was covered in dirt and dust, the walls were cracked, and the beams
holding the place up looked like they were about to break.
“How old is this place?”
“It was built in the forties. It used to be
a clothing warehouse but the city closed it down in eighty-three.
It’s been vacant since.”
“And no one comes out here anymore?”
“Everyone is all about the pretty new
buildings on the other side of the boulevard. I’m not sure if
they’ll even get around to demolishing this old wreck.” Sam began
lighting candles all along the floor. I could see a large pentagram
drawn on the floor. My blood began to heat up, but I knew it was
the demon.
“So, we’re just going to do this?”
“You’d like a glass of wine and some
foreplay first?”
“No. It’s just this is really
happening.”
“It’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“It is. I just never thought it would
happen.”
“It’s happening. Now, we need to get this
done as soon as possible. Take your place on the floor.”
“Wait!”
“What?” I noted a shade of irritation.
“Can we even do this now? Don’t we need to
wait for a certain night or cycle of the moon or something?”
“That won’t be required for this procedure.
You’ve got the demon and I am simply going to extract it. Now take
your place.”
“Okay. Where is my place?”
“Wow. You are really green, aren’t you? Just
lay down on the pentagram with your legs together and arms spread
wide.”
“You had all this ready?” I asked as I got
down on the floor.
“I’ve had that on the floor for years. Most
of what I do requires it so I just left it. Saves a lot of time.”
Sam turned to me. He held a large knife in his hand.
“What’s that?”
“The first part of this rite.” Sam knelt
beside me. He pinned my arm down and stabbed the knife into my arm,
drawing blood. It didn’t hurt, but I was a bit surprised.
“What’s that for?”
“We need to introduce you and the demon to
the circle,” Sam dripped my blood along the pentagram. “Every
ceremony is unique. There’s no room for any generality,” I looked
over and saw the cut begin to heal before my eyes. “You may miss
that.”
“Maybe.”
The light of the candles was flickering
along the walls, casting long shadows all across the room. I heard
no sounds from outside. Sam produced a book from a dark corner and
took his place before me. He began to speak. I felt a cool breeze
blow past me. I could hear the jingle of chains from high above. A
low moan started to permeate through the walls. Sam’s chanting grew
louder and louder. The breeze became more intense. I felt my skin
grow cold, but my blood was heating up. I felt an unbearable
burning tear through my body. My muscles tensed and I felt sharp
pains in my legs and arms.
“This doesn’t feel right!” I shouted, but
Sam persisted with his chants. A stabbing pain shot through my
chest. I clenched my hands tightly. I felt something come up from
my stomach and fill my mouth. My eyes burned and the sensation of a
thousand hooks clawing at my intestines came over me. I turned my
head away and my mouth opened and let loose a torrent of black
liquid. It poured out of me so fast I couldn’t control it. I felt
as though the bile was pushing out every organ in my body. My
stomach seized into my body and I grew stiff. A hard gust of cold
air blew through and extinguished the candles.
London Casey, Karolyn James