Approaching Midnight

Lazarus Lake
Approaching Midnight

The man's breathing was the only sound to be heard on the shore of the lake, harsh with sadistic anticipation and a touch of pending terror. Another body was present, but the life had already been bled from the person when the man had drawn the ceremonial blade across the once-pale throat.

Candles and sigils were laid out, the blood of the human sacrifice set in a basin before a symbol painted on the grass. He lifted an ancient tome in russet-stained hands, a shiver coursing through his body - anticipation, terror, the thrill of that which is forbidden.

The clock struck midnight. He began to read; ancient words, many of which had not been uttered by human tongues for centuries - at least, not in the open. He had had difficulty finding a pronunciation for them, but he was confident he'd finally succeeded.

At first, it seemed that nothing was happening. Then, at the focal point, within the painted symbol, a mound rose from the grass. It grew, lifting, clearly forming a figure of grass and earth, standing as though from a crouch. White-hot flames engulfed the figure before slowly dying out, revealing the naked form of a young woman - a girl, really - hair white and skin unearthly pale in the moonlight. Blood-crimson eyes snapped upwards, pinning the man with a baleful stare.

"You," spoke the being, words slow and condescending, "are a moron."

"I... I have summoned you!" the man declared, jittery with fear and the thrill of success. "You will obey me! I will have your loyalty!"

Her gaze shifted downwards, bare toes brushing against a blood-painted line. "A demon's trap?" She sounded amused. "Aren't we naughty and determined? I wonder, though... however did you get from 'born of Hell' to 'whose maker is of Hell'? That wasn't the only error you made, either. Overconfident? or a little too eager?"

"I'm not an idiot! I have read all about demons - no way would I summon you without a way to hold you!" exclaimed the man, words jumbling together because he was speaking too quickly. "You will swear your loyalty to me. Only then will I free you."

"My loyalty?" she echoed, head slowly raising to look at him again. A smirk spread across her features. "My own maker couldn't sway my loyalty. Why would you succeed where he failed?"

The man hesitated, confused. "You..." he stammered uncertainly. "You ha-have to obey me. If you don't, I'll send you back to Hell!"

"Send me back?" She openly laughed at him. "Never been. Boia."

Whatever the man had been expecting, it clearly wasn't what he had gotten. In fact, that little bud of terror he'd been experiencing had now blossomed into panic.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he demanded. "What's 'Boia'? What does it mean? I demand that you answer me!"

The words had scarcely left his mouth when a small and seemingly harmless puppy padded out of the shadows, coming to a stop just beyond the demon's trap. A warm smile spread across the girl's face.

"Hello, friend," she addressed the little dog. "I have missed you." Then, she did the one thing that horrified the man above all else: she stepped forward and out of the demon's trap.

"No!" he shrieked. "You can't... demons can't -"

A peal of laughter emerged from the girl. She looked up from where she had crouched to pet the dog, a wide smile on her face. "I'm no demon," she informed him. Giving the dog a final pat, she rose to her feet once more. "I do thank you for the rebirth, however. It is greatly appreciated.

"Boia." The puppy tilted its head, ears perked in interest. "Show him a good time, won't you?" The hellhound was upon the man before he could even register that the animal was truly a threat.

Ignoring the screams, the girl calmly walked away from the scene, a trail of burning flowers in her wake.