Upon Ruins and History

It has been said that demons hunt out the most broken of souls to sustain their own deprived desires. Yet what would happen when a certain demon comes across a broken soul with potential and chaos to be released? Will he be the one to break her or save her? Or perhaps both…

Her heart pounded ruthlessly against her straining ribcage. How on earth a normal day could turn into a nightmare so quickly, she did not know. Twisting her tired body, the girl coughed, her chest heaving as her eyes watered. She didn't really understand or in fact fully comprehend her current situation but out of all the chaos, she could still acknowledge the feeling of impending dread. Sudden bangs echoed around her and although her body was almost numb from god knows what it had just been through, she refused to give up. Struggling once more to get out from what she believed was rubble; she heaved her body one last time and felt a small wave of relief as she finally got free from the constricting grasp of death.

Yet this small sense of freedom was fleeting as all of a sudden the loud noises around her stopped and instead it was replaced with a deafening silence. Her wide watery eyes remained transfixed upon the clouds of smoke and dust which surrounded her and it was only when she saw a dark shadow like silhouette begin to emerge from the fog that her eyes blinked, wishing that the thing in front of her was but a dream. Unfortunately for the girl this was not a dream and slowly, as though it was taunting her, the spectre crawled forwards, its darkness drowning any remaining light. Her scratched and bloody arms which had been the only thing holding up her tired frame collapsed beneath her as she gave a small sob. Rolling onto her back, the young girl looked up at the darkness trying to ignore the inevitable. Closing her eyes she braced herself for the end. She wished that her legs would be strong enough to pick herself up but judging by the pain which was shooting up her leg, she didn't think it was an option. She had no idea how much time passed until the silence was broken but her breathing had finally began to settle. Her heart thumped like a dull throb, as though her very being was giving up.

"Giving up already?" A dull voice mocked from above. The girl gasped, her eyes snapping open in alarm. In her state of shock she could only gape as there above her was a silhouette of a large monster. Something which could only emerge from the darkest corner of the mind and yet she was entranced by the shining golden eyes that shone through the darkness. The eyes were almost hypnotising and through all the beauty of the colours, there were no emotions behind them. Without replying to the thing, the girl's numb arms began to work, slowly pushing her away from the beast. But as she pushed upon the cold floor, her arm almost fell though and she gave a sharp cry as the floor beneath her was almost web like. The sticky threads wrapped themselves around her body, totally constricting any movement. As they tangled around her torso, she felt a sudden tug and her body was pulled up, her legs dangling lifelessly in the air.

"my my my said the spider to the fly" the voice mocked once again, its dull drone laced with amusement. The girl in response whimpered hoping that whatever hell she was in would end soon.

"My dear Elise, I was under the impression that you were a fighter. Am I mistaken?" The voice asked, its tone becoming louder.

"What d..do you want?" She whispered, her voice trembling ever so slightly. The web around her chest tightened ever so slightly and she felt a lone teardrop trickle down her pale cheek.

"Do you want to live?" The voice asked abruptly, ignoring her previous question. The dark silhouette began to move closer and Elise tried not to scream as she was suddenly very aware of what the creature was above her. As it moved closer, its eight legs became far more noticeable and Elise slammed her eyes shut, debating her response. Finally, after what felt like an eternity she replied.

"Doesn't everyone?"

"I did not ask about everyone, I asked about you". The creature snapped back, its voice laced with irritation. His irritation was not only evident in its tone as the web round her squeezed painfully causing her to cry out. After gaining her breath back, she gave a defeated sigh.

"Yes, I do want to live".

"Yet your words do not echoed the sentiment" The creature sneered. Elise opened her eyes almost angrily at the creature's words. She felt as though the beast was playing with her and after the events she had just been subjected too hours ago, she had already accepted that her fate was sealed that night. Yet his words rekindled something she had not felt in a long time. She felt desire, hope and most of all an opportunity at having a second chance. Taking a deep breath, she looked the beast straight in its golden eyes.

"I want to live, I want to make things right again. I desire equilibrium". Her words were loud and clear. The beast remained still for a few seconds and then moved even closer towards her. For the first time she got a clear glimpse of the thing that had been toying with her. There, inches away from her face, were two long fangs and multiple eyes all like black diamonds except the two glowing golden ones, which were the most piercing of them all. Without opening its mouth it began to speak and Elise believed that if a spider could be smiling, that the one currently in front of her was almost certainly grinning.

"Care to make a deal my dear?"