The Prince

"It burns usss!"

"He tricksss usss!"

"Vile Beetlejuiccce!"

"He will pay!"

Creatures shrilled and cried in a corner of a dark room. They lay in pile, their bodies writhed and wriggled, bending in unnatural ways.

"Bloody 'ell shut up will ya," a man walked into the room. The creatures went silent their yellow eyes watching his every move. He lit a fire in the fireplace across from the creatures revealing their broken and crippled wings. The fallen angles flinched back from the light trying to stay in the darkness as much as possible. The man dusted off a table off to the side of the room and set down a glass and bottle of wine.

"Maddening witches, ever since the master made me caretaker of the wenches, there's been noth'in but problems. All bloody night long they cry and moan, I can't get one once of sleep. It isn't enough that I 'ave to do everything around 'ere while the master sits in his black tower do'in who know what with all the people I 'ave to find for 'im, shame though I never seen any of them leave, cept one." the man mumbled as he worked shrugging. "Now 'e wants me to set up the room for 'im , 'e bosses everyone around just cause 'es a bloody prince."

While the caretakers back was turned, a few angels slowly started to crawl towards the man keeping out of the light as much as possible.

"Fresssh meat." They whispered, saliva dripping from their mouths. The caretaker too busy complaining to himself to notice as one angle reached out for his leg. A mouth filled with razor sharp teeth opened wide about to take her first bite when suddenly light flashed in the room and electricity filled the air aiming for the angles. They screamed and crawled back to their corner. They hissed and cursed the light.

"Ma-master, every-everything's ready for you." The caretaker bowed.

The prince walked past him towards the fallen angles. He stopped an inch away from the closest one.

"Where is she?" The prince demanded.

"We could not get her." One angle replied.

"Why not?"

"Beetlejuiccce came, you tricked usss, you sssaid he wouldn't be there. He burned usss." Another angel hissed. The prince's eyes turned red.

"Beetlejuice!" He growled then glared at the angles. "I give you power and you crying back to me from a little burn mark!" He said through clenched teeth. "You will go back and bring that girl back here and if you don't," he stopped and looked at one of the angles. She began to tear herself apart, fire bursting from inside her making her skin blister, the caretaker covered his ears from her shrill cry. Voices screamed inside her head, black liquid oozed from her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Then it stopped, the angle collapsed torn and blistered. The angles looked at their sister in horror.

"I will do this to each and every one of you and you will suffer for eternity." The prince walked over and poured himself a glass of wine. The angles dared not move not even to help their wounded sister.

"Now go and don't come back empty handed." The prince took a sip of his drink. The angles melted into the floor, leaving the wounded sister behind. The prince walked towards the door.

"Toss her body to the sandworms."

"Yes' master." The caretaker bowed. The prince took one step out the door then vanished.

He reappeared in his room at the top of the black tower. The room was bare except for a bed, a chest covered in chains, and a full length mirror. The chains on the chest rattled as it shook from the souls that were trapped inside trying to get out. He smirked pulling out a silver chain from under his shirt, at the bottom hung an emerald that faintly glowed. He frowned, and looked over at the chest. He mumbled something under his breath. The chest stopped moving, and began to glow. Souls poured out through the key hole and were sucked into the emerald. They howled and screamed not even having the slightest hope of escaping their doom.

Once the prince was satisfied, mumbled a few words and the souls ceased and the glow faded. After a moment the chest began rattling again but not as strongly as before.

The emerald now had a vibrant glow. The prince clutched it in his hands for a moment enjoying its warmth from the new buzzing energy. He tucked it back in his shirt and walked over to his window. He could see everything in the neither world. This world and the living world would soon be his as soon as he could get his hands on Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice, the name filled him with hatred and jealousy. A man such as he didn't deserve one tenth the power he had. It should belong to someone like himself, a demon that had been a king, on a far off place. Now he had to hide his presence by living in this pathetic body, having to obtain power through souls he collected. Beetlejuice had taken everything from him, his power, his life . . . his love.

"I swear Beetlejuice once I get a hold of you, you'll regret the day you ever crossed my path."