THE DEMONIC
Chapter 1
She was terrified. Scared of what was about to happen.
She couldn't believe what he was going to do. What she was forced to do.
What the hell have I gotten myself into?
Hell, indeed.
Her glance moved around the dark room, illuminated with the light of numerous candles almost in every corner. All the windows were boarded up, and the curtains were shut. Not even moonlight was allowed to seep in. The ritual she was now participating in required complete darkness. Only the fire was allowed to provide light.
The sound of chanting behind her made her heart pound in her chest. That's what she heard every day and night, both in awakened state and in her sleep. And when had she slept normally last time? She couldn't even remember. Her dreams had recently turned into nightmares. No, night terrors would be a more suitable way to describe what she was seeing in her sleep every passing night.
Blood. Violence. Death. Demonic creatures. Chaos.
And then there was He. The entity of pure evil. The King of Chaos. The ruler of all demons.
Zalgo.
The voices of the cultists were loud enough to drown out the terrified screams and pleas of two people before her. The chosen ones, as the high priest said. The ones to be sacrificed. The offering to the Dark Lord.
The woman had never meant for all of this to happen. Why? Why did she even agree to this? She never wanted to end up in this accursed cult!
She remembered very well how her path crossed with these lunatics. At one point, her life had rapidly gone down. She had always been a hard-working person, and her work got rewarded as it deserved. She'd been a successful person, both in studies, and later in work. But unfortunately, life can be cruel.
No, not even life. People.
Of course, there would always be people out there whose jealousy clouds their minds. And she had the unhappiness to work with one of them.
People she trusted. People she thought were her friends.
And they framed her. Betrayed her.
As a result, she ended up not just being fired, but arrested as well. And no one did anything to defend her. Later the scammers got eventually unmasked, and got justified and released from prison. But something inside her broke. She didn't want to return to that workplace anymore. Moreover, she felt utterly frustrated and disappointed in people in general.
From that moment, her faith in humanity had died.
She ended up in the street, as her reputation was damaged after that incident. At first, she had thoughts about drowning her sorrow in alcohol or even drugs, but then decided against it. She wouldn't fall that low. Eventually, she was on the edge of becoming a miserable beggar who sits on the bare ground begging for money. How humiliating is that?
All she wanted to do was to find a way to get her life back together, find a new job, and maybe even a guy to fall in love with.
And then, as if her prayers were heard, a young man appeared in her way. He felt sorry for the poor woman and offered to help. As she looked into his eyes, she realized she'd never met any man more handsome than him. And he was so kind to her. She couldn't believe her luck. Later he introduced her to his friends, a pretty large group of people. All gladly accepted her in their community, provided new home, and food. And she was sure she found all the things she wanted.
But then things started to change. The man she loved had introduced her to something new. Something she'd never known about. At first she was reluctant and scared, as these people clearly were involved in some kind of occult. This seemed so life-changing, and curiosity had also played a part. And then, as if led by some hypnotic force, she found herself wishing to be a part of it, whatever they were doing.
She got her wish. But she could have never imagined what these people worshipped, and what would be demanded of her.
Suddenly an arm hugged her shoulder. It was him. The same man who had dragged her into this mess.
"Don't be afraid, my dear," he whispered loud enough for her to hear him through the chanting and sobbing. "It will soon be over, and Lord Zalgo would be pleased."
Lord Zalgo… This name stabbed her soul like a dagger each time she heard it. This cult worshipped not just a demon, but the entity that ruled all the demons existing out there. The being that would cause chaos and destruction when released into the human world. How on Earth those fools didn't understand it?! Well, crazy people do crazy things, so much was true. But these cultists obviously didn't think they were crazy. It's always easier to spot someone else's disadvantages than your own. And they were sure this demon would grant them something in return.
Idiots.
She looked at the two people before her, bound and kneeling on the floor. A man and a woman. Both stricken with terror. Well, they should be, knowing what was going to happen. They begged for mercy, but all their pleas remained unheard and unanswered. Naturally, no one would agree to give up their life willingly, especially this way – being sacrificed to an entity of pure evil.
"Please don't," the woman begged. Her voice was quiet, almost inaudible as the chanting grew louder.
No one would listen to her, and the young female cultist knew it.
Her throat felt dry. The face of the soon-to-be sacrificial lamb expressed nothing but terror. And both she and the man were so young, like slightly more than twenty years old. It was an upsetting sight.
But beside terror, there was something else in their faces. Was it acceptance? It might seem so at first, but it definitely wasn't the case, because who in their sane mind would accept something like that? No, it was a realization that nothing is going to save them now.
They were doomed to die tonight. And their death would become the beginning of something horrifying and incredible.
Both sat bound back-to-back in the middle of a large symbol drawn on the floor. Initially, it was made with chalk and then each line carefully painted over with the high priest's blood. The symbol itself consisted of a vertical rhombus which represented the dark star Zalgo was said to hold, surrounded by four lines – two small and straight, and two larger and looking like brackets, forming a large sideways letter 'Z' that went right through the middle of the rhombus.
The Seal of Zalgo.
The young female cultist then heard footsteps approaching her from behind. She turned and faced the high priest. Unlike the rest of the cult members in black robes, he wore a red robe; red like blood that was about to be spilled. The young woman struggled to keep herself from trembling.
He handled her a ceremonial dagger. It looked really beautiful. She wasn't sure whether it was made of pure gold or not, but it certainly looked like that. And its handle was decorated with red jewels, most likely rubies. In any other situation, the young cultist would love to keep it for herself as a decorative object. But now, knowing what she had to use it for, she had no wish to even touch it.
"Do what is required of you, sister," the priest said calmly. "It's time for you to fulfill your duty. Lord Zalgo will reward you as you deserve."
The woman gulped nervously. Taking the dagger from the priest's hand, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
It's time.