The story began one morning in a penthouse apartment, somewhere in Pentagram City.
Nightfright and Scarlett were sound asleep in bed together, naked but under the covers with their wings also wrapped around them like blankets. They were sleeping peacefully when the alarm clock went off. Like a predator, Scarlett's eyes opened wide and she slammed her fist down on the snooze button. She got up, straighten her bra out and stretched. During all of this, she was smiling and still had a smile on her face as she turned to her husband, who was still sleeping.
"Wakey, wakey, sleepy head" she said.
She got no response and Nightfright continued his slumber. After that, Scarlett's smile turned mischievous.
"OK, mister. If that's how you want to play" she said.
She walked up to him, leaned down and kissed him while he slept, finally managing to wake him up. When Nightfright opened his eyes, the first thing he saw Scarlett looking down at him with a smile on her face and her hands on her hips. He smiled right back at her.
"Morning gorgeous. You always know how to wake a guy up, huh" he asked her.
"Good morning to you too, killer. What can I say, when you sleep in, I have to get freaky to wake you up" she replied.
"Be honest, you enjoy it" Nightfright asked her.
She giggled.
"Yes. Yes, I do" she replied.
Nightfright shapeshifted into a big demonic cat, hoped out of bed and stretched before he shapeshifted back into his normal self.
"So, what's on today's agenda" he asked.
"Let me check" Scarlett replied.
She opened her phone to check the to-do list for the day.
"OK, so, today we have running our business as usual, then you gotta conjure up more Living Nightmares and finally we have to get groceries before we head home" she said.
"All of that is important, yeah" said Nightfright.
"BUT none of that starts until we have our morning coffee and breakfast" said Scarlett.
"Of course, how can we forget the most important part of the day" said Nightfright.
"I'll get us started" said Scarlett.
She was about to head to the kitchen when Nightfright raised an eyebrow, still smiling.
"You don't want me to do it" he asked her.
"After what happened last time, mister? Absolutely not" she replied.
"You're never gonna let me live that down, are you" Nightfright asked her.
"Nope" she replied.
"Come on, it was only one time" said Nightfright.
"Yeah, one time and then we had to get the carpet cleaned" said Scarlett.
"OK, OK, I'll leave that stuff to a professional" said Nightfright.
They both laughed as they nuzzled up against each other and headed for the kitchen.
Later…
Nightfright and Scarlett made it to work. They owned their own office building in Pentagram City, where they ran their business – Nightmare Demolitions. Inside were a lot of rooms, only a few were for business purposes while the rest were for Nightfright and Scarlett's loyalist to enjoy themselves. Their loyalists consisted of shadowy versions of loan sharks that were loyal only to them.
The way Nightfright and Scarlett ran their business is simple. Scarlett, using her grimoire, would open a big portal for the shadow sharks and Living Nightmares to cross through to where they needed to go. Once paid, the shadow sharks would give the Living Nightmares the order to demolish and destroy the targeted building or buildings. Overall, their business was very successful and they got paid quite well for their services. The married couple were in their shared office, reading their books, when they heard a knock at the door, causing them to stop reading and look up.
"Come in" said Nightfright.
The door opened and a shadow shark walked in.
"Master, Mistress" the shadow shark asked.
"Yes" Nightfright asked.
"The…the press are outside the building. We have reporters and people with cameras" the shadow shark replied.
The couple looked at each before they both sighed and rolled their eyes.
"Typical" said Nightfright.
"You're gonna try and make it quick" Scarlett asked him.
"As quick as I can with them. I swear, the second anything happens, the media pounces on it like it's a matter of life and death" he replied.
He got up and headed outside to address them.
"You got this, honey" said Scarlett.
Nightfright looked back at her and smiled before heading outside. The press was all outside when Nightfright teleported outside, a few feet away from them, via a spiral of red and black energy. Immediately, they all began calling for him.
"Mr. Nightfright, the public wants to know, what are your thoughts on the new extermination deadline" the reporter asked him.
"My dear people, when it comes to us demons, we are anything if not resourceful and resilient. We get knocked down, we pick ourselves right back up, because that is who we are! So what if these girl scouts and their idiot scoutmaster are coming back in 6 months instead of a year? We just need to be a bit more careful and, most importantly, more vigilant" he replied.
"Some are speculating that this extermination will be much more ruthless than others that came before" said the reporter.
"Rest assured that we here at Nightmare Demolitions have it covered when it comes to…powerful living weapons. I can't give away too much detail at the moment, but just in case the exterminations do get out of hand, we have something in the works that will act as a way to…counteract it and give exorcists a run for their money" said Nightfright.
That made the press start asking for more details and that was enough for the Nightmare Demon.
"No further questions. No further questions" said Nightfright.
After that he turned around and teleported back inside the building. The female reporter got in front of the camera and began to speak.
"You've all heard it live from the newest Overlord of the pentagram himself, ladies and gentlemen! The Nightmare Demon has something in the works that could counter the angelic threat! Could he be the one demon the pentagram needs? Is he about to become a public figure? One thing is for sure, he's on his way to becoming one of the Pentagram's top dogs" said the reporter.
Meanwhile…
In V Tower, Velvette and Valentino watched the news from Val's room.
"What a smug smartass" said Velvette.
"Somebody clearly thinks they're all high and mighty" said Valentino.
Just then, the TV glitched for a few seconds. Both Velvette and Valentino knew what that meant.
"Oh, great. You-know-who is not taking the news too well" said Velvette.
"Big surprise" said Valentino.
Down in his control room, Vox was livid after seeing the news.
"Who does this fucker think he is?! Oh, he's gonna get it! One day, he's gonna get it. THEN we'll see who is the top dog in the pentagram" said Vox.
Vox then got an idea and smiled.
"Let's see if we can find out what you're working on, Nightfright" he said.
He cackled as his left eye changed.
Meanwhile…
Scarlett smiled as her husband returned.
"Quite the motivational speech you gave them, honey" she said.
"You think so" Nightfright asked her.
"Are you kidding? You're currently trending for that speech you gave" she replied.
"Wow! I…don't know what to say" said Nightfright.
Scarlett got up, walked over to him and put her hands on his face.
"I'm proud of you" she said.
They smiled at each other and kissed.
"I love you so much" said Nightfright.
"I love you too, honey" said Scarlett.
Just then, a knock came at the door, catching their attention.
"Come in" said Nightfright.
The door opened and a shadow shark walked in.
"Master, there is someone on the phone asking for you" said the shadow shark.
Nightfright raised an eyebrow.
"For me specifically? Who" he asked.
"One Carmilla Carmine" the shadow shark replied.
Nightfright and Scarlett looked at each other before Nightfright sighed.
"Oh boy" Scarlett uttered.
"Of course she saw it" said Nightfright.
They walked out into the lobby and to the receptionist desk, where a shadow shark handed the phone to Nightfright.
"Go ahead, Carmilla. I'm listening" said Nightfright.
"You are playing a dangerous and foolish game, Nightfright" said Carmilla.
"Carmilla, relax, I know what I'm doing" said Nightfright.
"Do you, really? Creating monsters to fight exorcists? What are you trying to do, start a war" Carmilla asked him.
"OK, Carmilla, two things. First of all, no need to be so hostile. Second of all, I'm not actually gonna use them. I'll only let them out as a last resort" he replied.
"Still, you better be careful and watch your step, "Nightmare Demon". You're recklessness could end up starting a war that will end badly for all of us" said Carmilla.
"Yeah, sure. MY recklessness could end up starting a war" said Nightfright.
Carmilla raised an eyebrow.
"And what does that supposed to mean" she asked him.
"Oh, Carmilla. Vox isn't the only one who has eyes everywhere. I've got my own eyes everywhere too. I've had them for a good while. One of them caught something very peculiar during the last extermination and I think we both know what it is" said Nightfright.
Carmilla immediately knew what Nightfright was talking about.
"But don't worry. I'm good at keeping secrets. I understand why you did it. Put in the same position, I would have done the same thing" said Nightfright.
Carmilla was silent and glared at the phone in her hand.
"I honestly can't believe those petty motherfuckers. They slaughter thousands of us each year and when just 1 of their own bites the dust, suddenly it's such a big problem that we deserve to be punished for it. Unbelievable" said Nightfright.
Carmilla sighed.
"Just…just be cautious and careful, Nightfright. Like I said, the last thing we all want is a war with the angels" she said.
"Of course, Carmilla. Of course" said Nightfright.
"Thank you. Goodbye" said Carmilla.
Before Nightfright can say farewell, Carmilla hung up. Nightfright sighed as he put the phone down and looked at Scarlett, who looked concerned.
"I don't mean to disrespect Carmilla in any way, but she's being paranoid" said Nightfright.
"I mean…the early extermination has everyone on edge" said Scarlett.
"I know…I know" said Nightfright.
"Oh, honey" Scarlett uttered.
They nuzzled up against each other.
"If it makes you feel any better, Master, Mistress, we are all with you until the very end" said a shadow shark.
"Yeah" the rest said in unison.
That reassured the married couple and made them smile.
"Thank you all" said Nightfright.
Just then, a Gargoyle flew into building via an opened window. Everyone looked at it and, much to Nightfright and Scarlett's surprise, there was a VoxTech drone in its mouth, chewed and smashed.
"Just when we thought this day couldn't get any crazier" said Nightfright.
The Gargoyle walked up to him and Scarlett and dropped the drone on the floor.
"You'd think that Vox would be smart with him being the overlord of technology, but no. He's actually an idiot" said Nightfright.
"What would you like us to do with the drone, Master" a shadow shark asked him.
"Before we return the drone, open it up and grab the memory card. Vox is getting his toy back, but not any of the data" Nightfright replied.
"After that, patch the drone back up and I'll open a portal onto the roof of V tower so we can drop it off" said Scarlett.
The shadow sharks nodded and quickly went to work on disassembling the drone to get the memory card.
Meanwhile…
Valentino and Velvette were in Val's room when Vox burst in, looking either salty and/or angry about something. He walked over and sat down with his arms crossed, Velvette and Valentino looked unamused with Velvette rolling her eyes.
"What is it now" she asked him.
"Well, after the speech Mr. Nightmare Demon gave, I sent one of my drones to spy on him" he replied.
"OK and" Valentino asked him.
"And then one of his fucking flying "pets" grabbed the drone out of the air and took it offline" he replied.
"Guess someone doesn't like being spied on" said Velvette.
"Well too fucking bad! I'll spy on whoever I want" said Vox.
Suddenly, the three of them heard a thud come from the roof. They all quickly got up there and found the drone that Vox sent, chewed and smashed with a note attached to it. The Vees walked over to it and Vox picked up the note.
"Next time, think before you send your toys to spy on me, flathead" – Nightfright.
After that, Vox growled and crumbled up the note before throwing it.
"Look on the bright side, Vox" said Valentino.
"Oh, yeah? And what's that, Val" Vox asked him.
"He gave it back" he replied.
Vox sighed as he picked up the drone.
"Yeah, at least we have the drone back. We can get the data from the memory card and analyze what we're up against" he said.
Vox turned around and opened the drone to get the memory card.
"It does make you wonder just how many monsters that guy has under his control" said Valentino.
"Who knows" said Velvette.
Their talking was interrupted when Vox growled and slammed the drone down in a fit of rage, much to their shock.
"That fucker took the memory card" said Vox.
"Guess Nightfright is smarter than he looks" said Valentino.
Vox marched back inside, grumbling and leaving the smashed drone behind. Velvette rolled her eyes as she and Valentino sighed and headed back inside to join Vox. Unbeknownst to them, a Living Nightmare, one resembling a big hawk, was nearby, invisible and spying on them. After the Vees walked back inside, it turned visible and flew back to its master. Once it returned to Nightfright, he gently grabbed its head and closed his eyes to see what it had seen.
"Well" Scarlett asked him.
Nightfright finished and chuckled.
"Just as I thought – Vox is pissed and salty" he said.
"Should we be concerned" Scarlett asked him.
"Not at the moment, no, but we should keep a close eye on them" said Nightfright.
"Especially since, apparently, the Vees aren't liked among the other Overlords" said Scarlett.
"Shocker! I wonder why" said Nightfright.
The nightmare hawk then flew out the window and back to its post at V Tower to continue spying on the Vees.
Later, after doing a few jobs and conjuring up more Living Nightmares, Nightfright and Scarlett left for the day.
"Alright, men, see you tomorrow" said Nightfright.
"Pleasant night to you Master and Mistress" said the shadow sharks.
"Pleasant night to you all as well" said Scarlett.
She then snapped her fingers and opened a portal back to her and Nightfright's apartment.
"I'll go get the groceries" said Nightfright.
Scarlett smiled back at him as she walked through the portal.
"Text me when you're done" she said.
The portal closed and Nightfright sighed as he teleported away. The Nightmare Demon hated going out in public, simply because…it's Pentagram City and it's pretty well know how everyone acts there.
Demons in Pentagram City were doing their usual rounds, whether it's walking around, picking fights, doing drugs or just being themselves. That was when they heard the patter of tentacles slamming onto the ground, accompanied by whistling. Demons that saw Nightfright moved aside and/or just stared from afar as the Nightmare Demon walked by. Unbeknownst to him and those around him, a shadow appeared behind him. A few seconds later, Zestial appeared in front of him.
"Hark, Nightfright. How fare thee this fine day" he said.
"Ah, greetings Zestial. Good to see you, my good man" said Nightfright.
A demon came out of a store and saw both of them before stumbling back and falling down.
"Holy shit" he shouted.
"Ah, the weather, doth become this fine day" said Zestial.
"Yes, quite a nice day today. Although, it's missing a few screams here and there" said Nightfright.
With that a nearby demon lit themselves on fire and ran away.
"Ah, I do revel in the screams. How art thou? Thou hath been rising through the ranks in this city" said Zestial.
"Well, it's nothing much really. Just some good old-fashioned luck, ingenuity and coordination" said Nightfright.
"There hath been rumor of thy creating a living nightmare to…fight angels" he said.
"Oh, it's just something my wife and I have in the works. Only to be used in case the exterminations…get out of hand" said Nightfright.
Zestial chuckled before his cloak opened briefly.
"Tell me. How does thou fall in such folly" he asked him.
"That, unfortunately, is for me and my wife to know, but please do guess. We would love to hear your theories" Nightfright replied.
Zestial chuckled.
"T'would be grander folly by far to assume the workings a mind like of thou, Nightfright. Thou hath been naught but an enigma since thy manifested in this realm" he said.
"Coming from someone like yourself, my good man, that is quite the compliment! Anyways…if you'll excuse me, I have to go now. Places to go and things to do" said Nightfright.
Zestial chuckled one last time.
"Farewell to thee, Nightfright" he said.
After that, he turned into a shadow and disappeared.
"Ah, nothing like socializing with polite individuals" he said.
He then turned around and headed to get groceries. He stopped just outside of a shop for new TVs to stare at them for a bit.
"There's nothing good on these days. Mostly just stuff that rots your brain" he said.
The demons around him finally noticed him and got out of there. A few seconds later, the TVs cut to static before showing the face of Vox himself, who simply glared at Nightfright in silence. In response, Nightfright just smiled and waved at him before leaving. That only caused Vox to get even more angry and nearly bluescreen as the Nightmare Demon left.
"One of these days, Alastor and I need to deal with that guy…permanently" he muttered.
Once he got to the store, he got all things on the list and got out of there. The demons working in the market were actually polite, helping out Nightfright as much as they can with nervous smiles on their faces.
"It's not so hard to be polite, is it" Nightfright asked.
After that, he left the store, went into an alley, pulled out his phone and texted Scarlett that he was done.
"In a moment, in the bathroom" she texted.
Nightfright then shrugged, put his phone in his pocket and waited.
"Hey, you! Give me all your money" he heard a voice say.
Nightfright turned around and spotted a skinny fish demon with a knife and a sadistic smile. However, after the demon saw who he was robbing his smile instantly dropped and he began to tremble in fear.
"Oh, shit! Uh…sorry Mr. Nightmare Demon. I was uh…" he got cut off.
BANG!
Nightfright fired a blast of red and black energy from his hand right through the demon's head, killing him instantly. His corpse fell onto the ground as Nightfright sighed.
"Fucking scumbag" he said.
Just then, a portal opened on his right and he stepped through it into his and Scarlett's apartment, where Scarlett was waiting for him.
"What kept you" she asked him.
"Ran into Zestial on the way to the store and we struck up a conversation" he replied.
"Really? What about" she asked him.
"Well, like everyone else, he heard the news about us making the Gargoyles and asked me about it. I told him that they're only to be let out as a last resort and that was it. After that, we said farewell to each other and went our separate ways" he replied.
"Oh…that's nice" said Scarlett.
She and Nightfright put all the groceries away before sitting down on the couch.
"Today was more eventful than usual" said Nightfright.
"I'll say. Dealing with the media, getting a call from one Overlord, almost got spied on by another. Quite a crazy day" said Scarlett.
"Let's hope tomorrow is more calm" said Nightfright.
"I hope so too, honey" said Scarlett.
A few seconds later, Scarlett got a big mischievous grin on her face. She used her power to wrap her hair around her husband's neck and pull him over to her.
"Now, then. After a day like that, I'm feeling a little…freaky" she said.
Nightfright blushed a little.
"Are you really up for it 2 nights in a row" he asked her.
In response, she kissed him and held on for a few seconds.
"Does that answer your question" she asked him.
After that, Nightfright smiled.
"It most certainly does" he replied.
He then picked her up in his arms and walked over to the bedroom. Scarlett purred like a cat as Nightfright used the tentacles on his back to close the door behind him.
THE END