I Accidentally Summoned a Demon and Named Him Fred

Do a Flip

When I pulled into the driveway, Haime's car was gone.

The last text he sent said he was out getting "more ingredients."

Yeah. Sure.

Because there are so many stores open in the middle of the night that sell... whatever the hell he uses.

The engine ticked as it cooled, the sound too loud in the quiet street. A dog barked a few houses down, then abruptly stopped, as if someone had pressed mute on the whole neighborhood.

Before I even reached the front door, I heard Frank.

Whining.

Sharp. High. Persistent.

"Jesus," I muttered under my breath. "What now?"

I dug my keys out of my pocket, fingers clumsy and cold, and the closer I got to the door, the louder Frank's whining.

The lock clicked. I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

But he was nowhere to be found.

Silence dropped over me like a blanket.

No cat.

No movement.

The air felt stale, like the house had been holding its breath.

Then—

Another cry.

"Frank?" I called out again.

I kicked off my shoes, toes immediately meeting the cool wooden floor. I tossed my keys onto my bed as I passed my room.

"He's probably in the kitchen," I told myself, clinging to the idea like it was a life vest.

The cry came again.

Longer this time.

The hairs on my arms rose. I rubbed my palms on my jeans, trying to smooth out the tension crawling beneath my skin.

"I'm never letting us get another cat," I muttered.

Another sound, but it didn't sound like Frank or any animal, for that matter.

My stomach tightened, a cold knot twisting just under my ribs.

"Please, Frank, where are you..." I pleaded. I wanted to hurry up, find him, and escape to my room.

It wasn't coming from the kitchen.

Or the living room.

Then, finally, I realized it came from across the hall.

My mother's room.

I stopped.

Slowly turned.

The hallway seemed longer than I remembered, the shadows thicker, like they'd pooled in the corners and refused to leave.

Another cry.

Desperate.

Nails raking. The frantic, panicked back‑and‑forth of something trapped on the wrong side of a door.

"Seriously?" I whispered. Why me?

My breath puffed white in the air for a second.

It shouldn't have been that cold.

Don't.

Haime's voice echoed in my head.

Do not go into your mother's room.

Another cry—

Sharper this time.

Panicked.

Something inside me flinched.