Sunday morning, Billy stood at Jensen’s doorstep, a duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and a sheepish grin on his face.
"I can't believe you're going to church camp," Jensen said, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. His tone was teasing, but there was an edge to it. He hadn’t realized how much he’d miss Billy until now.
Billy shrugged, laughing. "Yeah, well, my mom signed me up. It’s only a week, and it's not that bad. S'mores, hiking, a lot of awkward group prayers… you know, the usual."
Jensen rolled his eyes. "Sounds like a blast."
"Hey, come on," Billy nudged him lightly. "I’ll text you as much as I can, alright? It’s not like I’m disappearing forever."
"Right. Just a week in the wilderness getting closer to Jesus or whatever."
Billy’s smile softened, and for a moment, Jensen felt the same warmth in his chest that had been there since the kiss on the beach. "I’ll be back before you know it," Billy said, his voice quieter now, sincere.
Jensen nodded, trying not to let the weird knot in his stomach grow. "Yeah, I know."
With one last grin and a lingering look that made Jensen’s heart ache in the best way, Billy headed off to his mom’s car, waving as he drove away.
---
The house felt weird without Billy around. Jensen wasn’t used to this much quiet. He found himself pacing around, trying to fill the hours. It was late afternoon when he finally gave up trying to distract himself and flopped onto his bed, grabbing his phone. No new messages.
The boredom and loneliness gnawed at him, and he found himself scrolling aimlessly through the internet, diving into random sites just to pass the time. That’s when he stumbled upon something strange.
A forum, buried deep within the web, filled with discussions about summoning rituals and supernatural lore. Jensen wasn’t into any of that stuff, but the more he read, the more intrigued he became. Half of it seemed like nonsense, but there was one thread titled *"How to summon what you need most"* that caught his eye.
He clicked on it out of pure curiosity. The instructions were simple: light a candle, say a few specific words, and it promised to "bring forth what you seek." Jensen rolled his eyes. It was probably a joke. But… he missed Billy. And maybe, just maybe, he could feel a little less alone.
With nothing else to do, Jensen decided to give it a shot. What was the worst that could happen?
---
Later that night, Jensen sat on the floor of his room with a single candle flickering in front of him. His curtains were drawn, casting long shadows across the room. He’d scribbled the ritual instructions down on a piece of paper, though the words were weird, a jumble of Latin that made no sense to him.
"This is dumb," he muttered to himself, but he couldn’t shake the strange anticipation building in his chest.
He took a deep breath, staring at the flame. "Okay. Here goes nothing."
Jensen spoke the words slowly, stumbling over the Latin syllables. As he finished the last phrase, he waited, half-expecting the candle to flicker out or something dramatic to happen. But nothing did. The flame stayed steady, and the room remained silent.
"Well, that was a waste of time," Jensen mumbled, starting to stand up. But then the air in the room shifted.
The temperature dropped suddenly, a chill creeping over Jensen’s skin. The candle’s flame flickered wildly, then extinguished itself with a soft hiss. The shadows in the room seemed to stretch, growing darker, twisting unnaturally.
Jensen froze, his heart racing. "Uh… what the hell?"
A low, guttural growl echoed from somewhere behind him. Slowly, Jensen turned, his stomach flipping with dread. And there, in the corner of his room, the darkness coalesced into a shape—a tall, looming figure with glowing red eyes.
"Y-You’ve got to be kidding me," Jensen stammered, backing away from the thing. It stepped forward, its form shifting and solidifying, horns curling from its head, black smoke trailing from its body. It looked like something straight out of a nightmare.
The demon tilted its head, staring at Jensen with a smirk that revealed sharp, jagged teeth. "You summoned me," it growled, its voice like gravel scraping against stone. "What is your desire, mortal?"
Jensen blinked, trying to process what was happening. His mind raced, trying to figure out if this was some kind of hallucination or a joke. But it didn’t feel like either. This thing—this demon—was real.
"I-I didn’t… I didn’t mean to," Jensen stammered, his back hitting the wall. "I was just messing around. I didn’t think it would actually work."
The demon chuckled, a deep, menacing sound. "Careful with the forces you toy with, boy." It stepped closer, towering over him now. "But since I’m here, you must have some desire. What do you seek?"
Jensen’s mind raced. What did he want? What had he been thinking when he tried the ritual? The answer hit him like a punch to the gut.
"I just…" He hesitated, his voice barely above a whisper. "I just wanted to not feel so alone."
The demon’s eyes gleamed, and its grin widened. "Ah. Loneliness. A common human affliction." It crouched down, bringing its face level with Jensen’s. "I can fix that. For a price."
Jensen’s heart pounded in his chest. "A price?"
"Everything has a cost, mortal," the demon growled, smoke curling around it like tendrils. "But fear not. I am not unreasonable."
Jensen swallowed hard, trying to think. This was insane. But as the demon loomed over him, its gaze piercing, he felt something else beneath the fear—a strange, burning curiosity.
"What… what do you want?" Jensen asked, his voice trembling.
The demon’s smirk returned. "Oh, nothing too precious. A simple exchange. Your loyalty… and perhaps, your heart."
Jensen’s breath hitched. He wasn’t sure what the demon meant, but it felt like more than just a bargain—it felt like something that could change everything. He glanced around the room, trying to find a way out, but it was too late. The shadows had closed in, trapping him with this… thing.
"I don’t know what you mean," Jensen whispered, his voice shaky.
The demon chuckled again, the sound vibrating in the air. "You will soon."
And with that, the room plunged into complete darkness, leaving Jensen alone with the demon, his heartbeat the only thing he could hear.
