The Fire's End

Part 1:

One sound, that was all it took to wake her up from her sleep. One simple, distinct sound that daunted Claire Griffen like a heavy cloud. It was the sound of a scream, followed by a collective laugh that Claire had heard too many times. She never asked to hear that sound: the sound of murder. Claire didn't care that the sound was a symbol of her heritage, she wanted to be rid of it. However, the fact remained, Claire was a demon.

Within moments, she awoke. From behind her bedroom door, Claire could see a dim orange glow. As she floated from her bed, the sheets gracefully unwound and fell from her. She drifted to her door that served as a portal between worlds. Sensing that she was near, the door swung open, revealing a fiery scene. Upon passing through the doorway, Claire's clothing changed in a brilliant show of light from a white nightgown into a dark velvet robe. She landed beside Ember, her demonic "sister." Ember's robe was deep black, a different color from the rest of the group. Besides their individual faction, Ember was also the head of demons. She had unimaginable power and did everything to keep it. Only one other person besides Claire had a dark velvet robe, and she stood on the other side of Ember. These robes were a distinction of rank. Black being the highest, dark velvet: second rank, and simple red being the lowest. Claire's special power of resurrection and extensive knowledge of spells was what made her stand out from the others.

"Welcome, Sister Claire," Ember said in a direct, but gentle tone.

The others repeated after her, lacking the same finesse.

"You've come just in time," Ember continued. "We are just about to send our most recent victim down to the netherworld."

"Perfect," Claire said unwillingly whilst nodding her head slightly. She didn't like any of this, but kept up pretenses. She snuck a quick glance at the body before her. A man in his early forties lay there, lifeless. He wore a ruffled, blue-collared shirt with a simple tie.

Before Claire could examine the body any further, Ember demanded, "Sisters, join me!"

Like clockwork, all members of the group shot out their right hand toward the center as they rocked side to side. In unison, they chanted, "Away from us you shall now go, all of you from head to toe. Away to the netherworld, nothing close to here, where you will be forced to live in fear."

The body began, at a snail's pace, to sink into the transparent floor. When at last he fell through to the other side of the glass, the group watched as he descended into the fire and faded away from reality.

"Thank you, Sisters," Ember resumed, "our work here today is done. We will meet again shortly. To Hell With You," Ember said.

"To Hell With You," the other sisters replied before they all dissipated.

"To Hell With You," Claire whispered as she began to evanesce. Yet, something stopped her. Before she could fully vacate the area, Claire reoccupied her space. She took several steps forward until she stopped to gaze down at the fiery pit below her. Flames as high as thirty feet leaped in every direction, licking against the charred walls whose pieces kept fracturing to the point that they went tumbling into the inferno.

"It's unfair," she thought. "What gives them the right to take the life of innocent people? How can they do this?" She wondered, "Why do I feel so guilty, while they exuberate such satisfaction?"

In an attempt to ease her pain, Claire decided upon something: she would revive the latest victim. Before she could think otherwise, Claire began to incant. "From the perpetual darkness, I bring back what I must. The mind, soul, and body of the one just lost!" Upon ending, she lifted her hands upward in a sweeping motion.