Answering to the Shadows

"I hate this job sometimes," I grunted as I vaulted myself over a low fence surrounding the house.

"What's that, Natalia?"

I rolled my eyes. "Nothing, Brittany."

As much as I hate this job, I hate this chick more. Somehow I ended up moving in with the hotshot rookie, Brittany George. She thinks that she's all that and a bag of chips, and is absolutely convinced that she's the greatest demon hunter ever, and acts like it too. Not to mention she has this annoying habit of chewing gum loudly every second she's awake. Maybe eventually I can get an apartment of my own.

"Let's get back home," I sighed.

One long car ride later and we were back at the apartment. I threw my keys on the counter and Brittany went to the bedroom she'd claimed as her own. I poured myself a glass of whiskey and sat down on the couch. I turned on the TV, then turned it off upon finding nothing worthwhile. I took a swig of the whiskey, then checked my phone. Nothing. I set my head back against a pillow and fell asleep.

I woke up to my phone ringing.

"Hello, you've reached Natalia King."

"Hi, Ms. King, my name is Alex Rogers. I seem to be having a... demon problem, and I was wondering if you could help?"

"Of course, what's happening?"

He told me his girlfriend was possessed and described the usual signs that indicate a possession. Then, he said something that made me uneasy.

"I hired a paranormal investigator, who told me which demon was haunting her. I tried to hire some of the best hunters after that, but when I told them what they were up against, they refused."

I tried to hide the uncertainty in my voice. "Which demon possessed her?"

"Beelzebub."

I froze. Every demon hunter knew of the infamous Lord of the Flies, though there were few who encountered him lived to tell the tale. He could easily be considered one of the most notorious demons.

"M-Ms. King? Are you still there?"

I shook my head to refocus. "Yes, my apologies."

"I'll pay you however much it takes to help her."

"How much were you thinking?"

He said a number that made me nearly fall off the couch. That would have me moving out tomorrow...or even retiring early! His voice interrupted my thoughts once again.

"Can you help me?"

"You've got yourself a demon hunter. What's the address?"

I wrote down the address he told me, thanked him, and said I'd be right over. I hung up, then sat there for a minute, still trying to wrap my head around the sum Alex had offered me. I stood and put the glass next to the sink. I sat down at the computer and began to do some research about the house. After some poking around, I found that in the 1900s, a woman made a deal with Beezlebub to get revenge on her boyfriend. She ended up dying, and the demon had haunted the house ever since, possessing the girlfriend of any man who lived there and trying to kill the boyfriend.

I sighed, shut off the computer, then grabbed my keys and the exorcism book and opened the door.

"Brittany, let's go! We've got another case."

She threw open the bedroom door and popped her gum, then grumbled something under her breath and reluctantly followed me out the door.

Not long after, I pulled up at the house and saw Alex standing on the sidewalk. I turned off the car then jumped out of the car. Alex approached me, holding his hand out to shake.

"Hi, I'm Alex. You must be Natalia King."

I accepted the handshake. "Yep, that's me."

"Thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Of course. Is she in there?" I asked, looking to the house.

"Yeah." There was a pause, then he spoke again. "Thank you, Ms. King."

"Anytime."

We shook hands again. "Let's go inside."

Alex opened the door for me and Brittany and we stepped inside. He closed it behind us and led us upstairs to a bedroom. He opened the door cautiously and revealed a beautiful girl sitting on the bed. She turned her head toward me and immediately stood. I moved toward her while Alex remained just outside the door. Brittany didn't budge, and I rolled my eyes. There was no point in arguing with her. I stood firm in my spot, opened the book and began chanting in Latin.

She twisted and writhed, but somehow stayed where she was. About midway through the exorcism, I accidentally mispronounced a word, and just like that, I had screwed up the entire thing and angered the demon.

My eyes went wide as she stood straighter and took a step toward me. As she spoke in Latin, I felt a chill run down my spine.

"Another demon hunter who thought they could defeat me," he laughed. "Pathetic."

I said nothing, knowing that he could sense my fear that I tried to hide. I knew it was only making the demon stronger.

"You will regret ever trying to get rid of me in the first place." A strong wind blew out of nowhere, nearly knocking me over.

"Stop in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!"

I felt him hesitate. I took a deep breath, then began the chant again. She reached toward me to claw at me, but I took a step back, my voice growing louder. Before I could finish, she lunged at me and clawed at my arm. I couldn't stop the cry that escaped my mouth and broke the chain of words I'd been speaking. I had botched the exorcism twice, and I couldn't afford that.

Suddenly, despite the loud chaos in the room, I could hear nothing. Beezlebub's voice rang loud and clear in my head, pounding against my skull. I fell to my knees, clutching my head. The book fell to the floor with a thud.

"Your arrogance will be the death of you..."

No...stop! Get out of my head!

He laughed. "Do you know what I do to mortals like you? I kill them. And nothing can stop me from killing you..."

"WAIT!" I screamed out loud. "I'LL MAKE YOU A DEAL!"

I heard Brittany gasp loudly behind me. I couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth. You don't make deals with demons...ever. But I knew I couldn't take back the words that came out of my mouth.

Apparently, Beelzebub couldn't believe it either. My hearing returned to normal, and the girl chuckled, then spoke out loud.

"A deal..."

I swallowed hard. "Leave this house...and I will swear my allegiance to you."

What was I doing?!

There was a minute of utter silence. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I forced my eyes up to the possessed girl in front of me.

"If I leave, you will become my servant?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes. Leave now, and I will serve you for the rest of my life."

He chuckled again, a disconcerting sound. "You will serve me for eternity, Natalia King."

Suddenly, my eyes flew open and I sat bolt upright. I looked around, disoriented. I was back in my apartment, my whiskey glass empty, Brittany still in the bedroom. I shook my head to clear it and stood slowly. I set my glass in the sink and leaned against the counter.

It was just a nightmare...

My phone rang, making me jump nearly a foot. I took a deep breath and picked up the phone.

"Hello, you've reached Natalia King."

"Hi, Ms. King, my name is Alex Rogers. I seem to be having a... demon problem, and I was wondering if you could help?"