ᑕᎧᑎ丅ᗴᔕ丅 ᔕᑌᗷᗰᎥᔕᔕᎥᎧᑎᔕ

↭☩ 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕯𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖓'𝖘 𝕻𝖆𝖈𝖙 ☩↭

Sweat stung angry evergreen eyes as a flushed cheek pressed uncomfortably against the dirt-coated worn oak flooring. Puffs from aching, laboring lungs pushed motes of dust into the air, swirling around in an enchanting dance in the midst of the pandemonium.

"Stupid mortal!" A baritone voice growled.

Loud crunching and splintering sounds reverberated through the rundown two-story home as the tiring figure on the floor squirmed uselessly once again; unable to flee from the pressure covering his back - painfully pinning him to the ground for the last few hours.

"I command you leave this earth, in the name of-," he wheezed as the air was pressed from his lungs like a fireplace puffer.

Sulphuric breath burned across the angry demon hunter's face, lacerating his nose and lungs as the misty dark shadow figure spat at him, "Not in my house!"

The tired human panted in an attempt to keep from blacking out as the crushing load remained ever vigilant.

After long, excruciating minutes, the suffocating mist asked, "Are you ready to agree to my terms?"

The figure was exhausted and asked breathlessly, "Once a year?"

A victorious note could be heard in the answer as the demon knew it was breaking the Hunters will - finally, "Yes."

With great reluctance, the human sighed out, "It's a deal."

"It's a deal, who?" The demon hissed.

"It's a deal - Zozo."

Loud chuckling surrounded the man before the hot room dropped in temperature, and the pressure vanished from the exhausted humans' form. Everything went dark.

↭ ☩ ↭ ☩ ↭ ☩ ↭ ☩ ↭

BOOM!

The avocado hued cabinet the hunter slumped against violently shook, jolting him awake. Evergreen eyes fearfully scanned the surrounding dust-covered kitchen.

Stinging cuts zipped along his arms as dizziness tried to keep him from moving - feeling as if he'd been hit in the head. Using the counter as a brace, his wobbly form slithered up to a precarious standing position all while taking slow, steadying breaths.

Nausea rocked his stomach as he glared at the empty spirit bottle laying on its side with a look of betrayal crossing his unshaved features.

As his eyes landed on the door that led to freedom, visions of pulling the keys out of the rusted metal lock, flooded through his mind. Remembering how they jangled noisily together when dropping to the ground, he felt numb, that he wasn't in control of his body as if it was on autopilot.

The cobwebs in his mind began clearing, and he recalled being followed inside the house by a scantily dressed female.

"What kind of shit hole place is this, Baby?" The old floorboards creaked under the voluptuous brunette's weight as she teetered on her spiked heels looking the man over like he'd lost his mind.

"It's home."

"I don't care what you call it, I ain't fucking you here! Not even for double my regular pay." She stumbled forward a few steps before righting herself once more, "Wow, that drink was stronger than I realized."

Behind her, wiggling shadow fingers eerily misted across the splintering floors, walls, and blanketed the room with the smell of rot and decay. The whore shivered as the dark tendrils coiled up her bare legs, freezing her in place.

"Let me get you some water," The hunter offered lamely as he slowly stepped backward, wanting more than anything to get out of the room before the mist did more to the female than make her cold.