When The Devil Knocks

Every year at midnight on my birthday there's a knock on the door. Every year I checked to find noone. Tonight I turned 20, the knock happened again, I opened the door, but tonight someone was there.

A giant man. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, his eyes glinting like black beetles under all the hair.

"Harry—yer a wizard" The stranger said.

"Umm wrong Potter. Four houses down the block"

"Oh. Thanks lad."

I stood watching him walk away when I heard another voice.

"Damn that's a huge man, wonder how big his dick is?"

The voice belonged to a tall handsome silver haired man standing in front of me, wearing a long red coat over a black sleeveless vest, red askot and a white shirt.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

He looked dumbfounded, "You can see me? Unholy shit! You Laurence Potter son of Luise Potter can see me? Finally! Thank mom"

He shoved me aside and entered my house.

"Hey! Wait, you can't come in."

"Isn't it your birthday? No booze? No party? Boy! What a loser. "

"WHO ARE YOU?"

"Who am I?"

His red eyes gleamed as he walked toward me with an amused look on his face. I felt a tingle as the familiarity of the situation dawned on me.

"Am Pride, Am Lust. Am Sloth, Am Gluttony. AM WRATH, AM ENVY. I AM GREED. I. AM..."

"Lucifer Morningstar?" Wide eyed I finished his sentence.

"A fan Eh? No selfies please." he said in a fake shy tone.

"I saw you. In my dream" I whispered.

"A Catholic fantasising about me?"

He lifted up my chin. his face was so close to me that I could feel his breath. His skin, clean and white as milk. He looked like an angel. I couldn't help but blush.

"Oh! How naughty you've become Lulu" he smiled

I shoved his hand off.

"Fantasise? It was a nightmare. There was something, then a loud boom, my house was burning, then you came and saved me." I blushed again "You looked much better there"

"I must have been naked. So you can vaticinate the future like your mother. What else can you do?"

"I can call the coppers if you don't start explaining whatever...the...heck...to be explained"

"Real smooth tiger. Anyway," he took a deep breath "I am the devil, I don't have a goat head, God exists, he's a she, sorry. My brother Jesus is a prick. Remember the cup, Holy grail? That exists. And it can grant any wish. Like the lamp from Aladdin, but sadistic."

"Sadistic?"

"Yeah, It chooses 100 mages who indiscriminately murder each other with their assigned servants who are Heroes from history.

Whoever's the last one standing wins and is granted one wish by the cup. This is called the Holy Grail War or as I call it Kill baby Kill."

"Oukayyy. Soo what does it have to do with me?"

"Everything, yer a mage Larry. Like yer parents"

"Why are you talking in west country accent and WHAT?"

"Also they didn't die in an accident. They were murdered by other combatants"

"WHAAT?"

"I know, too much information. Anyway, Your father summoned me to be his servant in exchange I get to stick it to Jesus. I mean can you imagine ME the devil pissing on his favorite cup?Oh sweet Judas." He smiled gleefully "Also before your father died he transferred my ownership to you"

Suddenly, I felt a sense of panic rushing through my veins.

"Something's about to happen. I don't know what but something bad is about..."

Lucifer picked me up like a sack before I could finish my sentence.

"Hey let go off me you freakin..."

BOOM.

I looked up as we were running at an inhuman speed away from the rubble of burning bricks and wood that was a house moments ago. My house.

We stopped on the top of the hill outside town.

"Boy that was close."

"Wha..Wha.." I stammered.

"That Harry kid is probably dead. Some servant tried to hiroshima us. Destroyed whole neighbourhood. Get used to it now."

"Why me?" I asked somberly.

"What?"

"WHY ME? I didn't ask for this?" I cried out. "I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE. All my life I have called a freak. Do you know what that feels like? When strange things happen around you your whole life?When you are blamed for everything in the world. And now this? I didn't ask for this. Why would Dad throw me in such a horrible thing? They are all so selfish. Everyone. eyone."

I fell on my knees crying out loud, totally a mess. All my life I thought my parents were the only thing that would love me if they were alive. But no.

"Of course I don't know how that feels. It's not like I get blamed for every bad thing in the world, right? Oh wait I do get blamed for everything. I AM the reason you guys have evolved. Yet I get blamed for the decisions you humans made. It was greed and envy that put man on the moon, but you guys thank God. It's lust that causes you guys to reproduce, but you thank god for her blessing. Where do I come in? When some stupid brats killed their classmate in 1987, when some father raped her daughter. You humans choose your own path, yet you blame someone else when you fail and thank someone else when you succeed. Hypocrite much?"

He finally sat down beside me. Our silence was filled by the chirping of crickets, whooshing of a soft wind on the grass and sudden hooting of a distant owl.

"To win you have to make sure other mages can't compete. To do that you have to kill their servants, but the best way is to kill the mage itself. Your parents were formidable mages but they didn't want to participate. But you know greed. It doesn't listen to reason, someone attacked them,with her remaining lifeforce your mother put a temporary protective charm on you . I knock on your door every year to check if the charm is still working. You being able to see me means it has worn off. You are not the only one who goes through this shit. Every year thousands die for someone's unconditional need. You can simply ask me to die and it will be all over"

"But that won't stop anything will it? My parents murderer is still out there, he will kill some innocent soul again. Another Laurence will grow up like me. Not on my watch."

"I have no fucking idea what just happened, but I like the way it's going."

"Let's win this war."

"Wait let me pull jesus out of my ass"

And just like that he pulled a Rapier out of his freakin ass.

"You named your sword Jesus just so you can say...'

"Jesus is in my ass. Now let me ask you one thing, if you win what will you want?"

"What else? Am gonna wish the grail to be destroyed."

A broad grin appeared on his face.

"So be it master. Let's kill baby kill"

1200 words.Exact.