Daddy Diablo

Sacrifice

The girl stares at the boys, no idea what they're doing, but she's getting a bad feeling nonetheless. She shifts on her feet silently and accidentally nudges the closet door. It closes the small gap and taps against the doorframe. It's a little sound that would otherwise be insignificant, but in a quiet basement, it's deafening.

"W-what was that?" Aaron asks, glancing around.

Safety Pin turns his head towards the closet. The girl shuts her eyes, hoping beyond all hope that they choose to ignore it. But she has not been known to be lucky.

Safety Pin walks over while the other two boys watch him. He pulls out a pocketknife and flips it open, his eyes never once leaving the closet door. The gleam of the metal in the candlelight makes the girls heart pound with terror. She backs away into the depths of her special place, but she knocks over a bucket. It clamors on the floor, a sure sign that the boys are not alone.

Safety Pin whips the door open and sees her. At first, he is merely surprised. But then his eyes darken, and his lips stretch out into a wide smile. He reaches into the closet and grasps onto the girls' shirt, yanking her out. She falls to her knees in front of him, scraping them on the concrete. She yelps at the pain, but Safety Pin only laughs.

"Well, look what we have here! Someone wants to join in our little séance I suppose, hm?" Safety Pin says as he grasps her hair with his free hand. He pulls on it hard, yanking her head back painfully. Tears spring to her eyes, but before she can protest, he's holding the pocketknife up to her throat.

"What are you--" Jay begins, stepping towards Safety Pin.

"Shut up! She's just going to help us summon the spirits, that's all," Safety Pin says, never once taking his burning eyes off of her.

Jay and Aaron exchange a glance, unsure of what to do.

"I-I don't want to help," the girl mumbles under her breath, fear strangling her vocal chords.

"Oh, you don't have a choice, sweetheart. Now get in the circle," Safety Pin growls, shoving her towards the circle. She falls onto her hands and knees, scraping both, tears now falling down her cheeks. She lifts her head and glances at the boys.

"Go on, go on," Safety Pin says, waving her away.

The girl pulls herself into the circle, brushing away her tears with her scraped hands, leaving bloody spots on her cheeks. She sits next to the skull, terror keeping her in place.

The three boys take their seats around the circle once more. Safety Pin begins the summoning session.

"Spirits! I call upon you to come into our world and speak with us. I call upon you to grant us our wishes, grant us your power! In exchange, you may have the girl," Safety Pin calls out, pointing to the girl.

She shudders and sniffles, attempting to stop the tears. She doesn't understand what's going on, but she doesn't like it.

"Please, don't," she says. She glances at Jay and Aaron, but they refuse to look her in the eye. Finally, she glances at Safety Pin. His gaze burns into her, never moving from her body.

Nothing happens. They are met with silence and the flickering of the candles.

"Maybe we shouldn't--" Aaron begins, but Safety Pin interrupts him.

"You know what I forgot? These séances require a sacrifice. I'm thinking of the pretty little girl's blood, hm?" Safety Pin says as he jumps to his feet. His smile widens as he advances on the girl, knife in hand.

"Dude, don't!" Jay calls and grabs onto Safety Pins pant leg. Safety Pin swings his attention onto Jay and grasps his shirt.

"Would you like to take her place?" Safety Pin growls. Jay's eyes widen, but then he lowers his gaze to the floor. His head shakes just a fraction, but it's enough for Safety Pin. He releases Jay, who does not pick up his head.

The girl scrambles to her feet and darts off out of the circle. But Safety Pin is much faster. He clutches onto her waist and picks her up, her legs kicking out. She opens her mouth to scream, but Safety Pin clamps his hand with the knife over her mouth. The blade shines directly in front of her eyes, causing her to stop fighting.

Safety Pin drags her back into the center of the circle and pushes her to the floor. She glances up at him and no longer sees a human being. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing, some kind of demon masquerading as a human.

Safety Pin snatches up her quivering arm and places the blade against her wrist.

"I just need a little blood, sweetheart, that's all," he exhales, excitement and adrenaline pumping through his veins.