It was a clear, quiet night just on the cusp of spring and a slight chill hung in the air as a pair of young women walked along a deserted street. The time was near three in the morning, and the moon and stars still hung brightly in the sky. Everything about the scene was perfect but Sonny Dale got the feeling that something wasn't quite right. She could feel it beneath her skin, down to her bones and although she wouldn't announce it to Vee, her best friend, she wanted to turn back and call it a night. They were slightly tipsy, a little giggly as they continued to walk, their steps quiet on the uneven concrete sidewalk below. It was coming up quick--that old, abandoned house in the neighborhood that most of the kids told stories about, and everyone claimed to know someone who had lost a baseball in the backyard and never came back. Sonny thought she was too old for ghost stories, but there was a distinct prickling on the back of her neck to remind her that fear was real.

"This isn't going to work," the raven-haired girl chided with a laugh to her blonde beside her. "I don't what flea market you got that piece of shit from, but you might as well use it as a cutting board."

That piece of shit, as Sonny had so eloquently put it, just happened to be a Ouija board. Vee Daniels had brought it over earlier that afternoon, excited as ever about what a great find she'd come across. The woman who sold it to her claimed that it was over one hundred years old and cursed with restless spirits. Being somewhat of a skeptic, but still one to err on the side of caution, Sonny agreed to help Vee test the legitimacy, just not in her own apartment. Thus, the trip to the scariest house in the old neighborhood after a few beers at a dive bar up the street.

Vee, with her porcelain skin and red-painted lips scoffed in disagreement. "Where is your imagination?" she asked. "We could have the ghost of Jimi Hendrix in this thing, and you're already trying to say it's not real."

Snorting, Sonny shook her head and swept her black hair away from her face. "If Hendrix is in there, I'll pay off your tab at every bar for the next month."

"Deal," Vee chirped, grinning from ear to ear.

Soon, the two came to the steps of the house. The windows were boarded up, the porch lights were busted out and the door had almost completely fallen off of its hinges, but they still managed to get inside. The air was filled with dust and hung in a humid cloud all around them. Sonny pulled out her cell phone and swiped at the screen, casting just enough light to walk without falling to a room up the stairs.

What used to be a bedroom was now just an empty shell filled with the same amount of dust as the rest of the place. Sonny frowned as she batted at a cobweb, not wanting it to get stuck in her hair. She turned to Vee, still using her cell phone as a makeshift flash light. "Let's get on with it."

The other girl had brought a bag with them filled with candles, matches, one old pearl necklace and the Ouija board itself. Together, they lit the candles one by one and placed them in a semi-circle, and then laid the supposedly cursed board down beneath soft lights. On the dusty floor, the friends took a seat and Sonny crossed her legs Indian-style after rubbing her palms on the legs of her black pants. "This place is filthy," she complained with a grimace, only to be met with a shush from Vee as she placed her necklace at the top of the board.

"Now you go," the blonde instructed, acting as though Sonny was supposed to just know how these types of rituals worked.

"Go...where?"

"Something personal," Vee went on to explain. "The lady told me that we needed something personal for the spirits to connect with us."

Rolling her eyes, Sonny shook her head. "I don't have anything. Sorry." It was sort of a lie, but it was mostly because she was starting to get a bit anxious over the sudden seriousness that her best friend was exhibiting.

The other girl shrugged and dug around in her pocket before producing a small knife. "You can use your blood," she said casually.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Sonny moved to get up, but Vee took hold of her wrist and pulled her back down. She wasn't sure what made her go along with it, but she took the knife from her friend and sliced a shallow cut into her hand until the skin pooled with enough blood to wipe on the board. This was crazy, probably the most insane thing that she had ever done, but part of Sonny still believed that nothing would happen, and that Vee had just been swindled into buying a board game.

Taking a deep breath, Sonny placed her fingers on the pointer along with Vee and looked to the other girl for some sort of direction. The bad feeling that had been sitting in her stomach since the walk over intensified, but Sonny told herself that this wasn't real. It was a game marketed toward kids, and there was nothing scary about that.

"Is there anyone here with us right now?" Vee asked. The only response were the flickering candle lights and the silence around them. "Would anyone like to talk with us?" she tried again, "we want to talk with you."

Before her eyes, the pointed moved toward the yes position and it was all Sonny could do to not yank her hands back. Skeptical as she was, she came from a long line of superstition, and she had watched enough horror movies in her life to know that this was the part where things went horribly wrong. What a mistake it had been to cut her hand for Vee when all the other girl had offered was a necklace.

"Hello," Vee went on, her voice shaking with excitement, "are you male or female?"

The pointer began to move again, slowly spelling out female for them. Vee gasped, bouncing where she sat on dust-covered floor. "Will you show yourself?" she asked.

Sonny shot her a look, thinking that was a horrible idea. There was no answer from the board, but the temperature in the room was suddenly very cold and all movement seemed to cease as the flame in the candles stood stark still. With her fingers still on the pointer, Sonny looked around, waiting for something to happen, for everything to go wrong.

"Vee..." she whispered, "we should stop." Her suggestion was ignored as Vee once again asked the spirit to show itself, this time with much more vigor and excitement.

"Come on!" the blonde shouted, flat out taunting the thing, "show yourself!"

The netherworld was always dreary. A black midst had always surrounded the fell lands and the denizens that called it home. Gadra sat within her large antechamber as lesser demons scurried about while her greater sentinels stood guard. Even when she was one of the five devils of the netherworld, there was always treachery between her and the others. In this damp, cool place that she called home, attacks and subtle espionage was found and stamped out. It pained her to kill her own kin, but she felt a peculiar delight when she plunged one into her second realm of night terrors. She controlled what the dreamer saw, felt, and even believed when stuck in her intricately spun webs. It was what kept the other devils from accosting her directly. It helped keep her minions in line as well.

A purple, dark rob wrapped around her pale, snow-white body as her hands held a tabloid given onto her by her steward. Many of their kin had been disappearing. While no texts given onto mortal hands ever spoke of it, demons in her world had bond mates. To be snatched away by foolish satanists who claimed they knew what the netherworld stood for or spiritually attuned people binding a demon to his or her will was akin to a human couple having their beloved kidnapped. For a time, it was ignored, but the sudden rise in numbers couldn't be overlooked. The five spoke of revenge. War. She still had some reservation towards it.

"Domina," said her steward as the thing kneeled on its disfigured legs. A black cloak wrapped around its body as Gadra's sigil burned into the fabric. "The beings of the lower ward humbly request action taken towards the lordless. There have been more disputes along our boundaries. The sentinels quickly disposed of the filth, but not without causing much harm to the subjects."

Black eyes, darker than the cloak of Kithos, harbinger of the dead, lifted from the tabloid and rested on the poor creature. Gadra smiled. There was no sincerity or fondness in it. "Mithos will see to it," she said pointing to one of her high sentinels. The figure, clad in armor with a black mist surrounding it, saluted Gadra as footsteps made for the door. "The lordless come from Nilas of Strife, do they not? I shall have a talk with him to keep a leech on his pets. I shall have to depart soon, dearest steward. Business. I trust you will keep my domain in order in my absence?"

The steward bowed lower though it seemed impossible. "Yes domina," he said without hesitation. "I shall protect your domain as if it were my own. You who have given this one a second chance."

She got to her feet as she seemed to glide down the stone steps of her throne. A bowl with glowing, water appeared before her. Weeks past, she had agreed to survey the mortals land with her own eyes for the five. At first it seemed like a errand unbefitting of her. However, she couldn't resist the temptation of delivering beautiful dreams to those that she encountered. She fed off of every nightmare, exalted from orchestrating it.

The bowl shimmered as it showed two girls sitting before a board. She grinned wickedly. While others had every intention of calling and binding a demon, these two seemed to do it by complete chance. What did the humans call it? A Ouija board. She felt a strong tie to it. Wherever they bought it from, it held a sliver of power. Her grin widened as she saw one of the girls offer blood. "Come look," she said to her steward as the creature came forward. "Does the girl not know of the danger of calling with blood?"

"The filth seek to steal yet another kin from us, domina."

She placed her hand on the Steward's head and lifted it to her own. "Vengeance shall come in time. For now, I shall pay our dearest blood giver a visit."

Allowing a small amount of aura to surface, Gadra's eyes alighted as she looked at the two from the bowl. And up to the mortal's world she went.

---

"Come on!" the blonde shouted, flat out taunting the thing, "show yourself!"

Gadra had been watching with amusement as the fire haired girl spoke with such command and conviction. For the past few minutes, she had been directing the object the girls had been moving about. While the bright haired girl - Vee - she believed was amusing to no end, it was this Sonny that drew her attention. The blood was hers. Gadra wanted very much to talk to her. Not the other who thought she could command a being that surpassed her own. But, before plunging her into a fit of madness, she would indulge her wish.

Gadra blew out the candles - mirroring that of the stereotypical spirit calling process she had seen on TV. Slowly her body began to materialize as her pale skin came into existence. Moments later, she was crouched beside Vee, her eyes staring intently at the blondes. She grinned madly as she let her aura seep through. To the girl, her face was nothing but a black surface with two tiny red slits.

"Here I am," she said with a distorted, ugly voice. "What is it you fear most? Don't say, I know what it is already. Embrace the grotesque, as you scream for release!"

Hands falling away from the orb that controlled the ouija board, Vee crumbled upon the floor as she writhed in mental fear. Gadra dispelled the illusion as she stroked the girl's face. She knew what she saw. She created it after all. Her beautiful world of illusions.

Slowly, she turned her attention to Sonny. "You dabble in things with ignorance, girl," she said. Gadra felt the softness of Vee's hair, almost as if she were a pet. "You offer your blood willingly. I wonder, do you know what comes with such sacred sacrifice? I should think not. Now, the greater question, my dear. What shall I do with you? Should I thrust you into a nightmare that feels so real that you wish for death? Or, will you entertain me. Oh how I wonder..."

Suddenly, the room was plunged into darkness and Sonny felt her breath catch in her throat as her heart raced wildly. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins, hear it pumping in her ears as the age old fight of flight response kicked in. Sonny was choosing flight, and she scrambled back from the Ouija board on the dusty floor, trying her best to find her footing in the pitch blackness of that decaying bedroom. However, something stopped her in her tracks and it was the smallest sliver of pale moonlight creeping through the window that allowed the dark-haired girl to see the profile of Vee's face. She couldn't just leave without her best friend, no matter how crazy she was over this stupid Ouija board; a lapse in judgement wasn't enough to let Sonny forget the years of friendship she'd spent with the other girl.

"Vee," she hissed, now on her knees as she felt around in the darkness for the blonde's hand. "Vee, come on! We have to..."

The words were stalled on her tip of her tongue as a pale mist filled the room and a chilling voice rang out around them. Sonny backed away as she caught a glimpse of glowing, red, snake-like eyes set against the blackest black surface she had ever seen. It wasn't just the absence of light or color, it was downright evil and a soft whimper escaped Sonny as she shook and tried to find the door. Maybe she couldn't help Vee herself, but she could find someone who could. "Don't hurt her," she whispered, praying to whatever would listen, "please, don't hurt her."

The sound of thumping and shaking caught her attention and Sonny's gaze snapped back to Vee where she lay on the floor, writhing in agony. "Vee!" she shouted, her arm outstretched to to take her friend, but the demon set its sights on her instead. She shrunk back as it spoke to her, and Sonny found herself pressed against the wall like a caught mouse at the mercy of a hungry cat.

"Let us go," she begged, squeezing her eyes closed as it pet her hair. "We won't use it ever again, just...please. I'm sorry!"

Scaling back on her effects, Gadra smiled in mocking amusement. Oh how ironic what the girl was saying was! When other binded her kind, the demons always cried out in anguish, forcefully taken from their homes with no say in the matter. The only retaliation to give was disturbing the mortals directly, something that many were all too willing to do. It was a double edged sword however. While the demonic creatures could certainly wreck havoc on the surface of the Earth, what hedonistic happenings that fed their powers and influence would also dwindle. It was a huge system. The demons depended on the humans as much as the humans depended on them. Curse be to the one who created it as so.

Garda lifted her hand away from Vee's face as she slowly sauntered her way over to where Sonny was. It was a rush of primal nature. She crouched to meet Sonny's eyes as her own stared into the girl's. She saw so many things that troubled the mortal. The eyes were truly windows into the center of the soul. "But don't you see?" she finally said, her voice a low, sultry tone. "You gave your blood to that ... trivial piece of cardboard. Do truly not know anything about the blood pact? Oh how those fools, Satanists, are. Do they still not rule over your world? Surely you would've been educated. They think there's a singular devil? How foolish. Dear girl, you 'summoned' me here. I cannot leave unless you die."

The last part was partially a lie. Being one of the five, a mere calling held no authority over her. The girl didn't need to know that however. She came for the sole reason of evaluating what the Netherworld's actions should be. Many cried for invasion, but three of the five didn't agree, herself included. An alternative was preferred. Kill the livestock, the farmers would starve.

Garda reached out with her hand as she gently lifted Sonny's face up. "Look at me," she said kindly yet sternly. "Your fear inhibits your ability to think. You have stolen me away from my home, my people. Through your ignorance, you have trapped me here. I could kill you, but where would the fun be in that? Your friend over there is having the most beautiful of nightmares. I can tell you about it if you like. Or, I could show you yours?"

Laughter escaped her lips as she stood once again. She walked back towards Vee. She stooped down and drew a black mist seal on her forehead before it disappeared. "Your friend shall sleep a while longer. But we come back to our initial predicament. What shall happen to us now? I wonder."

Now that her eyes had finally adjusted to the new darkness of the room, Sonny was even more frantic than before. She was torn between wanting to try and help Vee, and selfishly save herself from this hellish beast that had invaded both of their lives. Inwardly, the dark-haired girl berated herself for not listening to her gut and cutting her hand when she knew better. This was too much, and she silenty hoped and prayed that this was all a dream--that she and Vee had come home from the bar, and she had passed out on the couch because things like this didn't happen in real life, they happened in cheap horror movies.

That voice was at her again, wrapped around her entire being as a wave of evil washed over her and Sonny shook in place as the demon questioned her. It was as though her voice was trapped in her throat, because she was unable to do more than squeak a simple yes or no in reply. Truly, she didn't understand the ramification of what she had done, or what it meant when she had used her blood on that ridiculous Ouija board. She wasn't a satanist, and she certainly didn't have the slightest clue about what binding a demon meant. "I don't want you here!" she shouted, voice cracking as she was touched.

Finally, the creature with the red eyes had come into full view and she looked like any other person. Had Sonny been able to think correctly, she would have said that she was pretty, but her life was being threatened, and all she wanted to do was run. Squirming in the demon's grasp, Sonny squeezed her eyes closed again, her make up smearing as she cried. "Don't hurt me," she begged again, "I don't want to die, I didn't even mean to call you!" She took a deep, shuddering breath, finding a bit of strength to look back at the other woman, "don't kill me. Don't kill my friend." That was all she could focus on, getting out and keeping herself and Vee alive.

With the blonde girl still incapacitated, Sonny was completely alone with this demon. "Can't you just let me go?" she asked, hoping that it was really that simple. She was sure that she would be laughed at for such a suggestion but it was worth a shot anyway. Wiping at her eyes, Sonny attempted to put on a brave face, "or...we could burn the board?" That worked in horror movies, maybe those rules applied to the real world too.

Gadra looked at Sonny inquisitive as laughter soon burst forth from her. How hysterical the little creature was! She could understand why her lesser reputable minions enjoyed whatever chance they got at terrorizing these simple beasts. There was something uncannily gleeful about the whole ordeal of instilling fear into one of these human's hearts. However that wasn't why she was here. She needed information about this world to bring back. She was also given permission to strike the first blow if she so chose. Firstly, however, she needed to make sure this Sonny didn't pass out from her terror. Peeling back her aura, she took away her hellish eyes and replaced them with inquisitive bright blue ones while her skin remained pale and her black her fell to her shoulders.

"I'm not going to kill you, human," she said, sensing it was time to end her little charade though Vee was still lost to Gadra's own devices. "But I simply can't go away either. Know that I loathe breathing in your polluted air and stink. Since you're uneducated and completely clueless of what you've done, I'll graciously explain it. Do try to keep up, dear. Your blood that you gave to that piece of cardboard has bonded me to you. In a way, I'll know where you are wherever you go. I can choose to make you a conduit to use my aura. I can even use you as I'm using your dear friend right now. It's a mutual exchange. If you want power, I'll give it. Not freely of course."

She inched closer to Sonny as their faces were mere inches apart. "You think burning that thing will get rid of me?" she asked with a hint of amusement making its way into her sultry voice. "Too much fiction and rumors circulate your world, girl. How foolish to think something so simple could do so much. I was not making a joke when I said this before. Either I kill you, you give me something precious in return, or you reverse the binding. In a way, you'll become mine. I don't suggest either of three however. None of them would be in your favor."

Grinning widely, Gadra stood up. Being a one of the five, she could leave at will. She didn't need to energy of this girl to walk the mortal world for a time. However, there was something about Sonny that dissuaded her from doing that and dealing with the ignorance of the human. She chuckled to herself before walking back to Vee. The mark had all but disappeared. "And now your friend shall sleep for a time. Not dead though. No. How do you humans call it? She'll be stuck in a ... comma. A coma. That's it. Now, onto more important matters. What do you intend to do now?"

There was something very unsettling to know that this demon wasn't going to kill her. In a way, Sonny would have preferred a quick end to being tortured and possibly stuck with this creature following her around. Never one to practice in the occult, despite her appearance, all of this was new to her and unbelievable as it was, she needed to accept it and the danger that came with it. Her main concern for the moment was Vee and if she would actually wake up, or if her soul was somehow being sucked out of her through Gadra's powers. Every few seconds she found herself looking toward the blonde, straining her eyes to see if she was still breathing, needing to see the rise and fall of her chest.

"I don't know what I intend to do," Sonny replied, voice still a shaking mess as she wiped away the last of her tears. At least with her life somewhat secure for the moment, she could calm some. Looking at the dark-haired woman, she did her best to think of something precious that she could want. Surely their definition of the word differed greatly and she highly doubted that a demon wanted money, or clothes; that was about all she could give. "Reverse the binding?" she asked, still trying to wrap her mind around things. "What is that? How do I do that?"

Truly, she wanted to send Gadra back to where she had come from and forget that this has ever happened and if there was a sure way to do it, she would. Sonny looked over at Vee again, wishing that she would wake up from her magically induced coma and help her somehow. "I really don't know what you want," she explained, although not defeated yet. "I'm just a human..."