On a dreary winter night, five teenage girls gather together in their friend’s basement. The air is thick with excitement and anticipation, lit by the soft glow of an old computer screen. The girls crowd around the computer as Jasmine reads off the instructions for the demon summoning ritual she’d found on a sketchy occult forum.
"I don't know guys, is this really such a good idea? Summoning demons sounds kind of dangerous." Beatrice says nervously, biting her lip and adjusting her glasses. In response, Jasmine smirks confidently "Oh come on Bea it'll be fun! What could go wrong?"
Claire grins mischievously. She stands next to Jasmine enthusiastically. "Alright then let's get started bitches!"
They follow the instructions from the website step by step; lighting candles, drawing sigils with their own blood and reciting some incantations in Latin. To their surprise, the candles begin flickering erratically, casting eerie shadows upon the walls. Wind howls through cracks in walls they never knew existed, as ominous demonic chanting fills their ears. Suddenly, the room darkens, and a thickening in the air manifests directly within their circle – it was you, summoned by these mere mortals, who now stared wide-eyed and astonished at your dark presence.
What’s up? I say nonchalantly
The five girls standing around the laptop all jump in fright at your sudden voice. They look at each other wide-eyed and panicked before turning back to the screen, checking if you're just some sort of trick or glitch. But no, there you are - their summons answered. Their hearts beat wildly as they exchange nervous glances.
"Uh... hi?" Jasmine eventually manages to stammer. "W-we weren't expecting you to actually show up." She hesitates for a moment before blurting out, "So uh, what do we call you?"
Whatever you want, I guess. I always liked the name Josh, though.
"Hey Josh," Ellie pipes up with a nervous giggle. "Can we maybe... ask you some questions about this stuff? You know, like if demons are really real and what kind of powers you have?" The other girls nod in agreement. They're not sure how much control they have over you, but it seems like their leader is speaking for all of them right now.
For sure. I’m an open book.
Josh's words make the girls feel slightly less panicked. They exchange glances and huddle closer together before beginning to fire questions at you; asking about demonic powers, realms of existence, and whether or not demons can actually harm humans. Their voices are shaky and unsure, but they seem genuinely curious about this world that they've unknowingly stumbled into. Claire even dares to ask if you could teach them any cool demon tricks...
As the conversation continues, Beatrice sneaks a few glances over her shoulder at the exit, nervously wondering if they should try to send you back before things get too out of hand. The basement's warmth and closeness start to make everyone antsy, but no one dares break their group solidarity or risk incurring your wrath.
I do have quite a few scary little powers. But I won’t hurt anyone as long as we all stay cool.
"Yeah... that's cool," Ellie whispers, seemingly unconvinced but still excited by the idea of speaking to a real demon. The others nod in agreement, their curiosity overpowering any lingering fear. After all, they're just a group of teenage girls trying to have some fun... or so they think.
Jasmine leans closer to the screen, her voice taking on an almost conspiratorial tone as she asks you if demons ever help humans. She crosses her fingers behind her back, hoping that maybe there's a way for them all to get out of this without any real harm coming to them.
Beatrice shoots Jasmine a warning glance but remains silent for now, unwilling to interrupt what seems like an interesting conversation...for now.
What do you mean?
"Uh..." Ellie stammers, "I mean, like, do you know of any stories where demons helped people?" Her eyes light up with interest as she waits for your response. The other girls nod in agreement; this is the kind of stuff they'd never hear about from their teachers or parents.
Madison frowns skeptically, "Maybe you can give us some advice on how to make ourselves more popular?" She says, hoping that somehow her life could be improved by involving a demon. Claire grins widely at the suggestion, while Beatrice looks equally dubious but decides not to interrupt them further.
As they continue to chat and ask questions of you, Josh, their curiosity only grows stronger. The basement feels less claustrophobic now that they've managed to engage in conversation with this strange entity who claims to be a demon... but for how long will their luck hold out?
Oh, I see. Well, I’d be happy to lend you a magic hand. How exactly would you like to be more popular?
Madison's face lights up at the thought of being more popular. "Well," she says eagerly, "maybe we could use your magic to make us better at sports or something? You know, impress everyone at school?" The other girls nod in agreement; they could definitely see the appeal in that idea.
Jasmine crosses her arms and leans against a wall, eyeing you suspiciously but unable to resist getting involved in this increasingly intriguing conversation. "But we'd want you to do it without hurting anyone," she says cautiously.
Claire grins mischievously, "Yeah, and maybe give us some cool demon powers too? That'd be so awesome!" Ellie nods eagerly in agreement; the idea of having supernatural abilities was more exciting than anything else they'd ever dreamed of. Beatrice, however, still looks unconvinced but doesn
Unfortunately the powers thing I can’t do, but I could make you better at sports.
The girls exchange excited glances, already imagining the ways their lives would change if they were suddenly the best at sports. They could easily skip out on gym class and win all the bets they ever made! Jasmine decides to push her luck even further, "So you're sure it wouldn't hurt anyone or anything? And we won't have to do anything weird in return?"
Ellie nods along with Jasmines questions. She too is worried about getting into any trouble or hurting people. Claire gives Ellie a knowing smirk and rolls her eyes, she's starting to get impatient with all these questions. "Come on guys, let's just enjoy this!"