Devil With Benefits (Gods & Guardians)

"I can smell them," the demon disciple says. "Delicious and pure. Sweet, like red wine."

"But without the intoxication," another snipes back.

"I did not ask you for your opinion!" the other shouts.

The two start to attack each other. Mist of their saliva lands across my cheek. I try my damn hardest not to hurl.

Another laughs like a jackass, slapping his thigh with lowly glee. "Take out your anger! Finish him off."

They seem to forget about me, rallying together nearby. "Skin them alive!"

Collectively, they squeal and screech with delight, the sound of a thousand knives scratching together, filling my head with dangerously disturbing thoughts. It's as if their presence unleashes every evil into the world, drip by drip.

If enough of them were to gather, they could release their darkness and ruin the earth forever. It really would be that easy. But their presence makes me know that they're here to find something.

"Now is the time," Ash mutters and motions forward. "Let's get the hell out of here."

If only we could get the real Hell out of here. That would solve the entire problem.

We all run forward, but it's impossible not to cause any attention. The hissing sounds of demons come from all around us, and I do what I'm not supposed to do. I shut my eyes and duck up, running full fucking speed in the direction I think is toward the car.

"Raven!" Ash shouts. "Stop!"

As I hit the edge of the cornfield and feel the warm breeze touch my arms, legs, and face, I open my eyes and see that I'm nowhere near the vehicle. Instead, my body is barreling toward an open portal.

It is black as the night. It beckons me forward.

"N-N-No!" I scream, but it takes so much effort to stop my feet from carrying me forward.

The portal is massive and dark. It's so black that it seems to eat up all of the surrounding colors. As I inch closer to it, I can feel its pull.

Inside, the world is gray and lifeless. In the distance, the trees are missing their normal green and healthy leaves. The fields are barren, and the soil looks a thousand times dead. I scream my loudest scream, but no sound comes from my mouth.

I fully step inside.

I feel weightless and without faith. It feels like nothing could possibly make a difference, that the world has always been on a path toward annihilation and apocalypse. I can see the horsemen riding in from the clouds, and the siren song of their great trumpets brings a reckoning across the land.

And the worst part is that it feels... good.

I feel like I'm staring at something made by some great energy. If all of my faculties were present, I'd know it was a work of the devil, but it's like I'm seeing the universe in an entirely different light.

I hear a voice. It's not low, but it's not high either. It's somehow a mixture of all earthly tones. I know this voice, but I can't put my finger on the direct origin.

"Give me your eyes," it demands.

I breathe in the air, and an unnatural ecstasy brings a fixed smile onto my face. "How?" I choke.

The voice turns to child-like laughter. "Reach into your sockets. Dig in with your fingers. Surely, your nails are sharp enough."

"No," I say.

"Then give me something else. I command you," it says.

An invisible hand lifts my hair and takes a few strands.

"There we are," it says. "That was easy, wasn't it?"

My eyesight starts to twist and distort. The ecstasy that felt long lasting and real has now turned into a nausea that is overwhelming. From the sky, thousands of dark souls slowly drift down. I think I can hear Ash screaming my name, but it sounds so far away now. No matter how many times I spin to find my companions, I can't find any trace of them. I can't even remember their faces.