Chapter Eight

No.

No, no, no.

This couldn't possibly be happening. No, what was happening? I didn't understand. Why was Zeke just standing there? Why wasn't he doing anything? Wasn't he afraid or angry or something?

Anything?

No, he just stood there and stared at me. His expression was still pained as he stood there and Asmodeus emerged further into the room, approaching Zeke's side. He gave Zeke a thwack upside the head, making him wince.

"I obviously underestimated you, lamia," He smirked, then his eyes drifted back to me, making me stiffen, "Or maybe the little lamb. To follow someone so easily into danger, you must be a very dim-witted little boy, or just very trusting. Is there a difference?" I didn't know what to say to that. What did someone say to a demon that wasn't supposed to exist?

Then it hit me. Demon. This guy was a demon. A demon from Hell. The fear was building up into hysteria as I quickly looked at Zeke.

"Y-You tricked me?" I managed. Zeke looked as if I had slapped him.

"Matty--"

"Oh, shut up," Asmodeus ordered, casting Zeke a disgusted glare, "You've had your turn. You ought to be grateful that I haven't castrated you for touching my prey. Wasn't it you who gave him the lecture that Asmodeus the demon is possessive? Now, silence your bloody tongue."

"Got your turn," I repeated hysterically, "I'm not a fucking carnival ride! What the hell is going on here? Zeke..." I didn't even know what else to say. I was stunned. The betrayal was agonizing and terrifying at the same time. I didn't have much time to focus on Zeke, though, because Asmodeus was walking up to me. I tried to move, but all my muscles felt locked, frozen.

I held my breath as he put his finger under my chin, like Stephen always did, tilted my head to look up at him. The fear was lodged in my throat now as my eyes met his coal black ones. He leaned down, brushing his lips over mine, then across my cheek and down my throat.

I felt something sharp scrape the skin on my throat, like fangs, and I suddenly realized the danger. I gasped and tore away, taking a step back, but Asmodeus then grabbed my chin tightly and jerked me forward again. He smirked.

"Where do you think you can hide, little lamb? I know these walls far better than their own creators," He paused, then laughed in my face, "Hell, I could find you no matter where in the world you ran. Go to any country you wish, any realm you can, but I will always be waiting there for you."

"Don't touch me!" I managed, trying to push him away, but he switched his grip to a handful of my hair, making me hiss past clenched teeth. Asmodeus wheeled us around so we were facing Zeke, who stood there stiffly, his expression like stone, piercing blue eyes glowing in the dark.

"He's feisty. Glad you didn't break him in for me. I prefer them this way." He responded, giving me a shake and pull out strands of my hair. Zeke looked sick to his stomach.

"I want to leave." He managed. I stared at him helplessly. Why wasn't he doing anything?! Why wasn't he helping me? He told me he would keep me safe, why didn't he do it? Didn't he like me? Did he hate me? Is that why he did this to me?

"No," Asmodeus snorted, making Zeke grimace, "Why would I do such a thing? I love seeing you squirm knowing that once again, you've lost, lamia. Now open the door. I wish to show off my new prize." Zeke hesitated for a second, then reluctantly came forward to the tapestry.

In the meantime, I tried to writhe away from Asmodeus again, but this time, he picked me up around my torso, making me gasp as he followed Zeke to the tapestry. Zeke tore it down and revealed the door, undoing the lock with the quick flick of his hand.

"Let me go!" I cried out, trying to dig my nails into the rough arm around me, but it was near impossible and it only made Asmodeus jerk me in his arms, making me wince.

"Enough. My, my. You have claws. What are you now? A kitten?" Asmodeus smirked, then nuzzled the back of my neck, making me grow still in disgust, my nails still digging at his arms. Zeke kept his back to us, but I could see the muscles tensing in his back as he pushed the door open.

Asmodeus ducked in ahead of Zeke, who followed us and slammed the door shut behind us. My last bit of hope escaped out the door as we entered what looked like a whole new building, only underground judging from the steps.

The stone floors were far older than the ones in the actual school. The walls were also made of thick stones with huge pillars holding up the ceiling. It was basically a huge long hallway with pillars on either side, several large double doors leading to new rooms.

"Someone needs to redecorate." Asmodeus commented dryly, his eyes scanning up and down the walls. I noticed Zeke scowl out the corner of my eye, making me glare at him. He caught my eye and quickly looked away, expression hardening.

"What the hell do you want?" I demanded at last, although, I had a sickening sensation that I already knew what it was. Asmodeus chuckled.

"Patience, angelus. You'll know soon enough." He replied. I ground my teeth together, trying to dig my nails further into his flesh.

"I want to know now! What the fuck is going on? Why did Zeke bring me here? How the hell did you get here anyway?! I thought you couldn't be summoned unless--"

"I had the blood of a virgin under the full moon." Asmodeus filled in with a grin. I glared at him, confused, until Zeke spoke up, his voice cold.

"The night you came to the old wing. You did something to draw your blood out. Someone found it and used it to perform the ritual." He added in irritation. I blinked, letting it sink in before my cheeks felt hot with embarrassment.

Oh God.

I'm an idiot.

"And my, wasn't your blood sweet," Asmodeus laughed, glancing at Zeke out the corner of his eye, making Zeke grit his teeth, "It's such a full flavor, hardly metallic like most blood types. You must be an AB positive. And, of course... A very clean bloodline makes for a fuller taste."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Nothing. I just like teasing your lover." Asmodeus smirked, throwing a glance at Zeke, who just walked stiffly with a tic forming in his jaw. I glared at Asmodeus, curling my lip in repungence.

"He's not my lover." I spat. Zeke flinched and Asmodeus grinned widely now, his eyes narrowing at him.

"Oi, you hear that, lamia? Your angelus doesn't want you. Doesn't that make you feel better about giving him to me? He's far more playful than the last one. The other one was too willing." He added with a shrug. I frowned, then it hit me who he was talking about as I snapped my head to look at Zeke, who grimaced.

"Jeremiah. Jeremiah wasn't killed," I managed, watching Zeke look away from me shamefully, "You got him killed! You gave him away?"

"Don't fret, angelus," Asmodeus assured with a casual shrug as we came to a pair of double doors at the end of the long hallway, "I won't kill you like I did him. He just pissed me off. You, on the other hand, please me, and my Lord." I frowned in confusion, then watched as Asmodeus opened the door to another nightmare.

It was a huge chamber with a huge vault like door that sat across from us. Two doors were on the walls to the left and right. At the center of the large room was a group of people. It took me a moment to realize that I recognized them as school members, including Dustin.

"D-Dustin?" I managed, confused. Dustin frowned and grimaced at the same time as he glanced at Zeke, who didn't make eye contact with anyone or change his stoic expression.

No one was telling me the truth.

They'd all lied to me, betrayed me.

"Greetings, lapsus," Asmodeus greeted with a purr in his voice that vibrated his chest, in turn vibrating my back, "You've done so well. I will definitely be filing an excellent report." I heard sighs of relief, not a single face in the group remorseful for what was happening to me.

Asmodeus started toward the vault that one of the boys rushed to open, another following to help him as the door was apparently heavier than it looked.

It was open before Asmodeus got there, revealing a large extravagant room with a bed the size of my dorm room spread out with deep red sheets and blankets. Asmodeus didn't waste a second and literally threw me into the room. I gasped when I hit the side of the bed, falling to the floor in a crumple.

I panted hard, pushing myself up on my hands and knees as my back ached something awful. Panic had me scrambling to my feet quickly, though, numbing the pain as I went to leave the room, but froze as someone else joined the others out in the chamber.

"No." I heard myself whimper involuntarily.

"I'm glad to hear you've taken a liking to your new possession, Lord Asmodeus." Stephen greeted with one of those careless smiles of his. His shoes clicked on the stone steps as he entered the chamber, the door to the hallway closing behind him. Asmodeus leaned on the opening of the room, blocking my exit, his arms folded over his chest.

"Yes. He's spunky. I'll enjoy this, but I'm surprised," He admitted, pushing off the opening, "I would have assumed that you'd be the one to bring him to me, lamia." Stephen scrunched his nose up in distaste, but kept smiling despite as he stopped at the center of the room.

"Same here. Who'd think Zeke had it in him to do it again?" He asked, shrugging and looking at Zeke, who leaned against one of the pillars, looking so out of place amongst a group of stuck ups.

"Stephen?" I asked, still confused. What the hell was going on? Why were they doing this to me? What had I done for this to happen? Stephen turned at the sound of my voice, then smiled warmly as he approached, but not too close as if he were afraid Asmodeus would step on him and crush him.

"Hello, Matty. I know you're confused, but trust me. You've gained an honor many of us could only dream of and it's only going to get better." He added brightly, leaning away to glance at Asmodeus as if asking confirmation. Asmodeus narrowed his eyes, but gave a cocky smirk.

"Hmph. Don't question my judgment, lamia. I assure you he will hear of this good deed. It's one step closer to our goal." He tacked on with a shrug, glancing sideways at me. I stiffened at the sound of that.

"Let me out." I blurted. Asmodeus smirked and looked at Stephen, who turned to me, still smiling as if nothing was wrong. It reminded me the way a doctor would look at you if you told them you saw magic bunnies climbing out of a wall.

Or a giant sex demon waiting to devour you in the worst way possible.

"It's all right, Matty," He soothed, gently, "Asmodeus is called the King of Demons. He's also what you humans call an incubus."

"Y-You humans? You act like you're not human." I stammered, not liking where this was headed. Stephen smiled more now, this time parting his lips to reveal a pair of sleek sharp fangs. I felt light-headed suddenly and my knees actually buckled so I hit the floor, watching Stephen show them off for a second before shrugging, looking away.

"We aren't human. None of us are, even your precious Zeke." He added, gesturing a thumb at Zeke, who grimaced. I looked at him helplessly, then covered my ears and shut my eyes tightly.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up." I pleaded, taking deep breathes in between.

This had to be a nightmare.

None of this was really happening.

I fell asleep at mass again. Sister Mary's going to notice me any second now and hit me over the head with a ruler, then make me go to the confession booth. I'll sit there and pretend to confess my sins, then run off to play cards with Zeke and Dustin.

I'd tell them all about this psychotic nightmare, then they'd laugh and tease me like they always did. I'd sit back and never tell anyone about the erotic dreams I had between me and Zeke. He'd never know that I liked him more than a friend, though never having admitted it aloud.

I'd go back to worrying about exams and when I was able to go home and visit a family that never thought about me, never cared about me. It'd just be back to normal again.

I kept trying to tell myself this and the more I did, the more my eyes felt like they were burning. My head ached and I suddenly felt smaller.

I felt a pair of hands clasp over mine, opening my eyes to expect Sister Mary chiding me, but it was Stephen giving me that calm smile.

"Welcome to your new reality, Matthew Hamilton." He murmured, brushing his nose against mine. I only managed a pathetic whimper as he let go of me, stepping back and heading into the chamber as Asmodeus started to close the door.

A rush of adrenaline shot through me in that moment as I saw Zeke staring at me, his expression agonized, but he only stood there, waiting for the door to close on me.

But I wouldn't let it.

I scrambled to my feet and bolted for the door. Asmodeus cursed and grabbed me by the arm, tearing me backwards back into the room.

"No! Noo! Zeke, please! Please, I don't want to do this!" My voice came out as a scream, echoing off the walls and bouncing back to hit my ear drums, making them ring. Zeke stiffened, lowering his arms to his sides as he stood there, unmoving. The other members of whatever cult this was also stopped.

Dustin looked at Zeke uneasily, nibbling his lower lip. A couple of boys to Zeke's right also stopped, sharing frowns. Stephen sighed, turning to face me again, looking exasperated like a parent with a toddler.

"Stop fighting it, Matty. You should be honored. To be chosen by Asmodeus is a very special honor. He doesn't just pick random humans for this job. Then again, you're not human either." He added with a smirk. I felt cold inside and for some reason just ignored his last sentence to whimper, still uselessly pulling at Asmodeus' grip.

"Please, I don't want to do this! I'm sorry! If I did anything to you guys, I'm sorry!" I pleaded desperately. Stephen shook his head and smiled at me before gesturing for the others to move. I wailed, trying to grab for the doorway, but Asmodeus tore me backwards so hard, my feet left the ground for a split second.

I thankfully landed on the bed this time, gasping in surprise before scrambling to go for the door again, but Asmodeus slammed it shut on me, stepping out quickly so I was plunged into loneliness. My adrenaline was still pumping, though, so I ran to the door and hit my fist against it, ignoring the pain that shot up and down my arm.

"Let me out! Zeke! Zeke, please! I'm sorry! Let me out! I don't want to be here!" My voice made my ears ache as it echoed off the walls of the room. I kept screaming until my voice was hoarse and my legs were too tired to keep me up.

I slumped to my knees, leaning against the door, my nails dragging down it uselessly. I whimpered again, gritting my teeth and pressing my fists to my eyes now before screaming one last time.

I rolled so I had my back against the door, my lungs aching as I sat there and panted for breath, staring at the room.

I was alone.

Completely and utterly alone.

There was no one anymore.

No Stephen.

No Zeke.

No Dustin.

No one.

I wanted to cry. I could feel the tears burning the backs of my eyes, the sob lumping in my throat as I clawed at the stone floor, pulling myself up. I couldn't balance very well with my legs shaking, but I managed to stumble to one of the walls.

I couldn't cry yet.

I had to get out.

I didn't care who held me prisoner here.

I had to get out. And when I did, I was going to kill them. The thought struck me as silly at first before I slowly began to like the idea. My fingers ran across the stone walls, looking for something, anything to get me out of here.

The entire time, I made a list of the guys that were out in the chamber.

Zeke Borowiak, ex-best friend.

Dustin Michaels, ex-best friend.

Stephen Romero, ex-best friend and student council vice-president.

Akira Matsumoto, student council secretary.

Daniel O'Connoll, student council treasurer.

Jason Banks, student council president.

Cain Richards, the captain of the soccer team.

Abel Richards, the vice-captain of the swim team.

Roy Camburn, a member of the swim team.

Tobias Nikols, transfer student from Italy.

Three of those people I mistook as my best friends, people I thought I could trust. People I told secrets to, people I hung out with, even someone I shared a room with. The rest were kids from school that I hardly thought about. Just a bunch of normal guys that did normal things.

Not a single one of them would I have suspected to do this to me.

And not a single one of them were going to get away with it.

Just thinking about it made my blood boil over. I screamed again in rage, backing away from the wall before I grabbed one of the curtains hanging over the bed. I ripped at it hard, watching it tear from the top and fall to the floor.

I whirled around and tore the blankets off the bed, throwing them on the floor before I dug my nails into the sheets, gritting my teeth.

I wasn't going to die here.

And I wasn't going to let Asmodeus take me.

I wasn't some stupid toy or pet or prize or whatever the fuck they wanted to call me. I was just a normal human.

A really fucking pissed off normal human that wanted blood.

I had never felt this angry. It was almost enough to scare me, but I didn't let it.

All of those people betrayed me. I hadn't done anything to deserve this. I wasn't cruel or mean to any of them. They were just using me to please their stupid employer. I was tired of being made fun of. I wasn't going to let it continue.

I spun around and went back to searching the walls for some kind of secret opening. Obviously there were tons of them in the old wing, so this even older wing had to have at least one. However, the more I searched and came up empty-handed, the more I started to feel the flare in me dwindle.

There wasn't a trap door anywhere.

Not in the walls, not under the bed, not at the headboard of it either. I even started searching the floor, my fingernails broken and bloody from clawing so much.

I finally ended up curled up in the furthest corner from the door and the bed, a hand on my head as I bit into my other thumb, drawing blood that I just licked away.

My stomach was clenching with hunger, making me groan and tilt my head back against the wall. I rested my arms on my knees, grimacing.

I wonder what time it was.

We'd gone into the old wing around nine.

It took an hour for Zeke to betray me, maybe even less.

And I felt like I had searched this lonely dim room for hours trying to find some kind of emergency exit, but there was no such luck. I bit into my lower lip, trying to think quickly.

Asmodeus must have business other than using me. Was he saving me for after? If he did, I had to be ready, but how could I do that?

He was a demon.

A King of Demons. That was just the icing on the fucking cake. How was I supposed to fend off a six foot four psychotic sex-driven demon? I could just horribly disfigure myself, but I didn't have anything to do it with. The sharpest objects in the room were my fingernails until I broke them all off.

I cursed myself for it and rose to my feet, wobbling a little before I came up to the door again. I pressed my hands on it and stupidly just pushed for a second, hoping that some miracle would make the door open, but it didn't.

There was no way out and no way to fight Asmodeus back.

I guess I could take a stab at just kicking the living shit out of his balls. I cringed at the thought, cupping myself before I groaned, walking back to my corner of the room. I gathered up some of the torn blankets, leaving the rest as a pile on the floor before I made a make-shift nest in my corner.

I settled down amongst the blankets, pulling them tightly around myself as I sat there and stared at the bed.

This was all I could do.

Sit here and think; the last thing I wanted to do at a time like this.

All the plans I tried to come up with were horribly flawed. Either way Asmodeus would get to me and do whatever he wanted. All I could do was try and fight. He said he wouldn't kill me. So even if I didn't fight off his first attack, I'd live to try another plan.

I'd slip out the door with him. I'd get out. My first order of business was killing the student council and everyone else involved. Forget running for help. What could a bunch of nuns do against an all-powerful demon? No, running for help would be useless.

I ran to Zeke and Stephen for help.

And they turned their backs on me.

I couldn't trust anyone to be at my back anymore. They'd only turn around and stab me.

Even if I didn't make it out of this situation, I wasn't going down alone. I'd be taking everyone else with me.

For some reason, with that final thought, the tears started to fall. My vision blurred and became distorted as the salty tears spilled down my cheeks, riding over my lips into my mouth, down my chin and onto the blankets.

I wasn't sobbing, just crying silently. I hated myself for it, but no one was around to see me. It was just me, myself, and I.

From now on, I thought in pain, squeezing my eyes shut.

Just me.

Myself.

And I.