Sweat stung angry evergreen eyes as a flushed cheek pressed uncomfortably against the dirt-coated worn oak flooring. Puffs from aching, laboring lungs pushed motes of dust into the air, swirling around in an enchanting dance in the midst of the pandemonium.

"Stupid mortal!" A baritone voice growled.

Loud crunching and splintering sounds reverberated through the rundown two-story home as the tiring figure on the floor squirmed uselessly once again; unable to flee from the pressure covering his back - painfully pinning him to the ground for the last few hours.

"I command you leave this earth, in the name of-," he wheezed as the air was pressed from his lungs like a fireplace puffer.

Sulphuric breath burned across the angry demon hunter's face, lacerating his nose and lungs as the misty dark shadow figure spat at him, "Not in my house!"

The tired human panted in an attempt to keep from blacking out as the crushing load remained ever vigilant.

After long, excruciating minutes, the suffocating mist asked, "Are you ready to agree to my terms?"

The figure was exhausted and asked breathlessly, "Once a year?"

A victorious note could be heard in the answer as the demon knew it was breaking the Hunters will - finally, "Yes."

With great reluctance, the human sighed out, "It's a deal."

"It's a deal, who?" The demon hissed.

"It's a deal - Zozo."

Loud chuckling surrounded the man before the hot room dropped in temperature, and the pressure vanished from the exhausted humans' form. Everything went dark.

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BOOM!

The avocado hued cabinet the hunter slumped against violently shook, jolting him awake. Evergreen eyes fearfully scanned the surrounding dust-covered kitchen.

Stinging cuts zipped along his arms as dizziness tried to keep him from moving - feeling as if he'd been hit in the head. Using the counter as a brace, his wobbly form slithered up to a precarious standing position all while taking slow, steadying breaths.

Nausea rocked his stomach as he glared at the empty spirit bottle laying on its side with a look of betrayal crossing his unshaved features.

As his eyes landed on the door that led to freedom, visions of pulling the keys out of the rusted metal lock, flooded through his mind. Remembering how they jangled noisily together when dropping to the ground, he felt numb, that he wasn't in control of his body as if it was on autopilot.

The cobwebs in his mind began clearing, and he recalled being followed inside the house by a scantily dressed female.

"What kind of shit hole place is this, Baby?" The old floorboards creaked under the voluptuous brunette's weight as she teetered on her spiked heels looking the man over like he'd lost his mind.

"It's home."

"I don't care what you call it, I ain't fucking you here! Not even for double my regular pay." She stumbled forward a few steps before righting herself once more, "Wow, that drink was stronger than I realized."

Behind her, wiggling shadow fingers eerily misted across the splintering floors, walls, and blanketed the room with the smell of rot and decay. The whore shivered as the dark tendrils coiled up her bare legs, freezing her in place.

"Let me get you some water," The hunter offered lamely as he slowly stepped backward, wanting more than anything to get out of the room before the mist did more to the female than make her cold.

Her brown eyes grew wide with fear as she wiggled around uselessly, "What's going on?"

Her blood-red nailed fingers clamped onto him in a death grip - tearing into his exposed weathered forearms.

"I'll be right back," He said in an attempt to keep the doomed woman from panicking before making a clean escape. He jerked his arm free and shook his head with a look of regret crossing his world-weary face.

"Wait," She whimpered fearfully at the retreating flannel-clad man as she freed herself from the mist and followed him.

He quickly stepped out of the room and braced his body against the worn wooden door; not wanting to face the powerful demon for fear that it would harm him as well.

His heart slammed painfully into his ribcage. Taking several long breaths to try and calm down and not throw up, he quickly crossed himself while pulling the rosary from his shirt and began mumbling prayers.

The doorknob twisted, and she banged loudly against its rotting wooden surface, "Let me out of here!"

Suddenly, the woman's banging stopped and tearing of cloth, painful screams followed by crying and begging for mercy filled his ears. He made his way to a cabinet and pulled a glass and bottle of Jack Daniels from the shelf.

The smell of sulfur and feces permeated the air as he downed one shot after the next - waiting for the noises in the next room to end.

He stared at the door that would release him into the real world, wishing that it would open so he could flee from the nightmare. He'd have left immediately but knew the door handle would scorch his hand if he touched it before being released by the gluttonous entity.

As time dragged on, he became more and more intoxicated - eventually backing out.

The heavy feeling that always overcame the house when the demon was active had dissipated and the noxious odors cleared.

"See you next time - Hunter!"

The door to the house swung open. Without wasting a moment, he grabbed the heavy duffel bag and ran to his truck.

Sliding the key into the ignition, he sat there shaking uncontrollably before bursting into fits of laughter.

He picked up his phone, "Call Jamie."

The phone rang three times before it was picked up, "You still alive?"

"Yep, it's time to go to the bank and deposit this load!"

"Are you ever gonna kill that thing?"

"Why would I dispose of something that gives me more money than the job to take him out offered? Plus I get to bring him trash from the streets to dispose of. It's a win-win."

"I know that originally you agreed to the terms because you were afraid that you'd die, but I'm starting to think you like this too much."

The hunter huffed before realizing his friend may have a point; he had come to enjoy picking the women, hearing them scream for mercy when the demon had its way with them. But above all, he loved how alive and powerful it made him feel to play god with other people's lives.

"Maybe."

Clicking his phone off, a sadistic smile pulled at his wrinkled lips. He lit a smoke and took a long drag while staring at the rundown two-story house, "Until next time, Zozo."

↭☩☩↭

Word count: 1135

Entry for the Paranormal contest, "The Demon Pact."

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She had no idea what this was for, but when I asked her to read it, she said YES!

The following is from Lady_Rhey, my wonderful friend who's kind words of encouragement will be something I will be forever grateful for, as well as the time she spent helping me on multiple projects. She's a blooming writer with a poetic soul with a pirates veracity, and I enjoy her opinions and company. I encourage everyone to go check out her works and give some feedback to a person who deserves to be recognized for her generosity.

Thank you, my Lady! I'm blessed to have met you on this journey. ♥️

↭☩☩↭ I love this concept. The beginning feels incomplete only because I want more of the dynamic that caused the contract between the two. I think there needs to be a discussion (even a sentence or two) about what initiates the hunter to track down this particular demon. As of now (much like I feel with Blood Wars) the story starts in the middle. Definitely run with this even if it is a short story. ↭☩☩↭