I frowned after having a quick scan around.
“No,” I said, making him smirk before nodding to the demon’s head.
“That’s because there isn’t one.”
Again, I seemed to be in a perpetual state of frowning, not even producing words to express my confusion.
“Huh?”
“Everything has a price, human, Eliza, and here… well, it’s your blood,” he said, emphasizing the use of my name to make his point.
“My blood!?” I practically screeched.
“In my world, your blood is your vow, and that is precisely what Lord Oblivion wants if you are to pass over into his domain.”
My eyes grew wide at this before frustration kicked in.
“Oh, for Hecate’s sake, I thought this was just a fucking nightclub!” I complained, now knowing what the price of getting inside would be, and yeah, my reluctance was obvious.
Bo grinned at this and gave me a little pat on the arm before turning around, intent on walking back toward the door we had entered through. An action he put words to, now commenting in a smug tone,
“Oh well, we tried, and that’s all that matters… now, let’s go home, get me settled in and order more pizza.”
I looked at his retreating form before glancing back to what seemed more like a demonic lion with its mouth open than the simple unlocked door I had been hoping for. It’s red, glass eyes now staring at me in a lifeless question. As if even this inanimate stone beast was mocking my fear.
So, with that in mind, I straightened my back and, before I could talk myself out of it, I suddenly plunged my hand inside its mouth, knowing this was the only way.
“Ahh!” I shouted as the mouth closed enough that I couldn’t pull my hand back out, as something solid started to lower over it from above. It was a pressure I could soon feel pressing down on my hand, forcing it to flatten inside the mouth. I could then feel the grooves beneath my palm, as if many hands had forged this handprint in stone.
“Girly… fuck, what are you doing!” Bo shouted in panic, running back over to me and trying to tug my hand out, as I, too, now wanted to be free.
“FUCK!” I screamed.
Bo was straddling my wrist directly in front of me, with his legs on either side of the beast, trying to gain leverage with his feet. He gripped my wrist and tried to tug at the same time I pulled, but it was no use. What the fuck had I been thinking? This was a mistake. It was…
“OWW!” I screamed as I felt a stabbing pain pierce my palm from underneath.
“Oh, fuck,” Bo said, knowing that it was too late as he let go of my arm, now admitting defeat.
I didn’t know what had stabbed me, but it was thankfully gone a second later. However, it wouldn’t yet release me. Not until it had gotten its precious blood. Blood that I could feel dripping down onto the stone beneath my hand, filling the handprint. Seconds later, it must have had enough, as it finally released me, making me yank my hand out quickly.
“Fuck, that hurt,” I complained, now cradling my injured hand and seeing the mark that had been left behind.
It was a strange symbol, making me realize two things. The first being that, thankfully, the cut wasn’t that deep. And the second, it hadn’t been a single point to stab me, but instead something shaped had cut me, so it now looked as if it had just branded me.
Of course, I ended up ignoring this when the stone niche and the surrounding wall suddenly started to move, now opening up to reveal a doorway, making Bo gasp.
“It… it…accepted your blood,”he gasped, as if half hoping that it wouldn’t.
I decided to ignore that part, focusing on the flames that suddenly ignited to life as if someone had just flipped a switch. Hundreds of old-fashioned lanterns hung above us, their flickering light guiding us into a hexagon-shaped lobby of sorts.
One I was now bleeding on, so I yanked a couple of tissues out of my bag and then used a scrunchy hair tie to hold them in place. I knew what I really needed was a bandage and maybe a tetanus shot, seeing as I didn’t know how many people had been stabbed by that thing before me.
As for my new surroundings, the floor had changed to black-and-gray checkered tiles, with a deep burgundy-red carpet down the middle, leading toward a pair of tall, double mahogany doors. Doors, that,like in my vision, held decorative panels. Only this time, it looked as if thousands of tiny souls at the bottom were all reaching up to the top panels, where there was a carving of a demonic figure sat upon a throne.
A figure just like the one I had seen before.
He looked like a demonic king, casting judgment with his arms spread out wide. But then the image started to split open, and those arms separated until they were out of view as the doors opened, making me gasp at the sight beyond. It was unlikeanything I had ever seen before, and I didn’t know whether to step inside or just stay rooted to the spot, staring at the place.
