Never make a deal with a demon.
I was never really a popular kid, usually being bullied most days at school. I didn’t have friends either for as long as I could remember. I was basically an outcast no one really liked or bothered to talk to unless it was to make fun of me. Due to my unfortunate circumstances, my mom and I moved to a small town in Massachusetts, where hopefully this would be a new start for me. Hopefully I would be able to actually make some friends if not at least one friend. I was a nice and honest person, never wanting to do wrong by anyone, but since I wasn’t the most attractive kid, and had these God awful round glasses that made me look like an owl with braces, I was the perfect target for bullies. I was about 5’6” tall with a slender frame, not very athletic, but I made due with what I was given in life physically, and long wavy black hair. Like I said I was sort of an odd ball, but no one knew me here so things should be different, well at least I thought things would have been.
It was my first day of 11th grade at this new school where I knew no one, and I was honestly very anxious to find out what was in store for me there. Luckily the first day happened to be on a Friday, so at thr very least I had the weekend to relax before an actual full week of school, so that calmed me down a bit. That morning I drove myself to school in my old beat up 2005 station wagon my grandparents had gifted to me for my 16th birthday last spring and parked on the far back left side of the school parking lot, as if to prolong my inevitable crossing of the threshold that were the school doors. I took a puff of my inhaler, got out of my car and began to walk unhurriedly towards the school building, feeling the heavy unceasing pressure of fear and anxiety weighing down on my chest like a sack of bricks. I was wearing a black unzipped swearshirt with my favorite ACDC shirt, blue jeans that seemed a bit tight on my legs, and some basic looking converse knock offs that I bought from Walmart. Over my shoulder, against my waist I was carrying my satchel with a Star Wars pin attached to the left side of it, and my embroidered initials (L.J.W.) which stood for Larson John Walker, in the center of my satchel.
Hopefully things were going to be different here. Hopefully I was going to actually have a good school year for once in my life, but unfortunately I was wrong. As I walked up to the doors of the building I was greeted by a group of three football jocks who were waiting at the entrance seemingly giddy that there was some new prey waiting to be pounced on. “Well well well, who do we have here”? Asked the bigger jock out of the three. Already seeing where this is going I just tried to walk by them with out saying a word, but had been blocked off abruptly by the other two guys that were with the big one. The bigger guy continued, “Why the big hurry? We still have 15 minutes until homeroom, I’m just trying to get to know you is all. What’s your name?”
I could already feel my legs trembling and my heart in my throat at this point, but I reluctantly turned towards the bigger guy and croaked out my name. “ Uhh my name is Larson, Larson Walker” I said shakily. “See that wasn’t so hard now was it? My name is Vinny, and those two behind you are Will and Franky” Vinny said in a antagonizing manner. “Uh nice to make your acquaintance, but I really have to go and get to homeroom now” I said still fearful, hoping they would leave me be. “Yea, ok we’ll let you go in, but first you gotta pay the entrance fee” Vinny said with a smirk. “Entrance fee?” I asked. “Yea, how much money you have on ya?” Vinny grilled. “I only have a ten dollar bill for lunch and drinks if I needed to buy a water” I said knowing that I’m probably going without food today. “Hand it over now!” Vinny coaxed aggressively. I pulled the ten dollars out of my pocket and handed it over to Vinny sheepishly, hoping this was the end of this situation. “Thanks Larson, I really appreciate it, we’ll be seeing each other very soon. Now get out of my sight” Vinny growled as he punched me in the stomach so hard that I fell to the ground with my breathe knocked out of me, and walked off with the other two goons laughing.
“What a great way to start off the school year” I thought to myself sarcastically. I slowly got up, caught my breath, dusted off my pants and made my way to homeroom, already upset and depressed that so far nothing was different at this school compared to my old school. The rest of the day I kept to myself and didn’t say much of anything after my altercation with Vinny. At lunch I sat by myself and seeing as I had no money for lunch I just sat there and listened to music while looking down at the table gloomily. “Today couldn’t get any worse” I thought to myself, but I was sorely mistaken and things did in fact get much worse for me. As I was finishing my hapless first day of school, I walked though the school doors and made my way to my car. I was glad that the school day was over, but as I got closer to my car I noticed that my windshield had been smashed, tires slashed and the phrase “See you soon Larson” etched into the side panel of my car door. I was devastated and began to cry. “I thought this would have been a new start for me, I thought things would be different here. Why is this happening to me? Am I cursed” I sobbed to myself. After I had gotten my car towed ad gathered my things, I began my long trek home. I lived about 5 miles away from the school so it would take some time before I made it home.
As I started my walk home, I noticed Vinny and his goons were staring and pointing at me from a distance. I began to pick up my pace. I looked back and saw that they had started towards me. I became frantic and started to run, but my athleticism let me down because before I knew it they had caught up to me and stopped me in my tracks. “What’s the big rush Larson? You trying to run from us?” Vinny asked mockingly. “Look, I don’t want any trouble, I just want to go home” I stammered shakily. “Now, now Larson, you can’t go home yet. We’re all going to hang out for a little bit” Vinny sneered, as Will and Franky grabbed me by my arms and began to drag me into the woods. “Guys you don’t have to do this, wasn’t my money and car enough?” I uttered with a scared and trembling voice. At this point my heart was in my throat and I was terrified for dear life. “We’re just going to show you what we do to people we don’t want in our school” remarked Vinny as we got deeper in the woods. “We think kids like you give our school a bad reputation, and we definitely don’t need anymore useless pathetic losers around here” Vinny snarled.
After what seemed like forever we stopped and they threw me to the ground. Before I could react, Will, the smaller of the group picked me back up and held me in a headlock. “Please don’t hurt me!” I whimpered with tears in my eyes. “Don’t worry Larson, this’ll be over quickly” Vinny said fiercely as he punch ed me in the face with what seemed to be the force of a small moving train. After that I was thrown down again and they all began to beat on me relentlessly until I was left all bruised and bloodied. After that Vinny spit on me and with one final kick they left me on the ground crying and injured without saying a single word.
I laid there, writhing in pain, wondering why I deserved such treatment. It was only my first day at this stupid school, but this was the worst I’ve ever been treated by anyone in my life, ever. Sure, I’ve been made fun of and smacked around, but not like this. I hadn’t done anything to anyone, I never have. I’ve always kept to myself, never getting in anyone’s way, but for some reason it felt like I was brought into this existence to suffer and be tormented. It was as if there was a demon following me, manipulating my very reality into a living hell, causing me only grief and despair. I didn’t deserve this. I didn’t deserve any of this. It was at this very moment that i felt that my mind and soul finally had been shattered into a million pieces, unable to be put back together. I didn’t feel sad anymore. I didn’t feel any emotion at all. I just continued laying there, feeling empty and desolate. I no longer cried. I was no longer sad. I no longer felt anything. Only the feeling of pain radiated through every part of my broken body. And so, after what seemed like an hour or more of me laying on the ground, I picked myself up gathered my things and headed home.
It was around 5:00pm when I finally made it home. My mother looked at me with shock as I walked in with blood all over my face and clothes. “What, what happened to you honey, and where’s your car?!” she cried with a worried look on her face. “I don’t want to talk about it, I just want to go clean up and go to bed.” I said as I walked passed her with vacant eyes, not even making eye contact with her. I didn’t want to get into it with her and I didn’t need her to worry about me anymore than she already has. “I’ll be alright. Don’t worry Mom, I love you.” I said solemnly and walked up the stairs towards the bathroom to wash the dried blood off of my face. As I began washing my face, I heard a voice speak to me. “Are you really going to let them get away with what they did to you Larson?” Said the voice. “Who said that?” I asked startled. I looked up at the mirror above the sink to see my reflection, but the strange thing was it looked as if my reflection was staring back at me, and then it spoke again to me in a gutteral deep voice, “I think it’s time you stick up for yourself Larson. Do you really want to be a punching bag for the rest of your life?” I looked at my reflection, now with a dismal look across my face and I finally responded “What would I be able to do about Vinny and his goons? They’re bigger, stronger, and tougher than me, and I’m just a small weak nerd who doesn’t have anyone to help.” “I can help you Larson.” He said through the mirror now having new appearance, his true appearance.
His skin was grayish blue, eyes as black as night, mouth filled with sharp jagged teeth, almost like that of a great white shark, and two dark ram horns protruding from his forehead just above his temples. “I’ve been watching you for sometime Larson, and I don’t envy you. You have had a hard life, dealing with a lot of pain and suffering, but after I saw what had happened to you today, I figured you’d finally want to grow a pair and do something about it. So do you want my help or not?” The creature now pressing for an answer. I wanted revenge for what happened to me today more than ever. I wanted to make Vinny feel how I did, I want to hurt him and his friends. I wanted blood. “Yes, help me hurt them like they hurt me today, no matter what it takes.” I said, blood intensly boiling through my veins. “Good boy. Now then, let’s make a deal. I’ll help you take care of those three boys who hurt you, but in return I would need a soul. Now it can be any soul really, just as long as I get one once the job is finished.” He grinned menacingly while putting his hand through the mirror to shake on it. “Do we have a deal?” He asked intently. I thought for a minute then responded “Yes we have a deal, just as long as you don’t steal my mother’s soul”,worried that he would steal the soul of the only person that loved me in this cruel accursed world. “You have my word” He said, still bearing his teeth with a wide inhuman smile.
I believed him, blinded by my bloodlust and hatred for Vinny, Will, and Franky, creature, but at this point I really didn’t care what happened anymore, as long as I got the retribution I deserved, so I reached out, and shook his hand without anymore hesitation, sealing the deal. As soon as we locked grips, a hot rush of intense electrifying energy rushed through my veins, enveloping my whole body like a blanket of needles. I fell to my knees in a daze, having to catch my breathe after feeling such vitality go through my being. I picked myself up slowly, feeling a bit shaky from what just happened. I looked at the creature, who was now next to me, on my side of the mirror and asked him, “What did you do to me?” He now loomed over me, his face contorted with what seemed to be a vicious excitement, and responded, “Well Larson, I just gave you some of my abilities is all. Now you’ll be able to do anything you desire to those ruffians without any human limitation holding you back. You are basically what you humans like to call, a demon” looking satisfied with himself, and began to slowly dematerialize in front of me into a black fog that finally vanished. “I will still be close by Larson, so please put on a good show for me, and once the job is done, I’ll be back to claim my payment” he bellowed, his voice ringing through my ears as if he was now in my head speaking, and then the room became silent.
I was now alone in the bathroom, my reflection back to normal, except I noticed that now my vision was blurry while wearing my glasses. I took them off to realize that I could see clearly without them over my eyes. I was surprised, but assumed it was just one part of having the powers of the damned. I wondered what else was different about me and discerned that all my cuts, bruises, and pain were gone as well. Excited by this, a thought came to mind, “he said I was no longer bound by my earthly constraints, so that must mean I can do much more with the powers I’ve just obtained.” Thinking this, I soon realized It was now very late and shuffled to my room, feeling exhausted from today’s events.
That night I slept the best I have in years, ready to see what the full potential of my new abilities were in the morning. By the time I woke up, it was 10:34 a.m. that Saturday. I sprung out of bed, ate the breakfast my mom had left me before she went off to work that morning, and was ready to run a few tests. I went outside into my backyard where I had plenty of space to do what I wanted to do. It was fenced off all around, so no one would be able to see or bother me while I figured out my abilities. After a few hours of trying out whatever I could think of, I was pleased to find that I had a vast array of skills that the demon had given me. To list off a few of the major ones, I found that I could use telekinesis, shape shift however I’d like, create pocket dimensions that I could go in and out of at anytime, and now had ungodly strength that could be compared to that of Hercules. This was very exciting for me, but as the day got later things began to get a bit weird.
I started getting uncontrollably angry and it felt as if I had no command over my thoughts. I began reliving what had happened to me the day prior, and a sort of bloodlust came over me. I started thinking about how much I really hated Vinny and his goons, excited about what I was going to do to them. My blood had begun to boil, eyes flickering red, my mind seething with a bloodthirsty rage that needed to be quenched like a roaring fire burning its way through a house. It felt my like my whole figure was going through some type of dark metamorphosis that was over taking every ounce of my being, turning me into a ferocious beast hellbent on inflicting the pain I’ve felt my entire life on those who have hurt me on this God forsaken earth.
I was becoming something evil by nature, almost like I was beginning to get trapped in my own body. I was worried that maybe I’ve made the wrong choice, maybe I should have thought things through before making a deal with that demon. I became very anxious with this thought and decided to go to my room to relax for a while and steady my nerves as best as I could, but things started to get even more worse for me. I looked into my door mirror, noticing that I looked much different from when I last saw my reflection the night before. I saw what looked like small horns beginning to grow out of my head, my skin looked more pale than usual, resembling the color of ash from a fire. My eyes were considerably sunken in and my eye color was now a dark gray instead of their usually brown color I was so used too. I looked down at my hands to see that my nails have grown in length and into razor sharp points. I was scared to say he least.
All I wanted was to be able to defend myself and inflict those bullies the fear that they had inflicted on me, but this was much more than I thought would happen. “What’s wrong Larson? You don’t like the gift I have given you?” a voice growled from behind me. I jumped in shock to realize that the demon I had made the deal with, had appeared out of nowhere, still wearing his horribly menacing grin, mouth full of those sharp dagger like teeth. “This isn’t what I thought would happen,” I spoke shaken by all the changes that had happened to me, “I thought you would just help me take care of Vinny and his crew”. “I have helped you Larson. Now you can do whatever you want to them without the fear of being overpowered. I recall saying the words that you wanted whatever it takes to do so” He said slyly, standing over me by at least a whole foot. “I didn’t mean like this!” I shouted at him now beginning to get furious, feeling like I was tricked. “Don’t you dare shout at me, you ungrateful little shit!” He roared terrifyingly, his voice echoing through my head like a megaphone. “You’re lucky I don’t drag you down to the depths of Hell and burn you alive for all of eternity. Don’t you ever think you can stand to me you pathetic little worm” He fired at me with a grizzly look that would give even the boogeyman shivers down his spine.
I shook my head upset with myself that I made this deal in the heat of the moment and said “I want to call the deal off. This isn’t what I thought it would be,” tears began to fill my eyes. “It’s impossible to call off the deal Larson, as soon as you shook my hand the deal was finalized, and now you need to do what is expected of you or I finish the job myself” He scolded me fiercely like a drill instructor holding me up against a wall by my throat. I began to cry,, “ I refuse to do it! I won’t listen you!” I shouted through clenched teeth. He looked at me for a second, then after made the most horrifying demented face I have ever seen in my life. His eyes rolled back into his head, teeth grew about 6 in. in length with his jaw unhinging like that of a snakes, his face contorted into something that would drive even the bravest of men mad with fear. He leaned close to my face, looking at me with demonic grin and stated with a menacing hiss, “Well I guess I’ll have take care it myself now won’t I?
After that I found myself engulfed pitch darkness, and was strapped to what felt like an old wooden chair. A dim spot light flashed onto me from above and I saw a small television sitting in front of me eerily, with a static screen flickering every few seconds. Then the demon’s voice spoke, filling the entire space that I was in. “I tried to be nice Larson I really did, but now I guess you’ll have to enjoy the show from your own eyes.” I shuttered and asked him confused, “What do you mean?” My voice echoing through what seemed to be infinite darkness. There was no answer, but suddenly the television focused and I could see a room in the image. The blood drained from my face when I realized the room i was looking at was my room. Then the image shifted towards my closet mirror to see that I was the one standing in the reflection. The reflection stood there for a second, but then in a nightmarish fashion, it’s face contorted into a freakish mess of melting flesh, finally turning into the demons face, and he waved as if he was looking at me through the television.
I gasped and tears began to well up in my eyes, feeling completely helpless, I sat there and cried knowing very well what is going to come next or so I thought. I heard the door open and close from downstairs and realized my mom had just gotten home from work. The demon’s face went back to looking like mine and left the sight of the mirror. Now all I could see was what he could see with my eyes. He made his way downstairs and greeted my mom as if he were me, but then without any hesitation, he began to strangle her right before my eyes. She tried screaming but only sounds of muffled gags came out. She clawed at my arms desperately trying to free herself from his grip until after a few minutes her arms went limp and her eyes were vacant. He let go and she fell to the floor lifeless, finally turning his hand into what looked like a machete and chopped her head clean off. Blood pooled everywhere on the dinning room floor, and as I sat there watching what had just happened, I broke down even more, beginning to lose my mind. I shouted hysterically at the demon spit coming from my lips as a spoke, “You said you wouldn’t take her soul from her! Why did you do that to the only person that loved me?!” “I didn’t take her soul Larson,” he snickered wickedly, “I just merely took her life as compensation for you trying to break our deal, but I did not break my promise to you,” his voice booming through the dense air.
My sense of reality began to crack, trying to tell myself this had to be just one big bad dream and that I would wake up at any moment. I didn’t wake up because it was not a dream an it was all my fault. “Now I guess it’s time for me to find those naughty boys who made your first day of school so miserable,” he cackled, enjoying the pain that he had just caused me. I was speechless and sat there hopelessly knowing there was nothing I could do to stop him. “I see why you couldn’t do anything for anyone Larson. This body is completely useless without my powers,” he said mockingly as he began walking toward my school. It was probably around 2:20 p.m. seeing as my mom got home from her weekend shifts usually by 2:00 p.m., which meant football practice for my school’s team would be starting soon. I knew what he was going to do next and I was horrified. The demon teleported to the some brush that was behind the football field and watched until practice had finished at 5:30 p.m., then waited until the students from the team came back out of the school in their everyday attire.
There they were, leaving the school last was Vinny, Franky, and Will in their pleather football jackets heading towards what seemed to be Vinny’s Ford F-150 4 door. They all hopped in and began to drive. The demon seemed to have shape shifted into a flying creature and followed them through the air like a hawk stalking its’ prey to see where they were going. They pulled up into a drive way of a lavish looking house and got out of the truck, walking towards the backyard, where there was a patio and a fire place with some chairs near it. Will and Franky sat down while Vinny ran inside quick and after a few minutes reappeared outside with what seemed to be a 30 rack of budwieser. Will started the fire and they all began to start drinking. That’s when the demon flew down to the ground on the side of the house and took the normal form of my body. From where he was Vinny, Will and Franky’s backs were towards the demon as he walked towards, getting closer, and closer, until he was about 10 ft. away from them. He spoke in a cocky tone using my voice, “How’s it going assholes?”
All I could do was watch and see what happened, still completely broken after what had happened to my mother. They all turned around simultaneously, a bit stunned to see who they thought was me standing there. “Well look who we got here fellas, it’s fairy boy Larson” Vinny said. “How and why are you here Larson? Didn’t you have enough after yesterday, or did you follow us here to get your ass whooped a second time,” he continued as all three of them stood up and began walking towards my puppeted body. “You humans are all so dumb and useless, it’s wonder why any of you were created,” the demon chuckled as he walked towards them, still using my voice to speak. “Franky, go grab him so I can shove my boot down his throat,” barked Vinny, clearly annoyed now that my voice said anything to them, and that’s when it started. Franky went to go grab the demon thinking it was actually me they were going to fight, but in the instant Franky reached out to get my arm the demon’s left hand turned into a blade and sliced his arm off at the elbow. Franky fell to ground screaming, crying in agonizing pain.
This scared the other two, who at that point began to run away, but were stopped abruptly by the creature who shifted his other arm into long tentacles that stretched and wrapped them up, dragging them back towards him. He began laughing as they tried pleading with him to stop. “Larson man, we’re really sorry, please don’t kill us man, we didn’t mean what we did to you,” but fell upon deaf ears. The demon tied them up to the chairs they were sitting in with his tentacles and detaching them from his body, now reforming a new arm. “It’s a bit late for apologies unfortunately boys,” the demon beginning to cackle as he held up Franky by the back of his neck with one hand. “I think people as cold hearted as you deserve to be punished for their sins” He said now using his gutteral growl of a voice. His left hand turned into what looked like giant sickle, and while Franky d struggled in the grip of the demon, he brought the blade up and slowly glided it across Franky’s throat, blood spewing out like a water sprinkler all over Vinny and Will, who were unable to do anything but watch in horror as their friend suffered a disturbing end. The demon dropped Franky’s body to the ground and licked the blood off the blade.
Franky’s body was twitching due to the bodies nerves, his eyes now empty of all life, and Will began to throw up at the sight. Vinny was hyperventilating in fear, tears rolling down his face like a waterfall. “Now, now, the party has just begun fellas, you can’t be getting sick on me now,” the demon joked sadistically. “Now Will how do you feel about being the next one to play with me?” He asked sarcastically. I was terrified a what I was seeing, but there was nothing I could do as I was still ties to a chair in what I assumed to be a pocket dimension. All I could do is watch the television in disgust as this nightmarish event continued. “No please Larson, I’m sorry for what we did to you, please let me live!” Will begged hysterically. “Unfortunately that not how this game works,” the demon retorted with happily as he slowly walked up to Will, both his hands now in the shape of two long needles, about a foot in length each. “Some people say people bully others due to mental illnesses that they can’t control, so lets see if we can’t remedy that for you Will my boy,” the demon quipped, clearly satisfies with the torture he was about to preform. He shoved one needle in each of Will’s eyes, digging into his head. Will screamed in torment as the needles scramble the flesh of his brain and began to foam at the mouth, uncontrollably shaking on the chair he was strapped down to, seizing in a horrific manner. When the needles were yanked out both of Will’s eyeballs fell to the ground near Vinny’s feet as he watched, petrified at the site of this.
Will no longer screamed but continued to shutter eradically in his chair until finally the demon took one of the needles and shoved it into Will’s heart. After a couple minutes Will went limp, and now gazed at Vinny. “We lost another on doctor, what are we to do?” The demon teased as he began laughing in Vinny’s face with a sickening cackle, but then he continued, “Now don’t worry Vinny, you’re the main event of our little game here, and I going to do something very special to you. A big man like you deserves to have something great happen to them, something unforgettable, don’t you think?” Vinny began to cry even more and shook his head to scared to respond. All he could muster up was a whimpered,”Please don’t, please don’t Larson.” I was sick at this point and couldn’t watch anymore but something forced my head towards the television and my eyes open, then I heard from the demon’s voice echo from the darkness, “The shows not over yet Larson my boy.” Tears were streaming from my eyes and I could no longer talk.
All I could do now is finish watching this bloodbath that I had caused. The demon’s right hand contorted into a scalpel while the left hand was back to its original form. “Now, we’re going to take this nice and slow, so you have some time to think about your actions yesterday” the demon hissed viciously. He grabbed Vinny’s hair tight with his left and began to slice of his scalp. Blood rushed down Vinny’s face as a cried in anguish with a scream I would hear in my mind for the rest of my life. After he was down cutting off Vinny’s scalp he went for the ears, slicing them both off delicately as to not damage the ear itself. At this point Vinny passed out from the pain, but the demon materialized some smelling salts to wake him up. “Uh uh uhh, we’re not done yet Vinny my boy, the fun has just started” the demon said humorously. He continued towards Vinny’s lips, who was now screaming again. First the top lip was cut off and then the bottom one, and he set them down next to the scalp and ears. Vinny passed out again. “And here I thought football players were supposed to be tough and full of energy,” he said with a jovial tone. He woke Vinny back up with the smelling salts once more a started towards his eyeballs. At this point Vinny was so messed up and drowsy from blood loss, he just sat there as if unable to register anything else that was happening to him. The demon sliced out the right eye carefully then the left and placed them next to the other appendages. “Well I guess our fun is over now Vinny my boy, so I’ll end it here, leaving you free to live another day in your perfect life,” he snickered as blood covered Vinnys face and clothes, breathing heavily and then the television shut off.
The demon appeared in front of me smiling with delight. “Well that’s that. I did your dirty work Larson so you need not worry about getting your hands dirty,” he said through his disturbing contorted smile. “I didn’t want any of this to happen, you didn’t need to go the far,” I whispered, unable to process anything, my mind forever disturbed by the event. “Well what’s done is done Larson, but that leaves only one loose end that needs to be tied up. I need the soul you promised me, and since I did your job it only makes sense that I take your soul as payment.” He said with a cold tone. I looked up at him tears still filling my eyes, crying for my mom to save me, praying that this would all end, and then everything went black.