"Why is this place all the way out here?" I asked Amanda, curious as to who builds a house in the middle of the woods. Especially in these woods.
"Jeez Louise you complain a lot," my sister teased. "I thought you liked taking hikes, Karen."
Hike? Yeah right. This is more of an expedition. "I do like hikes, but walking for 4 hours from town just to see your little 'calm place' seems a bit much," I replied. Amanda just chuckled and strolled ahead on the trail.
Why couldn't I have been born first? Then I'd have the 44 DD bust she was blessed with. Not to mention her perfect hour-glass figure, and her 6 foot height to boot. But no, I was 4 years behind and instead got average 30B's and a decent butt. And I practically stopped growing at age 15, so I'm a slender 5 feet tall. At least a couple guys found that hot enough to date me, but that's nothing compared to the men she gets.
"It's just up ahead," Amanda announced.
Finally. I can take a quick look at this place then head back home. Mom's ordering pizza and I want some of that! We made a left turn before seeing it. It was an abandoned tan house, as decayed and derelict as one could imagine. The garden was nonexistent, and the garage had collapsed. Not exactly ship shape. The strange part of it was that it looked exactly like a suburban house than a cabin. Why would anyone build this out here? Surely nobody sane.
"So this is where you go to get peace of mind?" I asked Amanda. "You'd think it would do the opposite."
She laughed at my remark. "Maybe for you, but this place helps me relieve stress. Since we are a long way from civilization, nobody can bother me out here." She had a fair point. If you wanted to have nobody around you, this would be the place to go. "Come on," she beckoned, "I think you'll like it here if you just look around the inside. You just have to get used to it." She walked up the steps to the non-existent door, and then turned to me expectantly. I rolled my eyes and followed her inside.
The place was a mess. Broken furniture, torn wallpaper, peeling paint, a shattered TV, and an old couch. Yeah, this place was NOT ship shape. "Don't worry about the glass," my sister assured me. "I swept it all out my first time here." Well at least I can go barefoot. I kicked off my shoes and left them at the door. God I hate wearing those things.
That's when I noticed another detail in the house: there was no carpet. "I guess who ever lived here wasn't a fan of Empire," I joked.
"That or this," she responded. She removed a large rug in the living room, revealing the last thing I'd expect: Two pentagrams, one large and one small.
"I first noticed them while cleaning the place. Pretty cool, huh?"
"I guess, but you're more fascinated by the occult than I."
"That's because you people are too scared of the unknown."
"Scared? I ain't scared of no chalk on the floor!"
"Prove it! Stand in one of them and I'll believe you. Maybe something will grab you and rip your skin off..."
"Fine," I responded. I walked over to the smaller pentagram, full of markings and what-have-you. I have to admit that I was nervous. What if something did happen? But if I didn't go in then Amanda will laugh at me. I took a deep breath and took a step, then another. And nothing happened. "Told you so!" I said as I give a triumphant pose.
Amanda giggled. "I guess you're not a scaredy-cat after all." I loosened up my pose. "I guess that's a good thing," she added, "You're gonna need to be brave."
Then I realized it. I couldn't move! Not my legs, not my arms. I couldn't even cry for help! I try to tell her something is wrong with my facial expressions. But all she did was grin. "Oh Karen, I'm not going to get you out of there. That would ruin the purpose." She started circling me. "You may be celebrating your birthday on the weekend, but today, at this exact hour, you were born into this world. You are 18: The exact age that he wanted you." I had no idea what was going on. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted her to laugh and have a camera crew barge in and yell "You just got Punked!" But none of that happened.
Amanda leaned forward and gave me a kiss. I was startled by this, but it was nice. I couldn't help but close my eyes and enjoy it. During the kiss, I felt her tongue touch mine and it sent me chills. It was so soft and wet. That's when I felt something leave her mouth and enter mine. It felt like mist or smoke. She drew away from the kiss and looked at me. I gasped a little as I felt that thing spread throughout my entire body. It didn't hurt or anything. It just felt strange, like it was doing something to my body that I didn't understand. She laughed at the face I made. "I remember that feeling too," she said.
She walked over to the larger pentagram. "I've been with him for a long time, ever since I turned your age. Even though I have served him well, he has been more interested in you." I didn't understand what she was talking about. Who was she talking about? What did she mean by "serve?" Why is she doing this to me? She didn't give an answer, of course; rather she got on her knees and began chanting in a language I was unfamiliar with. I had a bad feeling about this.
Suddenly black smoke gathered around the room. It was thick and musty, but didn't bother me at all. Maybe because of the paralyzed state I was in. Before I could ponder any further, a fiery orb emerged from the pentagram, hovering above it. When Amanda completed her chant, the orb expanded into a portal. From the portal came fire, searing heat, cries of agony, and the smell of sulfur. A shadow appeared and walked through the flames, until it stepped through into our world. Like that, the portal closed, but the smoke remained.
Amanda greeted the shadowy creature like an old friend. "Master Aknar, a pleasure to see you again."
The silhouette's voice was harsh and strong. "Amanda, my faithful servant." I couldn't see him clearly from the smoke, but my sister probably could. She was looking up at him like a cheerleader would to the quarterback. Now I was curious as to what the thing looked like, almost forgetting my situation.
Amanda then spoke. "You remember our agreement, yes?"
The creature responded. "Of course. As soon as I am finished with her, you will have your wealth. Now leave us, before I change my mind." Every word he spoke sent chills down my spine. It was as if each syllable was rubbing against all across my skin. I was getting wet. I couldn't help it, even though the situation felt wrong.