Scott held the harrex aloft and shouted the word, "averti!" He could feel the harrex begin to vibrate in his hand, as if a great stored power was trapped within. The harrex ripped itself from Scott's grasp and flew into the air. It twirled around the room as if caught in the tidal forces of a maelstrom, tumbling end over end. Scott and Carrie both took cover when a white-hot bolt of electricity shot from the harrex, shattering Scott's new bedside lamp. When more bolts began striking randomly around the room, Scott quickly dove behind his dilapidated recliner, covering his head with his hands.
The wind whipped around him with a deafening roar. Then, just as he felt the entire room was going to blow apart, everything became eerily quiet. When it became obvious that nothing further was going to happen, he risked taking a peek from his hiding place. He cautiously unfolded himself from his defensive huddle and peered out from behind his chair.
Scott scanned the room, looking for the harrex, but it seemed to have vanished. Then, he saw it: it was completely stationary, about seven feet from the floor. As Scott looked on, a silent beam of light emitted from the harrex and struck the floor. The light split and the two beams began to move away from each other. In the gulf between the beams stood a roaring, roiling wall of flame. Lightning licked the floor as the beams moved farther apart and fire played along the edges of the ethereal gate. Once the gate had widened enough for a traveler to pass, the beams froze in place.
A hot wind blew out of the fiery gate, sending papers and loose debris skittering across the floor. The wind was then sucked backed into the gate, as if the structure were taking a huge breath. But that was not what confounded Scott; the flames seemingly began to sink into the gate. As the flames receded, they appeared to cool, until a long, dark corridor could be seen, stretching off into what appeared to be infinity.
Scott blinked twice. He had of course seen this gate before, but never like this. When Miln had opened the gate, there had been wind and fire, but nothing of this magnitude. It was as if the gate was unaccustomed to being opened by one such as he.
To his right, he saw Carrie rising up behind the ruffled bedding.
"What the hell is that thing?" she said, her voice quivering. She backed up against the far wall, her eyes fixed onto Scott. "And what the hell are you?"
Scott seemed not to notice Carrie for a moment, transfixed by the magical gate that stood in the center of his bedroom. Carrie, wide-eyed and trembling, was less interested and kept her distance.
Scott turned to see Carrie, her naked body pressed against his bedroom wall. "That's a gateway," he explained, thumbing toward the shimmering gateway of fire.
"A gateway?" Carrie asked, bewildered.
"Yeah. To where exactly, I don't know."
Carrie's eyes darted from him, to the gateway, and back. "Why would you open it if you don't know where it leads?" she asked, now more confrontational than scared.
"Because there is someone on the other side that will know what is happening to me," he replied. "And she better have a damn good explanation."
"Her?" she asked. Scott detected a bit of jealousy in her voice.
"A, uh, woman named Miln," he clumsily explained.
She contorted her face as the word "Miln" rolled out of her mouth. "What kind of name is that?"
"I have no idea," Scott said, shrugging. "But you can ask her when we get there. Get dressed."
"I'm not going through that thing," she said, pressing against the wall.
Scott quickly walked over and put his hands on her shoulders. She tried to hit him, but he restrained her.
"Look," he said as she struggled. "You may be mixed up in this now, too, so you probably should come with me."
"No," she said. Her face told him that he was crazy. It was probably right.
"Get dressed," he repeated. He released her and began to slip into his clothes.
Carrie didn't move.
"Are you coming with me?" Scott asked when he realized Carrie wasn't dressing.
Scott turned and watched the flames curl up around the mouth of the gateway, like tiny tongues licking lips. He immediately dismissed that imagery from his thoughts and turned back around.
Carrie still wasn't dressed.
"Come on," he said impatiently. Scott quickly gathered Carrie's clothing and shoved them into her arms. Before she could protest, he grabbed her hand and rushed forward into the gate with her in tow.
As Scott stepped into the portal, the bedroom disappeared behind him. He was literally standing in nothingness. Inky blackness stretched as far as the eye could see in ever direction. Carrie was with him, holding on to his hand so tightly that he knuckles were white. He looked back, wondering how he could return to his house.
"Too late for that," he thought.
Scott closed his eyes and took another step forward. The inky blackness immediately evaporated and he found himself standing in a large chamber. Scott turned around just in time to see the gate wink out of existence. There was nothing on this side of the gateway to indicate a way back. Hopefully he hadn't just made a one-way trip.
"Are you okay?" he asked Carrie.
As if in response, Carrie wrenched her hand free and then punched Scott in the shoulder. "Ass."
* * *
It had been an exhaustingly dull night's work thus far for the succubus who called herself Miln. Through a shadowy gateway linking our world and hers, she stepped into what could only be called her home. Sure, it was in the pits of Hell, and it could get loud sometimes, especially when there was a huge influx of new Damned, but it was home never the less.
Miln snapped her fingers, closing the portal behind her. Turning to throw her satchel on the large bed-like structure in the middle of the room, she paused. It's not easy to surprise a succubus, but she was surprised none-the-less. "Scott?"
"Um, hi," he said, waving weakly.
Miln quickly looked around to make sure no one else was in earshot. "You shouldn't be here," she said in a loud whisper.
Scott walked over to Miln. "I had to see you. I've been having these strange feelings. There's been some – I'm not sure how to put this – developments.
There was a commotion behind the bed. Carrie emerged a moment later, trying to slip into her dress.
"And she really shouldn't be here," Miln said flatly. "Who is this?"
"This is Carrie," Scott said, pulling Carrie close.
Compehension dawned across Miln's face. "Oh, she's your first," she said in an excited whisper.
"First? First what?" Carrie said, backing away. "Scott, what is she talking about?"
"I don't know," Scott replied. "What are you talking about, Miln?"
Before Miln could answer, a convulsion shook Scott's body. It felt as if his insides were trying to become his outsides and vice-versa. Scott collapsed onto his knees, doubled over. Miln rushed to his side to stabilize him before he fell over completely.
"Okay, mister. I'm going to explain, but not here and not now," Miln said quickly. "You need to come with me."
"What's wrong with him?" Carrie asked, staying at a distance.
"Nothing a good fuck won't fix," Miln replied. Miln looked at Carrie. "You're staying here, missy. You've done enough for one night."
"The hell I am," Carrie said defiantly.
In a darkened corner of the room, a doorway slid open and a slim figure entered the room, silhouetted by the light outside.
"It's funny you say that," Miln said with a wicked smile. "Arael?"
From the shadows the figure emerged, dressed in a long, gossamer gown of the richest emerald Carrie had ever seen. The creature was a woman, or at least female, as far as Carrie could tell. The dress hung loosely on Arael's shoulders, clinging seductively to her gorgeous breasts. Arael had perfect, light red skin with long obsidian hair, and twinkling eyes. Long horns protruded from her luscious hair and swept back, following her scalp.
"You've brought me a new play-thing," Arael said.
Arael's voice made Carrie's skin crawl. It sounded as if multiple women were fighting to speak simultaneously, phasing in and out.
"Hello, human," Arael said, stroking Scott's chin with her long black fingernails as she passed.
"Nugggh," was all Scott could muster.
"Arael, you keep our new friend here company while Scott and I get Scott a bite to eat," Miln said.
"Mmm, fresh meat," Arael said, licking her lips as she approached Carrie.
Miln quickly drew a strange pattern in the air with an outstretched finger. When she'd finished, strange glyphs glowed in the air where she had been gesturing. After a moment a fiery portal opened with a rush of air, the air crackling with energy.
Scott had regained some of his strength and stood, wearily, using Miln for support. "Where are we going?"
Miln put a cream white finger to his lips. "I'm not spoiling the surprise now," she said mischievously. To Arael, she said "Play nice."
"Oh, we will," Arael replied. She ran her fingers through Carrie's long hair.
Carrie, on the other hand, had backed up against the wall and wanted no part of it.
Miln grasped Scott's arm with a milky hand. "Let's go." Together, they stepped into the portal.
The portal was different than the one Scott had traversed earlier. There was a clear path of stone laid out in front of them, which stretched for several feet straight ahead. In all directions stars shone, as if they were walking inside the vast ocean of space. Scott realized quickly that the passageway only appeared to be a passageway, but looking anywhere else other than straight ahead broke the illusion. After several feet they emerged from the other end into a nicely trimmed bedroom. The portal closed with a swish of air.
Almost immediately Scott was struck from behind by something heavy. He went down on the ground with a grunt, cradling his head. Miln wheeled around to see a woman standing behind him, holding a fireplace shovel in her hands. Miln quickly took in her appearance: young woman, olive skin, well built, athletic, attractive – for a human.
At the sight of Miln the woman promptly dropped the shovel and reached for a pistol that was snugged into the waistband of her pants. Miln quickly snatched the pistol from the woman's hands with inhuman speed, bent the barrel, and then held it out to the woman. The woman looked at it with horror as it dangled there between Miln's forefinger and thumb.
The woman somersaulted to the left, behind a large plush chair, and quickly tore away the back of the chair exposing a sawed off shotgun. She aimed it squarely at Miln's chest and pulled the trigger. Miln went flying backwards with the force, her body turning to dust as it hit the floor.
Almost immediately a new portal opened and Miln stepped out. The woman screamed, fired again, blowing Miln to dust again. In disbelief, the woman watched as yet another portal opened and the same demon appeared again.
"Really? Shooting me once wasn't enough?" Miln said as she emerged.
As if to answer that question, she shot her again. Yet another portal opened and the succubus stepped through again.
"Seriously, that last one really hurt. Ouch," Miln said feigning an injury.
