The Sorted Embers

The sun finished its descent and left darkness in its wake. Along the sidewalk street lights flickered into life, their harsh beams illuminating the deserted streets throughout the small town. Walking beneath them was a young girl, her auburn hair's curled ends bouncing with every step. She was wearing her usual, plain attire of a short sleeved, blue blouse and matching shorts. 

She kept her arms crossed and pulled tightly to her chest with her head down, staring at the cracks as she walked over them. Her shadow trailed behind her, steadily growing and shrinking as she passed each light. All around her was silent. Only the rhythmic stomping of her custom made, steel-toed army boots, and her personal mumblings challenged the peace.

This continued until she finally came to a halt below an oddly dim light. She sighed and looked up at it curiously, as a brisk wind blew by. She shivered and let out a quiet sneeze then, for the first time on her walk, she looked behind herself, checking to make sure she wasn't being followed. To her satisfaction there was only a red, plastic cup tumbling about the ground. She turned her head back and sighed, raising her right foot. This triggered a chill that rushed up and down her spine and before she could process any thought time slowed to a crawl. 

Cracks tore through the ground all around her and red bled through the immense fissures. Beneath her, the floor ripped open, exposing a black void. Her heart jumped into her stomach, and her stomach entangled itself in her throat as she fell deeper and deeper into the dark abyss. Desperately, she tried opening her mouth to let out a scream, but unable find her voice, she exhaled sharply as her warm breath scraped against her dry throat.  

 A burning sensation rippled through her skin, sending spikes of pain from her toes to the backs of her ears, and around her heart. She looked to her sides, making out of the darkness small, ghoulish creatures latched onto her. They held each of her muscles, restricting her movement, seemingly, chuckling to themselves as they flashed their sharp, glistening fangs at her. She looked into their green, luminous eyes, searching for a consciousness to match hers only to find a darkness that not even the black hole she had fallen into held. 

 She opened her mouth to plea for mercy, but the sound became muddled in her throat. Rapidly, her muscles tensed up and she began to fade from consciousness. The feeling of needles paraded her skin from all over, numbing her senses as she closed her eyes, leaving her in darkness. Drowning, her figure was lost.

From an infinitely expanding void above, the girl's body floated downward into a dreary room. It welcomed her with its chilled winds blowing in from the many open caverns about the walls. The flickering fires held within the torch lights scattered about the perimeter and scarcely touched the center. The cold, lonely remains of buildings that were reduced to crumbling walls surrounded a stone slab beside an empty basin, but did not conceal it. Contrasting the frost was the floor , which was spotted with living flames, almost hot enough to burn any bare flesh that accidentally fell upon it.

 It was onto the slab that her body landed again and her new form touched light. Her skin had turned a pale, sickly white along with her short hair. Her eyes were tightly shut, and clumped around her were the now medium sized monstrosities. 

They were a seamless mesh of blazing red, short fur with spikes down their spines, stopping only before reaching the tops of their heads where two dull horns stood. The tails, crinkled and small, were laid off to the side, occasionally twitching with excitement as the demons’ gnarled teeth pressed together to smile. In each of their claws was a small, dark blue pouch with a light blue aura around it.

From behind a wall behind the slab a tall, elderly man appeared, looking of a dark priest. Atop his crown laid a wreath of gold adorned in ruby and diamond, the wrinkles rolling off his tired skin fell from his forehead to his jowls which dangled and jiggled as he shook in place. His robes were dark red, the cuffs and edges outlined in a coal black, a golden pentagram in the middle of his chest. He spoke in a light, scratchy tone, murmuring to himself, “Good. Now, lift the girl for the ritual to proceed.” He raised his arms, and the basin next to the slab began to pool with green water.