Promised to the Demon King

The couple stood in the middle of their cozy living room. Their apartment was nothing spectacular—a small one-bedroom apartment in the core of a rough neighbourhood. They worked hard for what they had, but even still, they barely scraped by, living paycheck to paycheck. Jonathon Thompson wasn’t a name that carried any weight or power. He was a low-ranking mechanic who worked full-time at the local shop and on weekends. He drove a truck to help with bills for his young wife and to save for the future. John had a dream: to open his own shop, run his own branded tow trucks and undercut the competitors with better pricing. He’d always loved taking apart and rebuilding electronics as a child. It quickly developed into buying a broken-down car for three hundred dollars, which he saved and restored into a classic beauty. He worked hard to earn the money for the parts and learned how it all connected through books he found at the library. Restoring his first car is what led him to craft his future goal. He may be a grunt on the team for now, but he was only twenty-three years old and knew what he needed to do to climb to the heights he wanted. Putting in the hard work! Coral worked full-time stocking shelves at the local grocery store. Neither came from money nor strong family names. Carol came from a single-mother upbringing and always promised herself that she would marry into financial support. She never wanted to struggle again. Instead of living the good life she wanted, she worked nights at a local grocery store, cleaning up the mess of those she envied. The ones who never needed to check their finances before they bought something as simple as a carton of eggs. She hated how smug they were. Carol knew where every single nickel and dime in her tattered purse was. Did they? Bitterness was taking hold of Carol, but she pushed it back and smiled. She knew they couldn’t afford her to lose this job. John had promised her a happy life but failed to provide her with what she needed. At twenty-two and without a high school diploma, Carol couldn’t find anything better than a grocery store career, but John was a brilliant mechanic; he should be earning more by now. The other day at the shop, John overheard some of his co-workers talking about someone making a deal with the devil, and he won the lottery. He is quick to push the thought aside, but after he argues with Carol about their future and money… yet again, he thinks, where is the harm in trying the same for Carol and himself? It didn’t take much to persuade Carol to give it a try; he merely mentioned what he had overheard. Part of him expected her to laugh it off as he had; the odds of it working were slim. However, the way Carol’s face lit up, he was willing to feed into it for her. She hadn’t smiled like that since their wedding day a few years back. John didn’t put much stock in it working, and honestly, this sounded like a spooky ghost story you tell your kids when explaining the dangers of practicing witchcraft. Day after day, they struggled to get by, but nothing got easier. At this rate, Carol was convinced they’d never be happy. She was considering filing for divorce. Her manager, Peter, at the grocery store, had been showing interest in her. His cars were expensive, and he inherited his home after his parents died. He wore nice clothes and often showed Carol more attention than she was getting at home with John working two jobs. She decided that this ritual would be their marriage's deciding factor. If it worked, she would stay with John; otherwise, she would have to put her needs first. He wasn’t able to provide her with the life he promised. They say money can't buy happiness but can buy things that make you happy. An easy life is happiness. While John was at work, working a double shift, Carol was the one who went out with the last twenty dollars they had until payday and bought a dozen black candles from the dollar store. She bought incense and a burner plate. She bought a box of salt for the circle and signed out a book from the library. Carol spent days following John telling her about what he overheard, studying the book, notably the chapter titled How to summon a demon. She knew it by heart when she presented her decision to move forward with the summoning to John. She had already made photocopies of the Demon King's sigil for the mat on the floor to summon the best demon to obtain her desires. She selected the demon Asmodeus, a demon king of lust. It made sense to Carol. She lusted after status, wealth, and influence. Watching her, John wondered why Carol was so firmly committed to this idea. He wondered if Carol might have been a little too invested in it, but seeing her conviction and confidence, John started to think about the what-ifs. She was too passionate for him not to. What if it worked, and they gained unlimited wealth, status and power? What if they no longer had to struggle to make ends meet? What if they got back to how they were when they first started dating, or even their first year of marriage when they were full of dreams and kindness towards one another? Carol would lash out at him more because they couldn’t afford what her friend's husbands could. If he heard about her boss and all the great things he would offer her as his wife, one more time--. It hurt, but he was trying. He just needed her to be more patient and remember when she promised to love him, rich or poor. He believes in those vows. If this worked, she would have no choice but to remember that she loved him. John watched as Carol lit the candles with a single long match. She was mumbling some chants as she lit each one. Her eyes closed as she did. He was worried that she was putting too much pressure on this to work. They didn’t need to do this. They had a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs and food in their bellies daily. They were better off than so many. She needed to be grateful, not greedy. They didn’t need designer possessions or mansions. This wasn’t how his parents raised him. John was always a humble man; he was worried that would change with money. “Carol, I’m starting to have second thoughts. What if--” John started as he took in the décor and energy of the candles lit around the room. “Don’t b***h out on me, John. You made promises, and I will be damned if I continue to accept a pauper's life. I’ve done the research. Just remember your lines when we start the chant. Don’t screw this up, you i***t!” she hissed. John took a sudden step back. This wasn’t the woman he married. Bitterness has started to consume her over the four years of struggle. Had it always been there, and he was blind to it? Carol snapped her arm out and took hold of his hand. She yanked him back to his original position and started the incarnation that Carol had found, which was to summon the Demon King, Asmodeus. The room fell silent. It was an eerie silence; not even the clock was ticking over the doorway to the kitchen. Everything seemed frozen except for them. The smell that followed burned John's nose. It was of brimstone and sulphur. He choked on his sudden cough. Carol viciously squeezed his hand, trying to refocus him. “Why have you summoned me, mortals?” A deep and chilling voice echoed throughout the room, but the figure remained unseen. “We wish to make a deal, Demon King!” Carol spoke in a steady voice. Her eyes shone with greed and excitement. “And what do you seek and offer me in return?” The Demon King challenged. “We seek wealth and status. We offer whatever you wish, my Dark King.” she smiled seductively. “Carol!” John snapped. He tried to pull back his hand, but she only tightened her grip. “Release me! I do not wish to do this. You’ve gone too far.” The Demon King watched in silence. “I shall claim your daughter! She shall be mine when she turns eighteen.” John turned his head, looking around the room, trying to find the source of the voice. They didn’t have a daughter, nor would they ever. “Agreed!” Carol thought she was cunning; they had no children, and although they’d tried for years, it was later discovered that John was pretty much sterile. There was a low chance of ever conceiving. It seemed that even his sperm knew they were too poor to add more burden to their already impoverished lifestyle. “Carol! No!” John snapped. He was fed up with her now. This had gone too far. This was dangerous. You don’t make deals with devils. Yes, he presented the idea but considered it a passing fancy. He didn’t expect this to happen. “No deal! I do not want this dealing on my soul or conscience.” He also knew that with his low chances of conceiving a child, if he were lucky enough to have a child, he wouldn’t give that child to a demon for something as sinful as wealth unearned. A hiss sent a chill down the spines of the pair. “Both must agree to this deal, or none shall receive my rewards.” The demon asserted, and Carol aggressively yanked John’s hand, shooting him a stern warning glare. “I will divorce you, John. I can not live this pauper life any longer. Give me this, or lose me forever.” Carol threatened. Her voice was shrill and sharp. Her words were claws deep into his heart. He stared at Carol for a long, silent moment before sighing and lowering his head. He didn’t want this but wanted his happy marriage restored. They were strong initially, and if this made them strong and happily in love again, he would do it for his marriage. After all, no daughter would be born. Right? “Fine! I agree.” John conceded as his heart filled with regret and dread. He instantly felt as though the woman he thought he loved had just condemned him to hell for all eternity. The demon's laugh echoed throughout the room, sending another chill down John’s spine. He regretted his weakness towards the demands of his wife. “Should you try to kill the child before eighteen, you will be punished. If you prevent my claim, you shall suffer a fate much worse than death. Mark my words, Jonathon and Carol Thompson; a deal will always be paid in full to the Demon King.” The candles blew out, and the lights turned on. The clock continued to tick as though nothing had just happened. When he looked at his watch, he saw that the clock was now off by three minutes. That was all it took to sell his soul—three minutes. John dropped to his knees in remorse and regret. “What have you just done, Carol?” He gasped and broke into tears. “We did what was necessary to survive. Man-up, it can’t be undone. We can finally have the life we have always wanted. Stop being such a p***y. It’s done.” Carol spat her venomous words before gleefully bouncing out of the room to plan her future. John turned his attention to the window, staring at the starry night. He closed his eyes and prayed. John wasn’t a man of faith, typically, but he knew that he needed to make amends for what he had just done. He needed guidance and help. He made a deal with a demon, and only God could save him now. ©202MURPHY/T.MURPHY 2024