Joseph awoke in a bed that was unfamiliar to him. The clouds outside shielded the stars and moon, casting the room into darkness. Silver lay sleeping at the foot of the bed, with only his outline still visible.

Joseph crawled across the large mattress and patted Silver on the head. “Wake up, Silver,” he said. “We’ve got trouble.”

The wolf yawned and lifted his head. “What’s wrong, master? You smell something foul in the air?”

“No, I don’t think there's a demon around. But I also have no idea how we arrived here, or why it’s so dark out.”

“Well, let’s scout around a bit. Maybe we can figure out how we got here.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

The two slipped off the bed and tip toed through the room, careful not to crash into anything. Joseph held his arms out in front of him so he would touch the wall before bumping into it. A moment later, he found it and felt around for the doorway.

As they left the room, Joseph kept a hand on the wall. He felt strange patterns in the wallpaper and thought that it would be quite expensive to cover every room with it. The bill for their room would likely be quite high as well.

Later, his hand bumped into a guard rail. He took a step forward, only to find a set of stairs before him. As they descended the steps, he thanked the hand guard for keeping him from tumbling down the stairs.

When they reached the bottom, the sounds of idle chatter and tableware could be heard in the next room. It was as dark as the room he awoke in, but the hotel guests didn’t seem to mind. Their outlines continued wearing fancy clothing and eating their meals as if the darkness around them was completely normal.

A woman called to him from the other side of the room. As they made their way to her, Joseph wondered how she knew his name. Along the way, they bumped into several tables and chairs, much to the anger of the guests who used them.

Joseph placed his hands against the counter when they arrived. “Hello? You asked for me, ma’am?”

“Yes, I wanted to know what you wanted for breakfast. The ceremony will be starting soon, and you’ll need plenty of energy for it.”

“Ceremony?” Joseph shook his head. “What ceremony? I just want to get out of this place and get back on the road.”

“The ceremony of Dula. He is coming to meet us, so we must prepare for his arrival.”

Joseph raised an eyebrow at her. “Okay, I hope you all enjoy his company. Can you just get me some bread and meat for the road?”

“Absolutely.” The woman ducked below the counter.

Her sudden disappearance made Joseph’s eyes widen. He leaned over the counter to find her, but she was gone. The only sight was the bare floor with a few clods of dirt.

Silver stood up on his hind legs and put his forepaws on the edge of the counter. “Where did she go, master?”

“I don’t know, but I guess she’ll be back. We might as well wait ‘til then.” Joseph turned around and leaned back against the counter.

He looked out into the diners, some of whom had stopped eating. Beyond them, the room seemed to stretch out into infinity. He wondered how large the hotel was. How long would Joseph and Silver have to walk before they could find the exit?

A bright light interrupted his thoughts. He held up an arm to shield his eyes, groaning. A moment later, his eyes adjusted to the brightness, and he lowered his arm. A large bonfire had formed a few feet from the dining tables. The flames came just a foot below the ceiling.

All the guests forgot their breakfast and turned toward the light. One at a time, they each stood and formed a line leading to the bonfire. Joseph and Silver followed them from a short distance behind.

The guests formed into groups of two and began to dance around the bonfire. The flames seemed to grow wilder as they danced. Below them, the floor started to rumble. A roar sounded out.

The fire grew, engulfing the guests who continued to dance, ignoring the fire. It was as if they were unable to feel pain. Then, one by one, they each collapsed onto the floor. The bonfire exploded into a cloud of ash which spread all about the room.

Joseph covered his mouth and nose, and Silver bent down with a paw over his nose. As the shower of ash blew against them, they slammed their eyes shut. Once the dust had settled, Joseph opened his eyes and dusted himself off, but the sight made him pause.

Across the room stood a demon where the bonfire had been. It’s body was dark red, with black stripes along it’s shoulders and arms. A clump of black hair grew from its chin, and two pointy ears stuck out of the sides of its head. Suddenly, the odor of brimstone hit Joseph, and he covered his nose.

“Dula!” Joseph said. “The ‘ceremony’ was a summoning ritual.”

With the bonfire gone, the room was darker now, with only smaller flames as illumination. Dula stepped toward them, pushing tables and chairs out of his way. He towered a few feet above Joseph and stared down at him.

“I don't know how you escaped the mind control which held the others, human, but prepare yourself,” Dula said.

Joseph reached for his sword, but his eyes widened when his hand passed through nothing. The sword which he always carried was gone. He glanced back up to see Dula closing in on him.

He picked up a nearby chair and swung it at the demon. It grabbed the leg of the wooden chair, pulled it out of Joseph’s grasp and tossed it aside. The chair crashed into a wall far away, where it broke in half.

Joseph tipped over a table so that it stood on its side between Dula and himself. Then he and Silver ran back through the dining area. Dula kicked through the table like it was made of plywood and stepped through.

Joseph twisted and turned around tables and chairs, while Dula stepped through them as if they were doll house furniture. Silver bolted to the counter from before. He leaped onto the surface and peered behind it. Joseph arrived behind him a moment later.

The woman from before materialized before them. Silver yelped and slipped off the counter onto the floor. She held out a paper sack to Joseph, but as he took it, he looked up at her.

Her skin was dark red like Dula’s, and her long hair was jet black. Two tiny horns poked through her hair. Joseph took a step back as he stared at them. He hadn’t noticed her demonic features in the darkness before.

“Enjoy your meal, sir.” Then she started to cackle and sunk down below the counter.

Dula roared behind him. Joseph turned around. The demon had cleared all the tables and chairs. Only a few feet of flooring stood between them.

Still holding the bag tight, Joseph ran off with Silver into the darker recesses of the room, into the void which he couldn't see. When he glanced back, Dula’s eyes glowed at him.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Contrast Light From A Window by George Hodan is licensed under CC0 Public Domain.

everhart