Paige felt like she was caught in a funhouse. No matter how far they walked, the corridor just seemed to stretch on and on, with no end in sight. It didn’t even seem to be wrapping around and returning to where they’d come from. And there was absolutely no sign of the prayer room, which had multiple entrances from different parts of the building.

It was like it had just disappeared.

Prayer room or not, Paige felt much too vulnerable, and she didn’t want to anger this demon the way the others had. “Ethan, I think we should pause and maybe offer up that prayer. I don’t know why we haven’t found an entrance to the prayer room yet, but something is wrong. I don’t want to get caught off guard, unprotected.”

She could tell he still didn’t like the idea of sending up a prayer to some demon, but he nodded reluctantly. Trying to ease his mind over it, she told him, “Don’t think of it as worshiping a god you don’t believe in or paying homage to something evil. Think of it as showing respect for another culture’s diety in order to gain safe passage.” She tried to give him a reassuring smile. “You know, sort of like a inviting a vampire into your home. The invitation allows him to cross the threshold but obligates him not to harm you while he’s there.”

Ethan smirked. “I get it. So, what are you going to say?”

Paige went through it in her head, seeking out the right words that she could translate into Nepali. She was fairly proficient in the language, but this was a precarious situation, and she didn’t want to mispronounce anything or misuse a word. “I’m going to offer up our apologies for the disrespect the rest of our party showed, promise not to cause any further damage, and ask for safe passage with protection from harm through the night.”

“Seems fair,” Ethan agreed. “We don’t have to offer up any sort of blood sacrifice with that prayer, do we?”

Paige shook her head. “We’re not asking for permanent salvation or devoting ourselves to him.” She hoped, after taking the three members of the party who had actually shown disrespect was sacrifice enough to get them safe passage. After all, she and Ethan had done nothing to degrade the temple, the religious practices, or the power of the demon these people worshiped.

“Okay, then let’s do it.” Ethan copied her as she sat cross-legged on the floor. She placed her hands on her knees, relaxed her shoulders the best she could, and blew out a long breath. She needed to focus and assure she was sincere and accurate in her wording.

With her head held high, Paige sought for her inner peace and her determination. Maybe she didn’t want anything to do with Kali or any other demon, but right now, she needed him. And so did Ethan. It wasn’t just about her. It was about the chaos that had been unleashed and making sure someone she cared deeply about made it out alive.

Armed with willpower, humility, and the bones of a prayer, Paige began.

But two words in, her voice was swallowed by a pain-filled scream and a soft roar. Her eyes popped open just as Kyle tore around the corner, coming straight at them. He’d clawed his own eyes out, one eyeball hanging grotesquely from the socket and the other completely missing. In the empty holes glowed an unnatural light. They held a fierceness that had Paige worrying her heart would explode from her chest, beating hard and fast.

For the first time since all of this began, she was truly afraid. Blessed with demonic sight, Kyle could see where he was going, despite the damage. His skin was wrinkled, burnt like peppers being roasted. She could see areas where it melted and slid off his bones, charring the muscle beneath.

And the monstrous body engulfed in flames came right for them.