The moon broke through the clouds, and the four of them stood there, frozen, waiting for something to happen. They were in the middle of an open field, and it was as if a spotlight had been trained on them. Suddenly, without warning the moon gets buried behind clouds that were not there moments before. A fire started right in front them. There was no pit, no wood, no twigs or leaves anywhere near them.

“I’m glad you could make it.” An older gentleman in a black suit stood before them looking at a watch. He cleared his throat and looked up smiling. His eyes were blacker than the night around them and the two girls pulled back startled.

“I don’t know why I am even here.” The boy on the end spoke.

“You’re here, Jackson, because I have a job for you.” The four twenty somethings looked at one another and then back to the man. “Accept it and all your dreams will come true. Turn it down and…” he cracked his neck, “well, I wouldn’t turn it down.”

“What do we have to do?” The smallest girl looked at him and tried to stand taller to make herself feel braver than she was.

“Just shake my hand and say you’ll do it. Whatever it is. Take the risk.” He held his hand out waiting for someone to take the bait.

“What do we get?” The man leaned in and smiled a menacing smile to whisper his answer in the small woman’s face.

“Immortality. Riches. Whatever your hearts desire. All you have to do is any jobs I give you.” The two men reached out and shook his hand quickly. The smaller woman hesitated but eventually caved and shook. The only one to make him wait was the stubborn woman on the end who was giving it more thought than the man deemed necessary.

After what felt like an hour passed by she reached out and shook his hand. As soon as they let go all four of the visitors hissed in pain as a brand appeared on their collarbones.

They were marked.

There was no coming back from this.

The woman on the end immediately started planning her escape, but no one else would know that until it happened.

She would outsmart him, and then she would kill him.

After all she had been given forever.

-AB