Work Text:
The old roof echoed with pittering and pattering as a storm battled the leaves of trees outside the House.
Violent weather was not uncommon, but the intensity of this storm in particular had you worried. You grazed your fingers over the drywall and found that it lightly shook with every squall, and the windows looked as if they’d shatter at the next droplet, the water showering down the glass is thickened waves.
Naturally, it was no surprise to anyone that the power went out.
The lights crackled and fizzled until the common room was engulfed in the inky blackness of the night, the only light coming from D.D.D flashlights and the lightning roaring outside.
Mammon pointed his flashlight to you, speaking: “So how do we get out of this one?”
See, the interesting predicament was that the only two beings left in the House that night were you and Mammon alone. Normally, you’d enlist Lucifer to deal with it, as he was the only one who understood how the complicated electrical system of the ancient building worked. But unfortunately for you, Lucifer wasn’t there to save you.
You and Mammon surveyed the House.
The fridge was completely dysfunctional, the lights in nearly every part of the House refused to light, none of the electrical outlets worked, and what’s worse, the wifi had been completely obliterated by the wind, leaving you and your demon friend stranded in the middle of a dark, dreary home that leaked with pure and unstable paranormal energy through every chip in the wallpaper.
“Well,” you sighed, “the only way to fix it is to see what’s wrong.”
You looked to Mammon, rubbing your cold hands together for some much needed heat.
“Do you know where the circuit board is?”
Mammon’s eyes filled with dread.
“The basement.”
A heavily pregnant silence fell over the two of you as you stood statue-still in the hallway.
“The basement?” Your chuckle thinly veiled a dreadful underbelly despite its mirth, “isn’t this the plot of literally every horror movie ever...of course it’s in the basement.”
Mammon guided you through the thick crepuscule, the light from his D.D.D suddenly illuminating a wooden door hidden beneath a staircase. It’s chilled, wrought iron handle sent your nerves fluttering once more as you opened the door and descended into the depths of the House.
The cold stone beneath your feet rocketed you into reality as the dungeon-y basement saluted you with a dreadful sort of air. Swallowing your nerves and trudging on, you eventually uncovered the wires leading to the House’s circuit board. Opening the bright red box, you were greeted with cobwebs, dated bug corpses, and anaphylactic mounds of dust. You fiddled with the switches and cords, trying to find a lead to the issue of the outage.
Then a mischievous finger tapped your shoulder.
“Mammon, cut it out, I’m trying to do something here.”
He tapped again.
“Mammon, come on! Cut it out!”
He prodded one final time, coaxing a yell out of you.
“Mammon! Fuck off!”
The tapping stopped and you continued your task. Ultimately coming up with nothing, you raced back upstairs and into the foyer where you found Mammon fiddling with a random vase.
“Wha— How did you get up here so fast Mammon? Is that one of your weird demon abilities,” you questioned with a quaint laugh.
“Whaddya mean? I never went in with you. Like hell I’d ever go down there!”
Looking behind you, you noticed that the old oak door sat patronizingly ajar.
Then who the hell was tapping me?