The High-Stakes Gambler

This was the perfect opportunity to test my theory. I hurried home. Slipped on a trench coat. Hid a baseball bat at my waist. Grabbed the gun the old man had gifted me. I just hoped it would work—my life depended on it.
The gun was strange. Gold. The barrel was a cube with tiny white lines. Well… as long as it fired, that was enough.
I left the house. The night was dark, except for the moonlight. I moved toward the address Yume had given me. And of course, I called Lorenzo to keep watch.
I might be a fool, but I’m not stupid. If this goes worse than I think, only someone from the Reaper family could kill me.
When I arrived, I saw him. Honestly, he could easily be mistaken for a streetlight. Lorenzo was tall and skinny, with deep, claw-like eyes. If he’s not a lamppost, he must be a demon.
“Look, if things go south, just get inside. Don’t wait for me to die.”
“Right… right…”
Lorenzo leaned against a post, yawned, and lay down like a homeless guy. I called Yume, nothing. I messaged her, and she told me to come up. I entered her house; her parents really weren’t home. Everything was dark.
Moonlight didn’t reach a single window. The only sounds were the fridge humming and the sink dripping. I climbed the stairs slowly, each step groaning under my weight.
I reached Yume’s room and knocked before entering. Typical high school girl’s room, stuffed animals on the bed, all well taken care of. A massive makeup station in the corner. Normal… except for her.
Yume was in pajamas. She grabbed me and threw me onto the bed. The bed creaked. She sat on top of me, starting to unbutton her pajamas.
“Come on… I-I can’t take it anymore…”
She was so close I could feel her warm breath. The only warm thing about her. The rest of her body was freezing—almost like a corpse.
“Look… there’s something really hard here.”
Little does she know, that “hard” is a baseball bat. Before anything went further, I gently pushed her away.
“Wait, let me get ready.”
I went to the bathroom. Turned on the tap, the water muffling the noise. Pulled out Lorenzo’s scroll and opened it. Tried to grab the bat… tripped, fell headfirst into the tub. The paper flew into the water.
SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!
I grabbed the soaked paper. But… it didn’t tear? I’ll ask Lorenzo about the notebook brand after this.
Yume heard the noise and started screaming outside, pounding the door. Slowly, her screams morphed into something more animalistic. She smashed the door, breaking the latch.
I extended the scroll toward her, channeling all my spiritual energy into it. A golden glow enveloped me, covering the scroll as well. Yume got caught in the same glow, paralyzed.
Golden light lifted her off the floor, holding her in place. She thrashed violently, her eyes bright red, fangs bared, nails transforming into claws.
I pressed the scroll against her stomach, gathered all my spiritual energy into my hand, and in a smooth motion, punched her abdomen.
A creature emerged. A succubus, just as I suspected. She was in her demon form, dizzy from leaving her host. A long tail, sharp horns, a curved spine, crimson red. Swaying side to side.
Yume’s body fell into my hands. She woke up, panicked.
“What’s happening? Who are you? WHAT IS THAT?!”
“Lady, calm down!”
In a swift motion, the succubus grabbed the wardrobe door and hurled it at us. Reflexively, I shoved Yume aside. The door passed inches from my face, the smell of wood in the air.
The door shattered in the tub. The succubus regained her balance, glaring at me with hatred. SHIT! She breathed, and the room filled with a red aura. Smelled like blood. My breath grew hot.
Ugh, she released her aura. Yume was nearly unconscious, the air getting hotter by the second. I slapped her face.
“Not the time to sleep!”
She opened her eyes, terrified. Staring at the creature in front of her.
“What is that thing?”
“First, help me deal with it. I’ll explain later.”
I pulled the baseball bat from my waist and dashed out of the bathroom, drawing the succubus’s attention to me.
“What do I do?!”
“Any casino games?!”
“What do you mean?!”
“Cards, dominoes, whatever—”
She lunged. Her claws sliced through the air. The bat glowed with golden energy. Slash. I blocked her fierce attack.
The claws were made of blood. They dissolved on contact with the bat, splattering blood on my face. I swung the bat to the side and kicked her hard in the stomach. The succubus stumbled backward. My foot hurt—it was like kicking a rock.
“I have no control!”
“Cards?”
“That I can do!”
“WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO GET IT, WOMAN!”
The succubus stared at me, furious over the kick. Her fangs had grown even longer, saliva dripping from her lips… Oh crap. Why am I thinking that? Her territory was already affecting me.
Yume scrambled through her bag for the deck. The floor cracked. Like a shadow, she tore through the air toward me, claws reforming.
I swung the bat, spinning it around her claws, then hit with all my strength. Punk. The bat shattered. The succubus slammed into the wall.
“Found it!”
Yume finally grabbed the deck.
“Now shuffle fast!”
The succubus started to rise. Yume arranged the cards slowly as she shuffled.
“DO IT ALREADY!”
She flinched, sending all the cards scattering.
“Let me concentrate! This is what happens when you rush me!”
“Don’t you understand the situation?!”
Yume began picking the cards up, one by one. I turned around—the succubus was coming for me. Reflexively, I pulled out the golden gun. Her claws were inches from my eye. All my energy surged into the gun.
Shwwwwinnnmn
Time slowed. I couldn’t slip now. The gun’s charge felt like a nuclear blast. Then…
PUSHHHH
A golden explosion. The bullet hit the succubus square in the eye. She flew into the wall. The sound was sharp; plaster rained down. She clutched the struck eye like it might fall… Wait… DID IT HIT THE EYE? SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!
“SHUFFLE!”
Yume clutched the deck like her life depended on it. Her voice echoed through the room like a trumpet of salvation. I was nearly out of energy.
I breathed steadily. Golden energy swirled around me faster. The glow shone like molten gold. I reached for the deck. A golden thread connected me to it and to Yume.
“Let the thread of fate shuffle in my favor.”
The succubus rose. The deck floated in Yume’s hands, trembling. Her big blue eyes reflected the glow. She looked amazed.
“Spin it, Fortune!”
Five cards emerged from the deck, revealing themselves to Yume.
“What do I do?”
“Draw three cards. If it’s a good hand, tell me.”
She tilted her head at me, confused.
“What’s a good hand?”
THIS GIRL LIVES IN A CAVE OR WHAT?
“You don’t know how to play poker?”
“I’m surprised you know!”
The succubus punched the wall. Before I could turn, she slammed me to the floor. I held her mouth shut with the rest of the bat. Saliva dripped on me. GROSS!
“What cards are revealed?”
“10 of black, 7 of red, and a J.”
As I tried to explain to Yume, I had to focus not to lose my arm. Saliva was nearly reaching my mouth. NO! NO! NO!
“DRAW!”
Yume pulled a card. She stared at it like it was some exotic artifact.
“A 5 of black!”
Calm down… one more chance. No reason to panic. The rest of the bat was almost broken… FORGET WHAT I SAID! THERE’S REASON TO PANIC!
“DRAW ANOTHER, WOMAN!”
My energy was running out. The golden glow around me started to fade. Yume’s breathing was heavy; she was red in the face, dizzy, sunstruck.
“Don’t faint now! Draw another!”
With heavy breaths, Yume drew the last card. Using her remaining strength, panting, she shouted:
“10 of red!”
My eyes, refusing to open, opened in hope. A pair of 10s.
“Now you’ll see, ugly demon!”
My aura filled the room. The bloody red was overtaken by golden yellow. I pushed the succubus away. I staggered to my feet. She mirrored my state, eyes wide.
“Let the weight of gold be your downfall.”
A portal opened above the succubus. Giant coins began raining on her relentlessly. The sound resembled winning a jackpot. She thrashed, trying to escape.
“Finally… it’s over.”
Yume ran to me.
“Is she dead?”
“No—”
Block. The window behind us shattered into pieces. Video equipment fell to the floor. Definitely woke the neighbors.