Cole collected Zafira on time and motored to their destination. "Over there!" Zafira pointed to a driveway off the side of the road.
Cole rolled up to what appeared to be an abandoned, condemned factory, festooned with yellow caution tape and "No Trespassing!" signs.
"This place?" Cole wondered.
"Yep, this is it," Zafira said, stepping from the car.
Cole walked around to her side. He looked at her, marveling at her beauty that never failed to impress. He wondered why she had bothered to dress up in her signature red summer dress and black stiletto heels to come to a place like this.
"Seems you're a bit overdressed for this place; not that I mind," Cole said.
Zafira smiled, hooking her arm into his. "Come along," she said, and led them onward.
They ducked under the yellow tape and proceeded inside through a rusty door. It was pitch-black inside; Cole pulled out his cell phone to use as a makeshift flashlight.
"I forgot -- humans can't see in the dark," Zafira chuckled.
The building interior looked like it had not been touched in ages. The faint light of Cole's cellphone illuminated inches of dust on every surface. The crackling of broken glass echoed down the corridors with each step they took into the darkness. Cole could barely discern the shapes of old machinery, broken crates, conveyor belts, and chains hanging from the ceiling. He might have stumbled on the set of a horror movie.
They walked toward an open space deep within the building. "Here," Zafira said, pointing, to the floor.
"Here what?" Cole asked.
Zafira waved her hands. The dust gently blew off the floor, revealing some kind of large symbol. It was a huge circle, filled with all manner of characters from a few language Cole did not recognize.
Zafira held her arm out; her clenched fist radiated a purple light and the writing on the floor responded with a similar luminescence. The symbol suddenly vanished. The floor descended, groaning a mad cacophony of mechanical noises and eventually contorting into stairs.
"Let's go," Zafira said, descending the newly formed stairway.
Cole caught up with Zafira. The dark stairway seemed to go on forever. Unlike the rest of the building, the stairway was free of dust and debris. A chill ran down his spine. He knew in his gut he was in a place he was never meant to be, as if he was descending to Hell itself.
They finally reached the bottom. As soon as Zafira's spectacular feet left the dark stairs, torches hanging on the walls sprang to life, illumining a long narrow hallway. A dark figure slowly entered Cole's view as they walked down the cramped space. When they reached the end, a tall black man in a black business suit stood in their way, blocking their path.
"Mortals do not belong here!" the towering brute of a man said in a commandingly deep voice. "And you, succubus, know that you have been banned from entering. Indefinitely."
"Was this what you meant by 'not the best of welcomes'?" Cole whispered.
Zafira nudged him in the ribs, signaling that he had best stay silent. "I seek an audience with Anariel," she said.
The man reached into his pocket and pulled forth a cellular phone. He dialed a number and held it outward; he obviously had put the phone on speaker. "Hmph. Phones," Zafira scoffed. Cole heard the phone ring three times before someone answered.
"Speak," a female voice said through the phone.
"This is Chicago district," the man said. "A succubus wishes to speak with you."
"A succubus, huh? Is it Zafira?"
"Affirmative."
"Tell her rules are rules and I'm not bending them, not even for her."
"Not even for a cure for your affliction?" Zafira yelled into the phone.
There was a long pause. "Send her in."
"She also has a mortal with her, a male," the man added.
The female voice growled into the phone. "Let him in too, but I'm not responsible if one of the patrons decides to eat him."
Cole looked at Zafira. "Eat me? Just where are you trying to take me?!"
"Calm down," she said. "When we go in, keep your eyes forward, don't stare at anyone, and never let go of my arm."
"O-okay," Cole said. He tightened his grip on the demoness' arm.
"Very well. You may proceed," the man said.
The brick wall behind the large man rippled like a huge stone dropping into a pond. The wall suddenly swirled in a vortex glowing in purple light. It was a gateway. Cole had no clue what was on the other side, but he was about to find out. Zafira strode forward; Cole walked at her side.