2 Peter 2:4 – 'For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment.'
5 sets of footsteps were seen to have trailed through the clodded mud outside the now-abandoned State Cardinal Church on the night of the 8th of April, belonging to 5 students of the neighborhood schooling institute. Phones in hand and hearts pounding with a ceaseless thrum, they wandered past the warnings of rusted signs long forgotten to the world, their sights set on their investigation into the Cardinal Sins.
The leader, named Kori Dewitt, led his club of Ghost Hunters into the church hall, pushing past the enormous gothic doors and stepping into the church's core. The other members gawked at the interior of the hall, admiring the unruly nature of the many vines that strung up the stone walls. The stained glass windows were illuminated by the full moon's shine, gleaming down into the hall and flaunting an array of vivid colors. The ceiling was raised high, exhibiting a tale of sin through ink and fresco. At the hall's center was a display of statues, grotesque in image. They depicted gruesome monsters: corrupt and unholy, and flaunting their Cardinal Sins. A symbol was etched into the bellies of each statue, a representative of the Cardinals' sinful essence. Before the statues was a bare altar, laden only with a thick layer of dust. A crucifix, once standing proudly at the altar's heart, had collapsed and shattered on the cobblestone floor.
Another member of the Ghost Hunters, named Leanne Moore, approached the altar, her phone's torch centered on the altar table in front.
"Kori, you've got the board, right?"
With Leanne's words, Kori held up his Ouija Board, placing it atop the altar. As it thudded down, a plume of dust was set into the air, making another member of the group cough.
The member was named Adara Badawi, and although identifying as muslim, she tagged along to the church as an escape from her studying - much to her regret. She scoffed at Kori once the dust had cleared, waving her hand in front of her face.
"Don't you think this is going a bit too far? I'm no expert, but even I think bringing a Ouija Board into a church - let alone the Cardinal Church - is a bit risky."
Kori turned to Adara, his lips pursed.
"The Cardinal Sins can't be summoned. This'll just be a bit of harmless fun, I promise."
At his words, Adara crossed her arms defiantly.
"I wouldn't associate 'harmless fun' with summoning hellspawns-"
Adara was quickly interrupted by the remaining two members of the Ghost Hunters: Charlie Vian and Kai Santiano. In his hand, Charlie held his phone, showing the group the chant he'd just found.
"Here's a chant to summon the Seven Deadly Sins, if you want to try it…" Charlie spoke. Adara looked at the chant with concerned disbelief, but Leanne and Kori nodded.
"Can't be real, right?" Leanne muttered to the group, "Must be some folktale chant used to scare children into religious conformity…"
"Only one way to find out. Who's speaking it out?"
The group fell silent for a few minutes, before Kori hesitantly raised his hand.
"I'll do it."
With a shaky hand, he touched the cursor, his head turned to the side to read the chant Charlie held. All fell silent as the chant was read aloud, the sound of Kori's voice echoing around the hall. The chant ended with a sour note, the silence afterwards deafening.
It was a few minutes after when Kori spoke up again.
"How do we know it worked?"
Charlie looked back down at his phone, scrolling through the rest of the chant before quoting the fine print.
"'If the chant worked, it should display a YES on the board. However, if it failed, a NO should be displayed'-"
He paused, looking at the board. Everyone else followed his gaze, watching as the cursor slid slowly to 'GOODBYE'. Kori shuddered, removing his hand from the cursor.
"Goodbye? That means we failed, right?" Adara sighed, looking at Charlie.
Charlie, however, stood frozen in place, his face etched with fear.
"No, it means we need to get the fuck out of here." He finally muttered.
"What?! You said this was safe!"
"I never said that!-"
Suddenly, there was a loud crash of thunder outside, a streak of lightning illuminating the hall from outside. The group were startled, their senses on fire as they began to sprint out of the building, leaving the Ouija Board behind in their moment of distress.
Pushing past the entrance, the group ran back past the Do Not Enter signs, hiding behind a mass of shrubs. They all sat and caught their breaths for a minute, their vision blurred and their hearts sore with adrenaline. Kai, the usually quiet one of the group, spoke up with a breathless voice.
"What… the fuck… was that?!"
Charlie turned to Kai, his own voice breathless and weak.
"That was sick…"
"Are you kidding me?..."
"Nah, man… now I know why I joined this damn club."
The group was silent for a little while longer, before Kori got up on his knees, checking the area for any signs of monsters or supernatural beings. Once he confirmed the coast was clear, he stood up, helping the others to their feet.
"I think we should head back home. We've got a lot of studying to get done…"
The group all agreed with a simple nod, all going their separate ways with haste.
Kori and Leanne walked together back to their neighborhood, still shaken up by the events that had unfolded only minutes before. Leanne broke the uncomfortable silence, the tension easing slightly with the sound of her voice.
"Do you think we actually did it? I mean, did we actually summon the Seven Deadly Sins?"
Kori sighed, shrugging slightly.
"I don't know… even if we did, we don't know what kind of form they could take, or if they take a form at all."
He fell silent for a short minute, before adding to his response.
"We'll just have to wait and see."