[i/]I stare at the Dealer. He stares back at me. Unblinking, I place three cards on the table. They are a dirty cream color, possibly white once, but tarnished with age and neglect. Each has a picture in the center. Three painted faces look out from the ink.[/i]
[b/]Gambling with the lives of our friends are we? I knew you were desperate, but even for you...still,I suppose these will do...[/b]
[i/]He motions for the cards, and my eyes flash white.
[b/]"We had an agreement. The key, if you would be so kind." I say, smiling gently.[/b]
The Dealer pauses for a second, then reaches a long, sinewy limb inside his trench coat. He withdraws it and opens his palm. A plain, red key lays there. I snatch it from his hand drop it inside my satchel.
[b/]"Pleasure doing business with you"[/b], I grin, and stick the knife into the Demons neck. He throws his head back and screams, his voice cracking and fragmenting across wavelengths. His body glows a brilliant orange, flickering and bursting through his veins. And then it is over, and he lies dead on the floor.
I bend down and pick up the cards from the table, returning them to the deck. [/i]