A Halloween party. What was the company coming to? I sighed inwardly, knowing that it was inevitable. We'd been hiring more and more expats, and they brought their own traditions with them, and traditions had to be respected, no matter how commercialised they'd become.
And I was the boss, so I was expected to show up. The only effort I'd made to dress up was a velvet mask that covered the upper half of my face. I was wearing a black suit, so I could claim I was the Phantom of the Opera or something. But I was the boss, so no-one would make a big deal.
I'd given permission for one of the reception areas to be used. Shelley from Legal and Nicky from Procurement had handled the decorations, and I had to admit they'd done a good job. Stylish, without going over the top. Mostly it was mood lighting, with some sheets of fabric draped strategically -- presumably to give people privacy if they wanted. The couches and armchairs had been placed to provide secluded corners as well.
Shelley -- or a vampire-lady with Shelley's face and figure -- greeted me when I walked in. "Hi, boss! Glad you showed up. Here, have a drink." She thrust a plastic cup of something bright orange at me. "Sorry, it's awful, but it's strong."
Pretending to take a sip, I complimented her on the decorations. Her face lit up at my words. An intelligent woman, Shelley, very capable in her job, but a little too hungry for approval.
I glanced around the room. It seemed I was the last to arrive. Nicky, dressed as a pirate in white blouse, red bodice and black skirt, was flirting outrageously. Tom and Imram, the objects of her attentions, had both made only slightly more effort than me, with fake fangs and flimsy capes. Jos from IT had gone to greater lengths, and behind his zombie makeup he seemed to have found some confidence to talk to Shelley's colleague Annah.
By the punchbowl a pair of witches who I recognised as Chandra and Ciara had their heads together. Ciara took a sip of her orange drink, grimaced and tossed it into the punch. She glanced round and noticed me watching. A guilty look crept across her face, but it fled when I grinned, and she turned back to Chandra, whose fingers were resting gently on her bare arm.
Other small groups had formed, standing or seated, and I wandered around and made small-talk. The party had clearly started early, and I saw flushed faces everywhere. Most of the women were displaying more skin, more cleavage, more leg than they normally did at the office. Still, I supposed that people expected that nowadays with Halloween costumes. Sexy nurses, sexy firemen, sexy cops -- male and female -- sexy witches. Even sexy zombies. I didn't count Jos's outfit as one of those.
Shelley found me again. This time she handed me a glass of wine. I sipped. It was pretty good, and she blushed at my nod of approval. "Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves," I commented.
The blush spread down to her chest. It was an attractive sight, but I refrained from ogling her. "I can't take all the credit," she replied. "Nicky did most of the work."
"You mean she batted her eyes and let people peer down her blouse until they agreed to do it for her?" Nicky had something of a reputation. But she always seemed to be in control, and it never interfered with her work or caused problems at the office.
Shelley grinned. "Well, it wouldn't be Nicky otherwise, would it? She's a great motivator."
I was about to reply when the topic of our conversation came rushing up, slightly out of breath. Her boobs threatened to escape from her low bodice even without her leaning forward. "Boss, Shelley!" she burst out. "Imram just had an idea. He wants to do a summoning!"
I felt a chill run down my spine at her words.
This could end badly,
I thought to myself. But Shelley was nodding enthusiastically, and the pair of them turned large eyes on me.
What are the chances that Imram knows a real ritual?
Telling myself that my premonition was baseless, I made myself laugh. "That sounds great! But I don't know what he expects to summon in a corporate office block. The spirit of teamwork?"
But when Imram had arranged everyone in a circle and made us hold hands, I began to regret my decision. Standing at the centre of the ring, fake fangs gone from his mouth, he started to recite a chant from his phone screen. "Siritha, sirithem, zran zran!"
How long has it been since I've heard those words?
I felt them crawling over my skin like a physical presence.
I should stop it.
But I knew it was too late. Imram's chanting had already awakened a presence. He went on. "Ghan ghani ghanem! Kresh kreshi kresh! Siritha, sirithem, zran zran!"
Around me I could sense the others move restlessly as they felt it too. There was power in the words Imram was speaking -- more than he knew. "Kobam kobami kobem! Kresh kreshi kresh! Siritha, sirithem, zran zran!"
Imram looked up from his phone, seeming to realise for the first time that the mood in the room had changed. His grin slipped as he completed the chant. "Zran zran!"
And just like that the summoning was complete. Perhaps the others sensed it too. Nervous glances slipped from eye to eye, and I could see people's hands clench and unclench where they held each other.
"Demon, appear!" Imram spoke. Unnecessary, amateur stuff. The demon was already here. He looked round the room. The lighting that Shelley and Nicky had worked so hard on had turned darker, and the atmosphere had grown oppressive.
Someone -- Chandra, I thought -- cleared her throat. "Should we--?"
I decided to wait and see how it would unfold. They had no idea what they'd unleashed. But it might be a pleasant surprise, I thought.
Standing still and staying silent, I watched as the Influence spread around the circle. Beside me Nicky was breathing heavily. From the corner of my eye I saw her breasts rising and falling, straining against the material of her blouse. On my other side Shelley was moaning under her breath. Her hand was trembling in mine.
