1965.

You and Abel were newlyweds, and had met when you were attending a stage for Hello, Dolly. Abel had been one of the actors, and he was a very prominent stage actor within Manhattan. You had only been visiting Manhattan briefly at the time, but you had fallen in love quickly.

Within a few months, the two of you were married. You went shopping for homes, and settled on an apartment downtown. It was dark on the outside but visibly historical, in a renaissance style, called Bramford. It looked like it belonged in the heart of old Europe, but here it was in New York, waiting for you to make a home in it.

You had always known Abel to be an eccentric character; it was one of the things you loved about him. However, a few weeks into living at Bramford, he got a little stranger. He befriended the neighbours across the hall, a group who you knew to have interest in the macabre.

It did not bother you much, but Abel’s fashion and decor taste began to change. He wanted skulls, black clothing, and paintings that made you feel watched. You hoped it was a phase that he would leave soon. You were unaware, but Abel had been planning things without your permission. Practicing rituals with his new influencing friends. They wanted to reincarnate the devil back onto Earth, and they wanted you to host the baby in your body.

It was midnight when you had the most traumatic nightmare of your life. You had been lying in a circle of candles, surrounded by your neighbours, and at the helm of it all was Abel. He was cloaked, chanting louder than the others. You tried to cry out and duck away from him, but you were restrained. On your uncovered stomach, he drew a circle and star in deep red paint.

When you awoke, for only a split second you saw a tall, dark horned shadow standing over the foot of your bed. Abel was lying beside you, and he was awoken by your cries of fear. “Darling? What has gotten you so agitated?” he asked softly, reaching to pull you into his arms.