Brutality 6

After carrying out the gruesome task, we made our way back to the house. I would be haunted by nightmares and horrific visions from then on. The screams, the blood, Lavinia masturbating as she watched the man die, the dismemberment. Selene, Isabel and Atrese stopped at the backdoor and began removing their bloody boots and coveralls. I did the same, my eyes locked onto Isabel; her long black hair, her smooth brown skin, her long slender legs. Selene stepped in front of Isabel. Blood splatter freckled her face, her nipples stood erect, her thighs were thick and muscular. I feared her, but I was fascinated by her beauty and brutality. She said, “You can shower with the hose over there Clarence.” She went inside followed by Isabel and Atrese. The sight of Atrese’s naked body increased my fear. Her short, stocky body was covered with scars, her right breast was missing the nipple, her left foot was missing two toes. My entire nervous system seemed to react to the sight.

I found the hose, turned on the cold water and began washing the blood off my hands, arms and face. My body shivered and my teeth clattered as I doused myself with the cold water. I heard a voice, “Do you have a thing for bathing outside?” Black Sally stood by the back door smoking. I turned my back to her hoping to hide my nakedness, I looked over my shoulder and replied, “No.” She said, “Turn around and face me.” I turned toward her, embarrassed because the cold had shriveled my cock. She sized me up, blew out smoke and smiled, “Who told you to wash yourself with the hose?” I didn’t answer. She said, “Ok, let me put this way. Did Lavinia or Antonija tell you that you had to wash out here?” I shook my head. “Then you don’t have to stand out here naked washing yourself with cold water like an animal. Turn the water off and come with me.”

I followed her inside. She led me into the kitchen, past Ira who was slamming the lid on a boiling pot and to a door on the opposite side of the kitchen from the stove. The heat of the kitchen felt like a warm blanket wrapped around my cold body. I was nauseated and disturbed by the smell of whatever Ira was cooking. Black Sally opened the door, I followed her into a large, well-stocked pantry. I began to get very concerned as I knew nothing of her, except that “Black” was supposed to be a reference to her heart, and that she lured men to the house to be tortured and killed. She said, “Turn around.” I turned around, my anxiety grew. It sounded like a cardboard box was slid across the floor behind me. She said, “Come on.” I turned to see an opening in the wall, a hidden door that led to staircase. I followed her up the stairs.

The stairs led to small dark landing. I heard the sound of a door being unlocked. She pulled me across the threshold and slammed the door behind me. The room was pitch black. I heard her whisper to me, “I can smell your fear.” A large, bright overhead light illuminated the room. I was in her living quarters. It was a large studio apartment with a kitchenette, queen-sized bed, dining area and bathroom. A big wooden desk sat in front a floor-to-ceiling bookcase. She said, “Go in the bathroom and take a real shower.”

The hot water stung my wounds. I scrubbed my hands and arms till they were raw, hoping to wash away the memory of the evil work my had hands participated in. I emerged from the shower refreshed, my mind was Black Sally. She appeared in the doorway and tossed me a towel, “There are clothes on the bed for you.” After thanking her, I dried off and walked out the bathroom nude. She stood at the stove with her back turned to me. There was a black paramilitary-style outfit, identical to the one she wore, laid out on the bed. I got dressed and anxiously awaited the unveiling of her intentions. She poured hot water into two cups, I could smell the instant coffee. Then she brought the steaming cups to the table and told me to sit down.

I sat across from her. She stared at me for several minutes with cold blue eyes. She took a sip of her coffee and spoke, “You’re not here to serve Selene. Yes…she can, and will, use you as a toy, a plaything. You can’t stop that. But that’s not all she’s after. You need to make sure that you don’t fall under her spell. That would have a very negative impact on your future Clarence. I’ve known the woman that brought you here for a long time. I assume you know her well enough to know that she won’t be happy if she returns to find that you’ve switched you’re allegiance to Selene. What you don’t know Clarence, is what kind of history she has with Selene. I do. And I can tell you that she would be extremely upset if Selene were to take possession of you. Not to mention, you would be committing a capital offense in this house by switching your loyalties. Selene won’t be able to protect you. Of course, she is going to tell you different. Selene sits on the other side of the table. She is Lavinia’s right hand and hopes to eventually move into Lavinia’s seat. Her only rivals for that seat are me and the woman that brought you here. She should be seated to Antonija’s right, placing her next in line for ascension. However, she has been absent, leaving me to take her seat until she returns. If Selene takes possession of you, it will cause discord on our side of the table and reflect very badly on the woman who brought you here. Then, when Lavinia ascends to Antonija’s seat, she will have a justification for placing Selene at the other end of the table. If Lavinia and Selene become the heads of the table, they will turn this into a house full of servants and slaves. They won‘t be able to do that without neutralizing or eradicating everyone on our side of the table . That’s the situation here Clarence, and it‘s very important that you understand whose side you‘re on, and why.”

She placed two cigarettes in her mouth, lit them both and passed me one. I took a long drag off the cigarette, contemplating her words. I was only certain about one thing, I couldn’t trust any of the women in that house. It was quickly becoming clear that they all had designs and hidden agendas. She finished her coffee and said, “There are boots for you by the door over there. It’s almost time for us to go downstairs.” I took two large swigs of coffee and two quick pulls off my smoke, then I sat down on the floor and pulled my new boots on.

Black Sally took me downstairs and to the dining-room. Everyone else was already seated at the table. As soon as I sat down, I felt Selene’s eyes on me. I looked at her and nodded my head slightly, her eyes looked like they were about shoot fire at me. Apparently she was aware that I had been alone with Black Sally and was not amused. Covered plates sat in front of everyone. Antonija’s angelic voice seemed to cause all noise, movement, and even time itself, to stop. She said, “Let’s take a moment of silence to remember those who came before us and our brothers and sisters who have fallen.” Everyone lowered their heads. After a few moments, Antonija spoke again, “We eat this meal in remembrance of Oyori, our original Matriarch from ancient times. Once a mere slave-girl, she gained her freedom by killing her master. She came to power by consuming him. Every time another tyrant sought to seize control of the tribe, Oyori seduced him, killed him and consumed him. Her power grew steadily, she was placed at the head of the tribe. Under her leadership, nobody was ever in want. No one felt hunger and none were made slaves to another. Eventually she sought tyrants who ruled neighboring kingdoms. One after another, she seduced them, killed them and consumed them. She found that the bloodier the death, the more the tyrant suffered; the more power was transmitted to her through his suffering. Eventually, she passed away like all mortal beings. But the tribe carried on her tradition and continued to thrive, until the new tyrants came with their guns and their ships and their armies. Where we weren’t completely exterminated, we were pushed into the shadows, forced underground; hunted down, tortured and murdered in the very beds we slept in. But some of us survived and kept Oyori’s traditions alive. As you eat your meal, meditate on Oyori, the power that grows inside you, your commitment to each other and your commitment to Oyori.”

Everyone removed the lids from their plates. I looked at the small thin piece of boiled meat on my plate. I fought the urge to vomit. Black Sally took a water pitcher from the center of the table and poured me glass. She whispered, “Don’t think about it, just eat it. “ I cut the piece of meat into two pieces and shoved one of the halves in my mouth. I chewed and swallowed quickly, then gulped down half my glass of water. I took the other bite, finished my water and sat back in my chair concentrating as hard as I could on not vomiting in the middle of the ritual. I looked around the table, everyone had finished and sat quietly. A wave of euphoria swept over me. My nausea went away. I suddenly experienced a strong feeling of confidence and self-awareness. My anxiety and fear subsided. I had just consumed a piece of a human liver, and the only emotion I felt at that time was…exhilaration.

Antonija rose without speaking and exited the room. Once she was gone, Black Sally looked at Selene and said, “I’m taking Clarence this afternoon.’

Selene replied, “The fuck you are, Clarence needs to clean shit in the dog kennels.”

“Clarence was not sent here to learn to clean shit. I’m taking Clarence to teach him something useful.”

“Oh yeah. What are you gonna teach him, how to lick your pussy? Fuck that, Clarence is cleaning shit.”

“Selene, I know that in your perfect vision of the world, you would be queen and everyone else would be groveling shit cleaners. What title should we bestow your Royal Highness? I know, since your dominion will be comprised solely of shit cleaners, and that implies an overabundance of feces…we’ll call you ‘Selene, Queen of Shit!”

Lavinia interjected, “Enough! Clarence will be spending the afternoon with me!”

Terror…absolute terror is what I felt after hearing that I would be spending the afternoon alone with Lavinia. I feared Selene and Black Sally. I was terrified of Lavinia. Who wouldn’t be after witnessing her performance earlier that morning? In addition, Selene would calling for me later in the evening. My mind was filled with images of Lavinia in her blood red dress, dancing around the room spinning that chain as she flayed her helpless victim. The woman who became so aroused at the sight of the man’s blood and suffering that she hiked her dress up and masturbated right there on the spot as she watched him die. That’s who I would be spending the afternoon alone with. And I had no idea what to expect.