Kali's Altar 21

Roger writhed around the floor in a growing pool of blood. I placed his severed genitals on Lavinia’s desk and said, “The Duchess asked for a cup of coffee.” Lavinia’s voice said, “I’ll have Ira bring her some.” The Duchess smiled, politely said, “Thank you.” She gazed down at the suffering man. My eyes were fixed on The Duchess, and her long curly red hair. Her breasts heaved as her breathing became heavier. The look in her eyes changed. The she tore open her burgundy blouse, one of her buttons bounced off my black shirt and fell to the floor. My heart raced. A mixture of terror and desire swept over me with the heat and intensity of a wildfire. I recognized what she was and hoped I would be able to stay away from her.

The Duchess reached her hand out toward me and stared me in the eyes. I handed her the dagger. She straddled the man’s waist, his blood soaking into her white pants. She said, “I want him to look scary after you raise him.” She grabbed the man’s upper lip, pulled it taut, then she sliced it off with the dagger and threw it aside. The man flung his head back and forth. The Duchess seized the man’s face by the chin and repeated the process with the man’s lower lip. One of the twins picked the lips up off the floor and stood over the man’s head mocking him with his severed lips, “Hi I’m Roger. Some would say I’m a ladies man.” The twins laughed in unison while The Duchess cut off Roger’s nose, followed by his ears.

The Duchess then grabbed a handful of Roger’s hair and scalped him. Roger no longer screamed. He just repeatedly opened and closed his lipless mouth without making any noise. The Duchess put down the dagger and moved her hips back and forth against the spot where Roger’s cock and balls once were. She put her hands in the pool of blood and began rubbing it into the flesh of her stomach and face. She looked at me and said, “Remove my blouse.” I looked to Lavinia, she nodded her head. After I removed The Duchess’ blouse she commanded, “Now unhook my bra.”

I slipped my fingers between her pale flesh and the black strap of her braseirre. Then I stepped away and circled around to the front to admire her cruel beauty. She continued soaking her hands in the blood, then rubbing it into her breasts, neck, face and arms; her hands gliding smoothly over her lubricated skin as if she was applying an oil or lotion. The only part of her that wasn’t red, were the whites of her eyes and her pearly white smile. She undid her blood steeped slacks, reached into her black lace panties and started masturbating. She leaned back, leaning on one arm. She turned her face toward the ceiling and opened her mouth in a toothy grimace. Then her body convulsed and she let out a deafening, primal roar. The twins tried to quiet their giggles.

The Duchess rose to her feet, breathing heavily. She said, “He’s almost dead.” Lavinia’s voice said, “Clarence, strangle him.” The Duchess still stood, straddling Roger as I approached to finish him. She didn’t move. I said, “I need to strangle him.” She motioned toward Roger and replied, “Go ahead. Nothing’s stopping you.” A chill ran over my body as I entered her space. As I stood straddling Roger, I could feel the energy emanating from her, as she stood right behind me. Her breasts brushed against my back. Her breath tickled my neck.

I sat on Roger’s chest, wrapped my hands around his neck and strangled him. All the while, I felt the heat of The Duchess’ body as she stood over me. When I was done, I stood and turned to face her. She looked like red a demon standing before me. Lavinia’s voice said, “Clarence, Octavia is across the hall. Go get her.” The Duchess looked me in the eyes and smiled. I couldn’t move away from her. I was like a magnet stuck to a refrigerator. The Duchess backed away from me. Lavinia’s voice asked, “Clarence, would like to spend the weekend in the box?”

I replied with my thoughts, “No. I’m sorry. I don’t know what it is. She’s doing something to me.”

“I’M going to do something to you Clarence, if you don’t take your eyes off her and go get Octavia NOW!!!”

I quickly left the office and entered the room across the hall. I turned the light on, the room was empty. I thought, “Octavia’s gone!” Lavinia’s voice replied, “She’s in the closet.” When I opened the closet door I found Octavia. She was on the floor of the closet, under the shelves where Lavinia kept her collection of jars. I knelt down by Octavia, sadness filled my heart as I looked at her. She had been bound up in the fetal postion with layers of black tape. The only part of her body that could be seen was her nose and mouth. Lavinia’s voice said, “There are handles taped to her feet. Drag her in here.”

When I brought Octavia into the office, Lavinia came from behind her desk and guided her wheelchair to the center of the room. I placed Octavia at her feet. Her voice commanded, “EVERYONE OUT!” The Duchess argued, “What do you mean ‘out’? The deal is that you teach me to raise the dead.”

Lavinia replied, “I’ll raise them for you until the war is over. After the war, I’ll teach you how.”

“Raise them for me? Did I just fall off the fucking banana truck? If you raise them, you maintain control over them.”

“I can turn control over to you.”

“Yes, but you can regain control at any time.”

“Look, I don’t trust you anymore than you trust me. You cannot expect me to give you the whole package before the war is over. You haven’t even become actively involved in it yet.”

“That will change tomorrow morning provided that I don’t have to spend the night arguing with you over petty details.”

“I’m not arguing anything. I’m telling you that I will raise the dead for you until the war is over, then I’ll teach you how.”

“I wonder why you send your sister or Sally to handle diplomacy. I want more than just a house full of fucking zombies that you could turn against me at anytime. You’re asking me to put my entire house on the line to come fight this war that YOU started. You’re offering me a rare and special power in return. But you don’t trust me, so I can’t have that power until after the war, right? Yet I’m supposed to trust you and risk everything RIGHT NOW and wait for you to fulfill you’re promise. Fine. Have it your way. I want some collateral to make me feel better about this leap of fucking faith you’re asking me to take.”

“What?”

“Something you care about.” The Duchess looked at me.

Lavinia said, “No.”

“Then our business is done Lavinia. You can go to war on your own. You should think about this. If you want alliances, you’re going to have to negotiate. This is the last time I offer, I’ll fight right by your side and use all the resources at my disposal. But you either have to show me how to raise the dead right now, or let me take Clarence as collateral until you do.”

Lavinia’s voice said, “I’m holding you personally responsible for his well-being and neither you, nor anybody in your house, is allowed to enter his head.”

“I will see to him personally and protect him in the same way that I would protect a member of my own house.”

I thought, “I can’t go through this shit again in another house. I’m asking you, please don’t send me with her.”

Lavinia’s voice said to me, “Enough. It’s done. You will be fine.”

Lavinia’s voice said out loud, “Now everyone out! You all can wait downstairs. I’ll send Roger down shortly.”