The Lioness and the Black Widow 21

As Damijana and Sally led me to the shed, I protested, “You can’t hand me over to Lilith, she’ll just cut me to pieces.” The two remained silent. I pleaded with them, “You two can punish me all you want. Just don’t give me to Lilith and don’t leave me chained up there all night. YOU ARE KILLING ME! Do you know that? You’re murdering me right now.”

Sally said, “You can be dramatic all you want Clarence. You can tear your clothes open, run around in circles screaming and throw yourself on the ground flailing; none of that shit is going to help you. If you truly believe that you’re being marched to your death, at least you can go with a little dignity. The point is Clarence…save the sniveling and whining.”

Lilith was waiting for me in the shed. She wore dark-grey coveralls, her dirty-blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Damijana whispered in my ear, “Take off your clothes and lay down right there.” She pointed to a blood-stained spot on the floor, the spot where I’d helped dismember Cedric. Four steel loops were bolted into the floor, a foot-length of thick, heavy was attached to each loop. An open iron shackle was attached to each chain.

I weighed the odds. Would I be more likely to survive intact if I put up a resistance, or if I complied. I looked at Sally, she grinned at me, fully aware of my thoughts. She didn’t have to put the thought in my mind, I knew by the look in her eyes. Resistance at that point would have meant a certain and horrific death.

I disrobed, went to the designated spot, then stood dumbfounded; feeling I should take some action, any action, but unable to even think of what action to take. I stood frozen. Damijana ordered, “Get down on your knees Clarence.” The few seconds I lost to hesitation, were more than enough time for Sally to close the distance between us and slam her fist into my mouth.

I dropped to my knees. Damijana said, “Now lay down flat on your back.” The wooden floor was cold and hard against my back. The shackles were tightened to the point I could feel them cutting into my wrists and ankles. I saw Lilith looking around for something with which to assault me.

Sally approached Lilith: “Do you remember what he did to you? Do you remember the hooks? When you were vulnerable, what did he do? He brutalized you. He forced his cock up your ass. That’s the kind of mercy he showed you. He knew how much pain you were already in; he was there when your husband was killed. He helped kidnap you. You remember the life you used to have, the comfort and security.”

Damijana added, “Lilith, if it wasn’t for Clarence, I never would have taken part in that scene. But Clarence begged and begged me to bring him because he wanted to take part in the gangbang. He’s the one who gave Evelyn the gun right before the scene went bad. You lost your husband of how many years? This piece of shit not only took away your husband, then he raped you and scarred your face on a separate occasion. Give this sick motherfucker what he deserves.”

Lilith’s face reddened. She glared at Damijana and slowly shook her head, “No. No, YOU did this to me. You didn’t come to my house for a scene. You came to my house knowing that you were going to do as much damage as you could, and Hank got killed in the process. Or was that part of your plan? All the trash you brought with you were following your orders. You’re the one who brought me here. Why didn’t you just leave me there? Why didn’t you just kill me too? Do you think I want to be like you? I could never be like you. I’d rather die…”

Die, as soon as the word fell off her lips, the steel blade of Damijana’s dagger penetrated the soft flesh of her neck. Damijana wiped the blade clean on her long black skirt as Liliith stood clutching her throat, blood spurting from under the sides of her hands and between her fingers. She fell to her knees, then collapsed all the way to floor.

Damijana kicked Lilith in the face. Then she turned to me and placed her booted foot on my bare chest. Looking down at me, she asked, “How about you Clarence? Would you rather die than be like me?”

I shook my head and answered, “No. Damijana please let me up.”

“No. I already told you. You’ll spend the night shackled to the floor in the dark. You’ll have Lilith here to keep you company. I heard you have a thing for dead women. By the way Clarence, the abominations will surely be visiting during the night. They’re attracted to the smell of a fresh body.”

Damijana and Sally exited the shed, turning off the light as they left. They door was left open, leaving me vulnerable to anything out there wandering the night. My eyes adjusted to the darkness. I could see Lilith’s body a few feet away. I could see the stars outside through the doorway. Hungry and exhausted; despite my fear, I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke to a deep, menacing growl. I opened my eyes, panicked, searching the darkness. My muscles tensed in anticipation. There was the sound of clawed footsteps. My stomach tightened into a burning knot. I wanted to scream, but feared making a sound. Then I saw it pass by, the silhouette of a large animal. It stopped and sniffed my face. The beast smelled of rotting flesh. I squeezed my eyes shut tight and held my breath. It continued sniffing me; from face, to chest, to genitals, to feet. I felts it’s cold, nose moving over my body.

The beast stopped sniffing. I heard it’s claws scraping the floor beside me. Then came the sounds of muscle and flesh being ripped from bone. There was crunching and guttural growls. Terrified to look, yet unable to stop myself, I turned my head toward the sound and opened my eyes. Lililth’s body jerked back forth, an enormous black Rottweiler fed on her carcass.

The dog abruptly stopped eating and turned toward me. When I saw its one-eyed rotting face, it’s teeth and jaw exposed, I knew. The dog had died at some point, and Lavinia raised it. The abomination stared me in the face. I felt hot liquid on my stomach. I had pissed all over myself in fear.

The abomination returned to its business of gnawing on Lilith. Then, I heard the sound of boots pacing the wood floor. The sound approached, then stopped at the top of my head. Looking up, all I could see was the red-stripe. It was Lavinia. She knelt down by my head. Her gloved hand caressed my cheek and touched my lips. Her voice said, “I’m going to reduce this house to ashes Clarence. I will destroy everything. Then, my work here will be dine. You see, I hate this life. I hate this whole underground culture. I hate its traditions, its rules. I hate everyone who follows them. I always have. It’s all putrid to me. It’s this culture of indifference, suffering and treachery that stole everything from me.

“All my hopes and dreams were gone when they took me away from my home. They brought me into a world where I could never love; where I could never feel anything but isolation and pain. I was conditioned to only find joy in the suffering of others. That joy was all I had left. It was the only time I felt anything other than my own pain, fear and longing. My loneliness became an insurmountable barrier, separating me from the rest of humanity. After spending year after year in that state, I shed my humanity and became something other than human.

“I want to love you Clarence, but I can’t. And there is nothing left of me for you to love. I not only lack beauty; I have no heart, no empathy, no compassion. What wasn’t torn and sliced away from me in the torture chambers and dungeons, rotted and withered to nothing in isolation. I acknowledge the small glimpse of love that you’ve shown me. But it only serves as a constant reminder of what I can never have or feel.

“Clarence, that night in the basement, after my legs were amputated and everyone left me to die…thank you for being there. I’m glad that I didn’t have to spend that night alone. I will compensate you for your devotion Clarence. But first, I want you to do one more thing for me. I want you to fulfill your obligation to the Furies.”

I shook my head and uttered, “No. No I can’t…”

Lavinia unfastened my shackles and rose to her feet, “You can. And you will. We have nothing else to say to each other.” I sat up and watched her walk away. She exited the shed, the zombified dog followed close behind her.