The Lioness and the Black Widow 4

The Duchess ordered the twins to tie up Chris. Antigone dragged Theresa’s body out of the kitchen. The man in the attic, tied to the cross, sobbed and uttered anguished and unintelligible phrases. The sound of his voice alone expressed his hopeless condition. The blood that covered The Duchess’ naked body was cracked and dried. She said, “Clarence, follow me upstairs. I need a bath.”

I drew her water. I held her hand as she stepped into the tub. I marveled at he way her feet reddened the water and wondered if The Duchess corrupted everything she touched. When the tub was full, she submerged herself; disappearing beneath the pink and white bubbles. The stillness of the water was unsettling, knowing a predator lurked unseen beneath the surface.

Her upper-body emerged from the water like the head of a demonic red serpent. I reached down between her feet and pulled the plug. She laid back in the tub as the water drained, her body coated with pink suds. I replaced the plug, refilled the tub with fresh water, then I rubbed shampoo into her long red hair. With a large soapy sponge, I lathered her neck and back. She stood up in the tub, her body glistening. I worked the soap into her slippery pale flesh; watching the sponge glide over her breasts and stomach, leaving a trail of white foam in its wake.

The heat from the tub, my exhaustion and my extreme state of arousal combined to make me light-headed and disoriented. I feared that I would feint right in front of her. She braced herself with a hand on my shoulder and raised her leg, lifting her foot out of the water. I took her foot in one hand and slowly spread lathers of soap from her toes to her thighs. She turned, I repeated the process with the other leg. I squeezed the sponge between her thighs, back and forth across her pussy, then up and down the crack of her ass. She sat down and submerged herself again.

When she came back up, she sat soaking in the tub, staring at the wall in front of her. She said, “Go get me the scalpel out of the medicine cabinet.” I went to the medicine cabinet, found the scalpel and returned to the tub. She reached her hand out toward me. I laid the scalpel in her palm. She gripped the scalpel in her fist and pressed the blade to the flesh of her left breast. She pulled the blade to right, drawing a red line across her breast. After setting the scalpel on the edge of the tub, she dipped the tip of her finger in the blood that flowed from her wound. Then she reached up to the wall and scrawled the letter D.

When she was done writing, one word stood out in red on the white wall, ‘DECEPTION’. Antigone and the twins burst into the bathroom. Antigone punched me in the jaw, knocking me to the floor. The three women then kicked me in the head, back, legs and arms as I laid curled up in a ball. They then dragged me to the tub and lifted my upper-body up over the edge. The Duchess grabbed onto the back of my head and forced my head under the water. She held me there, my face pressed against her thighs.

Despite the fear and pain, a part of me felt relief and a libidinous thrill. However, that part of me also anticipated being brought up for air, before being submerged again. That didn’t happen. My thrill and enjoyment quickly disappeared, panic entered in its place. I fought and squirmed and struggled. It was all in vain, the women held firm. The last thing I saw was The Duchess’ pink thighs through the water, then everything went black.

I woke up on the floor with someone’s lips pressed against mine, their breath in my lungs. When I opened my eyes, all I could see was the blinding white light on the ceiling. A silhouette entered my vision. It was The Duchess’ sitting on top of me. She threw her head back and screamed at the top of her lungs. Then she rose to her feet and stood over me; steam rose from her red, wet body. Her soaking red hair clung to her skin. She yelled out to Antigone, “I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU I COULD DO THAT SHIT! I AM THE BOSS QUEEN BITCH!” She looked down at me, “Lavinia is right. That was a fucking rush! I actually got almost as much of a high resuscitating you, as I did drowning your ass out!” Antigone said, “Kill his ass, bring him back, then kill his ass again!” The twins began laughing uproariously and giving each other high-fives.

The Duchess shook her head, “No, once is enough. I just want to be able to say that I put my mark on Lavinia’s boy.” She then motioned toward the door with her head. Antigone and the twins left, closing the door behind them. The Duchess sat down, straddling my hips. I felt the heat of her naked pussy through my pants. She tore my shirt open, then smiled and tilted her head as she gazed on the letters etched into my chest. She laughed and said, “DAMIJANA? The Gothic Girl carved her name in your chest? You have a fetish for sticking your dick in hornet’s nests don‘t you Clarence? You’re involved with Lavinia and her sister? I better get what I need out of you while I can, because you are probably not going to be around too much longer. How fucking stupid do you have to be?”

I remained silent. The Duchess continued, “I’ll tell you what Clarence. I’ll help you and you’re gonna help me. I’ll help you by teaching you the one thing you need to know to help you navigate the shark infested waters you’ve been drowning in. ‘There is a wall, a white wall. And on it is written DECEPTION’. Never assume you know what’s going on. If you think you know what’s going on, either someone else is playing you, or you’re playing yourself.

“Now, you’re going to go get dressed. Get dressed nice. We have a lot of men’s clothing here, along with jewelry. You know…things that lost their owners, or the owners got lost. Then we’re going out. There is a lady who I want you to meet.”

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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.”

Kali's Altar 19

Lavinia’s voice whispered, “I’m doing this because I love you and I want you to grow stronger.” I yelled and screamed until my lungs and throat burned. I couldn’t stand, turn or twist; I didn’t even have enough room to pound my head against the lid or sides of the box. My elbows, shoulders, forearms, head, back, toes and ass all pressed and rubbed against the cold steel. A cold draft flowed in through air holes. All was black. Lavinia’s voice said, “Panic will turn a bad situation into the stuff nightmares are made of. Take a deep breath and try to be still.”

Every joint in my body ached, my muscles began to cramp. My breathing was fast and shallow. I felt something brush against my foot. It felt like furry fingertips were tickling my ankle. I couldn’t breathe. In my mind, I saw the image of a large, hairy spider with a swollen red body the size of a lemon. I felt it brush against the naked flesh of my inner-thigh. Terror confined my existence to the moment, I could see nothing beyond the complete darkness that surrounded me. It was as if I had no past or future, just a hellish present that would stretch on throughout eternity.

My body became soaked with sweat as I yelled and futilely rocked back and forth, a half-inch to each side. I managed to pull my arms up over my knees and bring them between my legs. I felt the spider crawl over my genitals. I could only move my hands from the wrists, I slapped at the spider with one hand hoping to crush it. The spider scurried over my penis and up my stomach. It felt like someone was violently shaking the box, I could hear it slamming against the closet walls. I realized that it was me shaking the box as my body convulsed in fear. The spider crawled up to my neck, I felt it’s fangs sink into to the soft flesh under my ear, it felt like two nails being driven into my neck. With limited movement, I could only slap at the spider with fingertips. It latched on to my hand and bit into my middle finger. My face was pulled back, teeth-bared as I bellowed like beast and crushed the spider between my hands.

Lavinia’s voice whispered, “You were locked in a closet when you were young. You remember. You pounded on the closet door screaming because you were afraid of the dark. You always had the feeling that you weren’t alone in that closet. That feeling terrified you more than the people who locked you inside. Do you remember that time you felt a hand emerge from between the coats and grab your shoulder? You beat on the door until your fists bled, crying and pleading for them to let you out. Did you just have an overactive imagination? Or was there a really some sort malicious spirit in that closet with you? You know how sometimes you would be in the house alone, step into the hall and catch a glimpse out of someone the corner of your eye? You knew you saw someone, but when you checked nobody was there. Have you ever thought that maybe an evil spirit has been stalking you since those days spent in the closet?”

My teeth clattered as I sat cramped and shivering. I clenched my mouth shut to keep my teeth from knocking together. Lavinia’s voice whispered, “Stare into the darkness, tell me what you see.” With head lowered, eyes toward the bottom of the box, I stared into the black between my legs. Moments later a face began to form, it was the pale, eyeless, dead face of Brianna. Her mouth opened wide showing her teeth, the top row was jagged from when she broke her teeth on the bathroom floor. She bit into my testicles. The pain shot through my body, I stiffened, panicked and fought against the steel walls of the box. Brianna growled as she ferociously jerked her head from left to right, tearing my scrotum open and crushing my testicle between her teeth. I screamed out, “Please, please Lavinia. LET ME OUT!” Brianna’s face drifted into nothingness like a smoke ring. I felt for my balls. They were still intact. Lavinia’s voice said, “What did I tell you about the groveling. Do you think that I would give my love to a lowly, groveling coward? I was wrong about you. I thought your devotion meant something. I truly believed that I was special to you. But you’re just a lowly piss-drinking, groveling, cowardly parasite who would be more than happy to lick shit off the boots of any bitch who will allow it. Isn’t that true?”

I screamed out, “NO!” Tears streamed from my eyes.

“You’re crying? You are one sorry fucking excuse for a man. You’ve been in the box for less than ten minutes and you’ve already been reduced to trembling, weeping child. I’m disappointed in you. But mostly, I’m disappointed in myself for misjudging you. I’m going to leave you in that box.”

I yelled, “No, please Lavinia. NO!”

She interrupted, “You will die of starvation. That’s a fitting death for a disloyal, piss-drinking coward. When you’re dead. I’ll take your emaciated body and turn you into the walking dead like I did Brianna. You will be much more useful to me. Good-bye Clarence.”

“No, I’ll do anything, please let me out. Give me a quick death, please.”

“A quick death? That is something I only offer to those I respect or pity. How could I possibly respect you. You’ve seen the torture I’ve endured. I never gave in or begged for anything. You’re not worthy of me.”

“I was there with you when nobody else was…”

“You’re the fool I chose to take advantage of in my time of need. I needed service, you were the only piss-drinker available.”

“I don’t drink piss!”

“I know. You would find it too degrading. However, if you want to get out of that box, that’s exactly what you’re going to do.” The closet door opened, light shot through the air holes like knives penetrating my eyes. I squeezed them shut. “”Open your eyes.” I cracked my eyes open, all I could see was a white blur blending into the black that surrounded me. “Do you see the straw? Lean forward and drink. Drink and I will let you out.”

I shook my head sobbing. The straw was pulled out of the hole. I heard the sound of fluid being poured over the top of the box. Urine streamed from the air holes above onto my flesh. The door slammed shut. All was dark once again. Lavinia’s voice said, “Fine. Starve to death you fucking coward. You can think about me playing with my clit as I revel in your suffering.”

As sat crouched and shivering, sweat and piss dripping from my naked body, my mind became fixated on the image of Lavinia sitting in her chair, creamy thighs parted, her gown pulled up around her waist; playing with her clit and fingering her tight, wet pussy. I remembered the night in the basement when she pretended to be Selene, I remembered the sweet taste of her juices as she rubbed her wet pussy against my lips and tongue. I thought about the first time I pushed my cock inside her. A deep, hopeless sort of anguished loneliness fell over my heart. I loved her, she was all that wanted and wished for. She no longer loved me.

I couldn’t tell how long I was in the box; if it was hours, days or minutes. After awhile, I could no longer tell where my body ended and the darkness of the steel box began. The closet door opened. I squeezed my eyes shut. There was the sound of keys, the lock, steel banging against steel. The lid was opened. I tried to look up. All I could see was light and two shadows standing above me. The shadows pulled me out of the box and dropped me on the floor. I tried to stretch out but my muscles all remained cramped. It felt like thousands of red-hot needles had been inserted into my legs, arms, neck and back. When my eyes finally adjusted to the light, I saw Damijana and Sally standing over me. They both held long, thick leather straps. Since I still couldn’t move, all I could do was lay there helpless and vulnerable as the blows rained down on my naked body. The sound of the leather striking my skin was fast and ferocious. “SCHWAP! SCWAP! SCHWAP! SCHWAP!“ They beat me from head to toe with the straps. I saw blood on the floor and wondered if it was from the lashing alone or if the lashing had opened up wounds still trying to heal.

The blows stopped. I laid on my side breathing heavily, relieved to be out of the box despite the beating. Sally pushed me over on my back with her boot. Damijana sat on my chest, pinning my arms down with her knees. I felt the heat of her pussy through her skirt. I could smell her, she was aroused. Sally laughed and said, “Damijana, his dick is getting hard.”

Damijana looked me in the face with cold, merciless eyes. She held a 1 liter bottle filled with yellow liquid in her right hand. Sally dropped to her knees behind my head, she held my forehead with one hand and pinched my nostrils shut with the other. I held my breath for as long as I could. Damijana watched me and smiled. When I opened my mouth to gasp for air, she filled my mouth piss, then she held my mouth closed forcing me to swallow. When they let go of me, I rolled on my side coughing and choking. Snot and urine dripped from my nose, the piss burned my nostrils making my eyes water. Damijana dumped the remainder of the bottle on my head. Black Sally slammed her boot into my balls. As I laid there clutching my genitals, Damijana kicked me in the face. They then walked out the room laughing. I heard Sally say, “Fucking faggot!”

Lavinia’s voice entered my mind, “Don’t lay there too long. Get up, go wash yourself, get dressed and come to my office.”

I didn’t move. I just laid there bleeding. “GET UP! You’re not in the box starving to death are you? I realize that was a very painful and frightening experience for you. It was necessary for the sake of your development and it was necessary to keep peace in this house. Clarence, right now I love you just as much, if not more, than I loved you before. And I really do love you Clarence. You have proven yourself to me on many occasions. If you really were just a piss-drinking, groveling parasite; you never would have felt what it’s like to be inside me, you never would have felt what it’s like to be loved by me and you definitely wouldn’t be alive. You haven’t suffered anything that is even remotely close to the pain I’ve endured, and that’s not counting the night I was crippled. Now you, Clarence, get your ass up and go clean up.”

Slowly and with excruciating pain, I rolled on my stomach, pushed myself up to my knees and rose to my feet. The pain of standing was as intense as the pain I felt when Lavinia burnt me with the iron. I took a long, deep breath. Lavinia’s voice said, “Very good Clarence. I’m proud of you.”

Kali's Altar 18

After I showered, I went to the kitchen and asked Ira to prepare a meal for Alexandria. Damijana’s voice came into my mind, “Go to the living room.” When I got the living room, Damijana stood staring out the window wearing a long black skirt and a black sweater. She spoke out loud, “Sit down Clarence, we have a visitor. Don‘t speak unless you‘re spoken to.”

“Who is it?”

“A member of another house.” I took a seat in the large armchair and waited. Several minutes later the doorbell rang. Ira passed the living room on her way to the door. She returned followed by a tall woman with long, curly red hair. Her energy seemed to fill the room when she entered. She wore white slacks, white leather boots, a burgundy silk blouse and a full length white mink coat. She took her coat off and threw it over the back of a chair as if its value was meaningless to her. Then she sat down on the sofa, crossed her legs and smiled. Damijana sat down across from the woman. “You must be the one they call The Duchess.”

“I am. You must be The Gothic Girl. I like the whole black hair and dark clothing thing you’ve got going on. That’s very original.”

Damijana replied, “Thank you. I see you favor the ‘spoiled, slut wife of a mafia boss look.’ That‘s very low profile. Would you like coffee, tea, a drink?”

“No. I’m fine, thank you. Frankly I didn’t come here for a tea party and trivial conversation. What’s the issue?”

“We want to create an alliance between our two houses.”

“Oh, so you need us for something. What’s in it for us?”

“We can raise the dead.”

“Bullshit.” Brianna walked in the room, sat down next to The Duchess and removed her sunglasses. The Duchess grabbed Brianna’s wrist and checked for a pulse. When she didn’t find one, she turned back to Damijana, “Alright, get her out of here, she fucking stinks.”

Brianna stood and left the room. The Duchess asked, “So what do you want from us?”

Damijana replied, “We want you to help us destroy the man they call The Great Sathanas.”

“Who gets all his wealth?”

“We’re not interested in his money. If you get into this with us, whatever you pillage is yours.”

“Oh yeah? What about the machine?”

“We can’t take any of the equipment. If we do, we’ll have much bigger problems than The Great Sathanas.”

The Duchess looked over at me then back to Damijana, “What’s with the swinging dick? You let men sit at your table?”

“Sometimes. Your house doesn’t?”

“Fuck no. Why would we?”

“Female supremacy?”

“Is that a joke? We’re outsiders, just like you. We’ve been hunted, tortured and killed. We’re always on the run, we’re forced to exist underground. The women who I’ve been in the trenches with, those are my sisters. I could give a fuck less about the rest of the women in the world. I don’t have anything against men, aside from the fact that in houses like ours, they’re always the weakest link.”

Damijana shot me a glance, her voice came into my mind, “Let it go. This is not a woman you want to challenge.”

The Duchess looked me in the eyes, “Don’t you agree?”

I couldn’t help myself. “No, I don’t agree.”

“And there lies the problem. You ARE the weakest link, but you’re blind to that fact and therefore unable to become stronger. When I look into your eyes, I see the contents of your soul. It would take me less than 24-hours to have you on your knees in front me offering your loyalty. You’re a security risk. If my house forms an alliance with yours, other houses may form alliances of their own that are hostile to us. You’re the first one they’ll target. They’ll send a woman to you who will know exactly what your combination is and she will open you like a safe.” She turned her head to Damijana and continued, “This is why we don’t use men. I’ll bet you anything that he’s already been the cause of strife and division in your house. But never mind all that. If you seat men at your table, it’s your business.”

“We need to settle this business with Sathanas quickly.”

“I have angles on him. I have influence with some of the people he knows. As you know, he is very well connected.”

“His associates won’t want anything to do with this kind of war.”

“His more prestigious associates will walk away from him at the drop of a hat if they think there is a risk of him splashing shit on their clothes. Some of the gangsters he’s associated with won’t just walk away.”

“They will when they see the cost of being associated with him.”

“You can count on that. I won’t. Now lets talk about raising the dead.”

“Bring us the bodies.” The Duchess smirked and stood. Damijana and I both rose from our seats. The Duchess put her coat back on, “I’ll be back with the first one around midnight.” She gave us a slight nod and saw herself out.

I asked, “Can we trust her?”

Damijana glared at me, “Are you trying to prove her point about being the weakest link?” I looked at her confused. She shook her head in disgust and walked out the room. Lavinia’s voice said, “The Duchess will make a solid ally. Think about what she said to you and don’t do anything to reinforce her belief that you are just a mindless swinging dick.”

I remembered Alexandria and quickly went to the bathroom and grabbed the Valium and water. When I got to her room, she was curled up on the bed soaked in sweat, her face red and covered with tears. I gave her the pills and the water. Her hand shook as she raised the glass of water to her lips. A sandwich, an apple and a glass of milk had been placed on the nightstand. I said, “You should eat.”

She looked up at me with wide tear-filled eyes, “Thank you for being so nice to me.” I turned away from her and left the room. I stopped at Lavinia’s office and knocked on the door. Her voice said, “Come in.” When I entered the office, I saw that all the furniture had been pushed up against the walls leaving a large space in the center of the room. Lavinia sat in a wheelchair spinning herself around in circles with the front wheels lifted off the floor. She stopped spinning and let the front wheels fall. I shut the door and stared at her in amazement. I thought, “How long did it take you to learn how to do that?”

“I was practicing while you were downstairs meeting with Damijana and The Duchess. After I heal, I’ll get prosthetics.” Her gown was tucked in under her bandaged stumps. I remembered the night when she was crippled and disfigured by the old Matriarch. I remembered her lying on the mattress in the basement after the amputations. There was a knock on the door and Black Sally entered. Lavinia’s voice said, “Sally, I want you to take Clarence to your quarters and lock him in your steel box.”

Goosebumps instantly broke out on my flesh and my heart start pounding. Lavinia said, “When I was working my way through your mind. I found an intense fear of being locked in a tight, confined dark space.” I thought, “Please…” Lavinia’s voice interrupted, “DO NOT GROVEL! I won’t tolerate it. I command you to go with Sally and get in the box. When I tell you to do something, you do it. Do have any doubts in regard to how far I would go to protect you, strengthen you and provide you with whatever you need?”

I thought, “No.”

“What I did for you today, putting everything on the line to support you; do you think that I would do that for anyone? No. I would only do that for you. You are well aware that I demand your complete obedience. If I tell you to climb into a pot and let me boil you alive, that’s what you will do. Do you understand me?”

I thought, “Yes.”

“Sally, take him to the box.”

I followed Sally back to her quarters. She ordered me to strip and climb into the steel box. I sat crouched with my arms hugging my knees as she slammed the lid shut less than an inch above my head. I heard the closet door shut. All was black, the steel was cold against my naked flesh. I had no room to move. It felt as if I couldn’t breathe. I began to panic. I screamed.

Kali's Altar 9

The table met for lunch later than normal. Everyone ate in silence. It seemed that under Lavinia’s rule, meeting at the table was just another meaningless formality on its way to the body dump. The altar had become the house’s main focus. Not the table, not traditions, not personal growth and development; everything was about bringing sacrifices to the altar and feeding Lavinia’s insatiable appetite.

After lunch, I approached the Gothic Girl. I thought, “I have questions.” She nodded her head and we went to the living room. Her voice said, “I already know your questions, but I want to hear you ask me them out loud.”

I asked, “Is there someone else who comes to the house and does some of the work?”

“Yes. But it is nothing for you to worry about. Go on to your next question.”

“I sense somebody else out there. Who is it?”

She took a deep breath, “It’s not going to make you feel better and it doesn’t concern you anyway. There is someone out there. He helps out around the house and we feed him in return.”

“He takes the body parts?”

“Yes.”

“Does he eat them?”

“Yes.”

She was right, that knowledge did not make me feel any better. I asked, “Is he considered part of the table?”

“No, Clarence, he is not. Let’s just say he has more beast-like characteristics than he does human. You want to stay from him.”

“Aren’t you worried that someone might come around someday asking questions? Doesn‘t anyone get suspicious?”

“That hasn’t happened yet. But now that my sister in charge, a lot more people are going to disappear. Someone will eventually get suspicious. It wouldn‘t be first time something like that happened to house like ours.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t fool yourself into believing that what we do here is new or unique. Far from it, these rituals have been carried out since the dawn of man and they have continued to be carried out through the ages. Our thing is tribal, ancient and sacred. We live on the fringes of civilized society. In a way, we have never come out of the woods. The Thugs in India did their thing secret for centuries, then they got too large and too many people disappeared. When families like ours are discovered, we always make history due to the unbelievably high body count. You could look through old news articles and easily find the families who have been destroyed by allowing themselves to be discovered. Anytime a killer, or group of killers, has a body count is in the hundreds, its almost always going to be connected to house similar to this one. Sometimes they just catch one individual from a family, like that Holmes guy in Chicago. When you’re in an area where there is an unusually high amount of missing people, that’s usually an area with at least one active family. We are all cousins to each other, we all came from the same place. We were once all united. It isn’t like that anymore. We stay away from each other now. Lavinia intends to change that. If she does, we might end up in the history books with India’s Thugs. When you have a confederation, way too many people come up missing to hide it.”

“Do all these other families use telepathy?”

“Of course, that is the main thing we have in common. The torture and human sacrifice is used to increase our power both as individuals, and as a group. The closer the telepathic is to their primal self, the more powerful they will be. That makes savagery essential for us and every other family like us. The meat strengthens us as well. You’ve felt it. Do you see how quick Lavinia is recovering? That is because of the meat. If the meat brings power, it goes without saying that some will constantly want more. Now, Lavinia is not just hungry for power, she also has sexual needs that require a constant supply of bodies. By the time she’s done, if she ever gets caught, they won’t list her with the other serial killers. They’ll have to put her in the medical books with the infectious diseases. Do you understand what you are a part of here? Do realize just how deep in this shit you really are? What do you think your future is with Lavinia? That doctor worked for this house for years. That wasn’t first time he got a blowjob. But it is the first time he tried to do it during Lavinia’s rule.”

“She killed him because he got blowjob from that woman?”

“No, she killed him because he was there. Think of a nymphomaniac who needs it all day everyday. She’ll fuck the gardener, the garbage man, the mailman, her boss, her husband and his friends. She’ll fuck anyone who is there at the time. That’s Lavinia. The thing is that she needs someone to die every time she fucks. You should be able to see how quickly this could get out of hand. And how long do you think it’s going to take before you end up like the good doctor or Alfred? What happens when the honeymoon phase is over and she finds out that you snore? What do you think she’s thinking when your dick is inside of her? I’m sure it makes you feel like quite the stud to have the Matriarch in love with your dick; a Matriarch who has a fetish for off cutting dicks and preserving the ones she likes in jars.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“First, don’t give me anymore of that ’I had no choice’ shit. I understand the position you are in. But you fell in love with her Clarence. That what the issue is here. You did have a choice about falling in love with her. You know exactly what she’s about and you fell with her anyway. You need to learn to put your penis away when you’re engaging in the politics of this house. Men typically have a very low life expectancy at the table, so low that we rarely waste time bringing them. You come to the table with your dick in your hand and you will get used as a pawn and torn to pieces.”

“Where do we stand now?”

“I carved my name in your chest.”

“That won’t help anything if Lavinia just slices it off later.”

“I’m not talking to Lavinia, I’m talking to YOU!”

“If you’re sister is going to kill me anyway and there is nothing you can do about it…”

Anger was a like a fire in her eyes, “I didn’t say that I can’t do anything about it. What I AM saying to you right now Clarence, is that you better start giving me reason to save you!” She got up and left the room.

As I sat there thinking about what was said, Lavinia’s voice came into my mind: “My sister acts like you made a bad decision. Is that what you think?”

I thought, “No.”

“Your love for me is real. I see where it comes from. When I reach the heights of power, you will remember that you were the only one there with me when I was at my lowest point. When I was there suffering alone on a dirty, piss-stained mattress in the cold basement, you were the only one there to bring me a blanket. You did this in spite of the cruelty I had shown you. I won’t forget that, ever. How many men do you think have chewed my food for me and fed me? None. And that’s exactly how many men I have loved before you. Do you remember when I gave you the choice to walk away or stay? I offered you the opportunity to walk away free with all the money you would ever need. You didn’t take it, instead you chose to stay with a disfigured, crippled woman who you thought would probably kill you sometime in the future. You stayed because you love me. When you stayed, you took my heart in your hands.”

I felt like they were trying to figure out the best place to cut me, in order to split me down the middle. I didn’t see to many choices. I couldn’t turn away from Lavinia just like the Gothic Girl couldn’t just stand up at the table announce herself the Matriarch. Things just don’t work like that. But the Gothic Girl did have a point, Lavinia was too bloodthirsty.

It was an addiction for her. She was addicted to torture and murder like a drug-addict is addicted to his dope. The habit doesn’t slow down, it progressively gets worse. If she’s snatching Jehovah’s Witnesses off the porch today, what will she do tomorrow? I had to ask myself if I was addicted to her, or if I just like her. More and more, I thought and fantasized about the blood-soaked orgy, the feeling of participating in the ultimate taboo. The feeling that you have the power, courage and strength of will to take that route. Was I in love with Lavinia? Or was I in love with that part of myself that was just like her? That hidden, secret and shameful part of myself. Or, was I in love with the way she brought that part of me out, accepted it, validated it, made love with it and nurtured it? It was all of the above, and denying that I truly loved Lavinia would have been like trying to swat away flies while wearing a straight-jacket. However, I also could not deny that I truly loved her sister. It was easy to see why men had such a short life-expectancy at the table.

Kali's Altar 6

At breakfast, I looked at all the faces around the table. Everyone was battered and exhausted except for the Gothic Girl and Black Sally. Lilith sat with her head down, it was the first time I had seen her without ropes or restraints. Octavia’s hands and wrists were shackled. She didn’t say anything, she just looked from one of us to the next; she looked scared, but she hadn’t been broken. Brianna sat sulking in her chair. Every once in awhile I would look up and catch her giving me the evil eye. I laughed to myself at the thought, the evil eye was the only eye Brianna had left. I heard her voice in my head, “You think that’s funny, huh Clarence. You just wait.” All the women at the table wore their uniforms. I wore the paramilitary-style shirt and pants version.

The Gothic Girl asked Octavia, “When did you become aware of your power?”

Octavia replied, “When I was 13.”

“What happened?”

“This boy did something to me. When he was doing it, stuff started falling off the walls.”

“What did your Grandmother tell you about your ability?”

“She said I’d find out all about it someday, and that she didn’t want to be the one to tell me what’s wrong with me. She said I have to find out on my own.”

“What have you been able to figure out on your own?”

“I can push a silverware across the table sometimes, but it takes a lot of effort and concentration. Other than that, it only comes out when something bad happens.”

“You’re sitting there in shackles, isn’t that bad enough? The shackles shouldn‘t be able to stop you, but they do. It‘s your mind that’s held in bondage Octavia. Once the shackles come off your mind, no cage or chain will be able to hold you. However, in order to break you out of your mental bondage, some bad things will have to happen to you.”

Lillith raised her head and said, “Like seeing your husband killed right in front of you? Like being kidnapped, tortured and raped? Was that so you can free my mind?”

The Gothic Girl looked at her for moment before speaking, “Yes, we are liberating you Lilith. You don’t feel like a weight has been lifted?”

Lilith shook her head and pressed her lips together in rage.

The Gothic Girl said, “Clarence, after breakfast I want you to take Lilith and Octavia to Lavinia’s office. There a few things that I want these two to learn about themselves before we go on.”

I led the two women to Lavinia’s office and knocked on the door. I heard Lavinia’s voice in my head, “Bring them in.”

When we entered the office, the two women stopped and stared and Lavinia. She sat at her desk in her black Victorian-style dress, her hair was held in a bun by two long steel hairpins. Fresh bandages covered her face. Two chairs were placed in front her desk facing each other. Lavinia motioned with her hand toward the chairs. I nudged Octavia, she took her seat and Lilith followed. I leaned against the wall by the door and watched.

Lavinia’s voice could be heard clearly, though I knew she was still unable to speak with her mouth. Octavia and Lilith had no idea that the voice they were hearing wasn’t coming through their ears, Lavinia was talking directly to their minds. She said, “I figured we’d start with little game, kind of an icebreaker so we can all get to know each other. It’s sort of like truth or dare, but there is no ‘truth’ option. You each take turns issuing each other dares. You cannot refuse a dare and if you issue a dare that I think is boring, apprehensive or lame; you lose your turn and have to take a dare issued by me. Do you understand?”

Octavia asked, “What happens if we don’t do the dare.”

“You will be tortured until you die or change your mind. Lilith, you go first.”

Lilith hesitated and said, “I don’t know what you want me to do.”

“That’s a foul for being apprehensive,” Lavinia replied, “now you must take a dare issued by me. Lilith, I dare you to spit in Octavia’s face.”

Lilith stood up slowly and made a feeble attempt at spitting toward Octavia. Lilith screamed and fell to the floor. Lavinia’s voice said, “Hurts doesn’t it. It gets much worse. Now complete your dare!’

Lilith got to her feet and gave Lavinia a bewildered look. Then she gathered up the saliva in her mouth and spit straight in Octavia’s face. Mucous and spittle dripped from her nose. She wiped her face on her sleeve, grimaced and said, “Okay that’s just foul.”

Lavinia’s voice said, “It’s your turn Octavia. This isn’t a talk show.”

Octavia sat up straight in her chair, “I dare you to just sit there while I smack you in the mouth.” Octavia looked to Lavinia. Lavinia nodded toward Lilith. Octavia stood up, stood to the side of Lilith’s chair and smacked her square in the mouth. The bandage on Lilith’s cheek flew off revealing a crude stitch job, blood trickled from her mouth. Octavia sat back down.

Lilith touched her hand to her mouth and looked at the blood. She glared at Octavia, “I dare you to get down on your hands and knees and lick my boots.”

Lavinia’s voice interrupted, “Foul. That’s boring Lilith. Lilith, I dare you to get your hands and knees, and stick your tongue in Octavia’s ass.” Octavia’s eyes widened, she shook her head, “I can’t…I’ve never even…” Lavinia opened her desk drawer and pulled out a small box. She pushed it across the table toward Octavia, “Open it.”

Octavia picked up the box and took off the lid. Her face crinkled up in look of shock and terror. She dropped the box. A nose, a pair lips, ears and eyeballs fell out on the floor. Octavia threw up. Lavinia’s voice said, “Now stand up and bend over my desk. Lilith get on your knees behind her.”

Lilith did what she was told. She pushed Octavia’s skirt up to her hips and pulled her panties down to her knees. The sight of Octavia’s plump, round ass made my dick start to stiffen in my pants. Lilith spread Octavia’s cheeks apart and slid her tongue into her asshole.

Lavinia’s voice said, “Keep doing it. Run the tip around the rim then shove it in and wriggle it around.”

I could hear Octavia moan. My dick got harder. I imagined myself pushing my cock between her cheeks and into her ass. Lavinia’s voice said, “That’s enough.”

Octavia sat down, “I dare you to lick my pussy.” She slouched down in her chair, pulled her skirt up and parted her thighs. Lilith buried her face in her pussy. Octavia closed her eyes, threw head her back and squeezed her large breasts through her shirt.

Lavinia’s voice ordered, “Stop! Lilith, get back in your chair, it’s your turn.”

“Octavia, I dare you to lick my clit and…”

Lavinia slammed her hand on the desk, “FOUL!” She pulled a meat cleaver from her desk. Octavia tensed, her face showed fear. “Clarence, get some towels from the bathroom.” When I returned with the towels Lavinia’s voice said, “Set those on my desk and hold Octavia down. Lilith, I dare you to chop off one of Octavia’s fingers.”

I got behind Octavia, wrapped my arms around her and held her tight. Lilith didn’t move from her chair. Lavinia picked up the cleaver, “Take this and chop her finger off or I’ll have Clarence chop off both your feet.” Her blank bandaged face turned to Octavia, “Pick a finger and place it on the arm of chair. If you don’t hold it still, I’ll make Lilith chop off your whole hand.”

I could feel Octavia’s heavy breathing. Lilith grabbed the cleaver. She raised it in the air and brought it down, there was a sound like a carrot being chopped in half on a cutting board. Octavia screamed and jerked around in her chair. Her pinky fell to the floor. I wrapped her hand with one of the towels. Lavinia’s voice said, “It’s your turn Octavia.”

Octavia just clutched her hand to her chest and took fast, deep breaths. She pleaded, “I can’t do this anymore…”

Lavinia’s voice interjected, “OCTAVIA! IT’S YOUR TURN!”

Octavia shook her head, tears streamed from her eyes. Lavinia’s voice said, “Clarence cut her face.” I picked up the pen knife and grabbed Octavia’s chin. She yelled, “ALRIGHT! STOP! I’ll play. Lilith I dare you to take the cleaver…”

“FOUL!” Octavia began to sob. Lavinia’s voice said, “Octavia, I dare you to rip open Lilith’s shirt and bite off one of her nipples.”

I whispered to Octavia, “Just do it. Don’t think about it. Just get up and do it!” Octavia stood up and went to Lilith. She had to struggle to rip open Lilith’s shirt because of the shackles. When she finally got open, she stopped and gazed at Lilith’s medium-sized breasts and light pink nipples. She licked her full lips, grabbed Lilith’s left breast and bit into the flesh around her nipple. Lilith yelled out, “FUCK! FUCK! YOU FUCKING BITCH! YOU FUCKING BITCH!” Octavia jerked her head back. Lilith screamed and started swinging at her. I held Lilith down. Octavia spit the nipple out on the floor and sat down.

Lilith snarled, “Octavia I dare you to…”

“FOUL!”

‘WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN FOUL?” I stuck the penknife in her nose, pierced her septum and pushed the blade down, slicing through the septum toward her upper lip. She put hands over her nose and wailed. I punched her in the face, “Shut the fuck up and play the game.”

Lavinia pulled a bottle of lighter fluid and a lighter from one of her desk drawers, “Lilith, I dare you to douse Octavia’s hair with this lighter fluid and set it on fire.”

Octavia started shaking like she was having convulsions, her eyes got wide as saucers. She stared at the floor and mumbled, “No, no, no, no, no.”

Lilith took the lighter fluid and poured it all over Octavia’s head. The flammable liquid streamed down her face, soaking her shirt collar. Octavia looked like she was having an epileptic seizure in her chair. Lilith hesitated. “DO IT! PICK UP THE LIGHTER!” Lavinia’s voice yelled.

Lilith picked up the lighter and approached Octavia. Then, everything came flying off Lavina’s desk. Lilith’s chair flew across the room and bounced off the wall. I felt like I had just been hit by a strong gust of wind, it almost knocked me off my feet. The desk began to shake and the overhead light exploded. Lilith looked to Lavinia. Lavinia’s voice said, “Put the lighter down and go back to your room.”

Eventually, Octavia stopped convulsing and sat up in her chair with a confused and anguished look on her face. Lavinia tossed me a key, “Take her shackles off and show her where she can wash the lighter fluid out of her hair.”

Kali's Altar 1

The Gothic Girl led the woman to the den. I hadn’t seen her since she was thrown in the trunk of a car a few days earlier. She didn’t look like she had suffered any physical injuries. She was clean and freshly bathed; covered with a white robe, her hair still wet. Brianna rose from her chair and approached the woman. She ordered the woman to take off her robe. The woman looked to the Gothic Girl. Brianna grabbed the woman by the hair and attempted to force her to the floor. The woman fought back. Her robe was pulled open during the struggle. Her breasts bounced up and down as she threw a flurry of wild punches at Brianna.

The Gothic Girl laughed and said, “Clarence, your comrade is getting her ass whooped.” Brianna tripped over a footstool as she tried to evade the blows and fell to the floor. The woman grabbed a poker from a rack by the fireplace and began beating on Brianna’s back and legs. I punched the woman in the jaw. She fell to one knee. Brianna got to her feet, grabbed a heavy ashtray from the end table and smashed the woman in the head with it. The woman fell to the floor.

I stripped the woman’s robe from her body, removed the belt and tied her wrists to a leg of the coffee table. She laid face-down on the floor crying. Her cries turned to screams when Brianna shoved the handle of the poker up the woman’s ass. Brianna pulled a knife from her pocket and hacked off the woman’s hair.

The Gothic Girl held a pair of hooks. A short, thin piece of rope was attached to each hook. She knelt by the woman, reached her hand under her chin, jerked her head up and ran the stainless-steel hook through the woman’s cheek. The woman shrieked and tried get up. The Gothic Girl placed her knee between the woman’s shoulder blades and slammed her head into the coffee table leaving a large gash across the woman’s forehead. The woman’s face was instantly painted with blood. The Gothic Girl hooked the woman’s other cheek and handed me the rope. She held the length of rope attached to the other hook. I pulled from the left-side and the Gothic Girl pulled from the right. The woman’s yells and screams came out of her mouth like some strange mating call. Brianna returned to fucking the woman’s ass with the handle of the fire poker. The Gothic Girl and I each took a step away from the woman as we stretched her face farther and farther.

Eventually, my hook cut through the woman’s cheek. The Gothic Girl placed the sole of her boot on the woman’s shoulder and jerked up on the hook. It ripped through woman’s cheek. Her body heaved rapidly, in rhythm with her sobs. Brianna pulled the poker from the woman’s ass and hammered the woman’s buttocks and thighs with the shit-covered handle.

Lavinia’s voice came into my mind, “I want you to fuck her. Fuck her ass until she bleeds.”

I pushed Brianna aside and dropped to my knees between the woman’s legs. My good hand smacked and squeezed her ass. I undid my pants with the fingers on my bandaged hand. I eased my finger into her ass and wriggled it around. The woman whimpered and trembled. My cock stood erect and rock-hard. I spit on my hand and spread the saliva over the head of my dick, then I plunged it balls deep into her ass. The woman raised her head and let out a guttural shout. I fucked her ass savagely and mercilessly; the way that Isabel, Lenore and Atrese had brutalized me. I heard Lavinia’s voice in my head, “Watch this!”

Brianna knelt down by the woman’s head and grabbed onto her hands. I couldn’t see exactly what she was doing. The woman screamed and her body went stiff, then I heard a sharp “CRACK!” Brianna was breaking fingers. The woman struggled to rise to her feet. I laid down flat on top of her, slowly moving my cock deep around inside her. My hips pumped up and down faster and harder. “CRACK!” I came deep in her ass while she wriggled around squealing and weeping underneath me.

Lavinia’s voice said, “Tell her I said ‘Welcome to the family.’”

The doctor stitched up the woman’s face when he came by to check on Lavinia. The Gothic Girl and I carried Lavinia upstairs to her room and placed her in bed. It was the first time I had seen her room. The walls, ceiling and carpets were all crimson, as was the bedding and drapes. A queen-sized bed sat in the center of the room. A mahogany altar sat to its left. The altar was adorned with candles, flowers, jewels and daggers; a three foot statue stood in the center. The statue depicted a naked woman with coal black skin and eight arms. It depicted the image I’d seen in my visions and dreams.

The Gothic Girl spoke without moving her lips, “We need to go back into the city tonight.”

“Why?”

“We need to hunt. We need members and meat.”

“I’ll be ready.”

“She wants you to stay. I’ll see you at the table.” She kissed me, then abruptly exited the room.

Lavinia’s voice said, “Slave, look under the bed. There is a platter. Get it.”

I got on my hands and knees and looked under the bed. I pulled out the silver platter. On the platter sat a boiled, brown chunk of meat. Lavinia’s voice said, “Chew it up. Chew it up good. Swish it around in your mouth until it’s like soup, then spit it into my mouth. You will take one bite for yourself. It will increase your power. It’s Antonija.”

I chewed the Matriarch’s meat and fed it to her. It felt like the meat I consumed instantly lit a fire inside me. I was filled with the urge to consume more, to hurt more, to fuck more, to kill more.

Lavinia sat up and turned her bandaged face toward me. I couldn’t see her eyes. I couldn’t hear her speak, yet she communicated clearly, “Tonight you will bring the sacrifice to my bed. We will torture together and consume the meat together. We will consume it raw, like in times past. We will continue to grow stronger.”

At lunch, the woman sat at the table tied to a chair. Her forehead and cheeks were bandaged. She appeared heavily sedated. I asked the Gothic Girl, “What do we call her?”

She said, “Lilith. We’ll call her Lilith.”

“Why is she still tied up? We should kill her if we can’t control her.”

The Gothic Gothic slapped me across the face. “Do you think that because you’ve become Lavinia’s concubine, that gives you authority over me? Who are you to question me? Stand up! STAND UP AND TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRT!”

I pushed my chair out, stood and removed my shirt. The Gothic Girl yelled, “DROP YOUR PANTS AND PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE FUCKING TABLE! LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD!”

I heard chains jingling behind me, then the sound of something slicing through the air. The pain almost knocked me off my feet. I gripped the table, my muscles tensed; cold steel tore across my back again. She was whipping me with a long thin chain. Again and again, the lashes came down across my back. I felt blood trickling down my buttocks and thighs. I thought of Lavinia and of the immense suffering I had seen her endure. I refused to scream.

She wrapped the chain around my neck and pulled me to the floor. She yelled, “LAY ON YOUR BACK!” She hiked up her skirt, squatted and pissed all over my face. She said, “Now get up and go back to your seat BITCH!”

Brutality 15

When I got to the table, I pulled out my chair; then I collapsed and everything faded to black. I dreamt that I was an Egyptian slave in ancient times. I wore nothing but a white loin-cloth as I knelt before a throne. On the throne sat Antonija in a Pharoah’s robes and head-dress; everything she wore was made of gold. She held a cobra in her right hand, she held Lenore’s severed head in her left. Two hungry lionesses lurked underneath the throne. I saw their eyes shining in the darkness. A hooded figure appeared to my left. It raised the executioner’s axe, the blade ripped through my arm just below the shoulder. It raised the executioner’s axe again…I opened my eyes. I was in Lavinia’s office, naked, laid out face-down on the floor. I couldn’t feel anything from the waist down. My heart raced as I began to panic. I looked around the room. Lavinia sat quietly at her desk watching me.

Without moving her lips she spoke, “You were bleeding out your ass. We had to get you a doctor. You‘re not paralyzed. The feeling in your lower body will come back.”

I thought, “Can I have a blanket?”

“No. If you needed it, I would have already given it to you.”

I shivered, angry that she was going out of her way to make me uncomfortable.

“Uncomfortable? Don’t you prefer to be uncomfortable slave? Are you saying that you would like to have some time to relax? Here. I‘ll teach you a relaxation technique. Close your eyes and take long, deep breaths.”

I heard someone humming an old hymnal, one I hadn’t heard since childhood. My Grandmother used to hum it as she rubbed my back and put me to sleep. I saw Lavinia’s image in my mind. She whispered softly, “Relax baby, it’s gonna be okay. Just relax.” I began to drift off. She said, “Now open your eyes.” I opened my eyes and saw Lavinia standing over me. She kicked me in the face.

My eyes watered. I tasted blood in my mouth; I felt it drip from my nose. Lavinia went back to her desk and sat down, “That’s what happens when you relax in this world. When you relax, you let your guard down. If you let your guard in this house, you will get hit. You can’t protect my interests if you can’t protect yourself.”

There was a knock at the door. Black Sally entered. She knelt down by my side and rubbed my back. “I guess the girl’s got a little out of hand. No hard feelings right?”

I answered, “No, no hard feelings.”

Lavinia spoke out loud, “As soon as he can stand up, I want you to take him back to your quarters.”

“It’s not an infirmary Lavinia.”

“I thought you were supposed to be teaching him to break that girl.”

“It will traumatize the woman to have Clarence there right now.”

“Traumatize her? That‘s what you‘re supposed to be doing.”

“I have my own way of doing things.”

“You already said that Clarence was going to help you put the girl through the process. Since you stated your case so strongly last night, I took it to be a commitment. You WILL take Clarence back to your quarters tonight. I shouldn’t have to baby sit him anyway. You’re the one who got him all fucked up like that. You take care of him.”

“Why don’t you give him a blanket?”

“He said he didn’t want one.”

Sally looked at me, “You have to try to stand up.” She helped me to my feet, took my arm around her shoulder and wrapped her arm around my waist. She walked me back to her quarters. Brianna was asleep in the bed, a large bandage covered her eye. Sally said, “Go lay down.”

“I’m not laying down next to her, I’ll wake up with a knife in my back.”

“No you won’t, just go lay down. Go to sleep.”

“Could I have a wet towel for my nose?” She went to the kitchenette, wet a towel and tossed it to me. I stood at the foot of the bed watching Sally. She said, “Why are you staring at me, I told you to lay down.”

“Why does the Gothic Girl keep bringing people to this house?”

“We need new blood.”

“So that’s what she does? She finds people and brings them here?”

“Sorry Clarence, I guess you’re not as special as you thought.”

“I heard that you two don’t get along.”

“Don’t believe everything you hear.”

I laid down next to Brianna. Sally sat down at the table and lit a cigarette, “I don’t have any problems with the woman you call the Gothic Girl. She does her thing and I do mine.”

“Earlier you said that you two were on the same side.”

“When it comes to Lavinia we are on the same side. You’ve seen what she does Clarence. We can’t have that psycho-bitch taking over Antonija’s seat. Lavinia is the number one cause of death in this house.”

“How did she get such a high position at the table?”

“That’s a stupid question Clarence. How do you think? Her only function in life is treachery, torture and murder. That’s what got her where she is now, that’s what will take her wherever she’s going.”

“It’s only a matter of time before she kills me.”

“That is correct Clarence, unless she dies before that happens.”

“Then she needs to die.”

Black Sally laughed, “Don’t get ahead of yourself Clarence. Right now you need to rest.”

I heard Lavinia’s voice in my head, “Very good slave. I want my name to come up at least once in every conversation you have with her. Tomorrow you will ask her why she doesn‘t have my seat. The next day you will tell her it‘s unfair. She’s not obsessed with power, she’s obsessed with not feeling inferior. Cater to her ego, encourage her envy. She will eventually be consumed by her obsession, you‘re there to help speed up the process.”

My mind went quiet. I wondered where Sally was going to sleep. I dozed off watching her sit in silent contemplation at the table. I woke up to Brianna screaming and kicking me. Sally jumped on top of her and shoved a pistol in her mouth, “Do you want to go back in the box? Then shut the fuck up and be still.”

I could feel Brianna’s fear. I tried to stay awake fearing that she would smother me in my sleep. I asked Sally if I could sleep on the floor. She said, “No. You two will share a bed when you’re in my quarters. That’s the way I want, that’s the way it will be. Now be quiet and go to sleep.”

The tension in the bed was too much, it was impossible to sleep. I knew that Brianna was awake on her side of the bed too. We both laid there injured, exhausted, motionless, our minds racing, filled with fear; appalled that we were being forced to sleep in the same bed. We laid there like that till the birds began to sing outside. Black Sally spent the night sitting in her chair. She didn’t speak, she didn’t move; I wondered if that’s the way she slept. I remembered Lavinia’s lesson about staying uncomfortable and keeping my guard up. I tried to get mentally prepared for day three. I had a feeling that things would get much, much worse, before they got any better.

Brutality 7

Later in the afternoon, Lenore led me to Lavinia’s office. Lavinia sat behind a mahogany executive’s desk. She had changed into a white Victorian-style gown. As always, her black hair was twisted in a bun with a shiny long hair-pin protruding from each side. Two chairs were placed in front of her desk, they faced each other. Lavinia looked up at us, smiled and said, “Both of you come in, shut the door and sit down.” I tried to take deep, slow breaths to keep my heart from pounding. Sweat ran down my forehead. I looked at Lenore, she appeared serious and tense. She still wore the bright, yellow summer dress from earlier that morning, but without the hat and glasses. I was amazed that she had made it through the day without getting a drop of blood on her dress.

Lavinia sat back in her leather office chair, “Let’s play a game. It’s sort of like truth or dare, but there is no ‘truth’ option. You each take turns issuing dares to the other and you cannot refuse a dare. Since you are playing this game for my personal amusement, you both better come up with some entertaining dares. If you issue a dare that I consider to be boring, lame or apprehensive, you will lose your turn and you will have to take a dare issued by me. Clarence, you go first.”

“Um…Lenore, I dare you to take off your dress.”

Lavinia slammed her hand on the desk, “That’s a foul Clarence; boring, lame and apprehensive. You lose your turn and I issue you a dare.” She opened one of her desk drawers, pulled out a long pair of scissors and said, “Clarence, I dare you to cut off Lenore’s hair.”

I looked at Lenore sitting there in her yellow dress. She had a look of sweet innocence, like the All-American girl next door. I took the scissors, gathered her dirty blond hair in my fist and cut her hair off. I dropped the handful of hair, set the scissors on the desk and sat down. Lenore’s face reddened and her chest heaved. Her unevenly cropped hair changed her appearance dramatically. Lavinia said, “Lenore, it’s your turn.”

Lenore stood up slowly, her eyes locked on mine. She leaned her chair back on its rear legs. “Clarence, I dare you to put your hand flat on the floor right there,” she pointed to the spot where the front right leg of the chair had left an indent in the rug, “ and let me crush your hand with this chair!” I looked at Lavinia. She said: “What are you waiting for? It didn’t take you that long to pick up the scissors.”

I got on my hands and knees, then placed my left hand over the indent in the rug. Lenore jumped and came down with all of her weight on the seat of chair. It sounded like someone cracked a walnut right next to my ear and set off string of firecrackers in my head. I yelled and rolled around the floor holding my hand; my pinky, ring finger and adjoining knuckles were all snapped, cracked or smashed. Lavinia commanded, “Clarence, get up and sit down! It’s your turn!”

Adrenaline raced through my body. I was so angry that everything looked red. After returning to my seat, I wasted no time, “Lenore, I dare you to let me punch you in the face!” I immediately rose and slammed my right into her face, just below her eye. The blow knocked her head to the side, but she didn’t make a sound. She just glared at me. I sat back down, dreading the words that would soon come from her lips.

“Clarence, I dare you to let me stomp on your face.” Lavinia rapped on her desk with a pen, “That’s a foul Lenore. I’m bored with the kung-fu. Lenore, I dare you take that pen-knife and cut off a piece of Clarence’s ear.”

Lenore pulled the pen-knife from a tray on Lavinia’s desk and approached me. My reflexes kicked in; I tensed up and raised my hands, “Put your hands down and be still,” Lavinia shouted. I clenched my hands together in my lap and closed my eyes, then I screamed. I felt blood running down my neck, I stomped my feet on the floor, grabbed my ear and shouted, “You fucking bitch!” Lavinia said, “Clarence, it’s your turn.”

“Lenore, I dare you to bend over the desk and let me fuck you in the ass!”

Lenore’s eyes widened, she looked to Lavinia and shook her head. Lavinia pointed to the edge of her desk, “Bend over right there.“ Lenore stood, walked slowly to desk and bent over. I hesitated, my dare was made out of anger, a reaction to pain. I rose from my chair and got behind her. I pulled her yellow dress up around her waist to reveal matching yellow panties. My cock began stiffen in my pants. With my good hand, I jerked her panties down around her knees. I undid my pants, letting them drop to the floor. By then, my cock was rock-and throbbing. I asked Lavinia, “Do you have any lube?” Lavinia replied, “This isn’t a whorehouse Clarence, and you’re not making love. Just spit on your dick and shove it in.”

I spit in my hand, wet the head my cock and began pushing it into her tight ass. She yelled out and hammered the desk with her fist. I slowly eased half my cock in and out of her ass. Lavinia said, “You’re supposed fucking her Clarence, let’s go.” I pushed it in deeper, Lenore screamed. Lavinia stood up, “Fuck her hard Clarence! My desk should be shaking!” I started fuck her faster and harder. Lenore let out one long high-piched scream. Lavinia yelled, “Harder! Fuck her harder!”

I slammed my hips into Lenore’s ass, ramming my cock deep inside her. Lavinia smacked me across the face, “I said hard!” I thrust myself into her as hard and deep and fast as I possibly could. Lenore let out a steady stream of shouts and wails. Pens rattled in a cup and the desk began to slide, as I savagely pounded Lenore’s ass. Lavinia said, “Enough! Both of you sit down.”

I pulled my pants up and took my seat. Lenore remained motionless with her face buried in her arms. Lavinia sat down and nudged Lenore on the shoulder. She stood upright and I saw tears streaming from her eyes. My heart felt like it had just dissolved into nothing. Guilt and shame were like two serpents in my stomach, swallowing me whole, from the inside out. Lenore went to her chair. She grimaced and shrieked when she sat down. Her eyes were filled pain, shame and hate.

“Clarence…I dare you to get on your knees in front of Lavinia and beg to be her slave.”

At that moment, it felt like I was drowning in a sea of confusion and fear. Lenore looked at me through narrow eyes, her chin stuck out, her nostrils flared. I knew that I had just lost the game. Lavinia said, “Well, Clarence?” She pushed herself away from her desk, giving me room to drop to my knees in front of her. My body refused to move. “Clarence, you have take the dare. You do understand what I mean by ‘have to’, right?” I nodded my head, rose, walked around the desk and got on my knees in front of Lavinia. I bowed my head, “Lavinia, may I please be your slave?”

Lavinia grabbed my chin, lifted my head, looked me in the eyes and smiled, “Of course you can Clarence. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to ask.”

There I was, caught by the spider. I had no idea what awaited me. I didn’t dare contemplate the possibilities. She had been working on me from the moment I stepped foot in the house. She took possession of me in less than 24 hours.

Lavinia let go of my chin and sat back in her chair, “Alright slave, let’s get started…”