I watched the streetlights pass by in the night. As I rode in the passenger seat of the Lincoln, The Duchess at the wheel, she hummed the melody to “Close to You” so sweetly. I dozed off and fell asleep, my forehead pressed against the cold glass.
I woke up on a grey cement floor. I sat up and looked around. I was a large cell. There were no windows, just a heavy steel door. There was a wood table in the middle of the cell. The Duchess was seated at the table in the only chair. Other than that, the cell was empty except for an aluminum bucket in a corner. The only light in the cell came from a dim yellow bulb on the ceiling.
The Duchess’ long red hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a long black leather skirt with a royal-blue turtle-neck sweater and black leather boots. Dark sunglasses concealed her eyes. Leather gloves covered her hands. A platinum skull pendent hung between her breasts.
She took a sip from a steaming hot cup of coffee and lit a cigarette. She didn’t speak with her lips. I heard her voice in my mind, “This is a hard room to be alone in, especially when the light is off. One is left alone with their thoughts, their fear, their sadness. Do you remember your first experience with solitude in a dark empty room?” Images from my earliest years flashed through my mind. “Do you remember the emotions you felt?” I saw myself screaming alone in an apartment without furniture. My eyes became hot and wet as I saw the tears flow from the eyes of the image of my early self.
The light went out in the room and a sudden wave of terror swept over me. I heard myself screaming. An intense mixture of fear and despair gripped me, it felt as if my insides were being crushed. The feeling was very familiar, though I didn’t remember experiencing such a deep and painful anguish ever before. The pain was worsened by a yearning, a longing, a question in my mind that would not stop repeating itself, ‘Where is she?’
The light came back on. I felt a tremendous sense of relief when I saw The Duchess still seated at the table. Her voice said, “It’s okay Clarence. I’m still here. Does it make you feel better to know that I’m still in the room with you? Would you like to spend the next two days in here alone in the dark? I could go lay down in the other room, curl up in a blanket and torture you with your own thoughts.” I saw myself naked, huddled in a corner of the cell trembling, covered in my own feces.
“Do you want me to stay in here with you Clarence? You know that you can’t lie to me. I’m inside your head. I know that you desperately hope I will stay, while you anticipate my departure. In order for me to stay, I will need to be entertained. How far are you willing to go to keep me entertained Clarence?” Images of her naked body flashed in my mind. I remembered the sight of her glistening, wet flesh when I bathed her. I remembered having my face pressed against her bare thighs as she held my head under the water until everything went black. A wave of euphoria, combined with a feeling of security and relief, swept over me. I felt her arms around my neck as she pulled me to her breasts and held me. “CLARENCE!” I looked up to see her still seated at the table smoking.
“How come the ‘Clarence’ inside your head is so much different from the ‘Clarence’ you present to the world around you?” The word ‘PRETENDER’ flashed in my mind in big black letters. “More importantly, how come the ‘Clarence’ inside your head is so much different from the person you believe yourself to be?” The word ‘DENIAL’ followed by the word, ‘INEFFECTUAL’ flashed in my head.
“Why are you lying on the floor like a loathsome animal that lacks dignity. Stand up!” I rose to my feet. “Take off your clothes.” I hesitated. “Don’t pretend that you don’t want to do everything, and anything, I tell you to do.” I removed my clothes and threw them in a pile on the floor.
“You have a nice cock.” A comforting warmth covered my body accompanied by a budding pride. “How does it make you feel when a woman can’t get enough of your cock?” The words ‘MASCULINE’ ‘ALIVE’ ‘CONTENT’ flashed in my mind. “Masculine, alive and content huh? Content…that’s interesting. So, I’m guessing that when you’re fucking, that’s the only time you are able to completely focus on your only strength, and thereby allow yourself to ignore the fact that you are stupid, incompetent, cowardly and lazy. When you bust that nut it’s sort of like your moment of glory, like a runner bursting through the tape with his arms outstretched as he crosses the finish line. That’s your special moment to escape the undeniable fact that you are such a fucking disappointment.” The word ‘FAILURE’ flashed repeatedly in my mind. I felt my shoulders slump; my dick hung limp; a mockery of my manhood. The Duchess began humming “Close to You” again.
“Come closer to the table.” I took a couple steps toward her. “Closer.” I took a few more reluctant steps. “Kneel down. On your knees.” I hesitated. “What? Am I not good enough for you to kneel before? I’m the woman who saved your pathetic wasted life. I pulled you out the car and stood over you, rifle in hand, defending you as you laid curled up in a ball on the ground. I didn’t leave you at Medea’s, I was outside waiting for you; while your punk-ass was inside betraying me. ME! The woman who rode side by side with you in the trenches, the woman who protected you. You know what? Fuck it. I’m leaving. You can sit in here by yourself.” I got down on my knees. The Duchess put her cigarette out on the table, never speaking. Her expression didn’t change, her dark sunglasses stared through me, consuming me like a star being swallowed by a black hole.
“Do you want me to suck your dick? Hahaha…And the question prompts you to visualize me with your cock in my mouth. Do you want to fuck me Clarence? Ohhhh…you do! You want to bend me over this table, pull my skirt up and give me a hard, savage fuck from behind. Do you think that I’d let you fuck me if you put your head between my thighs and kiss and lick and suck on my clit until I cum? HaHaHaHa…you hope so. I’m flattered that you fantasize about me, but I’m not into men Clarence. Maybe you can convince me to make an exception. You hope so, right?
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll stand up, take off my skirt, push my red lace panties down to my knees and lean over the desk. Then you can bury your face in my ass and lick my asshole while I get myself off. Would you do that for me Clarence?” My mind said ‘YES’. “Will you be my ass-licking slut-boy? Yes? Then say it. Say it out loud. Tell me you’ll be my ass-licking slut-boy!” I said out loud, “I’ll be your ass-licking slut-boy.”
“I want you to beg. You want it bad enough. You want to lick my ass more than I want you to do it. Beg! Beg me to let you be my ass-licking slut-boy!”
“Please Duchess…I beg you…please let me be your ass-licking slut-boy.”
“You’re a sorry excuse for a man Clarence. What you just did made me lose what little respect I had for you. I wouldn’t even let you lick my ass Clarence. I’d rather have a dog do it.” Disappointment and frustration clawed at my insides, my desire turned to anger and hate. “Ohhh…Will the real Clarence cooome oooon dowwwn! There you are, you two-faced bastard. You must be the guy who cut off that woman’s nipples with a box-cutter and tore her clit off with a pair of pliers. You’re a real fucking gentleman, you know that Clarence? Lilith, Lenore, The Fallen Angel, The Jehovah’s Witness…what the hell did she do? You raped all those women. How does that make you feel?” I felt like I was sinking down into the floor, smothered by guilt and shame.
“You’re frustrated because you’re a fucking worthless ineffectual fraction of a man, a waste of fucking life, so you take your frustration and rage out on some innocent woman who had nothing to do with you being a fucking idiot. Why don’t you go rape your mother Clarence? You fucking momma’s boy. That’s the woman who turned you into a fucking idiot. Let’s see you visualize that Clarence! Visualize fucking your mother hard and deep in the ass! HaHaHaHa…you’re a sick motherfucker Clarence! You just imagined what it would feel like to push your long, hard dick up your mother‘s…” I screamed out, “ENOUGH! STOP! PLEASE STOP!”
“It’s okay Clarence. Your time started when you woke up. That was about 20 minutes ago. Just think, you only have 47 hours and 40 minutes to go. Maybe I’ll bring someone in to announce the time every minute. You’d find out just how long a minute can take to pass. Nothing tortures like time, when ten minutes grinds by agonizingly slow, making it seem like an hour.” The cement floor made my knees ache, the pain shot up my body to my neck. My head began to pound.
“Only 47 hours and 39 minutes to go Clarence. You look tired. You must be very exhausted after these past days. You’ve had very little sleep. When is the last time you curled up under nice, thick, warm comforter, with plump, cold fluffy pillow?” Her voice hummed “Close to You” in my mind. I saw myself falling backward onto a mountain of red feathers. My eyes grew heavy, my knees felt like they were being crushed against the edge of a sharp rock.
“47 hours and 38 minutes left Clarence. Are you hungry?” The smell of roasted meat and French fries filled my nostrils. My stomach grumbled and my mouth watered. “There is something for you to eat in that bucket over there Clarence. Go look!” I was relieved to get off my knees. When I looked down into the bucket, I saw a man’s severed genitals. A large brown cockroach crawled over it. I coughed, retched and vomited bile. The stomach acids came out my nose, burning my nostrils causing my eyes to water.
“47 hours and 37 minutes Clarence. How would you like that to be your dick and balls in the bucket Clarence? I’ll saw your shit off with an old, dull and rusty hacksaw. Would that be a fitting punishment? No? What would be a fitting punishment Clarence?” My mind involuntarily replied, “For you to use me however you want.”
“Use you however I want huh? Your entire being is crying out for me to take you and use you however I want. How the fuck do you equate me fulfilling your desires with punishment? You’re one simple-minded motherfucker, you know that Clarence? Now that you’ve wasted your opportunity to choose your own punishment, I’ll choose. That means that you’re too much of a goddamn moron to look out for your own best interest and select a punishment you can handle.” I thought how relieved I was that she had stopped the countdown.
“47 hours and 36 minutes Clarence. If you want to stop the countdown. You have to eat the roach.” ‘FUCK NO’ flashed in my mind. “Fuck no, huh? I want you to eat the roach, for me, because I say so. You will do whatever I want, not because you’re trapped in a cell with me, not because I’m inside your head; but because you want to do whatever I want. It will please me if you eat the roach Clarence. To tell you truth, it will touch me to watch you do something that absolutely repulses you, to willingly cross your own lines, because you know that it will please me. You remember how easy it was to drink the cup of urine. This is just as easy. Just let go, turn your will over to me, bend down and pick up the cockroach. Now shove it in your mouth, chew it quickly and swallow it. Goood boooy Clarence.” I choked and gagged on the roach, I vomited again on the floor. I leaned against the wall and threw up roach legs and bile until my chest and throat ached from the dry heaves.
“Good job Clarence! I’m so impressed that I’m tempted to reward you by allowing you to lick my ass. But now that you’ve got the dick eating roach all over your tongue, I think I’ll pass.” I began coughing and dry heaving again. The Duchess lit another cigarette. She hadn’t yet spoken a word out loud, got up from her chair, changed the expression on her face or touched me.
Showing posts with label Mind Control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mind Control. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The Lioness and the Black Widow 11
I sat between two of the veiled women in the backseat of Medea’s Lexus. Anna drove, Medea rode shotgun. Suzanne and the other two veiled women followed behind us in a black Blazer. As we drove up the dark rode leading to the house, I saw The Duchess’ black Lincoln pulling up the driveway, followed by Antigone’s Cutlass. All the lights in the house were on. I saw Black Sally standing on the porch wearing a full length black leather coat, her curly blonde hair protruding out the sides of a black stocking cap, she held the German Shepherd on a leash at her side.
When we got inside, everyone followed Black Sally to the dining room. The room was lit by candles, the table was bare. Lavinia sat at the head of the table in her wheelchair wearing a blood-red Victorian gown. Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders to the middle of her back. Her black wooden mask with the red-stripe down the middle faced straight ahead. Damijana stood against the wall behind her sister. Lilith and Octavia stood with her, all three wore black sweaters and long black skirts. Sally took a position against the wall next to Damijana. I went to stand with them, Lavinia stopped me, “No Clarence, you sit here!” she ordered, pointing to the seat on her right.
The Duchess sat down in a chair at the middle of the table, Antigone and the twins stood behind her. Medea sat down directly across from her. Anna, Suzanne and the four veiled women stood behind her. The room was tense. I felt beads sweat break out on my forhead.
The Duchess broke the silence, “Lavinia, I put everything on the line to fight on your side in this war.”
Lavinia quickly replied, “Your assistance is deeply appreciated Duchess.”
“Then what’s with positioning Medea to be Second-Chair of this council you’re gonna set up?”
“As you know, I changed the structure of the table in this house. We no longer use the old system. There are two Second-Chair positions at my table. I intend to structure the table of the ruling council the same way.”
Medea said, “That’s a very convenient set-up. That way you keep the Second-Chairs fighting, plotting and defending themselves against each other, instead of against you. I’m going to set up my table the same way when I take over my house.”
The Duchess challenged, “‘When’ you take over your house. What are we talking hypothetical fucking situations here? Lavinia had the head of her predecessor chopped off and dropped in the shitter. I made mine dig her own grave before I shot her and buried her in it. You’re not on our level yet. At this point, you don’t have any more right to a Second-Chair position than Antigone. What? Are you expecting privileges just because you’re from the Amazons?”
Medea replied, “Yes! As a matter of fact I do expect privileges just because I’m from the Amazons. My house is bigger than both of your houses combined. I wasn’t invited to this party for my charming personality. I was called here because you cannot overthrow The Old Ladies without us on your side. The current Matriarch of my house would never deal with you two, especially YOU.” Medea pointed at The Duchess and continued, “Now, I AM willing to deal with Lavinia and even you, Duchess. So the situation here is that you need my house’s crown on your side, and the only way that will happen is if I am wearing that crown.”
Lavinia said, “Duchess, we do need Medea on our side. We will make sure that she ascends to Matriarch of her house quickly.”
The Duchess asked, “Do I get a share of her house since I’ll be helping her take it over?”
Lavinia replied, “Duchess, whatever your problem is, we must clear the air right now.”
“The problem is that Clarence is making backroom deals with Medea, with your knowledge and on your behalf, trying to cut me out of everything.”
Lavinia said, “Nobody is cutting you out. You are guaranteed the second highest position on the council.”
“BULLSHIT! You’re telling me I have to share that seat.”
“That is correct. You will share Second-Chair at a table that will rule over ALL the other houses and Matriarchs. That is a substantial increase in power for you. Your house is not strong enough to maintain that power without someone else coming along and taking it away. The only way all of our power will be secure is if we work together. Duchess, believe me, you will be grateful for the fact that you’ll be sharing your seat with the Matriarch of the largest and most militant house in existence. There are other Matriarchs out there talking about us and uniting against us as we speak. Our alliance has everyone on edge. The Old Ladies are well aware of what we‘re doing. They have already made appeals to Medea‘s Matriarch in an effort to get to the Amazons on their side.”
The Duchess asked, “What about this shit with Clarence? He made a deal with Medea that he’ll look out for her best interests after yours? And their deal is that he will ONLY look after you and Medea‘s interests.”
Lavinia answered, “Clarence is required to honor any commitments he made to Medea. However, those commitments must be tailored so that The Duchess is not cut-off from utilizing Clarence as a resource. The Duchess is not to be prohibited from demanding Clarence’s service as long as that service doesn’t interfere with, or undermine, mine or Medea’s relationships with Clarence.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means that you will still have access to Clarence. It means Clarence’s deal with Medea now has ‘except for The Duchess’ attached to it. It means that you have nothing else to complain about as your issues have been addressed.”
The Duchess lit a cigarette, “Not all of my issues have been addressed. You still have a skill you’re supposed to teach me. But we can deal with that later. Clarence tried to fuck me over! It’s not in any of our best interests to let him get away with it.”
Lavinia asked, “What do you require of Clarence?”
“I want some alone time with him, and I want to be able to get into his head during that time.”
“How long?”
I focused on Lavinia and thought, “Please don’t…” I blacked out. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor by the table, my pants were wet. I had pissed myself. I saw The Duchess standing above me. She knelt down by head, “Damn Clarence! Are you okay? You just fell out and started having a seizure right in the middle of our little pow-wow. That’s fucked up that you’re Matriarch can make you have seizure on demand. I have good news for you though. Lavinia said I get to spend two whole days with you. TWO WHOLE DAYS! Are you excited?”
I looked around the dining room. Everyone was gone, except The Duchess and me. I looked up at The Duchess’ beautiful, almost angelic, smiling face framed by long curly red hair. The Duchess’ didn’t speak with her mouth, but I heard her voice clearly in my head, “Clarence, Clarence, Clarence. Your mind is a scaaarrry place Clarence. I don’t see how you ever get any sleep with all those demons raging between your ears. I’m guessing it is because you aren’t consciously aware of them. Hopefully…during our time together, you will be able to become reacquainted with some of those demons. Maybe we’ll explore some of these highly intriguing repressed memories I’m thumbing through right now. Maybe I’ll manufacture some new ones and make you suffer through memories of things that never really occurred. Did you know that’s how they tricked Medea into killing her parents and siblings?
“PUNISHMENT! I love the word. It’s not often that I get the opportunity to administer actual punishment. Sure, I do the whole torture thing, but usually it’s not punishment. My victims usually don’t deserve their suffering anymore than a cow deserves to be turned into a jacket and a cheeseburger. When we tortured The Great Sathanas’ guys, that wasn’t punishment. They didn’t learn a lesson from it, they’re dead. When I shot Theresa in the face, that wasn’t punishment either. Again, no lesson learned, Theresa is just dead. You, on the other hand, are to be PUNISHED. That means that I am to teach you through the suffering I inflict on you. You can take comfort in the fact that your suffering will not only serve as a lesson for you, but it will also be a lesson for others who may be inclined to make the same mistake you did. We can’t have every asshole who is lucky enough to be ‘chosen’ running around stabbing us in the back and instigating fights between us. You will have to suffer in such a way, and to such a degree, that it will teach others not to go down the foolish, but tempting, path of acting as a courtier in our houses. The Goddess placed you here to serve us, not sabotage us. By the time our 48 hours together is up, you will understand this.”
When we got inside, everyone followed Black Sally to the dining room. The room was lit by candles, the table was bare. Lavinia sat at the head of the table in her wheelchair wearing a blood-red Victorian gown. Her long black hair flowed over her shoulders to the middle of her back. Her black wooden mask with the red-stripe down the middle faced straight ahead. Damijana stood against the wall behind her sister. Lilith and Octavia stood with her, all three wore black sweaters and long black skirts. Sally took a position against the wall next to Damijana. I went to stand with them, Lavinia stopped me, “No Clarence, you sit here!” she ordered, pointing to the seat on her right.
The Duchess sat down in a chair at the middle of the table, Antigone and the twins stood behind her. Medea sat down directly across from her. Anna, Suzanne and the four veiled women stood behind her. The room was tense. I felt beads sweat break out on my forhead.
The Duchess broke the silence, “Lavinia, I put everything on the line to fight on your side in this war.”
Lavinia quickly replied, “Your assistance is deeply appreciated Duchess.”
“Then what’s with positioning Medea to be Second-Chair of this council you’re gonna set up?”
“As you know, I changed the structure of the table in this house. We no longer use the old system. There are two Second-Chair positions at my table. I intend to structure the table of the ruling council the same way.”
Medea said, “That’s a very convenient set-up. That way you keep the Second-Chairs fighting, plotting and defending themselves against each other, instead of against you. I’m going to set up my table the same way when I take over my house.”
The Duchess challenged, “‘When’ you take over your house. What are we talking hypothetical fucking situations here? Lavinia had the head of her predecessor chopped off and dropped in the shitter. I made mine dig her own grave before I shot her and buried her in it. You’re not on our level yet. At this point, you don’t have any more right to a Second-Chair position than Antigone. What? Are you expecting privileges just because you’re from the Amazons?”
Medea replied, “Yes! As a matter of fact I do expect privileges just because I’m from the Amazons. My house is bigger than both of your houses combined. I wasn’t invited to this party for my charming personality. I was called here because you cannot overthrow The Old Ladies without us on your side. The current Matriarch of my house would never deal with you two, especially YOU.” Medea pointed at The Duchess and continued, “Now, I AM willing to deal with Lavinia and even you, Duchess. So the situation here is that you need my house’s crown on your side, and the only way that will happen is if I am wearing that crown.”
Lavinia said, “Duchess, we do need Medea on our side. We will make sure that she ascends to Matriarch of her house quickly.”
The Duchess asked, “Do I get a share of her house since I’ll be helping her take it over?”
Lavinia replied, “Duchess, whatever your problem is, we must clear the air right now.”
“The problem is that Clarence is making backroom deals with Medea, with your knowledge and on your behalf, trying to cut me out of everything.”
Lavinia said, “Nobody is cutting you out. You are guaranteed the second highest position on the council.”
“BULLSHIT! You’re telling me I have to share that seat.”
“That is correct. You will share Second-Chair at a table that will rule over ALL the other houses and Matriarchs. That is a substantial increase in power for you. Your house is not strong enough to maintain that power without someone else coming along and taking it away. The only way all of our power will be secure is if we work together. Duchess, believe me, you will be grateful for the fact that you’ll be sharing your seat with the Matriarch of the largest and most militant house in existence. There are other Matriarchs out there talking about us and uniting against us as we speak. Our alliance has everyone on edge. The Old Ladies are well aware of what we‘re doing. They have already made appeals to Medea‘s Matriarch in an effort to get to the Amazons on their side.”
The Duchess asked, “What about this shit with Clarence? He made a deal with Medea that he’ll look out for her best interests after yours? And their deal is that he will ONLY look after you and Medea‘s interests.”
Lavinia answered, “Clarence is required to honor any commitments he made to Medea. However, those commitments must be tailored so that The Duchess is not cut-off from utilizing Clarence as a resource. The Duchess is not to be prohibited from demanding Clarence’s service as long as that service doesn’t interfere with, or undermine, mine or Medea’s relationships with Clarence.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“It means that you will still have access to Clarence. It means Clarence’s deal with Medea now has ‘except for The Duchess’ attached to it. It means that you have nothing else to complain about as your issues have been addressed.”
The Duchess lit a cigarette, “Not all of my issues have been addressed. You still have a skill you’re supposed to teach me. But we can deal with that later. Clarence tried to fuck me over! It’s not in any of our best interests to let him get away with it.”
Lavinia asked, “What do you require of Clarence?”
“I want some alone time with him, and I want to be able to get into his head during that time.”
“How long?”
I focused on Lavinia and thought, “Please don’t…” I blacked out. When I woke up, I was lying on the floor by the table, my pants were wet. I had pissed myself. I saw The Duchess standing above me. She knelt down by head, “Damn Clarence! Are you okay? You just fell out and started having a seizure right in the middle of our little pow-wow. That’s fucked up that you’re Matriarch can make you have seizure on demand. I have good news for you though. Lavinia said I get to spend two whole days with you. TWO WHOLE DAYS! Are you excited?”
I looked around the dining room. Everyone was gone, except The Duchess and me. I looked up at The Duchess’ beautiful, almost angelic, smiling face framed by long curly red hair. The Duchess’ didn’t speak with her mouth, but I heard her voice clearly in my head, “Clarence, Clarence, Clarence. Your mind is a scaaarrry place Clarence. I don’t see how you ever get any sleep with all those demons raging between your ears. I’m guessing it is because you aren’t consciously aware of them. Hopefully…during our time together, you will be able to become reacquainted with some of those demons. Maybe we’ll explore some of these highly intriguing repressed memories I’m thumbing through right now. Maybe I’ll manufacture some new ones and make you suffer through memories of things that never really occurred. Did you know that’s how they tricked Medea into killing her parents and siblings?
“PUNISHMENT! I love the word. It’s not often that I get the opportunity to administer actual punishment. Sure, I do the whole torture thing, but usually it’s not punishment. My victims usually don’t deserve their suffering anymore than a cow deserves to be turned into a jacket and a cheeseburger. When we tortured The Great Sathanas’ guys, that wasn’t punishment. They didn’t learn a lesson from it, they’re dead. When I shot Theresa in the face, that wasn’t punishment either. Again, no lesson learned, Theresa is just dead. You, on the other hand, are to be PUNISHED. That means that I am to teach you through the suffering I inflict on you. You can take comfort in the fact that your suffering will not only serve as a lesson for you, but it will also be a lesson for others who may be inclined to make the same mistake you did. We can’t have every asshole who is lucky enough to be ‘chosen’ running around stabbing us in the back and instigating fights between us. You will have to suffer in such a way, and to such a degree, that it will teach others not to go down the foolish, but tempting, path of acting as a courtier in our houses. The Goddess placed you here to serve us, not sabotage us. By the time our 48 hours together is up, you will understand this.”
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Kali's Altar 22
The Duchess showered while I waited in the den with the twins. Not a word was spoken. The Duchess returned, her red hair dripping wet, she wore a grey sweat-suit. She grabbed her mink and looked at me, “How long does this process take?” Her question was answered by the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. We all got up and went out in the hall to see Roger.
He was a monstrosity. His head looked like a blood-caked thumb with teeth. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and stood motionless. Lavinia appeared at the top in her wheelchair. Her voice said, “Here’s your Roger. I want Clarence back as soon as The Great Sathanas is dead.”
The Duchess nodded her head, then she motioned for me to follow her, “Let’s go Clarence. The twins will transport Roger.”
I looked up at Lavinia as I walked out the door. I thought, “I love you.” Her voice replied, “This isn’t good-bye. I’ll be with you the whole time. Don’t worry about anything. There is much for you to learn from The Duchess.”
The twins put Roger in the trunk of an old beat up Cutlass. The Duchess led me to a black Lincoln Town Car with tinted windows. She threw her mink in the trunk and got in the drivers seat. I got in the passenger seat beside her. Anguish filled my heart. I didn’t want to leave Lavinia. I worried that I would never see her again.
When we got on the highway, The Duchess asked, “So how long have you been a member of that house?”
“I don’t know. A little over a week.”
“Ahhhh. That’s why you’re all fucked up. How do you like your new life?”
“It’s good.”
“Oh, will be speaking in ‘liar-ese’ during your time in my house?” She looked at me, her full lips grinned slightly.
“It’s been challenging.”
“I see. That’s a nice way of saying ‘it’s been fucked up’, right?” I turned my head and stared out the window. The sun was beginning to rise. The Duchess continued, “To be honest, I’m surprised you’re still among the living. You hang out with a pretty rough crowd.” I thought of The Duchess smearing blood all over her body and wondered how long I would remain ‘among the living’.
The Duchess continued, “What a lucky guy, huh? You get to spend all your time surrounded by women.”
“Yeah well, I haven’t felt all that ‘lucky’ recently. Can we please talk about something else?” The Duchess pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned the car off. All that could be heard was the sound of passing cars speeding by. She stared into my eyes, “No, we can’t talk about ‘something else‘. We’re going to finish this conversation.” She lit a cigarette and continued, “I want to know why you are loyal to the people who are hurting you so badly. Is it because they’re women? Are you one of those types that is willing to take any abuse a woman is willing to give, as long as she is giving you attention?”
“You know that the torture is used for a higher purpose…”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I yelled out in frustration, “I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION!”
The Duchess smiled, turned the car back on and merged back into traffic. She said, “Finally, an honest answer.”
I asked, “Do you know the answer?”
She blew out smoke, “Actually, I do know the answer. I also know why you’re still alive. I mean ’why you’, right? You must wonder what makes you so special.”
“I don’t feel special when I locked in box. I don’t feel special when I’m being held down and forced to drink piss…”
“Yes you do. Otherwise you wouldn’t be willing to endure it.”
“NO I DO NOT!”
“So why then Clarence? Why go through all of that when you can just walk away.”
“You know that I can’t just walk away.”
“Yes, you can. If you weren’t there willingly, you would be dead.” I let her words sink in. She was right. There never was a point where I was being held against my will. I never tried to escape and I had several opportunities. The Duchess went on, “Do you want to know the answer to the question? I’ll tell you. You are definitely not willing to take abuse from any woman who shows you attention. You fit into your house like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. They need you and you need them. You were built for this.”
“Built for what? To be a crash test dummy? A human sacrifice?”
“I doubt you’ll be sacrifice; killed maybe, but not sacrificed. Did you hear the ‘They need you’ part? Why do you think you’re alive? Love? You are alive because you were chosen by the Goddess. That’s who you serve whether you realize it or not. That’s why they gave you a seat at their table. If Lavinia is a dagger in the Goddess’ hand, you are the stone She uses to sharpen that dagger. Do you understand the importance of that role? Look at it this way. If you are a sword designed by the Goddess, what does that say about the woman who wields that sword? Or, you can look at it another way. Brianna made a living making men kneel in front of her. You didn’t bow before Brianna, you tore her apart. Yet I could stop the car and make you kneel before me right there on the side of the road. I could even make you strip first. I could hop on the hood of my car, remove my shoes and have you lick my toes clean. And you would do it. Do have nay doubts about that?”
I remained silent.
The Duchess continued, “But let me fall out of the Goddess’ favor, and you would immediately end my existence. This isn’t about your love for Lavinia. That’s a small part of a big picture.”
“My loyalty is to Lavinia…”
“Your loyalty is to the Goddess and you go wherever she sends you. Now, she has sent you to me and I’m letting you know upfront that I intend to make full use of you. I am the dagger, you are the sharpening stone. This has nothing to do with our wants or desires. This is about the Will of the Goddess. Believe me, you’re not the only man I could get to kneel before me nude on the roadside. But you are one of the only one’s specifically designed to serve me. When I tell you to do something, you have no choice; you’ll do it. And you will do it no matter how repulsive, painful or frightening it is. I could tell you to shit in your hand and eat it. You would do it. Would you like to test that in order to find out if I’m bluffing?”
“No. I still don’t understand…”
“Yes you do. You just don’t like the truth. As long as my will is line with the Goddess’ Will, I own you just the same as Lavinia does. The moment my will is not in line with Her’s, you will try to destroy me. She designed you to be a blessing to the women who serve Her, and a curse to the ones that don’t. That’s an important part of the equation Clarence. As long as I am completely loyal and obedient to the Goddess, you will be completely loyal and obedient to me. I am the dagger, you are the stone.”
“So what does that mean for me?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you eat shit or suck toes. There is no reason for me to be cruel to you. You will have enough to deal with already. I don’t think you fully appreciate the position you’re in. You are the dividing line that separates the women who ‘are’ from those who ‘are not’. You can expect a future full of politics, manipulation and meetings with Matriarchs, along with all the would-bes and the wanna-bes.”
We pulled into the parking lot of large apartment complex. The Duchess parked in spot marked “Guest”. I saw the twins’ empty Cutlass parked a few spaces away. The Duchess got out of the car and walked toward the building. I followed right behind her. We entered, went up a flight of stairs and stopped in front of a door marked C109. One of the twins opened the door. When I entered the apartment I saw two men bound and gagged on the floor. A third man laid lifeless and limp at Roger’s feet. The bound looked familiar. I approached them to get a closer look. Then I recognized them, they were two of the menh from my dream. The one’s who slipped in Alexandria’s slider and raped her.
The Duchess asked, “What? Are these guys friends of yours?” I shook my head. She said, “That’s good. These guys are first degree fucking assholes. They kidnap women, gang-rape them, then take them to The Great Sathanas to be forced into prostitution.”
I nodded solemnly, “I know.”
“So what do you think Clarence? Should we just execute them here? Or should we take them with us and have little fun?”
I thought for a moment and wondered how many women those men had brought to The Great Sathanas. The image of a wall full of “Missing” posters came into my mind. I looked at The Duchess, “These two should definitely come with us.”
He was a monstrosity. His head looked like a blood-caked thumb with teeth. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he stopped and stood motionless. Lavinia appeared at the top in her wheelchair. Her voice said, “Here’s your Roger. I want Clarence back as soon as The Great Sathanas is dead.”
The Duchess nodded her head, then she motioned for me to follow her, “Let’s go Clarence. The twins will transport Roger.”
I looked up at Lavinia as I walked out the door. I thought, “I love you.” Her voice replied, “This isn’t good-bye. I’ll be with you the whole time. Don’t worry about anything. There is much for you to learn from The Duchess.”
The twins put Roger in the trunk of an old beat up Cutlass. The Duchess led me to a black Lincoln Town Car with tinted windows. She threw her mink in the trunk and got in the drivers seat. I got in the passenger seat beside her. Anguish filled my heart. I didn’t want to leave Lavinia. I worried that I would never see her again.
When we got on the highway, The Duchess asked, “So how long have you been a member of that house?”
“I don’t know. A little over a week.”
“Ahhhh. That’s why you’re all fucked up. How do you like your new life?”
“It’s good.”
“Oh, will be speaking in ‘liar-ese’ during your time in my house?” She looked at me, her full lips grinned slightly.
“It’s been challenging.”
“I see. That’s a nice way of saying ‘it’s been fucked up’, right?” I turned my head and stared out the window. The sun was beginning to rise. The Duchess continued, “To be honest, I’m surprised you’re still among the living. You hang out with a pretty rough crowd.” I thought of The Duchess smearing blood all over her body and wondered how long I would remain ‘among the living’.
The Duchess continued, “What a lucky guy, huh? You get to spend all your time surrounded by women.”
“Yeah well, I haven’t felt all that ‘lucky’ recently. Can we please talk about something else?” The Duchess pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned the car off. All that could be heard was the sound of passing cars speeding by. She stared into my eyes, “No, we can’t talk about ‘something else‘. We’re going to finish this conversation.” She lit a cigarette and continued, “I want to know why you are loyal to the people who are hurting you so badly. Is it because they’re women? Are you one of those types that is willing to take any abuse a woman is willing to give, as long as she is giving you attention?”
“You know that the torture is used for a higher purpose…”
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I yelled out in frustration, “I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION!”
The Duchess smiled, turned the car back on and merged back into traffic. She said, “Finally, an honest answer.”
I asked, “Do you know the answer?”
She blew out smoke, “Actually, I do know the answer. I also know why you’re still alive. I mean ’why you’, right? You must wonder what makes you so special.”
“I don’t feel special when I locked in box. I don’t feel special when I’m being held down and forced to drink piss…”
“Yes you do. Otherwise you wouldn’t be willing to endure it.”
“NO I DO NOT!”
“So why then Clarence? Why go through all of that when you can just walk away.”
“You know that I can’t just walk away.”
“Yes, you can. If you weren’t there willingly, you would be dead.” I let her words sink in. She was right. There never was a point where I was being held against my will. I never tried to escape and I had several opportunities. The Duchess went on, “Do you want to know the answer to the question? I’ll tell you. You are definitely not willing to take abuse from any woman who shows you attention. You fit into your house like a piece to a jigsaw puzzle. They need you and you need them. You were built for this.”
“Built for what? To be a crash test dummy? A human sacrifice?”
“I doubt you’ll be sacrifice; killed maybe, but not sacrificed. Did you hear the ‘They need you’ part? Why do you think you’re alive? Love? You are alive because you were chosen by the Goddess. That’s who you serve whether you realize it or not. That’s why they gave you a seat at their table. If Lavinia is a dagger in the Goddess’ hand, you are the stone She uses to sharpen that dagger. Do you understand the importance of that role? Look at it this way. If you are a sword designed by the Goddess, what does that say about the woman who wields that sword? Or, you can look at it another way. Brianna made a living making men kneel in front of her. You didn’t bow before Brianna, you tore her apart. Yet I could stop the car and make you kneel before me right there on the side of the road. I could even make you strip first. I could hop on the hood of my car, remove my shoes and have you lick my toes clean. And you would do it. Do have nay doubts about that?”
I remained silent.
The Duchess continued, “But let me fall out of the Goddess’ favor, and you would immediately end my existence. This isn’t about your love for Lavinia. That’s a small part of a big picture.”
“My loyalty is to Lavinia…”
“Your loyalty is to the Goddess and you go wherever she sends you. Now, she has sent you to me and I’m letting you know upfront that I intend to make full use of you. I am the dagger, you are the sharpening stone. This has nothing to do with our wants or desires. This is about the Will of the Goddess. Believe me, you’re not the only man I could get to kneel before me nude on the roadside. But you are one of the only one’s specifically designed to serve me. When I tell you to do something, you have no choice; you’ll do it. And you will do it no matter how repulsive, painful or frightening it is. I could tell you to shit in your hand and eat it. You would do it. Would you like to test that in order to find out if I’m bluffing?”
“No. I still don’t understand…”
“Yes you do. You just don’t like the truth. As long as my will is line with the Goddess’ Will, I own you just the same as Lavinia does. The moment my will is not in line with Her’s, you will try to destroy me. She designed you to be a blessing to the women who serve Her, and a curse to the ones that don’t. That’s an important part of the equation Clarence. As long as I am completely loyal and obedient to the Goddess, you will be completely loyal and obedient to me. I am the dagger, you are the stone.”
“So what does that mean for me?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to make you eat shit or suck toes. There is no reason for me to be cruel to you. You will have enough to deal with already. I don’t think you fully appreciate the position you’re in. You are the dividing line that separates the women who ‘are’ from those who ‘are not’. You can expect a future full of politics, manipulation and meetings with Matriarchs, along with all the would-bes and the wanna-bes.”
We pulled into the parking lot of large apartment complex. The Duchess parked in spot marked “Guest”. I saw the twins’ empty Cutlass parked a few spaces away. The Duchess got out of the car and walked toward the building. I followed right behind her. We entered, went up a flight of stairs and stopped in front of a door marked C109. One of the twins opened the door. When I entered the apartment I saw two men bound and gagged on the floor. A third man laid lifeless and limp at Roger’s feet. The bound looked familiar. I approached them to get a closer look. Then I recognized them, they were two of the menh from my dream. The one’s who slipped in Alexandria’s slider and raped her.
The Duchess asked, “What? Are these guys friends of yours?” I shook my head. She said, “That’s good. These guys are first degree fucking assholes. They kidnap women, gang-rape them, then take them to The Great Sathanas to be forced into prostitution.”
I nodded solemnly, “I know.”
“So what do you think Clarence? Should we just execute them here? Or should we take them with us and have little fun?”
I thought for a moment and wondered how many women those men had brought to The Great Sathanas. The image of a wall full of “Missing” posters came into my mind. I looked at The Duchess, “These two should definitely come with us.”
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.”
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 20
As I showered, I watched the pink fluid twirl around the drain. My fingertips ran over the sore and swollen, scabbed letters etched into my chest. Welts had been raised all over my body, my muscles were still cramped and sore from my time in the box. My heart felt like a burdensome stone sinking, crushing the vital organs below.
After I dried off and dressed in fresh black fatigues, I made my way to Lavinia’s office. The door was open when I got there, Lavinia sat masked behind her desk. As I crossed the threshold, her voice said, “You must put your recent ordeal in the past. Do it immediately. We have business to attend to. The Duchess will return shortly.”
I remained standing, I knew that it would hurt too bad for me to sit down. So did she. Her voice said, “Sit down.” A deep, long guttural grunt helped me vocalize the pain I felt as I took my seat. The wooden chair felt as if it was the hardest metal in the world. My muscles remained tensed, my body battered.
Lavinia’s voice said, “Raise your head and sit up straight. I can’t have you sitting there looking like some kind of demoralized abuse victim when The Duchess arrives.”
I thought, “Is her house similar to this one?”
“No. Their house has Gypsy roots. They’re more nomadic than us. They don’t let men sit at their table, but they sacrifice men frequently.”
“So, even though there is an alliance between our houses, I still won’t be considered an ally to them?”
“Why are you worried about it?”
“I’m not.”
“Yes. You are.”
“Well I should be worried about it. Now, on top of everything else, I have to worry about being sacrificed by The Duchess.”
“Do you think your fear will save you? Then what good is it? You will be in many more situations where the risk of death is high. You should be tired of fearing death by now. Don’t waste whatever time you have, shaking and trembling in fear.”
There was a knock at the door. Lilith entered followed by The Duchess and her entourage. The Duchess was accompanied by two women, identical twins, with caramel complexions and short black hair. The twins looked to be no older than 20. They were short and rail thin with cold, uncaring eyes. The man was huge. He stood about 6’5 and must have weighed at least 270 lbs. His eyes showed the evidence of intoxication. His care-free demeanor and cocky grin told me that he was completely unaware that he was a lamb being led to the slaughter. The man blurted out, “Hey, I like your mask. That’s awesome. My name is Roger.” The man began to approach Lavinia’s desk. Instinctively, I stood to block the path between her and him. I looked into his glazed eyes and saw amusement. He said, “Whoa Chief! I was trying to introduce myself to lady. I won’t steal her away from you, I promise. That is, unless she wants me to.” The man winked at Lavinia and laughed. I couldn’t wait to watch him die.
Lavinia motioned to the chair in front of her desk, her voice said, “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Lavinia. Please sit down.” The man sat down and looked around the room. He turned to The Duchess, “Hey Alice, I thought this was supposed to be a party.” He turned back to Lavinia, “Why don’t you have your boy here get me a drink?” He looked up at me, daring me to say something. I said, “Of course sir, what can I get for you?”
“Scotch would be awesome.” I walked out the room, down the hall to Lavinia’s quarters and retrieved the blood-stained baseball bat from the chest. I barged back into Lavinia’s office. When I was a few feet behind the man, he turned in his seat and smiled at me, “You got my drink boy?” I raised the bat in the air and slammed it into the side of his face. Teeth flew across the room. The man rose from his chair slowly, gripping the side of his face, a confused look was in his eyes. He charged me. I swung the bat again but he blocked the blow and snatched me up in a bear hug.
Lilith jumped on the man’s back and dug her fingers into his eyes. The man shrieked, let go of me and ran around in circle trying to get Lilith off his back. I raised the bat again planning to smash the man’s kneecap the next time he passed. Lavinia’s voice commanded, “No, don’t break his knees. He won’t be able to walk after I raise him. Lilith, let go!” Lilith let go of the man and fell to the floor. The man continued running around in circles screaming, clutching his bleeding eyes. The Duchess laughed and said, “Roger! Stop running around. Let me help you.”
The man screamed, “Fuck you bitch! I can’t fucking see. I’m gonna kill that fucking nigger!” The Duchess looked at me and shook her head, “Don’t worry about him. He’s awesome.” The twins stepped forward. The one on the right said, “I know this sorry muthafucka isn’t runnin’ around like a decapitated chicken calling people niggas.” The twin on the left said, “That word doesn’t bother me. But let this punk say ‘awesome’ one more time and that will be the end of him.” The man roared, then yelled out, “Fuck you! Fuck all you bitches! I’m gonna kill every single one of you.”
The Duchess said, “How are you going to do that Roger? You can’t fucking see.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “Roger, you have a good job, a wife, kids.” Roger stopped running in circles, he stood in the center of the room, his chest heaving. He said, “You leave my family out of this.” Lilith circled the man glaring at him. She had changed a lot since the first time I saw her. I remembered her sitting in front of her mirror. I remembered the look in her eyes as she was forced to watch her husband being tortured. It was her husband’s reckless pursuit of a fantasy that had placed us both in the position we found ourselves in. Lilith stopped behind the man and said, “Do you really think you can protect your family with just words alone? You’re here alone, blind and unarmed in a house full of killers and you’re barking out demands?”
The twin on the right said, “If this punk muthafucka cared about his family, he would be with them now, not out chasing pussy.”
The twin on the left, “That’s what got you killed. You know that right?”
The twin on the right, “Now your kids will grow up without a father.”
The Duchess laughed and said, “No they won’t. I’ve seen a picture of his wife. It won’t take her long to find someone else. Then his kids will call another man daddy.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “They’ll never know what happened to you. There won’t be any funeral for them to go to. They’re going to think that you abandoned them.” The Duchess added, “I’ll call your wife and let her know that was the case. I’ll tell her about all the shit you talked about her. I’ll tell her that you don’t want her anymore and that you’re mine now because she was unable to tend to your needs.”
The man began to sob, “Please. Please. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
The twin on the left said, “You’ll ‘give’ us? You ain’t got to give us a muthafuckin’ thing punk. We’re gonna take whatever the fuck we want from you and there ain’t shit you can do about it.”
The man cried, “Please, I’m sorry for offending you. I’m a little fucked up.”
The twin on the right, “Yeah, you real fucked up ain’t you? I’ll tell you what punk. If you suck my friends dick, we’ll let you go home to your family.” The man stopped sobbing and went silent. He said, “Okay, whatever you want.” The twins began laughing uproariously. The Duchess said, “See this,” pointing at Roger, “this is why we don’t let men sit at our table. He fucked up his whole family chasing pussy. Now, he’s got himself into some trouble and he’s willing to get on his knees and suck dick to get out of it.” The Duchess looked at me, “So what do you think comrade? Should we let ‘awesome-man’ here go if he sucks your dick?”
I said, “That’s not what I want. I want his hands cuffed behind his back and his pants around his ankles. I’m gonna take that ass.”
The man yelled, “Fuck that. I’m not…”
Lavinia’s voice interrupted, “You’re never going to see your family again if you don’t do exactly what we tell you to do.” She pulled a pair of handcuffs from the desk drawer and tossed them on the desk. The twin on the left said, “Oh this is going to be good. I ain’t seen a man get his ass took by another man before.” Lilith grabbed the handcuffs from the desk. The Duchess said, “Hold on. Do we have a deal Roger? You drop your pants, let this man fuck you up the ass and we’ll let go.” Roger didn’t answer. The Duchess continued, “It’s okay, I understand that you’re embarrassed. All you have to do is drop your pants, take a little a pain and we’ll let you go. Nobody will ever find out about this.”
The man said, “Why are you doing this to me?”
Lavinia’s voice boomed, “BECAUSE WE CAN! Now drop your fucking pants or we’ll go pick up your wife, bring her here and Clarence can fuck her instead.” The man shook his head whispering, “no…no…no…” He undid his belt buckle, unfastened and unzipped his pants, then let them fall to his ankles. Lavinia’s voice said, “Lilith, cuff him.” Lilith cuffed the mans hands behind his back. Lavinia placed a dagger on the table, “Clarence, I have an empty jar. Fill it.”
I snatched the dagger from her desk, gripped the man’s dick and balls with my left hand, then sliced off his genitals with the dagger. The man fell to floor screaming and kicking his legs. The Duchess took off her white mink and threw it on the floor as if it was a rag. She looked at me and asked, “Hey Clarence, what does a girl have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?”
After I dried off and dressed in fresh black fatigues, I made my way to Lavinia’s office. The door was open when I got there, Lavinia sat masked behind her desk. As I crossed the threshold, her voice said, “You must put your recent ordeal in the past. Do it immediately. We have business to attend to. The Duchess will return shortly.”
I remained standing, I knew that it would hurt too bad for me to sit down. So did she. Her voice said, “Sit down.” A deep, long guttural grunt helped me vocalize the pain I felt as I took my seat. The wooden chair felt as if it was the hardest metal in the world. My muscles remained tensed, my body battered.
Lavinia’s voice said, “Raise your head and sit up straight. I can’t have you sitting there looking like some kind of demoralized abuse victim when The Duchess arrives.”
I thought, “Is her house similar to this one?”
“No. Their house has Gypsy roots. They’re more nomadic than us. They don’t let men sit at their table, but they sacrifice men frequently.”
“So, even though there is an alliance between our houses, I still won’t be considered an ally to them?”
“Why are you worried about it?”
“I’m not.”
“Yes. You are.”
“Well I should be worried about it. Now, on top of everything else, I have to worry about being sacrificed by The Duchess.”
“Do you think your fear will save you? Then what good is it? You will be in many more situations where the risk of death is high. You should be tired of fearing death by now. Don’t waste whatever time you have, shaking and trembling in fear.”
There was a knock at the door. Lilith entered followed by The Duchess and her entourage. The Duchess was accompanied by two women, identical twins, with caramel complexions and short black hair. The twins looked to be no older than 20. They were short and rail thin with cold, uncaring eyes. The man was huge. He stood about 6’5 and must have weighed at least 270 lbs. His eyes showed the evidence of intoxication. His care-free demeanor and cocky grin told me that he was completely unaware that he was a lamb being led to the slaughter. The man blurted out, “Hey, I like your mask. That’s awesome. My name is Roger.” The man began to approach Lavinia’s desk. Instinctively, I stood to block the path between her and him. I looked into his glazed eyes and saw amusement. He said, “Whoa Chief! I was trying to introduce myself to lady. I won’t steal her away from you, I promise. That is, unless she wants me to.” The man winked at Lavinia and laughed. I couldn’t wait to watch him die.
Lavinia motioned to the chair in front of her desk, her voice said, “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Lavinia. Please sit down.” The man sat down and looked around the room. He turned to The Duchess, “Hey Alice, I thought this was supposed to be a party.” He turned back to Lavinia, “Why don’t you have your boy here get me a drink?” He looked up at me, daring me to say something. I said, “Of course sir, what can I get for you?”
“Scotch would be awesome.” I walked out the room, down the hall to Lavinia’s quarters and retrieved the blood-stained baseball bat from the chest. I barged back into Lavinia’s office. When I was a few feet behind the man, he turned in his seat and smiled at me, “You got my drink boy?” I raised the bat in the air and slammed it into the side of his face. Teeth flew across the room. The man rose from his chair slowly, gripping the side of his face, a confused look was in his eyes. He charged me. I swung the bat again but he blocked the blow and snatched me up in a bear hug.
Lilith jumped on the man’s back and dug her fingers into his eyes. The man shrieked, let go of me and ran around in circle trying to get Lilith off his back. I raised the bat again planning to smash the man’s kneecap the next time he passed. Lavinia’s voice commanded, “No, don’t break his knees. He won’t be able to walk after I raise him. Lilith, let go!” Lilith let go of the man and fell to the floor. The man continued running around in circles screaming, clutching his bleeding eyes. The Duchess laughed and said, “Roger! Stop running around. Let me help you.”
The man screamed, “Fuck you bitch! I can’t fucking see. I’m gonna kill that fucking nigger!” The Duchess looked at me and shook her head, “Don’t worry about him. He’s awesome.” The twins stepped forward. The one on the right said, “I know this sorry muthafucka isn’t runnin’ around like a decapitated chicken calling people niggas.” The twin on the left said, “That word doesn’t bother me. But let this punk say ‘awesome’ one more time and that will be the end of him.” The man roared, then yelled out, “Fuck you! Fuck all you bitches! I’m gonna kill every single one of you.”
The Duchess said, “How are you going to do that Roger? You can’t fucking see.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “Roger, you have a good job, a wife, kids.” Roger stopped running in circles, he stood in the center of the room, his chest heaving. He said, “You leave my family out of this.” Lilith circled the man glaring at him. She had changed a lot since the first time I saw her. I remembered her sitting in front of her mirror. I remembered the look in her eyes as she was forced to watch her husband being tortured. It was her husband’s reckless pursuit of a fantasy that had placed us both in the position we found ourselves in. Lilith stopped behind the man and said, “Do you really think you can protect your family with just words alone? You’re here alone, blind and unarmed in a house full of killers and you’re barking out demands?”
The twin on the right said, “If this punk muthafucka cared about his family, he would be with them now, not out chasing pussy.”
The twin on the left, “That’s what got you killed. You know that right?”
The twin on the right, “Now your kids will grow up without a father.”
The Duchess laughed and said, “No they won’t. I’ve seen a picture of his wife. It won’t take her long to find someone else. Then his kids will call another man daddy.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “They’ll never know what happened to you. There won’t be any funeral for them to go to. They’re going to think that you abandoned them.” The Duchess added, “I’ll call your wife and let her know that was the case. I’ll tell her about all the shit you talked about her. I’ll tell her that you don’t want her anymore and that you’re mine now because she was unable to tend to your needs.”
The man began to sob, “Please. Please. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
The twin on the left said, “You’ll ‘give’ us? You ain’t got to give us a muthafuckin’ thing punk. We’re gonna take whatever the fuck we want from you and there ain’t shit you can do about it.”
The man cried, “Please, I’m sorry for offending you. I’m a little fucked up.”
The twin on the right, “Yeah, you real fucked up ain’t you? I’ll tell you what punk. If you suck my friends dick, we’ll let you go home to your family.” The man stopped sobbing and went silent. He said, “Okay, whatever you want.” The twins began laughing uproariously. The Duchess said, “See this,” pointing at Roger, “this is why we don’t let men sit at our table. He fucked up his whole family chasing pussy. Now, he’s got himself into some trouble and he’s willing to get on his knees and suck dick to get out of it.” The Duchess looked at me, “So what do you think comrade? Should we let ‘awesome-man’ here go if he sucks your dick?”
I said, “That’s not what I want. I want his hands cuffed behind his back and his pants around his ankles. I’m gonna take that ass.”
The man yelled, “Fuck that. I’m not…”
Lavinia’s voice interrupted, “You’re never going to see your family again if you don’t do exactly what we tell you to do.” She pulled a pair of handcuffs from the desk drawer and tossed them on the desk. The twin on the left said, “Oh this is going to be good. I ain’t seen a man get his ass took by another man before.” Lilith grabbed the handcuffs from the desk. The Duchess said, “Hold on. Do we have a deal Roger? You drop your pants, let this man fuck you up the ass and we’ll let go.” Roger didn’t answer. The Duchess continued, “It’s okay, I understand that you’re embarrassed. All you have to do is drop your pants, take a little a pain and we’ll let you go. Nobody will ever find out about this.”
The man said, “Why are you doing this to me?”
Lavinia’s voice boomed, “BECAUSE WE CAN! Now drop your fucking pants or we’ll go pick up your wife, bring her here and Clarence can fuck her instead.” The man shook his head whispering, “no…no…no…” He undid his belt buckle, unfastened and unzipped his pants, then let them fall to his ankles. Lavinia’s voice said, “Lilith, cuff him.” Lilith cuffed the mans hands behind his back. Lavinia placed a dagger on the table, “Clarence, I have an empty jar. Fill it.”
I snatched the dagger from her desk, gripped the man’s dick and balls with my left hand, then sliced off his genitals with the dagger. The man fell to floor screaming and kicking his legs. The Duchess took off her white mink and threw it on the floor as if it was a rag. She looked at me and asked, “Hey Clarence, what does a girl have to do to get a cup of coffee around here?”
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Kali's Altar 12-16
12
After dinner, the Gothic Girl’s voice came into my mind, “Go to the den, I want to look at you when I talk to you.” When I got to the den the Gothic Girl was standing in front of the window, looking out. She spoke out loud, “Your mind is disturbed and you’re anxious. Is there something you want to talk about?”
I said, “Of course I’m anxious and disturbed. You keep me in the dark and I have no idea what to expect. There is too much going on here that I’m not aware of…”
“Why don’t you ask Lavinia!”
Black Sally entered the room. She said, “Damijana, we have important matters to discuss. We do not have the luxury to waste time and energy with this love triangle bullshit. The Great Sathanas expects us to pay him because we killed his workers.”
The Gothic Girl said, “You know Lavinia won’t pay him.”
“I know, and I wouldn’t pay him either. But you know what this means. He’s going to want to go to war over this.”
“Then it will be war. He is a tyrant and he deserves to die.”
“I agree with you Damijana. However, he does have a tremendous amount of resources at his disposal.”
I asked, “Who exactly is The Great Sathanas.”
The Gothic Girl answered, “Some people call him a pimp. I don’t think that’s accurate. I’d call him a Master of slaves, as in someone who has mastered the art of capturing and enslaving people.”
Black Sally said, “He hooks women up to machines and turns them into prostitutes. He started out as a pimp on the street. He was known for keeping his women strung out so he could control them easier. Eventually, he decided to take it a step farther and he started performing lobotomies. His interest in the human brain grew and he began to experiment. I’m not sure how many women died during these experiments but my guess is MANY. Imagine some pimp sitting in grungy motel hooking up wires to some junkies brain, then plugging her in. Ooops! Wrong spot, or too much electricity, and she dies. But eventually he does figure out what spots to stimulate and what spots to shut down. He came up with his own little machine that could keep a woman in a trancelike state. He figured out how to completely wipe out a person’s memory and personality. He could lure in a regular woman, slip something in her drink, hook her up to his machine and by the time she woke up, she’d be a junkie whore who couldn’t remember ever being anything else. He ran a brothel like that. He began to make a lot of money and he caught the attention of some nefarious characters in powerful places. Those powerful individuals happened to be on the same page as the pimp. They saw an opportunity to test out their own mind-control technology and bring in more funding for their research. That relationship developed and flourished. This is how he became The Great Sathanas. Powerful people are protecting him and supplying him with technology that only the military has and most people don’t even know exists. He controls a lot of people, he has a lot people working for him and he has a lot of people protecting him.”
“There are only five people in the house, how will we go up against someone like that?”
The Gothic Girl said, “Did you forget the speech made by Antonija. This house was founded on the blood of tyrants. We will destroy him regardless of his numbers, wealth or fancy titles.”
Sally went on, “This definitely is our war. I hate to say it, but at a time like this we need a Matriarch like Lavinia. She will destroy the demons on the battlefield just as the Goddess did. We must support her in her efforts to make…”
The Gothic Girl interrupted, “There has to be another way. You’re talking about opening up the gates of hell.”
“Since we’re going to war with the devil, I think that ’opening the gates of hell’ is not only preferable, but essential for our survival. Lavinia is going to use Octavia like a Rosetta’s Stone and figure out how to raise the dead. We need to think about what we can do to support her in that effort. That means we need fresh bodies, that haven’t been all cut up.”
“Lavinia will still demand her sacrifices. We can’t bring in people by the busload Sally and we can’t have people comparing this hill to the Bermuda Triangle.”
“We have no choice. After the war, we’ll find a different home base and burn this house to the ground.”
Lavinia’s voice boomed into my head, “EVERYONE TO THE ALTAR!”
When we got to Lavinia’s room, the Jehovah’s Witness was kneeling on the floor in front of Kali’s altar crying. The first thought that came into my head when I saw her was, “I wonder if she’s a virgin.” I felt shamed by my thoughts and hoped no one was in my head. Lavinia’s laughter penetrated my mind. Her voice said, “She IS a virgin my wicked little slave. Would like to be the only man she knows?”
Lilith and Octavia came in the room, both wore black coveralls. Lavinia was seated in her chair, still wearing her blood-red gown with the black and red mask. She turned her head toward Octavia and Lilith, “You two, take off your boots and coveralls, then kneel on either side of her.” She pointed to the Jehovah’s Witness.
Lilith and Octavia did what they were told. I heard Lavinia’s voice in my mind, “Take her! I know you want her. Take her! Take her right in front of the altar. Don’t think slave, DO IT!!!!”
I kneeled behind the woman, grabbed her hair and pushed her head down. She was on her knees with her face pressed to the floor. I yelled at her, “DON’T MOVE!” I let go of her hair. The only movement she made was her trembling. My hand slid over her ass, I squeezed it and slapped it. My fingers found their way to her wet, virgin pussy. I played with her clit and finger-fucked her. I undid my pants. My cock was pulsating and hard as stone.
Lavinia’s voice said, “Yeah, that’s it. Fuck that little bitch. I want to watch you turn that churchgoing little good girl into a whore.”
I began pushing my cock into her pussy. She was unbelievably tight. She tried to squirm away from me. Lavinia’s voice commanded, “Octavia, hold her head to floor.” Octavia took two handfuls of the woman’s hair in her fists and held the woman’s head down. I put my hands on her hips and jerked her toward me as I thrust myself forward, forcing my cock inside her. Her pussy was like an oiled, clenched fist squeezing my cock. She let out a high-pitched squeal each time my hips slammed into her ass.
A hand grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me away. It was the Gothic Girl. She got on her knees behind the woman and pulled a large nickel-plated revolver from the waistband of her skirt. She popped out the cylinder and emptied the bullets out on the floor. She picked one of up, placed it back in the cylinder, spun it and slammed it shut. The woman shrieked like a banshee when the Gothic Girl shoved the barrel of the gun into her pussy. She pulled the hammer back “click” The screams got louder, the woman became hysterical.
The Gothic Girl pulled the barrel out her pussy. The woman’s juices glistened on the nickel-plating. The Gothic Girl opened and spun the chamber, then she slammed it shut and shoved the barrel of the gun in the woman’s vagina again. She pulled the hammer back, “BOOM!” The gun went off. Lilith and Octavia both dived for cover. The woman remained on her knees with her face to floor; twitching, blood flowed from her mouth.
Lavinia’s voice yelled, “Give Octavia a dagger! He has to cut her throat!”
Sally pulled her blade and handed it to Octavia. Lavinia’s voice commanded, “Octavia, you must cut her throat NOW!” Octavia hesitated, she remained frozen with the dagger in her hand. Lilith snatched the dagger from her, grabbed the woman’s hair, pulled her head back and slit her throat.
Lavinia’s voice said, “Damijana! Why the fuck did you do that? You fucked up the ritual. Put another bullet in your gun. We’re going to play again.” Lavinia’s face turned to Octavia, “Octavia, when I tell you do something you will do it. Now turn her over and cut her open.”
The Gothic Girl let the empty shell fall from the cylinder of her revolver and replaced it with a bullet. The cylinder spun, slammed shut, then the barrel of the gun was pointed at Octavia’s head “click”. Tears streamed down Octavia’s cheeks. The tool chest raised several inches in the air, then slammed back to the floor. The Gothic Girl spun the cylinder, clicked it back in place and pointed it at Octavia. I yelled, “JUST CUT HER OPEN! SHE’S ALREADY DEAD!” Octavia didn’t seem to hear me. “click” Lavinia’s chair flipped over, throwing her to the floor. She sat up on the floor and casually straightened out her gown.
Octavia pleaded, “Please stop! I can’t do this! I can’t…” The cylinder spun and was slammed back into place. The Gothic Girl said, “I’m not scared of your power Octavia. I will blow your telekinesis right out the back of your fucking head.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “If she doesn’t stick her blade in that bitch, kill her Damijana!”
Lilith screamed, “What’s wrong with you? These people will kill you Octavia! Just cut her open.” The Gothic Girl shoved her gun back in her waist-band and said, “Clarence, get me the bat.” I went to the chest, got the wood baseball bat I used on the doctor and handed it to her. She gripped the handle of the bat with both hands and stood in front of Octavia.
The dagger shook in Octavia’s hand as she pushed the tip of the blade into the woman’s navel. Tears fell from Octavia’s eyes, landing on the flesh of our victim. Octavia pushed the blade in and cut open the woman’s stomach. Then she turned her face toward the ceiling and screamed. The walls shook and the candles blew out on the altar leaving us all in darkness.
A flame was lit by the altar. Lavinia’s black and red mask was all that could be seen in its glow. She re-lit the candles, scooted herself over by Octavia and took the dagger from her hand. Lavinia removed the woman’s liver and held it in the air. Her voice demanded, “Clarence, come feed me.” I took the liver from her hands. Lavinia laid on her back, pulled her gown up to her waist and started playing with her clit. Her voice said, “Damijana! I want you to lick my pussy while Clarence feeds me. Then you can watch him fuck me while you play with yourself.”
I looked at the Gothic Girl. She didn’t look at me. She just glared at her sister. But I could see her eyes, and I could see what was in them…HATE.
13
The Gothic Girl walked out the room, slamming the door behind her. Lavinia’s voice said, “Forget about her. Feed me.” There were no options. I knelt between Lavinia’s bandaged stumps, took a bite of the meat, chewed it for her and fed her. The meat was passed and the ritual was consummated. The blood was mixed with the seed. Sally ate from the meat and passed it to Lilith. Lilith did the same, then passed it to Octavia. Octavia grabbed the meat from her hands and devoured what was left. I was surprised by Lilith and Octavia’s sudden transformation. The sight of the blood, death, fear and suffering seemed to have awoken something deep inside them.
Sally chopped the corpse up with a machete, then Octavia and Lilith carried the pieces to the shed. Lavinia’s voice demanded that I go to her office. As I sat alone in front of her desk, my hands and face covered in blood, my mind was on the hand that held my soul in a clenched fist. I realized then that my enthrallment was not based solely on fear. I had never encountered a person who had so much power centered within themselves. She didn’t need weapons, wealth, permission or praise. Her power was in her heart and mind. She sacrificed her beauty, legs and breast to show that her power could not be diminished and her will could not be thwarted. I had fallen in love with her power, cruelty and defiance.
I heard the door open and turned to see Lavinia sitting on the floor in the doorway. Her voice said, “Put me in my chair.” I got the chair from behind her desk and pushed it to where she was seated. I picked her up, sat her in the chair and pushed her to the desk. She pulled out a brush from the desk drawer and began to brush her hair. Her voice said, “Sit down.”
She still wore the black and red mask. She placed the hairbrush back in the drawer, then laid her blood-stained hands flat on the table. Her voice said, “I have a different plan for Brianna. When we’re done here, you will go across the hall and strangle her. Don’t do anything else to her. I’m going to use her for something and I need her whole. I see that you have a conflict going on inside you. Do I need to cut your heart out so that I can be sure where it is?”
“No.”
“No? Are you saying that your devotion to me is a certainty?”
My heart pounded and anxiety swelled inside me. She knew my thoughts. She was asking a question that I couldn’t answer. Her voice became angry. She slammed her fist on the desk, “I ask for certainty and you give me doubt?”
“I’m in this with you all the way. I have no doubts about my devotion to you?”
“LIAR!!! In your heart you believe that you’re stuck, committed to someone that you’re terrified of, and who you believe will eventually destroy you. Isn’t that the truth? Is that what you call devotion?”
“That describes part of my devotion to you, not all. There is reverence and there is love.”
“That is fear, not love.”
“If you doubt me, then I guess the only way you can be certain is to cut my heart out.” I opened my shirt, exposing my chest, “Go ahead!” She sat motionless and silent for several minutes. Finally, her voice said, “Don’t think you’re special, I can replace you any day.”
“Now you’re the one who is lying…” Instantly and at the same, I began vomiting, pissing and shitting on myself. My right hand balled into a fist and struck me in the mouth.. I tried to stand and collapsed facedown on the floor. I couldn’t move. Then, she was right beside me, turning me over. She climbed top of me, straddling me with her stumps. She held a dagger in her hand.
Her voiced screamed in my head, “TELL ME TO DO IT AGAIN! TELL ME TO CUT YOUR HEART OUT!” Tears streamed from my eyes. She stabbed the dagger into the floor, inches from my face. Then she laid down on top of me. Her voice said, “Don’t tempt me or provoke me. I would regret it if I killed you in anger.” I was able to move again. I placed my hands on her back and thought, “I’m sorry.”
She sat up and got off me. Her voice said, “Go clean yourself up.” I picked her up and put her back in her chair. After a long, hot shower, I put on a black robe that hung on the door. Then I went to the room across the hall and strangled Brianna until her face was dark blue, her one-eye looked like it was going to pop out of its socket and her tongue hung out the side of her mouth.
I left Brianna’s limp body hanging from the restraints on the wall and returned to Lavinia’s office. Octavia was seated in front of the desk. She had showered and changed into a fresh uniform. I took a seat by the door. Lavinia and Octavia both sat in complete silence. I focused on Octavia. There was no voice to the thoughts I picked up, just images flashing into my mind; a circle of women with painted faces standing around a freshly covered grave, hands digging out the dirt, a pine coffin, a man hacking away at the wood with a machete, the corpse opening its eyes, a large woman with a mask identical to the one worn by Lavinia. I tried to draw my focus away from her, the images kept flooding my consciousness. The dead rotting old man that attacked Octavia as a child, a line of expressionless, pale faces; painted bodies dancing in a circle, a wrinkled old woman slicing open a body, the altar, a daemonic Goddess devouring a man alive, a sea of bloody bodies fornicating and feasting.
The images stopped when Lavinia’s voice entered my mind, “Stay out of Octavia’s head. She is followed by a demon, it frequents her thoughts and may not react well to your presence.”
“Does she know how to bring back the dead?”
“The dead don’t come back. The demon that follows her can channel its energy into a fresh body. I can control that energy once it’s in place.”
“How long till Brianna…”
“Go look. She’s not Brianna anymore.”
I went back to the room across the hall. Brianna was standing up straight. Her one eye looked straight ahead without blinking. Her chest didn’t move, I saw no sign of breathing. I approached her slowly. Lavinia’s voice said, “Careful.” Brianna lunged at me, her teeth snapped shut in front of me. She fought against the restraints, bared her teeth at me and growled. Then she immediately went motionless and silent looking straight ahead.
Black Sally appeared in the doorway smoking, “I like her better as a zombie. She’s a lot nicer like this.” Sally looked at me and we both laughed. It was the first time I had really laughed in several days. I couldn’t tell if it was a humorous laugh or if I was just going insane. Sally motioned toward Lavinia’s office, I followed her in and returned to my seat next to the door. Sally sat on Lavinia’s desk. She spoke out loud, “The Great Sathanas. What do you want to do first?”
Lavinia’s voice replied, “Start hitting his brothels and his workers. I want him to know we’re coming for him. He’ll hide out and hole up. Once we have him in a hole, we’ll blow it up. Start with that whorehouse he‘s got on 8th. Kill everyone inside and burn the place to the ground. Don‘t take anything from there. Do you understand? I don‘t care what you find in that house, you leave it there. Burn everything.”
I asked, “What about the women?”
Lavinia replied, “What about them? When I say kill everyone inside, it means exactly that. The women, the tricks, the guys watching over the place, the dog; no one escapes and no one is left breathing. This is war. The only rule in war is ‘Win’. Destroy your enemy. Sathanas cannot protect his business interests from us. If he can’t make money, he can’t exist. The people backing him will walk away and they‘ll take their equipment with them. They may even kill him before we get the chance. Either way, the enemy will be neutralized.”
14
Sleep. I desperately needed sleep. That was all I could think of as I made my way back to my room. Sally walked ahead of me. As we descended the stairs she spoke out loud, “You need to prepare yourself for what’s coming. You entertain your weakness too much. The things you desire, the things that make you feel good, serve as a handle that others can easily grab onto and lead you around. You can’t be susceptible to every Ann and Jane that catches your eye, or you’re done for.” She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turned and looked me in the eyes. I said, “In order for me to be prepared, I need to know what to expect.”
“You can expect the fires of hell. What answer do you pretend to seek that you don’t already have?”
“I don’t know what the fuck is going to come at me next. There were things I’ve always been to afraid to believe in, I’ve been exposed to the reality of those things in recent days. I don’t know what kind of demon or monster will jump out of the shadows at me next.”
“What does the monster’s name matter? Or what it looks like? You should be familiar with the nature of monster’s by now. The difference between one and the other is just details and trivialities. Demons? They’re as many and varied as all the people born into this earth and they’re everywhere. They have systems and societies in place older than the Sun. You’re always surrounded by demons; most of them are indifferent, some will be very hostile to you, others will look for ways to use you, none will hold you in higher regard than an insect. Humans have more control over the orbits of the planets than the affairs and intentions of the demons all around them. What’s the use in worrying about it?”
“Does the Goddess protect us from the demons?”
“She destroys demons. She consumes lesser gods and seizes or destroys their creations. Without Her, there would be a thousand gods for every star in the sky. Except there would be no stars or sky; no harmony, creation or growth. You can expect there to be deities, spirits and demonic forces that will want to destroy you.”
“Good versus evil?”
“Do you view every war between men as a battle of good versus evil? When you see two people in a fistfight, is that a battle between good and evil? Or is the conflict much more simple? Is a battle between lions and hyenas a battle between good and evil? Who’s good? Who’s evil? Who decides?”
“Is there a ‘good and evil’?”
“Ask Lavinia.”
Lavinia’s voice came into my head, “There is no good and evil. There is only victory and defeat. The victor makes the rules and decides what to label ‘good and evil’.”
Sally smiled and said, “The title of ‘good’ always goes the winner right?”
I nodded and replied, “The only evil is defeat.”
“Some people have different definitions.”
“What’s your definition?”
“’Good and evil’ is irrelevant.”
“Is The Great Sathanas evil?”
“He’s our enemy. Again, ‘good and evil’ are irrelevant. He is our enemy regardless.”
“You’re not answering my question.”
“You’re not asking me anything you don’t already know. If there is a Creator who made everything, including all that is labeled ’good’ or ’evil’, is that Creator good, evil or both. Have you ever read the Bible?”
I nodded my head.
“The Bible says God created the earth. Who does the Bible say is the ‘ruler of this world’? Who could have appointed him as ruler, if not God? And who was in charge of keeping the Serpent in, or out, of Eden?”
“So any agent of Satan is an agent of God?”
“And ’good and evil’ is irrelevant.”
“So are our sacrifices to God?”
“The Goddess has existed longer than the God who created this material world and the spirits, deities and creatures that fill it.”
“What did she create?”
“Consciousness. From that, all the other gods and goddesses were born.”
Damijana appeared in the hallway that led to the dining room, living room and den. She seemed to stare straight through me. Without speaking, Sally walked away. I focused on Damijana and thought, “I’m devoted to Lavinia, that will never change.”
“You’re too small-minded to plan any farther than next week, much less forever. I’m the last woman who you should expect to impress with declarations of eternal love for my sister. You must think eternal love means, ’Until something better comes along.’ We’ll settle the issues that exist between us later. You should rest and get ready for the days ahead.”
“You could have given me a choice.”
“You’ve always had a choice Clarence. I know that it’s easier for you to believe otherwise. You’ve had choices every step of the way.”
“What were my choices? Be a part of this or die? You or Lavinia?”
“You chose me over the life you had before. You chose to become a part of this because it was more important to you to remain among the living, than to remain among the men who live their whole lives without shedding innocent blood. You’d rather be a living murderer than a dead man with clean hands. There’s no shame in that. If our ancestors hadn’t felt the same way, we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation now. We’d be extinct. You never once tried to escape and you didn’t walk away when Lavinia gave you the opportunity. You’ve chosen this life just like you chose to fall in love with my sister. You chose her over me. Now, here you are looking for someone to blame for your own fucked up choices. The only person to blame for the situation you’re in is you.”
“No, you’re wrong.” I didn’t choose to fall in love with your sister. I had no more control over that than you had control over what this house turned you into.”
“And what did this house turn you into Clarence? A raping, murdering thug; Lavinia’s loyal henchman. The few moral values that you had when you came in were quickly discarded as soon as the opportunity presented itself.”
“You anticipated every change that has taken place within me.”
“I didn’t anticipate that you would forget me so quickly. I selected you for the particular brand of loyalty you possess. I misjudged the nature of that loyalty. Lavinia did not.”
“Are you saying that I’m disloyal.”
“You’re loyal to the Power behind the Altar. You’re not loyal to any particular person. You’re perfect for the house. You’re perfect for a Matriarch like Lavinia. Your type is an asset to an ideology, a system, an organization or a dictator. At the same time that you’re an asset to the organization, you’re a danger to its individual members. That’s what you have in common with my sister. You let go of me the moment you felt Lavinia’s power and realized she would give you access to it in exchange for your unconditional loyalty and obedience. Some might call that love. Others would call it a form of prostitution.”
“I love the woman, her power is just a part of who she is.”
“Save that Mickey Mouse bullshit Romeo. Your thing with Lavinia might be romantic if it wasn’t so politically advantageous for you. You’re far too calculating to be sincere. In the end, you’re only loyal to your own self-interest.”
“I gave up everything to follow you, and this is where you led me.”
Lavinia appeared at the top of the stairs. Her voice said, “You two have nothing to discuss other than how to address our adversary. Damijana, I suggest you refrain from stooping beneath your role in this house.”
If Damijana replied, she replied directly to the mind of her sister. I only saw her turn and storm away. Lavinia’s voice said, “She’s wrong. Your loyalty is solid. She’s too weak to hold it.”
“What about the things Sally told me? About God and Satan? About Demons?”
“Sally is a simple girl with simple explanations. She suggests a conflict where none exists. Satan was God’s favorite angel. Allegedly he opposed God, yet he still exists. Not only does he exist, but he has been given authority over dominion’s within the Lord’s Kingdom. The God who created the reality you exist in is not the only God or Creator. But we exist in the reality He created. We are His creations. His creations on this planet live in world ruled by His favorite angel. If you’re here, human and interacting with other humans, you’re playing The King of This World’s game. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, Fascist or Socialist, they’re all marching to the beat of the same drum. They all have the same form, the same function; they all fight the same kinds of wars and for the same reasons. The people, the culture, the religion, the political beliefs, race; all that is interchangeable. One thing remains constant throughout, the Devil’s Will will be done. If the Goddess disagreed with the order of things here, she would destroy the Devil’s Dominion. Our Goddess guides us through this world and we do Her bidding along the way. I see your fear. There is one thing about Satan. He doesn’t play favorites. Everything that rises in his dominion falls, without exception. If you wish to see an example of this, look at the rise and fall of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter to The King of This World what your banner says or what symbol adorns your breast, as long as there is a symbol there. What would this earth be without it’s flag, banners, symbols and marching soldiers. The person who speaks wears the mark of the beast. So you’ll have to go find a person who has lived their life without a language to find someone who doesn’t have the mark. You’re asking where you fit into all this. You wear the marks of both the Beast and the Goddess. But you belong to the Goddess and your function is to serve as an instrument for her to impose Her Will on the Beast’s System. Sally told you ’good and evil’ are irrelevant. I told you there is only victory and defeat. The person who thirsts and finds water will live on due to that seemingly small victory. The defeated dies of thirst, most likely the result of self-defeat as opposed to lack of water.”
“How can I be victorious in the coming battles.”
“Dispose of your fear, desire and mercy.”
15
After Lavinia’s lesson, I was dismissed to return to my room and rest. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Visions of tortured, anguished faces twisted up in unnatural grimaces haunted my dreams. I walked alone on a road lined with mutilated and dismembered bodies. The smell of blood and burnt flesh filled the air. Cold, razor-sharp steel sliced through my skin and into the muscle and bone underneath. I felt the handle of the dagger in my hand.
My eyes opened and I sat up startled. I was sitting naked on cold cement floor. The entire room was concrete. A dim yellow overhead lamp lit the room. I heard a woman’s voice behind me, “Clarence.” When I turned, I saw three women seated on three wooden chairs. They all wore long black gowns, black leather boots and gloves; every inch of flesh was covered except for their faces. They all had long black hair and dark complexions. They looked to be from some Middle-Eastern country like Iran or Lebanon. None of the women appeared to be over 30. But there was something about them, an energy they emanated, that made them seem very old, and very serious. They all sat up straight in their chairs, right leg crossed over the left, hands folded in their laps. The women stared at me without speaking, their expressions didn’t change.
As I looked from one pair of eyes to the next, I began sweating profusely, my heart pounded and panic covered me like quilt of thorns. The woman in the middle asked, “What are you afraid of?” Her voice was soft, warm and even motherly. However, the sound of her voice instantly prompted my body to react. I sat frozen in terror. I began to hyperventilate. The woman on the left asked, “Do you know who we are?”
I rolled over on my side and my body tightened into a sweat-coated ball of tension convulsing on the floor. The woman in the middle leaned forward and whispered, “Calm.” My body immediately stop convulsing, I caught my breath and my thoughts began to clear. Still I remained curled in a ball shivering in fear.
The woman on the right asked, “Why are you afraid of us?” I wouldn’t have been able to answer that question even if I had been able to open my mouth to speak. I didn’t know why I was so afraid of those women. All I knew was that their presence terrified me in a way I had never experienced before.
The woman on the left repeated, “Do you know who we are?” I shook my head. The woman in the middle took over, “That’s no surprise. We’re not as popular with the humans as some of the others. You may not be consciously aware of who we are, but your soul remembers us well. Everybody knows us. Most people can’t function with the level of terror that comes with having an awareness of our existence.”
The woman on the right said, “Your kind likes the blindfolded woman with the scales. A harlot, that’s who you would have administer justice. A symbol of corruption.”
The woman on the left, “We’ve been administering justice since the beginning. All of humanity stands guilty in Our eyes along with the parasitic gods and spirits that nurture and collect your souls.”
The woman in the middle, “We’ve been referred to by many names. Some flattering, some not. In humanity’s early years of language, we were commonly referred to with various forms of ‘The Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen to You‘. I prefer ‘The Beautiful Ones’.”
The woman on the left, “Close your eyes.” I squeezed my eyes shut and saw a short middle-aged man with glasses. He stood in front of a large hole in the ground. He was a Black man dressed in wranglers, a plaid button up shirt tucked into his jeans and cowboy boots. The woman on the left’s voice said, “Meet The Great Sathanas. Look in the hole.”
I moved toward the hole in my vision. The Great Sathanas didn’t move, it was if he couldn’t see me. I looked down into hole, a family of four laid at the bottom. A large man in overalls appeared at my side with a shovel and began filling in the hole. The voice of the woman in the middle said, “That family didn’t anything but move into an apartment upstairs from one of his businesses. Watch this.”
I saw a young woman alone in her apartment. She sat curled on her loveseat studying a college textbook. The vertical hanging blinds behind her stirred then two dark figures crept in through the slider. One of them snuck up on the woman, pounced on her, punched her and covered her mouth with his hand. The other went to the front-door and opened it. Four more men entered, including The Great Sathanas. They shut the door and one of the men said, “Wait a minute before you hook that shit to her head. I don’t want her to enjoy it yet. I want to see the fear and pain in that bitches eyes when I’m fucking her.”
The Great Sathanas stood to the side and watched as the five men threw the woman on the floor, tore her clothes off, then shoved their dicks down her throat till she choked and tears streamed from her eyes. They laughed and passed a fifth back and forth as they took turns raping and sodomizing the young woman. The Great Sathanas commanded, “Hold that bitch down.” Then he pulled a scalpel from his jacket, knelt down by the woman’s head and made a small incision behind her ear. He then used tweezers to insert a small device into the hole. One of the men asked, “How do you keep it from getting infected.” The Great Sathanas replied, “If it gets infected I just cut the bitches head off, pull the chip out, wash it off and put it in a new bitch.” The men all laughed.
The Great Sathanas sealed the incision with the same kind of glue I’d seen used in the hospitals, then he placed a small piece of medical tape over it. He then pulled a small control pad from his pocket and pressed a button. The men seemed to struggle to hold the young woman down as she began convulsing violently.
The Great Sathanas pushed another button and the woman went stiff as if an electrical current was passing through her body. He pushed another button and the woman’s body went limp, her eyes rolled around in her head, a slight grin appeared at the corners of the woman’s mouth. The Great Sathanas pulled a syringe from his jacket, popped off the cap, picked a vein in the woman’s arm and inserted the needle. The woman’s grin widened. The Great Sathanas said, “Fuck that bitch now and see what happens.” One of the men quickly undid his pants, pushed his pants down to his knees and shoved his dick into the young woman. She moaned and rocked her head from side to side, her grin turned into a smile that seemed to stretch from ear to ear.
The voice of the woman on the right said, “Let’s fast forward this a little bit.” I saw the same woman, she no longer looked like a healthy college student. She was skin and bones with bleached blond hair, heavy make-up, a tight-fitting black shirt that said “SLUT” and a black mini-skirt. She sat on the edge of a bed staring straight ahead. Her face remained in a constant, unsettling grin. Loud voices could be heard outside the door leading to the room. The Great Sathanas entered followed by a large group of drunken young men. The Great Sathanas said, “Alright. You boys got four hours. We’ll bring you up some beer and a couple of bottles. Let me know if you need anything else. It’s your party boys, have fun.” The young men fell on the woman like a pack of ravenous wolves.
I opened my eyes. The woman on the right said, “When she’s so beat up and repulsive that nobody wants to fuck her, he’ll strangle her and have his henchmen dump her body behind some meth house. Her parents will search for answers as to why their normally responsible and loving daughter suddenly turned into a drug addicted prostitute who was eventually murdered on the street. They’ll wonder why she didn’t tell them. They’ll wonder how they couldn’t tell. Meanwhile, another young woman will be delivered to The Great Sathanas by the gangbangers and drug-addicts he has working for him. He pays them $500 a head for every fairly attractive young woman they can deliver to him. Of course, none of those women know that they’re being led into forced prostitution.”
The woman on the right added, “This is the sort of thing that catches our attention.”
The woman in the middle, “Lavinia has caught our attention as well. First, you will help her destroy The Great Sathanas. Then you will kill Lavinia. If you don’t, we will and then we will hold you accountable for the blood you have shed. If you do what we require, we will consider the murders you participated in to be acts of necessity and we will leave you alone. Think carefully about this Clarence. There are thousands of stories about nice places like Hell. The reality is that we decide who is damned and who isn’t. We are the one’s in charge of the damned. But you won’t find too many stories about us. You just know that for some reason you are deathly afraid of us. Don’t be ashamed of your fear. The Creator of this world has a similar reaction when we appear in His presence. There is no power that exists that can protect you from us.”
The woman on the left said, “The human mind cannot begin to comprehend eternal torture. That means forever. When this entire universe passes away and another one is born; then after that one passes to make way for another, you will still be suffering. There is no ‘place’ called Hell where all the sinners party together. The souls we punish suffer in isolation. We may allow you some company to fall in love with. But that’s only so that we can take what you love away from you, torture and destroy that which you love right in front of you and use your love to torture you further.”
The woman on the right, “We’ll bless you with a hundred offspring, let you nurture them, raise them, love them with all your being; then we’ll make you sit and watch helplessly as we hunt them down one by one and rip them to pieces.”
The women then changed into three large black birds, smashed through the concrete ceiling and flew away. I woke up in my room. I had no idea what time it was but everything was dark. Lavinia’s voice said, “Find some clean clothes, then go downstairs and eat. You, Damijana, Sally and Brianna are leaving right before dawn.”
16
I sat in the back of the Blazer with Brianna. She had been washed and dressed in a gray sweatshirt and jeans. She wore large dark sunglasses and a lot of make-up. She still looked dead sitting motionless and silent. Sally drove and Damijana rode in the passenger seat. I tried to keep my nerves calm. My mind kept thinking, “I need a gun.” Lavinia’s voice responded to my thought, “Your weapon is under the seat.” I found a two foot long spiked wooden club under my seat. Lavinia’s voice said, “There are two men in the house who watch over the place. Four women are in there working and there are three tricks inside right now. This is their slowest time of the day. Brianna will take care of at least one of the two men. Let Damijana and Sally deal with the other one and the tricks. You will go straight to the bedrooms and execute the women.”
“I can’t just shoot them?”
“No. I don’t want fireworks this morning?”
“We’re burning the house. I could just tie the women up…”
“No, you cannot just tie the women up and leave them to burn. You will smash out their brains with the mace under your seat. Are you afraid of the work involved or The Furies?” I was relieved that she had brought issue up. Nothing went on in my mind without her knowledge, not even my dreams. I replied, “Yes, I’m afraid of both. I’m afraid of beating four women to death with a club and I’m especially afraid of ‘The Beautiful Ones’.”
“They gave you permission to kill. They told you that after you help me destroy The Great Sathanas, you must kill me. I care about you, I don’t want you to suffer eternal torture. Follow the orders handed down to you by ‘the powers that be’. The first task you were given is to help me destroy The Great Sathanas, correct? Good. Now get ready to take that club under the seat and execute the four women inside the house.” I reached under the seat, grabbed the spiked club and wondered if the previous nights ‘vision’ was really a vision at all.
The Blazer came to a stop in front of a one-story single family home. Nobody spoke, everyone was following orders communicated directly to their brains by Lavinia. I had no idea what Brianna was going to do. I followed Sally and Damijana as they hurried to the front door. Brianna followed closely behind me. Damijana carried a machete at her side, Black Sally pulled a dagger from the small of her back and slammed her foot into the door right beside the deadbolt. The door flew in and Brianna ran into the apartment followed by Damijana and Sally. I crossed the threshold and pushed the door shut behind me. A high-pitched scream came from my left, Brianna had a man pinned down on the floor. She was tearing the flesh from his face with her teeth.
A large Hispanic man came running down the hallway. Damijana stood in his path, the machete concealed behind her long skirt. When the man approached, she stepped to the side and slashed him across the eyes with the blade. In a matter of seconds, she chopped the man’s left leg off at the knee then decapitated him after he fell to the floor. Black Sally stormed down the hallway kicking in doors. A shirtless man came rushing out one of the rooms struggling to pull his pants up. Sally buried her dagger in the man’s groin, pushed him up against the wall, then pulled the blade up to his sternum. I went to the hallway and entered the first room. A naked woman sat on the bed smiling. I raised the mace in the air; the smile never left her face as I broke open her skull. I went to the next room; hair, brain and bone dangling from the spikes on my mace. I heard a man screaming in one of the other rooms. He didn’t scream long, then all that could be heard was the sound of the machete hacking through muscle and bone.
It was the same with the woman in the next room, except she was a red-head. She sat on the bed with a detached look in her eye and that creepy grin on her face. She fell to the side like a bowling pin when the club collided with the side of her head with a loud meaty crack. The side of the woman’s head had been completely torn off revealing her brain. I pulled the large section of skull and red-hair from my mace and went to the next room.
The only difference in the next room was the hair color, she was a brunette, and I had to hit her seven times before she stopped twitching. When I entered the fourth room, I stopped dead my tracks, the club fell from my hand. It was the college girl from my dream. Sally entered the room. She yelled, “What the fuck are you waiting for?”
I said, “I know her. I won’t do it.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “Kill her. I told you to kill all four women.”
I thought, “You know who she is. You saw my dream.”
Lavinia replied, “There is nothing you can do for her. We can’t let her go.”
“We can take her with us.”
“No, you cannot. She can be tracked by that chip in her head and she can still be controlled.”
“I know where it is. We can cut it out.” I heard the screams of the last remaining man. Black Sally grabbed a handful of the college girl’s hair and pulled her head back as if she were going to slit her throat. She found the scar behind the girl’s ear and dug out the chip. The college girl immediately began screaming and flailing around. Sally punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious. She looked at me, shook her head and said, “You get to carry her and hurry the fuck up.”
As I dragged the college girl toward the front door, Damijana came in carrying a gas can and began dousing the furniture with gasoline. Brianna stood by the door, her face and hair soaked in blood. The body of her victim laid several feet away, blood, organs and intestines fanned out from all sides. Brianna helped me lift the college girl and carry her to the Blazer. We threw her on the floor and climbed in. Sally and Damijana hurried out the house and hopped in the vehicle. Black smoke billowed out the door as we pulled away. Damijana pulled a bag of towels from under her seat. Lavinia’s voice said, “Get the gallon of water, dish soap, bucket and bag of clothes from behind the rear seat. We washed the blood and brain matter from our hands and faces as we drove. We stripped off our clothes and changed into fresh ones. Damijana climbed in to the backseat and duct taped the college girls wrist’s, ankles and mouth.
Black Sally lit a cigarette, “Clarence. Where do you know that girl from?”
“I used to go to school with her.”
Damijana asked, “Would you like to try that again Clarence, without the bullshit?”
“I know her from a vision I had.”
Sally said, “Lavinia let you keep that woman…” she took long drag from her cigarette and slowly shook her head, “You’re telling me that Lavinia wanted to make you happy so we broke our line and let one of the women live? My life depends on the decisions Lavinia makes and she’s now making decisions based on what makes you happy? I know she can hear me right through your ears. That’s how close you two have become. So give me an answer Clarence. Ask your Mistress if that’s what the situation is here.” Sally pulled into the parking of a shopping center and parked. She turned in her seat and pointed large pistol at my face. She continued, “If that is the situation, I’ll just kill you right now before you get me killed later on down the road.”
Damijana held a .380 to Sally’s head. “I may agree with what you’re doing right now, but that doesn’t change the fact that if you kill Clarence without the Matriarch’s permission, you will be the next one to die.”
“Your sister…”
“My sister is the Matriarch of this family and you will follow her orders.”
Sally glared at me through narrowed eyes, then she smirked, “All right Damijana, I’m in line. But the next time this motherfucker’s woman issues put my life in danger, I’m killing him and I won’t give a fuck about the consequences.” She put the pistol away, turned back around and pulled off. I focused on Damijana and thought, “Thank you.” Her voice said, “Don’t thank me. Thank Lavinia. I didn’t do that for you. I agree with Sally that you should be executed. My sister disagrees. Today, she makes the rules. You should consider what will happen to you if our beloved Matriarch ever passes away.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “The more that I realize just how inextricably intertwined our fates are, the more I wonder if there really is such a thing as soul mates.”
After dinner, the Gothic Girl’s voice came into my mind, “Go to the den, I want to look at you when I talk to you.” When I got to the den the Gothic Girl was standing in front of the window, looking out. She spoke out loud, “Your mind is disturbed and you’re anxious. Is there something you want to talk about?”
I said, “Of course I’m anxious and disturbed. You keep me in the dark and I have no idea what to expect. There is too much going on here that I’m not aware of…”
“Why don’t you ask Lavinia!”
Black Sally entered the room. She said, “Damijana, we have important matters to discuss. We do not have the luxury to waste time and energy with this love triangle bullshit. The Great Sathanas expects us to pay him because we killed his workers.”
The Gothic Girl said, “You know Lavinia won’t pay him.”
“I know, and I wouldn’t pay him either. But you know what this means. He’s going to want to go to war over this.”
“Then it will be war. He is a tyrant and he deserves to die.”
“I agree with you Damijana. However, he does have a tremendous amount of resources at his disposal.”
I asked, “Who exactly is The Great Sathanas.”
The Gothic Girl answered, “Some people call him a pimp. I don’t think that’s accurate. I’d call him a Master of slaves, as in someone who has mastered the art of capturing and enslaving people.”
Black Sally said, “He hooks women up to machines and turns them into prostitutes. He started out as a pimp on the street. He was known for keeping his women strung out so he could control them easier. Eventually, he decided to take it a step farther and he started performing lobotomies. His interest in the human brain grew and he began to experiment. I’m not sure how many women died during these experiments but my guess is MANY. Imagine some pimp sitting in grungy motel hooking up wires to some junkies brain, then plugging her in. Ooops! Wrong spot, or too much electricity, and she dies. But eventually he does figure out what spots to stimulate and what spots to shut down. He came up with his own little machine that could keep a woman in a trancelike state. He figured out how to completely wipe out a person’s memory and personality. He could lure in a regular woman, slip something in her drink, hook her up to his machine and by the time she woke up, she’d be a junkie whore who couldn’t remember ever being anything else. He ran a brothel like that. He began to make a lot of money and he caught the attention of some nefarious characters in powerful places. Those powerful individuals happened to be on the same page as the pimp. They saw an opportunity to test out their own mind-control technology and bring in more funding for their research. That relationship developed and flourished. This is how he became The Great Sathanas. Powerful people are protecting him and supplying him with technology that only the military has and most people don’t even know exists. He controls a lot of people, he has a lot people working for him and he has a lot of people protecting him.”
“There are only five people in the house, how will we go up against someone like that?”
The Gothic Girl said, “Did you forget the speech made by Antonija. This house was founded on the blood of tyrants. We will destroy him regardless of his numbers, wealth or fancy titles.”
Sally went on, “This definitely is our war. I hate to say it, but at a time like this we need a Matriarch like Lavinia. She will destroy the demons on the battlefield just as the Goddess did. We must support her in her efforts to make…”
The Gothic Girl interrupted, “There has to be another way. You’re talking about opening up the gates of hell.”
“Since we’re going to war with the devil, I think that ’opening the gates of hell’ is not only preferable, but essential for our survival. Lavinia is going to use Octavia like a Rosetta’s Stone and figure out how to raise the dead. We need to think about what we can do to support her in that effort. That means we need fresh bodies, that haven’t been all cut up.”
“Lavinia will still demand her sacrifices. We can’t bring in people by the busload Sally and we can’t have people comparing this hill to the Bermuda Triangle.”
“We have no choice. After the war, we’ll find a different home base and burn this house to the ground.”
Lavinia’s voice boomed into my head, “EVERYONE TO THE ALTAR!”
When we got to Lavinia’s room, the Jehovah’s Witness was kneeling on the floor in front of Kali’s altar crying. The first thought that came into my head when I saw her was, “I wonder if she’s a virgin.” I felt shamed by my thoughts and hoped no one was in my head. Lavinia’s laughter penetrated my mind. Her voice said, “She IS a virgin my wicked little slave. Would like to be the only man she knows?”
Lilith and Octavia came in the room, both wore black coveralls. Lavinia was seated in her chair, still wearing her blood-red gown with the black and red mask. She turned her head toward Octavia and Lilith, “You two, take off your boots and coveralls, then kneel on either side of her.” She pointed to the Jehovah’s Witness.
Lilith and Octavia did what they were told. I heard Lavinia’s voice in my mind, “Take her! I know you want her. Take her! Take her right in front of the altar. Don’t think slave, DO IT!!!!”
I kneeled behind the woman, grabbed her hair and pushed her head down. She was on her knees with her face pressed to the floor. I yelled at her, “DON’T MOVE!” I let go of her hair. The only movement she made was her trembling. My hand slid over her ass, I squeezed it and slapped it. My fingers found their way to her wet, virgin pussy. I played with her clit and finger-fucked her. I undid my pants. My cock was pulsating and hard as stone.
Lavinia’s voice said, “Yeah, that’s it. Fuck that little bitch. I want to watch you turn that churchgoing little good girl into a whore.”
I began pushing my cock into her pussy. She was unbelievably tight. She tried to squirm away from me. Lavinia’s voice commanded, “Octavia, hold her head to floor.” Octavia took two handfuls of the woman’s hair in her fists and held the woman’s head down. I put my hands on her hips and jerked her toward me as I thrust myself forward, forcing my cock inside her. Her pussy was like an oiled, clenched fist squeezing my cock. She let out a high-pitched squeal each time my hips slammed into her ass.
A hand grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me away. It was the Gothic Girl. She got on her knees behind the woman and pulled a large nickel-plated revolver from the waistband of her skirt. She popped out the cylinder and emptied the bullets out on the floor. She picked one of up, placed it back in the cylinder, spun it and slammed it shut. The woman shrieked like a banshee when the Gothic Girl shoved the barrel of the gun into her pussy. She pulled the hammer back “click” The screams got louder, the woman became hysterical.
The Gothic Girl pulled the barrel out her pussy. The woman’s juices glistened on the nickel-plating. The Gothic Girl opened and spun the chamber, then she slammed it shut and shoved the barrel of the gun in the woman’s vagina again. She pulled the hammer back, “BOOM!” The gun went off. Lilith and Octavia both dived for cover. The woman remained on her knees with her face to floor; twitching, blood flowed from her mouth.
Lavinia’s voice yelled, “Give Octavia a dagger! He has to cut her throat!”
Sally pulled her blade and handed it to Octavia. Lavinia’s voice commanded, “Octavia, you must cut her throat NOW!” Octavia hesitated, she remained frozen with the dagger in her hand. Lilith snatched the dagger from her, grabbed the woman’s hair, pulled her head back and slit her throat.
Lavinia’s voice said, “Damijana! Why the fuck did you do that? You fucked up the ritual. Put another bullet in your gun. We’re going to play again.” Lavinia’s face turned to Octavia, “Octavia, when I tell you do something you will do it. Now turn her over and cut her open.”
The Gothic Girl let the empty shell fall from the cylinder of her revolver and replaced it with a bullet. The cylinder spun, slammed shut, then the barrel of the gun was pointed at Octavia’s head “click”. Tears streamed down Octavia’s cheeks. The tool chest raised several inches in the air, then slammed back to the floor. The Gothic Girl spun the cylinder, clicked it back in place and pointed it at Octavia. I yelled, “JUST CUT HER OPEN! SHE’S ALREADY DEAD!” Octavia didn’t seem to hear me. “click” Lavinia’s chair flipped over, throwing her to the floor. She sat up on the floor and casually straightened out her gown.
Octavia pleaded, “Please stop! I can’t do this! I can’t…” The cylinder spun and was slammed back into place. The Gothic Girl said, “I’m not scared of your power Octavia. I will blow your telekinesis right out the back of your fucking head.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “If she doesn’t stick her blade in that bitch, kill her Damijana!”
Lilith screamed, “What’s wrong with you? These people will kill you Octavia! Just cut her open.” The Gothic Girl shoved her gun back in her waist-band and said, “Clarence, get me the bat.” I went to the chest, got the wood baseball bat I used on the doctor and handed it to her. She gripped the handle of the bat with both hands and stood in front of Octavia.
The dagger shook in Octavia’s hand as she pushed the tip of the blade into the woman’s navel. Tears fell from Octavia’s eyes, landing on the flesh of our victim. Octavia pushed the blade in and cut open the woman’s stomach. Then she turned her face toward the ceiling and screamed. The walls shook and the candles blew out on the altar leaving us all in darkness.
A flame was lit by the altar. Lavinia’s black and red mask was all that could be seen in its glow. She re-lit the candles, scooted herself over by Octavia and took the dagger from her hand. Lavinia removed the woman’s liver and held it in the air. Her voice demanded, “Clarence, come feed me.” I took the liver from her hands. Lavinia laid on her back, pulled her gown up to her waist and started playing with her clit. Her voice said, “Damijana! I want you to lick my pussy while Clarence feeds me. Then you can watch him fuck me while you play with yourself.”
I looked at the Gothic Girl. She didn’t look at me. She just glared at her sister. But I could see her eyes, and I could see what was in them…HATE.
13
The Gothic Girl walked out the room, slamming the door behind her. Lavinia’s voice said, “Forget about her. Feed me.” There were no options. I knelt between Lavinia’s bandaged stumps, took a bite of the meat, chewed it for her and fed her. The meat was passed and the ritual was consummated. The blood was mixed with the seed. Sally ate from the meat and passed it to Lilith. Lilith did the same, then passed it to Octavia. Octavia grabbed the meat from her hands and devoured what was left. I was surprised by Lilith and Octavia’s sudden transformation. The sight of the blood, death, fear and suffering seemed to have awoken something deep inside them.
Sally chopped the corpse up with a machete, then Octavia and Lilith carried the pieces to the shed. Lavinia’s voice demanded that I go to her office. As I sat alone in front of her desk, my hands and face covered in blood, my mind was on the hand that held my soul in a clenched fist. I realized then that my enthrallment was not based solely on fear. I had never encountered a person who had so much power centered within themselves. She didn’t need weapons, wealth, permission or praise. Her power was in her heart and mind. She sacrificed her beauty, legs and breast to show that her power could not be diminished and her will could not be thwarted. I had fallen in love with her power, cruelty and defiance.
I heard the door open and turned to see Lavinia sitting on the floor in the doorway. Her voice said, “Put me in my chair.” I got the chair from behind her desk and pushed it to where she was seated. I picked her up, sat her in the chair and pushed her to the desk. She pulled out a brush from the desk drawer and began to brush her hair. Her voice said, “Sit down.”
She still wore the black and red mask. She placed the hairbrush back in the drawer, then laid her blood-stained hands flat on the table. Her voice said, “I have a different plan for Brianna. When we’re done here, you will go across the hall and strangle her. Don’t do anything else to her. I’m going to use her for something and I need her whole. I see that you have a conflict going on inside you. Do I need to cut your heart out so that I can be sure where it is?”
“No.”
“No? Are you saying that your devotion to me is a certainty?”
My heart pounded and anxiety swelled inside me. She knew my thoughts. She was asking a question that I couldn’t answer. Her voice became angry. She slammed her fist on the desk, “I ask for certainty and you give me doubt?”
“I’m in this with you all the way. I have no doubts about my devotion to you?”
“LIAR!!! In your heart you believe that you’re stuck, committed to someone that you’re terrified of, and who you believe will eventually destroy you. Isn’t that the truth? Is that what you call devotion?”
“That describes part of my devotion to you, not all. There is reverence and there is love.”
“That is fear, not love.”
“If you doubt me, then I guess the only way you can be certain is to cut my heart out.” I opened my shirt, exposing my chest, “Go ahead!” She sat motionless and silent for several minutes. Finally, her voice said, “Don’t think you’re special, I can replace you any day.”
“Now you’re the one who is lying…” Instantly and at the same, I began vomiting, pissing and shitting on myself. My right hand balled into a fist and struck me in the mouth.. I tried to stand and collapsed facedown on the floor. I couldn’t move. Then, she was right beside me, turning me over. She climbed top of me, straddling me with her stumps. She held a dagger in her hand.
Her voiced screamed in my head, “TELL ME TO DO IT AGAIN! TELL ME TO CUT YOUR HEART OUT!” Tears streamed from my eyes. She stabbed the dagger into the floor, inches from my face. Then she laid down on top of me. Her voice said, “Don’t tempt me or provoke me. I would regret it if I killed you in anger.” I was able to move again. I placed my hands on her back and thought, “I’m sorry.”
She sat up and got off me. Her voice said, “Go clean yourself up.” I picked her up and put her back in her chair. After a long, hot shower, I put on a black robe that hung on the door. Then I went to the room across the hall and strangled Brianna until her face was dark blue, her one-eye looked like it was going to pop out of its socket and her tongue hung out the side of her mouth.
I left Brianna’s limp body hanging from the restraints on the wall and returned to Lavinia’s office. Octavia was seated in front of the desk. She had showered and changed into a fresh uniform. I took a seat by the door. Lavinia and Octavia both sat in complete silence. I focused on Octavia. There was no voice to the thoughts I picked up, just images flashing into my mind; a circle of women with painted faces standing around a freshly covered grave, hands digging out the dirt, a pine coffin, a man hacking away at the wood with a machete, the corpse opening its eyes, a large woman with a mask identical to the one worn by Lavinia. I tried to draw my focus away from her, the images kept flooding my consciousness. The dead rotting old man that attacked Octavia as a child, a line of expressionless, pale faces; painted bodies dancing in a circle, a wrinkled old woman slicing open a body, the altar, a daemonic Goddess devouring a man alive, a sea of bloody bodies fornicating and feasting.
The images stopped when Lavinia’s voice entered my mind, “Stay out of Octavia’s head. She is followed by a demon, it frequents her thoughts and may not react well to your presence.”
“Does she know how to bring back the dead?”
“The dead don’t come back. The demon that follows her can channel its energy into a fresh body. I can control that energy once it’s in place.”
“How long till Brianna…”
“Go look. She’s not Brianna anymore.”
I went back to the room across the hall. Brianna was standing up straight. Her one eye looked straight ahead without blinking. Her chest didn’t move, I saw no sign of breathing. I approached her slowly. Lavinia’s voice said, “Careful.” Brianna lunged at me, her teeth snapped shut in front of me. She fought against the restraints, bared her teeth at me and growled. Then she immediately went motionless and silent looking straight ahead.
Black Sally appeared in the doorway smoking, “I like her better as a zombie. She’s a lot nicer like this.” Sally looked at me and we both laughed. It was the first time I had really laughed in several days. I couldn’t tell if it was a humorous laugh or if I was just going insane. Sally motioned toward Lavinia’s office, I followed her in and returned to my seat next to the door. Sally sat on Lavinia’s desk. She spoke out loud, “The Great Sathanas. What do you want to do first?”
Lavinia’s voice replied, “Start hitting his brothels and his workers. I want him to know we’re coming for him. He’ll hide out and hole up. Once we have him in a hole, we’ll blow it up. Start with that whorehouse he‘s got on 8th. Kill everyone inside and burn the place to the ground. Don‘t take anything from there. Do you understand? I don‘t care what you find in that house, you leave it there. Burn everything.”
I asked, “What about the women?”
Lavinia replied, “What about them? When I say kill everyone inside, it means exactly that. The women, the tricks, the guys watching over the place, the dog; no one escapes and no one is left breathing. This is war. The only rule in war is ‘Win’. Destroy your enemy. Sathanas cannot protect his business interests from us. If he can’t make money, he can’t exist. The people backing him will walk away and they‘ll take their equipment with them. They may even kill him before we get the chance. Either way, the enemy will be neutralized.”
14
Sleep. I desperately needed sleep. That was all I could think of as I made my way back to my room. Sally walked ahead of me. As we descended the stairs she spoke out loud, “You need to prepare yourself for what’s coming. You entertain your weakness too much. The things you desire, the things that make you feel good, serve as a handle that others can easily grab onto and lead you around. You can’t be susceptible to every Ann and Jane that catches your eye, or you’re done for.” She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turned and looked me in the eyes. I said, “In order for me to be prepared, I need to know what to expect.”
“You can expect the fires of hell. What answer do you pretend to seek that you don’t already have?”
“I don’t know what the fuck is going to come at me next. There were things I’ve always been to afraid to believe in, I’ve been exposed to the reality of those things in recent days. I don’t know what kind of demon or monster will jump out of the shadows at me next.”
“What does the monster’s name matter? Or what it looks like? You should be familiar with the nature of monster’s by now. The difference between one and the other is just details and trivialities. Demons? They’re as many and varied as all the people born into this earth and they’re everywhere. They have systems and societies in place older than the Sun. You’re always surrounded by demons; most of them are indifferent, some will be very hostile to you, others will look for ways to use you, none will hold you in higher regard than an insect. Humans have more control over the orbits of the planets than the affairs and intentions of the demons all around them. What’s the use in worrying about it?”
“Does the Goddess protect us from the demons?”
“She destroys demons. She consumes lesser gods and seizes or destroys their creations. Without Her, there would be a thousand gods for every star in the sky. Except there would be no stars or sky; no harmony, creation or growth. You can expect there to be deities, spirits and demonic forces that will want to destroy you.”
“Good versus evil?”
“Do you view every war between men as a battle of good versus evil? When you see two people in a fistfight, is that a battle between good and evil? Or is the conflict much more simple? Is a battle between lions and hyenas a battle between good and evil? Who’s good? Who’s evil? Who decides?”
“Is there a ‘good and evil’?”
“Ask Lavinia.”
Lavinia’s voice came into my head, “There is no good and evil. There is only victory and defeat. The victor makes the rules and decides what to label ‘good and evil’.”
Sally smiled and said, “The title of ‘good’ always goes the winner right?”
I nodded and replied, “The only evil is defeat.”
“Some people have different definitions.”
“What’s your definition?”
“’Good and evil’ is irrelevant.”
“Is The Great Sathanas evil?”
“He’s our enemy. Again, ‘good and evil’ are irrelevant. He is our enemy regardless.”
“You’re not answering my question.”
“You’re not asking me anything you don’t already know. If there is a Creator who made everything, including all that is labeled ’good’ or ’evil’, is that Creator good, evil or both. Have you ever read the Bible?”
I nodded my head.
“The Bible says God created the earth. Who does the Bible say is the ‘ruler of this world’? Who could have appointed him as ruler, if not God? And who was in charge of keeping the Serpent in, or out, of Eden?”
“So any agent of Satan is an agent of God?”
“And ’good and evil’ is irrelevant.”
“So are our sacrifices to God?”
“The Goddess has existed longer than the God who created this material world and the spirits, deities and creatures that fill it.”
“What did she create?”
“Consciousness. From that, all the other gods and goddesses were born.”
Damijana appeared in the hallway that led to the dining room, living room and den. She seemed to stare straight through me. Without speaking, Sally walked away. I focused on Damijana and thought, “I’m devoted to Lavinia, that will never change.”
“You’re too small-minded to plan any farther than next week, much less forever. I’m the last woman who you should expect to impress with declarations of eternal love for my sister. You must think eternal love means, ’Until something better comes along.’ We’ll settle the issues that exist between us later. You should rest and get ready for the days ahead.”
“You could have given me a choice.”
“You’ve always had a choice Clarence. I know that it’s easier for you to believe otherwise. You’ve had choices every step of the way.”
“What were my choices? Be a part of this or die? You or Lavinia?”
“You chose me over the life you had before. You chose to become a part of this because it was more important to you to remain among the living, than to remain among the men who live their whole lives without shedding innocent blood. You’d rather be a living murderer than a dead man with clean hands. There’s no shame in that. If our ancestors hadn’t felt the same way, we wouldn’t be standing here having this conversation now. We’d be extinct. You never once tried to escape and you didn’t walk away when Lavinia gave you the opportunity. You’ve chosen this life just like you chose to fall in love with my sister. You chose her over me. Now, here you are looking for someone to blame for your own fucked up choices. The only person to blame for the situation you’re in is you.”
“No, you’re wrong.” I didn’t choose to fall in love with your sister. I had no more control over that than you had control over what this house turned you into.”
“And what did this house turn you into Clarence? A raping, murdering thug; Lavinia’s loyal henchman. The few moral values that you had when you came in were quickly discarded as soon as the opportunity presented itself.”
“You anticipated every change that has taken place within me.”
“I didn’t anticipate that you would forget me so quickly. I selected you for the particular brand of loyalty you possess. I misjudged the nature of that loyalty. Lavinia did not.”
“Are you saying that I’m disloyal.”
“You’re loyal to the Power behind the Altar. You’re not loyal to any particular person. You’re perfect for the house. You’re perfect for a Matriarch like Lavinia. Your type is an asset to an ideology, a system, an organization or a dictator. At the same time that you’re an asset to the organization, you’re a danger to its individual members. That’s what you have in common with my sister. You let go of me the moment you felt Lavinia’s power and realized she would give you access to it in exchange for your unconditional loyalty and obedience. Some might call that love. Others would call it a form of prostitution.”
“I love the woman, her power is just a part of who she is.”
“Save that Mickey Mouse bullshit Romeo. Your thing with Lavinia might be romantic if it wasn’t so politically advantageous for you. You’re far too calculating to be sincere. In the end, you’re only loyal to your own self-interest.”
“I gave up everything to follow you, and this is where you led me.”
Lavinia appeared at the top of the stairs. Her voice said, “You two have nothing to discuss other than how to address our adversary. Damijana, I suggest you refrain from stooping beneath your role in this house.”
If Damijana replied, she replied directly to the mind of her sister. I only saw her turn and storm away. Lavinia’s voice said, “She’s wrong. Your loyalty is solid. She’s too weak to hold it.”
“What about the things Sally told me? About God and Satan? About Demons?”
“Sally is a simple girl with simple explanations. She suggests a conflict where none exists. Satan was God’s favorite angel. Allegedly he opposed God, yet he still exists. Not only does he exist, but he has been given authority over dominion’s within the Lord’s Kingdom. The God who created the reality you exist in is not the only God or Creator. But we exist in the reality He created. We are His creations. His creations on this planet live in world ruled by His favorite angel. If you’re here, human and interacting with other humans, you’re playing The King of This World’s game. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, Fascist or Socialist, they’re all marching to the beat of the same drum. They all have the same form, the same function; they all fight the same kinds of wars and for the same reasons. The people, the culture, the religion, the political beliefs, race; all that is interchangeable. One thing remains constant throughout, the Devil’s Will will be done. If the Goddess disagreed with the order of things here, she would destroy the Devil’s Dominion. Our Goddess guides us through this world and we do Her bidding along the way. I see your fear. There is one thing about Satan. He doesn’t play favorites. Everything that rises in his dominion falls, without exception. If you wish to see an example of this, look at the rise and fall of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter to The King of This World what your banner says or what symbol adorns your breast, as long as there is a symbol there. What would this earth be without it’s flag, banners, symbols and marching soldiers. The person who speaks wears the mark of the beast. So you’ll have to go find a person who has lived their life without a language to find someone who doesn’t have the mark. You’re asking where you fit into all this. You wear the marks of both the Beast and the Goddess. But you belong to the Goddess and your function is to serve as an instrument for her to impose Her Will on the Beast’s System. Sally told you ’good and evil’ are irrelevant. I told you there is only victory and defeat. The person who thirsts and finds water will live on due to that seemingly small victory. The defeated dies of thirst, most likely the result of self-defeat as opposed to lack of water.”
“How can I be victorious in the coming battles.”
“Dispose of your fear, desire and mercy.”
15
After Lavinia’s lesson, I was dismissed to return to my room and rest. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Visions of tortured, anguished faces twisted up in unnatural grimaces haunted my dreams. I walked alone on a road lined with mutilated and dismembered bodies. The smell of blood and burnt flesh filled the air. Cold, razor-sharp steel sliced through my skin and into the muscle and bone underneath. I felt the handle of the dagger in my hand.
My eyes opened and I sat up startled. I was sitting naked on cold cement floor. The entire room was concrete. A dim yellow overhead lamp lit the room. I heard a woman’s voice behind me, “Clarence.” When I turned, I saw three women seated on three wooden chairs. They all wore long black gowns, black leather boots and gloves; every inch of flesh was covered except for their faces. They all had long black hair and dark complexions. They looked to be from some Middle-Eastern country like Iran or Lebanon. None of the women appeared to be over 30. But there was something about them, an energy they emanated, that made them seem very old, and very serious. They all sat up straight in their chairs, right leg crossed over the left, hands folded in their laps. The women stared at me without speaking, their expressions didn’t change.
As I looked from one pair of eyes to the next, I began sweating profusely, my heart pounded and panic covered me like quilt of thorns. The woman in the middle asked, “What are you afraid of?” Her voice was soft, warm and even motherly. However, the sound of her voice instantly prompted my body to react. I sat frozen in terror. I began to hyperventilate. The woman on the left asked, “Do you know who we are?”
I rolled over on my side and my body tightened into a sweat-coated ball of tension convulsing on the floor. The woman in the middle leaned forward and whispered, “Calm.” My body immediately stop convulsing, I caught my breath and my thoughts began to clear. Still I remained curled in a ball shivering in fear.
The woman on the right asked, “Why are you afraid of us?” I wouldn’t have been able to answer that question even if I had been able to open my mouth to speak. I didn’t know why I was so afraid of those women. All I knew was that their presence terrified me in a way I had never experienced before.
The woman on the left repeated, “Do you know who we are?” I shook my head. The woman in the middle took over, “That’s no surprise. We’re not as popular with the humans as some of the others. You may not be consciously aware of who we are, but your soul remembers us well. Everybody knows us. Most people can’t function with the level of terror that comes with having an awareness of our existence.”
The woman on the right said, “Your kind likes the blindfolded woman with the scales. A harlot, that’s who you would have administer justice. A symbol of corruption.”
The woman on the left, “We’ve been administering justice since the beginning. All of humanity stands guilty in Our eyes along with the parasitic gods and spirits that nurture and collect your souls.”
The woman in the middle, “We’ve been referred to by many names. Some flattering, some not. In humanity’s early years of language, we were commonly referred to with various forms of ‘The Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen to You‘. I prefer ‘The Beautiful Ones’.”
The woman on the left, “Close your eyes.” I squeezed my eyes shut and saw a short middle-aged man with glasses. He stood in front of a large hole in the ground. He was a Black man dressed in wranglers, a plaid button up shirt tucked into his jeans and cowboy boots. The woman on the left’s voice said, “Meet The Great Sathanas. Look in the hole.”
I moved toward the hole in my vision. The Great Sathanas didn’t move, it was if he couldn’t see me. I looked down into hole, a family of four laid at the bottom. A large man in overalls appeared at my side with a shovel and began filling in the hole. The voice of the woman in the middle said, “That family didn’t anything but move into an apartment upstairs from one of his businesses. Watch this.”
I saw a young woman alone in her apartment. She sat curled on her loveseat studying a college textbook. The vertical hanging blinds behind her stirred then two dark figures crept in through the slider. One of them snuck up on the woman, pounced on her, punched her and covered her mouth with his hand. The other went to the front-door and opened it. Four more men entered, including The Great Sathanas. They shut the door and one of the men said, “Wait a minute before you hook that shit to her head. I don’t want her to enjoy it yet. I want to see the fear and pain in that bitches eyes when I’m fucking her.”
The Great Sathanas stood to the side and watched as the five men threw the woman on the floor, tore her clothes off, then shoved their dicks down her throat till she choked and tears streamed from her eyes. They laughed and passed a fifth back and forth as they took turns raping and sodomizing the young woman. The Great Sathanas commanded, “Hold that bitch down.” Then he pulled a scalpel from his jacket, knelt down by the woman’s head and made a small incision behind her ear. He then used tweezers to insert a small device into the hole. One of the men asked, “How do you keep it from getting infected.” The Great Sathanas replied, “If it gets infected I just cut the bitches head off, pull the chip out, wash it off and put it in a new bitch.” The men all laughed.
The Great Sathanas sealed the incision with the same kind of glue I’d seen used in the hospitals, then he placed a small piece of medical tape over it. He then pulled a small control pad from his pocket and pressed a button. The men seemed to struggle to hold the young woman down as she began convulsing violently.
The Great Sathanas pushed another button and the woman went stiff as if an electrical current was passing through her body. He pushed another button and the woman’s body went limp, her eyes rolled around in her head, a slight grin appeared at the corners of the woman’s mouth. The Great Sathanas pulled a syringe from his jacket, popped off the cap, picked a vein in the woman’s arm and inserted the needle. The woman’s grin widened. The Great Sathanas said, “Fuck that bitch now and see what happens.” One of the men quickly undid his pants, pushed his pants down to his knees and shoved his dick into the young woman. She moaned and rocked her head from side to side, her grin turned into a smile that seemed to stretch from ear to ear.
The voice of the woman on the right said, “Let’s fast forward this a little bit.” I saw the same woman, she no longer looked like a healthy college student. She was skin and bones with bleached blond hair, heavy make-up, a tight-fitting black shirt that said “SLUT” and a black mini-skirt. She sat on the edge of a bed staring straight ahead. Her face remained in a constant, unsettling grin. Loud voices could be heard outside the door leading to the room. The Great Sathanas entered followed by a large group of drunken young men. The Great Sathanas said, “Alright. You boys got four hours. We’ll bring you up some beer and a couple of bottles. Let me know if you need anything else. It’s your party boys, have fun.” The young men fell on the woman like a pack of ravenous wolves.
I opened my eyes. The woman on the right said, “When she’s so beat up and repulsive that nobody wants to fuck her, he’ll strangle her and have his henchmen dump her body behind some meth house. Her parents will search for answers as to why their normally responsible and loving daughter suddenly turned into a drug addicted prostitute who was eventually murdered on the street. They’ll wonder why she didn’t tell them. They’ll wonder how they couldn’t tell. Meanwhile, another young woman will be delivered to The Great Sathanas by the gangbangers and drug-addicts he has working for him. He pays them $500 a head for every fairly attractive young woman they can deliver to him. Of course, none of those women know that they’re being led into forced prostitution.”
The woman on the right added, “This is the sort of thing that catches our attention.”
The woman in the middle, “Lavinia has caught our attention as well. First, you will help her destroy The Great Sathanas. Then you will kill Lavinia. If you don’t, we will and then we will hold you accountable for the blood you have shed. If you do what we require, we will consider the murders you participated in to be acts of necessity and we will leave you alone. Think carefully about this Clarence. There are thousands of stories about nice places like Hell. The reality is that we decide who is damned and who isn’t. We are the one’s in charge of the damned. But you won’t find too many stories about us. You just know that for some reason you are deathly afraid of us. Don’t be ashamed of your fear. The Creator of this world has a similar reaction when we appear in His presence. There is no power that exists that can protect you from us.”
The woman on the left said, “The human mind cannot begin to comprehend eternal torture. That means forever. When this entire universe passes away and another one is born; then after that one passes to make way for another, you will still be suffering. There is no ‘place’ called Hell where all the sinners party together. The souls we punish suffer in isolation. We may allow you some company to fall in love with. But that’s only so that we can take what you love away from you, torture and destroy that which you love right in front of you and use your love to torture you further.”
The woman on the right, “We’ll bless you with a hundred offspring, let you nurture them, raise them, love them with all your being; then we’ll make you sit and watch helplessly as we hunt them down one by one and rip them to pieces.”
The women then changed into three large black birds, smashed through the concrete ceiling and flew away. I woke up in my room. I had no idea what time it was but everything was dark. Lavinia’s voice said, “Find some clean clothes, then go downstairs and eat. You, Damijana, Sally and Brianna are leaving right before dawn.”
16
I sat in the back of the Blazer with Brianna. She had been washed and dressed in a gray sweatshirt and jeans. She wore large dark sunglasses and a lot of make-up. She still looked dead sitting motionless and silent. Sally drove and Damijana rode in the passenger seat. I tried to keep my nerves calm. My mind kept thinking, “I need a gun.” Lavinia’s voice responded to my thought, “Your weapon is under the seat.” I found a two foot long spiked wooden club under my seat. Lavinia’s voice said, “There are two men in the house who watch over the place. Four women are in there working and there are three tricks inside right now. This is their slowest time of the day. Brianna will take care of at least one of the two men. Let Damijana and Sally deal with the other one and the tricks. You will go straight to the bedrooms and execute the women.”
“I can’t just shoot them?”
“No. I don’t want fireworks this morning?”
“We’re burning the house. I could just tie the women up…”
“No, you cannot just tie the women up and leave them to burn. You will smash out their brains with the mace under your seat. Are you afraid of the work involved or The Furies?” I was relieved that she had brought issue up. Nothing went on in my mind without her knowledge, not even my dreams. I replied, “Yes, I’m afraid of both. I’m afraid of beating four women to death with a club and I’m especially afraid of ‘The Beautiful Ones’.”
“They gave you permission to kill. They told you that after you help me destroy The Great Sathanas, you must kill me. I care about you, I don’t want you to suffer eternal torture. Follow the orders handed down to you by ‘the powers that be’. The first task you were given is to help me destroy The Great Sathanas, correct? Good. Now get ready to take that club under the seat and execute the four women inside the house.” I reached under the seat, grabbed the spiked club and wondered if the previous nights ‘vision’ was really a vision at all.
The Blazer came to a stop in front of a one-story single family home. Nobody spoke, everyone was following orders communicated directly to their brains by Lavinia. I had no idea what Brianna was going to do. I followed Sally and Damijana as they hurried to the front door. Brianna followed closely behind me. Damijana carried a machete at her side, Black Sally pulled a dagger from the small of her back and slammed her foot into the door right beside the deadbolt. The door flew in and Brianna ran into the apartment followed by Damijana and Sally. I crossed the threshold and pushed the door shut behind me. A high-pitched scream came from my left, Brianna had a man pinned down on the floor. She was tearing the flesh from his face with her teeth.
A large Hispanic man came running down the hallway. Damijana stood in his path, the machete concealed behind her long skirt. When the man approached, she stepped to the side and slashed him across the eyes with the blade. In a matter of seconds, she chopped the man’s left leg off at the knee then decapitated him after he fell to the floor. Black Sally stormed down the hallway kicking in doors. A shirtless man came rushing out one of the rooms struggling to pull his pants up. Sally buried her dagger in the man’s groin, pushed him up against the wall, then pulled the blade up to his sternum. I went to the hallway and entered the first room. A naked woman sat on the bed smiling. I raised the mace in the air; the smile never left her face as I broke open her skull. I went to the next room; hair, brain and bone dangling from the spikes on my mace. I heard a man screaming in one of the other rooms. He didn’t scream long, then all that could be heard was the sound of the machete hacking through muscle and bone.
It was the same with the woman in the next room, except she was a red-head. She sat on the bed with a detached look in her eye and that creepy grin on her face. She fell to the side like a bowling pin when the club collided with the side of her head with a loud meaty crack. The side of the woman’s head had been completely torn off revealing her brain. I pulled the large section of skull and red-hair from my mace and went to the next room.
The only difference in the next room was the hair color, she was a brunette, and I had to hit her seven times before she stopped twitching. When I entered the fourth room, I stopped dead my tracks, the club fell from my hand. It was the college girl from my dream. Sally entered the room. She yelled, “What the fuck are you waiting for?”
I said, “I know her. I won’t do it.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “Kill her. I told you to kill all four women.”
I thought, “You know who she is. You saw my dream.”
Lavinia replied, “There is nothing you can do for her. We can’t let her go.”
“We can take her with us.”
“No, you cannot. She can be tracked by that chip in her head and she can still be controlled.”
“I know where it is. We can cut it out.” I heard the screams of the last remaining man. Black Sally grabbed a handful of the college girl’s hair and pulled her head back as if she were going to slit her throat. She found the scar behind the girl’s ear and dug out the chip. The college girl immediately began screaming and flailing around. Sally punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious. She looked at me, shook her head and said, “You get to carry her and hurry the fuck up.”
As I dragged the college girl toward the front door, Damijana came in carrying a gas can and began dousing the furniture with gasoline. Brianna stood by the door, her face and hair soaked in blood. The body of her victim laid several feet away, blood, organs and intestines fanned out from all sides. Brianna helped me lift the college girl and carry her to the Blazer. We threw her on the floor and climbed in. Sally and Damijana hurried out the house and hopped in the vehicle. Black smoke billowed out the door as we pulled away. Damijana pulled a bag of towels from under her seat. Lavinia’s voice said, “Get the gallon of water, dish soap, bucket and bag of clothes from behind the rear seat. We washed the blood and brain matter from our hands and faces as we drove. We stripped off our clothes and changed into fresh ones. Damijana climbed in to the backseat and duct taped the college girls wrist’s, ankles and mouth.
Black Sally lit a cigarette, “Clarence. Where do you know that girl from?”
“I used to go to school with her.”
Damijana asked, “Would you like to try that again Clarence, without the bullshit?”
“I know her from a vision I had.”
Sally said, “Lavinia let you keep that woman…” she took long drag from her cigarette and slowly shook her head, “You’re telling me that Lavinia wanted to make you happy so we broke our line and let one of the women live? My life depends on the decisions Lavinia makes and she’s now making decisions based on what makes you happy? I know she can hear me right through your ears. That’s how close you two have become. So give me an answer Clarence. Ask your Mistress if that’s what the situation is here.” Sally pulled into the parking of a shopping center and parked. She turned in her seat and pointed large pistol at my face. She continued, “If that is the situation, I’ll just kill you right now before you get me killed later on down the road.”
Damijana held a .380 to Sally’s head. “I may agree with what you’re doing right now, but that doesn’t change the fact that if you kill Clarence without the Matriarch’s permission, you will be the next one to die.”
“Your sister…”
“My sister is the Matriarch of this family and you will follow her orders.”
Sally glared at me through narrowed eyes, then she smirked, “All right Damijana, I’m in line. But the next time this motherfucker’s woman issues put my life in danger, I’m killing him and I won’t give a fuck about the consequences.” She put the pistol away, turned back around and pulled off. I focused on Damijana and thought, “Thank you.” Her voice said, “Don’t thank me. Thank Lavinia. I didn’t do that for you. I agree with Sally that you should be executed. My sister disagrees. Today, she makes the rules. You should consider what will happen to you if our beloved Matriarch ever passes away.”
Lavinia’s voice said, “The more that I realize just how inextricably intertwined our fates are, the more I wonder if there really is such a thing as soul mates.”
Kali's Altar 10
I heard voices coming from the den as I walked down the hall. When I looked in, I saw Brianna sitting with Lillith and Octavia. Brianna spoke with an air of authority. When she noticed me she said, “Clarence, come in. I’m telling the newbies what will be expected of them.” I entered the room and sat down. Lilith looked straight ahead, Octavia stared at the floor. I heard Brianna’s voice in my mind, “We’re gonna run these bitches Clarence.” She stood up and ordered the women to get on their knees.
Lilith and Octavia both kneeled on the floor. I focused on Brianna and thought, “This isn’t a good idea.”
Brianna’s voice said, “We’ve got enough pussy in this house already Clarence. Lavinia wants daily realization and strengthening exercises.”
“We’ve already had our daily exercises.”
“What the fuck is going on with you? You sure the fuck weren’t like this last night in the bathroom.”
“You don’t make chairs fly through air when you get hurt. If you traumatize Octavia too much in one…”
“Oh get the fuck out of here. You’re not gonna give her special treatment because she’s Black. I believe she is here to realize her power. You won’t help her by going easy on her. You took my eye, my nipples, you tore off my clit with a fucking pair of pliers. I want to see them treated the same way.”
Octavia and Lilith looked around nervously, wondering what all the silence was about. I thought, “If she can flip tables, burn out lights and throw chairs, she can probably make your heart stop beating. Have you thought about that? For all you know, that woman could have the ability to make you burst into flames. She’s from the rural South, her Grandmother was a feared telepathic. You can do what you want, but I’m not fucking with her until I know what she can do.”
“Do you think she knows all that Voodoo shit?”
“What does it matter? She doesn’t need Voodoo to kill you, she can use her mind.”
“We can’t just let her off. She has to suffer like everybody else.”
I focused on Lavinia. I saw her image in my mind. She was sitting behind her desk wearing her black and red mask with her blood-red gown. Her voice said, “Why are you disturbing me?”
“What do you want done with Octavia and Lilith?”
“Damijana has plans for them. Have Brianna get us another sacrifice.”
I told Octavia and Lilith to stand up and leave. Brianna spoke out loud, “What the fuck?”
I spoke with my mouth, “Never mind fucking around with those two. We need another sacrifice.”
“Another one? She still has one in her cage.”
“The one in the cage is her business. She wants another sacrifice.”
“Is the one in the cage ‘her business’ or is it soon to be ‘your business’? I know you can’t wait to get your hands on that woman.”
“Do you know another easy mark or not?”
“Maybe. I haven’t seen any phones here.”
I focused on Black Sally, “We need a phone and a ride to get another sacrifice.”
Black Sally’s voice said, “I’ll be down there in about 20 minutes.”
The ease of communication was both titillating and frightening. A strong telepathic, like Lavinia, just had to look at a person once and she could break into their thoughts. The common ones could only communicate with others who had the ability, and they could usually only focus on one person at a time. Lavinia was able to communicate with multiple people simultaneously. She could get into another person’s head and see what they see, hear what they hear and feel what they feel. It was as if the ability was specifically designed for groups of human’s who hunt other humans.
I spoke out loud to Brianna, “Sally will take us in about 20 minutes. The police will eventually come looking for you if too many of your clients come up missing. You need to be careful who you select.”
The words that came out of Brianna’s mouth were: “I already thought about that. I figure we can get away with three or four more. I’ll pick the ones who won’t be missed.”
However, her thoughts said, “POLICE! I’ll find a way to get to the police.”
I said out loud, “You’ve made yourself into an asset. You can bring in the meat and that’s what is most important. maybe the skills you acquired in your previous line of work will push you to the top in this house.”
“I know how to survive in a situation like this. Damijana and Sally can play their little games all they want. Their jealous of me. I‘m what they pretend to be.”
“No Brianna. I won’t play along with that. You spent your life pretending to have the power and freedom that they possess. Now that you are on the verge of actually having that power and freedom, your falling back on your superficial ’pretender’ self. If you had allowed your heart to speak, and listened to it, your true self probably would have led you through this.”
“What the fuck are you talking about Clarence?”
“Your ’pretender’ self got you killed. A person can’t properly assess their situation if they are in a state of denial. You refuse to see the reality of your situation.”
Her chest began to heave and all the color left her face. I focused on her and thought, “POLICE!”
Her mind said, “I need to get to the police! No…no…that’s not what I’m thinking. I would never do that. Someone else put that thought in my head. I am loyal to this family.”
I smiled and said out loud, “You were dead the moment the thought came into your mind.”
She feinted, collapsing to the floor. Black Sally entered the room. Her voice said, “She started planning to contact the cops last night. Her plan was to call them the next time we took her out, and have them there when we picked up the sacrifice.”
“What do you want to do with her?”
“We’re going to carry her upstairs to Lavinia’s office. Since we don’t want anyone entertaining those kinds of ideas again, Brianna will spend a long time wishing she was dead. How did you knock her out?”
“I didn’t, she just collapsed.”
“Lavinia put her to sleep. She didn’t used to be able to do that.”
We carried Brianna to the Matriarch’s office. She sat behind her desk wearing a black and red mask. She wore her blood-red gown, just like I’d seen her in the vision. We laid Brianna on the floor. Lavinia’s voice said, “This is what happens when you let a domesticated animal out in the wild. They apply the only rules they’ve ever known, the rules of domestic life, to a world where those rules do not apply.”
Black Sally’s voice said, “Then they get their stupid asses killed.”
“She won’t be dying anytime soon,” Lavinia’s voice said. “Brianna may even live longer than Alfred did. In fact, tie her to the wall in Alfred’s old room. For the first three or four years, I’ll let her keep her legs. But her arms are coming off tonight.”
Lilith and Octavia both kneeled on the floor. I focused on Brianna and thought, “This isn’t a good idea.”
Brianna’s voice said, “We’ve got enough pussy in this house already Clarence. Lavinia wants daily realization and strengthening exercises.”
“We’ve already had our daily exercises.”
“What the fuck is going on with you? You sure the fuck weren’t like this last night in the bathroom.”
“You don’t make chairs fly through air when you get hurt. If you traumatize Octavia too much in one…”
“Oh get the fuck out of here. You’re not gonna give her special treatment because she’s Black. I believe she is here to realize her power. You won’t help her by going easy on her. You took my eye, my nipples, you tore off my clit with a fucking pair of pliers. I want to see them treated the same way.”
Octavia and Lilith looked around nervously, wondering what all the silence was about. I thought, “If she can flip tables, burn out lights and throw chairs, she can probably make your heart stop beating. Have you thought about that? For all you know, that woman could have the ability to make you burst into flames. She’s from the rural South, her Grandmother was a feared telepathic. You can do what you want, but I’m not fucking with her until I know what she can do.”
“Do you think she knows all that Voodoo shit?”
“What does it matter? She doesn’t need Voodoo to kill you, she can use her mind.”
“We can’t just let her off. She has to suffer like everybody else.”
I focused on Lavinia. I saw her image in my mind. She was sitting behind her desk wearing her black and red mask with her blood-red gown. Her voice said, “Why are you disturbing me?”
“What do you want done with Octavia and Lilith?”
“Damijana has plans for them. Have Brianna get us another sacrifice.”
I told Octavia and Lilith to stand up and leave. Brianna spoke out loud, “What the fuck?”
I spoke with my mouth, “Never mind fucking around with those two. We need another sacrifice.”
“Another one? She still has one in her cage.”
“The one in the cage is her business. She wants another sacrifice.”
“Is the one in the cage ‘her business’ or is it soon to be ‘your business’? I know you can’t wait to get your hands on that woman.”
“Do you know another easy mark or not?”
“Maybe. I haven’t seen any phones here.”
I focused on Black Sally, “We need a phone and a ride to get another sacrifice.”
Black Sally’s voice said, “I’ll be down there in about 20 minutes.”
The ease of communication was both titillating and frightening. A strong telepathic, like Lavinia, just had to look at a person once and she could break into their thoughts. The common ones could only communicate with others who had the ability, and they could usually only focus on one person at a time. Lavinia was able to communicate with multiple people simultaneously. She could get into another person’s head and see what they see, hear what they hear and feel what they feel. It was as if the ability was specifically designed for groups of human’s who hunt other humans.
I spoke out loud to Brianna, “Sally will take us in about 20 minutes. The police will eventually come looking for you if too many of your clients come up missing. You need to be careful who you select.”
The words that came out of Brianna’s mouth were: “I already thought about that. I figure we can get away with three or four more. I’ll pick the ones who won’t be missed.”
However, her thoughts said, “POLICE! I’ll find a way to get to the police.”
I said out loud, “You’ve made yourself into an asset. You can bring in the meat and that’s what is most important. maybe the skills you acquired in your previous line of work will push you to the top in this house.”
“I know how to survive in a situation like this. Damijana and Sally can play their little games all they want. Their jealous of me. I‘m what they pretend to be.”
“No Brianna. I won’t play along with that. You spent your life pretending to have the power and freedom that they possess. Now that you are on the verge of actually having that power and freedom, your falling back on your superficial ’pretender’ self. If you had allowed your heart to speak, and listened to it, your true self probably would have led you through this.”
“What the fuck are you talking about Clarence?”
“Your ’pretender’ self got you killed. A person can’t properly assess their situation if they are in a state of denial. You refuse to see the reality of your situation.”
Her chest began to heave and all the color left her face. I focused on her and thought, “POLICE!”
Her mind said, “I need to get to the police! No…no…that’s not what I’m thinking. I would never do that. Someone else put that thought in my head. I am loyal to this family.”
I smiled and said out loud, “You were dead the moment the thought came into your mind.”
She feinted, collapsing to the floor. Black Sally entered the room. Her voice said, “She started planning to contact the cops last night. Her plan was to call them the next time we took her out, and have them there when we picked up the sacrifice.”
“What do you want to do with her?”
“We’re going to carry her upstairs to Lavinia’s office. Since we don’t want anyone entertaining those kinds of ideas again, Brianna will spend a long time wishing she was dead. How did you knock her out?”
“I didn’t, she just collapsed.”
“Lavinia put her to sleep. She didn’t used to be able to do that.”
We carried Brianna to the Matriarch’s office. She sat behind her desk wearing a black and red mask. She wore her blood-red gown, just like I’d seen her in the vision. We laid Brianna on the floor. Lavinia’s voice said, “This is what happens when you let a domesticated animal out in the wild. They apply the only rules they’ve ever known, the rules of domestic life, to a world where those rules do not apply.”
Black Sally’s voice said, “Then they get their stupid asses killed.”
“She won’t be dying anytime soon,” Lavinia’s voice said. “Brianna may even live longer than Alfred did. In fact, tie her to the wall in Alfred’s old room. For the first three or four years, I’ll let her keep her legs. But her arms are coming off tonight.”
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