Copyright © 2019 James Russell Stoakes. All rights reserved.
http://JamesStoakes.com
Looking in the mirror yet again, Jarred was still surprised at the face that stared back at him. No one would be calling him “old man” again any time soon. He stroked his chin and noticed how little growth had appeared in the last few days. “Nice! I won’t even have to shave very often,” he thought as he stepped into the shower.
His crew of demon-possessed women had been doing their best to wear him out, and every night so far had been a celebration of his return. Twelve years had passed on Earth during his absence, and his demons had been busy. The hot water felt good as it ran down his body, and he reviewed what they had told him so far.
Wendy was a famous and successful Hollywood real-estate broker now, but she hated it. So many people began commenting on how she never aged that she had to start wearing makeup and clothing in a way that made her look older when she was working. With her inside track on the world of real estate, Wendy was able to inform the others of rich, vulnerable bachelors that they could take advantage of.
Tina had been married once now and inherited a small mansion and a talent agency that her husband had started. She had Wendy sell the mansion when her husband died of a heart attack during a particularly stressful night of drinking, drugs, and sex.
“I put up with him for six months,” she had said. “I could have sucked the life out of him any night of the week, but I wanted to know more about the talent agency before I did.”
Jarred had no doubt that she could have done as she said. Any of these demon-possessed women could be mistaken for a succubus when in action; they were that good. Tina kept the talent agency and used it to find new devotees to Satan. She worked it daily and was quite successful with it. Desperation often led the less successful to look for shortcuts, and the promise of success was easy bait to put out for them. All it took was a special contract and some form of tribute to Satan.
Jenny had taken on two husbands during Jarred’s absence, and they both had died mysteriously. She inherited both of their small fortunes and liquidated the assets before quickly disappearing from the public eye. In both cases, there were cries of foul play, but she had managed to stay out of suspicion by always having a scapegoat ready. Jarred remembered that she was very good at manipulating situations to her advantage, and he smiled as he turned off the water and stepped from the shower.
Alice waited for him with a towel. She was so small, and Jarred so tall that he had to bend his knees a little for her to drape it on his shoulders. She used a second towel to dry his legs.
“What was the nickname you gained while I was gone?” Jarred asked. He knew it irritated her, and he took pleasure in hearing the disgust in her voice when she said it.
“Black Widow,” she answered with disdain.
“Black Widow,” Jarred repeated. “That’s what you get for killing four husbands on their wedding nights.”
“They were weak and not up to the task of pleasing me,” she said with a grin and giving Jarred’s manhood a light caress. “I haven’t been able to kill you yet,” she purred, “and I am very pleased.”
“From what I have seen, you all did very well in my absence. Death, mayhem, and wealth accumulation. We will be able to live, surrounded in excess, for as long as we need,” Jarred piled on praise. “I am very pleased.”
They didn’t need the wealth, but Jarred did not want to disparage the hard work they put into gaining it. Now that he was at full strength, he could procure just about any amount of cash they needed from followers.
“This license does not look like you, Sir,” the female attendant at the DMV said dryly while looking over her glasses. “Is this a joke, or will I have to call an officer over?”
“It looks exactly like me,” Jarred said using his new skill of persuasion.
She looked at the ID again, “You haven’t aged a day,” the attendant said with a smile. “Please step in front of the camera for an updated photo for our file.”
“You all have done exceptionally well while I was gone,” Jarred said, addressing the gathered demons before him. He stood on the lavish, raised deck that exited the home to a large area in the back intended for entertaining. Beyond the group listening to him was a very large pool. The clear water reflected the bright sunlight in random directions as the wind played with the surface and caused it to ripple. Tables of food and drink were arranged in the pool area for people to indulge on.
“We will be focusing on recruitment and chaos for the foreseeable future. That’s the direction we have been told to take from Satan himself,” Jarred announced. “We are fortunate that Tina already has an established business that facilitates our recruitment effort. A lot of you that are here today are familiar with her services. New devotees, such as yourselves,” Jarred pointed to a couple of nervous-looking women in the crowd, “will be speaking with me individually before leaving today. Do not attempt to leave the premises without speaking to me. It will be considered a termination of your contract if you do, and I will not be denied what is due to me. Enjoy yourselves.”
Jarred abruptly turned away and walked into a shaded, private alcove where he took a seat in a chair large enough that it could be considered a throne. Six demons accompanied him; two of them controlled the entrance to the alcove. The rest mingled with the devotees or patrolled the property. A line of anxious devotees was beginning to form at the entrance to the alcove. Jenny brought Jarred an ice-cold drink to enjoy before allowing the first recruit to enter.
A woman’s shriek could be heard near the house, and almost all eyes turned in that direction. Jarred continued to enjoy his libation and waited. The demons of his inner circle all grinned with anticipation and waited as the shrieks and cries for help grow louder as they slowly approached.
“Step aside!” Melody said as she dragged a blonde woman behind her by her long braid. The woman held on to her braid with two hands as she was dragged. Her dress was shredding from the rough treatment, and several raspberries were bleeding through the cloth that remained. Melody ignored the woman’s screams and marched straight to Jarred before stopping.
“This one tried to leave,” Melody announced to Jarred. “I brought her to you as directed.”
“Very good,” Jarred said, handing his glass to Jenny. “You may release her, Melody.”
Melody dropped the braid she held, and the woman stood on shaky legs. There was nowhere to run to anyway, she was surrounded. She glared at Jarred as a last act of defiance; she watched him closely as he stood and approached her.
“You wanted to be famous, Janet,” Jarred said, “and you were well on your way before you got scared. You cannot run away from our contract. I will have your soul,” Jarred said as he reached out and grasped her neck with his hand. He held her gently at first, “Bring the line of devotees in to witness this,” Jarred said to his demons.
Once the devotees circled around them, Jarred said, “Janet’s contract demands a soul at its termination. Janet has chosen to dismiss her contract early, but that does not relieve her of payment.” Jarred began to squeeze Janet’s neck and lifted her off of the ground. Janet began to kick and squirm as her panic increased, and her life drained from her body. Jarred chanted as he stared into her eyes until they closed. When they snapped open again, Jarred placed Janet on her feet. “Welcome to the Earth plane, Galraral,” Jarred said, releasing her. “Your Earth name is Janet.”
“Thank you, my Master,” Janet said and moved to join the other demons.
Jarred looked over the devotees. Some looked confused, others smiled. “I have extracted Janet’s soul and sent her to Hell. Her contract is complete. Some of you might be confused because she still walks. The being you see before you is not the Janet you knew. Since she was done with her body, I called a demon here to possess it. You will notice that she is almost completely healed already.” The devotees looked at Janet and realized that Jarred was correct; she was almost healed.
“It’s time to get back to what we were doing,” Jarred said. “Get back in line recruits. I need to evaluate your tributes.”