Copyright © 2019 James Russell Stoakes. All rights reserved.
http://JamesStoakes.com
“You want how many girls?” Martun asked. He wasn’t sure he heard correctly with it being so early. The diner was busy, but they had secured a quiet spot in the back.
Jarred sipped his coffee. “Seven,” he said. “Unless you have a minimum, I can take more.”
“What will you do with so many?” Martun asked as he cut his omelet with his fork.
“Anything I want. They will be anything I need,” he said.
Martun laughed lightly as he chewed and swallowed. “How will you, by yourself, keep them from running away?” he asked.
It was Jarred’s turn to laugh. “They will be one hundred percent loyal when I am done with them,” he answered. Jarred waved the girls over from their booth. “Stand here a moment,” he said to Jenny. “See these three?” he said to Martun. “I want quality. Find women that are of similar quality as these three.”
Martun looked them over. “That’s a tall order,” he said. “If I can find them, and I’m not saying I can, they will be ten K each. You will have to show me how you make them loyal to you,” he laughed disbelievingly.
“A bargain,” Jarred said. “I will need paperwork for all of them. When will they be ready?”
“Ten girls, three days,” Martun answered with a grin. “I think we have inventory in California of this quality.”
“Excellent! Ten it is,” Jarred proclaimed. “Send me information on where to deliver the money and pick them up.”
“I will send someone to collect a deposit,” Martun said. “Twenty percent.”
“We’ll have it ready for them,” Jarred said as he finished his food. “Ready, ladies?” he said, standing.
“Jarred is up to something, sir,” Sorrel reported to her boss, Satan.
Satan looked up from the paperwork spread across his desk. “This is torture,” he said. “We really have to implement this in some of our regimens.”
“If you say so, sir,” Sorrel agreed in rote.
The desk disappeared, and Satan stood tall, “What is the boy up to?” he asked, trying not to sound too interested.
“He has performed a perfect double-cross, amassed a large sum of cash, and increased his numbers while doing it,” Sorrel reported without emotion.
“That’s all good news,” Satan said. “You sound as if you think he’s about to do something you don’t like. What are you worried about.”
“He met with an underworld boss,” Sorrel said. “He is using the cash he accumulated to purchase slaves.”
“Slaves are problematic,” Satan said as he thought the situation over. “That’s not what is bothering you, though, is it?”
“No, sir,” Sorrel smiled. “If I was in his position, I would use the slaves to bring more demons across to do my bidding. I believe that is what he is doing.”
“He could do that with any human he kills,” Satan said. “Why would he buy slaves to turn into demons.”
“He, like his father, has a particular taste in the human flesh he surrounds himself with,” Sorrel said as she stroked her own breast to emphasize her meaning.
Satan beamed with pride. “That’s my boy!” he exclaimed. “There has to be more to his plan than that, though. Keep an eye on him.”
“It will be as you say,” Sorrell answered and turned to leave.
Martun was all smiles as Jarred, and his girls walked in. He was always taken back by how confident the four of them looked when they moved. The small, scantily clad, blonde, was carrying a briefcase, which he presumed contained the balance of the transaction. She caught him staring and flashed an impish grin at him.
“Very punctual,” Martun commented to Jarred and extended his hand to shake. Jarred accepted his hand and shook it firmly as he looked over the line of women behind him. They were clean and dressed similarly to Jenny, Tina, and Wendy. Each was individually handcuffed to a thin chain that joined them together.
“I am anxious to add to my recruits,” Jarred said, as he indicated the three behind him. “I see you packaged them to be appealing. Every one of the women met his criteria at a glance.”
Jenny interrupted and handed the briefcase to Martun. “Is there a bathroom nearby? I drank too much coffee this morning,” she said.
Martun looked to one of his nearby men, “Escort her to the bathroom,” he said.
“Me too,” Wendy said.
Martun smiled broadly and waved a second guard to follow behind. Martun was actually glad to remove Jarred’s women from the equation. He didn’t want them damaged during the transaction. “Do you need to go too?” he asked Tina.
“I’m good, thanks,” she said politely.
“Good,” he said before addressing Jarred again. “These are the women I promised you,” he announced and stepped back for Jarred to inspect them. “I am most interested in seeing how you make them loyal to you. Perhaps I can learn something that will make my life easier,” he said a bit sarcastically.
Jarred ignored his jab and moved forward to inspect the women. All but one was going to count against his quota. He moved to the one with an evil aura, she was Asian, and the only one in line with a gag in her mouth. She was small in every way from her short height of nearly five feet tall to her lean, child-like frame. Her brown eyes stared at him intently from under the straight-cut bangs of her short black hair as he assessed her.
Looking inside her head, Jarred found her sins and her desires. “Icarus flew too close to the sun, too,” Jarred said to her.
“A disloyal employee who met your criteria,” Martun said. “I thought Alice might be a good test case for you to show me how it is done,” Martun laughed. Several of the other men in the vicinity chuckled too. Martun reached up to her gag, “Listen to this,” he said as he pulled the gag out.
Alice moved her mouth around a moment to work some water into it. “When I get loose from here, I’m going to kill all of you,” she promised as she looked at Martun.
“That’s not going to happen,” Jarred said. “When you are freed, you will do whatever I tell you, including killing whoever I tell you to.”
She slowly changed her glare to Jarred. “What makes you think that?” she asked.
“It’s just the nature of the Beast,” Jarred said with a laugh.
“I will kill you,” she said impotently.
Jarred locked eyes with her, “Tonight, you and every one of these other women will willingly satisfy my every desire.”
“Never,” she said. “I will kill you,” she insisted.
“There’s no use arguing about it. It is only uncomfortable for a moment,” Jarred said as he put his hand on her neck. Jenny had taught Jarred all ten names of the demons they were going to summon to the flesh today as well as their preferences for hosts. He knew exactly which demon to call as he began to squeeze, Argruun will love this host.
Alice didn’t struggle as Jarred choked the life out of her, but she looked bewildered by the whispered chant that he uttered. Martun watched as the life slipped from Alice, and suddenly her eyes sprung open with a life full of defiance he had never seen before.
Releasing Alice’s neck, Jarred said, “Your name is Alice.”
“Yes, my lord,” she said subserviently.
“Take a position with Tina,” Jarred commanded before turning to Martun. “Unchain her and give her her papers, please.”
Martun looked unsure. He hesitated when Alice held out her hands.
“It’s okay, Martun,” she won’t bite unless I tell her to.
Feeling silly, Martun released her from her bonds. Alice moved over next to Tina as she had been instructed. Tina helped her remove the gag that hung around her neck as Jarred moved to the next girl.
“I don’t believe what I am seeing,” Martun said, astonished. “Is it hypnotism?” he asked.
“No,” Jarred said with a smile. “It’s interdimensional magic.”
Martun didn’t understand what Jarred had said, but he watched intently as he approached the next girl.
“What you are doing is evil,” the girl in front of him said. “Please spare me and do not do this,” she pleaded. A single tear ran partway down her cheek. Jarred caught it on his finger and pulled it to his lips.
“Your longing for home will be over in a moment,” he said as he reached for her delicate neck. Martun listened closely as Jarred squeezed the life out of the young girl and chanted. She struggled and flailed, but Jarred’s grip appeared to be made of iron as he effortlessly squeezed and held her upright.
Again, shortly after the life left her eyes, they opened wide and looked around at the surroundings like they were new to her.
“Martun, I forgot to ask what this one’s name is,” Jarred said.
Martun shuffled through the papers he had and found a matching driver’s license. “A runaway from Kansas, her original name was Mary, her new paperwork renames her to Melody,” he said.
“Your name is Melody,” Jarred said to her. “Take a position with Tina and Alice as soon as you are released.
Wendy and Jenny had disposed of their escorts and were moving about the facility untethered. Their instructions were simple, and they were taking great pleasure in executing them. The camera’s throughout the facility were down, and any record of Jarred’s arrival was erased. Martun’s long-range security was removed and would not be jumping in to help him. The rest was up to Jarred and the new recruits.
Jarred moved to the last girl on the chain. If she had run, nothing would have stopped her, there was no one else on the chain. Even though she knew what was coming, she did not move, fear held her in place as she stood there and waited.
“Last is Linda,” Martun said as he unlocked her cuffs while Jarred held her throat.
The fear in her eyes was palpable and Jarred wanted to throw her on the floor and take her right there and enjoy her fear, but there was more serious business to attend to before that could happen. Instead, he squeezed. Martun had been paying close enough attention that he almost had the chant down, but Jarred never shared the demon name that he was calling. That was the only part of the chant that changed each time.
“You are Linda,” Jarred said to the demon Gogthaz that now possessed Linda’s body.
“As you wish, my master,” she said. Martun handed her papers to her and stepped back.
“Now that that is done, I will need you to command them all to follow me,” Martun said, drawing a pistol and pointing it at Jarred. Martun’s men all took an aggressive stance and pointed their weapons at Jarred.
“Why would I do that?” Jarred asked, amused.
“You will do it, or I will kill you,” Martun said.
“How did you ever make it to leadership,” Jarred teased. “You’re a horrible liar. You are going to kill me as soon as I transfer them to you. At least that was your plan.”
Frustration crossed Martun’s face, and he pointed his weapon at Jarred’s foot. “I can cause you great pain before I kill you,” he said menacingly.
“Tina, disarm him,” Jarred said. “The rest of you kill anyone not associated with us.”
Martun could not believe what he had just heard. He was even more shocked to see the woman named Tina step forward and walk towards him with a knife in her hand. Martun redirected his pistol, but she sidestepped quicker than he could adjust. He had never seen anyone move like that before, and he was caught off guard when she closed the gap and started slicing away at him. He could hear the screams of his men, but his own situation had his full attention.
Tina stepped away from Martun, with his gun. She handed Martun’s forearm to Jarred with the gun still in his hand.
“Not exactly what I meant, but it will do,” Jarred laughed and pointed the arm at Martun. “I think this transaction is done. We have dotted the i’s and double-crossed the t’s”
Argruun (now Alice) stepped forward. “This body needs to kill him, and then it is mine,” the demon said.
“A strong one, eh?” Jarred said, not surprised. “She was very insistent in life. Kill him any way you want. There’s not much life left anyway,” he said as he tossed the arm aside and picked up the briefcase. Jarred watched as Alice cut Martun open and pulled his entrails out. It seemed Alice wanted to draw out as much pain as possible before Martun died. Wendy and Jenny joined Jarred to watch. Wendy’s face fully expressed the pleasure she experienced while watching Martun die.