Demon lover P.2

They had been in the cab for 2 hours now. Mrs. Drover had remained silent after her fit of hysteria upon meeting her driver. “Where are you taking me?” she asked in a dry voice. The man behind the wheel did not reply; he was busier looking down the road. It was dark now but she did not know the exact time. She was tired and almost relieved he had not brought her to some abandoned warehouse already and slit her throat. Well not yet anyway. How did he find me? What is this? What is he doing here and what does he want with me? She had been repeating these questions for a while now.
The car stopped. She must have nodded off. He opened his door and got out to escort his lady to the new location. He opened her door. Ms. Drover tried to look at him. His cap cascaded a shadow over his face. She could make out some sort of twisted grin now. He put his hand out and she took hold of it. He was leading her to the entryway of a large manor. Its ornate furnishings showed signs of grandeur she was not used to. Her mask kept on falling off but he had fixed it. His mask resembled that of a demon, it suited him. The snow fell on her.
“Invitation?” the man at door asked. Her suitor handed the man two tan slips of paper. “Looks good… looks good” he looked up at her. The doorman grinned. “Well, you guys have a good time for me.” the doorman chuckled.
“Will do.” He said in his normal dry monotone voice. The red paint seemed to almost drip off the mask, it looks like blood, she thought. The door swung open inviting her to warmth she had not felt in a while, a smell of finer things, of spices and wine and she heard music, music so extravagant she could not believe. She had not experienced something like this since she was a young girl. She was nine the last time she had been to a party like this. The masks scared her that night, so she spent the evening in the powder room, sobbing. But now was different, she was determined to make a good impression for him. Someone of his status courting a girl of hers was uncommon, above all other things.
She gasped for air; his hand was pulling her hair. She cried out loudly for him to stop. He didn’t. Her head was submerged again into the cold water.
“I’ll ask you again. Where is it?” He asked.
“I-I don’t know what it is!”
“Oh, really? You don’t remember taking it?”
“What-what is it? Just tell me and I’ll remember.”
“Don’t play dumb” He looked angrier now but she still couldn’t see his features. The hand went flying through the air and hit her face with a force she was not accustomed to, nor should anyone be accustomed to. Her left cheek felt raw and she started sobbing again. Her head was pushed back into the toilet.
They glided across the floor like a feather through the air. She couldn’t see his face but he must have been smiling as fiercely as his mask was. The music swayed with them. She stared at his eyes instead of her feet yet, even though with her lack of practice, the pair moved with ease across the ballroom. He leaned in and whispered. “Let’s go.” She felt inclined to move with him now. He led her to a room at the end of a narrow hallway. The door had a knocker in the center in the form of some queer devilish figure. He grabbed the handle and struck the door for four times. “And what do rings true for all of them?” a voice from the inside asked. “Innocence” he answered.
“Maybe this will jolt your memory?” He was dragging her to the door now, the one with the knocker. He knocked four times then shouted the same word before the voice from the inside could speak. “Fine.” a voice spoke. The door opened.
The walls were a blood red aside from the black sidings. The couches were red. And so were their suits, and their dresses, and their drinks. Why is it all red? Her dress was a lavender color; it matched the ring her grandma gave her. His suit was black. If he had told her she would have had a red dress on for sure. She felt out of place on the red couch but she felt comfortable too. She didn’t recognize anyone in the room and they weren’t wearing masks. The others were beautiful though. He removed his mask and flashed her a grin. I should do the same and so she did. He pulled out two wine glasses and shouted someone’s name. A small man in a burgundy suit walked over and poured them some alcoholic beverage into their glasses. She sipped timidly at hers, it had an odd taste. His glass was refilled many times for he drank heavily.
“You’ve been very quiet my dear.” his words slurring together.
“Well, I’m a bit overwhelmed.” She chuckled in an attempt not to offend him. It seemed he knew these people well and they knew him. “What is this room?”
“Oh it’s nothing, just a little place where my friends and I can get together”
“You come here often?”
“More than you would know.” He grinned and looked at the floor. “Do you feel out of place?”
“Of course not…Yes… as long as I’m with you I feel…” Her voice trailed off.
“Safe?”
“No, not exactly.” Now she was staring the floor.
He sighed. “Nothing’s working Alphonse, the bitch doesn’t remember.” The man in the SS uniform stepped forward. “Maybe a kinder approach is needed?” his voice thick with German decent.
“Now, Mrs. Drover,” He stripped of one of his leather gloves. ”I am Alphonse-“ he stripped off the other. “I’m an old friend of your… fiancé. We seem to have misplaced something and you may be able to help us, hmm?” He made a friendly grin.
“I don’t work with Nazi pigs!” She lifted her head and spit at him in an act of defiance. He winced for a short second then grinned, blood and spittle on his face.
“Mrs. Drover,” he wiped his face, “you have a lot more to fear from me than being a Nazi pig.” He slapped her with his glove. “I fear that your fiancé was taking the right approach now, whereas I wanted to make this the least painful to both parties.”
“Why are you doing this? Why do you want to hurt me?”
“Oh, Mrs. Drover, this is bigger than you can imagine.”
“I’m sure I can take anything right now you bastards.”
“It doesn’t concern you. But you concern us, and you need to help us.”
“Before I try to help you explain to me where my damn fiancé was for all this damn time.”
“It doesn’t concern you, and there is no need to use profanity in this situation”
“She’s won’t understand Alphonse, just smack it out o’er.”
“We do this thing my way! It didn’t seem to work when you tried you kleine sheizer!”
“Now ‘ont you use that gibberish with me! You don’t think I can understand a little cuss ‘ere or there? The bitch in ‘he chair is right! You are a little Nazi Bastard!”
Alphonse was rubbing his temples. “Now brother, I am sorry I let my frustrations with this fine lady get the best of me, they seem to be getting the better of you now, too.”
“Brother?” Mrs. Drover was perplexed.
“Tell ‘er to shut up!”
“I’ll do you one better.”
They were standing around the fire now, it’s orange and red swirls dancing in the crisp northern air. The first thing they fed it was the girl; she must have only been a girl of sixteen. She had blonde curls and green eyes. They had stripped her naked and they desecrated her innocence. I should have said something, I should have done something. What am I doing here? Next was the boy. He must’ve been much younger than the girl, with a pale face, or maybe that was from fear. They had done the same to him as to the girl. What were their names? Who were their families? It took all she had in her power to not wail out in sight of what they were doing to the two. These women and men, they’re animals, participated in these acts, it made no matter. Then one of the burning carcasses was brought out, its hair burned off, features unrecognizable. It had an apple in its mouth and garnished to resemble that of a stuffed pig. This can’t be real. It’s a dream. But it didn’t end. A fat man grabbed an arm and ripped it off clean, gnawing at it in a ferocious manner. Two others were fighting over some other piece. She didn’t want to know.
“Why so glum?” Her fiancé turned her to him and laid a kiss upon her.
“I-I” He’s mad, maybe I’m mad.
“Your frightened, tisk tisk, I thought better of you.” He had a sickly grin on his face. He’s thinking of doing something malevolent to me.
“Can you not see this?” she barely managed to whimper.
“This? This is fun.” He gave out a deep laugh for all to hear. “Now Kathy, I didn’t know you were so high-strung”
“You’re mad.”
“That very well may be so. But at least I know how to live it.” He wasn’t smiling anymore.
“Alphonse! Get over ‘ere! I want you to meet someone” A man in a black suit and black bowtie walked over.
“Guten tag, Fraulein.” He made a reach for her hand in an attempt to kiss it. Kathleen pulled her hand back.
“Save it, Alphonse.” She looked toward her suitor “I’m leaving Richard.”
“But the night is young my sweet, why must you go?” She remained silent and turned her back to him. She began marching forward, back towards the manor. They’re following you. She began to walk faster, having to lift her gown to not get messy it in the snow.
“Wait!” It was Alphonse. “Ms. Drover! We were having nothing but a friendly chat! There was no need to storm off in such a manner like this!” She didn’t respond and kept her march at a quicker pace. She looked down into her purse and pulled out a cigarette. No lighter. Shit.
“Kathy.” Richard was standing in front of her. “Do you need a light?” How did that just happen?
“Kathleen. We were going to explain it all, but you cut all of our attempts short.” Alphonse responded from behind. Richard walked close to her and pulled out an ornate lighter. Might as well. She leaned in with the cigarette and he lit it.
“Keep it.”
“No, no, it looks very nice but I’ll do with some matches when I return home.” He grabbed her hand and shoved the lighter into it.
“I wasn’t asking.”
“Fine.” She slipped it into her purse and walked away.
“Where is the lighter?” I had forgotten all of that. How? How could I have forgotten that?
“I’ll ask again. Very nicely ‘cause we were engaged. Where is the lighter?” she was crying now. Unable to form words, she tasted blood and she did not dare look at her own bruised body.
“Where is my lighter you little…?” He raised his hand in an attempt to strike her again.
“I-I remember.”