Lucifer's Apostles

Lucifer's Apostles Episode 13

Walking into Destinee’s room, Snake was followed by Jacko. Destinee had been lying on her back. She sat up when the two men entered. “Hey”, she said, feeling a little uneasy. Neither man held a tray of food or a dish. She had already had her nightly wash. “What’s going on?” she asked. She lifted her knees to her chest, trying to move away from the men.

Snake said, “I just need to check your hair. I’m afraid there might have been something on the brush”. Destinee put her hair forward for him to check before she felt a prick in her neck and fell into his arms.

“That was easier than the last two times, Boss”, Jacko muttered. The big man took her from Snake’s arms and carried her out the door.

Staying in the room, Snake wondered if he could provide the High Priestess with all she needed to finish her campaign. She asked for six women for the final sacrifice. Was that even possible? He had all the behaviours of the future targets written on a notepad. He had needed to write down everything his targets had done, every little quirk they had. One missed detail could mean the difference between success and capture.

Snake thought of Debbie Roberts. If only things had gone another way. She had ended her life wrapping the chain around her neck like a rope and flinging herself over the foot of the single bed. They moved the plate holding the chain to the wall nearest the head of the bed instead of where it had been originally. The chain was not long enough for them to hang themselves anymore. It was a bit like shutting the barn door after the horse had bolted. He hated that the women had to be chained at all. The new barred doors would arrive shortly.

Like a belt on a door handle, Debbie used the bed to hang herself. Nobody had been watching the monitors. It was only the two of them then. Jacko went in to provide her with some lunch and found her. It was too late to try and resuscitate her. Debbie had asphyxiated herself. It would have been a painful death as she slowly strangled herself. When she was discovered, she had both urinated and defecated herself. He snapped out of his thoughts and left the vacant room that was awaiting a new occupant.

***

Maria was shaken out of a daydream when she heard the door handle. Looking up, she saw a young woman around her age carrying a tray with food. The young woman wore an extremely short red dress and brown ankle boots.

“Hello Maria”, she said in a nasally annoying voice. Maria thought how nice it would be to wipe the smile off the other woman’s face.

Not to be intimidated and initialise her plan, Maria smiled back with her own forced nasally voice and replied as politely as she could muster, “Hello to you too and what would your name be”?

The woman giggled, “Everyone calls me Tipsy. I hope you like chicken. I cooked you my speciality, seeing it’s your first night”.

Maria noticed that underneath the tray, Tipsy held an electric shock device she had seen in movies. It was not like a taser where the little electrodes shot out. It was like a telescope, with the handle end more prominent than the electrode end. When it was pushed onto the target, the top end would slide a little into the handle end, creating the shock to come to the electrodes. You did not need to press any buttons. Behind Tipsy, standing in the doorway, was a man who was obese and very scary looking. Tipsy placed the tray on the bed beside Maria and started walking backwards to the open door. Eye contact between the two women was maintained for the whole journey.

“Thank you so much for dinner”, Maria said in her best nasally voice. She looked at Jacko, who looked like he was perplexed about something.

The truth was that Jacko was in shock because he could not believe what was happening tonight. There had been no food thrown at Tipsy, while earlier, Destinee had not put up a fight. If only the women had always acted this civilised. Maria looked up at him, and he gave her a wink as he shut the door. Maria could feel the blood drain from her face and the hairs on the back of her neck rise.

Her strategy was to be nice to the handlers and keep working on the chain whenever possible. Maria would eat her dinner. After all, she liked chicken carbonara. Then, she would pace the floor while trying to loosen the plate. That is precisely what Spiros Vardalos would do, she thought.

***

Snake finished applying a little makeup to Destinee’s eyes and lips. Jacko had placed her on a gurney for him to wheel her to the sacrificial room before returning to watch Tipsy hand out the meals. He would have to wait for the big man to return before strapping Destinee to the table.

He estimated that Destinee would be unconscious for around another forty minutes. The doctor who made up the cocktails that sent his victims to sleep had different durations labelled on each plastic bag with a syringe. He should have plenty of time if Tipsy did not talk for too long. That girl certainly could do that. Just as he was thinking about that, Jacko walked into the room.

“Hey Boss, I’m here”, Jacko said.

“Thanks for that, Captain Obvious. I’m not sure I would have known if you hadn’t told me”, he replied sarcastically.

“No problem, Boss, anytime”, Jacko said. The sarcasm had gone straight over his head. Jacko picked Destinee up from her lying position and laid her on the birthing chair. Both men then strapped her down and secured her hands to the cuffs provided. No chains were used with these cuffs. They were welded into place. Her ankles were then connected to two similar cuffs. Her head was positioned into a vice fitted to the chair’s head so that she could observe everything that was about to take place.

An extension would slide out from the underside of the chair after the first half of the ceremony was completed. That took place once a group of men had taken turns with Destinee. The two side extensions for her feet would push down, the knee lifts would be removed, and her feet would be placed into more cuffs that would click into place at the foot of the new table. The top half of Destinee would be lowered, laying her flat on her back, and the vice holding her head would be removed. The chair was electric so that it would transform into a bed in less than a minute, and the second half of the ceremony could begin.

The two men finished strapping Destinee in. She was gagged because she would wake before the ceremony began. He looked at Jacko, waiting for him to finish his side of the chair. Once he completed his task, the two men left the room and walked back to the house in silence.

Jacko would go to the ceremony but not partake in the activities. Cult members were selected beforehand for that so-called honour. Snake had watched the second half of the ceremony the first time it was performed. He was not a church member. He was only an employee. He did not enjoy the sacrifice and swore that he would not attend the ceremonies at any stage again.

He had known the High Priestess for many years. He was friends with her before she formed The Church of Lucifer’s Apostles, and he had observed it grow to what it is today. There were six acolytes and six disciples. The only difference was that the acolytes were all male, while the disciples were female.

The sect had more than three hundred members, some of which were extremely useful. Her flock included judges, lawyers, barristers, doctors, politicians, and numerous members of the police force, including at least one high-ranking officer. He never understood how the cult had acquired so many members, let alone ones with such high profiles.

The worship area in the church would have her flock attend day and night services, worshipping Satan. Jacko and the others from the house would worship at least twice weekly. Snake did not have time, even if he had believed. He was an atheist. In his opinion, there is no Satan if there is no God. He looked at his watch. He would rest for a brief period before the ceremony began. There was much work to be done when it was finished.