The Devil's Harem

“Surprised, motherfucker?” There was this familiar voice from the other side.

It was the voice of a grim reaper for Francis. He felt his knees go soft, and his blood went cold. Francis knew he was the man he pissed off. He is the man who Francis thought nothing but a dog to him. And he is the same man who brought the proud and arrogant Francis to his knees.

“So it was really you. I should have known,” Francis was quick to recognise the voice, “I am so...” Francis knew the mess he was in. He could sense the seriousness in his friend’s voice. And not just higher-ups in the government, but those at the helm were involved. So he chose not to waste any time and tried to apologise.

“Aun... No... No... No...” George stopped Francis, “This is not the right time for apologies yet. First, we need to have a heart to heart conversation with each other.” George said. He sounded a bit drunk.

“... It has been so long since I have felt this free,” George took a deep breath and began, “For how long have I kept myself restrained, even I don’t remember.”

“... I started to believe that it was the real me, the funny old man, laughing at every silly talk. My disguise began to feel a reality. But you, you old man, made me remember. You made me remember the thrill I felt when I trampled upon those insignificant, arrogant people with their bloated pride.” George continued.

.....

“... Now I want to feel the same. With that feeling, I want to embrace my true self. And you, my guiding star, are the chosen one,” George sniffed as he said.

“Sir, I know... It was my mistake. I had that let arrogance muddle my judgement. But please, please don’t punish my granddaughter for my mistake,” The deepness in Francis’s voice was gone, and he felt choked as he spoke, “If you want... If that recedes your anger... I am willing to do anything, anything you want.” Francis almost begged George.

“Hahaha... What can you do, old man?” George snickered, “How much can your old bones handle? I don’t want to go to hell for torturing those old bones of yours. If I go to hell, it should be for something grand, something worthwhile.”

“... And don’t be hasty. I already have in mind what I am going to do with you or with your younger granddaughter. She should be in college, right?” As soon as these words escaped George’s mouth, Francis’s heart skipped a beat and sweat drops formed on his forehead.

“... What if, hypothetically speaking, of course... What if her car breaks down in the middle of nowhere? Of course, I can always send out my guys to help her out. After all, I am your dog, ain’t I? But what if someone decides to disobey my orders and taste that tempting body of hers? I can’t do nothing. After all, we are dogs, right? Always in heat.”

“Or that son of yours whom you asked us to look after for you. He should be... Let me check... Oh, he was supposed to be in a meeting but looks like he is having some real fun. Oh my god, look at him ride that girl like a horse... Some stamina he has got there. Don’t worry, you miss the action. I will send you the video in 4K.”

“... But what if he over exhausts himself? Dying of over ejaculation? Nah... This sounds interesting, but it is kind of plain, uneventful. Since I am writing the scenario, I need to think about something more sporadic... Something unique. Like cutting him into small-small pieces. Or maybe hang him upside down, and cut his body all over to let the blood slowly seep out. Something like that. What do you think? Since you are the producer providing us with money, we need to respect your input.”

This was the breaking point for Francis. However prideful he was, even he could not bear the thought of burying his children with his own two hands. His eyes turned moist, and his throat went dry. He tried to speak but could not. He desperately wanted to apologise to George for the words that escaped his mouth that day in the heat of the moment but could not.

“... You thought that just because you have some chump change and idiots with no future following you around, you can dictate the world, change the course of the country, topple governments? Huh...? I have hundreds like you in my pocket, wagging their tail in front of me. If you think you are powerful, shouldn’t I be the supreme? The almighty?” George asked, raising his voice.

“... Everything was going just fine. You had what you wanted, and I was getting what I needed, but you had to destroy the equilibrium...” George said, expressing his regret, “You thought you were my master. But you forgot one simple thing.” George paused.

“However big the balls grow, they are always hanging below the rod.”

“I am sorry... I am really, really sorry,” Francis apologised between his inaudible sobs. He was ready to give in. Now, he just wanted George to stop.

“You know, I don’t appreciate you giving in so easily. I wanted you to fight back, wriggle, scream, and then I would have crushed you,” George expressed his displeasure, “I haven’t even said anything about that special hobby of yours.”

And that was it. The phone slipped out of Francis’s shaky hands as he stared into nothingness in horror. His blood pressure skyrocketed, and he felt pain around his heart.

Daniel, who was close to him, rushed to his rescue and prevented him from falling to the sides. The police officer, on the other hand, was not so quick to react, and his phone smashed on the ground, breaking the screen.

“Fucking, shit!” The officer cursed as he looked at the cracked screen of his phone. He had just brought it not too long ago.

“Sir... Sir... Are you alright?” Daniel grabbed hold of Francis by his shoulder and asked as he shook him.

“Grandfather...” Jessica also called out when she saw Francis slump back where he was sitting. She could not hear who he was talking to and what they talked about, but all along, she could feel that her grandfather had the shorter end of the stick. And now he looked listless sitting there.

“Get me some water,” Daniel yelled at the officer standing in front of them.

“Do this, do that. Am I an errand boy to you all? I am a police officer. An officer of the law...” The police officer grumbled to himself but still went away to get Francis water, “My phone...”

“Here...” The officer said, giving the paper cup to Daniel.

Just then, his phone rang again.

“Hello,” the officer answered the phone.

“Put the phone on speaker,” George did not beat around the bush.

“Yes, sir...” The officer said and put the phone on speaker in front of Francis.

“What happened, old man?” George called out to Francis, who was drinking water, “Just the mention of your hobby, and you disconnected the call.”

Francis pushed the cup away from his mouth and waved towards Daniel that it was enough.

“What do you want?” Helpless, Francis asked.

“I want the fear you are feeling just now,” George screamed at the phone, “I want to see your insides churn in turmoil, Bastard.”

Everyone present could hear George. No one, especially Daniel and Jessica, had any idea who was the man. But they were starting to feel that Jessica was behind bars not because she did something wrong but because the man was targeting her grandfather.

“I want to make you and others like you feel helpless,” George’s tone was down a bit, “Begging me on their knees for mercy, crying for kindness. I want to show all of you that you are nothing but insects I can crush beneath my shoes any time I want.”

“Who are you? Why are you doing this to us?” Jessica could not take the humiliation George was putting Francis through and yelled from behind bars.

“Oh... Is that your granddaughter?” George chuckled when he heard Jessica, “I guess she loves you a lot. Does she not know about that hobby of yours? Should I tell her? I am not sure how she will react,” George asked, teasing Francis as he ignored Jessica’s question.

“Please... Tell me... Tell me, what should I do to stop all this?” Francis had lost all the strength in his voice.

“Okay fine, since you are being earnest with your words, let’s keep it simple,” George said.

“... Get down on your knees and with your hands in front of your chest, say these words,” George instructed.

“I am sorry, master. I was supposed to be a faithful dog, but the whiff of the money got the better of me, and I ended up being a greedy old bitch. But you have shown me my place... From now on, I am nothing but a dog that rolls on my master commands... And don’t forget the bark at the end... I should feel that.”

Francis, Daniel, Jessica and everyone who heard the man on the phone were stupefied as no one moved an inch from their spot. What was this drunkard suggesting?

“Don’t delay it any longer,” George interrupted their thoughts, “Why do you think the media is still not there?”

Now, this was another bomb on their head. Francis thought it was because he stepped in that the police station was not stormed by reporters, but hearing George, that was clearly not the case.

Reluctant, Francis held Daniel’s arm and slowly got on his knees in front of the officer, more like in front of the phone.

“I am sorry, mast...” Francis began to offer his apology to George.

“Dad?”

* * * * *