by Tim Miller
“I know it looks scary. A few years ago, one of our clubs was compromised. Someone broke in and blew it up. I’m not sure of the details, so now they take extra precautions.”
“Wow,” Laura said as her stomach tightened. This was going to be much more difficult than she had thought. No way could Mr. White and any of his team break into this place. Not unless they just planned on bombing it with aircraft. From what she’d been through she wouldn’t even be surprised if that was the plan.
“Yeah, pretty impressive. Here we are. Let’s head inside.”
They got inside to find Camila waiting for them. Laura couldn’t believe how it looked. The inside looked a lot like the ship in the film Titanic with a huge chandelier, a long winding staircase and everything else that looked like it cost more money than she would make in a year. Camilla had a huge smile and ran over and hugged Laura.
“I’m so happy you made it! We have a special night tonight. We’ve had several new members so I have a special banquet planned.”
“Oh?”
“I hope you’re hungry. This is going to be great. We’ve never done something like this. But the club has our own chef, so he’ll make the preparations. Cool thing is, we can watch him prepare the entrees. Right this way.
Chapter 12
Derek felt both full and sick. After eating the two steaks Mr. Black and prepared, he went on to cut out chunks of Paul’s thighs and biceps. Each part had its own unique taste. Derek felt ashamed for having enjoyed the taste of it, but Mr. Black was a good cook at least. He tried to ignore Paul’s pained moans and cries.
Paul remained alive throughout the process. Mr. Black was careful not to hit any arteries. The man’s mutilated body lay on the table trembling as tears ran down the man’s face. Once they finished eating, Mr. Black put the plates in the sink, walked to the table, and picked up a long instrument with a pointed hook on the end.
“So, how was your meal, Derek?” he asked.
“Um, very good sir. It was quite…unique.”
“Thank you! Yes, it’s my sauce. I really should try and put it on the market one day, but not sure I want to expose the mindless drones of the world to something so beautiful. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes sir. It’s very good.”
“Good, now time to wrap things up. I like to have a little fun though.” He waved the instrument in Derek’s direction. “I’ve always been fascinated by ancient Egypt and how they prepared their dead. The whole mummification process is very fascinating. You know for years we thought they used a hook kind of like this to dig the brains out of dead bodies? Back then they thought the brain actually functioned like the heart.”
He walked over to Paul and held the hook over the man’s face. Paul’s eyes were wide open as his body trembled. He continued trying to scream but the ball gag muffled any noise. Mr. Black slowly inserted the hook into Paul’s nose and pushed it slowly.
“See? They’d take a device like this and insert through the nose.” He continued pushing the rod and twisting until there was a sickening crackling and crunching sound. “And would pierce the cranium and enter the brain. Now their instruments weren’t nearly as refined as this one.”
Paul began to convulse as Mr. Black twisted and pushed, pulling it free as reddish gray clumps of brain matter were stuck to the end of the rod. It looked like some kind of gory cotton candy. Mr. Black scrapped off the brains into a bowl on the table and reinserted the rod. During the second insertion, Paul stopped moving completely. Derek hoped he was finally dead. The guy had already been through so much pain.
In the back of his mind, Derek thought he needed to quit this job and get as far away from here as soon as possible. Then he remembered Camila’s warnings and all the things he’d seen there. These were incredibly wealthy and powerful people. Where exactly would he go?
Mr. Black withdrew the rod with more brain matter at the end. He cleaned that off into the bowl and repeated the procedure a few more times. Soon the bowl was filled with red clumpy chunks of Paul’s brains.
“If I wasn’t so full, there is a dish I would use this for. But not today. So we’ll just dump it out. Maybe next time. It’s best when it's fresh. Usually the Egyptians would then flush some chemicals into the nose to liquefy the remaining brain matter, but no need for that now.”
Mr. Black removed his apron and tossed it onto the table.
“So what did you think? I know it’s not the most ideal dining setting, but did you enjoy the meal? Pretty cool seeing it all prepared isn’t it?” Mr. Black asked.
“Yeah. I guess so sir. Thank you…um…for including me.”
“Oh you bet. Now I’ll finish some things up here then I need a drink. Go get the cleaning guys up here to take care of this.”
“Yes sir.” Thank God.
Derek walked out of the room and down the hall. He got to the security office which was filled with computers and monitors containing cameras from throughout the compound. He called for a cleaning team to Mr. Black’s suite and sat down next to another security guy named Blake Trutsch. He’d spoken to Blake a few times before. As he sat down, Blake must have read the look on his face.
“Let me guess,” Blake said. “Dinner with Mr. Black?”
“Yeah.”
“Welcome to the club.”
“You did too?”
“We all do at some point. He’s a real sick fuck. But he’s scary as hell. It’s his way of trying to show us that we’re all just like him. Plus, I think it’s a way to make us all complicit. In case anyone decides to run off or go snitch, they got us on camera eating human flesh and watching him do it.”
“Who is he exactly, anyway? He have a first name?” Derek asked.
“Yeah, Mister. Seriously it’s probably not his real name. I’ve worked here over a year. He pops in once in a while, cuts some poor asshole to shreds, hangs and drinks with the girls for a bit, then Camila gives him a report and he moves on. I’ve overheard Camila talking about him a few times. Apparently clubs aren’t the only thing this organization does and he runs some other things but not sure what. I sure as hell ain’t gonna ask.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“Did you throw up yet?”
“No. I want to.”
“I did. The first time.”
“You ate with him more than once?”
“Yeah. He sometimes grabs the new guys. Sometimes he just grabs whoever is handy. I’ve eaten with him three times. By then I figured fuck it. At least he can cook and it tastes good. One dumbass actually refused him once.”
“You fucking serious?”
“No joke. He gutted the guy right then and there and ripped his intestines out while he was still alive. Dude is a sick fucker and knows how to hurt you for a really long time.”
“Jesus.”
“Jesus isn’t anywhere near this play my man.” Blake reached into the desk and took out a bag of Doritos, and held it up to Derek. “Here. This will at least get the taste out of your mouth.”
Chapter 13
Laura followed Camila into the banquet hall. It was a huge room with a large square table, but the center of the table was a large grill. There were many dishes sitting out already prepared, but Laura noticed there was no entrée. The foods consisted of veggie plates, dips and other appetizers.
“Just have a seat up here. The other ladies will be joining us shortly,” Camila said. Amelia had walked in with them, and Ivy had joined them along with several other girls Laura hadn’t met yet. She was afraid to ask what the main course would be. A man wearing a white smock and chef’s hat soon entered the room.
“Good evening, ladies. Great to see you all. For those of you who are new to the club, my name is Simon Isakov. I’ve served as the personal chef to several world leaders including Tony Blair, and Stephen Harper in Canada. If any of you are wondering what I am doing here, I have always had a unique taste for some very rare dishes. I was fortunate to meet Mr. Black after I was discharged from Prime Minister Harper�
��s service and he brought me here where I was given carte blanche on serving the most unique and exotic foods.”
The ladies smiled and clapped after Simon’s introduction. Laura joined in, trying to maintain her smile and not give herself away. Soon some other men in tuxedos came in and began serving soups and the appetizers. Laura had some cooked asparagus flavored with seasonings she couldn’t recognize but it was the best vegetable she’d ever tasted. There were also sliced tomatoes prepared in a cheese sauce as well as calamari.
Laura tried each thing that came by and was glad everything tasted excellent. The women chatted about their work, husbands, and children. Laura couldn’t believe some of these monsters were mothers. God knows what kind of adults their children would grow up to be. Soon Simon came back in and clapped his hands.
“Ladies! It is now time for the main course!”
The women cheered as the tuxedoed waiters each pushed a large cart into the room from three different directions. There was a cart in three of the room’s corners. The carts were each covered with a table cloth covering a large bump. Laura had just been placed at ease with the meal so far, but suddenly her stomach turned to knots at the sight of the carts. The men removed the cloths to reveal on each cart was a bound and naked pregnant woman.
Three women who were all extremely pregnant. One woman’s belly looked as if were about to burst.
“So tonight’s main course is incredibly special! I’ve not prepared such a dish yet, so this is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to share together,” Simon explained. “Over here we have this young woman, Colleen Cassidy.” He ran his hand over her naked belly. Colleen struggled against her restraints but was unable to scream due to the duct tape placed over her mouth.
Simon walked to the next one.
“This young lady is Trisha Leigh. As you can see her belly is quite large. I think she may be carrying twins.”
He strolled to the next cart and ran his hand over her body.
“And finally we have Jennifer Bolton. All of these young women were brought to me several months ago. They’ve been kept in a private area where they were fed and nursed until a few weeks from their due dates. Just in time for our main course.”
Laura was horrified by the eager smiles on each of the women’s faces. She had an idea what was about to happen. She wanted to close her eyes, get up and run out of the room or tackle Simon and cut his throat with the knife he was holding. But that would do nothing to save those women. She would only get herself killed and that would be the end of her mission.
“Simon?” Camila said. “Can you take the tape off their mouths? I like to hear them scream.”
“Oh, most certainly.” Simon ripped the tape free from Jennifer’s mouth while the waiters took the tape off the other two women’s. Instantly the room was filled with piercing screams. Laura wanted to cover her ears but endured as Simon plunged the knife into Jennifer’s stomach. She howled as he sliced her open, reached, in and pulled the baby out by its feet. The baby flopped and screamed as Jennifer continued screaming.
Simon reached up with the knife and slit the woman’s throat. Her screams turned to choking, gurgling sounds as blood sprayed from her throat. Simon cut the umbilical cord at the base of her stomach and sat the baby on the grill in the center of the bed. The other women continued to scream louder after witnessing the horror in front of them. The baby gasped for air as it flopped on the table.
Reaching down, Simon picked up a meat cleaver and with one clean blow, lopped the infant’s head off. Laura put her hand over her mouth, trying to fight back the urge to vomit. The baby’s severed head rolled in her direction. Thankfully, one of the wait staff picked it up and tossed the head into a bin. Simon approached Trisha who was now flailing frantically but helplessly against her restraints. He sliced her stomach open and reached in, pulling out one baby, and cut the cord with the knife.
Laura couldn’t help but notice he was whistling while he carried out these horrific acts. The other women were gleefully watching, smiling and laughing as Simon cut his victims apart. He reached and sure enough, Trisha was carrying twins. He pulled out the second baby and sat it on the table before slashing Trisha’s throat. Once again, he grabbed the meat cleaver, and chopped off each of their heads and then discarded them.
Still whistling, Simon strolled over to Colleen. His smock, hands and sleeves now soaked with blood. He thrust the knife into Colleen’s stomach as she screamed. Her body twitched and thrashed as he reached into the incision and pulled the baby free. He cut her throat before cutting the cord and chopping off the baby’s head.
Laura watched the sick scene before her. The grill contained four headless babies. Simon lined them all up and used the cleaver to chop off the cord and cut the cord into small slices. He then chopped off each of their arms and legs. One of the wait staff rolled up two more carts. One with a large bowl and the other with a platter.
Simon used a long spoon to insert into each baby’s severed stump and scooped out the organs. They oozed out onto the grill in a gloppy mess. He scraped the organs off and into a waste bin. He then reached into the bowl which contained stuffing and stuffed it into the stumps. Soon all four baby torsos looked like a group of stuffed turkeys. He placed them onto the platter as the waiters wheeled them away.
He then turned on the grill and began cooking the limbs and umbilical cord segments while dousing them with oils and spices. He looked up at the women and smiled as he worked.
“It will take close to an hour for the bodies to bake, but it will be delicious. I didn’t prepare them in advance because they are best prepared fresh. The wait staff also removed the carts containing the dead women as the smell of frying baby flesh filled the room. Laura tried to ignore the smell. To her horror it actually smelled good, which sickened her even more. Soon Simon finished one of the baby’s arms and placed it onto a plate. He slid the plate to Camila.
She held it up, smiling as she examined the golden brown limb. She took a whiff and bit into it as if it were a drumstick.
“My God,” she said. “This is delicious!”
The other women squealed and applauded as each of them was served a limb with some chunks of the umbilical cord. A plate with a cooked leg landed in front of Laura. She looked around at the other women enjoying their severed limbs. Amelia was chowing away on a leg with grease and chunks of skin around her lips. Ivy was nibbling at hers, but clearly enjoying it while some of the other women were tasting the umbilical bits.
Laura held up the leg as Camila caught her eye from across the table.
“It’s ok, hun. Anything goes here. Go for it. It’s good.”
“I…I don’t know.” Laura was worried of being discovered but couldn’t bring herself to eat a baby.
“Look,” Camila said. “We were all taught these ‘norms’ by society. Thing is, those norms don’t apply to us. That’s what the club is all about. They say this is a free country? Bullshit. This club is the only place where true freedom exists. Especially for women like us. We make the world go ‘round. So take that first bite. Consider it your first bite of freedom.”
Laura had to admit, the lady was good. She shrugged and closed her eyes, unsure of how much patience Camila would have with her and took a bite. The golden flesh crunched under her teeth as warm juices filled her mouth. It actually tasted quite good. Laura kept her eyes closed as she took a few more bites. Taking her mind to another place, she imagined she was back home in Austin years ago, eating at her aunt’s on Thanksgiving. The feeling of wanting to vomit wasn’t as strong if she imagined she was eating a turkey leg and not a dead baby. The meat actually tasted like chicken, but much sweeter and more tender.
After several bites she sat the leg down and looked around. The other women were eating and chatting when Simon came through the door pushing the cart filled with the four, golden brown and stuffed baby torsos.
“Here it is ladies! Your main course!”
Chapter 14
Derek wat
ched the banquet taking place on the monitors. The whole thing made him sick. He had to set the chips down after a few bites. He’d just eaten a man not that long before and here he was watching these women eat dead babies as if they were a fine delicacy. Blake picked the chips back up and began stuffing them into his mouth.
“How often do they do that?” Derek asked.
“What? Have their banquet? Every few months. Usually after they get a group of new members. It’s a combination of a welcome and an initiation. One time a girl refused to eat. She freaked out and started screaming.”
“They always do it with babies? Live babies like that?”
“Not always. Sometimes it’s just people. One time they ate kids, like toddlers. Just depends on what Chef Simon feels like surprising them with.”
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“I can’t let it. So I don’t watch. Except the screaming lady.”
“What happened to her?”
“Me and some of the other security guys had to go in and put her in one of the cages. Can’t have members freaking out like that.”
“Jesus. What did they do to her?”
“They let Ivy play with her. I didn’t see the final product, but they sent two cleanup teams to the room when she was done.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah. You don’t fuck around here. Don’t let them hear you asking this shit either. Loyalty here is everything. If they think for a second you’re not one hundred percent on board, you’ll end up on a table. One security guy flipped out when I first started. They had this really hot college girl they brought in here. Blonde, nice tan, huge tits. I think this guy had a thing for her. He pulled her out of the cage and was banging her once when I went downstairs. I pretended I didn’t notice. We’re not supposed to touch any of the assets unless it’s taking them to and from the rooms. I don’t know if you noticed, but they don’t really see us as human. Guys like you and me, we work here so we’re maybe a step or two up the food chain from the people in the cages. Camila and the members are the top of that food chain. Mr. Black, you could say, is the apex predator.”