Crystal and the Damned - Possession (2 page)

Dollface, who was still holding her, shook her a little.

“Don’t faint, we need you.”

Crystal obeyed, but in spite of herself : the light-skinned black woman, now battling the last man, kicked him in his stomach, pushing him into the young woman. Shocked, she violently inhaled a breath of air.

With one arm, the fashion doll pushed the guy toward the coffee-colored woman, who seized the opportunity to plant one of her daggers between his eyes. The blood spurted over Crystal, who saw the man die right in front of her.

She collapsed to the ground and vomited beside the corpse. In spite of her panting she heard the Barbie doll say to her companion :

“Oh, shit, she threw up on my Louboutins !”

Slumped on the asphalt, terrified, Crystal managed to calm down in spite of everything. She tried to control her nerves and half stood up. The two women were bending over her.

“What was that… how did that woman evaporate ?”

The doll lit a cigarette.

“Dematerialized ! Gone ! If I hadn’t had to keep you from running away, we could have killed her !”

“What ?”

“Dematerialized. You know, what you call ‘teleporting’ in your moronic science fiction films. Good, are you done barfing on my shoes ?”

Crystal looked at them, crazed.

“Who are you ? What do you want with me ? Who were those people ? Where did you all come from ? You killed them. They’re dead….”

“Slow down, please. One question at a time. I’m Glory,” Dollface introduced herself, “and this is Cornelia. Above all don’t panic and don’t throw up again ! We’re two of your five Paladines.”

“Huh ?”

“Paladines,” the coffee-colored woman repeated, tucking her daggers away in her leather boots. “Your protectors, your knights ; kind of like guardian angels, you know.”

Without listening, Crystal begged :

“Let me go.”

“Impossible, sweetie. We received the order to take you along with us. We’re taking you back to your father. We work for him.”

A feeling of dread grew in the young woman.

“My father… but he abandoned me.”

“No, actually. He kept you hidden for nineteen years so that you could have a normal childhood. He thought it would be better for you…. The whole time that he had you stashed away, we had to watch over you to keep you from being murdered by his enemies. Your mother agreed. Oh yeah – we forgot to tell you – your father is the leader of a cult, the cult of the Damned. We’re part of it, Cornelia and I. The Damned are similar to humans, but with magical powers and a longer life expectancy. Your father is the All Powerful, the head of the Damned. And we are Paladines, a sort of elite within the cult ; our job is to defend the interests of the All Powerful. When your father dies, you’ll have to take his place,” Glory recited with all the humanity of a robot.

Crystal felt the adrenaline surge back through her body. She felt like she was being demolished, like she’d taken ecstasy. The whole story was completely unbelievable and revolting.

“I want to go now. I want to go home.”

“You don’t get it, little girl ; you can’t just leave. You are the most important person in the oldest, most secret and most dangerous cult on the whole planet. Those nice people who attacked you this evening, that poor crazy woman and her pals, are Damned Ones who work for your father’s enemies. They belong to a rebel faction of the cult : the Order of Hell. They want to kill you. If you die, your father won’t have an heir anymore and his bloodline, the family of the All Powerful, will die out. The rebels will be able to take power. We’ve been hiding you and watching over you since your birth so that these crackpots don’t get their hands on you. But they’ve found you now and your father said that when that happened, we had to take you back to him. It’s our job, and it’s your destiny. So you’re going to come with us,” Cornelia insisted.

Crystal stared at her, on the brink of insanity.

“No. You’re wrong. I’m not the right person. I’m not in a cult. There is no magic or anything like that ; my father abandoned me. I’m not your All Powerful ; I don’t give a damn about his so-called enemies that you call the Order of Hell, no one is
damned
, and I won’t go….”

She collapsed before finishing the sentence – Cornelia had just knocked her out by striking her on the back of the neck with the edge of her hand.

“Corn, what are you doing ? We were supposed to explain it to her,” Glory protested.

“She was wearing me out with her blah-blah. We’ll take her back to the island and the All Powerful will work it out with her. She’s his daughter, after all.”

“Well great. We’re her Paladines. ‘Protectors, ’ does that mean anything to you ? If we lug her around like a sack of potatoes, the All Powerful is going to be furious ! I wanted to do it so the girl understood, gently, but you – you just knock her on the head, as usual.”

“You love it when I do that. But this isn’t the time to be yacking, I’m scared stiff that the servants of the Order of Hell are going to come back in full force. Things have been horrible since Prince Dimitri has been leading them, Glory. You know that as well as I, don’t you ? Do I need to fucking spell it out for you ? Dimitri wants power ; for that he needs Crystal dead. We’re only two out of five ! Conclusion : it’s the ideal time to attack us. You don’t have to be Einstein to understand that we have to split as quickly as possible.”

“OK, Einstein, we’ll take Crystal to her father before she wakes up. But you’re wrong. We’re the best, my dear ! The two most powerful Paladines who
ever existed ! It’s the others who are scared stiff, don’t forget that. And Dimitri is no different. In any case, he’s afraid of me. We know each other, we two. He knows perfectly well what he’s dealing with,” Glory bragged, throwing her platinum hair back with a haughty air.

“Yeah. I think your head has gotten as big as your hair. If you want my opinion, Glow, the Dark Prince isn’t afraid of anything or anyone. ‘The most evil Damned of all time, ’ you remember what that means,” Cornelia complained. “That creep, he’s the Devil reincarnate….”

Asia, the rebel Damned fighting against the might of the All Powerful who had attacked Crystal, collapsed to the floor, blood flowing from her jaw.

Standing above her, Prince Dimitri, head of the Order of Hell, dominated her from his full height.

“You failed.”

She didn’t dare raise her head. If he read any weakness on her face he would kill her. She was positive about that.

“Master, I couldn’t do anything. The Paladines arrived ; they’re too powerful.”

“You’re lying,” Dimitri stormed, pacing back and forth in the room, his hands behind his back. “You could have killed that girl before the Paladines got there. You wasted time ; you should have slit her throat right there. You fucking idiot,” he barked at her, kicking her in the stomach.

Asia sobbed, curling into a ball. She was bleeding profusely. In his rage, the Dark Prince must have broken one of her ribs. He observed her coldly.

“And what’s more, you’re getting my carpet dirty.”

With her hand, the young woman wiped away her tears and the blood that was smeared over her face. She was Dimitri’s slave, like almost all the supporters of the Order of Hell. The Prince had enslaved her, dominated her, abused her and driven her mad.

“Get up,” he enjoined her in a voice that was suddenly soft, leaning toward her.

The servant recoiled with a quiver of terror. Instinctively, she protected herself with her arms, trying to avoid the blows.

He burst out laughing.

“Off the floor – go sit over there.”

Asia stood up painfully and collapsed in an armchair in the enormous living room. After the fight against Glory and Cornelia, she had joined Dimitri at his lavish estate in the Hamptons.

The interior decoration in the Prince’s residences was always grandiose and disturbing. Black and gold tones were dominant. Black for the shadows, gold for power.

The monster took a cigarette from the case sitting on a table and settled comfortably in the armchair facing the one where the young woman sat.
Wedged between Dimitri’s teeth, the cigarette lit itself. His head leaning voluptuously against the cushions, he took a drag from it.

“Tell me about her.”

“I scared her, Master,” Asia puffed up with pride, a glow of madness reviving her and lighting her up from within.

The Prince growled with annoyance. His servant suddenly felt herself thrown to the ground again. She spit up blood.

“You stupid slave, I didn’t ask you what you did to her, I asked you what she’s like.”

The young woman tried to speak, but she coughed and vomited bile. She caught her breath with difficulty.

“Crystal is young, very young. Like you wanted, I followed Glory. Thanks to the enormous powers that you had the goodness to grant me, I succeeded in finding the All Powerful’s daughter. I am the only one of your faithful who’s managed that, and….”

“I know all that and I’m losing my patience,” Dimitri interrupted with an imperious gesture of his hand.

“Yes, Master, I’m sorry, I thought that it was important.”

“Don’t think.”

“Yes, Master. The daughter of the All Powerful…. Oh, she’s a teenager. Very human, but pretty. Lost, I think. She seems extremely alone.”

Perturbed, the young woman detailed everything that she had had the time to learn about Crystal while he smoked. Could the Prince of the Underworld really be interested in these insignificant details ? She was suspicious, incapable of understanding where her master wanted to go with this. Was he making fun of her for purely sadistic reasons ? What fate did he have in mind for her ?

Although tormented by her growing anxiety, she finished her account. She saw Dimitri get up and take a few steps across the living room to stop in front of a statue of a woman ; a statue of Venus made of black marble whose face he skimmed over with the tips of his fingers.

“And the men ? Is the precious daughter of the All Powerful desirable ?” he questioned her, while caressing the breast of the statue.

“She is different, but charming,” the slave confirmed, for whom this little scene was suddenly becoming clear. “Your men at arms wanted to violate her.”

“Oh yes ?” the monster whispered, savagely drawing back his upper lip. “I would have gutted them with my own hands if they had dared. To rape her, without me ! If she is pretty I would kill anyone who prevented me from witnessing her degradation. I wanted you to bring her to me, here, on my territory. What color is her hair, would you say ?”

“Blonde. She’s blonde”, the servant answered, closing her eyes, repulsed.
Oh yes
, now she knew exactly what he wanted.

The Prince pushed for more.

“Like Glory ?”

“No. Her hair is golden. It’s long,” Asia clarified, unable to hold back her tears.

“Hmmm… the hair of a princess,” murmured Dimitri, letting his fetishism go. “I like that. My men would have dragged her here,” he continued, “I imagine she would have been terrified. I would have ordered them to stay so that they could see me undress her. The marvelous daughter of the All Powerful, the chosen one, humiliated like the lowest whore. God, what a rush !” The Prince sniggered before continuing. “I love the idea of God ; you can appeal to him under any circumstances but he never comes. It’s a legend for humans. Frightened humans. I love it.”

“Please, Master,” moaned the slave girl.

“Shut up ! When I speak, people are silent ; when I appear, they pray. God, that’s me. I would have undressed the little thing and I would have tied her up. Her angel’s panties stuffed in her mouth to keep her quiet. I would have spread her legs in front of my men. I would have spread her out. They would have taken her, one by one, tearing her apart, destroying her. The daughter of the All
Powerful, broken, tortured by bastards ; can you imagine the ecstasy ? I want to feel her blood on my skin ; I want to hear her screams. I’d like her father to witness it. I’d like him to watch while I force her to be well and truly fucked. You did not obey, Asia.”

“I swear it won’t happen again. I’ll find her again and I’ll bring her to you,” Asia protested in panic.

“No, you won’t. I’ll do it myself. My greatest enemy, my prey…. I’ll find her alone. She is mine. Mine. Her death belongs to me. And when I have her, I’ll destroy her and I’ll send her tormented flesh to the Paladines. I’m sure that my dear Glory will not remain unmoved. She loves that too, sex and death. Violence is a source of pleasure,” he added, licking his lips. “Women know that, don’t they, Asia ? The weak ones are just waiting for it. Domination is enjoyment, suffering is nectar. I have drunk of Evil down to the dregs and I will hand the poisoned cup to the All Powerful. His greatness has held me in check for too long. But the power of the shadows will affect him through his child. She’s his weak spot. Once I have her in my possession, after raping her until her head’s about to explode, I’ll torture her. I remember China, the children, my red chamber. It was exhilarating. You know, when you force yourself on a woman, she thinks nothing worse can be inflicted on her. It’s the perfect moment. The
last gasp of innocence. I’ll pull out her fingernails ; I’ll open her up with the point of a dagger. The All Powerful’s daughter. Describe her to me again.”

“She’s young and fresh,” recited the slave girl, knowing by heart the words that would please the Prince, “fine, rather small, but her breasts are round and firm. Her lips are full. She is graceful.”

“The adorable child,” Dimitri groaned, without ceasing to walk his hands over the curves of the statue. He looked at Asia, his lips half open. His hand had stopped at the statue’s waist, and with a violent and sudden gesture he struck it. The effigy flew into shards and broke. The Prince smiled. A cruel and diabolical smile. He moved toward the young woman.

She hunched on the ground, alarmed. Dimitri went past her and sat on the window ledge. In the demon’s eyes a mixture of excitement and power gleamed. Slowly, savoring his power, he opened his fly.

“Come, Asia,” the monster summoned her with a hoarse voice, “show me that you are docile.”

Twenty minutes later, the young woman rose, her lips full of blood and sperm, totally crushed.

Dimitri buckled up his belt and poured himself a glass of cognac. The poor slave girl waited, standing, head down, in the position of a dog. He turned around.

“You’re a nice girl, Asia, but you failed in your mission, and I hate being thwarted. A servant who does not carry out my orders is a waste.”

The crazy woman’s eyes widened, while the Prince leveled a glacial look at her.

“You are a waste.”

Dimitri raised his hands and clapped them three times. The doors of the living room opened, and two men from his personal guard entered. Petrified, Asia watched them approaching her, powerless.

“Take her,” ordered the Prince. “She’s yours. Do what you want with her, but afterwards, get rid of her. She’s of no use to me anymore.”

The men grabbed hold of Asia. She screamed, struggled in vain, completely hysterical.

The guards dragged her out of the living room. Dimitri did not even spare a last glance for her. He calmly finished his cognac with a satisfied look.

It was now six o’clock in the morning. In his living room, the Prince was waiting. He pensively lit a new cigarette, listening to the noises of his home in
the Hamptons. The residence had grown silent little by little ; everything was sleeping. Dimitri slowly found his way to the mirror at the end of the living room. He positioned himself facing it, barely a few inches away.

The mirror returned his reflection ; he stared at his dark green irises and softly stroked the glass. His image blurred and the consistency of the mirror changed. It now appeared similar to a wave, almost liquid.

A woman appeared in the glass in place of the Prince’s reflection.

“It’s you ? I’m glad that you’re contacting me. I have appalling news. It seems that little Crystal suffered an attack during the night. The All Powerful has decided to repatriate her to the island. Glory and Cornelia went to get her. In a few days the girl will be one of the Damned ; they’re going to give her her powers. It’s a disaster !”

“Yeah, I know,” Dimitri yawned. “Actually, I was the one who had her attacked. I would have willingly warned you thanks to this magic mirror, but you always told me to be careful what time I talk to you in order not to surprise you, and since I’m such an obedient boy….”

“You ! It was you who commanded the attack ! You’ve lost your mind. Because of you, Crystal is finally going to know her true identity, take possession of the powers that belong to her and be watched over day and night
by the girls. It would have been much simpler to kill her when she believed she was human !” protested the woman through the mirror.

The Dark Prince winced and pretended to think about it for a few seconds.

“Really ? No doubt you’re right. The only
infinitesimal
problem is that it took nineteen years to find out where the girl was hidden.”

“But we succeeded in having Glory followed and ended up putting our hands on the brat. Why didn’t you go in person ?”

“Excellent idea,” Dimitri ground out, “and then I would have come face to face with the two most powerful Paladines. I would certainly have succeeded in murdering the daughter of the All Powerful just before dying… how romantic. I’m sorry, I forgot : I am not romantic.”

In the room on the other side of the mirror where she was actually located, the woman fumed.

“By all the Gods ! Don’t tell me that you are afraid of Glory and Cornelia. You’ve already gotten rid of three Paladines in the past.”

“That’s true,” he acquiesced, “but Glory succeeded in escaping, remember ? As for Cornelia, she has a bad reputation among the evil Damned. I’m not eager to confront both of them at the same time, got it ?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. The fact that Glory escaped from you was an accident… besides, we shouldn’t brood over the past ; let’s think about the
future. The situation is going to become more and more dangerous. I will know the girl personally, Dimitri. I will have to play my role with her. Double dealing runs the risk of proving complicated. If the others suspect me, we’ve had it.”

“No one could suspect you,” he reassured her. “On the contrary, I believe that the situation is going to get simpler. Right now we hold all the cards. I knew that my men would fail last night. I knew that Glory and Cornelia would get the best of them without too much difficulty ; I knew that they would save Crystal. The hand has only begun ; I dealt all the cards and I’m finally in control of the game. The All Powerful was hiding the little girl from everyone. Even from the Damned Ones who surround him, even from his faithful followers. Unbelievable, isn’t it ? That old fossil is paranoid. So much the better. Let him transform his daughter into a Damned One. If she is part of our cult, if her father gives her the place that is rightfully hers, you’ll know everything that’s going on ; you will be able to help me. I’ll corner her, I’ll annihilate her and I will take control of the cult !”

In the mirror, the mysterious woman raised a disdainful eyebrow.

“Precisely. I will know what’s happening, given the position I hold. But that doesn’t advance our cause much. You can brag all you like ; no one can fight against the All Powerful, not even you. He will stand between his daughter and you. And from now on she will also have the necessary weapons.”

“I’ll be able to fight,” the Prince assured her, thoroughly stung. “I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a boy. The All Powerful and I, finally face to face. God against Lucifer. The greatest of the Damned against the most evil. I would triumph ; he is aware of that.”

“In that case, what are you waiting for ?”

“I wouldn’t be able to confront him in single combat. The Paladines would fall on me beforehand. You know something about that, don’t you ? You know him from the inside, so to speak.”

“Very spiritual, Dimitri. Are you having fun ?”

The monster’s face twisted in a vicious grimace.

“Not enough. I’d be having more fun when I’ve taken Crystal from the All Powerful….”