Hell Bound (3 page)

"Yes, exactly. You have it exactly right," Moloch answered as he began to lick Karawan's cock once more, bringing Karawan's focus back onto him. "Now, because you have proven yourself to be such a quick study, I shall finish what I have started. Besides, it's more fun for me that way, too."

Craig had been alone now for quite a while. The pain eventually subsided, except for the ache in his chest which was growing stronger by the minute. The blood on his chest and stomach eventually dried up, and Craig was able to pick it off of his skin. Flake after flake fell to the ground, and Craig kept working until he was sure that he'd removed it all. Pretty soon, all that remained was a scar that shakily spelled out "evil", a constant reminder to Craig as to where he was and why he was here.

As if he could forget. Not long after Karawan left him, the gunshots started up again. Craig put his hands to his ears, to try to block out the sound, but it was completely useless. Over and over, the shots penetrated Craig's thoughts and relentlessly tortured him. Perhaps even more so than any of Karawan's punishments. Then again, he had kind of liked Karawan's torments, if he stopped to admit it to himself.

Just when Craig felt like he was going to lose what was left of his mind, the gunshots stopped. The sudden silence unnerved Craig and he stood up cautiously. "Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there?" Craig took a tentative step backwards and was relieved when his foot hit the floor. He took another step back, and was surprised when he collided with a hard object.

Acting out of reflex, he reached his hand back and felt a smooth, not quite cylindrical, object. Craig ran his hand up and down his discovery for a moment, enjoying the feel of its warmth under his hand. This was the first truly pleasurable sensation that he had gotten since he'd been in Hell, and he didn't want to lose it. Craig closed his eyes and let the warmth travel up his hand to his arm. Seconds before it was to reach his heart, he felt the object in his hand flex.

Craig's eyes flew open and he turned around to find the red glow of Karawan standing behind him. Craig blushed when he realized that he had been stroking the demon's outer thigh. "I... I'm sorry, Karawan," he stammered. "I didn't know it was you. You just felt so warm, and it's been so dark and cold. And I... I just..."

"Silence," Karawan interrupted, and Craig immediately complied. "It is time for you to receive more punishment."

Craig sighed, and then nodded. He knew there was no way out of it; besides, he had been kind of turned on by the last time. He stood still as Karawan outfitted him with the shackles and once again followed when Karawan tugged on his chain.

Craig was lost in his own thoughts about the gunfire and the mysterious former life when Karawan abruptly halted. Unprepared, Craig ran right into the back of him. Karawan's eyes flashed as he turned around to look Craig in the eye. "Try to be more careful, human." Craig nodded, afraid to speak; he was relieved when the demon turned away and led him into a room.

The room looked very much the same as the first interrogation room that Karawan had first brought him to, except in place of the stool, there was a high-backed wooden chair with ornate carvings along the back and the sides. Craig had assumed that the chair was meant for Karawan, so he was thrown off when Karawan took off his chains and ordered him to sit.

When Craig hesitated, Karawan gave him a hard shove. "I said, sit!" his voice boomed throughout the room. Snapping back to attention, Craig did as ordered.

As soon as Craig's body hit the chair, Karawan went to work. He strapped the human's wrists down to the armrests and his ankles to the legs of the chair. When Karawan was finished, he stepped back to look over his charge. Craig wriggled in his seat, testing the bonds, but grew still as Karawan addressed him.

"Today," Karawan explained, looking right into Craig's eyes, "is going to be slightly different. The standard tortures do not work on you, so I have had to amend my plan." Karawan turned his back on Craig as he finished speaking; he didn't want his face to give away that he had never done this with a human.

Karawan took a deep breath and faced Craig. He started to slowly circle the chair, knowing full well the worrying effect it would have on Craig. He had only dealt with a few dozen humans under the tutelage of Moloch—Craig was his first solo charge—but Karawan had learned that the fear of what was going to happen to them can often unhinge their thoughts more than the actual punishments.

Karawan reached the front of the chair, and without warning, he reached out and tweaked Craig's nipples. He was oddly satisfied when Craig cried out, although Karawan couldn't tell if it was from surprise, torment, or delight. He supposed it didn't really matter that much.

Taking great care to avoid looking into Craig's face, Karawan knelt before the chair and ran his hands up Craig's inner thighs. He felt Craig tense under his touch and kept going. Karawan started to caress the folds of Craig's legs and was slightly awed to see that Craig was already becoming aroused.

Encouraged by Craig's state, Karawan wrapped his long fingers around the base of the human's cock and gave it a slight tug. The moan that escaped Craig's lips was all Karawan needed to hear. He continued by taking long, thorough strokes, as if trying to milk everything out of Craig.

Craig began to shudder uncontrollably, and Karawan reached with his other hand to massage the bound man's testicles. The man's reactions to Karawan's stroking stirred something inside of the demon, and he felt himself growing hard underneath the small cloth he wore. Karawan felt a hint of confusion at his own state, but pushed it aside to focus on the task at hand.

Karawan was sure that this man must be close to climax, and, forgetting for a moment that Craig could not orgasm, he pumped his fist faster. The urge to finish the human overwhelmed Karawan, and before he could think about what he was doing, he dropped his head and slid his tongue from the base of Craig's cock all the way to the tip.

Craig cried out, seeming to enjoy the sensation, and the sound brought Karawan back to reality. He stopped what he was doing and, for the first time since he began, looked up into Craig's face. Karawan was somewhat surprised to see that Craig was staring back at him, and that his eyes were full of desire. Karawan looked into Craig's eyes for a moment, shocked at how sorry he felt to leave Craig in such a state, and then quickly stood.

Karawan attempted to regain control of himself and closed his eyes as he spoke. "Well, then, my work here is done. I will come back for you later."

"Karawan... wait. Please, Karawan, don't leave me like this. Please." Craig was practically whimpering.

Karawan stiffened, but he ignored the desperate pleas of the human. Instead, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.

As soon as the door closed behind Karawan, he knelt down in the hallway. He was consumed by confusion and wanted to collect his thoughts. He had never before felt sorry for any of the people he had to deal with. Then again, Craig was unlike anyone else that he had ever dealt with; usually, the men were smug, and even in Hell, their evil ways had a tendency to show through. This man, however, was a mystery; he wasn't like any of the others. He wasn't sure what it all meant, the stirring in his loins, the attraction he felt toward Craig, the sorrow he felt at not being able to help the human reach a climax.

Get a hold of yourself,
Karawan thought.
That man inside there is a bad person; he must be, or he would not be here.
He blew out a breath and nodded, acknowledging the thoughts that had entered his mind. He silently resolved himself to push any feelings and emotions aside and just focus on the task at hand; he had no other choice.

Once again, Craig was alone, it was a state in which he was beginning to grow accustomed, though not one he enjoyed. Except this time he was left bound to a chair with no way out, and no way to move. He tested his bonds furiously, but of course, it did absolutely no good. He tried calling out for Karawan a few times, but was met with silence. After a while, who knew how long, his erection subsided, and he resigned himself to waiting. It seemed that the vast majority of his time in Hell was spent waiting. It was... tedious.

Craig sighed as he rested his head against the back of the chair. He replayed the recent events in his mind and let them marinate there for a while. Even though it was supposed to be punishment, Karawan seemed downright eager to finish him off. And, as he was leaving, Craig thought he detected a hint of emotion toward him. Was it lust? Sorrow? Disgust? Maybe a mix of the three.

Even though their time together often left him wanting, hurting, or aching, Craig looked forward to spending more time with Karawan. Although, he wasn't quite sure if that was actually because of Karawan or if it was because he was simply so lonely the rest of the time. After all, except for the torture, they hadn't spent any real time together.

Craig had to admit, however, that Karawan was attractive; his well-defined red body, broad shoulders, and even the horns held a certain amount of power. He was getting hard again just thinking about him, which only served to frustrate him even more.

As Craig was trying to sort out his thoughts, the gunfire started again. Craig groaned; he didn't know if he could take it. "What does it mean?" he shouted into the empty space.

Suddenly, he could make out movement on the wall in front of him. Craig looked around, but there was nobody else there, which he had already assumed would be the case. He stared at the wall and a slide show began to play.

Pictures flashed before him, and it required all of Craig's concentration just to keep up. There was a picture of a little boy in a monster costume holding a plastic pumpkin, a picture of a teenager standing next to a blue car, a family portrait, a man holding a beer at a football game, they just kept coming. One after the other in rapid succession. Craig gasped as it dawned on him that these were pictures of him; these were from his life.

As soon as Craig realized what he was seeing, the pictures changed. Craig saw a picture of a convenience store, which he somehow remembered was on his block. He saw a picture of his favorite cashier, the one that always snuck him an extra scratch-off lottery ticket with his purchases. Next, there was a picture of the open door of the store with a masked man walking through, waving a gun in the air.

The pictures went black, and the gunfire went off again. Three quick bangs. When the pictures came back, they were of Craig, lying on the floor of the store with a bullet hole in his chest.

Karawan came back into the room then. He marched his way over to the bound man and looked down at him. "Human..." he started.

Craig interrupted, "Karawan! I know what happened, well, most of it anyway. I was shot! That's how I died, isn't it? I was shot during a robbery."

Karawan stared at the man. "I have already told you, I do not know. It is not my place to know."

Craig blew out a breath, "You must know about the stupid picture show they show people? With their lives?"

Karawan nodded. "Yes. Though I must say, they do not usually show you humans those until much further into your... discipline. You must have been ready to see it sooner than most."

Craig realized that it was the first time that they had actually begun a real conversation with each other, but rather than dwell on that, he kept going. "Well, I remember all of my life. Every bit of it. My job, my boyfriends, my dog. I was twenty-three years old! See, I remember it! Everything, except the very last minute of my life. There is nothing that I remember that would have had me end up... here, so it must have been in that last minute. Right before I got shot."

As Karawan listened, he bent down and untied Craig from the chair. When he was finished, he looked down at the man. Once again, Craig surprised him; usually the humans had several instances they could point to that would lead them to Hell. Of course, one was usually more heinous than the rest, but it was rarely an isolated incident. For the first time in his entire existence, Karawan wondered if the Devil could make a mistake. As a demon of the Dark Lord, he had never thought to question such things.

Turning his attention back to Craig, he said, "Tell me what you remember."

"On my last day, I went down to the corner store near my apartment, just to pick up some soda and a few lotto tickets. I got my stuff and went up to pay, and then a guy in all black with a hood over his face came in the door. He was waving around a gun, and he demanded money. I couldn't just stand there, so I went over to tackle the guy, and that's the last thing I remember. Did I shoot him, too? Is that what got me here?"

Karawan didn't answer him, mostly because he didn't know the answer to Craig's questions. He looked into Craig's eyes, trying to determine if the human was telling the truth. Humans, after all, had a way of lying to demons to try to get them out of their situation further.

Craig's big brown eyes, full of hope and puzzlement stared back at him, and right then, all of Karawan's resolve to punish this man left him. He was sure Craig was telling him the truth, and now he was determined to help. "Are you sure that is all you remember? Nothing else that might lead you here?"

"No, nothing," Craig answered.

Karawan started to pace, fully aware of Craig's eyes boring into him. "I have to be honest with you, hum... Craig. You are my first human subject. I have only just graduated my training to be a full-fledged demon to the Devil, and I have not encountered this situation. I believe what you are saying, and I make no promises, but I will try to help you."

"You will?" Craig was so surprised that he jumped up from his chair, and not even thinking about what he was doing, he ran over and embraced Karawan.

Karawan was surprised at the touch, but he also liked it. He returned the man's embrace and started to stroke his hair, "I will do my best. For now, you must wait here and try to remember those last few moments. I will return shortly." With that, Karawan gently unwrapped Craig's arms from around his midsection and guided him back toward the chair. "I will not bind you, again, but you must not move. Can I trust you?"