The Devil's Pet

Chapter 14

Thursday June 25, 2008

Flickering orange flames rose and fell as they steadily dimmed, throwing light against the brick pit while the fire burned down to coals. The fire had been burning hot for hours so the large brick pit gave off intense heat even as its fuel was mostly spent. Sean stretched out in the lawn chair for a long pause soaking up the heat, then after a sigh that ended in a yawn finally decided to go in the house and try to get some sleep. It had been a long day and he was expecting company tomorrow. He was just about in the back door when he heard that now familiar voice,

“Well done Sean Francis, you deserve a drink, come over here and join me.”

When he turned around he saw Sam sitting in front of a resurgent fire smoking a cigar and drinking a large glass of whiskey. Sitting on a table next to him was another full glass. Sam waved him over,

Sean had expected a visit after his choice today but not this soon, he thought that shows how closely Sam was watching. He said, “I thought you’d never ask.” Walked over, sat down next to Sam and took a long drink of whiskey. Until now, he had resisted the urge to drink today. The strong liquor felt warm and reassuring flowing through his body.

“I never had any doubt about you my boy. Those two deserved everything you gave them and more. Now you can rest well knowing I’ll make sure they suffer until it no longer amuses me.”

This was it. He had made the choice, he wondered what happens next. No sooner did he have the thought than Sam answered him.

“I’ll tell you what happens next, we instill you with the necessary tools and get you to hone your new skills before you set about more important tasks.” 

Sam was happy and it showed.

“What about Cathy when does she go free?”

“You made the right choice and I’ll keep my word but only after you’re a little more seasoned. We’ll get to her in due time, but for now we need to make sure you have what you need.”

Sam stood up and gently placed his hand on the top of Sean’s head. Instantly he felt a tingling sensation like soft electricity coursing down through his body.

It was wonderful.

When he was in college he had partied quite a bit before meeting Paula and had done some drugs like pot and cocaine, even some crystal meth a couple of times. His experiences with drugs paled in comparison to this sensation, it was immediately addictive. Now he understood why Boss had seemed so happy when Sam ran his hands over him.

A heightened awareness of senses overpowered him as a new kaleidoscope of sounds, scents and sights flooded into his brain. It was as if all his life his senses were funneled through a straw and it had just been replaced with a fire hose. He didn’t know how long Sam stood beside him, touching him. Time didn’t matter as long as he could continue feeling the sensation. He felt an ecstasy he had never experienced before—but he damn sure knew he wanted to experience it again.

When Sam finally removed his hand the electric sensation ended but lingering effects remained. So much sensory information was coming in at once it flooded his brain to the point of overloading his synapses. He responded by closing his eyes and covering his ears, he drew a deep breath and noticed the air smelled differently, it was thick with scents he had never detected before. Then slowly over the next few minutes he released his hands from his ears one at a time and opened one eye after the other. It was still too much for his eyes so he cupped his hands to block his peripheral vision.

Watching a mosquito in this manner against the fire light Sean could easily track it and if he focused his attention heard the sound of its beating wings. It flew closer and with little effort he deftly reached out with his right hand and snatched it from mid-air between his thumb and forefinger. No wonder Boss had not been concerned when Sean had a gun pointed at him from close range. Had it not been for the heavenly assistance Sean would never have survived the encounter, he knew that now.

Sam sat back in his chair with the cigar and sipped whiskey watching Sean as if he were a child learning to walk.

“You have physical abilities to do things you never could before, not even in your youth. For now you need to practice using your new skills, become comfortable with them. Stand up and move around, get used to it.”  Sam waved his hand lazily gesturing for Sean to move about.

Realizing he was being ordered around like a…well, shit—like a pet—he wanted to be angry, to be defiant, but he was SO exhilarated that it was all he could do not to giggle with delight. Standing up he took several steps forward, sure that his legs were moving but he felt almost magnetically afloat, much more nimble than ever before, able to move in any direction quickly, precisely. On an errant whim he took a standing jump and was surprised when he sailed over the top of his chair and landed neatly on the other side wearing a crazy happy grin on his face. Instead of a world record jump he felt like he had just stepped over a matchbox.

From the corner of his eye he saw Sam pitch his lit cigar toward him tumbling through the air, anyone else would have moved out of the way to avoid the burning missile. However to Sean it appeared to travel in slow motion rolling end over end through the air leaving plenty of time for him to grab it cleanly by the butt end then twirl it around his fingers several times like a smoking baton before walking over and handing it back to Sam. He couldn’t help smiling from ear to ear, this was cool, and he was having fun.

The fact that he was enjoying the touch of Satan was an issue that dangled in the distance. Yes, he was vaguely aware of it but couldn’t focus his attention around it. His touch was a pleasure without parallel, an invitation to want more. Getting lost in this new world of pleasure and senses would be easy if he let himself go but he had to stay focused for Cathy. This thought brought an instant reply from Sam,

“I told you we’ll get to her, a deal is a deal and although I’m hell on Earth your wish will be granted because you please me. But know this human, you’ve made your choice and your free will belongs to me now. You’ll do as you’re told and enjoy life at my whim.”

Sean felt anger well up inside him when he heard those stark words.

Sam reached over and lightly gripped Sean’s wrist.

Sean’s resistance lagged back behind his exhilaration at Sam’s touch.  In his haze he felt a deep love for Cathy, but even his feelings for his daughter were not as sharply in focus as before. Strong love, yes, but a distinct purpose was beginning to recede. He heard Sam speaking to him inside his mind and looked at him sitting in the chair. Although he didn’t talk, Sean still heard him,

“Sean Francis you understand what I want you to do until we meet again, right?”

“Yes, I do Master.