Primal Nature

by Monique Singleton

  ‘You are here to witness what I do with traitors. Relay what you see to your people. Convince them that revolution and betrayal will harm all, and not benefit any. You cannot kill me. I am protected by the devil. I have made a pact with him, he watches over me and all my enemies will be delivered into my hands. I will deal with any adversity violently. This is my payment to the devil. He receives the souls of the traitors I slay. There is no rest for them, only pain and agony in this life and the next.’

  The villagers were religious to a fault and they endured the pain and horror of this world with tyrants like Ortiz because of the assurance of a better time in the hereafter. They were promised the heavens by the priests and teachers. Now even the afterlife was at the whim of Ortiz. He was a master of manipulation, playing on the fears and anxieties of his enemies. Add pathological violence and sadism and it was a wonder that anyone even remotely thought of crossing him.

  Signalling to one of the mercenaries, Ortiz turned his back on the elders and walked back to the pavilion. A servant offered him cool drinks. Taking two he gave one to Tonal, who accepted the cool liquid with a smile and a nod. ‘Now it gets interesting’ he whispered. Turning her head, she watched the scene unfold. In the corner of her eye she saw that Dulce was still keeping it together.

  CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

  Two mercenaries came into view dragging a screaming young girl with them. Instantly the prisoner called out to her, this was obviously his daughter. The mercenary behind him didn’t bother to hit him—his grief-stricken cries now served a purpose. Instead he eyed the two lucky comrades with the girl.

  She was a rather plain girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old, her face washed with tears. Screaming and calling for her father, she struggled against the laughing soldiers. They stopped three feet in front of the prisoner, they looked at Ortiz for the next sign as the girl strained against their arms. He nodded in their direction and they started to rip the clothes off the poor girl, to additional desperate cries from her father.

  ‘Please, please she is only fourteen, she knows nothing, she had nothing to do with Alejandro’s attack, please, please.’ His pleas had no effect. The mercenaries continued their task. Ortiz laughed at the scene, he was clearly enjoying it. The fear and apprehension of the elders, the pain of the father and the terror of the daughter. One of the mercenaries held the poor girl, while the other violently raped her. They took turns abusing the terrified child, taking their pleasure in the sex and violence. Eventually she stopped screaming and fighting them, too battered to protest anymore, diminishing their fun.

  Again, Ortiz nodded, and they positioned the girl on her knees opposite her father. The largest of the mercenaries pulled her head back and nonchalantly slit her exposed throat with an enormous hunting knife.

  The horror of the unexpected violent murder caused Dulce to stifle a cry. Tonal heard her, but Ortiz thankfully missed the reaction, too enthralled by what he witnessed.

  He glanced at Tonal pleasure radiating from him. ‘Now you get to see the surprise.’ Offering her his arm he led her to the wall.

  The mercenary holding the girl unceremoniously dragged her body to the wall. The second was untying the prisoner and walking him to the same place. The old man fell to his knees and cradled his dead daughters head. Another soldier pressed a button on a control panel on the wall and a siren went off. The sound was piercing, it continued for about twenty seconds, straining the ears. The elders were herded to the edge of the wall overlooking the moat. They were sentenced to watch the rest of the drama unfold.

  Tonal saw movement in the bushes in the moat. ‘There they are.’ Ortiz was exited. He pointed to the massive black-maned lion that had emerged into the clearing. Three tawny lionesses followed him. In the bushes she could see the heads of a few small cubs peaking from the lower shrubs. The male lion looked her straight in the eye, confused by the mixed scents he was picking up. The smell of another predator—one he could not recognise—made him anxious. The prevailing scent of blood soon overpowered his concern, and he growled for his food.

  The lions were majestic, though somewhat gaunt. Their growls of apprehension filled the air. They all smelled the death and blood. A fight broke out between two of the lionesses for the best spot underneath the watching people. The mercenaries grabbed the girl’s arms and legs, tearing her from her father’s grip, and threw her over the wall to the waiting lions. He jumped up screaming his daughter’s name. The sound was quickly drowned by the growls of the fighting cats.

  ‘Let the old man follow his daughter.’ Ortiz ordered, the soldiers grabbed the man and unceremoniously tipped him over the edge, to new screams, this time for his own predicament. He slid down the wall past the spikes, trying in vain to grab one to stop his decent. The big male lion was preoccupied with the body of the girl, fighting two of the lionesses for the choicest pieces. The girl was ripped apart. The remaining lioness focused her attention on the new prey, the man who was struggling to scramble up the steep incline. Bounding up the bank, she reached him within seconds, biting into his foot and hooking her claws into his leg. Renewing his screams, he fought the lioness, naturally to no avail. The massive feline pulled him down the moat wall and out into the clearing. Another lioness instantly bit the man in the neck effectively silencing him. The elders had averted their faces, not able to watch the vicious scene unfold.

  Tonal didn’t blame the lions, they were doing what came naturally. The blame lay with Ortiz and his fellows. The goal of the demonstration—besides feeding Ortiz’s own bloody urges—had been achieved. The elders were sick to their stomach and would relay the scenes to the silly few who would dare to dream about opposing the tyrant.

  ‘Remember what you saw’ he threatened them for good measure ‘you will be next, if anyone tries to oppose me again. I will throw your wives, sons and daughters to the lions while you watch. They will be torn apart before your eyes. You will see your loved ones go to hell. It is your responsibility, this lies on your heads.’ Dismissing them with a wave of his hand, he turned back to the feasting lions. The cubs had joined their parents on the bloody bodies. There were three of them. Probably three to four months old.

  Holding up one of their own, who no longer had the strength to stand on his legs, the elders hurried to their carriages, lest Ortiz change his mind and punish them further. The sights they had seen would haunt their nightmares for years to come. The man and his family had been prominent members of the small community, the father had been a peaceful man who preached subservience. Even he had not been safe from Ortiz’ wrath.

  Tonal stole a glance at Dulce, who was pale and quietly shivering. She had managed to stop herself from reacting to the barbaric actions, but it cost her a lot of energy to remain standing where she was. Only the mission and the certainty that they would succeed held her in her role. Tonal in turn needed to delve into all her restraints to stop the change from happening here and now. She was so angry at the brutal and useless violence that had taken place. She was ready to take out Ortiz and all the mercenaries around him. Only the conviction that this would probably cost Dulce her life stopped her from doing just that. The effort was enormous to stop the claws from breaking through her fingertips. Luckily Ortiz was preoccupied with the lions. Feeling that she was being observed, she turned her gaze to the right. There the mercenary she knew as Croc looked straight into her eyes. He had been watching her, sensing the inner turmoil. She had to be careful with this one. He was not convinced by her façade. She had encountered resistance from him before and expected that he had been given the task of observing her throughout the “show”. She smiled at him and raised her glass. Her hand was level, not a shiver to be seen. Walking over to Ortiz she hooked her arm behind his and joined him in viewing the carnage below. Happy with her reaction he lightly kissed her cheek.

  ‘So, my lovely, what do you think of my cats?’

  Radiating her smile, she answered ‘They are delightful,’ she licked her lips to emphasise her words. �
��So vicious, so wonderfully wild.’

  They stayed there for a few minutes more until Ortiz tired of the scene.

  He whispered in her ear ‘this show is over and I’m ready for the next one. Death always turns me on, I’m hard for you’ rubbing his groin up against her leg to demonstrate his libido. ‘Let’s go to my quarters.’

  CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

  Dismissing his servants—all but Croc—he steered her towards the villa. She had known that this would probably have to happen to gain his trust. The plan was that she would seduce and kill him when they were alone. However, Croc followed them into the bedroom. Anticipating her reaction, Ortiz cut off any discussion.

  ‘He stays’. Feigning indifference she shrugged and crept up closer to him. ‘Move for me’ he whispered hoarsely.

  She disentangled herself from his hold and moved backwards a few feet. Croc put on some seductive music. Closing her eyes, she started to sway to the tones. Slowly she moved her hands over her supple form, exciting Ortiz even more. She turned, bent and moved like a seasoned lap dancer, driving him mad. Opening her eyes, she regarded him while she slowly slipped the spaghetti shoulder bands of her dress down over her arms. Turning around, and watching him over her shoulder, she pulled the zipper down inch by inch, finally ending just above her bright red G-string. She bent over forward and slipped the dress off down her long legs, flexing the muscles of her buttocks and hamstrings. It was too much for Ortiz to bear and he grabbed her, turning her around he groped her breasts. He was rough and had no consideration for her feelings. She had expected this and paid him back in kind. She grabbed his throbbing member and squeezed hard. He took as good as he gave, enjoying the tension.

  She opened his pants, freeing his engorged penis. He pushed her head down and she took him in her mouth, biting down on the hard tissue. He called out, a combination of pain and unbearable excitement. Only able to take it for a minute he roughly pulled her up again by her hair and threw her on the bed, ripping off her string. His pants down past his knees, he entered her brutally. She cried out in what seemed to be ecstasy. Banging away and viciously squeezing her breast he came within seconds. Spent, he collapsed on top of her.

  From the corner of her eye she looked at Croc. He was still observing her, dis-passionately so it seemed. The bulge in his pants belied this. She turned her head to look at him, openly eyeing his erection and smiled, much to his discomfort. It had the intended reaction, anger coloured his face. She had won the first round. But it was a dangerous game.

  Ortiz rolled over off her and looked at her body. ‘Take off the rest of your clothes’ he ordered, indicating her stockings and garter belt. She complied, and he pulled her back on to the bed. Softly, almost lovingly, he stroked her full breasts and flat stomach.

  ‘You are beautiful’ he murmured. ‘My soul-mate.’

  CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

  It took all of my restraint not to kill the bastard as he snored next to me. I felt filthy, violated, soiled. I desperately wanted to clean myself. Soak in a bath and scrub my skin until his stench had left me. Until I could no longer smell his sickly hot breath. His sweat. His semen.

  I let my mind roam. Back to Alex’s visit and to lovemaking that I had enjoyed. I tried to imagine his scent, his body here next to me. To no avail. I couldn’t reconcile that night, that excitement with the revulsion that I felt now. I would just have to grin and bear it. Worse than that. I would have to play along. Pretend my lust matched that of Ortiz and that my hunger for his body was real. Well it was, but in a different way than he thought. That momentarily brought a smile to my lips.

  Feigning sleep I rested and waited for the morning.

  CHAPTER SIXTY

  Croc stayed the whole night. Witnessing the renewed libido of his boss and the further degradation of Tonal. She played her role well, seemingly enjoying the brutal sex and giving as good as she got.

  She had no idea what had become of Dulce, and inquiring was out of the question. In her role she would not be the slightest bit interested in what happened to her servant. After all they were a dime-a-dozen. Privately, she was worried. Dulce could take care of herself in normal conditions. But what had happened last night, and the large number of mercenaries in the complex was everything but normal. Tonal feared that one or more of them might have tried to seduce or rape Dulce. She could do nothing more than wait until morning, listening with her keen sense of hearing to pick up the slightest scream or cry from her friend.

  She didn’t sleep, though she feigned it. Croc stayed in his allotted place next to the door. He only moved to follow her into the bathroom when she needed to relieve herself, standing by the door during the process. There was no privacy to be had, not yet, not until Ortiz trusted her. She expected that would not be anytime soon. This mission was taking longer than they had expected. Ortiz was much more careful than they had calculated. They would have to sit it out. The longer the mission took, the more dangerous it became, especially for Dulce. Tonal could get out any time, but not without Dulce.

  The early morning light shone though the slatted windows. The pleasant chirping of the birds belied the tension that she felt. Ortiz moved beside her, mumbling unintelligible words, occasionally thrashing out at some hidden enemy in his dreams. Was it possible that he suspected her? More than likely. He was paranoid to a fault. But it was functional, it kept him alive. She resisted the urge to accidentally hit him in his wounded arm. Instead she stroked his manhood, slowly waking him to her administrations, mimicking lust. Opening his eyes, he rolled over, so she could easily take him in her mouth. Forcing back the urge to vomit all over him, she continued her acting, finally bringing him to a climax. Her face became a mass of locked muscles, but still she smiled at him. He brushed her away and abruptly stood up, walking to the bathroom where he noisily relieved himself, much to the annoyance of Croc. This in turn amused Tonal.

  Returning to the bedroom, Ortiz dressed himself without bothering to shower, strapped on his gun and left for the door. At the last moment remembering that she was there, he turned and addressed her.

  ‘The chauffeur will bring you back home, I have business to attend to. I will send for you.’

  ‘Don’t wait too long’ she crooned. Bringing a smile to his face.

  ‘I will need you soon.’ Lust once again lighting up his eyes, he crossed back to the bed, kissed her and viciously squeezed her breast, causing her to cry out. ‘I will call for you before that bruise is gone’ he answered.

  Carefully she forced the hairs on her back to recede, the claws to stay inside her fingers. It took an enormous effort. She would have to remember the bruise so that she could reinstate it when he called. Her body would heal from such a small injury within a few seconds. She willed her body to ignore the bruise. Not to reabsorb the blood under the skin. Ortiz was gone, but Croc was still in the room. Stretching her athletic frame languidly she stood up from the bed and strutted into the room. Constantly observed by Croc. Bending over in his line of sight with her back to him, she was delighted to see the unease and resulting anger in Croc's demeanour. She enjoyed baiting him, it was a dangerous game but consistent with the arrogant bitch that she was portraying, and the only pleasure she could derive from this miserable business. When she turned around and put her hand seductively between her legs, it proved too much for the sullen mercenary and he left the room, the sound of her laughter ringing in his ears, his head a fine shade of red and sporting an enormous bulge in his pants.

  Tonal quickly bathed the grime and semen from her body, repulsed by the thought that Ortiz’s stench would stay with her one minute more that absolutely necessary. Her unease at Dulce’s fate spurred her on as well. Dressed in the same garment as yesterday—minus the torn string—she left the room and headed to the veranda where the scene had unfolded the day before. To her relief Dulce was already standing there, looking no worse for wear. Indicating that she remained silent, Tonal led the way to the waiting car and stepped into the dark and welcome interior. Dulce
quickly followed, and the chauffeur started up the extravagant vehicle. They passed the main gateway and the moat. The lions now out in the open, sated by their meal from the evening before. After they passed the checkpoints and emerged out on to the main road, Tonal allowed herself an internal sigh of relief. They had passed yet another test.

  Returning to their hotel room, they remained in character. It was very possible, actually probable, that Ortiz had bugged the room. He didn’t trust them out of his sight. By the end of the day they had packed up their belongings and, in sync with the cover story, were on their way to the city where Tonal had her business.

  They finally arrived at the secure compound on the outskirts of the city that was their home away from home and were able to talk about the previous day and night. Tonal quizzed Dulce and found out that she had found a small room belonging to one of Ortiz’s servants and barricaded herself in the tiny compartment for the duration of the night. The servant told her that the mercenaries had searched for her but had abandoned the task for the easily available booze and two visiting whores from the village. The room had a view of the courtyard and Dulce had emerged only after she had seen Croc leave the room where Tonal was.

  What had happened to Tonal stayed unspoken. It was obvious to Dulce how much her friend had sacrificed for this mission, and out of respect she avoided the questions that would humiliate her even more. Revulsion for the tyrant was written clearly across Tonal’s face now they were in a relatively safe place. But no matter how repulsed they were by the brutality and arrogance of the tyrant and his henchmen, they had no choice but to continue the mission and play by intuition, never knowing what would happen next.