James Joseph Kuttikkadan - banker, smart, handsome, clever and just turning 34, slowly drove on to park the car on the left side of the road. It was 7pm on a Friday. Just as he was about to step out, he heard a knock on the window pane. Smiling at him from right outside the door, was a beautiful girl, signalling him to lower the window pane.
"Could you please do me a favor?" She asked, while he did her bidding and lowered the window pane. She leaned in through the open window and continued. "I need four bottles of beer. You know how difficult the queue gets here, and I'm a girl." She raised her eyebrows in pretend vexation as if the significance of the last part of the sentence needn't be explained. "Please do get them for me, wouldn't you?"
James seemed to be hearing her from a distance as his eyes ran astray over her body, checking her out as she leaned forward through the car window. "Hey", she called out, shaking with laughter. "My face is up here".
"Pardon... I" James jolted back to his senses, stuttering and blushing deeply. "What did you tell me? What is that you need? I missed it."
"Four beer bottles. Take this." She pushed two notes of 2000 Rupees each, into his hands, adding, "If it was Bangalore, I would have walked right in there and demanded it. But, here, no. It's different here." She rolled her eyes. He could almost hear her whisper "People!" while he took off the key from the ignition.
"Sure. Let me get it for you." James replied.
"You do that. I'll wait in your car. It's scorching hot outside." She said walking over to the door on the other side. "But..." James protested.
"Hey, thanks." Barely listening to him, she got inside the car, closed the door shut and leaned back on the seat.
James had a smile on him while he got out of the car. He bit his lips as he walked over to the queue. "What a fine day!" He felt like whistling. Most of the queue was outside on the road, curved at several places, like a huge serpent. It was extremely hot, and it took him a while to reach the counter. By then, his shirt was drenched in sweat. While walking back with the bottles, he noticed her dozing off in the car. "Must be tired." James thought to himself.
"Long day, huh?" James asked, patting on her shoulder, waking her. "Here's your beer. Can I drop you somewhere?"
"Oh, drop me? Yeah, it's here, close by. If you're game, we can finish off these bottles then. I'm all alone today and have all the time in the world." Her smile seemed reassuring.
James could feel his heart pulsating. He could perceive the pen pinned to his shirt-pocket vibrating, as his heart thumped inside him. "Okay. But I don't take beer. Got my stuff right here." He raised another packet in his hand, checking his palpitation before it showed on his face. "Shall I buy something to munch on, then?"
"Not at all, I can whisk up something really special. You'll die for it. It'll be that awesome." She smiled proudly. "Excellent. Let's go then. Direct me" he said, his enthusiasm getting the better of him by then.
Her house was indeed close by, near the highway, behind a line of street shops. It stood secluded, farther inside behind a line of shrubs, forming a hedge of near-human height. While driving, his eyes wandered on to the appealing food platters arranged in front of the street side food shops. He turned and looked at her again and she had a naughty smile in her eyes. "Don't, I told you I'm cooking", she insisted. Food was the least of his worries since he had gotten on to the driveway of her house, which an absolute struggle to drive on. He had a feeling that the driveway had not been in contact with a tire for ages.
"Scared?" The naughty smile was back on her lips now. He didn't reply, instead, shot her another question. "Are you staying alone, here?"
"Nothing can scare you when you stay close to a highway. It's safe. Besides, I get company occasionally. Alright, let's not take the car further in. The tires might not stand it", she said. He had the same impression as he listened to the weird noises coming from under the car.
She rushed to open the door, then, turned and invited him in. "Careful, there's not even moonlight to guide us. Besides you have beer bottles too." Even in the absence of light, he could see her teeth glistening like pearls as she laughed. He stood transfixed for a moment before joining her. She turned all the lights on as they stepped into the room.
They had just entered a huge hall. The interior was beautifully done. Furniture seemed to be brand new. Each of them was covered with plastic. But... There was an overwhelming stench in the room, which strongly reminded him of hospitals.
"Please don't mind the smell. I'm a stickler for neatness and freak out at the slightest speck of dust lying around. Hence, I disinfect everything quite often. Routine..." She clarified hurriedly, noticing him flinch in disgust.
"It's dangerous to be exposed to this smell for long. We should open the windows." He said, moving over, trying to open the nearby window. "Hey, stop it! What are you doing? Dust will come in through there. I don't like it. You just try to open the beer." She raised her voice. James turned back, shocked, registering the change in her tone.
She continued, pointing to a door. "You can go and take a shower if you like. That's the washroom." He was still looking around the room, taking in the details. The room was more than twenty feet long. The end was partitioned as a dining area. Television was placed there too. The partition could be drawn off completely if required.
A bible verse was etched on the wall near the dining area...
"Give us each day, our daily bread - Luke 11:3"
"I still can't believe it" James turned to her as he told, "How can you stay in this house, all by yourself?"
"Oh, I was kidding." Her naughty smile returned yet again. "I always have company. Even now, there's someone in the fridge". She pointed to the kitchen.
"What!" James exclaimed.
"But, it's sad. The poor guy doesn't have a head. Still, not bad for a company. You wait here, let me change into something comfortable. Will be back soon." She turned and walked towards the bedroom, taking off her T-Shirt on the way.
James stood rooted, reeling in shock. "What did she just say to me?" He peeked in through the half-open door of the kitchen. An extremely oversized refrigerator was kept near the kitchen shelves.
"Yoo Hoo!" James jumped as he heard her flirty voice from the bedroom. He turned to look. There she was, in a long black gown, the end laces trailing on the floor. He could distinctly make out the glitter in her eyes and her teeth flashing as she asked him "Is fear setting in now?" She was smirking. What stupefied James was a shadow beside her, on the ground. It was an upside-down crucifix, as tall as a human body. "What's that?" James asked, pointing to the shadow. "Why is that upside down?"
"You go to the kitchen and ready the glasses for us, instead of staring at me changing". Her voice was laced with sweet naughtiness.
James was alarmed now. Something was horribly wrong here.
She came out of the bedroom, biting her lips, winking. She stood there, a sensuous smile pasted on her lips as James walked as if he was in some dream, towards the kitchen.
Reaching the kitchen, James looked at the fridge. "Should I open and take a quick look?" he wondered. His fingers were shaking slightly while he reached for it. That's when he saw it. "Good Lord!" He exclaimed, taking two steps back. There was a pool of blood on the floor. Blood was still dripping through the closed door of the refrigerator. After a second, he regained composure. Held the handle of the fridge and started tugging on it.
"Hey man!" As if he was coming out of nowhere, a man darted into the room, shouting. "That's so rude! Opening someone's fridge without permission! Shame on you." He said.
"Who are you? She..." James stuttered.
"Come to the hall. I'll explain." The unexpected entrant told James.
"But, the glasses..." James's voice trailed off.
The man waved his hand. "Oh, that's nothing. Misdirection."
James was astounded at the sight that was waiting for him, back in the hall. A few young men were sitting scattered across the hall, as if they were expecting him. Two of them were spreading a plastic mat on the floor. The inverted crucifix was taken out of the bedroom and kept in the hall. It was a horrible sight!
A beautiful woman was leaning on to the inverted effigy of Jesus. Tip of her right stiletto was inside the wound on Jesus's chest.
"What the fuck is going on here?" James shouted. His fear had driven his voice to an abnormally high pitch.
"Ssshhh... Quiet!" The first man covered James's mouth. He moved to face James and smiled at him. His canines were abnormally long and sharp. The words of fear that was unspoken, fell out as heavy breathing, melting away in the cold silence that followed.
Something made an unrecognizable clicking noise and the same instant, James doubled forward with a hand covering the back of his neck. He turned and look at a guy standing right behind him, with a strange sort of syringe.
"Now you can sit down on the couch", helping James walk back to it.
"What's all this? What are you doing to me? Why? I'm James! You've mistaken me for someone else, I'm sure!" James explained.
"Ah, that's what you think? No, we haven't mistaken you for anyone else", said the man. You're good. Healthy, fit, more than enough for us to party. All we need to check is if you've got AIDS or something, in which case, we'd be screwed. Not to worry, we can check that right away."
Bosco pulled a chair, sat facing James and asked: "James, have you ever heard of a Guillotine?"
"I have to leave. This isn't happening." James jumped up, ignoring the question. That's when he realized it. His legs were paralyzed! He couldn't feel them anymore. He fell, face-forward on to the floor. James felt his heart sinking. A freezing chill seemed to be eating its way up from his fingers.
"Sad!" murmured Bosco, pulling James up and sitting him back on the couch. Someone from behind James pulled his collar back.
"What you got injected with, James is a muscle relaxant. However hard you try, you can't stand erect, let alone walk. So, please relax and listen to me." Bosco said, "I'll explain". Then he turned to the others in the room and called out. "Guys, someone please get in there are fetch the machine"
In a couple of minutes, two men came back into the room, pushing a huge steel machine across the floor and placed it on the plastic mats that were arranged on the floor.
"This, my friend, is Guillotine!" Bosco explained, fondly looking at the huge machine. "It's a killing machine which's been used since the 17th century. This amazing invention changed the definition of 'Execution' forever!" He stopped for a moment, looked back in James's eyes and continued with distinct pride in his voice. "We have recreated it here, in its entire glory, in this century. A brand new electric guillotine! Awesome. Isn't it?"
James couldn't respond. He was exhausted, and his tongue felt heavy.
"Now listen carefully. Don't try to talk. I'll explain what happens next". Bosco was getting ecstatic at the mere thought of what's to happen. "First, we send your blood for ELISA test, to check for AIDS. The results would arrive in 20 - 30 minutes. By then, your body would almost recover from the induced paralysis. Then we'll push your head in through this opening over here, limbs tied up of course.
Bosco lifted a panel to reveal an opening through which a human head could be inserted. The curved edge of the opening was razor sharp. "When we switch on the machine, the upper blade would rise as high as the ceiling. Once we release the lock, it'll come swishing down. A hundredth of a second and it'd be over! Your head will be split from your neck, by the end of the brain stem." Bosco finished the description, closed his eyes and smiled in satisfaction, imagining the scene.
"It's the three minutes after this, that you should be proud of. For what it's worth, your life would have some significance to us then." Bosco stopped, made an attempt to make a kindly smile and continued in a hurry. "After the head comes off, the eyes start their dance. The victims keep batting their eyelashes, all the while staring at the person right in front. A look that pierces your heart all the way through!"
By now, Bosco was finding it hard to contain his excitement. He smacked his lips and continued... "Now, what I just told you, is mere observation. No one really knows what you feel. Does the head have any life after it's cut? Does it have any consciousness or pain or feeling? None of these questions are answered yet! Just imagine. People have been trying from the 17th century"
Bosco straightened himself up, relaxed a bit, before continuing, more to himself than to James. "Today we need to see if we can find some answers."
He turned to James again and said "you know what you've to do? I'll give you a few ideas. If you're conscious, bat your eyes twice. If it hurts, do it thrice. Some of us even believe that all your life might flash before your eyes. If it's indeed so, try to smile once. Is that clear?" Bosco excitedly repeated the instructions once again. Then, he added, suddenly remembering. "Oh, and, please do not try to make any sound. You see, your throat would be full of blood, right? The sound that emanates from you, if you try, would be an unendurable, high-frequency howl. It's ghastly! Unbearable, really." Bosco shook his head as if to cast away such memories.
"Oh, yeah, that's true!" The rest of the gang nodded in agreement. "It just kills your sleep for days."
"Wh... why? Why are you doing this to me?" Somehow, James just managed to push the words out of his lips.
"Oh, that's an excellent question", said Bosco, "I'm getting there. You see, our bible clearly instructs that we need to sympathize with the quarry, never hurt him and to explain everything to him in detail, before he is executed." He lifted a bulky book off the coffee table and opened it. The front cover of the book bore a golden inscription which read "The Book of Lucifer"
"Look at us, there are six of us." Bosco rose from the chair and stepped aside, making room and then called out "hey guys, come and stand here with me, let James see all of us."
Bosco waited for the others to join him, before continuing. "We're chosen ones. You might've heard about the inverted cross. I'm sure you can guess who we worship. The Gospel says by his death on the cross, Jesus conquered all evil in the world and beat Satan. But that's all nonsense. The real Satan rule is yet to come. Not for a year or two. A 4000-year-old golden reign of our Emperor". Everyone raised their arms in the air and chanted "Amen". That's when James noticed that each of them had six fingers in both their arms. The intense feeling that lit all those eyes was unmistakable reverence.
Bosco continued "Every city has a chosen set of 6 or 13 members like us - small Satanist Families. But, we have a slight complication. We can't eat or drink normal food as you do. We must drink blood, eat human meat. Our bodies reject any other food. We have no other option."
"Once the head is cut off, we'll gather around this cross and read The Bible for around 5 minutes. Oh, and don't confuse it for the Christian - Hebrew Bible", Bosco winked and continued "We have a different Bible. The other one is forbidden for us. Once The Dark Lord is pleased with the ceremonial worship, he'll signal us. There would either be a Thunderstorm, or the crucified effigy will start bleeding profusely. That's when we start feasting."
"First, we remove the brain from your head. It's a very delicate procedure, not at all easy as it sounds. Very hard, indeed." Bosco nodded, asserting. "We make a long straight cut on the forehead and pull the skin neatly back, like skinning an orange. Inside, as you know, there is a skull. I'm not sure if you've seen a skull for real. It has a lot of small joints. We insert this small chisel through each of these joints." Bosco had been enacting this procedure the entire time with his hands, moving them slowly in the air, in front of his chest, like a dexterous surgeon. He continued "Then, we slowly knock each of these bones off, opening the skull wide. Then we find the Meninges or the brain membrane layers. We make some precise cuts on this sack and take out the brain." Bosco's mouth seemed to be watering now.
"Then we cut this incredible organ into six long pieces, like a watermelon. You see, the brain is one of the cleanest organs. It can be eaten raw. So, there is our appetizer. Bread, brain, and cheese with a sip of wine! Ah, heaven." Bosco closed his eyes again, savoring this thought.
"Amen!" The others murmured in agreement. James felt sick. His face convulsed in nausea. The party roared with laughter. The loud, eerie noise reverberated from several parts of the huge ghastly house. The wind seemed to be howling right outside the closed windows. The darkness seemed to be thickening. James's head drooped, and his tongue lolled out.
"Let's start!", cried Bosco, picking a syringe and handing over to Merin.
"This is insane!" Murmured James.
"Mr. James," Bosco talked on as Merin extracted James's blood with the syringe. "Would you call a tiger insane, when it hunts a deer? It's just hungry. That's what we do. We're hungry. We need to eat. Each of your parts would be used to prepare several delicacies. You read the inscription on that wall, right? Give us each day, our daily bread... That's what you are. That's all you are... our bread for today."
Now Bosco turned to the others in the group and said "I repeat what I tell you each time. Don't let go of your self-control. Don't be shaken and let temptation get the better of you. It's dangerous." He took out several disposable syringes from his pocket and placed them on the coffee table. Then he kept a bottle of LSD (a dangerous drug) next to the syringes. "Don't overdose. 25-30 milligrams. Not more. Give a shot to James too. Let him enjoy real pleasure for once before he dies."
After the shot, James was more exhausted and deranged. Everything he heard now, seemed like a joke. Laughing was uncontrollable and suffocating. The Satanic Youth were in the same condition. But, they could collect themselves at times, to wait for instructions.
40 minutes passed. Finally, the guillotine was switched on. There was no need to bind James's limbs. He put his head inside the opening, without even being asked for it. LSD was working its pattern in him.
Long dark shadows cast on the floor flickered in dim light. James could hear incantations in the background. "O Dark Lord, Prince of Darkness..." The voice seemed to be coming from far off. Hundreds of furious snakes seemed to be hissing in unison somewhere afar. James could hear some words of the prayer. But all of it seemed to be funny somehow. He kept on laughing madly when the panel was lifted.
"O My Lord Satan, my prince, my almighty!!" roared Bosco, releasing the lock. The blade came swishing down, hissing like a monstrous serpent.
"Oh God!", shouted James as he opened his eyes. "What a dreadful dream!" He closed and opened his eyes once again, trying to erase the nightmare.
"Oh No!" He couldn't believe it. Bosco was right in front of him, peering down into his eyes.
"Tell me, James. Are you conscious now? Please tell me. Does it hurt? Bat your eyes, please. Do you see your past flash before your eyes?" Bosco asked.
James closed and opened his eyes again. Bosco was right there. But, his vision was blurred now.
"Please let me know." Bosco knelt, bringing his face close to James's.
"Shut the fuck up, you bastard!" James's lips moved. The words didn't come out. Instead, an unendurable, high-frequency howl filled the room, as James closed his eyes one last time.
~ Alex John - Thrissur
