The Rabbit Hole Ch. 06

"I did, you piece of shit." Penny sat up, putting her weight on her knees. "I remembered things I wanted gone forever. Are you happy?" She ran her hands over her clothes, trying to wipe away the amber liquid, but they were soaked through. God, how long had she been in here?

"Power is pain."

"Listen. I'm a performer. You can quit with being vague and mysterious for effect. You're not impressing anyone." Penny wiped her face and was surprised to find traces of tears there. "Just tell me, did it work?"

"Yes."

"I have power now?"

"Yes."

"Prove it."

"No." The room shook. Penny rose to her feet.

"I came here for power. I passed your test. Where is the power promised? I went through pain. More pain than you can know, you mysterious piece of shit. Give me the power. I deserve it. I've earned it!"

The room echoed with Penny's shouts. She waited to hear the Voice rumble back to her. Instead, she heard a wind whip up from down the tunnel she entered through. She turned around and saw a black smoke, almost a fog spiraling towards her. She opened her mouth to scream, and the smoke charged into her. It went down her throat and filled her lungs. It had a physicality to it. Penny could feel it pressing against the side of her throat, against her diaphragm and chest. It was more thing than gas. It was more real than smoke. She tried to scream, but nothing happened. She braced herself against the wall and held firm while the darkness entered her.

When it was over, there wasn't a sound in the chamber, not even the sound of Penny's ragged breathing. She panted, trying to catch her breath, and waiting for the Voice's response. Nothing came.

"Shhh -" she tried to speak, but only thin and ragged breath came out. She moved her lips helplessly, wheezing, but not forming words. A weakness overtook her. She needed to go. She needed to sleep. It wasn't safe here. Something was wrong, and she needed to speak with Camille. She needed help. She tried to move, but her legs were like lead. She tried to step but tripped. She hit her head against the basin as she went down. As darkness took her, she saw the amber liquid on the ground creeping toward her.

*********

One week later ...

"The new girl is cute," said Penny from a comfortable chair in Camille Kontalban's office. The vampiric writer was beautiful. She had long curly black hair that she wore in a loose bun. It was striking against her pale skin and delicate features. She had a crisp white blouse and tight suit pant. She looked corporate but feminine. Penny approved.

"How was your trip?" said Camille, ignoring the comment.

"Productive."

"Painful?" asked Camille with a smirk.

"Productivity always is."

"Power is pain," said Camille.

Penny's smile wilted. "Yes."

"But it worked."

"I have to test it more thoroughly. It's hard to work with rural Austrians if you don't speak German."

"Indeed."

"I thought you had lied," said Penny, leaning forward. "I thought you had tricked me."

"You were foolish to trust me so eagerly. You were desperate."

"I was weak," said Penny, sitting back. "That won't happen again."

"No," said Camille, taking a sip from her slim coffee cup. "I imagine it won't."

"Is that where you went? Is that how you became ... what you are?"

Camille took another long sip of her coffee. She placed the cup back down on its saucer and looked at Penny pointedly.

"You should have tried commanding them to speak English," she said finally.

"The Austrians?"

"Yes."

"In English?"

"Yes."

"That would work?"

Camille shrugged. "Griselbrand never makes the same deal twice. You should try it."

"Speak Russian," said Penny. The words seemed to have a deeper note to them, a bass that thrummed through them.

Camille laughed as though the words tickled her. "Penny, dear, not on me. Try on a mortal." She spoke in crisp English.

Penny pursed her lips. "Fine." She stood to leave. Camille wasn't going to give her any explanations. She found Penny amusing. Cute. Weak.

"You've recovered well for your time in the cave."

Penny paused but didn't sit back down. "A few days in the hospital. My voice returned. When I told the nurses to leave, they didn't hesitate. When I told them to get me new clothes, they obeyed. It was simple, but everyone obeyed."

"And your health?"

"Scrapes and bruises. They don't know what happened to my voice."

"No." Camille smiled. "They wouldn't."

"It came back."

"Yes." Camille took another sip.

Penny waited for Camille to say something else, to ask a question, to do anything, but the pale woman took another sip of coffee. She stared at Penny with her deep, patient eyes. Penny was wasting time, but Camille had more time than she knew what to do with.

"I thought you were trying to kill me," said Penny.

"If I wanted to kill you," Camille smile wide, showing her teeth, "that would be easy and wasteful." Her smile faded. "You came to me in pain and anger. At such a point, you were half in the clutches of the demon, doing his work for years. I just arranged a formal introduction for your lifelong patron."

Penny's mouth moved, trying to form the dozen questions that sprang to her mind.

Camille smiled. "Go play. You waste time with me. Test your new strength. That is - after all - what you wanted. Yes?"

Penny nodded. Yes. She wanted to go play. She smiled to herself. She very much wanted to go play.

Penny left Camille's mansion and walked through the streets of downtown. It was a grey and rainy day, but there was still a bit of foot traffic. It was a Saturday; people wanted to shop and eat regardless of the weather. A crowd was perfect to play in. No one would notice her influence, and peer pressure was a great counter force to test against.

Penny asked a young woman selling t-shirts to speak in Russian. The woman obeyed. Camille was right. More importantly, she didn't find her behavior strange. Penny asked if the woman was aware she was speaking Russian. She was. Penny asked if she knew how she learned Russian. She didn't. She didn't find it strange that she knew Russian, she didn't find it strange that she suddenly switched to Russian, and she didn't find it strange when she forgot Russian. Most importantly, Penny found she could command the woman to forget about the exchange entirely.

Penny went into a restaurant for some tea. The waitress was pretty but rude. She was slow, lazy, and indignant. Penny followed the young woman into the bathroom and told her to "go fuck yourself." The woman obeyed immediately, fingering herself with enthusiasm. She obeyed each of Penny's suggestions: "moan like a whore," "abandon your bra and panties," "be a docile and attentive servant to all customers," "work harder," and "take on more hours."

Only after she left did she realize everything else she could have done, like thinking of the best insults and comebacks after an argument. Penny's eyes widened with realization. Could she have told the woman to fuck strangers? Could she have made her work naked for the rest of the day? Then a darker voice intruded: could she have told the woman to kill herself?

Penny smiled. Yes. Power is pain, and pain is power.

She found that using her power was intoxicating. She didn't need The Rabbit Hole. She didn't need bells or rain or even her rings. She needed her voice. She was the power. It wasn't a show anymore. On stage, she pretended to be something more than human. Now, she was something more than human. Could someone under her control resist Reyna? Could someone under her control resist Camille? Could she steal their servants and pets? Was she among the elite women of the world, the women who had surpassed humanity for the delicious darkness of control and subjugation?

The smile almost never left Penny's face all day. Except for a middle aged couple arguing behind her at lunch. She didn't like this restaurant. He felt they never got to eat where he wanted to eat. She said they went wherever he wanted all the time. He said he had a bad week and all he wanted was a steak from his favorite restaurant. It went on and on. Penny tried to drown them out, but something about the man's tone grated on her ears. Penny kept turning around to look at them, checking to see if he was grabbing her or threatening her. There was an air of violence in his voice that made the hair on Penny's neck stand on edge.

My aunt pinches me. She twists my nipples. She says things, things I can't repeat. I want to go home. I am home. I want to be safe. Home isn't safe. Where is safe? Where is home?

Penny's throat tightened. It was sore.

"Jesus, you always do this," said the man.

"John, you're hurting me," said the woman.

"If you don't want to eat here, if you're too good to give me what I want the few times I ask for it, let's leave."

Penny turned around. The man, with graying hair, a clean-shaven face, in a pinstripe suit, was gripping the wrist of the woman. She was younger than him, she looked to be in her early thirties. She was Asian, with short black hair, barely touching her shoulders, but long and delicate features. Even from here, Penny could see how tight his grip was. They got up to leave, and before Penny could think better of it, she followed.

Outside the restaurant, on the street, they were arguing. Well, more accurately, he was berating her and she was looking around, embarrassed to be chastised in public by him. Penny moved without thought, almost without will. Her focus was intent. She had heard that in times of crisis, some rescuers would stop thinking. Their bodies would take over, doing exactly what needed to be done before thought could interfere. There was no hesitation, only absolute focus. Such was Penny as she approached them. They didn't look over as she invaded their personal space. The man's face was turning red. Nothing would stop him from putting her in her place.

"Stop," said Penny. The air seemed to shake around her as she said it. The man stopped speaking immediately. It was simple, as though he had lost the power to speak. His face relaxed and the color faded from it.

"Take me to your car." The man turned and walked. The woman walked beside him. "Walk behind him," ordered Penny, and the woman took a step back.

The man lead them wordlessly, and Penny spoke with the woman. She found her name was Jennifer. She introduced herself as Jenny, but Penny pushed on that. He called her Jenny. She preferred Jennifer. The man was named John. He was her husband. They had been married three years. She was not happy. He ignored her most of the time, and then he either wanted sex or he was annoyed with her for something. She felt she could do nothing right. He was always dissatisfied with her.

"Drive us here." Penny showed John the address off Getwell. He put the address in his phone and drove. Jennifer and Penny sat in the back seat.

"Are you scared?" asked Penny.

Jennifer shook her head.

"I'm going to take care of you," said Penny. "He won't hurt you ever again."

Penny knew Jennifer couldn't lie, but the woman still looked uncomfortable, disturbed. Penny ordered her to relax, and she did. She ordered her to cuddle with her in the back seat of the car, and she did. She asked if this helped, and Jennifer said it did. Penny wasn't sure if she could believe her, but she held Jennifer while John drove them to Romantix.

Romantix was a simple sex shop and boutique. The city lacked anything glamorous for adult play, and it had a smell about it. It felt cheap, though for this, Penny didn't mind. In the middle of a Saturday, there were only two other customers in the store and one person behind the counter. The clerk was a woman, young, in her twenties, covered in piercings and tattoos. The two men were both older, overweight, and unremarkable in every way.

Penny quickly took command of the store. There was another employee in the back. Penny told him to close the store and go home for the day. He locked the door on his way out. The two customers were ordered to sit in a corner and look away. The clerk became her attendant.

Penny found an eerie calm in herself. She knew what she was going to do to him. She wondered if she could simply tell him to become a woman. Would he obey? Could he? Could she make him gay with a sentence? The thought made her nervous. She didn't want to accidentally break the spell she had over him. Besides, it wasn't just about teaching him a lesson. It was about empowering Jennifer. She never would be treated this way again. John wouldn't be capable of it after today, and Jennifer wouldn't tolerate it after today.

"Strip," ordered Penny. Both Jennifer and John obeyed. They were wordless in all their deeds, and it was the silence that surrounded her power that disturbed Penny the most. No one protested. No one hesitated. They were all puppets to her now. Each of them was less and less human as long as Penny's power ws wrapped tight about their soul.

"Kneel." They both fell before her. She stood over John. He wasn't much like this. Without his suit, without ruling over a smaller and younger woman, he clearly had no power. Jennifer had nothing to fear, and soon no one would have anything to fear from him.

Penny motioned for the clerk to attend her. The woman had a shockingly pink hair swept to one side, a black tank-top, and black skinny jeans.

"What's your name?"

"Autumn."

"That's a beautiful name." Penny smiled. She brushed a hand through the young girl's hair. Autumn neither smiled nor flinched. Penny hadn't commanded her to.

"Thank you."

"Find me a strap-on and some lube. It should be for an experienced ass, someone who needs more girth and depth than a beginner."

Autumn wordlessly obeyed. Penny brought her attention back to John.

"You will never touch a woman again."

John said nothing. His face didn't change. He was a mask of nothingness that Penny could fill and shape as she pleased.

"When I give you a command, say 'yes, Miss Penny' if it has become absolute truth to you."

"Yes, Miss Penny," said everyone in the sex shop.

Penny smiled. She would have to be more specific.

"John, you will never touch a woman again unless they ask you to."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"Jennifer is in charge now."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"The purpose of your life is to make her happy."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

Penny went over to Jennifer. The young woman was blank as well. There was nothing in there unless Penny put it in there. Jennifer would be whatever Penny wanted, and Penny wanted her to be an instrument of strength, a tool to punish John and men like John forever.

"Jennifer, you hate John."

"Yes, Miss Penny," intoned the woman.

"He is a disappointment. He is nothing."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"You will get whatever satisfaction you can from such a useless piece of shit."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"You may fuck him if you please, but he may not touch you without your permission."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"You may punish him however and whenever you want."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"You deserve better, but do not leave him. He will be your servant if you do not want such a waste of human existence as a husband."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"Are you bisexual?" asked Penny.

"No."

"You are bisexual," said Penny.

"Yes, Miss Penny." Like that, Jennifer was a new woman. Penny chuckled to herself. She could do anything she wanted to any person. No one was above her. Each person was a toy, a doll. Their personalities, their preferences, were nothing to her. It didn't matter what anyone wanted anymore. It only mattered what Penny wanted.

"You find women attractive."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"They make you wet."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"You find me attractive. I make you wet."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"Become wet."

"Yes, Miss Penny." Penny saw the signs of her command immediately. Jennifer's eyes locked on to Penny's body. Her breaths were deeper, almost ragged. Penny admired Jennifer's chest rise and fall with lust as she admired Penny. Penny liked to be admired.

Autumn returned with a bright pink strap-on, it was huge, and a bottle of lube. Penny took it from her.

"Do you find Autumn attractive?" asked Penny to Jennifer.

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"Autumn, kiss Jennifer."

Autumn obeyed. Penny waited for the kiss to end, but it didn't. The two women stayed with their lips locked, their tongues dancing, while Penny watched. Slowly, she realized that they may kiss until she ordered them to stop. She had to be careful.

"Stop."

Both of them obeyed.

"Autumn are you bisexual?" she asked.

"No."

Penny laughed. She didn't need to go through the step of gender preference or sexual orientation. She imagined all the time she wasted with Joe. She could skip all that now. Hypnosis was a child playing with matches. This new power was a volcano.

"You are now bisexual."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

Penny laughed again.

"Jennifer, put the strap-on on. Autumn, help her. Teach her how to use it."

"Yes, Miss Penny," said both dolls in unison.

Penny crossed over to the men in the corner.

"You have cell phones with cameras?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"Take them out. Send a text with your name, social security number, bank accounts, and deepest fears to this number." Penny gave them her number. She felt her phone vibrate from their texts. "Jennifer is about to fuck John. You will film it. You will mock him while he is fucked. You think he is disgusting. Call him the worst names you can think of. Then send the videos to this number. Then delete the texts, buy one hundred dollars of merchandise from the store, leave, go home, and forget all about this."

Penny wasn't sure if a complex series of tasks like that would work, but she wouldn't know unless she tried. She didn't really need video evidence of this. She didn't really care if they remembered it or not. She had nothing to lose.

Penny went back to Jennifer, John, and Autumn. The huge pink strap-on was attached to Jennifer's hips, and Autumn was showing her how to thrust. John hadn't moved from his position, on his knees. Penny ignored the two women and knelt in front of John.

"Jennifer is going to fuck you," she whispered.

"Yes, Miss Penny." John's face didn't change. He was a doll. He was nothing.

"It will hurt," said Penny.

"Yes, Miss Penny."

She wondered if her power would make it so for him. It didn't matter. Penny looked back at the strap-on. Pain was an inevitability. She smiled to herself. Pain was power.

Power was pain.

"You will hate it," said Penny. "But you will beg women to hurt you, to fuck you like this, every week. If you go a week without a woman fucking you, you will beg men to do it." Penny paused, but her mouth opened again, the words unbidden. "If you go a month without anyone fucking you, you will go insane."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

Penny stepped away from John, surprised at herself. She didn't just want him to go insane. If he went a month without being fucked, he should kill himself. She knew it. Deep down, she knew that's what she should have said. A cold shiver ran through her. This was too much. She had gone far, probably too far, and yet she wanted to go further.

Before she realized what she was doing, Penny leaned in closer to John and added, "You will always hate it. You will never get pleasure from sex again, even when you are fucked by beautiful and powerful women."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

"Bend over. On all fours."

"Yes, Miss Penny."

Penny stepped away, her heart pounding. She looked to Jennifer and Autumn. They were both ready.