"Good," Raoul said, smugly satisfied. "Be here at eight o'clock. With some money. At least two hundred dollars."
"But I…"
"I said two hundred dollars more! Understand?" he twisted her arm for emphasis.
"Yeeesss! Yeeessss!" Marion screamed in pain.
Suddenly Raoul let go of her.
"Good. Then we understand each other completely. You will return tonight."
Marion stared at him. She was completely under his domination now, and there seemed to be nothing she could do about it.
"Yes…" she said flatly, defeated and ashamed. "I will return tonight…"
Later that same afternoon, Lorraine and Ed were driving towards the downtown area of Los Angeles.
"I'm not so sure about this," Ed was saying as he drove. "I'm still suspicious about these groups."
"That's why I want you to come and see for yourself," Lorraine replied. "After all, unless you have first-hand experience, you can't know what it's all about, can you?"
"Well, I suppose not."
"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine."
In a few minutes they were in the midst of the rundown warehouse district.
"There it is," Lorraine exclaimed, pointing to a narrow building. "That's the headquarters."
Ed parked the car, and the two of them were soon at the door of the Vallus cult. Lorraine knocked and the door was opened by Alida, who had returned from her errand.
"Ah, Lorraine, my dear," Alida said warmly, "how nice to see you so early. The Ceremonial doesn't begin until eight o'clock."
"Yes, I know. But I wanted to bring our new disciple here first to meet you and get acquainted. I'm afraid he's still a little skeptical."
Alida glanced at Ed, approving inwardly of his rugged, muscular build and handsome face.
"Oh?" she said. "Well then, do come inside and we'll do our best to persuade you of the truth of our beliefs."
Alida ushered them into the office. "My son, Raoul, isn't here just now. But he'll be back soon."
Ed was immediately taken by the large illustration of Vallus that dominated one wall.
"That is our Lord and Master," Alida said proudly.
"Yeah, I've seen a picture like this before." Ed said.
"Oh, yes? Tell me, young man," Alida asked, "what is your name?"
"Ed… Ed Hill…"
For a moment Alida's face went ashen.
Ed Hill, she thought, Ed Hill. Isn't that bitch Marion's last name Hill? What if… what if? No, it's too much of a coincidence… and yet…
In the back of her mind, she thought that Ed might possibly be related to Marion. He might even be her husband, since she knew Lorraine had a special taste for married men. It seemed an incredible coincidence, but it could be true, and she knew she had to take precautions. She reminded herself to warn Raoul when he returned.
"Come into the chamber," she said, "where we worship the Master. Tonight is the High Ceremonial. You will stay for it, won't you?"
"Well… I'm not sure…"
"Oh, come on," Lorraine said, "you're not afraid, are you?"
"Me?" Ed said, laughing. "Not on your life!"
"Then follow me," Alida said and led the way into the corridor behind the office. About halfway down the corridor she suddenly got an idea. "Lorraine, why don't you take Mr. Hill inside. I want to get something from the storeroom. All right?"
"Sure. Follow me, Ed."
Alida quickly slipped into the storeroom, and through the two-way mirror she watched Lorraine and Ed enter the worship chamber. Then, she went to the desk drawer and took out the vial of ambrosia and poured a few drops into a tiny glass. Then she resealed the vial and replaced it in the drawer.
Just in case he is her husband, this will make sure he's in no shape to cause trouble, she thought.
She closed the curtains, concealing the two-way mirror, and joined the others in the velvet-lined room.
"This is a little something I thought would cheer us up," Alida said, holding up the glass of liquid.
"What's in that?" Ed asked suspiciously. "Nothing lethal, I hope?"
Alida and Lorraine laughed.
"Just a little mild brandy," Alida said, "a strange liqueur made from an ancient Sumerian formula. Apparently it was quite popular in the ancient days, when Vallus was worshipped by everyone. It's delicious and absolutely harmless."
To prove her point, she took a slight sip of the liquid, allowing just a touch to actually pass her lips.
"Here," she said holding it out to Ed, "try it. A good-looking young man like you should be able to handle a little drink like this."
Laughing, and a little flattered by the attention of the two beautiful women, Ed took the glass and swigged down the entire contents.
What the hell, he thought, why not have a little drink? It'll loosen me up. This chick don't look like she's dangerous.
The liquid felt warm as it coursed down his throat, and Ed felt immediately relaxed and pleasant.
"It's nice," he said, handing the glass to Alida. "Real nice."
"Let me return the glass," Alida said graciously. "Meanwhile, Lorraine, why don't you amuse our friend by telling him a little more about Vallus."
She slipped out of the room in an instant. Ed turned to Lorraine and smiled. He was feeling slightly euphoric already from the strange drink.
"Why didn't you have any of that stuff?" he asked Lorraine.
"Oh," she said, with a trace of a smile playing across her lips, "I'll have some later. Do you like it?"
"Yeah…" he said, "it's nice. I mean it's not anything fantastic…"
"Well, it takes a little while to take effect fully. Tell me, what do you think of the statue?" she asked, changing the subject and turning to the huge metal sculpture of Vallus that dominated the room.
"It's really something," Ed said.
He gazed at the statue. It depicted Vallus standing tall, like a giant straddling a river, his giant cock grasped firmly in his hands, and his face a mask of ecstasy and satisfaction. As Ed watched, the statue seemed to move slightly. Perhaps it was the way the candle flames flickered over the sculpture, but Ed was sure there was a movement in the face.
"Is that statue moving?" he said to Lorraine.
"Moving?" she asked, knowing inwardly that the potion was probably taking effect and starting to alter his brain chemistry. "Is it?"
"It sure looks that way to me."
As he watched, the statue seemed to change expression. The look of ecstasy seemed to change into a leer. The eyes seemed to look directly at Ed, staring at him almost mockingly. The statue's lips seemed to grow full and sensual and twist themselves into a look of utter corruption and degradation.
"Christ… Christ…" Ed whispered, scarcely believing the strange vision he was seeing. But as he heard his own voice, it seemed far away and blurry.
"My voice… sounds so… so strange… so strange…"
Something was definitely happening to him, and he was slightly alarmed. His voice sounded distinctly different; it was too deep and far away. But his eyes were riveted to the statue, which continued to shift and change before him. Now the metal cock that the figure held in its hands seemed to grow to enormous proportions, in fact the entire statue began to grow and tower over Ed in a terrifying way. A light film of nervous perspiration broke out on his body, and his hands grew cold.
"What's happening…" he slurred in a thick voice. "What's going on here?"
He tore his eyes away from the statue and turned to find Lorraine. His body felt light, and as he turned it seemed as if the entire room were turning with him. Nothing seemed to stay in one place, objects changed size and the walls of the room seemed to be shifting and billowing. Yet, despite all these strange occurrences, Ed felt light-headed and euphoric…
"Lorraine… Lorraine…" he called, trying to locate her in the jumble of distorted images that flashed across his eyes. He couldn't quite focus on anything, and even the floor felt strange, as if he were on a ship in the ocean.