Chapter 9: The Feeders
In the back room of a country and western bar named Harley's, far out on the edge of town, two beefy fists were clenched together, straining with their every ounce of strength. Their palms were pressed together, pushing mightily in opposite directions. Two sets of bulging biceps were tensed to near the breaking point, and two elbows were planted firmly on the rough wooden surface of the beer-stained table.
The fist with the pale green fingernails was moving forward, almost imperceptibly. The other fist, with the white-painted fingernails, was slowly yielding, a fraction of an inch at a time. Slowly, the green-nailed fist was gaining ground, inching ever forward and closer to the surface of the table below it. Both arms were sweating, and veins and tendons popped out to near the breaking point.
Slowly, excruciatingly, but inexorably, the green-nailed fist pushed forward, until at last, with a final grunt, it slammed the white-nailed fist to the table with a loud thud. The crowd in the room roared its approval.
Elphaba flexed her fingers and her arm. She grinned triumphantly at her opponent. She ran her fingers through her buzz-cut green-dyed hair and laughed lustily.
Jadis shook her white-nailed hand in the air, trying to regain feeling. She looked ruefully at Elphaba. "Okay," she said. "You win, again."
Elphaba looked around the table at the faces of her closest advisors. "Any other challengers?" she roared. Nobody spoke.
She leaned back in her chair, belched, and looked around the room at the rest of the assembled Feeders. "Anyone at all? Any challengers in the room?" Silence.
"Good. Then let there be an end to this foolishness. I remain in charge of this hive." She rolled the plaid flannel sleeves of her shirt back down over her muscular arms, and twisted the cap off a bottle of beer. She drained half of the bottle down her throat before slamming it down on the table, and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"Okay," she said. "Back to business." The rest of the Feeders in the room took their seats, at the main table and along the walls. "As you know, we killed five of the Vampire sluts in their lairs during the day, in retaliation for their murder of Eve. This has had the desired effect: the rest of them are holed up in their little manor."
"But doesn't that just make them harder to get at?" asked Ethel, a relatively young member of the hive.
"Not at all," said Elphaba. "Now they are all bunched up and we know where they are. They have to come out to feed eventually. And when they do, we'll get them."
"But what if they don't come out?" asked Mildred, a sadistic Feeder with a broken nose.
Elphaba laughed and drained the rest of her beer. She casually tossed the empty bottle toward a refuse can in the corner, and missed. "All the better," she said, and belched loudly. "Then they'll just starve, and we'll be rid of them!" The assembled crowd roared with laughter.
"One more question, Elphaba," came a voice. It was from Blair, a skeptical but fair-minded Feeder. "Those five vampires that you killed? How did you know where their lairs were? They keep them well hidden. And Eve wasn't killed until a couple nights ago. Certainly you didn't find them all in that short time. Have you been planning this all along?"
Elphaba looked pained. "Why, Blair, your question is almost an accusation! Don't you think that I have the best interest of this hive at heart? Your lack of faith disturbs me." She grabbed another bottle of beer from the bucket on the table and twisted off the cap. "No more questions! At midnight, five of you will converge on Ruthven Manor. Stay hidden in the bushes, in the trees. When they come out to feed, take them out one by one." She looked around, from face to face. Finding no dissent, she laughed lustily and stood up.
"I'm going to my room to rest up. Which of you wenches wants to service me tonight?" She glanced around the room. Nobody volunteered. Elphaba was notoriously difficult to please in the sexual department. "Enid!" she cried, crooking her finger. "Come with me."
Enid, a burly young Feeder with short-cropped red hair, rose slowly to her feet to spend a sleep cycle with her leader. She dutifully followed Elphaba down the hall to her room.
Once inside, Elphaba locked the door. She took off her boots and jeans and tossed them into a corner. She sat in a large stuffed chair against the wall and spread her legs. She pointed to the carpet in front of the chair. "Kneel," she commanded.
Enid knew what was expected of her. She took her place in front of Elphaba's chair, her face even with her leader's gaping sex. Her outer face opened up, revealing her inner face and her long, cylindrical proboscis. The proboscis slowly extended toward Elphaba's sex.
Elphaba leaned her head back and closed her eyes, ready to be pleasured by her underling.
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Chapter 10: Sally and Martin
By midnight, Sally and Drusilla were thoroughly tired of each other, and were greatly relieved when the second watch arrived, in the form of Sybil and Lilly.
"The night is half over, ladies," said Lilly. "We've got the second watch."