The blizzard outside covered the rotting lands of Rivaril like a white shroud, the violence of the wind shaking Morris's secret cabin as if to tear it from its foundations. The wooden walls creaked with a bitter groan at every blow of the storm.
Morris illuminated the dim room with the flickering yellow light of the gas lamp in his hand. Shadows fell over his huge belly. He stepped in front of the bookshelf, running his greasy fingers over the bindings. He found the 9th book on the 5th shelf, "Human Anatomy and Pain Thresholds," and pulled it slightly toward himself.
The heavy sound of rusty gears grinding against each other filled the room from behind the wall. With a metallic clamor, a secret trapdoor opened in the floor. From below rose that nose burning, gut churning stench of rotten eggs, rusty iron, and dried blood.
Morris inhaled this disgusting smell with a deep breath as if smelling a luxurious perfume. His eyes slid with pleasure.
"I know you missed me..." he giggled. His voice drifted down the damp stairs into the darkness. "Just hang in there a little longer, Daddy is here."
The basement resembled a slaughterhouse with its walls soaked in dampness and rusty chains hanging from the ceiling. Inside rows of iron cages were monster women of different species collected from the Rivaril forests. Most were exhausted; some were trembling with fear.
Morris approached the bloody metal table in the middle of the room. He picked up his poisonous whip, prepared with special mixtures. A demonic smile spread across his face as he squeezed its leather handle.
"Some of you couldn't stand being without me and died... Tsk tsk. My dears, don't worry, I will take care of all of you one by one."
A weak, broken voice was heard from the cage right behind him. It was a monster woman resembling a human with scaled skin, lying in a fetal position, covered in sores and bruises.
"Human... I... Let go... Please..."
Morris slowly turned his heavy torso in that direction. The light of the gas lamp made the drool between his teeth glisten.
"I'll start with you... HAHAHAHA!"
He raised the whip high and swung it with all his might.
The sound of the whip tip meeting flesh echoed in the basement. The impact was so violent that it almost severed the monster woman's right breast.
"AAAAHHH!"
As the woman screamed in pain, her wound began to swell strangely. In desperation, she dug her nails into her open wound, scratching frantically as if tearing off her skin.
"Hahahaha! Did you like it? I applied a special itching poison to my whip!" Morris clasped his hands over his hairy and dirty belly spilling out of his shirt as he recoiled the whip. "How does it feel to itch like crazy inside that pain, huh?! Don't worry, we'll have fun with all of you until morning HAHAHAHA!"
While Morris was laughing, lost in himself and eyes rolling with pleasure, he was startled by sounds coming from upstairs.
Someone was pounding on the outer door. The sadistic expression on Morris's face was instantly wiped away, replaced by panic.
"Girls... Shhh... Maybe a new friend has arrived, huh?" he whispered, but his voice was trembling. Leaving the whip on the table, he climbed the stairs breathlessly.
When he opened the door slightly, the cold of the storm outside and a massive shadow hit his face.
"Carlos?"
The giant before him was clad in white like a snowman, but the threatening aura he radiated was the kind to melt the snow.
"C-Carlos? Haha... Welcome..."
Carlos glanced over Morris's shoulder into the dimness of the house. "You have a house like this? Why did you hide it from us, man?"
"Uhh... Actually, I didn't hide it, this is just my priv—"
"Whatever, like I give a fuck."
Carlos pushed the door open in one move. The 190-kilo Morris behind the door was thrown back like a rag doll and slammed into the wall. Carlos entered and shook the snow from his boots onto the carpet.
"Nice house."
Morris was out of breath as he struggled to straighten up from where he fell. "Thank you, sir..."
"I'm your guest until the storm ends. Is there a problem?" Without waiting for an answer, Carlos threw himself onto the dirty armchair that looked the sturdiest in the room but still creaked.
"Sir, actually..."
"Like I gave a fuck about your opinion anyway." Carlos extended his muddy boots right onto the table where Morris's books were.
Morris helplessly bowed his head and perched on the edge of the armchair opposite him. His heart was pounding. He was praying Carlos wouldn't hear the sound from below.
"So, Morris," Carlos said, looking at the ceiling. "What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the greenhouse, watching over the plants right now?"
Morris wiped his sweating forehead. "For today... I mean, since there wasn't much work left in the greenhouse... I gave myself a little time off."
Carlos turned his head slowly. His eyes had narrowed.
"Vaaay... You gave yourself time off, huh? Wow..." His voice was low but dangerous. Suddenly he sat up, his face turning beet red.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! THE BOSS HAS STRICT ORDERS NOT TO ABANDON YOUR POST, YOU BASTARD!"
"SIR, YOU MISUNDERSTOOD, I ACTUAL..."
BAM!
Carlos slammed his palm onto the table so hard that the gas lamp tipped over and shattered. The sound exploding in the room made Morris's ears ring. The fat man covered his head with his hands in fear.
"S-Sir, I..."
"SHUT UP!" Carlos's voice drowned out the storm. "The second the storm ends, you are going to that greenhouse. If you even stick your nose out of that damn place until winter ends... I will crush you, crumple you, ball you up, and throw you into the ocean, Morris! Do you understand me, you pimp?!"
Morris bowed his head trembling, his chin forming folds.
"Yes, sir... Understood."