Short Story -Final Part 4

Aaron could do nothing but prepare himself for the worst. Damon held out the strap and yelled!
“I bind you, Aaron, speak no more! You are cut off from him now and forevermore!” The strap disappeared from Damon’s hand and found its place on Aaron’s mouth. A single tear rolled down Aaron’s cheek as he could only watch Chester’s destruction. How Aaron longed to go to Chester’s defense but he was powerless to do so, especially when Chester was a willing accomplice to Damon’s schemes. With Aaron silenced Damon was now free to assault Chester with scenarios and fantasies as the images flickered on the screen.
Damon began the cruelest twist of all, when he placed a suggestion of boredom in Chester’s ear and suggested that they “surf” the net for more appealing and fulfilling things. Chester, like a lamb being led to slaughter, obeyed his master. As Chester disappeared into the bedroom, Damon held out his hand in Aaron’s direction and said. “Come on.” Instantly the chains that bound Aaron levitated off the floor and moved in Damon’s direction. Aaron had no choice but to go where the chains led him. Aaron shuffled along as fast as he could down the hall following Damon into the bedroom.
As Aaron entered the room he found Chester seated at in front of the computer already beginning his internet surfing. Damon directed Aaron to stand in the corner like some first grader being sentenced to time out for bad behavior.
In Damon’s mind this was a sure thing and he enjoyed the drama and build up to Chester’s demise as much, if not more than actually landing the death blow. Damon began with suggesting that they “check the email account first before heading out on another surfing adventure on the net.”
Chester, doing as he was told, obeyed him. Nothing new; the usual spam and other random emails from people he knew. But one email caught his eye and he decided on his own to open this one. Damon, seeing no harm in it decided, “What can it hurt?” Upon opening the email Chester, with Damon close by, began to read. Aaron noticed that Damon’s facial expressions began to change. Damon began to try and plant more suggestions in Chet’s mind, but he was focused and determined to finish what he was reading. Aaron removed himself from the corner, made his way over to them and began to read it for himself.
It was a letter from some pastor that Chester had apparently met earlier that evening, hence the reason for his late return home. It was filled with the usual things that a thank you letter would contain, complete with the phrase “I am praying for you.” This development seemed to give Aaron and glimmer of hope, but in reality it would mean nothing unless Chester wanted it too. Damon was not without his counter punches and he began to put them to use.
“Yeah, that was a nice letter and all, but he doesn’t really care about me.” Damon suggested. “He only wrote it because that is what he is supposed to do.”
Chester wasn’t biting.
Damon continued, “I bet if I were to call him right now he wouldn’t even remember my name and I’ll bet this is some form letter they send to all their visitors”
Chester seemed to soften at that suggestion.
Damon, feeling that he was back on course, began to plant more suggestions about were to surf and googling the key words and phrases that would produce the desired results.
Damon turned to Aaron briefly and commanded that he return to his corner. Aaron obliged him.
As Chester began his internet surfing, Damon dropped thoughts into his mind about girlfriends from his past and the physical nature of those relationships. His suggestions had served to sink Chester deeper into depravity and seal Aaron’s fate.
Damon, fully satisfied with himself sat back on the bed with a wide smile and proclaimed his victory.
It would be short lived, as the phone rang and broke Chester’s concentration on his internet activities. Aaron mumbled to himself, “Please answer that phone!”
Chester paused and reached for the phone on the desk. “Hello,” he said.
Damon, not appearing phased by this interruption, continued with his victory chant.
Aaron, however, was paying particular attention to the nature and mood of this phone call. Chester seemed confused and uncertain. This suggested that he was not familiar with the person on the other end of the line. But when the mystery caller identified himself, all doubt quickly dissipated.
“Yes Sir.” stated Chet. Thank you for calling and following up on me.
“No Sir, you are not bothering me, I was just finishing up some work from the office.” (An obvious lie) “What can I do for you Pastor Thompson?”
“Call me Jeff,” said the voice on the other end.
“Ok Jeff, what’s up?”
Upon hearing that statement Damon leaped to his feet in a moment of panic trying to decide what his next move should be. He decided to play it cool and merely suggest: “Man, why is he calling me? I just left his church! Doesn’t he realize that he is being a huge inconvenience to me right now?” Chester seemed to agree and he attempted to cut the call short by pretending to need to get back to work.
Apparently Pastor Thompson realized his window of opportunity was closing because he cut straight to the reason for his call. He told Chet that the Lord had put him on his heart ever since they left church and that he felt led to call him. Chet tried to cut him off but the pastor wouldn’t let him. Chester fell silent as Jeff continued.
Damon figured, if he couldn’t get this intrusion off the phone that he would at least suggest that Chet continue surfing the web. Chester was unfazed by this suggestion and Damon was not at all pleased. Damon would try for the entire duration of the conversation to wrestle control back from that pastor, but to no avail. Damon finally accepted it when Chet turned off the computer all together and continued to listen to Jeff Thompson. Toward the end of the call Chet mumbled the words, “I can’t. It’s too hard.” Followed by, “I have been this way for a long time.”
More one sided conversation continued from Jeff and he told Chet to write something down before they ended the call.
Chester did so and said goodnight to Jeff.
Damon, not wanting to waste a moment, suggested a return to their previous activities, but that did not sit well with Chet. He was not interested in the computer at that time. He was captivated by his phone call and he poured it over in his mind. Aaron knew exactly where this was going and he was eager to help it get there. Damon on the other hand decided to switch tactics and he began to heap mounds of guilt on Chet. Chet began to buckle. It was his Achilles heel and Damon knew it. Aaron, having no active part, except that of a spectator, wanted Chet to remember that note that he scribbled down. As Damon heaped more guilt, Chester buckled all the more. Even though the lights were on in the room, an eerie darkness began to creep out of the corners and surround Chet. Damon could only laugh as he found a new and exciting way to condemn Chester actions, basically nullifying the earlier conversation.
Chester was stilled seated at the desk when he looked once again at the note he had written down. He began to mumble something under his breath. At first neither Aaron nor Damon could make out what he was saying. Damon assumed that it was the weight of guilt that lay heavy on Chester’ heart, so he began to taunt Chet. But with each taunt, Chester’s words became clearer. It was two words: SHUT UP!
It caught Damon by complete surprise and he fell back onto the floor. Chester repeated himself, as if he was actually talking directly to Damon, SHUT UP!
Damon demanded that he not be spoken to in such a manner, but Chester continued, “SHUT UP!”
With that the leather strap disappeared from Aaron and found its home firmly around Damon’s mouth. He was flabbergasted. Aaron couldn’t help but laugh as he watched Damon shake his finger at Chet demanding, by virtue of his body language, that he stop.
Chester refused.
Through the remainder of the night Chester continued on his new found course and with each command of his voice, Aaron grew larger and Damon shrank. The chains that once bound Aaron, suddenly found a new home on Damon. When Chet had finally gone off to sleep, Damon and Aaron stood in front of the desk staring at the note. It simply said: Do not let your flesh rule over you! DEMAND DISCIPLINE! It was followed by Jeff’s phone number.