The next morning, Pastor Johnson, Tara’s father, opened the Church at 6 am, just like he did every week. After starting the coffeepot for the Mens Ministry meeting in a half hour or so, he went to his pulpit to get his sermon notes in order. What he found there shocked him to his core. It was a note from his daughter, with some very explicit photos.

“Father,
I would like to thank you for telling me the truth about myself yesterday. I had only suspected that the name you called me- slut- was true, but you confirmed it for me, and so I finally got the boyfriend I’ve always wanted. Thanks to you, I was able to show him all the love that I feel, and as you can see from these pictures, his feelings are just as deep for me as mine are for him. You can even see his love for me all over my face in the last one.

Father, I have only one request to make of you, if you don’t want the whole congregation to see pictures like these, and more! You’ll give me 5000 dollars and let me go. I have everything I want from the house right now, so I need never go back there, and embarrass you publicly.

I know you are rather angry at me right now, but I want you to know that if you had never called me a slut to my face, and in front of my mother, who did not deny it, I would still be your innocent, pure little girl, living in denial of what I truly am. You can be angry, father, but thank you for setting me free. I’m finally happy, so please just let me go and don’t try to get me back. The innocent little virgin is gone, thanks to your words.

Your daughter,
Tara.

“$5000? She won’t get a nickel out of me!” he raged out loud.

“What was that, Pete?” asked Walter Daniels, his janitor.

“Nothing, Walt. Just got a little carried away, is all.” Pete said, recovering quickly. Too late, though. Walt was climbing up to the lectern and any moment he would see… Pete tried to gather all the pictures and pages of Tara’s letter together and flubbed it, sending most of it all over the floor.

“Jesus, Pete, is that Tara? What the hell is she doing… oh my God!” Walt had picked up one of the fallen pictures and was staring at it. He saw another and picked it up, too.

“Holy shit, Pete, do you know what your daughter is doing?” Walt said, handing the photos to his friend. “If you need any help, I know a camp that specializes in getting girls back, girls who have made… mistakes, like Tara has. There’s a place that can help her, Pete.”

Pete took the pictures and crumpled them together with the rest of it.

“I know that place, too, Walt, and I wouldn’t want that for Tara. I know what places like that do to the girls. The `help` they receive is dubious at best, and what comes out… it wouldn’t be Tara anymore.”

“Well, you can’t let her keep going the way she is!” Walt exclaimed. “Something has to be done!”

“Something will be done, Walt. What do you think? That I’m just going to let something like this happen to my daughter? No, she’s going to repent of her sins, I promise you that! On God’s Holy Pulpit I swear it! She’ll repent before she dies for her sins!”

“Let me help you?” Walt begged, licking his lips. “I know just the punishment a little bitch like her deserves!”

“This is my daughter we’re talking about, let me remind you.” Pete said warningly.

“Not anymore, Pastor.” Walt said. “Take another look at those pictures. That’s not your daughter doing those things. That’s the demon inside her.”

“A demon? In my daughter?” Pete cried out, anguished. He looked at one of the photos sticking out of his fist, saw the look of rapture on his daughter’s face, despite it being covered in filth, and he knew it was true.

“Well, if you don’t mind, I might be able to tell you which demon it is, after a little study.” Walt said, taking the crumpled mess of papers from the Pastor’s hand. “I’ll keep these safe and secret for now. Why don’t you read through your sermon to get your mind right again, Pastor? We’ll talk about this after the Services.”

“Hmm? Yes, good idea.” Pete said, realizing his anger was completely out of place here, as the big doors opened and more of his Mens Ministry group came in. He would take care of the Church business fist, then deal with his personal life later. He was glad to have such a good man as Walt looking after him.

After church, Walt and another man, Brad Kirshner, went up to the Pastor.

“Pete, we need to talk.” Walt said. “I told Brad about your problem, and he wants to help, too. He’s sworn to secrecy, Pete, don’t worry! He’s cool, honest!”

“Pete, I want you know what you’re going through.” Brad said, putting his hand on Pete’s shoulder commerizertaing with him. “My own daughter went through something very similar just a few years ago.”

“Really?” Pete looked at the man. “Your daughter, too?”

“Her name was Rachel.” Brad said. “She got herself pregnant, and on the drugs, and she killed herself.”

“Oh my God.” Pete whispered.

“I did my best with her, I honest to God tried everything, I even sent her to the Butterfly Camp in Texas, but nothing could get that damn demon out of her. Maybe there’s still hope for your daughter.”

“I’ll do anything to help her!” Pete cried. “I can’t lose her! She’s my only baby!”

“Anything?” Brad asked sharply. “Part of Rachel’s therapy was to force her to confront her demons. I saw the same demon in your daughter that I saw in mine, Pete.”

“What demon was that?” Pete asked weakly.

“Lust. The demon Azeel is in her. I saw it clearly in the pictures Walt showed me. She has the demon lust in her, and it’s going to take her father’s cock to drive it out of her. I saw it happen with my own daughter, and it was the only thing that had any power.”

“Her father’s…” Pete grew pale. “You… with your own daughter?” he asked. “How could you?”

“In all three of her holes.” Brad admitted. “I had to. It was the only way to save her, and it worked, too. For a while.”

“Oh my God, I can’t do that to Tara. I just couldn’t!” Pete said.

“Even if it was to save her?” Walt asked. “I know how these Camps operate, and drastic measures are often needed for the difficult cases. She’s only been gone one night, right? Maybe she’s not too far gone and it won’t come to that.”

“I pray that’s the case.” Brad said grimly. “It took everything I had to do that to Rachel, even after I could see it helping her. A man’s love for his daughter should never be tested like that. It’s cruel to both.”

“Yes, I can see how that would be.” Pete murmured. “We need to get her back right away!”

“Yes, before she slips any deeper into the demon’s hold. The longer it’s with her, the stronger it is, and the harder it is for her to get rid of it. If it’s with her long enough, she will define herself with it. She won’t be able to separate the slut from the person she used to be. That’s what happened to Rachel, and she… I had to. It was the only way to save her.”

“Hey, uh, you’re still talking about having sex with Rachel, right?” Walt licked his lips nervously. “Because it sounded like you just said…

“It says suicide on the death certificate, and that’s what it was, Walt!” Brad said sternly. “My daughter couldn’t live with herself, knowing all the things that the monster inside her was driving her to do. Death was the only thing that could stop her from continuing to do all those…things. With any man who would do them with her, too. She wasn’t… discriminatory.”

“I… understand.” Pete said. “I can see that it might be best for Tara… if she were to be too far gone. People… everyone would understand a suicide much easier than this… other thing.”

“We need to get her back as soon as possible, Pete. Where is she?” Brad asked. “Timing is everything.”

“She’s over at a girlfriend’s house. At least, that’s where I left her.” he told them. “The last house on Bleeker ave.”

“Go get, her, Pete, and bring her back here. We can use the unfinished room in the basement.” Brad told him. “Don’t take `no` for an answer, either. Get her back here, no matter what you do.”

* * *

Pete pulled up in front of the house he had dropped his daughter off at last night, then went up and rang the bell. Nobody answered for a long time, so he rang it again, several more times. Finally, a girl in a bathrobe opened it, looking at him sleepily.

“Hello?” she asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “Can I help you?”

“Tara is here. I need her to come with me.” Pete said. “Please go get her, young lady.”

“I’ll see if she’s up yet.” Jen said, turning to go to the stairs.

Pete stepped forward and grabbed Jen’s arm, hard, turning her around to face him. “You go tell her that her father is here, and she is to come down here, right now!!”

“Let me go!” Jen said angrily, trying to jerk her arm free. Pete whirled her around to face him again.

“You go get her, and be quick about it!” he snarled into her face. Jen jerked free and stumbled toward the stairs, hurrying up them with a frightened look over her shoulder.

She went into the master bedroom and woke her brother up.

“Mark, Tara’s father is downstairs, and he’s really angry! He hurt my arm when he grabbed me, and yelled in my face.” she told him. “Call the police. He’s not going to leave here without her, otherwise.”

The door was kicked in a moment later by the angry father. Pete took one look at the two teens and his face darkened. “Where’s my daughter?” he demanded.

“You’re trespassing.” Mark said mildly. “Get out before I call the cops.”

“I’m not leaving here without her.” the man said flatly. “Where is Tara?” He turned and went to the doorway. “Tara? Get out here, right now!” he roared. “Tara!” There was no reply fr a long moment.

“She’s not here.” Jen said meekly. She had her cell phone in her hand.

“Put that phone down, right now.” Pete ordered. “You ain’t calling anyone until I find out where my daughter is.”

“You need to get out of here, right now!” Mark yelled loudly. “Get out of here! You’re trespassing!”

“Not without my daughter!” Pete yelled back. “Where the fuck is she?”

“We already told you, she not here!” Jen hollered back. “Now get out!” She tried to get past him, but he grabbed her by the waist and tossed her back into the room.

“You ain’t goin’ anywhere, you little slut!” he snarled, slamming the door shut. He could see under her robe that she wasn’t wearing panties as she sprawled onto the bed beside her brother.

Mark leapt out of bed, naked, and advanced on the man, his fists clenched and raised. “I told you to get out of here.” he said. “This is your last chance!”

A siren started up in the near distance. Mark looked at the man and brandished his fists again. “Too late, asshole.” He stepped forward and grabbed at the man’s left fore arm, squeezing it as hard as he could.

Pete reacted the way anyone would; he swung his right fist and punched the kid off him. Mark fell to the floor, holding his lip.

“You better get out of here!” Jen cried shrilly. “No! Get away from me!” She shrank back in fear as the man advanced on her threateningly.

“Tell me where Tara is!” he roared. “I know you know, so tell me, you little slut!”

“I’m not telling you anything!” Jen cried out, defiantly. Pete raised his hand to strike the girl cowering on the bed, but Mark rose up and punched him right in the crotch as the siren stopped outside.

Pete fell to the floor, but Mark grabbed one of his legs and pulled it open, punching him twice more in quick succession. He heard the front door open and the officers announce themselves.

Jen screamed at the top of her lungs as Mark kept punching the guy in the stomache and chest.

“Everybody freeze!” yelled one of the cops, kicking open the bedroom door. Mark quit punching the man and raised his arms.

“Get in the corner and put your arms on your head.” the cop said.

“That’s my brother!” Jen said, as Mark complied. “Don’t hurt him! He was only protecting me!”

The second cop rolled Pete onto his stomache, handcuffed him, then got him to his feet. The first one handed Mark his boxers from the floor, then went over to Jen’s cell phone on the dresser.

“This is Officer David Martin. Thanks for your help today.” he hung it up and put it back down.

“That was very smart, young lady, calling 911. It might have saved both your lives.” he said.

“My daughter? Where’s my daughter?” Pete mumbled.

“She’s not here.” Jen repeated. “How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“Where did she go? Answer me!” Pete yelled. The cop grabbed his cuffs and jerked his arms to shut him up.

“No, I think it’s you who will be answering some questions.” Officer Martin told him. “For instance, what gives you the right to barge into these kids house and terrorize them?”

“Terrorize them?” Pete said incredulously. “Look, these “kids” as you call them, have kidnapped and raped my daughter, forced her to do all kinds of… un-natural perversions.” he said, licking his lips nervously. “They sent me pictures and they’re trying to blackmail me. I just want to find my daughter and get her back.”

“Tara called one of her friends with her call phone about an hour after you dropped her off last night, sir.” Mark told him, rubbing his split lip. “She told us that you called her a slut to her face, right in front of her mother, too, then she said she was going to prove you right and left with someone in their car.”

“You see?” Officer Martin said. “You handled this all wrong, coming over here and flying off the handle like that. All you had to do was ask some polite questions, and you wouldn’t have to come downtown with me.”

“What? No, I can’t be arrested!” Pete protested. “I’m a Minister! What will my congregation think?”

“Officer, I don’t think we need to pres charges.” Mark said. “This was all just one big misunderstanding. Wasn’t it, sir?” He looked at Pete as he spoke.

“Uh, yeah, right. No harm done, right kids?” he agreed, his eyes pleading with Jen.

“Sorry, Mr. Johnson, but you assaulted a minor. I can’t ignore that. The trespassing and terrorizing can be dropped, but you punched this kid and drew blood.”

“Officer, I’m sure we could work something out…” Pete said, smiling broadly. “Why don’t you come by the Church this afternoon?”

“I go to the Presbyterian church, Paul. He’s my Minister. We don’t need this getting into the papers and all, do we?” said Officer Martin’s partner.

“Well…” Martin said, hesitating. He looked at Pete sternly. “This had better not happen ever again, Mr. Johnson.” He unlocked the cuffs and put them away.

“Oh, no, absolutely not.” Pete agreed, rubbing his wrists. “Like I said, this was just one big misunderstanding.”

“But you say it’s because your daughter has been kidnapped? And blackmail? You better show me these pictures, Reverend. Is there a note, too? Have they made any ransom demands?”

“Come by the Church this afternoon, Officer. We have much to discuss.” Pete said again. “Right now, things are… disorganized.”

“Just how I like them.” said the cop, grinning. “Let’s g to the Church right now, and I can get all the pieces of this puzzle.”

“Uh, sure, Officer.” Pete stammered. “We can go now, if you want.”

“Oh yes, I want.” said the cop, and led Pete out of the house. “You can drive your own car, but if you try to go anywhere but straight to the Presbyterian church, I’ll pull you over and arrest you on the spot.”

“No problem, sir. I understand.” Pete said. While driving there, he put his phone on speaker and called the church, ordering Walt and Brad to hide all but the two most innocent pictures that showed Tara alone, the note, and the address of the house. They were to come over and watch the place for any sign of Tara.

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