Demi's eyes snapped as they slowly changed back to how they were before, as something shifted in his psyche. His muscles returned to their normal size. Demi completely ignored Orman's corpse. He heard voices in his head.
He slowly looked at Fina's half crushed face, gargling in her own blood.
His own lieutenant. The one he put into the dirt.
Demi said, "Huh? What did you say?"
(Gargles)
Demi's voice sharpened. "WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
She gargled and choked, spitting more blood.
"DO YOU WANT ME TO STOMP YOU OUT LIKE I DID YOUR FRIEND? SHUT THE FUCK UP."
Demi grew more agitated.
"Look at me when I'm talking to you…"
Five seconds passed awkwardly. Fina's half dead body couldn't look up at Demi.
…
"AYE LOOK AT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
…
"You're my bitch."
…
"I rule this country. Next time you shut the fuck up."
"Or you die."
…
Demi stood before the silent crowd, their faces pale, their eyes wide with something primal.
Demi paced back and forth. "You guys aren't talking anymore? No more celebration? What's wrong? Have I failed to entertain you?"
"Questioning what you're doing here? If you're at the wrong place?"
Then his tone shifted, suddenly composed.
"You see, the mind is a powerful thing. Out there, looking in, you thought you had a chance.
When you dream for the clouds, it's easy, isn't it?
Waaaay up in the fucking skies, you told yourself.
You could achieve greatness.
That someone like YOU could make a difference.
Well, I'm here to tell you that you can't.
You either lick my boot or you die."
Demi stated boldly.
As the crowd stared in awe, they were panicked but too scared to speak. They felt stuck, as if they shouldn't be here. But they weren't dismissed, so they couldn't leave.
Demi waved his hand and lazily pointed at five of the most muscular recruits in the crowd.
The five most muscular men walked forward. Demi told them to bow.
As he put his boot forward, he said, "You will be the new recruits and will be shipped to the infantry training course for Infantry B, located on the US Virgin Islands."
He arrogantly mocked, "Show me your IDs."
The five reached into their pockets, nervous, shaking in front of the smaller man.
Demi took the ID cards with a smile and handed them to Sho, who, without hesitation, crushed them all in one hand. He tossed the shards behind him.
"Plastic really fell off…" Sho thought to himself.
"You don't need those anymore," Demi said casually.
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Demi said, "Your new identification is now Bootlicker 1, Bootlicker 2, Bootlicker 3, 4, and 5."
"And you will introduce yourselves to the Infantry teachers as such. Am I understood?"
"SIR YES SIR!" they yelled, sweating.
Demi continued, trying not to laugh. "Your life expectancy is now fifteen months."
"Thank you so much for your service, and have a good day."
Sho turned away, stifling his own laughter.
The five men stood frozen, stripped of name, identity, and worth.
Stripped of everything.
Demi put his hand behind his head and playfully walked away.
"What about us?"
The crowd stood there in disbelief. Everyone wanted to ask the question, but no one could. They were as insignificant as forgetting to turn off the lights before bed.
Demi quickly backtracked, clearly forgetting. "Yeah, you all can go home."
In disappointment and anger, they simply decided to leave. Cursing, they stomped off through the doors.