Four women. One apartment. A man upstairs who has hurt one of them and will never face consequences for it. A modern coven performs a bold spell to hold their male enemies accountable.
Genre: Supernatural horror / Dark comedy
Content warning: Sexual violence referenced, ritual content, adult themes
Written by M. Leigh
Performed by Erica Dawson
Mikki Hernandez as Remi
Sheree Wichard as Christine
Jennifer Scott as Lisa
Candice Marie as Nicole
Created, produced, directed, sound designed by Jeff Schmidt
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[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_07] You're gonna think I'm crazy. You assume I don't already? Last night, right after I listened to that record.
[00:00:06] [SPEAKER_01] And now, a thrilling science fiction adventure, The Chronicles of Astromos.
[00:00:11] [SPEAKER_07] I didn't just black out or fall asleep. It was like I was pulled into some other world.
[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_01] What the heck?
[00:00:19] [SPEAKER_08] Martin? Well, hot dog! I knew you'd be back!
[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_06] No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Another world? The world of the record. It was this big space opera with cheesy heroes and villains and stuff. They're trying to save the galaxy.
[00:00:33] [SPEAKER_08] You hear that? We have a mission!
[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_06] Chill, Martin. Chill. This is a dream. This is all a dream.
[00:00:38] [SPEAKER_08] I do not wish to interrupt your chill. Please, I need to save my people.
[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_06] What I need is to figure out what happened to me.
[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_01] The Chronicles of Astromos, starring Darren Criss, Maya Hawke, Alfred Molina, and Kate Mulgrew. Available now wherever you get your podcasts.
[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_08] I don't wanna die! You think I do?
[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_02] Listen up, thrillers. A quick note. Tonight's devious audio delight contains adult content and language. Please see the content warnings in the show notes.
[00:01:24] [SPEAKER_04] The door opens only a sliver. Just enough to reveal one keen, sage green eye. Behind the splintered doorframe, a chasm of shadows that bellow, gnash, and hiss. Heat wafts from the cracked apartment door, steaming up the chilled, empty hallway. A stench passes the threshold, strong enough to choke a layperson.
[00:01:50] [SPEAKER_04] But for me, the smell of rotten fleshes and devil's berries are rather comforting. Did you get it? Did you get it? Remy's voice slices into the fluorescent hall where I stand, winded and soaking wet. It is sealed tightly in a plastic food container. I have to hold it at arm's length so Remy can inspect it. The entrance, guarded by a wicked unseen hand, is impassable without invitation.
[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_04] So if Remy doesn't like what she sees, I'll be left out in the cold. I give the container a little shake. The sticky, opaque liquid coating the inside. I feel the insidious barrier disintegrate and I'm allowed in. Once through the shadows, I have to squint. Alive with witch's warmth, the living room is ablaze with tallow candles.
[00:02:47] [SPEAKER_04] In the middle of the floor, a cauldron bubbles atop an electric burner. Three makeup caboodles, stuffed to their brims with herbs and dried creatures, lay open beside it. Remy's notebook and dagger balance atop tiered spellbooks. I take my designated position next to the cauldron and shed my wet clothes. Remy paces anxiously. She's already nude.
[00:03:16] [SPEAKER_05] How'd you get it?
[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_04] Her tall, slim body is slick with sacramental oil and stained red with the juice from the devil's berries. The subway on the way over. My arms are heavy as I remove my hairpins and shake out my fiery red mane. Remy had summoned us to the ritual and I'm exhausted from having to rush all the way to East Harlem on such short notice. But since I'm the newest member of the coven, I don't question her orders.
[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_04] It doesn't matter that my day has been a series of insufferable interactions with the beasts of Wall Street. I don't know. Men who belittled me, lingered too close in elevators, laughed at my suggestions, then claimed them as their own ideas. It didn't matter that I got stuck in the rain and ruined my new silk blouse. It didn't matter that I just performed a sex act on a stranger to gain the ingredient the coven needed.
[00:04:14] [SPEAKER_04] Or that the man wasn't kind. None of it mattered because Remy was up for promotion tonight. A promotion that could benefit us all. Tonight there's no room for mistakes or complaints. Tonight is for capturing our dark mother's attention. Such a spell can only be cast with her approval, which makes me question Remy's haste.
[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_04] If it fails, all involved will be punished. That includes the high priestess set to join us as a liaison. She will serve as witness to the special conjuring. And if she senses disorder, any at all, she'll step not a foot in the apartment. There is too much for her to lose. Flames flicker as I discard my underwear and fall to my knees.
[00:05:09] [SPEAKER_04] Remy moves to answer the door. Then, Lisa in full nun's habit, emerges from the shed. Shadowy hall, possessing almost as much authority as Remy. She speaks freely.
[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_05] This was planned for next month.
[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_04] Lisa's wrinkles look like craters in the candlelight. She unhooks the rosary from her waist and lets it fall to the hardwood floor. Lisa's cheeks flush.
[00:05:36] [SPEAKER_05] Do you have it?
[00:05:37] [SPEAKER_04] The nun reaches deep within her robe.
[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_05] Yeah.
[00:05:41] [SPEAKER_04] Then tosses a tiny bottle at Remy.
[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_02] Here.
[00:05:45] [SPEAKER_04] Just like my contribution, the vial is examined for purity. Virgin's blood. As Abyss, Lisa has exclusive access to maiden blood. She typically collects it weekly from the young nuns as they sleep. For tonight's spell, however, the ingredient has to be fresh. And while she enjoyed accidentally slicing open Sister June's arm at dinner, she did not appreciate the short notice.
[00:06:14] [SPEAKER_04] Plus, the spectacle created more suspicion amongst the other nuns who already feel an unholy vibe coming from their abbess. Not to mention this particular evening, Lisa had hoped to torment Father Novak, a vile priest whose crimes have been ignored by the church for decades. She's mildly disappointed not to crawl into his dreams tonight. Such wickedness would have to wait.
[00:06:42] [SPEAKER_04] And if Remy succeeds, Father Novak will never hurt the young invulnerable again.
[00:06:49] [SPEAKER_05] What's happened that's worth putting the whole coven at risk?
[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_04] The look painted across Remy's face causes Lisa to shut her mouth and hide her eyes. She pulls off her robe and habit, spindly gray hair falling down her naked back. I find it hilarious that Lisa never wears clothes underneath her robes. How shocked churchgoers would be. But ever since our dark mother erased the scars given to her by the nuns in charge of the orphanage where she was dumped,
[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_04] Lisa promised she would not cover her glorious body more than needed.
[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_05] Where the fuck is Nicole? That asshole husband of hers is probably holding her hostage.
[00:07:32] [SPEAKER_04] Lisa and I exchange glances as we rub each other with sacramental oil, dried pieces of flesh, and berries. Remy is most likely correct. Nicole's husband, Michael, comes from a small island. A culture saturated with obia magic. Michael's mother, Maria, cast a spell which made Nicole fall head over heels and marry Michael within a month's time. The spell wore off, and the beating started.
[00:08:02] [SPEAKER_04] With the coven's help, Nicole tried to break the tether that bound them, both legally and spiritually. But Michael's mother cast a strong protection spell over him. One that continued even after her death. It proved too strong for the coven to break alone.
[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_05] She knows what this means for us. What this means for her, too.
[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_04] Remy paces faster. It's him. The man upstairs. The man who hurt Remy, like countless other women subjected to his violence. The man who has gotten away with it so many times before because his uncle works for the police department. The man who lives upstairs lives without consequence. Remy stops in her tracks to glare upward.
[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_04] The wrath of a hundred women behind her eyes. He smiled at me today. Her eyes locked on the ceiling.
[00:09:03] [SPEAKER_05] In the stairwell. He was coming down as I was going up. When I saw him, all I could do was cower against the wall, and he smiled. Like it was all so funny.
[00:09:15] [SPEAKER_04] I close my eyes tight. This is the reason we are all gathered here a month before the planned conjuring. Remy can't wait a day longer for justice. I can't blame her. The three of us offer sighs of relief when Nicole emerges. There's a split in her lip, and she's covered head to toe in mud. Lisa rushes over, putting a tissue to Nicole's mouth.
[00:09:44] [SPEAKER_05] What did that bastard do to you? It doesn't matter now.
[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_04] Nicole smiles, holding up a silver ring with a plump red ruby in its center. Remy snatches it from Nicole's hand.
[00:09:56] [SPEAKER_03] What's this? My ingredient.
[00:09:59] [SPEAKER_04] Nicole rips the dirty matted clothes from her body.
[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_03] A trinket forged from the blood and sweat of forgotten women. My mother-in-law's ring. That bitch tricked, stole, and betrayed her own sex. That ring was her 30 pieces of silver.
[00:10:17] [SPEAKER_04] I watched the ruby absorb the light from the candles.
[00:10:21] [SPEAKER_03] I thought she was buried with it. She was.
[00:10:25] [SPEAKER_04] Nicole wipes the cemetery mud from her face. We exchange knowing glances before erupting in giddy laughter. Energized by hope, we fall to our knees. I have never been a part of a serious conjuring. Since Remy first brought me in, we've only done small spells. Mostly money and protection. Sometimes we work as a full coven. Other times with whoever is available. But this...
[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_04] This is something altogether different. This is real witch shit. This will not only bond us, but give us the power we crave and fulfill the need which had led us to Remy in the first place.
[00:11:11] [SPEAKER_05] Alice, pass the dagger.
[00:11:12] [SPEAKER_04] I hand the heavy dagger to Remy. She shakes her head.
[00:11:17] [SPEAKER_05] You start us off, sister.
[00:11:18] [SPEAKER_04] I can't contain my smile as I slice a half moon into my palm and let the blood gush to the floor. I'm honored to be the one chosen to begin the ritual. I place the dagger in Nicole's hand and she does the same. When the coven is fully bleeding, we join hands. We meld together, forming an unbreakable circle around the pot.
[00:11:46] [SPEAKER_04] A quickening deep within our innards cause writhing and shaking, push and pulling. Our marks, three scratches from the clawed hands of the underworld, appear on our navels and pulse just beneath our skin. Mine burns and itches because it is still so fresh and new.
[00:12:08] [SPEAKER_04] I smell the familiar bouquet of each of my sisters' swollen sex, the sourness of their sweat, and the rancid exhales of each fermented breath. Remy chants low and dissonant.
[00:12:24] [SPEAKER_05] Blood, metal, flesh, life. Mother, hear us. Defile their power with your bloodsian knife. Mother, hear us. Mud, sea, flame and air. Mother, hear us. Restore what is right. Award us what is fair. Mother, hear us.
[00:12:51] [SPEAKER_04] We rejoice in the wicked hymns as they melt the mortal disguises under which we hide. As our repugnant shapes take form, Lisa's rosary incinerates to ash. The clock on the wall stops. The cauldron churns without assistance and the contaminants of hell. Wicked, unnamed creatures lurk in the shadows of the apartment.
[00:13:21] [SPEAKER_04] Their eyes glowing. It's begun. The High Priestess appears, malignant power radiating from every inch of her. Judge Christine walks right through the protective doorway. Her naked body bears numerous marks of mother, enough to make any witch jealous.
[00:13:48] [SPEAKER_04] The most coveted, however, sits between her shoulder blades. A witch's teat. Proof she's been blessed by the unfathomably old entities that roam in the farthest recesses of hell. Pointed and brimming, it oozes nectar down her ravaged back. The last time it was suckled from, she was given her own courtroom. Christine stands just outside our circle.
[00:14:17] [SPEAKER_04] Her eyes black portals from which Mother watches. I can feel her inside Christine, stretching the mortal skin. I can taste hell's sulfur in my mouth.
[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_02] Your offerings.
[00:14:33] [SPEAKER_04] Our hands finally break. Into the cauldron we cast our ingredients. The semen, the blood, and the ring. The cauldron undulates from the shadows. Stomachs growl. So strong, the current rumbles through the apartment. It's Remy's turn. Mother desires an offering worthy of the promotion she seeks.
[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_04] Remy reaches for a black satin bag sitting next to her spell books. With trembling fingers, she pulls forth a bloody horse penis, freshly cut this morning.
[00:15:16] [SPEAKER_02] The spell calls for a fa-
[00:15:23] [SPEAKER_04] The coven shrinks under Mother's disappointment. This stallion had pulled a carriage through Central Park. Just like the electric burner and makeup caboodles, city witches have to make do with what is available. And the task had not been easy. It took Remy hours to accomplish. Hopefully her effort will be appreciated. Remy pauses. She could yield now and suffer the consequences of wasting Mother's time.
[00:15:52] [SPEAKER_04] Or she can risk that even though her ingredient isn't perfect, it reflects the effort she and all of us coven sisters have shown. Before any further objections have a chance to be voiced, Remy holds the tri-colored shaft just above the boiling cauldron.
[00:16:11] [SPEAKER_05] Seize power from the powerful! Remy!
[00:16:14] [SPEAKER_04] With eyes closed, Remy releases the penis into the liquid. We join hands again. Together, we recite the spell. It echoes within the halls of the underworld. The ravenous demons can wait no longer.
[00:16:44] [SPEAKER_04] Hell unleashes itself. Deafening wails consume the room as they feed on our offerings. The mayhem of dark magic twists our organs, rips out our hair, and violates our bodies. The pleasure pain spirals through me as I squirm with my sisters.
[00:17:08] [SPEAKER_04] Just as the torment reaches an unbearable level, just as the cauldron is licked clean, Remy's right shoulder disjoints and her skin dilates. We watch in despair, certain that Mother is taking her arm as payment for Remy's impatience, for the haste with her ingredient. Remy's cry is so foul, it breaks the circle.
[00:17:35] [SPEAKER_04] The room deflates as the ghouls escape back to their world. Their bellies full. My sisters and I are left disoriented, bruised and scratched. We turn our eyes to Remy's shoulder, and our pain dissolves. A witch's teat. I watch Remy touch her unholy udder in wonderment.
[00:18:02] [SPEAKER_04] Supremacy rages beneath the tender, scaly mound, and I have never known this kind of jealousy in my entire life. My envy is interrupted by the horrific commotion in the apartment above. Our eyes slowly cast downward to the cauldron. Inside, a precisely severed human penis. His penis.
[00:18:31] [SPEAKER_04] Judge Christine, fully exercised and back in human form, nods with approval. Congratulations to you all. Our smiles turn into laughter so strong it steals our breath away. We each take turns touching Remy's new teat. It is hot, pulsating, and glorious. A beautiful gift.
[00:18:55] [SPEAKER_05] Okay, okay, we can fawn over it all night. Or... My sisters can take their just rewards for their loyalty and hard work.
[00:19:05] [SPEAKER_04] Remy gestures for us to gather around the cauldron. My smile is so wide it hurts. We all know their names. A reckoning at our fingertips. These so-called men will understand what it feels like to be robbed of one's power. Ladies? Remy rubs her hands together deliciously as she invokes upon us.
[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_05] Let's fill the pot.
[00:19:49] [SPEAKER_00] Fill the Pot. Written by M. Lee. Performed by Erika Dawson. With Mickey Hernandez as Remy. Cheri Wachard as Christine. Jennifer Scott as Lisa. Candice Marie as Nicole. You've been listening to Ominous Thrill, Her Horrorween. It's created, produced, directed, and sound designed by myself, Jeff Schmidt.
[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_00] If this is your first Ominous Thrill episode, please look back in the feed to find other stories you might enjoy. There's plenty of devious audio delights to choose from. The best way to help support making more Ominous Thrill is to subscribe to the ad-free feed, The Red Room, on Patreon and Apple Podcasts. Find links in the show notes. It's greatly appreciated. Next best is to share this story with everyone you think might enjoy it. Help spread the word. Use the share icon in your listening app of choice.
[00:20:44] [SPEAKER_00] And the easiest way is to leave a five-star rating and a positive review. It doesn't do much for the algorithms, but it helps other listeners decide if they'll listen. Thank you. This has been Ominous Thrill, Her Whoreween. And until next time, thrill you later.
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