Through Endless Night

It was below. In the deep that even her new vision couldn't penetrate. It called to her, a familiar song she'd never heard before.

The girl pulled herself with her long fingers spread to catch the water. She drew her legs in and then kicked. Her smooth body flew through the water, faster than she'd ever gone. Again and again she kicked.

When she felt something loose in her mouth, the woman turned to face the surface. She spat and her teeth came free with little trails of blood to mark their exit. WIthout stopping her motion, she spun to continue to descend. Sharp ridges formed on her healing gums and she found herself licking them as she swam.

She lost track of time. Her muscles seemed tireless and, despite the depth, she felt nothing more than a consistent pressure against her body. The song grew louder and she tried to swim faster towards it. Over time, she saw light in the dark. Partially obscured shapes appeared at the corner of her wide eyes yet she ignored them, pushing faster and faster into the deep.

The music resonated within her body, vibrating every single bone in a pleasurable way. Her lips pulled tight against her face while her jaw pushed forward. As her face moved, her nose pulled back until it was nothing more than a bump with two slits. The woman's face widened, nearly imperceptibly to match the new shape of her jaw.

None of that mattered to her because she'd found the song. A ring of creatures rotated around a gigantic hole in what appeared to be the bottom of the cavern. Hydrothermal plumes billowed from the breach, thick and black. She stopped high above the cavern floor to watch all of them. There were different creatures swimming around the enormous chamber. Some were multi-tentacled monsters while others appeared nearly humanoid.

Oh, she thought, watching a group of them. One of them pointed at her and then turned to watch her. Like me. Like me, now.

The group of creatures swam towards her. They were white-bellied with extended limbs and wide, frog-like eyes. Their backs were swollen and as slick as the rest of their bodies and she felt a small pang of anxiety when they drew near.

The song. The song calmed her.

The group approached and the smallest of them grabbed the light still attached to her arm. It pulled and the light came free. Another rubbed her back and cooed in an odd way. It (he, she realized when she saw a small bump between his legs) pushed her gently towards the vent on the floor. She followed until they brought her to the edge of it.

Viscous tears flowed from her eyes when she looked into the pit.

Oh, oh god, he's so beautiful, she thought. The creature in the pit was gigantic and she adored it. She loved it more than her own life.

The song reached a crescendo above the woman. It echoed through her body and she groaned. The male placed his hand on her shoulder as she squatted while his long fingers wrapped around her mucous covered body. The full feeling had returned and it brought ecstasy with it. She moaned as her eyes fluttered and her nictitating eyelid closed to protect them. She leaned forward with her long legs spread to her side.

The woman's first egg slipped from her slit and she clung to the nearby male when the accompanying orgasm, alien and raw, tore through her body. The group surrounded her, holding her and rubbing her as she began to lay more eggs. Others came to her, taking her eggs away until she lay on the cavern floor, spent from her labors.

As she lay there, collecting herself from her efforts, her tongue hang between her thin lips. It swayed in the water and began to take on a glistening sheen. As if pulled by the currents running through the chamber, her tongue lengthened.

Three of the original group returned to her side with a tray full of slug-like creatures beneath a thin mesh. One of them wriggled free from the mesh and her eyes widened, tracking it. Before she could stop herself, her tongue shot out, spring-like to latch against the little creature. Her stomach rumbled when she reeled it back into her mouth. It exploded when her ridged gums crushed it and she was surprised at the spicy flavoring it left behind. With a hint of sweetness, she realized when her tongue lashed out to grab another.

Once sated, she looked up to see the male floating above her. In his hand was her last egg. It was small and glowed with a vivid green aura. Tendrils swayed around it in the current surrounding them. He made a noise and held it out to her as she pushed herself up to take it from him. It was warm and pulsing in her white palms. She cradled it until she realized what she must do.

Her boyfriend would come for her.

The woman drew her legs in and thrust them back. Sediment swirled around the floor as she propelled herself towards the surface. She cradled her egg in her hands as she swam.

She would find him when he came looking for her. And she would save him herself.