The Transistion of Elijah Brooks

Delilah turned to me, blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes away from her book. "We can't be there already."

I closed my Bible and stood as my sister did, following her up the stairs and onto the deck.

A vast island stretched out before us and, even in the dark, I could make out tall trees and a large spire (a mountain? I couldn't be sure) at the center of the island. The gangplank was down but I couldn't see any crew. I saw a large orange glow somewhere between us and the mountain.

"I'll get our things," I told Delilah, heading back to our cabin. I'd packed light (too light, my sister had said) so I was able to carry both of our gear together. By the time I was back, my sister said she'd found the crew - waiting for us on the shore.

The crew were in a line beside the captain. They were all hunched and rocking slightly. I suppose too long at the sea or ocean might do that to people. My sister and I walked down the plank and then stood on the pier. I thought for a moment that it was swaying under me until I realized I'd grown used to the ship's movement in the short time I was aboard.

We stood together for a moment, waiting for the captain to say something. The moment grew longer and more uncomfortable until Delilah cleared her throat. She moved her arm as if to offer a handshake but then seemed to think better of it.

"Thank you, captain," Delilah said. "I have no idea how we got here so fast but it was a pleasant, short journey. I hope you have a safe trip back."

"She waits for you," The captain hissed, his face hidden in the dark.

"She-?" Delilah half-turned to me. "Our mother?"

The six crew fell to their knees, arms outstretched before them. "Mother! Mother!" they cried, heads down against the ground. The captain trembled and bowed, backing away.

"L- Let's just go," I said nervously. "Come on, they'll be waiting."

We made our way inland. When we reached the treeline, I paused and looked back.

The crew, captain included, were wading into the water. I watched for a moment as, one by one, the disappeared beneath the surface to leave their clothes floating above them.

"They just-" I said, swallowing again. I really needed more water. "They just swam off into the water!"

Delilah looked backed and shrugged. "Probably untying knots and whatever. Come on, I want to find them before it gets too dark."

We hiked through the forest for a short distance until we reached a village. I'd expected something large and at least a little modern but was surprised to find something more akin to ramshackle buildings. Worse, the entire little village seemed to be empty.

A large fire roared at the center of the village and I shielded my eyes against the enormity of it.

"Hello?" Delilah called out. "Is anyone there?"

I thought I heard a twig snap in the distance. I rubbed at my neck nervously while looking around. I could feel the moisture being drawn out of me by the fire.

"Hello! We're the missionaries that-"

"I know who you are, child," a voice spoke from our left. Delilah gasped and we both turned to see an old woman, bent by her age and hidden behind a heavy cloak that hung to the ground to cover her feet. She walked with the aid of an old stick and I could only see the edge of her chin from within the hood. "Come, we have rooms prepared."

"I'd- I'd- We'd like to say hello to our mother and father first, please," Delilah said, stepping forward slowly.

"It's late, child, and they already sleep. There is time in the morning. Come, come, I have your rooms ready." The old woman turned without waiting. She moved quickly for her age, her cloak swishing around her.

I moved away from the fire as we walked, on the other side of Delilah. I couldn't understand how she could stand so close to it.

The old woman stopped at one small shack and pointed. "Girl."

"We'd prefer to stay together," Delilah said, looking over at me.

"No," the old woman said. "It is against our- our faith that you should. You'll sleep apart."

"Please," I whispered, my hand going to Delilah's. I was suddenly terrified without knowing why.

"It'll be okay," Delilah answered quietly. "Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. We're safe in his light."

I watched Delilah going into the little hut and then followed the woman to another building, further along.

The old woman watched me. I saw her eyes shine under her hood and I shivered at a memory. She seemed to be taking my measure until, finally, she said simply, "Boy."

I entered the small room and closed the door behind me. It refused to stay closed until I found a simple leather strip to hook around the frame. There was a bed and a desk and a pot that smelled bad. The bed was simply a frame raised off the ground with a hide of some kind stretched between the slats. There was no chair for the desk but there was a stone cup and jug.

Licking my parched lips, I dropped my backpack and poured a cup of water. I swallowed the entire cup of water before wondering if I should've smelled it first. But then, would I know what bad water smelled like? I finished the jug and then lay on the cot, feeling it sag beneath me.

I wouldn't be able to sleep. Not after the ship. And the nightmare. Not in a strange, unwelcoming place like this. With a sigh and a regretful look at the empty jug of water, I grabbed my Bible from my backpack and found my place.

I remember dozing through some of the night. On the edge of sleep but not entirely. The huge red eye stared at me every time I thought I began to drift off.

When dull morning light crept through the holes in the wall, I groaned and swung my legs over the bed. My joints were sore and hot and so I stretched to work them out. Groaning against the pain. Leaning against the wall, eyes closed.

The red eye stared back at me. Knowingly. I gasped, stepping back from the wall so fast that I fell, landing on my ass. My heart raced and I blinked several times until the image faded. I looked down to see my pants straining against my manhood. The memory of pale, soft, smooth skin flared in my mind's eye clear enough to make my teeth ache and my cock throb. I grit my teeth and pulled my knees to my chest, holding them there until I was flaccid. I don't know how long it took but I recited the Lord's Prayer again and again until it was over.

I unhooked the simple door latch and stepped into the open, breathing in the humid air as if I were drinking it. The fire had burned down to ash. I glanced around to get my bearings and then made my way to where Delilah had stayed. The door was ajar and I pushed it carefully.

"Delilah," I called softly. I peeked inside but it was empty except for her belongings.

I turned and then cried out as a cloth bag was pulled forcefully over my head and powerful hands gripped my arms. I kicked instinctively but found nothing to hit.

"Let me go!" I cried out, panicking as sharp nails dug into my skin. I tried to work my arms free but the hands holding me seemed as strong as chains. "Let me go! Please! I've done nothing wrong!"

I waited for my captor to say something. Anything. No words were spoken but a sibilant laughter filled the air. The hands pulled me and I found myself being pushed, stumbling on my own feet.

"Please, oh God, oh Lord above, please, listen to me," I said, hot tears running down my face. "My family and I are missionaries. We're harmless. We're just- oh God, where is my sister? What have you done with Delilah?"

No-one answered me. I kicked back, finally striking the person holding me but didn't even elicit a grunt. I winced expecting a return strike but, again, nothing happened.

"Please," I moaned, slumping as my legs gave out. "Please just tell me what you want. Please."

I felt myself lifted and my feet dangled free from the ground. Carried as if I weighed nothing at all.

I sobbed most of the way, occasionally begging for the person to tell me what was happening. To tell me anything instead of just the silence I was served. My voice ran out as my throat went dry and I hung, defeated.

Eventually we stopped.

"Let him go!" Delilah cried out. My head snapped up and in her direction when I heard her voice.

"Del-" I called and then screamed as I was flung in the air. My hands went up over my head and I curled into myself, expecting the worst. It hurt when I hit the ground but I rolled and sat up, pulling the sack from my head.

I was in a simple metal cage made of thick metal bars. Four huge, cloaked figures stood at each side, armed with a large staff. I couldn't see their faces but their arms and legs were massive. Delilah and I were separated by a line of bars through the middle of the cage. She pressed herself against the metal, reaching for me with her hands. I ran to her and clutched her hands to mine and we cried together.

"She- she's here," Delilah whispered.

Still holding my sister's hands, I turned to find the old woman standing by the door to the cage.

"What do you want?!" I yelled, emboldened by my sister's presence.

"You, boy," the woman answered. My heart sank. "You will complete the ritual. You will be the seed to breed the children needed to free Father. Glory be to Him."

"I- Never!" I screamed as Delilah's fingers clamped painfully against mine. "I walk in the Light. The Lord watches over me!"

"Are you thirsty, boy?" The old woman asked.

The odd question stopped me, confusing me. I swallowed and licked my dried lips and answered, voice cracking slightly. "No."

"It grows," she says. "You've seen it, haven't you, boy?"

My fingers went to my throat. "S- Seen what?"

The old women leaned close, her face nearly touching the bars. She whispered in reverence, "Father's gaze. The Red Eye."

It flashed before me and I fell back, pulling my hand away from my sister. Heat coursed through me and I choked, gasping for air as I tried to scream. When I came to, I was on my back and the old woman was gone. My hand was tight on my own throat and I hissed through my teeth as I relaxed my fingers.

My throat was swollen and hot and I licked my dry lips. I rolled to my side and groaned as my erection rubbed against the ground. My traitorous hips rocked once before I went to my knees, hugging myself.

"Elijah?" Delilah asked carefully. "Are- are you okay? What did she tell you? Are you hurt?"

I'm fine, I tried to say. Shame burned in me and I shook my head.

"Elijah, you're scaring me," Delilah said. "Talk to me. Please."

"I'm okay," I whispered. Was I talking to her or myself? "I'm okay."

"What did she say?" Delilah asked again.

"Nothing," I lied. Soft, pale skin from her neck to her collarbone. And the hidden swell of her breasts. "I don't remember. It's nothing."

"Come here. Please. Sit with me, Elijah."

I shifted, feeling my manhood. Hard and thick against my thigh. Groaning. I shook my head and then, out loud, "No. I'm sorry. Give me a little bit. I- I feel sick. Give me a minute."

Delilah clutched at the bars, watching me with tears in her eyes. I wanted to go to her for the comfort she always gave me but I couldn't. Not with my shame apparent for all to see. Not with the dirty thoughts whispering in my head. I moved slowly, pushing away until I felt the cage against my back.

I breathed deeply and slowly, swallowing to taste the moisture in the air.

"Do- Do you remember when you found father's matches?" Delilah asked. She stood and walked to the same side of the cage I sat against. I chanced to look in her direction and saw her looking ahead, toward the mountain piercing the sky. "And you accidentally started the fire in library? All I heard was you scream and then run. I put out the fire and hid everything but we didn't find you until bedtime. You were so young that you don't remember, do you? I told mother and father that we were playing hide and seek and that's why you were missing."

I only remembered it vaguely. Hiding in the dark. The fire. Thinking I would be sent away.

"I protected you. I always will, Elijah," Delilah told me. Her voice trembled. "I raised you and protected you. We'll make it through this together."

A whimper escaped my lips and I hugged my knees close.

"Is your throat okay?" Delilah asked me. "You screamed so horribly and then you choked yourself. Your face turned- Are you okay?"

I touched the side of my throat. It was still sore and hot, as if I were feverish. I had no doubt that I was. I breathed deeply, shuddering at the edge of sobbing and I felt something shift within my throat. An alien feeling that made me gag. I ran my hands along the nearby grass until it was wet from the morning dew. The water was cold and soothing as I rubbed it against my neck.

"I'm okay," I lied again. I desperately wanted to change the subject. "What was mother like when I was young? And father?"

We talked, sitting apart, separated by the bars. Our captors brought water and some kind of soup, which I ignored, despite the rumbling in my stomach. I could see vegetables but also some kind of meat floating in it that I didn't trust. Delilah picked at her soup, nibbling on a few of the vegetables in the broth before putting it aside. We talked, laughing over stories of growing up and getting into mischief together.

The sun sat on the distant horizon, huge and fat and red. Our conversation had winded down and we sat together quietly, lost in our own thoughts.

"Boy," a voice called. I turned to find the old woman standing behind me. Without another word she tossed something into my cage. My Bible.

I scrambled for the small book, thankful for this one kindness. Feeling a small seed of hope beginning to bloom.

Until I opened it.

The Bible was my own, I'd recognize it anywhere with it's worn edges and notes in the margins. Now the pages were vandalized. Where I randomly opened it was a lewd picture of a woman on all fours being pleasured by a man from behind. Drawn crudely in thick, black ink, I saw the man had three eyes and gills and the woman had rows of sharp teeth and three pairs of breasts.

I picked another random page and found hurried writing in a script I didn't recognize. It hurt my eyes to read it and my head throbbed, forcing me to draw in a sharp, deep breath. I subconsciously rubbed more dew on my neck before turning the page again. More writing around an illustration of a woman squatting to lay eggs while a single malevolent eye looked on. My manhood stirred, sliding against my thigh and I shuddered from the feeling of it. Warm soft flesh tearing biting licking blood forcing her open Dagon opening the way Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu-

I cried out and threw the book, pushing the heels of my hands against my eyes and sobbing.

"Elijah!" Delilah yelled, against the bars of the cage once more. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"They- they- they-" I hiccuped. I couldn't tell her so I just shook my head and cried until there were no tears left in me.

-----

They came for Delilah at sunset. Three of them with the old woman at the front. All cloaked in simple robes with the last fading rays of the red sun casting shadows within their hoods. They stopped in front of Delilah's side of the cage and she fled, pressing herself against the bars opposite. The old woman stamped her staff and the lead figure disrobed.

He, for it had to be a he with his erect penis, stood eyeing Delilah. A monster made real. His skin was scaled and segmented like an alligator, mottled with green and black spots. A long tail, as thick as my thigh curved behind him, the blunt tip little brushing the ground. It - He - licked his lips. His face was misshapen. Elongated with two small slits for a nose and a jaw lined with sharp fangs. His neck fluttered to reveal small gills and I gagged, clutching at my own throat in response. An old, ragged scarf hung around his neck.

"No!" screamed Delilah, pressing herself back as hard as she could. "NO!"

The creature stalked into the cage when the old woman opened the door. Delilah ran to the corner of her cage and crouched. She was hyperventilating, eyes wide and white as the lizard man walked to her. It hissed with a thick, long tongue that seemed to taste the air until, finally, he stood above her.

"Please," I begged. "Please don't do this. Please. I'll do whatever you want. Just make this stop. Please don't hurt her!"

The old woman turned to me and I looked at her. She blinked and I saw not cataracts but a nictitating membrane that slid over her eyes. She smiled warmly.

"Boy," she said, her grin widening until it nearly split her face in half. "You can't stop this. Not any of it. She is lesser and will learn her place. As you will learn yours."

I heard my sister scream and I looked over at her to see her on her knees, her face pressed against the ground. I saw her sex between her spread thighs just as the monster pierced her. Birds took flight as my sister shrieked loud and long.

I vomited noisily to the side as the old woman laughed.

Oh god. Oh god. I could smell my sister's blood. My manhood stirred and the old woman laughed louder, deep enough to nearly drown out my sister's screaming.

"Stop," I moaned, my lips trembling as my pants grew tight. Each thrust from the creature caused my sister to scream louder. "Stop. Please make it stop! Please! Oh God. Oh Lord in Heaven, please. Please help us! Please!"

The creature was grunting and I could hear him slamming into my sister again and again and again and again. Wet with her blood. My sister's screams had been reduced to choking sobs but I dared not look at her. The old woman's laugh dug into my brain, raising the hackles on my neck.

"Stop!" I felt dizzy. Nauseous. My head spun and the scent of blood filled my throat with every breath. I couldn't fill my lungs. Despite gasping for air, I felt like I was choking. "Stop! Just- Just stop! Just! SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU WHINING CUNT!"

I clasped my hands to my mouth in horror at what I'd said. I gagged. And choked. And gasped and then sweet air filled my lungs.

But my mouth was closed.

The skin along my neck trembled, tickling in a strange way that made me moan. I touched my neck in horror and felt wet, raw flesh beneath flaps of skin. Three rows of gills, drawing air into my lungs.

I looked at the old woman to find her crouched outside the cage next to me. She no longer smiled.

"No," she whispered. "You can't stop any of this. And, soon, you won't want to."

I didn't notice when they left. I sat stunned, my mind chewing on nothing but the horror I was living through. No, no, I had to be Ph'nglui. Had to be. Nothing more than a dream.

Eventually, I came back to myself with a shudder.

"Delilah!" I said, running to the divider. She lay on the ground with her tattered clothes covering her naked body. For a moment, I worried that she was dead but her leg moved and I breathed again. I clamped my hands against my throat, feeling the strangeness of the gills. The air didn't taste nearly as sweet without them. "Delilah! Oh God, Delilah."

She said nothing but I pleaded with her anyway. To talk to me. To tell me she was okay. That she was alive. Instead, she curled herself into a tighter ball and shook quietly.

I grit my teeth and clamped my hands against the thick wood separating us. My gills fluttered and the sharp scent of blood and sex filled me until my knees weakened. I fell and sat, staring at nothing. Feeling nothing. Worn out. I was exhausted but still couldn't sleep.

-----

The night was deep and quiet when three figures approached my cage. I huddled back, trembling in fear. Wondering if it were my turn to be violated.

"E- Elijah?" the lead figure asked. I knew that voice. I would always know that voice.